Lybarger Linkages Newsletter
Fall, 1998 . . . . . Vol. XIV No.
2 . . . . . ISSN 0887-9354
Official Newsletter of the Lybarger Memorial Association
LMA ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the Lybarger Memorial Association was again held at Madley, Pa. and presided over by the president John H. Lybarger of New Lexington, OH. The treasurer, Genevieve Smalling reported that as of the end of the fiscal year, June 30,1998 we had a balance in our accounts of $7,328.
John L. Lybarger, Mansfield, OH, reported there are only 72 copies left of the Lybarger Descendants. (as of October 31, there were only 47 copies left). Because of the many additions and corrections to the database it was thought it advisable to wait until 1999 before deciding on whether a revised edition should be published. By that time the remaining copies of the present edition will likely be sold. John also reported that he is getting about 50 visits a week to his Lybarger web site.
Lee Lybarger reported that he will have a facsimile copy of poetry written by or about Lybargers by the time of the next annual meeting. If approved it will be published as a year 2000 publication of the Lybarger Memorial Association.
The roof of the Lybarger church needs major repairs. Connie Hillegass will seek out a person who can do the repairs. Other repairs to the church are also needed including the window wells, the flag pole, and the bell tower (see related story).
Mark your calendars for the 1999 meeting of the LMA to be held on July 17 at the Lybarger Lutheran Church in Madley, Pa
MORE LYBARGER RELATIONS BECOME KNOWN
An enormous amount of new Lybarger family data has been submitted since The Lybarger Descendants came out in August, 1997. At that time there were 10,025 known direct descendants of the immigrant ancestor, Nicholas Leyberger. Spouses added an additional 5,441 making for a total of 15,466 names.
As of Oct 1 of this year the number of direct descendants has increased over 991 for a total of 11,016, a 10 percent increase. Most of these came, as might be expected, in the 8th generation and later, i.e. living and recently deceased relations born after about 1915. The number of spouses of direct descendants also increased from 5,441 to 5,981 up 540 as of Oct. 1, an increase of 10 percent. This makes for a grand total of almost 17,000 names!
It would be nice to think that we could come to some closure on this matter. But as long as Lybarger relations keep being born getting married, and dying, the books can never be closed. Once a new family history is published and becomes known it results in additional persons coming forward who want their family history to be included. The existence of a Lybarger computer web site and this newsletter further increases the awareness and desire of more relations to send in their information.
The LMA is grateful to John Lavern Lybarger for collecting and updating the database as new information comes in and for responding to all the inquiries that come in over the internet. If any of you have new or updated information to submit please get it to John L. Lybarger at 2205 Cloverdale Dr., Mansfield, OH 44903-9055, or by e-mailing him at
jlybarger.neo.rr.com
LYBARGER CHURCH APPEAL
The Lybarger Church at Madley, OH. is in need of basic repairs. The 1883 white wood framed country church was given in 1985 to the Lybarger Memorial Association by the congregation which needed a new church for their members. They built a larger and more easily accessible structure up the road from the Lybarger church and named it Christ Lutheran Church.
The LMA has seen to the painting of the Lybarger church and to its upkeep. It has been preserved as a historical memorial to the Lybarger heritage and has been visited and photographed by many Lybarger relations. It is also used as the meeting place for the annual meeting of the LMA every July.
The present repair needs are more than can be sustained by the general fund of the LMA. Specifically, the church needs a new galvanized metal roof and the ground-level window wells are in need of major repair if water is to be kept out of the basement. Unfortunately we cannot provide an exact cost for these items, but you can well imagine that such repairs would be more than a few thousand dollars. Hence, we are asking that you please make a contribution payable to the Lybarger Memorial Association (or LMA) designating your donation for the Church Fund (see order form). You will receive recognition in the newsletter for your gift whatever the amount may be. To date the following persons have made donations to the church fund in the past 13 years and we are grateful to them:
Lorheta Bloomquist, Vestal, N.Y. Clara Bosko, Mansfield, OH Shannon & Denice Brown, Port Deposit, MD Angus Burch, Ann Arbor, MI Bruce & Rachel Deal, Palo Alto, CA Kathleen Gillespie, Grandbury, TX Paul & Nada Joan Hendrix, Fountain City, IN Neff & Juanell Hollander, Houston, TX Dori Hughes, Indialantic, Fl, Jane Dygert Hurst Takoma, MD Delores R. Hutchinson, Dunwoody, GA Marsha Lane, Farmington, NM Rae Lingquist, Bexley, OH Charles J. Lybarger, Lawndale, CA Claris & Shirley Lybarger, Kerrville, TX David D. Lybarger, Green Valley, AZ Edwin F. Lybarger, Phoenix, AZ Eugene & Irene Penn Lybarger, Okmulgee, OK Floyd & Kathleen Lybarger, Illiopolis, IL Frank R. and Jane Lybarger, Decatur, IL Harvey L. Lybarger, Houston, TX Helen A. Lybarger, Oregon, OH Jerry L. and Catherine Lybarger, Arcadia, NE John T. Lybarger, Indianapolis, IN Lemuel & Phyllis Lybarger, Shelby, OH Leonard F. Lybarger, Shaker Hts., OH Peggy S. Lybarger, Havana, FL R. George Lybarger, Hollssopple, PA Ralph Lybarger, South Bend, IN Robert C. Lybarger, Hawthorne, NV Roy J. Lybarger, Oakland, IA Ruth Lybarger, Meadville, PA Samuel F. Lybarger, McMurray, PA William M & Lorraine Lybarger, Dover, DE Catherine C. Lyberger, Alliance, OH Leetta R. Lyberger, Augusta, GA Ray J. Lyberger, Alliance, OH William R. Lyberger, Falls Church, VA Donald Maston Jr., Springfield, OH Mary K. Lybyer Odle, Houston, MO Kathryn Oxborrow, Bend, OR Norma & Paul Pennington, Lebanon, OR Alvie L. & Bettie Phillips, Springdale, AR Thelma M. Scott, Chico, CA Kelly Shannon, Santa Fe, NM Jack & Velda Taylor, Granite City, IL Virginia V. Ward, Danbury, CT Delois Waters, Hawthorne, FL Evan P. & Francis 22ock, Newtown, PA
In a few cases some of these folks who contributed also gave to the genealogical research fund. Of course, there is nothing to prevent these folks from making a further contribution! Also, if anyone has been left off this list please let the editor know so that a correction can be noted in the Spring, 1999 newsletter.
YEAR 2000 PROBLEM FOR CEMETERIES
You no doubt read or heard the news that computer systems throughout the world are having to spend many millions of dollars to adjust their systems for the year 2000 if they do not want their programs to revert back to the year 1900. It could have serious consequences on the everyday lives of millions of people.
It is a problem for cemeteries as well. According to a news report in "The Columbus Dispatch" (OH) last June 12, some gravestones have been inscribed with 19__, the first two numbers of the year one expects to die. Some forward-thinking persons may be surprised if they die after 1999 and their planned-for gravestones are marked with the year beginning 19__.
To correct this problem some gravestone cutters are chiseling out the entire year and replacing it with a granite paste using clear epoxy into which the actual year is sandblasted in. Others are chiseling out the date and replacing it with a granite plate. No matter which technique is used, it will leave a scar that will show especially when the stone is wet. Also the number 20 takes up more space than 19 does.
Could this problem pertain to any Lybarger relations who think they will die before the year 2000 and have already had their gravestone inscribed with a 19__ ? If you know of any such cases please send them into Lybarger Linkages for a follow-up story.
HOW COMMON IS LYBARGER OR LYBERGER?
If you think our surname is not very common you are absolutely correct. Did you know, for example, that the surname of "Lybarger" is only the 12,580th most common last name in the U.S.? The "Lyberger" surname is the 81,750th most common surname. Contrast that with "Smith". It is the most commonly found surname in America. This is but one example of the land of family history trivia available through computer web sites.
PERSONALITY FOCUS: JACK R. LYBARGER
If you have ever attended an annual meeting of the Lybarger Memorial Association or the Lybarger reunion picnic in the Lybarger Grove at Madley, PA you cannot help but have noticed a tall lanky man with a graying beard. You may have wondered who he is. He is too modest to talk about himself but when asked he will tell you how he used to come to the Lybarger reunions under the shadow of the Lybarger Lutheran Church from when he was a boy.
We are talking here about a certain Jack Russell Lybarger. He was born. on March 13,1933 in the same town in which he now lives, Johnstown, PA. He was the eighth in a family of nine children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. His father was Grant William Lybarger Sr. (1902-1980) and his mother was Gladys Stewart (1905-1956).
Jack's efforts to help keep the Lybarger reunions at Madley, PA alive have been most noteworthy. He remembers coming to the reunions with his father before World War II when they attracted up to 100 persons with the festivities lasting 2-3 days. Jack continued the tradition along with the Bockhouse and Bullington families even though the attendance dwindled considerably by the early 1980's. How the reunions and the LMA was revived is a separate story. Suffice it to say that Jack was among those who kept the flame alive through the lean years. For example, until recently he saw to the mowing of the Grove in preparation for the reunions. He has also faithfully served on the board of the Lybarger Memorial Association since its revival in 1985.
Johnstown is noted for the disastrous floods that have plagued the area. Fortunately, Jacks family was never affected as they lived outside of town. However, Jack and his wife Nancy were involved for 11 weeks in the cleanup of the 1977 flood as members of the Church of the Brethren Disaster Service. From 1981-1985 they were Disaster Coordinators for the Church of Brethren for the Western Pennsylvania District. This took them to areas as far away as Mississippi, and North Carolina.
Until he retired in 1993 Jack worked for 40 years for Bethlehem Steel as an inspector of finished rolled steel used in such things as in truck rims, bridge flooring, tracks for caterpillar tractors. He has been busy in retirement. He and Nancy deliver Meals on Wheels twice a week for the elderly. They are also members of the Senior Citizens Council for Cambria County. Jack sings in the choir of Roxbury Church of the Brethren and he tends his vegetable garden when not traveling.
Jack was married on March 24, 1960 to Nancy B. Spinos who was born, on March 29, 1935. Their children are Janet Nadine, Roxanne Ruth, Kirk Alan, Kimberlee Ann, and Kelly Jean. lack and Nancy have been blessed with 4 grandchildren, Erik Adam, Kyle Rian Grant James and Tyler Scott.
SEARCHING FOR LYBARGER POETS AND POEMS
As most of you know by now a book of poetry written by Lybarger relations is in the works as a year 2000 project. Many poems have been submitted and more are desired by all age groups so long as the author has a Lybarger heritage by birth or marriage or so long as the subject matter concerns Lybargers.
Carla Miller of Van Wert, Oh sent in a sample of poetry that appeared on a 1981 worship bulletin of a United Methodist Church in Van Wert. Carla suggested that I contact "Ideals" magazine to find out who the Lybarger was who composed the 4 lines of poetry. In her response an editorial assistant reported that many poems by a NADINE BROTHERS LYBARGER were found but they are all listed by title. She had no further information. A search of the Lybarger history did not reveal her name nor was she found in the LMA newsletter address list.
If anyone has any information on Nadine please contact Lee Lybarger at the LMA office, P.O. 611, Delaware, OH 43015, or call him at 740-369-9093, or e-mail him at
lybarger@midohio.net
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG
Jeffrey A. Lybarger, M.D. is an example of one who is in the forefront of a field that impacts on the public health of millions of people. The newsletter editor discovered information about him through a sophisticated computer database called Lexus Nexus brings together information about events and people from the major newspapers and scientific journals throughout the U.S.
On Aug. 29, 1985 "The New York Times" reported that Dr. Lybarger, from the U.S. Center for Disease Control was part of a team of experts who arrived in the Soviet Union to inspect Americans' work areas, cars, and homes, for a chemical powder that the State Department said the Russians were using to track the movements of Americans. All of this was, of course, before the Iron Curtain came crashing down.
On April 12, 1993 in his capacity as Director of the Division of Health Studies for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Public Health Service., he presented testimony in Congress before the Senate Subcommitee on Superfund, Recycling, and Solid Waste Management. His role was to advise medical personnel of the toxicities on the substances of concern to them. The ATSDR came into being as a result of legislation that Congress created in response to two catastrophic environmental events of the late 1970's one of which was at Love Canal near Buffalo, N.Y. The other was in New Jersey.
In his testimony Jeffrey described the potential for human exposure to hazardous substances in the environment and the actions taken by his agency to collect, analyze. and make policy recommendations to address the worst situations that are included on the National Priorities List.
On Sept. 16, 1998 Jeffrey worked with the Assistant Administrator of ATSDR in presenting testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. They were reporting on ATSDR's health surveillance responsibilities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response.. Compensation, and Liability Act.. Their testimony specifically concerned the health of persons exposed to radioactive iodine at the Hanford nuclear facility in Richland, Washington State.
Lybarger is also a co-editor of Priority Health Conditions: An integrated Strategy to Evaluate the Relationship Between Illness and Exposure to Hazardous Substances. It was published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1993.
So who is this Jeffrey Allen Lybarger? Well, for starters, he is the grandson of Charles Alexander Lybarger and the third child of Courtland Waldo Lybarger (1915- ) and was born on Nov. 27, 1951 in Granite City, Illinois. He married Catherine Murphy of Charleston, N.C. on Oct. 8, 1983. They have one soil, Andrew Ross Lybarger who was born on June 18,1990.
Jeffrey has served the ATSDR since 1985 and is now Director of the Division of Health studies for that federal agency. He has served in numerous other capacities in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). He received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL., and his masters degree in environmental health from the University of Cincinnati. He completed an internship in pediatrics at St. Louis University, as well as occupational and preventative medicine residencies at the University of Cincinnati and the CDC. He is board certified in Preventative Medicine and in Occupational Medicine and Public Health.
TWO TOLEDO WEDDINGS
Two weddings of note took place within three months of each other in the same Ohio city involving first cousins and grandchildren of Donald F. Lybarger. On June 27th Loren D. Lybarger and Mary R. Abowd were married in a beautiful Protestant/Catholic ceremony. Loren, 33, is a Ph.D.. student at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Mary, 30, is an associate editor of Chicago Magazine.
They met in Chicago in 1993 during a meeting of activists involved with the Palestinian cause. Mary is the granddaughter of immigrants from Lebanon and Loren has lived and worked in Palestine.
In the second Toledo wedding Jeanne F. Patterson, 43, and H. Frederick Herman, 52, were married in the Fair Greens Presbyterian Church on September 19th. Jeanne is the daughter of the late James and Virginia Lybarger Patterson and Fred is the son of Marguerita Stacey and the late Harold Frederick Herman and Marguerite Stacey Herman of Toledo. The newlyweds reside in Springfield, VA. where Jeanne works as the Program Manager for the Army Reserve's Real Estate Program Washington. Fred is a systems analyst working for Electronic Commerce.
MORE HISTORIES ARE DONATED
More copies of The Lybarger Descendants have donated to libraries since the last issue of this newsletter. The donors and recipients are as follows:
Gary L. Hines (Ft. Wayne, IN) one copy to the Allen County Public Library (Ft. Wayne, IN)
James D. Wilder (Villanova, PA) one copy to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
John H. Lybarger (New Lexington. OH) one to copy to the Perry County Library.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor: Thank you for including information about PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) and our family in the Spring issue of "Lybarger Linkages". I just wanted you to know that the article states that I have a sister who died in 1996 from complications from a kidney transplant. This is not correct. My mother died in 1996 from complications from a massive stroke. My four sisters are living.
Thank you for spreading the world about PKD. If anyone should contact you for more information on PKD, they can call the PKD Foundation at 1-800-PKD-CURE, or assess their web site at
http://www.kumc.edu/pkrf/ .
Thanks and keep up the good work. Christine Lybarger
HONESTY WAS HER BEST POLICY
Editor's note: the following story was discovered in the Lexus Nexus database, a computer program provided through Ohio Wesleyan Univ., Delaware, OH). Although it is nine years old it is worth recounting and recording for the Lybarger historical record The wider Lybarger family connection of the key person in the story is not known. If anyone knows who her parents are please contact the LMA office. The story, first published in "The St. Louis Dispatch", St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 26,1989. follows:
"Three Metro East residents decided that honesty was the best policy Sunday morning when they found $100, $20, $10, and $1 bills blowing across the highway near Caseyville, IL. They turned in $1,782 to sheriffs deputies, who are still scratching their heads over the source of the cash. "Nobody knows where it came from," said Sgt. Richard Scott, a sheriffs deputy.
Susan Lybarger, 42, of a rural area near Worden, IL, gathered up almost $1,000 of the money at IL Rt. 159 and Bethel Road, She said it didn't occur to her until later that she could have merely pocketed the money." All I knew was that we had to collect that money because it belonged to someone," said Lybarger, an elementary school teacher." I was hoping it was somebody who needed it." She said she had been trained as a child to be completely honest. It may sound naive or even silly, she said, "but it would never occur to me to take something that didn't belong to me". (Comments from the other two persons involved then followed in the story). The Sheriffs Department will hold the money for 30 days, as required by law. If no one presents proof of ownership during that time, the money can be returned to the finders."
OBITUARIES AND FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
Obituaries are important to family history research. In the Summer, 1998 issue of "Reunions Magazine", a professional genealogist, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack reports that obituaries are short biographies of our ancestors' lives. She referred to academic research done at Kansas State University by Professor Janice Hume who found that "obituaries in the 19th century spoke about the person's character; in the 20th century they detailed the person's work and wealth."
Carmack says to watch for the words "died suddenly" in an obituary as it may indicate an accidental death, murder, or suicide. In that event you will want to check the news section of the newspaper in the microfilm section of your library. Carmack notes that it is sometimes helpful to check the vital records of your county or state government and then use the death date to check the newspapers for the obituary of that ancestor.
Carmack even suggests that you not leave matters to chance or to your relations to write your obituary - who knows what they will put in it or leave out! Best to prepare your own obituary and file it with your file on funeral directions or with your will.
The obituaries that follow were largely made possible because of newspaper reports made available to the editor. Specifically, John L. Lybarger of Mansfield, OH provided newspaper accounts in the case of Helen S. Lybarger, John B. Lybarger, and Maude B. Lybarger, and Beryl Lybarger, of Mt. Vernon, OH provided the material for his mother, Margaret C. Lybarger.
Whenever possible an attempt is made to enrich the obituaries by linking them to data in The Lybarger Descendants. The editor also adds additional information about the person where it is known to him. Readers are urged to please send to the LMA office, P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015, any obituaries of Lybarger relations being sure to note the date they were published and the name and town of the newspaper.
The editor found the material on Lucille Lybarger through the search of a computer database of metropolitan newspapers. The program is available only through major libraries, universities, or other institutions which can afford the cost of this program called Lexus Nexus. It was through this same database that the story on Jeffrey Lybarger was discovered.
LUCILLE A LYBARGER 1907-1998
Lucille A Lybarger, 91, homemaker from Addison, IL, died on Jan. 9, 1998. It was reported that she was an avid shopper. In 1992 she even took, at age 85, a charter bus trip to Bloomington, MN to shop at the Mall of America. "Oh, I loved it. I wish it was closer." Survivors include a son, Clarence "Bud" Kuhn; a daughter Corrinne Skibicki; a sister, four grandchildren, and rune great-grandchildren. Her connection to wider Lybarger relations is not known. (Source: "Chicago Tribune", Jan. 11, 1998). It is not known where her late husband fits into the extended Lybarger relations.
MAUDE BARBER LYBARGER 1913-1998
Maude Barber Lybarger, a resident of Shelby, OH, died at 84 on March 18, 1998. The daughter of Clay and Virgie Utterback Barber. She was born on Aug. 13, 1913 at Paragon, KY. She worked at Autoclave Corporation in Shelby and was a member of First Baptist Church in Shelby. She married Ronald William Lybarger (1910-1988).
Maude is survived by her twin brother, Claud Barber of Bellville, OH, numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by four brothers Harley, Kit Carl, and Ray Barber. (Source: "News Journal", Mansfield, OH, March 19,1998)
HELEN SWANGER LYBARGER 1924-1998
Helen Swanger Lybarger of Shelby, Ohio died on Oct. 5,1998 at age 74. The daughter of William and Grace (Gutchall) Swanger, she was born Sept. 22, 1924 in Richland County, Oh. She was a member of the Mansfield Art Center and of the Fond Memories Doll Club. She was noted for her ceramics and oil paintings. She was a member of Stiving Road Freewill Baptist Church in Shelby.
She is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, David Eugene and Della Lybarger of Shiloh, OH, two grandsons; three sisters and two brothers-in-law all of Shelby. She is also survived by four brothers and their wives. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, William H. Lybarger (1922-1989), a sister and another brother
MARGARET COE LYBARGER 1913-1998
It is with deepest regret that the death of Margaret Coe Lybarger on Sept. 5, 1998 must be reported. She was born in Knox County on November 23, 1913, the daughter of John Clyde and Sara (Larimore) Coe. Margaret was a lifetime resident of Knox County. She was at one time an employee of the Magers Shoe Store and the Ringwalt Department Store. She was a member of the Epworth United Methodist Church and the Pythian Sisters.
She is survived by two sons, Beryl B. Lybarger and Kay K. Lybargers, both of Mt. Vernon, five grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and a brother, John Coe of Mt. Vernon. Her husband. Merle Lybarger, died in 1984. Two brothers, Fred Coe and William Coe preceded her in death. Margaret was buried in the cemetery of Green Valley United Methodist Church, Knox County. (Source: "Mt. Vernon News", Mt. Vernon, OH. Sept. 7, 1998)
JOHN B. LYBARGER 1947-1998
John B. Lybarger, 51, of Saginaw, MI. died on Sept. 15, 1998. Born on Aug. 10, 1947 in Floyd County, KY to Robert and Molly (Blair) Lybarger, he moved to Albion, MI and then to Montrose, MI in 1979. He was a Vietnam era Army veteran, retiring in 1966 from the National Guard. He was employed as a millwright at the General Motors Corp.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy Long, and sons Larry Lybarger of Montrose, MI, Ryan Lybarger of Seattle, and daughter Rhonda Lybarger of Seattle; three grandchildren; his mother, Molly Goble and stepfather, John Goble both of Grundy, VA. His father preceded him in death. (Source: Saginaw, MI newspaper, Sept. 17, 1998). It is not known how he or his father are linked to the wider Lybarger relations.
LYBARGERS NAMED AFTER U.S. PRESIDENTS
Editors note: Shirley R. Gates Lybarger of Kerrville, Tx. wrote in response to articles in the Spring issue about cousins marrying sisters and sisters marrying brothers of neighboring families and included information about cousins marrying sisters. The editor decided that what she wrote warranted special attention. Hence, this article and the following one were written by Shirley who is the wife of Claris Wayne Lybarger (#3320 in The Lybarger Descendants).
The Lybargers were no exception to the old custom of naming children after historical personages. When we first started researching our branch of the family in the 1986 edition of the History of the Lybarger Family I mistakenly figured that my husband's grandfather, Andrew Jackson Lybarger, would be easy to identify. Not so! Several Andrew Jacksons were listed. Andrew Jackson, incidentally, was the 7th President of the U.S. and served 2 terms 1829-37.
In the current book (The Lybarger Descendants) I found no less than eight separate Andrew Lybargers listed and five separate Andrew Jacksons. One of them was my husband's grandfather #645 who was born in 1870 and died in 1947. Another was his grandfather's cousin #634, who was born in 1879 and died 'in 1897. Their fathers, brothers William Henry and George Washington Lybarger moved from La Porte, Indiana to Nebraska in the early 1870's. Not only did George Washington Lybarger name a son Andrew Jackson, but he named another son Benjamin Harrison and one of his daughters, Lucy Jane, married a man named William Henry Harrison, the same name as two U.S. Presidents in the early and late 1800's. Talk about hero worship!
BROTHERS MARRIED SISTERS
Brothers who married sisters of neighboring families were not unusual in the early days of our country. Transportation and travel were limited and very often romances developed between families who lived near each other. The Nebraska Lybargers were no exception as recorded in The Lybarger Descendants, pg. 140.
Andrew Jackson Lybarger (b. 12 Sept 1870) and Farron Henry Lybarger (b. 15 Sept 1868) migrated as children with their parents, William Henry and Abbie Lodena Weast Lybarger, from La Porte, Indiana, to Custer County, Nebraska, and settled near Mason City, where he was a farmer. Andy and Fay, as they were known, also became farmers in Valley County, near Arcadia. Among the families homesteading nearby were Henry W. and Ella Jones Barr, who had moved west from Shell Rock, Iowa, with their children including two daughters, Jennie Louisa (b. Nov 1880) and Jessie Mabel (b. 15 Jun 1883).
The brides were much younger than their suitors, both being 18 years of age when they married men of 28 and 33; however, this seems to have been customary in those days. Andy and Jennie were married July 6, 1998 in Sherman County, and had three children. Fay and Jessie were wed April 2, 1901 in Sherman County, and had ten children. Both couples spent their lives as farmers near Arcadia, Neb. and are buried in the Arcadia Cemetery. Descendants living in the Arcadia area are Jerry Lybarger and Gene Cox, both of whom are grandchildren of Fay mid Jessie. My husband, Claris Lybarger, is a grandson of Andy and Jennie. The Nebraska Lybargers host a family reunion in Arcadia, which is attended by almost as many Barrs as Lybargers.
To my knowledge these are the first marriages between Barr and Lybarger families but not the last. The Lybarger Descendants (p.477) also records the marriage of Cindy Lou Lybarger to Evan William Barr on September 14,1985 in Somerset County, PA.
NEW ADDITION TO SAN FRANCISCO ART SCENE
The art scene in San Francisco is beginning to feel the presence of new modem abstract creations by Kathryn E. Lybarger. In fact her work has come to the notice of art reviewers as well. One such example was the show she did in collaboration with Bruno Fazzolari entitled "More than a Feeling" last November-December. One piece was "Table with Drawer", a hand crafted Shaker styled table with a very long narrow drawer which served no useful purpose. Another was a grouping of small objects on a low rough hewn platform. On the platform is arranged a replica of a milk carton., a bladder made from a latex balloon resting on a white cotton towel. The representation of the objects evades easy analysis. The viewer is left to his or her own devices as to the meaning of the objects and their arrangement. The Lybarger / Fazzolari show was reviewed in "Art Papers", New Trends in Contemporary Art, May/June, 1998 (Atlanta, GA)
And then last June Kathryn Lybarger collaborated with Daniel Tiffany in another San Francisco show in which she used her camera to shoot photos of the sky in various shades of blue and gray. Tiffany sculpted minimalist works in single-color, frameless panels. 'Me review, which appeared on the Internet, states that both "called upon the viewer to look deeply, to commit to uncovering meaning from seemingly featureless fields... Her four photos literally evoke holes in the gallery's wall, external escapes that glow with subtle light, as if lit from behind or within... In "Blue Sky 2" , Lybarger gives us ether, spirit imagination, age, wisdom - all in a medium that more of a window than anything particularly sensual."
"The San Francisco Chronicle" newspaper on July 2, 1998 stated that her "series of color photos of empty sky are a neat complement to Tiffany's work (her collaborator in the exhibit). Pinned to the wall unframed, they are ironically so straight forward as to stir uncertainty. Are they drawings masquerading as photographs or perhaps photos of pastels?".
Kathryn is the daughter of Lee H. and Connie Diller Lybarger of Delaware, Ohio. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Arts Institute in May, 1996. She is a full-time Gardening Specialist at San Francisco State University. And she is involved 'in progressive politics in her spare time.
GENEALOGISTS WHO TAKE THEIR HOBBY TOO FAR
How can you tell when a genealogist is taking his or her family history researching a little too seriously'? When he brings a shovel to a workshop on studying cemeteries. Or when she asks an elderly aunt for a DNA sample in the course of interviewing her for stories about her family.
