Larry, Ten years ago I was just like you. I thought Alexander Carrell dropped from the sky on his wedding day in 1783. Gradually I bombarded the message boards and mail lists for other people with Carrolls in that area. Working together we found that county boundaries changed through the years and we had to study the court records and census records for several counties and not just one. There are now over twenty-five people interested in the genealogy of the large family of Carrolls we thought were related and now with DNA, we are proving that they are related.... and we STILL have a brick wall. I have added at least one generation to my pedigree. We WILL find some parents for our Carrolls. You will too, but it will be hard work - and a lot of fun. Lura >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "L Carroll" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 1:15 AM Subject: Re: [CARROLL] Primary location of CARROLLS in Ireland? : Lura, : It sounds easy going backwards but what happens when you come upon a brick : wall. : I cannot leave Cowlitz County, Washington State usa, : I have a James Madison Carroll Married in Cowlitz Co, Washington (Territory : then) in 1854. He put in a later census that he was born in Kentucky and : his mother was born in Kentucky and his father was born in Virginia. That : would have been before Virginia split. : Have any ideas of where to go from here? : Larry >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> : ----- Original Message ----- : From: "Lura" <[email protected]> : To: <[email protected]> : Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 7:07 PM : Subject: Re: [CARROLL] Primary location of CARROLLS in Ireland? : : > Fran, : > : > In Ireland the family groupings were known as septs. The description : > of these septs and the locations of where they lived can vary a little : > depending on who is giving the information. : > : > Kevin Carroll, the administrator of the Carroll DNA project has posted : > a good article entitled "What's in a Name" at : > http://www.childtalk.com/History/articlewhatisinanamecarroll.htm : > That tells something about where the different spellings and where : > they might be found. : > : > Two of the septs are discussed at this site : > http://www.clancian-carroll.com/carhist.shtml : > : > An Irishman now living in England recently wrote in a letter to me : > this summary version of Carroll locations in Ireland. : > : > "There are five septs of the O'Carroll family, generally speaking: : > Southwestern sept in Counties Cork and Kerry. : > Ossory, mainly County Kilkenny. : > Ely, mainly in Counties Offaly, North County Laois and North : > Tipperary : > Oriel, mainly County Louth. : > Finally, there was a small sept around County Leitrim." : > : > So you see, it is a little like asking, "Where in the US do the Smiths : > live?" They don't all live in one place. In 1300 AD it might not : > have been hard to tell the basic areas where Carrolls lived, but by : > 1850, they were scattered not only in Ireland but all over the British : > Isles. There were even some who use the name Carroll now who actually : > came from Germany, Switzerland, France, Ukraine, and other places. : > : > You will have better success if you start at the present and move : > backwards a generation at a time, rather than trying to start in the : > past and move toward the present. : > : > Hope that helps, : > Lura CARROLL Southard : >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>