Hi Everyone! Seeing that there was so much interest in the Harrison County classic "Daughter of the Elm" - I just wanted to spread the word that Ross Ballard's audiobook is finally ready for distribution, and, that he is scheduled to have a CD release party at "The Waldomore" (Clarksburg library) on Tuesday, June 11th! (Call the library for the time.) For those who aren't familiar with "Daughter of the Elm" by G. Davisson Hall - the 1899 book was written as fiction, based loosely on fact, and real people of the area. (It was even banned for a while, I heard.) It's about an attempt to apprehend a fierce network of bandits, horse thieves, and murderers headquartered near the Big Elm (near Shinnston) in the pre-Civil War era. A romantic storyline involving "Lorraine" (the high-minded daughter of one of the hoodlums) and a young gang member, is woven throughout. If you've ever had a craving to hear impeccable English - Granville Davisson Hall's classic Victorian style grammar IS that! His command of the language is absolutely amazing, and Ross Ballard does his work credit in his reading. If you have an appreciation of art - you'll love the audio bookcover. It's a deep lavender with a band of muted yellows and features a picture of the Big Elm with an embedded oval of a young dark-haired, dark-eyed girl, representing "Lorraine" - the "Daughter of the Elm". It's a five hour listen - perfect for a five hour car trip. I don't have a CD player in my car, so I buckled up a boombox in the front seat beside me. When I got into the car & turned it on - I felt like I was climbing into a time machine, taking a trip back through time into old Harrison County. Ross effectively uses just enough sound effects and "voices" in certain places to add to the drama. He also uses an old-timey fiddler to slide in & out of chapters; the backporch style of the fiddler, in itself, adds to the homespun flavor. It was fun hearing familiar places mentioned, such as Sardis, Lumberport, Fairmont, Buckhannon, Parkersburg, Pittsburgh, "Worthlesston" (Worthington), and, my home, Despard - and trying to figure out the disguised family names, familiar to those of us who grew up in Harrison County. The prologue gives a glimpse of what became of the characters (fact? or fiction?).... and it made me want to know more of the actual characters. I strongly encourage as many as possible in the genealogical and historical circles to take the time to give a hardy Harrison County welcome to this young man, especially since his story involves a revival of a legendary book about our area. Not only should we encourage this kind of historical endeavor with genealogical threads, but this could also generate interest in HCGS itself and even for Harrison County tourism!! So, please drop by to show your support, and please pass the word. What an interesting gathering it would make for descendants of characters in the book to attend the party! Anyone else with nuggets of information stored away - this could be the time to share or exchange them with others. If anyone would like to contact Ross Ballard for questions or comments, his email address is listed at his website: http://newrivergorge.com/ My grandmother always said that a storm always goes around twice - and I've waited a long time for this piece of history and legend to come around again. <Sharon>< Sharon Sprouse Bramhall