John James Long

John James Long was born to Cookson Long (1787- ca 1859) and Sarah Carr (1799-1831) in Crawford County, Pa. He was from a family of 8 and possibly 9 children. One child can not be accounted for (see obit of Montgomery D Long). John married Isabel Griffith and they had 3 children, Margaret, James P and Sarah. Isabel died in 1849. He then married Rebecca Powell and she bore him 2 children, Wm Benjamin and George Ransom Long. In the 1850 Mercer County, Pa census his sister, Sarah age 19 was living with him. Soon after 1850, John and his family moved to Schuyler County, Illinois where they lived until about June of 1870 (see 1870 census of Schuyler County, Illinois). His 2nd wife, Rebecca died in 1868. Her grave has not been located. After June of 1870 he moved with his sons from Illinois to Montgomery County, Kansas where he is listed with his sons in the census with his daughter, Sarah and son-in-law David Ridings. Soon after that, he and his sons continued their journey to Butler County, Kansas where John and son, James P Long homesteaded land in Clifford Township. There John James Long was to become the first justice of the peace in that township. He, also, was elected to the school board of Lone Star School District 70. Many of his legal transactions as JP are noted in the local newspapers (see Newspapers.com). In the early years while working to prove up on their homestead, times were extremely difficult, surviving drought and a major grass hopper plague. They had to show improvement on the land and to do so required money. During the winter months when little could be done on the farm, the spent time working in the lead and zinc mines in Joplin/Webb City, Missouri, coming home early enough to get their crops planted and further improve their land. In about 1882 John James, William Benjamin, George Ransom Long, Bill Kehr and others formed a wagon train and went to Meade County, Kansas (see newspapers.com) and each purchased land from the government, paying $1.25 per acre agreeing to improve the land. This investment apparently did not work out as all of those named had returned to Butler County by 1892. On his original homestead in Butler County, John James first built a small cabin, then a nice frame 2 story home. That home stood until about 1962 when due to many years of neglect we had it razed. In the last couple of years of his life, John James lived with his son, James Perry Long in Webb City, Missouri. We have a letter written by James P to George Ransom relating their father's last days. He is buried in the Fairview Cemetery, at Joplin, Missouri.