Hi Guys, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts and a find with you that happened to me in the last 24 hours. Last night I was perusing the Haller's Army index at the PGSA site with both paternal and maternal surnames, and learned a barrel full of stuff about my dad's family which I wouldn't have known if I hadn't found the listing for Alexandr Cieslikowski of Toledo,OH (my hometown, plus all the Cieslikowskis there are related to me). I called my dad, who said that yes, Alexandr was a cousin of his dad, and yes had served in WWI, but he didn't know the details or why. I explained a little about Haller's Army then. Turns out poor Alexandr came back from France a chronic alcoholic, got busted for working in a Polish bootlegging distillery during prohibition, and served a year in jail as a result. He worked only intermittently, and lived with my dad's family. He died in a VA hospital in Detroit from alcoholism. A sad tale, but my dad reminisced more...seems he has step relatives in Toledo (Urbanowicz)because my great-grandmother on his father's side was married more than once, and his father had to come to the US ahead of his family because the Russians in 1905 were coming after Poles to fight the Japanese in the extreme eastern Russian empire.My grandfather had already served his time with the Russians so it was not difficult for them to find him. Fortunately, he was a border guard on the border with Germany, and his counterpart on the other side was a buddy who smuggled him into Germany so he could go on to the US. None of us ever knew these stories! Sorry I went on so long, but the point remains as follows: YOU'LL FIND OUT ALL SORTS OF THINGS YOU'D NEVER KNOW IF YOU KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS AND CHECKING OUT NEW SOURCES FOR INFORMATION. If I hadn't found Alexandr, I wouldn't have found out so much more, because it simply never occurred to my dad to tell me about it. One simple question shook up his memories a great deal. So many of you have helped me so much, I thought this was worth sharing with the group even if it did get a little windy. Thanks again and keep on searching and sharing! Bonnie Cieslukowski Weissman P.S. I will be sending away to the PGSA for copies of Alexandr's records.