Dear Jim, and Cousins on the List: First, M'Dear, regarding Delaware research: Philadelphia it ain't but Philadelphia Perimeter, it certainly IS! (Caesar) Rodney is a very important name in the history, as you note, and once again, you have a background to die for! Or, almost, Jim! I have found that horse-thief, but tell your Dad it only whets the appetite for more. Alonzo Pennington, who is said to have fiddled at his own hanging, is prominently mentioned in several sites, the most illustrous at the American Folklife Center: http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2001/01-142.html Very interesting and informative from the two Histories of Christian County, KY at the Christian County pages at the usgenweb, (Perrin 1884) and Meacham 1930.) http://www.kyseeker.com/christian/perrin/chap3.html http://www.kyseeker.com/christian/meacham/chap11.html TODD COUNTY KY, Sharon Grove www.usgennet.org/usa/ky/county/todd/past/shrngrove.htm For a long time I've felt that a lending library or some type of co-ordinated lookups should be a primary feature of any genealogy and history organization. Books are so expensive, and that is why I am so indebted to Our Isabel for lending me some primary ones of hers. These records have helped formulate an overall research theory in regard to our elusive Pennington roots, which I will detail in another message. Additionally, I have taken a couple of babysteps toward helping the situation for AMXROADS subscribers. One of the networking things I accomplished while on the road (shades of Willie Nelson!) was to talk briefly with Craig Scott of Willow Bend Books, who has bought out Family Line Publications which I used to visit regularly when I lived in Maryland. http://www.willowbendbooks.com Mr. Wright Has Retired -- story of my life! One of my all-time greatest puns, when I realized that Ed Wright, owner of the Family Line bookstore was the Mr. Wright, author of the many Maryland publications I had been purchasing, was "OH, so you're Mr. Wright!" (Maybe you just had to be there!) Mr. Scott is making plans to open a Pacific Coast branch here in Oregon at Coos Bay, and asked me to contact him when I get up a new website from which I can sell Willow Bend Books online. This would mean both a discount for our list members and some small income toward supporting the American Crossroads project. I spent over a hundred dollars at Willow Bend, about 25% of my total lifetime wealth! But, some of the purchases were totally worth it. Take a look at Willow Bend's online catalog, but wait another week or so for any purchases, until I get the new webpage up which can handle commercial endeavors, which cannot be done at the Rootsweb site. Here's my book report on my purchases at Willow Bend, plus the books Isabel loaned me: **** "Pioneers of Old Frederick County Virginia" by Cecil O'Dell. Fifty bucks ($49.50) and worth every cent. This book, like Peter Stebbins Craig's "The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware" is A#1 State of the Art. I can't recommend these kinds of books too highly. Cecil O'Dell takes a hard look at the community that was Frederick County In The Beginning, and spawned Grant, Hardy, Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Clarke, Mineral, Morgan, Berkley, Jefferson AND Hampshire. This was the area where the first migrants from the Philadelphia Perimeter came. Like Chalkey's "Augusta County Chronicles," this is a classic work on pioneer families, from whence the Frontier or Backwoods people all came. O'Dell presents small maps of each neighborhood and shows who lived there. He supplies land records for the property owners, and also presents amplifying records of many families, i.e., certificate and witnesses of a Quaker marriage: "Thomas Mills and Elizabeth Harrold (daughter of Mary Harrold) were married on the 18th day of 4th month (June) 1730 at Josiah Ballenger's home at Monocacy, near present-day Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland." I could teach a two hour class on this record alone! I hope to put it up at the website, for informatiion from this book, along with some other records are ILLUMINATING in the overall scheme of migrating families who went on to settle all points south and west. Remember, in each locale, some stayed and some rode on. The research is the same, regardless. Don't ignore the possibilities of an excellent source by thinking your ancestors werem't there. **** "The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware" by Peter Stebbins Craig is a masterpiece of scholarship. You wil find out why you haven't been able to find the roots of your Hanson, Anderson, Yocum, Wheeler, Cox, Steelman, Mounts/Mounce, Hendricks, Denny, etc. etc. families. First, the Swede/Finns anglicized their names, but some didn't! and retained their patronymics. Another genealogical conspiracy against descendant researchers! **** "Carolina Cradle" by Dr. Robert Ramsay is the granddaddy of how to write a book that combines excellent history and genealogy research. This is almost the primer on showing communities and how they were built. Ramsay examines the cricks and hollers of western North Carolina and includes many of the indicators of the Philadelphia Perimeter Dr. Ramsay refers to Frederick Turner (My Hero!): "It was Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis that the frontier was instrumental in forming the American character. But until we learn who the frontiersmen were, where they came from, and what their motives were, we shall be guessing aboout much that is fundamental in the evolving history of this nation." For those of you interested in historiography, you can visit a couple of good sites about Turner, and Henry Nash Smith at the University of Virginia: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/TURNER/title.html And extended prowlings on the idea, " Does the Frontier Experience Make America Exceptional? " www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/series/hw/frontier/internet.htm **** "New Castle County Delaware Land Records," a series by Family Line/Willow Bend. 1673-1710; 1715-1728. 1749-1752; 1755-1762. All loaned to me by Isabel. All excellent. All full of problem solving information regarding south and westward migrating families, which I hope to be sharing at the American Crossroads website soon. **** "Quaker Records of Northern Maryland, 1716 - 1800" by Henry C. Peden, Jr is great, containing abstracts from original records held at Swarthmore College. Since the Quakers were always in the forefront of migration, these records contain invaluable clues to our frontier ancestry. Yes, even if you didn't think you had Quaker Ancestry, you undoubtedly had a Friend in Pennsylvania, or Maryland, or New Jersey or Delaware. freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads/Quakers/quakers.html **** "Vital Records of Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware 1686 - 1800," by F. Edward Wright (Yes, Mr. Wright!) is a great resource, containing abstracts of early church records, and importantly contains extracts from Duck Creek Monthly Meeting. Beej, St. George's Episcopal at Indian River contains so many Burton records I am sure that this must be an early locale for your family. **** "Early Anglican Church Records of Cecil County," by Henry C. Peden, Jr. is quite good. ** Peden's "Maryland Deponents 1634-1799," and "More Maryland Deponents" provide clues, but not much else. One still needs to carefully check the records referred to by these extracts from the Maryland Archives. * "Marylanders to Carolina," by Peden is gleaned principally from records after the Revolutionary War and is therefore not as helpful as records contemporary to the migrations would be, as in the case of O'dell and Ramsay's work. Without much clarifying interpretation, this falls into the category of "finding aid," rather than an excellent resource. There are many omissions. These books are secondary sources, although most are quite excellent examples of the authors' interpretative ability, they are remain good interpretations of original documents you can obtain from internet sources, through the LDS microfilm program, and even through your local library's Inter-Library Loan system, AND which you can also do by on-site research or even through Angels In Localities We're All Interested In! Love, Your Cousin,Carolyn Carolyn McDaniel cmacdee@centurytel.net In response to Jim Cookman's message: >Welcome back from your journey. May I add a thought to your plea for >proper procedure? My Dad, who got me started on this magnificent >obsession, always said, "When you get to the horse-thief, stop." > >My research has taken me into Delaware! Finally a place that isn't >Philadelphia! Has anyone come across the following names: Pleasanton, Rodney, Gordon (James and Joshua and Sarah,) Laws, DeWaele/DeWaile? >The Delaware Genealogical Society published a book in 1985, already out of print, "Milford, Delaware, and the Milford Area after 1776." Does >anyone on the list have access to this?