Hi, Vera, Thanks for your message--guess I didn't go far enough on Doug Bingham's page; I think it probably came from the Ancestry File (or whatever it's called) that the LDS has. According to Increase(6) Rudd's obit, he was a Custom House Officer[!!!] in the War of 1812. At that time he was living in the Middletown, Rutland Co., VT area. He died in 1872 and it said he had lived in Erie Co., NY for 40 years. That would mean he went out there in 1832. I doubt that as he had kids getting married back here in Rutland Co. into the middle 1830s. I've never found him in 1840. In 1850 he's living with a kid, in 1855, he's living with a kid, in 1860, 1865, and 1870 he's living with a kid. What a bugger! Joann [email protected] wrote: > Hi Joann, > I just jumped to Doug Bingham's web site, and he does list a disclaimer > re;Mary Metcalf. Perhaps to invite the same speculation we share? There's at > least three discrepancies that he acknowledges with his information. > > Also what more can we find out about the Custom House? Erie County, NY is > just an hour away for me, one only needs to point me in the right direction. > Perhaps we've all heard of Buffalo NY? If that is the correct County and > State, then the Custom House was of grave importance during the War of 1812. > The Great Lakes region was very involved in that struggle. Of course if it > was a county in Vermont--I'm all wet. Let me know. > > Vera Mae