Thank you for the additional information, Rita. In his 1900 census record, William states he immigrated in 1858, so the statement that he immigrated at the age of five is roughly correct. And I've good news and bad news: the good news is that I found William in the 1860 census (Cleona Twp., Scott Co., IA, p. 635); the bad news is that he's already living with Albert & Emily, so we've lost our chance at finding him with his biological mother. Does this mean *both* his parents were dead by 1860? I've created linked family group sheets for Albert & Emily, William & Mary, and Albert & Lettie at my web site, incorporating your information and all the other sources I could gather. You can hook into them from Albert & Emily's page: http://dgmweb.net/genealogy/Straub/FGS/AlbertStraub-EmilyChambers.htm I'm afraid I haven't been much help. It looks like the answers will have to come from Canadian records or, possibly, in the U.S. immigration records. At least you know where they came from, where they went to, and about when they came, which is a great help! Another thought... If Albert & Emily legally adopted William, or even if they just became his guardian, there must have been some legal steps taken. The LDS has microfilmed many of the court records of Scott, Cedar, and Muscatine Cos., IA (including naturalization records). You can check their holdings on their web site: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp Choose "Place," then on the next page, enter the county and state (spell the state name in full). You can borrow these microfilms through your local LDS Family History Center, as you probably already know. Good hunting, Diana http://dgmweb.net/genealogy/Straub/StraubHome.htm Rita Gervais wrote: > > Albert William Straub married Lettie Jane Whitmer in Cedar County, Iowa on > Feb. 20, 1900. Albert's parents, William Straub married Mary Ellen Bond in > Muscatine County, Iowa on Oct. 28, 1875. I found William living in > Sweetland Township, Muscatine county in the 1870 census with his adoptive > parents Albert and Emily Straub. Albert was born in Germany and Emily and > William were born in Canada. There is a Mary Chambers, 78 years old, living > with them also born in Canada, although it doesn't say she is a > mother-in-law. I've looked several times trying to find them in the 1860 > census with no luck. William was born in 1854 and his obit says he came to > Iowa when he was five so maybe they were not here for the 1860 census. I've > not been able to find his natural mother under the name Secor or Secord in > Iowa. > > I would like to find out when Albert and Emily Straub died. Their last > known residence is Sweetland Township in Muscatine County in 1880 so I will > be checking cemetery records. I would like to find out who William's > natural parents are but that one may be tough. > > Rita