| Home |
|
Clarinda Mariah (Armstrong) Wells |
|
| Clarinda Wells Courtesy Loran Koettel |
Clarinda Mariah (Armstrong) Wells was born on Aug. 11, 1841 in Ohio, the daughter of William "Forster" and Mary (Denmon) Armstrong and stepdaughter of Elizabeth "Libby" (Miner) Wilson.
At the age of 15, she confessed her faith in her savior Jesus Christ and joined the family church, likely the Bethel Methodist Church near Cardington. She was 15 when our Elizabeth became her stepmother.
On April 4, 1858, in Cardington, the 17-year-old Clarinda was united in the bonds of matrimony with Richard Wells (Sept. 28, 1836-1908), a native of Mt. Gilead, Morrow County who was raised by Quaker parents and had relocated to Iowa in 1856 or 1857, a year or two before marriage. Rev. G.W. Hissey officiated their nuptials, and a record of the wedding was inscribed in the family Bible.
Richard stood 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighed 190 lbs. and sported a dark complexion, dark hair and blue eyes.
The couple remained together for a remarkable 50 years. The seven known children they produced together were John Loren Wells, Ada Eudora "Dora" Cooper Everett, Marie "Ellen" Noble, George Wesley Wells, Mary Susan Long, Rosa Alice Morton and Laura Alvira "Vira" Etter.
The newlyweds almost immediately made a cross-country move to Mount Pleasant, IA, where Richard had been preparing a life of farming. There they began to build their lives together until the interruption of the Civil War.
 |
| The Wellses' fly-specked marriage record, signed by Rev. G.W. Hissey Courtesy National Archives |
During the war, Richard joined the Union Army on Aug. 14, 1862 at Mount Pleasant. He was placed within the 25th Iowa Volunteers, Company H, commanded by Capt. James Spearman, succeeded by Capt. Simons. His term of active service lasted for three years. Reported the Bethany (MO) Republican-Clipper:
He was with Gen. Grant in his first attack on Vicksburg and until the surrender of that place in July, 1863. He was in the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. In 1864 he was in the battle of Marietta, Resaca, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountains and Atlanta, and was with Sherman on his march to the Sea. During his service he was in three charges, viz: Vicksburg, Atlanta and McAllister. After the march to the Sea was made he marched with Sherman's army to Columbia, South Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and was in the Grand Review at Washington, D.C.
His service was plagued by illness and injury. The first was a case of bronchitis he contracted at Youngs Point, MS on New Year's Day 1863, an area of bayous and high water, as Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army marched south through Louisiana and crossed the Ontonabee River into Mississippi. Then in May or June 1863, near Black River Bridge in Mississippi, near Vicksburg, he developed scurvy which caused his legs to swell and sores to form on the legs. He also experienced sickness from malaria ("ague") on July 15, 1863 and then again on April 25, 1864. While in the line of duty in Atlanta in July 1864, in jumping a ditch while making a charge, he suffered a hernia rupture from which he never fully recovered. He afterward claimed he had never been treated in a hospital during the war, but rather than "I was put on a hospital boat at Youngs Point La. and stayed there one night and deserted it the next morning and went back to the regiment at the same place." Fellow 25th Iowa infantryman William H. Vincent, later of Weir City, KS, and W.S. Zickefoose, of Wayne, IA were witnesses to these ailments, with Vincent writing that Richard "looking like the shadows of men."
 |
| Union soldiers tear up rail track on Sherman's march to the sea |
He also is known to have been granted a 30-day furlough on Jan. 24, 1864 for meritorious conduct. Richard received his honorable discharge on June 6, 1865 in Washington, DC and then headed for home. Arriving about the last of June, he wrote:
[I] got home to Mount Pleasant Iowa ... and stayed there not quite a week and went to Columbus Ohio where I remained about amonth when I returned to Mt. Pleasant Iowa where I remained about two weeks. While at Mt. Pleasant Ia. I bought a team & wagon and started west, I stopped at West Liberty in Warren Co. Ia. for about two weeks and then went to Sanderville Iowa, in same Co., and remained two or three weeks then I went to Pleasnatville in Marion Co. Ia and stayed there nearly a year. While here I was treated fyr Bronchitis and Survey and its results by one Dr. Covington of that Place. Dr. Covington is now dead. From Pleasantville Ia. I went to Baxter Springs Kansas where I remained about a month and when Imoved on and reached Harrison Co. Mo. in November 1867 where I now live and have lived ever since... While I was traveling around, from my Disrhcarge to Nov. 1867 I made but few acquaintances... While traveling I stopped several times and got medicine.
While in Ohio in 1865, he spent a month in Cardington, visiting his and Clarinda's families, including his brother Job Wells and kinsman Henry C. Wells. Wrote brother Job: "[He] came to visit me from Mt. Pleasant Iowa... At that time [he] was in verry poor health. He looked weak poor and emaciated, was suffering with Bronchial trouble causing him to cough and expectorate a great deal." While on that visit back home, the Wellses also spent time with friend Oscar Parker. Richard and Parker sent swimming together at that time, and Richard showed him the protrusion caused by the rupture.
Then just before leaving Mount Pleasant in the wagon, said friend Samuel Parker, "I rember of having visited him just before he started west. This was about Sept. 1865 and at this time he was unable for any manual labor by reason of the ... disabilities."
The family settled in the fall of 1867 in Martinsville near Bethany, Harrison County, MO. They owned a tract of 80 acres in Township 64, North, Range 29 West, Section 29. There they remained for the 40 remaining years of their lives together. Richard is named and the farm shown in the 1876 book Historical Atlas of Harrison County, Missouri, published by Edwards Brothers.
 |
| Richard and Clarinda's list of the children and birthdates.Courtesy National Archives |
In the winter of 1868-1869 he earned income tending a flock of sheep for Richard Lovelace in Bethany, MO, and continued to be employed by Lovelace through 1874. He showed his employer the sores and scars on his legs. He became acquainted with neighbor Cornelius Edwards in the late 1860s and the two became neighbors near Martinsville in 1875.
Richard's wartime ailments pervaded the rest of his life. Circa 1873, he rented out his farm to tenants, and earned income by the day through work for neighbor James Clelland. Remembered Clelland,
As he was a man that did not give up for every little sickness I did not know so much of his trublels till 1874 when he Richard Wells was taken down with a sor throt. I thought he could not live some times in bed part of the time he was able to be about with a Muff around hs neck and over his mouth. Before he was taken down he called on Dock Campbell of Albany, Gentry Co. Mo. then in the spring of 1880 Richard Wells started with our stock for Chichago was in poor health before he started got wors so I had to send him home by night for he could not stand the hot sun. He was laid in the botom of the wagon covered up from the damp ayer... One summer he had a hand to do the work for him... It was from the farm at Bancroft, Daviess Co. Mo I sent Wells home in the botom of the wagon after night.
In June 1884, at the age of about 48, he wrote that "the rupture is located in the lower part of the abdomen and lets his insides down into his privates. The survy has resulted in running sores on his legs below his knees, being worse in the summer than in the winter." Upon seeing his kinsman Henry C. Wells again, in the summer of 1885, Henry watched as Richard coughed and spit phlegm excessively, "the symptoms was alarming to me," he wrote. "His appearance to me at that time was he a perfect wreck of his former self and was certainly unfit to perform any kind of manual labor."
|
Surgeon's sketch of Richard's wartime injuries Courtesy National Archives |
For a year, Richard was employed as foreman on a farm owned by James Clelland and his brother at New Hampton, Harrison County, and the Wellses lived in the Clelland household. Richard and Clelland worked together at times, and the employer became aware of Richard's throat soreness and sores of the legs. In an affidavit dated Aug. 17, 1889, neighbor Thomas D.P. Kidwell claimed that Richard "was one of the best farm hands." Friend Joseph Heber of Mount Pleasant also saw the rupture one day when the two men were bathing in a creek.
In April 1893, he underwent surgery to alleviate the hernia which had become strangulated and thus potentially life-threatening. The incision did not heal, and his physician Dr. M.H. Eades observing that the ring was still open "and larger than before." Richard complained of this in April 1903 when requesting an increase in pension payments. When examined by military surgeons for periodic checkups, they noticed his varicose veins with swollen ulcers "as large as quail eggs" and the size of his hernia "as large as half gallon bucket."
He was treated during the last 10 years of his life by Dr. E.H. Bryson of Bethany.
Richard was gathered in by the Angel of Death on Oct. 11, 1908. Presbyterian Church pastor Rev. E.D. Barnes led the funeral service in the Wells home, assisted by Rev. A.N. Cave. Burial was in Miriam Cemetery, with many good friends then accompanying the body to the burying ground. An obituary in the Bethany Democrat said that he was "a kind and loving father" and was survived by "his wife who mourns his loss and who for 50 years has been a faithful devoted companion." The Republican-Clipper added that Richard:
...has ever been an honorable citizen, respected by the many who knew him. He was a man of excellent character, a chrstian man, having been a member of the Presbyterian church at Martinsville for a quarter of a century. Mr. Wells ever took great pleasure in saying that he was never drunk, never chewed tobacco, smoked a pipe or cigar, and never played a game of cards during his life.
As a widow, Clarinda immediately applied to receive a pension for her husband's military service. It was granted on Oct. 19, 1908. [Widow App. #906.448 - Cert. #667.937]
Clarinda lived as a widow for 14 years. She belonged to the Bethany Presbyterian Church. She frequently visited with her adult children in their towns of residence, and these events became fodder for the gossip columns of the local newspapers. She is known to have spent the winter of 1922 with her daughter Ada Eudora Everett
Despite suffering from chronic heart disease, she made a trip to Bozeman, MT in the fall of 1922 to visit her son John. Reported the Republican-Clipper:
She was sick a part of the time during her visit in Montana, but having felt better and being so desirous of getting back to her home in Bethany, she attempted the trip. John accompanied her some distance on her homeward journal, but having sickness in his own home returned to his family. She assured him of her ability to make the rest of the way home alone, but she suffered nervous breakdown before reaching the home of her daughter in Albany, where she died two days later.
She passed away at the age of 81 in the Everett residence in Albany on Oct. 19, 1922. Interment of the remains was in Bethany. Rev. Lester A. Thompson led the funeral service, with help from Rev. Cooper and Rev. Wayman. Of their large family, only son John in Montana was unable to attend. Daughter Ada signed the official Missouri certificate of death. An obituary in the Republican-Clipper expressed the hope that "May God bless all these children in their sad hour. Dear mother is gone, but -- 'Asleep till Jesus comes, To end these bloomy hours, And brings to life ourlived ones, To dwell in Eden's bowers'." The obituary also noted that she was survived by 23 grandchildren and 49 great-grandchildren.
~ Son John Loren Wells ~
Son John Loren Wells (1859-1931) was born on Feb. 13, 1859 in Marion County, IA.
In boyhood he moved with his parents to Martinsville near Bethany, MO.
On June 18, 1876, at the age of 18, John wed Rebekah Groom ( ? - ? ).
They became the parents of three -- Lincoln Albert Wells, Laura Anise Suhr and Lillian M. Button.
 |
| Bozeman, Montana, set against the Rocky Mountains |
As a young man John attended Standberry Normal School in Chillicothe, MO with the intention of becoming trained as a school teacher. Circa 1883, the family relocated to Montana where they settled near Bozeman in the Gallatin Valley. The county touches on Yellowstone National Park and Custer Gallatin National Forest.
For 33 years, John was a local school teacher. He is known to have returned to Missouri to teach for two years before returning to Gallatin County for good. They purchased a farm ranch 13 miles east of Bozeman, MT.
When his father was dying in 1908, John came for a visit, and at the father's death, was unable to make a return trip back to Missouri.
John died in a hospital in Billings, MT on June 28, 1931. His obituary was printed in the Billings Gazette. Said another obituary in the Bethany (MO) Republican-Clipper, "He had been in poor health for some time but was not known to be critically ill." Burial was in Bozeman's Sunset Hills Cemetery.
Rebecca only outlived her spouse by a year. Death carried her away in 1932.
Son Lincoln Albert Wells (1881-1975)
Daughter Laura Anise Wells (1883-1947) was born in 1883. She married (?) Suhr. She died on April 14, 1947. Interment was in Sunset Hills Cemetery, Bozeman.
Daughter Lillian M. Wells (1885-1954) was born in 1885. She wed (?) Button.
~ Daughter Ada Eudora "Addie" (Wells) Cooper Everett ~
|
| 1st husband's grave Courtesy LaDon Brennan, Find-a-Grave |
She was twice-married. On Jan. 28,1886, she wed her first husband, widower James Walker Cooper (April 7, 1843-1901), a native of Knox County, TN. The bride was 18 years younger than the groom.
His offspring from an earlier marriage to Mary Elizabeth VanHoozier ( ? - ? ) included John V. Cooper, Nancy Emeline Rimer, William Riley Cooper, Hugh Elwhite Cooper, Francis M. Cooper and Ellis Walker Cooper. To this brood, said the Albany (MO) Ledger, "She was a kind and efficient step-mother." But sadly, she outlived them all.
A newspaper recounted her husband's own story -- coming to Harrison County, MO at age 14, then spending seven years ago in Arkansas for his health, then living for three years in Windsor, MO followed by a move to a farm four miles west of Calhoun, MO.
The federal census enumeration of 1900 shows Ada Eudora and James couple on a farm in Tebo Township, Henry County, MO.
Sadly, James passed away in Henry County on Feb. 16, 1901. Said a newspaper, "Despite the muddy roads, a good congregation was in attendance" for the funeral. His remains were laid to rest in Hickory Grove Cemetery in Tebo Township, Henry County.
On Jan. 22, 1905, Ada Eudora entered into wedlock with her second spouse, widower William Dallis/Dallas Everett (Aug. 21, 1844-1923). He was a native of Blunt County, TN who had migrated to Missouri at age eight.
From William's first marriage to Perlina Ralph ( ? - ? ), he brought these stepchildren into the second union, Daniel H. Everett, Elizabeth C. Everett, Martha C. Hunter, Mary Malinda "Linda" Hunter Tilley and Eppa Everett. Adding to the sadness, Ada Eudora also outlived the Everett stepchildren except for the youngest, Eppa.
Ada Eudora's home for decades was in and around New Hampton, MO, including in 1923 on a farm 3.5 miles south of town. Her parents and later her widowed mother often came for visits as chronicled in the local newspapers.
Burdened with heart disease, William surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 78 on May 3, 1923. His funeral services was led by lifelong friend and pastor Rev. A.L. Groom. An obituary said that he had been "converted at an early age and united with the Lone Star Baptist church and lived a true christian life in that faith until his death... He was always a kind and loving husband and father and will be sadly missed in the home and by all his loved ones."
Ada Eudora outlived him by almost a quarter of a century. She is known in August 1927 to have attended the annual Everett family reunion held at Krug Park in St. Joseph, MO, in company with her stepson George Wells. During the 1940s, she lived near New Hampton, MO and shared a home with her stepson Eppa. In February 1944, she traded her tract in the west section of New Hampton to Mrs. Isa Rogers and moved thereto. Circa 1944 she is known to have been burdened with heart problems. She contracted a serious case of influenza and bronchial pneumonia, and her sister and brother-in-law Rose and William Morton traveled from their residence in Iowa to give her care.
She died at home on March 22, 1947. Funeral services, led by Rev. W.W. Miller, were held in the New Hampton Methodist Church. Sacred music was sung by Mrs. Dale Foster, with Mrs. L.A. Parks on the piano. Pallbearers included Dee Webb, G.E. Scott, L.A. Parks, Joseph Grace, Fred Smith and Garvin Cooper. The remains were lowered under the sod of Miriam Cemetery in Bethany. An obituary in the Harrison County Times said that her stepson Eppa, "who had been with her a number of years, is greatly saddened by her death." Another obituary in the Ledger said she "lived a long useful Christian life of service to others" and "was a good neighbor and friend... We will not think of her as dead, but just away."
Stepson John V. Cooper (1864-1884) was born in 1864. At the age of 15, in 1880, he lived at home and worked on the family farm in Dallas, Harrison County, MO. Sadly, he died in 1884 before our Ada Eudora became his stepmother.
Stepdaughter Nancy Emeline Cooper (1867-1920) was born in 1867 in Gentry County, MO, the only daughter among six offspring. She grew up on a farm in Harrison County, MO. When she was 19 years of age, in 1886, she attended worship services led by Rev. Sette Dillon, a missionary Baptist preacher, and confessed her faith in Jesus Christ as her personal savior. Then in 1892, Nancy wed Clarence Rimer ( ? -1911), a resident of Russell, IA. Their only son was Clarence Rimer. The family made a home in Harrison County until migrating in the spring of 1907 to near Calhoun, Henry County. Sadness blanketed the family in 1911 when Clarence passed away, after 19 years of marriage. At this moment of grief, said the Clinton (MO) Eye, "She was called upon to give up her dear companion to whom she was very much devoted." His grave marker in Hickory Grove Cemetery was a hand-lettered piece of stone. In time she wed again to Samuel Raney ( ? - ? ) of Coal, MO. Her final home was on South Water Street in Clinton, MO. Suffering from stomach problems for the last decade of her life, she died at the age of 53 on May 5, 1920. Burial was in Englewood Cemetery, with Rev. Risk of the Baptist church officiating. An obituary in the Eye said "She has gone to join those of the family who had proceded her to that better land -- father, mother and one brother and a legion of other relatives."
She was of a sunny disposition -- always trying to do and say something that would help others, and in her afflictions she was very patient. Only once in a great while she would speak of her suffering. On last Wednesday evening, after the close of day and the sun had gone down, and when everything about nature was so quiet, the spirit of the new world stole in and took away our mother, our sister and our friend, to be with him who said: "Blessed are they that die in the Lord."
- Step-grandson Clarence Rimer (1893-1954) was born on Nov. 7, 1893 in Lucas County, IA. He married Hester Wheeler (1897-1974). For 37 years, they lived in Clinton, Henry County, MO. Clarence earned a living as a tinner with a sheet metal business. Their address in the 1950s was at 205 South Water Street, Clinton. Clarence was stricken with a heart attack in about 1952 and lived for another 20 months. After contracting congestive heart failure, he at age 60 passed into the arms of the angels on July 13, 1954. Burial of the remains was in Englewood Cemetery in Clinton.
Stepson William "Riley" Cooper (1870-1941) was born on Aug. 4, 1870. In 1893, when he was about 22 years of age, Riley entered into the bonds of marriage with Emma Cecelia Hershey (1872-1917). The family of four children they bore together were Albert Cooper, Edna M. Cooper, Anna Belle Ellwein and Mary Jane McNabb. They dwelled in Johnson County, MO as of 1901. By 1920, he had migrated to Colorado. Death came to claim Riley's life at the age of 70 on July 19, 1941. The remains were placed into eternal repose in Gardens of Memories Cemetery in Crawford, CO.
- Step-grandson Albert Cooper (1895-1953) was born on Oct. 17, 1895. In 1917, he was joined in wedlock with Abbie Glen Axtell (1894-1955). One known daughter was Vera Malone Kane. Albert passed away at age 57 on Sept. 29, 1953. He sleeps for all eternity in Garden of Memories Cemetery in Crawford, CO. Step-granddaughter Edna M. Cooper (1900-1919) was born in 1900. She appears not to have married. Sadness cascaded over the family when, at age 18 or 19, she passed away in 1919. Her body was lowered under the sod of Garden of Memories Cemetery, next to her mother's, in Crawford, CO.Step-granddaughter Anna Belle Cooper (1905-1971) was born on Oct. 21, 1905 in Missouri. She was twice-married. Anna Belle's first husband, circa 1926, was Walter Raymond Holybee (1901-1995). Together they produced four children -- Albert D. Holybee, Walter Leon Holybee, Catherine Mae Coe and Judith M. Chapman. After a divorce, she wed her second spouse, Frank Ellwein (1891-1984). Anna Belle generated income as a floor lady for a cannery in Stockton, CA. Their final years were spent in Lodi, near Sacramento, CA, at the address of 224 East Tokay Street. Anna Belle surrendered to the spirit of death at age 65, in Sacramento, on May 23, 1971. She sleeps for the ages in Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi, CA. An obituary in the Lodi News-Sentinel said that she "moved to the Lodi-Stockton area in 1934." Son Walter Leon Holybee married Barbara Rose Tate (1942-2015) who died in Modesto, CA on May 3, 2015. Son-in-law James Arthur Coe (1927-2009) died in Lodi, Ca on Jan. 2, 2009. The Holybees' daughter Shelly Lynn Nichols (1959-2009) died in Modesto, CA on May 28, 2009.Step-granddaughter Mary Jane Cooper (1907-1986) was born on Oct. 25, 1907 on Oct. 25, 1907 in Windsor, MO. She wed William A. McNabb ( ? - ? ). Two sons of this union were Robert "Bob" McNabb and Dennis McNabb. The pair lived in Stockton, CA in 1971. Mary Jane passed away at age 78 on Feb. 5, 1986 in Mountain Home, AR, with an obituary appearing in the Baxter Bulletin. Their son Bob (1926-1999) wed Frances Ruth Kullman (1928-2007) in 1947 and produced a pair of children, Craig McNabb and Karen McNabb. Frances passed away at Lake St. Louis, MO at the age of 79 on June 11, 2007.
Stepson Hugh Elwhite "Huey" Cooper (1871-1944) was born on Oct. 17, 1871 northwest of Martinsville, MO, near the Gentry/Harrison County line, on what was known as the John Beckett farm. He attended the Martinsville School, taught by J.S. Magee. Hugh was about 14 years of age when his father married our Ada Eudora. He worked on the home farm in young manhood and also helped provide labor on neighbors' farms. Circa 1899, said the Albany (MO) Ledger:
... he was converted at the Hill's Chapel Church west of Lone Star, under the ministry of L.W. Jones. Following his conversion, God laid his hand on him and called him to preach the Gospel. Later he was licensed as a local preacher in the Methodist Church. During his ministry he served the following churches: Eagleville, Denver, Weatherby, Pleasant Valley, Mt. Sinai, Union Chapel, Heath Chapel, Matkins, Buckley Chapel, Wesley Chapel, Mt. Olivett and other local churches. It is true he hath done what he could -- his efforts and service of love he rendered was appreciated by the people he served... He loved the church and the work of the Kingdom. His motto was to advance the kingdom and help others.
On Oct. 19, 1898, at the age of 27, Hugh was joined in wedlock with Theo M. Parker (1879-1955). They produced a family of three -- Edith Cooper, Ross Cooper and Carl Preston Cooper. Sadly, infants Roberta died in 1908 and Ross died in 1910. In 1901 their residence was in Harrison County, and he remained there in 1920. He remained close with his stepmother over the years, and they enjoyed hosting each other for dinner, especially at holidays. Hugh also earned income as a photographer and in 1903 was appointed a rural postal carrier operating from the New Hampton psot office. He carried the mail for 24 years and, said the Ledger, "served his patrons well and today they speak very highly of him and the splendid service he gave them." Poor health forced him to quit working in about 1927. For the remaining 18 years of his life, said the Ledger, "he was tenderly care for by his loving companion and family and was patient and kind to all his loved ones and friends and often said 'I will not be here long.' He further expressed his hope and faith in his loving Heavenly Father whom he served in the ministry for more than 35 years. He loved his home and family and many times mentioned his grandchildren." The angel of death cut away Hugh at the age of 72, in New Hampton, MO, on June 21, 1944. The Ledger said in an obituary that "After a life well spent a voice said unto him 'Come up higher, well done though good and faithful servant, enter into eternal rest -- you have fought a good fight, you have finished your course, you have kept the faith, there is a crown of victory waiting for you." A quartet of singers at the funeral -- J.W. Cover, Charles Cover, Mabel Parks and Ilene Magee, accompanied by J.W.'s wife -- sang Going Down in the Valley, Does Jesus Care and How Firm a Foundation. Pallbearers were Vern White, A.E. Clark, Charles Dale, w.H. Kariker, George Scott and Cleo Mock. With Rev. H.G. Bloomfield officiating the funeral, with assistance from Rev. W.S. Tussey, burial followed in Foster Cemetery.
- Step-grandson Carl Preston Cooper (1899-1969) was born Sept. 16, 1899 in Bethany, MO. He was married twice. His first spouse, in 1922 was Mary Elizabeth Williams (1903-1979). Following a divorce, he was united in matrimony in 1935 with Bera Pauline Clark (1917-1983). They resided in Kansas City, MO. In all, he was the father of five -- Elliott Earl Cooper, Gerald Ernest Cooper, Garvin Nelson Cooper, Vernon Hugh Cooper and Carl Brian Cooper. Sadly, son Gerald died at the age of about one in 1926. During World War II, son Elliott served in England in the U.S. Armed Forces. Carl passed away on Sept. 29, 1969 in New Hampton, MO.
Step-great-grandson Elliott Earl Cooper died in Forest City, IA on March 26, 2008 while his wife Anna J. (Oline) Cooper (1921-2012) passed in Mason City, IA on Oct. 11, 2012.
Step-great-grandson Garvin Nelson Cooper wed Peggy Ann Perona (1920-2008). Peggy died in Mount Ayr, IA at age 88 on Sept. 24, 2009.
Step-great-grandson Vernon Hugh Cooper
Step-great-grandson Carl Brian Cooper (1936-2015) was born in 1936. In 1974, he married Janice Laverne (Helle) Comeau Malm (1933-2013). She died in Bismarck, ND on Nov. 15, 2013 and he in Bismarck on March 24, 2015.
Stepson Francis M. Cooper (1874- ? ) was born in about 1874 in Missouri. Francis lived in Minnesota circa 1901, in Latham, MO as of 1920 and in California in 1944.
Stepson Ellis Walker Cooper (1880-1926) was born in Feb. 1880 in Missouri. Single at the age of 20, in 1900, he made a home with his father and stepmother on a farm in Tebo Township, Henry County, MO. In 1910, he was united in matrimony with Luella N. Shafer (1883-1973). The Coopers' residence in 1920 as in Colorado. Nothing more is known.
Stepson Daniel H. Everett ( ? - ? ) was deceased by 1923.
Stepdaughter Elizabeth C. Everett ( ? - ? ) was deceased by 1923.
 |
| Albany, Missouri, where the Hunters resided |
Stepdaughter Martha Caroline Everett (1870-1941) was born on Jan. 27, 1870 in Gentry County, MO. When she was 16 years old, she became a Christian and became a member of the Baptist Church at Lone Star. At the age of 19, on March 3, 1889, she married Absalom N. "A.N." Hunter (Nov. 26, 1864-1942), son of James and Elizabeth Grace Hunter of Harrison County. Their marriage endured the ups and downs of a remarkable 52 years. Four children born in this union were Francis Lee Hunter, James Dallas Hunter, Ray Hunter and Goldie Smith. Absalom also was a youthful convert to faith in Jesus Christ and also belonged to the Lone Star church. Their lives were spent on a farm in Gentry County, MO, and in 1918 they moved to a property in Albany, MO, just south of town. During those years they held a membership in the Albany Baptist Church. When her son became seriously ill, recalled the Albany (MO) Ledger, Martha made "gentle Christian sacrifices in sharing in the years of care of that patient Christian sufferer, Francis Lee Hunter..." But she also gave "devotion and kind service ... for friends and neighbors were also included in her life of every day duties." In October 1941, she fell at home and fractured the left thigh bone between the hip and knee. About that same time, her brother Eppa came for a visit of several days. Said the Ledger, "Shock from the injury together with ... illness placed her in a critcal condition and death followed." She succumbed to the spectre of death at the age of 71 on Nov. 19, 1941. Rev. Robert Turner preached the funeral sermon. Burial was in Lone Star Baptist Church. The widowed Absalom remained in Albany, with his granddaughters Marjorie Hunter and Phyllis Faye Smith coming to live with him and provide care. During that time, he legally transferred ownership of the 45-acre family farm to daughter Goldie, located in Township 7, Section 64, Range 29 and in Township 12, Range 64, Range 30. After falling down a flight of steps at home, resulting in a compression fracture of his neck vertebrae, he was admitted to Mercy Hospital in St. Joseph, MO and died after a five-day stay on March 31, 1942. His obituary in the Ledger said he "was a devoted husband and upright in all his dealings, a kind neighbor, and was always ready to lend a helping hand in time of need. He was liked by all who knew him." Rev. Robert Turner conducted the funeral.
- Step-grandson Francis Lee Hunter (1891-1934) was born on May 23, 1891 near Lone Star, Gentry County, MO. Reported the Albany (MO) Ledger, he "grew to manhood in his home community, and secured what education he could obtain at the Adams rural school. Always of a sunny, cheerful disposition, he made friends as fast as he made acquaintances. Naturally industrious and ambitious, he sought to establish for himself a home where he might realize his hopes and aspirations. And a beautiful beginning was made when on July 27, 1917, he was united in marriage to Miss Ida May Snead [ ? - ? ] of the Lone Star community." For reasons not yet known, at the time of marriage, he lost one leg due to amputation, in order to save his life. The Ledger said "his courage and fortitude enabled him to make remarkable strides toward achieving success as a farmer and manager." In September 1917, having already been a Christian for six years, he joined the Lone Star Baptist Church. Later, he transferred the membership to the Albany Baptist Church. In time he his other leg needed to be removed, and then both arms became paralyzed, followed by blindness. His heart remained undaunted, said the Ledger, and "his cheerful spirit and unyielding will kept up his fine intellectual powers and spiritual buoyancy, which has never lagged during his long periods of affliction. He was an eager listener to radio sermons and religious programs and took great delight in listening to reports of his own pastor's sermons as given by his faithful companion who took notes of same whenever his own condition did not require her presence at his bedside, in order to bear the message home to him." In addition to Ida May, Francis' parents and married sister Goldie Smith provided continuing care. He achieved fame in January 1933 when a special song Listening In and George W. Hall's poem, "My House and I," were performed and dedicated to him over Omaha radio station WOW-AM. Hall added in the Ledger that "Mr. Hunter's resignation to his condition, the character he developed during the years of his invalidism and the appreciation he shows for the services tendered him by his family and loved ones are the wonder and admiration of all who know of his circumstances." Of the broadcast, the Albany (MO) Capital said that "His many friends will be glad to hear these numbers, since it is his sincere wish to reach as many as possible with his testimony of the Divine Power that, even under such affliction, makes his life a living epistle." When he contnracted influenza, leading to enlargement of his heart, Francis died at the age of 42 on March 22, 1934. On the Missouri death certificate, the physician wrote: "He had tubercular arthritis for 20 years. Leg off about 20 years ago. Other leg off 6 yrs. ago." Burial was in Lone Star. The widowed Francis outlived her spouse by 43 years. She made a home near Lone Star in 1941 and at some point moved to Denver, MO. Her final years were spent in Gladstone, OR. She died at Gladstone at the age of 81 in March or April 1977. The body was shipped back to Lone Star for burial.
- Step-grandson James Dallas Hunter (1898-1923) was born on Oct. 3, 1898. In 1916, when he was 17 or 18 years old, he confessed his faith in Jesus Christ as his savior and was admitted to membership in the Lone Star Baptist Church. Later that year, on Dec. 11, 1916, he tied the knot with Myrtle Runyan (1896- ? ). One daughter born to the pair was Marjorie Hunter. The family lived on a farm four miles northeast of Lone Star, Gentry County, MO. For some time, he suffered from organic heart trouble. Reported the Albany (MO) Capital, he was treated by Dr. Barger, "who advised him of the seriousness of the condition and warned him that death would overtake him as suddenly as the blowing out of a lamp. He had been feeling better lately and he and his father were on their way to Albany for him to get more medicine when his death occurred. A rain had just fallen and they were attempting to pull the Barger hill one mile north of New Hampton without chains and James was out pushing the car and helping hold it in the road. When he got near the top of the hill he jumped on the running board and rode a few feet. He complained of feeling ill and they stopped and sat on the grass near the roadside and it was but a few minutes until the final summons came." He died beside the road that fateful day of May 29, 1923. Rev. Haynie led the funeral, in the family church, with burial following in Lone Star Cemetery.
- Step-grandson Ray Hunter (1896-1911) was born on Feb. 3, 1896 and spent his boyhood on the family farm northest of Lone Star, Gentry County, MO At the age of about 15, he contracted the measles. Reported the Albany (MO) Capital, he "had been thought to be safely on the way to recovery after having a severe attack... but took a relapse, and his death resulted. He was a good boy, and his death will be deplored by all who knew him." The angel of death cut him away on May 16, 1911. Rev. A.L. Groom preached a short sermon at the funeral. The remains sleep for the ages in Lone Star Cemetery.
- Step-granddaughter Goldie Hunter (1898-1970) was born on Sept. 15, 1898. She wed Fred Smith ( ? - ? ). He brought two stepdaughters into the union, Thelma Farthing and Eleanor Yount. They dwelled on the home farm near Lone Star. The one known daughter they produced togetheer was Phyllis Fay Smith. Goldie made visits over the years with her step-grandmother Ada Eudora Everett. In the months leading up to her father's death in 1942, he transferred to her ownership more than 45-acres of the family farm in Township 7, Section 64, Range 29 and in Township 12, Range 64, Range 30. After retiring, the widowed Goldie made her final home at 609 North Case in the town of Albany, Gentry County. Suffering from depression, on the fateful day of Feb. 12, 1970, at the age of 71, she took her own life by placing a plastic bag over her head leading to suffociation. Burial was in Grandview West Cemetery in Albany, following a funeral by the hand of Rev. Roy Herford. An obituary was published in the St. Joseph Gazette. Stepdaughter Eleanor Yount of St. Joseph, MO was the informant for the death certificate.
Step-granddaughter Mary Malinda "Linda" Everett (1878-1938) was born on July 30, 1878 in Gentry County, MO. At a young age she became a Christian and joined the membershi rolls of the Lone Star Baptist Church. Her first husband, whom she married on Oct. 28, 1897, was James Hunter ( ? -1901), son of Elder Tomps Hunter. Their only child died in infancy. Adding to the heartache, James at age 22 was killed in a freak sawmill accident near Gara, MO on April 16, 1901.
Reported the Albany (MO) Ledger, "Another of those sad misfortunes that so frequently seem to occur in this section of the country occurred Tuesday morning two miles east of Siloam Springs on the farm of Sterling Runyon. They had set up a horse-power saw for sawing wood ready for the stove. As they started up their powerful horses soon put the saw in great speed when James Hunter picked up a heavy stick of wood and threw iton the table when one end came in contact with the fly wheel, bursting it, one piece striking him below the breast bone, tearing out ribs on each side of his body and carrying away part of his liver. The force threw him 12 or 15 feet against the fence. A messenger took a horse at once and ran to this place for medical aid. Dr. Chipp started at once for the dreadful scene but as Mr. Hunter did not live but a few minutes he found life had become extinct. He spoke some before he died and seemed conscious to the last. He told his father he wanted to kiss him when the heartbroken father leaned over and tenderly gave him a last embrace. I should have named before this that they had carried him into Mr. Runyon's house and laid him on the bed where he breathed his last. He had called for his wife who was nearly a mile from the accident. A messenger was sent with all haste for her but before she reached him he had been dead probably 30 minutes... He came of a good family and was married to a daughter of Dallas Everett a few years since. It is almost needless to say our community are in deep sympathy with the afflicted family, which was easily perceptible on the countenance of every one who came to town. The thunder storm the night before probably put our phone out of order, at least it would not work, which put the friends to great inconvenience in getting immediate word to friends."
Burial was in the Lone Star Cemetery. Mary remained a widow for more than three years. On May 1, 1904, she wed Augustine "Gus" Tilley (Aug. 24, 1861-1935), whose name at times has been misspelled "Lilley." He was the son of Luther and Martha (Martin) Tilley of Harrison County, and had been married once before, to Sadie Hesseltine ( ? - ? ). Thus he brought six stepchildren into the marriage with our Mary -- Luther Tilley and Harvey "Harve" Tilley plus four who passed away at young ages. Mary and Augustine went on to bear four more offspring -- Curtis W. Tilley, Jewel Smith, Daisy Morris and Grant U. Tilley. Grief cascaded over the family when son Curtis died at the age of two. The federal census of 1910 shows the young family in Polk, DeKalb County, MO. In time they moved to their home farm near New Hampton, MO. Augustan developed chronic kidney disease which led to uremic poisoning. He died home at the age of 73 on March 13, 1935. Burial of his remains was in Tilley-Youngman Cemetery in Bethany, MO, with Rev. H.G. Bloomfield and Rev. Akers co-officiating the funeral service, held in the Methodist Episcopal Church of New Hampton. The church choir, accompanied by pianist Mrs. J.W. Cover, sang Going Down in the Valley and Does Jesus Care. Pallbearers were Paul Hiatt, Willie Roberts, Carter Hesseltine, Ora Tilley, Ed Tilley and Everett Tilley. The New Hampton Tribune printed an obituary. Mary Malinda lived for another three-plus years as a widow. Stricken with a cerebral embolism, added to heart valve disease, she was cut away by the angel of death at age 60, in New Hampton, on Oct. 6, 1938. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. W.e. Akers in the Methodist Episcopal Church at New Hampton, after which interment of the body was in Lone Star Cemetery. Son Grant Tilley of New Hampton signed the Missouri certificate of death. Her Tribune obituary said she "was a faithful companion, mother and friend and her passing will be greatly mourned by a host of relatives and friends."
- Double-step-grandson Luther A. Tilley ( ? - ? ) made his home in 1935 in Quapaw, OK.
- Double-step-grandson Harvey "Harve" Tilley (1889-1973) was born in about 1889 south of Bethany, MO. He migrated to Montana in young manhood and in 1915 dwelled in Miles City, MT. In February 1915, he entered into marriage with his first wife, Wilda Reynolds (1888- ? ), daughter of Dr. A.C. Reynolds of Bethany. News of their marriage license was printed in the Bethany (MO) Republican-Clipper. They did not reproduce. The newlyweds first lived in St. Joseph, MO, where Harvey was employed as a sheep shearer. In 1922, they pulled up stakes and relocated to Wyoming, and received a farewell party from their neighbors, with a related story appearing in the St. Joseph News-Press. By 1930, the pair had moved again to Washington State and settled in Yakima. The federal census enumeration of 1930 shows the childless couple in Yakima, with Harvey earning a living as a collector for a finance company. Eventually he became a realtor, working for Byron Davis Realty. A subsequent marriage to Mary (1907- ? ), who was 18 years younger than he, and a hospital telephone operator, ended in divorce in Spokane in 1958. Later he married Retta (Kimball) White ( ? - ? ). She brought four stepchildren to the marriage with Harvey -- Virgil White, Delores Murphy, Mayme Mathison and Charlotte Vorderbruggen. Harvey was a member of the Morman [Mormon?] Church and for 50 years belonged to the Masons, including the Clarkston lodge in Spokane. Harvey lived in 1935 in Quapaw, OK. By the early 1970 they relocated to Spokane, WA. He died in Spokane at the age of 85 in 1973. A death notice appeared in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, and his hometown newspaper, the Republican-Clipper, published an obituary. Retta survived for another 11 years. She died on Aug. 7, 1984.
- Double step-randdaughter Jewel Tilley married (?) Smith. Two offspring of the couple were Virginia Helen Smith and Roger Charles Smith. She dwelled in 1935 in Denver, MO and in 1997 in DeSoto, KS.
- Double step-granddaughter Daisy Tilley married Raymond Morris. Their two children were Eddie Ray Morris and Mary Lou Morris. She resided in Boone, IA in 1935 and St. Helens, OR in 1973.
- Double step-grandson Grant U. Tilley (1911-1997) was born on Oct. 30, 1911 in St. Joseph, MO. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army. Later he joined the Ragan-Hickman post of the American Legion in Mercer, MO. On July 29, 1950, when he was 38 years of age, Grant wed Marjorie Brown ( ? - ? ). The wedding was held in Marshall, MO. Together they bore two offspring, Linda Delameter and Bruce Tilley. A mechanic by training, Grant earned a living over the years with the Carlisle Motor Company and Hoover Implement Company of Princeton, MO, and by B&L Motor Company of Mercer, MO. He then struck out on his own and launched his own business in Princeton, with retirement in 1980. Marjorie was active with the Christian Women's Fellowship of the Christian Church in Princeton. They remained in Princeton for good. In July 1990, the couple marked their 40th wedding anniveersary with a dinner at the Olin Delameter residence. Grant died at the age of 85, on Jan. 19, 1997, in a local healthcare facility. His obituary was published in the St. Joseph News-Press. The remains were lowered into the soil of Princeton Cemetery.
Stepson Eppa S. "Eppy" Everett (1877-1947) was born on Jan. 30, 1877 in Gentry or Harrison County, MO. He spent his entire life in Gentry and Harrison Counties. In young manhood he joined the Lone Star Baptist Church and spent his life in devoted Christian ways. In about 1925, he wed Myrtle Needham ( ? - ? ). The couple divorced by 1940. He was considered a highly respected citizen of the community. In the mid-1940s, Eppa made his home with his stepmother in the west part of New Hampton, MO. She died early in 1947, and from that time on he dwelled alone. Eppa passed away without warning at the age of 70 on Aug. 7, 1947. While working near the Elza Kidwell home, said the Harrison County Times, he died "after taking a cow to the pasture [and] was found by Mrs. William Noble who, with her husband, is doing chores at the Kidwell home, while the latter are on a vacation. Dr. R.L. Gunn was called but on his arrival pronounced Eppa dead. It is thought due to exhaustion and heat, he passed away from a heart attack." Interment of the remains was in Magee Cemetery, with Rev. W.W. Miller in charge.
 |
| Railroad depot, Chariton, IA |
~ Daughter Marie "Ellen" (Wells) Noble ~
Daughter Marie Ellen "Ella" Wells (1863-1949) was born on June 1, 1863 in Mount Pleasant, Henry County, IA. In girlhood she moved with her family to Kansas and thence to Bethany, MO.
On July 3, 1881, when she was about age 18, she wed Clark Noble (Feb. 21, 1861-1938), son of William and Martha Noble.
They were parents of a brood of offspring and adopted children -- William "Willie" Noble, Albert Noble, Rosa Borrell, Arthur Noble, Charles Noble, Alice Hawkins and Mary "Mildred" Noble. Grief descended on the young family when son William died at a year of age and then adopted daughter Martha in infancy in 1907.
As newlyweds they moved to Booneville near Van Meter, IA, where they stayed for four years. They relocated to Plattsmouth, NE and after six years migrated to Valley Junction, IA. After three years there, they settled in 1894 in near Russell and Chariton, IA and never left.
|
Circa 1930, he became an invalid and stayed in this condition for the remaining seven-and-a-half years of his existence. The pair's final address was at the corner of LaGrange Avenue and East 2nd Street.
Clark passed away in Chariton on Jan. 8, 1938. Burial was in Chariton Cemetery, with local Church of the United Brethren pastor Rev. O.O. Hobson officiating the funeral. The headcount of his survivors included 18 grandchildren.
Ellen spent her last years in Chariton. The angel of death cleaved her away at the age of 85 on April 5, 1949. Rev. W.L. Peters, of the local Baptist Church, led the services. Her obituary was printed in the Chariton Herald-Patriot.
Son Albert Emanuel Noble (1884-1928) was born on Jan. 27, 1884 in Booneville, Dallas County, IA. At the age of 10 he accompanied his parents and family in a move to Chariton, where he spent the rest of his life. On Dec. 7, 1906, when he was 22 years of age, he entered into marriage with Minnie (Baumbardner) Whittier ( ? - ? ). She had been wed previously and brought a stepson into the second union, David Whittier. The pair went on to produce five offspring of their own -- Dorothy Ellen Wright, Marion Noble, Ethel Noble, Maxine Mildred Powers and John Noble, who died in infancy in November 1913. For about a dozen years, he was employed by the Rock Island Railway Company. Said the Chariton Herald-Patriot, Albert "was well liked by his co-workers and highly regarded by all who knew him. He was honest and conscientious, kind and devoted to his family, a good neighbor and citizen... He was at one time a member of the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department and rendered efficient service." Sadly, he was stricken with incurable cancer and with no cure in sight, in December 1927, he became a Christian, committing his soul to his savior. After several months of what a newspaper called "intense suffering," Albert died at the age of 43 on Jan. 20, 1928. Said the Herald-Patriot, "Everything that medical skill and loving hands could do to restore him to health and to alleviate his pain was done, but the all-wise Heavenly Father saw fit to remove him to the home above. [His] demise will be deplored by a large circle of friends... The sorrowing relatives who mourn his passing will have the sympathy of the entire community." Funeral services were led by Rev. J.A. Riggs, at the First Baptist Church, and were well-attended. Interment of the remains was in Chariton Cemetery.
Daughter Rosa Alvira Noble (1885-1960) was born in 1885. She married (?) Borrell. She was in Chariton, IA in 1928-1938. Death whisked her away in 1960.
Son Arthur Noble ( ? - ? ) moved to Kansas City, MO and was there in 1928. Later he established his residence in Evansville, IN and was there in 1938-1949.
Son Charles Orland Noble (1890-1946) was born in 1890. He made his home in Des Moines, IA in the late 1930s. He passed away in 1946.
Adopted daughter Alice Menefee Noble (1907-1985) was born in 1907 in Des Moines, IA. She married Lehi Earl Hawkins ( ? - ? ). She lived in Chicago in 1928, Chariton, IA in 1938 and Rockford, IL in 1949. She died in 1985.
~ Son George Wesley Wells ~
Son George Wesley Wells (1868-1942) was born on May 17, 1868 in Martinsville, Harrison County, MO.
On New Year's Eve 1890, he married Wenona Myers ( ? - ? ), daughter of George W. and Caroline (Rupe) Myers of Bethany. Performing the nuptials was justice of the peace Albert Towns.
The couple together produced three daughters and a son -- Georgia May Geyer, Carolyn Gillespie, Myrtle Lenore Meek and Willliam R. Wells.
They spent their lives in the area of Bethany, MO, at times east and other times north, except for five or six years southwest of his birthplace in Martinsville. The family was plunged into grief at the death of son William in 1903 at about the age of five.
For three decades, from 1903 to 1933, George was employed as a rural mail carrier based at the U.S. Post Office in Bethany. "When the route was consolidated and went from Bethany to Brooklyn, it contained, in all, 27 miles," reported the Harrison County Times.
George was in poor health during the first months of 1942 and became bedfast in mid-February from the effects of chronic heart problems.
Death swept him into eternity at the age of 73 on Feb. 17, 1942. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. Cecil R. Murrow of the Christian Church. Pallbearers included Dick VanHoozer, Luther Youngs, Joe Taylor, Arthur Buntin, George Bell and Eugene Sutherlin. Among the musical selections, performed by Mrs. Harry Shroyer, Mrs. Rolla Bartlett, L.E. Cassady and S.M. Haas, accompanied on the piano by Mrs. J.G.E. Hinkle, were Going Down the Valley, Eastern Gate and Sometime We'll Understand. Interment of the remains was in Miriam Cemetery, with an obituary appearing in the Times.
Wenona is known to have spent her first Christmas as a widow in the home of her daughter Carolyn. She became blind but, reported the Bethany Republican Clipper, "maintained her interest in life and, as one outlet for mental activity, wrote occasional poetry. She learned to continue writing with a pencil, in her blindness. This was done by feel of the paper and with a ruler." Her last five years were spent in the Lacy Convalescence Home in Bethany.
At the age of 81, burdened with heart and kidney disease, she was stricken by a cerebral hemorrhage and then contracted bronchial pneumonia. She surrendered to the spirit of death on June 28, 1955. Rev. O.D. Hedges led the funeral, which included singing by Mrs. Raleigh Bartlett, Mrs. William Scott, Wayne Wilson and Russell Butz. Interment followed in Miriam Cemetery, the casket borne to the grave by bearers Eldon Gillespie, Gene Gillespie, William Meek, Garland Meek, Norman Geyer and Joe Wooderson.
Daughter Georgia May Wells (1892-1943) was born on Jan. 24, 1892 in rural Bethany, Harrison County, MO. She spent her entire life in the community of her birth and attended the Bethany School. As a young woman she taught four terms of school classes. On March 10, 1917, she entered into marriage with farmer John "Elza" Geyer ( ? -1967). They became the parents of two -- Norman Elza Geyer and Wenona May McChesney. For the last decade-plus of her life, Georgia suffered from what doctors called a "rheumatic condition" -- arthritis affecting the joints, tendons and muscles of the body -- and was rendered an invalid. She succumbed to the illess at the age of 51 on Feb. 22, 1943. Leading the funeral service was Rev. Francis Burr, with sacred music performed by Mrs. W.H. Haas, Mrs. Raleigh Bartlett, S.M. Haas and L.E. Casady. An obituary appearing in the Bethany Republican-Clipper said that she "possessed a strong Christian character and patiently endured her sufferings through 11 years of invalidism from arthritis. She always had a smile and a cheery word of greeting for everyone." Her remains repose for all time in Miriam Cemetery. The widowed Elza lived in Hatfield, MO in 1946 and in about 1955 moved to St. Louis. He died in Lakeside Hospital at the age of 78 on May 7, 1967. His obituary appeared in the Kansas City Times.
- Grandson Norman Elza Geyer ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Wenona May Geyer ( ? - ? ) married (?) McChesney ( ? - ? )
Daughter Clara "Carolyn" Wells (1894-1978) was born on June 14, 1894. On Dec. 16, 1916, in her parents' country home east of Bethany, MO, the 22-year-old Carolyn was joined in wedlock with Robert Gillespie ( ? - ? ). In announcing the marriage, the Bethany Republican-Clipper called Robert "an industrious farmer of Jeffeerson township" and said only "a few of the immediate friends and relatives of the contracting parties were present... The bride was dressed in dainty blue and carried a bunch of white carnations." Rev. Layman, a preacher in Bethany and at Morris Chapel, officiated. Their union endured the ups and downs of more than six decades. Seven offspring born in this family were William Robert Gillespie, Carol McQuary, Daisy Bruckner, James Eldon Gillespie, Glenn Gillespie, Gene Gillespie and Lola Harryman. They dwelled in the early 1940s near Bethany and belonged to the Kirkley Chapel. At their 60th wedding anniversary in 1976, they stayed at home and invited friends to stop by to visit. Carolyn died as a patient at Noll Memorial Hospital in Bethany on Sept. 6, 1978. Her obituary in the Republican-Clipper gave the number of her survivors as 20 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Burial was in Miriam Cemetery, with the funeral led by the hand of Rev. Alvin Hillman.
- Grandson William Robert Gillespie ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Carol Gillespie ( ? - ? ) was joined in wedlock with (?) McQuary
- Granddaughter Daisy Gillespie ( ? - ? ) wed (?) Bruckner
- Grandson James Eldon Gillespie ( ? - ? )
- Grandson Glenn Gillespie ( ? - ? )
- Grandson Gene Gillespie ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Lola Gillespie ( ? - ? ) married (?) Harryman
Daughter Myrtle Lenore Wells (1896-1944) was born on Feb. 19, 1896 near Martinsville, MO. She attended school in Bethany, graduating from high school in 1915, and joined the Bethany Christian Church in girlhood. She then attended Maryville State Teachers College and went on to a career of rural school education. She also taught Sunday School. On Aug. 14, 1918, she was united in matrimony with Charles "Arthur" Meek ( ? -1939). Four children of this family were William Arthur Meek, Martha Meek, Garland Meek and James Andrew Meek. Their son James sadly died in infancy. Said the Harrison County Times, "In this Christian atmosphere she reared her family." Their residence in 1919 was in the vicinity of Blue Ridge, MO. Sadness cascaded over the Meeks family when Arthur died on Aug. 8, 1939. The widowed Myrtle made her residence in 1942-1944 near Ridgeway, MO. Reported the Times:
Until recently the family lived on a farm near Ridgeway, and the sons were responsible for the work. After the older boy had preinduction examinations [for the military], the mother bought property in Ridgeway, and was nicely located in a modern home. Responding to a great need of teachers last school year, Myrtle was elected to teach in her home district, White Oak, near Ridgeway, and this year had signed a contract to teach at the Ricetown school. After being out of the school room for many years while rearing her family, she successfully passed the required examinations to resume teaching. Thus she continued to render an important service to her county, when the teacher shortage was so acute. Her life, far from reaching the allotted time in years, was more than that in service to her home and to the public. Mrs. Meek was of a happy nature, and even in all reverses, which come to all, she outwardly showed this wonderful trait. In the yearbook published during her senior year at Bethany school the following quotation was printed beside her picture: 'She will always be youthful and laughing and gay 'til the last dear companion drops smiling away.
Burdened with blood clots, Myrtle passed into the arms of the angels at the age of 47 on July 6, 1944. Rev. Huell Warren led the funeral service, with music provided by a singing quartet including Mrs. H.C. Shroyer, Mrs. Rolla Bartlett, L.E. Casady and W.H. Haas. Burial was in Fairview Cemetery. An obituary in the Times referred to her as "one of Harrison county's successful rural teachers." Around the 1943-1944 era, daughter Martha, a student at Maryville College, was hired to teach in the Blue Ridge and Mitchell schools near Bethany.
- Grandson William Arthur Meek ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Martha Meek ( ? - ? )
- Grandson Garland Meek ( ? - ? )
~ Daughter Mary "Susan" (Wells) Long ~
 |
| Three-generation portrait, 1910. Clockwise from left: Pearl Hixson, Cleora Hixson, Abraham Lincoln Long, Lenora Daugherty, Clifford Daugherty, Clarinda Wells and Mary Susan Long. Courtesy Loran Koettel |
|
| Mary Susan and Link Long Courtesy Loran Koettel |
Daughter Mary Susan "Susie" Wells (1870-1946) was born two days before Christmas 1870 in Harrison County, MO.
On March 4, 1890, when she was 19 years of age, she was joined in wedlock with 24-year-old Abraham "Lincoln" Long (July 7, 1865-1944), son of John R. and Maria (Hall) Long of Cedar Township, Lucas County.
Eight offspring were born into this union -- Lenora Daugherty, Cleora Marie Matthews, Fannie Mariah Beadle, Laura "Cassie" Harmegnies, Loren Earnest Long, Lester Long, Eva Ellen Long O’Day and Lloyd Clifford Long.
As shown in the every-decade federal census enumerations, their farming residence in 1890-1944 was in Russell, Lucas County, IA.
The family was plunged into grief when their infant son Lester died on April 11, 1901, at the tender age of six months and three weeks. The baby's funeral was conducted in the United Brethren Church and led by Rev. J.L. Johnson of the Russell Methodist Episcopal Church, with burial following in the McDermott Bethel Cemetery. Said an obituary in the Chariton Democrat, "The little one had been ailing for some time and its illness finally terminated in pneumonia which resulted in death. The sorrowing relatives have the sympathy of the community in their bereavement."
The Longs moved from the Russell farm to Chariton in 1922 but then after a year returned to Russell. Susan and her married sister Rose and their sons are known to have traveled to Missouri to visit their sister Ada Eudora Everett in September 1924. The get-together was noted in the gossip columns of the Bethany (MO) Republican-Clipper, which reported that "While here they made short calls at the Wm. Crane home near Willow Row, at the Hunter and Bently homes in Albany and at the H.E. Cooper home in New Hampton. They also enjoyed our band concert Saturday night and hope to make a longer visit with relatives and friends here in the near future."
 |
| Above: west side of the public square in Chariton, IA. Below: Mary Susan and Link in older years. Courtesy Loran Koettel |
 |
In 1943, the Longs retired, sold their farm to son Loren and moved to a residence at 618 North Main Street in Chariton.
Sadly, just a few weeks before his 79th birthday, and from the effects of chronic heart disease, Lincoln passed away on June 17, 1944. An obituary was published in the Chariton Leader.
Susan remained in their home for the final two years of her life, and she too endured heart problems. She surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 75 in Chariton on Feb. 5, 1946. Rev. A.E. Beals of Russell co-officiated the funeral service with Rev. Charles Holton in the Bethel Church. Her remains were lowered into the sacred earth of Bethel Cemetery in Williamson, Lucas County. Her obituary also was printed in the Leader, which noted that her survivors included a baker's dozen grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
|
| Lenora Daugherty Courtesy Loran Koettel |
- Grandson Clifford Orval Daugherty (1910-1979)
- Grandson Harold Lincoln Daugherty (1913-1996)
- Granddaughter Marjorie Daugherty (1917-1999) was born in 1917. She wed (?) Pearson ( ? - ? ). They dwelled in Knoxville.
|
| Cleora Hixson Ellis Matthews Courtesy Loran Koettel |
Granddaughter Pearl Doris Hixson (1910-1970) was born on Dec. 17, 1910 in Chariton, IA. She was nine years of age when her father died. When she was 18 years of age, on April 22, 1929, in Bloomfield, IA, she married 19-year-old Loran L. Lamb (June 30, 1910-1976), son of Louis and Ella (Campbell) Lamb. A justice of the peace officiated the ceremony. Loran earned a living as a roofer and as a buyer and dealer of fur. He is said to have been an excellent checkers player, taking part in state tournaments. Pearl died at the age of 59 on July 14, 1970 in Ottumwa, IA. The remains were interred in the Bloomfield (IA) Odd Fellows Cemetery. Loran outlived her by five-and-a-half years. Death carried him away on New Year's Day 1976.
Pearl and Loran Lamb.
Courtesy Loran Koettel
- Granddaughter Ruth Maria Hixson (1913-1992) was born on Aug. 29, 1913 in Lucas County. She was six year old at the death of her father. On Christmas Eve 1929, she wed Melvin L. Lathrop (July 14, 1909-1987), originally from Crook County, WY. Four children were born into this family, among them Gary Eugene Lathrop, Connie Lou Lanning, Randy Lathrop and Sandy Lathrop. Said a newspaper, Ruth "worked in a cake decorating factory, was a telephone operator for the Perrin Motel, operated a filling station at the Chariton Newspaper Office and was a homemaker. Ruth was very handy with her hands and did custom upholstery and sewing. She enjoyed working in the outdoors and was especially fond of flowers and yard work." Trained as a mechanic, Melvin earned a living with the Burlington Railroad, County of Lucas, Miller Rearn Motors, Snider Motors and E&H Pontiac. He retired in 1973. The angel of death gathered Melvin away in Chariton on March 27, 1987. Ruth outlived him by 15 years. She died in Saint Mary's Manor in Blue Springs, MO on June 11, 2002. Her remains were transported back to Lucas County to sleep for the ages in Chariton Cemetery.
Great-grandson Gary Eugene Lathrop (1932-2002) was born on Chritmas Day 1932. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He died at the age of 69 on Jan. 15, 2002. Burial was in Riverside (CA) National Cemetery.
Great-granddaughter Connie Lou Lathrop (1936-2015) was born on March 2, 1936 in Chariton. On Aug. 18, 1953, she entered into marriage with Jack Benjamin Lanning (1933-1980). At the time, he was serving in the military, and the couple lived in Memphis, TN and then at Whiteman Air Force Base before spending the 1962-1965 years in Spain. They became the parents of two -- Gregory Lanning and Valeerie Vaughn. Upon retirement, the Lannings settled back in Knob Noster, MO, where they had lived in the late 1950s. The pair's final relocation was to property near Leeton, MO. Sadly, Jack died at the age of 46 on March 18, 1980. Connie survived him by 35 years. She belonged to the Warrensburg lodge of the Elks and was very involved with events to raise funds for special needs and other humanitarian initiatives. She also was a volunteer at the Warrensburg Veterans Home, where she served lunches, and liked to play cards, farm and raise flowers. She passed away in Leeton on Feb. 1, 2015 at the age of 78. At her passing, she was said to be the first woman whose name was inscribed on the Tablets of Love in Memory at the Elks lodge. Her funeral seervice was held at the Elks lodge, officiated by Rev. Sid Tiller of the Northside Christian Church. Burial was in Mineral Creek Cemetery, Leeton.
Great-grandson Randy Lathrop was united in matrimony with Suzy ( ? - ? ). They have resided in Florida.
Great-granddaughter Sandy Lathrop was joined in wedlock with Thomas Bristow. Circa 2015, they were in Aurora, CO.
Grandson Robert Donald Hixson (1915-1962) was born on May 12, 1915 in Lucas County. His father died when Robert was age four. He married Esther Viola Blankenburg (1918-1990). Their eight known offspring were Donald Frank Hixson, Janis Marie Brown, Sharon Elaine Mersch, Ronald Craig Hixson, Maggie Malone, Robert Hixson, LaVona Hixson, Donna Hixson and Dianne Webster. Sadly, Robert died at the age of 47 in Wayne County, IA on Sept 9, 1962. Interment was in Chariton Cemetery. Esther lived for another 18 years and passed away in 1990.
Robert Hixson - Loran Koettel Great-grandson Donald Frank Hixson (1936-2016) was born on June 24, 1936 in Chariton. He was a 1954 graduate of Corydon High School. A year later, in 1955, he relocated to Des Moines, IA. In 1956, he was united in wedlock with Jean Marie Welp ( ? - ? ) of Bancroft, IA. Their union endured for a remarkable 59 years. Their brood of offspring included Deb Stuetelberg, Rosanne Lossner, Donald R. Hixson, and Lisa Ballew. They made a longtime home in Des Moines. Donald earned a living in the field of gasoline stations and automotive parts, and at one time was part owner of Teater's Auto Supply in Highland Park, IA. Said an obituary, "He was loved and respected and could not go anywhere without running into some that he knew. He was the mild mannered, strong silent type and people were drawn to him. He was a genius with cars and helped many of his neighbors with theirs... [and] enjoyed woodworking." They endured the untimely deaths of son-in-law Randy Lossner and nephew Phil Brown. Donald died at the age of 79 on Jan. 24, 2016. His funeral mass was sung at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
Great-granddaughter Janis Marie "Jan" Hixson (1938-2010) was born on Dec. 7, 1938 in Lucas County. In girlhood she attended the Center and Rabbit Ridge country schools and was a 1957 graduate of Corydon High School. On Jan. 3, 1959, in nuptials held in Princeton, MO, she married Donald L. "Wimpy" Brown (1936- ? ), son of Earl and Opal Brown. Their two children were Phillip Wayne Brown and Tamela Dawn Snuggs. They lived in Chariton and then Ottumwa before moving back to Chariton in April 1965. Said a newspaper, Janis "worked as a waitress and cook at several restaurants until she opened 'Jan's Diner' in Chariton in 1971 and operated it through 1978. She then took employment running the Hy-Vee warehouse cafeteria and break-rooms, retiring in 2002. Jan served thousands of meals to many happy customers and friends." In her free time she was a founding member of the Yakkity Yak Club, volunteered at the local library and researched her genealogy. Tragedy cascaded over the family on Sept. 13, 1978, when son Phillip was fatally injured in an automobile accident and died in a hospital in Rochester, MN. Inscribed on his grave marker is the epitaph, "To the world he was one. To us he was the world." Janis died in Chariton at the age of 71 on Feb. 8, 2010. Burial was in Chariton Cemetery.
Great-granddaughter Sharon Elaine Hixson (1944-2010) was born on Oct. 5, 1944 in Lucas County. She grew up attending the Rabbit Ridge country school and was an alumna of Chariton High School. She was the mother of Kelly Kellar. On May 6, 2002, she wed Kevin Mersch ( ? - ? ). Their nuptials were held in Nashua, IA in the Little Brown Church. She loved to raise her garden, camp and make arts and crafts. Sharon died in Des Moines at the age of 65 on March 28, 2010..
Great-grandson Ronald Craig Hixson (1959-2010) was born on April 29, 1959 in Iowa. He was the father of Michelle Lynn. He and his daughter enjoyed "working on cars together, taking walks, going out to eat or simply driving around on weird country roads," said the Chariton Leader. "Some of the best times of their lives were spent just being together, no matter what they were doing." He was employed for many years by Gillespy's. In 1984, he was hired by Housby Mac. In his spare time, said the Leader, he "he was busy remodeling his home, working in the yard or fishing. Ron especially loved rainy days and his favorite past time was relaxing and watching movies from his extensive collection." On Dec. 9, 1988, he was united in matrimony with Sonya A. (Darrah) Riley (1961- ? ). She brought two stepsons into the second marriage, Nicholas Riley and Ronald Riley. He succumbed to the spectre of death in Des Moines' Mercy Medical Center on Aug. 30, 2010, at age 51.
Great-granddaughter Maggie Hixson married Dean Malone.
Great-grandson Robert Hixson ( ? - ? ) entered into marriage with Sharon.
Great-granddaughter LaVona Hixson ( ? - ? )
Great-granddaughter Donna Hixson ( ? - ? )
Great-granddaughter Dianne Hixson was united in wedlock with Gary Webster
Grandson Myrl Matthew Hixson (1917-1989) was born on Sept. 5, 1917 in Russell, IA. He was rendered fatherless at the age of two. Myrl was married two known times. His first bride appears to have been Opal Louise McCartney (1920-1963). Sadly, she died in 1963 at the age of about 43. His second spouse, whom he wed on Jan. 8, 1971, was widow Freda Grace (Jones) Jimmerson (Sept. 22, 1922-2022), daughter of G. Lebert and Hattie (Carrier) Jones. Freda's first husband Lloyd Harland Jimmerson had been killed in 1966 in a gravel truck accident. She thus brought five stepchildren into the second union -- Gary Jimmerson, Ronald Jimmerson, Eula Dolecheck, Daniel Jimmerson and Melvis Jimmerson. Freda had earlier earned a living at Decatur County Hospital and as co-owner and bookkeeper of Jimmerson Trucking. Myrl and Freda established their residence in Humeston, IA. He was gathered away by the angel of death on March 10, 1989. She endured for another three-plus decades, making her last home in Grand River, IA. She endured the untimely deaths of her son Gary in 2006 and his wife Carol in 2016. On Aug. 6, 2022, she passed away at the age of 99 in Osceola's Southern Hills Specialty Care. The headcount of her survivors included 15 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren.
Robert Hixson - Loran Koettel
Daughter Fannie Mariah Long (1893-1980) was born in 1893. She was joined in wedlock with (?) Beadle ( ? - ? ). The pair relocated to Whitetail, MT and were there in 1946-1962.
Daughter Laura "Cassie" Long (1895-1984) was born in 1895. She was united in matrimony with (?) Harmegnies ( ? - ? ). They put down roots in Chariton.
Son Loren Earnest Long (1897-1947) was born in 1897. He acquired his parents' farm in 1943 near Russell, Lucas County, IA.
Daughter Eva Ellen Long (1903-1978) was born in 1903. She dwelled in Chicago circa 1946. Eva entered into marriage with (?) O’Day. In 1962, the family lived in Cicero, IL.
Son Lloyd Clifford Long (1906-1985) was born in 1906. He lived in Russell, Lucas County in 1946 and in Chariton in 1962.
   |
| L-R: Fannie Beadle, Earnest, Eva O'Day. Courtesy Loran Koettel |
~ Daughter Rosa Alice "Rosie" (Wells) Morton ~
Daughter Rosa Alice "Rose" Wells (1874-1957) was born in 1874 in Missouri.
She entered into marriage with William Leonard Morton (1873-1953).
The Mortons were in Russell, Lucas County, IA in 1908-1947. In the final illness of her sister Ada Eudora Cooper Everett in the winter of 1947, the Mortons traveled to her residence in New Hampton, MO to care for her.
~ Daughter Laura Alvira (Wells) Etter ~
Daughter Laura Alvira "Vira" Wells (1878-1931) was born on Jan. 21, 1878 in Martinsville, MO.
On Aug. 29, 1897, in Lucas County, IA, when she was 20 years of age, Vira was united in matrimony with 29-year-old farmer William Rufus Etter ( ? -1931), son of Stephen and Archlander (Wright) Etter and a native of Lovington County, IL. Their wedding was held at the home of justice of the peace E.E. Sargent.
The pair dwelled for decades near Russell, IA, about eight miles north of town.
On the tragic day of Feb. 10, 1931, Vira and William were killed when a fast mail train of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad struck their roadster automobile near Russell, reported the Sioux City (IA) Journal and the Bethany (MO) Republican-Clipper. An associated Press story distributed statewide noted that "Witnesses said that the train had been whistling for some time before approaching the crossing."
Their son Arthur called relatives to let them know of the horrific news. Among those traveling to attend the funeral was Vira's sister Ada Eudora Everett and brother George Wesley Wells.
Copyright © 2000-2004, 2020, 2022-2023 Mark A. Miner