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Archiver > NEWGEN > 1999-05 > 0925680524


From: M&M <>
Subject: [NEWGEN-L] Re: Unusual things in researching
Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 16:28:44 -0500


Hi, all!!

I don't know if this is the kind of thing "Uncle Bill" was looking for
or not. Everyone who knows me says that I'm a dreamer, anyway, but
sometimes, it's okay to be a dreamer. (If I wasn't a dreamer and knew
Who to depend on, I'd be dead already -- all you'd have to do is talk to
my doctors. They're awesome guys, but give credit to God and Jesus
Christ, as do I.) Now - on to happier things!

My dad is a displaced Yankee, now living in Alabama. He's originally
from Youngstown, Ohio (anyone on the list in that area??) but calls
Pittsburgh, PA, home. His parents were divorced when he was six years
old, and all contact with his father's family was lost. He often
wondered about his grandmother and two aunts, all of whom showered him
with love.

My dad never had much interest in "hunting old dead people", but decided
that he would like to know if his Aunt Dorothy was still living. He
finally got up enough courage to write to the courthouse in Youngstown,
asking for a list of all the people in the town with his aunt's married
surname. He included his name and address as well as phone number on
his request. Sorry to say, I don't remember who in the courthouse he
wrote, but it was at the courthouse. About ten days later, our phone
rang. An older lady who donated time to search records in the
courthouse had been given my dad's letter. She said that she not only
knew his aunt's address, but they were good friends. She wanted to know
if it would be okay to give his name and number to his aunt and have her
call him to talk.

Of course, that was just fine, and my dad was on pins and needles
waiting for his aunt Dorothy to call him. Turns out that she had been
looking for him for years, but always looked in and around Pittsburgh.
In the intervening years, my dad was adopted by his stepfather and had
his surname changed. My dad then entered the USAF and ended up working
at Cape Carnival, ahem, I mean Canaveral. (old family joke)

Several months later, I had a dream about a man coming to me wearing
overalls and holding his hat in his hand. He looked kinda like my dad,
but I knew somehow it wasn't my grandfather. (My dad is a carbon copy
of his father.) He said that he wanted me to always remember that
although everyone thought he was from Ohio, he was really of West
Virginia. I thought it was odd, but decided it was a note to remember.

Many months later, I was leafing through books on film and fiche at a
local LDS FHC. I saw this book: The descendants of Philip Koon ( Coon)
of West Virginia. On a hunch, or by divine guidance, whichever you
prefer, I ordered the book. I had no clue if it was related or not.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I received the film. Not only was
it about my father's family, but he and his sister, along with their
biological parents, were listed in the book. So a line that had been a
dead end about a year earlier had now been tracked back to about 1690 or
so in Germany. I was thrilled!!

I am not saying that answers will come in dreams or anything, but I do
believe, quite strongly, that our ancestors who have died before us are
still around and can come to us and lead us to find them. But I sure do
wish that some of them didn't play so hard to get! LOL

Many thanks for all of you and your hard work. I don't post much, but
I do read the posts that come through. Good luck and happy hunting!!!

M&M

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