Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the many helpful people who have provided information and research which has shaped this book: Judy Anderson, Mary Margaret Beach, Virginia Belcher, Parke C. Bogle, Jean Harris, Linda Long, Mary Kay Smith, James E. Snyder, Ruby Stowers, Pansy Thompson, and Jack Vest. Margaret Thompson Brooks has graciously allowed me to include her poem.

In addition, I am most deeply indebted to the following individuals:

Carolyn Cragun, my mother, got me going in genealogy, and wisely suggested the Thompson branch as a good one to work on. The localized nature of this family made it possible for me to do much of my research by mail-order of microfilm. She sent me a steady flow of gathered tidbits from her own research, and patiently listened to my theories about family connections. As the evidence became more substantial, she reviewed early drafts of the book and made valuable suggestions. She has meticulously analyzed the originals of Doris Harris's notes presented in the Appendix.

Myrl Thompson has provided me with significant and invaluable additional research. His access to federal archives in the unlikely place of Alaska has provided depth to much of what we know about Andrew Sr. His skill and research with land records has provided important details previously hidden, for example the family structure of Andrew Jr. His research has substantiated many of my conclusions that previously were just theories. It was almost chance that Myrl and I connected, and the result was synergistic -- we each had pieces to the puzzle and together a clear picture began to emerge. Letters written to answer Myrl's questions became the basis for many of the chapters in the book, which he has reviewed in countless drafts, each time providing additional useful information of his own.

Last, but certainly not least, thanks and appreciation to my wife Leanne and my children for their support during this project and my genealogical hobby over the years. They have been very patient with my long hours away at libraries and in front of the computer.

MY PEOPLE

As I sit by the fire,
I knit or I sew
I think of my people
of long ago.
Where did they come from?
How did they get here?
How did they travel from
hither to fro?
My people of long ago.
I am sure they loved. and
were loved in return
As years of time raced past.
If only I had someone to ask.
About my people, of the past.
I never will know any more than
I do, about something so close
to me.
Finding out about my Ancestors
of the past. If only I had some-
one to ask.
There are records and film, I'm
sure of that. Except that I don't
know names or facts.
I will live good and be honest
Be a credit to those in my past
If only I had some one to ask
About my people of the past.

3/13/79
Margaret Thompson Brooks
Great-great-great-great-granddaughter
of Andrew Thompson Sr.