My Genealogy Hound

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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James D. McGee, farmer of Franklin Township, Dent Co., Mo., was born in Tennessee in 1825, being a son of John and Margaret (Dixon) McGee, who were born in Tennessee, the former about 1797 and the latter in 1799. John McGee was of Irish descent, and throughout life followed the occupation of farming. In 1845 he emigrated from his native State to what is now Dent (then Crawford) County Mo., and there spent the remainder of his days, dying about 1865. His wife was of Scotch descent, and also died in Dent County, in 1886, having borne a family of seven children, only three of whom are now living. James D. McGee is the fourth member of the family, and made his parents’ house his home until forty-five years of age. His boyhood days were spent in attending the district schools and working on the farm, and in 1869 he espoused Miss Sarah Pettigrew, who was born in Alabama about 1844, and was a daughter of Edward and Nancy Pettigrew. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and died in 1876, having borne a family of three children. In 1877 Mr. McGee married his second wife, Miss Catherine Hutchison, who was born in Tennessee about 1846, and died in 1883, leaving two children. She was also a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. McGee has a fine farm of 460 acres, eighty acres of which are well improved and in a good state of cultivation. He is one of the pioneers of Dent County, and in his political views is a Democrat.

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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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