Hi Beth, Charees here, the one painted total curmugeoneon thes past few days. I now try to disfuse this picture by using my 22 years of experience and knowledge as a genealogist to help you solve your puzzle.Usually its the maiden name we are all looking for in this case its the husband. Accept for the apologizing, which was not necessary, as you have approached the list correctly by asking for help and not asking for someone to do the work for you. Finding a published genealogy on the CAMPBELLS which included your particular CAMPBELL family would be nice, however, the probabilities are small, as, as you have indicated the surname CAMPBELLis not an uncommon one. Since you have a probable location, Ridgebury, we will start from there. [I was born and raise in Orange Co. but I am not familair with Ridgebury, where is it located] 1st I assume you have already done this but if not Check the will or Probate of your GGG grandfahter to see if he might have left a bequest to his daughter an Abagail wife of ? CAMPBELL. If the Grandfather died before his wife then check for a will or probate for his wife, Abagail's mother. 2nd Draw a five mile circle around Ridgebury, which narrows the search area some but still presents a daunting search task, and check the census backward from 1850 to the estimated date of her marriage for CAMPBELL families, again working outward in a circle from Ridgebury for one with a female of the correct age as your Abagail would have been a wife of. 3rd If you know her age and birthdate look at church records in the same 5 mile area for the marriages of an Abagail Overton to a CAMPBELL. It was usual for these arly marriages to take place in the resident area of the bride, but it is not a given. If the place of the couples residence was very rural they ma havwe been married inthe nearesxt large village with a church. What was the religion of her parents. She may also have been married by one of the many a circuit riders of the protestant persuasion. 4th With your approximate date for the husbands death. Again using the 5 mile circle check any available newspapers for an Obit or death notice for a ? CAMPBELL and any mention of his survivors. 5th Check the cemetery records of the same five mile area for deaths of any CAMBELLS within the circle and the names of their wives. 6th Check the military records of the War of 1812 for CAMPBELLS in Orange County that served from the 5 mile geographical area we have . He may could have served and died in that conflict. You might be able to find a service record or pension record that gives the name of his wife. Your task is not an easy one, nobody ever said genealogy was an easy passtime, but it is not impossible to solve this question if you are persistent and thorough in your research. Good hunting, Charles ________________________________________________________________________________________________ In light of recent postings I know I'm taking a chance of getting clobbered for this, but I am frankly overwhelmed by the daunting task facing me. Here's the scoop: I have a daughter of my gggg'grandfather, named Abagail OVERTON, who married someone named ______CAMPBELL, marriage date/location unknown, but probably near Ridgebury ca 1800-1810?. This has been found through family Bible notations and supported by finding an entry for her in the 1850 Orange County, NY census (Wallkill), she being enumerated with a brother's family. In attempting to find the name of her husband, I've discovered that there are TONS of Campbells in the OC area. I am attempting to narrow things down by checking the censuses from 1810 through 1840 for Campbells with a female of the right age, but even so, the task is intimidating. A search at the OC Surrogate's office recently for a will produced no immediate results. Since she was living with family for the 1850 census, I assume logically her husband died previous to 1850 - no reason to think at this point there was a divorce or other separation. Here's my question: does anyone know of any publications regarding ANY of the CAMPBELLS of Orange County covering the years 1800-1850? This might help me narrow down the search if I can use previous published material to eliminate some possibilities, or get a lead on people to check the primary sources for. I am looking not for "free info," but rather for someone to steer me in a direction so I can continue my research, as I heretofore have studied nothing about the CAMPBELLS. Many thanks for your patience in reading this post, and for any constructive replies. Beth St. Paul, MN