The year 2001 is going entirely to fast!  Already, it is the second month, does time go faster as we age?  Years seem to fly by.  When in school, and when working, those vacations seemed like they never came around, and as a child, Christmas was always so far away, but as an adult, it comes all to quickly!  I quit having birthdays, as they came way to often :)  My grandbaby, whom it seemed was just born, has just turned 4 years old.

It appears that word of mouth has spread the news of the newsletter, for which I thank you,  I have had a few calls and snail letters asking for copies from those without access to computers.    I have not yet figured out how to do that, as I said before, printing it all out will cost a fortune in ink, paper, and postage; this month's pages will print out at just over 200 pages.  If  you all have kinfolk interested that live nearby, bring em' home and let them view it online.  It might jog some memories and we could find even more cousins to add to our ever-growing family.  And, please, drag out your photo albums and send more photographs.  Putting them online is a fabulous way of sharing, and of preserving them.  Many of those photographs that are not identified may find the eye of someone who can identify them.  Others will show us where we got our traits.  I just started a new page of  "our present kinfolk" where I am posting photos, most from reunions, and if you want yours there, send me one.  I will add more from my collection as time allows. 

This month's newsletter will be lineage from the Bufkin families, found primarily in Copiah and Jasper Counties of Mississippi.  I believe there are more Bufkin's than Barlows.  My husband keeps telling me that the Bible tells us that we all go back to Adam and Eve, and that we are all related - and I know that - but this is such fun.  At the rate I am going, I will soon have all the folks in the state of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas linked together. An extra bonus in this month's issue of the newsletter is a transcription of most of  the book, Antioch Baptist Church of Hazelhurst, Copiah Co Mississippi - 175th Anniversary - 1824 -1999.  It contains a wealth of information about the history of that area, as well as genealogical information.  Lora Beth had suggested I use the book as a basis for a newsletter, but I had already decided to work on Bufkin's for this month.  As I began working, I realized that Bufkin's had donated the land for the Antioch Church.  As I further studied the book, I found that the much of the information could be easily incorporated into the note portions of the lineage.  Though the book is not copyrighted, I felt I should have permission from someone to use that information, and a fellow researcher, Gerry Bufkin Richmond,  put me in touch with Karen Thompson Reynolds, who was the compiler of the Antioch Book; she was delighted to have the book put "online", and even sent her master copy so that I could have better images.  Gerry and another of her cousins, Shirley Beech Lynch have sent many other photographs for our viewing.  I found that I had much information previously collected in my files that had never been input to my family tree, and have spent much of the month trying to compile that. I hope that I have given credit to all who have contributed to this effort, if I missed someone, please let me know.  Some information has been in my files for a long time, and did not have sources included.  Of course, as I have stated before, much of the work is not documented, and if you can make corrections or additions, I would certainly be happy to hear from you.  I didn't complete inputting names into my FTM, as the families went off in all directions, and as they married into other families, it gets harder and harder to find a stopping point.  As the month of February grew nearer, I realized I had to "stop" and start putting together the newsletter.  Perhaps in a few more months, the Bufkins' can be updated once again, depending on the response from this one, and  if other's have information, photographs, and documents to share.  It never ceases to amaze me at the cuzzin's whom I find by having the genealogy online.  I have come to believe that genealogy may well be one of the leading hobbies in the world, at least with those of us who have aged, and come to appreciate "family".

I have transcribed the Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery also; it is on our website, as well as on the Copiah County GenWeb.  I have plans to add photographs of as many tombstones as I can, but at the present time, I cannot locate my tombstone books.  Gerry Bufkin sent a few, they are linked throughout the Bufkin lineage pages.  If  any of you have photographs of tombstones taken at Antioch, I'd surely appreciate having a copy to add to this project.  As you look thru the cemetery listings, you will note that I have added my own notes showing maiden names, etc., all of this information came from my FTM, and so you will see, that almost every single person buried there is kinfolk!   Some I have not yet figured out, but I'm sure they are also related somehow.

And speaking of cemeteries, Rita Barlow has sent wonderful news about the request made for the cleaning of Old Pleasant Valley Cemetery; she quotes: "and the problem of the cemetary was presented to the board and approved Friday.  Now it is on the way to the supervisors to set up the cleaning.   Perry Hood a supervisor down here has said that he has gotten letters from all over the US and is waiting on the archieves to get the cleaning done" so...they should have it soon!     Thank you all for this overwhelming response to the request!!

I have not heard from family this month as far as health, births, deaths, etc..but as of this morning, I had not heard from Lora Beth in quite sometime and called, only to find her mother is not doing well, and that LB is in East Texas helping to care for her.  Attempts to call there have not been successful as yet.  I haven't heard anything from Luther Hart, I pray that is not a bad sign.   My husband just had foot surgery on both feet, and is very much out of it from the drugs used to numb the pain.  He is a mail carrier, and walking on hills has caused his baby toe to curve up under his foot, so the bone had to be split, it sounds complicated.  The other foot was just an ingrown toenail.  He will be off of his feet for the most part of a month.  He is not whining nearly as much as I had thought, mostly he sleeps.  I do feel sorry for him, and wish I could take some of his pain!  I have had a terrible cold for 3 weeks now, but refuse to go to the doctor.  The worst of it is being wakened at nite in coughing fits.  Another week, and perhaps I will go to the doctor if it is not better.  I will see my hematologist/oncologist on the 17th - he'll fix me up.  As long as I am able to sit in front of this computer, then I am OK.

Thank you all who have helped answering my never ending questions, and for your patience with me while transcribing this data.  Now, lets get to the good part.  The entire index for the Antioch Book and for the Bufkin lineage   I pray that all my links are working, I keep getting sidetracked while trying to check them.  If  you should find one not working, make a note of the URL where it is located, and send me a note.   Also if  you notice any corrections or additions needed, send them.

I have not yet decided what to do for next month, but I don't think it will be quite as involved as this one has been, I have worked day and nite on the Bufkins for the most part of the month.  I have enjoyed it, but am ready to move on.  Work is beginning to back up on the Barlow Clearinghouse, where the Barlow's from the rest of the world are databased.

Have a wonderful month, stay warm and dry / and or wet, if that is what you are lacking.  I understand that much of Florida is in a drought, and fires are once again wreaking havoc.  Unusual frost this winter have caused a loss of much of the vegetation there.  What a pity!  I have often though of moving to Florida where it is green all year long, but looks like that is no longer the case.

Love, Susan