Hello, I responded to Eric's message at the email he gave, but it was returned this address not known soooooooooooo I am putting herr...sorry for taking up so much room! M.Gibson Hi Eric, I receive postings from Kellum/Kellam email and saw your request. Getting started begins with YOU. Collecting originals or copies of birth, death, marriage, military, church, obits in newspaper as well as any of those already mentioned. Anyone on Soc. Sec , which began in 1936 and has died will be listed there in SSDeath Index and you may send a letter, you may print off computer, & $7 and they send copy of the application made to get Soc. Sec. card. It has much information on it such as person name, address, place of birth, year, parents names, etc. Census records are available from 1790-1920. They are released every 75 yrs. So the 1930 will be availablein 2005. You need to PROVE from gen-gen. Your birth certificate has parents names on it. Also good to ask for marriage applications as well as license or certificate of marriage. Search sites on computer are good to locate others searching same person or name. One good site is < WorldConnect Project >> exactly as I have typed it. Others: FamilyHistory.com GenForum Ancestry.com Gendex GenWeb State Project list (all states & you click on to whichever and there is wealth of info availabel. As well as surname lists, queries, etc. ==================================================== enough of that (I use to teach genealogy seminars and get carried away trying to impress on anyone that all boils down to proof!) It doesn't matter if Aunt Hattie wrote book on family history unless, in it, she lists vol, page & place where facts are found or includes pictures of same. =====================================================mme mama grdpa Martin 1st gf Martin 2nd ggdmother Mary (Douglass) Martin 3rd ggmother Sarah Bell (Sally) (Kellum) Douglass 4th ggfather Henry A. Kellum of MD, near Richmond, VA, Chatham & Wake Co's, NC and died in Davidson Co, Tenn. in Dec of 1799. In 1818 his dau Sarah B & husband John Douglass, their children, her sister & family, John's elderly parents and Sarah's younger brother, Smlith Kellum, packed all belongings and by keel boat to Ark. Territory. Party of 15, in all. Smith married 2 yrs later to Jane Pyeatt, dau of Jacob, another pioneer in Ark. Terr. As were my Martin ancestors, 4 brothers who came in two in 1815, 1 ea in 1820 & 1821. Smith & wife had : 1. John Pyeatt Kellum b- 29 Sep 1823 d- 12 Jan 1901* 2. William Kellum b 8 Apr 1825 d- prob ca 1835** 3. James Kellum b- 14 Oct 1827 4. Martha Kellum b- 29 May 1829 d- 26 Jun 1909 5. Mary Kellum b- 8 Oct 1830 6. Emily Catherine Kellum b- 20 Nov 1832 7. Jacob Kellum b- 10 Dec 1835 d- 1 Aug 1908 8. Isaac Kellum b- 12 Feb 1836 d- Feb 1877 (Smith d- 1837 & Jane in 1838 ... fever/epidemic?.. he ws 39 & she 37 .... pretty young. Isaac was only 2 when she died) This info was in photocopy of original letter written by Emily C. on Dec 27 1--5 part of year not legible. She is writing from either Decatur or San Marcos, TX back to Ark to a nephew named Fields ? * I have a letter written in 1905 by John P. so whoever put in his death at 1901 was wrong. He died after 1905. ** Emily says brother William died when she was so young she could not even remember him so that is a ? date. ==================================================== John P wrote 2 letters, of which I am fortunate to have photocopies, one in 1883 on Nov 17th from San Marcos, Texas. As were many letters in early years, it was full of family, birth, death, etc. He had mentioned in this letter of one of Jane Pyeatt Kellum's bros named John who froze to death in Ark river before they moved from Pulaski C. Ark to Cane Hill in NW part of Arkansas. The letter in 1905 was from Decatur, TX. So btw 1883-1905 he had moved from Hays co to Wise co Tx. He tells of their children, etc. which would place them as adults near turn of century. ===================================================== Well, I have written overlong and hope has not bored you. As you may note I am a genealogy nut (I am 77 yrs old as of Apr 28 and age is extended some leeway) Sincerely, Meredith Gibson I fell asleep watching TV about 10:30 pm & woke up at 4 am and by then wide awake. It is only 5:20 am now)