The plot thickens! I finally reached Vicki Roach who has shared more of the family of Thomas and Lucy Hargis Barlow of NC and Tennessee. She had some interested notes on Hugh Samuel Paisley. Information provided by Florence Louise Paisley, via Jan Ayers Hugh Samuel was born a Barlow. His grandmother changed his name after the death of his parents. Carleen Gash states that this is false. She identified his parents as Thomas Barlow and Lucy Hargis. Her research leads her to believe that there was some sort of relationship between Thomas/Lucy and Rev. Samuel Paisley/Elenor Paisley, though not a blood relationship. Carleen says they were members of the same church congregation in Hillsborough, Orange Co NC and could have been good friends. She said Thomas and Lucy had several children, and Hugh Samuel is the only one to change his name. Hugh Samuel's granddaughter, Ellen Lee Paisley, said he spoke five languages. February 07, 1849 to October 18, 1849 Hugh Samuel Paisley served as U.S. Consul to Genoa, Italy. His correspondence was directed to the Secretary of State John Middleton Clayton. Secretary Clayton was a cousin of Ann Rebecca Clayton Dunklin, Mary Elizabeth Dunklin's mother. He resigned his post due to health problems. 1856-Practicing dentistry in Houston, Mississippi. Excerpt from a book entitled "Collirene, The Queen Hill" pages 146-7 by Rosa Lyon Taylor and June Middleton Albaugh: Mary E. "Molly" was born January 10, 1835. On January 06, 1856 she became the second wife of Dr. Hugh Samuel Paisley. The story of Dr. Hugh Samuel Paisley and Molly's life surely fits the adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Hugh Samuel was a dentist and was from SC. His first wife was Sarah Ann Amelia Rives of Collirene. His mother was a Paisley of SC, so he and Sarah were probably cousins of some sort. Hugh Samuel married Sarah in 1848, and she lived only forty days after the marriage. She was referred to in records as "the forty day bride". After her death, Hugh Samuel received an appointment to be consul in Genoa, Italy. He had a beautiful marble monument sent from Italy for his wife's grave. It can be seen today in the Collirene-Rives Cemetery. The first twist to this story is that Hugh Samuel's family name was not Paisley. His mother was a Paisley and his father was a Barlow. But, because there were no more male Paisleys to carry on the line, his name had been legally changed to Paisley. On returning from Italy, he was drawn to Collirene through his earlier marriage to Sarah Ann Amelia, and there became acquainted with Mary E. Dunklin. They were married January 06, 1856, but they had no children, so again it seemed the name of Paisley was to die out. However, at the time of the Civil War, there was in Mississippi, a Mr. Barlow, a relative of Hugh Samuel's, who had a large family. Mr. Barlow, who was an itinerant teacher, was having a hard time supporting these children. He died quite suddenly when away from home. To be of help, Hugh Samuel and Molly decided to go and choose one of the boys to adopt. On arriving in Mississippi, they found that Mrs. Barlow had recently died in childbirth and left a new baby boy, John Barlow. The older Barlow children, having heard tales about marauding Yankee soldiers, were afraid their baby brother would be stolen, so the children had notched both the baby's ears so that he could be identified later if necessary! As an older sister wanted the little boy for whom Hugh Samuel and Molly had made the trip, the new baby with the notched ears was the one they took home, adopted and named John Barlow Paisley. The story continues to twist, for, in 1877, Molly's brother, Charles Polk Dunklin, was left a widower with two young children. Now, his wife had been Angeline Elizabeth Rives, a niece of Hugh Samuel's first wife, Sarah Ann Amelia Rives. Hugh Samuel and Molly took these children, Claudia Polk Dunklin and James Herbert Dunklin and reared them but did not adopt them or change their names. In 1885, John Barlow Paisley married his "sister", Claudia. They had a long and happy marriage that produced three boys and eight girls with the name of Paisley. Hugh Samuel died January 22, 1895 and Molly died February 20, 1902. Both are buried in Maplesville, Alabama. Susan LOOKING FOR BARLOWS BARLOW GENEALOGY http://www.barlowgenealogy.com "A website for everyone researching the surname Barlow,any spelling or variation, anywhere, anytime... includes....Barlow, Barlowe, Barlo, Barloe, Barler, Parler, Parlur, Barlage,and others yet to be discovered"