David Reed and his family have traveled thousands of miles from their home in York, England, just to be in Sharon and spend time with their newfound "family."

Reed, 48, said through his mother's story, which began more than 70 years ago, he's learned the value of a friendship that spans two continents.

The unlikely circumstances that brought Reed's family together with Walter and Gordon Miller of Sharon and their sister Mary Louise DeVenney and her husband Tony of Shenango Township, began in 1930 with Reed's now 81-year-old mother, Betty.

That year, Betty's mother Clara Hill traveled by ship from Wales to the United States with Betty and her other daughter Marion to join her husband, David John Hill, who was working at Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s plant in Sharon.

The family settled with relatives in Sharon, and Betty attended the city's former East Ward School for two years.

The Great Depression forced the family to return to Wales in 1932.

Before she left, Betty's fifth-grade classmates gave her a card that all 41 of them signed, as did their teacher, Mary Louise Huck.

Betty kept the card, and as the years slipped into decades and she had a family of her own, it remained special to her.

As fate would have it, Betty shared the card with her son, telling him about her memories of her time in Sharon. Her fond memories prompted Reed to go online just before Christmas 2001 and search for newspapers from the Sharon area.

That's when he laid eyes on the homepage of The Herald and wrote a letter seeking information about any of the names on his mother's treasured card.

Reed's letter found its way to Herald News Editor Sarah Adams, who recognized her aunt's name on the list. Although her aunt was deceased, she read the letter to her father, Ed Hopkins of Hermitage, who attended East Ward School at the same time Betty did and is of Welsh descent.

Hopkins is friends with the Millers and the DeVenneys. The Miller brothers are nephews of the teacher, Miss Huck; their sister, Mrs. DeVenney, was named for her aunt.

Hopkins gave a copy to the Miller brothers, who did local research and corresponded with Reed online and through the mail.

"I decided to write a letter to The Herald," Reed said. "And it started off an amazing friendship between all of us here. The (computer) wires are hot every night."

Reed said when he first shared the news with his mother, "she couldn't believe it; she was amazed."

Hopkins shared Betty's feelings, saying, "The amazing thing about this is that you could find people that many years later that could make a close contact that far away."

Reed and his family, wife Hilary, and children Matthew, 14, and Susannah, 16, were so anxious to meet their new friends, they decided to visit last summer.

This week, the Reeds made their second trip to the Shenango Valley and found the house on North Street where Betty Hill Reed once lived. "It's very strange knowing they (the Hill family) were there all those years ago," Reed said of the house.

In addition to sharing stories, the friends exchange Christmas gifts and presents. This trip, the Reeds brought with them gifts from Betty Reed for the DeVenneys -- a miniature lighthouse and a delicate thimble bearing the white rose of Yorkshire.

Betty Reed, who lives in Yorkshire, England, has never returned to America because she doesn't fly, but Reed did call his mother on Monday and she spoke to her American friends.

Reed said the Internet has brought them a lot closer together, and though they don't know if they'll make the trip annually, they do plan to keep in touch.

Walter Miller has even posted information and pictures about Betty Reed on the World Wide Web.

He said he thinks his aunt Miss Huck "would be happy and proud to know that one of her students remembered her."

Hilary Reed said the family has many friends in England, but she "didn't envision making similar friendships with people in America."

Gordon Miller, a man of few words, said he and his family are very happy about the way things turned out.

"We enjoy it so much," he said. "I think it's something we'll never forget."

You may access more information and pictures about Betty Reed online at: www.familyoldphotos.com/pa/mercer/2b/betty_hill_reed.htm.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Patrecka F. Adams at padams@sharonherald.com.

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