Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13511 Surname: Downes, Robinson ------------------------- Looking for parents of both Aaron Burr Bradley Downes/Downs and Emeline Robinson. Aaron is buried in Walnut Grove Cem near P.T. Barnums grave in Jennings plot. Believe his sister was Ruth Downes/Downs Jennings. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Aaron drowned Dec 1842 in Bridgeport. Age about 37 or 39.

Posted on: Fairfield County Obituaries Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ct/FairfieldObits/10462 Surname: BRUSH, MEEKER, TAYLOR ------------------------- Unidentified Newsclipping - 1891 Sarah Elizabeth MEEKER was born at Southeast, Putnam County, New York, October 11, 1818, and died at West Redding, Fairfield County, Connecticut, November 6, 1891. Her maiden name was BRUSH. At an early age, during a revival, in which many of her friends were converted, she gave her heart to the Saviour. In October, 1846, she was married to Joseph Meeker. A year later they removed to West Redding, where, until her death, she labored for Christ. Her light shone all around; her consecration was complete; she believed in entire sanctification; her life was hid with Christ in God. In her own home she was an example of love and helpfulness; in the homes of others none were more ready to minister. In the Sabbath-school she was a faithful teacher; in the prayer circle, an inspiration. Many were blessed and converted at prayer-meetings in her own house. She was in hearty sympathy with all Missionary enterprises, and gave liberally. The itinerant was welcome at her home. During the summer of 1891 she was thrown from a carriage, and the injuries received ultimately caused her death. For many weeks she was a great sufferer, but her sublime faith triumphed. David TAYLOR

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13510 Surname: Caputo, Barth ------------------------- Is there a web address which lists surnames of those who have been naturalized in various Fairfield County courthouses ( 1900 - 1924 )?

Hi all, There was a great article about Harlan Jessup in the Danbury News-Times online at http://www.newstimes.com/cgi-bin/dbs.cgi?db=news&view_records=1&id=9255 I was very impressed with the article and wish more could be written about genealogy like this! Bill Cribbs Obituary Central http://www.obitcentral.com GenDirectory.com http://www.gendirectory.com

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13508 Surname: ------------------------- Hi, Oliver-- Yes, Noroton Heights is a section of Darien, Ct. which is in Fairfield County. Darien has town records going back much farther than 1943 so I would suggest contacting the Town Clerk's office at 203-656-7307. The address is 2 Renshaw Road, Darien, Ct. 06820. Darien is a fairly small town wedged in between two larger cities, Stamford and Norwalk. If nothing turns up in the Darien records, I would suggest trying one of those other cities. Good luck, Lois

Posted on: Fairfield County Obituaries Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Ct/FairfieldObits/10461 Surname: Eberhart, Good, Elgin ------------------------- From The Norwalk Hour Norwalk, Connecticut (Fairfield County) Monday, February 25, 1974 Alanson C. Eberhart, 76, of 2 Country road, Westport, a retired manager of the real estate department of the American Can Company, died Sunday in Norwalk hospital. Services will take place Wednesday at 9 A.M. in the Fable Funeral Home, 215 West State street, with Rev. Dana F. Kennedy, rector of Christ and Holy Trinity Church, officiating. Burial will be in Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, Long Island, N.Y. There will be no calling hours. The family requests that flowers be omitted. Born in York, Neb., Mr. Eberhart had been a Westport resident for 12 years. He had been a Navy veteran of World Wars I and II; and a member of the Sons of the Revolution and the Military order of the Loyal Legion. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Mignon Good Eberhart; and a sister, Mrs. Howard Elgin of Colorado. (Ed. note: Mr. Eberhart was born December 8, 1897, per the Social Security Death Index)

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13507 Surname: Tierney, Beschle, Welch, Wild, Mockovak, Healey, Morelock, Perkett, Cronk, Zurinskas ------------------------- All the above are related to Patrick Tierney and Anna Lawler/Lawlor. Both Anna and Patrick lived and died in Danbury ,Ct Fairfield County.

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13506 Surname: LAYFIELD, PENDLETON ------------------------- I'm trying to find out about my 3rd great-grandmother's family. According to International Genealogical Index files, Harriet LAYFIELD was born October 27, 1823, in Fairfield County, Bridgeport, Connecticut. The record lists her parents as Loudy and Abigale PENDLETON LAYFIELD. The only original record that I have is a family Bible entry. That record lists her parents as Loudy and Abigale LAYFIELD, gives the same date of birth, and says that she was born in Connecticut. It doesn't mention Abigale's maiden name. I suspect Harriet's father's family may have been from Maryland. In the 1850 Connecticut Census, there are several LAYFIELDS, including a Loudy LAYFIELD, who is listed as a seaman, but his age suggests that he is probably a brother. There is also a Loudy LAYFIELD in the 1850 Georgia Census. My guess is that they are all of the same family, due to the unusual given name "Loudy". This line is particularly baffling to me, since Harriet LAYFIELD married in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1841, to William B. COOPER. As far as I have been able to determine, the COOPERs had no connection to Connecticut, and I can find no logical reason for her emigration to Alabama. Since William B. COOPER was a druggist in Wetumpka, Alabama, in the 1840s and 1850s, I have wondered if he might have attended some sort of pharmacy school in Connecticut, during which time he met Harriet LAYFIELD. I really need a break with this line! Anything at all would be most appreciated.

Just want to say thanks to all the kind persons who responded to my query on traveling to Fairfield. I really look forward to it! Thanks! Dianne

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13505 Surname: Davis, Brittain ------------------------- Searching for the marriage of my mother and dad, I believe in Fairfield County, on 31 July, 1942 or 1943. His name was Donald L. Davis and hers was Mildred A. Brittain. He was in training at Noroton Heights, CT during WWII during the 1943 time frame. If anyone has information or knows how I can verify the correct date and if, in fact, it was in Fairfield County, please let me know. I'm interested in writing to obtain a copy of their marriage license for a family history of the Davis family in the Fayetteville, AR area. Both parents are deceased. Thanks in advance....Oliver Davis

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13504 Surname: Bates Lockwood ------------------------- Fairfield County Am looking for any descendants or ancestors of Hamford H. Bates and Anne Lockwood. My grandmother was one of their children, her name was Ada Mae Bates. She was born November 30,1895, and died December20,1954. Any information will be appreciated. Thanks, Virginia Williams 315 Bussey Ave. Thomson, GA 30824

Doris, You offered to send sources for what you posted on Foote recently. I would appreciate having this also. Thanks Dot

Has anyone found any new info to differentiate between Gideon Allen of Greens Farm, and the Gideon Allen descended from the Allens of Sandwich, MA? Marc Archer in Flint, MI

Jan, You have a good point. Perhaps it would be a good idea to read the original e-mail. I didn't remember who had even sent the original e-mail. I had long forgotten where this discussion originated, and it doesn't even matter. I just remember hearing from someone, somewhere in the exchange of views, that there was resentment over passing along info that the person (and I honestly don't remember who it was) was begrudging having sent, because they had worked so hard to find it themselves, only to have the next person acquire it so easily. I haven't kept copies of any of the exchanges made by people on the subject. I have deleted them after reading them. If you feel that some of us would benefit by re-reading the original e-mail, feel free to re-post it for us. But perhaps the original post wasn't the one that contained the resentment. I don't remember who said it, and I'm not sure that I need to know that. But I'll leave that up to you. Thanks, Nan

> Shame on those who would attempt to make us feel guilty about using this > miracle Even though I usually don't jump into these discussions and Kay did ask to respond "off-list," I am responding to the latest comment. When I read Kay's original email I didn't feel a need to "defend myself" nor did she make me feel guilty. She wasn't knocking the use of the Internet as a tool for genealogy for cripes sake! The people that got all hot under the collar completely missed her point. I have been doing genealogy for over 20 years, long before email and the Internet. I also work full-time. I have a family and I don't have the time or money to go traipsing about the U.S. & Europe to search for my ancestors. Kay was not suggesting that at all. In doing genealogy for as long as I have, I've learned one thing even though the Internet is a great tool, you are NOT going to find everything you need through this vehicle to glean all the source material you need to- to have a complete research. The Internet is only as good as what people decide to enter into it. The GenWeb sites and the like are growing, but it is not enough. If you are the type that is satisfied with it fine, but you are missing out on all the little facts about your ancestors that you will never find here. If you take the genealogies that you will find throughout the Internet as fact without verifying the data it contains, well so be it. If you don't care that the line you are working on does not contain what source it came from, that's fine too. I for one do. There is a vast genealogical world out there. I started in 1979 with little money. I have collected data since then, and you know what folks? Not one bit of it exists on the Internet. You know why? Because it came from primary and secondary source material from writing to cemeteries, historical societies, libraries, archives, etc. etc. I've corresponded (the old fashioned way) with people; I've had kind souls do some of the footwork for me because I couldn't and when I was a little flush with money, I hired a qualified researcher. Kay wasn't knocking the Internet, she just was pointing out that if you limit yourself to it you are missing out on so much information. There is nothing like writing a letter to a historical society, etc. coming home and finding a big fat envelope in your mailbox filled with info you never knew existed. Maybe some of you should reread her original email. Jan

Posted on: Fairfield Co. Ct Query Forum Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/USA/Ct/Fairfield/13502 Surname: Sherwood, Beebe, Gray ------------------------- Am also looking for more on Sherwoods. Betty Sherwood married Gideon Beebe in Fairfield. Before that he had married Rebecca Gray in Fairfield. A few years later, he moved to Ludlow, Mass. Would be glad to exchange what I have on Beebes, but sparse on the Sherwoods. Have been to Fairfield Library, but didn't get too much information.

I have sat back and read all of the discussions about the "attitudes" and I am so sad that all of us dedicated genealogy enthusiasts have been put in a position where we feel we have to defend ourselves. What a terrible injustice has been done to us, who have been enjoying the exchange on this list. The information that is exchanged is so valuable, and it is a miracle that we now have so much at our fingertips, with this wonderful world of computers. Shame on those who would attempt to make us feel guilty about using this miracle, and get info the "easy" way. More power to those of us who are benefiting from this fabulous list. I think most of us have also done it the old fashioned, difficult way.I rejoice in this computer age, and absolutely refuse to let anyone intimidate me or make me feel guilty about benefiting from this list. Those of you who have defended yourselves so valiantly, have done it beautifully, but you should not have been put in the position of having to do that. For heavens' sake, please, those of you who are discontented with our exchange, leave us alone and let us enjoy ourselves and each other. If you don't share our joy, feel free to remove yourselves from the source of your displeasure, and let us exchange information in peace. Most of us are having a wonderful time, and I, for one, intend to keep enjoying myself, and will remain guilt free. Thank you, all you wonderful people on this list who have helped me with my family tree. Sincerely, Nan

We will soon be traveling to Fairfield, CT to reseach some of my many lines in the towns of Fairfield and Newtown and found this site to be of great help. I called various towns to check the hours of the town clerk offices. http://www.vitalrec.com/ctcounties.html#Fairfield However, I am appealing to those that live in the area or have been there to let me know a bit of the "flavor" of the area. I know when I called the Berlin office in Hartford Cnty, I was quickly informed of the correct annuciation of "BUR - LIN". I do not wish to offend, so little things like this is nice to know. Also if someone knows the exact location and a bit of info about the "Old Village Cemetery" in Fairfield, I would appreciate knowing a bit about it. Thanks ! Dianne researching Dunning, Morehouse, Jennings, Bulkley, Gorham, Beers

One thing that you need to know and that the clerks might not have mentioned to you, is that you need to present proof of membership in an acceptable [to them] society before they will look things up. This refers to births, marriages, and possibly, deaths. This is or has been Connecticut law. If your membership is not acceptable, they will refer you to a member of the Connecticut Society to do the research for you. Some will ignore the law, but not all of them. Kay Allen AG Dianne wrote: > We will soon be traveling to Fairfield, CT to reseach some of my many > lines in the towns of Fairfield and Newtown and found this site to be > of great help. I called various towns to check the hours of the town > clerk offices. > http://www.vitalrec.com/ctcounties.html#Fairfield > > However, I am appealing to those that live in the area or have been > there to let me know a bit of the "flavor" of the area. I know when I > called the Berlin office in Hartford Cnty, I was quickly informed of the > correct annuciation of "BUR - LIN". I do not wish to offend, so little > things like this is nice to know. > Also if someone knows the exact location and a bit of info about the > "Old Village Cemetery" in Fairfield, I would appreciate knowing a bit > about it. > > Thanks ! > > Dianne > > researching Dunning, Morehouse, Jennings, Bulkley, Gorham, Beers > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB

I was hoping that this conversation would be more or less private. But such is not the case. Feel free to use the delete key. Comments interspersed Up2Nutrix@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 06/03/2001 7:51:31 PM Mountain Daylight Time, > allenk@pacbell.net writes: > > > I am an old hand at genealogy starting in the late '60s, back when it > > was pencil and paper, or occasionally, typewriter. There were "name > > collectors", but most of us worked hard doing research in original > > records, after we had done the literary survey, so we didn't reinvewnt > > the wheel. > > > > > > Could I please present another point of view? Many of us would enjoy having > the resources to do what the writer of this note has been able to do: > tramping through cemeteries in the rain; sitting in the library or other > archives for hours on end; purchasing books and subscriptions by the carload. > But there are plenty of good reasons for not doing all those things. Some of these resources are not that far away, if you make the effort. I am not rich. I have achieved what I have because I was creative in making the most of what I had a hand. I never mentioned tramping through cemeteries in the rain. I have done so, but only because something came up that made it possible. I budgeted my time so I could sit in a library. I raised three of four sons and had a mother with Alzheimer's. At one time, I had the care of husband, three sons during the week, a dtr.-in-law, and a grandson, and said mother. No one helped with the chores or gave me money to defray the expenses. They werem't even tax deductible. When my children were much younger, I juggled housework, a college career, and genealogy and rarely, had a babysitter other than my husband. Usually I managed while the kids were in school or late at night. It is only recently that I have had spare money to spend on books for myself or subscriptions. For years I didn't even have a computer. And when I did get one it was inadequate for the 'Net connections. I budgeted money so I could go to libraries. I even hand copied materials because I couldn't afford to photocopy. Because I seemed to have an aptitude for it, I became an Accredited Genealogist, so I could earn money to defray my personal expenses. I live in California, one of the most expensive states in which to live. I have put my boys through college and have supported my mother. My husband has been unemployed. We have made expensive moves in his career. So what, this is life. Life is a four letter word and it does happen. You make the best danged lemonade you can. I am neither bragging or complaining. Just stating facts. > > > For some people, it's the lack of financial resources. Job insecurity, heavy > financial responsibilities, and fixed or declining income are a few of the > situations that can severely limit a person's available money. And while that > "$5 Rand-McNally atlas" probably won't break most of us, it's no help for > past geography. For example, you could tear a New Jersey map apart looking > for German Valley, where some of my relatives lived, but you'll never find > it. During World War I the name was changed to Long Valley, and if someone > isn't aware of that change, he'll be "up a creek" looking for his family. Again, that was not I. As to the factors you mention, been there, done that. > > > Along with finances is the resource of time. It's nice to be able to sit down > in your library's genealogy section for an entire day and look for what you > need, but that amount of time just might not be available to you. Maybe you > have a job that keeps you occupied when the library is open. Maybe you have > the responsibility of caring for small children, elderly parents, or > handicapped relatives -- or maybe all three! Maybe a personal disability > means that your normal activities take twice as long as they would for a > "normal" person. I have worked full time. I have raised children and taken care of an aging parent. I have pursued a college education. One must learn to cram as much in a day as one can and figure where a spare day can come. Sometimes you trade for babysitting or whatever. Libraries and FHCs usually have evening hours and weekend hours. It just all depends on your commitment to achievement. I also don't have a car. To go anywhere, I must get up at 4 am, travel 65 miles to San Jose (1.5 hours in good traffic. Sometimes more than 2 hours to get home), sit around until things open, then drive 15-65 miles to go wherever I need to go. Then I do what I have to do and reverse the process. I am disabled. I suffer from a heart damaged by rtheumatic fever. I have asthma which puts me at risk with every breath I take and which keeps me perpetually tired. Sometimes I have to do my paperwork in bed and have my husband microwave dinner after an attack. I also have problems with my neck and shoulders which makes it very difficult for me to write or type for an extended period of time. I also makes sleeping difficult. Cranking a film reader can be exrtremely uncomfortable. We have had quadraplegics come and use our FHC facilities. They need help cranking microfilm, but notes are recorded with a voice activated recorder. We have two ladies on staff who are legally blind. One suffers fron diabetic retinopathy. Until strokes disabled her totally, she used extreme magnification and turned her head to focus where she still had vision. The other uses extreme magnification, but doesn't need to contort herself to read. The one lady is now retired, but the other still works and is very productive, in spite of having open heart surgery to replace a mitral valve that blew after she had severe allergic reactions to chemicals used in cleaning the rugs at the FHC. > > > And then there's distance. Many of us live a thousand or more miles from > where our families came from, and time and finances keep us from traveling > that distance to check out things "on scene." I live three thousand miles + from New England and New York and more than 6000 miles from the British Isles and Germany. I have extremely successfull done research for myself, my husband, and for clients at long distance. Original records are frequently available through the FHC system, libraries, correspondence, paying a researcher, . There are many ways which can be arranged to meet your circumstances. > > > While the person who wrote the original letter here says she isn't referring > to any specific person, she quoted my note on the business of "not having > access" to something. I wasn't referring to you or to any one in particular. Are you the only person who has ever said, but I don't have access? I don't think so! > Lack of access can be for many different reasons. . > .and in my case it's complicated. Thirty years ago my husband, not having a > crystal ball, picked an occupation that was made obsolete during the > high-tech revolution of the 90s. As a result, he's been either out of work or > forced into low-paying or temporary positions for most of the last five > years. I've had to work a lot more that I would have liked to in order to > keep our retirement savings (which we'll need in a few years) from melting > away entirely. On top of that, a family emergency two years ago swallowed up > a large percentage of the money we'd saved. And to put the cap on it, a > hereditary neurological disorder that I managed to acquire with my genetic > code means that my normal housework takes me twice as long as it would > without it. A few hours of some "nonessential" activity leaves me wondering > which necessary job doesn't get done. Shopping? Cleaning? Laundry? Thanks to > my husband's job instability, we haven't had a vacation in nearly five years, I could put my circumstances up against yours, but I won't. We had to tap our retirement resources rather heavily to help one son. It was crippling, but we will survive. For many years, the only "vacations" were weekenders within driving distance. Perhaps, you could draft your husband into helping you get some time for yourself. Or you could trade someone for help. Frequently, it is only as hopeless as you choose to make it. I know that sounds unsympathetic, but I have been in similar positions where I had to choose what I did and think creatively about my circumstances or do without, without complaining [That's hard :-)]. My husband leaves for work at 4 am and returns home between 5 and 8, depending on whether he is teaching or not or if any of his equipment needs fixing. So weekends are for house work, companionship and camping, sometimes in the backyard :-) and long naps, because we are both exhausted from the week. He also travels in his job. This frequently costs us money. > > so the few free weekends we get need to be used for "mini-vacations" camping > and hiking in the mountains rather than spending the day in the library. It's > all a matter of priorities, and I consider spending time with my living > family and providing for them (and making sure that we're not a burden to our > kids in our rapidly-arriving old age) a greater priority than getting the > most detailed and accurate numbers possible on my long-dead relatives. I have done so and still managed to find time to search for my dead progenitors. I have done exactly what you are doing and have the same concerns as you have. The difference is that I have taken opportunities and made the best lemonade I could. The Internet is a useful tool, but it is a tool that can be misused and abused. And it is only one of many tools that you should be using > > > Believe it or not, I'm not into genealogy. What I'm interested in is family > history. I want to leave a legacy for our kids and grandkids: where did they > come from? How did their forebears get here -- and why? What suffering did > they go through in order to make this country what it is? How did they fit > into the scheme of history (the Revolution; the Great Migration; the Thirty > Years War; the Irish Potato Famine; Bannockburn; the Boyne)? When did they > leave the Church of Rome. . .during the Protestant Reformation, or later? > That's my real goal in all this, not agonizing over whether a date I have > recorded is a birth date or in fact a baptism date. But what is a legacy that is incorrect? It is no better than a lie. If you cannot corroborate stories, they are nothing but hearsay. And if you don't care about dates, then please don't post them and lead people down the primrose path. Some people do care and that is why they are asking for help. > > > A parallel from a different discipline: when my husband and I are camping and > hiking, I like to record what we've seen and done on film. I've gotten some > strikingly beautiful photographs, including a few that several years ago made > all but the final cut in a national travel magazine's annual photo contest > (out of nearly 20,000 entries). I use them on calendars, family newsletters, > and greeting cards; and I've even managed to sell a few. But because I use > print film rather than slide film and because I don't carry a tripod large > and heavy enough to kill a grizzly bear or lenses that look like small > cannons, some purists say that I'm not "really" an outdoor photographer. . > .I'm just a "dabbler." I don't have the money to purchase that expensive > equipment, nor would I if I did, since it's heavy and detracts from the fun > of hiking in the outdoors. But what I do suits my purpose just fine, and it's > as valid as what those other people are doing. But genealogy is different from photography and many other pastimes in that dabblers can cause real harm to serious or really interested people. You don't care about dates, but you transmit them. This is a downside to the Internet. It is becoming easier and faster to spread the proliferation of junk genealogy. You find some junk piece of information and you spread it on. > > > For most of my family history, I've been forced by the lack of the resources > I mentioned earlier to depend on the research of others for what I've > learned. I've tried to "pay it forward" by passing on to others what I've > been able to learn and hence return something of what I've gained. But that is only to the good if it is accurate. As you have learned and are learning, the research of others is only as good as the ability, knowledge, sources, and commitment of that researcher. > > Fortunately many people have been very helpful: photocopying TAG or other > articles and mailing them to me (and usually refusing the payment I've > offered); offering to do lookups for me at Salt Lake City or at local > libraries; sending me GEDCOMs of what they'd been able to learn; politely > (and I emphasize the word "politely") correcting (rather than challenging) my > data when I'd been given some incorrect information. Unfortunately there have > been a few of the other kind of people, who seemed to feel that they'd worked > hard and spent loads of cash for their data and that I should be obligated to > do the same. But those people have been few and far between. And over the > past few years I've met all sorts of wonderful people online whom I'm proud > to call my friends. . .and in some cases, my family. I've found two long-lost > close cousins through one of those "darnable CD systems" and several more on > RootsWeb lists. And how much junk have you picked up that you are now passing on to others. I spend more hours than I should helping people, both on-line and in person at the San Jose FHC. I have the thank you notes to prove it. But I have also learned that people who are wedded to their information can be really hostile when they are told that they have wrong information. I didn't challenge you. I asked you questions. If that is challenging then I will continue to do so without apology. I repeat, the Internet is a MIXED blessing. As to those CDs, some of it is an infringement of copyright, as people have submitted material which belonged to others. But that is another issue. If AOL doesn't accept long transmissions, then you might consider breaking it into 2 or three transmissions so that you can have your citations. > > > I think that we need to be careful not to restrict family research to being a > luxury item for those with lots of money and time, like yacht racing and > polo. It is not a luxery pastime, but it can be expensive to do properly. You just need to order priorities to do so. Your priorities are not genealogy. So when you pass your family history along to your children, please do inform them that there is a strong possibility of error an not to pass it on to others and thereby corrupt others' genealogies. > After all, this is history we're dealing with, and we shouldn't > minimize the interest and efforts of folks who are doing the best they can > with the little they have to provide a history for those who come after. Write the stories as you have them and forget the accurate genealogy parts. My grandchildren appreciate the stories more than the dates, the appreciation will come as they grow up and can match dates with the history they are learning in school. > We > can end up discouraging people not only by withholding information but also > by belittling them as "dabblers" or "name collectors" -- two terms that I > will admit to hating royally. Most of us aren't just trying to collect names > in order to make a big, impressive list; we're trying to put "flesh" on those > names by learning something about them. Their dates and histories are part of them, for better or worse. My husband is ancestrally deprived. His father's side is Scots-Irish or Ulster Irish. His mother's side is German Mennonites who passed through Russia before coming to the US. We work on them as we can afford resources because the research can be difficult, time consuming, and expensive. But we have plenty of stories and accurate information, as far as it goes. > snipped. So, at this point, we just need to agree to disagree because we will probably never see things the same way . But be sure to cite your sources when you submit a pedigree line :-) And I will not hesitate to tell you when you are wrong. Or right either! Kay Allen AG > > > I've had my "soap box" time now -- thanx for your patience. . . > > Doris in Colorado (Up2Nutrix@aol.com) > "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -- > Jim Elliot, missionary and martyr > > ============================== > Shop Ancestry - Everything you need to Discover, Preserve & Celebrate > your heritage! > http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog