Good Evening!!! I am sure glad to hear from you. As I said, usually by the time I find a good lead the person is already deceased. Glad you are still kicking. I only remembered some three years ago when I first got on the web hearing of a lady in Texas whose ancestors lived on the Via land up into the 1880's. So I guesI was s that was you. Since you have worked with the Land Tax Records, do they start in 1782? The Vias that are listed, do you think any of them could be the "original" land of Wm. Amer. By the way, I am the one who has promoted the use of the name William Amer. When we placed stones for Daniel and Margaret Via Maupin in October 2000, I used the William Amer Via as her father and Margaret as her mother. My basis for this is that Margaret and Daniel Maupin named their children after other members of their families. William Maupin their son used the William A. on a few documents. We have never found the meaning of this "A". Also the most popular Via name by far is William and yet Amer or Amor is never used. I was of the opinion that "Amer" was a nickname. There is still some questions of how Margaret Via, an orphan by 1718 met Daniel Maupin who was living and working in Williamsburg in 1719. They married apparently in Williamsburg also. Was she living there with other older siblings, or ! was she somehow connected to Wm and Mary College who had a section for Indians and poor families during the early times. Would appreciate any data from the Tax reports you are willing to share from 1782-1810. I plan to check Mid-Continent Library here in Independence, Mo for the records they might have. Have you seen the posts on Jean Via Thompson? She is possibly the sister to Margaret Via Maupin. Dr. Charles Brown was the person who made the comment in one of his writings that his grandmother was the niece of Margaret Maupin. The only way this could be if that his great grandmother was Jean Via Thompson wife of Robert Thompson. Other close connections between the Robert Thompson family of the Free Union area and the Daniel Maupin family of White Hall makes this all the more likely. The two families lived about fives miles or less apart. The name Jean was sometimes written and Jane, seemed to be interchangable in the early days of these families. Now we are wondering if the wife of John McCord could be another sister due to the similarities in the names and the close connections of the families. Isabell was John's wife. Hope to hear from you soon. William Albertson [email protected]