West Plains, Mo.
West Plains Journal Co.
West Plains, Mo.
1907
Copyright 1907
by
William Monks
Introduction.
Now the author was born in the state of Alabama, in Jackson county, on
the north side of the Tennessee River, near Huntsville. He was the son
of James Monks and Nancy Monks. The father of James Monks came over
from Ireland during the Revolutionary War and served in that war until
the independence of the United States was acknowledged. Afterwards he
married a lady of English descent and settled down in the State of
South Carolina. His father died when he was but an infant. His mother
removed to the state of Tennessee, being left with five children, James
being the youngest. Growing up to manhood in that state, he removed to
the north part of the state of Alabama and there married Nancy Graham,
who was a daughter of Jesse Graham. They were originally from the state
of Virginia.
James Monks enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Indian
war that was known as the Seminole war, in the state of Florida. After
his term of service had expired he returned home and sold his farm and
had a flatboat built and placed in the Tennessee River near Gunters
Landing, with the intention of moving to the state of Florida. Taking
his brother-in-law, a Mr. Phillips, on the boat with him, they went
down the river by Decatur, were piloted through the Mussell Shoals, and
at the foot of the shoals at what is known as Tuscumbia, the writer
remembers seeing a part of the Cherokee Indians that were being removed
from the state of Alabama to their present location. The writer can
remember seeing the Cherokee Indians before they were removed from the
state of Alabama.
On reaching Southern Illinois, eight miles from Paducah, my father
landed his boat and looked over the country and came to the conclusion
that that country was good enough, and located in what was then Pope
County. Afterwards they cropped a piece off of Pope and a piece off
of Johnson, and created a new county and named it Massack, after the
old government fort, and located the county seat, named Metropolis. My
father resided nine years in that state, then sold out and started to
move to the state of Texas. On arriving in Fulton county, Arkansas, he
concluded to locate in that county.
Soon after his arrival, in the latter part of June or July, 1844, the
writer was employed to carry the United States mail from Salem, the
county seat of Fulton County, to Rockbridge, then the county seat of
Ozark county, Missouri. My father and mother taught me to be loyal to
my government from my earliest remembrance, and I don't think that
two persons more honest than they ever lived. They taught me from my
earliest recollection to be honest and upright, and I have tried, and
believe I have lived up to their teaching to the very letter; and no
man or woman before the war, during the war, nor since the war, can say
anything else and tell the truth. Religiously, my father and mother
were Baptists, and I believe that they were Christians.