Dear List, Many thanks to Steve Goodwin. He sent me information regarding the 1880 LCT, and Permelia Ray's household. It has her son William, with the middle initial "M." and more importantly, he is only 16 years old -- not 46 years old. That means that this is, in fact, William Morgan Ray. It also means that Permelia probably wasn't married previously. That certainly answers many of my questions. However, I'm still trying to locate John R. Ray and Alice Ray's parents. Jim Danley Vista, CA