by Rocky Macy
Writing Rootbound in the Hills for over three years has given this columnist the opportunity to meet many wonderful people through the mail. And occasionally these new friends turn out to be relatives! Please read on...
LTC Voris O. CALLAWAY (4816 Del Crest Drive, Del City, OK 73115) is the great-grandson of Charles and Mary Jane (MEADOWS/MEADOR) MACY who settled in Newton County, MO, around 1870. His line of descent comes through their daughter, Sarah Lydia MACY (born circa 1855, KY). Sarah Lydia married William Nathan SPEARS near Springfield, MO, around 1873. William Nathan had been born near Springfield in 1853 to William and Malinda SPEARS. Voris would appreciate hearing from anyone with a knowledge of his Ozark ancestry.
Rootbound will respond to the above query, and perhaps others will as well. Charles and Mary Jane (MEADOWS) MACY were my g-g-grandparents. My MACY lineage comes through their son, William Steven MACY (born 17 Jan 1862, Emporia, KS; died 30 Sep 1938, Newton County, MO), and his son, Charles Eugene MACY (7 Aug 1900, Newton County, MO; died 27 Dec 1972, Newton County, MO), and his son (my father), Garland Eugene Macy (born 19 Oct 1924, Newton County, MO). It would seem that Voris O. CALLAWAY and this writer are second cousins once removed.
Pauline WHITEHILL (Rt. 1, Box 256, Anderson, MO 64831) is a newly discovered third cousin of mine. Our common ancestors are our g-g-grandparents, William Carroll ROARK and Comfort (POE) ROARK, who migrated to southwest Missouri from Kentucky in the early 1850s. William and Comfort have been mentioned in Rootbound on several occasions, and we printed an entire column about their children in December of 1987.
Pauline's line of descent from William and Comfort comes through their daughter, Camily Frances ROARK, who married William R. "Will" KELLEY. Will KELLEY (born 4 Mar 1842) came to this area from Polk County, MO. He served in the Civil War with Company L of the 6th Regiment of the Missouri Calvary. Will died on 30 Feb 1907. Will and Camily's son, William Marion KELLEY, married Bertha Dell WHITMAN, and they were the parents of Pauline's mother, Mary Frances KELLEY, who grew up to become Mrs. Charley A. THOMPSON.
Cousin Pauline relates that she has quite a lot of material on the ROARKs, but would like to learn more about her KELLEY lineage. Perhaps some of our readers will be able to help her in this endeavor.
This writer's ROARK lineage comes down through William and Comfort's son, Samuel James ROARK (25 Feb 1855, MO - 30 Nov 1925, Newton County, MO), to his daughter, Nancy Jane (ROARK) SREAVES, to my mother, Ruby Florine SREAVES MACY (14 July 1921, Newton County, MO - 8 Dec 1986, Noel, McDonald County, MO).
Pauline mentions in her letter that she used to play with my mother, her sister, Christine SREAVES DOBBS, and their cousin, Margaret ANDERSON SMITH, when the little girls would all meet at Grandmother SREAVES' house. Perhaps Christine and Margaret will get in touch with Pauline and relive some old memories!
The special Rootbound column on the ROARK family that ran three years ago is still available. Those desiring a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rootbound in the Hills in care of this newspaper. And while you're at it, tell us a little bit about your ROARK ancestry.
Despite the way this particular column, it isn't necessary to be a relative of the columnist to have your query printed in Rootbound. Our mission is to help more people find more ancestors - yours, mine, and ours!
Happy hunting!
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