Today while at the LDS library the woman next to me and I had a similar problem. I was working with an 1855 NY State Census and she was working with an 1870 NY Federal Census. On several pages, done in the same hand writing, there was a location: Mass which we interpreted as the state of Massachusetts, and NY for New York. On the same page would be the notation: MAPS or MAFS or WAPS or WAFS etc. as a place of birth. Since the pages we were working with had MASS and NY clearly written, we decided the writer of the census page did not mean the "MAPS......" be Massachuetts or New York. It was not that the person "got tired writing" be cause the MASS and NY could be above and below the above notations, written clearly. Has anyone seen something like this "MAPS......." and what location of birth do you believe it refers to. Susanne