I am now armed with the information that my ggg-grandfather was either illegitimate or adopted - I think. He went by Joseph Marcoux dit St. Onge. He was born about 1797 and at the time of marriage was "of LaPresentation". He married Marie Josephte Bouvier and is somehow related to her. Her father, Louis Bouvier, married Marie Archange Marcoux after her mother died, but that would not make a blood relation with the Marcoux family. In the marriage entry, his first marriage, he "obtained dispensation from two bans and from the fourth degree of consanguinity [blood relationship]" --- no parents were listed for him and his bride-to-be was a widow (her parentage is known). Obviously (to me), if they knew they were related by blood, they knew who his parents were. Are there records of the marriage bans? I have no idea which line of relatives of hers to start searching, but have searched for illegitimate births in the known areas where her family lived. Has anyone had any experience with this? Family lore says my ggg-grandfather was adopted, but I had always believed they just didn't understand the use of the "dit" names in Canada. Were adoptions common and/or were they recorded in either civil or church records or did people just take in kids when parents died and raise them as their own and change their names? Thanks for any advice! Patty --------------------------------- Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.