Dear Cousins on the List: I am finally getting unwound from school, and beginning my catch-up process. I would like to post a message I got recently after my posting of "The Directions of American Crossroads." I hope that in many ways this message, and my response illustrate one of the facets of my hopes and ambitions for American Crossroads -- the importance of intertwining generations of family through the new technologies we have. As we approach the holidays, I think this is especially worth emphasizing. We have a marvelous medium of interchange here, and mostly we use it to send jokes back and forth! That's okay! I got a couple of good jokes today! But also, I hope we can use the internet to network, share, and recreate kinship among like-minded persons. We don't have to be of the same lineage to be a part of one another. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to one and all, Love, Your Cousin, Carolyn Hi, College Student par excellence! You have undertaken a dandy problem, and I wish you all sorts of success with it. One of my favorite "comments" is that I have learned far more American and European history from doing genealogy than ever I learned in school. When I began family searching 60 years ago, there was not much research information easily available. Still think I really, truly "lucked out" when I began researching my husband's family. Herewith a bit about that story. My lines had been well done, and published, by my family, and I wanted similar data about my husband for any kids we might produce. Soon after we were married, we went to the small Illinois town where my husband had been born, and where he grew up. There were still relatives about to whom I was introduced as the "new bride." I went to visit Aunt Sade, a sister to my father-in-law. She was a gem, a jewel, and one of the neatest people I ever encountered. She was the youngest in the family, and was taken out of school from the third grade to go to work to help feed the large family to which she belonged. So she was unable to read, or write. BUT -- W-H-A-T a memory she had!!! She knew marriages, births, dates, ancestry, etc., etc., etc. for almost everyone in the community (a town/village of about 1,400 to 1,500 people) She knew who married whom, where and when -- names of children, etc., etc. She could give you the history of all the land ownership in the village and surrounding county -- it was utterly amazing. And that data was the base for all the research I've done since. I have never found her to have been in error on any item she shared with me! Somewhere in her ancestral trail there must have been "a village rememberer" -- an individual who kept mental track of the way in which relationships of villagers existed (so fewer first cousins married each other), who owned which piece of property when, and who had it next, etc., etc. Sadie was a not so small a miracle, and it was a true privilege to have known her. Since I'm now in my 80's, I shan't be around as long as some other members of your research group, but will be happy to do whatever I can do or suggest which will help your program. I've always believed in good documentation (a science major in college, among other things, saw to that), and have never been afraid to say "it looks to me, but I can't prove it yet" about any genealogical data. Let me know how I may be of assistance in your endeavor. Best wishes, Mary >Dear Mary, This is such a beautiful commentary. I would like to post your message to the list (with your permission.) We have another octogenarian among us -- Cousin Isabel. It is wonderful to behold the vitality and intelligence that both you and she exhibit. It giives the rest of us hope about our future years and how to promote the same qualities in our own lives. Thank you so much for your kind comments and offer of assistance. I am especially interested in your Quaker and/or Pennsylvania lines, and once I have my finals finalized (!) I will be able to focus better on those research goals I posted, and begin finding ways we can put your expertise to good use at the website. Love, Your Cousin, Carolyn