Hi, I`m a new member of PCGS (#602) and I really enjoyed the March brainstorming meeting. [ I didn`t attend in April as all my grandparents were born in Europe. So, I don`t have any relatives who fought in the Civil War.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The LOVE BOAT My late mother often told me as a youngster that my Irish grandparents met and fell in love on the ship to America. Well, thanks to the Ellis Island website, I verified that story. This is what I found: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [ Grandpa ] Name: James MULLEN Age: 19 years old British-Irish Single Resided: Wishaw, Scotland Ship: SS Furnessia (Anchor) Departure Port: Glasgow, Scotland Arrival Port: New York Date: 18 April 1910 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [ Grandma ] Name: Rose FARRELLY Age: 18 years old British-Irish Single Resided: Belfast. Ireland Ship: SS Furnessia (Anchor) Arrival Port: New York Date: 18 April 1910 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have sent for an 8 X 10 glossy photograph of the "Love Boat" (aka SS Furnessia). The Steamship Historical Society of America has an extensive collection of steamship photos for sale. [ I bought my German grandfather`s ship`s photo ( SS Zeeland ) from them already.] Their website is: www.ubalt.edu/archives/ship/ship.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I live in Grass Valley and have been addicted to genealogy since August 2000. I`m amazed at how much information and documents I have gathered in so short a time. I went from one binder to start with and now have spread out to seven binders! Hope to hear other stories soon. John J. Bohnert Grass Valley

I just have to share the fantastic luck I've had with ordering Catholic Church Records from the Family History Library. These particular records are in Spanish, from a small town in Granada, Spain. Not only did I find marriage bans, bride and groom's baptismal records, etc., but there was also information on the groom's first marriage to a young woman who later died in childbirth, the death records of both his parents, and his military discharge papers. Could anyone ask for more? Not all records are as detailed as this one, but don't be afraid to order church records for your ancestors--they may contain a goldmine of information. Jacqui Marcella