Son John included his father's moves in a letter, date unknown:
Jasper Co, MO. The date of the move was unspecified.
1833 IL
1838 Jasper Co, MO
1855-56 KS where he remained until his death.
8/4/1860 Bourbon, Kansas Territory. In the census that year JohnConr od was a 28 year old farmer with $550 in personal property. WifeSarah w as also 28 and their two daughters were California, 3, andArizona, 1. L iving with them was Margaret Odom, 22, probably Sarah'ssister.
7/18/1870 Lincoln, Crawford Co, KS. That year the census takerrecord ed John H, 39, farmer with property valued at $3000/880, withElizabet h E, 55 (should be 35), and children in the house weredaughters Califo rnia, 14, and Arizona, 11; sons Wollery F, 7, andJohn R, 3; as well as E lizabeth's daughter Ellen Hensley, 4. Alsocounted there were William D N elson, 40, stone mason; and John DTobolt, 50 farmer. Two doors down w as brother Adam.
6/24/1880 Same place. John was again listed as a Conrad, age 49,sing le again, still a farmer. His large family consisted ofCalifornia, 23 , Arazonia, 21, Francis, 16, John, 14, Emory, 8, Dick,6, and Minnie, 5 . Francis and John were farm laborers.
From the History of Crawford County, KS, 1905:
"JOHN COONROD, Sr., lives on the treaty claim which he bought of thego vernment. He was a member of the Sixth Kansas Home Guards duringthe Ci vil war. He is a member of the Christian church and is a strongtempera nce Democrat. In early days of Kansas Mr. Coonrod enjoyed ahunt with h ounds, and he still keeps hounds, and it is a pleasure tohim yet to go w ith his horse and hounds for a chase, bringing homeanyway a jackrabbit . His three sons, Woolery, John and Dick, are inpartnership in a gener al store at Drywood and farming, Wooleryattending the store and being p ostmaster of Drywood, and John andDick running the farm and attending t o the stock. Mr. Coonrod's sonHilman is the Cato blacksmith. Callie Co onrod, his oldest daughter,was married in 1884 to Nathan Hutchins, who d ied in 1894 leaving herfive small children, which she has worked nobly t o raise and educate.Zona, the second daughter, taught school until her h ealth failed. Sheand Mrs. Hutchins live together. The youngest daughte r, Minnie,married Ora Williams, and lives in Cherryvale. Franc and Jef f Coonrodboth live in Texas."
And again:
"John H. Coonrod is another of the pioneer citizens of Crawford countyr esiding in Lincoln township, with postoffice at Cato. He came to theco unty as long ago as October, 1857, at which time there were ahundred I ndians camped along Drywood creek near where his presentestate is loca ted. In the course of forty-seven years he hasnaturally witnessed a wo nderful change in the conditions and theappearance of the county, and h e has performed his share of this workof development and progress. He h as always been a friend andsupporter of good institutions, whether chu rch, state or schools, andhas lent his efforts in a substantial manner t oward making hissection of Crawford county a good place to live in.
Mr. Coonrod is also esteemed as having been a soldier in the Civilwar. A ugust 15, 1861, he enlisted in Captain Jewell's company of theSixth Ka nsas Cavalry, a well known regiment which did good servicealong the Mi ssouri and Kansas border, fighting both the regularConfederate armies a s well as the bushwhackers and guerrillas. Mr.Coonrod served eight mon ths in this regiment and then received hishonorable discharge.
Mr. Coonrod was born in Scott county, Illinois, in 1831, being a sonof W oolery and Jane (Pruett) Coonrod. His father, a native ofVirginia and a m ember of an old family of that commonwealth, was oneof the early settl ers of Scott county, Illinois. The mother was bornin Brown county, Ill inois, her family also being first settlers ofthat locality, and comin g originally from Kentucky, one member of thePruett family having been a s oldier in the war of 1812. When John H.Coonrod was a baby his parents m oved to Jasper county, locating on afarm seven miles from Carthage, Mi ssouri, and thence in 1855 theymoved to the territory of Kansas, being p ioneers in settling alongthe rich land on Drywood creek, at the time t he Osage Indians werestill here. They built a log cabin for their firs t home, and in timehad made a nice farm. They both died in this county , the father ateighty-five and the mother at eighty-four. They were me mbers of theChristian church, and the former was in politics a Democra t. Fourteenchildren were born to them, several of them dying in infanc y orchildhood, and those who grew up being named as follows Adam, Mart ha,Mary, John H., Elisha, Emeline, Francis, Jefferson, William and George.
Mr. Coonrod grew to manhood on the farm in Jasper county, and heexperi enced many pioneer conditions during his young life. Theschoolhouse wh ere he obtained all his educational advantages wasbuilt of logs, had s lab seats and a fireplace, and was primitive inboth furnishings and me thods and material of instruction. As has beenstated, he came to this c ounty in 1857, and in 1865 moved to hispresent location, where he has l ived continuously for forty years. Hehas a pretty and comfortable home stead, with all the improvements andconveniences which mark the twenti eth century farmstead, and he iscertainly well circumstanced for the d eclining years of a long andprosperous life. His farm of one hundred a nd forty-four acres islocated on Drywood creek; there is both meadow a nd timber land, andthe land is well cultivated and exceedingly product ive.
Mr. Coonrod has been married three times. He took Miss Sadie Odum forh is first bride, their wedding being performed in Jasper county whenhe w as twenty-two years old. She was born and reared in Missouri,being a d aughter of John Odum. She was a good Christian woman, andher character w as noble in all its attributes. At her death in 1868she left four chil dren: Calla Hutchins; Arizona, who has been apopular and successful te acher in this county for a number of years;Woolery and John. Mr. Coonr od married, second, Elizabeth Hensley, whowas born in Dade county, Mis souri. She was a member of the Christianchurch and died at the home pl ace in this county, leaving threechildren, Hillman, Dick and Minnie Wi lliams. Mr. Coonrod's last wifewas Mrs. Nancy Dowdall, who died May 22 , 1902.
Mr. Coonrod is a Democrat in politics. He has long been an activemembe r of the Christian church, for years being deacon and elder, andhe has b een very liberal in supporting the church and its variousbenevolences. H is son, Dick Coonrod, who lives at the old home andmanages the farm, w as married on June 10, 1903, to Miss Sarah J.Ater, a successful teache r of the county, and they have one son, CarlChester."
His biography says he was born in Scott Co but there was no Scott Coun til 1839.
