Carolyn, I'm not sure whether I'll be able to do the research you requested, but I did nearly fall out of my chair when I read your post. The "young McGonigal family" that Harry and Myrtle Stauffer were living with in 1920 are my grandparents and my mother! And, I have pictures! -- of Harry, Myrtle, and my grandparents, mostly taken along Cliff Drive, which is along the south bluff of the Missouri River. It was THE place to go for a Sunday drive in the early 1900s both by carriage and by car. I vaguely remember visiting the home of some older folks in the late '40s & early 50's. Seems they were on the Kansas side of the line; would have been Wyandotte County, not Johnson. The names Harry, Myrtle, and "Mrs. Cook" rattle around in my head from that time but with no connections. I was always told that Harry and Myrtle were my grandparent's best friends but knew nothing more about them. However, Grandpa was raised in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas, by a childless aunt and uncle (Charles Samuel "Sam" McGonigal). The aunt's maiden name is Annie Leota Cook. It took a long time to figure out that her parents are Sarah Ann Nichols (buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wyandotte Co. KS next to Sam and Annie) and Henry L. Cook. Henry seems to have ended up in the state penitentiary at Lansing, KS in 1880 but is in Texas Co., MO in 1900. Annie's siblings are George Parker b. 1861, Thomas Eli b. 1866, Charles Henry b. 1868, John H. &/or John Frank, b. 1869 &/or 1870; William Norval b. 1871, Mary A. b. abt. 1874, Lizzie M. b. abt. 1875. I don't have a Myrtle Cook anywhere in the mix, but had a tough time finding what I do have on the Cooks, so that doesn't mean she isn't related, especially since these siblings are a generation older than Myrtle. They are all connected to Kansas and Ohio, not Indiana and Missouri, but she still could be a cousin. Do you have more information on Myrtle? I never knew that she was a Cook. I also have photos of my grandparents with other family and friends vacationing at Palmer Lake in Colorado. Apparently they did this several times. They had a big old car and attached a canvas to one side of it to make a tent-like shelter. I bet anything Harry and Myrtle were along on some of these trips. Now that I know that "your" Harry was born in Colorado, I'm thinking that may be a partial reason they chose it as a vacation spot. I do know my gr andmother hated the mountains -- "nothing but rocks." I would be glad to share scans of my photos with you. Please email me directly if you like. Vanette Hamilton

Vanette, Please pardon my intrusion in this but I just find this whole thing remarkable and have a feeling that you just made Carolyn's day!! :) Karla VanetteHobbs@aol.com wrote: Carolyn, I'm not sure whether I'll be able to do the research you requested, but I did nearly fall out of my chair when I read your post. The "young McGonigal family" that Harry and Myrtle Stauffer were living with in 1920 are my grandparents and my mother! And, I have pictures! -- of Harry, Myrtle, and my grandparents, mostly taken along Cliff Drive, which is along the south bluff of the Missouri River. It was THE place to go for a Sunday drive in the early 1900s both by carriage and by car. I vaguely remember visiting the home of some older folks in the late '40s & early 50's. Seems they were on the Kansas side of the line; would have been Wyandotte County, not Johnson. The names Harry, Myrtle, and "Mrs. Cook" rattle around in my head from that time but with no connections. I was always told that Harry and Myrtle were my grandparent's best friends but knew nothing more about them. However, Grandpa was raised in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas, by a childless aunt and uncle (Charles Samuel "Sam" McGonigal). The aunt's maiden name is Annie Leota Cook. It took a long time to figure out that her parents are Sarah Ann Nichols (buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wyandotte Co. KS next to Sam and Annie) and Henry L. Cook. Henry seems to have ended up in the state penitentiary at Lansing, KS in 1880 but is in Texas Co., MO in 1900. Annie's siblings are George Parker b. 1861, Thomas Eli b. 1866, Charles Henry b. 1868, John H. &/or John Frank, b. 1869 &/or 1870; William Norval b. 1871, Mary A. b. abt. 1874, Lizzie M. b. abt. 1875. I don't have a Myrtle Cook anywhere in the mix, but had a tough time finding what I do have on the Cooks, so that doesn't mean she isn't related, especially since these siblings are a generation older than Myrtle. They are all connected to Kansas and Ohio, not Indiana and Missouri, but she still could be a cousin. Do you have more information on Myrtle? I never knew that she was a Cook. I also have photos of my grandparents with other family and friends vacationing at Palmer Lake in Colorado. Apparently they did this several times. They had a big old car and attached a canvas to one side of it to make a tent-like shelter. I bet anything Harry and Myrtle were along on some of these trips. Now that I know that "your" Harry was born in Colorado, I'm thinking that may be a partial reason they chose it as a vacation spot. I do know my gr andmother hated the mountains -- "nothing but rocks." I would be glad to share scans of my photos with you. Please email me directly if you like. Vanette Hamilton ==== MOJACKSO Mailing List ==== If you wish to unsubscribe from the Jackson Co., MO Mailing List, send only the word UNSUBSCRIBE to MOJACKSO-l-request@rootsweb.com or if you are on the Digest list to MOJACKSO-d-request@rootsweb.com ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx