Hi Lorraine, This is a problem that has cropped up a few times for me too. I accidentally solved the riddle of 3 missing birth certificates this way, try looking for "Alexander Cowan McDonald". They could and did call themselves by their father's name later in life. Happy Hunting! Jackie (in Scottsdale, Arizona USA) X-Message: #1 Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 15:52:18 -0400 From: Beitz <lbeitz@sympatico.ca> To: SCT-ARGYLL-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020817154351.00a03490@pop1.sympatico.ca> Subject: [ARGYLL] Cowans from the Islands? Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Hi everyone, I have been searching on and off for the records of my grandfather for a long time. As an adult he said that he was born in Oban but he was never able to get his birth certificate in his own lifetime and I have never found a record of him there. Someone suggested that he may have been born in the islands and his family came to Oban when he was young. His name is Alexander Cowan, his mother's name was Kate McDonald. This is a shot in the dark, I suppose but I would appreciate any ideas. thanks, Lorraine Ontario, Canada