Hi Barbara,
Yes, you are right. They are actually in the combined area referred to as Rheinland-Westphalia. Many thanks for the info on the church records. I'm sure they will come in handy. My search does not stretch as far back as 1800 yet. I'm still at about 1900, but will hopefully still get to 1800 later.
Many thanks, and a happy Thanksgiving to you,
Max Ruppert (Max)
Lab Staff Engineer
SABIC Technology Centre, Al-Jubail
Saudi Arabia