tompat454 There are two great databases that I would point you toward. The first one is Dibean's Michigan Marriage Index which has literally thousands of marriages documented and sorted by county. In the case of your surname Downs appearing in St. Clair County there are two entries; an Eliza and a Mary Downs in the proper time frame. Take a peek at this county and surrounding counties, Huron, Tuscola, Genesee, Oakland, Saginaw, Bay and see if you see any that help. The URL is _http://www.mifamilyhistory.org/dibeanindex/_ (http://www.mifamilyhistory.org/dibeanindex/) The second good database is the Michigan Gendix (Genealogical Death Index) which also lists deaths, by name and county from 1867 to about 1885; depending on county records. Again, I note that there are several Downs documented there in St. Clair County, but those in nearby counties may be related. The URL for this one is _http://www.deathindexes.com/michigan/index.html_ (http://www.deathindexes.com/michigan/index.html) Good luck, I hope this helps you solve your mysteries. Tim Stark ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com