I was wondering if anyone had any spare time if they could look for a Robert Andrew McDowell birth or any record of him being there at an early age. I don't know who his parents are because he ran away from home at the age of 13, so that makes it harder. What I heard was that his father died and his mother remarried, he didn't like his step-father, so he left. I also heard that he had a twin brother, possibly named Henry, and maybe a sister. I can trace him back to the 1900 U.S. census, but lose him at the 1890 U.S. census because of the fire that burned it, and unfortunately that was the time period when he was living on his own...which was very important info. On the census records that I have, I get various answers on his parents birthplaces, Ireland, Illinois, and Kentucky. But on every census, Robert is born in Iowa, and his son, also named Robert (97 yrs. old and still going) says that his dad was born in Bedford, Iowa....which is a town of Taylor right?

Robert Andrew McDowell: b. abt 1866 in Bedford, Iowa
d. 1936 in Dayton, Columbia, Washington.

I also wonder about the spelling of the name since he was 13 when he ran away from home. So other names to watch out for: McDougal, MacDowell, etc. Anything will help at this point! Thanks in advance for helping me.