Got up early to review what I had on Joseph’s death in Iowa and it turns out the he was living in Jackson Township, Keokuk County, Iowa in 1860. Well, Keokuk County is about 100 miles west and north of Keokuk the town, where I spent the night. So after breakfast, I headed back up there to visit Sigourney, the county seat of Keokuk County. Got there about 9:30 and visited both the Recorder and the Auditor for information about land that Joseph Roop might have purchased. While we found a Joseph Root purchased land in 1857, there was nothing for a Joseph Roop. At the auditor’s office, we searched through all 36 boroughs of Jackson Township but still no Joseph Roop. From the courthouse I went to the Library to see if they had any information, but again, no genealogy files and very little useful in the way of county history. So I gave up and headed for Elgin.
I sent an email in the morning to the Brethren Historical Library and Archives in Elgin to see if I could talk to someone there the next day, but when I checked into my hotel in Elgin I picked up my email and they were not allowed to meet with folks, but would let me drop off books I had brought to give them. They would be happy to zoom with me, but I told them I would try to set that up after I returned. I hope that the Brethren Historical Center in Brookville, Ohio does not have the same restrictions.
So a bit of a frustrating day, but I’m closer to Ashland, Ohio, where I hope to learn more about Joseph and his family.