I am searching for my husband's g-g-grandfather, George Atherton, who married Mary Jane Hixson sometime before 1872 (we don't know where). Possibly it was either Plains City in Madison COunty (oh) or Hilliards Station (oh) in Franklin COunty--both up by COlumbus. For both of George and MJs children were born there in Hilliard Station: Victoria, b. 1872 and John, born in 1876. Victoria married an England and lived and died in Morrow COUnty, OH in Mt. Gilead. On John's Hamilton COUnty marriage license (1900) he says that he was born in Plains City, He was not, of course--I have seen his birth record--but he must have lived there. John died on Victoria's farm about 1906. But Morrow COUnty has no record of death. He was buried in Hamilton COUnty, though. He just went to Victoria's to die. He had TB. Getting back to George--George could have married MJ Hixson in Pennsylvania. Joe (my husband) had an aunt who wrote down the fmaily history. The family called Mary Jo Hixson George's "Pennsylvania Dutch Girl." I have not been able to find marriage license for them in PA (about 1870, at least) because I don;t think marriage licenses were kept in all parts of PA then. She was supposed to have been from Pittsburg. I did find a possible Mary Jo Hixson-- not in Pittsburg, but in the next county--Allegheny COunty--the girl was just identified as Mary Hixson and she lived with her parents. By the time the next census rolled around, she was gone--but heck--she was of marriageable age. I have no proof that she married George Atherton. I believe that the Athertons were Methodist episcopal, as John Atherton's funeral services were conducted by the Weslyan Church minister, after his body was transported here to Cinti for burial and that church was Methodist Episcopal. I have searched the Ohio, PA and NY census. I concentrated mostly on the OH ones, though and never found a George and Mary with a Victoria and John! I also never found a John living as a single before his marriage to Mollie Ryan. I did find in 1870, in Franklin Co a Thomas Atherton staying in the Buckeye Hotel. In 1900 I found a Myrtle, born 1886, an inmate in Morrow COunty Infirmary. In 1900 I found a Julia, an inmate in Madison COunty Informary. She was born 1817 in Maryland. And that is all. I don't know if the old US citizens had naming patterns like they did in Germany, but the names which appear over and over again among the Athertons are in my husband's brother's names right now: John Patrick, Joseph Dennis, Thomas Emmett, WIlliam George. George Atherton and John Atherton, the ancestors appeared to have no middle names. Thank you for reading this. Karen Arbogast & Joseph Atherton Cinti OH 45238