Hi, I've got a gen. friend who I've been giving all the Virginia Douglas/s stuff I can find to, but so far we haven't found anything. He thinks Alexander probably came from Virginia but has no proof. He's done the DNA and doesn't match with anyone (same as quite a few others), and hired a researcher in NC. So, any suggestions? hints? leads? This is brief summary, lol - kind of. he wrote me a more indepth one so if you are interested... :). thanks Julie ---------------------------- Sometime between 1805 and 1817 Alexander was "acquired" by John and Caty (Hileman) Yost and travelled by caravan to Union County, Illinois, arriving in September, 1817. There are no known records in North Carolina or Illinois indicating as to WHY Alexander was with the Yosts. There are Union County road repair records from the early 1820's showing that sometimes Alexander went by Yost and sometimes Douglas, while he lived with them. There is always the possibility that an out-of-wedlock event occurred back in North Carolina. I am fine with that, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO THEY WERE. Here is what makes me think our real surname is Douglas: When Alexander Douglas reached 21 (1826) he bought property in Union County as Alexander Douglas. When he married Mary Hinkle (she was born in NC also) in 1826, the marriage certificate says "Alexander Douglas...AKA Yost". What that says, is that for convenience and because he was a kid, he tolerated Yost. The SECOND he reached his maturity he let it be known he was A. DOUGLAS. Alexander KNEW his real surname was Douglas, and despite having to do alot of explaining to folks around here back in the 1820's who thought he was Alex Yost, he took his surname back. This tells me he knew his parents, especially his mother, and "something happened". Finally, because he was brought to Union County (I am the last of his Douglas descendents who wanders around aimlessly in Union County) it cut him off from his Douglas family. There is no known communication between AD and his NC family. AD (Alexander Douglas) married twice. He married Mary Hinkle in 1826 and had 11 children. Mary died in 1856 and AD then married Sarah Ann Garrett (Keller). He had 4 more children and I am descended from the last...Travis Douglas 1864-1930. Alexander died in 1865 and Sarah in 1869 so Travis was raised by Sarah's grown Keller children from her first marriage. We always wonder...where were all of AD's kids from his first marriage ? We don't even know if Travis knew who all these Douglases were, wandering around aimlessly in Union County, Illinois. There are no clues in AD's Will. I know Wills are mostly about which kid gets what, but sometimes there is more. I just wish that AD had something like; "...And to my Uncle Bolivar Callabassus Douglas, who took my best plough and never returned it and regularly beat me at poker...I leave NOT A BLASTED THING. That would give us something to go on. But there is nothing. So Travis never knew his parents and this helped make the break with the past stronger. Today we don't know nuttin about nobody not no how not no way. - Michael Douglas --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.