To: All Members of the Louisa County Genealogical Society You do not have to be a member of LCGS to subscribe to the Ialouisa-L list. However, only paid members receive the printed newsletter that is periodically mailed out at some expense to the Society. Thus, it is a "members only" offer given below. As of this morning, I have started working on the Spring issue of the Louisa County Genealogical Society newsletter. This issue will contain the 1844-45 Louisa County marriages if you are looking for local marriages. Thanks to Ruthie Mickelson for typing these up for us. We don't have a President's letter for this issue so I am planning on Introducing Our Members who are on-line for the front page of this issue. That is right, Front Page billing, this month only, on a space available to the first ones verified. Some may have to be carried over to the back page if the list becomes too long. I have a list of about twelve members who are subscribed to this list or those for whom I have e-mail addresses. There may be more that I am not aware of. If you have a web page, please include the URL for that, too (for my information only at this time). What I need from you at this point is: 1. An e-mail from you verifying your correct e-mail address. Including snail mail addresses is also good so I can update my list. I will then check those messages against the membership list and if you are a member for 2000, I also need-- 2. Permission to publish your e-mail address 3. If you give me 4-6 surnames that you are primarily researching, I will also include your surnames in this newsletter. (Please do not send me 15 or 20 names as I cannot handle a large number of surnames in this offer). 4. This is for members only. If you aren't a member and would like to be, you will find a membership form on our webpages that you can print out and send with your dues to the address given at the top of the form. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialcgs/memberfrm.htm As you might guess I will be busy working on the newsletter this week so please help one another if you can. Norma Jennings Listowner IaLouisa-L Temporary Editor of the LCGS Newsletter.

Jacklyn Decker I just read the note you sent to Verna May. Unless the names I have been given of the lost James family are grossly in error (and they well could be), I have no information that would help you in your quest to find info on Josiah and Olivia. There is, however, a coincidence in the time frame and geography of your family and mine that can't be,.... or probably shouldn't be, cavalierly ignored. For now, let's you and I just keep our eyes, ears and minds open to any possibilities. Gary James -- Oklahoma pentaby@alltel.net

Verna May First of all, thank you for your response to my query. With respect to the ROBERTS name, I know absolutely nothing other than the fact that my ggrandfather's sister married a man named William ROBERTS, that she raised a family in the Columbus Jct area, that her given name was Mary and that her marriage had to have occurred in the decade between 1853 (when the family arrived in Iowa) and 1863 (when her brother left the area for a couple of years to gain a stake in the gold mines of Virginia City, MT. --- (Why 1863? I doubt he would have left his sister behind and un-cared for.) I have scanned the cemeteries on-line and found the following, BUT IN NO WAY know if these names are those I am seeking info on. -- The dates appear somewhat correct, but that could be mere coincidence. William, d. 1901, aged 73 yrs; husband of Mary (b. abt. 1828) Mary, d.1901, aged 73 yrs. (b. abt. 1828) (possibly) Mary E., b. 1860; d. 27 October 1902; daughter of William & Mary On the JAMES side of things: my ggrandfather's name was Gad. He returned to Muscatine Co. from his gold-mining-foray and purchased the James homestead SW of West Liberty on South Prairie -- due north of Nichols about 3 to 4 miles. His known siblings were Mary, David, Stephen, John and William Jr. Their father (a widower) was William Sr. who brought his family from Wales to Iowa through Utica, NY. -- Their stay over in Utica was less than a year. Why Utica??? I don't know. -- A guess? Perhaps a host relation preceded them to this country??? Believe it or not, but Gad (and Mary to very minute degree) are the only ones of the family that are listed in the family history pages after 1853. The rest just seemed to have disappeared. Family rumor says that John joined the Mormons, that William Sr. spent his final days - and was interred - at Macon, Mo. and that Stephen went west with Gad and stayed there. (I have not yet verified or disproved any of this). Hopefully, you, or someone else on the Louisa Co. list, will be able to shine some light into the abyss of my ignorance. Thanks in advance for any assist. Gary James -- Oklahoma pentaby@alltel.net ---------- > From: George May <vmay@geneseo.net> > To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Index cards - lookup request > Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 10:35 AM > > First of all I would like to tell Keith how wonderful it is to see you > up and back among us. We missed you and hope you take it slow and easy > as you do these lookups. Thank you, too, for all you do for others. > > To Gary James searching the name Roberts. My great great aunt was Adelia > A. Hardesty Roberts James. If this is a name in your family, would love > to see if we might have a connection. > > Adelia first married George Roberts, who was killed in the Civil War. > They had 4 children. She then married Josiah James in Louisa County and > I believe they had 7 children. > > Verna May > Atkinson, IL. > > Alone we can do little, together we can accomplish much. > ....Helen Keller > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iawayne/index.htm > > > > Gary James wrote: > > > > Keith/Connie > > I, for one, deeply appreciate your offer -- and the fact that you have so > > laboriously maintained the "index cards" you mentioned in your post over > > the years for the benefit of others. -- Not too many people this day and > > age are as benevolent with their time on this old earth. Thank you. > > > > I am interested in three names, actually. -- HANKINS & HARRISON in the > > Letts, Iowa area and ROBERTS. I'm seeking to make contact with others > > interested in the same names. I don't care how old the information is that > > you send me and I realize that some of it (because of age) may no longer be > > correct. -- I'll sort that out. > > > > The HANKINS & HARRISON names I already know quite a bit about, but am > > seeking more. The ROBERTS name? I just found out recently that my > > great-grandfather's sister married a ROBERTS and raised her family in the > > Columbus Jct area. -- I would like to get acquainted with a previously > > unknown branch of my family. > > > > Any help you can give me would be highly appreciated. > > Thanks in advance or any assist. > > Gary James - Oklahoma > > pentaby@alltel.net > > > > ==== IALOUISA Mailing List ==== > > Don't forget to check out the web sites for southeastern Iowa families. > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialouisa > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialcgs > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iahenry > > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jennings > > -- > > ______________________________

Does anyone on the list have access to the Washington IA newspaper? I know it isn't in Louisa Co but I know it's distributed in the area. I need to know what is in two obits (I don't necessarily need copies, just the text of them typed is fine) for Fred Gettert Obituary published: Washington Evening Journal 2/24/1961 Joy Gettert Obituary published: Washington Evening Journal 02 Oct 1978 If anyone has ANY Gettert listings in their tree, please contact me. Family was from Muscatine Co but hey, they could have dribbled over into Louisa like they did into Washington. It's such a rare surname (only 12 on the SSDI) that if you have it in your tree, it's part of the same family. __________________________________________ NetZero - Defenders of the Free World Get your FREE Internet Access and Email at http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html

> Others have pointed out procedures to follow when attempting to > correct public records. I stand by my statement that no reputable > genealogist would take it upon himself/herself to change an official > document. It may be difficult, but records may be changed. My own brother's > birth was recorded in the county where the doctor lived, and not in the > county of the birth. My brother didn't know this until he asked for a birth > certificate needed to obtain a passport. He succeeded in deleting the birth > in one county and adding it to the correct county, but it did take time and > effort. The processes involved in getting an official record legally changed vary greatly from one county and state to another. If someone really wants to have this done for whatever reason, you will need to go to the office handling that particular record (most often the County Clerk) and find out what their requirements are. For example, last summer I went to the Court House in Cambridge, Henry Co, IL to obtain a copy of my grandmother's birth record. Henry Co, in it's early record keeping days was somewhat "slack" on recording a person's NAME on birth records. Many records were recorded only as "female child" and the parents names, the date, etc. My grandmother, Alice Woodward Martin (a former Fredonia resident so this is "on topic in case the list police are feeling their oats) was one of these recorded only as "female child". Henry Co IL did something very unique and I was amazed! I had with me other documents related to my grandmother-a copy of the marriage license application for my grandparents and my grandmother's obituary, as well as the obituaries of her parents. What Henry Co did was make copies of each of these items, placed them in the file with her original certificate, fixed her name on the Index and, when they made the official copy of her birth certificate for me, they flipped the copy over and ran a copy of her obituary stating her date of birth etc. on the other side of it. They then initialed it and put the official stamp on it. Should anyone in the future go there looking for the birth of Alice Woodward, daughter of Richard & Eliza Lamb Woodward, they will now be able to find her on the index and obtain the right document. Hey, my mom's first name is spelled wrong on her Muscatine Co birth certificate, my MIDDLE name is different on the State birth certificate than it is on the one issued by the hospital...things happen! NOW, I must have missed the beginning of this thread somehow, so I don't know what the incident which started it was. If the person was merely asking that something TRANSCRIBED be changed, my suggestion would be just to add a correction note at the bottom of the transcription indicating that a certain item is in question and the alternate information. If the person was asking that an official record in a court house or other government office be altered, I'd suggest they find out from the specific office in question what they require to amend the record. As for what has been going on on the list, as a listowner of four lists myself, my policy on those lists is that if you have a problem with someone's public behavior, you write PRIVATELY to the list owner, state your problem, and then the list owner handles it IN private. I have several folks from the GS on my Henry Co IL list but they would never DREAM of jumping in and telling someone else on the list in public what to do. It must be working because I've never had a single flame war on any of the lists I run, never had anyone feel the need to apologise in public for any indiscretions, real or imagined. Also, unrelated, I've added about 600 new names in Muscatine Co cemeteries in the past 3-4 days, so if your Louisa family members may have been buried in Muscatine Co, you might want to go check the lists again. http://www.rootsweb.com/~iamusca2/index.html The Original Muscatine Co IA Genealogy Home Page And one more thing--does anyone have a female Shellabarger b. OH married to a Johann or John Grim/Grimm b. Germany???? __________________________________________ NetZero - Defenders of the Free World Get your FREE Internet Access and Email at http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html

Dear Keith/Connie: THANK YOU! You gave me David Wedel about 3 years ago and we have worked very hard in putting the Hardesty/Rodgers/James/Tucker/Reed/Tuttle/ Roberts/Hammond/Shellabarger/Chase/McNamer families of Louisa County together. David's Great Grandmother was my Grandfather's sister. So I thank you for "giving him to me." So these index lookups are a Valuable asset to all of us. Perhaps now with these new names, we can move closer to putting "our puzzle" together. Thank you again. Verna May Alone we can do little, together we can accomplish much. ....Helen Keller http://www.rootsweb.com/~iawayne/index.htm Keith/Connie Street wrote: > > Dear Verna and List > > This is response # 5. > > HARDESTY--3 listings > > Dana Harris > PO Box 511 > Ottumwa, IA 52501 > > Verna May > PO Box 664 > Atkinson, IL 61235 > > David Wedel > 14445 SW 288th Street > Leisure City, FL 33033 > > JAMES--3 Listings, but 1 with no address and 1 who married and moved out of > state. > Robert Boden, Jr. > 314 15th Avenue > Moline, IL 61265 > > ROBERTS > Arloene Goley > 2140 Olympic Court > Grand Jct., CO 81503 > > END OF MESSAGE > Keith/Connie Street > ckcasey@netins.net > 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 > 319-523-8164 > > -----Original Message----- > From: George May <vmay@geneseo.net> > To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 11:46 AM > Subject: Re: Index cards - lookup request > > >Jacklyn Decker wrote: > >> > >> Gary and Verna, > >> My great grandfather was Andrew Jackson James born 1854 > >> Louisa Co, IA mar to Isabel Davina. > >> Andrew's father and mother was Josiah James and Olivia ? I don't > >> know where there were born. > >> Does anyone have anything further on Josiah and Olivia ??? > >> I know that the family were in Nebraska probably in later years as > >> my grandfather Carl Joseph James was born in 1892 in Nebraska. > >> He married Ina Slingerland in Council Bluff's , IA > >> > >> Would really like to find out more on Josiah and Olivia !!!! > >> Thank's > >> Jacklyn > >> J.Decker > > --

Dear Verna and List This is response # 5. HARDESTY--3 listings Dana Harris PO Box 511 Ottumwa, IA 52501 Verna May PO Box 664 Atkinson, IL 61235 David Wedel 14445 SW 288th Street Leisure City, FL 33033 JAMES--3 Listings, but 1 with no address and 1 who married and moved out of state. Robert Boden, Jr. 314 15th Avenue Moline, IL 61265 ROBERTS Arloene Goley 2140 Olympic Court Grand Jct., CO 81503 END OF MESSAGE Keith/Connie Street ckcasey@netins.net 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 319-523-8164 -----Original Message----- From: George May <vmay@geneseo.net> To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 11:46 AM Subject: Re: Index cards - lookup request >Jacklyn Decker wrote: >> >> Gary and Verna, >> My great grandfather was Andrew Jackson James born 1854 >> Louisa Co, IA mar to Isabel Davina. >> Andrew's father and mother was Josiah James and Olivia ? I don't >> know where there were born. >> Does anyone have anything further on Josiah and Olivia ??? >> I know that the family were in Nebraska probably in later years as >> my grandfather Carl Joseph James was born in 1892 in Nebraska. >> He married Ina Slingerland in Council Bluff's , IA >> >> Would really like to find out more on Josiah and Olivia !!!! >> Thank's >> Jacklyn >> J.Decker >

Gary I have the HANKINS surname in my family. If you can give me some sort of idea of the particular Hankins you are trying to connect with or a time frame I will be more than willing to share all that I have. Ron Garmoe PapaRG@aol.com

Dear Ron and List, There are two Hankins surnames in the latest (March 2000) telephone directory for some towns in Louisa County, including the rural, Wapello and Columbus Junction areas. They are: Gordon Hankins 8654 Co. Rd. X61 Wapello, IA 52653 PH: 319-523-4050 Naomi Hankins 125 9th Columbus Jct., IA 52738 PH: 319-729-8016 END OF MESSAGE Keith/Connie Street ckcasey@netins.net 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 319-523-8164 -----Original Message----- From: PAPARG@aol.com <PAPARG@aol.com> To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 5:39 PM Subject: Hankins Surname >Gary >I have the HANKINS surname in my family.

Dear Gary and List, This is response # 3 to my offer. HANKINS--none listed HARRISON--2 listed Don/Joyce George 430 Wendy Heights Drive Council Bluffs, IA 51503 Steve Harrison 2542 Queen Ridge Independence, MO 64055 ROBERTS--1 listed. Arloene Goley 2140 Olympic Court Grand Jct., CO 81503 END OF MESSAGE Keith/Connie Street ckcasey@netins.net 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 319-523-8164 -----Original Message----- From: Gary James <pentaby@alltel.net> To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 7:24 AM Subject: Index cards - lookup request > >I am interested in three names, actually. -- HANKINS & HARRISON in the >Letts, Iowa area and ROBERTS. I'm seeking to make contact with others >interested in the same names. I don't care how old the information is that >you send me and I realize that some of it (because of age) may no longer be >correct. -- I'll sort that out. > >The HANKINS & HARRISON names I already know quite a bit about, but am >seeking more. The ROBERTS name? I just found out recently that my >great-grandfather's sister married a ROBERTS and raised her family in the >Columbus Jct area. -- I would like to get acquainted with a previously >unknown branch of my family. > >Any help you can give me would be highly appreciated. >Thanks in advance or any assist. >Gary James - Oklahoma >pentaby@alltel.net > > >==== IALOUISA Mailing List ==== >Don't forget to check out the web sites for southeastern Iowa families. >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialouisa >http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialcgs >http://www.rootsweb.com/~iahenry >http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jennings

Jacklyn Decker wrote: > > Gary and Verna, > My great grandfather was Andrew Jackson James born 1854 > Louisa Co, IA mar to Isabel Davina. > Andrew's father and mother was Josiah James and Olivia ? I don't > know where there were born. > Does anyone have anything further on Josiah and Olivia ??? > I know that the family were in Nebraska probably in later years as > my grandfather Carl Joseph James was born in 1892 in Nebraska. > He married Ina Slingerland in Council Bluff's , IA > > Would really like to find out more on Josiah and Olivia !!!! > Thank's > Jacklyn > J.Decker Dear Jacklyn: Not sure your message went to Gary James or the list as you replied to my email message and not to the list. As I am just getting into this Roberts/James family, I do not have the lineage on Josiah or this Olivia. Josiah and ADELIA HARDESTY ROBERTS were married Nov. 16, 1864 in Louisa County and she lived in Fredonia until her death. The known children according to her obituary are: The children born to George and Adelia ROBERTS were: Marion M. Roberts of Valedo, Kansas John F. Roberts of Kansas City, MO Mrs. Belle Rapp of Los Angeles, CA The children born to Josiah and Adelia JAMES Mrs. Iva E. Clark of Muscatine Mrs. H. W. Walsinger (Rhoda) ) Walter James )All of Louisa County Mrs. Jerry Hamilton (Mary) ) Her husband and three children preceded her in death. It would appear Josiah was married before, too. According to the cemetery records in the Fredonia Cemetery, Josia James, b. 1840 d. 1891. Also listed is Jacob James d. 5 Apr. 1871, aged 53 yrs. 11 mo. 23 da Joseph James d. Apr. 1891 Levi James b. 1862 d. 1940 Adelia is also, according to her obit buried in Fredonia Cemetery, but must be in an unmarked grave. It appears we need to check further records in Louisa County for Josiah and Olivia as well as the others. Verna May -- Alone we can do little, together we can accomplish much. ....Helen Keller http://www.rootsweb.com/~iawayne/index.htm

First of all I would like to tell Keith how wonderful it is to see you up and back among us. We missed you and hope you take it slow and easy as you do these lookups. Thank you, too, for all you do for others. To Gary James searching the name Roberts. My great great aunt was Adelia A. Hardesty Roberts James. If this is a name in your family, would love to see if we might have a connection. Adelia first married George Roberts, who was killed in the Civil War. They had 4 children. She then married Josiah James in Louisa County and I believe they had 7 children. Verna May Atkinson, IL. Alone we can do little, together we can accomplish much. ....Helen Keller http://www.rootsweb.com/~iawayne/index.htm Gary James wrote: > > Keith/Connie > I, for one, deeply appreciate your offer -- and the fact that you have so > laboriously maintained the "index cards" you mentioned in your post over > the years for the benefit of others. -- Not too many people this day and > age are as benevolent with their time on this old earth. Thank you. > > I am interested in three names, actually. -- HANKINS & HARRISON in the > Letts, Iowa area and ROBERTS. I'm seeking to make contact with others > interested in the same names. I don't care how old the information is that > you send me and I realize that some of it (because of age) may no longer be > correct. -- I'll sort that out. > > The HANKINS & HARRISON names I already know quite a bit about, but am > seeking more. The ROBERTS name? I just found out recently that my > great-grandfather's sister married a ROBERTS and raised her family in the > Columbus Jct area. -- I would like to get acquainted with a previously > unknown branch of my family. > > Any help you can give me would be highly appreciated. > Thanks in advance or any assist. > Gary James - Oklahoma > pentaby@alltel.net > > ==== IALOUISA Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to check out the web sites for southeastern Iowa families. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialouisa > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialcgs > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iahenry > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jennings --

I see from the going into the Census 2000 website that they are not going to send Americans overseas census questionnaires. Apparently, they are just going to take stats that the government all ready has. This saddens me because while the military has records on my husband, as he is in the service member, they do not have census-level information on me (the spouse). So for future researchers in my family, my side of the family does not go down on record. Anyway, what I am after is a long form census questionnaire. Does anyone on this list know where I can obtain one? I plan to fill it out and put it with my private family records. Thanks, Angela (an Iowa native whose family has been in the U.S. over 200 years and whose census data will not be documented on the 2000 U.S. census)

Keith/Connie I, for one, deeply appreciate your offer -- and the fact that you have so laboriously maintained the "index cards" you mentioned in your post over the years for the benefit of others. -- Not too many people this day and age are as benevolent with their time on this old earth. Thank you. I am interested in three names, actually. -- HANKINS & HARRISON in the Letts, Iowa area and ROBERTS. I'm seeking to make contact with others interested in the same names. I don't care how old the information is that you send me and I realize that some of it (because of age) may no longer be correct. -- I'll sort that out. The HANKINS & HARRISON names I already know quite a bit about, but am seeking more. The ROBERTS name? I just found out recently that my great-grandfather's sister married a ROBERTS and raised her family in the Columbus Jct area. -- I would like to get acquainted with a previously unknown branch of my family. Any help you can give me would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance or any assist. Gary James - Oklahoma pentaby@alltel.net

An excellent site for anyone using electronic communications. http://www.fau.edu/netiquette/net/elec.html

Dear List, I apologize for the posting of the earlier e-mail messages with my earlier reply to Bettijane and all of you. I thought I had deleted them, but it turned out that I hadn't. The subject of this message is to hopefully get us back on track. I am cutting back a great deal on what I do any more, as I continue to recover from my brain stem stroke and bypass operation of last September. So please bear with me in the following offer; I'll eventually get something done, but it might not be immediately. A major effort by me over the years has been to connect people who are searching the same surnames. To help accomplish that objective I have created a card file hopefully including the surnames our members are researching as well as all those who have researched at our Heritage Center. Also indexed are the written queries we have received and the responses to those queries. I have most recently added the surnames on the ahnentafels many of you submitted, for the first 5 or 6 generations. I am not current on the entries, and have the file cards at home while I try to bring the index up to date. This index is for a given surname only; first names are not used. Addresses of earlier researchers may be 10 years old. References for particular surnames direct you to a specific file somewhere in which the surname is listed. My offer is to look up a given surname for you and give you what names and addresses I have for people who have that surname in their ancestry or field of interest. For most surnames, there are not many people listed. For common names such as Brown, Smith, etc. there are a lot of names mentioned. In general, I will not be able to look at each folder listed and see what information is in the file, but will be able to, as above stated, provide you with a name and usually an address for the person interested in that surname. I will do this until I return the index file to its permanent place in the Heritage Center Library. Contact me by e-mail and I will respond by e-mail. From Keith Keith Street ckcasey@netins.net 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 319-523-8164

Dear Wilma: I appreciate your Clerk of Court experience so you could share the needed information necessary to correct a listed name, Young, to the correct name, Yocum. It is nice to know what is needed, Thank you. They were married 3 March 1889, and I have lots of records, but doubt I would find an older living relative for an affadavit. I only wanted to help others get the correct name when researching when I asked for a note to be added, I didn't expect this. An Iowa researcher, Bettijane -----Original Message----- From: Wilma Bird <irishgal@frontiernet.net> To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, March 17, 2000 11:18 PM Subject: Keith & Connie Please, Keith & Connie, reconsider, we need you. I just recently met Keith when visiting in Wapello. He IS a very caring and helpful person. Not only in helping me and my friend for several hours one afternoon, but in reading the messages here I have seen where both Keith and Connie have put forth much effort to help us find our ancestors. We need more people like them in this field and they need our support. Please forgive and forget this incident - then be sure WE ALL remember that flaming it against all lists' rules. It is hurtful, devisive and wasted time. I worked in the Clerk of Courst office in our local county and the only way official records can be changed is with written proof from 3 other sources and an affidavit by an older living relative that this is correct. This does not mean that you yourself cannot put the correct info in your records and share that info with other researching. I do not know how old the record was that Bettijane wanted to change but the older the record the more chance there is of an error in the records as things were not reported for days, weeks and months after the fact. Wilma ==== IALOUISA Mailing List ==== Don't forget to check out the web sites for southeastern Iowa families. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialouisa http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialcgs http://www.rootsweb.com/~iahenry http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~jennings

A little excitment on e-mail is lots of fun. It reakky adds some soap opera spice to the usual, "Who, When, Where -- any clues?" routine. Glenn ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

I would like to suggest that you (the list owner) unsubscribe all the "flamers" and the members that cannot remember to delete most of the message before adding their 2 cents worth. At least the ones that leave that long "tale" to be waded through should get a warning or two and then be unsubscribed. Some of us have better things to do that rehash the same messages over and over, and over, and over , and over again. The message grows with each comment. Our minds are not so feeble that we need to have the entire message repeated over, and over again. My hat is off to Keith & Connie because I know they have given of themselves for YEARS in capacities that most of us shrink from shouldering. Now, let's get back to genealogy. Please? ? ? Shirley Milligan

Dear Bettijane and all, Thank you, Connie and Norma and Wilma and Verna and others for coming to my defense, but I feel it is appropriate that I should respond in person. I apologize to you, Bettijane, if your impression was that I was putting you down and attacking your genealogical character. For a misunderstanding like this to fester so long before you erupt is sad, and I am sorry that the entire list has now become involved in a no-win situation. I would hate to see anyone unsubscribe to the list because of this. Others have pointed out procedures to follow when attempting to correct public records. I stand by my statement that no reputable genealogist would take it upon himself/herself to change an official document. It may be difficult, but records may be changed. My own brother's birth was recorded in the county where the doctor lived, and not in the county of the birth. My brother didn't know this until he asked for a birth certificate needed to obtain a passport. He succeeded in deleting the birth in one county and adding it to the correct county, but it did take time and effort. We all know there are many mistakes in official records. We should all marvel at how accurate they are and not be critical and dwell on the mistakes. Our goal as gnealogists is complete accuracy, in spite of what official records say, or what your parents may have told you. In many families, over the years, the first-born child, by official records, had less than a nine-month gestation period after the marriage. It was not at all unusual for parents to give their children a different marriage date than the official one. Who was going to go to the court house and check this out? Genealogists use "preponderance of evidence" when dealing with conflicting information. I could almost guarantee, for example, that most of you have at least one female ancestor listed in a Federal Census who did not give her true age to the census taker, when he was there gathering the family information. It has already been pointed out that spelling variations occur within a single official document. We also know that people lied about their ages on marriage applications and on military enlistment papers. Some of the names and dates chiseled in granite grave markers are incorrect. We take note of the fact but we do not try to make changes in the original records. We should try to make public the correct information, but also realize that future researchers may come to different conclusions than we have. For example, the Mendenhall family in America has thousands of descendants, including some in Louisa County. For almost 200 years it was accepted that the progenitor, Thomas Mendenhall, had a wife named Joan Strode and her ancestry was carried back several generations. Within the past year official documents have been found discrediting this and naming Joan Stroud as the wife of this Thomas, with a completely different set of parents. How many of you have sent the results of your family research in to the Louisa County Heritage Center Library? I have usually asked people who come to research in Louisa County to share their information with us in this way, so that everyone does not have to start from square one and repeat the basic research on a particular family. We have been very appreciative of those who have sent such family information, but the majority of you have not done so. A small minority does not believe in sharing--their view is that if anyone wants the information they should do the research themselves. Fortunately that is not the majority view, and we have numerous family histories donated to our library, by those who believe in sharing. Yes, some contain mistakes. All children of a given family may not be listed; dates and places may not match with the dates and places other researchers have for the same family. You check out such discrepancies, as they often open the doors to your brick walls! Let's now end discussions on this subject and concentrate on sharing and cooperating for our mutual benefit. Sorry for this near-duplicate letter that was sent you; the computer lost it and then it surfaced again. From Keith Street Keith/Connie Street ckcasey@netins.net 325 Franklin Ave, Wapello, IA 52653-1515 319-523-8164 -----Original Message----- From: Bettijane Larson <bjlarson@uswest.net> To: IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com <IALOUISA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, March 17, 2000 9:07 PM Subject: Re: Shellabarger >Hi: I appreciated your feelings in your letter below. I know you were kind >enough to thank them for their assistance to many on the list, and I >appreciate that, too. I got the same type of disgusting response when I >asked to have a note added to a marriage record of MY Grandparents, using >the correct surname for her. Some records can be as wrong as the people >writing them are only human too. That, Keith told me twicee was wrong to >do, "Because no Genealogist would do that!" Made me feel like I was the >smallest dot at the bottom of the list, after 12 years of research, and I >certainly was disappointed with my treatment. I guess we are to continue to >use false information, even though we know the correct information, and >would like to share it corrected with anyone else in the same lines. An Iowa >Descendant, Bj.