I got that one too. Thank God for Norton antivirus or I probably would not be typing this right now! Have a blessed and happy holiday season, cousins! Paula ----- Original Message ----- From: Margie Phelps <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 1:31 PM Subject: [PERKINS] The HAHAHAH virus > I keep getting this Virus from the PERKINS list, so please everyone should > do a virus scan. It says from HAHAHAH and is titled Snow White and the > Seven Dwarfs.. and in the subject line is a the start of a story. So please > be careful and do not open if you receive. Delete, Delete, delete. > It appears this is the only virus that can get through on the Rootsweb list. > I do not know what it does, but a virus is a virus to me. I was > forewarned...... it probably has been emailed to me about 8 to 10 times in > the last week. > Thank you > Margie > > > ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to tell the Perkins List about your Perkins brick wall! > It's a big list and we all love to help! > Our Perkins List web site: > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl/ > > > ============================== > Get Free Access to over 900 million names from Dec 7 until Dec 21!http://www.ancestry.com/home/celebrate/freeaccess.htm?sourcecode=736 >

See, I am not imaging it...... and I have gotten again (now) and have three times today rigth after I get Perkins email Margie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paula M Stephens" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 5:26 PM Subject: Re: [PERKINS] The HAHAHAH virus > I got that one too. Thank God for Norton antivirus or I probably would not > be typing this right now! > > Have a blessed and happy holiday season, cousins! > > Paula > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Margie Phelps <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 1:31 PM > Subject: [PERKINS] The HAHAHAH virus > > > > I keep getting this Virus from the PERKINS list, so please everyone should > > do a virus scan. It says from HAHAHAH and is titled Snow White and the > > Seven Dwarfs.. and in the subject line is a the start of a story. So > please > > be careful and do not open if you receive. Delete, Delete, delete. > > It appears this is the only virus that can get through on the Rootsweb > list. > > I do not know what it does, but a virus is a virus to me. I was > > forewarned...... it probably has been emailed to me about 8 to 10 times in > > the last week. > > Thank you > > Margie > > > > > > ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== > > Don't forget to tell the Perkins List about your Perkins brick wall! > > It's a big list and we all love to help! > > Our Perkins List web site: > > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl/ > > > > > > ============================== > > Get Free Access to over 900 million names from Dec 7 until Dec > 21!http://www.ancestry.com/home/celebrate/freeaccess.htm?sourcecode=736 > > > > > ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to tell the Perkins List about your HOME PAGE! > A Connection might be made with the very next e-mail > Have a Great PERKINS Day! > > > ============================== > Search more than 150 million free records at RootsWeb! > http://searches.rootsweb.com/ > >

To Sonya, A special thank you and Merry Christmas for all your work in keeping this list on track and keeping the flow of information and ideas running throughout the year. To all, Warm thanks for sharing your research and hard work with the rest of us. For those of us geographically challenged genealogists, this list provides an important link to the rest of the world. Merry Christmas!! Pat Perkins in La Grande, Ore.

MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY IN MAY OF THIS YEAR, HERE IS A WONDERFUL POEM THAT SHE HAD PUBLISHED AFTER SHE DIED, SHE HAD NO IDEA IT WAS PUBLISHED, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU MOM! GO TO: www.poetry.com AND THERE YOU WILL FIND A POEM UNDER MARGARET PERKINS CALLED: CHRISTMAS, ENJOY!!! THIS LADY WAS WONDERFUL :) JUDY PERKINS/BROWN

Hi List...don't know where this originated, but thought I'd share it... CHRISTMAS LOVE Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peacefulexperience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an excitingseason for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production.Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in 10 minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas", I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love", I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzymittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.Those in the front row -- center stage -- held up large letters, oneby one, to spell out the title of the song.As the class would sing "C is for Christmas", a child would hold upthe letter C. Then, "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each childholding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love".The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticedher -- a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood -- the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: CHRIST WAS LOVE.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all on the Perkins list. Darlene Perkins

THE CHRISTMAS GUEST by Helen Steiner Rice It happened one day at the year's white end, Two neighbors called on an old-time friend And they found his shop so meager and mean, Made gay with a thousand boughs of green, And Conrad was sitting with face a-shine When he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine And said, "Old friends, at dawn today, When the cock was crowing the night away, The Lord appeared in a dream to me And said, 'I am coming your guest to be'. So I've been busy with feet astir, Strewing my shop with branches of fir, The table is spread and the kettle is shined And over the rafters the holly is twined, And now I will wait for my Lord to appear And listen closely so I will hear His step as He nears my humble place, And I open the door and look in His face. . ." So his friends went home and left Conrad alone, For this was the happiest day he had known, For, long since, his family had passed away And Conrad has spent a sad Christmas Day. But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest This Christmas would be the dearest and best, And he listened with only joy in his heart. And with every sound he would rise with a start And look for the Lord to be standing there In answer to his earnest prayer; So he ran to the window after hearing a sound, But all that he saw on the snow-covered ground Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn And all of his clothes were ragged and worn. So Conrad was touched and went to the door And he said, "Your feet must be frozen and sore, And I have some shoes in my shop for you And a coat that will keep you warmer, too". So with grateful heart the man went away, But as Conrad noticed the time of day, He wondered what made the dear Lord so late And how much longer he'd have to wait, When he heard a knock and ran to the door, But it was only a stranger once more, A bent, old crone with a shawl of black, A bundle of faggots piled on her back. She asked for only a place to rest, But that was reserved for Conrad's Great Guest. But her voice seemed to plead, "Don't send me away Let me rest awhile on Christmas Day". So Conrad brewed her a steaming cup And told her to sit at the table and sup. But after she left he was filled with dismay For he saw that the hours were passing away And the Lord had not come as He said He would, And Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood. When out of the stillness he heard a cry, "Please help me and tell me where am I. So again he opened his friendly door And stood disappointed as twice before, It was only a child who had wandered away And was lost from her family on Christmas Day... Again Conrad's heart was heavy and sad, But he knew he should make this little child glad, So he called her in and wiped her tears And quieted her childish fears. Then he led her back to her home once more But as he entered his own darkened door, He knew that the Lord was not coming today For the hours of Christmas had passed away; So he went to his room and knelt down to pray And he said, "Dear Lord, why did you delay, What kept You from coming to call on me, For I wanted so much Your face to see. . . When soft in the silence a voice he heard, "Lift up your head for I kept My word-- Three times My shadow crossed your floor-- Three times I came to your lonely door-- For I was the beggar with bruised, cold feet, I was the woman you gave to eat, God bless you everyone. Merry Christmas, Sonya and Family!

I keep getting this Virus from the PERKINS list, so please everyone should do a virus scan. It says from HAHAHAH and is titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.. and in the subject line is a the start of a story. So please be careful and do not open if you receive. Delete, Delete, delete. It appears this is the only virus that can get through on the Rootsweb list. I do not know what it does, but a virus is a virus to me. I was forewarned...... it probably has been emailed to me about 8 to 10 times in the last week. Thank you Margie

To All: Merry X Mas Click Link http://pages.prodigy.net/dperk2000/XMAScard.html ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 8:06 AM Subject: [PERKINS] Merry Christmas Rules > Dear Cousins and Friends, > For the next 48 hours....the Perkins List is open for Merry Christmas wishes. > Stories, poems, recipes and lots of love. > > There may be some out there who need just this type of thing. > Please remember that it is only for the Next 48 hours and the subject needs > to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS so that those who do not want to read these wishes > may delete! > > Merry Christmas to all my wonderful Perkins Cousins! > Sonya Perkins Lynch > Perkins List Owner > > Perkins List Home Page: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl > Sonya's Home Page: http://mygaggle.homepage.com > Get your Site by Sonya: http://websonya.com > Special rates for Genealogy Sites! > > > ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== > There is a Samuel Debate going on! > Read all about it and tell the list your ideas! > http://pages.prodigy.net/kathycorriher/EP/EP.htm > It's a Great Day to be a PERKINS > > > ============================== > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 >

My Perkins line is the absolute best. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you. And my you all have the most WONDERFUL of NEW YEARS! Jennifer ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 10:06 AM Subject: [PERKINS] Merry Christmas Rules > Dear Cousins and Friends, > For the next 48 hours....the Perkins List is open for Merry Christmas wishes. > Stories, poems, recipes and lots of love. > > There may be some out there who need just this type of thing. > Please remember that it is only for the Next 48 hours and the subject needs > to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS so that those who do not want to read these wishes > may delete! > > Merry Christmas to all my wonderful Perkins Cousins! > Sonya Perkins Lynch > Perkins List Owner > > Perkins List Home Page: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl > Sonya's Home Page: http://mygaggle.homepage.com > Get your Site by Sonya: http://websonya.com > Special rates for Genealogy Sites! > > > ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== > There is a Samuel Debate going on! > Read all about it and tell the list your ideas! > http://pages.prodigy.net/kathycorriher/EP/EP.htm > It's a Great Day to be a PERKINS > > > ============================== > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 >

Merry Christmas to all on the Perkins list. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 11:07 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [PERKINS] Merry Christmas Rules Dear Cousins and Friends, For the next 48 hours....the Perkins List is open for Merry Christmas wishes. Stories, poems, recipes and lots of love. There may be some out there who need just this type of thing. Please remember that it is only for the Next 48 hours and the subject needs to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS so that those who do not want to read these wishes may delete! Merry Christmas to all my wonderful Perkins Cousins! Sonya Perkins Lynch Perkins List Owner Perkins List Home Page: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl Sonya's Home Page: http://mygaggle.homepage.com Get your Site by Sonya: http://websonya.com Special rates for Genealogy Sites! ==== PERKINS Mailing List ==== There is a Samuel Debate going on! Read all about it and tell the list your ideas! http://pages.prodigy.net/kathycorriher/EP/EP.htm It's a Great Day to be a PERKINS ============================== Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2

Dear Cousins and Friends, For the next 48 hours....the Perkins List is open for Merry Christmas wishes. Stories, poems, recipes and lots of love. There may be some out there who need just this type of thing. Please remember that it is only for the Next 48 hours and the subject needs to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS so that those who do not want to read these wishes may delete! Merry Christmas to all my wonderful Perkins Cousins! Sonya Perkins Lynch Perkins List Owner Perkins List Home Page: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sonyapl Sonya's Home Page: http://mygaggle.homepage.com Get your Site by Sonya: http://websonya.com Special rates for Genealogy Sites!

Greetings & good wishes for all to have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Also, Happy Hanukkah & Happy New Year. Lola Texas HAYES, INMAN, LIPPENCOTT, MARSH, PERKINS, ROGERS, SANFORD, SMITH All of Medina Co., OH from NJ, VT, MA, CONN via NY ENGLAND; AVIS, COOK, CRACKNELL (CRACKNAIL), HAMMOND, HOLLAND, ORREDGE, PULHAM, THOROGOOD, TURNER

Have a very Happy and Blessed Christmas, and enjoy the following: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas My true love gave to me Twelve census searches Eleven family bibles Ten e-mail contacts Nine headstone rubbings Eight wills and admins Seven miners mining Six second cousins Five coats of arms Four GEDCOM files Three old wills Two CD-ROMs And a branch in my family tree Jaunice

What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb, If I were a wiseman, I would do my part, What can I give Him, I can give Him my heart. ---Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) Merry Christmas to all, and a Blessed New Year. Pat Ash Researching PERKINS, GRAVES, COOPER, TAULBEE and YATES in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

If any of you have the time PLEASE take a moment and express your appreciation to Carroll for sending this to us. ******* this was sent to me by a fellow Massachusetts searcher. You want sources, here is a mountain of them. ***** Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 21:53:50 EST From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [GM-L] Lookup...RUGGLES PERKINS The following items are references to published books where your surname is mentioned. The information was taken from the following book, "A Surname Guide to Massachusetts Town Histories", published in 1993. Heritage Books, Inc. 150-E Pointer Ridge Pl., Bowie MD. 20716 (301)-390-7709 Authors were Phyllis O. Longver & Pauline J. Oesterlin. ********************* PERKINS Lucy Cutler Kellogg, History of the Town of Bernardston, 1902 Benjamin & William R. Cutter, History of the Town of Arlington, 1880 Rev. Henry A. Hazen, History of Billerica, 1883 Sidney Perley, The History of Boxford, 1880 William S. Pattee, A History of Old Braintree & Quincy, 1878 Nahum Mitchell, History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, 1840 J.P.C. Winship, Historical Brighton Vols. I & II, 1899 & 1902 Bradford Kingman, History of Brocton, 1895 Fannie Shaw Kendrick, The History of Buckland, 1937 Lucius R. Paige, History of Camebridge, 1877 Henry S. Griffith, History of the Town of Carver, 1918 James F. Hunnewell, A century of Town Life, 1888 George Sheldon, A History of Deerfield Vol VII, 1896 Alice J. Jones, In Dover on the Charles, 1906 Wm. D. Herrick, History of the Town of Gardner, 1878 John J. Babson, History of the Town of Gloucester, 1860 Sylvester Judd & Lucius M. Boltwood, Hadley, Including Hatfield, So. Hadley, Amherst, Granby, 1905 John S. Barry, Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover, 1853 Jedediah Dwelley & John F. Simmons, History of the Town of Hanover, 1910 Lucius R. Paige, A History of Hardwick, with Genealogical Register, 1883 Henry S. Nourse, History of the Town of Harvard, 1894 Daniel White Wells & Ruben Field Wells, History of Hatfield, 1910 George Wingate Chase, The History of Haverhill, 1861 Town of Hingham, History of the Town of Hingham Vol. II, 1893 Rev. J. M. Stowe, History of the Town of Hubbardston, 1881 Joseph B. Felt, History of Ipswitch, Essex & Hamilton, 1834 Charles Hudson, History of the Town of Lexington Vol. II, 1913 Alonzo Lewis & James R. Newhall, History of Lynn, no date. Alfred Noon, The History of Ludlow, 1912 Alfred Noon, Ludlow a Century & a Centennial of the Town of Ludlow, 1912 Walter A. Davis, The Early Records of the Town of Lunenburg, 1896 Ella A. Bigelow, Historical Reminiscence of the Early Times of Marlborough, 1910 Charles Edward Banks, History of of Martha's Vinyard, 1911 Charles Edward Banks, History of of Martha's Vinyard, West Tisbury, 1925 Charles Edward Banks, History of of Martha's Vinyard, Chilmark, 1925 Charles Brooks, History of the Town of Medford, 1855 Edward Church Smith & Philip Mack Smith, A History of the Town of Middlefield, Mass, 1924 Albert Kendall Teel, The History of Milton Mass, no date Bradford Kingman, History of North Bridgewater, 1866 Joshua Coffin, A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport & West Newbury, 1980 J. H. Temple & George Sheldon, History of the Town of Northfield, 1875 History Committe, Mattapoisett & Old Rochester, no date Lydia S. Hinchman, Early Settlers od Nantucket, 1901 Henry Parks Wright, Soldiers of Oakham Mass in the Rev. War., the War of 1812 & the Civil War, 1914 George E. Daniels, history of the Town of Oxford, 1892 J. H. Temple, History of the Town of Palmer, 1889 Francis Everett Blake, History of the Town of Princeton, Vol. II, 1915 Benjamin Shurtlett, The History of the Town of Revere, 1937 Rev. E. LO. Jameson, The History of Medway, no date Lilley B. Caswell, the History of the Town of Royalston, 1917 George Brainerd Blodgett & Amos Everett Jewett, Early Settlers of Rowley, 1981 Amos E. Jewett & Emily Adams Jewett, Rowley Mass (Mr. Ezechi Rogers Plantation), 1946 Ethel Stanwood Bolton, Shirley Uplands and Intervales, 1914 Seth Chandler, History of the Town of Shirley, 1883 John Montague Smith, History of the Town of Sunderland & Montague & Leverett, 1899 Ena M. Cane, Whatley a New England Portrait, 1972 Rev. A. P. Marvin, History of the Town of Winchendon, 1868 David W. Hoyt, The Old Families of Salisbury & Amesbury, 1897-1919 Henry Bond, Genealogies of the Early Settlers of Watertown, 1855

I know this is somewhat off subject, but in the spirit of the holiday season it is worth sharing. Best wishes to all. May you all have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season! Paula Stephens ----- Original Message ----- From: Sandra Devlin <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2000 8:04 PM Subject: [Antigonish] Merry Christmas to All > > A Genealogist's Christmas Eve > > by Sandra Devlin > > 'Twas the night before Christmas and inside my house > Little was stirring, except my computer mouse. > Our descendants were nestled all snug in their beds, > While visions of ancestors danced in their heads. > > So I at my laptop, near trusty old printer > Put the finishing touches to the project of winter, > The gift I had promised for under the tree > A product of love, the family genealogy. > > My table with clutter galore was aspread > with pedigree charts of the living and dead; > old yellowed photos, letters of yore, > wills and diaries chronicling days from before. > > While others bought gifts at Wall-Mart or Sears, > I'd spent my time searching birth dates and years. > No need for ribbons or fancy gift wrappings, > This gift had a way of transcending the trappings. > > While surveying the charts with one final proof, > I must have missed the sound on the roof. > For what to my wondering eyes did appear, > But the jolly old elf, replete in his gear. > > Searching my face, old Santa could sense > My Christmas spirit was extremely intense. > He spied my research on the table spread out, > "A genealogist!" he exclaimed, "that removes any doubt." > > As I climbed up the stairs feeling quite in the pink, > I looked back at Santa and shared a sly wink. > For he and I know that the gift of oneself, > Beats anything bought from a department store shelf. > > Sandra Devlin > Moncton, New Brunswick > > Web Page: http://sites.netscape.net/devlinsandra/missinglinks > > > > ==== CAN-NS-ANTIGONISH Mailing List ==== > Search the Antigonish Threaded Archives!! > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/can-ns-antigonish >

Searching for the parents of James Washington Perkins, b 1836, Bibb Co, GA. I have seen the name George Washington Perkins mentioned and saw this today on the Bibb Co, Ga, 1850 census....... William Perkins..51...GA Jane ..............40....TN Geo. W................20....AL James C............16......AL Richard E..........14........AL Margaret A..........12........AL Wm. A.....................6.........AL Essie........Twin.....3..........AL Jacob........Twin.....3....AL Michael K........7/12........AL Merry Christmas

--part1_11.d61c2d9.2771b315_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Grandma and the Christmas Lesson I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My grandma is not the gushy kind, never was. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it-- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. Merry Christmas, everyone. --part1_11.d61c2d9.2771b315_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: <[email protected]> From: [email protected] Full-name: MLou Kazoo Message-ID: <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:33:17 EST Subject: There IS a Santa Claus To: [email protected], [email protected] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 127 Grandma and the Christmas Lesson I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My grandma is not the gushy kind, never was. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it-- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. Merry Christmas, everyone. --part1_11.d61c2d9.2771b315_boundary--

Hi Pat I live in Wake Co. though my Ancestors all are in NY, NY There a re a lot of PERKINS in NC especially in the past Where do you reside?? Do you have access to your state archives. If you could be more specific I would be willing to see what is in ours here in Raleigh. There is a Perkins Library at Duke U., in Durham. do you have any info on the first PERKINS as you go backwards from you?? any further after the first?? Do not send me too much, just the links in the paternal line Bill