Larry; It's a lot smaller since I started doing my genealogy by e-mail. I did not know I was related to Ernie until I started doing my family research. The family did not talk about it and always denied it when I asked. The paper work left by my great grandmother Mary Mack pointed directly back to Dana, Indiana and it was simple following it back to my family in Ca. William Pyle (my g-grandfather) and Ernie's grandfather Samuel came to California around 1852. They operated the first ferry boat on the Sacramento river at Sutterville. Mary Mack Pyle followed them out to California in 1854 by sailing down to Panama and crossing the Isthmus with their two children. William and Samuel Pyle are in the 1860 census of California, before Samuel returned to Helt Twp. and married Nancy Hammond. My family is recognized at the Ernie Pyle Memorial as William and Mary Mack Pyle that went to Bakersfield and was never heard from again. I tried to get the information to Indiana to explain the rest of the story, but they figured I was trying a scam them. They wanted proof of the relationship and I would have gladly provided it, but they were blunt and to the point, so I said to heck with it. I'm still looking for the mother and father of Mary Mack, so if you see anything I'd appreciate hearing about it. Nice story about your mother. Ron Pyle ---------- | From: BensonII@aol.com | To: piguy@goldrush.com | Subject: Re: Betty Harvey Mack | Date: Wednesday, October 01, 1997 2:23 AM | | How interesting. | | My grandmother, Ada Place Wright, lived in Newport most of her life and was a | good friend and Eastern Star member with Earnie Pyle mother. They visited | back and forth almost monthly and I went with her on several occaisions. Of | coursr that was before Earnie was famous. | | It really is a small world isn't it. | | Larry