In census records where every member of the household is enumerated, it may be easier to find the family by looking for one of the younger children instead of the parents.
One family I am trying to find in 1860 includes a father and a mother who used one of two first names–apparently depending on the whim of the census taker or the weather (I’m not certain which). Their place of birth varies as well and their last name (not easily understood by ears trained in English) also creates additional challenges. They had two children who would have been under 10 in the desired census year (who survived beyond that enumeration) and whose names are English names–more difficult for a census taker to get wrong.
Sometimes it is easier to look for the children than it is the parents.
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