Bonnie Strassell - Owen County Historical Society

He stood six feet tall. His finely chiseled face was framed by curly brown hair, and according to an admirer, his gray eyes “reflected strength of character.”
One Northern newspaper branded him “the king of horse thieves, a bandit, a freebooter, no better than a thug,” while in the South he was admired as “the thunderbold of the Confederacy.” Most Owen countians supported his cause, embraced his ideology and offered him sanctuary whenever he visited the area.

“Dear Mom and all,
I’m writing you a few lines to say hello and tell you that I’m getting along fine. Well Mom, we left Missouri Monday and arrived in Louisiana Tuesday about 12 o’clock. Well Mom I don’t have much to say, but I’ll give you my address anyway … tell them all hello and give them my best wishes … it’s awful beautiful out here and the trees are all pine. Well, I’ll have more time to write the next time.
Love, Marvin”

He was a yarn-spinner and a rail-splitter. He was mostly self-educated but went on to become a storekeeper, a lawyer and the president of the United States.
He and his future wife were both born in Kentucky. He came into the world in a rough-hewn cabin, she in a luxurious home in Lexington. He was famous for his wit, honesty, and compassion; all of which served him well as he led this divided country during a most volatile tragic time.

“When our boys have crossed the ocean. There to die in No Man’s Land
Oh, what true and brave devotion. As we see them take their stand.
We will pray for their returning. And we’ll keep the home fires burning;
We will one and all be true. While our boys are nobly dying
For the flag. Red, White and Blue.”