The Quest to Find William Graham's Land

Looking west toward Big River near Highway H in Missouri

On genealogy web-sites William Graham and Margaret [Mc] Carroll (my 4 greats) were said to live in Fremont which is supposed to be Frumet Missouri. But, we never really knew where they lived until Dwight carefully read an article on the Jefferson County Historical Society web site. Scroll down to the Dugan Cemetery and begin reading on the second page:

28th June 1825 we find deed from William Graham to Stephen Lamarque of Washington County, 640 acres, for $426.26, being the settlement right of Elijah Benton and by him conveyed to Burnell J. Thompson who sold it to William Clinton who sold it to William Graham, as recorded in Book B Page 214.

Scroll down a bit more to see where the red crosses are on the maps which Dave Halleman has provided. Independently, Dwight and I agreed where the land was on a Google map. With the GPS co-ordinates, my husband and I headed to Frumet, Missouri.

I was concerned that I might not be able to find a place to explore on the west side of Big River, so my first plan was to go down Hidden Valley Ranch Lane to see if I could photograph the hill side across the river.

I met two young men who were "processing" a deer they'd just shot. They told me that Norm Valle owned the land---they warmed up a bit when I told them I was related to Norm and had talked to his aunt a few months ago. So, they looked at my maps and pointed me in the right direction.

Finding John Graham's Land 1797

One of my goals this week was to find where John Graham's Spanish Land Grant was. I found the map above at the Genealogical Society with the key below. (Double click to enlarge) His is that block in green across from the island. The other two which I've highlighted belong to the Quicks and Carricos who were friends who witnessed his son's probate. The Missouri River is at the top and the Mississippi to the side.
I was initially surprised that it was on the Mississippi River because I knew from other documents that he lived in the Cold Water/ Spanish Lake area which I associate with the Missouri River. I looked at that island in the water trying to find it on a map, but realized there had been a lot of floods and a major earthquake since John Graham's land grant.

Map shows Lewis and Clark's route going west and coming home. The blue river is today's river bed compared to what they witnessed in white.

If you'll look directly across from Spanish Lake, you'll see that island in the OLD riverbed (white) so that told me the island did not exist today.

Tyrey Final Resting Places

After taking a detour around a flooded road, we finally found the Maness/Fletcher Cemetery.
It was beautifully maintained with a well-painted fence. Although some of the stones look broken, I think they were the origninal stones which were just rocks.
Although this is hard to read, I loved the colors and textures---it is for a J. E. Maness (but not one we are related to) Click here to see everyone in this cemetery.

This is the stone for Francis Marion Tyrey and his wife Sophia Marrah (not the original French spelling). He was Eliza Ellen Tyrey Reiter's oldest brother----Mary Reiter Long's uncle.
Linda shared this photo of Francis Tyrey and Sophia. He looks so much like my great uncle Clarence Long (the little blond boy sitting on a stool in the middle) and his son Clyde Long.

After lunch, we wanted to find the Poor Farm where Jacob Tyrey (Francis and Eliza's father) spent his final days.
Using my plat map and a current map of Jefferson County, we were able to locate the buildings (Although these building look like abandoned houses, if you click on them to enlarge them, you'll see satellite dishes on them) We don't know why Jacob Tyrey was at the Poor Farm but he was quite old. One of his descendants recalls hearing about "the old man at the Poor Farm". He lived there from 1896-1899. We assume he died there and is in an unmarked grave. Click here for more information on the "Poor Farm."

Cousin Dwight said there is a cemetery nearby, but we didn't visit it. I still think Jacob Tyrey is probably in an unmarked grave nearby although the article on the Poor House says many paupers are buried in Neeley Cemetery in Hillsboro, MO.

Tyrey Country

Linda (married to a distant cousin) and I decided to try to find the old Tyrey homestead---where Jacob Tyrey (my g-g-g grandfather) lived. First, we crossed Tyrey Creek many times which was full after all of the rain we've had this fall.
Linda had a map which certainly helped us find the Tyrey Homestead, but we were disappointed to see it had burned down.It had been a log cabin, I believe. We don't know when the fire was but it was definitely within the past 20 years.
Here are the tags on the front post which shows that whoever owned the property had paid for fire protection up until 1988.
Linda's eagle eyes found a little foot bridge over Tyrey Creek.
Next, we decided to try Tyrey Road. I was pretty impressed that these gravel roads had street signs. Tyrey Road, however, was a little travelled gravel road.
Yeah, that's mud on the windshield. . .we got to someone's yard where there was a gate to keep us from going on up the road, so we turned around and decided to try to find the Maness Cemetery where many of our relatives were buried.
Although our map had directed us to a different Oak Grove Church, we think this was the Oak Grove Church where the Tyrey families belonged.
But, the road to the church and cemetery had water flowing very swiftly across it. We decided that would not be wise to cross this stream.We stopped by the post office to see if there was another way to get to Maness Cemetery. The postmaster just laughed when she found where we had been. She,then, told us how to get around this water hazard.

Longs and Maupins 1930 Census

4117 and 4115 Castleman (my husband is in the van)

My husband and I tried to find some of the places my dad lived in St. Louis a few weeks ago. My Aunt Mary remembers that the Roy Long family lived at Newstead and Forest Park (Click here for a street view of the area). Mother said the house they lived in was now a "bus shelter" so I didn't try to find it. (there is a bus shelter in that street view) Note 2015:  No Bus Shelter---either 4444 Forest Park or the parking lot across Newstead.
After the 1927 tornado that destroyed that house, they lived on 4115 Castleman. On the way there, we passed many sites that I'm sure my sister and cousins will recognize.

Missouri-Pacific Hospital where I had my tonsils taken out.

I believe this was a mortuary at one time---across the street from Mo-Pac Hospital

Compton Hill Reservoir Park---across from Mo-Pac Hospital

The most curious part of the 1930 census is not that Roy Long's family lived next door to the Maupins (4117 Castleman), but it's how the Maupins are described. The names Henry and Anna Maupin are correct, but their ages, country of origin are very wrong. Also, the census taker got the occupations wrong with the names---he has Henry Maupin as a shoes salesman, but he was a machinist at the railroad which in fact is what the census says my Aunt Maxine was. . .at 7 years old! He obviously had a problem writing across the page. Above is 4115 Castleman where Roy and Vivian Maupin Long lived with LeRoy, Norma, Maxine and Mary Long.

Part of the mystery is solved when I realized that Henry and Annie Reed Maupin were also counted in their house on Boyd in De Soto. I've known most of my life that Henry Maupin had homes in St. Louis and De Soto. They probably weren't in the Castleman house when the census-taker came by. The house on Castleman appears to have been rented, but the census taker asked someone else who lived in that house for information on them and it was just wrong.

4117 Castleman where Annie Reed and Henry Maupin lived in 1930.

Aunt Mary said after that house, the family moved back to De Soto and then lived at 1607 Theresa in the Grand Park Apartments near Wyman School, 3917 Shenandoah (Street view) and finally 3867 Flad after Ronnie was born (they needed extra rooms). I've already done two blogs about Flad. Click here for how it looks today. Click here for photos of it in 1940's.

They also had Albert Maupin, Walter Maupin (Vivian's brothers) and Vivian's nephews Junior McKay (Mattie Maupin's son)and Charles Maupin (Harry Maupin's son) living with them from time to time. Mary said there were daybeds in the dining room for extra sleeping (I can remember Charles Maupin sleeping on a daybed at my Grandparents' Wicker's flat in the dining room so it must have been fairly common) and she (Mary) slept in a baby crib in her parents' bedroom until Ronnie came along.

Glanville-Reed Missouri Mysteries

There are several stories that I've been trying to track down. First, my dad always said we were related to the Ambruster/Armbrusters (who have a mortuary in St. Louis) on the Reed side. It's a beautiful mortuary on Clayton Rd. in a Tudor style building---I couldn't find any exterior shots.

Avoca Day Two

(John Nicholls stone in Avoca Cemetary with a cedar tree planted on the grave)

After we got home from our trip, I looked at my notes on my computer and contacted several members of the Jefferson County Historical Society with some questions. I wish all of my family lines had web sites with such wonderful information. I had discovered that the cemetery I'd visited had several relatives in it after all. First, there were John and Cora Glanville Nicholls. (they are below the Glanvilles in the 1870 census above) They were in an area of the cemetery that I hadn't visited two days earlier.They were in an area enclosed with a small wall and a pipe along with their son John.

But, in that enclosure there appeared to be at least one more grave with no stone, but a cedar tree planted beside the son John's grave. After talking to Dave Halleman of the Historical Society, we believe that to be the grave of James Glanville.
The cemetery is not very large---Lepps were there in addition to other names who didn't really seem related: Cole, Weber, Kealla, Nicholls, Armbruster. Dave thinks it is really a community cemetery that should be known as just the Avoca Cemetery.

Dave also told me that Avoca was actually across the road from the cemetery. This area had over a thousand people at one time, but there isn't much there now---if you don't count the lake community.

Avoca Day One

The Glanvilles were miners from Cornwall who came to Missouri for the mines. The 1860 census had 32 pages with 40 people on each page. My Glanville ancestors were on page 3 and William Reed was on page 29. Avoca was supposed to be near Valle Mines.

(William wasn't really from Ireland, but this was his new identity---he changed his name, age, and country of origin)

So, we went searching for Avoca---my GPS system and handy map of Missouri were no help. I stopped by the Post Office in Valles Mines and the woman had no idea. I had googled Avoca, Missouri and found an article by David Halleman on the Terry Cemetery in Avoca---he left the GPS co-ordinates so that's how we found it.
On the way up there, we did spot this sign:
I had Dave pull off the road while I went up the hill.
I found a beautiful little forgotten cemetery.
I did take photos of some of the stones
But, didn't see any that were of my family. My dad always said we were related to Armbrusters, so I took a photo of this stone.

Valles Mines

When William Reed first came to the United States, he worked in the Valle Mines area (Valles Mines) which is where the Glanvilles (his future in-laws) also lived and mined. At one time it was a bustling village, but there's not much there anymore but a post office, a gas station and several churches. There was a little bit of history still there like the General Store building.
A re-sale it shop
And a sign that explains where the name comes from:

After I got home, I googled the name and found out Dave and I have another "road trip" in our future. We missed a lot of Valles Mines. Click here for more information. But, I am a little concerned that the "Lost History Museum" has a "For lease" sign by it.

Oh well, we also were in search of the village of Avoca which had at least 1000 people in it at one time. But, that's another blog.