This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Abbe/Abbey/Abby, Barns/Barnes, Bass/Basse, Gibson/Gipson, Green/Greene, Hicks/Hix, Marchant/Merchant, Moore, Taylor Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Fi.2ADE/1173 Message Board Post: I am concerned about the potential loss of someones family info and heirlooms.. This family bought a 100 yr old black owned and operated funeral home in Kokomo, Indiana. Apparently it was sold to him as is with all kinds of old personal items of some of the people who were served by the funeral home. Items that somehow weren't returned to the grieving families or didn't make it into the coffins of the deceased. This man's family is now determining which of these items are "valuable", "salvageable" and resaleable for profit on eBay and I would imagine disposing of items that they deem not. I am sure that decendants of the true owners of the items would be interested in obtaining these items. I know that if my family had some ties back in Kokomo, Indiana I would be. It just doesn't seem right for this man's family to be profitting from some other family's tragedy or grief. I have e-mailed him as "one family oriented American to another" and suggested that he consider donating the personal items to a historical and/or genealogical society for archiving and! preservation without personal gain or profit, but have yet to hear from him. As genealogists we should all be diligent and steadfast in ensuring that these types of situations do not transpire without intervention. In summary, this family has the capability of destroying quite a bit of some unrecoverable information of historical and genealogical importance. It is difficult enough for African-Americans to research our roots due to systematic destruction of our family historical documents and oral traditions. Let alone for someone to due so because they don't consider it valuable to them. If you know anyone from the Kokomo, Indiana area, especially any civic and/or community leaders. Please feel free to share this information with them. The now owner of the funeral home's eBay site is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2939030105 and I provide the address NOT for the intention of providing buyers of these heirlooms but in order to demonstrate his current min! dset in selling these potentially historical genealogical items. Respectfully to you all, Christopher D. Green(e) Liberty Farms, Solano County California USA Researching the following family surnames via desktop PC with very limited fund$!: Abbe/Abbey/Abby, Barns/Barnes, Bass/Basse, Gibson/Gipson, Green/Greene, Hicks/Hix, Marchant/Merchant, Moore, Taylor ?>VA?>LA>MS>CA>HI?