Same here, Mark. My ancestors started out from here & moved west & south down the Philadelphia Wagon Road until they ended up in in NC & SC (where I was born). I was adopted down there by a couple from DelCo & raised here. I married a native Philadelphian (also adopted). It was through researching my adoptive mother's people that I stumbled upon my own & was reunited with my birthfamily in 2001 (two weeks after my adoptive mother passed away). I started doing research on my natural family in order to become more connected. It was the avenue in which my birthfather & I grew closer before cancer took him in 2005. I managed to reunite my hubby with his birthfamily (although his birthmother has rejected him). We're planning to meet one of his half brothers in the near future (he lives outside Boston). Just as with my research, I found that he also has deep roots in Delco (such as William Wood of Darby who in 1685 established one of the first mills along Darby Creek) I find it all amazing and quite comforting. But as you pointed out, not everyone looks at the area and its historical/familial significance in the same way. Hopefully, it won't take 'bulldozers' to wake them up, but unfortunately as the song goes, "You don't know what you've got 'til its gone..." :-( Barb >>> mark.dixon@att.net 01/25/07 10:20 AM >>> Things seem to endure in/around Philadelphia, for better or worse. I didn't grow up in the area, descending instead from people who had begun moving south and west about the end of the French and Indian War. (My last ancestor to actually live here died in 1918.) I grew up in Michigan, married an expatriate Philadelphian and, together, we moved here 20 years ago. Mr. Haley had introduced me to genealogy in the 70s, but I hadn't imagined how much infrastructure would still exist. (In most of the country, what one most often finds is a family name on a road sign or a home site.) There's a 1700ish house up in Bucks County that I've known about for several years but have never seen. My wife and daughters are burned out from looking at ancestors' houses that "all look alike." Perhaps they'd appreciate them more if the bulldozers were more active. Mark >I've lived in this area for over fifty years and I didn't > really appreciate how deep my families roots were until I started doing > research. It's so exciting to see a place where you know your family > lived. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PADELAWA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message