This is a hard one...if he made it to NY by the time the 1870 census was taken, he might be in it. Have you checked? There was a 1875 NYS census but I don't believe it is indexed. Maggie was born before civil registration in NYS which was to go into effect in the 1880s but some counties were slow to conform to the new rules, so you wouldn't be able to check in Albany Health dept for the birth. However, NYC kept records before that starting in 1853 and I believe their birth index has been filmed by LDS, not sure. So if I were you, I would look in NYC first for the birth and I would check the 1870 census for Giovanni. BTW, Does Maggie's death certificate give place of birth? Did she marry, how about the marriage cert? -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com Professional Genealogy Research All outgoing mail virus free, scanned by Norton 2002