Hopefully, this will come to pass (and I'll bet June would be just perfect as an administrator) since oral history is such a vital if fleeting genealogical resource. One of the finest history books I ever came across dealt not with names and dates and locations, but with the every day lives of ordinary people -- what they carried in their pockets, prices of common goods, the kinds of tools they used, and so forth. Oral tradition can flesh out the past as nothing else can. But although it is a wonderful resource, it's only one of many, and however closely related, "genealogy" and "family history" really are two separate topics. By splitting the messages up, we could all benefit fully from both of them. One thing that will help when Sumner County Memories becomes a reality is the careful use of the email subject line. It makes it so much easier and productive in an archived message search if you type in "Peddlers" and there they all are, rolling gloriously out before you. ("Looking for Family" always tickles me as the subject line on a query post at a genealogy site....) So, more power to you, message list makers! You are sorely needed. Cordially, Barbara Collin

Have I missed something? I haven't heard (read) any complaints about the discussion of history....including from the List Administrator. Keeping like information in one place is a basic criterion for GOOD information storage and retrieval, i.e. the Stuff of Which Internet is Made. If the lsit were discussing completely off-topic or personal subjects, it would be different, but this list is not so doing. Splitting this list for story tellers would indeed be a mistake, for Diane is one of the most professional listowners on Internet. If someone wants a list, there are a host of them out there for adoption. Helen Barbara Collin wrote: > Hopefully, this will come to pass (and I'll bet June would be just perfect as an administrator) since oral history is such a vital if fleeting genealogical resource. One of the finest history books I ever came across dealt not with names and dates and locations, but with the every day lives of ordinary people -- what they carried in their pockets, prices of common goods, the kinds of tools they used, and so forth. Oral tradition can flesh out the past as nothing else can. > > But although it is a wonderful resource, it's only one of many, and however closely related, "genealogy" and "family history" really are two separate topics. By splitting the messages up, we could all benefit fully from both of them. > > One thing that will help when Sumner County Memories becomes a reality is the careful use of the email subject line. It makes it so much easier and productive in an archived message search if you type in "Peddlers" and there they all are, rolling gloriously out before you. ("Looking for Family" always tickles me as the subject line on a query post at a genealogy site....) > > So, more power to you, message list makers! You are sorely needed. > > Cordially, > Barbara Collin