T his seems to be a Beets family who intermarried with Seversand Lamar as well as Olney in the area of Anderson County TN in the mid and late 1800s. I have little info about them but some on Lamar and Severs in the same area.Possibly someone in the Beets family can fill us in a little on the 3 families. They seemed to be in the area around Coal Creek. Charles Severs In a message dated 3/4/04 10:46:31 PM Eastern Standard Time, james98@bellsouth.net writes: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES - HILLSDALE. (BEETS - OLNEY) JOHN BEETS, farmer, Section 4, Township 16, Range 23, P. O. Hillsdale. Mr. Beets is one of the few surviving pioneers of Miami County of 1854, he having made his claim on the then Indian land in the fall of that year. He moved his family the following April, 1855, to their new home. He purchased his land at the land sales in the spring of 1857, and continues to reside here to this date. Mr. Beets was born in east Tennessee, August 29, 1826. When sixteen years of age he went to Missouri and from there to Mexico in 1848. returning to Missouri he went to Mexico again in 1849, and across the plains to California in 1850. He spent two years in the gold diggings and in 1852 returned to Missouri. In the fall of 1854 he came to Miami County, Kan and made a claim on Section 4, Township 16, Range 23, his present home. returning to Missouri, he was married October 4, 1854, and in April, 1855 returned to Kansas with his wife and took possession of his claim. They have eleven children, three sons and eight daughters. Dora A. is the wife of Jerry Mobley, of Marysville Township; Flora J. is the wife of William Hittle, of Sugar Creek Township, Kan; William K is married and lives in Sugar Creek; Thomas J is married and living in Osage County, Kan; Mollie is the wife of John B. Rees, of Johnson County, Kan; John A., Mattie, Belle, Bettie, Bessis. Mr. Beets has a well improved farm of 260 acres. JOSEPH BEETS, farmer, Section 32, Township 15, Range 23, P. O. Hillsdale, was one of the early pioneers of Miami County, he having made his home here since April, 1856. He was born in northeastern Tennessee, Hawkins County, May 16, 1818; was brought up a farmer and moved to Van Buren County, Mo, in 1843. He bought a claim of a squatter named John Hicks on Section 32, Township 16, Range 23, of 160 acres. He now has well cultivated farm of 398 acres. During the late war he did service in the State Militia; was under Gen Blount in Missouri. He was married in Cass County, Mo., March 31, 1848, to Mrs. Louisa D. Patten, widow of Andrew J. Patten, and a daughter of William Lyon. Mrs. Beets was born in Patrick County, Va. They have eight children, five of whom are living; Eliza J., wife of Aaron Harbison, of Stanton, Kan.; Peter L, Mary, died in childhood, Henry P, Nancy A., died at the age of six years; John C. died in infancy, Fanny, twin sister of John L, Ida, wife of William Richardson, teacher at Hillsdale. Mrs. Beets had two children by her former marriage. James J. died in manhood, leaving a wife and two children; William A, was a soldier in the late war and served four years as a member of Company I, Fourteenth Kansas Cavalry.