Tom McCabe's Genealogy 2025

Date is from Ozark County MO probate records (FHL film 929574). For more details, see the NOTES section for The TURNBO CHRONICLES version of the burial of Lewis and his son James Clarks(t)on.

Lewis' estate was probated and the record lists all of the surviving children(heirs) of Lewis Clarkson by age in 1869. The record shows that Lewis died before his son Thomas was murdered.

The probate records and the census of 1870 hint, but do not state, that Lewis Clarkston had a third wife, or at least. a third family. There are two young Clarkston heirs, Charlota 5 and John 2, who are probably not children of Lewis' second wife Sarah as she was likely dead by 1869 since she is not mentioned in the estate. There is a younger woman, Lucy Clarkston, who is not identified as a family member but who was present during the sale of the estate. This woman, Lucy Clarkston, appears to be the mother of said Charlotte and John according to the 1870 census of Washington, Webster Co, MO.

James Clarks(t)on was killed by raiders after the Civil War. He is buried in the "Betsey Graham Graveyard" according to the TURNBO CHRONICLES on the Ozark Co Genweb site. (See notes for Lewis Clarkston for complete details.) Turnbo states that James was blind in one eye from an accident in Illinois when James was but a boy.

"Jim Clarkson was the first settler here. His wife was named Polly and they had two girl children whose names were Nancy and Elizabeth. One morning at day break in war times 7 men on horse back crossed the creek near where the roller mill dam is now and charged up to the log cabin occupied by Clarkson and his family and compelled Mr. Clarkson to go with them to a glade on the side of a hill near where the Lutie Road now passes and near ¼ mile from the creek where they halted and shot him to death and rode on. "

Since James and his father Lewis died within months of each other, it may be that they were both victims of a feud that carried over from the Civl War troubles of southern Missouri.

From Findagrave for Sarah Clarkson Mefford:

Sarah W Clarkson MeffordMemorial

Birth: 1849, Marion County, Arkansas, USA Death: 1887, Ozark County, Missouri, USA Her parents were Lewis Clarkson (1808–1869) and Mary Legg (1811–1852)

Spouse: Isaiah Tevis Mefford (1853 - 1914)

Children: Nancy Ellen Mefford Darnell (1875 - 1962)* Lewis Izer Mefford (1882 - 1970)* Wallace Mefford (1884 - 1959)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Absher Cemetery Thornfield Ozark County Missouri, USA

At James' death in 1898, there was no mention of Amanda. Kay Silkey reported \"Mom and I searched the newspapers in Dallas and Webster county and could not find any mention of Amanda or Martha (Myers) death.\"

Land records in Webster county show that Amanda was alive in Jan 1894 because she signed a deed for a land sale, but in 1896 James Johnson signed two deeds without her signature. Evidently she died between 1894 and 1896.

HAULING SALT FROM ST. LOUIS TO FORSYTH By S. C. Turnbo In refering to the old time freighters who used big wagons drawn by the slow moving oxen the following was told me by Mr. Thomas Clarkstone, son of Lewis Clarkstone, an early settler on Swan Creek that runs through Christian and Taney Counties, Mo. Thomas Clarkstone lived many years on the north side of White River and just over the line in Boone County, Ark. He committed suicide by hanging himself in a cedar tree in the early morning of November 14, 1906. In relating the story which was given me long before his death Mr. Clarkstone said "While my father lived on Swan Creek in the pioneer days he and Bill Smith, another old timer who lived on this stream, hauled 300 sacks of salt from St. Louis to Forsyth in 1842. The salt belonged to Jess Jennings and John Vance. They brought this amount at two trips or 75 sacks on each wagon. Each man owned an unusually big stout wagon with three yoke of large cattle to each wagon. It took 4 weeks to get to St. Louis and return back to Forsyth. They hauled a good camping outfit with them and also dogs, rifles, and plenty of ammunition were taken along. When the two freighters ran short of meat they would stop and kill deer or bear and on camping at night they would "bell" the oxen and let them graze on the tender grass until morning when they would drive the cattle back to camp, yoke them up, and hitch them to the wagons and start on this long wearisome journey again." I will add here that Mr. Clarkstone become partially insane before his death, which is supposed to be the reason he hung himself, which was done near his home. He had climbed up a small cedar tree that he trimmed up a few years before and tied the end of the rope to a limb. The other end was tied around his neck and he swung off and strangled to death. The suicide occurred before day break he was buried at Pro-tem, Mo.