Surnames Beginning With 'G'
THE GARDNER, BAILEY, AND ALLEN FAMILIES OF MILLER COUNTY
William W. Gardner was born circa 1765-70. Legend says he was born in Holland, but that has not been proven. If he was born in Europe, then he came to America as a small child and I believe his first home was in Virginia. During that era of time, Virginia entailed all of the present state, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This was a vast region where the settlers had a variety of land to choose from, although the German and Dutch peoples moved into the western sections of this undeveloped country, tilled it, and fought for it with the same faith and stamina that had brought them from their European homes.
As a young boy of perhaps 12 or 13 years, William fought in the American Revolution. This war ended in 1783 and perhaps as a child he served this country as a young American soldier. In 1798, James Garrard, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, signed a land grant deeding 200 acres of land in Warren County, KY to William and Elinor Gardner. It states plainly in the grant that the land was situated south of the Green River in central Kentucky. It is a known, historical fact that all land south of the Green River was only given to ex-Virginia soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. William's land was in Warren County (today it is Barren County to the east because the county lines were extended in 1821). He settled near a small stream that today still carries his name.....Gardner's Sinking Creek. It is near Park City, Kentucky, but during William's lifetime, this area was known as Glasgow Junction.
On this land, William and Elinor Gardner, his first wife, reared six children. In my research, Elinor is a vague personality. I can find very little information about her. I only know she was born in North Carolina and was probably of German descent. There's a possibility her maiden name was Paulding. She died c/1830-35. Nothing else is known of her life nor her heritage. The children born to William and Elinor, all born in Barren County, were: Richard, Jacob, Henry Paulding, Annis, Gemimah, and Mary/Polly. Richard and Jacob married sisters, Jane and Olive Allen. Gemimal Gardner married a brother to Jane and Olive, Joel Allen. Annis married Daniel Spurlock; Polly married a Mr. Reynolds; and Henry Paulding married (1) Susannah Keath (2) Elizabeth Ann Bailey. Paulding and Elizabeth were my great, great grandparents. The Allen and Gardner families were close neighbors in early Kentucky and there were several marriages performed within these families.
In 1804, the Governor of Kentucky once again granted an additional 148 acres of land to William Gardner in Barren County. In 1817, William and Elinor sold 100 of these acres to John Brown for the sum of $6.00............During the period of time, 1804-1842, there was much buying and selling of land between the Gardners, Allens, and Baileys in Barren County. I have found they were large landholders and also had many slaves during the early to mid 19th century.
In 1835, William Gardner went south from his Sinking Creek farm and into the Buck Creek are of Barren County where he acquired himself a new wife. Elinor had died prior to 1835. His new wife was Sarah/Sally Owen, daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Humphrey) Owen. She was a very young girl at that time and William was nearing the age of 65 years. Sally's father, John Owen, was a circuit-riding Baptist preacher in the years they lived in Kentucky. He and his wife were both natives of South Carolina. I have a copy of the marriage license for William and Sarah.(Owen) Gardner, dated 21 February 1835. Marriages in those days had to be solemnized only after a bond had been posted. the price amount to 50 lbs, English money, a substantial amount for that day.
William and Sally (Owen) Gardner reared four children: Juliann b. 1837; William Holland b. 1840; James Riley b. 1842; and Sarah A. b. 1844. In 1838, William wrote his last will and testament and had it recorded in the Barren County courthouse. I have a copy of his will and it is priceless! He allotted a portion of land to his three older sons, and each of his six older children (by Elinor) was given one slave each. The remainder of his lands, household goods, farming equipment, slaves, and his mill was awarded to his young daughter, Juliann. Three other children were born after 1838 and they also shared in his estate, but it appears that Juliann became the largest heir. William died in 1846 leaving Sally with four small children to rear alone. She never remarried and lived the rest of her life on the Sinking Creek farm. She died circa 1885. A few months earlier she had broken her hip and she never recovered from the fall.
Sally Owen Gardner was an extraordinary and unique woman. She was self-educated and during her lifetime, she sat down with her slaves and taught them to read and write. This was almost unheard of in her lifetime, but she was apparently a wonderful little lady with a generous heart.
On July 21, 1814, my great, great grandfather, Henry Paulding Gardner, was born in Barren County, KY at the homestead on Gardner's Sinking Creek. He was a son of William and his first wife, Elinor. In 1836, Henry Paulding married Susannah Keath, in neighboring Edmonson County. They were parents of two sons, William Wiley, born in 1837, and Holland born circa 1839. Susannah died, perhaps in childbirth, leaving Henry Paulding with two small children. It is believed Holland died as an infant, because no further record is found for him. On August 30, 1840, Henry married Elizabeth Ann Bailey (called Betsy), also of Barren County. She was a daughter of Julius and Lucinda (Anderson) Bailey, who were natives of Virginia. Julius was born c/1792; Lucinda/Lucy was born c/1793. They had moved westward and bought land in Barren County. the first record I could find for them in Barren County was a purchase of land they made in April 1821. This acreage contained 174 acres, referred as "being in the barrens".
In studying past history, I learned that in the Indian language, the name Kentucky means "this barren land". Elizabeth Ann was born in 1817, so I am presuming she was born in Virginia and came to Kentucky with her parents at an early age. Julius and Lucy Bailey had a large family. The names of their children I have found on record are: Elizabeth Ann m. Henry Paulding Gardner; Samantha m. John B. Stone; Sarah/Sally m. Tarleton B. Wheeler; Julius Jr. m. Neoma Jones; William W. m. Patsy Lucas; Malinda m. Albert G. Wiseman; Mary Catherine m. Joseph Hume; and Tarleton m. no record found.
Many Barren County families migrated into Miller County and settled this land in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The following are some of the families who left Barren County and settled in Miller County: Paulding and Elizabeth Bailey Gardner; Julius and Lucinda Anderson Bailey; John B. and Samantha Bailey Stone; Julius Jr. and Neoma Jones Bailey; Tarleton and Sarah Bailey Wheeler; Joel and Gemimah Gardner Allen; Daniel and Annis Gardner Spurlock; Merlin and Sally Bailey Shackelford (she was a sister to Julius Bailey Sr.); Elias Allen, who later married Mary Gardner in 1843 in Miller County; and the six orphaned children of Jacob and Olive Allen Gardner. These six children were reared in the home of their uncle, Elias Allen. I believe a family named Dickerson also originated from Barren County and came to Miller County during this same time era.
When Henry Paulding (called Paulin) and Elizabeth/Betsy Gardner moved into Missouri, they had 2 sons, William Wiley and Jacob. William, son of Susannah Keath, was born in 1837. Jacob was born in Barren County in 1841 and was only a baby when they came to Missouri. William Wiley was born in Barren Count at a place called Bell's Tavern. I researched the history of Bell's Tavern and learned it was a stagecoach stop on the old, original Louisville-Nashville road that ran directly across the county in those years. It was near the place called Glasgow Junction.
Lucy Ann Gardner was the first of their children born in Miller County. Her birthdate was 24 January 1843. Paulin and Betsy Gardner had seven more children after moving to Miller County. They were: Jemima b. 1845; Henry Paulding Jr. b. 1846; Susan E. b. 1848; Felix B. b. 1850; Mary Paradine b. 1852; John M. b. 1856; and Nellie J. b. 1859.
Paradine, Jamima and Lucy Gardner
In Miller County's history, there are quite a few items mentioned concerning these families. In 1843, the Big Richwoods Baptist Church was formed. Paulding/Paulin Gardner was one of the first members. Others mentioned among the first members included Mary Gardner Allen (Mrs. Elias Allen); and Daniel Spurlock (brother-in-law who married Annis Gardner). Later, in 1850, five trustees were appointed to build a new church and Paulin Gardner was one of the trustees selected. The land they agreed to purchase was a one-acre lot in eastern Iberia. A few graves were on this lot, the earliest being that of Elijah Dyer, dated 1841. This was the beginning of the Iberia Cemetery. A building of hewn logs was raised on this lot and was the first Baptist church erected in Iberia.
On February 24, 1854, the inhabitants of Congressional township school district #13, met at the home of H. Paulin Gardner and organized the township for school purposes. Four districts were established becoming Elliott, Hickory Point, Mace, and Spearman school districts.
The land that was homesteaded by the Gardner families was northwest of Iberia running from what we today know as the Gardner Branch and ran almost all the way to the Barren Fork creek. This contained many acres.....the present day farm of Bruce and Janis Williams was the original land and farm that was homesteaded by Paulin and Betsy Gardner in the early 1840s. The Bailey families settled the land on both sides of the creek running west of Iberia that was known as Bailey's Branch. It originated near the present day farm of Mrs.Vernon Keeth and ran northwest across Highway 42 and on across the Gordon Groves farm and emptied into the Barren Fork.
The Gardner and Allen families were slave owners back in Barren County, KY and they brought several of their slaves with them into Missouri. The Baileys were non-slave owners as far as I can determine. I found no record of them owning slaves in Kentucky. They were involved in manufacturing and trades in Barren County. In Miller County records in 1869, Joel Allen owned 7 slaves valued at $4000; Elias Allen had 5 valued at $1800; Isaiah Allen had 3 valued at $2100; and Pauling Gardner owned a female slave valued at $800. In 1862, Pauling was listed as owning 2 slaves, so he must have acquired another Negro during the 2-year period. In his father's will, dated 1838, William Gardner gave Pauling a woman slave named Stephanna. He brought her into Missouri with him. The slaves at that time had no last names and usually acquired the name of the family who owned them. In later years, Paulin deeded Stephanna a few acres of land near his farm and she lived the remainder of her life there. Some land, which today lies south of the Iberia city limits, was deeded to the Allen slaves. They were using the last name of Allen at that time. I do not know how long they lived there because in later years, the land was owned by the Ferguson family.
William Wiley, oldest child of Paulin & Susannah (Keath) Gardner, served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He enlisted as a volunteer in October 1862 at Holly Springs, Mississippi. During the war, he was taken prison of war near Blakely, Alabama. He was given his freedom in April 1865. William Wiley came back to Miller County where he became a schoolteacher and educator in the schools of Miller and Maries counties. His last months of life were spent in the Confederate Soldier's Home in Higginsville, Missouri. He and his wife, Louisa, are buried in the Home's cemetery. Louisa was a daughter of Joseph and Nancy Wilson of Maries County, MO.
Lucy Ann Gardner, daughter of Paulin and his second wife, Betsy (Bailey), was born in Miller County in 1843. She married my great grandfather, William Harrison Smith of Pulaski County, MO on 1 February 1863. William Harrison Smith was a son of John Wesley and Nancy (Stinnett) Smith who were natives of Kentucky and Tennessee, respectively.
William and Lucy Gardner Smith were parents of 11 children, all born in Miller County, including: William Daniel Smith b. 1863 m. Sally Harrison; Jemima H. Smith b.1865-died in infancy; James Paulin Smith b. 1867 m. Emma Whalen; Parthenia Minnie Smith b. 1869 m. (1) Rector Thompson (2) Paul Rees; Felix P. Smith b. 1871 m. Fannie Fike; Jessie Rosa Smith b. 1872 m. Charles Aust; John T. Smith b. 1875 m. Hester Smith (no kin); Jacob C. Smith b. 1878 m. (1) Lennie Sooter (2) Elizabeth Sooter; Charles E. Smith b. 1881 m. Molly Mayfield; Henry Franklin Smith b. 1884 m. Sarah Eliza Boyd; Grace Mae Smith b. 1886 m. (1) Henry Lollar (2) Louis May; and Myrtle Clara Smith 1889-1890.
My grandfather, Henry Franklin Smith, was the last of his family to survive and see the modern day miracles of the atomic age and space technology. In 1975, at the age of 92, he died taking with him the knowledge of his age and memories that could have enlightened my search of our heritage.
In June 1976, I made a trip to Barren County, KY where I spent a few days doing research in the county's records. This county is rich in history and folklore. There, with the assistance of another descendant of William Gardner Sr., I was able to accumulate much info through old courthouse records. I was fortunate to drive over this land and to walk the fields that were homesteaded by my ancestors over 200 years ago. Gardner's Sinking Creek is flowing across the beautiful countryside and Buck Creek is still rushing across the fields to the south and I can only say that when I departed from Barren County, I left part of my heart and soul down there in the land of my ancestors. I felt a closeness to those folks whom I will never know. It is as though I can feel what they felt; love what they loved; and I can always identify with their trials, tribulations, and most of all, the joys they experienced in their lives on that early frontier.
HENRY PAULIN GARDNER
Henry Paulin Gardner was born in Miller County on January 15, 1870, a son of Jacob and Martha Emeline (Smith) Gardner. Jacob Gardner (1841-1916) was a native of Barren County, KY and Martha Emeline Smith (1849-1912) was born in Tennessee. They married in Miller County 4 March 1867. Henry Paulin Gardner's grandparents were Henry Paulin/Paulding Gardner Sr. and Elizabeth Ann Bailey who married in Barren Co., KY in 1840. Sharon and I are both descended from Henry Gardner Sr. and Elizabeth Ann Bailey........
In the early 1840s, the Gardners came to Miller County with other members of the Gardner family. Other Barren County families who came to central Missouri about the same time were the Baileys, Allens, Wheelers, Allens, and Shacklefords. They all settled north of Iberia along the Barren Fork Creek and Bailey Branch.
Henry Paulin Gardner, son of Jacob and Martha Emeline, grew to manhood on the family farm in the Fairview community.
On October 23, 1890, Henry Paulin Gardner married Sarah Clementine Aust (1872-1947). Their marriage was performed by John H. Aust, minister of the gospel. She was a daughter of William and Mary (West) Aust.
The Aust family was descendants of Johann Jorg (John George) Aust, a native of Barby, Germany who came to America about 1772 with his wife, Mary Margaretha Aust, and settled in North Carolina.
Henry Paulin and Sarah Clementine (called Clemy) were parents of several children including: Anna E. (1895-1896); Daisy Gardner Rogers; Edith Gardner (never married); Pearl Ann Gardner Tallman; Queen Gardner Crum-Randall; and George Gardner. When Henry Paulin Gardner died on March 11, 1933, he was survived by his wife, five children, and four grandchildren. He was also survived by one sister, Betsy Gardner Green, and five brothers: Abraham, Shay, Felix, Robert, and Willie Gardner. Henry was buried at the Iberia Cemetery and fourteen years later, in 1947, his wife, Clemy Aust Gardner, passed away and was placed beside Henry at Iberia Cemetery.
When I was a child, in the late 1930s and early 40s, my parents lived in a house directly north of the home of 'Aunt' Clemy Gardner. Her son and daughter, George and Edith Gardner, were living with her at that time. I remember her so well even though I was not very old during those years. I never knew Henry Paulin Gardner because he died before I was born. 'Aunt' Clemy's house is no longer there but in my mind's eye I can see it so clearly........it sat to the north of the old Assembly of God church which is the present home of the Bodkin family. The Gardner home was torn down many years ago but I believe some of the cut stones from the old foundation were used in landscaping the yard of the Bodkin home.
JOHN M. GARDNER
John M. Gardner was born in Richwoods Township, near Iberia, in May 1856. I do not know for sure, but I think his middle name was Monroe but one record gives it as May (which is unusual for a man!) . He was one of several children born to Henry Paulding Gardner (1811-1887) and Elizabeth Ann Bailey (1813-1875). His parents came to Miller County from Barren County, Kentucky in the early 1840s with other pioneer families who settled in the Big Richwoods including the families of Allen, Shackleford, Wheeler, and Bailey.
Note: John M. Gardner was a brother to my great grandmother, Lucy Ann (Gardner ) Smith---ph
John M. Gardner married Mary Helton in Miller County 28 March 1878, the marriage performed by Rev. John Aust. Mary was born in February 1861, a daughter of James P Helton and his second wife, Amanda Belk. NOTE: THE PARENTS OF JAMES HELTON WERE ISAAC HELTON AND ELIZABETH HUGHES OF MARIES COUNTY, PER INFO FROM A GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER……. James had first been married to Jeanette Taff of Maries County and she must have died young without children.
In February 1922, John Gardner became ill with pneumonia and died on Feb. 12 at the age of 66 years. There must have been a deadly epidemic of pneumonia/influenza in the county at that time because his sister, Jemima Gardner Setser, had died 8 days earlier on February 8 of the same disease. At the time of his death, John's brother, Felix Gardner of Iberia, was also near death with the same ailment but he lived for four months longer and died in June 1922.
John's funeral service was held at the old North Iberia Christian Newlight Church by Rev. William M. Sooter. He was laid to rest at Iberia Cemetery. John was survived his wife and four children. Mary lived a number of years longer; she died in 1940 and was placed beside her husband at Iberia Cemetery.
MAUDE ANNA GARDNER SHOCKLEY
Maude Anna Gardner was born in Miller County near Iberia on December 30, 1883. She was a daughter of John M. Gardner (1856-1922) and Mary Helton (1861-1940). John and Mary married 28 March 1878, the marriage performed by Rev. John H. Aust.
Maud Anna Gardner was a granddaughter of Henry Pauling Gardner and Elizabeth (Bailey), natives of Barren County, Kentucky who came to Miller County and settled north of Iberia in the early 1840s. The Gardner family came to Miller County with other Barren County families including the Baileys, Wheelers, Stones, Shacklefords, and Allens. Maud Anna Gardner married Charles Edward Shockley in Miller County on April 4, 1900, their marriage performed by John H. Aust, minister, who also married Maud's parents in 1878. Charles Edward, born 5 June 1876, was a son of John Shockley and his second wife, Lucinda Holeyfield, who married June 6, 1875. John Shockley was the father of at least 11 children born to his two wives.
Maud (Gardner) and Charles Edward Shockley were parents of four children, two daughters and two sons, all born in Miller County.
In 1900, when the census was taken in Miller County, Charles and Maud were a newly-wed couple living in Richwoods Township near the families of Denton, Shackleford, Setser, Hedges, Humphrey, Irwin, Wilson and Pilkington. In their home were three of Charles's younger sisters and brother: Annie Lee, Stella Maud and Pearly A. Shockley.
Maud and Charles Edward had been married for almost 60 years when he died in February 1960. She remained his widow for 14 years and died at the age of 90 years on 22 Aug 1974. Both are buried at the Iberia Cemetery. The Shockleys were members of the Iberia Assembly of God Church. When she died in 1974, Maud was survived by 3 children, 10 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, and 1 great, great grandchild.
WILLIAM WILEY GARDNER
A Confederate Soldier Of Miller County
On 15 February 1837, William Wiley Gardner was born in Central Kentucky near the boundry line of Barren & Edmonson Counties. He was born in the vicinity of Bell's Tavern, a stagecoach stop on the original Louisville-Nashville road that ran north and south across both Barren and Edmonson Counties. William Wiley was the oldest child of Henry Paulding Gardner and Susannah Keath/Keeth who married 7 January 1836 in Edmonson County. His ancestry was of English and German descent.....English through his Keath/Keeth ancestors and German/Dutch through the Gardner ancestors. His paternal grandparents were William and Elinor Gardner who lived in Barren County; his maternal grandparents were Daniel and Juda (Cannady/Kennedy) Keath of Edmonson County.
William's mother, Susannah, died when he was a very young child, perhaps in childbirth because he had a younger brother named Hollam. Evidently Hollam did not live very long because there is no information for him in later records.
On August 30, 1840, Henry Pauling Gardner married his second wife, Elizabeth Ann Bailey, daughter of Julius and Lucinda (Anderson) Bailey of Barren Co., KY. Over the years they had a large family who were half-brothers and sisters to William Wiley.
About 1842, Henry Paulding (called Paulin) and Elizabeth Gardner came by wagon train from Barren County to Miller County, MO with two children, William about 5 years old and his half-brother, Jacob, age 1 year. The other Gardner children were born in Miller County after 1842.
NOTE: Lucy Ann Gardner, (wife of Wm. Harrison Smith), was a half-sister to William Wiley, and she was my great grandmother, therefore making William Wiley Gardner my great, great uncle. (Peggy)
William Wiley Gardner grew to manhood in Miller County in Richwoods Township. His father and stepmother homesteaded several acres of prairie land, which laid north and west of Iberia (located today in the Fairview community). The Allen, Bailey, Shackleford, Wheeler, Stone, and Gardner families came from central Kentucky together and all homesteaded near one another in Richwoods Township. They settled near the Barren Fork and Bailey creeks and reared their families in that locale. The Gardner and Allen families were slave owners, bringing several of their Negroes to Miller County, so it is no surprise, when the Civil War came to Miller County, their sympathies were with the Confederacy.
William Wiley enlisted in the Confederate States Army (CSA) at Linn Creek, MO (Camden County) on 15 September 1861 at the age of 24 years. His commanding officers were Colonel McCowan, Capt. Cuniffe, Lt. Crow, and Lt. Marnell. He enlisted in Company E, 5th Missouri Regiment as an infantryman. In another affidavit, he stated he joined the Confederate Army at Holly Springs, Mississippi on 18 Oct 1862. He stated in another affidavit "in the early part of the war, I was captured near Lebanon, MO. (Laclede County)."
While serving approximately four years in the Confederate Army, he was captured on three occasions....once near Lebanon, MO.....once at Port Gibson, Mississippi......and once at Blakely, Alabama. He served some time in a Union prison near Alton, Illinois and he fought in several battles across the South including Grand Gulf, MS; Port Gibson, MS; Franklin, TN near Nashville; New Hope Church, GA; and Atlanta, GA. He received several battlefield wounds.....one in the right leg (at Port Gibson) and once again in both legs at Franklin, TN. He stated, "After the war, I was paralyzed in my left side."
He was captured as a prisoner of war at Blakely, Alabama on 9 April 1865 and was later paroled. On May 5, 1865 (almost a month later), he was received at Camp Townsend near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Evidently he came home after being paroled at Jackson having spent almost four years as a soldier of the Confederacy.
William Wiley Gardner had marched through Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and probably other places as well that are not on record. He spent some time in a Union prison....was wounded in several battles....was captured on several occasions and held as a prisoner of war.
After the war, William Wiley married Louisa Wilson (born 25 July 1851 at Van Cleve, Maries County, MO). They married in March 1869 when she was a young girl of 18 years and he was about 32 years old. They spent the next 52 years of life together. It was said that William Wiley had "a good education" and he taught in the country schools of Miller and Maries counties until well past middle age. He and Louisa reared three sons: WILLARD GARDNER who died at age 21 years; EVERETT GARDNER, father of 4 children; and FRED GARDNER, the father of two daughters.
Late in life, William Wiley Gardner and his devoted wife, Louisa, made application to enter the Confederate Home of Missouri at Higginsville, MO (Lafayette County). On March 6, 1922, they were admitted to the Confederate Home and he died there just 17 days later on March 23. He was buried in the Home Cemetery. Louisa lived until 9 May 1935 and was buried beside her husband at Higginsville. He lived to the ripe old age of 84 and Louisa lived to reach her 84th year as well.
On file with the Missouri State Adjutant General's office in Jefferson City is the following information about William Wiley Gardner, a Confederate soldier of Miller County:
THOMAS DURHAM GARNER, SR.
Thomas Durham Garner, Sr. was born 10 Feb 1821 in Tennessee. He was one of ten children born to Benjamin Garner and Margaret Eaton, both natives of North Carolina. The Garner family immigrated to America from Wales in the 18th century and settled in North Carolina, but late generations moved into Tennessee where Benjamin and Margaret both died. Each of Thomas' grandfathers fought in the Revolutionary War. A man named John Garner was one of the soldiers who fought in the Battle of King's Mountain in No. Carolina...he may have been Thomas' ancestor.
Thomas Garner married Mary Ann McCartney in Tennessee on 18 Nov 1849. She was a native of Tennessee, born October 15, 1834. Mary Ann was the only child of John McCartney and his wife, Mahulda Green. About 1850, Thomas and Mary Ann moved to Arkansas. Circa 1863, they moved to Miller County, MO and settled in Iberia. He farmed for a few years after arriving but about 1870, he decided to open a mercantile business in the small village. By 1889, he had a very profitable business with an inventory valued at $3500. By today's standards, this was a very successful annual business. He continued to own an excellent farm that adjoined the town of Iberia.
Thomas and Mary Ann lived at the edge of the original town of Iberia, which is part of the city limits today. They built a home on the same land where the David Vineyard family lived in later years. His son, Hugh Garner, and family built their home where David and Jessie Farnham lived in the 20th century. In 1892, Thomas platted and sub-divided some of his land and called it "T.D. Garner's First Addition to the Town of Iberia" and in 1895, filed his second addition called "T.D. Garner's Second Addition to the Town of Iberia".
Thomas Garner was a staunch Republican in his politics and cast his first vote for Henry Clay in the election of 1844. Clay lost to James Knox Polk, a Whig, who became America's 11th president.
Thomas Durham Garner Sr. died at Iberia on 20 Jan 1906 at the age of 85 years. He was buried at the Iberia Cemetery. His wife of 57 years, Mary Ann, died 31 Jan 1907 and was placed beside Thomas at Iberia Cemetery. They also had two babies, James and John, buried in their family plot. Youngest son, Hugh and wife Stella (Moore) are buried at Iberia Cemetery; and the oldest daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Garner) Jacobs is also buried there. She has an infant child buried beside her. Another daughter, Frances Garner Hickman is buried beside her husband, Dr. Samuel P. Hickman, at Gott Cemetery near Brumley in Glaize Township. I could find no record of burials for sons Thomas Jr. and Robert Benjamin.
NOTE: Robert Benjamin Garner served as sheriff and collector of Miller County from 1884-1890 and lived at Tuscumbia during those years.
Thomas D. Garner Sr. and his son, Hugh, built the T. D. Garner and Son Roller Mills in Iberia (probably in the late 19th century). Hugh Garner was an expert mill right and his miller was Roy Brown. About 1905, the Garner Mill was destroyed in an explosion that occurred during a low-water stage. It was rumored it may have been sabotaged but was never proven. Luckily all the employees received ample warning so no one was hurt in the explosion although the mill was a complete loss. It was located to the north of today's Friendship Hall and east of the old home once owned by Bill and Mary Hedges.
Margaret/Mary Elizabeth Garner, the oldest child of Thomas and Mary Ann, was born in 1851 in Izzard County, Arkansas. Sometime about 1869, she married Joseph Jacobs and by 1870, they were living in Iberia near her parents. In 1872, Mary/Margaret died at the age of 21 years, probably from childbirth complications. She and an infant child are buried at Iberia Cemetery. Her husband, Joseph Jacobs, is the man who built a huge two-story home near the Garner family in north Iberia. The old house was destroyed by fire a few years ago. Joseph Jacobs was also noted for building his burial place called "Jacob's Tomb" which was located in a north pasture on his land. He was buried there when he died and in later years, his body was exhumed and carried by horse and wagon to Iberia Cemetery for reburial (my grandfather, Frank Smith, was one of four men who moved the body through Iberia and on to the city cemetery). I have heard my grandfather tell the story many times of the procession that carried Mr. Jacobs to his final resting place.
JOSEPH GATTERMEIER
Joseph Gattermeier was born in Austria near the famous Danube River on 21 January 1848. He was a son of Mathias and Anna (Wienkler) Gattermeier. He was one of several children born to the Gattermeiers. Among them included: Joseph b. 1848; Michael b. 1857; Rachel b. 1852 and Salina b. 1860. Joseph came to America with his parents in 1856 and they first settled in Morgan County, MO in Haw Creek Township, just west of Versailles.
On July 8, 1877, Joseph married Cassandra/Cassie F. Zwanzig. She was a daughter of August and Margaret (Fuhr) Zwanzig. In Morgan County, the Zwanzig family were millers. In 1881, Joseph formed a partnership with Edwin and Bernhardt Zwanzig and bought the Goodman Mills near Olean in Miller County.
In 1891 (probably at the birth of their infant child), Cassie Gattermeier died. She was buried beside her infant children at the Olean Cemetery. Sometime after 1891, Joseph married Flora L. Shikles who was 26 years younger than Joseph.
In 1900 the Gattermeier family lived in the Olean community in northern Saline township near the families of Agee, Lux, Proctor, Gregory, Hite, Burlingame, and Roark. He was treasurer of the I.O.O.F (International Order of Odd Fellows) Lodge of Olean for 27 years. He was also treasurer of the Olean Lodge of A.F. & A.M. for a number of years. According to a biographical sketch, in politics Joseph supported the Republican party in Miller County.
In the 1870s and early 80s, Joseph went to Platte City, MO and worked as a carpenter and miller. From there he ventured on west to Colorado where he worked in a sawmill and did some mining and eventually made his way back to Miller County. With his 2 brothers-in-law, Ed and Ben Zwanzig, he took charge of a flouring mill near Olean, then known as the Buckeye Mill. They improved the mill and made it an up-to-date, first class business until it was destroyed by fire in 1895. Later, Joseph Gattermeier rebuilt on the site and went into business with Joseph Goodman until 1916 when it was totally destroyed by a tornado................
Joseph Gattemeier lived until December 13, 1928 when he died at the age of 80 years and 10 months. He was survived by his second wife, Flora (Shikles), and 7 children. He was buried at Olean Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was owner and operator of the Olean Milling Company, located near the Depot and it continued on under the management of his sons.
SOVREIGN G. GEORGE
Soverign G. George was born 21 April 1873 in Oklahoma Territory (long before it became America's 46th state). He was a son of Gholson George and Cynthia Popplewell who married in Miller County on January 14, 1866. A. J. Williams, a Justice of the Peace in Glaize Township, performed their wedding.
I don't know when the George family moved to Oklahoma Territory or how long they stayed there, but they were back in Missouri when Soverign married Elnora Warren on September 8, 1893. Rev. Allen J. Henderson performed their marriage rites.
In the census of 1900, Soverign and Elnora were living in Glaize Township with their two oldest children, Eunice and Oscar. Their neighbors included the families of Warren, Mace, Spearman, Tinsley, Payne, Thompson, Hawkins, and Reed.
Soverign and Elnora (Warren) George were parents of seven children, 4 girls and 3 boys including: Eunice, Oscar, Warren, Cynthia, and 2 daughters who married Jack Anderson and Theo Byrd. I couldn't find their names in any census or marriage record. The 7th child, Robert, died as an infant (1920-1921). He is buried at Gott Cemetery.
When Soverign died in 1940, only Oscar, the oldest son, was still living in the Brumley area. His other five children were living in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Soverign affiliated with the Christian Church from early life. He spent most of his life in Missouri except for Oklahoma Territory where he was born and the last year of his life was spent with his children in Arizona and California. He returned to Miller County just 2 weeks before his death.
He was a prominent farmer in the Brumley community and his death was caused from an unfortunate accident that he had with his farm wagon. He was gathering corn in his field and in some manner fell from the wagon, landing on the doubletree. He was dragged and sustained fatal injuries after he fell from his wagon.
Soverign died on November 4, 1940 at the age of 67 years. His funeral was held at the Brumley Christian Church. Rev. J. C. Thompson conducted his funeral services and he was buried at Gott Cemetery. Elnora Warren George lived for 28 years as his widow and died in 1968 at the age of 93 years. She was buried beside Soverign at Gott Cemetery.
THE GIFFIN FAMILY OF OSAGE TOWNSHIP
The Giffin family of Tennessee came to Miller County sometime prior to 1860 because they are found for the first time in the census of 1860 living in Osage Township near the families of PRock, Wyrick, Allen, Stephens, Abbott, and Curry. There were 3 brothers living close to one another during this census - William C. Giffin, Andrew J. Giffin, and Willis M. Giffen. In the home of William was their mother, Harriett Giffin, and 2 other brothers - John F. Giffin and Allen P. Giffin.
The Giffins were found in Miller County census records through the 1880 census, but do not appear in 1900; they probably moved away during that period of time. Only two marriages were recorded during the time they lived in Miller County:
I found no record of a marriage for Mary E. Giffin, wife or widow of Andrew J. Giffin, but in 1870 census she is using the name "Mary E. Sloan" and she had two children in her household named Giffin; Sarah Lucinda and James W. By the 1880 census she is using the name Giffin once again.
In the 1870 census is a confusing mystery; Harriet Giffin, age 62, her son John F. Giffin age 30, 2 children named Harriet C. Giffin age 4 and Malinda R. Giffin age 6 months are all living in the home of Marion Roark and his wife, Fidello (Messersmith) in Osage Township. At this time I have no clue why they were living with this family. I do not suspect there is any kinship between the two families, but one never knows!
In the 1880 census the only Giffin families I could find were James Giffin and his wife, Evaline/Emaline (no children) and Mary Giffin (widow of Andrew J.) James was the son of Mary and her husband, Andrew J. Giffin. I do not know what happened to the rest of these families.
NOTE: There is one reference to the name "Giffin" in Judge Jenkins' History of Miller County, page 414: "Arriving at the mill, Lt. Wm. Carroll Brumley found Alexander and William Wilson, Joseph Allen, Lafayette Crane, ALLEN P. GRIFFIN, Napoleon and Basham Burlingame, and John F. Barr there, some of them waiting for grist.(this may have been the old mill later known as Brays Mill. During the Civil War era it was run by different people including the Rowdens, Lampes, Goodman/Gudemanns, Slawsons.
Alice Spalding Henson has provided the following PDF document detailing the family information of Mary Ann Shirley and Francis Marion Willis Giffin. Click on the link to view the document.
GODLOVE FAMILY
The first person in the county to file his intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States was Emanuel Godlove. The record of his intention is as follows...."Be it remembered that on this 4th day in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-Two, personally appeared in open Court, Emanuel Godlove, a native of Kingdom Bayrne (Bavaria-Bayern, German spelling) and made oath upon the Evangelist of Almighty God that it is bona fide his intention to become a Citizen of the United States and to renounce and abjure forever all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever and particularly all allegiance and fidelity to the King of Bayrne of whom he was last a subject."
January 21, 1841--Emanuel Godlove married Louisey Swanson by John T. Davis, Judge of the County Court. There is something that is rather strange about Emanuel Godlove...he owned slaves when he lived in Miller County while other immigrants of German descent did not! In 1859, in the Miller Co. Assessor's book, it is recorded he owned 4 slaves valued at $2,000. He purchased a slave woman named Milley and her child, Eliza Jane, from John Flanigan for $800. Later he bought another slave woman named Nancy and her child, Charles, from a man named Joseph Howser.
Emanuel was a businessman in the town of Tuscumbia in its early history. He was in partnership with Daniel Cummings. Emanuel also operated a hotel in the town called "The Tuscumbia Hotel" during the same era the only census record I could find for Emanuel Godlove was in 1850. His name was recorded as GOTT...at first I could find no record whatsoever. I thought he had just came and went through Miller Co. by then, but decided to go back once again and take another look. By looking in the same area where his partner (Daniel Cummings) lived, I found the GOTT family of Emanuel and Louisa. I do not know if it was the census taker's fault or a typographical error in the book. The following is the Emanuel Godlove family in 1850:
Neighbors were: Daniel Cummings, William P. Dixon, Robert Armstrong, John Brumley, George Lansdown, Josiah Birdsong. There is no record of the Godlove family in the 1860 Miller Co. census.
Evidently they moved out of the county in the late 1850s or early 1860.
VICTOR HUGO GOETHE
Victor Hugo Goethe was born 13 March 1864 in Stasfierth, Germany. He came to America with his parents at the age of 8 years in 1872 and they settled at Rolla, Phelps County, MO.
Victor came to Miller County about 1886 and began teaching in the country schools of Glaize, Richwoods, and Osage townships. He was about 22 years old when he began his teaching career at the Keyes School in 1886. Over the next 15 years he taught at several other county schools including Elm Springs, Barnett, Dog Creek and Fletcher in Glaize Township; the Cross and Honey Springs schools in Richwoods Township; and Clark/Otto school in Osage Township. While teaching at Barnett school in Glaize Township, he met his wife, Lucy Jane Barnett, and they married on March 25, 1896.
Lucy Jane Barnett was a daughter of George and Mary E. (Boltz) Barnett, natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia, respectively. They were living in the Barnett School district of Glaize Township in 1880. Lucy Jane was one of five children born to George and Mary including: John M. Barnett 1867-1948 m. Louisa Maher 1895; Simon Barnett 1868-1869; Thomas J. Barnett b. 1869 m. Sarah Bilyeu 1894; Lucy Jane Barnett 1872-1956 m. Victor Hugo Goethe 1896; and Eva Barnett b. 1875 m. Jackson Roberts 1893.
During the census of 1900, Victor and Lucy Jane (Barnett) Goethe were living in the west part of Glaize Township near the families of Hogue, Hironemous, Beard, Williams, and Robinson. Lucy Jane's parents lived nearby and her brother, John Barnett and his family, also was a close neighbor.
Victor and Lucy Jane Goethe were parents of seven children. Two preceded him in death. Those surviving their father when he died in 1933 were George Goethe, Paul Goethe, Mrs. J. M. McGraw (Elizabeth), Mrs. Gilbert B. Bond (Inez), and Mrs. O.L. Stephens (Goldie), all of Kansas City.
Victor Goethe was a member of the Barnett Baptist Church in Glaize Township. In addition to teaching country schools in the county for several years, he also ran a grist mill near his old home which sat near the old Boltz Cemetery in Glaize Township. In later years, he moved his family to Kansas City and he died there on December 7, 1933 at the age of 69 years. He was brought back to Miller County and was buried at Boltz Cemetery.
He was survived by his wife, Lucy; his five children; 7 grandchildren; 3 brothers-Rudolph and Walter Goethe (twins) of Rolla, MO and William Goethe of Oregon; and 2 sisters, Louise Avers of Rolla and Mrs. George Smith of Colorado.
ANDREW AND HANNAH (SNOOK) GOLDEN FAMILY
Andrew and Hannah (Snook) Golden were born in 1782 and 1783, respectively, and were natives of New Jersey.
Andrew and Hannah Golden, their three sons and families, came to Miller County in the early 1840s. Andrew, Hannah, Emly and wife, Mariah, settled in Glaize Township near present-day Ulman. Abraham and Eliza settled in the Tuscumbia area. Joseph and his wife, Nancy settled in Osage Township. Christiana Golden, daughter of Andrew and Hannah, also came to Miller County and married Wm. C. Winfrey.
NOTE: I am not sure that any of the above children married except for George A. Golden. He married Sarah G. Barr in Miller County in 1876. George's marriage was the only one I found on record in Miller County.
Their neighbors in 1850 were the families of Roark, McLain, Denton, Shockley, Bass, and Birdsong. Joseph and Nancy continued to live in the same area the remainder of their lives and both are buried in the same area where they lived in an old cemetery called Mylee Cemetery with the following information on their stones:
Emly Golden, another son of Andrew and Hannah (Snook) Golden was born in 1811 in New Jersey. He married Miriah Hawley in Indiana c/1830 and they had 3 children when they moved to Missouri, all born in Indiana. Three more daughters were born after they came to Miller County. Their children were Zalman b. c/1831 m. Mary Ulmon; Everett W. b. c/1835 m. Charlotte Shelton; Laura Ann b. c/1838 m. Michael Wyrick, Jr; Eliza Ellen b. c/ 1840 m. George W. Graham; Nancy b. 1841; and Mary M. b/ 1844 m. James M. Freeman.
Emly's first wife, Miriah, died in 1845 and was buried at Gott Cemetery near Ulman's Ridge (today's Ulman). In October 1846, he married Sarah Jane Ulmon, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Ulmon. They had seven children: Elvira b. 1848; William b. c/1850 m. Lucy Freeman; Thomas b. c/1851; Josiah b. c/1854; Frances b. c/1856 m. John Weitz; Luella b. c/1858 m. Dr. S. W. Ewell; and Charles b. c/1860 m. Brooks Cummings 1884.
Emly Golden played a major role in the Civil War. Miller County records show he purchased a woman slave from the Benjamin Hinds estate before the war. This was unusual since he was a Northerner from New Jersey. She may have been given her freedom by Golden. He joined the Union forces when a company was organized at Camp Union on Mill Creek near present-day Brumley in 1861. He was selected as a Colonel in McClurg's Osage Regiment and his forces helped to secure the south side of the county. Later he left Miller County and saw action at battles in southern Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. He was mustered out of service in August 1865 at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
After the war, Emly and his second wife, Sarah Jane, continued to live in Glaize Township where their children were born and reared. He died on New Year's Day 1892 at age 80 and was buried at Gott Cemetery beside his first wife, Miriah Hawley Golden.
EMLY/EMIL GOLDEN
Emly/Emil Golden was born June 29, 1811, in New Jersey, a son of Andrew and Hannah (Snook) Golden. His parents, born 1782 and 1783, respectively, were also natives of New Jersey.
Andrew and Hannah Golden, their three sons and families, came to Miller County about 1840. Andrew, Hannah, Emly, and Miriah settled in Glaize Township near present-day Ulman. Abraham and Eliza settled in the Tuscumbia area. Emly married Miriah Hawley in Indiana c/1830 and they had three children when they moved to Missouri, all born in Indiana. Three daughters were born after they came to Central Missouri.
Emily's wife, Miriah Hawley Golden, died in 1845 and was buried at Gott Cemetery near Ulman. In October 1846, he married Sarah Jane Ulmon, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Ulmon.
Emly Golden played a major role in the Civil War. Miller County records show he purchased a woman slave from the Benjamin Hinds estate before the war. This was unusual, since he was a Northerner from New Jersey. She may have been given her freedom by Golden. He joined the Union forces when a company was organized at Camp Union on Mill Creek near present-day Brumley in May 1861. Emly was selected as colonel in McClurg's Osage Regiment and his forces helped to secure the south side of the county. His troops were well equipped with pistols, shotguns and knives. Later they crossed the Osage River and joined Capt. Jacob Capps' forces as they moved upon the courthouse at Tuscumbia.
By June 14, 1861, Colonel Golden and his captains moved out of Camp Union with a cavalry of 400 men mounted on horses. His forces were the mightiest military power ever seen in Miller County. Later, Emly joined the 33rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry as a captain. They saw battles in Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. He finally mustered out of the military in August 1865 at Vicksburg, Miss.
After the Civil War, Emly and Sarah Jane continued to live in Glaize Township where their children were born and reared. He died on New Year's Day 1892 at age 80 and was buried at Gott Cemetery beside his first wife, Miriah Hawley Golden, who had died almost 60 years earlier. Descendants of the Golden family continue on in Miller County through the families of Winfrey, Wyrick, Shelton, Graham, Barr, Wilson and others.
ISAAC M. GOODRICH
Isaac M. Goodrich, an early political figure of Miller County, MO., was born in New York on July 29, 1823. He had roots deeply embedded in northeast New England. His father was a native of New York and his mother was born in Vermont. Circa 1845, Isaac married Rebecca S. ____ who was born in Ohio. Their three older children were all born in the Buckeye state. Sometime in the early 1850s, the Goodrich family moved to Miller Co., MO, and settled near Tuscumbia. It did not take very long for Isaac to get involved in local politics. In 1859 he was elected assessor of Miller County. During the 1860s he served as clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the county court, probate judge, and superintendent of public schools. During the civil War, Isaac held the office of clerk of both the circuit and county courts. While the war raged on both sides of the Osage River, county government at Tuscumbia came to a screeching halt! With the assistance of Capt. Sayles Brown and his cavalry of 50 soldiers, Isaac carried Miller County's important county records to the state capitol at Jefferson City, MO., for safekeeping. For almost a year there was no county government in control. It was in the spring of 1865 that court finally convened once again at Tuscumbia.
After tenure as a county official, Isaac became a newspaperman, owning about three different newspapers during the decade of the 1870s. They were among the county's earliest newspapers called "The Sun and Republican", "The Miller County Vidette", and "The Miller County Republican".
In 1900, Isaac and Rebecca had been married 55 years and were living in or near Tuscumbia. The late Homer C. Wright of Tuscumbia told me at one time that Judge Goodrich's house sat on the land where the Tuscumbia Clinic (today the law offices of Kerry Rowden) is sitting. It was a stately, two-story home overlooking the Osage River that flowed in a northeasterly direction through Tuscumbia. The Goodrichs' were a prominent family of Equality Township in the late 19th century. When Isaac bought a fine, new buggy in June 1881, it was newsworthy! The news item in the local newspaper stated he had paid $130 for his buggy and it was shipped to Tuscumbia via the riverboat, "Phil E. Chapell".
Isaac died in 1911 at the age of 88 years. His wife, Rebecca, lived for two years longer, dying at the age of 91 years in 1913. They are both at rest in the Tuscumbia town cemetery.
CALVIN GRADY
Calvin Grady was born in Tennessee circa 1824. He came to Miller County, MO in the mid 1840s and settled in Osage Township, south of the Osage River. I believe the parents of Calvin were John Grady, b. c/1795 NC and Mary/Polly Grady b. c/1801 VA......Calvin's first wife was Mary West, b. c/1825 KY. They probably married before moving to Miller County because I could find no record of their marriage in county records.
Calvin and Mary were parents of several children including: MARY SUSAN GRADY b. c/1844 m. Henry Tyler 1864; NANCY GRADY 1845-1937 m. James Knox Polk Hicks 1865; FANNA/FRANKEY GRADY b. 1851 m. Wm. M. Humphrey 1873; HARDIN GRADY 1857-1867; EMELINE GRADY b. c/1858 (no record after 1860); and THOMAS JEFFERSON GRADY b. 1863 m. Sarah Jane Jones 1882.
Mary West Grady died in March 1864 and was buried at Schubert Cemetery (today known as Belk Cemetery) in Richwoods Township, near the Big Tavern Creek. Calvin married is second wife, Sarah E. (Burlingame) Colvin on October 29, 1865, a widow with a young daughter (Mary C. Colvin b. c/1855).
The children born to Calvin and Sarah Colvin-Grady were: ASA F. GRADY b. c/1866 m. Sarah Thompson 1894; HANNAH E. GRADY b. c/1869 m. Henry F. Carroll 1887; and REBECCA GRADY b. c/1871 (no record of a marriage). Sarah Burlingame Colvin Grady died in 1871, perhaps at the birth of Rebecca. Calvin then married a third wife, Martha J. Haskins on 29 Dec 1872.
Calvin Grady died 16 Feb 1881 at the age of 58 years and was buried beside his first wife, Mary West Grady, in Schubert/Belk Cemetery.
Thomas Jefferson Grady, son of Calvin and his first wife, Mary (West), was born in June 1863 and died in 1944. He married Sarah Jane Jones on November 9, 1882. Sarah was born in August 1864 and died 1943. They are both buried at Brays Union Cemetery in Richwoods Township.
MARY SUSAN GRADY-TYLER
Mary Susan Grady was born in Miller County on February 15, 1845, the oldest child of Calvin Grady (b. c/1824 in Tenn.) and Mary West (b. c/1825 in Kentucky).
Mary West Grady, mother of Mary Susan, died in 1864 and Calvin married his second wife, Sarah Burlingame Colvin, a widow with a young daughter.
Sarah Grady, the second wife, died in 1872 and Calvin married a third time to Martha J. Hawkins in 1872. No children were born to their union.
Mary Susan Grady married Henry Tyler in Miller County 25 March 1864, the marriage performed by John W. Harlan, a justice of the peace in Richwoods Township. She was Henry's second wife and several years younger. Henry was born in Tennessee in March 1833 and came to Miller County in the early 1850s. His first wife was named Martha but I could not find a record of their marriage, so it is likely they married before coming to Missouri.
After Mary Susan married Henry Tyler, she reared her stepdaughter, Hannah, until her marriage to Mart Humphrey.
When their son, John Tyler, died in 1891, at the age of 25 years, he and Nancy (Slone) had 2 children: Dora M. and Barney M. Tyler. The two children were reared by their grandparents after the death of their father and mother
In 1900, Henry and Mary Susan were living in the southeast section of Richwoods Township near the families of Atwell, Porter Caldwell, Davis, Hale, Allen, and Hensley. Their son, William Tyler, was living near Henry and Mary with his wife, (Emma) and four children..
Mary Susan Grady Tyler lived for 87 years and died in July 1932. Her husband of almost 50 years, Henry, passed on about 1912 and she remained his widow for 20 years. Her funeral was held in her home with Rev. Miles Bowden and Rev. George Warman, ministers of the Advent Christian Church, conducting the services. She was buried at Tyler Cemetery, which is also known as Atwell Cemetery in today's inventoried records. She was survived by one son, William, several grandchildren; two sisters: Nancy Grady Hicks and Frankey Grady Humphrey; one brother Thomas Grady; one half-brother Acy/Asa Grady and two half sisters: Hannah Grady Carroll ad Rebecca Grady Howard.
LOUISA WRIGHT GRIFFIN
Louisa was born near Athens, McMinn Co., Tennessee 12 March 1830. Her name may have been Abigail Louisa because in the 1860 Miller Co. census she was listed as Abby L. (Griffin). She was a daughter of Willis Wright & Tabitha Martin. Louisa had a sister, Elizabeth Wright Shelton (Mrs. Thomas Shelton); a brother, William Rankin Wright; and a half-brother, Charles D. Martin. All came to Miller Co. from Tennessee and settled in southern Richwoods Township before the Civil War.
Louisa Wright married William T. Griffin in Franklin Co., MO on October 12, 1849.
In 1865, William Griffin died during the Civil War in a prison camp. On December 22, 1867, Louisa married Wiley B. Mashburn in Pulaski Co., MO. They had a son, Rankin Mashburn, born c/1868 who later married Ruah Shelton. For some reason, the name "Rankin" was popular in the Wright family. In December 1870, Louisa became a widow once again when her 2nd husband was killed near Clarks Station, Moniteau Co., MO. Family legend says he was killed in a gunfight.
Louisa never married again and lived the rest of her life as a widow. In 1910, she was living in northern Pulaski Co., Tavern Township. She was 76 years old and 3 of her 8 children were still living. According to the census records her ancestors were from North Carolina and Tennessee. Louisa died at age 97 years on 22 April 1927. Her obituary appeared in "The Crocker News", a newspaper printed at Crocker, Pulaski Co., MO. She was buried at Madden Cemetery near the Big Tavern creek in southern Miller County. From information given me by one of her descendants (Diane Greer), she was buried beside one of her infant children.