Help! I have a big wall to overcome on my paternal grandfather's side of the family. My grandfather's name was (supposedly) John Bernard Calhoun, b 22 Dec 1889, Fairfield, Jefferson, IA, d 31 Jan 1949, Bakersfield, Kern, CA. His parents were supposed to be John Calhoun and Jane Stump. He, we know, had a sister named Esther who, I have been told, married a Vic Young. The story goes that grandpa left IA in a big hurry and never went back. 'nuf said? Great Aunt Esther wrote the family, evidently, warning my father and his sibs never to come to Iowa because, she said, the blood feud between my family and the family that my grandfather had wronged was still going on and it would be dangerous for them. Aunt Esther married a Vic Young, according to my cousin who once saw a letter to her father from Aunt Esther. My cousin knows of another letter, too, from Great Aunt Esther's daughter who wrote to tell my Uncle that Aunt Esther had died at age 95. Anyway, looked for my grandfather and his family on the IA censuses and found nothing about a John Calhoun and Jane Stump having a son, John, b 22 Dec 1889 and a daughter Esther b 1882-90 in Fairfield, Jefferson Co, IA (which is where they say he was born). The only thing I found (1900 --- I believe) was: Jerry Calhoun and Emmie with Kate M. b Nov 1882, IA Mabel E. b Aug 1885, IA John N. b Sep 1889, IA I suppose it is possible that this could be the family, but my grandfather always said his mother's name was Jane Stump and his father's name was John Calhoun. That could have been something he made up because of his problems with the law in IA, however. The John N. could have been my grandfather with an incorrect birth month and a middle name of Norman, which is what he named one of his sons. Mabel E. could be Mabel Esther and she used her middle name (something my family does, a lot). But, I still have wrong names for the parents. What do you think? Does anyone in Fairfield IA (or from there) recognize any of this story? Does anyone have any ideas about how to find out the truth. I searched the censuses for my grandfather, too, and can't find him anywhere until MO on the 1920 census, where he was listed with his wife and three children, i.e., John Bernard (my father), Esther, and Norman. (Another child was to be born in 1922, Maurice Calhoun.) To show you how difficult this family is to trace: My Uncle Norman changed his name to Phillip (called Phil) and my Uncle Maurice changed his name to Robert (called Bob). The only one left alive is Uncle Bob, who was born so late as to not really know much about any of this. He tells me what he remembers, but it is all stuff that had already been told to me. Jerry in the above census could have been born John and changed his name and Emmie could have been Emma Jane Stump, I suppose. But, this is all just guessing, and I want the real story. Please help. Carole Colquehoun carolelc@gateway.net