— — Someone once commented on the power of the press and here’s proof that a newspaper plus the Internet can result in amazing stories.

After last week’s column about Mickey and Hank Thursam’s week-long visit looking up family history, a number of e-mails, notes and calls came in updating their information.

But before getting to that, mention must be made of the wonderful and enthusiastic reception the brothers received from Phyllis Gentner when they visited DeGraff Memorial Hospital.

They’d asked to visit DeGraff, where they were born, and Phyllis went out of her way to show them the former nursery as well as the other newer and exciting projects at the hospital.

Mickey, a three-day a week volunteer with Hospice in Tennessee, was impressed by the therapy department and understands full well the importance of that aspect of healing.

Phyllis also gave them a “goodie bag” filled with items to remind them of their birthplace.

Now to the aftermath of the column.

Bernhard Thursam, director of Cape Fear Historical Institute, e-mailed that he’d read online about the Thursam family reunion, the search for ancestors and what an interesting undertaking it is.

He attached a Thuersam family genealogy he finished in July before coming up here for his mother’s 90th birthday.

“I am no professional genealogist,” Bernhard wrote, “but I complied what has been found in my late father’s papers, sibling recollections and memory. I did find from the Tonawanda history museum that there were two parallel Thursam families in the later 1800s, your side apparently coming earlier and cousins of mine who came in 1871-72. As I had the Thursam obituaries, I included them as a connection to our cousins. Thanks for keeping the history alive.”

The attachments were fascinating and after forwarding them to Mickey, found him overwhelmed by the information.

Commenting on our visit to Father Baker’s in Lackawanna, Rod Rowland recalled in an e-mail his first experience with Father Baker’s and the basilica.

“It was 1960 and I was in eighth grade,” Rod wrote. “I had attended my first NT road bus game at Lackawanna Stadium. An undefeated NT team waxed Lackawanna that night 45-0.  On the way up South Park (Boulevard) right in front of the basilica, someone stoned our bus and someone got hit in the head drawing blood. Now in those days Lackawanna was thriving with the steel mill ... I was afraid to go revisit the basilica until perhaps eight or nine years ago. The tour was impressive, even for a Protestant like me.”

Phyllis Rooney’s call was perhaps the most exciting as she lives in North Tonawanda and is the daughter of Walter and Margaret Smyk, Mickey and Hank’s aunt and uncle. They tried to find her but had no luck. Then Phyllis called and was so excited to say that Bunny Smyk (a cousin the boys talked to) and her father are brother and sister. When her dad left (she said he was a dancer and gambler and her mom later paid all his debts), her mom got a divorce and remarried a man named Brown who adopted Phyllis, changing her name. She also said she had a photo of her mom's wedding with all the sisters in it. I since heard that Mickey and she have been in touch.

Related to all this was a letter from Joni O’Lay of North Tonawanda who told the story of how her brother Don searched out family roots back to Ireland. Because her grandmother died when Joni was 2, they never knew their dad had a sister, Marion, who died at age 9.

After a trip to City Hall and helpful information retrieved from the vault, it was discovered Wattengel Funeral Home handled the child’s burial.

“A nice looking man in a suit (at Wattengel’s) went back for the 1909 records. ... It had Marion in it with an interesting twist. My grampa only paid $5 on the $25 casket.”

Joni and her brother offered to pay the rest, but the offer was refused. But they insisted and paid the debt and got a receipt. From there they went to Bear Ridge Cemetery and at her dad’s grave, Joni buried the receipt, telling her dad to tell grampa, “It’s paid in full.”

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Don’t miss the Thunder on the Niagara annual hydroplane regatta at Riverside-Gratwick Park today and tomorrow. Kevin O’Connor e-mailed to say the rescue boat that the Niagara Dive Rescue Team has worked on for a year or more, was tested and works perfectly. The rescue team will be on hand in case of accidents. He even offered me a chance to be in the “Hot Pits” with the team, but unfortunately I have another commitment. Congratulations to the team for their hard work and dedication and thousands of volunteer hours spent for the safety of others. A great group.