Hi, Missing Lincs,     Just curious.  During the 16th thru 19th century, Barbary pirates captured and traded European slaves in their markets.  They captured some from sailing ships, some fishermen, and some people by raiding coastal villages.  About 20,000 of these were English and Irish.     Now, you COULD use this as an excuse for why your can't find a couple of your ancestors, but apparently the Barbary pirates weren't good at record keeping.  Their raids ceased just before the advent of Civil Registration in England.     So, do you have a family tradition of an ancestor being enslaved?  Did they eventually find freedom?         Lou