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Below is a family biography included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Thomas J. McClure, Sr., a farmer living four miles south of Cassville, Barry Co., Mo., was born in East Tennessee in 1834, and is a son of John and Margaret (Kennedy) McClure. John McClure was a native American but his father came from Ireland. John McClure and wife were the parents of eleven children two of whom died in infancy. The others are Daniel K., deceased; Ewing, deceased; Allan, deceased; William, who resides near Washburn, Barry County; Rebecca, who lives in Washington County, Ark.; John, deceased; George, who resides in Washington County, Ark.; Polly Ann, deceased and Thomas J. The last named was taken by relatives to Washington County Ark., when he was about eight months old, and remained there about two years. Since then his home has been in Barry County, Mo. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate army as a member of Company C, Eighth Missouri Regiment and was in the service until 1864. He participated in the skirmishes at Fayetteville, Ark., and in the battle of Helena, and after the war returned home. He has been twice married. His first wife, Isabel Roland, died in 1865, leaving three children all of whom are living, viz.: Finis Lafayette, Cordelia P (Mrs. Theophilus D. Pitts) and Thomas E. In 1866 Mr. McClure married his first wife’s sister Mrs. America Martin, widow of Thomas J. Martin, and to them were born four children, all of whom are living: John P., Ewing K., Francis E. and Mary Ann. Mr. McClure has been a life-long Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote for Buchanan. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and is highly esteemed by his neighbors and acquaintances. His farm of 175 acres is beautifully situated, and is in a high state of cultivation.

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This family biography is one of 103 biographies included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Barry County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Barry County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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