Well, toadfrog, it could still be history, depending on through whose eyes one views it, eh? Though, of course, the eyewitness account is riveting and much more plausible, as you say.

This is sort of strange for me. On the one hand my dad's exact words are, in talking about my great-great-grandfather and his daughter, my great-grandma, "He (Abe Forsythe) was a friend of the James boys and Quantrell, which incidentally, for all the bloody reputation the history books give him, my Grandmother Hudson (Abe's daughter, Beulah) said she believed him to be one of the kindest, most thoughtful men she had ever met."

On the other hand, my other great-granddad served on the Union side for Kansas; fought in many, many battles and would never speak a word of it no matter how often his children begged for stories. He wouldn't even let them get out his sword. As he and his family lived south of Kansas city, I would imagibe they were not far from Lawrence. I'll have to look it up on the map.

So, it's a little odd thinking the two of them may have actually fought against each other, although Abe was mostly in West Virginia, from what I know, so probably not.

Thanks,

kat