SNIPPET: In an effort to re-establish contact, thousands of 19th-century Irish immigrants advertised for missing relatives and friends in the "Boston Pilot" newspaper. Most often the Irish and North American place origins of both seeker and sought are identified. The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), Boston, MA, has published eight volumes, all of the personal classifieds published in the "Boston Pilot" from 1831 to 1905. The title of this set is "The Search for Missing Friends" under the general editorship of B. Emer O'KEEFFE and published by the NEHGS. (Certainly, opportunities exist for extraction of similiar data by genealogy and family history societies to follow the example of the NEHGS and extract classifieds from local newspapers in NY, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, London, Liverpool and Birmingham for the same time period). The following are examples of advertisements with ideas for further research: 13 April 1872: "Information wanted of James O'CONNELL, son of Dennis and Mary O'CONNELL, of the townland of Ballyconlon, parish of Killanerin, county Wexford, who came to this country about 22 years ago; he wrote from Jerseyville, Jersey County, Illinois, about three years ago; since then he has not been heard from. If this should meet his eye, or anyone knowing his whereabouts, they will convey a favor on his anxious sister, Mary SWEENEY (maiden name Mary O'CONNELL) by communicating with same. Please address Bernard SWEENEY, Albion, Erie County, PA." Here we have the name of the mother and father and the likely birthplace of James O'CONNELL in Ireland and the possibility of Irish parish records that would reveal other ancestral lines. We learn James came to America circa 1850 and was in Jerseyville, IL around 1869. We know his sister Mary married a Bernard SWEENEY and was living in Albion, PA in 1872. A search of passenger arrival lists, city directories and 1860 and 1870 USA Federal censuses could potentially turn up additional information. 21 December 1872: "Information wanted of Denis KIELY, son of Denis and Elizabeth KIELY, Castletownroche, county Cork, he worked for the Suffolk Company, 10 Eastern Avenue, Boston, Mass., about three years ago; supposed to be now in the vicinity of New York. Should this meet his eye he will hear of his sister Katie, by addressing a letter to Katie KIELY, 41 Fair Street, Newburyport, Mass., or to his uncle Bartholomew HORRIGAN, West Newbury, Massachusetts." Here again we have the name of father and mother, their Irish location and possible birthplace of Denis KIELY and sister's name. Assuming that uncle HORRIGAN is a maternal uncle, we would have mother's maiden name. The 1870 USA Federal Census may contain more information. Irish parish records might contain parents' marriage and earlier ancestral information. 22 November 1873: "Information wanted of Mary COULTER, who left the city of Montreal, about 19 years ago, for the New England States; father's name was Samuel COULTER, and mother's maiden name was Mary McCLORAIN; also, of her two uncles, William and Alexander COULTER, when last heard from were in Ellicotte's Mills, Md., and are supposed to be there still. Her brother John COULTER, care of Gray Brothers, Syracuse, N.Y., or Ontario St., Rochester, N. Y. dead or alive, will receive information of her." We have quite a few names here to help pin down a particular family and that Mary COULTER left Montreal around 1854 and might be found in the 1851 Canadian census for that city, perhaps with parents and brothers. The census would give their nationality and ages leading to birth, parents' marriage and countries of origin. There is also a strong possibility of confirming the Montreal information with the 1870 U. S. census data for Ellicotte's Mills, MD, and Rochester, NY, the location of the brothers. 3 April 1875: "Information wanted of John LOYDEN, Connemara, parish of Ross, county Galway, aged about 60 years; about 45 years ago he went on board of a man-of-war; twenty-three years ago he wrote a letter home to his brother, Michael LOYDEN, who had left there: at that time he was in Archiel, England: his father's name was Michael LOYDEN, and his mother's name was Bridget WALSH, both of the same parish and county; about a year ago his brother was told by a man that a man of that name kept a hotel in Liverpool, and described about his age and size and complexion, and said the same man spent most of his time at sea. Information of him will be received by his brother, Michael LOYDEN, Victory Mills, Saratoga county, N. Y. or by P. O'REGAN." We learn the likely birth location of John LOYDEN, the names of his parents and a brother. Irish parish records could lead to earlier generations of paternal and maternal ancestors. A search for more information on "John Loyden, a man who spent a great deal of time at sea and was a hotel owner" and possibly a merchant marine captain might be found in British Naval records on a British man-of-war. Liverpool city directories and tax records should contain some details on his hotel enterprise and a check of merchant marine records may contain some details of his activities. These resources along with 1851 census records for Archiel and 1871 census for Liverpool could reveal other details such as wife and family.