Rare carving was found at the Leslie Castle site, Fetternear
A rare carving has been found at the excavation site of the Bishop's Palace which later became the Leslie Castle at Fetternear by Kemnay, Aberdeenshire. The carving, which could be up to 800 years old, is made from ivory or bone and depicts the figure of a king.
The find comes just days before the anniversary of the death of Nick Bogdan, who at 55 died of a heart attack last August. Nick led the dig from the beginning eight years ago assisted by Penny Dansart from Lampert University.
The dig is open for six to eight weeks every year and all who would like to help are welcome to dig in. No experience is required. Pack your rucksack and a tent. Further details can be had from Brian Lesslie, 4 Albany Terrace, Perth, PH1 2BD Scotland; e-mail bless993@blueyonder.co.uk.

Seabury Day will be marked in Aberdeen and Orkney
Seabury Day will be marked in the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney with special services in Peterhead on Friday, November 14th, the 219th anniversary of the consecration of Samuel Seabury as the first Bishop in the United States.
The Dean of Aberdeen, the Very Reverend Gerald Stranraer-Mull, who is also priest in Peterhead, Ellon and Cruden Bay, explained, "The consecration of Bishop Seabury in Aberdeen by three Scottish Bishops was the beginning of the worldwide Anglican Communication. The chief consecrating Bishop was the Primus, Bishop Robert Kilgour, and this year's service, for the first time, honors him.
A wreath will be laid on his grave in the old churchyard, overlooking Peterhead Harbour, and the band of the Salvation Army will lead a procession to Saint Peter's Church, the successor to the one in which Bishop Kilgour ministered during his long episcopate.
He was born at Cruden Bay, nine miles from Peterhead, and even when Bishop of Aberdeen, he never lived anywhere but within these nine miles. At that time Bishops in Scotland were also parish priests.
The Eucharist in Saint Peter's will be celebrated by the Primus of Scotland, the Most Reverend Bruce Cameron, who will then launch an appeal, to run until Easter, for a new house for the priest at Misty Point, in an expanding community in Aberdeen's companion Diocese of Saint John's in South Africa.

Spring genealogy seminar set for Midland, Texas
The Midland Genealogical Society Spring Seminar will be held March 20, 2004, at the First Presbyterian Church Activities Building, 800 West Texas Avenue, Midland, Texas. Featured lecturer will be Richard L. Hooverson.
Topics will include Order in the Court: Finding and Using Court Records; Banns, Bonds and Brands: Vital Record Substitutes, and Lost in the Woods: Effective Use of Maps and Gazetteers.
Contact the Society, 301 West Missouri, Midland, Texas 79701, or call Marilyn Russell, Seminar Chairman at (432) 682-5671 or e-mail her at mrlynmrlynrs@netscape.net.

A group of US Trail/l genealogists would like to initiate a DNA research project for the Traill/Trail (and all other spellings) surname worldwide.
One purpose is to establish, so far as possible, the parentage of David Traill, Sr., who emigrated to Maryland from Scotland around 1700. This individual is the progenitor of many, perhaps most, of the US Trail/ls. He was long believed by many researchers to be a son of William Traill of Westness (Orkney) and Barbara Balfour, but this has been disputed in recent years. Males with the surname Trail/l can participate in the most important aspect of this portion of the DNA study, which will provide a genetic map of inheritance from factors linked to the Y chromosome, passed from father to son.
For the purpose of determining David Traill's parentage, we especially need known direct patrilineal (male line) descendants of William Traill of Westness (Orkney, late 17th to early 18th centuries), as well as known direct patrilineal descendants of David Traill of David's industry, Prince George's Parish, Maryland (early 18th century).
For the wider purpose of mapping the family's inheritance and migration patterns as a whole, all males with the Trail/l surname are encouraged to participate in the study.
Other aspects of genealogical inheritance can be mapped using mitochondrial DNA, which is passed through the female line, so all those for whom the mtDNA test is appropriate are also welcome to participate.
It is expected that all participants will bear the cost of their own DNA testing, which is available at a discounted rate to those who join the study. Compared with the cost of research trips, fees for copies of documents such as birth certificates and wills, etc., the genetic testing is actually quite reasonable, starting at under $100 USD (about œ60 GBP) for some tests at the discounted rate, for those in an established project. The recommended 25-marker Y-DNA Plus (male test is $169 (about œ
100) at the discount rate. However, we invite inquiries even from those who do not want to invest this amount of money in DNA testing - partial or full sponsorship may be available for individuals who meet certain criteria as the project progresses.
At this point, we are seeking to identify Trail/l descendants who are interested in DNA research and may want to participate. A certain minimum number of participants is required in order to initiate a research project and, of course, the more people who participate, the more we can learn from the project.
Please see the web site at http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com to learn more about DNA testing for the purpose of genealogical research. You may also contact Cyndi Balfour-Traill (Mrs. Alan Wildberger) if you have any questions about the proposed project.
Please note that every individual's privacy is assured, the results will ONLY be used for the purpose of genealogical research, and participants have full rights of control over their genetic samples at all times. Many of the questions you may have about genealogical DNA testing may be answered at http://www.familytreedna.com/faq.html.
Please e-mail Cyndi Wildberger at s2b@earthlink.net if you think you may want to participate in the Trail/l DNA project, or if you have questions about it. Please include your full name and details of your connection, if any, to David Traill or William Traill of Westness and Barbara Balfour.

An interesting web site for surnames is www.last-names.net
The home page states: "find the ethnic origin and meanings of last names. Surname dictionary and genealogy helps include names of Irish, German, English, French, Italian and Jewish descent." An ancestral surname search will lead you to <Ancestry.com> where you can learn how many times your name appears in the 1920 and 1930 Federal census, as well as historical records.
Source: The Green Country Quarterly, Number 3, Fall 2003, Broken Arrow Genealogical Society, PO Box 1244, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013-1244.

How to know you're growing older
Everything hurts and what doesn't hurt, doesn't work.
The gleam in your eyes is from the sun hitting your bifocals.
You feel like the night before, and you haven't been anywhere.
You decide to procrastinate, but then never get around to it.
Your knees buckle, but your belt won't.
You burn the midnight oil at 9:00 P.M..
You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there.
Your back goes out more than you do.
You look forward to a dull evening.
Your little black book contains only names ending in M.D.
You get winded playing chess.
You just can't stand people who are intolerant.
Your son picks up the check for dinner.

Stuff that wasn't illegal back then
by Dale KUNTZ
I picked up the latest copy of the 1902 Sears & Roebuck Catalog just the other day. Here is a list of things that I could have ordered back then:
1. Jet Black Curly Dog Coat - "thoroughly deodorized."
2. Black Parrot (dead parrot that you could wear on your hat).
3. A quarter ounce of opium, 15 cents.
4. Vin Vitae - "Almost everyone needs a tonic at sometime or another."
5. Fifty pounds of dynamite - "cannot be shipped with other goods."
6. Colt 45 revolver with 7-1/2" barrel.
7. Improved Quackenbush Bicycle Rifle - "just the rifle for cyclists."
8. Our Railroad Attachment for Bicycles - "adjustable for use on standard or narrow gauge tracks."
9. Perfect working toy range - "you could really cook on this one if you had firewood."
So, with all of this in mind, do you still wonder why grandpa always had a smile on his face and why grandma always had a bird on her hat? The dead parrot only cost 45 cents. That's why!!
Source: Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society Newsletter, Volume XXV, Number 9, September 2003, P. O. Box 312, Pekin, Illinois 61555-0312.

Census images from the rich and famous are now on-line
Michael Neill has posted census images from the "rich and famous." The main page is www.rootdig.com/1930census/. Some of the many images linked are Lucille Ball, Marlon Brando, Mel Brooks, George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Walter Cronkite, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Katharine Hepburn, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and Dr. Seuss.
Thanks to Reunions Magazine, Volume 14, Number 2, October/November 2003, P.O. Box 11727, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211-0727.