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MASSACRE ON CURTMAN ISLAND
DeVere, I am sending the story of the Curtman Island Massacre and General Crabtree to you and hopefully you can place it on the OUT OF THE PAST website. I thought I had put it in my computer and sent to you a long time ago, but I couldn’t find it anywhere so had to dig up the original copy that was printed in the newspaper......Thanks much in advance,
Peggy
ALSO: I have researched the seven soldiers killed on Curtman Island and have written a small paragraph on each one. Would you like to have that for the website also?

MASSACRE ON CURTMAN ISLAND, MILLER COUNTY, MISSOURI
by Peggy Smith Hake
The Civil War years in central Missouri were times of great distress and at times, pure terror. Missouri was a controversial state during the war. In fact, it has been said Missouri fought her own Civil War. It was a borderline state where the people simply could not decide which side to fight for. There were pioneers who had migrated from the southern states of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, and the Carolinas and they, naturally, tended to support the Confederacy. Another faction of pioneers came from the northern states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New England. The Union Army was often infiltrated by men who actually favored the South, but joined the Northern armies because they knew they would get a monthly pay voucher....the Southern Army was much poorer!
Guerilla forces, called bushwhackers, were very prevelant in Missouri. Some of the bandits of central Missouri were actually an arm of Quantrill’s Raiders who terrorized all of Missouri and Kansas. Their atrocities are well documented in the history of the Civil War.
A Confederate general named Crabtree and his raiders ran rampant in the central Missouri area and especially in the region of southern Cole and northern Miller counties. He and his forces had their local headquarters in caves along the Osage River near the old railroad town of Hoecker in northeast Miller County. At first, Crabtree’s intent was to round up able-bodied men so they could be sent on to southern Missouri, near the Arkansas border, to join General Sterling Price’s army. He recruited many men for this cause but after awhile, it seemed his greater pleasure was terrorizing the local residents and their families. His band of marauders began to steal and plunder anything they could get their hands on....horses, livestock, wagons, food, and provisions. High on his priority list was grain sheds and smokehouses where the farmers had stored cultivated crops and meat supplies. Many homes, barns, crops, etc. were torched and burned to the ground. It was not beneath him to torture families in order to get information about military activities in the area....he was also interested in their valuables and where they were hidden.
After sometime, area-wide enrolled militias were organized. One of these militia groups, the Provisional Company of Mt. Pleasant-Missouri Militia, was commanded by Capt. Thomas Babcoke who operated from the small village of Mt. Pleasant, Saline township, Miller County. Capt. Babcoke kept his men on Crabtree’s trail constantly. In the second week of August 1864, one of Crabtree’s men, John P. Wilcox, was captured and sent to Jefferson City. He was tried for war crimes by a military commission and was ordered executed. The execution was carried out immediately.......Receiving word of the execution of one of his men, Crabtree sent his band of guerillas out on rampaging maneuvers...plundering, burning, killing.
In late August 1864, Babcocke sent sixteen of his men out again looking for Crabtree in his own ‘backyard’ in the Wet Bottom region of the Big Tavern creek. On August 30, they reached Curtman Island, located in the middle of the Osage River near where the Big Tavern creek empties into the Osage. The men were under the command of First Lt. John Starling. At the noon hour, the militiamen stacked their weapons and relaxed for awhile, enjoying their meager provisions. That was a tragic mistake! Suddenly, about 25 of Crabtree’s men surrounded them. Seven of the sixteen men were ordered to line up on the sandy soil of the island. Those picked were Lt. John Starling, William Gibson, Samuel McClure, Yancy Roark, Pharoah B. Long, Nathaniel Hicks, and Stephen S. Crisp. Hicks and Crisp were brothers-in-law. The seven were executed on the spot by gunfire. The other nine men, including Boyd S. Miller and Joseph Hicks, were told to run and not look back till they got to Mt. Pleasant and when they got there to tell Babcoke that “Crabtree was responsible for the execution of the seven men”.
A group of the militia returned to the island to bring the bodies of the soldiers back to their families for burial. Only six were found. At a later time, the bones of the seventh man was found on the island. Evidently he had crawled some distance away from his comrades before death overtook him.
This cruel episode was the beginning of the end for General Crabtree. The execution of the seven men on Curtman Island was an act of revenge by Crabtree, but he seemed to know it was a drastic mistake and went into hiding in the various caves and hollows of the Big Tavern country.
After awhile, Crabtree and some of his men ventured into the Teal Bottom area of the Osage near present-day St. Thomas (Cole County). Once again, they started their pillaging, destroying, and robbing the countryside. At the farm of Herman Scheuler not only did they take provisions, but Crabtree stole Herman’s new wedding suit! Scheuler was outraged and started tracking Crabtree with the aid of his half-brother, Adolph Loethen, and neighbors, Bernard Bax, Michael Gerling, and Jim Clark. They followed him for several days, finally tracking him to an old barn in Teal Bottom. Herman and Adolph, very cautiously, made their way through corn rows and to the barn. Just as they were ready to shoot through the barn door, they were jumped by two sentry dogs. Adolph got off one shot in the melee’ and hit something....He and Herman turned and ran for their lives, not having any idea what or who had been shot. The next morning all five men went back to the barn and found that one of Crabtree’s horses had been shot in the eye. What they didn’t realize at the time was the bullet from Adolph’s gun had first hit Crabtree and then hit a timber in the barn before it finally hit the horse..........
The men continued to look for Crabtree and finally tracked him to the cave along the Osage (later called Crabtree Cave). They were sure they had him surrounded, but all they found was a woman who claimed to be his wife. She screamed at the men and said, “You have killed my man”. She finally admitted his men had carried him toward Spring Garden to the northwest. They hit the trail once again and eventually captured five of Crabtree’s men. They took Herman and his small posse to the place where they had buried Crabtree. Even in those days, being typical Missouri citizens, the men wouldn’t believe it unless they could “be shown” ! They dug up the fresh grave and, sure enough, the old bushwhacking southern general was lying in a makeshift grave and laid out in Herman Schueler’s brand new wedding suit....Talk about angry, those folks took their weddings serious !
In 1969, white government military stones were erected at Allen Cemetery, located just east of Olean, in memory of the seven men who died on Curtman Island. All of the seven are not buried there even though the stones were put in the cemetery for seven soldiers. On each stone is the soldier’s name with the inscription “Pro Co Mo Mil” (Provisional Company Missouri Militia).
DeVere. here is the information about the 7 soldiers killed on Curtman Island..............
Peggy
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THE SEVEN SOLDIERS EXECUTED ON CURTMAN ISLAND IN 1864.............
by Peggy Smith Hake
The following is a brief history of each of the seven Union soldiers who were executed by General Crabtree’s forces on Curtman Island on a hot, sultry day in August, 1864..............
1.....STEPHEN S. CRISP was a son of Joseph and Phoebe Crisp, natives of North Carolina. Stephen (called Dick) was born in Kentucky on 2 May 1838 and was 26 years old when he died. He married Elizabeth Mahala Bond (dau. of Joseph and Charity Bond) in Miller County in 1862. They had one child, Mary Jane Crisp, born 1864. Stephen’s widow, Elizabeth (Bond) Crisp, later married Robert Hill and they had 6 children. Stephen is buried at Spring Garden cemetery in northern Saline township. His brother-in-law, Nathaniel Hicks, who married Elizabeth Crisp, also died on Curtman Island.
2.....WILLIAM GIBSON is a man of some mystery. Not much is known about him. In Miller County marriage records, a man named William Gibson married Martha Young in February 1841. They do not appear in census records, so it is not known if he was the same man as the one massacred on Curtman Island. In 1860, Wiley Gibson, his wife Mahala, and 5 children lived in Richwoods township. He was about 31 years old, born in Tennessee c/1829. It is possible he could be the William killed by Crabtree’s raiders. It is a known fact that William Gibson, one of the 7 executed, is buried at Allen cemetery near Olean.
3.....NATHANIEL HICKS was born in Kentucky about 1837, a son of Nathaniel Hicks Sr. and his wife, Lucinda. They were both natives of Virginia. Nathaniel married Elizabeth Crisp, daughter of Joseph and Phoebe Crisp and a sister to Stephen Crisp who also died on Curtman Island. Nathaniel and Elizabeth had at least three sons: James L. Hicks, Joseph N. Hicks, and Stephen S. Hicks. Nathaniel died at the age of 27 years and is buried at Allen Cemetery near Olean. In December 1866, his widow, Elizabeth, married John A. Tracy.
4.....PHAROAH (Farrow) LONG was born in Tennessee about 1832, a son of John Long (1801-1888) and his wife, Nancy ( 1804-1891), both natives of North Carolina. He married Martha Hix/Hicks in Miller County in January 1851. They had two daughters, Nancy J. Long and Jemima E. Long. Pharoah, called Farrah, died at the age of 32 years and is buried at Allen cemetery where his parents are also buried. (Some have not agreed that Pharoah is actually buried at Allen Cemetery).
5.....SAMUEL MCCLURE may have been a son of Anna McClure, born c/1815 in Kentucky. No records have been found for him in Miller County census records. He is buried at Allen Cemetery per cemetery inventory records and has a military stone. Also at Allen Cemetery is William M. McClure (1852-1926). He may have been a brother to Samuel. Some reports state he may be buried at Amos Cemetery in Moniteau County.
6.....YANCY ROARK was born in Kentucky on September 2, 1827, a son of William and Candace Roark. He was 36 years old when he died on Curtman Island, just 3 days before his 37th birthday. In November 1849, Yancy married Leah Vernon in Miller County and they had three children: Henry Nolan Roark, John B. Roark, and Martha Roark. Yancy has two stones in Allen Cemetery; one that was placed by his family and the other is a government-issued stone. His wife, Leah Vernon, Roark, never remarried but remained his widow and died in 1907. She is buried at Eldon Cemetery as well as their three children.
7.....JOHN P. STARLING was a son of Thomas Day Starling (1796-1880) and his wife, Elizabeth (1801-1872), natives of Maryland and Tennessee, respectively. John was born in Tennessee on 24 March 1832 and was 32 years old when killed. His wife’s name was Sarah E. (maiden name unknown) and they had 4 children: James Starling, William Starling, Samuel Starling, and Louisa J. Starling. John is buried at Allen Cemetery where his family is also buried. John was the commanding officer in charge the day they patroled Curtman Island. He held the rank of First Lt. of the Provisional Company.
FOOTNOTE:
Curtman Island was named for Charles Nicholas Cary Phillip Otto Curtman, who once owned the island before the Civil War. Charles was an immigrant from Giessen, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. He was a son of William J.G. Curtman and Adelheid Kroenke and was born on July 27, 1829. Charles came to America in the early 1850s and settled in Miller County. On June 24, 1852, he married Miss Sarah Boyd, a daughter of James and Ruth (Clark) Boyd, natives of Greenup County, Kentucky. They had homesteaded in the same general area about 1835. In 1854, Charles Curtman, who by profession was a doctor, opened his medical practice at an early-day store on the west bank of the Osage River, called Fairplay. He and Sarah had three children: Minna Ruth 1853-1855, William 1855-1857, and George Washington born 2 Nov 1857. Sarah Boyd Curtman died when George W. Curtman was only 7 days old. George was the only surviving child of Sarah and Charles Curtman. He followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a well-known physician in Miller and Maries counties.

WINDOW TO THE PAST
by Peggy Smith Hake
Anna Whitaker
Anna M. Whitaker was born 10 Feb 1887, a daughter of Archelaus Whitaker (1848-1897) and Nancy Crismon (1853-1940). Her parents married in Miller County on January 1, 1871, the marriage performed by James Brown, minister of the gospel. She was one of 11 children born to Archelaus and Nancy (in the 1900 census, it states they were parents of 12 children). The children included:
1. Josephine Whitaker 1871-1938 m. Davis S. Woody
2. Susan Mellie Whitaker 1873-1920 m. (1) Wm. Leasman (2) John Thomas Morrow
3. James Monroe Whitaker 1875-1956 m. Edith Lue Shelton
4. Thomas Benton Whitaker 1877-1947 m. Odessa D. Humphrey
5. Farris Whitaker 1879-1958 (never married—he was engaged to be married to Edith
Humphrey and she died on their wedding day. She was lighting a fire
at the “Dode” Skaggs store at Brays and perished in the fire.)
6. Emma Whitaker 1881-1955 m. Gordon Kellison
7. Mark Hardin Whitaker 1883-1960 m. Gertie M. Burns (1895-1990)
8. Anna M. Whitaker 1887-1970 (never married)
9. Joseph Whitaker 1892-1931 (never married---died of WWI injuries)
10. Walter B. Whitaker 1896-1964 m. Ida Humphrey
11. Arthur Whitaker 1888-1892 (buried somewhere on the old homeplace at Brays
Archelaus Whitaker was a son of Thomas Wilkerson Whitaker (b. c/1808 VA) and Susan West (1823-1875 of KY). They married in Miller County 19 Sept 1841, marriage performed by Peter Bilyeu, J.P. Nancy Crismon was the daughter of John Crismon and Flavilla Melcena Brashears. She was a sister to “Uncle Joe” Crismon. The children of Thomas and Susan (West) Whitaker were:
1. Mark H. Whitaker 1842-1912 m. Mary Jane Rothwell
2. John W. Whitaker b. 1844 (never married—was known as “Junking Jim”)
3. Matilda Jane Whitaker b. 1846 m. James Washington Rowden 1865
4. Archelaus G. Whitaker 1848-1897 m. Nancy Crismon 1871
5. Sarah E. Whitaker b. 1850 m. William P. Skaggs 1869
6. Argalus F. Whitaker b. 1852 m. Mary O. Shelton 1877
7. James M. Whitaker b. 1854 m. Susan Brasier 1875
8. Thomas J. Whitaker b. 1856
9. Waldo P. Whitaker b. 1860
NOTE: Peter Bilyeu, the J.P. who married Thomas and Susan, was my gr gr gr
grandfather. He moved to Linn Co., Oregon in 1850 and lived there the rest of his
life. I visited his grave near Scio, OR in 1990......(Peggy Hake)
Anna M. Whitaker, the youngest daughter of Archelaus and Nancy, never married. She became a member of the Brays Advent Christian Church and her funeral services were held there after her death on 24 Sept 1970 at the age of 83 years. She is buried in Brays Union Cemetery, near the church. She was the last of her family, preceded in death by all her brothers and sisters.
Note: Thanks much, DeVere, for some of the information you supplied about Anna Whitaker.

Isaac Colvin
by Peggy Smith Hake
Isaac Colvin was born in Miller County, Glaize township, on December 9, 1874. He was a son of James Hamilton Colvin Sr. and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Roark. Isaac was a half-brother to my great, great grandmother, Amanda Colvin Loveall (Mrs. Silas Loveall). Amanda was a daughter of James Hamilton Colvin and his first wife, Barbara Phipps of Grainger/Union Co., Tennessee. The Colvin family came to Miller County from East Tennessee in the 1850s.
James Hamilton Colvin was the father of at least 17 children by his two wives. Barbara Phipps Colvin, mother of 10 children, died in the early 1860s and James then married a widow, Mary Elizabeth Shoemaker-Roark in Miller County on 8 February 1868, the marriage performed by Joshua D. Cochran, a minister of the gospel. James Colvin (1804-1889) was many years older than Mary Elizabeth when they married in 1868. Before his death in 1889, they had become parents of 7 children including: David b. 1869; Tillman b. 1870; Annie b. 1872; Alexander b. 1873; Isaac b. 1874; and Allen b. 1877.
In the census of 1900, Isaac was living in the home of his youngest brother, Allen Colvin and family. Also in the home was their mother, Mary Elizabeth Colvin, age 60 years. Their Glaize township neighbors included the families of Cardwell, Jeffries, Sortor, Barnett, Colvin, Kitts, Wornell, Rodden, and Robinett.
Isaac Colvin married Sophia E. Hickman on 26 December 1904 in Miller County. Sophia was a daughter of James W. Hickman and Rachael A. (Moyer) Hickman. Sophia was born 26 December 1884 in Glaize township of Miller County. Isaac and Sophia were parents of only one child, Raymond Harvey Colvin (1905-1918). He died at the age of 12 years of pneumonia fever.
Isaac was living in the Bear Creek community of Glaize township when he suddenly died in December 1909 of typhoid fever. He was only 33 years old. Both Isaac and his only child, Raymond, are buried at the Colvin family cemetery near where they lived.
In March 1912, Sophia Hickman Colvin married Lewis McClellan Miller in Cole County, MO. They became parents of three children: Opel (Miller) Toebren, Ruby (Miller) Franken, and Millard E. Miller. Sophia lived until February 21, 1944 when she died at the age of 60 years. She and her husband, Lewis Miller, were living in Jefferson City at the time of her death. She was brought back to Miller County for burial at Gott Cemetery near Brumley..........Sophia was survived by three children, 2 sisters: Lona Hickman Cardwell of Jefferson City and Sadie Hickman Evans of Spokane, WA; and one brother: Samuel Hickman of Holts Summit, MO.

Electa Hopkins
by Peggy Smith Hake
Electa Hopkins was born near Washington, Indiana on August 31, 1863. Washington is the county seat of Daviess County, located in the southwestern section of Indiana. Electa was a daughter of Samuel J. Hopkins and Matilda (Small), natives of Kentucky. In her obituary, it was stated her father was “an old Kentuckian”. Electa had two brothers and three sisters: JOHN L. HOPKINS 1852-1939 m. Laura Young; B. ELLEN HOPKINS 1850-1933 m. George A. Osborn; NANCY ANN HOPKINS 1860-1940 m. John L. Irwin; DANIEL HOPKINS b.____(evidently he did not come to Miller County but remained in Washington, Indiana). There is the possibility there was another sister named THEODOSIA (HOPKINS) NANLY who died in 1919.
Electa’s mother and father both died in Indiana in the mid 1880s. Evidently Electa, John, and Nancy Ann came to Miller County shortly after the death of their parents with their older sister and her husband, George and Ellen (Hopkins) Osborn. The Hopkins and Osborn families settled in Richwoods township near Iberia.
On October 8, 1887, Electa married Miles J. Davidson at Iberia. When they married he was a widower with a young son, Willard E. Davidson born 1878. Miles Davidson was born in Miller County in 1850, the oldest child of John Davidson and his second wife, Mahala Lawson.
Miles J. Davidson’s first wife was Sarah L. Brown and they were living in Iberia during the census of 1880 with their 2-year old son, Willard. I could find no record of their marriage in Miller County records, but I am presuming they married about 1876-77. Sarah L. (Brown) Davidson died in 1886 at the age of 30 years.
Electa (Hopkins) and Miles J. Davidson were parents of two sons, Otto born 1888, and Miles Jennings Jr. born 1900. Miles’ oldest son, Willard, died in 1891 at the age of 14 years and Otto lived for only two years, so Miles Jennings Davidson Jr. was the only child who survived to adulthood.
In 1900, the Davidson’s lived in the village of Iberia. Their neighbors were George and Anna (Heltzell) Farnham, Monroe and Mary Barnhart, William and Laura Kershner, John and Harriett Hays, John and Martha (Barlow) Casey, William von Gremp, and Andrew and Martha Benage.
For many years Miles and Electa owned a general merchandise store in Iberia, which was located on the northwest corner of St. Louis and Main Streets. Today, Wilson’s Trophies is located at the site and during the 1940s, when I was growing up in Iberia, it was the Grady and Porter General Store. Miles also served as Iberia’s postmaster for a number of years, beginning in June 1885. The Davidson’s were members of the Iberia Congregational Church.
Miles J. Davidson died 28 Aug 1925 just a few days after he had reached his 75th birthday. Electa Hopkins Davidson lived as his widow for seven years when she died, at the age of 71 years, on 29 November 1932. Both are buried in their family plot at the Iberia Cemetery. Miles’ first wife, Sarah (Brown), and his two young sons, Otto and Willard, are also buried there.

JOSEPH FREDERIC WILDE

Joseph Frederic Wilde died at his home in St. Elizabeth on Jan. 12. 1927, at the age of 73. He was born on the Wilde Family farm in Osage County near Westphalia on Aug. 8, 1854. His parents were Arnold & Magdalena (Kemper) Wilde, who married in Westphalia in 1847. He was their only surviving child. A son, Joseph and a sister Mary Magnalena, both died in infancy. His mother died about 1854 and later Arnold married Elizabeth Kohr. His second wife died from childbirth complications in 1856. Arnold's third wife was Theresa Johannesmeyer of Westphalia. Arnold Wilde, father of Joseph Frederic, died at Westphalia on June 27, 1875.

The Wilde family originated from Wullen, Munster Diocese, Germany. No one seems to know the reason why, but in some German family and church records, the name is spelled Terhallewilde. Johann Bernard Terhallewilde married Margaretha Gelker about 1815 in Wullen Germany. Their children included:

Arnold born 1816; Elizabeth born 1818; Christina born 1819; Adelheid born 1822; Joseph born 1826; Bernard born 1828; Angela born 1831; Gerhard born 1833 and Heinrich born 1836.

In October 1843, Margaretha Gelker Wilde and her children came to America. Evidently Johann/John had died by this time and she ventured on an ocean voyage with several children in tow. It is believed her father also came with them. They came to cenral Missouri and bought a farm from Dr. Bernhard Bruns in the Westphalia area in March 1844. Eight years later, on Aug. 11,1852, Margaretha died at her farm home. She was 54 years old at death, so was born circa 1798.

Arnold Wilde, oldest son of Johann & Margaretha, married Magnalena Kemper in 1847. Joseph Frederic Wilde was their only child to survive beyond infancy. He had a half-brother, Bernard Wilde, born to his father's second wife, Elizabeth Kohr, in 1856. Bernard Wilde's family remained on the family farm near Westphalia while Joseph Frederic Wilde brought his family to Charlestown/St. Elizabeth about 1881.

Joseph Frederic Wilde (called Fred) married Margaret Strumpf/Streumph in 1879. She was born near the small community of Koeltztown. After marriage, they first settled in Westphalia where Fred learned the trade of Blacksmithing from Steve Bertels. He decided to move westward to Miller County to the new town of Charlestown, which was hardly settled at all when he arrived, Fred Wilde once stated, "There was no water within a half quarter of town and only one log cabin and part of a shack there when I started my blacksmith business. "Shortly thereafter, Joseph Sone, William Luetkemeyer and Fred Wilde built a new building for his blacksmith shop and he also built a new house, among the first in Charlestown/ St. Elizabeth.

The children of Fred & Margaret (Streumph) Wilde were:

1. Anna Wilde 1880-1953 married Frank Dubbert 1901.

2. Catherine M. Wilde 1886-1963 married Adam G. Berkel 1903.

3. Henry J. Wilde 1888-1960 married Elizabeth M. Kemna 1910.

Joseph Frederic Wilde died in 1927. His services were conducted by Rev. Frederick Bruch with burial in St. Lawrence Parish Cemetery. Margaret Wilde died in 1935 and was buried beside her husband.

Joseph Frederic Wilde August 8, 1854 to Jan. 12. 1927.

Margaret Streumph Wilde, April 24, 1857 to July 6. 1935.

MARY ELIZABETH MAXWELL

Mary Elizabeth Maxwell was born in Tunnel hills, Ga., on April 10, 1849. She was one of nine children born to Colwell Maxwell (1827-1907) and his wife, Frances (1829-1918). Her father was a native of Ireland who came to America in 1848, and her mother was born in South Carolina, although her maternal ancestors were also of Irish decent.
Sometime about 1865, probably after the Civil War had ended. The Maxwell family moved to Miller County and first settled in Osage Township near the families of Messersmith, West, Hill, Hensley, Bilyeu, Grosvenor, Capps, Hawk and Kinworthy. Six of their nine children were:
1. Mary Elizabeth Maxwell 1849-1930
2. John A. Maxwell 1856-1917 m. Mary A. Barnhart
3. Emily Emma Maxwell b. 1861 m. James Paulin smith
4. Amanda J. Maxwell b. 1863 m. Benjamin Phillips
5. Stephen R. Maxwell b. 1866 m. no record found
6. Martha Maxwell b. 1869 died young
I do not know the identity of the other three children who may have died before they came to Missouri. The four older children were born in Georgia and the younger two were born in Missouri, per census records.
On Dec. 15, 1867, Mary Elizabeth married Jeremiah Whelan, son of Patrick Whalen (1797-1896) and his wife, Honorah Whalen (1810-1888), natives of Ireland. They were living near present-day St. Elizabeth in 1860 with four sons:
1. Jeremiah Whelan b. 1846 m. Mary Elizabeth Maxwell
2. Patrick Whalen Jr. b. 1852 m. Melissa J. Hamilton
3. William Whalen b.1855 m. no record found
4. John Thomas Whalen b. 1858 m. Emeline Grosvenor.
Patrick and Honorah Whalen are buried at St. Lawrence Cemetery in St. Elizabeth.
For a few years, Elizabeth and Jeremiah Whalen lived in Osage Township near the Big Tavern Creek with neighbors from the families of Hamilton, Clark, Holtmeyer, Hawk, Buechter, Boyd, Grosvenor, Kinworthy, Myers and Rowden. They became parents of 12 children, but five died when young. Two are buried at Old St. Elizabeth/Charleytown Cemetery and three are buried in Billingsley Cemetery, east of Iberia. Their family of 12 children were:
1. William H. Whalen b. 1869 m. Mary E. Deardueff 1895
2. Louise E. Whalen 1871-1873
3. Edward Whalen 1873-1874
4. Albert Whalen 1875-1887
5. John Whalen b. 1878 m. (he graduated from Iberia Academy in 1902)
6. Anna Frances Whalen b. 1880 m. John U. Stone
7. Ella Whalen b. 1882 m. Custer
8. Lawrence Whalen 1884-1887
9. George Whalen b. 1886 m. Paralee Perkins 1906
10. Minnie Whalen b. 1888 m. Lonnie Wall 1906
11. Clara Whalen b. 1890 m. Henry Wakefield 1912
12. Ellis Whalen 1894-1896
About 1886, Jeremiah/Jerry and Elizabeth Whalen moved to Iberia, whee he built a brick kiln. He produced many bricks and stones over the years that were used in construction of foundations, fireplaces and homes in the community. In 1905, they lived in east Iberia, near the John Casey and George Osborne families.
As a young woman, Elizabeth Maxwell Whalen was a member of the Presbyterian Church but later joined the Methodist Episcopal Church were she remained the rest of her life. Jeremiah Whalen died in July 1908 at age 62 and was buried at Billingsley Cemetery, east of Iberia, where three young sons of the Whalens were already buried.
Mary Elizabeth Maxwell Whalen lived for 22 years after the death of Jeremiah/Jerry. All their children had left Miller County and were living in Oklahoma, California and St. Louis. The last ten years of her life (1920-1930) Mary lived with a daughter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she died April 13, 1930, at age 81. Her body was returned to Iberia where funeral services were held at Iberia Methodist Church, conducted by Professor G. Bryon Smith of the Iberia Academy. Mary was placed beside her husband and sons in Billingsley Cemetery. She was survived by three sons, four daughters, and two sisters--Emma Maxwell Smith of Dallas, Texas, and Amanda Maxwell Phillips of St. louis.
NOTE: Today, Billingsley Cemetery is heavily overgrown with brush and weeds and has been neglected for many years. it is one of the oldest cemeteries in the country with the first-known burial occurring in 1845 for Mrs. Cornelius Bilyeu. There could be well over 100 persons buried at Billingsley. As far as can be determined, the last person buried there was jasper Moss in 1971.

ELLA JOHNSON FAMILY

Ella Johnson was born in Osage County, Mo on 3/21/1865. She was a daughter of Joseph & Mary Johnson, natives of Virginia & Tennessee, respectively. I could find no information of Ella's childhood in the Osage County area. The only clue I had to her youth was the statement in her obituary which said she was born in Osage County and was Joseph & Mary's daughter.
Ella married George Wyrick in Miller Couuty 2/15/1885, the marriage performed by Elder A.W. Mapes. She was George's second wife. He married first Isadora Hix in November 1882 but she lived less than a year after their marriage. Isadora is buried at Gott Cemetery in Glaize Township. Her death may have been from childbirth complications.
George W. Wyrick, born March 1855, was the oldest of three children born to Michael Wyrick Jr. and Laura Ann Golden. His Wyrick ancesters came to Miller County in the 1840s from Grainger County Tennessee and the Golden family also came to Missouri from Tennessee after a short stopover in Indiana.
For many years George & Ella lived on his parents farm known as "the Michael Wyrick place", located on Dog Creek about three miles south of Tucscumbia. Some of the neighbors were the families of Bear, Birdsong, Lupardus, Nixdorf, Topping, Helton, Patterson, Wright, and other Wyrick families.
Ella was the mother of a large family of at least 10 children including:
1. Clyde M. Wyrick 1885-1962
2. Eura(Wyrick) Martin born 1887.
3. Owen S. Wyrick 1889-1971.
4. Lulu Wyrick born 1890.
5. Minzo Wyrick born 1892
6. Ora Wyrick born 1896.
7. Marjorie (Wyrick) Colvin born 1898.
8. Chloe (Wyrick) Phillips
9. Glenn Wyrick
10. Norman Wyrick 1906-1990.
Ella Johnson Wyrick was a member of the Mt. Zion Christian Church for many years. She died in 1936 and her funeral services were held at Mt. Zion, conducted by Rev. Virgil Smith. She was buried in Old Mt. Zion Cemetery beside her husband, George, who had passed away four years earlier in June 1932. Both are at rest in the old cemetery which overlooks Dog Creek in the valley below as it flows toward the Osage river just a short distance to the north.

Henry Frank Bass Family

Henry Frank Bass was born in Miller Co. in the Little Richwoods near the
Hickory Point community. He was born 20 Aug 1880, the second child of Isaac
T. Bass & Margaret Williams. Frank's ancestors were among the county's
earliest settlers. I believe his great-grandfather was Isaac Bass who
homesteaded some land in the county before 1833. He settled near the Osage
river, south of Tuscumbia.
Isaac Bass Sr. may have had 4 children who were settled in the county as
well. They were William Bass b. 1818 KY m. Melvina McCubbin c/1840;
Tolbird/Tolbert Bass b. c/1820 KY m. Martha G. Martin; Metheldred Bass b.
1822 KY m. Paulina_____; and Lavenia Bass b. KY m. Jonathan
Humphries/Humphrey. I found record of an Isaac Bass family in Barren
County, KY in the 1820 census. I don't know if he was the same man who came
to Miller County, but I suspect they were one and the same.
William Bass, son of Isaac, was born in KY in 1818 and married Melvina
McCubbin (1821-1902). William and Melvina were parents of 7 children: Nancy
Bass b. 1847 M. Charles P. Myers 1866; Metheldred Bass b. 1849 died young;
John M. Bass b 1851 m. Alice Williams 1876; Isaac T. Bass b. 1853 m.
Margaret Williams; Sarah Elizabeth Bass b. 1865 m. (1) General C. Martin (2)
James Parkhurst (3) William Martin; Henry Joshua Bass b. 1859 m. Mary Emma
Nichols 1882; and Rial/Riley S. Bass b. 1862 m. Ada Martin 1880. William
and Melvina (McCubbin) Bass are both buried at Hickory Point cemetery. He
died in 1892 and Melvina lived with her children for 10 years before her
death in 1902.
Isaac T. Bass, son of William and Melvina, was born in 1853 in Richwoods
township. About 1874, at the age of 21 years, Isaac married Margaret/Maggie
Williams. She was a native of Indiana, born in 1859. I believe her sister,
Alice Williams, married Isaac's brother, John M. Bass. At this time I have
not identified the parents of Maggie and Alice Williams.
Isaac and Maggie were parents of 4 children, all born on the family farm in
the Hickory Point vicinity. Their daughter, Myrtle Bass, was born in 1876
and married Allman E. Farmer in 1896. The three sons were; Henry Frank Bass
1880-1926 m. Dosha L. Groves 1900; Clyde M. Bass 1883-1920 m. (1) Mary L.
Bain (2) Lou (Burks) Crisp; and Charles B. Bass 1886-1956 m. Leftie M. Burks
1906.
Henry Frank Bass, son of Isaac, grandson of William and great-grandson of
Isaac Sr., was born 10 Aug 1880, the oldest son of Isaac and Maggie
(Williams)Bass. On October 21, 1900 Frank Bass married Dosha L. Groves,
oldest daughter of George Wash. Groves (1856-1927) and Manerva Jane Smith
(1866-1956). Dosha was born in Miller Co. on 22 Sept 1882 and died 17 May
1969. Her brothers and sisters were: Gordon Chester Groves 1884-1951 m.
Sarah Madden; Eva Ann Groves 1886-1936 m. Dow W. Wall; Robert E. Groves
1889-1951 m. Nellie Teaverbaugh; Roy A. Groves 1898-1949 m. Mabel Rider;
Blanche Groves m. Victor Wilson. in the 1900 census, another daughter is
listed; Millie M. Groves born December 1893. she must have died young.
Frank Bass, mail carrier for the Ulman/Iberia Star Route, was attempting to
deliver the mail on Thursday, December 23, 1926. He picked up his mail bags
at Ulman that morning and started back to Iberia. The days of December
20-23 were harsh ones. According to the "Diary of C. B. Wright" it has
snowed hard and sleet came down in torrents on Dec 21. it continued to rain
and by Dec 23 the creeks had swollen and were running out of their banks.
Frank Bass arrived a the Brushy Fork and tried to ford the flood waters, but
did not make it to the other side. He perished in the icy, flooded waters
of Brushy Fork on 23 Dec 1926. His body was recovered and he was laid to
rest in Hickory Point cemetery near where he had been born 47 years earlier.
NOTE: After publishing this story, Gene Waite of Eldon (now deceased in
2001), contacted me to say he remembered well the day Frank Bass died. His
father, Elmer Waite, was the postmaster at the Watkins Post Office, which
was a stop over on the Iberia-Ulman Star Route. Frank came by Watkins about
9:30 a.m. that morning on his way to Ulman to pick up the mail for delivery
back to Iberia. Frank was driving a Ford touring car with room in the back
seat for the extra heavy load of Christmas mail. Later, Elmer Waite
recovered some of the mail bags from the creek; dried some of the letters so
they could be delivered to their destination. Mr. Waite also informed me
that Charlie Bass, brother to Frank, was the postmaster at Ulman at the time
of Frank's death.

DAVID LAWSON, SR.

David Lawson, Sr., was born circa 1785 in Virginia (per the census
records of 1850). He died in May 1866 in Miller County and his probate
records are filed in the Miller County Probate Court.
In April, 1866, shortly before his death, he made his last will and
testament in the presence of two men who lived in the same region of the
Big Richwoods as David. They were William Rowden and Joseph Johnson
(brothers-in-law from McMinn County, Tenn.) ...David and his family also
came from McMinn County, so I would imagine they had known each other
for a number of years.
In his will, he gave each of his children "now living" the sum of
$10 each. His wife, Mary, was given the remainder of his estate
including his personal property and real estate. After her death it was
to be divided between his two youngest sons, Harrison and David Lawson,
Jr. He designated his wife Mary and sons Harrison and David to also act
as "executors of his will."
When his will was probated in May 1866, the list of heirs given were:
Mary Lawson, his widow, of Miller County,
Matilda Lawson Kellison (Mrs. William), a daughter, of Miller County,
Heirs of Riley Lawson, a son, of Camden County, Missouri
Heirs of Mahala Lawson Karr-Davidson, a daughter, of Miller County
Heirs of Elizabeth Lawson Wiggington (Mrs. John), a daughter, of Miller
County.
(Strangely, there were four children not mentioned, including William,
Susan Lawson McKee, Harrison and David).
David and Mary Lawson (who I believe was his second wife -- she was 20
years younger than David) came to Miller County in the late 1840's from
East Tennessee. There were several other Lawson families who had
migrated from the same area of Tennessee several years earlier and
settled in eastern Miller County and western Maries County. In the
Miller County census of 1850, David and Mary were living in Osage
Township near other Lawson families, the Rowdens, Greens, Branhams,
Sheltons. All these families were from East Tennessee and probably knew
one another while living there.
In 1870, Mary Lawson, David's widow, was living in Osage Township
in the home of James and Sarah Plumlee...nearby was her daughter and
family (Susan Lawson McKee). There is no record of when Mary died nor a
burial place, but she probably died before 1880. She was a native of
Georgia, born circa 1805.
David Lawson was about 75 years old when he died in 1866. His
burial place is also unknown. I believe the following are the children
of David Lawson by two wives:
by wife #1 (name unknown)
1. Matilda Lawson b c/1815 TN m William Kellison (probably in East
Tennessee)
2. Mahala Lawson b c/1819 TN m 1) -- Karr 2) John Davidson 1848
3. Elizabeth Lawson b c/1821 TN m John Wiggington 1838 in McMinn Co., TN
4. Riley Lawson b c/? TN m ?
5. Susan Lawson b c/1829 TN m -- McKee in Tennessee.
6. William Lawson b c/1831 TN m Malinda E. Blankenship 1857
by wife #2 (Mary Lawson)
7. Henry Harrison Lawson b c/1841 TN m ?
8. David Lawson b c/1843

DAVID PORTER FARNHAM

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 Mississippi 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 Julie 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 Heltozell 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 m.
4. Vera Belle Farnham b. 19 Nov 1912 m. Dow Felty
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 f 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.

BLEVANS-KIRKLAND FAMILIES

Although the surname Blevans no longer appears in Miller County, the family
was among the earlier settlers. Stephen A. Blevins and his wife, Nancy
(Kirkland) Blevans came to the present bounds of the county in 1831 from
Tennessee. They married in Tennessee in 1810 and by 1815 had moved to
Alabama where they remained until 1823. At that time, they moved back to
Bledsoe County, Tennessee.

Nancy was a daughter of John Kirkland who emigrated to the United Staes from
Scotland before the Revolutionary War. He settled briefly in Virginia and
then was in South Carolina until about 1800. With four sons and four
daughters, he moved into Tennessee around 1800 and is thought to have died
there. The name of his wife is not known. The sons of John Kirkland were
Archibald, Daniel, Robert, and James Kirkland. His daughters were Nancy K.
Blevans, Sarah K. Hix-Evans, Jane K. Hale, and an unknown daughter. These
children were all born in South Carolina between 180-1800.

Stephen and Nancy (Kirkland) Blevans was in Pulaski County, Missouri records
prior to 1837 when Miller county was formed from part of Pulaski. I believe
they settled in the Big Richwoods near present-day Iberia and remained there
from about 1831 till about 1850.

During their stay in central Missouri, Stephen Blevans served as a Justice
of the Pulaski County Court and was one of Miller County's first Associate
Justices after formation in February, 1837. He is referred to as Judge
Blevans in county records.

Stephen and Nancy ( Kirkland) Blevans had at least three sons, Jonathan,
Robert and Jefferson. Jonathan married (1) Julia Ann Allen in Miller Co.in
1843 and (2) Julia Ann Coates in 1855: Robert married (1)Dorinda Gardner in
Miller Co. in 1854 and (2) Catherine Hoskins in 1860. No record of a marriage
is found for Jefferson. It is believed they also had 3 daughters, Hannah
Blevans Good (Mrs. Joseph), Sarah Blevans Anderson (Mrs. John), and Margaret Blevans Rickman (Mrs. William).

Jonathan Blevins/Blevans, the son of Stephen and Nancy, is thought to have
been one of the first schoolteachers in the region of the Big Richwoods of
southern Miller Couty in the 1830s and 40s. Some census records state that
Jonathan could neither read nor write, but it is known he was an early-day
schoolteacher and in 1846 he was given the job of enumerating the school
children in Richwoods township and again performed the same duties in 1852.
It is not very likely he was illiterate!

Jonathan Blevans, born ca 1815 in Tennessee married Julia Ann Allen, born
ca 1824 in Kentucky, in Miller County 12 April 1843. She was a member of the
Allen family who came to the county from Barren County, Kentucky about 1841.
Jonathan and Julia had four children:
Lafayette Allen Born ca 1844 m. Rosaline Norfleet 1864;
John S. born ca 1846 m. Ann Eliza How in Cass Co. MO. 1866;
James born ca 1848: and Robert B. born ca 1851.
Julia died sometime between 1851-1855 because on 1 April 1855, Jonathan his second wife, Julia Ann Coates, who I believe was a niece of Julia (Allen ) Blevans. His second wife was several years younger than Jonathan, born about 1837 in Kentucky.

By 1860, Stephen A. Blevins/Blevans had died somewhere in Missouri,
possibly in either Platte, Buchanan, or Cass county. His will and estate records
have not been found. In 1860, Jonathan and Julia (Coates) Blevans was found in
Cass County, MO living in Big Creek township. With them were his four
children born to his first wife and two children of their own, Mary E.
Blevans born ca 1857 and George D. Blevans born cas 1859. Living nearby
was Jonathan's mother, Nancy Kirkland Blevans, in the home of her daughter,
Hanna Blevans Good. Jonathan and Julia Ann were still living in Cass County,
near the town of Pleasant Hill, in the census of 1870. By the time of this
census, they had produced another daughter, Louise born ca 1865.

The Blevans/Kirkland families are being researched by Patricia West of St.
Louis, Missouri. A book about these families will be published in the
future.
Ms.West graciously supplied me with her researched material so that a
segment on this early Miller County family can be recorded in this history
of "MILLER COUNTY'S PIONEERING FAMILIES".

THE MARTIN FAMILY
by: Peggy Smith Hake

Moses Martin, progenitor of some Miller Co. families, was born in Bedford
Co., Virginia on 12 January 1755. In June, 1777, he married Ann Heath of
North Carolina.. In 1776, Moses enlisted for service in the Revolutionary
War. At the time of enlistment he was living in Surry Co., No. Carolina.
He was a member of Capt. Richard Goode's Company of Col. Martin Armstrong's North Carolina Regiment---a drummer. He took part in an expedition into Indian country and was involved in several skirmishes with the Indians. He had served for 8 months and 21 days when discharged. In his elderly
years, he was pensioned while living in Pulaski Co., Kentucky (Pension Claim
# 5435). After his discharge, they continued to live in Surry County, No.
Carolina for ten years; then moved to Knox County, in eastern Tennessee and
lived a few years; and finally moved to Pulaski Co., Kentucky where he
remained until his death on August 29, 1837.

John Martin, Sr. was a son of Moses and Ann (Heath) Martin. He was born in
Surry Co., No. Carolina on May 17, 1784. In 1802, at an early age, he
married Rachel Smith, probably in Pulaski Co., KY. John and Rachel
continued to live in Kentucky where they reared their family. John died in
April, 1860 in Pulaski Co., KY. During the War of 1812 John Martin served
as a private under the command of Capt. Samuel Tate of the Kentucky 7th
Regiment, Mounted Volunteers. He received bounty land in Kentucky, 160
acres, for his military service during the War of 1812. His will was
probated April 16, 1860 at Somerset, Pulaski Co., KY.

John Martin, Jr. son of John and Rachel (Smith) Martin and a grandson of
Moses and Ann (Heath) Martin, was born 16 July 1814 in Pulaski Co., KY. On
Nov. 22, 1834, he married Cicily/Sisley Ann Roberts in Pulaski Co., KY.
About 1850, he and his family migrated to Miller County and settled in
Glaize township near Ulman's Ridge. At the age of 46 years, John enlisted
in the 6th Regiment of the Missouri Cavalry in the Civil War and served
mainly on scout duty in Missouri and Arkansas. Due to exposure during a
long march from Batesville to Helena, Arkansas, he contacted health problems
and was given a disability discharge after about a year of service. John
and Sisley (Roberts) were parents of several children including: George
born ca 1840 married Nancy Bilyeu; John III, born ca 1843 married (1)
Eliza M. Dunnington (2) Violet Ann Dunnington (sisters); Mary/Polly born
ca 1844 married Alexander Wilson; Gideon born ca 1846 married ? ; Benjamin
born ca 1856 married Mrs. C.J. King; Sarah M. born ca 1858 married George
W. Curry; and Rosena born ca 1861 married (1) W.T. Sidewell (2) James J.
Pennington.

John Martin III, son of John, Jr. and Cicily (Roberts) and a great grandson
of Moses Martin, Revolutionary War soldier, was born in Pulaski Co., KY
about 1843 and came to Miller Co. with his parents in the 1850's. He
married Eliza M. Dunnington in Miller Co., on April 24, 1862. In the
tradition of his ancestors, who had served in the Revolutionary War and the
War of 1812, he served at the same time as his father in the Civil War. He
was in battles across the South in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. His
first wife, Eliza M., died in 1876 and was buried at Hawkins cemetery near
Brumley. A few months later he married Eliza's sister, Violet Ann
Dunnington, in Brownsville, Texas. By 1880, they were back in Miller Co.
John and his first wife, Eliza, were parents of 5 children: Mary Isabelle
born 1863 married Frank W. Fendorf; Ada born 1866 married Rial M. Bass;
Chester born ca 1868 married ? ; Nettie born 1871 married ? ; Joseph born
ca 1874 married ? ; His children by Violet were: Mira born ca 1878 and
Benjamin L. born ca 1879. There were probably other children after the
census of 1880. About 1884, John Martin III, with most of his family,
immigrated west and finally located at Joseph, Oregon.
His oldest daughter, Mary Isabelle, who married Frank W. Fendorf, remained
in Miller Co. John's second wife, Violet Ann, died in Joseph, Oregon in
January 1899. About 1920 John moved to California and died in Sacramento on
Feb. 11, 1925 and is buried in that city.

Another Martin immigrant to Miller County was George Martin. He and his
family came to Miller County about 18676 after he had served in the Civil
War with a Kentucky Regiment. George and his wife, Nancy, settled near the
John Martin family in Glaize township. It is certain they were kinfolks,
probably cousins, and were most likely grandsons of Moses Martin, the
Revolutionary War soldier. George and Nancy had a large family; at least
10 children. The 8 oldest were born in Pulaski Co., KY while the other 2
were born in Miller Co. They included: Anna J. born ca 1851 married ? ;
Susan M. born ca 1853 married John Wilson; General C. born ca 1854 married
Sarah E. Bass; Moses G. born ca 1859 married Zelphia Winfrey; Lucy A. born
ca 1859 (maybe a twin to Moses) married James Jewell; Isabella born ca
1862 m. Wm. Curry and then a Quinsey; George born ca 1865 married Missouri
Mathews; Luvernia born ca 1868 married James W. Brockman, then a Wyrick;
Anthony P. born ca 1871 married Sophronia Wyrick; and William C. born ca
1875 married Jane A. Bilyeu.

Moses G. Martin, son of George and Nancy Martin, and probably a great
grandson of old Moses Martin of Bedford Co., VA and Revolutionary War fame,
was born 22 Dec. 1860 in Pulaski Co., KY. In 1881 he married Zelphia
Winfrey, daughter of William C. and Christena Winfrey, natives of Kentucky
and Ohio respectively. According to his obituary, he was survived by his
wife, Zelphia and 5 children including Cordell Martin who married Vernetta
(Nettie) Wyrick, daughter of John Henry Wyrick and Rachel Elizabeth
(Kinder); George Martin, Mrs C.O. Robinson all of Miller County; Mrs. K.P.
King of Kansas; and William C. Martin of Montana. He was also survived by a
granddaughter, Nova Martin. Moses G. Martin united with the Baptist church
at Gott in 1887 and later transferred his membership to the Ulman Methodist
church. He was a member of the Ulman Camp # 808 Woodmen of America. When Moses G. Martin died on October 10, 1928, at the age of 68 years, he was buried at Gott cemetery in Glaize township.

There are many Martin descendants living in the same area of Miller County
where their ancestors homesteaded and settled almost 125 years ago.

[NOTE: DeVere, at the beginning of the fifth paragraph, there is an error
in the date---18676. I assume it is meant to be 1867. ??? cb]

The Luttrell Family

The progenitor of the Luttrell family of Miller County was Nathan Luttrell, a native of Virginia. Nathan was the father of Bluford Luttrell, Sr. born ca 1810 in Tennessee. *Nathan moved with some of his family to Marion Co., ILL before 1850 and he died in that county.* Bluford married Malinda Shelton in East Tennessee ca 1832. Malinda, daughter of Haman L. Shelton, was born in Tenn. Ca 1812. Her father, Haman, was a native of Virginia. He died in Miller Co. in 1856 and his will was probated in the Miller Co. Courts. The following are heirs listed in his probate: MARTHA SHELTON DUNCAN [George] ; MINERVA SHELTON LUTTRELL [William] ; MALINDA SHELTON LUTTRELL [Bluford] ; SUSANNAH SHELTON WILBANKS [John] ; JAMES C. SHELTON, LARKIN LAWSON SHELTON, SHEPHERD SHELTON, PETER SHELTON, AND HAMAN L. SHELTON, JR. These were brothers and sisters of Malinda Shelton Luttrell, wife of Bluford.

Bluford and Malinda came to Miller Co. about 1851-52 from Tennessee, after a stay in Marion Co., Illinois. In the census of 1860, they were living in southern Glaize township. Bluford was 49 years old, Malinda 48. Their known children, all born in Tennessee were: HENRY J. LUTTRELL [5 Apr 1839-25 Jan 1892] m. Celia F. Witt [13 Jan 1836-?], they married 12 Oct 1862; HAMAN L. LUTTRELL, born ca 1844 m. Elizabeth Thornton 1870; FANNY LUTTRELL born ca 1845 m. William Witt 1863; SARAH ELIZABETH LUTTRELL born ca 1847, never married; MARTHA A. LUTTRELL born ca 1850 m. Jesse M. Witt 1866. There were probably older children, but they were not living with their parents in the census of 1860 in Miller Co. In neighboring Pulaski Co., several Litterell/Luttrell families were found in the 1860 census including: LEWIS LITTERELL, age 46 & Mahala, age 45, 2 children; SHELTON LITTERELL age 24, wife Cynthia 25 and 2 children; JAMES LITTERELL age 23 and wife Sarah, 20 with 1 son. It is possible that Shelton and James Litterell/Luttrell were sons of Bluford while Lewis Luttrell age 46, was his brother. The Luttrells, who lived in Pulaski Co., were neighbors to the families of Shelton, Thornton, Smith, Setser, Wall, McDowell, Day, Mashburn, Pemberton, and Boren. All these families homesteaded in northwest Pulaski Co. near Old Hawkeye. Miller County was only a stone's throw away.

In 1860, on an adjoining farm to Bluford, lived Silas Luttrell, born ca 1823 in Tennessee, with his wife Nancy born ca 1834 in Alabama. They married in Miller Co. on 15 Aug 1851. Silas was probably another brother to Bluford.
*With further investigation, I learned that Nathan Luttrell died in 1840 in Hardeman Co., Tennessee and has a will probated in that county.

During the Civil War, Bluford Luttrell served as a soldier in Co. D, Osage Regiment, Missouri Home Guards [Confederates] . He was well past 50 years old when he served in that long-ago war. Bluford died sometime after 1880 and was buried in a small country cemetery in southwest Richwoods township called Smith Cemetery. There is a military stone marking his grave with only his name, and the Co. with whom he served during the Civil War. His wife, Malinda, died prior to 1880 and is buried in an unmarked grave. Since Bluford is resting in the old Smith Cemetery, it stands to reason that Malinda is there beside him.

Henry J. Luttrell, son of Bluford and Malinda, was born in 1839 in Tennessee. On October 12, 1862, he married Celia F. Witt in Miller Co., the marriage performed by Joseph D. McCubbin, Minister. Celia was born in Illinois in 1836, a daughter of John Witt born ca 1803 in Tennessee and his wife, Frances/Fanny _____, born ca 1806 in Kentucky. They were parents of several children including: GEORGE W. LUTTRELL born 1864 m. Martha Thornton in 1889; WILLIAM S. LUTTRELL [1865-1943] m.Nancy M. Thornton-Donahay, widow of Wm. H. Dunahay, in 184-; BENJAMIN D. LUTTRELL [1866-1938] m. _____; MALINDA J. LUTTRELL born 1868 m. Joseph Duncan 1887; FRANCES LUTTRELL born 1870 m____; BLUFORD LUTTRELL, JR. BORN 1872 m. Mary Duncan 1891; JOHN LUTTRELL born 1873 m. Nancy Duncan 1895; and HENRY M. LUTTRELL born 1880 m._____.

William S. Luttrell, son of Henry J. and Celia [Witt] Luttrell and a grandson of Bluford and Malinda [Shelton] Luttrell, was born in Miller Co. 24 Aug. 1864. He married Nancy M. Thornton-Dunahay/Dunahue, daughter of Milton and Elizabeth [Floyd] Thornton of Illinois and Alabama, respectively. He married Nancy 20 Jan 1884 in Miller Co. Nancy was born October 4, 1886, also in Miller Co. She first married William H. Dunahue [sometimes spelled Dunahay] in 1881. Evidently they had no children before his death. Before her death in 1908, Nancy produced 5 children including: HENRY LUTTRELL [died young]; BESS LUTTRELL m. Isaac Luttrell, SOPHIA LUTTRELL m. Edward Wall; ROSE LUTTRELL [1889-1968] never married; and FANNIE JANE LUTTRELL [16 Feb 1896-20 Mar 1963] m. Olia Rayford Whittle, son of Josephus and Leatha Jane [Loveall] Whittle of Miller Co. After Nancy's death William `Bill' Luttrell married Mary Rinehart and they were parents of 11 children: THELMA LUTTRELL [1918-1920] ; ALONZO LUTTRELL m. Easter Rowden; RAWL LUTTRELL m. Ila Rowden; ROBERT LUTTRELL m. Thelma Rowden; LEE LUTTRELL, remained single; LOLA LUTTRELL m. Orville Karr; BELLE LUTTRELL m. Julius Olander; RETTIE LUTTRELL m. Bert Strutton; PEARL LUTTRELL m. Dote Sons; PAULIINE LUTTRELL m. _____O'Brien; and VIOLA LUTTRELL m. Lynn Philbrick. William Luttrell and his first wife, Nancy [Thornton -Dunahay] Luttrell are buried at Mt. Union cemetery in southern Miller Co.

William Shelton Luttrell, born ca 1836 in Illinois, married Cynthia Ann Reynolds born ca 1834 in Alabama, in Miller County on June 1, 1856. It is believed William was an older son of Bluford and Malinda [Shelton] Luttrell. In the census of 1860, William Luttrell [listed as Shelton Luttrell] was living in Pulaski Co., Mo near Old Hawkeye. He and Cynthia had two children by 1860, John H. Luttrell born ca 1857 and Sarah Luttrell born ca 1859. Living next door to Shelton/William and Cynthia were John C. Reynolds, age 32 of Tennessee, his wife Martha age 28 of Tenn., and 5 children: James born ca 1848 TN; Mary born ca 1850 ILL; Henry born ca 1857 MO. Also in their home was Sarah Reynolds, age 53, born ca 1807 in Tennessee. I believe John C. Reynolds was a brother to Cynthia Luttrell and Sarah Reynolds was their mother. In the same general area was James and Sarah [Luttrell] Luttrell who married in Miller Co. in 1857. I believe James was another son of Bluford and Malinda [Shelton] Luttrell. He was living near William/Shelton Luttrell in northwest Pulaski Co. Since bother men were married in Miller Co., it is reasonable to presume they had lived with their parents [Bluford & Malinda] before marriage. After marriage, they moved a short distance south and lived near the Reynolds family in Pulaski Co.

By 1870, Cynthia [Reynolds] Luttrell was enumerated as the head of household in Tavern township in northwest Pulaski Co. Her children included: JOHN LUTTRELL age 13, SARAH LUTTRELL age 11, JAMES LUTTRELL age 9, and WILLIAM LUTTRELL age 7. Evidently her husband was deceased by 1870. Living on an adjoining farm was Melton/Milton Luttrell who did not come to Missouri as early as Bluford's family. I do not know if he was a brother or a nephew to Bluford. It is always possible he was another son, but his age given in 1870 was 45 years while Bluford was 60 years old. I do not rely too heavily on ages given in census records because I have found they are often wrong.

John H. Luttrell, son of William S. Luttrell and Cynthia Ann Reynolds, was born ca 1857 according to census records. According to his tombstone inscription he was born in 1864! Once again it is so exasperating trying to place our ancestors in the right families when names and dates are wrong. John H. Luttrell was alive in 1860 because he was listed in the home of Shelton and Cynthia Luttrell and was 3 years old.
John first married a woman with the last name Lett, but no record was found of their marriage. His second wife was Margaret [Phillips] Luttrell who had been previously married to a George W. Luttrell. She married George, son of Henry J. and Celia [Witt] Luttrell, on 12 August 1882. Margaret was a daughter of Irvine and Louisa Phillips of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. Margaret was born in Miller Co. circa 1864. George W. Luttrell died in 1888 [buried in Mt. Union cemetery] and then Margaret married John H. Luttrell, a cousin to George.

The children of Margaret Phillips and her first husband, George W. Luttrell were: WILLIAM LUTTRELL [1886-1962] m.* Melvina Alexander; CELIA LUTTRELL [1887-19--] m. Elmer Robinett [1889-1954]; and ANN LUTTRELL [b ? d ?] m. William Pope [they lived and died in Kansas]

The children of Margaret Phillips and her second husband, John H. Luttrell were: MARCELLA LUTTRELL b.? m. Perry Robinett; MARY LUTTRELL b. ? m. Buck Robinett; OSCAR J. LUTTRELL [1894-1959] m. Mary E._____; and MILTON I. LUTTRELL [17 May 1902-26 Sept 1987] m. Opal Duncan 4 Feb. 1924. Opal was a daughter of John and Ruth [Workman] Duncan.

The children of Milton I. Luttrell and Opal Duncan were: DORLAS LUTTRELL m. William Gilliam; LOIS DEAN LUTTRELL m. Roy Pemberton; ROSEMARY LUTTRELL m. (1] Rufus Cothrell (2] Kenneth Douglas; ALICE LUTTRELL m. (1] Jerry Osborn (2] Prather Wooldridge; BONNIE A. LUTTRELL m. Bill G. Smith; SHIRLEY LUTTRELL m. (1] Donald Stovall (2] Glen Irwin (3] Pete Smith; PATSY LUTTRELL m. Melnore Rodden; and KAREN LUTTRELL m. Dwight Barnett.

The Luttrell ancestors were of English origin and came to America in the 1700's, settling in Colonial Virginia. They expanded westward into Tennessee, moved onward to Illinois for awhile, and finally moved to the Miller/Pulaski Counties area of central Missouri. The generations of Luttrell have been carried into the late 20th century by numerous Luttrell and allied families who are still very prevelant in Miller County.
*Wm. M. Leona Albertson

Henry J. Dulle

Henry J. Dulle, Collector of Cole County during the late 19th century, was born at Jefferson City on June 4, 1848. He was a son of Gerhard Herman Dulle and Anna Marie Hacke/Haake, both natives of Hanover, Germany. His parents married in Cole County on 27 Feb 1846. The Dulle family were of the Catholic faith and among the early members of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Jeff. City when it organized in 1846...........Gerhard Herman Dulle, father of Henry, was a miller by trade in Cole County. By 1869 his old mill was rebuilt and was converted to a roller mill. His son, Henry, and stepson, John W. Schulte, began milling about 1868and continued on in that business for many years. Gerhard Dulle was also active in Cole County politics. He served as sheriff for several years and then became collector of the county from 1878-1882. In 1882, his son, Henry J. Dulle, was elected to the collector's office and served for several terms. The Dulle family had control of the collector's office for many years of the mid to late 19th century...........Henry J. Dulle married Theresa Peschel, a native of Austria. She was a daughter of Wenzel and Mary Peschel. Henry and Theresa became parents of four sons and four daughters including: Edward Dulle, Henry Dulle Jr., Victor Dulle, Theodore William Dulle, Mary Clara Dulle, Emma Dulle, Ida Dulle, and Annie Dulle..........Henry served as a treasurer of the church committee at St. Peter's for many years. He supported the Republican party and served as county collect for several years; was a stockhold in the First National Bank; member of St. John's Orphan Society; a member of the Catholic Knights of America; and a director of the Jefferson City Brick Yard Company........The Gerhard H. Dulle Milling Company was incorporated January 22, 1885 with Henry J. Dulle, John W. Schulte, B. Dulle, and Mrs. Anna Maria Dulle as board members. They also owned the Capitol Star Mills and the Victoria Mills where they employed almost 30 people of the community. The Dulle family played a major role in the business world surrounding Jefferson City and Cole County in the late 1800s and have carried the familly traditions onward to the present generation.

Samuel T. Lawson

Samuel T. Lawson was born in Miller County on 16 Jan 1850, a son of Lewis J. Lawson (b. c/1823 TN) and Nancy Matthews (1829-1896). Nancy was a daughter of William and Ellen Matthews, natives of Tennessee. Lewis and Nancy were early settlers of Miller County moving from Tennessee in the 1840s. In the 1850 census of Miller Co., they were found living in Saline township near the families of Jones, Ballance, Nolen, Dresser, Burris, Roark, and Bond.......The children of Lews J. & Nancy Lawson were: Elizabeth A. Lawson b. c/1846 (died young); William D. Lawson b. c/1847 (died in the Civil War); Benjamin F. Lawson 1848-1902 m. (1) Ellen Tarbutton 1872 (2) Annie Tarbutton 1892; Samuel T. Lawson 1850-1937 m. Caldonia Meredith 1874; Rose Ann Lawson b. c/1857 m. John F. Buster 1874; Mary Ellen Lawson b. c/1859 m. James E. Walker 1874...............During the Civil War the Lawsons had 3 sons who served in the Union army. William D. Lawson, the oldest son, enlisted in Co. G of the 8th MO Militia Cavalry. In 1863 he died of a fever at Lebanon, Laclede Co., MO. The second son, Benjamin F. Lawson, served in Co. B of the 48th MO Militia during 1864-65. The third son, Samuel T. Lawson, enlisted in the spring of 1865 and served a few months in the Missouri Enrolled Militia............Samuel T. Lawson, of whom this story is written, was the 4th child of his parents, born in 1850. In 1874, Samuel married Caldonia Meredith (b. 14 Jan 1854) a daughter of James & Elizabeth (McCubbin) Meredith. After Caldonia's father died, her mother married Miles Burris and they continued to live in the Tuscumbia area.........Samuel was a successful farmer and stockdealer of Equality township and owned a fine farm in 1889 with 65 acres under cultivation. He was a member of the Masonic Order and his wife, Caldonia, was a member of the Baptist church. (Note: Some of this info was found in the book, GOODSPEEDS HISTORY OF BENTON, COLE, MONITEAU, MILLER, MORGAN, & MARIES COUNTIES @1889)...........Samuel and Caldonia had two children, one who died at the age of two years. They were: James Claud Lawson 1881-1961 m. Louise/Louie Clarke; and Maude Lawson 1878-1880.............In September 1936, Caldonia Meredith Lawson died at the age of 82 years and was buried at Tuscumbia cemetery. The next year, in November 1937, Samuel T. Lawson, her husband of 62 years, died and was placed beside Caldonia at Tuscumbia cemetery.......NOTE: Benjamin F. Lawson, brother to Samuel, owned and operated a restaurant and boarding house in Tuscumbia in 1889. He later became a storekeeper in the town. Benjamin first married Ellen Tarbutton and they had 5 children:Edward, William, Lucy E., Emma A., and Lena. Edward and William died young. After the death of Ellen, Benjamin married Annie M. (Clark) Tarbutton in 1892. She was the widow of Albert E. Tarbutton. Annie was several years younger than Benjamin. She had at least two children by her first husband, Albert Tarbutton, including Gertrude, born 1887, and P. Edward Tarbutton born 1888. Evidently Benjamin and Annie Lawson became parents of two sons, Clark born in 1893 and Afton born in 1896.

MARY ANN LONG

MARY ANN LONG was born in Miller County 25 Feb 1870, a daughter of Alexander Long (1838-1890) and Lucinda F. Keeth (1844-1905). Her parents married in Miller County 14 Apr 1864, the marriage performed by Joshua D. Cochran, minister of the gospel. Alexander Long was a son of George Long and his first wife, Sarah (Stewart) of Tennessee. Lucinda Keeth was a daughter of John & Ruhama (Allen) Keeth of Edmonson Co., Kentucky........The children of Alexander and Lucinda (Keeth) Long were: NANCY J. LONG 1864-1920 m. Samuel P. Allen 1885; JAMES LONG 1866-1947 m. Margaret E. Haus 1903; MARTHA C. LONG b. 1868 m. Herman Hershberger 1891(not sure about this marriage); MARY ANN LONG 1870-1957 m. Albert E. Whittle 1890; JOHN H. LONG b. 1872 m. Lillie E. Wood 1896; JOSEPH LONG 1873-1953 m. Nepie Thomas 1898; and WILLIAM S. LONG b. 1876 m. (no record found)................Mary Ann's father, Alexander Long, died in 1890 and her mother, Lucinda, married William R. Thomas on Nov. 22, 1896, the marriage performed by Elder Jackson D. Thompson. Lucinda died in 1905 and was buried beside Alexander at Pleasant Hill cemetery in southwest Richwoods township........Mary Ann Long married Albert E. Whittle on 25 Aug 1890, conducted by Rev. Thomas Owen Workman. Albert was a son of Peter J. Whitlte (1836-1910) and Serilda S. Hoskins (1836-1917). His paternal grandparents were Joseph and Susannah (Kinser) Whittle of Edmonson County, Kentucky. Peter and Serilda married in Miller County on March 21, 1855.........In 1900, Mary Ann (Long) and Albert Whittle were living southwest of Iberia in the Pleasant Hill community. Some of their neighbors included the families of Long, Keeth, Thomas, Short, Thompson, Allen, Wright, Duncan, Shelton, and Wall. They were parents of five children, but only three survived to adulthood. Two young daughters are buried at the old Rankin Wright/Spearman cemetery. The children were: STELLA M. WHITTLE 1891-1893; IDELLA WHITTLE 1893-1993 m. Owen Barnett 1912; OSCAR WHITTLE b. 1896; NELLIE J. WHITTLE 1897-1989 m. Thomas Smith; and MARTHA WHITTLE 1899-1900...........Mary Ann Long-Whittle died 27 July 1952 at the age of 82 years and was buried at Pleasant Hill cemetery. She was survived by her aged husband, three children, 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. She was also survived by her brother, Joseph Long. Albert Whittle died in 1962 at the age of 94 years and was buried beside Mary Ann at Pleasant Hill.
E-Mail Address: peghake@yhti.net

Henry & Nancy Jones

DeVere.......I have seen some questions come across the MOMILLER list asking about the Jones families of Miller County. I have researched the Henry and Nancy (Davis) Jones family because they are my children's ancestors. Also my great grandfather, Harrison Smith, had 2 sisters (Mary Louella and Martha Jane Smith) who married Jones brothers from this family, so I have a double connection of interest............... I am sending you the WINDOW TO THE PAST article I wrote in August 1993 about Henry & Nancy Jones. You can place it in OUT OF THE PAST and if you wish, you call also post it on the MOMILLER-L website.
Peggy
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WINDOW TO THE PAST (from:The Miller County Autogram-Sentinel, dated 19 August 1993)
Henry Jones and his wife, Nancy Davis Jones, were among the county's earliest settlers. They were living in the Big Richwoods of southeastern Miller County before 1840. In the 5th U.S. census, taken in 1840, Henry and Nancy were living in the community we know today as Alder Springs. Some of their nearest neighbors were Woodford Jones (probably a brother to Henry), Cornelius Bilyeu, Peter Bilyeu, Coprnelius Roberts, Davis Henderson, and other Davis families whom I presume were Nancy's kinfolks..........Henry and Nancy were both listed as natives of the "Blue Grass State", Kentucky, born 1809 and 1813, respectively. They were married in Pike County, IL and shortly after their marriage, moved westward to Miller County, MO. Their children included: JAMES W. JONES b. 1834 m. Frances Bowlin; ELIZABETH ANN JONES b. c/1836 m. Alexander Pittman; BETTIAH JONES b. c/1839 m. James M. Morrow; JOHN F. M. JONES b. c/1841 m. Catherine Sloan; SARAH JANE JONES b. c/1844 m. Isaac A. Sloan; THOMAS B. JONES b. c/1847 m. Sarah M. Schooley; WILLIAM MARSHALL JONES b. 1849 m. Fetna Slawson; ALEXANDER JONES b. c/1853 m. Martha Mary Pittman; and MARY F. JONES b. c/1854 (no record after 1860).........................Henry Jones died in 1875 and his land was divided among his heirs, including his wife, Nancy. Some of the children sold their share of the land to youngest brother, Alexander Jones. Since Nancy Davis Jones does not appear in the Miller Co. census of 1880, she probably died c/1875-1880. Where she and Henry are buried is unknown, but probably somewhere on the land they homesteaded and called home for many years in the Alder Springs community...............James W. Jones, oldest son of Henry and Nancy, was born 16 Mar 1834. On 24 Feb 1854, James married Frances Bowlin, the marriage performed by Joseph Johnson, a justice of the peace. She was one of 6 children born to James and Sarah Bowlin, natives of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. The children were: STACEY BOWLIN b. c/1827; JAMES BOWLIN b. c/1830; JOHN BOWLIN b. c/1832; JOSEPHUS BOWLIN b. c/1834 FRANCES BOWLIN b. c/1838; and MARTHA BOWLIN b. c/1840, all born in Tennessee.........................James and Frances (Bowlin) Jones lived in the Alder Springs area near the other Jones families. Their children included: JOHN MARSHALL JONES b. 1857 m. Mary Luella Smith; JAMES HENRY JONES b. 1859 m. Martha Jane Smith; JOSEPHUS JONES b. 1855 (no record after 1870); WILLIAM R. JONES b. 1861 m. Emily Carlton; SARAH J. JONES b. 1864; NANCY JONES 1866-1868; THOMAS B. JONES b. 1868 m. Jemima Fike; MARION W. JONES b. 1871 m. Della Smith; ISAAC L. JONES b. 1873; GEORGE W. JONES b. 1875 m. Leona Serl; ALCENA JONES b. 1877 m. Fred Hannah; WILEY JONES b. 1879; and DAVID F. JONES 1882-1892....................John Marshall Jones, son of James and Frances, was born in Miller County on 28 Oct 1857. He married Mary Luella Smith 16 Nov 1879, a daughter of John Wesley Smith and Nancy (Stinnett). Mary Luella was born in Pulaski Co., MO 15 June 1860, one of 10 children born to John Wesley & Nancy Smith. The Smith children were: WILLIAM HARRISON SMITH (great grandfather of Peggy Smith Hake), JOHN WESLEY SMITH, JR.; MINERVA SMITH (died young), MATILDA (SMITH) BAILEY; AMANDA (SMITH) MORROW, MARY LUELLA (SMITH) JONES, ALEXANDER SMITH, JAMES MONROE SMITH, DANIEL C. SMITH, LEWIS SMITH, & MARTHA JANE (SMITH) JONES.
Note: Mary Luella Smith and her sister, Martha Jane, married Jones brothers.......................The children of John Marshall Jones and Mary Luella Smith were: OLLIE JONES WILES b. 1881; BESSIE JONES CREECH b. 1883; GENIE JONES JARRETT b. 1885; ARTHUR JONES b. 1887; EVERETT JONES b. 1890; LEMUEL JONES b. 1892 and GALE JONES b. 1895..................John Marshall Jones and Mary Luella (Smith) Jones are buried at Brays Union Cemetery. He died 9 June 1941 at the age of 84 years and Mary Luella lived until 7 Feb 1956 when she passed away at the age of 96 years.
NOTE: I printed this story in the Autogram-Sentinel in 1993 at the request of Rev. Earl Jones of Dixon (now deceased). He was a grandson of John Marshall & Mary Luella (Smith) Jones.

Emily Calles
by Peggy Smith Hake
Emily Challes was born in Boone County, MO in 1831, a daughter of Hugh and Mary (Bennett) Challes, early pioneers of Boone County. They came south to what is today Miller County, but when they settled here in 1834, it was still a part of Cole County. Her father, Hugh Challes (1788-1872), was a native of South Carolina and her mother, Mary Bennett (1794-1872), was born in Kentucky. Hugh Challes can be found in the early history of Miller County where he served as an election judge of Equality township in the county’s first election, held in 1837. In 1848, he was elected a school commissioner of School #10 in Twp. 40 Range 15 when a special meeting was held at the Old Gilgal Church located at the mouth of the Little Gravois Creek. In 1849, he was appointed as Public Administrator after his son-in-law, Daniel Cummings, resigned to become the Treasurer of Miller County.
Emily was one of several children born to her parents including: SIDNEY CHALLES b. c/1820 d.1856; JOSEPH BENNETT CHALLES 1821-1876 m. Louisa Ann Smith 1851; AMANDA CHALLES b. c/1824 m. Daniel Cummings 1843; MALINDA CHALLES 1828-1861; EMILY CHALLES 1831-1920 m. James Johnston 1851; WILLIAM R. CHALLES 1837-1861; and MILTON R. CHALLES b. c/1839 (never married).
Hugh and Mary (Bennett) Challes, with 3 of their children, are buried on their homesteaded land near the Osage River, just off the Hall Store Rd. west of Tuscumbia. The old cemetery has been inventoried as Challes Family Cemetery. Their son, Sidney Challes, died in 1856 shortly after becoming a young attorney in Miller County. He had just entered the bar but did not live long enough to practice his new profession. I found no record of a marriage for him nor a place of burial, but would speculate he is also buried in the family cemetery on the old Challes farmplace.
Emily Challes married James Johnston on January 26, 1851 in Miller County. James was a son of John and Nancy (Berry) Johnston of Virginia and Kentucky respectively. John was born c/1803 and Nancy was born c/1808. They were parents of several children including: Mary Johnston b. c/1822 m. Joseph Moore; Catherine Johnston b. c/1825 m. James C. Reed 1844; Richard B. Johnston b. c/1827 m. (no record); Margaret Johnston 1830-1874 m. Hiram Reed; Edward Bennett Johnston b. 1831 m. (1) Mary E. Matthews (2) Nancy E. Harbison; James Johnston 1834-1896 m. Emily Challes; Samuel B. Johnston 1834-1886 m. Mariah Hinds; George W. Johnston b. 1835 m. Sarah Hinds; Martha Jane Johnston 1838-1877 m. Joseph Hinds; Lucy E. Johnston 1840-1886 m. John C. Slater; and Joyce W. Johnston b. 1852 m. Barton S. Bond.
James Johnston, husband of Emily, was born 8 April 1824 in Callaway County, MO. His parents left Callaway County and first moved to Osage County, MO in 1832 and later, in 1837, they moved to Miller County. James was reared on a farm and was educated in the old subscription schools. During the Mexican War, he enlisted, at age 22 years, under Capt. C. B. Rogers in Company H on 18 May 1846 at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He served at Santa Fe, NM and Monterey & Mattamoras, Mexico during this war. He was discharged in June 1847 at New Orleans. During the Civil War, James once again enlisted to fight in an army, but this time it was with the
Confederacy.....he took part in battles at Carthage and Wilson’s Creek under the leadership of General Sterling Price.
James was active in polictics in the county. He served first as Deputy Sheriff and then was elected Sheriff for about 4 years and filled the office of Justice of the Peace in Saline township for many years. He was a member of the Pleasant Mount AF & AM Masonic Lodge#134 and was a member of the Free United Brethren Church. During these years, Emily fulfilled the duties of a housewife and mother, giving birth to at least 10 children.
Emily (Challes) Johnston and her husband, James, produced ten children: JOHN CALVIN JOHNSTON b. c/1852; SIDNEY B. JOHNSTON b. c/1854 m. (1) Ellen Walker (2) Adelia Moore; EDWARD C. JOHNSTON 1856-1882; MARY L. JOHNSTON b. 1859 m. Alfred P. Weaver; LUCY LAVONA JOHNSTON b. 1861 (never married); IDA E. JOHNSTON b. 1864 m. Seldon Hoover; NANCY G. JOHNSTON b. 1867 m. Henry W. Starling; MARTHA V. JOHNSTON b. 1869 m. Beard Scott; WILLIAM M. JOHNSTON b. 1871; and LEONA JOHNSTON b. 1871(twin to William) m. John L. Allison.
In the Miller County census of 1870, Emily and James were living in Equality township and their neighbors included the families of Swanson, Challes, Scott, Cox, Keyes, Jones, Wyrick, and Etter.
Emily Johnston died in Eldon at the age of 89 years in May 1920. Her husband, James, had died 24 years earlier in 1896 and both were buried at Mt. Pleasant cemetery. She had been a member of the Olean Methodist Church and was survived by 9 of her children and one brother, Milton Challes, who was living in Morrisville, MO in 1920. Her obituary stated, “With the demise of Emily Challes Johnston, the county loses a member of one of its pioneer families, one of the most prominent a half-century ago (c/1870).............

Virginia Wyrick
by Peggy Smith Hake
Virginia Wyrick was born in Miller County in 1859. She was a daughter of Henry and Mary Wyrick, natives of Grainger County, Tennessee. Her grandparents were Michael and Lucinda (Jones) Wyrick, also of Grainger Co., TN. The Wyrick families came from East Tennessee to Miller County in the early 1840s and settled in Equality township. There were several branches of this family who came to Missouri and most settled south of the Osage river except for Nathaniel Wyrick , who lived in Saline township and reared his family there.
Virginia (called Jennie) was the youngest of six children born to Henry and Mary and their only daughter. The children included: WILLIAM R. WYRICK b. c/1845; MICHAEL A. WYRICK b. c/1848; HENRY CALLAWAY WYRICK b. 1852 m. Brazonia Gibson; JAMES L. WYRICK b. 1853; TOLBIRD/TOLBERT WYRICK b. 1857 m. Mary Adeline Wickham; and VIRGINIA WYRICK b. 1859 m. (1) Flavius Curry (2) Daniel Malachi Wyrick.
Mary Wyrick, mother of Virginia/Jennie, died in 1864 and by 1870, Jennie was living with her Wyrick grandparents (Michael and Lucinda) in Osage township near the present site of St. Anthony. I was surprised to find Michael and Lucinda living in that particular area of Osage township because I had always presumed they lived in the western part of Osage township near the area called Pleasant Farm.
In March 1878, Virginia/Jennie married Flavius Curry. Evidently they did not have any children since none were found in census records. Sometime between 1880 and 1888, Flavius must have died because on December 13, 1888, Jennie married her cousin, Daniel Malachi Wyrick. Daniel was a son of Michael Wyrick Jr. and Laura Ann Golden. Daniel M. Wyrick was born in Miller County 12 Feb 1858. He was one of four sons born to Michael Jr. and Laura Ann including: George W. Wyrick 1855-1932; Daniel Malachi Wyrick 1858-1934; Leo W. Wyrick b. 1865 died young; and David W. Wyrick b. 1868 died young.
Daniel had first married Parthenia Wyrick (daughter of John and Diana (Bilyeu) Wyrick) and they were parents of three children: Charles E. Wyrick, Dora Belle (Wyrick) Wickham, and Lola F. (Wyrick) Wyrick....................Jennie Wyrick, Daniel Wyrick, and Parthenia Wyrick were all cousins, descendants of Michael and Lucinda (Jones) Wyrick of Grainger County, Tennessee.
Jennie and Daniel Wyrick became parents of two children: W. Carroll Wyrick and Ina (Wyrick) Royster. They lived and reared their family on a farm south of the Osage river in Equality townhip near Coon Creek.
In the early 1900s, Jennie Wyrick was hired by the Miller County Court to take care of the elderly and indigent people in her home. She did this service for several years until the county decided to purchase a farm and build a county home on the property. The people of Miller County voted in a tax levy in 1930 and the old County Home was built sometime within the next year. The County Home was a huge, spacious home constructed of brick and it was in existence until the Miller County Nursing Home was built a few years ago. The old structure was torn down and the present nursing home is located just a short distance north and on the same acreage.
Daniel Malachi Wyrick died 10 February 1934 and was buried at Old Mt. Zion Cemetery. Jennie lived until April, 1939 when she died at the age of 80 years. She was living with her daughter, Ina Wyrick Royster, in Parkville, MO at the time of her death. A few years earlier she had fallen and broken her hip and never fully recovered from the fall. She made her home with her daughter after her injury. She was brought back home from Parkville for her funeral services which were held at Mt. Zion church and she was then buried beside Daniel in the church’s cemetery. She was survived by her two children, three stepchildren, many grandchildren and great grandchildren.