This won't help with your genealogy, but wondered if you knew the following. An FYI. Pech is a German word for "pitch", a chemical sticky tar-like substance. It also has the meaning of bad luck, misfortune, mishap, unfortunate. The reason for this usage was explained in a German course I took recently at the university. In the past farmers (and maybe others) put Pech on branches in trees. Birds would unknowingly land on the Pech-covered branches, get stuck in the Pech, the farmer would go over and pluck them off the tree limb, and bird became part of dinner. Bad luck for the bird anyway. So, such expressions exist in German langauge: Was für ein Pech! = Such bad luck! Too bad!! Ich habe Pech gehabt. = I was unlucky. Ich hab' Pech. = I'm unlucky, unfortunate. Pech! = Tough luck! Das ist Pech. = That is bad luck. In case you have an inquiring mind that wants to know. Bill in Denver