Volume 3, Number 9 - Fall 1969
William Edwin Wellington
His Wife: Catherine Kennedy Mcintosh
and their descendants who lived in Taney Co.
by Roxie Dukes Sims
William Edwin Wellington was born near Muncie, Indiana Dec. 14, 1842. He was the third of eight children born to John and Elizabeth Hollingsworth Wellington.
When he was 18 months old, a childless Aunt and Uncle, Sarah and John Kelsey took the child to raise as their own son. They moved with him when he was 8 or 9 years old to Fremont Co., Iowa. He did not remember too much of his own family. The Wellington ancestors were from Ireland and Wales, so were British subjects. They were mostly Dunkards. One of Edwin's brothers John Rufus was a Dunkard minister and traveled over several states preaching the gospel.
Fremont Co., Iowa was new country, sparsely settled. There were very few schools. So Edwin, like so many in that day of time was more or less self educated. He spent a great deal of time studying the Judiciary branches of government, and he some times served as the small town lawyer where he raised his family.
He served in the Civil War. First in the 5th Missouri regiment, and after it was mustered out he joined the 14th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. His time was spent mostly in Guerilla Warfare fighting the Quantrell, and the Bob and Cole Younger gangs in So. West Missouri and North West Ark,. He was mustered out of service with Kansas Cavalry June 22, 1863.
After the war he returned to Fremont Co., Iowa. In Jan. 1868 he married Catherine Kennedy McIntosh. They had known each other from childhood, having grown up on adjoining farms.
Twelve children were born to this union. Eleven of them were born in Fremont Co. In 1889 the family moved to Salina Co, Nebr. where their last child Paul was born in 1891.
One child Johnnie, (Their second child) born Nov. 1869 died at age 4 in 1873. Their 6th child, a son, Arthur Rufus born 1877 died at the age of seven months-1878. Both these children were buried in Fremont Co., Iowa.
All the other children grew to adult age.
In Feb. 1892 the family had a sale, and took a train to Taney Co., Mo. Catherine's father, James McIntosh had been there and purchased the farm known to many as the Tom Cook farm. It lay about one half mile West from the Swan store and post office, then operated by Milton Merrick.
Fannie, the oldest child, had married Pete Roeser so they remained in Nebr. Ed, the seventh child, was helping Fannie and Pete on the farm so he did not accompany the family to Swan, nor did Amy, the 4th child, as she was teaching school in Nebr. The other seven children came to Swan with the family. Five of the children attended school there. They were Kate, Thersa, Mable, Cecil K. and Paul. There are probably some still living in Taney Co. who remember these children. Thersa, and Cecil K. are the only living Wellington children though, at this writing.
As soon as Amy finished teaching her school term in Nebr. She came to Swan to join the family. A note, taken from a book she called "My own recollections" dated July 12, 1892 reads:
"Taught 8 months at Hard Shell, then went to my home in Taney Co., Mo. visited in Iowa on my way, Grandpa "Mac" went to Missouri with me. We arrived at Swan at dark. We started the one half mile home in a heavy rain storm. We got lost and spent the entire night in the woods. We found the house at day light."
Amy stayed on at Swan. The grandpa Mac went back to Iowa. Amy took the State Teachers Exam. and was issued a teaching certificate dated July 21, 1892, signed by a James E. Minor. On July 23, 1892 she signed a teaching contract with School Board No. 1, Township 24, Range No. 21, County of Taney and state of Mo., to teach Meadows school on Bull Creek 4 months, for the sum of 25 dollars per month. This was signed by
H. C. Wilson President, Amy Wellington Teacher, A. Saunders Jr. Dist. Clerk.
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William Edwin Wellington b. 12/14/1842 d. 8/23/1898.
Catherine Kennedy McIntosh b. 12/19/1850. Utica, N.Y. d. 7/22/ 1902. M William Edwin Wellington Jan. 1868.
Amy Wellington Boales by the 'Mail Hack' going to Swan. 1908.
Lizzie Wellington Sims, Amy Wellington Boales, Fern Wellington Roeser. 1908 (?) in Nebraska.
Cradling wheat. Mr. McGinnis, Charley Sims, Edwin Sims.
William Edwin Sims b. 1902, Charles Sims b. 1904, Robert Chester Sims b. 1906, Carl Morton Sims b. 1908.
National Cemetery, Springfield, Mo. grave of Edwin Wellington.
Helprey School House. Lizzie Sims sons attended it. Also served as church./1968.
Theresa Francis Wellington b. 8/13/ 1884. Cecil Kennedy Wellington b. 12/11/1888. Perry, Okla., 9/14/1968.
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Some of the names from Amy's "Book of recollections" were: Meadows, Browner, Craig, Saunders, Pruitt, Clevenger, Wells, Knudd, Wilson, Melton, Scott, McHugh and Thorton. These names are still familiar all over Taney Co. No doubt many are direct descendants of the students who attended Amy Wellington's classes at Meadows school in the year 1892-93.
The school terms were short in Taney Co., so Amy soon went back to Nebr. where she could make more money. She taught many years. She married Ad Boales. They had two children, a son Burrell and a daughter Helen Kennedy Zimmerman.
Soon after the Wellingtons were set up in their new home at Swan, Edwin began his civic interest. He was justice of the peace. He married many, many couples of the Swan community and surrounding areas including this writer's mother and her first husband Mary Sperlin and John Gibson. He was also assistant postmaster. Grover Cleveland was then serving his second term as democratic president, so Edwin being a Republican did not receive his postmaster appintment until after William McKinley became president 1897-1901.
On Aug. 3, 1898 his commission came through. His postmaster term was short lived however. About the 9th day of Aug. he took his bed with asthma. He had had measles in the war, and ever after had suffered from asthma. On Tues the 23rd of Aug. at 7:30 a.m. he passed away from a severe asthma attack and complications. Three of his children could not get home before his death. Fannie, who had moved from Nebr to Okla, Kate who was there in Okla with her and Amy who was in Nebr. teaching school.
The brave mother Catherine carried on. She had the body prepared for burial and by 6 o'clock that same evening she (and it is believed) her two sons Jim and Ed and perhaps her daughter Lizzie took the body to the National Cemetary at Springfield, Mo. for burial.
After they were back in their home at Swan Catherine wrote the following letter to her children in Okla.
Swan, Mo.
Aug. 26, 1898
Dear Children
We are at home again, got here 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. We started to Springfield with Pa at 6 o'clock Tues evening, drove all night, got to cemetary at half past 10 Wednesday forenoon. The grave was not dug when we got there had to wait about 2 hours.
Before we left, his grave was sodded over until it was hard to believe that he had just been laid away. If any of you ever get able you must visit it. You will find it in a few steps to north east of Gen. Lyons monument. It is a beautiful resting place. How I wish he could have seen while he was alive, where we put him after death. How quiet, how restful it is there, and how beautiful too, everything like a weed is kept down. Nothing but a beautiful green sod and nice shade trees. If ever you come to see his resting place Fannie, you will say nothing could suit Pa better.
As long as this is a country so long will his grave be taken care of.....
Needless to say the children have visited the place many, many times. It was like a shrine to all.
The "General Lyon" mentioned in Catherine's letter was the firey little northern General who lost his life in a battle at Wilson Creek Aug. 10, 1861. Mary Whitney Phleps is credited for taking charge of the body of Gen. Lyon and had it first buried on the old Phelps homestead near Springfield; but afterward had it removed to this cemetary.
Catherine Wellington did not choose to remain at Swan after Edwin was gone. So in Oct 1898 she loaded their worldly possession in two covered wagons and she and all the children except Lizzie headed for Oklahoma. Cecil K. reports how frightened he was as it came his turn to take the night watch as they camped at night. He was 10 years old. He recalls how some men on horse back came to their camp and told Catherine she would not be permitted to take her stock across the state line. She and her sons talked this over tho, and decided to go right on to the border and wait for official turn back before they let these men have their stock. There was no order not to cross the line, so she and all her stock got through o.k. She was a very sturdy and brave woman. Her ancestors were from Scotland. They had come to Utica, New York in 1848.
There is a very interesting fact about Catherine's father and brother. As the story goes, facts, stranger than fiction. Robert McIntosh and Margaret Buttercase married in St. Andrews, Scotland around 1813. They had two sons Robert and James. The father (Robert) died 1816, about the time James was born, leaving the young widow Margaret with the young sons. Margaret's father had
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lost all his sons, so he wanted to take Robert and raise him as his own son to carry on the name Buttercase. The young Margaret consented. These two full brothers grew up with different names. When James came to America around 1848, he came as James McIntosh. The following year the brother Robert also came to America. When he arrived here he had his name legally changed to Buttercase. James went to Fremont Co., Iowa around 1857. Robert followed suit and bought a farm adjoining his brothers. There they lived side by side, brothers, one James McIntosh, one Robert Buttercase. Catherine was the daughter of James McIntosh. Catherine died in Oklahoma July 22, 1902 and is buried in Fair View Cemetery there. The youngest son Paul died Mar. 17, 1907, 16 yrs. of age. He is also placed at Fairview cemetery.
Fannie died Apr. 4, 1920, she is at Springdale cemetery Peoria, Ill. Ed died Aug. 23, 1952, is buried at Fort Morgan, Colorado. Kate died Sept 1926, is buried near Orlando, Okla. Mabel died Oct 8, 1948, buried at Swan Lake Cemetery Peoria, Ill.
Lizzie, (as we stated earlier) chose to remain in Taney Co. all her life. She married Robert L. Sims July 1899. They lived on the old William B. Sims farm between Taneyville and Swan. They had six sons. The sister Amy, and other family members came back to Taney Co. from time to time to visit. A letter written by Amy to her husband and children back home in Ill. reads in part as follows.
At Sims
Sept 1, 1906
'They threshed here the first of the week. Rob had 108 bu. wheat about 60 lbs. to the bu. He hauled off 15 bu. Thurs and 15 yesterday. First went to Forsyth 8 miles. 'Tis as rough a road as Mo. can boast of. Yesterday they went to Kissee Mills. He got 62 cents for wheat. He is going to take us to Springfield when we start away. Will have to camp out all night. It's about 50 mi. from here..... We went to church at the school house Sun. Two families came home with us for dinner."
Amy died in 1962, age 89.
Robert L. Sims died March 13, 1921 leaving Lizzie with the six sons. They were all good workers. They grew up good citizens and successful men.
Son William Edwin born 1902 went to Colo. where he met and married Annis Hallingsworth. He took a job in March 1924 with the U.P. railroad Denver, Colo. He worked here 44 years, retiring in June 1968. He and Annis had six daughters. All the girls married men who had done service for their country in one branch or the other, of armed forces. The oldest daughter's husband, Fred Stevenson, was a pilot. He was among the first to fly the new B 29 Bombers, just coming into service in 1944. He was in the 73rd wing of the 500th Bombardment squadron that flew the new B 29's from California to Siapan. From Siapan Fred flew 35 missions over Japan. He was discharged in 1946. The latest is their youngest daughter's husband who just finished 4 years (2 tours in Vietnam, being discharged in 1967).
Charles F. Born 1904 always stayed on the farm. He owns the old Sims farm and other adjoining land. He married Gertrude Sullenger David of Taneyville, Mo. They have five sons. Two of Charlies sons served their country. Chas., Jr. serving 2 years in the Korean conflict. These boys are all farmers in and around Taneyville.
Robert Chester was born 1906. He married Blanch Whiteis of Taneyville. They had one son, one daughter. Chester was a merchant in Taneyville, Mo. He died in 1940. His son lives in Seattle, Wash. The daughter lives in Dallas, Texas.
Carl M. born 1908 married Roxie A. Dukes of the Swan community. Carl was a merchant in Taneyville until 1945 when he entered the armed service. After his discharge from the Army he took employment with Northern Feed Co. in Springfield, Mo. Then later joined the Nutrena Feed Co. He is manager of one of their mills at Smithton, Mo. at this time. They had one daughter.
Herbert Sims born 1910 was a school teacher. He taught at Lone Pilgrim and at Taneyville School from 1932-1936. He married Pauline Chapel of the Dickens community who was also a school teacher. She taught two terms at Taneyville, Mo. In summer of 1936 they went to Denver, Colo, where Herb took employment with the Union Pacific railroad as electrician. He worked there until summer of 1959 when he started work for Dow Chemical Co. where he is at this time. They had two daughters.
Garland Sims born 1912 was also a school teacher. He taught in Taney Co. schools 6 years. One year at the Bee Creek school and 5 years at the Helphrey school. In 1937 he also went to Denver, Colo where he took employment with the Burlington
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railroads where he still is. He married Genevieve Walker of Bradleyville. They had one son and one daughter. Their son served in the peace corp 1965 to 1967. He was in Kenya, Africa.
Lizzie Wellington Sims died June 1947.
These are the descendants of William Edwin Wellington that grew up and lived in Taney Co., Mo. from 1892 to the present day.
There are many, many others scattered into many states. Many have held high positions with state and Fed. gov't. One of Fannies sons worked for Bureau of Standard Wash., D.C. One of Ed Wellingtons sons travels into all 50 states for a large co. Much I do not know. Every effort has been made to make this as accurate as possible, but I am aware some errors will no doubt be found. For this I humbly apologize. I dedicate this to our beloved Aunt Thersa Wellington Francis, Perry, Okla, and to Uncle Cecil Kennedy Wellington, San Diego, California.
My thanks to all who helped me compile this writing. To Helen Kennedy Zimmerman, Peoria, Ill. who furnished bits of history and excerpts from Amy's Diary "My own recollections", granddaughter of William Edwin Wellington. My thanks to Roberta Hurley for all the typing. Irene Fisk and Virginia Stevenson for information. These are great granddaughters of W. Ed Wellington.
You will note how family names have been carried down through the generations. From Robert McIntosh and Catherine Kennedy of St. Andrews, Scotland 1815 to the present generations.
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