I appreciated hearing from and reading your response/replies to my HIP HIP HARAHH missive. I also posted that same message on the SLAUGHTER List, Pope County IL list, and the Illinois Trails lists. I now have additonal sources and other information to assist my SLAUGHTER research. All of your replies and narratives were helpful to my SLAUGHTER research. Thanks for your help. My summation: My grandparents, Will and Sarah, only decided to live in Thurber and raise their children in Thurber was only because grandfather William had found work in Thurber. They would have enjoyed socializing with their neighbors, and would have had family times with the family of Rev John R Slaughter and most certainly the Carter family of Eastland, Eastland TX. Perhaps Grandma Sarah had even kept a correspondece with the people she met or knew while she lived in Thurber City 1894-1900 era. ___ Their children Rufus, Minnie Alice, Myrtle Belle, William Henry, and Pearl Ophelia were born while the *Grands* were in Erath County. An infant child named Ruby was also born - died and buried in Thurber Cemetery. I visited her grave while researching last year. Yes, I did find it! It was a challange though! Their children married out of Bisbee, Cochise County Arizona. All of them, except my dad William Henry Slaughter moved to California, after finding their spouses when they lived in Bisbee/Douglas area of Arizona. They lived and raised their families in San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco CA. All died in their respective cities. While in Arizona: Rufus Burl Slaughter married ATTAWAY Minnie Alice Slaughter married KING married FOSTER, re married KING Myrtle Belle Slaughter married BELL - not known at this time -------- Pearl Ophelia Slaughter married JARBOE & BRITT from KY and CA Wm Henry Slaughter married PAYNE & DAIL from KY and IL That is the family of Sarah and William Slaughter who lived in Thurber Erath TX around 1894 - 1900 Information Sources: Hill county marriage records and 1900 TX census record of Thurber, Erath TX. John Enness Slaughter b Cochise County AZ, married Vigna, from CA . John/Jack Enness completed this family. My dad is the only child born in Thurber, Erath County married in Bisbee, Cochise Arizona and died in Tucson, Pima County AZ 1975. Dads' first marriage was to PAYNE, she of KY. He married my mom DAIL of IL. Bisbee, Cochise County is the site of the famous Copper Queen Mine. Grandfather will worked there as a boiler maker - blacksmith until he retired. Information Source: 1910-20 census records. My only other roots in Erath and Eastland TX connect me to the CARTER wife of Rev J.R. Slaughter She is the sister of my grandmother Sarah Ophelia Carter of MS. I relate to the CARTER and not this Slaughter line. Of course their children would be related to my Slaughter line. I have never met any of them. As a child I never knew any of my dads family. Grandfather William Richard died before I was born. Grandmother Sarah Ophelia Carter-SLAUGHTER died in Sacramento CA when I was 8. All the aunts and uncles lived in CA. I have never been known for brevity, (picture me laughing here.) I do try so hard to condense my postings. Though I'm looking for names, dates of birth, marriage and death of my ancestors I'm also hoping to learn more about their daily lives and loves and strife. Hurrah, for all of our ancestors who stayed the course. Who were these people? I am amazed at the strength of the men and women who plowed, blasted and cultivated their homesteads. I've had my share of love, and loss and hard times. But -- I've never pulled a plowshare, tilled the land, churned butter or made my own soap while carrying a child in my belly. The information I have posted to the lists has had its rewards. Through making my family information known. Online research. And kind generous people like yourselves I located and re-united with those neices and nephews I had never seen/met, though I knew of them. My genealogy quest began with my desire to find those neices/nephews and,to find my sister half-sister Frances. I had a wonderful re-union with the neices/nephew *** and *** Frances earlier this month after losing contact with my family 25 years ago. Frances is 78 and though her memory is fading she knew me and we had a wonderful visit. She lives in an assisted living center,and luckily for me I will be able to visit with her frequently from now on! My "Grands" did raise wonderful children. They in turn left me a wonderful legacy. Each of their children though never wealthy were successful, and each raised their own wonderful families. Finding my half-sister Frances was the primary focus of my research. I didn't start my quest to become a genealogist or the family historian. I've found so much, yet there is so much of my SLAUGHTER heritage left for me to discover. Brevity has its point. Verbosity, in my case has led me further than I dreamed when I started my family search thinking that I only two aunts. I never knew of the 2 uncles and not knowing the names of my "Grands." I started where I was supposed to, close to home. In three years of online research I've found their names, close family ties, clues to my Great-grandfahter John R Slaughter and his wife Nancy and found that my grandfather had a sister named Alice and additional family history of my great-grandmother Nancy C Gossage b 1848 TN ,nee Slaughter nee Williams both of IL. Hurahh for brevity... Hurahh for verbosity. Hurahh for the internet. And the GRAND HURAHH for all of you who post to these lists, and assist others in finding their family background, and - and - and read through missives such as mine. I am so very thankful. Rachel _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail