I am an eighth generation descendant of Claus Oblinger who immigrated to the US in the 1720s. I am the first to discover that Claus was not from Germany, but rather, Switzerland, and thus discovering that the surnames Oblinger, Oplinger and Uplinger were derived from the small town of Oppligen near where Claus was born. My mother was a Hilgert from Germany, but it was her grandfather who emigrated about 1855, and she knew little or nothing about his Hilgert relatives still in Germany. Through my genealogical efforts at the age of 60, I was able to discover my great-grandfather was born in Gangloff, Germany and was able to find a third cousin of mine still living near there. We have emailed and even visited one another. These are the benefits of genealogy along with the thrills of a detective solving a mystery!

I am an eighth generation descendant of Claus Oblinger who immigrated to the US in the 1720s. I am the first to discover that Claus was not from Germany, but rather, Switzerland, and thus discovering that the surnames Oblinger, Oplinger and Uplinger were derived from the small town of Oppligen near where Claus was born. My mother was a Hilgert from Germany, but it was her grandfather who emigrated about 1855, and she knew little or nothing about his Hilgert relatives still in Germany. Through my genealogical efforts at the age of 60, I was able to discover my great-grandfather was born in Gangloff, Germany and was able to find a third cousin of mine still living near there. We have emailed and even visited one another. These are the benefits of genealogy along with the thrills of a detective solving a mystery!