Hello, All, I have two questions, and if they have been answered, I haven't noticed. I have had computer problems and have not been able to keep up with list. First, would I be able to access my father's records - Merchant Marine during WWII and merchant seaman for some 10-15 years or so after? Second, my family-for the most part, is from New York State between the years 1850 and present. Probably before that. There are so many different CDs for sale, is there one, or are there a few that would serve to give me access to such things as property acquired, births, marriages, and deaths? I am not wealthy by any means, but if I knew that 'X' and 'Y' held such records, I would start putting pennies away. It occurs to me that others could take advantage of same, which causes me to wonder if someone might have bought and now be willing to sell CDs, books. If this is likely, where might I look? I would appreciate any information anyone could give me. Question: Can I mention the names that I am researching in this list, and is there a form acceptable? I see N.A.M.E.S. sometimes at the bottom of lists. [ You can always mention specific surnames in the context of a research problem you're discussing in Methods. Listing unrelated surnames in your signature is a different thing, though. The moderator generally trims them off, because they aren't usually relevant to Methods discussions. However, in the new "kinder and gentler" Methods, the moderator might accidentally let a *few* surnames be attached to each post if folks use the S.U.R.N.A.M.E. convention. Why all the periods between the letters? Otherwise, a frequent poster with a surname in their signature could make it almost impossible for future users of, for instance, Google to find other posts which mention that surname. Cheers, Mod. ] Thank you. Kathryn SadieOkate3@aol.com