I too am working on my Banta ancestry. I want to have the research and documentation for my son and daughter to be members of the S and D RT. My maternal grandfather was Eugene Banta, son of Frank Banta. I have hit a snag that I am hoping someone can help me straighten out. I have an original diary that is a biography of my grandfather--he was a real cowboy. My mother wrote by hand what he told her, and I have a typed copy of this unpublished history. My need is for a hint how to reconcile the name that is recorded in the biography for my great grandfather with the name that I am finding in all of the available family tree websites. My grandfather told my mom that his father's name was Franklin Purcell Banta. All of the ancestry records have his name as Franklin Pierce Banta. My chances of finding birth records from Hoovers Valley, Burnet, may be slim. I'm just wondering if my grandfather said the wrong name ( I have an obscure mention of Frank living in Purcell, OK, later in his life). I'm sure that his grandfather was David Riley Banta, due in part to numerous mentions in his biography of aunts and uncles with the names of Franklin Pierce's siblings. Unfortunately, my primary sources are all deceased. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. While researching history in Gillespie County, I found an account that is identical about Captain Banta and his jailing.

Susan Hackleman
Georgetown, TX