Michael ask for family stories, so here goes. My Dad's cousin, Osa Mae Talbot, loved to talk about the old family stories. This is the one she told about Henry County Missouri, and the family of James T. Barker and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Covington. It was just after the war between the states, and the carpetbaggers (a northerner in the south after the war) were coming through Henry County and stealing everything they could steal or eat, what ever was not hidden they destroyed. The Barker family had heard that they were heading their way so they hid what they could in the bottom of the well, and buried other stuff in the garden, the most valuable thing they had left was one milk cow. The family knew she would be butchered and eaten, and the family figured that the cow was the only thing that stood between them and starvation with the winter coming on. So they sent the youngest daughter to the nearby swamp with the cow. It was also thought that might protect the youngest daughter from the unscrupulous carpetbaggers. So off the youngest daughter went to the middle of the swamp to an island that she and the cow was to stay and wait for further orders. Every night a family member would sneak out to the swamp and take food to the girl and the cow. That poor child was out there for three days and nights, just her and the cow. Now this story would of taken place about the same time that Mark Twain was growing up, so figure in the spooky stories from Mark Twain. Stories of the spirits and ghosts and probably add a few indians into that story. Now we can really feel sorry for the youngest daughter of James and Sarah Barker. The Barkers were also slave owners. After the war between the states the family decided to make the move to Fannin County Texas. So the oldest son and his trusted friend, a former slave left and went to Fannin County Texas. Something happened on the trip and the oldest son was killed. The trusted friend and former slave of the Barker Family buried his friend in Texas and went ahead and made the purchase of land and then returned to the family in Henry County. He then lead the entire family back to Fannin County in 1866 where part of the family lived out the rest of their lives... As told by Osa Mae Talbot 6 April 1899-21 July 1995 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. John 3:16