I am not new, either--just been away for awhile. My brick wall is my gr.grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Gordon b. abt. 1843/45 [Ala. ?]. Married Lucrettia Bushnell in Louisiana abt. 1865 [St. Landry Parish]. They settled in Calcasieu Parish, LA and raised 5 children, including my grandfather, William Cornelius Gordon b. 1869 who married Laurastine Marcantel. Our courthouse in Calcasieu Parish burned down in 1910 and all our precious documents were lost. Story in our family says; my grandfather, William C., used to take journeys "across the river" to visit his relatives. He would be gone several days, catching rides as he could, and it was understood that he crossed the Mississippi River--so this would most likely be into Mississippi. 1870 Census[ LA] gives Thomas Jefferson's place of birth as Alabama. Thomas Jefferson and Lucrettia's children were named James, Thomas Samuel, William Cornelius,John, Madora, Idolph and Adolph[twins]. James and Thomas Samuel died young. Looking for the parents of Thomas Jefferson Gordon. Ethel.