| Notes |
- Moses was the fifth child of William Botkin. He married Elizabeth Gastineau. The moved from Pulaski County Ky to Missouri in may and June 1858. They headed west from Somerset, KY in ox carts drawn by three yoke of Oxen. Elizabeth walked behind and drove three milk cows. They had planned to settle around Sedalia, Missouri, but when they got to Missouri, Moses became ill and they were forced to stop.
The story has been told to us by several members of the family that they traded two yoke of Oxen and the cart for 160 acres of land on Bee Fork in Reynolds County, between Centerville and Reynolds, Missouri.
We found the deed recorded at the county seat at Cernterville, Missouri, and obtained a certified copy. It is recorded in Book 2, page 27.
When they came to Missouri, they only had one child, James Morandaham, which was 2 years 4 months of age when they started their near two month journey. they also brought Moses youngest sister, Nancy Adeline, 13 years old and a boy, whom we think belonged to one of of Elizabeth's sisters. We do not know which one. We think he was about 7 years old when they came here. The only name anyone has ever been able to recall is "Little Jackie". When he was about 16 he fell a tree on himself and died before help could get to him.
Also coming along with them was another one of Moses younger sisters, Emily, age 20 years, her husband Jim Lay and their son, Jessie Lay, who was just a baby at that time. As the story goes, one of Jim's Oxen died on the way and they had to put one of milk cows to work with the other Ox.
The women had to wash diapers when they stopped for the night and dry them on the carts the next day as they traveled.
Sometime after they moved here, Elizabeth took Lula White at the age of 11 or 12 to raise, after her mother died. Later Lula married Moses and Elizabeth's youngest son George. They also took three other children to raise, Mary Cavicy and her two brothers. Mary later married James M. Botkin's oldest son, Mackawain. That made six children Elizabeth raised as well as seven children of her own.
Stories have been told to us by older members of the family, about the Soldiers (they called them Bush-Whackers) that came through robbing them of everything they could. Moses was sick in bed with his only pair of pants hanging on the bed post and they took them. Elizabeth had to take a roll of cloth, which she had made, from the attic where she had it hid and had to make Moses another pair of pants before he could get out of bed. They also stole their mik cows and horses. Elizabeth followed them till they camped that night and after they were asleep, she stole the cows and horses back and brought them home and hid them up a hollow in case they came back. They had to go so far to Bunker or Salem for their salt and staples, she kept them hid in cans in the brush pile up on the hill behind the house. This gives us a small picture of the hardships and the kind of life they had in those days. Moses died at age of 47, from the affects of an old over heat.
Three years after Moses died, Elizabeth bought another tract of land, joining the tract they already owned. This deed being recorded in Book 7, page 185. She paid $400 for 127 acres, making total 287 she owned. At this time in 1977 we have just learned the original total acreage is all back together and owned by one person.
We are not sure just when they built the new home to replace the old log house, the one that still stands on the place, which has been remodeled, but the story told to us by Lena Wells from Bremerton Washington and Ethel Botkin of St. Louis, Mo. was that Elizabeth hauled the brick for the fireplace from Centerville, which was 7 miles away. She drove a team of Oxen and a cart. She took George with her and he was still in dresses and the Oxen ran away with them.
We are told by another member of the family that someime after Moses died, Elizabeth was married for a short time to Jamers Sutterfield. "Uncle Jimmy" was born Sept 5, 1840.
Elizabeth died from acute indigestion at the age of 78, 2 months 13 days. Both Moses and Elizabeth are buried in the Bee Fork Cemetery.
|
1829 - 1876
Home
Search
Print
Login
Add Bookmark
Find
Surnames
Bookmarks
Places
Dates
Cemeteries
Search People
Search Families
Photos
Documents
Histories
Recordings
Videos
Albums
All Media
What's New
Most Wanted
Reports
Statistics
Notes
Sources
Repositories
Contact Us
Individual
Ancestors
Descendants
Relationship
Timeline
Suggest