Hi Julien, I had a similar problem with my gt grandfather, had his birth certificate, census data from 1851 to 1881 then nothing. I knew that my grandfather had been in Liverpool and that my father had been born in Buckinghamshire so managed to find grandfather and family in 1901 on the census there. Gt grandfather - no sign at all. I then decided to see if my gt gt grandfather had left a Will when he died - he was a Master Draper so hoped that he had. I got a copy and, to my surprise, there wasn't any mention of my gt grandfather or his family but I did discover the whereabouts of three of his sisters from this. I suggest you try looking for Wills relating to the family - you may find clues as to where your elusive ancestor was! Gt grandfather finally turned up - I sent for a death certificate for someone who died in Hull - no family history of anyone living there but I had run out of ideas - yes, it was him, he was buried under an assumed name by the landlady of the boarding house he was living at. Why change of name? Haven't got a clue but at least I know where he was on the 1891 census and when he died now! Dot Dorothy Holden Dover Kent England There are three things that can never be retrieved- the spoken word, time past and the neglected opportunity I volunteer for the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness website www.raogk.org