I tend to agree w/Linda, and yes, I am one of the 5-l0% who are members of rootsweb. As long as the messages do not stray continuously, and as long as they are of merit in the order of genealogy stories, such as the MANY from the Possum Valley researchers, I always enjoy them. There hasn't been much activity on the site lately, and it could be because some are hesitant about just what is considered on the topic and what is not. Genealogy by definition is not history, it's the research of one's surname background, but I personally enjoy the history about the moonshiners, Dearmond strength, etc., just as much. If we get exact, these are not genealogy, but they surely are interesting, and they do give us more than just a name from the past. Even the poems keep the spirit of the search going sometimes, but NO, I don't want a separate list or private mailing list. If these are not acceptable, just drop them. What I do when there are queries, etc., that don't appeal or pertain to me is simply skim and delete and move on. I may be wrong, but this tends to be the way most of the ones on the other lists to which I am subscribed operate. Sometimes, I go for a long time on many of these just deleting and deleting, and then bang.....something pops up of interest......not always totally genealogical but most always related. However, I don't want to receive these privately. Therefore, I guess we just need to stick to whose parents were who and when and where they lived. Still, a few moonshine stories or local berrypicking tales do tend to make the list a lot more entertaining as well as informative. One thing I do not know, nor do any of the others on the list that might change our attitudes about the entire issue is what rootsweb says to the list operators about all these. This may be why you send these reminders. If so, do what they say; otherwise, there will be no rootsweb. Beth Thurman or Terri Wolfe Monticello, AR 367-2701