Perhaps you have heard about Ancestry's effort to string together a number of sources of basic information which could bridge the gap left by the destruction of the 1890 US Census. As the various bits are put online (mostly city directories, but also tax lists, voter registration lists, etc), they will be searchable for free for a few weeks. So it might be worthwhile to visit this url weekly. Would anyone from this list volunteer to do such a lookup and report back to the list with their findings? I'm just too swamped to take on another project! 1890 Federal Census Substitute (First Installment) <http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/1890sub/main.htm> Anyway, in a Soundex search of this week's information, I found these Calhouns: Search Terms: CALHOUN (2) Database: Bristol, Connecticut City Directories, 1882-1893 Combined Matches: 2 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year Seth H. Calhoun builder Prospect Terryville CT 1884, 1885 Seth H. Calhoun Terryville CT 1886, 1887 Search Terms: CALHOUN (2) Database: Erie, Pennsylvania City Directories, 1889-1893 Combined Matches: 2 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year Thomas Calhoun huckster b 143 w 11th Erie PA 1889 Sayre Calhoun shipping clerk b 1001 Walnut Erie PA 1891 Search Terms: CALHOUN (13) Database: Galveston, Texas City Directories, 1888-1891 Combined Matches: 13 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year Emma Bowles boards James Calhoun Galveston TX 1888, 1889 James Calhoun planing mill engineer r. north side E. avenue K between 8th, 9th Galveston TX 1888, 1889 John Calhoun laborer r. north side E. avenue M between 11th, 12th Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Miss Mary Calhoun Max Maas works r. same Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Thomas Calhoun Cotter & Steinbrink engineer r. north side E. avenue K between 8th, 9th Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Mary I. Daniels east district public school teacher boards James Calhoun Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Calhoun Garner laborer r. alley between 27th, 28th, Aves H, I. Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Fannie O. Harding east district public school teacher boards James Calhoun Galveston TX 1888, 1889 Georgiana A. Ballinger East district public school teacher boards Thomas Calhoun Galveston TX 1890, 1891 John Calhoun, Jr. screwman John Calhoun, sr. Galveston TX 1890, 1891 John Calhoun, Sr. screwman r. north side avenue M between 11th, 12th Galveston TX 1890, 1891 Miss Mary Calhoun Isadore Lovenberg works r. north side avenue M between 11th, 12th Galveston TX 1890, 1891 Thomas Calhoun Cotter & Steinbrink engineer r. north side avenue K between 8th, 9th Galveston TX 1890, 1891 Search Terms: CALHOUN (4) Database: Los Angeles, California City Directories, 1888-1890 Combined Matches: 4 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year May Calhoun Hunter Dining Parlors waitress Los Angeles CA 1888 Samuel Calhoun N s Girard bet Sentous and Broadway Los Angeles CA 1888 George Simpson carpenter W s University Av bet Indiana and Calhoun, Occidental Heights Los Angeles CA 1888 John S. Calhoun carpenter 30 West Bellevue Drive Pasadena CA Search Terms: CALHOUN (7) Database: Leadville, Colorado City Directories, 1882-1890 Combined Matches: 7 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year C. Calhoun miner r Mansion House Leadville CO 1882 William C. Calhoun miner r 710 e 10th Leadville CO 1882 James H. Calhoun miner r. rear 172 s. Toledo avenue Leadville CO 1883 William C. Calhoun miner r. 710 e. 10th. Leadville CO 1883 James Calhoun miner boards Grand Pacific hotel Leadville CO 1884 James Calhoun miner boards Grand Pacific Hotel Leadville CO 1885 John Calhoun r. 520 E. 5th. Leadville CO 1889 Search Terms: CALHOUN (4) Database: Little Rock, Arkansas City Directories, 1893-1898 Combined Matches: 4 Name Business Name Occupation Location 1 Location 2 City State Year James A Calhoun west side Battery bet 6th and 7th Little Rock AR 1893, 1894 James A Calhoun policeman 618 Battery Little Rock AR 1895, 1896 Calhoun R Bright ins agent 215 w 11th Little Rock AR 1897, 1898 James Calhoun bab 618 Battery Little Rock AR 1897, 1898 There are three more databases, Troy, New York City Directory, with 42 hits, Richmond, Virginia City Directories, 1889-1890 with 32, and Memphis, Tennessee City Directories, 1890-1891 with 610!!! but using my husband's computer, I just couldn't do it! It would be great if someone else stepped up and got and formatted the Cowens in those for the list. The Memphis one, I think, would have to be imported into a database manager, and offered as a file by email or ftp. Is anyone willing to do any of these? Let me quote the message in which I found this information: "The search engine is fast and easy to use compared to going to libraries and looking in the actual directory. However, using an actual directory is much more satisfying because it usually has more information, such as if they owned or rented their own home (useful for locating property records), and a possible reverse directory (useful for finding neighbors). They also are full of information on local businesses, churches, fraternal organizations, schools, etc. As these city directories keep appearing online, I will use them as indexes to the actual directories. (I know that sounds redundant.) I still would like to use the actual directories to the fullest extent possible. On the other hand, many libraries do not allow photocopying of hard copies. It might be an interesting timesaver to print out all the people with a given name for a given directory, and take that copy to the library where added information can be easily pencilled in. Virginia Sholin Smallwood" Please write me privately <mailto:valoriez@aa.net> if you are willing to get this sort of report weekly, as we only need one person doing it! Valorie, listmom