Hello All, Most newspaper editors require that any "Letter to the Editor" be signed and include an address. This is so they can verify that it is being written in the "real" sense and not just some person playing around, or whatever. If memory serves me correctly, Ann Landers used to get a lot of mail by "college pranksters". In political situations, some untrue "mud-slinging" would take place. In addition, a lot of the editors, will publish a letter with "Signature withheld by request" as the signature in the publication, but still require the original to have a signature, etc. For the Washington County Historical Society : During the 1970's and early 1980's this society consisted of a lot of dedicated members as the Washington County Historical and Genealogical Society. My understanding is that with the passage of time, aging of the members and the demise of others; the result was that "Time Took It's Toll". Without new members, they had to reduce their functions. Today, about all that is left is the Historical Museum. It can be visited by appointment only. It appears that there is not enough interest by anyone residing in Washington County to create current updating or activity of the society. The courthouse is run by elected officials of the county. The voters that VOTE have the final say in who is elected. If you look at the history of the county officials throughout the years, you will find the same surname recurring down through time. Even some of the name changes are from marriage into a family line. Well, anyway, a lot of their general consensus is that there are "Skeletons In The Closet". They are afraid of tainting the family name if these facts should ever become known. The above dissertation is my two cents worth (opinion) only and is not documented in any way. Thanks for letting me "Bend Your Ear". Wayne