The Vandergriffs (As I Have Heard) [handwritten as a letter by Sarah Vandergriff DeBerry and sent to Carol Smith. Date unknown; reference to the Crocker Centennial means it is later than 1969. Aunt Colleen sent it to me in 1990, stipulating that I had to send the originals back to her, so I have a photocopy of the original letter. Spelling, punctuation, etc., are as in the original.] There were three brothers, family name Wilson, who lived in Ireland - there was some kind of political rebellion which ended with the brothers on the losing side- so they fled to Holland and were given sanctuary. There names were Jacob, Redding and Henderson (our forefather). They lived there "below the dykes"- Van der Griff means "dwellers below the dykes" or "those who live below the dykes." For safety, they took the name "Vandergriff." They eventually made their way to America - One went to Round Rock, Texas to live; One to Little Rock, Arkansas, and Henderson to Rock Town, Mo. "Rock Town" later was changed to Iberia. And that is where our branch of the family came from. I don’t know whom Henderson married nor his children but his grandson Isaac Anderson Vandergriff was my grandfather (your g-g-grand -). He married Mary Elizabeth Forbes (pronounced "Faubus" like the former Gov. of Ark.) They had ten living children - one died in infancy (Jessie). Your grandfather, John Oliver was the third child. Other children were James (Jim), Martha (Johnston) Minnie, Laura (Stebbins), Cora (Walsh) George, Charles, Gus (Augustus) and Stella (Carroll). You know from there. The Forbes Grandmother Mary Elizabeth (called Lizzie) had a sister Martha who married a Null. These families all lived around Iberia, Dixon and Crocker. I will tell you about Lena Wills and her Geniology column. I’m enclosing one from last Sun. just to show you what it is like. It comes out every Sunday. Lena’s husband, Ralph Wills, died two or three weeks ago. He was a retired train dispatcher but he was stationed in Springfield while we were in Ft. Scott, so we didn’t know them just awfully well. Sometimes Lena and I used to talk on the phone if some family name in her column was one I recognized - One time someone had written her asking about Uncle Will Northrip’s people - She was telling me that she tries to trace her own ancestors and when she found out my mother was a Miller she said she, too, had Miller ancestors. (Of course, there are lot of Millers that are no relation whatever because the name comes from their occupation.) But she said in her family they were Wyatt Millers and she couldn’t trace down when the Wyatts came into her family. I told her about grandpa’s name being Wyatt Miller and she says she is sure we are relatives if we traced far enough back. You might want to write her. She can tell you when the Millers came to Mo. and from where (Tenn. or Ky., I think). Our grandmother, Lizzie, was said to be 1/8 Cherokee Indian - She taught her children that the Cherokee tribe was the most honorable, truthful, brave, etc. She took pride in her heritage. In the records brought out in the Crocker Centennial the name Frank Forbes was given as a business man of early days. He was a printer - He must be an ancestor. Another story I must tell you - Our grandfather, Isaac, was called to come "home" to Ireland to be there for the settling of the Wilson estate. That happened before my father, John O., was old enough to remember. He said his father didn’t get back with anything much - Either his part wasn’t much or he had somehow lost it - He didn’t seem to have much to say about his trip. He had a reputation among his children of being a "ne’er-do-well" - Money slipped thru his fingers - However Grandmother Lizzie always stood by him and seemed to have faith in him. But she was the mainstay of the family. She kept the family together on a farm and each child went to work to help out as soon as he was old enough. Papa’s family was Methodist. Momma’s family was Baptist. Grandpa John W. Miller was a Baptist Minister (A "country preacher" folks called him) Carol this is Messy. I should rewrite and reorganize it. Maybe you can make it out.