Hi gen pals, This rhymes with "pen pals" and I just had to write and tell everyone my recent success story. All of us have put messages out on message boards, surname forums, etc. We loose track and come to the conclusion that our ancestors hatched from eggs. Well, I had a response to a message I had posted a LONG time ago about my mother's side of the family. She is descended from Heike - changed to Heck sometimes, and Steinke, changed to Stankey sometimes. I do have a 651 page book of family trees and lots of stories done back in 1982, and have been putting all the names into my Family Tree Maker - over 5200 so far. I listed some of the more common surnames and "Kim" from Canada emailed me. We have exchanged no fewer than 25 emails of information, photos, family trees, and wedding and death notices. She is going to mail me the originals of those I am directly descended from. I am mailing her the family trees of her direct descendants. We still don't know exactly how we connect - maybe 5th cousins or something like that, but I just want to say - don't give up. When you least expect it, you get a hit and those old folks come to life once again. Happy hunting, Nancy

Nancy, Congratulations on your success. My ancestors weren't hatched from eggs, they just dropped out of the sky and took on some sort of human form during the drop. They have no pasts.......I'm convinced of this. That's terrific though, that you were able to connect with someone that had pictures and other documents no less. What a find! Sue* ----- Original Message ----- > Hi gen pals, This rhymes with "pen pals" and I just had to write and tell > everyone my recent success story. Nancy --- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.291 / Virus Database: 156 - Release Date: 10/25/2001