Why Does This Web Site Exist?
I actually have never lived in or near Hendricks County or Morgan County. I was born & raised in Carmichael, CA, but did go to school at Valparaiso U. I now live in Findlay, Ohio. My wife is a Miles. She never lived in Hendricks County or Morgan County either, but did go to school at Depauw U & spent considerable time with her much loved Aunt Bert and Uncle Gratz (aka Charlie) at the Miles Farm west of Danville. That farm has now been in the Miles family for over 100 years. My father-in-law was born at the farm.
My in-laws were cleaning out papers at the farm following Uncle Gratz' death, when they found genealogical papers from my wife's great-grandmother, Ella Irons Miles. I had never done genealogy before, but decided that her research was too good to waste. So I cleaned it up and entered it into Personal Ancestral File. (Get it free at the LDS' FamilySearch site.) Some of the data was missing, so I started to add stuff that I found here and there. Given that my initial efforts were pretty frustrating and knowing a little about computers, I decided to put my findings on the internet to help others.
That is how the site started. People have sent me data and I continue to research as best I can from a remote location. We occasionally visit the farm, but my wife strongly prefers that I spend time with the family rather than sit in a library. So, right or wrong, I do the best I can and put all data on the web except for that regarding persons who PAF and Rootsweb filters flag as potentially living.
I greatly appreciate constructive comments and receiving genealogical data that corrects or supplements the information posted. I typically do not correct data, unless source references are also provided. (I do not wish to get in the middle of arguments over anecdotal references.) I occasionally receive negative criticism because the data at my site is not perfect or many other reasons. I apologize to those persons in advance; this site's purpose is to help other researchers and, while I try to be as correct as is practical, this is not a paradigm of academic perfection. One MAJOR CAVEAT: I post everything I receive online at Rootsweb (but Rootsweb only as Rootsweb's policy prohibits Rootsweb from providing data to commercial companies). If you want to keep your data private, please do not send it to me. At the same time, you should be careful regarding any Rootsweb data, mine or otherwise, especially if it has no reference source listed. Also, please do not ask me for additional data as I have little data that is not listed on Rootsweb (only that filtered by Rootsweb and PAF as possibly living.)
The reason why I continue to maintain this site is to assist others researching Hendricks County and Morgan County families. If you want to do the same and wish to provide information to me, thank you! Again, I integrate all information into the Rootsweb database. Please do NOT send information to me if you do not wish to have it integrated into the Rootsweb WorldConnect database. That database is a compilation from numerous contributors and sources.
If you do provide information and want to have some link to your email address, a web site, or both, please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate you.
When genealogy gets frustrating remember Ecclesiastes 1:18
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
And Ecclesiastes 5:18 - 20
Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Good luck with your searching and remember to have fun.
Miles Family Home Page
