In a message dated 6/9/2003 6:22:29 AM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > If i remember right, there was fire at the > court house in the mid 1880's that destroyed all the records True -- the fire in 1886 burned the courthouse to the ground, so there are no VRs for Wayne County prior to that date. In lieu thereof, I suggest you search microfilm copies of the Wayne County newspapers for the months in question -- birth, marriage, and death notices were frequently published in the paper. I have had good success with this alternate Wayne County source, but you must be thorough and meticulous in your search. Nineteenth century newspapers were often rather haphazard in their layout -- there were few headlines, the print was small, and there were seldom any margins separating adjacent articles and columns. Unless you are careful, it's easy to miss the item you are looking for! There have been some efforts made to collect and publish extractions of such notices from the period prior to the fire, but I have found them to be something less than complete and comprehensive. Guy I. Colby IV Irving, TX