Margaret Wallace Flower Blumenhorst, the granddaughter of Laura Watts Wallace and James Craig Wallace, donated the Blumenhorst papers to the State Historical Society of Missouri in March 1984.
The marriage of Laura Holloway Watts (1854-1940) and James Craig Wallace (1840-1916) in 1877 united five Missouri families. Laura Watts descended from the Watts, Lewis, and Woodson families, and James Craig Wallace from the Craig and Wallace families. Members of the five families settled along the Chariton and Missouri Rivers in Howard and Chariton Counties of Missouri in 1817-1820.
Early ancestors of the five families came to Virginia from England, Ireland, and Scotland. There they became planters and intermarried with the Smiths, Harrises, Washingtons, Jeffersons and Mortons. During the Revolutionary War most fought for independence, including Major Andrew Wallace (1748-1829), great-grandfather of James Craig Wallace, and Obediah Smith(1749-1810) and Jacob Woodson (1748-1839), great-grandfathers of Laura Watts Wallace.
After the Revolutionary War, Major Andrew Wallace received a land grant from the State of Virginia in the Kentucky territory. In 1782 Andrew Wallace and his wife Catherine Parks Wallace (1749-1825) moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky. Samuel Wallace (1770-1852), their oldest son, married Anna Snoddy (1778-1861) of Kentucky, in 1798 before migrating westward to Missouri. According to a family legend, Indians in Kentucky captured Anna Snoddy's youngest sister, Libby, in the early nineteenth century. The oldest son of the Samuel Wallace's eleven children, John Snoddy Wallace, married Idress Craig in 1833. Her father, Colonel Hiriam Craig, came to Missouri from Kentucky in 1819. John and Idress became the parents of James Craig Wallace in 1840.
Laura Watts Wallace's grandmother, Mary Burke Smith (1781-1866), married William Watts (1779-1840). Their son, James J. Watts (1818-1894), married Martha Woodson Lewis (1820-1907) in 1840. Martha's parents Henry Lewis (1782-1873) and Elizabeth Woodson Lewis (1790-1857), moved to Glasgow, Missouri from Virginia in 1817, along with Elizabeth Woodson Lewis' parents. Henry Lewis, a judge, settled on a farm called Hackleberry Grove, and became active in the educational and cultural institutions in Glasgow. Reverend William Henry Lewis, Henry's son, established the Montecello Male and Female Seminary in the late 1830s.
James Jordan Watts became a doctor in Fayette, Missouri.James Craig Wallace attended the University of Missouri and became a lawyer. John Snoddy Wallace and Robert Bruce (b. 1844) became doctors. James and Robert Wallace participated in the Civil Waras members of the Confederate Army. John Snoddy Wallace (1849-1916) also served as a member of the Missouri Senate.
Laura Watts Wallace and James Craig Wallace had three daughters, Idress Elizabeth (1878-1959), Agnes Stanford (1879-1945), and Margaret Cotilde (1882-1914). Agnes and Margaret never married. In 1915 Idress Elizabeth Wallace married William E. Flower of St. Louis. Their daughter, Margaret Wallace Flower (b. 1918), later married Karl Blumenhorst of St. Louis.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Blumenhorst papers document the histories of the Craig, Lewis, Watts, Wallace, and Woodson families from 1586-1959. Genealogical records trace familiy roots back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in England and eighteenth century settlement in America. However, the bulk of the material consists of letters (1821-1959) written by the Lewis, Watts, Wallace and Woodson family members who migrated westward during the nineteenth century. The letters, along with legal papers (1790-1892), and a 1849 Gold Rush Diary document the work, social activities and travels of the Lewis, Watts and Wallace families who settled in the Missouri counties of Howard and Chariton in the 1820s. The collection also reflects social and political conditions in Missouri and the United States during the nineteenth century, including westward expansion, slavery, and the Civil War. Personal papers include a narrative describing the capture of Anna Snoddy Wallace's sister, Libby, by the Indians in the early nineteenth century.
The collection contains copies of the original papers which were returned to the donor. Four series comprise the collection. Series 1 includes correspondence, 1821-1959. Series 2 contains legal papers and accounts, 1790-1892. Personal papers, including family genealogies, comprise Series 3, and Series 4 includes newsclippings, 1832-1945.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
SERIES 1 - CORRESPONDENCE, 1821-1959, FOLDERS 1-84
Grouped alphabetically by author and arranged chronologically. Principal authors include: James Craig Wallace (65 letters), James Jordan Watts (64 letters), Martha Lewis Watts (48 letters), Judith Lewis Bigelow (12 letters), Laura Watts Wallace (8 letters),and Will F. Carter (6 letters). Other authors such as Millard Watts, Mary Elizabeth Watts, Charles S. Morton, and L. W. H. Lipscomb contributed at least 3 letters to the collection. Topics cover family matters and include: births, deaths, marriages, land sales, medical school in Louisville, Kentucky, slavery and family finances.
SERIES 2 - LEGAL PAPERS AND ACCOUNTS, 1892, FOLDER 85-98
Arranged alphabetically. Folders 86-89 consists of bills of sale. Folder 86 is for the sale of a slave in 1849. The others in the group deal with land sales. Wills comprise folders 94-98 and include those of the Craig, Watts and Harris families. Other folders contain accounts, a land survey, a military record, and incorporation of the Lewis family cemetery in Glasgow, Missouri.
SERIES 3 - PERSONAL PAPERS, 1586-1916, FOLDERS 99-116
Genealogies of the Lewis, Watts, Wallace and Woodson families comprise 5 folders (105-109). Folders 101-104, and 113 include eulogies or memorial addresses of the various families. Folder 100 contains John S. Wallace's 1849 Gold Rush Diary. A narrative documenting the legend of Libby Snoddy's capture by the Indians comprises folder 111. Material in other folders consists of DAR applications, school reports, a Mason membership receipt, and poems and songs.
SERIES 4 - NEWSCLIPPINGS, 1832-1945, FOLDER 117
This series contains newspaper articles, obituaries, and wedding announcements of the Lewis, Watts, Wallace and Flower families.
FOLDER LIST BOX 1 1. H.P. Beattie to Martha Lewis (Watts), 2 letters, Nov. 1837, Feb. 1848 E.W. Woods to Martha Lewis (Watts), 1 letter, Jan. 1838
2. Agnes Balden to Jane Winfree, Dec. 17, 1840
3. Judith Lewis Bigelow to Henry and Elizabeth Lewis, 11 letters, Oct. 1844 - Aug. 1855
4. Judith Lewis Bigelow to Martha Lewis Watts, c. 1850s
5. Louisa Burlinson to Idress Wallace Flower, Sept. 18, 1955
6. Agnes Watts Caples to Laura Watts Wallace, Oct. 6, 1878
7. Will f. Carter to James C. Wallace, 4 letters, Sept. 1912 - Dec. 1913
8. Will F. Carter to Laura Watts Wallace, 2 letters, June 3, 1916; Oct. 6, 1916
9. E.G. Cockrill to Martha Lewis Watts, Feb. 11, 1850 J.P. Fuller to Martha Lewis Watts, c. 1850s
10. A. F. Davis to Martha Lewis Watts, May 2, 1887
11. Mattie Ellis to Martha Lewis Watts, 4 letters, 1873 - 1877
12. Margaret W. Fristoe to Margaret C. Wallace, Dec. 26, 1882
13. Elizabeth Hughes to James J. Watts, March 10, 1837
14. John A. Jones (Cate) to James Jordan Watts, 2 letters, June 1840; June 1842
15. W.H. Kinley to Laura Watts Wallace, June 1, 1916 Roberta Houston to Laura Watts Wallace, April 25, 1927
16. Christian Boyd Lewis to Martha Lewis Watts, Dec. 1864 Louis (servant) to Martha Lewis Watts, Dec. 1864
17. Henry Lewis to James Jordan Watts and family, Nov. 14, 1870
18. Henry Lewis to Martha Lewis Watts, Jan. 20, 1865
19. Martha Burd Lewis to Martha Lewis Watts, March 18, 1845 Thomas Fristoe to Martha Lewis Watts, Dec. 21, 1849
20. Richard Lewis to James J. Watts, 2 letters Feb. 4, 1847; Nov. 13, 1847
21. Richard K. Lewis to Martha Lewis Watts, c. 1850
22. Rev. William H. Lewis to Martha Lewis Watts, 2 letters, Dec. 17, 1890; May 27, 1891
23. Library of Congress to John S. Wallace, Jan. 7, 1905
24. L.W.H. Lipscomb to Martha L. Watts, 3 letters, Sept. 1863 - Aug. 1864
25. W. Sud Martin to Martha L. Watts, c. 1890 Cousin Bernice (?) to Martha L. Watts, c. 1890
26. Dr. James Miller to James Jordan Watts, Jan. 24, 1840 John F. Wright to James J. Watts, Sept. 30, 1882
27. Charles S. Morton to Martha Lewis Watts, Feb. 19, 1883 Charles S. Morton to John Lewis, March 23, 1883
28. Charles S. Morton to Laura Watts Wallace, Oct. 2, 1901
29. John P. Morton to Dr. John S. Wallace, Dec. 27, 1902 J.W. Fristoe to Dr. John S. Wallace, Feb. 4, 1903 Audrey L. Kemper to Dr. John S. Wallace, June 22, 1911 Mary Salisbury to Dr. John S. Wallace, n.d.
30. Margaret W. McNaul to Idress Wallace Flower, 2 letters, Sept. 29, 1953; Feb. 9, 1959
31. Caroline O`Fallon to Martha Lewis Watts, April 15, 1876 Addie Gilson to Martha Lewis Watts, Nov. 29, 1879
32. Mary Pitts to Laura Watts Wallace, c. 1890s
33. E.W. Price to James Craig Wallace, July 25, 1904 Eleanor McClelland to James C. Wallace, Aug. 1915 Hiriam C. Wallace to James C. Wallace, May 1921
34. Dr. Carr Pritchett, Dec. 31, 1890; S.E. Forster, Dec. 1890; Cousin "M," Jan. 22, 1891 to James and Martha Watts re Golden Anniversary
35. W.M. Protlsman (?) to Martha Lewis Watts, Oct. 6, 1894
36. Perry S. Rader to Agnes S. Wallace, Feb. 24, 1919
37. E. Root Jr. to Henry Lewis, 2 letters, 1837 - 1838 E. Root Jr. to Martha Lewis (Watts), c. 1838
38. William Skinner to Martha Lewis (Watts), June 4, 1838 Cousin Fanny to Martha Lewis (Watts), Aug. 10, 1838
39. Mary E. Smith (?) to Martha L. Watts, Jan. 5, 1872
40. S. Floyd Vaughan to James C. Wallace, April 24, 1911
41. Agnes S. Wallace to Idress Wallace Flower, Oct. 6, 1897
42. Amanthus Wallace to John Snoddy Wallace (cousin), Feb. 8, 1903
43. Hiriam C. Wallace to Laura Watts Wallace, 2 letters, June 23, 1921; Aug. 27, 1921
44. James Craig Wallace to Idress Craign Wallace, 3 letters, Nov. 1877 - March 1879
45. James Craig Wallace to Laura Watts Wallace, 7 letters, Sept. 1880 - Sept. 1909
46. James Craig Wallace to Agnes S. Wallace, 4 letters, July 1888 - Nov. 1912
47. James Craig Wallace to Idress Wallace Flower, 21 letters, June 1892 - Nov. 1902
48. James Craig Wallace to Idress Wallace Flower, 27 letters, June 1903 - Jan. 1916
49. James Craig Wallace to Margaret C. Wallace, Feb. 13, 1907
50. James Craig Wallace to War Department, Washington, D.C., 2 letters, March 1913
BOX 2
51. Laura Watts Wallace to Agnes S. Wallace, 2 letters, c. 1890s
52. Laura Watts Wallace to Idress Wallace Flower, 4 letters, c. 1890
53. Laura Watts Wallace to James Craig Wallace, 2 letters, Aug. - Sept. 1909
54. Charles Watts to Laura Watts Wallace, Sept. 5, 1909
55. James Jordan Watts to Martha Lewis Watts, 15 letters, Oct. 1837 - Jan. 1842
56. James Jordan Watts to Elizabeth Lewis, Nov. 21, 1840
57. James Jordan Watts to William Gambrel, Dec. 11, 1847
58. James Jordan Watts to Martha Lewis Watts, 9 letters, Oct. 1847 - Dec. 1847
59. James Jordan Watts to Martha Lewis Watts, 9 letters, Jan. 1848 - Feb. 1848
60. James Jordan Watts to James Jordan Watts Jr., 8 letters, Nov. 1865 - Aug. 1886
61. James Jordan Watts to Idress Wallace Flower, 3 letters, July 1880 - Oct. 1883
62. James Jordan Watts to Mrs. Smith, 3 letters, April 1880 - Sept. 1882
63. James Jordan Watts to Laura Watts Wallace, 12 letters, Feb. 1880 - May 1894
64. James Jordan Watts to Margaret C. Wallace, 3 letters, Feb. - oct. 1882
65. Martha Lewis Watts to Henry and Elizabeth Lewis, June 19, 1937
66. Martha Lewis Watts to James Jordan Watts, 11 letters, Sept. 1838 - Dec. 1840
67. Martha Lewis Watts to Jane Winfree, 4 letters, April 1840 - July 1842
68. Martha Lewis Watts to James Jordan Watts, 10 letters, Oct. 1847 - Dec. 1847
69. Martha Lewis Watts to James Jordan Watts, 10 letters, Jan. 1848 - July 1848
70. Martha Lewis Watts to James Jordan Watts Jr., 3 letters, Jan. 1866 - March 1886
71. Martha Lewis Watts to Ladies of Adelphian Society, 2 letters, Dec. 19, 1871; Jan. 18, 1872
72. Martha Lewis Watts to Laura Watts Wallace, 4 letters, May 1880 - Oct. 1897
73. Martha Lewis Watts to Idress Wallace Flower, 3 letters, Jun. 1892 - Nov. 1901
74. Mary Elizabeth Watts to Agnes W. Watts, 3 letters, 1864 - 1865
75. Milliard F. Watts to Laura Watts Wallace, 3 letters, Sept. 1874 - Jan. 12, 1915
76. Sue Watts to Idress Wallace Flower, Jan. 6, 1896 Col. W.G. Caplas to Idress Wallace Flower, April 4, 1940
77. William B. Watts to James Jordan Watts (brother), Jan. 14, 1848
78. William Watts to James Jordan Watts (son), 2 letters, Feb. 17, 1865; May 1873
79. William H. Watts to Laura Watts Wallace (sister), 2 letters, Oct. 31, 1872; Jan. 1873
80. Jacob Woodson to Elizabeth Lewis (daughter), 2 letters, Sept. 15, 1821; c. 1840 Elizabeth M. Woodson to her children, c. 1821
81. Jacob Woodson Jr. to Henry Lewis, Nov. 23, 1821
82. Sally Woodson to Elizabeth Woodson Lewis (sister), Aug. 24, 1831
83. "Ind:" to Martha Lewis Watts, Oct. 3, 1837 "R" to Martha Lewis Watts, May 16, 1838 Ann S. Rice to Martha Lewis Watts, April 1, 1839
84. Aunt Katie to niece, Nov. 18, 1878
BOX 3
85. Accounts: Henry Lewis, 1836-1837
86. Bill of Sale, Negro slave, June 1849
87. Bill of Sale, Land, Sarah B. Lewis, 1850
88. Bill of Sale, Land, Kennedy's to H.R. Jopelyn, March 6, 1851
89. Bill of Sale, Land, William B. Watts to James Jordan Watts, Oct. 24, 1862
90. Land Survey for S.W. Lewis, James 29, 1844
91. Law appointing Hiriam Craig a tax collector, Feb. 3, 1806
92. Lewis Cemetery Incorporation, Oct. 1892
93. Military Record: James Craig Wallace, 1861-1865
94. Will (partial) of Robert Craig, Sept. 30, 1790
95. Will of John Harris, March 11, 1797
96. Will of John Craig Sr., May 3, 1805
97. Will of William Watts, Feb. 14, 1840
98. Will of Elizabeth Hancock, Dec. 3, 1844
99. DAR applications, 1914-1915
100. Diary of Gold Rush, John S. Wallace, 1849
101. Eulogy: Henry Lewis, 1873
102. Eulogy: Martha Watts Lewis, 1907
103. Eulogy: James Craig Wallace, 1916
104. Funeral Service, John J. Watts, 1894
105. Genealogy: Lewis Family, 1635-1840
106. Genealogy: Wallace Family, 1734-1903
107. Genealogy: Watts Family, 1728-1890
108. Genealogy: Watts Family, Oral History, 1611-1890
109. Genealogy: Woodson Family, 1586-1800
110. Howard Female College Report: Lucy Gambrel, 1860
111. Legend of John Snoddy's daughter, Libby, 1912
112. Mason Membership Receipt, S.W. Lewis, Dec. 26, 1843
113. Memorial Address, Dr. John S. Wallace, 1916
114. Missouri Historical Sidelights, 1835-1887
115. Monticello Male and Female Seminary, 1840
116. Poems and Songs, 1842-1890
117. Newsclippings, 1832-1945
INDEX
Abolitionist "Red Legs", f. 36
Bigelow, Judith Lewis, f. 3, 4, 105
Chariton County, f. 1-93, 97-117
Civil War, f. 7, 8, 33, 36, 117
Craig Family, f. 33, 40-50, 91, 94, 96, 103, 106, 117
1849 Gold Rush, f. 100
Flower, Idress Wallace, f. 5, 41, 47, 48, 52, 61, 117
Howard County, f. 1-93, 97-117
Indians, f. 111
"Jay Hawkers," f. 36
Lewis Family, f. 1-88, 92, 95, 101-105, 115, 117
Lewis, Henry, f. 17, 18, 85, 101, 115, 117
Missouri Bushwackers, f. 36
Missouri History, f. 1-90, 92, 93, 97-117
Montecello Male and Female Seminary, f. 115
Revolutionary War, f. 99, 105-109
Slavery, f. 3, 4, 16, 36, 86, 93
Wallace Family, f. 1-79, 91, 93, 94, 96, 99, 103, 106
Wallace, James Craig, f. 7, 8, 33, 40, 44-50, 53, 93, 103,
106, 117
Wallace, Laura Watts, f. 6, 8, 15, 28, 45, 51-54
Watts Family, f. 1-79, 83, 84, 89, 95, 97, 98, 107, 108
Watts, James Jordan, f. 13, 14, 17, 20, 26, 55-70, 77, 78, 117
Watts, Martha Lewis, f. 1, 4, 9-11, 16-27, 31-39, 55-73, 83, 103
Westward Expansion, f. 1-117
Woodson Family, f. 80-82
Woodson, Jacob, f. 80-82, 109
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH CENTER-ST. LOUIS
222 THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
8001 NATURAL BRIDGE ROAD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63121
(314) 516-5143
whmc@umsl.edu