Hello, I have posted about this before. I am posting again in case anyone has new ideas that may help me. Here is my website with details about this: http://www.ccs.fau.edu/~modestino/Zeidat_Family.html My Zeidat ancestors appeared in Kaunas, Lithuania in approximately the 1870's. My great great grandfather Eduard Zeidat, son of Francis Zeidat and Anna Koegel, married in Kaunas in 1887 at age 27 (suggesting a birth about 1861 in East Prussia). His parents are listed as living in Eiguliai, village of Kaunas parish in Lithuania. From what I understand, his bride was Catholic, but he may not have been! He married in his wife's church. Eduard Zeidat and his parents were from East Prussia and spoke German. As the surname ends in -at, this does suggest an East Prussian surname, *specifically northeastern East Prussia*. Also, my great grandmother insisted when I was a child her father was from East Prussia and spoke German. Thus, I am sure she is correct. Someone on this list gave me an IGI listings from LDS of Mikkelis Zeidatis in Budwethen, Ragnit, East Prussia. It turns out that this listing is not on the microfilm and none of family members can be found on the microfilms for this place. There are several Zydat families listed in the IGI and other spellings of similar surnames in East Prussia. But, there are far too many to narrow down and none appear to be my family. There are many families with the surname Seidat and Scheidat as well in the records (refer to my web page above for variations). Based on IGI listings the region of northeastern East Prussia on the Lithuanian border: Pillkallen Willuhnen/Kraupischken Parish areas/Kerstupohnen/Stallupoenen) spelled the surname with a Y, i.e., Zydat...whereas those living in the Tilsit/Ragnit Areas (Tilsit Memel/Kellen (also called Kellmienen) and a Kulmen towns/Budwethen)spelled the surname with an EI, i.e., Zeidatis, Seidat, Seidatis, etc. I have exhausted all possible record sources in Lithuania in both Vilnius and Kaunas archives in an attempt to locate their source of origin in East Prussia. I have hired a German genealogist who works at LDS to help me scour records in an attempt to find them. She has looked in lists of East Prussians that moved to Lithuania. Additionally, she has looked at lists of those who left East Prussia for Lithuania. She has not been able to locate them. I have suggested to look at land records, tax records and all other available records to find them. My genealogist has told that it could take her months to search such records working full time. Additionally, there are some 100 directory type books of villages that are not indexed. Without a specific village, that would take months as well. My hope was that there would be some large full-scale Census and I could have her search the entire thing to try to locate my ancestors or anyone with a similar surname and then search in the locations they lived. From what I understand, there is no such thing as a Census of East Prussia from the mid 1800's. My researcher insists on searching church parish records as a primary source in an attempt to try to find my great great grandfather's birth record around the year 1861. However, as there are serious gaps in these records, I fear we will miss them. The land tax records, etc., are extensive and one small area would take 10 hours or more to search. ***For the record, I realize this is the WORST way to conduct genealogy. It is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.*** However, I have exhausted all other sources from their origin in Lithuania. Thus, I have no other choice if I wish to continue. I am asking anyone with access to such records, or who has used such records, or who may know something I do not, for help. Does anyone have any ideas on how to locate my Zeidat ancestors in East Prussian records? Are there any index lists of surnames and locations, anything like a Census, directory or anything of such sort that may help me find a location of my Zeidat ancestors in northeastern East Prussia in the mid 1800's, allowing me to find more records of them based on said location? Is it possible there are record in Germany or elsewhere, that LDS does not have copies of, which might help me with this? If so, where and what records? My worst nightmare is having my genealogist search all church parish records available on microfilm at LDS and still not locating them because of gaps in these records. If this happens, I might exclude specific locations incorrectly and never find them! Please help me out of this brick wall! Thanks, Ed Modestino --------------------------------------------------- Edward Justin Modestino, M.Phil. Ph.D. Candidate in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences Cognitive Neurodynamics Laboratory Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences Florida Atlantic University (561) 297-2238 Fax: (561) 297-3634 modestino@ccs.fau.edu http://www.ccs.fau.edu/~modestino/ Lab: http://www.ccs.fau.edu/~bressler/CNL_CCSBS/CNL_CCSBS_FAU.html --------------------------------------------------- Fillean meal ar an meallaire.