Greeting from another "newbie" to the group, and of course I'm looking for some help. I have encountered a wall while researching a James McGinnis. This is what I know and what is documented. There is a marriage bond between James McGinnis and Lucinda Padgett in the Cleveland Co. records registered in April 1855 and the family shows up in the 1860 Cleveland Co. census, at that point with two children. They are not in the 1870 Cleveland Co. census, but I have found the family with Lucinda as the head of household in neighboring Rutherford Co. in 1870 Census. No James, but there are other children, including my g-grandfather William Andrew McGinnis, and also another William J. McGinnis listed as a 1 year old child. With this I would hope that James was still around to father William J. sometime in 1868, but I don't know what happened to him and can't seem to find out. I've got a couple theories that I would like to throw out and see if anyone can supply confirmation or evidence to the contrary. There is a Larkin McGinnis in the 1850 Cleveland Co. census who shows a son James that matches the age of my James (born about 1832), but other genealogies that I have seen from allied researchers show this James to have married a Mary Feagan in 1868. Now one theory would be that they are the same James. Him marrying Lucinda in 1855 and then divorcing, abandoning, (?), her in 1868 to marry Mary. OR I have found some other internet genealogies that show a James McGinnis son of Obediah McGinnis moved from TN. to Rutherford Co., NC and this James married a Mary (?) in 1868. I'm sure I've got everyone confused by now, but you can hopefully see my dilemma. I'm looking for some documentation that would put me on the right track. I'm posting this to several listserv groups, so please accept my apologies if you receive duplications. -Tony McGinnis, Raleigh, NC