Well, the mystery of the census index is solved. I had received a notice from Ancestry (which I pay for) to the effect that the 1850 and 1860 census is indexed by every name on the census, not just the head of the household. If you subscribe to Ancestry, you will notice these 2 census years are flagged, but no explanation is given, at least that I could find. Hope this helps some of you. Thanks to all who e-mailed me. Press on! Beverly [email protected]