I am seeking the e-mail address of Marshall Garrison, formerly of Miller. Thanks. Dale West Longview, TX

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 [email protected] wrote: > > Judy, Ross, anyone? > > I find this very interesting. What exactly, in terms of political and > economic policies, did the Radicals stand for. Was there a paper considered such in > Lawrence and or Dade Counties? > > Thanks, Janet Hunter My guess is that it was Radical Republicans, since this was 1867 during Reconstruction. But I'll defer to people who know more history than I know. - Heather

In a message dated 9/3/2003 9:08:58 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > He reports the Arkansns [sic] Radicals wide- > awake, and feels highly encourage at the > prospects for the success of a Radical paper at > Fayetteville. The Radical states out with an > unusually large subscription list, and is a > valuable medium for business men who wish to > extend their trade into that part of the country. > Judy, Ross, anyone? I find this very interesting. What exactly, in terms of political and economic policies, did the Radicals stand for. Was there a paper considered such in Lawrence and or Dade Counties? Thanks, Janet Hunter

Missouri Patriot, published Springfield MO Thursday 18 July 1867: Robert J. Kelley of Mt. Vernon is in town to- day. He is on his return from Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he has been superintending the issue of the first number of the Fayetteville Radical. He looks as if he had been well fed down there, and is wearing a better suit of clothes than a Newspaper man ought to indulge in. He reports the Arkansns [sic] Radicals wide- awake, and feels highly encourage at the prospects for the success of a Radical paper at Fayetteville. The Radical states out with an unusually large subscription list, and is a valuable medium for business men who wish to extend their trade into that part of the country.

I am looking for someone who might know the history of the Catholic church in Pierce City. Had the chance this past weekend to go to and old fashioned church picnic at the St. Marys Catholic Church in Pierce City. We went inside and looked around before we left and noticed some pictures of another church that was also in town at one time, St. Patricks I believe was the name. Anyway I was wondering why there were 2 Catholic churches in a town that small, or did one shut down and become St. Marys. Thanks for any help. _________________________________________________________________ Enter for your chance to IM with Bon Jovi, Seal, Bow Wow, or Mary J Blige using MSN Messenger http://entertainment.msn.com/imastar

There is a good history of both these churches in the Pierce City 130 Birthday booklet as well as a fine history of Pierce City. This booklet may still be averrable for purchase. Leo Mills

In a message dated 8/22/2003 8:19:14 AM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I am seeking source for marriage of Carrie Melissa Wilson Daughter of John and Sarah (Wheelock) Wilson on 9 Apr 1878 in Pierce City, Lawrence Co., MO to Edward Eugene Squier ... Reed, This marriage is not in Volume II of Lawrence County Missouri Marriage Records covering 1870-1881. Good luck, Virginia Boucher

I am seeking source for marriage of Carrie Melissa Wilson Daughter of John and Sarah (Wheelock) Wilson on 9 Apr 1878 in Pierce City, Lawrence Co., MO to Edward Eugene Squier son of Abner and Nancy (Morris) Squier. Thank you very much. Reed Livingston (nee SQUIER)

I am descended from David Hood of Ky and Lawrence Co., MO and have worked on his family, as well as his brothers, Jesse (Jeff) and John (Alex), for a number of years. I seem to have "lost" one Thomas Hood. Years ago when visiting in Lawrence Co. with relatives, Ottie Hood Johnson, a cousin, gave me some good information from her memory. She is gone now and I seem to have put the data she gave me on a Thomas in the wrong place. To differentiate between three different Thomas's they nick named them: Rod Tom, Spick Tom and Long Tom. I was reading the lists about the Hood-Pruitt families regarding Thomas R. Hood and Mollie (Pendergrass) but I am not sure where this Tom fits into my family now. He was born 1855 in MO but the 1860 census does not have him listed. Does anyone have information of the parents of this Thomas R. Hood? TIA Pat in Oregon

I am descended from David Hood of Ky and Lawrence Co., MO and have worked on his family, as well as his brothers, Jesse (Jeff) and John (Alex), for a number of years. I seem to have "lost" one Thomas Hood. Years ago when visiting in Lawrence Co. with relatives, Ottie Hood Johnson, a cousin, gave me some good information from her memory. She is gone now and I seem to have put the data she gave me on a Thomas in the wrong place. To differentiate between three different Thomas's they nick named them: Rod Tom, Spick Tom and Long Tom. I was reading the lists about the Hood-Pruitt families regarding Thomas R. Hood and Mollie (Pendergrass) but I am not sure where this Tom fits into my family now. He was born 1855 in MO but the 1860 census does not have him listed. Does anyone have information of the parents of this Thomas R. Hood? TIA Pat in Oregon

Judy, Do you go very often? I am looking for birth information on my grandmother and siblings supposedly born in Verona. Descendants of Joseph Reuben DeWitt Generation No. 1 1. JOSEPH REUBEN1 DEWITT (?A) was born October 12, 1854 in Mercer County, PA, and died February 24, 1926 in Royalton, Franklin County, IL. He married (1) LYDIA FRANCIS WELTY Bef. 1883 in Unknown, daughter of DANIEL WELTY and HANNAH BURGETT. She was born May 26, 1856 in Pike County, IL, and died January 24, 1920 in Wilburton, Latimer County, OK. He married (2) EMMA ? December 09, 1920. Children of JOSEPH DEWITT and LYDIA WELTY are: i. JAMES OTIS2 DEWITT, b. April 13, 1884, Mexico, Audrain County, MO; d. January 07, 1940, Ziegler, Franklin County, IL; m. ZEMRY ELIZABETH EDWARDS, March 16, 1902; b. March 13, 1886, Toms Creek, Wise County, VA; d. 1959, Six Mile Twp, Zeiglar, Franklin Co., IL. ii. MYRTLE MAY DEWITT, b. October 23, 1888, MO; d. January 12, 1969, Unknown; m. (1) HARRY MCLAUGHLIN; d. September 28, 1918; m. (2) WILHELM TREBING, February 17, 1920, Unknown; b. November 03, 1898, Altenessen, Germany; d. January 12, 1983, Commerce City, CO. iii. WILDA ELLA DEWITT, b. July 16, 1891, Verona, Lawrence County, MO; d. September 05, 1986, Grove City, Franklin County, OH; m. MORRIS J. STOVER; b. August 1881, Artie, Raleigh County, WV; d. Bef. 1986, Artie, Raleigh County, WV. iv. FRANK READ DEWITT, b. October 16, 1893, MO; d. June 1974, Talihina, Latimer County, Oklahoma; m. UNK. v. LENA DEWITT, b. February 22, 1896, Verona, Lawrence County, MO; d. February 23, 1977, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, AR; m. (1) ERNEST WILLIAM RATCLIFF, March 27, 1917, Wilburton, Latimer County, OK; b. July 08, 1895, Jellico, Whitley County, KY; d. October 10, 1966, Morris County, TX; m. (2) CHARLES JONES, Abt. 1960, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, AR; b. February 11, 1909; d. June 1978, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, AR. vi. RENA DEWITT, b. February 22, 1896, Abt 1896. vii. ADA BELL DEWITT, b. January 14, 1899, MO; d. August 1986; m. (1) ? OWENS; m. (2) PRICE LAMAR, Abt. 1920. Thanks. Pat Ratcliff Conover, NC Researching RATCLIFF, GRABILL, BUTTON, HICKS, DEWITT, BUTTS, WHEAT, PUTNAM, KENNEDY, COREY, BURCHETT, TUTTLE http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/a/t/Patricia-Louise-Ratcliff/

Stopped by the city hall in Verona. They are only open two days a weeks. The clerk was in the office. Very nice and very much a genealogy- friendly person. The office wasn't really open that day but the clerk let me tape some info from the Minutes of the Board of Trustees while she had the office open. Web site for the city is www.msnusers.com/cityofverona Email: [email protected] Minutes of Board of Trustees, Town of Verona, Missouri Jan 10, 1916, Verona Missouri Pursuant to an order issued by the County Court of Lawrence County Missouri January 4th, 1916, the following persons met January 10, 1916, for the purpose of organization: D. B. Huffman August Smith T. B. Suttelmyre Homer Haggard John W Young. D. B. Huffman elected permanent chairman and John W. Young temporary clerk. Feb 7, 1916 Board of Trustees All members present except Homer Haggard. Ordinances #5 and #6 read and passed unanimously. Clerk ordered to procure metal dog tags and also have printed such receipts as needed for immediate use. Mar 6, 1916 Bond of T. J. Hillhouse as collector with W. S. Loveland and W. C. Hewlett as sureties was accepted by the Board. Henry E. McShane was elected treasurer; vice, R. J. Mitchell. Bill of $2.00 for seal and $1.80 for tags for dog licenses was presented by John W. Young. Warrant was ordered to pay the same. On motion, C. F. Porter, R. Grammer and W. C. Hewlett were appointed as judges for the regular election in April and were notified by the clerk of said appointment. D. B. Huffman, Homer Haggard and John W. Young appeared before the County Court and had James F. Lee, Dr. W. S. Loveland and Theo Eriksen appointed as road commissioners for special road district to serve 3, 2 and 1 year respectively. Apr 3, 1916 Bond of H. E. McShane in the sum of $500 as treasurer with W. S. Wilks as surety read and approved by the Board. Apr 5, 1916 After canvassing the votes cast in the election on the day previous the results was: Homer Haggard, 61 D. B. Huffman, 57 August Smith, 59 T. B. Suttlemyer, 60 John W. Young, 59 J. W. Smith, 1 Archie Baker, 9 Ed Lechner, 9 James Barker, 6 Al Rudig, 7 Bob Hillhouse, 7 Ernest Miller, 1 Homer Haggard, D. B. Huffman, August Smith, T. B. Suttelmyer and John W. Young were declared elected to serve as trustees for the town of Verona for the ensuing year. Max Pachl was appointed to serve as street commission and marshal for the year. T. J. Hillhouse is collector. H. E. McShane is treasurer. John W. Young is clerk. D. B. Huffman was reelected chairman of the board. On motion H. Pinkston was allowed what surplus dirt was left after properly working and grading Dora Street. May 1, 1916 T. B. Suttlemyer and Homer Haggard, two members of the Board of Trustees, were appointed to go before the County Court and see if one John Cavenor and wife could be received at the County Farm as inmates. T. B. Suttlemyer tendered his resignation as one of the members of the board of trustees. Accepted by the board. John W. Young was appointed as a committee of one to confer with Ernest Young in regard to securing his old brick building as a lockup. Clerk was ordered to confer with J. P. Haur in regard to the old buildings on Main street to see if same could renovated and made into a sanitary condition and if not take steps to have same torn down. May 10, 1916 J. Goodman was allowed a license to peddle apples for thirty days dating from May 7, 1916. May 16, 1916 The Great Eastern Tea and Coffee company secured license to peddle tea, coffee and spices for a period of three months ending August 16, 1916. June 5, 1916 Work done by H. Pinkston on the street south of his residence was accepted. Committee to make disposition of John Cavenor and his wife reported them as inmates of the County Farm. D. B. Huffman and Max Pachl appointed as committed to estimate cost of converting old brick building of Ernest Young into a lockup. Resignation of Homer Haggard read and accepted. John W. Young ordered by the board to confer with the county clerk in regard to procuring the assessment list for the year. July 3, 1916 Bill of Max Pachl as street commissioner for $10.37 read and allowed. Bill of Max Pachl as city marshal for $.25 for killing and removing a dog was allowed. John Voepel and J. Will Smith elected to fill places of T. B. Suttlemyer and Homer Haggard who resigned. July 14, 1916 John F. Voepel and J. Will Smith signed oath of office and became members of the board. Amended Chapter 3 Section 31 to read first meeting in January instead of first meeting in April. Clerk again ordered by the board to confer with J. T. Haur in regard to putting his old buildings in better shape. Aug 7, 1916 Bill of $4.60 for T. R. Colley for making assessment book allowed and ordered paid. Bill of Max Pachl for $8.75 for road work allowed and $3.75 for killing and burying dogs allowed. Sep 4, 1916 Bill for $3.00 for writing ordinances allowed and paid to Floy Barris. Bill of Max Pachl for services in the sum of $4.90 was allowed. Bill of same for street work in the sum of $5.20 was allowed. Marshal was ordered to see W. J. ____ and C. A. Bridwell in regard to their unsanitary closets. Ordinance #8 adopted by vote of 4 to 1. Sep 12, 1916 Special meeting called for the purpose of discussing opening the business houses of this town on Sunday. Do definite understand being ready the board adjourned. [That sentence makes no sense. I have no idea what was decided -- but there was apparently a definite understanding of some kind.] Oct 2, 1916 John F. Voelpel was absent. Resignation of D. R. Huffman was read and laid over until next regular meeting. Marshal Pachl reports W. J. Haur cleaned closets as ordered. Nov 6, 1916 J. Will Smith absent. Resignation of D. R. Huffman as chairman of the board was read and accepted. John F. Voelpel elected to serve as chairman for the remainder of the unexpired term. Bill of Max Pachl for services as marshal in sum of $10.00 was allowed. Bill of T. R. Colley, county clerk, for $0.19 for abstracting merchant tax was allowed. Complaint was made that Mrs. Pruentes’ hog pens were offensive. Marshal was ordered to notify Mrs. Pruentes of the complaint and have her to take steps to remove the same. Dec 4, 1916 August Smith and D. B. Huffman absent. Bill of $12.25 to P. H. Barris printing was allowed. Clerk ordered to draft ordinance for occupation tax and have same ready for presentation at the next meeting. Jan 1, 1917 Marshal Max Pachl reported he had notified Mrs. Kate Pruentes of complaint regarding hog pens on her premises. Marshal ordered to notify her again in regard to the pen. Bill of Ed Zimmerman in sum of $2.90 ordered paid. Bill of John W. Young for $20.00 as services as clerk was ordered paid. Clerk ordered to draft ordinance and have ready for next meeting. [Does not say what ordinance.] Jan 17, 1917 Special session. Dr. J. W. Smith absent. Tax books presented by collector T. J. Hillhouse and showed a balance of $11.56 uncollected taxes. Books were accepted by the board and collector was paid his ___ and released by the board. Feb 5, 1917 Doctor’s certificate was read and board excepted Homer Lee from road work. August Anderson, Alan F. Miller and John Lindquist were recommended to county court one of whom was to be appointed road commission for a term of three years. Mar 5, 1917 Bill of Ed Zimmerman in amount of $1.20 for cleaning snow off walks was read and allowed. Resignation of Max Pachl as marshal and street commissioner was accepted by the board. Joe G. Potter was elected by the board to fill the position of marshal and street commissioner. Mar 21, 1917 Special session. Appointed as judges of election to be held April 3, 1917: R. G. Baker, H. Pinkston, and Rollin Grammer. April 4, 1917 Special session Following offices elected to the board for one year: E. R. Haymes, chairman E. E. Pendleton, clerk T. J. Hillhouse, collector Lee Brickey, street commission and marshal John W. Young, treasurer Clerk was ordered to buy star for city marshal. Following committee to be known as the street and alley committee: Albert Rudic and E. E. Pendleton appointed to confer with road commission. Apr 16 , 1917 Bonds approved. May 7, 1917 Street committee ordered to put tiling across the street at H. P. Wilks crossing and across the street at the square. Clerk was ordered to draw specifications and receive bids for walks across the street at the bank and lumber yard. Tuesday May 15 was declared clean-up day. The clerk was ordered to have that announced in local paper to notify residents to pile their junk when the wagons could come to get it and remove the same. May 14, 1917 Let contract for walks across main street. The bids of Mr. Bergman and Mr. Pachl were read. Mr. Bergman lowest bidder and awarded contract. $70.00. May 12 1919 Special meeting. Chair appointed solicitors from each school district in the township to solicit funds for a park. Verona district: Mrs. Pruente, Belle Young, Jesse Miller and Lulu Young. Line district: Mrs. J. D. Miller and Mrs. Allen Miller. Cresent district: Mrs. J. B. Mangus and Mrs. William Tolliver. Pleasant Ridge district: Mrs. George Kernes, Mrs. M. F. Black, Mrs. James Black, Mrs. Frank Eckman. Wheeler district: Mrs. Victor Schelin, Mrs. Henry Baley, Mrs. Aug Anderson. Wolf district: Mrs Ely Grug, Mrs. George Buhler, Mrs. J. H. Lungren Lee district: Miss Frie, Mrs. George Allen and Mrs. Ira Askins. Wilks district: Mrs. Thomas Lewis and Mrs. Lem Allen. Wade district: J. E. Conrad and Florence Hillhouse. William Barker was appointed city marshal.

Hi Sharon, I don't have time to address all the questions now, but the second part of #1 is relatively easy. "A. F. & A. M." stands for "Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons." I believe that "D. D. G. M." probably stands for "Deputy District Grand Master." However, I am not certain of this. Some of my ancestors and close relatives were or are Masons. Ross Cameron >>> [email protected] 08/11/03 12:46PM >>> Hi, I just finished reading a very interesting article "Masonic Research: Did Your Ancestors Join?" by Bruce Black in The Searcher, Summer 2003. Volume 40, No. 1, pg-188. The Searcher is a publication of the Southern California Genealogical Society [ http://www.scgsgenealogy.com ]. I would like to search for the Masonic records of my ancestors and I have a few questions. 1. Has anyone on the Dade or Lawrence County lists done any research on the Masonic affiliation of their ancestors in the same counties? Please tell me, what do the initials "A. F. & A. M." and "D. D. G. M." mean? Both my gr grandfather, John William Nickel, and my gr, gr grandfather, Thomas Nickel were Masons. Their farms were located between Lawrenceburg and Halltown [closer to Lawrenceburg]. In the Reprint of Goodspeed's 1888 History of Lawrence County, pg. 129, it states that Thomas Nickle was a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 99 A. F. & A. M. since it's beginning in Jan. 1853. I found the Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce website for Fraternal Organizations: http://www.mtvernonchamber.com/AboutOrgs.htm and it gave the address and contact of Dan Ditzler. 2. Does anyone know if they still have the old records? In the same book, pg. 166, it states that John W. Nickle was a member of Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 in Lawrenceburg, and was a Past Master of the year 1883. The article mentioned above stated that if the Masonic ancestor was a Civil War Veteran [Union or Confederate], there would be other information possibly available. 3. Is The Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 still in existence and do they still have the old records? If not, did this lodge merge with another? I could not find it through any website. He lived Ash Grove the remaining few years of his life. I found a "Masonic Hall" in Ash Grove through the http://www.smartpages.com/directory but is the Hall still a Lodge? The rest of the lodges I found in the area were all listed as a lodge. 4. Do I need to contact the Grand Lodge? If so, does anyone know how to contact them? I Found the website for the Grand Lodge of MIssouri [ http://www.momason.org ] in Kansas City, but no address is given. Note: This site has links to the Missouri Lodges & Districts. If you click on the Masonic Lodges link, you can find the Grand Lodge Sites for other states. Any information, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Sharon Ford Valley Glen, CA ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== Visit the Lawrence County Query, Biography, Obituary, Will, Deed, Bible, Pension, etc., Boards at: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties.lawrence ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Sharon, The Grand Lodge of Missouri is in Columbia. Address: Grand Lodge of Missouri, 800 Hwy N, Columbia, MO 65201. The telephone number I have is (573) 474-8561. This is not from the latest phone book, so you might want to check out the phone number on the Internet. About five years ago, when I lived in Columbia, I went to the office to see if I could find information on someone. They told me they would not have a lot of personal info on him, but told me which lodge he belonged to in McDonald County. They then located a packet of information from that lodge. It so happened the person I was looking for was a charter member when the lodge was organized in 1852. The other thing in the packet was yearly reports from the lodge, which listed new members admitted and members who died. The person I was interested in was listed as having died in July 1855 in that annual report. So that is what I found there. They were very helpful made copies of any of the material I wanted. Hope this may help. Alice McCollum On Monday, August 11, 2003, at 11:46 AM, Sharon Ford wrote: > Hi, > > I just finished reading a very interesting article "Masonic Research: > Did Your Ancestors Join?" by Bruce Black in The Searcher, Summer 2003. > Volume 40, No. 1, pg-188. The Searcher is a publication of the > Southern California Genealogical Society [ > http://www.scgsgenealogy.com ]. I would like to search for the Masonic > records of my ancestors and I have a few questions. > > 1. Has anyone on the Dade or Lawrence County lists done any research > on the Masonic affiliation of their ancestors in the same counties? > Please tell me, what do the initials "A. F. & A. M." and "D. D. G. M." > mean? > > Both my gr grandfather, John William Nickel, and my gr, gr > grandfather, Thomas Nickel were Masons. Their farms were located > between Lawrenceburg and Halltown [closer to Lawrenceburg]. > > In the Reprint of Goodspeed's 1888 History of Lawrence County, pg. > 129, it states that Thomas Nickle was a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. > 99 A. F. & A. M. since it's beginning in Jan. 1853. I found the Mt. > Vernon Chamber of Commerce website for Fraternal Organizations: > http://www.mtvernonchamber.com/AboutOrgs.htm and it gave the address > and contact of Dan Ditzler. > 2. Does anyone know if they still have the old records? > > In the same book, pg. 166, it states that John W. Nickle was a member > of Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 in Lawrenceburg, and was a Past Master > of the year 1883. The article mentioned above stated that if the > Masonic ancestor was a Civil War Veteran [Union or Confederate], there > would be other information possibly available. > > 3. Is The Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 still in existence and do they > still have the old records? If not, did this lodge merge with another? > I could not find it through any website. He lived Ash Grove the > remaining few years of his life. I found a "Masonic Hall" in Ash > Grove through the http://www.smartpages.com/directory but is the Hall > still a Lodge? The rest of the lodges I found in the area were all > listed as a lodge. > > 4. Do I need to contact the Grand Lodge? If so, does anyone know how > to contact them? I Found the website for the Grand Lodge of MIssouri > [ http://www.momason.org ] in Kansas City, but no address is given. > Note: This site has links to the Missouri Lodges & Districts. If you > click on the Masonic Lodges link, you can find the Grand Lodge Sites > for other states. > > Any information, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. > Thank you. > > Sincerely, > > Sharon Ford > Valley Glen, CA > > > ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== > Visit the Lawrence County Query, Biography, Obituary, Will, Deed, > Bible, Pension, etc., Boards at: > http://boards.ancestry.com/ > mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties > .lawrence > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >

Hi Alice, Yes, your information is very helpful. I will verify the address and tel no. Thank you for taking the time to send the information. Sharon Ford ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alice E McCollum" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [MOLAWREN-L] Masonic Research > Sharon, > > The Grand Lodge of Missouri is in Columbia. Address: Grand Lodge of > Missouri, > 800 Hwy N, Columbia, MO 65201. The telephone number I have is (573) > 474-8561. > This is not from the latest phone book, so you might want to check out > the phone number on the Internet. > > About five years ago, when I lived in Columbia, I went to the office > to see if I could find information on someone. They told me they would > not have a lot of personal info on him, but told me which lodge he > belonged to in McDonald County. They then located a packet of > information from that lodge. It so happened the person I was looking > for was a charter member when the lodge was organized in 1852. The > other thing in the packet was yearly reports from the lodge, which > listed new members admitted and members who died. The person I was > interested in was listed as having died in July 1855 in that annual > report. So that is what I found there. They were very helpful made > copies of any of the material I wanted. > > Hope this may help. Alice McCollum > > On Monday, August 11, 2003, at 11:46 AM, Sharon Ford wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > I just finished reading a very interesting article "Masonic Research: > > Did Your Ancestors Join?" by Bruce Black in The Searcher, Summer 2003. > > Volume 40, No. 1, pg-188. The Searcher is a publication of the > > Southern California Genealogical Society [ > > http://www.scgsgenealogy.com ]. I would like to search for the Masonic > > records of my ancestors and I have a few questions. > > > > 1. Has anyone on the Dade or Lawrence County lists done any research > > on the Masonic affiliation of their ancestors in the same counties? > > Please tell me, what do the initials "A. F. & A. M." and "D. D. G. M." > > mean? > > > > Both my gr grandfather, John William Nickel, and my gr, gr > > grandfather, Thomas Nickel were Masons. Their farms were located > > between Lawrenceburg and Halltown [closer to Lawrenceburg]. > > > > In the Reprint of Goodspeed's 1888 History of Lawrence County, pg. > > 129, it states that Thomas Nickle was a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. > > 99 A. F. & A. M. since it's beginning in Jan. 1853. I found the Mt. > > Vernon Chamber of Commerce website for Fraternal Organizations: > > http://www.mtvernonchamber.com/AboutOrgs.htm and it gave the address > > and contact of Dan Ditzler. > > 2. Does anyone know if they still have the old records? > > > > In the same book, pg. 166, it states that John W. Nickle was a member > > of Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 in Lawrenceburg, and was a Past Master > > of the year 1883. The article mentioned above stated that if the > > Masonic ancestor was a Civil War Veteran [Union or Confederate], there > > would be other information possibly available. > > > > 3. Is The Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 still in existence and do they > > still have the old records? If not, did this lodge merge with another? > > I could not find it through any website. He lived Ash Grove the > > remaining few years of his life. I found a "Masonic Hall" in Ash > > Grove through the http://www.smartpages.com/directory but is the Hall > > still a Lodge? The rest of the lodges I found in the area were all > > listed as a lodge. > > > > 4. Do I need to contact the Grand Lodge? If so, does anyone know how > > to contact them? I Found the website for the Grand Lodge of MIssouri > > [ http://www.momason.org ] in Kansas City, but no address is given. > > Note: This site has links to the Missouri Lodges & Districts. If you > > click on the Masonic Lodges link, you can find the Grand Lodge Sites > > for other states. > > > > Any information, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. > > Thank you. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Sharon Ford > > Valley Glen, CA > > > > > > ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== > > Visit the Lawrence County Query, Biography, Obituary, Will, Deed, > > Bible, Pension, etc., Boards at: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/ > > mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties > > .lawrence > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > > records, go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== > Looking for a town, postoffice, cemetery, creek, etc. > Try the mapping services at USGS GNIS. > http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_form > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

Can someone tell me if the courthouse in Mt. Vernon is the place of find out all the owners of a property in Aurora? I would like to know who was the builder/original owner of my Grandmother's Bates house and who has owned it since it was sold by her estate in 1956. When we were in Aurora in June, the property was for sale, and we lucky to drive by it as a realtor was showing the property. He let my brother and I walk through it. Of course, it has changed considerably since 1956 but just walking through brought back so many memories of the old home. The house was built I believe in the 1890s. My grandparents, George K. and Loula Bates, owned the property from 1907 till she died in 1956. Thanks. Virginia Wilkerson Halterman

Great question!!! Would this be part of the County Assessors Office? I find a listing in the white pages of the 2001 directory for the Assessor Courthouse, tel no. 466-2831. I would like to trace back through the owners the farms owned by my gr, 2nd gr and 3rd gr grandfathers in the Lawrence & DadeCo. area. I have the description of the property [Section, Township, Range quadrants and acreage], is this all I need? In a Missouri lecture by Lloyd Bockstruck [Dallas Pub. Lib.] he stated that the original deed was handed down to each owner over the years, and the current owner should have the deed, if it still exists. Does anyone know if this holds true for Lawrence, Dade, Polk, Greene? I think I once asked this question of the list, but cannot remember answer, nor can I put my finger on the e-mail [filed in 3- 3", 3-ring binders] that I would have printed out. Sharon Ford ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 1:02 PM Subject: [MOLAWREN-L] History of House Ownership > Can someone tell me if the courthouse in Mt. Vernon is the place of find out > all the owners of a property in Aurora? I would like to know who was the > builder/original owner of my Grandmother's Bates house and who has owned it since > it was sold by her estate in 1956. When we were in Aurora in June, the > property was for sale, and we lucky to drive by it as a realtor was showing the > property. He let my brother and I walk through it. Of course, it has changed > considerably since 1956 but just walking through brought back so many memories of > the old home. The house was built I believe in the 1890s. My grandparents, > George K. and Loula Bates, owned the property from 1907 till she died in 1956. > > Thanks. > > Virginia Wilkerson Halterman > > > ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== > More Lawrence County information can be found at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~molawre2/ > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

Hello Everyone, Sharon's question is of great interest to me as well. I think the Sheltons were Masons in Lawrence Co. (Ross?), and I know my grandfather Charley Sexton was a Mason, but I don't know about any other of my ancestors. It might be possible to figure out when, if regular & predictable, they had their annual meetings and chose officers. There could be articles in the local newspapers, if no meeting records are found. Janet Hunter

Sharon, I know this won't be a lot of help, but maybe historically it will. The Lodge used to meet upstairs in the building where Jerry and Thelma White have their antique store in Halltown Missouri. The White's seem to have a lot of historical information about Halltown and Rock Prairie. The big lodge in Aurora is currently a private home owned by Bill McClure. Bill has been in the antique business for many years and probably could tell you where the Masonic records are for Aurora (My grandfather, ggrandfather, etc. were Masons, but I don' t know the answers to your other questions) Sharon Ford wrote: >Hi, > >I just finished reading a very interesting article "Masonic Research: Did Your Ancestors Join?" by Bruce Black in The Searcher, Summer 2003. Volume 40, No. 1, pg-188. The Searcher is a publication of the Southern California Genealogical Society [ http://www.scgsgenealogy.com ]. I would like to search for the Masonic records of my ancestors and I have a few questions. > >1. Has anyone on the Dade or Lawrence County lists done any research on the Masonic affiliation of their ancestors in the same counties? Please tell me, what do the initials "A. F. & A. M." and "D. D. G. M." mean? > >Both my gr grandfather, John William Nickel, and my gr, gr grandfather, Thomas Nickel were Masons. Their farms were located between Lawrenceburg and Halltown [closer to Lawrenceburg]. > >In the Reprint of Goodspeed's 1888 History of Lawrence County, pg. 129, it states that Thomas Nickle was a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 99 A. F. & A. M. since it's beginning in Jan. 1853. I found the Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce website for Fraternal Organizations: http://www.mtvernonchamber.com/AboutOrgs.htm and it gave the address and contact of Dan Ditzler. >2. Does anyone know if they still have the old records? > >In the same book, pg. 166, it states that John W. Nickle was a member of Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 in Lawrenceburg, and was a Past Master of the year 1883. The article mentioned above stated that if the Masonic ancestor was a Civil War Veteran [Union or Confederate], there would be other information possibly available. > >3. Is The Rock Prairie Lodge No. 267 still in existence and do they still have the old records? If not, did this lodge merge with another? I could not find it through any website. He lived Ash Grove the remaining few years of his life. I found a "Masonic Hall" in Ash Grove through the http://www.smartpages.com/directory but is the Hall still a Lodge? The rest of the lodges I found in the area were all listed as a lodge. > >4. Do I need to contact the Grand Lodge? If so, does anyone know how to contact them? I Found the website for the Grand Lodge of MIssouri [ http://www.momason.org ] in Kansas City, but no address is given. Note: This site has links to the Missouri Lodges & Districts. If you click on the Masonic Lodges link, you can find the Grand Lodge Sites for other states. > >Any information, suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. > >Sincerely, > >Sharon Ford >Valley Glen, CA > > >==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== >Visit the Lawrence County Query, Biography, Obituary, Will, Deed, Bible, Pension, etc., Boards at: >http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties.lawrence > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > >

Hello again, The Masonic Lodge in Mt. Vernon apparently still exists as the website for the Grand Lodge of MO. It's meetings are listed as the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Also, the Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce website lists: Dan Ditzler, Rt 2 Box 43 B, with a telephone number. Has anyone been in contact with him? I will write to him, but perhaps someone who lives in the area can call him and ask where the old records can be found. This is great fun to be able to work together to help further our research! I've learned soooo much over the years from the people on the Lawrence and Dade lists, and the Lawrence Co. Historical Society. Sharon Ford ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 10:36 AM Subject: Re: [MOLAWREN-L] Masonic Research > Hello Everyone, > > Sharon's question is of great interest to me as well. I think the Sheltons > were Masons in Lawrence Co. (Ross?), and I know my grandfather Charley Sexton > was a Mason, but I don't know about any other of my ancestors. > > It might be possible to figure out when, if regular & predictable, they had > their annual meetings and chose officers. There could be articles in the local > newspapers, if no meeting records are found. > > Janet Hunter > > > ==== MOLAWREN Mailing List ==== > Visit the Lawrence County Query, Biography, Obituary, Will, Deed, Bible, Pension, etc., Boards at: > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.st ates.missouri.counties.lawrence > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >