May 24, 2008

Hello to the Marshall County Family!

I have really missed you and the site very much........and it finally looks like I am getting stuff rolling again!  Keep looking for updates to things, I have updated the homepages of our researchers, addresses for contacts on group sheets, and a couple of our maps now have an active email link for the person who submitted them......(thanks Gary and sorry you were not linked before!)  The Wills are updated as well, and a new postcard picture of the Lewisburg Courthouse has been added.  I have a first entry for the REED - LEWIS Cemetery!!  Look Up info has been updated as well.  Please pay attention to the little blurb at the top of that page!  I can only dream that I live in Marshall County!

Thanks for the patience in the past year or more?  I had some back surgery which has put me so far behind in life period that I didn't think I was going to get it all caught up!  Not caught up yet, but hey, a girl's gotta have some fun right?  My eldest children are suffering some hard times I am trying to help with, they are going to lose their dad to cancer, and my youngest is trying to grow up way too quick!  We have had some great news too this year........my "adopted" daughter, or one of them anyway....(you know....the kids your kids bring home that wind up becoming yours too?) is getting married in August in Georgia to an Army man who is stationed in Iraq right now, (Aaron...come home safe!) and I found out a week or so ago that I am going to be a GREAT Auntie!  Yep!  Not even 40 years old yet and a GREAT!  At least it isn't GRANDMA yet! 

The TNGenWeb has suffered an enormous loss this month with the passing of Mari Byers, Rutherford County Coordinator and a past State Coordinator.  Mari was without a doubt an actual living breathing angel here on earth in the short time that we had her.  Some of our county Hosts have known Mari much longer than I, but each of us was deeply affected by her passing.  You will find a memorial to her here:  http://tngenweb.org/memoriam/maribyers.html.

I encourage all of you to investigate our entire state website whenever you get a chance!  I am also a Co-Coordinator for the David Donahue Records Repository for TNGenWeb and my new partner in crime (who has unfortunately done all of the work lately) is Jerry Butler.  Fred Smoot is still our "Godfather" monitoring our every move bless his heart.........(Love you Fred!)  Jerry has done some wonderful work.  We have a group of volunteers who have spent endless hours transcribing books, newspapers, court papers etc, for the repository, and you really should check it out.  You never know, you might just use that search engine and find family you didn't know was in here!

I also am sending up a small request if you are capable, and if not, that is fine too.....please do not think this is begging!  Marshall and Maury County reside on the USGENNET servers for FREE.  USGENNET runs totally off of donations from the general public.  They do such a wonderful job at keeping us up and running, and we are expanding so much that space is becoming limited!  I have not in the past made a donation myself to them due to financial constraints, however, I am this year, and even if none of you can contribute, the contribution I send will be in memory of all of our ancestors, and ourselves who are beating our heads on brick walls looking for them.  I hope you can help too.  You will find that information at the bottom of every page on Marshall and Maury County websites, and under my name here.  It doesn't have to be much.  $1 dollar would tickle their fancy!  The folks who run the USGENNET are some of the most kindest, selfless people I have ever met.  (ok so I have only emailed or phone met them!)  But if you send a donation in, tell them how much you love what we do, and what they provide for us.......

Happy Late New Years to you all..........I hope you are all well, and hope that you are all blessed!

Paulette