[RightField]

My husband's lineage prior to the Civil War is almost impossible to trace, as he is African American. I am white and have been able to trace many of my lines back 10 and 12 generations. Interestingly, I found one line back in Virginia whose last name was the same as my husband's middle name. Of that family, one son and his family moved to Mississippi in the early 1800's, to the same county where Mr. RightField's family was during slavery days. Did one of my ancestors own some of my husband's ancestors? We have looked into it, but can't find anything at all after their move to Mississippi. He doesn't look much like a slave, does he?

I also have the classic case (in another family line) where two brothers fought against each other in the Civil War.

[RightField]

Not clear from my previous post: The pic is of my husband’s great grandfather, not of my ancestor who moved to MS from VA.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I grew up in a county where everyone in the phone book with my last name was a relative. My father went to a convention in Denver one time and noticed that the person who had signed the guest register ahead of him had the same name as his brother. He asked the clerk about the other guest. The clerk gestured across the lobby to a black man. Oooops! That was my family’s plantation background from VA (1607) and KY (1785) coming back to haunt us.

[EDINVA]

He kinda has that Bruce Willis look.