Cornelius D. Broyles (1811 - 1903)

Born 2 Jan 1811 in White County, Tennessee

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Broyles — married about 1833 in White County, Tenn.

Husband of Elizabeth (Noffsinger) Cline — married about 1848 in Nodaway Co., Missouri

Husband of Mary Ann (Simpson) Brewer — married about 1868 in Nodaway Co., Missouri

Descendants

Died 3 Mar 1903 at age 92 in Maryville, Missouri

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Biography

Keith^[1] has substantial information on Cornelius D., a.k.a. Richard Broyles, provided by a daughter in 1936. From his "Day-Book" (c. 1831-1853) we get the names of his siblings and his children and their birth dates.

Richard is the name he went by. Why and when he changed his name is not known but everyone accepted the change.

In 1831 William Henry Harrison Yeager writes:

"There was one of my cousins came up to see us from White County, Tennessee, whose name was Richard Broils who stayed all winter and in the spring he went to New Orleans on a flat boat with a load of corn, and returned and stayed working at different places until September when he returned home on horseback.^[1]

The federal census records show him in White Co., Tenn., in 1840 but it is clear from the above and his obituary that he was in Missouri in some form or other in the 1830's. He was part of the Broyles family migration from White Co. to Nodaway and Laclede Cos. in Missouri.

Obituaries

Obituary:^[2]

"Richard Broyles, probably the oldest resident of Nodaway county, died at his home in Green township Sunday night, aged over 92 years. He was born in East Tennessee in 1810 and came to Missouri in 1836, spending the first winter in St. Joseph, where his wife died.

In 1837 he came to Nodaway county and located in what is now Green township, where he has lived ever since. For almost fifty years he hardly left the county and his first ride on the cars was from Maryville to St. Joseph about fifteen or twenty years ago.

Mr. Broyles was married in Tennessee before coming to Missouri. His wife died the first year he was here and he was afterwards married again. His second wife dying he was married the third time, his last wife surviving him.

To the Tennessee marriage three sons and a daughter were born. Two of the sons of this marriage, Asa and Jeff, live in Nodaway county. The other son, Solomon, was at one time chief of police at St. Joseph. He is dead.

To the second marriage three sons were born, all of whom are dead. Four children were born to the last marriage, three of whom are still living.

During his entire life Mr. Broyles never had a sick spell until the one that caused his death. As a young man he was of collossal height and build, being over six feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds. For the last few years he weighed only 150 and had become considerably stooped. He had used tobacco for eighty years.

The funeral will occur Tuesday at the Cain cemetery."

The Republican, Maryville, Missouri, April 2, 1903:

Broyles, Richard - Richard Broyles, familiarly known as "Uncle Dicky," died at his home southwest of Maryville, Sunday night March 16, 1903, aged nearly 93 years.

He was born in 1810, and grew to manhood there. He married there and had three sons, Asa, Jeff, and Solomon, and a daughter, born there.

About 1840 he moved to Missouri and settled in St Joseph [Missouri], where his wife died.

In 1841 he came to Nodaway county, which had ever since been his home. He married the second time after moving to Nodaway county, by which union he had three sons, all of whom are dead. He married Widow Brewer as his third wife, by whom he had four children all of whom are living but one. Solomon, who was at one time on the St Joseph police force, died there a few years ago, while Asa and Jeff, both reside in Nodaway county and have children and grandchildren.

Uncle Dicky was always stout and healthy, never having been sick until he was taken down by his final disease. He was buried Tuesday in Cain Cemetery.

Nodaway Democrat, Maryville, Missoui, April 2, 1903:

Broyles, Richard - Death of Old Resident - Richard Broyles died Sunday night at the residence of his son, A.C. Broyles, northwest of town. Mr Broyles had lived to a ripe old age being 92 years old the second day of last January. He was born in the eastern part of Tennessee in 1811. He came to Missouri in 1840 and located in Buchanan County. He soon moved to Nodaway county and has lived here ever since.

He was married three times. His last wife survives him. By the first marriage there were four children. Two of these children, A.C. Broyles and Jeff Broyles live in this county. Five children were born to the second marriage. They are all dead. By the third marriage, four children were born, three of whom are living.

The deceased was never sick until his last illness. In his younger days, he was a large man weighting about 180 or 190 pounds. His death seemed to be caused by a general breaking down. He has 15 living grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren, and 5 great, great grandchildren. He has lived to see his fifth generation.

When he came from Tennessee to Missouri, his father gave him these words as a motto, "Do unto others as ye would that others do unto you," and he always remembered them and shaped his life by them.

The funeral was conducted Tuesday at 10 o'clock at Wesley Chapel by Rev Campbell of Skidmore. Burial in Cain Cemetery.

Obituary:

Richard Broyles Dies; Funeral to Be Monday

Richard R. Broyles, age 76, died at 4 o'clock this morning at St Francis hospital where he had been a patient the last six weeks. He lived in Clearmont 40 years and had lived in Maryville the last 12 years.

Funeral services will be held at 8 o'clock Monday morning at St Mary's church of which he was a member. Burial will be in St mary's cemetery.

He was born May 22, 1871, in Nodaway county the son of the late Mr and Mrs Richard Broyles.

He is survived by one son, Donald Broyles, Shenandoah; six daughters, Mrs Robert Spangler, Braddyville, Ia; Mrs Hazel Carroll, St Joseph; Mrs Dan Quaschnick, Stockton, Calif; Miss Mildred Broyles, Antioch, Calif; Mrs Galen McGinnis, Conway, Ia; and Mrs LeRoy Moss, Denver, Colo.; one sister, Mrs Charles Ferguson, Burlington Junction; 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Reminiscence

Broyles Family History (transcribed by Pat Combs O'Dell: genpat@netins.net) Maryville Daily Democrat, Maryville, Missouri, Friday, January 9, 1891

FOUR SCORE YEARS Richard Broyles, of this City, Reached the Eightieth Mile Post, January 2, 1891

We were shown a letter by Mr Broyles written by his father, Samuel T. Broyles, who lived at Sparta, Tennessee, dated January 29, 1841, and thinking, perhaps, by interviewing our aged friend, we might obtain quite a history of the frontier life, etc., at the time he came to this county, we sought his cheerful fireside, last evening, and with the aid of his estimable wife, we learned the following:

Richard Broyles was born in East Tennessee, near Knoxville, in the year 1811. When but a small boy his parents moved to White county, that State, and in the year 1831, he married Miss Broyles--his third cousin, and aunt of Mrs Joseph Jackson of this city--where he lived till the spring of 1840, when he, in company with Wm Broyles, father of Mrs Joseph Jackson, emigrated to Bloomington, Buchanan county, Missouri, their journey being very tedious, and as oxen were used for transportation, the time occupied in making the trip was about thirty days. When the party arrived at St Joseph, the only place where goods were offered for sale was by a Mr Roubideaux, which at that time was known as a trading post for the Indians. Where St Joseph now stands was a large cornfield then. During that year Mr Broyes' first wife died, leaving four sons, Asa, Jefferson, Saul and Samuel, to be cared for by their father, who during his journey to Nodaway county, which was in the fall of 1840, was compelled to carry them turn about on his back, in order to lighten the load of his faithful oxen. When Mr Broyles landed in Nodaway county he "squatted" on some land now known as the Marlin farm, near Skidmore, and worked for Mr Vinsonhaler, father of Mr George Vinsonhaler, of this city. The old settler found the land to be wild, timber very scarce, and they did not lack wild meat, as game of all kinds was plenty. The nearest market and mill at that time were at Weston, and it took quite a while for the people to make the trip, as the oxen they used were very slow, and at times became stubborn, which gave them considerable trouble. In 1843 Mr Broyles took to himself his second wife, whose name was Mrs Cline. From this union five children were born, all of whom are dead. From 1843 till 1854 Mr Broyles pre-empted land in different parts of the county, but in 1854 entered 120 acres--which lies seven miles west of the city, and which he still owns. Mr Broyles entered this land under the Act of Congress of April 24, 1820, the papers signed by President Fillmore, October 1, 1852, which cost him in filling and surveying at the land office, then at Plattsburg, ten cows and calves, or an equivalent of $100. He also entered forty acres, south of his present farm, under the Act of Congress approved March 3, 1855, the warrant signed by President Buchanan, December 1, 1859. Mr Broyles remembers where the first house stood when he came to Maryville, it being in the vicinity of where Ellis & Prather's drug store now is, and the Court House--or log cabin--stood on South Main Street, somewhere near Toel's European Bakery and Restaurant. It is interesting to hear him talk of the hardships endured at that time. He says that after he located his land the timber was so small that he packed logs on his back and built a shanty, and to make them more ornamental they added the "dobe" chimney. He lived in his "mansion," as he called it, till he became able to build a good log house, the logs for which he hewed himself and had them hauled a long distance at night. In 1866 death entered his happy home and claimed for its victim his beloved wife, for whom Mr Broyles grieved until 1868, when he married the third time, his help meet being the person of Mrs Mary Brewer. Four children were born to them, viz: Anna, Richard, William (deceased) and Mary. All of the last named children are at home, whose presence are a comfort to the parents in their declining years. Mr Broyles' memory is still good, and he is well posted on the leading people of the day, while his wife, who is twenty-one years his junior, we found to be of a jovial disposition, and talks of her pioneer days as freely as her aged companion, who is still ambitious, and is contemplating returning to his fine farm and spend the balance of his days on the old homestead.

Thanking them for the above facts we tipped our hat, made our bow and took our departure for home.

U.S. Census

Third wife Mary Ann's children from her previous marriage are living with them in the 1870 and 1880 census.

1850 Census Nodaway County, Missouri; 24 Oct; #56.57 Richard Broyls, 39, m Tenn Elizabeth Broyls, 37 f Ohio Asal Broyls, 16 m Tenn Jefferson Broyls 14 m Tenn Solomon Broyls 12 m Tenn Samuel Broyls 10 m Tenn Frances Broyls 1 f Mo Mary Cline 11 f Ohio

1860 Census Nodaway County, Missouri; 22 Jul; #381.294 Richard Broyley, 49 m Tenn Elizabeth Broyley, 47 f Ohio Samuel Broyley, 20 m Tenn Frances Broyley 12 f Mo Cornelius Broyley 7 m Mo William Broyley, 2 m Mo

1870 Census Nodaway County, Green Twp, Missouri; 01 Aug; #162.154 Richard Broyles, 58, m Tenn Mary A. Broyles, 38 f Mo Joseph B. Brewer, 19 m Ill Thomas Brewer, 17 m Ill Edwin Brewer, 10 m Ill Thomas Broyles, 13 m Mo Anna Broyles, 10/12 f Mo

1880 Census Nodaway County, Green Twp, Missouri; 01 Jun; #3.3 Richard Broyles, 69, Tenn NC Penn Mary Broyles, 48, Mo Ky Mo Anna Broyles, 11, f Mo Tenn Mo Richard Broyles, 9 m Mo Tenn Mo William Broyles 6 m Mo Tenn Mo Mary Broyles, 4 f Mo Tenn Mo Edwin Brewer 20 m step-son Ill Ill Mo Rosa Brewer 22 f step-dau Ill Ill Mo

1900 Census Nodaway County, Green Twp, Missouri; 04 Jun; #50.50 Asa Broyles, Sep 1833 67 m/47, Tenn Tenn Tenn Elizabeth J. Broyles, Oct 1833, 67, m/47, 8/3, Ky Ky Ky Richard Broyles, Jan 1811, 89, widow, father, Tenn Ky Va [sic, parents both born Tenn]

Sources

• DAR Ancestor #A016074

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Keith, Prof. Arthur Leslie, The Broyles Family, c. 1940, typescript, Cornelius D. Broyles, id#1118
2. ↑ Cemetery records by locale, FindAGrave.com
3. ↑ Roll 536, Page 42
4. ↑ District 64, Page 375
5. ↑ Quitman PO, Page 50
6. ↑ Green Twp., Page 21
7. ↑ Green Twp., E.D. 258, Page 1