Polly Adaline (Clanton) Souders (1931)
BALLARD, BLACK, CLANTON, CLARK, FISHER, HUDSON, MUELLER, SMITH, SOUDERS, WHEELER, WINKLER
Posted By: Linda Brittain
Date: 5/23/2006 at 20:31:45
The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, July 9, 1931
Page 1Death of Polly Souders
Mrs. Polly Souders, a pioneer resident of Madison county, died at her home in St. Charles, Sunday, July 5th, at the age of 85 years. Mrs. Souders came to this county, when she was four months of age. She was brought here by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joel Clanton, who with Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Clark, were the first residents of the county. The group came here from Missouri and located near St. Charles. Later, the Clarks moved to Winterset, but the Clantons remained in the east part of the county. Mr. Clanton and Mrs. Clark were brother and sister. Mrs. Souders and Mrs. Elizabeth Smith of Winterset, were the two only remaining members of the original family.
Funeral services for Mrs. Souders were held Wednesday afternoon, in St. Charles at 2:30 o’clock. More details of her life, will be given in next weeks’ issue of the Madisonian.
H. A. Mueller of St. Charles writes the following sketch of the early history of the family.
The death of Mrs. Polly Clanton Souders Sunday night, July 5th, 1931 removes the last of the Clanton family who came to Madison county on the third day of May 1846. Her parents were Joel and Sarah Hudson Clanton, who left Buchanan county, Missouri, March 1, 1846 and located on a claim just west of the present town of St. Charles on May 3, 1846. Mrs. Souders was born on February 14, 1846, so was only about six weeks old when they left Missouri and about fourteen weeks old when they settled in Madison county. Others in the family, older were her two brothers, William and Frank. With the party coming from Missouri to Iowa, were the three Clanton families; viz Joel Clanton as mentioned above, Isaac Clanton, Charles Clanton, and Caleb Clark. Isaac Clanton settled where E. E. Cox now lives. He died in 1858 and lies buried in the cemetery nearby. Charles Clanton settled near where Charles Kinniard lives, moved to Oregon in 1861 and later lived in Washington. He has been lost to his relatives here. Charles Clanton of Indianola is the last representative of the Isaac Clanton family. Caleb Clark first located where G. S. Haynes now lives, but later took up a claim where Frank Picken now lives, later moving to or near Winterset, where many of his descendents now live.
With this party of pioneers coming to Madison county on that May day, there were eighteen children and Mrs. Souders was the youngest of them all. Mrs. Polly Clanton, the mother of the three elder Clantons and Mrs. Caleb Clark, was 62 years old, the oldest in the party. Two single men Charles McCray and Guilford Lee, also came with them, making in all twenty-five who settled near St. Charles over 85 years ago. Two daughters of the Clark family, Mrs. Martha Ballard and Elizabeth Smith still survive, of the twenty-five of the first pioneers coming to South township in Madison county.
________________________The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, July 16, 1931
Page 2MORTUARY
Polly Clanton Souders
Polly Adaline, daughter of Joel and Sarah Clanton was born at St. Joseph, Missouri, on February 14th, 1846 and passed away at her home in St. Charles on July 5th, 1931, at the age of 85 years, 4 months and 21 days.
When six weeks old she with her parents started to the state of Iowa, in company of other families of the Clanton’s, Clark’s and Hursts, all well known early settlers of Madison county. The Clanton’s made their home 1/3 mile west of St. Charles at the time, all timber, open prairie and where Indians camped along the creeks.
On April 17th, 1862, she was united in marriage to Alfred Souders. To them were born seven children, Mrs. Nancy Jane Wheeler, who passed away sixteen years ago, Mrs. John Winkler of Los Angeles, California, unable to be present because of ill health, J. W. Souders and Mrs. W. L. Fisher of Wayne, Nebraska; the latter came to help care for her mother in her late illness; Frank Souders of Villisca; Mrs. J. R. Black and Ida Mae of St. Charles.
Since the death of the husband and father 24 years ago, Aunt Polly as she was called by many, lived with her youngest daughter, Mae, who has devoted her life to the care and comforts of her mother.
Besides the children who will miss the mother so long spared to them remain, 17 grandchildren, 27 great grand children and 3 great, great grandchildren.
She was the only living member of the Church of Christ when it was first organized in St. Charles. Everyone knows of the faithful attendance to the church until last November when she became unable to make the trip from her home to the church.
She was quite poorly the past 5 weeks, but was only bedfast ten days.
________________________The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, July 16, 1931
Page 4, Column 1 & 2REAL PIONEER DIES AT ST. CHARLES
The passing of Mrs. Polly Clanton Souders July 5, removes the last of the Clanton family, who settled in Madison county, Iowa, on the third day of May 1846. Her parents were Joel and Sarah Hudson Clanton, who left Buchanan county, Missouri, on the first day of March 1846.
Mrs. Souders was born on the fourteenth day of February 1846, she was about six weeks old when they left Missouri and about fourteen weeks old, when they came to Madison county. Others in the family older than she were her brothers, William and Frank.
With the party coming from Missouri were four families: the three Clanton families and the Caleb Clark family. Joel Clanton settled just west of the present site of St. Charles, where Dan DeHaven now lives. Isaac Clanton settled just across the road where E. E. Cox now lives, and Charles settled south of where Charles Kinnaird now lives. Caleb Clark settled near where G. S. Haynes now lives, but the following year moved to the claim where Frank Pickens lives. A few years later he moved to Lincoln township near Winterset.
Isaac Clanton died in 1858 and is buried in the St. Charles cemetery. Charles Clanton of Indianola is the last representative of the Isaac Clanton family. Charles Clanton Sr. moved away to Oregon in 1861 and later went to Washington. He seems to be lost so far as any relatives here know.
With this party of pioneers coming to Madison county on that May day, there were eighteen children of which Mrs. Souders was the youngest. Others in the party were Mrs. Polly Clanton, the mother of the three Clantons and Mrs. Caleb Clark, who was 62 years old, the oldest. She lived several years and also lies buried near her son, Isaac. There were two single men, Charles McCray and Guilford Lee, and the eight grownups, parents of the eighteen children, making twenty-five in this pioneer settlement. Of these twenty-five coming that year, only one survives today, Mrs. Nancy Elizabeth Clark Smith of Winterset. - H. A. Mueller in the St. Charles News.
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