My Fred Kohler was born 4 Dec 1848 in Germany. My great grandfather! When he was 8 yrs old, his mother Christina brought Fred and his younger brother Jacob to America. Christina's brother (name unknown) traveled with them. Christina married John Mann, they had 5 children and lived primarily in Schuykill County, Pa. The first I can find Fred or Jacob on a census is in 1880, Jefferson County, Illinois. By then Fred had married (10 January 1875) Sarah Ann Mensch. 7 children were born to them in Illinois and another child was born to them in Gage, Nebraska. Anyone interested in these details, please contact me. I do not know Christina's maiden name nor the name of her first husband. Family records regarding the locale in Germany give Berlin, near the Black Forest. Unless there is a tiny village named Berlin, the city itself is a distance from the Black Forest. Any help would be appreciated. Supposedly Fred would not tell anyone what part of Germany he was from, especially after the outbreak of WW I. I thank all of you dedicated genealogists for making this web-site possible. Happy hunting! Beverly