>We don't want to refight the civil war, do we, Mom? No we don't but while your letter was excellent, you left out one very important area of research: namely wills. To my knowledge, there were no slave owners among my ancestors but it wouldn't surprise me if there were. However, I have read several wills and noticed slaves being passed down from one generation to the next. The early census had a place for at least a "head count". Franklin, if you'll drop me a note, perhaps I can be of more help. Barb Barb Marshall List Mom of BAGLEY & DRAKE Lists Half Moon Bay, CA, USA