Hello John.
It was most interesting to read of some of your German connections. I, too, am of German lineage with some ancestors coming form the same general region. I wonder if you have ever come across the name "Segmuller" in your search; they seem to have come from the Rieschweiler area in the late 1700s. I can find no trace of my paternal family "Bier" other than a reference to the 'town' of Neriburg/Kanegritz', for which I can find no current record.
As I am new to genealogy, any help in this regard would be aappreciated.
Thanks for your consideration.
Glenn Bier
Canada