Does anyone know of any connection of REISS or RIESS to THOMAS or to any Lee Co VA families? Here is a marriage record which could indicate possible ancestors of Joseph R. THOMAS of Lee Co Virginia. The chance is slim. This John THOME and Anna Maria REISS were probably born in 1740s -- marriage age by 1767 -- Note that another RIESS, Jacob RIESS, is in the same congregation as Anna Maria. I don't know if the name rEiss and rIess are the same family, just misspelled in one place or the other. Others have told that the father of Joseph THOMAS [1765-?] was John THOMAS born 1742. Joseph lived in Lee County VA before 1850 -- with other Lee Co VA THOMASes. Family lore connects the THOMASes of Lee Co with those of Heidelberg TWP of Lebanon Co PA [was Lancaster Co early on]. More info is online and many of the persons of W. H. Engel genealogy have been found in Heidelberg TWP. 1767 05 01 Thome, John (Lebanon) Reiss, Anna Maria (Lebanon) Marriage Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever (all 1,429 marriages) http://www.pa-roots.com/~lancaster/church/stoever/stoevermarriage.html RIESS, JACOB (Swatara) Riess, Jacob, b 08 09 1750; bap 08 19 1750, Spon. Thomas Bauer & wife http://www.pa-roots.com/~lancaster/church/stoever/stoeverbap.html See also http://www.eprofitsys.com/tdugan.com/thomas.html SWISS GERMAN THOMME [THOMAS] FAMILY and http://www.eprofitsys.com/tdugan.com/aleethom.html A PROPOSED Lee County Virginia THOMAS Lineage Lonnie