Hi Everyone, I have been hanging in the shadows scrolling through the digests just watching to see if the surname I have been looking for turns up. After two years of searching, I have hit a brick wall and am pretty discouraged in finding my ancestor. I have looked at all the normal places we go to and don't know what to do next. My father's maternal grandmother was Francis (Frances) TILLEY (TILLY) and her mother Sally TILLEY. She married William SMITH in Surry Co., NC in 1893. Marriage Certificate says Sally was from VA. Francis born in NC between 1854 and 1859 but died in VA in 1931. In 1873, a Bastardy Bond was filed in Allegheny Co., NC (county west of Surry) by William Smith on behalf of Francis for a son Warrick Winfield Tilley. It is in 1880 that Francis appears on the Surry Co. census living near William Smith and his wife, Sarah. Evidently there was one child prior to Warrick by William with Francis by the name of Mary Smith. Children continued to be born between the two before their marriage which occurred AFTER Sarah died. There were 13 children in all. An individual by the name of Clyde W. TILLEY appears in a Delayed Birth Certificate for one of Warrick's children as the owner of a Bible that is used as one verification to obtain that Birth Certificate. I have one report that there was a Clyde W. TILLEY that was in Oklahoma for a time and he had a brother named Obie TILLEY. Clyde impregnated a girl whose parents would not allow her to marry Clyde and her family moved her to Indiana. Oklahoma records are to far away for me to research this as I live in extreme Eastern, NC near the ocean. Family history says that Francis was sold or given to William when she was 12 years old. She was said to be Cherokee. My further research reveals she might have been Melungeon but that Roots List doesn't reveal a TILLEY surname. Several days ago, my sister was in the Rockingham Co., NC library and came across information that a Francis was sold by a Robert PAYNE in 1870 in Stokes Co. The library was closing and she was not able to record where she saw that information. She has since returned to the library and cannot remember or find where she saw that information. Research in VA and NC finds no Sally TILLEY anywhere and research in VA and NC finds no Death Certificate for Francis in 1931. Cherokee, Melungeon, White or Black makes no difference to me. She was my great grandmother who suffered many hardships in life. There are many Indian features in my family and Asian features as well (Melungeon). There are a few black features. I am Scotch-Irish looking, fair skin, blue eyes, red hair, with an Indian nose. My son, however, is dark skinned, brown eyes, Asian looking. My daughter (and myself) have Indian textured hair with definite "kinkiness" all through. It seems that my father's family ran "moonshine" all through the area from Surry Co. north into western VA which is Melungeon trademark! If anyone has resources I do not have, I would appreciate any lookups! God Bless everyone in their search for their roots! Denise Chandler-Wood