Since the United Nations (U.N.) was established in 1945, the U.S. government, including many Members of Congress, has maintained an ongoing interest in the criteria and process for membership in the United Nations and its specialized agencies. The United Nations currently has 193 member states and two observer non-member statesthe Holy See (Vatican) and "Palestine." Each of the U.N. system's 15 specialized agencieswhich are independent international intergovernmental organizations with their own constitutions, rules, and budgetshave different criteria and processes for membership. This book highlights key steps in the process for attaining membership in the United Nations and its specialized agencies. It discusses the capacities associated with U.N. membership and observer status, as well as criteria for and implications of membership.

This book is organized into two parts: "Early Settlers of Alabama, Part I," by Col. James Edmonds Saunders; and "Notes and Genealogies, Part II," by his granddaughter, Elizabeth Saunders Blair Stubbs. Part I began as a series of newspaper articles, first published by Col. Saunders, in the "Moulton Advertiser," in April 1880, relating to the "Early Settlers of Lawrence County Alabama] and the Tennessee Valley." These articles, which increased in scope and material year after year, soon encompassed neighboring counties, the State, and adjoining States, ran in the "Advertiser" until 1889, and were subsequently published in book form. The author's recollections, as well as records, interviews and correspondence formed the basis for this work, and provide the reader with rare information and insights into the life and times of the early pioneers. In 1899, Elizabeth Saunders Blair Stubbs, the granddaughter of Col. Saunders, began what she described as a "supplementary" to the Colonel's "Early Settlers," while the author was alive and able to approve and provide counsel relative to her contributions. Mrs. Stubbs compiled an enormous amount of information from original records and secondary sources, and consulted numerous authorities (which are listed in the "Introduction") in the preparation of this work. The genealogies, as a rule, begin with the immigrant ancestor, followed by their descendants down to the mid-nineteenth century, and are often supplemented with biographical information. The principal families addressed in this work include: Baldwin, Bankhead, Banks, Bibb, Billups, Blair, Cantzon, Clark, Clay, Coleman, Cox, Donohoe, Dubose, Dudley, Dunn, Elliott, Flint, Fountaine, Foster, Fry, Gholson, Goode, Gray, Harris, Hill, Hopkins, Hubbard, Kennedy, Lanier, Ligon, Lowe, McCarthy, McGehee, Maclin, McMillan, Manning, Maury, Moore, Mumford, Oliver, Ormond, Poellnitz, Ray, Richardson, Saunders, Shelton, Sherrod, Shorter, Speed, Swoope, Tait, Taliaferro, Thompson, Tillman, Urquhart, Walthall, Watkins, Webb, Weeden, Wells, White, Withers, Wyatt, Yates, and Young. Softcover, (1899), repr. 2008, 2011, Illus., Index, 590 pp.