Biographical Sketch of Walter S. Harwood, Johnson County, Missouri, Post Oak Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Walter S. Harwood, widely known horseman of Post Oak township and Con- federate veteran, is a son of an old Missouri pioneer who settled in St. Louis when this now great city was a French hamlet of but a few hundred souls. Mr. Harwood was born in St. Louis, June 14, 1837, son of Walter B. and Martha (Kahelan) Harwood, both of whom were born in Virginia, the latter in the city of Richmond. Both parents came to Missouri before their marriage. Mrs. Harwood, the subject's mother, made her home with a family named Linden. She also became well acquainted with a family named McKnight and later one of her daughters married a son of this family. The McKnights were prominently identi- fied with the early history of St. Louis, members of the family having been engaged in business there for many years, and were the founders of the famous old Planters' Hotel which for many years was the most noted hostelry of the entire Southwest. Walter B. Harwood located in St. Louis as early as 1818 at a time when the future great city was a little hamlet strung out along the banks of the mighty Mississippi. His son, Walter S. Harwood, subject of this review, can recall that the site of the Union Station was all meadow and during his boyhood days he cut hay on the spot and hauled many loads of hay from the very site of the depot. Walter B. Harwood died in the year 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Harwood were parents of the following children: Robert B., who served as county clerk of Johnson county, and is now deceased; Samuel S., who died when a young man; Walter S., the subject of this review; Dr. N. S., who died at Monroe City, Missouri in 1917; O. B., former resident of Johnson county, now deceased; Elizabeth Page, who died at the age of nineteen years; Mrs. Martha Lakelan, of St. Louis, Missouri; C. J., who lives on the old home place at Kirkwood, Missouri; and Eleanor A., who lives in St. Louis. The mother of these children died at St. Louis in 1896. Walter S. Harwood enlisted in the Confederate service when twenty-three years of age, and served throughout the Civil War. Two other brothers, Robert and O. B., also served in the Confed- erate army. Mr. Harwood was a member of the famous Fourth Missouri Cavalry and was captured at one time and interned in the Military prison at St. Louis and was held there until his exchange. His imprisonment was shortened to two weeks because of the ruse which he performed in trading names with a fellow prisoner who did not wish to be exchanged. During his term of service in the Confederate army, Mr. Harwood was elected an officer of his company but resigned the position preferring to serve in the ranks. He took part in the battle of Knox- ville, Tennessee and fought with the armies of Generals Marmaduke and Price throughout Missouri and Arkansas. His command were continually making raids into the enemy's land and were constantly on the move. He was finally mustered out at Shreveport, Louisiana, after a strenuous period of active service in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas, during which he endured many hardships and many times was on the verge of starvation it being necessary for the soldiers of his command to subsist by secur- ing provisions in the country they raided. Prior to his enlistment in the service, Mr. Harwood spent a year in Texas when twenty years old. After the close of the Civil War, he and his two brothers farmed on the old home place for two years and then divided the property and came to Johnson county. His two brothers came to Johnson county and located here. Mr. Harwood lived in the neighborhood of St. Louis until 1884 and he then came to Johnson county and bought the place where he now resides in Post Oak township. This is a well improved farm of four hundred acres, all the improvements on the place having been placed there by Mr. Harwood since he became the owner of the land. During the many years in which he has been a resident of this county, Mr. Harwood has achieved a considerable reputation as a breeder of thoroughbred draft and trotting horses. He has always been a lover of good horse- flesh. Mr. Harwood was united in marriage with Josephine Michels of St. Louis county, Missouri, in 1870. To this union have been born the following children: Mrs. Nettie Foster, Greeley, Colorado; Josephine; Mrs. Lillian Caldwell, of Johnson county; Ida, who died January 12, 1907; Walter, deceased; Robert, at home with his parents; Mrs. Anna M. Smith, of Oklahoma. During the four score years which have passed since he first saw the light of day, this octogenarian has seen many great changes for the better in his native state. He has witnessed the growth of great cities; has seen the coming of the railroads; the transformation of an unpeopled wilderness, to a land of beautiful towns, cities and fertile farms. He has taken part in the creating of a great commonwealth. He has witnessed the building of highways where there were nothing but trails across the country. Once, he took up arms in defense of the land which gave him birth and fought for what he rightly deemed to be just. He has seen a great Nation arise, has seen states welded together, and again plunged into war, a World War, fought in behalf of the principles of liberty and justice for which this nation stands. Should his country again need him, Walter S. Har- wood stands ready once more to shoulder a gun and to assist the Union in preserving the liberties of mankind. ==================================================================== 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 ====================================================================