Hello Bruce, Thanks for writing. I don't know where to start. The SPENCE-BLUFORD group was designed for just the purpose of connecting the Spence families in SW VA. As to Thomas Spence and Mary Green, this Thomas is an elusive character. We do know that he was a Colonial Soldier. He may have died young though and his children scattered. The Thomas Spence born in 1727 Scotland is probably the Thomas who married Sarah Harriman and they moved to Surry Co. NC from New Jersey. Some have thought that my Burwell descended from this man, but I have serious doubts. The FOWLER book I have mentioned covers this family. Notably the given name David runs in that family, and we have not one instance of the name David Spence in our families. That line is thought to have moved directly from NJ to NC without stopping in VA, so there is where I have doubts. The ages of the sons don't match up with ours. Our group is studying Tazewell Co. VA at present because my Spence line originated in Carroll Co. VA and James & Jane Bluford Spence originated in Augusta Co. VA, and yet in 1820-1830 children of both James & Burwell were living in Tazewell with some intermarriage going on. This says to me that these families were related. I don't think families moved to new regions alone and without either family or friends already there. The circumstancial evidence is pointing toward the Isle of Wight area as the originating point of both these families. The Spence/Harriman line also had a James born abt. 1755, so that rules out James who married Jane Bluford from that line, as far as I know. That's why I have ordered the book to make sure. What Luanne was given on the piece of paper when she was younger, was written in a time before genealogy became as big as it is today, which leads me to think that the information could have came from someone who at one time had access to perhaps a family Bible. The paper was correct in her research as far back as James & Jane. Thomas is where we have trouble finding records. With the lack of records we then must logically decide what these ancestors did by studying their habits, neighbors, given names, etc. As a student of Virginia over the years, I am seeing clusters of surnames in our Spence families that originated in the lower part of Virginia. History tells us that the valleys were populated by Scot-Irish on a southward movement. But I am seeing our intermarried families with surnames of lower eastern VA origin which indicates to me a westward migration. Example: Lee, Bluford, Burwell, Green, Hurd, Puckett, Sutphin, Goad, Webb, Leftwich, Carter, and others. The Green's for example originated around Halifax Co. VA from what surviving records there are in the 1600's. Ditto for the Bluford's who are found next door in Mecklenburg Co. The Lee family was of eastern VA origin also, Halifax I think. So anyway that's the pattern I am looking into. Could be wrong as I'm human. I hope this helps and since the nore became so lengthly, I'll post it to the group also. Please go here and read some of our old postings on our old website list to catch up with the group. you may find some interesting things there ! <A HREF="http://www.egroups.com/list/vaspence/">Vaspence</A> Please let us know from which child of William Spence you descend so I can add it to the big chart ! Later, Carolyn