The Barger Family History Society is happy to welcome a new member: Patricia Engvall 57 Crestwood Drive Joliet, IL 60432 engvallc@worldnet.att.net

Good morning, Friends & Cousins! It's raining cats and dogs here, and there is lots of thunder and lightning, so I am going to send this message as quickly as possible before we loose power. As of Saturday, we had 50 subscribers on this mail list! This is a wonderful chance to "brainstorm" on genealogical problems and share information much more efficiently than ever before. Here is my contribution for today: I noticed something in the message from Karen Adams about James Leonard Barger which brought to mind a little piece of information passed on to me by one of my students who worked for the government on the 1990 census. Karen said that she cant' find James and Betty Barger in the 1920 KS census, although the family says they were there at that time period. Apparently, this is something that happens more frequently than you might imagine. My student told me that the census bureau gets many letters from people who want the records corrected because their families were omitted from the 1920 census. They state that they know for sure that their family lived at a particular address in 1920, and that they can prove it. Well, those people may be perfectly right. The family might very well have lived at that address in 1920. But, that does not mean they were necessarily at home on the day of the enumeration. The census traditionally is taken in June, and that is a time when many people in 1920 and in each 10th year before that, would take trips to visit relatives, go to the seashore, attend fairs, go to market, etc. Sometimes we forget that in the days before television, people tended to visit and socialize much more than they do today. By 1920, some families had automobiles, and many traveled by train. Children were often sent to visit their grandparents for the summer. In areas where the planting is done in June, several families might gather at a neighbor's farm. June was also a popular month for revival meetings. These often went on for days, and participants tented out, rather than travel long distances each day. For these and many other reasons, the enumerations have never been 100% accurate, and occasionally some people were never counted. Then there are proud fathers, like mine, who listed all his children in the 1990 census even the ones who were grown up and living elsewhere. When you don't find your relatives where you expect them to be in a particular census year, it is a good ides to take out a map, and list counties which surround their "home" county. When you have checked those counties, widen the circle. Frequently, you wont have to make many circles before you locate your people. Don't be afraid to cross state lines, either. That is how I found all my Tennessee folks in Mississippi! Also, in many areas, assessments for property tax, and for personal property taxes, were published in local newspapers. Those old papers, many of which are available on microfilm, are a great source for locating people who were "missed" in the census of their home county. They also were published every year, not just once every ten years. Don't overlook newspapers as a resource. In counties where tax records were not retained more than 20 years, or where fires destroyed the records, they can help you fill in the gaps. I hope this helps some of you who have "hit a brick wall" and lost relatives between census periods. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187-5564 suzid@tripod.net

This appeared in the Friday, October 2, 1998 edition of The Indianapolis Star: "Dora Christine BARGER Neace, 65, Franklin, died Oct. 1. She was a clert for Ed's Trading Post, Nineveh. Previously, she was a seamstress for Kajee and Franklin mills, both in Franklin. Services: 11a.m. Oct. 3 in Vandivier-Parsley Funeral Home, Franklin, with calling from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 2, Burial: Nineveh Cemetery. She was the widow of Robert Neace. Survivors: children Ida Brizendine, Una Faye Crady, Bobbie G. Lambert, Chris Lazzell, Bendren, Randy L. Neace, Wiley, Larry Couch; brothers Milton, Robert, Bill Barger; half brothers Ken, George, Roger Barger; half sister Susie Noe; 25 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren." Floyd Hollandbeck

Hi Susan, saw your post this a.m. on the Barger List. I've been researching my family in Germany, and would like to add to what you wrote. Three great web sites to start with for research in Germany, with multilple connecting links are: Hessen, Germany Web Site http://www.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/ This is not just for Hessen. A great site owned by Don Watson. After you've read the front page, go to the spinning globe and click, this will lead you to the next page of links where you can spend hours.... Soc. Genealogy German FAQ http://www.genealogy.com/gene/faqs/sgg.html#money Answers all the basic questions about researching in Germany. German Genealogy Homepage http://www.genealogy.com/ Very informative site giving divisions on Germany over the years, beginners tips, regional research etc.... Join a rootsweb mailing list for Germany. There is a description of what areas each site covers. http://www.rootsweb.com/ Hope this helps! Karen Adams, Seattle

The link I posted to the Library of VA Digitals Collections http://image.vtls.com/ There are quite a few Barger Genealogy books listed there, this is one "Family tree of William James Barger, born 1826 in Pike Co., Ohio [and] Margaret Ann Boggs born 1833 in Jackson Co., Ohio. Charted on a time scale by his grandson, G. J. Barger "

No gaurantee that your missing Bargers will be here , but there are Quite a few http://image.vtls.com/

http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/asp/choosea.asp

http://www.genealogy.com/gene/www/ghlp/muster.html

BARGER, James Leonard b. abt 1867 , where? HURD, Betty b. abt 1894, James's wife They lived in Edwardsville, Wyandotte Co, Ks on a farm, joining the Hirning farm. Children were Hazel R. b. 5-15-1920, Betty b. 6-15-1925, Dena and Lena twin girls b. 1-26-1928 and a boy b. abt. 1923 who died as an infant. Problem: I cant' find James and Betty in the 1920 Ks census, although the family says they were there at that time period. "Stories" say James died first, then Betty and the children moved to OK, where Betty died and the children were place in a orphanage for a while, later a family memeber came to get them. No one left in the family knows any information about James or Betty's family. Any information or leads would be appreciated! Thanks, Karen Adams, Seattle, WA

I have received many requests for information about genealogical resources in Germany, so I am listing a few here. Before you start writing, however, I strongly advise studying some maps for the area and period you are researching. What we commonly consider to be the country of Germany did not exist before WW I. - There were many German-speaking countries, principalities, etc. Several members of the Barger Family History Society have sent me letters erroneously declaring that their family came from the Palatinate, Bayern, Prussia (In one order or another, indicating that those areas overlapped or fit within each other like a city, county and state.) - This mistake is repeated so frequently, that I suspect one person made the original error and that it has been duplicated by any number of historians who didn't take time to look at maps. Bayern is "Bavaria" and I think it is safe to say that few Bavarians would consider it a compliment to be mistaken for a Prussian, and visa versa. Also, do not take for granted that these sources all have English-speaking staff. If possible, send your questions in German, or send a short note asking if they will accept queries in English. AREA: Baden Generallanderarchiv D7500 Karlsruhe Nordiche Hilda-Promenade 2 Staatsarchiv D7800 Freiburg Coloimbistr, 4 AREA: Bayern (Bavaria) Haupstaatsarchiv 1 D8000 Munchen Arcisstr. 12 Stattsarchiv fur Coburg D8630 Coburg, Schloss Staatsarchiv fur Mittelfranken D85 Nurnbert Arachivstr. 17 Staatsarchiv fur Niederbayern D8300 Landshut Burg Trausnitz Statsarchiv fur Oberbayern Hauptstaatsarchiv V D8000 Munchen Shonfeldstr. 3 Staatsarchiv fur Oberfranken D8600 Bamburt Hainstr. 39 Staatsarchiv fur Oberfalz D8450 Amburg Archivstr. 3 Staatsarchiv fur Schwaben D8858 Neuberg a.d.D., Schloss Staatsarchiv fur Unterfranken D8700 Wurtzburg, Residenz AREA: Berlin Stattsarchiv D100 Berlin 33 Arachivstr. 12-14 Landesarchiv D1000 Berlin 12 Strasse d. 17 Juni AREA: Brandenburg Deutsches Zentralarchiv DDR 15 Potsdam Beliner Str. 98-101 Staatsarchiv DDR 15 Potsdam Sanssouci-Orangerie AREA: Bremen Staatsarchiv D2800 Bremen Prasident-Kennedy-Platz 2 AREA: Hamburg Staatsarchiv D2000 Hamburg, Rathaus AREA: Hessen Hauptstaatsarchiv (fur Nassau) D6200 Wiesbaden Mainzer Str. 80 Staatsarchif fur Hessen-Darmstadt D6100 Darmstadt, Schloss Staatsarchiv fur Hessen-Kassel D3550 Marburg Friedrichplatz 15 AREA: Mecklenburg Staatsarchiv DDR 27 Schwerin Graf-Schack-Allee 2 AREA: Niedersachen (Lower Saxony) Staatsarchif fur Hannover D3000 Hannover, Am Archive 1 Staatsarchiv fur Braunschweig D3340 Wolfenbuttel, Forstweg 2 Staatsarchiv fur Bukelburg D4967 Buckelburg, Schloss Staatsarchiv fur Niedersachen D2160 Stade, Sand Staatsarchiv fur Oldenburg D2900 Oldenburg, Damm 43 Staatsarchiv fu Osnabruck D4500 Osnabruck, Schlossstr. 29 Staatsarchiv fur Ostfriesland D2960 Aurich, Geogstr. 50 AREA: Pfalz (Palatinate) Staatsarchiv D6720 Speyer, Domplatz 6 AREA: Pommern (Pomeranisa) Staatsarchiv DDR 22 Greifswald, Dreishauh AREA: Rheinland Personenstandarchiv fur Kierchenbucher und Zivilstandsregister D5040 Bruhl, Schloss Hauptstaatsarchif fur das Nordliche Rheinland D4000 Dusseldorf Prinz-Georg-Str. 78 Staatsarchiv fur das Sudliche Rheinland D5400 Koblenz, Karmeliterstr. 1-3 AREA: Sarrland Landesarchif D6600 Sarrbruken Am Ludwigsplatz 7 AREA: Sachsen (Saxonoy) Staatsarchiv DDR 806 Dresden Archivstr. 14 Staatsarchiv DDR 701 Leipzig Georgi-Dimitroffplatz 1 Staatsarchiv DDR 86 Bautzen, Ortenburg AREA: Sachsen-Anhalt Staatsarchiv DDR 30 Magedeburg, Hegelstr. 25 Staatsarchiv DDR 37 Werngerode (Harz) AREA: Schleswig-Holstein Landesarchiv D2380 Schleswig Schloss Gottorf AREA: Thuringen Staatsarchiv DDR 58 Gotha, Shloss Staatsarchiv DDR 66 Greiz, Oberes Schloss Staatsarchiv DDR 61 Meiningen Schloss Bibrabau Staatsarchiv DDR 782 Rudolstadt Schloss Heidecksburg Staatsarchiv DDR 53 Weimar, Beethovenplatz 3 AREA: Westfalen Personenstandsarchiv fur Kirhenbucher und Zivilstandregister D4930 Detmold Willi-Hofmann Str. 2 Staatsarchiv D4400 Munster, Bohlwg 2 AREA: Wurtemberg Hauptstaatsarchiv D7000 Stuttgart Gutenbergstr. 2 I hope these addresses will be of help to those of you who have extended your research back to Germany. At a future date, I will provide names and addresses for genealogical societies in Germany and Switzerland. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187-5564 suzid@tripod.net

Good morning, Friends & Cousins: I received wonderful feedback about this mailing list yesterday. Apparently there has been a real need for a more efficient way of contacting other researchers. The Barger-L@rootsweb.com list is gathering more subscribers every day. So, please feel free to post your queries more than once. Each time you do, some new people will see them. One of them just might have the information you have been seeking. During this last week, I was contacted by a distant cousin, Bill Baze, whose great-grandmother was the sister of my great-grandmother, and Carl Barger from Arkansas sent me 1920 census information on my missing Lonoke Co., AR Bargers. I also received a very moving, and very personal, message from Anna Barger Gaskin, which warmed my heart and made this whole project seem very worthwhile. Keep up the good work, everyone! Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187-5564 P.S. In case anyone else is looking for it, here is the information Carl send me on the Lonoke County, AR Bargers: 1920 Census - Lonoke Co., AR (Vol 36, E.D. 173, Sheet 4, Line 28) Monroe BARGER, Age 41, born in AR* Mollie BARGER, wife, Age 42, born in AR Elbert BARGER, son, Age 17, born in AR** Leslie BARGER, son, Age 13, born in AR Lillian BARGER, daughter, Age 10, born in AR*** Henretta BARGER, daughter, Age 4-1/2, born in AR *Monroe was shown in the 1900 census as Elijah M. BARGER. He was Elijah M. BARGER, Jr., son of the Elijah M. BARGER who appeared in the 1860 census of Tippah Co., MS and 1870 census of Henderson Co., TN. **Elbert was shown in the 1900 census as James E. BARGER. ***Lillian was shown in the 1900 census as Lillia C. BARGER (If anyone else is working on this family line, please let me know. I have information to share. - Susan)

Lisa's pretty large list includes a Martin BARGER who married Catherine YOST on 10 Oct 1838, in case anyone can connect. It is viewable without any special decoder. Floyd Hollandbeck > Following is the URL for my GEDCOM, just summitted to the net for your > viewing and searching pleasure > http://www.my-ged.com/hendersn/ > Have fun and enjoy. > Lisa Henderson > > > ==== HENDERSON Mailing List ==== > CURRENT LISTS NOW AVAILABLE-------- > http://users.aol.com/johnf14246/gen_mail.html > These lists are FREE! >

Good morning, Friends & Cousins: The fact that you are involved enough in genealogy to subscribe to a mail list, suggests that you already write clear, effective queries and use mail lists to your best advantage. But, if you have been receiving letters or e-mail messages, as I have, from novice family historians, and think you might need a crystal ball just to figure out what your correspondent wants to know, you might want to visit www.Ancestry.com today. Their most recent newsletter has a helpful article which you can print out to share with people who are looking for a little guidance. I hope the nice people at Ancestry Publishing won't object, but I have copied the article for you here: ======================================================= MAILING LISTS: TIPS FOR POSTING AN EFFECTIVE QUERY <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> ======================================================= Mailing Lists are a great way to connect with researchers with similar interests or long lost cousins. But getting results requires more than just a little luck. It takes a well though out query to get results. Below are some tips for writing an effective query that will increase your chances for success. ~ Make sure you are addressing your query to the appropriate list. Familiarize yourself with the lists that are available and then decide which list is most likely to be able to provide the answers that you seek. You can choose from Surname Lists, Regional or Ethnic Lists, or Special Interest Lists (such as Immigrants, Ships, or Research How-To). There are several sites where you can find what lists are available: John Fuller's Genealogy Resources on the Internet http://users.aol.com/johnf14246/gen_mail.html Rootsweb Mailing Lists http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist/ Cyndi's List: Mailing Lists & Newsgroups http://www.CyndisList.com/mailnews.htm Larry Stephens' Mail Lists http://php.indiana.edu/~stephenl/genealog.htm ~ Make sure that the subject line is concise and reflects the information you are seeking. Many people are on several mailing lists and due the amount of mail they receive, they only have time to scan subject lines. "Need genealogy help" is not as likely to get results as a specific subject heading. If the inquiry is about an individual or family, be sure to include the surname (in caps). Other helpful info that can be included might be a date or time frame, location, or other identifying information. A commonly accepted format might be something like: PUBLIC, John Q. 1887-1934 IRL>NYC>OHIO Be creative and make your query stand out to the people that have the information you need. ~ Get to the point. Most people don't want to take the time to read a long drawn out query. The first paragraph should contain the "Who, What, Where, and When" of your request. Details can be filled in after you have gotten the attention of your targeted audience. ~ Include only one request in your post. Too many requests may decrease your chances for a response. Other inquiries can be posted separately. ~ Include places you have already checked for the information. Otherwise you may be wasting other listmembers' time, as well as your own, as you will have half a dozen replies telling you to search the obvious places that you have already checked. Let people know that these are the avenues that you have tried, and you are looking for an alternate route. ~ Capitalize SURNAMES so that they are easy to pick out of the post and subject lines. (You shouldn't capitalize an entire message as it makes it more difficult to read and some people consider it the online equivalent of shouting.) ~ Be careful with abbreviations in your query. Remember that many mailing lists have members from all parts of the world and others may not be familiar with the same abbreviations that we use. So spell it out whenever possible. This will eliminate the possibility for misinterpretation. ~ Familiarize yourself with online resources so that you don't post unnecessary requests. If you are looking for a geographic location, try some of the online maps that are available to locate an ancestor's town. Some popular map sites are: MapQuest http://www.mapquest.com/ USGS County/Location Finder http://www-nmd.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html Pam Rietsch's 1895 U.S. Atlas http://www.livgenmi.com/1895.htm Online directories can help find addresses: Switchboard http://www.switchboard.com/ InfoSpace http://www.infospace.com/ Juliana's Links at: http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/testurllinks/search.asp has links to libraries, genealogical societies, historical societies and other research facilities and services. Visit an organization or facility's Web page to find hours, addresses, etc. ~ Check your email settings. Make sure you are only sending plain text to mailing lists. Others may not have the capability to read HTML coded messages and you want your message to be received and readable by as many listmembers as possible. ~ Do not send your query as an attachment. Many viruses are transmitted as attachments and as a result, most people wisely refrain from opening attachments on email from people they don't know. ~ Sign your post with your name and email address. Some Email readers don't show the address that an email is received from and a recipient with the information you are looking for can't respond to you if they don't have your email address. ~ Reread your post carefully before you send it. Check for typos. Did you include all the necessary information? (Remember the 4 W's: Who, What, Where, When) Are all of your facts correct? Have you signed it properly? ~ Make sure your post is neat, and polite. Manners count online too. ~ Be careful of what information you post online, particularly when referring to living persons. Be sure to respect peoples privacy and keep yourself and your family safe from those who might use information found online for fraudulent purposes. ~ If you find information worth sharing, post it to the appropriate list and share the source of the information so that others may benefit from your "finds." As you help others, they will be more eager to help you in return. ~ Always be polite on the lists and refrain from flaming. No one wants to help someone who is constantly complaining or mean to others. ~ Keep a log of your email messages so you know what requests you have already put out and when. For more information, read "Citing the Messages" by Drew Smith at: http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/citing.htm (Genealogical Computing, Spring 1998, Vol. 17, No. 4) By using common sense and following simple guidelines, you can benefit greatly from mailing lists. They are a great place to make friends, find relatives, and information. Some other helpful mailing list related articles: "Managing the Flood of Email" by Mark Howells (Genealogical Computing, Winter 1998, Vol. 17, No. 3) http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/email.htm "Surnames Via the Internet" by Drew Smith (Genealogical Computing, Spring 1997, Vol. 17, No. 1) http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/surnames.htm More information about mailing lists in print form: "Netting Your Ancestors" by Cyndi Howells http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/netyouran.html "Searching for Cyber-Roots" by Laurie and Steve Bonner http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/searforcybro.html NOTE: I won't make it a practice to copy articles from other sources for you. But, this one is so good that I am sure you will want to share it with your friends, local genealogy societies, libraries, etc. If you want to subscribe to Ancestry's free on-line newsletter, visit the Ancestry Publishing Company webpage at www.Ancestry.com. I receive it every morning and nearly always find good ideas to pass on to my students in the genealogy class I teach. It really helps keep me up-to-date with what is new and interesting in the field of family research. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187 Suzid@tripod.net

This appeared in the September 26, 1998 edition of The Indianapolis Star. "ROSEMARY BURKHART BARGER, 72, Martinsville, died Sept. 25. She was a homemaker and a member of Olive Christian Church, Paragon. Services: 2 p.m. Sept. 27 in Costin Funeral Chapel, Martinsville, with calling from 4 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26. Burial: Olive Cemetery, Paragon. She was the widow of Clarence Barger Jr. Survivors: children David Barger, Anita Sutherlin, Vickie Montgomery; four grandchildren."

I am looking for more information on Alfred Barger b. 1813 NC, married Annie Lowie (?), moved to TN, then Noxubee Co., MS. Here are some censuses on Alfred. He later moved to Nevada Co., Arkansas. 1850 Miss-Noxubee MS, pg 219, #131 Barger, Alfred E. 37 m farmer $800 NC Annis(?) 35 f NC Sarah C.? 15 f TN Martha 11 f TN Nancy E., 6 f Miss. (died young) Susan C. 5 f Miss. 1850 MS Mortality Schedule: Barger, James, age 1, male, born MS, died June in Noxubee Co., of croup (According to family stories, Rebecca lost several children, and it is believed that James was one of them.--Harold Barger) 1860 Lafayette Co., MS, pg 321 Barger, Alfred 47 NC Sarah (?) 47 NC Sarah dau 23 Susan dau 13 Mary dau 9 James son 7 Victoria (f) 1 Bargers came to AR between 1860 and 1880. 1870 Nevada Co. did not exist. It was taken from Hemstead and Ouachita Co., AR. Hempstead shows no Bargers. Could not find Alfred in Ouachita, either. 1880 -Nevada Co.,AR, Missouri Twp(Dist 213); 25 Jun 1880 p 474 #200 Barger, Alfred m 67 farmer m. NC NC NC Barger, Sarah f 44 dau m. TN NC NC Kimes, Martha f 41 dau m. TN NC NC Barger, Susan f 32 dau m. Miss NC NC Gooch, Mary f 29 dau m. Miss NC NC Barger, James m 26 son m. Miss NC NC Rebecca f 25 d-i-l m. GA NC NC Stanley m 1 g-son AR NC NC Kimes, Martha f 20 g-dau Miss NC NC Gooch, Viola f 12 g-dau Miss NC NC Thanks, Cindy Dickinson Cindy Dickinson 1038 Butterfield Coach Rd. Springdale, AR 72764

Here is my Barger Line. James Barger b. ca 1789-97 VA d. 1875 New Hampton, Harrison County, MO m. 24 Dec 1823 Breckinridge Co. KY #1. Sarah (Sally) Shelman b. 1803 d. 1848 KY #2. Elizabeth (Jane) Shelman (sister to #1) Parents were Martin Shelman & Elizabeth Barger ( Cousins married Cousins) 13 known children by #1 wife John B. Barger Jr. b. 1768-69 Northumberland County, PA d. 24 Nov 1857 Bedford Taylor County, IA m. 27 Aug 1791 Bedford County, VA Christiana Franklin b. 1770 PA d. 1862 poss IA Parents: George Franklin & Christiana Toothman 7 known children in this family John B. Barger, Sr. b. 1746 Lancaster or York Co. PA d. 1841 Breckinridge Co. KY m. ca 1768 Barbara Elizabeth Swisher b. 1768 8 known children Peter Barger/Berger b. ca 1690-1718 Germany d. ca 1762-63 York Co. PA m. 1746 Elizasbeth Huff b. ?? d. poss. Lancaster PA 7 known children The Daughter of James Barger & Sarah (Sally) Shelman, Jane Elizabeth Barger b. 1824 Breckinridge Co. KY, d. 1912 McCracken Co. KY m. 1847 John Wesley Sweat. They were my great great grandparents. Any one having these people in their line will be glad to share what I have. Shirley A. (Burt) Farnesi

I could really use some help. This family was last known to be in Lonoke County, Arkansas (near Searcy). If you have any information about any of these people, would you please contact me? Thanks! Husband: ELIJAH M. BARGER, JR. b. ca. 1872, AR s/o ELIJAH M. BARGER, of Tippah Co., MS & Henderson Co., TN Wife: MOLLIE M. _____, b. 1878, AR Children: ALFRED O. BARGER, b. 1897, AR JAMES E. BARGER, b. 1903, AR LESLIE E. BARGER, b. 1907, AR LILLIA C. BARGER, b. 1909, AR I have followed this branch of my family through census records from Henderson Co., TN in 1830, to Tippah Co., MS in 1860, and I have information that the family stayed in Illinois during the Civil War. They were in Henderson County, TN again in 1870, and were in Lonoke County in the 1880 and 1910 census years. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187 suzid@tripod.net

Good morning, Friends & Cousins! It's Monday morning, and I am enjoying reading the postings to the Barger mailing list. Thank you very much, Kim for posting the information from the Barger Journal, and thanks also to Harman Clark who spotted the discrepancy. This is exactly how I hoped this mailing list would function. From time to time, we all discover conflicting information in the records, and are faced with the problem of deciding what to believe. It has been my practice, to show both sets of information in my research, together with footnotes, so anyone reading my work will be able to judge for themselves. Even when I have 3 or 4 items with one piece of information and only one with a different version, I show both. Experience has taught me that bad information, no matter how often repeated, is still wrong. It is also true that the truth often pops up in the most unlikely of places. Harman Clark asked about the reliability of Alvan Lyell Barger's Journals. If that wonderful gentleman, who laid the groundwork for much of our research, were still alive, I suspect he would explain that his research was as good as its sources. He corresponded with hundreds of people and received responses from all parts of the country. Imagine how vast that project was, considering that there were no computers, no internet, and in some parts of the country, little schooling. Much of his research took place during the depths of the Great Depression when the price of paper and postage might well have been a sacrifice for some of the people who corresponded with him. (I would love to have a glimpse at some of the letters he received!) Also, it was true then, and remains a fact, that official records are not always right, and when people copy records, mistakes can be made. Memories fade and become blurred. As family researchers, we encounter all these problems. The best we can do is to try to be accurate, and to verify information which appears suspect. Well, the moral of this message is: "Trust no one's research but your own - and for heaven's sake, double check that!" Over the years, I have heard those words repeated a great number of times by Sue Jackson, a lovely lady who volunteers at our local LDS Family History Center. I can't think of better advice. Thank you all for your participation. I just love reading your postings. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187 suzid@tripod.net

Susan -- good thoughts. And in my asking about the reliability of the Journal, I hope no one thought I was criticizing Alvan Lyell Barger. I was unfamiliar with him and was just asking. I'm very glad to see this message list and the responses to it. Harman Clark -----Original Message----- From: Susan Donahue <Susan_Donahue@piercestevens.com> To: BARGER-L@rootsweb.com <BARGER-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, September 28, 1998 10:38 AM Subject: THE BARGER JOURNALS > >Good morning, Friends & Cousins! > >It's Monday morning, and I am enjoying reading the postings to the Barger >mailing list. Thank you very much, Kim for posting the information from >the Barger Journal, and thanks also to Harman Clark who spotted the >discrepancy. This is exactly how I hoped this mailing list would >function. From time to time, we all discover conflicting information in >the records, and are faced with the problem of deciding what to believe. > > > >It has been my practice, to show both sets of information in my research, >together with footnotes, so anyone reading my work will be able to judge >for themselves. Even when I have 3 or 4 items with one piece of >information and only one with a different version, I show both. > Experience has taught me that bad information, no matter how often >repeated, is still wrong. It is also true that the truth often pops up >in the most unlikely of places. > >Harman Clark asked about the reliability of Alvan Lyell Barger's >Journals. If that wonderful gentleman, who laid the groundwork for much >of our research, were still alive, I suspect he would explain that his >research was as good as its sources. He corresponded with hundreds of >people and received responses from all parts of the country. Imagine how >vast that project was, considering that there were no computers, no >internet, and in some parts of the country, little schooling. Much of >his research took place during the depths of the Great Depression when >the price of paper and postage might well have been a sacrifice for some >of the people who corresponded with him. (I would love to have a glimpse >at some of the letters he received!) Also, it was true then, and remains >a fact, that official records are not always right, and when people copy >records, mistakes can be made. Memories fade and become blurred. As >family researchers, we encounter all these problems. The best we can do >is to try to be accurate, and to verify information which appears >suspect. > >Well, the moral of this message is: "Trust no one's research but your >own - and for heaven's sake, double check that!" Over the years, I have >heard those words repeated a great number of times by Sue Jackson, a >lovely lady who volunteers at our local LDS Family History Center. I >can't think of better advice. > >Thank you all for your participation. I just love reading your postings. > >Susan Barger Donahue >BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY >411 East Roosevelt Road >Wheaton, IL 60187 >suzid@tripod.net >

What ever happened to Abram Shufflebarger? The mystery has been explained in an article posted at the Southern Illinois Bulletin Board site at http://www.angelfire.com/il/leefoss/bulletin3.html