Eddie (and others), Thanks for the suggestion, Eddie! I hope you don't mind me adding the list to my reply because I have a follow up question. I followed your suggestion and found a John STARNES listed on Russell County tax lists for years 1798-1800. Don't know if that is my John STARNES but it very well could be. I also went to the local LDS Family History Center and searched their databases for marriage of my John STARNES and Sarah Jane ADAMS. I found that somebody (unidentified) had filed a report showing a marriage of John STARNES and Jane ADAMS (no mention of first name Sarah) for 1794 in Surry County, VA. No further information or source notes were given. Now my question. I am pretty sure that John and Sarah were both living in SW VA at the time; but Surry County is all the way over to the Tidewater coast. How likely, given what you know of the history of that time and area, is it that this couple would have gone over there to get married? Since there is a Surry Co., NC, just over the border, is it more likely that they were married there and the LDS file is in error? Was the border between VA and NC even firmly established in 1794? Just more puzzles for me to ponder. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Charles Ed Starnes "Edgar A. Howard" wrote: > > Date sent: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 21:13:01 -0800 > From: "Charles E. Starnes" <starnesc@ucs.orst.edu> > To: "Edgar A. Howard" <ehoward@conknet.com> > Copies to: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: not exactly genealogy > > John STARNES and Sarah Jane ADAMS were born, somewhere in SW VA around > 1775? > > For STARNES I would look in Russell and Scott Co. I can't help > more than that. > -eddie