Gail, thanks for the prompt reply! Can't believe that the info you gave me is the same James as the one whose estate was probated in 1778....too many years later. Yes, my James did have a son James, but this definitely isn't him; my James' son James was clear out in Missouri by this time. The James that I'm looking for was m. ca 1769, had three sons: John (my ancestor) b. 1770, Humphrey b. 1772, and James b. ca 1774. I don't know the location of any of these events; apparently James Sr. was a 'ramblin' man'. The tradition is that James Sr. was killed by Indians, and his widow Catherine remarried 1783-84. So his estate would have been probated in this period of time (1774-84). I don't think that he would have been alive too many years after the last child was born, or there would have been more children. Not only am I interested in identifying my own ancestor, but I'm trying to do a one-name study on the surname prior to 1800. What you're in the process of collecting, would be invaluable in my search to connect at least some of these "separate" lines. I hope that you're willing to help! I'd certainly be glad to pay the cost of copies, etc. Wilma