If you have NOT become acquainted with your local--or nearby--Family History Center, do a search on www.familysearch.org to try to find one in your general neighborhood. And check out the hours.  The centers are manned/womaned by volunteers, who do not get paid, so their hours are irregular. At any rate, if you live in the boonies, you can at least use the online FHL catalog--and other databases which you MAY find online at that website.  Much material for some localities is being digitized, and you can sit at home in your PJs and read away.  (What databases does your local--or nearby--public library carry?) One of the *people-finders* which you may use--in person--is called [short title] AIS,  This stands for Accelerated Indexing System compiled many years ago to help some of us who are stumped by when and where our ancestors were living--and at what time.  Some kind volunteer lectured on this resource some years ago, and I have found it wonderful to find my wandering ancestors, many of whom have common surnames. What is this database (not totally accurate, but, oh, well, neither is a lot of other stuff on the internet or in books or other indexes)?  This database is an index to all the US censuses through 1850; and for some western states, the index goes beyond 1850.  Some of your single ancestors may have been in the western United States during and after the gold rush.  He may be listed in the later Searches for the western states.  Now, if you do not have a copy of *The Source* [several editions] at your library, or at your FHC, you will just have to wade in and teach yourself about AIS and other resources at that vast Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Each census year in AIS is called a SEARCH.  Search 1, because the 1790 census is largely missing, is composed of early tax lists in the then United States.  If you are looking for Harrises, see what Harrises are listed--and where.   State and boundary changes changed a LOT during our early years, so even if the PLACE is strange for you, take a look at that geographic area.  (I found my great-grandfather had left Kentucky and was down the Mississippi River in the Vicksburg area.  In 1850 census, he was a co-owner of a tavern [an inn full of flat boat men.) What else is in AIS?  Take a look (or lots of looks), but toward one of the last numbered Searches are mortality schedules (probably incomplete, but useful, nonetheless) for 1850 and 1860.  I was fortunate enough to find two of my ancestors, and enough information that helped me go backwards in time.  AIS 1860 mortality schedule told me how my 2nd great-grandmother died, when, and other information. The mortality schedule for 1850 told me that my Rose ancestor had been born in North Carolina, which helped me narrow *Which Rose? and what birthplace?* If you thought genealogy (or family history) was easy, you are wrong.  You have to learn to use ALL kinds of information, which seems to be increasing every day.  But always be critical of the source. For example, one of my Harris ancestors, from colonial Albemarle Co., VA, went to Madison Co., KY beginning ca 1787 (Source:  The 1787 Census of Virginia by Netti Schreiner-Yanits and Florine S. Love.) These tax lists do NOT list the real estate but list the tithables, horses, cattle, slaves, etc.  You may be surprised to find your ancestor having personal property in two (or more)places.   The so-called 1787 census of Virginia:  These are tax lists of each county claimed by Virginia in 1787, including Kentucky and West Virginia (formed 1862 or so and whatever land Virginia claimed in 1787.)  These are personal property lists, which will list tithables of widows, etc.  See if you can find these three volumes in your nearby LARGE library--perhaps a college or University library.  They are costly to buy.  There are many Harrises listed in the index. This is what I did:  I photocopied the index, took a large piece of paper and arranged the list of Harrises by page number, so that I could use the busy photocopier and copy each page, if necessary, for a known Harris (belonging to my Madison Co. KY and Albemarle Co. VA; Louisa Co. VA; and Hanover Co. Harrises). May the AIS be of use to you.  I was glad I attended that long ago lecture wherein the lecturer found her New England ancestor in a different state than she had anticipated. E.W.Wallace