Bill, It is, in fact, a copyright issue. The facts are not subject to copyright, nor are the exact phrases from the deeds, but the compilation and formatting (I would think) are. I wanted to use them -- perhaps not past the extent of fair use anyway, but enough of them to make me feel uncomfortable without seeking permission -- EXACTLY as she had written them, formatting and all. The selection of information isn't exactly creative -- She included the pertinent facts exactly as they occurred in the original deeds to the best of her ability ... She didn't interpret much of anything except old hard to read handwriting. Permission was granted to use whatever I wanted however I wanted to use it. I suspect she gave anyone who asked this permission, which might mean I would be safe even if she reworded the deeds. I think I will follow Joan's suggestion of extracting facts and including them in my own narrative in my own words ... It's probably a better idea anyway, so that my own compilation will be subject to copyright. Debbie ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour