I wonder about the accuracy of the obit as it relates to her age and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Like you, I was amazed that Barry County had anyone involved in this tragic event in American History. I note that her age was probably calculated wrong since it was figured on the Massacre taking place in 1854 rather than 1857. Also, I checked several of the lists for survivors and victims and and did not find Lou Hefley Thomas or Robert Thomas on any of the lists. They are also not on any of the lists depicting known families traveling with the party. Maybe they are some of the 'unknown" persons. It is amazing that she survived; other than the 17 named children, very few known adults survived. Many accounts say that no adults survived. > Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:46:14 -0800 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [MOBARRY] New > > List Readers, I am attempting to bring the history of the Mountain Meadows Masscure closer to you by posting the following exerts from the Wikipedia on line discription of it. > > Lou Hefley Thomas was in that masscure as noted in an obit that Barbara Erwin posted. This is history that effected so many people. Over and over I have read this story but never knew that Barry County had someone that was in this terrible affair. > > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobarry/data/obits/t/thomasLouisia.htm > > She is buried in Horner Cemetery. > > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobarry/cemetery/horner/horner-9.htm > > --------------------- > > The Mountain Meadows massacre was a mass slaughter of the Fancher-Baker emigrant wagon train at Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory, by a local Mormon militia and members of the Paiute Native American tribe on September 11, 1857. It began as an attack, quickly turned into a siege, and eventually culminated in the murder of the unarmed emigrants after their surrender. All of the party except for seventeen children under eight years old—about 120 men, women, and children—were killed. [1] After the massacre, the corpses of the victims were left decomposing for two years on the open plain, [2] the surviving children were distributed to local Mormon families, and many of their possessions auctioned off at the Latter Day Saint Cedar City tithing office.[3] > > The Arkansas emigrants were passing through the Utah Territory at a tense time in the Utah War when 2,500 troops sent by President Buchanan were approaching with orders to restore US authority in the territory. Mormon leaders had been mustering militia and making defiant speeches stating their determination to mount a defense. [4] The emigrants stopped to rest and regroup their approximately 800 head of cattle at Mountain Meadows, a valley within the Iron County Military District of the Nauvoo Legion (the popular designation for the Mormon militia of the Utah Territory). [5] > > Initially intending to orchestrate an Indian massacre,[6] local militia leaders including Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee conspired to lead militiamen disguised as Native Americans along with a contingent of Paiute tribesmen in an attack. The emigrants fought back and a siege ensued. When the Mormons discovered that they had been identified by the emigrants, Col. William H. Dame, head of the Iron County Brigade of the Utah militia, ordered their annihilation.[7] Intending to leave no witnesses of Mormon complicity in the siege and also intending to prevent reprisals that would complicate the Utah War, militiamen induced the emigrants to surrender and give up their weapons. After escorting the emigrants out of their hasty fortification, the militiamen and their tribesmen auxiliaries executed the emigrants. Investigations, interrupted by the U.S. Civil War, resulted in nine indictments in 1874. Only John D. Lee was tried in a court of law, and after two > trials, he was convicted. On March 23, 1877 a firing squad executed Lee at the massacre site. > > Historians attribute the massacre to a combination of factors including war hysteria fueled by millennialism and strident Mormon teachings by senior LDS leaders including Brigham Young.[8] These teachings included doctrines about God's vengeance against those who had killed Mormon prophets, some of whom were from Arkansas. Scholars debate whether the massacre was caused by any direct involvement by Brigham Young, [9] who was never officially charged and denied any wrongdoing. However, the predominant academic position is that Young and other church leaders helped create the conditions which made the massacre possible. > > Donna Cooper > > > > > The list-admin is Donna Cooper, address - ([email protected]) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/

Here is a Census for Flat Creek Township, Barry Co., Mo for Levi Hefley. There is a Louise there and sometimes Louise is "Lou". She was listed as a widow. Census can be off a year or so but they do get within a reasonable area. Also, I've heard that girls sometimes married very young in early times. Perhaps the people responsible for the massacre thought she was a child. 1860 Census for Flat Creek Twp , Barry Co., Mo 979. 964. Levy Hefley, 51, Farmer, North Carolina, Male 1809 Isabell Hefley, 41, Domestic, Tennessee, Female 1819 Lewiza Hefley, 21, Tennessee, Female 1839 Joseph Hefley, 18, Tennessee, Male 1842 Philip Hefley, 16, Tennessee, Male 1844 James Hefley, 14, Arkansas, Male 1846 M. Heartland Hefley, 8, Missouri, Male 1852 Mary Hefley, 5, Missouri, Female 1855 Tennessee, Hefley, 4, Missouri, Female 1856 Leavy Hefley, 2, Missouri, Male 1858 This is the 1880 Census for Levi Hefley...notice B.B. was much younger than Louiza. 246. 254. Levi Heffley, Self, Widowed, Male, White, 72, TN, Farmer, ___, ___ Louiza Heffley, Dau, Widowed, Female, White, 39, MO, Keeping House, TN, TN Tenn Heffley, Dau, S, Female, White, 22, MO, Keeping House, TN, TN Levi Heffley, Son, S, Male, White, 21, MO, Works On Farm, TN, TN Barton Heffley, Son, S, Male, White, 18, MO, Works On Farm, TN, TN (This would be B.B. Hefley.) Helen Purcin, Dau, Divorced, Female, White, 25, MO, House Keeping TN, TN [Perkins?] Rosa Purcin, Grand Dau, S, Female, White, 7, MO, At School, TN, MO Darla Marbut ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Hickman" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 7:04 PM Subject: Re: [MOBARRY] New > > I wonder about the accuracy of the obit as it relates to her age and the > Mountain Meadows Massacre. Like you, I was amazed that Barry County had > anyone involved in this tragic event in American History. I note that her > age was probably calculated wrong since it was figured on the Massacre > taking place in 1854 rather than 1857. Also, I checked several of the > lists for survivors and victims and and did not find Lou Hefley Thomas or > Robert Thomas on any of the lists. They are also not on any of the lists > depicting known families traveling with the party. Maybe they are some of > the 'unknown" persons. It is amazing that she survived; other than the 17 > named children, very few known adults survived. Many accounts say that no > adults survived. > > > > >> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:46:14 -0800 >> From: [email protected] >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [MOBARRY] New >> >> List Readers, I am attempting to bring the history of the Mountain >> Meadows Masscure closer to you by posting the following exerts from the >> Wikipedia on line discription of it. >> >> Lou Hefley Thomas was in that masscure as noted in an obit that Barbara >> Erwin posted. This is history that effected so many people. Over and over >> I have read this story but never knew that Barry County had someone that >> was in this terrible affair. >> >> http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobarry/data/obits/t/thomasLouisia.htm >> >> She is buried in Horner Cemetery. >> >> http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobarry/cemetery/horner/horner-9.htm >> >> --------------------- >> >> The Mountain Meadows massacre was a mass slaughter of the Fancher-Baker >> emigrant wagon train at Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory, by a local >> Mormon militia and members of the Paiute Native American tribe on >> September 11, 1857. It began as an attack, quickly turned into a siege, >> and eventually culminated in the murder of the unarmed emigrants after >> their surrender. All of the party except for seventeen children under >> eight years old—about 120 men, women, and children—were killed. [1] After >> the massacre, the corpses of the victims were left decomposing for two >> years on the open plain, [2] the surviving children were distributed to >> local Mormon families, and many of their possessions auctioned off at the >> Latter Day Saint Cedar City tithing office.[3] >> >> The Arkansas emigrants were passing through the Utah Territory at a tense >> time in the Utah War when 2,500 troops sent by President Buchanan were >> approaching with orders to restore US authority in the territory. Mormon >> leaders had been mustering militia and making defiant speeches stating >> their determination to mount a defense. [4] The emigrants stopped to rest >> and regroup their approximately 800 head of cattle at Mountain Meadows, a >> valley within the Iron County Military District of the Nauvoo Legion (the >> popular designation for the Mormon militia of the Utah Territory). [5] >> >> Initially intending to orchestrate an Indian massacre,[6] local militia >> leaders including Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee conspired to lead >> militiamen disguised as Native Americans along with a contingent of >> Paiute tribesmen in an attack. The emigrants fought back and a siege >> ensued. When the Mormons discovered that they had been identified by the >> emigrants, Col. William H. Dame, head of the Iron County Brigade of the >> Utah militia, ordered their annihilation.[7] Intending to leave no >> witnesses of Mormon complicity in the siege and also intending to prevent >> reprisals that would complicate the Utah War, militiamen induced the >> emigrants to surrender and give up their weapons. After escorting the >> emigrants out of their hasty fortification, the militiamen and their >> tribesmen auxiliaries executed the emigrants. Investigations, interrupted >> by the U.S. Civil War, resulted in nine indictments in 1874. Only John D. >> Lee was tried in a court of law, and after two >> trials, he was convicted. On March 23, 1877 a firing squad executed Lee >> at the massacre site. >> >> Historians attribute the massacre to a combination of factors including >> war hysteria fueled by millennialism and strident Mormon teachings by >> senior LDS leaders including Brigham Young.[8] These teachings included >> doctrines about God's vengeance against those who had killed Mormon >> prophets, some of whom were from Arkansas. Scholars debate whether the >> massacre was caused by any direct involvement by Brigham Young, [9] who >> was never officially charged and denied any wrongdoing. However, the >> predominant academic position is that Young and other church leaders >> helped create the conditions which made the massacre possible. >> >> Donna Cooper >> >> >> >> >> The list-admin is Donna Cooper, address - ([email protected]) >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. > http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/ > The list-admin is Donna Cooper, address - ([email protected]) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >