Cousins, Here's a basic dictionary lesson: Several times in recent days I have noticed that someone asks a question regarding their ancestors but uses the word "descendants". ANCESTOR: a progenitor; a forefather; one from whom a person descends, such as a grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. DESCENDANT: one who derives his/her lineage from a person who lived at an earlier time, such as a son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, etc. Thus, most of our work is in looking for ANCESTORS, especially if we're searching in the 1700s or 1800s. Exceptions might be if we are discussing a known individual from that time period, and are asking questions regarding his/her children, grandchildren, etc. THEN we might be asking whether there is any evidence that so-and-so is a DESCENDANT of the first individual.