Ann H. Mack" <ahmack@redshift.com> wrote: >James, >I see you have found the "Brethern List", a really active one >and well researched.... Actually, I've been a member of that List since its early days On the Maiser List at Indiana University. That's probably 4 or 5 years ago. I would agree that much of the success of that List is that it includes several "retired" historians, and others who are active in posting information. Also interesting is the inter-relationship my branch of the SHUMAN family has had with Brethren people. So far as is known, the SHUMANs were Methodist in WV and IN, from early 1800s to 1860s. But at the three locations we have for them, there were Brethren people living nearby. Finally, in the 4th generation, one of the Shumans became a "Dunkard," and then several more from the one family from which I descend joined the Brethren. Most of the others have remained with the mainline churches, such as Methodist, Christian, etc. but I still want to find a "Shuman" family >that would name a child born c. 1812 "James", not a popular >name...and that this child went to IL, seemingly by himself, >c. 1830 to marry a very Roman Catholic Irish lass, Mary >Annie Riney. Then off they go to MO, where lots of descendants >still exist...??? Any clues for the millennium? >In all good spirits...Ann in Carmel, CA > > Of course, I have to take exception to your statement that "James" was/is not a popular name <g>. In the John Shuman branch especially, ALL J-names were popular. And there were James W, James M. and James A. all born before 1830. Now, as to going to IL by himself at age 18, I would dare say that such exploratory trips were not unusual for young men who felt the itch to be part of that great westward movement of the time (notice he didn't stop until he got to MO <g>). And if he was "rootless" (i.e., went to IL without close family), then it might not have mattered much to him what the denomination of his future wife was. Now, your real question is: Where did this James come from? We must bear in mind that there were more than a dozen different immigrations of Shumans into the PA area during the period 1730-1770, and by the turn of the century, quite a few of them (or their descendants) had already migrated westward and southward. In addition, we have at least one prominent family in the NC/GA area by the late 1700s who has been difficult to trace farther back. By 1812, several Shumans have been found in OH, and perhaps a few in KY and/or TN. I believe that our task in the next millennium is going to be to help sort out which of our present lines traces back to which of those early immigrants. Those of us who are "stuck" around the late 1700s or early 1800s need to keep our attention focussed on these areas and watch for/help in finding new discoveries concerning the SHUMAN families. Best Regards! JS ____________________________ James Shuman, art instructor Modesto High School jshuman@telis.org ____________________________