New interest has been sparked in a Civil War booklet of stories published in 2012 by the Ozark County Historium and the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society has led to a reprinting. The new Civil War discussion group meeting on the third Thursday morning of each month has sparked the interest leading to the reprinting of the 36-page booklet “The worst of times: The Civil War in Ozark County Mo.” The publication has been out of print for some time.
The Ozark County Times reports many of the stories were originally written by S. C. Turnbo around 1900. The booklet editors, Mary Ruth Luna Sparks and Lin Waterhouse, have tweaked the Turnbo stories making them easier to read and shortening the sentences and paragraphs while retaining the original flavor and character of Turnbo’s turn-of-the-century writings.
The opening story describes a prophecy made by Dr. Every Milton at a “preaching” on the White River below the mouth of Big Creek in 1859 about “the future Civil War.” Milton even predicted the war would last four years.
The editors say the booklet is not a history of the war but a look at how Ozark County families survived the violent conflict.
In a story about the Russell family, Ginya Collins Moore, a Russell descendant, tells how Wiley and Lucinda Russell, who lived in the Dora area, lost three sons and two sons-in-law during the war. During those dangerous times, it was safer to be a soldier than to be a young or old man at home. So, in an attempt to save their only remaining son, Wiley Russell and his son Jim enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. Wiley Russell was about 63, and Jim Russell was 15, but the recruiter took them both. He listed Jim Russell as age 18 and Wiley Russell as age 44.
“The hanging,” a story written by Glain E. Martin for the Old Mill Run in 2009 about the deaths of Jesse Ballard James and John Riley Brown, is the subject of the artwork Gainesville High School graduate Logan Strong drew for the cover of the booklet.
While most of the stories are sad and sometimes even gruesome, the editors note there are others with a little humor. The editors’ favorite stories describe incidents involving the Casebolt women, who lived on Big Creek. In one story the Casebolt women defended their men against Union soldiers and won. In another, they successfully threatened and badgered three thieves from stealing their ox cart.
The booklet is available for $7 at the Historium or by mail for $10. Make checks payable to OCGHS and mail to P.O. Box 4, Gainesville, MO 65655.
The Historiums Civil War discussion group is open to anyone who would like to participate, and the Historium is handicapped accessible. The meetings are expected to last about 90 minutes.
For more information about the group, email Marc Ramsey at marcusd1949@gmail.com, or call him at 417-546-7170. Contact the Historium at 417-679-2400 or ozarkco1@ozarkcountyhistory.org.
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