Sunday, March 30, 2008

Rootbound in the Hills #23:
1 Mar 1988

by Rocky Macy

Here's another genealogical tidbit for the ROARK file: William Carroll ROARK and Comfort POE, the progenitors of most of our local ROARK lines, were probably married in Allen County, KY, on 10 Nov 1838.

I received that piece of information from a fellow researcher several years ago. Unfortunately, he provided no documentation. This past week a letter came from Mr. William L. THOMAS of Smith's Grove, KY, which verified the earlier report. He sent a xeroxed page from Early Allen County, Kentucky, Marriages by Oliphant which listed William Carroll ROARK and Comfort POE as being married in that county on 10 Nov 1838. The marriage was performed by Levi ROARK.

Mr. THOMAS mentioned in his reply that the ROARKs and POEs were generally in Monroe, Allen, and Warren Counties, with some spilling over into Simpson County and adjoining Tennessee counties.

The next step in my research will be to contact the the county clerk in Allen County to see if an official record of the marriage exists. (Mr. THOMAS stated in his letter that the original courthouse was burned and many records were lost.)

In case you missed it, the Rootbound column of 8 Dec 1987 dealt exclusively with William and Comfort and their children. I would be glad to forward a copy for an SASE.

Mrs. Annabelle E. CHANDLER (817 Cole Road, Meadow Vista, CA 95722) has written seeking information on her g-g-g-grandfather, William THOMAS, Sr, who was born in PA in 1777. He married Lydia BRUNER in 1801 in Mercer County, KY. William was the son of Abraham and Susannah SMITH THOMAS. Lydia was the daughter of of Peter BRUNER. Peter BRUNER's children married people with the following surnames: BANTA, THOMAS, HARRIS, MAGOFFIN, VOORHIES, and DEMARRE. Mrs. CHANDLER's lines extend into Mercer, Washington, Breckenridge, and Shelby Counties in KY. She would like to exchange information with anyone doing related research.

Jack P. WILLIAMS (626 Cherry Ave, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110) who has written previously about the surname PERRY and Crowder College, has forwarded a "thank you" for a brochure on Crowder College that I mailed to him. In his most recent letter, Jack states:
"The brochure arrived. Crowder appears to have a very attractive campus. It is certainly different that the way I remember Camp Crowder. I best remember it for the depth and abundance of its mud since the moment ground was broken for construction it started to rain, and it rained and continued to rain. I recall our cars had to frequently be towed from the parking lot since the mud was so deep it was impossible to move otherwise.

"The brochure arrived in the same mail as the current issue of Smithsonian magazine, and I was startled to find mention of Crowder College in the magazine. The issue has an interesting article on the Australian solar car race, and I was surprised to read that the college had an entry. It is regretable that the entry was overturned by high winds, but the fact there was even an entry by a community college is amazing. Everyone in the project is to be congratulated, and I hope their next car is even more successful."

So do I, Jack. Our corner of the Ozarks is indeed fortunate to have a quality community college like Crowder.

Leonard L. DAMRON (Rt. 1, Box 118, Sulphur Springs, AR 72768) postulates that our area was part of the normal migration route from the East to Arkansas and Texas. He suggests that our ancestors crossed the Mississippi, passed through Springfield, Sarcoxie, and Carthage, and moved on to the area of Southwest City. From there they took advantage of the first break in the Ozark Mountains west of the Mississippi River and headed south to Siloam Springs, Ft. Smith, and beyond. A few, of course, stayed in the Ozarks - lucky for us!

Happy trails!

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