These two families intermarried, so one web page seemed appropriate. Much of the information these pages originally came from Carol Carroll who descends from that marriage.

The William Snelson family was one of the earliest to arrive in Vernon County. Harriett Matelida Snelson had been born in 1857 Vernon County. Her mother, Sarah V. Woodruff, was the daughter of Alexander Woodruff and Mary Foster. The Woodruff's were from New Jersey and had been missionaries to the Osage Indian Mission along with Abraham Redfield, missionary, who is believed to have died in Vernon, Deerfield Township. Harriet's father, William Snelson, died in 1859 in Vernon County when Harriet Matelida was only 2 years old.

Harriett Matelida Snelson married John Chezem (born 1829) in Vernon County. They had one daughter, Myrtle Agnes Chezem, who was born in 1879 when Harriet Matelida was 22. Very shortly after the birth of their daughter, John Chezem died at the age of about 50. He was buried at Hackberry Cemetery a few miles northwest of Moundville.

John Chezem had had a first marriage to Clarissa (Clara) Gouty. Clarissa died April 7, 1875, at the age of 44. They had a daughter, Sarah Ellen Chezem (1855-1931), who married Amariah (Amary)Wolfe in Deerfield Township. John married Harriett Snelson in July 1875. He was in his 40's; she was 17. Harriett's mother was referred to as Sarah V. Woodruff Snelson Eales by that time because William Snelson had died and she had remarried.

Harriett Snelson Chezem was listed in the the 1880 census Deerfield Township, Vernon County as a widow living with one yr old Myrtle. Vernon County marriages list M. C. Chezem marrying Ira P. Powell 25 May 1881 at Moundville. This is almost certainly Harriett Matelida Snelson Chezem, who had been widowed in 1879. Ira Powell had also been widowed in 1879 and he small children to raise.

In the1880 census, Ira was a widower with six children still at home. His first wife, Sarah, had died in March 1879, at the age of 35 after having seven children. Four children had been born to the Powells since their arrival in Missouri. Three of them were, Allice, age 7; Jessie, age 5; and William, age 3. The fourth had died at age 1 in 1877. That child and Sarah, had been buried in Moundville cemetery.

Harriett Matelida and Ira Powell then had four children of their own: Elmer E., 1881; Bertha, February 1885; Maud, 1890; and Everett A., 1892. Harriet Matelida Powell died sometime around 1893. No burial place is known but it is reasonable to assume that she was buried in old Moundville Cemetery where her husband and his first wife are listed. But it is possible that she could have been buried at Hackberry with her first husband. Ira Powell then married a third time - this time to Martha E. Barlow. They had three children Floid, (1896-1897); Lottie, 1898; and Lucy, 1900. Floid is buried at Moundville Cemetery and shares the stone with his father who died in 1908.

Maud Powell (1890) first married Walter U. Pine in Webster County, Missouri in 1907. In the 1910 and 1920 censuses, they were in Ringgold Iowa. Maude was married a second time to E.E. West on 4 Oct 1928. Their marriage document listed her mother as Matelida Chesshom (obviously a bad mis-spelling of Chezem).

After Ira Powell died in 1908, his 3rd wife Martha E. Barlow Powell was married to Calvin Brashear on 16 December 1908 in Vernon Co. Missouri.

Myrtle Agnes Chezem married Albert "Bert" Brown 1899 in Bourbon Co Kansas. Albert Brown was born in 1877, son of Ebenezer Brown and Jemima Klontz. Ebenezer Brown had been born to John Brown and Mary Eliza Howe in 1853. Mary died shortly after Ebenezer was born. John's brother Peter & Phebe Brown raised Ebenezer. Myrtle Agnes Chezem Brown died Jan 1, 1964 at Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas.

There appear to be eight Chezem burials at Hackberry Cemetery. Most of them are grouped in the very northwest corner of the cemetery

 The last two listed, Claracie and Ida, were daughters of Peter Chezem and his wife Evaline. Peter Chezem was a brother to John Chezem. John and Peter also had a sister buried at Hackberry: Mary Jane Chezem was born July 16, 1831 and died December 28, 1906 in Deerfield Towhship, Vernon County. Mary Jane Chezem was the wife of Isaac Ricketts. Their brother Thomas Chezem (1845-1882) is buried in Hackberry along with his wife Angeline Hunt Chezem (1845-1882). Thhomas died February 12, 1882 and Angeline died February 2, 1882, both in the 30's. There is probably an interesting story about their untimely deaths. They also have a brother, Robert Chezem (1842-1866) buried at nearby Deerfield Cemetery. Peter, Mary Jane, John, Thomas and Robert were children of James and Mary (Mitchell) Chezem.

There were so many intermarriages. Two Woodruffs married Snelsons and two Snelson girls married Chezem's. Lydia Snelson Chezem was the wife of Stephen Chezem and sister of Harriett Matelida Snelson Chezem Powell, Lydia died Jan 29, 1890 in Vernon County. Stephen Chezem (1852-1934) remarried after Lydia's death. He is buried at Hepler, Kansas.

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