I have begun trying to break down a brick wall of many years standing involving my York County SMITH ancestors. My first question is: does anyone know whether the York Democrat Press and/or the Pennsylvania Republican in the time period of 1851 is available on film -- and if so would anyone be willing and able to easily look up a marriage listed in these papers for me? My second question is if anyone on the list knows with what church in York County the Rev. J.C. SMITH was affiliated in January 1851? The marriage record I'm interested in is listed as follows in the index of York County newspaper marriage listings for this period: Smith, Samuel - Ilgenfritz, Mrs. Catharine (Both of York Co.) January 23rd by Rev. J.C. Smith Democrat Press, February 4, 1851 Pennsylvania Republican, February 5, 1851. ~~~~~~~~ I made a copy of this index many years ago while researching at the York County Heritage Trust thinking it MIGHT be my great-great-grandparents Samuel Smith and Catharine (nee Dieterich). All I knew for certain at the time was that Samuel and Catharine are shown as parents on the baptismal record of my great-grandfather, James Henry Smith, bapt. in 1858 at First Moravian Church, York. The marriage index doesn't list Catharine's maiden name--but I'm wondering if the newspaper listing in full might do so. I now have census data that shows Catharine as having a birth year about 1828 which would make her old enough to be the Catharine who, as a widow, married Samuel Smith in 1851. In addition, the 1870 census for York shows Catharine, age 42, with children Milton, age 18, and Minnie, age 9. This also tells me that perhaps Milton Smith is the oldest child of this couple and he would have been born about 1852--just a year following the above marriage. My great-grandfather James H. is not listed with the family on this census and I've been unable to find him anywhere in York County in 1860 or 1870. So circumstantial evidence, and the fact that I've been unable to find any record of a marriage of Samuel Smith and Catharine Dieterich, leads me to pursue the above record as possibly being my ancestors. Also, if anyone knows anything about Rev. J.C. SMITH it might help me to determine if he is related to Samuel SMITH or not...which might also help to unravel the mysteries. Thanks for any help! Joan