Thanks, Carol - & to all who responded with suggestions to my dilemma -- Unfortunately, no consensus as to what James WILKINS' occupation might have been. I know he was not the James Albert WILKINS of Port Lorne, as he was married by 1871. The James WILKINS I am tracing was a James Eastburn WILKINS (the spelling of his middle name may be a corruption - and perhaps a clue) b. 14 Oct 1853 according to the 1901 census. I am making an assumption that the James WILKINS in the 1871 Aylesford South census is the one I am looking for (no other James WILKINS of the approximate age appears in the 1871 N.S. census other than James Albert WILKINS). The one I know I am tracing appears in the 1881 Hessian Line census living with a Bohaker family in Bear River; in the 1891 Clementsvale census living with a Milner family in Victory; and in the 1901 Clements West census living by himself in Waldeck West. He married as a bachelor in November 1901 an Emma Jane Cress. At that time he gave his place of birth as Aylesford, Kings Co., his occupation as seaman, and his parents as William & Susan. I can find no others WILKINS offspring of said William & Susan (only those of a William H Wilkins & Eliza A Sabean, m. 1849 in Middleton, and a William Wilkins & Isabella Rowles? of Wilmot m. 1847). When James died in 1913 in Waldeck West, his death record gives his place of birth as Margaretsville, Anna. Co. Concerted efforts for years by a granddaughter of his to find his origins have been fruitless. She doesn't have a computer, so I've taken up the challenge. One curious bit of info - initially listed as Baptist, sometime between 1881 & 1891 he changed to Church of England. Oh yes, his son's names were Samuel Henry; John Lord; Walter William; and Collin Glenville. Perhaps there are some clues in their names. I know there were several Walters in the N.S. Wilkins' family tree. Thanks for any and all assistance! Lois ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol MacLean" <ritam@axion.net> To: "L Jenkins" <ljenkins@ns.sympatico.ca> Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2012 9:03 PM Subject: Re: [NS-L] Need help deciphering record > Greetings Lois, > > Looks like to me it is a place name when you see the second word "Bay". > Maybe they put his birth place in the wrong column. > > Do you know where he was in 1881... > > Here are two entries on Ancestral File at FH LDS > > Ancestral File > > 1. James WILKINS - Ancestral File > Gender: M Birth/Christening: < 1851 <Port Lorne, Annapolis Co., Nova > Scotia> > > 2. James Albert WILKINS - Ancestral File > Gender: M Birth/Christening: Abt 1851 <Paradise, Annapolis, Ns> > > >>Hello Listers >> >>I need help deciphering the occupation of James WILKINS, age 19, line 14, >>in the following census record (it looks like Pentice Boy - maybe an >>apprentice??): >> >>http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1871/001101-119.02-e.php?person_id_nbr=886075&interval=50&i=jpg&PHPSESSID=mnctq7d1gn6331pq0s67ledag6 >> >>Lois Jenkins