Hello, everyone! It really doesn't do to start organizing those lovely stacks of paper we tend to accumulate when we "do genealogy"! It always brings up more questions. In the course of researching my probable ancestor, Samuel Tynes, I found an entry in South Carolina that also mentioned Richard Pearis. Of course, it was exciting to think my ancestor probably was acquainted with Richard Pearis. It made sense, they were both from VA. As I looked a little further in these papers, though, I realized I had a good number of entries on Pearis for VA and one that had escaped my notice. This is what the entry reads: Capt. Richard Pearis Apr 16, 1757 Augusta Co., VA This land record was originally published in "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County" by Lyman Chalkley. For love and goodwill; his daughters, slaves and other personalty; to Sarah in case she marries with father's consent; to Margaret, same condition, conveys one Indian wench named Pratchey. Delivered to Cap. Peter Hog, Dec 1770. Grantor 7-450 I don't know why I missed it before, but Pratchey was his *slave* and given to his white daughter, Margaret, if she married with his consent. It doesn't look to me like this was a marriage relationship at all. Since the instrument was delivered in 1770 to Capt. Hog, it is my assumption that the transaction was completed at that time, then Pearis would have been off to the fight the war a few years later. This information also tends to negate the assumed birth place of the three Parris children, Kate, George, and Nellie as Georgia or Tennessee. Unless he held her in slavery in that state as well, it appears to me that their children might have been born in VA. I suppose this could be a different Pratchey, but I don't really think so. That would be too convenient. The next big question would be how he managed to capture her unless she was already in VA. I know there are many who say there were no Cherokee in VA, but the colonial records are filled with references to the Cherokee in VA. Some of you that are more expert on this than me care to comment? I am sure most of you that research the Pearis/Parris family know he left the US and went to the Bahamas. He was a Loyalist, so it was probably safer for him to do so. I wonder though, if Prachey went with them to the Bahamas? Since daughter Margaret dies there, it would be a possibility unless Prachey died after the 1760 or so birth of her last child with Richard Pearis. Does anyone have access to Bahamian records? My access is very limited here. I do have a contact, but don't know if I can get that help just now. Opening another can of worms! Susan