Now that you stirred it up good lets find what happened as many of us follow the Hornback-Alkire lines.R ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 17, 2000 17 40 PM Subject: Problems in Harness Research-3 Number 4. This statement should have attracted the attention of everyone who had the least idea about their ancestors' land holdings along the South Branch. It has one big error of fact: there was no "9000 Acre Fairfax Grant" ever given to Michael Harness, or Ernst, or whatever, or to anyone else by the good Lord Fairfax. Altogether, he had less than 58,000 acres, all of which were to be used for income. The various manors [South Branch, Patterson Creek, New Creek, etc.] all were managed in the same manner: leases [called farmlets] of from 203 to 456 acres were given out on strict terms. The Harness or Ernst name does not even appear among the farmlets granted on the South Branch or the South Fork in the first leases in 1748 and 1749, or for several years afterward. [see Gertrude E. Gray, Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 2 vols., 1694-1742, 1742-1775 (Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997 and 1998); and Charles Morrison, "Early Fairfax Land Grants and Leases Along the South Branch of the Potomac," in West Virginia History, XXXVIII, No. 1 (Oct 1976), pp. 2 et passim.] We can only suppose that some early descendant thought Michael important enough [and much more important than anyone else!] to get more acreage than any other settler on the South Branch. Documentation, logic and common sense were missing here, too. Statements like the original four noted above should have been examined and deleted from these family accounts years ago; but that requires everyone to question what they use from the accounts of others, and requires careful research. I'm relatively new to intensive South Branch area research. I started into this area trying to find sound Harness, etc., data to help me make sound connections to my Tevebaugh ancestors. What I've examined above is like much of what I've encountered. My job has been made difficult and lengthy because of it. Sound researchers, unfortunately, have not been plentiful. John L. Tevebaugh