In a message dated 05/29/2003 5:10:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > Researching any families that came to Hunt County Texas from Hawkins > County Tennessee & Lee County Virginia. Also interested in families from > Decatur > County Tennessee.Large groups came from those areas, Want to know WHO and > WHY. > If you have any familiy members from those counties, please contact me. > > Hi Carol, My great-grandfather came to Hunt Co., TX from Decatur Co., TN. His name was William Franklin Jernigan. He arrived in Hunt Co. sometime between June 1870, when he appeared on the census back in Decatur Co., and June 1873, when he married Josephine Riley in Parker Co., TX. The Rileys were early pioneers in Hunt Co., TX, having arrived there in the 1840s. I didn't know that there was a large group from Decatur Co. who migrated to Hunt. I would also like to know why. My great-grandfather was an orphan and he came to TX on his own after working on a Mississippi river boat for awhile. However, perhaps he knew others from Decatur Co. who were already in TX; that would explain why he ended up there. I have always been curious about that! I'd like to find out more. Sharon Jernigan Tingley