http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmacoup/m_where.htm That page could be formatted a bit better but I queried some yrs ago about my Sutton migration to Barton County MO in 1870 (Barton Co is just above Joplin and borders KS). There are some tidbits on other family names on this page. According to one person, Barton County enticed prospective land byers from IL with lodging, food, and tours. Then when we got to discussing it, there were many other families who went to the area. Sutton, York and Bandy were my lines who went. Sutton line came back to IL because of sickness and remained in IL. Bandy and York stayed and are buried there. At the time, we suspicioned the families went down to work on a farm for an Isaac Martin, a relative or friend of one of the families, who had been there for many years before 1870. I am sure there were many different reasons for migrations but the area was opening up and the pioneer spirit took people to different places. Gloria At 10:08 AM 7/14/2006, you wrote: >Holms S. (Hal) Young wrote about following the coal mines to Kansas. There >were other types of mines in the Joplin, Missouri area including Newton >County, Missouri besides the coal mines of Pittsburg, Kansas. Miami, Ottawa >County, Oklahoma also had mining going on in the late 1800s and into >the early >1900s. > >I have found Ditsons in Galena, Kansas (just over the state line from >Joplin). Also, know Lair and Crays migrated to that area as well. > >A quite check of a book I have in my own library, (Cemetery Inscriptions, >Cherokee County, Kansas Compiled by Don Ford, 1988) found people with the >following surnames that may or may not have a Macoupin County, Illinois >connection: Bevins, Bird, Bridges, Cherry, Clevenger, Crays, Ditson, >Doss, Doty, >Dugger, Lair, Large, Mahan, Mayberry, Nash, Rice plus many of the more >common >names. > >The back cover reads, "All the inscriptions from the fifty-five known >cemeteries in Cherokee County are included in this >volume. The inscriptions give >the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death (or age), maiden names of >women, relationships, and comments on military service, to the extent that >such information was given on the gravestones. The inscriptions are in >alphabetical order with a code identifying the cemetery, and there is a >cross-index >to buried names." > >If anyone thinks they may have a relative who may be listed in this book, I >will be happy to do a quick check. > >Linda R.F. Arnold >California > > > > > >==== ILMACOUP Mailing List ==== >Macoupin County Historical Society books for sale: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmacoup/m_bksale.htm#hissoc