As told to Elsie Odell Bennette by Beth Gowdy

When my Grandmother, Sally Newbill, was preparing for her wedding in 1828, the most of her outfit was made, spun and woven by her own hands. Read the rest of this entry

from the diary of Ruby Tuggle Read the rest of this entry

As told to Elsie Odell Bennette by Beth Gowdy about her mother, Anne Kemp Gowdy

John Glenn Newbill of Virginia was a slave owner but his slaves were well treated. When his daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Riley Kemp, moved to Pettis County, Missouri, he gave her a couple. Read the rest of this entry

As told by Beth Gowdy

Riley Kemp was sheriff of Pettis County, Missouri, for eight years. Once before an election he and the other candidate made a friendly bet that the one who lost would give the other one an overcoat. Read the rest of this entry

by Martha Roelofson Caffee

Among the early pioneers of Kentucky were your great, great, great grandparents, Lawrence and Mary Roelofson who were married in 1796. They were the maternal grandparents of your great grandfather, John T. Gowdy.

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As told to Elsie Odell Bennette by Beth Gowdy about her father

The summer of 1862, John T. Gowdy and a friend went north to Canada to hunt for gold. They had very little success, but John did bring home a very small amount of gold dust.

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Personal Recollections of the Journey to Oregon in 1852, by Mrs. J. T. Gowdy of McMinnville

I was born Nov. 23, 1843, in Pettis county, Missouri, near where the city of Sedalia now is, but there was no city there then, the county seat, Georgetown, was the nearest town from where our farm was.

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Told by Anne Kemp Gowdy.

I was six years old in November, 1849. The next spring I went to school for the first time. We were living on a farm, near where is now the city of Sedalia, Missouri. My teacher was Mrs. Ferguson. She taught, or kept school, as we said then, in her home.

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As told to Elsie Odell Bennette by Beth Gowdy

Bellpassi was a little town, that was moved to be by the railroad and its name changed to Woodburn. Before that Mr. Brown had the station for the stage stops between Oregon and California. Mrs. Brown cooked for the passengers. The horses were changed there and my father cared for them, and made trips back and forth to Portland.

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