Clarissa Jane West^[1]

1860 - 1907  (46 years)

• Name	Clarissa Jane West  [2, 3]
  Birth	30 Oct 1860	Walbert/Gerald, Franklin Co., MO   [4, 5]
  	Pension Record: Ann Wilson as midwife gives written oath to birth birth record at http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/birthdeath/births.asp?id=142845 gives birth year as 1865 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189087312/clarissa-jane-blackwell gives birth day as 31 Oct 1861
  Gender	Female
  USR1	Paralysis
  Death	29 Mar 1907	Shotwell, Franklin Co., MO   [6, 7, 8]
  	At home. Shotwell was an early name of the area which became Gerald. “Shotwell, located in Township 42, Range 3 west, was so named by John Seaton, the first postmaster, from an incident which occurred in the pioneer days of the county. Mr. Alexander Gregory and an old Mr. Wages, pioneer settlers, each claimed the same deer lick, and both went to it one night to kill deer. The deer failed to appear, and, after waiting for a long time, each became aware of the other’s presence. They soon began firing at each other, and fired away all their ammunition, without personal injury to either. Shortly after this exciting but, as it turned out, harmless episode Mr. Seaton was appointed postmaster, and in honor of such good shooting named the postoffice Shotwell. The little village was built some years afterward, and the name, was, as a matter of course, applied to the village.”
  Burial	30 Mar 1907	Gerald, Franklin Co., MO   [7, 9]
  	New Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery. W.B. Adams conducted the service. (Clarissa’s name does not show up on Find-A-Grave.) Source: Friday, April 5, 1907 Republican Headlight - Franklin County Historical Society - Shotwell items: Mrs. Thomas Blackwell died at her home last Friday, March 29. She was laid to rest in the Friendship cemetery Sat. We extend our sympathy to the bereaved.
  Person ID	I665	Schrock-Birkey Connection
  Last Modified	23 Jun 2020

  
  

  Father	John William (Westley?) West,   b. Abt 1834, Franklin Co., MO d. 5 Mar 1862, Birds Point, Mississippi, MO (Age ~ 28 years)
  Mother	Mary Jane Ankrum,   b. 1838, MO d. 11 Oct 1908, Gerald, Franklin Co., MO (Age 70 years)
  Marriage	31 Aug 1854	Franklin Co., MO
  	Franklin Co. Marriages, Union, MO Bk B p.230 #271
  Notes	by John Seaton, Justice of the Peace
  Family ID	F295	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	James William Henry Thomas (Tom) Blackwell,   b. 2 May 1862, Franklin Co., MO d. 7 Jan 1938, Lanes Prairie, Maries Co., MO (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	30 Apr 1882	Shotwell, Franklin Co., MO   [3, 10]
  Children	1. John Newton Blackwell,   b. 7 Feb 1883, Leasburg, Franklin Co., MO d. 7 Dec 1951, Gerald, Franklin Co., MO (Age 68 years)   2. Henry T. Blackwell,   b. 8 Mar 1884, Leasburg, Crawford Co., MO d. 27 Nov 1954 (Age 70 years)   3. Mary Jane Blackwell,   b. 27 Jun 1885, Boone Twp., Franklin Co., MO d. 9 Sep 1946, Saint Louis, MO (Age 61 years)   4. Effie Louella Blackwell,   b. 6 Jul 1889, Walbert/Gerald, Franklin Co., MO d. 30 Apr 1964, Gibson City, Ford Co., IL (Age 74 years)   5. Ada Marie Blackwell,   b. 22 May 1894, Franklin Co., MO d. 16 May 1983, Union, Franklin Co., MO (Age 88 years)   6. Bertha Villean Blackwell,   b. 3 Jun 1903, Bourbon, Crawford Co., MO d. 29 Nov 1960, Jefferson City, Cole Co., MO (Age 57 years)
  Family ID	F288	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Jun 2020

  
  

• Event Map

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  Birth - 30 Oct 1860 - Walbert/Gerald, Franklin Co., MO Marriage - 30 Apr 1882 - Shotwell, Franklin Co., MO Death - 29 Mar 1907 - Shotwell, Franklin Co., MO Burial - 30 Mar 1907 - Gerald, Franklin Co., MO  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  Clarissa Jane West (1860-1907) Clarissa with daughter, Bertha

  
  

• Notes

  OBIT: Source: Friday, April 5, 1907 Republican Headlight Franklin County Historical Society Again the Angel of Death has entered our threshold and taken from our midst Mrs. Clarissa Blackwell, the beloved wife of Thomas Blackwell of Gerald. Clarissa West was born near Walbert Oct 31, 1861 and was married to Thomas Blackwell May 1, 1882 and died March 29, 1907, age 45 years, 5 months, and 89 days. Deceased leaves to mourn her untimely death a husband, two sons, four daughters, an aged mother, one brother and two sisters. She was stricken Sunday morning March 24 with paralysis and while everything was done that could be done by human hands, she grew rapidly worse and all realized the case to be hopeless from the start. To the bereaved family our hearts go out in sympathy. Could we but relieve one pain and thus help them to bear their burden, we feel the bitter pangs of giving up a loving wife and mother. In her death, the husband has lost an affectionate wife and the children a fond and loving mother and the community an esteamable neighbor. The remains were tenderly laid to rest in the New Friendship cemetery Sat, March 30, in the presence of a large concourse of sorrowing relatives and friends. Rev. W. B. Adams conducted the funeral services with two fitting and appropriate sermons, one at the residence and the other at the cemetery, each paving a beautiful tribute to the faith she embraced while yet in her tender years. —————— Place name:Shotwell - https://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_franklin.html Description:A former post office in the northwest part of Boone Township, about one mile east of the present Gerald. The post office was established in 1855 and discontinued in 1907. Shotwell was probably a local family name; at least one Shotwell is known to have lived in the eastern part of the county. Cf. the Illmo (formerly Shotwell) Mines, above. No record remains, however, of the origin of the name. The temptation to invent an etymological explanation was irresistible, and at least two typical but contradictory stories are current locally. One tells of an early shooting affray between two pioneers who claimed the same deer lick. They met on a dark night and began shooting at each other until they had used up all their ammunition without inflicting any injuries. In mockery of their bad marksmanship, John Seaton, the first postmaster, decided to call the new post office Shotwell. Others ascribe the name to some particular exhibition of good shooting. All the explanations cannot be true, and place names seldom originate in particular incidents anyway. (Postal Guide; COUNTY ATLAS 1878, 13; HIST. FRANKLIN, 337; Kile's BIOG. DIR., 210; Miss Johnson: G.F. Duerr; J.A. Schroeder; Dr. W.P. Fitzgerald)Source:Harrison, Eugenia L. "Place Names Of Four River Counties In Eastern Missouri." M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1943. ********************************************** Home in 1880: Boone, Franklin, Missouri, USA  Mary J. West 40 f/w wd farming Iowa  George M. West 23 son mar. MO [lined out-error] Harriett V. West 20 dil mar. MO [lined our-error] Virginia A. West 1 f/w gd MO [lined out-error] *Clarissa J. West 20 dau sgl MO Rachel Smith 17 dau MO Sarah F. Smith 14 dau MO ****************************************** ——————————— Shotwell items: Mrs. Thomas Blackwell died at her home last Friday, March 29. She was laid to rest in the Friendship cemetery Sat. We extend our sympathy to the bereaved. [Source: Friday, April 5, 1907 Republican Headlight - Franklin County Historical Society] [9]

  
  

• Sources

  [S1] Donna Schrock Birkey, Personal knowledge and family records. [S33] Joe Miller, West Family Research, Last name only. [S1138] Marriage Record of James William Henry Thomas (Tom) Blackwell and Clarissa Jane West. [S66] Missouri Early Births, 1863-1892, Bk A, p.30. [S47] John W. West Pension Records. [S73] Autobiography Mamie Park Cender. [S386] Clarissa Jane West obituary. [S115] Goodspeed, History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri, (Originally published by Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago 1888--------Ramfre), Naming of Shotwell. [S1060] Find-A-Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189087312/clarissa-jane-blackwell. [S91] Marriage Record of Thomas Blackwell-Clarissa Jane West.