From time to time you have to take a break, and I guess this was my month. Kathy has been helping me go through all the cemetery records for Jackson and Clarke Counties, so when she needed a new web site for her artwork it would have been difficult to say "no."

So most of the month was spent building the basic framework for a new art web site rather than working on this one. Anyone interested in seeing her new site can find it here. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it is coming along.

Artistic sites are very different from research sites, so the process was (is) fun.

Back on the genealogy front we did reload the files that contain all the research from our files in the "All Individuals" section of the web site. We reached a milestone of sorts this month when we crossed over 42,000 people in the files, so we are still making progress. In June 2007 we had 40,300, so about 1,700 new connections have been made.

According to my Family Tree Maker file we now have 42,082 individuals; 13,816 marriages, and 5,235 different surnames.

Behind the scenes there seems to always be something happening with the research. I had over 100 emails with information from everyone and I have worked those down to just over 10, so I have made significant progress with individual updates and facts that will help our research in the long run.

Thankfully it seems like we get an unending stream of obituary information from a few of you and please keep them coming. These are a valuable source of information and now seem readily available over the internet. A few people we correspond with just seem to have a knack for ferreting out the information from the Internet.

I have found that for me personally, the big issue with obituary research is just time. There are so many things I want to add to the web site that this is just a little way down the list. So if you have the inclination and the time please forward any that you find to us and we will be glad to keep them updated.

Last but not least, this month I started a little project which I think is a good exercise for any genealogist. My paternal grandmother, Clara Louise Comer Whitehead, died before I was born. So I only know anecdotal information about her from the family.

I started trying to put together a "life story" based on what I can find in official documents, photographs, and of course the family stories. I have been surprised at just what you can piece together and what you know about a person once you put all this together.

So if you have a facinating person in your family, but you know only anecdotal information about their life, you might give this a try. For sure it focuses you on where and how to find information, and it can be a valuable source for future generations.

If all goes right I will have this completed in the next month and will be happy to share.