Hi Listers I am flummoxed - for years I have tried to find my gr gr grandfather. (Suzie you will probably remember helping me with this search in the good old days of the BBS) The story is this My Gr grandfather David DORAN was married on 25 Feb 1868 at St Pats Kilmore to FLora Robinson (Robertson) He states he was born in Geelong and that his parents were Michael and Mary DORAN (nee BURKE (BOURKE) he stated he was aged 26 when married David would have been born c 1842 (and according to him in Geelong) HOWEVER !!! after many searches by many able bodied and helpful genes, researches and anyone else who was close to a list anywhere I have still NOT been able to find his parents or any siblings. I did find a marriage of a Michael DORAN to a Mary BOURKE at Castleisland in Co Kerry Ireland they married on 25 Feb 1838 (note the date (same as David's) and I wonder if this is coincidence) but if these are my David's parents I can NOT (and neither can anyone else) find them arriving into Australia c1838/42 in time for David to have been born. The Roman Catholic baptism records and burials for Geelong are short and sometimes non existant so I am unable to find out if he was actually baptised there or not. After 12 years with success in the search for the rest of my family I am really wishing to find my father's ancestors. I have ALL the family coming down the line to modern times, the sad bit being that my grandparents had a fire not long after they arrived in NZ in 1910 so any family papers (and my grandfather being the eldest son would have had them) went up in smoke. No Australian family member has anything either. Anyone any ideas? or should I just close the file. What about Catholic schools in Geelong? David could read and write so he must have attended school??? Could he have been born there and then the parents and the babe went back to Ireland until he was old enough to come out again himself?? I really hate the idea of giving up but I can no longer see the wood for the trees! cheers Patsy http://www.genebug.com and again on http://www.countrystay.co.nz