Robert McCorkle Forrest
Ozark County Ancestors

Samuel J. Forrest and Marinda Lantz

Robert M. Forrest and Rachel Copelin

Elias S. Forrest and Lusana Copelin

Sarah A. Forrest and James W. Hale

David D. Forest and Mary E. Hoodenpyle and Martha Ingram Tabor

Malinda Forrest and John B. Herd Sr.

William Forrest and Mary Jane Dial

Nathanel Green Forrest and Matilda Barnett Vanmeter and Manerva J. Miller

David Dutcher Forest Family Photos

Photo Page


Robert Forrest & Rachel Copelin

Robert McCorkle Forrest, the second child of James Forrest and Freelove Dutcher Snow Forrest, was born June 1832 in Saline, Illinois. Robert may have been given his middle name of McCorkle because of some family connection with the McCorkle family. Although two marriages between Forrests and McCorkles have been found, a direct connection to the James Forrest family is not yet known.

Robert's birth in Saline, IL is curious. His parents, James and Freelove Forrest, left Meigs Co., Ohio circa 1830 and are described in Ohio court documents as being of Arkansas. One possibility for Robert's birth in Illinois is that his father may have had to return to an area close to Meigs Co. in order to settle some outstanding family and financial situations.

Robert first shows up on the 1850 Ozark Co., Missouri census with his parents. By 1860, he is living in his own household in Ozark Co. with his wife Rachel Copelin whom he married in Ozark County April 15, 1855.

Rachel, born in September 1837 in Indiana, was the daughter of Isaac Copelin and Margaret Rhodes. Rachel's father Isaac, who was born in 1804 in Kentucky and died about August 1866 in Ozark Co., left a will naming the following heirs: his wife Margaret Copelin; daughters, Margaret (wife of John A. Graham), Nancy (wife of Samuel Keesee), Mary Jane (wife of Elias Keesee), Lusana (wife of Eli S. Forrest), Rachel (wife of Robert Forrest), sons, John R. Copelin, Thomas Copelin, and grandchilden, Elvira Copelin, Nancy Copelin, Lucinda Copelin, and Lurana Copelin. The last of these grandchildren were the children of Richard Copelin and Susannah Lantz, a daughter of Moses Lantz and Jerusha Graham. Moses Lantz was the father of Marinda Lantz who married Robert Forest's brother, Samuel. In addition, Rachel's sister Lusana Copelin married Eli Stedman Forrest, also a brother of Robert McCorkle Forrest.

Robert Forrest saw Civil War service as a private in both the Phelps Regiment, Company F, from 22 November 1861 to 12 May 1862 and Company I, 46th Regiment (Infantry), from 20 October 1864 to 20 May 1965. In addition, he was in Captain Stone's Calvary Company (Home Guards) from 16 July 1861 to 18 October 1861. In his pension file, he is described as 5'9", with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and light hair.

Rachel and Bob lived in both Ozark Co. and in Marion Co., Arkansas before heading toward Washington State in 1880. Family oral history states that Robert and his family, along with his brothers Sam and Eli, left Missouri and headed west. Although Sam and Eli returned to Ozark Co, Robert and his family had settled in Snohomish Co WA by 1889 where Robert lived the remainder of his life.

Robert and his family are on the 1889 King Co. Washington census; the 1890 Veterans Census for Washington; and the 1900 Snohomish Co. Wa. census. Robert also appears in Snohomish directories for the years of 1903, 1904 and 1906. We know that Robert visited Ozark Co. twice after his relocation to Washington. An affidavit in his military pension file states "that after moving to Pacific coast, Robert and Rachel visited Ozark Co twice."

While in Washington, Robert applied for a Civil War disability pension because of "rheumatism of right hip and wound in right arm in elbow joint." His pension file also states that he was injured when "he was with his brother chopping off timber and by an awkward lick of my brother he hit me with his axe on the arm which made a very bad wound which healed up and for some time gave me no inconvenience until later years. Now at times it gives me considerable trouble. I am unable to use it."

Robert died at seventy-four on 30 May 1906 in Snohomish, WA. In her application for a widow's pension in 1906, Rachel Forrest said that her husband had been paralytic for many years before he died.

Robert's obituary is brief. From the EVERETT HERALD 6-31-1906: "FUNERAL TOMORROW--The funeral of Robert M. Forrest, the Snohomish pioneer who died in this city at the age of 74 years, will be held tomorrow at 2 o'clock."

Rachel, Robert's widow, appears on the 1910 Monroe Snohomish Co. Census. Living with her are her two grand-daughters, Celestine A. McShane, age 13, and Ada McShane, age 11. These girls were children of Viola and Arthur McShane and it is believed that they were living with their grandmother because their mother had died.

Rachel died six years after her husband, on May 21, 1912. Her death occurred in St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia. Her usual place of residence was Snohomish but she appears to have gone to Vancouver for a serious operation. She died a few hours after this operation and is buried next to her husband in the GAR Cem in Snohomish, although she doesn't have a headstone.

Robert and Rachel had ten children, but only five were alive in 1900. Their children were: Lusana (when she married G.W Stone she became the stepmother of Drucilla Stone. Drucilla was the wife of her cousin, George Burr Forrest); James (died young); Isaac (died young); Malissa; John R; Charles Rhodes (died young); Viola (Ola); and Margaret Mae.

Descendants


LUSANA FORREST, eldest child of Robert and Rachel, was born April 01, 1856 in Ozark Co., MO, and died December 22, 1935 in Yeager Hughes Co., OK. She married a widower, George Washington Stone, September 28, 1879. G.W. was a son of John Stone and Maria Bayless, natives of Tennesee.

G.W. first married Marinda Jane Porter, a daughter of John Porter. Marinda died in 1876, leaving two children Marion and Drucilla (who will become the wife of George Burr Forrest, Lusana's nephew).

In A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region, it states that in 1893, [George Washington Stone] "erected a gin saw and corn mill, all of which net him a satisfactory income. Besides this valuable property he is the owner of some extremely desirable mineral claims. For the past fourteen years he has been a director in his school district, and he has ever been an earnest advocate of the free school system, and is a patron of all progressive measures generally...he has been a lifelong Democrat and his first presidential vote was cast for Horace Greeley in 1872."

The children of Lusana Forrest and George Stone were:


  • EVERETT CLARENCE STONE, born August 12, 1881, Flippin AR; died April 19, 1963, Wetumka OK; married NELLIE JONES
  • WALTER MCCORKLE STONE, born November 25, 1882, Flippin AR; died November 1949, Yakima WA; married ETTA MATTHEWS
  • IDA BELLE STONE, born March 09, 1884; died April 19, 1965, Wetumka OK; married JOHN WILLIAM GAY
  • FRANKLIN FULBRIGHT STONE, born November 09, 1885, Boone Co AR; died October 07, 1968, Ft. Smith AR; married ETHEL SHIPLEY, 1934, Muskogee OK
  • RACHEL CORA STONE, born October 22, 1888, Flippin AR; died May 02, 1901
  • CHARLES ERNEST STONE, born August 22, 1890, Flippin AR; died July 08, 1939, Los Angeles CA; married GOLDIE CLARK/MILDRED BUSH
  • NORA MAE STONE, born September 01, 1892, Flippin AR; died March 05, 1973, Sedro Woolley Co WA; married DOSS EVANS
  • IVA PEARL STONE, born January 02, 1898, Flippin AR; died July 13, 1976, Torrance CA; married JOE REEVES and DEA BRYANT
  • NELLIE MYRTLE STONE, born September 05, 1896; died January 09, 1897.

MARGARET "MAE" FORREST was born March 11, 1866, and died between 1912-1933, probably in Snohomish Co., WA. She and her husband Thomas M. Crowe appear on the 1889 Snohomish Co Census with one daughter, Dora, age 3. Another daughter, an unnamed nine month old, is living with Margaret's sister in 1889.

The children of Thomas and Margaret were:

  • DORA CROWE, b. 1886.
  • UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1889.

MALISSA FORREST was born October 23, 1868. On the 1900 census Malissa gave her birthplace as Kansas although other documents give her birthplace as Missouri. She married JOHN EDWARD MCSHANE on June 30, 1888 in Snohomish. John Edward McShane was born in December 1863 in Grand Rapids, Wisconsin and according to census information he worked as a logger in 1900. Sometime around 1900-1903, John and Malissa left Washington State and settled in Vancouver where they raised their family of five children. Malissa died September 14, 1933 in Vancouver and is buried in the McShane Family Plot in the Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, next to her husband who died June 30,1920. According to Malissa's obituary she had only one sibling alive at the time of her death, her brother John.

The children of MALISSA FORREST and JOHN MCSHANE were:


  1. JP MCSHANE, b. February 1889.
  2. MARY EDNA MCSHANE was born May 25, 1891 in Snohomish Co WA, and died March 22, 1966 in Sardis, British Columbia and is buried Mountain View Cem. She married WILLIAM PATRICK CROWLEY December 31, 1912 in St Joseph's RC Church, Cedar Cottage, Vancouver. William was born August 8, 1881 in Poysippi, Wisconsin, the son of John Crowley (born in Ireland) and Rebecca Kinney (born in Wisconsin). William died Sept 25, 1966 and his obituary states that he was survived by his wife Edna; one son William K. of Burnaby, two brothers Art and Robert; one sister Mrs. Jenny Costello of Wisconsin.
  3. RACHEL ANN MCSHANE was born December 04, 1893 in Snohomish Co WA and died December 18, 1967 in Vancouver. She's buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver. She married EDWARD JOSEPH KEATING August 26, 1920 in St Joseph's RC Church, Cedar Cottage, Vancouver. Edward was born in Lowell Mass, the son of John Keating (born Dublin) and Miss Mealy (also born in Dublin). Edward was lumber mill supervisor and when he married Rachel at age 36, was a widower. When Rachel died she was survived by two sons, Dr. John A. Keating of Seattle WA and Richard E. Keating of Bellingham WA; two grandchildren; one brother Robert McShane of Coquitlam, British Columbia.
  4. ROBERT MARTIN MCSHANE was born November 26, 1894 in Snohomish Co Wa. and died March 15, 1974, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He married ORPHA EVELYN DOLAN, April 17, 1916, St. Anthony's, New Westminster. Robert and Orpha divorced April 2, 1955, Vancouver.
  5. ELLA MCSHANE was born in 1902 in Everett WA and married WILLIAM EDWARD DREW, January 11, 1921, United Presbyterian Church, Vancouver. William was the son of William Drew and Jessie Jack both born in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Ella and William's marriage ended in divorce on Nov 5 1946.

VIOLA "OLA" FORREST was born October 09, 1873 in Arkansas and married Arthur T McSHANE March 05, 1895 in Snohomish, Wa. Arthur was a brother of John Edward McShane who married Viola's sister Malissa. AT McShane's occupation on the 1900 census was logger. Arthur was born in January 1872 in Wisconsin. His father was also born in Wisconsin; his mother in Indiana. Viola McShane died in 1903 in Everett WA and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery 9-27-1903. Arthur McShane lived close to thirty years after the death of Viola. He died January 2, 1932 and is buried in Evergreen Cem also. In 1910, two of Viola and Arthur's children are living with their grandmother, Rachel Forrest, in Monroe, Snohomish Co. Wa.

The children of VIOLA FORREST and AT MCSHANE were:


  1. CELESTIA/CELESTINE MCSHANE, b. January 1895.
  2. N MCSHANE, b. March 1897.
  3. ADA MCSHANE, b. May 1898.

JOHN R FORREST was born January 28, 1876 in Ozark Co MO. In 1900 he is living with his parents in Snohomish Co WA and on the 1910 census he's living with his wife Mable (born 1884 in MI) and a son Percy. According to the 1910 census, John was a faller at logging camp. John appears on Snohomish directories for the years 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908. Family oral history states that John's son Percy died in his teens.

  1. PERCY FORREST, b. 1906, WA. Believed to have died in his teens.