Email From Roots Web Review RootsWeb-Review-request@rootsweb.com  to  RootsWeb-Review@rootsweb.com
Email Dated May 31, 2000


ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News
Vol. 3, No. 22, 31 May 2000, Circulation: 613,261+
(c) 1998-2000 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/
RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798

Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG
         RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com

RootsWeb HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/

Advertising: rrti@rootsweb.com

Media Contact: stwalsh@rootsweb.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

 o News and Notes at RootsWeb (New Searchable Databases at
   RootsWeb -- California Birth Index, California Death Index;
   Louisa County, Iowa Cemetery Records; Kentucky Civil War
   Rosters; FreeBMD (England and Wales); RootsWeb in the News;
   WorldConnect Tip: Shaking Your Family Tree; RootsWeb's Guide
   to Tracing Family Trees)

 o Connecting through RootsWeb
 o New Genealogy Mailing Lists
 o New Genealogy Web Pages
 o GenConnect
 o USGenWeb Archives
 o Letters to the Editors
 o Humor
 o Reprint Policy; Back Issues; How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe

DONATIONS HELP ROOTSWEB HELP YOU AND ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
For details about support levels, benefits, and payment
options (check or credit card), e-mail info@rootsweb.com or
visit http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html
Mailing address: RootsWeb.com, Inc., P.O. Box 6798, Frazier
Park, CA 93222-6798. (Please write your e-mail address on all
correspondence and checks.)

                    *    *    *    *    *

                 NEWS AND NOTES FROM ROOTSWEB

NEW DATABASES AT ROOTSWEB. Four new free and fully searchable
databases were added to RootsWeb in the past week.

 o CALIFORNIA BIRTH INDEX (1905-1995) has 24,596,236 public
records with 984,961 surnames
   http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/birth/search.cgi

 o CALIFORNIA DEATH INDEX (1940-1995) contains 9,366,786 public
records with 498,701 surnames
   http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi

 o LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA CEMETERY LISTINGS.
   http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/IA/Louisa/

 o KENTUCKY CIVIL WAR ROSTERS
   http://userdb.rootsweb.com/rosters/

                         *    *    *

FreeBMD (ENGLAND AND WALES) FIGHTS BACK; HITS TWO MILLION.
Belying its motto ("BMD is innocent. FreeBMD."), on 31 May 2000
FreeBMD hit another milestone when entries were uploaded to the
searchable database bringing the total to 2,009,196 from 366
contributors worldwide. Congratulations!

To search the FreeBMD database or to obtain more information
about the project, including how you can help, go to
http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/
                     
                         *    *    *

ROOTSWEB IN THE NEWS. RootsWeb's World War I Civilian Draft
Registration database http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ww1/draft/ was
chosen by Family Tree Magazine http://www.familytreemagazine.com
its "Site of the Day" on 27 May 2000.

                         *    *    *

WORLDCONNECT TIP: CONTACTING THE GEDCOM SUBMITTER

While searching WorldConnect  http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/
you find an entry for your ancestor in someone else's GEDCOM.
You wish to contact the submitter to share additional
information, correct an error, or perhaps just touch base. What
is the best way to accomplish this? 

At the top of every page of a file there is a link to the e-mail
address of the database owner. Click on the link to send a note.
In addition, you can add a Post-em directly to the entry of
interest. If the GEDCOM owner has selected this option, she will
be notified by e-mail when a Post-em is added to her file. See
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/tips/#postem/

Make certain that your ancestors are presented as you want them
to be -- submit your GEDCOM to WORLDCONNECT.

Find WORLDCONNECT TIPS at http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/tips/
and FAQs at http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help/wchelp.html
 

RootsWeb's WORLDCONNECT SUGGESTION BOARD and help are at
http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/genbbs.cgi/gedcom/

The WORLDCONNECT database now contains about 32 million names.
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/

                         *    *    *

SHAKING YOUR FAMILY TREE (SYFT). Myra Vanderpool Gormley's
Los Angeles Times Syndicate genealogy columns are browsable at
RootsWeb at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/syft/

Read this week's column, "New and old books on CD-ROM," at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/syft/curcolumn.htm

                         *    *    *

ROOTSWEB'S GUIDE TO TRACING FAMILY TREES
http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/ 

30 interactive genealogy lessons with links to resources at
RootsWeb and elsewhere on the Internet. Not just for beginners.
The index page has links to Notable Kin and other special pages.

                   **PAID ADVERTISEMENTS**

       UK AND IRISH RESEARCH SUDDENLY GOT A LOT EASIER!

If you have ancestors from England, Ireland, Scotland, or Wales
then you need to know about the brand-new service at
http://www.bigfamily.co.uk

Here you can order birth, marriage and death certificates
directly online. If you need local research -- parish records,
wills, trade directories or even a complete pedigree, our
database gives you easy access to a comprehensive network of
experienced researchers in all areas. Go directly to
http://www.bigfamily.co.uk/ResReq.htm , enter the information
you have and the research you require, and we'll get back to you
with a free quote. We use the finest secure card payments system
to ensure your online dealings are both easy and safe so there
are NO CURRENCY CONVERSION COSTS. We look forward to hearing
from you soon.

                  DO YOU HAVE SCOTTISH ROOTS?
 
We can supply your own Clan's Badge or Coat of Arms in a
beautifully made shield or frame. These are available in various
styles and are made in Scotland by Heraldic Woodcarvers who hold
appointments from The Lord Lyon King of Arms and The Standing
Council of Scottish Chiefs. View these at
http://www.shopscotland.net/ShopFront/Category.asp?CatID=3&Page=1
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If you would like to find your Clan and Tartan then use our
database of more than 2,000 Scottish names and more than 300
online tartan samples.

Clan & Tartan Finder http://www.shopscotland.net/Tartan-Clan.asp
Best Wishes from all at ShopScotland

                        *    *    *

ROOTSWEB REVIEW Subscriber's Special -- Limited Time Offer!
Looking for a great way to preserve your family history?
Two companies are offering FREE S&H through June 9th on
Family Tree Albums. Use Keycode: C2284 for
http://www.LightImpressionsDirect.com/FamilyTreeAlbum

Mention ROOTSWEB REVIEW in comments field for
http://www.CenturyPhoto.com/FamilyTreeAlbum

FREE SHIPPING won't show online but will be credited.

                         *    *    *

Just one of the tips in our FAMILY CHRONICLE article "25 Tips
for Researching at Family History Centers" could help you with
a breakthrough. Our article "Second Ancestors TV Series"
outlines the 13 episodes in a new PBS TV series so that you can
plan to see those episodes of most interest to your research.
FAMILY CHRONICLE is your gateway to Research Resources, Top Web
Sites, How to Articles, Research Techniques, Questions and
Answers, Software Reviews and a host of other genealogy items
dedicated to making your family roots research more effective.
Find out how you can obtain a trial copy by visiting
http://www.familychronicle.com

If you've ever wondered how your ancestors lived and coped with
life then HISTORY MAGAZINE is the only popular magazine that will
allow you to understand the social conditions affecting their
lives better. Articles like "The Country Store," "1910 --
Highlights of the Decade," "History of the Telephone and
Telegraph," "Chicago in 1880," "The 1918 Influenza Pandemic that
Killed More People than WWI," "The Blacksmith," and many more.
Find out how you can obtain a trial copy by visiting
http://www.history-magazine.com

FAMILY CHRONICLE would like to have your story on how you solved
a difficult "brick wall" problem, to be published in a special
publication later this year. All contributors will receive two
free copies of the publication by sending your "brick wall" 
story to ronwilder@familychronicle.com

          ******************************************
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                ON-LINE GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY 

            http://www.heritagebooks.com/library/

                       Try It Today!

                    HERITAGE BOOKS, INC.
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                 ** END PAID ADVERTISEMENTS **

CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories.

    CADI ONLINE: SOME MISSING PEOPLE AND ONE LONG-LOST FOUND

          by Cornelia Warner fenenga@mminternet.com

When I heard from someone on the NorCal list that the California
Death Index was online, I went to work immediately as I have
many cousins, some who were descendants of California pioneers
(John PEYTON and Mary Jane COLLINS), some who came much later
(1900s, Joseph Franklin CROSS and Lela BOULTON, his cousin
Lucille Marie CROSS and her husband William Corbett BERNARD and
possibly their cousin Richard J. CROSS, the son of Joseph
Napolean CROSS and possibly a Miss KEENER -- it is the CROSSes
who are not in the index. I don't know about the COLLINS and
PEYTONs, as most of what I know is pre-1940). I was disappointed
to find that many people for whom I already have the death date
and city/town of death did not appear on the index, although I
tried every method to find them, but pleased that I was able to
find the deaths of several people with extremely common names
whom I could not find before the CADI went online.

Finally, just to see what would happen, I searched for my
extremely rare maiden name, FENENGA, and was not surprised to
find my parents and paternal grandparents, but what was Jacob
doing here? He is supposed to be in South Dakota. Well, I admit
to a bit of addle-headedness due to a fever from some sort of
bug, but when it finally sank in which Jacob I had found, I let
out a whoop and ran from the room (I know, I'm a terrible
patient) saying "I found him, I found him!" Why such excitement
over one individual? When Jacob was about 19 (circa 1900), he
had a falling out with his father, Jacob Oelsen FENENGA, Sr.,
over whether horses who had been worked all week should also be
worked on Sunday. Two stubborn Friesians (Friesland is the
parish next to Groningen, in the northern tip of the
Netherlands), neither willing to see the other's point of view.
Jacob, Jr. left, and we know because he kept in touch with one
sister, that he spent time in the Yukon during the Alaskan Gold
Rush and probably worked on the whaling ships in Washington,
lived in Seattle and worked as a clerk in a general store.

But what of the family story that he had disappeared after
visiting his sister in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1926, with
what then was a fortune of $2,600 or $26,000 (my memory slips
as to which it was), never to be seen again. What visions of
intrigue this brought. So where was he between 1926 and 1944?
Perhaps he was in San Diego all along. He died before I was
born, and long before my grandfather, his half nephew died in
1982, but within driving distance -- and we never knew until
tonight, when I typed only our rare surname into the search
engine.

For at least 10 years this missing member of the family has
eluded us, and today RootsWeb has brought him home. I cannot
tell you how grateful I am to finally find my missing great-
great-uncle. It has meant a lot to me to find him. I think he
wanted to be found, but it wasn't easy. Something drew me,
whether inspiration or imagination, I can't say, but he is home.

                  SERENDIPITY OR PERSISTENCE?

             by David Arasmith  arasdn@midusa.net

For quite a while now I have enjoyed the ROOTSWEB REVIEW and
MISSING LINKS mailings. When things get busy they sit in my in
box for weeks, occasionally, until I can spend a couple of hours
reading them all. Such was the case today. Each reading (my
favorite locations have been Successful Links, WorldConnect and
Humor), I find myself reminded of my own "serendipitous"
occasions. But many times, I realize, it wasn't serendipity, but
persistence. Two recent occasions come immediately to mind.

In 1998, my son and I traveled to a small county seat in
Kentucky. Having arrived after closing time for the courthouse,
I went to the public library. Nowhere could I find their
genealogy section (a male won't ask for directions, huh?) so I
finally checked at the front desk. The librarian said: "The
society is defunct, but there are some files here behind the
counter. Here's the list." I found my ancestor's surname in the
list twice, checked both files out, then had to go outside to
yell my delight in finding my ancestor's pedigree and relatives
in one of the files, placed in the library more than 20 years
before. The next day I verified quite a bit of it at the
courthouse through wills and land records. After 150 years we
finally knew Mary Jane ELKIN's pedigree. My mother was really
tickled, to put it mildly, it was her side of the family.

Moral: Guys, ask for directions. Persistence in locating the
files behind the counter paid off.

Just this week, persistence paid off again. In the 1960s we had
a letter that was very vague about whose parents were whose. It
seemed to indicate that Alvin ARRASMITH and Emily STOWERS were
parents of William Vachel ARRASMITH, my great-great-grandfather,
but was confusing about how Sarah Herndon ARRASMITH, his wife,
fit into the letter. In the mid-1970s it was proven that William
Vachel's parents were actually John ARRASMITH and Lydia DILLMAN.
We all assumed the 1960 letter was in error and the search then
began for Sarah HERNDON's parents; but for 20 years, her HERNDON
parents couldn't be found. Her marriage license called her Sarah
Ellen ARRASMITH, but there again we figured the clerk knew
William's sister and wrote it down wrong. A distant cousin,
Jesse DAY, was writing all of this up, so I proceeded on other
branches. After his death, his work was published with Sarah
HERNDON's parents still unknown. In it was included a picture of
Sarah's brother's family, but only the children's given names
were listed; there were no names for her brother and his wife.

Then early this year, thanks to RootsWeb, I was contacted by
another distant cousin. During the course of our correspondence
she pointed out to me that Sarah Ellen (ARRASMITH) BALLARD could
not have been daughter of Alvin ARRASMITH, due to ages, but
sister to William Vachel instead. Going though hard copies of
notes verified her conclusion; but then who did the daughter of
Alvin marry? Finally, back to the vague 1960 letter, where I
started suspecting that Sarah, daughter of Alvin, married
William, son of John. The ages and locations were right, and
cross-referencing showed they would have been second cousins,
John and Alvin being first cousins. This week (May 2000) I
traveled to Illinois courthouses. Persistence in the face of a
circuit court clerk's resistance ("That file is clear in the
basement!") produced some wills, but they were for Alvin
ARRASMITH's parents. On to the recorder's office, where help was
immediately forthcoming. In the deed records was Alvin
ARRASMITH's will, which specifically named Sarah H. ARRASMITH as
his daughter. The 1863 date was after Sarah's marriage in 1852.

This seemed proof enough, but I went to the public library
anyway. I asked directions this time (I can be taught) where I
found some county histories. In one, from 1877, was a J. W.
ARASMITH (son of Alvin) with a listing of his children up to
1877. The list was an exact match of the one in Jesse DAY's
research, previously believed to be a HERNDON family, except
for the children born after 1877. Sarah Herndon ARRASMITH,
daughter of Alvin ARRASMITH and Emily STOWERS, married her
second cousin, William Vachel ARRASMITH, son of John ARRASMITH
and Lydia DILLMAN.

Combining all the hints and clues and documents throughout 150
years gave me another moral: Persistence in the face of vague
clues and bureaucratic reluctance solves problems. Plus, as
fantastic as electronic data and communications are, the final
proof is often buried in the courthouse.

I doubt, though, that I could have finally come to this
conclusion without the fact that RootsWeb, via mailing lists
and the WorldConnect Project, put me in contact with distant
relatives, all of whom supplied clues and advice. In the 30+
years I've been tracing ancestors, RootsWeb's work has made more
difference in available information than I ever dreamed. Thanks
to all of the staff for your efforts and the options you present
and create.

                    *    *    *    *    *

MAILING LISTS. For an index to most genealogy mailing lists
hosted by RootsWeb, visit http://lists.rootsweb.com/

NEW MAILING LIST REQUESTS. Please request new mailing lists at
http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/

TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing
list, send an e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE
(or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the subject and the body of the message to
[name of list]-L-request@rootsweb.com (for mail mode) or to
[name of list]-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode). FOR
EXAMPLE, if you are interested in the surname KENTNER, send
your SUBSCRIBE request to KENTNER-L-request@rootsweb.com

NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS, GENCONNECT BOARDS, AND CLUSTERS

  Anselmo
  Barrus, Bendzala, Bevys, Burbage
  Chestney, Coggan, Cyples
  Dabbadie, Daggy, Dusch
  Feyock
  Giid
  Hampshire, Heinkle
  Jess
  Kentner
  Lascola, Licausi, LeValley
  Marcellino, Merlina, Messino
  Ollerton, Orser
  Peterssen
  Ryland
  Sarlls, Satariano
  Zachman

NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS
  CANADA
    CAN-BC-OBITS  -- for posting daily obituaries only from the
      province of BRITISH COLUMBIA
  ITALY
    ITA-FROSINONE -- Emigrants from Frosinone, Lazio, Italy 
      centering on San Danato-Alvito
  NETHERLANDS
    NL-NOORD-HOLLAND -- Genealogy in the Province of
      Noord-Holland, Netherlands
  U.K.
    UK-ULVERSTON-FHS -- Ulverston Heritage Centre's family and
      local history group

OTHER NEW MAILING LISTS
  CHICKASAW -- Chickasaw Native American ancestry, and
    discussion of the Chickasaw Nation

                    *    *    *    *    *

NEW WEB ACCOUNT REQUESTS. Please see the instructions at
http://cgi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/acctform.cgi

NEW WEB SITES. Some of these might not yet be accessible. If
one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a
few days or a week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~[account name].

Note that the ~[tilde] before the account name is required.
FOR EXAMPLE, to visit the Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Web page, go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~mabarnst/

CANADA
  nsmoserr -- Moser River, Nova Scotia
ENGLAND
  engarc   -- Ancestral Rescue Club (Staffordshire)
  englin   -- Lincolnshire
U.S.A.
  flgatsaa -- Gilmore Academy Training School Alumni
                Association, Inc. (first African American school
                in Jackson County, Florida)
  iledgar  -- Edgar County, Illinois
  kyschs   -- Simpson County Historical Society (Kentucky)
  mabarnst -- Barnstable County, Massachusetts
  mabtpgs  -- Boston to Providence Gen. Soc. (Massachusetts)
  milenawe -- Lenawee County, Michigan
  monemgs  -- Northeast Missouri Genealogical Society
  msichs   -- Itawamba County Historical Society (Mississippi)
  nhnhhs   -- New Hampton Historical Society (New Hampshire)
  txbosqu2 -- Bosque County, Texas

SOME NEW HOMEPAGES AND FREEPAGES

AMSDEN. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~amsden/

Ken BULLEN's Genealogy HOME(R) Page. BULLEN, PENFOLD, BROOKER,
GENGE, CAMPBELL, PURDIE, and ROBINSON from Australia, England,
Ireland or Scotland.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~qzoo/

CINNAMON, CINNAMOND, RILEY, WATTS, MCGAUGHEY, CATLETT, GOODLETT,
GIVENS/GIBBENS, PINKSTON in Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, and
Colorado
  http://ho
mepages.rootsweb.com/~cinnamon/IndexC.html

DUNCAN GENEALOGY: SCOTLAND TO AMERICA. James DUNCAN emigrated
from Scotland to Lanark County, Ontario, Canada in 1830s;
married Jane PURDON. Related surnames: MCQUAT, SIM, REID,
MILLAR, CRAWFORD, MCLEAN, AY

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~purdon/Duncan.htm

ERNEST ALMA GROVER FAMILY ASSOCIATION. GROVER, GARNER, COLE,
JENKINS, FIELD. All families were early LDS, and crossed on the
Mormon Trail to Utah between 1847 and 1856. Later generations
settled in Idaho.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ellieb/grover.htm

HAMLIN FAMILY. Dedicated to descendants of William "Bill" HAMLIN
(or HAMBLIN) and Delilah HENDERSON.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hamlin/

LEE FAMILY. Genealogical reference for LEE and BAKER family
ancestors includes records since early 1500s on BAKER, CLARKE,
COCHRAN, DAVIS, DODGE, HARRIS, LAMBERT, LANDING, LEE, MCCALL,
and other families in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada; Burke
County, Georgia; and Avon Park, Florida.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~smleeusa/default.htm

NORMAN FAMILY OF LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA. Descendants of William
NORMAN of Virginia, who migrated to Lincoln County, Georgia after
the Revolutionary War; grandson of Isaac NORMAN, son of Joseph
NORMAN.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lincolncountynormans

PURDON GENEALOGY: SCOTLAND TO AMERICA. Robert PURDON with wife
Jane FERGUSON and family emigrated from Glasgow, Scotland to
Lanark County, Ontario, Canada in 1821. Related surnames:
DUNCAN, LOCKHART, O'NEIL. Check Web page for descendants.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~purdon/

SCOVILL GENEALOGY.  Scanned book: A SURVEY OF SCOVELLS OR
SCOVILES IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA: SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY
AND GENEALOGY

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dollface/

STANLEY, MATTHEWS, WARNER, FALVEY, REED, MIDDLETON, RILEY.
STANLEY family of Dublin, Ireland and its migration to the
southern U.S.A. 

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ourpage/

WALLNER and COURTOT FAMILY TREES. WALLNER, COURTOT, CROCKER,
SCHAEFER, KOEHLER, SCHERTZ, DALRYMPLE, FANCHER, HUCH, HOFFELDER.

  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wallner

                    *    *    *    *    *   

GENCONNECT. RootsWeb hosts many surname GenConnect boards that
are in need of people to maintain them.

o For a complete list of adoptable GenConnect surname boards
  http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/surnames/adoptable/

o For the form to request to adopt a GenConnect surname board
  (the same form is used for surname mailing list requests)
  http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/

Have you found a genealogical treasure, such as a photo album or
an old Bible containing a completed family record page, that you
would like to see reunited with its family? If so, in addition
to submitting a notice for publication in the "Somebody's Links"
section of MISSING LINKS or in the SOMEBODY'S LINKS NEWSLETTER
(to subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to:

Somebodys-Links-Newsletter-L-request@rootsweb.com, you can
read and post notices to the GenConnect SOMEBODY'S LINKS board:
http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/genbbs.cgi/SomebodysLinks/

                    *    *    *    *    *

USGENWEB ARCHIVES -- THE ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER contains the
current USGenWeb Archives submissions from the last week.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsletter/

29 May 2000 issue
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsletter/2000/may/may29.htm

USGW-ARCHIVES-ANNOUNCE-L is a read-only mailing list for weekly
announcements of new updates and submissions to the USGenWeb
Archives. To subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE in
the body of the message to this address:
usgw-archives-announce-l-request@rootsweb.com

                    *    *    *    *    *

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS may be posted to the GenConnect board at
http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/genbbs.cgi/RWR-LettersToTheEditor
or e-mailed to RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com.

                         *    *    *

[Posted 30 May 2000 to http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ ]
Dear RootsWeb, I have been looking for my relatives for years
and thanks to you folks I found them in the Texas death records
[http://userdb.rootsweb.com/tx/death/search.cgi ] . . . Keep up
the good work. Many thanks!

                           Gloria Griffitts  griff522@yahoo.com

                         *    *    *

Please allow me to add to Jennifer SUTTON's and Sara GREDLER's
letters [RWR 3:20, 3:21]. . . I had a strong interest in
genealogy when I was in the third grade -- not quite 9 years
old. I was full of questions that my parents couldn't answer.
They say I drove them crazy, but I blame my teacher's
captivating history lessons for sparking my interests. I had
only two living grandparents at that time, and my maternal
granddad, James ATKINSON, admitted early on that his memory was
like a sieve -- so, I shadowed my paternal grandmother, Emily
(MOREAU) HALLIWELL every chance I had. I think she liked the
attention. She did some searching for old photographs, letters,
and such -- but where those treasures got to when she died four
years later, I have no idea. At 12, I thought my interest in
genealogy would wane when Emily died, but instead it grew.

I located and read genealogical magazines and books at the
public library and eventually found a genealogy interest group
that met there once a month. At the meeting amidst many smiles,
I stated what I knew about the families I was researching, which
I thought wasn't much. By the end of that meeting, a couple
introduced themselves as distant cousins from a common Irish
great-grandmother and later supplied a copy of their research to
add to mine.
       
Like Jennifer and Sara, I had setbacks. Many federally run
libraries and archives would not allow an unaccompanied minor
into their premises, so I had a long wait.

I was 19 when my grandfather died, and I thought all my avenues
to the past were gone forever; that's when I met granddad's
younger sister, Lenore, about whom no one had known. Lenore and
her daughter, June, opened up a wealth of information . . .

Now, I . . . [have] three small sons of my own (aged eight, six,
and four years) and I introduced them to this "contagion" before
any of them could walk. Just [a few weekends ago], we went to
visit . . . my mother . . . and together went to the cemetery
where our Irish ancestors were buried more than 180 years ago.
The stones were covered in mud and overgrowth, which spoiled my
idea of photographing them. Seeing my disappointment, my mother
made easy work of the greenery and began to wash the first stone
with her bottled water. Watching their grandmother, Davis and
Michael got an idea. They rushed back to the van and returned
with their waterguns. Ready, aim, FIRE! It worked very well, so
well that my youngest son, Tommy, fetched his watergun and
together the three of them washed the other stones. Reloading
the guns wasn't a problem [because] tapped waterlines were
dotted along the cemetery routes.

Impressed with the results, I photographed all the stones but
one that was weather beaten [and remained] impossible to make
out. The words were raised rather than engraved on the
bleached-white marker, but I wasn't worried. Using one of the
boys' crayons and an old paper grocery bag (that was carefully
ripped open along its seams), Tommy enjoyed "colouring"
(rubbing) the stone onto the paper. We couldn't make out all
the inscription, but got the dates at least.

When my sons are old enough, and if they still have an interest
in genealogy, I'll take them to the archives and libraries. I
won't turn away the additional help. Right now, they look
forward to playing "Watergun Wash" in the cemeteries, again.

     Keyley Hobbes, Kingston, Ontario, Canada  hobbes@kos.net
 
                    *    *    *    *    *

HUMOR

FULL NAME: what you call your child when you're mad at him.

                    *    *    *    *    *

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