In a message dated 10/1/98 12:09:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << I can't help with your Geore, but could you explain how you connected to Samuel , oops! was this the Samuel, Sr. or Samnuel, jr. who were in the Lynch's Creek area of SC, or some other Samuel. Jane >> ________________________________- Dear Jane, I am not sure if my Samuel is connected to the Lynches Creek Ratcliffs or not. I traced him through Clarence Ratcliff's records of the Johnston Co., NC (Kinston, NC) Ratcliff branch which migrated to Orangeburgh Dist., SC right around the time of the Revolution. From that point on, I simply relied on what land records remained and the location of Samuel Ratcliffe's land with respect to land belonging to my known Walker line into which Samuel's daughter, Lydia, married William Walker in 1799. The Orangeburgh Dist. records for anything before the Civil War are forever lost to the flames of war so I have had to make some assumptions based on less than perfect proof but I feel that I am on solid ground with this particular assumption. Both Samuel Ratcliffe and Nathaniel Walker, Jr. (William's father) were large landowners in the area along the Edisto River, south of the town of Orangeburgh. They received SC State land grants at about the same time and this is possibly the mechanism which brought their children , William and Lydia, together. The Walkers were prominent Baptists and land surveyors in the area. In fact, Nathaniel was a preacher on the side and may have preached at a revival meeting at a church which Samuel and his family attended. He and his father had been disowned by the Quakers due to their participation in the Revolution and Samuel probably joined the Baptist church. I know my claim is based on less than perfect proof but its the best I have been able to come up with so far. I would welcome any better proof. Frank Trowbridge Dum Spiro Spero!!