Dear Search Light Readers,

I am honored to have my family web site in the "Spotlight" of the Spring 2001 issue; welcome aboard to Chris; and to Betty I offer my best wishes. After all, she gave me the start on my Light line, exactly 4 years ago this Spring, and her contribution to the study of the Light surname has been (and, I hope, will continue to be) tremendous.

Although I do not claim to be a genealogist, I will lay claim to being a family historian, and although I do strive (not always successfully) to incorporate the science of genealogy, I prefer it be coupled with the art and tradition of family history to keep it interesting. Seems within each family tradition handed down to me I have discovered some kernel of truth I can verify, if not prove wholly accurate.

The "Licht und Light" family page that Chris references includes the ahnentafel report on my grandfather Robert Groh Light, a work in progress, a preliminary study, only four "spare-time" years in the making. It has many flaws of which I am aware, and many, I am sure, I am not aware. Chris found an older version of the site that I can't seem to get off line and he quotes from it as his example - you'll see I have already made some changes which you should look at carefully. Most notably: the "Miller Family History" is actually the MEYER Family History and I am still searching down the complete manuscript (found it at FHC!); also, what you see listed in Search Light as source #165 "Tombstone of II John Light" is as discussed by P. C. Croll in Ancient and Historic Landmarks in the Lebanon Valley; I think I successfully prove this is NOT the stone of II John Light in my pages on "Earliest Known Family Graves . . .", but I offer it as a possible origin for the unproved "Maria", as wife to patriarch Johannes Licht.

I owe much (all!) of my data to others before me, and to everyone I say thank you for being so generous and forgiving when I inadvertently misquote or forget to give proper credit; I am working at perfecting this very all-important nuance of the craft.

If you find errors or have questions please contact me!
mail@johnlight.com.

A few months ago I decided I no longer wanted to include my source material online and I revive it only at Chris' request and only until the next issue of Search Light is published. If you choose to borrow from it for your own web family history, please don't make the mistake I have been naively or lazily guilty of myself, and FIND YOUR OWN SOURCES if publishing, or give me credit for mine and others for theirs. (Else you may find yourself proliferating error and I hope I don't catch you proliferating mine or selling it either.)

Please don't blame Chris if you find the material lacking in any way. Please browse around all the Light pages I offer here too, what you may not find in one place, may be found in another.

John Light, Spring 2001