James Starr

James Starr

James Starr, eldest son of John and Hannah Osborn Starr,

was born November 14, 1814 in Indiana. James married Belinda

Clem, daughter of Michael and Jane Clem from Ohio, on

February 16, 1838 in Warren County, Indiana. The family moved

to Bourbon County, Kansas where James and son John served in

the 6th Kansas Calvary. During the Civil War, James visited

Washington County. On April 20th, 1870 he purchased 256 acres

of land from Lewis Cheatham which were situated in Cane Hill

Township, just east of what is now the city of Lincoln. The area

became known as Starr Hill for several years. As the community

grew, James was instrumental in the formation of a voting

precinct. A new township was officially established on July 30,

1884 named Starr Hill in his honor. James was a farmer and

carpenter. After Belinda died in 1894, he married Maria Frazier.

He and Belinda had four children: Jane, John, I lannah and

William.

Jane (born February 14, 1839) married Joseph Liburn Carter

in 1861 at Bourbon County, Kansas and moved to Washington

County with her father in 1870. They owned and operated the

first store in the community. After Starr Hill Township was

founded, a post office was established in their store. Liburn

Carter has been given credit for submitting the name Lincoln for

the new post office and it became official on January 13, 1885.

Jane and Liburn had seven children: John; James, who married

Mae Rauch and Willie Rhea; Hannah, who married John

Murphy; Nancy, who married Sam Martin; Eva, who married

George Burns. Many of their descc1Hlants still live in the Lincoln

area.

John (born August 14, 1841) married Susan Hobson and

Margaret Jones. John was a prominent carpenter in Eureka

Springs and Lincoln. I le helped in the construction of many

homes and businesses. He had seven children: Adah, died young;

Beatrice, who married Seely Kinne; David, who married Pearl

Boyle; Mary, who married George Miller; John Waren, who

married Minnie Slater; Burton, who married Estell Holt;

Theodore, who married Eva Morris.

Hannah (born August 9, 1843) married L. J. Symonds and

James Gifford. She had no children, but was remembered for her

tender nursing care.

William (born October 8, 1848) married Martha Thompson

and Sarah Henson. William was a well-known apple grower in

Lincoln and also participated in the building of Lincoln. He and

Martha had four children: James, Samuel, Ivah, and Ollie.

Ollie married Louis Heyne. They lived for a time in Lincoln

and Gentry before moving to Craig, Colorado.

Many contributions and achievements of James Starr and his

family have been recorded in the history of Lincoln. Today, the

name Starr is remembered by Starr Street in Lincoln and the

township is still known as Starr Hill.

Information for this family history was obtained from the

genealogy compiled by: Earl D. Starr; Barbara Light Starr; Gayle

Starr Mooney, 1986.

By: Earl D. Starr

John Bell Steele

A poet, a scholar, a statesman, a military hero, a devout

Christian family man, a gallant handsome man - John Bell

Steele.

James married Lodelia Craven and is the grandfather of this

writer. He moved to California where many descendants reside.

Samuel married Catherine Brown and was a well-known car- Guy Cooper Steele - 1874, Age 5

penter and businessman in Lincoln. His daughter, Ilene Starr

Bain, lives in Iola, Kansas and has this memory. "The church

that Dad, Grandpa Starr and Uncle John worked on was called

the North Methodist Church. There was another church in the

south part of town called the South Methodist. There were two

churches mostly because of politics. Most of the North Methodist

people were Republicans and the South Methodist people were

Deomcrats. The Civil War was still on the minds of some people.

Attending church was a big part of our lives and I can remember

Grandpa Starr and Waldo's Grandfather Bain always sitting in

the north east corner of the church which was called the

"AMEN CORNER". All of the old men sat in that corner, at

least I thought they were old. They probably weren't much past

fifty-five years of age. The women would all sit together and the

young people would get as far back to the back of the church as

possible. Grandma Martha Starr was said to have been a good

'shouting Methodist' but I don't remember her."

Ivah married "Judge" Eugene King. He was an early

postmaster, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public and merchant of

Lincoln. They owned one of the first automobiles in Lincoln.

Their home on North Street in Lincoln was the finest in the area

and was believed to have had the first hot and cold running

water.

Ollie married Louis Heyne. They lived for a time in Lincoln

and Gentry before moving to Craig, Colorado.

Many contributions and achievements of James Starr and his

family have been recorded in the history of Lincoln. Today, the

name Starr is remembered by Starr Street in Lincoln and the

township is still known as Starr Hill.

Information for this family history was obtained from the

genealogy compiled by: Earl D. Starr; Barbara Light Starr; Gayle

Starr Mooney, 1986.

By: Earl D. Starr