Dear Group, I hope that Charles and Dorothy Matheson of Texas don't mind my forwarding to the list the message I sent them last night. They are members of our list but I have to tell you the truth that I can't recall that we have ever corresponded with each other. Hey, maybe we have, but I plead a still foggy mind at this time! The reason for my forwarding the message is to point out how a bouquet of flowers from "complete strangers" who are interested in the history and genealogy of Niagara County just "happened" to be delivered by a descendant of one of our earliest settlers here. I continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of warm wishes and prayers on my behalf by people I've never met and in most cases never even corresponded with except by way of our list. I have always felt close to all of you because of our mutual interest but, somehow, the delivery of the bouquet of flowers yesterday seemed to indicate an even closer tie with each other. You just don't know when a descendant of our old families just might come a knockin' on your door because of our list! :-) vee ----- Original Message ----- From: Vee L. Housman <housman@adelphia.net> To: <matheson@texas.net> Sent: Friday, August 25, 2000 10:59 PM Subject: Your beautiful bouquet of flowers > Dear Charles and Dorothy, > > You have no idea how much your beautiful bouquet of flowers brought sunlight > into my day this afternoon. > > I had just returned from the reception after the funeral of Deb's > grandmother (I didn't attend the funeral) and it wasn't five minutes later > when I heard a knock on my door. It was the delivery man from the florist. > It was such a beautiful bouquet and the delivery man had such a smile on his > face. He said, "These are for you, Vee Housman." I thought that a bit > strange for him to say but then I seemed to recognize him--note, my mind > still tends to be a bit foggy right now. So, under the circumstances, I > just looked at him and asked him who he was. That's when he proudly let me > know that he was David Force and he reminded me that his ancestors lived > just down the road from me well over 100 years ago! > > Of COURSE! I had traced his Force family of the Town of Porter from the > time they first arrived here and although the two of us have never gotten > together to update his family history, he has always known that he only > needs to ask me and between the two of us we could put his entire family > together! > > And so there he was, a descendant of one of our earliest settlers here, > deliverying your beautiful bouquet of flowers to my house about one mile > from where his family originally settled. The bouquet is now placed > prominently in the middle of my kitchen table here in Niagara > County--delivered by a descendant of one of our earliest families! If he > only knew the significance of it all! > > Thank you so very much for your thoughtfulness. > > vee >