Hi, folks I have an ancestor, James Dixon (1731-1823), apparently born in Ireland, who lived in Washington County in the late 18th Century, then moved on to Cayuga County, where he died. Here is how it's put in the History of Cayuga County: "James Dixon and Major Eli Wilson, from Hebron, Washington County, the later with his wife, Margaret, and daughter, Amy, came into the town near the beginning of the present century, and settled on a soldier's grant of 600 acres, on the east line of the town (Township of Mentz)..." In looking through this book, I saw a lot of references to other families -- Taylors, Harkers, Hamiltons, Hopkins -- who moved from the Hebron area. Since my James Dixon is something of a mystery, I'm trying to trace his origins. He may have served in the Revolution because he settled on a soldier's grant. But I've found no evidence of military service, so he could as easily have bought the grant from someone else. Does anyone know why people around Hebron would have been moving out in large numbers about 1800? Was there, for instance, a church whose members moved as a body? Mark E. Dixon Wayne, PA