This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/QBB.2ACI/2892.1.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: The first thing that caught my eye was that there were Sheltons living on either side your Lockman/Thompson family (including a Freeman Shelton), and one was listed as being from Pittyslvania Co., VA. If you do various searches using either Google, or the various surname websites on GenForum and/or Rootsweb, you can get a lot of "hits" on various Lockman, Shelton, Freeman and Thompson "family name connections." Just one of these follows: http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Shelton::lockman::8.html I am somewhat familiar with the Sheltons in Pittsylvania Co., VA, since they married into a Davidson family there on at least two occasions (albeit, not MY Davidson family). There was also a Thompson family in Pittsylvania, Co., VA, and it was apparently headed by a William Thompson who had a son named John Thompson (and John Thompson married a Sarah Fears there in 1790). John Thompson and Sarah had a son named Jesse R. Thompson, and he married Jane Gibson (and Gibsonville, NC in the Guilford Co., NC area was named for her father, as I recall). Jesse R.Thompson appeared in a deed record in NC that was associated with MY Davidson family in the Guilford/Orange Co., NC area (but that area is not all that close to Lincoln Co., NC). Henry Co., VA was created from a part of Pittsylvania Co., VA in 1776/1777, and Patrick Co., VA was created from a part of Henry Co., VA in 1790/1791. In addition, Stokes and Surry Co., NC were right across the stare line from the above areas. Halifax Co., VA was also close by. It seems that a lot of families moved within this these adjacent areas. I see that some Sheltons were also in Stokes Co., NC, and I suspect that they were associted with the "Pittsylvania Sheltons" (though I have not researched that myself). I don't know if any of the Thompsons were in any of these other areas (other than Pittsylvania), but some research in any of these counties could "bear some fruit." The above-mentioned Fears family in Pittsylvania, Co., VA in 1790 has been traced back to Prince Edward Co., VA (PECo), but I have not been able to determine the origin of the above William Thompson family. IF these Thompsons were associated with the Rev. John Thom(p)son family out of PA that was in PECo by the early-mid 1700s, there is no indication of that that I can find. In any case, I have no proof that "your" Mr. Thompson in Lincoln Co., NC was even out of these "Pittsylvania Co., VA Thompsons." The Thompson surname, like the Davidson surname, is tough to research, even within just VA. There were numerous families in VA alone who were not "blood related" (some now proven by DNA testing on living descendants) with the surname of Thompson or Thomson (ditto Davidson/Davison/Davisson). Anyway, maybe the above will help you to dig a little deeper. Pittsylvania Co., VA COULD be a key to your Thompson family, since your Mr.Lockman was "surrounded" by Sheltons. If I see anything else that might help, I will be sure to let you know.