Thanks Ken. There was another Hodge family in Henderson county. They are apparently unrelated, coming from Tenn., Alabama, and Georgia. Robert Hodge was a minister and also the census taker for the 1860 Henderson county census. It was indeed Brown county, county seat Brownwood, where Nellie grew up in. It was there I found the burial and death info for Ellen at a local funeral home. It is the only official documation that indicates the name of Nellie's father. It was J.E. Providing the Death info for Nellie was my uncle Lester Evans, since deceased. I checked my papers, and do not have a death certificate, only a copy of her will. I have seen the certificate and do not believe it mentioned her parents. The 1880 date was hers, but considering the circumstances of her childhood, she could have been mistaken; or the 1880 census taker in Henderson county could have left off the "mo" indicating she was one month, not one year old. I looked through a couple of pages of the census and found no case were the "mo" appeared. My intent is to look through the entire listing by that particular census taker to see if he used months instead of years. Her brother Eddie was born in 1888, her brother Johnnie born in 1896, which is eight years apart for each child. Both Eddie and Johnnie passed away before 1960 and were childless, according to my father; though I have not researched that yet. I have searched the 1880 Dallas census and found nothing that can tie to her. The only Hodge households on the census was a Betty Hodge (race: Black) with no others in her household; and a George H. Hodge, aged 50. George, born in Kentucky, had no son named J.E. or anything close. I am currently trying to find this George in the 1870 and 1860 census's, but there are a lot of George Hodge's out there. Until last week, I had presumed that either they were missed in the census, or my grandmother did not tell the truth about her age in order to get married (1898). However I am well familiar with Grandma's feelings about telling the truth for I have tasted her homemade lye soap, for fibbing in my childhood. There are two John Hodge's still in the running for my g-grandfather. One is a John Hodge, Denton county, 1880 census, an unmarried 21 year old cowboy born in Texas. I have found no further information on him. Also the 1860 census, Clark county Illinois, lists a 2 year old John E. Hodge, son of a George Hodge (not the same George in the 1880 Dallas census). However I can find nothing further on him. I have checked all John Hodge's in the 1880 Texas census. None come close, except for the Denton county entry. Using the LDS 1880 census cd's, I have found no children on the Dallas county 1880 census that match. I have not searched Brown county to see if a legal foster relationship existed. I used that term loosely, for I understand it more like a "boarding" arrangement. This was common in those days. Apparently Ellen was employed from time to time by the Bairs, and the children were apparently swapped back and forth. The 1900 census lists Eddie in both households (same birth month and year). From the verbal info I have received, the Bairs were the primary caregivers of Nellie, and Ellen the primary caregiver of Eddie and Johnnie. My father says Nellie never mentioned her father; it was my aunt (since deceased) that said his name was John. I am intrigued that a neighbor of both the Bairs and Ellen was a John A. Hodge, b circa 1815, who came to Texas from Hopkins county Kentucky. This county adjoins both Crittenden and Caldwill (were Darien was married). If John A. was close kin to James E., it would make sense for him to bring Nellie there for care. I speculate that maybe John A. and his wife Mildred may have felt they were too old to care for the baby and recomended the Bairs. Of course, I need to try to determine what happen to Nancy, James E. wife, living in 1880. Did she die? Or where they divorced? If divorced, did James E. babynap Ellen and take her to Brownwood? That is why I am going to Henderson county courthouse. I have never found a marraige record for J.E. and Ellen, though I have search a number of counties. I guess my gold mine would be to find evidence of Nancy's passing and a marraige to Ellen in Henderson. Then, what became of James and Nancy's oldest four children? There may be a precident for that in that when Darien remarried, he apparently left his children by Elizabeth in the the care of James E. and moved away. My dad gave me a bit of info the other day, which is interesting. I told him about J.E. being listed as a Singer Sewing Machine salesman in the 1888 Dallas directory (along with Benjamin as a traveling salesman). His memory was jogged and said he remembered as a small boy, Nellie had a stockpile of sewing machine springs, which she sold to make extra money. Could she have inherited them from her father? Anyway, I do not want to absolutely declare James E. or anyone else as my g-grandfather, until I do more research. Again I thank you for your time and info. Bob