(Van Bibber Pioneers Newsletter Feb. 2001)
VAN BIBBER PIONEERS E-NEWSLETTER

A free monthly electronic newsletter for the VAN BIBBER, VANBIBER, VAN BEBBER, VANBEBER, VANBABER, VANBEVER, and VANBEVERS families.

Vol. 4 No. 4 – February 2001

I hope everyone enjoyed last month's newsletter and found it informative. By the overwhelming responses I received, some of which I posted at the end of this newsletter in the "sound off" section, it is obvious that it was extremely missed during the year 2000. I feel the hard part is over with and that was getting the first edition, as your editor, into publication.

As our numbers continue to grow, as I expected them to, there is one item I would like to bring to the attention of our subscribers. If you are not aware of it, we also have the Van Bibber Discussion List which is provided by Rootsweb. Bruce Logan, our former newsletter editor, is the list owner and it has been in existence going on three years. This is a list where information concerning the Van Bibber family is posted. There are currently approximately 160 members who are either subscribed in the "digest" or "mail" mode. If you would like to become a member of this discussion list you can sign up for it by going to the Van Bibber Pioneers website or through Rootsweb.com. You can also review the archived postings by going to the following internet address: https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/th/index/Van_Bibber.

Also, as a reminder, if you change your e-mail address it is important that you let me know so you can continue to receive the newsletter.

I want to personally thank everyone who submitted information to this month's edition and encourage all subscribers to randomly submit articles to the newsletter.

Your Editor,

Gary R. Hawpe


CONTENTS:

  1. New Subscribers - Address Changes - Corrections
  2. Brigetta Van Bibber
  3. Joseph L. Fry
  4. Yoakum Biographies
  5. Home of John Reynolds Excavated
  6. Obituaries
  7. VB Deaths for the Year 2000
  8. Recent Deaths
  9. Judges of the United States Court
  10. Jack Van Bebber - 1932 Olympics
  11. Military News
  12. Reunions
  13. Notices
  14. Queries
  15. Sound Off


NEW SUBSCRIBERS:

I would like to welcome all the new subscribers joining us this month. According to my numbers we now have 420 subscribers to the newsletter.

  1. Amy Burrow -- [email protected] -- Sophronia VanBibber and George Dixon
  2. Annie Van Bebber -- [email protected] -- William VanBebber and Elizabeth Barbee
  3. Charlie Harrell -- [email protected] -- George Yoakum and Martha Van Bebber
  4. Chris Van Bever -- [email protected] -- George VanBeber and Mary Tinsley
  5. Daniel McMurray -- [email protected] -- George Yoakum and Martha Van Bebber
  6. Debbie Fox -- [email protected] -- William Van Bebber and Elizabeth Barbee
  7. Diana Jones -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  8. Dick Mayes -- [email protected] -- William Van Bebber and Elizabeth Barbee
  9. Don VanBever -- [email protected] -- George VanBeber and Mary Tinsley
  10. Frieda Arnold -- [email protected] -- Moses Van Bibber and Joanna Pierson
  11. Gayle Davis -- [email protected] -- Isaac Van Bebber and Sarah McWilliams
  12. Heather Stockton -- [email protected] -- Isaac Van Bibber and Mariah Walraven
  13. Jan Wager -- [email protected] -- George VanBeber and Mary Tinsley
  14. Jean Murphy -- [email protected] -- James Van Bibber and Sarah Bradburn
  15. Hal Prestridge -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  16. Katrina Kelley -- [email protected] -- Moses Van Bibber and Joanna Pierson
  17. Kenneth Hardie -- [email protected] -- George Yoakum and Martha Van Bebber
  18. Lena George -- [email protected] -- John Van Bibber and Isabelle Martin
  19. Linda Swann -- [email protected] -- David Ross and Margaret Van Bebber
  20. Marian Yoakum -- [email protected] -- George Yoakum and Martha Van Bebber
  21. Marion Van Bever, Jr. -- [email protected] -- George VanBeber and Mary Tinsley
  22. Michael & Angela Van Bibber -- [email protected] -- Isaac Van Bibber and Mariah Walraven
  23. Michael Truloff -- [email protected] -- Robert Keenan and Olive Van Bibber
  24. Nicky Cleveland -- [email protected] -- Jacob Van Bebber and Catherine Guthrie
  25. Opal O'Hara -- [email protected] -- Thomas Fulfer and Olive Van Bibber
  26. Pat Gay -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  27. Paula Key -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  28. Peggy Powell -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  29. Reynolds Young -- [email protected] -- John Reynolds and Miriam Van Bibber
  30. Sandi Reid -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  31. Sharon Wheeler -- [email protected] -- Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber
  32. Sue Fischer -- [email protected] -- Moses Haney and Nancy Van Bibber
  33. Troy Bartel -- [email protected] -- Thomas Fulfer and Olive Van Bibber
  34. Walter Bailey -- [email protected] -- Van Bibber and Williams connections of Nicholas Co., WV
  35. Wilma Fox -- [email protected] -- Robert Keenan and Olive Van Bibber

ADDRESS CHANGES:

  1. Barbara Brown -- [email protected] --
  2. Bryan Starr -- [email protected] --
  3. Deborah Fraizer -- [email protected] --
  4. Donna Faucheaux -- [email protected] --
  5. Martha Jones -- [email protected] --

CORRECTIONS:

  1. In last month's newsletter I erroneously listed new subscriber Charles Miller -- [email protected] -- as being a descendant of Thomas Fulfer and Olive Van Bibber. This is incorrect as he descends from Pleasant Miller and Martha Van Bibber.
  2. I also listed Dianne VanBeber -- [email protected] -- as Dianne McLean. I mistook McLean as being her last name when it is actually the work address (McLean, Va.) of her company.
______________________________________________________________________________

Isaac VanBibber and Hester Op den Graeff
Jacob Isaacs VanBibber and Christina __________
  Isaac Jacobs VanBibber and Frances Schumacher
    Peter VanBibber and Anna ___________
      Brigetta VanBibber and Isaac Robinson

BRIGETTA VAN BIBBER

The story of Brigetta Van Bibber, member of a pioneer family of West Virginia's earliest days, which has left numerous descendants in the state today and an honorable record, bears further testimony to the heroism of the pioneer women of the state. To live along the frontier was in itself an act of heroism. History of the Van Bibber family tells how "the men worked with rifles strung to their backs. The women stood guard and moulded bullets, blanched with fear, for the intrepid men as they stooped at the loops or met the enemy in the open."

Rhoda, the attractive daughter of John Van Bibber, 19 years of age and possessed of an abundant suit of auburn hair, was killed by Indians in 1787 and her brother, Joseph, was taken prisoner. The girl was scalped and her scalp with its long red hair was taken to Detroit and the British commander of the fort there paid the Indians a bounty of $60 for it. Joseph said afterwards that he saw many barrels filled with scalps of women and children during the years of his captivity.

John and Peter Van Bibber settled in 1781 on the bank of the Ohio river, just below the mouth of the Great Kanawha. Their sister, Brigetta, who had married Isaac Robinson, lived on the north side of the Kanawha, near the mouth of Crooked creek, now in Point Pleasant.

It was only a few weeks after the murder of Rhoda Van Bibber that Indians attacked the Robinsons at their home. Isaac Robinson, a man who was helping him with the farm work, and a baby boy some two years old, were slain. The house was burned, and Brigetta and two sons were taken prisoners. The older boy, Isaac, was about eight and John some four years old. The latter, unable to stand the strain of rapid travel, was slain by the Indians and his little body was left by the roadside where his father's brother, John Robinson, found it a few days later. Two days and two nights, without resting, the prisoners were forced to march and though he tried, Robinson could not overtake them.

One night after a long day's march and before the Indians had reached their destination, somewhere in the vicinity of Detroit, Brigetta Robinson gave birth to a child. Carrying the little one in her arms, she was compelled to keep on the march the next and several other succeeding days. Then the Indians thought the babe to great a burden for the weakened woman, so the beat its head against a tree, threw the body at her feet and left it there as prey for the wild beast as they kept on their way.

Mrs. Robinson was kept for five years in virtual slavery before a French trader bought her release and sent her back to her girlhood home in Botetourt county, Virginia. Meanwhile, Isaac had been carried away to some other habitation of the tribe, so she had to leave him behind, when she started for her old home.

But, three years later, during a period of peace between the Indians and the whites, this woman of iron nerve started back to hunt her son. Two of her children had been brutally killed before her eyes, a third was held a captive by the Indians and her heart yearned for him. In one of the Indian villages where she sought him, smallpox was raging and taking its prey by thousands, and she was stricken. It was many months before she could go on, and she too had to make her temporary home among the Indians.

After his eight years of life among the wild tribe of Indians, she found her son, Isaac, so weaned away from civilization that he refused to return to the white habitations and all the restrictions of conventional life. But, the heroic mother finally won him over after weeks of persuasion, she induced her son to return with her to Point Pleasant. There his health gave way and he lived but a few years, though his mother, Brigetta Van Bibber, born of heroic mold, lived until almost a hundred years of age, and delighted in telling the descendants of her brothers the stories of her early adventures.

But Brigetta Van Bibber and Mary Draper Ingles were not the only mothers who were forced to see their infant children killed or deserted in the days of Indian cruelties. The ways of the Indian sometimes came home to his own people. From Logan county comes the tale of a heroic Indian mother forced by her own people to desert a baby boy, who was found and cared for by a kindhearted white couple, and who grew up to be the head of a distinguished West Virginia family. -- George Summers

The West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, Volume Twenty-five, Supplemental Series, West Virginia Women. Edited and Published by Jim Comstock, Richwood, West Virginia, 1974. Pages #280 - 282.

Submitted by Gary R. Hawpe -- [email protected]
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JOSEPH L. FRY

John VanBibber and Chloe Staniford
  Margery VanBibber and Andrew Donnally, Jr.
    Jane A. Donnally and James Henry Fry
      Joseph Lapenois Fry and Elizabeth Julia Follansbee

Hon. Joseph L. Fry, the present mayor of Charleston, first saw the light in Charleston, October 7, 1851. His parents were James H. and Jane A. (Donnally) Fry. His education was received in the public schools of his native city, and at the Charleston Institute, after which he took up the study of the law, but never completed the course. He early became active in politics, and his services were soon acknowledged by the democratic party, which elected him in 1875 to the office of city recorder, and for three successive terms he was kept in that office. In 1882 he established a book and stationery business which he has since conducted. In 1887 he was elected mayor of Charleston and again was honored by an election in 1889. From 1881 to 1883 he was city assessor. Mr. Fry is a member of the Kanawha lodge, No. 20, A.F. & A.M., and also of Keuka lodge, No. 26, K. of P.

He married, in 1878, Miss Eliza J., daughter of Rev. James M. Follansbee, of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. Five children have been born into this happy home: Frank, Lee, Joseph L., Jr., Cleveland S. and Willdarrah. James H. Fry, his father, was a native of Virginia, and was one of the early salt manufacturers of the Kanawha valley. He was a member of the Virginia state senate for several terms, and was sheriff of Kanawha county for about thirty years. He died in 1864. His wife, who still survives him, was a daughter of Col. Andrew Donnally, after whom the first steamboat on the Kanawha river was named. She resides in Charleston, and is a devoted member of the First Presbyterian church. Two of their sons, James H. and Andrew P., were soldiers in the Confederate army.

History of the Great Kanawha Valley, With Family History and Biographical Sketches. A statement of its Natural Resources, Industrial Growth and Commercial Advantages. First Printing 1891. Second Printing 1994. Gauley & New River Publishing Co., P.O. 101, Gauley Bridge, WV 25085. Pages #169 & 170.

Submitted by Gary R. Hawpe -- [email protected]
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YOAKUM BIOGRAPHIES

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  Martha VanBebber and George Yoakum, Sr.
    George Yoakum, Jr. and Mary Ann Maddy
      Franklin Laughlin Yoakum and Narcissa C. Teague
        Benjamin Franklin Yoakum

YOAKUM, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1859-1929). Benjamin Franklin Yoakum, railroad executive, was born near Tehuacana, Texas, in Limestone County on August 20, 1859, the son of Narcissa (Teague) and Franklin L. Yoakum.qv At age twenty he became a rodman and chain bearer in a railroad surveying gang, laying the International-Great Northern Railroad into Palestine, Texas. He later became a land boomer and immigration agent for the Jay Gouldqv Lines. He drilled artesian wells and brought European immigrants from New York to farm the land of the Trans-Mississippi and Rio Grande valley.qv In 1886 he became traffic manager of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway. In 1887 the town of Yoakum, Texas, was named for him. In 1889 he was promoted to general manager of the railways, and in 1890 he became receiver. For three years he was general manager and third vice president of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe. In 1897 he became general manager of the Frisco (St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Company). Under him the lines grew from 1,200 to 6,000 miles. In 1905 the Frisco and Rock Island lines were joined, and Yoakum was the chairman of the executive committee. This line was known as the Yoakum Line and at the time was the largest railroad system under a single control. His career was one of the most colorful of the many men in railroad history. He knew each branch of work: engineering, traffic, operating, and finance. In his later years he became very interested in the farm problem. He was an advocate of an agricultural cooperative society, growing and marketing farm products to reduce the spread between farm and consumer. It is said that his genius made Hidalgo and Cameron counties into agricultural communities. In 1907 Yoakum moved to New York, where he had a farm in Farmingdale, Long Island. He became president and later chairman of the board of the Empire Board and Mortgage Company. He wrote articles for popular magazines and lectured about railways to clubs and labor unions. He worked for farm legislation in Congress but deserted the Democratic partyqv in 1928, because he considered their farm relief programs inadequate. Yoakum married Elizabeth Bennett of San Antonio, the daughter of a pioneer Southwestern banker. They had two daughters. Yoakum died at his home in New York on November 28, 1929.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Paul C. Boethel, The History of Lavaca County (San Antonio: Naylor, 1936; rev. ed., Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1959). Dictionary of American Biography. S. G. Reed, A History of the Texas Railroads (Houston: St. Clair, 1941; rpt., New York: Arno, 1981). Who Was Who in America, Vol. 1.

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Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
Martha VanBebber and George Yoakum, Sr.
George Yoakum, Jr. and Mary Ann Maddy
Franklin Laughlin Yoakum and Elizabeth Wright
Charles Henderson Yoakum

YOAKUM, CHARLES HENDERSON (1849-1909). Charles Henderson Yoakum, attorney, state legislator, and United States Congressman, son of Narcissus (Teague) and Franklin L. Yoakum,qv was born near Tehuacana, Texas, on July 10, 1849. His father, a physician, educator, and Presbyterian minister, was the brother Henderson King Yoakum,qv attorney and friend of Sam Houston,qv and author of a two-volume history of Texas published in 1855. Charles Yoakum was educated at Larissa College, Larissa, Texas, which his father served as president, and at Cumberland College. Upon completion of his education, Yoakum became a schoolteacher. He studied law in his spare time, was admitted to the bar, and began a practice at Emory, in Rains County, in 1874. Two years later he was elected county attorney, a position that he held for several years. Yoakum moved to Greenville, the county seat of Hunt County, in 1883 and established a law practice. Three years later he was elected district attorney of the Eighth Judicial District and remained in this position until 1890. His experience in public office no doubt aided in his election to the Texas Senate in 1892. Four years later Yoakum won election, as a Democrat, to the House of Representatives of the Fifty-fourth Congress. He declined a reelection attempt in 1898 due to ill health and in that year, seeking a healthier climate, moved his law practice to Los Angeles, California. He met with continued success in business and legal affairs in California. In 1904, having received an appointment as general attorney for the Frisco Rail system in Texas-a system made up of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande, St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas, and Paris and Great Northern lines-of which his brother, Benjamin F. Yoakum, was chairman, Charles Yoakum returned to Texas. He settled in Fort Worth, headquarters of the Frisco lines in Texas. Yoakum died of a heart attack at his home on January 1, 1909. He was a lifelong Democrat, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Grand fraternities. Charles H. Yoakum was buried in his family's plot at Myrtle Cemetery in Ennis, Texas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Dallas Morning News, January 2, 1909. Fort Worth Record, January 2, 1909.

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Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
Martha VanBebber and George Yoakum, Sr.
George Yoakum, Jr. and Mary Ann Maddy
Franklin Laughlin Yoakum and Narcissa C. Teague
Finis Ewing Yoakum

Pisgah Home Founding by Dr. Finis E. Yoakum

Faith healer and social reformer, A medical doctor in Texas, Colorado, and California, Finis Yoakum (1851-1920) gave up his lucrative medical career following a personal healing miracle to found the Pisgah Home Movement in Highland Park at the Christ Faith Mission/Old Pisgah Home. Born to Franklin and Narcissa (Teague) Yoakum; his father was a country physician in Texas, who later became a minister with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and served as the president of their college in Larrisan Texas. A younger brother, Benjamin Franklin Yoakum, was an important figure in American commerce, serving as president of the San Antonio and Arkansas Pass Railway and chairman of the board for the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad ("Frisco") as well as several other major railroads and business enterprises.

In 1873, Finis took a wife, Mary. They had three sons and twin daughters. Yoakum studied at Larissa College ultimately graduating from the Hospital College of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, with the M.D. degree on June 16, 1885. Following medical school, he specialized in neurological disorders and finally occupied the Chair of Mental Disease on the faculty of the Gross Medical College in Denver, Colorado.

On the evening of July 18, 1894, while on his way to organize a Class Leader's Association for his Methodist Church, Finis Yoakum was struck by a buggy operated by a drunken man. A piece of metal pierced his back, broke several ribs, and caused internal hemorrhaging. A medical assessment of his injuries predicted them to be fatal. Plagued by infection for several months, he moved to Los Angeles hoping to gain relief in its mild climate. In early 1895, he made a miraculous recovery during a dramatic healing experience and by the Summer of that year he was again practicing medicine. After his recovery Dr. Yoakum received visions directing him to create a mission for the needy. He soon turned his home at 6044 Echo Street into a mission moving himself and his family into a tent adjacent to his home. The site soon grew with additions to his original Queen Anne home and the conversion of an adjacent barn as a new tabernacle that also doubled as a dormitory. He vowed to spend the remainder of his life serving the chronically ill, poor destitute, and social outcasts. This is what gave rise to the Mission Site still operating today.

While in Los Angeles, he associated with a number of churches speaking on divine healing and hosting many camp meetings at the Mission site or along the Arroyo Seco two blocks to the east. During the Azusa Street revival gatherings in Los Angeles (credited as the founding movement of the Pentecostal Church) he hosted many followers at the Mission site in Highland Park. He named his Mission site, Pisgah Home after the hill where Moses stood to view the promised land. By 1915, he had built an impressive Tudor home just three blocks from the Mission at 140 S. Avenue 59. Most of the labor to build this home came from Mission residents.

Headquartered from Christ Faith Mission on Echo Street, Dr. Yoakum created a variety of outreach ministries throughout the Los Angeles area. These efforts were called Pisgah, giving the Mission Site the additional name as headquarters for many of these efforts. In 1911, Pisgah Home provided regular housing for 175 workers and stable indigents and made provisions for an average of 9,000 clean beds and 18,000 meals monthly to the urban homeless, the poor, and the social outcasts, including alcoholics, drug addicts, and prostitutes. Each week, Yoakum sent his workers throughout Los Angeles to distribute nickels for the cost of trolley fare to Pisgah Home. Other activities included the nearby Pisgah Store, Pisgah Ark (recovery House for Women), Pisgah Gardens (rehabilitative center, orphanage, and farm in North Hollywood), Pisgah Grande (3,225 acres for a utopian community in Chatsworth), and a later donation of a 500 acre retreat center and farm in Tennessee.

Dr. Yoakum was a controversial figure throughout the latter part of his life. He was the object of a love hate relationship with the City of Los Angeles, because his ministry at the Mission site attracted indigents to the City from across the country, yet the City was happy to send many of their own to him for care.

The site is closely aligned with the founding of the modern Pentecostal church. Pentecostalism, a world wide Protestant movement that originated in the late 19th century in the Los Angeles area, Kansas and in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the Southeast, takes its name from the Christian feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. Pentecostalism emphasizes a post conversion experience of spiritual purification and empowering for Christian witness, entry into which is signaled by utterance in unknown tongues, also known as glossolalia.

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Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  Martha VanBebber and George Yoakum, Sr.
    George Yoakum, Jr. and Mary Ann Maddy
      Henderson King Yoakum

YOAKUM, HENDERSON KING (1810-1856). Henderson King Yoakum, historian, son of George and Mary Ann (Maddy) Yoakum, was born in Claiborne County, Tennessee, on September 6, 1810. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1832. On February 13, 1833, he married Evaline Cannon of Roane County, Tennessee; they became the parents of nine children. In the spring of 1833 Yoakum resigned his lieutenant's commission in the army and began to practice law in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He became captain of a company of mounted militia in 1836 and served near the Sabine River under Edmund P. Gaines.qv In 1837 Yoakum was mayor of Murfreesboro. In 1838 he reentered the army as a colonel in the Tennessee infantry and served in the Cherokee War. He was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1839 to 1845 and as senator urged the annexationqv of Texas. On October 6, 1845, Yoakum established residence at Huntsville, Texas, and on December 2, 1845, was admitted to the Texas bar. In 1846 he was instrumental in making Huntsville the county seat of Walker County. At the outbreak of the Mexican Warqv he volunteered as a private under John C. (Jack) Haysqv and served at Monterrey as a lieutenant under James Gillaspie.qv With the expiration of his enlistment on October 2, 1846, he returned to his law practice at Huntsville, where Sam Houstonqv was his close friend and client. Although a member of the Methodist Church, Yoakum, in 1849, wrote the charter for Austin Collegeqv and served as a trustee for that school from 1849 to 1856. He helped establish the Andrew Female Collegeqv in Huntsville and in 1949 was appointed director of the state penitentiary there. In 1853 he became "master mason" and then "high priest" of the Huntsville Lodge. In July of that year he moved to his country home, Shepherd's Valley, seven miles from Huntsville, where in 1855 he completed his two-volume History of Texas from Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846, for which Houston was said to have given him much of the information. In the fall of 1856 Yoakum went to Houston to deliver a Masonic address, attend to some courtroom duties, and visit his friend, Judge Peter W. Gray.qv While attending court he suffered a severe tubercular attack and was treated after being taken to Judge Gray's home, but weakened and died there on November 30, 1856. Yoakum County, established in 1876, was named in honor of Henderson King Yoakum. In 1936 the Texas Centennial Commission erected a marker at the site of the Yoakum home in Shepherd's Valley.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: George W. Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York (8 vols., New York [etc.]: D. Van Nostrand [etc.], 1868-1940). Dallas Morning News, August 21, 1932. Dictionary of American Biography. Harold Schoen, comp., Monuments Erected by the State of Texas to Commemorate the Centenary of Texas Independence (Austin: Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations, 1938). Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.

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Dig Preserves Pioneer Artifacts
Salt maker's settlement studied


Isaac VanBibber and Hester Op den Graeff
  Jacob Isaacs VanBibber and Christinia __________
    Isaac Jacobs VanBibber and Frances Schumacher
      Peter VanBibber and Anna __________
        John VanBibber and Chloe Staniford
          Miriam VanBibber and John Reynolds

What may be the earliest Kanawha Valley settler's home ever to be excavated by archaeologists has turned up in the process of developing the Valley's newest and largest public works projects - the Marmet Locks replacement.

Remnants of an L-shaped log house, with a huge cellar, a stone fireplace and an assortment of fragments of 18th- and 19th-century pottery from China and England, as well as French gunflints and Spanish coins from the 1790s, were unearthed during an Army Corps of Engineers-mandated archaeological survey now nearing completion. The tract on which the home was found will be a fill site for the new replacement lock, scheduled for completion in 2002.

The structure is believed to have once been the home of John Reynolds, a pioneer in the Valley's salt-making industry and a five-term Virginia assemblyman from Kanawha County. Reynolds' son Franklin could also have been the primary occupant of the home, according to archaeologists.
Kanawha County deed books show the Dupont City area land on which the home was built was sold to John Reynolds in 1818 by John Morris. Morris may have been the initial occupant of the home. The land was once part of a large tract owned by George Washington and Gen. Andrew Lewis.

"We have what appears to be the earliest domestic structure excavated in the Kanawha Valley," said Robert F. Maslowski, archaeologist for the Corps of Engineers' Huntington District. The site contains what is "probably the best collection of early historic artifacts ever excavated in this area."

No trace of the home was visible when archaeological contractors made an initial survey of the site, which lies within the 130-acre project area for the new lock.

After a preliminary posthole-type excavation turned up promising artifacts, a more complete dig was authorized.

"It appears to have been a log structure built on stone foundations," said William D. Updike, archaeologist for Cultural Resource Analysts Inc. of Teays Valley, the company conducting the archaeological survey for the Corps of Engineers.

"A lot of the foundation stones are gone now," he said, standing at the edge of the dig site near the base of a stone hearth. "But we should be able to plot layout of the walls fairly accurately from the location of the window glass and nails we've been finding."

Bones found in a disposal pit near the house show that pork was the meat of choice of its occupants. Beef bones, along with the remnants of fish, turtle and deer, were also unearthed.
Pottery found in and around the house helps archaeologists date its period of occupation.
"It will also help give us an idea about the socioeconomic status of the family that lived here," said Updike.

Among pottery fragments found at the site are hand-painted creamware, manufactured between 1765 and 1820, pearlware from the 1780-1830 era, and redware, which was made between 1780 and 1840. Most of the pottery is English-made, although there were some fragments of 1800-vintage Chinese-made porcelain, plus lots of utilitarian crockery for food storage.

Luxury items found at the site include several items of jewelry, including a silver ring, a brooch, bracelet, medallion and several beads.

Four silver Spanish coins bearing the likeness of King Carlos IV and dating back to the 1790s were also found in the house.

"One of the coins was cut in half, which is the way they made change back then," said Updike. Another coin was pierced, apparently so it could be worn as jewelry.

"That one suggests an African-American presence," Updike said, since slaves, who provided most of the labor for early Kanawha Valley salt works, were known to wear similarly pierced coins as jewelry or charms.

"The people who lived here had Spanish coins, bowls from Straffordshire, porcelain from China, French and English gunflints. Even though they lived on the frontier, they had access to the world," said Updike.

Starting in 1797, thousands of tons of salt were produced from saline brines that rose from the ground in the vicinity of the home, located near the confluence of Burning Springs Creek and the Kanawha River. Natural gas, which vented to the surface at Burning Springs, was used as a fuel source in evaporating the brine into salt.

Much of the Kanawha Valley's trademark red-tinted salt was exported to Cincinnati for use in a blossoming meat processing industry. When railroads reached Chicago, and that city became the nation's primary meat-packing metropolis, the Kanawha Valley's salt-making industry began to fade. The Dickinson Works, the Valley's last salt plant, closed in 1945.

The availability of coal and gas, along with the sophisticated engineering that went into making salt and salt byproducts in the industry's later years, led to the development of the Kanawha Valley's chemical industry.

In addition to manufacturing salt, John Reynolds represented Kanawha County in the Virginia Assembly from 1806 to 1810.

According to an article in the Jan. 24, 1884, Greenbrier Independent, Reynolds, in running for one of his final terms, agreed to take part in a debate with several rival candidates. He wasted few words.

"So much time has been occupied by my worthy friends who have already addressed you that I will only detain you a moment," he was quoted as saying. "You all know my political principles and my opinions concerning public affairs. If you choose to elect me, I will serve you to the best of my abilities; if you don't, you may go to hell."

He was reportedly elected by a large majority.

While Reynolds apparently prospered for a time, he died penniless after speculating unsuccessfully in the salt industry, according to Updike.

His son Van Bibber Reynolds, daughter-in-law Elizabeth and grandson James are buried about 50 yards from the home. An overturned headstone, dated 1852, marks the grandson's grave. The graves will be disinterred and reburied near Montgomery as part of the Corps of Engineers' pre-construction mitigation work.

The Corps of Engineers and Updike's firm, Cultural Resource Analysts of Teays Valley, have also excavated the remains of two early salt furnaces, and plan to excavate several American Indian sites on the project site.

While the excavation portion of Updike's work is nearly complete, more work is needed to clean, reassemble, identify and date articles found in the Reynolds house dig. Then a narrative will be written to describe what is known about the home and its occupants.

Updike said three things about his job keep him interested in the work.

"I like doing the historic research, I enjoy working outside, and I like trying to solve a mystery. This lets me do all three."
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The Charleston News on line
Friday December 15, 2000
By Rick Steelhammer
STAFF WRITER

Submitted by Ray Faircloth --         [email protected]

A color photo of the excavation site can be located at the following internet address:
http://www.crai-ky.com/education/reynolds-farm-article.htm
______________________________________________________________________________

OBITUARIES:

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Peter VanBibber and Sarah Yoakum
    Jacob VanBibber and _____________
      Jonathan VanBibber and Nancy (_________) Creswell
      Louisa VanBibber and Thomas B. Alexander

LOUSIA ALEXANDER

        One of the dearest of mothers and kindest of friends fell asleep in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Rosa Gibson, Wednesday evening February 1, 1928.
        In 1846, in Vandenburgh county, Louisa Van Bibber was born. When nineteen years of age she married Thomas B. Alexander of Warrick county and began her married life at Epworth, later moving to Newburgh, which has been her home for these many years.
        Mr. Alexander had served in the Civil war, having been a member of Co. H, 25th Indiana infantry and died in 1881.
        Four children were born to her: Rosa, Lyman, Olive and Charles. Only two are living, Rosa Gibson and Lyman of Omaha, Neb.
        Olive became the wife of Homer Taylor of Kentucky, and died, leaving two children, Homer, Jr., and Mary Louise. Charlie died at the home of his mother, and his son Charles, Jr., now seventeen, is living in Badger, Minn.
        Mrs. Alexander was of a sweet, placid nature, loving her home and her family and finding her greatest recreation in the care of her beautiful yard. Her grandchildren were devoted to her and in her long illness Marion Alexander and sisters, Mrs. Olive Tichenor and Mrs. Ruth Wingate, did all they could to alleviate her suffering.
        The funeral was held from the M. E. church of which she was a faithful member. Rev. H. J. Kieser, the pastor, having charge of the services, assisted by Rev. Stewart Stroud of Hatfield an intimate friend of the family. Mrs. Ben Anderson and Mrs. H. J. Kieser, accompanied by Mrs. John M. DeForest sang these beautiful hymns, "We are going down the valley one by one"; Sometimes we'll understand" and, "Do not weep, God will take care of you".
        Mrs. Alexander leaves a record of eighty-one years well spent; years of industry, of patience, of sacrifice and of inspiration to others.
        It was fitting the beautiful flowers should cover her grave since she loved them so well. E.M.R.

Submitted by Glenn Mitchell -- [email protected]
______________________________________________________________________________


VANBEBBER, VANBEBER, VANBIBBER, and VANBEVER Deaths For the Year 2000

Name: Ella VanBebber
Born: 11 Apr 1905
Died: 29 May 2000
Residence: Willits, Mendocino Co., CA

Lineage unidentified as of this printing. I want to thank Ted Van Bebber of San Rafael, Ca. for providing information on Ella. From what he was able to find out, she was Ella Ellen Lawson born in Bethany, Mo. the daughter of Frank Lawson. Her mother's maiden name was Hartley. Her death certificate states she was divorced, her body was cremated and sprinkled into the sea off the coast of Mendocino County. Ella came from Missouri to California in the early 1940s. She lived at the compound of the Christ Church of the Golden Rule south of Willits, Ca. She had at least two brothers, Harvey and Jack. Who and when Ella married, and when they divorced, is unknown. -- Gary R. Hawpe

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Name: Knoxie VanBebber
Born: 14 Jan 1905
Died: 06 Apr 2000
Residence: San Angelo, Tom Green Co., TX

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Sarah McWilliams
        James Nelson VanBebber and Mary Jane Armstrong
          Knoxie Pears VanBebber

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Name: Larry VanBebber
Born: 12 Sep 1947
Died: 04 Feb 2000
Residence: Kansas City, Jackson Co., MO

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    William VanBebber and Elizabeth Barbee
      James Henry VanBebber and Elizabeth Jane Baker
        Arval Agustus VanBebber and Julia F. Watson
          Vernon N. VanBebber and Opal Reva Bryant
            Ralph Randall VanBebber, Sr. and Blanche Lucille Liberty
              Larry Nicholas VanBebber

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Name: Lonnie VanBebber
Born: 29 Jul 1907
Died: 5 Feb 2000
Residence: Knoxville, Knox Co., TN

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      John M. VanBebber and Nancy Elizabeth Beeler
        David Isaac VanBebber and Martha Emmaline Blackburn
          William Lonnie VanBebber, Sr.
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Name: Lonnie VanBebber
Born: 28 Feb 1940
Died: 22 Feb 2000
Residence: Maynardville, Union Co., TN

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      John M. VanBebber and Nancy Elizabeth Beeler
        David Isaac VanBebber and Martha Emmaline Blackburn
          William Lonnie VanBebber, Sr. and Virgie Myrtle Seals
            William Lonnie VanBebber, Jr.

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Name: Maggie VanBebber
Born: 22 Oct 1913
Died: 10 Jul 2000
Residence: Denton, Denton Co., TX

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Sarah McWilliams
        John Crittington VanBebber and Martha Virginia Ashton
          Clarence William VanBebber and Maggie Irene Ryan

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Name: Marian VanBebber
Born: 15 Nov 1917
Died: 11 Jan 2000
Residence: East Alton, Madison Co., IL

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  James VanBebber and Hannah Hoover
    James VanBebber, Jr. and Nancy Ann Ferrill
      James Henry VanBebber and Martha Jane Hicks
        Ernest VanBebber and Myrle Nighbert
          Dean VanBebber and Marian Winifred Dilley

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Name: Steven VanBebber
Born: 3 Mar 1923
Died: Dec 2000
Residence:

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Margaret Catherine Frazier
        Isaac Criss VanBebber and Martha Jane Savage
          Andy Newton VanBebber and Anna Lee Scott
            Paul Edward VanBebber and Bettye Mitchell
              Steven Edward VanBebber

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Name: Valerie VanBebber
Born: 16 Dec 1924
Died: 01 Apr 2000
Residence: Duncan, Stephens Co., OK

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Sarah McWilliams
        James Nelson VanBebber and Mary Jane Armstrong
          Burl Elmer VanBebber and Pearl Hinson
            Elmer Burl VanBebber and Lucy Valerie Todd

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Name: Alvin VanBibber
Born: 27 Mar 1924
Died: 28 Mar 2000
Resdidence: Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., IN

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Peter VanBibber and Sarah Yoakum
    Jacob VanBibber and ____________
      Jonathan VanBibber and Nancy (__________) Creswell
        John VanBibber and Isabelle Francis Martin
          George M. VanBibber and Ethel O. Conner
            Alvin R. VanBibber
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Name: Harold VanBibber
Born: 14 Jul 1920
Died: 18 Mar 2000
Residence: Columbus, Franklin Co., OH

Isaac VanBibber and Mariah Walraven
  Loyal VanBibber and Sarah Elizabeth Robinson
    Cook VanBibber and Margaret Jane Allen
      Erastus Allen VanBibber and Maggie Markin
        Harold William VanBibber

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Name: Helen VanBibber
Born: 7 Feb 1910
Died: 21 Jan 2000
Residence: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., OK

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Mathias VanBibber and Margaret Robinson
      David Campbell Robinson VanBibber and Jane Ann Williams
        Moses Hill VanBibber and Virginia Ann Holt
          Fred Vernon VanBibber, Sr. and Jessie Alice Wookey
            Fred Vernon VanBibber, Jr. and Helen Marie Sisson

-----------

Name: Margaret VanBibber
Born: 16 Aug 1911
Died: 01 Jun 2000
Residence: Hebron, Licking Co., OH

Isaac VanBibber and Mariah Walraven
  Loyal VanBibber and Sarah Elizabeth Robinson
    Cook VanBibber and Margaret Jane Allen
      Clarence H. VanBibber and Emma Harkins
        Raymond VanBibber and Margaret J. Canright

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Name: Noah VanBibber
Born: 1922
Died 2 Nov 2000
Residence: Albuquerque, NM

Unidentified as of this printing.

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Name: Velma VanBibber
Born: 5 Oct 1906
Died: 26 Jun 2000
Residence: Rolla, Phelps Co., MO

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Jacob VanBibber and Sarah Miller
    Soloman H. VanBibber and Mary Jane Bryson
      William VanBibber and Frances Ann Thoroughman
        Thomas Jefferson VanBibber and Lucy Ollie Hall
          Carl Eugene VanBibber and Velma Spencer

-----------

Name: William VanBibber
Born: 10 Feb 1949
Died: 12 Nov 2000
Residence: Golden, McCurtain Co., OK

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Jacob VanBibber and Sarah Miller
    Soloman H. VanBibber and Mary Jane Bryson
      Ezekial VanBibber and Rebecca Jane Clowers
        George Edward VanBibber and Cora Eletha Warren
          Benjamin Wiley VanBibber and Oma Snow
            William Snow VanBibber

-----------
Name: Crystal VanBeber
Born: 5 May 1913
Died: 30 May 2000
Residence: Chouteau, Mayes, Co., OK

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  Peter VanBebber and Ellinor VanBibber
    Jacob Vanbebber and Catherine Ann Guthrie
      James Henry VanBebber and Ruth Ann Hooker
        Arthur Ruthland VanBeber and Celia Charity Bruton
          Francis Arthur VanBeber and Crystal Mae Stewart

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Name: Roy VanBeber
Born: 23 Aug 1942
Died: 19 Mar 2000
Residence: CO

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  Peter VanBebber and Ellinor VanBibber
    Jacob VanBebber and Catherine Ann Guthrie
      James Henry VanBebber and Ruth Ann Hooker
        Jerry Edward VanBeber and Julie Little
          Clarence Edward VanBeber and Fannie Elsie Hamblen
            Roy Wayne VanBeber

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Name: Otto VanBever
Born: 17 Jun 1923
Died: 13 Aug 2000
Residence: Speedwell, Claiborne Co., TN

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  James VanBebber and Hannah Hoover
    Isaac Vanbebber and Hannah Long
      George VanBeber and Mary Elizabeth Tinsley
        James VanBever and Mary A. Robbins
          James Boyd VanBever and Nevadia Pitman
            Otto VanBever
______________________________________________________________________________

RECENT DEATHS:

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Nancy Malinda VanBebber and Canada Hodge Rogers
          Louisa Anna Rogers and Stephen Harrison Cawood
            Martha Emmeline Cawood and Thomas L. Keck
              Asher Newell Keck and Susie Mae Cole

ASHER NEWELL KECK

KECK, MR. ASHER NEWELL - age 90, of 2935 Cook Rd., Crossville, Tenn., passed away Sunday, January 7, 2001, at the Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Tenn. Mr. Keck was born October 24, 1910, in Claiborne County, Tenn. He was the husband of Susie Mae Cole Keck, and the son of the late Thomas L. and Martha E. Cawood Keck. Mr. Keck was a farmer and a member of the Oak Hill Baptist Church. Services will be held at 2 p.m. CST Tuesday, January 9, 2001, at the Chapel of Bilbrey Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from Noon - 2 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Hughel Campbell, Alan Arp, Tony Moody, Greg Lack, Royal Proffitt, Bob Gray and Joe Keck. Mr. Asher Newell Keck is survived by wife, Susie Mae Keck of Crossville, Tenn.; two sons, Sherman Dale Keck of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., Thomas Dane Keck of Jonesboro, Ga.; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one sister, Opal Williams of Birmingham, Ala. Bilbrey Funeral Home, Inc., in charge of arrangements.

Knoxville News.com -- Knoxville, TN -- January 9, 2001

--------------------

Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
Jacob VanBibber and Sarah Miller
  Soloman H. VanBibber and Mary Jane Bryson
    Ezekial VanBibber and Rebecca Jane Clowers
      George Edward VanBibber and Cora Eletha Warren
        Benjamin Wiley VanBibber and Oma Snow
          William Snow VanBibber

BILL VANBIBBER

IDABEL, Okla. - Bill VanBibber, 51, of Golden, Okla., died Sunday, Nov. 12, 2000, in Golden.
Mr. VanBibber was born Feb. 10, 1949, in Golden.

Survivors include three sisters, Charlene Gran and Imogene Spears of Wright City, Okla., and Patsy Virgin of Idabel.

Graveside services will be 10 a.m. today in Glover, Okla., Cemetery with John Lovelace officiating. Burial will be under direction of Norwood-Coffey-Leonard Funeral Home.

TexarkansaGazette.com -- Texarkana, TX -- November 13, 2000

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Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Sarah McWilliams
        Sarah Melvina VanBebber and Thomas Walker
          Amos Thomas Walker and Emily Viola Allnutt
            Clara Floriatine Walker and James Edward Hahn

CLARA F. HAHN

Clara F. (Walker) Hahn, 96, St. Joseph, died Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000, at a St. Joseph hospital.
Mrs. Hahn had been employed as a housekeeper for the Ernest E. Duncan home for many years.

Born in Chillicothe, Mo., on July 21, 1904, she had resided in Cameron, Mo., prior to moving to St. Joseph in 1958.

Mrs. Hahn was an honorary member of the Auxiliary of the Thalia, Va., Volunteer Fire Department and served as the ribbon-cutter for the 2nd annual Southside Fall Festival in St. Joseph.

On Jan. 14, 1920, she married James E. Hahn in Maysville, Mo. He died in 1957.

Mrs. Hanh also was preceded in death by three sons, James F., Millard W. and an infant; her parents, Amos T. and Emily V. Walker; seven brothers, Arthur, Morris, Delbert, Robert, Ruben, Lester, and Hubert Walker; and five grandchildren.

Surviving: three daughters, Clara May Sheffler, St. Joseph, Eula B. Kerr, Leavenworth, Kan., and Georgie L. Sifers, Virginia Beach, Va.; a son, Marvin, Cameron; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Service: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Meierhoffer Family Funeral Service, St. Joseph. Burial: Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Joseph. Family visitation: 6 to 8 tonight, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Employee Trust Fund of the Heartland Foundation.

St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph, Mo. (Thursday) October 19, 2000.

Clara F. (Walker) Hahn, 96, St. Joseph, 10:30 a.m. today, Meierhoffer Family Funeral Services. St. Joseph. Burial: Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Joseph.

In the obituary of Mrs. Hahn, which appeared in Thursday's News-Press, a fact was not submitted for publication. She was preceded in death by a brother, Jessie Gail.

St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph, Mo. (Friday) October 20, 2000.

Submitted by Ray Sheffler, Jr. -- [email protected]

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Peter VanBibber, Jr. and Marguery Bounds
  Matthias VanBibber and Margaret Robinson
    Olive Boone VanBibber and Robert Keenan
      William Van Keenan and Electra Caroline Grose
        Reuhama Ann Keenan and Charles Wesley Preast
          William Edward Preast and Anna Belle Miller
            Delbert D. Preast

DELBERT D. PREAST

SUMMERSVILLE - Delbert D. Preast, 83, of Summersville died Nov. 20, 2000, in Memorial Division, CAMC, after a short illness.

He was a Baptist, a retired miner and a member of UMW.

Surviving: sons, Delbert E. of Utica, Mich., James D. of Bentree; daughter, Brenda J. Rawlands of Chapmanville; sister, Mary Dorsey of Virginia Beach, Va.; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren.

Service will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at White Funeral Home, Summersville. Burial will be in Kennen Cemetery, Drennen. Friend may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

WVgazette.com -- Charleston, WV -- Nov. 21, 2000

--------------------

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
James VanBebber, Sr. and Hanna Hoover
  Isaac VanBebber and Hannah Long
    James VanBebber and Elizabeth Jane Snuffer
      James Seaton VanBebber and Charity S. Asher
        Albert Edward VanBibber and Elsie Harris
          Francis Elsie VanBibber and Lawrence Emerson Balcom

FRANCES ELSIE BALCOM

Frances Elsie Balcom died Oct. 11, 2000, at age 83. No service will be held. Mrs. Balcom was born Aug. 24, 1917, in Grand Island, Neb. Her maiden name was VanBibber. She was raised in Nebraska and moved to Portland about 1937. She was a nurse's aide at Odd Fellows Nursing Home for 25 years until retiring in 1979. In 1934, she married Lawrence Emerson Balcom; he died in 1977.

Survivors include her sons, Gary L., Lawrence E. Jr. and Terry L.; daughters, Clara M. Gates, Linda J. Hood and Judy M. Carr.; 18 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Disposition was by cremation. The family suggests remembrances to the American Diabetes Association. Arrangements are by Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes.

OregonLive.com -- Portland, OR -- October 16, 2000
______________________________________________________________________________________

JUDGES OF THE UNITED STATES COURT
Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  James VanBebber, Sr. and Hanna Hoover
    Isaac VanBebber and Hannah Long
      James VanBebber and Elizabeth Jane Snuffer
        William Nicholas VanBebber and Martha Osborn
          Roy Vest VanBebber and Anne Wenner
            George Thomas VanBebber

VanBebber, G[eorge] Thomas
Born October 21, 1931, in Troy, KS

Federal Judicial Service:
U. S. District Court, District of Kansas
Nominated by George Bush on September 13, 1989, to a seat vacated by Richard D. Rogers; Confirmed by the Senate on November 21, 1989, and received commission on December 8, 1989. Served as chief judge, 1995-2000. Assumed senior status on December 31, 2000.

Education:
University of Kansas, B.A., 1953

University of Kansas School of Law, LL.B., 1955

Professional Career:
Private practice, Troy, Kansas, 1955-1959
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Kansas, 1959-1961
Private practice, Troy, Kansas, 1961-1982
County attorney, Doniphan County, Kansas, 1963-1969
Member, Kansas House of Representatives, 1973-1975
U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, 1982-1989

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male
______________________________________________________________________________

Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  James VanBebber Sr. and Hannah Hoover
    James VanBebber Jr. and Nancy Ann Ferrill
      George Noah VanBebber and Mary G. Jackson
        Frances Marion VanBebber and Ila Jeffery
          Jack Frances VanBebber

JACK "BLACKJACK" VANBEBBER (USA) - 1932 OLYMPICS

He vanquished the nation's finest wrestlers seven times, but when Jack VanBebber set out to conquer the world, he had to hitch-hike. At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, while awaiting his final bout for the gold medal, VanBebber suddenly learned that the time schedule had been altered and he was due to the mat within the hour, six miles away. No transportation was provided, or available, so he set out afoot. After two miles, a passing tourist gave him a ride to the arena.

Once on the scene, however, his opponent proved no more effective than his earlier victims. And "Blackjack" VanBebber became champion of the world with decision over Eino Leino of Finland, a four-time Olympian who already owned gold, silver and bronze medals.

VanBebber was undefeated as a collegiate wrestler for Oklahoma State University in 1929, 1930 and 1931, winning three NCAA championships at 155 and 165 pounds. He captured National AAU titles his junior and senior years, then moved to Los Angeles in 1932 and won another.
The only defeat of his wrestling career came in an early round of the Olympic trials, but he rallied to win the trials and successfully defended his 158.5-pound assignment during final challenge in Los Angeles. For more than 50 years he was the only American-born wrestler to win three NCAA titles and an Olympic gold Medal.

VanBebber served four years in the infantry during World War II, three of them in the Pacific theatre. He then joined the Phillips Petroleum Company for 39 years until his retirement, and taught wrestling to sons of company employees and to Boy Scouts.

In 1950, a national poll of U. S. coaches, official and sports editors selected him as one of the country's top 10 amateur athletes in the first half of the 20th Century.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a competitor, Jack Francis VanBebber, was honoured as a Distinguished Member of the U.S. National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

by courtesy of USA Wrestling
______________________________________________________________________________

MILITARY NEWS:
James VanBibber and Sarah Margaret Bradburn
  John W. VanBibber and Pollie Jane Roe
    Carl Luther VanBibber and Goldie Mae Thompson
      Norma Jean VanBibber and Norman Lynn Murphy
        Randy Lynn Murphy and Ruth Ann Porter
        Rhett Benjamin Murphy

MURPHY EARNS NAVIGATOR WINGS

Second Lt. Rhett B. Murphy earned his Navigator Wings on August 4, 2000. Ryan P. Murphy winged his brother at the Randolph, AFB Officers Club. Lt. Murphy is assigned to the RC-135 Rivot Joint at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. Murphy is a 1995 graduate of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and a 1998 graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Rhett B., Ryan P. and Ross N. Murphy are the sons of Randy L. and Ruth A.(Porter) Murphy of Wheelersburg, Ohio. They are the grandsons of Ellsworth and JoAnn (Mahan) Porter of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and grandsons of Norman L. Murphy of Wheelersburg, and Jean (Van Bibber) Murphy of Waverly, Ohio

Submitted by Jean (Van Bibber) Murphy -- [email protected]

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Isaac VanBibber and Sarah Davis
  John VanBebber and Margaret Chrisman
    Isaac VanBebber and Mary Martin
      Isaac C. VanBebber and Sarah McWilliams
        John Crittington VanBebber and Martha Virgina Ashton
          George Washington VanBebber and Dessie Mae Nicholas
            James Crittington VanBebber and Alta Jean Cornelison
              James Crittington VanBebber, Jr. and Beverly Woolfe
                James Crittington VanBebber, III
The Navy and Marine Cops Achievement Medal (NAM) was awarded to AMS1 Jeffrey C. Rosenfelt, AE2 Mark A. Flippen, PN2 James C. Vanbebber III, AMS3 Heath A. Bechtol, AMH3 Nathan B. Frentress, and AD3 Zi Z. Huang. AMS1 Rosenfelt received his fourth NAM for the unparalleled zeal and motivation he showed while serving as First Lieutenant Work Center Supervisor. His efforts substantially improved the material condition of numerous squadron and shipboard spaces. AE2 Flippen's exceptional resourcefulness and initiative while serving as Night Check Line Division Flight Deck Supervisor earned him the award. PN2 Vanbebber's second NAM was awarded for his professionalism and loyal devotion to duty. Undaunted by personnel manpower constraints, he aggressively processed multiple transfers, separations and discharges, maintaining outstanding customer service well beyond normal working hours. AMS3 Bechtol and AMH3 Frentress received their NAM for their efforts as Corrosion Control Technicians and revitalizing the command's Emergency Reclamation Program. AD3 Huang was awarded for his exemplary efforts as a plane captain, which contributed to the squadron's 223 sorties and 94 percent sortie completion rate.
______________________________________________________________________________

REUNIONS:

Descendants of JAMES VAN BIBBER - Greenup Co., Ky

On June 24, 2000, the descendants of James Van Bibber held their annual collective family reunion at the Greenup Ky. Dam Park. Every one enjoyed the day by visiting, posing for photos, sharing memories and catching up on the latest. A bountiful table of delicious , home cooked and
baked food was also shared and enjoyed. Some of the younger folks played ball or strolled over beautiful grounds, while the oldsters reminisced and viewed old family photos.

Those attending were as follows: Descendants of Sarah Margaret (Molly) Bradburn (first wife) and James Van Bibber----Hazel (Van Bibber) and Neville Trimble of South Portsmouth, Ky. / Etta (Shepherd) (Tim) Van Bibber of Portsmouth, Ohio / Donna Sue (Fisher) and Steven Wilkerson of Portsmouth, Ohio / Clara Irene (Van Bibber) Bryan of Green Hills, Ohio / April Dawn (Bryan) (Art) Lay, and dtr. Christina Lay of Cincinnati, Ohio / Rosa Mae (Bryan) and Paul Biretta, and dtr. Jessica Biretta of Green Hills, Ohio / Randy L. and Ruth Ann (Porter) Murphy of
Wheelersburg, Ohio / Norma Jean (Van Bibber) Murphy of Waverly, Ohio-------Descendants of Margaret Jane (Webb) (second wife) and James Van Bibber....Dorothy (Colley) and Clyde McGinnis of Portsmouth, Ohio / Irene (Colley) and Raymond Taulbee of Greenup, Ky. / Penny (Taulbee) and Steve Ruggles of Franklin Furnace, Ohio / Mike Taulbee and friend Pam and her son Nathan of Greenup, Ky.

We are extending an open invitation to all other Van Bibber relatives and friends to join us in 2001 at our next family reunion. Date, time and place to be announced at a later date.

Submitted by Jean (Van Bibber) Murphy -- [email protected]

--------------------

VANBEVER REUNION - August 31st & September 1st, 2001 - PINEVILLE, KY.

The reunion for the VanBever Family will be held at Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville, Kentucky.

Friday night Aug. 31 = 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm (Register and Meet)
Saturday Sept. 1, 2001 = Picnic (Follow Signs in Park)
" " = 5:00 Gather in banquet room
" " = 6:00 Eat Supper
" " = 7:00 - until Pictures, talk, etc....

For more information contact Cindy Robinson [email protected] (252) 492-0547


NOTICES:

Boone Family Memories
Historical Research Calendar 1666 - 1890

A Historical Research Calendar (2001) with pictures and events of the Daniel Boone family, by Ed and Arlene Curry Buschert, ggranddaughter of Chloe Donnelly Boone Curry. Photographs from members of The Boone Society, Inc. You can purchase one of these calendars for the price of $10.00 which includes postage. There are approximately 100 left of the 500 printed. If interested, contact Ed & Arlene Buschert, 3636 Hulsey Ave.SE, Salem, Ore. 97302-3428.

Ed & Arlene Buschert -- [email protected] --

I am in the possesion of one of these calendars published by Ed and Arlene, for the Boone Society, Inc., and very pleased to have purchased one. There are numerous pictures of the Boone - Van Bibber families to include Nathan and Olive Boone, Albert Gallatin Boone, Henry Zumwalt and Jemima Boone, Alphonso Boone, Chloe Donnelly Boone, George Luther Boone, Alphonso D. Boone and the family of Van Daniel Boone. This is a collector's item and contains a lot of events that happened in the Boone family. -- Gary R. Hawpe

Family Photos

Many subscribers use Family Tree Maker or other programs which have a "photo album" or "scrapbook" for photos. I have scanned suitable photos of a couple of Van Bebber ancestors from my wife's line, and am willing to forward via e-mail copies for your genealogy program scrap-book. They will be in the "file ending" jpeg format and will be 100 to 400 kb in size. I will send them out as received over the next month as time allows.

The pedigree is as follows, and the ancestor photos in question will have their birth/death dates listed.

Isaac Jacobs VB = Hester ODG
Jacob Isaacs VB = Christiana________?
Isaac Jacobs VB = Francis Schumacher
Peter VB = Anna__________?
Isaac VB = Sarah Davis
John VB = Margaret C(h)risman
James VB = Elizabeth (Betty) Yoakum
Peter VanBebber (1847-1912) = Esmeralda Maybee (1853-1920)
Frederick Elmore Van Bebber (1877-1922) = Effie Annie Penry (1880-1949)

Please e-mail me at -- [email protected] -- and state Peter, Frederick or both. -- Earl Harvey
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Athens County, Ohio Genweb

I am now the website coordinator for Athens county on Ohio Genweb? https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ohathens

This might be helpful to the Isaac VanBibber and Maria Walraven family descendants.
Sincerely, Sandra Mitchell-Quinn -- [email protected] --
________________________________________________________________________

QUERIES:

James Vanbebber and Hannah Hoover.

Does anyone know anything about Hannah Hoover who married James Vanbebber, son of Isaac that fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant? Census records indicate that she was born in North
Carolina abt. 1790. I've been told that she lived to be over 100 years old. She did come to Missouri and was in the Platte County 1850 census living with her daughter who married Anderson Rogers. I will answer any little bit of information.

Barbara Drew -- [email protected]
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Scioto Co., Ohio Marriages

Does anyone have any more details on the following marriages re parents or any other notes:

John Vanbeber + Patty Triggs on 25 Jan 1812**
Jacob Vanbever + Elizabeth McKinney on 4 Nov 1824
Eleanor Vanbibber + Noah Bryson on 25 Aug 1830
Isaac Vanbibber + Mary Shope on 16 Dec 1819
James Vanbibber + Naomi B. White on 19 July 1836
Jonathan Vanbibber + Eliza Crank on 6 Feb 1829
Lavina Vanbibber + Peter Lauderback on 16 Apr 1843
Noah Vanbibber + Mary Rice on 18 Dec 1848

** this one is of particular interest as I am seeking to match this marriage to the John and Mary Vanbevers in Pike Co., OH in 1850 at ages 63 and 62, respectively. Of course, Patty could have died before 1850 and Mary was a second wife, but the ages do tie in nicely with the John Vanbevers in the Scioto Co. census of 1820.

Any and all help most appreciated.

Charlotte Hartmeyer -- [email protected]
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Van Bibber - Yoakum - See/Zeh

I am looking for documentation (or denial!!) for a couple of Van Bibber marriages that would have taken place in Greenbrier/Botetourt/Augusta Co VA/WV ca 1760s-1790s.

I am a descendent of Frederick See/Zeh, who along with his brother in law, Felty (aka Valentine) Yoakum, lived on Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia. Both men were killed and their families taken captive by the Shawnee Indians in 1763. Even so, the Sees and the Yoakums returned to the Greenbrier area in the 1770s and remained there for at least another 20
years before moving west.

Both Yoakums and Sees claim marriages to Van Bibbers in Greenbrier Co but I could only find documentation for one of the Yoakum marriages. Greenbrier Co Marriage Book 1:155 - Peter Vanbibber to Sarah Yolkecome July 22, 1785 (under her entry it gives year as 1795) by John Alderson. This is undoubtedly the daughter of Felty Yoakum listed in the Bouquet Indian Captives lists. The Greenbrier Marriage Book also shows Peter Vanbibber m. to Elnirer (Eleanor) Vanbibber June 29, 1785 by Alderson. (Bk 1:155) I don't know if this is same Peter or not. And who is this Eleanor?

Yoakums also claim that Felty Yoakum's son, George, married Martha "Patty" Van Bebber, daughter of Isaac Van Bibber and Sarah Davis. Isaac, son of Peter Van Bebber and Ann _____. I have never seen documentation for this marriage nor any accounting of what happened to her.

But my real concern, as a See researcher, is the unsupported claim by some See descendents that Frederick See had a daughter named "Lois" (Louisa?) b. between 1745 - 1763 who married both a Greenberry Roach and a Peter Van Bibber (order varies.) Have any Van Bibbers ever found ANY connection to any See/Zeh girl?

I have many doubts that she existed, at least by the unlikely name of Lois (the Sees were 2nd generation Germans and this is not a name they used).

I appreciate any help the Van Bibbers can offer.

Sara Patton -- [email protected] --
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Jim VanBibber

I found a grave marker in South Sulphur Cemetery in Hunt Co., Texas which reads:
JIM VANBIBBER 1866 - 1891. Can anyone identify him?

Bill Bullard -- [email protected]
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Samuel Kincart and Rachel Van Bibber

I am seeking documentation that Rachel VAN BIBBER (b. abt. 1810 in Ohio), who married Samuel KINCART (b. abt 1803 in Ky.) on December 23, 1828 in Ripley Co., Ind., was or was not the daughter of Peter VAN BIBBER and Sarah YOAKUM. Samuel and Rachel (my lineage) were recorded on the 1850 census of Vanderburgh Co., Ind. They named a son Peter Van KINCART who Rachel was living with on the 1860 census of Vanderburgh County. This is the last information I have on this family. It appears Samuel died sometime between 1850 - 1860, and Sarah died after 1860. The cemetery they may be buried in (James cemetery, Vanderburgh County) is not documented in it's entirely and at one time was vandalized. The new by pass of Evansville consumed part of this cemetery which did not help. I cannot find a record of death for either Samuel or Rachel in Vanderburgh County, plus the county still keeps a tight hold on birth and death records.

Evelyn Pfingston Dismore -- [email protected]
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Karl Van Bibber

Fellow Van Bibber researchers,

Do any of you know the parentage of Karl Van Bibber, an artist who drew the comic
strip "Smilin' Jack". I found someone selling a original art strip on eBay and Karl's name was mentioned.

Bruce E. Logan Jr. -- [email protected]
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Van Bibber, Warth, Donnally, Vance connection ??

Does anyone have a VanBibber marrying a Warth or Vance? I was told there is a connection between VanBibber, Warth, Donnally, and Vance, and can not find it at all!!!

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Peggy Warth -- [email protected]
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James and Hannah Van Bebber Owens

Does any one have a full copy of the quit claim deed signed by James G. Owens and his wife, Hannah Van Bebber Owens, relinquishing their claim to the estate of James Van Bebber, Sr.? This ran to more than one page and I would like a good copy of all of it. Thank you,

Zilla May Owens-Brown -- [email protected]
______________________________________________________________________________

SOUND OFF:

From:  [email protected] (Bev Tout)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Hi Gary, I am seldom up this late at night, but having just received the newsletter I wanted to read it all. A super job has been done by you. Hope to one day be a contributor. Thank you so very much for all of the work you are doing. Bev
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From:  [email protected] (Jacqueline Olson)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

What a GREAT job you did with this Gary!! I am THRILLED with the new information. I sure don't get tired of reading it.....or inputting it into my genealogy program. I am proud to be a part of such an illustrious family. Thank you………Jacque & Al
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From:  [email protected] (Deborah Frazier)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Hi, Thanks for the newsletter, as I really like it. Keep up the good work. I will be looking forward to getting your VanBibber newsletters. deBBie aNN
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From:  [email protected] (Cheryl Tilly)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary,
Just received my first Van Bibber newsletter, what a fabulous effort on your part! Thanks for all the time you put in on it. Please keep it as long as you have the time and material to sustain it. I am forwarding it to my son, and he will probably be a new subscriber next month. Cheryl Tilly
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From:  [email protected] (Peggy Powell)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary... It looks great. Did I miss my name in the list of subscriber? I descend from Nathan Boone and Olive Van Bibber. If my name is there, I apologize. But I did want to compliment you on the newsletter. Thanks again, Peggy
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From:  [email protected] (Susan Van Bevers)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Thanks for the newsletter...I love it...I will print it out and save it in my records. I vote for making it just as long and informative as you want it to be! I cherish every word. Susan Van Bevers
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From:  [email protected] (Linda Albert)
To:;  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe

So glad to see the newsletter again. Keep up the good work - and if it takes 50 pages, go for it!
Linda
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From:&  [email protected] (Ted Van Bebber)
To:  [email protected] (Gary R Hawpe)

Dear Gary
Great Newsletter. We can't wait to read all the news. Happy to have the Newsletter back. Was delighted to read Calvin VB's obit we had not found it. THANK YOU,
Ted and Sharon Van Bebber
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From:  [email protected] (Anita Bartel)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary,

Thanks so much for the newsletter. It was very impressive. Would you send Troy Barclay a newsletter, and add him to your mailing list. -- [email protected] -- Thanks, Anita Bartel
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From:  [email protected] (Barb Thomas)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary,

The newsletter is great. I do appreciate all the time and effort you put in and I find the stories and history very interesting. Are there any others on the list that descend from John VanBebber and Margaret Crisman? I would love to make contact with them. Again, thanks!! Barb Thomas
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From:  [email protected] (Barbara Drew)
To:;  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Hello Gary:
You did it and what a job. Terrific! Thank you, Thank you, for starting the newsletter. I appreciate all of your efforts. Barbara Drew
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From:  [email protected] (Maheala Lyons)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Hi Gary,

Thank you so much for the newsletter. I did read all of it. It was very informative. I didn't know where the family came from or when they came to the U.S. Also, I appreciate you sending it to me and for the time you spend being the editor. Thanks again, Maheala
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From:  [email protected] (Carol Richards)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary, what a wonderful job you did! Thank you so much for your time and effort into making the VB Newsletter. I plan to keep the newsletters in a notebook so I can refer back to them from time to time.

I don't know if this is possible but an index of all of the names featured in that month's newsletter would be terrific. Then when we want to look a name up we can scan over the index and find which newsletter the name appeared in.

Again thank you. I will try to send you something on the LENN side (Josiah Lenn and Olive VanBever) soon.

Carol Richards
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From:  [email protected] (Shirley Smith-Bohannon)
To:   [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Gary, The news letter was the greatest. Thanks so much for all your hard work.

Shirley Smith-Bohannon
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From:  [email protected] (Arlene Buschert)
To:  [email protected] (Gary Hawpe)

Dear Gary,
Many many thanks for sending the Van Bibber newsletter. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I found two Boggs descendants that I really would like to get in touch with. I'm so glad that you have included e-mail addresses and now I can. Great newsletter.
Arlene Curry Buschert, Dir.
The Boone Society, Inc.
______________________________________________________________________________

The editor reserves the right to edit contributions to the newsletter.
Editor of the Van Bibber Pioneers Electronic Newsletter:
Gary R. Hawpe -- [email protected]
(Owner of the Van Bibber FTM database - 37,530 names)