Through the efforts of many local citizens and officials the historic Gray-Campbell house has been moved from its original site - where it stood for almost 130 years - and relocated in Nathanael Greene Park. It is hoped that the structure can be restored and refurbished in the months ahead - thereby beginning its second 130 years with a “facelift.”

Betty Jane Turner’s report to the Springfield Historical Site Board indicated that the house is probably the last surviving farmstead of the early settlers on the Kickapoo Prairie. It was built in 1855-56 by James Price Gray and later purchased by John Polk Campbell, nephew of the John Polk Campbell who founded Springfield. [1]

The Campbell family is well known in the development of Springfield and vicinity - with both a street and a school as memorials. But who was this James Price Gray who built the house? What role did he and his family play in the early history of Springfield and Greene County?

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief glimpse into the lives of members of the pioneer Gray family. They were by no means new arrivals when the Gray-Campbell house was built. In fact, they were among the early settlers of Greene County - arriving in 1840. They purchased the future site of the house in 1841, built the front section of the house in 1855-56, and members of the family occupied the structure for a number of years.

There is no formal Gray family history and over the years members of the family retained very few records. Therefore, the family history must be reconstructed by means of census records, property abstracts, local historical accounts and the family oral tradition.

The family has been traced back to the period of the American Revolution in Virginia. The Virginia census of 1782-85 reveals that several Gray families were living in Halifax County, near the North Carolina border. One of these families was that of John and Anne Gray - a young couple that had grown to maturity during the turbulent days of the Revolution. Available evidence suggests that in 1785 they had not been married very long. [2] As citizens of the newly independent nation they were no doubt ready to settle down to the serious pursuits of peace - the raising of corn and kids!

Their first surviving child was a son born in the early 1790s - a second son arrived around 1797. Their third son, born in 1799, was named Elijah and he was destined to be one of the pioneer settlers in Greene County, Missouri in 1840. [3]

Thus, John and Anne now had three sons - and like many of their contemporaries began to look “westward” for land and opportunity. The family left Virginia in 1806 when Elijah was about 7 years old. After making the difficult trek over the mountains they settled in Williamson County, Tennessee, just to the south of Nashville. [4]

Thus, Elijah Gray and his two elder brothers were born in the Virginia of Washington and Jefferson, but grew to maturity in the state that became identified with Andrew Jackson. This heritage of being a Virginian by birth and a Tennessean by upbringing and experience may well have helped to shape Elijah’s social and political views as a Missourian in the 1840s and 1850s.

The Gray family seemed to prosper and propagate in Tennessee. A daughter was born between 1805 and 1806 and a fourth son arrived on the scene in 1810. Apparently, John and Anne had acquired a large tract of land in Tennessee. The census of 1820 indicates that all five of the males in the family were engaged in agriculture and that twelve slaves lived with the family. Hence, the Gray family farm had to support a population of 19.[5]

In 1823, when he was not yet 24, Elijah married a 19 year old young lady by the name of Annie Brooks - it was the beginning of a union that would last for 55 years (most of that time in Greene County, Missouri). Annie and Elijah spent the next 17 years (1823-40) farming and raising a family. They maintained a household separate from that of the elder Grays - by 1830 their farmstead was supporting 14 people. [6]

All four of their children were born in Tennessee. Louisa was the eldest, followed by Polly Ann - and then came James Price in 1832, followed by Sue in about 1837. [7] Many years later three of these children - James Price, Polly Ann and Sue - would have rather special relationships with the historic Gray-Campbell house.

Although Elijah and Annie did not move to Greene County until 1840-41, it is interesting to note that three years after their marriage (1827), Elijah made a one year trip to Callaway County, Missouri. [8] That county, bordering on the Missouri River, was well known for its “southern” settlers and orientation. It is uncertain why Elijah made this trip to central Missouri. Perhaps he was visiting relatives who had migrated from Virginia or Tennessee earlier or maybe it was an exploratory trip with one of his elder brothers. At any rate, Elijah had a first hand look at Missouri, in 1827, two years before the founding of Springfield. While there he probably heard talk about the largely unsettled region of the southwest Missouri Ozarks. Thus, it appears likely that Elijah had an interest in Missouri over a decade before he finally decided to migrate to Greene County.

A number of factors probably influenced Elijah and Annie in their decision to leave Tennessee. Perhaps Elijah had caught “westward fever” much like his father before him. Also, it should be remembered that Elijah had two elder brothers and was not likely to inherit the family lands - by 1840 opportunities for acquiring large tracts of good Tennessee land at bargain prices were not good. During the 1830s and 1840s large numbers of Tennesseans migrated to Missouri and by 1840 the better Missouri River lands had been occupied. Thereafter, an increasing number of Scotch-Irish Tennesseans settled in the Ozarks. [9] Thus, in moving to southwest Missouri, Annie and Elijah were following the lead of many of their fellow Tennesseans - people who sought inexpensive land, but also felt at home with familiar customs and the rolling hills and streams of the Ozark region.

Elijah’s decision to come to Greene County may have been influenced in part by John Polk Campbell. John Campbell left Tennessee in 1828-29 on a trip of exploration. Eventually he staked a claim in what is now Springfield and moved his family to the site in 1830. [10] According to Gray family oral tradition, John Campbell and Elijah were friends in Tennessee and on one or more occasions John returned to Tennessee and tried to talk Elijah into joining him in Missouri. [11]

It is quite possible that the Grays and Campbells knew each other in Tennessee. John Polk Campbell, who was about 5 years younger than Elijah, came to Tennessee in 1809 at the age of 5. He was married in Maury County, Tennessee - which borders Williamson County on the south. It is well known that John Polk Campbell was something of a booster for the Greene County area - and he did influence many of his friends and relatives to migrate to Springfield. [12]

Thus, with the Campbells and others in the vicinity moving to Greene County, Elijah and Annie had an added incentive to make the trek across the Mississippi and settle on the Kickapoo Prairie of the Ozarks.

In 1840 Elijah came to see the area for himself. He liked what he saw and decided to stay. During the next year or so he made trips back to Tennessee to sell his property and bring his family and slaves to Greene County. [13]

Hence, the Elijah and Annie Gray branch of the Gray family arrived in Greene County during 1840-41. By this time Elijah was a man of 41 and Annie was 36. Louisa and Polly were teenagers, James Price was 8 (about the same age his father had been when he left Virginia). The baby of the family was little Sue, who celebrated her third birthday in 1840. The Grays also brought between 8 and 10 slaves to Missouri - probably a family. Although there is no record of the names of the slaves, an analysis of the available census slave schedules leads one to conclude that as a group they were similar in age and gender to the Gray family. [14]

When Elijah first came to Greene County, in 1840, he took up residence two miles west of Springfield for a year. During his first year or so in Missouri he was an extremely busy man. He sought out and purchased a suitable homestead and began building a house on the property. In addition, he made the arrangements for his family to move from Tennessee. And somehow in the midst of such time-consuming undertakings he also became actively involved in local politics!

The year 1840 was a presidential election year. The incumbent Democrat, Martin Van Buren (Andrew Jackson’s protégé), was matched against the Whig, William Henry Harrison (the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe). The campaign was quite heated throughout Missouri and even though the Democrats were in the majority in Greene County, there was still considerable political activity on both sides. Harrison was the winner nationally, but in Greene County the vote stood at Harrison 171 and Van Buren 432. Elijah’s status as a new resident did not deter him from participation in the campaign. One of the early local histories lists him among the leading Democrats in 1840. His fellow Democrats included John P. Campbell, John S. Phelps, S. S. Ingram, Alex Younger, R. J. McElhaney and Judge Yancey. [15] Thus, Elijah, born in the land of Jefferson, reared in the land of Jackson, at the age of 41 established himself as a leading Jacksonian Democrat in the Missouri Ozarks. In the years ahead his interest in the political arena would continue to influence his life and that of his family.

The year 1841 was a banner year for Annie and Elijah Gray. It was the year they purchased 400 acres in Greene County and it was the year they built and moved into a house on the newly acquired land. This was to be the family farmstead for over 40 years.

Actually, Elijah’s land acquisition included two nearby tracts in Wilson Township. One was 240 acres in section 14 and the other was 160 acres in section 10. [16] The family house was built on the larger tract. Many years later the smaller property would become the site of the Gray-Campbell house.

Elijah and Annie, along with their three daughters - Louisa, Polly and Sue - and their son James Price moved into the new family house in December 1841. There are several accounts that describe the house - usually in glowing terms. One speaks of it as “the finest house in Wilson Township.” [17] Perhaps the best description appeared in the Springfield Press in 1929 as part of a series of historical features on the occasion of Springfield’s centennial.

He built his . . . home in the center of a thick forest at the top of a small hill at the foot of which was a large spring.

The home was outstanding as a pioneer residence. Whereas other settlers constructed log cabins with board roofs and wooden chimneys, Mr. Gray erected a house of hewn logs, covered with a shingle roof and topped with a stone chimney. The Gray house was pointed out as one of the finest in the entire countryside. [18]

Both the house and the forest have disappeared, but the spring house and the family cemetery - known as the Yarbrough Cemetery - can be seen today. They are located on a tract of land on the east side of Kansas Avenue - just south of the Highway M - Kansas Avenue intersection.

The young men of the area no doubt took note of the fact that Elijah and Annie arrived in Greene County with two eligible daughters - Louisa and Polly Ann. In pioneer communities young single women usually were in short supply. The Gray homestead had its quota of gentlemen callers and it wasn’t long before wedding bells were heard. It is uncertain whether Louisa had a brief first marriage, but there is no doubt about her marriage to Lee Yarbrough on March 29, 1843. The occasion has been described as among the early marriages in Wilson Township. [19] Before 1850 Polly Ann would also leave the family home as Mrs. John R. Weaver.

Thus, through these two unions the Grays, Yarbroughs and Weavers became related. Within the next decade the youngest daughter, Sue, would make her departure and become a member of the Campbell family. An examination of the county records reveals that all four families owned property in the same general area. [20] Apparently, proximity was a factor that contributed to the merging of pioneer blood lines in old Wilson Township.

Annie and Elijah did rather well during their first 15 years in Greene County (1840-55). They acquired two good tracts of land and built and occupied a fine house. As farmers they became successful in the raising and breeding of cattle and in the growing of food crops - particularly corn. During the first decade on their new homestead their two elder daughters married into local families. Elijah became recognized locally as a leader in farming, business and politics. In 1851 he was elected as a director of the Springfield Bank - along with three other Greene County residents, Charles Hayden, Hugh Stewart and N. R. Smith. [21] Also, during his first 15 years in Missouri, Elijah kept active and in touch with state and national political developments. This was the crucial period when the country was gradually moving toward the sectional crisis which would culminate in a bloody civil war in 1861-65.

The 1850 census schedule listed 14 people living on the Gray farmstead. [22] With their two older daughters married, Elijah (50) and Annie (46) had only James Price (18) and Susan (13) living at home. As was the case with many of the families in the township, the Grays owned a number of slaves (the Greene County assessor’s books show 1,589 slaves in Greene County in 1850). The 1850 slave schedule listed 10 slaves living on the Gray property - identified only by sex and age. There were 5 males ranging in age from 3 to 33 and 5 females ages 3 through 25. Hence, in 1850 the farmstead residents consisted of 5 able bodied men (Elijah, James Price and 3 slaves ages 18, 26 and 33), 5 able bodied women (Annie, Susan and 3 slaves all age 25) and 4 small children. Thus, 10 of the 14 residents could work in the field or the house - a considerable workforce. Whatever success Elijah and Annie may have had as farmers, cattle raisers and/or homemakers was due in no small part to the effort and skill of this group of slaves (several of whom had probably moved with the family from Tennessee in 1840). As was frequently the case, some of the slaves may have taken the family name after emancipation.

Elijah and Annie had only one son to carry on the family name and inherit the family farmstead. James Price was 18 in 1850 and would reach his twenty-first birthday on January 10, 1853. Sometime in the early 1850s it was decided that James would be given the smaller family tract (160 acres, section 10) on which to build a house and farm. It appears likely that this decision may have coincided with James Price’s 21st birthday (or very soon thereafter). Thus, in the early 1850s James Price Gray was an eligible young bachelor with a plot of land available if and when he chose to settle down and raise a family. There is some evidence indicating that James Price may have been a bit of a “sport”. In March 1855 the Greene County circuit court fined several men for betting on the last election - one of these was identified as J. P. Gray. [23]

It is uncertain exactly when a house was constructed on James Price’s 160 acres - it may have been built over a period of several years. However, since James married a young lady by the name of Mary E. Blakey on January 25, 1856, it seems reasonable to conclude that the house was built prior to that date - mainly in 1855 and before. [24]

The building of the new house was without doubt a family project and - as mentioned earlier - the Gray family had a considerable workforce available. It can be assumed that in addition to James Price and Elijah, at least 3 adult male slaves had a hand in the undertaking along with some help from the new sons-in-law - Lee Yarbrough and John Weaver. Of course, Annie Gray and her two married daughters were available as practical and artistic consultants. And perhaps Mary Blakey also was involved in some of the planning.

The house was typical of many others in the area in the 1840s and 1850s - its distinction being that by chance (and some dedicated work by a few citizens) it has survived to the present day. It is probably the sole surviving example of a home of a pioneer generation farmer of the Kickapoo Prairie. The following description of the house is taken from Betty Jane Turner’s report on the Gray-Campbell farmstead (1983):

The house . . . is a 2 room mirror image, . . . one story structure. Matching fireplaces are at the gable ends of each room, possessing distinctive limestone fireboxes, homemade brick, and interior chimneys. Full foundations are of shaped limestone, topped with massive hewn and mortised timber sills. Floor joists are heavy hewn logs [secured by hand-hewn wooden pegs]. Framing is of sawn and hewn members. . . . Surviving woodwork is vernacular Greek revival style, characteristic of the period c. 1850 in Missouri. Flooring is wick random-width finished tongue-and-groove pine. Walls and ceiling are lath and plaster. The exterior is covered in sawn pine lap siding. Roof shingles are handsplit shakes. [25]

Ms. Turner goes on to mention that the methods of construction and concepts of style embody traditions of the 1850s as well as earlier times. She further states that houses of this particular type possessed “remarkable qualities of design, craftsmanship and taste.” [26] It is also interesting to note how well the builders utilized native clay, stone and timber in the structure.

Thus, James Price constructed a modest, but well designed house which reflected both the taste and quality of workmanship of the period. He and Mary must have been very proud when they set up housekeeping in their new home in early 1856.

Unfortunately, tragedy was soon to strike the James Gray family - the first of a series of misfortunes that would continue to plague James Price for the rest of his life. Sometime during 1857 Mary became ill and died. It is uncertain whether her death was related to childbirth. One source related that James Price was left with a child after his wife’s death and that the child lived only a few years. [27] Hence, in 1857, James Price found himself with a new house, without a wife, and having to care for a sickly child - and to add insult to injury the area suffered a severe famine in June 1857. [28] No doubt his mother and father (and married sisters) helped him through that difficult period.

The first two years of the Gray-Campbell house were not happy ones. The first family group to occupy the house was suddenly split asunder by illness and death. A grief stricken James Price probably closed the house and moved in with his parents for a while.

It has been said that time and good friends help to heal emotional wounds. In the case of James Price Gray the principal “healer” was a young lady of seventeen from Cass County, Missouri by the name of Sallie Gilmore. Sallie and James had one thing in common from the beginning - both had been born in Tennessee. They were married on January 10, 1859 and once again the Gray-Campbell house was occupied by newlyweds. [29] Their union would endure for 28 years and 6 children, although only a portion of that time would be spent in the Gray-Campbell house.

Hence, Sallie (Gilmore) Gray was the first woman able to assume full responsibility as mistress of the Gray-Campbell house and begin raising a family on the premises. Sallie made a house into a happy home!

The 1860 census schedule recorded James and Sallie living on the farmstead, as yet without children. The slave schedule indicated that 5 slaves lived on the property - 3 males ages 6, 21 and 25 and 2 females ages 13 and 20. Thus, soon after his second marriage James was settled into the house and the property was supporting 7 people. [30] By this time the property included slave quarters as well as other necessary farm structures.

Apparently, things were finally going well for James Price. It wouldn’t be long before he and Sallie would become the proud parents of the first surviving child to be born in the house [more on this later]. Sometime during their first years in the house Sallie and James decided they needed more living space. An addition was attached to the rear of the original house making it into a “T” shaped structure. Betty Turner described the addition as consisting

Of a large room and fireplace with a smaller room extending behind the fireplace. A cellar is under the large room lined with hard red brick, the same type used in the fireplace above. [31]

This then was the house that was to be the initial home for a new generation of the Gray family - the first generation to be born in Missouri.

An examination of the 1860 census schedule revealed a curious bit of information. On June 2, 1860 the census taker’s 17th stop was at Elijah Gray’s farmstead, followed by visits at the farms of D. N. Fulbright, W. H. Blakey and J. P. Gray. The next stop was at the home of a W. Gray! Mr. W. Gray, who was 62 and born in Virginia, lived with his wife Halley (born in Tennessee) and their four children ranging in age 10 through 15 - all born in Missouri. [32] This may be coincidence, but everything seems to point to this man being one of Elijah’s elder brothers. It is likely that he came to Missouri shortly after Elijah (c.1845). Unfortunately, there are no family records or an oral tradition to verify the relationship. Perhaps the Grays were once more numerous in old Wilson Township than anyone thought!

During the years when James Price was establishing himself, Annie and Elijah were always nearby - “just down the road a piece.” They shared both the sadness and joy of their son’s life and must have been delighted with his new beginning with Sallie Gilmore. Elijah and Annie continued to keep active at home and in the community. Elijah didn’t retire “officially” from farming until sometime after 1860 (the 1860 census recorded him as a farmer and the 1870 census listed him as retired). [33]

After James Price was married in 1856, only Sue remained home with Elijah and Annie. On January 20, 1857, near her 20th birthday, Sue married John Polk Campbell, nephew of the John Polk Campbell who was the founder of Springfield. [34] These two families whose paths had crossed first in Tennessee and again in Greene County Missouri were now united in marriage. With their last child married, Annie and Elijah were alone for the first time in over 30 years. They would remain so until 1856 when their life would be drastically altered as the result of another misfortunate in their son’s life.

Elijah was quite active in the political arena in the 1850s. As a Democrat he became associated with the faction of the party in Missouri known as Bentonites. Thomas Hart Benton was a dominant force in Missouri politics for over 30 years (he died in 1858). He so dominated the political scene that Democrats were often classified as of two kinds - pro-Benton or anti-Benton. [35]

Benton served for many years as a United States Senator from Missouri and also ran for Governor in 1856. In the 1820s he was identified with the Jacksonian Democrats who favored a broader extension of democracy with a distinctly “western” flavor. He was considered the architect of Andrew Jackson’s victory in Missouri in 1828. As the crisis over slavery intensified Senator Benton came out in opposition to the extension of slavery, but at the same time sought to avoid anything that would endanger the federal union. By 1850 he had embraced the “Free Soil” position and stated that not only was he opposed to the extension of slavery, but would oppose it in Missouri if it were not already there. He still remained an avid unionist! These positions placed Benton squarely between the more extreme positions of the anti-slavery Republicans on one hand and the pro-slavery Democrats on the other hand.

Such was the political orientation embraced by Elijah Gray, a slave holder in Greene County Missouri in the 1850s. There is no record of how those views may have influenced the treatment or emancipation of his slaves. However, there is ample evidence that he did make his views known and actively supported local and state candidates of the Bentonite persuasion.

The following incident provides some indication of Elijah’s political influence in the Springfield area. In an attempt to influence the outcome of a circuit judge election in 1857, a forged letter of unknown origin was sent out to certain individuals in the various counties of the district. The letter apparently served the authors’ purpose since their candidate won the judgeship. Of note however, was the fact that the letter bore the forged signatures of several citizens identified as local Benton Democrats - including that of Elijah Gray. Other forged signatures were those of Joseph Moss, Stephen Bedford, John Dade, Larkin Payne, Hosea Mullins and T. J. Bailey. [36]

Another illustration of Elijah’s involvement in local politics was his participation in a “Union” meeting which took place in the Springfield court house on April 5, 1858. Joseph Goodwin chaired the meeting and Z. M. Rountree served as secretary. The “Bentonite” flavor of the proceedings is apparent in the following description of the meeting:

. . . . The object of this meeting was to put on record the fact that those composing it were opposed to the dissolution of the Federal Union, and to do everything possible to prevent such a thing. Already the best men of the country feared for the fate of the Republic. Northern fanatics and Southern fire eaters were striving to render it asunder. . .

With neither of these factions had the "Union" meeting of 1858 any sympathy. Resolutions denouncing the intemperate politicians of all parties for the injuries they were working were unanimously adopted. (Holcombe,
1983) [37]

Elijah Gray was the first listed member of the resolutions committee, which also included Hosea Mullins, Simon Bird, Joseph Headlee, George Howard, James Edwards, A. H. Leslie, H. R. Jarrett, J. W. Boren, Marshall Murray, J. L. McCraw, R. B. Owen and Joseph Burden. Strong Union speeches were delivered to the assembly by Colonel Marcus Boyd and Judge Sample Orr. [38] A meeting such as that was an indication of the strength of the moderate viewpoint in Greene County at a time when less temperate voices prevailed elsewhere in the state and nation.

In 1860 Judge Sample Orr, from Greene County, ran for Governor as a Constitutional Unionist. He represented the views expressed in the 1858 court house meeting. His opponent was Claiborne Jackson who leaned toward the pro-Southern viewpoint. Orr lost the election and consequently Governor Jackson tried without success to move Missouri into the Confederacy.

Many Greene County residents were proud to be able to support a local man for Governor. One account relates that during the campaign a group of Orr supporters met in downtown Springfield and discussed the prospects for their candidate. Among those present were Elijah Gray, L. A. D. Crenshaw, Dr. T. J. Bailey, Joseph Moss, Kim Rose and Colonel Marcus Boyd. [39] They expressed concern that Judge Orr might not be as well dressed and equipped as his opponent on the campaign trail. Since they didn’t want their Greene County candidate to travel in less style than Jackson, they took up a collection in his behalf. They offered Judge Orr a mule and buggy, a suit of clothes and $300 in cash. Orr refused the gifts and responded as follows:

The people will elect me. You give this money back to the men who gave it to you, and keep your clothes. I have a good horse, and I am going to ride him during the canvas [campaign], and I will be elected Governor of the State of Missouri when I get back. (Hubble, 1979) [40]

On June 11, 1861, when the Civil War was underway and troops were on the march in Missouri, a group of Unionists met at the Phelps farm, south of Springfield, to discuss what should be done in Greene County. (An opposing Secessionist group met at Fulbright Spring.) It is interesting to note that the Unionist group included many of the local leaders with whom Elijah Gray had been associated over the years. In addition to the host, John Phelps, such people as Marcus Boyd, Sample Orr, L. A. D. Crenshaw and Dr. E. T. Robberson were on hand. [41] Whether Elijah was present is unknown, but there is no doubt but that his sympathies were with the group.

Of course, Elijah was not completely occupied by political activities in the period leading up to the Civil War. He continued to prosper as a farmer and cattle raiser. At the Southwest Missouri District Fair in 1860 a prize was offered for the best ten acres of corn. Elijah was listed as one of the three best exhibitors of corn that year - along with Robert Faulkner and Kinred Rose. [42]

Elijah’s only son, James Price, was a young man of 28 in 1860. There is no evidence of James being involved in local politics. Apparently, he left public affairs to his father and concerned himself with farming and raising a family. According to the 1870 census records, a daughter was born to Sallie and James sometime between August 6, 1861 and August 5, 1862. She was named Susie P. Gray and she had the distinction of being the first surviving child born in the Gray-Campbell house (she died in Springfield in the mid 1950s). A second child, Anna Elijah, was born sometime between August 6, 1863 and August 5, 1864. It is also possible that she was born in the house. [43]

James and Sallie’s first two children might well be termed “war babies,” since both arrived during the Civil War. Susie was born within a few months of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek (August 10, 1861) and Anna was born near the time of the Battle of Springfield (January 8, 1863). According to Gray family oral tradition, Sallie often talked to her children about hearing the rumble of canon from the fighting at Wilson’s Creek. [44]

This must have been a very difficult time to begin a family and keep a farm in operation. The entire Springfield area felt considerable stress, stain and uncertainty as a result of the divisive conflict. Even the churches felt the impact of the conflicting ideologies of the period - and some congregations split into two factions. The Grays were members of the Disciples of Christ denomination. The oral tradition indicates that they were involved in the affairs of Springfield’s Christian Church during the war years and for many years thereafter. [45] One author describes these unhappy years in the following way:

Wilson’s Creek, so early in the conflict, had broken Springfield’s heart, and the following events of the Battle of Springfield had nearly broken its spirit. Under martial law all those years, the schools closed, the churches disbanded, the town’s modest financial resources vanished in the clouds of cannon smoke and good-byes were said forever to loved ones, both family and friends. These were such blows to the town’s heart and spirit that the damage was not to be quickly remedied. (Dark, 1981) [46]

James Price was 29 when the war began. Apparently, he did not see military service. There is no known record or family oral tradition relative to his political activity during the war years. Even though a number of the young men he had grown up with became Confederates - including four sons of the elder John Polk Campbell [47] - it appears likely that his views paralleled those of his father.

One of James Price’s friends was a Jabez Owen. Owen was the husband of Sara Rush Campbell, one of the daughters of Springfield’s founder. Sometime in 1860 or early 1861 James and Jabez became involved in some type of venture or activity that ended up costing them dearly. Eventually, they found themselves deeply in debt and sued for damages by a local man named Colly B. Holland. Holland was a prominent businessman and banker. He had been Springfield’s postmaster in the early 1850s. During the war he served as a general in charge of building Springfield’s fortifications, and in the post-war period he assisted in the negotiations with the approaching railroad. [48] The exact nature of the Gray-Owen venture and the reason for the debt and damages are unknown. However, one wonders whether the debt and damages were incurred when the addition was built on the Gray house or if they were in some way related to the political climate of the time? The only fragment of information on the subject comes from the Gray family oral tradition - which tends to blame the problem on Jabez Owen’s unwillingness or inability to pay his part of a debt. [49]

In any event, the debt was not paid nor were the damages satisfied. On May 22, 1861 (3 months before the Battle of Wilson’s Creek), a court judgment was made against James and Jabez in favor of Colly B. Holland - $536.22 for debt and $172.59 for damages. [50]

Once again James Price found himself in a difficult situation. Even though the court did not demand immediate payment, a year later James and Jabez were still unable to raise the needed funds. And then in 1862, with the judgment still unpaid, Jabez died, leaving a wife and 4 children! [51] Now it was up to James and a poor widow to pay the judgment - which they were unable to do in the following months. On February 17, 1863 (a month after the Battle of Springfield), the sheriff seized the right and title to the James and Sallie Gray farmstead for the purpose selling it at auction to satisfy the court judgment. [52]

The sheriff’s auction took place on May 19, 1863. [53] It must have been a sad day for the Gray family. This was the house that so many of them had helped to build and it stood on land that had been in the family since Elijah first came to Greene County 23 years earlier. Now it was going on the auction block!

The prospect of losing their house and land must have been terribly depressing for Sallie and James. This was James’ second tragedy since building the house. He and Sallie were just beginning to establish themselves in the community and were the proud parents of their first child - little Susie. Their second daughter, Anna, probably was on the way by this time. What was the future to be for this growing family without their farmstead?

The sheriff’s auction took what might be termed an unexpected turn. The purchaser was a John R. Weaver. [54] This was the same John Weaver who had married Elijah’s daughter Polly Ann back in the late 1840’s. Thus, James’ sister and brother-in-law became the new owners of the property. In effect, it was still in the family!

The Gray House Passes to the Campbells

At that point it is uncertain who actually lived in the house after the auction, but based on the available evidence it seems reasonable to assume that James and Sallie continued to be the occupants for a while. Perhaps this was what the Weavers had in mind when they purchased the property. The title remained with John and Polly (Gray) Weaver for about 2 years. In 1865 they sold it to John P. Campbell [55] - the very same John Campbell who had married James’ youngest sister, Sue, in 1857. Once again the property was sold, but remained in the possession of a sibling. However, on that occasion, John and Sue (Gray) Campbell moved into the house permanently. Henceforth, the property remained in the possession of the Campbell family until it was sold to the city of Springfield and the Missouri Highway Department. That final sale was made by Betty (Campbell) Deskin and her husband Lee. [56] She is a great-grand-daughter of Sue and John Campbell and a great-great-grand-daughter of Elijah Gray. Thus, the house is very appropriately called the Gray-Campbell house today.

James lost his house - even though it remained in the hands of close relatives. The available evidence suggests that the James and Sallie Gray family lived in the house until sometime in 1864. One account reported that in 1864 James “sold out” and moved to Montgomery County, Missouri. [57] It is uncertain why he made the move or if his family accompanied him. The Civil War was still in progress at the time and there was fighting in that part of Missouri in the fall of 1864. It is interesting to note that Montgomery County is immediately to the east of Callaway County, where Elijah visited as a young man back in 1827. Perhaps relatives still were located in the area. At any rate, the stay in central Missouri was not long and in 1865 James and Sallie moved in with Elijah and Annie where they remained for the next 18 years or so. [58] By 1865 the family included two daughters - Susie and Anna, with a third, Lucy, probably on the way. Once again Elijah and Annie found themselves living in the midst of a large family - their quiet years were at an end!

Sallie and James continued to add to their family after 1865, perhaps in the hope of having sons to take over the farming operation. Sometime between August 6, 1867 and August 5, 1868 Frances was born and in 1873 Margaret arrived as daughter number five. It was now Susie, Anna, Lucy, Frances and Margaret! The eldest, Susie, was only about 12 or 13 when the fifth daughter arrived. In 1876 a son, Robert, was born and lived only a year. Then on March 3, 1879 the long awaited son arrived - Charles Erwin Gray. His birth completed the James and Sallie Gray family - the first generation of Grays born in Missouri (all in Greene County). Thus, the pioneer generation of Grays were to be replaced by a new group of Grays - mainly of the feminine gender. And among their playmates were their cousins, the Campbells, who lived nearby in the house built by James Price Gray. [59]

Elijah Gray’s relatives often spoke of his high regard for education. In the years after the younger Grays moved in with him, Elijah took a very special interest in the education of his grand-daughters. At one point he retained a live-in teacher for the young ladies. She was both respected and loved by the girls and affectionately known as “Miss Maggie.” It is said that the Gray children gained the rudiments of a good education through her efforts. After a while a school house was built in the vicinity and “Miss Maggie” became the first teacher, and for some years she continued to live with the Gray family. [60]

Annie Gray died in 1878, without knowing her grandson Charles, thereby ending the union with Elijah which began in Tennessee over 55 years earlier. In his later years Elijah must have been something of a legend to the young people of the community, including his own grandchildren. Grandfather Elijah was a real American frontiersman. He was born in the time of Thomas Jefferson in Virginia, grew up in the Tennessee of Andrew Jackson and had been one of the pioneer settlers of Greene County, Missouri - and he knew most of the “old timers” in the Springfield area. On occasion he journeyed on horseback into town to visit with old friends and have a toddy (or two). On the way home from one such outing Elijah’s horse bolted (or maybe Elijah had imbibed too heavily. . .) and he fell from the saddle. One foot caught in the stirrup and he was dragged some distance by the horse. In this condition man and horse arrived home where members of the family managed to free him and care for his wounds. They found that he was seriously injured - the principal problem being a fractured hip. After the accident Elijah was confined to bed and the family tried to nurse him back to health. It is said that his grand-daughters so idolized the old man that they vied for turns to wait on him. [61] Elijah never fully recovered and he died in 1882. He was buried on the family farmstead, beside his beloved Annie, in a plot known today as the Yarbrough Cemetery.

James became ill near the time of his father’s death. Because of his illness and the desire for improved educational opportunities for the children, the family sold the farm and moved to town around 1883. [62] James died of cancer in 1887 at the age of 55. Sallie who was 46 at the time of James’ death was left with five daughters ages 25, 23, 21, 19 and 14, and a son 8 years old. She and her daughters operated boarding houses in Springfield for many years - first on North Jefferson (near Commercial) and later on College near Main. Sallie Gray the first mistress of the Gray-Campbell house, died in 1920 and was buried beside James, its builder, in Springfield’s Hazelwood Cemetery.

Of the six Gray children, four resided in Springfield all of their lives - two lived elsewhere for many of their adult years. Susie, the first child born in the Gray-Campbell house, married a Frisco conductor named Steve Van Deren. For many years she was an active member of the Central Christian Church. She died in 1955 or 1956, one hundred years after the building of the Gray-Campbell house. Anna was a long-time employee of the Heers Store - for much of the first half of the twentieth century she managed the store’s dry goods department (she died in 1961). Lucy married William Cochran and moved to Detroit where they had a daughter, Helen. Frances was housekeeper for her sister Anna and the Van Derens. Margaret married Dr. Jesse Tillery and they had a daughter, Louise, who lived for many years in Dallas, Texas. Today Louise Tillery Nordstrom resides in Springfield with her son, E. Joe Nordstrom.

James and Sallie’s only son, Charles, married Leona Joslin and they had two sons, Charles E. Jr. and James P. Gray. Charles E. Gray, Sr. served for over 40 years as local manager of the Central Boarding and Supply Co., which contracted with the Frisco railroad to board railroad repair gangs. He also was responsible for catering the Doling Park reunions of Frisco retirees in the 1930s. The reunions were famous for the barbequed beef and pork that was prepared over open pits the night before the festivities. Charles died in Springfield at the age of 86 in 1965. [63]

The story of the pioneer Gray family spans all but 10 years of Springfield’s early history. Their trials and triumphs were not unlike the experiences of many other Scotch-Irish settlers who moved across the Mississippi in the first half of the nineteenth century. And, of course, the Gray-Campbell house is essentially a symbol of the pioneer spirit and a tribute to all of those hardy souls who came west and decided to make their homes on the Kickapoo Prairie of the Ozarks. Unfortunately, there are no known paintings or photographs of Elijah or James Price Gray, the builders of the Gray-Campbell house. However, photographs of Sallie (Gilmore) Gray, the first mistress of the house, and Susie (Gray) Van Deren, the first child born in the house, are in existence. It is hoped that when the Gray-Campbell house is restored, the photographs of Sallie and Susie will be displayed in a prominent place.

As indicated earlier, the Gray/Campbell house was moved to Springfield’s Nathanael Greene Park; the move took place in September 1984. The Structure was placed on a foundation made from stones of the original foundation. [64] It took several years to renovate and restore the house. The undertaking was a community effort with contributions of time, labor, money, and period artifacts coming from many individuals, businesses and organizations. [65]

In 1988, the house restoration was completed and a key was presented to the city of Springfield. In that same year, a newly formed not-for-profit organization, The Friends of the Gray/Campbell Farmstead, assumed responsibility for the continued development of the house. For a number of years Betty Jane Turner served as president of that organization.

Over the years, the site became a replica of a 1850s period farmstead. The new roof on the house was fashioned from shingles made from the bicentennial white oak tree in Phelps Grove Park. A granary from Diggins, MO was added, along with a log house and barn from Hurley, MO. [66] The various buildings were furnished with period furnishings from generous donors as well as with artifacts recovered by the archaeological investigation at the original site of the buildings. In the early 1990s a final authentic touch was added to the farmstead - a privy (out house).

In 1991, gravestones from the original Gray/Yarbrough cemetery were moved to the farmstead and placed in a small cemetery area surrounded by a picket fence. The stones of Elijah and Anne Gray were included. Also, displayed on a wall inside the house were photographs of Sallie (Gilmore) Gray and Susie (Gray) Van Deren!

Beginning in 1987, Lifestyle Expositions (circa, 1850s) became annual fall events on the Gray/Campbell Farmstead. To that was added the springtime Sheep and Wool Days in the mid-1990s. In 1992, the Friends of the Gray/Campbell Farmstead began providing a Civil War era living history experience for Springfield R-12 fifth grade students. This experience became a part of their social studies program.

Hence, as the new century and millennium dawned, the Gray/Campbell House had become the centerpiece of an important community resource. A place where local citizens, tourists, history buffs, and school children could gain a glimpse of what life was like in the Springfield area in the period just before the Civil War. Elijah, Anne, James, Sallie (and their Campbell relatives) certainly would approve!

• Charles E. Gray, The Gray/Campbell House Saga: Part I. January 1986, pages 34-37.

• Charles E. Gray, The Gray/Campbell House Saga: Part II. February 1986, pages 54-56.

• Charles E. Gray, The Gray/Campbell House Saga: Part III. March 1986. pages 43-45.

• William R. Jackson, A Time for Moving: The Gray/Campbell House. May 1984, pages 26-27, 43.

• Betty Jane Turner, Digging Up the Past. August 1988, pages 27-31.

[1] Betty Jane Turner, Gray-Campbell House Farmstead History and Significance. Springfield, Mo.: Historical Site Board, 1983, pp. 3, 6-7, 8. [back to story.]

[2] Several census schedules were used in estimating the birth dates of John and Anne Gray: Records of the State Enumerations: 1782-1785 (Virginia); Fifth Census of the United States: 1830 (Williamson County, Tenn.); Fourth Census of the United States: 1820 (Williamson County, Tenn.) [back to story.]

[3] Several census schedules were used in verifying the birth date of Elijah Gray: Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1820; Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1830; The settlement of Elijah Gray in Greene County, Mo. is reported in: Return I. Holcombe, History of Greene County, Missouri. St. Louis: Western Historical Co., 1883, pp. 687 and 684. [back to story.]

[4] Holcombe, Greene County pp. 684 and 687. Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1820 [back to story.]

[5] Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1820 [back to story.]

[6] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687; Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1830 [back to story.]

[7] Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1830; Holcombe, Greene County p. 687; Seventh Census of the United States: 1850 (Greene County, Mo.) [back to story.]

[8] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687 [back to story.]

[9] Russel Gerlach, Immigrants in the Ozarks, Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 1976. pp. 23-33 [back to story.]

[10] Picturial and Genealogical Record of Greene County, Mo., Chicago: Goodspeed Brothers, 1893. pp. 380-83, Edward M. Shepard, “Early Springfield,” Missouri Historical Review, October 1929. p. 63; Harris Dark, Springfield of the Ozarks: An Illustrated History. Woodland Hill, California, 1981. pp. 24-26. [back to story.]

[11] Based on conversations with Louise Tillery Nordstrom, 1981-85 (and personal correspondence dated 8/26/81 and 9/84). [back to story.]

[12] Dark, Springfield pp. 24-26; Goodspeed, Greene County pp. 380-83, Shepard, “Springfield” pp. 52-53. [back to story.]

[13] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687 Also, based on conversations and letters of Louise Tillery Nordstrom, 1981-1985. [back to story.]

[14] Williamson County, Tenn. Census, 1830 Greene County, Mo. Census, 1850 [back to story.]

[15] Holcombe, Greene County p. 193 [back to story.]

[16] Turner, Farmstead. p. 1. Holcombe, Greene County p. 684 [back to story.]

[17] Holcombe, Greene County p. 684 [back to story.]

[18] Springfield Press, June 20, 1929 (Similar to an article which appeared in the Springfield Patriot Advertiser, December 28, 1886) [back to story.]

[19] Holcombe, Greene County. p. 685. [back to story.]

[20] Turner, Farmstead p. 4 Greene County, Mo. Census, 1850 [back to story.]

[21] Holcombe, Greene County p. 220 [back to story.]

[22] Greene County, Mo. Census, 1850 [back to story.]

[23] Holcombe, Greene County p. 232 [back to story.]

[24] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687, Turner, Farmstead p. 3 [back to story.]

[25] Turner, Farmstead pp. 3, 10 [back to story.]

[26] Turner, Farmstead p. 10 [back to story.]

[27] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687 [back to story.]

[28] Holcombe, Greene County p. 251 [back to story.]

[29] Holcombe, Greene County p. 687 Eighth Census of the United States, 1860 (Greene County, Mo.) [back to story.]

[30] Greene County, Mo., Census, 1860 [back to story.]

[31] Turner, Farmstead p. 5 [back to story.]

[32] Greene County, Mo. Census, 1860 [back to story.]

[33] Greene County, Mo. Census, 1860 Ninth Census of the United States, 1870 (Greene County, Mo.) [back to story.]

[34] Jonathan Fairbanks and Clyde Erwin Tuck, Past and Present of Greene County Missouri. Indianapolis: A. W. Bowen Co., 1915. p. 1478. [back to story.]

[35] William E. Parrish, et. al., Missouri: The Heart of the Nation. St. Louis: Forum Press, 1980. pp. 84-142. [back to story.]

[36] Holcombe, Greene County. pp. 249-50. [back to story.]

[37] Holcombe, Greene County. p. 257. [back to story.]

[38] Holcombe, Greene County. p. 257. [back to story.]

[39] Martin J. Hubble, ed., Personal Reminiscences and Fragments of the Early History of Springfield and Greene County. Springfield: Museum of the Ozarks Sesquicentennial Edition, 1979 p. 83, Parrish, Missouri. 142. [back to story.]

[40] Hubble, Reminiscences p. 83. [back to story.]

[41] Dark, Springfield pp. 44-45. [back to story.]

[42] Hubble, Reminiscences p. 89. [back to story.]

[43] Greene County, Mo. Census, 1870. Estimates on who was born in the Gray-Campbell House are based on ages on 1870 census schedules and on information relative to the sale of the house - see notes 50 through 58. [back to story.]

[44] The author remembers family stories and conversations relative to the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Several of James and Sallie Gray’s children related similar stories on the subject. Louise Tillery Nordstrom also recalled the stories. [back to story.]

[45] The author recalls family conversations about church activities and affiliations. In particular, there was much discussion of a split in the church and of soldiers breaking up the meetings. [back to story.]

[46] Dark, Springfield p. 65. [back to story.]

[47] Goodspeed, Greene County p. 383. [back to story.]

[48] Shepard, “Springfield” p. 63, Hayward Barnett, “Fortification of Springfield” (Part 3). Springfield! Magazine, February 1985. P. 67. Dark, Springfield pp. 66-67, WPA American Guide Series: Missouri. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941, p. 332. [back to story.]

[49] Letter to Charles E. Gray Jr. from Louise Tillery Nordstrom, September 1984. [back to story.]

[50] Turner, Farmstead p. 5. [back to story.]

[51] Goodspeed, Greene County p. 383. [back to story.]

[52] Turner, Farmstead p. 5. [back to story.]

[53] Turner, Farmstead p. 5. [back to story.]

[54] Turner, Farmstead pp. 5, 7. [back to story.]

[55] Turner, Farmstead p. 7. [back to story.]

[56] Turner, Farmstead p. 8. [back to story.]

[57] Holcombe, Greene County. p. 687. [back to story.]

[58] Holcombe, Greene County. p. 687. [back to story.]

[59] The son and daughters of James and Sallie Gray knew many of the Campbells and often spoke of remembering them as children. In particular, they continued to socialize with Bruce Campbell and Mary Frances Campbell Doling as adults. (Conversations and experiences remembered by Charles E. Gray Jr.) [back to story.]

[60] Based on interview with Louise Tillery Nordstrom, October 11, 1985. [back to story.]

[61] Based on interview with Louise Tillery Nordstrom, October 11, 1985. [back to story.]

[62] Date of move to town based on conversations with Louise Tillery Nordstrom and on age data, death dates and other remembered conversations with family members. [back to story.]

[63] Information on Charles E. Gray Sr. based on remembered conversations and childhood experiences of Charles E. Gray Jr. [back to story.]

[64] Betty Jane Turner, History of the Gray/Campbell Farmstead, Unpublished paper, 1999. 4 pages. Most of the dates, names, and events included in this Addendum come from this paper. Ms. Turner was the long-time president of the Friends of the Gray/Campbell Farmstead and earlier served as head of the Springfield Historical Site Board. [back to story.]

[65] Illustrative of the groups and individuals that contributed to the success of the Gray/Campbell House restoration project were the following: United States Navy Sea Bees; Southwest Missouri State University Center for Archaeological Research; Springfield Park Board; Amish carpenters from Marshfield, MO; Friends of the Gray/Campbell Farmstead; Bob Campbell (grandson of John Polk Campbell, founder of Springfield, MO); Howard Baldwin of Springfield, MO; Terry North of Hurley, MO; and Farmer Jones of Lebanon, MO. [back to story.]

[66] The log house no longer had a chimney when moved to the park site. An appropriate chimney was located in McClurg, MO. It was purchased and attached to the reconstructed log house. [back to story.]