Hi, folks. I found the following article in the Pioneer Times volume 13, dated 1989. I have nothing further on these people and am not related. Just thought you might be interested, so I typed it up for you. Joanne Scobee Morgan MCDOWELL FAMILY HISTORY The following information is taken from two or three ledger books in the possession of the Shelby county Historical Society, Shelbyville, Missouri. these and other ledgers contain records of various family enterprises of Washington C. & Martha McDowell. these ledgers were loaned for microfilming by the Shelby county Historical Society to the Missouri State Archives and copies of these microfilmed records are available also at the Missouri Archives. MARRIAGES JOHN C. MASTER & MARTHA DEVAUL married 1854 in Monroe Co., Ohio MARTHA MASTERS (widow of J. C. Masters) & W.C. MCDOWELL married Feb 10, 1889 in Shelby co., MO ANNARAH A. MASTERS TO EDWARD STEWART married Aug 29th, 1887 in Shelby co., MO BIRTHS JOHN C. MASTERS b april 17, 1833 at Sandusky, Ohio MARTHA DEVAUL born May 8th 1833 in Monroe co., Ohio CHILDREN OF ABOVE ROSS W. MASTERS March 20, 1856 JOHN W. MASTERS Sept 27, 1858 MARIAN L. MASTERS Oct 21, 1860 SARAH E. MASTERS Apr 9, 1863 CHARLES W. MASTERS May 1, 1865 MARY M. MASTERS Sept 12, 1867 WILLIAM T. MASTERS Nov 12, 1869 ANNARAH A. MASTERS July 12, 1872 DEATHS JOHN C. MASTERS Sept 12, 1881 in Shelby co., MO. age 48 yrs. 4 mos 25 days MARTHA (DEVAUL) MASTERS MCDOWELL died Oct 17, 1903 in Shelbyville, MO age 70 yrs, 5 mos, 7 days ROSS W. MASTERS died July 28, 1872 age 16 yrs. 4 mos. 8 days JOHN W. MASTERS died Oct ? 1861, age 3 years MARION L. MASTERS died Aug 2, 1872 age 11 yrs. 9 mos, 11 days WILLIAM T. MASTERS died March 14, 1902 age 32 years, 4 mos. 2 days ANNARAH A. (MASTERS) STEWART died June 21, 1904 age 31 yrs., 11 mos., 9 days at her residence southeast of Shelbyville, MO PAGE 166 The following information found in Ledger Book dated "circa 1892" of W. C. McDowell of Shelbyville, Shelby Co., Missouri. This ledger book given to the Shelby County Historical Society and loaned (1988) to Missouri State Archives for microfilming. WILLIAM MCDOWELL was born in the county of Cavan, Ireland on February 4, 1762 and came to Charleston, S. c. in 1782, married to RACHEL MCCLINTICK at Carlisle, Penn. on June 29th, 1795. they had 7 children, one named William died Feb 20, 1803 at Newtown, Frederic County, VA., and his wife died at Portsmouth, Ohio, august 13, 1831, and he died at Chillocothe, Ohio November 11th, 1841. Having no means, a brother assisted him and he soon made considerable money while at Charleston, S. C. mostly in the tobacco trade. I think he was studying medicine and preaching while in Penn. He was successful in business while at Savannah, Ga., and bought several slaves in 1795-1797 and moved to Newtown, VA probably early in 1798 and about 1806, moved to Chillocothe, Ohio for the purpose of freeing 8 slaves that he owned, he being a minister in the M. E. church. About 1832 he fell from a step-ladder while picking cherries which rendered him a cripple, causing him to retire from business, the practice of medicine, and the ministry. Under the firm name of McDowell & Sons, he kept a store in Chillocothe, Ohio from 1816 to 1818 and was in partnership with Hinds in ownership of the land and proprietor of the city of Mt. Carmel, Illinois and other enterprises. WILLIAM MCDOWELL, JR., the 2nd son, of the same name and son of the above parties, was born at Newtown, frederic County, VA., March 27, 1805. Married ANN ELIZA CLINGMAN at Portsmouth, Scioto Co., Ohio on Jan 5, 1830. Had 10 children of whom 6 died young (one was stillborn) and his wife died at Rockford, IL on Feb 27, 1892 and he died at his old home in Clarno Twp., Green Co., Wisc. on April 17, 1895. His schooling was as good as the subscription primary & academy afforded at the time at Chillocothe, Ohio, i.e. 1810 to 1830, but he thought it was a mistake in having to study Greek & Latin before he had obtained a better knowlede of the English branch. Being a great reader he was considered by his neighbors as having an education about the average. For sometime previous to and at the time he was married, he clerked in his brother, John's store at Portsmouth, Ohio. Moved to a farm on Deer Creek, Ross county, Ohio but having no knowledge of farming the main results were much unr! emunerative hard labor. In 1833 he moved to Chillocothe, Ohio and went into the soap and candle making business, but being dependent on his father for means, he was compelled to sell out and move to a house on Water Street. Here he ran a grocery for a short time, but his father so interfeered that customers dropped off and the business did not pay. In 1836 he took a trip to northern Illinois and his father-in-law offered him assistance if he would move there. But his father, who was living with him, being old & a criple and unwilling to move, he decided to remain and take care of him while he lived. From date of closing out the grocery till he moved west in 1842 he had no steady business and during this interval an old black woman came and claimed support by reason that the laws of Ohio required that any person bringing a slave into the state and freeing them must give bonds obligating such person to provide for the support of such slave if they became unable to support them! selves. this woman having been a slave and freed by his father and he being unable to support her, the son was compelled to do it. Luckily she was the only one of the 8 that were freed that called for help. The old woman died in a few months, aged 84 years. His father died in 1841 and in the latter part of April 1842 he started with his family for Illinois in a two-horse wagon. A balky horse compelled him to stop and trade him off for another the first day. He continued his journey westward until he reached Richmond, Indiana, but the roads being very bad, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio and took a steamer down the Ohio River then up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peru, thence by wagon to Cedarville, Stephenson Co., Illinois. While on the way from Richmond, Ind. to Cincinnati, Ohio several of the children had the measles which caused a delay of several days at Cincinnati. The youngest child, William, grew worse on the journey and died at North Grove, Ogle Co., Illinois, June 15, 1842 and the corpse was taken to Cedarville and buried. About the last of June 1842 he moved to a farm in Green County, Wisconsin and having built a frame house, moved into it on the 7th day of Nov. 1842. Taking much interest in education, he was acytive in securing a good school house, books & teachers as the place and time afforded and served many years as an official on the school board. In August 1846, John, and in Sept., William, 2nd son of the name, died, and some months after, his wife showed symptoms of insanity which continued to recur at intervals with increased violence until she was finally placed in the asylum where she remained until about Jan. 1884. May 22 1852, WILHEMINA died and subsequently, a child was stillborn. I omitted to say in its proper place that RACHEL died Oct 9th, 1834 at Chillotcothe, Ohio. In 1846 (oct to Dec.) a convention having drafted a constitution that was rejected by the people in 1847. He was elected member of the 2nd convention as member from Green County, Wisc., in 1847 which met anddrafted a constitution (Dec. 1847 to Feb 1848) which was adopted by the people and the territory was admitted as a state under it. Up to the 24th of Jan., 1848 he was always in his seat on time & hardly ever or never, missed a vote and only asked for leave of absence by reason that his wife's insanity was so violent that his presence was needed at home. Later his friends urged him to become a candidate as member to the Legislature of Wisc but he refused on account of his wife's health. Subsequently he was township superintendent of Public schools for several years and served two years as county treasurer of Green! Co., Wisc. in 1862 & 3. RACHEL MCCLINTICK was born at Carlisle, Penna Dec. 25th, 1771, was married to WILLIAM MCDOWELL at Carlisle, Penn., June 29th, 179i95. Had 7 children, (5 boys and 2 girls) who all survived their mother, (except William, who died young) and died at Portsmouth, Ohio on August 13, 1831. PAGES 167 & 168 ANN ELIZA CLINGMAN was born near Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio Feb 13, 1811. She married WILLIAM MCDOWELL, JR. at Portsmouth, Ohio January 5th, 1830. They had 10 children (six boys & 4 girls - 4 boys and 2 girls died young)., and she died at Rockford, Winnebago Co., Illinois Feb 27, 1892. Her early life was passed in poverty and privation incident to a sparsely settled county and pioneer life intensified by the intemperance of her father; later he reformed and she obtained a fair common school education, and being self reliant, firm & industrious she had accumulated more than an average amount of articles for clothing and housekeeping at date of her marriage for one in her station of life. In needlework, spinning, weaving, coloring, etc., she had few equals, being remarkable not only for the fineness and accuracy but also for the speed of her work. As examples of her patient industry, she spun, colored and wove two hemp bed ticks, also several woolen figured counterpanes and many yards of linsey for dresses before her marriage. In the winter of 1833 & 4 she moulded over 1600 lbs. of candles besides dipping many hundred lbs. etc., and doing her housework. Later she would spin 16 cuts of woolen yarn per day and attend to milking & housework (a cut of yarn cons! ists of 120 threads 3 yds long or 1080 feet per cut = 17280 feet per day). In knitting or darning she was expert and neat. A sample of her darning at the advanced age of 80 yrs., could hardly be excelled by younger persons. She read a good deal but wrote little. Being of a serious and religious cast of mind, she united with the M. E. church before her marriage. A division in the church caused her husband to withdraw from the M. E. Church and unite with the protestant Methodists and she also went with him. Later reading Sweddenborgs books they embraced his views and withdrew from the protestants. The opposition by their acquaintances and others was such that it was in reality a religious persecution that continued until they moved to Wisc. in 1842. While she bore this with fortitude and unswerving faith in the new doctrines, she felt their criticisms keenly. Not long, perhaps a year or so, after her marriage, being in poor health, the first symptoms of insanity appeared in the form of mental religious excitement, but it soon passed away. Mild symptoms would be manifest at intervals until about the year 1843 or 4. She became worse than usual and at each recurring paroxysm she grew worse and the intervals shorter until her mind became so unsettled that in her most lucid moments her words were interspersed with insane vagaries. time modified these conditions to some extent so that the later years of her life were much more quiet than those of the earlier years of her insanity. Her habits of industry and care for her family continued nearly to the date of her death. Pages 170 & 171 of W. C. McDowell Ledger Book WILLIAM MCDOWELL FAMILY HISTORY WILLIAM MCDOWELL born Feb 4, 1762 in County of Cavan, Ireland died Nov. 11, 1841 at Chillocothe, Ohio Married RACHEL MCCLINTICK on June 29, 1795 at Carlisle, Pennsylovania RACHEL MCCLINTICK born Dec 25, 1771 at Carlisle, Cumberland Co., Penn. \ died Aug 13, 1881 at Portsmouth, Ohio