In reply to your query, which should appear below [for the benefit of others, if they are interested] Sorry to be late in responding. Family illness and hospitalization interrupted. E.W.Wallace First, you have to know a little history of Indiana. 1778: Vincennes controlled by Commonwealth of Virginia. 1787: Indiana included in Northwest Territory. 1790 Most of Indiana (and part of Illinois) created as Knox County. 1800 Indiana Territory is established 1805 Michigan Territory is separated from Indiana Territory. 1809 The state of Indiana is formed. According to Ancestry's Red Book by Alice Eicholz, editor, Sullivan Co. was formed 1817 from Knox [see above] Frequently, the trouble with us genealogists is we are looking in the WRONG place, or worse yet, the records are missing [my fate in Virginia research]. Now, about the time of the Louisiana Purchase [a huge chunk of land bought in the administration of Thomas Jefferson], all land grants/patents in states formed from that area and subquent to that era, for the most part, were/are controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. In genealogy, we have to work backwards in time. What, if anything, have you found to document your ancestor's presence in Indiana? You seem to have a handle on his death date. If the death occurred in 1849, we might find something about him in the 1850 mortality schedule--but 1848 deaths are not covered, alas!!! Have you checked the BLM land patents for Indiana for that time period? Here is the URL for an index, and with a lot of clicking around, you can find a certificate if he got a patent in Indiana. However, it is the *case file* which I am told holds the goodies!!! _http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/_ (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/) A Benjamin Harris [spelling used in BLM index--NOT Haris, which the county clerk may have used] appears in Sullivan Co., IN in the time period you are outlining. Do you have access to any genealogy *how-to* books--say, at the Reference desk of your public library? If so, get one of the several editions of Ancestry or Everton's or some such and do some study of US land patents. I have the misfortune, for the most part, to have ancestors living largely in State-land states, and their patents/grants, if they had one or several, are held by the State Land Commissions [or whatever the name may be] in each of those State land states. [Read up on that also.] I think you have to send for the case file to find out what info the patentee sent to the BLM [or whatever its former name was.] I believe at one time these case files were held in Washington or in Maryland. I am sorry--I have a new computer, and I am an old lady. The Jpg you sent got downloaded, but I cannot make out what it is. I have had this trouble with another correspondent!!! Maybe Vista doesn't like some of the jpg images. Anyway, since this man died and apparently had heirs, is there a probate file? If the children were minors, there should be some guardianship papers of some kind, as they probably were due to an inheritance because of the land ownership. You may have to examine court records, deeds, probates, and whatever else you can find in Indiana. A slight lead, since we Harris-Hunters have to turn over a lot of rocks: >From Rosalie Edith Davis, Louisa County, Virginia 1743-1814: Where Have All The Children Gone? [Manchester, MO: published by author, 1980] p. 79 [of court records] Gdn Bond Elias Thomason Gdn. to Overton Harris, Robert Harris, Benjamin Harris Orphans of Benjamin Harris Dec'd; 5,000 pds. currt. money. Sec. James Nuckolds & Frederick Harris 12 April 1779 p. 94 Acct. of Overton & Benjamin Harris orphans of Benja. Harris. Decd with Elias Thomason Gdn 1780-1781. Ret. 13 Aug 1781. Elias Thomason makes accounts of his spending/receipts to the court from time to time [supposed to do this annually] and the children seemed to have inherited a number of slaves who were *hired out* to others. There seem to have been several minor heirs of Benjamin Harris of Louisa Co. and some of them had different guardians: p. 92 Nancy Harris Orphan of Ben. Harris decd. Gdn. bond John Baker Gdn. Martin Baker was the security 12 Feb 1781. Now the court records go on [I am packing for vacation so will not draw out this] to indicate Elias Thomason .... married the widow. The boys, in particular, were to receive schooling. If you think this is your person, or at least worth pursuing, then you may want to see Mrs. Davis's website for the price of this book and other Louisa Co.,VA books. _http://www.angelfire.com/va3/redavis/_ (http://www.angelfire.com/va3/redavis/) How about doing some googling for Elias Thomason. this is how I do it--most of the time with negative results, but genealogy is taking a chance, anyway!!! Elias Thomason + genealogy Here is a website for some Louisa Co. records--mostly deeds--if I remember. Most of the time these records are later than the period I am interested in. This is an index to some notes made while a professional genealogist was doing some work for clients. The notes are hit or miss, but they are excellent notes. _http://trevilians.com/deeds/deedmain.htm_ (http://trevilians.com/deeds/deedmain.htm) I have told you more than you wanted to know. However, when I help persons TRY to solve problems, I sometimes learn something myself--like Elias Thomason marrying the widow!!! E.W.Wallace PS If you discover your Benjamin Harris has an Overton in the family, in all probability your Harris family has colonial Virginia roots. If so, post more queries after you have done some more research. In a message dated 11/7/2008 5:40:12 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I am sorry for this out of the blue e-mail. I saw a post you made in Harris-coloniava I am looking for a Benjamin Harris born December 1775. Do you know the children of the Benjamin Haris (sic) you found in Goochland county, va 1 Feb 1737. I know I am grasping for straws but there seems to be little information left. My Benjamin migrated to Sullivan Co., IN in the early 1800s and died in 1848. Thanks Randall Harris **************AOL Search: Your one stop for directions, recipes and all other Holiday needs. Search Now. 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