The Remarkable Story of the McClure Brothers (Civil War/Gibson County History)

You can read part of the story in the news article, below, published on page 4 of the 1 Sep 1911 Evansville Journal newspaper. It tells of the annual reunion of the 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment, Company H, assembled in Gibson County, Indiana, during the Civil War.

Not mentioned was a fifth McClure brother, Alex, who died four years earlier. He also served in this company of Gibson County men. David, mentioned above, was their brother who served in a different Indiana company and regiment during the war.

Now, the McClure brothers were sons of Catherine Devin-McClure (1812-1888), who was Rev. Alexander Devin's daughter. The Devin family pioneered Gibson County and Princeton, Indiana. Catherine's brothers ran a mercantile business on the square in Princeton and the building on the Northwest Corner of the Public Square is the Devin Block, built by them in the 1800's. They were well known for selling loads of pork and produce at the Port of New Orleans, floating their merchandise by flatboat down the rivers. In fact, the name Joseph Devin was popular among the residents of that town, I have a second cousin named after him, Joseph Devin Hussey (1859-1951).

So FIVE of Catherine's sons went off to war in 1861 as part of the Union Army...and ALL OF THEM came home in one piece! That is quite remarkable! And their regiment (Indiana's 17th) was active in famous battles at Chickamauga and the Siege of Atlanta. You can easily fact check me on that.

Here are the brothers names and dates, in order, all but one of them died in Indiana:

ALEXANDER DEVIN MCCLURE, 22 Dec 1837 - 6 Mar 1907
JAMES M. MCCLURE, MD, 20 Jan 1841 - 14 Mar 1913 (He attended medical college in Chicago after the war, then set up his practice in St. Louis, practicing general medicine)
JOSEPH DAVID MCCLURE, 9 Jul 1844 - 6 Jan 1919
ROBERT MOFFIT MCCLURE, 16 Sep 1846 - 26 Dec 1926 (Died in Kansas)
WILLIAM GRADY MCCLURE, 29 Mar 1848 - 29 Feb 1920

Interesting to note, that the three youngest brothers were only teenagers when the war broke out, William, the youngest was but 13 years of age.

Dr. James M. McClure, got sick and took the train home from St. Louis, to his youngest brother's house South of Princeton. He died in 1913 at Prentice McClure's residence, a year and one half after the reunion described in the article, above. Here's an excerpt from the medical journal where news of his passing was relayed to his colleagues at the time (note, the date 16 Mar 1913 is the day his obituary ran in the Evansville newspaper).

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #5 Culture

"English-speaking and Creole-dominated, Belize has more in common with its Caribbean island neighbors than its bordering Spanish-speaking countries. With a laid-back ambiance of swinging hammocks, large swaths of impenetrable jungle, and an underwater world of twisted corals, neon fish, and gentle manatees, Belize is a tropical treasure." SOURCE--https://www.adventure-life.com/belize/articles/history-and-culture-of-belize

I couldn't have said it better myself. Sub-tropical, laid back, colorful, diverse, Caribbean...are just some of the words I could also use to describe Destination: Belize.

From coast to jungle, there's so much to love about Belize. One piece of their history, dating way back before the common era, is Mayan Culture. I can't wait to go explore the ruins there!

"There was still a large Mayan population in Belize when Cortés arrived in 1519," according to Belize History at this travel site. Then in 1660, the Brits arrived to set up a logging camp. That began Belize's long history of colonization. They only became an independent country on September 21, 1981. That's the day they celebrate their independence. The democratic country is really still in it's infancy and trying to fight it's way out of third world status...tourism is helping.

Yesterday, I wrote about the diversity of their food, and before that the diversity of their people. The diversity of it's topography, history and culture is another draw. I can't wait to discover their music and customs firsthand...to play my djembe on the beach, to dance to the music of the Garifuna people and to immerse myself in the Caribbean vibe.

While there is no theater district in Placencia or local orchestra, there is still an abundance of culture available. Who has funds for an annual membership to the symphony anyway? I'd prefer a symphony of Western African hand drums, anyday!

The beach and the ruins will be my church!

Imagine meditation at this spot--Cahal Pech! The closest thing we have in The States are earthen mounds built by the Mississippian culture within Native America.

I had considered Cuba, as a Caribbean destination, for it's food, music and culture, or the Bahamas for it's laid-back, English-speaking, island vibe...but Belize offers all of that and more. It's the Belizean culture that starts my TOP FIVE reasons for moving south!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #7 DIVERSITY

Belize may be English speaking and close in proximity to the U.S., but it's no one-size-fits-all, WHITE BREAD (aka white bred) community. There is diversity!

Yes, you have your older, white expats who've retired to places like Corozal, but you also have THIS:

BELIZEANS:
A multiethnic amalgam of African, Asian, Caribbean, and European influences. They are a very laid-back people with their own Cajun-like form of English (think Jamaicans). As Wikipedia points out, "Colonization, slavery, and immigration have played major roles in affecting the ethnic composition of the population." So, really, you could place all of those I describe below, even the expats of European descent, under this one umbrella.

MAYANS:
Or descendants of the ancient Central American civilization that built great cities with pyramids and such. Since so much has been written about them, I won't elaborate here.

MESTIZO:
Latino or Hispanic Belizeans who make up 2/3 of the country's population. The name literally translated means mixed, as in mixed heritage. They are a multilingual people, fluent in Spanish, Creole and English. Many of them fled Mexico and practice a mix of Catholicism and indigenous religion, according to this site.

KRIOLS:
21% of the population are the Belize Creole people, like many islanders brought to the "West Indies" against their will by European slave traders, the same African descendants (mostly) who make up America's Creole population.

GARINAGU:

Or Garifuna People (singular), are considered an indigenous tribe of African-Americans in Belize and Nicaragua, though their roots are in the islands of the "West Indies," like the Kriols above. They have a unique culture and language. To read more about their history, CLICK HERE.

MENNONITE:
CNN featured this population in a story last year, calling it a secluded "community frozen in time." According to the report, they number 12,000 but began as a colony of about 3,000 Canadian Mennonites who migrated from Mexico to Belize in the 50's. They are a Christian religious sect related to the same in this country, and likewise dress very conservatively and live off the land.

As you can see, there are many distinctions among the people of color in Belize, both indigenous and immigrant. And white people make up JUST OVER ONE PERCENT of the population...so I finally get to call myself a ONE PERCENTER!!! I certainly don't mind living as a minority.

The diversity of the population there, which nationwide is only about 400k, really fascinates me. I can't wait to go down and learn more about these indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities. I love collecting peoples' stories, as a rule, but to learn something new along the way? BONUS!

America is a melting pot of cultural diversity, as well. It's just that we no longer honor it or hold it up as a virtue, like what our Statue of Liberty once represented. We've become very tribalistic, even xenophobic. It's led to a deep divide, not just politically, but culturally. If you are someone who thrives on knowledge and discovery, or tends to hold progressive ideals, you are labeled "Woke," and for a lot of the country, that is a BAD THING! How can learning and progress be bad for society??? But that's the state of affairs in America...and I can't wait to get away from it.

While I'm sipping water from coconuts on a white sandy beach, seabreeze in my hair, I look forward to learning from the people of Belize and of honoring their diversity. The people there, I'm told, are so friendly, accepting and laid back. I doubt there is a lot of tribalism or xenophobia.

Even in minority populations here at home, I've found a welcome embrace. I'm an adopted member of the brown community, partly because of my adopted children (and their cousins of mixed origin). My family is NOT straight Anglo-Saxon/European! I actually embrace diversity. I like to think I'm a bit cultured (NOT xenophobic or nationalistic).

So REASON #7 I'm drawn to Belize and looking so forward to moving there? It's DIVERSITY! Celebrate that shit!!! :D