Boots-
I know how difficult it can be to find the town of origin. But it can be
done. Here are some suggestions that have worked for me: First I looked up
the family on all available US censuses, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and now
1930 is available. Even if that doesn't give you the town, it will give you
a lot of other info to follow up on. It will give the approximate dates of
emigration and naturalization. From that, you can get the naturalization
papers and look at the ships' lists and embarkation lists. They might have
the town. It will tell the names and ages of the family members. By
ordering every one of the vital records (births, deaths, and marriages) for
every family member, you might turn something up. I finally found the town
of origin on the marriage certificate of my husband's grandfather's brother.
Another possibility is that by following the census trail, you might locate
some living relatives who know the information you are looking for.
Good luck
Anita Springer in Boston