My Genealogy Hound

William G. Howard, notary public, and one of the first settlers of Moniteau County, Mo., was born in Monroe County, Ky., April 16, 1816, and is a son of Wade and Nancy (Robertson) Howard, natives respectively of South Carolina and Kentucky. The paternal grandparents, Stephen and Betsy (Hart) Howard, were also born in the “Palmetto State,” and immigrated by wagon to Cooper County, Mo., and located near Tipton, where they spent the remainder of their days. Mrs. Howard was a cousin of Hon. Thomas Hart Benton, for thirty years United States Senator from Missouri. John Robertson, the maternal grandfather, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and after locating in Kentucky, participated in one of the Indian wars. After leaving Kentucky he resided in Tennessee for some time, and then spent his declining years in Cooper County, Mo. His wife, formerly Miss Sally Gill, was of English descent. The parents of our subject were married in Kentucky, and in 1819 came West with their two children, on horseback; the father carrying William G. before him, and the mother their daughter, Polly A., who is now deceased. They located in what was then Cooper County, near Tipton, the country at that time being in a very wild state. As soon as the father had located a claim and built a log cabin thereon, he would sell out to the incoming settlers, and improve another claim. Wild game of all kinds was very abundant, and their cabin was always well supplied with meat, but they were compelled to suffer many privations and hardships. Their clothing was made of buckskin, and a suit of jeans clothes was considered very stylish indeed. The father was sheriff of Morgan County one term, and was colonel of the State Militia for a number of years. He died in 1867, followed by his wife several years later. Their children are as follows: William G., Polly A., John T., Edmund R., James B., and Sarah E. The early days of our subject were spent in hard labor on the farm, he receiving little early schooling, owing to the primitive condition of the country at that time. At the age of twenty-five years he was married, and located on a farm which he had purchased near Clarksburg, where he resided until 1847, then moving to California, Mo., where he built a log cabin and lived for quite a number of years. He now has a handsome residence, and owns a valuable farm of 100 acres, all under fence. He is one of the oldest residents of the county, and where now are seen well-tilled fields and handsome residences, then were found log cabins and dense forests. In 1847 he was elected clerk of the circuit, county and probate courts, and held this position until October, 1864, when he resigned and moved to St. Louis, and about four months later started for the mountains for his wife’s health; but she died on the way, in Leavenworth, Kan., and he returned home. He was elected clerk of the circuit court in 1870, which position he held until 1882. He has now been notary public for a number of years. He is now seventy-three years of age, but is still energetic and active, and possesses a wonderful memory. He was first married to Roseann Newkirk, a native of Missouri, who died in 1846, leaving one child, Charles T. In January, 1848, he married his second wife, Malinda J. Newkirk, who bore him two children: Louisa D., wife of George H. Pountain, and Sarah E., wife of L. C. Ryan. The mother of these children died in March, 1865, as above stated.