research: "I therefore accept the name REAVIS as reasonably proven to have originated with Edward Reavis of Henrico County, Virginia, and I also accept the name ASHLEY, purely on the basis of an unproven but generally held tradition, to have been the original surname of Edward." "..the reason for discarding the name ASHLEY, -- will probably never be answered conclusively; and certainly not on the basis of any family tradition, for there are many and conflicting versions of this. However, two lines of inquiry may be interesting and profitable to pursue, at least briefly. One of these relates to the general conditions under which immigration was induced into Virginia in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century and consequent motives to which those conditions might give rise, for chang- ing one's family name. The other relates to an examination of the suggestion advanced by several correspondents to the effect that the Ashley who became a Reavis was a scion of Lord Ashley Cooper, bettern known as the Earl of Shaftsbury, one of the eight proprietors of the Carolinas." Now I want to add that my database is "connected", all persons can be traced back to Edward-1; what other family in the US can do that? So there must be some truth in the fact that he originated the name. In which case, all the other Rivis/Revis, as so far have proven to be NO relation to ours. *Barb