Thanks for doing that, Bob. I didn't think to look for a web page. I'm glad she is still writing. According to her bio she grew up in Grundy VA where there were a passel of Matneys. Grundy is in Buchanan County VA. As for Cantrells, I don't think we have any Matney Cantralls either but another name she uses is Justice, which is related. She talks about 'gypsys' in this book (Granny Y does) which were the Melungeons being researched now, thought to have Puerto Rican roots mixed with Indian, found especially in Wythe County but evident in all those hill counties. What I typed is just an example of hill speech, and this Van Cantrall has an interesting background, probably typical of this area, so I'm not saying we have these family names, these are just common hill names, like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Ya'all can laugh at me but it helps my research when I study the history of the area and I get a feeling for the place and the times. I frequently read fiction for this reason because these authors have to do historical research to make their stories believable, but the keyword here is *fiction*-I read English historical fiction for years and consequently can remember parts of the Royal lineage and learned an awful lot about antiques. Historical tomes don't have a plot, aren't as interesting reading. Norma Robert Beverly wrote: > > Hi Norma. > > Interesting reading -- that little excerpt from Lee Smith. It sparked > some interest here, and so I did a little web search and found her > official home page. If you're interested, here's the URL: > > http://www.beca.org/fotl/leesmith/index.html > > Bob > p.s. I don't personally know of any of my Broadwaters' connections to > any Cantrells.