Thanks for your time and consideration. The information you sent has been very helpful. You have to know history to further your research. That is a fact! Janet At 01:51 PM 2/20/00 EST, you wrote: >I believe this surname Nettles (as well as many other South Carolina names) >can be found in early Wilkinson Co., MS records. Some of my Sumter Co. folks >moved there, some before the War of 1812 and some after War of 1812, but they >trickled in as a group--seven Scott sons and lots of their Keller kin--and >intermarried. (But not all Scotts in that area are related. Some were big >land-owners and county officials and some like mine were just common folk.) >The records are very good there, unlike the Sumter Co. records. > >LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City, has many films for Wilkinson Co., >MS and it's adjoining parish in Louisiana--Feliciana Parish, which later >split into two parishes, so one has to search in all three >jurisdictions--Wilkinson Co., West Feliciana Parish and East Feliciana Parish. > >Heritage Books a few years ago published newspaper abstracts from the >Wilkinson Co. newspaper, and these are helpful in finding dates when your >people may have married or died (if your people migrated there). > >A people-finder for this part of the MS-LA area (plus many other areas of >what had been the Louisiana Purchase) is Philip McMullen's (or McMillen) >GRASSROOTS OF AMERICA. This is a computerized index to parts of filmed >Gales and Seaton version of AMERICAN STATE PAPERS, one particular volume of >same. These have been filmed by LDS and may be in some University microfilm >collections and large libraries. > >For LA and MS, these papers pertained mostly to private land claims granted >by the Spanish prior to the Americans taking over. However, one may find >other persons also in the index. As a librarian-genealogist cautioned me >(and the audience), ALWAYS read the preface and/or introduction. This is a >MUST with McMullen's book, which is an index--like a telephone directory but >with not much information. Suggest you read up on this resource in a book >such as THE SOURCE (either edition). That book was written by the experts, >and I am not an expert. > >Of course, some of your folks stayed in Sumter Co. Annie Gregorie states in >her history of Sumter Co. (I believe--I read at it many years ago) that as >the cotton gin was invented, farmers discovered they could plant much more >cotton and so as their families expanded, they moved to bigger and newer >fields--such as MS. > >Hope this info helps those who folks wandered from Sumter Co., SC. > >E.W.Wallace >southern California > > >==== SCSUMTER Mailing List ==== >The Sumter County Genealogy Society is open Tuesday - Saturday 10:00-1:00 >and from 2:00 - 5:00. (Check for holiday closings.) (803) 773-9144 >The Genealogical and Historical Research Center is located at 219 West Liberty Street in Sumter. >The mailing address is P.O. Box 2543 Sumter, S.C. 29151. >Meetings are held every third Monday at 7:30 p.m. except during June,July, and August. >(The meetings are held at Swan Lake Presbyterian Church.) > >