March 7, 2003

I thought you might be interested in this story.

Years ago, I found the Kees cemetery because I am working on the Peebler
family history and it popped up in some information that I found. (In your
information the name is "Feebler", but it is clearly Peebler on the stone.)

Anyway, my wife, daughter, dog, Patches, and I visited the cemetery. Patches
ran all over the place.

I took pictures of the stones for Fred Carl Peebler, Dell and Annie. We then
headed for a motel in La Grande. I had just enough time to visit the
genealogy library at Eastern Oregon U. (I think that is the name.) When I
got back to the motel, my wife and daughter just got done taking all the
burs from Patches coat. They worked for over two hours. It was so bad
Patches couldn't even wag his tail.

Later in the year, we visited with my great uncle in Missouri. Byran Peebler
was a brother of the children in the cemetery. At the time, Byran was about
92 years old and still very sharp. I told him of the names and said they
must be his siblings.

Oh my gosh! Byran hit the roof! He was very VERY upset. His mother only had
five children and NO more: The oldest, Clarence who died at age 20, Elmer,
Charles, my grand father (He was born in Adams, OR.), himself George Byran
Peebler and he did agree that he had a little sister, Annie. But there was
no Fred or Dell in his family.

My great grandfather and great grandmothers names: John Frederick Peebler
and Mary Ellen Peebler - J. F. Peebler and M. E. Peebler.

But Byran would have nothing to do with it.

I am very aware of all, I am quiet sure, of the Peeblers who lived in
Northeast Oregon. There is John James Peebler who came west with my g.g.
grand father David William Peebler in 1853. John James was a nephew who
lived with the David Peeblers when his parents died a day apart in 1842. All
of John James Peebler's children are accounted for and none have the
initials on the stone.

There was George Peebler, the youngest son of David, who lived parts of his
life in Northeast Oregon and several other Peeblers who lived in the
Pendleton area. But there are no Peeblers with these initials in the whole
state of for that matter in the whole USA.

The answer. Byran was the youngest of the children. I think he just didn't
know everything like he thought he did about his own family.

I thought you might appreciate this story.

Ron Johnson
Rockford, Illinois