Hi Everyone! How's this Carroll, didn't have to test the water, I just jumped in. I have alot of relatives in the Puget Sound area that I know about and alot I didn't and still don't. To get started, I am Nancy Brown (such an easy surname to pursue). Anyway, some of the surnames that are in and around the Puget Sound area are: Plants of the D. D. Plants Grocery and Feed Store, cir. 1880's plus, in Ballard. This was my great grandparents store, in fact , it was featured in the book "The History of Ballard" (I think that was the name of the title). Anyway, there was even a picture in the book showing my great grandparents in front of the store. Their names are Denallen "Dean" Dow Plants b. 8 Dec 1862 in Mt Ayr, IA married Emily Elizabeth" Emma" Morie b. 2 Nov 1867 in the Washington Territory, prior to Washington becoming a state. They married in Milton, Or, then moved to Seattle to raised their family and own the store. Brown of Chehalis and Centralia brought here with the lumber industry, Ernest Zemro Brown b. 8 May 1869 in Bradley, ME married Ada G. McCauley b. 12 May 1874 in Saginaw, MI. They married in the Michigan, Minnesota area and then migrated to the Pacific Northwest. They originally lived in Onalaska before moving to Chehalis. Where they lived until their passing and are now located in the historical Claquato Cemetary outside of Chehalis. Berry is also one of the founding families of the Oregon and Washington Territories. Thomas F. Berry b. 10 Sep 1819 inGuernsey Cty, OH, he married Martha Jane Timberlake b. 7 Sep 1820 in Newport, KY. They came from Indiana in 1853, helping establish the Centralia area and Tumwater and Olympia. Thomas F. Berry was a surveyor when he arrive in Washington, only to eventually become a Representative in the Eighth Legislative Assembly of Washington Territory in 1860 He served on the Ways and Means Committee, but he always printed on the committee report as Berry. In 1864 he moved to Thurston County then onto Walla Walla County. They also had a son in the area that was of a substantial contributor to his community, Ira Ward Berry. Morie the maiden name of Emily Elizabeth "Emma" , was also a well respected name in the Seattle area after moving from Milton, OR, where her and Dean Plants had met and married. Rowe is another foundation name in the Pacific Northwest for me, as this is my grandparents last name. Of which several people migrated from the Iowa area to the Puget Sound area. There are brothers and sisters and their children all over the Tacoma, Seattle area that originated from the name Rowe and have become Anderson's, and various other Scandinavian names. Russell is part of the Rowe ancestry, they were one of the first families in the Auburn area when it was still named Slaughter, WA. Named on behalf of a Lt. Slaughter that had been killed by the Indian attacks in that area. Andrew Jackson Russell b. 6 Apr 1835 in Rockville, IN married Easter Neta Case b. 10 Feb 1842 in Clay County, IN they lived in Early, IA for many years before they decided to follow one of their oldest children to the Pacific Northwest. Upon arrival they decided to stay and continue with increasing their family to 12 children. Most of the downtown area was the farming land of the Russell's, the children married Prentice's, Yost's, Cates, Boundy, Smith, Jensen, Vertsch, Rommel, Davis, Brannon, Westcott, and Ward. This are all in connection with my lineage. Andrew and Easter are still located in Auburn at the Mountain View Cemetary on the hill along with some of the young children that left the living family at an early age. I hope this will be a start of some of my background in the area. Carroll, I told you I could jump in. I hope that I have not overdone my intro. I just wanted to be sure I was as complete as I could be, but like everyone else, I do have more. Please let me know if any of this information sounds familiar and we might have a link. Thank you for accommodating me. Nancy Brown