Hello Everyone, Yesterday I went to the library again... This time I found a library(in Va) that had all 64 books of Germans to America... Can someone explain why, if you can guess, I didn't find my MELKUS families in this book.. One family of MELKUS I know left Antwerp to NY on July 1883 and yet I couldn't even find that family when I knew that much... And my great-grandfather was in America in the 1880 census with a wife and 7 year old child born in America so I was guessing he might have arrived before the marriage so that would put his arrival sometime between 1860-1870.. Well my husband and I looked through all 64 books and we found 2 other Melkus folks but not any of my family. (MELKUS is an unusual name so when you find it you feel lucky) I have a copy of the passage for the Karl MELKUS that left Kaiserslautern and went to Antwerp, Belgium dated 25 July 1883. It was for Karl, Margaretha Diehl Melkus and children: Karl age 6, Wilhelm age 3 and Berta age 14 months. This paper says: " Deuthsche Reich. Königreich Bayern. No. 245 des Register. Reise-Pass. Karl MELKUS was born in Otterberg, Germany in 1850." Is it possible that he was not a German citizen? I have a birth certificate for my Great-grandfather Franz MELKUS born Nov. 17, 1840 in Otterberg Germany. In fact all of his brothers and sisters were born in Otterberg as I have found each on at the LDS library on microfilm... Does any one have guesses of these MELKUS brothers and sisters not being citizens of Germany, as I was assuming? Any ideas why they are not in the book, German to America? Thank you for your time and any clues you can offer.... Margaret Maryland, USA