JOHN HUFF, SON OF JOSEPH HUFF II AND SARAH HILL2137

John Huff was first found on the 1830 census records of Sevier County, Tn., page 99, along with his father Joseph, who lived nearby. John was listed as born between l800 and 1810; his wife was born between 1810 and 1815. There were no children at that time. From family tradition John's first wife was Mary, Iast name unknown. [The name was spelled "Hufft" on the census record.]

Sometime between 1833 and 1835 John and wife ceme to Madison County, Missouri where he was listed on tne 1840 census with a wife, [same age] and three boys born before 1840.

It appears that Mary died sometime before 1844; next we see John marryrng Margaret Jones in Madison County, Mo., October 20, 1844. Since one daughter had been born in 1843, it might be assumed that Mary may have died soon after after birth.

It seems that Margaret didn't live very long either, for John married his third wife, Malinda Yarborough (Yarberry) in Oregon County, Missouri, August 22, 1846. Malinda was born in nearby Arkansas, in 1826. But by 1850. Malinda and John were found in Washington County, Mo., with three more cni!dren.

The family tradition written in a paper by .John's great-granddaughter, Hattie Huff Hennrich, states that the Huffs came from Tennessee and settled in Franklin County, Mo. before 1800! Whether this ls true remains to be proved.

The famity tradition continues that John's family was moving from Franklin County to Iron Mountain in the winter of 1859, [later proved incorrect….it was actually 1865]. John was walking along behind the wagons and cattle … he evidently stopped to rest. The family traveled several miles before they missed John, and when they went back, they found him sitting at the base of a tree, frozen to death! They wrapped him in a sheet and buried him in a grave by the side of the road, somewhere between Irondale and Potosi. It was a most trying time for Malinda because she was in the "family way" at the time of John's unfortunate death. [Although the older Huff boys always contended that John had frozen to death, the younger children always had been told that John had been given some bad whiskey and was poisoned! Some contended that the bad whiskey hed been sold or given by someone who had wanted to see John come to no good “end”.]

There were many stories passed along by the story tellers of this John Huff fami!y, some by Johnson D. "Jouse" Huff, who Iived to be 96, and some by Mary Margaret Huff Copeland, his sister, who lived to be 99. Others who carried on the family stories were Gillman Huff and Hattie Huff Hennrlch.

There had been some dissension when John married Malinda Yarbrough, who was not much older than John's children. Andrew and Stephen became somewhat angry and never mentioned their family roots. Johnson D. Huff, son of Stephen was the one who kept contact with the rest of the clan.

John and his first wife, Mary, had four children: Stephen, Andrew, John and Larena. There were no children from his marriage to Margaret Jones. John and Malinda Yarborough had seven children: Sarah, Mary, Joseph, Leonard, Elizabeth, Jane and Isaac.

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1850 Census of Johnson, Washington Co MO
Household Members Age
John Hough 42
Malinda Hough 24
Stephen Hough 17
Andrew Hough 15
George Hough 11
Larena Hough 7
Sarah Hough 2
Mary Hough 0

1850 Census of Johnson, Washington Co MO
Name Age
John Hough 42
Malinda Hough 24
Stephen Hough 17
Andrew Hough 15
George Hough 11
Larena Hough 7
Sarah Hough 2
Mary Hough 0