History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences, Part 99

Author: National Historical Company
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1198

USA > Missouri > Cooper County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 99
USA > Missouri > Howard County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 99

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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.

most brilliant victories on record. With this victory came the fall of Chibnahna, one of the richest of the Mexican states. Colonel Doni- phan afterwards effected a junction with General Wool at Saltillo. Colonel Doniphan's regiment was afterwards reviewed, sent forward to New Orleans, where the soldiers were honorably discharged, after having been in service about thirteen months, during which time they travelled by sea and land a distance of about seven thousand miles, reaching from the Pacific to the gulf, over deserts, mountains, rivers and canons ; and most of the time they were alone, fighting through the serried ranks of native foes -a military feat, eclipsing in martial splendor the celebrated " march of the. ten thousand," under Xeno- phon and Cherisophus. Doctor Staples was with his regiment from the beginning of the campaign till it was discharged at the Crescent City ; was in all its marches, battles, and privations, and escaped with only a slight sabre wound received at Sacramento. He returned home rich in experience, but with an impaired constitution. As a direct result of the achievements of his regiment, the vast territories of the southwest fell into the hands of our government; and when their ashes are mingled with the dust, this proud monument, with its mountain shafts piercing the skies, will stand as a testimony of their heroism, while its rich minerals will constantly remind genera- tions to come of the value of the conquest. Doctor Staples early be- came identified with the troubles of our late war, and being in every sense a southern patriot, he cast his fortunes with the armies of the " sunny south." In 1860, at the request of the governor of the state, he took command of a company of state militia to protect the borders of Missouri from the raids of Kansas jayhawkers, and remained in the field during the winter of 1860-61. When President Lincoln annulled the treaty made by Generals Price and Harney, providing for the neutrality of Missouri, under the proclamation issued by Governor Jackson, Doctor Staples raised two companies, cavalry and infantry, took command of the former company, and commanded an indepen- deut detachment at the battle of Wilson's creek. During the pro- gress ot this action he charged a column of about 1,000 Germans, under General Siegel, put them to flight, took two hundred prisoners, quite a quantity of arms and ammunition, and captured the fine battle flag presented to General Siegel by the Union ladies of St. Louis. This trophy was transmitted to Honorable Judah P. Benjamin, secre- tary of war to the Confederate government, by Doctor Staples, through Honorable Thomas A. Harris, then at Richmond. The fol- lowing correspondence shows how the gallantry of Doctor Staples was appreciated by the confederate government : -

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[From Honorable Thomas A. Harris to Honorable J. P. Benjamin, transmitting the flag. ]

RICHMOND, 13th December, 1861. Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War :

Sir: - At the request of Major Thomas E. Staples, of the Missouri state guards, I beg leave to transmit herewith the flag cap- tured by him from the enemy (Siegel's regiment ) at the battle of Springfield, Missouri, on the 10th day of August, 1861.

The gallantry displayed by Major Staples in the capture of the flag, and throughout the memorable engagement, is fully recognized in the official report of Major-General Price.

As there are many interesting associations connected with the flag herewith transmitted, I cheerfully concur with the request of Major Staples that it be placed among the other trophies of the valor of the Confederate army. I have the honor to be respectfully your obedient servant,

THOMAS A. HARRIS.

[Hon. J. P. Benjamin's reply. ]

CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT, RICHMOND, 14th December, 1861. S

Sir :- I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday, accompanied by a very handsome flag, captured from Seigel's regiment at the battle of Springfield, Missouri, on the 10th of August last by Major Thomas E. Staples, of the Missonri guards.

I shall be most happy to place this flag, as desired by its gallant donor, among the other trophies of the valor of our army, which grace the walls of this department.

It will there remain deposited, a memorial to those who come after us of the glories of this great struggle, and of their debt to the noble band of heroes who have imperilled all that man holds dear in this defence of their liberties. In the roll of such men I feel sure there will not be found the name of a truer or more gallant soldier than that of Major Staples, whose name has already been rendered familiar to all of us by the report of his distinguished commander, General Price.

Please convey to Major Staples the expression of my admira- tion for his services, and my thanks for the welcome present made to the department. Very respectfully your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War, Hon. THOMAS A. HARRIS, Richmond.

These letters were forwarded to Dr. Staples by General Harris, with a neat letter accompanying them. Immediately after the battle of Springfield, or Wilson's creek, Dr. Staples returned to this section of the state, and subsequently rejoined the forces of General Price about the time of the battle of Dry Wood, where he was promoted to

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the office of major. He next participated in the battle of Lexington, and afterwards resigned his commission in the army and made a visit to Richmond. On his return he was assigned a position on the medi- cal staff. After the battle of Pea Ridge he accompanied General Price east of the Mississippi, and was induced by Generals Jackson and Rains to return to Missouri on a recruiting expedition. He was accompanied by only twenty-seven men, and with this small force on one occasion, charged Captain Cunningham, in command of many times that force, who fled at the onset, and did not stop his retreat until he reached Jefferson City, where he reported that Major Staples was in Sedalia with 1,500 Indians, murdering men, women and chil- dren. A short time afterwards doctor, or Major Staples, as he then was, fell into the hands of the Federals at Boonville, and while held a prisoner repeated attempts were made to assassinate him. Instead of giving him a parole, or holding him for exchange, he was indicted in the United States courts for treason, but was never brought to trial. He was, however, released from prison on heavy bonds. At the close of the war Dr. Staples found himself in reduced circumstances, and at once recommenced the practice of his profession, in which he has since been steadily and actively engaged. In November, 1882, he came to his present location. As a physician none rank higher in skill ; as a soldier none were braver in the field of action, and as a commander his military genius fitted him for positions higher than he ever held. The doctor and his excellent wife have an interesting family of eight children, another, the eldest, Virgia, being dead. Following are their names : Levinia, now the wife of Abram Trigg ; Fanny, now the wife of George Phillips ; Bettie, Mollie, May, Edward, now in Saline county ; Abram F., and Bernard. Dr. Staples has inherited to a marked degree the characteristics of the southern- bred gentleman, aud his home is well known for its old fashioned hospitality. He is a member of the A. F. and A. M. at Arrow Rock. The Staples family is an old one in the history of the nation, and has been represented in all the great wars of the country. It is of Welsh origin, and the founder of the family in this country settled in Virginia prior to the revolution. There the doctor's grandfather, John Staples, was born and reared, and married Miss Martha Stoval, the daughter of an old revolutionary veteran. James Staples, the doctor's father, was born of this union, and after he grew up he was married to Miss Virginia Nicols. They reared three sons, including the doctor, and five daughters, all of whom reside in this state.

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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.

NATHANIEL S. TOWNSEND,

farmer and stock raiser, section 24. Mr. Townsend, himself a leading farmer and stock raiser of Cooper county, was a son of one of the most successful farmers and worthy citizens that ever honored the county by their residence - Sanders Townsend - for over fifty years a resident of Lamine township. He was a native of South Carolina, but came out to Kentucky early in life, where he met and married Miss Susan, daughter of Payton and Lucy Nowlin. Together, Mr. Townsend and wife, with her parents, came to Cooper county in 1825 and settled in Lamine township. Here Sanders Townsend soon be- came a wealthy farmer and stock raiser, having at the time of his death, after giving liberally to his children, a farm of 1,200 acres, and having lost by the war forty or fifty negroes. He died Decem- ber 28, 1876, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1863. They had a family of twelve children, Nathaniel S. being the tenth, six of whom were boys and six girls. Five are living. Nathaniel S. was born October 23, 1834, on the farm where he now lives. After he grew up he was married February 25, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth, a daughter of O. B. Pearson, a prominent public man of Saline county. Nathaniel carried on the farm for his father for some time prior to the latter's death, and since then he has been farming and stock rais- ing on his own account. His place now contains 440 acres of fine land, nicely located and handsomely improved. He has been making a specialty of raising fine jacks and he has perhaps the finest school of jacks and jennets in the county. Mr. Townsend has not been blessed with any children of his own, but has reared a brother and sister, Willie and Mattie, and is now rearing a nephew, Robert D., now a lad eight years of age.

JOHN D. TURLEY,

farmer and stock raiser, section 18. It is the possession of strong traits of character that distinguish men, some above others. Whoever is gifted with what is called force of character in any useful direction, will necessarily become a marked man from those around him. So it is with the Turley family. Jesse B. Turley, the father of John D., was a man of the most remarkable enterprise, resolution and deter- mination, and such a man as would have carved ont success in life from any surroundings. An early settler in Cooper county, when the field for business enterprise was exceedingly circumscribed, he estab- lished a trade across the trackless plains with Santa Fe, New Mexico, which he kept up year after year for a generation, making his trips

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back and forth as regularly as the seasons come and go, until at last he was stricken down by the hand of death in the city of the cactus and semi-civilized Mexican. To follow this business, as he followed it, required greater resolution and energy than was necessary for the great " Pathfinder " to make his way a single trip across the con- tinent. But this Jesse Turley followed, and thus carved out a com- fortable fortune for himself and family, where others would have shrunk from the thought of it. His wife, Julietta A. Riddle, was a daughter of one of the first pioneer settlers of the county. They were married here in about 1822. He was a native of Kentucky, she of Maryland. He was a young man, not more than twenty-one, when he came to this county. He located on a "farm here about one year after his marriage, where his family lived during his life time, and where his son still lives. This he added to and improved until he made it one of the most comfortable homesteads in the county. He died in August, 1861, and is buried at Santa Fe. His wife died the same year. There were nine children of their family, of whom seven are living, four sons and three daughters. John D. was born on the farm, where he now lives, December 3, 1829, and since he was four- teen years of age has had the management of the farm. He accom- panied his father to Santa Fe and back in 1859. What his father was to trafficking across the plains John D. is to farmning. He is thoroughly enterprising and energetic. His stock is of fine quality and he farms in a thorough, business-like manner. His farm contains nearly 400 acres of land and is well improved. He was married April 16, 1862, to Miss Harriet Pearson, of Saline county, daughter of O. B. Pearson. They have two children : Jessie A. and Harry P. Mr. and Mrs. T. are members of the Christian church.

WILLIAM H. AND H. C. TURLEY,

farmers. David Jones, Stephen Turley, his son-in-law, and William Reed, brother-in-law to the second of these three, with their families, were the first white inhabitants of Lamine township. They came from Kentucky, and settled in the township as far back as 1811. Stephen Turley located on the land and opened the farm where William H. and H. C. now live. He had married Elizabeth, daughter of David Jones, before coming to the state, and of their marriage ten children were born. Milton, the father of the subjects of this sketch, being the youngest. But of these only three are now living : Milton, Delia, now the wife of William Herndon, and Lunanda, wife of Whitfield Reynolds, of Huntsville, Missouri. The father died in California in about

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1850, whither he had gone during the gold excitement on the Pacific coast. His wife died nearly thirty years afterwards, in 1879. Mil- ton was born in the same house where his son now lives, March 8, 1833. After he grew up he was married January 5, 1855, to Mrs. Louisa Turley, widow of an elder brother of his, William H. She was, previous to her first marriage, a Miss Ricks, originally of Ken- tucky. Four children were born of this last union, two of whom, William H. and H. C., are living, and two are dead, Stephen J. dying July 29, 1882, aged twenty, and Delia dying in infancy. The father, Milton, is now in St. Louis, where he has been some three years, identified with business interests there, but Mrs. Turley, his wife, is at home with her two sons. William H. was born March 8, 1856,

and Harvey C., February 14, 1858. Their whole life thus far has been spent on the farm, and in 1878 they bought the place of their father, and have been conducting it with excellent success. It con- tains 355 acres and is well adapted to both grain and stock growing, to which the Messrs. Turley give their attention. They grow nearly 150 acres of grain, and raise considerable stock, particularly cattle and hogs, of which they have a thoroughbred grade, and of the latter Poland-China breed. William H. was married December 13, 1881, to Miss Anna, daughter of George Herndon, of this county, but origi- nally of North Carolina. She was born in that state July 6, 1861. They have one child, Susan E. Stephen Turley, the grandfather, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and after his death his widow drew a pension from the government of eight dollars per month on account of his service.

STANARD WEBB,

farmer, section 32. Mr. Webb was born in Orange county, Virginia, April 18, 1808, and was a son of Caleb and Frances ( Gosney ) Webb, both natives of the Old Dominion. He was reared in his natal coun- ty, and in youth acquired a fair education. For an occupation in life he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he served an apprenticeship of four years. February 2, 1830, he was married to Miss Lucy Red- dish, a native of Madison county, Virginia, born July 29, 1811. Fol- lowing his marriage, Mr. Webb continued to work at his trade until about fifteen years ago, when, having removed to this state, in the meantime and acquired an excellent farm, he turned his attention almost exclusively to farming, which he has since followed. Mr. R. emigrated from Virginia into Cooper county in 1838, and located in Lamine township. The first house he built in this county was for Freeman Wing, in 1839, which is still standing. He was the leading

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carpenter for many years in his section of the county, and most of the better class of dwellings built then were constructed by him. He has an excellent farm which includes the first piece of 200 acres he bought in the early days of his residence here. Mr. Webb's first wife died January 2, 1842, and there are two children living of his first mar- riage ; Mary M., wife of John T. Clark, of Blackwater township, and Cornelia, wife of John P. Wells, of Sedalia. May 17, 1849, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Jane P., widow of Yelverton Wells, and daughter of John and Penelope Pash, late of Loudoun county, Vir- ginia. Of this union there are three children : Henry S., who mar- ried Miss Luella Turley, June 2, 1874, and now lives with the father ; Ewing M., married Miss Laura Smith ; and Albert T., whose wife was formerly Miss Mollie Huff. Mr. Webb's last wife had five children by her first husband, three of whom are still living. He has been a mem- ber of the Baptist church for forty years, and is a most excellent and highly respected citizen.

FREEMAN WING (DECEASED ) AND DAVID WARREN WING.

Among the few prominent and active business men, who early set- tled in this county, and who bore a conspicuous share of the labor and management contributing to its development, none were more ener- getic and faithful in the discharge of the duties of life, or better un- derstood the promising greatness of the country, and the proper means to be employed in laying the basis of social and material prosperity, than did Mr. Freeman Wing. And as even a condensed sketch of this worthy old pioneer will be appreciated by the present and coming generations, we cheerfully devote a portion of our space to a brief epitome of his life. Mr. Wing was born near Boston, Massachusetts, January 12, 1800. He was the only son of the third wife of John Wing, a man of great honesty and integrity, but not wealthy in the goods of this world. Thrown upon his own resources when quite young, Mr. Wing had but few educational advantages ; still his desires for an edu- cation were such that he taxed every available source to gain scien- tific and general information, and succeeded finally in pushing his education up to at least a satisfactory point. At the age of twelve he appeared in the streets of Boston as a cattle trader on a small scale, and the next year he was heard of in Virginia, selling dry goods and such articles as he could easily convey from place to place. He trav- elled not only in Virginia, but also in New York, and was at Buffalo when there was but one house in the place. He finally settled down in Virginia as a teacher, and in a short time afterwards was joined in

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marriage to Miss Catherine B., eldest daughter of John Jones, an old and highly respected citizen of the Old Dominion, and a soldier of the war of 1812. This marriage occurred November 10, 1831, and the following spring, with his young wife, he turned his course towards the then Far West, and safely landed in Cooper county, Missouri. He made the entire distance by wagon, traversing in the trip portions of the states of Illinois and Indiana. At first he made a selection and located on a tract of land near the present farm of John Fray, which he afterwards sold to Thomas Dix. His next location was the farm now occupied by James Huff, Esq., known formerly as the Ruble tract. He finally settled down on the old homestead, now owned by one of his sons, D. W. Wing, where he spent the remainder of his days. This fine farm he purchased of General Ashley, a tract then including 480 acres. He soon made other purchases, and his landed property within a short time amounted to about 1,500 acres, including another fine farm owned by his eldest son, D. C. Wing. He continued to trade in real estate the balance of his life, and at one time had on hand as much as 3,000 acres. In addition to his own landed interests, he be- came the agent of General Ashley, and afterwards confidential adviser and agent of the widow, Mrs. Ashley. After her marriage to Hon. John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky, he become her sole agent and at- torney, in settling up this large estate ; so that it can be truthfully said he was the largest land operator in Cooper county. Prior to his death in 1868, he divided up his estate among his children and retired from business - that he might spend the remainder of his days in the enjoy- ment of his family and a large circle of friends. Early thrown apon his own resources, he attained a fine development of his intellectual powers, as well as acquiring a complete government of himself; and in bringing up his large family, he kept his children in subjection, al- most withont an effort. He took great pains in the instruction of his children, most of whom have received the benefits of the higher schools and colleges, often superintending their studies in person. To the poor he was benevolent, but preferred the best of all methods to help the needy by putting means within their reach, to enable them to help themselves ; and he often advanced money to poor men to make the first payment on lands for which he himself was agent, and the sales of which came through him. Though wealthy he did not give his af- fections to the world, but recognized his allegiance to the King of kings. He became a charter member of the Pleasant Grove Christian church in 1843, where he was known not only as a faithful member, but a co-worker in all good and charitable deeds. Of the five sons of

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his family of children, David Warren Wing, the second subject of the sketch, is the youngest. He was born on the old family home- stead, in Lamine township, January 5, 1849. He was reared on the farm, and was educated mainly at the State University, in Columbia, Missouri, and Eastman college, Poughkeepsie, New York. When in his twenty-first year, on the 22d of December, 1869, he was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of James H. Parker, Esq., of Columbia, Missouri. She was born in Boone county, April 1, 1852, and was ed- ncated at Columbia. Mr. Wing (fils ) farmed in Boone county one year after his marriage, and then came to the family homestead in this county, where he has since lived and which he now owns. This place contains 560 acres of fine land, and is well improved. He grows an- nually over 200 acres of grain, and makes over 100 acres of hay. He also raises considerable numbers of stock, principally cattle, hogs and sheep. His cattle are of superior grades, and he is making somewhat a specialty of thoroughbred short-horn stock. Mr. Wing has inher- ited all the strong and better qualities of his father's character, and added to those, he has a thoroughly cultivated mind. As a farmer he is energetic to the last degree, and has the industry, enter- prise and good judgment to make him a successful man in any occupation in which he might engage. He is one of the most pro- gressive and thrifty farmers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Wing have an interesting family of five children : Maggie Parker, James Free- man, Mary Louisa, Lillie Kate, and Henry Moss. The Wing family is an old one in the history of the nation, and dates its early settlement in this country back to the times of "Plymouth Rock." The remote ancestry came from England to this country, about the year 1639, and we accordingly read in the early records of "John Wing, of Sandwich," from whom the family line comes down to the present generation in the following order : Joseph, John, and John the second, Freeman and David Warren, the second subject of this sketch.

LEBANON TOWNSHIP.

JAMES CORDRY

owes his nativity to Todd county, Kentucky, where he was born on the 27th of May, 1827. His parents were James and Margaret

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(Murphy ) Cordry. The former, a Kentuckian by birth, born in 1795, lived there until the fall of 1830, then settling on the place now occupied by his son in this township. He was a farmer by occu- pation, but held the position of magistrate for twenty-five years. His marriage occurred in 1824, his wife having been born in the same county as himself. They had seven children : William, Thomas, Mary A., Catharine, James, Adaline and John. Four are now living, all but one in this county. James received but a limited education in the common schools in youth, and was brought up to the occupation of farming. In 1850 he was married to Miss Ann Eliza Robinson, a daughter of Edward Robinson, of Cooper county. She was born in 1829. They were the parents of eight children : DeWitt, born in 1851; B. Cora, born in 1852; Rice Daniel, born in 1854; George Hart, børn in 1856 ; Mollie Bersheba, born in 1858 ; Leveret L., born in 1862; Eva E., born in 1865, and an infant, now deceased. Only three of their children survive. Mr. Cordry is recognized as a lead- ing and one of the most influential farmers and stock raisers in this township, his landed estate embracing 400 acres on section 5. He takes a great interest in educational matters, and has given his chil- dren excellent opportunities for acquiring knowledge, feeling the need of superior places of learning and realizing the importance of good schools. Religiously, he is a Baptist, and has been for thirty years, belonging to the church at Nebo.

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Author: National Historical Company Publication date: 1883 Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1198

Author: National Historical Company
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1198