Cole County, Missouri Enloe Family Page

here are creeks, dams, post offices, stores and even towns named for the Enloe's, and yet, little is known of their origin. Some people say the Enloe's came from Scotland, some say Holland, and still some say England. As of the date of this essay there has been no real "proof" of where they originated from, but one thing is certain, the Enloe's were smart, industrious people, who lived very interesting and prosperous lives.

I will start with our forefather, Enoch Enloe, a Private in the American Revolution and a farmer. Legend has it that Enoch was born in Scotland circa 1730 and came to Maryland with his brother Isaac in the mid 1700's. They were Presbyterian school teachers, teaching first in Maryland and then in South Carolina. Sometime before the Revolutionary War, Enoch and Isaac moved to York District, South Carolina, where they engaged in farming. Both brothers purchased land there and farmed. Enoch first married a French woman by the name of Sprucebanks, to them one child was born, Benjamin S. Nothing more is known about Sprucebanks except that she died young, leaving Enoch to raise Benjamin on his own. (At this point, I would like to point out that in the 1790 Federal Census for York Disctrict, South Carolina, it lists Enoch as Head of Household and living with him are four females and two males. This would suggest that perhaps he did remarry after Sprucebanks died, but in the early census reports, only the name of the head of household was listed) Knowing this, I will continue with our family legend.

Sometime before 1790, Enoch married a second time to a Miss Jane McCord. To them two sons were born, Isaac (b. 1791) and James, our gggg grandfather, (b. 1793). Their parents died when they were quite young, and the two boys went to live with their half-brother, Benjamin S. Benjamin was already grown, married and had four children, Benjamin, Joel, Abraham and Enoch. Their mother's name was Mary McElwee. Benjamin and Mary raised the boys until grown, moving to Tennessee in 1808. James married Nancy Jane Simpson in Kentucky (I am not sure exactly when or why James was in Kentucky.) Isaac married her sister, Betsy Simpson; brothers married sisters. In 1828, James left Tennessee heading west for Missouri with his six children, Enoch (1814-1873), John Simpson (1815-1886), Hugh Simpson (1817-1897), Margaret (1819-1824, already deceased when they left for MO.), Mary Polly (1820-1875), James (1823-1824, already deceased when they headed for MO.), Isaac (1825-1890) and Jane (1827-1898). Isaac remained in Tennessee and raised five children, two of which became physicians in Nashville. It's not certain who all went with James, although we do know he took his nephew, Enoch, Sr. (Benjamin S.'s son) and his wife Frances Green Carpenter, and Lamon Short and his wife, who was also a Simpson sister. Some were in covered wagons, some on horseback. Apparently one evening, a wheel on one of the Short's wagons broke. They waited until dawn to continue on, but noted the good soil and huge oak trees, and decided to homestead there. This was just outside of Russellville, Missouri.

I would now like to take this time to give a little history of Russellville. In 1820, a man by the name of Buckner William Russell (b. in 1798 in Russellville, Kentucky), who's family founded Russellville, Kentucky, left Barron County and headed west for Missouri, locating near the town of Booneville, Cooper County, Missouri. There he married Katherine Yase and in 1824, he packed up and moved to a farm where they raised sheep. By 1838, there were enough settlers in the area to warrant a town. On May 5, 1838, Russellville was surveyed for Buckner W. Russell, Richard Morris, and Benjamin P. Griffin. The plat was eight blocks and it was at this time that the settlement was named Russellville, after Buckner.

Enoch, Sr. first settled on land which is now known as State Road K, later moving to land that is now part of the Enloe Cemetery on Hwy. C, which he donated two acres in order to establish the Enloe Cemetery on October 16, 1866. This was to be the final resting place for his friends and family members. Enoch's son William, was the first to be buried there. It is located 1.5 miles west of Russellville on Hwy. C. Enoch, Sr. was a farmer and operated a grist mill and stage coach stop. He also established the first Russellville Post Office on July 27, 1837, named the Enoch Enloe Post Office.

James Enloe settled near the mouth of the Moreau River in Walker Township, Moniteau County. He was a very successful farmer, raising tobacco (I have 3 or 4 original land documents with the raised seal, of lands that he owned, dated 1860.) James owned slaves, but did not believe in slavery and thought it should be abolished. This caused a small problem between himself and his half-nephew, Enoch Sr., because Enoch believed in slavery. In the 1840 census, it shows James as owning two slaves, one female and one male. In 1829, James and Nancy's 9th child was born, Benjamin F. When Benjamin was born, his oldest brother Enoch, our ggg grandfather, was already 15 years of age. Following Benjamin's birth were brothers William S. (1832-1901) and Abraham (1836-1895).

As you can imagine, times were tough back in the day, and for the most part if someone needed medical attention, it could take hours, even days, for a doctor to reach the patient. Because of this, James learned the healing power of herbs, and soon became known as the "Yarb Dr.". If anyone was ill in the area, they sent for James and Nancy. At some point, Nancy developed cancer in one of her breasts and James cut it out. Fifteen years later, it came back and James cut it out again. As a result, Nancy ended up dying due to complications.

James was also very active in politics. He served on the House of Representatives for Cole County in 1838 and Moniteau County in 1850 and 1858. He was a Democrat. His son, John Simpson, also served on the House of Representatives in 1848. John Simpson was a farmer, attorney and served as the Cole County Surveyor for 16 years. He also founded the "Little Enloe Cemetery", which is located on a bluff near his home. The land was sold to the Matheis' and the cemetery is now known as the Matheis Cemetery. James died in 1877, at the home of his youngest son, Abraham. Abraham handled the estate papers of his death.

James and Nancy's oldest son, Enoch (our ggg grandfather), was born in Barron County, Kentucky on May 19, 1814, and came to Missouri with his parents and siblings in 1828. Enoch married Jane Compton Murray in 1837. Jane's parents were Thomas Clinton Murray and Barbara Hunter. Jane's sister, Emily Moss Murray, married her brother-in-law Hugh Simpson Enloe (Enoch's brother). Enoch and Jane had fifteen children, as follows:

James T. (b. June 24, 1838 in Cole County, Mo. and d. April 4, 1917) married Mary Ann Ryan. James was a captain in Civil War. They are both buried in the Enloe Cemetery. They had 10 children. Mary died while giving birth to tenth child (a son), who is buried next to his mother.

Mary Ann (b. 1840 in Cole County, Mo. and d.?) married onDecember 5, 1875 to ??

Sarah A. (b. February 14, 1843 in Cole County, Mo. and d. June 26, 1887) married John Richard Barry on 13 February 1879. They are both buried in the Enloe Cemetery.

Nancy (B. 1842 and d. in infancy)

Thomas Murray (b. April 21, 1845 Cole County, Mo. and d. July 7, 1933) married Nancy Frances Vanpool on 19 January 1868. She died in 1911 and Thomas remarried Elizabeth Campbell Stark. Thomas was a farmer and owned "Home Comfort", which is still standing and being lived in today. Nancy and Thomas are buried in the Enloe Cemetery. They had 11 children. Thomas and Nancy were my gg grandparents.

Hugh Louis (b. March 18, 1847 in Cole County, Mo. and d. July 24, 1931 in California, Mo.) married Harriett Ballard on November 5, 1872. Hugh was a storekeeper and Postmaster of the Russellville Post Office. Hugh and Harriett are both buried in the Enloe Cemetery. They had 10 children.

Margaret (b. February 28, 1849 in Cole County, Mo. and d. September 11, 1921 in Entiat, Wa.) married Andrew Jackson Thompson. They owned apple orchards in Entiat, Wa. named "Valley of the Moon". They are both buried in the Wenatchee City Cemetery in Wenatchee, Wa. They had three daughters.

Jenny (b. 1851 in Cole County, Mo. and d. in Oklahoma) married William Gregory. They had 10 children.

Barbara E. (b. 1853 in Cole County, Mo. and d. 1915) married William Henry Allen. They are buried in the Enloe Cemetery. They had 5 children.

Henry Enoch (b. January 13, 1854 in Cole County, Mo. and d. August 21, 1931 in Fresno, California) married Melissa Jane Meadows. He is buried in the Belmont Memorial Park in Easton, California. They had three children. He remarried Annie Strother. They had one daughter.

Emily Moss (b. March 29, 1856 in California, Mo. and d. October 4, 1934 in Easton, California) married George Willard Cornell on March 1, 1877. They are both buried in the Washington Colony Cemetery in Fresno, California. They had 11 children.

Dr. John Smith (b. 1858 in and died September 30, 1922) married Sarah Edna Large. They divorced and had four children. John is buried in the Enloe Cemetery.

Dr. Isaac Newton (b. April 29, 1860 in California, Mo. and d. February 15, 1921 in Jefferson City, Mo.) married Rebecca Jane Short on October 12, 1886. They are both buried in the Enloe Cemetery. One of their daughters, Loyce, married Roy Tasco Davis, who was the US Ambassador to Haitti, in the 1950's.

Abraham (b. June 3, 1861 and d. May 19, 1886)

Polly (died in infancy)

Now, back to Isaac, the brother of our gggg grandfather James. As stated earlier, Isaac married Betsy Simpson, the sister of Nancy (James' wife). They remained in Tennessee and had three sons, Benjamin, James and Joel. Isaac and Betsy died when the boys were young, so James went back to Tennessee and took James and Joel back to Missouri. Benjamin stayed in Tennessee and was reared by George Leslie. This Benjamin married and had five children, Thomas E., Benjamin Augustine, James H., Mary E., and Martha E. The son, Benjamin Augustine, was born January 18, 1848 near Clarksburg, Carroll County, Tennessee. He was elected as a member of the State House of Representatives while attending Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tennessee in 1869. He was re-elected under the new constitution in 1870, and graduated law school in 1872. Among many of his accomplishments, he was appointed Commissioner by Governor Marks in 1878, to negotiate a settlement of the state debt; was editor of the Jackson Tribune and Sun from 1874-1886; was Secretary of the State Fair Commission and Director of Exhibits from Tennessee at the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1903; and was elected Railroad Commissioner of Tennessee and served from 1904 until his death in Nashville, Tennessee on July 8, 1922. He is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery.

As you can see by this brief essay, the Enloe's are successful, educated people. I am proud to be a descendent of these fine men and women. For more detailed information on these and more Enloe families, look for my book . . . which I only have one paragraph started!!

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