Lucy Rearden Bender (1890-1962) was the author of several genealogy books on Gallatin Co., Illinois and she also did rather extensive research on the McCorkles. She traveled widely and visited Cameron County, Missouri in 1934. While in Cameron, she located the graves of Elisha and Sarah Cameron on the farm that they once owned. The Camerons were the parents of Malinda, the wife of Samuel McCorkle, the founder of Cameron, Missouri. Lucy Bender became a DAR member (#280536) after she applied as a descendant of John McCorkle (Patriot #A075588) and his wife Lydia Tyler Forrest McCorkle. In another communication with the DAR, Lucy provided the names and exact birth dates of the children of Robert and Elizabeth Forrest McCorkle. Lucy swore that this information was copied from the "Bible of Robert McCorkle and Elizabeth Tyler Forrest, his wife" and that the Bible was in her possession. This document was notarized in Elizabeth City, Virginia on April 7, 1936. In his book, From Viking Glory: Notes on the McCorkle Family in Scotland and America, Monsignor Louis McCorkle relates that it has been rumored that all Lucy's research material was destroyed shortly after she died. I am saddened to report that I have confirmed the substance of this story through an extremely reliable source. If Lucy Bender did possess the McCorkle Bible(s) or copies of them, it can be assumed that these treasures were destroyed with the other material. This loss of these historic documents, as well as the loss of Lucy Bender's research, should a lesson to any serious family historian.

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Created Aug 8, 2007
Revised Oct 8, 2014