ROARK-L Archives

From: "john t. roark" <>
Subject: [Roark] Roark-Ruark
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 05:53:31 -0500

Alma,
This name of yours is very interesting.The children of Peter Ruark and
Tabitha Howell married into the Johnson family twice.PaPa(Robert
Daniel)m.Matilda Elizabeth Johnson and his youngest sister Martha Jane
maried the uncle of Matilda Elizabeth(May)William Fletcher Johnson.These
Johnsons were from Allen Co.Ky..As for documents:L have birth,death,and
marriage records for Johns(my husband)dad.I have death and marriage for
Papa.I don't thind I have a record of his birth just that census from White
Co.1880 but I do have his birthday and place.He was born in
Cookesville,Tenn.1877.His marriage is on the Allen Co.Ky.site.
I will tell you my theory as to the name change.Also Papa's daughter (Aunt
Mary Richardson)said that she knew that the name had been changed
sometime.)Anyway when Tabitha died PaPa was 9 years old.He was sent to
Texas to live with some of the Howell family.With everybody being so
illiterate and he being to only Roark in the house,the mixture of the
Tenn.accent and the Texas brough,when the census taker heard this name he
just wrote what he thought he heard.It was either that or Mr.Ruark was such
a bad person they didn't want PaPa to grow up with his name.One of the
grandsons told me that Peter Ruark returned to Ky.from where he came when
he left his family.It is also said that he met with less than honorable
death.If he were 55 in 1880 he probably had left at least another family
before this one.I have traced that Peter Ruark from Putnam Co.to Indiana
where he had a family.That doesn't mean he didn't return and have
more.That's about where I stand with this right now.It is really flustating.
Jeany Garrison Roark

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• [Roark] Roark-Ruark by "john t. roark" <>