NOTE: This report contains much
genealogical data about the J.J. Wilson family. We have only printed a portion
of the data here. The complete report can be found at the DeSoto Library.
PHASE III ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA RECOVERY,
J. J. WILSON SITE, 23JE787,
JEFFERSON
COUNTY, MISSOURI
VOLUME I:
NARRATIVE REPORT
LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY: FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ADMINISTRATION
FINAL REPORT
MoDOT Job No. J60876F
TRC Project #01700
Larry McKee, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Authored by:
Larry McKee, Jared Barrett and Ruth Nichols
April 2008
The J.J. Wilson site (23JE787) is located on a ridge top
approximately 1 mile north of the city of Hillsboro, in the northeastern Ozarks
region of Missouri. J.J. Wilson, Sr. purchased the property in 1867, and it
served as home for himself, his wife, and their numerous children for more than
forty years. The farm was never again occupied following the sale of the
property out of the Wilson family in 1913.
Additional archival research
carried out as part of the data recovery investigation discovered various
additional documents pertaining to the family and the farm. These include J.J.
Wilson’s estate probate inventory dating to 1900, an 1880 agricultural census
listing the output and holdings of the farm, and additional data on the Wilson
children’s occupations, marriages, and families. The documentary research found
nothing of a more personal nature on the family, in terms of letters, diaries,
or other written accounts by family members. The research also provided
information on the family’s place in the social and economic network of late
nineteenth and early twentieth century Jefferson County.
Initial fieldwork at the
site included brush clearing, auger testing, and a metal detector survey.
Focused excavation, using hand-dug test pits and backhoe trenching, took place
at three areas of the site: around features thought to be associated with a
barn, around the cellar and cistern thought to represent the main house
location, and to the north of the house area, where clearing and augering had revealed surface artifact scatters and buried
deposits.
Results of investigation at
the possible barn area found little in the way of structural remains or
artifact deposits. There was probably not a true barn here, but rather a set of
smaller pens and lean-to shelters for the family’s limited livestock holdings.
Work at the house site concentrated on the cellar feature, the
cistern, and the stone alignments that probably served as the pier foundation
for the residence. All had been previously investigated during Phase II testing
at the site carried out in 2002. The cellar proved to be a rich source of
artifacts. Excavation of three units within and around the edge of the house
footprint produced frustratingly minimal evidence of its structural detail. The
cellar size and placement, the various surface stone alignments, and the
location of the adjacent cistern suggest the house measured approximately 18 by
36 feet. The excavation found no evidence of a chimney base associated with the
dwelling, suggesting the family depended on a free-standing stove or stoves for
heating and cooking rather than open fireplace hearths. Excavation of seven
backhoe trenches in areas surrounding the house revealed no signs of midden deposits, yard features, or outbuildings.
Investigation of the cistern
in the house area showed it to be a remarkable feature, unusually large and
well-built in comparison to other structural remains at the site. Backhoe
trenching was used to dig a trench exposing a section of the exterior of the
cistern and the related builder’s trench. The machine was also used to break
through the top of the cistern to expose the construction details of its domed
top. No readily datable artifacts were recovered from the builder’s trench
around the feature, but the use of modern portland
cement as the mortaring and coating agent for the cistern helps date its
construction to sometime after 1890. This indicates the feature was a late
addition to the farmstead.
The third area receiving substantial attention during Phase III
fieldwork at the Wilson site is located to the north of the house area, across
a dirt logging road. Test units and backhoe trenches excavated over the site of
a notably heavy surface scatter of artifacts here found a second cellar
(Feature 3) filled with domestic trash. The horizontal measurements of the
feature are 5 x 2.5 m, and its maximum depth below surface is 1.5 m. No remains
of an associated structure were found during the excavation.
The majority of artifacts recovered
during the project came from Feature 1, the cellar in the house area, and
Feature 3, the second cellar in the area north of the house. The large
assemblages from these features are made up of a wide array of household
artifacts, including ceramics, glass, metal, and personal objects. The artifact
collections in these two cellars probably represent a “transitional” deposit
associated with a major change in the household, probably during a perhaps
never completed dwelling renovation in the first decade of the twentieth
century.
No other midden
or trash dumping areas were found away from the cellars and house footprint.
Overall, the collection is notably lacking in artifacts dating to the early
period of the site occupation, in the decades just after the Wilson family
purchased the property in 1867. There are a variety of possible explanations
for this absence of early artifacts, but it is most likely linked to the
family’s relatively impoverished state during this time. The low quantities of
recovered early-period artifacts prevented any intensive comparison between
assemblages dating to different periods of the Wilson family’s occupation of
the site.
The overall impression of the Wilson family’s life at this farm is
that they lead an impoverished, hardscrabble existence during their first three
decades of ownership, followed by some enhanced level of prosperity in the last
decade of their presence on the property.
WILSON FAMILY HISTORY
The site studied during this
project, 23JE787, was owned and occupied by one family, the Wilsons, from 1867
to 1913. The patriarch and matriarch of the family, J.J. Sr. and Ann Matlock,
were both born in rural Tennessee and married there in 1852. J.J. Wilson Sr.
fought with the Union during the Civil War, in a Missouri infantry brigade. At
some point during his service he was wounded, and due to the resulting disability
he received a partial government pension for the rest of his life.
After the Civil War, the family lived in
St. Louis for a brief time. They bought and moved to the farm site in Jefferson
County in 1867, when J.J., Sr. and Ann were already in their thirties. Beyond
farming, J.J., Sr. worked in a variety of occupations, including merchant,
assessor for Jefferson County, teacher, and possibly as a Methodist
circuit-riding minister. Ann Wilson bore thirteen children, with only eight
surviving childhood. She also played an important role as a midwife,
“officiating” at numerous births throughout the community. J.J. Wilson, Sr.
died at age 71 on July 16, 1900, and Ann Wilson died at age 76 on May 12, 1912.
Wilson family offspring followed such careers as Navy sailor, homemaker,
teacher, postal worker, and newspaper publisher. None chose to continue living
and farming the family land after the death of their parents, and the property
was sold out of the family in 1913.
According to Goodspeed’s history of
Jefferson County, published in 1888, J.J. Wilson Sr. (J.J. Sr.) was born in
Waynesboro (Wayne County), Tennessee in 1828, to Zaccheus
and Naomi Gillespie Wilson (Goodspeed 1888:964). The
1900 census data available for J.J. Sr. indicates that both of his parents were
from North Carolina (U.S. Census 1900, Volume 51, E.D. 50; Sheet 4; Line 92). Goodspeed indicates that Zaccheus
and Naomi were born in Mecklenburg and Rowan Counties, North Carolina
(respectively) and moved to Williamson County, Tennessee, prior to moving to
western Tennessee (Goodspeed 1888:965). This confirms
information from the 1820 census that lists Zaccheus
Wilson as living near Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee (U.S. Census 1820,
Series M33, Roll 125, Page 156).
J.J. Sr. attended Paris Academy in Henry County, Tennessee, where
he graduated in March 1852 (Goodspeed 1888:964). Following graduation from Paris Academy, J.J. Sr. “engaged in
merchandising for a few years” before becoming a teacher and farmer (Goodspeed 1888:964). It is assumed that J.J. Sr.’s
interest in Missouri is linked to his service with Union forces based in the
state during the Civil War. In 1862, he enlisted in Company D of the 31st Missouri Volunteer Infantry at
Ironton, Missouri, participating in battles at Vicksburg and Arkansas Post. A
“disability” (details unknown) forced J.J. Sr. to join Company I of the 23rd
Veteran Reserve Corps, with which he participated until the end of the
war “being honorably discharged in St. Louis [on] July 1, 1865” (Goodspeed 1888:964). Following the war, he joined the Grand
Army of the Republic (GAR), the important union veteran organization (Goodspeed 1888:964). Phase II archaeological testing at the
site recovered a button decorated with the GAR monogram (Powell and Bryant
2003:32), suggestive of Wilson’s active participation in the organization. J.J.
Sr. and Ann Matlock were married in 1852 (Powell and Bryant 2003:6). After the
war, the family lived in St. Louis for a brief time until moving to Jefferson
County with J.J. Sr.’s mother, Naomi, in 1867. Apparently J.J. Sr.’s father died
in 1857 in “western Tennessee” (probably Waynesboro), and Naomi died in
Jefferson County in 1879 (Goodspeed 1888:964-965).
As noted above, the Wilson family moved from St. Louis to
Jefferson County in 1867. This information is documented in several sources
including Goodspeed’s history and a Jefferson County
“historical atlas” published in 1876, which lists J.J. Sr. as living near
Hillsboro (Goodspeed 1888:964; Brink, McDonough and
Co. 1876:26). In addition, the St. Louis city directory published in 1866 identifies
J.J. Wilson (occupation: schoolteacher) as living on North Ninth Street. There
is no listing for Wilson in the 1867 city directory, additional supporting
evidence of the family’s move from St. Louis to Jefferson County in that year
([Edwards, Greenough & Deved],
1866:843; 1867). Additional personal details on J.J. Sr. provided in Goodspeed’s history indicate that he served as the
Jefferson County Assessor in 1879-1880. This is confirmed by census information
from 1880 (Goodspeed 1888:964; U.S. Census data 1880,
Volume 18; E.D. 193; Sheet 22; Line 30). Deed research indicates that the
Wilson farm property was originally obtained as a land grant by Jerome B. Timmonds in 1858; sold to John L. Thomas by Timmonds’ heirs in 1867, at which time the larger area was
subdivided and a portion sold to J.J. Wilson, Sr. (see Table 7) (Jefferson
County Deed Books O: 487-488; X: 590-591; Y: 361-362).
Goodspeed’s history provides
substantial information about J.J. Wilson, Jr. (J.J. Jr.), the eldest of the
Wilson children. Apparently J.J. Jr. was born in Carroll County, Tennessee in
1853 and “reared on a farm, receiving a limited common-school education” (Goodspeed 1888:964-965). Like his father, J.J. Jr. taught
school (for eight years) prior to working in 1884 as a bookkeeper and “chief
shed clerk” for the Crystal Plate Glass Company in Crystal City (Goodspeed 1888:965). In 1885, J.J. Jr. began a newspaper in
Crystal City with Dr. T.B. Taylor, the Crystal Mirror. Dr. Taylor
retired in 1886, at which time J.J. Jr. moved the newspaper to Hillsboro,
changed the newspaper’s name to Jefferson County Crystal Mirror, and
expanded the publication’s format. (See additional information on “Newspapers”
provided within this report). J.J. Jr. married Mary E. Wilkinson of Washington
County, Missouri, in 1880. By 1888, the couple had three children: Horace
Bates, Arthur Jasper, and Henrietta Ann (Goodspeed
1888:965). J.J. Jr. compiled a Jefferson County City Directory for 1907 in
conjunction with John F. Maness, the latter of whom served as Jefferson County
Assessor in 1905 (Maness & Wilson; State of Missouri Official Manual,
1905:135). According to census records, by 1900 J.J. Jr. and his family had
moved to St. Louis County and resided in the Webster Groves community (see
Table 5) (U.S. Census, 1900, Volume 83, E.D. 115; Sheet 18; Line 70).
Based on census information from 1880, J.J. Sr.’s occupation was
listed as “Assessor of Jefferson County” (noted previously); his wife, Ann, was
a “housekeeper,” and George, their 14-year-old son, worked on the farm. Other
children living at home that year were Anne B, Anne E., Josephine, William, and
Gray Clay (U.S. Census data, 1880).
The 1910 census indicates
that Ann Wilson bore 13 children in the 27 years from 1853 to 1880, of which
eight appear to have survived to adulthood (U.S. Census, 1910, Ref # 054 0030
0108). It is possible that some of the Wilson children who died young (perhaps
in infancy) are buried at Hillsboro Cemetery,
established circa 1840-1850. The area of the cemetery near the marked Wilson
graves (including Naomi, J. J. Sr. and Ann) is also the location of additional
small unlettered limestone markers. These probably mark Wilson infant burials.
J.J. Wilson Sr. died at age
71 on July 16, 1900 at home with Ann and all of his children, except Gray, in
attendance (Powell and Bryant 2003:10). At the time, Gray was apparently
serving military duty in the Philippines. Although one source (his father’s
obituary) states that Gray was associated with the army, deed research
indicates that he was a member of the U.S. Navy (Jefferson County Deed Book 74;
page 480).
J.J. Wilson, Sr’s obituary
provides some poignant commentary on his life and family:
WILSON James J. Wilson died at his residence near
Hillsboro, July 16, 1900, after a lingering illness, aged 71 years, 7 months
and 9 days. Mr. Wilson was a native of Tennessee, and
in 1852 was married to Miss Ann Matlock, who is still living. To them, thirteen
children were born, eight of whom are living, and all were present at the time
of his death but one son, Gray, who is in the U. S. army in the Philippines.
Mr. Wilson moved his family to Missouri in about
1865 and settled near this town and has resided here ever since. During the
late war he was a member of the 31st Missouri
volunteers, commanded by ex-Governor Fletcher, as colonel. He came out of the
army disabled to some extent and has been drawing a pension for years, but
never to the amount to which his disabilities entitled him. During his
residence here he has been a quiet, peaceful citizen. For years he taught in
the public schools, and filled one term in the office of assessor of the
county. He had been a professor of Christian religion for many years; was part
of the time a member of the Presbyterian church and
part of the time of the Methodist church, his church affiliations being
controlled to some extent by surrounding conveniences. In all departments of
life he attempted to do his duty faithfully as he saw it, and we have no doubt
that he is now enjoying the rewards of a well spent life.
All of his children but one are
grown, and all respected and honored him in life and will revere his memory.
His faithful wife, who has shared his trials for so many years and who was his
constant attendant and faithful nurse during his long sickness, is entitled to
and will receive a large share of sympathy from all her neighbors and friends.
(Jefferson Democrat 1900)
Several elements of this
obituary are worth noting. First is the mention of his war-related injury and
lifelong disability, which apparently worsened in his last years to the point
that it required his wife’s “constant” attendance and nursing. Attempts to find
his military pension record files with the National Archives failed, so the
actual nature and extent of his injuries and the amount of his pension have not
been documented.
A second important
observation about the obituary is that it makes no reference to Wilson as a
farmer, but instead lists his occupation as a school teacher. The obituary also
refers to his “residence” rather than calling his homeplace
a farm. This may be a casual omission, a matter of not needing to state the
obvious. Alternatively, it was perhaps a sign that the minimal size and output
of the Wilson agricultural operation by the time of his death fell below the
accepted local definition of what constituted a farm.
The obituary mentions his membership at
times in both the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. A 1970 locally-published
county history states that Wilson was a Methodist circuit rider (or traveling
minister) (Rutledge 1970:46), but if this was the case it is unlikely the
obituary would not have mentioned it. The 1970 source may have it wrong,
perhaps confusing this James J. Wilson with another with the same or similar
name.
In comparison to her husband
and eldest son, little is known about Ann Matlock Wilson. A history of the
county published in 1970 states that “Ann Matlock Wilson, wife of the Methodist
circuit rider, Reverend James J. Wilson, was called to officiate at countless
births in the Belews Creek neighborhood, northwest of
Hillsboro. She gave unstintingly of her time and skill, for
which she charged nothing” (Rutledge 1970:46). Ann died on May 12, 1912
and as noted previously, was buried in Hillsboro Cemetery “along with several
of [her] children and other close relatives” (“Jefferson County Missouri
Marriages 1910 – 1915; Deaths from Jefferson County Newspapers 1866 – 1920,
Vol. 1 & 2”: 66; Powell & Bryant 2003:10).
The names of the Wilson children that have been verified include
the following: James Jr. (born 1853); George N. (born 1865); Fannie Bell (born
1867); Anne B. (born 1868 or 1869); Anne Eliza (born 1871); Josephine (born
1873); William S. (born 1875); Gray Clay (born 1877 or 1878); and Laura H.
(born 1880). Although most information available relates to the eldest, James
Jr., limited information is also available for George and Fannie Bell. Research
indicates that George was married at least twice. Both marriages were to women
by the last name of Miller, and these women were sisters. The first wife’s
given name is not known. George was married to his second wife, Deborah Miller,
on April 26, 1893. Deborah’s obituary indicates that both women died shortly
after childbirth of “puerperal fever.” Deborah was aged 23 at the time of her
death. Both her child (Ruth) and a child from George’s previous marriage
(Olive) survived. Olive had a twin, perhaps Mary Ada,
who died immediately after birth (Jefferson County Historical Society:
“Missouri Marriages 1910 – 1915; Deaths from Jefferson County Newspapers 1866 –
1920, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2”: 66).
Fannie Bell married H. Sam Lanham and
the couple resided in DeSoto. The 1907 Jefferson County directory lists “H.
Lanham,” a carpenter, living on Third Street in DeSoto (Maness and Wilson
1907:86). Fannie and her husband sold the family farm in 1913 to Barney Ochs of
St. Louis (see Table 7) shortly after acquiring the property from her brother,
Clay (Jefferson County Deed Book 74; Page 480; Book 76; Page 20). Fannie and
her husband are buried at Hillsboro Cemetery, having died in 1931 and 1934,
respectively.
According to the 1907
Jefferson County directory, William S. Wilson, mail carrier, is noted as
residing one mile north of Hillsboro, which could be the family farm; although
there is no verification of whether this is the same “William” born to J.J. Sr.
and Ann (Maness and Wilson 1907:482). William S. Wilson is also listed in
census records as living in Hillsboro in 1910, married to Laura, and having a
son, Stanley. Laura Wilson is living on the family farm with her mother, Ann,
in 1910, as is Laura’s husband, Joseph G. Urizen and
their daughter, Hazel, who is one year of age (U.S. Census, 1910, Ref #054 0029
0024). Nothing else is known about the remaining children of J.J. Sr. and Ann.
Two grandchildren, Ruth and Olive, are
both daughters of George (as noted previously). Ruth lived with J.J. Sr. and
Ann on the family farm. She was born in 1894 and was the child from George’s
second marriage to Deborah. George’s eldest daughter, Olive, was two years
older than Ruth and lived with her maternal grandparents, Samuel and Sarah
Miller in the Central Township of Jefferson County (see Table 5) (U.S. Census,
1900; Volume 51, E.D. 53; Sheet 14; Line 72; Series T623; Roll 867; Page 28). A
school photograph for Hillsboro Public School dated 1900-1901 includes Ruth and
appears in several local publications (see Rutledge 1970:76; [City of
Hillsboro] Hillsboro Sesquicentennial 1989:62).
The Wilson property is situated in Township 41N, Range 4E,
Sections 33 and 34 and consisted of roughly 81 acres. Deeds and atlases
slightly vary in their description of exact acreage. An 1876 atlas of Jefferson
County indicates that the Wilson property was served by post offices in
Hillsboro, Grubville, and Morse Mill (Brink, McDonough, & Co. 1876:26).
According to deeds on file at the
Jefferson County Tax Assessor’s Office in Hillsboro, the following transactions
occurred in reference to the Wilson farm property which is described in the
deeds as a “parcel of land situated in . . . the southeastern quarter of the
northeast quarter of Section No. thirty-three (33) Township forty-one (41) of
the Range Four (4) East containing (40) [sic] acres and SW ¼ of NW ¼ Section
34, Township 41, Range 4 East containing forty-one 30/100 (41 30/100) acres all
in Township forty-one (41) Range Four (4) East.” (Jefferson County Warranty
Deed Book Y: 361-362).
The original estate probate inventory for J.J. Wilson, Sr. is
located at Jefferson College in Hillsboro (Record # 2759). The document, dated
10 August 1900, is identified as the “Inventory, Certificate and Affidavit
Inventory for Real and Personal Estate of James J. Wilson, deceased, late of
Jefferson County, Missouri, describing the quantity, situation and title of the
Real Estate, the books and papers, the debts due to the said deceased, the
names of the debtors, the dates of the contracts, the amount of interest due,
and the rate of interest thereon, and all personal property of whatsoever
character.” The property associated with the probate record includes “all of
the southeast quarter of northeast quarter of Section 33 Township 41 Range 4
East containing 40 acres. Also the southwest of the northwest quarter of
Section 4 Township 41 Range 4 East containing 40 acres as shown on file in
[the] Recorders Office in Record Book and at Page 361 of said record of
Jefferson County Missouri.”
Heirs listed in the probate include J.J.
Wilson Jr., George N. Wilson, Fannie Bell Lanham, Josephine Wilson, William S.
Wilson, Gray C. Wilson, and Laura W. Wilson, all of Jefferson County. According
to the record, James Sr. died on July 16, 1900 without a will. Executors of the
estate were William S. Wilson, William Morris, and W.A. Hill. Ann Wilson is
identified as the administrator of the estate. The following is the list of
property and values assigned per the probate record.
The 1876 Historical Atlas published by
Brink, McDonough, & Co. illustrates the Wilson parcel that, in comparison
to most property ownership for this region, is smaller than the average farm
(indicated as two tracts of 40 and 41.25 acres respectively)(Figure 3). A “farm
house” is illustrated on the map, located slightly south of the parcel’s center
point. An unnamed road is located northeast of the Wilson farm site but does
not adjoin the farmstead. Surrounding the Wilson parcel are sites owned by John
Mattock (northeast), J.L. Thomas (east), Mary F. Spilker
(south), M. Simen (southwest), and H.S. Huskey (west
and northwest) (Brink, McDonough, & Co., 1876:41). A list of the county’s
landowners from the 1876 atlas indicates that the “Jas. J. Wilson” farm site
(two parcels) included one building and an orchard. No mention is made of
outbuildings, and total land ownership for both parcels is 81.25 acres
(Hallemann 1998:A120).
At
the time of its occupation, the Wilson farm was on the edge of a loose-knit and
widely dispersed rural community locally known as Huskey Town. The name was
derived from the numerous members of the Huskey family and their
kin-by-marriage living in the vicinity. The founders of this local “dynasty”
moved to the area around 1810, following short interludes in South Carolina,
eastern Tennessee, and southern Illinois (Browman
1995:24). The family settled and established several prosperous farms on the
bottomlands of Belew Creek, to the west of the Wilson
site. An 1876 atlas of Jefferson County shows the numerous tracts owned by Huskeys to the northwest of the Wilson farm, including one
directly bordering their holding.
The Wilsons did have a peripheral
connection by marriage to the Huskeys, by way of the
union of Fannie Bell Wilson (b. 1868) to H. Sam Lanham. The Lanhams,
also shown as landowners in the vicinity in the 1876 county atlas, provided
marriage partners to at least one Huskey family member and to two other
families with considerable ties to Huskey Town, the Fraziers
and the Eaves (Browman 1995:17).