Karen came to us through her friends Linda Peterson and Ed Stout, both FFA members. Karen followed through after coming to Batesville. She became a member of the Fulbright Family Association and the Fulbright Family Connection. One of the first things she did was to send by e-mail her information from several Fulbright cemeteries, gathered patiently as she went through each cemetery, tape recorder in hand. We are printing her cemetery records and requesting that others contribute their records for publication. It helps all of us who do research or who simply wonder where a relative rests.

Karen is also a volunteer proof reader for the newsletter. She is not responsible for any errors that slip through, but she receives the newsletter copy in its rough draft form via e-mail. She returns it corrected within a short time.

Karen has willingly contributed her hard earned knowledge and wisdom to all of us in several ways. We felt that she was a family member who should be introduced on these pages. You will be seeing more of her contributions in the future. The best way to introduce her is to reprint the introduction she sent to the Fulbright Family Connection, our family e-mail group. It is printed below:

—by David Fulbright

"My name is Karen Hogue McClaran. I attended the Fulbright Reunion for the first time this year. Until Wesley Jacobs introduced Linda Peterson and Ed Stout, on-line, I didn’t know about the association. Since I was a small child I asked, "Where did I come from?" My parents mistakenly thought I wanted the biological answer. Ha! My genealogical quest has been within since younger days and now I have my heart’s desires. I shall begin with that.

I began from scratch. My family handed down little information and I knew only one grandparent on my mother’s side. My 1st cousin has worked on my mother’s lines, so I am concentrating on my Dad’s side. Of the following, only my father is still living. It goes something like this. . .

My parents are Esther Lena RICE and Calvin Kirby HOGUE, Jr. His parents are Calvin, Sr. and Eula Essie FULBRIGHT-HOGUE, the daughter of John William Fulbright and Catherine HEDRICK from Cape Girardeau Co., Missouri. John’s parents are Peter Henry Fulbright and Eleanor E. GILLILAND. Peter is the son of John W. Fulbright and Matilda T. MAYFIELD. From there my line goes back to Jacob Fulbright II and Barbara PLUNKETT. Jacob I, of course, is the son of Johann Wilhelm Volprecht, a.k.a. William Fulbright.

Now I am more than twice blessed with Fulbright connections. Not only do I know many of you now, but also found a double-direct link to the Fulbrights. Margaret Fulbright, daughter of Johann, is also my direct ancestor, through her descendant, Matilda MAYFIELD. You see, Margaret (1753-1816) married John LINK, whose daughter, Margaret Link, married Stephen MAYFIELD, Jr., the parents of my Matilda. I hope you kept up with all that!

A little of my background should be mentioned. Having been married for 17 years now, I am the mother of three adolescent sons, Rod Eugene is 15, J. Adam, 13, and Nicholas Kirby, 12. My husband is Lourie "Rod" McClaran. I was born in Midwest City, OK, (technically OKC), my husband in Wichita Falls, TX, and our sons were born in Enid, OK. where my husband spent most of his childhood. Our home is at Keystone Lake, outside of Tulsa and Sand Springs, OK. We are very active in our church, Keystone Hills Baptist Church.

I am a social worker by profession, though on a leave of absence, while working full time on my degree at OSU at Stillwater.

Also, we have our own genealogy service and are active in our community. Also on the slate of activities are the two e-mail newsletters I edit. "Lewis Legacy" stems from my direct LEWIS line and "Collins Connections" from my direct Collins line. They are indirectly related to the Richard LEWIS who sold land to Wm. Fulbright/Johann Wilhelm in Catawba County, NC. Not having had my Family Tree Maker Program very long, I am trying as speedily as I can to enter the three huge boxes of data I have researched and built around.

That is my life. Short and simply complicated. I look forward to hearing from all of you. It is my hope that we can pass along not only data, but most importantly family stories, for I know not these precious memories.