BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

David Branson was born in Virginia on 17 January 1810. His parents were Thomas Branson (born 10 September 1778 in Burks Fork, VA, which was at that time in Montgomery County but is now in Carroll County; died 15 November 1851 in Third Creek Township, Gasconade County, MO) and Susannah McGowan (born 1787 in Virginia; died after March 1852 in Gasconade County, MO). Thomas and Susannah's marriage date is not known. Thomas's first child was born in 1801; it is possible that his oldest children may have been the offspring of a wife before Susannah (as she would have only been 14 years old in 1801). By 1813, the family had moved to Tennessee, and after 1826, they arrived in Gasconade County, MO.

David's siblings were:

*Sarah "Sally", born 20 June 1801 in VA, married first, ______ Ferguson in 1822 in TN; married second, James Baker ca. 1830 in Marion County, TN, died 15 September 1900 in Osage County, MO
*Jared, born January 1803 in VA, died ca. 1838 in Marion County, TN
*Mary Ann, born 1805 in VA, married Cravens Sherrill ca. 1826, probably in TN, died after 1880 in Cumberland County, TN
*Andrew Jackson "Judge", born 9 February 1807 in VA, married first, Mary Jane Stubblefield, married second, Charlotte Sherrill ca. 1831, probably in MO, married third, Julia Ann (Trelort) Lee 10 December 1848 in Osage County, MO, died 9 April 1895 in Judge, Osage County, MO
*Margaret, born 1808 in VA, married George Massie 29 December 1833 in Gasconade County, MO, died after 1857 in Gasconade County, MO
*Reuben, born 13 March 1813 in TN, married first, Sarah Crismon in 1838, probably in MO, married second, Harriet Slater ca. 1865, probably in Osage County, MO, died 16 March 1907 in Linn, Osage County, MO
*Nancy, born 20 February 1816 in TN, married James Pointer 10 January 1836 in Gasconade County, MO, died 3 March 1904 in Linn, Osage County, MO
*George Washington "Wash", born 1 November 1819 in TN, married Joanna Jett 24 December 1839 in Gasconade County, MO, died 12 June 1893 in Osage County, MO
*Anna, born 22 April 1821 in TN, married Benjamin Simpson 14 April 1839 in Gasconade County, MO, died 25 February 1890 in Millsap, Parker County, TX
*Rhoda, born ca. 1824 in TN, married Robert Housley Gilmore 25 Jun 1841 in Gasconade County, MO, died after 1870, possibly in Barton County, MO
*John Sevier, born 17 March 1826 in Claiborne County, TN, married Martha Jane Ousley ca. January 1846, probably in Osage County, MO, died 27 November 1905 in Hornitos, Mariposa County, CA

David married Sarah Ann "Sally" David on 14 June 1832 in Gasconade County, MO, when they were both about 22 years old. Sarah was born ca. 1810 in Tennessee; she was the daughter of Lewis and Rutha (Shockley) David. David and Sarah had the following six children:

*Rutha Ann, born 5 January 1834 in MO, married William Price Carnes 13 August 1854 in MO, died 17 December 1917 in Lebanon, Laclede County, MO
*Elizabeth Jane, born 8 May 1836 in Third Creek Township, Gasconade County, MO, married Francis "Frank" Corn Wallace Owen 4 September 1856 in Galloway's Prairie, Osage County, MO, died 9 January 1914 in Rolla, Phelps County, MO
*William Riley, born 1 December 1837 in Third Creek Township, Gasconade County, MO, married Henrietta Gassaway 20 March 1859 in Linn, Osage County, MO, died ca. 1905, possibly in Indian City, Payne County, OK
*Mary Ann, born 8 March 1839 in Bland, Gasconade County, MO, married first, James E. Lore 26 October 1856 in Osage County, MO, married second, Andrew J. Williams 13 November 1878 in Osage County, MO, died 4 September 1890 in Maries County, MO
*Andrew Jackson, born 23 January 1842 in Osage County, MO, married first, Mary Ann Williams 6 September 1860 in Osage County, MO, married second, Parazetta Tipton Brown 12 July 1899 in Maries County, MO, died 27 June 1915 in Maries County, MO
*Hannah Minerva, born 25 August 1844 in Crawford Township, Osage County, MO, married first, Perry E. Davis 28 November 1858 in Osage County, MO, married second, John Thomas Helbert 19 September 1877 in Osage County, MO, married third, Henry Ammerman 20 November 1916 in Phelps County, MO, died 11 October 1927 in St. Louis, St. Louis County, MO

The area where the extended Branson clan settled in the 1820s and early 1830s was all in Gasconade County at the time of their arrival(s). When Osage County was created in 1841, the boundary line passed through the midst of these farms, and some of these places would nowadays be described as within Osage County. Also, as the years went on, the younger generations of the family, including David and his household, moved about in the nearby parts of central Missouri. Some family members, including David's uncle, Valentine Branson, moved far enough south that their properties, though part of Gasconade before 1841 and part of Osage thereafter, became part of Maries County when Maries was formed in 1855.

According to the General Land Office records on the Bureau of Land Management's website, David Branson purchased about 866 acres of public lands in Gasconade and Osage counties between 1835 and 1856. In the 1840 census, the David Branson household was shown as residing in Gasconade County.

David's wife, Sarah, died after the birth of their youngest child, Hannah Minerva, who was born 25 August 1844 in Osage County. His second marriage occurred in Osage County on 31 December 1846 when he married Elizabeth Campbell Hawkins (the widow of James Harvey Hawkins and mother of three young sons—William, Joseph, and Jacob). David was 37 years old, and Elizabeth was almost 36 at the time of their marriage.

The 1850 census found the Branson family residing in the Crawford Township of Osage County, MO. David's six children from his first marriage and Elizabeth's three sons from her first marriage were all listed. The value of his real estate was shown as $2,800.

The family was residing in the Jefferson Township of Osage County, MO, in the 1860 census. David's son, Andrew, and two of Elizabeth's sons—Joseph and Jacob—were listed in the household. The value of David's real estate was listed at $7,500, while the value of his personal estate was $3,600.

Records show that David Branson enrolled on 15 August 1862 in Linn, Osage County, MO, as a Private in Co. B of the 28th Enrolled Missouri Militia during the Civil War. He was ordered into active service on 1 May 1863. It appears that early in his service, he was assigned to Co. I but later transferred to Co. B. One service record card refers to the regiment as Captain Adam Miller's Osage County Provisional Company 28th Enrolled Missouri Militia. The date he was relieved from duty is simply shown as 1864.

A study of a listing of the men in Co. B shows that David's brothers, Andrew J. and George W., also served – as well as two nephews, Madison S. and Stephen Branson. As with many families, though, loyalties were divided. David's youngest brother, John, had moved to California during the gold rush of 1849, but his loyalty was definitely with the South. John was so staunchly in favor of the Confederacy that he held a party to celebrate the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. A descendant of John's related the following interesting story relating to that event: "Federal marshals were sent from San Francisco to arrest him but failed to complete their mission. Locals told them John's gold mining camp had vanished in a flood. The marshals realized they were in the midst of Confederate sympathizers and chose to believe the story rather than attempt to verify that John was no longer in the area."

David and Elizabeth Branson were found residing in the Jefferson Township of Osage County, MO, on the 1870 census. His real estate was valued at $8,000 and his personal estate at $8,550.

During the 1870s, David and Elizabeth moved to an area near Rolla, Phelps County, MO. A Branson biographical sketch by descendant Laura Franklin Van Ostran that appeared in the book, Maries County History, Vol. 2, gave information about David's financial success: ". . . David, my own great-grandfather, who was the richest Branson anywhere in history we know of, made his money by farming and real estate deals, whose name can be found on a large portion of land deals in Maries, Osage, Phelps and Pulaski counties." On the 1880 census, David and Elizabeth—along with two grandchildren and one "boarder"—were residing in the Dillon Township of Phelps County, MO.

David Branson died on 9 January 1881 at his home near Rolla. The following obituary appeared in the Rolla Weekly Herald the next day:

Death of David Branson
The startling announcement of the sudden death of "Uncle David" as he was so familiarly known, which occurred yesterday afternoon at one o'clock, after so short an illness, was received with sadness and regret by all our citizens. On Tuesday afternoon and evening, he was upon our streets feeling in unusually good health, and in the company with the writer of this article, visited Squire Stiff's office about four o'clock. While at that place, he was telling his plans for the coming summer in regard to different improvements, but alas, death has relieved him of all thoughts earthly. That night after returning to his home, he was suddenly strickened with congestion of the brain. Drs. Johnson and Jones were immediately sent for, who did all that medical skill could do, but all was of no avail, he expired at the hour above stated. Mr. Branson leaves a wife and several children, all grown, to mourn his sudden demise, but as he was reputed in good circumstances, none will suffer pecuniarily. He will be buried this afternoon if all the children can get here.

Several articles about David Branson state that at the time of his death, his estate was the largest ever probated in Phelps County, MO. An article entitled "The Branson Story," written by Joe Welchmeyer, appeared in the Unterrified Democrat in Linn, Osage County, MO, on 26 November 1975. Welchmeyer stated that David's heirs never received their entire share of the estate because some transactions had not been recorded. Even so, it was stated that each of his six children was left a farm and $30,000 cash. An administrator's bond in the probate file named David's son-in-law, Francis C.W. Owen, and his son, Andrew J. Branson, as administrators. David had died intestate. The heirs named in the administrator's bond were as follows: Elizabeth Branson, widow; and children—Rutha Ann Carnes, wife of William P. Carnes; Elizabeth Owen, wife of Frank Owen; William R. Branson; Mary Ann Williams, wife of A. J. Williams; Andrew J. Branson; and Minerva Helbert, wife of John Helbert. David Branson was buried in the Rolla City Cemetery. Son Andrew and daughter Elizabeth soon invested their inheritance in the construction of the Crandall Hotel in Rolla (located beside the railroad depot), which was built in 1882 and operated for many years. His widow, Elizabeth, died 11 February 1898, probably at her home near Rolla. She is buried in the Hawkins Cemetery in Rolla.

It is interesting to note that David was related to three men who were founders of Missouri communities. Branson—in Taney County—was named for Reuben S. Branson, the son of David's first cousin, Valentine. David's son-in-law, Francis Corn Wallace Owen, was the founder of Owensville and Owen's Mill, both located in Gasconade County. The former village of Judge—located six miles southeast of Linn in Osage County, was named after David's brother, Judge Andrew Jackson Branson.

--Written in 2013 by David Branson's great-great-granddaughter, Sally Lyons McAlear