I 'grew up' on Lewis Wetzel, Anne Baily, and Betty Zane, who ran with her apron full of gunpowder and saved Fort Henry, located where Wheeling is now. My grandmother, my entree into local and family history, told stories of these folks (although she sure didn't tell me about Lewis Wetzel' hair and ear bobs! Boy, that's something, isn't it!) One of my grandmother's stories about Lewis Wetzel was that he perfected the art of loading his rifle while running, so that if he were being chased by a group of Indians, he'd load while running and then wheel and shoot (apparently he was a deadly shot)...then, running again, reload, only to turn and fire again. He'd repeat this till he killed all followers, or they gave up. He was perceived by the local tribes as having a gun that was 'always loaded'!.....the stuff of legends! In case I've peaked your interest in the area, here is the URL for a wonderful collection of photographs of Wheeling, from the19th and 20th centuries....many of buildings now long gone, unfortunately. http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/photos/brown/brown.htm I was handed down, from my grandmother, a pride in Wheeling, which was,among many things, the site of the world's oldest and longest extant suspension bridge, that crossed the Ohio and enabled millions of westward emigrants to cross the Ohio River safely, and move on into Ohio and points west. Wheeling was on Rt. 40, called 'the National Pike", the very first federally funded road, and conceived by that "wonderman", Thomas Jefferson. The bridge was a marvel in it's day, and is still in use, with it's original cables, believe it or not. I get there a couple times a year, and like to walk across, from the town proper to Wheeling Island, where my family moved in 1844 after that fateful paddlewheel accident! What a place it must have been in it's heyday....bustling and prosperous, the bridge filled with wagons, it's said, night and day, on their way west. The days of steam were exciting times. My grandmother remembered the wharfs being filled with paddlewheelers, bringing all sorts of goods up and down the Ohio....and, wonderful show boats. It was a pretty exciting time to live on the Ohio River! I am still hoping to find a Bonnett ancestor to send digital photos of the above Lewis' son, Lewis Jr...who certainly doesn't appear to have taken much after his Indian Scout father and looks more like a clerk! Thanks for all the URLS......I've enjoyed reading them and hope you like the Wheeling photos (you know me and photos...love 'em.) S. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.0/306 - Release Date: 4/9/2006