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Note: cky as a child or young man where he married Mary Myers in 1827 in Barren Co., KY. They removed to Missouri by 1833, settling in what would become Mt. Pleasant, Scotland Co., in early 1835. He was noted as "of Lewis County" in an 1843 land patent in Scotland County.
He was widowed in 1875, but apparently married a second time, a woman named Annie who was some 24 years his junior (according to the 1880 census). Madeline Troyer shares name(s) of another spouse as "Annie, Margaret Haines Cope."
G.W. Forrester died in 1896, aged 93 years.
The Forrester family, as were the Meyers and Maggards, were "hard-boiled" Baptists.
***
We have three slightly different lists of children for George and Mary:
Aunt Effie (Forrester) Mayfield wrote this in a letter to her niece, Eva (McCrimmon) Steinhoff in the 1940s when Effie was in her 80s:
"Our grandparents the 'Forresters' lived in Missouri. Great-grandmother's maiden name was 'Myers'. She lived to be quite old -was found dead in her bed. Grandfather lived a few years longer. The town in MO that our family was born in was Greensburg, Knox Co., MO." Effie lists children of George and Mary as:
*John Forrester who married Martha Elizabeth Maggard (Effie's parents)
*Uncle "Wash" Forrester (He is the one who moved to Shasta Co., CA; George "Wash"ington, Jr.)
*Uncle "Axel" Forrester (He is likely Achillis)
*Amanda Forrester who married Stewart Musgrave
*Lucy Forrester who married Abe Musgrave (This is not correct; Lucy married William Thompson and it was Sarah Forrester --whom Effie does not list-- who married Abner Musgrave. Effie names three children: Frank, Hilda and Lucy --actually children of Sarah and Abe-- and wrote that "Frank Musgrave was the father of Elinor and Sadie". Benjamin Franklin Musgrave at least moved to CA.)
Information from George Allison of Dixon, CA (who is related through the Myers and Maggard lines), lists these children of G.W. and Mary (Myers) Forrester:
*Amanda Forrester, born Abt. 1833 in MO.
*John Forrester, born Abt. 1834 in MO; died 1895 in Oakville, CA. He married Martha Elizabeth Maggard 1 March 1860 in Scotland Co., MO.
*Sarah Forrester, born Abt. 1836 in MO She married Abner Musgrave December 22, 1853 in Scotland Co., MO.
*Nelson N. Forrester, born Abt. 1839 in MO. He married Ellen C. Dalton April 11, 1861 in Scotland Co., MO.
*Martha Forrester, born Abt. 1842 in MO.
*Lucy A. Forrester, born Abt. 1846 in MO. She married William Thompson June 3, 1864 in Knox Co., MO.
*Mary E. Forrester, born Abt. 1847 in MO.
*Eliza E. Forrester, born Abt. 1852 in MO.
To corroborate and add some very interesting details, the information immediately below is from Madeline Troyer of Sugar Creek, Ohio, who has been very kind to research and share information on the Forrester family, being distantly related by marriage. [She obtained information from Ethel (Case) Tweedie (age 91 in 2002), the daughter in-law of Minnie (Schafer) Tweedie, who was the daughter of Arminta (Forrester) Schafer, who was the daughter of Nelson Forrester, son of Geo. W. Forrester, Sr.] This was written on very old yellow paper:
"Geo Washington Forrester, Aug 9, 1803 died March 17, 1896
Mary Jane - wife born Dec 28, 1806, died 21 1876
(note slightly different dates --NMS)
Children:
*George Washington
*Archillas
*Amanda
*John
*Sarah
*Nelson
*Martha
*Lucy
*Mary
*Eliza"
(So it seems "Archillas" was likely the Uncle Axel!, but note that no Zachariah is listed!)
On the other side of the sheet is a note by Arminta (Forrester) Shafer to her daughter Minnie (Schafer) Tweedie]:
"Your Great Grandfather George Washington Forrester was Scotch Irish. Came to Mo. From Kentucky in the early days. Settled in Edina, Scotland Co.
"In 1849, he (George Washington Forrester) with a party of several men, traveled by wagon with oxen teams across the country to Calif. During the gold rush days. It took them one year to make the trip there. They spent one year there in Calif. Gold mining. All returned safely bringing back quite a sum of gold. Some was used in purchasing land and in later years quite a lot buried in cans in the garden and other spots was dug up around spots on the farm. Some may still be there as they didn't remember the locations where buried."
***
Land records for patents issued by the General Land office (extracted by Nick Sheedy) show that George Forrester purchased four parcels from the public domain between 1843 and 1857:
George Forrester "of Lewis County" patented land in Scotland Co. at Palmyra, MO in 1843: Certificate No. 21,750. Dated 10 March 1843. Signed John Tyler, proxy by R. Tyler, Sec'y. Situated: W 1/2 of SW 1/4 of Section 24, and E 12/ of SE 1/4 of Section 23, Twp. 64, Range 12 W, in the district of lands subject for sale at Palmyra, MO. Containing 160 acres.
George Forrester "of Scotland Co." patented land in Scotland Co. at Palmyra, MO in 1856: Certificate No. 29,424. Dated 10 March 1856. Signed Franklin Pierce, proxy by H.E. Baldwin, Ass't Sec'y. Situated: N 1/2 of SE 1/4 of Section 35, Twp. 64, Range 12 W, in the district of lands subject for sale at Palmyra, MO. Containing 80 acres.
George Forrester "of Scotland Co." patented land in Scotland Co. at Palmyra, MO in 1856: (128) Certificate No. 30,509. Dated 10 March 1856. Signed Franklin Pierce, proxy by H.E. Baldwin, Ass't Sec'y. Situated: SE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 9, Twp. 64, Range 12 W, in the district of lands subject for sale at Palmyra, MO. Containing 40 acres.
George Forrester "of Scotland Co." patented land in Scotland and Knox co.s, at Palmyra, MO in 1857: (152) Certificate No. 30,507. Dated 30 October 1857. Signed James Buchanan, proxy by Wm. Flinn, Ass't Sec'y. Situated: SW 1/4 of Section 36, Twp. 64, and the lot no. 2 of NW 1/4 of Section 1, Twp. 63, Range 12 W, in the district of lands subject for sale at Palmyra, MO. Containing 240 acres and 97/100ths of an acre.
The only other Forrester to receive land in this area about this time was an Isaac Forrester on the same date in 1857 (no.31905) for land about two miles from the other parcels taken up by George Forrester. We don't know who this Isaac might have been.
***
The US Federal Census lists:
1850
House/Family #516:
George 46, Farmer, RE Value $3,000, VA
Mary 45, SC (sic)
Amanda 17, MO
Sarah 14, MO
John 16, Farmer, MO
Nelson 10, MO
Martha 8, MO
Lucy 6, MO
Mary 3, MO
1860 lists:
#876-859
George Forester, 57, M, Farmer, VA
Mary Forester, 53, F, Domestic, NC
Nelson N. Forester, 21, M, Farm, Laborer, MO
Lucy A. Forester, 16, F, Domestic, MO
Mary E. Forester, 13, F, MO
Eliza E. Forester, 8, F, MO
Mary C. Forester, 14, F, MO
Zachariah Forester, 11 (sic), M, MO
<Mary C. and Zachariah were wards of Geo. W. Forrester, Sr.--children of his late brother, Zachariah.>
1870 census lists:
Dwelling #154
FORRESTER, Geo., 66, M, Farmer, RE Value $2,500, PP $1,400, VA
FORRESTER, Mary, 63, F, Keeping House, NC
FORRESTER, Ea. A, 17, F, MO
<"Ea A." could be Eliza E.?>
1880
George Forrester age 76 born in VA, father VA, Mother VA
Annie Forrester, wife, 52, born in KY, father VA, mother VA
***
From the 1860 census records and Probate papers found in the Scotland County Court house at Memphis, Mo., p. 17:
In 1857, George Forrester became the guardian for three minor children whose father, Zachariah Forrester of Kentucky deceased. They were Sarah Elizabeth Forrester, Zachariah Forrester, and Mary C. Forrester. Sarah married before the estate was settled in 1859 and her last name was Umphrey [perhaps a corruption of Humphrey]. She seems to have stayed in Kentucky.
In the 1860 census Mary C. and Zachariah are enumerated as a part of George’s household. They both continued to live and marry and raise children in Scotland Co. with close ties to George W. Forrester.
***
From the Bicentennial writings of Eva Mallet, page 36b:
"Judge John C. Collins was believed to be the first teacher to have taught in the County [Scotland Co., Missouri] which was 1838 at Ft. Donaldson, located in Mt. Pleasant Township. His pupils were, Washington, Amanda and Sally Forrester, Robert Donaldson, Andrew Myers, Mary Jane and Francis Donaldson, the George Humes children and others, numbering sixteen.
"The school was built of logs, with slab seats and slabs supported on wooden pins against the walls for writing desks. Mr. Collins taught three months, receiving two dollars per pupil."
***
The following was taken from the book, History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland Counties, Missouri; Saint Louis: The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1887, pp. 413-414:
"In February, 1835, George Forrester came from Randolph County, Missouri, and settled on the farm where he now lives, which is in Sand Hill Township, and about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Pleasant Retreat. An Indian trail then entered what is now Scotland County, and passed northwardly by the residence of Forrester, and thence in the same direction until it entered the Territory of Iowa. It passed about a mile and a half west of the site of Memphis. Another Indian trail entered the Territory of the county east of the residence of Willis Hicks, and continued northward to the Iowa Territory. Forrester says that he assisted many of the early settlers in selecting their locations. They would come from the south on the Indian trail, and stay overnight at his cabin, and the next day he would go with and assist them in selecting a location adjacent to water and timber. Returning to his house, they would again stay overnight, and then return to their old homes to get their families. In this way, Mr. Forrester rendered valuable assistance in settling up the country, and for his services and hospitality in this respect he never charged or accepted any compensation. He, however, was not alone in performing these kind offices for the incoming settlers.
"Soon after Forrester settled, a party of Indians brought a large number of packages to a place near his residence, and hung them to the limbs of the trees, out of reach of the wild animals, and then returned to their hunting grounds, about Edina, to get the balance of the game they had captured. While they were gone, Forrester discovered the packages hung in the trees. He did not disturb them, but marked them so the Indians would know that someone had discovered their game. On returning, the Indians looked around to find the white man who had marked their packages and had not disturbed them. Upon finding his cabin, they approached, exclaiming: "Ne-she-shin-a-mucky-man!", which meant "a good white man". By this act, he gained their confidence, and they were always very kind to him. They frequently encamped on his land at the place where they had hung their parcels of game, and he sometimes went hunting with them. Uncle George claims to have been a "crack shot" with his rifle, with which he procured many a wild turkey. He relates that on one morning, he and a small party of Indians went out to get some turkeys, but notwithstanding his skill as a marksman, he failed to get a turkey while his wild associates got nine. They were liberal, and made him take two out of the nine. On one occasion, soon after this, while the Indians were encamped on Forrester's place, one of their horses was stolen by an early settler whose name was Sexton. They notified Forrester, and he went with them in search of the stolen animal, which they tracked to Sexton's house, and from thence to a hiding place in the forest where they found it. Having secured the animal, the Indians moved on without looking after Sexton. The latter soon returned to Boone county, whence he came, and finally found a home in the penitentiary, as a result of his subsequent horse stealing. This man was an exception to the good character of the first settlers, but fortunately for them, he did not remain long. He was guilty of the first horse stealing in the county."
From the same book, page 416:
"The first election ever held in the territory now embraced in Scotland County was at Sand Hill in August, 1835, for the purpose of electing two representatives to Congress, a clerk of the circuit and county court of Lewis County, of which the territory then formed a part, a surveyor and assessor for said county, and justices of the peace for Benton Township." The article goes on to list the persons voting at this election, as shown by the poll books on file at Monticello, Missouri. George Forrester's name is on the list.
***
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From the Memphis Reveille, November 19, 1896:
DIED
"George Forrester died of a complication of diseases resulting from old age at his home south of this city Tuesday
evening, November 17, 1896, aged 93 years.
"Funeral services were held yesterday after which the body was taken to the private burying ground on his old homestead, near Greensburg, for interment. Deceased was probably the oldest man in the county, one of its pioneers, an honest and highly esteemed citizen, and will be missed and mourned by a large circle of friends."
The following was copied by Robert and Bernice Forrester of Tucson, AZ (late of Memphis, MO) at the Genealogy Library in Memphis, Scotland County, Missouri:
"November 19, 1896 "George Forrester died of a complication of diseases resulting from old age at his home south of this city Tuesday evening, November 17, 1896, aged 93 years.
"Funeral services were held yesterday after which the body was taken to the private burying ground on his old homestead, near Greensburg, for interment. Deceased was probably the oldest man in the county, one of its pioneers, an honest and highly esteemed citizen, and will be missed and mourned by a large circle of friends."
***
The estate of George W. Forrester was an interesting matter.
George W. Forrester left a will when he died, but it has been removed by someone from the estate file in the Probate Court at the Scotland County Courthouse in Memphis. However, numerous other papers remain which show that there was considerable "fuss" in settling the estate. For some reason, no provision was made in the will for Nelson Forrester, who filed a suit to have the will overturned. The heirs agreed together that he should have $400 at settlement.
George C. Forrester (grandson of the deceased) was the executor and his brother-in-law, John M. Jayne, was attorney for the estate. John M. Jayne had considerable stature in the county, and was no doubt a diligent attorney. He arranged a compromise with Nelson who agreed to withdraw his suit and be paid $250. plus his out of pocket expenses in filing the suit. He received his money before settlement. Achilles Forrester also settled for a lump sum of $275. rather than wait for the estate to be settled. And Alvin A. Frogge, one of three descendants of Mary Forrester Frogge (deceased) settled ahead of time for $90. His sister, Minnie C. (nee Frogge) Mallory waited for settlement and received $168.39.
Leroy and Martha (Forrester) Thompson put a claim against the estate for $1,250.50 for boarding and lodging George Forrester from May 23, 1891 up to and including November 18, 1896 at the sum of three dollars and fifty cents per week, making 283 weeks for a total of $990.50. They charged interest on this amount at a rate of 6 per cent in the amount of $110. They added a charge of $250. "To special care and attention in waiting on deceased, helping him in and out of bed and leading him about and for dressing him and undressing him and washing his face, feet and neck and carrying and emptying chambers for him for 5 years ending November 17, 1896 at $50. per year." The total amount due them was $1,350.50. However, over that time they had received $100. from George, so the outstanding balance was $1,250.50. Again, Attorney Janye worked out a compromise and they received $900.
Judson Thompson, son of Leroy and Martha also entered a claim against the estate in the sum of $42.90 for "shaving deceased for 5 years and six months once a week making 286 weeks at 15 cents per week and for cutting hair and washing and dressing deceased and for all attention. He received the full amount from the estate.
George C. Forrester entered a claim against the estate in the amount of $321.70 the following:
"Renting his farms, collecting the rent on same, to looking after his farms, paying taxes on his farms, to selling his crop raised on farms, to loaning his money, collecting interest on money loaned, paying taxes on his money and personal property, to paying out money for him, depositing his money in Bank, to collecting interest on money in Bank for him, to paying out money to his children for him, to selling his farms and collecting the money for the sale of his farms, to looking after his real taxes, attending law suit for him and looking after the same and in fact attending to all his business and consulting with him about the same from Nov 1st 1886 to Nov. 18th, 1896, ten years at twenty five dollars per year, $25. To interest on same at 6 per cent per annum (less credits) $50.00. To atty. fee paid J. M. Jayne, March 20th 1893 in case of said deceased vs. B.W.. Weaver, et al, before Justice of the peace $5.00. To money paid out for deceased for recording Power of Attorney from said deceased to Geo. C. Forrester $0.60. To money over paid deceased on collections from G. L. Frazee June 10, 1896 $1.90. To money paid Joseph Hawks for parts and work for graveyard Sept. 7, 1896 $2.85. To money paid out for lumber for gates at McGuire's ad wire at F. M. Harris hardware and work Sept 7, 1896 for graveyard. $11.25. While the total claim of George C. Forrester was $321.70, he actually received $201.70.
Incidentally, on March 2, 1897 Lewis Myers was paid $10 under the following circumstances: March 2, 1897 Received of Geo. C. Forrester, executor of the estate of Geo Forrester, deceased, ten dollars in full amount appropriated by Probate Court March 2, 1897 for acting as Administrator ad Litem of Estate pending investigation and allowances of claim of Executor against estate."
Nothing in the settling of this estate came easily. Another receipt reads: "Received of George C. Forrester, Executor of George Forrester, Sr. deceased, five dollars for trip to country in taking proof of James Collins as witness to will (he being sick) and in the night time and hire of team, notary fees, certificate and extra copy. Signed: Lewis Myers, Notary Public"
Lest you think that John M. Jayne became rich through the settlement of this estate, his accounting follows: "To probating will of deceased $10.00, to defending and settling claim of Martha Thompson filed against said estate for $1,250.50 and compromising same $20. To making up inventory and making 1st annual settlement and counsel $10.00. Total $40.00; received payment the 8th day of Dec. 1897, J. M. Jayne
Note: George W. Forrester was born in in 1803 in Virginia. He moved to Kentu
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