Franklin James Wall

 

​(Printed in THE MILLER COUNTY AUTOGRAM-SENTINEL in the column, 'WINDOW TO THE PAST', Dec. 30, 2010)

​​Franklin James Wall was born 1866 in Blacksburg, Montgomery County, Virginia, a son of James Milton Wall (1845-1928) and Mildred B. James (1845-1928). His paternal grandparents were Harvey and Elizabeth (Fry) Wall and his maternal grandparents were Catlet/Catlett and Elizabeth (Thompson) James, all of the state of Virginia.

Franklin James Wall (called Frank) married (1) Ella Curry, daughter of Silas and Adeline Curry in Miller County and they had 3 children. After Ella's death, Frank married (2) Dora Belonia Jones and they had 13 children.

The parents of Franklin James Wall, James Milton Wall and Mildred B. James, married in Franklin Co., VA c/1865. They moved to Miller County, MO after the Civil War. He had spent some time fighting with the Confederate Army while still in Virginia. When the Wall family came to central MO they settled in southwest Richwoods township and established a settlement and trading post. They called it "Old Faith" and one time it consisted of their homestead, trading post, post office, general store, mill, and blacksmith shop. 

James was called 'Black Jim' and it was thought this name was given him because he had a long black beard and black hair. According to records, there was another Jim Wall in the same region and he was an uncle to 'Black Jim'.....His wife, Mildred (James) Wall was reputed to be a cousin to the infamous Missouri outlaws, Frank and Jesse James. The James brothers were said to have come to their cousin's home on different occasions. I once talked with Bill Cochran before his death many years ago and he told me it was true about the James brothers. He could remember when he was a small boy, in the early 1900s, that Frank James came to the Wall's home. By this time, Jesse had been killed and Frank outlived him by many years. Bill said that Frank James could play a fiddle and loved to play it outside under the shade trees for all the country neighbors~ ~ ~ I love these old stories handed down over the generations!

The children of Franklin James Wall and his two wives (Ella Curry and Dora Jones) included.... 3 children of Franklin James Wall and Ella Curry:
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1. Guy Franklin Wall [1891-1977] m. Betsy Duncan--[they had 12 children]
2. Mildred/Millie Wall [1893-1985] m. Willard Jackson Duncan-[had an adopted daughter]
3. Charles Otto Wall [b.? d.1896] (buried Curry Cemetery)

12 children of Franklin James Wall and Dora B. Jones:
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4. Barney Wall [1904-1983] m. Ruth Wright [they had 6 children]
5. Otis T. Wall [1904-1977] m. Phyllis______ 
​6. Gordon V. Wall [1915-1993] m._______
7. Wayne Wall _______m.____________
8. Freda Wall [b. 1898] m.____Becker
9. Grace Wall m. _______Does
10. Harry Wall ___________
11. Vernon Wall ___________
12. Maude Wall ___________
13. Edna Wall m._______Priess
14. Mae Wall [1898-1980] (never married)
15. Martin Wall [1916-2004] m. Dollie Ruth Henson

Many of these family members are buried at Curry Cemetery which lies within sight of their ancestral home and settlement, Old Faith.

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