To get things started, I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this first Roundtable. The plan was (is) to have the copies in the mail by the end of the first month of each quarter. This premier Q1 edition should have been mailed in late January instead of early March, but the gremlins wreaked havoc for a few weeks. They're now under control, and Q2 and future editions will be mailed on schedule. The target date, incidentally, for submission of material in time for Q2 is April 15.

I want to thank everyone who has helped me over the past few months, especially: my two sisters, Nancy Regelin and Kathy Hope, for helping me right from the start; to an aunt, Donna (Crist) Walton for filling in a lot of the missing pieces; to Ken Patterson and Frankie Hudnall, a couple of cousins I unfortunately haven't seen for too many years, for unselfishly sharing their knowledge; to Frances Miller, Alfred Farmer "Speck" Steele's daughter, and my dad's cousin, for sharing information and photos; to Rachel (Ferrell) Szasz, a distant cousin I recently met, for helping me in so many ways and for writing such a nice article; and finally, to Mike Mrvosh, a very close and dear friend for his generosity and support, and just plain friendship.

In addition to the above, I've also had the pleasure of speaking with another aunt, June (Steele) Patterson, and her daughter (Ken's sister), Faye Heintschel; another of dad's cousins, George Steele (Millard's son); a couple of mom's cousins, Jennings Goodson and Wilbur Reynolds; Wilbur's son, Gerald Reynolds (with whom I graduated from high school, and haven't seen since probably the late 50's); and another cousin, Carolyn (Gaunch) Hicks, daughter of Phyllis (Crist) Gaunch.

I also received a call a couple of weeks ago from a distant relative, Tammy (Steele) Dyer, over in Lebanon, OH. Tammy was referred by Frances Miller, and seems interested in getting a Steele family reunion started. This is something that will take a great deal of planning, but it's something I think we could all support, and I'd like your thoughts on the subject.

In the mean time, we can get together at the Ward Reunion which is always on the 2nd Saturday of September at the Carnifex Ferry State Park – and this brings to mind one more person who's been helpful: Patsy (Hudson) Tucker, editor of the Ward Reunion Books. Her family is one of probably two remaining in Ward, since Jennings Goodson recently moved to Parkersburg.

I'm planning on meeting Patsy in a week or two, because she has so many memories she can recount. Also, she wants everyone to know that she's trying to get everything ready to take to the printer by the end of May, so if you have anything you want included in the 1997 book, please send it to: Patsy Hudson Tucker, P.O. Box 453, Cedar Grove, WV 25039.

And the fun and the surprises never stop... The other day at the WV Archives & History Library, I was talking to Greg Carroll, resident Civil War expert, and mentioned something about Hawkins Steele. Cathy Miller, who also works there, overheard, and stated that Hawkins was her g grandfather, which makes Ralph A. her gg grandfather, making us 3rd cousins.

And... a few days later I discovered the Pedigree Chart of Helen (Smith) Stinson, a very respected genealogist who has been guest speaker here on several occasions, and saw that she is a gg granddaughter of Andrew Branham & Sabra Estep, who happen to be my ggg grandparents. This makes us 3rd cousins, once removed. Helen was born in Pond Gap, lived in Texas for a while, and now lives in Moorpark, CA. She has written numerous books on genealogy, and I understand has spoken on the subject all over the country, and possibly the world.

I couldn't wait to speak to her, so I called and spoke while she prepared dinner. If you'll look at the Branham Descendants List, you'll find Cynthia Branham and Alexander R. Smith. Her father, Guy Glade Smith, was their son. She's promised to assist me with the Branham/Estep side of the family, and we'll have more at a future date.

Also, Frank Hudnall's gg grandfather, Warder "Ward" Hudnall, was the first permanent settler of Kelly's Creek, and Frank is trying to have a monument in his honor placed at the old historic church in Glasgow at the mouth of the hollow. I'm sure any help anyone could give would be appreciated, and you may contact him: Col. William R. Hudnall, Ret., Rt. 1, Box 174-A, New Canton, VA 23123.

Finally, one last item. I'd like to publish a Roundtable Cookbook, and need your favorite family recipes that have been handed down over the years, along with stories about them. If you'd like to participate, please send them in. If genealogy could be bottled and sold, vendors would be remiss if they didn't include the statement: Warning, possible side effects might include rewarding contacts with friends and family. That has certainly been my experience. What started as a simple search for a few records at the county courthouse, has turned into an incredible journey filled with one surprise after another. Even though he was speaking on a different subject, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, was certainly right in saying "The journey is the reward." It has been mine.