"Germany" Is A Big Place When You Are Trying To Find A Single Person

[Woodworker22]

Hello to all. I have just found Rootschat and am excited to see if the members can assist me in crossing the ocean.  My ggrandfather left Antwerp on the ship Rhynland on 22 Aug 1881. The manifest says he was from Germany.  His marriage certificate in Detroit, Michigan, his death certificate, and all US Census records say he was from Germany.  I have pieced together the following information on him:
Christian Krebs
Born- June 7, 1963 in Germany
Died- April 29, 1910 in Detroit, Michigan
Spouse- Emma Pilz
Married- January 26, 1889 in Detroit, Michigan
Father- Henry Krebs born in Germany
Mother- Mary Siewert born in Germany

What records are available to me (you) to find his hometown so I can continue my family search?

[chempat]

Have you looked at postings on the European board, to see what is suggested there for German records?

However, IGI to start with looks promising:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l2e/

but wrong Mother (and no father)

Added:
Possibility that Crescentia was also known as Maria, and that Maria/Crescentia was married to a Heinrich (Henry) after Christian was born:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVN3-493

[Woodworker22]

Chempat...I like your supposition, but I cannot fit this Christian into my tree. Thanks for the info.  You guys on Rootschat are great!

[Rena]

It might be helpful to you to use a European map of surname distribution.  Several are listed on this Wiki page:-

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Surname_Distribution_Maps

I don't know about modern times but in the 19th and early 20th century Germans on the European mainland also had one or two given names of the godfather sponsors which were officially written in baptism records before the given name, thus the father Heinrich Krebs could be listed as Jacob Christian Heinrich Krebs and you might not find him on some databases by just quoting Heinrich as the given name simply because that particular database will only pick up the first given name.

 Best Wishes.

[bevo]

Same birth date for his death and the Christian Norbertus Krebs, mother Crescentia

[chempat]

Woodworker22, you have put:
'Born- June 7, 1963 in Germany'
presumably you meant 1863, and that birth date is the same as the birth I suggested for Christian mother Crescentia, as bevo confirmed, so why are you dismissing it?

[Karen McDonald]

Hi Pat,

I may be seeing this wrong (my Pecks are occupying most of my spare brain area  ) but the details you linked would indicate that Crescentia Krebs was unmarried when she gave birth to Christian.

Christian's maternal grandfather is shown there as Joseph Krebs, i.e. Christian's mother and maternal grandfather had the same surname, i.e. Crescentia was probably unmarried.

I hope I'm not confusing things! 

Karen

[chempat]

No, not confusing things.

Unmarried Mother, so child may not even know who his Father is.