Happy post Thanksgiving !!!! How many of us have wished that the very next message on the SUMPTER list would provide a lead on our elusive ancestor, our brick wall? How many have never posted a query, yet are still looking for that first clue? Many of our subscribers still have not posted that first message telling how they relate to the SUMPTER or surname variations: Sumter and others. There are a great number of our 'kin' in this world; however, it is highly unlikely that we will ever mention anyone in your not-too-distant ancestry unless you post a query to: SUMPTER-L@rootsweb.com Unless you tell something about your oldest ancestor and two or three of their descendant generations in your family tree, we list members are probably not going to ever mention your ancestor in any message. If you have not posted a message yet, please do so today! If you have posted a query, but not about your oldest ancestor and their descendants, please post a message about them today! If you have posted a query about your oldest ancestor, but did not give any data on their descendants, please do so today! If you have posted a query about your ancestor sometime ago and have new data or wish to repost your ancestor, please do so today! Please!!!! Create a new message to post your query. Please do not quote this message back to the SUMPTER list as it will only make your query difficult to read. To make your ancestor standout and easily identified, consider including their name, birthdate/deathdate (if known) and migration path in the subject line. Example: John SUMPTER 1725-1805 VA>TN. As of today, we have 66 SUMPTER family members. Possibly, some members have subscribed to both the SUMPTER-L and SUMPTER-D lists or subscribed a home and workplace address which may inflate the membership number. Please don't overlook the SUMPTER archives for queries posted by members who have unsubscribed from the SUMPTER list or have joined their ancestors. If refresher instruction are required on accessing the archives, please contact me. Please don't be afraid of making a mistake in posting a query. If I see you need assistance, I'll come to your rescue. CAUTION... You may wish to consider withholding personal data on living descendants. Because, at the moment, once your message has been archived on RootsWeb, neither the data within nor the message can be removed from the archives. Happy Huntin' Jim Young List Moderator and RootsWeb Donor