A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri Collections – Page 2 of 12

Biography of Jeremiah Hays

Jeremiah Hays, of Ireland, married Jane Moore, of Scotland, and came to America and settled in Bourbon County, Kentucky, where they had Mary, Delila, Nancy, Joanna, Absalom, Jane, Thomas, Joseph, and Mahala. Mr. Hays, with his wife and two daughters, Jane and Mahala, started to Montgomery County, Mo., but when they reached St. Louis he died. His widow and children settled near Marthasville. Jane married Oliver McCleur, of Pennsylvania, who was a blacksmith, and settled in Warren County. Mahala married John Ward, of Kentucky, who was a hatter, and also settled in Warren County. Absalom and Joseph Hays came to … Read more

Biography of Jebez Ham

Jabez Ham, brother of John, was born in Madison Co., Ky., in 1797, and came to Missouri in 1817. He had no education, was of a roving disposition, and did nothing for several years but hunt and fish. His mind was naturally bright, and if he had been educated he would have made a remarkable man. Rev. Aley Snethen and Lewis Jones taught him the alphabet and learned him to read, and in 1824 he began to preach, having united with the Old or Hard Shell Baptist Church. In 1826 he organized a church of that denomination on Loutre Creek, … Read more

Biography of James Fulkerson

Fulkerson (This name in the native tongue, was Volkerson, but after the removal of the family to America they began to spell it as it is pronounced.) James Fulkerson, of Germany, came to America at an early date and settled in North Carolina. There he became acquainted with and married Mary VanHook, and subsequently removed to Washington Co., Va. The names of their children were Peter, James, John, Thomas, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, William, Polly, Catharine, Hannah, and Mary. Peter married Margaret Craig, and they had Polly, Robert C., James, Benjamin F., Jacob, Peter, Jr., John W., Margaret, Rachel, David C., … Read more

Biography of James Cope

James Cope, of East Tennessee, settled in Montgomery County in 1837. He married a Miss Hutton, of Tennessee, whose father was a soldier of the war of 1812. On one occasion the portion of the army with which he was acting met with some reverses, by which it was cut off from its base of supplies, and the soldiers were reduced to the verge of starvation. As a last resort, Mr. Hutton cut off a portion of his horses’ tail, and ate it, and thus saved his life. The horse seemed to experience very little inconvenience from the loss of … Read more

Biography of Hugh Logan

Hugh Logan was born in Ireland. At the age of fourteen years he had a difficulty with his father, and ran away from home and went to sea. He followed the life of a sailor for three years, and then landed at Philadelphia, and made his way from there to Kentucky, during the first settlement of that State. He married Rebecca Bryan, a sister of Jonathan, David and Henry Bryan, who had been raised by her aunt, Mrs. Daniel Boone; her mother having died while she was young. Their children were William, Alexander, Hugh, Jr., Henry (called “Boss”) and Mary … Read more

Biography of Henry Davault

Henry Davault was born in France, but married Catharine Maria Grover, of Germany. They emigrated to America about the year 1764, landed near Philadelphia, and settled near Hanover, York Co., Pa., where they lived and died. Mr. Davault served in the revolutionary war, under General Washington. He died at the age of 85, but his wife lived to the remarkably old age of 97 years, 4 months and ten days. They had the following children Philip, Margaret, Elizabeth and Gabriel (twins), Catharine, Mary, Henry, Valentine, Frederick, Julia, and Jacob. Philip was one year old when his parents arrived in America. … Read more

Biography of Henry Clark

Henry Clark, of Scotland, emigrated to America, and settled in Kentucky, where he married Sarah Jones. They had Benjamin, Isaac, John, Henry, Susan, Mary A., and Sally. Benjamin died in Kentucky, and his widow moved to Boone County, Missouri. Isaac Clark was a man of superior talents, and represented his County in the Legislature for several terms; he was also Assessor four years. He brought with him from Kentucky a set of China ware, the first that was ever in Montgomery County, and used it on a puncheon table. He was married first to a Miss Campbell, of Virginia, and … Read more

Biography of Gideon Bowles

Gideon Bowles and wife, of Dublin, Ireland, were members of the St. James Colony that settled in Goochland Co., Va. Anderson Bowles, their son, married Jane Thomas, and settled in Cumberland Co., Va. Their children were Caleb, Sarah, James, Gideon, Ann, Anderson, Jr., Virginia, Elizabeth, Augusta, and David. Ann and Gideon died in Virginia. The rest of the children came with their parents to Madison Co., Ky., in 1806, and in 1811 they all settled in St. Louis Co., Mo., where Mr. Bowles died the following year. His widow lived until 1834. Caleb the eldest son was Judge of the … Read more

Biography of David Knox

David Knox was born in Ireland, in 1700. He had a son named Andrew, who was born in 1728. In 1732 Mr. Knox came to America, bringing his little son with him, and settled in Philadelphia County, Pa. Andrew married Isabella White, of Pennsylvania, and they had-Robert, David, Martha, James, John, William, Mary, and Andrew, Jr. Mr. Knox was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and having taken an active part in the events of the day, a reward was offered for him, dead or alive, by the British authorities. On the night of the 14th of February, 1778, he … Read more

Biography of Capt. John Harper

Capt. John Harper was a native of Philadelphia; and followed the sea for many years after he was grown. In 1750 he settled in Alexandria, Va., where he died in his 87th year. He was married twice, and had twenty-nine children, eighteen sons and eleven daughters. Charles, the youngest son by his first wife, married Lucy Smither, who was of Scotch descent, and by her he had two children. He was married the second time to a Miss January, by whom he had nine children. The second son of his last wife, whose name was Charles B., was born in … Read more

Biography of Adam Hance

Adam Hance was born in Coblin, a French province of Alsace, and, as usual with the people of that country, spoke both German and English. He came to America and settled near Germantown, Pa., in 1722, where he married a German lady, and raised a large family. His younger son, also named Adam, married a Miss Stoebuck, of Pennsylvania, in 1768, and settled in Montgomery County, Va. When the revolutionary war began, fired by the prevailing patriotic feelings of the day, he joined the American army under Washington, and served during the entire war. He was in the battles of … Read more

Biography of Abraham Snethen

Abraham Snethen and his wife, Elizabeth Stewart, were natives of Germany. They emigrated to America and settled in New Jersey, where they had eleven children, of whom the names of only seven are now remembered. They were William, John, Reuben, Polly, Lydia, Elizabeth, and Margaret. William married and settled in Kentucky in 1792, and in 1810 he removed to Ohio, where he lost his wife. He then started to return to New Jersey, but died of cholera, at Hagerstown, Md. John was born in March, 1789, and when he was eight years old his mother died. He was then bound … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William S. Slavens

William S. Slavens was born in Greenbriar Co., Va., September 15, 1887. He was married five times; first to Anna Hawkins, by whom he had three children, second to Mary Riggs, third to Elizabeth Elsbury, by whom he had seven children, fourth to the widow Thomas, whose maiden name was Rebecca Stanley, by whom he had two children; and fifth to the widow Meyers, whose maiden name was Paulina Hunt. Mr. Slavens settled in Montgomery, on Brush Creek, in 1820, and removed to near Middletown in 1829. He owned part of the land that Middletown was built upon. Mr. Slavens … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William R. Jones

William R. Jones was born in the State of Georgia. His father’s name was John Jones, and the maiden name of his mother was Robinson. William R. came to Missouri in 1819, a single man, and settled in Montgomery County, where he was married the same year to Mary Whitesides, by whom he had John H., James H., Amanda, Mary M., Emeline, Nancy J., William R., Jr., Sylvesta M., Samuel A., Thomas S., and Perry S. All the children, except three, who are dead, live in Montgomery County. Mr. Jones was a Methodist preacher.

Biographical Sketch of William Loyd

William Loyd, of Wales, emigrated to America, and at the commencement of the revolution he sided with the Americans and enlisted in their army. He settled and lived in Virginia. His son William married Mary Hill, and they had Kirtley, Richard, William, Willis, Robert, James, Anna, Mary, Sarah, and Margaret. Kirtley lived in Virginia until 1860, when he removed to Missouri. Richard married Martha Ellis, and settled in Montgomery County in 1838. William married the widow Davault, whose maiden name was Virginia Maughs. Robert married the widow Brown, whose maiden name was Cynthia A. Bush. James, Sarah, and Margaret lived … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Kerr

The father of William Kerr, whose name was Thomas, died when he was six years of age. They were originally of Virginia, but at the time of Mr. Kerr’s death they were living in Mercer County, Ky. William was bound out by his mother, who did not feel able to raise him; and in 1827 he came to Montgomery County. Here he married and had James H. H., George W., Elizabeth, William A., John T., Melissa C., Benjamin, Sophia, William, Douglass M., and Milton. Two of the children are dead, and all the others, except one, who resides in Lincoln … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Hudnall

William Hudnall, of England, married Fannie McGeorge, of Ireland, and their children were John, Thomas, William, and Richard. The latter was a soldier of the revolutionary war. He married a Miss Cresey, and they had a son, Jack, who settled in Missouri in 1835. William was married twice. By his first wife he had Polly, Catharine, Lucy, and Elizabeth. He was married the second time to a widow, whose maiden name was Nancy Williams, and by her he had Jabez, Samuel, Patsey, Nancy, Parthena, Susannah, and William R. Catharine and Lucy married and settled in Howard Co., Mo. Samuel (now … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Hopkins

William Hopkins, of South Carolina, removed to Kentucky, where he married Jane Stone, and in 1810 he came to Missouri, and lived for some time in Captain James Callaway’s house. In the spring of 1819 he settled in (now) Warren County. His children were Cyntuia, Isaac, Walker, Polly, Sally, Thomas, Jane, Matilda, Lucy, Anna, Benjamin, John, and Susan. Isaac married Elizabeth Brown. Walker married Nancy Gibson, by whom he had twenty children. He was married a second time to Jane Beck, a daughter of one of the first settlers of Warren County. Thomas married Lydia Beck. Jane married Joseph Hatfield. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Hancock

William Hancock was a pioneer of both Kentucky and Missouri. In the former State he helped to fight the Indians and guard the forts, and experienced the dangers and privations of those times. He came to Missouri among the first Americans who sought homes here, and was the first settler on the Missouri river bottom, in Warren County, which has since borne his name. He was married in St. Charles County to a Miss McClain, by whom he had three children, two daughters awl a son named William, Jr. The latter died at home, unmarried. One of the daughters, named … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Hall

William Hall and Elizabeth Hicks, who was his second wife, came from East Tennessee and settled in Montgomery County in 1817. Their children were Sarah, Elizabeth, Dorcas, Nancy, Laney, David, and Henry. Sarah married John Morrow, and they had thirteen children. Elizabeth married Elijah Waddell. Dorcas married Mark Cole, who was the first hatter in Montgomery County. Nancy Hall married John R. Crawford, who built his cabin in Montgomery County, in 1818. Among others who were present and assisted him to raise the cabin, were Daniel Boone and his sons Nathan and Jesse. Lewis Jones killed the game and cooked … Read more