Zebulon Montgomery Pike

Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) = American Army Officer; Explorer. Best known for Pike's Peak Mountain which was named in his honor near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Zebulon was born in Lamberton, New Jersey, a descendant of the brave lady and pioneer, Penelope Stout, on January 5 to Isabella & Col. Zebulon Pike, the second of eight children. Zebulon began his military career at the age of fifteen.

Lieutenant Pike set out from St. Louis, Missouri almost three years after Lewis and Clark's 1803 expedition up the Missouri River.  He was to figure out the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase the US government purchased from France to end Spain's claim on it. At one time, the western borders of Kansas reached all the way across present day eastern Colorado until 1861 when Congress created the Colorado Territory. Among the expedition members was George Shannon, a brother of Wilson Shannon, who later was  a Kansas Territorial governor. They traveled up the Missouri River, turned off onto the Osage River, and followed it to the Marais des Cygnes River which crosses into Kansas, past Missouri's state line.

Although the Spaniards tried to intercept his expedition, they were unsuccessful, however, along the way, they stopped in a little Indian village and left their flag flying above the village until Pike's troops finally reached it. The none-too-friendly Indians were hospitable though and the Indians were reminded that they could not serve two fathers. The Spanish flag was taken down and presented to Pike which he diplomatically returned to the chief after his men hoisted the United States flag to the top of the pole.

All in the same year, Pike was promoted to Brigadier general and was killed in the assault on York, present-day Toronto, Canada during the War of 1812.

More to Read:

1. The Story of Penelope Stout. Thomas Hale Streets, Alfred J. Ferris Press, Philadelphia, 1897 reprint.

2. Pike's Journal published in 1810.

3. History of Kansas. By Noble L. Prentis. E.P. Greer, Winfield, Kan., 1899.

4. Historic Kansas: A Centenary Sketchbook. By Margaret Whittemore. University of Kansas, Lawrence, 1954.

5. Webster's Biographical Dictionary. C. & C. Merriam Co, Springfield, MA, 1956.

6. The World Book Encyclopedia. Field Enterprises, Chicago, 1968.

7. The Ghost Towns of Central Missouri: Cole, Miller & Moniteau Counties. By Kelly Warman-Stallings. Ketch’s Printing, Jefferson City, MO; 1999. Vol. 1.
8. Some Zebulon Pike letters 

9. Kansapedia #17335
10. Wikipedia

11. Findagrave #815 (follow links back to Penelope Stout's memorial)

 Places to Visit in MO & KS.:

1. St. Louis, MO

2. Rivers = Missouri River, Osage River, & the Marais des Cygne River
3. “Pike's Parley with Osage Chief” Historical Mural (Walldog) by Dan Brewer, 2003, Dakota & Delaware St, Bates County, Butler, MO (use the search engine on this website for more Zebulon Pike affiliated markers)
4. Self-Guided  Auto Tour of the Santa Fe Trail's Wet Route (73 miles long with markers)
5. Zebulon Pike Plaza, US 56, Schnack-Lowrey Park, Larned, KS. 

6. Larned, Ks. (Mrs. Sarah Sturdevant, a great-grandniece of Pike's resided here and preserved some of Pike's papers)

7. Pike's Monument (1901), Republic County, KS.

8. Pike's Pawnee Village Park (11 acres), White Rock Twp, Sections 2 & 3, Republic County, KS.

James Slavens

James W. L. Slavens (1838-1905) = Civil War Veteran. Republican. Co-founder of the Women’s Christian Association. Kansas City Treasurer (1867) and Mayor (1876; 1895). He was born on August 3 in Putnam County, Indiana to Hiram B. Slavens.

James was mostly self-taught and prepared himself for college by reading many books. He entered the law profession in 1861 after he graduated from Asbury University in Indiana in 1859 with high honors.

In 1859, he married Martha (Mattie; Mary) McNutt, in Douglass County, Illinois and to this union eight children were born: five sons and three daughters.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the 73rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment, serving in the Quartermaster Department under General George H. Thomas.

In the fall of 1865, James came to Jackson County, Missouri and practiced law with his brother, Luther C., for seven years. Then he became one of the first meat-packers, forming a partnership with E.C. Pattison, Wm Epperson and later J.C. Ferguson.

James was a member of the Grand Avenue Methodist Church, first organized in 1863 by Rev. A.H. Powell. A lot was purchased at the corner of 6th and Walnut to build on, but during the war, the society broke up and the lot sold. Rev. Nesley reorganized in 1865. In the late 20th century, an office building with an attached church on the east replaced the earlier, spired brick edifice dedicated by Dr. Bishop Thomas Bowman. It is located at 9th and Grand, close to the Federal Reserve Building in Kansas City.

Slaven’s financial success enabled him to donate to many charitable organizations. When he became mayor, he contributed his salary to them.

He died as the result of a stroke on February 10, 1905 at the Old Soldiers’ Home in Leavenworth, Kansas.

More to Read =

1. A Condensed History of the Kansas City Area: Its Mayors and Some V.I.P.s 1850-1950 ” Assembled by George Fuller Green. City Historian. The Lowell Press; Kansas City, MO. 1968

2. Kansas City Star, February 11, 1905.
3. Wiki List of Mayors of Kansas City
4.  James W. L. Slavens
5. Findagrave #70168444

Places to Visit =

1. Former Mayoral Residences at 10th & Jefferson and 3016 Oak Street, Kansas City. 

Biography written by Dolores J. Rush. Updated: 10/27/2019. 

Long Quotes On Saints

The Child and His Heroes
By J. Jorg.

One of the most revealing commentaries on the spiritual status of families in America today is the heroes our children idolize.

The lifestyles of many of these heroes are in almost every respect contrary to that which we find taught in the Word of God. Yet they are influencing the way children respond in their homes, schools and churches. Young hearts and minds are being subtly sucked into the world's philosophies exemplified by their heroes.

The first step to directing children to right heroes is for adults to respect godly people and point out ungodly characteristics and habits in the lives of popular figures. Every hero worth emulating should be able to say with the apostle Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1, NIV).

The second step is to introduce children to godly heroes in the Bible. A good listing is found in Hebrews 11. These people are great examples of living faith. Extra time can be spent studying the heroes in each week's Sunday School lesson. Instruct children both at home and in the classroom about the amazing works of God in the lives of these people. (See Psalm 78:1-8).

Another way to introduce children to godly heroes is through reading Christian biographies. Men like George Mueller, George Washington Carver and Jim Eliot, and women like Amy Carmichael, Fanny Crosby and Joni Eareckson Tada inspire Christians of all ages.

Plan opportunities for children to meet and associate with outstanding Christians alive today. These people may include pastors, missionaries, evangelists, Bible conference speakers, or maybe an older person in your church who walks with God and exhibits many of the qualities of Christ.

In any discussions of heroes there is always concern not to lift up people. The argument goes that men have shortcomings and may fail. The question, however, is not whether or not our children should have heroes. Youth of every generation will always find people after which to pattern their lives. The question is, who will their heroes be? Let's do all we can to help our children follow godly men and women of the past and present who will inspire them, too, to become "heroes of the faith."

 

 

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The People as Curriculum
By Norma Cook Everist,
The Church As Learning Community, 2002.

"Each time the faith community gathers, in whole or in part, also present are all the others in whom Christ in incarnate, God's people from every time and place: Madagascar, Indonesia, Chile, Chicago, or the town down the highway. The teacher becomes the learner and the learner the teacher in an interdependent global community. That is not a call for role confusion. In any given class setting, one teacher or a team of teachers will lead the group and others will primarily be learners. But the roles might be reversed in another activity. Having been together in creative ways, learners teach one another and go forth to teach. 'Contrary to all that we might experience, no learning community is ever isolated or inadequate. Whether the room is sparsely populated or crowded, the people present are significant and sufficient. At the same time, no one group is ever complete unto itself, incapable of learning from those not present in the room, or not needing the stories of God's interaction with people of centuries ago, or encounter with people very different from oneself around the world, or those who do not confess the same faith. We need each other in order to learn. If we are the curriculum, how can we learn if we keep the book of people different from ourselves closed? The curriculum incorporates the faith and life of the people in any locale, including worship, study, community, stewardship, witness, service, and social action. Reflective involvement is essential. Those who concretize the curriculum have the task of putting together a comprehensive and practical plan in light of the challenges and opportunities presented by a certain place.

The phrase, "Curriculum is God and God's people in this time and place" should not be interpreted to mean that religious education is simply a matter of like-minded people gathering to do things they enjoy together. That would exclude real challenge and real growth. Nor, as we have seen, do the emphases on the here and now, the local, or the contemporary church exclude the historic, global church. By no means. The latter are essential if the local church is to encounter the activity of a God who engages people in every time and every place. In the complexity, even in the midst of the confusion and controversy of diverse people who do not understand one another, God has created and will sustain community, thereby creating a living curriculum – one which we will never complete, but one which is real. God is in the center of this concept of church as a learning community with all of God's creating, redeeming, and liberating activity."

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The Circuit Rider
George T. Ashley.

"He was thoroughly consecrated and devoted to his work. His sole equipment usually consisted of a horse, saddle and a pair of saddlebags – now a rare sight indeed- in which he placed most of his earthly possessions, usually consisting of but one change of clothing, a Bible, a hymnbook, and possibly a few tracts; and maybe a few books to sell. His home was on his horse and among the people whom he served.
Thus he went from place to place, from village to village, from settlement to settlement, from house to house, preaching every Sunday, sometimes two or three times; and almost every night in the week at one of the larger homes in the remote settlements; preaching to and praying with a mere handful of people; burying the dead when occasion called for it; holding prayer and giving admonition at every house at which he stopped. The circuit usually required a month to get around in this way; and then the circuit rider would at once start again.
The circuit riders met once a year in "Conference" to discuss their previous year's work, to lay plans for the next year's work to re-assign the preachers to their circuits and to discuss their many common and often perplexing problems. At that time, no circuit rider rode the same circuit more than one year in succession. Thus the various talents among them were widely distributed and shared among all the people.
With increasing population, better roads and better means of transportation, the circuits were gradually diminished in area from a preaching point almost every day in the month down to a circuit of six or eight places, usually close enough together for him to preach to two separate congregations each Sunday; then down to four churches in a circuit; and now in most places to the "Station" where the minister serves but one congregation." 

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If God can Use These Saints. . .
then surely he can use me!

* A Liar named Abram to father his new nation;
* A Murderer named Moses to liberate them;
* An Adulterer named David to lead them;
* A Deserter named Peter to nurture his lambs;
* And a Church Killer named Saul to build his church.

~ Sid Cox, Stumbling Into Grace.
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The Heart of a Saint
Bert Ghezzi

“Amid their vast diversity, one commonality stands out: they (saints) share the same heart—a heart set on loving God above all. The heart is that deep place at the core of our being where we make the choices that direct and orient our lives. At some point every one of the saints made a heartfelt decision to put God first in his or her life. . . Holiness is not the narrowly guarded privilege of a few, but rather an abundantly available opportunity for all. Here’s the point: we can become saints if we want. All we must do is choose to be holy, and the Holy Spirit will make it happen. And because making us saints is God’s work, we don’t have to be without problems, faults, or even sins. All of the saints, including the apostles, were sinners, just like you and me. . . Holiness does not come from staying busy with Christian activities. It is a matter of the heart, a matter of falling in love with God. “  

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight "Ike" David Eisenhower (1890--1969) = West Point Graduate. University President. Army General. 34th US President. Born in Denison, TX on October 14 to David Jacob and Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower. He was their third son of seven. When Ike was nearly two years old, they moved to Abilene, KS. with a colony of River Brethren or the Church of the Brethren in Christ, a Mennonite sect from Pennyslvania and he grew up there. 

Ike and his "best girl,"  Mamie Geneva Doud (1896- 1979), were married on July 1, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, where Mamie grew up. Their first home consisted of two rooms at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The Army moved them frequently.  While stationed at Camp Meade, Maryland, sadly, their first son, Doud Dwight "Icky", then 3 yrs old, died of scarlet fever. Their second son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, was born in Denver on August 3, 1922. John married Barbara Jean Thompson in 1947 and their four children , Dwight David, Barbara Anne, Susan Elaine, and Mary Jean, often visited the White House with their parents after Ike was elected to the US Presidency in 1952. Ike and Mamie moved into a rebuilt and renovated Executive Mansion after the Trumans left Washington, D.C.

During his eight years in office, he traveled more than three hundred thousand miles around the world on diplomatic missions to promote peace and justice. Ike had little time for relaxing, but occasionally he enjoyed porch-sitting on the upstairs balcony at the White House and on the back porch at their Gettysburg, PA farmhouse. Ike and the 86^th Congress chartered the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, KS. to honor the American farmer.

When he died on March 28 in Washington, DC., he was buried in Abilene, Kansas.

More to Read:

1. American Inaugurals: The Speeches, the Presidents, and Their Times. By Kristen Woronoff. Blackbirch Press, New York, 2002.

2. Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1st Inaugural Speech. Jan. 20, 1953 and his  2nd Inaugural Speech, 1-21-1957.

3. Presidents of the United States. Jane & Burt McConnell.

4. The Presidents In American History. By Dr. Charles A. & Wm. Beard, PhD. Julian Messner, New York, 1935; re-printed 1977.

5. Soldier of Democracy. By Kenneth S. Davis.

6. Eisenhower: The Inside Story by Robert J. Donovan. 

7. Our First Ladies: Martha Washington to Pat Ryan Nixon. Jane & Burt McConnell. Thomas Y. Crowell Co, New York, 1969.

8. The First Ladies. By Margaret Brown Klapthor. White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C., 1979.

9. Childhoods of the American Presidents. By William O. Foss. McFarland & Co, 2005.

10. Homes and Libraries of the Presidents. By William G. Clotworthy. McDonald & Woodward, 2008.
11. Ike's Air Force One Airplane
12. Dwight D. Eisenhower's Kansas Trading Card! 

13. Findagrave  #315

Places to Visit in Kansas:

1. Territorial Capitol-Lane University Musuem [f. 1865, Ike's parents married here], Lecompton, KS.

2. National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 630 Hall of Fame Drive, Bonner Springs, KS.

3. Eisenhower Library, 200 Southeast Fourth St., Abilene, KS.

Reinhold Neibuhr

Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971). German-American Pastor, teacher, apologetic theologian, author and political activist. Best known for his Serenity Prayer. Reinhold was born in 1892 in Wright City, Mo to Pastor Gustav and American-born Lydia Niebuhr. He moved with his family to St. Charles, MO. where they lived until he was nine. His younger brother, also ordained, was Helmut Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962).

He received his education at Elmhurt College, graduating in 1910 and at Eden Theological Seminary (f. in 1850) near St. Louis (seminary archives are located at 475 East Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO.) before he attended Yale Divinity School and entered the ministry of the German Evangelical Synod of North America (presently known as the United Church of Christ).

From 1915 to 1928, he pastored the Bethel Evangelical church in Detroit, Michigan. He wrote his first book there called "Does Civilization Need Religion?" (1927). In 1928, he was offered a professorship of ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

He was the founder and editor (1941-1966) of a magazine called "Christianity and Crisis". His best known books include "Moral Man and Immoral Society;" "Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic;" "The Nature and Destiny of Man;" and "The Irony of American History." Through his lectures, writing and other activities, he sought to achieve social justice through church and political means. In recognition of his contribution to American life, Reinhold Niebuhr was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

Serenity Prayer.

By Reinhold Neibuhr.

GOD, grant me the Serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can

and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time:

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardship

as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this

sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make

all things right if I

surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy

in this life, and supremely

happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.

More to Read:

1. Dictionary of Christianity in America. Ed. By Reid, Linder, Shelley, & Stout. Intervarsity Press, 1990.

2. Reinhold Niebuhr

3. "The Life and Thought of a Christian Realist, Reinhold Niebuhr" By George C. Anderson.

4. Inspirational Story
5. Wikipedia
6. Missouri: Day by Day. By Floyd C. Shoemaker, Editor. Mo State Historical Society, 1942.
7. Reinhold's Memorial  Findagrave # 763
8. Helmut's Memorial Findagrave # 15168048

Edward Everett Sullens

Rev. Edward Everett Sullens, M.G. (1865-1940) -- Circuit Rider. Edward was born July 3, 1865 in Brazito, Cole County, Mo. to Peter Washington Green and Sarah Ann (Johnston) Sullens. Edward began preaching for the Lord when he was about 19 years of age.

He married Viola Catherine (Loveall) (1866-1940), daughter of Daniel David Loveall and Frances Ann "Annie" (Sweaney), May 18, 1887 in Tuscumbia, MO. They had 9 children. He performed two of his children's marriages and two of his daughters married ministers – Alva married Rev. Harrison Gordon Butler and Flossie married Rev. Clifford Moody.

Edward organized the Jim Henry Methodist Church in the late 1800s. The church and furniture were built by himself and his brother, Enos Asbury Sullens (1867-1934). James M. Rush donated a hilly part of the Rush land for the church and cemetery. It was known as the Jim Henry Methodist church for many years because of the location – Jim Henry was an Osage Indian who lived in the area between Tuscumbia and Mary's Home. The township now carries his name. Later the name of the cemetery was changed to Rush Chapel in memory of the early Rush pioneers who are buried there.

The Jim Henry church was one of Rev. Sullen's early pastorates. The rickety building was torn down about 1962. All that remains is the cemetery and a small picnic shelter that was built in the 1980s. The Rush family continues to meet there on Decoration (Memorial) Day once a year to decorate their loved ones graves and celebrate with a picnic lunch. A descendant of Ephraim, James M's brother, continues to care for the cemetery and picnic grounds.

Edward died August 26, 1940 in Hitchcock, OK and Viola died 3 months and one week later the same year in Eakley, Ok. Both are buried in Hobart, OK.

More to Read:
!. Peter Sullens and Mary Carson & Two Hundred Years of Descendants. By Maude Sullens Hoffman, 1971.
2. The Rush Report. Compiled by Gaynelle Jenkins Moore. Research Assistance: David W. Rush. March 2003.
3. The Loveall Report. Compiled by Gaynelle Jenkins Moore. April 2010.
4. Walt Eis' Wiki-tree page for Rev. Sullens. 
5. Findagrave #23903612

Places to Visit in MO.
1. Rush Chapel Cemetery, Jim Henry or Rush Road, Mary's Home, MO.
2. Miller County Museum, 2005 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO.

Thomas Roy Musick

My husband's grandmother had this newsletter tucked away inside a scrapbook. The first page mentions a State Evangelism conference at the Fee Fee Baptist church in St. Louis and the second has an interesting Christmas tree illustration.

The Fee Fee Baptist church is one of the oldest Baptist churches in Missouri and was organized by the following minister:

Thomas Roy Musick (1757-1843) = Baptist minister. Thomas was the son of Ephraim and Isabella (Roy) Musick, members of the Church of England. Thomas became a Baptist at the age of 17. He came to Missouri in 1801 before the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and began the Fee Fee Baptist Church in 1807, named for the nearby creek, at the present town of Bridgeton in St. Louis County and served as its pastor for 30 years.

Two of his charter members were John (1730-1808) and Virginia "Jane" (b. 1735) (Childress) Sullins. Two of their children married Musicks, first cousins to Thomas. Edward married Susannah and Elizabeth married Uriah (1782-1851). My husband's line of descent comes through Peter Sullins, a brother to Edward and Elizabeth.

When Mr. Musick first came to the area of the Spanish-held territory where a Catholic official, M. Trudeau, governed, he was consistently refused permission to preach there and was told not to put a steeple on his house, nor ring a bell, or baptize infants unless a priest was present or he would be sent to the calaboza (jail). He was also told that if some friends, like Mr. Clark, came to his house to visit, sing songs and pray, that was all right, because they were all good Catholics.

More to Read:

1. As A Tree Planted: History of Fee Fee Baptist Church 1807-1970. By Ruth E. Abraham. 1957. Revised 1970. (online index)

2. Peter Sullens and Mary Carson and Two Hundred Years of Descendants. By Maude Sullens Hoffman, Oklahoma. Printed by J.W. Brown. 1971.
3. Historical timeline signage at Fee-Fee Baptist Church (org. 1807), see below.

4. Primitive Baptist Library website, Carthage, Illinois

5. See the "Leaf" labeled biographies for more information.
6. "A Tardy Pardon and Other Buried Treasures" By Kyle Schrader.
7."A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri, with numerous sketches, anecdotes, adventures, etc., relating to Early Days in Missouri" by William S. Bryan and Robert Rose, Published by Bryan, Brand & Co., St. Louis Missouri, 1876. 8. "Rev. Thomas Musick" Missouri Baptist Biography: A Series of Life-Sketches Indicating the Growth and Prosperity of the Baptist Churches as Represented in the Lives and Labors of Eminent Men and Women in Missouri. By J. C. Maple & R. P. Rider. Western Baptist Pub, Co., Kansas City, MO, 1914. Vol. 1, pp. 20-24. Free e-book retrieved from Google Books website. 9. "Fee-Fee Baptist Church." History of St. Louis County, Missouri. By William Lyman Thomas. S. J. Clarke Pub Co, St. Louis, Mo; 1911.p. 72-73. Free e-book retrieved from Google Books website, https://books.google.com/ 10. Diary of William Joseph Clark, Being an Account of His Trip from Clark County, Kentucky, to St. Louis, MO, To take the Deposition of Col Daniel M. Boone for the Widow Swinney in 1804. RKHS,(May 1927) 25:193-206. p. 6, 8, Henry Enoch.

11. Missouri Baptist Ministers. Click here.

12. Findagrave #12452929

Places to Visit:

1. Fee Fee Baptist Church, 11330 St. Charles Road (corner of Fee Fee and St. Charles Rock St), Bridgeton, MO.

2. Musick Memorial Drive, St. Louis
3.  American Revolutionary War Veteran Marker, Fee Fee Cemetery, 11210 Old Saint Charles Road Bridgeton, Mo.



This is obviously not the original log church
but is the oldest sanctuary building on the
property.

First Hundred Years:

1807 = First church est. in the home of Mrs. Jane Sullens. 

1815 = First log building erected on Fee Fee creek on three acres donated by Major James Richardson to be used for a church & cemetery.

1828 = First brick bldg. erected on Old St. Charles & Fee Fee roads incorporating the logs from the previous building. This building still stands on cemetery property.

1842 = Fee Fee Baptist Church began sharing the church bldg. with the Presbyterians & the Methodists. Baptists used the church on the 2nd & 4th Sundays, Presbyterians on the 1st & 3rd Sundays, & the Methodists on the 5th Sunday.

1870 = Fee Fee Baptist Church was erected at the current location & dedicated in July. It was built on 5 acres of land donated by Erastus Post on the newly rocked St. Charles road. It was at this time that the "Creek" was dropped from the name of the church.

1877-1882 = These were dark years for Fee Fee. Many members died or left for cheaper land out west. The debt was heavy and the church was discouraged.

1882 = On the 75th anniversary (Jubilee Yr.), the debt was paid off with help from other Missouri Baptist churches.

1904 = Parsonage was erected on the east side of the church bldg. A great deal of the funds was raised by the Ladies Aid Society.

1907 = Centennial celebration of the Fee Fee Baptist Church.

Biography written by: Dolores J. Rush, Updated: 10/27/2020. 

Martin White

Elder Martin White (1802-1862) = Circuit Rider for the Regular Primitive Baptists. Sawmill Owner. Illinois State Legislator & Kansas Territorial Legislator.  Justice of the Peace. Born on December 15, in Mt. Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky to James & Sally (Allen) White. In 1820, he married Kiturah "Kitty" Ann Fletcher (1805-1867), daughter of James & Rhoda Ann (Griffin) Fletcher. They had twelve children: James Fletcher, Sally, John Wesley, Griffin*, William George, Guilford, Robert, Rhoda Jane, Martha Custis, Sarah Dulcina, Louisa Vashti and Jilson Gallatin.

In 1829, Martin, his father-in-law, and their families immigrated to Sangamon County, Illinois. Ten years later, Christian and Logan Counties were formed from Sangamon County. Martin was elected to the State's General Assembly as the first representative of Christian & Logan Counties in 1840, serving two years. At the same time, Abraham Lincoln was serving his final two years of four consecutive two-year terms (1834 to 1842) as a state legislator.

In August of 1855, Martin and his family moved to Kansas and bought a large tract of land north of the present-day defunct town of Stanton, KS (twelve miles SW of Paola) on the Miami County/Franklin County border. On September 21, he was sworn in as the Justice of the Peace in Osawatomie. Life was hard on the frontier and his family became involved in the troubles of the border between the states. They moved to 7 miles east of Butler, MO. in late 1856, then to Henry County, following Order # 11 in 1863.

Martin had a pulpit made of walnut and he preached in the Liberty on the Mosquito Creek Primitive Baptist church in Christian County, IL,  the Elk Fork & Pleasant Gap, Bates County, MO churches. He attended the Deep Water Association held in Cedar County, MO. Macedonia Church on September 15-17, 1860. Two years later, on April 21, he passed away. His wife, Kitty, was laid to rest next to him after her death in 1867.

Historical Legal Facts: In 1833, Kentucky Law Prohibited Imported Slave Sales and in 1848, Illinois became a Free State.

More to Read:

1.) White's Family & Their Kin. Gladys Esther White O'Neal & Elma Leota White Stoops. 1983.

2.) US Census and Montgomery County, KY Roots Web
Montgomery County, KY USGenweb
Christian County, IL US Genweb
Miami County, KS US Genweb
Bates County, MO US Genweb

3.) Primitive Baptist Library at Carthage, Illinois. Click here for a video that explains Old School Primitive Baptists Beliefs.

4.) Christian County, IL. and  Logan County, IL.
5.) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Twelfth General Assembly of the State of Illinois

Original Christian County Courthouse (look at bottom of page)  

6.) History of Christian County, Illinois with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers: 1763-1880. By Calvin Goudy. Edwardsville, IL; Brink, McDonough & Co.; 1880. P. 254.  Repository: Illinois State Library, 300 S. Second Street, Springfield, MO
7.) Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
8.) John Brown and the Legend of '56. By James Claude Malin. America Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1942.
9.) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Kansas. Lecompton, R. H. Bennett, Public Printers; 1857. p. 130.
10.) Major Thomas J. Goforth, Justice of the Peace of Westport (present-day, Kansas City, MO.)

11.) History of Kansas. By Noble L. Prentis. E.P.Greer, Winfield, KS; 1899. p.64

12.) Findagrave   #50298335


Places to see in Kentucky and Illinois:
1.) Conjunction of Slate and Bull Fork creeks (Hwy 461), Means, Menifee county, KY. 
2.) Lulbegrud Baptist cemetery, Prewitt Pike, Klondike, Montgomery Co, KY. (near this spot is where the original Lulbegrud Primitive Baptist church stood.  This church was the James Fletcher family's  home church in Kentucky and it was pastored by both Elder David Barrows, an abolitionist, and by Elder Thomas Boone.)
3.) Conjunction of Sangamon River & Mosquito Creek, Mosquito Twp., Christian Co., IL.
4.) Hwy 28 Trail markers between Mt. Auburn & Decatur, Christian County, IL (Lincoln's 8th Judicial Circuit Trail between  1847-1857)  
5.) Stafford Cemetery, 1800 E & 2975 N, near Osbernville, IL
6.) Trail of Death markers in Springfield & Decatur,  Sangamon River (Hwy 36), IL
7.) Christian County Historical & Genealogical Society, Taylorville, IL (see the first courthouse in Christian County)
8.) Logan County Historical & Genealogical Society, Lincoln, IL
9.) Illinois State Military Museum, Springfield, IL (see Santa Anna's cork leg brought back from the Battle of Cerro Gordo by John Wesley's 4th regiment in the Mexican War).
10.) Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL
11.) Presidential Lincoln Library, Springfield, IL (payroll document that both Lincoln & Martin signed)
12.) Mississippi River.

Places to see in KS. & MO.
1.) Westport Landing River Park on the Missouri River, near the end of Grand Ave, north of the Sprint Center and the Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO

2.) Miami County Historical Museum, 12 E. Peoria, Paola, Ks 
3.) Stanton, Kansas Cemetery- Whiteheads 

4.) Pottawatomie Massacre Marker. Lane, Franklin Co., KS.

5.) John Brown Museum State Historic Site. Osawatomie, KS.
6.) Old Depot Museum, 135 West Tecumseh, Ottawa, KS
7.) Lecompton's Constitution Hall, Lecompton, KS.

8.) Burnt District Museum, Cass County Historical Society, 400 E. Mechanic St, Harrisonville, MO

9.) Bates County Museum, 802 Elks Drive, Butler, MO

10.)  Order No. 11 Marker Memorial, Bates County Courthouse Lawn, 1 North Delaware, Butler, MO.

11.) Papinville Historical Museum, Market Street,  Papinville, Bates County, MO. and the Marais des Cygnes River Steamboat Landing.

12.) Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, 6424 West Farm Road 182, Republic, MO.  (see Gibson’s Mill)

13.) White Cemetery, Bates County, MO

Quote:

Leavenworth Weekly Herald, 1/3/1857

“In every relation of life he (Col. Martin White) sustained an unimpeachable character for truth, justice and unswerving integrity.”

Biography written by his 3rd great-grand-daughter, Dolores J. Rush. Updated: 10/7/2019. 

Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace Truman

By Dolores J. Rush.

Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace Truman (1885-1982) = Former First Lady. Favorite colors: Plum, Blue. Born in Independence, MO on February 13 to David Willock, a banker, and Margaret "Madge" Gates Wallace . She was the eldest and only daughter of four children. With blue-eyes and golden curls, Bess, in her future husband Harry S. Truman's estimation, was the "sweetest, prettiest girl" he had ever seen when he saw her for the first time in Sunday School at the age of six. She was very popular and she graduated from the Independence High School in 1901. She also attended the Barstow School for Girls in Kansas City, for a year.

When Harry moved to Grandview, MO. to help his father with the farm and while he was away at war, they wrote letters regularly.

They were married on June 28, 1919, at an Episcopal Church and lived in her widowed mother's home. In 1924, Mary Margaret, their first and only child, was born there.

When Harry became active in politics, first in Kansas City, then in Washington D.C., she traveled with him and fulfilled the social obligations of her position as a Judge's wife, a US Senator's wife, and First Lady after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During Harry's second term, they were denied the pleasure of living in the White House until early 1952, while the century-old Executive Mansion underwent a major renovation. During this time, they lived in Blair House instead. In  late 1952, she welcomed Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower as the new First Lady to the White House. She was looking forward to going home to Independence. Her chief enjoyments there were reading books from her library and devoting time to friends and family such as her daughter, Margaret, and Margaret's husband, Clifton Daniel, and Bess & Harry's four grandsons.

More to Read:

1. Our First Ladies: Martha Washington to Pat Ryan Nixon. By Jane & Burt McConnell. 1969.

2. The First Ladies. By Margaret Brown Klapthor. White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C., 1979.

3. American Inaugurals: The Speeches, the Presidents, and Their Times. By Kristen Woronoff. Blackbirch Press, New York, 2002.

4. The Presidents In American History. By Dr. Charles A. & Wm. Beard, PhD. Julian Messner, New York, 1935; re-printed 1977.

5. Presidents of the United States. Jane & Burt McConnell.

6. Childhoods of the American Presidents. By William O. Foss. McFarland & Co, 2005.

7. Homes and Libraries of the Presidents. By William G. Clotworthy. McDonald & Woodward, 2008.

8. Hospital Hill: an Illustrated Account of Public Healthcare Institutions in Kansas City, Missouri. James L. Soward, Kansas City: Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation, 1995

9. University Health/Truman Hospital History

10. Harry Truman and Solomon Young's Farm home. Read here. 
11. Sister-in-law, Miss Mary Jane Truman's biography.

12. Findagrave # 19671

Places to Visit:

1. Bess Truman's Birthplace (private residence with marker, near Bingham-Wagner's home), 117 Ruby Ave, Independence, MO.

2. National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame (Harry's plow), 630 Hall of Fame Drive, Bonner Springs, KS.

3. Bess Truman Clinic, Truman Medical Hospital Lakewood, 7900 Lee's Summit Road, Kansas City, MO.

4. Truman Heritage Festival - Harry's Hay Days, Grandview, Mo.
5. Historical Marker at the Truman Marketplace Shopping Center. 71/39 Hwy, Grandview

6. Truman Home, 219 North Delaware, Independence, MO.

7. Truman Library, 500 West US Highway 24, Independence, MO. (Bess and Harry are buried on the site of the Truman Library.)

8. Third Street Social restaurant, 123 SE 3rd Street, Lee's Summit, MO (click on "About;" historic building along w/ photos of Harry). 

Bess Truman was born here!

Updated: 12 Nov 2022.