I think I can help with your questions regarding Malica/Malissa Irvin/Irving/Ervin/Ressler. I am a descendant of Daniel Ressler and Charlotte Skiles, and in my research I came across a posting at the Indiana County PA mailing list that would seem to solve the problem. It references the following court case: Indiana County PA Court Case. June Quarter Session, 1857. Commonwealth vs Edward Erwin. Seduction/Fornication and bastardy. Charlotte Skiles, Prosecutrix. Settled out of court, on payment of costs. The researcher, Sonya Barclay, notes that the above is all the information that was available. Based on this and Malica/Malissa's age at the time of the 1870 census from BroadTop Twp, Bedford Co, PA which includes her in the Daniel & Charlotte Ressler family, it sounds like she's Edward Erwin's biological daughter, raised and/or adopted by Daniel Ressler (my great-great grandfather). Here's the link to the discussion from 11/00: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/PAINDIAN/2000-11/0973635748 Hope this helps solve a mystery. I'm on the hunt for Daniel Ressler's deeper ancestry. All I know is that his father was Jacob Ressler, born 1817 in VA (though a later census record state PA), and who married Sarah Helsel, They were living in Jackson Twp, Cambria Co, PA in 1850, but all subsequent censuses show them in East Wheatfield Twp, Indiana Co, PA, til Jacob's death there on 1/21/1890. If anyone has any information on them, I'd be thrilled! Thanks --Jill Horner