I had the good fortune to visit the Saratoga Springs, NY area the past few days. It is about as special a little town (26,000) as you could ever imagine. Marvelous restoration and care of just hundreds and hundreds of 19th century homes and buildings, Skidmore College, and of course the Race Track & museum which is remarkable. A summer climate which is second to none, at the foot of the Adirondacks (busy during the 6 wk. long racing season late July thru Labor day). But if you can find any excuse to go there for some research and holiday I could not recommend any place more. It is a truly remarkable and charming town. Countless lovely restaurants and B&Bs. Along with research allow time for a thorough tour of Saratoga Springs. Very worthwhile. Of course so many New Eng. families passed thru central NY on their westward migrations 1750-1850 . . . Some fine historical & Genie info at many different repositories, and some top notch associations which might be beneficial to join. Excellent libraries. Good source for Butler & Bradford info, White & VanWyk, and many desc. of the early NE families (not my branch) seem to have located in this area. I visited a lot of historic spots: Broadalbin, Johnstown, Fonda, Galway, Ballston Spa, and of course Saratoga Springs. These all being located in Fulton, Montgomery, & Saratoga Counties, a bit N. of Albany & Schenectady. And don't forget the whisk broom, water jug, small shovel and sponge for tidying up old ancestral gravestones! Lots of them around, and we made some very worthwhile new discoveries! So for anyone interested, some possible names & contacts are: Montgomery Co. (Fonda, NY) Kelly Farquhar, County Historian: 518-853-8186 Saratoga Co., Genie & History info, (Ballston Spa, NY), Kristine Saddlemire-Reese, Co. Historian 518-884-4749 Galway, Saratoga Co. town historian: Phyllis Keeler 518-882-6765 Galway village history, James Morrison 518-725-6737 Broadalbin NY history: Gordon Cornell 518-883-3635, glcsdc@superior.net Broadalbin, Fulton Co. (prior to 1838 was Montgomery Co.) town clerk: Sheila Perry 518-883-4657 Saratoga Springs Public Library. Wonderful history room, only open certain times, 518-584-7860 Cemetery Historian for these counties: Dave Bixby 518-883-3153 Johnstown, NY. County seat for present (since 1838) Fulton Co., Susan Berks 516-736-5555 Johnstown historian, William Loveday, 518-725-8314 Try and get to Saratoga Springs! Fantastic. Peter Burrows, Annapolis, MD