In a message dated 9/12/00 4:24:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time, smithmary@home.com writes: << Subj: RE: SCHANK (& variations), CLAUS Date: 9/12/00 4:24:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: smithmary@home.com (Mary Smith) Reply-to: smithmary@home.com To: Kwsroots@aol.com Ken, Thanks for the info! I will contact Debbie Orth and see what she can do for me. Did I understand you right when you said that one of the sources names Josephine's parents? Do I hear a brick wall starting to crumble?! Thanks again for all you do! Mary >> Hi Mary, The good news: that brick wall of yours may be crumbling. The bad news: there's probably another brick wall right behind it. Until you get copies from Baughman's History of Huron County, Ohio, here's an excerpt from Vol. 2, Pages 347-348 (bio sketch on Mathias Claus), which touches on Josephine SHANK's parents: Josephine Shank, daughter of Frank and Helen SHANK of Sherman Township, was born in Germany Feb. 14, 1846. She came to this country with her father at age 18. They settled in Norwich Township where the father died at age 75. The mother had passed away many years before in Germany at age 42. Frank and Helen SHANK had six children, four of whom are still living (as of 1909). The two oldest sons, Frank and Benjamin, had previously passed away. Of the others, Elias lives in Norwich Township; Josephine is the wife of Mathias CLAUS; Carrie is living in Fremont, and Agnes is in Tiffin, Ohio. Regards, Ken Shute, in MD (kwsroots@aol.com).