Please forgive me if you receive multiple copies of this message. I have saved a number of addresses from the Brittingham Message Center ast FamilyTreemaker, in addition to mailing to the Brittingham and Adams County lists. Today's message from Amanda about Purnell BRITTINGHAM gives me the opportunity to try to clarify what I know about the Adams County BRITTINGHAM familes. Eliza BRITTINGHAM b. 20 December 1827 in Adams County, OH, d. 12 December 1881 and buried in Manchester Cemetery (Adams County, OH) m. William E. HOPKINS abt 1845 and had Arcada, Mary, Sarah, Franklin P., Margaret, and perhaps Sassie(?) HOPKINS, all in Adams County, OH. She is probably the daughter of Purnell BRITTINGHAM (1785 Maryland - 02 February 1872 Adams County, OH) and his 3rd wife, Mary Cartwright, daughter of Andrew Cartwright(?) and widow of ??? BRYEN (perhaps Jesse BRYEN/BRYANT.) [Note Purnell BRITTINGHAM has 2 females living with him in the 1830 and 1840 Ohio census, who have not appeared in any list I have seen of his children, but who are of an appropriate age for one of them to be my Eliza BRITTINGHAM and daughter of Purnell. Note also, Purnell already had a daughter named Elizabeth in 1809 who m. Michael Rousch and who was still living when Eliza was born. Could Purnell have had a daughter named Elizabeth and another daughter named Eliza?] One the other hand, two of Eliza HOPKINS children are living in the household with Joseph (their uncle?) BRITTINGHAM and his family and Purnell (age 84, their grandfather?) in the 1870 Ohio census. It would appear that Purnell arrived in Ohio between 1809 when daughter Elizabeth was born in MD and 1815 when son Joseph was born in OH. John Little, in the gedcom and print-out he mailed to me and crediting "Marianne Brittingham of the Notre Dame Library" but without providing further details about sources, claims that Purnell BRITTINGHAM is the son of Samuel (who died before October 10, 1793) who was in turn the son of William, whose will was dated 16 September 1793 and probated 4 March 1794. The will of this William mentions son, William, grandsons Purnell and Samuel, grand-daughters Attalanta and Charlotte, daughter Leah Shockley, and Hannah Small. John Little's material does not have any Samuel, Attalanta or Charlotte as grandchildren of William, the testator or 1793. The other Adams County BRITTINGHAM is, of course, Roland Bevans BRITTINGHAM, b. abt 1790, who was the son of a William BRITTINGHAM who had died by 1803 when the 13 year old orphan Rowland was indentured to James Dennis. How is Rowland related to Purnell? Is Rowland's list of children complete or could my Eliza be his daughter also? Amanda, you asked about the name PURNELL. Thomas NEWBOLD m. Joyce PURNELL and had at least 2 daughters who married BRITTINGHAM brothers. Sarah NEWBOLD m. Elijah BRITTINGHAM and Tabitha NEWBOLD m. Micajah BRITTINGHAM. Elijah and Sarah had a daughter, Joyce Purnell Briittingham and at least one son of theirs, Elijah, named a child Asashell Purnell Brittingham (and he may have been known as Purnell). Micajah and Tabitha BRITTINGHAM had Purnell (1745-1815) who had Purnell (1770-1780). There is no evidence known to me which links Ohio Purnell to the NEWBOLDs, but one would probably find that he descends from the Worcester Co., MD PURNELL family through one of the women in his ancestry. I hope that this facilitates some sharing of sources and documentation among those who are researching the Ohio or the Purnell or any other BRITTINGHAMs. I am particularly interested in knowing about Dryden Collection sources mentioned by Linda Blake which suggest that Purnell and Rowland might be brothers. Cathy Brinkman