Hi all, In fairness to those that have written me asking me what the "suggested" format for messages on this list should be, I chose a message that, in my mind, is textbook. ============================================= From: Ginette VandenOever <g1vanden@airmail.net> Subject: LANDERS, Catherine Ann Elizabeth Shipp; 1820-1913; VA>KY>MO Resent-From: SURNAME-QUERY-L@rootsweb.com To: SURNAME-QUERY-L@rootsweb.com < Please note the above SUBJECT LINE - See how much information is gained from a glance? This list is not dedicated to ONE surname, people use this type of list as a general "all-call". When you belong to several mailing lists and get about 1000 messages a day, like myself, I scan the subject lines for data that pertains to me - the rest hits the bit bucket. I do an INTENSE amount of New England Colonial research and could probably help a lot of people out with data from the reference library I have - with a subject line od "SURNAMES", even though you have a monumental tree in the body, I will never see it. > LANDERS, Catherine / HUDSON, Atha Gregory Looking for information on the parents of Catherine LANDERS b. July 1820 in Hopkinsville KY; died in Humansville, MO; m. Atha Gregory Hudson b. September 25, 1813; d. 1913 in Humansville, MO; m. 1835 in Sedalia, MO. They were married for over 75 years and lived in Humansville, MO. Believe her mother's maiden name may have been Shipp. Only know of one child Ophelia Kate Hudson b. March 12, 1863 in Sedalia, MO (there may have been more children). Catherine LANDERS' father was a wealthy plantation owner. Any help on finding any of this information is very much appreciated. I will share what information I have gathered. < The body of Ginette's message contains a wealth of information that will give someone a place to start when trying to help her. To throw a list of SURNAMES without some pertinant detail such as locations and dates, is about worthless. I realize that sometimes it is all you have, and it is ok to do... but the more the better! Well written messages like this go into a holding area on my system. If someone comes along later and happens to be looking for this data, I will put them in touch with the originator of this message. > Ginette g1vanden@airmail.net < It has been my experience that a lot of people are using these "freebie" alternate mail sites. It has also been my experience that most of them have a lot of problems and mail sent to them gets bounced. If you use one of these services, it is a good idea to put your email address after your signature line... that way we can contact you if there are any problems. > ==== SURNAME-QUERY Mailing List ==== APPROPRIATE SUBJECT LINES: In an effort to provide meaningful Subject: lines in posts to the SURNAME-QUERY List, the Listowner asks you to try to adhere to the following format: <I had to laugh when I saw the tagline on this message..(grin). At the end of EVERY message that goes through this list, is one of these taglines. At least glance at them, folks. I change them as I see the need and there is no guarantee that you have "seen them all"! > Thank you Ginette, for the use of your message in our classroom today! This was a VERY nicely presented query. If you want to contact me, and for those of you that are GOING TO RESPOND to Ginette and tell her how nice her message was, PLEASE do it in private email! As my last point, I had it pointed out to me last night that open discussion concerning suggestions, improvements, etc., are welcome on this list. I agree with this to the point that it does not consist of 100 messages all saying the same thing, and not containing the ENTIRE quoted text of previous messages. In this light, I make a proposal: If you have an idea, or feel that something is wrong, I would prefer that you email me first and discuss it with me. I email a lot of people with problems and nine times out of ten, it has been dealt with before you even see the original message. I am behind this keyboard 14 hours a day between work and at home. I pull mail about every ten minutes due to my volume. If I believe it to be a subject of list interest, after discussing it with you, I WILL POST IT to the list. This in effect opens the subject for general coment. Fair enough? I would also prefer that complaints be handled the same way. As the listowner, it is MY responsibility to admonish the "bad guys" and take the heat. As users of this list, you should concentrate on using this list for what it is intended, the seeking and gaining of knowledge. There are no "co-moderators" on this list and all your open "pot-shots" will get you is being dumped from the list, or getting a nag letter from me. I would prefer not having to add those functions to my daily list, personally. Thanks Cliff, for the email you sent.... Take care all... Ron Lahti Surname-Query Listowner