Mac you were certainly an ornery little boy! My paternal grandparents, especially Grandma McDowell, used "pertneer" all of the time. I still catch myself using some of her "jargon". Like telling my kids to "get your britches in here" and my Dad still "warshes" things. The snow is melting and we could finally go out today without getting bright red cheeks. We went sledding yesterday and the girls just loved it. Any of you doing research in Missouri might be interested to know that the State Archives have a new database of Land Patents issued by the State between 1820 and 1951. You can find it at: _http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/land/_ (http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/land/) Be sure to read the description of the land grants. These were state-issued patents. Happy Hunting, Stacey Dietiker