Brother Joe sent me this very interesting e-mail:

"Sally Jackson, Cedar Vale, KS, who attended the family reunion last year at Sue's Lake house came by Monday. She said to tell everyone "Hello". She had visited over the weekend with Aunt Virginia MADDEN, (Widow of Curt MADDEN and mother of Mike, Brian and Sean MADDEN) Sally also visited with one of Sally's sons, in Ozark. Sally has been researching her family trees for several years and is no doubt the most knowledgeable person on the MADDEN lineage. Her side of the MADDEN clan is from Denzil, one of about nine of granddad Harve's siblings. Like other researchers, she seems to be baffled by the conflicting and sometimes non-existing information available. She takes lots of pictures and stresses the fact some small item may someday unlock the mystery! She eagerly listened to the input from Sean!

We first went to Eastlawn Cemetery, in Springfield, MO where a Josephine MADDEN BEYER is buried. Our grandfather David Harve MADDEN had a sister named Josephine, but we have doubts this is the one?
because - Granddad Harve's death certificate gives his date of birth as 4-10-1878, Birthplace Missouri.
- Josephine's death certificate gives her date of birth as Oct. 28, 1877 , Birthplace, Ollany, (sic) IL
father and mothers names unknown.
- Josephine's records, from the funeral home, show her birthplace as Olney, IL.
Mother Ellen MADDEN, b IL father MADDEN. b IL and little other information. It shows three
daughters and one son. He is buried in this plot with a military tombstone
NOTE: The military method and the generally accepted genealogy method of dating is date- month, usually
abbreviated to three letters, and year (four letters) e,g, 28 Oct 1877

We next visited Greenlawn North Cemetery, in Springfield, MO where Curt MADDEN, Carrie MADDEN SMITH, (granddads baby sister, we think) Also next to Carrie is her (and Granddad's) nephew, Vernon (no tombstone on Vernon's grave) are all buried. The two burial plots are a good distance apart.
Next stop, Fair Grove, MO and the remains of the Fair Grove canning factory, where Mom and Dad met. Sean (Monday evening) said he himself remembered when the building burned and he pedaled on his bike to watch the fire department work. Sean also said his dad told of their stopping by the factory and warming their hands, en route to school. On to the "Knob" the hill farm about 1/2 mile south where Sean later told us his Dad, Curt was born. Mom told stories of her and Aunt Mit playing there. Uncle Kent one time mentioned a field where his dad had raised corn, now overgrown with timber. Kent also mentioned a neighbor telling about watching Civil War troops marching by (toward or from?) Springfield.

We continued on the outskirts of Fair Grove where the Cedar Bluff Cemetery is located and our mom's brother Kenneth MADDEN and wife Paula are buried.

Next we drove by the farm northwest of Fair Grove where Granddad farmed for many years and was living there when our grandmother Maggie passed away. The concrete silo is gone but the huge barn is still standing and looks to be in good repair. The house has been replaced. Sally remembered visiting here when she was very small. She and Rose Felin-Holt were both born in l942

Next stop, Marshfield, MO cemetery where our Mom and Dad and other family members are buried. Our dad reportedly purchased this lot with his WWI bonus. Our late brother Bernie once mentioned our Granddad LAFOE was in charge of building the rock fence at the entrance.We also drove by the house granddad Harve was living in at the time of his death. Sally also remembered visiting with him at this residence.

On to the Fordlalnd, MO Cemetery where Granddad Harve and Grandmother MAGGIE plus our Aunt Mildred MADDEN LONG are buried. Also several of our grandmother's family in an adjacent plot. These grandparents were married in Fordland, MO, in 1903.

The day concluded with dinner with Sean MADDEN. He added a good bit of family history including a trip his dad told him about when Kent and Curt went to Kansas City by train, when small boys, and visited with an aunt and uncle.We speculate this was Aunt Lilly and Uncle Nick ANGELOS. Sean said his mom's home, in Springfield, is only a few blocks from a relative his dad told him about and Sean had forgotten the details.
I have since e-mailed Sean the address, (one block east and one block north of his mom's house.) Walt and Molly MILLER were there names and Molly was Grandmother MADDEN's sister. This is where Sue quickly inspected Uncle Walter's gall stones she was holding in her hands, circa 1950, as she reported in an earlier entry into the blog.

With the information on the KELLEY-KELLY-MADDEN feud, which was news to Sally, maybe this small bit of information, at the right time and place, with the right researcher, will be the key. Thanks to Wanda aka Cuz, Pete and Sean for providing this and other information.

In closing, some of the items genealogy researchers stress include 1) No item is too small to mention 2) The youngest living member of a family is the best source of information 3) Daughters usually keep more abreast of these items. "

Thank you, Joe. We truly appreciate the work you are doing on the family geneology. And I will never forget Uncle Walter--or at least his gall stones!