Caldwell County MO Archives History .....THE HARPOLDS, PIONEERS IN MIRABILE TOWNSHIP 1845 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com August 30, 2008, 4:20 pm

THE HARPOLDS, PIONEERS IN MIRABILE TOWNSHIP 1845
	Narrator:  Mrs. Catherine Rogers, 90, Cowgill, Missouri

     Mrs. Rogers is the oldest child of Absolam Harpold of Mirabile township; 
at the age of one year or eighty nine years ago she came into the county with 
her parents Absolom Harpold and wife (whose maiden name was Rhodes) both of 
Virginia.  They came on the river as far as Brunswick, Missouri.  Then he 
engaged sleeping quarters for wife and child in a blacksmith shop and came 
afoot to Kingston.  He bought land on Goose Creek in Mirabile township got a 
wagon and went back to Brunswick after his wife and child.
     Time went on in frontier fashion.  Mrs. Harpold's way of passing "wash 
day" is of interest.  In the morning she started down to Goose Creek with her 
bundle of clothes; she also had a mess of dry beans.  While the beans were 
cooking in one pot, the clothes were boiling over another fire.  Dinner was 
eaten on the spot.  The clothes were hung on the bushes, and while they were 
drying, they picked wild berries, plums or grapes; going back home with a fine 
day's work done.
     They manufactured their clothes on their own farm beginning with the 
sheep's wool and ending with sewing the goods by hand.  They dyed with various 
types of bark, gentian, pike berries which gave red color.  Poke berries were 
also used for ink.  They made their own yeast out of flour, corn meal, yeast 
and potatoes.
     Her father Absolam Harpold (1821-1864) was one of the victims of the 
Civil War excitement in Caldwell County.  He had served a three year 
enlistment in the Southern Army and was returning home.  As he got off the 
train at Hamilton to go to his home west of Kingston a personal enemy saw him 
and reported it.  One Penniston killed his horse in riding to Kingston to 
report it to the Home Guards.  When Harpold got out to his home, he surmised 
the state of affairs and rode to Kidder to take the train west and get away 
from trouble.  A report was sent to Cameron, the militia entered the train and 
took him off--hanging him with very little delay.
     Interviewed August 16, 1934.


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