Looking Back: The Warren Family

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

     Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about Patricia David Parr which enticed me to pull out the notebook she created about her Warren family ancestors. For readers unfamiliar with Pat’s family lineage, her mother was the daughter of Creola Warren and John T. O’Connell. The story in her notebook was written in 1991 by her aunt Nadine O’Connell Perry about her great-great grandfather.
 
My Most Interesting Ancestor

            My most interesting ancestor is my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Warren who came here from Tennessee and homesteaded land 7 miles south of Grain Valley. Until a few years ago I owned part of this land he had once homesteaded, although it had been sold and later purchased by my father. Benjamin was born 100 years before myself in 1806, and I was born in 1906, thus carrying out the tradition that there are five generations to each 100 years.
 
            Benjamin Warren and his wife Lucinda Wingo  are buried at Koger Cemetery and buried nearby is his son Zachariah (wife: Mary Terrance Doty) my great Grandfather.  My grandfather, William A Warren (wife: Mary Susan Lynch)  is buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery. My mother Creola Warren O’connell (husband: John T. O’Connell) is also buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery. My sister and I will eventually be buried in Oak Grove.  My niece Patricia Davis Parr (husband: Stayton) will be buried in Blue Springs beside their young daughter Janet. This makes seven generations either living or buried in Jackson County. This I think to be rather unusual. I also have other ancestor buried in  Koger Cemetery but their graves are unmarked.
 
            I have heard many interesting stories of my ancestors while a child but believe the one that impressed me most is about a brother of Benjamin who left Tennessee many years after his brother to settle in Kansas. He came through Missouri but did not know where his brother Benjamin had settled. As he was riding along he was overtaken by a neighbor of Benjamin who called to him and asked “Why are you moving, Mr. Warren?” Both men were surprised when they faced each other as they did not know each other but the resemblance to Benjamin had been so strong that he called to him. The brother was surprised how anyone in this strange country knew his name. It all ended by the brother going to visit Benjamin and spending the night. The next morning he headed on to Kansas.  They never met again.
                                                                                   
                                                                                                            Mrs. Nadine Perry
 
     We have a map at the Historical Society which shows all of the original homesteaders in Jackson County. Mr. Benjamin Warren’s land was in Township 48, Van Buren Township. The address was Tarsney, Missouri. Mr. Warren was a successful farmer.
     His great grandson, William D Warren (1880-1962) was a partner in Warren Webb Hardware, Circa 1900, located just north of the railroad tracks in Grain Valley. In 1905 he became a founding partner and President of The Bank of Grain Valley. 

Bank of Grain Valley around 1905.
Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society