One of my biggest frustrations as I research my book – the Purple Wedding Dress – is that I did not appreciate the plethora of history that was available to me as a child. To think that my grandfather had a maternal grandfather and a great uncle who served in the Civil War – amazes me. I think of all the useless questions I probably asked him – instead of talking about the portraits that hung on the walls of his living room. Granted there were none of soldiers – but I have faith – the history would have come out. But – all is not lost – thanks to the Cofrin research center and Ancestry.com. When we pass stories down to our grandchildren – it is like giving them a living link into a time warp of history.