I hope I am not speaking out of turn here.....I am a bit confused (as usual) about the sequence in which I should be posting. Anyway, my father Walter E. Shepherd was born in Afton (Affton?) in 1909. When he tried to get his birth certificate during WW2 for a pilots license,there was no record. I understand that the mandatory filing date was 1909 so obviously he just missed it but I think his parents would not have filed anyway as they were farmers who travelled continuously :) My problem is this: My grandfather, Thomas A. Shepherd b. MO (county unk.) 1876/77 d. Granite City, ILL 1924 is the brick wall. .....no record of his parents whatsoever; only that they were born in the US, no names either. Thomas and my grandmother were married in St. Louis in 1906. I have the certificate and as usual, nothing about the parents. I found Thomas ,wife and children in the 1910 Phelps Co. MO census; again only US birthplace for his parents. My grandmother's family was relatively easy to find. They all settled in Trenton, IL. (Clinton Co.) and she died in E. St. Louis, IL. while still married to Thomas in 1922. My gps lived in IL, MO, OK, TX and back to IL. where they both died Family lore says that Thomas was either related to Jesse James or the Shepherds that rode with him. I remember my father telling me this when I was a child but it meant little to me at that time. Seems that may be the answer to all the unanswered questions or perhaps Thomas was orphaned at an early age. I would appreciate any ideas for a solution, as I would like to know where my paternal ancestors originated.......I am stumped after being at this for quite a few years. Thank you for any suggestions. Eileen in NY