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Daniel and Joseph Boster David and Joseph Boyster Privates Co. I, 26th MO Inf. Daniel and Joseph Boster were brothers, who were the sons of Thomas Levi Boster and LeAnna Dewitt 1 . Daniel was the oldest born about 1838 in Gallia county, Ohio, located in southeastern part of the state. Joseph was born about 1844 in either Illinois 2 or Indiana. The confusion in the Daniel/David's name likely occurred due to poor record keeping or penmanship. Several family researchers confirm Daniel's name. Daniel was sometimes known as Daniel Jr., probably since his grandfather, uncle and a cousin also carried the Daniel name.
The family was living near Union, in Franklin county in 1861.
The picture shown to the right is a photo of Daniel J. Boster, Daniel L. Boster's (the subject of this biography) Uncle, who served in company D, the 47th Missouri Infantry. The photo is shown here to demonstrate possible family resemblances. The photo is from the family collection of Diane Ballard (see source #1 below). In November, 1861, they joined with men from 2 other companies and were encamped north of Pacific in a damp swampy area eventually described by the men as “Devil’s Gulch” or “Hell’s Half Acre.” As in most commands early in the War, the green officers in command were unaccustomed or untrained to select camp sites which were safe or healthy for their men. This area near the Merrimac River was an unhealthy spot, which produced a malaria epidemic, affecting most of the men, including Daniel and Joseph Boster. The men were ordered to St. Louis where conditions improved and the men began to recover. On December 25, 1861, at McDowell College in St. Louis, Daniel and Joseph Boster were officially mustered into Federal service and assigned to company I of the 26th Missouri. John McFall was assigned as their captain. At the time he was mustered in, Daniel was 24 years old, 5’ 6” tall, with light colored hair, gray eyes, and a light complexion. His brother Joseph was 18 years old, 5’ 8” tall, with light colored hair, gray eyes, and a dark complexion and single. Both men declared that they were farmers. Daniel may not have recovered from the illness that he contracted while camped in Franklin county or he was allowed to go home to tend to a new baby and the possible ill health of his wife. In April, 1862, he returned home on furlough. It is believed that his wife, Jane, died during the war, possibly from child birth. No record of her death has yet been found. When his furlough was over, Daniel returned to the regiment and both brothers continued to serve until the end of their enlistment in December of 1864. They were discharged with most of the original men of the regiment near Savannah, Georgia, and returned home to Franklin county. After Daniel returned from the war, he met and married Mary Jane Chapman, nee Greenlee, October 15, 1864. They were joined in marriage in Crawford county, Missouri, by Lewis W. Murphy, a teaching Elder of the Christian Church. Mary Jane, who was the daughter of Elijah Greenlee and Rachel Litton, was a war widow, who had previously married Lancen/Lucien Chapman on July 25, 1861, in Crawford county. Daniel and Mary Jane had 4 children, all apparently born in Crawford county, Missouri.
Eventually Daniel’s relationship with Mary Jane soured and in 1876, he applied for a divorce while they were living in Washington county, Missouri. The court record indicated that the judge in the case refused to grant him the divorce. There is no indication of another attempt, but he eventually left his wife and moved in with his brother Joseph, who was living in Jackson county, Arkansas. On July 03, 1880, in Jackson county, Arkansas, Daniel married Martha F. Starr of Texas county, Missouri. She was the daughter of Hiram Starr and Cynthia Skaggs. Whatever happened to Mary Jane Greenlee is not known. Eventually, Daniel and his new wife moved to Arkansas and took up residence in Independence county. Daniel and Martha had two children.
The family would move back to Missouri for a brief time residing in Humansville in Polk county. They would return to Arkansas where Martha would die on Oct. 15, 1895 in Fayetteville, Washington county. Daniel would die soon afterward on November 6, 1895. His body was sent to Texas county, Missouri, where his parents Thomas Levi and LeAnna were still living. He was buried in Tyrone Cemetery near Cabool, in Texas county. Footnotes: 1.) The children of Thomas Levi Boster and his wife LeAnna are: Daniel Boster b: 1838 in Gallia County, Ohio 2.) Muster Roll record of Joseph Boyster(Boster), company I. Joseph gave his birth record as Illinois. 3.) Page 204 Crawford County, Mo. marriage records book Vol. 2 1854 /1871 Sources 1. Diane Ballard, JDianeBallard@aol.com, Boster family researcher 2. Kent Boster, whidbey44@yahoo.com, Boster family researcher 3. Muster Roll Company I, David Boyster (Daniel Boster) and Joseph Boyster/Boster, Missouri Secretary of State Office, State Capitol, Room 208 and State Information Center, 600 W. Main, Jefferson City, Missouri. 4. Ancestry.com Roots Web Genealogical database, http://www.ancestry.com
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When the
Civil War broke out, Daniel, like many young men of Missouri, was
reluctant to join the fight.