C - Biographies of Miller County Persons

Surnames Beginning With 'C'

CAPPS FAMILY

In the 1840 census of Pulaski County, Mo. (the county directly to the south of Miller Co.) there were two Capps families listed. They were the following:

Capps Jacob 000011-21001
Capps Willis 00111001-00000001

They lived side by side so they were probably father & son.

Over in Miller County, in the 1850 census lived Silas Capps and his wife, Julia Ann (Brumley) Capps in Osage Township. Silas Capps and Julia had quite a few children over the years. He was born c1818 in Tennessee and she was born c1820 in Missouri. Silas Capps was killed in the Civil War and is buried in a National Cemetery in New Albany, Indiana. His widow, Julia Ann, remained in Miller Co and died here in the early 1900s. All of their children married and live in Miller County also.

In 1850, 1870, and 1880 there was another Capps family listed also in addition to Silas & Julia. Jacob & Naomi Capps were natives of Tennessee and descendants of both families, say Jacob was an older brother to Silas. One source I have says they were from the Claiborne/Grainger counties of East Tennessee and they had a sister, Sarah, who married James Davis in Grainger County and they remained there. The same source says that Jacob, Silas and Sarah may have been the children of Benjamin Capps, born c1794. He was in Ozark County, MO. in 1850 and was listed as a Baptist preacher.

The following is an obituary I have for Julia Ann (Brumley) Capps.

From: The Iberia Sentinel (Richwoods Township dated in August 1908)

July Ann (Julia Ann) Capps, better known as "Grandma", died at her home in Iberia, Tuesday afternoon at 1:40 p.m. of senial troubles. "Grandma at the time of her death was about 91 years old and was one of the oldest residents of Miller Co. She has lived within a radius of 10 miles of Iberia for the past 90 years. Her death occurred on the 40th birthday of her youngest son, Henry Halleck Capps.

Mrs. Capps, whose maiden name was Brumley, was born in Tennessee in the early part of the year 1817 and the following year was brought to Missouri by her parents, The first two years in Missouri, her parents made their home in Wilson's Cave with the Wilson family for whom the cave was named and at that time was the only white family in this part of the state.

She was married to Silas Capps April 1, 1838 in Miller Co. To this union were born12 children. Six are still living. They were John B. Capps of Rolla; H.H. Capps of Step-Rock Arkansas; Lucinda Hamilton of Iberia; Mary E. Ramsey of Brumley; Paulina B. Burnett of Ramsey. All of her children were at her bedside when she died. She also had 66 grandchildren, 89 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great grandchildren, and a large number of who survive her. The funeral was held at the Iberia graveyard, Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock.

NOTE: The Brumley Family Book places Julyann/Julia Ann's birth in Illinois, not Tennessee and born in 1824.
NOTE: Silas Capps, her husband was killed during the Civil War and she reared the children alone in Miller County. He is buried at the National Cemetery in New Albany, Indiana which is across the river from Louisville Ky.

They were the parents of the following children:

1. Nancy Capps b. 1839 d. 1867 m. Carroll Roark

2. Louisa Capps b. 1841 d. 1841

3. Lucinda Capps b. 1842 d. ???? m. Archie Roark & James Hamilton.

4. Benjamin L. Capps b.1844 d.1901

5. Silas Wright Capps b. 1847 d. 1847

6. Mariah Capps b. 1849 d. ???? m. Fielding Bilyeu

7. Galen Hart Capps b. 1851 d. 1851

8. Mary Eliz. Capps b. 1853 d. 1922 m. Henry Bilyeu & Richard Ramsey

9. Martha Capps b. 1856 d. 1856

10. Pauline Bass Capps b. 1857 d. 1943 m. Allen Burnett

11. John Brumley Capps b. 1860 d. 1910 m. Rosa McCommons

12. Henry Halleck Capps b. 1862 d. 1923 m. Clementine Flaugher

SILAS CAPPS

Silas Capps was born in Claiborne County, Tennessee in 1818 (per military records) and arrived in Miller County about 1837 with his brother, Jacob Capps, and Benjamin Capps, thought to be their father. Jacob was about 4 years older than Silas. Other Capps in the area at the time were Rebecca Moulder Capps who settled in Camden County in 1837 with the Moulder family; William Capps who settled on the Niangua River near Allison Ford in Camden County about 1832; and Willis Capps, born c/1778, who also settled in Camden County. Benjamin Capps, mentioned above, was born c/1794 and was living in Ozark County, MO in 1850. He listed his occupation as "Baptist preacher". Jacob Capps was a preacher also and performed many marriages in Miller County.

Silas Capps married Julia Ann Brumley on April 1, 1838, the marriage performed by Squire Jesse Kendrick, justice of the peace in Equality Township. Their marriage was the 12th one recorded in Miller County records. Julia was only 14 years old at the time, by her own account. Family, census, and army service records indicate they had 8 children, but actually they were parents of 12 including: NANCY CAPPS b.c/1839 m. Carroll Roark; LOUISA CAPPS (1841-1841); LUCINDA CAPPS b. c/1843 m. (1)Archie Roark (2)______Hamilton; BENJAMIN L. CAPPS b. c/1845; SILAS WRIGHT CAPPS (1847-1847); MARIAH M. CAPPS b. 1849 m. Fielding Bilyeu; GALEN HART CAPPS (1851-1851); MARY ELIZABETH CAPPS b. 1853 m. Henry Bilyeu (brother to Fielding); PAULINA B. CAPPS b. 1855 m. Allen W. Burnett; MARTHA CAPPS (1856-1856); JOHN BRUMLEY CAPPS b. 1860 m. Rosa L. McCommons; and HENRY HALLECK CAPPS b. 1862 m. Clementine Flaugher.

Silas taught some 'hog and hominy' schools in early Miller County. I think the phrase 'hog & hominy' referred to the subscription schools in early Miller County when the parents had to pay a teacher to teach their children just the basics. Sometimes the cost was $1.00 per month and that was quite costly for many, so the educator may have been paid with food items to help supplement his wages.

Silas Capps also mined in the old Capps area and listed his occupation as a 'miner' for quite sometime. During those days of the 19th century, there were some old mines on both sides of the Osage River. He also had more than a passing interest in politics and business. He participated in a petition to split up the area of Osage township in August 1837. In 1850, he was a candidate for the state legislature; was a school trustee during 1857-1859; was an associate judge of the Miller County Court in 1863; and he also ran an old mill at Capp's Landing on the Osage River.

Silas helped his brother, Jacob Capps, organize and was a First Lt. of Company H, Hickory Battalion, Osage Valley Regiment of the Missouri Home Guards during the early days of the Civil War. He was later replaced in that position by Wm. Carroll Brumley. Silas enlisted in the federal service on December 11, 1863 in Jefferson City. He must have used some of his political savvy because at the age of 45 years, he was over the age for enlistment. Most of his federal service was spent in various military hospitals and he died of acute diarrhea on January 7, 1865 aboard the steamer R.C. WOODS which was being used as a U.S. Army general hospital at St. Louis. His wife, Julia Ann, remained his widow for 43 years and died at her home in Iberia 25 Aug 1908 at the age of 91 years. I do not know for sure when Julia moved to the Iberia area, but I think some of her children had moved to Richwoods Township. When Julia Ann died in 1908, she was survived by 6 of their 12 children. According to her obituary, she certainly left a huge number of descendants in addition to her 6 children......she was survived by 66 grandchildren, 89 great grandchildren, and 10 great, great grandchildren......quite a legacy!

WILLIAM CARNES FAMILY

William P. Carnes was born in McMinn County, Tennessee, on Dec. 11, 1830, one of ten children born to Rev. Jehu and Nancy (Burton) Carnes. His parents were natives of Virginia and moved into east Tennessee where they reared their children in the early 19th century.

The children, five boys and five girls, were:

1. Matilda Carnes m. John Berry

2. Mary Jane Carnes m. Wm. Nathaniel Rowden

3. Nancy Carnes m. John Brumble

4. Edith E. Carnes m. Thomas M. Laughlin

5. Ann Carnes m. Joseph Copeland

6. Thomas Carnes m. ___ McKnight

7. William P. Carnes m. Ruth Ann Branson

8. Levi Carnes m. Margaret Rowden

9. John F. Carnes m. Mary Elizabeth Copeland

10. Josiah M. Carnes m. Margaret S. ___

Jehu Carnes, father of William, came to Osage County in 1838 from McMinn County, Tennessee. He was an early day Methodist circuit-riding preacher and helped to organize and establish many churches in the area. Later, the Carnes family moved to Maries County sometime after the Civil War.

At age 6, William Carnes came to an unsettled frontier, then Osage County, with his parents from East Tennessee. Typical of many pioneer children, he received a limited education in the common schools of his home area and later became a farmer.

In 1846, William married Ruth Ann Branson, a native of Virginia and a daughter of David and Sarah Branson. Her parents, with their six children, first settled in Gasconade County, Missouri and later moved into Osage County. Her mother died in 1845 and her father, David, remarried and spent the last years of his life in Phelps County to the south.

William and Ruth were parents of three daughters, all born in Osage County.

They were:

1. Elizabeth Carnes (1856-1896 m. (1) Wm. L. Bowman (2) Robert M. Kinniard

2. Mary Carnes (1858-1932) m. William D. Adkins

3. Nancy Carnes (1861-1887) m. William T. Agee

Since William and Ruth only produced daughters, the Carnes name began to die out. In the other Carnes families, the girls outnumbered the boys by a wide margin also.

William and Ruth settled down in the Gasconade River country, about four miles east of present-day Vienna. He had a fine river-bottom farm that he put into cultivation and also became a successful stock raiser.

William, and all three of their daughters are buried in the Carnes Family Cemetery, located on the land where they spent most of their lives. Also in the cemetery are at least five of their grandchildren. William P. Carnes died in 1896 and Ruth Ann (Branson) Carnes lived until 1917.

NOTE: Members of the Carnes family married into the Rowden, Copeland and Branson families, who also lived in both Maries and Miller counties. Some of their descendants remain in the same area today. Jehu Carnes, the circuit-riding preacher of the pioneer frontier, was well known in the early histories of Miller, Maries and Osage counties.

WILLIAM GEORGE CARRENDER

William George Carrender was born in Miller County, near Mt. Pleasant, on May 3, 1862, a son of George W. Carrender (born c/1839) and his wife, Mary A._____. No record was found of their marriage in Miller County, but according to the 1860 census, they were newly-married. She was 17 years of age and George was 21. William was a grandson of Alfred and Elizabeth Carrender, early settlers of the county. They were in Miller County during the first county census, taken in 1840.

George W. and Mary A. Carrender became parents of three sons born between 1860 and 1865. The sons were James H. Carrender b. c/1861 m. Harriett Pinkston 1880; William George Carrender b. 1862 m. Sarah Leona Harrison 1881; and Joel J. Carrender b. c/1865 m. Henrietta/Nettie Heldstab 1885.

Sometime before August 1866, George W. Carrender died and there is the possibility he was a casualty of the Civil War. It was in August 1866 that his widow, Mary A. Carrender, married Robert R. Stansberry. They had a daughter, Minerva Lee, who was a half sister to James, William, and Joel Carrender. By 1870, Mary was once again alone with four children in her home---James 9 years old, William 8, Joel J. 5, and Minerva/Mary Lee age 1 month. Minerva married George W. Hicks in 1885 when very young. The census gave her name as Mary Lee Stansberry, but her marriage records give her name as Minerva Lee Carrender.

William George Carrender married Sarah Leona Harrison on August 14, 1881. She was a daughter of William T. Harrison (born in Kentucky) who was living in Equality Township in 1880. William and Sarah Leona became parents of seven children including Herbert O. Carrender b. Jan 1882 m._______; Oscar Eldridge Carrender b. Oct 1883 m. Emma Pauline Williams 1910; Charles J. Carrender b. Sep 1885 m. Nora Brockman 1907; Willard A. Carrender b. Oct 1887 m. Ida B.______; Lela M. Carrender b. Nov 1891; Annie J. Carrender b. Feb 1896; and Essie Carrender (born after 1900). I don't know if any of the three daughters married because they were still living at home when their father died in 1922.

William was a farmer and stockman of the Equality/Saline townships area for over 30 years. About a week before his death on March 7, 1922, William exchanged his farm with his youngest son, Willard, and took the son's residence in Eldon. William had become quite ill during the influenza plague that hit America in the era of 1918-20 and never fully recovered from the illness. He gave up farming to move to Eldon, but only lived for a short time after the move.

At his death he was survived by his wife, Leona; his seven children; 10 grandchildren; one brother, Joel Carrender of Eldon; his half-sister, Mrs. George Hicks of Eldon; and a half-brother, L. F. Russell of Algire, MO....(NOTE: I still haven't figured out who the half brother was). He was buried at Salem Cemetery, north of Eldon. His wife lived for 40 years after William's death and died on July 12, 1962. She was buried beside William at Salem Cemetery.

MILES CARROLL, CIVIL WAR CASUALTY

During the Civil War years, not only did the American people fight the northern cause against the southern cause concerning the slavery question, but they also fought the political question of the older Democrat party against the newer Republican party.

Prior to his death (about 1984), I visited with Hite Boren, age 102 years, who lived in the small community of Hawkeye in Pulaski County and I drew important information from his marvelous storehouse of memories. He could remember, when a child, that all the Civil War comrades would meet at his father's house and spend all night talking about their experiences during the war years and those following. As a wide-eyed child, he absorbed all those wonderful tales of yesteryear and could recite the most exciting stories! He said the Southerners were mostly Democrat in their political beliefs and the Union Army represented Abraham Lincoln and the newer Republican party. The South had a guerilla army called bushwhackers and they terrorized the countryside with their unscrupulous and deadly behavior.

Miles and Ruah (Setzer/Setser) Carroll, with their family of 10 children lived in southern Miller County near the old Madden community. They were new settlers to this region when the Civil War broke out, having come from Macon Co., Northern Carolina, via Georgia, in the late 1850s. A huge wagon train of 44 wagons made this trek to central Missouri with many settlers making a new home for themselves in our Miller/Pulaski counties area. Some of the family names included Carroll, Boren, Setser, Steen Day, Strutton and Lowery. All those pioneer families came overland with their livestock, trudging the hundreds of miles through the autumn rains, behind wagons loaded with their earthly possessions. The wagon train increased in size as it proceeded westward through Tennessee, Kentucky, and onward to Missouri.

Uncle Hite Boren reconstructed the Madden and Hawkeye communities for me during the Civil War years. The following were the homesteaders who lived in that general region during the 1860s…there was Thomas Day; the Miles Carroll family down by the Tavern Creek; Ab(ner) Long; Jack Long, Nick Long; Jack Thompson; Sol(omon) Keeth; Peter Whittle; Dow Wall; 'ol man Rutter who was a preacher; Willis Lively; Elias Popplewell; George Steen's folks; Jack Atkins; a feller named Arnold; Thomas Thornsberry; John Thornsberry, Will Pemberton; the Lowerys; and Jim Boren. Also in the same area were the Pennsylvanians who migrated to Miller County in the same time era…the Tallmans, Browns, Moores, Pitingers, Getgens, Irlands, Bennages, and Johnstons. Southern Miller County was peopled by pioneers of very different backgrounds.

The northern Pennsylvania Dutch were Republicans and non-slave owners while the southern homesteaders, of varied backgrounds, were accustomed to a life of slave ownership. Joseph Carroll, whom I believe was a brother to Miles, owned one slave in 1862 and James Long owned one. Both men lived near each other in the old Madden community.

Uncle Hite was of the opinion, and I am sure he heard this quoted by his father many times as he grew up, that many central Missouri men went into the service of the Union Army even though their hearts may have been with the Confederacy. They were able to acquire food and provisions for their wives and children from the Federal army and evidently the same was not available from the southern armies.

Miles Carroll was a native of North Carolina, born 11 April 1811. At the age of 23, in 1834, he married Ruah L. Setser/Setser, daughter of John and Catherine (Tarr) Setzer, born in Lincoln County, North Carolina on 26 August 1811. From 1834 until c/1843, they lived in Macon County, North Carolina where their first 4 children were born including Narcissa, Mary/Polly, Lucinda, and Henry. After moving to Georgia, 5 more children were born: Martha, John, Levada, Daniel and William. Their 10th child, Cordelia Jane, was born in Missouri.

Two of the Carroll sons, Henry, about 18 years old, and John, not yet 16, went off to war joining the Union forces of the North. They were young boys who wanted to fight a war that I doubt they even understood! The Civil War was a terrible time in our history. There will never be an accurate count of how many actually died in the 4 years between 1861 and1865, but the estimated number is horrendous. The violence during those years was terrible as neighbor fought neighbor; family fought family; and it was described as the time when brother fought brother. Little trust could be found and everyone was skeptical of his neighbor.

The story has been told through the generations about the death of Miles Carroll. The translation has probably either lost some truth or perhaps gained some over the years as the legend has survived for over 125 years since a day in October, 1864 when death overtook Miles Carroll. The following is what Hite Boren told me as he remembered the story his father, Jim Boren, told him when a child…

Miles was 53 years old and too old to serve in the military, but his two oldest sons were away fighting for the North. IT was rumored the boys sent money home to their folks for safekeeping. Bushwhackers rode roughshod, spreading fear and havoc over the countryside of central Missouri. One autumn day they rode to the homestead of Miles Carroll and demanded money. He refused to hand any over to them, so they took Miles and marched him in front of their horses for miles, then returned him home, weary and worn out. They left at that time, but returned again about 2 weeks later and this time they dragged him from his house and shot him down in the front yard of his home. Two of his daughters, Martha Carroll Shelton and Narcissa Carroll Strutton, were home and witnessed the murder of their father. The bushwhackers terrorized the women also, telling them if they attempted to moved the body of their father, they would burn the house down. They rode off and a short while later, Ruah and two other Carroll daughters, Lucinda Lowery and Polly Smith, returned home to the frightful sight. The five women had just brought Miles into the house when the bushwhackers returned. With an ax in hand, Ruah challenged the outlaws, daring them to set foot in her house. Evidently she made believers of them because they rode away. The five women buried Miles Carroll on a hillside overlooking the Big Tavern Creek Valley below, the first person buried in the Madden Cemetery. It is my understanding there are approximately 30 Civil War veterans buried in Madden Cemetery, including James Monroe Smith, husband of Polly Carroll Smith. He was killed in a gunfight on the streets of Iberia a few years after the Civil War had ended, but the fight was because of old hatreds stemming from the war. James Monroe Smith was a brother to my great-grandfather, William Harrison Smith, sons of John Wesley Smith and Nancy Stinnett Smith.

I do not know for sure how the Grand Army of the Republic Post in Iberia acquired the name MILES CARROLL G.A.R. POST NO. 111, but I would assume that Squire John Ferguson was instrumental in getting the post named for his old friend. The grand old gentleman of Richwoods Township, Squire Ferguson, was the cornerstone of the G.A.R. in southern Miller County and was very influential in the community.

Many descendants of Miles and Ruah (Setser) Carroll are scattered throughout the world today and many are yet in our Mid-Missouri region in both Miller and Pulaski counties. The children married into the families of Smith, Strutton, Lowery, Shelton, Hull, Long, Coffey, and Martin, who are also pioneer families with deep roots in our community.

The rugged stories of our ancestors are wonderful to research and we realize these pioneer forefathers were a strong people as they set out to conquer a brutal frontier. Missouri was considered an "untamed land" prior to and during the Civil War era and it took courageous people to tackle such a ruthless wilderness, settle it, and build an everlasting heritage for our generations of the 20th Century.

CLARENCE L. CASEY

CLARENCE L. CASEY was born in Iberia 7 January 1897, a son of John Simeon Casey (1862-1937) and Martha A. Barlow (1865-1957) who married in Miller County in 1884. John Simeon Casey was born near Mt. Vernon , Illinois in 1862 and Martha was a native of Missouri.

The children of John and Martha were: CLINTON JOHN CASEY m. Melvina Hopkins; OLIVE MYRTLE CASEY; ELVA ETTA CASEY; CLARENCE L. CASEY 1897-1956 m. Cora M. Adams; CLARK L. CASEY 1899-1966; JOSEPHINE CASEY; CARL PARKER CASEY 1905-1935; MAY BELLE CASEY 1885-1893; and CHARLES CLIFFORD CASEY 1894-1895.

On June 23, 1915, Clarence married Cora M.Adams (1895-1968), a daughter of George W. and Gertrude ( Gardner ) Adams and they became parents of three children: George John Casey, Martha Gertrude Casey; and Juanita Casey.

Clarence's ancestors, the Caseys, came from Northern Ireland and first settled in Virginia in the late 1700s. His grandparents were Zadoc and Sarah (Castleman) Casey who came to Miller County circa 1865 and settled on a farm near the Barren Fork creek, 5 miles north of Iberia.

John Casey, father of Clarence, organized the Bank of Iberia in the late 1890's, Iberia's first bank. It was located at the southeast corner of St. Louis and Main Streets when built.

Clarence Casey was a supporter of the Republican Party and was elected as a delegate to the Missouri State Republican Convention in St. Joseph in 1928. Clarence and George Adams began a business in Iberia called Adams and Casey Mercantile Company with a funeral home on the second floor. Clarence was a funeral director for many years in Iberia. He was also very active in community activities including being a member of the Iberia Masonic AF & AM Lodge #410 (was Worshipful Master 1930-32); member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri State Funeral Directors Association; member of the Board of Directors of Bank of Iberia; and a trustee/director of Iberia Academy where both he and his wife, Cora, had attended as young students; and were members of the Iberia Missionary Baptist Church.

In the 1939 fire that destroyed much of downtown Iberia, one of the buildings destroyed was called the Clarence Casey building, formerly the office of Dr. von Gremp and was occupied at the time of the fire by Dr. E.D. Suggett, a dentist. The Adams and Casey Mercantile building was a complete loss including the funeral home on the second floor, located on the northeast corner of St. Louis and Main Streets. Their loss in merchandise and funeral supplies was about $16,000. Most business places were not covered with insurance because of the exorbitant prices even in those days with the buildings built close together and made of wood.

Clarence L. Casey died on April 28, 1956 at the age of 59 years and was buried at Iberia Cemetery. His wife, Cora (Adams), died in 1968 and was placed beside Clarence at Iberia Cemetery.

MARY ANN 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 son 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.

ABRAHAM CASTLEMAN

Abraham Castleman was an early pioneer of what is today Miller County. In the early 1830s he was sent into central Missouri by the presbytery of the Methodist Church as a circuit-riding preacher. He settled in the Big Richwoods of southern Miller County and evidently brought his family with him. In the census of 1840, he was enumerated living in Richwoods Township with a wife, 2 sons and 3 daughters. I believe a sixth daughter was Mary Ann Castleman who married Robert Reed in Miller County in 1839.

NOTE: The two sons enumerated in the 1840 census were not actually his sons, but were two wards/bound servants named Joshua and John Cochran.

It is believed the Castlemans may have come to Miller County from a place in Tennessee called Cayce Springs (thought to have been located in western Tennessee near Memphis). The place no longer appears on the Tennessee state map.

Abraham was a son of Benjamin and Milly Castleman. Milly came to Miller County with at least two more of her children: David Castleman and his wife, Louisa (Cayce) and Elizabeth (Castleman) and her husband, John Aust. Since there is no record of Benjamin in the county, he probably died back in Tennessee before the family moved to Missouri. Milly and her children settled in the same area of the Big Richwoods near Barren Fork creek and west of the Castleman/Livingston cemetery.

The known children of Benjamin and Milly Castleman were:

1. Abraham Castleman b. c/1802 TN m. Eliza ____________

2. Elizabeth Castleman b. c/1806 TN m. John Aust

3. Susan Castleman b. c/1810 TN m. no record found

4. David Castleman b. c/1813 TN m. Louisa Cayce

5. James M. Castleman b. c/1819 TN m. no record found

There were Castleman families in Virginia during tax lists taken in 1782 and 1784. They were:

(1) David Castleman in Frederick County, VA in 1782 with 10 whites and 5 blacks in his

household

(2) Lewis Castleman in Hampshire County, VA in 1784 with 8 whites and 0 blacks in his

household.

Returning to Abraham Castleman, the circuit-riding Methodist preacher, there is quite a few references to him in JUDGE JENKINS' HISTORY OF MILLER COUNTY:

(1) He was a member of the first grand jury to convene in Miller Co. in 1837

(2) In 1837, Joshua D. Cochran and his brother, John, (orphans) were bound out to Abraham

Castleman to learn farming. Joshua was also taught to become a preacher under the

guidance of Abraham.

(3) In 1839, Colonel Abraham Castleman headed up the mustering of a militia in the Big

Richwoods.

(4) In 1842, he served as a deputy sheriff of Miller County.

(5) In the 1840s, he served as an overseer of laying out and constructing some old roads

in the county.

(6) In 1853, he signed a security bond for a school district.

(7) During the Civil War, he was a Secessionist and raised a State Guard of Confederate

troops. He seems to have disappeared from Miller County either during or after the Civil

War era.

Abraham Castleman and his wife, Eliza (maiden name not known), were parents of several children including:

1. Mary Ann Castleman b. c/1820 TN m. Robert Reed 1839

2. Caroline T. Castleman b. c/1825 TN m. Obadiah Dyer 1840

3. Katherine Castleman b. c/1830 TN m. Samuel Caulk 1846

4. Elizabeth Castleman b. c/1836 MO m. Henry Brockman 1852

5. Eliza E. Castleman b. c/1837 MO m. George R. Shelton 1853

6. Nancy M. Castleman b. c/1840 MO m. Henry Dickerson 1855

7. Benjamin F. Castleman b. c/1842 MO m. Minerva Hoskins 1863

During the Civil War, Colonel Abraham Castleman fought hard and heavy for the Confederacy. In JENKINS' HISTORY is several paragraphs devoted to his Confederate troops and some of their skirmishes throughout the county. The last time he was spoken of, his group had taken some losses in the area and they were heading south, perhaps to join other Southern forces that were fighting in South Missouri.

I can only speculate what may have happened....in the 1870 census none of his family was found in Miller County including his wife and none of his children...did they all disappear from the area? Was Abraham killed during the Civil War? Did they re-locate to a more friendly community?

The widow and children of David Castleman, Abraham's brother, remained in the Big Richwoods. David died in 1858 prior to the Civil War and was the first person buried in the Castleman Cemetery (today known as Livingston Cemetery). His wife and some of their children are also buried at Livingston. Many descendants of David Castleman live in the Iberia area today. His children married into the Livingston and Casey families. Abraham's sister, Elizabeth and her husband, John Aust, also remained in the area and their children married into the Shackleford, West, and Allen families. What happened to Rev. Abraham Castleman, also known as Colonel Abraham Castleman?

There are several persons interested in the Castleman family and I have been in touch with some of them. None seem to know at this time what happened to Abraham and his family after the Civil War years.

EMILY CHALLES

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 or a place of burial, but would speculate he is also buried in the family cemetery on the old Challes farm place.

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 politics 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

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).

ALEXANDER CLARK

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 Township, 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

CLIFFORD HENRY CLARK

Clifford Henry Clark was born in Osage township, Miller County, on February 28, 1883. He was a son of Renault C. Clark and Paralee A. Winstead. His parents married in Miller County on 27 April 1879. His paternal grandparents were John Patterson Clark, Jr. and Agnes Belle Davidson, both natives of Greenup County, Kentucky. His maternal grandparents were William Winstead and Elizabeth Arhart/Ahart, natives of Alabama and Missouri respectively. Clifford's great grandparents were John Patterson 'Hoppin' Clark and Elizabeth Farmber, also of Greenup County, Kentucky.

Before his mother's death in the late 1880s, she produced at least three children including BERNARD E. CLARK b. c/1880 m. no record; CLIFFORD HENRY CLARK b. 1883 m. Grace Farnham; and AZELIA ARVIL CLARK b. 1885 m. no record.

Clifford's father, Renault Clark, was married three times. His first wife was Agnes B. Rowden whom he married on 30 January 1877 (she must have died young)...his second wife was the mother of Clifford, Paralee L. Winstead, whom he married in 1879......and his third wife was Caroline E. Grosvenor whom he married on 10 Nov 1886. The third wife, Caroline, bore Renault at least 4 children who were half brothers and sisters to Clifford. They were WILLARD GELLISPE CLARK b. 1888 m. Alma Atkinson; NADINE E. CLARK b. 1889 m. Wm. Oscar McGriff; LENA M. CLARK b. 1891 m. Harry Rudder; and STELLA C. CLARK b. 1892 m. Ernest Brooks Rudder (brother to Harry).

Clifford Henry Clark married Anna Grace Farnham of Iberia on October 29, 1904, the marriage performed by Harry A. Cotten, minister of the gospel. Grace was a daughter of William L. Farnham and Sarah E. Heltzell who were both born in Pennsylvania. William and Sarah were parents of two children, ANNA GRACE FARNHAM b. 25 Oct 1885 m. Clifford M. Clark; and WILLIAM FARNHAM b.1902 m. Augusta Copeland.

Clifford and Grace (Farnham) Clark were parents of two daughters and they also adopted a daughter. The children were HELEN CLARK M. (1) Spurgeon Atwill (2)_____Segall; VIOLET CLARK 1909-1910; and MAY CLARK (adopted) m.______Sponsel.

Clifford Henry Clark was the first rural mail carrier in the Big Richwoods and organized the rural mail system for the Iberia area. He also spent some of his early years as a schoolteacher. Over the years he was a businessman in Iberia where he was the cashier of the Iberia Farmers and Traders Bank, an insurance agent, and a notary public. From 1948-1956, he was mayor of the town of Iberia.

Clifford died on August 16, 1963 at the age of 80 years. His funeral services were held at the Iberia Congregational Church, conducted by Rev. Earl B. Brown and he was buried at Iberia Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Grace, with whom he had shared 59 years of marriage, two daughters-Helen of New York and May of St. Louis, and three half-sisters, Nadine Clark McGriff, Lena Clark Rudder, and Stella Clark Rudder.

EDWARD PINKEY CLARK

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.

MARTHA JANE CLARK BOYD MYERS

Martha Jane Clark was born in Miller County on April 18, 1842. She was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Farmber) Clark, natives of Greenup County, Kentucky. Her parents were early settlers in Osage township who came from East Kentucky to Miller County in the mid 1830s.

The children of John Clark (b. c/1802) and Elizabeth Farmber (b. c/1804) included:

1. Alexander Clark b. c/1826 KY m. Minerva Davidson-Myers 1844

2. Robert Clark b. c/1828 KY m. Nancy Angeline Harden 1854

3. William D. Clark b. c/1830 KY m. Mary A. Davidson 1851

4. John Clark Jr. b. c/1832 KY m. Agnes Belle Davidson 1853

5. Elizabeth Clark b. c/1836 MO m. William J. Shurley 1853

6. James Prior Clark b. c/1837 MO m. Sisley Weimmer 1857

7. Mahala Clark b. c/1839 MO m. Willis Humphrey 1857

8. Martha Jane Clark b. 1842 m. (1) Robert Boyd 1860 (2) James R. Myers 1865

9. a child died in infancy

James Robert Myers & Martha Clark MyersAnd family

Martha Jane married Robert Boyd, her cousin, on April 1, 1860, the marriage performed by Julius Schildwachter, a justice of the peace in Osage township. Robert's parents were James and Ruth (Clark) Boyd, also of Greenup County, Kentucky. Ruth Boyd was a sister to John Clark (Martha's father). Martha and Robert were married a short time when he left home to fight in the Civil War and never returned, a casualty of that war.

On May 18, 1865, Martha Jane Clark-Boyd married James R. Myers in Miller County. Hazen Burlingame, a justice of the peace in Osage township, performed their marriage. James R. Myers was a son of Charles Philip Myers Sr. and Minerva Davidson. His father was a German immigrant who came to America in 1840 and settled in St. Louis. He married Minerva (a native of Greenup Co., KY) in St. Louis and they had two sons, Charles Philip Jr. and James R. Myers, before his death in 1844 (he drowned in the Mississippi river near St. Louis). Minerva's mother was Rhoda Boyd, a sister to James Boyd, who had located in Miller County in the mid 1830s. She brought her two young sons to the frontier country of northeast Miller County where her brother had settled and remained in the same area for the rest of her life. The widow Myers married Alexander Clark and he reared her two young sons in Osage township and taught them to farm the land.

Martha and James Myers became parents of seven children, four boys and three girls. The ones I found of record were Charles P. Myers b. c/1866; Robert C. Myers b. c/1867; Alexander Myers b. c/1869; Caroline Myers b. c/1870 and James P. Myers b. after 1870. Two young daughters may have died in childhood.

Martha and James left Miller County and moved to Crawford County, Missouri and settled near the town of Cuba sometime after 1870. They were still living in Osage township during the Miller County census of 1870. Their neighbors included the families of Grosvenor, Kinworthy, Hampton, Clark, Buechter, Wilson, Hawk, and Holtmeyer.

Martha Jane Clark-Boyd-Myers died at Cuba, Crawford County, MO on March 5, 1928 at the age of 85 years. She was survived by three children (Caroline Myers Dowley, Alexander Myers, and James P. Myers). Her burial was in the Kinder Cemetery in Crawford County. It is also inventoried as Silent City Cemetery. She was buried beside her husband, James Myers, who had preceded her in death.

RUTH CLARK BOYD

Ruth Clark Boyd was my great, great, great grandmother who came to Miller County in the 1830s from Greenup County, Kentucky. She was the wife of James Boyd who was also from Greenup County. James was a son of Phillip and Sarah Boyd of Eastern Kentucky. I have been to Greenup County, Kentucky on two occasions to do research and was able to find some interesting information concerning my ancestors.

When Ruth and James Boyd came to Miller County, they settled in Osage township, south of today's St. Elizabeth. Ruth was a sister to John P. Clark (also known as 'Hoppin' Clark). John and his wife, Elizabeth/Betsy (Farmber) Clark also came to Miller County from Greenup Co., KY about the same time as the Boyd family and all settled near one another in Osage township. From research conducted in Greenup County, I believe the parents of Ruth (Clark) Boyd and John P. Clark were John Sr. and Susannah Clark. After the death of John Sr. (in Kentucky), Susannah married Robert Boyd, a brother to James Boyd and they are the ones who came to Miller County with Ruth and James Boyd.

Ruth Clark Boyd and her husband, James, were parents of several children including:

1. Sarah Boyd b. 1830 KY, m. Dr. Charles O. Curtman 1852 (she died as a young woman at the birth of her third child)

2. Susannah Boyd b. 1831 KY, m. Thomas Hampton 1853

3. Lydia Boyd b. 1833 MO, m. Thomas Goff 1859

4. Greenville Boyd b. 1836 MO, m. Jane Freeman 1856

5. Robert Boyd b. 1838 MO, m. Martha Jane Clark 1860 (Robt. died when he was about 25 years old)

6. Rhoda Boyd b. 1840 MO, (no record after 1850)

7. Sidney Boyd b. 1844 MO, (no record after 1860)

8. James Boyd Jr. b. 1847 MO, (no record after 1870)

James Boyd died in Miller County in the late 1850s and in 1862 widow Ruth Boyd married Thomas Mills. In the Miller County Associate Probate Court are estate records for Ruth Clark-Boyd-Mills including her will and other legal instruments. She died in April 1869 and shortly before her death, she made out her last will and testament naming her son, Greenville, as her only heir. She had two daughters living at the time (Lydia and Susannah), but apparently, for some unknown reason, she cut them out of her will......I am sure there is a story within a story of this situation, but at the present time, one can only speculate......(I do know they sued their brother for a portion of the estate).

It is believed that Ruth Clark-Boyd-Mills is buried at an old family cemetery in Osage township. Today it is known as the Wickham Cemetery, located on land owned by Floyd & Edith (Wickham) Johnson. There is no tombstone to mark Ruth's grave so it is only family legend that she is buried there. There are many unanswered questions concerning our ancestors, and I suppose it is just as well that we do not always know the real stories because time takes care of many family secrets, feuds, misunderstandings, etc.

JOSEPH M. COBURN

Joseph M. Coburn was born October 24, 1843, in Columbiana County, Ohio. In September 1866, he married Elizabeth S. Pumphrey at Bethel United Presbyterian Church, located about one and half miles north of Highlandtown, Ohio. Elizabeth was born in Ohio in 1845, a daughter of John and Amanda Pumphrey.

Prior to his marriage, Joseph served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He first served in the 32nd Ohio Infantry and then spent some time in the 14th Ohio Artillery. His military units engaged in several important conflicts during the war.

About 1868, Joseph brought his family to Miller County and settled in Auglaize Township near Ulman's Ridge. His neighbors in those years included the families of Reed, Thornsberry, DeVore, Martin, Bear, Wiseman and Winfrey.

Joseph and Elizabeth's oldest child, Minnie Corrella, was born 16 June 1867 in Ohio. After they came to Miller County three sons were born: Elmer Grant, Ora Odell, and Clinton J. Coburn.

Minnie Corrella Coburn (1867-1933) married James Henry Sidwell in 1883; Elmer Grant Coburn (1870-1941) married Ella M. Graham in 1898; Ora Odell Coburn (1874-1913) married Minnie Graham in 1898; and the youngest son, Clinton J. Coburn, was born in 1877 and died in 1878. Grant and Ora married the Graham sisters on the same day, March 23, 1898.

In 1900, Joseph and Elizabeth Coburn still lived on the same farm where they had been living for 32 years. In their home was their only daughter, Minnie Sidwell, and her son, Frederick Newell Sidwell. Minnie's husband, James Henry Sidwell, had died earlier leaving her a young widow with a teen-age son. On neighboring farms their two sons, Grant and Ora, lived with their families. Elizabeth's mother, Amanda Pumphrey, age 83, also was living in their household.

In January 1933, Joseph M. Coburn died at the age of 87 years. He was survived by two children (Minnie Coburn Sidwell and Elmer Grant Coburn), 8 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, and a great great grandchild. Joseph was buried in Gott Cemetery beside his wife, Elizabeth, who had died 27 years earlier in 1904. Several other members of the Coburn family are buried at Gott Cemetery.

ELIZABETH MAE WALL COCHRAN

Elizabeth Mae Wall (called Betty Mae) was born in Mercer County, Virginia (today West Virginia) on 23 March 1869. Some say there are census records that record she was born in Missouri but her parents were enumerated in Mercer County, VA in the 1870 census and she was listed as age 1 year. She was one of 12 children born to James M. Wall and Mildred James. Her Wall family has many descendants and kinfolks in central Missouri today. When her parents came to Miller County they settled southwest of Iberia and built a trading post & mill and called it 'Faith'. A small community arose around the settlement. Her brothers and sisters included: seven brothers (Jesse, Catlett, Frank, Chester, William, Floyd, Peach) and 4 sisters (Cora, Ollie, Stella, and Ida).

Betty married Solomon Lyon Cochran (called Bud) in Miller County 16 Feb 1887, a son of Joshua D. and Sarah/Sally (Keeth) Cochran. Betty and Bud lived most of their married life on their Richwoods farm near the Faith community.

They became parents of 8 children:

1. Alta M. Cochran 1890-1981 m. Solomon Jack Abbott

2. Clifford James Cochran 1893-1937 m. Diana Alexander

3. Sarah Mildred Cochran 1899-1962 m. Clyde Duncan

4. Willard Cochran 1902-1983 m. Eula Fern Moneymaker

5. William Jasper Cochran 1902-1998 m. Eunice Velma Moneymaker

6. Omar E. Cochran 1904-1986 m. L. Pearl Boren

7. Noble Grant Cochran 1907-1985 m. Mildred Shelton

8. Venice Jessie Cochran. 1910-2011 m. Luther William Duncan

Photograph is of Elizabeth Mae Wall's parents,
James Milton and Mildred B. (James) Wall and their family.
Betty is second from the left in the back row. Her husband, Bud Cochran is second from the right in the front row.

Elizabeth Mae/Betty Wall-Cochran died at the age of 75 years on January 11, 1945 at her home near Iberia.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Solomon 'Bud' Cochran, two years earlier in 1943 and her oldest son, Clifford James, who died in 1937. She was survived by 7 children, 35 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. Her funeral services were held at Mt. Union Church of Christ, conducted by Rev. R. F. Moneymaker and she was buried in the church's cemetery nearby.

THE COLVIN - PHIPPS FAMILES

James Hamilton Colvin was born in Grainger County, Tennessee in December 1804 and died in Miller County, MO on June 12, 1889 at the age of 84 years. It is believed James was a son of John Colvin who was living in Grainger County, TN in 1810 when the 3rd census of the United States was taken. In John's household were 4 sons under the age of 10 years and James evidently was one of the four. I believe that earlier the Colvin family was living in Wythe County, Virginia.

On December 17, 1826, James Hamilton Colvin married Barbara Phipps in Grainger County, Tennessee. She was born circa 1810 in Grainger County. It is uncertain who her parents were, but there is a good indication they were James and Juda/Judy Phipps. James Phipps was a son of William Phipps of Wythe County, Virginia and when William died in 1818, one of his heirs was a son named James Phipps who was living in Grainger County, TN. The last will and testament of William Phipps was probated in 1818 in Wythe County, VA in Will Book #2 pages 255-56. In the old document, William names all his children who were: Catherine Phipps Miller, George Phipps, Mary Phipps, Jasper Phipps, James Phipps, John Phipps, Jacob Phipps, and Isaac Phipps.

NOTE: Family legend says that the father of Barbara Phipps was of Holland/Dutch descent and wore wooden shoes!

James Hamilton Colvin and Barbara Phipps reared several children, all born in Grainger County, Tennessee.

Included were:

1. Margaret/Peggy Colvin b. 1834 m. Caswell Kitts

2. Stacy Colvin b c/1837 m. David Evans

3. Nancy Jane Colvin b. c/1839 m. 1--John Evans 2--Wm. G. Arnold

4. James Colvin Jr. b. 1840 m. no record after 1860

5. Rosanna Colvin b. 1844 m. 1--John Guinn 2--John E.McGlothin

5. Amanda Colvin b. 1842 m. Silas Loveall

6. Lurana Colvin b. 1846 m. Lewis Bodine

7. William Colvin b. 1849 m. no record after 1850

8. George Washington Colvin b. 1852 died c/1867

9. Sterling Maynard Colvin b. 1857 m. Sarah Melissa Cochran

l0. William Colvin b. no records found

Sometime between 1860-68, Barbara Phipps Colvin died in Miller County, MO and James Hamilton Colvin married a widow, Mary Elizabeth Shoemaker, on 8 Feb 1868 in Miller County.

They had several children including:

11. David H. Colvin b. 1869 m. Nancy Huddleston

12. Anna Liza Colvin b. 1871 m.___(d. 1914)

13. Isaac Colvin b. 1874

14. Allen Colvin b. 1877 m. Annie M. Jeffries

15. Alexander Colvin died young

16. Tillman Colvin died young

James Hamilton Colvin and his first wife, Barbara Phipps, came to Miller Co., MO about 1858 from Union Co., Tennessee (once part of Grainger County before becoming a county in the 1840s). They settled in the Bear Creek area of Glaize Township, south of the Osage River. The Colvin family cemetery is located on their homesteaded land and contains many members of the Colvin family................ NOTE: My great, great grandmother was Amanda Colvin who married Silas Loveall. (Peggy)

ISAAC COLVIN

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.

LUCY JANE COLVIN

Lucy Jane Colvin was born in Miller County, Mo., on April 1, 1879. She was a daughter of Sterling Maynard Colvin and Sarah Melissa Cochran. The Colvins were living in the Bear Creek area of northern Glaize Township when Lucy was born. Her grandparents were James Hamilton Colvin and his first wife, Barbara Phipps, natives of Grainger County (later Union County), Tennessee. James and Barbara came to Miller County and settled in Glaize Township in the late 1850s. Some of the families who lived in the area over the next few decades were the Lovealls, Berrys, Grahams, Hendersons, Nelsons and Wyricks.

Lucy Jane was the third child born to Maynard and Melissa (Cochran) Colvin.

Their children included:

1. Amanda A. Colvin, b. 1876, m. James Bennett Plemmons

2. James C. Colvin, 1877-1934, m. Maggie J. Fendorf

3. Lucy Jane Colvin, 1879-1969, m. John Patrick Allee

4. M. Maynard Colvin, b. ___, m. Cora Frakes

5. Mary Colvin, b. ___, M. Frank Frakes

Lucy's father, Sterling Maynard Colvin, died prior to 1900 and was probably buried in the Colvin Cemetery on land owned by the family. There is no inventoried record of his burial there but many of the Colvin family members are buried in the family cemetery. In the 1900 Miller County census, his widow, Sarah Melissa, is living in the home of her son and daughter-in-law, James and Maggie (Fendorf) Colvin.

On May 9, 1897, at age 18, Lucy Jane married John Patrick Allee, the marriage performed by Allen J. Henderson, a minister of the gospel. John Allee was born April 29, 1873, in Moniteau County, Mo., a son of Nathaniel Greene Allee (1835-1917) and his wife, Mary (1842-1920). The Allees moved to Miller County and settled in the Curry community in southwest Richwoods Township sometime before the turn of the century.

Lucy Jane and John Patrick were parents of three children:

1. Ora P. Allee, b. May 19, 1901, Lincoln Co., Okla., m. Minnine Drouillard 1920

2. Emery H. Allee, b. Dec. 30, 1908, Miller Co., Mo., d. Mar. 31, 1970 in New Mexico, M. (1) Gladys Winfrey (2) Berneice ______ (3) Kathy Smith

3. Lottie Jane Allee, b. May 14, 1904, Miller Co., Mo., d. Feb. 2, 1981, Miller Co., Mo., m. Clarence Wm. Wall 1920

When they were first married, Lucy and John made a few trips to Oklahoma and while in Lincoln County, Oklahoma their first son Ora was born. They came back to Missouri and lived the remainder of their lives in the Curry District of Richwoods Township, where they reared their three children. John Patrick Allee died on Aug. 26, 1957, just a few months after they had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He was laid to rest at Curry Cemetery where his parents were also buried. Lucy Jane (Colvin) Allee lived until June 4, 1969, when she died at age 90. She was survived by her three children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Earlier in life, she had become a member of the Mt. Union Church of Christ but her funeral services were held at the Curry Methodist Church and she was interred in the cemetery nearby where her husband had been buried 12 years earlier.

DAVID HERMAN CONDRA

David Herman Condra was born 9 June 1853 at Boonville, Cooper Co., MO (some records say he was born in Tennessee). His parents, Greenberry Condra (1817-1876) and Minerva Ann Plumlee (1819-1887), came to Missouri in the mid 19th century from the Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee area where some of their older children were born, so at this time it is difficult to know for sure if David was born in Tennessee or Missouri….

Greenberry and Minerva were parents of several children including:

1. Andrew J. Condra b. 1841 TN m. Nancy/Nannie York

2. Willliam Plumlee Condra b. 1843 TN m. Melissa Ann Miller 1885

d. 1930 Miller Co., MO

3. Mary Ann Condra 1844-1923 m. (1) Frederic Seigle 1860

(2) David Goforth 1866

4. David Herman Condra 1853-1931 m. Emma Smith

5. Martha Jane Condra 1855-1941 m. Frank Wesley Murphy

6. Benjamin F. Condra 1858-1888 m. never married

7. Charles Wesley Condra 1861-1931 m. Emma Wall

In 1871, Greenberry, Minerva, and their family moved from Cooper County, MO to Miller County and settled a short distance west of Iberia. Greenberry died in 1876 and Minerva lived until 1887. Both are buried at the Iberia Cemetery.

David Herman Condra married Emma Smith who was born in Pulaski County, near Crocker in 1865. I suspect her name was Sarah Emma because I found it recorded that way in the 1870 census of Pulaski County, age 5 years old (born c/1865). She was a daughter of Eli H. Smith and Harriet Vickers (1830-1892). Her mother is buried in the Vickers Family Cemetery located about 3 miles north of Crocker on Highway 'U'. Eli Smith, father of Emma, died sometime between 1865-1870 but no record was found for his death or burial. I suspect he is buried in the Vickers Family Cemetery where his wife, Harriett, was buried in 1892. There were several Smith families in Pulaski County at that time including my Smith ancestors who lived near what is today known as the Hawkeye area. I suspect Eli may have been connected to my ancestors but I have not been able to tie them together in research. I believe that a brother of Harriett Vickers Smith was William V. Vickers (1832-1888) who married Nancy Katherine Short of Iberia, a daughter of Reuben and Levina (Owens) Short. William and Nancy are also buried in the Vickers Family Cemetery. There was an old schoolhouse in the same area known as Vickers School. In the area lived the families of Shelton, Smith, Luttrell, Keeth, Short, and Vickers.

David and Emma (Smith) Condra had at least three children who were:

1. Everett Allen Condra 1893-1972 m. Bertha Wall

2. Clate Condra 1895-1981 m. Sadie Kinder

3. Blanche Condra 1899- m. Robert Rice

David Condra died 31 March 1931 of pneumonia/influenza at the age of 77 years. He and Emma had lived many years on their farm west of Iberia but as they grew older, they moved into Iberia where he died in 1931. His funeral services were held at home and he was buried at Iberia Cemetery by the Adams and Casey Funeral Directors of Iberia. He was survived by his wife, Emma, 3 children, some grandchildren, brother: Charles Wesley Condra of Iberia ; a sister: Martha Jane/Jennie Murphy of Dixon . Another of his brothers, William Plumlee Condra, had died a few months earlier in November 1930.

Emma Smith Condra, wife of David, lived until 1944 when she died at the home of her daughter, Blanche Rice, in Springfield , MO. Emma was very ill before her death and she was the last survivor of 6 children born to her parents. Before her death, she had a leg that became very infected with gangrene and had to be amputated. David and Emma are both buried at Iberia Cemetery with other Condra family members.

JOSEPH JASPER COOPER

Joseph Jasper Cooper was born in Green County, Indiana on December 22, 1859. He was a son of Joseph T. and Rebecca Cooper. At the age of 7 years (about 1866) his parents moved to Miller County, near Iberia, where he spent his boyhood days. He was one of ten children born to Joseph and Rebecca. Those found in records were: CORDELIA COOPER 1849-1878 m. James Griffin 1872; MARY ELIZABETH COOPER 1852-1919 m. (1) John Vaughan 1871 (2) Benjamin F. Hensley 1876; MARTHA M. COOPER 1854-1927 m. (1) Benjamin F. Livingston 1874 (2) Silas P. McCubbin 1889; JOSEPH JASPER COOPER 1859-1935 m. Clara Alice Smith 1892; ANNA J. COOPER 1863-1951 m. Herrod Williams 1880; and JAMES H. COOPER 1873-1878. Joseph Cooper (1827-1879) and his wife, Rebecca (1825-1908), with their son, James, are buried at Livingston Cemetery.

Joseph Jasper Cooper married Clara Alice Smith in Miller County on 22 Feb 1892; their marriage performed by John B. Stone, minister of the gospel. Clara Alice was a daughter of John Wesley Smith, Jr. (1847-1919) and his wife, Sarah Haseltine Bond (1848-1925) who married 14 Nov 1865.........NOTE: John Wesley Smith, Jr. was a brother to my great grandfather, William Harrison Smith. They were both born in Pulaski County, MO, sons of John Wesley Smith Sr. and Nancy Stinnett.

In the census of 1900, Joseph Jasper (called Jasp) and Clara Alice lived in Richwoods township near the families of Livingston, Thomas, Jones, Casey, Lupardus, Fancher, Smith, Burks, and Lewis. They became parents of several children including: ANNA COOPER b. Oct 1892; BERNICE COOPER b. Feb 1894; CARL COOPER b. Dec 1895; DEWEY COOPER b. Jul 1898; EUNICE COOPER b. after 1900; and FREDA COOPER b. after 1900.

Jasp and Clara Alice Cooper lived in the Iberia area until 1910 when they moved to Oklahoma, first locating at Oglesby and later they lived near Lenapah. While in the Iberia area, he engaged in farming and also owned and operated a hotel at Iberia. This may have been the old Rowden Hotel, which was located on Main Street and was destroyed in the 1939 fire, which leveled much of Iberia's downtown area. During the years they lived in Oklahoma, Jasper also engaged in the mercantile business. Three years before his death, he sold the business and retired.

In 1907, Jasp united with the Christian Church at Hickory Point, north of Iberia. At his death he was a member of the Nowata, Oklahoma Christian Church. He died July 15, 1935 at the age of 75 years and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Nowata, Oklahoma beside his wife of 60 years, who had died April 20, 1932. Joseph Jasper Cooper was survived by six children----Anna, Bernice, Carl, Dewey and Eunice of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Freda of Portland, Oregon. He was also survived by one sister, Mrs. Herod Williams (Anna) of Iberia. She was the last of their family of 10 children.

MARY ELIZABETH COOPER

Mary Elizabeth Cooper was born in Green County, Indiana on June 16, 1852, one of ten children born to Joseph T. and Rebecca F. Cooper. Her parents were both natives of Tennessee, born 1827 and 1825 respectively. Joseph and Rebecca, with 6 children, moved to Miller County before 1870 and settled in Richwoods Township north of Iberia. Their nearest neighbors in 1870 were the families of Castleman, Livingston, Vaughan, James, and Mayfield.

The known children of Joseph and Rebecca Cooper were:

1. Cordelia Cooper 1849-1878 m. James Griffin 1872

2. Mary Elizabeth Cooper 1852-1919 m. (1) John /Jackson Vaughan 1871 (2) Benjamin F. Hensley 1876

3. Martha M. Cooper b. 1855 m. (1) Benjamin F. Livingston 1874 (2) Silas P. McCubbin 1889

4. Joseph Jasper Cooper b. 1860 m. Alice F. Smith 1892

5. Anna J. Cooper b. 1864 m. Harold Williams 1880

6. James H. Cooper 1873-1878 (buried at Livingston Cemetery)

Mary Elizabeth Cooper married John Vaughan (marriage records gave his name as Jackson Vaughan) on March 16, 1871. Mary gave birth to a son by John Vaughan before his death in 1872. He died at the age of 36 years, born c/1836. Albert D. Vaughan was their only child, born 1872. Albert Vaughan married Ethel Myrtle Blankenship, daughter of Joseph and Mary J. Blankenship, on April 8, 1893.

In 1878, Mary Elizabeth married Benjamin F. Hensley, a widower with several children. She had two daughters by her second husband: Lavada J. Hensley (Mrs. Charles Berry) and Orpha Hensley (Mrs. Fred Berry). Mary and Benjamin were living in Osage township during the census of 1880 near the families of Wilson, Golden, Burlingame, Bilyeu, Wyrick, and McDonald. In 1900, Mary and Benjamin Hensley were living in Richwoods Township, north of Iberia near the Elliott school district.

Mary Elizabeth (Cooper) Vaughan-Hensley died at her home on November 29, 1919 at the age of 67 years. She was survived by her son and two daughters; two sisters: Martha M. McCubbin and Anna J. Williams who both lived in the Watkins community of Richwoods Township; and one brother: Joseph J. Cooper of Nowata, Oklahoma. Her funeral service was held at her home by Rev. R. F. Moneymaker and she was buried at Livingston Cemetery. Mary's first husband, John E. Vaughan (1836-1872), is buried at Livingston Cemetery and her second husband, Benjamin F. Hensley (1842-1907), is buried at Jarrett Cemetery.

GABRIEL COTTEN

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 least 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._______;

J ACOB 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 westward 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.

MARY ELIZABETH COX COLVIN

Mary Elizabeth Cox was born in Virginia on 18 August 1851, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Cox. Her father was born c/1825 in Pennsylvania and her mother was a native of Virginia, born in 1826. Evidently they came to Miller County after the close of the Civil War and settled north of the Osage River in Equality Township upriver from Tuscumbia.

The children of Thomas and Mary Cox were: ELIZA COX b. 1837 m. William A. Horton 1867; ROSANNA COX 1849-1869; MARY ELIZABETH COX b. 1851 m. John S. Colvin 1870; CHARLES COX b. 1854 m. Missouri A. Smitty 1882; LOUIS COX b. 1855 m. (no record found); JAMES W. COX b. 1856 m. Parilee Freeman 1879; THOMAS A. COX b. c/1858 m. (no record found); MARTIN V. B. COX b. 1860 m. Nancy J. Reed 1882; ANNETTE COX b. 1862 m. Albert M. Slone 1891; SARAH N. COX 1865-1865; and GRANVILLE B. COX 1867-1870.

Mary Cox died in 1868 and was buried at Scott Family Cemetery near Tuscumbia. The next year, 1869, Thomas married Joanna Horton, who was much younger than he. Before his death, c/1872, she gave birth to his 12th child, SIMON PETER COX b. 1870 m. Mary B. Bowdwell 1889. After the death of Thomas Cox, Joanna Horton-Cox married George Cotes in 1873.

On February 17, 1870, Mary Elizabeth Cox married John S. Colvin, a son of Mark and Martha Ann (Powell) Colvin who lived in Equality Township near Tuscumbia. By 1880, John and Mary Elizabeth were living south of the Osage River near the families of Patterson, Richardson, Colvin, Brockman, Goodrich, Topping, and Wyrick.

Mary Elizabeth gave birth to 14 children during her lifetime and was survived by 7 when she died in 1933. They included: MARTHA L. COLVIN b. 1871 m. Tobias Crane; ANNA BELLE COLVIN b. 1873 m. Charles Shelby Crane 1894; JOHN W. COLVIN b. 1874 m. Mary E. Roberts 1902; LEWIS SHELBY COLVIN b. 1876 m. Mary Hendricks 1898; ROSANNA M. COLVIN b. 1878 m. Leander F. Crane 1896; LEANDER COLVIN b. 1880 m. Addie Williams 1904; HOWARD W. COLVIN b. 1882 m. Rennie Beard 1903; MARK COLVIN b. 1884 m. (no record found); an infant son was born & died 1886; ALICE REBECCA COLVIN b. 1890 m. Eliga/Elijah Horton 1911; MARY JANE COLVIN b. 1895 m. Albert Horton 1912; and ADA B. COLVIN b. 1895 m. (no record found).

After almost 42 years of marriage, John S. Colvin died on January 9, 1912 and was buried at the Shelton Cemetery near Bear Creek in Equality Township. Mary Elizabeth survived him by almost 21 years when she died May 15, 1933 at the age of 81 years. She was survived by 7 children (Leander, Howard, Mark, Ada, Anna Belle, Alice and Mary Jane). She was also survived by a brother, Charles Cox; a half-brother, Simon Peter Cox; and a sister, Annette Cox Slone. Mary Elizabeth was laid to rest beside her husband in Shelton Cemetery. They have three young children buried there also. Mark and Martha (Powell) Colvin, parents of John Colvin, are buried in the old cemetery as well.

JOHN CALVIN CRANE

John Calvin Crane was born in Miller County on March 10, 1844. He was a son of William Crane, but I have not been able to find the name of his mother. It is thought the name Crane was originally spelled Kraun, in the German language.

John married Rachel Boltz 8 April 1867. She was a native of Virginia, born in 1846. Rachel was a daughter of David Boltz, born in Greene County, Pennsylvania in 1811 and Nancy Custer, a native of Bartley County, Virginia, and born in 1820.

I am not sure how many children David and Nancy had but have found record of three:

Rachel Boltz 1846-1934 m. John Calvin Crane

Melvin Madison Boltz 1855-1949 m. Margaret Adeline Evans

Samantha Jane Boltz 1857- m. John E. Graham

On the Boltz land, located in Glaize Township in the Bear Creek community, is the Boltz Cemetery and many members of this family are buried there.
NOTE: The Boltz family has been researched and traced back to the early 1700s in Baden, Germany.

John Calvin Crane and Rachel Boltz were parents of several children including:

Emma S. Crane b. 1868-1943 m. Grant Patterson

Leander F. Crane b. 1871-1963 m. Rosa Colvin

Charles Shelby Crane b. 1874-1963 m. Anna Belle Colvin

David Theodore Crane b. 1877-1956 m. (1-Alta Zara Thompson 2-Rutha Jane Kinder)

Wm. Clarence Crane b. 1880-1976 m. Estella C. Markle

Maude Amanda Crane b. 1883- ? m. Joseph C. Shikles

John Calvin Crane died on January 18, 1929 at the age of 84 years. He had contacted the flu and influenza and it was fatal at his advanced age. He had lived on his farm in the Bear Creek area of Glaize Township near the old settlement called Blackmer for about 55 years. He was survived by his wife, 6 children, 27 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

His funeral services were held at Gott Cemetery by Rev. Peter B. Wyrick and he was buried in the old cemetery. The church nearby was first known as the Concord Church but later changed to Gott for the family who lived in the vicinity. His wife, Rachel Boltz Crane, lived until 1934 and was buried beside him at Gott. All his children and their spouses, except for Maude Amanda/Mandy Shikles, are buried at Gott Cemetery also.

JOSEPH CRISMON

Joseph Crismon was born in Osage County (now Maries), MO on 24 April 1843, one of eight children born to John and Flavilla Melcena (Brashears) Crismon. His paternal grandparents were Gilbert and Frances Crismon and his maternal grandfather was Rev. Joseph Brashears. Per his obituary, Joseph's place of birth was about 2 miles west of Vienna in the valley of the Maries River.

On November 30, 1866, at the age of 23 years, Joseph married Nancy Caroline Lawson of Miller County, daughter of Andrew and Sarah (Rowden) Lawson. Her parents were born in East Tennessee and migrated to Miller County before 1840. Her grandparents were Nathaniel and Nancy (Crain) Rowden and Nathan Sr. and Christina (High) Lawson, all natives of Virginia. (NOTE: These Rowden and Lawson families are also my ancestors---psh)

Prior to his marriage, Joseph served in the Union army during the Civil War. From August 1862 to June 1865, he served in Company H of the 3rd Missouri Cavalry Volunteers. In later years, he became a member of Iberia's Miles Carroll G.A.R. Post #11 and when he died in 1936, Squire John Ferguson was the only living Civil War veteran of Iberia's Grand Army of the Republic post. In Meta's 75th Anniversary Book, page 41, there is a wonderful picture of Uncle Joe Crismon and Squire John Ferguson, both with snow-white beards, looking very much like patriarchs of old.

John Ferguson, Ruth Crismon & Joe Crismon

Joseph and Nancy (Lawson) Crismon were parents of seven children including:

1. Sadie B. Crismon m. George W. Wilson (they later lived in Oklahoma)

2. Millie Crismon (never married)

3. Nancy Crismon (never married)

4. Frederick Pinkney Crismon m. Sarah Elizabeth Shelton

5. John A. Crismon (1866-1875)

6. Alvertta L. Crismon (1870-1871)

7. William M. Crismon (1878-1888)

After marriage, Joseph and Nancy moved into Miller County and located in the Lawson school community near Iberia. They were members of the Methodist church and Joseph was an active member of the Masonic Order for over 50 years.

Nancy died in 1906 and after her death, Joseph moved near Meta (Osage County) and lived with his daughters where he spent the remainder of his life. He died on October 15, 1936 at Meta. As was customary in those days, everyone called him "Uncle Joe" which was a manner of showing respect. Uncle Joe Crismon's funeral was held in the home of his daughter with Rev. Charles Sooter conducting the services. He was buried beside his wife, Nancy, at Duncan cemetery in eastern Miller County, located on land that is still owned today by the Duncan family........
Joseph Crismon 24 April 1843 - 15 Oct 1936
Nancy Caroline Lawson Crismon 5 Nov 1840 - 11 July 1906

JOSEPH CRISP

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.

JOHN & ELIZABETH CROSS

John & Elizabeth Cross came to Miller County about 1845 from Indiana. John was a native of Tennessee, born c/1818 and Elizabeth was born in Kentucky c/1815. They had lived in Edmonson County, KY before moving on to Indiana where they stayed for several years. There were several Cross families living in Edmonson County in the 1830s and 40s. Samuel Cross married Thursa Allen, daughter of Stephen Allen and Sarah Radford, in Edmonson Co. in 1836. Samuel was born c/1815 in Tennessee and Thursa was born c/1810 in Kentucky. There is a strong possibility Samuel was a brother to John because both families came to Miller County circa 1845.

John and Elizabeth Cross settled first in Osage Township with their four older children, all born in Indiana. Their neighbors in the 1850 census included the families of Boyd, Hamilton, Clark, and Shelton. During the same census, Samuel and Thursa (Allen) Cross were living in Richwoods Township, north of Iberia.

John & Elizabeth became parents of 9 children, the four oldest born in Indiana and the younger five in Miller County. They were: William K. Cross b.c/1839 m. Sarah C. Kinser 1862; Nancy Ann Cross b. c/1842 m. (1) Albert Rowland 1857 (2) James C. Thompson 1868; James Jefferson Cross 1843-1925 m. Lucinda Catherine Thompson 1865; John Cross b. 1845 m. Lurinda McMannis 1870; Tarleton B. Cross b. 1847 m. Mary A. Johnson 1867; George W. Cross b. 1849 (1) Lucinda Elizabeth Abbett 1870 (2) Elizabeth Jones 1881; Isaac Miller Cross 1850-1914 m. Margaret E. McMannis 1871; Doc Franklin Cross b. 1852 m. Martha Frances Forbis 1876; b. 1856 m. Arnetta/Nettie Fielding.

No record was found for John & Elizabeth Cross in the 1870 census of Miller County. That particular census was very difficult to read from microfilm so when it was put into book form, many names were illegible and were not printed. By 1880, the sons of John & Elizabeth, with their families, were recorded in Richwoods Township. There is no record of the deaths or burials for John and Elizabeth. More than likely they were buried in unmarked graves so will never be located by family researchers. That was the fate of many of our pioneer ancestors.

According to census records, both John & Samuel Cross were born in Tennessee. In the 1830 census of East Tennessee are found many Cross families in the counties of Anderson, Campbell, Carter, Jefferson, Marion, Monroe, and Sullivan. Trying to determine if they were part of any of these families is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The Cross families were very productive with the average family having four to six sons...in fact, William Cross of Sullivan County, TN, had 11 males in his household in 1830!

In 1850, Samuel and Thursa (Allen) Cross were living in Richwoods Township north of Iberia near the families of Burks, Wheeler, Shelton, Bailey, and Stone. By 1870, they had moved into Osage Township, not far from the Big Tavern creek. They were living near the Clarks, Aharts, Rowdens, Boyds, and Davidsons. Their children included: Emily Cross b. c/1838 KY (no other info found); Dorinda Cross b. 1840 KY m. Peter Humphrey 1857; Charlotte Cross b. c/1842 KY (no other record found); Armilda Cross b. c/1845 MO (no other record found); Orlena A. Cross b. c/1847 MO m. Benjamin F. Duncan 1885; Francis Cross b. c/1848 (no other record found); Emory Allen Cross b. 1849 m. Mary Elizabeth Roberts 1870; Richard Cross b. 1852 m. (1) Elizabeth Ahart (2) America Anderson 1876; James Henry Cross b. 1865 m. Anna Elizabeth Ahart 1890; and William R. Cross b. 1872 m. Mahala D. _____ in 1896.

Today there are descendants of both John and Samuel Cross in Miller County. Most of the offspring of John and Elizabeth continued to live in Richwoods Township, east of Iberia, while the offspring of Samuel and Thusa remained in the Big Tavern country of Osage Township.

CUMMINGS FAMILY

Eliza Ann Cummings was born in Miller County in April 1849, one of eleven children born to Daniel & Amanda (Challes) Cummings. Her parents were married in Miller County on 12/7/1843. Their marriage was performed by John T. Davis, a justice of the peace.

Their eleven children were:

1. Infant daughter (1845-1846)

2. Martha Cummings born 1847 married Augustus Mahan 1881.

3. Eliza Ann Cummings born 1849 married Dr. James B. McGee 1873.

4. Edward L. Cummings born 1852 (no marriage record).

5. Francis L. Cummings born 1854-1854.

6. Joseph L. Cummings born 1856 married Mollie McCarty 1888.

7. Lucy A. Cummings born 1858 married Marcus M. Fancher 1879.

8. Infant daughter 1862-1862.

9. Mariah Brooks Cummings born 1864 married Charles Golden 1884.

10. Infant son 1868-1868.

11. William L, Cummings born 1859 (no marriage record found).

Daniel Cummings, father of Eliza Ann, came to Central Missouri in the early 1840s from the state of Maine and was an early settler and merchant of Tuscumbia. He is mentioned many times in JENKINS HISTORY OF MILLER COUNTY. He was one of the most enterprising men of early Miller County history that I have researched. He was owner and partner of several businesses, including storekeeper, hotel owner, storehouse, cooper shop, steam saw and grist mill and ferry founder.

When he was serving the community as a business man, he also offered his services for other projects including the following: (1.) help to erect the first school house in Tuscumbia, (2.) hired men to build the first bridge across Shut-in Creek, (3.) was a school trustee in District #9. (4.) was one of the first trustees of the village of Tuscumbia, (5.) helped organize the Tuscumbia AF&AM Lodge #169 (the Masons) and was their first treasurer, (6.) procured the official seal of the Miller County Court which has been in use since 1844, (7.) was appointed by the county court as the first public administrator, and (8.) served as Miller County Treasurer from 1844-1850.

Daniel Cumming (1810-1885) and his wife Amanda (Challes) Cummings (1823-1881) are buried at Tuscumbia Cemetery.

Actually this story is about Eliza Ann Cummings and for awhile I was sidetracked writing about her father. I thought it was important to tell his story also since he was a very important man in Miller County history.

Eliza Ann Cummings married Dr. James B. McGee at Tuscumbia on 12/9/1873. Their marriage was performed by William D. Jordan, minister of the gospel. Dr. McGee came to Miller County in the early 1870s. According to census records, he was born in Missouri in May 1841. His parents were natives of Kentucky per census records. Dr. McGee practiced medicine and was a druggist at Tuscumbia form the 1870s up to about 1908.

Eliza Ann & Dr. James McGee were parents of six children including:

1. Anne E. McGee born-----married P.C. Hawken

2. Edward L. McGee born Jan. 1877 married ???

3. Lalla A. McGee born April 1880 married E. P. Hawken.

4. Zenepone Xeres McGee born May 1883 married Lillie Clark.

5. Brutus Aristotle McGee born March 1886 married ???

6. Stonewall Jackson McGee born March 1889 married ???

By 1908, most of the children of Eliza & James had moved from Miller County and settled in Arkansas and Oklahoma. According to Eliza's obituary, they moved from Tuscumbia in 1908 and settled in Arkansas to be near some of their children.

Eliza Ann Cummiings McGee died on 6/4/1934 at Tulsa Okla. at the age of 86 years. She was buried in Wetuka Cemetery at Wetumka, OK. I would imagine that Dr. James McGee is also buried there, although the obituary did not state when or where he died. When Eliza died in 1934, she was survived by her six children (who lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois). She was also survived by a sister, Lucy Cummings Fancher of Georgia, and her youngest brother, William Cummings of Arkansas.

DANIEL CUMMINGS of Maine and Missouri

Daniel Cummings was born in 1810 in the state of Maine and died at Tuscumbia, Miller County in 1885. The census records gave the information he was born in Maine, but there are questions concerning his birthplace which may have been Massachusetts. It is known that he did indeed live in Maine but a historian from that area, Lucille Hodsdon, has a few questions about his birthplace. I have been in contact with her and she gave me some interesting info about the Cummings family. His story is so interesting of how he left his home in Maine and took a westward trip to Missouri in late 1839 and early 1840. He was a son of Jonathan Cummings (1771-1820) and Joanna Cobb (b. ? d. 1844) and was a grandson of Jonathan Cummings Sr. (1743-1805) and Mary Eastman (1742-1801). It is believed Daniels' parents and grandparents were born in Massachusetts and Daniel may have went to Maine on his own as many of our wandering ancestors did in past history. Daniel was probably from an immigrant Cummings family who lived in Essex , England and came to America about 1636 and first settled in Massachusetts. Later generations may have moved into New Hampshire and Maine. According to Ms. Hodsdon, many families used the same migration route out of Massachusetts to resettle in the upper New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Daniel was one of five children born to his parents including:

1. Mary Holt Cummings 1804-1829 m. Josiah Little

2. Eliza Cummings 1806-1808 (died young)

3. Daniel Cummings 1810-1885 m. Amanda Challes 1843

4. Clarissa Ann Cummings 1815-1832 (died young)

5. Lewis Ladd Cummings 1818-1847 m.________

Note: Daniel may have been the only child of the five who survived and lived a fairly long life. His 3 sisters all died young, and Lewis, his brother, died in 1847 at the age of 29 years.

A very interesting letter was written by Daniel from Ray County, MO to his friend whom he called 'Lane' back Maine in 1840. Minot Corner, which he mentions in his letter/journal, was in Androscoggin County, Maine and had been his home before leaving to head west in 1839. According to the letter, (found and printed in the Lewiston, Maine newspaper LEWISTON JOURNAL in 1939), he had left Minot Corner in November of 1839 and journeyed from Maine, through New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and eventually reached St. Louis, Missouri after traveling 1308 miles in the dead of winter! Within a few weeks of more traveling up the Missouri River, he found himself in Ray County, MO which is northeast of present-day Kansas City. The letter he wrote to his friend, Lane in Maine, was mailed from the Ray County town named Camden, situated on the Missouri River. Today the little town still exists but only had a population of 191 people in the census of 2010.

Daniel wrote his letter with glowing reports to his friend telling him what a great place Missouri was and it would be wise for him to make the move west to the frontier and set up a business there. He told him that money was rather scarce at the time because so many people were coming to Missouri and buying up land from the land offices. I had to smile when he wrote a line that said…."it was a good place for a Yankee to relocate and open up a store to sell barrels, kegs, tubs, etc. by coopers (barrel makers)!!" Land was selling for $1.25 an acre which was an outstanding bargain for new settlers. He went on to say that he had located about 35 miles from Indian Territory (Kansas) and what the people really needed were wagon makers, millwrights, carpenters, blacksmiths, and cabinetmakers. He said the Missourians were a friendly, healthy people which was unlike the folks he saw back in Indiana and Illinois whom he described as "pale and feeble"!!! BY THE WAY, he made his trip of almost 1600 miles with a horse and buggy and used the same horse the whole trip and the animal stayed strong and healthy almost all the way to Indian Territory/Kansas…..

WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF HIS FRIEND, LANE, CAME TO MISSOURI OR NOT BECAUSE BY 1843, DANIEL HAD MOVED TO MILLER COUNTY, MISSOURI----- On December 7, 1843, Daniel had married a Miller County woman, Amanda Challes, daughter of Hugh and Mary Challes who lived in the Tuscumbia area, north of the Osage River. I guess getting married at the age of 33 years is what finally settled him down to one place…….

He opened a store in early Tuscumbia and was told by an old Indian who was still in the region that there was flooding at intervals along the Osage and he showed Daniel where to build his store building. He said the building's sills should be at a certain mark on the cliff side nearby and any future flooding wouldn't touch him. He did as the old Indian told him but his houses OVERFLOWED in a later flood! Daniel was a storekeeper in Tuscumbia before and after Civil War times. He also owned a storehouse, a hotel, cooper shop, steam & grist mill, and was a founder of the Tuscumbia ferry boat service across the Osage River. Since those businesses didn't keep him busy enough, he became a trustee of the school district; a trustee of the town, helped to organize the Masonic AF & AM Lodge #169, was the first Public Administrator of the county and was Miller County Treasurer from 1844-1850. Oh! yes, I also forgot that he procured the official seal of the Miller County Court which has been in use since 1844…………..

Daniel and Amanda were parents of 12 children, but 6 of the 12 died when young. The children included:

1. infant daughter 1844-1844

2. Martha A. Cummings 1847- ? m. (1)______Mahan

(2) Augustus Mahan of Cole Co., MO

3. Eliza Ann Cummings 1849-1934 m. Dr. James B. McGee, Later they lived in Okla.

4. Edward L.Cummings 1852- ? m. died young ?

5. Francis L. Cummings 1854-1854

6. Josiah L. Cummings 1856- ? m. Mary E/Molly McCarty

7. Lucy A. Cummings 1858- ? m. Marquis W. Fancher, Later they lived in Georgia

8. Infant daughter 1862-1862)

9. Infant son 1862-1862)~~~~~~~ twins

10.Mariah Brooks Cummings 1864- ? m. Charles Golden

11. Infant son 1868-1868

12. Wm. M. Cummings 1869- ? m. Isa L. Birdsong, Later lived in Arkansas

Amanda Challes Cummings died in 1881 at the age of 58 years and was buried at the Tuscumbia Cemetery . Daniel lived until 1885 and died in Tuscumbia at the age of 75 years and was placed beside Amanda at Tuscumbia. Their young, deceased children are also buried beside them.

Researching and writing this story of an early citizen of Miller County has been so interesting. Even though the family's name no longer appears in Miller County, Daniel was a true pioneer who helped settle and form the county's history and heritage. You can look in many cemeteries across the county and see names that are not familiar to the present residents, but they were important and it is a joy to write their stories.

SILAS AND ADELINE (DAVIS?) CURRY

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 and 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)

DR. GEORGE W. CURTMAN

Dr. George W. Curtman was born in Miller County 2 November 1857 and died near Sudheimer (an old post office and general store in eastern Richwoods Township) on 26 July 1933 at the age of 76 years. George was the son of Charles Otto Curtman and Sarah Boyd. He had an older brother and sister who died in infancy, so he was the only surviving child of his parents. His father, Charles, was also a physician and chemist, born in Giessen, Darmstadt, Germany. His ancestors belonged to the German nobility and Charles attended and graduated from a school in Berlin with the credentials of a chemist. It has been said he was the first person to set up an x-ray in the United States.

Charles O. Curtman became a naturalized American citizen in 1855; the document is in the Miller County courthouse (Circuit Court Book A, page 338). Charles Otto Curtman married Sarah A. Boyd, daughter of James and Ruth (Clark) Boyd. She was born in Greenup County, Kentucky on 23 July 1830. Her parents came to Miller County in the mid 1830s. Charles and Sarah were married in 1852, the marriage performed by John L. Fulkerson, a justice of the peace. Sarah died in 1857 after the birth of her 3rd child, George. She was preceded in death by two infants, a boy and a girl. After Sarah's death, Charles married Elizabeth Jane Wilson, daughter of Joseph Wilson of Maries County. Elizabeth was born in McMinn County, Tennessee in 1834. They married in Maries County in 1858.

Charles Otto Curtman, father of George, was one of the first storekeepers in the county. He set up a store and medical practice at Fair Play, a small settlement on the east bank of the Osage River, northwest of present-day St. Elizabeth. There was an island near Fair Play that was called Curtman Island and it was the scene of a massacre during the Civil War by military forces of Confederate General Crabtree.

About the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, Charles and Elizabeth moved to St. Louis and there he went into the employ of the U.S. government. His chief occupation was manufacturing gun caps. His knowledge of chemistry made this position possible for him during the war year of the 1860s. He and Elizabeth had three daughters and one son born over the ensuing years. All their children lived and died in the St. Louis area.

George W. Curtman remained in Miller County as a child and attended the country schools in his home area. He may have lived a number of years with his grandmother, Ruth Clark Boyd, in the Big Tavern country of Osage township. When he grew older, he went to St. Louis and lived with his father, stepmother, and their family.

When a young man, George W. Curtman attended St. Louis Medical School, later known as Washington University. His father was a professor in this school in the years following the Civil War. After receiving his medical degree, he returned to the land of his youth and practiced medicine at Iberia, Dixon, Koeltztown, St. Thomas, St. Elizabeth, and Van Cleve.

On January 17, 1881, at the age of 23, George married Rachel Jane Helton, daughter of Isaac Helton Sr. They were married in Maries County where her family lived. George and Rachel were parents of four sons: Elmer, Edward, William Frederick, and Charles Otto.

Dr. George W. Curtman died on 23 July 1933. His services and burial was held at the Dick Lawson Cemetery, in eastern Richwoods Township, conducted by Rev. Hollyfield. The cemetery is near the old Sudheimer community where he was living at the time of his death. His wife of 52 years, Rachel Jane (Helton) Curtman, lived until 1954 when she died at the age of 87 years. She was buried beside Dr. George at Lawson Cemetery. Their son, Charles Otto Curtman (1885-1925) and his wife are also buried at Lawson.

DAVID NELSON CURTY

David Nelson Curty was born 16 Sep 1828 at Dayton, Marengo Co., Alabama. His life was interesting, to say the least. Actually his name was James Theophrastis Goodwyn, a son of James Goodwyn and Nancy Holland. His father was a native of South Carolina, born in 1798, and his mother was born in Green Co., Georgia in 1800. They married in Green Co., GA and lived there until 1828 when they moved to Marengo Co., Alabama. Soon they were busy building their new home and cultivating their 1400 acre plantation for cotton growing. The children of James and Nancy Goodwyn were: Samuel, Frazier, Thaddeus H., Catherine Susan, James Theophrasis, Cleophaus Kirksy, Leonidas Duane and Jane Street--strange names!

By 1850, some of their children were living in Navarro Co., Texas and Chicot Co., Arkansas. James Theophrastis (alias David Nelson Curty) was gone from home but his whereabouts not known. It is thought he roamed through Alabama, Louisana, Arkansas and Texas where he received his degree. He taught Murray's Grammar to help defray college expenses. His father disinherited him and he then changed his name to David Nelson Curty. No reason has been given why he used the name Curty.

In 1857, David decided to take a trip to Oregon and took a steamer from New Orleans and went up the Mississippi to St. Louis. He took the railroad to Jefferson City and found out the wagon train he had planned to catch had already departed for Oregon. He decided to wait till the next spring to catch another wagon train west and during that time, went into Miller County where he taught at a country school (probably Gageville in Saline Township). He married one of his students while teaching there. She was Mahala Bond and they married on July 1, 1858. After marriage, he gave up on the idea of traveling to the Northwest and instead, homesteaded a section of land (640 acres) where they built a log house. It was on the Saline creek near Etterville. Among their neighbors were the families of Buster, Russell, Blackburn, Pinkston, Findlay, Albertson, Spalding, and Miller.

The Curty homestead remained in the family for 111 years when it sold in 1973.

David and Mahala (Bond) Curty reared seven children including:

Leonidas Duane Curty b. c/1860;

Emma Eulalia Curty b. c/1864 m. James Miller;

Thaddeus G. Curty b. c/1866 (died young);

Charles David Curty b. c/1867 m. Anna May Belshe;

Victoria B. Curty b. c/1869 m. Wm. R. Blackburn;

Nancy Jane Curty b. c/1874 m. Edward T. Gaither;

Benjamin Holland Curty b. c/1876 m. Maggie Bell; and

Texannah Curty b. c/1878 m. A. J. Cunningham.

Not all the Curty children remained in Miller County. Charles and his family joined a group of Belshes and Bonds and moved to Oklahoma and established the Curty Post Office. Later they moved to California. Texannah, the youngest, and her husband, A. J. Cunningham, moved to St. Louis and later to California. Benjmain (known as Dick) lived his married life on the Curty homestead.

David Nelson Curty's father, James Goodwyn, died in March 1867. His mother, Nancy Holland, died 16 December of the same year. During the settlement of their estate, David made two trips to Alabama, riding 'Old Cudge', his horse. He had been disinherited so the family seized his horse to settle the estates. On his return trip to Gageville in 1875, he walked home, a journey that took him two months. David never divulged why he left home at such an early age or why he changed his name, but his children grew up knowing that the above events had transpired in his lifetime.

David Nelson Curty died at the age of 85 years on Dec. 23, 1913 and was buried at Gageville Cemetery in the same community where he had lived for 55 years. He and Mahala had spent the same number of years together as husband and wife rearing 7 of their 8 children to maturity. She lived for three years following his death and died on January 18, 1918. Mahala was buried beside David at Gageville. David Nelson Curty, born James Theophrastis Goodwyn, took many secrets that were never answered to his grave. His children and grandchildren and other descendants often speculated why he left home as a young teenager, in some unknown conflict, and why he changed his name. No answer was ever found.

NOTE: Helen Belshe Bybee (now deceased) of Laverne, California, gave me some of the information for this story of her ancestor, David Nelson Curty.