Sandra: First off in doing research as you well know we reach a number of stumbling blocks as we call them. Think of your family ancesters as branches on a tree. When you started the genealogy research you were the base. Your knowledge of you and your Mom, Dad, any brothers and sisters etc. began the branches...Then from your Mom and Dad the branches forked off to Grandma and Grandpa for each of them. Mom and Dad also may have had brothers and sisters and each of them becomes another branch and the children of those Uncles and Aunts (fist Cousins) are yet other branches. Each one that married became another branch with their children so forth and so on. The reason I am saying this is that you already have learned a lot I am betting. You ar right about nick names. They are used quite a lot down South and in my family I also had to overcome this problem. It can lead to what seems are identical families. The other side of that problem is that brothers and sisters often tended to name their kids the same ways. One of my great Grandfathers had two families and each of the two families knew of the other (thank goodness for that when it comes to Genealogy research.) You have quite a bit of info on your Howard, I think something is going to give when you continue to cross reference with other branches. I have not yet given up on this one. I am going to research it further when I am out of college. So hang in there. I am keeping your info bookmarked in a Genealogy folder for further research. Do not give up hope just yet. SIN