My Genealogy Hound

DAVID K. HOOD, farmer and stock-raiser, post-office Reeds. Among the most prominent of the old settlers of this county is the subject of this brief sketch. His father, Thos. Hood, was a Virginian by birth, but settled in South Carolina at an early day. He was married in Edgefield of that state, to Miss Martha Onsby, a native of South Carolina, of an old Southern family. They lived for several years in Greenville, S. C, and immigrated to east Tennessee about the year 1813. They made their first settlement in Roane county, and subsequently moved to Monroe county, where he died in 1820. His widow survived him for many years, and died at the home of her son (our subject), in Jasper county, Mo., in July, 1870, at the advanced age of ninety-six years. Our subject was the youngest of the family, and was born in Roane county, Tenn., Sept., 26, 1814. He moved with the family, when quite young, to Monroe county, where he was reared to manhood, and acquired a limited education. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the saddle and harness-maker’s trade at Philadelphia, Tenn., which business he followed for twenty-two years. He was married in Maury county, Tenn., Aug. 16, 1840, to Miss Martha J. Kinzer, a native of Tennessee. She died in March, 1852, leaving four children: Norris C., Joel T., Virginia T., wife of J. D. Davis; and Michael K., deceased. He was married a second time in Wayne county, Tenn., June 30, 1858, to Miss Susan J. Morris, who was a native of Tennessee. Of this union there were born eleven children, eight of whom are now living: Missouri C., wife of Joseph E. Robinson of Dade county; David K., died Dec. 26, 1881, aged 24; Daniel W., now of Dade county; Sarah E., wife of Wm. Hackney of Jasper county; Thos. S., Henry C., Cora C., John H., and Edward E. Mr. Hood became a resident of Jasper county, Mo., in 1853, and purchased the farm upon which he now lives, since which time he has turned his entire attention to farming and stock-raising. When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Hood, though born and reared in the South and imbued with pro-slavery ideas, besides being himself the owner of slaves, still loved the Union, and was willing to sacrifice self-interests to its preservation. Outrages were rife in his immediate neighborhood, and being determined to remain neutral he moved his family to Ft. Scott, Kan., in May, 1862, but not finding a suitable location, returned the following year and raised a crop. One Sunday evening in October, 1862, a squad of Federal cavalry rode up to his house, and he knowing them to be friends, received them. His wife was preparing supper for them when another squad of mounted men rode up and called for him, he went out, and while talking to the officer in charge, a scout that was with the first squad that came, discovered that they were rebels and opened fire upon them. They had quite a lively skirmish in his door-yard. The following day Mr. Hood loaded up his wagons, and with what cattle he had left after repeated raids, moved his family to Cooper county, Mo., where he remained until peace was restored, when he returned to his home in Jasper county, since which time he has met with some severe reverses. Financially, he has been quite prosperous. His possessions consist of 606 acres of land. Rock Spring, a tributary to Center Creek, flows from his stock-yard. In politics, Mr. Hood was formerly an old line Whig. He has been identified with the anti-monopoly party since its organization. His principles and wishes now are “for the unity of the American people without contentions, except that noble contention as to who shall do the greatest good for humanity and the country’s weal.”