Fabulous email, Shelley, thank you so much! So much in it that I can only respond now to the computer part...... When mine crashed and I bought a new Apple laptop with wireless [big :-) ], I bit the bullet and paid the bucks to have our local Apple store transfer the contents of my hard drive onto my new computer. I'm sure I lost some things...but I also saved much. Retrieving the contents of mail has proved more difficult. Again, I've gotten a lot, but... how would I ever know what I've lost.. until I need it and go to look for it and it's not there! I would think that the folk trying to sell the latest version of Family Tree Maker would be more than happy to guide you in the technical questions! Re the Degruy plantations.... that's the first I've heard about Audubon Park. Fascinating. There is a map in, of all places, the genealogy dept. in St. Louis which shows the Mississippi and the plantations along the river... and DeGruy shows up [rather near the Destrehan plantation] on the ... what is the other side of the river called in New Orleans -- West bank???? But the famous 'batture' controversy.... and I will soon send you my collection of emails on that topic, make it sound like a Degruy plantation was in the area where the convention center is now on the East bank. One of my earlier questions was centered around these various plantations and if they had the fanciful kind of names like "Oak Alley", and what are some of the others? Evergreen, Magnolia, Rosedown.... etc.... or if they were just known as the Degruy plantations. Anyway there is so, so much to talk about! And, I have to warn you, I'm entering a period which will last about 7 weeks where non-genealogy responsibilities are going to gain ascendancy.... so I may be quieter than usual! [Thank God for small blessings!!!] R > >