| My Success Story: |
After leaving my beloved state of Florida and moving back home to Colorado, I was terribly bored. I had been a truck driver for over 23 years and now I was doing nothing. My Mother had worked on our family history for over 25 years, (the hard way,) but was at a dead end.
To fight the boredom, I started getting interested in our "roots." I bought a computer, printer, scanner and went to work. I joined every RootsWeb mailing list that I thought pertained to my family.
My great-great grandmother's name was Deborah BABBITT, but my mother had it spelled Babbette, taken from her grandmother's death certificate. Then on one of the mailing lists, came the announcement of the LDS records going on line. I started haunting the site. I put in every ancestor's name I could think of and finally put in Deobrah's step-sister's name. Up came several names and I started down the line. I opened one and it had "relative: Almon BABBITT." Then I knew the spelling was wrong. I put a query on the New York mailing list and soon was answered by a gentleman telling me about a BABBITT Family Association and a book called, "BABBITT Family History." In searching these resources, I found that Deborah had 2 brothers, William age 12 and Alonzo age 8 and they both had died on December 13, 1813, (in Albany, New York,) but nobody seemed to know how they died. My 2 great-great Uncle's names haunted me day and night and I was determined to find out what had happened to them. I immediately joined RootsWeb's Albany New York mailing list and started writing my queries. It was not long until I received an answer from a member of that list and she told me she was going to the Library and she would see if she could find any information. About 2 days later, she e-mailed me and told me she had found an article in the newspaper microfiche, dated December 17, 1813, telling of 3 young boys killed in an explosion at the Watervliet Arsenal, (New York Laboratories.)She took her own valuable time and visited the Arsenal and talked with the historian there. The historian told her they had heard of the 3 young boys being killed, but they had never been able to verify it. Now with the newspaper article, they could. The lady who went to the Arsenal sent me photo copies, etc. and did not charge me anything, even though I tried to send her money, she would not accept it.
Recently, I wrote to the Arsenal historian asking if she knew where my 2 great great Uncles could have been buried. She sent me a very nice letter and said she did not have any record of them being buried at the arsenal, although there were 8 unknown graves there. She also sent me a poem that was written for the boys, by the poet, Silas BALLOU of Richmond, New Hampshire and read at the boys funeral, by their father, James BABBITT. I treasure every scrap of information I have received on these 2 young boys and I especially thank RootsWeb for their fantastic mailing lists and the great people who are on them.
I hope to visit these 8 graves, in the near future and pay my respects to these 8 unknowns. I guess just to let them know that someone DOES care.
After finding my 2 great-great Uncles, I proceeded to search for information on Deborah's husband's family. Thanks again to the RootsWeb mailing lists, I have 2 generations back, on Deborah's husband. Again from a very special person who took her own time and visited West Medway, MA and found, not only, birth records of Deborah's husband's great-great grandparents, (William & Jerusha WIGHT/WHITE,) but also their graves and she sent me exactly what is written on their tombstones. This lady also would not accept any money for what she did.
I have the paper verification for this and the people's names who spent so much time helping me and I want them to know how very much I appreciate them and the RootsWeb mailing lists.
Thank You,
marykell@aol.com
Proud RootsWeb Sponsor
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