Cousins, Susan: We are compiling a Spence chart and we found a Ransom Spence in the Tazewell VA census records. I estimated he was born in 1857. He was living in the household of Abner Spence & Phebe Gent Spence who married in Tazewell in 1847. Abner & Phebe's other children were: Narcissa ca.1847, Emerine ca. 1853, James ca. 1855, ( Ransom ca. 1857) and Thomas ca. 1864. Abner & Phebe were living next door to Joseph & Anne Spence. The census shows that Joseph & Anne had: Edward ca. 1825 who married Mary Noel, James born ca. 1827, and Bartlett ca. 1833 who married Sarah McReed. If Abner was indeed Joseph's son, Abner had already married and moved out before the 1850 census, and Abner's marriage date of 1847 bears (bares ?) witness to this. I think, and this is still in the theory stage, that Joseph Spence was the son of Burwell Spence of Carroll Co. VA. Burwell had a son Joseph who disappeared from the Grayson Co. VA tax lists in 1826 ( I think it was !) . Joseph was named in Burwell's Will in 1843/44. Burwell's widow ,2nd wife Nancy Thomas Spence, was living next door to Joseph & Anne Spence in Tazewell Co., after having moved there from Carroll Co. around 1850. So chance's are good that Joseph was the son of Burwell. The only doubt that I have left to investigate is the fact that the name Abner also appears in another Spence line, that being William Spence who married Jane Tuttle. Jane Tuttle was a daughter of an ABNER TUTTLE. We think we have all of William and Jane's children accounted for except one son born 1820-1823. We (or I) strongly think this missing son was Alexander Spence, born 1822 , who coincidence or not, moved to KY into some of the same counties that William & Jane's daughters migrated to along with their husbands. If anyone is actively researching the Tuttle line ( and I know Jim is ) possibly this Anne wife of Joseph, may have been a Tuttle daughter also. In that event, she had every reason to name a son Abner. ( That would solve this mystery, wouldn't it ? ) Susan: you are the only one who has a tie to Ransom so far. I hereby officially delegate you the "Official Ransom Spence Researcher" of our group !!! Here's the ball () Slam Dunk ! Maybe by comparing names of Rant's children etc. we can find a good connection. Don't you love ancestors with unusual names ? If he died in the 1900's, there should be a death certificate somewhere. You said Rant moved to Greenbrier Co. WV ? That's where my husband's Spence's went also about 1902 from Carroll Co. VA. They lived on the Greenbrier/Monroe County line in Glace and Hollywood WV. How about that ? My husband also descends from Burwell through his youngest son Lewis Spence. O.K. cousins.... Next posting, I'm going to work on that William who I hear through the grapevine went to Bath Co. KY from GA. This would be an answer to Norman's prayers... He has been waiting so long...... This involves all the Moses and Joshua Spence descendants too in GA. Ya'll need to jump in and discuss this line. I don't know much about the GA line. I just look at the chart and wonder ! Chief Mischief Maker, Carolyn