Morning Crawford Co. Researchers, I received a very nice letter asking about my interest in Crawford County and it made me think that we really do not know each other and why we are researching Crawford County. So, I thought maybe since Roll Calls simply give names and dates, we could add faces to the messages and archive our lineages as well with a short "bio." I am a Crawford County relative by marriage. My husband, Danial Calvin Bonham's mother, Lula Mae Nodine was born in Jamestown, New York to Charles Emerson Nodine and Margaret Oma Myers, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Burns Myers of Ashland County, Ohio 05 Aug 1912. Oma was considered quite a catch and a belle of every ball. They met when he, Charles was a apprentice working at one of the Meadville newspapers, ( no one seems to remember which one) and visited Ashland, Ohio to inspect some new equipment installed there. Lula and Howard Bonham of Ashley in Delaware County married 05 Aug 1934. Lula died of cancer in 1950 leaving Howard with four young children to raise. Dan was 10. We married 06 Sep 1969 and have one son, Howard Carl now 28 and serving in the Air Force stationed in Ramstein, Germany. Carl is married to Marissa Maris Hurtado of Panama for 6 years now with no children. Charles Emerson Nodine was born in Richmond Township, Crawford County to Charles Franklin Nodine and E. Melissa Crawford of Frenchcreek in Venango County. They were married at Sandy Lake in Mercer County 21 Oct 1876. Melissa was the daughter of Alexander R. Crawford and his first wife, Mary Ann Hunter. Mary Ann Hunter's ancestry still isn't proven but all indications are that George and Mary Hunter found on the 1850 census for Delaware Township are the likely parents. Mary Hunter Crawford died very young and Alexander married Sarah A. Stahlsmith. When Alexander's father, William died, there was a will whereby he left one half of his estate to his son, Alexander and one half to his grandchildren by Mary Hunter Crawford and zero to the children of Sarah. One can only wonder why.... Charles Franklin Nodine was born in Troy Township, Crawford County to Samuel L. Nodine and Frances Emerson reported to have been the daughter of Hugh Emerson but there hasn't been any verification of this. Charles and Melissa lived in Butler County for a short while and eventually moved to Ravenna in Portage County, Ohio where they both died and are buried in the Ashland Cemetery in Ashland, Ohio. Samuel L. Nodine was born 21 Aug 1820 in Yonkers, New York to David Nodine and Elizabeth Runyon. It was shortly after Samuel's birth that his father, David, moved the family to Crawford County. Samuel and Frances Emerson married 10 Sep 1845 in Woodcock Township and were the parents of: Elizabeth Anne who married Elma Breesee; Carlton Elijiah who maried twice, first to Addie Monnin and second to Mary Wright; David Hugh who was a partner with Pinney in the cheesemaking business; Eva who also was part of the cheesemaking business who married Charles Liddell of Erie County and Charles Frankin above. It seems as though I have walked every stretch of country roads in Crawford County by the imagination of Uncle Frank Nodine who died last October after many years as a TV personality in Ft. Myers, FL. he was born in Oil City but lived much of his young life with different relatives around Crawford County as a helper on the farms. I started the Nodine family history right after my marriage to Dan. I have letters dated Oct 1969 to the courthouse in Meadville so I guess that is nigh on to 30 years now. I wrote to the Crawford County Genealogical Society in 1989 but didn't try any of the contacts until I got my first computer and sat for months entering all the data. I first learned to do searches on Alta Vista and found Crawford County Web site, yes, Richard's site and followed my nose. Then a letter to the newspaper and published by Val, dear sweet Val started a wind fall of information. First she telephoned me and I called her back and we talked for hours. She didn't know the Nodines and felt sure the querie may help. We chatted many times over the next year or so. We laughed and we cried. She gave me such hope as I had cancer too and she talked me through it. I made it; she didn't. The following week, I got a letter from a native of Crwford County, Bob Leiberman, now Dr. Robet Leiberman, a noted scientist at Carnegie, Dan's second cousin he never knew. WOW! His mother had clipped every obit, wedding announcement and every tidbit of family notes from the newspapers but WOW...not a single newspaper heading and seldom a date. But nonetheless family history to work with that dealt not only with the Nodines but the Crawford surname side as well both in Venango and Crawford Counties. I haven't been physcially able to ever travel there. I am crippled with arthritis and have severe nerve damage to my left arm and that may help to explain my awful typing some days. I am not a typist but a hunt and peck type of person. I love doing the family history and was an orphan so to speak and have claimed Crawford County as my home and Dan's family as my own. Good luck to all and much success in all your families whether they be Crawford County or elsewhere. -- Barbara Farthing Bonham Summerville SC NodineNewsNetwork http://www.tfsweb.net The Family Snitch's Web http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~bfbonham Crawford County, PA On The Web too!