I think that we all would like to know the history of the Autry family prior to Cornelius. I do believe that the name originated in France. In the language, "Autre" means "other " or "another" and it would seem probable that it developed as did many surnames to distinguish people with the same given name. I would question whether or not the "home" of the Autry family in France has been established. Several years ago, I used a gazette to locate towns with the name Autry in France. When I visited in Paris, I obtained detailed, regional maps of the areas where a location with the name Autry/Autrey was found: Here are a few: One in the Voges Region: Three in the Haute-Saone Region ( including a wooded area named "Ft d' Autrey): Autry in Meuse near the Argonne Forest: Autry le Chatel in Cher. Most of these are located in the northeast of France. There are also a number of places with the prefix autre such as "Autreville sur la Renne" which just might mean "the other village". My French is pretty limited! I would love to see each and every one of these places! In the meanwhile, I hope that we will all keep searching and sharing. Mollie Autry Molnar >From the line of Captain John Autry