Beryl, Coal miner - might be Carlow or Wexford? Someone on the list may be able to help there. If Junior left in the late 1850s, his father would have probably been listed in Griffiths Valuation. This Valuation was done around 1850 and took several years. Griffiths Valuation is online and can be found at: _http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.htm_ (http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.htm) Unfortunately, Welch is a pretty common name and may be a bit more difficult to find than some names. If you are not familiar with Griffiths Valuation, it is a listing of people occupying land; it is not a census. Only the head of the family is mentioned. One very good website for Co Kilkenny is: _http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/_ (http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/) For Co Carlow: _http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcar2/Site_index.htm_ (http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcar2/Site_index.htm) _http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcar2_ (http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcar2) Another excellent site for the country with a lot of infro from this area of Ireland is: _http://www.from-ireland.net/_ (http://www.from-ireland.net/) Others may be able to give you additional information. Maureen N ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com