Welcome to the Ebenezer Historical Society
"Moving Ebenezer Forward Into the Past"
Jefferson City circa 1945 photo courtesy of Brenda Dillard Bolin
photo courtesy of Rob Gateley
photo courtesy of Rob Gateley
Jefferson City circa 1945 photo courtesy of Brenda Dillard Bolin
The Paynes of Ebeneezer
Submitted by Ted & Judy (Payne) Linke
The Payne family connection to the community of Ebeneezer, Missouri, was recognized and celebrated by Jim Payne. He often referred to his Payne roots in the small, unincorporated community eight miles north of Springfield, in the northeast corner of Robberson Township. An avid and outstanding golfer, Jim was often introduced on the first tee as being from Ebeneezer, although he never lived there. Jim went so far as to have his golf bag stenciled with his name and Ebeneezer, Mo.
Families are often acquainted with ancestors associated with their surname. Deeper investigations can uncover interesting and surprising facts that help to tell a larger family story. This is the story of the broader and deeper roots of the Payne family in the Ebeneezer community around 1875-1880.
William Harrelson Payne, his wife Sarah (Wells), and their family were the first Paynes to live in the Greene County community. Both William and Sarah were born in North Carolina. They were married in 1834 in Indiana, and all six of their children were born there before moving to Missouri sometime between 1852-1860. The Missouri Payne homestead consisted of about 200 acres just north and east of what would become Ebeneezer.
By 1880, the couple were in their early 70’s and had raised all of their children. In a different home on the same land lived one of their sons, William Henry Payne, his wife Julia, and their first three children. William Henry had been born in 1845 in Indiana and moved to Missouri as a young boy. Undoubtedly, William would have known his future wife, Julia, as a child. She grew up on the farm immediately to the east of the Payne farm.
Julia Ann Reed was a New Years Baby, born Jan. 1, 1849, to Martricia Ann (Hall) and Thomas Alexander Reed. Thomas and Martricia were married in 1846 in Tennessee but had already moved to Missouri by the time the 1850 census was taken. Martricia’s parents, Pleasant and Cynthia (McAden) Hall, had migrated at the same time, and their farm was less than one mile west of the Reeds. Pleasant died in 1854; Cynthia in 1874. Cynthia is found in the 1870 census living with her son Isaac M. Hall and his family about five miles east in adjacent Franklin Township.
Thomas A. Reed was well known in Greene County. Although he is shown as a farmer in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses, he also served in elected offices during that time. He was elected Sheriff in 1860 and 1862, Collector of Revenue in 1863, and County Justice in 1864. Thomas died in 1879.
Yet another William Payne was added to the Ebeneezer population in 1875. William Gordon Payne was born to William Henry and Julia Payne on December 22. Gordon spent his childhood in Ebeneezer before marrying and settling in Springfield. He worked 54 years as a salesman for Ed V. Williams Clothing.
While Gordon was enjoying his early childhood in the late 1870’s, his future wife was doing the same in Franklin Township, a mere two miles east of the Payne farm. Cora Lee Cowden was three and a half years older than Gordon. Cora was the only child of Malissa (Wallis) and John Franklin Cowden. John and Malissa were married in the summer of 1871, and both passed away in Springfield in 1930.
John Franklin Cowden was born in February 1849, most likely near Ebeneezer. The 1850 census shows John with his parents, James and Margaret (Steele) Cowden, and his older sister Mary in Robberson Township. His father, James, died a year later in 1851. Margaret and the kids, Mary, John, and younger brother James, are shown to be in Pleasant Hope in neighboring Polk County in 1860. This placed the widowed Margaret near James’ parents and extended family, as well as members of her Steele family. So, John spent most of his childhood growing up about ten miles north of Ebeneezer.
Malissa Wallis, on the other hand, was growing up on her parent's farm in Franklin Township, which was two miles east and one mile north of the center of Ebeneezer. Malissa’s parents were both born in North Carolina, had both migrated west to Greene County as youngsters, and both had grandparents who settled in the immediate area as well.
Malissa’s father, Allen Wallis, was born October 1, 1823, in North Carolina. He was the son of Margery (Meadows) and Peter R. Wallis. The entire family came from Iredell County, NC, to Greene County, MO in 1834. Peter Wallis completed the purchase of land in north Robberson Township in 1861, but it is unclear if that exact location is where the family first settled. Peter died in 1868; Margery in 1871.
Malissa’s mother, Mira Evaline Bedell, was also born in Iredell County, NC, in 1832. Just like her future husband, Allen Wallis, Mira came to Greene County in 1834 with her parents and grandparents. Her father, David H. Bedell, purchased land in Franklin Township in 1843. He died in 1860. Mira’s paternal grandfather, David Bedell, also came to Missouri. He was a Revolutionary War veteran, died in 1840, and is buried in the Old Salem Cemetery. Mira’s mother, Marina Wallis, was a sister to Peter Wallis. She died in 1863.
In 1898, the culmination and combination of all of these families occurred with the marriage of William Gordon Payne and Cora Lee Cowden. Two years later saw the birth of their only child, Gordon Frank Payne, Jim’s father. Frank’s ancestorial roots were firmly planted within a 4-mile circle centered near Ebeneezer. It contained not only the Paynes, but also the Reeds, Halls, Cowdens, Steeles, Wallis’ and Bedells.
James Frank Payne (1923-2013) graduated from Springfield High School in 1941. Jim served in the U.S. Army in WW II from 1943-1946 in an artillery battery in Europe. After the war, he married Eva Hogue in March 1947. They had two children, Scott (b-1949) and Judy (b-1953). Jim founded Payne Neon and Sign Co. (1950's -1968) and Jim Payne Real Estate Co. (1969-1988). He served on the Springfield City Council from 1965-1972 and was Mayor of Springfield from 1972-1978. Jim was chosen as Springfieldian of the Year in 1975. He was elected as Greene County Commissioner in 1988 and served until 2004.
