Hello to All.....

Hopefully, this posting will bring everyone up to speed on this discussion.

I am not new to the List but I am new to the Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society.....Having just joined Wednesday, May 1, 2002 when I visited Berkeley Springs.

I am the person who began the discussion about the book - Morgan County West Virginia and It's People on the website. I am familiar with the book from looking at it at the library, however I was naiveté about any possibility of reprinting/reproducing the book or any book of this makeup. I spoke with Kathern Allemong when I was in Berkeley on Wednesday because I was unable to reach the current President of the society. (I now know that he winters in FL.) Kathern explained that there would be no way that they would be able to reprint the book.....that it would be cost prohibitive.....just as was stated in Wilmer L. Kerns' posting on May 5.

She explained to me that the families at that time had submitted the information and that copies were only available at the time of publication. I was unaware that it was financed by the subscribers. I just made a phone call to Kathern and she was unsure of the exact or even ballpark cost of the book in 1981. She offered to look further for the pricing but I explained to her that it was not really unnecessary. I felt that the price paid for the book would make little difference about it's worth today. As stated in Wilmer L. Kerns' email - "This is a rare book, being out of print for 20 years, with little chance of a reprint".

My dilemma is, that at the time at plans were being made for this book, my immediate family and myself were living away from the area. I was unaware of the book plans. I was 24 years old and was becoming a first-time mother. I was somewhat interested in genealogy but with raising 4 children had little time to become more serious until in the past several years as my children have reached their teens. Now that I have spent more time at the library I came across this book and could not believe all the information the book contained! Recently I was expressing this fact to others on the website. I was simply asking if there was enough interest so that I could see if it was even worth approaching the society about a reprint or not. Maybe I got the horse before the cart and should have asked about the reprint before entertaining any interest on the part of other parties.

Fortunately, I was able to obtain an answer to the burning question - "Is there any chance that the book Morgan County West Virginia and It's People would be reprinted?" Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in finding any other copies for the many interested parties. Should I hear that any other copies are available I would be glad to pass this information along to the Morgan County Message Board.

Ginger