Hello, Over the last couple of months Richard E. Williams has been sending me information and pictures of the small village of Elba that once existed on the North Fork of the Saline River north of Equality. I've been adding the pictures and various lists from the Elba school to the Gallatin County ILGenWeb page. Today I finally got around to pulling together a brief history of the town which apparently got its start in 1855 when Richard's great-grandfather William Matherly (or possibly his father) started a store there. The history of the town can be found at www.rootsweb.com/~ilgalla2/elba.html. Click on the links to see what downtown Elba looked like at the turn of the century as well as the covered bridge over the North Fork. There's also information on the emigration of some Elba area families to North Dakota early in the 20th Century. Sincerely, Jon Musgrave www.IllinoisHistory.com By the way, I sent back the proofs Friday for the new Handbook of Old Gallatin County and Southeastern Illinois. If everything stays on schedule at the printers the books should be back by the first part of March. For more information on the book check out www.IllinoisHistory.com/Handbook. Pre-orders can still be made at 25 percent off the $32 cover price, or just $24, plus $5 shipping and handling.