Hello again -- I searched a little further and think I might have found the family. The Family Search.org database lists a GILBERT WALTER COLLINS, born Nov 1881 and died 13 Nov 1944 in Preston, WV. Is this your ancestor? If so, his parents are listed as JIM COLLINS and MARGARET WALTERS, who married abt 1872. Checking the available census records I found the following information: 1880 WV Census, Preston County, Pleasant Collins, James age 32 farmer born WV Collins, Margaret age 28 born PA Collins, William R. age 7 born PA (born 1873) Collins, Charles T. age 5 born PA (born 1875) Collins, Clara age 3 born PA (born 1877) Collins, Bertha M. age 9/12 (Sep) born WV (born 1879) 1900 WV Census, Preston County, Grant Collins, James age 52 farmer born Apr 1847 WV *married 28 years Collins, Margaret age 48 born Mar 1852 PA *8 children born/8 children living Collins, Norman age 16 born Mar 1884 WV Collins, Jesse age 11 born Aug 1889 WV Collins, Isa G. age 8 born Jun 1891 WV The above 2 census records (1880 and 1900) show only 7 children indicating that one was missing (1890 Census unavailable). Your Gilbert Walter Collins was born Nov 1881 placing him right in the middle between the years of Bertha and Norman. By the 1900 Census he would have been 19 years old and most likely out on his own. Checking further back it appears that the parents of JAMES E. COLLINS, born in 1848, were DAVID COLLINS (born abt 1822 VA) and MARY UNKNOWN (born abt 1825 VA). DAVID was recorded in 1850 as a waggoner. Son, JAMES, was recorded as 2 years old. Hope this helps :-) Joan In a message dated 1/2/2009 3:49:25 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, douglas.collins@ramstein.af.mil writes: My ancestor Gilbert Walter Collins was born in Nov 1881 in Bruceton Mills, and I'm having very little luck tracking his family due to the loss of the 1890 census. I saw a couple of references in ancestry.com family trees to a "Bert" Collins who was the son of an Otho Collins. Does anyone have any information that can confirm or deny that my Gilbert is/isn't this "Bert"? DOUGLAS E. COLLINS ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVPRESTO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message **************Stay up-to-date on the latest news - from fashion trends to celebrity break-ups and everything in between. (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000024)