Annette, thank you for your prompt reply to my question about the source that identified Samuel Elam of Vaucluse (Portsmouth, RI) as a Jew. His branch of the family is of periferal interest to me as there is no known connection to my branch which, with certainty, is traceable to William Elam (c. 1734-1809) of Charlotte Co., VA, but I have never seen any of the Elams referred to as Jews before and that caught my eye. The name, of course, is traceable to the Old Testament where a son of Shem (son of Noah) was named Elam, thus giving rise to the Elamite empire that existed for more than a thousand years in what is now southwestern Iran. Walter Hinz in this book on the Elamites says they were people of unknown ethnicity--may not have been Semetic. Some persons, without sufficient evidence, have strained to show a connection between the ancient Elamites and the Elams of the British Isles, but to my knowledge there is no evidence of any early migrations of people from the region of the Elamites across Asia and Europe to Britain. The name most likely, as has been explained by numerous researchers, has local origins (perhaps multiple) in Kent, Yorkshire, and maybe other places. More research into the English ancestry of American Elams will undoubtedly prove enlightening. At this point, I think that Norma Neill's work has shown most convincingly the probability that Gilbert and Martin Elam in 17th century VA were born in the Thurnscoe area of Yorkshire. It is my suspicion also that Robert Elam (Christopher Branch's settler) came from there because Branch married a lady who lived at Darton, not far from Thurnscoe, and he would have had opportunity to recruit settlers from that area. My forthcoming book will contain much factual (proven) information, but also many theories that await confirmation or disproving. I expect it be available this summer. When it does appear, I hope to receive comments about the various theories. As a professional historian, I certainly am open to following the historical trail wherever it may lead, will welcome information that corrects me where I am wrong, and am amenable to looking at other points of view. At this point, I will need more information to make the judgement that the Elams of Yorkshire were Jewish in origin, but if they were, so be it. In their religious practices, the Elams in Yorkshire in the 1600s and later seem to have been Anglicans or separatists, and in America, after the Revolution, they were usually Baptists or Methodists. I have not attempted in detail to trace the Quaker Elams in VA; basically Norma Neill's work has been sufficient for my purposes. Nor have I attempted to trace the activities of the Elams in Rhode Island in detail--that would be an interesting story, as Gervase and Samuel were prominent, successful businessmen for many years in the Providence, Newport, and Portsmouth region. Perhaps someday I'll get around to pursuing the subject of "Elam Loyalists During the Revolution." One final item about Samuel of Vaucluse. His father, Robert, and uncles -- Samuel, Emmanuel, John, and Joseph-- in 1762 brought suit in Lunenburg Co., VA, against Elisha White (or Whiks) for nonpayment of debts. They were described in the suit as "merchants in Great Britain." Whether any of them were actually in Lunenburg Co. at the time I don't know. I found the case in Lunenburg Co. Court Order Book 8, 1762, p. 144, when I researched records there in 1997. I appreciate your contributions to Elam genealogy. You have provided much valuable information from time to time which is not readily accessible to those of us who do not live near our ancestral roots in VA. Thank you. Earl Elam