When we arrived in Hermitage in May, 1909, we found that my wife's father Lycurgus Lindsey was in very poor health and confined to his bed most of the time. At the time we emigrated to New Mexico in 1906, he and his wife were living on their farm about four miles soucheast of Preston, and were in fairly good health for persons of their advanced ages. But during our absence their health, especially that of Mr. Lindsey had become very much impaired and in order that they might be nearer to their son Eugene, and their daughter, Mrs. Mattie Coon, who lived in Hermitage, they bought a small residence property in Hermitage, just across the street from the home of their son, and having leased their hone farm, they moved to Hermitage and were domiciled in their new home when we arrived in Hermitage. While Mr. Lindsey’s health was very feeble Mrs. Lindsey appeared to be in about the same health as she was when we saw her last in 1906.

We stayed for awhile with my wife’s parents and with our son Joe and family after we came back to Hermitage. We had repurchased our old home in Hermitage but could not obtain possession for several weeks.

At that time W. F. Coon and son Bernie and Eugene T. Lindsey were in the mercantile business in the stone building where our storehouse had stood before it was destroyed by fire in 1906, and which had been rebuilt by and was owned by Mr. Eugene T. Lindsey, who had bought the stone walls of our burned building from us before we went to New Mexico. Soon after our arrival in Hermitage, Joe and I purchased the interests of Mr. W. F. Coon and Mr. E. T. L.indsey (each owned 1/3 of the stock) in their stock of goods and in partnership with Bernie Coon (who owned 1/3 of the stock) we formed the Hermitage Mercantile Ca. and began business in Hermitage. While we were in New Mexico, I had sold our residence property to W. F. Coon, taking in his note in payment for same, and as he still owed the note I took the property back at the same price he had agreed to pay me for it, he accounting for the interest on the note for the time he had occupied my property and I paid him for some improvement he had made on the property.

Soon after this we occupied it, and after nearly three years absence in the West, disastrous to us in many ways, we were again in our old home. Previous to our arrival home, Josie’s father had been ill for some time of a complication of diseases, and the infirmities of old age, being then over 83 years of age. Gradually he became more feeble, and although by skillful treatment and constant nursing by his devoted wife and his daughters Mrs. Mattie Coon, my wife and Mrs. Emma Thurston and Laura White and her daughters Nina and Nona who had come from their homes in New Mexico to be at the bedside of their father aad grandfather, and also of their granddaughter, Neva Pendleton Lightner and other relatives and frends, every possible effort made to allay his suffering and prolong his life but was unavailing, and the frail body of the aged citizen and soldier succumbed on June 13, 1909 and his spirit passed into the "great beyond".

His sorrowing widow and children sustained the greatest loss of their lives. He was a faithful devoted husband, an affectionate father and a noble high-minded man and splendid citizen. He was a patriotic lover of his country and during the Civil War he was a courageous Union soldier serving throughout the war as First Lieutenant of Company B in the Eighth Regiment of Missouri State Militia, a cavalry regiment, and rendered heroic service to his beloved country during the great conflict

Lycurgus Lindsey was the fourth son of Amos and Mary Madison Lindsey, in a family consisting of seven sons and two daughters. His brothers were Anthony W. deceased, James and Abraham, both deceased, who were twins, Alfred, Frost, deceased, Thomas and John. His sisters were Mrs. Irene Romans, deceased and Mrs. Nancy Hayes, deceased. His father, Amos Lindsey, was a pioneer settler of Hickory County and long before the Civil War had acquired a large body of real estate, a considerable part of which he and his sons had put in cultivation and he had a well improved farm on which he resided for years. His mother, Mary Madison Lindsey, was said to be a relative of former President James Madison, but the nearness of the relationship has never been ascertained, she or her forbears came from the same section in Virginia in which the ex-President lived, and there is a legend that she was his niece, but it was never authenticated.

Lycurgus Lindsey was born November 8, 1825, and was married to Miss Lucy Toby of Camden County, Mo. and a daughter of Lucy Toby, a widow, her father Samuel Toby having died before his daughter was born. The marriage of Lycurgus Lindsey and Lucy Toby occurred January 16, 1850. They had seven children, six daughters, Cynthia, deceased, who married John T. Pendleton, Mary Ellen, deceased, who married Ben F. Creed, Josephine Lindsey Slavens, Emma who married James Shepherd Thurston, Matilda Jane who married William F. Coon and Laura Lenora, who married Dr. John W. White, deceased, and one son Eugene Thomas Lindsey, all of whom were living were present at the death and burial of their lamented father. The interment of the deceased was in Bower Chapel Cemetery near Urbana, Mo. His funeral was preached by Rev. Newton Franklin.

Not a great while after the marriage of Lycurgus Lindsey and Lacy Toby they began to acquire same real estate in Hickory County, and when the Civil War began they had a small home on a part of the land which later formed his large farm southeast of Preston which he owned at the time of his death. His total real estate at that time was eleven hundred acres.

Lycurgus Lindsey was not a member of any church but was a moral, upright citizen, a lover of truth and justice and a strictly honest man, he was charitable to all in need and a friend to the poor. In his death his family suffered an irreparable loss and the state and nation one of their best citizens.

Mary Lindsey, Lycurgus Lindsey’s mother, died in 1866, during the Civil War. She was a small, light complected, blue eyed woman. His father Amos Lindsey, lived at his home for a good many years after the death but after he got to be a very old man and in failing health he made his hone with his son Lycurgus and family, where he died in the year 1875, aged 94 years. He was tall, a dark complected black eyed man, and for that day was a well informed man, and took an active part in the affairs of the county at an early day in its history. He was honored by the people of the county by election to the offices of Sheriff and Judge of the County Court.

But we were destined to be bereaved of another dearly beloved one. The aged widow and mother, Mrs. Lucy Lindsey, sorrow stricken by the loss of her life companion, also fell a victim to disease. Less than two months after her husband passed away Mother Lindsey became seriously affIicted with dysentery, She had not been in good health for a good many years, and was unable physically to cope with the continually weakening affect upon her strength. She was ill about ten days and while everything that medical skill and careful tender nursing could do was constantly done to alleviate her suffering and overcome the effects of the disease, she contined to become weaker, until she finally fell asleep August 10, 1909, and quietly and peacefully passed away.

Her earthly tenement of clay was at rest, and her spirit passed into that rest that was prepared for the children of God. In the death of their dear mother, her children lost the most precious treasure of human life, and their best friend on earth and the Christian Church one of its most devoted members. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a faithful friend and a truly good woman. Her remains were laid to rest in the Bower Chapel Cemetery in Dallas County in the presence of all of her living children, except her daughter Mrs. Emma Thurston who had returned to her home in New Mexico soon after the death of her father, and a large concourse of relatives and friends.

Lucy Toby Lindsey was the youngest child of Lucy and Samuel Toby and was born near Madison, Indiana, December 2, 1833. She had four sisters: Mrs. Sarah Johnson, Mrs. Mary Bench, Mrs. Salina Lee and Mrs. Alma Ann Smith and six brothers; Nathaniel, Orville, James, Samuel, David and Frederick. Her father died in Indiana before she was born and a few years after his death her mother and family moved to Missouri and settled in Camden County. Her mothers maiden name was Wheeler, and the Wheeler ancestors were of English origin.

After getting settled in our old home again, and resuming business in Hermitage which proved to be very satisfactory, we found though that during our absence in New Mexico, many of our old patrons had transferred their trade to merchants in other towns and we had difficulty in winning back their patronage. Gradually, however, some of them began to occasionally visit our store and eventually became, as of yore, regular patrons, assisting us materially in building up our trade..

We were very anxious as to whether the change of climate from the high altitude of New Mexico to the very much lower height from sea level of Hermitage would benefit Irene’s health. We had been very fearful lest the very high altitude of the crest of the Rocky Mountains over which we passed in our journey home would be disastrous to her, but she made the trip safely with no ill effects when crossing over Cumberland Pass and other high points. We were agreeably surprised to find that highest altitude had no bad effect upon her as the Aztec doctors had warned of the alleged danger of excessively high passes to her and provided us with remedies to administer to her in case she should become ill of heart trouble while en route home.

Soon after coming home we had Dr. H. C. Brookshire, our old family physician to examine her and treat her case. He made a very careful and thorough examination, attn which he said she had a slight funct tonal heart affection caused by a gaseous condition of the stomach, but that there was absolutely no orqanic heart disease in her case. After a few months treatment she improved very much, the stomach disorder was relieved and the functional heart disturbance, a very disagreeable annoying and at times alarming palpitation of the heart, altogether ceased and during the tall and winter she attended school regularly without any ill effects. We remembered that while we were in Aztec and were so uneasy about her, relying on the doctors diagnosis of her trouble as organic heart affection, her brother Joe said he believed that she had stomach trouble and the heart palpitation was caused by the stomach disorder. Subsequent relief of her ailment under proper treatment evidenced the correctness of his belief.

Our business continued to prosper fairly well for a year or more and then we had a series of very bad crop years. High water on the Pomme de Terre River destroyed much of the crops in the bottom and the dry weather and hot winds ruined the crops on the uplands. And these crop failures curtailed the patronage of our business very much. Realizing that the proceeds of the business had been and would probably continue to be insufficient to support our three families, in tne Spring of 1913, I sold my interest in the stock of goods to Joe and Bernie.

I had been thinking of seeking another location and engaging in the abstract business. I had done business of this kind for some years previous to our removal to New Mexico. I understood the business pretty well, and liked it and believed with a good location having the assistance of our daughters in the work, we could soon build up a. lucrative business. Then having heard much of West Plains, Howell County in the extreme south central part of the state as a prospective location, my wife and I made a trip to the Howell County seat in the early part of June, 1913, but failing to make a satisfactory purchase of a set of abstract books we returned home. We liked West Plains very well and I believed from brief investigation I had made that it would be a good town to establish a new abstract business and after further consideration I decided to move to West Plains and make a new set of abstract books. Then we had a sale of some of our household goods and other personal property preparatory to making our removal.

Since we returned to Missouri, our daughter Inez had attended a term in the Springfield Business College at Springfield, Missouri, made good progress in her studies and if she had continued attendance at the college would have become an efficient stenographer. Since coming home, Mary had been busily at work too, teaching school. She taught one year as principal instructor in the Hermitage public school and another as teacher of the public school at Hartman Grove near Pittsburg, Missouri. Bernice had attended a term at the Normal School in Warrensburg, Missouri, and then she taught two terms of school, one in the Clark school, district near Hermitage and the other as instructor of the primary department of the Weaubleau public school.

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