Marilyn, Be very liberal and imaginative with early spellings of Hough. For example, there are two marriages listed in Howard Case's "Sussex County, New Jersey Marriages" which might be yours: 05 Feb 1820 - Houk, David to Mary Ferguson 01 Apr 1801 - Houck, William (of Knowlton) to Terry Perbasco If you can find a copy, Kenn Stryker-Rodda's INDEX for the GMNJ is also a valuable resource. I've found several surprising surname variations in his index leading to important breakthroughs. Consider the country of origin - perhaps your HOUGH is formerly Dutch? Try checking Houghating (Hogaling, Hogdeling, Houghtaling, Hooghteeling, etc.) or perhaps even VanDerHough in case the name was shortened. Did an important "missing link" document for your line get misfiled under Nough because of a clerk's hideous handwriting? Have you traced neighbors with more consistently spelled surnames who intermarried with your ancestors? Sometimes they can lead back to breakthrough. Try adding the feminine ending "-in" to the last name when checking indexes. Creativity counts when facing research brick walls. Best of luck to you on your search, Cathy DiPietro