Hi fellow searchers -- Of all my lines, this one is the shortest, leaving me more than a little frustrated. The really bad thing is that some of the information I have might be bogus. After the Civil War, a minister (and Confederate veteran) and his wife, Chappel and Mary Averett (the spelling varies), moved from Lunenburg County, VA, to Memphis, TN, to serve some religious function. They're listed in the 1870 census for Shelby County, TN. Supposedly, my great-grandmother, Annie Laura Lyncoln (her spelling) was born on in Memphis on 25 Dec 1867 (a suspicious date if I ever saw one!). Then, during the centennial (or more likely, in 1878), a major epidemic of yellow fever swept Memphis, leaving Annie Laura an orphan. She was taken in (adopted?) by the Averetts, who brought her back with them when they returned to Lunenburg County, VA, a few years later. On 23 Apr 1884, when she was 16, the Averetts married her to Albert Hatcher Keeton, also of Lunenburg County, who was almost 30. On her marriage license she listed her name as Annie Laura Averett Lyncoln. It is said that, after the ceremony, Chappell Averett burned Annie Laura's "adoption papers," saying they would no longer be needed. As one might expect, the marriage was not a happy one. In later years, Annie Laura went to live with her son in Florida, where she died in 1923 of cancer. Albert lived until 1932, and was buried in Farmville, VA. I would appreciate any information that anyone can send me. This is a sad story and I'd like to know more about this ancestor's background. Incidentally, she's the only ancestor I've uncovered who wasn't born in Virginia (except for a couple of colonial immigrants). It seems that my people came over here and pretty much dug in where ever they landed -- at least, until my generation. Tom Robertson Escondido, CA