Bonnie,
I don't want to get deep into Ala. and Ms. research but I am willing
to research the estate of Sterling Cato. Since I have said that I
thought that the Sterling in Ga. and Ala was a son of Sterling, who
was a son of John and Jane, I am interested in this estate. However
what you have found makes me begin to agree with you. Hopefully we
can prove your theory. Send me the data I need to find the material
that I will need to study.
Relative to William of Chesterfield, I agree that the census record
does not agree with the Bible record, but I suspect that he is the
William that married Sarah Massey. We probably need to read the
original census to make sure that it has been recorded correctly.
Even if has, it still may be that the census taker made a mistake.
Presently I cannnot agree with you and Cynthia that John of Lancaster
Co was a brother of Henry and the father of William of Chesterfield
Co. We have too many Johns as sons of John. For instance if John who
made the wilI in 1788 was not the John who married Jane, who was he?
Would he not be another son of John and Jane. If he is the John who
married Jane, then he had a son John by his wife Elizabeth Nannie.
I still stand by the idea that John in Lancaster is a son of Henry
and a brother of William. We need to search Lancaster and
Chesterfield records for more on the estate of John.
I think that the primary source of the William of Md. being the
William of Fairfield must be found. Presently the names of his
children cause me to think that he may have come from from Bertie and
Halifax Cos. NC.
I see not problem in the recount of James Hathcock's service. He
marched South from the Court House of Northampton Co. across the
Roanoke River toward SC, across the Cape Fear River to Drowning Ck.
Later they recrossed the Cape Fear River (going east ) to Kingstown.
I see all of this on my maps as being pretty much in straight line.
He