Jeanne, I am also researching France, My ggg grandfather was Hiram France from Warren And Sussex counties in New Jersey. I have found may thing connect between these counties. I found these two Frances in the Middletown Directory, and it listed their deaths, so I looked them up . I will flag your e-mail, and send you whatever I find in the France area. Yours in Genealogy Joanne Times Herald Record Feb.4, 1977 obit; Catherine France, died Fed.3,1977 age 83 Husband Dewitt Lived at 1 Sprague Ave. Parents William and Mary Weeden , born May 21 1893 in New Jersey, one sister Alice Brundage of Port Jervis. children, 2 daughters; Blanche Sontag of Middletown, and Vera wife of Carl Hansen of New Hampton. burial , Ridgebury Cemetery, Ridgebury. May 2, 1978 Dewitt C. France died May 1, 1978 age 85. wife Catherine Weeden France died Feb.3, 1977 . lived at one Sprague Ave. Middletown, son of David and Elvira Wildrick France born in Pellettown, NJ on Jan. 13, 1893. retired farmer and former owner of the Sprague Grocery store , a member of the Presbyterian Church and Howells Fire Co. & Goshen Masonic Lodge # 365. two daughters Blanche Sontag of Middletown and Vera Hansen of New Hampton and one sister Lillian Kenney of East Hanover , NJ. burial is in Ridgebury Cemetery, Ridgebury. -----Original Message----- From: jfrance [mailto:jfrance@pe.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2000 11:14 PM To: Joanne Subject: Re: Middletown Calendar 100 years back JOANNE: I do not have a Jonah F. France in my France Family data base so this may be just a query I couldn't resist because my father, (b 1845 Goshen) Herman Willard France lived with "a" Professor Wm. Wallace Wilcox in Goshen, Orange Co. NY, at least near the time of his college attendance pre-1920. (My father lost his father at age 2 and his mother at age 17). My brick wall has been trying to discover who the parents of my gggrandfather, John France (b 1760 d 1811 per "Ulster Co. in the Revolution") were. However, any info re "my" France family is welcome. Can you expand on your message any to perhaps rule-out for sure any connection to "my" France? JEANNE From: Joanne <sound1@qed.net> To: NYORANGE-L@rootsweb.com <NYORANGE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, April 10, 2000 1:17 PM Subject: Fw: Middletown Calendar 100 years back >Russell House ( 18-26 James Street; now the site of First Federal & Loan >Bank photo c.1906) >The precise date Jonah F. France, a partner in the Orange County Furnace on >Center St. built his home on James Street is uncertain, but was probably >around 1843. In Jne 1870, it was sold by the France Family to Samuel Davis. >In April of 1872, Davis began work on the construction of an addition and >conversion of the property to hotel purposes, opening the Grand Central >Hotel in late October of that year. The hotel was later purchased by A.H. >Russell, a long time Middletown hotel proprietor, who made extenive >alterations to the building, enlarging it to the appearance above under >plans drawn by architect S.H. Wilcox. The Russell House opened September 15, >1884. Although Russell died less than six months later, the hotel retained >its name until it was damaged by fire February 24, 1907. Although some >thought was given to repairing the structure, owner E.A. and son O.H. Brown >hired architect David H. Canfield to design a new Hotel Brown, later known >as the Mitchell Inn. However, an undamaged section of the old building was >moved back from the street and incorporated into the new hotel. he Mitchell >Inn was torn down in 1963.