This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: RISLEY, OSBURN, FRIEND, STUBBS Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ZMB.2ACI/1889 Message Board Post: I know this is a long shot, but I thought I would give it a try and hopefully someone can help. Anyhow, my Grandmother Mae Marie Risley was born in Sparta, MO on Jan. 3, 1919. Her parents were Robert Clyde Risely and Lecia Osburn Risley. Mae also had a sister named Maude who was born in November of 1920. Mae passed away in June of 1974 before of cancer before I was born. Maude passed away in April of 2002. Mae moved to Indiana sometime in her early twenties. Maude took over the family home and land and resided there until her death. I never had the opportunity to meet any family on my father's side in Missouri until after my father passed in Sept. 2002. My stepmother recently gave me some belongings of my Grandmother Mae Risley. Something she gave me that must have been very special to my Grandmother was a photo album. It was given to her by a women named Geneva. No last name is given. There is also a photo of Geneva with a gentlemen named Ross. I am not sure if! the two ever married, but it seemed they were a couple from the photos. I have seen a few photos from my cousin in MO., that also have Geneva's picture in them, but we were not sure of her name at the time. My Grandmother Mae's Uncle by marriage was Vern L. Beamon. He lived on Hwy. 14 in Sparta and was the mail carrier. Of course he passed several years back. There are some photos of Geneva with Mae at Vern's home, but this is also where Mae resided when she attended Sparta High School. The walk from her house was too far. They lived south of where the Fairview Church is today off PP Highway. I was wondering if anyone has a Geneva in the families of Christian County they were researching. I figure her age to be very close to my Grandmother's age who as I mentioned was born in 1919. The photo album was given to Mae in 1938 when she would have been nineteen years old. I thought this may of been a school mate also. My Grandmother attended Fairview for elementary ! school and then graduated from Sparta High School. The copy of the re port card I received from the high school shows Mae graduating in 1939. Mae would have been twenty years old at the time. I also wanted to know if that was normal for back then? I know that Maude never attended school again after the eighth grade. She stayed home to help her mother with their cattle farm. I am sure most children did not continue on to the high school at that time. Anyone who can answer who Geneva may be and if it was normal to not graduate until twenty years of age your input in appreciated. Thank you for your time.