I believe queries to the EAST-TEXAS-ROOTS-L page are archived and searched through the global search engine whenever a person goes to: <http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/indx/FamAssoc.html> You type in a surname, and then global search, and great things may happen. Therefore, we should all be careful that the "SUBJECT" line have a SURNAME and/or county and/or state and/or date. ie "ASHLEY - 1836 TX" The 1st line of your query should not be wasted into like "I am looking for..." or such other stuff. You can immediately go into your query, ie... "Wm P. & nephew John P. ASHLEY reported in 1836 TX from their Montgomery AL home when John's dad, James Martin ASHLEY died. Looking for proof either of them was here." When the archived query is read, only the 1st 5 or 6 words are seen, plus the subject line. If you want someone to open your query and read it, be sure they know it is worth their "surfing time." I have had responses to queries more than a year old. And my success on 2 years of internet greatly outpaces 25 year of research. If you want to be sure a query is archives, go to the query board on the surname GenConnect board. And if you are willing to share your great grandfather's will or obit or deed or pension record you have so carefully hunted up, put it on the GenConnect board. This is a wonderful place to put your data & be sure it can be found for some yet unknown "fourth cousin twice remove." I don't think the search engine will find "Ya'll" discussions, but it might. TTYL, Jackie Ashley Pace of Pasadena, TX http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/p/a/c/Jackie-A-PACE/index.html E/index.html