In a message dated 3/19/02 6:22:46 PM, jcox6888@prodigy.net writes: page 133B 1850 census household 168 Nancy Spears age 59 estate 1000 born SC Harris W. age 17 born SC Sarah Ann age 14 born SC Wirthy Parish age 44 born SC page 134A household 174 Lewis Spears age 35 farmer born SC Elinor age 30 born SC Ellen age 9 born SC Silas age 7 born SC William age 5 born SC Ann age 2 born SC =============================== This Nancy Spears (b. 1791) was apparently the person mentioned in the History of Marlboro Co. by Rev. Thomas as follows: Mr. Parish remembers a widow Conner who had a daughter, Nancy, that married William Spears, father of Lewis and Harris. After Conner's death the widow married John Breeden. The maiden named of Nancy Spears was Nancy Conner, then, and I am thinking that her father might have been Lewis Conner, who died in 1794, because she named a son as Lewis Spears. Apparently William Spears (the husband of Nancy Conner) had died by 1850, but his sons Lewis and Harris Spears were listed above. The Covington, Spears, Bridges, and Conner families had multiple connections by marriage. The wife, Eleanor (b. 1820), of Lewis Spears was Eleanor Covington, daughter of William Covington and Nancy Bridges. Their daughter, Ellen Spears (b. 1841), would later marry John A. Covington, son of Col. John Covington and Harriet Bridges, with John Covington being the brother of Eleanor (Covington) Spears. John A. Covington was mortally wounded in the last great battle of the Civil War at Petersburg, when none but the bravest of the brave were left with General Lee. Left with children under the age of 6, Ellen (Spears) Covington married Jonathan Woodley, grandson of Jonathan Cottingham and Sarah Bridges, with Jonathan Cottingham being the son of Charles Cottingham and Nancy Ann Conner, whom I believe to be the sister of Lewis Conner, whose daughter Nancy I believe it was who married William Spears (father of Lewis Spears, who married Eleanor Covington). In regard to the Parish name, in his will of 1855, William Covington named a granddaughter as Ellen (Parham) Parish, and Conner Cottingham (brother to Jonathan and son of Charles and Nancy Conner Cottingham) married a Nancy Parish. Therefore, the Mr. Parish who gave the Rev. Thomas some of his information for the Marlboro history was probably related to the various families named above. As can be seen from this sketch, it was not unknown for cousins to marry in those days, sometimes more than once. Best regards, Ron