I would like to know more about my 9th great grandfather Richard Osborne (1612-1685). I assumed that he had emigrated directly from England to New England, but it is possible that he might have �stopped� in Barbados on his way to New England. I found the following �Black Sheep� ancestor posting on the NEHGS website: My Favorite or My Black Sheep Ancestor? By Bruce Chilton of Northport, New York NEHGS eNews Vol. 6, No. 5, Whole #151 January 30, 2004 Was Richard Osborne (1612�1685), my eighth great-great grandfather, an exemplar or a black sheep? The generally accepted story is that he departed from London, England, in February 1634, aboard the ship Hopewell for the perilous voyage to the New World and settled first in Hingham, Massachusetts, where he drew a house-lot in 1635. He removed later to the newly established town of Windsor, Connecticut, and was a volunteer in the Pequot War in 1637, where he supposedly attained the rank of captain in the colonial militia. For his services in the war, he was granted eighty acres in Westchester County, New York. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had eight children. He died in 1685 a solid and well respected member of his community. But, a bit of digging unearths a darker past. True, he embarked on the Hopewell in February 1634, but the ship was bound for Barbados, not New England. He was listed in the register of passengers as one of seventy young men � not a woman among them � who we! re to be "transported" to Barbados. In a search of the records of English settlers in Barbados, no Richard Osborne is to be found. Taken together, the evidence indicates that Richard was very likely a convict who might well have been given, in the custom of the time, a choice between the gibbet and indentured servitude in the colonies. Incredibly, he was able to somehow escape this dreadful situation and make his way, perhaps as a stowaway, to New England. Does this later discovery somehow sully his name or reputation? To the contrary, I believe that it contributes to his favor. Richard Osborne's story is that of one man who, on hitting bottom, refused to surrender to his fate, overcoming daunting odds and great adversity. His is truly a story of the triumph of the human spirit. Do any of you have any information about Richard Osborne? I have nothing about his wife or parents and appreciate any family information that you can provide. Thanks so much. Sandy Johnson Witt Gainesville, Florida --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'