KANSAS SOCIETY
                             Sons of
                     THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

National Trustee
and State President 
Colonel William A. Biby
National Reserve Life Bldg.,
Topeka, Kansas
                                                   Topeka, Kansas
                                                   Sept. 15, 1950
Mr. Paul A. Frick,
Arlington, Va.

Dear Compatriot:

     Replying to your letter of the 10th, I will say that my information
for claiming Lewis Keaster was a Revolutionary soldier was received
personally from my grand-uncle, Lewis Corder, who in answer to my inquiry
as to whether he was named after his grandfather Lewis Corder the
Revolutionary Soldier who is buried at Crab Orchard, Illinois, he stated,
"I was named after both my grandfathers, Lewis Corder and Lewis Keaster--
BOTH of whom were in the Revolutionary War."  I considered this statement
pretty authentic as my grand-uncle had received the information directly
from his grandfather Lewis Corder, or from his Grandmother, Lewis Keaster's
wife Mary Keaster.

     Years later when I made up the genealogy of my family I had no
trouble establishing Lewis Corder's record as a member of the North
Carolina Troops, but I had no luck with Lewis Keaster's record, and I am
now convinced that the family, which was German, originally spelled their
name KUASTER, and later adopted the English spelling, although they are
both pronounced the same.

     Then again, it is not definitely known that he served with the Penn.
Troops. It might have been in any one of many other colonies of that day.

     My connection with the Keaster line was through the marriage of my
great-grandfather Hamilton Corder, son of Lewis Corder, to Parmelia Eva
Keaster, daughter of Lewis Keaster, Sr.

You evidently descended from his son Lewis Keaster, Jr.  I have a copied
photograph of Paremlia Eva Keaster.

     Lewis Keaster's Sr. wife's given name was Mary, I do not know her
surname.  I got this information also from my grand-uncle, Lewis Corder,
who told me that the children and others referred to the wives of the two
Lewis's as "Big Moll" and "Little Moll" which I knew was the nick-name for
"Mary." This I afterwards confirmed when I secured a copy of Lewis Corder's
Wedding Bond, which showed his marriage to "Mary Garner" in Orange County,
N.C. on Nov. 25, 1785.  This Mary Garner was a sister of former Vice-
president John Nance Garner's great-great-grandfather.  Eighteen men of the
Garner "tribe" fought in the Revolutionary Army, I think all were from
Orange County, N.C.

     If you have dates of Lewis Keaster's birth and death and marriage,
together with his wife's name, I would appreciate your passing them on to
me.  It is common knowledge in the Corder family that Lewis Keaster was a
Revolutionary soldier.
     Again thanking you for your letter, I remain, 

                                                 Sincerely yours,

                                                  William A. Biby