Laura: I accept your challenge !! Her is my Brick Wall(s). William James Parks, b. 1825 in County Donegal, immigrated to Maine via New York in 1850 aboard the bark America. He married Catherine Cunningham, d. of Bridget Breslin Cunningham and Hugh Cunningham, b. 1829 in Ireland (county unknown). No indication her parents came to US. No record of parents or siblings of William James or his townland in County Donegal. The only clues I have of his Donegal ancestry are: 1. Both he and Catherine were RCs - it was very rare for the Park/e/s surname in Ulster to be RC. 2. A first cousin, John, his wife Elizabeth (surname unknown), and children: William, Mary and Rachel, arrived in St. John, NB in 1847. The passenger list spells the surname as Park and indicates they were from Balleybofey, County Donegal. They were all RCs. The son, William, married a Sarah Stewart from a UEL family. 3. His aunt and uncle, Bridget (Mary) Kilday Parks and William Parks and 7 other children also settled in Portland, Maine. All burial records, etc. indicate the family was from County Donegal but no townland is listed in any records. Two daughters married into the Alexander family and one into the McNellis family. Alexander and McNellis family records indicate they also were from County Donegal but no townland listed. Both of these families were RC. 4. Note that all of the surnames are NOT of celtic origion, but rather lowland Scots or English. Parks appears to be of Norman ancestry. Bill Parks