Actually, you're lucky to be researching the name Magbier, even though it can be spelled in a number of ways. I have one ancestor I will never be able to find: Anna Meier/Meyer/Maier. There are only several thousand girls of the same age with the same name. And, she is variously described on the census enumerations as being from Germany or from Switzerland. So feel fortunate! My suggestion: Look for a church that served the German population in the Iowa town where your ancestor settled. Most German immigrants attended German-language churches for at least the first generation after arriving in North America. The pastors of these churches tended to keep excellent records, and these records have usually been microfilmed, available in the local library. In some cases the records are still at the church. I have had excellent luck in identifying the home German villages by using these records, because the death and marriage records usually list exactly where the immigrants were born. Teva Scheer -----Original Message----- From: schleswig-holstein-roots-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:schleswig-holstein-roots-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Kelly OHanrahan Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 8:11 AM To: SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS@rootsweb.com Subject: [SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS] How to Research a Surname that Seemingly does not Exist Hello.  One of my ancestors arrived in NY on Dec 12 1872 (ship - Westphalia). He, his wife and their children eventually settled in Iowa.   Census records show a variety of locations as place of birth for various members of this family (Holstein; Schleswig; Prussia; Germany...probably all true ).    Worse, the surname is nearly unsearchable, e.g., Magbier.  Suggestions? ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== Technical Terms and Rules of the S-H-ROOTS: http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/index.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Teva, Thank you very much for this suggestion!   It may also help with another German/Prussian branch I am researching...or trying to research, lol. As for your challenge with Anna Meier/Meyer/Maier, I completely sympathize, as I have a Thomas Moore brick wall in another branch of my family tree...circa Revolutionary War (-but no pension record making a definitive connection-) and of French descent. :D - Kelly ________________________________ From: Teva Scheer <tjscheer@gmail.com> To: schleswig-holstein-roots@rootsweb.com Sent: Wed, May 2, 2012 11:44:54 AM Subject: Re: [SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS] How to Research a Surname that Seemingly does not Exist Actually, you're lucky to be researching the name Magbier, even though it can be spelled in a number of ways. I have one ancestor I will never be able to find: Anna Meier/Meyer/Maier. There are only several thousand girls of the same age with the same name. And, she is variously described on the census enumerations as being from Germany or from Switzerland. So feel fortunate! My suggestion: Look for a church that served the German population in the Iowa town where your ancestor settled. Most German immigrants attended German-language churches for at least the first generation after arriving in North America. The pastors of these churches tended to keep excellent records, and these records have usually been microfilmed, available in the local library. In some cases the records are still at the church. I have had excellent luck in identifying the home German villages by using these records, because the death and marriage records usually list exactly where the immigrants were born. Teva Scheer -----Original Message----- From: schleswig-holstein-roots-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:schleswig-holstein-roots-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Kelly OHanrahan Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 8:11 AM To: SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS@rootsweb.com Subject: [SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS] How to Research a Surname that Seemingly does not Exist Hello.  One of my ancestors arrived in NY on Dec 12 1872 (ship - Westphalia). He, his wife and their children eventually settled in Iowa.   Census records show a variety of locations as place of birth for various members of this family (Holstein; Schleswig; Prussia; Germany...probably all true ).    Worse, the surname is nearly unsearchable, e.g., Magbier.  Suggestions? ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== Technical Terms and Rules of the S-H-ROOTS: http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/index.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== Technical Terms and Rules of the S-H-ROOTS: http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/index.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message