It's not clear why the venerable Xury E. West's parents saddled their son with that given name back in 1796. Had they overdosed on Defoe? Were they reading "Robinson Crusoe" at the time? Who knows?
Whatever the case, they turned from the Bible to what sometimes is called Defoe's spiritual autobiography when in search of a name more than 200 years ago and gave Lucas County a first settler with a distinctive moniker.
So far as I know, there were only two other Xury Wests in the world. One was his nephew, who lived and died in Indiana, and the other, his son --- Xury A. West, who died in 1846 during the Mexican War while serving with a unit of Indiana troops.
Two years later, during May of 1848, Xury and his wife, Mary (always known as Polly), brought their family west to Lucas County's most southeasterly township, Washington, and built a cabin in Section 13 --- along the route of the Mormon Trail. This branch of the trail had been established during the summer of 1846 when Brigham Young directed LDS pioneers streaming west from Nauvoo to avoid the initial trail route through southern Wayne County and follow the ridge north of the Chariton River in Lucas County through Chariton Point instead.
Here's Dan Baker's account, taken from his 1881 history of Lucas County: "The first settler in the township was Mr. Xury E. West. He was born in South Carolina in 1796, and was taken to Kentucky while young, and after he reached man's estate, moved to Putnam county, Indiana, where he lived until the spring of 1848, when he came west with his family, and located in section thirteen in what is now Washington township. In the fall of the same year, Samuel McKinley and his family came and located in section twenty-four, near Mr. West."
The Wests were not the first permanent Lucas County settlers to arrive --- the Ballards already were living near English Creek in the northern part of the county and the McDermotts, at "Ireland" in Cedar Township. But they were very early settlers.
In 1852, Xury, Samuel McKinley and Aaron Kendall had a village they called Greenville platted and, in 1853, Xury was named its first postmaster (the post office was discontinued in 1864).
Dan Baker also noted in his 1881 history that, "the first religious services in the township were held at the house of Xury E. West, in the fall of 1848, by Rev. Pierce, a Methodist minister." So far as we know, these were the first Methodist services held anywhere in Lucas County and that gives the Wests the distinction of being the county's first Methodists.
Xury was in his 85th year when he died at Greenville on June 9, 1880, and his passing was noted in The Chariton Leader of June 12 as follows:
A PIONEER FALLEN
Xury E. West, the subject of this sketch, was born March 23, 1796, died June 9, 1880, near Greenville, Lucas county, aged 84 years, 2 months and 16 days.
Mr. West was the father of four sons and two daughters, all living except one son, who died in the Mexican war.
His companion died in 1875, nearly five years ago.
He moved into Iowa in 1848, and in the fall of the same year influenced a minister of the M.E. Church to come from Albia, who preached the first Methodist sermon in his house that was ever preached in Lucas county.
He was a faithful attendant on the means of grace until age prevented, and was carried to the grave and buried according to the form of the service of the M.E. church, of which he had been a member for over 50 years.
A large number of people were present to pay tributes of respect to this veteran of Lucas County and father of the church.
+++
Xury and Polly West are buried in the Greenville Pioneer Cemetery, where they share a modest stone that remains in good repair.
No comments:
Post a Comment