I’d like to end the year with some apologies, reminders, and plans.
First of all please accept my apologies for any mistakes I have made in the past, both here and in my books. I try to check for accuracy. I try to be careful. I try to check sources. However, things happen. And I know I’ve probably made more mistakes than I realize. The thing I want you to remember is that I solicit your input and will gladly acknowledge my mistakes and correct them. This blog is about information….for families, for historians, for genealogists, for the curious…and I want it to be as accurate as possible. So if you question something, or know that it is wrong, please contact me.
Second, my apologies to anyone who feels that I didn’t do as much for them as they had hoped. Some of my research for others has sort of “fallen by the wayside” this year due to other commitments, health concerns, and school challenges. I am, in my own defense, still working. However, if there is something I was supposed to find for you and I haven’t done it yet, don’t hesitate to remind me. It won’t bother me at all…and chances are you are still on my master list of research projects. I just get distracted sometimes.
A reminder that any and all donations to the Bryan County Genealogy Library, P. O. Box 153, Calera, Oklahoma, 74730 will be appreciated, used wisely, and benefit all of us. As they add more files and resources and books and microfilm, more pieces of the past become available for researchers. There is a LOT of information online, but not all of it is factual or proven and sometimes only the old records solve our problems. The group also has operating expenses and is staffed by volunteers.
Please remember also that your stories are important- to your family and to me. If you have something to share about Caddo’s past please send it to me. I love to hear about real experiences and relationships. Also….I am ALWAYS looking for photos! Email copies or scans are great.
I am putting the finishing touches on More Fat Men and Fabulous Ladies. It should be available very soon. Included in my future plans are a biography of Ben Siegel, then the next Fat Men volume, then a book about Fun and Frolic (entertainment in Caddo).
One of the things I plan to do for the blog in the coming year is abstract articles and columns from the Durant papers. For years there were local correspondents who reported the news to the Durant Weekly News or the Durant Daily Democrat, despite the fact that Caddo had its own paper. I also want to try to get more out of the 1930s papers. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but many issues from those years are in very bad shape (dark) and can’t be copied by the printer. I have to write them out by hand or buy a laptop and type them directly.
I’ve thought from time to time that there might be a point at which I would be forced to end this blog because of a lack of new material. That doesn’t seem to be the case! There are still so many discoveries to be made and stories to be shared. As an example, I only recently became aware of the scandal surrounding the Arthur Gooch hanging in June of 1936, because of my research on Sam Swinney. And of course, there is also current news that needs to be shared from time to time.
So…as we end 2011 and prepare for 2012 I wish you the best and hope that you will continue to join me for more glimpses of the past.
And if you would be so kind, I would ask that you pass this link on to one other person this year.