The Schemioneck family departed Hamburg for Australia in 1876. The transcript of the passenger list I have says they came from Smowen West Prussia and is annotated "can find no town of this name". Because the name is Slavic and appears to occur most often in the Masurian area of current Poland, I have run with the idea that it is possibly Summowen East Prussia (now Sumowo Poland). A death certificate indicates that the couple were married in Gumbinnen which would also place them in East Prussia. However, I now have a scan of the original passenger list. The town certainly looks like Smowen and it is definitely West Preussia. Can anyone suggest a West Prussian location that could be Smowen? The maiden name of Elisabeth Schemioneck on her death certificate is Nicklass. On the passenger list only a few lines from the family is an Ernestine Nicholaus aged 23 and "ledig" - unmarried. The town she comes from has more letters than Smowen and is also in West Prussia. The transcript says that it is Schneidemuhl (umlaut over the u) which is now Pila Poland. This is all pure speculation but I am wondering if there is a connection between Elisabeth and Ernestine. When I get home to my records I will check the archives for a marriage record for Ernestine. Would there be a town with a name like Smowen near to Schneidemuhl? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Nell Schemioneck