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My Family Stories Page.... DAVID and MARY MAGEE In
a letter by William Hudson Magee, dated March 18, 1935 to the Honorable
Claude Weaver in Oklahoma City, OK he relates the following as told to
him by grandmother Mary Magee: A Lady in France,
I do not recall the name, married a Sea Captain in France, named Moore.
En route to America, Captain Moore dies or was killed. This widow Moore
married a second man named Lucas. To this union was born a girl named
Nancy. This girl, Nancy Lucas married a man named Curlew and became Grandmother
Magee’s mother. This is the story told by Grandmother as I remember it. Grandmother
said David Magee’s parents were Scotch Irish. Note: Lots and lots of
unwilling immigrants...sentenced to servitude in Crown colonies, press
gangs, and “Shanghaied “for tax quotas,” jumped ship through the war
of 1812. Look for ports nearest English and Scottish jails. Lots left
barren Northern Ireland, where they tried to settle Scots ... it wasn’t
any better than the “clearances” of Scotland, the famines or 1745. A
Kings Writ/Order of banishment could have occurred to his father or
grandfather between Edward I and James VI of Scotland, the II of England. Could the
lady from France have been a Poly or Polly before she married Moore
the reference to Poly in here her history?? Howard County
once covered 1/4 of Missouri?? The Commonwealth
of Kentucky did not enter the Union until 1792. Was prior at times each
of Kentucky County, Fincastle County and Augusta County, VA Through three
quarters of the 1700's, the Baptist faith was just emerging and through
the Act of Toleration allowed their existence, they were regulated in
that their congregations were to register with the State (thru the Anglican
Church). Baptists opposed this vehemently ... it was not liberty or
Freedom to practice their Religion. Thus, and because each Baptist Church
can to this day ordain or disordain a Minister...early church records
to verify a calling would be rarest exception.
OLIVER
PERRY MAGEE Also
fought in the Mormon War When Civil
War broke out he enlisted in a Missouri regiment under Colonel Woodyard,
as a private, later promoted to lieutenant and finally reached the rank
of captain. Missouri was a disarrayed battleground of the Civil War. Their
own Southern Army disbanded to partly amalgamate with the Army of the
Gulf and partly with the Army of Tennessee. A man of scholarly
tastes, he was a great reader and student, and the master of several languages
and a number of Indian dialects. He came to Putnam County from Macon County
in 1855, and here spent the remainder of his life. Oliver
Perry Magee had the distinction of being the first man indicted for
murder in Macon County. Extracted
from: History
of Macon and Randolph Counties, Missouri 1884 State of
Missouri
In the Macon Circuit Court County
of Macon
May Term, 1849 The grand jurors for the State of Missouri for the body of the county
of Macon aforesaid, upon their oaths present, that Oliver Perry McGee,
late of the county of Macon aforesaid, not having the fear of God before
his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil,
on the 10th day of December, in the year of our Lord, one
thousand, eight hundred and forty-eight, with force and arms at the
county of Macon aforesaid, in and upon one Thomas Jefferson White, in
the peace of God then and there being, feloniously willfully of his
malice aforethought, by lying in wait, did make an assault, and that
he, the said Oliver Perry McGee, with a certain knife of the value of
ten cents, which he, the said Oliver Perry McGee, in his right hand
then and there had held, the said Thomas Jefferson White, in and upon
the left side of the body, near to the nipple of him, the said Thomas
Jefferson White, and also in and upon the back, near to the back bone
of him, the said Thomas Jefferson White, and also in and upon the left
shoulder, near to the point of the said left shoulder, willfully, of
his malice aforethought, and by lying in wait, did strike, thrust, stab
and penetrate, giving to the said Thomas Jefferson White, then and there
with the aforesaid knife, in and upon the aforesaid left side of the
body, near the left nipple of him, the said Thomas Jefferson White,
one fatal wound of the breadth of one inch, and of the depth of six
inches, and also giving the said Thomas Jefferson White, then and there
with the aforesaid knife, in and upon the aforesaid back, near to the
back bone of him, the Thomas Jefferson White, one other mortal wound
the breadth of one inch and the depth of six inches, and also giving
to the said Thomas Jefferson White then and there, with the aforesaid
knife, in and upon the aforesaid left shoulder, near to the point of
the said left shoulder of him, the said Thomas Jefferson White, two
other mortal wounds, each of the breadth of one inch and of the depth
of six inches, of which several mortal wounds he, the said Thomas Jefferson
White, then and there instantly died; and so the aforesaid jurors, upon
their aforesaid oaths, do say that the said Oliver Perry McGee, him,
the said Thomas Jefferson White, in the manner and by the aforesaid
means, feloniously, willfully, of his malice aforethought, and by lying
in wait, did kill and murder, against the form of the statute in such
cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State. C. H. Hardin, Circuit Attorney ************************************************** As this was the first case of the kind upon the criminal docket, we have presented the indictment. There are five counts in the indictment; the one we have given will show the crime with which McGee was charged. Keith
Willet Magee wrote the following during December 1991: About the indictment of Oliver Perry: I never heard any of those old folks talk about any such event, however this doesn't rebut it because they never said much about Charles' time down a Jefferson City. They were naturally pretty closed mouth about that type of family events. As my last comment let me say I personally feel that it probably is true judging from the incidents of unlawful acts that occurred during my life.
JOHN WILSON MAGEE John was a coal miner
in southern Iowa. Died of what we today call emphysema, caused by going
back into the mine to work before the smoke from the blasting charge
had cleared out. John Rutherford told about Virginia R Magee Small using
a dinner fork to twist he mucous from John Wilson’s throat so he could
breathe. Also, David Small went to Iowa and brought John Wilson’s body
back to Missouri in a wagon for burial at Hartford, MO When John Wilson died
some of the kids were sent to live with relatives. No ADC (Aid to Dependent
Children) in those days. John R and William David went to live with Uncle
Will and Aunt Nazie (so help me that all I ever heard her called) Raney.
Will Raney was Mary Lucy’s brother. They had very little money and lived
on a small farm about 1 mile East of Hartford, MO. The boys only got 1
pair of shoes a year so new shoes were brought in late fall so the boys
would have good shoes during the winter. John R said they would go get
the cows on fall morning with a big frost on the ground and still bare
foot. To warm there feet they would stir up the old cows and then stand
on the spot where the cow had been lying to get their feet warm. Mary Lucy Magee and
some of her brood were living near Hoxie, KS at that time in a “SODDIE”.
That is a basement shaped hole dug into the side of a hill, a wall built
across the front, logs laid across the top and dirt put back on the
logs deep enough to keep it from raining through. Warm in the winter
and cool in the summer. Very little wood used to build it. Now the Capper!
They burned Buffalo chips for fuel. J R and Billie were
sent to Uncle Russ Henry’s for a few days to hoe weeds out of the corn.
Uncle Russ bought each of the boys a straw hat to wear for doing this
job. Sammie (Samuel O) really didn’t take to the idea of working too
hard so about noon he started cutting down corn instead of weeds. Billie
told Sam that if he (Sam) cut down one more stalk of corn he (Billie)
would whip his ass. A few more weeds fell in Sam’s row and the whack.....
downs goes a stalk of corn. The fight was on.........J R always said
that they knocked down more corn fighting than Sam could cut down.
Anyway Billie did what he said he would do and the hoeing resumed.
In a few minutes Aunt Nan rang the dinner bell and all three boys started
walking towards the house. As they were walking a gust of wind hit and
blew Sam’s new straw hat off. He never flinched, batted and eye or made
any effort to recover his hat. Everybody kept on walking without saying
a word. When Aunt Nan and Uncle Russ asked him where his hat was, he
firmly said he didn’t know where on earth it could be, and had not noticed
it was gone until they brought it up. Sammie went without a hat the
rest of the summer.
JOHN RUTHERFORD
MAGEE Keith Willet Magee wrote the following during December 1991: I remember John R Magee as a hard working , poor, dirt farmer there in the North Missouri hills. We never got hungry, and always had a home where countless friends were always welcome. One Sunday we got up, did the chores, had breakfast and agreed we would just stay home and relax that day. Friends started stopping by to talk and of course were invited to stay for dinner (the non meal). Well, when all was said and done, my mother had prepared dinner for 27 people. All had a great time. J R, as most people called him, was a classic practical joker. He would buy straight grain alcohol, mix it with hot water, let it cool, add some burnt sugar syrup my mother would make, pour it in any kind of whiskey bottle he could find that was "Bottled in Bond" and carry it up to one of his brother-in-laws and offer him a drink of the real thing. My Uncle Mont Shipley would just be overwhelmed by the fact that J R Magee could find somebody who sold bottled whiskey when he couldn't find a drop himself. He would talk to other men in the neighborhood and tell then what good whiskey my dad could find. J R would hear about it and laugh 'til he cried. John R would compliment a drink of whiskey by saying "Now that would make a rabbit hug a bear." Also if he knew something for sure he would offer to bet "A penny to a pig TIRD and hold stakes in his mouth." I never became that certain of anything in my life. John R (my dad) told
of riding a little racing mare Uncle Will Raney owned (named Dettie)
in a horse race one Sunday in Lancaster, MO. There were two other horses
in this race. In those days the jockey brought the horse up to the starting
line, turned it to a 45-degree angle to the starting line and stopped.
When the starter gave the signal he turned his horse and started down
the track. J R said they made two starts and got called back both times
because the boy on the gray horse turned early both times. As they came
back by the judges stand the second time the starter yelled “you boy,
on that gray horse. Keep that horse back and break with the rest of
the field this time or I’m going to disqualify you. If you want to steal
something, rob a train.” The Starter: The notorious Frank James. Northern
Missouri was a haven for the James boys at that time.
KEITH WILLETT MAGEE Wrote in 1991, that he had the pleasure of living with Grandma at my Uncle Will's home in Lostine, OR for about a year and then lived only about four blocks from her for an additional three years. She was a real short woman. I could stand up and hold my arm horizontal to my shoulder and she could walk under it. A staunch Republican, she said "not all Democrats were rebels, but all rebel were Democrats." When I got old enough to vote I would tease her and brag about some Democratic candidate and she would just cuss and tell me I was losing my mind. She said she had seen trains stop on the tracks out in the country north of Macon, MO and the train crew would tell the Blacks to get off because they were free and could go anywhere they wanted to. Grandma also said the Bible contradicted itself several different times. As prescribed by her doctor Grandma had a shot of whiskey each evening before bedtime. NOW THAT BOTTLE WAS SACRED. Not one of us would even think of taking a drink out of Grandma's bottle.
This Web page was last updated on Saturday, 08-Sep-2018 08:42:47 MDT .
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