G'day, Diana You asked ... >Has anyone joined a One Name Study and, if so, please could you >advise as to the pros and cons (before I sign up to something I may regret!) I run the Akehurst One-Name Study and I have registered it with the Guild of One-Name Studies. I commenced the ONS in 1998 to try and break through my Akehurst brick wall - which it eventually did. Since then, the ONS also has helped others interested in the Akehurst/Akhurst/Ackhurst/Ackehurst names with their research and put cousins around the globe in contact with each other. We have just returned home from our biennial Akehurst-er GetTogether, which was held in Canterbury (the one in Kent, not the one down the road from me here in Melbourne!) last month. An ONS is a fun way to extend your genealogy skills and joining the Guild of One-Name Studies is a great way to get your ONS heading in the right direction. I think I spend more time on the ONS than I do with my 'real' genealogy (and probably with my 'real' family!). [tee hee] Give me a call offline and we can discuss further, or visit the Guild's website - www.one-name.org ooRoo David SFHG no.12628 (& GoONS no. 3062)