Obediah B. Judd was born in November 1869, only a few years after the Civil War. He was the first son of Mark M. Judd and Mary (Susan) Williams Judd. Mark Judd was a Civil War veteran who farmed in Oregon County, MO. Obediah had 2 siblings, Mary Malissa born in 1867 and George born in 1873. Sometime after 1873, Obediah and his sister and brother lose their mother. When Mark Judd remarries in 1878, Obediah is 9, his stepmother Elizabeth (Bets) Joliff will continue to raise Malissa, Obediah, and George as well has having 3 more children. Bets remains married to Mark Judd until his death in 1903.

Obediah works his father's farm in Oregon County Missouri, until his marriage in 1891 to Louella (Louisa) Lewis. By 1900 Obediah and Louella have 6 children and are farming in the Elm Store, Randolph County, Arkansas area on an 80 acre land grant. Tragedy strikes when they lose a daughter Mollissia in 1907 and a son Harvey in 1911. OB and Lou continue to raise their family of six boys and three girls in the Jackson County, Arkansas area. In 1922-23 Louella divorces Obediah and on July 10, 1923 marries Joe T. Koster, the marriage lasts only a few months ending in divorce November 27 1923, nothing more is known about Louella. The youngest boys that are still at home at the time of the divorce go to live with their married older brother Curza Thomas Judd and his wife Ona. The youngest girls are perhaps left in the care of their older sister Cassie who has by this time married Amos Sullins.

In 1925 Obediah alone and in his late fifties marries Widow Della Sprague, 14 year his junior with two young daughters. Nothing more is known about Della.

In the last years of his life OB moves to Indianapolis, IN where three of his sons and one grandson live and finishes out his life in their care. He is buried in the Floral Park Cemetery, section D, row 1, and grave 38. The Conkle funeral home performed the services and there was a list of the attending children, which included sons, Curza, Hosea, Clint, Dulin, Sidney and Norman. Also attending was his grandson Joseph C. Judd, wife Lillian and great granddaughter Judy S. Judd.

When we tried to find OB's grave, the listing that the funeral home had was for Abider Birdic Judd, far from our Obediah B. Judd. We would question any validity in this, except for the fact that the sons the funeral home listed in attendance had such unusual names they were easily identified as OB's children.

A picture of OB's tombstone revealed yet another surprise with the name Obedier B. Judd, which would account for a Missouri/Arkansas accented version of the name Obediah. The B may in fact be a middle name of Birdick or Birdic, Obediah, Obadiah, Obie and OB have been names in the Judd family since the early 1700s and are well documented.

Obedier, remembered and loved by those that survive you.