Mary Stogsdill
By Mike Landwehr
Copyright 2010
NOTE: The following biography of Mary Stogsdill is an excerpt from a book I authored in 2010, entitled "Moses Couch and William Stogsdill Families". Since that book is still unpublished, I am posting this excerpt to make the information more readily available to others who share my interest in this family.
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Mary Stogsdill was the youngest child born to William and Malinda Stogsdill. Mary was probably born in 1829 or 1830. Our only clue to Mary’s place of birth is found in the 1850 census, which indicates that Mary was born in Alabama. However, based on what we know about her parents, I believe that Mary was more likely born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and moved with her family to Alabama as a youngster.
Mary was probably 10 to 12 years of age when her parents migrated to Ripley County, Missouri. Mary was about 11 or 12 years old when her father died, leaving her mother to raise Mary and three older siblings. It was in Ripley Couch that Mary met and married James ‘Jim’ Lasley on September 14, 1844. James Lasley, son of John Lasley and Martha ‘Patsy’ Thomas, is reported to have been born in Wayne County, Missouri, about 1826 or 1827. James may have been about 17 or 18 years old, and Mary about 14 or 15 years old, when the young couple married.
A daughter, Mary E., was born to James and Mary in 1848 or 1849. We don’t know where Mary was born, but it seems likely that she was born in Oregon County, Missouri. In August of 1850, James and Mary and their daughter were enumerated in the census of Oregon County. Their family was listed “next door” to the family of John and Martha Lasley, whom we believe to be James’ parents. Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley was the only child of William and Malinda Stogsdill left in Oregon County, as all five of her older siblings had previously migrated to Dade County.
On April 15, 1851, Mary gave birth to twin daughters, Clarinda Lasley and Lucinda ‘Cinda’ Lasley. While we aren’t certain where Clarinda and Lucinda were born, there is some reason to believe that James and Mary Lasley may have followed Mary’s siblings from Oregon County to Dade County in 1850 or 1851, and that the twins were born in Dade County. In a letter written in 1973 by 87-year-old Otto Qualls, a son of Lucinda Lasley, Otto stated the Clarinda and Lucinda were born in North Greenfield, in Dade County. For a copy of Otto’s letter, see “Appendix B: Otto Qualls Letter” on page 229. I believe that the specific reference to North Greenfield is a small error, as the same letter makes reference to Josiah Stogsdill’s land in North Greenfield, while we know that Josiah’s land was located south of the present site of Everton. I believe that all of Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s siblings were living in the same area as Josiah Stogsdill in the early 1850’s, and I suspect that Clarinda and Lucinda Lasley were born in that same neighborhood.
Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley was about 21 years old when her twins were born. Both of the twins survived, but Mary died soon after their birth. Of the twins, Sarah Literal wrote in her notebook,
“Clarinda was two hours old and Cinda one hour old when Polly their mother died. Josiah was permitted to take the twins and raise them as his own from birth till they married.”
The “Josiah” referred to by Sarah Literal was Josiah Stogsdill, Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s eldest brother.
While we know that Josiah and Lydia Stogsdill raised the twins, we are less certain about what happened to Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s husband, James Lasley, or their older daughter, Mary E. Lasley. In the 1973 letter written by Otto Qualls, Otto stated:
“Their mother died when the twins were born and their father died when the girls were 5 years old. When their father died (sic), the twin girls were taken by an Uncle Josephous Lasley (sic) to raise. There was an older girl, Mary, that was taken by an Aunt and took her to Western Texas. And there was a brother older, and they never heard of him after the Civil War. His name was Charley Lasley. I was or am the only one of my family that ever got to see my mother's sister Mary.”
Otto’s letter suggests that James Lasley died in 1856 or 1857, when he would have been about 30 years old. We know nothing about where James died, but it may have been in Dade County. We know that his twin daughters were being raised in Dade County by Josiah and Lydia Stogsdill, and that James Lasley’s parents moved their family from Oregon County to Dade County some time during the 1850’s.
Another source reports that Mary E. Lasley, the eldest daughter of James and Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley, went to Grayson County, Texas, with her uncle, Archibald Stogsdill. This is certainly a possibility. However, we don’t believe that Archibald Stogsdill moved to Grayson County, Texas, until 1870, when Mary E. Lasley would have been about 21 or 22 years old. It seems likely that Mary would have married before 1870.
Copyright 2010
NOTE: The following biography of Mary Stogsdill is an excerpt from a book I authored in 2010, entitled "Moses Couch and William Stogsdill Families". Since that book is still unpublished, I am posting this excerpt to make the information more readily available to others who share my interest in this family.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mary Stogsdill was the youngest child born to William and Malinda Stogsdill. Mary was probably born in 1829 or 1830. Our only clue to Mary’s place of birth is found in the 1850 census, which indicates that Mary was born in Alabama. However, based on what we know about her parents, I believe that Mary was more likely born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and moved with her family to Alabama as a youngster.
Mary was probably 10 to 12 years of age when her parents migrated to Ripley County, Missouri. Mary was about 11 or 12 years old when her father died, leaving her mother to raise Mary and three older siblings. It was in Ripley Couch that Mary met and married James ‘Jim’ Lasley on September 14, 1844. James Lasley, son of John Lasley and Martha ‘Patsy’ Thomas, is reported to have been born in Wayne County, Missouri, about 1826 or 1827. James may have been about 17 or 18 years old, and Mary about 14 or 15 years old, when the young couple married.
A daughter, Mary E., was born to James and Mary in 1848 or 1849. We don’t know where Mary was born, but it seems likely that she was born in Oregon County, Missouri. In August of 1850, James and Mary and their daughter were enumerated in the census of Oregon County. Their family was listed “next door” to the family of John and Martha Lasley, whom we believe to be James’ parents. Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley was the only child of William and Malinda Stogsdill left in Oregon County, as all five of her older siblings had previously migrated to Dade County.
On April 15, 1851, Mary gave birth to twin daughters, Clarinda Lasley and Lucinda ‘Cinda’ Lasley. While we aren’t certain where Clarinda and Lucinda were born, there is some reason to believe that James and Mary Lasley may have followed Mary’s siblings from Oregon County to Dade County in 1850 or 1851, and that the twins were born in Dade County. In a letter written in 1973 by 87-year-old Otto Qualls, a son of Lucinda Lasley, Otto stated the Clarinda and Lucinda were born in North Greenfield, in Dade County. For a copy of Otto’s letter, see “Appendix B: Otto Qualls Letter” on page 229. I believe that the specific reference to North Greenfield is a small error, as the same letter makes reference to Josiah Stogsdill’s land in North Greenfield, while we know that Josiah’s land was located south of the present site of Everton. I believe that all of Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s siblings were living in the same area as Josiah Stogsdill in the early 1850’s, and I suspect that Clarinda and Lucinda Lasley were born in that same neighborhood.
Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley was about 21 years old when her twins were born. Both of the twins survived, but Mary died soon after their birth. Of the twins, Sarah Literal wrote in her notebook,
“Clarinda was two hours old and Cinda one hour old when Polly their mother died. Josiah was permitted to take the twins and raise them as his own from birth till they married.”
The “Josiah” referred to by Sarah Literal was Josiah Stogsdill, Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s eldest brother.
While we know that Josiah and Lydia Stogsdill raised the twins, we are less certain about what happened to Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley’s husband, James Lasley, or their older daughter, Mary E. Lasley. In the 1973 letter written by Otto Qualls, Otto stated:
“Their mother died when the twins were born and their father died when the girls were 5 years old. When their father died (sic), the twin girls were taken by an Uncle Josephous Lasley (sic) to raise. There was an older girl, Mary, that was taken by an Aunt and took her to Western Texas. And there was a brother older, and they never heard of him after the Civil War. His name was Charley Lasley. I was or am the only one of my family that ever got to see my mother's sister Mary.”
Otto’s letter suggests that James Lasley died in 1856 or 1857, when he would have been about 30 years old. We know nothing about where James died, but it may have been in Dade County. We know that his twin daughters were being raised in Dade County by Josiah and Lydia Stogsdill, and that James Lasley’s parents moved their family from Oregon County to Dade County some time during the 1850’s.
Another source reports that Mary E. Lasley, the eldest daughter of James and Mary (Stogsdill) Lasley, went to Grayson County, Texas, with her uncle, Archibald Stogsdill. This is certainly a possibility. However, we don’t believe that Archibald Stogsdill moved to Grayson County, Texas, until 1870, when Mary E. Lasley would have been about 21 or 22 years old. It seems likely that Mary would have married before 1870.
