Jane, Thanks so much for your most interesting words below. I live in Ontario, on the shore, north side Lake Ontario and have been interested in MIGRATION of our Black Country mining ancestors to the mining areas of Pennsylvania. Not only PA but other areas where mining went on, such as CAPE BRETON Island, off the north shore of Nova Scotia and southern ALBERTA where my grandfather was buried, Lethbridge 1926. Your words give me inspiration > There is a lot more to the study of genealogy than the listing of > names and dates. Family stories are extremely important. LUZERNE COUNTY, Pennsylvania I have driven down I-80 many times from the 1000 Islands, through the state of New York, into Pennsylvania. One trip was to WILLIAMSBURG VA. to a PACE family reunion (2000). A tank of gas/petrol took us from home in Ontario to Wilkes Barre PA. After leaving the gas station, heading back to the I-80, I mentioned there were likely descendents of coal miners from STAFFORDSHIRE living in this Pennsylvania area because this is coal mining area. No sooner had I said, we came to a stop sign and I gave a look at street signs. GUESS WHAT? It was STAFFORD STREET. Rowland http://homepage.mac.com/vagoughs/genealogy/page20/page20.html Jane Wettstone wrote: > Dear Group & Dave, > > The rest of the story about my meeting Dave, his wife Jo and daughter Anne > is that Dave had been helping me locate people and places. > > On a basic rootsweb list I innocently asked where Upper Gornal was. > Actually it wasn't so innocent, I hadn't been getting any responses and I > thought that might stir up some comment. The first reply was from a clever > lad who said it was just above Lower Gornal. The second reply was from Dave > who typed " I am sitting in my office over looking the lights of Upper > Gornal. What do you want to know?" We corresponded for at least a year > before I built up the courage to show up in the Black Country again. Again > because I had been on a narrowboat holiday with my husband and friends and > had visited the Black Country Museum and the limestone mine in 1996. Dave > helped me find out that my great grandfather had worked in that mine. > During our conversations and conversations with others, Dave decided he > would start the Rootsweb Black Country List which has flourished ever since. > > Supper at The Lion was interesting because I could see similarities in the > landscape between Western Pennsylvania and the area between Wolverhampton > and The Lion. My grandparents emigrated to a coal mining and iron, then > steel making area of Pennsylvania from the coal mining, iron making area of > England. The land forms are similar as are the flora and fauna. > > There is a lot more to the study of genealogy than the listing of names and > dates. Family stories are extremely important. That is why our BC list is > set up to allow that to happen. Thank you Dave. > > Not sure I can make it to the reunion. Economy is not great over here. I > will try. I remember setting up lots of things from a very long distance > and was grateful for help from many folks. You know who you are and I hope > you know how grateful I was and still am that it all worked out. Through > the process I found friends for life at a reunion of people who had never > met before. I have cousins in Wolverhampton and Penkridge that I see now > and again. > > I am shocked about Phil's death. He was a great addition to that first > reunion. > > Jane > nb WishIwashomeintheBCagain > (I love narrowboats and my signature usually reflects that) I have some photos of the longboats in south Staffordshire, near Cannock and even had dinner in one, a relative was living in a longboat at Coventry. Maybe I will make up another slide show for my web pages, showing the long-boats. Perhaps you'd like some of your boat photos included in this too. Anyway, I'm glad to read your words above. Gord Pace in Ontario