The Caseys and McHaffies of Missouri
The Missouri Compromise provided for the admission of Missouri to the Union as a slave state
on August 10, 1921. Missouri was the 24th state to be admitted to the Union and the 2nd state
west of the Mississippi River. A special act of the State Legislature carved Greene County from
existing Crawford County. These events paved the way for the invasion of pioneers from the
east. One such pioneer was John Casey.
John Casey was born in South Carolina but spent the early part of adulthood in the state of
Georgia. In the early part of his life, John Casey had worked hard and had prospered. Just prior
to coming to Greene County, Missouri, John Casey and his family resided in McMinn County,
Tennessee. McMinn County exists in the southeastern part of Tennessee just south of Knox
County.
John Casey's family accompanying him on the trip to Greene County consisted of sons Levi and
John A. and daughters Hetty, Francis Marie, Clarissa, Susannah, and Elizabeth. Daughter Jane
had married Henson Ellison in Roane County, Tennessee, on March 27, 1824, and did not
accompany the group. The John Casey group arrived in Greene County prior to the 1840 Census.
Hetty had married James Ellison in Roane Countv, Tennessee on April 11, 1829. Upon arriving
in Missouri, James and Hetty Ellison settled in Taney County, Missouri.
John A. Casey married Susan Cardwell in Greene County on April 22, 1841. Francis Marie
married Hugh McHaffie in Greene County on March 2, 1843, and to that union one daughter was
born on February 9, 1844. Upon Hugh McHaffie's death, Francis Marie married John Wilson of
Greene County. Clarissa married Benjamin F. Mitchell, while Susannah married Alvis Ruyle.
John Casey died on October 29, 1856, and is buried in the Simpson Cemetery. The cemetery is
located just east of the present city limit of Springfield, Missouri. John Casey wrote his will on
the 17th day of June 1885. In his will John Casey named beloved wife Anne Casey, who was to
have as her dower, one Negro boy and one Negro girl. The balance of his slaves were to be sold
to lawful heirs, not allowing any other person to become a trader or purchaser.
Levi Casey, eldest son of John and Anna Casey, was a pioneer in his own right. Levi was born
on April 23, 1805, in the state of Georgia. On February 4, 1830, Levi married Mary (Polly)
Haggard in Roane County, Tennessee. Four children, Francis Marion, Sarah, William D. and
Amanda J. were born while Levi and Polly Casey resided in Tennessee.
Immediately after arriving in Missouri, Levi and Polly Casey made Greene County their home,
but soon afterward moved to Taney County. In about 1843, Levi, with the help of slave labor,
built a home on the banks of Swan Creek. This home is now preserved at Silver Dollar City. Two
more children, Isaac Newton and Belveritta, were born after the move to Taney County.
Francis Marian Casey, eldest son of Levi and Polly Casey, married Rebecca Frances Brandon;
William D. married Missouri Catherine Cook; Sarah married Henry Laughlin; Isaac Newton died
when young; Belveritta married Benjamin P. McKinney; and Amanda married Andrew
McHaffie.
David, John, and Hugh McHaffie, sons of Andrew and Catherine
Harless McHaffie of Knox County, Tennessee, arrived in Greene
County, Missouri, prior to the John Casey's group. Three other sons
of Andrew and Catherine stayed in Tennessee; however, two sisters,
Julie Braden and Lockey Jane Brazeal, with their families joined the
brothers in Missouri. David and John had married sisters, daughters
of Simon Sherrod, prior to leaving Tennessee.
David and Catherine Sherrod McHaffie had two children born while
living in Tennessee. These two youngsters accompanied their parents
to the new frontier. The eldest was the first son born in the family. In Scottish tradition, the first
male born was named in honor of the paternal grandfather, Andrew McHaffie. Some years later
and after settling in Missouri, the second son was born to David and Catherine McHaffie. Again,
in harmony with Scottish tradition, the new son was named in honor of the maternal grandfather,
Simon Sherrod.
Hugh McHaffie died in October of 1843. He is buried in the McHaffie Cemetery in Christian
County, Missouri. His grave site is the oldest marked grave in the cemetery. Hugh McHaffie and
Frances Marie Casey's only daughter, Catherine Jane McHaffie, was the wife of Adam May of
Polk County, Missouri.
David and John McHaffie settled in the Greene County area. David
purchased a 160 acres in Section 13, Township 29 North, and Range 22
West from The Springfield Land Office. The family lived on this farm
for over a year before selling the land and moving to the Finley River
area where David took up land and built a home. The land that David
sold in Section 13 is now within the city limit of Springfield, Missouri,
and includes Silver Springs Park as well as a portion of Drury College
campus.
John McHaffie built a mill on the Finley River in about 1850. It was
reported that this mill was burned during the Civil War. Until recent
times, hand-hewed logs that were part of the mill's dam could be seen
extending from the mud bank of the river.
Andrew was about 5 years old when he traveled with his father, David McHaffie, from Knox
County, Tennessee, to Greene County, Missouri. Born in the Bull Run Creek area in Knox
County, Andrew grew up on the banks of the Finley River. Andrew selected as his bride,
Amanda J. Casey, daughter of Levi Casey. They were married on December 25, 1859. There
were three children born to this union: Leonard Harrison, Artelia
Cubine, and William Manson.
The shot fired in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina on April 12,
1861, deeply affected the lives of many families through the country.
The lives of the Caseys and McHaffies were no exception. The
McHaffie's sympathy were with the North, while the Casey's embraced
the South's cause. Andrew McHaffie wore the blue uniform as did his
brother Simon and two cousins, James D. McHaffie and Francis Marion
McHaffie, sons of John McHaffie. Francis Marion Casey, eldest son of
Levi Casey, wore the gray. It must have been a depressing time for
Amanda Casey McHaffie to see her husband ride off in pursuit of
soldiers of the Confederacy while simultaneously observing her older brother ride off to defend
the Southern cause.
After the war, Andrew and Amanda Casey McHaffie committed themselves to making farming
and stock raising a success. In addition, Andrew served as President of the Bruner Telephone
Company. Andrew and a brother, George M.D. McHaffie, participated in the organization of the
Bank of Rogersville, Missouri. Andrew was the bank's first president. This position he held as
long as he was physically able and served as a director for the remaining part of his life. It is
interesting to note that at about the same period of time a younger brother, J.K. Polk McHaffie,
was elected president of the Taney County Bank at Forsyth, Missouri.
A greater portion of the Levi Casey's farm was acquired by Andrew and Amanda Casey
McHaffie. The farm was always kept in the family until the federal government purchased land
to provide for Bull Shoals Dam. Through the years various family members called the home that
Levi Casey built home. Leonard Harrison McHaffie, eldest son of Andrew, was living in the
cabin when the 1900 census was recorded. Leonard's only daughter, Opal McHaffie Parnell, was
born in the cabin on Christmas Oay in 1897.
The Herschends of Silver Dollar City moved the cabin to the city in the early part of the city's
life. It was reported that as part of the move each log was numbered and marked so that the cabin
could be reassembled exactly as it had stood on its original site and perhaps identical to the cabin
that Levi Casey built in 843.
Gerald McHaffie 606 N. Lone Pine Springfield, Missouri 65802
Bibliography
A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region. Originally published by Goodspeed Brother, I894.
lngenthron, Elmo. The Land of Taney. The Ozarks Mountaineer, Branson, Missouri, 1973.
1840 and 1850 Federal Censuses of Greene and Taney Counties.
Springfield, Missouri Land Office Abstracts 1935-1846.
Greene County, Missouri Probate Records compiled by Marsha Hoffman Rising.
White River Valley Historical Quarterly, Spring 1964.
Taney County Times July 9, 1891
State Historical Society of Missouri
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