Volume 5, Number 2 - Winter 1973-74
THE EDITOR SPEAKS
by Jewell Ross Mehus
Oftimes Quarterly Meetings of the Historical Society pay dividends. On Dec. 9 Gladys Dean Lewis, Mrs. Jesse C. Lewis, Forsyth, wrote, "1 have just come from the Historical Society’s Meeting, and resolved to send to you the enclosed information I have about early Taney County residents.
This information came to me from a cousin in Iowa whose grandfather was Theodorus Eslick; (One of my great grandmothers was Elizabeth Wright Campbell who came with her husband, Issac Campbell, from Columbia; Tenn., in the 1840’s. Many descendants of the Wrights, Eslicks, and Pierces are living in this area."
Dr. Hardy A. Kemp sends these words of praise, "I liked Bill Harigraves’ piece, and ‘for shore’. Now that was writing, ‘for shore’—strictly 150% ‘Hill Billy’ of the purest ray serene. Nothing to compare with its high level of dedicated expression. Long may he wave!"
Lucille A. Brown added this note when she sent her manuscript concerning "The John R. Young Family":
"I am an abstractor trying to retire while I am still able to travel and search our records. Right now I am trying to locate the Cross family records. West and Adeliade Cross were married at Cross Roads and they reared my mother-in-law, Birdie Cross Brown. What I want to know is where Birdie Elfleetah Cross’ mother came from. Adeliade Cross told her that her mother was a member of the Bollinger Family who were famous in early Missouri history. We know that her brother was a brother of West Cross, who was a son of Martha Cross of Howell County, born either in Tennessee or Kentucky, one census says one; the other, the other. I went to the library at Jackson, Mo., looking for Bollinger family. The librarian, who was a descendant of the Bollingers, said she had seen an old abstract with a will in it made by some of the Bollinger men wherein he "wills out" one of his daughters, because she married someone they didn’t like. I hope to go and ferret out this lead."
The snow-covered Ozarks gives excuse for publishing the picture made by John Gerten in ‘68 and sent to me last year at Christmas. I did not hear from John this year so wonder
On the back of the William Hembree record is written "1/18/89 sent blank application for Discharge to Hembree, Marmaros." According to Paul Moser in "A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets of Stone County, Missouri" and published in the Quarterly Winter, 1971-1972:
"Marmaros this small town was 11 miles north of Blue Eye."
Mary Scott Hair says: "I liked the last Quarterly so much that I decided to do something about part of "the rest of the story".
We promised an excerpt from "A Pioneer From the Ozarks" by James Bayard Inmon. This is the story of Inmon’s grandfather, John W. Inmon, who according to the frontpiece "was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, April 16, 1820 and died in Stone County, Missouri, September 12, 1913.
We quote parts of Chapter Six and of Chapter Seven, for just as in the Book of John, I find the introduction of Inmon’s book not in the beginning. ‘Tis here in the center that "John Pa John" comes to his "Beautiful Rainbow Valley".
James Bayard Inmon was born in a log cabin his grandfather builded. James B. grew up in the hills where his first job was as a farm hand at twenty-five cents a day. On his return from World War I he received Vocational Training, and in 48 months completed a high school course and two years of college. He taught school to get money to finish a college degree, and Later studied at the University of Missouri, the University of Kansas, and at Purdue University.
While hospitalized at the V.A. Hospital in 1925 and again in 1967, he found time to work on his manuscripts. After his-retirement as Director of V.A. Counselling Office at Southwest Missouri State College he finished his two-volume work, the first being "Orphans of the Ozarks". You may buy these direct from James B. Inmon, 2011 East Woodland, Springfield, Mo. 65804: "Orphans of the Ozarks," price $3.00; "A Pioneer From the Ozarks", $5.00.
You may buy the books at the Old Shepherd’s Book Shop.. . . for James Bayard Inmon is one of Dr. Mehus’s ‘Boys’, in that he was apart of Dr. Mehus’s staff when Myking was Chief of Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Division of the V.A. for the Kansas City Area.
Jewell Ross Mehus
THE EDITOR SPEAKS [ from page 13]
We’ve got another author in our midst. This month Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Adams of Forsyth became members of the WRVHS. Mr. Adams’ father taught school in Taney County without a schoolhouse; he taught in the log house home. Emmett attended SWMSTC, taught school, served as County Superintendent of School for eight years. and as superintendent of the Intermediate Reformatory for young men at Jefferson City for four years.
Mrs. Adams grew up at Kissei Mills where her father, Otto Wolf, ran "The Store" and the cotton gin. The machinery from the gin ground the farmers’ corn into meal.
In his book of near 500 pages, "The Plime Blank Truth", Ozarkian Style, Mr. Adams frequently quotes from the columns and articles he wrote for various magazines including, "The Red Ranger," "The Hunter’s Horn," and "The Mountaineer"; from sometimes a bit of poetry or he will tell an anecdote of the Ozarks and some times he inserts bits of wisdom.
You may purchase the book from Mr. Emmett Adams, Forsyth, Missouri. Price $500, plus fifty cents handling charges if he must mail it.
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