I know it seems ridiculous that I do not at the present time have Father Frank's personal particulars even though I have some twenty years of the genealogical records he collected. My only defense is, that his branch of our Flood family was largely unknown to me until recently. I can direct you to my Flood page where you can see how Father Frank "fits" into the family line. I can also direct you to Kevin Patrick Flood's page. Kevin P. Flood's father, Arthur, worked with his brother Frank collecting and assembling the records found on these pages.

I believe the essential message I derived from reviewing his work, and by the very rediscovery of his side of the family is this. The single most valuable asset for genealogical research isn't some municipal department far away, nor is it a collection of CD's or membership in this society of that, but rather, first hand interviews of the oldest surviving members of your family.

Trust these to point you in the right direction. The information may not be precise, indeed it may be as vague as the faintest childhood memory. Some nickname, or funny event that occurred when your mother or father was a child. Still, write them down. Write it all down.

Since my own childhood I had heard stories of the "uncle who was a Jesuit priest" and how he would interview each of our families during visits. There was a tale that a great book was written about our family, and likely, the Jesuit had it on his shelf. It was with this slimest information that I posted a message to the Flood GenForum message board. Within a year or so of writing it, my cousin Kevin P. Flood replied to it and confirmed the story that his uncle, Father Frank, did collect many records and that he might be able to find them.

Well, he did find them, and here they are, a treasure for all Flood researchers.