Biographical Sketch of Ezekiel Blevins, Johnson County, Missouri, Jackson Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Ezekiel Blevins, one of Johnson county's progressive citizens, is a native of Johnson county and a son of one of its earliest settlers. Mr. Blevins was born April 7, 1847, in Simpson township, a son of Stephen and Mahala (Young) Blevins, the former, a native of Virginia and the latter, of Indiana. Stephen Blevins, Jr., was a son of Stephen Blevins, Sr., who came to Missouri from Kentucky in a very early day, probably as early as 1820. The Blevins family drove through from the South with yokes of oxen. The land to which they came was still the hunting grounds of the Indians and it has been the family tradition that many were the visits of the friendly red men of the forest to the little cabin home built by Stephen Blevins, Jr., who entered from the government the land now owned by Mrs. Bessie S. Foster. The site of the Blevins' homestead is at this time occupied by Edward Houts. The spring of living water discovered on this tract of land was the attractive feature of the place which induced the family to settle there. The story is told that when the immigrants came upon the spring, Stephen Blevins, Jr., exclaimed, "Here is where we stop!" Lexington was the nearest trading point, for Warrensburg had then only one or two small stores. Frequently, the cattle and hogs raised on the Blevins' farm were driven on foot to the St. Louis market. At one time, Stephen Blevins, Jr., was the owner of twelve hundred acres of land, practically in one tract. To Stephen and Mahala (Young) Blevins were born twelve children, two of whom died in infancy: Lucinda, the wife of Frank Carlton; Christina, the wife of O. Carlton; William Riley, who married Caroline Ayler; Pollie, the wife of Taylor Sivils; Ezekiel, the subject of this review; Robert L., who married Georgia Shaw; Andrew J., of Eldorado Springs, Missouri, who married Nancy Houton; Rebecca, who married G. M. Duncan and died July 4, 1888; Macdonald, of Belt, Montana, who married Mollie Blevins; and Lydia, the second wife of G. M. Duncan, who was formerly the husband of her sister, Rebecca. Stephen Blevins, Jr., was a true pioneer, a man of no little enterprise and fortitude as well as count- less sterling qualities of mind and heart. He hesitated at no obstacle he was appalled by no misfortunes, and discouragement was a think unknown to him. He lived and prospered many years in Johnson county and became one of the leading men of his community. In 1867, the marriage of Ezekiel Blevins and Missouri Josephine Blevins was solemn- ized and to this union were born five children, three of whom died in youth and two are now living: Franklin S., born October 30, 1869 and married Mrs. Dora Cooper, who died March 6, 1902, and he was united in marriage with Lettie Brown in August, 1912, and they are now residing in Simpson township; and William R., born August 5, 1871, and married Minnie V. Cruse in December, 1894. Mrs. Blevins, the mother of the above named children, has been deceased many years. In 1887, Mr. Blevins and Mrs. Susie (Corder) Miller were united in marriage and they are now residing on the farm which has been the home of the former for more than fifty years. Mr. Blevins has lived in the same neighbor- hood all his life. The Blevins farm comprises one hundred twenty acres of valuable land in Jackson township. In addition to this place, Mr. Blevins owns a tract of eighty acres of land located one miles south- east of his home, land he purchased about 1890 for ten dollars an acre. The religious views of Mr. Blevins are in accord with the belief of the Mount Zion Baptist church. Politically, he has been a life long Democrat. In many respects, Ezekiel Blevins has been much more than the ordinary citizen. He began life with little material wealth, but by industry, good judgement, and close attention to the details of his chosen vocation, he has succeeded in digging from the soil a small fortune. His methods in business have always been honorable, his dealings just, and his integrity has never once been questioned. He has seen the open prairie and the forests supplanted by a domain of civilization and to the best of his ability he has assisted in bringing about present day conditions. Mr. Blevins is one of the link charact- ers of Johnson county connecting the past with the present, a man who has figured prominently in both periods. ==================================================================== 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. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny (Eisenbarger) Harrell ====================================================================