Dear List and Vee, Been lurking for a week or so and have to add my two cents worth on how much I enjoy the openness of this list and Vee's great stories. Really wish I had my roots in Niagara County so I could remember with you. But my ancestors came from "way down south" in Yates County. I too have a story to tell that takes a little longer to relate. I'm the editor of MICHIGANA, a quarterly genealogical magazine published by the Western Michigan Genealogical Society. If anyone you know works on a genealogy newsletter or magazine, you know they're always hounding the membership for family info, bible records, diaries, etc. that they can publish. I kept asking and God provided and now I have an 1804 Bible which was first owned by Lewis ADAMS of Wantage Township, Sussex Co. NJ. So, now I'm trying to find a living direct descendent so that it may the homeless bible can find a good home. Lewis ADAMS b 1869 d 17 May 1861 m 6 Feb 1788 Martha EVENS d 1 Aug 1837. Lewis's son, Evi L. ADAMS b 19 May 1797 d 3 June 1850 m Mariah/Moriah SMITH d ca 1833. Their daughter Martha ADAMS b 7 Sep ca 1825 d 27 May 1918 m 1st Anthony PARCEL B 19 April 1820 d 12 May 1862, and 2nd Isaac SMITH. Martha ADAMS and Anthony PARCEL were the parents of John E. PARCELL b 2 Jan 1847 d 3 March 1924 m Nettie VAN DRUFF b 5 Nov 1857 d 27 March 1912. John E. and Nettie had twin sons, Charles B. and Leweve PARCELL who died in Grand Rapids, Michigan without issue. The ADAMS/PARCEL families were in Wantage Township until about 1860. At that time, Louis ADAMS and his daughter and son-in-law are found in the Portage Township, Niagara County, NY census. In 1861 Lewis dies and in 1862 Anthony PARCEL dies. Subsequently, Martha ADAMS PARCEL marries an Isaac/Isak SMITH. In 1880, Isaac and Martha are living next door to her son John, in Wilson, Niagara County. Both homes are on Lake Street. In 1900, Martha is a widow and she has moved to Grand Rapids, MI with her son and his family. Leweve PARCEL is the last known owner of the bible. He died in 1960 and his estate was sold at a sale. The bible was purchased by the mother of one of the members of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society. Leweve was apparently named after his grandfather Evi, and ggrandfather Lewis ADAMS. He was also quite a character. For over 50 years he was anewspaperman in western MI, studied and was fluent in Spanish andJapanese, and loved colonial history. He also used a cane (even thoughhe was not disabled) and had a collection of over 117 canes, according to his obituary. He was the librarian for the Grand Rapids Press for over twenty years, but also was on the business beat and reviewed dramas and plays. I'm pretty sure Lewis ADAMS died in Niagara Couny. It may be that Anthony Parcel (sometimes PURCEL/PARCELL/PARCELS/PARCELLS) died in Niagara County, or perhaps in the Civil War (still checking on that). There is also a Parkanson (Park) ADAMS and John L. ADAMS living with Lewis in the 1860 census. In 1880, Park is living with Martha ADAMS SMITH, and is blind. I'm looking for any information which might relate to their descendents. It's been a lot of fun doing the "Jeopardy" version of genealogy: I have the names (the answers I'm usually trying to find in my own ancestry) in the bible, and now I'm looking for the right questions to ask. Other surnames mentioned in the Bible are CASKEY, BENJAMIN, LOOMIS, DECKER, and CROWELL. There's a possibilty that an L. A. BENJAMIN, living at 2226 or 2276 Christie, New York owned the bible at one time. The only problem is I don't know whether this is New York, New York, or another unknown city. The name and address in near the front of the bible but no town or specific city is written. Any information on any of these folks would be greatly appreciated. If I can do any researching for you here in Western Michigan, just let me know. Thanks, Bobbi Schirado, Sparta, MI