Greetings. I've just begun to research my German ancestry, and have determined (through census data from the later 19th century) that my 3rd great-grandparents Charles Hempel (b abt 1822/23) and Augusta Klapperodt (b abt 1827) as well as their three sons (Charles, John, and Ernest) seem to have come from the Kingdom of Hanover (in present-day Lower Saxony). The Hempels arrived about 1865, and settled in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. They told census takers in 1870 that they came from Hanover (by which I presume they meant not the city but Kingdom of Hanover), and Charles Hempel Sr or his wife Augusta told 1880 census takers they were from Prussia (which is consistent, given that Hanover was invaded, and occupied by Prussia in 1866). In the 1880 census Charles Hempel Jr told census takers he was from "Osterow, Germany." There is no such place as Osterow, Germany, but there is an Osterode am Harz in Lower Saxony, which happens to be a few miles from Augusta Klapperodt's possible place of birth - Herzberg am Harz (this according to her cemetery record - at least there Herzberg part [there are multiple Herzbergs in the country but this is as I understand it the only one in Lower Saxony]). According to census recrods, Charles Hempel (Sr) (who may have been named Carl [if not Carl Augustus] Hempel) was born in 1822/23. Again: we don't know where in Germany he was born but Osterode am Harz and Herzberg am Harz are possibilities. He married Augusta Klapperodt (and this may be only an approximate spelling) - perhaps sometime in the mid to late 1840s. Augusta was born about 1828 - again, perhaps in Herzberg am Harz. Charles and Augusta's first son Charles William (who was likely named Carl Willhelm Hempel at birth) was born in 1850 (perhaps in Osterode am Harz or thereabouts). Their second son John (perhaps named Johann) was born in 1856 in Germany.Their third son Ernest L Hempel was born in 1864, also in Germany. The Hempels were jewelers by trade, and there has been some speculation in the family that they might have been Jewish converts to Christianity before coming to America. We have no hard evidence to support this possibility, but the circumstantial case is not without merit. There is apparently an archive (http://www.staatsarchive.niedersachsen.de:80/master/C504_L20_D0.html) for the state, but my German is extremely primitive. Any tips or leads that you think may be helpful would be welcome. Thank you very much. Best regards, Kenneth Hempel __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com