Hi All, I�m Rhonda Watson of Martinez, GA, just outside of Augusta. My mother�s families are from Jackson County - Surnames as follows: Paternal: Stephens, Rogers, Helms, & Hurston Maternal: Ditty, McNeal/McNeil/McNeill, Coonrod/Conrad, Baxter, Futch Other families I�m interested in - Anderson, Brooks, Ferguson, Gladden, Hart, Hasty, Hatcher, Johnson, Mathews, Oswald, Pittman, Robinson, Simmons, Strickland, Talley, Tidwell, Wadford, Whitfield - to name a few. It wasn�t until I started collecting information on the collateral lines that the pieces of a very complex puzzle began to take shape. I�ve a topic for discussion concerning Jackson Co, FL. I�m interested in the migrations of the residents who settled there - particularly my grandmothers ancestors - but I�ve learned that you can learn alot about your own ancestors by studing the neighbors as well. In the case of Jackson & Henry Co (now Houston Co.), it�s truly fascinating to me to study the relationships of the people and to find that those relationships existed in the families two or more generations prior in another place. Please submit any families, any time period settling to areas covered by this discussion list only. I think we will see some interesting family relationships & migration patterns developing. Please submit in the following format - I would like to create a database for future use. If everyone uses the same format it will be much easier to create. Surname, Given: State, County From: Date Arrived: State, County Settled: Notes: I am particularly interested in those families who migrated from Chester, Fairfield, & York Counties in South Carolina about 1845 - 1847. Part of the reason for the mass migration from these counties was a severe drought in 1845. Chester Co. had no rain from the last week of March to the first week of July that year. That was devastating to that farming community. The people and their animals were starving there. Another reason was that Florida had just been made a state in 1845. I would like to know how many families can be identified as coming from these counties and the year they came and the route they traveled and reasons for coming. Surname, Given: COONROD, John (1825-1912) State, County From: SC, Chester Date Arrived: Btw 1845-1850 with mother (not sure father with them) State, County Settled: FL, Jackson Notes: 1840: Census - SC, Chester Co. (w/ parents) 1845: Brother born SC 1850: Census - FL, Jackson Co. (w/ mother) 1860: Census - AL, Henry Co. (head of household) 1870: Census Missing 1880, 1885, 1900, 1910: Census - FL, Jackson Co. Son of Joseph Coonrod and his wife Hester (maiden?) Husband of 1) Elizabeth Ann Baxter Surname, Given: DITTY, James Isaac (1844-1926) State, County From: SC, York via GA, Lee Date Arrived: Btw 1860 - 1867 with mother (not sure father with them) State County Settled: FL, Jackson Notes: 1850: Census - SC, York Co. (w/ parents) 1854: Brother b. GA 1860: Census - GA, Lee Co. (w/ parents) 1867: Married - FL, Jackson Co. 1870: Census Missing 1880, 1885, 1900, 1910, 1920: Census - FL, Jackson Co. (head of household) Son of John Ditty & his wife, Jane (maiden?) Husband of 1) Maranda McNeal/McNeil Husband of 2) Dola Glover