Joseph Sayers McPherson was born on 14 February 1843, at the base of Powell Mountain near Daniel Boon’s Wilderness Trail in Lee County, Virginia and died on 12 February 1917, at Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California. He is buried at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto, California. Joseph was the son of Samuel McPherson (1801-1875) and his wife, Nancy White Sayers (1803-after 1880), daughter of William Sayers and his wife Sarah "Sally" Smith. Joseph was a direct descendant of Daniel Macpherson (c. 1700-1740) who was a planter near lower west Newport in Charles County, Maryland and his wife Elizabeth "Eliza" Nevitt (c. 1707 – after 1779), daughter of Richard and Mary (née Montgomery) Nevitt.
Joseph was a seminary student (some say at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia) until the Civil War closed the school. He enlisted on 1 February 1864, at the age of 17 as a private in Company I of the 27th Virginia Cavalry in the Army of the Confederate States of America. The company was originally called the “Lee [County] Rangers”, but because another company had started off with the same name changed their name to “Lee’s Grays.” He saw action in the Shenandoah Valley against Federal troops. During the last months of the war due to heavy casualties and supply shortages his regiment was combined with other weakened units merged into the 25th Virginia Cavalry.
He married on 13 December 1864, Phoebe Ann Bishop (1842-1941) near Roanoke (other sources state at the Bishop home near Jonesville) in Lee County, Virginia, while on leave from his regiment to obtain a replacement mount for his killed in action. Phoebe was the daughter of Joseph Preston Bishop and his wife, Martha Pennington Parsons of Lee County. After the war, Joseph continued to live and work the family farm in Lee County, but times were hard, most of the family's livestock and crops had been confiscated or outright stolen during war by Union troops and the family was penniless. Destitute and debt ridden, Joseph being unable to maintain his late father's large stone house and 600-acre farm, he was forced to sell out.
Joseph moved his young family from Lee County, Virginia to Albany in Gentry County, Missouri in 1878. In Albany, he purchased a store and the family lived outside of town on a small farm. By 1880, he was farming in the Dallas Township of Harrison County, Missouri. Later, then the family moved to Sweet Home [4 miles east of Ravenwood] in Nodaway County, Missouri where Joseph and his sons built a new house. After finishing his religious studies and becoming Methodist minister in Missouri, Joseph eventually performed as a part-time minister for the church in Nebraska, and later Colorado.
By 1890, Joseph moved his family initially to a homestead in western Nebraska near Benkelman, in Dundy County, Nebraska and built a sod house, which was later replaced by a two-storey wooden house on an approximately 600-acre ranch. Joseph was doing well as a cattleman, but his wife's health stated to deteriorate. So, he bought a separate 100-acre piece of land, which was closer to town and sold off the ranch and most of livestock on the larger piece of land. The physician treating his wife recommended a move to the "healthier climate" of Boulder in Boulder County, Colorado. Unfortunately, time would prove that the higher elevation and thinner oxygen was more harmful and Phoebe's health did not improve. After a while their son, Sam, who had finished his medical internship suggested that his parents should relocate to northeastern Washington, specifically Chewelah in Stevens County, Washington, where he had established his medical practice. Joseph and Phoebe had moved to Chewelah, but her health still did not improve.
Their son-in-law, James Livesay, was moving to California where he bought a 40-acre fruit orchard and built a house on a three-acre lot in nearby Palo Alto and they followed James in 1912, to the milder California climate, which proved more suitable for Phoebe's ill health. Joseph and Phoebe lived in Palo Alto until their deaths. They were both buried in nearby, Los Altos.
Joseph and Phoebe were the parents of the following children: Rev. Hughette "Hugh" Covell McPherson, Laura Alice (née McPherson) Hubbard, Martha "Patsy" White McPherson, Dr. Samuel Preston McPherson Sr., Nancy "Nannie" Lavina (née McPherson) Livesay, and Joseph William "Joe-Willie" McPherson.
Joseph was a seminary student (some say at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia) until the Civil War closed the school. He enlisted on 1 February 1864, at the age of 17 as a private in Company I of the 27th Virginia Cavalry in the Army of the Confederate States of America. The company was originally called the “Lee [County] Rangers”, but because another company had started off with the same name changed their name to “Lee’s Grays.” He saw action in the Shenandoah Valley against Federal troops. During the last months of the war due to heavy casualties and supply shortages his regiment was combined with other weakened units merged into the 25th Virginia Cavalry.
He married on 13 December 1864, Phoebe Ann Bishop (1842-1941) near Roanoke (other sources state at the Bishop home near Jonesville) in Lee County, Virginia, while on leave from his regiment to obtain a replacement mount for his killed in action. Phoebe was the daughter of Joseph Preston Bishop and his wife, Martha Pennington Parsons of Lee County. After the war, Joseph continued to live and work the family farm in Lee County, but times were hard, most of the family's livestock and crops had been confiscated or outright stolen during war by Union troops and the family was penniless. Destitute and debt ridden, Joseph being unable to maintain his late father's large stone house and 600-acre farm, he was forced to sell out.
Joseph moved his young family from Lee County, Virginia to Albany in Gentry County, Missouri in 1878. In Albany, he purchased a store and the family lived outside of town on a small farm. By 1880, he was farming in the Dallas Township of Harrison County, Missouri. Later, then the family moved to Sweet Home [4 miles east of Ravenwood] in Nodaway County, Missouri where Joseph and his sons built a new house. After finishing his religious studies and becoming Methodist minister in Missouri, Joseph eventually performed as a part-time minister for the church in Nebraska, and later Colorado.
By 1890, Joseph moved his family initially to a homestead in western Nebraska near Benkelman, in Dundy County, Nebraska and built a sod house, which was later replaced by a two-storey wooden house on an approximately 600-acre ranch. Joseph was doing well as a cattleman, but his wife's health stated to deteriorate. So, he bought a separate 100-acre piece of land, which was closer to town and sold off the ranch and most of livestock on the larger piece of land. The physician treating his wife recommended a move to the "healthier climate" of Boulder in Boulder County, Colorado. Unfortunately, time would prove that the higher elevation and thinner oxygen was more harmful and Phoebe's health did not improve. After a while their son, Sam, who had finished his medical internship suggested that his parents should relocate to northeastern Washington, specifically Chewelah in Stevens County, Washington, where he had established his medical practice. Joseph and Phoebe had moved to Chewelah, but her health still did not improve.
Their son-in-law, James Livesay, was moving to California where he bought a 40-acre fruit orchard and built a house on a three-acre lot in nearby Palo Alto and they followed James in 1912, to the milder California climate, which proved more suitable for Phoebe's ill health. Joseph and Phoebe lived in Palo Alto until their deaths. They were both buried in nearby, Los Altos.
Joseph and Phoebe were the parents of the following children: Rev. Hughette "Hugh" Covell McPherson, Laura Alice (née McPherson) Hubbard, Martha "Patsy" White McPherson, Dr. Samuel Preston McPherson Sr., Nancy "Nannie" Lavina (née McPherson) Livesay, and Joseph William "Joe-Willie" McPherson.
Joseph Sayers McPherson was born on 14 February 1843, at the base of Powell Mountain near Daniel Boon’s Wilderness Trail in Lee County, Virginia and died on 12 February 1917, at Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California. He is buried at Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto, California. Joseph was the son of Samuel McPherson (1801-1875) and his wife, Nancy White Sayers (1803-after 1880), daughter of William Sayers and his wife Sarah "Sally" Smith. Joseph was a direct descendant of Daniel Macpherson (c. 1700-1740) who was a planter near lower west Newport in Charles County, Maryland and his wife Elizabeth "Eliza" Nevitt (c. 1707 – after 1779), daughter of Richard and Mary (née Montgomery) Nevitt.
Joseph was a seminary student (some say at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia) until the Civil War closed the school. He enlisted on 1 February 1864, at the age of 17 as a private in Company I of the 27th Virginia Cavalry in the Army of the Confederate States of America. The company was originally called the “Lee [County] Rangers”, but because another company had started off with the same name changed their name to “Lee’s Grays.” He saw action in the Shenandoah Valley against Federal troops. During the last months of the war due to heavy casualties and supply shortages his regiment was combined with other weakened units merged into the 25th Virginia Cavalry.
He married on 13 December 1864, Phoebe Ann Bishop (1842-1941) near Roanoke (other sources state at the Bishop home near Jonesville) in Lee County, Virginia, while on leave from his regiment to obtain a replacement mount for his killed in action. Phoebe was the daughter of Joseph Preston Bishop and his wife, Martha Pennington Parsons of Lee County. After the war, Joseph continued to live and work the family farm in Lee County, but times were hard, most of the family's livestock and crops had been confiscated or outright stolen during war by Union troops and the family was penniless. Destitute and debt ridden, Joseph being unable to maintain his late father's large stone house and 600-acre farm, he was forced to sell out.
Joseph moved his young family from Lee County, Virginia to Albany in Gentry County, Missouri in 1878. In Albany, he purchased a store and the family lived outside of town on a small farm. By 1880, he was farming in the Dallas Township of Harrison County, Missouri. Later, then the family moved to Sweet Home [4 miles east of Ravenwood] in Nodaway County, Missouri where Joseph and his sons built a new house. After finishing his religious studies and becoming Methodist minister in Missouri, Joseph eventually performed as a part-time minister for the church in Nebraska, and later Colorado.
By 1890, Joseph moved his family initially to a homestead in western Nebraska near Benkelman, in Dundy County, Nebraska and built a sod house, which was later replaced by a two-storey wooden house on an approximately 600-acre ranch. Joseph was doing well as a cattleman, but his wife's health stated to deteriorate. So, he bought a separate 100-acre piece of land, which was closer to town and sold off the ranch and most of livestock on the larger piece of land. The physician treating his wife recommended a move to the "healthier climate" of Boulder in Boulder County, Colorado. Unfortunately, time would prove that the higher elevation and thinner oxygen was more harmful and Phoebe's health did not improve. After a while their son, Sam, who had finished his medical internship suggested that his parents should relocate to northeastern Washington, specifically Chewelah in Stevens County, Washington, where he had established his medical practice. Joseph and Phoebe had moved to Chewelah, but her health still did not improve.
Their son-in-law, James Livesay, was moving to California where he bought a 40-acre fruit orchard and built a house on a three-acre lot in nearby Palo Alto and they followed James in 1912, to the milder California climate, which proved more suitable for Phoebe's ill health. Joseph and Phoebe lived in Palo Alto until their deaths. They were both buried in nearby, Los Altos.
Joseph and Phoebe were the parents of the following children: Rev. Hughette "Hugh" Covell McPherson, Laura Alice (née McPherson) Hubbard, Martha "Patsy" White McPherson, Dr. Samuel Preston McPherson Sr., Nancy "Nannie" Lavina (née McPherson) Livesay, and Joseph William "Joe-Willie" McPherson.
Joseph was a seminary student (some say at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia) until the Civil War closed the school. He enlisted on 1 February 1864, at the age of 17 as a private in Company I of the 27th Virginia Cavalry in the Army of the Confederate States of America. The company was originally called the “Lee [County] Rangers”, but because another company had started off with the same name changed their name to “Lee’s Grays.” He saw action in the Shenandoah Valley against Federal troops. During the last months of the war due to heavy casualties and supply shortages his regiment was combined with other weakened units merged into the 25th Virginia Cavalry.
He married on 13 December 1864, Phoebe Ann Bishop (1842-1941) near Roanoke (other sources state at the Bishop home near Jonesville) in Lee County, Virginia, while on leave from his regiment to obtain a replacement mount for his killed in action. Phoebe was the daughter of Joseph Preston Bishop and his wife, Martha Pennington Parsons of Lee County. After the war, Joseph continued to live and work the family farm in Lee County, but times were hard, most of the family's livestock and crops had been confiscated or outright stolen during war by Union troops and the family was penniless. Destitute and debt ridden, Joseph being unable to maintain his late father's large stone house and 600-acre farm, he was forced to sell out.
Joseph moved his young family from Lee County, Virginia to Albany in Gentry County, Missouri in 1878. In Albany, he purchased a store and the family lived outside of town on a small farm. By 1880, he was farming in the Dallas Township of Harrison County, Missouri. Later, then the family moved to Sweet Home [4 miles east of Ravenwood] in Nodaway County, Missouri where Joseph and his sons built a new house. After finishing his religious studies and becoming Methodist minister in Missouri, Joseph eventually performed as a part-time minister for the church in Nebraska, and later Colorado.
By 1890, Joseph moved his family initially to a homestead in western Nebraska near Benkelman, in Dundy County, Nebraska and built a sod house, which was later replaced by a two-storey wooden house on an approximately 600-acre ranch. Joseph was doing well as a cattleman, but his wife's health stated to deteriorate. So, he bought a separate 100-acre piece of land, which was closer to town and sold off the ranch and most of livestock on the larger piece of land. The physician treating his wife recommended a move to the "healthier climate" of Boulder in Boulder County, Colorado. Unfortunately, time would prove that the higher elevation and thinner oxygen was more harmful and Phoebe's health did not improve. After a while their son, Sam, who had finished his medical internship suggested that his parents should relocate to northeastern Washington, specifically Chewelah in Stevens County, Washington, where he had established his medical practice. Joseph and Phoebe had moved to Chewelah, but her health still did not improve.
Their son-in-law, James Livesay, was moving to California where he bought a 40-acre fruit orchard and built a house on a three-acre lot in nearby Palo Alto and they followed James in 1912, to the milder California climate, which proved more suitable for Phoebe's ill health. Joseph and Phoebe lived in Palo Alto until their deaths. They were both buried in nearby, Los Altos.
Joseph and Phoebe were the parents of the following children: Rev. Hughette "Hugh" Covell McPherson, Laura Alice (née McPherson) Hubbard, Martha "Patsy" White McPherson, Dr. Samuel Preston McPherson Sr., Nancy "Nannie" Lavina (née McPherson) Livesay, and Joseph William "Joe-Willie" McPherson.
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