Joel Thomas Hembree (1824 - 1913)

Born 21 Oct 1824 in Roane, Tennessee, United States

Husband of Nancy Caroline (Wilhoit) Hembree — married about 28 Feb 1850 (to about 1854) in Roane, Tennessee, United States

Husband of Nancy (Hayes) Hays — married about 1857 (to 19 Jan 1864) in Missouri, United States

Husband of Sarah Jane (Marcum) Hembree — married 20 Mar 1864 (to 1913) in Dade, Missouri, United States

Descendants

Died 21 Aug 1913 at age 88 in Missouri, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kenneth Martinez [send private message]

Biography

Joel was born in 1824. He had three wives and numerous children. He passed away in 1913.

Note

1st twenty-six years of Joel’s life was spent in that area before moving on. After growing to manhood in Roane County on the twenty-eighth day of February, 1850 he married his first wife, cousin Nancy Caroline Hembree, daughter of Col. Joel Hembree and Polly Wilhite. Joel Thomas and Nancy made their home in Roane County for a short time. Their first child, Charles Carlton Hembree was born there October tenth, 1853. The family patriarch Isaac Lyon Hembree was moving in the westward journey to new lands in Missouri. They decided to follow.

After moving to Missouri, Nancy returned to Roane County to visit family and friends. She took ill during the visit and died in Roane County. Joel & Nancy’s son Charles was left with maternal grandfather, Col. Joel Hembree who later placed him with the family of a Dr. Jordan to raise and educate.

As Joel was growing up he must have began to wonder about all the relatives who were also named Joel. He was less than a year old when his grandfather, Joel B. Hembree, died on February sixteenth, 1825, but there were still relatives all about that were using his name. In addition to his grandfather, other relatives named Joel were: An uncle, Col. Joel Hembree, b. 25 Mar. 1796, Spartanburg, SC.

An uncle, Joel B. Hembree, Jr., b. 26 Nov. 1804, Spartanburg, SC.

A cousin, Joel Jordan Hembree, b. 7 Dec. 1804, Spartanburg, SC.

A cousin, Joel Blackburn Hembree, b. 18 June 1827, Roane County, TN.

A cousin, Joel Dallas Hembree, b. 16 June 1840, Roane County, TN.

A cousin, Joel B. Hembree, b. 20 June 1846, Sumner County, TN.

2 other Joel Hembree’s, the exact relationship, still unknown.

All of the above lived in Roane County prior to Joel Thomas leaving in 1854. It seems the family liked the name so much that two of the above were really named Joseph but were always known as Joel, and listed as Joel on some census records. Joel also apparently liked the name as on May twenty-eighth 1875, he and his third wife, Sarah Jane Marcum b. December twenty-ninth 1843, named their son Joel Marcum Hembree.

It was in Dade County, Missouri where Joel Thomas settled. He was a successful farmer of some twelve hundred acres, a County Judge and later the proprietor of Challange Mills in Greenfield, Missouri. On April twentieth, 1855 he chose Nancy Hayes for his second wife. Nancy was born 1834, in Indiana, the daughter of Andrew E. Hays, born September twenty-seventy 1787, died February twenty-second, 1882 and Hannah Hays, born December ninth, 1792, died July nineteenth, 1872. This marriage also ended with the death of his wife, as Nancy died January nineteenth, 1864. Nancy and Joel had three boys and one girl. Joel’s third wife was Sarah Jane Marcum, born December twenty-ninth 1843, the daughter of John W. Marcum and Melissa Craig Marcum. Sarah Jane and Joel had five boys and five girls. Thus, Joel’s family consisted of three wives, and sixteen children, all raised in Dade County, Missouri except for the boy in Tennessee who grew up to become the Reverend Charles C. Hembree.

Joel Thomas Hembree was in Dade County, Missouri when he answered the call to service during the Civil War. It is during his military service that he wrote a letter, a line from which came the idea for the title “A Stake in the Ground”. I find the letter humorous, but it also related to the conditions of the day. It speaks loudly as to his character in that he saw a duty and attempted to serve it as best he knew how; even if it meant telling the General a few facts. Since the letter is part of the military record which is Public Domain, and over 100 years old, and therefore, not subject to copyright, it is copied in full: Greenfield, MO. June 14, 1864 Brig. Gen. J.B. Sanborn, Commanding at Springfield, MO:

GENERAL: Although I am a stranger and a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, I have the presumption to write you a few lines on the condition of things out west. I am just in from Lamar, where my company is stationed at his time, and has been since March last, and has affected nothing in the way of putting down the rebellion. With their present strength they never will effect anything, from the fact that they are just like a stake drove down in the middle of a big road. The rebels can go on either side and we cannot help it, from the fact that we are too weak. If we divide and send out a scout we are left too weak at the post to affect anything, and the scout is too weak to do anything, for when you divide 40 men you have not many in either squad. The rebels know our strength and condition generally, and when they pass through they go in squads of 80 to 100 men.

Then when we run on them they whip us, and we have to skedaddle, which tends to encourage them rather than any other way.

Another thing in this arrangement is, in protecting Lamar we protect 1 grocery keeper, 1 doctor, 1 lawyer, 1 member of the Legislature, and some 3 jayhawkers, about 10 acres in corn, some 4 or 5 little gardens, a few stolen sheep, some milk cows, and some half dozen horses. Now this is what the post at Lamar amounts to, when, if we had more men, we might kill some of those fellows going north; or, if there are no more men to spare, if we were stationed in some neighborhood where people are at work we would encourage them to work by our presence, even if we were to weak to afford them any real protection, but as it is the post at Greenfield and the one at Lamar are 30 miles apart; then 35 miles to Fort Scott, and no one living between Greenfield and Fort Scott but a very few families, so the rebels have full sway. On the 12th instant about 100 rebels passed this side of Lamar, about 10 miles, going north. They robbed 3 women of 2 horses, all their provisions, and some clothes. The women were traveling.

We do not ask to be moved from Lamar particularly. All we ask is to be placed in a condition that we can do something. I presume, if it was necessary, it could be proven that this member of the Legislature is in partnership with the Kansas jayhawkers. I do not set myself up as an adviser or dictator, but I am for doing something, if I can be placed in a condition that I can do something.

I am, yours, with respect, JOEL T. HEMBREE, Second Lieut. Co. E, Seventh Prov. Regt., E. Mo. Mil. Joel Thomas Hembree would not have wanted to be just “A Stake in the Ground”, unless, as a family man, a County Judge, a community leader, and a believer in God his stake in the ground was an anchor for many.

information from Branches & Leaves, Volume 8 Bob Hembree

Sources

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/7664736?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2277307552544246637278526e4e31524654392f2f754e313252676958797336593454425657444e2b714f413d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d Joel 1st marriage Nancy C Hembree

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16798059/nancy-hembree?_2nd wife, son Isaac A Hembee list her as mother, Nancy Hays

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/7698702?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a227a683230427165664e71443370596751414568387968775664702b303652543564652f344e4b65533737553d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d Joel T 3rd marriage Sarah J. Marcum

Unsourced family tree handed down to Kenneth Martinez.