Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. I trust my readers will not think me egotistical if I first mention my parentage, also a short sketch of my life work of 70 years at Midway Place, where I now live. My father, Luke Williams, and my mother, Louisa Beatty, were natives of Kentucky and came to Mis souri early in the 19th century. They were married in Cooper County, at Boonville, Mo. They moved to Van Buren County, now Cass County, Mo., to where my first memory goes back – and removed to Midway Place April 3oth, 1842, which I have ever since called my home.