My 2X great grandfather, Thomas M. Moore, owned land in Lower Oxford township in 1850 census, and in 1860 census was a laborer livingin Safe Harbor, which I learned is in Conestoga township, Lancaster County. I have only county maps available to me, and don't have the hardbound one of Lancaster County available to me at the moment. The Chester County genweb site has a township map of Chester County, but the Lancaster County genweb site does not have a township map of the county. I did at one time locate Conestoga Township in Lancaster County on the map, and I just learned where is Lower Oxford Township in Chester County. I just realized that my wandering and hard to locate ancestor may not really have done much wandering at all. How far in miles is Safe Harbor from Lower Oxford Township? >From my memory, I think they may not be more than twenty miles apart. My memory kind of suggests they are at about equal short distances from the Maryland state line. I recall Conestoga township being just right of center and fairly large, in Lancaster County, and I think I had trouble exactly locating Safe Harbor, though the gazeteer says it is in Conestoga township. Lower Oxford township is at the western edge of Chester County in a portion that actually bulges into Lancaster County. After presumably going maybe 20 miles to find work, Thomas Moore, his wife, and his eldest son, atleast in any capacity as guardian of Thomas's other children if something had happened to Thomas and his wife, all disappeared from the face of the planet. They cannot be found in the 1870 census, by the method I found successful in locating Thomas Moore in the first place - looking at every eligible household with heads of household by those names in the three states. You'd think that for instance if Thomas had died, his wife or eldest son would be the head of household. Where should I be looking for the records of what happened? What townships, what graveyards, and where for court records? And in what places would people suggest I check on the possibility that Thomas died and relatives took in the widow and children, by looking at ALL the Moore households. You know that's an overwhelming task if I cast my net too wide. Looking up all 90 Thomas Moore households in the 1860 census in Pennsylvania was about as wide as I want to cast a net... And God help me if the relatives they lived with weren't named Moore - could make more sense just to read through the census for a few towns. Yours, Dora Smith __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/