July 7, 1948

Source: From Rubottom Family in America, Volume 1, by Thomas W. Rubottom

Note: All street addresses have been omitted for privacy reasons.

Mrs. Mack Q. Williamson
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Dear Mrs. Williamson,

Yours of the 29 ult "47. I read your letter of inquire and in reply will give you all information that I have. As to the bible records, I have none except my father's old bible. That gives dates of his birth. The record I will give you will be from memory. My father died February 28, 1903. His name was Lafayette Rubottom. He was born November 1, 1824. I was born April 4, 1863. My memory is good for a man of my age. I have memories that occured at the age of three years. Up until father's death, we had a book giving a complete record of all of Wayne County, and all the early settlers. I have often read the account of all the names of the family. Also those of distant relation. My mother was still living when father died.. I lived in another part of the country, near Patterson Missouri. I asked for the book to refresh my memory. The book could not be found, but I have often thought about the record. I think I can give you a fair account of all the names of the ones related to the Rubottom's and the Bettis families.

Well I will start from the origin of the Rubottom family. The first of the Rubottom's was my great grandfather, Simon Rubottom, came to the colonies before the revolution.

He came from Wales. A boy run-away from home, a stowaway, but got off the boat and hid until the boat sailed from Wales. He grew to manhood among the colonies, and joined General Greene and fought in the Revolution. As U.S. Won.

He married a scotch woman in North Carolina and raised a family. I forget the number of girls, had two sons, names of the sons. Ezekiel and Simon. Ezekiel was my Grandfather. His first wife was a Bettis, sister to Oveton Bettis. She died later in North Carilina, My Grandgather married a Parish, Parmelia Parish. Grandfather had several daughters and two sons. I never saw but one of Grandfather's children by his Bettis wife. A one half brother of my father, Bill Rubottom. Ezekiel was full brother. They migrated to California in 1849, and Ezekiel never returned. Bill came back to Missouri in 1874, visited father on the old home place, two other brothers, Thomas and Simon, my father's full brothers.

Now I will go back to the migration of twenty or more families that left North Carolina and came to what is Wayne County Missouri in 1803. The United States bought what is known as the Louisana Purchase from Spain. The United States offered homesteads to any good citizen who would locate on this territor, a colony. A colony of twenty or more families come west of the Mississippi River. The families settled on the St Francois River, sixty miles west of the Mississippi and formed a settlement.

They were the first white settlers to occupy what is now Wayne County, Missouri. That was in 1804. I will give by memor all of the names of those who came. Ezekiel Rubottom and family, Overton Bettis and family, Lige Bettis and family, David parish and family. Son-in law of Ezekiel Rubottom. I can't remember many first names. Logans, Rins, Capp.

Sons of Ezekiel Rubottom, my Grandfather, William, Ezekiel, David, Lafayette, Thomas, Somon. Lafayette was my father, born in Wayne County, Missouri in 1824. My father had three sons, and three daughters, Ezekiel C., Richard M., Benjamin H., Girls; Mary E. Frances P., Sarah. I am the only son living, one sister living, Sarah the baby of the family.

Now back to the others of the twenty families locating in and near the county of Wayne. The creeks that watered the valley of the St. Fransis River, taking the name of some of the early settlers, Clarks creek, from the Clarks, Ring creek from the Rings, Logan creek from the Logans, the town of Patterson from the Pattersons. As to the Patterson family and the relation I cant remember, only they were the twenty families moved to these parts un 1804.

Many of the families moved this setting and starting their claims to others came later and from different states. Virginia settlement. As to Civility Rubottom Bettis, if my memory is right, she was a sister of Ezekiel Rubottom and my Grandfather. My Grandfather played a large part in founding Wayne County and site of Greenville. My grandfather's claim from the United States and more land added by my father when he became of age remained in the family name.

My youngest brother Benjamin H. after fathers death in 1903 bought the heirs and my mother's at his death. He left 5 boys who fell heir to the old Rubottom Estate. It passed out of the name in 1942 when the United States bought all land on the St. Francois River that would be under water when a dam was completed across the river, twenty miles below Greenville, supposed to make a lake thirty five miles long.

Mrs. Hattie Rubottom Selvedge was my brothers daughter, fifteen years older than I, who died in 1917 in Uvalde, Texas. He was a Baptist minister, Borther Benjamin died the same year.

I came from Piedmont, Missouri in 1919 with a sick wife, had the flu in 1918, and affected her lungs, she regained her health but could not stay in Missouri climate. I lost my first wife in 1912 and moved my present wife in Piedmont. I was in business in Piedmont. I had five children by first marriage, three boys and two girls. Two sons in Missouri and one in Texas. One girl in Los Angeles and one in Washington D.C.

My present wife and I have one heir, a girl married and live in San Antonio. Has husband with the United States Air Force at Kelly Field, a foreman.

Well I hope you can read this, my hand is shakey. You will excuse bad writung and spelling. If the above will be of any value to you, let me hear from you.

Yours truly,
Richard M. Rubottom
Uvalde, Texas

P. S. I am a Baptist and a Democrat. I am mailing you a copy of Ben F. Dixon's ten typewritten pages entitled "The Old Stamping Grounds," some notes on the Quaker Dixons of Chatham County, North Carolina.

The location of the Napton Burying Ground is given in the write-up on the Dixons.

I am a decendant of George and Ann (Chandler) Dixon. Their daughter Phebe married Thomas Rubottom.

I was sorry to hear that Harvey Newlin's notes were so scrambled. Did E. P. Dixon or R. H. Hutchison leave any notes or publish any of their records?

I have traveled through North Carolina but at the time I visited I did not have enough information on the family to gather any information. In fact, I was on vacation and was mainly interested in visiting the country and seeing the beautiful countryside.

I am also mailing you an excerpt from Ben Dixon's bookley, Hoosier Cousins, "First Families in Lawrence."