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Jane Montgomery Casey, Part 2 John Stuekerjuergen, a historian originally from West Point, Iowa, shared this series with Columbia Magazine at the suggestion of the late, great Phil Hanna. The recent announcement of the Phil Hanna Cultural Affairs Series at Lindsey Wilson seemed to make it a good week to publish Phil's last recommendation to CM. By John Stuekerjuergen Mark Twain's Great Grandmother Served as Family Matriarch & Role Model in Kentucky, Conquered the Kentucky Frontier before coming to West Point, Iowa. Meeting her future husband: Before the fateful Indian attack in 1781, Jane and her parents and siblings lived for a time at Logan's Station on the frontier of east central Kentucky. While there, Jane met William Casey (1754-1816) who, like Jane, had moved westward from Virginia. Following the Indian attack, Casey was one of the men who pursued the Indians and came to the aid of the Montgomery family. Apparently, Jane and William developed a mutual attraction as, several months after the family tragedy, they were married. The couple first settled in the Logan's Station area, and had four children there: Margaret "Peggy" Casey; Martha "Polly" Casey; Jane "Jenny" Casey; and Annie Casey. Margaret would marry Benjamin Lampton and become the maternal grandmother of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Polly would marry John Creel. Jenny Casey would marry Robert Paxton, who died of disease after the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Annie Casey would marry her cousin, John Montgomery. Leaving Logan's Station: In 1791 the Caseys and other settlers, accompanied by a complement of soldiers, left Logan's Station. They followed the Green River, and established a fort and settlement near what would be called Casey's Creek. The new settlement was called Casey's Station. The couple's only son, Green, was born there. He would later marry Jane Patterson. The family eventually built a good-sized house, walls sealed with plaster, china in a corner cupboard, and cherry bedposts. Col. Casey's rifle was mounted above the mantel. There were several times during her married life when Jane and William were required to defend their home against Indian attacks. Jane definitely knew how to use a rifle. Jane and William become prominent Kentucky pioneers: William Casey was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel of the Green County Militia in 1792. He served during the final years of the Revolutionary War in a company of soldier settlers. He held several political posts in the early years of the State of Kentucky. He was a member of the Senate and House of Representatives, and served at the second Constitutional Convention in 1799. When Casey County was organized in 1806, it was named in his honor. Jane and William eventually moved to Adair County, where they became prominent landowners. They held 600 acres and a farm with horses, cattle, and sheep. They owned at least six enslaved persons during that time. The Caseys helped establish schools in Green and Adair Counties. Jane Casey, family matriarch: It was a constant struggle to feed and clothe the children in frontier Kentucky. If a doctor was unavailable, Jane served as a nurse both to her own family and others. As family matriarch, Jane often called not only her only children but her grandchildren to her parlor to counsel them. She was known to be vocal and opinionated. Jane Casey mesmerized her grandchildren with stories of her pioneer past, sometimes recalling a 1783 gathering of 23 widows at Logan's Station. All had lost their husbands to the arrow or tomahawk. Although a good Baptist who recited Bible passages twice each day, Jane never could, after the loss of her father and brother, endure the presence of Indians. Mrs. Casey was also said to have thrown not-so-subtle jabs at neighboring families that had not sent men to fight in the Revolutionary War. Considering the amount of hardship she had endured, some of that malice could perhaps be excused. When Benjamin and Margaret "Peggy" Casey Lampton had a daughter, they honored Peggy's mother by naming her Jane. Jane Lampton would later marry John Marshall Clemens and they would become the parents of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). An unknown artist painted Jane Montgomery Casey in 1811, when she was 50 years old. She appears to have worn a dark dress, or frock, and the light blouse underneath had a rounded collar. Her hair was severely knotted under a black lace cap. In the portrait, she looked directly at the artist. Her eyes were said to have been violet blue. The final months of Jane's husband: In 1816, Col. William Casey showed signs of failing. He predicted to his family that he would not make it into the following year. That was indeed the case. He was buried sitting, in a rocking chair. Toward the end, he had told others it was the only physical position that did not cause him pain. Following his death, his widow relied even more on the care of her children. Next: Part 3, in which Jane Montgomery Casey moves with her adult children and grandchildren to Illinois and Iowa. Note: This is Part 2 of a 3 part series:
This story was posted on 2025-11-30 20:53:47
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