Merrill R. Landon, son of William Landon, was born in New York. He enlisted in Company E, Seventeenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until his discharge after the siege of Vicksburg. He then re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving one hundred days, then again re-enlisted in the Eighth Regiment Illinois Cavalry, with which he was constantly on duty until the close of the war.
On December 12, 1866, Merrill Landon married Hattie Terpening in Warren County, Illinois. She was a daughter of Peter and Hanna (Francisco) Terpening. The next year, their son, Frank Landon was born but he died in 1869. The family was listed in the 1870 Warren County census with their first daughter:
In that census, Merrill's parents, William and Elizabeth Landon also lived with them.
Sometime between 1873 and 1877, the Merrill Landon family moved to Vernon County, Missouri. The 1880 census for Moundville Township listed them. It appears they must have lived just south of Moundville since the Ashbaugh and McDonald families were enumerated nearby. The census listed Merrill R. Landon, a 38-year-old farmer from New York. His wife, Hattie A. (Terpening), was age 32, born in Illinois. Their two daughters and son were Winnie, age 10; Leona, age 7; and Clarence, age 3. The daughters had been born in Illinois and the son in Missouri.
On July 25, 1887, the Sunday School of the Moundville M. E. Church published a resolution of sorrow in the Nevada Daily Mail. Clare M. Landon had died and sympathy was offered to his parents and sisters. Mrs. Minnie Moore and Mrs. Ann Cooper had prepared the resolution. Clare was the ten year old son of Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Landon. He was buried in Welborn Cemetery northwest of Moundville.
Early in 1888, daughter, Winnie M. Landon, married Benjamin Martin.
Merrill Landon died on February 10, 1898. He was buried in Welborn Cemetery beside his son.
In early October, 1898, County Recorder, J. B. Harvey, issued a marriage license to John M. Donaldson and Miss Leona Landon of Moundville. Both John and Leona were graduates of Cooper College.
The 1900 Vernon County census showed Hattie Landon, age 51, born in June 1848. She lived in Deerfield Township and living with her was her granddaughter, Myrtle Martin, age 9, who had been born in August 1890.
There is some confusion over the granddaughter. The Harrison Township census listed Benjamin and Winnie Martin with their four surviving children. The first was listed was Mirtie Martin, said to be age 11 and born in August 1888. So it appears that Myrtle was enumerated twice.
Mrs. Hattie Landon sent invitations for the marriage of her granddaughter, Miss Myrtle Clare Martin to Onas E. Woodfill. The wedding was held December 12, 1907, at the M. E. Church in Moundville. Mr. Woodfill had formerly lived at Moundville. Woodfill lived in the town of Woodfill in the new state of Oklahoma. The newlyweds planned to live at Woodfill. Onas was a son of Lewis C. and Emma Coontz Woodfill and a nephew of O. H. Woodfill and William Woodfill, who both lived in Nevada.
They apparently did not stay in Oklahoma long because the 1910 census showed Onas and Myrtle living in Kokomo, Indiana with their 1 1/2 year old son, Elvin.
The 1910 census showed Hattie Landon living alone in Moundville Township.
By 1920, Hattie was living in Deerfield Township, age 71. Living with her was her granddaughter, Myrtle (Martin) Woodfill, age 30 (who was listed as a widow), and Myrtle's two sons Elvin Woodfill, age 11 and Vernon Woodfill, age 8. (It appears Myrtle was not a widow. In 1930, she said she was divorced and Onas Woodfill shows up in various west coast records).
Hattie Terpening Landon died June 20, 1929 and was buried at Welborn Cemetery beside her husband and parents.
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