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Note: grew up to be 5'11" tall, light complection, had sandy colored hair and bright blue eyes. He was raised on a farm near Maryville, MO. His parents had a large apple orchard and several hives of bees. At the start of the Civil War, there were bushwhackers or Jayhawkers that made raids on the women, cildren and old men. They stole their cattle and meager supplies of food. They sometimes killed any young men in the family. These people killed a lot of people and burned their homes, and took their money if they could force them into telling where it was hid. When Theodore was about 16 or 17 years old, his father had loaded apples in wagons and was freighting them out of state to be sold. (he would be away from home several months at a time when he was delivering them to california) while he was gone, some bushwhackers came to their home. Theodore and his oldest brother (William Yates) were afraid for their lives. They climbed into a couple of apple trees and stayed there all night. The next morning both of them joined the Missouri militia. On the 22nd of Dec. 1863, Theodore joined the 12th Missouri Cavalry. (his brother William Yates also joined the 12th Missouri calvary - date unknown). After the war, Theodore fought indians. He was stationed at Fort Laramie. (Dakota Territory in Wyoming). On the 15th of Sept. 1865, he had his horse shot from under him and he landed on the pommel (OUCH!!!). He was discharded out of the service April 9, 1866 at Levenworth, Kansas. His pension records stated that he had a rupture, was blind in one eye and had "white swelling of the right leg". He wasn't completely blind in one eye. He was firing a canon and it exploded. He could see from one side when someone or something approached from the back. This information provided by Phoebie Jane Cox (who, by the way, not only has more info. but has put together all of the COX genealogy - Let's hear it for Aunt Janie! Hip hip Hooray!!!
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