Kathy, Don't feel too bad about not talking to your dad that much about your ancestors. I didn't talk to my Granddaddy Wilcox either (he died in 1977, born 1887) and mother (which is her father) and I could kick ourselves for not asking more questions when we had the opportunity. HOWEVER, granddady never talked about his Wilcox relatives either and we don't think it was particularly because there may have been a family feud, or he didn't like this person or that person, but because once they moved away from family and 'couldn't call home', or 'couldn't write like we do today', they just lost contact with their loved ones. Based on the data you gave me below, it will be easier for me to go into certain sites and do my thing and see if I can help you, rather than try to explain it here. If anyone has an 1850 KY Federal Census book handy, or knows where 'on the Web' we can look at the 1850 KY census, either tell us here, or be so kind as to look up Dowell in KY, and tell us the counties the Dowell's (all of them) were in. Couldn't be that many. If Joseph Wilcox married Emma/Emiline Dowell in Henderson Co IL in 1904, then I would see if you can put your hands on an 1880, or 1900 census of IL in those years, checking for a Wilcox and a Dowell in Henderson Co IL and you'll probably find both their parents this way. I do this with my 1850 Federal Census when I have one name I am sure of and a possible surname for another. I then go back to that 1850 census and find (hopefully) the Wilcox that I am sure of (or whatever surname you are sure of) and the possible females surname you are looking for. This also has worked for me when I have children with unusual names. If I have a male Wilcox that married a female (surname unknown) and they have named a child an ususual name, I think go back to the census closest to when they married in order to hopefully find a Wilcox and a family with a surname that is like the child's unusual name. This has worked for me over and over again, and I hope that you all understand what I am trying to say. The Illinois website found on http://www.usgenweb.com, then go into the states page and click on ILL, has (or did, and probably still does) marriage data for IL. You can search by surname of man and woman, or just the man, or just the bride, or even search a bride by her unusal first name, such as Emma or Emiline and see what it finds. I love to search sites by just an unsual name because sometimes you get to where you want to a whole lot faster. Same goes if you are researching social security death records and you have someone with an ususual first or last name, then just search by that one name. I have an usual first name (Edrith....see why I go by Kay :-) ) and I have found other Edrith's in this country by just searching for just that name. Hope I've helped some.... Edrith, I mean.....Kay ---------- > From: George Kapetanakis <littlecaptain@email.msn.com> > To: WILCOX-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [WILCOX] TN, KY, VA > Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 7:01 AM > > Kay, Well, I really don't know much at all. My father's name was Joseph > Wilcox. Not much is known about him and of course I didn't ask questions > when my father could remember. I get the feeling nobody liked him and so > didn't talk about him much. The LDS web site tells me he was bn. abt. 1881 > died 2NOV1936. He married Florence Dowell in Henderson County, Ill 20Dec > 1904. My aunt thinks his father was Isaiah but I wonder if he could be the > grandfather as dates for his birth are 1811? My aunt says his wife was Emma > or Emiline Dowell bn.1844 in Ky. I have no idea where in Ky. See? I am so > stuck. I contacted the state of Illinois and they can't find a record of > his death. But I know the family lived in Illinois when he died. He could > have not been there when he died. Dad said his father wasn't living at home > when he died. If I could just find Joseph maybe I could link all this other > wonderful information I see on the family web pages. I know this isn't > any help. I grabbing at straws. Thanks for any light you may be able to > shed on this. Kathy