Hi Gloria, Thank you for your ideas. I have been thru every microfilm I could get my hands on from interlibrary loan from the Library of Virginia. I can not find a single other WILT in all of Shenandoah County, but he says he was born there. I have thought that maybe he was born a WILL (as these are many) and morphed his name for one reason or another, as this has happened in my family. But someone on this list has said that he found no relation. I have not completely ruled it out yet, I am trying to keep all options open. My husbands family decended from Samuels son Philip W WILT. And the story coming down was that they were once from the Pennsylvania Dutch. Which church would they have been associated with if they were of this religion? I did find WILT's in York county PA, but I need to connect Samuel with someone in Shenandoah County if he was supposedly born there. As to what he may have been called as a child is unknown as he was married before the 1850 census and has been Samuel WILT or WILL in every census. There are no WILTS in the 1840 or earlier censuses that I could find. Thank you Lisa In a message dated 12/3/2010 10:34:22 AM Eastern Standard Time, Chochoruss@aol.com writes: > > Lisa, I am wondering if you found an obit on Samuel to see what it says? > Have you looked at all of the Wilt wills and estates settlements, > including > Deeds in the area to see if perhaps Samuel is mentioned under another name > > and you aren't aware that it is him. Just remember that sometimes the > parents called the son by a different name then the son went by in census > and > land records. > > A good example of this is John Benjamin Franklin Bushong, son of Jacob > Bushong and Sarah Strickler of the New Market Battlefield family, who in > his > father's will, Jacob referred to his son as Benjamin yet the son went by > Frank or Franklin most of his life. > > So beware that you don't fall in to a trap.The answer may be staring you > right in the face. > > Gloria Bushong >