Rootbound in the Hills #5: 20 Oct 1987

by Rocky Macy

Almost every library has materials on genealogy and local history. Some are, of course, better stocked than others. A case in point is the surprisingly good genealogy section in the McDonald County Library at Pineville.

Mrs. Zella Mae COLLIE has assembled a substantial collection of reference works that are of benefit to genealogists and family historians. The books she has collected are arranged alphabetically by county and state so as to allow for easy use. (Most can be found easily without making tedious trips to the card catalogue.) Copies of several good periodicals are also available.

One outstanding feature of the McDonald County Library is the extensive obituary collection. Mrs. COLLIE has been clipping obituaries from the local papers for the past ten years. She puts them on index cards and sorts the cards into an easy-to-use file. The obituary file also contains numerous death notices from earlier papers. It is an invaluable genealogical aid.

Another fine aspect of the library at Pineville is the section on the history of the Cherokee Indians. Several good books are shelved in the collection, including the twelve-volume Our People and Where They Rest by James TYNER and Alice TYNER TIMMONS. Record compilation on the Cherokee Nation Census of 1890, aw well as birth, death, and marriage notices for 1884-1901 are also a part of this collection. It's a great place to start digging for your Indian roots!

Did any of your ancestors arrive in McDonald County before the Civil War? Browse through the following surnames found in the 1860 census of McDonald County (Honey Creek Township - the Southwest City area) and see what you find:

HALL, SLOAN, WARE, DODSON, BLEVINS, TINER, SMITH, VANPOOL, JACKSON, BLURTON, PARIS, SHELL, SCOTT, THOMPSON, CAMPBELL, GHOLSTON, CHILDERS, BOYD, DEPRIEST, CAUNCE, STOKES, NEELEY, SHIELDS, WILLIAMS, MOORE, ROBERTSON, MERRILL, ALLEN, HAMBLIN, FIELDS, PACK, CALDWELL, CROUCH, McGEE, LIVASEY, PLAINTER, and VAUGHN.

The 1860 census provides names of all persons residing in each household as well as their ages and states or countries of birth. Drop me a card at this newspaper if you would like a copy of the complete entry (or entries) of any of the last names mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

Who out there is working on the ROARK surname? We need to get together and compare information. The same goes for you PRITCHARD researchers.


ROOTBOUND SHORTCUT:Remember that box of old photos gathering dust on the top shelf of the closet. Get them down and see what you've got. You may be surprised to find genealogical tidbits written on the backs of some of the pictures. The photos themselves are valuable family records that need to be labeled, cared for, and preserved.