One hundred years ago, Richard Marshall, grandfather of R A Marshall, whose name heads this Review, came to Howard County MO, from his ancestral home in Virginia and formed one of the vanguard of hardy pioneers who opened up this rich section of Missouri for settlement. He landed at old Ft Boone, across the Missouri from Arrow Rock and a little later he purchased 800 acres of land in Saline County, and owned land in different tracts from Nelson MIssouri to Knob Noster in Johnson County . Richard Marshall was a kinsman of Chief Justice John Marshall of Virginia and Vic-President Thomas R Marshall is a member of the same family.
Joseph Marshall father of Richard A., was born in Saline County Missouri in 1823 and died on July 3, 1901. He responded to the call for volunteers to assist in the invasion and conquest of Mexico in 1846 and served during the memorable campaigns which wrested a vast tract of territory from the southern Latin Republic. In return for his services he received a grant of land from the government. Not having had enough hardships and adventures, and still being a young man, when gold was discovered in the Sutter Creek in California, he crossed the great plains and moutains in 1849 and secured a amount of the precious yellow metal which amply repaid him for his trip. He settled on his government patent of 160 acres in Saline County not far from the northern border of Pettis County and became wealthy in the course of time, accumulating a large estate of over 1600 acres of land. He had married Mary Porter, who died in 1856, leaving children as follow: R A Marshall and a sister who died in childhool. His second wife, whom he married some time later was Lizzie Lynch, who bore him ten children: Mrs Mollie Pyle, died in Saline County; Mrs. Janie Pyle, Marshall Missouri; Robert living with his mother on the old homestead; James, Marshall, Missouri; Joseph a farmer Saline County; Eva wife of Joseph Scott near Hardemann MO; Mrs. Nettie Pyle Marshall MO; Mrs. Stella Meredith, Miami Oklahoma; Scott and William farmers in Saline County.
R A Marshall received $3000 as his share of his father's estate, some land and some money making up the total. This include 60 acres of his presnet farm of 180 acres, upon which Mr Marshall moved in Feb 1877, and in 1882 he purchased his additional land. MR. Marshall has placed all of the existing improvements on his farm and he and his wife and family have lived happily and comfortable here for over 40 years.
In 1878, R A Marshall and Miss Lillie Hanley were united in marriage and to this marriage ten children have been born; Joseph Franklin, superintendent of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co at Havre De Grace, maryland; Porter Allen, a merchant at Virginia Idaho; Archibald lives on the home place and is a farmer; Ethel is the wife of A H Orear, a merchant of Longwood; Mrs. Gertrude Spriggs Detroit Michigan, her husband being employed in the Timken Works; Dixie, wife of Louis Montgomery who is also employed in the Timken Manufacturing Co's plant at Detroit; Mrs. Lillian Bates living on a ranch in Newbraska; Mrs. mary Hicks whose husband is auditor of the Long Pine Lumber Co., Bogaloosa Louisiana; Louise and Martha the two youngest children are at home. The mother of this interesting family was born and reared in Saline County. She is the daughter of Archibald (b. March, 1819 - d. June, 1909) and Phoebe (Claycomb) Hanley. Archibald H. Hanley was a native of Virginia. He came from Monroe County Virginiaf to Saline County Missouri and settled there in 1843. Archibald Hanley was the father of the following children: Mrs. Mollie Jones, Mrs. Virgie McDaniel, near Aramo Idaho; Mrs. Daisy Powell, on the old homestead; Lee in Saline County. Mrs. Phoebe Hanley was born in 1830 and died March 9, 1892. Mr. Hanely was first married in 1843 to Miss Flora Cook and that fall came to Saline County and settled on a farm of forty acres which he entered from the government. Mrs. Hanley died in 1853 leaving four children, only two of whom grew to maturity: Mrs. Mary E Jones and John C Hanley.
Mr. Hanley's second wife who before her marriage was Julia A Claycomb, lived but one year and left one child who died at seven years of age. For his third wife, Mr. Hanley married Phoebe E Claycomb who bore him children as follow: Virgie, James M., Lillie B., George W., R E., Lee, and Daisy D. After the death of his third wife he married Mrs. Eliza (Howe) Rucker, a widow.
Mr. Hanley purchased his farm in Saline County in 1857, and was one of the best known of the pioneers of Saline County . He was a prominent Odd Fellow and curchman, havine organized the Christian Church near his home.
He was a son of Archibald and Susan (Kinkaid) Hanley of Virginia and comes of Revolutionary ancestry. MR & MRs Marshall have eleven grandchildren.
Mr. Marshall is a thorogh Democrat of the old school. He and Mrs. Marshall are members of the Bethlehem Christian Church. He is affiliated with the IOOF and the Modern Woodmen Lodge of Longwood.
Mr. Marshall is a jolly, hospitable old settler of the true Missouri type who loves to reminisce over the old days when the country, now so thickly populated, was almost a virgin wilderness, abounding in wild game and the streams teeming with fish. He recalls that his grandfather, like many others of his day, was a mighty hunter and spent most of his time when not urgently employed upon his farm, tramping or riding over the country, happy in his recreation. Back in those days the wheat was "Tromped" out by horse power, and he recalls seeing this done and assisting at the work many times when a boy. The "ground hog" Tresher superseded the old laborious method of "tromping" out the grain. The settlers would "boat" their hogs and mules to the St. Lous market and also ship their wheat to St. Louis.
This period of the Great World War was not the only time that wheat brought two dollars per bushel for Mr. Marshall remembers when his father received the extremely high price of $2.25 per bushel for a crop. In 1865 they were forced to pay as high as $12 per hundred weight for flour and the children and parents used burnt molasses in lieu of sugar for sweetening. The old "ground hog" thresher operated on the principle of the present day corn sheller, the wheat being pitched in when it was cut up, the thresher would knock out the wheat and chaff and then they would have to use the "blower" to separate the wheat from the chaff. His father owned one of the first in the country and people would travel to the Marshall farm for a distance of fifty miles to see the new fangled wheat thresher in operation.
[Transcribed by Laura Paxton.]