Letter from Jewell Hopkins, Urbana Mo dated 13 May 1974, to Bert Hilburn in Tulsa, Ok<o:p></o:p>

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Dear Cousins:<o:p></o:p>

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I received your letter today which I guess Hadley (Hadley Thomas) sent on to me.  Ever since I was a little girl I can remember, Mother (??) decorating Ruby “your sisters�?grave and after she became disabled and later passed away, Ruby’s grave has never been without flowers.  And also Aunt Zetta’s (Rozetta Harrell Hale McNamer ) little baby’s grave by her first husband, Hale (Robert Hale) But I don’t ever, ever remember of but one grave of your folks there and that was Ruby’s.  And there wasn’t any grave beside our grandfathers until Uncle Frank (William Frank Harrell) died.  So I’m sure the stone is at Ruby’s grave where she is really buried, but I didn’t know you had 2 sisters buried there.  <o:p></o:p>

I was sorry you didn’t get me on the telephone as I have been here most of the time and only been away one night since about Thanksgiving.  But I slip in and out for a while at town or to neighbors. <o:p></o:p>

I guess they told you Roosevelt Harrell died about 2 months ago.  He died in Alaska.  Some friends that have a brother there sent the funeral notice to his sister here and as I am the only relative here, people began calling me about it and brought me the notice.  I called Bertha’s daughter and sent her the piece and she called the daughters and they went together and went to Jeans, Roosevelt’s wife at Lebanon.<o:p></o:p>

In about three weeks Jeanne came here and thanked me for letting her know as she said she might never have heard it.  You know after he left here he never had any communications with his wife or either daughter.  Although they knew he was in Alaska, Jean never gave up that he wouldn’t come back until then.  So she took it awfully hard because she loved him with all her might in spite of it all. <o:p></o:p>

Do you know I am the only direct descendent of Grandfather Harrell (Andrew Wayne Harrell) here in Urbana and only Hadley Thomas (a great) in Dallas County.  I miss Bertha and Maud.  Eva is in Calif. since mother died 5 years ago.  She has a severe heart condition and has been in intensive care some.<o:p></o:p>

Three years ago, I, with a little help from Lonnie Fowler, cashier of Urbana Bank, composed a pamphlet of all the soldiers buried at Mission Ridge with all the pictures we could get of the soldiers.  Our Grandfather Harrell (Andrew Wayne Harrell) was the first buried there and the first in the pamphlet.  My daughter Dixie printed us 100 copies and we sold them at $1.00 each and the money went to the cemetery. She donated the $60 cost.  Well, the 100 copies sold right off. So she made about that many more and most of them are gone but if you want one and haven’t gotten one from Hadley, I think I can get you one as we had some at the Bank last time I inquired. There are 26 buried there, as you have donated lately if you will send me postage about 30cents, I’ll try and get you one and mail it First Class.  I sent Loyd McNamer 2 copies and he never received them.  So next time I sent them First Class and he got them.  I think about 200 copies are gone and there won’t be any more.  We worked about a year on this and I wrote all the Civil War notes and most of the other but she helped a lot on the World War II.  We hope others will<o:p></o:p>

Keep it up after we get through.<o:p></o:p>

Well here’s hoping you are both well,<o:p></o:p>

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Love your cousin, Jewell<o:p></o:p>

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PS: Floyd McNamer writes and comes pretty often and he sent me a notice of Orens death and also of Charley Phariss.  Eva lost one daughter Ruth one year ago last August and Wanda, her middle daughter last August.  Both were alone when they had a stroke and never spoke after they found them. Eva lives in Santa Paula.  Ruth died in Joplin and Wanda in Ojai, Ca.  Mother started a permanent fund for the cemetery with $25.00 just before she died and it has now reached about $4000.00.  Hadley and I sure have worked for it and we are so proud of it.<o:p></o:p>