I descend from William Vestal Sr. born about 1802 in North Carolina according to the 1850, 1860 and 1880 Census records, consistently. I have also located him in the 1830 & 1840 Census records which put him in that age group. I have been working on this line for 5 years and have made great progress. William Vestal Sr. was married 3 times. His first wife is unknown or unproven. This marriage brought child #1Thomas Noah Vestal who married Demaris Starritt (this is my line)/ #2 George Washington Vestal who married a Martha? Martha is said to have carried the last name Bell but I have not seen any proof nor have any family for her. G. W. Vestal married a second time to Sarah Jane Silvey. / #3 Elizabeth Vestal married a man with the last name Wood or Woods. They had one daughter named Mary. Elizabeth Vestal married a second time to Joseph McCutcheon. The second wife of William Vestal Sr. was Rachel Dougan. They had child #4 named William Dougan Vestal also known as William Vestal Jr. He married Sarah Hood and Susan Steele. The third wife of William Vestal Sr. was Rebecca Benge. They had child #5 named Richard, who marred Elizabeth Martin and Martha Farris #6 Alexander, who married Sarah Fortson and Sarah Thompson / #7 Nathan, whereabouts unknown after the 1860 Census / #8 Susan same status as Nathan. The Dougan and Benge families both lived in Franklin County, Tennessee at the same time. For William Vestal Sr. to have two wives who both hale from Franklin County, Tennessee, suggests he himself has some tie to that place. There is Thomas Westal in the 1820 Census of Franklin County, Tennessee. I have seen this census in it's handwritten form and it is alphabetized. If It had been left a "natural" census we could have seen who the neighbors were. If the Dougan and Benge families were listed close by that would be something to take into serious consideration. At this point I do not know who this Thomas Westal is. There is a James Vestal in the 1840 Census of Franklin County Tennessee but I have been instructed that it is actually Estill or Estall on the handwritten document. The Dougan's came to Franklin County from North Carolina and the Benge family from Wilkes County in North Carolina. William Vestal Sr. is living in Panola County, Miss. in 1840, next door to Eli Hinshaw. This Eli Hinshaw is thought to be the same as the husband of Pheobe Vestal. The mother-in-law of William Vestal Sr. was Jane Hinshaw (mother of Rebecca Benge). Corey in Omaha, Nebraska