Dear list members, For those of you new to the Jessamine list, as well as the old-timers, I want to extend an invitation to all of you to join us during the Jessamine Heritage Fest May 21-26 in Jessamine County. It is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet other members of this list, share information, research your own ancestors from that area and pay tribute to those ancestors who helped settle that historic and beautiful part of the state of Kentucky. The Fest began last year when a group of us, who had been sharing our information over the internet, decided we wanted to actually meet each other and knew that Jessamine County would be the perfect location for that. Little did we know that it would attract the attention of the Jessamine County Historical Society, prompting them to offer to be our host, providing us with assistance in our family searches, guided tours throughout the Jessamine County area and hosting a wonderful picnic at the newly built replica of the High Bridge Pavilion. In return, we contributed our own family information in the form of family trees, disks, books and photographs. The event was such a success that the Historical Society invited us back again this year and will be available for an entire week this year, enabling us all to participate in the events planned for us, as well as allowing plenty of time for research. Local citizens will be available to assist all of you in your searches and special arrangements are being made with the Wither's Library and the County Clerk's office to provide plenty of access to records and materials available. There will also be representives from some of the surrounding counties, including Mercer, Garrard and Woodford Counties. In an attempt to assist the Jessamine County Historical society, we will be assisting the Society during one day of this event, by helping to begin the clean-up and restoration of the Moravian Cemetery . This cemetery is one of the oldest in Jessamine County and is the final resting place for so many of those who originally settled that area. It includes such surnames as Bruner, Bowman, Corman, Crews, Dean, Delaney, Harris, Herod, Maple, Oaks, Rice, Rhorer, Sageser, Smith, Stipe, Vantrees, Watts, Yocum, and Yost. As with many of the oldest cemeteries, this one has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and has been targeted by the Historical Society for clean-up and restoration. Many of us visited this cemetery last year during the first Fest and vowed that we wanted to be a part of this endeavor, in part to thank the Historical Society and Jessamine County for their assistance to us and for the unbelievable hospitality afforded us last year and again this year. The Heritage Fest will end on Saturday with a special day planned for everyone again at the High Bridge Pavilion. Food and entertainment are on the agenda, as well as a special trip down the Kentucky River on the riverboat, Dixie Belle. I can assure you that the entire week will be one that you will never forget. Did I forget to mention that there is no charge for any of this? The Jessamine County Historical Society is providing all of this to us, in an effort to broaden their own collection of records and family histories. They would appreciate copies of your own research, as well as copies of old photos. If you are just beginning your own search, this will be a perfect opportunity to do some first-hand research with one-on-one assistance. If you would like to join us, please contact me for additional information, ie. motels, agenda, etc. Shelia Bruner-Ramos [email protected]