Rootbound in the Hills #196: 25 June 1991

by Rocky Macy

Rootbound continues to stress the importance of saving personal correspondence. Those old postcards, letters, and love notes will one day become the source of much family history that would have otherwise been forgotten. Earl R. SAVAGE is about to go chasing ancestors through the Ozarks solely because of a letter written more than a century ago. Please read on...

Earl R. SAVAGE (9939 Palmerston Road, Richmond, VA 23236) has recently found a letter that his grandfather, Jacob Erasmus Tyree KIBLINGER wrote to his (Jacob's) father from Neosho, MO, on 21 Aug 1878. Jacob was possibly visiting his uncle, Peter Franklin KIBLINGER, a wagon maker who was married to Lydia Henrietta HUFFMAN. Peter and Lydia are thought to have moved to Missouri from Virginia, later settling in Indiana. Their children were William Henry, Elizabeth Ann, John Wesley, and Napoleon Bonapart. Did they live in this area, and are any KIBLINGER descendants still here?

Mrs. Charles E. VAIL (2104 Hidden Oaks Trail, Bentonville, AR 72712) phoned recently to discuss her Ozark genealogy. She has done extensive research on the PYEATT family of Washington County, AR, and the PYATTs of Barry County, MO, who moved on to the area around Eureka Springs. Also, the brother of Mrs. VAIL's g-g-grandfather was Millington ALLEN of Newton County, MO. His descendants married into the following families: PRUITT, HILL, LEATHERS, DEAL, MOORE, and RIGGS. Mr. ALLEN had two step-children named HALFORD. Some of his descendants are buried in the Diamond Cemetery at Diamond, Newton County, MO. Mrs. VAIL would be most happy to exchange information with any of her Ozark cousins.

Dorothy CROSSWHITE (708 West Hunt Street, McKinney, TX 75069) is searching for descendants of William L. CROSSWHITE (born 1826, Campbell County, TN) and his wife, Elizabeth SHOUN (born 1829). They were married on 7 Mar 1847. Elizabeth died in 1904 and William passed away the following year. Both are buried in Parker, KS.

Dorothy CROSSWHITE (address above) is also tracking descendants of Robert Henderson CROSSWHITE, a one-time resident of Kansas City. Robert's brother, J. Webster CROSSWHITE, M.D., was residing in the area around Weston-Celina, TX, at the time of his death in 1937. Robert and J. Webster were sons of Alfred C. CROSSWHITE. Did they leave trails across the Ozarks?

Elizabeth B. DICKENS (1828 Buttercup Road, Elizabeth, CO 80107) is researching her great-grandfather, Joseph DUSTO, who was born 6 Feb 1835 and died on 6 Nov 1868 in or near Neosho, Newton County, Missouri. Perhaps some of the members of the Genealogy Friends of the Library in Neosho could be of assistance to Elizabeth.

Sue CRAWFORD LAMBRIGHT (102 Heritage Parkway, Fort Mill, SC 29715-8314) is trying to identify the parents of Thompson "Steamboat Bill" CROFFORD (CRAWFORD). He married Nancy BREEDING on 11 June 1846 in Osage County, MO, and they resided in Osage and Maries Counties up until the 1870's. The couple's four children were all born in Maries County, MO. They were: Mary E. (born 1846), A.B. (1847), William (1849), and Thomas C. (1861). Was Thompson a brother to William Andrew and Augustus CROFFORD? Sue LAMBRIGHT wants to know!

The 11th Annual Conference of the Missouri State Genealogical Association will be held on August 2-3, 1991, at William Woods College in Fulton, MO. The keynote speaker will be Mr. Lloyd DeWitt BOCKSTRUCK, a nationally recognized and respected genealogist. Mr. BOCKSTRUCK will share his expertise on Virginia and Kentucky research with conference attendees. For further information, please write to the Missouri State Genealogical Association at P.O. Box 833, Columbia, MO 65205-0833.

Word has recently come from Canada that the Manitoba Genealogical Society plans to reprint our article, "How to Build a Better Query", in their quarterly, Generations. Those of you not into Canadian research may obtain a copy of this article by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rootbound in the Hills in care of this newspaper. This makes the fourth request to reprint, so it must be meeting the needs of genealogists!

Happy hunting!