This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: michaelpthompson Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.thompson/19692.2.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: That information is a lot better Shawn. I didn't find anything to help you on Ancestry, and I don't have access to the 1930 Census for Ohio right now. Tried Donna and Donald and even Janet Johnson for various dates and locations, exact and inexact, but no useful results. So, you're back to the old tried and true methods. You know the mother and father's names and approximate birth dates (Donald must be abt 1908 and Janet abt 1912), and that they were both born in Canton Ohio. So, you go to the Stark County Clerk and Recorder http://www.co.stark.oh.us/internet/HOME.DisplayPage?v_page=recorder_vitalStatistics and see if you can get their birth certificates. That will give you their parents names and then you're on the track. I don't know if the "number of children born to this mother" includes Donna or not, so it's not clear whether she was their first child or second. But Janet is pretty young (18) so in either case, they must not have been married long. You may be able to obtain their marriage certificate. Start with Canton (same office as above) and if you don't find it there, try West Virginia http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/hsc/vital/birthcert.asp You know they must have been married some time probably around 1928 or 1929 to have a child in April 1930. Interesting question on the West Virginia connection though. If they were both born in Canton Ohio, and his residence was in Canton, why go 200 miles to West Virginia to have the baby? My first guess would be that her parents lived there. Didn't find them in the Census, but that's an avenue of pursuit anyway. I checked Google maps and discovered that 616 4th Street NW is a parking lot now, so not much help there. You could try e-mailing the Stark County Clerk and ask about any property history they have on file. I searched their web site but I couldn't find a way to search by address. recorder@co.stark.oh.us Your Baptist minister is another interesting puzzle. Probably not related to your other Thompsons, as this is a pretty common name that arises independently all over the place, but it's possible at least. You'll need to find some passenger manifests or land records that will give more information on those people. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.