Kdberr1@aol.com wrote: >I'm researching ROBERT H. BALDWIN of Mason County, KY. The reason >I'm tracing Robert is to find two slaves he owned. But the Census >info for 1860 I found in Heritage Quest is just not in synch with >other info I have -- yes, I have Robert marrying a Sallie T. >Metcalfe in 1844 in Kentucky, but the 1860 Census says he was 37 >years old and from Misssissippi: Have found a Robert Baldwin, deputy >sheriff, with wife Sallie T., wife, son John M. Also in household: >John P. Metcalfe, age 65, Harriett Metcalfe, age 28, Amanda >Metcalfe, age 33. > >I thought Baldwin was from Fayette Co., KY I found a Robert Baldwin >there who migrated to Mason Co. in 1844. What am I to make of this >Census info -- so many of the names are matching up (particularly >his wife, and the fact that they live in Mason Co.) that I don't >want to dump them..... What do listers think -- should I keep >looking for more info on Baldwin to narrow down exactly the right >slave owner???? Or should I accept this person? BTW: Robert H. >Baldwin died around 1863 and I do have his will. I'm not sure I understand your problem. It is clear to me that the 1860 census record you cite is for the Robert Baldwin who married Sallie T. Metcalfe in KY. Keep in mind that census records are notoriously a bit "off" so this Robert Baldwin may not have been born in MS. Maybe only Amanda and Harriet were home when the census taker came, and they had no clue where their (brother-in-law?) was born. Conversely, how certain is your source that he was born in Fayette Co., KY (maybe he was born in MS and moved to Fayette Co. as a child?). Does the will make any reference to slaves? Have you found this Robert Baldwin in the 1850 census? Do you have evidence that in fact there were two Robert Baldwin's in Mason Co. KY in this time period? Or are you saying you're unsure whether the locality you need is actually Mason Co. KY? Though I have no experience in slave research, it is not unusual for me to find more references to slaves in deed books than in wills when I'm researching my southern ancestors or their neighbors. (And if there were two Robert Baldwins in the same locality, deed research is essential to sorting them out). I often find tax lists to be more helpful than census records (mostly because when they exist...as they usually do in KY and VA...they tend to be for every year, not every 10 years). Both the deed books and tax lists covering the time period you need for Mason Co. KY have been microfilmed by the Family History Library in Salt Lake. Odds are, there is a Family History Center within reasonable driving distance of your home. You can order these films from Salt Lake to view in your nearest Family History Center for a small fee. To find what they have available on microfilm, and where Family History Centers are located, go to: http://www.familysearch.org Connie Sheets clsheets1@prodigy.net