Monday, June 23, 2008

Rootbound in the Hills #148:
24 July 1990

by Rocky Macy

It sometimes seems that there is more genealogy waiting to be discovered on the shelves of America's flea markets than there is in all of her cemeteries, libraries, and courthouses. Take for example the old Bible that once belonged to the J.H. WEEMS family of Newtonia, Newton County, MO, and was recently purchased by this columnist at a local seconds shop. The volume is rich in genealogical data, a smattering of which follows:

J.H. WEEMS and Martha E. GARNER, both residents of Newtonia, were married in that community on 13 Feb 1899. He was apparently the son of Jones WEEMS (born 6 Nov 1899; died 13 Jan 1908) and Mary F. POWERS (born 2 Feb 1849; died 19 Oct 1916). Jones was the son of John WEEMS and Nancy ISBELL.

Many birth, marriage, and death dates have been entered into the family record section of this Bible, as well as a listing of when certain family members joined the Methodist Church. The most recent entry notes the death of Fred E. WEEMS on 5 Sep 1979. Several loose-lead pages of genealogy were also stored in the Bible, as was the original marriage certificate of J.H. and Martha (GARNER) WEEMS.

Rootbound wishes to see this material returned to descendnts of J.H. and Martha WEEMS. The first person to show proof of relationship to this couple and reimburse our purchase price ($12) will own a fine lot of family history.

Mrs. Lydia PYLE (105 Westwood Drive, Troup, TX 75789) is searching for clues as to the parentage of her husband's ancestor, Mary Frances May HAYWORTH, possibly a native of Missouri, who was born 30 May 1886. She married Gustav H. ZIMMERMAN. Mary Frances died in Ft. Worth, TX. Do any of our readers have information that would help Lydia in her quest?

Gerald H. FORMAN (1508 West View Drive, Berkeley, CA 94705-1657) reports that he has had very little success in researching his CHEEK ancestry in northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. Gerald's g-g-grandmother was Julia Catherine CHEEK. She was born in Indian Territory in 1850 and married John Preston PURKHISER on 13 Oct 1867 at Carthage, MO. Her father was born in Tennessee and her mother was a native of Missouri. John and Julia were residents of Erie Township, McDonald County, MO, in 1880, along with their children: Dora Y., William G., Julia Belle, and John. John was a sawmill operator and ultimately moved his family throughout much of northwest Arkansas. Are descendants of John and Julia still in these Ozark hills?

Mary A. DAVIS (15979 State Route 691, Nelsonville, OH 45764), President of the STOVALL Family Association, has recently announced that the Second National STOVALL Family Reunion will be held at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Memphis, TN, on August 3-5, 1990. The reunion is open to descendants of Bartholomew STOVALL. For further information, please contact Mary at her home in Ohio, or telephone 614-753-2660.

Rootbound has received a packet of material on the HUDSON Family Association. Persons with an interest in this surname might benefit from contacting the group's membership secretary, Lucy HUDSON, at 232 Loop Drive, Slidell, LA 70458.

The Newton County (MO) Historical Society operates a museum that should be of interest to anyone with roots in this area. The museum is located one block northeast of the square in Neosho. Hours of operation are 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 pm. Wednesday through Sunday. And while you're viewing their displays, why not consider becoming a member of the group? Dues are still only $6 per year. To learn more about the work of this fine organization, please write to the Newton County Historical Society at P.O. Box 675, Neosho, MO 64850.

Rootbound would be happy to publicize the activities of any historical or genealogical group in our readership area. Just jot down the details and send them to Rootbound in the Hills in care of this newspaper. Nothing could be simpler!

Happy hunting!

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