My mother's first-cousin "Betty" had traced the Christ/Crist family clear back to Germany but my mother's father's genealogy stopped with him. I didn't think that was fair to him so I started researching it.

A distant cousin of mine (Nancy P.) has a webpage about Putnam County, IL (in connection with the Genealogy Trails Project)--which is where my grandfather was born--and she sent me everything I have from John Bear to my great-grandfather William Ham(m). She didn't have what I have (from my mother's father forward in time) so we collaborated and both of us have benefitted from that.

I also received invaluable assistance from my cousin Joyce's sister-in-law (Nancy J.) in documenting the Reed branch in Indiana. She, too, lacked clarity on what I have from my mother's father forward in time... until our collaboration.