Seeking info on our great-grandfather JOHN THOMAS GRIFFIN about 1857-1900 born in Missouri: his father from IL and mother MO or IL. He went by THOMAS GRIFFIN and only through research have we come up with the first name JOHN. Descendents of his children used and reused the names John, James, and Thomas. THE STORY HANDED DOWN is that when he was five years old his father was home from the Civil War to tend the farm. Some bad men came to the house, hung his father, stole his and his mother's shoes and burned her feet; of course they stole everything else too. There is no mention of siblings, but that doesn't mean they weren't too young for the bad men to bother with or not at home (at school, out in the field, etc), nor where (assume MO), or where or how they lived afterwards. JOHN THOMAS GRIFFIN married Martha Rains of AR in AR about 1878. They had Lilly, John William, Mattie Bertha, and Hester Alameda... JOHN THOMAS GRIFFIN owned a dray line business (trucking company only with horses and wagons) in either AR or MO. Having trouble connecting him farther back...even if you just think you've heard the story before....or know where we might look...or know what we've overlooked... Thanks, His great-grand-daughters on opposite coasts