=============================================================== Recently I informed the Strong Mail List about the Ford Family Database, operated by Robert A. (Bob) Thomas of Anniston, Alabama <[email protected]>. At the time of my announcement the online search of the Ford Database was not functioning due to a crash of the Crosswinds Net server. Bob Thomas has informed me that the Ford Family Database is now back online for searching and browsing. You can begin your tour at the following URL and follow the links to the online database. http://pages.prodigy.net/tracks/FORDINQ.HTM However, since this is a very large database and the HTML pages are all large and thus slow to load, I recommend you begin your tour on the HTML page where the family of John Strong with wives, Margery Deane and Abigail Ford, is found. http:// www2.crosswinds.net/birmingham-us/~tracks/ford/dat0.htm >From this point you can either ascend or descend the family tree for either Strong, Deane, or Ford. This site should be of particular interest to those who wish to trace the ancestry of Abigail Ford Strong. Keep in mind that this is a composite database, containing data cotributed by many individuals over an extended period of time. All of the contributed data has not been independently verified by Robert A. (Bob) Thomas. I would be particularly interested in reading Martha F. B. Strong's critique of the ancestry of George Strong, who died in Somerset Shire, England. It is my understanding that Martha does not believe that direct descent from generations earlier than George Strong can be substantiated with source documentation. Despite this, is there any documentation to support the THEORY of this earlier Strong ancestry. Is it a plausible theory? Theories are helpful as they provide a blueprint or roadmap to guide our attempts to construct our ancestries. We must be vigilant, however, to avoid reporting theories as proven facts. When we publish a theory, other less informed family historians have a tendency to report the theory as a proven fact. Enjoy! Robert T. (BoB) Strong, Jr. 119 Mystic Way Madison, AL 35757-8801 ================================================================