I am very surprised at the protest from list members concerning the discussion of the Crenshaw family house on this list! We are told there is enough history related to this house to make it worthy of being added to the Illinois State Registry of Historical Houses. How do you separate Genealogy and History? The researchers who have been publishing articles about our family were not making a separation of the two. Yes, I am a Crenshaw descendant and very proud to be one. My ancestors were residents of Gallatin County and lived as many others did in that period of our history. Yes, they owned slaves. Yes, they made mistakes. They were not perfect. They worked hard and earned money from the salt business, farming and other ventures. John Hart Crenshaw built a home and named it Hickory Hill. This house was continually filled with family and friends living or visiting there. No one was turned away when they needed a place to live after losing a parent or loved husband. Relatives came for long visits for and often stayed for months at a time. My Crenshaw ancestors contributed to their community in spite of what you may have heard. They lived as other people did in that era. They were not a lazy people. They came to Gallatin County after losing everything they owned and from hard physical labor, sweat and tears they made their lives better. Patty Crenshaw Clayton _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com