William P. Jackson 1772/3 - after 1867
John Pentecost
Jackson's son, William P. (Pentecost? Philip?) Jackson,
known affectionately as "Willie", was born in what later
became Green County, Kentucky in 1772 or 1773. He
is thought to have married his first wife (name unknown)
there in the late 1790's when he was in his mid-20's.
They appear to have had just one son, Abner "Ab"
Jackson, who died young. On 9 Dec. 1802 he married
his second wife, Ann Marple (dau. of George Marple, b:
ca. 1745, & Theodocia Rossel of Gloucester Co., New
Jersey, who moved to Kentucky before 1802), & evidence
suggests that they had at least four children:
Lucinda, Rueben, Robert & an unnamed daughter who died
young. Ann apparently died in 1809 or 1810.
William Jackson & Ann Marple's brother, Benedict Bennett
Marple, were surieties for the marriage of William's
sister Ann Anny Jackson to Righard Wright on 7 June 1810
in Green County.
Although care must be
taken to distinguish William P. Jackson from his uncle
William Jackson who lived in the same area, it is clear
that the younger William was being taxed on 100 acres on
the west bank of Rolling Fork (near Cartwright's Creek,
Hardin Creek & Robinson Creek where his father & uncles
lived) 1807 - 1809. And he appears on the 1810
Federal Census in Washington County. Following
Ann's death in 1809 or 1810, William took a third wife,
Jane "Jinny" Sally, daughter of his neighbor John Sally
on 9 Nov. 1810 in Green County, Kentucky. She, or
Ann, is shown with him on the 1810 census. William
was taxed on one black slave & two horses in Washington
County, but by 1813 he was down to just one horse.
Their first son, Andrew Philip "Philip" Jackson, our
ancestor, was born 1813.
In 1817 to 1819
William P. Jackson is seen on the tax rolls as owning
two horses & 69 acres in rolling fork Washington County.
But in 1820 & 1821 he & Jinny were again living in Green
County, & by 1823 they had acquired 75 acres on Robinson
Creek near the farm of his father-in-law John Sally.
Jinny's father was of French Huguenot ancestry.
She herself is said to have been running a trading post
at the time she married William Jackson. One
family tradition suggests that she was at least half
Native-American -- John Sally's wife has never been
identified -- however, it is more likely that Jinny's
mother was surnamed Smith, daughter of William T. Smith
[see discussion below under Smith Jackson]. John
Sally was the son of William & Nancy Sallee.
William was one of Guillaume Sallee & Elizabeth Givaudan.
Guillaume was the son of Abraham Sallee & Olive Perrault.
Abraham was the son of Jean Sallee & his wife Mary [see
further under the Huguenot Families].
Around 1829 William
elected to move his brood farther west, into Washington
County, Missouri where they appear in the 1830 Federal
Census for Merimec Township. The family consisted
at that time of William (age 56), his wife Jinny, sons
Philip (16), Smith (15), John (13), Andrew (1), &
daughters Polly (14), Martha (9), Sarah (8), & Elizabeth
(ca.5). In Missouri Jinny bore him two more sons:
Francis Minett "Frank" Jackson, in 1832, & George
Washington Jackson in 1833, but apparently died shortly
thereafter.
William took a third
wife, Mahala Garrett, in June of 1835 in Washington
County, Missouri. Strangely he married her
again on 30 July 1844; this was not a case
of a married couple renewing. Perhaps they had
divorced sometime after Richard was born in 1841, or
they feared for some reason that their first marriage to
each other was invalid. In any case, they had
eight children between 1833 & 1850, making a grand total
of at least 24 children ascribed to William P. Jackson
in his lifetime.
William & Mahala are
listed with their family on the 1850 census for Johnson
Township in Washington County, Missouri, not far from
where his grandson, Smith Jackson, later patented land
in 1857. He received federal land patents for 80
acres [S half of lot #1 in the SW quarter of Sec. 7; &
the SW quarter of the SW quarter of Sec. 7, T39, R1E in
Johnson Township in 1857, probably on land he had
cleared & been living on for many years. Directly
adjacent was his son Philip's farm [NW quarter of the NE
quarter of Sec. 18, T39N, R1E], on which Philip had been
granted a patent in 1848. These farms are probably
on the land on which William's family originally settled
around 1829. The last record of him is in the 1860
census, after which he is no longer mentioned. He
is said to have been blind on the 1860 census, therefore
he probably died no earlier than 1867, but before the
1870 census wherein Mahala is living alone.
Levitha "Viscy"
Jackson, William's daughter, used to tell this story
from the time of the Civil War, when she was 14 years
old. Confederate soldiers, she said, came to her
house & asked for the head of the family, William P.
Jackson. The family objected that William was old
& totally blind (from diabetes), but the soldiers
insisted he be brought out to the gate to be shot.
When the family led him out before the soldiers, he
said: "I don't know why you want to kill me.
*I
have eight sons in the war, four on the side of the
North, & four on the side of the South." So the
soldiers decided not to kill him. Then he had Mahala & the girls kill some chickens & pick vegetables
from the garden & feed the soldiers. When they
left, the soldiers took hams & bacon from the smoke
house, more vegetables from the garden, flour, meal,
sugar & lard from the house & feed for their horses,
nearly cleaning out the Jackson household.
Mahala lived to be 96
years old. Her published obituary read as follows:
DIED - JACKSON -
At her home in Johnson Township, Washington County,
Mo., Monday, January 13, 1896, Mrs. Mahala Jackson,
of general debility, age 96 years & 13 days.
Mrs. Jackson was the daughter of Allen & Jane
Hamilton, born in Washington County, Kentucky, on
the Rolling Fork of the Elkhorn River, on January 1,
1800. There in that part of the country of
blue grass, she resided with her parents & received
a limited education such as that country afforded in
those days. She was married to John Garrett,
September 18, 1816 & with him came to Missouri in
1819 & settled on the Big Piney [River] in Pulaski
County. She bore Garrett two daughters, now
Mrs. Elizabeth Wise & Mrs. [Sarah "Sally"] Paul
DeClue, both living. In 1828 Mr. Garrett died,
then with her parents she came to Washington County,
Mo., & on June 3, 1835 married William P. Jackson, &
to him bore five sons & three daughters, of whom
four are living, two sons & two daughters, viz:
Jasper & Richard Jackson, Mrs. Vicey Wise & Mrs.
Lucinda Garrett. Mrs. Jackson had 58
grandchildren, 39 living & 19 dead; 75 great
grandchildren, 62 living & 14 dead; & four great
great grandchildren, 3 living & 1 dead. Until
about the first of March her health was remarkably
good, but since then she gradually grew worse until
death relieved her on the 13th inst. The
remains of Mrs. Jackson were interred in the Smith
burying ground on Indian Creek on Wednesday, January
15th, followed to their last resting place by a
large concourse of sorrowing friends & relatives.
Services were conducted by Elder Doty.
*......I have yet to find proof of Wm. P. Jackson having four sons
in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. I'm not stating it is
impossible, because there were thousands of Mo. men in each army
during that war, as I say, it's just that I've yet to find proof.
Also, for this to have been possible, William's sons from his
marriage to Jane "Jinny" (Sally) Jackson would have been the only
other four sons to have been able to have fought for the
Confederacy, and they all would have been in their thirties or older at the
break of the Civil War. There were men fighting at that age, but it
was mostly fought by much younger men. I have found proof of
William's four sons from his marriage to Mahala (Hamilton) Garrett
serving in the Civil War. They were Richard H., Thomas N., Allen
Jasper, and Lafayette who was mortally wounded in the Battle of
Milligan Bend, La. in 1863. These brothers all fought in the
Thirty-First and Thirty- Second Mo. Inf. Regiments (U.S.). My theory
is William probably stated this to the soldiers to show his
family provided equal support for the armies of the Civil War to
perhaps save his families' hides! Staying alive in Mo. during the
Civil War was a fickle thing even for the civillians, you really
had to watch what you said and who heard it.
Philip Jackson 1813 - 1875
Other families from Kentucky had also made the move to Washington
County including the Northcutts, Garretts, Bakers,& many others
whose surnames survive there today. Philip Jackson, son of
William P. Jackson & Jinny Sally, was born in Kentucky in 1813 [he
lists his age as 47 on the 1860 census]. Following his
families move to Washington County, Missouri he married Catherine
"Kate" Susan Baker there in 1831. She was from Gallatin
County, Kentucky, part of a family who also had early roots in
colonial America. She bore Philip a daughter, Susan, on 15
Nov. 1831, & a son [our ancestor], Smith Jackson, on 1 Jan. 1834.
Unfortunately Katie died shortly after giving birth to Smith, at the
young age of 21, possibly from childbirth complications -- a common
hazard on the frontier. (Two of Smith Jackson's daughters
later confirmed that his mother died when he was very young).
With two small children to care for, Philip could hardly be without
a wife for long. So on 7 April 1836, he married Catherine
Hamilton.
The union was unusual in that the bride was only 11 or 12 years old
at the time. Her gravestone gives her birthdate as 1 April
1810 & therefore her age at marriage as 26, & her death in 1907 as
97. However she could not have been that old; her
descendants who ordered the gravestone must have been guessing at
when she was born. Her marriage record from 1836 has been
discovered, however, & it clearly states: "she not being of
lawful age, the consent of her parents was obtained." This
would only have been the case if she were less than 13 years old at
the time. As further evidence, their first child (named George
Washington Jackson) was not born until ten years later in 1846.
So she must have been born ca. 1824 or 1825 perhaps indeed on
1 Apr. if her birthday, not birth year, had been correctly
remembered by the family). This would have made her 82 at the
time of her death.
Their second child, Thomas Jefferson Jackson (the Jacksons were very
patriotic), was born in 1842. Catherine bore Philip eight more
children, the last in 1858.
Philip & his family lived next to Philip's father in Johnson
Township [N 1/2 of the NW 1/4, & the NW1/4 of the NE1/4 of Sec. 18,
T39N, R1E, plus the SE1/4 of the SE1/4 of Sec. 13 , T39N, R1W], on
land Philip purchased from George Crepnell in 1847 & later patented
in 1848. Two years later he appears on the 1850 census for
Liberty Township, in Washington County.
Shortly thereafter he is known to have moved west some miles to
Edgar Springs in what later became Phelps County, where he purchased
463 acres in 1854 [lot 6 NW quarter, Sec. 1; plus the W half
of lot 7, NE quarter of Sec.1, T34N, RNW; & the SE quarter of the SW
quarter of Sec.36 , T35N, R9W; & the SE quarter of the SE quarter of
Sec. 35, T35N, R9W; & the W half of the SE quarter of Sec. 36].
He later purchased even more, & is known to have homesteaded a total
of 600 acres of land near Edgar Springs. His neighbors in
Edgar Springs included his cousins George Sally (Jr.) & (George's
son) John A. Sally. Geroge's grandfather William Salle, was
also the father of Philip's mother, Jinny Sally. George
had first patented land in Edgar Springs in 1841 & was well
established by the time Philip arrived; this was, no doubt,
not a coincidence of where to settle.
**When Philip wasn't farming his lands he hauled freight with oxen &
mule teams for the Meramec Iron Works, transporting pig iron to St.
Louis & bringing back bacon & other commodities for the iron
workers, miners & woodcutters who supplied the smelter with
charcoal. When the iron ore deposits began to play out, the
Iron Works shipments dwindled. Philip then purchased the grist
mill at Yancy [later called Yancy Mills] & 80 acres of prime bottom
land for farming on the Little Piney River, on 7 Dec. 1857, for the
substantial sum $3,500. The Yancy Mill had been built in 1846
by David Lennox & Lindsey Coppage. It was an impressive
structure for the frontier of those days - 50 feet high, 40 feet
wide & 60 feet long, beautifully constructed of massive square logs
on a stone foundation. It was the only mill in the county at
that time, so Philip kept it in operation day & night. The
original owner of the mill site, Anthony Kitchen, had opened a
trading post & a store in a nearby log cabin. This store was
later run by the men who built the mill, & was probably taken over
by Philip for the sale of flour & corn meal after he purchased the
mill in 1857.
Philip also purchased farm land including what was later known as
George Lane Place, including half of Lane Springs [W half of the NW
quarter, N half of the SW quarter, & the SE quarter of the SW
quarter, Sec. 32, T36N, R8W]. Philip Jackson appears on the
1860 census for Little Piney Township in Phelps County, living with
his wife Catherine & children Louisa (16), General Andrew (7), Mary
(6), & Nancy (3), right next door to his son George Washington
Jackson & wife Sarah Cardell.
Social life in those day centered around community gatherings,
especially church meetings, school meetings, pie-suppers, picnics, &
other celebrations of all kinds. Such events were the only
recreation available, & were the only place to get news (transmitted
entirely by word of mouth in the days before local newspapers were
founded). The town of Yancy had a celebration every 4th of
July in the field next to Philip Jackson's mill, & partying would
continue on into the evening at Philip's house. There was also
a big community picnic & dance held every year in nearby Gourd Creek
Cave. A large plank dance floor was even installed inside the
large cave entrance. According to Cecil King (History of
Yancy Mills 1996), "The Jacksons & many other families would
attend these picnics, & many families had group pictures made of the
family while at the picnic."
When the Civil War began, Missouri was in an awkward position.
Though a slave state as a result of the "Missouri Compromise" in
1820, Missouri did not secede from the Union. Consequently the
loyalties of the populace were divided, & Union troops from
anti-slavery states were not always as friendly as might have been
wished. The Union government quartered troops at Rolla,
Missouri, the end of the Frisco Railroad at that time. These
troops were unpaid, or paid only in worthless "scrip," & had
to forage off the land in order to eat. They caused so much
disruption & made off with so much grain that Philip was eventually
forced to abandoned the mill.
Scavenging troops were not the only danger. It was during
these difficult times that a government detective came into the area
looking for the notorious Civil War bushwacker [bushwackers amounted
to terrorists during the Civil War] known as Wild Bill Wilson.
Wilson had been a local well-to-do farmer originally intent upon not
taking sides in the Civil War. However, after Union troops
burned his house to the ground because of a mistaken assumption that
he was already part of a local gang, he vowed to get even with "them
devils". His main area of operation was around Yancy where he
had friends & relatives. He hid out in local caves which he
stockpiled with food & supplies for himself & his horse "Bullit".
He & other bushwackers roamed the Ozark Hills at will, causing chaos
for the Army. Wilson met up with the detective at Philip's
home & killed him on a hill overlooking the house. Philip had
to bury the body to keep soldiers from finding it & then killing
someone in retaliation.
On another occasion, three soldiers had tracked Wilson to Jackson's
Mill, where they had often stopped for a free meal. Wilson had
hidden his horse in a shed, & the soldiers had found it, then began
searching the mill for him. When one soldier stopped to fill
his pipe & lit a match, Bill jumped out from the shadows with both
pistols firing & killed all three soldiers before they could react.
He escaped easily, & a few days later single-handedly raided a
supply wagon train, killing or running off all the drivers& burning
the goods after taking what he wanted (King. 1996).
In addition to commandeering food, troops often forcibly drafted
young men into service, or sent them to prison camps to keep them
from fighting for the other side. On one occasion about 25
Union troops from Ft. Wyman at Rolla stopped at Jackson's mill just
at supper time & demanded to be fed. The only female at home
was 16-year-old daughter Sarah Ann. The soldiers had with them
a young boy they were holding as a prisoner. Sarah said she
needed wood to cook with, so the captain ordered the boy to go chop
some wood, & Sarah went along to help carry it back. Taking
pity on the boy, she told him to make a run for it while she chopped
the wood, & the sound of chopping would make the soldiers think he
was still there. After stalling, & chopping, as long as she
could, she went back without the boy. Immediately the soldiers
mounted their horses & took off after him. Whether they found him or
not, Sarah never did find out, but odds are they tracked him down &
killed him, otherwise Sarah herself would have been held responsible
for his escape. [Sarah's grandson, Jack Fore, heard this story
from her when she was young - recounted in King's History of
Yancy Mills.]
After the surrender of Lee at Appomatox, Wild Bill Wilson was still
a wanted man. He left for Texas, wrote to his wife in someone
else's name & told her Bill Wilson had been killed (she was said to
be in on this deception), & lived to a ripe old age under an assumed
name. At least that's the story the old timers told about him.
Philip Jackson's brother, John Jackson, married Wild Bill's widow,
Mary Noakes Wilson (a woman of fiery temperment). Philip
Jackson's niece Luvisa (daughter of sister Martha Patsey) had a more
tragic encounter with bushwackers during the war: They entered
her home, stood her husband of three months (George Sally) in front
of the fire place, & shot him. He just stood there.
Luvisa went to him when the bushwackers had left, & he was still
standing there dead.
The animosity & hatred of the Civil War continued well after Lee's,
especially in Missouri. The government was still tracking down
bushwackers & punishing Southern sympathizers. In may of 1865
William Conner had been murdered by the bushwackers George Connelly
& Anthony Wright, son of Judge Lewis F. Wright, a good friend of the
Jackson family. A band of vigilantes traced them to Judge
Wright's house, where they found Conner's horse. Col. Thomas
J. Babcoke & a troop of soldiers were subsequently dispatched to the
Wright household, where they arrested Judge Wright & his four other
sons (Anthony having escaped) on 17 August 1865. Shortly after
being taken away by the soldiers, supposedly for trial, the
prisoners were all murdered. At the inquest, Philip Jackson's
son Thomas Jefferson Jackson & brother John Jackson were both called
to testify. Thomas testified to having visited Judge Wright's
house the night of the murders & found a tense situation with about
30 soldiers under command of Col. Babcoke, some of whom he overheard
saying to each other that they should kill every damned person in
the place. Thomas then went to his father Philip's home where,
following the murders, a detachment of soldiers arrived, stayed all
night & "were all over the house." John Jackson testified that
he had heard about the killings the same night, & saw the bodies
lying in the road, with bullet holes all around in the ground.
He later saw the bodies piled in a wagon at John Grayson's house.
He feared for his own safety at that point, because he had known the
Judge very well. None of the Jacksons were harmed, though, in
the end Col. Babcoke & his men were acquitted.
On 7 Feb. 1866 Philip finally sold the mill (now somewhat
deteriorated from several years of disuse) along with the associated
80 acres to Thomas Snodgrass, husband of Philip's daughter Louisa
Jane Jackson, for $1500. The year before, in 1865, Thomas had
apparently made a down payment on the property by paying off a $783
loan Philip had taken from Judge Wright shortly before his murder by
the Union troops. In 1868 Philip sued Thomas for the balance
still due on the mill & it was paid.
Philip lived another 10 years following the Civil War. He
appears on the 1870 census for Spring Creek Township (which appears
to have absorbed the former Little Piney Township) with wife
Catherine, daughter Mary (12) & their deaf & dumb daughter Charlotte
(14). He is shown living between the households of his son
Thomas Jefferson Jackson(& wife Harriet Fore), on one side & his
daughter Sarah Ann Jackson, wife of William Harrison Fore, on the
other side. In1872 Philip sold his farm land on the Little
Piney River & retired to his house on the "George Lane Place," where
he passed away in 1875. He is said to be buried in the Pillman
[Yancy] Cemetery, a quarter mile west of Lane Springs above the
house where he lived, but his headstone has not been recorded.
*Philip's will lists his surviving children as "Smith Jackson, Susan
[Jackson] Northcut, Louisa [Jackson] Snodgrass, T[homas] J[efferson]
Jackson, [Andrew] General Jackson, Mary A. [Jackson] Fore, Nancy A.
[Jackson] Galbreth, & Charlotta Jackson. Catherine survived
Philip by 32 years, living to the remarkable (for those times) age
of 82 before dying in 1907. Her grave is located in Jackson
Cemetery, Phelps County, on the corner of her son Thomas's old farm,
along with several other Jacksons (but not Philip). The
late Eugene Jackson, who prepared a massive descendancy of Philip &
his father, estimate that Philip Jackson currently has at least
1,600 descendants, many of them still living in the Phelps &
Washington County areas of Missouri.
Among the more interesting names given to Jackson family members is
that of William P. Jackson's son, Andrew "General" Jackson, born in
1828. Clearly this name reflects the popularity of General
Andrew Jackson, who had been elected President of the United States
in that same year. Missouri was part of the southern block of
states that voted for Jackson, & the people considered his election
to be a victory for the common people over the forces of privilege
in Washington. Furthermore the new president was a former
Indian fighter who advocated the complete removal of the indigenous
tribes of Missouri to make way for the continued white settlement.
So he was a popular guy in Missouri. Andrew General Jackson no
doubt received his middle name to demonstrate clearly that he was
not named after just any Andrew Jackson, but after the
General Andrew Jackson the Indian fighter; throughout his life he
went by the name "General". His older brother, Philip Jackson
(our direct ancestor), perpetuated the name by naming his eighth
child General Andrew Jackson (he was listed as G. A. on the 1860
census) in 1852; he, too, went by the name "General."
**When Phillip and his sons hauled freight to and from St. Louis
with oxen, it would take at least ten days to make the round trip!
Thomas Jefferson Jackson told of one trip during a very cold Winter
of how they drove their team of oxen across the Mississippi River on
the ice!!
*Phillip's will doesn't list son Elias Anthony Jackson because he
had obviously passed away prior to the will. What is a mystery to me
is that the very much alive daughter Sarah Ann (Jackson) Fore isn't
listed in the will! Perhaps she had already been forwarded an
inheritence of some sort prior to the will?
Smith Jackson 1834 - 1906
Smith Jackson, Philip's eldest son, was an interesting character.
He is known to have married three times, fathered at least 18
children, served as town marshal, fought in the Civil War, &
survived a final altercation with the infamous convicted murderer
Richard Marshall whom he had arrested for killing his uncle.
Smith Jackson was born on January 1, 1834, the second in his family
to be born following the move to Missouri. He grew up around
Indian Creek in Johnson [then Liberty] Township, but around 1850 (at
the age of 16) he moved with his family to the Edgar Springs area.
Like his younger half brother, Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Jackson, he
probably helped his father haul freight by ox wagon to St. Louis &
back the round trip taking at least ten days. [Jeff in
later years served as a Justice of the Peace & raised black cattle &
honey bees on his farm on Corn Creek.] They must have kept in
close touch with their friends on Indian Creek however, because
seven years later Smith married Eada [Eda, Ede, Ada, Eady......the
Simmons Family Bible appears to spell her name Ede] Simmons on May
31, 1855. Eada's father had a farm on Indian Creek.
Eada was born on June 3. 1839, in [Henry County?] Tennessee the
daughter of John Austin Simmons (born 1816 in North Carolina) &
Rachel H. Sparks (born 1824 in Tennessee). Eada along with her
parents & infant brother Joseph, had moved to Missouri in 1841/42;
seven more siblings were added to her family in the following years.
No photo of Eada has survived following her marriage, their home &
possessions suffered three serious fires. But we may surmise
that she was stout.
On June 10, 1857, Smith Jackson patented a 120-acre farm
just a half mile west of the Simmons farm [covering the S half of
the SE quarter plus the SE quarter of the SW quarter of Sec. 27,
R1W, T40N].
[To visit these properties go south from Sullivan about 10 miles on
Highway 185, then turn left/east on Briggs Rd. After a half mile the
road begins passing through what was Smith Jackson's farm,
continuing for three-fourths of a mile. Then after another
half mile the road passes through John Simmons' old property for
half a mile before culminating at Indian Creek. About a mile
south is an old cemetery where many people from the early days are
buried, known as the New Hope or Bryant or Hulsey Cemetery - a
survey of the cemetery is kept in the Potosi Library.]
Eada's mother, Rachel Sparks, died in early 1860, & on Oct. 4, 1860
John Simmons remarried, to Sarah Anderson Calvert. Together
John & Sarah had nine more children, to add to the 13 he'd had with
Rachel Sparks.
Neither Eada or any of the Jacksons have left much of a written
record of what their life in Missouri was like in those days.
But Eada's stepmother Sarah wrote a letter to the Sullivan News
dated June 29, 1914, responding to an article that had been
published about pioneers in Franklin County. She tells that
her parents came from Indiana to Missouri (probably around 1815 -
1820), & she lists her siblings. She herself was born in 1830,
the second youngest of eight children. She writes:
We were all born in the old
homestead [on Cedar Fork near the Newport trading
post, before the town of Sullivan was founded].
The houses we lived in were made of logs. They
were one-story with puncheon [large wood slab]
floors. The doors were made of clapboard hung
on wooden hinges. On still mornings one could
hear them squeaking quite a distance. The
windows consisted of a hole in the wall with
shutters made of boards; sometimes they were
hung on wooden hinges, often they used buckskin for
hinges.
The only religious denominations
I knew were Methodist & Baptist. The dance of
those days was the reel. The men stood facing
the women & they danced between each other, then
they swung those on the other side. Children
from 8 to 14 years old in the summer danced
barefooted on the puncheon floors. Buckskin
breeches were common, dried venison & honey were
abundant. It seems to me that people were
happier then than they are now. I have often
compared the life of today with the life of those
days. In my young days when neighbors visited
each other they went on Saturday & stayed all night.
These old people would talk over their troubles &
share in their sorrows, & rejoice over their
successes. Such a thing as a neighbor charging
a neighbor for help was unheard of.
When we moved on this farm there
was no Sullivan Town, the Frisco Railroad hadn't
been built yet. There was a settlement at
Reedsville & one about the Copper mines in Copper
Hollow. On the river was a big camp ground where
camp meetings were held once a year, lasting a month
or so. People came from long distances to camp
& attend the meetings. But many of the land
marks of those early days are gone, & the people are
most all dead.
Smith Jackson enrolled in the Union
Army on Sept. 5, 1865 to fight in the Civil War.
He was then 30, & served as a private under Capt. Loft
in Company K of the 63rd Regiment, E.M.M., Leesburg,
Missouri. The year before he had apparently served
some months September 5 to December 2, 1864) under Col.
Warmouth in Sullivan, Missouri. Following the war
he returned to his family at Indian Creek in Washington
County. His presence there is documented by an
indictment for gambling 2 December 1865....perhaps a
poker game was raided, because he & Eugene Godat, Felix
Beguette, John Northcutt & James Munday were all fined
$10 each.
Elizabeth Jackson (Smith Jackson's
paternal aunt), married Richard Marshall, a choice she
no doubt came to regret. Marshall, listed in the
1860 census as a "laborer," was known as generally
"quarrelsome" & was regarded as a dangerous man in the
community. On 4 September 1862 an incident took
place in which Marshall showed how quarrelsome he could
be. Marshall was returning from Potosi to Indian
Creek on horseback, in the company of Smith Jackson &
David N. Baker; the three had been serving jury duty in
Potosi. While walking their horses David & Marshall got
into an argument which became increasingly heated. A fight
erupted between them, Marshall pulled a knife & killed Baker.
Smith Jackson was at that time 29 years old & apparently serving as
the local marshal or sheriff in the Sullivan/Indian Creek area [Levi
Garret later testified in court that it was Smith Jackson who then
"arrested Richard Marshall]. Although Richard Marshall was
Smith Jackson's uncle by marriage, David N. Baker was a blood uncle
of Smith Jackson, being the brother of Smith's mother "Kate" Susan
Baker, so family loyalty on Smith's part would not have favored
Marshall. Smith Jackson arrested Marshall & brought him to
trial, where he [Jackson] was probably the only eyewitness to
what had happened. Marshall was convicted of murder on Smith
Jackson's testimony & sentenced to be hanged on July 9. This
sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. However, after
just a few years behind bars, Richard Marshall was released from
prison in 1866 or 1867 by way of being pardoned to join the army.
While he had been imprisoned in St. Louis in 1865, Marshall had told
Smith Jackson's half-uncle, Allen Jasper Jackson, not to "take
anything off the Smith Jackson nor David Baker (presumable referring
to the son of the David N. Baker he had killed, & for whose murder
he was imprisoned), nor none of the rest of the dogs that live
around there." Marshall promised that he would eventually come
home, settle with his enemies & "finish Smith Jackson." The
following year, in May of 1866, another half-uncle of Smith Jackson,
Thomas A. Jackson, visited Marshall in prison. Marshall
stamped his foot & vowed that if he was ever released he would arm
himself & come out to Washington County & kill Smith Jackson.
In the summer of 1867, probably having deserted the Army at the
first opportunity, Marshall returned to Washington County, &
according to Allen Jasper Jackson, his return "created a general
terror in the community where he lived." Marshall visited Levi
Garret, another of Smith Jackson's half-uncles, on August 3rd, &
repeatedly stated that if Smith Jackson "ever dirtied his path that
he intended to clean it for him." According to Garrett, only
three miles separated Smith Jackson's home & Marshall' home.
The inevitable meeting took place in the nearby town of Sullivan.
Tired of waiting for Marshall to attack him at home, & perhaps
fearing for the safety of his family in such a shoot-out, Smith
Jackson armed himself & went to Sullivan. According to
witnesses at the trial, what then took place was as follows:
Smith
Jackson came walking around the freight house & saw Marshall
standing some distance away on the porch of the H.B. Clark & Company
Store, with H. B. Clark. Jackson drew his pistol &, as he
crossed the railroad tracks, too aim at Marshall. Clark saw
what was about to happen & dived for cover inside the door.
Jackson fired, at a distance of about 30 paces [perhaps 90 to 100
feet], hitting Marshall in the right side of the head.
Marshall fell, mortally wounded, blood gushing from his head.
He had apparently never seen Jackson coming. Jackson walked up
on the porch, looked at Marshall & asked him "Is that enough?"
Then he proceeded to the nearby ticket office operated by Essure
Melvin & said, "Mr. Melvin, I am ready to give myself up," & sat
down. An examination of Marshall's body revealed a small
single-barrel percussion pistol in his inside vest pocket, a box of
percussion caps, a flask of powder & a supply of pistol balls in his
other pocket.
[NOTE: Marshall's small, single-barrel vest pocket pistol
(apparently not a derringer, or it would have been described as
such) was most likely a Colt Model 1855 sidehammer pistol, a popular
personal weapon of the time. Smith Jackson's pinpoint
marksmanship at that distance would have required a longer-barreled
weapon for better accuracy. *As a Civil War veteran he had
probably retained his Army service sidearm, which would most likely
have been a Colt Model 1860 Army revolver.]
Smith Jackson was tried for the killing of Richard Marshall on
August 7, 1867, with J. Frederick Speck & Samuel P. Melvin
presiding. Witnesses for the Defense all testified to Smith
Jackson's "general good character." "He always bore the name
of a peaceable & quiet citizen" said Allen Jasper Jackson.
Even a prosecution witness (perhaps an in-law relative), Joseph
Musgrove, remarked that Smith Jackson had "always born a very good
character." It was generally agreed that Smith Jackson had
been given sufficient cause to fear for his life; he was
consequently acquitted on the grounds of justifiable homicide.
Such a verdict would be unlikely today, but we must remember that in
those days Missouri was the Wild West, & law was simpler, with a
solid basis in the common sense of the community. And besides,
everyone was probably very glad to be rid of Richard Marshall. (Story from: Wendell Wilson)
Eada died on December 30, 1870, after having given birth to 10
children. Two of these children, Mary ("Molly") & Melissa,
married brothers Albert & John Ulmer Wilson, Melissa & John being
our direct ancestors.
Smith Jackson then married Sarah A. Musgrove, daughter of Gilbert
"Simpson" Musgrove [he always went by his middle name, perhaps to
avoid confusion with his father, Gilbert Musgrove], on April 22,
1872 in Washington County. Simpson Musgrove & his wife, Mary
Ann Cunningham, were part Caucasian but primarily of Cherokee Indian
extraction. Simpson's father, Gilbert (born 1769 in Loudoun
Co., VA; died 1850 in Scotland Co., MO), was the son of William
Musgrove of Loudoun Co., son of John Musgrove (1683 - 1746) of
Fairfax, VA, son of immigrant ancestor Cuthbert Musgrave [the
original spelling of the family name], born in 1644 in England &
died in 1687 in Prince Georges Co., Maryland, where he owned a 150
acre tobacco farm near Shrewsbury. Cuthbert was from an old
English family that had lived in Crookdale, Cumberland for eight
generations, & before that had resided in Hartley Castle, Kirkby
Stephen, Westmooreland since the days of Thomas de Musgrave (1220 -
1314). Thomas traced his line back to Gamel (born about 1030),
Lord of Musgrave, in Westmooreland.
Simpson Musgrove had been born in Frederick County, Maryland, just
across the state line from Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1804.
In 1805 his parents, Gilbert Musgrove (1769-1850) & Dorcas Lee
Whittington (1768-1840), moved their family west, settling first in
Mason County, Kentucky, then by 1820 had moved to Nicholas County,
Kentucky, & around 1832 had moved to Lewis County, in northeastern
Missouri. Around 1825 to 1830 Simpson had married an unknown
woman who bore him a boy (in 1825-1830) & a girl (in 1830-1835).
In 1839 Simpson was given a government land grant of 40 acres in
Ralls County, Missouri, where he perhaps farmed for a short while.
This was in the same area of northeastern Missouri where his father
& brothers had settled.
What became of his wife is unknown - perhaps she died. On 11
Feb. 1840 Simpson married Mary Ann Cunningham in Perry County,
Missouri & they are listed together with the two children on the
1840 census for Perry County. Perry County is situated on the
Mississippi riverboat route downstream from his father's & brother's
farms in the northeastern counties, & accessible by riverboat from
Mary's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on the Ohio River.
(Most Missouri settlers in 1830 - 1850 lived in the counties closest
to the Mississippi River & , to a lesser extent, the Missouri
River.) By 1850 the family had moved to Richwoods Twp. in
Washington County, & on the 1860 & 1870 censuses they are found in
Johnson Twp., Washington County, living very close to Smith
Jackson's farm. Simpson's wife Mary died in the 1870's & by
1880 he had moved in with his daughter Mary Elizabeth & her husband,
William Harrison Baker [Smith Jackson's cousin on his mother's side]
in Prairie Twp., Franklin County, & presumably died there some time
after 1880. There is documentary evidence in the County
Courthouse records that Simpson Musgrove served as a justice of the
peace (J.P. is written after his name) as well as a farmer.
Sarah Musgrove appears to have born Smith Jackson two sons, George
Chester Jackson, in 1874, & Jonas Walter Jackson, in 1877. The
marriage didn't last, however. Their divorce was recorded in
1876 [Washington County Circuit Court J:563]. Smith's
granddaughter, ***Gertrude Dace, who reported the young wife leaving
him, said "I don't blame her; with all the poor little kids he had."
It appears that Sarah may have been pregnant, perhaps unknowingly,
at the time of the divorce. Jonas Walter was born on 16 July
1877 & would have been conceived at about the time the divorce
became final. Sarah Musgrove died in 1877, at the age of 24,
perhaps as a result of childbirth complications.
On Dec. 31, 1877 Smith Jackson married for the third & last time, to
Sarah Jane Mercer (born in Washington County October 10, 1849; died
Feb. 14, 1923), eldest daughter of Isaac H. Mercer (born in Ohio in
1808) & Susan Olive Hill (born in Ohio on 3 April 1832). Isaac
& his brother Joseph were brickmasons who came to Johnson Township
in the middle 1840's. They had married sisters Susan &
Catherine Hill, daughters of Jesse Brittle Hill (born in South
Carolina) & Francis Anthony (born in Pennsylvania). They lived in
Johnson Township for the rest of their lives, for many years as next
door neighbors; Isaac died in the mid-1870's & Susan died on 10 Feb.
1910. Isaac & Susan had nine children all together:
Sarah Jane [1849], Catherine [1850], Jonas M. [1852], Mary G.
[1856], Elizabeth [1859], Susan Zillah [1862], Laura P. [1865],
Isaac William [1867], & Margaret L. [1872], (all listed in the
census records).
Smith & Sarah had at least seven more children. Judging from a
photo of Sarah Jane taken around 1900 when she was over 50 years old
& still looking thin & elegant, she must have been rather
goodlooking a quarter of a century earlier at the time she became
Smith Jackson's third wife.
Smith Jackson received a minimal but adequate education in his
youth, as was typical of life on the frontier. One needed only
to be able to read the Bible & take care of routine business
documents in order to be considered satisfactorily literate.
The only surviving letter written by him is dated 7 April 1900, when
he was 67 years old, addressed to his grandson William Wilson in
Crescent City, Illinois. [This William was John Ulmer Wilson &
Melissa Jackson Wilson's son, William Ulmer Wilson, born in 1878 in
Franklin County, Missouri.] The penmanship is clear & well
formed, though good spelling, grammar & punctuation are lacking.
The return address printed on the stationery reads: "Smith Jackson,
Real Estate Agent, Sullivan, MO." From this is would appear
that Smith Jackson had a small real estate business in his later
years. The text of this letter to "Willie Wilson" reads as
follows:
Der gSon
Your
pictureus come all OK and was glad to get them and
think tha good ones and have Sent the ple [3 the
ones] you wanted to have them
it is tou her fore eny thing to grow much an very
dry nead rane badly
tho the peple is done Sewin oats Walter is staying
with us makin ties We
will commence brakin fore corn mo[n]day next
I am Surfin very much with rheumatism
Cant Sleep of and cante Set Still Some days
So i will quit fore this time
mi best respect to you and wife
Yours, Smith Jackson
Smith Jackson may not have been
well-known as a real estate agent, but is known
to have turned a few good land deals, perhaps simply on
an occasional basis as opportunities presented
themselves. For example, in 1867 he purchased 82
acres from Margaret Hecock for $40 & sold it to Thomas
J. Hammond an unknown sum. Then in 1871 bought it
back from Hammond for $50. A year later, in 1872,
he sold that same property to his sister Susan Jackson
Northcutt (widow of George Northcut) for $175.....a nice
profit. In 1875 he & his son-in-law Andrew Jackson
McIntosh purchased at public auction a Sheriff's deed to
the 120-acre property of Aaron W. Tullis that had been
seized in a legal action - they got it for $23.50.
And in 1874, presumably as part of a larger deal, Smith
Jackson purchased from G. I. Van Alen a 240-acre tract
of land for the grand sum of three dollars.
The Sullivan Sentinel
often reported on the comings & goings of people in the
area, & members of the Jackson clan are commonly
mentioned visiting or traveling or coming down sick or
getting well. On September 4, 1903, the newspaper
reported "A Big Fish Fry" as follows:
A big fish fry was had down by
the Hub Factory ford [presumably on Indian Creek]
last Sunday, consisting of the [Smith] Jackson
Family, friends from a distance & near-by neighbors.
Miss Jessie Jackson [Smith's Jackson's daughter age
18], Rush Jackson [his son age 23], Mr. & Mrs.
Fitzsimmons [his daughter Bertha, age 20, & her
husband James, married just two years earlier] &
Walter Simmons [perhaps a relative of Smith
Jackson's first wife, Eada Simmons, or a misprint
for Smith's son Walter Jackson, or a misprint for a
Fitzsimmons relative] came out on the excursion &
other were present from other parts. In all
there were about sixty people in the crowd & it is
reported that they had more fish than they all could
eat. The excursionists all returned in the
evening except Mrs. Fitzsimmons, who remains out
[presumably visiting at her father's house] for a
week.
When Smith Jackson became seriously
ill in 1906, the editor of the Sullivan Sentinel
wrote about the visits made to Jackson's bedside by
his many friends, displaying their affection & concern
about his illness. His death notice (Sullivan
Sentinel, Feb. 16, 1906) read as follows:
Smith Jackson, familiarly known
as "Uncle Smith," died at his home six miles east of
Sullivan, Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock, Feb. 14,
1906. He was born in Washington County,
January 1, 1834, being 72 years, 1 month & 13 days
old at the time of his death. He was born not
far from the place of his death & lived had lived in
that locality all his life. He probably had
more to do with the development of the county, & was
better known for many miles around, than any other
man. His relationship [descendancy] is very
extended, having been married three times & the
father of eighteen children, sixteen of whom are now
living.
He joined the Masonic Lodge at
Steelville about 30 years ago [1876], transferring
to the Sullivan Lodge after it was organized, & has
always been a faithful & loyal member.
He had been in poor health for some time, & the end
was no surprise to those who were at all familiar
with his condition. Arrangements have been
made for the funeral to be preached Sunday at one
o'clock at the Baptist Church in Sullivan, after
which interment will be made at the Buffalo Cemetery
(in the Odd Fellow addition). The Masonic
Lodge of Sullivan will have charge of the
services, Rev. J. R. Hamlin preaching the funeral
sermon.
Smith Jackson's funeral was said to
be one of the largest that the town of Sullivan had ever
seen. The Rev. J. R. Hamblin, a well known pioneer
preacher in the area, conducted the memorial service.
The Masonic Lodge's published tribute read: "A
good & useful man has gone from us forever. He was
devoted to his family, true to his friends, & he left a
void not easily filled."
Smith Jackson's personal estate
amounted to $832 in cash, & he died possessed of about
120 acres of land worth about $1,000, which by law went
to his widow Sarah Jane. Sarah was also paid "her
dower" of $400, for one year of supplies. The
remaining cash was divided among his children as
follows: $35 to his daughter Elizabeth, $25 to his
daughter Mary ("Mollie") Wilson, $35 to his daughter
Olive Frances ("Fanny") $35 to his daughter Bertha, $25
to his son William, $25 to his daughter Rachel, $35 to
his son Albert, $25 to his son John, $25 to his daughter
Jessie, & $25 to his daughter Mary Ellen. He left
nothing to his daughters Catherine, Melissa, Laura Lee
Jackson [a daughter-in-law?] & Elizabeth, or to his sons
Walter & Rush who all presumably in less financial need.
As an attorney later observed, "He seemed to have [had]
more children than anything else." The application
for letters of administration filed in the County
Courthouse lists all of Smith Jackson's surviving
children with the single exception of George Chester
Jackson, his one son from his brief marriage to Sarah
Musgrove; apparently George had moved to St. Louis
at an early age & long ago lost contact with his family;
he is, however, known to have survived until at least
1956!
The detailed appraisal of Smith
Jackson's personal property is still on file in the
County Courthouse. Apparently the family was
musical, because he owned an organ, which must have been
a fairly nice one because it was valued at $20, quite a
bit in those days. He also owned a silver watch &
a shotgun [both of which went to his widow Sarah], but
he no longer possessed the pistol that had shot Richard
Marshall......presumably it had been passed on to one of
his sons at an earlier date. He had the usual
chairs, tables, carpets, bedsteads, a bookcase, two
heaters of some kind, a dresser, kitchen items & food
stores [including 100 pounds of bacon]. He owned a
two horse buggy & a one horse buggy, three horses, two
mules, various plows & farm implements, a grindstone, &
two horse drawn-wagons. His livestock, in addition
to the horses & mules, included nine pigs, six cows, two
calves, one bull, five steers, 30 sheep & 15 lambs.
His widow Sarah received most of the livestock as well.
Other items were sold off at public auction.
**The late genealogist Ruth Kline Lee believed his full
name was William Smith Jackson, based on family
tradition among several of his children [she was
personally acquainted with a number of them], but no
actual documentation has survived to verify this.
His father Philip's will lists him simply as "Smith
Jackson," as does his marriage record, the family bible,
various land & legal documents, & his own tombstone.
The recent compilation by Gene Jackson gives his name as
"H. Smith Jackson"--however, the "H" is probably a
misreading of a script "W," which in the handwriting of
the times, could look nearly identical.
Furthermore, he named his eldest son Philip [after his
father], & his second eldest son he named "William
Smith." The name raises intriguing questions as to
it's source. Inasmuch as Smith is clearly a last
name, we must assume that the three Smith Jacksons all
trace their name to a man or woman whose last name was
Smith. If William was indeed Smith Jackson's real
first name, as it definitely was for his uncle & son,
then it is highly probable that he was named for a
William Smith. This theory is strengthened by the
fact that Smith Jackson's uncle, a son of William P.
Jackson, was named "William T. Smith Jackson"---very
likely after someone named William T. Smith, considering
the unusual insertion of the initial "T."
This, then, begs the question of exactly who William T.
Smith might have been to have been so honored three
times in naming the sons in three generations:
by William P. Jackson, by his son Philip (Smith
Jackson's father), & by Smith Jackson himself. The
answer must go back at least as far as the family's
years in Kentucky because William T. Smith Jackson, the
earliest namesake, was born there in 1814. The
name of William P. Jackson's first wife (the mother of
Abner Jackson) is unknown; perhaps William T.
Smith was her father. It seems rather unlikely,
however, that he would be so honored by the naming of a
child two wives later. William T. Smith Jackson
was Jane Sally's second son; the name of Jane's
mother (wife of John Sallee) is still unknown. The
most likely possibility, then, is that Jane's mother was
the daughter of William T. Smith, & that William T.
Smith was therefore William P. Jackson's
grandfather-in-law & Philip Jackson's maternal great
grandfather. Jane Sally died right around the time
of Smith Jackson's birth in 1834, & it would not be
unreasonable to suppose that Philip might have named his
son after his great-grandfather at that time.
Even if "William" was not Smith
Jackson's first name, the strongest theory is still that
his father Philip's unknown grandmother was a Smith,
daughter of a William T. Smith. The professional
genealogist Bruce Harmon of Lineages, Inc. in Salt Lake
City (a researcher employed extensively by the late Gene
Jackson to study Jackson genealogy) has found no
evidence of a William T. Smith, at least in Missouri,
although a William Smith was one of the earliest
settlers in nearby Meramec Township in Washington
County, Missouri before 1837. Because so many
records in Marion/Washington County, Kentucky were
destroyed by fire during the Civil War, we may never
have actual documentation of John Sally's marriage, so
we will provisionally accept this theory on "best
evidence," such as it is.
*Since the writing of this text, I
have located the past owner of the Smith Jackson weapon
that was used to kill Richard Marshall. George Tutterow
of Sullivan purchased the weapon from Willard and
Elizabeth Dace, Elizabeth was the youngest of all of
Smith Jackson's children. In a phone interview with Mr.
Tutterow, he described the pistol as being an 1858 New
Army Remington 44 caliber six shot cap and ball
revolver. I was surprised that the pistol hadn't already
been converted to a cartridge style as was so very
common immediately after the Civil War. Above
is a photo of an exact replica of the Smith Jackson
pistol used to kill Richard Marshall in 1867.
**Since the writing of this text I have located an old
mourning card from the Smith Jackson funeral of 1906
that reads W. Smith Jackson. This still doesn't prove
his first name was William, but I'd bet it was as his
grandfathers' name was William. (William P. Jackson)
***A few years back I was invited to a Dace-Whitworth
Family reunion on Brazil Creek at Anthonie's Mill, Mo.
While there, I was informed by more than one Dace family
member that as Sarah (Musgrove) Jackson was leaving
Smith Jackson, she crept up behind him and walloped poor
Smith upside the head with a cast iron skillet!! We can
only hope for Smith's sake it was a size #10 skillet or
smaller!
|
Wm. H. &
Sarah A. Jackson Fore Family
Photo
William H.
Fore was a son of Benjamin &
Sabe (Stogsdill) Fore.
Photo taken before 1916 as
William H. Fore passed away in
Oct. of that year. All
members in the photo are some of
William & Sarah's children.
Identification as follows: Back
row left to right:
Charlie, Sidney (Jinks), Ben,
Kate, William, John & Ella.
Front row: Amanda (Mandy),
William Harrison & Sarah Ann
(Jackson) Fore. |
|
 |
|
Sarah Ann (Jackson) Fore
was a daughter to Philip & Catherine
(Hamilton) Jackson. Note the old women
peering our of the window of the log cabin
(above bucket). I firmly believe it is Lucretia
(Fore) Kelly sister of William
H. Fore, judging from other old
photos of her. Kate (Fore) Heavin, in
back row behind her father, had a deformed
mouth because she had eaten lye as a child &
the doctor tried to graft some skin by
fastening her mouth to her arm. Poor
Kate nearly starved to death!! William
T. Fore in back row to the right of Kate was
kicked in the mouth by a horse as a young
man. Folks who remembered him used to
tell me they remember a hole in William's
face that never really healed as a result of
the kick & tobacco juice would ooze out
occasionally. Five other children of Wm. &
Sarah (Jackson) Fore not pictured are as a
result of premature death. They were
as follows: Marion, Lucretia, David Paul,
Joseph & Jenni (twins). |
Susan (Jackson)Norhcutt, Eldest Child Of
Phillip, And George Northcutt Story
While establishing homes in a forested wilderness, outnumbered by
Indians, & where daily survival required arduous labor fraught with
unexpected hazards, these early settlers were united by bonds of
family, relatives, & friends & sustained by faith & hope for a
better life. They helped & defended one another in times of
trouble & sickness; worked & worshipped together; shared one's joys
in times of health & plenty & one another's grief in times of
misfortune & loss of loved ones. Their children married,
usually within the circle of friends with whom they grew up; & many
stayed in Washington County to build homes, churches, & schools, &
to raise families of their own who would become honest, patriotic &
valued citizens.
By July of 1860 George Northcutt was 35, owned real estate valued at
$300 & personal property of like value. He & Susan had five
children: Melissa ( ); Nancy (7); William Smith (6); Mary Ann
(4); & John Wesley (2). Susan would give birth to Samuel
Philip that September. They had carved out of the wilderness a
family home on beautiful Indian Creek, tributary to the Meramec
River, cleared & cultivated their land. Game & fish
supplemented their diet of grain, vegetables & fruit, & a spring
house kept their perishables cool in the heat & humidity of
Missouri summers.
The following spring, a war between the United States & the several
southern states that had passed ordinances secession appeared
inevitable. While the people of Washington County were not in
favor of secession, neither were they willing to take up arms
against their Southern brethren. Before a company could be
formed to enforce armed neutrality, a small battalion of Federal
soldiers from St. Louis took possession of Potosi, the county seat
of Washington County, & arrested a number of citizens who were
believed to be sympathetic to the southern cause. These
citizens were taken to St. Louis & held for a time as prisoners of
war, which action effectually ended any further attempt to secure
neutrality in Washington County.
Men from Washington & surrounding counties began to join various
military organizations: some in support of the Confederacy,
some in support of the United States, & some in support of the
State's Home Guard.
George Northcutt enlisted in the Thirty-First Regiment, Missouri
Volunteer Infantry, of the Untied States of America, August 14,
1862. Melissa was eleven, Nancy, nine, William S., eight, Mary
Ann, six, John Wesley, four, & Samuel Philip, not yet two.
Dora Northcutt Kimberlin, granddaughter of George & Susan Northcutt,
recounted for her daughter Ethel Kimberlin Shaffer, stories she had
heard from the lips of her mother, Mary Celia Josephine Baldridge
Northcutt, who was five years of age when she went with her family
to Pilot Knob, Missouri, the mustering-in site for the 31st
regiment.
Susan Jackson Northcutt (30) & Mary Ann Bryan Baldridge (33) whose
husband Darius Baldridge had also enlisted in the 31st, loaded
supplies sufficient for two weeks into a wagon &, taking their young
children with them, drove a team of horses from their homes on
Indian Creek, Washington County, to Pilot Knob, now in Iron County,
a distance of over forty miles; through the woods & across
creeks where roads were at best rough wagon trails. They cared
for their children, cooked meals over campfires for their husbands &
families, & for two weeks created memories which must last a
lifetime, for they would not be together again in mortality.
After they returned to their homes, Susan Northcutt & Mary Ann
Baldridge resumed necessary routines for maintaining their families.
Their children helped with the farm & shared moments of fun &
laughter as they fished the streams & weeded gardens. It seems
appropriate that the relationship between the youngest children of
the two families, Samuel Philip Northcutt & Mary Celia Josephine
Baldridge, would ripen into mature love & that they would one day
marry, thereby uniting the two families forever.
George married (1) Susan Jackson, daughter of Philip JACKSON & BAKER
on 26 January 1850 in Richwoods, Washington County, Missouri.
Susan was born 15 November 1831in Missouri. She died 4 July
1898 in Hulsey, Washington, Missouri.
MARR: Affidavit filed Nov. 23, 1886, Washington Co., Mo.
"Mr. Thomas Flanagan, being duly sworn, deposes & says that he now
resides in Washington County, Missouri, & is well acquainted with
Susan Northcutt, the widow of George Northcutt, who was a
private in Co. B, 31st Regiment, Mo. Inf. Vols. in the U.S. Service
& that he was personally present at the house of Winston Campbell, a
Justice of the Peace in the County of Washington, Missouri, on the
26th day of January 1850, & saw the said Campbell lawfully marry the
said George Northcutt & the said Susan Jackson. And that they
lived together as man & wife & were known & recognized as such by
their neighbors to the time of the death of the said George
Northcutt. That the said Winston Campbell is not, and I am not, at
all interested in the claim. In witness to Mark: Mary A. Baldridge,
Martha Doty, Thomas "X" (his mark) Flanagan
JACKSONS
As Told By
Paul Heavin & Benjamin Earl Jackson
"The Jackson men were large. Old Uncle General, brother to
Jeff, had black hair, a keen mustache & the blackest eyes I ever
saw. They'd bore a hole through you. He also liked his
whiskey."
"One time some of the Jacksons were on a trip & they had to camp out
overnight during cold weather. To make matters worse they
didn't have any money or any whiskey. After some thought they
came up with a plan."
"One man jumped on his horse & rode full tilt to the nearest house
yelling, 'Help! Help! Snakebite!' The poor people of the house
gave him a jar of moonshine & Mr. Jackson rode back to camp where he
& his brothers drank the brew & relaxed the rest of the evening."
"Once there had been a little trouble with someone & Uncle General
was talking to your grandpa. 'Well, Dick,' he said, 'us Jacksons are
hard to get along with.' 'No-o-no,' Dick said. 'I
wouldn't say that hardly, Uncle.' 'Oh, yes, yes! We're hard to
get along with. You'd might as well own up to it.' 'Oh,
I guess we're hard to get along with.' replied Dick.
THOMAS JEFFERSON JACKSON
"Uncle Jeff liked his toddy & his tobacco which he grew on his farm.
One time he said, 'Well, I hear they're goin' to take away our
tobaccer. First they take away our whiskey, now they're goin'
to take our tobaccer. I god, if they come around here they're goin'
to hear my Winchester pop & there'll be dead bodies to drag away."
"I wouldn't give anyone who votes for Pro-Hi-Bition one dram, even
for snake bite."
"When I was about 14 years old Dad sent me to buy several bushels of
oats from Uncle Jeff. Knowing he was a bit hard to get along
with I didn't want to go," said Paul. 'Dad cautioned me to
humor the old man & all would go well. At that time a half
bushel bucket was used to measure grain. When I got to Uncle
Jeff's place he told me to climb into the bin where the oats were
stored & to fill the bucket. I filled the bucket level but
Uncle Jeff said, 'Fill that bucket full.' I filled the bucket
again, being sure that it was more than level. "Uncle Jeff
then hopped into the bin & began filling the pail so high not
another grain would stay on & said, 'Now fill those buckets full.
I god, if I go to hell I don't want to go for giving short measure."
"Jeff was a justice of the peace during the Civil War era & in this
capacity he visited the Wright family who lived on a farm on Corn
Creek. Soldiers were holding Wright & his four sons because
they had searched the Wright's residence & found an old Army coat.
Jeff advised the Wright's to make a break for freedom, but Mr.
Wright said, 'I don't believe they will bother us as we have done
nothing wrong.' The officer in charge saw them talking &
shouted, 'None of your damn secretin' out there. I'll have you
all shot.' Jeff immediately left the premises.
"The Wrights were executed the following morning."
(Milford E. 'Dick' Jackson, son of Jeff Jackson, bought the Wright
farm in 1901 & lived there until his death in 1955.)
JOHN JACKSON
"John, son of Willie & brother of Philip. was noted for his terrible
temper. On one occasion, he had harvested his corn, putting it
into shocks as was the custom in those days, the corn to be brought
to the crib during the winter months. There was a severe storm
& the resulting flood washed all but three shocks away. Uncle
John was so enraged he threw the remaining shocks into the river
too. He then got his gun & shot the river."
"Uncle John had married Mary Wilson, widow of Wild Bill Wilson, the
bushwhacker of Civil War notoriety. Mary also had a short
fuse. One morning as they sat down to breakfast, John
discovered something he didn't like about the meal. So he up &
pitched his plate out of an open window by the table. Mary,
not to be outdone, pitched her plate out too along with the
silverware, cups, saucers, etc. Uncle John saw this & said,
'By the life, Mary, if we don't stop this we won't have a thing left
to eat out of.......'
Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Jackson loved to bareknuckle fist fight for
the sport of it. Folks would come from miles around to fight
him or to simply watch. This most likely took place at Jeff's
Fathers' grist mill at Yancy, Mo. as the mill was usually the
gathering spot for entertainment especially while the local folks
waited for their grain to be milled. Jeff also was an admirer
of the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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DEATHS
T. J. Jackson
Thos. Jefferson Jackson, one of the oldest citizens of Phelps
County, died at his home near Edgar Springs, Friday, August 28,
1925. He was in the 85th year of his age.
The deceased was born near Richwood in Washington County, Mo., April
17, 1841. When a small boy he came with his parents, Philip
Jackson & wife near what is now Edgar Springs. It was several
years before Phelps County was organized. He united in
marriage with Miss Harriette Fore & to this union nine children were
born, six of whom with their mother survive. They are W. D.
Jackson, M. E. Jackson, Mrs. J. H. Gabel, & R. L. Jackson, of Phelps
County; Mrs. G. W. Miller, of Washington County & Mrs. F. W. Turner,
of Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Mr. Jackson was a good man. He was scruplously honest & had
the respect & confidence of his neighbors. Where he did not
belong to any church he was inclined to the Baptist faith. He
was a staunch democrat in politics & was a strong believer in the
principles of Thomas Jefferson.
Funeral services were held at the home Saturday & interment took
place at the Jackson graveyard on the farm. Many friends
sympathize with the bereaved family.
An obituary of Phillip Jackson from March of 1875 from the Rolla
New Herald newspaper.
We regret to learn that Mr. Philip Jackson, an old & respectable
citizen of this county, died at his residence near Yancy Mills, one
day last week. Thus the old pioneers are passing away.
PHELPS COUNTY CENTENNIAL EDITION
31 May 1957
KATE HEAVIN: HOMESTEADER
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Yancy
Mills, Mo. The Wm. Harrison and Sarah Ann
(Jackson) Fore Home. Back row standing
left-right; Charley Fore, Amanda "Mandy"
(Fore) Huskey, Ella Fore. Center row
standing left-right; Ben Fore, Frank "Pipe"
Huskey, Alex Heavin, John Fore, Wm. "Willie"
Fore, Sidney "Jinks" Fore, Sarah (Jackson)
Fore, Mary "Polly" Ann Fore. Front seated
left-right; Katherine "Kate" (Fore) Heavin,
Maude Fore, Sabie (Stogsdill) Fore, Jennie
Huskey, Wm. Harrison Fore, Earl Heavin.
Note the log structure of the home under the
porch roof. |
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Memories of Yancy Mills, Mo. by
Alexander R. Gilbreath, son of John and
Nancy (Jackson) Gilbreath and grandson
of Phillip and Catharine (Hamilton)
Jackson. " Alex", as he was called, told
how one time when he was a boy he took a
sack of corn to the Yancy Mill. On the
way, a branch tore a hole in the sack
and he lost some corn. Although Alex
said his mother always had him in
church, he said he lost his religion
that day!! Alex also handed down a
story he had been told by his
Grandmother Catharine Jackson; "back in
the days of the Civil War, Catharine
told of how a bunch of soldiers came
into the house and took all of Phillip
and Catharine's food. The Jacksons' had
just killed a hog not too long earlier
and had it hanging in the smokehouse.
The soldiers took it too"!! Alex also
related to his children of how hard
times were and he often became hungry
when after losing his father. His Mother
Nancy and siblings along with his Aunt
Charlotta and her son Tommy lived with
his Grandmother Catharine Jackson in the
late 1800s. |
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Rolla Daily News
1957 Phelps Co. Centennial Edition
Fore/Jackson Families History
written by George Clinton "Clint" Arthur,
(author of "Bushwhacker" and
"Backwoodsmen".)
The family of Fore was an early pioneer
family in the county. The Ben Fore School
was named for Ben Fore, who was a cousin of
Bushwhacker John Fore. John was a member of
the Bill Wilson gang. The Jackson Family was
well known during the Civil War, General
Jackson lived across the Little Piney from
the mouth of Corn Creek during most of the
war. There were five brothers who lived at
that time-Frank, George, General, John, and
Phillip. Phillip operated the mill at Yancy
Mill during the Civil War and was also the
great-grandfather of Earl Jackson, a former
county treasurer. George Thomas Arthur, the
father of George Clinton Arthur worked as a
young man for Patrick King on the Little
Piney. Pat sent George on horseback to
Phillip Jackson's house to borrow 100
dollars. Arthur arrived at his destination
and related the message concerning the loan.
Phillip counted out 100 silver dollars, put
the money in a sack, and George left on
horseback to return the money to King. No
note was signed, for King's word was good
enough for Phillip. (Cecil King and I,
Garrett Gabel, have come to the conclusion
that Patrick King borrowed the money from
Phillip Jackson between 1870-75. This would
put George Arthur between ages nine to
fourteen years old, certainly old enough to
have accomplished this deed on horseback as
the distance between the homes on the old
wagon road wasn't all that far, parts of it
is still visible to this day, and of course
before Jackson's death in 1875. |
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John
Jackson & his wife, Mary, ex-wife of
the great Bushwhacker, Bill Wilson.
John Jackson was a son of Wm. P. &
Jinny (Sally) Jackson. John
was born 1816 in Ky. & died in Edgar
Springs, Mo. in 1898. Buried
in Renaud Cem. near Edgar Springs,
Mo. John was a Mexican War veteran,
(1846-1848).
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Francis Minett Jackson in back of picture. Francis, better known as "Frank", was a son of Wm. P. and Jinny (Sally) Jackson. He is buried in Renaud Cemetery near Edgar Springs, Mo. He was blind the last forty years of his life! Left of photo is Frank's daughter, Lucy Emma (Jackson) Ingram, to Lucy's left is her daughter, Delpha (Ingram) Case, wife of Henry Case. Small boy is only identified as Delpha's, she had four sons. Note the open book inside the window.
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Martha Patsy (Jackson) Sullivan, Ray Family Photo. Right to left, Martha Patsy (Jackson) Sullivan, Ray, next is Patsy's dau., Susan (Sullivan) Reagan and her husband Jim behind her, next is Patsy's grandau., Martha "Mattie" (Reagan) Smith and her husband Wm. "Billy" behind her, next is Mattie and Billy's son, Jim Smith and his wife Lula Mae (Lewis) Smith in front of him along with their baby, Vernon Smith, a gr.gr.grandson to Patsy. Patsy was a daughter to Wm. P. and Jane "Jinny" (Sally) Jackson. Note what is probably the photographers' hand in left background.
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Yancy Mills Distillery
1883, Built and owned by John Hargus. The
distiller at this time was Robert Taylor
Grisham. In foreground is Wm. H. Fore who
worked there and lived nearby. Only other
identified man is the one in top window with
white shirt, Charles Davis. |
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George
Washington Jackson, also known
as God Almighty Jackson, last
born to Wm. P. and Jinny (Sally)
Jackson. |
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Obituary of
George Washington Jackson |
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Margaret
Jackson |
From: Wendell Wilson |
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Thomas Jefferson
"Jeff" Jackson & Harriet Fore Jackson circa 1910 |
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Thomas
Jefferson Jackson &
wife Harriett Jane (Fore) Jackson |
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Jackson
Group approx. 1920. Left to right are:
Albert Neff Jackson, son of M.E.
Jackson, 1902-1933. Next man is
unidentified, Milford Elliott "Dick"
Jackson, son of T. J. Jackson, 1868-1955.
Thomas Jefferson Jackson, son of Phillip
Jackson, 1841-1925. William Robert Jackson,
son of M.E. Jackson, 1900-1981. William
David "Dave" Jackson, son of T.J. jackson,
1861-1940. John Clarence Jackson, son of M.E.
Jackson, 1892-1943. |
