by Rocky Macy
It made my day...you bet it did! Those long hours chained to the typewriter were suddenly more meaningful because of that phone call from the west coast a few Mondays back. The message: Rootbound had taken third place in the queries division of a national column writing competition sponsored by the Council of Genealogy Columnists!
Thank you, Rootbound readers, for those wonderful queries. They are some of the best in the country. Need proof? Read on...
Christine RIPPETO (14822 Greenworth Drive, LaMirada, CA 90638) stopped by the house recently while on a cross-country genealogy jaunt. The ancestor that she was tracking in our area was Warn Harrison RIPPETO who was married to Emily Jane CLEMENTS and may have lived near Stanley, KS. Warn's brother, Berry Sampson RIPPETO resided in Noel, MO with his wife, Goldie, and daughter, Irene. The brothers RIPPETO also had a sister, Minnie, the wife of Albert COLE. Minnie and Albert made their home in Talala, OK.
Christine and her friends were unable to find a trace of her ancestors in my modest collection of local histories. They did leave the house armed with a list of nearby libraries and names of a few knowledgeable old-timers. Hopefully, she was lucky in her quest, but, if not, pershps some of our readers may yet ride to the rescue. Christine is waiting by the mailbox in sunny California!
Rootbound has had a couple of letters recently from good friend Rose STAUBER (Rt. 3, Box 1084, Grove, oK 74344). Rose is seeking the burial place of her g-g-g-grandfather, Aaron Crawford WILLIAMS. Mr. WILLIAMS died in 1870 at the home of his son, John Simmons WILLIAMS. John is buried in the Hays-Williams Cemetery on family land north of Southwest City. Family records indicate that Aaron WILLIAMS is buried at the "Roak" Cemetery, two-and-one-half miles northeast of Southwest City. But Rose can't find that cemetery.
While searching for the elusive "Roak" Cemetery, Rose has discovered three undocumented burial grounds. The first is on private land just north of Highway 90. It contains a few stones and possibly a vault. The second is north of Southwest City on the state line, and also on private land. Cemetery number three is the lost "Roark" Cemetery which was reportedly located a mile and a quarter north of the Simmons Poultry Plant, and a half-mile east. According to reliable sources, the cemetery was destroyed by an individual over sixty years ago. To the chagrin of his neighbors, the man used the stones in his house foundation, a walk, and possibly a storm cellar!
Rose is convinced that a "Roark" (not "Roak") Cemetery did exist somewhere east of Highway 43, but that it is now gone - along with the grave of Aaron Crawford WILLIAMS. She would love to hear from others who might be able to shed some light on this matter. Any takers?
Mary MARQUESS (810 NW 9th, Bentonville, AR 72712) would like to correspond with persons researching the surname HOLLINGSWORTH in the Cassville, MO, area. Are there Rootbound readers ready to help?
Trudy HOLLAND (301 N. Olive Street, Pierce City, MO 65723) wishes to contact anyone who is working a HOLLAND line. Can some of our readers help with that surname?
ROARK descendant Ellen YAGER (P.O. Box 26633, Albuquerque, NM 87125) has written to request a copy of the special Rootbound column which dealt with the family of William Carroll and Comfort (POE) ROARK. Ellen is the daughter of Frances ROARK WRIGHT, and a niece to Dale ROARK MORRIS of Bosky Dell (a suburb of Lanagan!). The copy of the column is in the mail!
Copies of the Rootbound ROARK column are availabe to any of our readers. Just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rootbound in the Hills in care of this newspaper. What could be easier?
Until next week...happy trails!
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