My SOUTH, MOORE, THOMAS, and JOHNSON roots are in East Tennessee and SW Virginia, centered around Bristol, TN/VA. My mother is MABLE VIRGINIA THOMAS and both of us were born in Dante, VA. My dad ROBERT EDWARD SOUTH Jr. was born in Bristol, TN. The following is data I have on my gr grandmother SARAH LOUVENA MOORE, the second wife of my gr grandfather JAMES EDWARD SOUTH. 6/13/97 At the Sullivan County Clerks Office in Blountville, I found the marriage record for James E. South and Sarah L. Moore on Jan. 8, 1897. James is buried at the Paperville Cemetery on Church Circle off the Paperville Road and Old Jonesborough Road. It had a flat stone with the following inscription: "JAMES E. SOUTH BORN DEC 23, 1855 DIED APR. 6, 1904 A precious one has gone. A voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our home. Which never can be filled.". At the top of the stone is a symbol similar to a Masonic symbol. The difference in the symbols is where the Masonic symbol had what looks like a carpenter's square cradling a compass with the letter G centered, my gr grandfather's symbol had in the place of the G there was an arm with the hand holding a mallet. The born date on his stone is incorrect. James was born in 1862 not 1855. In the 1900 Census James is listed as a Carpenter. He and his wife Venie had been married 3 years. Children listed: Sarah 17, Kenni 12, Robert 2, Ollie born Feb 1900. Sarah and Kenni were by his first wife Mary C. Crumley who may have died. I don't have any info on what happened to Mary or to their daughter Laura. Children of JAMES SOUTH and SARAH MOORE are: 1. ROBERT EDWARD SOUTH, b. December 24, 1897, Bristol, TN; d. January 1986, Kingsport, TN. 2. OLLIE MAE SOUTH, b. February 02, 1900; d. Unknown. 3. HUBERT L. SOUTH, b. October 21, 1902, Bristol, TN; d. April 12, 1981, Bristol, VA. My father is R.E. South Jr. My Aunt Shirley and he are the only survivors at this date. My paternal gr grandmother is SARAH LOUVENA MOORE, a.k.a. Venie Moore, daughter of FLOYD MOORE and JENNIE MOORE. Venie was b. May 1877 and d. 1960 in Bristol, TN. Jennie Moore, a.k.a. Jane Phelps wife of Sam Phelps, was said to be from Saltville, VA and Floyd Moore was from Abingdon, VA. I have two sources of family data on Venie, Jack Cross descended fron Venie's brother Ed Moore and Louella Burnette (Jones/Carrier/South) descended from Ollie Mae South a daughter of James and Venie. Jack Cross is the same Jack Cross that manages the Sullivan County site at http://www.tngenweb.usit.com/sullivan/ . Jack reported that Ed and Venie were children of Floyd Moore and Virginia Jones. Floyd he said was the son of Allen Moore and Mary Martin of Virginia. He said that Ed Moore was raised by his grandparents Allen and Mary Moore. Jack's first message relating to our family connection is "Ed Moore, Edward Daniel Moore was my greatgrandfather. Yes he was a photographer in Knoxville but in fact travel throughout East Tenn and VA. He was originally a coal miner living in Red Ash VA. If you will contact my genealogy web page you will see that "Popaw" as he was called had 4 daughter and three sons. His daughter Mar Elizabeth Moore was my paternal grandmother. In his later years Popaw was more known for his photography. In fact, I still have his carrying case and many of his old photos and negatives, some of which are on glass plates." Jack's second message was "Just remembered there is some information I have that is not on the web pages as I cannot confirm it yet...Ed Moore's parent I have as Floyd Moore and Virginia Jones. However he was raised my his paternal grandparents Allen Moore and Mary Martin. (Both parents and grandparent lived in the Abingdon Va area). Now the following is unsubstantiated because my grandmother would never really talk about her ancestry for some reason. But family "rumor" always had it that "popaw" (Ed Moore) was part Cherokee on his mother's side." Louella said that the story she heard was that Ed and Venie were born out of wedlock and they were given their mother's maiden name Moore. I have researched what I can on Allen Moore and Mary Martin hoping to find something on Floyd Moore. I do have a Mary Jane Moore born to Allen and Mary July 20, 1854. I do know that Jennie's grave stone at the ORDWAY Cemetery has her name as Jane Wife of Samuel Phelps 1857-1931. I do know that the names of Ed's parents are Henry & Jennie Moore from his marriage license. I DO NOT have a record that ties Jennie Moore or Allen Moore or Edward Moore to Floyd Moore. I DO NOT have a record that gives Jennie's name as Virginia or Jones. All that I have that ties these names together is what Jack and Louella gave me. I have a couple cases where a Moore marries another Moore so that is not unusual and may be the case here. I can't immagine a mother splitting her children between herself and her spouse's parents. It does seem more logical that her parents kept Edward but I need to find a record to prove it. Fredrick Thomas South Goose Creek, SC