Lou Poole, This is just a "wild shot in the dark," but I wonder if your George Cumberland Thompson was given his middle name because of Cumberland Co., VA? There were three early Robert Thompsons (grandfather/father/son) who were in New Kent Co., VA (starting the early-mid-1600s), and several children of Robert Thompson "III" were living in Cumberland Co., VA by the 1760s or so. One of those several children was named Benajah Thompson, and he married Drucilla Hobson. Benajah and Drucilla's children were born too early to have included your Richard H. ("Hobson," by chance?) Thompson, but I suppose that Richard H. Thompson could have been their grandson or great-grandson. If you go to RootsWeb WorldConnect and search for Benajah Thompson, who can see a list of his many children. Benajah also had several brothers, so they also represent "possibilities," I would assume. There were/are, of course, other Cumberland Counties in other states, so the above is just one possibility. Do you know of a living male Thompson from your family? If so, a DNA test on such a man might be your best (only?) hope in determining the lineage of your Richard H. Thompson. I do not know if anyone from the above Robert Thompson line out of New Kent Co., VA has joined any Thompson DNA testing project (via Family Tree DNA, Ancestry.com or other such DNA testing projects), but that should not be too difficult to determine. As I recall, Robert Thompson "III" left Cumberland Co., VA and moved to Amherst Co., VA (and I believe that he married twice, with children via both wives). There was also another APPARENTLY unrelated Thompson family in Amherst Co., VA, and one has to be careful not to confuse/intermix those two families. Much to my surprise, I have learned over the past few years that researching the surnames "Thompson" and "Davidson" (my surname) is every bit as challenging as researching the surnames "Smith" and "Brown." That is why DNA may be your only hope....but who knows what other "breakthroughs" might be "lurking just around the corner?" Bill Davidson To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html