Hello everyone - My name is Lorraine and I've been doing genealogy work for several years already (about 7 or so actually!) but this is the first time I'm trying to do delve into the research on the German side of my family. I joined this list a while ago and have been lurking quietly but am ready to speak up now. Matthew White is my great-great-great-grandfather. He was born in Brooklyn NY in either 1849-50. He died in 1886 and is listed as being 36 on his death certificate. His son (my great-great-grandfather) was born in 1879 and his father's age is listed as 30. I have Matthew's parents name as John and Mary White (nothing is ever easy in our families, is it?!) Per federal census information and Matthew's death certificate, his parents were born in Germany. I have no idea how long they were in the US before he was born. He have no paperwork that confirms that Matthew White was in fact born in Brooklyn. From what I can tell the official county records for Brooklyn didnt start until the 1860's so there would be no birth certificate on record. One of my few chances for finding the Matthew White birth certificate to confirm information would be through the church (Roman Catholic) but Im not sure where the German parishes in the Brooklyn area were... After several years of working on the Polish side of my family, I've finally broken down the walls there, so here's hoping the same thing happens for this side also. Thanks to all for any suggestions that you might have. Have a great day, Lorraine