Hello everyone, It's been awhile since I've been on this list. I resurrected this line and found a little more info. Maybe one of you have seen something. In 1880, in Lewis Twp, a Thomas J. BLACKBURN (b 1848, single, white, male) moves in alone. A couple of years later, both his parents, William (b 1814 and Susan (Bolton) (b 1822) BLACKBURN, move to Lewis Twp from Richardson Co NE too. His married brother, Andrew J. BLACKBURN (b 1845) and his wife Maria and their 2 kids come from NE as well (Andrew buys land in 1895). Then his single brother Perry C BLACKBURN (b 1849) comes with the 2 younger brothers George F (b 1862) and the youngest whose first name is probably 3 syllables, but he uses his middle name which I'm pretty sure starts with a V (I've see Claistin/Cloietin/Cl___tin, Gallading, Vale, Val). He was born May 1864. Then the married brother Elihu Merritt (b 1859) & wife Zerilda BLACKBURN come over from Doniphan Co, KS. William BLACKBURN (1814) dies there in 1888 of TB and is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery. I was there in the mid 1990's and was unable to locate his tombstone (if it was still standing). His son Thomas, paid for his burial. Susan BLACKBURN (1822) his wife, dies in 1901 in the Poor House. She had checked in and out a few times. Three of her sons were still in Lewis Twp, yet no one paid for her burial, so she's buried out in the field next to the poor house. Thomas BLACKBURN is on the 1900 Lewis Twp census with brothers Perry & the youngest one (Cl____ V ). He is 52 and single. I can't make the Ancestry database come up with a Thomas born in IN around 62 years old in 1910. (Not that the Ancestry database is complete either....it's missing MO in 1900). So either Thomas died by 1910, or he wasn't indexed. Perry C. BLACKBURN is on the 1900 Lewis Twp above with Thomas. I think he went to CA by the 1910 and 1920 and died around the Los Angeles harbor area. I'm hunting him down now. He never married either. Elihu Merritt (or just Merritt) and his wife Zerilda came over from KS around 1889-1891. The child born in 1891 was born in Oregon, Holt Co. It looks like they stayed there until about 1896-99 and then went to CA (Los Angeles). One of his twin daughters (Oma) died in Oregon in 1892. George F BLACKBURN (b 1862) never married. He went in and out of the poor house with his mother and died there on 11 May 1900 (right before the census was taken and there are no mortality schedules for the 1900). He's buried out in the field too. The youngest brother, Cl or V or whatever...here are his clues born 7 May 1864 (according to the family Bible which as yet to surface...but for the life of me, I can't figure out why they didn't copy down his name). --1870 Cicero Twp, Tipton Co, IN, 5yrs old with his parents. It looks like Cl then a or o, then what looks like a handwritten U, except there's a dot over it, then an e or s, then what looks like tin. --1880, Porter Precint, Richard Co, NE, 16 years old, farm hand, born IN (parents both TN). This census taker was "efficient" in saving the government ink. He wrote initials. Now, he's just V. Blackburn. He's listed with his brother and his parents are next door with the eldest married sister (who went to CO). --1900, Lewis Twp, Holt Co, MO as Gallading, as 36, day laborer, born IN (parents born TN). Gallading is 3 syllables and if I plug my nose and say Clementeen it sounds like Gallading. He's listed with brother Perry. --1910 Lewis Twp, Holt Co, MO, I found a Vale Blackburn, age 45, single, born US (parents born US). He's a farm laborer with the James D. & Doris Ferguson family. --1920 Can't find any Blackburns in Holt Co. --1930 Lewis Twp, Holt Co, MO, I found a Val Blackburn, age 65, single, born in IN, but his parents born in Ireland. He's a farm hand living with the Fred Wels? Wets? & wife Gertrude's family. --1946 I found an entry (from a newspaper, I think, page 1 with the title info is missing at the moment) that says a Nolley Blackburn d 13 Dec 1946 age 82 years, 7 mo, 11 days (b. 2 May 1864, mine is supposed to be born the 7th), laborer, died on the county farm (poor house--boy, my family likes that place), widowed, buried in Oregon. This bugs me, because the date is almost right, but he wasn't married to my knowledge. And I wonder if Nolley is supposed to be Volley which is Vale which is really pronounced closer to "volley." I didn't post anything about the other siblings, as the never stayed in Holt Co to my knowledge. If anyone sees anything on this family or possible suspects, please email! Sincerely, Cheri Mello Torrance, CA