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Below is a family biography included in the book, Portrait and Biographical Record of Johnson and Pettis County Missouri published by Chapman Publishing Company in 1895.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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JUDGE HARDIN LONG. Perhaps none of the residents of Johnson County have a wider circle of acquaintances than has Judge Long, who, coming here from Alabama in 1868, has since made his home in township 46, range 29. His home, which is situated on section 1, is among the attractive rural abodes of the locality, and is surrounded by a finely improved tract of farming land, numbering three hundred and six acres. At the time of purchase the land was almost wholly unimproved, but through the skillful management of Judge Long it has been transformed into a valuable farm.

As far back as the history of the family in America can be traced, they have been residents of the South, possessing the chivalry, courage and refinement characteristic of the people of that part of the United States. The parents of our subject were Arthur and Jennie (Williams) Long, natives of Kentucky, both of whom died at about sixty-eight years of age. The father, who was reared to manhood in Alabama, engaged in farming and stock-raising in that state, and thence removed to Tennessee, where he remained until his death.

The subject of this sketch is the second in a family of ten children, the others being named as follows: Elizabeth, who died in Texas; Keziah, John and Lemuel, deceased; Margaret, who resides in Johnson County; William and Peter, deceased; Paralee, whose home is in Alabama; and Thomas, deceased. When the Civil War broke out the six sons, with that devotion to the fair South so frequently seen during the dark days of the early ‘60s, enlisted for service under the Stars and Bars, and went forth to fight for home and loved ones. Five fell on Southern battlefields, Hardin being the only one of the six to return home. His son, though a lad of but sixteen, also served in the army, with a gallantry not always seen among men much his senior in years. Intensely loyal to Southern principles, these brave men fought to the last, proving to the Federal troops that they had enemies worthy of their steel.

Born in Jackson County, Ala., October 6, 1820, our subject was reared upon his father’s farm, and much of his time was devoted to its cultivation, his opportunities for acquiring an education being very limited. From childhood his has been a busy life, and industry and perseverance have contributed to his success. At the age of twenty-four he became a land-owner, and in the management of his property he has met with success from the first. Shortly after the close of the war he removed from Alabama to Missouri and settled in Johnson County, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres. He had but commenced the cultivation of this place when the hostilities between the North and South culminated in the sanguinary struggle that marks an epoch in the history of our country.

Enlisting in the Forty-second Tennessee Infantry, our subject served for some time in that regiment, and later was with the Third Confederate Cavalry, his period of service being from August, 1861, until August, 1865. Many times bullets pierced his clothing, and often he was in so great peril that his escape from death seemed miraculous. For a time he was Captain, commanding a company of the Forty-second Tennessee. In every engagement in which he participated he made a record for valor and fearlessness. His father, who was too old to enter the service, but who stanchly upheld the Confederacy, was placed under arrest on account of his political belief, and excitement and suffering incident to his imprisonment hastened his death.

In Alabama, February 12, 1846, occurred the marriage of Judge Long and Miss Amanda M. McFarland, a native of that state, where her parents lived and died. Judge Long’s eldest son, William, who served in the Confederate army and is now a resident of Johnson County, married Miss E. G. Clouers, and they have three children: Hardin, Robert Lee (named in honor of the great general), and Jacob. Washington, who married Mary Mills, also lives in this county. Susan F. is the wife of William J. Hughes, and the mother of eight children, namely: Amanda Ellen, Hardin, Sallie, May, Jennie, Washington, Bessie and Pearl. Thomas, deceased, married Martha Ball, and they had one son, Walter. James P., of this county, married Lizzie Hogan, who bore him two children, Beulah and Willie A. Arthur, whose home is in township 46, range 29, married Miss Lou Bell, and has one child, Brutus. Alexander, a farmer of this county, married Mary Connell, and their children are George and Nellie. Jennie, the youngest of the family and an accomplished young lady, is at home with her parents.

As he was a brave soldier in time of war, so Judge Long has been a good citizen in time of peace. Politically he always votes the Democratic ticket, though not fully satisfied with the stand the party has taken upon a number of important subjects, yet he knows of no other party nearly as good as it is, and so remains within its ranks. Though never seeking political preferment, he has twice been elected Judge of the County Court, serving two terms acceptably. Socially he is a Mason, and in his religious connections is identified with the Christian Church. In the county he is a man of influence and his opinions carry weight.

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This family biography is one of the numerous biographies included in the Johnson County, Missouri portion of the book,  Portrait and Biographical Record of Johnson and Pettis County Missouri published in 1895 by Chapman Publishing Co.  For the complete description, click here: Johnson County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Johnson County, Missouri family biographies here: Johnson County, Missouri Biographies

View a map of 1904 Johnson County, Missouri here: Johnson County, Missouri Map

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