Can anyone on the list assist me with locating records for my g grandparents & gg grandparents? I am aware that Civil records in MD begin in 1898. My paternal g grandfather was John LIBENS a German emigrant. Per oral history he came from the Prussia area of Germany. Date of emigration is about 1850 to USA, MD. In the 1870 census the surname was misspelled as LUBBENS for Ohio. About 1860, in the Rising Sun area he married my g grandmother Margaret KEIL (also spelled on records KIEL, KYLE, KILE). Her parents were emigrants living in Rising Sun, Cecil County, Ludwig and Madeline. My great grandmother Margaret was born in MD in 1845. Both sides of the family were Lutheran. Both families moved to Crestline (Crawford County) OH after the Civil War. Ludwig was a cooper. My g grandfather John worked for the railroad. We assume they followed the expansion west by the railroads. They settled in Crestline, OH Because my husband's family is from western MD, we have made several trips to the MD Archives for research. I have never been able to find anything for this paternal side of my family. Would there be sacramental records at any Lutheran churches in the Rising Sun area for the time line 1820 - 1870? Any suggestion on avenues to pursue would be greatly appreciated. We have all the data after the move to Crestline, OH. Mary Ellen Chambers Lakewood, OH maryln61@sbcglobal.net