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http://www.historiclonejack.org/

Lone Jack Historical Society, 301 S Bynum Road, Lone Jack, MO (2026)

08/29/2026

John M Atkison
John Atkison (also spelled Atkinson) was born on November 12, 1815 in Kanawha Co.,Virginia (now West Virginia). He was the son of Robert Atkinson and Catherine Koontz. Both his father and mother were from Virginia. John was the oldest of at least five children, with two sisters and two brothers known at this time. His father died in 1835 and his mother with the children moved to Ohio.
On June 18, 1840, John married Hannah Catterlin. Hannah was born in Ohio on November 3, 1821. She was the daughter of David Catterlin and Eleanor Knox. Sometime in 1841 their first child was born to them and it appears this child died before October 1850. On October 25, 1843, their second child, Mary Jane, entered their world. Both of these children were born in Ohio. While in Ohio, John was elected and served as a Justice of the Peace. 1844 was an eventful year for the Atkisons. They moved to Cooper County, Missouri in a two-horse wagon, settling near Otterville, and their third child, David M., was born. On July 23, 1847, Lucy Amanda was born, and on December 3, 1849, Robert Alexander was added to the family.
Although the county history, and a later census indicated that John and Hannah had a total of thirteen children, the records I was able to locate provided information on only three additional children, thus making a total of eight. Sarah Elizabeth was born on March 1, 1851, Emily Susan was born in 1856, and Dora was born in1859.
According to a Bates County history, John and his family moved into Bates County on March 28, 1860 and settled in the town of Pleasant Gap. The 1860 Census listed John as a farmer with a Real Estate Value of $1,500 and a Personal Estate Value of $1,000. Within the household were Hannah, six children ranging in age from sixteen to ten months, and they had a seventeen year old farmhand living with them. Although John had been born in Virginia and had lived for several years in Cooper County, since he came from Ohio, he was “regarded by the Pro-Slavery men of this section with suspicion”. One of the fellow residents of Pleasant Gap shot at John twice in an attempt to scare him out of Bates County. John went to Sedalia for help, and found Federal troops there. He then recruited thirty men and was elected the 1st Lieutenant. He joined Captain Slocum’s Co., Missouri State Militia which subsequently became Company H of the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry.
When he enlisted at Sedalia on February 3, 1862, John had dark eyes, gray hair, a dark complexion and was five feet nine inches tall. On August 16, 1862, only Company H of the 7th MSM was present at the Battle of Lone Jack. John was with his company in that fight. He managed to survive the battle although he was injured in a fall from his $110 horse. Both returned to Lexington, but by November, John’s health was such that he felt it necessary to resign. The resignation was accepted effective on November 18, 1862 and he went back to civilian life.
Shortly after being discharged, John was appointed captain of a company of Home Guards and served as a Judge of the County Court. For a time just after Order No. 11 was issued the Atkison family moved to Clinton, in Henry County, and according to the county history, “kept most of their clothing and all of their bedding hidden in a box under the floor” because of the raiding parties from both armies. In the Fall of 1864, he was elected Sheriff of Bates County while he was still living in Henry County. He was reelected in 1866 and served another term. For a couple of years after the war, John conducted the Ohio House.
According to the 1870 Census John, Hannah and five of their children were living in Butler and they had a Circuit Judge living with them. John was a farmer, his Real Estate Value was $30,000 and his Personal Estate Value was $3,000. On July 24, 1879, John filed for a Veteran’s Pension and was issued Certificate No. 237609. By the 1880 Census, John, Hannah and only two daughters remained in the home in Butler. John was a Grocer by trade.
On April 24, 1900 John died and was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Butler, Missouri. Hannah filed for a Widow’s Pension but she died on June 29, 1900 and was buried along side her husband of 60 years.

08/27/2026

JAMES ALLEN LONG
James Allen Long was born on March 11, 1845, in Clinton, Henry County, Missouri. He was the son of Allen Long and Katherine “Kitty” Armstrong. Allen was originally from Tennessee, while Katherine was born in Missouri. The couple married in Clinton, Missouri, in April 1838. At the time of James’s birth, Allen was 29 years old and Katherine was 24.

James was the fourth oldest of twelve children, with eight brothers and three sisters. By 1850, the Long family was living in District 13 of Miller County, Missouri. The household included Allen, Katherine, and five of their children. Also living with the family was 20-year-old Andrew Stewart, who was listed as a farmer. The two oldest Long children were attending school, while James was still too young.

According to the 1860 Census, Allen and Kitty were living in Deep Water Township with James and eight of his siblings. The family still had a farmhand living with them, although he was not the same person who had lived with them in 1850. James’s older brother Nicholas had married and started a family of his own and lived nearby. Nicholas died on December 17, 1860, from an unknown cause.

On February 3, 1862, James enlisted at Georgetown in Captain Slocum’s Company, Missouri State Militia. This organization later became Company H, 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. James was described as being five feet nine inches tall, with blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion. He listed his occupation as farmer and provided his own horse, valued at $50. On that same day, James’s father, Allen, also enlisted in the same unit. Allen was five feet six inches tall and had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and sandy hair.

James and his father soon found themselves caught up in the fighting of the Civil War. On August 16, 1862, both were involved in the Battle of Lone Jack, where they were wounded. James was sent to the hospital in Jefferson City on August 24. By the November–December muster roll, he had recovered sufficiently to return to duty and was listed as present.

Allen’s wounds, however, proved much more serious. After being sent to Jefferson City, he was furloughed and later entered the hospital in Sedalia. He died there on October 7, 1862, from the wounds he had received at Lone Jack.

James continued his military service and remained present for duty until the end of the war. He was mustered out on April 20, 1865, with the rank of corporal. At the time of his discharge, he owed the government 75 cents for a wrench and screwdriver that he had lost. James was not the only member of the family to serve. His younger brother, Robert, joined the 7th Missouri State Militia in August 1863 and remained in service until the end of the war.

Sometime in 1862, James married Melissa Howard Taylor in Clinton, Missouri. Melissa was born in Henry County, Missouri, in 1842, although the names of her parents are unknown. The couple’s first daughter, Frances S., was born in 1864. Two sons, William and Andrew, followed in 1866. It is unclear whether the boys were twins or whether one was born earlier in the year and the other later. Melissa apparently died in 1866, although the circumstances of her death are unknown, and it is not known whether her death was related to the birth of their children.

James experienced another loss in 1869 when his mother, Katherine “Kitty” Long, died in Clinton, Missouri, on July 6. By the time of the 1870 Census, James and his children were living in Bates County with his brother and his family. James reported a personal estate valued at $400.

On October 30, 1870, James married Nancy Ann Johnson. Nancy was born on December 25, 1839, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and was the daughter of Joseph Johnson and Lucinda Jones. She brought a daughter, Lucinda M., into the marriage from a previous relationship. Lucinda had been born in 1865, shortly after the death of her father.

James and Nancy went on to have three children of their own. Their son Charles S. was born on August 26, 1871, followed by another son, Edward, on August 25, 1873. Their daughter, Ida May, was born on May 2, 1875.

In 1876, the family moved from Missouri to Nebraska, where they lived in the Syracuse area for approximately six years. They then moved to a farm about three miles east of Douglas, Nebraska. The 1880 Census found James, Nancy, Frances, William, Lucinda, Charles, Edward, and Ida May living together in the Syracuse Precinct of Otoe County. James was working as a farmer, while Frances, William, and Lucinda were attending school. The younger children remained at home.

On August 8, 1890, James filed for a veteran’s pension and received Certificate No. 906064. Ten years later, the 1900 Census showed James, Nancy, and their son Edward living in South Branch Precinct in Otoe County. Also living with them was eleven-year-old Herbert Olsen, a farm laborer who was later adopted by the Long family. James owned the farm, although it was mortgaged, and Edward was paying rent. The members of the household were all able to read, write, and speak English.

In 1903, James and his family moved from the farm into the city of Douglas. On June 7, 1907, James refiled or renewed his veteran’s pension.

By 1910, James, Nancy, and Edward were living in a home in the Hendricks Precinct of Douglas, Nebraska. James owned the home free and clear. Two years later, on April 24, 1912, Nancy died and was buried in the family plot at Rosehill Cemetery.

James lived for a little more than three years after Nancy’s death. He died on November 17, 1915. His obituary remembered him as “one of Otoe County’s early settlers” and stated that he “held the high esteem and respect of everyone.” Funeral services were held at the Methodist Church, and James was laid to rest beside Nancy in Rosehill Cemetery.

James Allen Long’s life spanned a period of tremendous change. Born in Missouri in the years before the Civil War, he served alongside his father during one of the state’s most violent conflicts, survived his wounds at the Battle of Lone Jack, and continued his military service through the end of the war. He later became a farmer, husband, father, and early Nebraska settler, building a new life for his family before his death in 1915.

08/24/2026

Main Street Lone Jack looking north. The large white building on the top right was the Shawhan/Tate house and sat where the library is now. Taken in the 1930's.

08/23/2026

Edward B. DeLozier

Edward B. DeLozier was born in Osceola, St. Clair County, Missouri, on October 28, 1842. He was the third child of Edward Henry DeLozier and Catherine “Kitty” Carlton. By October 1838, the DeLozier family had moved to St. Clair County, where they established their home.

According to the 1850 census, Edward was living with his parents, two older brothers, and two younger sisters. By 1860, the family had grown considerably, and Edward was living in Polk Township, St. Clair County, with his father and nine brothers and sisters.

On December 12, 1861, Edward married Martha Jane Daniel. Only a few months later, the Civil War would take him away from his young wife. Edward mustered into service at Warsaw, Missouri, on April 1, 1862, joining Company F. At the time of his enlistment, he was 19 years old. He was described as having dark eyes, dark hair, a dark complexion, and standing 5 feet 6¼ inches tall. He listed his occupation as a farmer. His military service records are filed under the spelling Edward B. Delosier.

Edward enlisted in the 8th MSM Company F and took part in the Battle of Lone Jack on August 16, 1862, where he was severely wounded. Records indicate that he was shot in the face and neck and suffered a fracture of his right clavicle. His wounds were serious enough that he was left at Sedalia on September 2, 1862. His casualty sheet reported him as “Mortally wounded.” Despite the severity of his injuries, Edward survived. In January and February 1863, he was still listed as absent in Warsaw, Missouri, because of the wounds he had received at Lone Jack.

Edward continued his military service throughout 1863 and 1864, enduring the effects of his wounds while remaining with his unit. He ultimately completed his service and mustered out on March 31, 1865, at Springfield, Missouri, just as the Civil War was coming to an end.

After returning home, Edward resumed his life as a farmer and husband. The 1870 census shows him living in Henry County, Missouri, with his wife, Martha, and their child. Martha died on May 8, 1875. Later that same year, on September 30, Edward married Mary Catherine Chastain.

Edward and Mary established their home in Leesville Township, Henry County, Missouri. The 1880 census shows them living there with two daughters and two sons, with Edward continuing to work as a farmer. On June 3, 1878, he had filed for a military pension, presumably as a result of the injuries he had sustained during his Civil War service.

By 1900, Edward and Mary were still living in Leesville Township. Their household had grown considerably and included seven of their children and a daughter-in-law. Edward continued to farm and provide for his family. By 1910, Edward owned his own home and was living there with Mary, two daughters, and one son. In 1920, he and Mary remained in their home, along with a grandson.

Edward lived to be nearly 87 years old. He died on October 14, 1929, leaving behind a life that had spanned the hardships of the Civil War, the loss of his first wife, the raising of a large family, and more than six decades of life as a Missouri farmer. He was buried in Tebo Cemetery in Leesville, Missouri, where he rests today.

08/19/2026

Francis Marion Hunter

Francis Marion Hunter was born January 21, 1846, in Lone Jack, Jackson County, Missouri, to William John and Maria Spainhour Hunter. He was one of five children, with one sister, Clementina, and four brothers: Robert, born in 1843; Archibald, born in 1844; John, born in 1852; and Jacob, born in 1855. Three of his brothers also joined the Confederate Army.

Francis Marion and his brother Robert enlisted just two days before the Battle of Lone Jack. Both joined Hays’ Regiment and served under Colonel Upton Hays. Hays had previously served with Captain William Clarke Quantrill. When Hays was killed at Newtonia, Missouri, the regiment left Quantrill’s command and followed David Shanks and General Jo Shelby. Quantrill then left the army to pursue his own course.

Shelby was under the command of General Sterling “Pap” Price. The unit primarily fought in Arkansas and Missouri. In 1865, the 12th Missouri Cavalry, commanded by Captain R. H. Adams and operating under David Shanks, was in New Orleans, Louisiana, when Major General E. Kirby Smith, CSA, surrendered to Major General Edward R. S. Canby, USA, on May 26, 1865.

Private Hunter was taken prisoner and, on June 14, 1865, was paroled at Shreveport, Louisiana. Major General Jo Shelby refused to surrender and, with a number of his troops, headed for Mexico. Francis, however, was tired of the war and wanted to return home.

On November 7, 1872, Francis Hunter married Mary Evelinah Evans. He continued farming, and by 1880 he was living in Hayes, Reno County, Kansas. His neighbors included his brother Jacob and a man named William A. Hunter. There is some uncertainty about William A. Hunter’s identity. Archibald is listed as Hill R. Hunter, raising the possibility that William A. Hunter may have been another name for Archibald.

Francis and Mary had at least two children during this period. Their daughter Hattie was born in Kansas, while their son Hill R. Lee was born in Nevada. The family later moved from Nevada to Colorado and then to Los Angeles, California. While in California, Francis started a tamale cart vending business. From California, the family moved to Portland, Oregon, where Francis was listed in the Portland Directory from 1892 to 1897. In 1898, he was listed as a resident of Mosier, Oregon.

Mary eventually died at the home of her daughter, Hattie Carroll. Francis continued to live in Waldport, Oregon, with his son. He died there on November 16, 1945, at the remarkable age of 99 years, 9 months, and 25 days. He was buried beside his wife, Mary, and was survived by one son, Price, along with 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Francis Marion Hunter lived through one of the most turbulent periods in American history. From his youth in Lone Jack and his service during the Civil War to his later years as a farmer and businessman in the West, his life spanned nearly a century and carried him across much of the country.

08/17/2026

Macy Underwood Chafen

Macy Underwood Chafen was born in Indiana on November 15, 1841. His early childhood was marked by hardship. His parents died when he was quite young, before June 1850. In later years, Macy recalled that he had only one brother, John L. Chafen, and one sister, Jane Chafen, but he did not know what became of them.

When Macy was about ten years old, he was bound out to Oliver Garrison, with whom he lived for the remainder of his childhood. Garrison lived on a farm in Madison County, Indiana, about three miles from Anderson. Around 1854, Garrison moved to DeKalb County, Missouri, bringing Macy with him. By 1860, they were living on a farm approximately three miles from Maysville. Macy would spend most of the remainder of his life in northwest Missouri, with the exception of approximately eleven years he spent in Clinton County, Missouri.

In 1862, Macy enlisted in Company A of the 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. During his military service, he experienced several health problems and injuries. In an affidavit made in 1893 in support of his application for an increased pension, Macy stated that he developed severe soreness of the eyes while stationed at Cameron, Missouri, in April or May of 1862. He believed the condition had been caused by exposure to the cold while in his quarters and reported the problem to the regimental surgeon.

Macy also carried the scars of combat. In his 1893 pension statement, he reported receiving a gunshot wound between the shoulders at the Battle of Lone Jack. He stated that the wound was received in battle and that he was never treated in a military hospital for either the wound or his other ailments. He also recalled developing rheumatism and a severe cough during the spring of 1864. Despite these hardships, Macy served approximately four years during the Civil War.

After the war, Macy began a family of his own. He married his first wife, Julia Taylor, Dekalb County, Missouri on July 12, 1866. According to Macy's pension records, Julia died on March 18, 1870. They had one son, Joseph W. Chafen, who was born January 27, 1867. Left a young widower with an infant son, Macy later married again.

His second wife was Eliza, whose maiden name Macy gave as Walker in his 1898 pension records. The couple were married in Daviess County, Missouri, by Squire Dilley. Macy gave the date as September 18, 1870. The marriage record was reportedly kept at Gallatin, the county seat of Daviess County.

Macy and Eliza had several children. His 1898 pension statement named Joseph W. Chafen, Nora Chafen, Julius Chafen, and Hattie Chafen. The obituary states that Macy and Eliza had five children, three sons and two daughters, and that the three sons had died before their father. His surviving daughters were Nora, who later became Mrs. W. J. West, and Hattie, who became Mrs. Joe Bradford. Hattie would care for her father during the final years of his life.

Macy remained active in his community and was a man of strong religious faith. He professed his belief in Christ and became a member of the Christian Church at Christian Chapel, where he continued his membership for many years. The obituary records his membership beginning in the late 1870s. He was also a member of Star of Hope Lodge No. 62 in Cameron, Missouri, and belonged to the Cameron Encampment. Until declining health prevented him from attending, he regularly participated in lodge activities.

During his later years, Macy lived primarily in DeKalb County, although he spent approximately eleven years in Clinton County. In his final years, he made his home with his daughter Hattie Bradford, who lived about three miles south of Weatherby. By then, age and declining health had limited his ability to participate in church and lodge activities, but those who knew him remembered him as a kind and loving father, a helpful neighbor, a sympathetic friend, and an upright and respected citizen.

Macy Underwood Chafen died in April 18, 1924 at the home of his daughter, Hattie Bradford. He left behind his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his brother in California, and many friends and neighbors who mourned his passing.

His life spanned a remarkable period of American history. From an uncertain childhood in Indiana, through his years as a bound-out boy, his move to Missouri, his service in the Civil War and his wounding at Lone Jack, to his later years as a husband, father, church member, and respected member of his community, Macy Underwood Chafen's story reflects the experiences of many Missourians whose lives were profoundly shaped by the Civil War and the years that followed.

08/15/2026

We had a nice turnout for today's Memorial Service!! The day wasn't too hot yet so that was a very good thing!

Thank you to everyone who attended! It was nice to see so many new faces!

We want to say a special Thank you to Historical Society member, Jeff Vinke for giving the Memorial speech, to Elliott's Scouts who have supported us for many, many years, to Scout Troop 33 for always being willing to pitch in with raising the flags and placing the wreaths, and to the Croaker Mess who came out to lend their support and help make this a very special day!

08/14/2026

Written for and read at the twenty-ninth anniversary of the Battle of Lone Jack (1891)

Bivouac of the Dead
By Martin Rice

No muffled drum proclaims to-day
The gallant soldiers’ fall,
But on this anniversary
We should their deeds recall.
Go to yon elevated ground,
Brave men are sleeping there,
As brave as ever have been crowned
With laurels bright and fair.

There sleeping in their lowly bed,
They heed not war’s alarms;
No midnight dream or fearful dread
Of call to clashing arms,
No threat of an advancing foe,
No rumor of defeat,
No storms that come, no winds that blow,
Can haste or stay their feet.

Long was the struggle, fierce the strife,
Courageous men on either side.
How great the sacrifice of life!
How many brave men died!
No fiercer conflict in the strife
That then convulsed the land
Than that in which they laid down life
At duty’s stern command.

Fierce was the battle-storm that swept
Across the prairie swell,
And long the struggling ranks were kept
Exposed to shot and shell;
And as the roaring of the storm
Was borne upon the wind,
As often as the ranks would form,
As often were they thinned.

And when the storm had spent its rage,
Its fury passed away,
There mixed together, youth and age
In Death’s own image lay;
While others, wounded unto death,
Lay waiting for the hour
When they should yield their latest breath
To war’s destroying power.

The father and the husband, who
Left wife and child behind
To watch and wait and hope as few
Can do and live resigned,
Sleep there beside the stripling youth,
Some mother’s darling boy,
Her pride, her stay, her all, forsooth,
The widow’s hope and joy.

Long have they lain upon that field,
The mourner’s sobs are hushed,
And passing time has partly healed
The hearts that then were crushed.
The pitying rain, like woman’s tears,
Has fallen on their graves,
And oft the passing breeze appears
To sigh o’er fallen braves.

There sleeping in their lowly bed,
They heed not war’s alarms;
No midnight dream, no fearful dread
Of call to clashing arms,
The thunder of the cannonade,
The musket’s awful roar,
Will not disturb them where they’re laid,
They’ll hear them never more.

The stains of blood upon the brow
Have all been wiped away;
They feel no pain nor anguish now,
Nor memory of the fray;
No longer on life’s march will they
Be hurried to and fro-
They watch by night, their march by day
Have ended long ago.

And on their last camping-ground
They’ve pitched their sleeping-tents,
And roll of drum nor bugle sound
Will ever call them hence.
Upon that gory battle-field,
By patriotism led,
They’ve laid them down as on their shield-
A bivouac of the dead.

And fame and honor guard the spot
On which those worthies rest;
And never shall Detraction’s foot
Or impious hand mo**st.
The rusty sword and bayonet,
The murdering lance and gun,
They’ll need no more until shall set
The world’s last setting sun.

Together now those warriors sleep
Who fought each other then;
Their enmity all buried deep,
To rise no more again.
And whether clad in blue or gray,
Or whether right or wrong,
Respect and honor we will pay,
For these to them belong.

Sons of Columbia, brother all,
Ye sleep in the same clay;
There rest ‘till the same bugle-call
Together you obey.
No sounds shall e’er disturb again
Your silent bivouac,
While sleeping ‘neath the sun and rain,
Where grew the tree Lone Jack.

There martial glory guards the spot,
And marble stone will tell
How stubbornly that day you fought,
How gloriously you fell.
Let truth your eulogy proclaim
And spread it far abroad,
And history, with pen aflame,
Your heroic deeds applaud.

08/13/2026

William Spainhour

William Spainhour was a resident of Lone Jack, Missouri, and answered the Confederate call to arms during the Civil War by serving in Company K under Colonel Upton Hays. He fought at the Battle of Lone Jack on August 16, 1862, one of the fiercest engagements fought in western Missouri. Later, he joined General Joseph O. Shelby's command and was wounded in the heel during the Battle of Newtonia.

Although William survived the wound, the injury became badly infected after he returned home. With few medical options available, his family resorted to the only treatment that might save his life. Given whiskey as an anesthetic, William was laid across the kitchen table while his leg was amputated just below the knee with a meat saw. The crude operation, though agonizing, was successful, and he recovered to live for many years despite the loss of his leg.

Before the war, William married Elizabeth "Betsy" Perry in 1860. Together they built a family in the Lone Jack community and raised six children: Matilda S. (1862–1951), Francis L. "Bud" (1863–1940), James Henry (1868–1944), Joseph Shelby (1870–1942), Wilson Oscar (1872–1948), and John T. (1875–1959). Their son Joseph was likely named in honor of Confederate General Joseph O. Shelby, under whom William later served.

William lived to the age of 82, a remarkable lifespan for a Civil War veteran who had endured such a devastating wound. Betsy passed away on March 26, 1918. William followed her in death just over two weeks later, bringing to a close nearly six decades of marriage and shared life. Today, William and Betsy rest side by side in the Lone Jack Cemetery, where their graves serve as a lasting reminder of a family whose story was shaped by both the hardships of the Civil War and the resilience that followed.

08/12/2026

Garrett Lipps Could you send me a DM with your contact number? Sam Stanton wanted to talk to you about the Memorial Service on Saturday. Thanks, Alinda

Lone Jack Historical Society

08/29/2026

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