Barton County, Missouri Biographies-B. C. McWILLIAMS

History Of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade And Barton Counties, 
Missouri, 1889.  Published by Goodspeed. Pages 921, 922

B. C. McWilliams, stockman, farmer, and fruit-grower, of Barton County, 
Mo., was born in Pennsylvania, October 13, 1843, and is a son of William
and Fannie (Knauss) McWilliams, who were of Scotch and German origin,
and were born in Northumberland County, Penn.; the former's birth 
occurring March 17, 1821.  He was a farmer by occupation, and he and 
wife became the parents of the following family: B. C.; John, a resident
of Barton County; Francis M., a farmer of Ellisworth, Mo.; James A., 
also a farmer of Ellsworth; W. H., a miner and stonemason, of Barton 
County; Mary, the deceased wife of W. L. Olley, Jr., of Pennsylvania;
and Maggie E., attending school at Fort Scott.  The paternal grandfather
of our subject, John McWilliams, and his wife, a Miss Cruiser, were
also born in the "Keystone State."  The maternal grandfather, Benjamin
Knauss, was born in Northampton County, Penn., and was reared in Bucks
County, of that State.  His father came in an early day to America from
Holland with a brother, and served in the Revolutionary army.  Benjamin
Knauss served as lieutenant on the Canadian frontier in the War of 1812,
and proved a trusty soldier.  He was twice married, his second wife being
a Miss Billmyer.  His death occurred in Northumberland County, Penn.  At
the age of twenty years B. C. McWilliams embarked on the sea of life for
himself, and joined Company F, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, U.S.A.,
and served about twenty-seven months under Capt. J. K. Robertson, and 
was in different Southern prisons for about thirteen months.  He was in 
the battle of Sulphur Springs, and was captured at Catlett Station, and
sent to Libby Prison, where he remained three days, and was then taken
to Belle Isle, where he was retained four months, then spent six months
and seven days at Andersonville, one month at Savannah, Ga., and the
remainder of his prison life was passed at Miller.  Twenty-seven members
of his regiment were captured with him, and of those who were confined
where he was only one besides himself survived the horrors of the 
Southern prisons, Mr. McWilliams and John Flowers, of Company I.  He
was paroled on the 19th of November, 1864, and was furloughed home.  
While in Andersonville he was water-carrier for four months, and was 
the original owner of the Miller ax, for which he paid twenty-five 
dollars, and which he used in building his hut, it being also used for
the same purpose by many of his comrades.  After the war he worked with
the Enterprise Coal Colliery, Shamokin, Penn., but July 6, 1866, went
to Belleview, Ohio, and from there to Clinton, Mich.; thence to Barton
County, Mo, where he bought his present property of 168 acres.  He only
remained here a short time, as the country was but a vast rolling 
prairie, with no houses or improved farms, and went to Dubuque, Iowa,
thence to Cedar Rapids, and was married at Danforth, Johnson County, 
Iowa, to Miss Mary A. Cloud, on the 24th of December, 1867.  In 1869 he 
returned to his farm in Missouri--at that time there being no house 
between his and the county seat, Lamar, sixteen miles away--and here
has since remained and reared his children, whose names are as follows:
Fannie E., Born October 22, 1868; Rosa C., born December 10, 1869;
Nellie May, born July 22, 1873; William H. and Samuel (twins), born
February 16, 1875; Lena, born March 26, 1882; John F., born February 25,
1884; Bessie C., born June 16, 1887; and Benjamin H., born March 8, 1889.
Mrs. McWilliams was born in Iowa, August 27, 1847, and is a daughter of
Samuel and Eliza A. (Case) Cloud, who were born in Ohio and Virginia,
respectively, and settled at Big Grove, Johnson County, Iowa, where
Mrs. Cloud died July 20, 1882, and her husband, October 12, 1883.  They
were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom lived to be grown:
Callie, wife of B. F. Hopkins, of Zenorsville, Iowa; Mrs. McWilliams;
Nathaniel, who was killed in the battle of Shiloh; Rebecca, wife of 
Steve Almond, of Parker, Dak.; Fannie, wife of Richard Bissell of Cass 
Co., Iowa; Frank, of Allendale, Mo.; Newton and Will S., of Iantha, Mo.
Rosa and John, of Danforth, Iowa.  Mrs. McWilliams' paternal grandfather 
was born in Pennsylvania, and Mr. McWilliams' paternal grandfather served
throughout the Revolutionary War.  Mr. and Mrs. McWilliams are members
of the Church of God, and in his political views he is a Republican.
His mother, sister and brother have settled here since he came, his 
father also coming a few years before his death, which occurred
February 28, 1883.

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