Hello, Herb! Just something to be aware of . . . In some of the old handwriting styles the T’s looks like F’s to us nowadays, and vice versa.  So when you say the ship’s manifest records the Teske surname as Ferke, that’s probably really not the case.  It may look like Ferke to you, and it may very well be incorrectly transcribed in indexes, etc., but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the register doesn’t actually say Teske if you compare letter by letter to an old handwriting guide. The  surname of some of my German ancestors starts with “F”, so I’ve experienced this problem myself.  I’ve found it really helpful to study the old handwriting styles, especially the letters your ancestor's surnames start with, to better understand how the names might be misread and incorrectly indexed. One handwriting link you might find helpful:  http://www.genealogia.fi/faq/faq031e.htm Cheryl S. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 ate: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 12:43:20 -0700 (PDT) rom: Herbert Teske <[email protected]> ubject: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] TESKE 1884-1885 o: [email protected] essage-ID: <[email protected]> ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hello Listers! My great grandfather, Johann Teske, a resident of Paris, Bessarabia, made his ay east and boarded the S.S. Belgenland (Captain W. W. Beynon) at the Antwerp, elgium, port in late 1884 or early 1885.? The ship docked in New York on 9 May 885 and immigrants were processed at Castle Garden. The ship's manifest records the Teske surname as "Ferke" and notes that Johann's ast residence was "Oserwein." (The surname recorded at Castle Garden was Ferk.") Does anyone know if the Castle Garden record might reveal additional information n this relative, and if so, where such information might be obtained? Authorities at CG have not responded to my inquiries.)? Does anyone know where might obtain the date of departure of the S.S. Belgenland from Antwerp?? inally, does anyone know of a village/town in Germany or Poland named Oserwein?" Any help/suggestions will be appreciated. Herb Teske