GENERAL W. CARREL.
St. Joseph, Missouri, has among her many esteemed residents, a number of
retired farmers, who, after years of industry in agricultural pursuits,
elect to spend their evening of life in comfort and well-earned ease in
the social environments of city-life. One of the well-known men of this
class is found in General W. Carrel, whose comfortable home is situated
at No. 514 North 22nd street. Mr. Carrel was born in Clay
County, Missouri, in September, 1832, and is a son of John and Elizabeth
(STUBBLEFIELD) Carrel
The parents of our subject
were born, reared and married in Tennessee. John Carrel was probably of
Irish extraction. At a very early date in the settlement of Clay County,
Missouri, he located there with his family, securing a large tract of
the wild prairie land to which he added by purchase. Their children
were: Nathaniel, Robert, William, George, Major and Nancy, all deceased;
Fannie; Martha, deceased; General W., of this sketch; Jackson, of DeKalb
County; and Francis, of DeKalb County.
The boyhood of our subject
was spent in hard work on his father’s farm, with absolutely no chance
to attend any kind of a school. He grew to manhood well-trained,
however, in all agricultural pursuits and possessed of that sound
business sense which, under all conditions, is the foundation of all
practical success. He married at the age of 20 years and started into
farming for himself, buying land in DeKalb County. Later he traded this
for land in Clay County, but bought a second time in DeKalb County and
was operating a farm there when the Civil War broke out.
In 1862, when excitement ran
high, Mr. Carrel enlisted for army service, at Stewartsville, Missouri,
entering Company H, fourth reg., Missouri Vol. Cav., and was soon
thereafter sent to Jefferson City. During the whole two years of
service, Mr. Carrel was in poor health, not sick enough to be
discharged, but too ill to perform his duties with any degree of
comfort. It was during this enforced period of absence from home that he
realized the noble qualities of his most estimable wife. Left alone on
the farm, with five little children, she bravely took upon herself not
only the accustomed duties of her absent husband, but cared for and
provided for her young family. She cut wood, operated the farm,
harvested the crops and hauled her wheat to St. Joseph and sold it
there. Every part of the farm was forced to add to the income, and her
poultry, eggs, butter and cheese were all disposed of by herself in the
neighboring city. Mr. Carrel remained on the farm in DeKalb County until
1871, when he rented it. He sold it subsequently and bought his present
comfortable home in St. Joseph in 1872. Since locating here he has done
some teaming, but for the past four years he has lived retired. He has
invested largely in real estate in the city and has an ample income.
In 1852, Mr. Carrel was
married to Virginia BAYS, who was born in Fayette County, Virginia, and
is a daughter of William and Margaret Bays, both of whom were born in
Fayette County. They were the first settlers in DeKalb County, Missouri,
where Mr. Bays was a large flax grower and a man of considerable
prominence. Both he and his wife died in that county. Mr. And Mrs. Bays
had 11 children, the survivors of the family being: Miles of Caldwell
County, Missouri; Martha, wife of Frank LOCKHART, of DeKalb County; and
Virginia, the wife of our subject.
Mr. And Mrs. Carrel have had
seven children, namely: Sarah, who is the wife of Marshall SMITH, of
Clarksdale, Missouri; William, who is a carpenter, living at Clarksdale;
Edward Alexander, who is a carpenter at Portland, Oregon; Jackson, who
is a farmer in DeKalb County; Burr H., who resides at Clarksdale; and
Margaret and Belle, both deceased.
Although he has never sought
office, Mr. Carrel has always been interested in public affairs and has
actively supported the principals and candidates of the Republican
party. Both he and his wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church. Hard toil and persevering industry were required of our esteemed
subject and his estimable wife for many years. They thus converted their
wild land into a comfortable home. Conditions in this section of
Missouri were very different 50 years ago and the hardships faced by Mr.
And Mrs. Carrel were such as tried their endurance but never weakened
their affection for each other. Their "Golden Wedding," which
anniversary was celebrated on June 20, 1901, was an occasion long to be
remembered. Surrounded by their children, whom they had reared with
prudence and wisdom, preparing them for all the duties of life, and
congratulated by friends of many years, they passed this milestone,
happy they had been spared to reach it together. Mr. and Mrs. Carrel,
whose portraits are shown on a preceding page, are much beloved in St.
Joseph and their many friends hope that they may be able to see other
pleasant anniversaries.
Buchanan County, Missouri
