Joseph was always tall for his age and as an adult stood 6 foot 1 inch tall. He had brown hair and blue eyes and was of a lean build. He sported a large, well groomed mustache. He worked hard at farming; from daylight to dusk. He was strong and had great endurance. There was always a surplus that he could take to town and sell for hard cash so he could buy the things the family needed that he could not make or raise himself.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Joseph and his little family was living in Madison County, in South East Missouri. There was a large group of Sarah’s family living there. Here again, Joseph was farming. The land here isn’t the best farming area. The region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau. Geologically, the area is a broad dome around the Saint Francois Mountains. The County is heavily forested, hilly, has no rivers, and few creeks. Fortunately, the iron plow was built in 1837 by John Deere at Grand Detour, Illinois. This made plowing easier and faster as it didn’t break as often.
Read all of the Joseph Dolton Family History.
