Greetings everyone! After a very long absence, I have returned to the list--it's summer which gives me a little more time to work on family tree interests--very few major feast days and not as many deaths at the long term care facility where I work as chaplain. My great-grandmother, Elizabeth GILLESPIE, has been the major stumbling block. Her birth does not seem to be registered anywhere nor does the marriage of her parents seem to be registered anywhere either, at least not in the public records. Elizabeth GILLESPIE was 18 years of age when she married William BROWN in 1876 at St. John's, Greenock. William was 28 years of age. Elizabeth lists her parents as Joseph GILLESPIE (deceased) and Jane (Jean) GILLESPIE (ms McDOUGALL). William lists his parents as Robert BROWN and Catherine BROWN (ms MCLACHLAN). A Poor Relief Application made in 1886 by Elizabeth in Partick states that William was born in Falmouth, Jamaica (but I can't find his birth). I can't seem to find a death certificate for Joseph Gillespie (the one I obtained thinking it was the right one isn't). In both the 1881 census and the 1886 Poor Relief application Elizabeth is shown as being born in Greenock. Elizabeth and William had three children that I know of: Robert, Jane, and George. Jane died between 1881 and 1886 (still need to narrow that one down to get a death certificate). A couple of years after William's death in 1886 at sea (specifically Philadelphia), Elizabeth put Robert and George in the care of Quarrier's. Elizabeth remarried in 1891 to Daniel McFadyen (I have the marriage certificate--age still puts her as being born around 1858), had five or six daughters (I can't name all the girls off the top of my head), and eventually emigrated to Ontario where she died in Toronto (I have her death certificate). Anyone got any other ideas as to where I can look next? I've tried all the Elizabeth Gillespie's in the IGI and Scotland's People using a 20 year search, checked under Elizabeth McDougall in case she was born before Joseph and Jean were married, and looked for the marriage certificate of Joseph and Jean to no avail using all kinds of different spellings and throughout Scotland. Jean and McDougall are very common names so it is difficult to even come up with a death certificate as I have no idea as to exactly when Jean died. I'm not even sure where Jean and Joseph might have been buried except that it would have probably been in Greenock but I don't know how many cemetaries there are in Greenock and where to start looking. I would appreciate any light people might be able to shed on this, especially as I will be going to Scotland in September and will be able to spend a couple of hours in Greenock (actually attending church at St. John's where William and Elizabeth were married). Allison Cline (Brown) Sudbury, Ontario, Canada -- Check out Algoma's Web page! http://www.dioceseofalgoma.com