| John B. Selvey and Ann Elizabeth Crawford Selvey Jackson County, Missouri by David Clow |
| More Photos Needed |
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| John and Ann Crawford Selvey |
| John Selvey |
| John B. Selvey and Ann Elizabeth Crawford Selvey buried in Blue Springs, Missouri Cemetery |
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| John B. Selvey and Ann Elizabeth Crawford Selvey in Blue Springs,Missouri As you can see, little is known about the early Selveys. The first date we pin down is 1854 when JOHN B. SELVEY, my 2nd Great grandfather, is married to ANN ELIZABETH CRAWFORD in Jackson County on January 24. In February, the same year, John's brother Charles, marries Ann�s sister Armenia. John and Charles�s sister Amanda Selvey, married a gentleman named Sinclair. JOHN B. SELVEY, was born July 6, 1828 in West Virginia, he married, as stated before, ANN ELIZABETH CRAWFORD Jan. 24, 1854, in Jackson County Missouri. John and Ann had 11 children, all born in Jackson County. The children were, James Louis Jackson Selvey, Susan Elizabeth Selvey, ROBERT R. SELVEY, Sarah Francis Selvey, Amanda Elin Selvey, Harriet Lorenia Selvey, John Dee Selvey, Missouri Ann Selvey, William M. Selvey, Ida May Selvey, and Charles Elmore Selvey. The first child was born in 1855, and the last one in 1872. My Great grandfather ROBERT R. SELVEY was the 3rd of these children. Missouri had just become a new State in 1826, and the land around Blue Springs was some of the best in the state. Most of the Selvey land was south of Blue Springs and if your looking at a 1998 map you'll find it 2 to 3 miles south of old 40 highway on both the east and the west sides of Highway #7. South of Blue Springs three miles is where John B. Selvey lived. He had property in the northeast quarter of section 18. The house stood just about in the middle of that section just a little to the northeast. James Lewis Selvey lived in the next section, 17, and he lived on the extreme northeast quarter of that section. Northwest, in section 12, on an 1887 map, was another piece of property where John B. Selvey lived. Today when you cross the dam at Lake Jacomo, you�re on Liggett road, just as the road turns south you�re in section 12. This farm was known as the �Selvey Place� it�s on your left, and bordered by Liggett Rd. but the house set back to the east. This is a housing addition today. The old house was removed during the 1940�s. Charles Selvey remembered the fireplace in this house, he thought a fireplace was the worse designed piece of heating equipment in the world. You were ether hot or cold depending which side was toward the fire. Charles Selvey, John�s son lived just south of him in section 13. Ray Selvey, Charles�s son, lived 50 years on this property. Proceed south on Hwy. 7 to Colbern Road, turn east on Colbern, 2 miles on the south side is land previously owned by Matthew N. Selvey. In 1877 a Plat map was published for Jackson County and it show three separate Selvey properties. It is believed that John Selvey owned property near Atherton, Missouri. This land was on the Blue River where it joins the Missouri River. The majority of Jackson County residents in 1860 were of Southern heritage they had moved to Jackson County because of good soil, good water, and the cost of land was good also. They wanted to raise their families, plant their crops, and better their lives, but as early as 1855 there was trouble brewing over the slavery issues in Kansas. In 1854, a Kansas-Nebraska Act left the question of slavery up to the settlers. Most Jackson County residents wanted Kansas to have slavery, while the Abolitionists wanted it to be a free state. Friction soon developed between the two groups, which soon erupted in a bloody border war. For some seven years, violent guerrilla fighting was carried on by such men as Jim Lane, and John Brown. They terrorized the southern people in both the Kansas territory, and in the Missouri counties of Platte, Jackson, and Bates. This action was countered by bands of guerrillas commanded by William Quantrill on the Missouri side. The beginning of the civil war on April 12,1861 only served to increase the resentment and intensify the warfare. During the Civil War, the summer of 1863, a devastating blow of federal injustice besieged the Selvey family. Union military authorities had been arresting women and children suspected of aiding Quantrill and his men, or being sympathetic to the southern cause, and had imprisoned many of them in a badly dilapidated building at 1409 Grand Street in Kansas City. Among the girls held in the building was my Great Aunts Armenia Crawford Selvey and Susan Crawford Vandiver. In August, of 1863, Armenia Selvey and her son Jeptha Selvey, 7 years old, had been imprisoned in the old building. Along with them were three sisters of Quantrill's second in command, Bill Anderson. Susan Crawford Vandiver, and Armenia Crawford Selvey were also known to be cousins of Cole Younger another member of the Quantrill raiders. With family members of Quantrill's, highest ranking officers, the Union was sure that they had the upper hand, a bargaining tool. A few of the Union soldiers had decided on a plan to execute two or three of the women hoping for the surrender of some of the Raiders, but this plan was discovered by a hotel owner, another cousin to Cole Younger, and the plan was scrapped. Another plan of the Union, was to undermine and weaken the to the point that the building would collapse, the women and children would be killed, accomplishing their objective, and the old tumble down building their scapegoat. On August 13, 1863 the building did suddenly collapsed killing my Great Aunt Armenia Selvey, Josephine Anderson, Susan Vandiver, then 10 years old and shacked to a 20 pound ball, and Charity Kerr. Their bodies were crushed and mangled in the rubble and debris, and Mary Anderson was left a cripple the rest of her life. Jeptha Selvey, Armenia's 7 year old son, jumped from a window as the building was falling and spent 2 days getting back to Blue Springs and relatives. The body of Armenia Selvey was taken back to Blue Springs and buried at the Smith's Cemetery. (Sec 15,Twp 48, R32) Other Selvey's were buried here many years later. John McCorkle, another rider for Quantrill, in his book written after the war stated that he was sure this event was one reason for the sack of Lawrence, Kansas, eight days later on August 21, by the Confederates, led by Anderson and Quantrill. Now, to prove an old adage, "When it rains, it pours." four days after the raid on Lawrence, August 25, 1863, Order No. 11, was issued by General Ewing, in command of the Federal troops at Kansas City. The effect of this order meant ruin to some 20,000 southern citizens in Jackson and Cass Counties. They were banished and robbed by the same order. Their homes, fields, barns, and buggies were burned. Their horses and cattle were stolen, pigs and chickens were left to starve, and they had only 15 days to leave. If they did not leave, they would be imprisoned or shot. As one man said, they didn't have much left to move. The beautiful farming country of Jackson and Cass Counties were worse than desert, and on every hillside stood lone blackened chimneys, sad sentinels and monuments to the memory of once happy southern homes. Order Number 11� August 25, 1863 All persons living in Cass, Jackson, and Bates Counties, Missouri, and in the part of Vernon County, included in this district, except those living within one mile of the city limits of Independence, Hickman Mills, Pleasant Hill, and Harrisonville, and except those in that part of Kaw Township, Jackson County, north of Brush Creek and west of the Big Blue River, embracing Kansas City and Westport, are hereby ordered to move from their present places of residence within 15 days from the date hereof. Those who within that time establish their loyalty to the satisfaction of the commanding officer of the military station nearest their present place of residence, will receive from him certification stating that facts of their loyalty and the names by whom it can be shown. All who receive such certificates will be permitted to remove to any military station in this district or to any part of the State of Kansas, except all the counties on the eastern border of the state. All others shall remain out of the district. Officers commanding companies and detachments, serving in the counties named will see that this paragraph is promptly obeyed. Second,: all grain or hay in the fields or under shelter in the district from which the inhabitants are required to move within reach of military stations, after the ninth day of September will be taken to such station and turned over to the proper officers there; and report of the amount so turned over made of all loyal owners and the amount of such produce taken from them. All grain and hay found in such district after the ninth day of September next, not removed to such stations will be destroyed. Signed by H. Hannans, Adjutant, by order Brigadier General Ewing. Most Southerners refused the allegiance to the Union and abandoned their homes and friends and fled from Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties. As the old saying goes...�American by birth, Southern by the grace of God.� The residents of these counties had no place to go, and by this time most had been robbed of what few possessions they had. They were unable to keep farm workers, the stores of food had been stolen by both sides battling across their land, horses, wagons, and livestock had been taken by the Union or the Redlegs. So old men and woman, and children were forced to take with them what they could carry on their backs. The homes and fields they left behind were burned by the Union troops. Much of this area remained barren wasteland long after the war ended. Ghostly chimneys, known as Missouri monuments, dotted Jackson County for years afterward Order#11 they stood as symbols of havoc wrought by the Civil War. When Order No. 11 was issued the SELVEYS left Jackson County, as did most of their friends and neighbors. Where the Selveys went is not known but at the end of the War, they returned to find their homes and fields had been completely destroyed. John B. Selvey told his friends and family, years later, if he had it to do over he�d rather have been in the War than suffered the way they did trying to stay out of the Civil War. There were many stories about the destruction in Jackson County. One resident in Missouri said, at one time, he could stand on the high part of his land and count 165 fires of his neighbors and friends, fires set by the Kansas Redlegs. One Selvey story handed down from that time. One day the alarm came that the Kansas Redlegs were on their way through Jackson County. As the men and boys were gathering up their firearms, Grandma Selvey headed for the kitchen to get her broom, as she came outdoors holding the broom as a gun, one of the fellows asked her what she was going to do with that broom. She replied �I guess not a lot, but they�ll sure know which side I�m on�. ANN ELIZABETH CRAWFORD SELVEY died in 1874. She is buried in the Blue Springs Cemetery next to her husband John B. Selvey who died in 1904. It is believed that they had another child after Charles and the child and Ann Elizabeth both died during that birth. A daughter, Susan Selvey helped with the sewing, mending and the making of clothes for John� family. John Selvey also helped raise two of his brothers, Charles, boys. John and Elizabeth are buried the Blue Springs Cemetery, section 1, row, 4. Next to them are three other Selveys, Susie V. Selvey born 1863 and died 1951, J.J. Selvey born 1855 and died 1899, and William M. Selvey born 1868 died 1886. Grandfathers Funeral Story� By Ray Selvey. Ray, said �I can remember him dying because it was on my birthday I was six years old. He died on my birthday and was buried on Valentine Day. It was a very cold day, there was snow on the ground.� He said. " I thought they had the funeral at the house, I guess I was wrong, my brother told me the service was in the Baptist Church in Blue Springs. I can remember the black casket. He was dressed in black and the black casket was sitting on two chairs, a neighbor lifted me so I could look into the casket, it was all black and he had white chin whiskers.� After the funeral, the next morning, as Robert and Mattie were getting ready to go back to Lamar, Charles gave Robert a pocketknife that belonged to his dads. Robert thanked him and said he was glad to have something to remember his dad. Grandma Ethel Selvey Joyce didn�t attend the funeral, I expect Leland or Iva drove Robert and Mattie to Blue Springs for the funeral. John was buried in the northwest corner of the Blue Springs cemetery. Years later Ray replaced the old marker with a new one. Ray remembered stories from his father and grandfather stating that the whole family moved here from Virginia, this would include John B�s mother and father Garnett and Susan Selvey, but he did not know where they lived or where they are buried. He had a felling they were in the same area as John and Elizabeth Selvey, but stones had been broken and many graves had been lost. This is one reason Ray over the years had replaced several markers both on the Selvey side as well as the Burris side of his family. Ray remembered Frank Smith, a raider with Quantrill, showing Elmer Selvey, Ray�s brother, the location of Jeptha Crawford�s grave. The Crawford grave is about four or five feet west of the John Selvey stone. It has not been replaced, it�s fallen over, broken, and is usually covered with grass. I have rubbings from both of these stones. Obituary For John B. Selvey� Died� John B. Selvey an old citizen of Jackson County, died early on Saturday morning. Funeral services were held at 11 o�clock Sunday morning at the Baptist Church and Blue Springs. Rev. J. D. Thompson officiating. Interment in the Blue Springs cemetery. This obituary was in the Sni-Bar Voice Newspaper dated February 19, 1919. Both John B. Selvey and his brother Matthew Selvey obituaries were carried in that paper. They both attended the Baptist Church, and both of their funeral services were held there. Children of John and Ann Elizabeth Crawford Selvey� Robert R. Selvey Robert Selvey is the subject of the next Chapter. James Lewis Jackson Selvey James was born July 14, 1855, married Susie Virginia Richardson 1885, James died Feb.21, 1899. James went by his middle name Lewis or Lu. Lu and John B. made a trip to Lamar one year to see Robert and Mattie and their family. Susan Elizabeth �Susie� Selvey Susie was born Oct. 12, 1856, married Silas Bridges in 1875, she died July 7, 1938. Sarah Francis �Sadie� Selvey Sadie was born May 30, 1859, married Robert L. Jones and later Ben Marr. Amanda Elin �Ella� Selvey Ella was born June 8, 1861, married Mr. Gray, she died July 23, 1888. She died young and they had no children. Harriett Lorenia �Rena� Selvey Rene was born Sept. 28, 1863, married Arch. Ford and then later Henry Reynolds, she died Aug. 31, 1925. John Dee Selvey John was born April 13, 1865, he married Sally Burris. John D. owned land in 1911 Sec.8, T48, R30. Missouri Ann �Zura� Selvey Zura was born Sept. 23, 1866, She married Edward T. Richardson. William M. Selvey William was born March 8, 1868, he died March 23, 1886. Willy died before he was married. Ida May Selvey Ida was born Oct. 2, 1869, married Isaiah Richardson, she died Dec. 9, 1907. Charles Elmore Selvey Charles Selvey owned land in 1911 Sec.14, T48, R30. In 1912 he owned land in Sec.13, T48, R30. For More About John and Elizabeth Selvey Contact the Author David Clow 417-540-1206 |