I have just had an opportunity to focus on your messages about the Fretwell family. You asked if I had any idea when Mary Younger, daughter of Thomas was born. There is no concrete documentation but the father of Thomas, Alexander, died in 1727. Thomas was his oldest son. One sister of Thomas, Elizabeth, was married so it's conceivable that Thomas could have also been married - though there is no proof, let me reconfirm. We do have documentation of his father's birth and he was born in 1681. Using the usual measurements for early marriages, Alexander could have been married by 1701 (he being 20 years old). Since Elizabeth was married, I make an assumption that Thomas may have been the second child and first son. My guesstimate of Thomas' birth would be around 1710 - give or take a little either way. First, recall that Thomas Younger named his daughter Mary Fretwill in his will. The will was written in 1789. We can assume then that Mary married William Fretwell prior to 1789. What you are probably most interested in is the deeds I found this morning in my records that document that it was a William Fretwell to whom she was married. This may not be your William with whom you are so intimately acquainted but a William, nevertheless. Essex County VA Deed Book 24:215 7 Nov. 1747 Timothy (X) Driscoll and Rebecca, his wife of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County VA to William Fretwell of the same for 15 pounds; 100 acres in Essex County VA adjoining John Croxton, Francis Browne, James Booker and Thomas Miller being the land whereon Timothy Driscoll lives. It appears that Timothy Driscoll and William Fretwell exchanged 100 acres on the same day. See the following: Essex County VA Deed Book 24:217 7 Nov. 1747 William Fretwell and Mary, his wife, of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County, VA to Timothy Driscoll for the same for 7 pounds; 100 acres in Essex County adjoining James Jones and Piscattaway Creek it being the land whereon William Fretwell now lives. If Mary was married before the writing of the will, she had been married 42 years at the execution of this deed. Two years later William Fretwell returns this land to Thomas Younger Essex County VA Deed Book 24:353 10 Aug. 1749 William Fretwell of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County to Thomas Younger of Drisdale Parish, King and Queen County for 30 pounds; 100 acres in Essex County "being that parcel of land that was purchased of the sd Thomas Younger by Timothy Driscoll and by him conveyed to William Fretwell. The last entry I have for William Fretwell is the following: Essex County VA Deed Book 27:284 6 Nov. 1754 William Fretwell and Mary, his wife of Southfarnum Parish, Essex County VA to James Booker of the same for 28.3 pounds; 68 acres in Essex County adjoining James Booker, Henry Brown, Keziah Brown, Francis Broughan and Hezekiah Brown being the land that was purchased by William Fretwell of Francis and Christiana Brown, his wife. At the writing of this deed, if these were the same participants that we followed through the will of Thomas and the deeds of William Fretwell, Mary and William would have been married 65 years which would mean they had to be 75 or 80 which is a bit on the extreme side. I think there must be a piece missing. The documentation flows but the years just don't make good sense. Could this be a William who had a son William - both marrying women named Mary? In the 1842 suit of settlement between the Youngers and the Younger executors, instead of Mary Fretwell, a Mary Scudder was named. That brings to mind two possibilities. One is that Mary died before 1842 leaving only one heir named Mary who married a Scudder and that William Fretwell remarried to a woman named Mary. With your extensive knowledge of the Fretwell family, can you help me out here?