Hey Geoff, for some reason, your email address wasn't listed on the message I got. Hope this comes to you direct. Anyway, Aussie Allerts - do you know Rick and Barb Allert of Adelaide? They have done the full family tree of Allerts in Australia, you'll be on it somewhere I'm sure. You are descended from Jacob Allert who was a Lutheran dissident from Gdansk - then Germany, now Poland. He founded the first school in the Barossa Valley - I've been to see the shell of the building. The best thing about this is that a creek runs nearby and down into the vineyard where Jacob's Creek wine originally came from. So is it named after an Allert? Who can say for sure!

My father met Rick Allert on a flight from KL to Hong Kong. Rick tried to book in and was told that R Allert had already booked in (my father's name was Roy). He and my dad were the only two Westerners on the flight so he approached my father, since he'd never met an Allert apart from immediate family. This meeting brought the 2 families together and the Aussie Allerts then did their family tree and had a big reunion back in 1982 or 3.

Rumour has it (in Australia) that there were 3 brothers, Jacob went to Aus, one went to Britain (where we are from) and the last to France or Amsterdam, can't remember which, Barb will be able to tell you. Anyway, email me direct on hkkatiana@yahoo.com and I'll put Rick and Barb in touch with you. I remember them saying that they had found a branch of the family in Aus that didn't want to get involved with the rest of the family because years ago, one of their forebears was illegitimate. Do you think that might be your lot? Interesting stuff, eh? Kate x