Boy do I need help! For 30 yrs. I've been seeking an elusive ggrandmother. According to her dau-in-law (my grandmother), Josephine (Dye) Byerley died 1926 - Miami, OK. Tried twice to get a death certificate from state of OK, and they told me they didn't have one. Another researcher said he checked with Ottawa County ... with no results. I've been to the Miami Library twice to check local information, but no luck. Have checked cemetery records for the area and found nothing. Josephine was born 1856 and married 1878 in Rockbridge, Ozark Co., MO. She seperated from her husband, John Riley Byerley, in 1900, and with her three younger children went to Aurora, Lawrence Co., MO to live (per 1900 census). Her son/my grandfather, Henry Thomas Byerley married Retta Weathers in 1905 Neosho, Newton Co., MO. Per family stories, Josephine lived with my grandparents in Spurgeon, Newton Co., MO - 1910, and in Duweg, Jasper Co., MO - 1911. However, none of these people show up on the MO census. Spurgeon was a mining camp at the time. I've checked for a death certificate with the state of MO for all of these counties ... and came up empty-handed. My grandparents lived in Peoria, Ottawa Co., OK 1915 - 1918. In June of 1918 they moved to Oregon by train. Josephine did not go with them. According to my grandmother, Josephine was showing extreme signs of senility. I can't imagine them moving off and leaving her alone. So she must have lived somewhere! Her youngest son, Jesse Byerley, showed up on the 1920 census in Enid, Garfield Co., OK. Josephine doesn't show up anywhere in 1920, MO or OK. Josephine (Dye) Byerley's parents were Henry DYE and Susan E. GARDNER (said to be 1/2 Indian). According to other family stories, my grandfather and his three siblings were to have inherited land. The oldest sibling, Ephrium Matthias Byerly, was said to have the power of attorney to sell this land for them all. If this was Indian land, I didn't find Josephine or her brother, William Leonard DYE, on any of the rolls. Didn't mean to write a novel for my first query, but I'm out of ideas. What am I forgetting to look at? I had hoped to put flowers on this woman's grave for Mother's Day. It doesn't look like I'm going to make it for Memorial Day either. Thank you for your time. Brenda Thornton DeArth Washington state - USA