UMM and 45...Gets Confusing Sometimes!!! I completely agree about counties and little known areas...it can get frustrating. Records were kept by churches and sometimes country Doctors and even families at times just used their bibles which I'm sure you know. I've checked and continue to check any place there could be a record of anything.
UMM..I've tried different spellings of both...they both used different variations and spellings of their names. For this topic my auto correct changes both Howk and Houk so I just picked Howk to use instead of putting both names...usually I'll just put JFD here instead of FD or both. I got tired of all the aliases so I just picked one lol! I'm familiar with Chilhowie too. Have you requested the guy you are searching for..his separation papers stating he was KIA? If they shipped him back by train, there should be a manifest. Even from the train line too. Ours included who took charge of his body and where he was to be buried. They had one for a gggUncle of mine that was shipped by train to Osceola,MO....family met them at the depot and took him home for a service and burial in the family cemetery.
St Clair County Missouri used to be called Jackson Township...Roscoe/Rosco and Montegaw/Montegu Springs that JFD writes of is there as is the County Seat of Osceola, Missouri and many small towns that have either been encompassed or became officially part of other towns or they were flooded by Truman Lake. So far I've found great care taken on records and cemeteries in all of the towns. I still search family cemeteries that were not moved or affected.
Jackson County Missouri is Where Lee's Summit is and JFD writes of there. I've checked there,Greenwood and Lone Jack too. Cole Younger is buried in LSMO. As well as Benton and Henry Counties I've checked.
Cole Younger and his family members lived in both places.
JFD has mentioned both in his writings which has lead me to believe that he could be part of the Younger family in some way. Lewis Dalton married a sister of Cole Younger.
Jackson County and Jackson Township are often confused with each other in history. Same with St Clair County, MO and St Clair, MO. which still get confused. Genealogy researchers often question which is which. I've checked there too.
Howk/Houk is out of Arkansas for the most part. He is easy to trace, he's been in some trouble. He was always a dime player. He thought he hit the big time when he met JFD. He believed JFD and his stories of KGC depositories and locations. They go back together way before Meremac...JFD actually used Meremac to get away from Howk but when he became no use to Meremac, they dumped him back on Howk. It is such a convoluted story. A house of smoke and mirrors built on lies. It's worked for them though...
I've done this type of work for 28yrs and I nor anyone I've worked with have EVER known of anyone who has no beginning middle or end. Just to go through life with 70+ aliases and Never have a starting point?? Or Anything legal
It's the strangest thing. Most people who assume aliases use some form of their name. Since A lot of families use family names as a first or middle name. Like JFD could be Dalton Younger or some variation. Like Grat Dalton used a shortened version of his name.
Most men usually had some kind of military service up through Vietnam unless they were the only son. Or a brother had been killed. He has No Record of service. I know that wasn't really enforced until the Sullivan family but oftentimes one son would stay back to help the family. Civil War was different a lot of times so he could of been just too young for anything. He says he signed up on his 15th birthday in MO and states where...there is no record of him. Although he first said he was born and enlisted in Texas.
He was fascinated by the Daltons but also used a lot of Younger stories and locations. I'm betting he was somehow related to Youngers. I dont think he was a brother of Cole, but someone fairly close in age, within 7, + or - 2 yrs. that had heard the stories and knew the locations. He was pretty accurate on locations, like Roscoe...Not many people have heard of that tiny town unless you are a Younger history buff or lived there or close by. Now it's more well known for fishing but years ago..Montegow Springs or Chalk Level was the reference point. He was a bit off on the small detail of where John Younger was physically shot and died...not by much but if someone isn't familiar with that area they wouldn't know it.
I get a headache every time I think about him..lol! Better go take an aspirin..
Kace
