In a message dated 06/13/2000 9:39:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time, housman@adelphia.net writes: << And if I get a bit sidetracked and feel that my personal memories might paint a picture of life in this area of the more recent years, I hope you all understand that I'm really not just babbling on, I'm recording history of this area from my personal life here. And anything you would care to add with your own personal memoriies would add jsut that much more to our history. vee >> Vee, from this "born in Lockport", "lived in Newfane", "raised in CT" and "in Calif for the last 30 years" person? You are NOT babbling! This is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.... My dad and both sides of his family were born and raised in Niagara County and 1/2 of my mom's family (her mom's) was in Erie and Niagara County... so I love hearing your stories of what you remember. I remember getting very excited one day when I was rummaging around in a closet at home when growing up in CT... way back in one corner I found a saxophone. Turns out my dad played it there in Wilson, NY when in a band there!! (He was a pretty quiet man, so it was great learning this new aspect of him!) In the 1950s and into the early 1960s, my folks would pile us into the classic station wagon... a rambler... (with the fake wood paneling on the side...)... and off we would go ... from western CT... to "upstate New York". We made the rounds of all the relatives... all in Niagara County.. and every summer... the same "My, how big you've gotten" would ring out from house to house as we arrived! I remember hearing a lot of german and "mixed" german and english in some of those households...(the Smith/Schmidt, Krueger, Witt, Hillman, Schuman, Sieck... folks). Other family households came from the english lines... back to those Hosmer and Pratt folks... and while there were no accents to hear... all the family on both sides - it seemed to me as a kid - were always cooking!!! LOL Ah, the smells!!! Coming up in time... my father is gone now... born in Wilson in 1922... but I flew from CA to CT just a few years ago... got mom and dad into the rental car... and I took "them" to "Upstate New York". Talk about turnaround time! Mom, with her rheumatoid arthritis, dad with the affects even then from the mini-strokes he was having from time to time... and me with my multiple sclerosis (but trusty cane in hand)... what a bunch we were! We took it slow going up.... only went half-way... stopping along the way wherever we liked... telling stories... then took on the rest of the trip the next day. I said I would take them "wherever they wanted to go" and "to see whoever they wanted to see". I remember driving around a park... as they told me where and how they met... and the times they had spent at that park... and the band concerts they went to. We had "cousins" - dad's side of the family - all in their 70s, 80s, 90s - just a dozen or so people - all meet up in a restaurant one night.. and the stories were flying! (And now imagine "me" with my "papers".... running behind each chair... pulling up... and getting info on their families! <g>) One thing - a family trait across all the families seems to be a well developed sense of humor! Sure heard a lot of stories!! Then of course, there were the "house visits".... and the tours of the cemetaries... I had been there a year or so before that... walking all over through cemeteries... so took them directly to "their family". Dad especially was amazed to learn of family he never even knew about! And then... help me here... over to ___??___ to get some of that famous ice cream at the stand that has been in the same family for years... (Visited my godparents too..) And "time" in the evenings to rehash it all with my folks... One woman met us for lunch and brought hand-written notes on family.. another couple dug around and came out with a "paper from a german genealogist" and wondered if I might be interested! <g> And of course, the long drive back to CT. And we were "still" telling stories.... and such a lot of laughter... (and love...) It wasn't all that long after, that my dad had a major stroke and it all began to spiral downwards for him. I can't even begin to express how glad I am that we decided to "do the family trip" ... "then"... while both mom and dad were ready, willing and able to do it. He continued to "talk about the trip" on phone calls... and even in his later hospital days... he was glad to have seen "Wilson" again... and his cousins... and most importantly... "remember"... Sorry, Vee... and all... now I've gone on and on... and I didn't grow up there. I lived there for three years... but then we moved to CT ... and became a "summer visitor". But the more I hear and learn, the closer I feel to my folks... and my grandparents... and their parents... and .. and.. and... (Sigh...) Thanks for listening... debbie CAhobbies@aol.com (sitting here in CA where it hit 100 degrees today.. and they tell me it will be 104 tomorrow... )