[basham.ged] Information in correspondence fromConnie Sue Hall 2/2/1999 I have been hunting along time for Joel Payne hopefully this is the rig ht one. I do not know a lot about him. He is my gr gr gr grandfathe r. I ha ve that he married a Mary who was born 12-Jul-1823 in KY and di ed 21-Mar 1 884in Polk County buried at Hopewell Ceme Polk Co Mo. I have b een to her g rave many times. As the story that I have goes told by Dixie Payne Joel a nd Ma ry of KY moved to MO by wagon train with a number of other local fam iliess till in area, Huckabys, Millers, Bridges, Payne, Pitts, Richards a nd Meado rs. Joel and Mary settled just beyond the old Huckaby store and y our gre at grandfather, Thomas William Payne was the oldest child in the f amil y. My husbands father James Thomas "Tom" Payne, has told me so many t im es that he was named after his Uncle Tom. Joel left on a trip to Ka ns as in the spring of 1869 to buy cattle. He left with a large sum of ca sh a nd was never heard of again. My husband's grandfather, Asa w as a l ad of 10 at the time of his fathers disappearance. Mary stay ed on in t he me place, they were living, and raised the children on her o wn. Thom as was 23. I have listed for them the following children Thomas William b/1846 d/ 18 96 Nonnie b/1848 d/young James R b/1850 d/ 1929 Elizabeth J. b/1852 Ben jam in F. b/1855 d/1933 Alice b/1857 Asa Mark b/2859 d/1945 Amanda b/18 61 d/19 51Lila b/1863. Connie Sue Hall