Hello... Because I only found out last fall that the couple who adopted my grandmother as a baby ... were her maternal grandparents, I have not gotten very far in this research. Also, last fall I found out that there were thousands .... of Clark families in New England in the early years, so I didn't have much of a chance in finding information about one couple with no other information about them. However, I just found the1850 Census for Westport, MA, on-line, and I found something curious. Mary A. Clark and Rhoda Clark are listed on this Census, but their parents are not listed. I don't know anything about Rhoda Clark, but Mary Anna Clark was born in the spring of 1837 in Westport. This means that she was 13 years old on this Census. (This Clark family was not mentioned on the 1830 Census for Westport.) Mary Anna Clark married John Dexter who was born in Killingly, CT, in 1837. I have no idea when or where they married. ... On the Death Certificate for Mrs. Mary Dexter, her parents were listed as James and Lavair Clark. Is it possible that James and Lavair Clark died early, thus leaving their daughters orphaned? Would Mary and Rhoda have been living in the home of another family? Thank you for whatever suggestions you can offer. Betty (near Lowell, MA)