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    "Uncle" John Blue, one of the oldest and best known citizens of St. Francois County, died yesterday morning at eight o'clock at his home in Farmington. He had been failing rapidly for about three weeks and had been especially feeble for the past week, confined to his bed for the greater part of the time. He had a sinking spell at ten o'clock Wednesday morning, from which he did not rally. He was 90 years, two months and two days of age. The funeral will be held at the home this afternoon at three o'clock, the service to be conducted by Dr. J. E. Kerr, pastor of the Farmington Presbyterian Church. Interment will be in the Farmington K. of P. cemetery.

    John W. Blue was born August 1, 1840, in Ste. Genevieve County, eight miles northeast of Farmington. He was the son of the late William and Mary Schilling Blue. He was the youngest and last surviving member of a family of thirteen children.

    He lived all of his life in and near Farmington with the exception of the years he spent in service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He served throughout the war in the cavalry under Gen. Forrest, operating in Mississippi and Louisiana. He was never wounded. On more than one occasion, however, he received bullet holes in his clothing.

    At the close of the Civil War in 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Lavinia [Lou V.] Haile at Water Valley, Miss. He brought his bride to this county, the couple settling on the old Blue homestead in Ste. Genevieve County where they lived until they came to Farmington about 45 years ago. To this union were born six children, all of whom survived, except one daughter, Mrs. Annie Lloyd, who died here about five years ago. The wife and mother also preceded the husband in death. The surviving children are Miss Minnie, at home; Mrs. M. H. Topping and Norman, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Barney, of Red Bud, N.J., and Ernest of Poplar Bluff. He also leaves eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

    "Uncle" John Blue was one among the few surviving men in St. Francois County who "teamed" the old plank road between Iron Mountain and Ste. Genevieve, hauling iron ore for transportation up and down the Mississippi. He has said there were about one hundred teams engaged in hauling ore over this famous highway, that it required five days to make the round trip and that they received 25 cents a hundred for hauling the ore.

    After coming to Farmington and prior to the building of the electric railway from Farmington to DeLassus, "Uncle" John for many years, carried the express between these two points. He employed a hack and team of horses in this work.

    "Uncle" John Blue was one of the fine old men of this community who will be greatly missed from his accustomed place.

    [Above obituary was taken from an undated newspaper clipping on file with the Farmington Public Library, Farmington, St. Francois Co., MO.]

Additional article on file with Farmington Public Library reads as follows:

    "John Blue (1797-1840) came to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri from Giles County, Tennessee around 1834. Little is known about him except that he served as St. Francois County assessor in 1834-1840, and that he was killed in a duel in Ste. Genevieve in 1840. John Blue's son John W. Blue (1840-1930) was born in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and lived nearly his entire life in Farmington, Missouri about twenty-five miles from Ste. Genevieve. Minnie Blue and Anna Blue Lloyd are listed as John's daughters. Minnie never married and lived in Farmington in the house she inherited after her father's death. Minnie died in 1947. Anna Blue was married in 1890 to Robert Lloyd who operated a mail and express line out of Farmington and Delassus. Anna taught school in St. Francois County for over thirty-five years, and became principal of the Washington School in Farmington where she taught for the last twenty-five years of her life. The Anna Lloyd School was named for her. Additional information on the John Blue Family is on file with the Western Historical, Manuscript collection, University of Missouri, Rolla, Mo."

John W. Blue had an older brother named Moses Hill Blue (b 1834 d 1922), who also resided in St. Francois County.  Moses married Susan Conway and had 3 children including John W., James F. and S. Ellen (a fourth child died in infancy).   Upon Susan's untimely departure, Moses married her sister, Meekee Conway, and   they had one daughter named Georgia Mable (Grady).  For further information on this line (or if you are researching this line and wish to share information,  please contact John Fruehe.

Close-Up View of Inscription on John Blue's Tombstone:


View of Tombstone of wife of John W. Blue:


View of Tombstone of daughter of John W. Blue:


NOTE: All tombstones pictured on this page are located at Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Farmington, Missouri.


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