I too am one of those rare persons who have lived in the Washington, DC, Metro area all my life and worked there as a younger woman. I was born in DC, moved to Prince George's County, MD, when I was 6 mos old, and lived in Prince George's County, until I moved to Charles County, MD, in 2004. I worked in DC for the USAF in the temporary buildings on the mall (long gone now) for several years. My dad worked for what is now Metro through it's changes from Washington Railway Cars (I might have this name wrong), to Capitol Transit, then DC Transit, and finally Metro when he retired at age 62. We always went into DC to shop, to the movies at Lowes Capitol, my orthodontist, the hospital, and on and on. Now, in later years when I've become interested in genealogy, I'm hesitant to venture into downtown DC. I'd love to visit the DC Archives, but it's in a "bad" section of town. Also Glenwood Cemetery and Mt. Olivet where some of my maternal ancestors are interred, but again I don't like to venture there alone. The National Archives is probably much safer as it is near the National Mall, near the museums and other tourist attractions. Someone mentioned Washington National Cemetery in Suitland, MD. My mother's family and my parents are buried there, and the folks in the office were very helpful with information when I asked. I went there in person but I'm sure they'd be as helpful in response to a letter or a phone call. Barbara Clements <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.