Hi. My name is LaVelda Faull and I am new to the list. I have tried many avenues to try and find my grandfather without any luck, so I am hoping that perhaps someone on this list might be able to help. He is a big hole in my family tree. My mother, Frankie Ruth Simmons, was born in 1933 in WINFIELD, COWLEY COUNTY, KANSAS. Her parents were FRANK W. (FRANCIS WILLARD we think) and VELDA MAE (ALISON)SIMMONS. My mother has an older sister who was born in 1932 - Barbara Alison Simmons. When my mother was only two years old, her parents were divorced. I have a copy of my mother's birth certificate and a copy of her parents divorce papers. They were divorced in Hamilton County, Kansas courts, but Frank's whereabouts were unknown at that time. My grandmother always said that he never paid child support. The circumstances of their divorce were (according to my mother) that because of the Great Depression, Frank (who was a stone mason) could not find work to support his family. For some reason, this caused a rift between he and his family and he "deserted them". I don't know if this was really the case, but that is what I have been told. Anyway, my mother never saw him again except for one time when she was ten years old somewhere in Oklahoma while she was visiting an aunt. However, in about 1954, Frank W. Simmons tried to contact my mother's sister, Barbara, who was in college at that time in Missouri. He wanted to meet her. At that time he was living in WINFIELD, COWLEY COUNTY, KANSAS. Barbara refused to see him out of loyalty to her mother and has since regretted that decision. Neither of the two sisters ever saw their father again. My mother says that he had a glass eye. My aunt says that he was in the navy in World War II. It is possible that he remarried and had more children, but we just don't know. Frank had a sister named LAVINA (SIMMONS) BEGGS who tried to find her brother before her death in the 1980's in Michigan City, Indiana. She advertised, etc, but never could find him. Frank also had a brother named LEO SIMMONS who supposedly moved to California to be an entertainer. His nickname was "CHICK SIMMONS". He, also, I have been unable to find. Frank's parents I do know. He was the son of JAMES MARK and MARTHA MERRIAH "Mattie" SMITH) SIMMONS. They both lived and died in Cowley County, Kansas. Frank W. Simmons was born in approximately 1903 or 1901. He was supposedly ten years older than my grandmother who was born in 1913. Do any of these names ring any bells with anyone in Cowley County? Does anyone remember Frank W. Simmons? Are there old Winfield directories that might list him? I sure would appreciate any help that you might give me in trying to find my grandfather. I know that he would be dead by now, but I am anxious to know what happened to him. Best regards, LaVelda Faull Glasgow, KY _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com