Descriptions of Places


Alsweiler, Germany (49° 28' N, 7° 04' E)
Gemeinde Marpingen, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village on the Als river, seven kilometers west of St. Wendel. The population was 565 in 1800, and 2,363 in 1990.


Assumption, Ohio (41° 40' N, 83° 55' W)
Amboy Township, Fulton County

A small village located at the intersection of Central Avenue and State Route 64. Six miles north of Swanton, and nineteen miles west of downtown Toledo, it is the location of St. Mary's Catholic Church. The area was originally called St. Mary's Corners. From the 1840s until 1942, it was called Caraghar's Corners, or Caraghar. It was named after Patrick Caraghar (1806-1863) of Ireland, who was one of the early settlers in the area.
In 1847, St. Mary's was established as a Station, and then a Mission, of other churches in western Lucas and eastern Fulton counties. A simple frame structure was completed in the late 1870s. In 1877, the first resident pastor was assigned. A new, larger church was built in 1888, and the old building was converted to a parish hall. The church was enlarged in 1906. The parish hall was remodeled for a school in 1909.


Bethlehem, Ohio (40° 50' N, 82° 43' W)
Sharon township, Richland County

A small village four miles southwest of Shelby, on the border of Crawford County. It is the site of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.


Bliesen, Germany (49° 30' N, 7° 07' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village five kilometers northwest of St. Wendel, located on the south side of the Blies river, for which it is named.
The area was an important crossroads in Roman times, as it was on the route between Rome and Trier, and also between Metz and Mainz. Parts of these roads can still be seen.
Bliesen is first mentioned in the 10th century, and in 1994, the inhabitants celebrated its 1,000th anniversary. From the 13th century until 1766, Bliesen and the surrounding area were part of the Duchy of Lorraine. Bliesen suffered during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648); in 1635, the village was burned down and plundered. In 1667, only eight people lived in Bliesen. From 1766 to 1787, the area was part of the Schaumburg district of France. From 1787 to 1793, it was part of the Duchy of Pfalz-Zweibrücken. Between 1793 and 1814, it was again part of France as part of the Department of the Moselle. In 1816 the territory was ceded to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and became the Principality of Lichtenberg. It was annexed by Prussia in 1834, and became part of the Prussian state of the Rheinland, or Rhine Province. The population was 1,200 in 1869, 1,912 in 1922, and 3,265 in 1965.
Bliesen is the site of St. Remegius Catholic Church. The first church was built in 1220, and was replaced by a second in the late 1500s. This church burned down in 1749, and was replaced by a third in 1751. The fourth and current church was completed in 1904.


Bocholt, Germany (51° 50' N, 6° 37' E)
Kreis Borken, Regierungsbezirk Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen

A city in the western Münsterland, on the River Aa. It is seven kilometers south of the Dutch border, twenty kilometers north-northeast of the Rhine river, and 70 kilometers north of Düsseldorf. The name translates as "Beechwood." It was first written about in 779, although the settlement is probably much older. Bocholt was given city rights in 1222. The coat of arms shows the beech tree, which has been its symbol since the 13th century. The population was 73,671 in 2004.
Bocholt's Stadtteile include Hemden, Holtwick, Lowick, and Stenern. The area came under French rule between 1807 and 1815. The region was then awarded to Prussia at the Congress of Vienna.
Bocholt is the site of The Church of St. George. It was built between 1415 and 1486. Bomb damage from World War II can still be seen on the inside pillars, although the exterior has been rebuilt, with a modern steeple.


Brighton, New York (43° 09' N, 77° 33' W)
Monroe County

Established in 1814, Brighton is one of the oldest towns in the county. It is bordered by the city of Rochester to the north and the Genessee river to the west. Brighton was a major port on the Erie canal, which opened in 1823. Until the 20th century, it was primarily a farming community. Early businesses included brick-making and nurseries. The population is about 35,000.
The Twelve Corners of Brighton refers to the intersection of Elmwood Avenue, Winton Road and Monroe Avenue, and is a major business district. A gas leak in September 1951 caused a series of explosions in the Twelve Corners neighborhoods, destroying or damaging over 600 houses and causing three deaths.


Buchhorn, Germany

Founded in the ninth century, this town combined with Hafen to form Friedrichshafen in 1811.


Caraghar, Ohio

See Assumption.


Ehrl, Germany (50° 00' N, 11° 03 E)
Bavaria

A small village sixteen kilometers northeast of Bamberg.


Eriskirch, Germany (47° 38', 9° 32' E)
Kreis Bodenseekreis, Regierungsbezirk Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg

A village at the mouth of the Schussen river, five kilometers southeast of Friedrichshafen, on the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). A church was built there at the end of the fourteenth century, and it became a place of pilgrimage. The church was destroyed during the Thirty Years War, and rebuilt in 1666. The population in 2003 was 4,335.


Flutginas, Switzerland

A small hamlet east-northeast of Trun.


Frankfort Corners, Ohio (41° 39' N, 83° 51' W)
Spencer Township, Lucas County

A trading point for neighboring farmers, located at the intersection of Frankfort and Lathrop roads, four miles north-northeast of Swanton. It consisted of a general store and saloons. At one time, a post office was located there. It was also known simply as Frankfort, and as Java.


Friedrichshafen, Germany (47° 39' N, 9° 29' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A port city located near the center of the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It was a Free City from 1275-1802, known as Buchhorn. It was Bavarian from 1802-1810, when it passed to Württemberg. In 1824 it became the summer residence of the kings of Württemberg. As the site of the Zeppelin aircraft works, Friedrichshafen suffered heavy damage during WWII.


Gmünd, Germany (47° 37' N, 9° 32' E)

A hamlet in the parish of Mariabrunn, now in the community of Eriskirch. It is six kilometers southeast of Friedrichshafen.


Grand Rapids, Ohio (41° 25' N, 83° 52' W)
Wood County

A small village on the south shore of the Maumee River. It is twelve miles south of Swanton, and 24 miles southwest of downtown Toledo. In 1980 its population was 962.


Gronig, Germany (49° 31' N, 7° 05' E)
Gemeinde Oberthal, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A small village nine kilometers northwest of St. Wendel.


Habratsweiler, Germany (47° 42' N, 9° 30' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A small village six kilometers north-northeast of Friedrichshafen.


Healdsburg, California (38° 37' N, 122° 52' W)
Sonoma County

A small city fourteen miles northwest of Santa Rosa. Harmon Heald built the first house on the present site of the city in 1851. He laid out the town in 1857, and donated land for the plaza, school, cemetery, and churches. He sold the remaining lots for $15 each. The city was incorporated in 1867. The arrival of the Northwestern Pacific railway in 1871 brought increased commerce. The population in 2000 was 10,722.


Heisterberg, Germany (49° 32' N, 7° 08' E)
Gemeinde Namborn, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A small settlement eight kilometers north of St. Wendel, and just north of Namborn. The population is 89.


Helferskirchen, Germany (50° 31' N, 7° 49' E)
Kreis Westerwaldkreis, Rheinland-Pfalz

A village in the Westerwald (a forested area), nine kilometers north of Montabaur, and 22 kilometers northeast of Koblenz and the Rhine. Originally part of Nassau, it later became part of Hessen-Nassau. The population is 1,083.


Hemden, Germany (51° 53' N, 6° 36' E)

A small village five kilometers north of Bocholt.


Hofeld, Germany (49° 31' N, 7° 10' E)
Gemeinde Namborn, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A small village five kilometers north of St. Wendel.


Holtwick, Germany (51° 51' N, 6° 35' E)
Nordrhein-Westfalen

A small village three kilometers northwest of Bocholt. The population was 479 in 1910.


Immenstaad, Germany (47° 40' N, 9° 22' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A village eight kilometers west of Friedrichshafen, on the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance).


Jabach, Germany (49° 24' N, 6° 54' E)


Langenargen, Germany (47° 36' N, 9° 32' E)
Kreis Bodenseekreis, Regierungsbezirk Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg

A village at the mouth of the Argen, eight kilometers southeast of Friedrichshafen, on the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It became a possession of the Count of Montfort in 1290, and a fortress was built there in 1343. The village and the fortress were destroyed during the Thirty Years War, and rebuilt. The county went bankrupt in 1780, and control passed to Austria. In 1810, control passed to the kingdom of Württemberg.


Laugendorf, Germany (50° 24' N, 9° 32' E)

A village twenty kilometers southwest of Fulda, and three kilometers southwest of Flieden.


Linden, Germany (49° 30' N, 7° 06' E)
Saarland

A small village seven kilometers northwest of St. Wendel. It was the site of a castle estate and mill, although both were in ruins by 1791. It is now part of Oberthal.


Lohndorf, Germany (49° 55' N, 11° 03' E)
Gemeinde Litzendorf, Kreis Bamberg, Regierungsbezirk Oberfranken, Bavaria

A small village eleven kilometers east of Bamberg.


Lowick, Germany (51° 50' N, 6° 34' E)
Nordrhein-Westfalen

A Bauerschaft (a group of farmsteads treated as a village, but with no "village center") three kilometers west of Bocholt. The population in 1910 was 807.


Lumbrein, Switzerland (46° 41' N, 9° 08' E)
Bezirk Surselva, canton Graubünden

A village in the Lumnezia valley, 1,410 meters above sea level. It is twelve kilometers south-southwest of Ilanz. The population is 433. It is the ancestral home of the Lombriser family.


Mainzweiler, Germany (49° 25' N, 7° 07' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village seven kilometers south-southwest of St. Wendel.


Maple Grove Township, Michigan (43° 10' N, 83° 59' W)
Saginaw County

The township is in the southeastern part of the county, east of Chesaning. It is the site of St. Michael's Catholic Church, located one mile south of Layton Corners on Lincoln Road. A mission church was built there in 1866. The mission became a parish in 1883. In 1889, a new church and a school were constructed. A third church was built in 1922, and a new school was erected in 1930. It became a public school in 1938.


Marbach, Germany (50° 37' N, 9° 43' E)

A village eight kilometers north-northeast of Fulda.


Marbach, Germany (48° 04' N, 9° 28' E)
Gemeinde Herbertingen, Kreis Sigmaringen, Regierungsbezirk Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg

A village 45 kilometers north of Friedrichshafen, and 50 kilometers southwest of Ulm.


Mariabrunn, Germany (47° 38' N, 9° 32' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A village five kilometers east-southeast of Friedrichshafen.


Marpingen, Germany (49° 27' N, 7° 03' E)
Gemeinde Marpingen, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village eight kilometers west-southwest of St. Wendel, in the Als river valley. It was the sight of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1876. The population is 5,200.


Marygrove, Ohio

See Raabs.


Meersburg, Germany (47° 42' N, 9° 16' E)

A town on the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), sixteen kilometers west-northwest of Friedrichshafen.


Melkendorf, Germany (49° 54' N, 11° 02' E)
Gemeinde Litzendorf, Landkreis Bamberg, Regierungsbezirk Oberfranken, Bavaria

A small village ten kilometers east of Bamberg.


Momeneetown, Ohio (41° 40' N, 83° 25' W)
Oregon Township, Lucas County

A settlement at the intersection of Big Ditch (now Stadium) and Corduroy Roads, two miles south of Lake Erie, and six miles east of downtown Toledo. St Ignatius Catholic Church and Clay High School are directly to the south.
The area was first called DeBolt's Corners. It was the site of a general store, which Enos Momenee (1850-1929) opened in November 1871. The frame building was eventually replaced by a two story brick structure. In 1884, Enos donated the land on which St. Ignatius Church was built. Two of Enos' sons continued the business after their father died. The store closed in January 1953.
St. Ignatius opened in December 1883. It burned down in November 1915 and was rebuilt the following year. In the spring of 1926, it again burned down and was again rebuilt.


Namborn, Germany (49° 31' N, 7° 08' E)
Gemeinde Namborn, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village six kilometers north of St. Wendel. The population is 1,902.


Neudorf, Germany (49° 56' N, 11° 05' E)

A small village fourteen kilometers east-northeast of Bamberg.


New York City, New York

Between August 1855 and April 1890, immigrants arriving at the port of New York City were processed at Castle Garden.
The structure was originally a fort to defend New York Harbor at the time of the War of 1812. The Southwest Battery was constructed on the rocks off the southwest tip of Manhattan between 1808 and 1811. In 1817, the fort was renamed Castle Clinton to honor the mayor of New York City. The army vacated the fort in 1821 and deeded it to New York City in 1823. A restaurant and entertainment center opened at the site, which was now called Castle Garden. A roof was added in the 1840s, and the building served as an opera house and theater until 1854.
It was then leased to New York state, and became the first immigrant receiving station in the country's history. During the next 34 years, over eight million people entered the US through the facility. It was replaced when the federal government assumed control of immigration affairs, and the facility at Ellis Island was opened in 1892.
The building was altered and reopened in 1896 as the New York City Aquarium. It closed in 1941. The structure was designated a National Monument in 1946, and the foundation of the building is now part of Battery Park.


Niederhofen, Germany

A former settlement which formed the lower part of Bliesen, and eventually merged with it.


Niederlinxweiler, Germany (49° 26' N, 7° 10' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village four kilometers south of St. Wendel.


Nonnweiler, Germany (49° 37' N, 6° 57' E)
Gemeinde Nonnweiler, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village 21 kilometers northwest of St. Wendel.


Oberdorf, Germany (47° 37' N, 9° 34' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A village eight kilometers southeast of Friedrichshafen.


Oberlinxweiler, Germany (49° 27' N, 7° 09' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village two kilometers southwest of St. Wendel.


Oberlottenweiler, Germany (47° 42' N, 9° 29' E)

A village six kilometers north of Friedrichshafen.


Perrysburg, Ohio (41° 33' N, 83° 38' N)
Wood County

A small city on the south shore of the Maumee River, eight miles southwest of downtown Toledo. Its population in 1980 was 10,215.


Peru, Ohio (41° 10' N, 82° 39' W)
Peru Township, Huron County

A small settlement five miles south-southwest of Norwalk. St. Alphonsus Catholic Church is two miles to the north, in Bronson Township on Settlement Road. This is the oldest church in the Toledo diocese, having been established in 1834.


Raabs, Ohio (41° 39' N, 83° 49' W)
Richfield Township, Lucas County

(Also called Raab Corners, or Raab's.) A settlement at the intersection of Bancroft Street and Raab Road, fourteen miles west of downtown Toledo. It was named after Lucas Raab (b. 1827), who emigrated from Hesse-Kassel in 1851, and served as County commissioner from 1873-1876. He donated a few acres of land at that location for use as a parish cemetery.
Raabs is the site of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. It began as a station of St. Francis de Sales in Toledo in 1847, and a log chapel was built in the same year. In 1864, a frame structure replaced the log chapel, which was turned into a school. The first resident priest arrived in 1865. The church was destroyed by fire in 1875, and rebuilt in 1878. The church was hit by a cyclone in March 1880, and reconstructed. However, it was completely destroyed by a tornado in March 1920, and it was again rebuilt in 1925.
The church was officially listed as Six-Mile-Woods until 1912, when the name was changed to Raabs. In 1943, it became known as Marygrove.


Ravensburg, Germany (47° 47' N, 9° 37' E)

A city eighteen kilometers northeast of Friedrichshafen.


Ringgenberg, Switzerland (46° 44' N, 9° 00' E)
Gemeinde Trun, Kreis Disentis, Bezirk Surselva, canton Graubünden

(Romansh: Zignau.) An area belonging to the village of Trun. It is located on the south side of the Vorderrhein river, at the mouth of the Val Zavragia. The ruins of Ringgenberg castle, dating from the thirteenth century, lie to the southeast.


Rochester, New York (43° 11' N, 77° 36' W)
Monroe County

Rochester was the location of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. It was built on Franklin Street and added to in stages until the early twentieth century. The original section was built in 1843-46 to serve the German immigrants of the city. The congregation peaked in size in 1865 with more than 6,300 parishioners. The steeple, completed in 1909, rose 167½ feet above the building. There was also an orphanage and school. The church was destroyed by fire on 18 October 1974, and only the exterior walls and tower survived. All but the tower was torn down, and replaced by open space. St. Joseph's Park opened to the public in October 1980.


Saint Thomas, Indiana (38° 35' N, 87° 34' W)
Johnson Township, Knox County

A settlement six miles south-southwest of Vincennes, on County Road 950 South. It is the site of Saint Thomas Catholic Church, which was established in 1843.


Sandusky, Ohio (41° 27' N, 82° 42' W)
Erie County

A city on the south shore of Lake Erie, 45 miles east-southeast of Toledo. It is the site of Cedar Point amusement park. The population in 2000 was 27,844.


Sankt Wendel, Germany (49° 28' N, 7° 10' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A Kreisstadt (county seat), 30 kilometers north-northeast of Saarbrücken, and 50 kilometers southeast of Trier. One guidebook describes it as "a pleasant little market town" (McLachlan, 1995, p. 456). The population in 2000 was 27,300.


Scheßlitz, Germany (49° 59' N, 11° 02' E)
Kreis Bamberg, Bavaria

A town thirteen kilometers northeast of Bamberg.


Schlatt, Germany (47° 38' N, 9° 32' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A village five kilometers southeast of Friedrichshafen.


Schweisdorf, Germany (50° 00' N, 11° 01' E)
Bavaria

A small village fifteen kilometers northeast of Bamberg.


Selbach, Germany (49° 32' N, 7° 02' E)
Gemeinde Nohfelden, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village twelve kilometers northwest of St. Wendel.


Sharpsburg, Ohio (40° 22' N, 84° 43' W)
Gibson Township, Mercer County

(Also known as Zenz City.) A small settlement five miles southeast of Fort Recovery. It is the site of St. Paul's Catholic Church, at the intersection of Meiring and Sharpsburg Roads.


Spang, Germany (49° 59' N, 6° 41' E)
Landkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Rheinland-Pfalz

A village 26 kilometers north of Trier and eleven kilometers east-northeast of Bitburg, now part of Spangdahlem, and the location of a large US Air Force base. Its population in 2002 was 840.


Stenern, Germany (51° 52' N, 6° 38' E)
Nordrhein-Westfalen

A Bauerschaft (see Lowick) three kilometers northeast of Bocholt. The population was 611 in 1910.


Swanton, Ohio (41° 35' N, 83° 53' W)
Fulton and Swan Creek Townships, Fulton County

A village on the east edge of Fulton County, eighteen miles west-southwest of downtown Toledo, located on the north and south sides of Swan Creek. It grew up along a plank road called "The [Chicago] Pike" (now Airport Highway) which was built from Maumee into Fulton County around 1850. Settlement and business increased with the coming of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in the mid-1850s. The village was called Centerville at first, then West Swanton. It was incorporated in February 1883. During WWI, Swanton furnished more volunteers than any place in the United States of similar size, and had the highest injury rate of any town in Fulton County, nearly 5%. The village was badly damaged by a tornado in March 1920. An annual Corn Festival was held there between 1908 and 1959, and has since resumed. A. D. Baker Co. and the Pilliod Co. are notable businesses. The population was 2,306 in 1960, 3,424 in 1980, and 3,307 in 2000.
Swanton is the site of St. Richard Catholic Church. It was established as a mission of St. Mary's Church in Assumption. In January 1892, the church on Dodge Street was completed, and the first mass was said in May 1893. The cemetery is located a short distance to the west on Dodge Street. Services were held in this church until April 1957. A new church and school were built on Brookside Drive. At first, services were held in what later became the gymnasium of St. Richard School. The new church was completed in the spring of 1966.


Sylvania, Ohio (41° 43' N, 83° 42' W)
Lucas County

A small city northwest of Toledo; its northern edge is the Michigan border. The population in 1980 was 15,527.


Theley, Germany (49° 30' N, 7° 02' E)
Gemeinde Tholey, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village eleven kilometers west-northwest of St. Wendel. The population in 2003 was 3,371.


Tholey, Germany (49° 29' N, 7° 02' E)
Gemeinde Tholey, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village ten kilometers west of St. Wendel.


Tiefenellern, Germany (49° 55' N, 11° 04' E)
Gemeinde Litzendorf, Kreis Bamberg, Regierungsbezirk Oberfranken, Bavaria

A small village thirteen kilometers east-northeast of Bamberg. It is near the Jungfernhöhle, a cave discovered in 1958 to contain artifacts and skeletons from the Neolithic period.


Trun, Switzerland (46° 45' N, 8° 59' E)
Gemeinde Trun, Kreis Disentis, Bezirk Surselva, canton Graubünden

(German: Truns.) A small village in the Surselva (Bünder Oberland), eleven kilometers northeast of Disentis, and 40 kilometers west-southwest of Chur. It is located in the Vorderrhein valley (855 meters above sea level), on the north side of the Vorderrhein river, and at the mouth of the Val Punteglias, which runs down from the Brigelser Hörner (3,250 meters) of the Glarner Alps. In the village are the parish church of St. Martin (1660-62) and the former residence of the Abbots of Disentis (1675). In 1424, the Gray League was renewed under a maple tree at Trun, which from then on served as its meeting place. The place is now marked by St. Anne's chapel (1716). The official language of Trun is Romansh. The population in 2003 was 1,275.


Vincennes, Indiana (38° 41' N, 87° 31' W)
Vincennes Township, Knox County

A city located on the east side of the Wabash river, and the county seat. Vincennes was founded as a French fur trading post in 1732, making it the oldest city in Indiana. In February 1779, the fort (renamed Sackville by the British) was captured by George Rogers Clark. It was the capitol of the Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1813. It is the site of Grouseland, which was William Henry Harrison's home.


Walhausen, Germany (49° 33' N, 7° 08' E)
Gemeinde Nohfelden, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village eleven kilometers north-northwest of St. Wendel. The population is 173.


Wallesweilerhof, Germany (49° 29' N, 7° 08' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A small village three kilometers northwest of St. Wendel.


Winterbach, Germany (49° 28' N, 7° 06' E)
Gemeinde St. Wendel, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village five kilometers west of St. Wendel.


Wolfersweiler, Germany (49° 34' N, 7° 11' E)
Gemeinde Nohfelden, Kreis St. Wendel, Saarland

A village eleven kilometers north of St. Wendel.


Wolfzennen, Germany (47° 39' N, 9° 32' E)
Baden-Württemberg

A small hamlet in the parish of Langenargen, five kilometers east of Friedrichshafen, near the north shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It is located in the upper Schussen valley.


Zignau, Switzerland

The Romansh name for Ringgenberg.