Nice to talk to you. You're descended from Mahala Pollard Strode. What a nice coincidence! My daughter's name is Mahala. She was named for my Dad's paternal great-aunt, Mahala Hawkins Shields, who wasn't related to Samuel Strode. Later we discovered that my wife's great-great grandmother was named Mahala Nickell Blanton. My great-great grandmother was Martha Nickell Hawkins, Mahala Shields' mother. So, there's a possibility that these two great-great grandmothers may have been cousins, and that Martha named her daughter after her cousin, Mahala. Thus far, that's speculation, but we do know that those two Nickell girls were related to some degree, both being descended from John Nickell, who immigrated to Augusta Co., Virginia from County Tyrone, Ireland in the 1720s/30s. Everyone comments on my daughter's pretty and "unusual" name. I explain that it's a family name on both sides, and that "Mahala" was a very popular name for little girls in Kentucky in the early-to-mid 19th century. BEARLYCAROL@aol.com wrote: In a message dated 6/27/2006 5:21:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, captnemo1958@yahoo.com writes: Samuel and Nancy Watson Strode were my paternal grandmother's great-grandparents. Samuel Strode served as a sergeant in the Virginia Militia in the American Revolution under General George Rogers Clark. Samuel first came to what is now Mason County, Kentucky in 1775-6. After the Revolution he received a large land grant on both sides of the North Fork of the Licking River in present-day Mason and Fleming Counties. He and Nancy resided near Lewisburg, Mason County, Kentucky on what is now "Strode's Run Road". Their bodies are buried on the old Fred Adams III farm on Strode's Run. The more famous "Strode's Station", in Clark County, Kentucky was established by Samuel's cousin, John Strode. Samuel and Nancy Strode's daughter, Ann, born 1814, married John Hopper, a settler from Virginia. I do not know the names of all their children, but three of their sons were Morgan B(ryan), Francis, and Lewis Hopper. Morgan Bryan Hopper was my great-grandfather. He served as a sergeant in the Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry (USA), while most of his Strode cousins volunteered for the Southern Confederacy. He, like his uncle, Morgan Bryan Strode, was named in honor of Samuel Strode's uncle (by marriage), Morgan Bryan, Rebecca Bryan Boone's father, hence Daniel Boone's father-in-law. My grandmother, Daisy Hopper Hawkins, was the daughter of Morgan Bryan and Martha Hixson Hopper. I hope you find this information helpful in filling in some of the blanks. Sincerely, Ben Hawkins Hi, Ben, Glad to meet another cousin. I, too, am descended from Samuel Strode & Nancy Watson through their son William who md. Mahala Pollard. Carol Carmichael Knoxville, TN Georgia Surnames: Walters, Vincent, Higginbotham, Sosebee, Upshaw, Jenkins, Miller, Malone Alabama Surnames: Walters, Upshaw, Rivers, Winkler, May Illinois Surnames: Bishop, Winkler, Waddell, Strode, Swearingen, Barcus, DeWitt Kentucky Surnames: Strode, Pollard, Bishop ==== KYMASON Mailing List ==== The Simon Kenton Festival and Kenton Kin Reunion is an annual event that is held in Old Washington, Mason County, KY, during the 3rd week-end in Sept. The Festival features Pioneer encampments and craft demonstrations, historical buildings and genealogy research. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.