Happy Day! I have some really COOL news I'd like to share. Its probably not new to anyone but me, LOL !!

I went to Genealogy's Most Wanted and found the volunteer section. I believe there were 8 pages of volunteering folks who just want to be nice and help each other. I found a lady in Nashville, TN who offered to go to cemeteries and take pictures of tombstones...so I asked. She mailed them to me right away; really NICE shots -- close, and far -- and the front sign of the cemetery. Plus NO CHARGE...Here's the HYPER, as I'd like to share this with everyone. Genealogy's Most Wanted (Historical Link removed)

Greetings fellow researchers! I am here to say that the message boards can bring you great luck.

I am off to meet the other remaining members of dad's uncle's family. These are the only family members that my dad could remember from his childhood besides the ones he grew up near in Wyoming. We drove many miles and called many phone numbers hunting for them when I was a young teenager and adult.

Just before my dad died in 1995 he said to me, "Hurry up and find my cousins. You have found enough of your mom's family." I will never ever forget that. This happened about a week before he died. The day before he passed, he said to me on the phone that it was time for him to move on and let others take over. He was tired of the many things happening and could not change them. I offered to take him on trip or come see him that night, but he said no. But he also said, "Do not tell mom I said this when you talk to her." He passed away the next day, teasing his favorite waitress while ordering his lunch.

Last December, I had posted for probably the fifth time in the message board area for JONES. I was reading the messages as I was getting ready to sign off. Up came a name that could only be connected to my family. I read the message about four times to be sure I was reading it right. I then composed a quick note to the person who had posted it.

I went off the system, thought about it, and reread the data. Immediately afterwards I got back on line and sent a very detailed answer to the person who had posted for JONES. LOL, This person was doing the same thing for me!

The next day we called each other and talked and talked. It was sad to learn they lived only 55 miles from us all these years. Our paths had crossed slightly for more than forty years.

My grandfather and their grandfather were brothers who operated a grocery store together in Waterloo, Iowa in the very early 1900's. After my dad was born in 1913, grandad left to go to Wyoming where his uncle and aunt were. Lamont (or Monty) came to California. We were sure there were kin here and in the Los Angles area as well.

They settled in the Woodland area, Ukiah, and Cloverdale areas. There they raised their families and have kept in close touch with each other, but they always wanted to find the family that their uncle had in California. (Grandad visited them but never told us due to a family dispute in Iowa years ago.)

When I was 15 years old, I was going to school in Petaluma and rode home at night with my Dad and younger sister. We walked from school to the feed mill where dad worked. Here we did our homework while waiting for our dad to get off work at 5 PM.

One day, I had a question to ask dad that I did not want to forget. I went over to the mill where they dump the feed in from vendors to make mixed feed. My dad worked near there. Thereby I would not have to enter the mill but he would see me and come out. I thought I spotted him and called out: " Dad, Sister Julieta wants to know if I can help her on this project next week and I need to give her an answer tomorrow. I didn't want to forget to ask you."
He said, " I am not your dad!"
I said, " Dad stop spoofing me," for he loved to tease!
He replied, " I am not your DAD".

I looked at him and listened to him and became upset. Dad's boss came over and asked what the problem was so I told him. About that time my dad stuck his head out of upper window and said, "I am coming down." Then I was really stunned. This man looked like my dad, sounded like my dad and he was a JONES. We knew immediately we were kin. We were to meet with him in a few weeks. It never happened. We think possibly a death happened in the family.

Sometimes, I feel my dad has helped me find them now that he is on the other side. But I sure wish he could have been here for this. So use the message boards. They do bring great stories and results!

(By the way, I learned recently that we are decended from a TEAGUE JONES, Plymouth Colony.)

WEATHERING THE STORM AND OTHER MISADVENTURES
from GFH Maria