Dear Mark:

This is a letter I've been planning to write you for months, but have so many things cooking at one time and I never know which has to been taken off the stove first. Guess those that have a date line and are next in order get done first, and the others have to wait and wait and wait. Another reason for not writing sooner was that the photographs in the box that I took to Colfax got all mixed up--as we had no rubber bands on them--so I didn't know what was what, so there didn't see any reason to rush an answer. Will bring them back next year and you can go through them again along with Paula, and I'll bring some rubber bands and have them printed.

The reason for writing now is that in straightening out my files, I found some information on the Carter Family that I am sure you will be most happy to receive. Don't know what effect it will have on those long charts you have, but it should help a bit. Or get you even more mixed up. I know I have some more of these somewhere in my mixed up files, and I'll send them along as I hit them when cleaning up my files. Don't hold your breath until they arrive or you won't survive as you have no idea how much correspondence I carry on. Now we're trying to organize a 2000 class reunion, and of course, I'm right in the middle of things. At the moment it looks like we'll have it in Lexington which a room and a meal can be set up, but I'd prefer going to Joliet where we can get a conference room for two days FREE in the Super 8 there plus an excellent dining restaurant. But I don't want to push my idea too strong as some may not want to drive as far as Joliet, and I certainly don't want them to think I want it there as it is closer to Evanston than Lexington. One fellow and his wife come from Virginia and would appreciate the shorter drive.

See how I get off on some other subject and don't finish what I started? No wonder I don't get anything done! But to get back to the enclosures, this information was sent to me by a woman whose maiden name was Willis and was a descendent of my great grandfather, John Carter and the daughter of my grandfather's second wife (Eliza Sleezer) and her mother, Margaret Alice (Maggie) married George Lindley Willis and they moved to Missouri. As I understand it, my father (George), Uncle Charles, and Uncle Joseph, who were born to Mary Jane Turnipseed (which sadly enough makes old Jay Turnsipseed a cousin of some sort of mine, Jay was a dirty, filthy person and his wife was just as bad, they used to live on the east side of Colfax) didn't get along with their stepmother and when John moved to Kansas or Missouri, they stayed in Illinois (George and Joseph in Colfax and Charley in Gridley). Anyway, this woman who lived in Seattle and name was Willis contacted me and wanted any information I had on the Carter family. I didn't have much other than what was written in the old family bible, but I sent her what I had and told her I had an old family album of the 1800s but none of the people in those old fashioned photographs were named. She wanted to borrow the album and promised to send it back, but I was doubtful if she would. I was right, she never did, although I wrote her and asked for it a number of times. She has since passed away, and I don't know who has the album. I remember some people from Missouri coming up to visit us when I was in high school. One young woman went to school with me and sat in several of my classes. That must have been the Willis side of the family.

I'm quite sure Uncle Joe was buried in Wiley Cemetery but I don't know where his grave would be. There's a Joseph Carter buried in Wiley Cemetary, but he fought in the Civil War and that was no Uncle Joe whom I knew quite well, also his children: Donald, Mary Ellen (I think is her correct name, but you might have known her as "Peggy"), and James who was better known as "Mickey". I never knew of John; either it's an error or he died as an infant--but I would have known about that although perhaps I was too young. I would guess Edgar died young as I never knew of him and my father never mentioned him. Note that he was born in April, 1870 and his mother died in September, 187O. Uncle Joe died in a mental institution and perhaps Aunt Mary had no money to bury him or didn't want to. My mother hated her with a passion, but I always thought she was a lot of fun. She had a poor reputation in Colfax. Well, I'll close and work on my files. Will send more material later.

Sincerely

Lionel