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Archiver > GERMAN-GENEALOGY > 2005-03 > 1111270962


From: "Don Watson" <>
Subject: Everyone pay attention!! Sit up straight!! Now, read this:
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:22:42 -0600


You're looking for that elusive town. It has simply vanished. You've worn
out your Rand-McNally (do they still make those?) OK .. here goes ... After
you decide upon a town, city, or megapolis that is supposed to be
nearby.........

PLAN A:

1. Go to http://members.cox.net/hessen/towns.htm
2. Choose Site #1 Option #1
3. Type in the name of the town, city, megapolis, select Germany, and
Daitch-Mokotov Soundex (whew! say that 3 times real fast!)
4. One at a time, make a note of the coordinates.
5. Select that X in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
6. Click it.

You're back to the Town Locator. Now..........

7. Click on the distance-radius calculator.
8. Type in the coordinates. If there are 7 numbers, the 5th goes in the 3rd
box. If there are 8 numbers, the 5th and 6th go in the 3rd box.
9. Select a 30-mile radius.
10. Insert the first letter in the name of the town you are looking for,
lower case.

Repeat for the next set of coordinates.

You can scroll thru the results or use your browser's FIND function for that
specific town. Found it? Yippee! Make a note of how far it is from the town
or city or megapolis you started out with. Make a note of the direction it
is from there. Now, click on the coordinates. Bingo! Now you may be able to
zero in on the postal (zip) code for that town or one having administrative
authority over it. Attach that zip code in front of the town name. Now you
can tell all your relatives and those in your genealogical society how
clever you are! You may even be invited to make a speech about it! Future
generations will hold memorials and picnics, celebrating the insights YOU
left behind!

If it isn't there (he said, weeping), look for a town with a similar
spelling within that 30-mile radius. Patience! What other identifiers can
you associate with it? Nearby city, town, village? Forest? Lake? River?
Volkswagen factory? Then you can go to Site #2 Option #1 and instead of
typing in the elusive town name you can type in the name of the nearby (you
get the picture). Black Forest, for example. Harz Mountains. Neckar River.
Bodensee (huh?)--that's Lake Constance. Berlin. Frankfurt am Main.
Duesseldorf. Deutscheswehrmachtmilitaerhauptquartier. Simple, eh?

PLAN B:



:-)
Don




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