Reading about others who are researching Irish ancestors in Louisville, I was motivated to say that my almost ten years of research has been productive because of the help I got from this list! Deb on this list found my gggrandparents' marriage record. That led to me writing to the church and getting an actual photocopy of it. I treasure that! Ken on this list went out to St. Louis cemetery and took a photo of the Keagan stone for me. Another treasure. Alison of this list found records for me and is still helping me! Barb T answered countless questions and looked up lots of info for me. Sue of this list looked up Heeney records at the library for me. It turned out that she had relatives in St. Louis, where I live, and I was able to help her in return! John of this list filled me in on his research of the Keagan family. There are many others on this list who answered my questions and pointed me in the right direction and continue to do so. I am on about six Rootsweb lists, now and I co-admin two lists. I have made four web pages for people who are studying St. Louis, MO genealogy - especially the Irish. When I first started my genealogy it was here on the Louisville list. The generosity of the people on the list really inspired me to want to give back and now I am doing research for people in Ireland who want to know about their Irish ancestors in St. Louis. I don't think that the Irish have any special gift that any other immigrant group didn't have. Every cultural group paid a price for admission to the freedom we have. If there is anything that reminds me of how they all survived, it is the generosity of strangers. I like that we all still help each other and ask nothing in return. The spirit of free genealogical help is alive and well on this list. Maybe that is why those rellies of mine who lived in and were born in Louisville seem to make a point of claiming Louisville in what little there are of records of their lives - maybe they knew that generosity in their own lives. I started my genealogical research where the Heeneys and the Keagans started their lives in America - in Louisville. It was a nice place for me to begin. I think it was a nice place for them to begin too. Many thanks to all who have helped me over these almost ten years! Happy St. Pat's Day! Diane Shaw St. Louis, MO