Dear Cousins, I have made further changes to the the site, in order for people to find things more easily. Each of the Perimeters now has its own chart of included information, which I think will make it easier. Although the indexes are up, !! not all the links are linked!! In some cases the files are not uploaded, and in some cases, the files are uploaded, but are at the old locations and I simply haven't been able to link everything to the new indexes -- YET! Each of the index pages ultimately will have a degree of explanation of the new pages and their relationship to the perimeters. Each has a symbol which I hope will come to represent the Perimeter in your minds. When you see it you automatically will begin to think of that Perimeter and its specific data. While working on the pages last night, I came across a site at Rootsweb which disturbed me. I am putting up pages regarding Native Americans, and I found a link to the page Indian Captives, which I had visited some time ago -- maybe as long as two years, I can't remember. Several people had written in about the content, and the webmaster had commented rather definsively back that hers was not a forum for discussion but a genealogy site. I didn't find any genealogy there, but there may be some. Most of the site was stories which seemed to be undocumented, sensational stories written long after the fact, that described the "savage" treatment to captives. While my own great-grandfather was murdered by Indians in 1878 here in Oregon, and while I am a descendant of Hannah Emerson Dustin (of the Haverhill Emersons) who was a White captive who overcame her Indian captors in the 1600's, and while I have researched the story of Mary Draper Ingles of SW Virginia, whose story is also legitimate, many of the "White Captive" stories are not legitimate, and are only repetitions of stories with different names, and bloody details thrown in to titilate and distort 19th century ideas about Indians. Then these ideas are passed on, generation after generation. I feel it is very irresponsible to put up information on the internet which is insensitive to ethnic groups, as well as to others. Just as we must guard the truthfulness of our genealogy, we must impose ethical and historical standards to other information we put on the internet for general consumption. I am pledged not just to truth, but accuracy. We do not want to judge Whites, African Americans, or Native Americans (or any other ethnic group) by current cultural standards. But most of all we do not want to repeat errors, misinformation, and genealogical and historical sloppiness to perpetrate cruel, inaccurate stereotypes of any ethnic group. Native - White Settler relationships on the frontiers were extremely complicated, and need to be addressed in historically ethical and objective ways. The pages I will be including will have information on Native Americans in each region. We will soon be coming to information on the Cherokees who originally populated the NWSW Perimeter (NW North Carolina and SW Virginia) on down into northern Georgia -- which is why I am getting in this "rant" now! Please, if you have suggestions or comments, please write via the list. I welcome your comments on any subject. This List IS the forum for discussion of issues! We need to discuss how things are going, and if you think things could be done, differently or better, or if I've neglected to include something. We do not have to agree on issues, or politics! But we do have to refrain from stereotyping and generalizing about others. That is nothing more than name-calling and mudslinging. Also, the idea with American Crossroads is to search out genealogy and history to show the kinship that we have with one another. Giving identity to out ancestors is one way, and remembering to think positive, healing thoughts about our Cousins and Friends are others. I was so gratified recently when one cousin wrote to say she felt so close to another one even though they've never met. This is most definitely what I am trying to achieve with this site. Remember, the links are not working! This is just the notification to have you see the organization of the thing. The new indexes are: The Philadelphia Perimeter http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads/Phila/index.html The NWSW Perimeter http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads/NWSW/index.html The Maryland Delaware Perimeter http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads/MDDE/index.html Love, Your Historically Correct Cousin, Carolyn Carolyn McDaniel cmacdee@teleport.com ========================================= --- Visit American Crossroads --- http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads