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Sinclair and Susan (Coil) Wilburn Family

    St. Clair Wilburn, farmer and stock raiser.  Mr. Wilburn, himself a
time-honored old citizen of the county, comes of one of the pioneer families
of this section of the State.  His parents, John and Mary (Curtiss) Wilburn,
immigrated to Missouri from Tennessee in 1816 and settled in Montgomery
county.  Subsequently they removed to Boone county, and in 1828 became
residents of Callaway county, where they lived for many years.  They were
one of the worthy families of Callaway county, and are remembered by all old
settlers still surviving as hospitable, kind neighbors.  St. Clair Wilburn,
the subject of the present sketch, was born while his parents lived in Boone
county, on his father's farm, eight miles north of Columbia, on the 27th of
December, 1820.  Eight years of age when the family removed to Callaway
county, he was therefore principally reared in the latter county.  In 1841,
then having attained his majority, he entered the land across the county
line in Audrain county where he now resides.  He soon began the improvement
of a farm on this place, and on the 30th of July, 1845, was married in
Callaway county to Miss Susan, a daughter of Noah Coil, of Shamrock.  From
the time he first came on to his present farm, now over forty years ago, he
has continued to make it his home, and has added to his original tract of
land until his possessions aggregate 400 acres.  Having been all through
life a man of hard work, sober habits and reasonably economical, the fruits
of the forty harvests he has reaped have made him one of the substantial
tax-payers of the county.  In the respect and esteem of those among whom he
has lived so many years none stand higher.  After a long and happy life of
about thirty-five years, his good wife was at last taken from him by the
decree of death.  She breathed her last on the 7th of March, 1880.  They
were blessed with a family of fourteen children:  Robert, now of Texas;
Noah, John, William, Margaret A., George O., Charles, James (deceased),
Chesley T., Mary, Edgar, Bertha, Banks and Caroline.  Mr. Wilburn has always
given more or less attention to stock raising, having a surplus every year,
almost, for the general markets.