I have sent the following to Dennis to add to the Shelby County, IA, web page at the USGenWeb. This is only part of the story; for the rest, please visit the Shelby County web page. I hope you find this helpful and interesting. Happy searching! Mona Sarratt Knight Note to researchers: The story regarding the feud and the later killing of Adam Cuppy has been extracted from pages 572-74 of the Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, published 1915. The remaining details have been researched by me using census records, civil war veterans records, and other materials. Every effort was made to spell the names correctly. I am not related to this family and have nothing further to add. I hope that this information aids you in your research of the CUPPY and JOHNSTON families. The families of Dr. Witherington Jerome (W. J.) Johnston and Adam Cuppy were two of the earliest to settle in Shelby County, Iowa. Both families had original ancestry in the State of Ohio, and both appeared to have spent time in Illinois and/or Indiana before moving west about 1852-53. In the June 1860 census for Shelby County, these families appear living next to one another at Cuppy's Grove: Census family 33: Adam Cuppy, age 47, and wife Christena, age 45, along with their children Matilda, 20; Emily, 15; Charley, 11; Gramette, 7; Eliza J. Geoman, 7, and Francis M. Cuppy, age 18. Census family 34: Washington Johnston (his name was actually Witherington), age 61, doctor, and wife Mary A. Johnston, age 41, along with their children John, age 22, Brafford, age 20, Sarah Jane, age 17, Mary Ann, age 14, Witherington, age 11, James E., age 7, and Lucinda, age 4. Living down the road was another son of Adam Cuppy shown as: Census family 32, William B. Cuppy, age 22, and wife Susan A. Cuppy, age 16. Isaac Cuppy, a brother of Adam Cuppy, was recorded in this census as well at Family 30: Isaac Cuppy, age 39, wife Mary Cuppy, age 33, along with their children William, age 17, Harriet, age 10, Celestia, age 7, Mansel, age 7, James B. age 4, Marcus M., age 1, and Elizabeth Cuppy, age 15. The relationship of these families was to come to a tragic end by July of 1860, apparently precipitated by a long-standing feud between the sons of Adam Cuppy and Dr. Johnston. Their story is related in the history of Shelby County as follows: The two earliest pioneer families of Cuppy's Grove, that of Dr. W. J. Johnston and that of Adam Cuppy, who lived only a few hundred yards apart, seemed to have had trouble almost from the start of their settlement there. This disagreement between the members of these respective families seems to have reached a culmination when John Johnston was shot and killed in July 1860. On July 21, 1860, an information was filed with county judge William Wyland, charging William B. Cuppy with the alleged murder of John Johnston and charging Adam Cuppy with being accessory to the said crime. The two defendants were placed under arrest by Milton Stanton, Sheriff, and brought before Judge Wyland, who fixed July 26, 1860, for examination. In the meantime, on July 24, 1860, W. J. Johnston, Mary Ann Johnston, and Brafford Johnston were arrested and brought before Judge Wyland charged with having committed an assault with intent to kill William B. Cuppy. Judge Wyland fixed the 27th day of July, 1860, for their preliminary hearing. On July 26, accordingly, the case of William B. Cuppy and Adam Cuppy came on for hearing with the result that Judge Wyland required them to give bonds in the sum of three thousand dollars for their appearance at the next term of the district court of Shelby County, to answer to any charges that the grand jury might prefer against them, which bonds were duly given. On the 27th of July, 1860, Judge Wyland dismissed the defendants W. J. Johnston, Mary Ann Johnston, and Brafford Johnston. W. B. Cuppy and Adam Cuppy were eventually released, or acquitted, as no further record of the case was found. These events were tragic for both families, and further incidents would only add to the ultimate outcome. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Isaac Cuppy's son, William, enlisted at Shelby County on July 10, 1861, into Company B, 4th Iowa Infantry Regiment. He died of disease on December 27, 1861, at Rolla, Missouri. He was 19 years old. Brafford Johnson enlisted at Council Bluffs, Iowa (Pottawattamie County), on February 26, 1863, into Company C, 5th Iowa Cavalry Regiment. He was 23 years old. He continued his service to his country until he was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, on August 11, 1865, undoubtedly tired and battle worn after two and a half years of fighting. Brafford returned to Shelby County where he lived for several years. Trouble seemed to haunt the Cuppy family, and in October of 1865, Adam Cuppy was apparently murdered by a mob from Shelby County who were upset about a horse-stealing incident that happened there. This story is recorded in the Shelby County history, pages 572-74.