In a message dated 9/7/04 10:49:48 PM, [email protected] writes: << This means that the entry in Book #1 is in error. There are other reasons to doubt the Book #1 entry which I can discuss if you are interested. >> __________ Discussion- The existence of Mary Agnes, daughter of Richard LEE of Buckingham Co., VA, is not a question. However the existence of Thomas Greenberry LEE, her alleged husband, is in question. There is no documented evidence of the husband of M. A. LEE (when one assumes this to be Mary Agnes LEE, 1774) other than this reading of the tombstone. The tombstone itself is controversial as it is badly eroded and two significant aspects are in question. First, the middle initial of the husband can be read as a C or G, and the year can be read 1_74. The second number residual has no similarity to the following very plain 7. There is evidence remaining of a rounded number similar to parts of the lower right portion of an 8. A whole theory of LEE genealogy has developed on the misreading of this tombstone. Book #1 entry assumes that the husband's initials are T. G. rather than T. C. This has lead to the presumptive identification of him as Thomas Greenberry LEE, a man about whom there is no other evidence. It is then presumed that he is Thomas, son of John LEE (Esq.) of Johnston Co., NC. This Thomas is not identified otherwise with an initial G or the middle name, Greenberry. He is also claimed to be Captain Thomas LEE, another controversial subject, but nowhere is there any evidence of a marriage to a M. A. LEE. If we examine the tombstone in its alternate reading: M. A. LEE, wife of T. C. LEE 1874. She is identified as Martha A. PANGLE who married Thomas Cader LEE and died in 1874. He is buried with his second wife in the county. The sequence of events fits and all are known individuals. M. A. LEE is buried near PANGLEs which further adds credence to her identity. When the two alternatives are examined, it is quite apparent that one recitation is more substantial than the other. There are questions. When was LEE Valley Cemetery established? If significantly after 1774 then it is likely not to hold persons buried before that time. A survey of the death dates apparently is contained in Book #1. An examination of these dates should give us an idea of when the cemetery was established. Whose property was provided for the cemetery and when? Who owned the property over time 1774-1874? Can Thomas Greenberry LEE be identified other than by the tombstone? Can marriage(s) of Mary Agnes, daughter of Richard LEE, be demonstrated? Best regards, Hugh