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There is a very close connection between the Karns families and the Mearkle families. Both families lived near to each other in the valleys and ridges of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and intermarried frequently.

One of the interesting turns my research has taken is in uncovering the story of the Jackson's Mill Bridge in Bedford County, PA. My sister, Colleen Cornwell, saw a picture of the bridge in Reminisce magazine in January of 1994. She noticed a plaque with the names Rohm and Karns on it. This mention of a family name started us on a search that led us to the story of the bridge and the part some of our ancestors played both in the original construction and the reconstruction after it was moved by a flood.

Another discovery I enjoyed was the discovery of the family with whom my father, Elmer Mearkle Karns, lived for a time after his mother died. The clue was a New Testament he had, on which was written "Presented by Miss Olive Grubb, Clearville, Dec. 1902." This led me to the Grubb family, and to the fact that a relative of my father had married into the Grubb family. As far as we know, the identify of his foster family was lost to family knowledge until my discovery.

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