I wanted to share with others the wonderful surprise I experienced at my local FHL yesterday. A while back, a generous volunteer offered to do a lookup in the book "History of Ray County, MO" for me. They came back with the results that my ancestors - David Fletcher, Solomon Fletcher, Goldsmith Fletcher, Jesse Fletcher - were not listed in this book. Well, it has baffled me from the get go - "How can my ancestors not be in that book when they were there at the formation of Ray County, MO?". Yesterday, I discovered a new addition to our local Family History Library. They now have a copy of the book "History of Ray County, MO., Carefully Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources, Including a History of its Townships, City, Towns and Villages,......." St. Louis Missouri Historical Company 1881. I went to the back of the book and my ancestors were not listed in the index as the volunteer had stated. But I just refused to believe and just felt in my heart that they were in that book somewhere. I opened the book and started reading and low and behold, I had opened it to a page that mentioned my 3rd g. grandfather David Fletcher. "In March 1818, John, Richard, Samuel, Zachariah, William and Jesse Cleavenger, Isaac Allen, John Hutchings, Lewis, Samuel, and Jacob Tarwater, James Wells, and William R. Blythe (a trapper), settled in Fishing River bottom, in the southwestern part of the county. They, too, were all from middle and east Tennessee. The next year R. Lewis McCoskrie, a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, settled in the same locality; Captain Jacob Riffe, from Casey County, Kentucky, a little further to the east in township fifty-one, range twenty-eight, and Dorodle Rowland and David Fletcher, on sections three and ten, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine, respectively. They came from Indiana directly; originally from North Carolina. The above settlers all cam to stay, and were sober, industrious, honorable men. Several of them held county and township offices at different times." above quoted from page 209 ------------------------- I then began skimming through a few pages and found on page 221 continued on pg 221 under "First Grand Jury": ...........Wiliam Scott, John Dickson, Daniel Shackelford, Samuel Prewett, William Rawlings, Charles Scott, James R. Walker, Jesse Fletcher, David Bryant, Daniel Duvall, Samuel Oliphant, William Ragen and Hugh Valandingham." So my original hunch was correct. My family may not have made it in the index for what ever reason, but they were included in the book. This incident has motivated me and opened my eyes to the importance of taking the time to read through some of these old books and not just rely on the surname indexes in the back of the books. I'm not able to take the book out of the library but, I plan on spending time reading it every opportunity I can (which isn't that often I get to the library). Jean Heck

Jean My name is David White & I'm trying to obtain information on my grandfather & ggrandfather. Grandfather was William Soloman Hatfield and ggrandfather was Richard Hatfield. GGrandfather was born abt. 1843 in Knoxville, Ray County MO. & Grandfather 2/8/1869 in Knoxville. If you happen to come across either name could you let me know & I'll try to get a copy of the "History of Ray Co.". I don't mean for you to research, just let me know if in your reading you come across their names. Thanks, David White At 02:26 PM 8/12/01 -0700, you wrote: >I wanted to share with others the wonderful surprise I experienced at my >local FHL yesterday. > >A while back, a generous volunteer offered to do a lookup in the book >"History of Ray County, MO" for me. They came back with the results that >my ancestors - David Fletcher, Solomon Fletcher, Goldsmith Fletcher, Jesse >Fletcher - were not listed in this book. Well, it has baffled me from the >get go - "How can my ancestors not be in that book when they were there at >the formation of Ray County, MO?". > >Yesterday, I discovered a new addition to our local Family History Library. >They now have a copy of the book "History of Ray County, MO., Carefully >Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources, >Including a History of its Townships, City, Towns and Villages,......." St. >Louis Missouri Historical Company 1881. > >I went to the back of the book and my ancestors were not listed in the index >as the volunteer had stated. But I just refused to believe and just felt in >my heart that they were in that book somewhere. I opened the book and >started reading and low and behold, I had opened it to a page that >mentioned my 3rd g. grandfather David Fletcher. > >"In March 1818, John, Richard, Samuel, Zachariah, William and Jesse >Cleavenger, Isaac Allen, John Hutchings, Lewis, Samuel, and Jacob Tarwater, >James Wells, and William R. Blythe (a trapper), settled in Fishing River >bottom, in the southwestern part of the county. They, too, were all from >middle and east Tennessee. > >The next year R. Lewis McCoskrie, a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, >settled in the same locality; Captain Jacob Riffe, from Casey County, >Kentucky, a little further to the east in township fifty-one, range >twenty-eight, and Dorodle Rowland and David Fletcher, on sections three and >ten, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine, respectively. They came from >Indiana directly; originally from North Carolina. > >The above settlers all cam to stay, and were sober, industrious, honorable >men. Several of them held county and township offices at different times." > >above quoted from page 209 > >------------------------- > >I then began skimming through a few pages and found on page 221 > >continued on pg 221 under "First Grand Jury": ...........Wiliam Scott, John >Dickson, Daniel Shackelford, Samuel Prewett, William Rawlings, Charles >Scott, James R. Walker, Jesse Fletcher, David Bryant, Daniel Duvall, Samuel >Oliphant, William Ragen and Hugh Valandingham." > >So my original hunch was correct. My family may not have made it in the >index for what ever reason, but they were included in the book. > >This incident has motivated me and opened my eyes to the importance of >taking the time to read through some of these old books and not just rely on >the surname indexes in the back of the books. > >I'm not able to take the book out of the library but, I plan on spending >time reading it every opportunity I can (which isn't that often I get to the >library). > >Jean Heck > > >==== MORAY-CGA Mailing List ==== >Ray County Genealogical Assn. >901 W. Royle >Richmond, MO 60485

Jean The History of Ray County, Missouri, 1881 was still available from the Ray County Historical Society, the last I knew. You can contact them at the following address or phone number. Ray Co. Historical Society PO Box 2 Richmond, Mo 64085 1-816-776-2305 Glen R. Bayless