William W. Gideon, son of
Isham Gideon and Nancy Miller, was born in Hawkins or
Grainger Co, TN in 1824. He married Mrs. Hiley Watkins
Cottingim widow of Dill Cottingim. She was born in Laurel
Co, KY.
William W. Gideon served in the Mexican War with the Ky.
Volunteers. One night after a long hard march, William
rolled in his blanket too close to the campfire and his
boots and feet were badly burned. His feet were injured
so badly that he was sent home and was slightly crippled
the remainder of his life.
William came to Missouri with his father's family and
took up land in Gideon Valley, 12 miles north of
Hartville. In the 1850's he joined a group of men driving
cattle to the San Francisco market. There were several
thousand cattle in the herd, 150 men and several covered
wagons. Grazing the cattle as they travelled, it took all
summer to make the trip. They were attacked by Indians
twice and lost a number of cattle but only two men were
killed. William sold his cattle and returned by way of
south America and up the Mississippi River to St. Louis.
There he bought a horse and rode home. A few days after
his return, he made a trip to Douglas Co. on a cattle
buying trip. While there he was fatally shot.
This left Hiley a widow for the second time with four
children under 10 years of age, and three older sons who
joined the Union Army when the war broke out. Two of
these sons died in the army. She went to Franklin Co with
her brother-in-law's family for safety. When she returned
after the war, her buildings and fences were in ruins,
but with the help of her one surviving son, age 20, they
began all over again.
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