Volume 4, Number 3 - Spring 1971
The Editor Speaks
Dr. Hardy A. Kemp. Kansas City, writes "About Moneka" mentioned in an earlier issue of the Quarterly... Moneka was "A village a mile and a half northwest of Mound City" in Linn County, Kansas. No trace of it remains today. Monett, Missouri was not born until 1887 when the Frisco Railroad moved its division point and shops from Pierce City, five miles eastward, to "Plymouth Junction" which soon became Monett...as soon as Vermillion’s Farm could be platted...Source, Conneley, W. E. "Kansas and Kansans", Vol. II, page 798, Lems Publishing Company, Chicago—N. Y., 1918.
Mrs. Mark Masur, Monett, says, "In the Monett Library, I came across a copy of your Historical Quarterly. An article about the Old Bald Knob School, by John Gerten, mentioned my aunt and uncle, Etta and Floyd Barber... I had started research on our family history which includes the Barbers and Browns of Taney County. My great-grandmother, Sarah Barber, lived at Cedar Creek in 1880, with her children-—Oscar, Elizabeth, Ellen, Jane, Ira, and Abbie. Sarah was widowed. She married the second time to a man named Haggard; after his death she married Silas Dugger, in Taney County.
My other great-grandparent on the Brown side was, William Watson (Uncle Billy) Brown. His daughter, Caroline, was my grandmother. Other children of W. W. Brown were Jim, Joan, Bell, Elizabeth, Tom Ramsey(?), and Robert... I would like to hear from any descendants of these relatives.
Many move away, but none ever forgets these Ozarks or its people...You will believe that when you read Almer A. Ridge’s story. Mr. Ridge says of himself, "I taught school in Taney County following my graduation from the Forsyth High School; graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism in 1928 and spent that summer working for Rockwell Fletcher on the White River Leader. I then taught in various schools and worked as a county superintendent for 10 years.
"In 1935 I began working for the Federal Government. I spent 25 years as a government investigator. I recall meeting Dr. Mehus at Excelsior Springs while I was a Civil Service Investigator. I am now retired and operate a farm near Columbia. We return to Taney County frequently as my wife’s parents live in the county. Over the years I have thoroly enjoyed reading the White River Historical Quarterly."
The story of the "White River Trail" by Margery Vickery was given before the Dent County Historical Society in June of 1969. Mrs. Vickery and her husband Robert Vickery own, edit, and publish the newspapers of Salem, Missouri. Mrs. Vickery was one of the promoters and organizers of the Dent County Historical Society. She drove a Jeep over the area collecting the yet available stories of the county from those who watched or had heard their parents tell of the early days. Many of these stories with pictures Mrs. Vickery and ‘Bob’ made into a book.
In January of this year after a short illness Margery died. Her written stories will continue as history and her spirit of friendliness will continue with us so long as we live.
When Mrs. George Eastman sent her check for dues to the Society she added these remarks, "My family and I are especially delighted with the winter 1970-71 edition of the Quarterly. My mother, Mrs. Tilden (Maude) McCord, is now reading the excerpts from S. C. Turnbo Manuscripts. She and my father knew Mr. Turnbo and entertained the writer overnight a number of times.
"The article by Douglas Mahnkey is most interesting to us. We knew the Mankey family years ago in Taney County, and thought them to be a wonderful and talented family.
"If any of your readers might happen to have information about the late Phoebe Apperson Hearst I would be most grateful if they would share it with me. Mrs. Hearst was born in Franklin County, Mo., on Dec. 3, 1842, and married George Hearst in Crawford County, Mo., on June 15, 1862. They came to California. She gained fame as a philanthropist and immortality as co-founder of the forerunner of today’s PTA."
Mrs. Coena Bogess, Rialto, Calif., wants to find information concerning Matt and Lucy Loughlin. She says, "I understand they were among the first people to settle Taney County. Their homestead was near Beaver Creek and White River...I have Elmo Ingenthron’s book on the Indians of the Ozark Plateau and expect to get the next one."
Ruth Ryser, not only sends material, but she sent a generous donation of money, a gift to the society to use for publishing the Quarterly. Mrs. Ryser collects history of her family and she helps all DARs of Oregon to find material concerning their families. She wrote, "I have waited several years and it doesn’t look as though any of the Snapp family is going to send you anything so I have compiled the direct line from the Emigrant to Taney County. I have piles and piles of Snapp material.’’
Jewell Ross Mehus
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