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JOHN STARKEY
John
Starkey, farmer and stock raiser of Madison County, Mo., was born in
Sevier County, Tenn., in 1824, being the son of Joel and Delaney
(Whaley) Starkey. The
father was born in South Carolina and participated in several Indian
wars and also in the War of 1812. He
was under Gen. Jackson at the battle of New Orleans and witnessed the
death of Packingham and the overthrow of British authority on American
soil. His death remains a
mystery, as the last that was heard of him was when he assisted in the
removal of the Cherokee Indians west of the Mississippi River.
It is supposed that he lost his life on that perilous expedition.
He was the father of four sons and four daughters. His widow died
at the advanced age of ninety-five years.
Their son John was the first to leave home and brave the toils
and dangers of frontier life in Missouri.
He was married to Catherine Riding, who became the mother of
seven children, four of whom are now living. She is sixty-six years of
age and is hale and hearty. John
Starkey, after giving each of his children a farm, has still 540 acres
of land. He contributes
liberally to all religious denominations and he and family are members
of the Congregational Methodist Church.
He served in the Union army during the late war and is one of the
county’s most reliable and honored citizens.
Although his early educational advantages were limited, he has
considerable literary taste and is an occasional contributor to one of
the local journals.
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