There is one problem with this excellent suggestion. The 1890 census is lost--or nearly so. A fire in the Commerce Department in about 1919 destroyed almost all of the census. That is why there is now an effort (by Ancestry.com, I think) to attempt to reconstruct the 1890 census. Civil War veterans may be found on a special census from the 1890s, I am told, but for the most part one must rely on the bracketing Federal censuses, 1880 and 1900. That of 1880 is indexed only if there is a child under 10 years of age in the household and that of 1900 is completely soundexed. Mike Poston Rockville, Maryland ----- Original Message ----- > Here's a suggestion: > > Since you have one concrete piece of data, start with it. Assume that Omar > Curtis was at least 20 years of age when married. Thus, he should have been > included in the census of 1880 and 1890. Begin searching the listings for > the area around Nelson, PA in those two census reports, to see whether you > can find anything listing the SHEWMAN line. Sometimes, we're lucky on a > first try. > > Once you have found the area in which his parents lived, you can search the > records of that county for wills, deeds and other documents that might be > on file. Often, they will help provide "hard evidence" of a time and place, > and thus assist you in your research. Sometimes, they will provide names > you didn't already have, and point to other geographic locations. > > The more new information you uncover, the more leads you will have to do > further research! Soon, you should be able to trace the line back to John > and Laner.