If you search the Brooklyn Eagle site for 1873 you will find several articles on Congressman Brooks. His obit states that his father was lost at sea when he was a child. http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Archive/skins/BE/navigator.asp Jim

Jim Nolan wrote: > If you search the Brooklyn Eagle site for 1873 you will > find several articles on Congressman Brooks. His obit states > that his father was lost at sea when he was a child. I did, and I did. But I'm still after his father's identity. I'm amazed that RootsWeb's WorldConnect, which boasts of 368 million names, hasn't got one submitted entry for Congressman James Brooks, although he names three children, to whom he left significant (ill-acquired?) wealth in his will. I often suspect that at least some of the all-too-common "mysterious origins" stories we see (descended from Indians, lost at sea, etc.) are cover-ups to disguise some family embarrassment, like a parent who was the town drunkard, or convicted of murder, or something similar. Congressman James's will names brothers Erastus, of parts unknown, and Dr. George W., of NYC. I'll try pursuing them to see if perhaps some descendant has worked it out. Thanks for the lead, Jim. I've bookmarked it. Chris

Photo of: http://www.civil-war.net/cw_images/files/cartes_de_visite_images/c177.jp g