Hi Folks: I work for the Coast Guard and to keep it short I forwarded an email I received today at work to myself at home. I did a copy and paste routine here. If you know anyone who was in the military during the year 1994, make sure they go to the web site listed below in the text. If you are wondering what DFAS is, it's the Government's big financial computer system. There was other information attached to the original email I received and bottom line is that the additional info did verify in fact this is/was a problem. So if you know anyone that was in the military during that time frame, tell them to act now. Thanks. > Hi Charlie: > > Beth heard a rumor that DFAS screwed up forwarding the 1994 FICA > > withholding > > for military personnel to SSA. Well, she requested a copy of her Social > > Security earnings and guess what? It showed $0.00 earned and received > by > > SSA in 1994. About $4k down the drain if she hadn't caught. Since > there > > is > > a 5-year time limit on making corrections, this is the last year to > > correct > > the Great Screw-Up of '94. You can request a copy of your SSA earnings > > statement from www.socialsecurity.gov, then select "Top Ten Services George gebasden@worldnet.att.net http://www.basden.com

I ran across a book that referred to the flu epidemic of 1918 as "The Spanish Lady Flu." The book is called: "Talk about trouble : a New Deal portrait of Virginians in the Great Depression" (edited by Nancy J. Martin-Perdue and Charles L. Perdue, Jr., Imprint Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, c1996.) It's great reading and includes bibliographical references. It discusses Virginia -- social life, customs, and conditions, the Depression and New Deal. Lots of interviews from people all over Virginia. Most of it is made up of WPA interviews from the late 20's, early 30's. I was very surprised to find some relatives. It gives you a great idea of what life was all about in Virginia during the first part of the 20th century. (Not unlike what is discussed on this list.) I would imagine that the book is in a lot of Virginia libraries, due to it's content. S. Henrichsen A legend may not be a record of fact, but the existence of a legend is itself a fact, and requires an explanation. ......attributed to G. Ash ______________________________X-Message: #7 Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 21:53:05 -0500 From: "Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.net> To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <199903110253.VAA11944@ctc.swva.net> Subject: 1918 Flu Epidemic Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Does anyone know stories of deaths in the familes of SW VA from the flu of 1918?? Nearly one million Americans died and 18 million worldwide. I wondered if SW VA suffered any more or less. -eddie

My grandfather Harold H. Crabtree, died of flu October 23, 1918 in Bluefield, VA. He left his wife Mary Margaret and three boys, 8, 10, and 12 years of age. His nephew, George Washington Crabtree died of the flu October 26, 1918 leaving his wife Virginia and seven children ages ranging from 6 months to 12 years of age. Both families moved in with the Howard and William Harris families in nearby Bramwell, WV. Virginia, William and Howard Harris were the children of Mary Margaret and her first husband John Leander Harris. Needless to say, this was a close family by marriage and association. They always looked after one another. Their origins were all of Smyth, Russell and Washington Counties. The Harris and Crabtree families were neighbors as listed in the 1860 Smyth County Census. The family closeness of these families still remain today. Robert Crabtree (formerly of Tazewell County, VA)

I just finished reading "Benge," its terrific. I have a much better understanding of the hardships and terrors my ancestors went through and a tremendous empathy for them. Lawrence - please write another book! Sue

Hi all: I am trying to find information from the Emancipation Proclamation to the 14th amendment (freeing slaves). Were slave owners compensated for the loss of their slaves? Was it done like in the movies where the Yankees road in and the slaves started walking north? These questions were generated by the Park Service during a tour of an antebellum house when he said "The slaves were freed in 1868 - after the owner was paid." I also have documentation where the county govt of Tazewell Co, Va. wrote to Richmond (capital - CSA) stating that they did not have any slaves available for conscription and all their blacks were freemen. Paul Edgar A. Howard wrote: > This is very interesting. I would love to see some post about > families who owned slaves. (Without judgements) Several of my > families owned slaves. One freed them. > > -eddie > > PLEASE HELP! Here is the URL to post information that you may have about > former slaves. THANKS so much!!! > > http://members.aol.com/slavedata/Public/index.htm > > ==== SW_VA Mailing List ==== > #3 Support the fight against unrequested junk e-mail (SPAM). > Visit the webpage at: http://www.cauce.org/ > -sysop

Hi Sheila, I would like for you to post what you have on your Gibsons. I have Gibsons of VA, TN ? and Perry, Knott & Floyd Co. KY. Thanks, Sarah Ann

Hi Eddie and All, Just recently came across a nice Kentucky website and this is what I found out under DEFINITIONS: " Inflenza: The flu. The worst outbreaks in the past have occurred in 1830, 1833, 1836, 1889, 1890, 1897 and the largest in 1918 and 1919 which killed many..." And since you brought this up..I checked my gr-grandfather's death certificate..Greenbrier PATRICK, died 25 December 1918, in Tazewell County, Virginia of LOBAR PNEUMONIA... I wonder if this could have started out as THE FLU and just escalated to the pneumonia....??? Food for thought.... Pam Researching the following surnames: BURKE, CARTER, PATRICK, WINGO, McGRADY, WIMBERLEY, WITT/WHITT, HENSLEY, ROBERTSON.

Eddie, RE: Flu Epidemic-- It occurred to me--are you interested in the people who died, and dates? Or just the stories? My mother's 3-yr-old nephew was the only one in her immediate family, that I know of, who died. When little Homer Rowlett was born in Middlesboro, KY, his mother died giving birth to him. The nurse had given her a dose of iodine which, supposedly killed her. There were three other children, 6, 5, and 3. My mother had been married about two months. Her brother's devastation at losing a wife and mother of four boys put a hardship on him. He had already lost his first wife and baby in childbirth. He asked my mother to come and live at his home and care for the children. My dad worked for the railroad and was home on weekends. (They would go to silent movies when he was home (5-cents).) My grandmother took the newborn to her home in VA, just across the KY/VA line. Homer lived there until he died of the Flu in 1918. My mother stayed four months with her brother until he remarried. I can now see why those three boys always considered her their favorite aunt. Two of the three died before she did in 1998. Pat

Eddie & all, In our Chappell family, the flu epidemic hit hard. But the year is documented as 1917, perhaps this was the beginning of it? According to family history, my grandfather, LEVI JACKSON CHAPPELL'S first wife, MARY ALICE WILLIAMS, died on Dec-20-1917, and their daughter, MAUDE CHAPPELL-HIGGINS died on Dec-6-1917. Maude had just had twins & as said in another post, they think she was weakened from giving birth, the babies survived. But she & her mother became part of the statistics of flu epidemic. Maude died exactly two weeks before her mother. My mom is not certain but thinks the others in the family may have had the flu as well, but all survived with exception of these two. Two years later, Levi married my grandmother, NADINE HOUSTON CHOATE HIGGINS. While going back to hunt my dates for this incident, I realized had my grandfather's first wife not have died, I wouldn't be here today, because my mother would never have been born! Strange how life works isn't it? Darcy Tolliver-Noonkester 0:)

Hi, I'm new to this list. How can I get a Benge book, and Eddie, how can I find out more about your maps? My gggrandfather, Tipton MARION, was born in 1824 in Hawkins (now Hancock?) Co., TN. His parents were Samuel David Marion and Eva or Ava Nancy Gibson, and their children were born alternately in Lee Co. VA and Hawkins Co., TN. Sheila >Content-Type: text/plain >MIME-Version: 1.0 > >SW_VA-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 95 > >Today's Topics: > #1 Back in Business ["Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.n] > #2 Re: Maps [MasCps@aol.com] > #3 Re: SW_VA-D Digest V99 #94 [ALICEGWOOD@aol.com] > #4 Maps [Pam Moehling <moehling@mc.net>] > #5 FHC Online? ["Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.n] > #6 Benge & Me ["Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.n] > #7 1918 Flu Epidemic ["Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.n] > #8 Fw: LDS WEBSITE Eastman's Onine Ge ["Sarah Ann Roepke" <sar@bright.net] > #9 Flu Epidemic of 1918 ["Pat Oneal" <peon@icx.net>] > #10 1918 [Cyberbay77@aol.com] > #11 re Land Patents and Grants ["Kathy Bemisdarfer" <bkpr1@netins.] > >Administrivia: >To unsubscribe from SW_VA-D, send a message to > > SW_VA-D-request@rootsweb.com > >that contains in the body of the message the command > > unsubscribe > >and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software >requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. >PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK THE SPELLING OF THE WORD: UNSUBSCRIBE >______________________________ >X-Message: #1 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 10:52:09 -0500 >From: "Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903101552.KAA02846@ctc.swva.net> >Subject: Back in Business >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT > >All, > > I'm somewhat settled in now. At least I know where the >bathroom is. <g> > > I think I owe two people maps. I mailed one yesterday. If I owe >anyone else please let me know. I may need to go to Blacksburg to >make some copies. > > I may go to the Tazewell Co. courthouse next week if it stops >snowing and being so cold. > > I got my copy of BENGE yesterday. Maybe we can have a >discussion after others have read it. I had proofread it but had not >seen the full layout with all the pictures and maps. I'm impressed. > > I hope to go soon to the VA Tech library and start going thru >their Special Collections. The Preston Papers and others. > >-sysop > >"Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more." > >______________________________ >X-Message: #2 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 12:56:28 EST >From: MasCps@aol.com >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <f94cc8c9.36e6b24c@aol.com> >Subject: Re: Maps >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >Ed, >My maps arrived and I am delighted with them. Thank you for all of your >efforts. I even found my Litz family listed in Washington Co., Va. >Thanks again, >Cindy Pruitt Spencer > >______________________________ >X-Message: #3 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 13:55:30 EST >From: ALICEGWOOD@aol.com >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <a46a1722.36e6c022@aol.com> >Subject: Re: SW_VA-D Digest V99 #94 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >thanks to everyone who sent me the kinship names. Alice > >______________________________ >X-Message: #4 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 13:16:51 -0600 >From: Pam Moehling <moehling@mc.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <01BE6AF8.E38C29C0@assured-13.mc.net> >Subject: Maps >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >Hi Eddie, > >Am glad your settling in and everything's o.k.... >Got my maps last week and was very pleased with them.. > >I can't wait for the Russell County and Tazewell County maps .....if and when >that works out... > >Thanx Much, > >Pam > >Researching the following surnames: BURKE, CARTER, PARTICK, WINGO, McGRADY, >WIMBERLEY, WITT/WHITT, HENSLEY, ROBERTSON. > >______________________________ >X-Message: #5 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 17:51:57 -0500 >From: "Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903102252.RAA16675@ctc.swva.net> >Subject: FHC Online? >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT > > Has anyone heard about the LDS FHC stuff being put ONLINE?? > > I had heard rumors months ago. >-sysop > > ><<<I was told this morning at the LDS center that their information is >NOW available ON >LINE! > >"Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more." > >______________________________ >X-Message: #6 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 17:51:57 -0500 >From: "Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903102252.RAA16697@ctc.swva.net> >Subject: Benge & Me >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT > ><<<Dear Ed. Would you please explain the BENGE book briefly.? >What is it about.? Is that a family name? Is this fiction? I recently ran >across the BENGE family name in some of my reading. >> > ><<And if you care to, tell me where you moved to. I understand that >you were living in NH? >>> > > I moved from Bennington, NH where I lived for one year, to >Narrows, Giles Co., VA on the New River. I was born and raised >(some would say, HALF) in Washington Co., VA > > BENGE is a book on the history of an Indian raider leader who >lived in SW VA. It is the story of his life and tragic death and the >many murders and gives a true view of the life of 1790 SW VA and >what our ancestors endured. Many families are mentioned, please >don't ask me to do a lookup. Thanks. >-sysop > > > >"Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more." > >______________________________ >X-Message: #7 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 21:53:05 -0500 >From: "Edgar A. Howard" <swvaroot@swva.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903110253.VAA11944@ctc.swva.net> >Subject: 1918 Flu Epidemic >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT > > Does anyone know stories of deaths in the familes of SW VA >from the flu of 1918?? Nearly one million Americans died and 18 >million worldwide. I wondered if SW VA suffered any more or less. > >-eddie > >"Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more." > >______________________________ >X-Message: #8 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 23:59:09 -0500 >From: "Sarah Ann Roepke" <sar@bright.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903110455.XAA07939@sparticus.bright.net> >Subject: Fw: LDS WEBSITE Eastman's Onine Genealogy Newsletter >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >Ed, > >This is the latest I have seen on the LDS WEBSITE. >This report is rather long; but should be of great >interest to all. > >Sarah Ann > > >Date: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 11:21 PM >Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter >Vol. 4 No. 10 - March 6, 1999 > >LDS Family History Web Site >There have been lots of rumors lately about a new LDS Family >History Web site. My mailbox has been filling up with messages >about it, and the story has even appeared on MSNBC at: >http://www.msnbc.com/news/246411.asp. The MSNBC article says, >"Much to the delight of genealogists, the Mormons are preparing to >make some of their vast holdings of family records available on >the World Wide Web for the first time next month, if not sooner." >The article continues, "The new web site ( >http://www.familysearch.org ) won't officially launch until mid- >April, but it is expected to "go live" for testing any day now. >Church officials originally planned to leave the site open to all >during the test period. But for fear of being swamped, they now >may limit access to official testers with assigned passwords." > >When asked about a possible new online service, David Rencher, >Manager of Outreach Coordination of the Genealogical Society of >Utah, made the following official statement: > >Sometime in March or April 1999, the Church of Jesus Christ of >Latter-day Saints will conduct a brief beta test of a new >genealogical service for the Internet. The Church believes >this service will greatly enhance the way people trace their >family history. A formal announcement and launch is expected >in the Spring or Summer of 1999. Details will not be available >until then. > > > >______________________________ >X-Message: #9 >Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 00:12:47 -0500 >From: "Pat Oneal" <peon@icx.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <002101be6b7d$ce40f480$261352d8@pato-nei> >Subject: Flu Epidemic of 1918 >MIME-Version: 1.0 > >Eddie, > The story of the "Flu Epidemic" as my mother told it to me: They lived >in Lee County, VA. My oldest sister Inez was almost two. My mother was >expecting her second child in March 1919. In my mother's family all came >down with the flu except her father and a brother-in-law. (Mom, Dad, her >sisters, her mother, her nephew age 3(died), and others) Every home in the >territory had been hit by the Influenza Epidemic. > It was wintertime. My mother was too ill to care for the rest of the >family. Doctor was afraid for her and the unborn child. The brother-in-law >would come to the house every day and cut firewood. He made soup for the >family with my mother telling him what ingredients to use. One day a knock >came at the door. It was a childhood friend of my mother's. The friend, >who had just buried her own husband, heard about the hardships in the family >and had come to help until Mama was able to take over household duties. > As time passed, my dad began to recover and returned to work with the >railroad company. Mama and Inez, too, began to overcome the illness. On >March 1st, 1919, the second child was born. She was normal except that she >was a very ill little baby. Mama treated her for several weeks, but the >baby didn't seem to be getting any better. One afternoon, Mama decided to >take Inez and the baby to her mother's house in the family buggy. When she >arrived, a lady was visiting. The lady noticed the baby struggling to >breathe. She told Mama that when she returned home, before putting the baby >to bed for the night, to rub her back, chest, and feet with a mixture of >coal oil, turpentine, and hog's lard, then wrap her in warm flannel. > Mama took the lady's advice. The following morning the baby's breathing >was smooth. (I told this remedy recently when we were discussing 'home >remedies and cures.') > My mother said nearly everyone in the community had the flu and many, >like her young nephew, died. She and my dad were too ill to attend the >child's funeral. > Just another family story!! Pat O'Neal > >______________________________ >X-Message: #10 >Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 00:42:01 EST >From: Cyberbay77@aol.com >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <cf47cc89.36e757a9@aol.com> >Subject: 1918 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >My grandfather died in 1918 in the first flu. The Dr. came to the house to >examine the whole family. He checked Roxie and said she was all right. Then >he checked GW and told him he had the flu and had to go to the hospital. GW >had cracked some ribs at work and it hurt him to breathe but the Dr. told him >it was the flu. He said he was not going without Roxie (his daughter). The >Dr. went back and checked her again and said she had the flu. They both went >to the Pennington Gap hospital and GW died and Roxie almost did. It threw my >grandmother into poverty with three children to care for. She had to "go on >the washboard" as they said back then to feed and clothe them. >Bev. > >______________________________ >X-Message: #11 >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 23:52:57 -0600 >From: "Kathy Bemisdarfer" <bkpr1@netins.net> >To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com >Message-Id: <199903110557.XAA22059@ins14.netins.net> >Subject: re Land Patents and Grants >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >I have been searching using > >http://198.17.62.51/Collections/LO.html > > >This is an Electronic Card Index. for Land Office Patents and Grants >in VA. some are for KY. as well. Some go back into the 1700's and some up >to the 1900's. There is an Alpabetical listing that you can go into, so >that you don't have to view all the files. > >If you don't have a tiff viewer they have a generic one you can down load. >I went in and retrieved the >files I wanted, saved them disk, then went into the program I have already >on my computer to view them >in. I was able to retrieve the actual document. It took a little figuring >out, but once I did it, it was great. Lists the actual Land they >recieved. Hope this helps someone out.

My grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and my mother has been diagnosed with Supranuclear Palsy. The doctor blames the 1918 flu for these problems. Both my grandmother and mother had the flu, but survived. Also why am I receiving this list in all italics? Nancy S

Kathy, I tried both addresses -yours and the one submitted by "densmom", and I couldn't retrieve the Land Patents and Grants information. Any suggestions? Ruth Hanley

--WebTV-Mail-674252918-125 Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit I could not reach the address Kathy gave in the attached message, but I found one that works (below) and thank you Kathy. http://image.vtls.com/collections/LO.html --WebTV-Mail-674252918-125 Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Message/RFC822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit Received: from mailsorter-101.iap.bryant.webtv.net (209.240.198.91) by postoffice-171.iap.bryant.webtv.net; Wed, 10 Mar 1999 21:00:33 -0800 (PST) Return-Path: <SW_VA-L-request@rootsweb.com> Received: from bl-14.rootsweb.com (bl-14.rootsweb.com [204.212.38.30]) by mailsorter-101.iap.bryant.webtv.net (8.8.8/ms.graham.14Aug97) with ESMTP id WAA05329; Wed, 10 Mar 1999 22:00:30 -0800 (PST) Received: (from slist@localhost) by bl-14.rootsweb.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id VAA18910; Wed, 10 Mar 1999 21:58:47 -0800 (PST) Resent-Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 21:58:47 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <199903110557.XAA22059@ins14.netins.net> Reply-To: <bkpr1@netins.net> From: "Kathy Bemisdarfer" <bkpr1@netins.net> Old-To: <SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com> Subject: re Land Patents and Grants Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 23:52:57 -0600 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1161 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Resent-Message-ID: <"4lSiq.A.SnE.Wu152"@bl-14.rootsweb.com> To: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com Resent-From: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com X-Mailing-List: <SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/4340 X-Loop: SW_VA-L@rootsweb.com Precedence: list Resent-Sender: SW_VA-L-request@rootsweb.com I have been searching using http://198.17.62.51/Collections/LO.html This is an Electronic Card Index. for Land Office Patents and Grants in VA. some are for KY. as well. Some go back into the 1700's and some up to the 1900's. There is an Alpabetical listing that you can go into, so that you don't have to view all the files. If you don't have a tiff viewer they have a generic one you can down load. I went in and retrieved the files I wanted, saved them disk, then went into the program I have already on my computer to view them in. I was able to retrieve the actual document. It took a little figuring out, but once I did it, it was great. Lists the actual Land they recieved. Hope this helps someone out. ==== SW_VA Mailing List ==== #5 It is YOUR responsibility to know how to SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE. It is done by computer. Put the word SUBSCRIBE in the body of the message with nothing else. The address is sw_va-l-request@rootsweb.com . or -d- for DIGEST mode. All this is in the Welcome statement I ask you to save. -sysop --WebTV-Mail-674252918-125--

I have been searching using http://198.17.62.51/Collections/LO.html This is an Electronic Card Index. for Land Office Patents and Grants in VA. some are for KY. as well. Some go back into the 1700's and some up to the 1900's. There is an Alpabetical listing that you can go into, so that you don't have to view all the files. If you don't have a tiff viewer they have a generic one you can down load. I went in and retrieved the files I wanted, saved them disk, then went into the program I have already on my computer to view them in. I was able to retrieve the actual document. It took a little figuring out, but once I did it, it was great. Lists the actual Land they recieved. Hope this helps someone out.

Eddie, The story of the "Flu Epidemic" as my mother told it to me: They lived in Lee County, VA. My oldest sister Inez was almost two. My mother was expecting her second child in March 1919. In my mother's family all came down with the flu except her father and a brother-in-law. (Mom, Dad, her sisters, her mother, her nephew age 3(died), and others) Every home in the territory had been hit by the Influenza Epidemic. It was wintertime. My mother was too ill to care for the rest of the family. Doctor was afraid for her and the unborn child. The brother-in-law would come to the house every day and cut firewood. He made soup for the family with my mother telling him what ingredients to use. One day a knock came at the door. It was a childhood friend of my mother's. The friend, who had just buried her own husband, heard about the hardships in the family and had come to help until Mama was able to take over household duties. As time passed, my dad began to recover and returned to work with the railroad company. Mama and Inez, too, began to overcome the illness. On March 1st, 1919, the second child was born. She was normal except that she was a very ill little baby. Mama treated her for several weeks, but the baby didn't seem to be getting any better. One afternoon, Mama decided to take Inez and the baby to her mother's house in the family buggy. When she arrived, a lady was visiting. The lady noticed the baby struggling to breathe. She told Mama that when she returned home, before putting the baby to bed for the night, to rub her back, chest, and feet with a mixture of coal oil, turpentine, and hog's lard, then wrap her in warm flannel. Mama took the lady's advice. The following morning the baby's breathing was smooth. (I told this remedy recently when we were discussing 'home remedies and cures.') My mother said nearly everyone in the community had the flu and many, like her young nephew, died. She and my dad were too ill to attend the child's funeral. Just another family story!! Pat O'Neal

Ed, This is the latest I have seen on the LDS WEBSITE. This report is rather long; but should be of great interest to all. Sarah Ann Date: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 11:21 PM Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter Vol. 4 No. 10 - March 6, 1999 LDS Family History Web Site There have been lots of rumors lately about a new LDS Family History Web site. My mailbox has been filling up with messages about it, and the story has even appeared on MSNBC at: http://www.msnbc.com/news/246411.asp. The MSNBC article says, "Much to the delight of genealogists, the Mormons are preparing to make some of their vast holdings of family records available on the World Wide Web for the first time next month, if not sooner." The article continues, "The new web site ( http://www.familysearch.org ) won't officially launch until mid- April, but it is expected to "go live" for testing any day now. Church officials originally planned to leave the site open to all during the test period. But for fear of being swamped, they now may limit access to official testers with assigned passwords." When asked about a possible new online service, David Rencher, Manager of Outreach Coordination of the Genealogical Society of Utah, made the following official statement: Sometime in March or April 1999, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will conduct a brief beta test of a new genealogical service for the Internet. The Church believes this service will greatly enhance the way people trace their family history. A formal announcement and launch is expected in the Spring or Summer of 1999. Details will not be available until then.

Does anyone know stories of deaths in the familes of SW VA from the flu of 1918?? Nearly one million Americans died and 18 million worldwide. I wondered if SW VA suffered any more or less. -eddie "Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more."

My grandfather died in 1918 in the first flu. The Dr. came to the house to examine the whole family. He checked Roxie and said she was all right. Then he checked GW and told him he had the flu and had to go to the hospital. GW had cracked some ribs at work and it hurt him to breathe but the Dr. told him it was the flu. He said he was not going without Roxie (his daughter). The Dr. went back and checked her again and said she had the flu. They both went to the Pennington Gap hospital and GW died and Roxie almost did. It threw my grandmother into poverty with three children to care for. She had to "go on the washboard" as they said back then to feed and clothe them. Bev.

Has anyone heard about the LDS FHC stuff being put ONLINE?? I had heard rumors months ago. -sysop <<<I was told this morning at the LDS center that their information is NOW available ON LINE! "Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more."

<<<Dear Ed. Would you please explain the BENGE book briefly.? What is it about.? Is that a family name? Is this fiction? I recently ran across the BENGE family name in some of my reading. >> <<And if you care to, tell me where you moved to. I understand that you were living in NH? >>> I moved from Bennington, NH where I lived for one year, to Narrows, Giles Co., VA on the New River. I was born and raised (some would say, HALF) in Washington Co., VA BENGE is a book on the history of an Indian raider leader who lived in SW VA. It is the story of his life and tragic death and the many murders and gives a true view of the life of 1790 SW VA and what our ancestors endured. Many families are mentioned, please don't ask me to do a lookup. Thanks. -sysop "Toto, I don't think we are in NH any more."