A few weeks ago, someone wrote to one of the lists I belong to, and asked if anyone had ever left their name and contact info on a family gravestone. It seemed to me that he/she was hesitant about doing it for one reason or another. I thought it was a very interesting idea - and a few people responded to the question. Some said they had, and were contacted. I thought I kept that email, because I liked the idea, but I can't find it now - so I'm posting this on all my lists. I was browsing old "Missing Links" and "Somebody's Links" today and just happened to run across the following contribution. I removed the sender's name, because I didn't contact them - but here's the rest of their message: MISSING LINKS: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists Vol. 3, No. 18, 1 May 1998 Copyright (c) 1996-98 Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley SUCCESSFUL LINKS: POPPIES by [name removed] A few years ago while researching PENNINGTON, SLAVEN, and LOWDERMILK lines, I traveled across the USA to some of the old and, I thought, abandoned graveyards. Some were in fields or out in the woods. On the tombstone I would place a 3x5 card with a note saying who was buried there and my relationship and address. I would put it in a ziplock bag and tape it to the tombstone securely. When we got back to California after a month I had letters from cousins I did not know even existed. Some saw the message, copied the info down and relayed it through the community. I really felt that my ancestors played a great role in my finding info about them. I also sprinkled seeds of our state flower on the gravesite. I understand at some locations there are now Golden Poppies growing. When I went back to one of the sites several years later I easily found the site from the road by the orange carpet. [Ed.'s Note: An alternative to the use of tape, which might damage a tombstone, is to skewer the waterproof bag containing such a note to the ground beside the tombstone using a stick, such as a stake used to support plants.] ***************************************************************** Published in MISSING LINKS NEWSLETTER For Genealogists; Vol. 3, No. 18, 1 May 1998; http://www.PetuniaPress.com/ And what I thought was a new, interesting and unique idea - isn't, of course. I guess that just goes to show ya' - whatever we dream up to try, has probably been done before. And this was done before I even had a computer - let alone started looking for my ancestors! Pat Cross Davis - Texas patdmom@aol.com Burke, Callis, Carrothers, Cross, Martin, Paul, Warren, Wolfe, Word