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Howell Boone Bio SketchDavie County Public Library Mocksville, North Carolina Howell Boone June 30, 1922 – April 25, 1988 Howell Boone was born in Texas and grew up in New York City, where his father was a well-known journalist and newspaper editor. He was a graduate of Amherst College. After serving in the infantry with General Patton’s Third Army, he, with several friends, formed a company to produce TV advertising commercials and training films for industry. He was a bachelor and, after his father’s death, lived with his mother in New York City. In 1979, Howell sold his interest in the company, disposed of his property in New York, and retired to Davie County, North Carolina, to pursue his interest in history and genealogy research, especially with regard to the Boone and related families. He had visited the area and Joppa Cemetery with his father in the 1930’s. Squire and Sarah Morgan Boone, and probably John Boone, are buried there. John Boone, Squire Boone’s nephew and Daniel Boone’s first cousin, what Howells’s great, great, great, great, great-grandfather. This John Boone had come to Davie County with other Boone families in the early 1750’s. It is both ironic and most fitting that Howell was able to rent a house and live for some nine years on the same land that John Boone was granted in 1753. Howell immediately became part of the community of Center where he lived and began spending a part of several days each week researching, writing, organizing, collecting, and cataloging Boone memorabilia in the History Room at the Davie County Public Library. He thoroughly enjoyed speaking to interested school groups and other audiences and was most effective with his presentations about the Boones and the life of our forebears. A tireless worker, he soon became an integral part of the Library’s operation – a volunteer staff member always willing and anxious to help in any way he could. He became involved in preservation and in environmental and history-related projects of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments such as the Living Farm Museum now being develop ed. An avid reader, his library contained thousands of books, records, and documents. Associates were quick to appreciate Howell’s intellect, scholarship, geniality, and enthusiasm. Energetic, he walked and talked fast as though anxious to get on with the next job, yet never too busy to help someone with their search of History Room materials. He personally bought microfilm and numerous books and genealogical reference aids for the History Room. Though much interested in Davie County Public Library Mocksville, North Carolina Boone genealogy, he was the exceptional genealogist in that he held a wide interest in the broad scope of historical research and was keenly interested in, and well-informed on, the contemporary scene. Howell Boone will be sorely missed. The bicycle, with its odometer showing some 8000 miles is no longer parked at the Library; the rider with his bright orange jacket and cap is no longer seen in Mocksville or on the road to Center. Though his voice is no longer heard in the Davie County Library and History Room, Howell Boone’s legacy enriches us all. By James W. Wall It is with deep sorrow and regret that those preparing this issue of the “Davie Dossier” must include the news of Howell Boone’s death on April 25, 1988. He died in bed, reading a book apparently of a heart attack. The members of the Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society, the Davie County Library and History Room staff, and his many friends will miss him terribly. His enthusiasm, geniality, knowledge, and generosity have enriched us all. The Davie County Enterprise-Record, the Salisbury Post, and the Winston – Salem Journal printed very adequate articles about him and his work and many friends have expressed their personal gratitude for his friendship and assistance. The family requested that memorials be made to the Davie County Library Building Fund. His collected materials and memorabilia in the Davie County Library History Room will be the Howell Boone collection. A plaque sponsored in part by the Historical and Genealogical Society and placed in the History Room will read: HOWELL BOONE 1922 – 1988 In memory of and with grateful appreciation for Howell Boone - scholar, historian, genealogist, and dedicated volunteer. His enthusiasm, geniality, knowledge, and generosity enriched us all. Erected by: Trustees and Staff, Davie County Library, Davie County Library, Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society, Board of Commissioners, Davie County, and friends and associates. Howell prepared and mailed the “Dossier” as a personal project under the auspices of the Historical and Genealogical Society. Plans are under way to continue the publication and to mail the next issue in the fall of 1988.