This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Reed Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/2RB.2ACE/8533.1 Message Board Post: Your local public library may offer access to ancestry.com or heritagequest.com. You can access it at a library computer or from your home pc using your libary card number to get through. You cannot always trust the indexes at either site. If you see a correct name in an index and find the census page, that's terrific. If you don't see an expected name indexed, you should display every page and look for the name of interest. Irregular spelling and poor handwriting abound. Hermon is and was a small town so it would be fairly quick to search the entire town. If Eli lived there as a child, you might find him at 8 years old with his parents in the 1850 census. Next try 1860. There is an online transcription of the 1870 census at the county page under usgenweb. A Levi Reed, age 43 is listed but your Levi, if born 1842 should be abt age 28 in 1870. Hope this helps - Russ Sprague Kensington, Maryland