This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/2hB.2ACI/111.2.1.1.1 Message Board Post: In 1830 McMinn Co, Tn that is the same James Dyer. Also the same 1840-1870.The reason that I am sure is by the neighbors. He has pretty much the same neighbors with in a few houses or so every year even though there were different variations of his name. Uriah Kyker is one of my ancestors and that is why I noticed. He is alway very near. That would put him in the same area, right near the Meigs Co line. One neighbor is also Rev David W Beaver. James Dyer's son Elijah married Sarah Beaver. David was her father. What you said about Roane Co is interesting. Don't quote me on this but I think that I found a record some time ago that James Dyer bought land there. I think it was near the time of 1830-1840. When ever it was, I found it in the McMinn Co records. About the distortion of the names. It is very possible that the name you mentioned could be something else. In 1870 James was listed as Dier. The census taker just wrote down what they heard. It was how ever they decided to spell it.So many could not read and write. But I don't know how they got Tolitha out of Florantha. It was definately her because the age matches up with the next census year. I have a record of James Dyer's coffin being made. My ggg-grandfather made the coffins in the area that James lived in. I have never found a record of where James or Florantha were buried though. I think that it would be in Meigs Co. The churches in that area that I can think of were Pisgah, Concord and Mt Zion. Though most likely they were unmarked. They lived almost on the boarder of where the county lines are now. I am not sure about the bounderies then.