The seventh child of James McMullen Ballengee and only child of Matilda C. Russell was born
13 April 1860 at Hickory Hill, Cole Co., MO. She was named after her mother, Matilda, and
her aunt, Bersheba Fulkerson, whom they called Basha. This is the author's great-grandmother.
Matilda Basha's father died when she was only two years old so she was reared by her mother
along with her step-sisters and brother. At the age of 18 she moved to Aurora Springs,
accompanied by her widowed mother. She became a teacher under Prof. Moles and his wife. Note
that in the history of Hester Elizabeth, we are told that the three children of Manerva Jane
Hoskins were sent to live with their grandparents after their father died.
Goodespeed's History of Miller County, MO, p. 574 states: "Common schools were held until
1884., when Prof. H. L. Moles organized and graded the academy . . 5 courses were provided:
Literary, science, law, music, and commercial. The present attendance represents various
parts of the county and some considerably beyound these limits, The present faculty embraces:
Principal H. L. Moles, Mrs. H. L. Moles, M. L. Tremain, Col. J. H. Stover, and Miss
B Ballenger.
Basha met James Caldwell in Aurora Springs. His first wife had died and left him with four
children. He and Basha were married 15 March 1893 in Miller County, Missouri.
She became a member of the Aurora Springs Baptist Church and attended regularly all her life.
Her mother died the following year, 15 Oct 1894. Later they took in her maiden aunt, Nancy
Russell, who was blind. James's brother, William, lived with them a great deal of the time.
also. He worked in the Morgan Co lead mine during the summer and lived with his kin during
the winter. There were seven children and four adults in the little cottage dependent upon
Basha for the cooking and laundry.
James Caldwell was born 16 Jan 1854 in Miller County, MO. He was the fifth of 12 children
born to David and Nancy Jane (Hawkins) Caldwell. He was married first to Martha Jane
McCassland who was born 14 April 1851 md died 16 Apr 1891. James died 11 May 1907 when his
youngest daughter was only three years old. Basha reared her three children and her four
stepchildren. The oldest boys, Thomas and Charles were 9 and 10 when their father died.
In her later years she lived at different homes of her children. She was at the home of her
son, Arden, in Salisbury, MO when she died 3 Dec 1944. She was buried by her husband in the
Dooley Cemetery in Miller, Co., MO.
In the 1930s when the first historian (JI) began work on the Ballengee record, he wrote to Basha.
He kept her letter when she replied.
Basha and James had four children: Arden, Edith, Esther, and Edgar. (Please forgive the
break in format)
Born 1 Jan 1894 at Aurora Springs, Miller Co., MO. He married 17 Aug 1920 to Mamie Cooper.
He died in Chariton Co.,MO 19 Dec 1968. They had no children.
Born 6 April 1895 at Aurora Springs, Miller Co.,MO. Edith was reared in Miller Co.,MO along
with her step-brothers and sisters from her father's previous marriage to Martha McCassland,
who had died.
Edith married William Lee McClung in Nov. 1914 in Missouri. Ha had been born 15 Aug. 1878 in
Bath county, VA. the son of Luther Brown McClung and Martha Almeda Sophria Armentrout McCIung.
His father was a Presbyterian Minister and was killed in a buggy accident when William was
19. He went away to study to become a telegrapher and was subsequently hired by the
railroads in that capacity. He married Effie Ballew Rogers 11 Aug 1897 in Norfolk, VA and
had four children. He later divorced her and reared two of the children himself.
He came to Missouri as a telegrapher for the railroad and in Miller County he met Edith.
They were married and had six children. They lived in Missouri many years but in later life
moved to California where he retired. He always made a good living for the family but all
the children were taught to earn their own way.
Edith was active in work in the Baptist Church. She loved needlework and was a good cook
and very meticulous in her housekeeping. She liked to can food and always had plenty on
hand in case there should be a drought the following year.
William Lee enjoyed gardening. He always had a marvelous sense of humor. He was injured in
the hip as a youth in a horse accident and one leg was subsequently shorter than the other.
He always told his children it was from walking up the sides of those Virginia mountains.
He was a member of the M.W. Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M.of the State of West Virginia as
early as 1911. He was Worshipful Master of the Ancient Free and Accepted Mason of Warsaw,
serving 7 years to gain this position. He was a member of the Shrine Temple of Sedalia. As
a boy he was Presbyterian, then later joined the Baptist Church.
William Lee died l9 Dec 1953 at Compton, L.A.,CA. It was very difficult for Edith to carry
on after his death. She lived for a while with different children. She died 21 Nov 1957 -in
Springfield, MO. They were both buried at Green Hills Memorial Park, CA. Their children
are:
MCCLUNG, Lee Caidwell- b. 3 Jan 1916 at Eldon, Miller Co., MO. He md 1) Florence Stevenson.
Ch: Steven, Dennis, and Marilyn.
McCLUNG, Herbert Donald - b. 17 Jan 1917 at Waverly, MO. He md 2 July 1939 Louis Evelina
Sweaney. Daus: Judith Ann (author), Karen Lou, Deborah L.
McCLUNG, Martha Lucille - b. 6 May 1918 at Warsaw, MO. She md 13 July 1935 William Ralph
Button. Two sons: Edward LaMoine and Richard Mack Button.
MCCLUNG, Porter Marion n -b. 27 Sept 1919 at Warsaw,MO. He md Helen Ann Traini 3 Mar 1945.
4 ch: Timothy Marion, William Lee, Mary Beth, Patricia.
McCLUNG, Doris Basha - b. 28 Mar 1921 at Warsaw, MO. She md Joseph Kelly 11 May 1954 at
Rubidoux, CA One dau: Kathleen Jane.
McCLUNG, Everett Cline - b. 2 Feb 1924 at Warsaw, MO. He md 4 July 1945 to Jane Viola
Brennen. They have 3 ch: Sandra Diane, Jack Everett, Mary Lynn.
CALDWELL, Edgar - son of Basha and James, was born 2 Jan 1897 and died in Sept of that year.
CALDWELL, Esther Marie, dau. of Basha and James, was born 30 June 1904 at Aurora. Springs,
Miller Co., MO. She grew up there and attended Franklin and West Aurora Schools.
She was married first to Everett Cotton 5 May 1922. He was the son of Henry and Emma
(Hawken) Cotton. Esther worked at Katz Stores and Sam's Furniture Store. She enjoyed
sewing, quilting, housekeeping, and cooking. Everett and Esther Marie had 3 ch:
Clifford Elmont, Stanley Eugene, Lois Ardena. Esther married Michael Tracy Heffern
10 Jan 1933 and had one ch: Larry Thomas.
If you have updates, please email them to me and I will try to get them included as soon as possible.