Hi! Jim Huffman, Adj., Gainesville Vols, SCV Camp 373, Pearl River County, MS, here. I'm a regular on Jim Martin's great LA, MS, and Flags boards, but I'm in new territory here!

I hope you can help a dear Yankee friend of mine find a long-sought-after Confederate ancestor, as she's one of us through-and-through (except for that Northern ancestry thingie!).

She's a certified artillery instructor, and she re-enacts with Fenner's LA Battery (CSA).

She is hoping to find at least one CS ancestor before she answers the last, long roll.

She has two interesting VA ancestors who possibly could have served in the PACS or VA militia, but I just can't find any likely candidates for her, despite several late nights of searching the Web.

Two of her grandfathers (one the father of the other) were actually taken prisoner at Harpers Ferry during John Brown's Raid on the same facility.

One was an older man, Samuel M. Williams, born 1-28-1802, married to Keziah Purdum 4-3-1828, died 1-4-1886.

The other was his son, William Williams, born 2-13-1829, married 7-29-1852.

Both were nightwatchmen at the Arsenal, both were captured by Brown's men, and both survived the eventual storming of "Brown's Fort" by Col. Lee, Jeb Stuart, etc. (i.e., "the good guys").

There are so many "William Williams" and "Samuel Williams" in CS service from VA that I'm becoming an (even more hopeless) alcoholic trying to sort them all out.

If any kind Compatriot or other researcher has any idea whether either of these men served the South in any military capacity whatsoever, they would confer a great honor upon me (and my wonderful lady friend) by sharing that information with us.

Naturally, if I can help any of y'all with an Mississippi-oriented queries, just post 'em on the MS Board. Always glad to help when and where I can.

Thanks from far Southern Mississippi! -- Jim Huffman