John Moody was born on 21. Jul. 1828 at Sumner County, Tennessee. He was the son of
Rev. Spencer Moody and
Susannah Hendricks. John Moody married
Mary Dean, daughter of
James Dean and
Sarah (Unknown), on 3. Jan. 1850 at Hancock County, Illinois. John Moody was shown in the census on 3. Sep. 1850 as a laborer.
John Moody and
Mary Dean appeared on the census of 3. Sep. 1850 at Hancock County, Illinois. John Moody was shown in the census on 8. Jul. 1870 as a farmer.
John Moody and
Mary Dean appeared on the census of 8. Jul. 1870 at North Fork Twp, Barton County, Missouri; personal property 610.00. John Moody was shown in the census on 8. Jun. 1880 as a farmer.
John Moody and
Mary Dean appeared on the census of 8. Jun. 1880 at North Fork Twp, Barton County, Missouri. John Moody was shown in the census on 22. Jun. 1900 as a farmer.
John Moody and
Mary Dean appeared on the census of 22. Jun. 1900 at Canville Twp., Neosho, Kansas; 15 children, 5 living
William E. Smith, grandson b. Mar. 1880 is in the household.
John Moody and
Mary Dean appeared on the census of 19. Apr. 1910 at Big Creek Twp., Neosho, Kansas; 17 children, 5 living. After Mary's death, John divided his time between Rosa's and Mary Hancy's home driving his old mare, Mag, between Shaw and Kimball staying two weeks with each. He happened to be at Kimball when the tragic fire occurred at Shaw. John Moody died in 1917 at at the home of his daughter Mary, Kimball, Neosho, Kansas.
John and Mary (Dean) Moody started their married life as a farm couple in Hancock County, Illinois. He also ran a saw mill. About 1866 they moved, with John's parents and a number of his brothers and sisters to Neosho County, Kansas. John Moody could find no place to set up a saw mill in Southeast Kansas. The story is told that he said, "I traveled for fifty miles in Kansas and could not find a stick big enough to switch a kid with:" Meanwhile, Mary's parents, James and Sarah Dean and their numerous children had moved to Barton County, Missouri where he established a sawmill on North Folk River just about two miles west of the small village of Boston. There are some reasons to believe that he moved the mill up and down the river and that the family lived for a time, at least, in the village of Alba in Jasper County, Missouri; however they owned land in section 27, Barton County, Missouri. The family remained in Missouri until 1884 when they came to Neosho County, Kansas, and established a molasses mill near Shaw, Kansas. Of the twelve children born to them six died in infancy or early childhood. The births of these children who died in Illinois may be buried at the Ebenezer Baptist Church which is south of West Point in Adams County, Illinois. It has been a family belief that the Moodys attended this church. However, they may have attended Bethel Church in the same vicinity. Mary Dean Moody's obituary states that 15 children were born--only 12 listed in the Bible.