Dear Walter and Jan, Thank you for the reply. It is nice to find someone with such knowledge of an area I am just beginning to research. Some more questions for ya- Do I write to the City Hall in the town of Islip for marriage and birth records? If not the town of Islip, then where? I am looking for Marriage and birth records between 1885 and 1892. Where there city directories which included this area? In the hamlet of Bay Shore what could be likely occupations for a poor French immigrant who spoke little English? He married Katherine Kerrigan, who arrived from Ireland. Were there many Irish in the Islip area? Lastly, family lore is that they met at the "docks" and lived in NYC. I originally presumed this to mean they met at Angel Island and lived in Manhatten. Since I now know from his naturalization papers that he lived in Bay Shore, were there docks there that may be the docks that he met his future wife at? Perhaps he was employed there. Forgive me for rambling, but I have busted through many a brick wall that way! Lilly Murphy Cleveland