In a message dated 11/17/98 7:58:17 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: << I am looking for African American WARES in Caroline County, Virginia, before 1860. I have managed to trace the male line back to MATTHEW WARE, who was listed in the 1870 census as being about 70 years old. I was unable to find Matthew Ware in either the 1860 free or slave schedule (which did not include the names of slaves). Matthew was married (?) to Action (or Axion) and they had 5 children: Nelson, Charles, Willis, Laura, and Letty. Does anyone have any information on any of these people, or on how to go about locating them outside of census records? >> Assuming that he may have taken the family name of his previous owner, have you used probate or court records in that county for the Ware surname? He may have been mentioned as a younger man in a transfer of property. I'm anglo and a little uncomfortable suggesting this.....is it kosher to make these suggestions, in these terms? I know there is an African American FH site that is looking for all such probate, etc that contain slave info so they can catalog it and make it available to researchers such as yourself. Michele Brooks