Introduction

Hello everyone! I'm going to start with a brief description of what I'm doing with this blog.


Recently my grandparents moved from the apartment they were living in and needed to get rid of a lot of their stuff.  Due to me being bitten by the family history bug a lot of the family history stuff was passed down to me to take care of.  While going through all of this stuff I came across a memoir written by a family member from the 1800's. Her name is Delila Bucker. In this memoir she writes down her memories and stories she had heard growing up about living in the 1800's. I'm going to write her memoir word for word with a few exceptions (changing spelling of the occasional word). I hope you all enjoy.

Soil and Sand

by 

Delila Bucker

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my grandchildren. I have tried to tell them the true story of their ancestors who, from generation to generation, moved from frontier to frontier enduring the hardships, enjoying the freedom of primitive life. In their struggles to maintain a livelihood they knew the smell of new "Soil" and the sting of blowing "Sand".

 Delila Bucker

1954-1956

Chapter 1

      Come, my dear grandchildren, and sit by my knee as I tell you the stories as they were told to me by my elders, or from my own memory as I have lived them.

     Seven generations ago, about the year 1768, your great, great, great, great, great grandfather Mason Colvin came to America from England and settled in Culpepper County, Virginia. He had a son Benjamin Colvin who was born in Culpepper County, Virginia. He (Benjamin) moved to Missouri before the country was settled. There being no post office, he could not write back to Virginia--so his family was lost sight of.

     In the early 1800's he pushed westward through Missouri to Boon's Lick, which was then a wilderness. While his lot was romantic, yet it required stern hardihood to endure it.

     Howard County was organized in 1816. It at first included all that territory from which since have been carved thirty-one counties, twelve south of the Missouri River and nineteen north of it. The first seat of justice was Cole's Fort on the south side of the river in Cooper County. In 1817 it was moved to Franklin and in 1823 to Fayette. It was long the center of political influence in the State, and before the civil war "Howard County, the mother of Missouri Democracy" was often heard.

     Around Franklin as a center, population rapidly increased; and in a few years it spread out into what afterward became Boonie, Callaway, Cooper, and Chariton Counties. All central Missouri was being transformed from a wilderness into happy homes.

     On May 28, 1819, The Independence, the first steamboat to ascend the Missouri River arrived at Franklin.  Soon steamboats became common on the rivers and assisted much in the speedy delivery of the mails.

     In the year 1840 Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather Benjamin Colvin helped build the first university at Columbia, Missouri. His wife was a Coleman of Welsh descent. Their youngest son was also named Benjamin Colvin.

I'm going to stop here for today.  If you all could let me know if you want me to continue that would be great. Have a great day!