MCCUNE AND JACKSONVILLE AREA SETTLERs
THE TWO MCCUNE FAMILIES
There were two McCune families which had settled in Osage Township prior to the actual establishment of the town; both played important roles in its early history. Incredibly, both patriarchs bore the same first name; however, it appears from early news articles that they went by different nicknames. I distinguish them according to their roles and their nicknames: Isaac “Uncle Ike” McCune - the founder, and Isaac Van Buren “I.V.” McCune - the builder. Let’s find out more about these two important early families.
Isaac and Margaret Law McCune were married Jan. 27, 1848 in Pike County, Illinois. The family, including five children, first came to the area in 1866 settling in Bourbon County. Then, in 1869, they acquired a farm of 240 acres in Osage Township, Crawford County. Forty acres of this farm would be platted and become the town which bears his name.
the founding family
Isaac V.B. and Elizabeth A. Hill McCune were married Jan. (or Feb.) 11, 1858 in Pike County, Illinois. The family came to Osage Township, Crawford County with their daughter Emma (10-12 yrs old) sometime prior to 1870. I.V. is credited in at least one account as having built the second business house in the town in “the fall following the year the town was platted.
THE BUILDING FAMILY
more MCCUNE AND JACKSONVILLE AREA SETTLers
McCune would not be considered a “railroading” town like its neighbors Parsons or Cherokee which had multiple lines intersecting in their municipalities. It did come into existence, however, because of the railroad. Before the town was platted and the steel was laid through Uncle Ike’s farm there were small communities, churches, schools, and even a post office in the area. The community of Monmouth already existed and just to the northeast, about six miles, there was a platted, established town named Jacksonville which, at that time, was the second largest town in Neosho County. By and large, though, the populace supporting these public services were farmers which had settled in the area - mainly along Lightning and Hickory Creeks. Let’s take a closer look at some of these early families.
William Walter and Elizabeth R. (Cowherd) Smith were married March, ll, 1841 in Orange County, Indiana. After a brief residence near Warsaw, Missouri, the couple, along with their four daughters and four sons, settled on a farm about a mile east of Jacksonville. Their son, Nathan Marion, would marry Cora Belle Wilson, the daughter of one of McCune’s earliest merchants, Sevier Wilson. The Smiths and the Wilsons are the author’s great-great Grandparents.
WILLIAM W. AND ELIZABETH R. (COWHERD) SMITH
In the very near future, I look forward to providing more information on these families that settled in the Jacksonville area and played important roles in McCune area history.
The jett family
THE McCASLIN FAMILY
THE AMEND FAMILY