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Below is a family biography included in The History of Pulaski County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  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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Elijah Jordan Christeson, one of Pulaski County’s oldest citizens, was born in Adair County, Ky., November 24, 1819, and is a son of Elisha and Agnes (Drake) Christeson, and grandson of Robert Christeson, who was born in Maryland, and immigrated to Adair County, Ky., about 1793-94. Here he spent the remainder of his days, dying about 1825, at the age of sixty-six years. His son, Elisha, was also born in Maryland, December 15, 1790, and grew to manhood and married in Adair County, Ky. In 1829 he immigrated to what is now Pulaski County, Mo., and settled on the farm now owned by his daughter Eljelina. Here he reared a family of twelve children, and lived to the ripe old age of ninety-four years. He was one of the very earliest settlers of the county, his nearest neighbor residing four miles distant, and owing to the primitive state of the country he was obliged to go twenty-four miles to mill. His wife, whom he married in 1815, was born in the State of Virginia in 1800, and died in 1873. Five of their children are living, whose names are as follows: Elijah J.; Permelia, widow of Levi Henshaw; Malinda, wife of John W. Nelson; Walker W. and Eljelina. Elijah J. was ten years old when he came with his parents to Pulaski County, Mo., and made his home with them until twenty-five years of age, receiving his education in the primitive log school-house of early days. In 1844 he married Sarah C. Colley, who was born in Caldwell County, Ky., in 1825, and a daughter of Cyrus Colley and by her became the father of eleven children: James, Thomas J., Cyrus E., Elizabeth (wife of James Dixon), George E., John, Cynthia J., Sarah A. (wife of Charles French), Frank and William H. The eldest, Martha, married James Hudgens, February 2, 1862; and died June 1, 1863. In 1845 or 1846 Mr. Christeson entered 160 acres of land about five miles from Waynesville, where he located and has since made his home. He has added acre by acre to his farm until he now owns 280 acres of fine land, well adapted to raising all the cereals. He is the oldest settler of the county, having lived here for fifty-six years, and in politics has been a life-long Democrat. He has held a number of offices in the county, among which are constable, sheriff, collector, judge and public administrator, and has filled the duties of several of the offices for a number of terms. Since 1861 he has been blind (caused by neuralgia), which is a severe trial to him, but he has a remarkably good memory, and can remember with distinctness events that happened many years ago. He has always led an honest, upright and unselfish life, and is universally respected and esteemed. His wife is a member of the Free Will Baptist Church, he is not a member of any church, but believes in the Bible as a true-moral guide, and in the Christian faith as set forth by the Protestant doctrines.

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This family biography is one of 80 biographies included in The History of Pulaski County, Missouri published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Pulaski County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

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