R. A. ATKINSON
				  637 N. EUTAW ST. (address crossed out on original)
				     BALITIMORE
								May 23rd, 1920.
Mr. C. K. Hill,
      Harriman, Tenn.
Dear Mr. Hill:

	I have been prevented from replying to your letter of the 30th ult.,
owing to the rush of business, and the absence of my assistant for a month's
vacation.

	I note with interest your letter, and am glad to find another person
who is interested in the LANE genealogy.  Some years ago, when I came to 
Maryland to live, I undertook to gather all the genealogical data on my
particular LANE family I could, and knowing they originally came from
Maryland, I felt that old records preserved here would open up a wonderful store
of data, which I found true. On the strength of my investigations and
research, I was enable to establish the line "authentically" only back to Maj.
Samuel Lane, originally of Anne Arundel County, Md.

	The data you have is about all I can give you. Up to the time I
undertook this work, I had never been able to find any of the connection who had
ever gone into the subject or knew anything about it. I spent a great deal
of time and considerable money getting the data all together, and my Aunt
in Texas, Mrs. Geo. J. Schleicher of Cuero, Texas, and others of the
connection paid me for preparing their papers for admission into the Society
of Colonial Dames of America, and all those I know personally and have heard
from were accepted without question on the line I had established and proven.

	You seem to have most of this data. Have you ever done any independent
research along these lines? Where did you get your information? Since you
seem to have it all about as I have it, I think perhaps you must have ob-
tained your information through some one of the connection I gave it to,
unless, perhaps you have done some work along this line yourself. I am asking this
simply from curiosity, as during my search I was always so struck with the "lack
of interest" of those who were in a position to give me data, and who either
would not do it, or would not take the trouble. It is indeed quite refreshing
to meet one of the connection who is genuinely interested, for I carried the
work along unaided by not only lack of help but sympathy and interest on the
parts of many of those I corresponded with. This was some years back.

	I will say for your information I have never learned the name of Sarah
Lane, Richard Lane's wife. Her maiden name, I mean. This I have shown in all
the papers I have made out. The Esther Bibbins family you should be able to
learn of through relatives there in your own state as they were from near
Whitesburg, Tennessee. I have some little record of the Tidings family; it was
a family of some prominence in the early days of Maryland. The name "Tidence"
Lane which has been handed down through generations of the family is only a
"corruption" of the name"Tidings", which is of interested as it was a "maternal"
family name.

	I have not established the line authentically back to any family in
England. I have recoris of the English families by the same name, and who had

(page 2)			  R. A. ATKINSON
				   637 EUTAW ST. (address crossed out on original)
				     BALTIMORE

the same family names, and who named their country estates the same as those
who settled in the early times of Maryland, but I have never "proven" their
connection by actual dates, and documentary evidence, which is all I accept
as "authentic".	I did, however, establish it sufficiently to determine that
they were all of the same family originally, and that my branch of the Lane's
were entitled to the Lane "Coat-of-arms", which I have.

	Now, Mr. Hill, I will be glad to give you any assistance I can in
preparing your records. However, I am a very busy man, and can not tell just when
I could do it. It would necessitate going over many old recorls and this at
night outside of my regular office hours. I have long since declined to do
this for many, but you seem genuinely interested in the subject, and if you
agree, and will send me P.O.M.O. for $25.00, I will at the most convenient
time I can find and the earliest, go over my records, which are very voluminous,
and make out for you on the typewriter, all the data I can find that would in
any way apply to the early members of the family as I have them down. You will 
understand, of course, that in doing this, I am simply asking you to pay for
the time spent; as I really have not these days, with increased cares and
responsibilities in my position here, the time to give up to it without some
remuneration.

	Regretting my inability to reply to your letter sooner, I am,

						Cordially yours,
						    R. A. Atkinson


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