This appeared in the Gaston section of the Charlotte Observer. It is a real nice article. Please everyone get those stories submitted as space in the book is limited. Neal Published Sunday, February 13, 2000 Heritage book to recount history of Gaston County By LEIGH PRESSLEY Special Correspondent DALLAS -- Folks interested in local history and tracing family trees have been invited to submit stories for a new Gaston County history book. "The Gaston County Heritage Book," which will be published later this year, will print stories up to 500 words and one photo each from families, churches, clubs, organizations, neighborhoods and other groups. "It's a compilation of everyone's stories in the community, a combination of family history and local history," says Kathy Haynes, a member of the Dallas-based Gaston County Heritage Book Committee. "It's pretty common in the genealogy world." Haynes and several other members of the Heritage Book Committee also worked on a 400-page Lincoln County book in 1997. Published by Paul Dellinger of Lincolnton, the book will sell for $45 plus $4.95 postage. A copy will also be placed in the N.C. Room of the Gaston County Public Library. Local contributors can look to "The Lincoln County Heritage Book," also in the N.C. rooms of the Gaston and Lincoln libraries, for an idea of typical stories, Haynes says. Some folks wrote about family history and ancestor lineage; others told stories about how their forefathers lived. "We got stories of families tracing back to the German, English and Scots-Irish settlers," Haynes says. "Some gave their family trees; some told stories about Uncle Joe opening a grocery business." Others focused on the Battle of Ramseur's Mill, the Old Tryon Courthouse and the rumored story that Abraham Lincoln's mother visited Lincoln County before her famous son's birth. Heritage Book Committee members also want to know the reasons people ended up in Gaston County. "If they came during the boom time of the mills, why did they come?" Haynes says. "Did they come for a job? Did they come for other reasons? Did they just move here during this generation? We want to know why they're here, why they like it and all about their roots." Fellow committee member Max Robinson will compile historical stories such as the Loray Mill strike. "It can be anything other than family articles," Robinson says. "It could be information on churches, civic clubs or any organization such as the chamber of commerce. We also want information on businesses that used to be around, maybe ones in which the old building has been torn down. "Even if a person remembers a story of years ago that they want to relate - like the flood of 1916, for instance." Some stories could be more recent, such as the devastation brought on by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Committee members also want stories on individual towns in Gaston County, including Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly, McAdenville and Ranlo. "There are a lot of stories in all these towns," says Robinson, a Belmont resident. "We have a community here called East Belmont that has a story of its own. When I was a kid, everybody called it East End and everyone thought it was one word. Actually, it meant the east end of Belmont." Of 100 N.C. counties, Robinson says, around 35 have compiled heritage books. "They're really popular," he says. "They're great for people doing research on families, and they just make for interesting reading. It's neat to think that our descendants can go to the library 100 years from now and find what we have written about our history. That's what it's all about." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to Contribute? The Gaston County Heritage Book Committee is accepting family history articles for its upcoming book. Stories of 500 words and one photo will be printed at no charge. The committee also is accepting histories of the same length from churches, clubs, organizations and communities. Extra space is available for 10 cents per word and $12.50 per photo. Deadline is Sept. 1. Book orders are also being taken. Cost is $45 plus $4.95 postage, if mailed. Send family histories and book orders to the Gaston County Heritage Book Committee, P.O. Box 995, Dallas, NC 28034. Send stories via e-mail to: heritage2000@hotmail.com or ostrich@bellsouth.net. For details, call Kathy Haynes at 922-5084. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Neal Caskey ostrich@bellsouth.net Please visit my website-books for sale at: http://members.xoom.com/petphotos/books.htm