Nancy and Carol are correct. Join and support the local society in the area where you ancestors lived. Then take one more step. Join a local group where you LIVE, even if it is not where your ancestors lived. It is hard to attend meetings when they are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. But you CAN attend ones where you live. I have yet to run across a local group which specified that your ancestors had to live in their area in order for you to join. The main purpose of local genealogical societies is education. A local group may not have members who are searching your surname, but they will have members who have had the same problems with locating information as you have. They can help! Give a local society where you live a try. Donna ****************************** Donna J. Gruber, CGRS West Salem, OH djg@bright.net CGRS is a service mark of the Board For Certification of Genealogists, used under license after periodic evaluations by the Board.