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Note: ay to Adams County, Ohio. Also by 1843, he had married 16-year old MARY CATHERINE SPRINKLE. His children were Mary Melissa, Elizabeth Margaret, twins William Alvin and George Leroy [who were born in Meigs Twp, Adams Co., Ohio], JAMES EDGAR, Maria Alice, Lillie Louisa [who died at age 7 in 1864], Charles Henry [who died at the age of 10 months in 1860], Albert Harvey, Ella May and Francis Emery McNary [who died at the age of 3 in 1870]."
JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and his siblings attended public or common school, as described in the following manner, from: "The Combined History of Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, 1882," pages 198-200, Common Schools of Brown County, by Moses Black:
"The majority of the teachers of half a century ago were without any special training for their work. Many of them had never 'ciphered past the Rule of Three' and the course of study in the schools was commonly confined to 'the three R's' (Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic). They labored faithfully to instruct their pupils, and as school commonly began at sunrise and continued until sunset, with only a noon intermission, it will be seen that the work was not light."
"There were no class recitations, except the spelling classes, which commonly spelled twice a day, beginning at the head, and each pupil who spelled a word missed by one, standing nearer to the head of the class, took the place of the one missing it. Some of the early schools were what is termed 'loud schools' and when in good working order could be heard quite a distance. All the pupils studied aloud, and each one exerted himself to make as great a noise as possible…"
"In some of the schools they were permitted to study aloud when preparing their spelling lessons. Written or blackboard work was unknown. The teachers sometimes wrote the multiplication table, and gave it to the pupils to memorize. In discipline they were generally rigid, the rod being frequently used. An incident which occurred in one of the earliest schools in Mt. Sterling illustrates the then prevalent idea in regard to corporal punishment. During the school exercises, the door was unceremoniously opened and one of the patrons of the school said to the teacher: 'Mr. Taylor, have you whipped my son, Alec?' 'No, sir; he is a good boy, studies well, and does not need it.' 'I want you to whip him, as I think it would make him do better.'"
"Some of the early teachers required the boys to bow and the girls to courtesy to any person they met on the road to or from school. This custom was continued in some schools as late as the year 1849, when the writer first attended school. The textbooks commonly used were Noah Webster's Spelling Book, Pike's Arithmetic, and the Introduction to the English Reader. Books were scarce, and for reading, pupils brought any book they could obtain. Some schools, in addition to the Reader mentioned, would have the Bible, a Life of Marion, or Washington, Robinson Crusoe, and in some instances, old newspapers supplied the place of a reader. Ink was made of nutgalls, or the bark of maple or walnut trees. All the pens were made by the teacher from goose-quills."
"In the matter of school architecture, there was great similarity. The houses were commonly built of round logs, the cracks chinked with sticks, and a large fireplace with a stick chimney. In some instances the chimney was built from the upper joists, and the wood being laid on the hearth below. The pupils could approach the fire from three sides, instead of the front only, as was the case with an ordinary fireplace. The roof was always made of clapboards, and frequently fastened with weight-poles instead of nails. The floor (when the building had one) was made of puncheons, and the seats were either poles or slabs, supported by sticks stuck in them. The only desk was a slab hewed from the body of a tree, and placed on underpinions driven in the wall. The windows were made by cutting out a log; sometimes placing greased papers over the opening; at other times a single row of glass would be used. All of the schools of that date were built by the voluntary labor of the settlers."
"The schools were sustained almost entirely by the tuition paid by the patrons. An article of agreement was commonly written, and each one signed whatever number of scholars he intended to send, the price per scholar being stipulated in the agreement. In addition to the tuition paid him, the teacher commonly 'boarded round', that is, stayed a part of the time with each family, his board costing him nothing. Many of the pupils from sixteen to twenty were learning to read, and from one to four miles was a common distance for them to walk. It was a common thing, when there was no school in the neighborhood, to send children to some other part of the county, and pay board and tuition while attending school. Teacher's wages were frequently no higher than thirteen dollars per month, and in some instances, as low as ten dollars per month was paid, or rather promised, as the collections seldom amounted to enough to pay the teacher the stipulated price."
"It was a common occurrence for the pupils, just before the Christmas holidays, to take possession of the schoolhouse, and refuse to allow the teacher to enter, unless he would promise to 'treat the school.' Failing in this, they would resort to 'heroic treatment' and many a contest ensued. The custom was favored by public opinion, and generally the teacher had to succumb. As a good illustration of this, I give the following statement, written by a former resident of Brown County, now a prominent physician in a neighboring county:"
"In the winter of 1845 and '46, I was employed to teach a school in Buckhorn Township. I was to receive forty dollars, and board around, for my services, the term being three months…There were about thirty pupils in attendance, and among them probably half a dozen boys and as many girls were full-grown. The first day of our school, at noon, the young men and larger girls commenced playing such plays as were common at social parties, such as Old Sister Phoebe, Pleased or Displeased, Kitchen Furniture, and etc, which were usually wound up by marrying a couple. I had some doubts about the propriety of such amusements at school, but not wishing to assume any arbitrary authority, I referred it to the directors. After consulting, they said that, 'As such plays were allowed in the private houses, there could be no harm in permitting them, at playtime, in the schoolhouse.' Such being their decision, the plays went on through the entire term, and I made a full scholar in that department. I could do as much kissing as any of them, being about eighteen years of age, and very fond of such exercises. Many of the young men and women of the neighborhood, who did not attend school, would come in and take part with us in those plays."
"It was customary at that time, in some localities to turn the teacher out, or even to take him to the creek and give him a cold bath, unless he would agree to treat the school on Christmas. My pupils had determined to duck me, unless I would agree to treat them. I knew nothing of this until the afternoon of Friday before Christmas. When I told them to get their books and go to studying, one of the young men stepped up to me and said, 'We are going to rule this afternoon.' I at once suspected what the trouble was, and stepping outside the door, picked up a good-sized hoop-pole. I then went back, and looking as fierce as I could, told them I would thrash the life out of all who did not obey me. I then ordered all who intended to behave properly to march over to the other side of the house, so that I might see how many I would have to whip. This order came so unexpectedly, and I looked so fierce and determined, that all committed themselves on my side, except two young men and one girl."
"The young men, each of whom was older and larger than myself, then took hold of me, the girl looking on and encouraging them. The creek was nearly half a mile from the schoolhouse, and as there was a small hill to go over, it was no easy job to take me there. There was snow on the ground, and we had a pretty rough time of it, sometimes all down together, first one on top, and then another, frequently getting very mad and occasionally fighting. At such times the girls would cry, and come and take hold of the boys, and beg them to let me alone; but the one girl who was for ducking me would run up and tell them to 'stand back and let them duck him. He ought to treat; and if he does not do it, he ought to be ducked. Dad has ducked many a man; and there is a law to make him treat.'"
"The boys finally tired out, and finding they could not get me to the creek, let me go; I promised to treat them when I got ready. I did treat them, on Christmas day, parents and children, on two gallons of whiskey, and two pounds of sugar, costing me just one dollar. Apples could not be had at that time. We had a jolly time at the treat, spelling, singing, etc, and the whiskey made many of them feel very happy, and everything went off well.' This custom has long since become obsolete."
From page 201:
"About 1848 [in the town of Mt. Sterling] the brick building…was built for an academy. It was the work of a joint stock association, the shares being about twenty-five dollars each, and the cost of building and grounds was about two thousand dollars. The school was successful for a short time, but the stock having changed hands, litigation ensued for the control of the building, and the usefulness of the school was greatly impaired. After a few years, the building was rented to the district and used for public school."
"About 1851 [the year JAMES EDGAR MCNARY was born] a schoolhouse was built by private parties on the northwest corner of South and East Cross Streets. This, and the brick house mentioned, were the only schoolrooms in the town for several years. About 1858 a house was fitted up on the north side of North Street and a short distance east of West Cross Street, which was rented by the district until the fall of 1865…"
JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and his siblings were probably educated at one or more of these three schools [knowing that they could all read and write] until they moved to Versailles Township, prior to the 1860 census. There is the possibility though, that their mother, MARY CATHERINE SPRINKLE MCNARY taught them herself, for we know that her grandfather, HENRY SPRINKLE had been a schoolteacher for 21 years, but he was dead by the time his son DAVID SPRINKLE was aged eight. DAVID did read and write, however, having kept a ledger book, which was used by him for Baptist church records while he was a preacher and shoemaker. MARY CATHERINE may have learned her own skills from her father.
"EBENEZER's daughter, Maria Alice, married James Newton McDowell in Dec. 1870 in Lamar, Barton Co, MO, son of JOHN MCDOWELL and ELEANOR CLARK, and brother of JAMES EDGAR's wife, SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL [Earlier in the year 1870, in the same county, there was another notable marriage that took place…Virgil Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp, married Rozella Draggoo, and begs the question…in which town did the Earps live, and did the McDowells and McNarys know them?]
[From a website called "The Story of Wyatt Earp in Pella, Iowa," I found the following paragraph:
"In 1870, Wyatt worked his way to Lamar, MO, where he fell in love with and married, Urilla Sutherland. Wyatt Earp's father conducted the wedding ceremony, although Nicholas Earp was not a Justice of the Peace. Their time together as husband and wife was short. Tragedy struck Wyatt's life, his beloved bride died within the first year. Heartbroken and tired of waiting tables in his father-in-law's inn, and serving as constable of Lamar, Wyatt set out for the West. He did not remarry for nearly 40 years."]
From another website called, "History of Lamar & Barton County, Missouri" [www.bartoncounty.com/history.htm]
"The first constable of Lamar was Wyatt Earp between 1870-1871, when he was 22 years old. Wyatt married Urilla Sutherland on January 10, 1870. They were married by Wyatt's father, Nicholas Porter Earp, a Justice of the Peace. Urilla died within their first year of marriage and is buried at Howell Cemetery, 6 miles northeast of Lamar."
From a website called, "Wyatt Earp Ancestry," an article by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, certified genealogist, reprinted from "American Genealogy Magazine," Vol. 9:
"Nicholas Earp, Wyatt's father, went to California in the 1850's-not for gold but to find agricultural land with an ample water supply, and decided to settle in San Bernardino County. He returned to the Midwest to move the family to California, but his daughter, Martha, became ill and died. Then the Civil War started, delaying the move. In 1864-1865, according to family accounts, Wyatt drove one of the wagons when the family moved to the vicinity of Colton, San Bernardino County, California."
"However, somewhat later Nicholas Earp decided to go back and dispose of his land in the Midwest, (apparently the real estate market was depressed at the end of the Civil War.) and then to return to California to settle permanently. So, in 1868, they went back to the Midwest, this time to Lamar, MO. (Whether Nicholas Earp owned property in both Iowa and Missouri at this time has not yet been ascertained. In 1870, the Earp family was enumerated in Lamar Township of Barton County, MO with Nicholas listed as grocer. The then 22-year old Wyatt Earp is shown with his wife, 'Rilla,' whose real name was Urilla Sutherland. They were married 10 January, 1870 in Barton County, MO, according to marriage records there."
"Urilla died later that year in childbirth, along with the infant. Wyatt got into a serious quarrel with her brothers, left town and drifted into Kansas." In a footnote quoting from The Earp Brothers of Tombstone: The Story of Mrs. Virgil Earp, by Frank House, 1960, pg. 29; "Wyatt made his way back from California working as a section hand in various railroad gangs. When he arrived in Lamar, MO, he learned that his elder half-brother Newton had announced himself as a candidate for the post of town marshal in the 1870 elections. Wyatt, then 22 years old, ran against him, and was elected by a vote of 137 to Newton's 108. Newton pulled up stakes and went to Kansas, where he filed claim to a piece of barren prairie."
A slightly different account in the "Wyatt Earp Timeline, Childhood to Wichita," on www.gv.net/~syd/WyattSEarp/history.html:
"Sometime in 1869 Nicholas moved the family back to Lamar, Missouri. In 1869, on November 17, Nicholas Porter Earp resigned as Constable of Lamar Township and Wyatt was appointed Constable of Lamar Township and Barton County. N. P. Earp was appointed Justice of the Peace of Barton County and Lamar Township. On May 28, 1870, Wyatt Earp received favorable notice for his "lawing" in the local Lamar newspaper when he single-handedly (through some craft and guile) locked up some drunks."
With the brothers Xenophon and James McDowell living in Doylesport, it becomes quite clear how "SUE ELA" MCDOWELL became acquainted with her future husband, JAMES EDGAR MCNARY. The 1870 census shows the two families living near to each other, one family on page 3, the other on page 4 of the census.
SUE ELA MCDOWELL and JAMES EDGAR MCNARY were married in Lamar, Barton Co, MO on December 10, 1873. Since her father had died in 1870, it was probably her brother, Xenophon, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, who married them. He was also likely to have been the minister to the McNary family prior to the marriage. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY married SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL Dec. 10, 1873 in Moniteau Co, MO, and two weeks later, his brother George Leroy married on Dec. 25, 1873, in Illinois, to Maria Lusk.
From: "Descendants of James McNary," by Elizabeth Reed and Sally Emerson:
"JAMES EDGAR MCNARY married SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL on December 10, 1873, in Moniteau Co, MO. Their children were: Effa McNary, [Born Aug. 12, 1874 in Barton Co, MO] who died one day after she was born, Clyde, [Born-Sept. 23, 1875, Barton Co, MO] who died at the age of three [Oct. 26, 1878, Barton Co, MO], Mary Eleanor, or "Millie" [Born-Sept. 26, 1877 Barton Co, MO], who died at the age of 22 in 1899, Charlie, ADA MAE, Viola, Milton, Lorena, Flossie and Ray."
From: Newspaper unknown, Dec. 1923:
"Celebrates Golding Wedding. Mr. and Mrs. James E McNary, former residents of Barton Co, MO, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at their lovely home recently near Kingsburg, CA. The home had been decorated with greenery and gold stars. From the center of the living room was suspended a large bell. At noon, a 'wedding feast' was served on a long table, around which were seated along with the bride and groom, the children and grandchildren, with the exception of one son and his daughter, who were absent on account of illness. A large beautiful wedding cake trimmed in white and gold adorned the center of the table. At the proper time the bride cut the wedding cake and all were given a generous piece. The afternoon was spent in conversation and taking Kodak pictures of the bride and groom. During the day the bride and groom received a number of congratulations from relatives and friends who lived too far away to attend. Those present were the bride and groom, Frances Rufert and Mssrs and Mesdames ME McNary, Ray McNary, all of Kingsburg; H.E. Holt and children, Hugh Steele and son, C. Donaldson, all from Selma; AF Rufert and children of Fowler."
From: "Fresno Republican, Sat. July 12, 1924:
"Deaths. Near Kingsburg, July 10, 1924, James Edgar McNary, dearly beloved wife [should say husband] of Susannah E. McNary, beloved father of Charles McNary of Glendale, Mrs. Viola Rufert of Fowler, ME McNary of Kingsburg, Mrs. Lorena Holt and Mrs. Flossie Steele of Selma, and Ray McNary of Kingsburg; loving brothers William McNary of Sheldon, MO and George McNary of El Dorado, KS; Mrs. May Croy of Sedalia, MO; and Mrs. Alice Comer of Florida. A native of Illinois, age 72 years, 10 months, 24 days. Friends are invited to attend the funeral services, which will be held from the First Presbyterian Church in Selma this afternoon, commencing at three o'clock, Rev. John Steele officiating. Interment in the Fowler Cemetery. Clements and Riker funeral directors."
Note: "By 1843, EBENEZER had picked up the trade of tailor and had made his w
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