Early Life in Missouri
The Hunt, Frost and Adams Family
Contributed by David Church
Oak Grove, Missouri
In 1849, Nathan C Hunt placed his son, Noah Hunt, in charge of the Nathan C Hunt Hourse-Powered Grist Mill, thus passing along the family vocation to his son. This mill was located 6 miles northeast of Lone Jack, Missouri, and was the first mill operated at the village that was later called Sni Mills. This mill was operated by Noah Hunt until 1851, when he married Miss Nancy E Cave, and started his own wool-carding and milling business.
In 1856, corn burrs were installed in the Nathan C Hunt tread mill, and in 1859, horse-power was replaced by steam power was replaced by steam power.
In 1856, Noah Hunt built his own Horse-Powered Grist Mill, and continued to run the wool-carding and milling business for thirteen years. Then, in 1869, he built a steam powered grist mill which he ran in connection with his wool-carding business.
In 1857, Nathan C Hunt sold 160 of his original 600 acres. In his letter to Uncle Isaac Newton Frost, he explains, "I sold 160 Acres 2 year ago I owned 600 the boys used the intended to go west = it left 440" He also tells Uncle I.N. Frost that he has given nearly $4,000.00 to the children, and that he has on Interest, seven or eight thousand dollars. He hastens to add that he "may lose some", but his "affections are not placed on it."
In 1859 or 1860, Dr. Elijah D Porter build the first steam flouring mill in Van Buren Township. It was located just west of the village of Lone Jack, near Henry Long's farm, and was an "excellent mill with two run of burrs." John Daniel and Nathan C Hunt "furnished the means to build" and the mill "fell into their hands" on April 4th, 1860. They paid $6,700.00 for the "steam saw and flouring mill" and 1 1/2 acre of ground, but the agreement states that it belongs to Daniels and Hunt only as long as it is "ocupide" (occupied) as a mill site, and will revert to the Porters if not used as such.
The Civil War brought tragedy and disaster to the people of Jackson County, and the Hunt family was no exception Two of Nathan C Hunt's sons, William and Daniel, went off to fight and were never heard of again. In 1861, the Nathan C Hunt Mill, at Sni Mills, was burned by Yankee soldiers.
On August 25, 1863, the invading Yankees issued the villainous General Order No. 11. This cruel mandate required that "All persons living in Jackson, Cass and Bates counties, Missouri (and part of Vernon County)... are hereby ordered to remove from their placed of residence within fifteen days from the date hereof." This abominable decree went on to demand that the residents "must leave the district", and said that "all grain and hay in the field or under shelter" would be stolen by the Yankees or destroyed.
Most of he county was burned, including the Daniels and Hunt Mill. Nathan C Hunt's wife, Mary Polly Frost Hunt, had the shotgun in her hands when the Yankee soldiers arrived to burn the fields and barns. One of the soldiers set fire to the house, and Mary Polly warned that she would shoot the next man that tried to burn the house. The soldiers then left as she and her eight slaves extinguished the fire. (The last time that new siding was put on the house, some of the charred timbers were noticed by the owner.) This outrageous atrocity, called General Order No. 11, forced Nathan C Hunt and May Polly Frost Hunt to abandon their home and property and flee to Lexington, Missouri, in Lafayette County, where they rented the farm of Abner W Hathaway. On March 1, 1864, Mr. Hathaway received money from Nathan C Hunt for the rent on his farm and "also for all lime sold to his date." On September 10, 1864, Hathaway received $62.55 for "his half of crop of hemp broke with Hunt."
At the end of the bloody war between the states, Nathan C Hunt and family returned to the home that they had been so cruelly driven from. On July 9, 1866, Nathan C Hunt (then 64 years old) sold 400 of his remaining acres to Silas Bitzer. (this was probably in order to recoup some of the losses brought by the war.)
Nathan C Hunt's house and orchard were evidently on the remaining 40 acres that he kept. He had often sold apples at his mills, and on June 12, 1868, he paid "Two Hundred Dollars tax on one hundred gall apple Brandy distilled by him."
In the spring of 1869, Caleb Horn sold the mill that he had build on Sni Creek to Mr. Nicholas Hutchens, Mr. Parrent, and Mr. Shore. Later in that same year, Nathan C Hunt bought the interests of Mr. Parrent and Mr. Shore, and added a flour mill. This mill operated under the name of "Hutchens and Hunt" for about six years.
Mary Polly Frost Hunt died on September 3, 1872, and Nathan C Hunt died shortly thereafter on October 22, 1872. They were buried in the northeast part of the Lone Jack Cemetery, in a family plot with members of their son Noah's family.
Nathan C Hunt and Mary Polly Frost Hunt were the parents of the following 14 children:
1. Elizabeth Hunt Scott, born January 24, 1824 - She married Wiley Scott
2. Enoch Hunt, born July 15, 1825 - He went to Napa County, California
3. Rebecca Hunt Powell, born February 23, 1827, died August 21, 1887 - She married Elias Powell
4. John Hunt, born June 25, 1828, died June 26, 1852 - He died in Jackson County, Missouri
5. Isa Ann (Icy Ann) Hunt Capell, born December 8, 1829, died November 5, 1868 - She married Britton Capell and moved to Napa County, California.
6. Noah Hunt, born February 20, 1831, died November 22, 1908 - He married Miss Nancy E Cave on August 28, 1851, and Mrs. James R Travis on September 13, 1880. He was ordained as deacon of the Lone Jack Baptist Church in 1866. He owned several mills, the last of which was at Pleasant Hill, Missouri. He was buried in Lone Jack Cemetery.
7. Nathan Hunt, born July 23, 1832, died April 4, 1908 - He married Miss Martha Jan Corn on August 1, 1861. They are buried in Lone Jack Cemetery.
8. Jasper M Hunt, born November 3, 1833, died October 24, 1857 - He died in Jackson County, and is buried in the Lone Jack Cemetery.
9. Sarah Frances Hunt Powell, born March 13, 1835, died December 6, 1872 - She married Alvis Powell who was born October 6, 1824, died August 30, 1912, Lone Jack Cemetery
10. Mary Hunt Joiner Straus, born February 5, 1837 - She was married to Mr. Joiner, then to Mr. Straus
11. Benjamin F Hunt, born June 21, 1838, died in 1912 - He married Melvina E Johnson, born November 14, 1842, died August 22, 1865. Both died in Jackson County, Missouri, and are buried in Lone Jack Cemetery.
12. William Hunt, born June 8, 1840 - He disappeared during the Civil War.
13. Francis (Frank) Hunt, born May 22, 1842, died July 19, 1871 - He lived and died in Jackson County near Lone Jack. Lone Jack Cemetery
14. Daniel Hunt, born May 23, 1844 - He disappeared during the Civil War.
* The Confederate Roll of Honor lists a Private Daniel B Hunt of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry, who died of disease on the 16th of December, 1863, while a Prisoner of War at Camp Morton, Indiana - SLCA,CSR-18
Nathan Hunt was born on July 23, 1832 and was the seventh of fourteen children born to Nathan C Hunt and Mary Polly Frost Hunt. Nathan Hunt was born in Davie County, North Carolina, and moved with his parents to Missouri when he was ten years old. Nathan Hunt's memory of the trip to Missouri was that it seemed that we walked most of the way.
In October of 1859, Nathan Hunt, his brother William Hunt, and one of their brothers-in-law, headed south "jest to see the country", so their father Nathan C Hunt wrote in his letter to Uncle I.N. Frost. He also wrote that "they may go to Texas."
Nathan Hunt was married to Miss Martha Jane Corn on August 1, 1861. Martha Jane Corn Hunt was the fourth child of John S. Corn and Saleta "Bertie" Bridges Corn, and was born on May 26, 1845, near Sni Mills, Jackson County, Missouri.
It was probably at about the time of his marriage, that Nathan Hunt build a find brick home on his farm. He built a kiln on the property, and made all of the brick himself. The house had three fireplaces, and it was in this home that Nathan Hunt and Martha Jane Corn Hunt raised their family of nine children. The house stood until recent years. The farm, located at the intersection of Cline Road and Munro Road, it now owned by Steve Romanchuck.
When the Sni Mills Church was constituted in the year 1875, Nathan Hunt was one of the founding members. In 1877, the church built a "frame house costing about $400.00. This building stands today, and is called the Sni Mills Community Church or the Holiness Church.
On Tuesday, February 1, 1890, six of the members of the Sni Mills Church met to discuss the building of a new church. They elected three men to serve as trustees and also as the "Builden Comittie". One of these was Nathan Hunt. This new church was soon after called the Providence Baptist Church. When the six members first met, they estimated the cost of building the new church to be about $400.00, but the actual cost of the building ended up being about $874.60. The building was located at the northeast corner of Cline Road and Munro Road. It has been destroyed, and only a stone corner post remains.
Martha Jane Corn Hunt died on December 14, 1891, and Nathan Hunt died on April 4, 1908. They are buried at Lone Jack Cemetery.
Nathan Hunt and Martha Jane Corn Hunt were the parents of the following nine children.
1. John Wiley Hunt, born October 19, 1862, died September 28, 1935 - He married Rachel Narcissus Adams on September 21, 1890 Rachel N Adams Hunt, born September 15, 1869, died July 1, 1911 of measles Both are buried at Lone Jack Cemetery.
2. Rebecca (Becky) Hunt Cave, born January 9, 1865, died November 9, 1943 She married Henry Cave, who was born in 1856 and died in 1935 Both are buried at Lone Jack Cemetery
3. William Daniel Hunt, born January 30, 1869, died July 9, 1944 - He married May Ellen (Mollie) Adams on October 19, 1888 Mary Ellen Adams Hunt was born April 16, 1867, died July 20, 1955, Lone Jack Cemetery
4. Harvey Lee Hunt, born December 7, 1870, died June 15, 1956 - He married Sarah Christina (Sallie) Adams on November 10, 1895 Sarah C Adams Hunt was born February 1, 1872, died April 27, 1966 - Lone Jack Cemetery
5. Charlie Hunt, born October 3, 1873 (?), died September 2, 1891 - He died at age 18 years, 11 months, and 1 day, when a threshing machine fell through the bridge at Sni Mills and crushed him. I.R.Church has his watch. Lone Jack Cemetery
6. Bertie S. (Roberta?) Hunt, born March 19, 1875 (?), died September 1, 1892 - She died at age 17 years, 7 months, 18 days of tuberculosis (?) Lone Jack Cemetery
7. Noah Oliver Hunt, born July 16, 1879, died May 21, 1954 - He married Maude Bynum Maude Bynum Hunt was born July 17, 1886, died March 31, 1975 Lone Jack Cemetery
8. Alice Hunt Nivens, born June 25, 1881, died May 19, 1955 - She married Hardie W Nivens on September 28, 1899 Hardie W Nivens was born September 26, 1877, died in 1964 Lone Jack Cemetery
9. Stella Mae Hunt Johnson, born October 29, 1886, died May 16, 1981 - She married Everette Johnson on December 15, 1904 Everette Johnson was born July 21, 1880, died October 6, 1940
Harvey Lee Hunt was born on December 7, 1870. He was the fourth child of Nathan Hunt and Martha Jane Corn Hunt. He was born in Jackson County, near Sni Mills, Missouri, in the brick home that his father built.
Harvey Lee Hunt married Sarah Christina Adams on November 10th 1895. Sarah C. (Sallie) Adams was born on February 1, 1872, and was the fifth of seven daughters born to William Houston Adams and Mary Ann Cantrell Adams. Harvey Lee Hunt and Sarah C. Adams were married by Justice of the Peace, J.D. Faulkenberry, at the home of William H. Adams, "in the presence of the Adams family".
Harvey Lee Hunt and Sarah C Adams moved to a farm northwest of Sni Mills, Missouri (West of F. Hwy., on the south side of Cummins Road, just past Mesker Road). The house where they lived, and where three of their four children were born, still stands there. The farm consisted of 50 acres, and is shown in the 1904 Jackson County plat book.
On March 24, 1901 a group of people met at the home of William Daniel Hunt, and entered into an organization known as the Church of Christ. Harvey Lee Hunt and Sarah C Adams Hunt were among the charter members in attendance at this first meeting. At this meeting, the charter members organized themselves by selecting officer, and chose Harvey Lee Hunt to serve as deacon. This congregation build a white frame church on the east side of Hunt Road, on the bank of the creek that ran through the valley below the farm of Harvey Lee Hunt's father-in-law, William H Adams. This was called the Pleasant Valley Church, and was attended by many of the Hunt and Adams relatives. The Pleasant Valley Church is shown in the 1904 Jackson County plat book, and is referred to as a Christian Church.
In 1903, Harvey Lee Hunt bought the farm of his father-in-law, William H Adams, and moved his family there. Harvey Lee Hunt made this farm, which he called "Rocky Knob", one of the nicest farms in the area. He cleared several acres, and turned the trees into lumber at his brother's saw mill. From this lumber he built the following; two hen houses, a smokehouse, a basement barn, a shop, a sheep barn, a wash house, a wood shed, and a shed where he ground feed. The Harvey Lee Hunt farm was well-known in the area for its modern equipment and machinery. There was an engine to run the cream separator and washing machine, a carbide lighting system for the house and out buildings, and a variety of different equipment in the machine shop.
When the Hicks City branch of the Oak Grove chapter of the American Red Cross was organized on May 20, 1918, at the Pleasant Grove Schoolhouse, Mrs. H.L. Hunt was elected Chairman of the Surgical Dressing Committee. The two older daughters of Mrs. H.L. Hunt were also in attendance. Miss Nellie Hunt was elected Secretary, and Miss Marie was recorded as a member. In September, Mr Lee Hunt was appointed to a committee to buy some sewing machines for the Red Cross, and in October of 1918, Mr. Lee Hunt was elected to the executive board of that organization.
In 1949, Harvey Lee Hunt and Sarah C Hunt sold the "Rocky Knob" farm, and moved to Oak Grove Missouri. They bought the house at 204 W 9th Street, were they were to spend the remainder of their years. Even after moving to Oak Grove, they continue to attend the Pleasant Valley Church for a while, but the congregation had dwindled as more and more of its members passed away, or moved to town. In September of 1949, the twelve remaining members of the Pleasant Valley Church disbanded, and joined the Oak Grove Church of Christ. After the Pleasant Valley building was sold in November of 1950, the former members signed a letter stating that Noah Hunt and Harvey L Hunt were the "duly appointed and acting trustees" at the time of the transaction.
Sarah C. Adams Hunt had been baptized when she was a little girl and attended the Chapel Hill Church of Christ, the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, and the Oak Grove Church of Christ. She said that the thing that made her happiest was going to church, and she was very proud of the fact that she never missed a scheduled service of the church --- Sunday morning, Sunday evening, or Wednesday evening -- (until the week before she died).
Harvey Lee Hunt died on June 15, 1956, and Sarah C Adams Hunt died on April 27,1966.
Harvey Lee Hunt and Sarah C. Adams were the parents of the following four children.
1. Nellie Narcissus Hunt Rolls, born July 2, 1897, died March 26, 1988 - She married Clarence Easley Rolls on October 24, 1919 Clarence E. Rolls was born February 23, 1899, died October 29, 1960
2. Howard Daniel Hunt, born August 1, 1900 - He first married Mary Snodgrass on July 31, 1920 He married Marie?
3. Matie Marie Hunt Church, born December 9, 1902 - She married Issac Reu Church on September 15, 1921 Isaac R. Church was born January 29, 1900, died August 10, 1929
4. Lena Lee Hunt Smith, born March 19, 1906 - She married Roy Smith on September 10, 1927 Roy Smith was born September 27, 1904, died November 30, 1987
BLEST BE THE TIE
It seems as though there have been strong ties between the Hunt and Adams families for quite a long time. The first Hunt ancestor to die in Missouri, Elizabeth Chaffin Hunt Frost, is buried beside our earliest known Adams ancestors in a rather remote, un-named cemetery.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's the ties were even stronger when the four Hunt brothers, John Wiley, William Daniel Harvey Lee, and Noah Oliver, married three of the Adams sisters; Rachel Narcissus, Mary Ellen (Mollie), Sarah Christina (Sallie), and the eldest sister's daughter Maude Bynum.
Did these strong ties develop because the two families shared the same political or religious ideologies? Both families were staunch supporters of the Southern Cause during the war between the states, and both families were active in the Church of Christ in this area from an early date. Was it because that both families were early settlers of this area, or that they were neighbors? Or did the Hunt boys all marry Adams girls because there was not a large population in this area, and when it came to choosing a mate it was "pretty slim pickin's 'round these parts"?
Whatever the reason, it was certainly a blessing to us all that these two families had such strong ties. What a strong sense of family! And just think of all those double cousins!!!
JACOB M ADAMS
Jacob M Adams was born on March 24, 1787, He married Nancy J. ___________, who was born on October 19, 1790. They were the parents of at lease seven children. Jacob M Adams and Nancy J Adams moved to Missouri in 1836, from Claiborn County, Tennessee. They settled in the southwestern part of Sni-a-bar Township in Lafayette County, Missouri, near what later became the town of Chapel Hill.
The cholera epidemic of 1849, claimed the lives of five of their children and one son-in-law. These five children and the son-in-law are all buried in the Old Concord Cemetery, south of Bates City, in Lafayette County. All of their names appear on one stone.
Jacob M. Adams was listed as a founding member of the New Liberty Church which was constituted in 1859, in Jackson County. The New Liberty Church is still in existence, and is located in Van Buren Township, Jackson County, Missouri, on Colburn Road, west of Sni Mills.
Jacob M Adams died on September 26, 1868, and his wife Nancy J Adams died on July ?, ?. Their graves are in an old un-named and unkempt cemetery located on the Harold Reed farm in the extreme southeast corner of Jackson County, near Lake Paradise resort.
Children of Jacob M Adams and Nancy J Adams:
1. Spencer Adams, born July 25, 1813, died March 1849 - He married Rachel Botts.
2. Elizabeth Adams, born March 1824, died February 1849
3. Noah Adams, born May 5, 1826, died January 15, 1849
4. Jacob Adams, born May 3, 1828, died March 1849
5. Malinda Adams, born June 15, 1830, died April 1849
6. Nancy Jane Adams, born ?, died 1871
Adams Cemetery near Lone Jack, Missouri. Inscription reads "Nancy Jane -- dau. of Jacob M. and N.J. Adams" dated 1871
7 Eli Adams, born June 12, 1817
He was Constable of Sni-a-bar township, Lafayette County in 1840. He married Miss Jane Powell on October 28, 1841. He was one of four men who laid off the town of Mount Hope, in about 1867. He may have later moved to Lexington, Missouri.
Spencer Adams was born July 25, 1813, in Tennessee. He was the son of Jacob M and Nancy J Adams, and moved to Missouri with them in 1836.
Spencer Adams was married to Rachel Botts. Rachel Botts Adams was born, Nov. 9, 1916. Spencer and Rachel Adams were the parents of at least five (?) children. They were living in Lafayette County, near the town of Chapel Hill, Missouri, in 1849, when the cholera epidemic struck. The entire family was taken ill with the disease, and Specer died in March of 1849. Rachel Botts Adams recovered from the disease, and died Feb. 19, 1870. She was buried in the Wood Chapel Cemetery near Lee's Summit, Missouri, in the far northwest corner of the cemetery.
Spencer Adams and Rachel Botts Adams were the parents of the following children;
1. Jane Adams Connelly
2. Elizabeth Adams Reynolds
3. Calloway Adams
4. John Adams - He married Barbara Ellen Hayden
5. William Houston Adams, Born July 8, 1837