Judy,

First,it appears you are getting somewhere now. Good.

Second, perhaps I can help explain why your ancestor's wife and child left Newton County during the war and moved to Jefferson County. Newton, McDonald, and Barry Counties for the most part were rendered uninhabitable by near continuous guerrilla warfare which began there early in 1862. The northern sympathizers felt the brunt of the antagonism, but some of them made sure their southern neighbors felt the same pressure. This was not a safe region for families during the war years except in the larger towns. Jefferson County, on the other hand, seemed to experience only a fraction of the war violence endured by the southwest corner of Missouri. I would strongly suspect your ancestor's wife or your ancestor had relatives living in Jefferson County at that time. Most of the war refugees that traveled great distances did so to move in with family members.

Bruce Nichols