Matthew Martin Bland was born on December 5, 1816, in Kentucky. During the 1840s he established himself in Platte County, Missouri, where he acquired land, operated a sawmill, and became an active participant in the area’s growing agricultural community.
His earliest known land purchases date to 1845, when he acquired property in Section 34, Township 54, Range 36.
hat same year, on December 24, he married Mary Turner in Platte City. Their marriage marked the beginning of a partnership that would span more than three decades and include numerous moves, land transactions, and the raising of a large family.
Matthew steadily expanded his holdings during the 1840s and 1850s. In addition to purchasing sawmill property, he appeared on the Platte City tax rolls in 1849 and continued buying and selling land throughout the decade. One surviving record from 1855 documents that he granted freedom to an enslaved man named Henry in exchange for $1,000, a reminder that slavery was an integral part of Missouri’s legal and economic system prior to the Civil War.
By 1857 the family had relocated to Walnut Township in Atchison County, Kansas Territory, where Matthew filed land entry papers in 1860. Although living in Kansas, he maintained close business ties with Platte County, continuing to buy and sell Missouri property throughout the 1860s. An 80-acre purchase in 1860 for $3,200 illustrates the substantial investments he made during this period.
Matthew and Mary were the parents of eleven known children:
- Sarah E.
- Mary
- Cynthia
- Annie
- William Henry
- John M.
- Benjamin
- Matilda
- Prillie E.
- Eller J.
- Robert L.
Sometime before 1870, the family returned to Platte County, Missouri. Matthew signed his will on June 27, 1871, and died seven years later on July 27, 1878, at the age of sixty-one. He was buried in Alexander Cemetery in Platte County.
Following her husband’s death, Mary Turner Bland assumed responsibility for settling his estate. She filed an administrator’s bond in 1879 and, the following year, petitioned the court for permission to sell portions of Matthew’s personal property. The 1880 census places her in Weston, Platte County, where she continued to live after being widowed.
Mary Turner was born on July 7, 1825, in Mays Lick, Mason County, Kentucky, the daughter of William Turner. She spent nearly sixty years in Platte County and witnessed the dramatic changes that transformed both Missouri and neighboring Kansas during the nineteenth century. Mary died on October 24, 1904, at the age of seventy-nine and was buried in Mount Bethel Cemetery in Platte City.
Children of Matthew Martin Bland and Mary Turner
Sarah E. Bland (1846–1847)
Sarah E. Bland was born on November 21, 1846, in Platte City, Missouri. She died on October 27, 1847, just weeks before her first birthday, and was buried in Alexander Cemetery.
Mary Bland Baker (1848–1923)
Mary Bland was born on May 24, 1848, in Missouri. She married James Monroe Baker on February 27, 1868, in Platte City. She spent most of her life in Platte County and died on January 5, 1923, in Weston.
Cynthia Bland (1849–?)
Cynthia Bland was born about 1849 and appears as an eight-month-old in the 1850 census of Marshall Township, Platte County. No confirmed records have been located documenting her later life.
Annie Bland Benner (1851–1926)
Annie Bland was born on January 8, 1851. She married Jacob Benner on March 3, 1870, in Platte City and remained in Platte County for the rest of her life. She died on February 22, 1926.
William Henry Bland (1853–1890)
William Henry Bland was born about 1853 in Missouri. Census records trace him from Atchison County, Kansas, in 1860 to Platte County in 1870 and Weston in 1880. He died on January 1, 1890, and was buried in Alexander Cemetery.
John M. Bland (1854–1934)
John M. Bland was born on October 12, 1854. He married Sophronia Bozarth on November 27, 1887. He spent most of his life in Platte County and died there on January 29, 1934.
Benjamin Bland (1857–1860)
Benjamin Bland was born on December 13, 1857. He died on November 8, 1860, at the age of two and was buried in Alexander Cemetery.
Matilda Bland Brown (1858–1926)
Matilda Bland was born on November 13, 1858. She married William Brown on June 1, 1882, in Platte City. Later in life she moved to Colorado, where she died on August 2, 1926.
Prillie E. Bland (1860–1860)
Prillie E. Bland was born on February 19, 1860. Although she appears in the 1860 census of Walnut Township, Kansas Territory, she died only seven months later on September 19, 1860, and was buried in Alexander Cemetery.
Eller J. Bland Turner (1861–1935)
Eller J. Bland was born on July 10, 1861. She married Jefferson D. Turner in 1882 and remained in Missouri throughout her life. She died in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, on November 21, 1935.
Robert L. Bland (1870–1932)
Robert L. Bland was born on June 1, 1870. He was living in Weston with his widowed mother in 1880 and later settled in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. He died there on July 17, 1932, and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery.