Bill, thank you for the information. Interestingly, at least to me, my KRUEGER ancestor, a "shepherd" per a family letter, apparently did not practice the occupation whose surname he carried although I did read somewhere that a "kruger" by occupation was a part timer and that often his alternative job was one of farming. The latter scenario would possibly fit my particular ancestor based on information in the family letter written 100 years post the family's emigration from West Prussia to North America. Best wishes, Bette A schafer was a shepherd. At this time a schafer might work for the entire village taking care of the village's animals or a manorial estate. Usually this job was considered the lowest job in terms of prestige but it was certainly more relaxing the farming. It was also suitable for an older man or a handicapped man. For more general information on West Prussia go to http://www.cba.hawaii.edu/remus/genes/wprussia/resources.htm