Paul, I don't have any information for you on your g-grandfather -- just a few suggestions. Five trips back to England was a lot of trips across the ocean in the mid-19th century. To me, it suggests he might not have stayed in one place in the USA long enough to be in too many consecutive federal censuses (taken every 10 years). In any case, you've got two solid dates -- his entry into the USA in 1848 at about age 25 & his marriage in 1870 when he was about 47. No airplanes back then, so chances are, he arrived by ship at a major east-coast port such as NY or Boston, then moved slowly west with maybe a few detours. I have a hunch you'll find him in a federal census 1850 or 1860 in some state between the Atlantic & MO. Have you checked the passenger listings online of the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild for 1848 to locate what port & what ship he came to the USA on? That's at http://istg.rootsweb.com/ I've had to do this kind of "sleuthing" to find a few traces of my elusive ancestors as well. Good luck! -- Darlene Lister [email protected] ========================== My G-grandfather William Winter came from England in (according to the 1900 census Yellow Creek Twp., Linn Co.) in 1848. He married my G-grandmother Harriett Mantle Wakefield in Aug. 1870 in Linn Co., MO. He doesn't appear in the 1870 census that was taken in July, one month before his marriage. Harriett is in the 1870 census. I also can't find William in any census for 1850 or 1860. I've checked the 1850 census in several states as shown at the Genealogylibrary.com website. I haven't been able to find a record of his application for naturalization although the census indicates he was naturalized. I also haven't been able to find a record for a passport, his obituary indicates he made 5 trips back to England (I just spent several days at the National Archives in Washingto, D.C.) His obituary states he came from Cumberland, England. I found a William Winter christened in March 1823 in Ousby, Eng. My g-grandfather was born in Feb. 1823. I haven't been able to link these two Williams. Paul