For Jill Nowak: There are several very active Germans from Russia organizations. Go to the GRHS.org website or the NDSU website: http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/. Both have excellent websites with lots of history and genealogy information. All of my ancestors are Germans from Russia and I have been researching them for several years. If I can be of any help, let me know.

Michael, Thank you for your help and direction. Gave me an avenue to head.

Is there a German website comparable to the Danish website Statens Arlivers Arkivalieronline which provides scanned copies of the parish records?

a great grandparent left denmark because germany took over the part he lived in. would the records then be in german or danish?

Her family is in the Altenstadt between Ulm and Memmingen. She is in contact still with her parents but seems there is no info on other family members. Father's name is Josef Weikert, mother is Charlotte Graf. Are there any free sites for German info that are in English?

hi im checking for a grams,martin. he had a son named william who was born in germany.dont know what area. william was born oct 30,1851. william married wilnelmina albertina radunz. they had some children in germany and some in usa. went to illinois

I am researching the surnames
Tecklenberg, Heers, Wolter and Thaler
in the 1800 to 1900 period

please add the surnames
Tecklenberg, Heers, Wolter and Thaler
to your list

After years of searching for my grandfather's birthplace, I have a lead that should prove useful. I have followed any number of blind leads, some from his family, but now I believe I have useful data. In March, 1913, he applied for a passport to return to Germany to visit his family. In that application he says he was born in Richenau, Germany on 11 August 1855. I have no information on his religion before he came to the United States, which he says was in January 1883, leaving from Bremen onboard the ship "Werra" and residing continuously in Whitesboro, NY from his arrival in 1881 until 1913. I do have documentation that he was married in Fort Plain, NY on December 31, 1884 to Anna Barbara YOPS. My grandfather's name was Henry (or Heinrich) MICHEL. I also know that for some years in his life, he used the last name MICHAEL. With only this information, I am very interested in learning the techniques by which I might find out more about his birth and family. He lived in Whitesboro, NY until his death in January, 1947, having five children with Anna Barbara YOPS. The youngest of those children was my father, Charles MICHEL. Any suggestions or assistance would be very much appreciated.
Don Michel
3 Tara Lane
Cape Neddick, ME 03902

I am researching the BETZ family from Sennfeld. The earliest information I have is John Matthias BETZ, aka Georg Betz or Baez. He married Elizabeth Catherine HERSCH on 28 January 1827 in Sennfeld, Mosbach, Baden, Germany. They had two sons, Andreas (born c. 1828 in Sennfeld) and Peter Conrad (born c. 1833 in Sennfeld). Andreas was a tailor. He emigrated to America in 1851 and married Anna Mary KONEIG (born c. 1836) on 20 July 1854 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. A number of children were born there including Sophie (1854), Ernest Otto (1858), Udolphe (1858) and John (1860). Between 1860 and 1863 the family returned to Sennfeld, where two further children were born - Carl in 1863 and Emma in 1864. The family emigrated from Germany to Australia in 1865 and both Carl and Emma died on the voyage and were buried at sea. Four further children were born in Australia including, Charles (1867), Sophie (1871) and Anna Mary (1874).

Andreas' brother Peter Conrad emigrated to Australia in 1857. He married Magdalena Bunz c. 1866.

I have more information on some of the above and their descendants and would be interested to hear from anyone with information on this family or on how I can obtain any relevant records on the family from Germany.

i have an x near my name what does that mean? do you see my comments anyone?

Hi I am from Batesville, Indiana, I am working on the surnames in Ripley county, Indiana, as follows. Ahrens, Michel,Fruchtnicht,Bricka,Bauman, Pohlar,Baas,Richter, Rennemeier,Webb. Gardner, Ellinghausen, Luers,Alot more If anyone thinks they may help me in any of these please Feel Free to contact me. I would be happy to help anyone who need help in my Area. Thanks

I am looking for the parents/siblings of Elizabeth Schneider who was b Dec 1852 in Wuertenberg Germany and came to the US in 1866 to live with relatives.She m Frederick Koehler in 1871 and moved to Iowa. She d Sept 1919 in Iowa, According to her obit, she was survived by a bro, John, in Carroll co, Illinois and a sis,Magdelena Whitely in Germany.This is all that I know. I thank anyone that could help.

Looking for any information about a Matthias Hettich's ancestry or other family members from the Black Forest area of Wuertenberg or Baten, Baten, Germany. Matthias was born in 1858 in Germany and immigrated to New York in 1882. He settled in Brooklyn, NY and married a Christina Foernbacher in 1885. I would loke to find out more about his ancestors in Germany,

Sally lou Widener: Where are your Richters from?

i dont know from what area in germany but i had relatives settle in rock island,illinois area.william grams was born in germany oct 30,1851. he married a wilhelmina albertina radunz. his first two children were born and buried in germany.no dates. the next 4 were born in germany but were buried in luthern cemetery in rock island. next 3 were born in germany with names carl(charles),albert,minnie. next 3 were born in usa names otto,walter,emile. william's father was martin

Link for some obits in Nebraska:
Obituaries from Omaha and Douglas County Nebraska, Newspapers
Obituaries listed below are from the Cass County Echo Newspaper published in Plattsmouth,Nebraska; the South Omaha Sun Newspaper published in South Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, and the World-Herald Newspaper published in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.
http://italianmomomaha.blogspot.com/2009/06/cass-county-echo-newspaper.html#links

Marilyn & Sally, my Richters are from Sohland area, settled NE, WA, OR. Came to USA 1880's with Keuchler/Kichler/Kuchler/Kiichler

My friend Del has done much research on the Richter family traveling to Germany many times. She is from Minnesota. I will try to get in touch with her to join this group.

Judy Truchon, that would be great. I have an "iffy" Richter in MN, can't really connect but feel there is a relationship.

I think Del's maiden name was Richter.

Judy, anything Del would wish to share would be appreciated. One never knows when a small little thing may be the break you need!

Will let you know as soon as I hear back from her.

Thanks Judy, have a good weekend!

I have a funeral card that includes a list of siblings who are children or grandchildren of the deceased. The name Aktuar on the card baffles me, however. It doesn't match any of the names I have in my genealogy data from the parish in Germany. Can someone please translate the top half, please?

Thank you so much!
Doris (Muller) Wheeler

Sort of : at 10am this morning, softly and quietly our dear mother and grandmother completed her 91st year of life. She is deeply mourned.

Loose translation, a couple of the words I am not sure of

Thank you, Susan. I wonder if Aktuar could be a nickname? The mother of these children was Anna Margaretha Wilhelmina Braggermann Muller. She was Catholic, in case that might shed some light on the name Aktuar. Also, they lived in northwest Germany, on the Holland border.

Doris, I think you are probably right on that. I think I will see if mom can give us a better translation. My German is major rusty!!

i checked a cemetery that was in a city where i grew up. people of german ancestry went to the area in illinois. its a luthern cemetery. when checking my maiden last name i found some. on the website it has something in german that they say is one of the stones. they had question marks by it. ruhe samft in deinhr gruf? bis dich der erloe?? ruf?

Thank you again, Susan. All help is much appreciated. (And I envy you youor "rusty" command of German. Mine is nonexistent.)

Best,
Doris

Doris, I sent the link for this page to mom, maybe she can shed some further light on it!

"Aktuar" is an occupation: actuary. "Frau Aktuar Mueller Ww." would mean the wife (widow) of the actuary whose surname was Mueller.

That is interesting placing an occupation in a name. My ancestors immigration papers on one side read John Audear Frederick Furcht while on the other it has John Henry Frederick Furcht. Would this be a occupation?

Louise, the tombstone inscription means: "Rest gently in your grave until the Redeemer calls you."

Sandy, a term for an occupation would not be inserted among given names. It is common in German, however, to address or refer to people more formally by including the occupation with the surname. "Herr Aktuar Mueller" would be the equivalent of saying "Mr. Mueller, the actuary." The wife is then referred to as "Frau Aktuar Mueller" - "Mrs. Mueller, the actuary's wife." The announcement card that Doris posted uses this formal way of referring to a person.

Seek info on George Schrack (Schrag) B:1823 from Wurttemberg arriving New York
1854 with wife Anna Stumph B:C.1831 on way to Buffolo NY and later Easton Pa.
Have most of the records of the family in this country, but nothing in Germany.

thank you so much marvin. with the dates on the stone they arent my dad's grandfather but i think they might be another close relative

Marvin, Thank you! How interesting! That certainly clears up a long-standing mystery. Widow of an accountant! Talk about genealogy nightmares. How could you ever guess the person's name???!!! I am very lucky to know the relationships here.

Best,
Doris

Thank you Marvin

Doris - Schweiger-Mutter would be mother-in-law

Does anyone have a resource for family research in Griesau, Germany? I am researching a Metzger family from there.

Got a challenge on my hands. Need help. I've done family history fr quite awhile, but I'm stumped. I have a relative who just sort of "appears" I savannah Ga in the early 1800's. He showed up on the door step of an orphanage there with a horse (later identified as a Prussian War horse) and he had a gilt edged bag With a crest, and his initials on it. According to records, he was well dressed, and well fed. He spoke no english, but they managed to assertain that he was from Prussia, and his family had been "removed"....

Now what do I do?!?!? lol. Stephen Frank eventually became a Confederate soldier, and spent years in Rock Island Ill. as a POW. When he was released, he WALKED back to Augusta Ga to be with his wife, and had 8 children with her before he passed away in 1898. He left a dairy farm, and significant wealth for it's day to his wife (my great great great grandmother). He's buried in Magnlia Cemetary in Augusta, and has a marker in Atlanta Ga, in the confederate veteran memorial there..... But who was he????

Anyone have tips on finding a Prussian???????

Wow Shawn, you weren't kidding when you said you had a tough one! How old was he when he was left at the orphanage? Have you checked NARA for civil war records? Is Steven Frank an Americanized version of his name?

Judy Brooks, sorry not your family. Richter is a very common name I fear! Would like to have anything though, one never knows when a clue might appear!

Shawn,

Your dilemma is quite unique. I have a few ideas that might help. First, I would check the Georgia Archives and the Georgia Virtual Vault to see if there is anything there under the NEW name. Also, check the pauper records. Possibly since he was in an orphanage, he might have gotten money. Then, there are the Georgia Land lotteries. The original applications are supposed to be on file at the Archives, maybe he applied for a lottery and they asked him his original name.

I would also ask for copies of the original records of the orphanage. Sometimes the transcripts are not complete. Maybe at one point, after he learned to speak a little English, they asked him his original name, or possibly the part of Prussia that his family came from.

Another thing I have found is that family will give you stuff in dribs and drabs. I would contact every member of the family and post this on the forum sites in the hopes that someone has kept a family Bible or has copies of an older family Bible that might tell something.

Another thing to check is to find out which families were removed just before he showed up at the orphanage. I know there will be quite a few, but one of them has to be yours.

Wish I could help more. But, maybe something here will help. Keep us posted as this one is unusual.

if you believe an ancestor you thought was from germany and find put it was prussia is this the right group?

He actually remained at the orphanage until he was an adult and stayed on as a worker after he was grown. He later went onto being in the 5th Ga. Infantry, and was decorated, then captured at chickamgua tn. He's an open book from the moment he showed up at the orphanage...it's the earlier part that eludes me. As an odd side note...100 years later, I have another ancestor who became a monsignor in the same diocese, and actually worked at the same orphanage, and never knew. Stephen Frank, was Prussian...that's all i really know about his early life. Lol. Finding him in Prussia has ben a nightmare, because the country was divided and split among three nations, so every hunt I've been on, has been done three times over, and believe me...Stephen Frank...is about he equivelant of joe smith...lol.

How do you find out about a deserter. My Great grandfather was on the SS Bussard and he jumped ship while it was here in New Zealand? I want to find out something that actually tells me about the desertion and what he used to do on the ship etc....

Looking for the Jow family (anglicized to Yow in America). Hans Jow and at least two sons emigrated from the Palitinate via Philly on 9-30-1727 on the English ship Molly. No tracings in Germany yet but believe Hans was born about 1651 and his father was Friedrich. There is a Yow site on Ancestry.com with some of the descendants, mostly via Bladen Co NC, but I am always looking for more cousins, and trying to find Hans' birthplace and ancestors. The Palitinate is a lot of places.

Researching Drexler family name - Farther - Roland J. Drexler, Grandfather - James Drexler, Great Grandfater - Anton Drexler