genealogy

How do I find info on my father who left Scotland where he was born and landed in north america

I have a birth certificate for my grandfather, Michael JOYCE, born 28 Aug 1867 in Port Glasgow, father Patrick JOYCE and mother Margaret JOYCE , also named M S JOYCE. (I question the last name of mother, born Dec 1856, Dumbarton, and I also have a death certificate from the USA which states my grandfather's birth as being 28 May 1867, so I also question the accuracy of the birth certificate itself) He also had a brother, Patrick JOYCE, who was also born in Scotland. Please help if you can. Thank you, Mary Connors, West Virginia, USA

Hi Mary,
I'm a fellow native (American) just starting to look for my ancestors who lived "across the pond" too. Unfortunately, I can't really offer any great advice just yet; but a fellow did respond to one of my queries awhile back.... His name is Alastair M. Cameron & he's a professional genealogist. He has a website you can check out at: http://quozl.netrek.org/cameron-research/
I haven't ordered any research through him or his affiliates, so I don't know what quality of work he and his colleagues produce; but he might be worth keeping in mind if you can't break through your brick wall. We've exchanged 2 e-mails in the past couple of months, so I do know he doesn't take an aggressive approach. He might also be willing to offer you some advice on where to look next.
In regards to the questionable dates, I'd say it's best to keep them all in mind. Discrepancies of dates & locations ( & surname spellings ) seem to be one of the hazzards of this type of research. There are a few other web sites I've found that I'll be glad to share if you wish. The caveat here is that I haven't spent a great deal of time searching through their web pages yet; so they may, or may not, prove to be helpful.
Guess that's enough for now. Take care. Good luck and happy hunting!!!
Karen