Anyone who has obituaries they would like to have posted on the new boards but does not have the time, the computer access, or the necessary typing speed/accuracy to do so, can send the obituaries to Sue Cooley, 2028 Meramec View Estates, St. Clair, MO 63077. Please don't expect to see them on line real soon as I might farm them out to volunteers, depending on how many I receive. Whether you have two or 200, we will see to it that they get posted. Of course, if you want to do it yourself (or to volunteer), the New Boards for Franklin County genealogy, which are accessible through http://www.rootsweb.com/~mofrankl/index.html and the process is pretty simple. There are now over 3,031 postings for Franklin County and the site is growing steadily. Because of the great search engine, this is a fantastic research tool that will become more valuable with each and every obituary that is posted. St. Louis County only has 3,370 obituaries so it is very likely that we will pass them up in the very near future. Please help us by posting whatever obituaries you have on hand that relate in any way to Franklin County or by sending copies of your obituaries to me. Obituaries from out-of-county newspapers that relate to Franklin County residents who died elsewhere are very much needed because it helps others follow the trail of these people. The First Annual Franklin County Historical Society picnic / history fair was a success in spite of rain that persisted up until about an hour before the event. People who were interested in history / genealogy from all over the county and beyond the borders came together for the opportunity to visit with people from other areas and to see what books and other items the various genealogy societies had to offer. Gary Lucy gave an interesting program on the research that is going into his Lewis and Clark series of paintings, complete with clothing he had had made to replicate the clothing worn on the expedition. He unveiled a new painting in this series for the first time at the history fair. We would be interested in your suggestions for a really special program for the 2002 history fair. Also, the Lucas J. Fink book was sold for the first time by the Franklin County Historical Society. In addition to a short biography on the life of this early Union, MO musician, composer, music store owner, theatre owner, skating rink owner, and farmer, the book (30 pages) includes the complete sheet music (arranged for violin and piano) in 8 1/2 x 11 format for two of his compositions: Bourbois River Blues and Souvenir de Bourbois. For more information, check it out at the above-stated link -- then click on historical societies then on Franklin County Historical Society. Thank you. Sue Cooley Franklin County Coordinator Missouri USGenWeb Project and Board Administrator