CHAPTER 3
WILLIAM DEARING"BUCK"EASON
Cedar County nestles in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, joined to wider, flatter prairies to the west and north and the steeper,
rockier hillsides of the mountains to the south and east. Small streams, carved from centuries of erosion, flow first to larger streams such as
""Horse Creek", "Cedar Creek" and "Brush Creek", then empty into the Sac River, which in turn joins the
Osage River in St. Clair County. One such stream still bears the ludicrous name of Stinking Creek, so named, it is said, because one farmer
remarked that every time he had a good crop growing, that "stinkin' crick"" overflowed and destroyed it! Both Cedar and St. Clair Counties
were once contained in a much larger area known as Rives County. Two hundred years ago, the area and the rivers, were home to native
American Sac and Osage tribes. Still yet today, traces of their lives may be revealed by the shards of flint to be found in freshly plowed fields
or on hillsides eroded by sudden rain. My grandfather told us as children that the red clay of the area derived it's color from the blood of the
Sac and Osage who died while defending their homes from the settlers and the military, a legend I sometimes repeated to my own children
while searching for arrowheads and artifacts in our freshly turned fields. The two major rivers bear their tribal names and the small town of
Osceola claims it's name from the greatest of their tribal chiefs.
Much of the land is today still covered with various species of oak and if left untouched by saw or plow, quickly reverts to the forest
which the first settlers knew. Native cedar regrows rapidly on land which has known forest fire or bulldozer and oak seedlings quickly
replace domestic grasses if the land is left to the whims of nature. Except for the bottomland found along the various streams, much of the
soil is sandy and rocky with a clay base which is exposed in areas subject to much erosion. For that reason, most of the original settlers
chose to build their homes on the hills overlooking the more productive soil of the bottomland bordering the stream below. Thus, the homes
were safe from the stream's overflow and the most productive soil was given over to crops. One elderly gentleman, well-versed in county
history, insists that another reason for building homes above the streams was because the Indians still roamed the streams in the 1840's and
1850's, and while not hostile, were likely to steal livestock and food. By placing the homesite on a hill above the streambed, the settlers
were better able to see any Indian and take steps to protect both family and property. Whatever the reasoning, most old homesteads will
still be found on hillsides overlooking a stream below.
While one might today wonder at the lack of foresight shown by our pioneer ancestors in selecting the sandy, rocky farms on which
they settled, we must remember that when the first settlers arrived, timber for building was abundant, the network of freshwater springs and
streams provided more than adequate water supplies, and ample food was there for the taking. The area was rich in wild fruits, nuts and
berries and many species of wildlife roamed the area. As is so often the case in any life, many times a roll of the dice determined which of
the first families prospered and which were forced to move on, by ill fortune, flood or drought. Though seldom prosperous by today's standards,
the Eason families, whether by common sense, thrift, backbreaking labor, or sheer determination, managed the survive through Civil War,
depression and disease. Their descendants still struggle to maintain the land and traditions which their great great grandparents valued to
protect a heritage from the ever-increasing specter of corporate farms. The cemeteries of Cedar County are marked with the headstones
of those ancestors and many more still lie in unmarked graves.
This then, is a collection of memories of the life of W.D. "Buck" Eason as seen through the eyes of a granddaughter who grew up
secure in the warmth of a grandfather's love. It is a tribute to a wise and kind man, a father, grandfather, uncle and brother, whose life
began and ended on the land first settled by earlier members of his family. The eighty two years between his birth and death encompassed
two world wars, two major depression eras, and a constant struggle with the droughts and floods which plague all farmers.
William Dearing Eason, also known as W.D. or "Buck" Eason was the son of James and Madora Lattin Eason. He was born on
March 23, 1874 and united in marriage to Mary Jane Hughes on December 16, 1896. Mary Jane was the daughter of James and Martha
Ellen Arnold Hughes, born in Virginia on February 6, 1880. He was 22, she two months short of her 17th birthday. During the sixty years
until his death in 1956, they lived and worked together at their farm in Cedar County, less than one mile from his place of birth.
A man of medium stature, no more than five feet, eleven inches, with sandy hair and blue eyes that frequently danced with laughter,
no casual observer could ever have considered him an imposing figure. His role as family patriarch, he bore with grace and humor, but there
was never any doubt within his family who bore the final responsibility for any decisions which affected his family. Few of his adult children
made important life decisions without first "talking it over with dad". Though his formal education ended at the small rural elementary school,
he valued education, was an avid reader throughout his life, and could total three columns of figures without benefit of pencil or paper.
With his keen mind and lively wit, his intense interest in history and politics, it is not surprising that he was, for most of his life, an active
participant in the local Republican Party and twice served the county as deputy assessor, riding horseback from farm to farm. He served
many terms on the schoolboard of Wright Elementary School, and found among his old papers following the death of Mary Jane, were
meticulously kept records of school board actions and school expenses during the years he served as a schoolboard member.
W.D. and Mary Jane Eason were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom grew to maturity. One stillbirth, one tragic accident
and WWII deprived them of one daughter and two sons. In the early 1900's, a growing family and diminishing farm prices required ingenuity
and long days in the fields to provide food on the table and clothing for a family. Whether due to disillusion about the long term profit
potential of Cedar County farming, or the natural "itchy feet" inherited from his North Carolina ancestors, both he and his father-in-law
entered and were chosen in the drawings for the Oklahoma Land Rush. James Hughes took up land near Paul's Valley, Oklahoma, but
when grandpa returned with news of his claim, his wife refused to move to Indian Territory. James and Ellen Hughes did move and worked
their farm there until the final few years of life. Both died at the home of their daughter, and are buried in Cedar County near the final resting
places of W.D. and Mary Jane.
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