I appreciate so much the helpful suggestions you all offered in searching for our Brown ancestor who owned a slave market. Yes, I did check out the census, but did not know to check the slave schedule. I had not thought of the advertising, and travel aspects of the job. I'm checking it all out starting today! Marie, Oh how I do wish I did have more information to offer! The situation is that my husband's father, Roy Brown, born 1901 or 1902, (even that is in question) was estranged from his father's family since he was a young child. Roy did not want to give us family information and when he did much of it was wrong. On Social Security applications and Navy enlistment papers all different answers were given. Some say his Father was unknown. Roy's father died in 1908 in an accident. We have been unable to find out where, checking out newspapers and where he was supposedly working. We just recently found his real name though city directories. He was James Frederick Brown, but regularly went by the name of Fred Brown. We don't believe he worked for the Electric Co as we had been told, but for the streetcar or railroad line out of Montgomery, Al. If he worked for the RR, the accident could have been anywhere! We have checked death index. Of course Social security was not in at that time. So Roy and his mother and sister were left in poverty and without help from anyone. The bitterness was there. My husband never knew his aunt, Roy's sister. Her first name was Inez Brown. She married young to a navy man. We canot find her marriage info. Don't know her married name. Roy's Mother died in 1919 or 1920. We have her obituary, but no family names were given. Roy sold newspapers on the corner as a child. He joined the Navy as young as possible, and advanced to Lieutenant. He retired after 30 years. The only other data we have is that one of Roy's ancestors had a slave market and that another was a photographer during the Spanish American War. It would mean so much to us to be able to know our family history! Thank you All for your help! Sincerely, NancyBrown To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html