Hi Kathleen, Well it's a long story. I found my Grandfather Mueller from Speyer RheinlandPfalz in Germans to America in the NYC Library. I found Gr-Grandfather Haverbeck from Hanover Stadt Hanover Preussa in the Castle Garden web site he arrived on Nov. 9 1878 in the Port of New York. Then I found the Haverbeck Family listed in the Pilot on familysearch.org. The Germans kept great records I went to Speyer Germany and to the Archives there and confirmed my Mueller family bacl tp 1686.. I hope to go to Hanover to do the same for the Haverbeck family. One the Irish side came the stonewalls. I found my Grandfather O'brien through the Limerick Archives (unfortunately now closed) I found Gr-GrandMother Fox through a search on the internet of the area of the Kilmallock Union county Limerick. There were pictures of the area and a name that was familiar. I wrote to the webmaster and he forwarded my e-mail to the person who put up the pictures. This person turned out to be a 3rd cousin. I went to Ireland and met this family. It was my family. About the Christophers (my husband's fathers' family) I found them through the message boards on Genforum.com. 2 people answered my query re: William Christopher. There is now a DNA project for this family in progress. We have located about 25/35 descendents of this William. The Mitchells are still a stonewall. I know they came from Galway from the writings on the gravestones in Kingston Ulster County NY. I have a good history of this side of the family in the states. But where in Galway did they come from and how did they get to the US?? Sometimes I think they walked on water. Borch/Barscz is a work in progress. I have only found them in the US Fed Census from 1900 through 1930. This family settled in Yonkers, Westchester County NY. Georg Borch/Barscz arrived in the us in 1888 along with his wife Barbara and child Anna age 2. That's all I know of this family so far. It has taken me 11 years with lots of research and footwork to find all that I have to date and I am still working. It just takes perserverence and a lot of setbacks to keep going. Good luck and I hope you fine your heritage. -- Judy Christopher

Another possible research tool is to find find vital or church records of siblings or children if known. I found where my ggg grandparents came from in Tipperary from a death record of one of their children from a church in Wisconsin. It stated that the father was born in Newcastle, Co Tipperary and the mother in Grange, Co Tipperary. This led to many other bits of information. I don't know if this sort of thing would be listed on marriage or birth records. Sandra On 5/17/2010 2:55 PM, judy christopher wrote: > ... > About the Christophers (my husband's fathers' family) I found them through > the message boards on Genforum.com. 2 people answered my query re: William > Christopher. There is now a DNA project for this family in progress. We > have located about 25/35 descendents of this William. > The Mitchells are still a stonewall. I know they came from Galway from the > writings on the gravestones in Kingston Ulster County NY. I have a good > history of this side of the family in the states. But where in Galway did > they come from and how did they get to the US?? Sometimes I think they > walked on water. > ... > >