Missouri Price Thompson’s parents, John Thompson and Priscilla Williams Thompson (before mentioned), clearly were proud about their home state when their sixth child and fourth daughter (out of twelve total) was born. Her name had a patriotic ring about it. Her middle name of Price likely was after the Confederate States Army’s General Sterling Price, for a while a neighbor and possibly a general that John and/or his brothers served under.
Missouri’s family lived in Howard County, Missouri, within the area known as “Little Dixie.” Her father owned a comparatively successful farm there.
It is not known how Missouri met her husband James Lafayette Warford. He was not an immediate neighbor during census years, although his family moved several times and may have briefly been so. There is evidence that one reason Missouri’s father-in-law moved so much was because of being “read out” of the church for drunkenness.
A few things can be theorized about her life through the lens of her husband and her children. She married James Lafayette (“Bud”) Warford in Howard County on 28th Feb 1883 at her parents’ home by a Baptist minister. She could read and write, while her husband could not. Her son John Samuel (“Sam”), named after his two grandfathers, was born eleven months later. The only other child born to the couple was Thomas Lafayette four years after his brother in 1888.
The couple may have owned a farm in Randolph County. However, most of his adult life, Bud was a renter with various jobs: farmer, railroad worker, miner, and blacksmith.
Tragedy struck in 1896 when Missouri contracted tuberculosis. She died of the disease on 3 June of that year, leaving Bud with eight year old and twelve year old sons. Bud remarried two years later.
At some point in their childhood, Tom (Eleanor’s father) and his older brother were taken into the household of Dr. Charles Burkhalter of Higbee, Missouri. This was a fortuitous event for the boys, as there they were much loved and well cared for. Sam died at age 18 in 1902 of a ruptured appendix. Though a student at the time, during the summer, Sam worked in the mines. While dying, he sang hymns and asked his father to warn others to refrain from drunkenness and sin. A newspaper article states that Dr. Burkhalter had adopted the boys, but another article stated that Sam’s father, perhaps meaning Bud though it is not stated, delivered a message while at Sam’s funeral to turn from sin.
Tom’s life followed a much different course as will be seen in a separate entry about him.
One must wonder if life might have been different for this little family had Missouri lived. It appears her husband lost the farm sometime after her death. And though her husband raised the children of his second wife, Missouri’s boys were taken in by the doctor who perhaps took pity upon the boys.
I wonder if reading between the lines makes this story one of tragedy; a life not one her parents might have hoped for. She seems sad to me in her portrait, and I hope her married life was not one of woe.
A sad tale. So many died of TBC and, at a young age, left loved ones behind. Let’s hope Missouri had a good life before falling ill. She looks sad in the portrait but in those days people didn’t smile for portraits.
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