ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News Vol. 3, No. 49, 6 December 2000, Circulation: 732,155+ (c) 1998-2000 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING LINKS are free, weekly e-zines Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com Advertising: sbrenay@myfamilyinc.com RootsWeb HelpDesk: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ Data Submission Form: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit.html New Databases (check often): http://searches.rootsweb.com/ IN THIS ISSUE o News and Notes from RootsWeb (New Searchable Databases; Who Has the Data?; RootsWeb Named Top Genealogy Site; Social Security Death Index (SSDI) October 2000 Update; WorldConnect Tip; Tips from RootsWeb Users; Ask a Genealogist at RootsWeb; Cards from RootsWeb; Shaking Your Family Tree; RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees; Heirloom Family Tree) o Connecting through RootsWeb o New Genealogy Mailing Lists o New Genealogy Web Pages o GenConnect o USGenWeb Archives o Letters to the Editors o Humor o Reprint Policy; Back Issues; How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe RootsWeb's WORLDCONNECT contains more than 50 million names and new GEDCOMs are added daily. Search WorldConnect and upload your own GEDCOM(s) to http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ NEWS AND NOTES FROM ROOTSWEB NEW SEARCHABLE DATABASES AT ROOTSWEB. RootsWeb thanks all of the individuals and groups who contribute their data to share with the genealogical community. See the full list of contributors at http://userdb.rootsweb.com/contributors.html U.K. UNITED KINGDOM. DICK and variants (surname) 2,400 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) Purdie http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ UNITED KINGDOM, Births/Christenings. HULME (surname) 800 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) Purdie http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ UNITED KINGDOM, Births/Christenings. PURDIE (surname) 3,300 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) PURDIE http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ UNITED KINGDOM, Marriages. HULME (surname) 3,200 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) Purdie http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ UNITED KINGDOM, Marriages. PURDIE (surname) 850 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) PURDIE http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ UNITED KINGDOM, Marriages. SHAW (surname) 40 records; Cedric Lansdell (Dell) PURDIE http://userdb.rootsweb.com/uki/ U.S.A. INDIANA, MONROE COUNTY, Bloomington. Knightridge Cemetery 1,150 records; Tom Rhodes, Knightridge Pentecostal Church http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ MISSISSIPPI (Ocean Springs, Biloxi, and surrounding coast communities); Funeral records from 1904-1948 15,129 records; Julie Suarez http://userdb.rootsweb.com/deaths/ NEW YORK, ROCKLAND COUNTY. Addenda to Naturalization Declarations of Intention; 316 records; Bruce Hamilton http://userdb.rootsweb.com/naturalization/ TEXAS, GOLIAD COUNTY, Goliad. Oak Hill Cemetery 1,025 records; Warner Thomas Denham http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemeteries/ VIRGINIA, ACCOMACK COUNTY. 1810 Census Index. 1,951 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA, ALBEMARLE COUNTY. 1810 Census Index 1,551 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA, AMELIA COUNTY. 1810 Census Index 382 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA, AMHERST COUNTY. 1810 Census Index. 958 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA (now WEST VIRGINIA), BERKELEY COUNTY. 1810 Census Index 1,553 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA, BOTETOURT COUNTY. 1810 Census Index. 1,719 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ VIRGINIA, BRUNSWICK COUNTY. 1810 Census Index 1,169 records; Robert Rellihan http://userdb.rootsweb.com/census/index/ * * * WHO HAS THE DATA? Does your state, province, county, parish, or church have a database available that has not yet been placed on RootsWeb and that you think would be of interest to genealogists and historians? Do you have a database that you would like to share that you think would be of value and interest to others? In most cases, RootsWeb would be proud to host them. Please use the data submission form to tell us about such databases: http://userdb.rootsweb.com/submit.html * * * ROOTSWEB NAMED TOP GENEALOGY WEB SITE BASED ON POLL RESULTS. Congratulations to everyone at RootsWeb, especially to the thousands of volunteers, many of whom few see or get to know as they perform their many self-appointed tasks, happy in their work and doing it for the love of it. Even the most selfless volunteers must be glad when their good work is recognized, as happened the other day with the announcement in Dick Eastman's most recent newsletter that its annual poll gave a clear top spot to RootsWeb, no matter how the votes were counted (RootsWeb in general or a specific Web site hosted by RootsWeb). * * * SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX (SSDI) UPDATE. The October 2000 SSDI update is in place. 185,592 new records were added and the new total is 64,731,293. See http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/ * * * WORLDCONNECT TIP: Ownership of Family Tree Data Q. When I submit a family tree to WorldConnect am I giving up ownership of my data? What are the terms of use and where are they posted? A. When you submit a family tree to WorldConnect you retain ownership of the compiled data. While factual information itself, such as names, dates, and places, cannot be copyrighted, you retain whatever copyright you have to any original work therein. Your data is yours to do with as you wish. You may submit it to as many places as you like. When you submit your file to WorldConnect, you are simply granting RootsWeb permission to house and display it publicly on the Internet, unless or until you choose to amend, update, or remove it. Submissions, updates, and removals of files are processed instantly at WorldConnect, although there is a delay of up to 24 hours in updating the Global Search function. Submissions to WorldConnect are governed by the RootsWeb Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) posted at http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/aup.html * * * TIPS FROM ROOTSWEB USERS (Send tips to rwr-editors@rootsweb.com) As people contact me because of my family tree on WorldConnect, I add their names to a spreadsheet of contacts that includes name, e-mail address, common ancestor, and what branch they are related to. Often people who contact me are very distantly connected to me and I have no further information for them. However, using this list of contacts, I can find people who may be more closely related to them than I am and forward their e-mail addresses so that the two can get in touch. Russ McGillivray russmcgillivray@hotmail.com * * * ASK-A-GENEALOGIST AT ROOTSWEB. This week's questions and answers include finding siblings, Texas birth records, can't find [fill in the blank with your brick wall surname], first person named [fill in the blank with your mystery ancestor], surname origin, London bombing deaths, Dutch ship in 1880, Irish forced emigration 1735-1745, English-Australian connection, ancestor has false name, British Merchant Navy in World War I, Social Security application, 1910 U.S. Census color column, Hispanic ancestors (Puerto Rico), and ever-popular how to do research. http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/ask-a-genealogist.html Before posting a new query, please read the GUIDELINES at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/askguidelines.html Ask-A-Genealogist at RootsWeb ARCHIVES http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/askarchives.html * * * ELECTRONIC CARDS FROM ROOTSWEB: http://postcards.rootsweb.com/ E-mail FREE personalized cards for all occasions and many holidays from RootsWeb to online family and friends. New this week: Winter Solstice cards at http://postcards.rootsweb.com/ws.htm Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas cards are available at http://postcards.rootsweb.com/han.htm http://postcards.rootsweb.com/kwa.htm http://postcards.rootsweb.com/xmas.htm * * * SHAKING YOUR FAMILY TREE (SYFT) by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG. Books, Videos, and Software for Genealogists http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/syft/curcolumn.htm SYFT columns are archived by subject and can be browsed at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/syft/ * * * ROOTSWEB'S GUIDE TO TRACING FAMILY TREES (RWGuide) http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/ Naturalization Records: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson16.htm * * * STUMPED FOR A GIFT? For that relative who has everything, give an HEIRLOOM FAMILY TREE this year -- a beautiful framed heirloom chart in your choice of colorful backgrounds, showing six to nine generations of the family tree. Judy Lashbrook writes, "I ordered two Heirloom Family Trees for Christmas gifts and received them in approximately two weeks after placing my order. These pictures are beautiful. . . Thanks for a wonderful idea." Order yours today. All it takes is three easy steps: (1) Build your Online Family Tree at http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=877908&shopid=128 (2) Select background, size, style and frame (3) Purchase your Heirloom Family Tree (prices start at $29) and it will be shipped directly to you. ** PAID ADVERTISEMENTS ** ********************************************* GIVE THOSE OLD FAMILY PHOTOS A MAKEOVER! We can restore, colorize and do miraculous things to those important family photos to fragile to put in the album! http://www.doctorfoto.com ********************************************* U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS IMAGES Have you seen the U.S. Federal Census Images at Ancestry.com? Now you can view original documents online! Ancestry.com continues the census images project with 1920 postings for parts of MI, MA, MN and NM. Get access for only $39.95. Go to: http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/about/main.htm ***************************************** NEW ONLINE GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY http://www.heritagebooks.com/library/ Try it FREE Today! HERITAGE BOOKS, INC. 1540 Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie MD 20715 ***************************************** You can obtain a FREE trial copy of FAMILY CHRONICLE by visiting http://www.familychronicle.com/. Articles include "Reading the Omens . . . a key to genealogical breakthroughs," "Railroad Records," "Using State Censuses," "Becoming a Genealogical Detective," "10 Frequently Asked Questions at Family History Centers," "Getting Past the Brick Wall," "You Wanted to Know," and "Web sites Worth Surfing." Top journalist Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG has this to say about FAMILY CHRONICLE: "If you haven't discovered FAMILY CHRONICLE you are in for a treat." Find out how you can obtain a FREE trial copy by visiting http://www.familychronicle.com/ The new HISTORY MAGAZINE is now on the newsstands but you can obtain a FREE trial copy by visiting http://www.history-magazine.com/. Articles include "The History of Whaling," "Farming in the New World," "Christmas Recipes," "The Battle of Agincourt," "How Childbirth has Changed Since Roman Times," and many others. HISTORY MAGAZINE articles cover the social conditions that affected the lives of our ancestors. Check out our Web feature "This Day in History" by visiting http://www.history-magazine.com/ Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the No. 1 Source for Family History Online. Search more than 600 MILLION NAMES and trace your family tree today. Go to: www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11GC Holidays Savings at http://www.censusmicrofilm.com/ New genealogy microfilm reader ONLY $470. INDUS 4601-11. Plus links to most genealogy research tools you need. RootsWeb users get a FREE electronic Federal Census Catalog (it has a search engine) and two FREE microfilm take-up spools. Buy four census microfilms priced at $12.95 and get one free (best price by more than $10 each). FREE U.S. MAPS show changing boundaries 1790-1870 informative; a $15 value at http://www.censusmicrofilm.com/fedcens.htm Internet's largest selection of new-used microfilm readers. Test online Soundex Converter. View all 75,000 Catalog census microfilms. Census search services, photocopies and digital census images. These are two Web sites worth surfing. Librarians see a complete line of Canon Microfilm Reader Printers, refurbished and like new and all options. Every GENEALOGY item you want is available at the American Genealogy Mall http://www.genealogy-mall.com/ ** END PAID ADVERTISEMENTS ** CONNECTING THROUGH ROOTSWEB. Thanks for sharing your stories. A LONG JOURNEY AND THANKS TO ROOTSWEB by Liz liz@emirates.net.ae Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates I have been researching my family for several years, but I live in the Middle East and research facilities are nonexistent so, when I purchased a computer and went online, my first task was to see if I could further my knowledge. I started with the LDS site http://www.familysearch.org/ , joined lists, checked archives, contacted cousins and left "footprints" on various bulletin boards. Eventually I was able to go to England to confirm my research at the archives and records offices and obtained certificates where necessary. So, in spite of living in such a distant land, my research has been rapid and successful. One of my loveliest surprises was an e-mail from one of my mother's 37 cousins who had seen a "footprint" I left on a RootsWeb message board. The e-mail said, "I believe my father either lived or worked at Abbey Farm, Cutthorpe. Do you know him?" I was able to write back with the names of his older sisters, their birth dates, dates of starting school and where, they attended, details of six generations, names of most of his cousins, etc. That letter in April this year was the first of many. Since then we have corresponded daily. According to his wife, Bill didn't even know he had cousins. I visited England again in the summer to meet more cousins and do more research, however, I couldn't visit Bill because he lives in West Wales and time just would not allow. When I returned from my trip I wrote and invited him and his wife to visit me -- 3,500 miles away. They accepted my invitation and we have just spent a wonderful two weeks sharing family information and getting to know each other, all thanks to RootsWeb and the wonderful boards it hosts. Thanks from Bill NEEDHAM and myself. * * * FAMILY FOUND by Sara Troxel stroxel@inna.net I have been searching for my natural father ever since I went online some eight years ago. All I had to go on was a name, a birth date and some recollections of stories my mother had told me. After some serious seeking along those lines, I came to the unwelcome conclusion that he had either died before obtaining a Social Security card, left the country, or had been a fabrication of my mother's imagination. Nevertheless, I would plug in the last name with each new issue of the updated SSDI on RootsWeb http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/ . I would always come up empty though, until last June, when I found a man with the same first and last name, but a different middle initial. I sent for the form SS-5 and looked further while I was waiting. In the RootsWeb Gen-Obit database (Obituary Daily Times http://www.rootsweb.com/~obituary/ ), I found another match, in the correct area of the U.S.A. I tried to get a copy, and joined the volunteer force for my area. I wound up e-mailing the newspaper and requesting a copy of the obituary. When the SS-5 arrived, I found that the different middle initial was for his mother's maiden name and that the middle name I had was in fact listed as well. Between the obituary and the SS-5, I determined that this man was in fact my missing father. He had died the previous month at age 88. To make a long story short, I found my father (albeit deceased), an aunt, a brother (who bears a striking resemblance to me), two nephews, a niece, and a sister-in-law. I am now the eldest of five instead of four, and he is no longer an only child. We have talked a few times on the phone and e-mailed. Thanks RootsWeb, and a HUGE round of applause for all the volunteers who help us find our missing family members. * * * * * MAILING LISTS. For an index to most genealogy mailing lists hosted by RootsWeb, visit http://lists.rootsweb.com/ NEW MAILING LIST REQUESTS. Please request new mailing lists at http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing list, send an e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the subject and the body of the message to [name of list]-L-request@rootsweb.com (for mail mode) or to [name of list]-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode). FOR EXAMPLE, if interested in cemeteries in east Kentucky, send a SUBSCRIBE request to EAST-KY-CEMETERIES-L-request@rootsweb.com NEW SURNAME MAILING LISTS, GENCONNECT BOARDS, AND CLUSTERS Barricklow, Bergold, Betsinger, Bibber, Bryon, Bywater Camerer, Ciappesoni, Cortelyou, Costen, Cother, Courington, Cureton DeHonney, Diepl, Dittebrand Eickhoff, Englet Fill, Findlater, Fonner Geisberger, Gerstlacher, Gyron Hedgpeth, Hofstetter Kettwich Lakitsky, Lauterer, League, Longoria, Luppens Menne, Mezger, Milam Neibler, Northam Oberpaur, Onweller Parravicini, Paur, Pozzi Rattenhuber, Rauck, Rothert, Routen, Ruettinger, Rummler Sandgruber, Schaerer, Scheideger, Schmetterer, Schmittert, Schnaus, Schrenker, Schuhwerk, Seminet, Singleman, Spenkuch, Stephenson-Jellie Torriani Veitl, Vergho, Voos Wallner, Wehrl, Whitmill, Wieninger, Witherell Zeidler, Zins, Zoels NEW REGIONAL MAILING LISTS CAN-NS-SOUTHSHORE -- genealogy and history of Queens, Shelburne, and Yarmouth counties, Nova Scotia, Canada U.S.A. NJ-PASSAIC-CLIFTON -- researching roots in Clifton, Passaic County, New Jersey TN-ROLLCALL UT-ROLLCALL ETHNIC AND SPECIAL INTEREST MAILING LISTS CAN-ONT-QUAKERS -- To assist those with Quaker or Religious Society of Friends ancestors who came to Ontario, Canada DNK-TMG -- Dansk brugergruppe for TMG (The Master Genealogist) TMG support group, in Danish only EAST-KY-CEMETERIES -- documenting cemeteries in east Kentucky GA-NATIVEAMERICANS * * * * * NEW WEB ACCOUNT REQUESTS. Please see the instructions at http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ NEW WEB SITES. Some of these might not yet be accessible. If one that interests you isn't up yet, please check again in a few days or a week. http://www.rootsweb.com/~[account name]. Note that the ~[tilde] before the account name is required. FOR EXAMPLE, to visit the Web page for the villages of Royalton, North Royalton, and South Royalton (Windsor County), Vermont, go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~vtcroyal/ U.S.A. afamerpl -- African American Plantations Database ctpgc -- Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council iawright -- Wright County, Iowa kyanders -- Anderson County, Kentucky mocgcgs -- Cape Girardeau County Gen. Society (Missouri) txacgs -- Angelina County Genealogical Society (Texas) txangeli -- Angelina County, Texas vawise2 -- Wise County, Virginia vtcroyal -- Town of Royalton, Vermont wilangl2 -- Langlade County, Wisconsin SOME NEW HOMEPAGES AND FREEPAGES ANTLE. ANTLE, ANTIL, ANTEL (and variant spellings) in Newfoundland, Canada. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~antlenf/default.htm BACON. BACON and other West New Jersey families (Cumberland, Salem, Cape May, Gloucester, and Burlington counties). http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~baconfamily/ CURTIS. Also CRABTREE, HATFIELD, HYDE, PAULEY, TANNER, TILKINS, WHEELER, and WHITEAKER. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~curtis/ DURIEUX. Also ANDRE, BISSONNETTE, DURIEU, GIESBRECHT, LONGFILS, NEWSON, SCHURMAN, SOLEY, STEWART, and WOODSIDE. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~durieux/home.html ENGLAND. HISTORY OF THE HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT VILLAGES. Information about more than 315 villages, including histories of some of the parish churches in the county. http://welcome.to/hampshire or http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~villages/ IRELAND. COUNTY DONEGAL Genealogy Resources, including many online records such as valuations, tithes, flax list, indexes to wills and marriages, photographs, maps, and projects such as the Donegal Relief Fund. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegal/ LARTER Family History Society. Study, research, and gathering of LARTER (and more than 100 variants) information from East Anglia, England, and worldwide. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lartersoc/ MILITARY. U.S.A. Discovering Family Histories Directory of U.S.A. Military Resources. [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~northing/placenames/ usa/military/ NEACE. 1900 Virginia census images of the Soundex cards for all families with the surname NEACE (and variant spellings). [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~censusresearch/ Neace-1900-Virginia/Neace1900.htm NEBRASKA. CHASE COUNTY, Nebraska early settlers; obituaries; early schools and post offices; and other resources. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~chasecountyne/ NETHERLANDS. Discovering Family Histories: Netherlands Resources [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~northing/placenames/ europe/benelux/neth.html NORTON and GRIMES. NORTON of Essex County, Massachusetts; GRIMES of Meriden, Connecticut. http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=fegrimes TEWELL Family Genealogy Web Site. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tewell/ VERMONT. ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont, 1895-1896 town officials and CALEDONIA COUNTY officials, government, directory. [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~censusresearch/ StJohnsbury/Directory.htm VIRGINIA. Discovering Family Histories. Frederick County Resources. [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~northing/placenames/ usa/va/va_cos-frdrk.html VIRGINIA. Discovering Family Histories. Virginia Directory of Resources. [Note two-line URL.] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~northing/placenames/ usa/va/index.html WELLS Family Home Page. Also HEFFELFINGER, VON HEANS, HAYNES, HAINES, LINDESMITH, ROWE, MILLS, and STEPHENSON. Civil War Diary of William CULBERTSON of Williams County, Ohio; HANES and ALTENBURG family Bible records; reunion minutes; old pictures; scanned postcard pictures of scenes of DeKalb County, Indiana. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wellspages/Index.html * * * * * GENCONNECT. RootsWeb hosts many surname GenConnect boards that are in need of people to maintain them. o For a complete list of adoptable GenConnect surname boards http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/surnames/adoptable/ o For the form to request to adopt a GenConnect surname board (the same form is used for surname mailing list requests) http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ * * * * * USGENWEB ARCHIVES. USGW-ARCHIVES-ANNOUNCE is a read-only mailing list for weekly announcements of updates and submissions to the USGenWeb Archives. To subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to USGW-ARCHIVES-ANNOUNCE-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com. THE ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER contains the current USGenWeb Archives submissions in the last week. The 30 November 2000 issue was sent to 3,979 subscribers. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsletter/index.htm DAILY-UPLOADS-L is a read-only mailing list that announces every file uploaded or changed in the USGenWeb Archives. To subscribe, send e-mail that says only SUBSCRIBE to DAILY-UPLOADS-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com * * * * * LETTERS TO THE EDITORS. Please send letters and all submissions as plain text e-mail messages (no attachments or html) to RWR-Editors@rootsweb.com I signed up as a volunteer [for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness at http://raogk.rootsweb.com/ several months past. Since signup time I have completed four requests for searches in this geographical area (Northwest Montana). It has been a completely satisfying experience. Thank goodness I saw the reference in the weekly ROOTSWEB REVIEW, and had sense enough to follow up on it. Bob Redinger rjr@digisys.net My husband had been searching for an army buddy for years. We knew his name, rank, serial number, and state of birth. We tried military sites to find him. While researching my family history, I thought that someone in his family might be doing the same. That didn't work. Then I checked the Texas Birth Records http://userdb.rootsweb.com/tx/birth/general/search.cgi (1926- 1949) and http://userdb.rootsweb.com/tx/birth/summary/search.cgi (1950-1995). I found four men with the same first and last names. Two were immediately eliminated. By checking the children of his father, we found a brother and ultimately him. They were reunited about a month ago after 37 years. They may not be family, but the two of them acted like they had found a lost brother. It was a thrill to be a part of it. Thanks for your site. Dot Vance vvdmv@cableone.net I just wanted to thank you very much for your California Death Records http://userdb/rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi . My grandfather was adopted at the age of about six months. All we knew about his birth mother was that her name was Emily GRUGEN. Thanks to your death records, I found her parents' names (John and Mary) and even her mother's last name (CERWIAK). I got their date of birth, date of death, and place of birth (Poland). I just wanted to express my appreciation. Dee Tuffy89@cs.com In September I looked through your HAMILTON list and within three weeks I received a letter from a wonderful woman named Judy Bruckner, who was searching for her husband's HAMILTON family. Guess what? We traced our roots directly to each other. Her husband is my second cousin. Through them I have met a third cousin to whom I write almost daily. She is in her 70s and has so many memories it has been great. Judy also traced our family all the way back to the beginning, in 1625, Scotland. We now have a complete family history documented, and I thank RootsWeb for all the information it makes available free. Trisha Hamilton-Leo D_T_Leo@email.msn.com RootsWeb is just the greatest. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your newsletters now that I am here in Italy. The successes of those who search and find long lost families never fail to bring a tear to my eye. Keep up the good work. Ciao for now, Riccarda Mescola mescola@inwind.it I just wanted to let people know that they should keep on looking. I have been checking RootsWeb for over a year looking for information on my family. I checked again recently and found a whole family of 8,000 names and relations. It only has half the information regarding my family but that is a lot more than I had. Unfortunately, the person who put the information on the Web died in October. But I do appreciate what he has done for me and I will continue looking. Beatrice Margaret Rose Stewart bstewart8@home.com I was pleasantly surprised to receive so many kind and gracious e-mails when my story ("Found a Family") was read in the 29 November 2000 ROOTSWEB REVIEW. However, I have not been researching the name FIKE. FIKE is my married name and I am researching my surname TOEPP and other family names KEALEY, VANDEMORTEL, DHAENENS, STONECHEST, ALLAN (from U.K.), HARTIGAN (U.K.), AND JOHNSON (W. Australia). What a challenge this has been. Thank you for your messages. Terry Fike in Georgia tcfike@home.com * * * * * HUMOR. Thanks to David Rowan , who advises that credit for this goes to Rodney Dangerfield. "When I looked up my family tree I found out I was the sap!" * * * * * ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING LINKS do not answer or publish queries. You can subscribe to the relevant surname and locality mailing lists (complete index at http://lists.rootsweb.com/ )and then post queries to those lists. You can do searches of all of RootsWeb's resources by starting at RootsWeb's main page http://www.rootsweb.com/. You will also want to search the WorldConnect database frequently, as new material is added daily (that database now contains more than 50 million entries). Any letter, story, or article submitted for consideration for publication in MISSING LINKS or ROOTSWEB REVIEW should be sent as a plain text e-mail message to rwr-editors@rootsweb.com PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: Written by [author's name, e-mail address, and URL, if given]. Previously published by RootsWeb.com, Inc., RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 3, No. 49, 6 December 2000. RootsWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/ BACK ISSUES OF ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING LINKS are fully SEARCHABLE. Search all or download a specific issue by following the links at http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/ A paid advertisement in ROOTSWEB REVIEW or MISSING LINKS should not be construed as an endorsement of the product or service. TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the free weekly genealogy e-zines, ROOTSWEB REVIEW and MISSING LINKS, send any e-mail to: rootsweb-review-unsubscribe@rootsweb.com TO SUBSCRIBE, send to rootsweb-review-subscribe@rootsweb.com