Clay Township
Emma Chapman
1822- 13 Oct 1899
Emma and her husband, Jacob B Chapman (1824-1878), were originally from England and lived for some time in Indiana after immigrating to this country. Emma served as an Army nurse there during the Civil War before the family moved to Adair County in 1866. The couple’s three oldest children, Alice, George & Valentine, were all born in Jefferson County, IN; their youngest child Mary was born after the move to Missouri. [1870 Census; Journal obit]
William W Clark
15 Feb 1843 – 16 Jan 1918
Martha Evaline (Stemple) Clark
21 Feb 1846 – 24 Oct 1913
William and Martha Clark moved from Clark County, MO to Clay Township in Adair County around 1876 and raised their family of seven on their farm in the Sperry neighborhood. Their two daughters and five sons were: Edward, Nora, Laura, Harvey, Herbert, William A “Bert” and Richard. [KDE obits]
Daniel J Clarkson
11 Apr 1826 – 5 May 1907
Alice Elizabeth (Pevehouse) Clarkson
2 May 1825 – 4 June 1922
Daniel Clarkson was a native of Illinois; Elizabeth Pevehouse was born in Kentucky but raised in Illinois from age three. The couple married in Illinois in 1846 then moved from Adams County to Adair County, MO in 1856 – on the day James Buchanan was elected President, according to the stories Daniel told in later years. They settled on a farm in Clay Township, where they remained the rest of their lives and where they raised three children, Sarah, Mary & William. [Journal 60th Anniv; KDE obits]
George W Keller
Jan 1833-1916
Louisa (McDowell) Keller
Oct 1837-1903
George Keller, a native of Kentucky, came to Adair County in 1856. Two years later, on Mar 9,1858, he married Louisa McDowell, who had come from Ohio with her parents. The couple had 10 children and raised at least seven to adulthood on their farm near Brashear: sons Francis, John W, Hiram E, Zenis V, Warren H & Charles E; daughters Mary, Ella, Ada & Ida. [Census; Adair Co Cemeteries; Hiram’s KDE obit]
Samuel Frederick Shoop
3 Feb 1871 – 13 Nov 1930
Adair County native SF Shoop was born and raised on a farm in Ninevah Township. He opened his first general merchandise store in Wilmathville at about age 21 and later formed a partnership with two other merchants to create the Miller Mercantile Company with stores in Connelsville, Novinger and “old” Ninevah. He also served one term as Adair County Court Judge. Judge Shoop and his wife, Catherine Miller, were the parents of eight, five daughters and three sons. [Violette; KDE obit]
Robert Johnson Wilson
16 Dec 1858 – 20 Sept 1941
Farmer RJ Wilson, oldest child of William & Mary Jane (Mustoe) Wilson, was born in Barbour County, VA (West Virginia as of 1863) and moved to Adair County with his parents at age 7. He outlived his five younger siblings and at the time of his death was residing with his nephew on his father’s old homestead near Connelsville. He was buried at Ft Madison Cemetery. [Goodspeed; KDE obit]