A little confusing word - late. When you see it in the older records, what did it mean? Well, it could have meant two things of course. Late was used to denote that someone used to live there but doesn't anymore: "John Smith, late of Podunk County ...." Or - it can mean the individual was deceased. "John Smith, late of Podunk County ..." You might assume that dear John had gone to join his ancestors in that family tree in the sky, when all it meant was that he formerly lived there. One has to be careful not to jump to conclusions that John has deceased - he might have pulled up stakes and moved elsewhere. Only more searching will reveal what happened! See you Monday - Sandi Sandi's Puzzlers: http://www.gensoup.org/gorinpuzzles/index.php Sandi's site: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/