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The following is from "History of St. Charles, Montgomery and Warren Counties, Missouri..." published, I believe about 1885: "The Edwards family, of whom Judge W.W. Edwards, Hon. A.H. Edwards and Maj. James Edwards are prominent representatives, were likewise early settlers of this township. They are descendants from Ambrose and Olive (Martin) Edwards, of Albermarle county, Va., who left 10 children: Brice, James, John, Childs, Henry, Joseph, Booker, Carr, Susanna and Martha. John and Henry settled in St. Charles County; Carr and Martha, who married Milton Ferney, settled in St. Charles county. One or two of the others also came to Missouri, but did not settle in the county. Henry Edwards married Sarah M. Waller, a daughter of Carr and Elizabeth (Martin) Waller of Virginia. Judge W.W. Edwards, formerly United States District Attorney and now Judge of the St. Charles Circuit, and his brothers, State Senator Edwards and Major James Edwards, an officer in the United States Senate, (read "Army"), are sons of Henry and Sarah M. (Waller) Edwards.
I am James C. Edwards, b.1932. My father was Emmett Edwards, b.1901,d.1963. His father, my grandfather, was Joseph Harry Edwards, b.1862,d.1940. His father was?? My father had 2 brothers, Carter and Harry, and a sister Roxanne. My uncle and namesake James Carter Edwards always referred to Major (later Col.?) James (Franklin?) Edwards as "Uncle Jim". In addition, a contemporary of my grandfather, Waller Edwards was always referred to as "Cousin Waller". There is a very old family cemetery on what was once Col. Edwards' farm in St. Charles county, Mo. Buried there are Edwards, Tuckers, Lucketts, Wingfields, Barnes and Burlingames. I have misplaced pictures I took of the remaining headstones a couple of moves ago, but I will revisit and replace them, if possible, in Spring, 2001. Some of the headstones show birth dates in the late 1700's. I would like to "connect the dots" between my grandfather and Ambrose and Henry above. The Virginia Edwards, I believe, were tobacco farmers who had been in Virginia long enough to wear out the soil there and reputedly migrated to Missouri for new tobacco land around 1800 or shortly thereafter. I believe the Edwards came to the new world from Wales - late 1600's or early 1700's. Can anyone out there in www. land help me out? I would appreciate any and all light shed on my forebears. Can I help complete any of your branches out there?
Jim Edwards robohn@earthlink.net
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