Hello family researchers,

We'd like to take a brief moment to introduce ourselves and invite you to rediscover the county website. We are Bill & Christine Moore, and we've been given the opportunity to be the new GenWeb coordinators for Crawford County, Arkansas. We've been researching our family histories for the past several years, however this is our first attempt at integrating our technical skills with our passion for genealogy on such an historically rich, important and large scale. :)

As researchers, we've been through the Dawes Rolls and Civil War, spent cold winter nights in the colonies, and jumped the pond often enough to need a rest. We've traipsed through Sherwood Forest, been down dead-ends and suddenly seen lights at the end of the very long tunnels. Our most recent discovery was a toddler buried in a Crawford County cemetery, 200 miles from his mother. Previously, there had been no indication that my (Bill) 2nd great-grandfather and mother had ever visited Van Buren, let alone suffered such heartache in the city.

In the three weeks since we've been coordinators, we've made one transcription & photo-journaling trip to Crawford County, and have been revising the Crawford County ARGenWeb website (please see http://www.rootsweb.com/~arcrawfo/ ).

Some of the information that we've made available so far includes comprehensive listings of: cemeteries, cities, towns & historical townships, and libraries, genealogy & historical societies. We're also introducing Family Group Sheets. We're adding censuses, mortality schedules, land patents, vitals and obituary information. We have created sections for biographies, family websites, historical maps, military service records, a photo gallery and more.

As you'll easily discover, we're actively working on the site, pages are incomplete and some sections have non-working searches at the moment. Let us assure you, we're working on all of it!

One of the projects we've been working on is an interactive map of Crawford County which currently works in conjunction with the new Cemetery Index (http://www.rootsweb.com/~arcrawfo/maps/arcrawfomap.htm). We are adding in the data from the other index listings. Eventually we plan to incorporate all of the cemeteries, the churches, libraries and genealogy & historical societies, the courthouse, and places to stay while on overnight research trips, etc.!

As researchers, we all know that the website will never be about towns and buildings. It's about our families and their lives. It's about knowing their neighbors, how they came together for life's sorrows and joys. It's about community.

Your participation and involvement is crucial in making this simple website reflect our families and the community they called home. If you have any information pertaining to Crawford County that would be beneficial (even slightly) to someone else doing family research, please provide it. We promise to present your data to other researchers in formats that are organized, easily readable, and honoring to your family.

It has been with continual amazement and admiration that we have watched this message board over the past weeks. There is an atmosphere of community that is inspiring. Kudos are really due to all of the knowledgable volunteers here. Your quick & friendly, expert answers continually help those who ask in a manner that invites them to continue to interact. You have made this message board an example of what it's all about.

We look forward to working with everyone and serving with you in the coming weeks, months and years!

Warmly,
Bill and Christine Moore
http://www.rootsweb.com/~arcrawfo/