Hi, I wrote a P.S. for a reply I forgot to send. This is the reply. Charles is "Karl" in Germany. My husband's grandfather is Alfred Bornefeld. His father is Gustav, who did not adhere to the German naming pattern. There is no other Alfred in the family. It could have been the Americanization of the family since Alfred is the first generation born here. Also, Gustav was orphaned and that could have made a difference. You almost have to get in their heads.
My Eisenmann family is Catholic, also. Southern Germany was Catholic and northern Germany was Lutheran. I have a female I was tracking and looked up her address and went to the house where she had lived last. A very distant relative still lived there, but had just burned all the family photographs a month before I knocked on his door. He still had her prayer book from Germany and her death card with her photo on it. It is the only likeness to exist. She was born in the early 1800's.
Ideas: If the house or neighborhood is still there...Other people with the same surname, even though they may say they are not related...Have you checked naturalization records? They will say he renounced the King of "whatever" and give you a general place. What about wills? The immigrant may name from whence he came. If he died without a will, the estate will have to be settled through the court where he owned property...Death record of the immigrant may say where he was born, also. Tombstones sometimes say where the person was from. There will be tracks. Germans always left tracks. Good luck, Jeanne