Another way to find b.d., etc., is through probate records. My Madison County ancestor's 1865 probate files include a list of heirs, including their b.d. and their present residence. Other than that, tax rolls or the census could help at least put you in the ballpark, and the census from 1850 on will give you their birthplace. Sometimes cemetery inscriptions have the b.d., too. Jeannie Smith, looking for Madison Co. descendants of James Ralston: http://members.aol.com/WordGenius/ralston.html