Hi Mary Thank you for putting my argument into context (or rather chucking it in the bin :-) It does seem rather churlish to moan when we have so much to access compared to just a short time ago You are quite right of course All the best in your research Best wishes Nivard Ovington, in Cornwall (UK) PS can't say I agree on findmypast though <g> May I add two pence worth! Lucky, Lucky us!! I am delighted with Scotlandspeople, learning to use wild cards to fix my problem of Powrie Po*rie and Pourie, (an earlier spelling). It just takes practice to learn what website to use. I can find most, but occasionally hit ancestry for census AND Scotlandspeople and use "Find My Past for military. Using two sources, and comparing results is helpful. Footnote gave me much in the way of historical newspapers. Some home they do a better job than Ancestry, which give Powder, Power in newspaper articles. The Scotsman archive is a much