This is the letter I received that I was telling you about in my earlier query - Thought maybe you would want to read it. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri 63110 Department of Anatomy Oct 15, 1965 660 South Euclid Avenue Dear Mrs Haynes: Your letter asking for information about the body of George Washington Payne has been turned over to me to answer. I am happy indeed to be able to give you some reassuring information because we do have records which cover the period you refer to. Our records indicates that George W. Payne, age 77 years, died at the St. Louis City Hospital on April 7, 1832 and that pneumonia was the cause of his death. The body was delivered to Washington University School of Medicine on April 12, 1932 under the auspices of the Missouri State Anatomical Board. Bodies which are unclaimed automatically fall under the jurisdiction of the Board which is responsible for their assignment to the appropriate educational institutions of the State. One of the provisions of the Anatomical Law of Missouri is that the unclaimed body must not be subject to study for a minimum of 30 days after death. This provision is to provide time for relatives to claim a body for burial. Following this period, study of the structure of the body may be undertaken at any time. Later on in the year of 1932 the study of this body was undertaken, and following completion the remains were cremated. In recent years laws have been passed at different times in the various states which permit an individual to will his body for scientific study. I mention this to reassure you that science has great need for this kind of study and that the study of the body of your relative was a real contribution to medical science. I hope our records have provided you with the proof you are searching for to establish the identity of the George Washington Payne who was your relative. There is a penciled note one our record card which indicates that he had been born in Indiana and that his mother and father were from Pennsylvania. With all good wishes, Sincerely Yours, Mildred Trotter Professor of Anatomy Thanks Wilma Fleming Haynes gencon@harborside.com