I won't bore you with the full details of how after three years I *finally* figured out that my great-great grandmother, Mary RIEHM, was born Mary BURKE and not Mary SULLIVAN. Suffice it to say that when I finally did, a few pieces of the old puzzle came together (ie, why I could find her next two sisters' birth records in the New South Wales BDM database, but not her own), but new ones arose. Mary A. BURKE was born in Sydney, NSW, Australia on March 21, 1844, to Redmond BURKE and Bridget WHELAN. In 1845 Bridget married James SULLIVAN. (One of the witnesses at their marriage was John BURKE. I don't know if he's any relation to Mary and Redmond.) They had two more daughters before emigrating to San Francisco, where they had three more daughters and a son. Mary may have married an actor named MOORE in the mid-1860s. She definitely married Mattias RIEHM in the late 1860s and had eight children: Edward R. (I), Grace (m. Albert DEZERATA), Edward R. (II), James, John (my great-grandfather, who married Cordelia DANDURAND LaFRANCE), Francis, Elizabeth (m. Zebina RAWSON) and Nellie. The first three were born in California (probably San Francisco); the last five in Virginia City, Nevada. She died Dec. 21, 1884, aged 40. I don't know where Redmond BURKE came from, if Bridget WHELAN was married to him, or what became of him afterwards. He is not listed in the convict records from Ireland. (Bridget WHELAN was a convict.) The only reference to Redmond BURKE in the NSW BDM database is as Mary's father. Anyone have a Redmond BURKE in Australia? For that matter, anyone had a Redmond BURKE, period? :) Joann Betschart | researching ARCHAMBAULT BOIVIN BURKE DANDURAND dit Marchàterre DeKINDER FARNBACK/FAHRENBACH FAUST HECKEL IMEL/IMMEL JANOTTE-LaCHAPELLE KAMP RIEHM WHELAN ZINK | http://www.c-zone.net/merlaan | mailto:[email protected]