OLDn’NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY
Carolee Hazlet’s grant application really brought home a winner last week. The Missouri Department of Economic Development granted the Randolph County Historical Society $350,000 in Neighborhood Assistance Project tax credits for restoration of the Fourth Street Theater. What does it mean? Here’s an example. If your company owes $10,000 in state taxes, you may give $7,000 of it directly to the Randolph County Historical Society and keep the money in Randolph County. Good way to keep the money at home. Our Board of Directors just named Carolee the NAP Project Director and she will be coming to see you soon.
Boy, did I have fun talking to Mose Alexander the other day. He came by the History Center and identified many of the firemen in our old Moberly fire department pictures. His Dad, also a Mose Alexander, was fire chief for years. Mose described how the fire horses were trained to come out of their stalls in the back of the firehouse at the sound of the fire bell. And you’d better be out of their way when the bell rang, because they were trained to come flying to the front of the building and stop at a certain spot. Harnesses were hung in the rafters by a rope. The firemen would undo the rope; the harness would fall on the horses and would be fastened to the tongue of the fire wagon with a couple of snaps by the firemen. The entire process would take as little as 32 seconds. Mose is our newest member.
The guys at Coffee, Inc, where I start my morning, told me that in later years the old Fairview area west of Cairo was known as McAlestor’s Corner. Donald Bond, the Cairo postmaster for 30 years, came by the History Center and said that the actual location of Fairview was just north of Z on the first gravel west of Cairo. Old foundation stones were turned up in the field there for years. Frank Graves called and reminded me that Cairo was the site of the first Rural Mail Delivery west of the Mississippi.
Family Tree Climbing 105
The United States census is an excellent source for information about your relatives. The first census in the United States was taken in 1790. Until 1850 the census taker only recorded name and age of the head of the family plus the number of adults, children and slaves. Names and ages of all white people and free blacks and their birthplaces were recorded for the first time in 1850. All blacks were recorded in 1870 after their emancipation. Census data is opened to the public after 70 years, so the latest census open for researchers is 1930. A census record can be an important guide to finding other relatives or future relatives if you pay attention to the neighbors of the family that you are looking for. We can help you know where to find census records. Drop by the History Center and have a chat with Ingrid, Sheryl, or Cecy about your research problems. Sometimes people are hard to find. Just think about poor Mr. Odom in the following notice. Where do you think you might find him? You are faced with many challenging questions when tracing your family tree.
NOTICE TO YOUNG LADIES, WIDOWS AND OLD MAIDS
Whereas my husband, Isaac W. Odom, left home without any just provocation on Saturday night the 11th instant, with an intention of not returning, this is to forewarn all persons from stopping him or impeding him on his journey in any way whatever, as I am resolved not to pursue him, as this is the second time he has made the attempt. I particularly forewarn all young ladies or widows from marrying or harboring him, as I do positively assure them that they would rue their bargain. He is about 5 feet 11 inches high, spare made, light hair, blue eyes, tolerably talkative, fond of company, 19 years old. Any person seeing him will do me a favor by advising him never to return, as I positively will never live with him. Mahalah Ann Odom, Yalobusha Co. Nov. 23, 1837
From The Brandon Republican and Eastern Democrat
Brandon Mississippi, Volume 1, Number 39, December 29, 1837
Previously published in RootsWeb Review: Vol. 5, No. 40, 2 October 2002.