Dear Charlene, I had an uncle in the CCC, he signed up in Newton County, but mostly worked out of the state. He was on a girdling crew...huge trees were cleared by girdling...done with an axe. Was hard work, swinging an axe...some trees had to be girdled deep or they would sprout back out...so deep that you just as well have cut them down...black jack and buckeye were two tough ones. So I guess a girdling gang or crew would be groups of men who chopped around a tree in order for it die out and to be cleared...for planting or building or other reason for the clearing of trees for projects undertaken by the CCC. Hope this helps. Take Care, Judy Tate As the clock ticks at home, it ticks nowhere else. ----- Original Message ----- From: Charlene Holland <char@presys.com> To: <ARNEWTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 3:11 PM Subject: [ARNEWTON] Gridling or girdling gang in the CCC Hi In reading an old letter dated August 8, 1934, my Dad wrote "I have a crew on the gridling gang." It might have said "girdling" instead. His writing is hard to read. This was when he was in the CCC near Jasper. Can anyone out there tell me what he might have meant? Charlene Holland ==== ARNEWTON Mailing List ==== Genealogy without documentation is mythology... A researcher gathers information... A genealogist gathers documentation...