(Charles A. Bryan, " Away, I'm Bound: Virginia and the Westward Movement ", Beyond Germanna , v.6, n.2)
After staying only a few days in Texas, the McClures abandoned their plans to settle in the Lone Star State. Instead, they decided to reverse part of their course and to go to Missouri, where Elizabeth's older brother lived. "I believe we will like Missouri," a hopeful Elizabeth wrote in her diary. Making their way back to New Orleans, James and Elizabeth boarded a crowded, dirty steamboat and headed up the Mississippi for St. Louis, stopping briefly at Belmont, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois, along the way. From St. Louis they took another steamer up the Missouri River for Independence. James became sick again and Elizabeth's thoughts turned to home. "I want a drink out of my father's spring worse than ever," she lamented. By the end of June, they made it to Independence. Almost penniless and worn out, the couple lived with her brother's family for a few weeks.
Although her brother, who owned a clock shop, and his family were exceedingly kind and generous to the young couple, Elizabeth and James were not completely happy with their lot. James found a part-time teaching job, but continued to battle ill health. And, neither one of them could erase their old homeland from their minds. Even James began to thoughts of going back to Virginia and trying again to find suitable land. But they stayed on in Independence.
Except for periodic bouts of sickness, both began to teach at various country schools on a regular basis as they settled into a new life. Elizabeth was deeply grieved in April when word reached her of her father's death a month earlier.
I wish that I could tell you that Elizabeth and James finally settled down, had children, and grew to love their new home in Missouri, or returned happily to Virginia. Alas, on March 17, 1848, Elizabeth came home with a high fever. She had enough strength to write in her diary, "I feel like I should die." James rushed to her side and kept vigil over her for eleven days. He took over the diary. "Elizabeth sick of slow typhoid fever. God of heaven have mercy on her," he wrote on March 18. A few days later a weakened Elizabeth picked up a pencil and tried to write, ". . .in a terrible . . . feel doubtful . . . of whether I can . . . though the Valley of Death . . . help James if I die." Finally, on March 29, 1848, James wrote, "This journal is done. The author being Elizabeth A. McClure died March 28, 1848. She was 22 years, 7 months, and 12 days old."
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.