Cedar County Historical Society meets April 30

By Connie Maupin

The monthly meeting of the Cedar County Historical Society was held in the Stockton museum on April 30. Those present were President Judy Nichols, Vice President Judith Cain, Secretary Connie Maupin, Treasurer Shirley Potts, Luella Phipps, Sharyl Henry, Joe Phillips, Ellis Benham, Kenneth Potts, Chris Barber, Bob Estes and Bob Phillips.

Bob Estes presented a draft copy of the book he has been working on which will show all cemetery locations in Cedar County. The Society appreciates the great effort that Bob has put into this very informative book and hopes to have it available to the public before Memorial weekend.

Judy Nichols reported that the White Elephant sale was quite successful. Thanks to all members who contributed their time and all who donated articles to sell. Another Thanks goes to the patrons who visited the museum and purchased items at the sale. There were a lot of items that did not sell, so they will remain on sale tables and can be purchased for half-price when the museum is open during regular hours.

There is still a need for volunteers to assist in preparing ink cartridges to be recycled. No one has stepped forward so far.

Glenda Pate has completed the Newsletter and members should be receiving it shortly.

Judy Nichols asked for suggestions as to what should be done as far as flowers, donations, etc. for members or family who pass. It was decided to consider actions on an individual basis. She also has the Bovell display frame laid out but not sure everything is going to fit.

The museum is still in need of 13-gallon tall kitchen trash bags and 30 gallon black trash bags.

President Nichols reported that Marlin Collins has gotten the Cedar County maps corrected and she will pick up copies for the Society when available. She also stated a desire to move a file cabinet into the research room to hold all the small articles and genealogies donated to the Society in order to make them more accessible to researchers.

The Society is pleased to report that the Stockton School third graders will tour the museum on May 10. There will be three separate classes. It is hoped that other classes may follow. The purpose of the museum and the Society is to preserve Cedar County history and share it with others.

Please make note that there is a new contact phone number for CCHS. You may contact Judy Nichols at 417/276-1142 for information or Shirley Potts at 417-276-3337. Please leave a message is you do not reach us and we will return your call.

Donations received this month: Charles Skaggs donated an abstract of the Bacon farm. This is the property from which came the beautiful spinning wheel that Mr. and Mrs. Skaggs donated earlier. Bob Phillips donated a book about the Bald Knobbers. Connie Maupin donated a publication from the Ozark Genealogy Society entitled “Our Fighting Forefathers”. The Shady Hill club donated $35 in memory of Dale Goodman.

The Society Book Review: “Missouri History in Cedar County.” This 1971 book with 496 pages is peppered with historical photographs, maps and plats and is still a definitive source of Cedar County history for genealogists, historians or just for interesting reading. Written by Clayton Abbott and Lewis B. Hoff, it covers a time period from the earliest settlers in the 1830’s to county events from the 1960’s. Abbott was a teacher and civil service employee, with much of the research provided by Hoff, a lawyer, prosecuting attorney, judge and newspaper editor and both were natives of Cedar County. The contents of the book were taken from public records, old newspapers, interviews with “old timers,” and even from information obtained from the National Archives in Washington, DC. The book also contains 161 pages of biographies of many descendants of early settlers. The book is indexed and is available for $25 at the museum or an extra $5 for shipping and handling. You may contact Judy Nichols at 417-276-1142 or visit the museum to obtain a book. Please Note: This reprint does not contain the Cedar County census record contained in the original print. This is a 5 x8 inch reprint of the original book. It should not be confused with the “Cedar County, Missouri History and Families” black and gold book printed in 1998 by the Cedar County Historical Society.

The museum will be open May 19 and June 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and as always, during the monthly meeting on the last Monday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m. This year the museum will be open on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Admission to the museum is free, however the Historical Society and museum are not tax funded and operate on donations from the public. The next meeting will be May 28, 2018, at 1 p.m. in the museum at 106 West Davis Street in Stockton. Meetings are open to the public and free coffee is provided. The museum is wheel chair accessible. For information, appointments or to purchase any publications, call Judy at 417/276-1142 or Shirley at 417/276-3337. Contact the Society by email at cedarcomohistsoc@gmail.com., on Facebook at “Cedar County MO Historical Society” or by mail at P.O. Box 111, Stockton, MO 65785.