I am looking for 2 different families in the Botetourt area. On my father's side, my great-grandmother was Mary Ann Gwaltney born September 9, 1853. She was the daughter of Albert Gwaltney born about 1822 in Botetourt County. He was the son of Zachariah Gwaltney born June 19, 1797 in the Amsterdam section of Botetourt County. I would appreciate any information on this line. On my mother's side, I am interested in any and all VanZandt, VanZant, VanSandt connections, specifically Jane VanSandt who was married to Elijah Morris on December 17, 1801. The marriage took place in Rockbridge County, but I have found several references to Isaiah VanZandt in Botetourt County. I believe Isaiah to be either father or uncle to Jane. Since the list is slow, I will take this time to share a story. I grew up showing horses. My father and I traveled all over the southeastern United States and we met some wonderful people. One couple, I came to think of as my godparents. They live way back in the boonies off the paved road in Franklin County, Tennessee. I still spend part of my vacations with them, but I spent weeks with them as a child. I have always considered them family. I have always looked like my mother's side of the family with dark hair, high cheekbones, and black brown eyes. My "godmother" has these same (not unusual) physical characteristics. When we would go places together, everyone assumed that she was my mother. And we would laugh together and enjoy the moment. I have only been interested in geneology for a few years and I spent the first year working on my father's side. It wasn't until my mother made it clear (insert temper tantrum) that she would like to know a little bit more about her family that I started working on that side. After much struggling, I found a thread that lead to the VanZant line. When I found the VanZant thread, I kept thinking to my self that for an unusual name, this one sounded real familiar, but I never could place it. (My fiancee tried to tell me it was the Lynard Skynard connection to Ronnie VanZant.) Two weeks later, while on vacation visiting my "godparents", I realized why. When we made the turn onto the road that leads out to their farm (which had been in my godmothers' family for years), the state workers were putting up the new street signs. She lives on Van Zant Bend Road! I had chills! I just about flew out of the car when we pulled up at their house. And after I convinced her that I hadn't lost my mind, she and I went for a walk in the family graveyard which I had driven past 2-3 times a year for almost 40 years. Her Vanzant's had come from Pennsylvania down through Virginia to North Carolina and across to Tennessee. I collected all kinds of names and dates, and when I got home, I started comparing my godmother and my mother's ancestors. It turns out that the cheekbones, eyes, and hair were more than coincidence. As best as I can tell, they are seventh cousins! This has been one of the best geneology surprises that I have had. I hope this story doesn't bore you too much. And any help on the Gwaltney's and VanZant's (any spelling) will be appreciated. I will be happy to share information. Susie Overstreet199@verizon.net