In a message dated 1/24/99 1:51:05 PM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: << I had previously found one brief one-liner giving Galena mining permit info, but it had only one Neavill, and not John,... That you and Chris Heaton have the names James, John, and Alex, with a few dates, is a real revelation. The info that Chris Heaton passed to you,... does it give any other information, such as sector, location, or the like on any of the three? >> No -- only what I sent you. On 8/2/96, she sent me a photocopy of her notes, which she made at the Platteville Library. <<A second area, or just comment: I hadn't considered that newpapers - the Galenian - would be that useful at that early a date, giving Ephraims's marriage information in 1832.>> That info came from Sharon (and maybe from Marilyn to Sharon to me). Supposedly, the marriage info for Ephraim Neavill and Rachel Cox was in the very first issue of the Galenian. Here's my transcription of a very poor negative microfilm of the Galenian, at least twice photocopied: At Council Hill on the 29th ult. by the Rev. Mr. Thomas, Mr. EPHRAIM NEVIL, to MIss RACHEL COX. [The Rev. Mr. Thomas was still preaching in 1849 -- at White Oak Springs, La Fayette County, Wisconsin, [in a lead mining area where Ephraim, his family, and his friends also lived] according to History of La Fayette County, Wisconsin. (Chicago: Western Historical Company, MDCCCLXXXI) <Wondering outloud if there are also the names John Luff Meredith (their father) or John Thomas Wheeler Meredith (their younger brother) getting Galena mining permits. (Is the mining permit information online somewhere?)> See my answer to question no. I. Wayne -- thank you for all the information you have given me -- I keep collecting the names of people who surrounded the various NEAVILLS as friends and allied families because they all seemed to travel together or at least follow each other from place to place. Sometimes, when I can't find my people in the census, I look for my peoples' friends and neighbors and find them that way: For instance, I have already mentioned the COX family: Thomas COX[Sr.], Rachel's older brother, was a member of three territorial legislatures. His father and mother, Robert and Jane/Jean (Robinson) COX married in KY, migrated to Illinois (Kaskasia, Randolph County) somewhere around 1811 [allegedly with some of their friends -- and the NEAVILLS--but I have not been able to substantiate that.] Robert served in War of 1812 and "drowned in a freshet" abt 1814. Thomas served in the war and as the Census enumerator in Randolph Co. in 1810. Rachel’s brother, Col. Thomas Cox, had an impressive and colorful history as a pioneer in five territories: KY, MI, WI, IL and IA. Among other things, he was a deputy sheriff, census taker, tax collector, lieut.-colonel in the militia, soldier in the Black Hawk War, tavern keeper, surveyor, justice of the peace, IL state senator, Register of the Springfield U.S. Land Office, Speaker of the House of Representatives, IA Territory, and President of the Sixth Territorial Council, IA. (Col.) Thomas Cox was also, by some reports, an alcoholic and a vigilante. He d. in 1844 at the age of 57 of pneumonia and “congestion of the liver.” Five years later, his widow, Roba Bartlett Cox, her children and their families set out for California, arriving at Cajon Pass just before New Year’s Day, 1850. In the same party was Rachel’s brother, John W. COX and his family, as well as many old friends and neighbors from IA. The group arrived in Los Angeles on May 1, 1850 where John Gregg NICHOLS, jr. became the first child b. of American parents when he was b. 15 April 1851 to Florida (Cox) and John Gregg Nichols, sr. Nichols, sr. became the third mayor of Los Angeles, serving in 1852 and again from 1857 to 1858. Other friends and/or relatives, many of whom eventually went to California, had the surnames SAWTELL(E), NEW, HILLIARD, MALLARD, HULING, SANDRIDGE and SEAMANDS. (Gen.) John G. McDONALD and (Gen.) James COLLINS also came West. I have some information on why so many people left the lead mining regions of Illinois and Wisconsin which I will post in a future e-mail. Diane Wilson Flynn [email protected]