Richard, you wrote "I have most of the early Laurens Co. census records in my computer." Wow! Do you (or does anyone else reading this) have anything on these folks, or any pointers to where I should look? James Patterson (c1795 SC or Ireland - c1870 AL) Margaret (Peggy) Brown (c1795 SC or Ireland - c1870 AL) James N Neighbors/Neighbours/Nabors/Nabours/Nabers (c1765 France? SC? - c1850 AL) Mary Brown (c1772 Ireland? - 1860 AL) William T Brown William we believe to be the father of both Mary and Margaret, though this is unproven. We think other daughters married Hipp and Neighbors men. James Patterson married Margaret Brown. James Neighbors married Mary Brown. James and Margaret Patterson and James and Mary Neighbors moved to Alabama some time before 1840. Their children, Andrew Jackson Patterson and Mary Ann Neighbors, married in Alabama and are my 3rd great-grandparents. We believe "our" James Patterson was at estate sales in Newberry Co. in 1822 and in 1834. A story passed down in the family says that James Patterson and Peggy Brown met on board a ship from Ireland to South Carolina, but census records indicate that both were born in South Carolina. However, either set of parents could have come from Ireland, I suppose, and met on the way. No proof has been found in either case. I have checked records at the SC Archives in Columbia, and made one trip to Laurens and Newberry counties to check records there. However, I was a relative novice and undoubtedly missed some records I should have looked at. I'm not really sure what resources are available in either county even today, but would plan to make another trip (from Colorado) if there are things I should look at that aren't available outside of SC. Margaret Lindsey Smith