Betsy, Hmmmmm. . . Could be your grandfather and my great-grandfather were dropped from the same planet. I have William Henry Ross, born Sept. 15, 1863 (death certificate, tombstone) in Harpers Valley, West Virginia (Bible in my cousin's possession, which I've never seen). Lived to be 80. He told his kids, etc., that he walked with a wagon train from West-by-God-Virginia when he was 14 -- that would be 1877. Recently, a grandson of his told me William H. was an apprentice quarryman who came to Central Texas to help build the Capitol and other buildings in Austin. William H. Ross was an accomplished carpenter who was ordained a Baptist minister in 1890ish and was the pastor at several Central Texas Baptist churches, included Round Rock's First Baptist in 1904 or so. He married Ada Harris. Their children were Roy Eric, Kate and Grace Mildred. Roy Eric Ross is my grandfather -- one of his daughters is named Betsy May. May for my grandmother Eunice May, Betsy for ?????. My mother's name is a whole 'nother story about going to Alaska. William Henry Ross may have been related to some Central Texas Barrs -- I can't quite get that story straight from the remaining cousins: Bob Barr had a son named Charles and Bob would have been about the same age as our William Henry Ross. (This cousin was about 10 when he met Bob Barr, so who knows.) These Rosses are an elusive bunch, aren't they? Suzy Moehring Mallard Austin, Texas