Stevens Farm/George Lyle Farm George Lyle and wife, Helen, purchased the 320 acres, which qualify as "Century Farm" in 1971. There is no dwelling on the farm because the home was located on 120 acres on the west side of state road D, and that part of the original 440 acres was purchased by the U. S. Government and is now part of Whiteman Air Force Base. A copy of historical reference to the Stevens family was excerpted from a book and is attached after this article. In the early ancestry, Daniel Stevens came from Wales and joined the colonies in 1632. His son Isaiah, was killed in the Revolutionary War. He served under General Coffey and Captain Allen Company. David Stevens fought in the War of 1812 under Brigade General Winfield Scott and there is a land grant to 80 acres which he never claimed. His children were: Robert James Joab Matilda (Givens) Mariah (Cooper) Polly (Mary Savage) Absalom Further genealogy down to the current generation is: Absalom Stevens married Elizabeth Haney, whose father, Tarelton Haney was half Indian. His mother was an Indian girl who died at his birth and his father brought him to his people who reared him. Their children were: James H. Job David Alexander Racheal (Renfrow) John T. John T. married Mary Catherine Miller, whose mother, Mariah, was a daughter of James Stevens, son of David. Their children were: Robert Stella (Wright) Jesse David Lillian (Conner) Elizabeth (Edmundson) John Leamon Beulah (Dunham) Maude (Wheeler) Mary (Lyle) Mary married John David Lyle. Their children were: Alonzo, deceased, married Grace Bullard Clarence, married Lourissa Neville Lena (Vernon Lane) John Randal, married Helen Bohling George, married Helen Jenkins Absalom Stevens was born June 6, 1811, in Tennessee, moved to Moniteau County, Missouri, in 1840. With two of his sons, James H. and John T., he moved to the farm four miles southeast of Knob Noster, Missouri, in 1863. He purchased 140 acres from a John A. Pigg, Jr., (60 acres of which is still in the present farm) on October 23, 1863 for $10 an acre. His son, John T. Stevens (my grandfather), purchased from Thomas Tucker, 160 acres on February 3, 1880 (which is still in the present farm also), for $16 per acre. John T. died in 1941, and his daughter, Mary C. Lyle and her husband, John D. Lyle (my parents), purchased the farm. John D. Lyle died on January 22, 1949, and Mary Lyle died on February 4, 1969. My grandfather, John T. Stevens, was a member and elder in the First Christian Church in Knob Noster. The family brought dried osage orange hedge apples with them to Johnson County. These were put into the pond, then when rotted, the seeds came to the top of the water and were skimmed off, and then planted in hot beds. These seedlings were then set out around each 40 acre field, and if trimmed, made a fence. When the first frame house was built on the farm, the lumber was hauled from Boonville, Missouri, with three teams to each wagon, it took four days journey to make the trip stopping to make camp at night. Joseph M. Roach Farm On June 4, 1849, 160 acres of land was granted to James J. roach in what is now Johnson County, Missouri, Section 35, Township 48, Range 26. James J. and his wife, Elizabeth Jane, were parents of six children: Mary, Laura, Georgia Ann, Elizabeth, Sarah, and John E. Roach. James J. left a will stating that his wife was to be the owner of the farm during her lifetime or until her remarriage. At that time, their only son, John E., was to have the farm if he so desired. It also stated that he was to pay each of the other heirs a sum of $200, if he took the farm. John E. and his wife, Bertha P. (Bowman), chose to buy the farm in the early 1870's. John E. and Bertha were the parents of four children: Hazel, Edyth, Roxie, and Joseph W. Roach. In 1899, the farm was destroyed by a tornado. The house was rebuilt by family and friends some 600 feet north near the county road. John E. passed away leaving no will, but eventually his only son, Joseph W. and his wife, Grace (Martin) Roach, purchased the farm from his mother and sisters. There were the parents of three children: Lucille, Helen, and Joseph Martin Roach. When Joseph Martin returned from service in World War II, he and his wife, Mary L (Spickert) Roach, and their three sons: Robert M., Donald G., and Gary S., moved onto the family farm. Joseph W. and Grace moved into Warrensburg, Missouri. Joseph Martin and Mary L. purchased the farm on May 19, 1958, from his parents. In July 1977, a fire destroyed the house. Once again, family and friends gathered to rebuild the house in the same location as the previous house. Joseph Martin and Mary L. continue to reside on the farm. The cultivated land is rented out, but Joseph continues to raise cattle.