Hi Camron, Johann Gottlieb Hottmann immigrated in approximately 1854, although in the 25+ years that I have been researching this line, I have not yet located his name on a passenger list. John is the Americanized form of Johann. I plan to drive to Madison June 28-July 1 to research at the State Historical Society and may also get over to Arena during that time. If you live in the area, perhaps we can get together. I have a great deal of information on the Hottmann families. I visited the village of Grunbach where Johann lived and the church where he was baptized last summer. I also visited a Hottmann family while there. The Hottmanns were all wine growers/vintners for several generations. I am going to be terribly busy between now and June 19, so I won't be able to give you too much more information right now, but I do have lots on the ancestry of Johann Gottlieb Hottmann going back four more generations to 1696.