Hello Robert, Since only document that you have is one Baptismal certificate, you might: l) search a Manhattan Birth Index for a civil birth record for Edward, and (2) track the names of Godparents to Edward. Also, a year by year NYC Directory search may help you track the family, and determine when John died, by Mary appearing as a widow. Both John and Mary are common names, as is SULLIVAN. What is John's occupation? The 1873 NYC Directory shows: SULLIVAN, John, smith, at 417 East 14th Street, very close to the address you have for 1871. The 1874 directory shows one John on 14th Street, a mason living at 530 East 14th Street. It does not appear that a Mary appears as his widow then. It was common for families to move down the street, to stay in the same neighborhood. You need to create a timeline of the approx births of Edward's siblings. If he was the eldest, it would be more likely that his parents married where he was baptized. But since that is not the case, try searching for the oldest sibling. I suggest you use the ages of the parents, to attempt to locate the family in the 1880, then 1870 census, as the 1880 census is easier to search, and in 1870 the census was taken twice in NY County. Creating a time line may help you make sens of what you know, not what you assume. Best wishes, Barb NYC Researcher ========================== BSULL6051@aol.com writes: > Edward F.Sullivan was born 29 January,1871 at 404 East 14th St. NYC. > I have obtained his baptismal record from the Church of the Immaculate > Conception 414 East 14th St.The only record was this baptisim. No marriage > or > other siblings baptisims. > His parents were John Sullivan and Kate Lynch. Edward's marriage > certificate lists his mother as Mary Lynch. I am assuming she is Mary Kate > Lynch. > I was unable to locate the family at 404 East 14th St. in the 1870 first > and second enumerations. NYC Directories 1869-1872 also negative. > I do not see them in the 1880 Census.