Barbara Metzger, Your message is most interesting, for the Elsberry connection, but also because of the Gilliam connection to my Harris line. I can't explain the Granville and Wake County, North Carolina locations or make any direct connections to your Elijah Harris, but I can give you the sources of the Alberry and Gilliam connections to my Harris line. Elsberry is a variation of Alberry and there are many spelling variations, but all seem to originate from the old English "Aylesberry". Edward Harris-3rd married (1) Elizabeth Minyard about 1732 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia and they had 5 children: Mary, Stephen, Minyard, Edward and David. Their daughter Mary Harris married William Gilliam about 1755 in Lunenburg County, Virginia. Their son David married Nancy (Anne) Lane about 1773 in Charlotte County, Virginia. Edward Harris-3rd married (2) Sarah Gilliam about 1755 in Lunenburg County, Virginia and they had 3 children: Gilliam, unknown daughter and Braddock. They lived in Lunenburg and Charlotte Counties of Virginia and in Burke County, North Carolina from 1755 to 1783. David Harris and Nancy Lane had 5 children: Susannah, Mary, Isaac, Nancy and John. Isaac Harris was born 1780 in Burke County, North Carolina and he married Sarah Alberry about 1806 in Burke County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of Benjamin Alberry and Sarah Gracey. Benjamin Alberry was born as Benjamin Elsberry in Cecil County, Maryland. Isaac Harris and Sarah Alberry had 7 children: Sarah, Edward David, Alberry, Elizabeth, Isaac, Nancy and an unknown son. Maybe this will give you some ideas, as the Alberry name is quite rare and the Gilliam name is not seen often, so that to see them in the same Harris line in Illinois seems to be much more than coincidence. As to some of the given names in your line; I don't have an Elijah, but the names Thomas and James are quite common to my Harris line and the name Alsey is usually a pet name for Alice, but apparently was used as a male name also. Sincerely, James E. Hargraves In a message dated 8/20/2004 12:43:12 PM Pacific Standard Time, bametz@cox.net writes: The name Alberry struck me as I have a stray Jonathan Elsberry Harris in Saline/Williamson County Illinois in the mid 1860s and no one in my family can tell me anything about the name Elsberry. It is not a family name I have ever come across. My Harris line comes out of Granville and Wake Co North Carolina. Elijah Harris, Alsey Harris, Elijah W Harris, Thomas Harris, whose daughter was Merle Harris. Elijah married Delilah Shaw in Wake Co NC. in the early 1800s They seem then to have migrated to Wilson Co TN but were in Gallatin Co IL by 1820. Elijah dead by then but records show Delilah and children. County legend has it that Elijah died from an infection after his ear was bitten off during a fight. Son James A.is credited with founding Harrisburg Illinois. Sons Alsey (Aulsey, Alsy) and Gilliam (Gillam) served in the Black Hawk War in the 1830s. All sons married and became land owners in Saline and Williamson Cos., IL. Daughters married well. The internet world seems to be sure of old Elijah's father and mother...but it doesn't seem that anyone knows the actual source of the material. Neither I nor anyone else that I know of that has researched this line has ever gotten past Elijah (I) with any kind of documentation as to proof of parents. Another Harris puzzle. Barbara Metzger Carefree AZ ==== HARRIS-HUNTERS Mailing List ==== HH Archives: http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl HH Site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~confido/hindex2.htm HH Data Base: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=harrishunters