Hi Maureen, Wow, these Hooker men certainly got around, didn't they? My grandfather left the Navy in 1921 and his family in Chicago never heard from him again. He even changed his name. hmmm The one thing that stands out to me in what you wrote is the place the son lived in...Gardiner, ME My gggrandfather's middle name is supposed to be Gardner...Stephen Gardner Hooker. I haven't been able to find any families with that name in the New England/Chicago areas. Anyone know of any Gardner's connected with Hookers? Or maybe they named him after a town? Smiles, Linda ----- Original Message ----- From: Maureen Girard To: hooker@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 2:37 PM Subject: Re: [HOOKER] To Joyce and list Hi Linda-- I have a hunch, and this is all it is--nothing solid to back it up--but here goes. There was a Riverius Hooker bp. 22 Jan 1749 in CT, parents Dr. Daniel and Sarah Webster Hooker (my ancestors). Riverius married an unknown woman, then disappeared, leaving his wife and an infant daughter behind. There is no further information about the wife or daughter. The year he disappeared, a man by the same name appeared in Maine, claiming to have come from CT and that he was in the lumber business. This Riverius m. Mehitable Baker (b. 14 Feb 1755) of Litchfield ME in 1775 at Pownelboro (Wincasset) in Maine. They had a son named Riverius b. 8 Mar 1776. Riverius the First disappeared again, claiming that he had to go to CT, and at about the same time, a Riverius Hooker turned up in a New Hampshire regiment, where he served in the Rev War. The son of Riverius and Mehitable m. Huldah Maynard Cannon (b. 29 Apr 1781) at Litchfield ME, and the couple lived there and later at Gardiner ME. He was the father of 10 children, all b. between 1800 and 1826: Samuel, Riverius, Mehitable, Huldah Ann, Drusilla, Elbridge Gerry, Charles Clapp, Walton Olney, Delia Ann, Emma Jane. Riverius d. 30 Dec 1856, and Mehitable d. 28 Dec 1857. I wonder if there might have been more to this story. Given his record, it would not be surprising if Riverius the First had been responsible for more children than are recorded in the Hooker genealogy. Some of the names and locations you give are so typical of the New England Hookers that they could very well fit into that family somehow. Best of luck, Maureen