I figure one way we can indirectly repay people who help us is to send on what we have compiled (giving credit where due of course) to others who ask. You never know what the "others" may be able to share in return, and possibly give back to your original source. I am fortunate to have a small circle of extremely distant relatives on my Roberts line, which is a tough name to follow because there are many different lines of Roberts out there. One researcher is in west TN; one in central KS; one popped into the circle briefly, solved ALL our mysteries (now ya'll KNOW it's never finished!) and disappeared after annoying the heck out of us (and sending an email entitled "John Doe's Final Analysis") but he did provide some new insights. Another of our group is in Alberta, Canada and one is in VA so we have quite a round robin going at times. Besides what we find online, we've shared copies and transcriptions of wills, land transactions, photos of people and gravestones, and other documents. Sometimes we don't communicate for a year then someone makes another discovery and we're off again. [In spite of this I still don't know where in KS my great-great grandmother Roberts is buried, although I know where and when she died]. Another good thing about developing a working group is that if you lose all your data, you know where to get most or all of it back. Even with being able to store information online, you can't always store photos or perhaps choose not to because of the extra work so having someone to call on is good for peace of mind. For Lanita: Could you figure out a way to tell this person that because you have such a large amount of information and it is very time-consuming to compile it to send (which is very true) you need whatever information SHE has in order to best select to send what you have time to do right now? That sounds a bit awkward but maybe you can word it better. I understand what you're saying that you might need her info some day too. Best not to burn bridges (see again in first paragraph about the guy who really raised our hackles but we put up with him in case he found some good stuff for us). Vanette In a message dated 9/19/2008 4:01:11 P.M. Central Daylight Time, erica53@earthlink.net writes: I am a prime beneficiary of several third and fourth cousins' research, bless their generous hearts. I can thank them sincerely, but I can't reciprocate, except for something I may find online, or a link I may find online, or information on my family line they can add to their info if they want to. **************Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators. (http://www.walletpop.com/?NCID=emlcntuswall00000001)