In reply to Windy: I am not aware of any old gravestones for the Gale family. The Gale family has puzzled several local researchers for many years now. Though I don't know of anyone left here who descends from them, they had apparent connections to several local families, notably the Goodyears and Harrelsons. As you are aware, they left the area in the 1840s. They left few records, and those they left only increase the puzzle, and do little to solve it. It is delightful to find someone on the list searching for them. All below is based on my own original research in the local records and my abstracts of same, except where noted. The Gales were in the area that became Hillsboro Township (East of Little Pee Dee River and south of the state line) from at least about 1786 to the 1840s. Then the name disappeared from the local records. There is a record of an early Samuel Gale in the 1790 census of Prince George Winyaw Parish (see below). That is his only appearance in the local census records. He would seem to be the same Samuel Gale whom later deeds show owned lands in 1786/1791 near Little Pee Dee River. There is reference in one later deed that Samuel Gale owned lands in 1791 in the fork of Little Pee Dee & Drowning Creek. These lands were near Crutchelow Bay or Crutchelow Branch. (Marion Deedbook G/31, Enos Tart, Sheriff to Jacob Grice dated 1816, 3000 acres granted to Alexander Thompson in 1791, bounded in 1791 by Samuel Gale, John Price, & Joshua Barfield; and plat obtained from SC Archives for survey of 3000 acres surveyed for Joshua Barfield, and granted to Archibald Thompson in 1791, showing same bounding landowners as named in deed.) Also, there is reference in later deeds to a land grant to Samuel Gale in 1786. (I don't have a copy of this plat.) This land was sold by Thomas Scott to Benjamin Hays in 1804, 100 acres granted to Samuel Gale on 2 Oct 1786. These lands may be the same mentioned in the grant to Alexander Thompson, or they may be other lands. Thomas Scott resided on Bear Swamp, just a little below Gaddy's Mill. But his kinsman, Pharoah Scott owned lands near Crutchelow Bay and Crutchelow Branch, thus it may have been the same tract mentioned in the Alexander Thompson grant and related deed mentioned above. (Marion Deedbook I/209, Utley's Abstracts by Sutcliffe, Thomas Scott to Benjamin Hays dated 1804.) The only later males I have seen with the name Gale were Solomon, Samuel, and Harrison Gale. I have seen nothing showing their relationship to each other. Harrison Gale owned lands near Hayestown / High Hill / Gaddy's Mill area. Solomon Gale also had lands in that area, as well as near the Little Pee Dee River. I have seen nothing else to connect Harrison Gale to the other two, except for the fact that they were here about the same time, and lived not too many miles from each other. There are several deeds that seem to connect Solomon and the later Samuel Gale somehow to the Goodyear family. Specifically to one Luraney Goodyear (is she the same person as Lurana Gale of 1820 census?), whose identity remains unknown. One close friend suspects that this Luraney Goodyear later married to Timothy Harrelson, son of Benjamin, but I believe that's impossible - she was much older than the Luraney who married Timothy Harrelson, as she was shown owning lands with Solomon Gale in 1807. (Marion Deedbook D/72 & D/79, dated 1807: John Newsom to John Ford mortgage, and John Ford to John Newsom selling lands that included some estate lands of William Goodyear, but excepting 140 acres of lands transferred to Solomon Gale & Luraney Goodyear.) In 1820 there was a Lurana Gale listed in Marion census, age over 45 (see below), but no Luraney Goodyear was found. In 1820 Luraney Goodyear sold 70 acres of land - including lands granted to John Ford and lands granted to George Miller - to Samuel GOODYEAR, and were sold 12 years later by Samuel GALE to Lovet Goodyear (see note following deed abstract, below). On that same date in 1821 ( ! ) she also sold lands to Love Goodyear. In 1832 Samuel Gale sold those lands he had from Luraney, along with some other lands he owned, to Lovet Goodyear, who apparently took all three of these deeds to the courthouse to be recorded. 1821 08/31 LURANEY GOODYEAR TO LOVE GOODYEAR Marion County, SC Deedbook O/123 Luraney Goodyear to Love Goodyear $100/70a; 31 Aug 1821; on NE side of Crutcheloe Swamp ..being p/o/a T of 100a gr to George Miller 7 Jul 1788 ..warrant..; signed: Lurany X Goodyear; wit: Francis Floyd JQ; pr: none; rec: 10 Feb 1833. 1820 08/31 LURANEY GOODYEAR TO SAMUEL GOODYEAR Marion Deedbook O/125 Lurany Goodyear to Samuel Goodyear, both of Marion District; 31 Aug 1820; $100/40a & 30a; on NW side of Crutchelow Swamp lying in a long square being p/o/a T of 500a? or 300a? gr to John Ford also 30a more being p/o/a tract of 100a gr to Geo Miller 7 Jul 1788 to be laid out on the W side of the tract the length of the line joining the abovementioned 40a...; signed: Lurany Goodyear; wit: Francis Floyd QU; pr: none; rec: none given. (IMPORTANT NOTE: The name Samuel Goodyear is as given in the title and text of this deed as recorded in the Marion Deedbook. However, no Samuel Goodyear has ever been found in any other record for Marion County. In addition, Samuel GALE sold this land to Lovet Goodyear in 1832. Please see note following deeds. -jcd) 1832 11/27 SAMUEL GALE TO LOVET GOODYEAR Marion County, SC Deedbook Q/97 Samuel Gale to Lovet Goodyear; $100, 3 tracts; 27 Nov 1832; in the fork of LPDR & Drowning Creek on Crutcheloe Branch ..1/40a on W side Crutcheloe Swamp p/o 500a tract gr to John Ford; 2/100a gr to George Miller on 7 Jul 1788 to be laid off on W side of this tract..3/85a p/o/a grant to Archd. Odom on 5 Jan 1789; signed: Samuel X Gale; wit: John Yelverton, Francis Floyd QU. (I believe there are four possibilities. Possibility 1/There really was a Samuel Goodyear, and he sold this land to Samuel Gale. I find this the least plausible of the explanations - that deed should have been included when Lovet Goodyear carried these deeds to the courthouse for recording. Possibility 2/There was no Samuel Goodyear, this was the clerk's error, and the name was really Samuel Gale. This sort of error is often seen in the recorded documents. However, the name written in error by the clerk is rarely used throughout the deed, as was the case in this document. Possibility 3/Samuel Gale sometimes used the name of Samuel Goodyear. Given the confusion around Luraney Goodyear / Lurana Gale, I think there is some reason to suspect this might have been the case. However, then the later deed of Samuel Gale to Love Goodyear should have also shown the name Samuel Goodyear to be legal. Possibility 4/The name of Samuel Goodyear was inserted in error or misunderstanding by whomever drew up the original deed for them, and the parties involved never read the deed - or perhaps couldn't read? Regarding the date, the deedbook clearly says 1820. However, on the exact same date, one year later, the deed of Luraney to Lovet Goodyear was executed. Leads me to wonder if the clerk might not have made error copying one of the dates.) By 1849 Samuel Gale was in Florida, disposing of the rest of his lands in Marion County, SC. 1849 10/15 SAMUEL GALE to N. PHILLIPS Marion County, SC Deedbook V/157 Samuel Gale of Marion Florida (sic) to N. Phillips; Power of Attorney; 15 Oct 1849; Power of Attorney; ..appt N. Phillips of Marion SC true & lawful attorney...to act in my stead...Signed: Samuel X Gale at Marion Fla.; wit: John G(rain?) Esqr., Clerk of Circuit Court for Jefferson County in State of Florida; rec: 7 Mar 1850. In 1849 Samuel Gale's lands were sold to Elias B. Ford, deed signed by N. Phillips, atty for Gale: "...on east side of LPDR on which I the sd Gale formerly lived said to contain 262a..." (Marion County, SC Deedbook V/111.) Benjamin Harrelson who died in 1840 named his daughter, Mary Gale, in his will. It is widely believed, (and perhaps proven by someone else, but not by me yet, though I find it logical) that Mary Harrelson's husband was Samuel Gale. (Per original will of Benjamin Harrelson dated 1840 in Marion County Probate Roll #357. This will has been posted to the Marion County SC Genweb page.) GALE Family in Marion County, SC Census Records: (There are many online websites that will explain the census age categories.) (These include ALL the Gales I could find in census) 1790, Prince George Winyaw Parish: (from Heads of Families) Gale, Samuel 12200 1800, Liberty County: (from Marty Grant's wonderful website) Gale, Solomon, 21110-21110-0-0 1810, Marion District: (from microfilm by jcd) Gale, Marium 10010-10100-0-0 page 37 Gale, Maryan 02100-01001-0-0 page 14 Gale, Soloman 11101-20100-0-0 page 31 1820, Marion District: (per printed volume by Lois Turner Silva) Gale, Lurana 020100-02101-0-0 1830, Marion District: (per printed volume by Carolyn Prater Ward) Gale, Harrison 10001-10001 (other free & slaves not given) Gale, Samuel 10001-00001 (other free & slaves not given) 1840, Marion District: (per printed volume by Carolyn Prater Ward) Gale, Harrison 111001-12001 (other free & slaves not given) Gale, Samuel 01101-23001 (other free & slaves not given) 1850, Marion District: No surname Gale found in census. 1860, Marion District: No surname Gale found in census. Once again, many clues, little data on relationships. This one seems especially confusing. I am drawn to this Luraney Gale/Goodyear question because I have a Miller line, and am most curious as to how Luraney came into the lands of George Miller. Also interested due to Mary Harrelson Gale being sister or half-sister of my own ancestor, Martha "Pattie" Harrelson Thompson. Hope Windy will jump into the fray, share her information on the Gale family, and let's see if we can come up with any thing more on them. The names of the children of Samuel Gale would be most welcome, along with any other details of his family. A number of other local families went to Jefferson County, Florida. Perhaps we can find some connections among them? Jo Church Dickerson