I am posting this with the possibility it may not be a relevant list topic. However due to the proximity of the location and the assistance this list is capable of I am going to take a shot. After over 15 years of searching, I have finally been able to locate and obtain my Great Grandfather Andrew Hoffman's Naturalization papers. This also assisted me in finally locating his passenger record. (Yippee Breakthrough!.... or not :-( ) Sadly his passenger record did not list any other family members travelling with him. At the age of 16 he immigrated possibly alone, or with the two persons listed above him on the passenger record. The eldest of the two being a servant aged 26. Neither name listed above his seems to connect to my family in any known manner. His declaration of intent lists Balbern Germany as his birth place. From what tiny bit i have been able to find, this location is due east by only a few miles of a little place called Nemmersdorf. This area is part of Gumbinnen in the province of Kaliningrad. As this area was part of the prussian partition (I apologize if I have not used this term correctly) these locations seem to have underwent many name changes. In addition, it also appears that they were heavilly invaded during the wartime periods. I am at a complete loss as to what direction to look in (if one exists) for this mans family. Two notes of reference regarding the above information. The immigration year was 1894 (as listed on the passenger record) and the location of Gumbinnen is approximately 3 hours driving time due north of Bialystok. Balbern would be slightly due south of Gumbinnen. due east of Nemmersdorf. I apologize again if this is not the appropriate forum for this inquiry. Any suggestions would be helpful. Marie

Marie, Didn't your gr.grandfather's Petition for Naturalization of Declaration of Intent list his place of birth as well as the others in his family who were being naturalized under his name? In what year did Andrew Hoffman become a citizen? Kaliningrad didn't receive this name until after WWII. It was Konigsberg when occupied by the Germans (East Prussia). In Polish it was Krolewiec. The town was pretty much destroyed during WWII but that doesn't mean there aren't records somewhere. consider contacting the Polish Civil Archives and ask them where the vital records are. You can write in English but their response will be in Polish. Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Pan'stwowych ul. Rakowiecka 2D 02-517 Warszawa Poland email: [email protected] Debbie marie yeager wrote: > I am posting this with the possibility it may not be a relevant list topic. > However due to the proximity of the location and the assistance this list is > capable of I am going to take a shot. > > After over 15 years of searching, I have finally been able to locate and > obtain my Great Grandfather Andrew Hoffman's Naturalization papers. This > also assisted me in finally locating his passenger record. (Yippee > Breakthrough!.... or not :-( ) > > Sadly his passenger record did not list any other family members travelling > with him. At the age of 16 he immigrated possibly alone, or with the two > persons listed above him on the passenger record. The eldest of the two > being a servant aged 26. Neither name listed above his seems to connect to > my family in any known manner. > > His declaration of intent lists Balbern Germany as his birth place. From > what tiny bit i have been able to find, this location is due east by only a > few miles of a little place called Nemmersdorf. This area is part of > Gumbinnen in the province of Kaliningrad. As this area was part of the > prussian partition (I apologize if I have not used this term correctly) > these locations seem to have underwent many name changes. In addition, it > also appears that they were heavilly invaded during the wartime periods. > > I am at a complete loss as to what direction to look in (if one exists) for > this mans family. > > Two notes of reference regarding the above information. The immigration year > was 1894 (as listed on the passenger record) and the location of Gumbinnen > is approximately 3 hours driving time due north of Bialystok. Balbern would > be slightly due south of Gumbinnen. due east of Nemmersdorf. > > I apologize again if this is not the appropriate forum for this inquiry. > Any suggestions would be helpful. > > Marie