Sorry everyone but I just had to put in my 2 cents. My Mom was born in those hills and what she became instilled in us was it is not what you have but how you use it. Mom quite school in the sixth grade. Education was not really deemed necessary in some places. Mom was very articulate. She met and married my Dad, (a northern Mi. potato farmer) Dad started a construction business and Mom took care of all the paperwork and payroll. It should be noted that the IRS did come to the house to do an audit and after going back into 4 years of records they found one error of 7 cents, in their favor I might add. Just from the learning of a country girl. I think I should also point out that Mom took great pride in the fact that whenever someone had the nerve to call her a hillbilly, she pointed to the dictionary and directed them to look up the word. It seems Dad was the hillbilly as it shows a hillbilly to be " a northern Michigander" Since I am from lower Mich that must make me only half hillbilly. Poorness knows no boundaries. Semper Fi. Mary in Mich Researching surnames: Hajduk, Welch, Litton, Collins, Merritts, Meier, Staples and Szela Proud member of the WOMEN MARINES ASSOCIATION, MOTOR CITY CHAPTER