My cousins & I are looking for information about our grandfather & his parents. His father or grandfather may have immigrated from Ireland. This is the story handed down by my grandfather to one of his sons & through him to his children. J.B. [Joe B., Joseph B.] Merchant was born 8/22/1852 in Marion Co., GA. His parents died when he was young & he went to live with relatives. They couldn't get along so at the age of 12 he ran away from home to Texas where there was other relatives. There were probably several children in the family. J.B. mentioned 2 brothers, Jim & Jake, & a sister. The brothers were never heard from after they left home. In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census there is only one Merchant family in Marion Co. An Isaac Merchant, his wife Frances, both 38 yrs old, & their 8 children; Caroline-13, Adaline-11, Jane-10, Jeremiah-8, Mary-6, Martha-4, Jacob-2, & Lewis-6 mos. There were *no* Merchant's in the 1860 Marion Co. census online. Does anyone have any information about this Merchant family? I would like to have some historical information about the county, too. Were there any epidemics, i.e. flu or other diseases, in the county in the timeframe of 1852-1864? Were there any Civil War battles in the area in which civilians were killed? Did Union troops regularly move through the area from points west? It seems to me that the county would have been a likely path for troop movement from LA, MS, & AL. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, in advance, for any help. Dorris Reed [email protected] -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm