To all researchers interested in the BLACK and ALFREY families of Morgan Co, Rowan Co, and Fleming Co Kentucky. I have come into possession of a 45-page document titled "Memories", written in 1954 by Samuel "Sammie" Black, son of William Riley BLACK (b. 1855) and Barbara Ellen ALFREY (b. 1854). William Riley Black was the son of John A. BLACK and his first wife Rebecca EPPERHART. Barbara Ellen Alfrey was the daughter of Thompson ALFREY and Harriet JONES. Their son, Samuel Black, born 16 Aug 1880, married in 1907 to Mary Josephine CASSITY, daughter of Thomas CASSITY & Rebecca E. CROSE. The narrative was originally hand-written and ran to over 80 pages. In September 2001 a photocopy of this manuscript was given to John L. Patton of Indianapolis, IN by Philemon Hardin of Rowan Co. (John Patton is a descendent of Barbara Ellen (Alfrey) Black's brother, Roll Alfrey, through a daughter Mary Lena Grayson born in 1920 to 16-year-old Nannie Mae Grayson, a cleaning girl working at the home of 55-year-old Roll Alfrey. I do not know the connection of Philemon Hardin or how he came in possession of the photocopy of Sammie Black's "Memories".) John Patton typed up the document into 45 pages, and mailed me a copy of his transcript last week, having discovered my interest in these families from my genealogy web site. Several sections of the original were missing from the copy that John Patton transcribed. The portion remaining tells the story of the family of William Riley Black and Barbara Ellen Alfrey from the days of their courtship up through May 1900, when the author was approaching 20 years old. It chronicles their many moves between Rowan Co, Nicholas Co, Bath Co and Fleming Co. (the family seemed to move about every two years), and the births, illnesses and school days of their children. It includes some very colorful descriptions of preaching and baptizing by Sammie's uncle, Roll Alfrey. Mr. Patton has given me permission to share this document with anyone I wish to, including posting it online. However, I am not sure that he has the authority to give such extensive permission, since he did not write it but only transcribed it, and Sammie's descendants would seem to rightfully have more say in the matter. Certainly, though, Mr. Patton has more right than I do, since he is a first cousin once removed of Samuel Black, and my connections are various but all much more distant than that. So I feel quite justified in sharing the document freely with any descendants of Sammie's grandparents, Thompson Alfrey and Harriett Jones or John A. Black and his two wives, Rebecca Epperhart and Martha Riddle, or any descendants of Josie (Cassity) Black's parents, Thomas Cassity and Rebecca Crose. Those of you in that group have more right to it than I do. (I imagine Dewie Black and Brenda Ziegler will be especially interested.) But I wouldn't feel justified in posting it online or sending it to a discussion list like this one without permission from a direct "heir" of the author. So I would like very much to contact any direct descendants of Sammie Black and Josie Cassity, firstly to ask how you feel about broader posting of the narrative, and secondly to find out if anyone has access to a fuller copy of the document than the partial copy that John Patton transcribed. (The document appears to be missing one page at the beginning, four pages covering the second half of 1891, five pages in 1896, and an unknown number of pages at the end.) -- Teri Pettit