When the large family of Elijah Bettis Jr. decided to move west in 1805, they were among the richest residents of Moore County, North Carolina. Elijah Jr. was recognized as a “trained medical doctor” (more on that later,) and either he or his son Elijah III was keeping company with the elite of Moore County […]
ShareFreemasonry, Theft, and Lawsuits on the Missouri Frontier
In 1825, in the small frontier town of Greenville in southeast Missouri, a quarrel erupted over a book. The quarrel led to no fewer than four lawsuits, which nearly tore the county apart. David Logan, who admitted having stolen and concealed the book, knowing it belonged to Elijah Bettis, sued Bettis for slander for calling […]
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