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The Beard Brothers
Little known members of Quantrill's Guerrillas
Cass and Johnson Counties, Missouri
 
This information is from various sources.
Some information is documented and some is not.
As with any information on line, you should verify it yourself before accepting it as fact.     
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    The Beard brothers left Sumner County, Tennessee in 1859 and went to Cass County, Missouri. Samuel married Martha Emmerson and in 1860, Frank was living with them.
    They already had relatives in the area. One cousin was a schoolteacher who had the Younger brothers in his class. With the Kansas Jayhawkers raiding Cass and Johnson Counties almost daily, it wasn't long before the Beards were involved. Then the Civil War begain and, as Tennesseans, they supported the Southern cause. At least two of the brothers, and possibly four, joined Quantrill's Guerrillas.
    On 10 April, 1862, John Smith Beard was murdered by Jayhawkers in Cass County. He was the first brother to die for the South.
    On 6 September, 1863, Frank and Samuel Beard, Noah Webster, John Webster, William and Perry Hays, and Henry McAninch, were surrounded by eighty Federals and Jayhawkers in a house near Howard's Mill in Kingsville Township, Johnson County. It appeared a hopeless situation, but these desperate Guerrillas resolved to cut through it or die. 
   A pistol in each hand, and firing as they ran, they dashed out of the house at the nearest Federals, shoulder to shoulder.    
    At the first volley, both of the Beard boys fell dead. Then Perry Hays was shot through the heart. McAninch, bored through one arm and one leg, killed a Federal and climbed on his horse with the utmost difficulty.
    John Webster, as he fled, was literally run over by a Federal Lieutenant and crushed to the earth.  He lay on his back under the belly of the horse, it's rider above him reaching down and shooting at him as he was stretched out prostrate, and bruised and bleeding from the iron feet of the stallion, as seemingly ferocious as it's master. Webster rallied, however, almost instantly, and killed the Lieutenant as he sat above him on his horse.  His brother, Noah, seeing the desperate extremity he was in, came back to help him and was shot twice but not crippled in the effort. John Webster had now to go to Noah's assistance, which he did speedily on the Lieutenant's own horse, taking up his brother behind him and escaping without difficulty from all pursuit.
    In this savage combat, five Federals were killed, and three Guerrillas, the wounded Federals numbered eight and the wounded Guerrillas two.  Will Hays was not hurt, and as he and McAninch came out from the desperate press together, they ran upon two militiamen hurrying in the direction of the fight. Hays halted them, shot them, and took from the body of the youngest a list of the names of certain citizens whose houses were to be burnt the next day.
    Samuel and Frank Beard were buried side by side in Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Samuel's wife, Martha, was buried beside them when she died in 1884.

 

Notes:
    John N. Edwards mistakenly lists Samuel Beard as William. Brother William was also in Cass, but went on to Abingdon, Illinois in 1863. He died there in 1906.
    Howard's Mill was located in Kingsville Township. It was a horse mill built by Joe Howard in 1860, for whom it was named. It no longer exists.
    

 

     

 The Family

 

Generation No. 1

 

1.  DAVID1 BEARD was born July 21, 1774 in Virginia.  He married LUCINDA WALLACE.  She was born November 05, 1780.

     

Child of DAVID BEARD and LUCINDA WALLACE is:

2.           i.     JOSEPH WALLACE2 BEARD, b. November 16, 1802, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. September 05, 1865, Sumner County, Tennessee.

 

 

Generation No. 2

 

2.  JOSEPH WALLACE2 BEARD (DAVID1) was born November 16, 1802 in Sumner County, Tennessee, and died September 05, 1865 in Sumner County, Tennessee.  He married (1) LAURANNA (JENNY) NEEL November 17, 1825 in Sumner County, Tennessee, daughter of THOMAS NEEL and JANE NEEL.  She was born July 14, 1804 in Desha's Creek, Sumner Co, Tennessee, and died October 02, 1838 in Sumner County, Tennessee.  He married (2) HANNAH M. SLOAN February 23, 1842 in Sumner County, Tennessee.  She was born November 14, 1806 in Sumner County, Tennessee.

     

Children of JOSEPH BEARD and LAURANNA NEEL are:

 

              i.     WILLIAM THOMAS3 BEARD, b. September 18, 1826, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. October 12, 1906, Abingdon, Illinois; m. ISABEL CAROLINE DOBBINS, September 16, 1848, Sumner County, Tennessee; b. March 07, 1830, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. January 31, 1906, Abingdon, Illinois.

 

Notes for WILLIAM THOMAS BEARD:

Moved to Knox County, Illinois, in 1852.

Moved to Cass County, Missouri, in 1859.

Moved back to Illinois about 1863, finally settling in Abingdon.

 

 

             ii.     DAVID PORTER BEARD, b. August 09, 1828, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. October 04, 1838, Sumner County, Tennessee.

 

            iii.     JAMES WALLACE BEARD, b. October 04, 1830, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. March 20, 1916, Burlington, Iowa; m. LOUISA CATHERINE ROACH, February 27, 1854, McDonough County, Illinois.

 

            iv.     SAMUEL HENRY BEARD, b. October 20, 1832, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. September 06, 1863, Howard's Mill, Johnson County, Missouri; m. MARTHA D. EMMERSON, January 05, 1858, Cass County, Missouri; b. January 03, 1831, Kentucky; d. 1884, Cass County, Missouri.

 

Notes for SAMUEL HENRY BEARD:

Went to Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri. Joined Quantrill's Guerrillas.

Killed 6 Sep. 1863 near Howard's Mill, Johnson Co., Mo. along with Frank.

 

Notes for MARTHA D. EMMERSON:

Martha never remarried.

In 1880, she lived with her brother, Zach Emmerson, Sheriff of Johnson County, and his family.

 

             v.     SARAH ANN BEARD, b. June 17, 1834, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. March 17, 1909, Oak Grove, Abingdon, Knox Co., Ilinois; m. JAMES SMITH LATIMER, November 27, 1854, McDonough County, Illinois; b. November 27, 1836, Knox County, Illinois.

 

            vi.     JOHN SMITH BEARD, b. February 26, 1836, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. April 10, 1862, Cass County, Missouri.

 

Notes for JOHN SMITH BEARD:

Went to Cass County, Missouri, in 1859. Murdered by Kansas Jayhawkers.

Never married.

 

           vii.     FRANCIS (FRANK) JOHNSON BEARD, b. May 09, 1838, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. September 06, 1863, Howard's Mill, Johnson County, Missouri.

 

Notes for FRANCIS (FRANK) JOHNSON BEARD:

Went to Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri. Joined Quantrill's Guerrillas.

In 1860, he was living with Samuel and Martha.

Killed 6 Sep. 1863 near Howard's Mill, Johnson Co., Mo. along with Samuel.

 

     

Children of JOSEPH BEARD and HANNAH SLOAN are:

          viii.     NANCY LURENA3 BEARD, b. March 04, 1843, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. March 07, 1877, Sumner County, Tennessee; m. JOHN VENUEL WRIGHT, November 14, 1867, Sumner County, Tennessee; b. June 13, 1840, Kentucky.

 

            ix.     HEZEKIAH GARDNER BEARD, b. November 24, 1848, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. 1919, Texas; m. MARY NAPIER MILLS, January 04, 1877, Tousdale County, Tennessee; b. July 07, 1859, Tousdale County, Tennessee.

 

Notes for HEZEKIAH GARDNER BEARD:

Graduated in medicine from Medical Department of the Vanderbilt University 3/1/1875. Practiced medicine 25 years. Lived at Bishop, Neuces County, Texas.

 

             x.     MARGARET ALMYRA BEARD, b. December 08, 1844, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. October 24, 1881, Champaign County, Illinois; m. DAVID FOSTER DOBBINS, September 21, 1866, Ford County, Illinois; b. May 08, 1838, Sumner County, Tennessee; d. October 10, 1908, Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois.

 

 
 
 
 
 
James R. Baker, Jr.
 
 
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