Does anyone have any conclusive evidence as to what line my great-great-great-grandfather Thomas Austin (b. c1755), father of Freeman Austin (b. March 1770- died April 1856 LaSalle Co., IL) descends from? There are quite a few trees posted on the internet that have conflicting information. Some give the wife of my Thomas Austin as Mary Dawley, and say that he is the son of Jeremiah. Others say that Mary Dawley was the wife of a different Thomas Austin and my Thomas' lineage is unknown. >From census records it appears that, besides son Freeman, my Thomas may have had sons named Thomas, Pardon, Jonathan, and Samuel, and perhaps David. They are found in the 1800 census of Delaware Co., NY - except for David they are in Middletown. In 1929 a great-grandson of my great-great-great-grandfather Freeman Austin (1770-1856) wrote: "The Austins of this genealogy are thought to be of the Mass. family, and this one of the four brothers was my great grandfather's great grandfather. His grandson was my father's grandfather, and was one of the six or seven tenant farmers who a few years before the American Revolutionary War took up their residence on a small island off the Mass. coast, not far from Martha's Vineyard." It is also said that Freeman Austin was a "coast sailor" prior to moving from near Martha's Vineyard to New York city and becoming a shoemaker. Somewhere on the AFAOA website a few years ago I found something that said that there was a Thomas Austin christened in MA in 1753, son of Thomas & Sarah (Parker) Austin. That Thomas was a sailor, having served as seaman and armorer on the brig "Hazard" during the Rev. War and that he was lost at sea. I also have a book that lists a Thomas Austin of Rhode Island who was captured by the British aboard the armed Schooner "Warren" in June 1777, and held prisoner at Mill Prison, Plymouth, England. According to the book Thomas Austin was "Pardoned for exchange Dec 11, 1779". Does anyone know who this Thomas Austin was? I'm hoping to make contact with an Austin 3rd cousin to see if he will participate in a DNA test. Perhaps then we can have a better understanding of where we fit in the Austin family tree. If anyone has information to help unravel the "mystery" of my Thomas Austin, please help! I have been attempting to solve it for about 15 years. Thank you. Marilyn