I think so. The problem is that my great grandfather came over in a very large group of something like 12 familys all related brothers, brother in laws etc in 1872. They toured the country looking it over for about two years. They all rented houses in wisconsin, left the familys there, and all the men toured the west etc. Durring that time my great grandpap lost his wife and one kid. Think he had like at least 5 or 6 younger ones left. A few familys stayed but he and most of them left and went back to volyhia (then russia, now the ukraine) they were from germany way back, and in the early 1800s many brothers had homesteaded in russia on some program from cathern the great had set up when she married the czar of russia.
Several of the brothers somehow were guards to the czar. Probley because of their size as they were huge schwabans close to 7 feet I was told. Anyway great grandpa went back, imediately remarried so someone could help raise his brood, my grandfather was the first of the next big batch. The gr grandfather died about 1890 and my grandfather and about 8 brothers and sisters all decided to come back to america again. Grandpa was married in russia, had 6 kids, came over, that wife died over here exactly like his dads did the first time over. He also remarried imediately as his dad had, someone to watch the kids, ya know, he married my grandmother also from his home area of russia who was a young widow with a boy. She also had just came over in 1912 with her brother who just got discharged from the russian army. They knew people that grandpa knew. He married grandma exactly one month after he buried his wife. My dad was born exactly 9 months later, and is the oldest of 10 more! Guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do when there is no welfare!
