Jessie

** The Stories and information that follow are from Jessie Parrill Hamilton, she is now 91 years old.

posted with her permission.

I have added some notes with ***

PARRILL FAMILY HISTORY

AS TOLD BY JESSIE PARRILL HAMILTON

The Parrill family known history begins in Illinois. From the only information I could find, they came from the Eastern part of the United States - either from Massachusetts or Virginia.

***(We now know from Hugh Parrill in Frederick County Va, they being decendants of Joseph Franklin Parrill)

PARRILL FAMILY HISTORY

AS TOLD BY JESSIE PARRILL HAMILTON

The Parrill family known history begins in Illinois. From the only information I could find, they came from the Eastern part of the United States - either from Massachusetts or Virginia. The name can be found in some of the history of the Revolutionary war; also, in the history of Virginia. As far as I can find, Joseph and family came to Illinois and settled.

There was Joseph, Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The last three were triplets. One triplet died young and the other never married.

***(None of the triplets died young, but yet the tale was told, we think Isaacs son John died young)

Joseph was William Hardin's (my grandfather) father. He was the youngest of the family. His father died when he was very young and he lived with his older brother. This brother was cruel to him. He didn't have many clothes and was forced to wear his older brother's shoes to work out in the cold and snow.

In his late teens, he met Mary Angel and they were married. Mary Angel had a brother. Their mother had died when they were very young and were raised by their father. He was very good to them but before they were grown he was bitten by a dog with rabies. As there was no known cure for this at that time, he contracted the disease. He was rational part of the time and out of control part of the time. He asked his friends to tie him to a tree so he could see his two kids and not hurt them. This they did. So when he died the two were left alone. Mary was very young at this time and met William Hardin. As neither one had a good life alone they got married. They lived at Taylorsville, IL where three children were born - Clarence, Franklin (my Dad) and Naomi. At this time, they moved to the Kansas City area. At least three more children were born, Gussie and Clara and a small son who passed away. From this area they moved to the Ozark mountain area, where they lived for many years. Two more children were born - Iva and Emery. These two are still living.Iva Parrill Scott, at Carthage, Missouri. She is in her 90's. Emery is living at Forsyth, Missouri. His wife has passed away. He is also in his 90's.

Marriages:

Clarence Parrill to Clara Moore

Franklin Parrill to Lydia Johnson

Gussie Parrill to Andy Ragsdale

Clara Parrill to Merlyn(sp.) Cook. He is 4th marriage

Naomi Parrill to Wesley Johnson

Emery Parrill to Rosie Combs

Mary and Hardin moved to Carthage as Emery and wife and Iva, not married,were living there. Hardin died and Mary lived with Iva until she died. Iva then met and married Claude Scott. They still live in Carthage.

Mary Angel Parrill was postmaster when she lived in the Ozarks. This was located in her home. They lived in Tantey (sp.?) County.

Hardin and Mary Angel Parrill:

1. Clarence Parrill - Clara Moore

1. William - m. Edith Gibson

2. Blanche - m. William Voorhees

3. Mary - m. Hillard Olander

4. Vernon - m. ? (married two times

5. Maude - m. John Hill

6. Effie - m. ?

7. Goldie - m. ?

2. Samuel Franklyn - m. Lydia Johnson

Born in Missouri: 1. Hazel - not married

2. Jessie - m. M. H. Trenhaile and Noble Hamilton

3. Dillard m. Lottie Olsen

4. Ross - m. Doris North

5. Walter - m. Leah North - 2nd marriage (Elva? Babe)

Born in Nebraska:

6. Elva - m. Clarence Larson

7. Myrtle - m. Don Minert

3. Naomi m. Wes Johnson, brother to Lydia

1. Mabel - m. Ross Cook

2. Eva - m. Twice: Workman - Wilson

4. Gussie - married Andy Ragsdale

1. Artie

2. Lylas

3. Almos

4. Betty Joe

5. Barbara

5. Clara - m. 4 times, last time to Merlyn Cook

1. Hobert Lathrop

2. Efton Lathrop

6. Iva - m. Claude Scott

1. Carolyn

7. Emery - Rosie Combs

1. Howard

2. Ellis

3. Nadine

4. Wanetta

5. Lloyd

6. Mary Lou

Frank and Lydia were my parents. Hazel and Jessie were born when they lived in Hodge Hollow, MO. They moved to another place about a mile where Dillard, Ross and Walter were born. Lydia almost died when Dillard was born. At that time they only had a midwife when the babies were born and did not even see a doctor during the time before the baby came.

Mary Angel Parrill was a midwife. I remember visiting my great grandmother (sp.Ike Johnson) as a very small child especially because they had a large bear rug by the fireplace with its head and I was afraid of it. I also remember when my great grandfather (Ike Johnson) died. They made his coffin out of boards and lined it. He wanted no box but to have his casket put on the ground which they did. Also they took it to the cemetery in a lumber wagon and opened the casket at the cemetery. I will never forget the road was rough and when it was opened his mouth had fallen open. Of course they had no embalming at that time. I was about 4 years old or less. My mother and father moved several miles to what was called Bull Creek. There Hazel, Dillard and I started school. There were about 40 students in the school and one teacher. We lived there until I was 9 years old. When we moved to Nebraska, my dad worked for Ira Gibson for a year.

I remember when we had a farm sale and then stayed at my grandparents that night. Next morning, before daylight, we were up and loaded in the wagon and my grandfather took us to Chadwick, Missouri to catch a train. It took us three days on the train to get to Bloomfield. When we arrived no one met us so my dad got a man to take us to the Gibson farm which was about 4 miles. This was the first time I had ridden in a car. It was a Model T Ford. What a thrill!! We lived there one year and then moved 1 1/2 miles south of Bloomfield where dad farmed for himself. We lived there until I was out of high school.

Then dad moved about 5 miles southeast of Bloomfield where he lived until he retired and moved into town. There were 3 different branches of Parrills that were in Illinois.

1. One branch stayed there and raised their families there.

LaRue Parrill was one of them.

2. One branch moved to the Ozarks. That was Harden and Mary Parrill,

our branch.

3. One branch moved to Kansas and then Colorado. They are in Denver.

Lydia Johnson's Family

Lydia Johnson Parrill was born near Swan, Mo. Her parents were Newton Johnson and Louisa Clark.

The Johnson family came from Kentucky. Before that I don't know because to find Johnsons is hard as there are so many Johnsons. I remember my parents telling about the Civil War time.

My grandmother, Louisa, was a small girl. She had 2 brothers, John and Vol Clark. Their father (?) Clark was ill and took a walk down the hill.. He never came back and they found him hanging in a tree. They never knew if it was suicide or murder by a group called The ball knobbers or bushwackers, who roamed the hills killing and stealing. This was during the Civil War and Missouri was on the border between the North and South. After his death, my grandmother, Louisa, had to raise three children alone. She lived on a small farm and the produce she raised had to be stored in the loft of the log cabin she lived in to keep it from being stolen. My mother told a story about her great uncle driving along the road and met a group of ball knobbers or bushwackers. They were planning on robbing and killing him. He heard them coming and jumped from his wagon and ran up the hill. They thought he had gone down hill and he got away from them. Of course, you remember this was in the Ozark mountains and trees are very thick and they did not find him. When Louisa grew up she married a man by the name of Smith. They had one daughter, Alberta. He had been married before and had a son. Mr. Smith died and left her with her daughter and members of the Smith family took the boy. In a few years she met and married Newton Johnson. They had six children:

Alberta Smith by first marriage

Elijah (Lige) married two times?

Lydia (my grandmother) to Frank Parrill

Wesley m. Naomi Parrill (Sister of Frank

Viola - was crippled

Ella m. Ira Gibson

Elbert m. Nellie Gibson

Viola was pulled from the bed by a small girl when she was a tiny baby and her back was broken. She lived in a wheelchair for about 44 years when she passed away.

Newton Johnson and Louisa Clark Johnson lived their entire lives near Swan, Missouri. The town of Swan is now gone. They are buried in what is called the Swan cemetery which is probably ten miles from Forsyth, Mo.