Christine, Because of your finding Andrew Stoos' name for me, I stopped at the library last night and looked for the History of Du Page County. In 1973 a commemorative reprint of the book was published and several libraries have it in circulation. So, I've ordered it along with another book I found on the Du Page County genealogy website-an index to county names-which I thought was only available by purchase from the site. It's just so fascinating how all this comes together! I've spent quite a bit of time at the National Archives and have met many older folks who have been researching for 20 years or more, all without the use of a computer, let alone the internet. Without the internet, I would never had had the time to put into this research-I estimate that I had as much information in 3 weeks as some of these folks gathered in years of book and periodical research. And I began with only one thing in mind-to know my French grandmother who died 6 months before I was born in 1948-leaving me with a lifelong hole in my soul to understand why she was taken before I could know her. Before I even realized what I was doing, I had shot off in every other family direction, learning more and more about the various branches of my family and even uploading my files to ancestry.com. Most amazingly, after thinking that I was French/German my whole life, I found a GGgrandmother who was Sicilian and then validated that my GGGgrandfather (Stoos) was born in France, making the French ancestry even stronger than I thought. I look back and that data I've gathered and am amazed at what I've learned! And some very unusual coincidences, too, such as the French grandmother I am seeking spent her childhood living in a huge old Victorian home just 5 blocks from where I now live, and no one ever told me this! Like you, I've become immersed in the history and spend a lot of time thinking about how life was for these people, reading history and immigration books, and trekking through cemeteries. I'm just amazed that at the turn of the century, every move these people made during the week (bunko club, visiting friends and relatives), was reported in local newspapers...their lives were simpler than ours despite their hardships...and I think I would have preferred to live then! Another amazing ancedote is that I was put in touch with cousins from her side that I never conceived I had (I've never known one soul from her family) and have reconnected, visited, seen valuable photos of her, and have had my life enriched beyond belief. So, I'm hooked! And anxious to help others in any way. Bonnie -----Original Message----- From: Christine Grogan [SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com] Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 10:01 PM To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer Bonnie, I'm glad the information was helpful. Isn't it interesting what a difference Andrew Stoos made for you when he subscribed as a patron? Thank goodness for lucky genealogical hits! Christine -----Original Message----- From: Dagen, Bonnie <Bonnie_Dagen@gbophb.org> To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com <ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, October 06, 2000 5:02 PM Subject: RE: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer >Christine, >Wow, you don't know what you've just done for me! Thanks a million for this >info....I've suspected that Andrew Stoos immigrated from France but this >assures it. I'll bet that Valentine Kreager was my >great-great-great-grandmother's father! Now I can set about to prove this. >When I joined this list, I thought I might be of use to someone, but I never >suspected that I'd get so much myself. >Thanks again! >Bonnie > > -----Original Message----- > From: Christine Grogan [SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com] > Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 3:30 PM > To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer > > Bonnie, > Stoos/Stoss and Kreager(looks like a misspelling to me) appear in >the "Patrons' Directory" at the end of the History of DuPage County, >Illinois (C. W. Richmond. 1877). > > "In the following Directory are given the country in which the >several patrons were born; also their Post Office address, occupation, >politics, religion, and the year in which they came to DuPage county:" (page >220) > > "Stoss, Andrew. France. Naperville, farmer, catholic, 1853." (page >241) > > "Kreager, Valentine. Germany. Naperville, saloon, democrat, >catholic, 1841." (page 232) > > Is Richmond's book worth buying? I think it depends on how much >interest you have in the early history of the county. The book emphasizes, I >think, political rather than social history-a natural focus at the time it >was written. On the other hand, Harmon's history of Glen Ellyn was written >in the 1920s when the community was well-established and when the earliest >settlers had died. For this reason, I guess, her book reflects more interest >in what ordinary life was like then (not just who held what offices) and >stories from the early settlers whose descendants remained in the area. I >prefer her book because it allows me to better imagine what life was like >for these people, even though the book doesn't contain much specific info. >about my ancestor. Has anyone else on the list seen some of the other >county histories? > Christine > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dagen, Bonnie <Bonnie_Dagen@gbophb.org ><mailto:Bonnie_Dagen@gbophb.org> > > To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com <mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> ><ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com <mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> > > Date: Friday, October 06, 2000 2:07 PM > Subject: RE: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer > > > >Yes, thanks for doing this for me. Andrew Stoos was my > >great-great-grandfather (they have it spelled wrong in the >book). (Andrew > A. > >Stoos was my great-uncle). I found out yesterday that >Andrew Stoos was > >married Jennie (Jeanette?) Kreiger and I've just begun to >dig around for > >links to the name Kreiger, making the assumption that they >would be in Du > >Page County. > > > >Valentine Kreager may very well be related (misspelled?). >Does the book > >offer any other info about people or just names? Is it >worth buying? > > > >THANK YOU SO MUCH > >Bonnie > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Christine Grogan [SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com] ><mailto:[SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com]> > > Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 12:07 PM > > To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com ><mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> > > Subject: Re: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer > > > > I find entries for Andrew STOSS and Valentine KREAGER. >Different > >names, but > > do these seem like possibilities? > > Christine > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dagen, Bonnie <Bonnie_Dagen@gbophb.org ><mailto:Bonnie_Dagen@gbophb.org> > > > To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com ><mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> <ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com ><mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> > > > Date: Friday, October 06, 2000 12:32 PM > > Subject: RE: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer > > > > > > Christine- > > How nice of you to offer to do lookups! I was hoping to >get to > >Naperville > > over this weekend to do some checking around. Do you see >these > >names? > > > > Stoos > > Bestler > > Kreiger > > > > Thank you so much. Bonnie > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Christine Grogan >[SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com] <mailto:[SMTP:grogan@go-concepts.com]> > > > Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 11:04 AM > > > To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com ><mailto:ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> > > > Subject: [ILDUPAGE] History Look-up Offer > > > > > > I have bought copies of the books History of >DuPage County, > >Illinois > > >(C. W. Richmond, 1877) and The Story of An Old >Town-Glen Ellyn > >(Ada > > Douglas > > >Harmon 1928). Both books have name indices, and I >am willing to do > >lookups > > >in them. > > > Christine Grogan > > > grogan@go-concepts.com ><mailto:grogan@go-concepts.com> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >