I have an Iowa connection to the Maxson surname. Although I haven't followed the Maxson line, the recent exchange regarding the Maxson connection to abolitionist John Brown has me curious about some of my other family relationships. My "Maxson" connection is: William Orlando Crumb (1838-1899) & Hannah Jane Claypool (1840-1921) William & Hannah's son, George Crumb married Mabel Niles George & Mabel's daughter, Daisy Mae Crumb married Harry F. Maxson, born 1892 in Marble Rock. Died 1924 in West Union. There are two issues which spark my curiosity 1) Hannah's obituary states that she was "raised a Quaker but was for many years a faithful member of the M.E. church at Marble Rock." I have not been able to locate records to substantiate that Hannah's family was Quaker. Her father died when she was very young and her mother remarried. I suspect that if Hannah was raised Quaker it would have been her mother's religion. Hannah's mother was Sarah Jane (Hall) Claypool-Barnes. Unfortunately, I've been unable to connect Sarah Jane to parents but census records indicate she was born in North Carolina. I've reviewed the North Carolina records located at Earlham College and was unsuccessful in finding a likely candidate family. The Hall family would have arrived in Berrien Co., Michigan or St. Joseph Co., Indiana prior to August 1839. 2) William and Hannah Jane (Claypool) Crumb left La Porte Co., Indiana in 1862 to relocate in Marble Rock. In 1868 Hannah's brother, William Claypool, married (Miami) Philena Perham in Berrien Co., Michigan. A news article about Philena Perham on January 2, 1928 states, in part, "This Berrien Pioneer Lived in John Brown's Tannery" . This article and also her obituary go on to say that "when she was aged two (about 1851) the family moved from Ashtabula Co., OH to Richland, Pa., where they lived for a time in a tannery, belonging to John Brown, the famous abolitionist." I've been unable to locate information on this Perham line prior to their arrival in Berrien Co., Michigan. Alternate name spellings have also been unsuccessful. I once found a reference to a Perham family "being warned out of town" in connection to anti-slavery activities but could not make a direct connection to "my" Perham(s). With the reference to my family line living in John Brown's tannery and ! Hannah being raised Quaker, I've been curious about possible involvement in the abolitionist movement. I've had no previous indication that my Claypool family knew the Perham family prior to William & Philena's marriage in 1868. Now with this Maxson-Iowa-John Brown exchange of information, I'm wondering whether there might have been some association through the anti-slavery movement. I apologize for the lengthy explanation, but it's a complex web which I thought required some detail be given. If anyone on the list has information or suggestions regarding any area of my dilemma, I'd be pleased to hear from you. Thank You. Donna Nelson