Note: I received the following e-mail message from Martin Richau (Berlin, Germany) who asked that I not include his e-mail address: "Looking for some Bartons in USA I run across your text for Albina Beata Trettel Barton. Many emigrants to Morrison County, Minnesota, came from the northern part of Upper Silesia, Prussia. So Albina Beata did. She was born Dec. 15, 1852 in Koeniglich Dombrowka, Kreis Opplein, Obertschlesien, Preuben (district of Oppein, Upper Silesia, Prussia) to Valentin Trettel and was baptized Dec. 19, 1852 in Falkowitz, Kreis Oppein, Preuben. Last month I spent 20 days in that region. Preuben was one of the many sovereign states within Germany. Albina probably had never been to Poland in her life. Besides this: her tombstone gives October 7, 1926 as date for her death."

Note: I received another e-mail message from Martin Richau on June 27, 2016: " . . . often birthplaces are given as 'Poland' for the Silesians, although most of them have never been in Poland during their whole life. The Poles conquered Silesia in 990, fought for settling their rule about 200 years and then gave up this rule and all rights in Silesia in 1335. The Silesian rulers from 1200 on invited settlers from 'The Holy Roman Empire of German Nations' to come to Silesia and help developing the country. Many came and the connections between this Empire and Silesia grew and grew. Finally the Silesian dukes decided to cut the lines to Poland and come close to Bohemia, one of the many German states. After Bohemia in 1526 Silesia became part of Austria and from 1742 on part of Prussia. After WW II in 1945 Poland got it. Although the states Silesia belonged to, changed a few times, it has always been part of the Polish Catholic Church. And this is, why the catholic - and only the catholic - Silesians often said, we are Poles, no matter what their genes say, and were born in Poland. It would be much easier for family historians to realize, that these Silesians were born in Prussia, just as you have it for Beata Trettel."