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Red/Baumhoer School
Peggy Smith Hake
Today the Red School, also known as Baumhoer school, is sitting alone and empty in Osage township about 3 miles southeast of St. Elizabeth. The building is in better condition than some of the other country schools I have visited and it seems to be silently beckoning a friendly invitation to come inside and visit its old school room where the laughter of children once ruled supreme.
About 145 years ago, in February 1858, a man named Joseph McEvoy patented 160 acres of land where Red/Baumhoer school is located in northeast Miller County. I don’t believe Mr. McEvoy ever lived in our county but remained in the eastern United States. For many years the land laid unused and forgotten, but finally, in 1873, back taxes had accumulated unpaid on this piece of land so in October 1873, Killis J. Martin, M.C. sheriff, seized it and sold it to a man named Rudolphus Goodrich. Later in 1873, Rudolphus and his wife, Esther, sold the land to a group of people living in Laclede Co., MO. There was other land transferred in the transaction of 1,260 acres to the Laclede County people. They paid $1500 for the large acreage (a good deal in those days). The group from Laclede County included Isaac & Jane Hoskinson, J. H. & Jennie McDonald, Hugh & Desdomonia McCoin, and Erwin & Aristeen Ellis. They kept the land for only one month and then sold it to The Southwest Iron Company for a whopping profit...$50,000 was the selling price!
The Southwest Iron Company did not fare too well over the next few years and must have had many financial problems. On March 3, 1885, those lands were sold to Hamilton and Annie Daughaday of St. Louis. Once again this piece of land was bought for $1500 through a sheriff’s sale held on the steps of the old St. Louis courthouse. Twelve years later, in 1897, the Daughadays sold 400 acres to the Osage Tie Company of Miller County. They held on to their successful investment for many years and during this time era, George L. Ramsey, president of the Osage Tie Company, granted 1 ½ acres lying on his property in Section 3, Twp. 40, Range 12, to the Miller County School District. When the deed was made and granted in April, 1898, there was a sentence in the description which makes me wonder if the old Red/Baumhoer school may have once been called “Polly Hill Branch School”.
The names of some of the families who have lived in the area surrounding the old Red/Baumhoer school over the past 150 years have included Boyd, Hampton, Goschurger, McLean, Grosvenor, Davis, Casey, Boeckman, Macklin, West, Crismon, Baumhoer, Ramsey, Brown, Lawson, Lueckenhoff, Kemna, Hasenbien, Bax, Singer, Holtmeyer, and others......The land where the old school sits is now owned by the Doerhoff family.
I do not know the last year school was held in the Red/Baumhoer schoolhouse. By 1957, the St. Elizabeth school system had consolidated all the country schools in their district and the doors of these old one-room country school were closed forever. I have a list of country schools in existence during the school year 1930-31 with the names of the teachers and district clerks. The teacher at Red/Baumhoer (School #37) in 1930 was Gladys Belman of St. Elizabeth and the district clerk was Henry W. Steinman of Meta (mail route).
POLLY HILL BRANCH SCHOOL................
I found out that the Polly Hill Branch school was located in Osage township near Weimmer and the Big Tavern creeks and was located across the road in the same general area as the Red/Baumhoer school (which I have written about in the preceding section). It received its name from “Polly Hill Branch” which laid about a ‘half-quarter up the road’ from Red/Baumhoer. The branch circles through the area of both old schools and it empties into the Big Tavern creek to the west.
I think Polly Hill Branch school, built first, and Red/Baumhoer school served the same community. Polly Hill school was probably built of logs while Red/Baumhoer was constructed of sawed lumber.
I am always intrigued by unusual names and I think “Polly Hill branch” is rather different. I wondered how it came to be called by that name and for years I had the answer hidden deep in my files and didn’t realize it!
John C. and Mary/Polly (Kizzire) Hill came to Osage County, MO by covered wagon circa 1849 with her brother, John Kizzire, and his family. John C. Hill was born about 1809 in North Carolina and Polly (Kizzire) Hill was a native of Kentucky, born circa 1813. Both were in Jackson County, Indiana when they married in April 1831. They were parents of 10 children, all born in Indiana except for the two youngest who were born after they moved to Osage County, MO. While in central Missouri, their children married into the families of Burrell, West, Hampton, Hawkins, Brasier, Hawk, and Hamilton.
By 1860, John C. Hill had died and Polly, his widow, was living in northeastern Miller County near the families of Grosvenor, Shelton, Kinworthy, Hawk, Brasier, Weimmer, Clark, Hampton, Duncan, and West. She was living on land near the site where Baumhoer school was later built. Since she was a widow and farmed the land, the creek became known as “Polly Hill branch” which indicated its location. Nearby was Weimmer creek, named for the pioneer family of Jacob and Jane Weimmer, and Shelton creek, named for the Tennessee immigrants, George and Celia (Burks) Shelton.
Polly Hill and most of her family left their Osage township farms and moved to Iowa in 1875, settling in Decatur County. She is buried in Bethel Cemetery, Eden Township, Decatur Co., Iowa. Some of her descendants from Texas and Utah contacted me a few years ago and have sent me some data on their Hill and Kizzire ancestors.
Charles Marriott Sooter
by Peggy Smith Hake
Rev. Charles Marriott Sooter was born in Newton County, MO, in the Ozark mountains of southern Missouri. In 1869, his parents left the Grand River country of southwest Missouri and moved to Miller County when Charles was about 12 years old. His ancestors were immigrants of Northern Ireland who settled in the Carolinas; later became part of the migration of settlers who stopped awhile in Tennessee; and later came to the Missouri Ozarks.
Charles was born 24 Aug 1857, was one of five children born to Harvey Van Buren Sooter and his wife, Sarah Ann (Smith). His brother and sisters were: William M. ‘Ned’ Sooter, Louisa Sooter Shelton, Geretta/Nettie Sooter Renfrow, and Margaret/Maggie Sooter Hensley. Charles’ father, Harvey, was a physician who did not oin a church until he was an old man. His mother, Sarah (Smith), was a Methodist.
In 1873, Charles married Harriett Pankey who died a short time later after giving birth to two children: Nettie Sooter Wiles and Leona Sooter Shelton. In 1876, he married Jane Alice Carson and they had seven children: Menzo E. Sooter, Charles W. Sooter, Mark Sooter, W. M. Sooter, Elizabeth Sooter Hodgden, and Lena Sooter.
During his early years of marriage, Charles worked his farm and operated a sawmill. At the age of 27, c/1884, while working his sawmill, an itinerate Christian minister (sometimes called ‘Newlights’) came from Iowa and held revival services in the community. Charles attended some of these meetings and after awhile, his life was changed. He fought it for awhile, but the conviction overpowered his life when he realized he was receiving a call from God. He was an unlearned man who had very little schooling and at first was afraid he could not speak publicly nor pray before a crowd. I have been told by those who remembered Brother Charlie Sooter that he quickly overcame that obstacle in his life with flying colors !
His first attempt to preach occurred at an ‘all-day-meeting’ in a nearby schoolhouse. People came from miles around to hear Rev. Charlie Sooter preach and stayed for an all day service with filled baskets of food. In later years, he said at first he had to ‘trail’ for awhile, but before he knew it, his sermon became easy to deliver. He sang his way into the hearts of many people and played an old fiddle to the delight of the crowd. It was said his gifts were Providential, but I am sure those Irish ancestors contributed to his talent as well.........
Charles Marriott Sooter helped to organize many churches in the area including Union, Mt. Zion, High Knob, Campground, Humphreys Creek, Little Tavern, Liberty, Atwell, Iberia, Fairview, Gott, and Ketchum, Oklahoma. He bought 140 yards of heavy canvas and made a huge tent. He conducted services under that old tent until a church could be built on the spot. It is said he preached 5,250 sermons; had 4,500 conversions; baptized over 3,000 people, and probably conducted more funerals than anyone, before or since, in our central Missouri region.
In 1929, his second wife, Jane Alice, died and he was married a third time to Mrs. Lucy Stark, widow of William Stark. Rev. Charles M. Sooter died at his home five miles south of Tuscumbia in the summer of 1938 at the age of 81 years. His funeral services were held at the Iberia Academy by Rev. A. L. Alexander of the Eldon Christian Church. He was assisted by Rev. J. Merle Bandy of the Iberia Baptist Church and Rev. Deweese of the Iberia Newlight Church. The Jones brothers, old friends of Brother Sooter, had a beautiful and inspirational song service. He was laid to rest at the Brays Union Cemetery, northeast of Iberia. His descendants have carried on in his tradition. Four of his sons became ministers and the musical talent continues to be heard in his grandchildren and the newer generations of the Sooter family.
Silas and Adeline (Davis?) Curry..........
by Peggy Smith Hake
Evidently Curry school and church were both named for Silas Curry who lived in the community which bears his name. About 1877, Silas (born in Virginia c/1825) came to Miller Co. and settled in southeast Glaize township very near the Richwoods township line. His neighbors in 1880 were Nelson & Mary Davis, George & Nancy Martin, Wm. & Malinda Davis, Wm. & Lucy Winfrey, Charles & Catherine Hendricks, James & Sarah Wornell, and Isaac & Isabel Horton....(If you will notice, there were two Davis families living nearby and I was wondering if Adeline Curry was born a Davis, perhaps these may have been some of her kinfolks? Peggy Hake 2003)......
Their son, George W. Curry, b. c/1857 in Ohio, married Sarah Matin, d/o George & Nancy Martin, in 1879 and they lived in Glaize township in 1880 with a young daughter, Alice, age 7 months. Other children of Silas and Adeline Curry included William b. c/1859 m. Isabella Martin 1881; Jenny Curry b. c/1864 in Ohio m. George Bear 1880; Augustus Curry b. c/1866 in Ohio m. Margaret Miller 1893; Ella Curry b. c/1869 in Ohio m. J. F. Wall 1890; Frederick Curry b. c/1872 in Ohio m. Etta Lawrence 1907; Arthur b. c/1876 in Ohio; and Clarence Curry b. in MO c/1878.........(I have a note in my files that say the children were born in Ironton, Ohio......I would also venture a guess there may have been more children born between 1848-1857.....I think there was a female child named Columbia who was born c/1849 in Virginia.
Silas Curry was the first person buried at Curry Cemetery when he died in June 1896. A month later in July, 1896, his grandchild, Charles Otto Wall (son of J. F. & Ella Curry Wall) was buried in the same burial ground. His wife, Adeline, died in 1899 and is also at rest in Curry Cemetery...........The old Curry school is no longer in existence because of consolidation, but the Curry church still has services each Sunday and nearby is Curry Cemetery. The surrounding community is still known as "Curry"..............(I have attended every Curry school reunion since it began in 1991. My mother and all 3 of her sisters are now deceased, but I continue to attend because I feel so close to the community and its people...Peggy Hake, February 2003)
Mary Catherine Phillips
by Peggy Smith Hake
Mary Catherine Phillips was born near Brumley in December 1864 (some records give her birth year 1866). She was a daughter of Irvin and Louisa (Robinett) Phillips of Scott Co., VA. Her parents came to Miller County in the early 1850s from Virginia with three children. Several more children were born to them after arriving in Missouri.
They had a large family including: LEWIS PHILLIPS b. 1846 m. Sarah E. Trusley; REBECCA A. PHILLIPS 1847-1911 m. Andrew T. Robinett; MICHAEL PHILLIPS b. 1850 m. Sarah Pemberton; DELILAH PHILLIPS b. 1851 m. Richard Godfrey; LUIZEA JANE PHILIPS b. 1854 m. James L. Gardner; IRVIN PHILLIPS JR. 1856-1937 m. Sarah Jane Miller; EMELINE L. PHILLIPS 1857-1941 m. William James Godfrey; SARAH/SALLY PHILLIPS b. 1860 m. Alexander Godfrey; DANIEL PHILLIPS b. 1861; MARGARET PHILLIPS b. 1863 m. George W. Luttrell; MARY CATHERINE PHILLIPS b. 1866 m. Samuel Robinett; LAZARUS G. PHILLIPS 1871-1948 (never married); and BALIUM PHILLIPS b. 1874 (no other record found).
The Phillips, Robinett, and Ash families were closely related before they came to Miller County. All these families are said to have immigrated from Ireland to America together. After moving to Glaize township, they continued to live near one another. The Robinett families have a Tri-Centennial Reunion every few years at Fulton, MO and it is an international organization.
In 1890, Mary Catherine Phillips married Samuel L. Robinett, a son of Samuel and Arminda (Ash) Robinett who also lived near Brumley. Samuel, born 1838 in Virginia, and Arminda, born 1844 in Virginia, were married in Miller County in 1860. They were parents of 12 children but only 8 lived to adulthood. The surviving children were BARBARA ROBINETT b. 1861; PHOEBE ANN ROBINETT b. 1864 m. Wm. A. Workman; ELIZA ROBINETT b. 1865; WILLIAM H. ROBINETT b. 1867 m. Emma D. Sons; SAMUEL L. ROBINETT b. 1870 m. Mary Catherine Phillips; NORA E. ROBINETT b. 1876 m. Louis A. Thornton; DANIEL W. ROBINETT b. 1879 m. Gertie Popplewell; & VESTA E. ROBINETT b. 1883.
Mary Catherine and Samuel Robinett were parents of 6 children but only two survived their parents...Phoebe Ann Robinett b. Nov 1894 (remained single) and Louisa Jane Robinett b. Apr 1896 m. Dolph Ash. (I have not found the names of the other four children who did not survive their parents).
Samuel Robinett died in 1942 and was buried at Rodden Cemetery, just a short distance south of Brumley. Mary Catherine (called ‘Aunt Cat’ by most who knew her) lived until November 2, 1944 when she passed on at the age of 80 years. She was survived by her two daughters, 6 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. Also surviving her were a sister, Ludema Phillips, and a brother, Lazarus B. Phillips. Her services were held at Pension Ridge Church of Christ. Today this church is known as Rodden Church of Christ and the Rodden Cemetery is located near the church.
Miller County 166th birthday
by Peggy Smith Hake
On February 6, 2003, Miller County will be celebrating her 166th birthday. So, in observance of this event, I am printing “SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MILLER COUNTY, MO”..................
The Osage Indians, who dwelt in the land of Miller County long before it became a county, were the tallest race of men in North America. Few stood under 6 foot and some reached 7 foot in height. The most famous member of the Osage tribe to live within the boundaries of Miller County was Jim Henry. He and his family lived in a unique cave which has been called ‘the rock house’ over the generations. His legend lives on in our county because his name remains as a township, a creek, and a school.
Between July 31-August 6, 1806, the famous expedition of Zebulon M. Pike passed through present day Miller County. They traveled the Osage River on their way west, eventually reaching Colorado.
July 20, 1826, the first land entry was made, in what is now Miller County, by William Miller. It was in Section 23, Twp. 42, Range 14, near Spring Garden.
In 1834, the first water mill was built in Miller County by William Brockman on the Saline creek and a few years later, William Williams built the second mill in the county. The first steam mill was built in 1853 by John Humes near Mt. Pleasant.
Miller County was established as a county on February 6, 1837. The area north of the Osage River had been part of Cole County and the area south of the Osage had been part of Pulaski County.
At the June, 1837 county court, first merchants licenses were issued to W. P. Dickson/Dixon, Zachariah Price, and Andrew Burris.
In July, 1837, the county was road-districted and the first ferry permit was granted to Cornelius P. Davidson at Tuscumbia.
On Dec. 21, 1837, the first post office in the county was established at Tuscumbia with James Pryor Harrison as the first postmaster. Mail was delivered on horseback once a week from Waynesville to Jefferson City via Tuscumbia.
In 1839, the first courthouse was built (a 35 ft. by 20 ft. log building) and the first jail (19 ft. square) was built about the same time, a short distance north of the log courthouse. The second courthouse was built in 1859. It was a two-story brick building with a gabled roof measuring 40 ft. by 56 ft. A low bid of $6,000 was let to Robert McKim for the construction. In 1865, a stone jail was built in the courtyard. In 1879, one cell of it was leased to the town of Tuscumbia for a calaboose.
On Feb. 4, 1840, the county court divided Miller County into 14 school districts.
In 1840, the financial statement of Miller County showed $243.10 received and $455.75 expended. In 1860, these had increased to $2,410.16 received and $2,312.76 expended. The financial condition of the county improved over the four decades between 1840-80.
The first marriage in the county was performed on Feb. 26, 1837. Sims Brockman married Rachel Gartin, by Andrew Kingery, a minister of the gospel.
On Nov. 6, 1837, the county court issued a merchants license to Wm. H. Pulliam, who had a frontier general store near the present site of Iberia.
In 1851, Miller County had four post office sites......Iberia, Pleasant Mount, Rocky Mount, and Tuscumbia.
The oldest road in Miller County was the Springfield-Jefferson City road, running generally north and south passing through Tuscumbia. Another old road was the Little Piney River-Versailles road taking a northwesterly direction through Iberia and Tuscumbia.
In 1840, the first paupers were farmed out by the county court.
Miller County once had a township named Reed. It was formed in 1837 from part of Equality township; was soon abolished.
In 1855, the first river improvement was voted on.
October 3, 1860, the original plat of the town of Iberia was filed for record by Henry M. Dickerson with only two streets laid out....Main St. and St. Louis St.
In the 1860s and 70s, Jesse and Frank James, the well-known Missouri outlaws, frequented the backwoods trails of Miller County. They visited their cousin, Mildred James Wall and her husband, Jim Wall, at their trading post in southern Richwoods township called Faith.
In 1870, the first Catholic Church in the county was built at Old St. Elizabeth on the east bank of the Osage River. The town and church was founded by an Irishman named Owen Riggs.
In 1870 the first newspaper in the county was established at Tuscumbia called THE OSAGE VALLEY SENTINEL. Other early newspapers included The Tuscumbia Republican, The Gospel Messenger, The Miller County Vindicator, The Eye Opener, Osage Valley Record, The Western Preacher, The Miller County Vidette, The Helmet, The Osage Valley Banner, The Iberia Intelligencer, The Iberia Impetus, The Iberia Advocate, The Iberia Headlight and others.......
During the 1870s, horse racing, embezzlements, abortion, burglary, and a few new cases came up in the courts and by the 1880s, almost every variety of cases, known to most circuit courts, appeared in Miller County.
In 1875, the first County Farm Superintendent, J. C. Hoff, was appointed.
Aurora Springs was the county’s largest town during the 1880s and 90s, due to the discovery of mineral springs in the region. In 1881, approximately 20 new buildings sprang up in the ‘boom town’. When the railroad bypassed the town, it began to decline and almost disappeared. In 1890, its population was 421 persons.
The original plat of the town of Eldon was filed by George R. Weeks on March 15, 1882. The town became a reality after the railroad bypassed Aurora Springs to the south and was built a few miles further north.
In 1883, the first railroad tax was paid to the county by the Jefferson City, Lebanon, and Southwestern Railroad.
By 1889, the county had never issued any bonds. Funds were taken from the Road and Canal Fund and the Internal Improvement Fund.
In 1888, the county had 18 ¾ miles of railroad tracks within its boundaries. The property was assessed at $71,285.09 for the railroad and $1,500 for the telegraph system.
In 1889, Miller County’s first bank was established at Olean on August 20th, the Miller County Exchange Bank........Olean, in the extreme northern section of the county, has been known by four different names----Proctor, Cove, Chester, and finally Olean.
Cynthia Hawkins Spearman, a well-known schoolteacher of the 19th century in the county, was the first woman elected to a county office. She served as Superintendent of Public Schools of Miller County during 1895 and 1896.
In 1889, Eldon had three hotels built in the new city which sprang up around the railroad tracks........The Cottage, operated by Mrs. Hattie James; The Goss House owned by J. Goss; and The Eldon Hotel, operated by John Brickey.
By 1889, Eldon had only had one newspaper, The Eldon News, published by L. F. Hart as a Republican newspaper. It only existed for a few months in 1886.
On June 5, 1913, the town board of Iberia (incorporated as a town in 1875) ordered five electric lights to be installed on the streets.
In 1918, the great influenza plague, which took many lives across America, ran rampant in Miller County. On Oct. 5, 1918, John Ferguson, chairman of Iberia’s town board, ordered through a proclamation...”all schools, churches, and public places be closed during the prevelance of this influenza epidemic.”
On August 17, 1924, Wm. Jennings Bryan, famed attorney, made a short address in Eldon. He spoke to the crowd from the rear car of the Rock Island-Colorado flyer.
On March 27, 1929, the county court awarded the contract to construct a new jail to W. W. Hocker of Sedalia. The bid was $7,249.36. Final cost was almost $10,000.
Construction began on a dam across the Osage river on August 6, 1929......today’s Bagnell Dam.
The new county home (also once called an almshouse) was opened on August 4, 1931. it was located southeast of Tuscumbia on Highway 17. It contained 198 acres of farmland.
Miller County’s first historical society was formed on Nov. 18, 1931. The meeting was held at the Iberia Academy and Junior College. Officers elected were Gerard Schultz, president; Fred Spearman, vice president; and Clifford H. Clark, secretary/treasurer.
October 1, 1932, a new post office was opened and called Lake Ozark. Frank Andrews was the first postmaster.
On May 2, 1933, construction began on the new steel structural bridge across the Osage River at Tuscumbia. Final cost for construction was $145,000.
Norah Harbour Parrish, a Judge of Miller County’s Probate Court in the 1930s, was the first woman to be elected as a probate judge in the state of Missouri.
The first name given to Lake of the Ozarks was Lake Benton by an Act of the General Assembly of Missouri. The builders called it Lake of the Ozarks and the popular name remained.
Window to the Past The Arnolds
by Peggy Smith Hake
On August 18, 1881, two brothers, George W. Arnold and William G. Arnold, presented a plat to the Miller County recorder’s office and proceeded to establish a potential resort area in Section 23, Township 39, Range 13 in the Big Richwoods. On this location were found many bubbling springs of water and the brothers decided to plat out a proposed town site complete with four streets that would surround the springs area. The streets were named Sycamore, Main, Elixir, and Spring. They encircled a large park area that encased springs measuring 231 feet square.
The springs were named “Big Spring” and “Medical Spring” and the town was given the name Elixir Springs. It had 7 blocks mapped out with each block containing 4 lots each measuring 40 ft. by 60 ft. in size.....Today, these old springs are still producing water which flows clear and bright, but the town never came into existence. The springs are near Bailey Branch on the old Gordon Groves farm approximately 1½ miles west of Iberia.
George Washington Arnold and William Gray Arnold were born in Tennessee. George was the oldest, born in September 1833. William Gray was born about 11 years later, circa 1845. I believe a third brother was in Miller County also...John L. Arnold, born c/1837 in Tennessee.
John L. Arnold was the first to come to the Big Richwoods of southern Miller County and settled near Iberia just after the Civil War. All three men had children born in Arkansas so evidently they left Tennessee and migrated westward into Arkansas before the Civil War. George W. Arnold served in the Union army as a Private in Co. D of the 1st Arkansas Infantry for 6 months in 1862. In a special veterans census taken in 1890, there were two other men living in Iberia who had fought in the same Arkansas unit as George W. Arnold. They were John Barlow and Thomas J. Marchant and I would speculate they knew one another while in Arkansas.
William Gray Arnold married Nancy Jane Evans in Miller County on 3 April 1871, the marriage performed by Joshua D. Cochran, minister. Nancy was a widow with 3 sons (James, John, and William Evans). Nancy’s first husband, John Evans, was killed in the Civil War. From the 1880 census, it appears two children were born to William Gray Arnold and Nancy Colvin-Evans (George N. Arnold b. c/1873 and Anna C. Arnold b. c/1875). Sometime before the turn of the century, William Gray Arnold and his family must have moved from Miller County because no further information was found of William following the 1881 attempt to plat the resort area called “Elixir Springs” near Iberia.
George Washington Arnold, born Sept 1833, and his wife, Mary Arnold (b. c/1840 ILL.) married in Arkansas and were parents of 9 children. Some of the children were born in Arkansas before they came to Miller County. Their children included: Amanda Arnold b. c/1862 m. D.W. Baker 1882; James A. Arnold b. c/1865 m.Woxie A. Wilson 1886; Mary E. Arnold b. c/1867 (never married); John D. Arnold 1871-1888; Sarah C. Arnold b. c/1873 m. George Ferguson 1899; and George W. Arnold Jr. b. c/1878 m. Isabelle Ferguson (1899). Two other children died in infancy.
By the census of 1900, William Gray Arnold and his family were no longer found in Miller County, but George W. Arnold and his wife, Mary, lived west of Iberia near the families of Mace, Long, Denton, Bond, and Groves. Their daughter, Mary E. Arnold, was living with them (she never married). Also living in the Iberia area were their children: George Arnold Jr. and wife, Isabelle (Ferguson); Sarah (Arnold) and her husband, George Ferguson; Amanda (Arnold) and her husband, D.W./Dick Baker and their 6 children. There was no record found for James A. and Woxie (Wilson) Arnold so they may have moved away by then.
George Washington Arnold (1878-1929) and his wife, Isabelle (Ferguson) Arnold (1878-1949) are buried at Iberia Cemetery. George’s brother, John D. Arnold (1871-1888) is also buried there. I do not know where the parents, George W. Sr. and Mary Arnold, are buried since they do not appear in the inventoried records of Iberia Cemetery.
WINDOW TO THE PAST Joseph Crisp
by Peggy Smith Hake
Joseph Crisp was born in Kentucky in August 1842, a son of Joseph Crisp Sr. (1807-1867) and Phoebe Crisp (1808-1878). His parents were both natives of North Carolina according to census records. They came to central Missouri and settled in Saline township of Miller county in the mid 1840s. The children of Joseph Sr. and Phoebe were: MARGARET S. CRISP b. c/1824 m. William W. Hicks 1846; JAMES LAFAYETTE CRISP b. c/1828 m. Rebecca Waddell 1858; WILLIAM R. CRISP 1834-1901 m. Sarah C. Harbison 1861; ELIZABETH CRISP b. c/1837 m. (1) Nathaniel Hicks (2) John A. Tracy; STEPHEN S. CRISP b. c/1838 m. Elizabeth Bond 1862; and JOSEPH CRISP JR. 1842-1926 m. Miriam J. Bliss 1863.
In the 1850 census of Miller County, Joseph and Phoebe Crisp were living in Saline township near the families of Bittle, Trammel, Johnston, Vaughan, Brockman, and Smith. A little later, they moved to a different location and their neighbors were the Millers, Roarks, and Wyricks. Joseph Sr. died in 1867 and Phoebe died in 1878.....both are buried at Spring Garden Cemetery.
Tragedy struck the Crisp family during the Civil War. Their son, Stephen S. Crisp, and son-in-law, Nathaniel Hicks, were both killed in an infamous battle in Miller County called “The Curtman Island Massacre”. This happened on August 30, l864 when Confederate General Crabtree, and his band of bushwhackers, ambushed a group of Union soldiers on Curtman Island, located in the middle of the Osage river a few miles northwest of modern-day St. Elizabeth. Both men were serving in the Missouri Militia (Provisonal. Company).....Stephen Crisp was a young man, age 26, who left a wife (Elizabeth Mahala Bond) and one daughter, Mary Jane Crisp who was just a young baby. Nathaniel Hicks was 27 years old and left a wife, Elizabeth Crisp, and three sons (James, Joseph, and Stephen Hicks).
Joseph Crisp Jr., the youngest son of Joseph and Phoebe, married Miriam J. Bliss (called Mamie) on March 29, 1863. This was during the Civil War and Joseph served in the war during these years but I do not know which military group he was assigned to. In 1895, Joseph was a member of Eldon’s Samuel McClure G.A.R. Post and he could not have had membership unless he was a veteran of the Union army.
Miriam/Mamie Bliss was a daughter of Daniel and Nancy Bliss, natives of Connecticut. They were parents of several children including: DANIEL W. BLISS (killed by Indians on a trip west near Deseret, Utah); NANCY ELIZABETH BLISS m. Thomas W. Greenup; SAMUEL DAVID BLISS m. (1) Mary Lumpkin (2) Rebecca Conner; TIMOTHY D. BLISS m. Orpha Ann Grandstaff; MIRIAM J. BLISS m. Joseph Crisp; ELEAZER L. BLISS m. Amanda Adcock; and VICTORIA BLISS (1840-1857). Mamie’s mother, Nancy Bliss, died in 1858 and was buried at Dooley Cemetery, west of Eldon. Daniel Bliss then married Martha Jane Manes who was over 40 years younger than Daniel. They were parents of three sons, Daniel W. Bliss, Thomas B. Bliss, and Benjamin F. Bliss.
Joseph and Miriam/Mamie (Bliss) Crisp were parents of four children but only one son survived to adulthood. The children were: JOSEPH D. CRISP 1864-1941 m. Cornelia E. Buster 1884 (2) Jennie M. Chapman 1892; CHARLES L. CRISP 1865-1871; IDA V. CRISP 1873-1891; and ARTHUR L. CRISP 1876-1878.
In his early days Joseph united with the Christian Church at Mt. Pleasant. He died on December 26, 1926 at the age of 84 years and his funeral services were held at Mt. Pleasant Church, conducted by Rev. W. P. Bell who was the pastor of the Eldon Christian Church. Miriam/Mamie (Bliss) Crisp, Joseph’s wife of 63 years, had died just a few months earlier in April 1926. Both are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Joseph and Mamie made their home with Joseph Jr.and his family at Mt. Pleasant in the latter years of their lives. Joseph and Mamie’s three young children (Charles, Ida, and Arthur), who died in the 1870s, are buried at Spring Garden Cemetery.
ROBERT ROWDEN OF MARIES COUNTY, MISSOURI
Much of the information found in the story of Robert Rowden (below) was found in GOODSPEED'S 1889 HISTORY OF BENTON, COLE, MORGAN, MARIES, OSAGE, AND MILLER COUNTIES, MISSOURI
Peggy Smith Hake
Robert Rowden was born in 1819 in Roane County, Tennessee and was a son of Asa and Margaret (Hannah) Rowden. Asa was born in Henry County, Virginia in1792. His parents were Abram/Abraham and Rachel (Cheek) Rowden, natives of Henry County, VA who were born in 1752 and 1762 respectively. About 1797, Abram Rowden immigrated to Roane County in East Tennessee where he died in 1822. He was a tiller of the soil, teaching school in the winter. There was a Revolutionary soldier called Lord Rowden who shared his name. (NOTE: It is thought Abram Echols Rowden was a son of John Rowden and Sarah Echols and a descendant of John Rowden, a sea captain, who came to America in the 18th century.)
Asa Rowden served as a substitute for his brother, Nathaniel, in the Indian War of 1812, serving as a ranger near Edwardsville, Illinois. In 1837 he removed from Roane Co., TN to DeKalb Co., Alabama and in April, 1842, to Osage (now Maries) County, MO. Asa died in 1865 and his wife, who was born in Blount Co., TN in 1797, died in 1873. At the age of 17 years, Robert Rowden went with his parents to Alabama where his uncle, H. B. (Hardin Benton) Rowden, was engaged in selling goods to the Cherokee Indians. He entered the employment of his uncle and when the Cherokees were removed west (2 years later), he went to work in a saw mill at $11 per month, where he remained for 2 years. At the expiration of this job, he returned, in ill-health with $75 and his saddle and horse.
In 1842, Robert Rowden went to Missouri, where he worked a year or two at $11 per month and finally erected a primitive mill on Tavern creek for grinding corn. He subsequently engaged in teaching, and 17 Sept 1846, married Nancy A. Tyree who was born in Hardin Co., KY in 1826.
Of the nine children born to this union, six grew to maturity including: Sarah E. (deceased in 1889) m. Stephen Helton in 1867; Satterwhite, who was a law student at the State University in 1889 and later married Alma Miller; Cordelia, wife of John W. Breeden; Louis Clinton married Luella J. Felker in 1880 and died in April 1888 at age 32 (at his death he was serving as circuit clerk and recorder of Maries County); Robert Lincoln, as 1885 graduate of the law department of the State University at Columbia, MO; and Nina Ann who married ______Harris. I think their other three children may have been Josephine, Rosalee, and William.
Robert engaged in milling for a time after his marriage and his earnings finally enabled him to engage in merchandising with $50 worth of goods, first in a corner of the mill, later to a smoke-house and finally in a log cabin with puncheon doors and dirt floor. In the meantime he added a second-hand horse-mill to his property, all of which he and his wife attended to. By 1860, he had accumulated $6,000 and was about to purchase his cousin's mill and open a large business, when the Civil War began and before the contract was signed, the owner was a refugee in Illinois (I guess this was referring to his cousin-name unknown). Not discouraged, Robert 'held down the fort' until June 1864 when was deprived of all, save his land, energy and good name. He was obliged to take refuge at Vienna where he established himself with a stock of good worth $300 and was again raided and robbed. He then purchased another stock of goods on credit, and continued selling until 1876, at which time he had become the local banker and postmaster.
He was elected county treasurer in 1874, to which position he was 3 times re-elected, serving in all 8 years. He was justice of the peace for 20 years and judge of the county court for 6 years.. Judge Rowden became one of the most prominent citizens of Maries Co. He also conducted a large loaning business. Robert Rowden died on February 14, 1889. Nancy (Tyree) Rowden had died two months earlier on 19 Dec 1888 and both are buried at the Vienna Public Cemetery.
NOTE: Peggy Smith Hake is a descendant of Nathaniel Rowden and his first wife, Nancy Crain. Their daughter, Sarah Rowden, was Peggy's gr gr gr grandmother. Sarah's first husband was Andrew Lawson and they had 6 children. Peggy is descended from their daughter, Clarissa Jane Lawson-Shelton. Nathaniel Rowden was an uncle to Robert Rowden..................
CASEY-BARTON
Mary Ann Casey was born in Shannon Co.,MO on April 14, 1860, the oldest
daughter of Zadoc and Sarah Ann (Castleman) Casey. Her father was born in
Illinois in Sept. 1837 and her mother was born in Missouri c/1841.
Zadoc and Sarah Ann were married in miller Co., Mo 10 Mar 1859 by Hiram
Reed, a justice of the peace. Evidently they moved to Shannon Co., MO after
their marriage because their first child, Mary Ann, was born in that county
in 1860. Later they moved back to Miller County where they reared their
family. Their children included:
1.Mary Ann Casey b. 1860 m.George W. Barton 1881
2.John Simeon Casey b. 1863 m. Martha Barlow 1884
3.Drury Edward Casey b. 1867 m. Minerva J. Davidson 1886
4.William S. Casey b. 1870 (died young)
5.Ray Castleman Casey b. 1885 m. Naomi Pemberton 1908
NOTE: More children may have been born who died in infancy.
Sarah (Castleman) Casey died in the late 1880s and Zadoc married his second
wife, Elizabeth Livingston, on June 21, 1892, the marriage performed by
Absolem Bear, justice of the peace. Elizabeth was about 51 years old when
they married so no children were born to this marriage. In the 1900 census,
Zadoc and Elizabeth were living in the Hickory Point community of northern
Richwoods township. In their home was Zadoc's youngest son, Ray age 15, and
three grandchildren (Condrad, Lura, and Guy Casey). They were children of
Drury and Minerva (Davidson) Casey. Drury had died in 1897.
Mary Ann Casey, the oldest child of Zadoc and Sarah (Castleman), married
George W. Barton in Miller County 3 August 1881. Their marriage was
conducted by John S. Wilson, a justice of the peace. George Barton was born
in Graves County, Kentucky in February 1855, a sonn of Bentley Barton
(1820-1901) and his wife, Elizabeth (1829-1892). Their children included:
1.Mary Frances Barton b.1848 m. James Elbert McCubbin
2.Asa J. Barton b.1849 m. Barbara Barton
3.Jemima C. Barton b.1851 m. Lewis McCubbin
4.William A. Barton b.1853 m. Sarah E. Helm
5.George W. Barton b.1855 m. Mary Ann Casey
6.Aaron Hendon Barton b.1857 m. Martha Quisenberry
7.Cynthia J. Barton b.1859 m. John W. Howser
8.Maranda E. Barton b 1861 m. J.L. Carroll
9.Wade H. Barton b.1866 m. Mary Livingston
10.Susan A. Barton b.1869 m. Henry J. Williams
11.James L. Barton b.1873 m. Rosa E. Williams 1898
12.John B. Barton b.1875 m. no record
Mary Ann and George lived most of their lives in the Hickory Point area and
became members of the Hickory Point Baptist Church. Over the years they
became parents of several children:
1.Zella Barton b.1884 m. James Mayfield
2.Rosa G. Barton b.1885 m. Robert F. Burks
3.Pearl C. Barton b.1887 m. James E. Clark
4.Edna B. Barton b.1890 m. Walter Patterson
5.Amy Alice Barton b.1891 m. Milton D. Sooter
6.Georgia Anna Barton b.1893 m. Barney Dawson
7.Clifford Barton (1895-1896)
In 1935, George W. Barton died at age 80 and was buried at Hickory Point
Cemetery. Mary Ann (Casey) Barton, his wife of 54 years, died October 1938
at the age of 78. She was living in Crocker (Pulaski Co.) when she died and
was brought back to Hickory Point Cemetery for burial beside her husband and
infant son. She was survived by four daughters--Pearl, Anna, Edna, and Amy,
one sister, Eva Casey Livingston, and one brother, Ray Casey.
DAVID PORTER FARNHAM
by Peggy Smith Hake
DAVID PORTER FARNHAM was born near Williamsport, Lycoming County,
Pennsylvania on July 10, 1865. He was one of 6 children born to David
Farnham and Henrietta Goebel. His father was born 6 June 1826 in Canaan,
Maine of English ancestry and his mother was a native of Lycoming County, PA
born of German ancestry 23 February 1831. The children of David and
Henrietta were:
1.Charles W. Farnham 1858-1941 m. Sarah E. Irwin 1878
2.William L. Farnham 1864-1945 m. Sarah E. Heltzell 1886
3.David Porter Farnham 1865-1948 m. Lillie May Mace 1895
4.George I. Farnham 1868-1954 m. Anna E. Heltzell 1891
5.Mary E. Farnham 1870-1871
6. an infant son died probably c/1860
When David Porter Farnham was less than a year old (1866) his parents moved
west to Miller County, MO where other Pennsylvania families had located
before the Civil War. They came by rail to Pittsburgh;down the Ohio and up
the Misissippi rivers by boat; and finally inland from
Jefferson City to Iberia by oxen team. They arrived in Iberia, in the Big
Richwoods, on March 28, 1866. In 1880 their nearest neighbors were Phillip
Ponder, John P. Wilson, Kinsey Stone, Jacob Gardner, John Aust, James
Forrester, James Anderson, and Rufus Bailey.
David P. Farnham married Lillie May Mace on December 8, 1895. She was born in southern Illinois near the town of Galatia (Saline County) on 25 May
1876. She was one of 8 children born to Thomas W. and Julia Ann (Tate) Mace
including:
1.George A. Mace 1861-1931 m. Mary C. Adams 1887
2. Louisa C. Mace 1865-1933 m. Hervey W. Groff 1883
3.Mary E. Mace b.1867 m. Frank Arnold 1886
4.Samantha Josephine Mace 1874-1928 m. Selby John Heltzell 1895
5.Lillie May Mace 1876-1954 m. David Porter Farnham 1895
6.Cora Mace b.1879 m. Ernest Benage 1898
7.William T. Mace b.1882 m. Martha/Mattie Ferguson 1907
8.Ollie Mace b.1885 m. John Musick 1905
By 1900, David and Lillie May were living north of Iberia near the families
of Henry & Clementine (Aust) Gardner, Jacob & Martha (Smith) Gardner, Frank
& Elsie Ponder, Columbus & Stella Setser, Murrell & Mary (Forrester)
Shackleford. In the same year, David's
parents, his brothers and their families were all living in the village of
Iberia.
David and Lillie May were parents of four children who all attended and
graduated from Iberia Academy. The children were:
1.Lee Farnham b. 11 April 1898 m. Irene Wilkins
2.David Ray Farnham b. 22 Sep 1901 m. Jesse Belle Hays
d. 25 Aug 1999
3.Clarence W. Farnham b. 27 Oct 1910 b. 27 Oct 1910 m.
4.Vera Belle Farnham b. 19 Nov 1912 m. Dow Felly
During his lifetime, David Porter Farnham was a deacon in the Missionary
Baptist Church and was active in Republican politics. He died 2 July 1948,
just eight days before his 83rd birthday and was buried at Iberia Cemetery. His wife of 53 years, Lillie May Mace-Farnham, lived until May 20, 1954 and was buried at David's side.
NOTE: On August 26, 1999, David Ray Farnham, son of David Porter & grandson of David and Henrietta (Goebel) Farnham, passed away just a month short of reaching his 98th birthday.
David lived to an advanced age and remained active and alert until the last
couple of years of his life. Over the years I was able to pick up my phone
and call David and ask for his assistance in helping me remember people who
had lived in and around Iberia and events that had occurred over the many
years of the 20th century. His memory was remarkable and he could recall so
many families in the Big Richwoods where he was born and lived most of his
98 years. His generation have almost all gone from our midst and an
important source of information has gone with them. Now we have to rely on
written records to come up with historical and genealogical information. It
just is not the same....first-hand knowledge has always been the backbone of
my research whenever possible. I will miss the wisdom, understanding, and
honesty of folks like Davy Farnham.
Elder Jackson Daniel Thompson
by Peggy Smith Hake
Elder Jackson Daniel Thompson was born in Kentucky 30 Mar 1843, a son of William and Malinda Thompson, both natives of Kentucky. William, called ‘Buck’ (1807-1871) and Malinda (1805-1868) may have married and resided in central Kentucky, perhaps near the Barren and Edmonson county lines. They came to Miller County in the early 1840s. In the 1840 census of Barren Co, KY, William W. Thompson lived with his wife, 2 sons (under age 5 yrs.), and three daughters (between ages 5-15 yrs). This is most likely the same family who moved to Miller County about 1844......There is one record that states Elder J. D. Thompson was born in Edison Co., KY. Since there is no county in Kentucky with that name, there’s the possibility it was Edmonson County, which lies directly north of Barren County. Many Miller County pioneer families came from that area of central Kentucky.
Jackson D. Thompson was one of several children born to William and Malinda. Those I found record of were:
*1. Eliza Jane Thompson b. 1835 m. Thomas Owen Workman
2. John R. Thompson b. 1837 m. Eliza Jane Bilyeu
3. William A. Thompson (1839-1912) m. (1) Mary Jane____(2) Nancy____
4. Lucinda Catherine Thompson b. 1840 m. James Jefferson Cross
5. Jackson Daniel Thompson b. 1843 m. (1) Emily Bourne/Boren (2) Mary Jane
Shelton-Duncan
6. Nathaniel Grant Thompson b. 1845 m. Narcissus Record
7. James C. Thompson (1850-1927) m. Nancy A. Rowland
*After the death of Eliza Jane, Thomas Owen Workman, a circuit-riding preacher, married a widow, Nancy Keeth-Whittle and had several children. Nancy Keeth-Whittle was my great, great grandmother (widow of John Levi Whittle, a casualty of the Civil War)....I am descended from Nancy and her first husband, Levi Whittle....(Peg Hake)
William and Malinda Thompson, the Kentucky pioneers who settled in eastern Richwoods township, are buried at billingsley Cemetery, located a short distance east of Iberia.
Jackson Daniel Thompson served in the Civil War, per his obituary, but it did not state whether he fought with the Northern or Southern forces. At a very early age, when about 16 years old, he married Emily B. Bourne/Boren in Miller county on 10 Jan 1858 and before her death in the early 1890s, she had bore 17 children....only 9 survived including: JAMES W. THOMPSON b. 1860; GILLIUM THOMPSON 1866; GEORGE RILEY THOMPSON 1868; SARAH ANNA THOMPSON 1870 m. Edward Allen; MARTHA THOMPSON 1872 m. Edward Shelton; CHARLES THOMPSON 1874 ; ANDREW THOMPSON 1876; ROBERT WESLEY THOMPSON 1878; and NEWTON THOMPSON 1880.
Elder J. D. Thompson, called ‘Uncle Jack’ by most who knew him, was ordained in 1868 as an early-day preacher in central Missouri. He helped to organize and pastored several churches in the Miller County area including Alder Springs and Pleasant Hill, both located in Richwoods township. He may have been inspired to enter the ministry from his friendship with Joshua D. Cochran, another circuit-riding frontier preacher.
Emily Boren Thompson died in the early 1890s and in 1896, Elder Thompson married Mary Shelton-Duncan, a widow with 2 children. One daughter, Mrs. Lonnie Wall, was born to Elder Jack and his second wife. The Thompson continued to live in the Pleasant Hill area where he had served as pastor to the old church. He died at the age of 87 years on 8 Aug 1930 and was buried at Pleasant Hill cemetery beside his second wife who had died a year earlier in April 1929. Emily Boren Thompson was not found in any of Miller County’s cemetery records, so at this time, I do not know when she died nor where she is buried.
FRANCIS GAINES FLAUGHER
by Peggy Smith Hake
FRANCIS GAINES FLAUGHER was an early settler in Osage township,coming to Missouri in the 1830s. According to Miller Co. census records, Francis was
born in Kentucky. I'm not sure which county he may have come from but do
have record that Christopher Flaugher lived in Greenup Co.,KY during the
1820 census. I don't know if they were from the same family or not.
Francis Gaines Flaugher's first wife was Jane (maiden name unknown). They
were living in Osage township during Miller Co.'s first census in 1840.
Their neighbors included William Wilson, John wilson, George Reynolds, John
Burns, Sarah West, Leander Musick and John Humphrey. In their home was
their first child, Eliza, born about 1838. As the years went by they had at
least 7 other children: James Monroe b.c/1841; Thomas b.c/1843; Charles
b.c/1848; John b. c/1849; Madison b.c/1852; Francis b.c/1854; and Richard
b.c/1857.
Sometime before 1857, Jane Flaugher died (perhaps in childbirth) and Francis
married Matilda Weimmer Shephard on 15 Oct 1857. She was a daughter of
Jacob and Jane Weimmer of Osage township and the widow of Jasper Shepherd whom she had married in 1839.Matilda had 5 children when she married Francis Flaugher including Joseph, Jesse, Jacob, Jane, and Isabella Shepherd. I believe Francis & Matilda had at least one child, Clementine Flaugher, born 1863, and married Henry Capps.
I have not found the death date for Francis Gaines Flaugher, but he must
have died before 1880, Matilda, his 2nd wife, lived until after 1900. She
was living in the home of her daughter and husband, Clementine & Henry
Capps. According to 1900 census records, Matilda Weimer Shepherd Flaugher
was born in November 1844.
James Monroe Flaugher, oldest son of Francis and first wife, was born
c/1841. About the age of 20 he married Elizabeth Varner 24 Feb 1861. In
1860, Elizabeth and her brother, Edward Varner,were living in the home of
Francis and Matilda Flaugher. Their parents may have been already deceased
at that time. James was living with his step-grandmother, Jane Weimmer,
during the same census.
By 1880, James Monroe Flaugher was probably deceased since Elizabeth was
enumerated as head of the household in the census record. Her children
included: JAMES FLAUGHER,JR b/1865 m. Mary L. Clark 1888; CHARLES P.
FLAUGHER b.c/1869 m. Malinda Burnett 1893; HENRY M. FLAUGHER 1870-1951 m.
Mariah Pearl Robinson 1906; LUCRETIA FLAUGHER b.1874 m. Phillip Lee;
ELIZABETH FLAUGHER b.c/1878 m._________. Some of Elizabeth's neighbors
included the families of Burks, Davidson, Jones, Bilyeu, Berry, Martin,
Roark, and Capps.
By 1900, Henry Flaugher and his wife, Mariah Pearl (Robinson); Henry &
Clementine (Flaugher) Capps; and James W. Flaugher and his wife, Mary L.
Clark, were all living in the same vicinity of Osage township. Matilda, the
mother of Clementine, was living with her son-in-law and daughter. She was
listed as a widow, born in Sept. 1821 in Ohio and gave her parents
birthplaces as Germany and Ireland,respectively.
The family of James W. Flaugher (son of James Monroe and Elizabeth (Varner)
Flaugher) and his wife, Mary L. Clark, included: ICIE B. FLAUGHER b. May
1890; WILLIAM E.FLAUGHER b. Oct 1891; OLLIE D. & FANNIE JANE FLAUGHER
(twins) b. Jan 1892; HENRY E. FLAUGHER b.Oct 1895; and CHARLES C. FLAUGHER
b. Aug 1897. There may have been other children born about 1900.
NOTE: Not much information has been found about Mary L. Clark, wife of
James Flaugher. She was born in April 1866 in Miller County. Family legend
states she was an orphan who was left sitting by her parent's tombstone at
their funeral.....she was supposedly reared by the Daniel Kinworthy family
who lived in the same community. I have not been able to confirm this
report.
JOHN W. ETTER
by Peggy Smith Hake
John W. Etter was born in Miller Co., MO 16 August 1851. He was a son of
Daniel Etter ( 1813-1892) and his wife, Mary (1816-1880). The Etters were
natives of Virginia and came to Miller County prior to 1850. They first
settled in Glaize township in the Ulman's Ridge community where their
neighbors included the Reeds, Ulmans, Hawkins, Gums, Gotts, Goldens,
Bilyeus, McCubbins, and Wyricks. Daniel and Mary were parents of several
children including : JAMES ETTER b.c/1837; SAMUEL ETTER b.c/1843; ROSEANNA ETTER b.c/1843; WILLIAM ETTER b.c/1845; ELIZA ETTER b.c/1848; JOHN W. ETTER b. c/1851; MISSOURI A. ETTER b.c/1854; and MARTHA ETTER b.c/1857.
Sometime between 1860-1870, the Etter family moved to Saline township and
settled on a prairie east of Eldon. On October 3, 1873, John W. Etter (born
Aug 1851), the fourth son born to Daniel and Mary, married Mary Jane Bond.
She was born in Miller Co. about 1854/55, the 9th child of Isaac and
Temperance Bond. She had several brothers and sisters: JOSEPH BOND, MAHALA BOND, RUTH BOND, JOHN BOND, SARAH BOND, JAMES BOND, JENNY BOND, THOMAS BOND, AND MARY/POLLY BOND. By 1870 evidently both her parents had died because her brother and sister, Thomas & Mary, were living in the home of Madison and Ellen Belshe.
John and Mary (Bond) Etter became parents of eleven children, nine whom
survived their father when he died in the early 1900s. I found his obituary
in a newspaper clipping (undated). It stated his services were held at his
home in Eldon, conducted by Rev. Francis M. Stickney. He was buried in
Eldon cemetery, per the obituary, but cemetery records which have been
inventoried have no listings of his gravesite. He was preceded in death by
his wife, Mary Jane (Bond), and two children....he was survived by nine
children who were Mrs.William M. Hackney (Maude), Mrs. James T. Loving
(Lucy), Mrs. C.A. Houltz, Mrs. H.M.Russell, Mrs. Ernest E.Bridges, Miss
Cirrelda Etter, Daniel E. Etter, George Ralph Etter and Albert Ross Etter.
> CAPPS/CAPPS LANDING
> (from the book GHOST TOWNS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI, Volume 1)
> by Kelly Warman Stallings
>
> Permission to reprint this story was given by the author, Kelly Warman
> Stallings, a daughter of Peggy Smith Hake..........
>
> I am not sure when the settlement of Capps came into existence, but probably
> in the mid 1800s. The Capps family, for whom the vicinity was named, was in
> Miller County as early as the 1840s. The small river town, which was located
> near the Osage river in northeast Miller County, had several business places
> at the turn of the 20th century. Situated on the south side of the river,
> and located in Osage township, it contained several general stores, a post
> office, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, a doctor's office, and a ferry boat
> crossing. It also had a school nearby, about 1/2 mile south.
>
> The ferry boat crossing was called Capps Landing (some called the town
> Capps Landing as well) and it was a very important and major way of crossing > the river for our pioneer forefathers. It was the nearest ferry and many folks
> relied on it both north and south of the river in Osage and Jim Henry
> townships.
>
> Tuscumbia, the county seat in Equality township, had a ferry also but it was
> quite a few miles upriver from Capps. The post office was established in
> 1892 and was in operation until 1911. After the turn of the century, Perry
> Nixdorf (son of Dr. Anton P. Nixdorf) set up a doctor's office in the small
> town. He also had a practice in the nearby town (across the river) called
> Marys Home at the same time and traveled the river between the two
> settlements. This busy doctor resided in the Pleasant Farm area.
>
> In 1878, the county had a total of 65 schoolhouses, yet only 56 teachers were
> employed and received wages of $22.50 per month. In 1878 there were 55
> schools for the white children and one school for the black children. In
> 1930/31 there was a Capps school district No.39 and school was held in a
> small one-room schoolhouse just south of the small village. The teacher in
> 1930 was Lucy Kubachek who lived in Tuscumbia. The Capps school district > was also known as Spring Dale.
>
> Today, very little remains of the town. Once more, Mother Nature has
> reclaimed the land with her wooded areas and the mighty Osage rolls past
> what was once a busy ferry crossing. The Capps cemetery is still maintained > and still bears the name of this once busy river town.
CHARLES H. BOND
BY Peggy Smith Hake
Charles Henderson Bond was born near Iberia on 9 July 1878, a son of Lewis Allen Bond and Martha Elizabeth Blize. Lewis and Martha were married in Miller County on August 23, 1877. Martha (1858-1936) was a daughter of Prior and Elizabeth Ann (Kanatzer) Blize. Lewis Bond (1858-1949) was a son of Felix H. and Elizabeth (Burks) Bond. The children of Lewis and Martha included:
1.Charles Henderson Bond 1878-1971 m.Sarah Isabel Barlow
2.Della Bond 1880-1953 m. Arthur G. Waite
3.Jennie Bond 1882-1913 m. James A. Law
4.Perry Bond 1884-1964 m. Mollie Barlow
5.George W. Bond 1887-1951 m. Jennie Ramsey
6.Molly Bond 1889-1890
7.Sada/Sadie B. Bond b. 1891 m. Claude I. Law
8.Nettie Bond 1894-1981 m. J. Milton Hensley
9.John Dow Bond 1898-1978 m. Anna May Condra
10.Jesse Bond 1898-1970 m.1-Evelyn Farnham
2-Berniece Dickerson
11.Joseph Lee Bond 1903-1969 m. Grace Belle Wall
In 1900, the Bond family was livingn in Richwoods township, northwest of Iberia near the families of Denton, Meredith, Groves, Wall, Arnold, Mace, Livingston, and Mayfield.
On December 9,1900 at the age of 21 years, Charles Henderson Bond married Sarah Isabel Barlow, teh marriage performed by John H. Aust, minister. Most of her life she was called "Izzie". Her marriage record listed her name as Izzie Barlow. I learned her full name from a granddaughter, Peggy Bond Miller, who lives in the state of Washington. Izzie Barlow Bond was born 19 August 1878 in Miller County, a daughter of James Andrew Barlow (1853-1930) and Margaret C. Sorters (1848-1913). Izzie's Barlow grandparents were James M. Barlow and Julia Ann Robinett. Her grandfather was born c/1815 in Kentucky and died during the Civil Warat Helena, Arkansas. Her grandmother , Julia, was born in 1817 and was a daughter of Joseph Robinett and Rachel Tatman. James and Julia married 18 June 1837 in Gallatin County, Illinois.
Charles/Charley and Izzie (Barlow) Bond were parents of three children:
1.Burgess Bond 1902-1904
2.Lottie Bond 1905-1990 m.Wm. Harvey Barr 1929
3.Billie Woodrow Bond 1912-1974 m. Carlotta M. Percival
Charles H. Bond was a member of the Iberia Methodist Church and the Modern Woodmen of America. He died at the age of 93 years on March 8, 1971 with funeral services held at the Iberia Methodist Church. He was buried in Livingston Cemetery beside his wife, Sarah Isabel/Izzie (Barlow) who had preceded him in death 18 years earlier on 16 January 1953.
According to his obituary, Charley/Charles was survived by his son and daughter, six grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren; one brother, John Dow Bond of Iberia, and two sisters, Nettie Bond Hensley of Ulman and Sadie Bond Law of Eldon.
Samuel Farley
Samuel Farley died in Miller County in October 1852 and his probate estate can be found in Miller County Probate Records. The probate was filed on 16 Oct 1852 with William P. Dixon, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Recorder of Deeds. Information for the estate records were given by his son, Evi B. Farley and his widow, Permelia (Clark) Farley. Permelia was appointed the administrator of the estate.
The heirs listed in 1852 included: Emily Farley Keith of Clark Co., MO; Rachel Farley of St. Louis, MO; Editha A. Farley Robertson of St. Louis, MO; E. B. (Evi) Farley, Chloe Farley, Sarah Jane Farley, Eliza Farley, Lucy V. Farley, Emarine Farley, Susan Farley, Virginia Farley, Francis C.C. Farley and his widow, Permelia Farley, all of Miller County, MO.
Samuel Farley was born c/1795 in Monroe County, VA, which today is part of West Virginia. He was a son of Francis Farley and Rachel (McMullen), both natives of Virginia. They were parents of 4 children including Samuel and Martin. The names of the other two children are not known at this time. Francis Farley, Samuel’s father, died in 1802 and his mother then married Henry Ballengee in Monroe County, VA. The Ballengee family and their children came to Missouri in the early 1830s and settled in what was then Cole County. Later, after the formation of Miller County in 1837, they were residents of Miller County. Samuel Farley came with his mother and stepfather to Missouri and they all settled near one another.
Samuel married back in Virginia but the identity of his first wife has not been found. They were parents of seven children including: Emily, Rachel, Evi, Editha, Chloe, Sarah Jane and Eliza. After coming to Missouri, Samuel married his second wife, Permelia A. Clark in Cole County, MO on August 17, 1841. She was 25 years younger than Samuel . Permelia became the mother of five more children before Samuel’s death in 1852. Their children were Lucy V., Emarine, Susan, Virginia, and Francis..........Since most of Samuel’s children were daughters, the name Farley was passed on through his son, Evi B. Farley who married Amanda M. Allen in 1850.
Samuel Farley was appointed a road commissioner by the Missouri General Assembly in 1850 to overlook the building of a road from Spanish Prairie, Crawford County, to Tuscumbia, Miller County. He also once lived near Fair Play, on the Osage River, north of present day St. Elizabeth, and while there he owned a steamboat named “Big Red Indian” which ran down the Osage river to the Missouri; onward to the Mississippi; and eventually carried materials and goods all the way to New Orleans.
Samuel’s brother, Martin Farley, also came to Miller County and settled in Jim Henry township near present-day Marys Home. Martin and his wife, Elizabeth, married in Virginia before coming to Miller County. I believe they did not come to Missouri as early as Samuel because their children, enumerated in the Miller County 1850 census, appear to have all been born in Virginia and Kentucky. Their children were Nancy, Catherine, Mahala, Owen R., Peter, and Agnes. Some of these Farleys married into the families of Jenkins, Golden, Winters, Morgan, Burtchett, Edgeman, Berry, Staton and Hamacher....Most of the descendants of the Farley family in central Missouri today are from the family of Martin and Elizabeth Farley.
Getting back to the family of Samuel Farley, there are some interesting things recorded about his son, Evi B. Farley in Miller County’s history. He married Amanda M. Allen in 1850 and they were parents of at least three children: John T. Farley b. 1856; Frank W. Farley b. 1858 and Lucy A. Farley b. 1860. There were probably more children born after 1860 but I have no record of others.........
Evi B. Farley was prominent in Miller County’s politics before and during the Civil War. He was County Clerk and Clerk of the Circuit Court/Recorder from 1857-1863. He was one of the first Trustees of the Village of Tuscumbia and was appointed as the Superintendant of construction when the new courthouse was built in 1858. He was a school commissioner and a commissioner of the Miller county seat of justice. Before he became involved in politics, he was an early school teacher in some of the Miller County schools.
Evi supported “Secession” from the Union for Miller County at the beginning of the Civil War. He was among several men who sympathized with the South and as these troops came into the county, he helped them secretly store gunpowder in the courthouse. When discovered by the Union troops, they overtook the courthouse and seized the cache of gunpowder and in the raid, found a small iron cannon! They took the cannon to Camp Union, near Brumley, and put it into use there. In 1862, Evi was one of several men who were levied a fine for supporting the Confederacy. His fine was quite substantial for that day....$160.00.
This way of life lasted for two more years for Evi B. Farley.....In 1864, he fled from Miller County to avoid arrest and probable imprisonment. I do not know what happened to him and his family because they do not appear in Miller County census records after 1864..... I wonder if he went back to one of the Confederate states to live and rear his young family or did they venture westward to find a new life?
Rowden Hotel in Iberia
THE OLD ROWDEN HOTEL ONCE LOCATED IN IBERIA.........The Rowden Hotel site was purchased on 23 November 1887 by James Washington Shelton and his wife, Matilda (Whitaker). In some records, James’ name is recorded as James Hannah Rowden. James Washington/Hannah Rowden was a son of James E. Rowden (1811-1889) and his wife, Margaret Lawson (1818-1899), natives of East Tennessee.
The land where the future Rowden Hotel would be built was bought from Hardin and Elizabeth Lollis of Iberia. The Lollis’ were a black family who had been former slaves in Miller County before the Civil War. For many years they lived in Hardy Park in an old log cabin sitting west of the Iberia Academy. They were known as Hardy and Bett Lollis by the oldtimers of the Iberia vicinity.
I believe the hotel was built shortly after 1887 by the Rowden family. It sat on Lot 2 Block 4 of the original town of Iberia, which had been platted in 1859 by Henry Dickerson. James W. Rowden, more popularly know as ‘Jim Hanner’ Rowden, purchased four town lots from the Lollis family which covers the area which today is west of Ole Peddlars Treasurers and the empty lots behind the antique shop and the vacated tavern.
There is no one today who can give a ‘first person’ account of this old hotel when it first came into existence. Some of the older folks of the area have given me their recollections of the earlier days of the 20th century. About 1914, Leftie (Bond) Kinder (now deceased), told me that she and her sister, Leatha (Bond), came to Iberia from their Fairview community family farm and worked their first job with the telephone company in Iberia. On July 11, 1906, Iberia voted to acquire a telephone franchise and it was passed by the citizens with a 2/3 majority vote. Gideon M. Durham, husband of Alcena Rowden Durham (daughter of James A. & Matilda (Whitaker) Rowden), was chairman of the board of the telephone company. Gid and Alcena also sold the land for Iberia’s second bank, located on Lombar Avenue, to the board of directors of the Farmers and Traders Bank. That was in 1907.
Leftie Bond Kinder told me the phone office was located on the second floor of the old Rowden Hotel. Cora (Rowden) Shelton and her husband, George Shelton, operated a restaurant on the first floor of the hotel. Cora was another daughter of James and Matilda (Whitaker) Rowden. Cora died in 1923, three days after her father had died on 12 December 1923, so the Sheltons must have operated the restaurant during the years of World War I.
Alcena Rowden Durham and her husband, Gideon, also operated the hotel for awhile. About 1905-06, my grandmother, Sarah Boyd Smith, came to Iberia from the Sudheimer area of eastern Richwoods township and went to work for the Durhams at the hotel. The Rowden and Shelton families were her mother’s kinfolk, so she was some distant kin to the hotel owners.
Over the years, the Rowden Hotel saw many travelers come and go through the Big Richwoods of southern Miller County. It existed for about 52 years serving the Iberia area as a hotel, restaurant, telephone office, barber shop, and tavern.
It was used as work space for the W.P.A. (Workers Progressive Association) during the Depression era where mattresses were made by ladies of the community. Dr. William Gould opened his first medical office on the first floor of the old hotel when he came to Iberia in the 1930s.
The old Rowden Hotel was destroyed in the devastating fire of 1939 which nearly leveled the downtown area of Iberia. Over the years it was a thriving business place in the daily life of a small town in Mid Missouri.
NOTE: In the 1996 edition of OLD SETTLERS GAZETTE (Volume 1 No. 14-July 1996), there is a picture of downtown Iberia photographed on Main Street looking eastward. Very visible in the old picture is a building which may be the Rowden Hotel. It looked like a rather large building with elaborate ornamentation work on the roof and upper floor of the structure. There were 6 windows across the front of the second story and below, on the ground level, was a large overhanging porch made of what appears to be sheet metal. It is difficult to determine the age of the picture....could be circa 1910-20.
ALEXANDER CLARK
by Peggy Smith Hake
Alexander Clark was born in Osage township, Miller County , on December 2, 1859 on the 'old Mike Humphrey place' about 10 miles east of Tuscumbia. He was a son of Alexander Clark Sr. and Minerva Davidson-Myers, natives of Greenup County, KY. Alexander's grandparents were John 'Hoppin' Clark and Elizabeth Farmber who also were from Greenup Co., KY. John 'Hoppin' and Elizabeth/Betsey were a colorful couple whose life makes a wonderful tale--some of it truth, some legend....but that's another story.
Alexander Clark Sr. (1822-1875) married Minerva Davidson-Myers (1820-1876), the widow of Charles P. Myers Sr., in Miller County 3 November 1844. Minerva had two young sons by Charles Myers, James and Charles Jr., when she married Alexander. She produced seven more children by Alexander. Her children were: JAMES R.MYERS b. 1842 m. Martha Jane Boyd 1865; CHARLES P. MYERS JR b.1844 m. Nancy Bass; CAROLINE L. CLARK b.1846 m. Isaac D. Rowden 1867; JOHN H. CLARK b. 1848 m. Missouri Ann Rowden; AGNES BELLE CLARK b. 1852 m. Jacob S. Rowden 1867; WILLIAM CLARK b.1855 m. Mary P. Gardner 1881; EDWARD C.CLARK b. 1858; ALEXANDER CLARK JR. b. 1859 m. (1) Margaret Willia c/1879 (2) Mary Josephine Nelson 1884; and EARNEST M. CLARK b. 1862 m. Almeda J. Wade 1884.
Alexander Clark Jr. married Margaret Willis, daughter of Joshua and Rachel Willis, about 1879 (no record found of their marriage) and they had one child, Arthur, born in 1880. Margaret died within a short time of Arthur's birth and then Alexander married Mary Josephine Nelson of Maries County on Jun 5, 1884. Mary (1869-1927) was a daughter of George C. and Margaret Nelson of Miller County township, Maries Co., MO. Her father's ancestors were natives of Scotland; her mother's came from Tennessee.
In 1880, Alexander and his first wife, Margaret, were living in western Maries County. After Margaret's death and his marriage to Mary Josephine, the Clark family moved back to Miller County and settled in Equality townskp, a few miles south of Tuscumbia. In 1900 they were living in the Mt. Zion community near the families of Bear, Schlesinger, Wyrick,Roberts, Flaugher, Hackney, Dawson, Rhoades, and Watson.
Alexander was the father of seven children including: ARTHUR CLARK (1880-1939), ELIZA CLARK b. 1885 m. Edward R. Patterson 1906; ESTELLA M. CLARK b. 1890 m. Charles Everett Wyrick 1907; EUNICE CLARK b. 1891 m.____Stark; CARROLL E. CLARK b. 1895; OPAL CLARK b. 1898 m.______Thornsberry; JEWELL CLARK; and BARNEY CLARK. There may have been other children I did not find record of. Also some of the birth dates may not be accurate because in research you will find census,birth , and death records often do not correspond.
Alexander Clark Jr. died July 13, 1928 at the age of 68 years. His wife, Mary Josephine, had died a year earlier and was buried at Old Mt. Zion cemetery. When Alexander died he was survived by 8 children, 2 brothers (Edward & Earnest) and 1 sister (Carrie/Caroline Rowden). His funeral was held at Mt.Zion church and he was buried beside Mary in Old Mt. Zion cemetery
EDWARD PINKEY CLARK
by Peggy Smith Hake
Edward Pinkey Clark was born near Olean, Miller County, MO on June 11, 1878, the youngest of 10 children born to William G. 'Billy' Clark and Margaret Kelsay. There is no record of his parent's marriage in Miller County records but all their children were born in Missouri. They first appear in Miller County in the 1870 census, living in Saline township near the families of Miller, Spalding, Dresser, Brockman, Slater, and Sloan.
The ten children of 'Billy' and Margaret Clark were: George W. Clark 1858-1920 m. Florrilla V. Atkinson 1880; his twin brother, William G. Clark 1858-1929 m. Eliza ____; J. C. Fremont Clark b. 1862 m. Lucy E. James 1883; Annie M. Clark 1866-1963 m. (1) Albert Tarbutton 1885 (2) Benjamin Lawson 1892; Mattie Clark 1872-1929 m. Charles H. Clarke 1890; Lucy Clark b. 1876 m. no record found; Edward Pinkney Clark 1878-1938 m. Lela Hauenstein 1911. Three other children died young including: Virginia Belle Clark b. 1864; an infant son 1869-1870; and Josie Lou Clark 1871-1872.....William 'Billy' Clark (1838-1905) and his wife, Margaret (1838-1910) are buried in Tuscumbia cemetery.
Edward Pinkney Clark married Lela A. Hauenstein in Miller County 17 January 1911, their marriage performed by Herbert J. Corwine, minister. Lela was a daughter of Capt.William H. Hauenstein (1846-1936) and his second wife, Martha V. Challes (1852-1922). Lela was one of 6 children born to William H. Hauenstein by his 2 wives including: Edith 1873-1874; Robert 1874-1876; Frederick b. 1880 (all by Sarah Elizabeth Goodrich); Lela 1885-1914 m. Edward P. Clark; William H.Jr.,1888-1962 m. Ethel S. Moles and Elizabeth b. Nov. 1891 (the last three children by second wife, Martha)....Lela also had a half-sister, Effie Henley (daughter of Daniel Henley, her mother's first husband). The first wife of William H. Hauenstein was Sarah Elizabeth Goodrich who drowned in the Osage river in the early 1880s.
Edward Pinkney Clark and Lela Hauenstein were married for only 3 years when she died at the age of 29 years. They were parents of one child, a daughter named Genevieve Clark (1912-1938). Evidently Genevieve never married so Edward P. Clark had no descendants when he died on April 8, 1938.
Edward Pinkney Clark served as Miller County Clerk on the Republican ticket from 1919 to 1930 (elected 3 times to that office). I do not know if he reared his daughter during those years because according to his obituary it only stated he was survived by his daughter during those years, Genevieve Clark, and a sister, Annie Lawson. Only two months later after Edward died, his only child died at the age of 26 years and was buried at Tuscumbia near her parents.
During the construction of Bagnell Dam in the late 1920s and early 30s, Edward was employed by Union Electric Company in their security system. He was a member of the Eldon Masonic Lodge and had earlier belonged to Tuscumbia's Lodge before it disbanded.
In the newspaper article that told of his death, it stated he died at the boarding home of Mrs. Grace Eilerts of Tuscumbia where he had rooms. It also said he had his own business but did not say what that business was in his obituary. His services were held at the Tuscumbia Presbyterian Church by Rev. Raymond Gilbreath of the Eldon Methodist Church with burial in Tuscumbia cemetery. When he died on April 8, 1938 he was two months short of reaching his 60th birthday.
GABRIEL COTTON
by Peggy Smith Hake
Gabriel Cotten was born 26 Sep 1810, a son of Benjamin Cotton (1786-1872). One census record listed Gabriel's birthplace as Illinois and others reported Missouri as his place of birth. Missouri is certainly incorrect because the Cotten family did not come to Missouri until the mid 1830s. There were Cotten families in Virginia in 1790 so that may be the birthplace of Gabriel. In the 1830s, Benjamin and Gabriel settled near the Little Gravois creek in today's Franklin township. The site of old Gilgal Church, built at the mouth of the Little Gravois, was not far away from their homestead.
In November 1840, Gabriel was appointed by the county court to act as a road commissioner for a new road being built through his area. Later he became an inspector of the sub-district schools of School District #10 and the district meetings were held in old Gilgal Church. I believe they later moved to northern Franklin township near the Morgan county line. In 1866, Gabriel bought some land in a sheriff's sale and it was located near the present site of Rocky Mount.
Gabriel Cotten married Margaret Guyer/Gier prior to 1829. They may have married before coming to Missouri because marriage records could not be found locally. Over the years Margaret bore many children, at leat 16, including: LOUISA b. 1829 m. Alexander Mayfiled Russell 1848; MARY ANN b. 1830 m. George W. Etter 1846; BENJAMIN FRANKLIN b. 1832 m. Lydia Ann Bunker 1852; SYLVESTER J. b. 1834 m. Mary A. Burris 1859; JOHN (1836-1851); JOSEPH b. 1838 m. Julia Ann Dooley 1860: SAMUEL (1839-1860); WILLIAM H. b. 1841 m. ___; ELEANOR/ELLEN (1842-1866) m. Thomas Greene McClure 1864; SARAH ANN b. 1844 m. John Hedgpeth; THOMAS W. b. 1846 Sarah Elvira Babcoke 1867;MARY ZYLPHA (1850-1851); LIVONIA b. 1854 m. James Duncan 1869; FANNIE b. 1855 m._______; JACOB G. (1859-1863).
During the early 1850s, the 'gold rush fever' hit many Miller County mean and off they went to California, half a nation away. In 1850, several men formed a partnership and called it THE CALIFORNIA GOLD DIGGIN' COMPANY. Among the partners were Garbriel Cotten and his two older sons Benjamin and Sylvester. On May 10, 1850 they began their trek wetward to the gold fields of north-central California. Along the way,they had a conflict wit the Indians and one member of their party was killed near Deseret, Utah. They eventually reached California, but evidently did not stay very long because in September 1850, headed back to Missouri. I imagine their 'gold fever'was quickly cured.
Margaret Guyer/Gier Cotten, daughter of John and Ellen Guyer,died in 1866 and in September 1867, Gabriel married Adeline C. Neeley. They had a daughter,Nannie B. Cotten, born in 1869. Gabriel fathered 17 children by his two wives. Gabriel Cotten died 4 January 1871 at the age of 60 years. He was buried beside Margaret at the Taylor Family Cemetery near the Morgan County line. Four of their young children are also buried in the old cemetery. The children's graves are the oldest of record in the cemetery, so Gabriel and Margaret must have lived in the area in 1851 when son John and daughter Zylphia both died.
THEODORE B. ROBINSON.......
by Peggy Smith Hake
Theodore B. Robinson was born 3 Apr 1837 about three miles west of Farmington, St. Francois County, MO. He was one of eleven children born to Philip R. Robinson (1797-1870) and Margaret M. Moore (1801-1856). His father was born in Kentucky and his mother in East Tennessee. Their children were: OSCAR F. ROBINSON 1821- 1861 died in Civil War; HARRIETT N. ROBINSTON b. c/1822; AMANDA M. ROBINSON b. c/1824; ELIZABETH R. ROBINSON b. 1826 m. H. C. McFarland; GEORGE W. ROBINSON 1830-1863 m. Elizabeth J. Reed (he also died in the Civil War); JOANNA H. ROBINSON 1831-1916 m. Wencelaus Ponder; MARY M. ROBINSON b. 1834 m. Alexander Carnes; THEODORE B. ROBINSON 1837-1900 m. 1-Martha Hawkins 2-Parthenia Burks-McCarty; GERALDINE F. ROBINSON 1840-1869 m. Henry Bear; RACHEL B. ROBINSON b. 1843 m. Jesse D. Salsman; and SARAH E. ROBINSON 1845-1907 m . Mastin J. Wornell.
The Robinson family came to Miller County from southeast Missouri in 1849 and located eight miles south of Tuscumbia in the Little Richwoods. Theodore was a young boy when his family came to Miller County and he attended the common schools in his district. In 1861, at the age of 24 years, he enlisted in McClurg’s Regiment of the Missouri Home Guards and later enlisted into Co. H of the 6th Missouri Cavalry where he served three more years during the war. He had one brother, George, who also served in the Union Army. Their oldest brother, Oscar, served with the Confederate troops and was killed near Springfield in the battle of Wilson’s Creek. It is thought that brother fought brother in that battle and did not know the other was there!
Before his discharge in February 1865, Theodore was involved in battles in Pea Ridge, Arkansas; Vicksburg, Champion Hill, and Ft. Gibson, Mississippi; and then took part in the Red River expedition. He returned back to his Miller County home in 1865 and within a month had married his first wife, Martha C. Hawkins, daughter of William and Catherine (McCubbin) Hawkins of the Brumley area. She died in 1868 and he then married Parthenia Burks-McCarty in January 1870. Parthenia was the widow of P. Gordon McCarty and they had one daughter, Mary/Mollie McCarty, born c/1852.
Theodore Robinson was the father of one child, a daughter Mary Olive Robinson, who was only a baby when her mother died in 1868. He also reared his stepdaughter, Mary/Mollie McCarty. Theodore’s daughter, Mary Olive, married Professor Herbert Lee Moles in 1884 and his stepdaughter, Mary/Mollie McCarty, married Joseph L. Cummings in 1888. The children of Mary Olive (Robinson) and Herbert Moles were: OPAL MYRTLE MOLES 1886-1889; ETHEL SUSAN MOLES b. Oct 1888; RUBY MOLES b. Mar 1891; ROBERT MOLES b. Aug 1892; THOMAS H. MOLES b. May 1894; JOEL LEO MOLES 1896-1900; MARY O. MOLES b. Jun 1898; and HERBERT MOLES 1899-1900........Even though Theodore was the father of only one child, he was the grandfather of many grandchildren which he enjoyed over the years.
In 1866, Theodore Robinson was elected county clerk and circuit clerk of Miller County and held those offices for 12 years. After leaving public office, he began to read law and was admitted to the bar in September 1876. By 1880, he entered politics once again and was elected prosecuting attorney of Miller County. In 1888, he was elected as a Republican state delegate from the 11th District to the National Republican Convention in Chicago. The Convention nominated Benjamin Harrison as Republican candidate for President and he was elected in the following general election. The Robinsons had been supporters of the Democrat party prior to coming to Miller County but Theodore changed his politics to Republican during the years he ran for and held public office in the county. Later, he changed back to the Democrat party and was appointed to fill the vacancy of Judge of the Missouri 14th Judicial Circuit in September 1899. The circuit included the counties of Miller, Cole, Maries and Moniteau. He held that office almost a year until his death, in August 1900.
Judge Theodore B. Robinson was a member of the Christian Church, the Iberia Masonic Lodge #410, the I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows), and the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) and was a prominent attorney in Tuscumbia for many years. He owned several good farms in the county as well as town property in Tuscumbia.
In August 1900, Theodore B. Robinson died at his home in Tuscumbia at the age of 63 years. He was preceded in death by his two wives, Martha (Hawkins) in 1868 and Parthenia (Burks-McCarty) in 1893. Mary Olive (Robinson), only child of Theodore, lived only two months longer than her father. She died in October1900. Professor Moles, Mary’s husband, was left with several small children to rear alone. He married his second wife, Olive May Atkinson, in 1902 and she reared Theodore’s grandchildren. The Robinson and Moles families are buried in Tuscumbia Cemetery.