Reuben J Chappell was killed in the race riots in 1900. The riots were a result of a black man being accused of killing the daughter of Bernard Wild as she walked west of Peirce City on her way home from church. This was followed by a mass exodus of the black population which had been entrenched in the town since its inception in 1870. R J Chappell married Anne Looney, youngest daughter of Sampson B. Looney 1806 TN-1864 who married Sarah Brown Hunt in Morgan County, Illinois in 1830 and settled in what was to become Lawrence County in 1832. (Crawford>Greene1833>Barry1835>Lawrence 1845). When Sampson was killed by bushwhackers in 1864 he owned 320 acres of land, 240 purchased from the government and 120 from Elisha Landers. This land was situated in the same section where the first Court of Barry County met. In 1870 when the railroad was being built William Robert Wild offered over 20 thousand dollars to Sarah and her children. He paid two of them an additional $1000 each and signed a mortgage for the balance. Mr. Wild had a town surveyed which he named St. Martha in honor of his wife. Meanwhile, Andrew Peirce, a railroad executive offered land to the village to the east for a town to be called Peirce City. The surveys were recorded about the same time and Peirce City immediately began to populate and prosper. When Mr. Wild found out the train would stop two miles to the east he walked out on his land and put a bullet through his head. Martha Wild, the widow, spent the next seven years settling the estate and when it was determined there were not sufficient funds to cover the mortgage the land was sold for pennies on the dollar. Sarah and the Looney sons bought back some of the land and Bernard Wild, brother of William Robert Wild and father of the murdered girl, bought a large parcel. Some family researchers suggest that Sampson’s mother was married three times. 1) Stewart. Labon Stewart b 1803 in VA settled south of Sampson for a time and his grand daughter married Sampson’s youngest son. 2) Looney and 3) Standifer. Sampson was first buried on the farm of his son in law, Charles Shipman but moved to the Pierce City Cemetery when it was established. The sign at the cemetery entrance reads Pierce City (today’s spelling do to a U S Post office error about 1920) 1864. John Hunt, father of Sarah Brown Hunt Looney consented to the marriage. He was in the 1830 census of Morgan County, IL but there are strong indications that there was a connection to Franklin County, Tennessee. Two letters mention Hunts, Sherrills and Coylers. My lines: Robert and Elizabeth Absalom and Margaret Absalom (3) Priscilla Looney m. Thomas K Thompson Jane Thompson m Henry McCary Benjamin F McCary m Tennie Peevey Oran O McCary m Manta Frost Dorothy McCary and Ira Landers (my parents) William E Landers m Minnie E Crooks William E Landers m Manerva Looney d/o Sampson Elisha Landers Finding a slot for Sampson in the Robert and Elizabeth line and finding Sampson’s killer are paramount on my to-do list. I have a suspect for the killing but unfortunately, he’s not available to stand trial. Finding Sampson’s parents is something else. Bill Landers, Cape Cod, MA