I've wondered for years how my uncle James learned that our ancestors went back to Richard Gwin and Sarah Chesley in Jamestown, VA, then through their son, Isham Gwin, who married a Ms. Cleveland, and finally to their less elusive and much more traceable son John Gwin who in 1812 married Jane Walker in Blount Co., TN and moved to Dallas Co., Alabama, where the family thrived for several generations. Well, no. Uncle James said he got this information from the "Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, Vol. I, p. 706", but I was never able to find this set to discover how THEY learned the information. Then recently I discovered the complete seven-volume set of ACAG (in my local library!) and read the entire entry myself. Now I can see the source of the article's information as none other than Champe Carter McCulloch--former CSA major, mayor of Waco, TX, and passionate family historian who submitted the article to the ACOAG. Champe had married Emma Basset, daughter of Sarah Gwin Basset (Sarah lived with Champe and Emma for years), who was the daughter of John Gwin HIMSELF. This information is now much more credible to me, then, since John Gwin HIMSELF was still alive for a full ten years after his granddaughter Emma married Champe. I imagine that the wealthy Champe and Emma often wrote letters to John (who, though illiterate, was always around family members back in Dallas County, AL, who could read and write), probably even occasionally traveling by railroad to visit him and other realatives in Cahaba and/or Wilsonville. I believe this information was memorized and passed down by Richard's illiterate grandson, John Gwin! Everyone knows that illiterate yet nonetheless brilliant people use their incredible powers of memory to record such information in their minds, making it accessible to later generations by word of mouth. Having established to my own satisfaction, then, the validity of Uncle James claim that John Gwin was the grandson of Richard and son of Isham, I am now ready to ask others with more enthusiasm to assist me in finding out more about Richard. I have already added a bit more information to my collection. I recently saw for the first time Richard and Sarah in an LDS IGI microfiche file at our local Family History Center. I wasn't sure how to read the documentation or even if there was any; nevertheless, three new possibly-documented pieces of data were added for me: (1) Richard was--again, all allegedly--born ca. 1748 in Jamestown, James City Co., VA; (2) he married Sarah Chesley ca. 1773 in Jamestown, James City Co., VA; and (3) she was born there ca.1755. If any reader has other clues or documentation or can get me started in the right direction, please notify me--and thanks! In Jesus, John (Complete contact information follows in signature.) ======================================================== John M. Gwin e.mail: [email protected] Snail Mail Address: 1845 Anderson Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88001 USA Telephone: (505) 522-2171 Netscape/AOL Instant Messenger Screen Name: Zianib GENEALOGY Home Page: http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin/genealogyhomepage.htm Nib Collection: http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin How to know God personally (No kidding!): www.gospelcom.net/navs/navinfo/resources/bridge/bridge.htm ========================================================