Now that things have calmed down a bit, I will "come out of the closet" and put in my "two cents worth." My g-g-grandfather was Joshua Thomas Vick, son of William "Captain Billy" Vick. In a letter written Feb. 7, 1870 from Lee Co., Tx to relatives remaining in Miss., Adella Vick wrote, " we are all living in the same house except Uncle Thomas and he lives in site (sight). Uncle Thomas's Negroes came all the way." Uncle Thomas was my g-g-grandfather. I would like to believe he was a compassionate man who brought his "Negoes" with him because he thought of them as "family". He was searching for a better way of life and I hope and believe he was "helping" them search for a better way of life also. There are several "Black" Vicks listed in Lee Co. census for 1880 and 1900 and I am assuming they could be and probably are (at least some of them) descendants of the ones who came with "Uncle Thomas", although I have no documentation to attest to the fact. I always try to look at the brighter side of things, til proven different. I really hope they came as "friends" more so than in the capacity of "slaves". Well, that's my two cents worth. Norene (Vick) Weigl Portales, NM