I don't qualify to join (I think), but this is the 2nd instance today when I feel it necessary to ask: My father's mother (she is his only more "current" relative) is German and born in DE, about 1889. She (Anna Elizabeth Berg) came here to USA at about 16 yrs old, to escape a bad circumstance in Germany and to find the freedom of independence with a little family support already here to "get her through" a huge transition.
Anna lived the rest of her life in a suburb of New Haven (and in that city). Her son, my father, came somewhat later and quickly translated himself to the Western US, to escape her intrusions into his life. (He didn't even want to talk with her on the phone!)
I'd love knowing some of the basics about her immediate relatives and her ancestors in Germany. She had a daughter here Valeska (or -ca) using her mom's birth surname, Hilse, who also stayed in Connecticut, in the NE of the US.
If you are able and have time, please contact me here, then we'll set up a better contact arrangement.