In a message dated 9/25/1998 9:47:59 AM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << he did not have any locations, etc. >> Ro, Usually it is best to try to get information starting at your grandfather and then working backwards. If you have your grandfather's birth certificate, is should have his birth place and date. Same goes for his death certificate. Also, find the obituary for your grandfather. It should have some very important clues. After that you look for the marriage certificate of your grandparents. Then the censuses are very useful for going farther back because the 1850 census lists siblings. The 1810 - 1840 require a little mental calculations, but they are very useful. Wills and deeds and tax lists are excellent sources of information. You must calculate and based on your suppositions, you will usually find the document you are looking for. Don't forget Union and Confederate rosters and the military records and pension records. These you can get from various places...the LDS or the National Archives can help you there. That should get you started. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Julia Florida/USA