This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/AUI.2ACIB/207.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Good work! You are making some progress on tracing this family. Every little bit helps! In my earlier posting, I listed the 1850 census data for this family, so here are the 1850-1880 Census listings, for reference: - 1860 Census, Detroit, 3rd Ward, Mrs. Chamberlen, p. 216, #1294/1382, 15 Aug 1860, age 48, -/$300, b. NY; Lydia, age 21, teacher in common schools, b. MI; Louisa, age 19, b. MI; Daniel, age 17, clerk b. MI; Susan, age 16, school, b. MI; Erastus, age 15, school, b. MI; Charles, age 13, school, b. MI; several other persons listed, seemingly unrelated - 1870 Census, Detroit, 6th Ward, Wayne Co., MI, Desire Chamberlin, p. 358, #460/490, 21 Jun 1870, female, age 58, keeping house, -/$800, b. NY; Lydia, age 30, sewing, b. MI; Louise, age 28, at home, b. MI; Daniel, age 26, clerk in store, b. MI, U. S. Citizen; Erastus, age 23, R. R. clerk, b. MI, U. S. Citizen; Charles M., age 21, clerk in store, b. MI, U. S. Citizen - 1880 Census, Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, Desire W. Chamberlin, p. 265C, head, widow, age 67, keeping house, NY/CT/CT; Lydia A., dau., single, age 34, at home, MI/CT/NY; Louisa, dau., single, age 31, at home, MI/CT/NY; Charles M., son, single, age 28, clerk in leather store, MI/CT/NY; Leroy F., grandson, age 8, MI/CT/NY The 1880 Census confirms that Desire's husband was a native of Connecticut, and also confirms that she was a widow, but we still know nothing else about him, other than they were married about 1838, perhaps in NY State, or in Michigan, and that he probably died between 1847-1850, probably in Detroit. I've rechecked everything I can here, by computer, and can find no trace of him, but still believe he is likely the Roger Chamberlin listed there in Detroit in 1840 (data listed in previous posting). Here are some data dug out by another terrific researcher, Jeannette Voiland, of Seattle (not related to your family), from index cards to Wayne Co., MI, Probate Records she copied in Lansing: Wayne County Probate Court Records, Detroit, MI, Card Index File, lists Estate of Susan Thompson, Detroit, MI., File #14026, dated 1888. Chamberlains listed include Desire W. Thompson, her daughter; and grandchildren Erastus H.; Leroy F.; Louisa M.; and Lydia A. (all of Detroit; and grandson Charles M. of Kalamazoo. Please note that Desire was living in Detroit in 1888, according to this record, together with some of her family, and you can probably find them listed in city directories. So, this probate index indicates that this probate record does not mention Desire Thompson's son-in-law, the unidentified husband of her daughter, Desire Chamberlain, probably since he was long dead, yet it is possible that there is some clue to his identity in that particular probate file, if you wish to look it up. I did recently make a comprehensive listing of all Chamberlains (all spellings) listed in this Wayne Co., MI Probate index file from the data collected by Jeannette Voiland, which covers c1814-c1901, and I can assure you that I do not see this Roger listed as having a probate file. But, of course, he could have died elsewhere and have had a probate record in some other county or state, or perhaps his estate simply wasn't probated, though this is unlikely since he had underage children at the time. We don't even know, for sure, that he was dead by 1850 - he may have abandoned his family and died somewhat later, but, if so, he does not turn up in census r! ecords thereafter, as he should if he were alive. Maybe he went to California to dig for gold in 1848! Now, since the IGI lists Desire W. (Thompson) Chamberlain's death as 20 Aug 1889 (where? - probably in Detroit), one can attempt to find her probate record, death record, and so forth. You can probably order a copy of her death certificate there in Wayne Co., if she died there, and, if you wish, I can put you in touch with Jeannette and she can tell you how she traced the probate records, though I don't find Desire's probate listed anywhere in the same Wayne Co. MI list, so she perhaps died elsewhere, or left no estate. You can also search for obituary and burial records for Desire in Wayne Co., and State of Michigan records. Beyond that, vital records, etc., can also be traced for her children, and these records should, some of them, list the names of their father. These children were evidently all born in Michigan, probably in Detroit, and some of them can no doubt be traced and their records recovered, and perhaps even some living descendants could be found who! might know something. Maybe you can figure out other ways to trace this family, over time - hopefully so! That's the best I can recommend to you at this time. Please do keep me posted by Email, if you please, as your research progresses: <jbparker@provide.net>. I'd like to learn how this comes out.