Funny how in following some of my family they followed the same trail as Abe Lincoln. I have always thought of him as a southern boy. And I have to admit, in my research I have found some of the members of my family in those plantation houses, owning slaves. They sure were not from the north, most of them were here ca 1741 and were German speaking, from Switzerland; others here 1700 by way of North Carolina, and seem to be from Irish sea area. I was not aware the large plantations were owned by northerners. I do agree that a few people owned most of the slaves, had the large plantations, controlled the government. And how my family got their land? They were always the first in a new area, getting the best land. Each generation most of them moved on leaving a few behind to pass on the land. I had them on both sides of the war - in blue and gray - but let me tell you, they were all southern. At one time it bothered me that my family seemed to keep taking Indian land, pushing them further west. It also bothers me that some owned slaves. Now I simple except them all regardless of what they did. Some I like, some I don't, but I never expected to find I was royalty when I began the search of my family. I have found a bit of everything, divorce, murder, thief, but also bravery, and honor. They were people, and trying to say one group was right and another wrong, one was better or more just than another.....it gets too complicated for me to do that. I simply accept them - warts and all, and move on, trying to learn from their mistakes. Mary