Dear Friends & Cousins, I have made a promise to my deceased Great-Great Grandmother to make her family proud once more. You see my Great-Great Grandmother was Maude Craig born in Illinois. We are not sure where in Illinois because her birth was a true disgrace. Maude's Mother was a woman by the name of Belle B Craig. When Bell was 13 years old she gave birth to Maude. Shortly after that she abandoned the child into her Mother Jennie Anne (Barnett) Craig's arms. Maude did not have an easy life. She was working at a hotel in Mt. Sterling, Brown County, Illinois at the tender age of 17 when she met her husband George Hedrick. George loved her very much & fell in love with her at first sight. Their marriage license states that her parents were Belle Craig (which is BElle's Maiden name) & Lewis Craig who we are still not sure who he is. Belle would never discuss her Mother but did tell her children once her Mother's name was Belle Craig. One day a man came to Maude & George's home in Beardstown, Cass County, Ilinois. He told all the children that he was Maude's Father. When Maude came out she began to scream at him & told him never to come back. The children of Maude & George never saw this man again. Maude spent her entire life being embarrassed of who she was & where she had came from. I am doing my best to track down information on her family so that I can reach back into their roots & try to pull out a piece of information that Maude could be proud of. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE FACTS OF MAUDE & HER HERRITAGE THAT I HAVE. Maude was born in Illinois ABT 4-4-1887. She married George Hedrick 10-25-1905. Her Marriage License lists her parents Lewis Craig & Belle Craig. It also states she was born in Brown County Illinois. Belle B Craig (Maude's Mother) married J.L. Moore who was born in Marion Co. Missouri. His parents were John Moore & Lucinda Gray. She was married Feb. 9, 1893 this would have made Maude 5 at the time. Belle was going to be 20 on her next birthday She listed her parents as James Craig & Ann Barnett. At the time of their marriage they were both living in Clayton, Illinois which is either in Brown or Adams County. Belle's Father according to her Mother's Obituary was James Craig it is mispelled in the newspaper as CREIG. James Craig & Jennie Ann Barnett married Jan 17, 1868 but it doesn't state where. It also states in Jennie Ann's Obituary that she was born Feb 1, 1846. It states that James Craig died on Dec 25, 1884. Their children are listed as James P. of Eagleville, MO, Belle B Moore, George F, & Alonzo of Browning. If you Can help me or think you can please write me. Also if you are interested in the entire Obituary of Jennie Ann Barnett, or the License of Belle B Craig, or any of the newspaper clippings I have found please write me. I need to make my Great Great Grandmother proud of her family before these terrible things happened that destroyed her family & caused her to feel shame all of her life. She was a wonderful woman from all that I have heard about her. PLEASE HELP Sincerely Wendy Braun 2wander@iwon.com ............................................................. voted #1 search engine! http://www.iwon.com why wouldn't you? .............................................................