I, too, have been wondering if our fellow WSPer's have been getting lashed by all the natural disasters going around. I have been reading a book called "Slaves in the Family" by Edward Ball, and I would definitely recommend it for those of us doing genealogy research. It is wonderful how he ties in the history of South Carolina with his family research. I have always been told that my Whaley family participated in the "peculiar institution" on the ownership side, and I have always wondered how this would affect my research. Also, does anyone have any research on the Whaley family of Edisto Island, South Carolina? Some of my research is starting to make sense......but I need more information.