At 02:42 PM 7/18/98 -0700, Gordon Owen wrote: >Everyone: > >Wow! A succinct query from Phil, and Linda responds with a detailed >answer including descendants, inter-relationships, geographic details >and - at no extra charge - the tale of a double murder. I'm already >impressed beyond words (and jealous to boot) when I realize that she has >topped it off by demonstrating the scholarly instinct to point out the >one or two areas where her research leads to an ambiguity or where her >knowledge is less than comprehensive. As we say here in California, I'm >totally blown away! Dear Gordon and Transylvania list members, It's great isn't it! Linda does have a touch that makes her posts a pleasure to read. Thanks, Gordon, for your post to the list and for giving me a lead into what I want to say next. Let me take a moment to address how I envision this list operating. Some lists I have participated in have had very restrictive rules for participation - genealogy only and narrowly defined. However, I have most appreciated those posts that got through which, not giving just data, actually tell me something about the way my ancestors lived. Linda's response to my query was just the kind of thing I hope to see on this list (and, yes, we ARE related several times over - and Judy and Shawna, too). People are more than just what's on their tombstone. That's why I am particularly glad to see some folks on this list with a close connection to the Transylvania County area who can tell us things that make our relatives and ancestors "come alive", so to speak. I appreciate it because I am a "flatlander", despite my close connection to folks in Transylvania County, my grandparents having moved out of the area in the early 1900s for Gaston County, North Carolina (I was born next door in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, N. C.). While I don't want us to get so far afield as to lose participants, I feel that matters pertaining to stories about our ancestors, including things such as area geography, work, religious life, etc., of our ancestors to be fair game on this list. And while we don't want to disparage ancestors by simple gossip, particular incidences of life in the mountain communities add meat to our research and help us to see them as individuals, not just corporate members of the community. Linda and Shawna both have web pages up and running at: (Linda) http://www.geocities.com/~alextreehouse/ (Shawna) http://www.concentric.net/~Shahall/index.html#CONTENTS Sherry Osborn also has a page of Transylvania related genealogy, but I have lost her URL. Sherry, would you post it for us? Kindest regards, Philip Sheppard Listowner, NCTRANSY-L, NCMACON-L