Volume 4, Number 4 - Summer 1971


The Editor Speaks

From Mrs. Maude J. Davis, Wichita, Kansas... "A great Aunt, Lula or Lulu Bell Kirkpatrick, was born in Taney County Mo, March 8, 1872. They may have been there for the 1870 Census... Father, as head of the house, William David Kirkpatrick 36 or 37 depending on the census, was born February 17, 1843. Wife, Lavina or Levina A., born Jan 10, 1847, Pike Co., Ill. There would have been 20 children in 1870. Tom or Thomas John Christopher, b. March 24, 1867. Lavina had a sister there—Sarah A. or Mrs. Sterling Combs. They came to Taney County in 1886. Mr. Combs died there. Sarah was born in Scott Co. Ind. or Pike County, Ill."

Charles H. Davison, Tuscon, Arizona..." would like to contact a cousin, Jannie Hazel Helms, born 10-12-1907, I think near Billings, Mo. My aunt Maude (Brashers) Helm born 7-22-1881 near Billings died at Republic, 11-28-1910, her husband, John H. Helms, may have married again. We lived in Dallas County north of Fairgrove at that time.

"My parents, Charles A. and Mabel (Brashers) Davison, lived in Taney County on Compton Ridge 1910-1913. Moved to Springfield, but back to Stone County two miles up Compton Ridge 1931. My brother, Guy Walter Davison, lived there until last November at his death. My great grandfather, Daniel W. Gray. All agree he was buried at or near Shell Knob, that he preached for the Church of Christ and that his wife, Hannah Goodrich, was buried at Brookline, Mo. There seems to have been two wives. Hannah the second. Thomas or Daniel W. Gray was born 2-10-1811 where Henrietta, Ohio is. Hannah Goodrick was born 8-26-1882, Rush Co., Ind. There are these children: Thomas, Elizabeth, Amy, Eunice, my grandmother born 2-17-1845, Elkhart, Ind. m William Walter Brashers 9-27-1881 died 10-24-1915, William Abner Nat b 4-5-1851, Homer, Ruth, Ross, Samuel, Phoebe and Guy who died as infants.

You may well know how glad we were to have Elmo Ingenthron’s book Indians of the Ozark Plateau appear for sale. I recall one time when I was "nagging" Elmo rather severly about not putting it out, the young son to whom he dedicated the volume said to me, "You know my father is a very busy man

I am certain that my nagging had nothing to do with getting the book into print, but I will continue to ask about the other two or three or more volumes, "When may we sell the new book?" Price of present one is three dollars.

If you will recall the picture of Mrs. Lucille Morris Upton in the Summer Issue of the Quarterly, 1964, well she appears just the same today. Perhaps her activities account for her not settling down into old age or even into an older age.

As a member of the City Council of Springfield, one will note Mrs. Upton always attending the meetings and quoted on nearly every subject. There may have been others, but I can recall only one other woman having been a member of that council. When the Bolivar newspaper had troubles due to death in the family, it was Mrs. Upton who one day a week for a long time drove to Bolivar to see that the paper went out a good newspaper.

I think I have averaged selling one copy a day of this new edition of The Bald Knobbers since we opened this year. It is a paperback and sells for three dollars. ‘Tis a larger than average size paperback with a good back and type big enough to suit folks my age.

Jewel Ross Mehus

[Inside Back Cover]


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