Hi Everyone, I want to personally welcome all the new subscribers, the list is now being seen but upwards of 95 people. I've been really busy lately with *LIFE* and haven't been doing alot to keep the list active and moving, so it's slowed down tremendously and a few poeple have left because of no activity. I'm going to try to fix that here. The ICEBREAKER for this week is: Who is your most interesting ancestor and why? (this should rather be read as "who intrigues YOU, not neccesarily for their feats, although that can certainly be added as well, but what is it about your most interesting ancestor that interests you?) My Most Interesting Ancestor is: My grandfather Douglas Alfred Victor HORSTEAD: He was born somewhere in England, I think near Glapthorne, Hamptonshire, but I haven't been able to pin it down. I've been doing some research in England on him and found there is a town called HORSTEAD in Norfolk (not anywhere hear Hamptonshire from what I can see.) Most of the HORSTEAD families that exist today still live mostly around this area in Norfolk in a small town called Aylsham. I know not who my Grandfather's parents were. I'm still trying to figure that out. Unfortunately, he was born 8 years after the 1881 census, and the only family that exists in the area where he was said to have been born were older parents than I might believe could possibly be his in 1889. And now, who is your most interesting ancestor and why? Researching: HORSTEAD, HELMS, HAYMAN, BRIDLE, NEWMAN, WALTER, THOMAS, SMOOT, ROCHESTER, McGINNIS, DEAGLE, WEBER, MULLIKIN, WILSON, WILKINSON, DEROCHBRUNE, DOWNES, WOOTERS, HALL, COOPER, BANNING, BAYNARD and the Royal family of WILLIAM the CONQUEROR down to HENRY II of England. Thanks, Betsy Hale Proud RootsWeb Contributor Listowner of KISSINGCOUSINS-L@rootsweb.com http://www.geocities.com/researchtriangle/forum/2288/index.html