Rootbound in the Hills #17: 19 Jan 1988

by Rocky Macy

This week the postman brought a letter from the state of Washington:

"Dear Mr. Macy,

"I am contacting you at the suggestion of Mrs. Zella COLLIE of the McDonald County Public Library in response to a request for information on my great-grandparents in the library archives

"I would very much appreciate it if you would include my query in your column, Rootbound in the Hills.

"I am searching for information on William B. PERRY, his wife, Permelia (BOLDING) PERRY, and their children: Henryetta (b. 1864, IA), William Littleton (b. 1865, IA), Viola (b. 1868, IA), Earl B. (b. 1870, IA), James (b. 1874, MO), Charles L. (b. 1876, MO), and Nathaniel (b. 1879, MO).

"The family lived in the Pineville area in 1880, having moved there from Washington County, Iowa, 1870-1874. William B. PERRY was born in Virginia in 1834. Permelia BOLDING was born in Iowa or Illinois in 1848.

"William Littleton PERRY, my grandfather, relocated to the Joplin-Galena area ca. 1890 and died in Joplin in 1921.

"I would be happy to correspond with anyone having information on the family or their descendants.

"Sincerely,
Jack P. WILLIAMS (626 Cherry Avenue, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110)"

I have checked a few of my sources and not snagged your family line, Mr. WILLIAMS. There are several PERRYs buried in McDonald County, but none seem to be tied to William and Permelia.

Mertie PERRY HARMON, a lifelong resident of Noel, loaned me a copy of The Perry and Allied Families by Eugene R. PERRY of San Diego, CA. Again, I could find no tie-in with your line. Perhaps some of our Rootbound readers can help.

Thanks for writing - and best of luck in your search! (Thank you, too, Zella, for spreading the word about Rootbound!)

As long as I had access to the PERRY book, I decided to extract a genealogical sketch of the Noel branch. With Mertie's kind permission, the following is submitted to the readers of Rootbound.

1. Evan and Malinda (GOSS) PERRY were residing on her family's plantation in Dawson County, GA, on 23 June 1856 when their son, William Nathaniel PERRY, was born. Evan's father, also named William, was a Georgia farmer.

2. William Nathaniel PERRY married Sarah Jane (Jennie) WEAVER. They had four children: Charles Eli (b. 2 Jan 1880 in Noel, MO), Claude Hamilton (b. 8 Mar 1884), Emory Allen (b. 1 Aug 1886 in Lawrence County, MO), and Rosa Myrtle (b. 21 May 1889 in Lawrence County, MO).

3. Claude Hamilton PERRY married Elsie Zona HARMON. She was born on 4 April 1893 and died on 23 Aug 1957. He died on 10 Mar 1961. They had six children, including the good lady who loaned The Perry and Allied Families to Rootbound.

Thanks, Mert!

Remember, folks, if you need a boost up your family tree, write to Rootbound. Help may be as close as your mailbox!