Tena, I still see problems. The deposition of William Laird states that his father sent Hugh Laird a son up to the Swatara. This date was about 1737 which means that the birth date for Hugh Laird is wrong. The younger James Laird left a will that was probated 22 December 1741, you have his birth date as abt 1769. You have Matthew Laird born 1755 while the first James Laird died before 14 Feb 1737 when Jane Laird the widow of James Laird received a warrant for land in Derry Township so Matthew couldn't have been born after 1737. You have Samuel Laird listed as the son of Samuel Laird and Mary Young. The will of both Samuel and Mary Young Laird indicate that they died without issue. Please don't get frustrated. I think the article in the next issue will clear up a lot of problems with this line. Would you mind just sticking with your direct line for the earliest known Laird ancestor? I do not have the proper time to clear up all the problems now. This is why my my brother and I are writing the article for the next newsletter. However, I can't start on it until I get the earliest known Laird ancestor newsletter finished. As for printed biographies, they are just like any other secondary source: They can have errors and must be proven by primary sources. When I place a biography from a printed history in the newsletter that has an error that I am aware of, I print a note below the written material to correct the error and list my source. This is what I did in the newsletter when I posted material that named Samuel Laird and wife Mary Young as the parents of Samuel Laird. I placed a paragraph below the material indicating that the will of both Samuel Laird and his wife Mary indicated that they died without issue. You have seen this material because you quoted my note directly from the newsletter onto the Cumberland list. I will be gone part of the day and will talk to you this afternoon. Take care. Sincerely, Patricia Laird Howard