I seldom do Rowan Co. research anymore--did at the beginning of my *searches* decades ago, when my Moravian families came to that area when Rowan was a HUGE county. However--until you can find some adequate leads on Cartner and Safrit families, I suggest this: Do a google.com search for *Safrit family* and for *Cartner family* I found links to those family names. It might not hurt to subscribe, if you can, and perhaps post some queries, including dates, and a document, as you did about the bastardy bond. You may NOT get an answer for years. That happened to me the other day. I have quite a few notes--and documents, including a Civil War [or Old War] pension claim concerning an ancestor, his divorced wife, her second husband, et al. I posted a query about four years ago, and a few weeks ago, the wife of a related person contacted me. I was able to fill in some blanks for her husband's immigrant [German] ancestor. The ancestor was a step-father to my German-born great-grandmother. Somebody now had some curiosity about the stepfather, who probably had had two previous marriages prior to that of my divorced ancestress. Somebody had to help him raise all those kids, some of whom had been born in Hanover, according to the censuses. Before railroads, many places were small communities, and there was lots of intermarriage. Tip: If you are near an LDS family history center, telephone and ask when the center is open. They are run by volunteers and are not always open. If you do not get an answer, call the nearest LDS [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] church on a Sunday, when someone is bound to answer the phone. You might find an address and a telephone number by clicking around on _www.familysearch.org_ (http://www.familysearch.org) You may have to scroll down the screen to find a center listed near your home. When the center is open, or if you get a knowledgeable person on the telephone at the church, ask if they have hundreds of microfiche called AIS = Accelerated Indexing System. This is an INDEX [not a census] but an index to the US censuses, for the entire United States, through at least the 1850 census. For some western territories, the censuses are beyond the 1850 census. Repeat: This INDEX is on hundred of microfiche. There is a high error rate, but if you find your surnames in the right place at the right time, who cares? Example of how AIS might help: In our extended family we have an old letter written from Kentucky on the Mississippi River dated June 1845 and addressed to my great-grandfather in Vixburg, MS. (Only I think the MS was missing, and there were no stamps--my aunt said it was sent by packet, probably a boat floating down the Mississippi.) At any rate, after I learned about AIS, I went to the microfiche file where AIS is kept at my large LDS center, pulled the Search for the 1850 census [for the whole US], found my ancestor with his common surname, and he was in Warren Co., MS [near Vicksburg] in 1850 census. I read the actual census on microfilm and found out he operated a tavern with a man from Delaware--an older man. Also, my LDS center had an early computerized index of Warren Co. marriages. Bingo! My ancestor had got married there in 1852--named his wife, whose name was mentioned in another *younger* letter which we also owned--the extended family owned, that is. You may find your Cartners [not so common a surname] but be sure to misspell the surname also. Change the vowels, if necessary, and begin the surname with a K. I learned the latter trick when I was reading English parish records for my maternal grandmother's relatives. Their surname started with a CA Well, the vicar, University educated, wrote it down the way he thought he heard it. Such variant spellings!!! I hope these tips will help in some of your searches. E.W.Wallace **************************************Check out AOL's list of 2007's hottest products. (http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001)

These are great tips!? I will try them.? Thank you for your time and help.? I really appreciate it. ~Glinda -----Original Message----- From: Hdanw@aol.com Sent: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 4:42 pm I hope these tips will help in some of your searches. ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/text.htm?ncid=aolcmp00050000000003