John - I saw all the great suggestions that came across on the mailing list. May I add one more to the list? Keep a notebook - not just for the facts and figures that you uncover, but for the memories as well. You are the same age as my dad and he is working on a "memory album", in addition to the various branches of our trees. He surveyed us kids for the things we would like to know about him...and the answers were as varied as life is...growing up during WWII, family Christmases, high school dances, social mores, our granparents' personalities and relationship, being drafted, getting married, losing his wife at 26 with a newborn at home (yeah, that was a toughie), rebuilding a life, wife and family, watching his kids graduate, marry and start families. You get the picture. I have found that one of the frustrating things about genealogy is that its very hard to have a sense of the personalities or decisions of the persons uncovered. The family tree is for you and the memories are for your kids. I had a wisdom tooth removed today and am pleasantly "doped up" on pain killers so if this sounds a little "Oprah-ish", I apologize. But drugs or not, I'm looking forward to the album. Lynn Dusty1930@aol.com wrote: >Matt > Thank you for your help. I ask for help on this Effingham link, and I >got several responses the same day, more the next. All of you have been so very >nice. I only hope someday I may be able to help someone like myself. I may >have cause to ask more info in the future, if you don't mind. I'm in my 70's and >am getting a late start not only on trying to put together a family tree, but >also how to use a PC. Late bloomer I guess. Thanks again. John > > >==== ILEFFING Mailing List ==== >If you want to subscribe to this list or unsubscribe from it, send e-mail to ILEFFING-L-request@rootsweb.com or (for the >digest list) ILEFFING-D-request@rootsweb.com and put the word subscribe or >unsubscribe in the message body. > > > >