My Genealogy Hound

J. L. Hemphill is a Tennessean, born in 1833, and is a son of James M. and Frances (Neal) Hemphill. The father was born in North Carolina, and always followed the occupation of farming. He immigrated to Tennessee at an early day and there resided until 1852, at which time he moved to Missouri, and located in Stone County, where he died in 1869. He was the father of twelve children, seven of whom are living. J. L. Hemphill attended school both in Tennessee and Missouri, and made his home with his father until his marriage, which occurred in 1853, to Miss Mary A. Gardner, by whom he had ten children, nine of whom are living: Houston P., married to Rebecca Mills; Orville, John Q., married to Janie Norman; William L., married to Annie Medlin; Finley, Columbus F., Oliver C., Ida A., and James L. At the breaking out of the war Mr. Hemphill enlisted in the Home Guards, and at the end of three months joined the provisional service, with which he remained three years. He then joined the United States service in the Fifteenth Missouri Cavalry and served until the close of the war, when he returned to his family in Lawrence County, and resumed farming. In 1865 he removed to his present farm of 240 acres, and has met with good success financially. He and Mrs. Hemphill are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F.