Home Surname List Name Index Sources | Second Generation8. Silas Peters13,28,29,30,31 was born on 26 January 1817 in Anderson County, Tennessee. He appeared in the census in 1840 in Lafayette County, Missouri. p.150 Silas Peters 00001-1001, Silas himself was age 20-29. He appeared in the census in 1850 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Sullivan County, Missouri, 31 Oct 1850; p.336a, dwelling number 416, family number 416; Peters Silas 34 m w farmer $600 TN; Ann 30 f w TN; Nancy 10 f w MO attended school; William 9 m w MO attended school; John 8 m w MO attended school; Elizabeth 6 f w MO attended school; Mary Ann 4 f w MO; Silas 2 m w MO; James 3/12 m w MO Silas appeared in the census in 1860 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Sullivan County, Missouri, 21 Jun 1860, Bowmansville PO, p.637, dwelling number 112, dwelling number 112, Peters Silas 44 m w farming $4000/$1635 TN, Anna 39 f w TN cannot R/W, John W. 15 m w farmhand MO attended school, Elizabeth 17 f w domestic MO, Mary 15 f w domestic MO attended school, Silas 13 m w MO attended school, James 11 m w MO attended school, Joseph 7 m w MO attended school, Daniel 5 m w MO, Richard 4 m w MO, George 2 m w MO He died on 7 June 1881 at the age of 64 in Humphreys, Sullivan County, Missouri. Cause of death was maybe rabies or an appenditis. He was buried about 8 June 1881 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Birth, marriage, and death data is from the personal family records of Ivah Bessie Peters. A number of careful researchers believe that Silas Peters who married Anna Powell was the son of James Henry Peters and Nancy Peters of Virginia. James and Nancy were cousins who married. For example, it is listed that way in "Historical Account of the Peters Family" compiled by June Louise (Shaull) Lutz in 1886. I believe that the following settles the issue in favor of Silas being the son of Tobias Peters and Elizabeth Scarborough of Anderson County, TN. (RGB) "Silas Peters and Anna Peters to John Key dated June 1, 1839
Silas was quite a hunter and trapper. He had a very large smoke house and often killed as many as 5O hogs during the winter, and hung the meat in this smokehouse. He would also have barrels of kraut, pickles, and sorghum. They dried apples, and the pumpkins were cut in rings and were hung on broomsticks and poles to dry. His house was quite a social center for the whole community, and they often had as many as 50 or 60 visitors on Sunday. Silas went to California during the big gold rush in 1852 and brought back a considerable sum of cold with which he bought 600 acres of land and built the big new frame house upon it. He was a great walker, thinking nothing of a 25 mile trip in one day. He was traveling horseback to California and ran out of water on the desert. His horse was so starved for water that it fought Silas, and he had to leave it and go on afoot. When he was nearly dead from thirst he came to a camp of friendly Indians, and they gave him water, only a teaspoonful at a time until he was able to drink more. (Note: Silas was enumerated both in Missouri and in California in 1850. I believe he must have traveled first to California in 1849 or 1850, rather than in 1852 as reported by Nada Pendergraft. RGB) The following was also sent to me by Joan McKinney. In a clipping from "The Kansas City Star" about 1935 was a whole page telling of a trip to the gold fields, of about 25 young men from around Independence, Mo. The leader was Bennett C. Clark, who had been Clerk of the County Court for 1840-1849. On April 11, 1849, Clark and 25 other young men met at Maston's bridge on the western edge of Werner and waited for a couple of friends. The first days drive took the Caravan to Indian Creek. They were breaking their mules gradually to the hardships of the trail, and ten miles of Missouri mud was enough for one day. That was May 3, 10 days later they picked up a Judge Story of Saline Co., Mo., and two voyagers and eight persons from Ohio. They had a hard time getting up the slippery banks of the Waukarusha Creek near Lawrence, Kansas, and ferried across the Kaw River near Le Compton, Kansas. Clark was Captain of the wagon train, his Diary was treasured by his late grandson Dr. B. Clark Hyde of Lexington, Mo. They kept up their spirits on the trip by "Gearing" at each other when the going was tough. June 12, they were in Wyoming, their mules were thin and the grass was short and it was raining. They reached South Pass June 24, 1849. They passed Fort Hall, Idaho, and found mosquitoes unbelievably large and blood thirsty. They found no gold at Goose Creek where the Mormons had found gold, but enjoyed very fine trout. On July 18,1849, Newton C. Peters ("Brother of our Silas") and Clark with Wm. T. Cole pressed on ahead of the rest to reach Sutton' s Fort and arrange for provisions. They were encouraged by the grass that looked like clover, blue grass and Timothy. But Sutters or Suttons Fort was leagues away and the wolves howled late at night. July 26 the wolves came too close to the wagon. July 27, they came with a company from Virginia, and listened to the negroes sing. The heat was terrible in the afternoons and they traveled by moonlight half of the night. There was 65 miles of dust, sand, and alkali, and bones of oxen, men and mules. They made the trip in three days. There was no grass and they found puddles of water that they mixed with flour to feed the mules. Truckee River looked like Paradise. The Diary ends August first with them in western Nevada. Clark was ill here, and friends took him to San Francisco. He returned to Missouri by ways of Panama, New Orleans, and St. Louis. Clark went back to Clerk of Court, and died an old man of many years. He had a long white beard, and was highly honored at Boonville when aged 71. Silas Peters and Anna Powell were married on 21 February 1839 in Odessa, Lafayette, Missouri. Anna Powell12,29,30, daughter of Richard Powell and Rachel James/Jeems, was born on 15 May 1821 in near Lexington, Lafayette County, Missouri. She appeared in the census in 1840 in Lafayette County, Missouri. Age 15-19, enumerated with her husband Silas Peters. She appeared in the census in 1850 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Ann 30 f w TN Anna appeared in the census in 1860 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Anna 39 f w TN cannot R/W She died on 27 January 1862 at the age of 40 in Sullivan County, Missouri. She was buried in Sullivan County, Missouri. !BIRTH-MARRIAGE-DEATH: Family Records
Silas Peters-6440 and Anna Powell-6441 had the following children:
Silas Peters and Catherine Jane Weston were married on 4 September 1862 in Sullivan County, Missouri. Catherine Jane Weston29,30,32, daughter of Harvey Weston and Mary Ann (Polly) Brown, was born on 25 March 1839 in Greeneville, Greene County, Tennessee. She died on 15 November 1899 at the age of 60 in Sullivan County, Missouri. She was buried after 15 November 1899 in Sullivan County, Missouri. !BIRTH-MARRIAGE-DEATH: Family Records Silas Peters-6440 and Catherine Jane Weston-6453 had the following children:
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