There's MORE than one way to skin cat, dammit!

[fudge stripe cookays]

So in searching for one branch of our original 10 Smith kids, I encountered a total roadblock in one of their granddaughters. She wanted nothing to do with the project.

A niece of hers found me online, and acted as go-between, but she adamantly refused to share anything with me, selfish old bat.

I knew she had two sisters, but this woman had such an unusual name, I needed it from her, because her two sisters were going to be impossible for me to find. When I did get more information, it turned out that one sister was dying of cancer, and the other was already gone with Alzheimers. :eyes:

Fortunately, the aforementioned niece provided me with just enough clues to do a little background searching on my own. I got birthdates and married names for the two sisters. I kept checking SSDI for more information (not that I'm a grave watcher, but what else could I do?)

Sure enough, I checked the other day, and sister #1 passed away in April. I was going to try to order an obituary from Random Acts today, but then on a hunch, wondered if I could find her daughter living nearby if she was still alive. Her daughter also has a very unusual first name, so I wasn't expecting much when did a www.anywho.com search for her in Idaho, where her mother had died.

Miracle of miracles, she was still listed with her maiden name! And even wilder, she told me she had just changed it back from her married name. We got along famously, and she just told me she has an entire TRUNK of old photos! And old trunk that may also have belonged to one of the ladies I'm researching. If it's the one I'm thinking of, I may even have a photograph of it!

This lady is not online, but is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to help me out, unlike her crabby aunt. Did I mention this woman is also adopted? I find that miraculous. Most adoptees I find couldn't really care less about this stuff, but she says BECAUSE she is adopted she is so passionate about relations, since she does not know much about hers.

I am dancing on a cloud right now. It figures I was just in Idaho last July. If only I'd known! Argh....

[sybylla]

1. You amaze me, FSC, with all you sccomplish on your Smiths

If only I were half as successful with some of my lines.

Congrats! :toast:

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. Of all the descriptions that have been used for me...

Nancy Drew crossed with a pit bull was my favorite.

:D

We gotta get to Madison soon. My 3rd cousin Deb, who lives down in Libertyville, IL, was thrilled when I let her know the other day (finally!) that I was up here. She wants to meet in Madison too.

She's in Salt Lake right now, but will be back in another week or so. I call Deb my muse. The "professional work" she had to create to get her Certified Genealogist status was what piqued my interest in doing this, and convinced me I could do it.

[Cybergata]

3. Everytime I . . .

contemplate the task you have taken upon yourself, my wires in my brain blow a fuse. How great it must feel to have a break though like this. Congratulations.