Biographical Sketch of William Sweeney, Johnson County, Missouri, Chilhowee Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** William Sweeney was born in 1842 in Henry county near Clinton, Missouri. He is a son of Jefferson and America (Houx) Sweeney. Jefferson Sweeney was a son of Charles Sweeney, who was of Scotch-Irish descent and a resident of Virginia. America (Houx) Sweeney was a daughter of William Houx, who settled in Cooper county, where Boonville is now located, as early as 1800. Jefferson Sweeney entered 160 acres of land in that section of Missouri now Henry county in the early thirties. Mr. Sweeney was a well educated and highly intellectual man and a natural, practi- cal surveyor. He made a map of this part of the state, in 1851, which is now in the possession of his son, William. There were no public schools in Missouri, when William Sweeney was a youth. He attended a "subscription school". His father was an early day teacher of "sub- scription schools". He taught school for several years, "boarding round" with the pupils, and for his services along education lines re- ceived the munificent sum of thirteen dollars, monthly. In 1851, William Sweeney came with his parents to Johnson county. The father built a rude log cabin home and in this the family lived two and a half years. With the aid of yokes of oxen the virgin sod was broken and farming was begun. Plowing was often done at night and the early sett- lers did most of their traveling at night on account of the flies. Mr. Sweeney recalls that life in those days was not always a dreary round of monotonous labor, but that the pioneers had great times at camp meetings, which all the settlers attended and enjoyed immensely. Mr. Sweeney's father died in 1854 and within a few years afterward came the outbreak of the Civil War, in which Mr. Sweeney enlisted, serving with the Confederate army. He had known Francis M. Cockrell, father of the author of this work, ever since he was a captain. At first, William Sweeney enlisted with the home guard in Lafayette county with Company D, Ben Elliot's regiment, General Wren's division, and then later with Company D, Sixteenth Missouri Infantry, General Parson's division. He took part in the battles of Dry Wood, Lexington, Lonejack and Prairie Grove. At the engagement at Lonejack during the retreat, Mr. Sweeney was taken prisoner. After the war had ended, William Sweeney returned home. The first work to be done was to repair and rebuild fences as all had been destroyed during the war. For days and days, he split rails with which to fence a small patch of ground and after this work was completed, he began farming on a small scale. Mr. Sweeney also worked as a hired laborer for others until he had accumulated a sum of money. He inherited the old homestead and is now the owner of three hundred sixty-five acres of valuable land in Chilhowee township. At one time, William Sweeney was the most prominent breeder of Shropshire sheep in all this country. for years he was engaged in buying and selling stock and especially sheep for feeding and breeding purposes. The sheep from the Sweeney farm might be found in all parts of this and other states. In 1868, William Sweeney and Nancy M. Stone, daughter of S. Stone, a well remembered pioneer of Johnson county, were united in marriage and to them were born five children: Dr. Charles T., Medford, Oregon; F. W., Stockton, Kansas; Mrs. Sarah G. Wilkinson, Denver, Colo- rado; S. R., Chilhowee, Missouri; and R. E., Webb City, Missouri. In 1909, Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney moved to their elegant, modern home in Chil- howee, where they are spending the remaining years of their life in comfort and ease. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney are held in the highest esteem and respect in Johnson county and they are highly valued among the best families. Among the many interesting reminiscences of William Sweeney, with which his memory is stored, is a story of a pioneer preacher, Rev. B. F. Thomas. This young minister was to be ordained and on the Sabbath set apart for the ceremony he appeared dressed in new "tow" pantaloons. The day was cold and the fire was low. He attempted to stir the smouldering embers of the open fire with his foot and, immediately, the blaze spread all over the new pantaloons. There was one thing missing at the ceremony, the nice, soft fozz of the "tow" trousers. Mr. Sweeney enjoys relating the amusing experience of "Uncle Sol" Stone. He had gone to Henry county on a sled, drawn by a yoke of oxen, to purchase five sheep and a stand of bees. There was a heavy snow on the ground but the day was a typical March day and it became quite warm before he had reached home. The oxen were very hot and, seeing a stream, began running toward it in spite of "Uncle Sol's" efforts to control them. They dashed into the ice-cold water and though "Uncle Sol" leaped from the sled and escaped going with them, he eventually was obliged to wade in and with a thousand shivers coax the oxen out of the stream. Just what became of the bees and sheep is a question, but "Uncle Sol" saved them, the bee stands and sheep being tied on the sled. In a day book kept by William Sweeney's father is the following entry, made at the time he was conducting a store at Clinton. "One pair of venison hams, 50 cents." Mr. Sweeney well re- calls when he has remained up whole nights to keep the deer out of his fields. The forests and fields were filled with wild turkeys and prairie chickens were "thicker" than sparrows are now. Mr. Sweeney remembers when Indians were want to pass through the country to sell baskets and trinkets to the settlers. He has often seen them as he went with his wagon and oxen for supplies at trading points. Mrs. Sweeney remembers how her father would be gone a week at a time when he took their corn to mill, being obliged to wait that long for his grist and then when the grist was taken to Lexington to be sold it took another week. He would bring home "web," with which to weave cloth for their clothing, leather to make shoes, salt, coffee, and also a quart of whiskey, for family use. ==================================================================== 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. 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