Oct. 24, 1927 A Visit to the Old Soldiers at the Confederate Home in Missouri

Pat Young

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Featured Book Reviewer
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Location
Long Island, NY
missouri.JPG

I saw this account of a visit to the Missouri Confederate Home on Oct. 24, 1927, exactly 91 years ago today.

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/...confederate-home-a-personal-ray-county-touch/
 
Last edited:
I saw this account of a visit to the Missouri Confederate Home on Oct. 24, 1927, exactly 91 years ago.

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/...confederate-home-a-personal-ray-county-touch/
I'll contribute a few comments. The statement that the trip was a "two hour drive" was amusing. Today it takes about 25 minutes, also west down 10 Hwy. from Hardin, then south on 'Bloody 13' to the MCH site just a couple miles north outside of Higginsville. The Shirkey family was well regarded in Ray County and western Little Dixie. I don't recall hearing of a Col. Duvall from Ray County, but two Duvall brothers from western Missouri are mentioned in several histories of the Missouri Confederates.

One last note. One of my Mother's Great Uncles, Capt. Albert G. Pendleton lived out his last days at the home.
 
Thanks for sharing! I think the Joseph F. Duvall mentioned in the article must have been a relative of brothers William, Thomas and Henderson Duvall, also in Co. C of the 3rd Missouri Infantry:
http://ozarkscivilwar.org/photographs/duvall-thomas-william-duvall/
http://ozarkscivilwar.org/photographs/duvall-henderson/


Joseph seems to have been a private in the regiment, so I think the "Colonel" on his tombstone was probably a postwar honorary title.

View attachment 208179

View attachment 208180
Thanks for posting that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AUG
This is a great thread, Pat. Thank you! I have been to this site many times. It is a beautiful state historic site and park now, and it includes the original chapel and a very impressive cemetery. As near as I can tell, the other buildings have all been razed. Sometime in the early 1960s, the final residents (who were all widows) were moved to a retirement home elsewhere. I think that was in Columbia, but I could be wrong.

I will try to come back later and post some current pictures, but I am helping prepare our supper right now. Kinda busy!
 
Are there narratives on what life was like in soldiers homes? We see so many, and they seem to have been built and maintained with such care, was that respect continued through the years? We've slipped in this generation, not specifically homes for vets- homes for elderly given over to for-profit companies. Well. predictable results. It'd be reassuring thinking vets were given the care due them.

Bickerdyke continued her work for the welfare of soldiers post war. One vet she put in a home she found along the road, lying in weeds- had gone to his family to check on him and they were clueless on his whereabouts. Family just didn't care- she gave them a dose of Bickerdyke h*ll, went looking for the man, scooped him up and took him to a vet's home. If that home passed her test it must have been wonderful.
 
Are there narratives on what life was like in soldiers homes?
I know that the Confederate Memorial Historic Site published a newsletter a few years ago. It included stories of the events and life at the home, stories about the soldiers there, and so forth. One of my Lexington friends donated to the park and he really enjoyed the publication. I just spent a little time on the park's web site trying to run this down for you. I didn't see a specific newsletter, but that doesn't mean much. I might have missed it. I'll include a link to the web site and anyone who is interested can contact the memorial to see if the newsletter is still available. I'll send my friend an email to see what he can tell me about it. If I have any luck, I'll come back and let everyone know.

https://mostateparks.com/park/confederate-memorial-state-historic-site
 
Coming back to update about the newsletter:

Yes, it is a regular publication of the Confederate Memorial Friends Association. I received the Spring and Summer editions in today's mail. They are each six pages long. They are mostly filled with news of current day events and happenings at the Historic Site, but each issue includes a story about one or more of the old soldiers who lived there, with photos, etc. The friend who sent these copies to me says he's been a member for six years and each issue contains at least one such story. The Spring issue had a two-page article about a veteran and resident named Mark Belt. I think it would be of interest to anyone curious about life at the soldiers' home. It also looks like the association keeps a busy calendar of events.

The publication is a benefit of membership in the organization. Member ship is tiered, from $10 to $55 annually.
I couldn't find a web site. Interested people can write to:

Confederate Memorial Friends Association (CMFA)
PO Box 332
Higginsville, Missouri 64037-0332
 
Packed away are copies of the applications for admission to this home by the sister and brother-in-law of my great grandmother. It appears that they both qualified for admission and after his death, she continued to live at the home until her death. The completed forms are very informative and helped my fill out my family information. I haven't looked at this paperwork in almost 2 years and cannot even put names in this post but will search for them.
 
Packed away are copies of the applications for admission to this home by the sister and brother-in-law of my great grandmother. It appears that they both qualified for admission and after his death, she continued to live at the home until her death. The completed forms are very informative and helped my fill out my family information. I haven't looked at this paperwork in almost 2 years and cannot even put names in this post but will search for them.
Yes, please do.
 
Packed away are copies of the applications for admission to this home by the sister and brother-in-law of my great grandmother. It appears that they both qualified for admission and after his death, she continued to live at the home until her death. The completed forms are very informative and helped my fill out my family information. I haven't looked at this paperwork in almost 2 years and cannot even put names in this post but will search for the infora
 
I have found the information referred to in my earlier posting and I was mistaken in the order of the deaths of my relatives. She died before her husband. The Application for Admission to the Confederate Home of Missouri was approved on 9 Nov 1912 after an endorsement on 5 Aug 1912 (presumably after verifying eligibility) for Robert Alexander Payne and his wife Susan Melissa Austin Payne. Susan was a younger sister to my great-grandmother Mary Ella Austin Guthrey. Fold3 records show Robert A Payne as a private in Capt. Kirkpatrick's Co (Amherst Artillery), VA Light Artillery, Nelson's Battalion formerly 31 Batt'n VA Art'y. He was on Company Muster Rolls from 1863 to 1864 with 2 hospitalizations, one in June 1864 and one July 1864. On his application Robert says he enlisted Feb 1864 Orange CH (VA) and discharged at Lynchburg 8 Apr 1865 and that he was wounded 3 June 1864 at Cold Harbor and was applying because of poor health. Both Susan and Robert Payne were VA natives who were 66 and 64 when they applied for admission. They had been living in Marshall, Saline County MO since the late 1880's. A lovely remembrance/obituary was written by the home regarding Susan when she died on 22 March 1923 that mentions her being a "popular member of the home who took great interest in the yard about her cottage". So it appears the Home had individual "cottages" for couples. The home application shows Robert Payne died 8 Apr 1932 but I found no further information to indicate if he was still a resident of the "cottage" or the large building shown in pictures. Both Susan and Robert are shown by MO Death Certificates to be buried at the Confederate Home Cemetery.
 
I have found the information referred to in my earlier posting and I was mistaken in the order of the deaths of my relatives. She died before her husband. The Application for Admission to the Confederate Home of Missouri was approved on 9 Nov 1912 after an endorsement on 5 Aug 1912 (presumably after verifying eligibility) for Robert Alexander Payne and his wife Susan Melissa Austin Payne. Susan was a younger sister to my great-grandmother Mary Ella Austin Guthrey. Fold3 records show Robert A Payne as a private in Capt. Kirkpatrick's Co (Amherst Artillery), VA Light Artillery, Nelson's Battalion formerly 31 Batt'n VA Art'y. He was on Company Muster Rolls from 1863 to 1864 with 2 hospitalizations, one in June 1864 and one July 1864. On his application Robert says he enlisted Feb 1864 Orange CH (VA) and discharged at Lynchburg 8 Apr 1865 and that he was wounded 3 June 1864 at Cold Harbor and was applying because of poor health. Both Susan and Robert Payne were VA natives who were 66 and 64 when they applied for admission. They had been living in Marshall, Saline County MO since the late 1880's. A lovely remembrance/obituary was written by the home regarding Susan when she died on 22 March 1923 that mentions her being a "popular member of the home who took great interest in the yard about her cottage". So it appears the Home had individual "cottages" for couples. The home application shows Robert Payne died 8 Apr 1932 but I found no further information to indicate if he was still a resident of the "cottage" or the large building shown in pictures. Both Susan and Robert are shown by MO Death Certificates to be buried at the Confederate Home Cemetery.
Thanks for the clarification.
 
Back
Top