The family story was that 4 MARGENTHALERs and 4 GIESERs came together from Germany to the US. My research has shown that this was substantially correct. The MERGENTHALER family (as it was known in Germany) and the GIESER family were both from Oftersheim, Baden, Germany and there is a deep history of ancestors recorded in the Ortssippenbuch of Oftersheim. Philipp Jakob MERGENTHALER m. Katharina Elisabetha GIESER (Elizabeth GIESER) Anna Maria MERGENTHALER m. Georg Adam GIESER (Adam GIESER) Johann Joseph MERGENTHALER m. Katherine GIESER Susanna Dorothea MERGENTHALER m. Johann Goerg GIESER (George GIESER) Carl Heinrich MEGENTHALER m. Marguerith BARTH all immigrated to the US but not all on the same ship. Jacob MARGENTHALER (Philipp Jakob MERGENTHALER) was my ancestor. He immigrated to the US in 1853. I believe he was not married at the time he immigrated but may have married Katherine GIESER aboard ship or shortly after arrival. They were in Jackson Co. Missouri during the 1860 census with several children. Their sons William and Jacob adopted the spelling MORGENTHALER and their descendants used this spelling. Their son John adopted the spelling MARGENTHALER. All of John's descendants except for his son J. Robert maintaned this spelling. J. Robert used MORGENTHALER. John MARGENTHALER born 1898 in Jackson Co. MO married Florence KUHNERT on 19 Apri 1892. They lived in Murphysboro, Jackson Co. IL until at least 1801 but had moved to Pinckneyville by 1907 where they remained. They had 8 children. Florence KUHNERT was the daughter of Karl KUHNERT and Augusta Amelia SIEDSCHLAG of Perry Co. Karl KUHNERT was born 13 April 1832 in Treibach, Schleswig, Germany. He immigrated to the US where he married Augusta on 26 Jan 1868 near Pittsburg Pennsylvania. Augusta was also a first generation immigrant from Germany. They had moved to Perry County IL by 1874. Their third child, Florence KUHNERT was born 27 May 1874 in Perry Co. Karl and Augusta had 10 children. More details can be found in my tree posted on Rootsweb's Worldconnect site at: http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=lrohleder Linda Rohleder