Gloria wrote: > I have searched the NAIL system. They are adding more all the time. > But they are adding my Adcock criminals. Well, maybe that was one > criminal listed a few times. > > http://www.nara.gov/nara/nail.html > Gloria, Since you have "criminals" in your line, have you checked out or are you already a member of the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists? This is a mail list and organization (I use the term loosely) "which includes all those who have a dastardly, infamous individual of public knowledge and ill-repute in their family...within 1 degree of consanginuity of their direct lines. This individual must have been pilloried in disgrace for acts of a significantly anti-social nature." A further explanation yields more information (and chuckles): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you have discovered in your family lines an individual who has been ostracised from the family, or society for acts that are not acceptable in polite society, then you may qualify for membership in the IBSSG. (If the person was married to a direct ancestor that also qualifies.) This individual must have been in disgrace for acts of a significantly anti- social nature. Weirdness counts. The public knowledge of these circumstances enhances the possibilty of finding more about these ancestors. Living individuals should not be mentioned by name or should have an "alias" to protect their privacy. Acts of automatic qualification are: Murder Kidnapping Armed Robbery Treason Theft of any item of fame Membership in a famous gang, well documented Political Assassin Member of the FBI's Most Wanted List Political Expatriate Extreme Public Embarrassment Involvement in Witchcraft Trials Bigamy (outside the Mormon faith, which condoned it at one time) Persons expelled from normal society Convicted felons (documented) Self Qualification is not acceptable for the individual must be in the ancestrial lines. Documented and declared members may append the letters IBSSG after their names in all Genealogy correspondence. DUES: There currently are none Multiple memberships are authorized, Qualifying representative ancestors must meet all membership requirements. NEW MEMBERS: all qualified members are authorized to recruit and certify new members, upon declaration of qualification in any public forum of genealogy, such as a website, Chat room specifically for genealogy, or any other genealogically oriented public forum. Posting of membership should be made to BlackSheep-L@rootsweb.com (after subscribing) and if you feel your story is significant and don't mind, it may be posted on our web page. There is no charge for the membership on the mailing list, and postings are open to all list members without regard to membership status in the IBSSG. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Their website where I found this is at: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~blksheep/index.html You can also search their digest by going to: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl Unfortunately I found no hits for "Adcock". I might qualify myself since my 2g-grandfather, Paschal READER, was arrested in Macoupin County for pro-Southern activites during the Civil War and held in prison until he signed a parole. For more information on this see: ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/il/macoupin/misc/reader.txt Also, Paschal's grandfather, Robert READER stole 100 pounds from his father's bank account to leave England about 1770 and to get started in Virgina. 100 pounds was probably grand larceny back then. Of course, the money was probably due him anyway. He had asked his father for his share of the inheritance a little early <grin> so he could leave England and start a new life in America and his father refused. His father's own words were, "That Bob, he is a cunning dog!" I would love to hear about your "Adcock criminals". How many other Macoupin County Black Sheep are there? Don Reader St. Louis, MO e-mail: readerd@storz.com