Thanks to all of you who responded suggesting that Joseph "Lians" is really Joseph Siens. No, he is not. I have the original certification, the clerk's handwriting is excellent, and since her name is Sarah it is quite clear what is an "S" and what is an "L." I have a copy of my ggg-grandfather John Sines/Siens' will, all of his children are listed, and there is no Joseph. He went to Ohio about 1818, probably from Monongalia/Preston Co., VA (WV) with four brothers, and there are no Josephs in any of these lines. There is a Joseph Lyons married to a Sarah who appears in the census beginning in 1850, of the right age and in the right places. I think he probably is THE Joseph Lyons, given where he is, but of course cannot be certain. The Lyons and Cottrills families moved through the same counties of western Virginia in the late 18th century that my own and allied families did. Given the rate at which people died on the frontier, and the ease with which other families took on their children, he might have been at some point an informally adopted child. _________________________________________________________________ Make every IM count. Download Messenger and join the i’m Initiative now. It’s free. http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=TAGHM_June07