Colonel Thomas McLearing

Colonel Thomas Joseph McLearing was the founder and first mayor of McLearington, Missouri.

Early Life

Thomas McLearing was born October 3, 1829 in Wayne County, Mississippi. He joined the United States Army in 1847, during the Mexican War. He served in the Army until 1852. He purchased some land in Missouri's bootheel, in the area that would later include Lee County. He farmed cotton and joined the Missouri State Guard. He would become a Major in the state guard.

Civil War years

In 1861, the pro-confederacy faction in the state of Missouri urged for the state to secede. When the attempt to secede failed, the pro-secession government was driven out of power. Regardless, the majority of Missourians living in the southern third of the state were pro-confederacy. Thomas McLearing enlisted in the Confederate Army, served with the Army of the West and served with Sterling Price's Army of Missouri. He participated in the Battle of Sibley on August 29, 1864.