Mary Ellen, I can empathize with your frustration at finding records of your relative. My gg lived in the same time period and also did not appear in census rolls or ever own property. I have found two ways to find information; tax lists and church records. Unfortunatly this usually involves making a trip to the locale or hiring a researcher. Tax lists were compiled by counties every few years. These list the men over 21 who are eligble for taxation. Sometimes these lists require ownership of real property( 1 cow or slave!), other times they list all men. These are usually found in courthouse archives... usually very dusty basements. Church records can be found if you know the denomination of the immigrant ,ie German: Catholic, Lutheran or Reformed. English: Church of England [Episcopal or Anglican], or Methodist. Scotch: Presbyterean or Methodist. City directories are usually later in 1800's and for larger cities. Ann