Springfield-Greene
County LibraryPERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY SETTLERS
CAPT. ALFRED H. JULIAN
WRITTEN BY HIS GRANDSON, CAPT. HARRY DURST
Capt. Alfred H. Julian was born August 7, 1813, in Knox County, Tennessee, and was the son of John and Lucretia Julian, who were natives of North Carolina and England respectively. The Julian family is of French Origin and settled in America during the seventeenth century in South Carolina. John Julian, father of the subject, was a representative man of his county in North Carolina, and took a prominent part in all matter of moment. The mother was of Scotch descent and her ancestors came to America at a date antedating the Revolutionary War and some of them took a prominent part in that struggle. The Juilan family resided for many years in North Carolina and Virginia, but finally came to Tennessee, where the subject of this sketch was born, and where his parents passed the closing scenes of their lives.
The early life of Capt. Julian was spent in Tennessee, the earlier part of which he spent in farming, after which he learned the trade of machinist when but a boy. After following this till 1836, he served for two years in the Florida-Seminole War in Company Thirteen as orderly sergeant, his captain being Jacob Peck. He was mustered out in 1838 at Fort Cass. He immediately started for Springfield, Missouri, and arrived here during that year. For a short time afterwards he engaged in a little wool carding business on Boonville street near the Jordan. He had a very limited education, but was a great reader and studied and procured every book of worth that he , was able to, always thoroughly mastering one before beginning upon another. In this way he gave himself a general education, after which he studied law and was admitted to the Springfield bar in the very early days. He married Susan Owen, daughter of Solomon II. Owen, who was a very prominent citizen, living just north of Springfield.
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Capt. Julian, while not a member of any church, assisted with his money and influence in building every old church in the city of Springfield. His religion was honesty and charity. He was also commissioner captain in 1846 of the First Regiment Infantry, Missouri Volunteers, in the war with Mexico. While a very staunch Democrat, he was also a strong Union man, and during the Civil War was connected with the Union army, and being very familiar with this part of the country, he was of great value as a guide. Died July 26, 1899.
There are many more that came in the early 30s about whom I don't know enough to write, except that they were good citizens, none better. Thomas McCoin, the Whitlocks, Dysarts, Cotners, Edmonson and many others.
I have not mentioned any names that I think came here after 1840. Ahout that time the county began to increase in population. much faster than it had. The "restless ones'' went further west and the solid citizens had been here long enough to know the natural advantages of the county and they wrote back home to friends and "friends" began to move in and settle up the country wherever there was a spring. At our next meeting we will have personal anecdotes, reminiscences, etc., of the old times, so their successors may know something of the social life of their predecessors.
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