Person:Michael Kerns (5)

Information on Michael Karnes

F. Landis Weaver writes:

Michael Karns Jr was born on 23 Sep 1770 in Bedford County, Virginia. H e was Administrator of his father's Estate in Bedford County in 1807. H e was living in 1825 in SW Lee County, Virginia, near Bales Iron Works. H e was living in 1837 in Agency, Buchanan County, Missouri (got land in S 5T56R34). He died on 19 Sep 1847 in Buchanan County, Missouri (SE of St . Joseph). He was buried in Pyne's Cemetery (SE of St. Joseph) Buchanan C ounty, Missouri.

Michael Karns (1770-1847) and Mary (Bales) Karns could both read and wr ite, as could their son, George Sampson Karns. This has been very helpf ul to family research, as numerous written records of their family have b een found. Furthermore, their migration to Buchanan County, Missouri in 1 837, and the fact that many of their descendants still live in that are a, has provided over 150 years of records from just one locality. The m igration by the early 1840's of Michael Jr's brother, Adam Kerns, and a y ounger cousin, James G. Karnes, to Buchanan County, Missouri have also s erved to enhance interest in family research within that locality.

Perhaps the most helpful information about Michael Jr. and Mary's famil y was recorded in their old Bible, which has been found and is currentl y in the possession of a descendant in a nearby Missouri County. The fa mily record pages have been photocopied and placed in the collections o f the Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society Library, in St. Joseph, M issouri. Michael Jr. and Mary's children and their births were: Geals W hitson - 1805, Jonathan B. - 1806, Rachel Dobkins - 1808, Leah W. Speak - 1 810, Noah - 1813, Ann Poe - 1816, John N. - 1818, Prudence Howard - 182 0, George Sampson - 1821, Mary -1825, and James C. - 1825. (married sur names of girls are shown)

Michael Karns Jr. had purchased 165 acres of land in Bedford County, Vi rginia in 1795. The land was located from the top of Sharps Mountain an d down the northeastern slope. This was near the eastern base of Sharp T op, Peaks of Otter, and about 1/2 mile southwest of his father's land ( his brother Abraham owned the land between them). Located directly betw een Michael Jr. and the Kelso Mill intersection was the 364-acre tract, w hich was formerly owned by William Armstrong, and purchased by Elisha B eales of York County, Pennsylvania in 1794. It is believed that Polly B ales was a niece of Elisha Beales and was living on his land, as a next -door neighbor to Michael Karns Jr., when they were married in 1803.

When Michael Karnes Sr. died in 1807, Michael Karns Jr. was the only ex ecutor named in the will who was still a resident of Bedford County, Vi rginia. (Abraham had moved to Adair County, Kentucky). Michael Karns Jr . and the famous Bedford lawyer, Christopher Clark, obtained permission t o administer the estate of Michael Karnes Sr. Some of Michael Jr's acco unts were recorded in the Bedford will books, and there may be other pr obate records that have not yet been found. The 3000 acres of land in M ason County was sold in 1814 by Michael Jr. and Christopher Clark, as s hown in Mason County Deed Books. No corresponding Estate distribution r ecords have yet been found in Bedford County, Virginia. There is no evi dence that any of Michael Sr's children ever settled on any of that lan d.

The disposition of the rest of Michael Sr's Estate lands in Bedford Cou nty is rather obscure, and the records are confusing. Christopher Clark w as known to have bought the rights to some of that land. There was a te rrible land devaluation in about 1820, and some deeds shortly after tha t time indicate that Michael Jr. had to mortgage a large part of his fa ther's estate. It's quite possible that nearly all of it was lost by ab out 1825. There are a few records which indicate the possibility that E lizabeth continued to live on possible "dower" land with her son Moses, a nd that the dower-land might have consisted of about 100 acres, located a bout 1/2 mile north of the Kelso Mill intersection, on the west side of t he old Peaks Road.

Michael Jr. and Mary (Bales) Karns left Bedford County in about 1825, a nd moved to Lee County, Virginia. Mary's family had established an iron b usiness in western Lee County, near the Tennessee state line, and just e ast of the Cumberland Gap. It's possible that economic hardship had bef allen them in Bedford County from the severe land devaluation, and that t hey moved to Lee County to seek a livelihood in the iron business (know n as Bales Iron County) that Mary's family owned. There are no records f rom Lee County, Virginia or Claiborne County, Tennessee to show that Mi chael Jr. could ever afford to buy any land in that area. Their oldest s on and their 2nd two oldest daughters were married while they were livi ng there. A Lee County Deed of 1831 (Book 6, page 288) shows that Micha el Jr. gave some furniture and personal effects to his married daughter s, and expressed his intent to move. It is believed that shortly after t hat time, he crossed the Cumberland Gap in a covered wagon, and possibl y moved through Russell County, Kentucky where many of his brothers liv ed.

By 1837, the Platte Purchase of Northwest Missouri was opened up for se ttlement, and Michael Jr. & Mary Karns arrived in their covered wagon a t the old Indian Agency (now called "Agency", in Buchanan County, Misso uri). A biographical sketch of the family migration, which was written b y George Sampson Karns and published in 1893, states that the entire fa mily had only $5.05 in money when they arrived at Agency. The land was h eavily timbered rolling hills, with rich soil and very few rocks. It wa s nearly perfect for settlers who were willing to work hard to clear it a nd farm it. The Government sold the land for $1.25 per acre, but pre-em ption rights allowed the settlers to sign up for the land, with no mone y "down"; and pay for it several years later. This allowed people with n o money to clear the land and plant crops to raise the money to pay for t heir land; and that's exactly what the Michael Karns Jr. family did.

Although the Michael Karns Jr. family were among the earliest settlers o f Buchanan County, Missouri, many of their old neighbors from Bedford C ounty, Virginia soon moved into the area to join them. Wood, Dooley, Ki rkwood and other families became their neighbors. Polly Wood, who had p reviously run "Polly's Ordinary" as the first accommodations for visito rs to the Peaks of Otter, joined three of her sons in Buchanan County i n 1843, and she died there in 1854. When her three sons died, George Sa mpson Karns inventoried all of their Estates.

Michael Karns Jr. died 19 Sep 1847. At that time, the title to his land h ad not been proved, and he was buried about 1/4 mile west, in the Pyne' s Cemetery. His son, John N. Karns, was able to get clear title to Mich ael Jr's land, and an adjoining 80 acres, in 1848. The Karns Cemetery w as started on that land in about 1850. Mary (Bales) Karns died 5 Dec 18 63, and was buried in the Karns Cemetery. Several of her children and g randchildren were also buried near her. The Karns Cemetery is seldom ac cessible by vehicle, and was abandoned and is partly overgrown. Many of t he younger generations of the Karns family were buried in the Ebenezer C hurch Cemetery, located about 1/2 mile northeast of the old Karns Cemet ery. Many of the children of later generations were female. The Karns s urname is no longer common to the area, although many descendants with o ther surnames still live in the vicinity.