This is my first post on this website. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Dukes. I am a descendant of William Duke Sr.(1701-1773) of Granville/Warren Co. NC. I am descended from his son Samuel Duke Sr.(1722-1795) and grandson Samuel Dukes Jr. (1745-1821) who migrated to Muhlenberg Co.KY in 1803. I have been researching this family for 2 years, and I am writing a book based on this research. There seems to be quite a bit of controversy regarding the parentage of this William Duke who was from Virginia, probably on the South side of the James River, or on the North side of James River if you believe the conclusions of Evelyn Duke Brandenberger who wrote "The Duke Family." William is credited as being the father of most, if not all, of the Duke family descendants in Warren/Franklin Co. NC after he settled there about 1744. The most well known son of this William Duke was his eldest son William Duke (1721-1793) who married Mary Green about 1742 in Brunswick Co. VA. This family is well documented in Granville/Warren Co. history. There are documents posted on the Warren and Granville Co. Genforum and rootsweb sites titled the "Duke Family Papers" by Ginger Beattie-Christmas which were supposedly handed down through several generations of the family. This document states that William Duke of Granville/Warren Co. who was married to Mary Green was born in Dovershire, England in 1709, was a younger son of Raleigh Duke, and was raised by Col. William Byrd after his parents died. This is obviously a controversial document because it conflicts with every Duke family researcher, and is also in conflict with family documentation from the NC Archives. William Duke Jr. who married Mary Green, is documented along with his father, William Sr. and brothers Samuel and Joseph as members of the Granville Co.! Militia in 1754. They are also documented in the Granville Co. Taxables 1749-1764, and William Jr. and his son Green Duke are in the 1790 Warren Co.Census. William Jr. was obviously a wealthy man, listed with 2200 acres and 53 slaves. His son Green had several hundred acres and 45 slaves. I am looking for comments or suggestions from other Duke family researchers regarding this family's origins. Recent research by Lynn Teague, whom I consider the best of the Duke family researchers, conflicts with many conclusions drawn by Evelyn Duke Brandenberger, who argued that William Duke Sr. was the son of the James Duke and Mary Byrd of the noble Byrd family of Virginia. sincerely, kevin dukes