I have recently purchased the book, The History of Stevens County and Its People. It has no index, so searching through it for your family may take a little time but I would be willing to for those of you who need an extra boost. I'm no expert on Stevens Co. but am pretty familiar with the book and the names which are in it.
For any Webber, Carlisle, Farmer, Wenzel, Harrington, Floyd, Ausbun researchers: I am a family member!!
My email is gkm@swko.net and I live very near Stevens County also.

Kristina:

Many years ago I used to spend my military leave in Hugoton, Kansas where my ex-wifes parents lived. She and I are still friends though and I am doing some genealogy for our sons. I would be interested in any information concerning the Thompson, McIlrath and Easley families.

Oh my gosh!! I AM related to some McIlraths from there too--Bob and Thelma, do you know them?? Thelma is a sister of my great grandmother!!
Also, I live in Liberal, KS, about 35 miles from Hugoton and I know of some Easleys here though I don't know them personally. My mother knows them though. I will see what I can find in the Stevens County book on the names you mention and ask mother about the Easleys she knows and I will get back to you soon. Just give me a couple of days; I WILL be in touch!!! I'm getting the book out RIGHT now!!!

By the way, for some reason your name sounds/seems very familiar to me. I don't know why and it just may SEEM familiar for no reason at all. But you may know some of my family from Hugoton. My dad and his siblings grew up there.
Carlisles. Of course, I have a ton of family from Hugoton, clear back to the beginning years of Hugoton!!

I would have sent this via E-mail, but I don't have you E-mail address.

Kristina:

I knew Bob and Thelma and knew him as "Uncle Bob" McIlrath (Robert John McIlrath married Thelma Farmer). I think they lived on the east side of Hugoton either near the hospital of a photographic company or possibly the library. I recall one of their daughters, Shirley, I beleive. My exwife was Mary McIlrath, d/o Richard H. McIlrath anbd Patrina Easley. Mary and I met in La Paz, Bolivia when I was a Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy there were I was in charge of a six Marine security detachment. Mary was trhen and now is a school teacher, she teaches in Tucson, Arizona today. I know her husband, Bill DiStefano (also a teacher) quite well. We both remarried had have the same interests in our two sons, Patrick and Jarrod.

Richard Hugh McIlrath was her father, whom I beleive died in about 1958. Petrina Lenora Easley was her mother. Petrina's father Joseph Oakley Easley lived with them on a house on 8th Street on the west side of town.

Mary had an Aunt Ruth, Joe Easley's younger sister I believe, she took a special interst in me. One year I came "home" and she drove me out to her old farm and she had a metal detector. I spent three or four hours out there with her, looking for a "post hole bank" that she thought her husband might have had back in the thirties. We found a couple of silver dollars and some other coins, but they wwere surface finds and not in a post hole.

Mary and I married in Bolivia and she returned ahead of me, about May, then I flew to the States. First to Miami, Florida, then to Chicago. From Chicago to Garden City, KS, there werr three people on board, a couple and myslef. They got off first and I was met by Mary's step father, Forrest "Skinny" Thompson and he just walked over and said "Hi, Doyle", I chuckled and said, "How'd you know?". We both got a laugh out of that as I had on my uniform as well.

Johnny Denton ande Sharon Jo, his wife, are names I remember too, as well as Mike Willis and his mother and father; he had a sister as well. We visitied there in about four years ago and I met Mike and his wife at their farm outsdie of town. It was July, we were watching the sunset lokking toward Rolla, and we could see three tornadoes on the ground at the same time, funnel cloud was hoovering over Hugoton. Sorry.

Does this book list the people buried in the cemeteries? I am trying to find out when JOHN PATRICK died. He was alive in the 1920 census but not in the 1930 census. The last I have him is living in Harmony township. His wife is buried in the Woodsdale cemetery, according to an old newspaper article I read. Thank you in advance for looking for me. Peggy

No, sorry; it doesn't have names of people buried in cemeteries. But here is what it has to say about Woodsdale Cemetery:

"Old Woodsdale Cemetery is Replatted
In March of 1934, Stevens County engineer W.B. Crawford and his crew went to the old Woodsdale Cemetery to make a survey to replat it in preparation to move the graves to Moscow and Hugoton.
Some of the oldest residents of the county met at the graveyard trying to recall who was buried there and where the graves were located. There was no detailed account of those buried, and it was difficult to remember much about it.
Those old-timers who were there included J.C. Gerrond, D.D. Crotts, Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Miller, A.B. Campbell, Lee Reynolds and others. Some of them could name and place the graves of the following: Sheriff John Cross, C.W. Eaton, Rolly Wilcox, Robert Hubbard, G.C. Clark, Fred Butterfield, James Cole, Mrs. Etta Brower, Marshall Wells' baby son, Mrs. Yeager and two daughters, Blaine Cox, Mrs. Ed Short, Frank Nugen, Oliver Brant and Mrs. Rhoades.
It is the opinion of the old settlers that there are a great many graves there and it will take lots of digging to find them all. --Hermes, 1934"

However, the Stevens County Library in Hugoton Kansas which is within a few miles or so of old Woodsdale, has cemetery records in their genealogy department. Their address and phone are:
Stevens County Library, 500 S. Monroe St., Hugoton, KS 67951
(620) 544-2301

If I lived in Hugoton or at least a lot closer, I'd be happy to look at the city cemetery and/or in the record books mentioned above. I WILL look the next time I go over there though--don't know when that will be--and post info here if I happen to find any on your John Patrick!!

Thank you so much for looking so quickly. I will contact the library and see if they can help me. Thanks very much. Peggy

my grandfather was Arthur Beckerton Campbell and your letter came up when I was searching --- He was one of the old-timers mentioned in the article about
woodsdale cem. I heard a lot about that move as my father was in the crew that dug them up and moved them. It was a WPA project. My father lived in Liberal at that time but Stevens cty. before, and my grandfather and grandmother (Hestor Rosella Campbell) had their homestead near Moscow. Both of their families moved to Stevens cty. in the early days. They are pictured in the family photo of William W. Ramsey posted on this site. Leonard

Hi
do you still have your book and do lookups? if so would you look information on the Popejoy's. I believe Ed Popejoy was one of the founding fathers. i was told this sometime ago when i first married into to family.
Anyway, i'd appreciate any information and if there are photos that you could share.
please eamil me popejoy@itlnet.net
thanks
pat