I do not know for certain whether this typescript version is the original letter itself or a transcription of a handwritten original.  The fact that even the signature is typed suggests it's a transcription.

Someone has handwritten some corrections on the letter, specifically with regard to Mary Ann THOMPSON's first husband, Alexander IRVIN / ERVIN.  Whatever surname the author had originally typed has been obliterated completely with the handwritten "Irvin."  Wherever this substitution occurs, I have placed the surname in italics and enclosed it in brackets.   Spelling errors are as in the original.  The left edge of the text was clipped off in the photocopy.  I was able to deduce most of the missing text.  (Names were boldfaced by me.)

This is your "classic" family history letter, the kind you hope to find, but then end up tearing your hair over because you know that, while it contains kernels of truth, it is a garbled version of family tales mixed and muddled through many retellings, then dimmed by faded memories.  You're grateful for the leads such a letter gives you and for a glimpse of your family's lore.  Still, every assertion of fact must be verified because such a letter only confirms what every experienced lawyer knows:  that there are few things less reliable than an eye-witness, but that one of those things is hearsay, which is the reason hearsay is inadmissible in court.  As judges in the court of genealogy, we have agreed to allow hearsay evidence to be heard, but we must then turn into lawyers and submit the evidence that supports or refutes the testimony.

Yes, we are distant cousins.  I tell any 'new' SpickardsI meet that we are cousins, because we all are from the same 'stock' - Ha!  Your letter received and it was good to hear from you.  I will just start off this by answering your questions.  As you noticed at the Centennial - I am the Spickard -- genealogist and have been for 65 years - I've visited - and talked to - and met more Spickards than we thought ever lived.  Ha!  I nearly always tell any I write to, who 'they' are - sounds crazy, doesn't it?  Now -- you are the son of John Spickard, who was the son of Roy Spickard, who was the son of John Thomas Spickard, who was the oldest son of George Spickard and Marry Ann (Thompson) Spickard.  John was born in 1854 and died in 1938.  He was a brother of Maggie (Spickard) Hutton whose daughter Esther Hutton is who I take care of here in Springfield.
 

As for the "begats" presented above, other sources are consistent with them, so they appear correct (sources on family group sheets linked below).

So far, so good, but now we move from the contemporary to the past, and the difficulties begin…

Based on tax rolls Thomas THOMPSON's father, Peter THOMPSON, does appear to have died in 1839 or 1840, but he died in Missouri, not Kentucky.  Thomas was in Missouri by at least 1821, and Peter followed in 1827 with his married daughter, Rachel, and her husband William T. WYATT.  Peter did not sell his land in Kentucky when he left, but paid taxes on it via an agent until 1839.  The "heirs of Peter THOMPSON" paid taxes on the land in Kentucky until at least 1845, so it was not the sale of that land that led to any earlier prosperity for Thomas.

We know that Thomas's father, Peter THOMPONS, owned land (up to 348 acres) and horses (up to 7) and one slave in Kentucky, so he was not poor, but the wealth to buy 28 slaves did not come from Kentucky.

There is a Boonville in Cooper Co., MO, but as far as I know, Thomas was not known to have ever lived in Cooper County.  Thomas's father-in-law, Isaac DAVIS, settled in Hallsville, Boone Co., MO, in 1818.  Has Hallsville, Boone County, been transmuted into Booneville?  I think so because the really prosperous one, here, was Thomas's father-in-law, Isaac DAVIS, who died in Boone County in 1834.  I suspect the "inheritance" here was that of Thomas's wife, Delilah (DAVIS) THOMPSON, from her father.

Rev. Thompson has a daughter named Mary Ann.  She had married a man named [Irvin], but her husband had died.  She was left with a daughter. -- Now, back to George A Spickard - He had married Elizabeth Cantrel of Mill Grove.  They had a son named Charley.  So they joined a wagon train bound for the Gold fields in April 1849.  It was a terribly long and hard journey.  When within 12 miles of their destination, Elizabeth took sick with Mountain Fever and died in four days.  What a grief for your Great, Great, Grandfather.  They tore up a wagon bed to [Sept 21 1850]

[George & Mary Ann married Oct. 23 1851 at Coloma Calif.]

Now I will close up hurriedly concerning the Rev. Thompson.  He was the first pastor of the first Christian Church of Stockton, Calif. and remained their pastor until his retirement.  They returned to Spickard, (Rev. Thompson and wife) [at?] George's request, and lived the rest of their lives - on a place about a mile west of the George Spickard farm - up on the hill southwest of you - and later moved a short distance southeast of where you live on the old Bake Wilson place to the Austin farm.  There they both died, and at their request, were buried on that farm.  I was up there one time and your Grandfather Roy took me down there and showed me their graves.  I wish you would go sometime and see if you can find their graves now. Roy called it 'one of the old Austin's farms'.  I think it was the fall after the big Grand River flood in 1909 that I was there.  It was southeast of the Groff cemetery.  There was some kind of a marker, I remember.

No, her maiden name Thompson - she married a [Irvin] first.

Yes, John Smith Spickard was my Grandfather.  He is buried in Groff cemetery, his tomb-stone is about the middle of the cemetery.  My Grandmother later married Bert Wilson, and they are buried together, and have a big stone, about 20 steps southwest of my Grandfather.  My Grandsons and I visited their graves when we were at the Centennial.  The 'Smith' in John Spickard's name is from his mother, she was a 'Smith' from in or near Hillsborough, Ohio.

Now I must close this up.  I'm so glad you are getting your new house.  The next time I am up there ai will stop and admire it.  If you and your wife Joyce, ever come to Springfield you must call on us.  We are on a suburban acreage.  The way to find us is to stop at one of 'the thousand' motels and call 865-7886 and tell us where you are and I'll come after you.  Springfield is rather a big city now - 10 miles square, and more than 120,000 population.

I went back to the country and town where our ancestors came from, in Jan. 1919 - during World War 1, when I was in France.  I spent 3 days in and around Colmar, Alsace, - visited a cemetery 3 miles west of Colmar where a number of 'Spickerts' are buried.  They spelled the name S_P_I_C_K_E_R_T.  I wanted to get on the program at the Centennial and tell about my visit there, but felt the program was already 'full-up'.  I am partly retired now as a Missionary Baptist Minister.  I spent nearly 40 years pastoring churches and doing Mission work.  You see, I'll be 80 years old Sept. 8th 1973.  I hope to get back to Spickard in the 'not too distant' future.  I understand they have a 'program' every Sept.

When you see Bonnie tell her we send 'well wishes'.

1.  Social Security Death Index (online at RootsWeb.com; missing columns contained no data):

Name	Birth	Death	Last Residence	SSN	Issued
JOHN SPICKARD	23 Jan 1911	10 Sep 1997	67217 (Wichita, Sedgwick, KS)	711-14-8048	Long-time or retired railroad worker

He is the only John SPICKARD with Last Residence in Wichita or even KS.  There are no John SPICKARDs with Last Benefit in KS, and none issued in KS to a John SPICKARD.