Read with interest your recent post which mentioned an Isabella Matthews. I, too, am searching for ancestors who did not leave much information to track them with. Is it true they did this deliberately to avoid the Brits? At any rate, my g-g-grandfather, John Matthews, b. 1828, said he was from "No. Ireland" on the 1860 U.S. Census. His wife Isabella Toal was from Kirkcudbright, Scotland. Am trying to trace John MATTHEWS' family back as far as I can. Would love to visit the town where they originated in the near future. Any books or references on how the people lived at that time, specifically how they moved back and forth from Ireland to Scotland, what the society was like, etc. I know that John MATTHEWS was a shoemaker (and bootmaker). When they settled in Pittsburgh, a family by the name of Carnegie moved next to them and they became fast friends, according to the obit I recently discovered. Son, Andrew, it noted, always visited them in their home in Braddock, whenever he came to visit the area. Any ideas would be much appreciated! Happy New Year to all! Patti ************************************** See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)