Barbara, It is a hunt isn't it. I started looking for my RULE's based on a family photo taken in Camborne, Cornwall. I decided to start with the 1851 census, since my John Rule left Cornwall in 1853 (based on info is US Census records). There were over 250 people in Camborne parish with the surname RULE that year, the largest concentration of the name that I have found in my parish searches so far. I looked in my extract for 1851, Camborne Parish and found only one Samuel Rule, age 3, to young to be Frank's father I think. Did Frank marry Agnes BONE in Cornwall or Michigan? You mentioned he came to the US as a young man, do you know when? Since he was born in 1862 in Cornwall, you might check the 1871 Cornwall Census for Samuel and Mary with a son Francis. You might also try looking in 1861 for Samuel and Mary, on the chance they married at least one year before Frank was born. If you have Frank's full birth date, you can search the St. Catherine's Indexes for F* RULE's born in the same quarter in the districts that comprise the various Cornwall parishes. Hopefully there won't be too many born in the same quarter. The birth certificate should list the parish where he was born. You can then use that information to target your census searches. Let me know what you learn. Cat Nielsen Berkeley, CA