Patricia Brooks wrote: :Sidney Brooks, which no :one has ever heard of, seems to be a ghost. I heard that he had :lived in New York, died in Harrisburg, PA. :Very distant relative told me that he was born in 1850 and moved :around until his death. With that unique name, one would think :that there are records somewhere, but I have just about given up. :The usual story of his parents being John and Elizabeth Brooks and :siblings names of Samuel and Charles. What a nightmare, just had :to have all these common names. I've got four Sidneys -- it is uncommon -- in New England, but with birth dates of 1799, 1799, 1811 and 1836. It's true that those are common names, but all are frequently found in the "Concord line" of Capt. Thomas Brooks. The given name Charles is most often associated with this line, at least until the late 19th century, and the given name Samuel as well. Though how that "hunch" will help you connect Concord, MA to Harrisburg is a little beyond me. :-) Have you obtained his death record, hopefully with place of birth and names of parents? Probate/will? Census? Are there specific locations you can give us other than New York and Harrisburg? If you know of other places he lived, have you checked such things as business directories and town and county histories? If he married, and you know his wife's surname, have you tried researching that surname in order, perhaps, to find your Sidney as a marrying-in spouse? Chris