On 11 November 1950 John
Hoover, Deputy Commissioner for Delinquent Lands auctioned all the coal
holdings of Benton and Scully, in Northern Webster County, for back taxes.
They were purchased by Minerva O'Dell, Olive Culpepper and Harry Wallace
whom I presume were siblings. I could not track
down their bid for all of
the property - each tract was deeded and listed separately - but
my grandmother's coal rights, for which she recieved $940.00 in 1907 for
were bought for $1035.00 at this time.
On 9 February 1976 the coal
rights were sold to Meadowlark Farms (Illioinis ?) for $1,286,445.00. Several
tracts were excluded from the sale and deeded to members of the family,
evidently heirs.