Dennis Lee Bieber wrote: > > Cptoehedd@aol.com fed this fish to the penguins: > > > all, but it is wonderful. After choosing the census database, > > select a state. Then put the first 2-3 letters in the "jump to > > surname" spot. This will allow you to scroll through the index > > alphabetically so that you have a better chance to catch > > misspellings. I am researching various Polish names right now, and > > Assuming the misspelling wasn't in the first letters... > "Bie..." wouldn't have found "Die..." nor "Bea.." (as I found in the > 1880 CD-ROMs). Someone somewhere seems to have manufactured the statistic that "most" census misreadings occur with the initial letter. On that theory, the ?ieber would work. As you say, though, it wouldn't find ?eaver or ?eiver and it surely wouldn't find ?uver, which is one of the more common transcription errors (ie or ei turns into u or ee). And (g), it would NOT have found GELBMEYER which is is what appears to be written because the clerk crossed the T without lifting his pen. :( Not that I'm bitter about those 20 years, mind now! (g) Cheryl singhals@erols.com