Here's a change of pace from Connecticut and New York genealogy -- a fascinating and quite plausible theory that ergot poisoning may have been involved in the famous events at Salem, Massachusetts in 1691-92. While the Brooks name isn't found in the records of this period, there are connections -- from George Corwin/Curwen, one of the magistrates, to listreader Lori Thomas, who descends from Samuel Wardwell This page references a 1951 book describing an outbreak of this fungal poisoning in a village in France. I read the book in the 60s and have never forgotten this horrifying tale. I wish I could remember its title -- I'd like to reread it. Anyway ... http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets2/case1_clues.html Chris