Dear Fellow List Members, I guess that there are a million ways to say thanks, but how does one go about it and convey some meaning to the word because, sometimes, it can sound hollow at best. One can readily say thanks for some simple gesture or effort that was done on the behalf of the recipient and then each person goes about their business as usual. On the other hand, when strangers happen to cross paths on any given day, one never knows how much the help that was extended towards a person might effect his or her life except the one who was the beneficiary of that effort. What one may conceive as being rather simple or mundane can sometimes become that one defining moment in an individual's life and in many cases, not even recognized or appreciated by the rest of humanity as they do battle on a daily basis to survive. Like some tiny creature who grasps at crumbs and scampers to it's hide-a-way where it can savor each and every morsel, so too do some of us humans cherish whatever it was that we were or are seeking and we relish whatever it is that "Good Dame Fortune" has managed to throw our way And so it is that hidden in some ancient manuscript is someone's link to the past. While others might scoff at whatever entry might have been discovered by someone as being rather insignificant as they go about conquering some far-off lands, the words that were written become treasures unto themselves to the beholder and have greater richness or meaning than a pocket full of gold. In the event that someone might wonder what it is that I am saying, please consider the following; Michael Crean, was sought by his brother, Laurence, on June 14, 1862. The County was given as Tipperary and the Parish being Fethard in the Townland of Fethard. This bit of information was recorded in the "Database of Advertisements for Irish Immigrants Published in the Boston Pilot." The sponsors or publishers of this information was the Boston College Department of Education. As I sit and ponder the possibilities of this entry, I look back upon the twenty-five plus years that I have sought for a Michael Crean, who, along with his wife Mary Shea, brought their son, Patrick, to be baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Fethard, Tipperary on January 6, 1844. No matter how much I sought or searched could I ever solve the mystery involving Michael Crean. Where he went or where he might have come from leaves a vacancy on my family's genealogical chart. This, in spite of the fact that, all things considered, Patrick Crean/Crehan is strongly believed to be my great-grandfather. And so now, Dear Friends, as I ponder the consequences of this entry and whether it bears fruit or not, I hope that you can all appreciate the good work that you have done for this person who merely exists as a name somewhere out there in the vast reaches of the inter-net. Should some kind soul happen to have access to the actual entry that was made in the newspaper of long ago I would deeply it appreciate it if you would forward it to me. It is on that account that I can only wonder about the possible information such an entry might contain. To those of you who may not know, I do have a book on the WWW that is "Free To Read." The name of my book is, "Green Is The Valley, Blue Are The Hills." The URL is http://fethard.com/crane Should you happen to read my book, you will find Michael Crean's name recorded as I had written it in 1986. I had written it from a copy of a baptismal certificate that I received from a friend in Ireland a few years prior to that. As that friend surely should know, I have been indebted to him ever since. Having made this discovery on St. Patrick's Day I now wonder if the Good Saints might have smiled upon me. Many thanks and God bless you one and all, Tom Crane