Jeff, I saw your question and want to bounce something off of you. My GGGGF,Mathew Howell, Loyalist in the King's Orange Rangers, I believe came from NJ. Or at least was recruited in Orange Co NJ. He went to NS Canada after the war. His son(?s) later went to Meigs Co OH. Family lore says that 5+ siblings came over at one time probably in the 1600s. AND of course they would have settled in the East. With the large families they had we are looking at a lot of connections if I can get past the AM Rev with my Mathew. If during the war.. my Mathew Howell went Loyalist, and some of his siblings did not..then the later generations may have moved into close proximity to each other when they came back from Canada. They gave up land and homes to do so. Therefore they must have had some reason to go where they did. I also see a lot of Howells in my area in NW ARK. I think may have done the same thing. Your Mathew Howell in WV could be very close to Meigs Co OH where my family went in abt. 1820. I have seen our Mathew Howell spelled with 2 Ts, but,ours is Mathew. Thank goodness it isn't John I am looking for although we have our share of them. Given the European custom of naming their children; A Mathew Howell may be the link to many of us from pre-Am Rev. I only have mine back to 1784 when he got land from the Crown. I have a copy of these records. I do know he was in the KoR for 7 years. I only think he was from NJ, if not then the connecting areas in NY state. They were Episcopal Methodist Ministers for three generations. They were always land owners. I believe the answer is found in NJ or NY. If I can find a connection between a birth of a Mathew Howell and the fact that he went loyalist. I do have a record of a Mathew Howell giving the pledge to the Colonies prior to the war. If this is mine then he changed his mind. Wathca' think? Sheila Texas Is this Howell family connected to the Mathew Howell who was married to Rebecca Henthorn and lived in the Wheeling W.V. area in the 1790's? Jeff Howell _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp