Remember when AOL would announce “You’ve got mail”?? I received an interesting message today via Ancestry mail.

Hi – I am the archivist at the Old Mill Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas. I have had a lot of extra time this past year to do some extra deep cleaning and organizing. I am trying to find new homes for items that do not have a close connection to Lindsborg or McPherson County. I have three photos of Laura Marguerite Hedine as a child. I see that you have Laura in your tree. Since Laura never lived in Kansas would you like to have the photos? If so, I would be happy to mail them to you. Thanks, Lenora Lynam

I left an interesting Ancesty project and searched for details about Laura. What I found was intriguing!! The Old German Baptist Brethren are so intricately interwoven, it was surprising to see the marriage to a man who was born in Sweden. Honestly, I wish we had “time travel” so I could go back to 1906-1907 and learn more about the personal lives of the young couple.

I have not decided how to answer the archivist. It’s interesting (isn’t it) that she has visited my Ancestry database. Strange as it may sound, that makes me very happy!! Why?? The love that I devote to the documentation of the Frantz family—and collateral lines—is reaching far and wide. That’s my goal because (imho) my ancestry is unique and I want to record the wonderful individuals who were dedicated to living Christ-centered God-fearing lives. Hard-working, kind, thoughtful, considerate…

I diligently searched—and documented—the individuals (a dozen) with the thought that they may never appear in another database. If Elizabeth (my second cousin) had not died in 1907, these folks might well have been my cousins.

Postscript 5:45 PM: Because of the archivist’s message, I received an unexpected message from a third cousin. L-o-n-g, -l-o-n-g,  -s-t-o-r-y and I’m actually “speechless” right now. That’s right, I don’t know how to write about the euphoria and elation. Praise God from Whom all blessing flow!!!!