William G. McSpadden  Tombstone & Julia Ann McSpadden=Mrs W.G. Mcspadden   

Clark's Rosehill Cemetery is the final resting place of someone who has been depicted to have been instrumental in naming Houston Texas. This information was found in Texas History (quote) Houston was founded in 1836 by brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen, who paid a little over $1.40 an acre for the total 6,642 acres of land near Buffalo Bayou - The same year Gen. Sam Houston's Texas Army won independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto.  Historians believe that a man named W.G. McSpadden, who served with Gen. Sam Houston in the Mexican War, was instrumental in naming the City after Sam Houston in 1852(unquote) William didn't stop there, when he returned to from the Mexican war He went to Neenah Winnebago Wisconsin and married Julia Narracong on January 31, 1850. In the middle of the of the 1850s, William and His wife Julia, and two children moved to Looney Valley Minnesota, and a town was started there and this town was also named Houston, and William is suppose to have been instrumental in naming this town. The town is still there but it isn't the metropolis that Houston Texas is. It would seem that Sam Houston made a quite an impression on William G. McSpadden 

William G. McSpadden was born in County Down Ireland on November 14 1827, there are other dates mentioned but after checking all the census reports this one comes up most often. He died December 8, 1899, at Clark South Dakota and was Buried in Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. There isn't much information on W.G. McSpadden concerning his early life in Ireland and he  probably came to the United States circa 1840, He was in the Mexican war in 1847, as a drummer boy. The Mexican war lasted two  years -1846 to 1848. When William returned from the war he went to Wisconsin and this is were he married Julia Ann Narracong at Neenah, Winnebago Wisconsin on January 31 1850. Julia was born in Lorraine Ohio November 21 1834. The McSpaddens lived in Wisconsin for  a few years  and    J this is where there oldest daughter  "Octavia" was born on December 9 1850 at Menasha, Winnebago, WI., there second Daughter Eudora Francis was Born Oct. 6, 1853, in La Crosse, WI, (she died June 6, 1867).  Shortly after this they moved to Minnesota. On April 2, 1857, William purchased 80 acres of land in Looney Valley (named after one of early settlers). The McSpaddens third daughter Rhoda was born in Looney Valley, Houston Mn.  The McSpaddens farmed and had a grist mill, at this time they had one hired hand, and that was Julia's Brother Andrew J. Narracong.                                                                            Julia McSpadden

William McSpadden and Andrew J. Narracong, joined the union army in 1862. William was inducted on March 27, 1862 as a 2nd Lieutenant, in the Missouri Infantry, company E Regiment 8, and was discharged July 7 1864, as a 1st lieutenant or Captain. Andrew was inducted Aug. 14, 1862 as a private in the Minn. Infantry Company F, Regiment 10, and was discharged Aug. 14, 1865 as a Private. William had a private servant while he was in the army, by the name of Calvin Simmons. When William was discharged and returned to Houston Minnesota, Calvin came with him probably not right away, maybe a year or so later. I am saying this because I found in the Census, where William had two hired men and they started the farming operation and Grist mill again. Andrew Narracong was discharged from the army about a year after William, and was involved in the farming and milling operation with William and Calvin.  This association continued into the late 1880's, when William and disposed of this property, and He moved to Clark SD in 1881, it is assumed that Andrew and Calvin with him at this time, and Julia and several of there ten children came to Clark the next Spring. William filed on land one mile west of Clark, and promptly started to build a hotel. There were wagon loads of lumber and construction material hauled from Watertown and the building proceeded rapidly. As the town grew there was friendly rivalry between the merchants on Commercial Street and thos on First Street as to which would become the leading shopping center, and Captain McSpadden joined in with great enthusiasm in promoting first street.

Do to failing health, Mr. McSpadden hired someone to manage the hotel in 1887, and he returned to Minnesota for a few years. but then returned to Clark and the McSpaddens  lived in their house on West First Street where he died in 1899. Mrs McSpadden died on September 10, 1926, at Long Beach, Los Angeles California, She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, in the family plot next to her Husband.

The McSpaddn's had quite an impact on the town of Clark, with there ten children, four of the girls married Clark Men, they were Mrs. F. B. Grimshaw (Julia Mae) Mrs. G. C. Griffen, Mrs. Fred Ware, and Mrs. Isabel Jennings , and we can't forget Calvin Simmons, who was married while in Clark to Rosa Jenkens. Rosa was Born at Mt. Victory Ohio. Calvin and Rosa had four Children two boys and two girs, and we can't leave out Andrew G. Narracong, Brother of Mrs McSpadden. Andrew and Calvin are buried in the McSpadden lot in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Copyrighted 2008 for Clark county South Dakota and Gordon Meyer