Van Buren County
Research Success Stories

Have found the Van Buren county site very helpful!! It is by far the easiest and most user-friendly site I have encountered in my genealogy research. Your site also has much more detailed surname information than other county gen-web projects. I found information there that I was unable to find anywhere else (including years of hunting through LDS records). I was able to get new information on all three surnames I am researching: MATHIAS, GREEN and VALENTINE. I plan to post whatever information I have on your gen-connect boards as well as your cemetery and marriage data bases. Dena Mathias

Thank you! The Obit. you transcribed from the Entler Scrapbook collection was just what I was looking for, look for me to request more next week. I must also say your site is very nice, I didn't know of the relatives in Van Buren county until recently, so your site was new for me. It really is very nicely set up, and you have loads of information. Thank you again, Kristi Kennison

My name is Rainer Grages. I`m from Germany. Do you remember? In 1998 you posted two obits for me. I was looking for Henry and Elizabeth Grages . Let me tell you, that I found three descendants of them, living in USA. They are 3rd cousins of mine and we have contact and all are very happy. They are living in Green Bay, Wis., Tucson, Az. and Las Vegas, Nev. You have made it possible for me to find them. Therefore I say "Thank You very much"! Henry and Elizabeth Grages had a farm four miles southeast of Keosauqua in sec. 8. - Rainer Grages

I was frustrated because no one else had submitted anything at all on my family lines. Then I realized that "I" was that somebody so I started digging for obits myself and submitting them. I love to do the research. <snip>  Through the Van Buren County web site I have been able to come in contact with a number of "cousins", one which lives about 6 miles from me! At Thanksgiving I received an e-mail asking if I could enlighten the sender about who Oscar Haney and Clarence & Ruth McGaffey were. After responding to him, he sent me via e-mail pictures that I had not seen before. I submitted Oscar's picture on the Haney Myfamily.com website. I received a response that Oscar's daughter had never seen a picture of her father as a young boy and was thrilled that it had materialized. So... THANK YOU!! for making this sight available and so user friendly. I have checked the genealogy websites for several other counties and Van Buren's site is superior!!! - Valorie Richards

 I hate to say that after being accustomed to your great and useful site, I am disappointed in a lot of the sites I visit that have NOTHING but links to Co. Courthouse addresses and the generic genealogical sites like GenForum, Ancestry.com, etc. I really appreciate what you and Fran, Sharon, Marian, etc. have accomplished....like one of my favorite sayings Together Everyone Accomplishes More [TEAM!] - Karen DaPra

[Editors Note: Karen DaPra has contributed an enormous number of Obituary postings to the Van Buren Co. Obit. Boards. Thank you, Karen!]