Tracing Our Bosque County Roots
From The Bosque County News
By LaDawn Garland
09 May 2001
I Spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the Bosque Memorial Museum in Clifton during Sharon Whitney’s siging of her book, The Memories of Will Conine, 1860s – 1890s. Local storyteller Bryan Davis, read excerpts from Whitney’s book and told the visitors of his long time friendship with Whitney, including their high school days in which they were voted Mr. and Miss Valley Mills. It was a very enjoyable day, I really enjoyed visiting with the author and encourage anyone who is interested in what life was really like in the early days of our county, to get a copy of the book, it is available for sale at the museum.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Texas Historic Cemetery designation ceremony of the Scrutchfield cemetery near Valley Mills on Saturday, I hope to get information on the history of the cemetery sometime this week and inlude it in a future column.
Here’s a variation of a really neat way to gather family memories and information, I thought I would share it with our readers in hopes it may help some of you get started on recording that family history. Sometimes just deciding where to start is the hardest part.
Type up all the family questions you would like to have answered, cut into strips so that each strip of paper has one question. Place all the strips into a box (or jar), and give it along with a bound notebook and a pen to the oldest member of your family. Ask them to write the answer to the questions in the notebook over a period of time. It is not such an
overwhelming task when it is taken one question at a time, and when all the questions are answered, you will have a notebook full of family memories, handwritten by a family member. The person who does the answering will have a wonderful time remembering all the events written down in the book.
Queries
I am trying to locate any information on my Grandmother that was born in Meridian in 1919. Her name was Marjorie Constance Bertelson. I believe her parents were Alice and Fred Bertelson. Thank you.
Sincerely, Chanda Serhus CSerhus@cs.comMy late husband Rev. Jack McAdoo had many ancestors that settled in Bosque CO. in the 1850-1860’s his grandparents, John T. McAdoo & and Lucy Ellen Whitley were raised there and were married there. I have learned quite a lot on the McAdoo family and do have some on the Whitleys I have never been able to find the death records for Lewis and Bettie, I would appreciate any information and will be glad toshare what I have. I just found the Bosque site recently and I appreciate the wonderful work that is going into it.
(Milly McAdoo in Sacramento, CA) MillyMom@aol.com
I am looking for information about John W. Myers. He traveled to Bosque County from Miller County, Missouri by covered wagon and arrived in the Fall of 1874. He farmed with his two brothers – James P. “Pete” & Abraham “Abe” -and in the off season they built rock fences. He was married to Mahala C. (Kellison) Baxter who died in 1881. They had the following children – Samantha Lee (04/21/68-04/22/57), Matilda Etta Jane (02/05/70-03/06/33), Charles Edward (05/11/74-11/01/41), Rachel Elizabeth (03/31/78-06/24/55), Abraham Jacob (04/02/79-01/06/36), and James Henry (09/06/81-02/13/53 [my grandfather]).
John W. Myers then married Mrs. Camsada Ray on March 5, 1885. We have been told that he died sometime between 1886-1888 and is buried somewhere near Walnut Springs. I would like to find any information about him, where he is buried; and about his second wife and where she is buried.
Thank you, Jim Myers cba@onramp.net
News From The Meridian Tribune
January, 30 1903
PersonalsLoving Day of near Iredell was in the city this week.
Will Carmean of Hico spent Monday in the city.
Levi and Teal Dunlap visited the family of J. W. Adams near Valley Mills Sunday.
Mrs. D. J. Cutbirth of Cayote was in the city Wednesday visiting her husband County Clerk Cutbirth.
Mrs. Frank Baker and children of McGregor are in the city visiting her parents Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Powell.
Mrs. Mary Mangum of Moody is visiting her daughter Mrs. Joe Drew and family this week.
Professor Henry Gary of Coke County, formerly a citizen of Bosque was in the city this week on business.
You’ll find a fantastic collection of old newspapers at the Bosque County Collections in Meridian, stop by their website and take a look at some of the great history they have managed to collect http://www.htcomp.net/bcc
If you are researching your Bosque County families online be sure to visit Bosque Co. TXGenWeb site at http://www.txgenweb5.org/txbosque/ you’ll find a wonderful collection of information provided by other researchers, it’s quite possible you might just find other researchers there researching your same family lines. This column will also be available weekly at this site.
If you would like to submit a story or query about your Bosque County family to this column please mail them to:
LaDawn Garland c/o The Bosque County News
P.O. Box 343, Meridian
TX 76665
fax to (254) 435-6335
or email me at: garland@htcomp.net