Kathye, I recommend that we start with the will of Thomas Payne, Jr., and try to add what we can from whatever we find (and from whatever other people contribute, of course). We'll see how much of your great-grandfather's research we can corroborate. His note is the first mention I recall of the identity of Yannaky Payne's first husband. Information like that may not exist in surviving official records, making it possibly invaluable even though uncorroborated. (I don't mean to imply by searching for corroboration that his notes aren't valuable or correct. I wish I had information passed down through the generations that went back farther in my branch of the Paynes!) The will of Thomas Payne, Jr., was executed 15 May 1786 in Franklin Co., GA, and proven by the oaths of the witnesses in court on 1 June 1787 in Franklin Co., GA. Thomas Payne, Jr., named his "brothers" and "sister": Nathaniel, Moses, Champness, Shrewsberry, Zebediah, Poyndexter, Cleveland and Ruth. He mentioned, but did not name, his "step brothers and sisters." (The existence of stepbrothers and stepsisters could mean that one of the parents mentioned in his will was his stepparent, even though he did not say so.) He named his "beloved mother, Yannaky Payne." He appointed as executors "my beloved father, and my friend John Gorham, William Cawthon and Richard White." (He did not name his father, but subsequent records show him to have been Thomas Payne, Sr.) The named "brothers" and "sister" and Thomas Payne, Jr., may have been the children of Thomas Payne, Sr., and his previous wife; and the "step brothers and sisters" may have been the children of Yannaky Payne and her previous husband. (Or, vice versa, with the "brothers" and "sister" and Thomas Payne, Jr., being the children of Yannaky and her previous husband.) It's also possible that one or more of Thomas's "brothers" and "sister" were actually half siblings of Thomas Payne, Jr. (In my mother's family, the half sisters and half brothers ordinarily referred to each other simply as brothers and sisters; so I'm willing to presume from personal experience that Thomas Payne, Jr., would have felt no need to make such distinctions in his will.) We will have to wait and see whether we can sort them out. For example, if we could establish the date Thomas Payne, Sr., and Yannaky Payne married and the birth dates of Thomas Payne, Jr., and his "brothers" and "sister," then we could identify any siblings who were children of Thomas (Sr.) and Yannaky. According to your e-mail to me, your great-grandfather, William Calvin Payne, identified his great-great-grandparents as John Payne, Sr., and Annica. Did he spell her name without a "Y" at the beginning? Starting with the will of Thomas Payne, Jr., and building from there, my presumption is that Thomas knew the name of his own mother (or stepmother). I would want to know the basis for dropping the "Y" before I could conclude that he didn't know her name. While I don't know how well the Ayers researchers have documented the research they've put on the web, I found three different women in the Ayers family with the name spelled "Yanaka," "Yanasha," and "Yanacha." Differing regional accents or a nickname sort of variation may explain the "ee" sound at the end versus "ah," but the "Y" at the beginning doesn't vary or disappear. So, let's start with the name of Yannaky, as it's written in the will. Did your great-grandfather indicate that he was aware of the "Y" at the beginning? If he concluded that it should be pronounced or spelled without the "Y," did he indicate what led him to that conclusion? Looking forward to your reply, Bob