Hi Diane, Ryan, Barabara, Jan, and everyone,, Hallelujah! Diane, that was a terrific posting, and Ryan, thanks for responding back so rapidly with all those old postings.(It saved me a lot of typing!) I get the digest version of this List and download once a day or so - with this EXPLOSION of information on my probable family line, I'm overwhelmed! What a difference 24 hrs makes! I agree with Ryan, ....seems like a good bet that Ephraim is a brother of at least John D. and Alexander M. Neavill... just too many coincidences from your posting, Diane. First of all, you mentioned in your first posting that you may have the name of one of Ephraim's siblings - I'm dying of curiosity... Who?... and what info do you have on him/her? Ephraim being born in VA is interesting... their parents must have done a lot of moving in 3 years. The 1850/1860/1870 census listed that Alexander and John's parents were both born in VA. John was born in TN Dec 12, 1807, and Alexander in KY Sep 24, 1809, so a lot of travelling in that short period, but not impossible. The fact that Ephraim was a lead miner in Council Hill, Jo Daviess Co IL in 1832, to me, makes it an open and shut case! Council Hill is/was a SMALL village, and that's where both Alexander and John D. lived as lead miners at the same time. John D. and Alexander M. arrived in the Galena area from Springfield IL area in 1827, and both also served in the Black Hawk War of 1832. John "Nivil" was in Capt Duncan's Company of Mounted Riflemen, transferred from Capt Scales' Co infantry, 27th Reg of IL military, evidently because he had a horse. Alexander M. was also listed as sergeant in Capt. Dowlings Company, same company as Ephraim. Had another listing for Alexander also in Capt Lambert Vosburgh's company of 27th regiment. I think all of those companies were raised in Galena. Looking on the map, all these places are pretty close together... Scales Mound is the next village east from Council Hill, and LaFayette County WI is the adjacent county to the north from Jo Daviess Co,...the border is about 4 miles north of Scales Mound. And then Grant County, WI, with Potosi where Alexander moved to in 1840, is the next county west from LaFayette Co. And Jackson Co IA is just across the M. Riverand slightly downstream from Galena. How cozy! Had noticed other Neavills in Grant Co and LaFayette Co WI on 1850 and 1860, but couldn't figure out any relationship... Diane, your posting has probably solved a good part of it. One extraneous one, though,.. there's a Catherine Neaville listed in the 1860 census in Potosi, Grant Co. WI, as head of household. Was she in your line? John D. died in 1853, and his wife Maria Louisa Meredith died in 1847, both in Council Hill. But I still haven't found John D. on any 1850 census, although his two living children at that time, James Henry Neaville (b. Dec 20, 1840 IL) and John Alexander Neaville (b. Jan 31, 1844, Council Hill) were living with Alexander in 1850 (and Alexander formally became their guardian after John D. died). Did you run across any extra John Neavill in your searches?! In my wanderings through the Galena courthouse, Potosi, Council Hill, etc, it's funny I never ran across the name Ephraim (maybe shows I didn't expand my search very well). Diane, do you have family records, bibles, or other documentation like that which augments the very few public records there seem to be in that area? Will be interested to hear if you see any more correlation of your family with ours after all these messages the last 24 hours! THANKS! Wayne Olsen Bonney Lake, WA [email protected]