As I reviewed the comments from our last post, it came as a surprise to some people that slaveholders not only fought for the Confederacy, or the Southern cause, but Union citizens participated and profited from the dreadful institution of slavery. I choose Ozark County, Missouri, for two reasons. First, I grew up in this county. Secondly, it is a county with a small population and a wonderful microcosm of the Ozarks.
As we look at the U.S. Slave Schedule & U. S. Census and compare names with Civil War records for Ozark County. We discover
5 of the
7 slaveholders in Ozark County slaveholders served as Union officers or soldiers in the upcoming Civil War. Yes,
5 is a small number of slaveholders; but when we look at the percentage, it's a little over
71% of the 1850, Ozark County slaveholders serving in the Union Army in the upcoming Civil War. Again, as I have stated, this percentage is puzzling to some people, and it also surprised me too.
Ozark County Slavery in 1860
Let's take a look at the 1860 U.S. Slave Schedule for Ozark County for a few statistics.
1860 Ozark County, Missouri, Slave Schedule
3rd – 9th of September, 1860
June 12th, 1860 1
As of December 3rd, 1860:
Political Alliances:
- Number of Union Supporters or Union Soldiers as Slaveholders: 7
- Number of Confederate Supporters or Soldiers as Slaveholders: 2
- Number of Slaveholders of Undetermined Alliances: 2
Households:
- Population of Free Inhabitants in Ozark County: 2,447
- Population of People held in Slavery in Ozark County: 43
- Slavery Population in Ozark County: 1.075 %
- Total
Households in Ozark County: 409
- Slave-holding Households: 11 (10 men and 1 woman)
- Number of Slave Houses: 13 (2 owners have 2 dwellings on their premises.)
Slaves: Sex & Age:
- Number of Male Slaves: 21
- Number of Female Slaves: 22
- Number of Adults in Slavery: 13
- Number of Children or Minors in Slavery: 30
- Percentage of Children in Slavery vs. Adults 69.76% are Minors.
- Households holding Slave Minors without viable Parent: 3
Comparison Across the State-line in Marion County, Arkansas:
- Percentage of Households Practicing Slavery in Ozark County: 2.7 %
- Race - Black: 100% & Mulatto 0%
- Percentage of Households Practicing Slavery in Marion County: 4.6 %
- Race - Black: 72% & Mulatto 28%
While the percentage of Minors vs. Adults held in slavery seems to be high (70.45%), the percentage closely compares to the percentage of children (72%) held in slavery across the State-line in Marion County, Arkansas. But the comparison stops with the close ranking percentage because there are 71 Minors slaves in Marion County. Additionally, the number of Mulattoes & Females held in bondage are also disproportionate in Marion County. This will be the subject for a future post on Ozarks' History.
Slave-holding Households:
James M. Cain: Union
CW Soldier
3
Slaves (2 Minors)
Sex Race Age Name Place of Birth
Male
– Black – Age: 24 Isaac Tennessee
Female
– Black – Age: 14 Dice Tennessee
Male
– Black – Age: 9 Pleasant Tennessee
Charles D. Cain: Union
CW Soldier
1
Slave
Male
– Black – Age: 23 Robert Tennessee
James Irving Holt: Union
CW Soldier- Missouri/Ozark County Home Guard, 1st Lt., Company A, Capt. Stone's Cavalry
1
Slave
Male
– Black – Age: 21 Peter Tennessee
John H. Marsh: Union
CW Soldier - Ozark County Home Guard, Independent Company, formed in Springfield, Missouri
1
Slave (1 Minor & No Viable Parent)
Female
– Black – Age: 9 Mary Marsh Tennessee
J. C. Miller: Union
CW Soldier
1 Slave
Male
– Black – Age: 30 William South Carolina
Sharlott [Charlotte] Hubbard: Charlotte Emma Whitley Hubbard (widowed) married
Sterling Davis Shipley (CSA) Sept. 12, 1860, in Ozark County
11
Slaves in 2 Houses (8 Minors)
Male
– Black – Age: 39 Wesley North Carolina
Female – Black – Age: 21 Anthony Arkansas
Female – Black – Age: 26 Mary Arkansas
Male
– Black – Age: 12 Martha Arkansas
Male – Black – Age: 8 Elias Arkansas
Male – Black – Age: 7 Thomas Tennessee
Female – Black – Age: 5 Sam Missouri
Female – Black – Age: 5 Harriet Missouri
Female – Black – Age: 4 Nancy Missouri
Female – Black – Age: 3 Clenancy Missouri
Male – Black – Age: 2 months Riley Missouri
William G. Pumphrey:
1
Slave
Female
– Black – Age: 18 Mary A. Arkansas
James R. Stone: Union
CW Soldier - Ozark County Home Guard, Independent Company, formed in Springfield, Missouri
4
Slaves (3 Minors)
Female
– Black – Age: 39 Matilda Tennessee (Possible Mother)
Female
– Black – Age: 11 Misty Missouri
Female
– Black – Age: 7 Hannah Missouri
Male
– Black – Age: 1 George Missouri
Robert B. Stone: Union
Civil War Captain
1
Slave
Male
– Black – Age: 18 Stephen Virginia
Robt. W. Torgann:
4
Slaves (4 Minors & No Viable Parent)
Male
– Black – Age: 14 Jonas Virginia
Female
– Black – Age: 12 Juli Virginia
Female
– Black – Age: 9 George Virginia
Male –
Black – Age: 9 Eli Virginia
Job [Joseph] Teverbaugh: Confederate Alliance
15 Slaves in 2 Houses (10 Minors)
Male –
Black – Age: 45 Lewis Kentucky
Female
– Black – Age: 40 Mariah Kentucky
Male
– Black – Age: 20 Addam Missouri
Male
– Black – Age: 17 Jacob Missouri
Male
– Black – Age: 14 George Missouri
Female – Black – Age: 12 Mariah Missouri
Female – Black – Age: 10 Clarinda Missouri
Male – Black – Age: 6 Gifford Missouri
Male
– Black – Age: 5 Noah Missouri
Female
– Black – Age: 2 Emaline Missouri
Female
– Black – Age: 28 Mary Arkansas
Male – Black – Age: 12 Joseph Arkansas
Female – Black – Age: 8 Harriet Arkansas
Male –
Black – Age: 6 Trius Arkansas
Female
– Black – Age: 4 Sarah Arkansas
Where Did They Go After Emancipation?
It is always a goal to trace-down African Americans and follow their migration after emancipation. So, we'll do a small case study of Joseph "Job" Teverbaugh household in St. Luger, Missouri, on the Big North Fork of the White River.
Biographical & Historical Note:
Colonel William Monks references Joseph "Job" Teverbaugh in Monks' book, History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas: Being an Account of the Early Settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and Times of Peace. Mr. Teverbaugh had Confederate alliances, and he was in direct opposition to the Union Col. Monks. During the Civil War, Confederate forces detain Col. Monks as a prisoner, and Teverbaugh held significant sway over Col. Monks' fate.
Joseph [Job] Teverbaugh who resided in Ozark county, a merchant and the owner of about twenty negroes, who had been well acquainted with the author from his boyhood, brought up the conversation as to what disposition they thought ought to be made of the author.
The author [Monks] could easily hear all the conversation inside of the guard line. Many opinions were expressed. Quite a number said, "Hang him outright." That was the only way to get shut of the Union men, to make short work of it, and forever rid the country of that element. 2
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1850 & the Teverbaughs
As we saw in the last post, Job Teverbaugh is listed in 1850 U.S. Slave Census holding 4 Slaves including 3 Minors:
 |
| 1850 U.S. Slave Census 3 |
- Female – Black – Age: 19 [potential mother?]
- Male – Mulatto – Age: 4
- Female – Black – Age: 3
- Female – Black – Age: 6 months
This nameless, young 19-year-old lady is a potential mother because of three (3) children of a viable age within the household. If they are her children, there are at least two (2) potential fathers.
If this black female is
the mother of the 4-year-old male, she could have potentially conceived her firstborn son at 14 years of age. This 4-year-old male child is listed as a Mulatto or mixed race. Therefore, we know he has some white lineage, but his paternity is not given.
The other two (2) female children are 3 years and 6 months of age, and the children have a black father. The father is not listed in the household; therefore, it is not a nuclear family. Whatever the dynamics are, we are looking at a fractured, African-American family.
1860 & the Teverbaughs
In reviewing the 1860 Slave Census, we can see two (2) apparent families represented:
1st - Mary What's her last name?
1860
 |
| 1860 U.S. Slave Census 4 |
In the 1860 Census, we can see a 28 years old lady listed as Mary, and she has a potential of 4 children: Joseph, Harriet, Trius, and Sarah. Also, all five listed are from Arkansas.
In comparing the 10-year difference of the 1850 & 1860 Slave
Schedule, we can see a 29 to 30-year-old female in the household. But some of the children's ages do not match. If so, her potential children (a 14-year-old boy, 13-year-old girl, and 11-year-old
girl) are also vacant from the 1860 Census. If we follow the same parameters of age and sex of this small family,
it is difficult to determine if this family if this is the same African-American mother and children in 1850. Whether this is the same family or not, the father of the children is still not present.
Currently, I cannot find Mary and her children in the 1870 U.S. Census. Since Mary & children are from Arkansas, I am reviewing potential residences in Arkansas to see if I can trace this family. The reason for the Arkansas investigation is an estimation or guess. Also, many members of the Job Teverbaugh family can be traced across the
Missouri Arkansas State-line into Bennett's Bayou area of Baxter County
and the Wild Haws & Violet Hill communities of Izard County,
Arkansas. So far I have found nothing on Mary.
Another reason for an unsuccessful discovery for Mary and her children is due to the last name. Mary could have a name change due to a marriage, or she dropped her owner's name of Teverbaugh. If she changed her last name, Mary could adopt a prior or new last name. This is not uncommon, and Tera W.
Hunter details in her 2017 book,
Bound in Wedlock, a few of the scenarios that could have played a part in the change of name. It
may be a reason for our unsuccessful attempt to find Mary and her family:
…slavery’s legacy of involuntary unions and forced separations
continued to affect the lives
of ex-slaves. The most severe, repeated disruptions
from slave sales and separation of families
were evident in what women were called
by others or how they identified themselves. Name
changes also could symbolize
the treacherous and unstable lives experienced in bondage and
after freedom
that led to serial relationships...many women had many surnames over the course
of [their]
life, partly the result of multiple slave-ownerships and partly the result of multiple
conjugal relationships. 5
2nd - Lewis/Louis Teverbaugh
1860
One of the frustrations I encounter is the lack of existing detailed documentation for African-Americans during this time. Fortunately, in tracking down the Lewis
Teverbaugh and his family, they used the same last name from Ozark County.
 |
| 1860 U.S. Slave Census 6 |
Lewis, age 45, and Mariah, age 40, are both from Kentucky. Lewis and Mariah have 8 children listed: Adam, Jacob, George, Mariah, Clarinda, Gifford, Noah, and, Emalin.
Louis Teverbaugh
1870
Fortunately, a few records are available of Lewis Teverbaugh and his son, George. First, we discover Lewis and George in Springfield, Missouri, in the 1870 U.S. Census. The Teverbaughs are listed in the Campbell Township in Greene County, Missouri.
 |
| 1870 U.S. Slave Census 7 |
- Louis Teverbaugh 55 Male Black Works at Mill
- May Teverbaugh 25 Female Black Washing & Ironing
- George Teverbaugh 01 Male Black
- George Teverbaugh 25 Male Black Wood Chopper
- Francis Teverbaugh 21 Female Black Washing & Ironing
- William Teverbaugh 01 Male Black
 |
| 1870 U.S. Slave Census 8 |
We can also find another sister Mariah
Teverbaugh Johnson, and she is married to Moses Johnson in Springfield, Missouri. Additionally, Noah Teverbaugh is also listed living in the Johnson household, and he is documented as an invalid.
1890
Louis and George are referenced in the Springfield, Missouri, newspapers. Additionally, Louis Teverbaugh is listed in the Springfield, Missouri, Address Book.
 |
| Springfield, Missouri, City Directory, 1890 9 |
Before Louis Teverbaugh passed away, he recorded his will in Greene County, Missouri, on July 6, 1891. In a two-page document, Louis lists his children and their inheritance. The list matches the 1860 U.S. Slave Census.
 |
| Greene County, Missouri Probate 1833 – 1899 10 |
- Son - Adam Teverbaugh: $1.00 (living on East Division Street in Springfield, Missouri)
- Son - Jacob Teverbaugh: $1.00 (living on East Division Street)
- Son - George Teverbaugh:$1.00
- Daughter - Mariah Teverbaugh Johnson: $1.00 (living in Springfield, Missouri)
- Daughter - Emma Teverbaugh McCraken -(living at 976 Broad Street in Springfield, Missouri) All earthly possessions including 140 feet of the lot on Weaver Street and extending east 140 feet on Broad Street. (Wow, she must have been the favorite daughter!)
Reflection: My Honest Assessment (Yes, My Opinion)
I decided to start writing on the issue of
Slavery in the Ozarks in October of 2019. Little did I know that such a topic would become a divisive and polarizing issue in 2020. I have also come to realize this topic can give a stigma to a writer if one does not fall within a certain demographic, but I am going to continue because it is important. Since I grew up on the
Missouri/Arkansas State-line, I feel compelled to examine this troubled era in the land I call home.
Many times, parsing of demographics can polarize opposing sides. Though we may not
be perfect, disdaining our unity, or Union, will drive our nation to
the precipice of another ideological divide and, God forbid, another
Civil War. Nevertheless, I will not change my focus. I am not trying to
be a sounding piece for any political party or ideology. I enjoy going back and looking at the primary & secondary documents. To the chagrin of a few with whom I have shared this information, I have been told either my facts are wrong or it does not fit the commonly held narrative. Other reviewers have supported my research. I endeavor to give historical insight within my posts. However, when I give my opinion on this website, I will commonly entitle my opinion as
a Reflection in my posts.
After studying the facts of Ozark slavery, its characters,
circumstances, and reasons are not always clearly distinguished at the onset. To me, the topics of Slavery and the Civil War seem like a
mud-puddle freshly trounced by a 10-year-old boy.
In the past 10 months, I have discovered and parsed over forgotten & misspelled names, happened across brier-infested farms & forsaken plantations, and visited the grave-sites of nameless bondsmen, half-known freedmen, former slave owners, helpless mothers & their children, mournful patriarchs, and participants constrained to act out of dire circumstances. I have smiled in admiration of the human spirit, cried over the depravity, and shook my head in the attempt to understand the era. Yet, every time I have left these plots of earth speechless, and I have shuffled away in awe over the vast circumstances and dynamics that tried the souls of our ancestors.
Human
Trafficking
There is one more caveat I would like to add concerning slavery. I have come to view this practice more than making someone work against their will and choice. Slavery is theft, robbery of the soul, and completely dehumanizing. In essence, it is also Human
Trafficking. Though all is deplorable, one prime commodity troubles me: slave children of the era. Furthermore, I have read
and witnessed sources of the era, and it was not confined to only "the
South." Northern citizens, yes those above the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on the commodity of women baring children, and some of these children farmed out and sold at the age of 1 to 2-years-old.
I have gone
to bed many times discovering 2 and 3-year-old children living in a white home without the solace of a mother's love or a father's guidance in their lives. Honestly, I have tossed myself out of slumber with the most nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach after reading such accounts. Simply, the
institution of
slavery negated any semblance of a nuclear family for the
African-Americans. I believe slavery is such an evil that it could only be hatched in the bowels of Hell.
It is not my goal to enflame past wounds, but I want to focus on the lessons of our history. I believe our American History cannot be summed up in a sound bite, news report, or an eye-pleasing graphic. Today, some people look at the intricate portrait of history, and they try to reconstruct or revise it with a
broad brush of assumptions. While on the contrary, history is a
multifaceted masterpiece that should be appreciated for its devious
flaws, glorious shortcomings, and events participated &
interrupted by our Heavenly Father's influence. As I am endeavoring to study slavery, it reveals our devious human heart, no matter our political aspirations or cultural & geographic alliances.
Giving Names to the Nameless,
Giving a Voice to the Voiceless, Even in Human Trafficking
In our future posts, we will begin to discover how Slavery & Human Trafficking was an integrated commodity of the Antebellum Period, and it was also in the Ozarks. As we look at different Ozark counties, we can see how profit and pleasure drove the market. But in all of this, I have found small solace in Names.
Names are identifying markers; it is who we are. It is one reason I love to visit cemeteries and read names out loud. I run my fingers over the etchings in stone or pull the overgrown grass & weeds from old field-stones. It helps me remember their names. In many of the slave documents, the names of the victims are not present, just the owners. Sometimes we discover the first name; and sometimes, we uncover a full name. But every time I find a name, I am compelled to verbally speak their name.
As I research history, I continually discover Human Trafficking was not only an American problem, it is a world problem even today. The prophet Jeremiah in the Bible surmises it as a heart problem:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV
So I ask you, Dear Reader, let us all seek the Father in Heaven who can bring light to our heart, break the chains of sin & bondage, and learn the lessons of our
Ozarks' History.
References:
1. 1860 U.S. Census: Falling
Spring, Ozark, Missouri; Page: 414; Family History Library Film: 803637.
2. Monks, William. A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas:
Being an Account of the Early Settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux,
and Times of Peace. West Plains Journal Company, 1907. p 60.
3. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules; The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29.
4. 1860 U.S. Census: Falling
Spring, Ozark, Missouri, Page: 414.
5. Hunter,
Tera W. Bound in Wedlock: Slave and Free Black Marriage in the Nineteenth Century.
Harvard University Press, 2017. p. 277.
6. 1860 U.S. Census: Falling
Spring, Ozark, Missouri, Page: 414.
7. 1870 U.S. Census: Campbell,
Greene, Missouri; Roll: M593_777; Page:121B.
8. Ibid.
9. Ancestry.com.
U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995: Springfield, Missouri, City
Directory, 1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2011.
10. Missouri, Wills and Probate Records,
1766-1988
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Author: Missouri. Probate Court (Greene County); Probate Place: Greene,
Missouri.
