This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Morris, Alligood, Goff, Griffin, Hampton, Higdon, Faircloth, Joiner, Roberts, Whitehead, et al Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Zc.2ADI/1452 Message Board Post: I once heard of the "Rule of Ten." According to this rule (if you apply it to the old censuses from the 1800s), someone in a household within ten dwellings of your household of interest is a relative of someone in your household of interest. I'd like to apply that rule to my g-gf Ivey MORRIS on the 1840 census of Laurens Co., Ga. 1840 Laurens Co. Ga. Census Capt. Alligood's District, p. 153 Ivy MORRIS (first on page) 1 m u5 1 m 20-30 [Ivy b. in NC c. 1815] 1 f 20-30 The previous 10 neighbors on one side were Hillary ALLIGOOD (next door), Matilda FAIRCLOTH, David KILPATRICK, John LUKE, John W------?, Bennet JOINER, Margaret INGRAM, WW WHITEHEAD, AE NOLES, Daniel ROBERTS. The next 10 households on his other side were Henry ALLIGOOD (next door), Wm. D. YOUNG, Wright ALLIGOOD, Hardy ALLIGOOD, Hilary ALLIGOOD, Jr., John M. HAMPTON, Benj. DARSEY, Burrell HIGDON, and John HOUGH of GOUGH?, and Guilford GRIFFIN. You can see he was surrounded by ALLIGOODs. Ivy Morris married Susan GOFF in 1837 in Laurens Co. Susan's brother?, Andrew J. GOFF, married Martha A. GRIFFIN in Laurens Co. in 1845. Ivy and Susan and Andrew and Martha migrated to Barbour Co., Ala. about 1849. Other names of interest on the 1840 Laurens Co. Census in Capt. Alligood's District were Samuel ALLIGOOD, Hardy GRIFFIN, Malakiah GOFF, and John G. B. GOFF. As you can see there were no MORRISes anywhere nearby, evidently no others there in 1840 or even 1830. If you have any of these people in your tree, please share them with me. Thanks, Cheryll