Has anyone on the list run into a situation like the following? I really need to know. It has just happened to me for the SECOND time - in a different family line. Here are the facts of the first situation. 1850 Census Wilburn H. Wilson, my 2g-grandfather is shown living in the household of his parents in McMinn County, TN, in the 1850 census. Living nearby is the family of John A. Thompson - they have a 16 year old daughter named Louisa. In January 1851, Louisa Thompson and Wilburn Wilson are married in McMinn County. In November 1852, their first child (my great grandfather) was born. In 1853, this new family, along with several other families migrate to Barry County, MO. 1860 Census In the 1860 census of Stone County, MO, Wilburn and Louisa are now shown to be the parents of four children ranging from age 9 years to 9 months. Now the mystery: The 1860 census of McMinn County, TN, also shows Louisa, age26, still living in her parents household. An older brother and sister are also shown living at home. Thinking that I made a mistake earlier, I checked every THOMPSON family in all surrounding counties. None had a daughter named Louisa in the correct age range for marriage. I DO NOT think that Louisa traveled all that distance back to TN to visit her parents leaving her husband and four small children at home in MO. Questions: 1. Has anyone seen this situation before? As I previously stated, I have just encountered it again in another family line - I just do not have as much concrete data as in this case. 2. Do you have an opinion about the situation? What do you think happened? Thanks for your input. Larry