1/13/2006 This is a letter of a story in the Benton County Historical books which was sent by a links-related "cousin" who kindly sent this for research in Missouri, her home state. The letter she send is attached to the extract she did of the story. Thanks for reading it! Linda Thank *************************************************************** This is transcribed exactly as found in the History of Benton Co. don't know if this will help you but it is a fascinating story anyway. I do have additional information on other people with surname of James who located in Benton. Will send in a later email. This might not be your family of James but perhaps others also changed their names during these turbulant times in Missouri. Velma _____ As transcribed from the History of Benton County, Missouri: The People, volume 3 written and compiled by Kathleen Kelly White and Kathleen White Miles; published by the Printery, Clinton and Warsaw, Missouri c1971. Pages 1068 - 1071 as contributed by a granddaughter of L. P. Gemes, Faye Gemes Walthall: IS IT "GEMES OR JAMES" Well, it's "Gemes" now so it's sort of a moot question. But Grandfather L. P. Gemes, who died in 1937 at the age of 88, believed his father was a brother of Frank and Jesse James' father. He was born in 1849 and raised in Shannon County. And he was raised under the name of Lewis Patton Phelps, since his mother remarried a Phelps when he was two years old. When he himself decided to marry, he wanted to know his father's name. After some dissention, his mother went with him to the Shannon County courthouse and showed him the marriage records. Last name of his father was smudged but young L. P. was sure the name was "James". His mother got very upset when he said this and insisted the name had been "Gemes." Research a cousin did in Washington seem to indicate the "James" was indeed correct. Faye Gemes Walthall gives us these bits of family information, as she can remember her grandfather telling them. "Grand-Dad always claimed he was born in a cave in Arkansas," she said "and came to Shannon County by way of "Kain-tucky," and it would make Grandma mad when he pronounced it that way." Mrs. Walthall said that Grandfather L.P. Gemes' mother (Mrs. James or Gemes and later Mrs. Phelps) was the daughter of an Indian Chief named Chief Whitehead, whose people settled in the Eureka Springs, Arkansas vicinity about 1850, as the chief was taking a daughter there to see if her eyes could be healed by the water." "Grand-Dad Gemes' wife (Mrs. L.P. Gemes) was Elizabeth Booth from Tennessee. They were married before they came to Benton County. "Some of the Gemes have woodsmen," Mrs. Walthall related, "and preferred to work in the out-of-doors but Grandmother Elizabeth's family owned at least 50 slaves". "Grand-Dad told me about the wedding when I was a little girl. It was a grand affair, with a big feast, even for the servants". "The next day after the wedding was called 'laying-in' day and Grand-Dad could still describe the gowns Grandma wore.both for her wedding and for the several days festivities which followed". Lemuel W. Gemes, a son of L. P. and Elizabeth Booth Gemes, was born April 3, 1883 near Edwards. He was a thresher, had a sawmill, ran a freight service between Warsaw and Edwards, operated a store and garage. He also carried mail between Warsaw and Hastain. His wife was Minnie Mae Buffon, daughter of Daniel C. and Mary E. Buffon of Iowa. She was born January 3, 1887 and died March 3, 1970 leaving a brother, Frank, of LaMonte, and a sister, Mrs. Vida Knapp of Red Oak, Iowa. They had six children: Lela died in 1906, at age of six; Mrs. Delia Cooper, Mrs. Faye (Leland) Walthall, Clifford, Travis and Elgie Gemes. When Lem Gemes first carried the mail, he had a hard-rubber tired hack. Roads were so bad, people kept a team of mules for him to use when needed. He'd leave the car at the beginning of the bad stretch and take the team. The only schooling he ever had was to Myrtie Smith (an early school teacher of Benton Co.) "She knew he wouldn't get to go very long," relates Mrs. Walthall, "so she concentrated on his A.B.C.'s that winter, using wooden blocks on a string for a teaching aid and she also taught him his numbers." Her father, Mrs. Walthall recalled, couldn't figure on paper to any great extent but could do a fantastic job of figuring loads of lumber and other involved practical problems in his head.