[honeychile]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
honeychile, I think it might be the second J.S. from MA and NH. He was the Major General according to any research I have done. I just googled him and came up with this and this and this.

It's a small world regarding St. Mary's Church. My great-grandparents and great great grandparents were married there. My great-grandfather's brother was a priest, Rev. John F. Sullivan, in the area who wrote a few books about the Catholic Church. This is the problem. They all have the same name. Of course, they are all gone now and have been for many years. It was exciting finding and reading the actual documents that my great great (great?) grandfather signed when he purchased his house in the 1850s or 1860s for the enormous sum of $750. Imagine buying a house for $750.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to go back further in my family tree? I have no idea how to do it. My mother is the oldest living person in that branch, and I have all the information that she has. Thanks in advance.

I haven't googled your links yet, but will when I'm done with this. Have you tried census records, church records, tax records, court records? Sounds like you have the deeds under control - now, you just take a step back & see where he was living prior to buying that $750 house! Will books are especially rich, and the New England Genealogical Society has a TON of records!

I hear you about the same name - there has been a John & a William in literally every generation of my family thus far! It become sheer torture when we found a completely parallel family in the same area - two each of John McCulloughs who married Elizabeths, with a brother William for three generations! We pretty much had to do both family trees to keep them straight as to who belonged to whom!!