Thanks for all the nice notes yesterday and some newly discovered descendants of some of our lines! Again, before delving into this generation, let me repeat - there can be errors! We start with John Gorham, son of John Gorham, grandson of Miles: JOHN GORHAM: I have no birth nor death dates on this John yet. He married a Mary Kirkland and had four known children: 1. Thomas Gorham called "Sir Knight" on some records born ca 1740. (This is the line we will be tracing. ) 2. John Gorham born ca 1742, died ca 1797, married Jane or Jennette Williamson and had Sanford, Thomas and Mary. 3. Sanford Gorham born ca 1744 - no information yet 4. Elizabeth Gorham born ca 1745. Married Thomas Barden and had Miles Gorham, John, James and Mary Barden. Biographical on John Gorham above who married Mark Kirkland (some dispute this is her name). There is no written documentation proving that John Gorham here is the son of John Gorham I. Mention of him is a deed of gift dated 26 Sept 198 from Thomas Moore to John Gorham, who was yet a minor. He held onto this land for 48 years and noted that he was the same person who had received this land. Miles Gorham, his grandfather, owned an adjoining lot. John appears to have been orphaned in the early 1700's as per his father's will in Westmoreland Co VA. He was old enough to pick his own guardian but no guardianship papers were found. When Thomas Moore sold land in 1709 he described the land as bordering deeds of gift to his own son and to John Goreham. John became a carpenter and purchased 60 acres of land near to John Gorham (the first) who was also a carpenter, 21 July 1716. He sold this land in 1723/4 and apparently in his thirties, was still single. There are fleeting references to him in Richmond Co in 1729 and 1734, maybe for carpentery work he had done in this nearby county. He sold the land he received from Thomas Moore on 14 January 1740/1. He moved then into Prince William County in the part that later became Loudon Co. A document dated 1 Oct 1740 stated that John Gorum, planter of Prince William County, Virginia and Willoughby Newton of Westmoreland County engaged in a lease that lasted three lifetimes. The lease was to John Gorum and Mary his wife, and Thomas Gorum, a son. This land lie between the Little Rocky Run and Big Rocky Run in the original Prince William Co - later Fairfax Co, then Loudon Co. A diagram of John's house was included in the patent on the west bank of the Little Rocky Run. John seems to have lived there the rest of his life. His name appears on the tithable list for Fairfax Co, the Truo Parish list in 1749. Many of these records where he might have been recorded no longer exist. When boundaries were changed in 1757, John's land ended up on the Loudon Co side. John's actual date of birth is not known but at a deposition taken in Loudon Co 15 Dec 1762 it states that the deponent, John Goram, age 79 years or thereabouts. John might have moved in with one of his sons because he does not appear for the years 1765-1769 - but his sons do. His son was calling himself Jr still indicating that his father was still alive. He died intestate in Loudon Co in 1769 with Sanford Gorham his administrator. He left little more than a minimum of household goods and a parcel of old books. There is no positive documentation of his wife Mary as to who she was. It seems, based on records, that they had married sometime after 1716, but possibly as late as 1730. Some researchers think she might have been a Sanford. She is also shown frequently as Mary Kirkham or Kirkland. There were no families of either surname in this general vicinity. Sources checked from Westmoreland County: Order Book 198-17095, p 72 Deeds and Wills book 5, p. 226, 574 Deeds & WIll book 6, p. 174 Deed and Wills book 8, p. 10. Deeds & Wills book 9, p. 161 Northern Neck Patent Book E, 1736-1742, p. 172 Tomorrow: Thomas Gorham, s/o John & Mary Kirkland. Sandi