This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Di.2ADE/1969 Message Board Post: Looking for those who left Germany and came to the USA. If you are looking for anyone in these or other villages please email me at this address. Looking for German's in the US. [email protected] FORGOTTEN VILLAGES IN NORTHERN BAVARIA by Walter Koempel [email protected] [The author resides in Oberbach near Wildflecken, Germany, and is the chronicler for the villages of Oberwildflecken, Wildflecken, and Oberbach.] While researching my wife's ancestors, I found references to a place called Herrenbreitungen. I checked the telephone directory, zip code book and other sources, but could not find anything. One day I went to the archive in Wuerzburg and on my way out noticed hanging on the wall a map of the area in the 16th century. My eyes lit upon the town I was looking for. It is now called Breitungen in Thuringia. In the region where I live a number of villages have similarly disappeared. Perhaps your ancestor came from one of them and you have wondered why you could not find it. The Rhoen Highlands, with an elevation of 1,000 to 3,000 feet, are in Bavaria, Hesse, and Thuringia, Germany, approximately 80 miles from Frankfurt, 60 miles north of Wuerzburg, and 20 miles southeast of Fulda. The first settlements in this region were built after 800 A. D. The area was always poor, with long winters, a cold climate, not-very-good-farming land, and no work. In the 18th century, many people emigrated from this area to the U.S.A. to find better living conditions. Wildflecken, a town of approximately 3,600 inhabitants, is well- known to American soldiers, civilians, and their families, because it has a huge training area. Starting in 1936 under Hitler's regime, laborers built a village (Camp Wildflecken) and a training area with ranges. The inhabitants of seven villages and a few hamlets (Weiler) and mills had to leave their homes. The villages had only between 50 and 400 inhabitants. Most of the villages were demolished during 1938 and Werberg in 1973 by training U.S. troops. The following villages/hamlets and mills disappeared from all maps: REUSSENDORF, first mentioned in 1579, including the farms ADAMSHOF, SARAHOF, HEINRICHSHOF, and FUCHSENMUEHLE NEUGLASHUETTEN, first mentioned in 1684 ALTGLASHUETTEN, including the hamlets (Weiler) BRUECKE, HARFENMUEHLE, WIESENHAUS and HAUS FRANKEN, since 1609 SILBERHOF since 1696 ROTHENRAIN, including DISBACHHOF, DISBACHMUEHLE and EBERTSHOF, since 1557 DOERRENBERG (variation of spelling = DUERRENBERG) since the 18th century WERBERG, with the hamlet of AUERSBERG, since 1260 KIPPELBACH since 1542 (state of Hesse) ****************************************************