"Anthony Bewley was an abolitionist Methodist minister, the son of John Bewley, a Methodist preacher. From 1829 to 1834 he served the Methodist Church as a circuit riding member of the Holston Conference of Virginia. In 1834 he married Jane Winton of Roane County, Tennessee. In 1837 the Bewleys moved to Polk County, Missouri, and six years later Bewley resumed his circuit riding ministry and joined the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

"When the church divided over the issue of slavery in 1845, the Missouri Conference voted to join the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Bewley was among the antislavery members of the conference who refused to accept this decision and chose instead to remain in what they considered to be the true Methodist Church. By 1848 these Methodists had reorganized into the Missouri Conference of the Northern Church, though many still referred to themselves simply as members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

"By 1858, after serving for ten years in Northern Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri, Bewley had moved his family to Johnson County, Texas, and established a mission sixteen miles south of Fort Worth. Although he was considered to be weak on the slavery issue by some northern Methodists, his antislavery views were threatening to southerners. Thus, when vigilance committees alleged in the summer of 1860 that there was a widespread abolitionist plot to burn Texas towns and murder their citizens, suspicion immediately fell upon Bewley and other outspoken critics of slavery.

"Special attention was focused on Bewley because of an incendiary letter, dated 3 July 1860, addressed to a Rev. William Bewley and supposedly written by a fellow abolitionist, William H. Bailey. Many argued that the letter, which urged Bewley to continue with his work in helping to free Texas from slavery, was a forgery. The letter was widely published, however, and taken by others as evidence of Bewley's involvement with the John Brownites in Texas.

"Recognizing the danger, Bewley left for Kansas in mid July with part of his family. En route he stopped for eleven days in Indian Territory to wait for the remainder of his family and later visited with his wife's relatives in Benton County, Arkansas. On 3 Sep 1860, a Texas posse caught up with him near Cassville, Missouri. His captors returned him to Fort Worth on September 13. Late that night vigilantes seized Bewley and delivered him into the hands of a waiting lynch mob.

"His body was allowed to hang until the next day, when he was buried in a shallow grave. Three weeks later his bones were unearthed, stripped of their remaining flesh, and placed on top of Ephraim Daggett's storehouse, where children made a habit of playing with them. After Bewley's death the Northern Methodists ended their activities in Texas."

Republic, MO. Dec. l7, l890 My Dear Son

We received your letter. Was glad indeed to hear from you and to know you are getting along so well. Your letter must have lain in the office a day before we received it as we live six miles from Republic _ makes it very Ill Convenient we can Scarcely ever answer by return mail. You can express the box to Republic, Green Co Mo. to Jane Alverson in care of John A. Bewley _ please write the directions plain. I would have written sooner but I have not been very well and you know it is such a task for me to write you must write the oftener to me We received a letter from Will he is well. Mr. Deavenport has got his pension his bounty was $600 he has received a Check for $300, and will get $8.00 per month. I don't know what he will do with his money. You wanted to know who the Perkins boys were. They are your first Cousins their Ma was my oldest Sister. You should go and See them. William the eldest of the three he was in the Southern army after the war was over he remained in Texas. Their Mother died when She was about 70 years of age in Texas. If you can go to see before you write to us again or as soon as you can write to me which one of the boys is the Lawyer. George and Eligh are the names tell George Erle Goodwin that I think has a nice name & he must be quite a manager to go to school all the week & on Saturday make money. Minnie (Wint's mother) you haven't said whether you have finished your crazy quilt yet what does women do down there do they pease up quilts or what is the Stile I wish you and Jessie & Earl would all write I expect you have plenty of flowers yet I think I would like it so well down there have you had any northers yet how far is it Greenville from Sherman Tell Florence Aunt Amanda thinks she will have her grip full if she puts all her pigs and turkeys in it John's folkes are all well Besy is qute as ever we had on heavy Snow what is Bob doing does he think he would like to live in Texas When you send the Box please write to us we are all well and the girls joins us in love to all I have now a chance to send this to office must close good by your Mother, Jane Alverson

Children:

1. Dorthula Martilla, born at Tennessee June 4, 1835; married (1) David S. Roper; married (2) Hezikiah Hanson Davenport.

2. Mary Jane, born at Tennessee January 24, 1837; married Charles Wesley Garoutte.

3. Catherine Amanda, born at Missouri April 4, 1839;

4. William Winton, born at Missouri December 19, 1841; married Rachel Eliza Alverson.

5. John Anthony, born at Platte County Missouri April 20, 1844; married Martha Amanda Fountain.

6. Sarah Clementine, born at Missouri January 12, 1847;

7. George Harrison Fishburn, born at Washington County Missouri December 25, 1849; married Minnie E. Cook.

8. James Robert Wells Hamlin, born at Missouri December 27, 1853; married Cora Clark.

9. Simpson Larribe, born at Texas June 30, 1856;