Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Rootbound in the Hills #36:
31 May 1988

by Rocky Macy

He only deserves to be remembered by Posterity who treasures up and preserves the history of his ancestors. -- Edmund BURKE

The Delaware County Genealogical Society will host the Heritage Quest Road Show on Tuesday evening, June 21st, at the Grove Community Center which is located at 104 West Third Street in Grove, OK. The mobile genealogy education program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last until 10 p.m. In addition to a lecture presentation, many books and research materials will be available for purchase. There is no entry fee, but donations will be accepted. I plan to attend this event, and hope to see many of you there also.

Dudley R. SMITH (1106 Pendant, St. Louis, MO 63131) is researching his McDonald County lineage. He is the son of Dudley Reeves SMITH who was born on 22 June 1898 in Southwest City, and Helen Anna MILDE, a native of Jackson, MO. Mr. SMITH's McDonald County grandparents were Benjamin Franklin SMITH, Jr. (born 17 Mar 1861 in Williamsport, OH; died 6 Jan 1908 in Southwest City), and Margaret Louise SHERMAN(born 21 Oct 1863 in Coy, McDonald County, MO; died 25 Feb 1951 in Southwest City). Margaret Louise SHERMAN was the daughter of Abner Gauf SHERMAN (born 17 Mar 1827 in Knox County, OH; died 10 July 1919 in Anderson, MO), and Mary Agnes DONAGHE (born May 1828; died 18 Oct 1893 in McDonald county, MO). They were married on 7 Aug 1846.

Mr. SMITH is seeking to learn more about his great-grandfather, Abner Gauf SHERMAN. According to Goodspeed's 1888 History of McDonald and Newton Counties, Mr. SHERMAN was a veteran of the Confederate Army. Perhaps some of Dudley SMITH's numerous Southwest City cousins can provide further information about Abner Gauf SHERMAN.

Other surnames of interest to Mr. SMITH are RADCLIFF, FLORENCE, CALLIHAN, DOBKINS, HERMANN, WESSELL, BRUENING, WELTECKE, SCHRIEMER, ELBRECHT, and SEWING.

Dudley R. SMITH is also doing research for his aunt, Stella WALTERS SMITH, a native of Noel, MO. Her mother was Maryetta COOMBES, daughter of George COOMBES and Mary RICH. They are seeking to learn about the parentage of Mary RICH.

Rootbound ran a history fo the NOEL family in January which was based on information provided by Harold and Dorothy Jane SCHIFFERLI of Noel, MO. It was noted in that column that that Harold's maternal grandparents were George COOMBES and Elizabeth Ellen NOEL. This George COOMBES is the same one that Mr. SMITH is researching. Mary RICH was his first Wife. After her death, he married Elizabeth Ellen NOEL BROWN, widow of Edward BROWN of Pineville.

I was pleased to learn that Margaret W. EMERSON, former President of the Joplin Genealogical Society, is running for Recording Secretary of the Missouri State Genealogical Association. It's good to see people from our area so active in this important group.

Betty J. LEWIS (1032 N. Birch, Sand Springs, OK) is a professional genelaogist who works with Cherokee ancestry. Information on fees and research capabilities may be obtained by writing to her at the above address.

More Ramblings: Last week I discussed the importance of preserving the history of your immediate family, and suggested keeping a daily journal as one way of meeting this important obligation to the future. I neglected to mention that a lot of family history is written down and then thrown out. Personal letters, those from relatives and friends, offer a wealth of information about the day-to-day ordinary experiences that make up life. Most good family historians supplement their journal-writing with a correspondence file. Gramma's letters may not mean much today, but they will after she's been gone for a few years! Some people even go so far as to copy the letters that they send to others, and place the copies in their files.

If you don't preserve your own history, some day your trail through life may fade to little more than what's chiseled on your tombstone. Think about it!

Happy trails!

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