Dear Bonnie, Charlie, Jane, Xoa, Marge, Marie, Helen Wilmot, ? DeWolf, Helen Smith and any others who answer my email: I have asked some of you and others on the RI list for my ELLIS information in the past when those who have RI resources have offered lookups in them. All of my mother's lines but one moved from RI to central NYS a couple of hundred years ago more or less. I have been online since December 1997 and a member of the RI list most of that time. I am looking for the birth and parents of my ggg grandfather, CHRISTOPHER ELLIS, who died in Middlefield, Otsego Co., NY, at the home of his daughter, on Apr. 7, 1855, at the age of 72 years one month and eight days, so he was born about the first of March 1783. I have no idea who his parents were or where he was born in RI. A couple of 1800s U.S. Federal censuses for Milford, Otsego Co., NY, where he lived all his adult life, state that he was born in RI. I have loads of information about CHRISTOPHER ELLIS after he came to New York State. He became a wealthy farmer, bought and sold several properties, married Wealthy PERRY, daughter of Jonas PERRY of Hartwick, Otsego Co., NY about 1800. I have not found their marriage record. Their first of nine children was born in September 1801 so it seems that Christopher came to Otsego Co, NY, and married about the same time, when he was about 17 years old. I have written numerous letters to towns, historical societies, libraries, etc. in RI and MA over the years. Because my mother, who was descended from ELLISes, said that her ELLISes came from MA, I have concentrated on towns that have, at different times, been in RI and in MA. That way, both statements could be true, that he was born in RI and that he was born in MA. One ELLIS who caught my attention as a good candidate for Christopher's father is NICHOLAS ELLIS, Jr. who married Hannah EDWARDS on Oct. 10, 1785, according to James N. Arnold's Vital Records of Rhode Island. It was Nicholas's abstract (especially his sojourn in Otsego Co., NY, between 1800 and 1810) in Rev War Pension Abstracts that suggested him to me. Here is the abstract: "Nicholas Ellis. Served on the RI line. Applied for a pension 16 Apr. 1833, in Warren Co., NY. Was a resident of Queensbury, NY. Enlisted at West Greenwich in Kent Co., RI, and in the spring of 1779 moved to Coventry, RI & also enlisted there & lived there 18 to 20 years, then moved to Otsego Co., NY, then to Warren Co., NY." I am aware that Christopher was born in 1783 and Nicholas and Hannah were married two years later, but it seems, from what I have read, that that was not an unusual circumstance. That might be especially true because Nicholas, and probably Hannah, were very young. Nicholas Ellis, Jr.'s enumeration in the 1790 Kent County RI Federal census (his father, Nicholas, Sr. is enumerated on the same page) shows that he had a son who was in the same age range as Christopher was at that time. The 1800 NY Federal census shows that Nicholas had moved to Stephentown, Rennsalaer Co., NY by then. Again, he had a son in the age range of Christopher. His wife must have died as no female is enumerated in the 1800 Stephentown, Rennsalaer County census. Nicholas was enumerated in Queensbury, Warren Co., NY, in the 1810 Federal census.. His son would have been the same age as Christopher was in 1800 and he could have moved his family from Rennsalaer Co. to Otsego Co and left his oldest child (Christopher) there while he went on to Warren Co., NY. I have no idea why he went on to live in Warren Co. I have recently acquired Nicholas's Rev War pension application in the hope it would provide some information about his family.From it I learned that he lived for some time and was enumerated in the Stephentown, Rennsalaer Co., NY census in 1800. I also learned that he was born about 1764 (he was 68 years old in 1833 when he applied for his Rev War pension, which was denied). The really crucial information I need is the names of Nicholas ELLIS, Jr.'s children, especially the name of the son in the age range of Christopher. I wrote in my initial email that I wanted a researcher to concentrate on Coventry because he lived there for 18 years, his children were probably born there. I have searched the Rootsweb Warren County NY site without result and also WorldConnect and Familysearch.com, Google, Blingo, etc. for both Christopher ELLIS and Nicholas ELLIS. I have also written letters to the Town Clerk of Queensbury, libraries in the area, etc. I have a three-ring notebook full of ELLIS correspondence. Of course, Nicholas may not be the father of Christopher. If I knew that, I could start looking elsewhere for his father. Thanks very much for looking in your resources.. Jayne [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour