Person:Jeremiah Vernon (3)

Miller Co Autogram

14 August, 1930

RELATIVES OF THE LATE JEREMIAH VERNON WHO CAME TO MILLER

COUNTY 100 YEARS AGO............

The annual Vernon reunion of Vernon Families of Moniteau, Miller and

Laclede counties was held at Bennett Spring State Park Sunday, Aug. 10, 1930.

Over two hundred were present including friends who came from a distance

to enjoy the big dinner and a social day together. The change in the weather

the day an ideal one for the picnic and everybody was in the best of spirits

despite the discouraging outlook at home.

Uncle Billy Vernon, of Moniteau County, is now the oldest Vernon living. He

has four brothers, Harvey, John and Frank of Eldon, and George Vernon of Caney, Kansas. Their grandfather, Jeremiah Vernon, came from Tennessee in an ox wagon to Missouri a little more than one hundred years ago and settled in

the north part of Miller county near the present location of Olean. Part of

this county at that time was almost a wilderness. Mr. Vernon entered 200 acres of land, cleared it and made of it a nice farm. He built a fine house as it was

considered at that time. It was constructed of nicely hewn logs, neatly fitted

together and divided into three rooms each 18 and 20 feet square. The

chimneys were built of stone. Mr. Vernon, who was a mason, did the work

himself.

GOES ON GOLD RUSH

Mr. Vernon lived on his 200-acre farm enjoyed the fruits of his labor and

the pleasure of his family until 1850, the time of the great gold rush to the

state of California. He then joined in with several other men and they fitted

up a wagon train and started West for the gold fields. He never reached his

destiniation, but died on the way. His companions made a coffin from his

wagon bed and buried him on a little plateau at the foot of the Sierra Nevada

Mountains and there his body lies in an unmarked grave.

There are a number of the kindred of the Vernons scattered throughout

this part of the state. The family is one of the oldest in the State.

Vernon, Jeremiah

Bequest: to wife, Betsy; after her death or remarriage to be equally divided among children;

seven of the children have married and the $80.00 they have secured will be deducted from their

part; to wit, Polly Starling, Nancy Long (having died and left an heir Mary Jane) William

Vernon, Sally Henderson, Charity Simmons, Leah Roark, Rebecca Starling

Executors:

Date Written: 30 April 1858

Witnessed: John and John E. Brockman. Pvd 16 Dec. 1850

Date Proved: 24-25 [jhv.ged]

Will of Jeremiah Vernon: taken from Miller Co. Records (those prior to 1870)

Death of Jeremiah Vernon:

Jeremiah Vernon upon hearing of the gold in California, in the year of 1850 left his family (some of his children were grown at the time) for the goldfields. He and his companions, George Stubblefield, James Taylor, William Stubblefield, William Long, Tandy Moore, and others made it to eastern California. It was here Jeremiah got sick with Bright's disease (an old term refering to kidney disease) and died. Before he had left on the trip he had constructed a new covered wagon, it was the bed of this that James Taylor, Tandy Moore, William Long and the others made his coffin. They had a service and buried him along the trail.

Name : Vernon Jeremiah

Bequest: to wife, Betsy; after her death or remarriage to be equally divided among children; seven of the children have married and the $80.00 they have secured will be deducted from their part; to wit, Polly Starling, Nancy Long (having died and left an heir Mary Jane) William Vernon, Sally Henderson, Charity Simmons, Leah Roark, Rebecca Starling

Executors:

Date Written: 30 April 1858

Witnessed: John and John E. Brockman. Pvd 16 Dec. 1850

Date Proved: 24-25

Marriage Notes for REBECCA STARK and JEREMIAH VERNON:

[jhv.ged]

Jeremiah Vernon and Betsy Stark met 28 Jul 1824, Cole Co., Missouri.