I need to ask for help from those familiar with the history of Caledonia County VT. I'm tracing my CAVAN line that family story tells me came first from Ireland to Canada then from Canada to the United States, and I've run into something that leaves me not really knowing where to look next. We have always assumed the CAVAN migration from Ireland to have occurred during the Famine Years 1845-1850. Therefore today at the library I was stunned to find my g-grandfather on an Illinois 1880 census list, as I expected him to be, and born in Ontario, as I had heard he would be---but both his parents were born in Vermont. Age 37 on the 1880 census, this g-grandfather would have been born (in Ontario) in 1843. This puts his Vermont-born father getting born around 1820, so clearly these folks didn't come during the Famine Years, since somebody had to come from Ireland before 1820. Vermont census index at the library has a James CAVAN in Caledonia CO VT, Barnet District, as of 1850; no CAVAN is shown on the 1830 or 1840 census. Every version I can think of lends new complications. If the immigrant from Ireland first entered Canada then came to the United States, I may find something on a NARA microfilm of immigration records, assuming the first arrival was in Canada and the immigrant then came into the States, for example through Vermont or Great Lakes ports. On the other hand, the first arrival may have been in the States. Also, I assume that a child born in Canada to parents born in Vermont would be an American citizen, so would have entered the States without immigration procedures. The additional possibility exists that the surname was shortened from Cavanaugh or Cavana, both known in the Eastern Canadian provinces, since CAVAN is rather rare. Is anyone familiar with how much back-and-forth there was over the border around 1820-1840? Looking at immigration into the United States we tend to think of people moving in one direction only, but clearly my ancestors were in the States before they were in Canada, and may have been in Canada before coming to the States in the first place. I need to hear from a local historian who can sort this out for me. Many thanks, Nora the Confused. PS Just in case anyone ever runs across any CAVANS, I'd be so glad to hear about it.