I have traced my Carroll family back to the 1700s in Alexandria,VA. I ran into a wall when I went to the library in Alexandria and found that James Carroll had been orphaned even though his mother was listed as living. At around age 9 she placed him in an apprenticeship with a shoe maker in Alexandria so that he could earn a trade. When he became of age he went to live with a relative who was a tobacconist. His mother was listed as Elizabeth Carroll (her maiden name was not mentioned.) This James grew up in the Alexandria area and as an adult was very involved in helping to retrive the VA land the federal government decided not to use as part of the nation's capital(Alexandria, because it was across the Potomac.) If any of this rings a bell, please contact me. I have documents to prove he is my ancestor but cannot go past his James to find his father who might have come here from Ireland since it would be the very early 1700's or late 1600's. The most prevalent male names in our Carroll are: James, Charles, George and Arthur. Any help would be beneficial. I hope to return to Alexandria next year to search some more. Thank you. Gayle Carroll-Finn ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com