Morning All I have a bit of an oddity in my family tree that I want to try and get some more information on. Hopefully someone with access to Ancestry records in the US may be able to help. George Oughton was a miner in Hetton Le Hole, Durham. He had two children with his wife Isabella in Tudhoe and Hetton Le Hole. On the census returns it states that his next two daughters - Mary (abt 1868) and Ida (abt 1873) were born in La Salle Illinois. The next child was George and he was born back in Hetton Le Hole abt 1876. George and Isabella weren't particularly well off and would have struggled to pay the passage even as steerage passengers. Did they really go to Illinois? Was there a mining community there? How did they afford to travel home again? This is a real puzzle for us and would be hugely grateful for any thoughts or assistance on where to look next. Regards Net