In a message dated 9/13/2005 1:11:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, bob.powell2@comcast.net writes: I have a big brick wall in finding the siblings and parents of my great great grandmother Marie Payey. I'm still around, too. Haven't had my family tree program up and running for a couple years because my old Compaq froze and we couldn't get back in Last years 3 hurricanes didn't help either. All my genealogy stuff is still pretty much packed in plastic. We didn't get all the repairs done until July so didn't figure it was wise to take much out of storage. I got the Family Tree Program downloaded to a new computer this month and have spent many days just putting in what I had before. I am working on my Ahrens family first this time which is still related to the St. Anne group since several members including my parents have lived in St. Anne. . One of my cousins sent our Family reunion notes from 1936 till the last whole Ahrens family reunion that we had. What a Godsend those notes are. She had a friend type up everything and I think it is now in the Chebanse library. I have info on the Precht side that I got from distant cousins in Denmark and Germany and have found names mentioned in the reunion book from that side, too. I think the reunion actually started as the Precht reunion because there was a little article from the paper. I haven't gotten past my grandpa's (adopted)dad Fred(Fritz) Ahrens and am not really sure where I should be checking. I did get a copy of his citizenship paper which he signed with an X. I also found a story about my Uncle John that said he was able to use the languages spoken in the family home when he was a kid when he was fighting in WW1 in Europe. From what I now know, my greatgrandma spoke Danish, my grandpa spoke German, and they all spoke English. Then because so many of the people living in the community spoke French they learned enough to speak with the neighbors and friends in French. I also haven't gotten far with my grandma Theresa Schulte. From paper written by an aunt, Grandma said her mom was a full-blood Indian from Wisconsin. Haven't found anything to back it up yet. So that is where I am working. On line, I also found the orphanage that my mom's siblings were placed in in Chicago when her dad died. Unpacking stuff this week I found an old e-mail from when I first started looking and it led me to do more research while Hurricane Ophelia was off shore and making us have nothing but rainy days on my vacation. Ardis, I still have never sent for a copy of Fritz and Bertha Ahrens marriage license from Kankakee county. When you get a copy do they list the parents of the bride and groom and their witnesses for the wedding? So I am still plodding slowly along. Hopefully next year I will be able to get back in the area to talk to some of my cousins. Being one of the youngest grandkids I don't remember a lot about Grandma and the family so want to record others memories to add to my Ahrens book. It really can be exciting discovering things you don't know about your history!