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Family of Samuel Moseley Hewlett
One of the Twelve Pioneer Families

Submitted February 2005 by Jean Gaw

For information regarding the 12 Pioneer Family Reunion held the 3d Sunday September each year, contact Jean at email listed. The Twelve Families are: Boucher, Bright/Brite, Cagle, Hewlett, Mann, Moody, Morris, Pruitt, Schooling, Spilman, Woods and Wormington.

Samuel Moseley HEWLETT came to Barry (later changed 1845 to Lawrence) County in 1839 with his 3d wife Abigail Smith of Nashville, Tn. She raised 5 step children from Samuel's marriages (Rebecca Frazer & Eleanor McDaniel in Kentucky. Abigail's sister Elizabeth Smith Cagle was the wife of Leonard Cagle and Mother of Lindzey Cagle of Lawrence MO. Samuel was a basket maker and furniture maker in early Lawrence and credited with early names that formed Lawrence County. His Probate was filed November 24, 1856. His son Samuel Moseley Hewlett Junior was Administrator. Heirs were listed as : Thomas Jefferson Hewlett, Nancy Jane Withers, James P Hewlett, William M Hewlett, Martha Ann Hewlett (Mrs Henry) Cagle, Sarah Catherine Hewlett (never married) Sarah E Hewlett Whaley and John Motley Hewlett.

Samuel M Hewlett was the 6th child of 8 children born between Virginia and Kentucky. His parents were Martin & Jane Henry Moseley Hewlett who left Henry County Virginia in 1783 and finally settled in Hopkins County Kentucky in 1800. Martin Hewlett served with the 92d Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War. Martin died in 1816 and Jane Hewlett died Oct 1831.

Samuel left Hopkins County in 1812 when he first married Caldwell County's Rebecca Frazier. He later married again in 1825 to Eleanor McDaniel who died and in 1828 he married Abigail Smith in Nashville, Shelby County, TN.

He had 10 children from his marriages. He died in August 1856 in Lawrence County. Abigail Smith Hewlett is buried Mount Olivet Church Cemetery, land that was later donated by one of his sons, James Pemberton Hewlett, in 1858 for a cemetery for area burials.

James Pemberton Hewlett, a son of Samuel Moseley was born in 1821 in Kentucky; He married 9 July 1848 in Lawrence Co. (pg 31) to Mary Massey Spilman, the daughter of John J Spilman and Mary Boucher of Lawrence Co. MO formerly of Allen County, Kentucky. James Pemberton served in the Confederacy and died in 1867 and is buried Mount Olivet Cemetery, north of Pierce City Mo. His widow Mary M Hewlett remarried in October 1875 to Lamon PRUITT, son of Moses Pruitt and Candace Omohundro of Allen Co. Ky. (NOTE: Moses PRUITT and his 2 brothers all married Omohundro Sisters, daughters of William Omohundro and Mary Claxton Omohundro of Allen Co. KY.

HEWLETT Marriages found in Lawrence County Court House Records:

  • Nancy Jane Hewlett to Andrew J Withers, (mar Barry County) 1 Sept 1841; bur Mt Olivet Cemetery.

  • Martha Hewlett to Henry CAGLE, 16 Oct 1846 by Reuben Woods, MG, pg 15.

  • James Pemberton Hewlett to Mary Massey Spilman, July 1848 bur Mt Olivet Cemetery.

  • William Martin Hewlett to Elizabeth Winters, 18 Nov 1852, by George Brite, JP, pg 81. bur Newtonia Cemetery, Newton Co. MO

  • Alfred Hewlett to Nancy Bibb, 23 Feb 1854 by David H Lambert JP, pg 102; Alfred d 1855.

  • Nancy Hewlett to Robert J Whaley, 2 Oct 1856 by Elisha Landers, MUB, Pg 147 bur Mt Olivet Cemetery, Pierce City, Mo.

  • Sarah Ellen (Kizziah) Hewlett to Thomas K Whaley 6 Nov 1856, pg 151 bur Mt Olivet Cemetery.

  • Samuel M Hewlett Jr mar Martha J Gibson, 21 Sept 1865, pg 315 by Asa Carlin; died and buried Barry County, MO.

  • Samantha Hewlett to George Hillhouse, 24 Oct 1865. by A A Young, MCPC pg 317; bur Mt Olivet Cemetery. Pierce City, Mo.

  • John Motley Hewlett to Sarah Meador, 22 March 1868 by Lamon Pruitt, JP, pg 419; bur Eagle Rock Cem, Barry Co. MO.

  • Mary Massey Spilman Hewlett Pruitt was a sibling to John Jasper Spilman and Nathan Crosby Spilman. Their parents, John Spilman (22 Nov 1793 - 6 July 1854) and Mary Boucher (6 March 1798 - 19 Nov 19860) are buried at the Boucher Cemetery, located 1 mile west of Mt Olivet Church Cemetery.

  • John SPILMAN married Mary Boucher in Allen Co. Kentucky in 1816. John Spilman is the son of Thomas SPILMAN of Culpepper County, Virginia who later moved to Kentucky and then to SW Missouri.

  • John Jasper Spilman married Laura MOODY 5 Feb 1852 by Thomas Cunningham, MG, pg 74. They are buried at Mt Olivet Cemetery along with other Spilman family members and relatives.

One finds a lot of intermarriages for these Kentucky surnames that settled Barry/Lawrence County during the late 1830's to mid 1840s. Boucher, Bright/Brite, Cagle, Hewlett, Mann, Moody, Morris, Pruitt, Schooling, Spilman, Woods and Wormington.

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