Maureen, Your best bet if you don't know where your ancestor originated is to either look up the name at the State Library or ask someone for a lookup if you are not in CT. Once you find what city it is simple to go from there, assuming it's not John Smith:-). Email me privately with what you do know and I'll see what I can do. Mary, If you aren't subbed to the Fairfield County lists, I would suggest you should and post your query. Someone may have info on your John Purcell from Bridgeport. You can sub to the Farfield County onelist below. Marg Home Page http://home.talkcity.com/GardenWay/exbanker/index.html RandomActs of Genealogical Kindness Volunteer http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnraogk/connecti.htm Fairfield County Genealogy List http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/CTFAIRFI