I am going through my notes made January 2004 on a visit to the Orange county Courthouse. After my day there, I thought to myself that people who publish books that contain abstracts of wills or land transactions do not charge nearly enough to reimburse them for the labor involved. I am going to post my comments as I read through them in the next few days. These abstracts are completely my own interpretation. I am mostly talking to myself. But perhaps someone else on the mail list will find something helpful or give me more insight or correct a misconception that I have formed. I think that I have posted some of this before. But I have made a few breakthroughs on my understanding since last year. Marsha in WV My first land Hawkins transaction is May 28 1767. Orange County was formed in 1734..so I assume that this date is the first transaction in which a Hawkins is named in Orange. When I look at the books on Orange County and when I viewed the large map in the back of the Orange County genealogical society, I find that a John Hawkins and a Joseph Hawkins had land in Orange as orginal landholders. So I can only guess that that means that they had purchased the land before Orange became a county. Perhaps while it was Spotsylvania county? So should I look at Spotsylvania County land records for earlier land transactions? Regardless, Here is my own interpretation of the land record that I was reading last year: May 28, 1767 a portion of land owned by John Spotswood was seized at his death for repayment of debts. Guardians of John's son Alexander are selling the seized land for best possible price. Benjamin Hawkins is buying part of the said estate lands. Description: lying in county of Orange and bounded aas follows: Beginnina at a gum and poplar and white oak stump on the Rapidan River Corner to Mrs. Willis thence with her lines South Sixty one degrees East one Hundred and ten poles to a locust thence with Thirty six degree East Forty eight poles is a .....to a coner of said Willis and Waugh. Thence up that branch with Francis Moore. So Is our best guess here that this is the Benjamin Hawkins who married Sarah Willis. This couple had daughter, Lucy, who married Francis Moore. It seems to me that the dates work OK as Lucy's brother, Moses, had young children when he was killed at the battle of Germantown. Do others believe this to be an accurate interpretation? Marsha in WV