Stuck in 1846-1866? Here are some ideas you might not have thought of...

Breaking through a wall of non-information

Scenario:  Father, Mother and 5 kids all 2 years apart are together in 1840, however, living in 1850 only the Mother and 3 younger kids appear on the census.  

Possible answers - Older sibings have married and moved out.  Family still seems to live in the same area of Ohio, but there is no information on the Father, just the Mother living alone with 3 kids.


CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS
You have checked death records for 
1...County of the last census. - no father
2....Checked the surrounding Counties and wards near the county borders.
3.... Checked the Obituaries and death records in all surrounding counties.
4....Checked county of Mother and kids for Probate Records and Wills of the Father
      check for nicknames of the father or middle name.
5....Checked Ancestry for journals, stories and pictures.
6....Checked prison records?  http://www.ancestorhunt.com/genealogical_prison_records.htm
7....Look at his profession

Sutter's Mill 1849

Hint -in the case that he was an 1840, miner - perhaps he ran off and went to the Gold Rush in California - 

1846 - Check handcart companies
Check census data for Fort Sutter, and foothills of Stockton.   In 1848, there were already 2,500 people, so it is possible that he was there

Here are some other options:
FOLLOW THE PROFESSION
1.  Check history channel to see what else was happening in the Area out west where his profession may have led him.

2.   LUMBER - Check Washington State and Oregon

3.   MINER - GOLD - Sutter's mill, Stockton, Pasadena, hills of Pasadena (still today people pan for gold there)

4.   MINER - SILVER - New Mexico and Denver

5.   MINER - COAL - West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania

6.   OIL - Los Angeles - Long Beach, Venice Beach
7.   OIL - Texas

19TH CENTURY ACTORS
With no internet or cell phones or television, the theater and live actors was a very good way for people to make their money.   After working all day, it was refreshing to get to go see a play or musical.  So search for names of Play Bills, List of Actors in Acting Troups.  Try using combinations of his name or relative's names to get the new name.  You won't know the stage name any other way other than the net picture
Most Mining Camps had a Theater so let's say he was an Actor and "ran off to join the circus! " The state of Washington check content.lib.washington.edu 
Most Actors had stage names not because it was more glamourous, it was to keep one step ahead of the law as they traveled from camp to camp, from state to state.
There is an amazing collection of pictures at digital.collections.lib.washington.edu
Also check Google Images

CENSUS.GOV   Fast Facts
1840 - 
1850
1853 - New Mexico was bought - Silver Mine
1860-1865 - Civil War Records
           1.  Pension Records      
           2.  Land owners
           3.  Prisoner of War Records - South and North
           https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_Civil_War_prison_camps
           4.   Land ownership:
1867 - US bought Alaska from Russia - 
           See Oil - Alaska
           See Gold - Alaska
1869 - Promontory Point -  RAILROADS -  Check various sites on google to see who was an employee at that time.

PICTURES:
        An in dex of Old Occupations can be found at:  rmbb.co.uk   Not sure what your ancestor did for a living?  Sometimes you will see very strange names for occupations.  For example, the name "ankle beater" was a REAL name of an occupation in the UK.  It means, "One who chases cattle down the street and leads them down the street, guiding them to market by beating their ankles with a whip."  

More descriptions of occupational codes can be found at
Deciphering Occupational Codes - stevenmorse.org

Have fun!