BLEVINS BIOGRAPHIES, Henry County, Missouri ==================================================================== BLEVINS, Jeremiah - b: 1837 Johnson Co, MO source: 1883 History of Henry Missouri , National Historical Co. - page: 730 residence: Davis Jeremiah Blevins was born in Johnson County, Missouri, October 24, 1837. A sketch of the life of his parents will be found in the biography of his brother, "Pres" Blevins. Jeremiah's early days were spent in hard work upon his father's farm, and in his twentieth year he was married, on September 28, 1857, to Miss Mary E. Dunn. His father giving him a small piece of land, and managing to enter another small tract, he engaged in farming, and in 1861 had acquired over 400 acres of land. When the call for arms was raised he enlisted at Lone Jack, at which place commenced his war record. Being in Colonel Cockrell's command he continued with him until the battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, where he and his brother Stephen were captured. He was confined at St. Louis, Alton and Chicago, and after being kept a prisoner for six months was exchanged at Petersburg, Virginia. He joined the forces again at Richmond and remained there for forty days, when he went south and rejoined his original commander at Meriden, Mississippi. He surrendered at Jackson, Mississippi, in 1865. He received but one serious wound, that being caused by a shell fracturing his left knee. When the war closed Mr. Blevins returned to Missouri and resumed his farming operations, after an interruption of five years. His wife had lived but a few years after their marriage, and on his return in the fall of 1865 he married Miss Emily H. Feris, daughter of Charles Feris, of Bates County. His first wife had left him one son, George W., who has married Miss Martha DeArman. By his present wife he has five children: Virginia Ann, Stephen E., Dullie, Lizzie and Robert E. Lee. Mr. Blevins has been quite successful in his business undertakings, and now owns over 800 acres of good land, and has also a good farm in Texas. He feeds a moderate number of cattle each year, having about 125 head of stock at present. ==================================================================== BLEVINS, Jonathan - b: 1855 Honey Creek Twp, Henry Co, MO source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - page: 544 residence: White Oak Twp Jonathan Blevins, a progressive farmer and stockman of White Oak township, is a Henry County pioneer. He was born in Honey Creek township, which was then known as Davis township, October 13, 1855, and is a son of Robert P. and Nancy (Crockett) Blevins. R. P. Blevins was born in what is now White Oak township, near the Clary place, December 23, 1833, and was the first white child born in what is now Henry County. He spent his life in this county and died near Marvin in Honey Creek township, March 6, 1889. He was a son of Ezekiel Blevins, a Kentuckian and one of the first settlers of Henry County. He died in Johnson County during the Civil War, about 1864. Nancy (Crockett) Blevins, mother of Jonathan Blevins, was a native of Indiana and came here with her parents when she was a child in arms. She died March 6, 1898. To R. P. and Nancy (Crockett) Blevins were born the following children: Jonathan, the subject of this sketch; Mary Theresa, now the wife of Judge W. B. Collins, one of the county judges of Henry County, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Sarah J. married John B. Cornett, Big Creek township; Nancy Ann, married Robert DeArmond, Southwest City, Missouri; Julia Bell, married C. A. Davis, Independence, Missouri; Nora L. married Richard Hall, Clinton, Missouri; Irene married James T. Collins and is now deceased; Lottie married John Shaver, Sydney, Montana. Jonathan Blevins was reared and educated in Davis township, and remained at home with his parents until he was about twenty-five years of age. Farming and stock raising has been his chief occupation and he purchased his present place in 1898. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land and carries on general farming and stock raising, and has met with uniform success in his undertakings. On January 15, 1880, Mr. Blevins was united in marriage with Miss Clara Belle Toalson, a daughter of George W. and Margaret E. (Cowden) Toalson, both now deceased. They were early settlers in White Oak township, locating there in 1867. Their children were: George, deceased; Clara Belle, wife of Jonathan Blevins, the subject of this sketch; Mattie, married Nichols Long, Hartwell, Missouri; Oscar B., Bartlesville, Oklahoma; and Omar A., Urich, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Blevins has been born one daughter, Isa Merle. She married Parl Ewing, and is now deceased. She left one son, Fern W. Ewing, who now resides with his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Blevins. The Blevins family experienced the real pioneer life of Henry County. When R. P. Blevins was a baby his mother left him in the cabin while she was at work in the garden. The cabin was only partially roofed. As the mother was at work she discovered a panther endeavoring to climb to the roof of the cabin by reaching through between the logs of the cabin, which had not yet been chinked, and reach the baby, who was lying on a pallet on the floor. She hastened to the cabin and as she reached the inside of the cabin the panther was still endeavoring to reach the baby with its claws. The mother struck one of the extending claws of the animal with a hoe that she still held in her hands and with a single blow severed the claws of the panther. Later the panther was tracked from the house and killed, by Ezekiel Blevins and the neighbors. Jonathan Blevins is truly a representative of a sturdy pioneer family of Henry County and is typical of that class of men who have made Henry County what it is today. ==================================================================== BLEVINS, Robert Preston - b: 1831 Henry Co, MO source: 1883 History of Henry Missouri , National Historical Co. - page: 729 residence: Davis R. P. Blevins is probably the oldest person now living who was born in the present limits of Henry County. He was born October 20, 1831, in what is now Shawnee Township, on the Pleasant Walker farm. One child only was born in the county prior to his birth and that was the son of a colored woman in the family of Lang Avery, and that child is supposed to have died in infancy. "Pres.," as he is familiarly called, is the eldest of a family of five children, of whom all are living but Stephen, who died of small-pox at Bloody Island, St. Louis, in 1863. He had entered Price's command and was captured at Prairie Grove. His father, Ezekial Blevins, came from Kentucky to Missouri when a young man, and in Johnson County met Miss Theresa Young, to whom he was soon after married. They settled in Henry County in 1830, and after living three years in Shawnee he went to White Oak, where he secured a small farm and afterward entered 600 or 700 acres of land upon which he lived until his wife's death in 1861. Going to Johnson County he died there in the fall of 1865 at the age of fifty-three. When twenty-three years old R. P. borrowed $100 and entered eighty acres of land in section 23, and began to make a farm. January 14, 1854, he was married in Bates County to Miss Missouri Crockett, daughter of James Crockett, an early settler of that county. She was born in Indiana, May 16, 1831. Mr. B. soon built a little log cabin and began a life of hard work. His first dealing in stock was by trading a rifle for fourteen head of hogs. He raised hogs for quite a while, until able to sell at one time, and then buying a few heifers, he laid the foundation for a stock business unsurpassed by any man in Henry County. He now owns over 2,700 acres of land in the best part of the county, and during the past year raised 2,000 acres of corn, and fed 350 head of beef cattle, about an average number for him to feed. He has on hand also 450 stock cattle. He has 900 head of feeding hogs and nearly 1,000 pigs, together with a flock of 400 Cotswold sheep. He raises 400 acres of meadow, and has excellent success in cultivating the tame grasses. He was formerly one of the most extensive shippers from this section of the state, but for three years has not done much in this line. Mr. Blevins is Democratic in politics and takes quite an active interest in educational matters. He has acquired his splendid competency by adhering to strict business principles, and good judgment in his labors. Certainly no man in the county dispenses hospitality with a more liberal hand or is more sincerely liked by those with whom he has dealings than "Pres." Blevins. He has a family of seven children The eldest, John, has a farm of 640 acres, and is a thorough business man; his wife, was a Miss Belle Tolston. Mary is the wife of Benjamin Collins, Sarah Jane is the wife of John B. Cornett. Nancy Ann married Robert DeArman and lives in Bogard, Fred, Julia and Lottie Pearl are at home. Walter Reno, a lad of fourteen, has been in Mr. Blevins' family for four years. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. 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