Renee wrote: > subject of Benjamin Blanchard (1719_ Chowan Co, NC) He does not believe that > this Benjamin is the same Benjamin of the MA Blanchards I don't have much to contribute besides a few general comments. Then, as now, Americans moved around a lot, and I can imagine that the cold New England winters might have induced some to move to the South back then. However, it remains true that the first place to look for the origins of a new settler is nearby. > Huguenots and who settled in this precise area. As in the case of Thomas Blanchard of New England, the ultimate origin needn't be Huguenot just because of the French-sounding name. The close association with known Huguenots in this case would make it seem much more solid than the story for Thomas, but the time element has to be considered -- if the Huguenot settlement occurred much later, then there might not have been any association after all. > Benjamin, Sr.'s will filed in > Gates County, NC, asserts, "I, Benjamin, of Nansemond County, Virginia." That's always a good indication. > However, the Blanchards of Massachusetts > and those of VA/NC may have been related at an earlier point. Making transatlantic connections can be very difficult, especially in the case of single emigrants of unspecified age. The identification of Thomas Blanchard as a former resident in the parish of Goodworth Clatford rests on the variety of family connections he had in New England with people who show up in matching English records. John