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Lybarger Linkages NewsletterSpring, 2002 . . . . . Vol. XVIII No. 1 . . . . . ISSN 0887-9354Official Newsletter of the Lybarger Memorial AssociationLee H. Lybarger, editor llybarger@columbus.rr.com
LYBARGER ANNUAL MEETING & REUNION The 2002 annual meeting of the Lybarger Memorial Association and family reunion will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21. As usual it will be held at the Lybarger Lutheran Church in Madley, PA. For those arriving on Friday the 19th there will be an informal gathering after dinner around the pool at the Best Western Motel in Bedford, PA. The schedule of events are as follows: Sat. July 20: Lunch: 12 noon, Clara's Place, Best Western Motel Trustees meeting: 1:45 pm, Lybarger Lutheran Church Annual meeting: 2:30 pm, same place Dinner: 6:30 pm, The Apple Bin Restaurant, east of Bedford (directions will be provided) Sun., July 21 Breakfast: 8:00 am, Clara's Place Church service : 10:00 am, Lybarger Lutheran Church nondenominational service of remembrance. Group photo opportunities: 11:00 am Reunion picnic : 12 noon, Lybarger Grove Twelve rooms have been reserved at the Best Western Motel for Lybarger relations. Call 814‑623‑9006 for reservations. To get the group rate mention that you are part of the Lybarger reunion. The deadline to receive this rate in July 1. No reservations are required for meals at the Best Western or at the Apple Bin. Coming by car via the PA Turnpike, exit at Bedford. After the toll booth turn left going uphill. You will quickly see the Best Western on your left. There are many excellent motels in Bedford but our group rates are only available at the Best Western. If you have the equipment you can camp under the trees at the Lybarger Picnic Grove. Call Jack Lybarger at 814‑266‑7919 for details. Any other questions? Call John H. Lybarger, the LMA president, at 740‑343‑3110. A LYBARGER CONFEDERATE SOLDIER Editor's note: This story was submitted by Jon Foyt, great grandson of Joseph Lybarger. the subject of this article. For details on Jon see the "Personality Focus" article following this story. Some people remain in one place all their lives. Others wander about searching for that one special place. Our Lybarger ancestors left their native Germany, accepting the fact that they would never look back. Having survived the long, risky sailing ship adventure across the unforgiving ocean that stretched ahead of them to the horizon, some would settle down within the original German‑speaking swath of land in central Pennsylvania while other Lybarger descendants would be lured by the westward movement towards new horizons. In our quest for the Lybarger documentation necessary to complete my Sons of the American Revolution application, Lois and I began our search in the little county seat town of Cottonwood Falls in the Flint Hills of Kansas where my great‑grandfather, Joseph Lybarger, homesteaded his 160 acres and raised his daughter Eva, my grandmother. Our research took us next to the historical libraries of Nebraska, Missouri. and Kansas, where we sensed the wanderlust of my great grandfather. Joseph Lybarger was born on June 27, 1827 in the Lybarger breeding ground of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, son of Jesse, grandson of Henry and great grandson of Nicholas. In his early manhood, Joseph left to farm in Knox County, Ohio, where he married Eveline Brown in 1850. They bore four children ‑ three boys and a girl. We next find him in the Mississippi River part of Wittenberg, some sixty miles south of St. Louis, working as a laborer on the docks. By then he has married his second wife, Elizabeth, who has migrated to Missouri from North Carolina, along with a number of other Southern families. In the Civil War archives in Jefferson City, we find the Lybarger name twice ‑ once referenced in the Confederate files, and once in the Union records. The Union soldier is traced to a county in Nebraska and is not my great grandfather, but may well be a distant relative. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, under the influence of Elizabeth and her Southern heritage, Joseph joined the Missouri State Guard of the Confederate Army. The record shows that he fought and was wounded in the bloody Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark. in 1862 in which the Confederates were defeated. We lose track of his second wife, for in the 1870 census, Joseph appears as a farmer in the rural area southwest of Chillicothe, Missouri, where by now he has married Maria Manley in August, 1865. In September, 1871 Maria's only child, my grandmother Eva, is born. Joseph, Maria and Eva, in a Conestoga wagon, follow the Santa Fe Trail to Council Grove, Kansas, where they turn south‑to‑Cottonwood Falls and then out into the vast Flint Hills to a little rural community with the all‑American name of Homestead. By 1886, probably because of his Civil War experience, Joseph has become a Quaker, for that year, according to records in the Cottonwood Falls Historical Society, he is recorded as having "timed" the organizational meeting of the Homestead Friends Church. Sometime later Joseph moves again, this time to Vinland, a rural community south of Lawrence, Kansas, where he dies in July, 1899. Standing by Joseph's crumbling farmhouse on those windswept Flint Hills near Homestead, Kansas, I tried to imagine my great grandfather's arduous life in that remote rural region. Joseph joined the westward movement of Americans, eventually fighting for the Confederacy in the War Between the States. Perhaps he is the only Lybarger to wear the gray uniform in that terrible civil war. PERSONALITY FOCUS: JON FOYT From time to time the editor discovers interesting personalities who have contributed in one way or another to the Lybarger heritage. Jon Foyt is our latest addition to this series. He was first noticed in early 1998 when he sent to the LMA sample copies of four novels that he and his wife, Lois, wrote and published between 1995‑98. Reviews of these books appeared in the Spring, 1998 edition of "Lybarger Linkages". He and Lois attended the Lybarger reunion and LMA annual meeting in 2002 where the editor learned about his great grandfather, Joseph Lybarger, the subject of the previous story. Jon was born Otto Johann Feucht on June 4, 1932 in Indianapolis, IN to Anna Mae Counts and Otto Johann Feucht Sr. He is the grandson of Eva Lybarger and William Jackson Davidson Counts. He took the pen name of Jon Foyt for literary reasons. Following his AB and MBA degrees earned at Stanford University in Calif., Jon served two years in the Army in military intelligence. He then entered radio broadcasting in Oregon and Idaho, managing four AM stations. He left that career to assume a commercial banking position in Portland, Oregon. On August 26, 1951 he married Lois Anne Rehfeldt, who was born on Dec. 20, 1932 in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. He and Lois moved on to Santa Barbara and Palo Alto, Calif where they were engaged in real estate development. Later he earned another masters degree in historic preservation from the University of Georgia at Athens. They then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1989 to embark on a writing career. Jon is an avid runner having completed 60 marathons. They have three children, Jennifer Lee, Weston Otto, and Randolph Karl Feucht. And they have been blessed with 6 grandchildren He and Lois have collaborated in writing six contemporary Southwest novels, descriptions and reviews of which can be seen at http://loisjonf.mypeoplepc.com . Their sixth novel, Red Willow Brew, was nominated for the 2001 National Book Award in Fiction. This Taos, New Mexico novel argues for love while giving a heads up to the threat of nuclear terrorism. It is published as an e‑book on the Internet by http://www.crossroadspub.com Jon has been imprinted with the wanderlust. He put it well at the conclusion his story about his great grandfather. "If a wanderlust element of DNA is inherited from my great grandfather, Joseph Lybarger, I now better understand my own geographical restlessness." GEORGE STANTON LYBARGER 1923-2001 Dr. George Stanton Lybarger died on Oct. 7, 2001 at his retirement home in Amelia Island, FL. A native of Shaker Hts. (suburb of Cleveland), OH, he was the son of George H. Lybarger (1894‑1986) and Lillian Stanton. George followed in his father's footsteps in becoming a successful and highly respected dentist in Euclid, OH for 41 years. Like his father he also received his dental education at Case Western Reserve University. He served in the Korean War as a dental officer in the Marine Corps from 1952-1953. He volunteered his time to the Humane Society and to Habitat for Humanity. He is survived by his wife Joan, a sister Mary Ellan Strickler, daughters Kathy Browning Victor, Martha L. Haberman, Elizabeth Lybarger, son Neil Lybarger, and three stepchildren, and 12 grandchildren. VIRGINIA LYBARGER SAROSY 1916-2001 We Lybargers lost a supporter of family reunions in Virginia Lybarger Sarosy who died on Oct. 30, 2001 in Painesville, Ohio. She was a member of the Lybarger Memorial Association and a contributor of genealogical information. She was born on Sept. 8, 1916 in Berlin, PA. to George William Lybarger (1886-1947) and Roseann E. Smith (1887-1971). She married John A. Sarosy in 1942. They had seven children born between 1943 and 1961. In spite of heavy family responsibilities she found time to be a school librarian, a president of the Lake County Women's Republican Club, a guide at the Holden Arboretum, and an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. She was blessed with 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Her husband preceded her in death as did three daughters, a sister and two brothers. Thanks go to Mildred Miller, Painesville, OH, for providing information on Virginia. DOROTHY DACK LYBARGER 1910-2002 Dolores Lybarger Tawes sent in information on the death of her aunt, Dorothy Dack Lybarger who died in January, 2002. Dorothy was born in 1910 in Rochester, N. Y. In 1941 she married Chester Crum Lybarger (1909-1974). They had one child, Carol Lynn Lybarger who married Robert G. Fleagle Jr. ADDITIONAL DEATH NOTICES The Social Security Death Index reports the following deaths in 2041: (b. = born, d. = died) Beatrice F. Lybarger, b. Aug. 24, 1918, d. Aug. 19, Navajo, AZ Betty R. Lybarger, b. Sep. 19, 1925, d. Nov. 4, Canton, IL Earl S. Lybarger, b. Oct. 23, 1917, d. Oct. 11, Atwater, OH Edwin G. Lybarger, b. Aug. 12, 1919, d. Jul. 4, Greenbrier, AR Esther M. Lybarger, b. Aug. 9, 1907, d. Sep. 1, Grove, OK Hiram D. Lybarger, b. Oct. 26, d. 1914, Sep. 16, Katy, TX Irene Lybarger, b. Apr. 27, 1899, d. Jun. 27, Longmont, CO King K. Lybarger, Oct. 4, 1918, d. Jut. 10, Flagstaff, AZ Mabel I. Lybarger, Jul. 1916, d. Dec. 10, Meadville, PA Mabel I. Lybarger, Mar. 1, 1914, d. Jul. 7, Saline, MI Marie Lybarger, b. May 11, 1933, d. Oct. 13, Meadville, PA Patricia M. Lybarger, b. Aug. 30,1928, d. May 16, Johnstown, PA R.L. Lybarger, b. Jan. 11, 1911, d. Oct. 26, Chochilla, CA Robert Lybarger, Aug. 23, 1936, d. Mar. 18, Jackksonville, FL G.Stanton Lybarger, b. Jun 1923, d. Oct. 7, Fernandina Beach, FL Donald L. Lybyer, b. Nov. 21,1918, d. 2! 22/2000 Riverton WY Pearl C. Lybyer, b. Mar. 9, 1914, d. Oct. 12, 2000 Lincoln, NE Juanita Lybyer, Mar. 26, 1919, d. Jul. 3, 2001, Miami, FL Mable A. Lybyer, Nov. 8, 1912, d. Feb. 3, 2001, Laramie, WY LYBARGER INVESTIGATES POLLUTION Jeffrey Lybarger was at the center of an investigation of a Libby, Montana vermiculite mining operation. According to the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) report of August 24, 2041, "Tests on 5,590 people who lived near the operation found 18 to 30 percent with signs of asbestos‑related lung diseases. The Tribune further reported that "Jeffrey Lybarger who oversaw the Libby Study for the U. S. Toxic Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said some of those individuals also may have been exposed to asbestos through other routes. But he said even after including those factors, his research found that people who played in the vermiculite were 1.7 to 1.8 times more likely to have signs of scarring in the linings of their lungs than other tested. Lybarger said more than 54 percent of those tested reported at least five different "pathways" of asbestos exposure". The editor of "Lybarger Linkages" was not able to find out how Jeffrey Lybarger is connected to the Lybarger clan. If anyone knows who he is, contact Lee Lybarger at llybarger@columbus.rr.com or write to him at "Lybarger Linkages", P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015. SEPT. 11 IMPACTS LYBARGERS In the Fall, 2001 newsletter the editor asked for reports on how the September 11 tragedy impacted the lives of their Lybarger relations. A detailed reply was received from Glen and Barbara Lybarger of Littleon, Colo. An article about their son Eric and his wife Robin Lybarger appeared in the Spring 2001 issue of the newsletter. Eric is a pilot for United Airlines. Here is what his parents sent in: "When we first heard news of two planes crashing into the Trade Center everyone immediately asked us, "Where is Eric and is he O.K.?" Eric had begun a trip on Sept. 10. Since he frequently flies along the eastern coast, we were all worried until Robin was able to contact him. It turned out that he was still on the ground in Wichita, KS and stuck there for three days. "It wouldn't be long before the tragedy would touch us yet again. This came when our other son, Aaron, who is a fireman/medic for West Metro Fire Depart. and a member of the Colorado FEMA Search and Rescue Squad was sent to New York to help. Their unit was held on high alert at Fort Dix in New Jersey the first few days. They were the only available unit with their gear on a plane ready to be in the air in 20 minutes. "Then they went to "ground zero" to help with the search for survivors. They had a couple of search dogs but the survivors they hoped might be there weren't. They were able to provide support at a fire station in the Queens to free up the firefighters who lost some of their comrades." FLEEING INDIANS ON OHIO FRONTIER The following story is from the Lybarger history of 1997 (p.55) and is in the revised edition of 2000 (p.59) "Jacob Lybarger (1783-1849) and his wife were born in Bedford County, PA. He first settled in Knox County, Ohio, but later located in Mohican Township, Ashland County, Ohio. He is found on the list of electors there in 1828, and was a Justice of the Peace in 1827 and 1830. The family is listed on the census records of 1850. "" While fleeing to seek protection in a nearby frontier fort, Jacob rolled his infant daughter in a small bed and took it on his back, proceeding rapidly on his way, followed by his wife, through the forests by narrow Indian trails. From the speed made by her husband, Mrs. Lybarger (Elizabeth Emerick 1785-1852) supposed the danger to be very imminent. "Calling to her husband, who was some distance in advance, she said, "Jake ‑ Jake, are you afraid?" He promptly responded, "No," and they hurried forward on the narrow path. In his flight, he dropped the infant, and his wife, coming up in haste, stumbled over it, exclaiming , "Jake, Jake, you need not tell me that you are not afraid, for you have lost Maria out of the bed, and you didn't know it." The little daughter was speedily replaced, survived the war, and upon arriving at womanhood, became the wife of Justus S. Weatherbee. Jacob was the son or Ludwick and the grandson of Nicholas, our German immigrant. Jacob and Elizabeth had 3 boys and 8 girls of whom two died in infancy. WOMEN' S OHIO FRONTIER FASHIONS This account of women's pioneer fashions continues our series of the history of Knox County, Ohio as our Lybarger ancestors experienced it in the early 1800'x. The following is found on page 215 of History of Knox County Its Past and Present, published 1881. "The costume of the woman' deserves a passing notice. The pioneers, proper, of course, brought with them something to wear like that in use where they came from; but this could not last always, and new apparel, such as the new country afforded, had to be provided. Besides, the little girls sprang up into womanhood with the rapidity of the native butterweed, and they must be made both decent and attractive, and what is more, they were willing to aid in making themselves so. The flax patch, therefore, became a thing of as prime necessity as the truck patch. "On the side next to the woods the flax grew tall, slender, and delicate, and was carefully pulled by the girls and kept by itself to make finery of. The stronger growth did well enough for clothing for the men, and warp far the linsey-woolsey, and even everyday dresses for the women, but for Sundays, when everybody went to "meeting," the girls, especially, wanted something nice, just as they do today. This fine flax, therefore, was carefully pulled, carefully rotted, carefully broken, carefully scutched, carefully hackled (combed) and spun, carefully dyed in diverse colors, and carefully woven in cross-barred figures, tastefully diversified, straining a point to get Turkey‑red enough to put a single thread between the duller colors to mark their outline like the circle around a dove's eye. "Of such goods the rustic beauty made her Sunday gown, and then with her vandyke (V‑shaped points) of snow‑white homespun linen, her snow‑white home‑knit stockings, and possibly white kid slippers, she was a sight for sore eyes and often for sore hearts. No paint or arsenic was needed, for active exercise in the open air under a sun‑bonnet, or a broad-brimmed hat, made by her mother out of rye straw, gave her cheek an honest, healthful glow, and to her eyes the brightness and beauty of a fawn's. Possibly those white kid slippers caused a nod of skepticism. This is the way it was done: Her brother, or lover, shot six fine squirrels; she tanned the skins herself in a sugar trough, and had them done up at a considerable expense and trouble to wear on Sundays and state occasions. Possibly it may be wondered how the slippers would look after walking five or ten miles through the mud to church, as was frequently done. There were ways of doing these things that were only whispered among the girls, but have leaked out; and the same process was indulged in more or less by young men, who were fortunate enough to own a pair of fine boots; and that was to wear the everyday shoes or boots, or go barefoot to within a few rods of the "meeting house," and then step into the woods and take A good illustration of this is found in the essay "A Saga the wraps from the precious shoes and put them on. "Linen for Sunday clothes was made of copperas (chemical used in making pigments) and was white, checked or striped, and when bleached was very pretty and soft. For very choice wear it was all flax: for every day or second best, the warp was flax and the filling tow. Linsey-woolsey, or linsey, was wool and cotton, very much the same as water‑proof or repellent is now, only that it was harsh and not finished. Dye-stuffs in early times were in reach of all‑butternut or walnut hulls colored brown; oak bark with copperas dyed black; hickory bark or the blossoms of the golden rod made yellow; madder, red; and indigo, blue; green was obtained by first coloring yellow, and then dipping into blue dye. "Stocking yarn was dyed black, brown or blue; and, for very choice stockings, strips of corn hush were lapped tightly in two or three places around a skein of yarn. and dyed blue. When the husks were removed, whitish spots were found, and the rare "clouded" yarn was the result The little tub of blue dye, with close‑fitting cover, stood in the warm corner in every well regulated household, and it made a very convenient seat, and the cover was always worn smooth "Many a lad inclined to matrimony has sneaked slyly along and seated himself an the dye‑tub as soon as the old' folks retired. When carding machines came and lessened the labor of the toiling women, one of the first indications of anything as fine as "store clothes" was the soft, pressed flannel, grand enough for any uncommon occasion, called "London brown." The folds lay in it, and it shone to eyes accustomed to look upon nothing finer than homemade barred flannel, line lustrous satin. It smelt of the shop, however; the odor of dye‑stuff and grease and gummy machinery clung to it far a long while." RESEARCH HELP NEEDED Now that the genealogical history of the Lybarger family has been completed it is possible to portray the migration patterns within and between related families beginning with their original settlement in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Subsequent generations can be followed as they moved to Ohio and further westward as the frontier opened up. A good illustration of this is found in the essay “A Saga of Families" by Kathleen Neils Conzen in The Oxford History of the American West (1994). She traced two families, the Fillmores and the Maxeys from the east coast to the west coast. Maps with arrows show their patterns of movement, one taking a northerly route and the other a southerly route. With the information now available it is possible to show a similar movement of Lybarger families from the east coast to the west by noting birth and death events in relation to where they occurred. It could be done in a painstaking way. But before embarking on such a project I want to see if others have already done this and if so were they able to employ any software, spread sheet, or other methodology that reduces the drudgery and increases the accuracy of the results. Any suggestions you have would be most appreciated including referrals to others who might be helpful. I have sent inquiries to 20 different organizations and institutions from England to Arizona. Please send your suggestions to the newsletter editor, Lee Lybarger, at llybarger@columbus.rr.com , or by sending a letter to me to the LMA, P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015. LYBARGER /INDIAN LEGEND NOT TRUE In the last issue of "Lybarger Linkages" we ran a story purporting to show that according to family legend, Mary Magdeline Lybarger, a Lybarger ancestor, was half native American from the Chippewa tribe. The submitter of that information, Bob Smith and a great great grandson of Mary Magdeline, reported in a Jan. 27, 2002 e‑mail to the editor that "the 2nd cousin who gave me the details of this story a decade ago and had shown me the physical evidence ‑ a basket woven by the Chippewas, told me he thought he had confused the story and it may have been associated with his mother's side of the family. If so, it derails the Lybarger/Chippewa legend entirely." "I guess that is a lesson about believing family legends. The spark of truth is there but the details can be false. While I probably had a 75% credibility rating on this oral tradition before this most recent revelation, it probably slid to 25% on the chance that the cousin could still be confused about it." NOTICE FROM THE EDITOR Readers will note that the print size has increased over that found in previous issues. The reasons are as follows: 1. It is harder and harder to find material that deals specifically with Lybarger relations; 2. For those with failing eyesight the larger print is easier to read; 3. Writing articles for and editing the newsletter is very time consuming; 4. Some of the articles have only appealed to a small minority of readers. The editor depends on the news that you, dear reader, send in. So please keep the news coming. Keep a daily eye out for birth, wedding and death notices. In sending clippings be sure to include the date. source, and town and state. Send all news to the LMA office at P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015, via llybarger@columbus.rr.com . COUSIN RELATIONSHIPS Have you ever heard a relative say, "He is my second cousin once removed", or "She is your first cousin twice removed"? Just who are these cousins anyway? Simply put, they are descendants from a pair of siblings. This can be easily explained by the chart below. A and B are brother and sister of the same parents who have married and have children of their own (Al and B l). This makes A 1 and B 1 first cousins. Now, Al and B 1 marry and have children A2 and B2. Al and B2 are related to each other as first cousins once removed. The is true for B 1 and A2. The A2s and B2s are second cousins just as their parents, Al and B1, are first cousins to each other. Lets say that B2 has children, B3.Those children are second cousins once removed from A2 and are first cousins twice removed from A1. So where does this leave A and B? the Bls are A's nieces and nephews just as are the Als to B. The B2s are grand nieces and nephews to A as are the A2s to B. the Bas are great grand nieces and nephews to A. So, are you now more or less confused? Credit for the chart goes to Richard Haberstroh, a genealogist who included this chart in an article for the February, 2002 issue of "Der Ahnenforscher", the newsletter of the German Genealogical Group based in Long Island, N.Y. CASTING BREAD UPON THE WATERS It is very hard to measure the impact of the LMA newsletter or the Lybarger web site that is so well managed by John L. Lybarger in Mansfield, OH. What a pleasant surprise it was when a request came in from Dakota Wesleyan University. It was a request for information about a colleague of Lela Lybarger with whom she served in China as a missionary in the early 1900's. The archivist for the library at the university came across an article about Lela while searching the internet. for possible leads. So it is that she read the Spring, 1998 LMA newsletter on the Lybarger web site! Laurie Langland then e‑mailed the editor for additional information. GIFT IDEA Are you looking for that special gift to give your mother on her special day? Or what about a wedding, anniversary, graduation, or birthday gift? What could be more special than a copy of The Lybarger Descendants (2000 edition), or a copy of Selected Poems of Lybarger Relations? Simply send a self addressed and stamped envelope to the LMA at P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015 indicating that you would like to receive a free copy of the table of contents of the book. You will then see the titles of 67 poems composed by 24 Lybarger relations. If you would like to purchase a copy of the history or the poems simply fill out and send the order form below to the treasurer, Genevieve S. Lybarger. FINDING A LOST RELATIVE Are you trying to locate a "lost" family member? Write them a letter including your name, address, telephone number and e‑mail address. Send it in an unsealed, the stamped envelope with cover letter to Social Security Administration (SSA), Letter Forwarding Unit, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235. Reunions Magazine suggests that "the cover letter should include all you know about the person. Include name, social security number, birthplace, parents' names and anything else to help locate your relative. The more information you have, the easier you relative will be found. If the SSA forwards the letter, it's up to the relative to contact you." ESTABLISHING REVOLUTIONARY WAR LINK Are you interested in discovering how your Lybarger ancestor is related to a Lybarger Revolutionary War veteran? If so, contact Marsha Phillips Lane, who has done this. Contact her at mmlane@mail.cyberport.com |
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