Posted on: Johnston Queries Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/joh/Johnston/360 Surname: Hornback, Johnston, Biser, Branum ------------------------- I have no idea if there is a connection with our lines, but some of the children of our two gggrandfathers have names that repeat the adults' names. Your gggrandparents John and Catherine Johnston had a daughter named Kissiah and a son named William. My gggrandparents were named Kissiah and William. They in turn had a son named John and a daughter named Kate. My William Johnston and Kissiah Hornback were married in Platte City, MO in November 1853, and lived near Smithville in Clay County, MO until relocating to the area around western Bates and Vernon Counties, MO in 1856. They were then listed in the 1860 census in Cherokee Neutral Territory, Kansas. By the 1870 census they were back in Bates County, MO. La Cygne, KS is not far from that area. I suppose it's probably just coincidence, but the names of the children make me hopeful. My gggf William Johnston was born about 1797 in Ireland, and died in 1887, after having served as a scout for Federal forces in the Civil War. I have no idea when he came to the U.S. or what life path he followed to arrive Missouri by 1853, but I think we should stay in touch with each other and see if this leads anywhere.