Collection of Genealogical Articles Written by Society Members For Weekly Publication in the Sun Herald Newspapers, 1998

              Wednesday,'September^,''i'998
\tehijafitt Herald
Ghost story, Heritage Quest Road
Show coming
By MARY WILSON
Correspondent	
Halloween is about a month away. Are you ready for a genealogy ghost story? I have a true story to tell that concerns a couple of my own ancestors, so and it is apropos. My story dates back at least 40 years. My mother was working at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, as a floor clerk.
One day, while she was on duty, a group of newly arrived conventioneers converged upon the elevators. They were mem¬ bers of a spiritualist convention happily heading out to a meet¬ ing session. The elevators at the Hilton were not known for their speedy service, and during the
wait, one of the women in the group approached my mother. "Mrs. Crane, I have a message for you." (Mother's name plate was on her desk: "Mrs. Mary Crane.")    .
My mother was surprised. She couldn't imagine how a perfect stranger could have a message for her. Nevertheless, she laughed and said, "Oh, that's a funny switch, isn't it? Usually I have the messages for you. Il must be from my hus¬ band." Her new friend asked "Has he passed on?" To which my mother replied, "No, the last time I saw him this mom¬ ing, he was very much alive."
"Well," said the woman, "it is someone else, because this man has passed on."
As I recall, she gave some details about his appearance, and then relayed his message. "Take care of your stomach." In relating the story later, my mother told of her shock. Her
father's favorite admonition was, "Take care of your stom¬ ach." He had died many years before.
But the revelations did not stop there. The spiritualist con¬ tinued. "Ida says, weren't you surprised to hear that she was
Genealogy
gone?" That was another bull's- eye. My father had an aunt named Ida who died very sud¬ denly and everyone was sur¬ prised at her untimely death.
But the eeriest thing about this conversation was yet to come. "Do you play the piano?" the woman asked. "This time," Mother thought to herself, "I've got you. No," she replied. "I can't play the piano and I don't sing." The spiritual¬ ist pursued. "Well, that is very strange indeed. I don't under¬ stand it," she insisted, pointing to die name plate on the desk, "because Annie says she loves to hear Mary play the piano and sing." My maternal grand¬ mother was called Annie, though her name was Ann. And I am the Mary who played the piano and sang.
Although the woman was on a roll and anxious to continue the conversation, my mother sent her away with a wave of her hand and a nervous laugh, saying, "Go away from me woman, you are scaring me to death."
I never knew my grandmoth¬ er except through stones my mother told me. She died a month after I was born. But you can bet I never sit down at the pizmo to play or sing a song when I don't wonder if my maternal grandmother, "Annie," still "loves to "hear Mary play
the piano and sing."
Heritage Quest
The Heritage Quest Road Show is scheduled for October 31. This is going to be a great show, folks, and you will leam a lot about researching your family. If you are interested in registering, please call Gene Dudley, president of the Charlotte County Genealogical Society, at 637-6208, or Bob Tedford, 764-7648. .  .
Our query of the week is from Tammi Griffin, Rt. 3, Box 92, Headland, Alabama 36345. Tammi writes: "I am searching for info, on Venie(?) Clark, b. about 1898. He was supposed to have died in the Arcadia, Fla*, area within the last five
years. Venie's father was John Anderson Clark b. November 7, 1862, in Holmes Co., Fla., area. Mother was Catherine Sanders(Newton). Venie was supposed to be a preacher, pos¬ sibly Assembly of God, and was a very good piano player. He had a son and daughter, names unknown. The daughter is supposed to still be living in Arcadia.'
Please if anyone has info, on this family, please contact her at the adcfa-ess above or e-mail Crik34@aol.com
Mary Wilson is vice presi¬ dent of the Charlotte County Genealogical Society, which meets the third Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, Vizcaya and Quesada.