Biographical Sketch of S. W. Lindsey, Dallas County, Missouri

>From "History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas,
 Pulaski, Phelps & Dent Counties, Missouri, Published 1889, Goodspeed
 Publishing Company.

Transcribed by: Penny Harrell (Incog3678@aol.com)

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S. W. Lindsey, one of the largest stock dealers in Dallas County,
MO., and also a prominent farmer of the county, was born in Lawrence
County, Tenn., March 18, 1833, his parents being Sterling and Mary
(Azbell) Lindsey, a short history of whom is given in the sketch of
Ezekiel Lindsey.  They were the first family to settle in that part
of the county, and suffered many privations incident to pioneer life.
They had to go sixty miles to Waynesville to get their seed-corn, and
their clothing was all home-spun.  The father was a tanner by trade,
and would often kill deer and make moccasins out of their hides.  He
was also a cooper, and made nearly all their household utensils.  He
entered two forty-acre tracts where Louisburg now stands, and the 
deeds for these were among the first recorded.  Here he made his home
until his death March 4, 1846, his wife dying September 12, 1867.  
Sterling W. Lindsey, whose name heads this sketch, has been a resi-
dent of Dallas County since about three years of age, but owing to the
scarcity and very primitive condition of schools of that day, he never
went to school but about three months, and that was to a private 
teacher.  He worked hard to help improve the home farm in his boyhood
days, but in 1853 left the paternal roof to seek his fortune in the 
gold mines of California.  He took the overland route, and made the
journey in three months and twenty days, the objective point being
Sacramento.  He took a drove of cattle with him, and while there turn-
ed his attention to stock dealing, which occupation met with fair 
success.  While on his way he killed buffalo, deer and panthers, and
can tell many anecdotes of thrilling interest connected with some of
his hunting expeditions, as well as some of his experiences with the
more civilized inhabitants of that region.  In 1855 he returned to 
the old homestead in Missouri, and resumed farming, and has also been
largely engaged in stock dealing.  He has a large farm well adapted
to stock raising, and has driven large droves of cattle through to
Illinois and sold them at Jacksonville and other points.  His land
amounts to about 500 acres, nearly all of which is under cultivation,
and well supplied with water.  In 1861 he enlisted in the Home Guards,
and served for six months, and the following year enlisted in the 
Enrolled Militia, and was stationed at Buffalo, MO., most of the time.
In 1864 he joined Capt. Brown's company, and was transferred after-
ward to Capt. Sullivan's company, in which he served until the close
of the war.  His first wife, Mary Drum, whom he married in 1857, bore
him two children, Carroll J. and Daniel J., and died in April, 1864;
and in August, 1865, he wedded Martha Paine, by whom he has ten
children:  Ella, wife of Charles E. Burton; Minnie, Anthony, Emmet,
Jeanette, Bertha, Blanche, Berniece X., Roscoe and Grant.  Mrs. Lind-
sey is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a member
of the G.A.R.  He has in his possession a paper, the "New England 
Weekly Journal", published at Boston, on Queen Street, April 8, 1728,
and also has a powder-horn dating to 1763, made by William Betts, 
his name being engraved on the horn.  He has a small round table 
made of sixty-three different kinds of wood, made by a man by the 
name of Gardner, and also a walking stick of hickory that grew up
by the side of Davy Crockett's house in Tennessee.
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