Jackson Origins:
The Hugh Jackson Family made their home in the Ulster district of Ireland. Hugh Jackson a linin draper in Ireland had four sons, John, Hugh, Samuel and Andrew. His son Samuel immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1765 and relocated to Rowan County, North Carolina shortly after arriving. Samuel’s son, Christopher born January 8, 1768, moved from North Carolina to Ohio County, Kentucky, and eventually to Pike County, Missouri. Hugh’s son Andrew came to the United States in 1765 in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Hutchinson and had three children: Hugh (1763), Robert (1764), and Andrew (1767), the future General and Seventh President of the United States. That makes Christopher Jackson one of Pike County’s pioneers the first cousin of President Andrew Jackson1
Christopher and Catherine Rhodes Jackson
Christopher Jackson married Catherine Rhodes on April 27, 1790 in Ohio County, Kentucky. They had twelve children. In 1824, Christopher, Catherine, and their 5 youngest children moved to Pike County to take advantage of the fertile farmland surrounding Noix Creek. Christopher received a land grant of 80 acres from the U.S. Government November 10, 1830. Christopher’s family lived in a log cabin that they built on the land that is now the location of the Catholic Cemetery of Louisiana. Christopher’s failing health prompted him to write to his son, Julius, in the Spring of 1831 to petition him to move to Louisiana. He wanted Julius to take over the family business. Unfortunately, Christopher died before Julius could complete his journey from Kentucky. Catherine lived in the family home for another 26 years after his death. 2
Julius and Harriet McCreary Jackson
Julius Jackson was born near Hartford, Kentucky in 1793 to Christopher and Catherine Jackson. At nineteen, he enlisted as a soldier, under his cousin, Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812. He took part in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8th, 1815. After the war, he returned to Kentucky and married Harriet McCreary near Owensboro. She was part of the influential McCreary family. Her cousins included Senator Thomas McCreary, Governor Robert McCreary, and Representative James B. McCreary.
On receipt of a letter from his father in April 1831, Julius sold his home and disposed of most of his personal property, and in July 1831 left Kentucky with a simple outfit of three wagons drawn by oxen and two saddle horses for Pike County, Missouri. Harriet traveled in one wagon with their four small children, Attella, Cortes, Columbus and Marcella. Their journey lasted more than two months because of delays due to the children getting sick. When they finally arrived at his father’s cabin Julius found he had already passed away. With the assistance of his mother he gained control of his father’s large estate.
In 1832, he became the owner of a saw and grist mill on the banks of the Noix Creek. He used this mill to saw the lumber to build his home. (2006 South Carolina is the site his home once stood. It was moved from that location after T. M. Unsell bought the property to build his new residence on.) He and Harriet had eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood. The house was considered one of the finest in Pike County at that time. It is here that his three daughters married. Attella to Captain George Barnard of St. Louis, Belina to James E. Carstarphen of Ralls County, and Marcella to Thomas M. Gunter of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Julius lived in the home he built until his death on September 26, 1869 and was buried in the Jackson Family Cemetery in Louisiana. Harriet remained in the home until her death in 1887.3
Julius and Harriet had 8 children together:
Mrs. Attella J. Barnard, oldest child of Julius C. Jackson, born May 28, 1820, in Kentucky, died May 25, 1896 at her home in Louisiana, Mo. Married Capt. George Barnard of St. Louis, July 16, 1840, at Louisiana, Mo. Spent ten years of her married life in St. Louis while her husband was actively engaged steam-boating on the Mississippi; the last forty years at her home in Louisiana, Mo., where she enjoyed the love and affection of her devoted husband, children and grand children. She was a woman of rare culture and refinement; blending the simplicity of the child with the learning of the scholar. She was a woman of decided convictions on all matters religious, moral and social. She was constantly abreast of the age on all the current topics of the day, whether in literature, science or art. Her minister said, “She was a wise woman, and it gave her pleasure to converse with her. Her benevolences were always wisely chosen. No words of mine can picture the faith in a living loving Providence that made her life sublime.” Her charities were never known to the public and yet they were many.
A lady that had known her intimately for forty years said: “Mrs. Barnard was the most refined person I ever knew. I never heard an insinuation of coarseness from her in my life.” On her golden wedding day, July 16, 1890, in the quiet of her home, alone with God and her two little grandsons, she penned the following: ;Fifty years! Can it be! What years to prepare! Have they spent in caring for this or the next life? Have your sorrows chastened and by the grace of God, drawn you nearer the great Father? Where are those with whom this afternoon fifty years ago was spent? have you hope of meeting them with the beloved Companion of nearly fifty years? Surely such devotion as his was from Him who giveth all good. O, God help me to look in faith and cheerful hope to the life beyond.” These reflections are reproduced that others may judge what an influence the religion of Christ had on her heart for more than fifty years. Her opportunities for acquiring general knowledge during her married life were most favorable. Each day her husband usually spent an hour or more reading to her from some favorite author or magazine while she “enjoyed absolute rest,” as she expressed it, “free from care.” She was the mother of eight children, six of whom passed away in early childhood. The other two, Mary [Barnard] and Julia [Barnard] are still living. Julia [Barnard] the youngest child married Frank R. Chadwick and lives in Oakland, California. Mary [Barnard], born in 1850 married Clayton Keith and lives at the old homestead at Louisiana, Mo. She is the mother of four children, viz: Dr. Barnard C.[Keith] and Dr. William F. [Keith] of St. Louis; Leon G. [Keith] of East St. Louis and Attella J. [Keith]. The writer desires to place himself on record that no man ever had a kinder, more considerate or thoughtful mother-in-law’ than he. In 1872, I met Mr. Hindman of Keokuk, Iowa, on a R.R. train out of St. Louis. He inquired if I knew Capt. Barnard and family of Louisiana, Mo. I said I did. He said: “His family and that of his brother, Charles Barnard, and my family were all very intimate while we lived in St. Louis, as intimate as if we were kinsfolk. I remember ‘that Mr. and Mrs. Barnard lost several beautiful children in infancy and childhood. I think there were five or six of them, three girls and three boys. All little children are sweet but these were exceptionally beautiful, I remember their faces as well as if they were my own children. We are Methodists, the Barnards are Christians, but we both share the same belief in reference to the fate of those little innocents, the sentiment so well expressed by Mrs. Hindman, ‘Tis sweet in childhood to give back the spirit to it’s Maker, ‘ere sin has placed the stamp of guilt upon the soul.’ And we rejoice that each little innocent has escaped a world of temptation and evil, Their names were as follows: Anna [Barnard], aged 1 year, months and 10 days. Julius [Barnard], aged 3 years and 10 months. Maria [Barnard], aged 3 years, 4 months and 27 days. Harriet [Barnard], aged 17 days. Thos. Fithian [Barnard], aged 5 months and 8 days A son, aged 3 hours. Five of their little bodies rest beneath the spreading oak in the Jackson cemetery near Louisiana, the sixth sleeps in the Barnard lot in Bellefontaine cemetery near St. Louis, awaiting the resurrection morn.
Cortes: born 1822 in Kentucky. He married Julia Watters in 1842.
Columbus: born January 20, 1825 in Kentucky. He married Virginia Applebury in 1848.
Marcella: born 1831 in Kentucky. She married Colonel Thomas M. Gunter in 1856.
Belina born November 1, 1833 in Louisiana, Missouri. She married James E. Carstarphen on February 1, 1853.
Henry Clay born November 22, 1839 in Louisiana, Missouri. He married Sue E. Chadwick on April 23, 1872.
Phegian: died at 5 years old.