Hi, Margaret, Although I haven't known about "my" WILLIEs/WYLIEs for more than a year or so, the earliest ones that I know of at this point, (Miriam WILLIE, who marr Thomas HARRIS) were both born in 1677, Thomas @ Block Island, RI, and Miriam @ New London, New London Co., CT. I was told that all the Willies, Wylies, and several other spellings, in this country were of the same family. What I'm wondering now is, as my Miriam pre-dates your Samuel, was the family originally Scottish, and maybe one or more branches came to America, and later some returned to Scotland?? (The more Scottish ancestors I find, the happier I am...I think it all dates back to a vcry early childhood love of the bagpipes, and the fact that my father, in spite of never in his life having set foot in any place in Europe, with the exception of landing in France with his battalion in WWI) (he had volunteered for service, and did the same thing again about 28 or 29 years later in WWII, only that time the Army wouldn't accept him (he was about 46 or 47 at the time), the Navy said the same thing, so he, not to be thwarted, went to the Marine Corps and talked them into letting him take the physical, which he passsed with flying colors, and the rest is history!)...he could still sing "Auld Lang Syne" with the greatest Scottish accent, and he went every year to the St. Andrew's Society's banquet on Rabbie Byrnes Day, and ate the haggis! So when I started this genealogy business, I grin and think about him every time I stumble across another Scotsman in the family! I've been there twice now, and I absolutely love it. I'd hoped to go back this summer, only this time to the Highlands, where our Robertsons and Rosses were from. (I was in the Borders the other times, looking for more Armstrongs and others.0 Anyway, I've seen so few queries about the Wylies/Willies, that when I saw yours, I think I let out one of the Robertson war cries (only it was in happiness, not anything else!) Any info that anyone out there might be able to give me on the family that came before the father of Thomas, William, who was one of the earliest settlers of Block Island. His wife was Elizabeth (poss, INNES)...no info on her.)...any info would be very gratefully received!! Barbara in MO (but originally from NYC)