Okay, so genealogy really doesn't belong on a business Web site. What can I say? I love history and genealogy! Consequently, the chance to write a person's memoir or a family's history is a special treat. If not captured on paper today, those fleeting memories may soon be gone. . .forever.

The town of Petersburg, Alaska collected family stories and photos for Pioneer Profiles: A History of Petersburg Settlers (1898-1959) and asked me to do the design and layout.

My own family tree traces HERSHELMAN back through Crawford County, in Western Pennsylvania, where the old German families came to the United States, in 1833, as HERSCHELMANN. In Pfalz, Bavaria, Germany, the name was HIRSCHELMANN. (An 1833 newspaper announces their intent to emigrate. "They" are Johann Adam Hirschelmann and his adult children. And yes, the kids came, too.)

With such a rare surname, I am collecting information on all descendants with all variations of the spelling, including HERSCHELMAN, HIRSCHELMAN, etc.

I am the listress of the HERSHELMAN mailing list on RootsWeb , the oldest free genealogical cooperative on the Web. Here, all HERSHELMANs, no matter what the spelling, share information.

An interesting note: All of the HERSHELMANs I have located with my spelling have a common tale floating amongst their family lore: We are related to Clark Gable. His mother was a HERSHELMAN.

Other German surnames in my database include NOTHOFF, BURCHARD, BURCKART, KOHLKUND, WEIMER, LUTZ, MULLER, GESELL and HUBER.

From my WILDER line appear the related surnames DOTY and WHITE (both of the Mayflower), EAMES, ATHERTON, WHEELER, VASSALL and BURBEEN.

Last, but definitely not least. . .from Ireland came my CONMEE and SWEENEY ancestors, all of whom originally settled in the Chicago, Illinois area. (The clan is outlined here in a 1960 letter by Margaret Sweeney.)

1 Barthol HIRSCHELMANN (Abt. 1686 -1752)

... +Anna Maria (Abt. 1679 -1759)

........ 2 Georg Jacob HIRSCHELMANN (1731 -1783)

.............. +Maria Catharina (Abt 1735 -1794)

.................. 3 Johann Adam HIRSCHELMANN (1770 - Before 1850)

........................ +Katharina NOTHOFF (1773- Abt 1853)

............................ 4 Philipp HERSHELMAN (1799 -1888)

.................................. +Anna Elizabetha Catrina WEIMER (1804 -1892)

...................................... 5 Adam HERSHELMAN (1840 - 1909)

............................................ +Elizabeth ADAMS (1846 -1938)

................................................. 6 Frederick Charles HERSHELMAN (1869 -1963)

....................................................... +Addie Mary WILDER (1868 -1937)

........................................................... 7 Fay Wilder HERSHELMAN (1893 -1964)

................................................................. +Jennie Loretto SWEENEY (1892 -1967)

..................................................................... 8 Kenneth Lyle HERSHELMAN ( )

........................................................................... +Audrey Jean MILLER ( )

............................................................................... 9 Sandra Lee HERSHELMAN ( )

.......................................................................................... 10 Ryan David ANDERSON ( )

.......................................................................................... 10 Heidi Lynn ANDERSON ( )

............................................................................... 9 Diana Lynn HERSHELMAN ( )