John Maxwell
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Cassville Republican March 11, 1897, Thursday John Maxwell - An Octogenarian Life History of Uncle John Maxwell of Mineral Spring: The life of each individual has many things of interest and the lives of our older people tell of the hardships as well as pleasure of pioneer days. For nearly thirty years, John Maxwell of Mineral springs has been resident of Barry County, but his natively was near Mills Springs, formerly Atkinson's Mills, Wayne Co., KY, where he was born May 24, 1813, the son of Bazwell and Nancy Maxwell. He can just remember their moving about twenty miles southeast of Atkinson's Mills to near the south fork of the Cumberland River on the Goose Creek or Bean Station Road. Their purchases were made at Monticello twenty miles away on Canad_s? Creek and churches and schools were far apart. at that time slaves were common but the Indians had been removed to the Hiawassee purchase. It was in Casey Co., KY, that he came across a family with ten girls, five? pairs of twins - the largest barely able to nurse the smallest. About 1828 he moved to Jackson Co., Indiana where he entered his first school at the age of sixteen, and March 8, 1834, was married to Mahala Waddell by Squire Milhorn Hobeson, by whom there were born five boys and for girls, all of who are living but one son, the oldest, James Jefferson, shi died in the rebel prison at Tyler, Texas, Oct 6, 1864, after captivity since Apr. aspersions?. [The remainder is missing from my copy.] Daniel James Maxwell's Note: Ok I will start off where your copy was cut off/hard to read. I can see it clearly on mine (also spacing paragraphs as they appear in the original): "..James Jefferson, who died in the rebel prison at Tyler, Texas, Oct. 6, 1864, after captivity since Apr. 2 previous. Sept. 1 1861, Mr. Maxwell enlisted in Co. B. 50 Ind. Inf, with his son James, and a few days later was joined by three other sons, Edward, D. H., and E. W., and served until August 11, 1862, when he was discharged at Nashville, Tenn., by reason of disability. Leaving Jackson Co., Ind., June 3, 1869, he located in his county on Shoal creek, on the "Burger", place as it was then known, one a half miles southwest of 'Gadfly", now Corsicana. In 1871 he homesteaded the Rock House cave farm, now owned by Thomas Wilder, but relinquished to John Brown and went to Springfield for two years. Upon his return he first located on North Rock House but has remained in and about Mineral Spring except two years spent in Cassville. Feb. 12, 1885, he wife died and Jan. 23, 1887, he married Mrs. Elina E. Young. Uncle John was always very fond of hunting and has killed a great many deer in the country. One day he killed three near the double ponds near where Butterfield now is. He stood in his tracks and killed two. In the winter of 1871-72 he killed seventeen deer and eight others he was never killed one. The deer were wild, they said. The deer were staying on the ridges and he would pass from one to the other and kill them as they passed. He has killed a good many turkeys in his time. They were plenty when he went into the mountains but they disappeared pretty soon. Mr. Maxwell is quite rugged for one of his age and promises to live a long time yet in the health giving town of Mineral Spring." [end extract] And as you can see, although not an obit for John, it does give the mention the death of his first wife Mahalla Weddle Maxwell, which is helpful since her stone doesn't give the exact date. Thanks, Daniel James Maxwell State Historical Society of MO Submitted by Donna Cooper |