The following is actually the bio of his Father William, but contains what information I know about Argil or Argyle.

Ernest Edmonston


EDMONSTON, William E.

Born: 15Apr1796 in Buncombe Co., North Carolina
Died: 18Oct1871 in Cooper County, Mo.

Married: 22Feb1816

Wife: Elizabeth Royce, daughter of John Royce(?) and Sarah Nugent(?)
Born: 10Sept1799 Shelly County Kentucky (?)
Died: 22Feb1876 Cooper County, Mo.

William E. was elected as Representative from Reynolds Co., Mo. In 1848. William had strong Southern Sympathies. He was also reported to be an "Indian Fighter" during his earlier years. (ERE Note: I received proof of this from Jeff Watson in 2007, see document "Blackhawk Wars 1831-1832)

Children:

John Royse, Born 18May1818, died 11May1898. Joined Union Army at Sedalia, Mo.
Sarah Nugent, married someone named Robinson
Argil or Argyle T. (or C.), Joined Confederacy (Internet: Born 1824 in Dubois, Indiana)
Benjamin Franklin, Born 7Jul1826, died 8Mar1852
Elizabeth, married Thaddeus Coe who was shot & killed on his own doorstep during the Civil War.
William Clay, Joined Confederacy
Thomas Benton, Joined Confederacy
Bazil




From the book "My Edmonstons and a few more" by Charles Ninian Edmonston 1903-1979

William E. Edmonston was born, Buncombe County N.C. 15 April, 1796. He was married 22 Feb. 1816 to Elizabeth Royce, who was born in Kentucky, possibly Shelby County, 10 Sept. 1799 and died in Cooper County Missouri, 22 Feb. 1876. Her husband, William Edmonston died in Cooper County Mo. 18 Oct. 1871. Both are buried near Lebanon Missouri in the cemetery there. (Note by Ernest Edmonston: I went to Lebanon, Missouri in 1998 in search of William's grave site. I checked the local cemetery to no avail, then checked the local library where I found some very good work by the locals on listing persons buried in the numerous small cemeteries in that part of the country. I couldn't find anything there or anything in the listings of old obituaries in the local papers. Looking a little closer (see above), I noticed that it is stated that William died in Cooper County, and was buried in Lebanon, Missouri. Lebanon is quite some distance from Cooper County, so I am beginning to think that there is an error on the Lebanon location. I am still hoping to clear this matter up through some of our numerous "cousins"). (In 2007 I received photos of William and Elizabeth's headstones from Jeff Watson. He stated that the cemetery is located just south of NEW LEBANON, on highway A in Cooper County).
Family tradition claims that they were married in Indiana. Since there were so many court house fires in so many counties as well as other destruction of records no official record was found of their marriage. It would have been probably in Knox county Indiana which later became a part of Dubois County.
Family Tradition also claims that Elizabeth's mother was Sarah Nugent. Since their first son was named John Royce it seems logical to assume that her father was John Royce but no record of them has been found.
In the History of Dubois county by George Wilson the statement is made that Archibald Edmonston went from North Carolina to Indiana to "spy out the land" for settlement of the family, in 1818. If William was married in Indiana in 1816 then it seems logical to also assume that he was the one who spied out the land rather than his brother, Archibald. From evidence contained in the letters written by his father, Bazil B. Edmonston it hardly seems likely that Archibald would have been trusted with so important mission as the old man apparently considered him to be almost moronic in intelligence, and judgement.
The history of Dubois County Indiana lists William Edmonston as entering land, 80 acres, March 13, 1818. He was elected Dubois County Sheriff Sept. 8, 1824 and again in August 30, 1826. He served as a justice of the peace and as a militia officer while he lived in the county.
He moved from Dubois County about 1829 to the part of Schuyler County that became McDonough County Illinois in 1820.
A history of McDonough County by S. J. Clarke, 1876 on page 30: "On the 26th day of April, 1831 the first sale of public lots was made in the town Macomb. William Edmonston acting as auctioneer, he having been previously appointed by the board of county commissioners for the sale of lots. Few of the lots were sold at that time and the amount of money that was realized was quite small. Executive records in the archives in Springfield Ill. Show that he conducted such sales from time to time until about 1836 and made reports of the lots sold and the amounts of money they brought.
Page 270. "14Jan1836 McDonough County District was served in the tenth assembly by William Edmonston. It convened in Vandalia 5 Dec. 1836 and adjourned 6 March, 1837.
Illinois executive records show that William Edmonston was a representative from McDonough County in 1832, 1834, 1836, 1838, 1840, and 1842.
18Sept1839 his father wrote, "James, William and Enoch in many countries would be termed rich. William feels as important as an English Lord; rides in his splendid carriage. Every other year he is elected to the legislature….and he is a strong man in the House. He weighs 203 pounds; James is perhaps as heavy. Enoch is high kin to his father; same old frame etc."
4Dec1852, his brother James wrote: "Brother William came to see us the 15th of last month. He was as hearty and looks as well as I ever saw him. He has got quite fat corpolent and is much of a politician and stump orator and an office seeker, but got beat for the State Senate this year."
The 1850 census report for Reynolds County shows that William Edmonston was the compiler thereof. Exactly when he moved from McDonough County to Reynolds county Mo. is unknown at this time.
12Nov1854, James Edmonston wrote to his brother Ninian…as far as brother William is concerned I can't tell you anything about him. I have not received a line from him, it will be two years and the last time I heard from him he was in the North West part of Missouri, unsettled, with 3 wagons and teams. They were all well then."
A letter from Bazil B. Edmonston Sr. 16Sept1832 says, "Wm. And James is in McDonough County Ill. Wm. has been out in campaign against Indians this spring and last spring and stood before the people as a candidate and was elected by a majority of 26 votes, over double that of his nearest competitor." Mention was made in other letters of William having taken flat-boats loaded with merchandise down the river to New Orleans from time to time, and he seems to have accumulated considerable wealth in those as well as in other activities.
The family lived in S. E. Missouri for several years but according to information given me by a granddaughter of his Miss Mamie Edmonston, of Clinton, Henry County Missouri in 1958, "Grandmother was most unhappy there (in Reynolds County). She said that while the people were so kind and hospitable they were uneducated and primitive and utterly lacking in ambition. She feared her children would marry into these families and become like them." Later she wrote: "In 1853 they sold out and moved to Bates County, Mr.; it was a great body of fine land and is on the Kansas border, just west of our County, Henry. Here, grandfather bought a large tract of land and built a substantial brick house. The people were, many of them, emigrants from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee mostly."
"They lived here in peace and comfort for only a few years when the sad days of border warfare between Missouri and Kansas, over the admission of Kansas as a State, came upon them. Then the 'Order Number 11' was issued that brought about a reign of terror. Our people became refugees to this county. Grandfather was a man of strong southern sympathies and possessed of a somewhat irascible temper so they had to leave Bates County in a hurry. His son-in-law, Thaddeus Coe, husband of his youngest daughter, Elizabeth, went back to bring his wife and three little children down here, to her parents and was shot and killed in his own dooryard."
"My father, William Clay Edmonston, and his brothers, Tom and Argil, had gone to the southern Army. Uncle John (John Royce Edmonston), grandfather's eldest son, joined the Union forces. I never saw Uncle John though he lived only about fifty miles from us, in Johnson County. He never went home after the war."
"After the war was over Grandfather did not go back to Bates County but sold his land. The large brick house was destroyed and the bricks hauled off to Kansas. It was wise that he did not go back for he was so embittered.
The next move was to Cooper County in the Missouri River bottom. Here they bought a farm of fine land and build a two-story white house with green shutters in front with an ell that was one story and a long porch on the east side. Uncle Tom (Thomas Benton Edmonston) lived there after we were old enough to go there. We never saw either of our grandparents. (I don't understand this either, E.R.E.)
"Grandfather brooded over the disloyalty of his son (John Royce), as he saw it, and his financial losses, and had a slight stroke and it affected his mind. Grandmother would not hear of his being sent to an institution and they tried to watch him carefully but one night he slipped out of the house in his night clothes, went into the lot among the horses, got on his favorite riding mare and was some miles from home before they knew he had gone."
"The M.K.&T. Railroad was being built from Sedalia to St. Louis and the laborers found him. He had neither saddle nor bridle on the mare and she had run under a tree and dragged him off. He was badly injured and lived only a few days. Of course he was an old man at that time and died October 15, 1871."
In talking with people who had known her in Cooper County, Mo. people said that Elizabeth (Royse) Edmonston was about five feet tall and somewhat inclined to be sort of round and chubby. One of her eccentricities was that she would not use a bath tub but preferred to do her bathing with a wash-cloth dipped in a basin of water. She died as noted before 22Feb1876 which would have been the 60th anniversary of her marriage.
William Edmonston probably intended to disown his son, John Royse, and disinherit him but as he died intestate John was listed as one of his heirs. The others were: Argyle Edmonston, Henry County, Sarah Robinson, Washington County, Elizabeth Coe, Wm. C. Edmonston, and Thomas B. Edmonston, Cooper Co. Missouri.
The widow refused to qualify as administratrix 13Nov1871 and Thomas B. Edmonston was appointed with a $1000 bond. Final settlement was made 15Oct1874. Elizabeth Edmonston signed a receipt with her mark on at least two different occasions. I am almost sure that she was able to sign her name and the only explanation I can give for that is that a woman hesitated to display her ability to read and write for fear of appearing "uppity" in the view of her neighbors. Education of women was not a subject of universal approval, to state the case mildly. William Edmonston's tombstone reads: William Edmonston died Oct. 18, 1871. Age 75 years, 6 months, 3 days." The tombstone cost thirty-five dollars.

(More information from the same book)

Argyl T. (or C.) Edmonston

He was the second child born to William and Elizabeth Edmonston, in Dubois County Indiana, 3 March, 1824 from information furnished by Mamie Edmonston. She said that he died 10 Jan 1870 but there is evidence in Jefferson County records to the effect that a certain A. C. Edmonston of Pleasant Green, Mo., a private in Brown's Company, Peyton's Regiment, Rains' Brigade under Sterling Price. Enlisted in Butler Mo. 1861 at Butler Mo. in the Missouri State Guard of the 2nd Missouri. Wounded. He attended a convention of the United Confederate Veterans at their 10th encampment in Joplin Mo. in 1906. This would indicate that I may have got the figures in the year of his death transposed. Mamie said that he was the father of several little boys whom their mother took to Texas many years ago. Family tradition says that he was wounded at the Battle of Wilson's Creek Mo. 10 August, 1961 and that his brother Bill dragged him to safety behind a barn until they could both get away to greater safety. He was listed among the heirs of his father's estate in 1872. Perhaps before this work is published there will be more information about him.
(Charles Ninian Edmonston 1903-1979)

From Ancestry.com I have gathered information that Argile married a woman named Catherine sometime after 1850 and that they had five sons, James, Thomas, Lewis/Louis, Jeff, and John. There is no mention of a daughter, but there is a Samantha Edmonston buried in the same cemetery as Argile and her parents listed on the headstone are "A. and P. Edmonston" making it possible that she was the daughter of Argile and Catherine although the "P" cannot presently be explained. Dates of birth and death on her stone are illegible as are the ones on Argile's headstone. E. R. Edmonston, Roswell, NM