James William McNarie
His Story
James W. McNarie was born on March 14,1819 in Boone County Kentucky. James’ father came from Scotland, and migrated to Kentucky , settled and died there when James was a young boy. At this point do not know name of father or mother, or where she was born.
James learned the trade of Blacksmithing as a boy. In the early 1840’s he migrated to Missouri and was a “Smith” and a farmer .
Family history tells that James was married three times, 1st wife=Alice Keenan, 2nd wife Sarah Ellen Mitchell, and third wife= Hannah Sutton. I was unable to find any trace of the first two wives of James.
Hannah Sutton was born in 1840, daughter Samuel Sutton and Delilah B. living in Ray County, Missouri. The Suttons came from Tennessee, and were Irish. They were married on February 7,1858 in Ray , Co. Mo.(according to marriage record of 1858) Hannah died in 1883.
* They had a total of 10 children born to them, only 5 lived to maturity. James and Hannah owned a typical Missouri farm, on what may be termed as second bottom, near the Missouri River. The farm, like most of that day, was carved from the hardwood forest. Oaks, hackberry, and elm grew everywhere. There were also maple, sycamore, linden, cottonwood and persimmon trees on the land. On the farm was a small herd of sheep. Usually 60 hogs were fattened for market each year. Barnyard fowl, a home orchard and a garden near by for everything that would grow. There were 30 head of cattle and the necessary horses to furnish power on the farm. From this farm home, the McNarie children attended a country school in which the eight grades were taught. It was school in the Winter and then during the Spring, Summer, and early Fall, it was work for the oldest. John McNarie was the eldest son in the family. There were two older daughters, Jennie (born 1856 according to 1870 census. Don’t know if this is accurate, or she was from previous marriage, and Sarah born in 1859. According to family story these two girls drowned while crossing the Missouri River with their father, after Hannah had died in 1883. This has not been documented .
John was born in 1860, just before the Civil War. Since he was eldest son, a lot of the work was upon his shoulders. James enlisted in the Union Army ,in the 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry. He was a Private upon enlistment ,and same when mustered out at end of war.
In the 1870 census , James, Hannah and seven children were listed as living in Mirabile Twsp. Caldwell Co. Mo. In the 1880 census the family along with eight of the children were listed as living in Kingston Twsp, Caldwell Co. Mo. At this time the two older daughters were not listed as living at home and three younger children (6yr, 2yrs, and 1 mo. listed with family.
In 1886 James W. McNarie applied for Pension, on October 1st of that year, He was listed as an invalid, no specified injury noted.
In the census of 1900, James was listed as living with his son Ulysses, who was born in 1870. Their home was in Kingston Twsp, Caldwell Co. Mo. At this time Ulysses was married to Myrta Gammill. Their marriage record indicates they married on March 8,1900, in Hamilton, Missouri.
James is buried in Kidder Cemetery, Kidder , Missouri, with a Military headstone at gravesite, it does not contain any dates, but he did not appear in the 1910 census with his son Ulysses, so it is an assumption that he died sometime in between.
The five children who lived to maturity were the following : John W. McNarie b.1860-1862, according to his obituary he was born in Macon, Missouri, on November 2,1862., Delilah Ruth McNarie b.1868- 1954 married to John Worthington, Mary A. McNarie b. Mar. 8,1866-Mar. 29,1949, married William Worthington, Ulysses Grant McNarie b.1870-1953, married Myrta Gammill, and Benjamin Franklin McNarie b. 1874- buried next to father in Kidder Cemetery.
John W. McNarie
His Story
*John W. McNarie the oldest child of James and Hannah McNarie was born in 1860-(Obituary states he born on Nov.2, 1862 in Macon, Missouri.) (Obituary states he first came to Montana in 1884)
*John was a horse wrangler for the great Hashknife Ranch in Montana and later homesteaded his own place in Mill Iron, Montana. He worked for the Hashknife Ranch for many years, and in the severe storm of the Winter of 1886 he froze his feet while hauling a load of lumber from Dickinson, North Dakota to the Hashknife Ranch on Box Elder. This left him a cripple for the balance of his life. In 1907 he homesteaded on Box Elder Creek. In 1909 he was married to Miss Betty Keese, who passed away in 1929. During their years together their ranch home was a haven to travelers, and they were known to friends and neighbors as “Uncle John and Aunt Betty”.
John was a founding and charter member of the “Range Riders of Miles City, Montana”.
Due to his accident he lost the lower portion of his leg and had a wood peg made to fit. He also had a stirrup so constructed to fit the peg, by having a hole in the stirrup. The Caldwell County Historical Society has the peg leg on display in our Historical Brick Building.
* Information from family history stories, and from a book owned by family “Back Trailing in the Heart of Short Grass Country” by John O. Bye published in 1956
John O. Bye knew and was a friend of John and Betty McNarie, and document his character and kindness in his book.