Tracking the Alabamans remains fruitless. Just can't find them anytime before 1880, but discovering relatives who lived in Sheridan in the early and mid-1900s has provided some exciting moments.
First, the Kelso family. William Bell Kelso, a Forest Ranger, came to Sheridan about 1933. He lived here just two years, but his son, Robert, and his family lived here into the 1960s. Robert worked for Conoco Oil and is buried in Sheridan Municipal Cemetery. The Wyoming Room at the Sheridan County Library had obituaries for Robert and his wife Mildred.
The Kelso's are first and second cousins descended from Charlotte Shuler and her second husband Robert Sylvester Kelso. Charlotte's first husband, George Mathews, is my third great grandfather. Currently, the Sheridan County phone book lists one Kelso. At this time, it is unknown if they are descended from these same Kelso's.
Second, the Daniels family. My third great uncle Richard Daniels moved his family to Sheridan, Wyoming from Missouri about 1905. Coal mining was an important part of the central Missouri economy, as it was in Sheridan County, Wyoming. Richard worked in the mines around Dietz coal camp before succumbing to pneumonia in 1908.
Richard's daughter Nettie made the Sheridan papers, but for all the wrong reasons. Richard's wife and other daughter's continued to live in the area before moving on to Washington. As with the Kelso family, I'm not sure if any of them remain in the area today.The county library has a lot of information on area coal mining. I'll be checking sources over the next few months. Hopefully, there will be more to discover.
