Dear Logan and Wyoming County, West Virginia Genealogist, As most of you know I have been working on the Toler family of Wyoming County for the last few months. This is a much larger project than I had realized. All I can say is that it is wonderful to see this record come together. I love and appreciate everyone who is or has helped me. About a week ago I printed out my second Toler booklet 571 pages. Sunday evening I printed the 1920 Wyoming County Census for Clearfork and Huff Creek Districts. I have been comparing the names in that census with my index. I was astounded to see that I am related to well over half of these families through the Toler family. No one ever said I was very smart but then I thought that well I am related to other families through William Walker and Nancy Browning Priscilla Riggins married John Cook Clayborne Blankenship is also my ancestor Abner Vance James Brown Yes I am probably related to all of the Browning families and their descendants. When I look at the remaining families I see that I am related conservatively to 85% of the families in Clearfork District and Huff Creek District. Question What books have been written on these families? I am aware of the Cook Family History (I really like the idea of 10,000 Cook descendants!) If we had books on the Walker, Browning, Toler, Vance,Morgan, Grimmett, Paynter and other families with 10,000 descendants on each family. We would have a terrific set of books. Yes there would be duplication but who cares - we would be preserving our family records. I am aware of the Browning books being written My Toler book is getting huge. Many more Toler than Burgess names! My Burgess book is ready to go. Has there been a book written on the Blankenship Family? If so how do I get a copy? We need books on the Vance and Walker families. I have a copy of the Vance book written by Mr Ferrell I personally believe that it would be a wonderful thing if our cousins who are not into family history could go to a library in Wyoming or Logan County and find books on all of these families. Our Children and Grand Children would not have to do all the research that we have done. What more can we leave our family? NOTE: I way way way WAY underestimated how closely related I am to families in Huff Creek and Clearfork Districts of Wyoming County. Every day I am more and more convinced that we need to work together to write these books and get them into libraries in West Virginia. These are NOT a money making ventures but an effort to leave West Virginia with great family histories. I would like to encourage everyone on this mailing list and others that we have an influence over to write well documented family histories. We have lost a lot of wonderful people in the family history community in Boone, Logan, and Wyoming County. Some of their records went with them. As wonderful as family web sites are they will one day go away. Our family history books will survive for years to come. Jim Burgess

Jim, You can find a lot of information about the Blankenships and Tolers, as well as other families in Paul Blankenship's book From Cabins to Coal Mines Vol 2. Pam Blankenship Honaker

Dear Logan County Genealogist, Is the book available for sale? I am willing to keep a list of these books and up date it as time goes by. We should have complete information as possible. Cost etc address if available. thanks Jim Burgess -----Original Message----- From: Pam Honaker [mailto:pam_honaker@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 9:48 AM To: WVLOGAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: RE: [WVLOGAN] We are all related and must preserve our family histories - Jim Burgess Jim, You can find a lot of information about the Blankenships and Tolers, as well as other families in Paul Blankenship's book From Cabins to Coal Mines Vol 2. Pam Blankenship Honaker ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx

Let us know when you are ready for the Vances, Jim, just let us know. I have a good many descendants of James Vance (abt 1795-1872) and Barbara Miller. There are many families that we've been able to follow down to the 1930 census. Carole

Not certain but I believe the Abner Vance family is the largest in Logan County, Virginia. That is a two year project. Anyone want to write a book on the Vance family? Jim Burgess -----Original Message----- From: Carole Hammond [mailto:carole.hammond@comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 4:27 PM To: WVLOGAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [WVLOGAN] We are all related and must preserve our family histories - Jim Burgess Let us know when you are ready for the Vances, Jim, just let us know. I have a good many descendants of James Vance (abt 1795-1872) and Barbara Miller. There are many families that we've been able to follow down to the 1930 census. Carole ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx

Jim... And everyone else, You and I have spoken off list for a while now, and you know I am working on the Currys right now, the other main family lines I have are Browning, Crabtree, Plumley, Adkins, Wellman, Frazier, Porter (but they were from PA). My husbands mother's family are also from WV though in the Eastern Panhandle. They were Warnicks, Dunithian etc. I will probably be sending info on families that I'm looking for more information as a group. Laura