David and others, Below is the Welcome letter which new members to the list receive. Please note paragraph three and please do NOT take any criticism written by list members personally. Sometimes the older researchers forget what it is like to be a new person to genealogy who gets excited and happy to find what they believe is their genealogical line. Our older researchers who have been around the block many times sometimes lack tact in their reactions and are less than gentle in their response. We welcome your input to the list and hope you will take Don's letter of encouragement to heart. Above all, please do not get discouraged. Ruth Cherecwich Welcome to the Kincaid of all spellings mail list. We have found there are countless variations of the name due to people adopting as their permanent name the phonetic or dialect spelling they were used to using/hearing - Kinkade, Kincade, Kincaide, Kingcade etc. You are encouraged to post your ancestral line as you know it to the List. We have well over 200 list members, and chances are reasonable that someone might know something about your line. Please post your ancestor's name along with the spouse, place(s) lived, and known or approximate dates which will help others on the list to identify the line. If you could, a timeline of ancestors working backwards from whatever date you feel comfortable, would work the best. List members are always eager to help with any Kincaid line, but our Scottish tendency is to sometimes be overly blunt and untactful in response to a post. Please do not take these comments personally as no offense will be meant by the person doing the posting. It's just that sometimes we react emotionally and don't proof read, or stop to think about, what we write. Occasionally, a line we believe is correct is actually one which was fabricated decades ago and has been disproved by the list members. This is due to documentation being more readily available to us via the internet and our List Members going on site specific research trips. You are also encouraged to check the List Archives for past dialogues which might have a bearing on your line. Go to http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/search?path=KINCAID . At this page you can type in whatever search item you wish. By searching in the Body of the messages, you may get your search term revealed in postings in which the poster did not have the appropriate subject heading. Be creative in your searches with full names, just the man or just the wife, husband/wife, etc. Another item to consider is that there are many on the list who have found DNA to be a valuable research tool used in conjunction with other documentation. You are encouraged to learn more about this new method of research which helps us continue to learn about our ancestral lines. Lastly, our goal in the pursuit of our ancestors is to have fun while learning. Enjoy the list, contribute to it, meet new extended family members, and make new friends. Ruth Cherecwich, List Administrator **************Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators. (http://www.walletpop.com/?NCID=emlcntuswall00000001)