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Below is a family biography included in The History of Dent County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  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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William Barksdale, a prosperous farmer of Dent County, Mo., was born in Tennessee in 1836, and is a son of Stephen I. and Sarah (Waler) Barksdale, who were born in Tennessee in 1812 and 1811, and died in Shannon and Dent Counties, Mo., in 1879 and 1883, respectively. The father was of English descent, and a farmer by occupation, and became a resident of Dent County, Mo., about 1840. Six of their eight children grew to maturity. Three were living at the time of William’s marriage; two besides himself: Henry, who died at Neosho, Mo., in 1861, while in the State service, and Wallar, who died in the Confederate service at Pine Bluffs, Ark, in 1862. William Barksdale was the eldest of the children, and is the only son. Up to the time of his marriage, in 1859, his time was employed in assisting his father on the farm, and in attending the district schools during the winter seasons. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary E. Daugherty, was born in Tennessee on the 28th of February, 1841, and was a daughter of Saciah and Sally Daugherty. She became the mother of seven children, six living, and died on the 18th of January, 1875. In January, 1886, Mr. Barksdale married his second wife, Mrs. Dinwiddie. Since 1859 Mr. Barksdale has resided on the farm he now occupies, but during the Civil War he was compelled to change his place of abode, and located in Fulton County, Ark., where he remained two years, and then moved to Shannon County, Mo., and in 1881 returned to his present farm. He is the owner of 640 acres of land, 480 acres comprising the home farm, and has 150 acres well tilled and under good cultivation. He is one of Dent County’s most prosperous and successful farmers, and is much esteemed as a neighbor and friend. He is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the County Wheel organization.

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This family biography is one of 82 biographies included in The History of Dent County, Missouri published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Dent County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

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

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