WILLIAM BOHANNON, SR. 1806 - 1888

William Bohannon, Sr., was born September 30, 1806 in Eastern Tennessee. His father
was a natiave of Virginia and his mother, a native of Tennessee. In 1825 or 1826 William, Sr. married Margaret R. O'Dell. She was born about 1806. Margaret was a daughter of Enoch and Catherine Pryor or Sarah (Ramsey) O'Dell. Enock was born March 19, 1776 and married Sarah in White County, Tennessee. William Sr. and Margeret were living in White County when their oldest child was born in 1827. By 1834, when their fourth child was born,they were living in Macoupin County, Illinois. Margaret's brother, Samuel O'Dell,was also living in the same county. When James was born in 1839, they were living in what is now Laclede County, Missouri.

William Sr. and Margeret became the parents of eight children:

Catherine was born December 16, 1827 and married Ashford Hough. Their children: Sarah,Margaret, Lewis Henry, Rachel, David Jackson, John, Mary Jane, James Monroe, Albert Green and two infant sons.

Lewis was born April 29, 1829. His first wife was Melvina Wright. They were the parentsof two children Sarah and Enoch Carroll. After Melvina died, Lewis took as his second
wife Sarah Catherine (Sharp) Coffman. Their children: marget Melverna, Salida, Marion Lafayette, John Lewis, James Monroe, Laura Leona, Fanander Washington, Hardin Theodore,Mollie Theodosia and Frances Ella.

Enoch was born in 1831. His first wife was Julia Ann Shirley. Their children: Margaret,Millard Eillmore, Lewis Randolph, Jefferson Davis, Robert Lee, Sarah Catherine, Elijah Monroe and Albert Green. Enoch married his second wife, Mrs. Luzan Hicks Farrar, in 1905.

Elijah was born in 1833 and married Amanda Elizabeth Weaver. Their children: Sarah Margaret, William Davis, Thomas Jefferson, Elijah and Amanda Elizabeth.

William Jr. was born September 15, 1836. He married Sarah Robinson. They became the parents of one son, John. After Sarah's death in 1860, William Jr. married Frances
Jane Hillhouse and their children were: William Wilson, Sarah Charlotte, Hiram Lee, Laura Elizabeth, Eli Finando, Thomas Berry, Cora Bell, Francis, Nora Dell and Dora Ellen.

James D. was born about 1839. He married first ____?___. They were the parents of two daughters, Atlanta and Caloona. His second wife was Saletia (Sharp) Roberts. No children were born to this union.

Nelson Monroe was born about 1844. The name of his wife is unknown. They were the parents of one child.

Margaret was born Feb 1847 and died On April 10, 1874. She was 27 yrs old according to her brother, Enoch Bohannon's family record.

William Sr. married his second wife, Mary Ann Ballinger, soon after Margaret Odell Bohannon died. William Sr. died March 1, 1887 and was buried beside his two wives in the Bohannon Cemetery.

Civil War times brought many hardships. The lack of salt in the Confederate communities was one of the problems. The North had plenty of salt, but would not let the South have
any. William Jr. was in the Confederate Army. After sometime in the Army and seeing the turn of events against the South, he joined the Union Army. His wife, Frances, drove a wagon and team to Lebanon to get a barrel of salt. When she returned home, she shared the salt with her Confederate neighbors.

The Bohannons were not a people to triffle with. The bushwackers were active in the area,and one gang came to the Bohannon homestead. They asked to see the men of the house. The women directed them to a cabin were the men were. Their directions sent the bushwackers the long way to the cabin. While the bushwackers were taking the long route to the cabin,Frances and Margaret (William Jr.'s wife and sister) ran to the cabin via the shortcut.
They told the men that the bushwackers were coming. The bushwackers rode up near the cabin;after looking the situation over, they decided they didn't want any part of the Bohannons and rode away.

The Bohannon name is spelled many ways. William Sr. spelled his last name Bohannon, while William Jr. spelled his last name Bohannan.

Elijah Bohannon (born 1812) was William Sr., brother. There were other Bohannons living in Laclede County that were probably related to William Sr. They were Rebecca (Bohannon)
(McBride) Hickman, John and Lewis Bohannon.

Missouri's Union Provost Marshal Papers: 1861 - 1866

Name County City Subject Date Reel Number
Bohannon, Charles A. St. Louis St. Louis Statement by Charles Fitch of St. Louis saying Dr. Charles A. Bohannon had tried to shoot him with a pistol 11/04/1861 F 1184
Bohannon, Columbus T. Randolph Macon 15 year old Bohannon is paroled at Macon, MO. 10/17/1863 F 1184
Bohannon, Eli St. Louis Loyalty Oath. Shows Bohannon being from Louisville, KY and taking oath in St. Louis. 03/22/1863 F 1184
Bohannon, Elijah Laclede Osage Township Oath and parole 04/09/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Elijah Laclede Osage Township Posting $1000 bond 00/00/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Enoch Laclede Osage Township Loyalty Oath 04/09/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Enoch Laclede Osage Township Oath and parole 04/09/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Enoch Laclede Osage Township Posting $1000 bond 06/18/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Harriet Morgan Oath of Allegiance 06/26/1863 F 1184
Bohannon, James Laclede Osage Township $1000 Bond 00/00/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, James Laclede Osage Township Oath 04/09/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, Jennie Morgan Oath of Allegiance 05/26/1863 F 1184
Bohannon, Jesse Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau Supt. of Refugees at Cape Girardeau A.A. Wood requesting transport for Bohannon who is blind, along with his family to Cairo, IL 03/01/1865 F 1184
Bohannon, John Greene Springfield Bohannon of Benton County, AR, is summoned to appear before a military commission in Springfield, MO. 05/06/1864 F 1184
Bohannon, W. A. Randolph Huntsville Dr. Bohannon writes provost marshal in St. Louis about his Negro man, John Bohannon, who enlisted in the U.S. armed services 03/24/1864 F 1184
Bohannon, William Laclede Osage Township $1000 bond 06/01/1862 F 1184
Bohannon, William Jr. Laclede Gasconade Township Oath of Allegiance 04/09/1862

Children of WILLIAM BOHANNON and MARGARET O'DELL are:
i. CATHERINE4 BOHANNON, b. December 16, 1827, White Co., Tennessee; d. September 8, 1892, Laclede Co., Missouri.

ii. LEWIS BOHANNON, b. April 19, 1829, White Co., Tennessee; d. May 4, 1880, Laclede Co., Missouri.

iii. ENOCH BOHANNON, b. April 9, 1831, White Co., Tennessee; d. August 29, 1912, State Sanitarium, Nevada, Vernon Co., Missouri.

iv. ELIJAH MONROE BOHANNON, b. December 8, 1833, Macoupin Co., Illinois; d. November 10, 1863, St. Louis, Missouri.

v. WILLIAM D. BOHANNON, JR., b. September 15, 1836, Macoupin Co., Illinois; d. November 5, 1909, Wright Co., Missouri.

vi. JAMES D. BOHANNON, b. December 1838, Laclede Co., Missouri; d. Aft. 1900, Laclede Co., Missouri.

vii. NELSON MUNROE BOHANNON, b. September 13, 1843, Laclede Co., Missouri; d. March 28, 1862, Civil War.

viii. MARGARET R. BOHANNON, b. February 18, 1847, Laclede Co., Missouri; d. April 10, 1874, Laclede Co., Missouri
:living with parents in 1870 Laclede Co., Mo.
:Burial: 1874, Old Bohannon Cemetery, Laclede Co., Missouri Census: October 14, 1850, Laclede Co., Missouri

CENSUS RECORDS:1840 Pulaski County, MO Census Sheet 207Bohanion, William2 Male - 0-5 1 Female -10-152 Males - 5-10 1 Female - 30-401 Male - 10-151 Male - 30-401850 Laclede County, MO Census Sheet 127 - Dwelling #144Bohanan, William 43 M TN (Farmer-1000) Margaret 44 F TN Lewis 21 M TN (Laborer) Enoch 19 M TN (Laborer) Elijah 16 M IL William 14 M IL James D. 11 M MO Nelson M. 6 M MO Margaret R. 3 F MO1860 Laclede County, MO Census Sheet 341 - dwelling #768Bohannon, William 54 M TN (Farmer-5000-1000) Margarett 55 F TN Margarett 13 F MOJohnson, Sidney G. 10 M MO1870 Laclede County, MO Census Sheet 80 - Dwelling #131Bohannon, William 63 M TN (Farmer-1000-1266) Margaret 64 F TN Margaret 21 F MO Allazarah 17 F MO Blair, Stephen 20 M IN (Laborer)1880 Laclede County, MO Census Sheet 60 - Dwelling #203Bohannon, William 73 Farmer TN VA TN Mary Ann 60 Wife TN NC TN Collett, Nancy J. 39 Niece TN IN TN William M. 11 TN TN TN O'Quinn, Steven E. 15 Orphan MO NC TN Eads, Milton 27 Ser VA VA VA

State of Missouri County of Laclede We, W.I. Wallace and E.B. Kellerman, hereby sign this will as subscribing witnesses at the request of William Bohannon, Sr., and he signed the above will in our present, and declared now it was his last will and testament, and we signed the same in his presence and in the presence of each other on this 25th day of August 1883. Witness our hand this day and date afore said /s/ W.I. Wallace /s/ B.B. Kellerman Contest of the Will of William Bohannon, Sr.The following instrument is filed with the second will of William Bohannon, Sr. in the Office of Probate court, Laclede County, Missouri: In the matters of Probating the last will and testament of William Bohannon, deceased: Come now William Bohannon, Enoch Bohannon, as well as the other heirs of said William Bohannon, deceased, who may desire to Join him and object to the protest against said will being admitted to probate for following reasons:First Because said will is not attested or proved as required by law.Second Because said William Bohannon, at the time of making and promulgating said will, was not of sound and disposing mind.Third Because, said will was procured by undue influence of the wife of said William Bohannon, deceased, and James D. Bohannon. Bradfield and Moran Attorneys for Contestants Changes in the Will of William Bohannon, Sr.:(Changes made by the Probate Court of Laclede County, Missouri, on the Second Will of William Bohannon, Sr. were inscribed and superimposed on the original will and are there very difficult to transcribe. The following changes (placed in parentheses) are what can be distinguished in Item Third: I will and devise and bequeath unto my daughter (1) Catherine Hough, (Enoch and William Jr. were also included) and the childre of (2) Lewis Bohannon, deceased, and the children of (3) Elijah Bohannon, (except Amanda, Abraham, Elijah to have $1.00 each) and the child of (4) (Nelson) Monroe Bohannon all my personal property and all of my real estate that shall be now disposed of at my death. It being my wish that Catherine is to have 1/3 - changed to 1/4), and Lewis's children1/3 - changed to 1/4) (excepting Lafayette and Enoch Carroll and the children of Sarah Barnes, who are to have $1.00 each) and Nelson Monroe's child (1/3 changed to 1/4) of said personal property, left at my death after my wife's dower shall be paid...

WILLS, PROBATE RECORDS:Laclede County, MO Probate Records In the name of God, Amen: I, William Bohannon, Sr., of Laclede County, Missouri, conscious of the uncertainty of life, and the certainty of death, and being reminded continually that my stay in this world is short, by the death of those who are younger than myself, and being now of sound mind and disposing memory do hereby ordain and publish this as my last will and testament:Item First: I desire that all my just and honest debts be paid first out of the assets of my Estate.Item Second: I will and devise unto my beloved wife one third interest in all my real estate, which is in accordance with the law, to hold for her natural life, and also four hundred dollars worth of my personal property.Item Third: I will and devise and bequeath unto my daughter Catherine Hough and the children of Lewis Bohannon, deceased; and the children of Elijah Bohannon, deceased; and the child of Monroe Bohannon, an equal share in all my personal property and all my real estate that shall be now disposed of at my death. It being my wish that Catherine is to have 1/3, and Lewis children 1/3; and Nelson Monroe's child 1/3 of said personal property, left at my death after my wife's dower shall be paid. It being my further wish that Enoch and William and James D. shall have no part of my personal property. I, having dedded to them land, and this is all I desire they shall have.Item Fourth: I hereby nominate and appoint my son, James D. Bohannon, to be the Executor of this my last will and testament, and I hereby direct him to see that the provisions of this will be carried out. In witness whereof I have herto set my hand and seal at Lebanon, Missouri, this 25th day of August 1883. /s/ William Bohannon (Seal)State of Missouri. This will was overruled and an adjustment made by his 2 sons.


William D. Bohannon, Sr. was the son of Lewis Bohannon, Sr. and Lucy Lower. He married Margaret O'Dell about 1825 in White Co., Tennessee. He married Mary Ann (?) Ballinger May 27, 1874 in Laclede Co., Missouri. He is buried at the Old Bohannon Ccemetery near Delto, Laclede Co., Missouri.
- Frank Brown