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From:
Subject: Re: [BRE] Letter in Bedford Gazette
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:35:10 EST


Wanda and Wayne,

Wanda, don't be embarrassed. I had spent many trips to Bedford Co. to prove
(well actually to disprove, it turned out) a DAR Application made in 1927 that
said"my" John Lane Sr was the son of the Bedford Co PA Rev Soldier John Lane
Sr. During those trips, I stayed overnight at the family run "Judy's Motel"
just outside of town and spent the entire day(s) at the Courthouse. I
wouldn't have had to spend even 1 night, had the Courthouse records been in any kind
of order. Or, if the Pioneer Bedford Hx Society had known which box in the
Courthouse I should look for the usual types of public records.

Instead, I was directed by Staff at Courthouse and by Staff/volunteers at
Pioneer to root around in many cardboard boxes in a small room in the basement of
the courthouse, alone. (The room was on the right side, is all I remember.)
I spent HOURS in that room, carefully lifting out records & small slips of
papers and crumbling original documents, trying to keep my fingers to the edges
so I wouldn't leave my prints in the dust that covered everything in the open
cardboard boxes. It was a MESS. On the one hand, I was glad I could "look
at whatever I wanted to" but on the other hand, I knew it was a bad situation
to just let anyone go rumbling around in those boxes....

I ended up, through many trips, proving that "my" John Lane Sr, was living
and dying in Washington Co while Rev Soldier John Lane Sr was in Bedford Co &
died there.... and my John JR was in Washington Co & moved to Ripley Co IN while
the Rev Soldier's John JR stayed in Bedford Co until his death. So my John
Sr could not have been the son of the Rev soldier John Sr. Unhappy to prove
that DAR App was totally wrong.

I doubt the current Bedford Co folks have no idea the records had been stored
so badly. I could have saved several trips there had the records been in
order.

I'm still looking for the correct parents of my John Lane Sr. who from 1809
belonged to the congregation of Ten Mile Church of the Brethren, Washington Co,
PA... who had lived at Martin Garver's Beaver Dam home from 1794- to probably
around 1805 when he married (maybe lived with in-laws BAKER from 1805-1809),
both Frederick Co MD.... and was born "somewhere" to unknown parents in
1780....

Judy

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