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By Helen H. Luckett and Martha A. Morris.  Transcribed from Audio Tape, 20 August 1998 by Helen and B. E. Luckett.

 I am Evadine Parker of Bowling Green Kentucky, a freat grandaughter of George Daniel Isbell who was born October 1807 in Halifax Co. Va., the son of John Isbell and his wife Polly Foster, who married in 1802. John Isbell died in December 1807 when George Daniel was a very small infant. George Daniel Isbell is named for his grandfather, George Isbell of Halifax Co. Va. In Robertson Co., Tenn., in February 1812, the widow, Mary Isbell, married her second husband, William Ragsdale Sr., of Logan Co., Kentucky. I have a copy. Mary signed a document to Thomas D. Isbell and to the heirs of John Isbell, deceased, and in this record she explained the relationship and (it is in parenthesis) that she as Mary Isbell and married William Ragsdale, Sr. in Robertson Co., Tennessee, two years earlier and she also stated that George and Thomas D. Isbell had each given her a dollar in hand to make the transaction legal, and she said that she had already made other gifts to her other children.

 Question: Have you found records of any of the others ?
 Answer: Yes, I have a deed she made to John Yates---John Charles. She does not mention her daughter, she says the acres, whatever they are, are a gift deeded to John Yates that she is to continue to live there without paying any rent.

 Q: Have you found where she gave anything to William and Mary?
 A: I don't have that. She did give land "to my son Lewis Ragsdale" (actually son-in-law) which could be confusing since she later became Mary Ragsdale. But this was before- I can give you, I have copies.

 Now to explain the error which has appeared in print, that William Ragsdale Sr., and Mary Isbell parted. It was Lewis Ragsdale and Nancy Foster, I've forgotton the exact year, but about two years after they married he made a deed of trust to three Foster men, deeding them the property Nancy Foster had when she intermarried with Lewis Ragsdale.
"she had left my bed and board"---so there he is deeding to her sons or her brothers, because in those days you didn't deed anything to a woman. It was Lewis and his second wife , Nancy, that parted.
 
 William Ragsdale Sr., sold his land in Logan Co. south of Red River, such and such a ford, to Lewis Ragsdale ( doesn't say my son). In 1817, two years later, he makes his will in Robertson Co. Tennessee, and , you know, for some children he gives $1.00, but he names his children.

 When Lewis Ragsdale died in Logan County, all his heirs received portions of the estate in the settlement. Some of his children had died so grandchildren inherited and  some of them were granddaughters because of a Page in there, more than one Page I believe. Don't recall off hand but a daughter married a Page and also a granddaughter. They were all Sally's children because Lewis and Nancy just lived together about two years. He made the deed of trust about two years after the marriage, but I don't know how long she stayed.

 In the estate settlements over in Halifax Co., Va., George Isbell Sr. had died in 1794, said land to be sold in Caroline Co., and land to be sold in Halifax Co. Some of the land to be retained - home plantation for wife and children. Money to be used to maintain and educate the children. When children became of age or married, if the financial situation was such that Mary could, she was to give each daughter a horse and saddle and one of the daughters was to get a bed and furniture. Sons were to get the land, those three sons.  The home place to be divided ( I've got the plat) where it was divided.

 Estate settlement two or three years after that. Sally Isbell, she must have been the oldest one, signed her own consent when she married, Money was paid to Lewis Ragsdale in lieu of a horse and saddle ( for Sally).

 My father gave the three oldest children a horse. I was to ride it to school as a  freshman, but it died before school started.

 My great grandfather, George Daniel Isbell, in May 1838 at Greensburg, Green Co. Kentucky, married Sabret Susan Hutchison who was a native of Green County. Her grandparents had come to Va., Bedford Co., immediately before coming to Green Co. George was head of the household in 1840 census of Green Co.

 George Isbell had an older brother, James Isbell, and an only sister, Nancy Isbell. There is no information on them that I can prove after December 1811 in Halifax Co. Va., nor do I have futher information on George's mother, the widow Polly Foster Isbell. I know her ancestors, but I don't know what became of her. I know which Foster she is from.

 George Daniel Isbell and Wife , Sabret Susan, left Green Co. with two small children according to census records that I found in Newton Co. MO. Neosho is the county seat. All had already been to Texas. I found in the 1850 census, Newton Co., ( which as you know  was the first census to show everyone in the household by name). At that time , I didn't know where in Va. he was born. The two oldest were born in Kentucky, child three was born in Texas. I remember her. Then in 1860 census, George was still there in Newton Co. with children but without his wife. That was just before the war.

 From Record in Bible which Grandmother Parker had in her possession, she tells when she was born, 15 September 1851 in Missouri. We had forgotten the name of the county. She also tells that her mother Susan died in the Fall of 1859 there. Grandmother told how awful it was during and following  the Civil War. I understand from Missouri history that times were truly hard. Her Grandfather George brough the children back to Kentucky. Some had never been there. They stopped in Webster County, Kentucky. Dixion is the county seat. Three girls marred in Webster Co., and reared their families. The one born in Texas was named Sarah Armenta Isbell, and they called her "Sis". The older daughter born in Kentucky was Mary Elizabeth, so we knew her two grandmothers were Mary and Elizabeth. We assumed that Polly is a nickname for Mary - Foster and Susan's mother was Elizabeth Lee before she marred the Hutchison. Oldest boy was named John Hutchison (or Hutty) Isbell. George's father was John and Susan's father was Hutty Hutchison.

 Grandmother, being the youngest daughter, after the two oldest daughters married, Grandmother was the housekeeper, also taught rural school. I will show you a walnut chest she bouth with money she saved from her rural school salaries. My grandmother was Lucinda Brown Isbell, married 4 February 1879 in Webster County, to Willis Jonas Parker. They were my grandparents. Their oldest child, a son , named George Edward Parker, was named for his grandfathers, both of whom were named George. Great grandfather ISbell spent his last years with my grandparents, Lucinda and Willis. He died November 1888 at Lucinda and Willis Parker's home. ( she shows his picture).

 Q: When was the picture taken? He dosn't look like an old man.
 A: I don't know when the picture was made. The picture hung in her bedroom between grandmother Parker's dresser and her bed. Don't know whether it was made in Greensburg and made all those trips with them, you see. If grandmother had a picture of her mother it was not hanging on her wall.

 Let me tell you more about Newton Co., MO, and the Isbells. Grandmother told her children that she remembered that her father used to enjoy hunting deer and other game with an uncle. But they didn't remember his name.

 The records of Newton Co., MO, showed that the youngest son, Thomas D. Isbell, and his wife Rebecca Yates were pioneers in Newton Co., MO, and they reared a large family there. There is an old Isbell mill that was near Jolly, and everything else was burned in the Civil War in Jolly except the mill, and it also had a distillery with it. Now, they had not been able to prove through deeds out there to prove who built that. But to go on with the family - - - -

 John was the oldest, George the middle boy, and Thomas D. the youngest. Thomas D. married Rebecca Yates, sister of your William Yates, and of John Charles Yates. The daughter, Mary Isbell, married William Yates, and the daughter Agatha Isbell married John Yates. I don't have any records of their children.

 Lets go back - - - - Here this George Isbell, borther of Thomas D. Isbell, bought Thomas D's share of land in Halifax Co., VA, that they had inherited from their father. George Isbell had settled in Christian Co., KY, near the present Guthrie in Todd Co. George went back to Halifax Co., VA and married Mourning Medley and they reared a family of 11 children over there near the present Guthrie, KY. Mourning died in 1850. George died in 1855. His daughter, Lucinda Isbell had married Addison Brown of Todd Co., and they had gone to Newton Co., MO, where they remained. And see, Uncle Thomas D. and Aunt Rebecca and cousin Lucinda Brown and her husband Addison were out there. My grandmother was born there in Newton, so she was named for Lucinda Brown.
 
 After her father died, the estate of his in Todd Co. was the be devided. She gave power of attorney in Newton Co. to Addison H. Brown to represent her and to sell her share of the property inherited from the father, George Isbell in Todd Co., KY, and in Montgomery Co., TN. In the estate settlement in Todd Co. shows George Isbell's will says that some of the older negros and younger, were not to be sold. And the others were to be appraised and then equal value among the children, maybe he had given money to some of the children and their spouses and that was to be evened up.
 
 Addison Brown and Lucinda received negro Ben, I think was his name, the most valuable of negro men. So apparently that black went back to Newton Co. with them, beacuse out there the Browns and Thomas D. Isbell had the black people, you see. that 1860 census shows white and black are listed seperately.

 George Isbell of Todd Co. his will indicated that his son, George, was to have a certain amount as farm manager of the crops that year. We have no marriage for that George Isbell, but he showed up soon after that in Newton Co., MO, and remained there a man of means - - - he didn't buy land apparently, he loaned one of the cousins, John Isbell, son of Thomas D., the money to buy this mill - it was already built. That George Isbell died there in 1900, and his will doesn't say nephew, but George Isbell Brown was in charge of the estate.

 George Isbell Brown, son of Lucinda and Addison Brown, was the only child who lived to adulthood. George Isbell Brown, you will find him in biographies - those county histories written about 1885. He and his wife had children (and sons). I have correpsonded briefly with a grandson's widow after the man died (he was a professor at Iowa State University). Later they retired to Neosho, and the widow had remained there except she travels. Her husband had twin sisters, and I have corresponded with them, but they all say "You have more material than we have".

 On the KY and VA branch of it I can make an outline and mail it to you.

 Lucinda Brown Parker named a son John Archibald Parker. John from her grandfather. Archibald was grandfather's favorite female cousin's husband, Dr. Archibald.

 Your mother and my family were same generation. We three are the same generation.

 I have the division of Daniel Isbell's (father of George) personal estate and who inherited. It was divided in 1791. At that time, son George was in Halifax Co., and so was George's sister, Martha, who had married William Collins. William Collins the executor and his wife Mary as executrix, and then some other executors with it, and the estate settlement is over there. That William Collins died down here in Sumner Co., TN, leaving a will unrecorded. It was witnessed and everything, and in that will he says he wants some of the land sold, one of the sons to get the land, 2 or 3 Tennessee counties are mentioned. So he wanted his beloved wife, Martha, to live on land he owned in Christian Co., KY, and there were younger children there so over in Hopkinsville, Christian Co., and there are records in beautiful condition, and I had a ball spending money and getting copies.

 First I was reading, they started to record that will in Christian Co., and the clerk wouldn't take it because it had not been recorded in Sumner County. So the Clerk in Sumner Co., TN, wrote a very authentic document for them. Two or three of the subscribing witnesses were available to prove that will and for it to be recorded there. It was duly recorded on such and such a date and they gave deposition that they witnessed it and that William Collins was of reasonable memory - at any rate, they used some different terms in there, when he executed his will, and the affirmed it was his signature and so forth.

 So then it was recorded in Christian Co. When Martha died there, one son was in charge of part of the estate settlement, there here these records in the next book where his estate settlement is being made, and then the next time Martha's estate shows up in the records another son is in charge. Barba "B A R B A" Collins is one of those sons, and he landed in Calloway Co., MO. He served in the War of 1812. If you look back in the records of Sumner Co. and Christian Co. it is no wonder he wasn't in charge then because he was off fighting in the war. Boy it was an estate! When the estate was finally sold, they sold the tools, furniture, and various things. On the inventory were looms, and spinning wheels, and flax wheels, iron, called the fork, all these tools for the soil were valueable, and the pots and so forth. In some places, an iron pot would be worth more - - - - pieces of silver, or pewter or brass. They had them. And they had looking glasses and they had razors, they had guns, they had saddles and various things.

 When you look at the early deeds in Halifax County, and you look at the amount of land that George Isbell and William Collins bought together and later then they started right out selling it. It is fascinating,

 I want proof of Mary Isbell's maiden  name if you have it. It is handed down in your famiy that she was a Daniels. It was from your  Mother or Mrs. Van Leer who wrote the Ragsdale book. Have you found proof ?
Answer: Not yet.

 Daniel Isbell. 1791 estate settlement named his heirs including George ISbell, Halifax Co. George's will says that his wife, Mary, during her life time or widowhood, shall keep the property so that when the children come of age, if she could, she was to give them theirs. So then in Tennessee when she was going to give them things as Mary Isbell, she had to have his will recorded down there, then the clerk in Halifax Co., also had to be sent a copy of the estate settlement including Lewis Ragsdale, so much money, in lieu of a horse and saddle, etc. Everything that they paid to, and that they collected was shown. Then in Robertson Co., they entered both of those things, the will and estate settlement from Halifax. She then made a settlement turning over certain amount to George Isbell of Christian Co., Kentucky, who was her son, but it doesn't say so, a line was drawn diagonally across the page to show that this was the end of record for her as Mary Isbell, you see.

 James Isbell, son of Daniel, died- I will send you a list of who inherited personal estate from Daniel. James Isbell, son of Daniel, died before his fatherDaniel's estate was divided. He left three orphans. Mary Johnson had already married William Johnson in about 1791, Anna Isbell who's guardian was Reuben George, and Daniel Isbell whose guardian was George Isbell- see those were the three children, in 1794.

 I have just recently been sent material from tombstone of George Isbell of Christain Co., and Todd Co. Ky., including his date of birth and death, also Mourning Medley.  I was given in that same letter some info from 1850 census of Montgomery Co. Tennessee, and the next county over where several of George and Mourning's children were. Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County.

 Then I also have Green Co., Ky on my man and his wife's people and Newton Co., Mo. I collected a whole lot. What I did was put a query in the Sunday paper at Springfield Mo, that did run in a genealogy column and two people answered because of my location, on has ancestors in this county, and the other answered because his ancestors were from nearby counties. We worked out an arrangement - he would research Newton Co. records for me and I would research these counties for him.

 Lucinda Isbell Parker's brother George William Isbell of Texas, visited her about 1902. He was from Texas, but I don't know where.

 Her still younger brother, James Thomas Isbell, lived in Idaho when he visited her twice. I remember him on the last trip. Story went around among grandmother's grandchildren that Uncle Jim could just step out there on the mountain andywhere and pick up gold nuggets!!

 Will be glad to send you Daniel Isbell's children.  Whether he had another name other than Daniel, I don't know.

  I don't promise to answer the next day, but I will answer your letters.