Hi All: I have been working with a gal out in California on our Thompson line.  We found out through some common photos that we are definitely looking at the same line.  She wrote me a note today and said that her sister lives in TN and wants to make a trip to Marion Co. I've told her I think the best place to start is at the Whitwell library.  I didn't find much in the Thompson file that would help us on the areas we're stuck on, but I haven't been able to study all of it as much as I'd like.  I know that this girl is new to gen. research, so I don't want her to get discouraged, but I don't think she's going to find much more than I already have.  Here's the issues we're facing.  We're stuck on the parents of our patriarch.  He was born 1835 and we think he was orphaned by 1850 (he was living with Henleys at age 14).  Samuel F. Thompson married Nancy Rawlings and they had 3 sons:  James B., Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.  Our line:  James B. married Mary "Polly" Ann Smith.  They had 3 children:  William H. b. 1890, Samuel C. b. 1892, and Mary b. 1902 (m. James Henley).  Our "Uncle Billy" (William H.) left TN between 1905 and 1914.  We're not sure where he stopped along the way, but we know he was in Washington State in 1914 when his daughter was born.  After 1914, we have no idea where he went except that he served in WWI, for a time on the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.  We're trying to find out what happened to William H. Thompson.  I've checked the WWI records at TSLA.  We don't think he ever returned to TN.  We've tried NARA, but they keep telling us they need an SS# before they can help us.  I've looked into the USS Penn, but it never went into battle during WWI -- I think he must have been reassigned, but not sure where.  I have much more experience with WWII research so I may need to look in different places than I have been. I have a hunch that Aunt Mary Henley knew about William H. Thompson's daughter out in Washington and kept in touch with her.  In the photos Hazel Thompson saved was one of Mary Thompson Henley as a much older woman.  I know that Mary Henley had 4 boys:  Melbourn, Jim, Roy and Sam Price Henley.  I think Sam Price is the only one still living.  Does anyone know any of the Henleys that I could e-mail and ask about this missing relative?  I'm hoping that some of the old photos, bibles, etc. might have survived with this part of our line.  Several of our Thompsons are buried in the City Cemetery, so I'm going to send her there.  As a side note, our Samuel F. served in the 34th TN CSA Infantry under Captain Bostick.  I have his service record from TSLA, but no pension was ever applied for that we can find.  Samuel F. died in 1910, so the death records are no help because they didn't contain parents information back then.  Does anyone have any suggestions on where we should go next?  I appreciate any ideas you can offer!  Thanks much.... Donna O'Brien (Researching:  White, Harris, Thompson, Patrick, Havner, Murray, Sitz, Slaughter, Kenny, Smith, Troy, Robertson,  Richmond, Lockhart, Bess,  Rawlings, Anderson, Shote, Anders, Blair, Killian, Hargis, Bost, Floyd)