Hello: I am a new lister, and I would be extremely grateful for any suggestions. My direct ancestor, Jane Adams, stated that she was born on 1 Nov 1825 in Garlieston. The grave stone still clearly shows the date of birth, and I spent many years in research, until I found the mention of Garlieston in an old local church record. Jane's mother was Margaret McGarva Adams, who was born in about 1805, based upon her age stated in the one time her name was found in a United States census in 1860. Thus far, I have found no mention of any of them in any record in Scotland. According to one of her granddaughters in a last interview in 1984, Margaret McGarva Adams worked as a school teacher in Scotland. I have found a record from Garlieston in 1831 listing someone named John McGarva as a private schoolteacher in Garlieston. Presumably he was some sort of relative of Margaret McGarva Adams. The foregoing is all of the 'hard' information that we have. The more general family legend is as follows. A prominent Pennsylvania Judge, who was born in Scotland, decided to bring a good Scottish Protestant teacher to the United States for his children. At that time, the best schools in Pittsburgh were operated by Catholics. Margaret McGarva Adams was a widow, and decided to move to the United States with two children to accept the job. Her daughter Jane traveled with Margaret, married here in Pittsburgh and lived on a farm until she died at age 75 early in 1901. However, the legend is that Margaret's son James died on a subsequent Atlantic ship crossing, which he was required to work in order to pay off his travel fare.The legend is that Margaret's husband was also known as James Adams, though many suspect that the names of the son and the husband were confused. I have looked at some LDS records with no luck. I understand that the Old Parish Registers may not be complete. However, it seems strange to me that nothing has been found: no birth record for Margaret, no marriage record for Margaret, no birth record for Jane, no birth record for any other child. Does anyone have any ideas? It is pure speculation, but I have wondered whether Margaret and her children moved to Garlieston to obtain employment at the school, after Margaret's husband had died. Jane Adams married here in 1853 although the actual marriage record is missing from the civil records. Jane Adams had eight children, twenty-four grandchildren, and many more descendants after them. The family here in the U.S. would like to know whether Jane and her mother left any family behind in Scotland, and whether anything more about the ancestry can be found. We would be happy to find a place to start. We have only found one written record showing that Margaret McGarva Adams ever existed, and that is the U.S. census from 1860. In June 30, 1886, Jane Adams entered the following lines in beautiful hand-writing in her daughter Sarah's autograph book: "To Sarah, Time is the sand of life, And when we waste a grain, And wish to get it back, We can but wish in vain. From your loving mother". My greetings to all of you. I would be very grateful if you could give me any suggestions or assistance. I would be happy to extend the same courtesy, and assist anyone who might want a "look up" here in Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. Thank you. Gary Gaertner -- ============================================================================================================================== Gary J. 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