A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas / Being an Account of the Early Settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and Times of Peace

The Project Gutenberg eBook, A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, by William Monks
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

COLONEL MONKS AND WIFE.

By William Monks West Plains, Mo.
West Plains Journal Co. West Plains, Mo. 1907

Copyright 1907 by William Monks

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.