Max, all my ancestors emigrated from Germany/Hannover/Prussia/Baden/Elsass to Missouri between 1830 and 1880. We did not know their hometowns. Over twenty years ago, my uncle Bill Prenger found our first connection on our mother's side from Taos, MO to the Rakers family in Twist near Meppen. We will be visiting Rakers "cousins" in Osnabruck - and hope to visit Bunnen and the Delbruck area where we just found new connections.
In the last year we began work to find connections for my father's family who emigrated to St. Charles/St. Louis. We knew NO hometowns when we started. So far we have found our direct line immigrants are:
Henry HEITMANN nee ALBERS - Bunnen / Loningen / Essen, Oldenburg
Franz BILLING nee ??GOLLMANN?? - Hannover... (??Neuenkirchen??)
Mary Katherina SIMON - Hannover...
Matthias KNOBLAUCH - Meersburg, Baden
Franciska GLOSIER nee THRO - Mollau, Alsace
Heinrich George HOLTFOERSTER nee RUNTE (also COERS, FORTMEIER, EVERS) -- Westerloh / Delbruck
Eva Elizabeth Angela HENKSMEYER nee BRUGGEMEYER - Holsen / Boke / Horste
The first generation BILLING children in St. Charles, MO married ECKLER, BORGMEYER, SCHOCK (Baden), NACKE, HOLLANDER (Prussia), ZUMBEHL (Menslage), HOLTFOERSTER (Westerloh), WESSLER (Hannover), YUST, WAPPELHORST (Rietburg).
I am learning a lot about many towns in Germany. I am grateful for the regional wikis on Genealogy.net that help me understand the current map of an area as well as historically which kingdoms it belonged to. That helps me understand why my ancestor is first from Hannover, then Prussia, then Germany in the US censuses.
I also learn so much from this LISTSERV.
Many thanks for your kind offer to help since we do not speak German.
Teri Billing Lane