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v. 


HISTORY 


OF 


Cooper  County 


MISSOURI 


W.  F.  JOHNSON 


ILLUSTRATED 


HISTORICAL   PUBLISHING  COMPANY, 

TOPEKA  CLEVELAND 

1919 


> 


<; 


THIS  VOLUME  IS 

AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  TO  THE 

MEMORY  OF 

MY  FATHER  AND  MOTHER. 


\  ^  1  o  0 


FOREWORD. 

I  readily  undertook  to  write  the  history  of  Cooper  County.  Until  I 
had  begun  to  gather  the  material  and  data,  I  did  not  comprehend  the  work 
involved,  nor  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered. 

One  who  from  afar  looks  upon  a  mountain  towering  high,  which  he 
must  approach  and  ascend  by  a  devious,  winding  way,  cannot  afford  to 
weaken  his  courage  by  vain  repining,  or  dissipate  his  energies  by  fretful 
anticipations.  Starting  at  once  upon  his  journey,  he  reaches  the  foot- 
hills, and  to  his  surprise,  the  mountain  seems  not  nearly  so  high.  Pur- 
suing his  way  by  a  gradual  incline  up  the  foot-hills,  he  leisurely  keeps  his 
course  around  and  up  the  mountain,  and  arrives  at  the  summit.  As  he 
stands  there,  comfortably  wearied,  and  inhaling  the  fragrance  of  the  wild 
flowers,  which  he  has  gathered  on  his  way,  he  looks  back  over  his  journey 
as  a  summer  outing. 

Having  completed  my  undertaking,  though  not  to  my  satisfaction,  I 
look  back  upon  my  labor  as  one  of  love  and  pleasure.  No  literary  merit 
is  claimed  for  this  story  of  Cooper  County.  It  has  not  been  written  but 
merely  spoken,  and  at  night,  extending  often  into  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning.  The  Ediphone  has  been  used,  and  from  the  records  the  typist 
has  transcribed  the  spoken  words.  This  has  been  at  a  saving  of  labor, 
but  doubtless  at  the  expense  of  diction.  It  is  hoped,  however,  that  it  has 
the  merit  of  being  in  the  parlance  of  the  street  and  home,  and  that  the 
average  citizen,  with  even  a  limited  vocabulary,  can  read  and  understand, 
without  the  frequent  use  of  the  lexicon. 

History  is  but  a  selection  of  happenings  and  events.  Each  individual, 
every  family,  house  and  farm  has  its  history.  I  have  therefore  attempted 
to  give  only  those  events  which  have  been  of  some  importance  to  the 
county  or  a  particular  neighborhood. 

Of  that  which  has  been  prepared,  I  have  been  compelled  to  eliminate 
much  by  reason  of  want  of  space;  and  it  may  be  that  many  things  of 
interest  to  some  will  not  be  found  in  these  pages.  Errors  have  doubtless 
occurred,  by  reason  of  transcribing,  typesetting  and  proof-reading,  as  it 
is  too  much  to  expect  perfection.  Again,  much  of  the  history  that  has 
been  written  herein  has  been  handed  down  by  word  of  mouth;  and  real- 


izing  the  frailty  of  human  memory,  I  have  attempted  to  arrive  at  the 
truth  as  best  I  could. 

Especial  attention  is  directed  to  the  biographical  sketches  which  form 
a  large  part  of  this  volume.  In  these  sketches  will  be  found  much  inter- 
esting and  valuable  reading,  from  which  the  future  historian  may  well 
compile  a  history  of  Cooper  County.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  many 
others  have  not  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  perpetuate  the 
history  of  their  families  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  come  after  them. 
However,  this  is  no  fault  of  the  editor,  as  the  pages  of  this  volume  have 
been  open  to  all  who  cared  to  respond  to  the  invitations  of  the  solicitors. 

I  have  followed  the  rule  of  saying  the  pleasant  things,  rather  than 
the  evil,  because  the  good  can  be  found  with  more  pleasure  to  the  seeker. 

W.  F.  JOHNSON. 

Boonville,  Mo.,  July  12,  1919. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Allen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry 480 

Andrews,  C.  E.   388 

Andrewls,    /David    396 

Atkinson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W 936 

Barron,  Walter    512 

Bell  Air  Rural  School 240 

Bell,  Charles  C.  372 

Blank,  Frank  N.   552 

Boonville,    Main    Street 256 

Bowmer,  George   E.  and   Family 688 

Brandes,  John  A.  and  Wife 616 

Brandes,  Theodore  and  Wife 576 

Bridge,  M.  K.  &  T. 128 

Bridge,  Vine   Clad    208 

Bunceton,    High    School 224 

Bunceton,    Residence    Scene    224 

Bunceton,    Patriotic    Parade 240 

Burrus,  John   and   Amanda 504 

Carey,  Geo.  W.  and  Matilda 556 

Carlos,  H.  D.,  Sr.  540 

Case,   H.   Earl   1008 

Cochran,  O.  W.  and  Wife 548 

Cochran,  W.   J.   680 

Cook,   C.   C.   and   Family 684 

Cosgrove,  John    364 

Court  House,  Old   48 

Court  House,  Present  33 

Davin,  Andrew    888 

Davin.  Family  Residence   888 

Davin,  Michael    888 

Debo,  P.  L.,   Family  Residence 720 

Derendinger,  Mr.  and   Mrs.   Edward  432 
Doerrie,  Charles    400 

Drechsel,   Mr.  and   Mrs.   Charles   H._.  744 
Drennen,   Mrs.   E.   E 440 

Eager,  Charles  L.  492 

Eager,  Mrs.  Charles  L. 492 

Eldridge,  Charles  C.  and  Wife 544 


"Elrod  of  Greenbush" 288 

Fahrenbrink,  C.  W.  and  Family 696 

Fairfax,  C.   P.   1048 

Ferry    Boat,    Boonville   112 

Fricke,   Henry    464 

Friedrich,  Charles  A.  and  Family 648 

Friedrich,  H.  C.  and  Family 408 

Gerhardt,  Joseph  and  Family 660 

Gmelich,  J.  F.  354 

Gorrell,   Amos   and   Family 788 

Grathwohl,  Charles  T. 624 

Gronstedt,   Heinrich   472 

Groom,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  C. 484 

Harlan,  George   C.   976 

Harriman,  Robert  L.   1040 

Harris,  Edward  H.  824 

Harris,  Thomas   A.    756 

Harris,  Judge  T.  A. 560 

Haun,  William  H.,  Residence 816 

Hazell,  J.  I. 452 

Hickam,  Samuel   L.    564 

Hickam,  Mrs.   Samuel  L.  564 

High  School,  Boonville 192 

Hite,  Ernest  L.  and  Family 904 

Howlett,  Robert   E.    984 

Jacobs,  A.   C.   —  508 

Jaeger,  Albert   and    Family 428 

Jeffress,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 1088 

Jeffress,  John  W.  and  Family 1092 

Johnson,  C.   B.  728 

Johnson,  Mrs.  C.  B. 728 

Johnson,  Newton  H.   728 

Johnson,  Mrs.    Newton    H.    and    Chil- 
dren    728 

Johnston,  T.  A.  360 

Johnson,  W.  F.  Frontispiece 

Kaiser,  Herman  and  Family 488 

Kemper  Military  School 176 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 


Kickashear,  Joseph  484 

Kickashear,  Mrs.   Margaret 484 

King,  John 448 

Krohn,  John   F.   652 

[Crohn,  Mrs.  John  F.  652 

Krohn.  Residence  of  John  F. 652 

Leonard,  N.  Nelson   928 

Lohse,  Mrs.   Annie   468 

Lohse,  Fred    468 

Lieber,   Joseph    416 

Lone  Elm   School 272 

McCarty,  M.    M.   1064 

McFarland.  A.    W.   516 

McFarland,  Mrs.  Mary 516 

McNeil,  Peter  P. 992 

Mann,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  J. 440 

Marshall,  F.  M.   800 

Mayfield,  William  A.  896 

Mayfield.  Mrs.   William   A.   896 

Meisenheimer,  Peter  G.  and  Family___  840 

Melkersman.  Ed  and  Wife 632 

Mellor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  W. 760 

Mellor  Homestead    764 

Mellor.  Thomas     764 

Meyer,  George  H.  and  Family 460 

Meyer   Homestead    456 

Meyer,  William   and   Family 708 

Missouri   Pacific  Depot 144 

Moehle,  E.  L.  and   Family 412 

Muntzel,  Christian   and   Wife 780 

Muntzel,  Robert  J.   664 

Neef,  Philip  P.  and  Family 748 

Nelson,  A.   W.   920 

Nuckols.  Powhatan  C. 524 

Oerly,  Ernest  C.  and  Wife 496 

(  leriy,   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  and  Fam- 
ily   _-- 500 

Ohlendorf,   Christ   568 

O'Neal,  Amos  — 796 

Parrish,  John   S.   856 

I'atriotic   Parade,   Boonville 336 

Patterson,   Ed  536 

Pens,  From  Oscar  Spieler's 304 


Pilot  Grove,  View  of . 160 

Potter,   Abraham   1000 

Putter,  Mrs.    Nancy   644 

Prairie   Home  Fair 304 

Prize   Herd.   A 288 

Ravenswood   Farm   288 

Reavis,  W.  W.  584 

Renken,  Henry   A.    520 

Renken,  Mrs.  Henry  A.   520 

Rissler,  William  B. 848 

Robertson,  John  644 

Robertson,  Mrs.  Mary  644 

Roe.  Robert  S. 1032 

Roe,  Mrs.  Robert  S. 1032 

Rossen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  C. 432 

Rudolph,  John    W.    420 

Schlotzhauer,  Christopher    880 

Schlotzhauer,  James  H..  Residence 864 

Schlotzhauer,  John    836 

Schlotzhauer,  John    W.,    Residence 832 

Schupp,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 872 

Schuster.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adam 792 

Schuster,  August  R.  and  Family 772 

Schuster,  Benjamin    E.    776 

Schuster,  Mrs.  Benj.   E.   776 

Schuster.   Mr.    and    Mrs.    Henry 1056 

Schuster,  William   808 

Sieckman,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fritz 480 

Sites.  L.  T.   948 

Smith.  Christ   and   Wife 532 

Smith,  George   W.    944 

Smith,  Jeremiah    and    Wife 608 

Smith.  John   H.  and  Wife 608 

Sombart,  C.    A.    356 

Sombart,  Henry  E. 368 

Spieler,  Mrs.   Elizabeth   404 

Spieler,  Frederick   E.   404 

Steamboating  on  the  Missouri 64 

Starke,  John   D.  960 

Steigleder.  Andrew  and   Family 640 

Stephens,  J.   M.   -  912 

St.  Joseph's  Church  and  School 272 

St.  Joseph's  Hospital-- 208 

Taliaferro,   George   T.    and    Family 700 

Tevis.   Nestor   C.    740 

Tevis,  Mrs.   Xestor  C.  740 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Tevis.  Robert   S.   740 

Tevis,  Simeon   P.    740 

Thornton,   Samuel   Y.   —  784 

Tornado,  Devastation   of    a 320 

Transportation,   Overland  80 

Turley.  William  H.  and   Wife 752 

Wear,  George  H.  and  Wife 592 

Weekley.  Martin    Luther    768 

Wendleton,  David  and  Wife 676 


Weyland,  George  A. 384 

Williams,  William  M.   380 

Windsor,  Eugene   A.    736 

Windsor,  John   H. 732 

Windsor,  Horace  G.  656 

Windsor,  R  .L.   and   Family 424 

Wyan.  Robert  F.  528 

Wyan's,  R.  F.,  Residence 256 

Zollinger.  Augustus    L.    968 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

ARCHEOLOGY 


DIVISIONS  OF  HISTORY— CONTENTS  OP   MOUNDS — ORIGIN  OF  MOUNDS— PROBABLE 
RACE  OF  MOUND  BUILDERS 33-39 


CHAPTER  II. 

EXPLORATIONS 


THE  NEW  WORLD — PONCE  DE  LEON — DE  SOTO — CORONADO — MARQUETTE  AND 
JOLIET— LA  SELLE— FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS— TREATY  OF  ILDEFONSO— 
PURCHASE  OF  LOUISIANA  TERRITORY— ORGANIZATION  OF  TERRITORY — 
VARIOUS    CLAIMS    TO    MISSOURI    40-51 


CHAPTER  III. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENTS. 


DANIEL  BOONE — BOONSLICK  COUNTRY — FIRST  TEMPORARY  SETTLEMENTS — 
LEWIS  AND  CLARK— NATHAN  AND  DANIEL  BOONE  MAKE  SALT— CHRISTY 
AND  HEATH— BENJAMIN  COOPER— FIGHT  WITH  INDIANS^INDIANS  MEET 
GENERAL  CLARK — COOPERS  AND  COLES  SETTLE  PERMANENTLY— FIRST 
SETTLERS  SOUTH  OF  RIVER — CONDITIONS  MET — FIRST  SETTLERS  IN  BOONS- 
LICK  COUNTRY— OTHER  SETTLERS  SOUTH  OF  RIVER— ENGLISH  STIR  UP 
INDIANS— FIRST    DEEDS    RECORDED    52-69 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PIONEER  LIFE 


FIRST  DWELLINGS — THE  HOMINY-BLOCK — SPIRIT  OF  HELPFULNESS — EARLY 
FARMING  IMPLEMENTS — PIONEER  WOMEN— EARLY  PIONEER  DESCRIBED, 
HIS  HABITS,   HOME.   BEE-HUNTING   70-78 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

CHAPTER  V. 

TRANSPORTATION  AND  HIGHWAYS 

EARLY  RIVER  TRANSPORTATION— COUREUR  DE  BOIS— PIONEER  ROADS  AND 
TRAVEL— FIRST  FERRIES— FIRST  STEAMBOATS — ARRIVAL  AT  FRANKLIN- 
ARRIVAL  OF  SECOND  STEAMBOAT— DESCRIPTION— GREATEST  ERA— PRIMI- 
TIVE BOATS — GROWTH— COST — WRECKING — SANTA  FE  TRAIL — BOONSVILLE 
ACTIVE  MART — USE  OF  OXEN — FIRST  RAILROADS — REBUILDING  OF  BRIDGES 
—ROAD    IMPROVEMENT    79-98 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  WAR  OF  1812  AND  INDIAN  TROUBLES. 

ERECTION  OF  FORTS— KILLING  OF  SMITH— CAPTURE  COURSAULT— TODD  AND 
SMITH  KILLED— DISCOVERY  OF  INDIANS— CHASED  BY  INDIANS— SETTLERS 
TAKE  UP  TRAIL— CAMPBELL  KILLED— SETTLERS  MOVE  TO  SOUTH  SIDE  OF 
RIVER— BRAXTON  COOPER,  JR.,  KILLED— JOSEPH  STILL  KILLED— KILLING 
OF  WILLIAM  McLEAN — ATTEMPT  TO  KILL  AUSTIN — GREGG  KILLED  AND 
DOUGHTY  CAPTURED — NEGRO  "JOE"  KILLED — COURSAULT  KILLED — MURDER 
OF  RAMSEY  FAMILY — CAPTAIN  SARSHALL  COOPER  MURDERED — TWO  NE- 
GROES CAPTURED — RANGERS  COME  TO  RELIEF — DODGE  AND  COOPER 
CONTROVERSY — LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR — SAMUEL  McMAHON  AMBUSHED — 
BUILDING  OF  HANNAH  COLE  FORT— INDIAN  TREATY— ADDITIONAL  INCI- 
DENTS  -1 99-122 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  1815  TO  1819. 


IMMIGRATION — ORGANIZATION  OF  COUNTIES — EARLY  COURTS — PROCEEDINGS — 
OFFICERS — ELECTIONS — "NEW  COMERS" — LAND  SPECULATION — SALE  OF 
PUBLIC  LANDS— PREEMPTION  CLAIMS— SAMUEL  COLE'S  EXPERIENCES — 
EARLY   CHURCHES— A.    FULLER'S    LETTER    123-140 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM  1819  TO  1821. 

cooper  County  formed— first  circuit  court— first  record  of  circuit 
court— march  term,  1819— first  judge  of  election— first  con- 
stable— july  term,  1819— first  letters  of  administration — first 
jury  case— proceedings  to  divide  property  on  which  boonville 
is  located  141-153 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  1821  TO  1834. 

SIZE  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  REDUCED— FIRST  COUNTY  COURT— FIRST  OFFICERS- 
COUNTY  SEAT  LOCATED— FIRST  COURT  HOUSE— FIRST  WILL  PROVED— JOHN 
V.   SHARP— ELECTIONS — PARTY   LINES— FALL  OF  OLD   FRANKLIN 154-159 

CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  1834  TO  1847. 

NATIONAL  AND  LOCAL  POLITICS— VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGNS — CLAY  AND  POLK— "O.  K." 
—INDIAN  ALARM— MORMON  WAR— FLOOD  OF  1844— MEXICAN  WAR— COOPER 
COUNTY  COMPANY 160-171 

CHAPTER  XL 

CONTINUATION  OF  1834-1847  AND  UP  TO  1861 

RISE  OF  BOONVILLE — ERA  OF  PROSPERITY— KEMPER  SCHOOL  FOUNDED— COUNTY 
SEAT  PERMANENTLY  LOCATED— EFFORTS  TO  CHANGE  COUNTY  SEAT— MILI- 
TARY COMPANIES— TROUBLE  BETWEEN  COMPANIES— MAJOR  FORSYTHE 
KILLED — SECOND  COURT  HOUSE  ERECTED — DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA AFFECTS  COOPER  COUNTY— McCULLOCH'S  COMPANY— TEMPERANCE 
EXCITEMENT — SLAVERY  AGITATION — PRO  SLAVERY  CONVENTION— CONTRO- 
VERSY IN  KANSAS— COOPER  COUNTY  PRO  SLAVERY— ELECTIONS  OF  1856-1860. 

172-184 

CHAPTER  XII. 

CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD 

CIVIL  WAR  A  MEMORY— BATTLE  BELOW  BOONVILLE— HOME  GUARDS  IN  COOPER 
COUNTY— PRICES  RAID— SHELBY'S  RAID— PRICE'S  RAID  INTO  COOPER 
COUNTY    185-202 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

JOSEPH  SIFERS  KILLED— RELIGIOUS  SERVICES  INTERRUPTED— PETER  MITZEL 
AND  OTHO  ZELLER  MURDERED— JOHN  DIEHL,  NICHOLAS  AND  THOMAS 
COOPER  KILLED— MURDER  OF  ELLIS  AND  GRAVES— KILLING  OF  WILLIAM 
MAYO  BY  BILL  ANDERSON— THOMAS  BROWNFIELD'S  EXPERIENCE— McDEAR- 
MON  AND  A  SOLDIER  KILLED— OTHER  DEPREDATIONS  AND  MURDERS  BY 
BUSHWHACKERS— KROHN  AND  BASS  KILLED— ANDERSON'S  MEN  AND  HOME 
GUARDS  CLASH— JOHN  BALLINGER  KILLED— TRAGEDIES  IN  CLARKS  FORK 
AND   PRAIRIE  HOME  TOWNSHIPS 203-213 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

PERIOD  OF  READJUSTMENT 

PREJUDICE— CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION— RADICALS— "DRACONIAN  CODE"— 
"IRON  CLAD  OATH" — CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED — LATER  AMENDED  AND  RADI- 
CALISM DEFEATED— BROWN  ELECTED  GOVERNOR— UNPOPULARITY  OF 
DRAKE— PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH   DURING  AND   AFTER  THE   WAR 214-217 

CHAPTER  XV. 

TOWNSHIPS 

BOONVILLE  TOWNSHIP— BOONVILLE  AS  IT  IS  TODAY— BLACKWATER  TOWNSHIP- 
CLEAR  CREEK  TOWNSHIP— PILOT  GROVE  TOWNSHIP— KELLY  TOWNSHIP— 
LAMINE  TOWNSHIP— NORTH  AND  SOUTH  MONITEAU  TOWNSHIPS— PALESTINE 
TOWNSHIP — PRAIRIE  HOME  TOWNSHIP — CLARKS  FORK  TOWNSHIP— SALINE 
TOWNSHIP — LEBANON    TOWNSHIP — OTTERVILLE    TOWNSHIP 218-249 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

SCHOOLS. 

PIONEER  SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS,  FIRST  SCHOOLS  IN  COOPER  COUNTY— DAVIS 
SCHOOL— COOPER  COUNTY  SCHOOLS— BOONVILLE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS — SCHOOL 
DIRECTORS — SUPERINTENDENTS — FACULTY— SUMMER  S  C  H  O  O  L— CATHOLIC 
SCHOOL, — COOPER  COUNTY  INSTITUTE — OTTERVILLE  ACADEMY — McGUIRE 
SEMINARY— KEMPER  MILITARY  SCHOOL— PILOT  GROVE  COLLEGIATE  INSTI- 
TUTE    250-264 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CHURCHES. 


BAPTIST  —  METHODIST  —  PRESBYTERIAN— CHRISTIAN— GERMAN  EVANGELICAL- 
LUTHERAN— EPISCOPAL— CATHOLIC     265-277 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

AGRICULTURE. 

NATURAL  ADVANTAGES— PRODUCTION— SURPLUS  PRODUCTS— CORN  PRIZE  WIN- 
NERS—ORCHARDS AND  VINEYARDS— LIVE  STOCK— SHORTHORN  HERDS- 
HOGS— HORSES— MULES— MARKET  PRICES  FROM  1886  TO  1915— LIVE  STOCK 
PRODUCTS— SHEEP— SOILS    278-308 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  PRESS 

FIRST  NEWSPAPER— SECOND  NEWSPAPER— "THE  COON  HUNTER"— OTHER  PIO- 
NEER PAPERS— BOONVILLE  ADVERTISER  FOUNDED— BOONVILLE  EAGLE — 
CENTRAL  MISSOURIAN— TOPIC— WESTERN  CHRISTIAN  UNION— PILOT  GROVE 
BEE— SHAVE  TAIL  COURIER— BLACKWATER  NEWS— OTTERVILLE  MAIL- 
CENTRAL  MISSOURI  REPUBLICAN— BUNCETON  EAGLE 309-314 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BANKING  AND  CURRENCY. 


EARLY  CONDITIONS— FIRST  BANKS— DR.  TRIGG  ESTABLISHES  FIRST  BANK  IN 
BOONVILLE— BRANCH  OF  BANK  OF  ST.  LOUIS  ESTABLISHED— CENTRAL  NA- 
TIONAL BANK— COOPER  COUNTY  BANKS— BOONVILLE  NATIONAL  BANK- 
FARMERS'  TRUST  COMPANY— COMMERCIAL  BANK  OF  BOONVILLE— BANK  OF 
BUNCETON— COOPER  COUNTY  BANK  OF  BUNCETON— FARMERS'  STOCK  BANK 
OF  BLACKWATER— BANK  OF  BLACKWATER— PILOT  GROVE  BANK— BANK  OF 
WOOLRIDGE— BANK  OF  PLEASANT  GREEN— FARMERS'  AND  MERCHANTS' 
BANK  OF  OTTERVILLE 315-322 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

FLOODS  AND  STORMS. 


FLOODS  OF  1785,  1811  AND  1826— FLOOD  OF  1844— GREAT  DAMAGE  CAUSED — DEVAS- 
TATING FLOOD  OF  1905— REBUILDING  OF  BRIDGES  IN  THE  COUNTY— BUILD- 
ING OF  NEW  COURT  HOUSE— BONDS  ISSUED— TORNADO 323-329 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  WORLD  WAR. 

UNITED  STATES  ENTERS  THE  GREAT  WAR— COOPER  COUNTY'S  FINANCIAL  CON- 
TRIBUTION—LOYALTY OF  CITIZENS — COUNCIL  OF  DEFENSE— PROCLAMATION 
—ARMISTICE  SIGNED— LIST  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  SOLDIERS— COMPANY  B, 
THIRD  REGIMENT,   CALLED— CASUALTY   LIST— SUMMARY   330-343 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

MEXICAN  BORDER  TROUBLE— GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC— UNITED  VET- 
ERANS OF  THE  CONFEDERACY— OTTERVILLE  TRAIN  ROBBERY — SHERIFF 
CRAMER  MURDERED— A.  B.  THORNTON  KILLED — THE  PROHIBITION  QUES- 
TION      344-353 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


INDEX 


Allen,    Henry    A 480 

Ambrose,    Ernest   H.    1097 

Amick,    Eugene    E 370 

Anderson,    Benjamin    F 663 

Anderson,   Rollie   L 447 

Andrews,   Charles   E 388 

Andrews,    David 396 

Apperson,   W.  F 1081 

Armour    and    Company 959 

Atkinson,    Clarence    W 936 

Bail,    George 950 

Bane,    James    S 907 

Barnert,    Edgar   L.    1020 

Barnett,   John    A.    451 

Barnhart,    George 894 

Barnhart,    John    C 535 

Barron,    Walter 512 

Bates,    A.    B.    986 

Baughman,    Charles    A , 1084 

Bauman,     Edward    L 443 

Bechtold,     Frank 1145 

Bechtold,    William 1151 

Beck,    Anton 910 

Bell,  Charles  C.  372 

Bernard,  Louis  D 1158 

Bestgen,    L.    A 1113 

Betteridge,   Frederick  C 790 

Betteridge,   William   A 871 

Biltz,    H.    C 1106 

Black,    Frank    N 552 

Blakey,    Albert    G 570 

Blank,  Frank  N.  552 

Blank,    Nicholas   J 1091 

Blythe,    James    N 886 

Bodamer,    Arthur 1089 

Bodamer,   Charles   H 786 

Boiler,    Gustav    F 821 

Boonville    Mercantile    Company 629 

Bomhauser,   F.   H.   1060 


Bowmer,    George   E.   688 

Boyce,    George    T 1043 

Bozarth,   Alvin  J.   650 

Bozarth,    J.    W 1022 

Brandes,    Albert 1073 

Brandes,    Chris    J 751 

Brandes,    Christian 631 

Brandes,    H.    G 1066 

Brandes,  John  A 616 

Brandes,    Theodore 576 

Brandes,   Theodore   L 1071 

Braun,  Louis 1083 

Brengarth,    Albert 1095 

Brickey,    Frank    C 938 

Brickey,    Paul    A 941 

Brickner,  William  L. 499 

Broe,    Morgan 876 

Brokamp,    Henry 723 

Brokmeyer,  C.  H 940 

Brosius,   Frank  C 379 

Brownfield,   David 865 

Brownfield,    George    D.    925 

Brownfield,   Gideon   A.   450 

Brubaker,    Daniel    R 890 

Brubaker,    Elmer   J 956 

Brueckner,    August 487 

Brummel,   Henry  E 1144 

Bryan,    William    L 965 

Buescher,    Hugo    H 1050 

Burge,    Robert    P 1139 

Burge,   William   O 823 

Burrus,   John   M 504 

Burrus  and   Sons,  T.  J 1090 

Byler,    Robert    T.    666 

Carey,  George  W 556 

i  "airy.    Robert    A , 557 

Carl,    George   W 713 

Carlos,  H.  D.  — 540 

Carlos,  Jr.,  H.  D. 540 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Carpenter,    S.    Alvin - 738 

Carpenter,  Edgar  A 742 

Carpenter,    George   A 1159 

Carpenter,    Homer   L.    1070 

Carpenter,  James  F 717 

Carpenter,   Warren   E 733 

Carpenter,    William    F 765 

Carpenter,    William    H 735 

Cartner,   Charles   R 588 

Case,  Hiram   D 1008 

Case,    Oscar    F 987 

Chamberlin,   Albert   S 575 

Chamberlin,    George    W- 1152 

Chamberlin,    Homer   L 526 

Chamberlin,    Homer    L 518 

Chilton,    Joseph    W 635 

Chilton.    Louis    L 635 

Chrane,   Curtis   E 918 

Cleary,    Matthew    489 

Clark,    Joseph    M 1140 

Clayton,   James   A 625 

Cochran,    O.    W 548 

Cochran,  William  J 680 

Cole,    George    T 1103 

Cole,    William    D 878 

Coleman,    John 1151 

Coleman,  Stonewall  J 853 

Coleman,   Walter   L 561 

Collins,    Findlay    A 1094 

Collins,   Howard    B 797 

Cook.  Charles  C 684 

Cordry,   Joseph   C.   897 

Cordry,    Leslie    F 879 

Cordry,   Oliver  L 953 

Cordry,    William    F 887 

Cordry.   William   H 898 

Cordry,   W.   L 436 

Corson,    James    M 899 

Cosgrove,    John 364 

Crain,    J.    D 1066 

Cramer,  Otto  H. 567 

Cramer,    Ray    P. 934 

Crawford,'  George  K 971 

Creagan,  Harry  A 943 

Crutchfield,  William  E 410 

Cully.  David  R._ 794 

Darby.    Patrick 1027 

Dauwalter,    Fred 523 


Davin,    Andrew 888 

Davin.    Michael    888 

Davis.   Dan   G 597 

Davis,   Jeff   L 430 

Davis,    John    T 847 

Davis,  Joseph  A 726 

Debo,    Grover   E.    1060 

Debo,    Luther    C.._. 693 

Debo,    P.    Lee 720 

Deck,   Jacob 427 

Deck,  William   H 827 

Derendinger,    Edward 432 

Derendinger,   John    E 1098 

Deuschle,    Fred 966 

Deuel,   Frank   H 994 

Devine,    Peter    J 913 

Doerrie,    Charles 400 

Donahew,   Ace   O 549 

Downing,  Robert  E 881 

Draffen,   James   W.    391 

Draffen,    Robert    T 754 

Drechsel,    Charles    H 744 

Drennen,  Elizabeth  E 441 

Dugan,  Walter  L 469 

Dunn.    Robert    L 857 

Dunnavant,   Charles  H 1026 

Durr,    Charles 409 

Eager,   Charles   L 492 

Eager,    Clarence    L 773 

Edson.  D.  L. - -1017 

Edwards,   Louis   S 378 

Eldredge,    Charles    C.    544 

Elliot.  John  S 473 

Elliot,    William    H 1150 

Ellis.  Roy  H 457 

English,  Henry  H 589 

Eppstein,    Viet    C 578 

Ervine,    L.    R 802 

Evans,   Robert   L 463 

Fahrenbrink,    Christian    W 696 

Fahrenbrink.    Henry 702 

Fahrenbrink,    Herman    H 737 

Fairchild,   S.   Hamilton 628 

Fairfax,    Commodore    P 1048 

Fairfax,   Thomas  L 951 

Farris,    Archie    L 1051 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 


Farrjs,    W.    A 1011 

FassM    M.    J 1013 

Felton,    Frank   J 471 

Felton,   Michael  J.   537 

Fischer,  John  A. 642 

Fitzpatrick,    Patrick    F 1154 

Fluke,    George    F 972 

Fray,   Henry  G 821 

Fray,   John    H 1137 

Fredmeyer,  Benjamin  F 525 

Fricke,    Henry 464 

Fricke,    William 689 

Friedrich,    Charles    A 648 

Friedrich,  Henry  C 408 

Frost,    Aubrey    W.    449 

Fulton,    Samuel   T... 1007 

Funkhauser,  James   S 1131 

Fuser,    Henry    E 1160 

Gantner,  Edward 1020 

Gantner,  Joseph  1020 

Gantner,    Louis    988 

Garthoffner,  Edward  J , 455 

Gehringer,    Calvin 911 

Gentry,  Amos   B 687 

Gentry,    M.    K 789 

George,    Elmer 724 

George,    Frank 413 

Gerhardt,    Joseph 660 

Gibson,   Henry   C 509 

Gibson,  Thomas  B 815 

Gibson,    William    T 459 

Gilbreath,    W.    G 932 

Gilman,   J.    R 1035 

Glasgow,    Clayton    S 893 

Glasgow,    William    H 891 

Glazier,    John    P.    609 

Gmelich,   Jacob    F.    354 

Goodman,  John  H 434 

Gorrell,  Amos 788 

Gott,  John   N 437 

Gramlich,    Andrew   F.    1129 

Grathwohl,  Charles  T 624 

Grathwohl,    Thomas    F 558 

Green,  Joseph   M 505 

Gronstedt,    Heinrich 472 

Groom,   Colbey  C 484 

Groom,    Joseph    H 1006 

Gross,  Charles  E. 1165 


Gross,    George 846 

Gross,  Jacob  1123 

Groves,  Samuel  H. 1107 

Gunn,    James    H 900 

Guyer,    Williamson 1078 

Hack,  John    F 466 

Hagemeier,  Emil mi 

Hale,    C.    E 773 

Hale,   Edgar   T 481 

Hale,   Frank    I 787 

Hale,  O.  M 773 

Haley,  James   M 860 

Haller,    John    M 502 

Hanna,    C.    S 982 

Hansberger,    Alfred    G 908 

Harlan,    George    W 976 

Harned,     Benjamin    791 

Harned,    Edwin    P 901 

Harness,    George   C 582 

Harriman,   R.   L.   1040 

Harriman,  William   P 962 

Harris,  Edward  H 824 

Harris,  Judge  T.  A 560 

Harris,    Thomas    A 756 

Harris,    William    P 814 

Hasenbach,    Edward 1047 

Haun,    William    H 816 

Hawkins,   Herbert  L 563 

Hays,    Jesse    T 926 

Hazell,    Joseph    I 452 

Heiberger,   John   J 511 

Hem,    John 607 

Herfurth,   H.    F.   980 

Hesel,  A.  H 655 

Hews,   Abe   L.   633 

Hickam,   James   T.   613 

Hickam,    Samuel    L.    365 

Hickman,    Crockett    383 

Higginbotham,    John    R 826 

Hilden,    Everett 539 

1 1  in-,    Ernest    L 904 

Hockenberry,    Aaron   T 714 

Hoefer,  William  A. 986 

Hoff.    Frank    J H24 

Hoff.    Herbert   J 852 

Hoff.  Louis   N 1130 

Hoflander,   John    G 975 

Hoflander,  Paul   .1164 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Hogan,  Thomas 518 

Holman,     Riley    S 806 

HoiK'rbrink,   George   C 1037 

Honcrbrink,    H.    C 1055 

Hooper,    W.    E 989 

Hopkins,    Farris    B 626 

Hosford,  J.    L 461 

Howlett,  Robert  E. 984 

Huber,    E.   J 405 

Hudson.    Charles    P 803 

Huffman.    M.    R 1121 

Hurt,    Acrey    B 1047 

Hurt,    Boone 1136 

Hurt.   B.   F 671 

Hurt,  D.  D 1102 

Hurt,   Henry   G 961 

Hurt,  James  M 716 

Hurt.   T.  Edgar  1082 

Hurt.    William    A 604 

Hurt,    Willis 990 

Hutchison.  Thomas  G 894 

Immelc.  John  B 841 

Irvin,    V.    S 804 

Irvine.    George    T.    1025 

Jacobs,    Mark 508 

Jaeger,  Albert 428 

Jaeger,   P.   R.   1029 

Jeffress,  James  T 1088 

Jeffress.  John   W 1092 

Jeffress,    Robert  H 862 

Jenry,   Henry 993 

Jewett,   Gilman   W 774 

Johnmeyer,    William    F.    514 

Johnson,  William  F 728 

Johnson,    William   M 421 

Johnston,    Col.    T.    A 360 

Johnston,    H.    C.    1045 

Johnston,   Rea   A.   957 

Jones,    Caleb    C 1072 

Jones.    George    C 915 

Jones,   George  C,  Jr 828 

Jones,   James  W 402 

Jones.    Woodson    T 946 

KnemptYr,    Robert 778 

Kahle,    William 701 

Kaiser   Sr„    Herman 488 

Kaiser.    John    1086 


Kalvelage,    F.    J.    950 

Karm,    William 777 

Kehr.    Irvin    J 1015 

Kinisey.  Jackson  W 1077 

Kincaid,    A.    L 813 

Kincheloe.    Jesse    L 820 

King.    Christian    F 725 

King,   H.  M 1069 

King,   Henry  O 672 

King.    John 448 

King,    John    W 673 

Kirchner,  John  E 546 

Klekamp,  Frank 582 

Knosp,    Henry 1100 

Knosp,   Henry  H 1101 

Koenig,  William  L 482 

Koonse,    Theodore 837 

Koontz,    Joseph    R 884 

Kramer.    Henry   B 974 

Kraus.    Henry 858 

Kraus.   Walter  J 854 

Krohn,    John    F 652 

Kuhn.    Herman    F 1005 

Kussman.    Theodore 399 

Lacy.   William  J 759 

Lammers,    Clemens    A.    835 

Lammers,   H.    G.   855 

Lang,     Belthasar 538 

Langkop.    Daniel 1115 

Langkop,    Leonard 699 

Lauer,    Chas.   F.    1046 

Lauer.    William    G.    1030 

Laws.   Luther   B 1087 

Layne,    Benjamin   F 593 

Lebing,    Theodore    F 942 

Lee,    Holman 622 

Leonard.  Nathaniel  N 928 

Lester.    B.    M 923 

Lieber,    Joseph 416 

Lionberger,    Frank    E 1143 

I.oesing,    Peter    W 719 

Loesing.   William 1068 

Lohse.  Fred 468 

Lohse.    Fred    G 401 

Lohse.    Henry 683 

Lohse.    John    C 1052 

Lovell,    Thomas    J 757 

I.usk.    Hamilton 830 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Lusk,  Sid  A 623 

Lymer,   James 668 

McCarty,  Milton  M 1064 

McClain,   Peter   D.   1128 

McCoy,  J.  J. 1166 

McFarland,   A.   W 516 

McFarland,   William   J 675 

McGuire,    Archibald 836 

McGuire,    Homer 943 

McMahan.    William    E.    809 

McNeil,  Peter  P 992 

McPhatridge,  Henry  P 739 

Manger,    Julius 917 

Manger,    William \ 917 

Manion,    Harry    T 419 

Mann,    F.    Joseph 440 

Marshall,  Fleming  Miles 800 

Ma>el,     Sylvanus     1 861 

Mauck,    Sam    T 615 

Mayfield,   William   A 896 

Meisenheimer,    Peter    G 840 

Melkersman,    Edward 632 

Mellor,    George    W 760 

Mellor.    John    P -  764 

Menefee,   Charles    N 731 

Meredith,    A.    L 997 

Meredith,  George 659 

Meredith,  Louis  M. 998 

Meredith,  Walter 659 

Mersey,    Henry 685 

Meyer,   C.   C 1023 

Meyer.    Daniel    J 1125 

Meyer,    F.    A.    1036 

Meyer,  George  A 1126 

Meyer.  George  H 456 

Meyer.  George  H 460 

Meyer,  J.  H 1036 

Meyer,   Lawrence   C.   679 

Meyer.    William    708 

Miller.    Charles    G 379 

Miller,    Harry    J 973 

Miller,  James   R 454 

Miller,  Robert  L 1138 

Miller.    William   R 423 

Million,    Guy    C 939 

Mills.   Erie  S 677 

Mills,    Robert    W 1054 


Mills,   Vivian  H.   678 

Minter,    Joseph 905 

Mittelbach.    William 386 

Mitzel,  Charles  P 868 

Moehle,    Ernest   L.   412 

Moore,    Boz    L 627 

Moore.     George    H 550 

Moore,    Lafayette    M 585 

Moore,  Lorenzo  H 574 

Morgan,    Harry    C 612 

Morris,     Benjamin    L i 746 

Morris,    George   W.   761 

Morris,    John    W 1118 

Morris,    Truman    H 749 

Morris,  W.   H 1075 

Morton,   Wallace   L 1028 

Mueller,    Emil    H 486 

Muessig,   Jacob   F.    859 

Muntzel,    Edward   J 637 

Muntzel,    Frederick    H.    975 

Muntzel,    Harry   J 1059 

Muntzel,   Henry   L 780 

Muntzel,    Herman     P 664 

Muntzel,    John    C.    949 

Muntzel,    Peter    L 868 

Myer.    Albert    H 931 

Myer,    Michael 870 

Myers,  Henry  Lee 1001 

Neal,    William    W 643 

Neal,    Z.    R.    618 

Neef,    Philip    P 748 

Nelson,    Arthur    W 920 

Nelson,  Clyde  T 1157 

Nelson,  Edgar  C 1016 

Nelson,    Joseph    O 1110 

Nelson,    Lewis    B 991 

\   Nelson,    Thomas    A 598 

T  Nelson,  William  I 1024 

Niebruegge,    Henry    J 595 

Nixon,  A.  F.   978 

Nixon,     Charles 397 

Norris,   Homer  E 1134 

Nuckols,    Powhatan    C 524 

Nurseries,    The    Boonville 101S 

Oak,    George 577 

Odneal,    G.    C 995 

(  lerlv,    Ernest   C 496 


\ 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Oerly,    Henry    W 782 

Oerly,   Samuel 500 

Oerly,  W.  A 654 

Oglesby,    Charles    W 874 

Ohlendorf,    Christ 568 

O'Neal,  Amos 796 

Oswold,  Joseph   A 1141 

Painter,    James    L 867 

Parrish,   John    S 856 

Patrick,  N.  D 1093 

Patterson,    Ed 536 

Pealer,    Rolla    D 924 

Pendleton,    Thomas    O 831 

Pendleton,    William    G 493 

Peyton   &   Sons,   T.   R 979 

Phillips,    Charles    S 885 

Phillips,  William   R 889 

Pigott.   John    T 395 

Poage,   William    S 1133 

Poertner,  William  F.  722 

Popper,   Joseph 562 

Potter,    Abraham 1000 

Putnam,   John   M 883 

Quigg,    H.    D 533 

Reavis,    Walter    W 584 

Reed,   Benjamin   F 1122 

Renfrow,    W.    C 651 

Rethemeyer,    J.    H 697 

Renken,   Henry  A.   v...  520 

Reynolds,    George 1109 

Richey,    Henry   L 863 

Richey,  John   W 863 

Richey,   John   W 1116 

Rissler,    William    B 848 

Ritchie.   Andrew    A 769 

Roberts,  Elijah  H.  646 

Roberts,    Samuel    W 541 

Robertson,    Charles    E 644 

Robertson,  Warner  W 644 

Robien,   Henry   P 555 

Robien,    William    G 545 

Rodgers,    E.    H 927 

Roe,    Robert    S 1032 

Roeschel,    William    E.    522 

Rossen,   Sonneck  C.  433 

Roth,    Charles    E.— 947 


Rothgeb,    Richard 955 

Rowles,   W.    H.   H.    782 

Rudolph,  John  W 420 

Ruskin,    Harry 429 

Russell,   George   A 470 

Sappington,   John   C.   649 

Sauter,   Augustus    H 406 

Sauter,  Frank  S 473 

Sauter,   Joseph   L 639 

Schaumburg,  LaRoy  O 371 

Schieberl,   Martin 638 

Schilb,    Enslie    I 839 

Schilb,   Fred   L 1010 

Schilb,   Frederick 766 

Schler,   Antun   H 970 

Schleuter,    William 600 

Schlotzhaucr,    Christopher 880 

Schlotzhauer,   George  H.   879 

Schlotzhauer,  James  H.  864 

Schlotzhauer,  John   836 

Schlotzlmier,  John  W. 832 

Schmalieldt,   William  F 704 

Schmidt,    Herman   A 495 

Schmidt.    Maximillian     E.    418 

Schmidt,  Otto  G 617 

Schnack,    Herman 475 

Schnuck,    John    H 1034 

Schnuck,    H.    E 519 

Scholle,   George  H 941 

Schrader,     Henry 534 

Schubert,  Charles  W 690 

Schubert,   Irene 658 

Schupp,    Curry    1080 

Schupp,    George 872 

Schuster,    Adam    792 

Schuster,  August   R 772 

Schuster,  Benjamin  E 776 

Schuster,   Frank 822 

Schuster,    Henry 1056 

Schuster,    William 808 

Schwitzky,   Robert 606 

Scott,    Edward    G 4<>2 

Scott,   Joshua   B 1112 

Scott.   William    A 829 

Scott,  William  R 981 

Sells.    Joseph 794 

Shannon,   Eliza  B 661 

Shannon,    Fleming 930 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Shannon,    Robert    A 1053 

Shears,    Clarence 653 

Shepherd,  Charles  M 833 

Shepherd,   James   B 1042 

Shirley,    Charles    D 692 

Shouse,    Charles    Q 805 

Shouse,    Walter    H.    799 

Sieckman,    Fritz    476 

Simrall,    Thomas    S 922 

Sims    Brothers    1122 

Sims,    John    N 807 

Sites,   L.   T 948 

Sloan,   Marie   R.    1155 

Smith,    Andrew    C 706 

Smith,    Anthony 477 

Smith,  Benjamin  N 1062 

Smith,    Chris 532 

Smith,    Edward    D 819 

Smith,    Edwin    K 695 

Smith,    Fountain    D.    818 

Smith,   Francis    M.    426 

Smith,    Henry 709 

Smith,   John    H 608 

Smith,  John  R 743 

Smith,    Peter 596 

Smith,    Peter    F 944 

Smith,    Robert    B 712 

Smith,   Thomas   H 770 

Smith,    Urban    A 636 

Smith,  William  A 1003 

Snider,    Robert 967 

Sombart,    Charles    A ; 356 

Sombart.   Henry  E.   368 

Spahr,   Andrew  J 645 

Spahr,    Lawrence 1105 

Spahr,  William  L 1104 

Sparkman,    James    M 958 

Spieler,   Oscar 404 

Spillers,   John  L 903 

Staebler,   J.   Louis 554 

Stahl,    William    H 1132 

Starke,    Dryden    L 952 

Starke,  H.  Roger 906 

Starke,    John    D 960 

Steele,   Charles  E 798 

Stegner,   August 566 

Stegner,    Edward 630 

Stegner,    Feoder    963 

Stegner,    Frank    C. 877 


Stegner,   Fred  C 1148 

Stegner,   Marion 589 

Stegner,    Otto ^.1153 

Steigleder,    G.    H 640 

Steigleder,    W.    F 640 

Steinmetz,  George  T.  1148 

Stephens    Jr.,    A.    H 937 

Stephens,  Henry  S 1012 

Stephens,    John    M 912 

Stites,    Charles    A 866 

Stoecklein,   John   1127 

Stoecklein,    Otto    1126 

Strickfaden,    Peter    J 99g 

Stretz,  J.  H. 1038 

Swap,  Charles 445 

Sweeney,    John 914 

Talbott,   William   B 515 

Taliaferro,   George   T 700 

Talley,  James   P 844 

Tally,   William   T 849 

Tanner,    William    L 498 

Tevis,    Robert   S 740 

Thomas,    Charles    L 954 

Thomas,   Millard   E 1135 

Thornton,  Samuel  Y 784 

Toellner,  Christ  1157 

Toler,   Grover  C 710 

Toler,    O.    K 710 

Torbeck.   Ernest  W 591 

Torbeck,  Henry  F 964 

Trigg,    William    W 601 

Tucker,   Martin 502 

Turley.    William    H 752 

Tutt,    Charles    P 669 

Underwood,  John  S 466 

Victor,   Felix 935 

Viertel,   George 1057 

Vieth,    Berend 755 

Viertel,  John   F.   611 

Vollmer,    Anthony 852 

Vollrath,  Charles  L 850 

Wagner,   Charles   F 641 

Walden,    Charles    J 359 

Wallace,    Wilbur    B 1146 

Wallery,  Joseph  W._ 1147 

Walker,   James  W 909 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 


Walther,  John  J. 507 

Walterscheid,  John  E. 491 

Walz,  John   E.  444 

Waterman,    Henry 530 

Wear,    Emmett    E 600 

Wear,    George    H 592 

Weekley,  Martin  L 768 

Wendleton,    David 676 

Wendleton,   Lon   V.   553 

West.    Walter   C 873 

Weyland,    George   A 384 

White,  A.  J 703 

White,    Arthur    F 778 

White,   Frank   B 1120 

Whitlow,  John  N 706 

Whitlow.   R.  W 1161 

Williams,    Harry 1119 

Williams,    Porter   E 917 

Williams,    Roy    D 382 

Williams,   William   M 380 

Wilson,    Charles    E 871 

Windsor,    Andrew    H 1067 


Windsor,   Edward   B 875 

Windsor,    Eugene   A 736 

Windsor,   John    H 732 

Windsor,  Horace  G 656 

Windsor,  Richard  L. 424 

Windsor,  Richard  N— 425 

Windsor,    Walter    B 393 

Wing,   Henry   M 811 

Winterbower,  T.   H 937 

Wolfe,   William    E 762 

Wolfrum,    John    G.    1014 

Wood,  Arthur  H. 1127 

Woodroof.  Charles  E 810 

Wooldridge,    William   J 621 

Woolery,  Joseph   W.   1147 

Worts,  Willard  A 812 

Wyan,   Robert   F 528 

Yancey,  Henry  J 745 

Yancey,   L.   C 1076 

Zeigle,   Lester   O 845 

Zollinger,  Conrad  M 968 


- 

V, 


History  of  Cooper  County 


CHAPTER  I. 


ARCHEOLOGY 


DIVISIONS  OF  HISTORY— CONTENTS  OF   MOUNDS— ORIGIN  OF  MOUNDS— PROBABLE 
RACE  OF  MOUND  BUILDERS. 

History  is  speculative,  inferential,  and  actual;  speculative  when  it 
records  conclusions  based  on  hypothesis  founded  on  facts,  far  removed; 
inferential  when  conclusions  are  reasonably  based  on  facts;  actual,  when 
facts  alone  are  recorded.  The  historian  deals  with  all  three,  more  or 
less,  in  combination  one  with  the  other.  This  chapter  is  purely  specula- 
tive. The  editor  is  not  an  archaeologist,  and  does  not  attempt  herein  to 
arrive  at,  or  lead  the  reader  to  a  conclusion.  Houck,  in  his  "History  of 
Missouri,"  claims  to  have  located  through  investigators  something  like 
twenty-eight  thousand  mounds  in  the  state.  These  mounds  are  usually 
called  Indian  mounds,  and  he  does  not  assert  that  all  that  existed  in  the 
state  were  discovered  by  his  investigators.  He  mentions  nine  in  Cooper 
county.  There  are  doubtless  more  than  ninety  and  nine,  and  probably 
many  more  leveled  with  the  plow. 

The  only  purpose  to  be  conserved  throughout  this  chapter  is  to  open 
up  the  vista  to  inquiring  minds,  that  their  observations  and  discoveries 
may  be  preserved  for  the  future.  The  casual  observer  sees  an  elevation 
of  ground.  The  geologist,  or  archaeologist,  if  you  please,  by  close  and 
careful  examination,  determines  to  a  certainty,  or  thinks  he  does,  that 
(3) 


34  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

this  is  not  caused  by  erosion,  or  by  an  internal  upheaval  of  the  earth. 
He  concludes,  therefore,  that  it  has  been  raised  by  man.  Here  geology, 
paleontology,  and  archaeology,  the  three  sister  sciences,  begin  their  labors 
hand  in  hand,  "And  the  mind  recoils  dismayed  when  it  undertakes  the 
computations  of  thousands  of  years  which  have  elapsed  since  the  creation 
of  man." 

As  our  feet  grope  in  darkness,  irresistably  down  the  ages  to  the  night 
of  the  unknown,  these  three  sister  sciences  hold  aloft  a  torch  that  illumi- 
nates, in  part  at  least,  our  darkened  pathway  through  the  dim  vista  of 
the  vanished  past. 

Contents  of  Mounds. — By  excavating  these  mounds  we  find  peculiar 
instruments  of  the  chase  and  hunt,  vessels,  bowls  and  statuary,  some 
with  peculiar  markings  and  engravings.  Such  mounds  have  been  dis- 
covered throughout  the  country  in  almost  countless  thousands,  and  they 
were  here  when  the  white  man  first  set  foot  on  American  soil.  The 
articles  found  in  them  were  unlike  those  used  by  the  Indians,  known  at 
the  time  of  the  first  white  men.  The  same  Indians  lay  no  claim  to  having 
built  these  peculiar  structures  of  earth,  and  hold  no  tradition  that  those 
who  preceded  them  had  built  them,  and  some  of  the  tribes  claim  tradi- 
tions running  back  thousands  of  years,  prior  to  their  acquaintance  with 
the  white  man. 

Origin  of  Mounds. — The  scientists  reason  thus:  first,  the  mounds  are 
not  of  natural  formation ;  second,  they  were  built  by  man ;  third,  the  white 
man  did  not  build  them;  fourth,  the  Indians  did  not  build  them;  there- 
fore, it  follows  as  a  logical  conclusion  that  they  were  built  by  a  race 
inhabiting  our  country  long  before  the  red  man.  This,  in  fact,  is  the 
consensus  of  scientific  opinion,  yet  not  all  agree.  Dr.  C.  A.  Peterson, 
former  president  of  the  Missouri  Historical  Society,  and  a  student  of 
Missouri  antiquities,  uses  this  forcible  language:  "Credulity  has  been 
taxed  to  the  utmost,  and  columns  of  crude  ideas  and  inane  arguments 
have  been  published  by  half-baked  archaeologists,  who  established  great 
antiquity  for  the  mounds  and  an  advanced  civilization  for  their  builders, 
and  the  extreme  and  ridiculous  flights  which  the  imagination  has  been 
allowed  to  take  in  building  up  the  stories  of  the  mythical  mound  builders 
may  be  well  illustrated  by  this  case.  About,  thirty  years  ago  an  amateur 
archaeologist  in  exploring  quite  a  modern  Indian  mound  reported  that  he 
had  found  the  skeletons  buried  beneath  it  to  be  a  proper  complement  in 
numbers  and  arranged  in  proper  order  and  position  to  represent  the  three 
principal  officers  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  work,  each  officer  being  equipped 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  35 

with  the  implement  and  insignia  of  his  respective  office.  To  those  at- 
tracted to  a  contemplation  of  mystery,  and  to  revelers  of  the  occulet,  it 
was  the  most  marvelous  and  entertaining  discovery  ever  reported  in 
American  archaeology,  but  there  were  a  few  incredulous,  unfeeling  scof- 
fers, who  would  not  accept  the  story  as  true,  because  the  discoverer  did 
not  produce  the  bones  of  the  candidate  and  the  goat.  In  conclusion,  let 
it  be  reiterated  that  there  was  never  an  iota  of  evidence  in  existence 
tending  to  establish  the  contention  that  some  people,  other  than  the 
American  Indian,  erected  the  mounds  and  other  earthworks  found  in 
connection  with  them,  and  the  physical  condition  of  the  abandoned  works 
and  their  contents  could  not  justify  a  belief  that  any  of  them  were  erected 
more  than  one  thousand  years  ago." 

The  Indian  mounds  are  especially  numerous  along  the  Missouri  River, 
in  the  townships  of  Saline,  Boonville,  and  Lamine,  and  are  found  in  vary- 
ing numbers  in  other  sections  of  Cooper  County.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  more  attention  has  not  been  paid  to  them  in  the  past  to  the  end 
that  what  found  therein  would  have  been  preserved  for  investigation  and 
study.  It  is  said  that  on  the  old  Hopkins  farm  in  Saline  township  there 
are  five  of  these  mounds.  It  is  related  on  reliable  authority  that  in  the 
early  seventies  a  young  physician,  fresh  from  college  in  Kentucky,  and 
with  budding  honors,  debonair  and  faultlessly  attired,  located  in  Saline 
township.  He  was  smaii  of  stature,  willowy  in  form,  a  Beau  Brummel, 
polite  and  obliging.  Visiting  at  the  Hopkins  home  one  Sunday,  a  balmy 
spring  day,  where  were  gathered  a  few  of  the  local  beauties  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, his  attention  was  directed  to  a  large  mound  of  earth  in  the  yard. 
He  thought  it  strange,  and  had  never  before  seen  such  an  elevation  of 
earth  in  a  yard.  Being  deeply  interested,  he  asked  one  of  the  youn? 
ladies  present  what  it  was  for.  She  replied  that  it  was  an  Indian  mound, 
and  that  an  Indian  who  had  been  killed  was  buried  there.  The  young 
doctor  was  greatly  interested.  She  told  him  that  if  he  would  stand  on 
top  of  the  mound,  and  say  in  a  loud  voice,  "Indian,  poor  Indian,  what  did 
they  kill  you  for?"  the  Indian  would  say,  "Nothing  at  all."  The  doctor 
valiantly  essayed  the  mound,  ascending  to  the  top,  and  in  a  stentorian 
voice  cried,  "Indian,  poor  Indian,  what  did  they  kill  you  for?"  He  waited 
a  few  minutes  for  the  response,  and  finally  realized  that  the  young  lady 
was  right,  for  the  Indian  said  nothing  at  all.  The  young  doctor  felt 
completely  sold  out.  Following  his  motto  of  evening  up  old  scores,  he 
set  out  energetically  to  do  so.  He  courted  the  young  lady,  and  eventu- 
ally married  her,  thus  evening  the  score. 

The   following,   which   is   a   collation   of  authorities   and   brief   com- 


36  HISTOEY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ments  of  scientists,  pro  and  con,  we  take  from  Houck's  "History  of 
Missouri." 

"The  pre-historic  works  of  Missouri  attracted  attention  from  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  country.  Stoddard  says,  'It  is  admitted  on  all 
hands  that  they  have  endured  for  centuries.  The  trees  in  their  ram- 
parts, from  the  number  of  their  annulae,  or  radii,  indicate  an  age  of 
mort  than  four  hundred  years.'  Holmes  says  that  the  manufacture  of 
the  pottery-ware  found  in  the  mounds  'began  many  centuries  before 
the  advent  of  the  white  race.'  The  Indians  found  by  the  first  white 
explorers  did  not  recognize  these  mounds  as  belonging  to  them,  either 
by  occupying  them  or  using  them,  or  by  their  traditions,  although  the 
surprising  number  of  such  mounds  in  some  sections  of  the  country,  many 
of  them  very  large,  singular  in  form,  and  conspicuous  in  the  landscape, 
must  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the  most  thoughtless  of  them. 
Marquis  de  Nadailic  says  that  these  'mounds  in  North  America  are 
among  the  most  remarkable  known.'  Featherstonehaugh  was  so  im- 
pressed by  these  historic  remains  in  Missouri  that  he  concluded  that  they 
were  to  the  tribes  that  built  them  what  the  pyramids  were  to  the  ancient 
Egyptians. 

Probable  Race  of  Mound-Builders. — To  what  particular  race  the 
mound-builders  belonged  has  been  a  subject  of  much  discussion.  Abbe 
Brasseur  de  Bourbourg  declares  that  the  pre-Aztec  Mexicans  and  Toltecs 
were  a  people  identical  with  the  mound-builder.  It  is  also  said  that  the 
mound-builders  were  of  the  same  cranial  type  as  the  ancient  Mexicans, 
Peruvians,  and  the  natives  of  the  Pacific  slope  as  far  north  as  Sitka;  that 
is  to  say,  brachycephalic ;  and  Winchell  thinks  that  'the  identity  of  the 
race  of  mound-builders  with  the  races  of  Anahuac  and  Peru  will  become 
generally  recognized.  'Squier  supposes  that  they  belonged  to  an  'extinct 
race.'  Atwater  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  'lofty  mounds' — ancient 
fortifications  and  tumuli — 'which  cost  so  much  labor  in  their  structure.' 
owe  their  'origin  to  a  people  much  more  civilized  than  our  Indian' ;  and 
Atwater  was  familiar  with  the  capabilities  and  characteristics  of  the 
American  Indian.  Others,  again,  suppose  that  they  were  the  same  people 
who  afterward  came  from  the  northeast  into  Mexico.  Bancroft  says 
that  the  'claims  in  behalf  of  the  Nahua  traces  in  the  Mississippi  region 
are  much  better  founded  than  those  which  have  been  urged  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.'  He  asserts  that  the  remains  in  the  Mississippi 
valley  'are  not  the  works  of  the  Indian  tribes  found  in  the  country,  nor 
of  any  tribes  resembling  them  in  their  institution,  and  that  the  'best 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  37 

authorities  deem  it  impossible  that  the  mound-builders  were  even  remote 
ancestors  of  the  Indian  tribes.'  In  his  opinion,  there  was  an  actual  con- 
nection, either  through  origin,  war,  or  commerce,  between  the  mound- 
builders  and  the  Nahuas.  This  he  infers  from  the  so-called  temple 
mounds,  a  strongly  resembling  the  pyramids  of  Mexico,  implying  a  simi- 
larity of  religious  ideas;  the  use  of  obsidian  implements;  the  Nahua  tra- 
dition of  the  arrival  of  civilized  strangers  from  the  northeast.  And 
Baldwin,  in  reviewing  the  various  traditions  recorded  by  many  of  the 
earliest  Spanish  chroniclers  of  Mexico,  concludes  by  saying  that  it  seems 
not  improbable  that  the  Huehue,  or  'Old  Tlapalan'  of  their  tradition,  was 
'the  country  of  our  mound-builders'  on  the  Mississippi.  Albert  Gallatin 
thinks  that  the  works  erected  indicate  'a  dense  agricultural  population,' 
a  population  'eminently  agricultural,'  a  state  essentially  different  from 
that  of  the  Iroquois  or  Algonquin  Indians.  Yet,  he  also  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  earthworks  discovered  might  have  been  executed  by  a 
'savage  people.'  Brinton  also  thinks  that  these  earthworks  were  not 
the  production  'of  some  mythical  tribe  of  high  civilization  in  remote 
antiquity  but  of  the  identical  nations  found  by  the  whites  residing  in 
these  regions.'  Schoolcraft  says  that  the  Indian  predecessors  of  the 
existing  race  'could  have  executed'  these  works.  Lewis  Cass  believed 
that  the  forefathers  of  the  present  Indian  'no  doubt'  erected  these  works 
as  places  of  refuge  and  security.  Jones  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  old 
idea  that  the  mound-builders  were  a  people  distinct  from  the  Indians  is 
'unfounded  in  fact,  and  fanciful.'  Lucian  Carr  in  an  elaborate  article 
says  there  is  no  reason  'why  the  red  Indians  of  the  Mississippi  valley, 
judging  from  what  we  know  historically  of  their  development,  coukl  not 
have  thrown  up  these  works.'  Dr.  C.  A.  Peterson,  in  a  paper  read  before 
the  Missouri  Historical  Society  in  1902,  concludes  that  'there  never  was 
an  iota  of  evidence  in  existence  tending  to  establish  the  contention  that 
some  people,  other  than  the  American  Indian,  erected  the  mounds  and 
earthworks  found  in  connection  with  them ;  and  the  physical  condition 
does  not  justify  the  belief  that  any  of  them  were  erected  more  than  one 
thousand  years  ago.  In  support  of  this  view  he  says,  'an  immense  memo- 
rial earthwork  over  the  body  of  a  popular  Osage  chief  was  erected  by 
his  tribe,  citing  Beck's  Gazeteer.  But  J.  F.  Snyder  asserts  that  the 
Osages  'built  no  earthen  mounds,'  and  that  the  mound  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Beck  as  having  been  built  by  them  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Osage 
was  the  result  of  glacial  action.  Snyder  also  quotes  Holcomb,  who  states 
that  'the  mysterious  races  of  beings,  termed  mound-builders  never  dwelt 


38  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

in  Vernon  County,'  and  that  no  fragments  of  pottery  have  ever  been 
found  there,  nor  noteworthy  archaeological  specimens,,  and  few,  if  any 
flint,  arrow-heads,  lance-heads,  stone-heads,  etc.,  although  he  admits  that 
the  Osages  erected  stone  heaps  occasionally  over  the  bodies  of  their  dead 
to  preserve  them  from  the  ravages  of  wild  beasts. 

One  remarkable  discovery  made  by  Mr.  Thomas  Beckwith,  who  has 
devoted  many  years  to  the  careful  and  intelligent  exploration  of  the 
mounds  of  the  Mississippi  country,  would  seem  to  tend  to  support  the 
contention  that  the  more  ancient  mound-builders  of  the  Mississippi  valley, 
at  least,  belonged  to  the  Nahual  race  of  Mexico.  It  should  be  observed 
that  in  making  his  explorations  Mr.  Beckwith  always  proceeds  with  the 
greatest  circumspection,  not,  like  so  many  others,  hastily  digging  and 
burrowing  into  mounds,  looking  only  for  perfect  pottery  ware,  carelessly 
overlooking  and  throwing  everything  else  away;  on  the  contrary,  nothing 
is  too  small  for  his  notice,  and  it  is  his  invariable  practice  to  gather  up 
and  preserve  every  fragment,  small  and  insignificant  though  it  may 
appear.  The  exploration  of  the  mound  does  not  always  satisfy  him.  In 
some  instances  where  the  surrounding  country  seems  to  warrant  it,  he 
also  explores  the  soil  for  several  feet  below  the  surface  at  present  sur- 
rounding the  mound.  In  making  such  sub-surface  explorations  Mr.  Beck- 
with, at  a  depth  three  feet  below  the  present  surface,  in  a  number  of 
instances,  found  pottery  balls  imbedded  in  the  clay,  near  mounds  ex- 
plored by  him.  During  his  various  explorations  of  mounds,  he  has  col- 
lected in  this  way  perhaps  a  half-bushel  of  such  pottery  balls  of  various 
forms,  some  ovoids,  some  round,  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  others  again 
lenticular;  the  ovoids  being  in  the  form  of  Roman  glandes,  as  described 
by  Evans  ;that  is,  fusiform,  or  pointed.  Such  pottery  balls  of  various 
shapes  were  in  use  as  sling-stones  among  the  Charrus  of  South  America. 
The  Marquis  de  Nadailicc  says  that  the  Chimecs,  who  were  of  the  Nahuatl 
race,  in  their  wars  used  bows  and  arrows  and  'slings  with  which  they 
flung  little  pottery  balls  which  caused  dangerous  wounds.'  Such  artificial 
pottery  sling-stones,  being  uniform  in  size  and  weight,  gave  a  greater 
precision  of  aim,  an  advantage  which  is  recognized  by  the  barbarous 
tribes  of  New  Caledonia  today,  where  sling-stones  made  out  of  steatite 
are  used  by  the  natives.  The  sling  was  an  offensive  weapon  of  the  Aztecs, 
and  the  stones  thrown  with  great  force  and  accuracy.  Among  the  Mayas 
of  Yucatan  slings  were  also  extensively  used.  But  as  an  offensive  weapon 
it  was  unknown  among  the  North  American  Indians." 

The  chroniclers  of  the  past,  delving  into  ancient  lore,  have  pronounced 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  39 

Egypt  to  have  the  oldest  written  history.  Man,  calling  to  his  aid  the 
hieroglyphic  records  of  Egypt,  as  well  as  the  inscribed  bricks  and  cylin- 
ders of  Assyria,  can  trace  back  the  annals  of  man's  history  no  further 
than  fifty  centuries.  Egypt  was  schooled  in  the  sciences  and  nobler  arts, 
and  rich  in  knowledge  when  Remus  and  Romulus  were  unborn  and  Italy 
inhabited  by  uncouth  and  barbarous  savages,  when  Athens  was  not 
spoken,  nor  Greece  begun ;  when  Europe,  now  teeming  with  her  millions, 
was  wilderness  and  sparsely  inhabited  by  races  unlettered  and  unlearned, 
yet  Egypt  has  her  ruins  of  unnamed  cities  where  a  people  of  a  forgotten 
civilization  trafficked  and  traded,  pushed  and  jostled. 

The  prehistoric  remains  of  Egypt  are  a  never-ending  source  of  his- 
torical revelation  to  the  student  of  archaeology.  Even  the  supposed  myth 
of  Troy  vanished  in  the  face  of  these  established  facts ;  yet  more  wonder- 
ful— beneath  the  ruins  of  discovered  Troy,  the  excavator  has  found  the 
ruins  of  another  city.  It  would  seem  that  wherever  the  soil  would  sup- 
port and  the  climate  permit,  there  man  has  lived  and  had  his  being,  and 
that  practically  every  country  produces  evidence  of  a  forgotten  and  pre- 
historic race. 

In  the  Dark  Ages,  a  few  centuries  back,  ruthless  might,  with  its 
accompanying  wreck  and  ruin,  effaced  much  of  the  world's  gems  of  art, 
literature  and  architecture,  and  even  the  torch  of  learning  was  kept  but 
faintly  burning  in  the  cloisters  of  the  monk.  The  world  is  littered  with 
the  devastations  of  war;  and  ever,  man  has  built  and  destroyed. 

The  years,  as  we  know  them  in  written  history,  may  be  but  as  a  day 
in  the  eons  upon  eons  of  man's  development.  Generation  after  genera- 
tion of  men  in  a  ceaseless  flow  have  passed,  and  the  earth  is  filled  with 
the  graves  of  the  forgotten,  above  which  we  "strut  and  fret  our  brief 
hour  upon  the  stage."  Our  country's  history  is  the  history  of  the  white 
man.  We  have  but  filmy  traditions  of  the  Indians,  and  if  another  race 
preceded  it,  it  must  be  discovered  in  what  is  commonly  termed  the  Indian 
mounds. 


CHAPTER  II. 


EXPLORATIONS 


THE  NEW  WORLD— PONCE  DE  LEON— DE  SOTO— CORONADO— MARQUETTE  AND 
JOLIET— LA  SELLE— FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS— TREATY  OF  ILDEFONSO— 
PURCHASE  OF  LOUISIANA  TERRITORY— ORGANIZATION  OF  TERRITORY — 
VARIOUS    CLAIMS   TO  MISSOURI. 

When  the  new  world  was  discovered  and  had  wonderfully  revealed 
itself  to  the  adventurers  and  daring  men  of  the  Old  World,  the  enterprize 
of  Europe  was  startled  into  action.  Those  valiant  men.  who  had  won 
laurels  among  the  mountains  of  Andalusia,  on  the  fields  of  Flanders,  and 
on  the  battlefields  of  Albion,  sought  a  more  remote  field  for  adventure. 
The  revelation  of  a  new  world  and  a  new  race,  and  communication  between 
the  old  and  the  new,  provided  a  field  for  fertile  imagination.  The  fact 
was  as  astounding  to  the  people  then  as  it  would  be  to  us  should  we  learn 
that  Mars  is  peopled  and  that  communication  could  be  established  between 
that  planet  and  the  earth. 

The  heroes  of  the  ocean  despised  the  range  of  Europe  as  too  narrow, 
offering  to  their  extravagant  ambition  nothing  beyond  mediocrity.  Am- 
bition, avarice,  and  religious  zeal  were  strangely  blended,  and  the  heroes 
of  the  main  sailed  to  the  west,  as  if  bound  on  a  new  crusade,  for  infinite 
wealth  and  renown  were  to  reward  their  piety,  satisfy  their  greed,  and 
satiate  their  ambition. 

Amei-ica  was  the  region  of  romance  where  their  heated  imagination 
could  indulge  in  the  boldest  delusions,  where  the  simple  ignorant  native 
wore  the  most  precious  ornaments,  the  sands  by  the  side  of  the  clear 
runs  of  water,  sparkled  with  gold.  Says  the  historian  of  the  ocean,  these 
adventui-ous  heroes  speedily  prepared  to  fly  by  a  beckoning  or  a  whis- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  41 

pering  wheresoever  they  were  called.     They  forsook  certainties  for  the 
lure  and  hope  of  more  brilliant  success. 

To  win  provinces  with  the  sword,  divide  the  wealth  of  empires,  to 
plunder  the  accumulated  treasures  of  some  ancient  Indian  dynasty,  to 
return  from  a  roving  expedition  with  a  crowd  of  enslaved  captives  and 
a  profusion  of  spoils,  soon  became  ordinary  dreams.  Fame,  fortune,  life 
and  all  were  squandered  in  the  visions  of  wealth  and  renown.  Even  if 
the  issue  was  uncertain,  success,  greater  than  the  boldest  imagination 
had  dared,  was  sometimes  attained. 

It  would  be  an  interesting  story  to  trace  each  hero  across  the  ocean 
to  the  American  continent,  and  through  the  three  great  gateways  thereof, 
through  which  he  entered  the  wilds  of  the  great  west.  The  accounts  of 
the  explorations  and  exploitations  into  the  great  west  read  like  a  romance. 
The  trials  through  which  the  explorers  passed  were  enough  to  make  the 
stoutest  hearts  quail  and  to  test  the  endurance  of  men  of  steel. 

Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  an  old  comrade  of  Christopher  Columbus  in  his 
second  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  spent  his  youth  in  the  military  service 
of  Spain,  and  shared  in  the  wild  exploits  of  predatory  valor  in  the 
Granada.  He  was  a  fearless  and  gallant  soldier.  The  revelation  of  a 
new  world  fired  within  him  the  spirit  of  youth  and  adventure.  He  was 
an  old  man,  yet  age  had  not  tempered  his  love  of  hazardous  enterprise 
to  advance  his  fortune  by  conquest  of  kingdoms,  and  to  retrieve  a  repu- 
tation, not  without  blemish.  His  cheeks  had  been  furrowed  by  years  of 
hard  service,  and  he  believed  the  tale  which  was  a  tradition,  credited  in 
Spain  by  those  who  were  distinguished  for  intelligence,  of  a  fountain 
which  possessed  the  virtue  to  renovate  the  life  of  those  who  drank  of  it 
or  bathed  in  its  healing  waters.  In  1513,  with  a  squadron  of  three  ships 
fitted  out  at  his  own  expense,  he  landed  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  a  few 
miles  north  of  St.  Augustine.  Here  he  remained  for  many  weeks,  pa- 
tiently and  persistently  exploring  and  penetrating  the  "deep,  tangled 
wildwood,"  searching  for  gold  and  drinking  from  the  waters  of  every 
stream,  brook,  rivulet,  and  spring  and  bathing  in  every  fountain.  The 
discoverer  of  Florida  seeking  immortality  on  earth,  bereft  of  fortune  and 
broken  inspirit,  found  the  sombre  shadow  of  death  in  his  second  voyage 
in  1521.  Contending  with  the  implacable  fury  of  the  Indians,  he  died 
from  an  arrow  wound  received  in  an  Indian  fight.  He  was  laid  to  rest 
on  the  island  of  Cuba. 

Thus  began  the  Spanish  claim  to  that  vast  territory  west  of  the 


42  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mississippi,  which  included  the  Louisiana  Province  from  the  Mississippi 
west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  (including  Missouri). 

Hernando  De  Soto,  who  had  been  with  Pizarro  in  his  conquest  of 
Peru  in  1533,  inspired  with  the  same  hopes  and  ambitions  as  Ponce  de 
Leon,  and  undismayed  by  his  failure,  and  inspiring  others  with  confidence 
in  his  plans,  collected  a  large  band  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese  cavaliers. 
In  1538,  his  splendidly  equipped  six  or  seven  hundred  men,  among  whom 
were  many  gentlemen  of  position  and  wealth,  set  sail  in  nine  vessels  for 
the  wonderful  Eldorado.  In  addition  to  his  men,  he  carried  three  hun- 
dred horses,  a  herd  of  swine,  and  some  bloodhounds.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting to  follow  this  expedition  in  its  hazardous  wanderings,  but  to  do  so 
in  this  sketch,  would  be  going  "far  afield."  His  route  was  in  part  through 
the  country  already  made  hostile  by  the  cruelty  and  violence  of  the 
Spanish  invader,  Narvaez.  On  April  25,  1541,  De  Soto  reached  the  banks 
of  the  great  Mississippi,  supposed  to  be  near  the  Lower  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
a  few  miles  below  Memphis,  thus  achieving  for  his  name  immortality. 

Here  he  crossed  the  river  and  pursued  his  course  north  along  its 
west  bank  into  the  region  in  our  own  State  now  known  as  New  Madrid. 
So  far  as  the  historian  can  determine,  he  was  the  first  European  to  set 
foot  on  Missouri  soil,  and  thus  he  strengthened  the  claim  to  the  vast 
wilds  of  the  far  west.  He  reached  a  village  called  Pocaha,  the  northern- 
most point  of  his  expedition,  and  remained  there  forty  days,  sending  out 
various  exploring  parties.     The  location  of  Pocaha  cannot  be  identified. 

He  explored  to  the  northwest,  but  if  he  did  really  penetrate  what 
is  now  the  central  part  of  the  state,  how  far  he  went  is  but  speculation. 
The  country  still  nearer  to  the  Missouri  was  said  by  the  Indians  to  be 
thinly  inhabited,  and  it  abounded  in  bison  in  such  numbers  that  maize 
could  not  be  cultivated.  We  have  in  this  story  no  further  interest  in  De 
Soto's  exploration  and  wanderings,  save  to  say  that  the  white  man,  with 
his  insatiable  greed,  injustice,  and  cruel  adventure,  was  made  known  to 
the  red  man  of  the  far  west.  Because  of  the  white  man's  traits,  a  hatred 
arose  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  which  by  succeeding  outrages  ripened 
in  after  years  to  a  venom  that  cost  the  lives  of  thousands  of  harmless 
settlers.  Other  explorations  followed  in  succession,  and  though  the  ex- 
periences would  read  like  a  romance,  the  scope  of  this  work  precludes 
an  account,  even  of  the  wonderful  exploits  of  Coronada  about  the  same 
period.  Upon  the  result  of  these  expeditions  Spain  based  her  claims  of 
the  Louisiana  Province,  afterwards  acknowledged  by  European  precedent, 
to  be  justly  founded. 

While  De  Soto  pierced  the  wilderness  from  the  southeast,  another 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  43 

Spanish  cavalcade  under  Francisco  de  Coronado,  at  practically  the  same 
time,  invaded  it  from  the  southwest. 

Coronado. — The  expedition  consisted  of  three  hundred  Spanish  ad- 
venturers, mostly  mounted,  thoroughly  armed,  richly  caparisoned,  and 
well  provisioned.  They  started  their  march  with  flying  colors  and  bound- 
less expectations.  The  Vice-roy  of  Mexico,  from  whence  they  started, 
accompanied  them  for  two  days  on  the  march.  Never  had  so  chivalrous 
adventurers  gone  forth  to  hunt  the  wilderness  for  kingdoms.  Every 
officer  seemed  fitted  to  lead  an  expedition  wherever  danger  threatened 
or  hope  lured.  More  young  men  of  the  proudest  families  of  Spain,  than 
had  ever  before  acted  together  in  America,  rallied  under  the  banner  of 
Coronado. 

An  Indian  slave  had  told  wonders  of  the  seven  cities  of  Cibola,  the 
land  of  buffaloes  that  lay  at  the  north  between  the  oceans  and  beyond 
the  deserts.  He  represented  this  country  as  abounding  in  silver  and 
gold  beyond  the  wildest  dreams.  The  Spaniards,  in  what  was  then  called 
New  Spain,  trusting  implicitly  in  the  truth  of  this  story  and  hundreds 
of  others  equally  mythical,  burned  with  ambition  to  subdue  the  rich 
provinces.  Several  historians  who  were  participants  in  this  expedition 
have  preserved  the  events  of  the  adventurous  march,  and  it  would  seem 
that  with  so  much  written  evidence  based  on  what  the  participants  of 
the  expedition  saw  and  experienced,  at  least  the  course  pursued,  the  routes 
followed,  and  the  distances  traveled  by  Coronado  and  his  army,  ought  to 
be  free  from  doubt.  This,  however,  is  far  from  being  the  case,  and  the 
entire  matter  is  left  largely  in  doubt. 

It  seems  to  be  well  authenticated,  however,  that  Coronado  entered 
Missouri  in  the  southern  part,  but  how  far  north  he  went,  we  do  not 
know.  Some  have  claimed,  and  with  some  reason,  that  he  reached  the 
Missouri  River  in  the  central  part  of  the  State. 

Cruelty  of  Spanish  Explorers. — Coronado  and  De  Soto  both  treated 
the  Indians  with  barbarous  cruelty.  Their  great  hopes  of  limitless  riches 
and  conquered  province  became  as  ashes  in  their  hands.  Their  men, 
after  long  marches  for  months  through  the  wilderness,  became  tattered, 
disgruntled  and  surly.  They  were  burdens  upon  the  red  men  whom  they 
visited  in  the  different  villages,  and  consumed  their  maize.  The  Indians 
were  distrustful  and  suspicious,  and  an  inborn  hatred  for  the  white  man 
insistently  grew  in  their  breasts,  and  was  handed  down  by  tradition  with 
growing  rancor,  to  future  generations.  The  fabled  cities  of  Cibola  were 
found  to  be  miserable  mud  huts.     Indian  guides  lured  them  from  place 


44  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

to  place  with  wonderful  stories  in  order  that  the  white  men  might  be 
held  from  their  own  country. 

It  is  related  that  a  heroic  young  Zuni  brave  represented  that  he  was 
not  a  Zuni,  but  an  enemy  of  that  tribe,  and  belonged  to  the  country  of 
Quivera  far  to  the  north.  In  a  glowing  word  picture  he  described  his 
country  and  insisted  that  the  Spaniards  visit  there,  in  these  words: 
"Come  with  me,  0  mighty  chief,  to  my  country,  watered  by  the  mighty 
river  Quivera.  wherein  are  fishes  as  large  as  the  horses  you  ride,  and  upon 
whose  currents  float  large  and  beautiful  boats  with  many  colored  sails, 
in  which  rest  the  lords  of  the  country  at  ease,  on  downy  couches  and 
canopies  rich  with  gold.  Come,  see  our  gardens  of  roses,  where  our  great 
ones  take  their  siesta  under  the  spreading  trees  that  pierce  the  very 
heavens  in  their  towering  height.  There  gold  and  silver  are  but  as  stones 
on  a  rocky  way.  Precious  jewels  and  riches  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice, 
0  mighty  chief,  is  yours  for  the  asking.  What  you  can  take  is  but  as  a 
cup  of  water  from  the  great  lake.  Come.  0  mighty  chief,  and  follow  me, 
for  I  will  guide  thee  to  the  land  of  riches  and  plenty." 

Tradition  has  it  that  Coronado,  arriving  near  the  Missouri,  the  Zumi 
brave  said  to  him,  "I  have  lied  to  you.  I  am  a  Zumi.  I  witnessed  your 
cruelties  to  my  people,  and  I  have  brought  you  here.  I  hope  you  will 
perish  before  you  reach  your  home.  I  am  satisfied,  and  now  I  am  ready 
to  die." 

The  young  Zumi  suffered  the  direst  penalty,  and  gave  his  life  for  his 
tribe. 

Coronado  remained  at  this  point  about  25  days. 

The  French  claim  to  the  Louisiana  Province  was  based  on  the  dis- 
coveries of  Marquette  and  Joliet  in  1673.  Marquette  was  of  the  patrician 
"Marquettes  of  Laon",  thought  to  have  been  descendants  of  Celtic  nobles 
whom  Rome,  in  her  wise  policy,  attached  to  her  standard  by  leaving  them 
in  possession  of  their  ancestral  territory,  but  nominally  dominated  by  the 
"eternal  city." 

Father  Marquette  and  Joliet. — Father  Marquette  was  29  years 
of  age  when  his  feet  first  touched  American  soil.  From  all  the  con- 
temporary accounts  of  the  expedition  it  is  evident  that  Father  Marquette 
was  its  leader,  its  very  soul.  But  as  an  ecclesiastic  he  could  not  take 
command  of  an  army,  however  small;  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ  to 
foreign  heathen  nations,  he  could  not  act  as  the  agent  of  a  king  of  France. 
It  was  accordingly  arranged  that  Sieur  Joliet,  a  native  of  Canada,  should 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  45 

command  the  expedition,  and  that  Marquette  should  accompany  it  as  its 
missionary.     The  choice  of  Joliet  was  a  wise  and  happy  one. 

They  left  the  connecting  strait  between  Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron 
on  the  17th  day  of  May,  1673.  In  the  language  of  Marquette, 
"We  were  embarking  on  a  voyage  the  duration  of  which  we  could  not 
foresee.  Indian  corn,  with  some  dried  meat,  was  our  only  provisions. 
With  this,  we  set  out  in  two  bark  canoes.  M.  Joliet,  five  other  men  and  I 
firmly  resolved  to  do  all  and  suffer  all  for  a  glorious  enterprise." 

On  the  17th  day  of  June,  1673,  they,  with  their  attendants  in 
two  bark  canoes,  reached  the  Upper  Mississippi.  They  followed  in  their 
frail  barks  the  swift  current  of  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and 
thence  into  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  called  by  Marquette,  Pekitonoui, 
that  is,  Muddy  Water. 

Shea  in  his  "Discovery  of  the  Mississippi  Valley",  says  that  Pekitonoui, 
or  "Muddy  Water",  prevailed  until  Marest's  time  (1712),  when  it  was 
called  Missouri,  from  the  name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  known  as  Missouris, 
who  inhabited  the  country  at  its  mouth.  More  than  100  years  after 
DeSoto  discovered  the  Mississippi  the  claim  of  the  French  was  founded. 
Until  1762  these  two  great  nations  contended  for  the  right  of  sovereignity 
of  the  wilderness  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  limits  of  this  work  forbid  following  the  varying  fortunes  of  any 
of  the  explorers,  and  reference  is  made  to  them  sufficient  only  to  show 
the  claims  of  France  and  Spain  to  that  expanse  of  territory  of  which  the 
present  Cooper  County  was  a  part. 

La  Salle. — Continuing  these  references  we  must  advert  to  La  Salle. 
On  the  14th  day  of  July,  1678,  with  Tonti,  an  Italian,  and  about 
30  other  men,  he  arrived  in  Quebec.  In  September,  he  sailed  from 
Rochelle,  France,  and  was  joined  by  Louis  Hennepin,  a  Franciscan  friar. 
After  leaving  Frontenac,  in  Nov.,  1678,  they  spent  about  18  months 
among  the  Indian  tribes  exploring  the  northern  lakes  and  rivers. 
They  experienced  many  hardships.  After  returning  to  Canada  for  addi- 
tional supplies,  La  Salle,  with  about  20  Frenchmen,  18  Indian  braves  and 
10  Indian  women,  descended  the  Illinois  to  the  Mississippi,  which  they 
reached  on  the  sixth  of  Feb.,  1662.  On  the  fifth  of  April,  La  Salle  accom- 
plished the  purpose  of  his  expedition,  which  was  to  discover  the  three 
mouths  of  the  Mississippi  through  which  its  great  volume  of  water  is 
discharged  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

By  ceremony  of  great  pomp,  La  Salle  took  possession  of  the  country 


46  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV  of  France,  in  whose  honor  the  country  was 
named  Louisiana.  And  here  on  an  elevation  La  Salle,  amid  the  solemn 
chants  of  hymns  of  thanksgiving,  planted  a  cross,  with  the  arms  of 
France ;  and  in  the  name  of  the  French  king  took  possession  of  the  river, 
of  all  its  branches,  and  of  the  territory  watered  by  them.  The  notary 
drew  up  an  authentic  act,  which  all  signed  with  beating  hearts.  A  leaden 
plate  upon  which  were  the  arms  of  France  and  the  names  of  the  dis- 
coverers, was,  amid  the  rattle  of  musketry,  deposited  in  the  earth.  The 
plate  bore  this  inscription,  "Louis  le  Grand  Roi  de  France  et  de  Navarre, 
Regne;  le  Neuvieme  Auril,  1682."  Standing  near  the  planted  cross, 
La  Salle  proclaimed  with  a  loud  voice,  that  in  the  name  of  the  most  high, 
mighty,  invincible  and  victorious  Prince,  Louis  the  Great,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  King  of  France  and  Navarre,  14th  of  the  name,  this  ninth  day  of 
April,  1682,  he  took  possession  of  the  country  of  Louisiana,  comprising 
almost  indefinite  limits  and  including,  of  course,  the  present  territory  of 
Missouri. 

The  colonial  policy  of  the  Spaniards  was  not  based  on  theory  or  fancy, 
although  at  this  period,  less  enlightened  than  the  French,  they  had  the 
advantage  of  larger  experience.  The  English  by  reason  of  their  indom- 
itable perseverance  and  fixedness  of  purpose  had,  in  these  respects,  an 
advantage  over  their  rivals.  Yet  the  French,  by  their  superior  attitude 
in  assimilating  with  the  savages,  and  adroitness  in  winning  confidence, 
had  a  clear  advantage  over  both. 

French  Settlements. — The  only  settlements  at  that  time  in  what  is 
now  Missouri,  were  Ste.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis.  There  were  at  least 
five  settlements  in  what  is  now  Illinois.  These  settlements  were  situated 
along  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  for  about  75  miles  extending  from 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaska.  They 
were  Kaskaskia,  with  a  white  population  of  about  400;  Prairie  View 
Rocher.  with  about  50  inhabitants;  Fort  Chartres.  about  100;  Philippe, 
about  20;  Kahoki,  about  100,  making  a  total  of  670  whites.  The  negro 
population  was  about  300,  which  brings  the  total  up  to  nearly  1,000. 

These  settlements  were  made  by  the  French.  It  seems  unreasonable 
to  assume  that  these  adventurers,  seeking  fame  and  fortune,  did  not 
explore  the  Missouri  River  far  beyond  the  limits  of  Cooper  County. 

Early  in  the  18th  century  the  French  sent  men  into  what  is  now 
Missouri  to  search  for  silver,  and  although  they  failed,  they  did  a  great 
deal  of  exploring  in  this  region.     Again  the  French  settlers  in  Kaskaskia, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  47 

and  other  Illinois  settlements,  which  were  established  in  the  late  17th  and 
early  18th  centuries,  soon  made  their  way  on  hunting  and  exploring 
expeditions  up  the  Missouri.  Naturally  this  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
French  aroused  the  fears  of  the  Spanish  at  Santa  Fe,  which  resulted  in 
their  fitting  out  an  expedition  in  1720  for  exploration.  This  expedition 
is  popularly  known  as  the  "Great  Caravan."  It  consisted  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  soldiers,  artisans,  and  farmers,  together  with  their  families,  flocks 
and  herds. 

But  Houck  in  his  "History  of  Missouri",  says  that  recent  investiga- 
tions seem  to  make  it  clear  that  there  were  not  more  than  50  soldiers 
in  the  expedition,  and  while  there  may  have  been  helpers  they  were  not 
intending  settlers.  However  that  may  be,  the  expedition  failed  com- 
pletely, owing  to  an  attack  made  by  hostile  Indians.  Only  one  man  belong- 
ing to  the  ill-fated  expedition  escaped  with  his  life  to  relate  the  story  of 
the  disaster. 

It  is  claimed  that  this  attempt  of  the  Spanish  to  establish  a  post  on 
the  Missouri  in  1720,  led  directly  to  the  founding  of  Fort  Orleans  by  the 
French  in  1723. 

De  Bourgmont,  who  previously  spent  some  years  trading  with  the 
Indians  along  the  Missouri,  was  captain  and  commandant  of  Missouri  in 
1720.  The  exact  site  of  Fort  Orleans  cannot  be  definitely  determined. 
It  has  been  claimed  that  it  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri  near 
what  is  now  Malta  Bend  in  Saline  County.  Recently  the  ruins  of  an  old 
fort,  and  the  remains  of  French  weapons,  have  been  unearthed  near  Malta 
Bend.  These  finds  are  taken  by  some  as  evidence  supporting  the  claim 
that  Fort  Orleans  was  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri  at  that  point. 
These  facts  ?ra  important  because  they  establish  a  foundation  upon  which 
a  reasonable  inference  can  be  drawn  that  what  is  now  Cooper  County  was 
invaded  by  the  white  man,  and  that  trade  had  been  carried  on  with  the 
Indians  long  years  before  we  have  positive  record  of  exploration  by  the 
white  man. 

Treaty  of  Ildefonso.— From  1763  to  1800,  Spain  held  undisputed 
sovereignty  over  the  Louisiana  province.  In  1800,  Europe  was  a  seething 
caldron  of  contention  and  diplomacy.  There  were  wars  and  rumors  of 
wars.  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  at  the  zenith  of  his  glory.  With  the  iron 
hand  of  power,  guided  by  a  wily  diplomatic  policy,  and  jealous  ot  the 
growing  sovereignty  of  Spain  and  England  in  the  New  World,  Napoleon 
forced  Spain  into  the  treaty  of  Ildefonso,  Oct.  1 ,  1800,  by  which  she  ceded 


48  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

to  France  all  the  territory  known  as  Louisiana,  west  of  the  Mississippi 
in  consideration  that  the  son-in-law  to  the  King  of  Spain  should  be  estab- 
lished in  Tuscany. 

This  treaty  took  its  name  from  the  celebrated  palace  of  St.  Ildefonso 
which  was  the  retreat  of  Charles  V  of  Spain  when  he  abdicated  his  throne 
in  favor  of  his  son.  It  was  situated  about  40  miles  north  of  Madrid  in 
an  elevated  ravine  in  the  mountains  of  Gaudarruma. 

Purchase  of  Louisiana  Territory. — Napoleon  Bonaparte  in  1803,  for- 
seeing  that  Russia,  in  conjunction  with  Austria  and  England,  was  pre- 
paring to  send  clown  her  Muscovite  legions  into  France,  realized  that  he 
could  not  hold  his  possessions  in  America  and  determined  to  dispose  of 
them  to  the  disadvantage  of  England.  The  treaty  of  Ildefonso,  in  1800, 
whereby  Spain  ceded  to  France  all  of  the  Louisiana  Province,  had  been 
kept  a  profound  secret  until  1803.  Thomas  Jefferson,  then  president  of 
the  United  States,  was  informed  of  the  contents  of  this  treaty.  He  at 
once  dispatched  instructions  to  Robert  Livingston,  the  American  minister 
to  Paris,  to  make  known  to  Napoleon  that  the  occupation  of  New  Orleans 
by  the  French  government  would  bring  about  a  conflict  of  interest  between 
the  two  nations,  which  would  finally  culminate  in  an  open  rupture.  He 
urged  Mr.  Livingston  not  only  to  insist  upon  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  but  to  negotiate  for  the  purchase  of  the  city  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  to  inform  the  French  government  that  the 
occupancy  of  New  Orleans  might  oblige  the  United  States  to  make  com- 
mon cause  with  England,  France's  bitterest  and  most  dreaded  enemy. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  in  so  grave  a  matter,  appointed  Mr.  Monroe,  with  full 
power  to  act  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Livingston  in  the  negotiation.  Before 
taking  final  action  in  the  matter,  Napoleon  summoned  his  ministers  and 
addressed  them  as  follows :  "I  am  fully  aware  of  the  value  of  Louisiana, 
and  it  was  my  wish  to  repair  the  error  of  the  French  diplomats  who 
abandoned  it  in  1763.  I  have  scarcely  recovered  it  before  I  run  the  risk 
of  losing  it ;  but  if  I  am  obliged  to  give  it  up,  it  shall  hereafter  cost  more 
to  those  who  force  me  to  part  with  it,  than  to  whom  I  sell  it.  The  English 
have  despoiled  France  of  all  her  northern  possessions  in  America,  and  now 
they  covet  those  of  the  south.  I  am  determined  that  they  shall  not  have 
the  Mississippi.  Although  Louisiana  is  but  a  trifle  compared  to  their 
vast  possessions  in  other  parts  of  the  globe,  yet,  judging  from  the  vexa- 
tion they  have  manifested  on  seeing  it  return  to  the  power  of  France,  I 
am  certain  that  their  first  object  will  be  to  gain  possession  of  it.  They 
will  probably   commence  the  war  in  that  quarter.     They  have   twenty 


il. li   COURT    HOUSE,   SECOND   ONE    AT    BOONVILUE 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  49 

vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  our  affairs  in  St.  Domingo  are  getting 
worse  since  the  death  of  LeClerc.  The  conquest  of  Louisiana  might  be 
easily  made,  and  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in  getting  out  of  their  reach. 
I  am  not  sure  but  that  they  have  already  begun  an  attack  upon  it.  Such 
a  measure  would  be  in  accordance  with  their  habits ;  and,  if  I  were  in  their 
place  I  should  not  wait.  I  am  inclined,  in  order  to  deprive  them  of  all 
prospect  of  ever  possessing  it,  to  cede  it  to  the  United  States.  Indeed,  I 
can  hardly  say  that  I  cede  it,  for  I  do  not  yet  possess  it ;  and  if  I  wait  but 
a  short  time,  my  enemies  may  leave  me  nothing  but  an  empty  title  to 
grant  to  the  Republic  I  wish  to  conciliate.  I  consider  the  whole  colony 
as  lost,  and  I  believe  that  in  the  hands  of  this  rising  power  it  will  be  more 
useful  to  the  political  and  even  commercial  interests  of  France  than  if  I 
should  attempt  to  retain  it.  Let  me  have  both  your  opinions  on  the 
subject." 

One  of  Napoleon's  ministers  agreed  with  him,  and  the  other  dis- 
sented. Ever  quick  to  think  and  to  act,  the  next  day  he  sent  for  the 
minister  who  agreed  with  him,  and  thus  expressed  himself: 

"The  season  for  deliberation  is  over.  I  have  determined  to  renounce 
Louisiana.  I  shall  give  up  not  only  New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  colony, 
without  reservation.  That  I  do  not  undervalue  Louisiana,  I  have  suffici- 
ently proved,  as  the  object  of  my  first  treaty  with  Spain  was  to  recover 
it.  But  though  I  regret  parting  with  it,  I  am  convinced  that  it  would  be 
folly  to  try  to  keep  it.  I  commission  you,  therefore,  to  negotiate  this 
affair  with  the  envoys  of  the  United  States.  Do  not  await  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Monroe,  but  go  this  very  day  and  confer  with  Mr.  Livingston. 
Remember,  however,  that  I  need  ample  funds  for  carrying  on  the  war, 
and  I  do  not  wish  to  commence  it  by  levying  new  taxes.  For  the  last 
century  France  and  Spain  have  incurred  great  expense  in  the  improve- 
ment of  Louisiana,  for  which  her  trade  has  never  indemnified  them.  Large 
sums  have  been  advanced  to  different  companies,  which  have  never  been 
returned  to  the  treasury.  It  is  fair  that  I  should  require  repayment  for 
these.  Were  I  to  regulate  my  demands  by  the  importance  of  the  terri- 
tory to  the  United  States,  they  would  be  unbounded ;  but,  being  obliged  to 
part  with  it,  I  shall  be  moderate  in  my  terms.  Still,  remember,  I  must 
have  fifty  millions  of  francs,  and  I  will  not  consent  to  take  less.  I  would 
rather  make  some  desperate  effort  to  preserve  this  fine  country." 

The  negotiations  were  completed  satisfactorily  to  both  parties  to  the 
contract.  Mr.  Livingston  said,  "I  consider  that  from  this  day  the  United 
(4) 


50  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

States  takes  rank  with  the  first  powers  of  Europe,  and  now  she  is  entirely 
escaped  from  the  power  of  England." 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  seemingly  as  well  pleased  said,  "By  this  cession 
of  territory,  I  have  secured  the  power  of  the  United  States,  and  given  to 
England  a  rival,  who  in  some  future  time  will  humble  her  pride.  How 
prophetic  were  the  words  of  Napoleon.  Not  many  years  after  in  the 
very  territory  of  which  the  great  Corsican  had  been  speaking  the  British 
met  their  signal  defeat  by  the  prowess  and  arms  of  the  Americans. 

On  Dec.  20,  1803,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  supplanted  the  tri-colored 
flag  of  France  at  New  Orleans.  March  10,  1804,  again  the  glorious  banner 
of  our  country  waved  at  St.  Louis,  from  which  day  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  in  Missouri  dates. 

The  great  Mississippi,  along  whose  banks  the  Americans  had  planted 
their  towns  and  villages,  now  afforded  them  a  safe  and  easy  outlet  to  the 
markets  of  the  world. 

Organization  of  Territory. — In  the  month  of  April,  1804,  Congress, 
by  an  act,  divided  Louisiana  into  two  parts,  the  territory  of  Orleans,  and 
the  district  of  Louisiana,  known  as  Upper  Louisiana.  Upper  Louisiana 
embraced  the  present  state  of  Missouri,  all  the  western  region  of  country 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  all  below  the  49th  degree  of  north  latitude  not 
claimed  by  Spain. 

On  March  26,  1804,  Missouri  was  placed  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
government  of  the  territory  of  Indiana,  and  its  government  put  in  motion 
by  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison,  then  governor  of  Indiana,  afterwards  pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  In  this  he  was  assisted  by  Judges  Jacob, 
Vandenburg  and  Davis  who  established  in  St.  Louis  what  was  called 
Courts  of  Common  Pleas. 

On  March  3,  1805,  the  district  of  Louisiana  was  organized  by  Con- 
gress into  the  territory  of  Louisiana,  and  President  Jefferson  appointed 
General  James  Wilkinson,  governor;  and  Frederick  Bates,  secretary.  The 
legislature  of  the  territory  was  formed  by  Governor  Wilkinson,  Judges 
R.  J.  Meiger  and  John  B.  C.  Lucas. 

In  1807,  Governor  Wilkinson  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Merriwether 
Lewis,  who  had  become  famous  by  reason  of  his  having  made  the  expedi- 
tion up  the  Missouri  with  Clark.  Governor  Lewis  committed  suicide  in 
1809,  under  very  peculiar  and  suspicious  circumstances,  and  the  President 
appointed  General  Benjamin  Howard  of  Lexington.  Kentucky,  to  fill  his 
place. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  51 

Governor  Howard  resigned  Oct.  25,  1810,  to  enter  the  War  of  1812, 
and  died  in  St.  Louis  in  1814. 

Captain  William  Clark,  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  expedition,  was  appointed 
governor  in  1810,  to  succeed  General  Howard ;  he  remained  in  office  until 
the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union  in  1821. 

For  purposes  of  purely  local  government,  the  settled  portion  of  Mis- 
souri was  divided  into  four  districts.  Cape  Girardeau  was  the  first,  and 
embraced  the  territory  between  Pywappipy  Bottom  and  Apple  Creek ;  Ste. 
Genevieve,  the  second,  embraced  the  territory  of  Apple  Creek  to  the  Merri- 
mac  River ;  St.  Louis,  the  third,  embraced  the  territory  between  the 
Merrimac  and  the  Missouri ;  St.  Charles,  the  fourth  included  the  settled 
territory  between  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi  Rivers.  The  total 
population  of  these  districts  at  that  time,  including  slaves,  was  8,670. 
The  population  of  the  district  of  Louisiana  when  ceded  to  the  United 
States  was  10,120. 

Various  Claims  to  Missouri. — The  soil  of  Missouri  has  been  claimed 
or  owned  as  follows:  First,  from  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century 
to  1763,  by  both  France  and  Spain.  Second,  in  1763,  it  was  ceded  to 
Spain  by  France.  Third,  in  1800,  it  was  ceded  from  Spain  back  to  France. 
Fourth,  April  30,  1803,  it,  with  other  territory,  was  ceded  by  France  to 
the  United  States.  Fifth,  October  31,  1803,  a  temporary  government  was 
authorized  by  Congress  for  the  newly  acquired  territory.  Sixth,  October, 
1804,  it  was  included  in  the  "District  of  Louisiana."  then  organized  with 
a  separate  territorial  government.  Eighth,  June  4,  1812,  it  was  embraced 
in  what  was  then  made  the  "Territory  of  Missouri."  Ninth,  August  10. 
1821,  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state. 

When  France,  in  1803,  vested  the  title  to  this  vast  territory  in  the 
United  States,  it  was  subject  to  the  claims  of  the  Indians.  This  claim 
our  government  justly  recognized.  Therefore,  before  the  government  of 
the  United  States  could  vest  clear  title  to  the  soil  in  the  grantees,  it  was 
necessary  to  extinguish  title  by  purchase.  This  was  accordingly  done  by 
treaties  made  with  the  Indians  at  various  times. 

When  Missouri  was  admitted  as  a  territory  in  1812  by  James  Madison, 
it  embraced  what  is  now  the  state  of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  Oklahoma,  North  and  South  Dakota,  Nebraska. 
Montana,  and  most  of  Kansas,  Colorado  and  Wyoming.  It  has  therefor.1 
been  truly  said  that  Missouri  is  the  mother  of  all  the  great  west. 


CHAPTER  III. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS. 


DANIEL  BOONE— BOONSLICK  COUNTRV— FIRST  TEMPORARY  SETTLEMENTS— 
LEWIS  AND  CLARK — NATHAN  AND  DANIEL  BOONE  MAKE  SALT— CHRIST V 
AND  HEATH— BENJAMIN  COOPER— FIGHT  WITH  INDIANS— INDIANS  MEET 
GENERAL  CLARK—  COOPERS  AND  COLES  SETTLE  PERMANENTLY— FIRST 
SETTLERS  SOUTH  OF  RIVER— CONDITIONS  MET— FIRST  SETTLERS  IN  BOONS- 
LICK  COUNTRY— OTHER  SETTLERS  SOUTH  OF  RIVER — ENGLISH  STIR  UP 
INDIANS— FIRST   DEEDS   RECORDED. 

While  the  preceding  chapters  deal  with  history,  largely  speculative 
and  inferential,  leading  up  to  the  year  1804,  when  the  United  States  took 
possession  of  Upper  Louisiana,  the  present  chapter  is  the  story  based  on 
actual  facts  from  1804  to  1812,  of  the  Central  Boonslick  country,  and 
particularly  that  portion  of  the  same  on  the  south  and  north  banks  of 
the  Missouri,  in  what  is  now  the  northern  part  of  Cooper  County  and  the 
southern  part  of  Howard.  So  intimately  correlated  are  the  events  on 
both  banks  of  the  river,  that  the  story  of  one  is  the  story  of  the  other. 

Over  a  century  of  time  has  elapsed  since  the  first  hardy  pioneer  built 
his  cabin  in  the  wilderness  which  is  now  known  to  the  world  as  Cooper 
county.  During  the  period  which  has  passed  since  the  first  settler  braved 
the  hardships  and  privations  of  the  unknown  and  undeveloped  country 
bordering  upon  the  shores  of  the  mighty  Missouri,  a  wonderful  trans- 
formation has  taken  place. 

Cooper  County  has  risen  to  become  one  of  the  wealthiest  in  Missouri 
and  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  value  of  farm  crops  and  farm  wealth.  It 
has  become  famous  for  enterprise  and  industry,  and  ranks  among  the 
first  counties  of  the  great  state  of  Missouri  in  the  prosperity  of  her 
citizens.     All  this  has  been  accomplished  by  the  men  and  women  who 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  53 

have  delved  into  its  rich  soil  and  developed  the  limitless  resources  of  the 
county. 

It  has  furnished  to  the  state  and  nation  men  eminent  in  the  councils 
of  both  and  famed  in  statesmanship.  Its  citizens  have  won  distinction 
in  the  professions  and  in  letters,  have  been  in  the  van  of  advanced  agri- 
culture, horticulture  and  stock-breeding,  and  have  in  remote  sections  of 
our  great  country,  carried  with  them  the  vigor  of  mind  and  body  that 
shed  luster  in  their  adopted  homes. 

Schools  have  multiplied  and  towns  have  been  built  upon  the  broad 
expanse  of  her  territory ;  the  old  trails  have  given  away  to  well-kept 
highways;  steam  locomotives  haul  palatial  trains  where  once  the  slow 
moving  ox-teams  transported  merchandise  to  and  from  the  Missouri. 

Even  the  buggy  and  carriage,  once  the  evidence  of  prosperity,  have 
been  superceded  lay  the  more  elegant,  more  comfortable  and  speedier 
means  of  travel,  the  automobile.  The  telegraph,  the  telephone  and  the 
wireless  have  bound  together  distant  communities.  Distance  has  been 
eliminated  and  time  conserved. 

The  history  of  Cooper  County,  from  t^he  time  of  the  red  men  and  the 
first  hardy  adventurers  and  pioneers,  involves  a  wondrous  story  which 
is  well  worth  preserving.  States  and  nations  preserve  their  history,  but 
the  story  of  a  county  and  its  creation  and  development  touches  a  chord 
of  home  life  and  home  making  which  is  dearer  and  nearer  than  that 
which  is  purely  informational. 

Danie!  Boone,  whose  name  is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  early 
pioneer  history  of  Kentucky,  when  an  old  man,  lost  his  holdings  in 
that  state  by  reason  of  defective  land  titles.  Though  learned  in  wood- 
craft and  versatile  in  Indian  lore,  he  knew  little  of  man-made  laws. 
Chagrined  and  baffled,  but  with  never  quailing  heart,  he  determined  to 
move  farther  west  where  he  would  not  be  elbowed  by  a  crowding  civil- 
ization. He  secured  a  grant  of  land  on  the  Femme  Osage,  in  what  is 
now  St.  Charles  County,  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  eventually  located 
there  about  1797.  He  was  strong  and  vigorous,  and  for  several  years 
thereafter  hunted  and  trapped  up  and  down  the  Missouri  River,  depend- 
ing solely  and  alone  upon  nature  and  his  trusty  rifle  for  all  his  wants. 

When  Hunt,  in  his  expedition  across  the  continent,  on  Jan.  17,  1811, 
touched  with  his  boats  at  Charette,  one  of  the  old  villages  founded  by  the 
original  French  colonists,  he  met  with  Daniel  Boone.  This  renowned 
patriarch  of  Kentucky,  who  had  kept  in  advance  of  civilization  and  on  the 
borders  of  the  wilderness,  was  still  leading  a  hunter's  life,  though  then  in 


54  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

his  83d  year.  He  had  but  recently  returned  from  a  hunting  and  trapping 
expedition,  and  had  brought  nearly  60  beaver  skins  as  trophies  of  his 
skill.  This  old  man  was  still  erect  in  form,  strong  of  limb  and  unflinching 
in  spirit.  As  he  stood  on  the  river  bank,  watching  the  departure  of  an 
expedition  destined  to  traverse  the  wilderness  to  the  very  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  very  probably  his  pulse  beat  the  faster  and  he  felt  a  throb  of  his 
old  pioneer  spirit  impelling  him  to  shoulder  his  rifle,  and  join  the  adven- 
turous band  that  was  to  travel  lands  heretofore  unexplored,  again  braving 
the  wilderness  and  the  savage. 

Boone  flourished  several  yeai-s  after  this  meeting  in  a  vigorous  old 
age,  the  master  of  hunters  and  backwoodsmen,  and  he  died  full  of  sylvan 
honor  and  renown,  in  1820,  in  his  92d  year. 

John  Peck,  that  noted  pioneer  Baptist  preacher,  in  his  memoirs  of 
the  Louisiana  Territory,  thus  describes  Boone: 

"His  high,  bold  forehead  was  slightly  bald,  and  his  silvered  locks 
were  combed  smooth,  his  countenance  was  ruddy  and  fair  and  exhibited 
the  simplicity  of  a  child,  a  smile  frequently  played  over  his  countenance; 
in  conversation  his  voice  was  soft  and  melodious;  at  repeated  interviews 
an  irritable  expression  was  never  heard ;  his  clothing  was  the  coarse,  plain 
manufacture  of  the  family,  but  every  thing  denoted  that  kind  of  com- 
fort that  was  congenial  to  his  habits  and  feelings,  and  evinced  a  busy, 
happy  old  age.  His  room  was  a  part  of  a  range  of  log  cabins  kept  in  order 
by  his  affectionate  daughters  and  grand  daughters.  Every  member  of  the 
household  appeared  to  take  delight  in  administering  to  his  comforts ;  he 
was  sociable  and  communicative  in  replying  to  questions,  but  did  not  intro- 
duce incidents  of  his  own  history.  He  was  intelligent,  for  he  had  treas- 
ured up  the  experience  and  observation  of  more  than  fourscore  years 
"not  moody  and  unsociable  as  if  desirous  of  shunning  society  and  civil- 
ization."    This  was  in  1816,  four  years  before  the  death  of  Boone. 

This  brief  mention  of  Daniel  Boone  is  but  a  small  tribute  to  the  man 
from  whom,  because  of  his  noble  traits  and  unique  career,  the  Boonslick 
Country.  Boone  County,  and  Boonville  take  their  names. 

Boonslick  Country. — In  one  of  his  many  hunting  and  trapping  expe- 
ditions, Boone  came  into  Hov/ard  County  and  discovered  certain  salt 
ings,  about  eight  miles  northwest  of  what  is  now  Now  Franklin.  These 
springs  were  for  many  years  thereafter  known  as  Boonslick,  from  them 
this  section  of  country  took  its  name.  All  of  the  present  state  of  Mis- 
souri lying  west  of  Cedar  Creek  and  north  and  west  of  the  Osage  river, 
and  extending  practically  to  what  is  now  the  state  line  on  the  west  and 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER  COUNTY  55 

north,  was  for  many  years  known  as  the  Boonslick  Country.  The  first 
settlers  who  came  to  this  section  knew  it  only  by  that  name,  as  at  that 
time  no  counties  were  formed  in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  There  is 
no  reliable  evidence  nor  substantial  tradition  that  Boone  ever  permanently 
resided  at  this  Lick,  but  it  is  certain  that  he  camped  near  there,  prob- 
ably on  many  occasions.  Nor  is  there  substantial  evidence  that  be  ever 
resided  in  the  present  county  of  Cooper,  yet  it  is  very  probable  that  he 
frequently  crossed  to  the  south  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  and  trapped 
and  hunted  along  the  Missouri  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County. 

Samuel  Cole,  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  white  families  which  settled 
in  the  present  limits  of  Cooper  County,  has  been  positive  in  his  statement 
that  Daniel  Boone  never  lived  farther  west  than  St.  Charles  County.  The 
conclusion,  therefore,  is  inevitable  that  those  who  have  assumed  that 
Boone  ever  resided  permanently  in  either  Howard  or  Cooper  County  are 
in  error.  However,  John  W.  Peck,  who  in  the  early  days  traveled  in  this 
section,  gives  a  very  interesting  account  of  his  observations  and  experi- 
ences. 

A  few  years  before  the  old  hunter's  death,  Peck  visited  him  in  his 
home  in  what  is  now  St.  Charles  County.  He  states  that  Boone  pitched 
his  tent  for  one  winter  at  the  salt  springs,  afterwards  known  as  Boone's 
Lick,  and  later  put  up  a  cabin  there.  Mr.  Peck  does  not  give  the  date. 
The  presumption  is  that  he  got  his  information  from  the  lips  of  the  old 
hunter  himself,  and  we  would  further  suppose  that  Boone  camped  there 
between  the  years  1797  and  1804,  likely  nearer  the  former  date  than  the 
latter  for  the  reason  that  he  was  at  that  time  younger  and  more  robust, 
and  more  inclined  than  he  was  later  to  enjoy  sylvan  sports,  the  chase  and 
the  hunt. 

First  Temporary  Settlements. — Joseph  Marie,  in  the  year  1800,  set- 
tled upon  lands  situated  near  what  is  known  as  "Eagle's  Nest",  about  one 
mile  southwest  of  where  Fort  Kincaid  was  afterward  erected,  in  what  is 
now  Franklin  township,  Howard  County,  and  erected  improvements 
thereon.  This  has  been  controverted,  but  we  give  it  again  for  what  it  is 
worth. 

The"  first  authentic  record  we  have  dealing  with  any  settlement  is  a 
deed  executed  in  the  year  1816,  transferring  the  above  lands  by  this  same 
Joseph  Marie  to  Asa  Morgan,  whose  name  is  so  intimately  connected  with 
some  of  the  first  land  deals  in  this  section,  and  who  with  Lucas  laid  out 
the  town  of  Boonville.     We  give  this  deed  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

Also  in  the  year  1800,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Upper  Louisiana, 


56  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Charles  Dehault  Delasus,  granted  to  Ira  P.  Nash,  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  what  is  now  Howard  County.  This  land  was  surveyed  on  Jan.  26, 
1804,  and  certified  to  on  Feb.  15th  of  that  year.  We  also  append  at  the 
end  of  this  chapter  a  copy  of  the  deed  transferring  this  land.  In  the  latter 
part  of  February,  Ira  P.  Nash  the  above  named,  a  Deputy  United  States 
surveyor,  together  with  Stephen  Hancock  and  Stephen  Jackson,  came  up 
the  Missouri  River  and  located  a  claim  on  public  lands  nearly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Lamine  River,  north  of  Cooper  County.  They  remained 
there  until  March,  of  the  same  year,  employing  their  time  in  surveying, 
hunting  and  fishing,  and  during  that  month  returned  to  their  homes,  on 
the  Missouri  River,  about  five  miles  above  St.  Charles. 

In  July  of  the  same  year,  Ira  P.  Nash,  with  James  H.  Whiteside, 
William  Clark  arid  Daniel  Hubbard  came  again  into  what  is  now  Howard 
County,  and  surveyed  a  tract  of  land  near  the  present  site  of  Old  Franklin. 
On  this  trip,  it  is  stated,  Mr.  Nash  claimed  that  on  his  former  trip  when  he 
came  up  the  river  in  February,  he  had  left  a  compass  in  a  certain  hollow 
tree.  He  and  two  other  companions  started  out  to  find  it,  and  agreed  to 
meet  the  remainder  of  the  company  the  next  day  at  what  was  known  as 
"Boone's  and  Barkley's  Lick."  This  he  did,  bringing  the  compass  with 
him,  thus  proving  beyond  a  doubt  that  he  had  visited  the  country  before. 
This  incident  is  remembered  as  having  been  important,  in  the  early  days, 
in  bearing  on  the  title  of  Nash's  land. 

Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition. — When  Lewis  and  Clark  in  their  won- 
derful exploring  expedition  across  the  continent  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  came 
up  the  Missouri  river,  they  arrived  near  where  the  Boone  Femme  flows 
into  the  Missouri  river,  on  the  north  side,  and  camped  there  for  the  night. 
This  was  on  June  7,  1804.  <  When  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Moniteau  Creek,  they  found  a  point  of  rocks  covered  with  strange  heirog- 
lyphic  paintings  that  deeply  aroused  their  interest,  but  this  place  was 
infested  with  such  a  large  number  of  rattlesnakes,  that  a  closer  examina- 
tion was  rendered  hazardous  and  practically  impossible.  As  they  traveled 
up  the  river  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lamine  on  June  8th  and 
on  the  9th  they  reached  what  is  now  Arrow  Rock.  This  expedition  re- 
turned from  its  journey  in  1806,  after  thrilling  experiences,  having  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  all  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  sent  out. 

In  passing  down  the  Missouri  River,  on  Sept.  18th,  the  expedition 
camped  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Lamine.     Passing  up  the  Missouri  in  1804,  and  down  on  their  return  trip 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  57 

in  1806,  they  passed  the  present  sites  of  Boonville  and  Franklin,  and 
doubtless  made  short  explorations  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

The  next  positive  evidence  that  we  have  of  any  white  person  being  in 
the  country  is  the  following: 

Nathan  and  Daniel  Boone  Make  Salt  at  Boonslick. — In  1807,  Nathan 
and  Daniel  M.  Boone,  sons  of  old  Daniel  Boone,  who  lived  with  their  father 
in  what  is  now  St.  Charles  County,  about  25  miles  west  of  the  city  of  St. 
Charles,  on  the  Femme  Osage  Creek,  came  up  the  Missouri  River  and 
manufactured  salt  at  Boone's  Lick  in  what  is  now  Howard  County.  After 
they  had  manufactured  a  considerable  amount  of  salt  they  shipped  it 
down  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  where  they  sold  it.  It  is  thought  by  many 
that  this  is  the  first  instance  of  salt  being  manufactured  in  what  was  at 
that  time  a  part  of  the  territory  of  Louisiana,  now  the  state  of  Missouri, 
however  soon  after  this  sale  was  manufactured  in  large  quantiitiies,  salt 
licks  being  discovered  in  many  parts  of  the  state. 

These  were  the  first  white  persons  who  remained  for  any  length  of 
time  in  the  Boonslick  country,  but  they  were  not  permanent  settlers.  They 
came  only  to  make  salt  or  hunt,  and  left  soon  thereafter. 

So  far  as  authentic  records  give  us  light,  the  foregoing  were  the  first 
white  settlers  who  came  to  this  section  of  the  Boonslick  country.  Thus 
we  see  that  prior  to  1808  three  parties  had  entered  it  while  on  exploring 
and  surveying  expeditions.  Two  parties  had  been  to  its  fine  salt  licks  to 
make  salt.  It  must  not  be  assumed,  however,  that  these  were  the  first 
white  men  who  came  into  this  section  of  the  state.  There  had  been  for 
many  years  settlements  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  and  especially  on 
the  Mississippi  River.  Doubtless  many  of  these  hardy  pioneers,  on  their 
hunting  expeditions,  tracked  the  forest  to  the  Boonslick  country.  Many 
years  before  1800,  French  traders  and  Spanish  voyageurs  were  wont  to 
trap,  hunt  and  traffic  with  the  Indians,  up  and  down  the  Missouri  River. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  these  white  men  who  came  to  this  section  were  not 
looked  upon  by  the  Indians  in  surprise  and  wonder.  They  knew  the  ways 
of  the  white  man,  and  gave  evidence  of  having  had  previous  dealings  with 
him. 

Christy  and  Heath  Make  Salt  in  Cooper  County.— William  Christy 
and  John  J.  Heath  came  up  from  St.  Louis  in  1808,  and  manufactured  salt 
in  what  is  now  Blackwater  township,  Cooper  County,  at  a  place  now  known 
as  Heath's  Lick.  For  years  afterwards,  Heath  made  salt  at  the  same 
place  every  summer  and  shipped  it  to  St.  Louis,  in  hollow  logs  closed  at 


58  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

each  end  by  chunks  of  wood  and  clay.  The  salt  springs  where  Heath's 
salt  works  were  located  is  known  as  Heath's  Creek,  named  after  him,  as 
was  also  Heath's  Lick. 

In  1804,  when  the  United  States  took  formal  possession  of  the  province 
of  of  Louisiana,  it  became  the  territory  of  Louisiana,  and  was  afterwards 
divided  into  the  Upper  Louisiana  Territory,  and  the  Orleans,  or  Lower 
Louisiana  Territory,  to  the  former  of  which  this  section  belonged.  It  was 
then  that  the  rugged  American  pioneer  looked  with  longing  eyes  towards 
the  West,  seeking  cheap  lands,  a  new  home  and  adventure.  Soon  there 
started  a  stream  of  immigration  from  the  south,  east  and  north,  but  the 
first  settlers  were  principally  from  the  southern  states. 

Benjamin  Cooper  First  Settler  in  Boonslick  Country. — Benjamin 
Cooper  was  the  first  permanent  settler  in  the  section.  In  the  spring  of 
the  year  1808,  he  and  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  five  sons, 
moved  to  the  Boonslick  country,  about  two  miles  southwest  of  Boonslick 
in  the  Missouri  River  bottom.  Here  he  had  sought  cheaper  lands  and  a 
new  home,  together  with  the  necessary  adventures  second  to  his  sturdy 
nature.  He  built  a  cabin  cleared  a  small  piece  of  ground  and  began  the 
preliminary  work  for  a  permanent  home.  However,  he  was  located  so  far 
beyond  the  protection  of  the  government  that  Governor  Merriweather 
Lewis,  then  governor  of  the  territory  issued  an  order  directing  him  to 
return  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  River.  Cooper  was  so  far  ad- 
vanced in  the  Indian  country,  and  so  far  away  from  the  protection  of  the 
government,  that  in  case  of  Indian  wars,  he  would  be  without  other  aid 
and  unable  to  protect  himself  against  the  depredations  of  the  ruthless 
savages.  So  he  returned  to  Loutre  Island,  about  four  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Gasconade  River,  and  remained  there  until  the  year  1810. 
This  precaution  was  perhaps  due  to  the  fact  that  Indians  were  being 
stirred  and  exploited  by  our  then  quandam  friends,  the  English,  in  some 
cases  being  supplied  by  them  with  guns  and  ammunition. 

As  Stephen  Cole  and  Hannah  Cole  and  families  were  the  first  perma- 
nent settlers  in  Cooper  County,  it  may  be  of  special  interest  to  the  reader 
to  learn  something  about  them. 

Stephen  Cole  ;ind  William  Temple  Cole  Fight  With  Indians. — Stephen 
Cole  and  William  Temple  Cole  were  bora  in  New  River,  Wythe  County. 
Virginia.  There  they  married  sisters  named  Allison,  and  emigrated  to 
the  southern  part  of  the  Cumberland,  Wayne  County.  Kentucky.  In  1807, 
they  came  to  Upper  Louisiana,  and  settled  on  or  near  Loutre  Island,  about 
the  same  time  that  the  Coopers  settled  on  that  island. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  59 

In  1810,  a  roving  band  of  about  eighteen  Pottowattomies,  led  by  a 
war  chief  named  Nessotingineg,  stole  a  number  of  horses  from  the  settlers 
of  Loutre  Island  on  the  Missouri.  A  volunteer  company  consisting  of 
Stephen  Cole,  William  Temple  Cole,  Sarshall  Brown,  Nicholas  Gooch, 
Abraham  Potts,  and  James  Mordock,  was  formed  with  Stephen  Cole,  then 
captain  of  the  militia  of  Loutre  Island,  as  leader.  The  company  proposed 
to  follow  the  Indians  and  recapture  the  stolen  property. 

The  volunteer  company  followed  the  Indians  up  the  Loutre  Creek, 
about  20  miles,  and  came  to  a  place  where  the  Indians  had  peeled  bark, 
evidently  to  make  halters,  there  the  white  men  stopped  for  the  night. 
The  next  morning  they  followed  the  Indian  trail  about  thirty  miles  across 
Grand  Prairie,  just  as  they  emerged  from  a  small  patch  of  timber,  sud- 
denly discovered  the  Indians  with  the  horses. 

William  Temple  Cole  and  Sarshall  Brown,  on  the  fastest  horses, 
started  in  pursuit,  the  others  following  them.  So  hard  did  they  press 
their  pursuit  upon  the  Indians,  who  did  not  know  the  number  of  whites 
chasing  them,  and  who  were  apprehensive  that  they  might  be  captured  in 
their  wild  flight,  that  they  threw  their  packs  into  a  plum  thicket  near  a 
pool  of  water,  and  they  scattered  in  the  woods.  These  packs,  consisting 
of  buffalo  robes,  deer  skins  and  partly  tanned  leather,  they  had  stolen  from 
Sarshall  Brown. 

Night  overtaking  the  party,  they  went  into  camp  on  the  Waters  of 
Salt  River  at  a  place  known  as  Bonelick,  65  miles  from  the  Loutre  settle- 
ment, and  about  a  mile  or  two  northwest  of  the  present  city  of  Mexico,  in 
Audrain  County.  Here  contrary  to  the  advice  of  their  leader  Stephen 
Cole,  they  without  posting  any  sentinels,  tied  their  horses  in  the  thicket. 
After  broiling  some  meat  for  supper,  they  went  to  sleep,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Stephen  Cole,  who  with  the  sagacity  of  the  experienced  frontiers- 
man, was  apprehensive  of  an  attack.  They  had  not  been  asleep  long, 
when  Cole  thought  he  heard  the  cracking  of  a  bush.  He  told  his  bi-other 
to  get  up,  for  he  believed  the  Indians  were  near.  However  everything 
remained  still,  and  solemn  quietude  prevailed.  Stephen  Cole  pulled  his 
saddle  against  his  back  and  shoulders,  and  sought  again  his  repose  after 
the  hard  day's  chase,  but  still  impressed  with  impending  danger.  The 
Indians,  who  had  crawled  up  so  near  that,  by  the  light  of  the  little  camp 
fire,  they  could  see  the  faces  of  their  unsuspecting  victims,  waited  but  a 
short  time  till  all  was  quiet  then  they  opened  a  volley  upon  the  party, 
instantly  killing  Gooch  and  Brown,  wounding  William  Temple  Cole  and 
another  one  of  the  men.     A  hand-to-hand  struggle  between  the  Indians 


60  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

and  Stephen  Cole  then  took  place  in  which  Cole  killed  four  Indians  and 
wounded  a  fifth ;  the  remaining  members  of  the  Indian  band  disappeared. 

Stephen  Cole  then  went  into  a  nearby  pool  and  squatted  in  the  water 
to  wash  the  blood  from  the  many  wounds  which  he  had  received.  After 
a  little  while  the  Indians  returned,  found  Temple  Cole  and  killed  him. 
Patton,  who  had  managed  to  get  off  some  distance,  also  was  found  dead 
near  a  little  sapling.  Stephen  Cole,  after  stanching  the  flow  of  blood  from 
his  wounds  left  the  scene  of  the  bloody  encounter.  The  next  morning, 
after  he  had  gone  about  two  or  three  miles,  he  sat  down  on  a  small  gopher 
hill  to  rest,  when  he  discovered  two  mounted  Indians  some  distance  away. 
They  eyed  him  for  a  few  minutes,  then  wheeled  their  horses  and  disap- 
peared. He  reached  the  settlement  on  the  third  day  nearly  famished, 
having  had  not  a  morsel  to  eat  during  all  this  time.  James  Moredock 
escaped  unhurt,  and  it  is  said  that  if  he  had  acted  with  one-half  the 
bravery  of  Stephen  Cole,  the  Indians  would  have  been  defeated. 

Samuel  Cole,  a  son  of  William  Temple  Cole,  says  that  the  Indians  did 
not  scalp  the  whites  in  this  encounter.  Peace  was  supposed  to  prevail 
between  the  Indians  and  settlers.  This  skirmish  proved  to  be  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Indian  troubles  on  the  Missouri  River. 

It  is  possible  that  this  band  of  Pottowattomies  had  been  on  the  war 
path  against  the  Osages,  and  since  the  war  trail  from  the  Pottowattomies' 
led  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade,  near  which  Loutre  Island  is  situated 
in  the  Missouri  River,  the  temptation  to  steal  some  of  the  horses  of  the 
settlers  had  been  too  great  for  the  Indians  to  forego.  At  any  rate,  so  far 
as  we  know  they  did  no  personal  injury  to  the  settlers,  except  yielding  to 
their  penchant  for  stealing.  If  they  had  been  bent  upon  more  serious 
mischief,  they  undoubtedly  could  and  would  have  perpetrated  it. 

James  Cole,  a  son  of  Stephen  Cole,  says  that  in  this  fight  Stephen 
Cole  received  26  wounds,  and  that  on  his  way  home  he  chewed  some  elm 
bark  and  placed  it  on  his  wounds.  Stephen  Cole  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  near  El  Paso  in  1824.  Cole  was  a  strong, 
virile,  robust,  uneducated,  but  sagacious  frontiersman.  On  one  occasion 
he  was  present  at  a  session  of  the  legislature,  says  Houck,  when  two  mem- 
bers who  had  been  opponents  in  a  spirited  debate  during  the  session, 
engaged  in  a  fight,  after  adjournment  for  the  day  and  clinched.  This  was 
a  common  occurrence  in  those  days  when  physical  strength  and  prowess 
were  so  greatly  esteemed.  Governor  McNair,  who  happened  to  be  pres- 
ent, tried  to  separate  them,  but  Cole  seized  the  governor  and  pulled  him 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  61 

away,  saying,  "In  sich  a  scrimmage  a  governor  is  no  more  than  any  other 
man." 

Saukees  and  Renards  Meet  with  General  Clark. — It  was  shortly  after 
the  Loutre  Island  incident  that  a  delegation  of  the  Saukees  or  Sacs,  and 
the  Renards  or  Foxes,  had  a  meeting  with  General  Clark  in  St.  Louis  and 
assured  him  that  they  were  peaceably  inclined.  Quashquama,  in  a  speech 
to  Clark,  said:  "My  father,  I  left  my  home  to  see  my  great-grandfather, 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  but  as  I  cannot  proceed  to  see  him,  I 
give  you  my  hand  as  to  himself.  I  have  no  father  to  whom  I  have  paid 
any  attention  but  yourself.  If  you  hear  anything,  I  hope  that  you  will 
let  me  know,  and  I  will  do  the  same.  I  have  been  advised  several  times  to 
raise  the  tomahawk.  Since  the  last  war  we  have  looked  upon  the  Amer- 
icans as  friends,  and  I  shall  hold  you  fast  by  the  hand.  The  Great  Spirit 
has  not  put  us  on  the  earth  to  war  with  the  whites.  We  have  never  struck 
a  white  man.  If  we  go  to  war  it  is  with  the  red  flesh.  Other  nations  send 
belts  among  us,  and  urge  us  to  war.  They  say  that  if  we  do  not,  the 
Americans  will  encroach  upon  us,  and  drive  us  off  our  lands." 

This  was  fine-sounding  and  very  romantic  speech  in  light  of  what  fol- 
lowed. In  the  war  that  started  in  1812,  and  from  then  until  its  close, 
in  1815,  these  same  Saukees  and  Renards,  some  of  whom  lived  in  this  sec- 
tion, committed  atrocious  deeds,  and  gave  the  early  pioneer  settlers  much 
trouble.  But  all  the  tribulations  of  the  settlers  at  this  time  cannot  be 
attributed  to  these  tribes  alone,  as  other  roving  bands  of  savages  infested 
'the  country. 

This  section  of  the  Boonslick  country  was  not  destined  to  be  left  long 
to  the  reign  of  the  wild  beasts  and  the  savage  Indians.  It  was  attractive 
and  presented  advantages  which  those  seeking  homes  where  they  could 
find  the  richest  of  lands  and  the  most  healthful  of  climates,  could  not  and 
did  not  fail  to  perceive.  Its  fertile  soil  promised,  with  little  labor,  the 
most  abundant  of  harvests.  Its  forests  were  filled  with  every  variety  of 
game,  and  its  streams  with  all  kinds  of  fish.  It  is  no  wonder  that  those 
seeking  homes  looked  upon  this  section  as  a  "promised  land",  where  pro- 
visions could  be  found,  and  that  they  should  select  and  settle  the  rich 
lands  here,  accomodating  themselves  to  the  scanty  fare  of  the  wilderness, 
and  risking  all  the  dangers  from  the  wild  beasts  and  the  Indians  who  lived 
in  great  numbers  nearby. 

Two  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  Benjamin  Cooper  and  after 
his  removal  to  Loutre  Island,  the  first  permanent  and  abiding  settlement 


62  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

was  made  in  this  section  this  was  but  a  forerunner  of  the  stream  of  emi- 
gration which  soon  followed. 

Coopers  and  Coles  Settle  Permanently. — On  Feb.  20,  1810,  Benjamin 
Cooper  with  several  others  returned  to  what  is  now  Howard  County.  They 
came  up  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  from  Loutre  Island,  and  all  of  ' 
them,  except  Hannah  Cole,  the  widow  of  William  Temple  Cole,  and  her 
family  and  Stephen  Cole  and  his  family,  settled  in  Howard  County,  north 
of  the  Missouri  River. 

Hannah  Cole  and  Stephen  Cole,  together  with  their  families,  settled 
in  what  is  now  Cooper  County;  Stephen  Cole  settled  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  east  of  Boonville,  at  what  is  now  called  the  old  "Fort  Field" 
once  owned  by  J.  L.  Stephens ;  and  Hannah  Cole,  in  what  is  now  East 
Boonville,  on  the  big  bluffs  overlooking  the  river  at  a  point  of  rocks  where 
the  old  lime  kiln  was  located. 

Benjamin  Cooper  settled  in  Howard  County,  at  the  same  pmce  and  in 
the  cabin  which  he  had  built  two  years  before.  This  cabin  had  not  been 
disturbed  by  the  Indians,  although  they  had  occupied  all  the  adjacent 
country,  and  doubtless  had  passed  it  many  times. 

When  the  families  of  Hannah  Cole  and  Stephen  Cole,  settled  in  what 
is  now  Cooper  County,  there  was  no  white  American  living  in  Missouri 
west  of  Franklin  and  south  of  the  Missouri.  Those  who  came  with  them 
and  settled  north  of  the  Missouri  were  their  nearest  white  neighbors,  but 
most  of  these  were  two  or  three  miles  distant  from  them. 

Names  of  First  Permanent  Settlers  South  of  River. — The  families' 
that  were  the  first  settlers  south  of  the  river  were  composed  of  the  follow- 
ing members:  Hannah  Cole,  the  widow  of  William  Temple  Cole,  and  her 
children  Jennie,  Mattie,  Dickey,  Nellie,  James,  Holburt,  Stephen,  William 
and  Samuel ;  Stephen  Cole,  and  Phoebe,  his  wife,  and  their  children,  James. 
Rhoda,  Mark,  Nellie  and  Polly,  making  seventeen  members  in  the  two 
families  who  made  the  first  settlement  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County,  but 
what  was  then  a  wilderness,  untrodden  save  by  savages.  Here  they  were 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  Indians,  who  pretended  to  be  friendly,  and 
who  stoically  camouflaged  their  malice,  but  sought  every  opportunity  to 
commit  petit  larceny  and  other  depredations  upon  the  settlers.  All  of 
these  have  gone  beyond  the  Great  Divide.  They  have  passed  their  brief 
hour  upon  a  stage,  filled  with  thrilling  adventures.  Each  lived  in  his  own 
limited  sphere,  has  passed  on  and  is  seen  no  more.  Their  memories  are 
perpetrated;  their  noble  deeds  and   self-sacrifices  are  cherished.     Their 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  63 

descendants  are  many  and  are  scattered  throughout  the  different  counties 
of  this  state,  and  the  west  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Conditions  Met. — When  the  Coopers  and  the  Coles  came  to  this  sec- 
tion, there  was  neither  road  nor  path  for  them  to  pass  through  the  wilder- 
ness, save  here  and  there  the  trail  of  the  savage  or  the  path  of  the  wild 
beast.  They  had  to  take  care  as  the  course  in  which  to  travel  any  open- 
ing which  they  could  find  in  the  thickets  or  through  the  forest,  that  would 
permit  the  passage  of  their  wagons  and  animals,  and  frequently  were  com- 
pelled to  chop  their  way  through  with  the  axe,  an  essential  accouterment 
of  the  early  pioneer. 

When  they  arrived  where  old  Franklin  now  stands,  Hannah  and 
Stephen  Cole  looked  with  longing  eyes  to  the  beckoning  forests  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  and  desiring  to  cross  the  river  with  their  families, 
were  compelled  to  use  a  large  canoe  or  perogue,  as  it  was  then  called, 
compelling  their  horses  to  swim  behind  them.  At  this  time  throughout 
Cooper  County  up  and  down  the  south  side  of  the  Missouri,  the  land  was 
covered  by  a  vast  forest,  extending  several  miles  inland.  The  Saukee,  or 
Sacs,  and  Renards,  or  Foxes,  were  their  only  neighbors.  The  Saukee 
under  their  leader,  Quashquami,  lived  on  the  Moniteau  Creek  in  the  south 
part  of  Cooper  County.  They  were  in  a  measure  nomadic,  and  moved 
from  place  to  place  seeking  the  easier  and  better  hunting  ground. 

When  these  brave  settlers  first  came  here,  the  Indians  professed  to 
be  friendly  to  them,  and  gave  apparent  evidence  of  desiring  to  live  in  peace 
and  amity,  but  as  is  generally  true  with  all  savages,  they  were  petty 
thieves,  stole  horses  and  committed  various  other  depredations.  During 
the  war  of  1812,  these  Indians  took  sides  with  the  British  against  the 
Americans.  After  the  conclusion  of  the  war  the  Saukee  Indians  were 
ordered  off  to  the  Grand  River,  and  from  thence  to  Rock  River.  Other 
chiefs  with  whom  the  early  settlers  came  in  contact  during  this  time,  were 
Keokuk  and  Blundo,  the  latter  one,  half  French,  the  other  a  full  blooded 
Indiana. 

The  whites  of  that  day,  although  they  well  knew  the  treachery  of 
the  Indians,  were  accustomed  to  hunt  and  fish  with  them  and  at  times  to 
visit  them  at  their  villages.  When  in  the  presence  of  the  whites,  the 
Indians  were  kind  and  accomodating,  yet  the  settlers  always  endeavored 
to  guard  against  the  wary  savage  and  his  treachery. 

In  the  Indian  war  of  1832.  known  as  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Blundo  was 
really  and  according  to  the  Indian  law  and  tradition  chief  of  the  tribe, 


64  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

but  Black  Hawk,  a  wily  and  restless  agitator,  seemed  to  sway  his  fellow 
savages  and  became  in  this  war  the  leader  of  the  Saukees  and  Renards, 
sometimes  called  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  what  is  now  Cooper  County,  wild  game 
of  all  kinds  was  very  abundant,  and  was  so  tame  as  not  to  be  easily  fright- 
ened at  the  approach  of  the  white  man.  This  game  furnished  the  settlers 
with  all  their  meat,  and,  in  fact,  with  all  the  provisions  that  they  used 
for  most  of  the  time  they  had  little  else  than  meat. 

There  were  large  numbers  of  deer,  wild  turkeys,  elk,  and  large  ani- 
mals, and  to  use  the  expression  of  an  old  settler,  "They  could  be  killed  as 
easily  as  sheep  are  now  killed  in  our  pastures."  The  settlers  spent  most 
of  their  time  hunting  and  fishing,  as  it  was  a  needless  waste  to  plant  crops 
to  be  destroyed  by  the  wild  game.  Small  game,  such  as  squirrels,  rabbits 
and  the  like  swarmed  so  abundantly  around  the  homes  of  the  settlers  and 
in  such  numbers  that  when  the  men  attempted  to  raise  a  crop  of  any  kind 
they  were  forced  to  kill  the  small  game  in  large  numbers  in  order  to  save 
a  part  of  it.  But  these  inoffensive  animals,  dangerous  only  to  their  crops, 
were  not  the  only  ones  which  filled  the  forests.  Such  terrible  and  blood 
thirsty  wild  beasts  as  the  bear  and  the  panther  could  be  seen  very  often 
lying  in  wait  for  any  unwary  traveler  who  ventured  near  their  lairs. 

Where  the  present  residences  of  E.  A.  Windsor  and  M.  E.  Schmidt 
now  stand  in  the  city  of  Boonville,  a  panther  which  measured  eleven  feet 
from  the  end  of  its  nose  to  the  tip  of  its  tail,  was  one  day  killed  by  Samuel 
Cole.  This  panther  was  thought  to  be  one  of  the  largest  ever  killed  in  the 
state  of  Missouri. 

Thus  were  the  early  settlers  and  their  families  abundantly  provided 
with  meat  and  food  by  nature.  Their  menu  was  brief,  but  it  was  enough 
to  supply  with  vitality  the  red  corpuscles  that  coursed  through  their  veins 
and  gave  them  rugged  health,  vigor  and  strength  of  body.  The  domestic 
animals  also  were  furnished  with  everything  necessary  to  their  well-being. 
The  grasses  were  so  good  during  the  whole  year  that  the  stock  lived  with- 
out being  fed  by  their  owners.  Even  when  the  ground  was  covered  with 
snow,  the  animals,  taught  by  instinct,  would  in  a  few  minutes  claw  from 
under  the  snow  enough  grass  to  last  them  for  the  day.  The  only  use  for 
corn,  of  which  the  settlers  planted  very  little,  was  to  make  bread.  Bread 
made  from  corn  was  the  only  kind  they  had. 

These  first  settlers  of  what  is  now  Cooper  County,  remained  here 
nearly  two  years  without  any  neighbors  nearer  than  those  on  the  opposite 


■ 


mi  i 


i       1 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  65 

side  of  the  Missouri.  For  nearly  two  years  they  encountered  alone  the 
dangers  of  the  forest,  and  lived  in  peace  and  quietness,  although  at  times 
they  feared  an  attack  from  the  Indians  who  lived  south  and  west  of  them. 
The  treacherous  nature  of  the  Indian  as  well  as  because  Cooper  was  in  fact 
trespassing  upon  the  lands  of  the  Indians,  was  the  reason  that  Merri- 
weather  Lewis,  then  governor  of  the  territory,  issued  the  order  directing 
Benjamin  Cooper  to  return  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  River,  from 
his  first  settlement  in  what  is  now  known  as  Howard  County. 

The  Indians  with  which  our  early  settlers  had  to  contend  were  idle, 
shiftless,  vicious  and  treacherous.  In  the  presence  of  the  white  settlers 
they  were  apparently  frank,  accomodating  and  kind,  yet  they  nursed  the 
tradition  that  the  white  man  was  their  natural  enemy,  and  would  event- 
ually dispossess  them  of  their  "happy  hunting  grounds." 

Names  of  First  Settlers  in  Boonslick  Country  and  Whence  They 
Came. — Those  who  settled  in  the  Central  Boonslick  country  in  1810  are 
as  follows:  From  Madison  County,  Ky.,  Lieut.-Col.  Benjamin  Cooper. 
Francis  Cooper,  William  Cooper,  Daniel  Cooper,  John  Cooper,  Capt.  Sar- 
shall  Cooper,  Braxton  Cooper,  Sr.,  Joseph  Cooper,  Stephen  Cooper,  Brax- 
ton Cooper,  Jr.,  Robert  Cooper,  James  Hancock,  Albert  Hancock,  William 
Berry,  John  Berry,  Robert  Irvin,  Robert  Brown,  Joseph  Wolfscale,  William 
Thorpe,  John  Thorpe,  Josiah  Thorpe,  James  Thorpe,  Gilead  Rupe,  James 
Jones,  John  Peak,  William  Wolfscale,  Adam  Woods.  From  Estill  County, 
Ky.,  Amos  Ashcraft,  Otho  Ashcraft,  Jesse  Ashcraft,  James  Alexander. 
From  Tennessee,  John  Ferrell,  Henry  Ferrell,  Robert  Hancock.  From 
Virginia,  James  Kile.  From  South  Carolina,  Gray  Bynum.  From  Georgia, 
Stephen  Jackson.  From  Ste.  Genevieve,  Peter  Popineau.  Previous  resi- 
dence unknown,  John  Busby,  James  Anderson,  Middleton  Anderson,  Will- 
iam Anderson.  From  Wayne  County,  Ky.,  Hannah,  Jennie,  Mattie,  Dickie, 
Nellie,  James,  Holbert,  Stephen,  William,  Samuel,  Stephen,  Phoebe 
(Stephen's  wife),  James,  Rhoda,  Mark,  Nellie,  and  Polly  Cole. 

Those  from  Wayne  County,  Kentucky,  settled  south  of  the  river. 
The  women  belonging  to  some  of  these  families  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river  did  not  arrive  until  the  following  July  or  August.  There  may  have 
been  others,  but  the  above  list  is  all  that  we  are  able  to  trace. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  daring  Frenchman  had  even  prior  to 
the  year  1800  explored  this  section  lying  contiguous  to  the  Missouri  River, 
several  years  before  its  settlement  proper  and  before  there  existed  within 
(5) 


66  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  present  limits  of  this  county  a  trading  post.  The  names  of  the 
streams,  such  as  Bonne  Femme,  Moniteau,  etc.,  attest  the  fact  that  they 
were  of  French  origin,  and  had  been  seen  and  named  by  the  French  traders 
and  explorers. 

Levens  and  Drake,  in  their  condensed  but  carefully  prepared  history 
of  Cooper  County  say:  "While  Nash  and  his  companions  were  in  Howard 
County  (1840),  they  visited  Barclay's  and  Boon's  Lick,  also  a  trading 
post,  situated  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Old  Franklin.  This  trading 
post  was  kept  by  a  white  man  by  the  name  of  Prewitt.  The  existence  of 
the  trading  post,  and  the  fact  that  Barclay's  and  Boone's  licks  had  already 
received  their  names  from  the  white  men  who  visited  them,  show  con- 
clusively that  this  portion  of  the  country  had  been  explored  by  Americans 
even  before  this.  But  no  history  mentions  this  trading  post,  nor  does  any 
give  the  name  of  Prewitt,  hence,  we  are  unable  to  determine  when  he  came 
to  the  Boonslick  country,  how  long  he  remained,  or  where  he  went; 
he  evidently  left  before  the  year  1808,  as  Benjamin  Cooper,  who  moved 
to  Howard  county  in  that  year,  said  there  was  then  no  settlement  in  this 
part  of  the  state. 

Other  Settlers  Move  South  of  River. — In  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1811  some  more  adventurous  spirits  moved  to  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
and  began  to  settle  around  and  near  the  present  site  of  Boonville.  They 
were  Joseph  Jolly,  Joseph  Yarnell,  Gilliard  Rupe,  Mike  Box,  Delaney  Bolin, 
William  Savage,  John  Savage,  Walter  and  David  Burriss  and  families. 
They  settled  near  one  another,  so  that  in  time  of  danger  they  could  readily 
gather  at  one  place.  This  timely  arrival  revived  the  spirits  of  the  set- 
tlers, for  already  could  be  heard  the  dim  mutterings  in  the  distance,  which 
foreshadowed  a  long  and  bloody  conflict  with  the  Indians  who  had  been 
induced  by  the  emissaries  of  the  British  government  to  take  sides  with 
that  country  against  the  United  States  of  America. 

English  Stir  Up  Indians. — Several  years  before  the  War  of  1812,  the 
British  along  the  lakes  and  in  the  Northwest  industriously  fomented  dis- 
satisfaction among  the  Indians;  consequently  they  were  restless  even 
before  the  declaration  of  war;  dissatisfied  and  openly  hostile.  Frequently 
these  Indians,  between  1809  and  1812,  visited  the  British  agents  on  the 
lakes,  and  by  them  were  generously  supplied  with  rifles  and  fusils,  powder 
and  lead,  and  liberally  with  almost  everything  else  that  they  needed. 

As  early  as  1808  the  subagent  on  the  Missouri  wrote  General  Clark, 
Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  at  St.  Louis,  that  the  Indians  had  fired 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  67 

upon  one  John  Rufty  about  six  miles  above  Fort  Osage  and  killed  him. 
Nicholas  Jarret,  in  1809,  made  an  affidavit  that  the  British  agents  were 
stnring  up  the  Indians  at  that  place  and  on  the  frontiers  of  Canada,  but 
this  statement  was  denied  by  these  British  agents.  The  Osages  and  the 
Iowas  also  were  on  the  warpath  in  1810  and  in  that  year  some  of  the 
Osages  were  killed  not  far  from  the  present  city  of  Liberty. 

The  first  blacksmiths  in  the  Boonslick  country  were:  William  Canole, 
Charles  Canole  and  Whitley. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Robert  Cooper  and  Elizabeth  Carson, 
in  1810,  at  the  home  of  Lindsay  Carson,  the  father  of  "Kit"  Carson,  the 
great  Indian  scout. 

Thomas  Smith  was  the.  first  shoemaker,  his  wife  being  an  adept  at 
making  moccasins. 

Dr.  Tighe  was  the  first  physician. 

These  people  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  from  what  is  now 
Boonville,  and  the  settlers  on  the  south  side  were  for  some  time  served 
by  them. 

Lindsay  Carson  apprenticed  his  son  "Kit"  to  David  Workman,  a 
saddler,  to  learn  that  trade,  but  this  vocation  did  not  suit  "Kit's"  roving 
and  adventurous  nature,  and  1826,  he  literally  shook  the  dust  from  his 
feet  and  sought  the  Rockies,  gaining  national  renown  as  an  Indian  scout. 
He  died  in  1869. 

First  Deed  Recorded. — The  first  deed  executed  and  recorded  in  the 
Boonslick  country  was  as  follows :  "Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that 
I.  Joseph  Marie,  of  the  county  and  town  of  St.  Charles,  and  territory  of 
Missouri,  have  this  day  given,  granted,  bargained,  sold  and  possession 
delivered  unto  Asa  Morgan,  of  the  county  of  Howard,  and  territory  afore- 
said, all  the  right,  title,  claim,  and  interest,  and  property  that  I,  the  said 
Joseph  Marie  have  or  may  possess  or  am  in  any  legally  and  equitably 
entitled  to  in  a  certain  settlement  right  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri 
River,  in  the  aforesaid  county  of  Howard,  near  a  certain  place  known  and 
called  by  the  name  of  Eagle's  Nest,  and  lying  about  one  mile,  a  little  west 
of  south  from  Kincaid's  Fort,  in  the  said  county  of  Howard,  which  said 
settlement  was  made  by  me  sometime  in  the  year  1800,  for  and  in  con- 
sideration of  value  by  me  received,  the  receipt  whereof,  is  hereby  acknowl- 
edged, and  him  the  said  Asa  Morgan  forever  discharged  and  acquitted. 
And  I  do  by  these  presents,  sell,  transfer,  convoy  and  quit-claim  to  the 
aforesaid  Asa  Morgan  all  the  claims  and  interest  which  I  might  be  entitled 


68  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

to  either  in  law  or  equity  from  the  aforesaid  improvement  of  settlement 
right,  together  with  all  and  singular,  all  the  appurtenances  to  the  same 
belonging,  or  in  any  wise  appertaining  to  have  and  to  hold  free  from  me, 
or  any  person  claiming  by  or  through  me. 

In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal,  the  13th 
day  of  April,  1816. 

(Seal,         JOSEPH  MARIE. 

Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of  Urh.  I.  Devore,  A.  Wilson. 

Second  Deed  Recorded. — The  second  deed  we  also  give  because  of  its 
peculiar  phraseology  and  terms.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  word  "arpent" 
is  used  instead  of  "acre."    An  arpent  is  practically  five-sixths  of  an  acre. 

"To  all  to  whom  these  presence  shall  come  greeting; — Know  ye  that 
we,  Risdon  H.  Price,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  both  of  the  town  and  county  of 
St.  Louis,  and  territory  of  Missouri,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum 
of  four  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars,  lawful  money  of  the  United  States 
to  us  in  hand  before  the  delivery  of  the  presents  well  and  fully  paid  by 
Elias  Rector  of  the  same  place,  the  receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged 
and  thereto,  we  do  hereby  acquit  and  discharge  the  said  Elias  Rector, 
his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  Have  given  bargained,  granted,  and  sold, 
and  do  hereby  give,  grant,  bargain  and  sell  unto  the  said  Elias  Rector, 
his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  subject  to  the  conditions  hereinafter  ex- 
pressed, one  certain  tract  and  parcel  of  land,  containing  one  thousand  six 
hundred  arpens,  situate  in  the  county  of  Howard,  in  the  territory  of 
Missouri,  granted  originally  by  the  late  Lieutenant-Governor  Charles  De- 
hault  Delassus,  to  one  Ira  Nash,  on  the  18th  day  of  January,  1800,  sur- 
veyed on  the  26th  day  of  January,  1804,  and  certified  on  the  15th  day  of 
February,  of  the  same  year,  the  reference  being  had  to  the  record  of  said 
claim  in  the  office  of  the  recorder  of  land  titles  for  the  territory  of  Mis- 
souri, for  the  concession  and  the  boundaries  thereof  as  set  forth  in  or 
upon  the  said  certificate  or  plat  of  survey  thereof  will  more  fully,  cer- 
tainly, and  at  large  appear,  and  which  said  survey  is  hereto  annexed  and 
makes  part  and  parcel  of  this  deed,  and  being  the  same  tract  of  land 
which  the  said  Risdon  H.  Price  claims  as  assigned  of  the  sheriff  of  the 
county  of  St.  Charles,  who  sold  the  same  as  property  of  said  Ira  Nash, 
as  by  deed  thereof  dated  the  15th  day  of  October,  1815.  reference  thereto 
being  had  will  more  fully  and  at  large  appear. 

To  have  the  said  granted  and  bargained  premises  with  the  appur- 
tenances and  privileges  thereon,  and  thereunto  belonging  unto  him,  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  69 

said  Elias  Rector,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  And  it  is  hereby  declared 
to  be  the  agreement,  understanding  and  intention  of  the  parties  afore- 
said, that  should  the  said  tract  of  land  be  finally  rejected  by  the  United 
States  within  three  years  from  this  date,  or  should  the  same  not  be  sanc- 
tioned and  confirmed  by  the  government  of  the  United  States  at  or  before 
the  period  last  mentioned,  or  in  case  the  said  Elias  R.  Rector,  his  heirs, 
executors,  administrators,  or  assigns,  shall  by  due  process  and  judgment 
at  law,  be  evicted,  dispossessed,  and  finally  deprived  of  said  tract  of  land, 
then  and  in  that  case,  the  said  Risdon  H.  Price,  his  heirs,  executors,  or 
administrator,  shall  only  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  the  said  Elias  Rector, 
his  heirs,  executors,  administrators  or  assigns,  the  said  sum  of  four  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  dollars,  lawful  money  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
lawful  interest  thereon,  at  the  rate  of  six  percentum  per  annum,  from 
the  date  of  this  deed,  until  the  time  of  such  rejection,  not  being  sanc- 
tioned as  aforesaid,  or  until  such  eviction  as  aforesaid,  with  the  legal 
cost  upon  such  suit  or  suits  at  law,  and  which  shall  be  in  full  of  all  dam- 
ages under  any  covenants  in  this  deal,  and  if  such  claim  be  rejected  as 
aforesaid  or  not  confirmed  as  aforesaid,  or  in  case  the  said  Elias  Rector, 
his  heirs,  executors  or  assigns,  shall  be  evicted  therefrom  as  aforesaid, 
that  then,  and  either  of  these  cases,  the  said  Elias  Rector,  his  heirs, 
executors,  or  assigns,  shall  by  proper  deed  of  release  and  quit-claim, 
transfer  to  said  Risdon  H.  Price,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and 
assigns,  the  claim  of  said  Elias  Rector,  his  heirs,  executors,  and  assigns, 
said  premises  at  tte  time  of  receiving  the  said  consideration  money, 
interest,  and  costs  tforesaid. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereto  set  our  hands  and  seals,  this  22nd 

day  of  June,  1816 

Risdon  H.  Price  (SEAL) 

Mary  G.  Price  (SEAL) 

Elias  Rector  (SEAL) 

Signed,   sealed   and  delivered   in   presence  of   Jerh.   Connor,   M.   P. 
Laduc." 


CHAPTER  IV. 


PIONEER  LIFE 


FIRST  DWELLINGS— IHE  HOMINY-BLOCK — SPI&IT  OF  HELPFULNESS— EARLY 
FARMING  IMPLEMENTS— PIONEER  WOMEN— EARLY  PIOXEER  DESCRIBED, 
HIS    HABITS.    HOME,    BEE-HUNTING. 

In  the  preceding  chapter,  the  history  of  the  Central  Boonslick  coun- 
try has  been  traced  from  the  year  1804  to  1812,  with  special  reference  to 
its  initial  beginning  between  the  years  1810  and  1812.  The  settlers 
mentioned  by  name  in  that  chapter,  who  blazet!  the  way  through  the 
wilderness  for  us  and  advancing  civilization,  have  kuilded  wiser  than  they 
knew.  They  were  experienced  pioneers  with  hearts  of  gold.  With  ruddy 
health  and  hardy  sinews,  they  coped  with  and  conquered  the  wilds.  They 
despised  the  coddling  ease  of  luxury  and  the  wintiy  winds,  sleets  and 
snows,  had  no  terrors  for  them.  They  determined  the  time  by  the 
shadows,  and  guided  their  paths  at  night  by  the  stars.  They  knew  the 
approaching  storm.  Tho  oky  was  to  them  an  open  look.  Schooled  in 
ffrwAi-cran  and  learned  in  Indian  lore,  they  tracked  thtir  game  and  fol- 
lowed the  trail  of  the  savage.  They  read  the  story  of  the  broken  twig 
and  fallen  leaves.  Their  vision  was  piercing,  and  their  hearing  acute. 
Accountered  with  rifle,  hunting  knife  and  axe,  they  cont?sted  with  the 
forest,  and  wrested  from  it  food,  shelter,  and  raiment. 

Their  first  care  was  to  protect  themselves  from  the  basts  of  Feb- 
ruary, the  month  in  which  they  arrived.  The  first  shelter  they  erected 
was  a  cross  between  a  hoop  cabin  and  an  Indian  bark  hut.  Soon  after, 
however,  the  men  assembled  for  the  real  cabin  raising.  The  forest  fur- 
nished the  timber,  and  from  it  the  strong  arm  of  the  pioneer  with  his 
axe,  fashioned  logs.  The  earth  supplied  the  clay.  None  of  these  first 
cabins  is  now  in  existence,  but  the  following  is  a  fair  description: 

First  Dwellings.— "These  cabins  were  of  round  logs,  notched  together 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  71 

at  the  corners,  ribbed  with  poles,  and  covered  with  boards  split  from  a 
tree.  A  puncheon  floor  was  then  laid  down,  a  hole  cut  in  the  end  and  a 
stick  chimney  run  up.  A  clapboard  door  was  made,  a  window  was  opened 
by  cutting  out  a  hole  in  the  side  or  end  two  feet  square,  and  finished 
without  glass  or  transparency.  The  house  was  then  "chinked"  or 
"daubed"  with  mud,  and  the  cabin  was  ready  to  go  into.  The  household 
and  kitchen  furniture  was  adjusted,  and  life  on  the  frontier  was  begun 
in  earnest. 

"The  one-legged  bedstead,  now  a  piece  of  furniture  of  the  past,  was 
made  by  cutting  a  stick  the  proper  length,  boring  holes  at  one  end  one 
and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  at  right  angles,  and  the  same  sized  holes 
corresponding  with  those  in  the  logs  of  the  cabin  the  length  and  breadth 
for  the  bed,  in  which  were  inserted  poles. 

"Upon  these  poles  the  boards  were  laid,  or  linn-bark  was  interwoven 
consecutively  from  pole  to  pole.  Upon  this  primitive  structure  the  bed 
was  laid.  The  convenience  of  a  cook-stove  was  not  thought  of,  but  in- 
stead, the  cooking  was  done  by  the  faithful  housewife  in  pots,  kettles 
and  skillets,  on  and  about  the  big  fire-place,  and  very  frequently  over 
and  around,  too,  the  distended  pedal  extremities  of  the  legal  sovereign 
of  the  household,  while  the  latter  was  indulging  in  the  luxuries  of  a  cob- 
pipe,  and  discussing  the  probable  results  of  a  deer  hunt  on  the  Missouri 
River  or  some  of  its  small  tributaries." 

"The  acquisition  of  glass  windows  was  impossible  for  these  first 
settlers.  When  white  paper  could  be  secured,  it  was  greased  and  used 
for  window  panes,  through  which  the  light  could  come.  The  doors  were 
fastened  with  old-fashioned  wooden  latches,  and  the  latch-string  always 
hung  out  for  friends  and  neighbors.  These  humble  domociles  sheltered 
happy  hearts,  while  palaces,  with  all  their  splendor  and  riches  many 
times  have  been  but  the  resting  place  of  misery. 

"True  it  is,  that  Home  is  not  four  square  walls, 

Though  with  pictures  hung  and  gilded, 
Home  is  where  affection  calls, 
Around  the  hearth  that  love  hath  builded." 

The  Hominy-Block. — Those  pioneers  were  home  builders,  the  very 
foundation  of  a  nation,  the  true  root  of  patriotism  and  love  of  country. 
They  appreciated  the  frufEs  of  their  own  industry,  and  manufactured  or 
made  most  of  their  own  utensils.     The  home-made  hominy-block  is  doubt- 


72  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

less  not  within  the  memory  of  our  oldest  citizens.    This  they  made  some- 
thing in  this  manner: 

A  tree  of  suitable  size,  say  from  18  inches  to  two  feet  in  diameter, 
was  selected  in  th  eforest  and  felled  to  the  ground.  If  a  cross-cut  saw 
happened  to  be  convenient,  the  tree  was  butted,  that  is,  the  kerf  end 
was  sawed  off  so  that  it  would  stand  firmly,  when  ready  for  use.  If 
there  was  no  cross-cut  saws  in  the  neighborhood,  strong  arms  and  short 
axes  were  ready  to  do  the  work.  Then  the  proper  length,  from  four  to 
five  feet,  was  measured  off,  and  sawed  or  cut  square.  When  this  was 
done,  the  block  was  raised  on  end,  and  the  work  of  cutting  out  a  hollow 
in  one  of  the  ends  was  commenced.  This  was  generally  done  by  a  com- 
mon chopping  axe.  Sometimes  a  smaller  one  was  used.  When  the  cavity 
was  judged  to  be  large  enough,  a  fire  was  built  in  it,  and  carefully  watched 
until  the  ragged  edges  were  burned  away.  When  completed,  it  somewhat 
resembled  a  druggist's  mortar.  Then  a  pestle  or  something  to  crush  the 
corn  was  necessary.  This  was  usually  made  from  a  suitable  sized  piece 
of  timber,  with  an  iron  wedge  attached,  the  large  end  down.  This  com- 
pleted the  apparatus.  The  block  was  ready  for  use.  Sometimes  one 
hominy-block  accommodated  an  entire  neighborhood.  It  was  a  means  of 
staying  the  hunger  of  many  months. 

Spirit  of  Helpfulness  Among  Pioneers. — A  person  not  many  years 
ago  in  contrasting  the  social  and  moral  status  of  his  latter  years  with 
those  of  his  early  pioneer  days,  said,  "Then  if  a  house  was  to  be  raised, 
every  man  turned  out,  often  the  women  too,  while  the  men  piled  up  the 
logs,  and  fashioned  the  primitive  dwelling-place,  the  women  prepared  the 
dinner.  Sometimes  it  was  cooked  over  big  fires  near  the  site  where  the 
cabin  was  built.  In  other  cases  it  was  prepared  at  the  nearest  cabin,  and 
at  the  proper  hour  was  carried  to  where  the  men  were  at  work.  If  one 
man  in  the  neighborhood  killed  a  beef,  a  pig,  or  a  deer,  every  other 
family  in  the  neighborhood  was  sure  to  receive  a  piece.  We  were  all  on 
an  equality.  Aristocratic  feelings  were  unknown,  and  would  not  have 
been  tolerated.  What  one  had,  we  all  had,  and  that  was  the  happiest 
period  of  our  lives.  But  today,  if  you  lean  against  a  neighbor's  shade 
tree,  he  will  charge  you  for  it.  If  you  are  poor  and  palsied,  you  may  lie 
and  suffer  unnoticed  and  almost  unattended,  and  will  probably  go  to  the 
poorhouse,  while  just  as  likely  as  not,  the  man  who  reports  you  to  the 
authorities  as  a  subject  of  county  care,  charges  the  county  for  making 
the  report." 

Thus  our  early  settlers,  burdened  with  what  we  deem  today,  untold 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  73 

hardships  and  deep  privations,  looked  back,  in  the  latter  days  of  their 
lives,  to  the  good  old  days;  and  even  in  our  own  generation,  we  may  find 
many,  who  decry  the  great  progress  of  the  present  and  long  for  other 
clays.  It  is  ever  thus,  and  ever  will  be.  Even  the  reader,  should  he 
search  his  memory,  will  recall  as  a  pleasing  recollection  some  trial  or 
danger  or  experience  through  which  he  has  successfully  passed  and  even 
our  failures  are  not  necessarily  unpleasant  to  recall. 

Much  has  been  written  regarding  the  log  house  of  the  early  pioneer. 
It  furnished  an  inexpensive  and  convenient  shelter,  and  around  it  clus- 
ter many  pleasant  recollections  that  are  even  yet  dear  to  those  of  us 
who  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  been  reared  within  its  sacred  portals. 
Unpretentious,  uniform  in  size  and  architecture,  the  log  house  of  the 
early  pioneer  was  the  greatest  democratizing  agent  of  the  early  day.  !•&> 
social  lines  could  be  drawn  based  on  the  grandeur  of  dwelling  places,  and 
consequently  each  and  every  one  was  valued  at  their  true  worth,  de- 
termined solely  by  their  every  day  life  and  character.  The  era  of  the 
log  house  is  a  space  of  time  as  distinct  from  others  in  its  peculiar  cus- 
toms as  is  the  Paleozoic  or  the  Stone  Age.  There  is  a  song  which  ends, 
after  trailing  through  innumerable  verses  reciting  the  trials  of  the  log 
house  bachelor,  which  runs  as  follows: 

"Oh,  the  hinges  are  of  leather,  and  the  windows  have  no  glass 

And  the  board  roof  lets  the  howling  blizzard  in, 
And  I  hear  the  hungry  coyote  as  he  sneaks  up  through  the  grass 
Near  my  little  old  log  cabin  on  the  hill." 

Early  Farming  Implements. — The  farming  implements  of  the  pioneers 
were  crude  affairs,  adapted,  however,  to  the  conditions  that  surrounded 
them  and  to  their  circumstances.  The  bull-plough,  the  mould-board  of 
which  was  generally  of  wood,  was  adapted  to  the  fields  abounding  in 
stumps  and  roots.  Occasionally  the  mould-board  was  part  iron,  and; 
possessor  of  such  a  bull-plough  was  looked  upon  as  real  progressive. 

Other  implements  and  utensils  were  of  like  character.  When  the 
clothes  the  settlers  brought  with  them  began  to  wear  out,  the  wild  nettle 
furnished  them  a  substitute  material.  This,  by  process  of  drying  and 
stripping,  they  would  weave  into  a  cloth,  sufficient  for  their  needs  until 
the  coming  of  the  wintry  blast.  Then  the  furs  of  the  wild  animals  were 
requisitioned  with  which  the  pioneers  braved  the  snows  and  sleets  in 
the  coldest  weather. 

The   prairies   were   not   often   settled   until    after   the   first   pioneer 


74  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

period,  therefore  the  forests  of  the  timbered  lands  in  small  tracts  were 
cleared,  leaving  the  fields  prolific  in  stumps  and  roots.  Hence  the  cradle 
and  the  bull-plough  were  well  suited  to  the  cultivation  thereof. 

The  Pioneer  Women. — Of  the  women,  we  adopt  largely  the  words  of 
Solomon:  "The  heart  of  her  husband  did  safely  trust  her.  She  did  him 
good  all  the  days  of  her  life.  She  rose  while  it  was  yet  night  and  gave 
meat  to  her  household.  She  girded  her  loins  with  strength  and  strength- 
ened her  arms.  She  laid  her  hands  to  the  spindle  and  her  hands  held 
the  distaff.  She  knew  little  of  fashion  plates,  yet  fashioned  her  raiment 
from  the  material  at  hand  to  meet  the  approbation  of  those  she  cher- 
ished. She  was  nature's  child.  The  sun  kissed  her  cheeks  and  painted 
thereon  the  bloom  of  health.  She  filled  her  lungs  with  the  pure  and 
fragrant  air,  and  reveled  in  the  beauties  of  nature.  Hearty,  healthy, 
happy,  she  met  with  unflinching  fortitude  the  perils  of  her  situation,  and 
complained  not  of  privations.  Strength  and  honor  were  her  clothing,  and 
she  rejoiced  in  the  time  to  come.  She  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her 
household,  and  ate  not  the  bread  of  idleness.  She  gave  of  the  fruit  of 
her  hands,  and  let  her  own  works  praise  her  in  the  gates.  She  was 
indeed  the  helpmate  of  the  pioneer,  his  help  in  time  of  need,  his  solace 
and  his  comfort.  Resolutely  and  cheerfully  she  bore  her  burdens,  and 
laughter  was  in  her  heart.     We  do  not  think  the  picture  is  overdrawn. 

Early  Pioneer  Described. — The  male  pioneer  and  head  of  the  family 
fias  been  described  by  one  who  sojourned  in  the  Boonslick  country  for 
several  years  as  follows:  "You  find  that  he  has  vices  and  barbarism 
peculiar  to  his  situation.  His  manners  are  rough.  He  wears,  it  may  be, 
a  long  beard.  He  has  quantities  of  bear  or  deer  skin  wrought  into  his 
household  establishment,  his  furniture  and  his  dress.  He  carries  a  knife, 
or  a  dirk  in  his  bosom,  and  when  in  the  woods  has  a  rifle  on  his  back 
and  a  pack  of  dogs  are  among  his  chief  means  of  support  and  profit.  Re- 
member that  all  his  first  days  here  were  spent  in  dread  of  savages.  Re- 
member that  he  still  encounters  them,  still  meets  bears  and  panthers. 
Enter  his  door  and  tell  him  you  are  benighted,  and  wish  the  shelter  of 
his  cabin  for  the  night.  The  welcome  is,  indeed,  seemingly  ungracious: 
T  reckon  you  can  stay,'  or  T  suppose  we  must  let  you  stay.'  But  this 
apparent  ungraciousness  is  the  harbinger  of  every  kindness  that  he  can 
bestow,  and  every  comfort  that  his  cabin  affords.  Good  coffee,  corn 
bread  and  butter,  venison,  pork,  wild  and  tame  fowls,  are  set  before  you. 
His  wife  timid,  silent,  reserved,  but  constantly  attentive  to  your  comfort 
does  not  sit  at  the  table  with  you,  but  like  the  wives  of  the  patriarchs, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  75 

stands  and  attends  you.  You  are  shown  the  best  bed  that  the  house  can 
afford.  When  his  kind  of  hospitality  has  been  extended  to  you  as  long 
as  you  choose  to  stay,  and  when  you  depart  and  speak  about  your  bill, 
you  are  most  commonly  told,  with  some  slight  mark  of  resentment,  that 
they  do  not  keep  a  tavern.  Even  the  flaxen-haired  urchins  will  run  away 
from  your  money." 

Along  about  the  year  1823,  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  refinement, 
Gottfried  Duden,  of  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States,  and  finally 
located  in  Montogomery  County,  Missouri.  He  wrote  many  interesting 
letters  to  Germany,  describing  the  country,  and  recounting  his  experi- 
ence. These  letters  were  finally  printed  in  book  form,  known  as  "Gott- 
fried Duden's  Report,  1824-1827."  This  book  was  circulated  extensively 
in  Germany,  and  was  read  by  thousands.  It  had  much  to  do  with  en- 
couraging emigration  from  Germany  to  this  country  and  is  graphically 
descriptive  of  the  period.  We  take  excerpts  from  one  of  his  letters  writ- 
ten in  September,  1825,  which  have  been  but  recntly  translated  into  Eng- 
lish, which  describes  the  immigrants  of  this  particular  time,  the  houses 
in  which  they  lived,  and  the  manner  of  their  construction.  "During  this 
season  of  the  year,  there  arrive  daily  numbers  of  immigrants  from  Ken- 
tucky, Ohio,  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  etc.  If  these  people  had  to  travel 
in  European  manner,  their  desire  for  emigration  would  soon  vanish. 
However,  all  that  is  done  differently  here. 

"A  large  wagon  (and  if  the  needs  of  the  family  require  it,  several) 
are  loaded  with  the  household  goods,  which  are  stored  away  in  such  a 
manner  that  a  part  of  the  covered  space  of  the  wagon  is  reserved  for 
the  travelers.  In  addition  to  the  household  goods,  tents  and  provisions 
such  as  smoked  pork,  beans,  peas,  rice,  flour,  cheese  and  fruit  are  taken 
along,  and,  for  at  least  the  first  few  weeks,  bread  for  the  passengers  and 
maize  for  the  work  horses.  Thus  the  migration  is  begun.  Sometimes  the 
owner  rides  with  his  wife  and  children  in  a  separate  wagon,  sometimes  in 
a  coach,  or  he  may  ride  on  horseback.  If  he  owns  male  slaves,  one  of 
these  acts  as  driver,  otherwise  he  himself  or  some  other  member  of  his 
family  attends  to  this.  On  the  entire  journey,  which  may  extend  over 
1,200  miles  they  never  think  of  stopping  at  an  inn.  At  noon,  while  the 
horses  are  being  fed,  the  operations  of  the  kitchen  also  begin.  The 
vicinity  of  a  spring  or  a  brook  is  usually  selected  as  a  stopping  place,  and 
the  travelers  sit  in  the  shade  or  in  the  sun,  just  as  the  weather  conditions 
may  invite.  A  fire  is  quickly  made  and  the  operations  of  preparing  a 
meal  proceed  just  as  they  would  at  home.    In  the  evening  more  attention 


76  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

is  paid  to  the  selection  of  a  camping  place.  If  there  is  need  of  cooking 
utensils  or  of  victuals,  halt  is  made  near  a  farm  house.  Tents  are  pitched, 
especially  when  the  weather  is  rainy.  Some  of  the  party  busy  themselves 
with  the  animals,  for  if  the  journey  is  not  too  great,  cattle  are  taken 
along  too,  others  are  busy  with  the  kitchen,  and  finally  the  night's  lodg- 
ing is  prepared.  Wherever  the  wagon-train  stops  the  people  obligingly 
grant  whatever  is  asked  for.  Household  utensils  are  loaned,  provisions 
are  sold  cheaply,  and  to  the  horses  and  cattle  pastures  are  assigned, 
unless  the  owner  should  prefer  to  leave  them  in  the  open.  The  latter  plan 
rarely  offers  any  difficulties.  Usually  it  is  only  necessaxw  to  put  a  bell 
on  the  leader  of  the  herd  and  to  hobble  his  feet  so  as  to  make  walking 
somewhat  difficult.  The  animals  are  tired  and  hungry  and  will  not  easily 
leave  a  good  pasture,  moreover,  a  well  trained  dog  would  soon  find  their 
tracks.  Nevertheless  there  are  instances  where  such  animals  have  taken 
advantage  of  a  moment  of  freedom  to  run  back  to  their  old  home.  No 
distance  and  no  stream  can  hold  them  back,  and  straight  on,  even  through 
great  forests,  they  know  how  to  find  their  old  homestead.  In  my  neigh- 
borhood are  two  oxen  which  have  come  back  100  miles  and  have  swum 
through  the  Missouri  to  get  home.  A  horse  came  back  from  Franklin,  a 
distance  of  120  miles.  Horses  are  not  as  ready  as  cattle  to  swim  through 
great  streams.  For  this  reason  ownerless  horses  are  always  to  be  found 
on  the  point  where  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi  join.  These  horses 
have  run  away  from  the  plantations  on  the  upper  course  of  the  river  and 
are  trying  to  get  back  to  their  old  homes  in  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Virginia,  etc. 

"As  soon  as  the  migrating  family  has  arrived  at  the  site  of  he  new 
homestead,  they  stop  near  the  spot  where  the  buildings  are  to  be  erected, 
and  build  an  enclosure  for  the  temporary  protection  of  the  household 
goods  and  tents,  which  are  now  pitched  for  a  longer  time.  The  enclosure 
is  necessary  to  keep  the  cattle  of  other  settlements  away.  In  this  in- 
closure  the  young  calves  are  also  kept,  in  order  to  cause  the  cows,  which 
graze  out  in  the  open  to  come  home  regularly.  These  cows  supply  the 
family  with  milk  and  cream  without  requiring  the  least  attention  or 
care.  For  the  house  a  site  near  a  good  spring  or  brook  is  preferably 
selected.  Over  the  spring  a  small  house  is  at  once  constx-ucted,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  pollution  of  the  water,  and  to  afford  a  place  to  keep  milk, 
butter  and  meat  cool. 

"The  next  concern  is  the  building  of  a  dwelling  house,  which  is  done 
in  a  manner  already  described  by  me  in  an  earlier  letter.  The  timbers 
are  not  hewn,  however,  for  at  first  only  a  barn-like  structure  is  intended. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  77 

for  a  temporary  shelter.  For  the  negroes  a  similar  building  is  erected, 
then  a  barn  and  a  small  building  to  serve  as  a  smoke-house.  The  trees 
are  felled  near  the  building  site,  to  which  they  are  dragged  by  horses  or 
oxen.  The  raising  of  the  house  is  done  with  the  aid  of  the  neighbors,  if 
the  hands  of  the  family  are  not  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  Buildings  01 
this  nature,  however,  do  not  require  more  than  four  or  five  workmen. 
Boards  are  cut  for  the  doors  and  the  floors.  For  the  latter  trees  are 
sometimes  split  in  two,  for  which  purpose  the  ash  and  hackberry  trees 
(celtis  crassifolia)  are  especially  suited.  The  hearth  together  with  the 
chimney  are  made,  in  the  simplest  manner  possible,  of  wood,  which  is 
lined  with  stones  on  the  lower,  inner  side  and  daubed  with  mud  in  the 
upper  portion.  When  the  chimney  is  half  a  foot  higher  than  the  gable 
of  the  house,  the  smoke  will  not  bother  in  the  least.  Danger  of  fire  de- 
pends entirely  upon  the  condition  of  the  rock  lining  and  the  clay  coating. 

"He  who  despises  such  a.  dwelling  does  not  know  the  nature  of  the 
local  climate.  I  have  been  in  many  such  dwelling,  where  cleanliness  and 
good  furniture  afforded  an  extremely  pleasing  effect.  Many  families  de- 
sire no  other  house,  although  they  live  in  easy  circumstances,  indeed  in 
affluence.  What  I  have  to  criticise  about  these  houses  is  the  fact  that 
they  usually  have  no  cellar,  so  that  in  the  summer  time  the  humus  earth 
under  the  rough  floor  gives  out  a  mouldy  odor,  which,  though  it  is  rarely 
offensive,  nevertheless  is  manifestly  not  conductive  to  good  health.  A 
floor  constructed  by  a  carpenter  removes  this  inconvenience  completely. 
He  who  does  not  wish  to  go  to  this  expense  can  attain  practically  the 
same  end  by  first  removing  the  humus  entirely  from  the  building  site,  or 
by  burning  wood  of  the  clearing  on  the  spot  and  thus  baking  the  ground. 

"When  the  work  of  building  is  ended,  which  required  hardly  more 
than  two  or  three  weeks,  the  family  already  feels  much  at  home,  and  then 
the  clearing  of  farm  land  is  begun.  Usually  they  begin  by  fencing  in  a 
selected  tract,  in  order  to  use  it  as  a  temporary  pasture  for  the  horses 
and  oxen  which  must  be  kept  in  the  vicinity  for  work." 

The  hunting  of  bee  trees  by  the  settlers  was  both  pleasant  and  profit- 
able, and  bee  hunters  were  common. 

In  a  letter  written  in  June,  1826,  Duden  describes  bee  hunting  in 
these  words: 

"When  I,  according  to  my  custom,  wandered  through  the  woods  yes- 
terday, I  found  two  bee-hunters.  The  mode  of  procedure  of  these  people, 
which  is  so  new  to  the  European,  had  been  described  to  me  long  ago,  but 
this  time  I  was  to  learn  to  know  it  from  a  practical  standpoint.     You 


78  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

must  know,  first  of  all,  that  in  the  woods  of  Missouri  also  there  are  many 
wild  bees  which  have  their  hives  in  hollow  trees.  If  the  method  of  find- 
ing these  trees  is  well  understood,  a  great  deal  of  honey  and  wax  can 
be  gathered  in  a  short  time.  It  is  generally  said  that  America  originally 
had  no  bees,  and  that  the  wild  bees  are  the  descendants  of  swarms  brought 
from  Europe  to  the  eastern  coast.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  Indians  under- 
stand the  bee-hunt  even  better  than  the  whites.  The  two  bee-hunters  of 
yesterday  were  white  men  and  live  in  Missouri.  They  proceeded  as  fol- 
lows: On  the  ridge  of  a  hill  between  two  valleys,  they  chose  their  first 
stand.  On  a  place,  free  from  trees,  they  built  a  small  fire  and  laid  some 
honeycomb  on  it,  so  that  the  wax  melted,  without  being  consumed  by  the 
fire.  In  this  manner  a  pronounced  scent  of  honey  was  distributed,  which 
in  a  short  time  attracted  all  sorts  of  flying  insects  and  also  a  few  bees. 
Now  it  was  the  duty  of  the  hunters  to  watch  the  bait  fixedly,  in  order 
to  be  able  to  follow  the  bees  with  their  eyes,  when  they  took  flight.  By 
and  by  three  of  them  took  flight,  and  all  of  them  flew  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, which  direction  was  carefully  noted,  knowing  that  a  laden  bee  flies 
straight  to  its  swarm.  One  of  the  hunters  thereupon  took  a  burning  coal 
and  walked  about  two  hundred  paces  away  on  the  same  ridge,  leaving  his 
companion  at  the  first  stand. 

He  proceeded  in  the  same  manner  as  before,  and  anew  distributed 
a  strong  scent  of  honey.  Here,  too,  the  bees  soon  came.  Some  of  them 
went  off  in  exactly  the  opposite  directions.  The  hunter  noted  both  and 
called  out  to  his  companion  to  follow  the  first  indicated  direction.  He 
found  himself  started  in  the  direction  which  was  practically  the  one 
which  his  companion  took.  I  accompanied  him.  We  had  hardly  gone 
three  hundred  paces  through  the  woods  when  we  met  the  other  hunter. 
Now  they  looked  about  for  a  while,  and  in  a  dry  oak,  about  fifty  feet 
above  the  ground,  we  saw  a  small  opening,  where  bees  swarmed  in  and 
out.  The  cleverness  of  these  two  natural  mathematicians  surprised  me, 
and  I  felt  more  pleasure  in  the  discovery  of  the  tree  than  they  them- 
selves. Since  the  hunters  surmised  that,  because  of  the  earliness  of  the 
season,  not  much  honey  had  been  gathered,  the  hive  was  not  robbed.  The 
bee-hunters  designated  their  find  by  blazing  the  tree,  which  is  universally 
regarded  as  the  inviolable  right  of  possession,  and  then  proceeded  in  pur- 
suit of  the  third  direction  noted  above." 

In  concluding  this  letter,  Duden  tells  about  having  seen  a  negro  boy 
who  robbed  such  a  bee  tree  with  the  intention  of  selling  the  honey,  a 
practice  which  owners  of  slaves  generally  permitted. 


CHAPTER  V. 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  HIGHWAYS 


EARLY  RIVER  TRANSPORTATION— COUREUR  DE  BOIS— PIONEER  ROADS  AND 
TRAVEL— FIRST  FERRIES— FIRST  STEAMBOATS— ARRIVAL  AT  FRANKLIN- 
ARRIVAL  OF  SECOND  STEAMBOAT— DESCRIPTION— GREATEST  ERA— PRIMI- 
TIVE BOATS— GROWTH— COST— WRECKING— SANTA  FE  TRAIL — BOONSVILLE 
ACTIVE  MART— USE  OF  OXEN— FIRST  RAILROADS— REBUILDING  OF  BRIDGES 
—ROAD  IMPROVEMENT. 

Advanced  transportation  and  good  highways  are  indices  of  a  people, 
certain .  evidences  of  their  culture,  progressiveness  and  prosperity.  As 
are  these  so  are  the  people.  Good  transportation,  advanced  civilization; 
or  advanced  civilization,  good  transportation;  either  way  one  follows  the 
other  as  certainly  as  the  night  the  day,  or  the  day  the  night. 

Transportation  has  been,  is,  and  will  be  a  process  of  evolution.  Could 
we  turn  back  the  scroll  of  time  and  witness  the  primitive  methods  of  the 
early  pioneer,  great  would  be  our  astonishment;  could  we  project  our- 
selves into  the  future  one  hundred  years,  and  observe  the  method  of 
transportation  then,  doubtless  it  would  be  beyond  our  comprehension. 

Early  River  Transportation. — When  our  first  settlers  arrived  at  the 
Missouri  River,  the  routes  of  commerce  and  travel  were  largely  the  water 
courses.  For  this  reason  the  settlements  made  were  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Missouri.  At  this  time  there  was  neither  steamboat 
nor  railroad.  The  pirogue,  the  canoe,  the  bateau,  the  mackinaw,  the  bull- 
boat  and  the  keelboat  were  the  means  of  all  river  transportation.  The 
pirogue  was  a  small  type  of  canoe.  The  canoe  was  the  most  commonly 
used,  and  was  the  simplest  of  all  river  crafts.  It  was  usually  made  from 
a  cottonwood  log,  hollowed  out,  and  was  usually  from  15  to  18  feet  long, 
and  was  generally  manned  by  three  men,  one  to  steer  and  two  to  paddle. 
It  was  used  chiefly  for  local  use,  though  occasionally  employed  for  long 


80  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

trips.  The  mackinaw  was  a  flat  boat,  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  was  of 
varying  lengths,  from  40  to  50  feet.  Its  crew  usually  consisted  of  five 
men,  one  steersman  and  four  oarsmen.  The  bullboat  was  usually  used 
on  shallow  streams  because  of  its  light  draft.  It  was  constructed  of 
buffalo  bull  hide  sewed  together,  and  stretched  over  a  frame  of  poles, 
and  required  two  men  to  handle  it.  The  keel  boat  was  the  aristocratic 
craft,  and  the  largest,  from  60  to  70  feet  long,  with  the  keel  running 
from  bow  to  stern  and  the  latest  improvements  in  river  transportation 
prior  to  the  steamboat.  It  was  capable  of  carrying  a  larger  cargo  than 
any  of  the  others  mentioned.  It  was  usually  propelled  by  means  of  a 
cordelle.  The  cordelle  was  a  line  practically  1,000  feet  long,  one 
end  of  which  was  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  30  foot  mast  in  the  center 
of  the  boat,  well  braced  from  this  mast  the  rope  extended  to  the  shore. 
At  the  shore  end  of  the  line,  some  twenty  or  thirty  men  walking  along 
the  river  bank,  would  pull  the  boat  up  stream.  Cordelling  was  never 
used  except  in  breasting  the  current  of  the  stream.  It  was  more  or  less 
difficult,  and  in  some  places  it  was  absolutely  impossible  by  reason  of  the 
cliffs  on  the  river  bank.  At  such  points  poles  were  used.  Sails  were  also 
used  very  effectively  at  times  in  this  manner  of  transportation.  Not- 
withstanding the  difficulty  with  which  this  type  of  boat  was  propelled,  it 
was  employed  prior  to  the  invention  of  the  steamboat  more  extensively 
than  any  other  kind  for  long  distance  voyages  up  stream.  In  fact  it 
continued  to  be  used  along  with  the  steamboat  for  many  years  after 
the  appearance  of  the  latter. 

Coureur  de  Bois. — An  average  day's  voyage  for  the  keel  boat  was 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles.  It  was  the  means  of  transportation  used 
by  the  coureur  des  bois.  It  is  claimed  that  as  early  as  1700,  there  were 
not  less  than  one  hundred  coureur  de  bois,  or  trappers,  domiciled  among 
the  tribes  along  the  Missouri  River.  The  coureur  de  bois  was  a  French 
Canadian,  sometimes  a  half-breed,  and  in  his  habits  were  blended  the 
innocent  simplicity  of  the  fun-loving  Frenchman  and  the  wild  traits  and 
woodcraft  of  the  Indian.  Born  in  the  woods,  he  was  accustomed  from 
childhood  to  the  hardships  and  exposures  of  the  wild  life  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  was  a  skillful  hunter  and  trapper. 

His  free  and  easy  manners,  peaceful  disposition,  and  vivacity  quali- 
fied him  for  associating  with  the  Indians,  whose  customs  he  adopted,  and 
often  marrying  into  the  tribe,  himself  became  a  savage.  It  was  the 
ceureur  de  bois  as  he  wandered  up  and  down  the  Missouri  River  who  gave 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  81 

the  poetical  and  musical  French  names  to  its  tributaries  and  prominent 
localities  which  they  bear  to  this  day,  as  follows:  Bonne  Femme,  good 
woman;  Lamine,  the  mine;  Pmeem  de  terre,  apple  of  the  earth,  the  po- 
tato ;  Moreau,  very  black ;  Niangue,  crooked ;  Gasconade,  turbulent ;  Aux 
Vase,  very  muddy;  Creve  Couer,  broken  heart;  Cote  sans  Dessein,  hill 
without  a  cause;  Petit  sas  Prairie,  little  cradle  of  the  prairie;  Marias  des 
Cygnes,  river  of  swans;  Roche  Percee,  pierced  rock;  Petit  Saline,  little  salt. 

The  history  of  the  Missouri  for  more  than  two  hundred  years  is  the 
history  of  the  country  through  which  it  flows.  On  its  muddy  waters  the 
Indians  paddled  their  canoes  for  centuries  before  the  advent  of  the  white 
man.  Then  came  the  French  voyageur  and  his  pirogue,  canoe,  bateau, 
his  mackinaw  and  his  keel  boat,  without  which  the  fur  trade,  the  principal 
commerce  in  the  early  day,  could  not  have  attained  its  great  proportions. 

Pioneer  Roads  and  Travel. — In  1815,  the  tide  of  immigration,  which 
had  been  halted  by  the  War  of  1812,  began  with  increasing  force  to  flow 
steadily  to  the  Boonslick  country.  The  settlers  brought  with  them  wagons, 
horses  and  mules,  and  by  degrees  they  began  to  mark  out  roads  and  to 
cut  their  ways  through  the  forest.  Oxen  were  also  used  for  transporta- 
tion, and  continued  to  be  so  used  for  many  years  thereafter. 

The  prairie  presented  few  obstacles  to  travel,  but  to  penetrate  a 
primevial  forest  was  an  entirely  different  matter,  and  necessitated  a  wise 
selection  of  a  route  else  arduous  labor  in  felling  trees  and  fording  streams. 

No  public  roads  were  laid  out  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County  until 
1819.  No  work  was  done  upon  the  roads  nor  were  they  thought  of  for 
a  number  of  years  thereafter.  The  first  petition  for  a  public  road  in 
Cooper  County  was  presented  by  B.  W.  Levens.  It  asked  for  the  location 
of  a  road  leading  from  Boonville  to  the  mouth  of  the  Moniteau  Creek. 
The  second  petition,  for  the  location  of  a  public  road  was  by  Anderson 
Reavis,  presented  on  the  same  day.  The  road  petitioned  for  ran  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Grand  Moniteau  to  the  Boonville  and  Potosi  road.  Cooper 
County  was  then  organized  as  a  county.  The  stream  of  immigration  then 
to  the  south  side  of  the  river  was  great.  Travel  was  greatly  increased 
and  highways  needed. 

However,  prior  to  this,  when  what  is  now  Cooper  County  was  a  part 

of  Howard  County,  which  was  organized  July  8,  1816,  the  first  court  held 

in  Howard  County  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  in  what  is  now 

Cooper  County,  at  Cole's  Fort,  at  which  time  the  first  road  laid  out  by 

(6) 


82  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

authority  of  the  court  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County,  was  the  route  from 
Cole's  Fort  on  the  Missouri  River,  to  intersect  the  road  from  Potosi  in 
Washington  County  at  the  Osage  River. 

First  Ferries. — Also  at  this  same  term  of  court  and  on  the  same  day 
Hannah  Cole  was  granted  a  license  to  conduct  a  ferry  on  the  Missouri 
between  Boonville  and  Franklin.  This  was  the  first  licensed  ferry  in 
what  had  been  known  as  the  Boonslick  country,  although,  for  some  time 
prior  thereto,  the  Cole  boys  had  operated  one  on  this  part  of  the  Mis- 
souri. At  the  same  term  of  the  court,  Stephen  Turley  was  granted  the 
right  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the  Lamine  River.  B.  W.  Levens,  Ward,  and 
Potter,  and  George  W.  Cary  were  also  granted  a  license  to  keep  a  ferry 
across  the  Missouri  at  the  present  site  of  Overton.  However,  for  some 
years  prior  to  this,  a  ferry  had  been  operated  across  the  Missouri  River 
from  Boonville  to  Franklin.  The  rates  charged  at  the  Levens  ferry  were 
as  follows:  For  man  and  horse,  fifty  cents;  for  either  separately,  twenty- 
five  cents ;  for  four  horses  and  four  wheeled  wagon,  two  dollars ;  for  two 
horses  and  four  wheeled  carriage,  one  dollar;  for  horned  cattle,  four 
cents  each,  and  for  polled  cattle,  two  cents  each. 

First  Steamboats. — Coincident  with  the  opening  of  the  first  roads 
in  Cooper  County  by  the  Cooper  County  Court,  was  the  arrival  at  Franklin 
of  the  steamboat  Independence,  the  marvel  of  marvels,  and  what  seemed 
to  our  first  settlers  the  acme  of  the  evolution  of  transportation.  Prior 
to  this,  however,  and  leading  up  to  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  River, 
coincident  with  the  first  Anglo-American  settlement  on  the  Missouri  in 
1807  was  the  first  successful  application  of  steam  as  a  motive  power,  the 
trip  of  the  North  River  steamboat  up  the  Hudson  from  New  York  to 
Albany;  and  again,  coincident  with  the  first  Anglo-American  settlements 
in  what  are  now  Howard  and  Cooper  counties  in  1810,  was  Fulton's  and 
Livingston's  proposition  to  the  legislature  of  Upper  Louisiana,  of  which 
St.  Louis  was  the  seat  of  government,  to  operate  steamboats  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio.  The  proposition,  however,  was  not  acted  upon.  It 
seemed  a  visionary  dream.  It  was  not  until  seven  years  afterward,  in 
1817,  that  the  first  steamboat,  the  Zebulon  M.  Pike,  landed  at  St.  Louis. 
Its  hull  was  built  like  a  barge.  It  had  but  one  smokestack,  its  engine  was 
of  low  pressure,  and  when  the  current  was  swift,  the  crew  used  poles  to 
furnish  additional  power.  The  trip  from  Louisville  to  St.  Louis  took  six 
weeks. 

Arrival  of  First  Steamboat  at  Franklin. — The  trip  of  the  Indepen- 
dence from  St.  Louis  to  Franklin  and  return  deserves  more  than  ordinary 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  83 

mention.  The  Independence  left  St.  Louis  May  15,  1819,  and  reached 
Franklin  opposite  Boonville  on  May  29th.  Captain  John  Nelson  had  charge 
of  the  steamboat.  Among  the  passengers  were  Col.  Elias  Rector,  Stephen 
Rector,  Captain  Desha,  J.  C.  Mitchell,  Dr.  Stuart,  J.  Wanton,  and  Major 
J.  D.  Wilcox. 

The  settlers  on  both  sides  of  the  river  were  wild  with  excitement 
and  elation  on  the  arrival  of  the  boat  at  Franklin.  A  public  meeting  was 
held  at  which  Asa  Morgan  who  with  Charles  Lucas,  laid  out  Boonville,  on 
the  first  day  of  August,  1817,  was  chosen  president  and  Dr.  N.  Hutchin- 
son vice-president.  The  "Franklin  Intelligencer,"  May  28,  1819,  speak- 
ing of  that  event  says : 

"On  Friday  last,  the  28th  ult.,  the  citizens  of  Franklin,  with  the  most 
lively  emotions  of  pleasure,  witnessed  the  arrival  of  this  beautiful  boat, 
owned  and  commanded  by  Captain  Nelson,  of  Louisville.  Her  approach 
to  the  landing  was  greeted  by  a  Federal  salute,  accompanied  with  the 
acclamations  of  an  admiring  crowd,  who  had  assembled  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  this  most  novel  and  interesting 
sight.  We  may  truly  regard  this  event  as  highly  important,  not  only  to 
the  commercial  but  agricultural  interests  of  the  country.  The  practica- 
bility of  steamboat  navigation,  being  clearly  demonstrated  by  experi- 
ment, we  shall  be  brought  nearer  to  the  Atlantic,  West  India  and  Euro- 
pean markets,  and  the  abundant  resources  of  our  fertile  and  extensive 
region  will  be  quickly  developed.  This  interesting  section  of  country,  so 
highly  favored  by  nature,  will  at  no  distant  period,  with  the  aid  of  science 
and  enterprise  assume  a  dignified  station  amongst  the  great  agricultural 
states  of  the  west. 

"The  enterprise  of  Capt.  Nelson  cannot  be  too  highly  appreciated  by 
the  citizens  of  Missouri.  He  is  the  first  individual  who  has  attempted 
the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  by  steam  power,  a  river  that  has  hitherto 
borne  the  character  of  being  very  difficult  to  and  imminently  dangerous  in 
its  navigation,  but  we  are  happy  to  state  that  his  progress  thus  far  has 
not  been  impeded  by  any  accident.  Among  the  passengers  were  Colonel 
Elias  Rector,  Mr.  Stephen  Rector,  Capt.  Desha,  J.  C.  Mitchell,  Esq.,  Dr. 
Stuart,  Mr.  J.  Wanton,  Maj.  J.  D.  Wilcox. 

"The 'day  after  the  arrival  of  the  Independence,  Capt.  Nelson  and 
the  passengers  partook  of  a  dinner,  given  by  the  citizens  of  Franklin,  in 
honor  of  the  occasion.." 

The  trip  of  the  Independence  from  St.  .Louis  to  Franklin  was  the 
beginning  of  a  stupendous  river  traffic  upon  the  Missouri,  and  was  the 


84  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

chief  factor  in  the  development  of  Boonville  and  Cooper  County.  How- 
ever, prior  to  1831,  only  an  occasional  steamer  ventured  up  the  dangerous 
Missouri.  The  steamboat  arrivals  ascending  the  river  at  Boonville,  in 
1831,  were  only  five. 

Arrival  of  Second  Steamboat. — The  second  steamboat  to  arrive  at 
Franklin  was  the  "Western  Engineer,"  a  small  boat  constructed  for  scien- 
tific purposes.  It  carried  an  expedition  projected  by  the  United  States 
to  ascertain  whether  the  Missouri  River  was  navigable  by  steamboat 
and  to  establish  a  line  of  forts  from  its  mouth  to  the  Yellow  Stone.  The 
vessel  reached  St.  Louis,  June  9,  1819,  and  proceeding  on  the  voyage, 
arrived  at  Franklin  June  13,  of  the  same  year.  Its  progress  up  the  river 
excited  the  greatest  fear  among  the  Indians,  many  of  whom  flocked  the 
river  banks  to  see  it,  while  others  fled  in  fear  to  the  forest  or  prairie, 
thinking  it  an  evil  spirit,  a  very  devil  with  horned  head,  and  breath  of 
fire  and  steam.  The  St.  Louis  "Inquirer"  of  June  16,  1819,  gives  this 
description  of  it:  "The  bow  of  the  vessel  exhibits  the  form  of  a  huge 
serpent,  black  and  scaly,  rising  out  of  the  water  from  under  the  boat,  his 
head  as  high  as  the  deck,  darted  forward,  his  mouth  open,  vomiting  • 
smoke,  and  apparently  carrying  the  boat  on  his  back.  From  under  the 
boat,  at  its  stern  issues  a  stream  of  foaming  water,  dashing  violently 
along.  All  the  machinery  is  hid.  Three  small  brass  field  pieces,  mounted 
on  wheels,  stand  on  the  deck;  the  boat  is  ascending  the  rapid  stream  at 
the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour.  Neither  wind,  nor  human  hands  are 
seen  to  help  her;  and  to  the  eye  of  ignorance  the  illusion  is  complete, 
that  a  monster  of  the  deep  carries  her  on  his  back  smoking  with  fatigue, 
and  lashing  the  waves  with  violent  exertion." 

Description  of  Early  Steamboat. — Captain  Joseph  Brown,  in  a  paper 
before  the  Missouri  Historical  Society,  wrote  what  he  had  seen  and  known, 
as  boy  and  man,  of  the  primitive  steamboat: 

"They  had  but  one  engine,  and  no  'doctor'  or  donkey  engine.  The 
boats  themselves,  and  particularly  those  for  the  upper  rivers,  were  small, 
sometimes  made  like  a  flat  boat,  with  broad  bow  and  stern,  and  a  stern 
wheel.  There  was  nothing  above  the  boiler  house  deck  but  the  pilot 
house  and  chimneys,  or  rather  one  chimney,  for  they  had  cylinder  boilers ; 
that  is,  there  were  no  flues  in  the  boilers.  Having  but  one  engine,  the 
shaft  ran  entirely  across  the  boat,  and  when  at  a  landing  the  engine  bad 
to  run  the  pump  to  supply  the  boilers  with  water,  the  wheels  had  to  be 
uncoupled  to  let  the  engine  work.     As  I  said  before,  the  donkey  engine 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  85 

had  not  been  invented,  and  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  many  explosions  oc- 
curred for  the  lack  of  it. 

"The  cabin  was  a  very  primitive  affair.  It  was  on  the  lower  deck, 
back  of  the  shaft,  in  the  after  part  of  the  boat.  There  were  no  state- 
rooms then,  but,  like  a  canal  boat,  there  were  curtains  in  front  of  th"e 
berths.  It  was  quite  common  to  see  a  bowsprit  sticking  out  in  front  of 
the  boat,  such  as  are  seen  on  ships,  but,  being  useless,  they  were  soon 
dispensed  with.  Stages  had  not  been  invented  then.  Two  or  three  planks 
were  used,  if  need  be,  tied  together.  Whistles  were  unknown,  but  bells 
were  rung,  and  the  captains  were  very  proud  of  the  big  bell.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  there  was  no  signal  for  meeting  or  passing  boats,  which 
resulted  in  many  collisions. 

"There  were  no  packets  then.  A  boat  started  for  Pittsburg  was  just 
as  likely  to  go  to  St.  Paul  as  anywhere,  or  up  any  of  the  other  rivers, 
and  they  had  no  regular  or  even  days  of  starting.  I  have  known  boats 
to  have  steam  up  for  a  week,  telling  people  and  shippers  the  boat  was 
going  in  an  hour,  and  even  have  their  planks  all  taken  in,  all  but  one, 
and  then  launch  out  their  planks  again.  All  this  was  done  to  decoy 
people  on  board.  The  clanging  of  bells,  the  hurrah  of  agents  and  the 
pulling  and  hauling  of  cabmen  and  runners  were  most  confusing,  more 
particularly  to  unsophisticated  emigrants.  There  was  no  fixed  price  for 
anything ;  it  was  all  a  matter  of  bargaining,  and  very  often  deception  was 
practiced.  The  engines  being  small  and  very  imperfect  in  those  days, 
the  boats  were  very  slow.  I  have  known  some  boats  in  the  case  of  a 
sudden  rise  in  the  river  and  consequently  strong  current,  to  be  unable  to 
stem  it  at  the  old  waterworks  point,  which  was  at  the  foot  of  Carr  Street. 
They  would  have  to  go  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  fight  it 
out  there,  sometimes  for  hours,  in  sight  of  the  city.     *     *     * 

"In  1849,  when  the  gold  fever  was  at  its  height,  there  were  fifty- 
eight  fine  steamers  plying  regularly  on  the  Missouri  River;  on  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  about  seventy-five ;  on  the  Illinois,  twenty-eight  fine  steamers ; 
to  New  Orleans,  about  one  hundred ;  on  the  Ohio,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty ;  on  the  Tennessee,  about  fifteen.  Owing  to  the  rush  of  immigration 
at  that  time,  boats  could  not  be  built  fast  enough.  It  was  said  of  a  cer- 
tain boat-yard  at  Freedom,  Pennsylvania,  that  they  kept  a  lot  of  straight 
bodies  of  boats  put  up.  When  a  man  wanted  a  boat,  they  took  him  down 
to  the  yard  and  asked  him  how  long  he  wanted  her;  then  just  put  two 
ends  onto  a  body  and  he  had  a  boat.    But  a  really  fast  and  fine  boat  cost 


86  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  v 

about  $100,000  to  $150,000  and  took  about  eight  months  to  build.  The 
average  life  of  a  boat  was  about  five  years.  After  that  they  were  com- 
pelled either  to  build  a  more  modern  boat,  or  raise  and  rebuild  the  one 
that  had  sunk  or  blown  up.  Need  I  tell  you  that  in  one  bend  of  the  river 
there  lie  the  wrecks  of  one  hundred  ^nd  three  steamboats,  between  St. 
Louis  and  Cairo?" 

Greatest  Era  of  Steamboating. — Steamboating  reached  its  highest 
prosperity  in  the  year  1858.  There  were  then  not  less  than  sixty  packets 
on  the  river,  besides  probably  30  or  40  transient  boats  called  tramps, 
which  came  on  the  river  from  other  streams  and  made  one  or  two  trips 
during  the  season.  The  packets  carried  the  United  States  mail,  express, 
freight,  papers,  both  semi-weekly  and  daily,  and  their  arrival  was  looked 
forward  to  along  the  Missouri  River  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  and 
people  flocked  to  the  wharves  at  the  time  of  their  arrival. 

So  numerous  were  the  boats  on  .the  lower  river  during  this  period, 
that  it  was  no  unusual  sight  to  see  as  many  as  five  or  six  lying  at  the 
landing  at  the  same  time ;  and  during  the  boating  season,  which  continued 
from  March  to  November,  at  no  time  was  a  boat  out  of  sight.  These 
were  prosperous  days  for  the  river  towns. 

During  this  banner  year  of  prosperity  for  steamboating  on  the  Mis- 
souri River,  some  of  the  finest  and  most  popular  boats  were :  Kate  Howard, 
John  D.  Perry,  David  Tatum,  Clara,  Platte  Valley,  Asa  Wilgus,  Alonzo, 
Child,  F.  X.  Aubrey,  Admiral  D.  S.  Carter,  Emigrant,  E.  A.  Ogden,  Em- 
pire, State,  Isabella,  James  H.  Lucas,  Meteor,  Minnehaha,  Polar  Star, 
Peerless,  Spread,  Eagle.  War  Eagle,  Southwestern,  C.  W.  Sombart,  Twi- 
light, Thomas  E.  Tutt,  White  Cloud  and  Edinburgh.  Those  which  came 
later  were  the  R.  W.  Dugan,  D.  H.  Dui-fee,  Phil  E.  Chapel,  Montana,  Da- 
kota, A.  L.  Mason,  State  of  Missouri  and  State  of  Kansas.  These  boats 
were  built  for  some  special  trade.  Some  ran  as  late  as  1888.  when  steam- 
boat navigation  on  the  Missouri  ceased. 

The  Missouri  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  streams  in  the  world  to 
navigate  because  of  its  shifting  channel,  its  swift  current  and  its  many 
bends  which  with  the  innumerable  snags  therein  were  a  continual  menace 
to  life  in  the  days  of  the  steamboat,  and  no  pilot  approaches  one,  espe- 
cially at  night,  without  trepidation  and  fear. 

Primitive  Boats,  Canoes,  Etc. — The  pirogue,  as  used  by  the  early 
French  fur-trader,  was  really  a  double  pirogue,  or  a  double  canoe,  built 
in  the  shape  of  a  flat-iron,  with  a  sharp  bow  and  a  square  stern.  Two 
canoes,  or  pirogues,  were  securely  fastened  together  a  short  distance 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  87 

apart,  the  floor  being  formed  by  boards,  or  puncheons,  laid  across.  On 
the  floor  was  placed  the  cargo,  which  was  protected  from  the  weather  by 
hides.  The  boat  was  propelled  upstream  by  oars  or  line,  steered  by  an 
oarsman,  who  stood  on  the  stern.  A  square  sail  was  also  resorted  to 
going  upstream,  when  the  wind  was  in  the  right  quarter,  and  a  distance 
of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  could  be  made  under  favorable  conditions. 

Such  boats  were  usually  from  30  to  40  feet  long,  and  from  six  to 
eight  feet  beam,  and  being  light,  were  good  carriers.  They  were  much 
safer  than  the  canoe,  because  of  their  width  they  could  not  be  easily  upset. 

The  bateau,  used  by  the  French  trader,  was  a  flat  bottomed,  clumsily 
constructed  boat,  especially  adapted  to  transporting  a  cargo  of  fur  down- 
stream, and  did  not  differ  materially  from  the  flat  bottomed  boat.  It 
was  usually  from  50  to  75  feet  long,  and  10  to  12  feet  deep.  Gunwales 
were  hewn  from  cotton  logs,  and  the  bottom  was  spiked  into  cross  beams 
running  lengthwise  of  the  boat.  The  bow  and  stern  were  square  with  a 
sufficient  slant  toward  the  bottom  to  make  easier  the  progress  of  the 
boat  through  the  water.  The  oars,  the  pole,  the  line  and  the  sail  were 
the  appliances  relied  upon  for  motive  power  in  ascending  the  stream,  but 
in  going  down  the  boat  was  allowed  to  float  with  the  current,  being  kept 
in  the  channel  by  the  steersman.  The  flat-boats,  when  they  reached 
their  destination  going  downstream,  were  usually  sold  for  lumber. 

Growth  of  Steamboating. — In  the  year  1836,  on  the  30th  day  of 
September,  the  arrivals  at  the  same  port  had  amounted  to  more  than  70. 
The  population  along  the  Missouri  River  had  increased  so  rapidly  along 
about  1840,  that  there  was  demand  for  additional  transportation  facili- 
ties. This  brought  about  the  building  of  a  better  class  of  boats.  They 
had  full  length  cabins,  double  engines  with  a  battery  of  boilers  in  place 
of  the  single  engine.  Great  improvements  were  also  made  in  the  hulls, 
and  they  were  so  constructed  as  to  have  the  same  carrying  capacity  as 
before  but  to  draw  much  less  water. 

The  same  genius  that  had  invented  the  steamboat  was  continually 
making  improvements,  both  in  the  machinery  and  the  hull,  so  as  to  add 
to  the  speed  of  the  boat  and  also  increase  her  carrying  capacity.  There 
were  26  steamboats  engaged  regularly  in  the  lower  river  trade  during 
the  year  1842.  They  were  generally  from  140  to  160  feet  long,  about  30 
feet  beam  and  six  foot  hold,  and  were  a  much  better  class  of  boats  than 
those  formerly  built.  They  had  side  wheels  and  the  cabins  were  full 
length. 

We  have  been  unable  to  secure  information  concerning  the  arrivals 


88  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  the  departures  of  boats  from  Boonville  during  that  year,  but  at  Glas- 
cow  there  were  312. 

The  years  between  1850  and  1860  are  popularly  termed  by  some  as 
the  "Golden  Era"  in  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Missouri  River,  but 
Capt. .A.  J.  Spahr  thinks  the  period  from  1866  to  1868,  inclusive,  to  be 
the  most  prosperous.  The  improvements  which  had  been  made  both  in 
the  machinery  and  in  the  construction  of  the  hull,  the  adaptation  of  the 
state-room  cabin,  and  the  systematizing  of  the  business  all  tend  to  lessen 
the  danger  of  navigation  and  to  increase  the  profits. 

The  advance  made  in  navigation  on  the  Missouri  River  had  kept 
pace  with  the  march  of  commerce  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  Phil  E. 
Chappel  says  in  a  "History  of  the  Missouri  River:" 

"The  first  navigator  on  the  Missouri  River  was  the  little  blue-winged 
teal ;  the  next  the  Indian,  with  his  canoe ;  then  came  the  half -civilized 
French  voyageur,  with  his  pirogue,  paddling  up  stream  or  cordelling 
around  the  swift  points.  At  a  later  day  came  the  fur-trader  with  his 
keel-boat;  still  later  there  came  up  from  below  the  little  "dingey" — the 
single  engine,  one-boiler  steamboat,  which  has  been  described.  At  last 
the  evolution  was  complete,  and  there  came  the  magnificent  passenger 
steamer  of  the  '50's,  the  floating  palace  of  the  palmy  days  of  steamboat- 
ing,  combining  in  her  construction  every  improvement  that  experience 
had  suggested  or  the  ingenuity  of  man  had  devised  to  increase  the  speed 
or  add  to  the  safety  and  comfort  of  the  passenger. 

"The  fully  equipped  passenger  steamer,  in  the  heyday  of  steamboat- 
ing  on  the  Missouri  River,  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  marine  archi- 
tecture. She  was  generally  about  250  feet  long,  40  feet  beam,  and  had 
a  full-length  cabin,  capable  of  accommodating  from  300  to  400  people. 
The  texas,  occupied  solely  by  the  officers,  was  on  the  hurricane  roof.  In 
addition  to  her  passenger  accommodation,  she  had  a  freight  capacity 
of  500  to  700  tons.  She  was  well  proportioned,  symmetrical,  trim,  fast 
and  sat  on  the  water  like  a  thing  of  life.  Her  two  tall  smoke-stacks, 
with  ornamental  tops,  between  which  was  usually  suspended  some  gilt 
letter  or  device,  added  much  to  her  beauty.  The  pilot,  on  top  of  the 
texas,  was  highly  ornamentel  with  glass  windows  on  every  side;  a  fence 
railing  of  scroll  work  surrounded  the  guards  of  the  boiler  deck  and  texas. 
The  entire  boat  except  the  smoke-stack,  was  painted  a  dazzling  white. 

"The  cabin  of  the  boat,  a  long,  narrow  saloon,  was  a  marvel  of  beauty 
in  its  snow  white  splendor.  The  floors  of  the  cabin  were  covered  with 
the  softest  of  Brussels  carpets,  and  the  state-rooms  were  supplied  with 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  89 

every  convenience.  Indeed,  the  bridal  chambers  were  perfect  gems  of 
elegance  and  luxury.  The  table  was  elegantly  furnished,  and  the  menu 
unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  first-class  hotel.  Each  boat  had,  in  the  ladies' 
cabin,  a  piano,  and  generally  a  brass  band,  and  always  a  string  band 
was  carried.  After  the  table  was  cleared  away  at  night  a  dance  was 
always  in  order,  the  old  Virginia  reel  being  the  favorite  dance.  The  social 
feature  of  a  trip  on  one  of  these  elegant  boats  was  most  charming." 

Costs  of  Steamboats. — The  estimated  cost  of  one  of  the  boats  above 
described,  during  the  period  between  1850  and  1860  was  from  $50,000  to 
$75,000.  The  captains  received  about  $200  per  month,  clerks  $150,  mates 
$125,  engineers  about  the  same  as  mates.  These  wages  included  board, 
and  were  based  on  the  size  of  the  boat,  labor  and  danger  as  well  as  the 
profits  of  the  business.  The  pilot,  however,  received  princely  wages, 
sometimes  as  much  as  $1,600  per  month.  He  was  the  autocrat  of  the 
boat,  and  absolutely  controlled  her  navigation.  It  was  for  him  to  deter- 
mine when  the  boat  should  run  or  "lay  by." 

However,  piloting  on  the  Missouri  River  was  a  science,  demanding 
of  the  pilot  great  skill  and  a  wonderful  memory  of  localities.  The  river 
channel,  its  bends,  cliffs,  bars  and  obstructions  were  visualized  in  his 
mind  as  well  in  the  darkest  night  and  densest  fog  as  if  seen  on  the  clear- 
est day.  The  weal  or  woe  of  the  floating  palace,  with  its  rich  cargo  of 
merchandise  and  human  freight,  depended  upon  his  skill  and  ever  alert 
vigilance. 

Locally  Owned  Steamboats. — Capt.  A.  J.  Spahr,  known  in  the  pros- 
perous river  days  as  "Bud"  Spahr,  was  one  of  the  leading  pilots  on  the 
Missouri.  It  is  his  opinion  that  the  most  prosperous  period  in  steam- 
boating  on  the  Missouri  were  the  years  1866,  '67  and  '68.  He  tells  of  a 
certain  pilot  on  the  Missouri  who  entered  into  a  contract  to  pilot  at  $1,600 
per  month  for  eight  months,  "work  or  play."  Also  that  Capt.  C.  H. 
Brewster  of  Boonville,  who  was  clerk  on  the  "Cora,"  a  boat  of  about 
5,000  tons,  on  his  return  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort  Benton,  turned  over  to 
the  owner  of  the  "Cora,"  Capt.  Joe  Kinney,  the  sum  of  $45,000 — profits 
of  the  trip. 

From  Captain  Spahr,  we  gather  the  following  information:  Capt. 
Joe  Kinney,  who  lived  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Boonville, 
was  the  owner  of  the  following  boats  at  different  times:  Kate  Kinney,  a 
side  wheeler  and  a  fine  boat ;  Kate  Kinney,  stern  wheel ;  St.  Lake,  Bacon, 
Fannie  Ogden,  Cora,  stern  wheel ;  Cora,  side  wheel ;  R.  W.  Dugan  and 
Alice,  and  a  large  interest  in  the  W.  H.  H.  Russell,  Twilight  and  Omaha. 


90  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Among  those  of  our  local  citizens  engaged  and  interested  largely  in 
steamboating  were:  Capt.  Joe  Kinney,  as  above  stated;  Capt.  Henry 
McPherson,  owner  of,  or  largely  interested  in,  the  Jennie  Lewis ;  J.  L. 
Stephens,  Cavier,  Lieut.  Girard  D.  Allen,  Captain  St.  John;  Capt.  Dave 
Kaiser,  Wm.  Linge,  pilot;  "Bud"  Spahr,  pilot;  Geo.  Homan,  pilot;  Jesse 
Homan,  pilot;  "Billy"  Young,  pilot;  Capt.  C.  H.  Brewster,  C.  W.  Sombarts 
(owner  of  C.  W.  Sombart) ,  and  Capt.  D.  DeHaven,  captain  of  South  West- 
ern owned  by  a  company  of  Boonville  citizens.  There  were  doubtless 
others  but  we  have  been  able  to  get  information  concerning  only  the 
foregoing. 

Wrecking  of  Steamboats. — Space  will  not  permit  us  in  this  chapter 
to  give  the  names  of  the  boats  wrecked  and  destroyed  on  the  Mississippi, 
nor  to  give  an  account  of  any  of  these  unfortunate  events.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  the  list  of  lost  boats  contains  the  names  of  over  300.  Of  those 
names,  193  were  sunk  by  coming  in  contact  with  snags,  25  by  fire,  and 
the  remainder  by  explosions,  rocks,  bridges,  storms  and  ice. 

As  most  of  the  boats  ran  in  the  lower  Missouri,  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  number  were  wrecked  between  Kansas  City  and  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  It  has  been  stated  on  authority  that  there  are  buried  in 
the  lower  bends  of  the  river  the  wrecks  of  more  than  200  steamboats, 
covered  with  the  accumulated  sands  of  more  than  a  half  century. 

Santa  Fe  Trail,  William  Becknell  Founder. — Next  in  importance  to 
the  magnificent  steamboat  traffic  which  so  directly  added  to  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  Cooper  County,  was  that  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  The 
first  concerted  organized  effort  to  reach  and  open  up  trade  and  commerce 
with  Santa  Fe.  New  Mexico,  was  inaugurated  by  William  Becknell,  who 
lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri,  not  far  from  Boonville. 

Becknell  published  an  advertisement  in  the  Franklin  "Intelligencer" 
"to  enlist  a  company  destined  to  Santa  Fe  for  the  purpose  of  trading  for 
horses  and  mules,  catching  wild  animals  of  every  description  that  might 
be  for  the  advantage  of  the  company."  It  was  emphasized  that  all  men 
joining  the  expedition  were  to  bind  themselves  by  oath  to  submit  to  such 
orders  and  rules  as  the  company  when  assembled  might  adopt.  The  num- 
ber of  men  sought  to  be  enlisted  in  this  expedition  was  limited  to  70,  and 
applications  were  to  be  received  up  to  Aug.  4,  1822.  These  applicants 
were  directed  to  meet  at  the  home  of  Ezekiel  Williams,  known  as  the 
"lost  trapper,"  on  the  Missouri  River,  five  miles  above  Franklin,  to  secure 
a  pilot  and  appoint  officers.  At  this  meeting,  however,  only  11  men 
assembled,  and  Becknell  was  chosen  captain.     It  was  then  determined 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  91 

that  30  men  would  be  the  number  sufficient  to  undertake  the  expedition, 
and  that  the  company  as  organized  should  cross  the  Missouri  River  at 
Arrow  Rock  on  September  the  first. 

The  expedition  was  highly  successful,  and  the  men  returned  in  Jan- 
uary, 1822.  William  Becknell  became  the  founder  of  the  phenomenal 
Santa  Fe  Trail,  of  which  Franklin,  for  a  number  of  years,  was  the  thriv- 
ing center.  But,  alas,  for  more  than  80  years  the  treacherous  waters  of 
the  Missouri  have  eddied  the  shifting  sands  of  the  treacherous  stream 
and  have  covered  the  places  where  the  restless,  indomitable  and  adven- 
turous early  settlers  met  and  jostled,  traded  and  trafficked,  fitted  and 
equipped  the  caravans  for  the  great  trade  of  the  wilderness;  and  who  on 
their  return  from  successful  trips,  boasted  of  exploits  and  adventures, 
and  displayed  the  evidences  of  their  prosperity  and  wealth. 

Boonville  Becomes  Active  Mart. — A  few  years  after  1826,  the  year 
in  which  the  waters  of  the  turbulent  Missouri  commenced  encroaching 
upon  the  beautiful  city  of  Franklin,  Boonville  assumed  its  dominant  posi- 
tion on  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  Steamboats  began  to  land  in  increasing  num- 
bers along  the  river  front,  especially  at  the  foot  of  what  is  now  Main 
street,  and  there  continued  for  years  a  wonderful  activity. 

The  hum  of  activity;  the  loud  and  strident  voices  of  mates,  frequently 
punctured  with  oaths  as  they  drove  the  stevedores  to  greater  activity ; 
the  monotonous  songs  of  the  negroes  chanting  the  river  melodies,  as  they 
strove,  heaved  and  perspired;  the  long  line  of  prairie  schooners  with 
teams  of  patient,  plodding  oxen  loading  for  the  great  trail  of  the  wilder- 
ness ;  the  flare  of  the  torches  at  night  reflected  in  the  waters ;  and  the 
indescribable  grace  of  the  steamboat  as  she  gently  pressed  the  wharf 
and  lowered  her  gang-plank  and  the  hurly-burly;  the  passengers  crowd- 
ing the  rail  eagerly  gazing  on  the  shore  scene,  or  with  sparkling  eyes 
ready  to  pass  the  gang-plank;  all  are  now  but  sweet  memories  of  halcyon 
days,  .obscured  by  the  sands  of  more  than  half  a  century. 

Use  of  Oxen. — Experience  demonstrated  along  about  1821  that  oxen 
were  better  adapted  to  the  Santa  Fe  trail  than  mules,  and  from  this  time 
on  the  oxen  were  more  generally  used  than  the  mules. 

When  oxen  were  used,  the  day  was  divided  usually  into  two  drives 
of  six  or  eight  miles  each  day.  As  soon  as  early  dawn  approached,  the 
first  drive  started  and  its  termination  was  in  a  measure  decided  by  the 
most  favorable  camping  place  where  grass  and  water  were  to  be  found 
in  plenty.  About  midday  the  wagons  were  corraled  and  the  cattle  were 
given  food.     In  very  hot  weather  the  afternoon  drive  was  not  ordered 


92  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

until  about  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  On  such  days  the 
drive  continued  until  nine  or  ten  o'clock  at  night.  When  the  oxen  were 
unyoked,  they  were  turned  over  to  the  night  herder,  who  kept  watcn 
over  them  as  they  moved  about  seeking  the  best  grass.  As  it  was  only 
necessary  for  the  herder  to  keep  track  of  the  leader  of  the  herd,  one 
man  could  easily  watch  over  as  many  as  300  or  400  head  of  oxen  at  night. 
In  the  herd  on  the  trail,  there  developed,  very  soon  after  the  start  on 
the  trail,  one  animal  which  all  the  others  recognized  as  a  leader.  Wher- 
ever the  leader  of  the  herd  went,  the  rest  of  the  herd  followed.  The  night 
herder  always  kept  track  of  the  leader,  and  frequently  got  off  his  mule, 
drove  a  peg  in  the  ground  to  which  he  attached  a  long  rope,  that  allowed 
the  mule  some  range,  rolled  himself  up  in  his  blanket  and  went  to  sleep. 
Moreover,  when  the  grass  was  scarce,  the  leader  would  wander  about  the 
plains,  and  all  the  herd  would  follow,  thus  requiring  the  night  herder  to 
follow  and  keep  awake. 

If  the  grass  was  plentiful  the  herd  would  often  obtain  a  sufficient 
supply  in  three  or  four  hours,  and  would  then  lie  down  until  morning. 
At  the  first  appearance  of  dawn,  the  night  herder  rounded  up  the  oxen, 
and  started  for  the  corral.  When  in  close  proximity,  he  would  shout 
"Roll  out,  roll  out,  roll  out."  This  was  the  signal  for  the  men  to  prepare 
breakfast  and  be  ready  to  yoke  up.  When  all  was  ready,  each  teamster 
answered,  "All  set."  Then  came  the  order,  "Fall  in."  The  second  order, 
"Stretch  out."  Then  with  creaking  yokes  and  rattling  wheels,  the  train 
moved  on  with  the  dignified  pace  of  oxen. 

First  Railroads. — The  building  of  railroads  in  Missouri,  commenced 
in  1859;  this  year  marked  the  completion  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph 
railroad,  the  first  railway  extending  to  the  Missouri  river.  This  sounded 
the  death  knell  of  steamboat  traffic  on  the  Missouri,  and  by  the  same 
token,  there  passed  into  the  dimly  remembered  past,  the  trials  and  thrills 
of  the  Santa  Fe  trail. 

The  first  rail  of  the  first  railroad  built  in  the  United  States  was  laid 
on  July  4,  1828,  by  Charles  Carroll,  who  was  at  the  time  the  only  surviv- 
ing signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

For  a  year  or  two,  cars  and  coaches  were  drawn  by  horses,  but  after 
that  the  locomotive  engine  was  introduced.  Fifteen  miles  of  this  road 
had  been  completed  by  1830.  Other  railroads  had  been  planned,  and  in 
a  few  years  were  under  construction,  so  that  by  1850,  a  little  more  than 
9,000  miles  of  railroad  had  been  built  in  the  United  States. 

Notwithstanding  this  progress  in  railroad  building  throughout  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  93 

country,  not  one  mile  was  constructed  in  Missouri  until  1851.  However, 
a  peculiar  i*oad  was  started  in  1849  or  1850,  which  extended  to  a  point  on 
the  Missouri  opposite  Lexington,  was  operated  by  horse  power,  and  its 
rails  and  cross  ties  were  built  entirely  of  timber.  Missouri  was  fortunate 
in  having  great  natural  highways  of  Commerce  in  the  Mississippi  and  Mis- 
souri rivers  and  their  tributaries.  The  steamboats  then  coming  into  gen- 
eral use  made  these  natural  highways  all  the  more  important  and  profit- 
able to  Missouri  by  establishing  connections  not  only  with  the  outside 
world,  but  also  between  different  parts  of  the  state.  Along  the  Mississippi 
and  Missouri  and  their  tributaries  were  thriving  and  prosperous  towns, 
and  these  seemed  well  satisfied  with  the  conditions,  as  they  then  existed. 
Eastern  capitalists  either  were  not  able  to  take  up  railroad  building  in 
Missouri,  or  did  not  consider  it  to  their  advantage  to  do  so.  However, 
agitation  for  railroad  building  began  as  early  as  1836.  A  railroad  con- 
vention was  held  on  April  30,  of  that  year,  at  St.  Louis.  Delegates  to  the 
number  of  59,  representing  11  different  counties,  including  Cooper, 
assembled  at  St.  Louis  at  this  time,  and  passed  various  resolutions  in 
which  the  advantages  of  railroads  were  set  forth. 

It  seems  to  us  at  this  day,  rather  strange  that  they  recommended  two 
lines  of  railroads  running  out  of  St.  Louis,  one  to  Fayette,  by  way  of  St. 
Charles,  Warrenton,  Fulton  and  Columbia,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  up 
an  agricultural  region,  the  other  to  the  valley  of  Bellvue  in  Washington 
County,  with  a  branch  to  the  Merrimac  Iron  Works  in  Crawford  County, 
for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  mineral  region. 

Congress  was  also  petitioned  by  this  convention  to  grant  500,000 
acres  of  public  lands  to  encourage  these  enterprises,  and  it  was 
also  urged  that  the  state  of  Missouri  place  its  credit  at  the  disposal  of 
the  companies  that  would  undertake  to  build  these  roads. 

Governor  Boggs,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  in  his  message  to  the 
Legislature,  strongly  urged  a  general  system  of  railroad  construction. 
Doubtless,  inspired  by  this  convention  of  railroad  delegates,,  and  the 
recommendation  of  the  governor,  the  Legislature  proceeded  to  incorporate, 
during  the  months  of  Jan.  and  Feb.,  1836,  at  least  18  railroad  com- 
panies whose  aggregate  capital  stock  amounted  to  about  $7,875,000. 

The  early  thirties  were  a  period  of  general  speculation  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  the  Missouri  Legislature  in  granting  franchises  to  rail- 
road companies  so  freely  and  generously,  was  only  following  the  example 
of  many  other  states.  However,  little  progress  was  made,  in  railroad 
building  by  these  companies,  due  doubtless,  in  a  large  part,  to  a  panic  in 


94  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

1837,  and  for  10  years  thereafter,  failing  to  do  so,  the  public  lost  interest 
in  railroad  enterprises.  The  500,000  acres  of  land  granted  by  Congress 
to  assist  in  internal  improvements  in  Missouri,  were  divided  among  the 
various  counties  of  the  state,  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  roads. 

It  was  not  until  1850  that  the  people  again  became  interested  in  rail- 
road building.  At  this  time  the  population  of  the  state  had  increased  to 
682,044.  This  increase  in  population  was  not  confined  to  the  older  settled 
portions  of  the  state,  that  is  along  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  Rivers, 
but  also  in  the  more  inland  sections.  The  country  had  recovered  from 
the  panic  of  1837,  and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  was  aroused  throughout  the 
country.  St.  Louis  became  roused.  In  1850,  her  population  was  80,081, 
and  she  was  the  leading  manufacturing  center  in  the  Mississippi  valley, 
but  Chicago  was  rapidly  gaining  upon  her. 

Missouri  was  being  roused.  Governor  King  proposed  to  the  legis- 
lature in  his  message  in  1850,  that  the  state  should  lend  its  credit  to  the 
railroad  companies  by  issuing  bonds,  and  lending  them  the  money  realized 
from  the  sale  of  these  bonds.  The  companies  were  to  pay  an  annual 
interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  and  to  pay  off  the  principal  in  20  years. 

On  Feb.  22,  1851,  a  law  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  granting  aid 
to  two  railroad  companies,  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph,  and  the  Pacific. 
The  first  was  granted  $1,500,000,  and  the  latter  $2,000,000.  The  Hannibal 
&  St.  Joseph,  which  had  been  incorporated  in  1846  was  to  build  a  road 
which  would  connect  Hannibal,  on  the  Mississippi,  with  St.  Joseph,  on  the 
Missouri.  The  Pacific,  which  had  been  incorporated  between  1847  and 
1851,  was  to  construct  a  road  which  would  run  from  St.  Louis  to  Jefferson 
City,  and  from  thence  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  state. 

We  shall  follow  the  history  of  railroad  building  no  further  in  the  state 
of  Missouri,  save  only  where  it  directly  affects  Cooper  county. 

It  was  in  the  building  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railway,  that  Boonville, 
and  Cooper  county,  in  all  probability,  lost  her  great  opportunity.  Boon- 
ville had  the  advantage  of  water  transportation,  and  was  the  most  im- 
portant and  most  popular  town  or  city  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and 
some  of  its  business  men,  though  farsighted  and  prosperous,  thought  that 
any  railroad  coming  west  from  St.  Louis  through  a  region  of  country  sur- 
rounding Boonville,  or  within  20  or  30  miles  of  its  proposed  route,  would 
naturally  deflect  from  its  course,  and  take  in  Boonville.  Efforts  to  secure 
the  road  was  not  characterized  by  that  activity  and  enthusiasm  usually 
manifested  by  men  who  were  attempting  to  avail  themselves  of  an  enter- 
prise, the  success  of  which  would  greatly  and  grandly  enure  for  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  95 

benefit  of  their  town,  and  the  speedy  building  up  of  its  material  interest, 
as  well  as  the  interest  of  the  county. 

The  golden  prize  (the  Missouri  Pacific),  with  all  its  promised  for  the 
future,  was  really  to  be  given  to  the  Vine-clad  city,  upon  certain  condi- 
tions but,  through  the  lukewarmness,  indifference  and  tardiness  of  those 
who  believed  the  Missouri  Pacific  road  would  come  to  Boonville  whether 
solicited  or  not,  it  was  bestowed  upon  another  and  far  less  pretentious 
raval  and  claimant.  Had  they  acted  upon  the  advice  of  the  poet,  who 
said: 

"Shun  delays,  they  breed  remorse," 

they  would  have  taken  the  instant  "by  the  forward  top",  and  would  have 
had  no  cause  for  repentance  and  regret. 

The  citizens  of  Boonville  had  a  meeting  and  instructed  Dr.  Wm.  H. 
Trigg,  one  of  their  most  wealthy  and  prominent  business  men,  to  go  to 
St.  Louis  and  confer  with  Mr.  Allen,  who  was  at  the  time  manager  of 
the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad.  The  doctor  waited  upon  Mr.  Allen  at  his 
office  in  St.  Louis,  and  had  an  extended  interview  with  him  in  reference 
to  bringing  the  road  by  way  of  Boonville.  Nothing  definite,  however,  was 
arrived  at  or  agreed  upon. 

The  road  was  chartered  Feb.  21,  1857,  to  run  from  a  point  between 
Jefferson  City  and  Round  Hill,  in  the  direction  of  Topeka,  Kansas.  The 
first  meetings  of  the  company  took  place  before  the  war.  In  1860,  the 
charter  was  amended,  so  as  to  permit  the  construction  of  the  road  north 
to  Boonville.  The  county  of  Cooper  then  subscribed  $150,000  in  bonds  to 
the  road.  During  the  war  the  road  bed  was  graded,  and  after  the  close 
of  the  war  the  county  subscribed  the  additional  sum  of  $100,000  in  bonds. 
The  road  was  finally  completed  through  Cooper  County  in  the  spring  of 
1869. 

The  road  was  commenced  in  1870.  Cooper  County  subscribed  $100,- 
000  toward  its  construction  through  the  county ;  Boonville  township, 
$100,000;  Pilot  Grove  township,  $40,000;  and  Clear  Creek  township, 
$30,000.     The  road  was  completed  in  1873. 

Previous  to  1870,  a  railroad  bridge  had  been  talked  of  by  such  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Boonville  as  Captain  Jo  L.  Stephens,  H.  Bunce,  J.  L. 
O'Bryan,  and  others  of  Cooper  County,  Colonels  Elliott  and  Estill,  of 
Howard  County,  and  Messrs.  Marvin  and  Barrett,  of  Sedalia  but  no  steps 
were  taken  to  secure  the  building  of  the  same  until  the  months  of  October 
and  November  of  that  year.  During  these  months  a  preliminary  survey 
was  made  by  General  Wm.  Sooy  Smith,  which  fully  demonstrated  the 


96  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

practicability  of  constructing  a  bridge  at  moderate  cost.  The  work,  how- 
ever, did  not  begin  in  earnest  until  the  road  bed  and  franchise  belonging 
to  the  Tebo  and  Neosho  railroad  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  and  Texas  railroad  company.  That  powerful  corporation  infused 
new  life  into  the  enterprise  and  determined  to  push  the  work  to  rapid 
completion.  A  charter  was  obtained,  and  an  act  of  Congress  passed 
authorizing  the  construction  of  the  bridge.  A  proposal  was  made  by  the 
American  Bridge  Company,  and  accepted  by  the  Boonville  Bridge  Com- 
pany for  the  building  of  the  bridge.  Men  and  machinery  made  their 
appearance  about  the  middle  of  Sept.,  1872.  During  the  fall  and  winter 
following,  cribs  and  caissons  for  the  foundations  were  framed,  the  abut- 
ments built,  quarries  opened,  and  machinery  and  materials  got  in  a  gen- 
eral state  of  readiness  for  the  spring  and  summer  work.  The  bridge  was 
completed  about  Jan.,  1874. 

Rebuilding  of  Bridges — Road  Improvement. — In  Sept.,  1905,  the  local 
rains  were  so  heavy  that  all  the  streams  within  Cooper  County  were  swollen 
beyond  precedent.  They  overflowed  the  banks  and  covered  much  of  the 
adjoining  land  in  many  places.  Most  of  the  bridges  of  the  county  were 
washed  away  or  wrecked.  Iron  structures  of  which  the  county  felt  proud 
were  but  straws  in  the  way  of  the  surging  waters  in  what  were  in  ordinary 
times  small  streams.  This  was  an  unfortunate  occurrence  and  seemed 
to  be  a  severe  blow  to  the  county.  A  difficult  problem  faced  the  county 
court.  There  was  nothing  like  sufficient  money  in  the  treasury  nor  funds 
to  be  anticipated  to  rebuild  and  reconstruct  these  bridges  necessary  to  the 
traffic  of  the  county.  Necessity  is  truly  the  mother  of  invention,  and  the 
county  court  was  compelled  to  pursue  an  ingenius  course.  All  were 
clamoring  for  bridges  in  their  respective  localities.  Being  unable  to  meet 
the  demands  the  county  court  informed  those  petitioning  for  bridges  that 
as  soon  as  the  money  was  available  the  court  would  at  once  build  the 
bridges  but  that  it  was  impossible  to  construct  all  that  were  needed  at 
once.  In  determining  what  bridge  or  bridges  would  be  first  constructed 
they  informed  the  petitioners  in  the  immediate  locality  of  the  bridges  that 
they  would  construct  first  the  bridge  in  the  locality  where  the  greatest 
subscription  was  raised  and  sent  the  court  for  such  purpose.  This  at 
first  met  with  some  opposition,  but  the  people  realizing  the  wisdom  of  the 
court's  action  and  that  those  in  the  immediate  locality  of  the  particular 
bridge  would  be  benefited  more  than  those  further  removed,  they  re- 
sponded to  the  court's  suggestion  and  soon  thereafter  the  action  of  bridge 
building  across  the  streams  of  Cooper  County  began.  Much  sooner  than 
had  been  hoped  by  the  most  optimistic.     Every  bridge  in  Cooper  County 


HISTORY   OF   COOPEE  COUNTY  97 

was  restored.  This  also  was  the  beginning  of  an  aroused  interest  in  bet- 
ter roads  and  a  few  years  after  bridges  were  constructed  the  court  adopted 
a  policy  with  reference  to  cutting  down  hills  and  establishing  better  grades 
for  roads,  in  other  words,  it  offered  to  the  people  for  the  purpose  of  reduc- 
ing the  grade  of  any  road  as  much  from  the  county  treasury  as  the  local 
people  would  subscribe.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  court  met  the 
hearty  approval  of  the  people  and  many  bad  grades  throughout  the  county 
were  greatly  improved.  About  this  time  was  also  established  and  marked 
out  the  Santa  Fe  trail  from  Boonville  through  Cooper  County  to  the 
Cooper  County  line  on  the  road  to  Arrow  Rock.  This  entire  stretch  of 
road  was  graded  in  the  best  and  most  approved  manner.  Drag  districts 
were  established.  This  highway  was  kept  in  the  best  condition  for  travel. 
Many  tourists  passing  over  it  from  other  states  pronounces  it  to  be  the 
best  dirt  road  in  our  country.  In  different  portions  of  the  county  the 
people  then  began  to  form  special  road  districts  and  adopted  the  extensive 
use  of  drags.  The  automobile  made  its  appearance  among  the  farmers 
and  every  owner  of  an  automobile  became  a  "good  roads"  booster.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  upon  the  first  appearance  of  the  automobile  in  our 
county  the  farmers  were  antagonistic  to  its  use  and  so  bitter  and  unrea- 
sonable was  the  opposition  on  the  part  of  some  that  various  and  numerous 
obstructions  were  placed  in  the  roads  to  make  hazardous  and  impede  the 
use  of  this,  then,  new  mode  of  travel.  However,  it  is  now  the  farmer 
who  owns  the  automobile.  It  is,  to  him,  a  necessity,  as  it  in  a  measure 
eliminates  space  and  time.  There  is  at  this  time  a  strong  sentiment  and 
agitation  for  hard  surface  roads.  In  1918  the  Boonville  special  road  dis- 
trict voted  bonds  to  the  extent  of  $100,000  which  together  with  a  like 
amount  that  will  be  received  from  the  government,  to-wit,  another  $100,- 
000  will  go  far  to  further  improve  our  roads. 

No  prophet  of  the  present  day,  however  great  his  vision,  can  foretell 
the  transportation  and  mode  of  travel  of  the  future.  Even  now  man  prac- 
tically dominates  the  air  and,  in  speed  and  distance  of  flight,  puts  to  shame 
its  feathered  inhabitants.  It  was  but  the  other  day  that  Captain  John 
Alcock  and  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Brown,  in  a  bombing  areoplane  crossed  the 
Atlantic  from  New  Foundland  to  Ireland,  a  distance  of  l.TJOO  miles  in  16 
hours  and  12  minutes.  Our  government  is  at  the  present  time  arranging 
for  a  flight  around  the  world  and  mail  routes  by  aeroplane  are  being  estab- 
lished. 

Less  than  half  a  century  back  Jules  Verne  in  his  story  of  how  the 
(7) 


98  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

imaginary  Phileas  Fogg  had  encircled  the  globe  in  80  days,  set  the 
world  to  talking  and  marveling  about  the  accelerated  speed  of  life,  yet  less 
than  20  years  after  or  about  30  years  ago  Nellie  Bly,  a  reporter  for  a  New 
York  paper,  in  actual  travel,  clipped  eight  days  off  the  record  of  the 
marvelous  trip  of  Phileas  Fogg.  In  1911  Andre  Jaeger-Schmidt  made 
the  planetary  loop  in  a  trifle  less  than  40  days.  Thus  from  1872  when 
Verne  calculated  Phileas  Fogg  record-setting  tour  until  1911  only  a  matter 
of  39  years,  mankind  had  come  a  half  nearer  the  flying  heels  of  time. 
Thus  the  imagination  and  vision  of  Jules  Verne  has  been  discounted  by 
actual  facts.     What  we  may  yet  expect  we  would  not  hazzard  a  conjecture. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  WAR  OF  1812  AND  INDIAN  TROUBLES. 


ERECTION  OF  FORT,S— KILLING  OF  SMITH— CAPTURE  COURSAULT— TODD  AND 
SMITH  KILLED— DISCOVERY  OF  INDIANS— CHASED  BY  INDIANS— SETTLERS 
TAKE  UP  TRAIL— CAMPBELL  KILLED— SETTLERS  MOVE  TO  SOUTH  SIDE  OF 
RIVER— BRAXTON  COOPER,  JR.,  KILLED— JOSEPH  STILL  KILLED— KILLING 
OF  WILLIAM  McLEAN— ATTEMPT  TO  KILL  AUSTIN— GREGG  KILLED  AND 
DOUGHTY  CAPTURED— NEGRO  "JOE"  KILLED— COURSAULT  KILLED— MURDER 
OF  RAMSEY  FAMILY — CAPTAIN  SARSHALL  COOPER  MURDERED — TWO  NE- 
GROES CAPTURED— RANGERS  COME  TO  RELIEF— DODGE  AND  COOPER 
CONTROVERSY— LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR— SAMUEL  McMAHON  AMBUSHED— 
BUILDING  OF  HANNAH  COLE  FORT— INDIAN  TREATY— ADDITIONAL  INCI- 
DENTS. 

In  time  of  profound  peace,  a  British  man-of-war  of  superior  force, 
made  a  surprise  attack  upon  the  Chesapeake  in  the  waters  of  the  United 
States,  and  in  consequence  thereof,  President  Jefferson,  in  July,  1807, 
issud  a  proclamation  of  embargo.  This  caused  much  excitement  among 
the  people  and  fomentation  among  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest  and  on 
the  borders  of  the  territory.  It  naturally  filled  the  minds  of  the  settlers 
on  the  frontier  with  anxiety. 

The  difficulties  between  England  and  the  United  States  remaining 
unadjusted,  and  becoming  greater  with  the  lapse  of  time,  war  was 
declared  in  1812. 

Erection  of  Forts. — The  settlers  in  the  Boonslick  country  began  the 
immediate  erection  of  forts.  The  largest  fort  of  the  settlement  was 
Cooper's  Fort,  a  stockade  flanked  by  log  houses  erected  in  a  bottom  prairie 
near  the  present  town  of  Glascow,  near  the  Missouri  River.  About  150 
yards  between  it  and  the  river,  a  common  field  of  250  acres  was  worked 


100  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

by  all  the  inhabitants  of  this  fort.  Twenty  families  and  a  number  of 
young  men  resided  in  the  fort. 

McLean's  Fort,  afterwards  called  Fort  Hempstead,  was  erected  on  a 
high  hill  near  Sulphur  Creek,  on  the  bluff  about  one  mile  from  the  present 
town  of  New  Franklin.  Fort  Kincaid  was  near  the  river,  about  one  and 
one-half  miles  from  the  present  site  of  Old  Franklin;  the  first  was  so 
named  in  honor  of  David  Kincaid.  Then,  there  was  Head's  Fort,  four 
miles  above  Rocheport  on  the  Big  Moniteau,  near  the  old  Boonslick  trail 
from  St.  Charles,  not  far  from  what  was  then  called  the  Spanish  Needle 
Prairie.     It  was  the  most  easterly  fort  of  the  settlement. 

These  forts  were  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  On  the  south,  the 
first  fort  erected  was  Cole's  Fort,  which  was  located  in  the  "Old  Fort 
Field",  about  one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  the  present  site  of  Boonville, 
north  of  the  Boonville  and  Rocheport  road.  The  second  fort  erected  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  was  the  Hannah  Cole  Fort,  located  on  a  bluff 
overlooking  the  river,  at  a  point  of  rocks,  where  a  lime-kiln  once  stood. 
This  last  fort,  however,  was  not  erected  until  1814.  This  place  was  selected 
by  the  settlers  as  the  most  suitable  for  defense,  being  located  at  the  edge 
of  a  very  steep  bluff  and  easily  defended,  and  also  affording  facilities  to 
obtain  a  good  supply  of  water.  In  order  to  make  the  supply  of  water 
,secure  during  an  Indian  attack,  the  settlers  ran  a  long  log  over  the  edge 
of  the  bluff,  and  attached  to  it  a  rope  and  windlass  to  draw  up  the  water. 

McMahan's  Fort  also  was  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  sup- 
posed to  be  about  five  miles  from  Cooper's  Fort,  but  we  have  been  unable 
to  determine  its  exact  location. 

When  Stephen  Cole,  assisted  by  his  neighbors,  had  completed  the 
erection  of  the  first  Cole  fort,  all  the  families  living  around,  especially  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  gathered  at  this  fort  for  protection  from  the 
savages. 

The  Cole  fort  consisted  of  a  stockade  flanked  by  log  cabins,  and  here 
lived  all  the  families  south  of  the  Missouri,  during  a  greater  part  ot  tne 
War  of  1812.  Many  mouths  were  to  be  fed,  and  they  were  hearty  feeders. 
Their  meat  consisted  entirely  of  wild  game,  which  they  killed  and  secured 
from  the  forest,  or  fish  caught  from  the  river.  For  this  purpose  they 
sent  out  hunting  parties  from  day  to  day.  At  this  time  all  was  not  ease 
and  comfort  within  the  fort,  and  the  white  men  were  denied  the  freedom 
of  the  forest  bv  the  wily  savage.  The  hunter  who  sallied  forth,  as  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  do  was  like  Argus  with  his  hundred  eyes,  and  Briar- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  101 

eus,  with  his  hundred  hands,  first  to  watch  and  then  to  guard.  When 
chased  or  surrounded  by  the  Indians,  figuratively  speaking,  he  put  on  the 
helmet  of  Pluto,  which  made  him,  invisible. 

Killing  of  Smith. — A  few  months  after  Cole  Fort  was  completed, 
Indians  were  reported  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Indians  consisting  of  a 
band  of  about  400,  made,  their  appearance  before  the  fort.  At  this  time 
there  were  two  hunting  parties  in  the  forest  after  game,  in  one  of  which 
were  two  men  by  the  names  of  Smith  and  Savage,  who  on  their  return 
to  the  fort  were  espied  by  the  Indians.  Smith  and  Savage  endeavored 
to  break  through  the  cordon  of  Indians  surrounding  the  fort.  They  were 
pursued  by  the  Indians,  and  the  savages  shot  at  them  several  times.  In 
the  first  fire  Smith  was  severely  wounded,  but  struggling,  he  staggered  on 
to  within  50  yards  of  the  fort,  where  the  Indians  again  fired,  two  balls 
taking  effect  and  felling  him  to  the  ground.  Only  Savage  succeeded  in 
attaining  the  fort. 

As  soon  as  Savage  saw  his  companion  fall  he  ran  to  his  assistance, 
but  Smith,  realizing  that  he  was  mortally  wounded  and  that  his  end  was 
near,  handed  Savage  his  gun  and  told  him  to  flee  and  save  himself.  The 
Indians  were  in  close  pursuit,  and  in  order  to  save  himself,  Savage  was 
compelled  to  leave  his  unfortunate  companion  and  make  his  escape. 
Although  he  was  shot  at  perhaps  25  times,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
fort  unhurt.  The  Indians  scalped  Smith,  and  barbarously  mutilated  his 
body,  as  was  then  their  custom.  They  then  withdrew  to  the  adjacent 
woods  and  laid  seige  to  the  fort. 

The  Indians,  who  pursued  Savage  in  his  successful  endeavor  to  escape 
to  the  fort,  came  into  full  view  of  the  settlers  in  the  fort,  and  several  of 
them  might  have  been  killed  had  the  settlers  deemed  it  wise  and  expedient 
to  do  so. 

Indeed,  it  is  said  that  Samuel  Cole,  who  was  in  the  fort  at  the  time, 
begged  his  mother  to  let  him  shoot  an  Indian.  Samuel  then  was  but  a 
little  shaver  about  twelve  years  of  age.  Doubtless  he  burned  with  ambi- 
tion and  his  little  heart  throbbed  by  reason  of  his  eager  and  earnest  desire 
to  kill  the  red  men,  thinking  not  of  the  consequences.  However  his 
mother,  Hannah  Cole,  with  wisdom  born  of  experience,  forbade  him  to 
shoot. 

The  Indians  had  as  yet  shown  no  disposition  to  fire  upon  the  fort,  and 
the  inmates,  there  being  but  six  men  in  the  fort,  did  not  wish  to  rouse 
their  anger  by  killing  any  of  them.     They  also  hoped  that  before  an  attack 


102  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

was  made  by  the  Indians,  that  those  settlers  who  were  yet  out  hunting 
would  arrive  and  thus  augment  the  forces  within  the  fort. 

They  realized  that  against  such  overwhelming  forces  they  could  not 
long  maintain  themselves,  and  that  their  only  hope  was  escape.  During 
the  following  day  the  remaining  settlers  who  were  outside  the  fort  evaded 
the  vigilant  cordon  of  savages,  and  doubtless  following  the  route  up  or 
down  the  river  reached  the  fort.  However  dire  their  straits,  aid  came 
fortuitously,  or  by  act  of  Providence.  On  the  following  day  a  boat  loaded 
with  Indian  goods  and  containing  25  kegs  of  powder,  400  pounds  of  balls, 
and  a  keg  of  whiskey,  in  charge  of  Captain  Coursault  and  belonging  to 
French  traders  of  St.  Louis,  was  going  up  the  river  for  the  purpose  of 
trading  these  articles  with  the  Indians. 

Capture  of  Coursault — Escape  of  Settlers. — This  aroused  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  settlers,  and  Benjamin  Cooper  admonished  Coursault  of  the 
danger  and  impropriety  of  supplying  the  Indians  with  ammunition  under 
existing  conditions,  for  with  the  ammunition  the  white  settlers  would  be 
slain.  Coursault  seemed  to  see  and  appreciate  the  danger  of  this  and 
promised  to  return  down  the  river.  It  seemed  to  the  settlers,  however, 
that  he  agreed  with  reluctance,  and  as  they  were  in  doubt  whether  or  not 
he  would  descend,  they  established  a  guard  on  the  river.  Their  suspicion 
was  well  founded,  and  their  caution  well  taken,  for  a  day  or  so  afterwards, 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Coursault  was  intercepted  attempting 
to  go  up  the  liver,  the  oars  of  his  boat  muffled.  He  was  commanded  to 
run  his  boat  ashore,  but  he  did  not  stop,  and  refused  to  obey  the  com- 
mand. Then  Captain  Cooper  fired,  but  Captain  Sarshall  Cooper  knocked 
the  gun  up,  thus  saving  Coursault's  life.  Coursault,  realizing  that  the 
settlers  were  in  deadly  earnest,  brought  his  boat  to  the  shore.  The 
ammunition  and  whiskey  were  confiscated  by  the  settlers  and  Coursault 
himself  held  captive  for  a  short  time.-  He  was  finally  allowed  to  return 
home  with  his  goods,  except  the  ammunition  and  the  large  keg  of  whiskey. 

After  this,  however,  Coursault  proved  himself  loyal  to  the  Americans 
in  the  War  of  1812.  He  bravely  assisted  in  the  defense  of  Cotesans  Des- 
sein,  when  it  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  during  the  war  he  loyally 
aided  in  the  defense  of  the  country  against  the  Indians.  He  was  captairt 
of  the  Cote  sans  Dessein  Company.  In  this  engagement,  an  account  of 
which  is  given  in  this  chapter,  Coursault  lost  his  life. 

By  reason  of  the  capture  of  this  boat,  the  settlers  were  enabled  to 
make  their  escape  from  Fort  Cole.     They  crossed  the  river  in  this  boat  to 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY.  103 

Fort  Kincaid  or  Fort  Hempstead,  which  was  located  about  one  mile  from 
the  end  of  the  great  iron  bridge  over  the  Missouri  River  at  Boonville. 
They  succeeded  in  taking  with  them  their  families,  all  their  stock,  furni- 
ture and  belongings  of  other  nature.  The  fort  was  surrounded  by  savages 
on  all  sides,  save  on  the  river  front,  and  yet,  in  the  face  of  all  this,  the 
white  men  saved  not  only  themselves,  but  all  their  personal  property  in 
the  fort,  as  well  as  their  live  stock. 

After  they  had  crossed  the  river,  the  Frenchmen  and  their  leader, 
Coursault,  were  permitted  to  return  down  the  river  with  their  boat,  with 
the  strong  admonition  that  if  thev  ever  dared  come  up  the  river  again 
with  supplies  for  the  Indians  they  would  handle  them  with  "short  shrift". 

The  ammunition  captured  and  confiscated  at  this  time,  was  sufficient 
to  last  the  settlers  for  a  long  time. 

Previous  to  this,  Joseph  Jolly  had  supplied  them  with  powder,  manu- 
factured by  himself  from  saltpeter  found  in  a  cave  near  Rocheport. 
Whence  came  the  saltpeter?  "If  true,"  as  Houck  says  in  his  history  of 
Missouri,  "it  is  a  fact  also  to  be  noted." 

Smith  was  the  first  man  killed  within  the  present  limits  of  Cooper 
County.  All  the  settlers  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  had  now  moved 
to  the  north  side. 

Todd  and  Smith  Are  Killed. — In  the  early  spring  of  1812  prior  to  the 
killing  of  Smith  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  Jonathan  Todd  and  Thomas 
Smith  started  down  the  Missouri  either  to  pick  out  a  piece  of  land  on 
which  to  settle,  or  to  find  a  stray  horse,  possibly  both.  Todd  and  Smith 
lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri.  They  had  gone  as  far  as  the 
present  line  between  Howard  and  Boone  Counties,  when  they  were  unex- 
pectedly attacked  by  the  Indians.  The  struggle  was  long  and  hard,  and 
several  Indians  were  killed,  but  Todd  and  Smith  eventually  paid  the  forfeit 
of  their  hardihood  with  their  lives.  The  savages,  after  killing  them,  cut 
off  their  heads,  and  literally  cut  out  their  hearts  and  placed  them  on  poles 
by  the  side  of  the  trail.  Soon  the  news  of  the  killing  of  Todd  and  Smith 
was  brought  to  the  fort,  and  a  party  of  men  was  sent  out  to  recover  their 
bodies.  After  they  had  traveled  several  miles,  they  captured  an  Indian 
warrior,  who  seemed  to  be  spying  on  their  movements,  and  they  started 
to  the  fort  with  their  captive  in  order  to  secure  information  from  him. 
On  their  return,  when  they  arrived  within  two  miles  of  the  fort,  the  Indian 
prisoner  suddenly  broke  away  from  them,  and  attempted  to  make  his 
escape.     The  Indian  was  fleet  of  foot,  and  although  the  settlers  pursued 


104  •  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

him  about  one-half  a  mile,  they  found  that  they  could  not  overtake  him 
and  capture  him  alive.  Then  with  unerring  aim  they  shot  him,  killing 
him  instantly. 

The  killing  of  these  white  settlers  happened  before  the  settlers  on  the 
south  side  had  moved  to  the  north  side  of  the  river.  Immediately  the 
settlers  on  both  sides  of  the  river  organized  and  began  to  act  with  one 
accord.  They  sent  out  scouting  expeditions  in  different  directions  to 
ascertain  the  lay  of  the  ground,  whether  the  Indians  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood and  whether  they  were  really  upon  the  warpath. 

Discover  Indians. — James  Cole  and  James  Davis  were  sent  out  upon 
one  of  these  scouting  expeditions.  After  scouting  around  for  some  time, 
they  were  unable  to  discover  any  trace  of  the  savages  in  the  neighborhood, 
or  to  find  out  anything  about  their  plans.  They  were  preparing  to  return 
to  the  fort,  when  they  discovered  a  large  band  of  Indians  in  pursuit  of 
them,  and  directly  between  them  and  the  fort,  in  which  were  their  fam- 
ilies and  friends,  unconscious  of  their  danger.  They  could  not  withstand 
the  attack  of  the  large  body  of  Indians  in  the  open  woods,  and  they  knew 
that  they  would  soon  be  surrounded.  Their  return  to  the  fort  was  seem- 
ingly cut  off.  However,  they  started  for  what  then  was  called  Johnson's 
Factory,  a  trading  post  kept  by  a  man  named  Johnson.  It  was  situated 
on  the  Moniteau  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Moniteau  County,  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  Missouri  River.  They  reached  the  factory  or  trad- 
ing post  that  afternoon,  and  the  Indians  immediately  surrounded  the  place. 
Cole  and  Davis  knew,  as  true  scouts,  that  it  was  their  duty  to  warn  their 
friends  and  neighbors,  and  that  unless  they  received  the  warning  they 
would  easily  fall  prey  to  the  savages.  That  the  forts  might  be  warned 
of  their  danger  in  time  to  prepare  for  the  attack,  which  seemed  certain, 
these  hardy  rangers  and  scouts  determined  at  all  hazards  to  escape  and 
bear  to  them  the  tidings.  As  long  as  they  remained  at  the  trading  post, 
they  were  safe  from  the  shots  of  the  enemy,  at  least  for  a  time.  To  leave 
the  fort,  they  ran  the  hazard  of  the  scalping  knife,  and  mutilated  bodies. 
They  resolved  upon  a  daring  method.  At  about  midnight,  with  the  utmost 
caution  as  to  noise,  they  took  up  a  plank  from  the  floor  of  the  factory, 
crawled  through  the  floor,  and  with  stealth  and  cunning  reached  the  creek. 
Fortunately,  there  they  found  a  canoe,  and  silently  floated  down  to  the 
river,  evading  the  vigilance  of  the  savages.  But  just  as  they  reached  the 
river,  an  unlucky  stroke  of  the  paddle  against  the  side  of  the  canoe, 
revealed  them  to  the  Indians,  who  at  once  started  in  pursuit  in  canoes. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  105 

The  Indians  pursued  them  to  what  is  known  as  Big  Lick,  in  Cooper  County, 
where  being  closely  pressed,  Cole  and  Davis  turned,  and  each  killed  an 
Indian.  The  Indians  then  left  off  pursuit.  The  two  settlers  reached 
Cole's  Fort  in  safety,  and  announced  to  the  astonished  settlers  that  they 
were  indeed  on  the  verge  of  a  long  and  blood  war,  with  Indians  on  the 
war  path  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

From  there  the  tidings  were  conveyed  to  the  other  forts.  The  hearts 
of  the  bravest  were  filled  with  dismay.  They  knew  that  their  numbers 
were  few,  and  that  to  withstand  the  attack  of  the  great  Indian  nations 
living  around  them  would  try  the  courage  and  the  sagacity  of  the  stoutest. 

However,  no  attack  was  made  by  the  band  of  Indians  who  had  pur- 
sued Cole  and  Davis.  Doubtless  because  they  knew  that  their  presence 
was  known  in  the  neighborhood,  and  they  well  knew  that  the  forts  would 
be  prepared  and  expecting  to  receive  them. 

Chased  by  Indians. — Nothing  being  seen  or  heard  of  Indians  for  some 
time,  in  the  summer  of  the  same  year,  Samuel  Cole,  Stephen  Cole  and 
Muke  Box  started  from  Kincaid's  Fort  on  a  hunting  expedition  and  crossed 
the  river  where  Boonville  now  stands,  penetrating  the  forest  t6  the  Petit 
Saline  Creek.  They  hunted  and  fished  for  two  days  and  were  preparing 
to  return  upon  the  third,  when  they  heard  the  sound  of  shooting  in  the 
direction  of  the  river,  where  they  had  left  their  canoe.  Knowing  that 
there  were  no  whites  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  except  themselves, 
they  concluded  that  the  shots  were  fired  by  Indians.  However  they  im- 
mediately started  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the  river,  to  gain  possession 
of  their  canoe.  When  they  arrived  at  the  residence  where  once  lived 
Delaney  Belin,  they  discovered  that  a  band  of  Indians  was  in  pursuit  of 
them.  Not  knowing  the  number  in  pursuit,  but  supposing  them  to  be 
numerous,  they  immediately  separated,  and  took  different  routes  through 
the  woods.  They  agreed  to  meet  at  the  place  where  they  had  left  their 
canoe.  Here  they  met,  but  the  Indians  had  stolen  their  canoe.  As  the 
Indians  were  still  in  hot  pursuit  of  them,  they  hastily  lashed  three  cotton- 
wood  logs  together,  placed  their  guns,  clothing,  equipment,  etc.,  upon  this 
small  but  hastily  constructed  raft,  and  swam  over  the  river,  pushing  it 
before  them,  and  landed  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  below  the  present  city  of  Boonville.  They  reached  the  fort 
in  safety  that  evening,  and  reported  their  adventure  with  the  Indians. 
The  settlers  then  made  their  preparations  against  any  attack  by  the 
savages.     Next  morning  tracks  of  Indians  were  discovered  around  and 


106  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

near  the  fort,  and  it  was  found  that  the  fort  had  been  reconnoitred  during 
the  night  by  a  band  of  eight  Indians. 

At  this  time  there  were  very  few  men  in  Fort  Kincaid.  They,  there- 
foi'e,  sent  to  Cooper's  and  McLean's  Forts  for  reinforcements,  as  they 
supposed  that  this  band  of  eight  was  but  the  scouting  party  of  a  large 
number  of  Indians. 

Settlers  Take  Up  Trail  of  Indians. — The  other  forts  sent  reinforce- 
ments to  the  number  of  forty-two,  which  soon  arrived,  and  together  with 
the  men  belonging  to  Kincaid's  Fort,  they  started  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians 
of  whom  by  this  time  they  had  discovered  to  be  but  a  small  band.  They 
found  their  trail,  pursued  them  for  some  distance,  and  surrounded  them 
finally  in  a  hollow  within  about  four  miles  of  the  present  site  of  New 
Franklin. 

The  Indians  concealed  themselves  in  the  brush  and  thickets,  and 
behind  timber,  not  being  able  to  see  the  Indians,  the  fire  of  the  settlers 
at  first  was  very  much  at  random.  The  fight  continued  for  a  long  time. 
However,  four  Indians  were  killed,  and  the  remaining  four,  though  badly 
wounded,  escaped.  None  of  the  settlers  were  killed  and  only  one,  a  man 
named  Adam  Woods,  was  severely  wounded,  but  he  afterwards  recovered. 

Night  came  on  and  the  pursuit  was  deferred.  The  next  day  the 
rangers  again  took  up  the  trail  of  the  surviving  four  Indians,  which  was 
plainly  marked  with  blood.  They  followed  it  to  the  river,  and  there  found 
the  canoe,  which  the  savages  had  two  days  before  stolen  from  Samuel 
Cole  and  his  companion.  In  this  canoe  the  Indians  had  hoped  to  make 
their  escape.  The  sides  of  the  canoe  were  covered  with  blood,  showing 
that  the  Indians  had  attempted  to  push  it  into  the  river,  but  on  account 
of  being  weakened  by  loss  of  blood,  could  not  do  so.  After  hunting  them 
for  some  time  in  vain,  the  party  returned  to  the  fort. 

In  August  a  band  of  eight  Indians  was  followed  by  a  party  of  25  or 
30  men  from  Cooper's  and  Kincaid's  Forts.  These  Indians  had  killed 
some  cattle  and  had  stolen  about  10  or  12  horses.  They  drove  the  horses 
away  to  the  high  ground  not  over  three  or  four  hundred  yards  from  the 
bottom  to  a  place  about  three  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Franklin, 
where  they  tied  the  horses  in  the  thicket. 

Captain  Cooper,  with  25  or  30  men,  among  them  Lindsay  Carson,  the 
father  of  Kit  Carson;  David  Boggs,  Stephen  Jackson;  William  Thorpe, 
afterward  a  Baptist  preacher;  and  James  Cole,  who  in  1867  gave  Draper 
this  version  of  the  affair,  found  the  horses  in  the  thicket,  and  then  fol- 
lowed the  trail  of  the  Indians  into  the  hollow  below. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  107 

After  going  not  much  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  they  divided 
into  three  parties ;  Captain  Cooper,  with  one  party,  going  up  to  the  left, 
another  party  going  direct  up  the  hollow,  and  the  third  party  up  the 
eastern  bank,  skirting  the  hollow. 

After  entering  the  mouth  of  the  hollow,  five  of  the  men,  whose  feet 
had  become  blistered  from  long  and  hot  pursuit,  remained  behind  and  sat 
down  on  a  log,  some  one  hundred  yards  above  where  the  hollow  commenced 
at  the  river  bottom.  Among  them  was  James  Barnes,  whose  horse  had 
given  out.  As  the  three  parties  of  whites  advanced,  the  Indians,  who  as 
the  event  proved  were  in  the  hollow,  seeing  that  the  approaching  settlers 
were  too  numerous  for  them,  hid  in  the  bushes  till  they  passed.  Then 
they  ran  out  and  came  unexpectedly  upon  the  men  on  the  log,  who  when 
they  saw  the  Indians  fired  on  them.  The  Indians  returned  the  fire  and 
wounded  Francis  Woods  through  the  thigh;  they  also  wounded  Barnes' 
horse.  Both  parties  then  sought  the  protection  of  the  trees;  this  was 
about  mid-day.  When  the  three  parties  heard  the  firing  they  quickly  re- 
turned, being  but  a  short  distance  away,  arrived  nearly  simultaneously 
and  surrounded  the  Indians  before  they  were  aware  of  it.  Captain  Coop- 
er's party  was  on  the  high  point  skirting  the  western  side  of  the  banks, 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  above  the  Indians  and  fired  down  on  them.  The 
Indians  concealed  themselves  in  the  thick  fern  grass  which  was  three  or 
four  feet  high  and  they  would  rise  up  and  shoot,  then  drop  down  and 
reload  their  guns. 

Captain  Cooper  then  oi-dered  a  charge  and  the  whole  party  being  near 
enough  to  hear,  suddenly  ran  down  upon  the  Indians.  One  Indian  who 
had  his  ball  about  half  way  down  his  rifle  was  knocked  down  by  Lindsay 
Carson,  and  David  Boggs  shot  off  his  gun  between  Carson's  legs,  the 
muzzle  close  to  the  Indian's  head,  shattering  his  head  beyond  recognition. 
Just  then,  Lieutenant  McMahan  with  savage  ferocity  ran  up  and  plunged 
his  knife  into  the  Indian's  dead  body,  broke  off  the  blade  and  made  a 
flourish  of  the  handle.  In  this  encounter  five  Indians  were  killed,  all  shot 
to  pieces. 

A  few  days  afterwards  another  dead  Indian  was  found  on  the  river 
two  or  three  miles  above  the  scene  of  Conflict.  He  had  attempted  to  leave 
there,  but  was  too  feeble  to  do  so,  and  had  died  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
Unquestionably  he  was  one  of  the  band  Captain  Cooper  had  encountered. 
The  above  account  we  take  from  Honck's  History  of  Missouri. 

The  party  of  whites  then  took  possession  of  the  horses  and  the  Indians' 
guns  and  carried  home  Woods,  who  though  badly  wounded,  recovered. 


108  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

It  is  not  known  to  what  tribe  these  Indians  belonged.  However,  it  is 
thought  that  they  were  affiliated  with  the  Saukees  and  Renards,  or  they 
may  have  been,  as  General  Dodge  supposed,  Miamis. 

Campbell  Killed.— In  July,  1812,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Campbell,  com- 
monly called  by  his  associates,  "Potter",  because  of  his  trade,  was  killed 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  about  five  miles  northwest  of  the  present 
site  of  Boonville.  He  and  a  man  named  Adam  McCord  went  from  Kin- 
caid's  Fort  to  Campbell's  home  to  tie  some  flax.  Savages,  who  were  in 
ambush,  concealed  in  some  underbrush,  fired  upon  them  and  shot  Campbell 
through  the  body,  but  he  ran  about  a  hundred  yards,  climbed  the  fence,  and 
pitched  into  the  trunk  of  a  tree  which  had  blown  down  and  there  expired. 
The  Indians,  though  they  hunted  for  the  body,  did  not  succeed  in  finding  it. 

Adam  McCord  escaped  without  injury,  and  going  to  the  fort,  reported 
the  death  of  Campbell,  and  the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  been 
killed. 

The  fact  that  later  in  1814,  Campbell's  gun  was  found  in  the  possession 
of  the  Miamis,  by  Colonel  Cooper,  when  he  had  his  altercation  with  General 
Dodge,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  opposite  Arrow  Rock,  leads  us  to 
believe  that  the  savages  that  killed  Campbell  were  a  party  of  Miamis.  The 
finding  of  Campbell's  gun  in  the  camp  of  the  Miamis  led  up  to  the  memor- 
able quarrel  between  Colonel  Cooper  and  General  Dodge. 

Settlers  Move  to  South  Side  of  River. — Not  having  seen  any  Indians 
for  several  months,  in  the  spring  of  1813  the  settlers  from  the  south  side 
of  the  river  who  had  gone  to  Kincaid's  Fort  in  the  previous  spring,  returned 
to  their  homes  on  the  south  side. 

The  year  before,  no  crops  had  been  raised,  and  they  were  anxious  to 
put  in  their  crops  for  the  coming  year.  In  order  that  they  might  put  in 
their  crops  with  safety,  and  be  advised  of  the  approach  of  the  Indians, 
they  stationed  a  guard  in  each  corner  of  the  field  in  which  they  were  at 
work.  From  this  time  on,  even  after  the  establishing  of  peace  in  1815,  the 
settlers  were  kept  continually  on  the  watch  against  the  savages,  tor  every 
month  or  two,  some  small  band  of  Indians  would  suddenly  attack  and  slay 
some  unsuspecting  settler  who  had  for  the  moment  forgotten  his  usual 
caution,  and  who  feeling  secure  from  attack,  because  the  Indians  had  not 
appeared  for  some  time,  suffered  the  severe  penalty  of  his  negligence. 

The  Indians,  from  this  time  on,  never  marched  in  large  bands  against 
the  settlements,  but  came  in  small  scouting  parties,  with  the  hope  of  way- 
laying and  shooting  down  some  unsuspecting,  unwary  settler,  or  murder 
unprotected  women  and  children. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  109 

Several  men  of  the  Boonslick  country  were  killed  by  the  Indians  during 
the  two  or  three  years  following  the  return  of  the  settlers  from  Kincaid's 
Fort  to  this  side  of  the  river.  There  may  have  been  others  of  whom  we 
can  gain  no  trace,  or  find  any  record. 

Braxton  Cooper,  Jr.,  Killed. — Braxton  Cooper,  Jr.,  was  killed  in  Sept., 
1813,  two  miles  north  of  the  present  site  of  New  Franklin.  The  Indians 
attacked  him  as  he  was  cutting  logs  to  build  a  house.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  much  physical  strength  and  courage.  He  was  armed  with  rifle 
and  hunting  knife.  The  trampled  condition  of  the  ground  and  broken 
bushes  gave  certain  evidence  that  the  fight  had  been  fast  and  furious.  The 
howling  of  young  Cooper's  dog  attracted  attention  from  the  fort,  and  this 
faithful  friend  of  his  master  stood  watchful  sentinel  until  David  Boggs 
and  Jesse  Turner  crawled  out  during  the  night  to  the  place.  There  they 
found  Cooper  dead,  lying  on  his  face.  By  his  side  lay  his  gun,  and  in  his 
clenched  right  hand  was  his  knife,  bloody  to  the  hilt:  He  was  not  scalped 
nor  mutilated,  positive  evidence  that  the  savages  were  put  to  flight  before 
Cooper  succumbed  to  his  wounds.  Not  far  from  him  was  found  an  Indian 
buckskin  shirt,  with  two  holes  in  it,  saturated  with  blood.  How  many  of 
the  Indians  were  killed  or  wounded  the  settlers  could  not  determine,  for  the 
savages  had  removed  all  that  might  have  given  information,  except  the 
hunting  shirt.  The  Indian  trail  was  followed  for  a  short  distance,  but  was 
soon  lost,  and  the  settlers  abandoned  the  pursuit  as  useless. 

Joseph  Still  Killed. — Joseph  Still  and  Stephen  Cooper,  the  latter  a 
youth  of  sixteen  years,  both  belonging  to  the  rangers  of  Fort  Cooper, 
were  sent  up  the  Chariton  River  on  a  scouting  expedition.  On  their  return, 
when  within  about  twenty  miles  of  the  fort,  a  band  of  one  hundred  Sac 
Indians  intercepted  them.  The  course  that  seemed  most  feasible  was  for 
them  to  break  through  the  savage  band  and  make  for  the  fort.  So  the 
two  rangers  with  cocked  rifles  unswervingly  rode  forward  toward  the 
waiting  enemy.  When  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  band,  both  fired 
and  putting  spurs  to  their  horses  charged  furiously  upon  the  Indians. 
Cooper  killed  one  Indian  brave  and  Still  wounded  another,  but  Still  on 
reaching  the  Indian  line  was  shot  dead  from  his  horse.  Cooper,  however, 
was  more  fortunate,  and  with  waving  rifle  and  strident  battle  cry  suc- 
ceeding in  escaping  the  shower  of  bullets,  arrows,  and  missiles  aimed  at 
him.  He  rode  a  fleet  horse,  and  thus  soon  outdistanced  his  pursuers  and 
reached  the  fort.     This  was  in  October,  1813. 

Killing  of  William  McLean.— William  McLean  was  killed  in  Oct.,  1813, 
by  the  Indians  in  what  is  now  Howard  County  near  the  present  site  of 


110  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Fayette.  William  with  Ewing  McLean  and  four  other  men  went  to  Mc- 
Lean's Fort,  to  pick  out  a  piece  of  land,  on  which  some  one  of  them  ex- 
pected to  settle.  When  they  arrived  at  a  short  distance  southwest  of  the 
present  site  of  Fayette,  they  were  attacked  by  a  band  of  about  150  Indians. 
As  soon  as  McLean  and  his  companions  saw  them,  McLean  retreated 
towards  the  fort,  and  just  as  the  white  men  were  ascending  a  slant  lead- 
ing from  a  long,  deep  ravine,  to  the  Moniteau  Creek,  the  Indians  fired  a 
volley  at  them.  One  shot  struck  William  McLean  in  the  back  of  the  head 
and  he  dropped  dead  from  his  horse.  After  satisfying  themselves  that  he 
was  dead,  his  remaining  companions  left  his  body,  and  continued  their 
retreat  to  the  fort,  which  they  reached  in  safety.  The  Indians  scalped 
McLean,  cut  out  his  heart,  and  literally  hacked  him  to  pieces. 

Attempt  to  Rill  Austin. — Not  long  before  the  negro  "Joe"  was  killed, 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Austin,  who  was  stopping  at  McLean's  Fort,  while 
coming  around  the  corner  of  a  fence  about  two  miles  from  the  fort,  dis- 
covered an  Indian  in  the  act  of  firing  upon  him.  He  suddenly  reined  up 
his  horse  and  the  ball  passed  through  his  horse's  head.  The  horse  fell 
upon  Austin. 

One  Hough  and  Nicolas  Burckhardt,  who  were  some  distance  in  the 
rear,  saw  what  had  happened,  and  Hough  shot  and  wounded  the  Indian 
as  he  was  jumping  over  the  fence  to  kill  Austin.  Austin  soon  extricated 
himself,  and  reached  the  fort;  so  did  Hough,  but  Burckhardt,  who  ran 
into  the  woods,  did  not  come  in  until  the  next  morning.  This  man  Hough 
remained  temporarily  in  the  Boonslick  country.  He  was  a  hunter  and 
trapper  on  the  Upper  Missouri. 

Gregg  Killed  and  Daughter  Patsy  Captured. — Jesse  Cox,  and  his  son- 
in-law,  William  Gregg  in  1814  made  a  settlement  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  above  Arrow  Rock.  There  they  built  a  block  house,  a  sort  of  family 
fort,  and  called  it  Cox's  Fort.  They  began  to  make  improvements,  hunt- 
ing also  for  subsistence.  Gregg  and  Cox  killed  a  bear  on  the  twenty-third 
of  October,  and  the  next  day  Gregg  went  out  on  his  horse  to  get  it.  He 
subsequently  went  to  feed  his  hogs,  and  while  doing  so,  was  shot  by  an 
Indian  lying  in  ambush.  Gregg  ran  to  the  blockhouse,  a  hundred  yards 
off,  got  inside  the  stockade,  grasped  his  gun,  and  fell  dead.  It  is  said  that 
seven  bullets  hit  the  gate-post  of  the  stockade.  It  is  said  that  after  the 
Indians  killed  Gregg,  they  made  an  attack  on  the  cabin  and  captured  his 
daughter  Patsy,  and  took  her  away  as  a  prisoner.  A  party  was  immedi- 
ately organized  among  the  settlers  to  pursue  the  Indians.  The  girl  was 
riding  on  horseback  behind  an  Indian  brave.     One  of  her  hands  was  tied 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  111 

to  the  Indian's  hand.  The  horse,  on  account  of  this  double  load,  lagged 
behind  the  others.  She  in  the  hope  of  seeing  some  of  the  settlers  fol- 
lowing to  rescue  her,  constantly  looked  behind.  At  last  she  discovered 
horsemen  approaching,  and  prepared  to  escape,  waiting  until  the  white 
men  were  within  50  yards  of  her,  when  with  her  unbound  hand,  she  sud- 
denly seized  and  extracted  the  Indian's  knife  from  its  sheath,  and  cut  the 
thong  which  bound  her  hand  to  his.  She  sprang  to  the  ground  and  rushed 
into  the  brush  on  the  side  of  the  trail  and  disappeared.  The  pursuing 
party  then  fired  on  the  Indians,  who  fled  precipitatly.  Jesse  Cox  and 
William  Gregg  were  members  of  Sarshall  Cooper's  company. 

According  to  another  account,  the  Indians  tomahawked  their  prisoner 
and  fled,  but  she  recovered.  It  is  also  said  that  Patsy  Cox  was  the  name 
of  the  young  woman  captured  and  that  it  was  not  Gregg. 

Negro  "Joe"  Killed. — A  negro  named  Joe,  belonging  to  Samuel  Brown, 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  near  Mr.  Burkhard't  farm  about  three  quarters 
of  a  mile  from  what  is  now  Estil's  Station  on  the  M.  K.  &  T.  railroad. 

Coursault  Killed. — Captain  Coursault  was  killed  in  1814  at  Cote-sans 
Dessein  in  the  attack  on  Roy's  Fort.  Cote-sans  Dessein,  now  Bakersville, 
Callaway  County,  was  a  village  of  considerable  importance  and  was  located 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Osage  River.  It  is  said  that  but  for  a  Spanish  land 
claim  the  capital  of  Missouri  would  doubtless  have  been  located  near  this 
place. 

It  was  settled  by  French  families  about  1810.  Several  block  houses 
were  erected  there.  One  was  called  Tebeau  or  Tebo's  Fort  and  one  Roy's 
Fort.  These  forts  were  about  three  hundred  yards  apart;  between  them 
was  a  log  house  that  served  as  a  powder  magazine  for  both  forts. 

One  day  Baptiste  Roy  went  out  to  kill  some  venison,  but  when  he  had 
gone  about  a  mile,  he  discovered  that  the  Indians  were  hidden  in  the 
bushes,  grass  and  weeds,  so  he  immediately  turned  his  horse  and  fled,  and 
when  nearing  Tebo's  Fort,  he  cried,  "Indians,  Indians." 

All  the  men  of  the  fort  who  were  armed,  hastened  at  once  to  meet 
the  enemy,  leaving  only  a  few  old  men  and  a  half  dozen  unarmed  and  par- 
tially grown  negroes  in  the  fort.  Louis  Roy  was  at  his  block  house  which 
was  some  two  or  three  rods  from  Roy's  Fort,  which  was  vacant  at  the 
time. 

When  the  others  rushed  forth  to  meet  the  Indians,  Louis  Roy  excused 
himself  by  saying  that  he  was  fixing  his  ramrod,  and  kept  busily  at  work 
scraping  it. 

About  a  mile  or  two  below  the  fort,  the  settlers  met  the  Indians,  and 


112  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

there  the  fight  continued  nearly  all  day,  all  fighting  from  behind  trees. 
Finally  the  Indians  were  apparently  driven  away,  but  not  before  Captain 
Coursault  and  four  or  five  others  were  killed.  The  number  of  Indians 
slain  was  never  known.  In  the  meantime,  the  Indians  divided  their  forces 
and  sent  a  band  to  attack  Roy's  Fort.  They  at  once  began  the  attack  upon 
the  block  house  in  which  were,  at  the  time,  Roy,  his  wife,  Francois,  and 
several  other  women. 
t  Only  two  guns  were  to  be  had  in  the  block  house.  These,  however, 
Roy  used  effectively,  the  women  keeping  them  loaded  as  fast  as  he  fired. 
So  accurate  was  his  aim  that  he  killed  14  Indians.  The  Indians 
disappeared,  but  warily  returned,  creeping  up  under  the  river  bank.  Sud- 
denly they  emerged  between  the  two  forts  and  made  for  the  log  house, 
which  was  used  as  a  magazine.  They  took  dry  cedar  which  they  had 
found,  split  it  with  their  knives  and  tomahawks,  and  piled  it  around  the 
log  house  magazine  and  set  fire  to  it. 

There  were  perhaps  40  or  50  Indians  in  this  band.  They  were 
armed  for  the  most  part,  with  only  bows  and  arrows.  They  yelled  and 
capered  with  fiendish  glee  around  the  building  as  the  fire  spread.  Soon, 
however,  the  flames  reached  the  powder  and  their  merriment  and  glee 
was  changed  to  consternation.  A  tremendous  explosion  sent  timbers  and 
rafters  flying  into  the  air;  Indians  and  parts  of  Indians  were  hurled  in 
every  direction;  according  to  one  account,  about  20  of  them,  including 
those  who  ran  and  jumped  into  the  river  to  soothe  their  anguish,  were 
killed.     The  remainder  of  the  party  quickly  disappeared. 

Murder  of  Ramsey  Family. — The  most  horrible  incident  of  this  war 
was  the  atrocious  murder  of  the  Ramsey  family.  Although  it  happened 
on  the  Femme  Osage  in  St.  Charles  county  the  news  of  the  atrocity  spread 
far  and  wide,  and  stirred  the  indignation  and  resentment  of  the  settlers 
of  the  Boonslick  country. 

Mrs.  Ramsey  having  gone  out  to  milk,  was  fired  upon  by  the  Indians 
and  shot  through  the  body.  Her  husband  was  a  cripple,  having  but  one 
leg.  He  saw  his  wife  fall  and  managed  to  get  her  to  the  house,  but  as  he 
reached  the  door,  he  received  a  wound  in  the  thigh.  At  this  time  his 
three  children  were  playing  a  short  distance  from  his  cabin.  The  Indians 
chased  them  around  the  house,  and  finally  caught  them  and  scalped  them 
in  the  yard  before  the  eyes  of  their  parents.  Ramsey  and  his  wife  both 
died  from  their  wounds. 

Capt.  Sarshall  Cooper  Murdered. — One  of  the  saddest  events  of  the 
war  was  the  tragic  death  of  Sarshall  Cooper,  after  whom  Cooper  County 


a 

o 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  113 

was  named.  His  death  touched  the  hearts  of  the  frontiersmen  as  had 
no  other  death  in  this  section.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  beloved  and  acknowl- 
edged leader  of  the  settlers  north  of  the  Missouri  River. 

The  night  of  April  14,  1814,  was  dark  and  stormy,  and  the  watchful 
sentinel  could  not  see  an  object  six  feet  in  front  of  the  stockade.  Captain 
Cooper  lived  in  one  of  the  angles  of  the  fort,  and  one  day  while  sitting  at 
his  fireside  with  his  family,  his  youngest  child  on  his  lap,  and  the  others 
playing  around  the  room,  his  wife  sitting  by  his  side  sewing,  the  storm 
raging  without,  a  single  warrior  crawled  up  to  the  fort,  and  made  a  hole 
just  large  enough  for  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  through  the  clay  between  the 
logs.  The  noise  of  his  work  was  drowned  by  the  howling  storm;  he  dis- 
charged the  gun  with  effect  fatal  to  Cooper,  and  Sarshall  Cooper  fell  from 
his  chair  to  the  floor,  a  lifeless  corpse,  amidst  his  horror-stricken  family. 

Sarshall  Cooper  was  a  natural  leader;  he  was  about  five  feet  10  inches 
tall,  of  fine  physique,  a  superior  horseman,  cool  and  deliberate.  His  wife 
was  Ruth,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Hancock,  the  Boonsboro  pioneer  with 
Daniel  Boone. 

The  muster-roll  of  Capt.  Sarshall  Cooper's  company,  dated  April, 
1812,  is  not  without  interest,  and  gives  the  names  of  the  following  officers 
and  men: 

Wm.  McMahan,  1st  lieutenant ;  David  McQuilty,  2nd  lieutenant ;  John 
Monroe,  3rd  lieutenant ;  Ben  Cooper,  ensign ;  John  McMurray,  1st  sergeant ; 
Sam  McMahan,  2nd  sergeant;  Adam  Woods,  3rd  sergeant;  David  Todd, 
4th  sergeant;  John  Mathews,  5th  sergeant;  Andrew  Smith,  corporal; 
Thomas  Vaugn,  corporal;  James  McMahan,  corporal;  John  Busby,  cor- 
poral ;  James  Barnes,  corporal.  Private  Jesse  Ashcraft,  Jesse  Cox,  Sam 
Perry,  Solomon  Cox,  Henry  Ferrill,  Harmon  Gregg,  Wm.  Gregg,  John  Was- 
son,  Josiah  Higgins,  David  Gregg,  Robert  Cooper,  Gray  Bynums,  David 
Cooper,  Abbott  Hancock,  Wm.  Thorp,  Wm.  Cooper,  John  Cooper,  Jos. 
Cooper,  Stephen  Cooper,  Wm.  Read,  Stehen  Turley,  Thos.  McMahan,  Jas. 
Anderson,  Wm.  Anderson,  Stehen  Jackson,  John  Hancock,  Robert  Irvin, 
Francis  Cooper,  Benoni  Sappington,  Jas.  Cooley,  Nathan  Teague,  Jas. 
Douglass,  John  Sneathan,  Wm.  Cresson,  Jos.  Cooley,  Wm.  McLane,  Jas. 
Turner,  Ervin  McLane,  Wm.  Baxter,  Peter  Creason,  David  Burns,  Price 
Arnold,  John  Smith,  John  Stephenson,  Alfred  Head,  Gilliard  Roop,  Daniel 
Durbin,  Jas.  Cockyill,  Jesse  Tresner,  Mitchell  Poage,  Townsend  Brown, 
John  Arnold,  Robert  Poage,  Francis  Berry,  Lindsay  Carson,  David  Boggs, 
Jesse  Richardson,  Robert  Brown,  John  Peak,  John  Elliot,  Jos.  Beggs, 
(8) 


114  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Andrew  Carson,  John  Colley,  Reuben  Fugitt,  Seibert  Hubbard,  John  Berry, 
Wm.  Brown,  Francis  Woods,  Wm.  Allen,  Robert  Wells,  Jos.  Moody,  Jos. 
Alexander,  Amos  Barnes,  Daniel  Hubbard,  Harris  Jamison,  Abraham 
Barnes,  Wm.  Ridgeway,  Enoch  Taylor,  Matbew  Kinkead,  John  Barnes, 
Henry  Waedon,  Otto  Ashcraft,  John  Pursley,  Wm.  Monroe,  Isaac  Thorn- 
ton, Stephen  Feils,  Dan  Monroe,  Giles  Williams,  Henry  Barnes,  Wm.  Sav- 
age, Thomas  Chandler,  John  Jokley,  Stephen  Cole,  Wm.  Robertson,  Wm. 
Bolen,  Mixe  Box,  Sabert  Scott,  John  Savage,  Jas.  Cole,  Stephen  Cole,  Jr., 
John  Ferrill,  Delaney  Bolen,  Jas.  Savage,  Jos.  McMahan,  Braxton  Cooper, 
Robert  Hancock. 

Every  enlisted  man  furnished  his  own  equipment  and  an  order  was 
promulgated  so  ,that  "citizen  soldiers  may  not  be  ignorant  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  law  requires  him  to  be  equipped,  he  is  reminded  that  it  is 
his  duty  to  provide  himself  with  a  good  musket,  with  bayonet  and  belt, 
or  fusil,  two  spare  flints  and  a  knapsack  pouch,  with  a  box  thereon  to 
contain  not  less  than  24  cartridges ;  or  a  good  rifle,  knapsack,  powder- 
horn  and  pouch,  with  20  balls  and  one-quarter  of  a  pound  of  powder." 

Two  Negroes  Captured — Indians  Chased. — Two  negroes,  belonging  to 
James  and  John  Heath,  while  cutting  wood  for  making  salt,  were  captured 
by  the  Indians  in  May.  A  party  of  fully  60  men  assembled  and  on  horse- 
back pursued  these  Indians,  in  a  northerly  direction  50  or  60  miles  far  up 
the  Chariton.     However  the  Indians  escaped  with  their  prisoners. 

Rangers  Come  to  Relief  of  Settlers. — So  great  had  been  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  Indians,  so  inhuman  the  murders  committed  by  them  in  their 
predatory  war  in  the  central  portion  of  the  Boonslick  country  that  Gen. 
Henry  Dodge  was  ordered  to  take  command  of  350  mounted  rangers 
and  proceed  to  the  relief  of  the  settlers.  This -was  in  September,  1814. 
There  were  in  Dodge's  command  companies  under  Capt.  W.  Compton  of 
St.  Louis,  Capt.  Isaac  Vanbibler  of  Loutre  Island,  Captain  Daugherty  of 
Cape  Girardeau,  and  a  company  of  the  Boonslick  settlers  under  Capt. 
Benjamin  Cooper.  Nathaniel  Cooke  and  Daniel  M.  Boone  were  majors. 
In  this  campaign,  Dodge  carried  with  him  blank  commissions,  and  it  was 
at  this  time  that  he  appointed  Benjamin  Cooper,  an  elder  brother  of 
Sarshall  Cooper,  a  major.  According  to  Draper's  "Memoirs"  there  were 
with  Dodge's  company  forty  friendly  Indians,  but  John  M.  Peck  says 
there  were  50  Delawares  and  Shawnees.  They  were  under  four  Indian 
captains:  Na-kur-me,  Kisk-ka-le-wa,  Pap-pi-pua,  and  Wa-pe-pil-le-se.  The 
two  latter  were  fully  70  years  old  and  both  had  served  in  the  early  Indian 
wars. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  115 

Dodge  marched  to  the  Boonslick  country,  and  arrived  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Missouri  opposite  Arrow  Rock,  close  to  Coopers'  fort,  where 
he  was  joined  by  Captain  Cooper  and  his  company.  Dodge  and  his  men 
crossed  the  river  to  the  southern  bank  by  swimming  the  stream.  The 
crossing  was  effected  by  selecting  for  the  advance,  six  of  his  most  active 
men,  good  swimmers  on  horseback,  the  others  following  flanked  on  both 
sides  by  canoes,  and  with  a  vanguard  of  canoes  above  and  below  the  main 
body,  stemming  the  swift  current.  About  half  way  across,  the  men  struck 
the  current,  which  soon  carried  them  to  the  southern  bank  in  safety.  Only 
two  hours  were  thus  consumed  in  crossing  the  river  with  horses  and 
baggage. 

Having  arrived  on  the  south  side,  Dodge  sent  out  his  Indian  allies  as 
scouts.  They  soon  located  the  hostile  Mi-am-mis,  and  found  that  they 
had  thrown  up  a  small  entrenchment.  Dodge's  men  pushed  forward  sev- 
eral miles  up  the  river,  and  surrounded  the  Indians  at  a  point  in  what  is 
now  Saline  County,  since  known  as  Miami's  Bend.  The  Indians,  seeing 
that  the  whites  were  in  overwhelming  force,  proposed  to  the  Shawnees  to 
surrender  themselves  as  prisoners  of  war. 

General  Dodge  called  a  council  of  his  officers  for  the  purpose  of  seek- 
ing their  advice,  and  after  explaining  the  whole  matter  to  them,  they  all 
agreed  to  receive  the  Indians  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  agreed  that  the 
prisoners'  lives  should  be  sacredly  preserved.  The  Coopers  and  other 
Boonslick  officers  assented.  General  Dodge  then  told  all  the  officers  that 
he  would  hold  them  personally  responsible  not  only  for  their  own  conduct, 
but  also  for  that  of  their  men,  particularly  in  their  treatment  of  the  sur- 
rendered Indians. 

Dodge  understood  quite  well  his  responsibility.  He  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  disposition,  temper  and  peculiarities  of  the  western  settlers.  He 
knew  that  they  had  been  harassed,  and  those  near  and  dear  to  them 
slaughtered  in  ambush.  He  feared  that  something  might  occur  to  arouse 
their  anger  and  stir  them  to  reciprocal  vengeance,  should  any  untoward 
event  occur,  and  in  order  to  prevent  a  massacre,  he  exacted  an  explicit 
pledge  from  the  officers  of  the  several  commands. 

Dodge  and  Cooper  Controversy. — The  Indians,  consisting  of  31  war- 
riors and  122  women  and  children,  surrendered  to  him  and  were  received 
under  his  protection  as  prisoners  of  war.  The  following  morning,  Cooper 
and  other  settlers  under  his  command,  began  looking  through  the  Indian 
camp,  purposing,  if  possible,  to  find  stolen  property.  In  this  search,  the 
well  known  rifle  of  Campbell,  whose  murder,  in  the  Boonslick  region,  we 


116  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

have  previously  referred  to,  was  found.  This  discovery  greatly  infuriated 
Cooper  and  the  settlers.  They  construed  the  finding  of  the  gun  evidence 
that  these  Miamis  had  perpetrated  the  killing  of  their  friend  and  neighbor. 
They  came  galloping  up  to  General  Dodge  and  demanded  the  surrender 
of  the  Indian  who  had  killed  Campbell,  their  purpose  being  to  make  an 
example  of  him.  This  demand  General  Dodge  peremptorily  denied.  Cooper, 
feeling  outraged,  threatened  that  his  company,  who  surrounded  him  with 
cocked  rifles,  would  kill  the  Indians  unless  his  demand  was  acceeded  to, 
and  his  men  assumed  a  shooting  attitude,  Dodge,  with  commendable  cool- 
ness, without  even  turning  to  the  men,  drew  his  sword,  and  thrusting  it 
within  six  inches  of  Cooper's  breast,  reminded  him  of  his  pledge  to  protect 
the  Indians  on  their  surrender  and  treat  them  as  prisoners  of  war.  He 
then  cautioned  Captain  Cooper  that  should  his  threat  be  carried  out,  he, 
Cooper,  would  be  the  first  to  feel  the  consequences.  At  this  juncture, 
Major  Boone  rode  up,  and  took  his  position  at  Dodge's  side  and  announced 
that  he  would  stand  by  him  to  the  end.  He  also  reminded  Cooper  of  their 
pledge,  and  that  the  execution  of  his,  Cooper's,  threat  would  be  an  act  of 
treachery.  By  this  time  Cooper's  temper  had  abated,  and  he  reluctantly 
yielded  to  superior  authority,  and  with  his  company  rode  away.  Cooper 
and  his  men  took  the  position  that  Campbell  had  been  treacherously  mur- 
dered, and  that  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed  was  not  entitled  to  the  protec- 
tion afforded  prisoners  of  war,  but  should  be  summarily  dealt  with  as  a 
murdered  according  to  the  custom  of  the  west. 

It  is  said  that  by  reason  of  this  incident  a  strong  attachment  sprang 
up  between  Kish-la-lewa  and  Dodge,  and  that  long  afterwards  at  Fort 
Worth  in  1835,  there  was  an  affecting  recognition  between  the  two  men. 
Dodge  is  said  to  have  looked  upon  his  conduct  in  saving  these  prisoners 
as  one  of  the  happiest  acts  of  his  life. 

However,  for  many  years,  General  Dodge,  by  reason  of  his  magnani- 
mous conduct  on  this  occasion,  was  exceedingly  unpopular  in  the  Boons- 
lick  country.  Dodge  was  afterwards  governor  of  Wisconsin  Territory,  and 
twice  United  States  senator  from  the  state  of  Wisconsin. 

Cooper  was  a  fearless  man,  and  just,  according  to  his  standards.  He 
and  the  settlers  had  been  too  long  beyond  the  boundaries  of  civilization 
to  yield  readily  to  the  reasoning  of  Dodge  and  Boone.  They  had  been 
accustomed  to  rely  solely  upon  themselves  for  protection  and  to  adminis- 
ter justice  according  to  western  traditions,  considering  only  the  right  and 
wrong  in  every  instance.  Their  comrade  and  friend  had  been  shot  from 
ambush,  and  it  was  clear  to  their  minds  that  these  Miamias  should  pro- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  117 

duce  the  murderers,  or  they  should  not  be  entitled  to  the  privileges  of 
prisoners  of  war. 

Letter  to  the  Governor. — When  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  wrote  Benjamin  Cooper  advising  him  and  the 
settlers  to  move  nearer  to  St.  Louis  to  receive  protection  against  the 
Indians,  Cooper  wrote  in  reply  the  following  characteristic  letter.  While 
its  literary  merits  are  subject  to  criticism,  yet  it  breathes  in  every  word, 
whether  correctly  or  incorrectly  spelled,  the  brave  spirit  of  the  pioneer, 
and  evidences  a  stamina  and  heroism  of  the  soul  superior  to  polite 
erudition : 

"We  have  maid  our  Hoams  here  &  all  we  hav  is  here  &  it  wud  ruen 
us  to  Leave  now.  We  be  all  good  Americans,  not  a  Tory  or  one  of  his 
Pups  among  us,  &  we  hav  2  hundred  Men  and  Boys  that  will  Fight  to  the 
last  and  have  100  Wimen  and  Girls  that  will  tak  their  places  wh.  Makes  a 
good  force.  So  we  can  Defend  this  Settlement  wh.  with  Gods  help  we  will 
do.    So  if  we  had  a  flew  barls  of  Powder  and  2  hundred  Lead  is  all  we  ask." 

David  Barton,  afterwards  United  States  senator,  was  a  volunteer  in 
Compton's  company,  refusing  any  rank,  but  offering  General  Dodge  any 
service  he  was  able  to  render  him. 

Samuel  McMahan  Ambushed. — Samuel  McMahan,  who  lived  in  what 
is  now  Lamine  township  in  Cooper  County  was  killed  on  Dec.  14,  1814, 
near  Boonville.  McMahan  had  been  down  to  the  settlement  at  Boonville. 
As  he  was  returning  home,  he  came  upon  a  band  of  Indians  who  were  lying 
in  ambush  for  some  of  the  settlers  who  were  cutting  clown  a  bee  tree  not 
far  away.  McMahan  was  on  horseback  and  unsuspectedly  rode  into  the 
midst  of  the  Indians.  The  savages  fired  upon  him,  wounding  him  and 
killing  his  h6rse.  He  jumped  when  his  horse  fell,  and  though  severely 
wounded,  succeeded  in  reaching  a  ravine  leading  to  the  river.  The  savages 
soon  overtook  and  killed  him,  sticking  three  spears  into  his  back.  They 
afterward  cut  off  his  head,  and  scattered  his  entrails  over  the  ground. 
The  Indians  then  scattered,  and,  pursuing  different  routes,  made  their  way 
out  of  the  countiy. 

The  settlers,  not  knowing  the  numbers  of  the  Indians,  since  roving 
bands  of  savages,  large  and  small,  had  so  frequently  passed  through  this 
section,  sent  for  reinforcements  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
on  the  following  day  sent  out  a  party  of  men  to  secure  McMahan's  body, 
and  get  all  information  possible  of  the  Indians.  James  Cole,  the  son  of 
Hannah  Cole,  and  the  brother  of  Samuel  Cole,  secured  the  body  and 
carried   it  before  him  on   his  horse.     David  McGee  brought  the   head 


118  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

wrapped  in  a  sheepskin.  The  body  of  McMahan  was  buried  under  the 
Linn  tree,  which  formerly  stood  in  the  center  ring  at  the  old  fairground. 
The  child  of  David  Buness  who  was  burned  to  death,  was  also  buried  under 
this  tree. 

Building  of  Hannah  Cole  Fort. — The  next  day  after  the  killing  of 
McMahan,  all  the  settlers  living  near  the  present  site  of  Boonville,  assem- 
bled at  the  house  of  Hannah  Cole  which  stood  on  the  bluff  in  what  is  now- 
East  Boonville.  This  was  considered  by  the  settlers  as  the  most  suitable 
and  available  place  for  strong  defense  against  attacks  of  the  Indians.  All 
the  men  came  with  their  teams,  cut  down  trees,  dragged  logs  to  build 
the  fort  and  were  continuously  at  work  until  it  was  completed.  It  required 
them  one  week  to  finish  the  building.  During  the  time  that  they  were  at 
work,  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  keep  men  stationed  around  the  fort 
at  some  distance  to  guard  against  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  whom  they 
expected  to  appear  at  any  hour. 

As  soon  as  the  Hannah  Cole  Fort  was  completed,  the  old  fort  of 
Stephen  Cole's  situated  on  the  bluff  above  the  river,  one  mile  above  the 
new  fort,  was  abandoned.  All  the  families  gathered  into  the  new  fort, 
so.  as  to  be  a  protection  one  to  the  other. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  England  and  the  United  States  was  signed 
at  Ghent  on  Dec.  24,  1814,  nevertheless  the  Indians,  emboldened  by  Black- 
hawk's  repulse  of  the  forces  of  Maj.  Zachriah  Taylor  on  Rock  River  al- 
though advised  that  peace  had  been  declared,  thought  themselves  able  to 
cany  on  an  independent  warfare. 

Indian  Treaty. — All  treaties  with  the  Indians  which  had  been  made 
regarding  the  cession  of  Indian  lands  prior  thereto  were  ratified  at  this 
conference.  It  was  not,  however,  until  1833  that  every  Indian  claim  to 
land  title  in  the  state  of  Missouri  was  eliminated. 

Major  Stephen  Cole  was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  settlers  living 
south  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  he  survived  the  war.  Having  made  every 
effort  to  protect  his  loved  ones,  and  his  neighbors,  during  the  trying  period 
of  the  War  of  1812,  when  peace  was  declared  in  1815,  the  love  of  wild 
adventure  led  him  to  become  a  pioneer  in  the  trade  with  Santa  Fe,  in 
1822.  He  was  killed  by  the  Indians  about  60  miles  southwest  of  Sante 
Fe,  on  the  Rio  Grande  River.  With  and  associated  with  him  at  the  time, 
was  Stephen  Cole,  the  son  of  Hannah  Cole.  Cole  was  also  killed  at 
that  time. 

We  have  endeavored  to  give  the  names  of  all  the  men  of  whom  we 
have  been  able  to  secure  any  record  who  were  killed  in  the  Boonslick 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  119 

country  during  the  Indian  War,  from  1812  to  1815,  together  with  a  brief 
account  of  how  they  came  to  their  death.  The  peculiar  atrocities  attend- 
ing the  killing  of  some  of  them  make  even  the  stoutest  shudder. 

During  the  war  the  Indians  stole  so  many  horses  from  the  Boonslick 
settlement,  that  for  two  or  three  years  after  the  declaration  of  peace,  they 
were  compelled  to  plow  their  corn  with  oxen,  and  even  milch  cows. 

The  reader  should  remember  that  the  Indian  was  a  savage  and  was 
intellectually  dwarfed.  In  the  eyes  of  our  forefathers,  the  Indians  had 
no  rights,  at  least  none  to  impede  the  onward  march  of  civilization.  We 
had  not  then  adopted  the  benevolent  policy  of  treating  the  Indians  as 
wards,  the  modern  colonial  policy  affected  by  our  government  in  the 
Philippines.  The  Indians  were  continually  driven  back,  giving  ground 
before  the  oncoming  white  colonists,  until  they  retreated  far  inland. 
Through  war,  liquor  and  disease,  their  numbers  have  decreased.  How- 
ever, amalgamation  and  benevolent  assimilation  have  wrought  a  wondrous 
change.  A  humane  policy  has  preserved  them  from  extinction,  and  has 
changed  once  implacable,  treacherous  and  cruel  enemies  into  loyal  friends, 
citizens  and  staunch  allies  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  justice.  In  the 
World  War,  just  ended,  1,000  Indians  enlisted  in  the  navy.  In  the  army, 
6,500  Indians  enlisted.  They  now  hold  a  $50  Liberty  Bond  for  every  man, 
woman  and  child  of  their  race.  The  romance  of  the  American  Indian  is 
not  ended.  He  is  a  striking,  living  illustration  of  what  a  humane  policy 
will  do  to  bury  racial  hatred  in  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of 
the  brave. 

Additional  Incidents  of  the  Period. — James  Davis  was  an  intimate 
companion  and  associate  of  Daniel  Boone  in  many  of  his  hunting  expedi- 
tions. On  this  occasion  to  which  we  refer,  Boone,  by  reason  of  infirmities 
of  age,  or  disability,  did  not  accompany  Davis.  It  was  in  the  winter  of 
1813.  None  but  a  hardy  and  adventurous  character  would  venture  alone 
through  the  wilderness  at  this  time.  Davis  was  intrepid  and  experienced, 
and  fearlessly  started  upon  his  expedition,  and  arrived  near  the  western 
boundaries  of  the  territory,  where  he  was  captured  by  the  Otoes  Indians. 

The  Otoes  were  said  to  be  the  most  civilized  as  well  as  the  most 
sanguinary  and  cruel  of  all  the  tribes  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  They 
lived  in  substantial  log  houses  with  roofs  of  dirt  and  sod,  and  were  so 
fearless  and  warlike  that  no  satisfactory  treaty  was  ever  made  with  them 
until  the  latter  part  of  1828. 

After  having  captured  him,  they  stripped  him  of  everything  that  he 
possessed,  took  his  gun  and  ammunition  and  turned  him  loose  as  naked 


120  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

as  he  was  when  he  came  into  the  world.  However,  as  if  in  mockery,  they 
gave  him  an  old  English  musket  with  one  load.  They  did  not  torture  him, 
but  turned  him  loose  to  meet  his  fate.  None  but  the  most  vigorous  con- 
stitution could  have  stood  successfully  the  trial.  He  traveled  until  about 
nightfall,  and  while  seeking  shelter  in  some  place  where  he  could  protect 
himself  from  the  winter  winds,  he  saw  a  bear  taking  his  winter  sleep. 
With  the  cunning  and  caution  of  the  frontiersman,  born  of  experience,  he 
approached  the  bear,  and  placing  his  old  musket  within  a  few  inches  of 
its  head,  fired  the  charge  into  the  bear's  brains,  and  killed  it  instantly. 
Necessity  to  him  was  the  mother  of  invention.  With  the  flint  of  his  old 
musket  he  succeeded  in  skinning  the  bear.  Having  done  this,  he  fashioned 
it  as  best  he  could,  and  before  the  heat  had  left  the  hide,  he  clothed  him- 
self therewith,  placing  his  feet  and  arms  where  the  legs  of  the  bear 
had  been,  and  drawing  the  head  well  over  his  own  head  and  face,  he  lay 
down  by  the  side  of  the  bear  and  slept  through  the  night  in  the  skin  that 
he  had  appropriated. 

At  daylight,  feeling  refreshed,  he  set  out  on  his  long  journey  to  the 
settlement,  taking  enough  of  the  meat  to  last  him  through  the  toilsome 
journey.  He  had  more  than  a  hundred  miles  of  snow  and  wilderness  to 
traverse,  and  no  implement  with  which  he  could  make  a  fire,  but  his  fur 
suit  kept  him  warm,  and  raw  bear  meat  furnished  him  nutriment. 

It  took  him  several  days  to  make  the  journey,  but  finally  he  arrived 
at  the  house  of  Jonathan  Bryan  in  the  Boone  settlement  late  in  the  eve- 
ning. Davis  grasped  the  latch-string,  which  usually  was  hanging  on  the 
outside,  and  pushed  the  door  open.  Sitting  alone  by  the  fire  was  an  old 
Scotch  schoolmaster,  who  had  evidently  stopped  at  Bryan's  for  a  few 
days.  The  opening  of  the  door  attracted  the  schoolmaster's  attention,  and 
by  the  light  of  the  fire,  he  could  plainly  see  the  rough  outlines  of  this 
weird  figure,  which  to  his  excited  imagination  was  transformed  into  an 
evil  shape.  Filled  with  fear,  he  jumped  from  his  chair,  and  fled  from  the 
room,  crying,  "Devil,  devil,  devil."  However,  Jonathan  Bryan,  hearing 
the  disturbance,  rushed  into  the  room,  and  recognizing  Davis,  soon  quieted 
the  apprehensions  of  the  schoolmaster.  The  bear's  skin  had  become  so 
dry  and  hard  that  it  required  considerable  effort  to  restore  the  old  hunter 
to  human  shape. 

This  story  is  said  to  have  been  handed  down  by  tradition  by  Jonathan 
Bryan  himself.  James  Davis  was  an  eccentric  and  picturesque  character. 
He  was  the  first  man  indicted  by  grand  jury  that  assembled  in  the  Louisi- 
ana Territory  under  American  auspices  for  the  murder  of  William  Davis. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  121 

However  as  the  evidence  showed,  it  possessed  none  of  the  elements  of 
murder,  and  Davis  was  acquitted  by  the  jury  that  tried  him. 

In  an  account  of  the  expedition  from  Pittsburg  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains in  the  years  1819  and  '20,  by  order  of  Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary 
of  War,  and  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Dong,  compiled  by 
Edward  James,  we  take  the  following: 

"A  Mr.  Munroe  of  Franklin  related  to  the  party  that  in  1816  he  found 
on  a  branch  of  the  Lamine,  (4)  the  relics  of  the  encampment  of  a  large 
party  of  men,  whether  of  whites  or  of  Indians  he  did  not  know.  Seeing 
a  large  mound  nearby,  which  he  believed  to  be  a  cache  for  the  spoils  of 
the  party,  he  opened  it  and  found  the  body  of  a  white  officer,  apparently 
a  man  of  rank,  which  had  been  interred  with  extraordinary  care.  The 
body  was  placed  in  a  sitting  posture,  upon  an  Indian  rush  mat,  with  its 
back  resting  against  some  logs,  placed  around  it  in  the  manner  of  a  log 
house,  enclosing  a  space  of  about  three  by  five  feet,  and  about  four  feet 
high,  covered  at  top  with  a  mat  similar  to  that  beneath.  The  clothing 
was  still  in  sufficient  preservation  to  enable  him  to  distinguish  a  red  coat 
trimmed  with  gold  lace,  golden  epaulets,  a  spotted  buff  waistcoat,  furnished 
also  with  gold  lace,  and  pantaloons  of  white  nankeen.  On  the  head  was  a 
round  beaver  hat,  and  a  bamboo  walking  stick,  with  the  initials  J.  M.  C, 
engraved  upon  a  golden  head,  reclined  against  the  arm,  but  was  some- 
what decayed  where  it  came  in  contact  with  the  muscular  part  of  the  leg. 
On  raising  the  hat,  it  was  found  that  the  deceased  had  been  hastily  scalped. 
To  what  nation  he  belonged,  Mr.  Munroe  could  not  determine.  We  ob- 
served, however,  that  the  button  taken  from  the  shoulder,  had  the  word 
Philadelphia  moulded  upon  it.  The  cane  still  remains  in  the  possession 
of  the  narrator,  but  the  button  was  taken  by  another  of  the  party." 

Leven's  and  Drake,  in  their  "History  of  Cooper  County,"  written  in 
1886,  gives  the  following  interesting  incident: 

"In  the  year  1818,  Joseph  Stephens,  who  died  in  1836,  Maj.  Stephen 
Cole  and  William  Ross,  the  hatter,  started  west  on  a  hunting  and  exploring 
tour,  and  traveled  as  far  as  Knob  Noster.  At  that  time,  all  the  country 
west  of  the  present  boundary  line  of  Cooper  County,  was  a  wilderness,  no 
person  living  in  it.  About  six  miles  southeast  of  the  present  site  of 
Sedalia,  in  Pettis  County,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Warren,  near  Flat  Creek,  they  discovered  what  appeared  to  be  a  large, 
high  and  peculiarly  shaped  Indian  mound.  They  examined  it  pretty  closely, 
and  found  on  one  side  that  the  wolves  had  scratched  an  opening  into  it. 
After  enlarging  it,  so  as  to  admit  them,  they  beheld  a  remarkable  sight. 


122  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

They  found  themselves  in  what  resembled  a  room,  about  eight  feet  square, 
with  a  ceiling  of  logs,  just  high  enough  to  permit' a  tall  man  to  stand  erect. 
On  the  side  opposite  where  they  had  entered,  sat  an  officer  dressed  in  full 
military  uniform,  with  gold  epaulets  upon  his  shoulders,  gold  lace  fring- 
ing every  seam  of  his  coat,  cocked  military  hat,  knee  breeches,  lace  stock- 
ings and  morocco  slippers.  As  he  sat  erect  upon  a  seat  hewed  out  of  a 
log,  nothing  but  the  ghastly  hue  and  leathery  appearance  of  his  skin 
would  have  suggested  but  that  he  was  alive.  By  his  side  stood  a  heavy 
gold-headed  cane.  His  features  were  complete,  and  his  flesh  free  from 
decay,  though  dried  to  the  consistency  of  leather.  The  place  in  which 
the  body  was  found,  was  very  peculiar.  A  place  about  eight  feet  square 
and  two  feet  deep  had  been  dug  in  the  earth.  The  sides  had  been  walled 
up  with  sod,  until  it  was  high  enough  for  the  purpose,  reaching  several 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The.  top  was  then  covered  with 
poles  which  ran  up  to  a  point  in  the  center  like  the  roof  of  a  house.  Then 
the  poles  and  the  surrounding  walls  were  covered  with  sod  two  or  three 
feet  deep,  cut  from  the  prairie  nearby,  thus  excluding  entirely  the  rain 
and  air.  When  they  left  the  place,  William  Ross,  being  the  eldest  man  of 
the  party,  took  the  cane  as  a  momento,  but  nothing  else  was  touched. 

"Who  this  officer  was,  from  whence  he  came,  what  he  was  doing  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  what  was  the  cause  of  his  death,  and  when  and 
by  whom  he  was  thus  singularly  entombed,  has  not,  and  perhaps  never 
will  be  known.  But  he  was  supposed,  by  many,  to  have  been  a  British 
officer,  who,  during  the  War  of  1812,  passed  around  by  way  of  Canada 
into  the  Indian  country,  to  incite  the  Indians  against  the  whites;  yet 
this  is  only  conjecture,  though  those  who  discovered  his  body,  account  for 
him  in  that  way. 

"Soon  after  this,  Joseph  Stephens,  Sr.,  now  living  near  Petersburg, 
on  the  0.  V.  &  S.  K.  Railroad,  in  company  with  James  D.  Campbell,  went 
into  that  part  of  the  country  bee  hunting,  and  visited  the  burial  place  of 
this  officer.  They  found  that  part  of  the  roof  had  fallen  in,  and  that  the 
wolves  had  eaten  all  of  the  flesh  off  the  body,  so  that  nothing  but  the 
skeleton  and  clothes  remained.  Joseph  Stephens  took  the  epaulets,  as  a 
momento,  but  nothing  else  was  disturbed.  As  his  mother  objected  to  his 
keeping  the  epaulets,  he  melted  them  into  a  large  ball,  which  was  worth 
$15  or  $20,  as  it  was  solid  gold.  This  description  of  the  burial  place,  &c, 
was  obtained  from  the  last  mentioned  Joseph  Stephens,  and  is  correct, 
although  several  different  accounts  have  been  published." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FROM  1815  TO  1819. 


IMMIGRATION — ORGANIZATION'     OF     COUNTIES — EARLY  COURTS — PROCEEDINGS — 

OFFICERS— ELECTIONS— "NEW       COMERS"— LAND  SPECULATION— SALE       OF 

PUBLIC      LANDS— PREEMPTION      CLAIMS — SAMUEL  COLE'S      EXPERIENCES — 
EARLY  CHURCHES — A.  FULLER'S  LETTER. 

During  the  War  of  1812,  more  properly  called  the  "Second  War  with 
Great  Britain,"  there  was  some  immigration  into  the  Boonslick  country. 

When  peace  was  established  with  England,  and  the  treaty  of  peace 
was  finally  entered  into  with  the  Indians  in  1815,  a  steady  and  ever  in- 
creasing stream  of  immigration  poured  into  the  Boonslick  country,  and 
continued  in  an  unending  flow  for  many  years  thereafter. 

But  even  during  the  war  with  the  Indians,  some  hardy  and  brave 
settlers  settled  in  the  Boonslick  country,  though  few  ventured  to  locate 
except  near  enough 'to  reach  the  forts  at  the  first  approach  of  the  Indians. 

Organization  of  Counties. — When  the  territory  of  Missouri  was  estab- 
lished in  1812,  the  eastern  portion  of  the  state  was  at  once  organized  into 
counties,  and  the  territorial  law,  by  means  of  territorial  courts,  was  ex- 
tended over  them.  But  the  Boonslick  country  had  not  been  sufficiently 
settled  to  justify  its  organization,  and  the  expense  of  holding  terms  of 
court  within  its  limits. 

Now,  however,  conditions  were  different.  With  increasing  immigra- 
tion the  demand  became  strong  and  loud  for  organized  courts. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  from  1804  until  Oct.  1,  1812,  the  territory 
of  Missouri  was  divided  into  four  districts.  At  that  date,  in  accordance 
with  an  act  of  Congress,  requiring  him  so  to  do,  Governor  Clark  issued  a 
proclamation,  reorganizing  the  four  districts  into  the  five  following  coun- 
ties: St.  Charles,  St.  Louis,  St.  Genevieve,  Cape  Girardeau,  and  New  Ma- 


124  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

drid.  In  1813  the  county  of  Washington  was  created  from  a  part  of  St. 
Geneveive.  In  1814,  the  county  of  Arkansas  was  formed,  and  during  the 
winter  of  1814,  and  1815,  the  county  of  Lawrence  was  organized  from  the 
western  portion  of  New  Madrid. 

Under  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri, 
approved  Jan.  13,  1816,  the  county  of  Howard  was  created,  being  the  ninth 
organized  county  of  the  territory,  and  was  taken  out  of  the  counties  of 
St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles.  It  included  among  other  counties  what  is  now 
Cooper  County.  Its  territory  was  more  than  one-third  of  the  present 
state  of  Missouri.  It  was  almost  an  empire,  presenting  an  area  of  nearly 
23,000  square  miles.  It  was  larger  than  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Dela- 
ware, and  Rhode  Island.  Missouri  at  that  time  had  not  been  admitted 
into  the  sisterhood  of  states.  From  its  territory  have  since  been  organized 
the  following  counties: 

Adair,  organized  Jan.  29,  1841.  Called  after  Gen.  John  Adair,  of 
Mercer  County,  Kentucky,  who  was  elected  governor  of  that  State  in 
1820  and  died  May  19,  1840. 

Audrain,  organized  Dec.  17,  1836.  Called  for  James  S.  Audrain,  who 
was  a  representative  from  St.  Charles  in  the  Missouri  Legislature  in  1830, 
and  who  died  in  St.  Charles,  Nov.  10,  1831. 

Bates  (part),  organized  Jan.  29,  1841.  Called  for  Frederick  Bates, 
second  governor  of  the  State,  who  died  Aug.  4,  1825,  before  the  expiration 
of  his  term.  Lieutenant-Governor  W.  H.  Ashley,  having  resigned,  Abra- 
ham J.  Williams,  of  Columbia,  president  of  the  Senate,  became  Governor 
until  the  special  election  in  September,  same  year,  when  John  Miller  was 
elected.  Williams  died  Dec.  30,  1839,  and  an  old  fashioned  box-shaped 
limestone  monument  marks  his  grave  in  Columbia  Cemetery. 

Benton  (north  part),  organized  Jan.  3,  1835.  Called  for  Thomas  H. 
Benton,  United  States  Senator,  1820-1850.    Died  April  10,  1858. 

Boone,  organized  Nov.  16,  1820.  Named  for  the  old  pioneer  and  Indian 
fighter,  Daniel  Boone.    Died  in  St.  Charles  County  Sept.  26,  1820. 

Caldwell,  organized  Dec.  26,  1836.  Called  for  Capt.  Matthew  Cald- 
well, commander  of  Indian  scouts  and  a  hunter  of  Kentucky.  Joseph 
Doniphan,  father  of  Gen.  A.  W.  Doniphan,  belonged  to  his  company.  Gen- 
eral Doniphan  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  having  the  county  named  in 
honor  of  his  father's  old  comrade. 

Camden  (part) ,  first  named  Kinderhook,  after  the  home  of  Martin  Van 
Buren,  organized  Jan.  29,  1841.    On  Feb.  23,  1843,  name  changed  to  Cam- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  125 

den,  in  honor  of  Charles  Pratt  Camden,  an  English  statesman  who  was 
a  warm  advocate  of  the  American  colonies. 

Carroll,  organized  Jan.  3,  1833.  Called  for  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carroll- 
ton,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Died  Nov. 
14,  1832. 

Cass,  organized  Sept.  14,  1835.  First  called  Van  Buren ;  changed  to 
Cass  Feb.  19,  1849,  in  honor  of  Lewis  Cass,  United  States  Senator  from 
Michigan.    Died  June  17,  1866. 

Chariton,  organized  Nov.  16,  1820.  John  Chariton  was  the  name  of 
a  leader  of  the  French  fur-traders  who  at  an  early  day  located  on  the 
Missouri  River  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  which  was  ever  afterwards 
called  Chariton.    Hence  the  name  of  the  creek  and  county. 

Clay,  organized  Jan.  2,  1822.  Called  for  Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky. 
Died  June  29,  1852. 

Clinton,  organized  Jan.  15,  1833.  Called  for  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton, 
of  New  York.    Died  Feb.  11,  1828. 

Cole,  organized  Nov.  16,  1820.  Called  for  Capt.  Stephen  Cole,  an  old 
settler,  who  built  "Cole's  Fort,"  near  Boonville. 

Cooper,  organized  Dec.  17,  1818.  Called  for  Sarshel  Cooper,  who 
was  killed  by  an  Indian  in  Cooper's  Fort  opposite  Arrow  Rock  and  near 
the  present  village  of  Boonsboro,  Howard  County,  on  the  night  of  April 
14,  1814. 

Daviess,  organized  Dec.  29,  1836.  Called  for  Col.  Joe  Hamilton  Daviess, 
of  Kentucky.    Killed  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  Nov.  7,  1811. 

De  Kalb,  organized  Feb.  25,  1845.  Called  for  Baron  John  De  Kalb,  a 
Frenchman  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Cam- 
den in  1780. 

Gentry,  organized  Feb.  12,  1841.  Called  for  Gen.  Richard  Gentry,  of 
Columbia,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Okeechobee,  Fla.,  Dec.  25,  1837. 

Grundy,  organized  Jan.  2,  1843.  Called  for  Felix  Grundy,  United 
States  Senator  of  Tennessee.    Died  Dec.  19,  1840. 

Harrison,  organized  Feb.  14,  1845.  Called  for  Albert  G.  Harrison,  of 
Fulton,  Mo.,  member  of  Congress  from  1835  to  1839.    Died  Sept.  7,  1839. 

Henry,  first  named  Rives  in  honor  of  William  C.  Rives,  of  Virginia, 
organized  Dec.  13,  1834.  Changed  to  Henry  in  honor  of  Patrick  Henry, 
who  died  June  6,  1799. 

Jackson,  organized  Dec.  15,  1826.  Named  in  honor  of  Andrew  Jack- 
son.   Died  June  8,  1845. 


126  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Johnson,  organized  Dec.  13,  1834.  Called  for  Richard  M.  Johnson,  of 
Kentucky.    Died  of  apoplexy,  Nov.  19,  1850. 

Lafayette,  first  called  Lillard  and  organized  Nov.  16,  1820,  after  James 
Lillard,  an  old  citizen.  Changed  to  Lafayette,  Feb.  16,  1825,  who  died  at 
Paris,  May  20,  1834. 

Linn,  organized  Jan.  7,  1837.  Called  for  Lewis  F.  Linn,  United  States 
Senator  from  Missouri,  1830-1843,  who  died  at  St.  Genevieve,  Oct.  3,  1843. 

Livingston,  organized  Jan.  6,  1837.  Called  for  Edward  Livingston, 
Secretary  of  State  under  President  Jackson.    Died  May  23,  1836. 

Macon,  organized  Jan.  6,  1837.  Named  in  honor  of  Nathaniel  Macon, 
of  North  Carolina,  of  the  Seventh,  Eighth,  and  Ninth  Congresses  and 
United  States  Senator  in  the  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth.  Died  June  29, 
1837. 

Mercer,  organized  Feb.  14,  1845.  Called  for  John  F.  Mercer,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution  from  Maryland.    Died  Aug.  30,  1821. 

Miller  (north  part),  organized  Feb.  26,  1837.  Called  for  Gov.  John 
Miller,  of  Missouri ;  was  Governor  from  1825  to  1832.    Died  March  18,  1846. 

Moniteau,  organized  Feb.  14,  1845.  An  Indian  name,  and  doubtless 
a  corruption  of  Manito,  an  Indian  name  for  Deity  or  Great  Spirit. 

Monroe  (part),  organized  Jan.  6,  1831.  Called  for  James  Monroe, 
President.    Died  July  4,  1831. 

Morgan,  organized  Jan.  5,  1833.  Called  for  Gen.  Daniel  Morgan,  of 
the  Revolution,  who  displayed  great  bravery  at  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens 
in  the  defeat  of  Tarlton  and  died  in  1802. 

Pettis,  organized  Jan.  26,  1833.  Called  for  Spencer  Pettis,  member 
of  Congress  from  St.  Louis  from  1829  to  1831,  who  was  killed  in  a  duel 
by  Maj.  Thomas  Biddle,  Aug.  27,  1831,  aged  29  years. 

Putnam,  organized  Feb.  28,  1845.  Called  for  Gen.  Israel  Putnam,  of 
Bunker  Hill  fame,  1775.    Died,  1790. 

Randolph,  organized  Jan.  22,  1829.  Called  for  John  Randolph,  of 
Roanoke,  Va.    Died  May  24,  1833. 

Ray,  organized  Nov.  16,  1820.  Called  for  John  Ray,  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  convention  of  1820  from  Howard  County. 

St.  Clair  (north  part),  organized  Jan.  29,  1841.  Called  for  Gen. 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  of  the  Revolution. 

Saline,  organized  Nov.  25,  1820.    Named  because  of  its  salt  springs. 

Shelby  (part),  organized  Jan.  2,  1835.  Called  for  Gov.  Isaac  Shelby, 
of  Kentucky.    Died  July  18,  1826. 

Sullivan,  organized  Feb.  16,  1845.    Called  for  James  Sullivan,  of  Revo- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  127 

lutionary  fame,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  of  1782.  Died 
Dec.  10,  1808. 

Worth,  organized  Feb.  8,  1861.  Called  for  Gen.  William  J.  Worth, 
of  the  Florida  and  Mexican  Wars.    Died  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  7,  1849. 

Also  the  following  counties  in  Iowa:  Parts  of  Taylor  and  Adams, 
Union,  Ringgold,  Clarke,  Decatur  and  Wayne,  and  probably  parts  of  Lucas, 
Monroe  and  Appanoose. 

Its  boundaries  were  established  as  follows:  Beginning  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Osage  River,  which  is  about  10  miles  below  the  city  of  Jefferson 
and  opposite  the  village  of  Barkersville  in  Callaway  county,  the  boundary 
uprsued  the  circuitous  course  of  said  stream  to  the  Osage  boundary  line, 
meaning  thereby  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Osage  Indian  Territory,  or 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  Vernon  County,  where  the  Osage  River,  two 
miles  east  of  the  present  town  of  Shell  City,  runs  near  said  corner ;  thence 
north  (along  the  western  line  of  St.  Clair,  Henry,  Johnson  and  Lafayette 
counties),  to  the  Missouri  River,  striking  that  stream  west  of  and  very 
near  Napoleon,  thence  up  said  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River 
(where  Kansas  City  is  now  located),  thence  with  the  Indian  boundary 
line  (as  described  in.  the  proclamation  of  Gov.  William  Clark  issued  the 
9th  day  of  March,  1815),  northwardly  along  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
"Platte  purchase"  140  miles,  or  to  a  point  about  36  miles  north  and  within 
the  present  county  of  Adams,  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  near  the  town  of 
Corning  in  said  county,  on  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  railroad; 
thence  eastward  with  the  said  line  to  the  main  dividing  ridge  of  high 
ground,  to  the  main  fork  of  the  river  Cedar  (which  is  the  line  between 
Boone  and  Callaway  counties  in  Missouri)  ;  thence  down  said  river  to  the 
Missouri;  thence  down  the  river  Missouri  and  in  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  thereof,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Osage  River,  the  place  of 
beginning. 

Howard  County  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  approved  Feb.  16,  1825.  The  history  of  what  is  now  Cooper 
County  is  inseparably  connected  with  that  of  Howard  County  until  the 
organization  of  Cooper  County  in  1819. 

Early  Courts. — The  act  under  which  Howard  County  was  organized 
located  the  seat  of  justice  at  Hannah  Cole's  Fort.  The  first  circuit  court 
of  Howard  County,  which  was  the  first  Court  held  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Jelly  in  Hannah  Cole's  Fort,  which 
was  situated  in  what  is  now  East  Boonville.  The  Court  opened  on  the 
eighth  day  of  July,  1816,  and  discharged  under  the  territorial  laws  all 


128  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  duties  of  the  Circuit,  County  and  Probate  Courts  of  the  present  day. 

Hon.  David  Barton  was  the  presiding  judge;  Nicholas  T.  Burkhartt, 
the  sheriff;  Gray  Bynum,  the  clerk;  and  John  G.  Heath,  circuit  attorney. 
The  attorneys  who  attended  this  term  of  court  were  Edward  Bates, 
Charles  Lucas,  Joshua  Barton,  and  Lucius  Easton.  Few  in  number,  but 
their  names  became  intimately  and  prominently  associated  with  the  fu- 
ture development  of  the  state  of  Missouri.. 

The  following  are  the  proceedings  of  this  term  of  court: — 

John  Munroe  was  appointed  coroner  of  Howard  County,  and  Benjamin 
Estil,  David  Jones,  David  Kincaid,  William  Head  and  Stephen  Cole  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  locate  the  permanent  county  seat,  which  was 
temporarily  located  by  the  territorial  legislature  at  Hannah  Cole's  Fort 
as  above  stated. 

The  following  persons  composed  the  first  grand  jury:  Stephen  Jack- 
son, foreman ;  Adam  Woods,  Sr. ;  Asaph  Hubbard,  John  Pusley,'  George 
Tompkins,  Isaac  Drake,  William  Anderson,  Samuel  Brown,  Robert  Wilde, 
Davis  Todd,  William  Brown,  Robert  Brown,  John  Snethan,  Ezekiel  Wil- 
liams, William  Monroe,  Jr.;  John  O'Banon,  James  Alexander,  Muke  Box. 

The  first  license  to  operate  and  run  a  ferry  was  issued  to  Hannah 
Cole.  The  charges  were  fixed  by  the  Court,  and  will  be  found  in  the  chap- 
ter on  "Transportation  and  Highways." 

Harper  C.  Davis  was  licensed  to  conduct  a  tavern  at  Kincaid's  Fort. 

The  first  road  laid  out  by  the  authority  of  the  Court  in  the  county 
was  a  route  from  Cole's  Fort  on  the  Missouri  River  to  intersect  the  road 
from  Potosi,  in  Washington  County,  at  the  Osage  River.  Stephen  Cole, 
James  Cole,  and  Jumphry  Gibson  were  appointed  commissioners  to  mark 
out  this  road. 

The  first  indictments  returned  by  the  grand  jury  were  United  States 
vs.  Samuel  Heirall,  and  United  States  vs.  James  Cockrell,  both  endorsed 
a  true  bill. 

At  the  first  election  held  in  the  county,  the  electors  voted  at  Head's 
Fort,  McLean's  Fort,  Fort  Cooper  and  Cole's  Fort.  The  first  civil  action 
was  styled  Davis  Todd  vs.  Joseph  Boggs.  The  following  amusing  incident 
and  example  of  retributive  justice  happened  at  this  term  of  court: 

Maj.  Stephen  Cole  was  fined,  by  Judge  Barton,  one  dollar,  for  con- 
tempt, for  misconduct  in  the  presence  of  the  court.  Cole  objected  to  pay- 
ing the  fine,  but  supposing  he  would  be  able  to  retaliate  some  time,  at  last 
paid  it.  And  his  time  for  retaliation  came  sooner  than  he  expected.  That 
afternoon,  Cole,  who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  organized  his  court  on  a 


- 


0 

- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  129 

log  in  front  of  the  fort.  As  Judge  Barton  was  returning  from  dinner,  he 
stopped  in  front  of  Cole  and  leaned  against  a  tree,  watching  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  justice  and  smoking  his  pipe.  Cole  looked  up,  and  assuming 
the  stern  look  of  insulted  dignity,  said,  "Judge  Barton,  I  fine  you  one 
dollar  for  contempt  of  my  court,  for  smoking  in  its  presence."  Judge 
Barton  smilingly  paid  his  fine,  and  went  to  open  his  own  court,  acknowl- 
edging that  he  had  been  beaten  at  his  own  game. 

The  following  order  established  the  rate  of  taxation  at  that  time: 

"Ordered  by  the  court  that  the  following  rates  of  taxation  for  county 
purposes  for  the  year  1816  be  established  in  the  county  of  Howard,  to-wit: 

On  each  horse,  mare,  mule  or  ass  above  3  years  old $     .25 

On  all  meat  cattle  above  3  years  old -0614 

On  each  and  every  stud-horse,  the  sum  for  which  he  stands  the 

season -0614 

On  every  negro  or  mulatto  slave  between  the  ages  of  16  and  45  —       .50 

For  each  billiard-table 25.00 

On  every  able-bodies  single  man  of  21  years  old  or  upwards  not 

being  possessed  of  property  of  the  value  of  $200 .50 

On  water,  grist-mills,  and  saw-mills,  horse-mills,  tan-yards  and  dis- 
tilleries in  actual  operation  40  cents  on  every  $100  valuation." 

Five  marriage  certificates  were  recorded  in  the  year  1816.  We  give 
verbatum  copies  of  four. 

I  do  hereby  certify,  that  on  the  27th  day  of  March  last,  I  celebrated 
the  rights  of  matrominy  between  Elijah  Creason  and  Elizabeth  Lowell, 
both  of  the  county  of  Howard  and  territory  of  Missouri. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  12th  day  of  April,  1816. 

JAMES  ALCORN,  J.  P. 
Territory  of  Missouri, 

Howard  County,  To-wit: 

Be  it  known,  to  whom  it  may  concern,  that  on  the  26th  day  of  April, 
1816,  by  virtue  of  the  power  and  authority  vested  in  my  by  law,  a  preacher 
of  the  Gospel,  I  joined  in  the  holy  state  of  matrimony  Abraham  Barnes, 
and  Gracy  Jones,  of  the  said  territory  and  county,  as  man  and  wife,  satis- 
factory proof  having  been  given  of  the  legal  notice  as  requested  by  law 
and  parents'  consent  obtained. 

Witness  my  hand,  the  22nd  day  of  April,  1816. 

DAVID  McLAIN. 
Territory  of  Missouri, 
(9) 


130  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

County  of  Howard,  To-wit: 

Be  it  remembered  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  on  the  10th  day 
of  May,  1816,  by  virtue  of  the  power  and  authority  vested  in  me  by  law 
a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  etc.,  I  joined  in  the  holy  state  of  matrimony 
Judiah  Osmond  and  Rosella  Busby,  of  the  said  territory  and  county,  as 
man  and  wife.    Witness  my  hand,  this  3d  day  of  July,  1816. 

WILLIAM  THORP. 

I  hereby  certify,  that  on  the  second  of  June  last  passed,  I  celebrated 
the  rights  of  matrimony  between  John  Cooley  and  Elizabeth  White,  both 
of  the  county  of  Howard  and  territory  of  Missouri. 

Given  under  my  hand,  this  12th  day  of  April,  1816. 

JAMES  ALCORN,  J.  P. 

The  first  election  held  in  Cooper  County  after  its  organization  was 
on  the  second  day  of  August,  1819.  It  was  held  to  elect  a  delegate  to 
Congress  from  the  territory  of  Missouri.  John  Scott  and  Samuel  Ham- 
mond were  the  candidates.  The  townships  which  voted  at  said  election 
were,  as  heretofore  stated,  Arrow  Rock,  Miami,  Tebo  (sometimes  in  those 
early  days  spelled  Tabeaux,  and  Tabeau),  and  Lamine.  The  latter  town- 
ship included  the  town  of  Boonville.  The  votes  cast  in  Tebo  township 
were  thrown  out  because  the  poll-book  of  said  township  did  not  state  for 
whom  the  votes  were  cast,  and  this  poll-book  was  not  put  on  file  with  the 
others;  thei'efore  the  only  votes  counted  were  those  cast  in  the  other 
three  townships.  John  Scott  received  127  votes,  and  Samuel  Hammond  21 
votes,  making  the  total  count,  138. 

We  infer,  and  on  a  reasonable  hypothesis,  that  this  was  nothing  like 
the  total  vote  of  the  county  at  that  time.  The  county  was  sparsely  settled 
and  there  was  then  no  newspaper  published  in  Cooper  County.  News  of 
the  election,  in  the  main,  had  to  be  spread  by  word  of  mouth,  and  it  is 
very  probable  that  many  of  the  voters 'did  not  know  the  day  of  the  same; 
and  again  by  reason  of  the  distance  from  their  voting  places,  failed  to 
record  their  votes. 

Robert  P.  Clark,  county  clerk,  called  to  his  aid  James  Brufee  and 
Benjamin  F.  Hickox,  two  justices  of  the  peace,  to  assist  him  in  counting 
the  votes. 

The  next  election  hold  in  the  county  was  to  select  delegates  to  the 
state  convention,  called  by  proclamation  of  the  Governor  to  frame  a  con- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  131 

stitution  for  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  was  held  on  the  first,  second  and 
third  days  of  May,  1820.  The  following  was  the  result  in  the  county: 
Robert  P.  Clark,  William  Lillard  and  Robert  Wallace  were  elected.  The 
townships  in  which  this  election  was  held  and  the  votes  cast  were  as 
follows:  Arrow  Rock  township,  120  votes;  Lamine  township,  408  votes; 
Tableaux  township,  150  votes ;  Moreau  township,  101  votes ;  Miami  town- 
ship, 40  votes.    Total  vote  of  Cooper  County,  819. 

At  the  time  of  this  election,  Cooper  County  was  bounded  on  the  east 
and  south  by  the  Osage  River,  on  the  west  by  the  Indian  Territory,  and 
on  the  north  by  the  Missouri  River.  Lamine  township  then  included  about 
all  within  the  present  limits  of  Cooper  County,  and  some  territory  not 
now  included  in  its  limits. 

The  next  and  third  election  was  held  on  the  28th  day  of  August,  1820, 
to  elect  a  member  of  Congress,  and  State  and  county  officers.  The  follow- 
ing townships  voting  at  this  election,  and  the  votes  cast,  were  as  follows: 
Arrow  Rock  township,  57  votes;  Lamine  township,  503  votes;  Jefferson 
township,  110  votes;  Osage  township,  78  votes;  Miami  township,  28  votes; 
Moreau  township,  71  votes;  Tableaux  township,  125  votes.  The  vote  of 
Cooper  County,  972.  Thomas  Rogers,  Thomas  Smiley  and  William  Lillard 
were  elected  representatives ;  William  H.  Curtis,  sheriff ;  and  Bryant 
Saunders,  coroner. 

Immigration. — In  writing  of  the  immigration  at  this  period,  Dr.  John 
Mason  Peck  has  this  to  say:  "The  'new-comers,'  like  a  mountain  torrent, 
poured  into  the  country  faster  than  it  was  possible  to  provide  corn  for 
breadstuff's.  Some  families  came  in  the  spring  of  1815.  But  in  the  winter, 
spring,  summer  and  autumn  of  1816,  they  came  like  an  avalanche.  It 
seemed  as  though  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  were  breaking  up  and  moving 
to  the  "Far  West."  Caravan  after  caravan  passed  over  the  prairies  of 
Illinois,  crossing  the  'gi^eat  river'  at  St.  Louis,  all  bound  to  the  Boonslick. 
The  stream  of  immigration  had  not  lessened  in  1817.  Many  families  came 
from  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  and  not  a  few  from  the  Middle 
States,  while  a  sprinkling  found  their  way  to  the  extreme  West  from 
Yankeedom  and  Yorkdom.  Following  in  the  wake  of  this  exodus  to  the 
middle  section  of  Missouri  was  a  terrific  excitement  about  land." 

Land  Speculation. — This  was  a  period  of  some  wild  and  hazardous 
land  speculations ;  not  only  by  reason  of  the  large  immigration  into  the 
Boonslick  section,  or  rather  into  Howard  County,  but  because  of  the  earth- 
quake in  New  Madrid  in  the  years  1811  and  1812. 

In  1815,  Congress  passed  an  act  affording  liberal  relief  for  the  suf- 


132  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ferers  from  the  earthquake.  The  land  owners  were  permitted  to  give 
up  their  present  holdings  and  to  locate  with  the  certificates  received  for 
their  New  Madrid  possessions  on  other  public  land.  This  opened  a  wide 
door  for  fraud,  speculation  and  litigation.  The  actual  sufferers  were  in 
nearly  every  instance  defrauded.  Before  they  had  knowledge  of  the  pass- 
ing of  the  act  of  Congress,  the  New  Madrid  country  was  filled  with 
speculators  from  St.  Louis,  who  purchased  their  property  at  a  rate  of 
from  $40  to  $60  per  claim,  a  claim  sometimes  embracing  as  much  as  640 
acres.  After  acquiring  the  rights  to  the  injured  land,  certificates  of  dis- 
location were  issued  by  the  St.  Louis  land  office  to  the  purchasers  of  these 
injured  properties.  The  owners  of  these  certificates,  of  course,  hunted 
around  for  the  most  valuable  property  and  located  their  certificates  on 
it.  The  demand  for  certificates  became  very  great,  the  more  unscrupulous 
and  dishonest  New  Madrid  settlers  would  sell  their  claims  several  times 
to  new  speculators  anxious  to  buy.  All  this  led  to  endless  litigation. 
Under  New  Madrid  certificates  so  issued  much  valuable  property  was 
located  in  the  Boonslick  country. 

Sale  of  Public  Lands. — Dec.  6,  1816,  marked  the  setting  for  the  first 
time  of  the  Jacob  Staff,  to  survey  the  public  lands  of  this  state,  prepara- 
tory to  placing  the  lands  on  the  market  for  sale  for  home-makers.  Prior 
to  that  time,  nothing  had  been  surveyed  by  legal  authority,  except  those 
lands  known  as  the  old  French  and  Spanish  claims.  The  survey,  however, 
progressed  slowly  and  intermittently,  and  it  was  not  until  Aug.  3,  1918, 
when  by  order  of  the  President's  proclamation  the  land  sale  was  held  at 
St.  Louis.  The  President  also  issued  a  proclamation  that  the  land  sales 
at  Franklin.  Howard  County,  would  begin  Sept.  7,  1818,  but  there  was 
quite  a  spirited  controversy  about  the  legality  of  offering  the  lands  for 
sale,  as  they  were  thought  yet  to  be  within  the  boundary  lines  of  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indian  Reservation,  and  one  officer  to  conduct  the  sale  resigned. 
The  sales,  in  consequence  thereof,  were  continud  to  Nov.  2,  1818.  at  which 
day  the  land  sales  began,  Gen.  Thomas  A.  Smith  being  receiver,  and 
Charles  Carrol,  register.  The  crowd  in  attendance  upon  these  sales  was 
said  to  have  numbered  thousands  of  well-dressed  and  intelligent  men  from 
all  parts  of  the  east  and  south.  At  the  first  public  sales,  there  seems  to 
have  been  quite  a  spirit  of  competition  among  the  bidders,  but  this  was 
evidently  caused  by  those  from  a  distance,  for  the  settlers  had  a  tacit 
understanding  not  to  bid  against  each  other  for  the  land  they  wanted,  and 
in  after  years  there  seems  to  have  been  no  competition  for  the  lands  at 
public  sales. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  133 

Preemption  Claims. — At  this  time  there  arose  the  very  interesting 
question  of  preemption  claims.  The  settlers  in  the  Franklin,  or  Howard 
land  district,  had  given  notice  to  the  officers  of  the  land  office  of  the  pre- 
emptions. So  universal  was  the  preemption  right  claimed,  that  the  settlers 
there  were  called  "preemptioners."  This  disputed  question  was  of  such 
deep  interest  and  import  to  the  settlers  and  was  so  much  discussed,  that 
it  became  the  all-absorbing  question,  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other. 

On  March  3,  1819,  Congress  passed  an  act  confirming  the  right  of 
preemption,  to  the  people  of  this  district.  It  is  said  that  many  of  the 
most  illustrious  men  of  our  state  were  among  the  preemptioners,  and  they 
in  after  years  became  potent  factors  in  the  evolution  and  progress  of 
our  great  state. 

Levens  and  Drake,  in  their  "History  of  Cooper  County,"  give  some 
amusing  interesting  incidents  of  this  period: 

"Sometime  during  the  year  1817,  William  Gibson,  now  living  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  city  of  Boonville,  was  appointed  by  the  Territorial 
Court,  constable  of  that  part  of  Howard  County  lying  south  of  the  Mis- 
souri River.  His  jurisdiction  extended  from  the  Missouri,  on  the  north, 
to  the  Osage  River  on  the  south.  Soon  after  his  appointment,  there  being 
some  trouble  down  on  the  Osage,  he  was  sent  there  with  a  warrant  for 
the  arrest  of  the  man  who  had  caused  the  trouble.  The  distance  was 
between  60  and  70  miles.  After  arresting  the  man,  he  returned  to  Boon- 
ville with  his  prisoner.  As  he  was  on  his  journey  back,  having  an  execu- 
tion against- a  man  who  lived  on  the  road,  he  stopped  at  his  house  and 
proceeded  to  levy  on  the  feather  beds,  as  nothing  in  those  days  was 
exempt  from  levy  under  execution.  But,  as  soon  as  he  made  his  purpose 
known,  four  women,  who  were  the  only  persons  at  home,  threatened  to 
give  him  a  thrashing,  so  he  was  forced  to  retire  as  fast  as  he  could,  and 
return  the  execution  unsatisfied.  To  add  to  this,  the  court  only  allowed 
him,  for  his  journey  of  140  miles,  which  occupied  four  days,  the  magni- 
ficent sum  of  25  cents.  Mr.  Gibson  thinking  the  office  not  quite  lucrative 
enough  to  justify  him  in  devoting  his  whole  time  to  its  duties,  arid  not 
wishing  to  risk  his  life  at  the  hands  of  angry  women,  quietly  sent  in  his 
resignation,  thus  establishing  the  precedent  that  officers  should  resign 
when  not  paid  a  living  wage. 

"While  Samuel  Cole  was  living  at  his  mother's  fort  in  East  Boonville, 
in  the  year  1817,  there  was  a  dance  at  William  Bartlett's  boarding  house, 
on  the  flat  near  the  ferry  landing,  at  the  mouth  of  Rupe's  Branch.  Al- 
though Samuel  wished  very  much  to  attend,  his  mother  refused  to  permit 


134  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

him,  as  his  wardrobe  at  that  time,  was  entirely  too  limited  to  permit  him 
to  associate  with  the  "elite."  He  had  no  pants,  his  sole  garment  consist- 
ing of  a  long  tow  shirt,  which  reached  entirely  to  his  heels.  But  Samuel, 
though  always,  from  his  own  statement,  an  obedient  son,  was  not  to  be 
deprived  of  so  great  a  pleasure,  by  this,  to  him,  a  very  trivial  excuse.  So 
he  determined  to  attend  that  dance,  and  then  make  the  best  arrangement 
he  could  to  meet  the  "wrath  to  come."  Not  having  any  horse,  he  bridled 
a  tame  bull,  which  was  at  the  fort,  and  thus  mounted,  rode  up  to  the  door 
of  the  house  in  which  they  were  dancing.  After  looking  in  for  some  time, 
and  by  his  strange  looking  steed  and  attire,  attracting  a  large  crowd  about 
him,  he  drove  his  bull  down  to  the  river,  and  riding  in,  he  slid  back  over 
its  haunches,  and  caught  hold  of  its  tail.  In  this  way  they  swam  down 
the  river  to  Hannah  Cole's  fort,  when  he  and  his  strange  companion  came 
out  of  the  water  and  sought  their  homes.  This  story  has  often  been  pub- 
lished, but  never  correctly,  as  all  former  accounts  represented  him  as 
swimming  the  river  to  attend  a  wedding,  but  our  version  is  correct,  as  it 
was  obtained  directly  from  Samuel  Cole  himself. 

"About  the  15th  day  of  November,  1817,  Joseph  Stephens,  with  his 
large  family  and  several  friends,  crossed  the  river  to  where  Boonville  now 
stands,  and  camped  near  the  foot  of  Main  street.  The  next  day  after 
they  crossed  Samuel  Cole,  who  was  then  a  boy  of  sixteen  years  of  age, 
appeared  at  their  camp  and  asked  Mrs.  Stephens  if  she  would  like  to  have 
some  venison.  Upon  her  replying  that  she  would,  as  she  was  nearly  out 
of  meat,  Samuel  shouldered  his  gun  and  marched  off  into  the  woods,  tell- 
ing her  to  wait  a  few  minutes  and  he  would  kill  her  some.  Samuel  Cole, 
at  that  time,  although  there  was  a  slight  snow  on  the  ground,  was  bare- 
footed and  bare-headed,  his  breeches  reached  only  to  his  knees,  the  collar 
of  his  shirt  was  open,  and  he  carried  an  old  flint  lock  rifle.  About  fifteen 
minutes  after  he  left  the  camp,  Stephens  and  his  family  heard  two  shots 
in  the  direction  in  which  he  had  gone.  Pretty  soon  Samuel  appeared,  and 
told  them  that  he  had  killed  two  deer,  that  they  must  go  out  and  bring 
them  to  the  camp,  as  he  could  not  by  himself  bring  in  even  one  of  them. 
So  they  started  out  and  found  the  two  deer  lying  on  the  side  of  the  hill 
just  north  of  the  present  residence  of  William  H.  Trigg.  After  they  had 
skinned  them  and  cut  them  up,  the  party  brought  them  to  the  camp  and 
presented  them  to  Mrs.  Stevens.  This  shows  what  little  exertion  was 
necessary  at  that  day  to  obtain  meat. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Joseph  Stephens  moved,  with  his  family,  to 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  135 

the  farm  which  he  had  bought  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
present  site  of  Bunceton.  About  Christmas,  in  the  same  year,  Samuel 
Cole  rode  up  to  Joseph  Stephen's  camp,  and  Mrs.  Stephens  asked  him  to 
alight  and  take  dinner.  He  asked  her  whether  she  had  any  honey,  and 
she  told  him  she  had  not.  He  said  he  could  not  eat  without  honey.  And 
although  she  insisted  that  he  remain,  he  still  refused.  In  the  meantime, 
Larry  and  Joseph,  two  of  her  sons,  and  a  negro  named  Basil,  who  had 
been  cutting  wood,  came  up  to  the  camp  carrying  their  axes.  Samuel 
turned  to  them,  and  told  them  to  go  with  him  and  get  some  honey  for 
dinner.  They  at  first,  supposing  him  to  be  joking,  refused  to  go.  But  as 
he  still  insisted,  they  consented.  After  going  some  two  hundred  yards 
east  of  the  camp,  Samuel  suddenly  stopped,  and  pointing  to  a  tree,  told 
them  to  cut  it  down.  The  others  not  seeing  anything  about  the  tree  that 
would  induce  anyone  to  think  that  it  contained  honey,  yet  willing  to  accom- 
modate company,  cut  it  down,  and  it  was  found  to  be  filled  with  nice 
honey.  While  they  were  cutting  down  this  tree,  Samuel  found  another  a 
short  distance  away,  and  having  cut  down  this  one  also,  they  returned 
home  with  six  buckets  of  fine  honey,  having  taken  nothing  but  the  clear 
part.  Before  he  left,  Samuel  taught  them  the  way  in  which  he  found  the 
trees.  He  told  them,  that  if  they  would  examine  the  ground  around  the 
tree,  they  would  find  small  pieces  of  bee-bread,  and  occasionally  a  dead 
bee.  This  was  an  infallible  sign  of  a  bee  tree.  Then  afterwards,  following 
his  direction,  they  searched  and  found,  in  a  small  space,  thirteen  trees 
which  were  filled  with  honey;  and  as  they  had  no  sugar,  this  was  a  great 
help  to  them.  They  sometimes  had  as  much  as  four  hundred  pounds  of 
honey  on  hand  at  one  time." 

Early  Churches. — It  has  been  stated  with  authority,  that  on  the  8th 
day  of  April,  1812,  Mount  Pleasant  Church  was  organized  in  a  log  house, 
doubtless  at  Kincaid's  Fort,  situated  a  short  distance  from  Old  Franklin 
in  Howard  County.  In  the  year  1817,  there  came  renewed  activity  of 
church-building.  Of  the  five  churches  in  central  Missouri:  Mount  Pleasant, 
Bethel,  Concord,  Mount  Zion  and  Salem,  all  Baptist,  which  in  1818  united 
to  form  the  Mount  Pleasant  Baptist  Association,  three  had  organized  the 
previous  year. 

The  Concord  Church  was  organized  in  1817  by  Elders  William  Thorpe, 
Edward  Turner  and  David  McLain,  and  was  located  in  the  settlement  south 
of  Boonville.  In  1823,  the  church  gave  its  name  to  the  Concord  Baptist 
Association.    Elder  Luke  Williams  was  chosen  pastor,  at  the  second  meet- 


136  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ing  of  the  church  in  1817,  and  continued  in  this  capacity  until  his  death 
six  years  later.  The  second  pastor  was  Elder  Kemp  Scott,  who  moved  to 
the  little  settlement  a  year  or  two  after  the  death  of  Elder  Williams. 

Among  the  pioneers  who  helped  to  organize  the  church  and  who  con- 
stituted its  first  membership,  were:  Luke  Williams,  Polly  Williams,  Wil- 
liam Savage,  Mary  Savage,  Delaney  Bolen,  Judith  Williams,  Absalom  Huff, 
Susanna  Savage,  Joseph  Baze,  Lydia  Turner,  Charles  Williams,  Patsey 
Bolen,  Sally  Baze  and  Elizabeth  Williams. 

Judge  Phillips,  of  imperishable  memory,  gives  the  following  vivid  de- 
scription of  the  old  Bethel  Church,  typical  of  the  church  of  the  period, 
as  he  recalled  it,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  seventy  years: 

"Built  of  heavy,  flawless  ash  logs,  it  did,  indeed,  stand  'four  cornei'ed 
to  every  wind  that  blew.'  Measured  by  the  conception  of  its  architects  it 
was  quite  capacious,  but  in  fact  it  was  not  over  24x34  feet.  It  had  one 
door  and  two  small  windows  in  front,  one  window  in  each  end,  and  a  two 
pane  window  back  of  the  pulpit. 

"That  pulpit  when  the  door  of  ingress  and  egress  was  shut,  made  the 
preacher  look  as  if  he  were  forted  against  assault  from  without;  and  it 
might  be  aptly  termed  a  ministerial  sweat-box.  The  men  and  women 
were  entirely  separated  as  they  sat  in  church,  the  men  on  one  side  and 
the  owmen  on  the  other  side  of  the  single  aisle.  *  *  *  It  never  oc- 
curred to  the  church  committee  in  charge  that  to  enable  the  occupants 
of  the  rear  seats  to  see  the  speaker  in  front,  the  floor  should  be  con- 
structed on  a  rising  scale.  Instead  they  made  the  pews  on  an  ascending 
scale,  so  that  the  rearmost  pew  was  about  four  feet  from  the  floor,  and 
the  occupants  had  to  vault  or  climb  into  them  like  getting  into  the  upper 
berth  of  a  Pullman  sleeper  without  a  step  ladder. 

"The  pastor  of  Bethel  Church  during  the  greater  part  of  his  attend- 
ance there,  known  as  'Father  Jimmie  Barnes,'  was  recalled  by  Judge 
Philips  as  a  man  'powerful  in  exposition  and  fervid  in  delineation.'  He 
seldom  spoke  less  than  an  hour  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  hotter  the 
day  the  longer  the  sermon.  The  seasons  have  their  time  to  change  and 
the  leaves  their  time  to  fall,  but  Father  Barnes  never  changed  his  garb 
of  home  made  blue  jeans,  autumn,  winter,  spring  or  summer.  He  wore 
invariably  the  conventional  high,  stiff  black  stock,  over  which  timidly 
peeped  a  fringe  of  shirt  collar. 

"About  one  hundred  yards  to  the  northwest  of  the  church  was  the 
camp  ground.  I  can  see  the  log  huts,  with  bed  quilts  for  partitions  and 
straw  for  beds,  covered  with  sheets  and  quilts.     I  can  almost  catch  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  137 

aroma  of  roasting  beef,  chickens  and  sweet  potatoes  in  the  barbecue 
ditches.  There  was  one  figure  about  that  camp  ground  indelibly  fixed  in 
my  memory.  It  was  'Uncle  Billie  Street',  the  leader  of  revival  songs.  He 
was  a  mountain  of  flesh,  weighing,  when  in  good  singing  condition,  about 
three  hundred  pounds.  He  had  a  voice  that  out-bellowed  the  bulls  of 
Bashan,  and  when  sinners  were  to  be  called  to  the  mourner's  bench,  the 
very  air  vibrated  with  his  Olympian  verberation.  I  do  not  exaggerate  in 
saying  that  I  heard  him  one  day  from  a  pasture  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
away  singing  his  favorite  revival  song  with  the  refrain,  'When  this  world 
is  all  on  fire,  glory  Hallelujah.'  " 

One  hundred  years  ago  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  A.  Fuller,  who 
had  been  in  the  Boonslick  country  a  few  months  wrote  to  his  chum  the 
following  descriptive  letter,  which  will  doubtless  be  read  with  interest. 

"Franklin,  Mo.,  Dec,  1819. 
Dear  Tom : 

You  need  not  scold;  I  have  had  too  much  to  do  to  write  to  you  fel- 
lows that  live  in  civilized  society.  Here  I  am,  on  the  extreme  frontier  of 
the  settlements  of  our  country,  but  would  not  exchange  places  with  you 
for  all  your  boasted  luxuries.  I  can,  within  a  mile  or  so,  kill  as  many 
prairie  chickens  as  I  choose,  and  all  other  game  of  the  season. 

The  settlers  of  the  country  moved  out  of  the  forts  last  spring,  and 
are  about  as  happy  a  set  as  you  can  find  on  the  earth  to  think  that  the 
Indians  are  to  let  them  alone  hereafter.  I  have  become  acquainted  with 
most  of  the  citizens  of  the  town.  The  Hon.  Judge  Todd  and  family  arrived 
here  last  summer,  one  of  the  most  agreeable  families  that  I  have  ever  met. 
He  is  too  liberal  and  kind  for  his  own  good;  also  Dr.  Hutchinson,  Dr. 
Lowry  and  General  Smith.  I  do  not  think  that  you  can  understand  the 
nobleness  of  such  minds,  as  it  is  only  here  in  the  extreme  west,  where  all 
have  been  accustomed  to  facing  dangers  every  day,  that  they  can  be 
appreciated.  We  have  three  stores  in  this  thriving  place,  an  old  gentle- 
man, Mr.  Gaw;  Stanley  and  Ludlow;  and  Sanganette  &  Bright,  all  doing 
fair  business.  We  had  two  arrivals  of  steamboats  during  the  summer, 
one  a  government  boat.  Western  Engineer,  on  an  exploring  expedition. 
In  place  of  a  bowsprit,  she  has  carved  a  great  serpent,  and  as  the  steam 
escaped  out  of  its  mouth,  it  runs  out  a  long  tongue,  to  the  pei-fect  con- 
sternation of  all  Indians  that  see  her.  They  say,  "White  man  bad  man, 
keep  a  great  spirit  chained  and  build  fire  under  it  to  make  it  work  a  boat." 
The  other  was  a  boat  loaded  with  government  supplies,  for  the  troops  in 
the  forts  above  here,  also  two  hundred  thousand   dollars  in  specie.     A 


138  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

large  portion  of  her  cargo  was  Monongahela  whiskey.  It  looks  like  a 
dispensation  of  Providence  that  she  should  be  sunk  soon  after  leaving. 
The  officers  and  visitors  were  desecrating  the  Sabbath  by  card  playing  and 
drinking.  She  left  here  and  ran  up  to  the  head  of  the  first  island  above 
here  when  she  struck  a  snag  and  sank  immediately,  without  the  crew 
being  able  to  save  anything  out  of  her.  There  she  lies  with  all  her  silver 
and  freight  on  her.  There  are  in  the  neighborhood  several  forts,  that 
were  used  by  the  people  during  the  Indian  difficulties.  Fort  Hempstead, 
about  three  miles  back  from  the  river;  Cooper's  Fort,  ten  miles  above 
here,  where  were  many  of  the  hairbreath  escapes  of  the  wild  west.  At 
one  time,  when  it  was  besieged  by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  and  they  needed 
to  communicate  with  the  fort  here,  not  having  men  to  spare,  a  daughter 
of  Colonel  Cooper  ventured  to  run  the  gauntlet,  and  mounting  a  fleet  horse 
dashed  through  the  Indians,  reached  the  fort  here,  got  the  assistance 
needed,  and  was  back  in  time  to  relieve  her  friends.  Is  there  one  of  your 
city  belles  who  could  accomplish  a  similar  feat?  I  guess  not.  I  tell  you, 
Tom,  there  is  an  independence  and  nobleness  in  the  bearing  of  the  young 
folks  here,  dressed  in  their  home-made  clothing, — the  ease  of  gait  and 
carriage, — that  puts  affectation  and  fine  dresses  in  the  shade.  I  am  not 
carried  away  entirely  by  the  nobleness  of  the  wild  frontier  people,  but 
there  is  a  frank  generosity  with  them  that  you  in  the  east  know  nothing 
of,  therefore  you  cannot  appreciate  it.  There  is  also  a  fort  across,  the 
river  from  here  called  Cole's  Fort,  that  had  its  share  of  trouble ;  also  one 
above  the  La  Mine  River.  One  of  them,  Mr.  McMahan,  from  there,  was 
coming  down  to  Cole's  Fort  on  business,  when  about  two  miles  above  here 
he  was  fired  upon  and  killed  by  the  Indians.  One  of  the  young  Coles  and 
one  of  the  Roups  were  cutting  a  bee-tree  in  the  woods  near  the  path,  and 
it  is  thought  the  Indians  were  crawling  upon  them,  when  Mr.  McMahan, 
passing,  was  fired  upon  and  killed.  The  men,  Cole  and  Roup,  hurried  back 
to  their  fort  for  aid,  and  went  to  see  what  mischief  the  redskins  had'  been 
doing.  Mr.  McMahan  was  shot  through  the  body.  He  ran  his  horse 
toward  the  river  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  he  fell  dead.  The 
Indians,  it  is  thought,  saw  the  two  men  running  for  the  fort  and  thought 
it  safest  to  leave,  which  they  did  without  following  the  flying  men.  I 
believe  I  could  have  set  till  this  time,  hearing  of  the  hairbreadth  escapes 
of  the  early  settlers.  They  have  laid  out  a  town  opposite  here  on  the 
river,  called  Boonville,  which  they  expect  to  eclipse  this  place,  but  the 
traders  think  Franklin  will  eclipse  any  town  out  west.  I  think  likely  it 
will  if  the  river  will  let  it  alone.     I  went  over  the  river  last  summer  to 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  139 

attend  the  first  sale  of  lots,  intending  to  purchase  some  to  build  on,  but 
they  were  run  up  to  a  fabulous  price,  away  beyond  my  reach.  There  were 
some  of  the  voters  who  appeared  to  be  affected  by  patriotism  acquired  at 
the  only  (what  was  termed)  tavern  in  the  place,  kept  by  a  hard  looking 
old  fellow  named  Reames,  who  bowed  politely  to  all  who  came  in  and  asked 
for  something  to  drink,  and  I  was  told  the  whiskey  had  actually  not  had 
time  to  cool  before  it  was  dealt  out  to  the  customers,  having  been  brought 
all  the  way  from  a  Mr.  Houxe's  where  there  is  a  horse  mill  and  distillery ; 
so  the  people  of  Boonville,  cannot  only  have  liquor,  but  can  have  their  corn 
ground  ready  for  sifting.  The  mill  and  distillery  are  about  a  mile  from 
the  town.    Adieu." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


FROM  1819  TO  1821. 


COOPER  COUNTY  FORMED— FIRST  CIRCUIT  COURT— FIRST  RECORD  OF  CIRCUIT 
COURT— MARCH  TERM,  1819— FIRST  JUDGE  OF  ELECTION— FIRST  CON- 
STABLE—JULY  TERM,  1819 — FIRST  LETTERS  OF  ADMINISTRATION— FIRST 
JURY  CASE— PROCEEDINGS  TO  DIVIDE  PROPERTY  ON  WHICH  BOONVILLE 
IS  LOCATED. 

Two  years  after  the  organization  of  Howard  County  the  immigration 
began  to  flow  so  steadily  into  the  southern  part  of  the  county  that  there 
was  a  great  demand  for  the  division  of  Howard  County  and  for  the 
formation  of  another  county  south  of  the  Missouri  River.  Yielding  to 
and  in  compliance  with  this  demand  the  territorial  Legislature  on  Dec. 
17,  1818,  formed  the  new  county  of  Cooper  which  included  all  of  Howard 
County  south  of  the  Missouri  River  or,  in  other  words,  that  territory 
included  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Osage  River  extending  west- 
wardly  to  the  western  territorial  boundary.  This  territory  embraced 
what  are  now  eleven  whole  counties  and  five  parts  of  counties.  However, 
the  limits  of  Cooper  County  were  gradually  decreased  by  the  formation 
of  new  counties  and  in  1845  the  boundaries  of  Cooper  County  were  as  they 
are  today.  The  counties  formed  from  the  original  territory  of  Cooper 
and  when  organized  are  as  follows:  Bates  County,  Jan.  29,  1841;  Benton 
County,  Jan.  3,  1835;  Camden  County,  Jan.  29,  1841;  Cass  County,  Sept. 
14,  1835 ;  Cole  County,  Nov.  16,  1820 ;  Henry  County,  Dec.  13,  1834 ;  Jack- 
son County,  Dec.  15,  1826;  Johnson  County,  Dec.  13,  1834;  LaFayette 
County,  Nov.  16,  1820;  Miller  County,  Feb.  26,  1837;  Moniteau  County, 
Feb.  14,  1845,  being  the  last  county  organized  from  the  original  Cooper 
County;  Morgan  County,  Jan.  5,  1833;  Pettis  County,  Jan.  26,  1833;  St. 
Clair  County,  Jan.  29,  1841;  Saline  County,  Nov.  25,  1820.  leaving  the 
present  Cooper  County  with  its  present  boundaries.     Only  parts  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  141 

counties  of  Bates,  St.  Clair,  Benton,  Camden  and  Miller  were  included  in 
Cooper. 

Although  the  act  of  the  territorial  Legislature  creating  the  county 
was  passed  and  approved  in  Dec,  1818,  it  was  not,  in  fact,  fully  organized 
as  a  county  vested  with  all  the  powers,  privileges  and  immunities  of  a 
separate  and  distinct  political  subdivision  until  March  1,  1819,  when  the 
first  Circuit  Court  was  held  in  the  county.  The  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  Legislature  to  locate  the  county  seat  were  Able  Owens,  William 
Wear,  Charles  Canole,  Luke  Williams  and  Julius  Emmons. 

First  Circuit  Court. — The  act  of  organization  provided,  that  "the 
courts  to  be  holden  in  the  said  county  of  Cooper,  shall  be  holden  at  such 
place  in  said  county  as  the  commissioners  of  said  county,  or  a  majority 
of  them,  shall  adjudge  most  convenient,  until  a  place  be  fixed  on  by  such 
commissioners,  and  a  court-house  and  jail  erected  thereon;  provided,  that 
the  first  court  for  said  county  or  Cooper  be  held  at  Boonville,"  and  in 
accordance  therewith,  the  first  court  of  the  newly  organized  county  of 
Cooper,  was  held  in  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Boonville,  on  the  first 
day  of  March,  1819.  It  was  held  at  the  boarding-house  of  William  Bart- 
lett,  called  the  Boonville  Tavern,  which  was  situated  on  the  flat  just  east 
of  the  mouth  of  Rupe's  branch,  and  south  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  passenger 
station.  This  court  under  the  territorial  laws  of  Missouri,  exercised  the 
present  duties  of  the  county,  probate  and  circuit  courts.  The  duties  of 
these  three  courts  continued  to  be  exercised  by  this  one  court  until  the 
year  1821,  when  the  duties  of  the  probate  and  county  courts  were  separated 
from  those  of  the  circuit  court,  and  a  new  court,  called  the  "county  court", 
was  organized. 

First  Record  of  Circuit  Court — March  Term  1819. — Be  it  remembered 
that  on  the  first  day  of  March  in  the  year  1819  at  the  house  of  William 
Bartlett  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  in  the  County  of  Cooper,  the  place 
directed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri  entitled 
"an  act  to  establishing  a  part  of  Howard  County  into  a  separate  county  by 
the  name  of  Cooper,  the  Honorable  David  Todd  produced  a  commission 
from  the  governor  of  this  territory  appointing  him  Judge  of  the  North- 
western Circuit  of  the  said  territory,  as  also  a  certificate  of  his  qualifica- 
tions which  are  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit:  Frederick 
Bates,  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri  and  exercising  the  govern- 
ment thereof,  to  all  who  shall  see  these  presents — Greeting!  Know  ye 
that  reposing  special  trust  and  confidence  in  the  integrity,  ability  and 
diligence  of  David  Todd,  I  do  appoint  him  Judge  of  the  Court  of  the  North- 


142  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

western  Circuit,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Cooper,  Howard,  Montgom- 
ery, Lincoln  and  Pike,  and  empower  him  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the 
said  office  according  to  law:  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  office,  with  all 
the  powers,  privileges  and  emoluments  to  the  same,  of  right  appertaining 
from  and  after  the  first  day  of  February  next.  In  testimony  whereof,  I 
have  hereunto  affixed  the  seal  of  the  said  territory.  Given  under  my  hand 
at  St.  Louis  the  first  day  of  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1819  and  of 
the  Independence  of  the  United  States,  the  forty-third — 

FREDERICK  BATES. 
Territory  of  Missouri, 
County  of  Howard, 
ss: 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  the  first  day  of  February  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1819  personally  came  David  Todd  and  took  the  following  oath, 
to-wit:  An  oath  to  support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  an 
oath  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Judge  of  the  Court  of  the  Northwestern 
Circuit  in  Missouri  Territory  to  the  best  of  his  abilities  and  understanding 
and  without  fraud  or  partiality. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  Franklin  the  day  and  year  written 
above. 

AUGUSTUS  STORES,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Who  then  proceeded  to  open  and  hold  a  court  for  the  said  County  of 
Cooper. 

William  McFarland  produced  in  court  his  commission  from  the  gov- 
ernor of  this  territory  appointing  him  sheriff  of  Cooper  County  in  the 
following  words  and  figures,  viz:  Frederick  Bates,  Secretary  of  the  Tei 
tory  of  Missouri  and  exercising  the  government  thereof.  To  all  who  shall 
see  these  presents,  Greetings!  Know  ye  that  reposing  special  trust  and 
confidence  in  the  integrity,  ability  and  diligence  of  William  McFarland,  T 
do  appoint  him  sheriff  of  the  County  of  Cooper  and  to  administer  oaths  of 
office,  within  and  for-  the  said  county  and  empower  him  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  said  office  according  to  law.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  office, 
with  all  the  powers,  privileges  and  emoluments  to  the  same  of  right 
appertaining  for  two  years  from  first  day  of  February  next  unless  sooner 
removed.  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  affixed  the  seal  of  the 
territory.  Given  under  my  hand  at  St.  Louis  the  first  day  of  January  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord,  1819  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States 
the  forty-third. 

FREDERICK  BATES. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  143 

as  also  certificate  of  his  qualification  in  the  words  and  figures  following, 

to-wit : 

Territory  of  Missouri, 

Northwestern  Circuit, 

To-wit : 

This  is  to  certify  that  on  this  17th  day  of  Feb.,  1819,  William  Mc- 
Farland  personally  appeared  before  me,  David  Todd,  the  judge  of  the  said 
circuit  aforesaid  including  the  County  of  Cooper,  and  took  the  oath  to 
support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  faithfully  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  his  office  of  sheriff  of  said  County  of  Cooper,  according  to 
law.     Certified  under  my  hand  and  seal  the  date  above  named. 

DAVID  TODD, 
Judge  of  the  Northwestern  Circuit. 

And  also  a  bond  executed  by  him  in  vacation  the  words  and  figures 
following,  to-wit :  Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  we  William  McFar- 
land,  Robert  Wallace  and  Jacob  McFarland,  of  the  County  of  Cooper  in  the 
Territory  of  Missouri  and  held  and  firmly  bound  unto  William  Clark,  the 
governor  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  and  his  successors  in  office  in  the 
penal  sum  of  $5,000,  current  money  of  the  United  States,  to  which  pay- 
ment well  and  truly  to  be  made,  we  and  each  of  us  bind  ourselves  and 
our  heirs  executors  and  administrators  jointly  and  severally  firmly  by 
these  presents,  sealed  and  dated  this  17th  day  of  February  in  the  year 
1819. 

The  condition  of  the  above  obligation  is  such  that  whereas  the  above 
bound,  William  McFarland  hath  been  appointed  and  commissioned  sheriff 
of  the  county  of  Cooper.  Now  the  said  William  McFarland  shall  faith- 
fu'ly  discharge  the  duties  appertaining  to  his  said  office  of  sheriff  of  the 
said  county  of  Cooper,  according  to  law  during  his  continuance  in  office, 
then  this  obligation  to  be  void  else  to  remain  in  full  force  and  virtue. 
William  McFarland,  Robert  Wallace.     Witness,  David  Todd,  J.  N.  McCart. 

March  Term,  1819. — John  S.  Brickey  produced  his  commission  from 
the  governor  of  this  territory  appointing  him  prosecuting  attorney  for  the 
Northwestern  Circuit,  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit:  "Fred- 
erick Bates,  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  and  exercising  the 
government  thereof.  To  all  who  shall  see  these  presents,  Greeting.  Know 
ye  that  reposing  special  trust  and  confidence  in  the  integrity,  abilities 
and  diligence  of  John  S.  Brickey,  I  do  appoint  him  Circuit  Attorney  for 
the  Northwestern  Circuit,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Cooper,  Howard, 


144  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Montgomery,  Lincoln  and  Pike  and  empower  him  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  said  office  according  to  law.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  office  with 
all  the  power,  privileges  and  emoluments  to  same  of  right  appertaining 
during  the  pleasure  of  the  Governor  of  the  Territory.  In  testimony 
whereof  I  have  hereunto  affixed  the  seal  of  the  Territory.  Given  under 
my  hand  at  St.  Louis  the  first  day  of  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1819  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  43d. 

FREDERICK  BATES. 


As  also  certificate  of  his  qualification  as  following,  to-wit: 

Missouri  Territory, 
Northwestern  Circuit : 
ss: 

I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  within  named  John  S.  Brickey  appeared 
before  me  this  first  day  of  March,  in  the  year  1819  and  took  the  oath  to 
support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  also  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  Northwestern  Circuit  of  Missouri 
Territory  according  to  law. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  the  day  and  date  above  written. 

DAVID  TODD, 
Judge  of  Northwestern  Circuit. 

Samuel  Peters  foreman  and  Muke  Box,  John  Savage,  James  Cham- 
bers, Britan  Williams,  John  Roberts,  Carroll  George,  John  Davis,  James 
Savage,  Clatian  Hurt,  Joseph  Smith,  William  Gibson,  Eliot  Henry,  Fred- 
erick Haux,  Thomas  Twentyman,  William  Noland  and  Delaney  Bolin  were 
sworn  a  Grand  Jury  of  inquest  for  the  body  of  this  county  and  having 
received  their  charge  retired  and  after  some  time  returned  and  having 
nothing  to  present  were  discharged. 

Ordered  that  process  issue  against  John  Cathy,  Zephmiah  Bell,  Henry 
Geiger,  George  Cathy,  Daniel  Doogan  and  James  Campbell,  to  cause  them 
to  appear  at  our  next  term  to  show  cause  if  any  they  have  or  can  say  why 
the  court  should  not  proceed  to  fine  them  for  not  attending  at  this  term 
as  Grand  Jurors  returnable  here  at  the  next  term. 

Ordered  that  court  be  adjourned  until  tomorrow  morning  at  10  o'clock. 

DAVID  TODD. 


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HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  145 

Tuesday,  March  2,  1819. 
Present  the  Judge. 

Ordered  that  county  be  laid  off  into  five  townships  as  follows,  to-wit: 

Moreaa  Township:  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Saline  Creek  thence 
up  the  creek  till  the  range  line  between  ranges  15  and  16  strikes  it,  thence 
with  that  line  south  to  the  River  Osage  down  the  same  to  its  mouth  and 
up  the  Missouri  River  to  the  beginning. 

Lamine  Township:  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Saline  Creek  thence 
up  the  Missouri  River  to  the  mouth  of  Lamine  River,  thence  up  the  same 
and  its  south  fork,  to  where  the  range  line  between  ranges  21  and  22 
strikes  the  same  thence  south  with  said  line  to  Osage  River  and  down  the 
sarrte  to  range  line  between  15  and  16  ranges  will  strike  it,  thence  north 
with  the  line  to  the  Saline  Creek  and  down  to  its  mouth,  the  place  of 
beginning. 

Arrow  Rock  Township:  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lamine 
River  up  the  Missouri  to  where  the  range  line  between  ranges  20  and  21 
strikes  the  river,  thence  with  said  line  south  to  the  south  fork  of  Lamine 
River  and  down  said  river  to  its  mouth,  the  place  of  beginning. 

Miami  Township:  All  that  part  of  Cooper  County,  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Missouri  River,  on  the  east  by  range  line  between  ranges  20  and 
21,  on  the  west  by  the  range  line,  between  ranges  24  and  25,  and  south  by 
the  Osage  River  and  county  line. 

Tebo  Township:  All  Cooper  County  bounded  north  by  the  River 
Missouri,  east  by  range  line  between  ranges  24  and  25,  west  by  county  and 
territorial  line,  and  south  by  Osage  River  and  county  line. 

First  Judge  of  Election  in  Cooper. — Ordered  that  William  Weir,  John 
Vertain  and  John  Alexander  be  appointed  judges  of  the  election  in  Moreau 
Township  and  that  said  elections  be  held  at  Paul  Whitneys  in  said  town- 
ship. 

Ordered  that  James  Bruffey,  Robert  Wallace  and  Benjamin  F.  Hicock 
be  appointed  judges  of  election  in  Lamine  Township  and  that  said  election 
be  held  at  the  house  of  William  Bartlett  in  said  township. 

Ordered  that  William  Lillard,  Benjamin  Chambers  and  James  Ander- 
son be  appointed  judges  of  election  in  Arrow  Rock  Township  and  that  said 
election  be  held  at  the  house  of  William  Cooper  in  said  township. 

Ordered  that  Col.  Jno.  R.  Thomas,  Paul  Eastes  and  John  Evans  be 
appointed  judges  of  election  in  the  township  of  Miami,  and  that  such 
election  be  held  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Rupels  in  the  said  township. 
(10) 


146  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Ordered  that  Julius  Emmans,  Gilliad  Rupe  and  Abel  Owens  be  ap- 
pointed judges  of  election  in  the  Tebo  Township  and  that  such  elections 
be  held  at  the  house  of  Mathew  Coxe  in  the  said  township. 

First  Constable  Appointed. — This  court  appoints  Paul  Whitley 
constable  in  the  Moreau  Township  upon  his  entering  into  bond  and 
security  in  the  clerks  office  in  the  penalty  of  $500  conditioned  according 
to  law. 

This  court  apoints  John  Potter  constable  in  Lamine  Township  upon 
his  entering  into  bond  with  security  in  the  clerk's  office  in  the  penalty  of 
$1,000  conditioned  according  to  law. 

This  court  appoints  Jacob  Ish  constable  in  Arrow  Rock  Township  upon 
his  entering  into  bond  with  security  in  the  clerk's  office  in  the  penalty 
of  $800,  conditioned  according  to  law. 

This  court  appoints  Elisha  Eva  constable  in  Miami  Township  upon  his 
entering  into  bond  with  security  in  the  penalty  of  $400,  conditioned  as 
the  law  directs. 

This  court  appoints  Green  McCofferty  constable  in  Tebo  Township 
upon  his  entering  into  bond  with  security  in  the  clerk's  office  in  the  penalty 
of  $500  conditioned  as  the  law  directs. 

On  the  motion  of  Stephen  Turley  a  license  is  granted  him  to  keep  a 
public  ferry  across  Lamine  River  from  the  north  side  thereof,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  10  in  range  18  and  township  48,  to  the  south 
side  of  the  river  and  it  ordered  that  he  charge  and  receive  only  the  follow- 
ing rates  for  transportation,  to-wit :  For  man  and  horse,  25c ;  for  each 
of  either,  121/oc  for  wagons  and  teams  of  four  horses,  if  loaded,  $1.00;  for 
wagon  and  team  if  empty  with  four  horses,  75c;  for  each  2  wheel  carriage 
with  horse,  50c ;  for  horned  cattle,  3c  one  head ;  for  meat  cattle,  2c  per 
head,  and  it  is  further  ordered  that  he  pay  a  tax  therefor  of  five  dollars 
who  together  with  Henry  Terrell  his  security  entered  into  and  acknowl- 
edges bond  in  the  penalty  of  $400,  conditioned  according  to  law. 

On  the  motion  of  Bazadeel  W.  Leving,  a  license  is  granted  Bazadeel 
W.  Leving,  Ward  and  Parker  and  Georgia  Karr  to  keep  a  ferry  from  the 
south  bank  of  the  Missouri  River  in  section  numbered  33  of  township 
numbered  49  of  range  numbered  15  west — to  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
said  river  and  it  is  ordered  that  he  pay  therefor  a  tax  of  five  dollars  and 
charge  and  receive  only  the  following  rates  for  transportation,  to-wit: 
For  man  and  horse,  50c;  for  either,  25c;  for  four  wheeled  loaded  wagon 
and  team  of  four  horses  or  more,  $3.00 ;  if  unloaded,  $3.00 ;  for  2  wheeled 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  147 

carriage  and  load,  $1.00;  for  homed  cattle,  4c  per  head;  for  meat  cattle, 
3c  per  head — who  together  with  Andrew  Reaves  their  security  entered 
into  and  acknowledged  bond  in  the  penalty  of  $500,  conditioned  as  the  law 
directs. 

On  the  motion  of  William  McFarland,  high  sheriff  of  this  county, 
ordered  that  Williamson  H.  Curtis  be  appointed  under  sheriff  for  this 
county,  who  took  the  oath  as  required  by  law  for  an  under  sheriff. 

On  the  motion  of  Bazadeel  W.  Leving  who  presented  a  partition  for 
the  same  therefore'  ordered  that  Richard  Stanford,  David  Troller,  William 
George  and  Benjamin  Clark  or  any  three  of  whom  being  first  sworn  do 
proceed  to  view  and  mark  out  a  way  for  a  road  proposed  to  be  opened 
from  the  town  of  Boonville  to  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Moniteau  Creek  which  enters  into  said  Missouri  River  on  the 
north  side  and  make  report  to  this  court  as  the  law  directs. 

Bird  Lockhart  and  George  Tompkins  who  were  appointed  to  examine 
the  qualifications  of  the  applicants  for  the  office  of  surveyor,  for  the 
County  of  Cooper  made  their  report,  therefore  this  court  doth  nominate 
to  the  governor  of  this  territory,  William  Ross  as  a  fit  and  proper  person 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  said  office  to  be  commissioned  according  to 
law. 

On  the  motion  of  Andrew  Reaves  who  filed  a  petition  therefor,  ordered 
that  Francis  Travis,  William  Lewis  and  John  Savage  or  any  three  of  whom 
being  first  sworn  do  proceed  to  view  and  mark  a  way  for  a  road  beginning 
on  the  Missouri  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  grand  Moniteau  from 
thence  in  the  most  direct  way  towards  Potosi  so  as  to  intersect  the  pro- 
posed road  from  Boonville  to  Potosi,  near  where  it  crosses  little  Moniteau 
Creek,  and  make  report  as  the  law  directs  to  the  court. 

John  Potter  with  Ada  Morgan  and  William  Ross  his  securities  entered 
into  and  acknowledged  bond  as  constable  in  Lamine  Township  in  the 
penalty  of  $1,000  conditioned  according  to  law  and  also  made  law  as 
directed  by  law. 

This  court  appointed  James  Bruffer,  Benjamin  F.  Hicock  and  Robert 
Wallace  commissioners  to  superintend  the  building  of  a  court  house  and 
jail  for  this  county  and  to  perform  all  other  duties  as  required  by  the  act 
establishing  Cooper  County. 

On  the  motion  of  Peyton  Thomas  who  filed  a  petition,  therefor — 
Ordered  that  William  Savage,  David  Reaves,  Frederick  Haux  and  Halbert 
Cole  or  any  three  of  whom  being  first  sworn  do  proceed  to  view  and  mark 


148  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

out  a  way  for  a  road  from  Boonville  to  Turley  ferry  on  Lamine  River  and 
reoprt  the  same  to  this  court  as  the  law  directs. 

Ordered  that  court  be  adjourned  until  court  in  course. 

DAVID  TODD. 

July  Term,  1819. — At  a  court  held  within  and  for  the  county  of 
Cooper,  at  the  house  of  William  Bartlett  in  the  town  of  Boonville  on  Mon- 
day, the  fifth  day  of  July,  in  the  year  1819.  Present,  the  Honorable 
David  Todd,  Esq. 

Robert  P.  Clark  produced  in  court  a  commission  from  the  governor 
of  this  territory  appointing  him  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  County 
of  Cooper. 

Peyton  R.  Hayden,  Esq.,  produced  in  court  a  license  and  certificate 
of  qualification  as  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law  in  this  territory  which 
was  examined  by  the  court.  He  is  therefore  allowed  to  practice  as  such 
in  this  court. 

James  Bruffer,  foreman ;  Peter  Stephens,  Henry  Small,  Mansfield  Hat- 
field, Stephen  Tate,  Joseph  Biler,  Benjamin  F.  Heckcose,  James  Turner. 
Joshua  W.  Butcher,  Spear  Fort,  William  Savage,  Humphrey  Gibson, 
Edward  Robison,  John  Brock,  Ephraim  Elison,  John  Ross. 

David  Burris,  Joseph  Westbrook  and  James  D.  Campbell  were  sworn 
a  grand  jury  of  inquest  for  the  body  of  this  county  and  having  received 
their  charge  retired  and  after  some  time  returned  an  indictment  against 
Stanley  G.  Morgan  for  assault  and  battery,  a  true  bill  and  having  more 
business  to  consider  of,  retired. 

United  States,  plaintiff  vs.  John  Cathey,  defendant,  for  contempt. 
This  day  came  as  well  the  prosecuting  attorney  as  the  defendant  in  his 
proper  person  and  after  hearing  the  defense  of  the  defendant  it  is  con- 
sidered that  he  pay  the  cost  herein  expended,  therefore  it  is  considered 
that  the  United  States  recover  against  the  said  defendant  the  cost  herein 
expended  and  defendant  may  be  taken,  etc. 

Same,  plaintiff  vs.  Henry  Geyer,  defendant,  for  contempt.  This  day 
came  as  well  the  prosecuting  attorney  as  the  defendant  in  his  proper 
person  and  after  hearing  the  defendant  it  is  considered  by  the  court  that 
he  make  his  fine  to  the  United  States  by  the  payment  of  one  dollar  and 
the  cost  hereof  and  may  be  taken,  etc. 

United  States,  plaintiff  vs.  George  Cathey,  defendant,  for  contempt. 

This  day  came  as  well  the  prosecuting  attorney  as  the  defendant  in 
his  proper  person  and  after  hearing  the  defendant  it  is  considered  by  the 
court  that  he  pay  the  cost  hereof  and  may  be  taken,  etc. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  14!) 

United  States,  plaintiff  vs.  Zephimah  Bell,  defendant,  for  contempt. 
This  day  came  as  well  the  circuit  attorney  who  prosecutes  for  the  United 
States  as  the  defendant  in  his  proper  person  and  after  hearing  the  defend- 
ant it  is  considered  by  the  court  that  the  said  defendant  make  his  fine  to 
the  United  States  by  the  payment  of  one  dollar  and  pay  the  cost  herein 
expended  and  may  be  taken,  etc. 

First  Letters  of  Administration. — On  the  motion  of  Joseph  Irwin, 
letters  of  administration  is  granted  him  on  the  estate  of  Joseph  Irwin, 
deceased,  who  made  oath  and  together  with  David  James  and  William 
McFarlin  his  securities  entered  into  and  acknowledged  bond  in  the  penalty 
of  $4,000  conditioned  as  the  law  directs. 

On  the  motion  of  Joseph  Irwin,  administrator  of  the  estate  of  Joseph 
Irwin,  deceased,  ordered  that  Littleberry  Estes,  John  Evans  and  Anthony 
Thomas,  who  being  first  sworn  do  inventory  and  appraise  the  personal 
estate  and  slaves  (if  any)  of  the  estate  of  Joseph  Irwin,  deceased  and 
make  return  thereof  to  this  court  as  the  law  directs. 

First  Case  Tried  Before  a  Jury. — United  States,  plaintiff  vs.  Stanley 
G.  Morgan,  defendant,  case.  This  day  came  as  well  the  defendant  in 
discharge  of  his  recognizance  as  the  prosecuting  attorney,  whereupon  the 
said  defendant  being  arraigned  upon  the  indictment  in  this  cause  plead 
not  guilty  and  for  his  trial  put  himself  upon  God,  and  his  country,  and 
circuit  attorney  also,  whereupon  came  a  jury,  viz:  William  Burk,  William 
Black,  Gabriel  Titsworth,  William  Dillard,  Michael  Hornbeck,  Nicholas 
Houck,  William  Reed,  Alexander  Dickson,  David  Reavis,  Frederick  Houk, 
David  McGee,  and  Samuel  Peters,  who  being  elected,  tried  and  sworn  the 
truth  to  say,  of  and  upon  the  issue  joined  upon  their  oaths  do  say  that  the 
defendant  is  guilty  of  the  assault  and  battery  whereupon  it  is  considered 
by  the  court  that  the  said  defendant  make  his  fine  to  the  United  States 
by  the  payment  of  the  sum  of  five  dollars  and  pay  the  cost  hereof  and  be 
taken,  etc. 

Proceedings  to  Divide  Property  on  Which  BoonviHe  is  Now  Located. — 
Ada  Morgan,  plaintiff  vs.  Mary  Gillman  and  the  representative  of  Charles 
Lucas,  defendant.  Petition  for  division  of  land.  The  commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  an  order  of  the  Howard  Circuit  Court  on  the  petition  of  Ada 
Morgan,  to  divide  the  land  held  jointly  between  said  parties  above  named 
returned  this  day  a  report  of  having  in  part  executed  said  order,  and  a 
majority  of  said  commissioners,  to- wit:  Gray  Bynum  and  Augustus 
Storis  appeared  in  court  and  acknowledged  the  said  report  to  have  been 
signed  and  executed  by  them  which  being  examined  was  approved  of  by 


150  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  court  and  together  with  the  plat  of  the  town  of  Boonville  the  lots  of 
which  were  divided  and  which  plat  was  returned  by  them  as  a  part  of  their 
report  is  ordered  to  be  recorded. 

William  Ross  produced  in  court  a  commission  from  the  governor  of 
this  territory  bearing  date  the  28th  day  of  April  1819,  appointing  him 
surveyor  of  the  county  of  Cooper,  who  made  oath  as  the  law  directs,  and 
who  together  with  William  Gibson  and  Stephen  Cole  his  securities  entered 
into  and  acknowledged  bond  in  penalty  of  $2,000  conditioned  according 
to  law. 

At  the  July  term,  1819,  the  Grand  Jury  shows  activity.  The  offenses 
were  trivial.  The  early  settlers  were  gradually  learning  obedience  to 
written  statutes. 

The  Grand  Jury  impanelled  and  sworn  this  court  returned  again  into 
court,  presented  an  indictment  against  John  H.  Moore  and  Churchwell 
Box.  Stephen  Cole,  Jr.,  Stephen  Cole,  Sr.,  and  John  Roberts  "a  true  bill" 
and  then  they  retired  and  after  some  time  returned  an  indictment  against 
Stanley  G.  Morgan  "a  true  bill"  also  an  indictment  against  William  War- 
den "a  true  bill",  also  an  indictment  against  Jesse  Mann,  "a  true  bill"  also 
an  indictment  against  Isaac  Renfro  "a  true  bill"  also  an  indictment  against 
William  Bryant,  "a  true  bill",  also  an  indictment  against  Williamson  H. 
Curtis,  "a  true  bill"  also  an  indictment  vs.  Samuel  Potter,  "a  true  bill" 
and  having  nothing  further  to  present,  were  discharged. 

Further  reproductions  of  the  records  of  the  court  would  doubtless  be 
wearisome  to  the  reader.  There  were  a  number  of  petitions  for  roads 
presented  and  as  one  would  judge  from  the  licenses  issued  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  ferries  across  the  Missouri  River  and  other  streams  it  would 
verify  the  fact  that  immigration  south  of  the  Missouri  River  was  increas- 
ing from  day  to  day. 

That  the  settlers  were  beginning  to  feel  the  force  and  effect  of  written 
statutes  and  courts  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  at  the  March  term,  1820, 
the  following  men  were  indicted  by  the  Grand  Jury  for  swearing:  Jesse 
Mann,  Isaac  Renfro,  William  Warden,  William  Bryant,  Thomas  Brown, 
Stephen  Tate,  John  S.  Moreland,  David  Fine.  This  action,  however, 
seemed  to  be  more  to  caution  than  to  punish.  These  indictments  were 
afterwards  dismissed  by  the  court  for  want  of  jurisdiction. 

Up  to  Jan.  23,  1821,  the  following  attorneys  were  enrolled  and  prac- 
ticing in  this  coui't:  Peyton  R.  Hayden,  being  the  first  enrolled;  George 
Tompkins,  John  S.  Brickey,  Cyrus  Edwards,  John  S.  Mitchell,  Hamilton  R. 
Gamble,    Andrew   McGirk,    Robert    McGavock,    Abiel    Leonard,    John    F. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  151 

Ryland,  Arinstedd  A.  Grundy,  Dabney  Carr,  William  J.  Redd  and  John 
Payne.  Among  these  we  find  the  names  of  many  who  afterwards  occu- 
pied offices  of  trust  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  Indeed,  all  of  them  are  noted 
as  being  fine  lawyers  and  honorable  men. 

The  records  of  the  court  show  that  during  the  year  1819,  there  were 
but  four  peddlers  and  six  merchants  within  the  limits  of  Cooper  County, 
and  that  the  total  amount  of  revenue  on  the  tax-book  for  1819,  as  charged 
to  William  Curtis,  sheriff,  at  the  July  term  of  this  court,  1819,  was  $488.34. 

All  these  terms  of  court  were  held  at  William  Bartlett's  boarding 
house  called  the  Tavern  of  Boonville.  This  was  but  a  crude  log  cabin 
but  answered  well  the  purpose  of  those  early  days.  During  the  year  1819 
there  were  but  seven  marriage  certificates  recorded.  We  herewith  give 
some  of  the  (jrst  marriages.  On  the  11th  day  of  February,  1819,  John 
Turner  and  Nancy  Campbell  were  united  in  marriage  by  Benjamin  Proc- 
ter, a  minister  of  the  gospel.  On  the  3d  day  of  May,  1819,  Peyton  Newlin, 
M.  G.,  joined  together  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony,  John  Smith  and  Sally 
McMahan.  William  Weir,  on  the  28th  day  of  June,  1819,  solemnized  the 
nuptials  of  Jeremiah  Meadows  and  Anne  Music.  The  same  William  Weir, 
Justice  of  Peace,  on  the  8th  day  of  July,  1819,  performed  the  ceremony 
uniting  Henry  Cowin  and  Honor  Howard.  On  the  6th  day  of  May,  1819, 
Benjamin  F.  Hickcox,  Justice  of  Peace,  performed  the  marriage  ceremony 
between  John  Green  and  Nancy  Boyd.  On  the  12th  day  of  Sept.,  1819, 
James  Bruffee,  J.  P.,  joined  together  in  the  holy  state  of  matrimony, 
Charles  Force  and  Betsy  Connor.  On  the  13th  day  of  April,  1820,  David 
Coulter  and  Eliza  Stone  were  united  in  marriage  by  William  Weir,  J.  P., 
and  on  the  17th  day  of  July,  1820,  Finis  Ewing,  M.  G.,  who  was  the  father 
of  Cumberland  Presbyterianism,  performed  the  marriage  ceremony 
between  Larkin  Dewitt  and  Hannah  Ewing. 

Beginning  in  1817  the  settlers  of  the  territory  of  Missouri  were 
clamoring  steadily  and  strenuously  for  statehood.  In  Jan.,  1818,  a 
memorial  was  presented  to  Congress  by  the  Hon.  John  Scott,  the  delegate 
from  the  territory.  In  this  memorial  the  petitioners  gave  potent  reasons 
why  the  new  state  should  be  organized.  Other  petitions  were  sent  up 
from  various  sections  of  the  state  and  many  of  the  settlers  of  Cooper 
County  were  signers  of  the  petitions,  and  active  in  the  movement  to  have 
the  territory  admitted  as  a  state.  All  these  petitions  §have  been  lost 
except  one.  A  few  years  ago  Representative  Bartholt,  of  St.  Louis,  acci- 
dentally discovered  one  of  these  petitions,  said  to  be  the  only  one  in  exist- 
ence, in  the  capitol,  at  Washington,  and  had  it  sent  to  the  M.  S.  S.  Division 


152  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

of  the  Library  of  Congress  where  it  has  been  framed  and  is  thus  perm- 
anently preserved.  In  Dec,  1818,  the  territorial  Legislature  of  Missouri 
took  up  this  subject  and  also  adopted  a  memorial  praying  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  state  government,  supplementing  the  original  petition.  This 
agitation  at  this  time  marks  the  beginning  of  the  great  contest  between 
the  advocates  of  slavery  and  those  who  opposed  that  institution.  The 
controversy  in  Congress  was  bitter  and  the  admission  of  the  territory 
into  the  union  as  a  state  was  delayed  by  reason  of  slavery  restrictions 
sought  to  be  placed  upon  the  admission  of  the  Missouri  territory  as  a  state 
into  the  union.  The  admission  of  the  territory  into  the  union  as  a  state 
thus  became  a  national  question,  eliciting  the  deepest  interests  and 
energies  of  the  greatest  intellects  of  our  nation.  The  anti-slavery  move- 
ment was  strong,  especially  in  the  east.  So  vital  had  beconfe  this  ques- 
tion which  was  involved  in  the  formation  of  the  new  state  of  Missouri  that 
Thomas  Jefferson,  erudite,  scholarly  and  a  deep  student  of  governmental 
affairs,  expressed  the  fear  that  it  would  eventually  disrupt  the  Union. 
Cooper  County  at  this  time  was  a  slave  holding  county  and  its  citizens 
largely  from  the  southern  states,  were  deeply  interested  in  the  terms  upon 
which  the  state  would  be  formed.  However,  a  bill  was  passed  by  the 
House  and  Senate  generally  known  as  the  "Missouri  Compromise"  author- 
izing the  people  of  the  Missouri  territory  to  form  a  constitution  and  state 
government  and  for  the  admission  of  such  state  into  the  Union  on  an  equal 
footing  with  the  original  states  and  limiting  slavery  in  other  territory. 
This  act  was  approved  the  6th  day  of  March,  1820.  The  state  of  Missouri 
had  at  this  time  been  organized  into  15  counties.  An  election  was  held 
on  the  first  Monday  and  two  succeeding  days  of  May,  1820,  to  choose 
representatives  to  a  state  convention  which  was  to  meet  at  the  seat  of 
government  (then  St.  Louis),  on  Monday,  June  12th  of  the  same  year. 
Cooper  County  sent,  as  its  representatives,  Robert  P.  Clark,  Robert  Wal- 
lace and  William  Lillard. 

Forty-one  representatives  met  at  the  designated  time  in  St.  Louis 
at  the  Mansion  House  on  the  corner  of  Vine  and  Third  streets  and  con- 
cluded their  labors  by  signing  the  constitution  that  was  framed  on  the 
19th  day  of  July.  David  Barton  was  the  president  of  the  convention. 
Barton  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  remarkable  men  that  Missouri  has 
ever  produced.  On  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  union,  he  was 
unanimously  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  and  it  was  through  his 
influence  that  Benton,  at  the  same  session  of  the  legislature,  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  as  his  associate.     He  served  in  the  United  States  Senate 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  153 

from  1821  to  1831,  was  afterwards  elected  to  the  State  Senate  while  a 
citizen  of  Cooper  County,  and  finally  ended  his  brilliant  career  by  depart- 
ing this  life,  demented,  at  the  house  of  William  Gibson,  one  mile  from 
Boonville.  His  remains  are  interred  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery  at  Boon- 
ville. 

It  would  be  going  too  far  afield  for  us  to  go  farther  into  the  history 
of  the  admission  of  our  state  into  the  Union.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  on  the 
26th  day  of  July,  1821,  the  territorial  Legislature  of  Missouri  in  special 
session  adopted  a  solemn  public  act  declaring  assent  of  the  state  to  the 
fundamental  condition  of  admission  and  forthwith  transmitted  to  the 
president  a  copy  of  same.  On  Aug.  10,  1821,  President  Monroe  proclaimed 
the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union  to  be  complete  and  the  state 
took  its  rank  as  the  24th  of  the  American  Republics. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


FROM  1821  TO  1834. 


SIZE  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  REDUCED— FIRST  COUNT V  COURT— FIRST  OFFICERS- 
COUNTY  SEAT  LOCATED— FIRST  COURT  HOUSE— FIRST  WILL  PROVED— JOHN 
V.  SHARP— ELECTIONS — PARTY  LINES— FALL  OF  OLD  FRANKLIN. 

The  territory  of  Cooper  County  was  considerably  decreased  in  size 
in  Nov.,  1820,  by  the  formation  of  the  counties  of  Saline,  Lafayette  and 
Cole. 

The  first  county  court  held  in  the  county  was  on  the  8th  day  of  Jan., 
1821,  and  its  first  session  was  held  at  the  house  of  Robert  P.  Clark,  on 
High  street,  in  the  city  of  Boonville.  This  court  then  exercised  the  powers 
and  performed  the  duties  of  the  present  county  and  probate  courts.  Here- 
tofore these  duties  had  been  performed  by  the  Circuit  Court. 

The  County  Court  continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  both  County 
and  Probate  Court  until  the  year  1827,  when  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  the 
Probate  Court  was  separated  from  the  County  Court,  and  invested  with 
separate  powers  and  prerogatives  and  was  required  to  perform  certain 
duties,  and  so  continues  separate  till  the  present  time. 

James  McNair,  the  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  appointed 
as  the  justice  of  the  County  Court,  James  Bruffee,  James  Miller  and  Archi- 
bald Kavanaugh.  Robert  P.  Clark  was  appointed  by  the  court  as  its 
clerk,  and  William  Curtiss  as  sheriff. 

On  the  9th  day  of  April,  1821,  Robert  P.  Clark  produced  his  commis- 
sion from  the  governor,  as  clerk  of  the  County  Court,  "during  life  or  good 
behavior." 

After  Missouri  entered  into  the  sisterhood  of  states,  and  these 
officers  became  elected,  it  would  seem  that  the  people  confirmed  the  judg- 
ment of  Governor  McNair,  for  they  kept  Clark  in  office  during  life  and 
determined  that  his  behavior  was  good. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  155 

George  Crawford  was  appointed  assessor  and  Andrew  Briscoe  col- 
lector of  Cooper  county.  On  the  same  day  the  will  of  Thomas  McMahan, 
deceased,  was  probated,  this  being  the  first  will  proved  before  this  court. 
Also  constables  were  appointed  for  the  different  townships  of  the  county 
as  follows:  Boonville  township,  John  Potter;  Lamine  township,  Bryant 
T.  Nolan ;  Moniteau  township,  Martin  Jennings ;  Clear  Creek  township, 
James  C.  Berry. 

George  C.  Harte  was  appointed  commissioner  to  run  a  dividing  line 
between  Cooper  and  Cole  Counties. 

When  Messrs.  Morgan  and  Lucas  laid  out  the  town  of  Boonville,  they 
donated  fifty  acres  to  the  county  on  condition  that  the  commissioners 
selected  to  locate  the  county  seat  would  locate  the  same  at  Boonville.  The 
commissioners,  named  in  the  preceding  chapter,  located  the  county  seat 
at  Boonville,  deeming  it  the  best  place  to  hold  the  courts.  A  part  of  the 
land  donated  by  Morgan  and  Lucas  was  sold  by  the  county,  and  the  County 
Court  thereupon  commenced  the  building  of  a  court  house,  which  was 
located  on  the  land  donated  to  the  county.  It  was  adequate  for  the  courts 
of  the  period  and  sufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  officers  of  the  court. 

It  was  a  small  two-story  brick  building,  very  much  the  style  of  the 
one  recently  torn  down  by  the  present  generation,  although  much  smaller. 
It  was  completed  in  1823.  It  was  torn  down  at  the  time  the  second  court 
house  was  built,  and  some  of  the  brick  were  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  second  court  house.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  present  court 
house  is  the  third  one  erected  by  Cooper  County.  The  second  court  house, 
which  was  situated  on  the  same  spot  on  which  the  old  one  was  located, 
was  completed  in  the  year  1840.  It  was  a  large  and  commodious  two-story 
brick  building,  and  was  situated  on  a  high  piece  of  ground  overlooking  the 
river,  from  the  cupola  of  which  an  excellent  view  could  be  had  of  Cooper 
and  Howard  Counties.  The  present  elegant  court  of  justice  occupied  prac- 
tically the  same  location,  being  somewhat  further  west  of  the  site  of  the 
second  building. 

The  first  will  proved  in  the  County  Court,  which  then  had  jurisdiction 
in  probate  matters,  was  that  of  Thomas  McMahan,  Sr.  Its  quaint  phrase- 
ology, as  well  as  the  time  it  was  made,  may  interest  the  reader,  and  we 
here  reproduce  it.  "In  the  name  of  God,  Amen,  I,  Thomas  McMahan,  Sr., 
of  the  Arrow  Rock  township  in  Cooper  County  and  State  of  Missouri, 
being  weak  in  body,  but  of  sound  mind  and  memory,  thanks  be  given  unto 
God,  calling  unto  mind  the  mortality  of  my  body,  etc.,  do  make  and  ordain 
this  my  last  will  and  testament.     That  is  to  say  principally  and  first  of 


156  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

all  I  give  and  recommend  my  soul  into  the  hand  of  Almighty  God,  who 
gave  it,  and  my  body  I  recommend  to  the  earth  to  be  buried  in  decent 
Christian  burial  at  the  descretion  of  my  friends.  And  as  touching  such 
worldly  estate  wherewith  it  hath  pleased  God  to  bless  me  in  this  life,  I 
give  demise  and  dispose  of  the  same  in  the  following  manner  and  form. 

First,  I  lend  to  by  beloved  wife,  Diana  McMahan,  during  her  natural 
life,  the  whole  of  my  estate,  real  and  personal  for  her  own  proper  use  and 
benefit.     Under  the  care  of  my  executors  hereinafter  named. 

Second.  At  the  death  of  my  wife,  I  will  that  all  my  personal  estate 
be  equally  divided  amongst  my  four  children  hereinafter  named  or  their 
representatives.  (That  is)  I  will  that  all  the  children  of  my  daughter, 
Elizabeth  McGee,  deceased,  have  one  childs  part  equally  divided  amongst 
them.  I  will  that  my  daughter,  Mary  McMahan,  have  one  child's  part, 
which  I  give  to  her  and  her  children  forever.  I  give  to  the  children  of 
my  son,  Samuel  McMahan,  deceased,  one  child's  part  of  my  personal  estate 
to  be  equally  divided  amongst  them  as  their  property  forever.  I  will 
that  my  daughter,  Susannah  McMahan,  shall  have  a  child's  or  fourth  part 
of  my  personal  estate  to  her  and  her  heirs  forever. 

Third.  After  the  death  of  my  said  wife  I  give  and  bequeath  unto 
my  son,  Thomas  McMahan,  my  negro  man,  Samuel,  instead  of  giving 
him  any  part  of  my  personal  estate,  which  negro  Samuel,  I  give  to  him 
and  his  heirs  forever. 

Fourth.  After  the  death  of  my  said  wife,  I  give  and  bequeath  to 
my  son,  James  McMahan,  my  negro  woman,  Edey,  instead  of  giving  him 
any  part  of  my  personal  property,  which  negro  woman  and  her  increase 
after  the  death  of  my  wife,  I  give  to  him  and  his  heirs  forever;  but  in 
case  either  of  the  aforesaid  negroes,  Samuel  or  Edey,  should  die  or 
lost  before  the  death  of  myself  and  wife  then,  and  in  that  case  I  will  that 
my  son,  Thomas  or  James,  or  both,  as  the  case  may  be  should  have  an 
equal  child's  part  of  my  personal  estate  with  the  afore  named  children 
that  are  to  share  my  personal  estate,  or  if  my  negro  woman,  Edey,  should 
have  any  living  children  in  the  lifetime  of  myself  or  wife  aforesaid,  I 
leave  it  with  my  said  children  to  divide  such  increase  amongst  them  as 
they  may  think  fit  and  proper,  or  should  the  personal  estate  amount  to 
more  by  valuation  at  the  time  of  the  division,  to  each  share  than  the  value 
of  one  of  the  said  negroes  then  my  will  is  that  after  each  sharer  getting 
the  value  of  one  of  said  negroes  the  over  plus,  if  any,  be  equally  divided 
amongst  all  my  children  or  their  representatives  as  aforesaid.  And  lastly 
I  do  hereby  constitute  and  appoint  my  two  sons,  Thomas  McMahan  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  157 

James  McMahan  executors  of  this  my  last  will  and  testament,  requesting 
and  enjoining  it  on  them  to  faithfully  execute  every  part  of  this  my  will 
and  make  all  such  dividend  with  the  other  heirs  as  are  herein  mentioned. 

And  I  do  hereby  utterly  disallow,  revoke,  and  disannul  all  and  every 
other  former  testaments,  wills,  legacies,  bequests  and  executors  by  me 
in  any  wise  before  named,  willed,  or  bequeathed,  ratifying  and  confirming 
this  and  no  other  to  be  my  last  will  and  testament — IN  WITNESS  whereof, 
I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  this  twenty-first  day  of  January  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1821. 

P.  S. — Should  myself  or  wife,  or  both,  become  helpless  and  dependent 
on  our  children,  I  also  will  that  them  that  takes  care  of  us  should  be  paid 
for  their  trouble  out  of  my  personal  estate  before  any  division  is  further 
made.  THOMAS  McMAHAN. 

Signed  and  sealed  in  the  presence  of  us  who  in  his  presence  and  at 
his  request  and  in  presence  of  each  other  have  hereunto  set  our  names. 
Peyton  Nowlin,  Bryan  T.  Nowlin,  Pewton  W.  Nowlin." 

During  the  year  1821,  John  V.  Sharp,  a  soldier  who  had  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  who  was  living  in  Cooper  County,  became  paralyzed 
and  as  helpless  as  a  child.  He  soon,  not  having  any  means  of  his  own, 
became  a  charge  upon  the  county.  The  cost  of  to  the  County  Court  was 
two  dollars  per  day  for  his  board  and  attention  to  him,  besides  bills  for 
medical  attention. 

After  having  endeavored  in  vain  to  raise  sufficient  funds  to  take  care 
of  him,  the  County  Court,  in  the  year  1822,  petitioned  the  General  As- 
sembly of  this  state  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  support,  stating  in  the 
petition,  that  the  whole  revenue  of  the  county  was  not  sufficient  for  his 
maintenance.  This  may  sound  strange  to  a  person  living  in  a  county  in 
which  thousands  of  dollars  are  levied  to  defray  its  expense.  But  the 
whole  revenue  of  the  county  for  1822,  as  shown  by  the  settlement  of  the 
collector,  was  only  $718,  and  the  support  of  Mr.  Sharp,  at  two  dollars  per 
day,  cost  $730  per  year,  besides  the  cost  of  medical  attention,  which  left 
the  county,  at  the  end  of  the  year  1822,  in  debt,  without  counting  in  any 
of  the  other  expenses  of  the  county.  The  petition  not  having  been 
granted  by  the  General  Assembly,  the  court  levied,  for  his  support,  during 
all  the  years  from  1823  to  1828,  a  special  tax  of  50  per  cent,  of  the  state 
revenue  tax,  being  an  amount  equal  to  the  whole  of  the  general  county 
tax ;  and  in  1828,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  state  revenue  was  levied  for  the  same 
purpose.  He  must  have  died  some  time  during  the  year  1828,  as  no 
further  levy  for  his  support  appears  upon  the  records  of  the  county,  thus 


158  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

relieving  the  county  of  a  burdensome  tax.     If  these  facts  were  not  matters 
of  record,  they  would  seem  too  incredible  to  be  believed. 

In  the  heated  contest  for  the  presidency,  between  Clay  and  Jackson 
in  the  year  1824,  Cooper  County  cast  her  vote  for  Clay.  It  was  to  pay  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  Henry  Clay  for  his  great  services  as  a  member  of 
Congress  in  the  struggle  of  the  state  of  Missouri  for  admission  into  the 
Union.  The  vote  of  the  county  for  President  at  this  election  cannot  be 
found.  Only  four  books  of  this  election  are  obtainable.  They  show  that 
Henry  Clay  had  136  and  Andrew  Jackson  53  votes  according  to  these  four 
poll  books.  Of  course  this  was  but  a  small  part  of  the  vote  cast  by  the 
county  at  that  election. 

On  the  eighth  day  of  December,  1825,  there  was  held  a  special  elec- 
tion for  governor,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Frederick 
Bates.  David  Todd,  the  first  circuit  judge  of  Cooper  County  and  holding 
that  office  at  this  time,  John  Miller,  Wm.  C.  Carr  and  Rufus  Easton  were 
the  candidates.  David  Todd  received  a  large  majority  in  Cooper  County. 
At  the  election  on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  1826,  John  Scott  and 
Edward  Bates  were  candidates  for  Congress.  Scott  had  a  majority  of 
124  in  the  county. 

Michale  Dunn,  Jordan  O'Bryan,  James  L.  Collins  and  John  H.  Hutch- 
ison were  candidates  for  representatives.  Michale  Dunn  and  Jordan 
O'Bryan  were  elected.  W.  H.  Anderson  and  David  P.  Mahan  were  candi- 
dates for  sheriff.  Anderson  was  elected  by  53  majority ;  and  Hugh  Allison 
was  elected  coroner. 

This  was  the  first  election  in  which  party  lines  were  closely  drawn, 
for  before  that,  men  had  voted  for  the  man  whom  they  considered  best 
qualified ;  and  not  because  he  belonged  to  any  party.  The  poll  books  of 
the  presidential  election  could  not  be  found,  but  the  August  election  for 
Representative  in  Congress  and  county  officers,  having  the  same  principles 
at  issue,  will  show  pretty  clearly  how  the  presidential  election  went.  There 
were  two  tickets,  viz:  Adams  and  Jackson,  and  the  tickets  on  which  the 
men  were,  who  were  elected  is  marked  opposite  their  names. 

At  the  election  in  Nov.,  1828,  the  county  voted  for  Jackson  over 
Adams,  by  a  majority  of  about  230  votes ;  and  also  in  1832  Jackson  was 
re-elected,  and  received  a  large  majority  in  this  county. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  up  to  1826,  Franklin  was  the  mart  of 
commerce  and  the  thriving  metropolis  of  that  section  of  territory  formerly 
known  as  the  central  Boonslick  country.  It  had  sprung  into  opulence  on 
the  banks  of  the  turbulent  Missouri  as  if  a  magician  had  waved  his  magic 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  159 

wand  over  the  wilderness.  It  became  the  center  of  a  great  trade,  and 
here  the  caravans  destined  for  Santa  Fe  and  the  great  southwest  were 
equipped  and  supplied  for  that  trade.  Its  local  trade  reached  out  for 
many  miles  in  every  direction,  and  settlers  of  Cooper  traded  and  bartered 
there.  Boonville  was  then  but  a  hamlet  of  log  cabins  of  the  period  plain, 
unadorned,  but  comfortable. 

In  1826,  Franklin  had  a  population  variously  estimated  at  from  1,800 
to  3,000,  a  substantial  population  in  part.  Some  of  whom,  however,  were 
of  the  shifting,  adventurous,  speculating  element.  It  numbered  among 
its  residents  wealthy,  enterprising  and  cultured  men,  mostly  from  Tenn- 
essee, the  Carolinas,  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  and  some  from  the  eastern 
states,  many  of  whom  rose  to  prominence,  and  left  their  ineffaceable 
impress  upon  our  state. 

In  the  spring  of  that  year,  the  Missouri  river  overflowed  its  banks. 
Franklin  was  built  upon  shifting  sand  and  because  of  its  low  and  flat  loca- 
tion, suffered  greatly  from  the  high  water,  and  as  well  from  the  malaria 
which  followed. 

The  constant  falling  in  and  washing  away  of  the  river  banks  inun- 
dated the  buildings.  This  occurred  to  a  great  extent  in  1826,  many 
houses  going  into  the  river.  Its  citizens  became  satisfied  that  every 
future  effort  to  protect  the  banks  from  the  river  would  be  futile  upon  their 
part,  and  thus  believing,  many  residents  and  business  men  left  the  place, 
some  of  them  settling  in  the  town  of  New  Franklin,  two  and  a  half  miles 
back  from  the  river  in  Howard  County,  just  in  edge  of  the  hills;  some  in 
Fayette,  then  the  county  seat  of  Howard;  and  some  came  to  Boonville,  a 
few  of  the  latter  bringing  not  only  their  goods,  but  their  houses. 

This  marked  the  beginning  of  the  rapid  growth  of  Boonville,  and  the 
time  when  she  became  the  supply  center  for  the  Santa  Fe  trade  and  of  the 
great  southwest  territory. 

Franklin  had  been  greatly  shorn  of  its  influence.  The  county  seat 
had  been  moved  to  Fayette.  Much  of  the  business  which  had  been  trans- 
acted by  its  merchants  and  tradesmen  had  been  withdrawn  and  turned 
into  other  channels. 

James  L.  Collins,  William  Harlin,  Andrew  Adams  and  others,  had 
located  at  Boonville  and  were  conducting  a  successful  and  extensive  trade 
with  the  Santa  Fe  country  a  trade  which  had  heretofore  contributed  to 
the  business  of  Franklin  and  the  wealth  of  those  who  were  thus  engaged. 

This  year  also  marked  the  beginning  of  a  rapid  settlement  and  de- 
velopment of  Cooper  County. 


CHAPTER  X. 


FROM  1834  TO  1847. 


NATIONAL  AND  LOCAL  POLITICS— VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGNS— CLAY  .VXD  POLK— "O.  K." 
—INDIAN  ALARM— MORMON  WAR— FLOOD  OF  1S44— MEXICAN  WAR— COOPER 
COUNTY  COMPANY. 

The  county  gave  a  small  majority  to  Martin  Van  Buren,  in  1836. 
The  county  remained  Democratic  until  1840,  when  the  Whigs  made  a  clean 
sweep,  electing  their  full  ticket.  Reuben  A.  Ewing,  a  Whig,  was  elected 
State  Senator  over  David  Jones,  Democrat;  and  Jno.  G.  Miller,  Jordan 
O'Bryan  and  Lawrence  C.  Stephens,  Whigs,  over  John  Miller,  B.  F.  Hickox 
and  Henry  Crowther,  Democrats,  by  an  average  majority  of  about  75 
votes.  There  was  great  excitement  during  this  election  and  politics  ran 
very  high.  The  Whigs  held  public  meetings  in  regular  order  on  each  suc- 
ceeding Saturday  in  each  township,  until  the  full  rounds  were  made.  They 
had  a  band  of  music  engaged  for  the  occasion,  flags  and  banners,  with 
mottoes  inscribed  thereon  also  with  songs  appropriate  for  the  occasion, 
and  eloquent  speakers,  the  prominent  ones  among  which  were  John  G. 
Miller,  Jordan  O'Bryan,  John  C.  Richardson,  Robert  C.  Harrison  and  others. 

The  Democrats,  however,  made  little  or  no  display,  condemned  the 
tactics  of  the  Whigs  as  noisy,  boisterous  and  unseemly;  pronounced  the 
Whigs  as  deceivers  and  humbuggers  and  taunted  them  with  using  cain 
efforts  to  win  votes  by  exciting  the  people.  The  Democrats  held  their 
meetings  and  had  frequent  public  speakings  without  any  display  or  show. 
Their  candidates  for  the  Legislature  were  John  Miller,  Benjamin  F.  Hickox 
and  Henry  Crowther.  The  campaign  was  lively,  vigorous,  stormy  and 
frequently  the  personal  element  entered  bitterly  in  the  discussion. 

The  county  remained  Whig  as  long  as  the  Whig  party  remained  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  161 

existence.  The  last  candidate  on  the  Whig  ticket  was  General  Scott,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Franklin  Pierce. 

The  campaign  of  1844  was  lively  with  more  parade  and  ostentation 
on  the  part  of  the  Whigs  than  was  exhibited  in  1840  or  the  years  before. 
For  President,  Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  was  the  nominee  of  the  Whig 
party,  and  James  K.  Polk,  of  Tennessee,  of  the  Democratic  party. 

During  this  exciting  campaign,  many  songs  were  written,  but  none 
was  more  popular  than  the  following,  which  was  the  effusion  of  some 
Boonville  poet.  It  was  written  for  the  Boonville  Register  during  the  cam- 
paign of  1843. 

Henry  Clay  and  James  K.  Polk. 

"The  whigs  call  Henry  Clay  a  coon, 
And  say  he'll  be  elected  soon; 
But  James  K.  Polk  will  got  it  alone, 
And  make  old  Henry  walk  jaw-bone. 
So  get  out  of  the  way,  old  Kentucky, 
And  clear  the  track  for  one  more  lucky. 

"The  whigs  cried  out  for  'home  perfection,' 
And  think  to  gain  old  Clay's  election. 
They  hold  conventions,  shout  and  sing, 
'Huzza  for  Clay!'  he  is  our  king. 
But  get  out  of  the  way,  old  Kentucky,  etc. 

"The  whigs  of  '40  did  invent 
All  schemes  to  elect  their  president, 
And  were  successful,  it  is  true, 
But  now  'humbuggery  will  not  do. 
So  get  out  of  the  way,  etc. 

"Their  coon-skins  and  barrels  of  cider 
Have  opened  the  people's  eyes  some  wider; 
They  cannot  now  be  gulled  so  soon 
By  this  very  same  old  coon. 
So  get  out  of  the  way,  etc. 
(11) 


162  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

"The  squatters  on  the  public  land 
Will  all  unite  into  one  band; 
Then  will  the  'lawless  rabble'  say, 
You  cannot  come  it,  Henry  Clay. 
So  get  out  of  the  way,  etc. 

"The  people  of  this  mighty  nation 
Will  not  submit  to  coon  dictation ; 
So  Mr.  Clay  may  rest  content, 
He  never  can  be  president. 
So  get  out  of  the  way,"  etc. 

Not  long  ago  the  following  query  appeared  in  the  "Evening  Post" 
of  Indiana:  "People  constantly  write  the  letters  '0.  K.'  to  say  all  right. 
How  did  this  practice  originate?"  The  Post  gave  the  following  answer: 
"The  practice  got  its  start  in  the  days  of  General  Jackson,  known  to  the 
men  of  his  time  as  Old  Hickory.  It  was  said  that  General  Jackson  was 
not  as  proficient  in  spelling  as  in  some  other  things,  and  so  in  the  abbre- 
viating which  he  practised,  '0.  K.'  stands  for  'all  correct'  ('Oil  Korrect.') 
This  is  as  near  as  our  data  at  present  allows  us  to  come  to  the  origin  of 
the  now  wide  practice. 

Reading  this  answer,  a  gentleman  who  signs  his  initials  J.  W.  D., 
addressed  the  editor  of  the  "Evening  Post,"  the  following:  "I  note  what 
you  say  about  the  origin  of  the  practice  of  using  the  letters  '0.  K.'  to 
signify  'correct'  or  'all  right.'  It  seems  to  be  that  your  informant  is 
wrong.  I  am  quite  sure  that  this  practice  originated  during  the  Clay 
and  Polk  campaign.  At  that  time  the  writer  was  a  boy,  living  in  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.  You  all  know  what  a  lively  campaign  the  Clay  and  Polk  cam- 
paign was.  Mr.  Clay  was  the  idol  of  the  Whigs,  and  was  affectionately 
called  'Old  Kentucky.'  Those  who  favored  his  election  put  up  their  flags 
on  ash  poles,  at  all  the  cross-roads,  country  taverns  and  wood  yards  on 
the  river,  while  the  Dmocrats  put  up  hickory  poles  with  poke  bushes 
at  the  top,  the  Whigs  using  for  a  flag  a  square  of  whole  cloth  with  the 
letters  '0.  K.'  signifying  'Old  Kentucky.'  The  Democrats  used  a  streamer 
with  'Polk  and  Dallas,'  Oregon  and  Texas.' 

"The  town  of  Boonville  boasted  two  newspapers,  one  the  'Observer,' 
a  Whig  paper,  conducted  by  one  Caldwell,  a  very  brilliant  young  man, 
the  other  the  'Boonville  Register,'  conducted  by  one  Ira  Van  Nortrick. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  campaign  the  editor  of  the  'Register'  came  out 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  163 

in  a  very  salty  editorial,  denouncing  the  ignorance  of  the  Whigs  and 
demanding  to  know  'What  does  "0.  K."  mean  anyhow?'  Caldwell  came 
back  at  him  with  the  information  that  he  would  find  out  '0.  K.'  meant 
'Oil  Korrect'  in  November.  The  expression  took  like  wildfire;  the  boys 
yelled  it,  chalked  it  on  the  fences.  Like  other  slang,  it  seemed  to  fill  a 
want,  and  upon  the  inauguration  of  the  telegraph,  in  '46,  the  adoption 
of  '0.  K.,'  I  was  informed  by  one  of  the  first  operators  in  the  country, 
Mr.  E.  F.  Barnes,  introduced  to  the  business  public,  as  he  was  one  of  the 
parties  organizing  the  system  of  signals  used  by  the  company.  Then  it 
passed  into  general  use.  Of  course  Missouri  was  not  the  only  place 
where  Mr.  Clay  was  called  'Old  Kentucky.'  A  favorite  song  of  the  Whigs, 
both  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky,  only  a  line  or  two  of  which  I  can  now 
recall  to  mind,  sung  to  the  tune  of  'Old  Dan  Tucker,'  ran  about  thus : 

"  'The  balky  hoss  they  call  John  Tyler, 
We'll  head  him  soon,  or  bust  a  biler !' 
"Chorus : 

"  'So  get  out  of  the  way,  you're  all  unlucky. 
Clear  the  track  for  "Old  Kentucky" !'  " 

An  incident  of  this  campaign,  illustrative  of  the  attendant  excite- 
ment, and  doubtless  bitterness  engendered  among  the  thoughtless  and 
reckless  class,  is  referred  to  in  an  article  we  take  from  the  "Boonville 
Observer."  It  will  be  noted  that  the  "Observer"  in  no  mincing  or  apolo- 
getic words  condemns  the  rowdyism  mentioned,  though  evidently  com- 
mitted by  one  or  more  persons  of  its  political  persuasion: 

"One  of  the  most  shameful  acts  that  we  have  ever  known  perpe- 
trated in  any  community  or  on  any  occasion,  was  committed  in  this  city 
on  last  Friday  night,  at  the  Whig  gathering  in  the  court-house,  where 
a  part  of  the  convention  had  assembled  to  hear  speaking.  Some  debased 
'  tch  during  the  evening  cut  the  Howard  and  Lafayette  banners  which 
had  the  portraits  of  Mr.  Clay  on  them.  They  were  cut  about  the  throat 
of  the  picture,  and  also  in  other  places.  If  a  Democrat  used  the  hand 
and  knife  that  slit  those  banners,  we  do  not  know  that  it  would  be  much 
too  severe  a  punishment  upon  him  to  be  served  likewise.  No  prudent 
Democrat  can  object  to  the  Whig  party's  emblem  or  banners.  It  is  the 
privilege  of  all  parties  in  this  country  to  have  them,  and  an  uplifted 
voice  of  indignation  should  chase  the  wretch  who  will  molest  the  banner 
of  his  opponent  when  exercising  only  the  same  privilege  that  our  insti- 


164  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

tutions  guaranteed  to  him.  As  a  Democrat,  we  sincerely  regret  that  so 
mean  an  act  could  have  been  committed  here  on  that  occasion.  The 
Club  here,  we  understand,  has  offered  a  reward  of  $100  for  the  detection 
of  the  man  who  committed  this  foul  stain  upon  our  community ;  and  the 
Democrats  will  do  their  utmost  also,  to  detect  him.  In  the  political  point 
of  view  it  will  do  no  harm,  but  good  citizens  want  no  man  who  is  capable 
of  such  a  deed  among  them." 

We  will  at  this  time  continue  no  further  the  political  history  of 
Cooper  County,  but  will  revert  to  the  year  1836.  In  that  year,  wild 
reports  and  rumors  were  circulated  that  the  Indians  had  broken  out, 
and  were  attacking  the  settlers  living  within  the  present  limits  of  Pettis 
County,  then  part  of  Cooper  and  Saline  counties,  and  were  slaying  men, 
women  and  children  as  they  went.  The  excitement  was  great,  and  men 
began  to  assemble  in  that  portion  of  the  county  to  aid  in  the  defense  of 
the  homes  of  their  neighbors.  The  place  of  rendezvous  for  those  who 
went  from  Cooper  County  was  Wooley's  Mill,  on  the  Petit  Saline  Creek. 
Here  they  organized  and  elected  their  officers.  After  doing  so,  they 
marched  to  the  supposed  seat  of  war,  but  on  their  arrival,  they  found  no 
Indians  had  been  there,  and  that  it  had  been  entirely  a  false  alarm.  It 
was  a  practical  joke.  It  seems  that  some  men,  for  their  own  amusement, 
dressed  themselves  as  Indians,  and  went  down  to  a  cornfield  where  some 
men  were  at  work,  and  giving  the  Indian  yell,  shot  off  their  guns,  pointed 
in  the  direction  of  the  settlers.  They,  supposing  that  the  disguised  men 
were  hostile  Indians,  endeavoring  to  slay  them,  took  to  their  heels,  and 
spread  the  alarm,  which,  like  a  tale  of  scandal,  traveled  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  and  gathered  momentum  and  new  versions  as  it  went  from  lip 
to  lip.  It  is  stated  that  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Cooper  County,  catching  the 
alarm,  buried  his  bacon  to  save  it  from  the  bloodthirsty  savages.  Then 
going  to  a  field  in  which  a  large  number  of  his  negroes  were  at  work 
waved  his  hand  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "Run.  run,  the  In- 
dians will  be  upon  you,  the  Indians  will  be  upon  you."  The  negroes  tak- 
ing the  alarm,  stood  not  on  the  manner  of  their  going,  but  scattered  in 
every  direction  as  though  the  frightful  savages  with  tomahawks  and 
hunting  knives  were  close  upon  their  heels. 

The  Mormon  War,  in  1838,  created  considerable  excitement  in  the 
State  and  roused  to  action  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County.  When  the 
Mormons  first  came  to  Missouri,  they  located  in  Jackson  County,  and 
the  citizens,  liking  neither  their  doctrines  nor  their  customs,  forced  them 
to  leave.    They  then  settled  in  Caldwell  County,  Missouri,  but  the  citizens 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  165 

in  that  part  of  the  State,  favoring  them  no  more  than  did  the  citizens 
of  Jackson  County,  determined  to  expel  them  from  the  State.  They 
called  upon  Gov.  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  for  assistance,  and  to  furnish  troops. 
Governor  Boggs  called  for  7,000  volunteers  to  assist  in  driving  the  Mor- 
mons from  the  territory  over  which  he  had  control. 

In  response  to  this  call  three  companies  were  raised  in  Cooper  Coun- 
ty. One,  called  the  "Boonville  Guards,"  composed  entirely  of  citizens 
of  Boonville  this,  under  the  existing  laws  of  the  State,  was  a  standing 
company,  and  equipped  at  the  expense  of  the  State  government.  The 
second,  a  volunteer  company  raised  at  Boonville,  composed  of  citizens 
of  Boonville  and  the  surrounding  neighborhood.  Of  this  company,  Jessie 
J.  Turley  was  captain,  Marcus  Williams,  Jr.,  first  lieutenant,  and  J.  Logan 
Forsythe,  second  lieutenant.  The  third  was  raised  at  Palestine,  the  offi- 
cers of  which  are  not  known.  Of  the  forces  raised  in  Cooper  County, 
Joel  E.  Woodward  was  brigadier  general,  Joseph  Megguire,  inspector 
general,  and  Benjamin  E.  Ferry,  aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Henry  W.  Crowther. 

These  companies  marched  twice  towards  the  Mormon  settlement  and 
the  seat  of  war.  The  first  time  they  marched  as  far  as  Jonesborough, 
Saline  County,  where  the  commanders,  supposing  from  reports  which 
reached  them  that  there  were  sufficient  troops  already  at  the  scene  of 
war  to  conquer  the  Mormons,  ordered  them  to  return.  They  were  shortly 
afterwards  again  ordered  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  marched  to  Lexington, 
where  they  crossed  the  Missouri  River.  They  then  advanced  about  two 
miles  into  the  prairie,  and  there  camped  for  two  days.  The  Mormon 
troops  having  in  the  meantime  surrendered  to  Gen.  John  B.  Clark,  Sr., 
these  companies  returned  home  without  having  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
the  enemy  or  having  the  opportunity  of  testing  their  valor.  On  their 
arrival  at  Boonville  these  troops  were  disbanded. 

The  Mormons  during  this  short  war  were  commanded  by  General 
Weite,  an  old  British  officer,  who  fought  against  General  Jackson  in 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  The  Mormons,  after  the  conclusion  of  this 
war,  left  the  State  and  located  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  where  they  remained 
for  several  years.  Having  had  a  difficulty  with  the  authorities  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  and  their  prophet  and  leader,  Joseph  Smith,  having  been 
assassinated,  they  again  "pulled  up  stakes"  and  emigrated  to  the  shores 
of  the  "Great  Salt  Lake."  where  they  have  ever  since  remained,  believ- 
ing and  feeling  that  they  are  a  persecuted  people. 

The  prisoners  taken  and  retained  in  jail  as  the  leaders  of  the  Mor- 
mons were  Joseph  Smith,   Lyman  Weite,  Hiram  Smith,  Sydna  Regdon, 


166  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Roberts,  Higby,  and  two  others.  These  men  were  first  imprisoned  in  the 
jail  at  Richmond,  Ray  County,  and  were  afterwards  removed  to  the  jail 
at  Liberty,  Clay  County,  where  they  broke  jail,  escaped  pursuit,  and 
were  never  tried. 

The  unprecedented  and  most  disastrous  rise  in  the  Missouri,  Missis- 
sippi, and  Illinois  Rivers  occurred  in  1844.  About  the  tenth  of  June,  the 
river  at  St.  Louis  commenced  to  rise  rapidly,  while  intelligence  was 
received  of  the  rising  of  the  Illinois  and  Missouri  Rivers,  and  by  the  six- 
teenth, the  curbstones  of  Front  street  were  under  water,  and  the  danger 
to  property  and  business  became  quite  alarming. 

At  first  it  was  thought  along  the  Missouri  to  be  merely  the  usual 
June  rise  but  the  continued  expansion  of  the  flood  soon  convinced  the 
inhabitants  of  its  unprecedented  and  alarming  character.  All  the  bottom 
lands,  or  lowlands  of  the  Missouri  River  overflowed  and  many  farms  were 
ruined,  many  being  as  much  as  15  feet  under  water.  Houses,  barns  and 
fences  were  swept  away,  and  in  many  instances  human  lives  were  lost. 
In  others,  human  beings  clung  to  floating  dwellings,  or  immense  piles 
of  driftwood,  and  some  of  them  were  rescued  by  passing  boats,  and 
devices  improvised  especially  to  save  them.  The  front  streets  of  many 
of  the  towns  along  the  river  were  completely  submerged.  Between  400 
and  500  persons  in  St.  Louis,  and  vicinity  were  driven  from  their  homes, 
and  great  distress  prevailed. 

At  St.  Louis  the  river  reached  its  greatest  height  on  the  24th  of 
June.  It  was  seven  feet  seven  inches  above  the  city  directrix,  and  in  its 
abatement  the  water  did  not  reach  the  city  directrix  until  the  14th  day 
of  July. 

A  farmer  who  lived  in  the  bottom  about  a  mile  south  of  New  Frank- 
lin by  the  name  of  Lloyd,  waited  during  the  rise,  thinking  every  day 
that  the  river  would  reach  its  highest  point,  and  did  not  leave  his  cabin, 
until  he  was  compelled  one  morning  to  make  a  hasty  exit  through  the 
roof.  While  getting  out  some  of  his  household  plunder,  he  spilt  some 
corn  meal  on  the  roof  of  this  cabin.  The  third  day  after  leaving,  Lloyd 
returned,  and  found  to  his  surprise  that  the  roof  of  his  cabin  had  been 
transformed  into  a  menagerie  of  birds  and  animals.  Among  these  were 
a  cat,  a  dog,  a  coon,  a  fox,  a  rat,  two  chickens,  and  a  turkey.  He  ob- 
served that  the  meal  was  gone  and  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  these 
animals  living  together  in  amity  and  perfect  harmony.  A  common  mis- 
fortune had  created  among  them  a  sympathetic  feeling.     The  presence 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  167 

of  the  great  flood  had  seemingly  overawed  and  overpowered  their  antag- 
onistic natures,  and  like  the  lion  and  the  lamb,  of  prophetic  history,  they 
were  dwelling  together  in  peace. 

Another  farmer  who  resided  in  the  bottoms,  lost  a  very  valuable 
horse.  The  day  he  left  his  cabin,  this  horse  was  driven,  with  other  horses, 
and  stock,  to  the  hills  for  safe  keeping.  Some  days  afterwards  the  horse 
was  missing,  and  was  not  found  until  the  waters  had  receded,  when  he 
was  discovered,  or  at  least  such  portions  of  him  as  were  left,  hanging 
by  one  of  his  hind  feet  in  some  grape  vines  fully  fifteen  feet  above  the 
ground,  having  on  the  same  halter  that  he  wore  when  he  left.  The  rise 
of  1844  obtained  a  greater  elevation. 

History  records  three  great  disastrous  floods  prior  to  this  one.  The 
great  flood  of  1785,  known  as  "L'anee  des  Grandes  Eaux,'  and  the  floods 
of  1811,  and  1826;  the  latter  being  that  which  set  the  seal  of  fate  upon 
the  future  prosperity  of  Franklin,  now  referred  to  as  Old  Franklin. 

Again  the  tocsin  of  war  was  sounded,  in  1846.  In  the  month  of 
May  of  that  year,  the  President  of  the  United  States  called  for  volunteers 
to  assist  in  the  Mexican  War.  One  company  from  Cooper  County  was 
called  upon  to  join  the  troops  in  Mexico. 

The  alleged  cause  of  the  declaration  of  war  by  Mexico  against  the 
United  States  in  April,  1846,  was  the  annexation  of  Texas,  but  the  more 
immediate  cause  was  the  occupation  by  the  American  army  of  the  dis- 
puted territory  lying  between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande  River. 

On  the  21st  day  of  May,  of  that  year,  the  "Boonville  Observer" 
issued  the  following  bulletin,  or  "extra,"  which  we  give  verbatim: 

"Volunteers. — A  proper  spirit  seems  to  animate  the  citizens  of  our 
country  and  especially  the  young  men. 

The  call  for  one  company  from  the  fifth  division  has  been  promptly 
responded  to.  Forty-three  volunteers  were  raised  by  General  Ferry  on 
Monday  in  Boonville,  and  on  Tuesday,  at  Palestine,  under  the  direction 
of  Generals  Ferry  and  Megguire,  the  number  was  increased  to  61.  They 
then  elected  their  officers,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were  chosen: 

Joseph  L.  Stephens,  captain,  without  opposition,  who  delivered  to 
the  volunteers  on  that  occasion  a  spirited  and  handsome  address;  first 
lieutenant,  Newton  Williams;  second  lieutenant,  H.  C.  Levens;  first  ser- 
geant,'John  D.  Stephens;  second  sergeant,  William  T.  Cole;  third  ser- 
geant, Richard  Norris ;  fourth  sergeant,  James  S.  Hughes;  first  corporal, 
Tipton  Prior;  second  corporal,  A.  B.  Cele;  third  corporal,  Wesley  Amick; 


168  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

fourth  corporal,  A.  G.  Baber.  The  company,  thus  organized,  assembled 
in  Boonville  on  Wednesday,  where  they  were  exercised  in  military  duty 
by  their  accomplished  and  gallant  young  captain. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  privates:  Thomas  Bacon,  Samuel  D. 
Burnett,  Jacob  Duvall,  Charles  Salsman,  Ewing  E.  Woolery,  Heli  Cook, 
Joel  Coffee,  Joel  Epperson,  Jesse  Epperson,  Hiram  Epperson,  John  Mc- 
Dowell, J.  R.  P.  Wilcoxson,  T.  T.  Bowler,  William  Sullans,  Horatio  Bruce, 
William  J.  Jeffreys,  James  M.  Jeffreys,  Hiram  Burnam,  Edward  S.  D.  Miller, 
John  Whitley,  Benjamin  P.  Ford,  Philip  Summers,  George  W.  Campbell, 
Samuel  R.  Lemons,  John  R.  Johnson,  Thompson  Seivers,  Charles  F.  Kine, 
Jesse  Nelson,  John  Colbert,  Robert  Rhea,  Edmond  G.  Cook,  John  B.  Bruce, 
James  P.  Lewis,  Benjamin  C.  Lampton,  Oliver  G.  Ford,  U.  E.  Rubey,  W.  B. 
Rubey,  W.  H.  Stephens,  John  M.  Kelly,  George  Mock,  Samuel ,  Elliott, 
Alpheus  D.  Hickerson,  Edmond  Eubank,  Henderson  C.  Martin,  Sprague 
White,  William  Woolsey,  Martin  Allison,  Henry  Francis,  Robert  H.  Bowles, 
Justinian  McFarland,  Nathaniel  T.  Ford,  James  H.  Jones,  James  C.  Ross, 
Richard  Hulett. 

They  departed  today  (Thursday)  on  the  steamer  L.  F.  Linn  for  St. 
Louis,  where  they  will  be  armed  and  equipped,  and  immediately  trans- 
ported to  the  army  of  occupation  on  the  Rio  Grande.  Our  best  wishes 
attend  them.  May  victory  ever  perch  upon  their  banners,  and  may  they 
all  return  to  their  friends  full  of  honors,  with  the  proud  reflection  that 
they  have  served  their  country  faithfully. 

When  the  steamer  Louis  F.  Linn,  Eaton,  captain,  Jewell,  clerk,  ar- 
rived in  Boonville,  on  her  downward  trip,  the  company  formed  in  line 
on  the  upper  deck  and  many  friends  passed  along  the  line,  bidding  fare- 
well and  shaking  each  volunteer  by  the  hand.  The  landing  was  crowded 
with  people.  The  boat  soon  started,  with  cheers  from  the  multitude,  and 
waving  of  handkerchiefs  by  the  ladies. 

The  steamer  laid  up  for  the  first  night  at  Nashville,  which  is  about 
fifteen  miles  below  Rocheport.  The  members  of  the  company  were  all 
jolly  fellows,  and  jest  and  laughter  made  the  time  pass  pleasantly  and 
quickly.  The  most  of  them,  had  never  been  from  home,  and  longed,  with 
the  anxiety  of  children,  to  see  new  countries  and  to  take  part  in  other 
than  every  day  affairs  of  their  lives. 

Lieutenant  Levers  being  on  watch  the  latter  part  of  the  night  after 
they  had  left  Boonville,  heard  a  terrible  splash  in  the  water,  and  on 
inquiring  for  the  cause  discovered  that  one  of  his  men  had  fallen  over- 
board.    The  deck-hands  rescued  him,  and  soon  afterwards  one  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  169 

company  folowed  the  example  of  his  comrade,  and  was  rescued  by  the 
same  men.  The  lieutenant  becoming  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  men 
of  the  company,  waked  up  the  captain,  informed  him  of  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  take  measures  to  prevent  it  he 
might  have  his  company  considerably  diminished  before  they  reached 
St.  Louis,  if  the  men  continued  to  fall  overboard  as  rapidly  as  they  had 
commenced.  The  captain  was  greatly  surprised  at  such  unexpected  acci- 
dents, and  placed  out  a  strong  guard,  which  prevented  any  more  occur- 
rences of  the  kind.  The  trouble  was  that  some  of  the  men  before  leaving 
Boonville  had  imbibed  rather  freely  of  intoxicants,  and  having  never  been 
on  board  of  a  boat  before,  imagined  they  were  on  land  and  walked  off 
without  being  aware  of  their  changed  circumstances. 

They  arrived  at  St.  Louis  without  further  accident,  and  were  quar- 
tered at  the  court-house  without  any  blankets  to  cover  them,  or  any 
place  except  the  naked  benches  on  which  to  sleep.  Most  of  the  company 
expecting  to  draw  their  clothing  and  blankets  at  Jefferson  barracks,  had 
nothing  but  the  shirt  and  pants  which  they  had  worn  from  home. 

Captain  Stephen's  company  was  mustered  into  service  by  Gen.  Robert 
Campbell.  General  Taylor,  having  gained  an  important  victory  over  the 
Mexicans,  and  it  being  thought  that  he  would  be  able  to  conquer  his 
enemies  without  any  further  reinforcements,  Captain  Stephens'  company 
was  ordered  back,  and  directed  to  report  to  Adjutant  General  Parsons  at 
Jefferson  City,  whither  they  hastened  on  the  same  boat,  expecting  orders 
from  him  to  join  Doniphan's  expedition  to  New  Mexico.  General  Parsons 
informed  the  captain  that  he  had  nof  requisition  for  Cooper  County,  but 
to  hold  his  company  in  readiness  to  march  when  called  on.  The  members 
of  the  company  were  very  much  disappointed  at  being  thus  summarily 
dismissed  to  their  homes,  and  felt  very  indignant  at  what  they  considered 
such  shabby  treatment;  and  though  the  company  was  ready  and  willing, 
during  the  whole  of  the  war,  to  go  to  the  field  of  battle  on  the  shortest 
notice,  it  was  not  called  upon.  Some  of  the  members  of  the  company 
were  so  determined  to  go  that  they  joined  other  companies  of  General 
Doniphan's  command.  The  company,  although  gone  from  home  only  a 
short  time,  had  a  rough  introduction  to  military  life,  having  been  forced 
to  live  on  "hard  tack"  on  the  trip  to  St.  Louis  and  return,  without  bedding 
of  any  kind,  and  many  of  the  men  without  a  change  of  clothes.  Mrs. 
Andrews,  an  estimable  lady  of  St.  Louis,  treated  the  company  to  as  many 
pies  as  the  men  could  eat,  for  which  they  felt  always  grateful  to  her. 

But  very  few  of  the  company  had  ever  seen  St.  Louis,  or  any  other 


170  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

city,  and  it  was  a  pleasing  and  wonderful  sight  to  these  men,  who  had, 
during  all  of  their  lives,  been  accustomed  only  to  the  quiet  scenes  of 
their  every-day  life.  The  company,  as  it  passed  through  the  streets, 
seemed,  from  the  numbers  who  stopped  to  gaze  at  it,  to  attract  as  much 
attention  as  a  fantastic  company,  on  account  of  the  queer  costumes,  arms 
and  manners.  As  the  company  expected  to  draw  its  uniforms  at  the 
"Great  City,"  and  as  the  men  expected  to  throw  their  citizen's  suits 
away,  they  were  not  particular  what  they  wore  when  they  started  from 
home.  Most  of  them,  being  dressed  in  backwoods  style,  without  uni- 
form or  arms,  made  a  rather  ludicrous  appearance  to  city  folks.  But  the 
men  cared  little  for  that,  and  some  of  the  city  gents  were  made  to  meas- 
ure their  lengths  upon  the  pavement  for  their  uncalled-for  remarks  in 
regard  to  the  personal  appearance  and  manners  of  the  strangers. 

Some  of  the  men  of  the  company,  while  in  St.  Louis,  had  a  row  with 
some  merchants  on  Water  street  for  insulting  one  of  their  number.  After 
some  little  quarreling,  the  merchants  threatened  to  have  them  arrested 
and  confined  in  the  calaboose;  but  they  were  told  if  that  threat  was 
executed,  they  would  level  the  calaboose,  and  if  that  was  not  sufficient 
to  show  their  power,  they  would  level  the  whole  city,  and  that  they  had 
sufficient  men  to  accomplish  that  undertaking.  So,  the  merchants,  be- 
coming alarmed,  did  not  attempt  to  have  the  threat  executed,  and  the 
difficulty  was  finally  arranged  without  any  serious  consequences.  On  their 
return  up  the  Missouri  River,  on  the  same  boat  on  which  they  had  gone 
down  to  St.  Louis,  a  finely  dressed  "gentleman"  unthoughtfully  made  the 
.remark  that  "these  soldiers  were  a» rough  set."  The  officers  of  Captain 
Stephens'  and  Captain  Reid's  companies  demanded  that  he  should  be  put 
ashore,  and  at  the  next  landing  he  was  made  to  "walk  the  plank,"  amidst 
shouts  and  cheers  from  the  crowd.  They  thus  gave  him  an  opportunity 
of  traveling  on  the  next  boat,  where,  perhaps,  he  might  meet  with  pas- 
sengers more  congenial  to  his  nature,  and  where  he  would  not  be  forced 
to  associate  with  those  whom  he  considered  beneath  him  in  the  social 
scale. 

After  this  they  proceeded  without  further  incident  to  Boonville, 
where  they  were  met  by  crowds  of  their  friends  and  acquaintances,  who, 
with  loud  cheers,  welcomed  them  home.  Soon  after  they  arrived,  the 
company  was  disbanded  by  the  captain,  with  orders  to  be  ready  to  as- 
semble and  march  to  the  seat  of  war  on  very  short  notice.  From  that 
time  to  the  close  of  the  war  the  members  of  the  company  were  prepared 
at  all  times  to  march  to  the  front,  whenever  their  services  should  be 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  171 

required,  but  they  were  never  ordered  forward  to  take  part  in  the  great 
struggle  which  had  then  been  transferred  to  the  enemy's  country. 

This  is  the  only  part  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County  took  in  the  war 
of  1846,  and  though  they  did  not  partake  directly  in  the  struggle,  they 
showed  their  readiness  to  do  so,  by  organizing  and  keeping  in  readiness 
to  march  a  company  composed  of  some  of  the  best  citizens. 


CHAPTER  XL 


CONTINUATION  OF  1834-1847  AND  UP  TO  1861 


RISE  OP  BOOXVILLE— ERA  OP  PROSPERITY— KEMPER  SCHOOL  FOUNDED — COUNTY 
SEAT  PERMANENTLY  LOCATED— EFFORTS  TO  CHANGE  COUNTY  SEAT— MILI- 
TARY COMPANIES — TROUBLE  BETWEEN  COMPANIES — MAJOR  FORSYTH  10 
KILLED— SECOND  COURT  HOUSE  ERECTED— DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA AFFECTS  COOPER  COUNTY— McCULLOCH'S  COMPANY— TEMPERANCE 
EXCITEMENT — SLAVERY  AGITATION — PRO  SLAVERY  CONVENTION— CONTRO- 
VERSY IN  KANSAS— COOPER  COUNTY  PRO  SLAVER  V— ELECTIONS  OF  1856-1860. 

It  is  not  our  intention,  nor  have  we  attempted  to  chronicle  the  events, 
that  make  the  history  of  Cooper  County,  in  absolute  chronological  order. 
Frequently  historical  data  are  so  closely  correlated,  one  with  the  other 
that  we  are  forced  to  pass  through  a  series  of  years  to  follow  the  logical 
chain  of  events,  and  are  then  compelled  to  "roll  back  the  scroll  of  time" 
to  take  up  another  line  of  equally  important  facts.  The  preceding  chap- 
ter deals  with  the  history  of  Cooper  County  from  1834  to  1847,  yet  there 
are  events  of  that  period  worthy  of  historical  preservation  not  recorded 
therein  to  which  we  will  now  revert. 

The  period  between  1830  to  1847  marks  a  rapid  and  increasing  tide 
of  immigration  to  Cooper  County.  Large  wholesale  establishments  were 
established  at  Boonville  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  great  trade  of 
the  southwest  as  well  as  to  outfit  and  provision  the  great  caravans  bound 
for  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  Among  those  who  located  here  at  that  time  are 
recalled  A.  L.  and  C.  D.  W.  Johnson,  who,  in  addition  to  their  mercantile 
establishment  operated  a  large  grist  mill  which  was  perhaps  the  'first 
flouring  mill  erected  at  Boonville ;  J.  Mansker  and  Company ;  N.  \V.  Mack ; 
Thomas  M.  Campbell ;  Charles  W.  Smith ;  Caleb  Jones ;  Walter  and  H.  B. 
Benedict,  who  were  engaged  in  the  sale  of  dry  goods  and  groceries,  etc. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  173 

Also  Allen  Porter,  the  druggist;  H.  and  J.  Rhea,  tobacconist;  H.  W. 
Crowther,  the  rope-maker,  which  at  that  time  seemed  to  be  a  profitable 
and  necessary  vocation;  Jeremiah  Rice,  tanner;  W.  P.  Roper,  a  saddler; 
Hook,  a  gunsmith;  David  Andrews,  a  tinner;  George  W.  Caton,  a  tailor. 
John  Dade  and  James  Patton  were  among  the  principal  hotelkeepers,  yet 
at  this  time  there  were  several  others  whose  names  we  are  unable  to 
give.  Isaiah  Hanna  was  one  of  the  blacksmiths  yet  there  were  several 
others  at  that  time  in  Boonville  and  Cooper  County.  George  C.  Hart, 
John  W.  Martin  and  J.  McCutchen  are  mentioned  in  the  early  records 
among  the  physicians  who  were  then  at  Boonville,  yet  there  were  a 
number  of  other  physicians  in  other  sections  of  the  county.  The  first 
newspaper  in  Cooper  County  was  also  established  during  this  period, 
about  the  year  1834  and  was  called  the  "Boonville  Herald,"  reference  to 
which  will  hereafter  be  made  in  the  special  chapter  on  newspapers. 

The  foregoing,  located  at  Boonville,  as  above  stated,  between  the 
years  1830-1840.  From  the  years  1840-1850  the  county  enjoyed  an  era 
of  prosperity  that  had  not  been  known  "in  its  prior  history.  The  census 
of  Boonville  in  1840  gave  the  population  as  1,660.  Other  newspapers 
were  established  and  a  number  of  educational  institutions  sprang  up  in 
different  sections  of  the  county.  A  number  of  new  hotels  were  erected 
among  which  may  be  recalled  the  City  Hotel,  Peter  Pierce,  proprietor; 
The  Union  Hotel,  Lewis  Bendele,  proprietor;  The  Virginia  Hotel, 
John  Dade,  proprietor;  and  Baley's  Mansion  House.  These  were  located 
in  Boonville.  The  latter  house  was  the  central  office  of  the  stage  line 
running  from  St.  Louis  to  Independence,  Mo.  At  this  time  Boon- 
ville was  the  most  prosperous  and  flourishing  town  west  of  St.  Louis 
and  the  prosperity  and  trade  of  Boonville  materially  effected  and 
added  to  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  other  sections  of  Cooper  County. 
Business  men  were  attracted  and  among  those  who  came  to  Cooper 
County  and  settled  in  Boonville  may  be  mentioned  E.  F.  Gillespie,  whole- 
sale and  retail  dealer  in  drugs  and  medicines ;  Bremermann  and  Cuno, 
forwarding  and  commission  merchants ;  Dr.  William  H.  Trigg,  forward- 
ing and  commission  merchant,  extracts  from  whose  interesting  diary 
will  be  found  in  the  preceding  chapter;  Moseley  and  Stanley,  forward- 
ing and  commission  merchants ;  Hammond  and  Judd,  lumber  merchants ; 
N.  Hutchison,  wholesale  druggist;  S.  D.  Falls,  dry  goods;  Thomas  B. 
Veasey,  hardware  merchant;  Aehle  and  Kuechelhan,  wholesale  druggists; 
Walter  and  Keill,  liquors,  dry  goods  and  clothing;  Nelson  Jones  and  Com- 


174  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

pany,  dry  goods,  groceries,  etc. ;  Peters  and  Hill,  forwarding  and  commis- 
sion merchants;  and  Talbot  and  Lanny,  clothing. 

In  the  year  1844,  Prof.  F.  T.  Kemper  arrived  in  Boonville  and  estab- 
lished here  a  private  school  laying  broad  and  wide  the  foundation  for  the 
Kemper  Family  School  which  through  years  of  prosperity  and  to  meet 
changing  conditions  became  the  Kemper  Military  School  under  the  super- 
intendency  of  Col.  T.  A.  Johnston.  This  prosperous  military  school  has 
just  closed  the  year  and  celebrated  its  75th  anniversary  with  about  500 
pupils  and  a  graduating  class  of  77. 

It  was  during  this  period,  at  different  times,  that  great  interest  was 
taken  by  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County  in  changing  the  county  seat.  It 
will  be  recalled  that  Boonville  was  made  the  county  seat  and  the  first 
court  house  was  completed  in  1823.  Asa  Morgan  and  Charles  Lucas, 
when  they  laid  out  Boonville,  agreed  to  donate  50  acres  of  land  to  the 
county  provided  that  Boonville  was  made  the  permanent  county  seat. 
Lucas,  however,  did  not  live  to  carry  out  his  agreement.  He  was  killed 
in  a  duel  with  Thomas  H.  Benton  on  Sept.  27,  1817,  on  Bloody  Island 
near  St.  Louis.  However,  on  Aug.  13,  1819,  in  compliance  with  this  agree- 
ment a  deed  was  executed  by  Asa  Morgan  and  Mary  Gilman  as  the 
executrix  of  Charles  Lucas,  deceased,  conveying  to  the  commissioners 
of  Cooper  County  50  acres  of  land  bound  on  the  north  by  the  Missouri 
River,  on  the  west  by  the  west  line  of  Main  street,  and  on  the  south  by 
Chestnut  street,  on  the  east  by  a  line  30  feet  west  of  Eighth  street, 
parallel  with  Eighth  street.  This  tract  of  land  embraced  all  of  lots  num- 
ber 9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  52,  53,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  59,  60, 
61,  62,  79,  80,  81,  82,  83,  84,  85,  86,  87,  88,  89,  also  what  was  known  as  , 
the  Court  House  Square,  being  that  land  lying  and  situated  between 
Main  and  Fifth  streets  and  Sixth  street  and  High  and  Court  streets,  and 
also  the  following  lots:  122,  123,  124,  125,  126,  127,  128,  145,  146,  147,  1 
149,  150,  151,  152,  153,  154,  155,  172,  173,  174,  175,  176,  177  (being  the 
lot  upon  which  the  jail  is  located),  178,  179,  180,  181,  182,  199,  200,  201, 
202,  203,  204,  205,  206,  207,  208,  209,  236,  237,  238,  239,  240,  211,  242,  243, 
244,  245,  246,  249,  250,  251,  252,  253,  254,  255,  256,  257,  258,  259,  and 
a  strip  60  feet  wide  off  of  the  west  side  of  lots  8,  63,  78,  129,  144,  183, 
198,  247  and  248,  all  in  the  city  of  Boonville,  Cooper  County,  Mo. 

The  commissioners  to  locate  the  permanent  county  seat  were  Robert 
Wallace,  Benjamin  F.  Hickcox,  and  James  Bruffee.  The  property  above 
donated  to  the  county  is  at  this  time  the  heart  of  Boonville  and  its  value 
would  run  into  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  175 

Four  distinct  efforts  were  made  to  change  the  county  seat  from 
Boonville.  The  first  attempt  was  made  in  1832,  the  second  in  1838,  the 
third  in  1842  and  the  fourth  in  1844.  These  attempts  to  change  the 
county  seat  resulted  in  spirited  campaigns  and  aroused  some  temporary 
bitterness  which  is  usually  the  result  of  county  seat  removal  contests. 

The  third  campaign  (in  1842)  is  of  some  historical  interest  and 
was  very  bitter.  The  bitterness  arose  largely  from  an  unfortunate  occur- 
rence that  gave  soul  and  life  to  the  desire  to  change  the  county  seat 
from  Boonville.  It  had  its  origin  in  the  intense  excitement  existing  be- 
tween the  militia  and  an  organization  known  as  the  "Fantastic  Com- 
pany," of  which  we  here  give  an  account. 

From  the  organization  of  the  government  of  the  state  until  the 
year  1847  there  existed  a  militia  law,  requiring  all  able-bodied  male  citi- 
zens, between  the  ages  of  18  and  45  years,  to  organize  into  companies 
and  to  muster  on  certain  days.  They  had,  during  the  year,  at  different 
times,  a  company,  a  battalion,  and  a  general  muster.  A  company  muster 
was  the  drilling  of  the  members  of  one  company ;  a  battalion  muster 
consisted  in  drilling  the  companies  of  one-half  of  a  county ;  and  a  gen- 
eral  muster  was  a  meeting  of  all  the  companies  of  a  county. 

Muster  day  was,  for  a  long  time  after  the  commencement  of  the 
custom,  a  gala  day  for  the  citizens,  and  was  looked  forward  to  with  con- 
siderable interest,  especially  by  the  different  officers,  who  appeared  in 
full  military  dress,  captains  and  lieutenants  with  long  red  feathers  stuck 
in  the  fore  part  of  their  hats,  and  epaulettes  upon  their  shoulders.  The 
held  officers  mounted  on  their  fine  steeds,  with  continental  cocked  hats, 
epaulettes  upon  their  shoulders  and  fine  cloth  coats  ornamented  with  gold 
fringe,  rode  around  among  the  men  and  gave  orders,  making  themselves 
the  "observed  of  all  observers."  Also  the  venders  of  Avhiskey,  ginger- 
cakes,  apples  and  cider  took  no  small  interest  in  the  anticipated  muster 
clay,  for  on  that  day,  every  person  being  excited,  bought  more  or  less 
of  these  things.  Always  on  muster  days,  after  the  muster  was  over, 
the  rival  bruisers  of  a  neighborhood  tried  their  strength  upon  one  an- 
other, thus  furnishing  a  great  deal  of  amusement  for  those  who  attended. 
The  little  folks  were  also  happy  in  the  anticipation,  if  not  in  the  enjoy- 
ment, of  being  presented  with  a  ginger-cake  and  an  apple  upon  that  day. 

But  after  a  lapse  of  time  these  musters  became  tiresome  to  a  por- 
tion of  the  citizens,  as  they  were  obliged  to  lose  so  much  of  their  valuable 
time  in  order  to  attend  them,  or  were  compelled  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  dollar 
for  each  failure  to  attend  on  muster  day;  besides  they  could  see  no  real 


176  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

use  in  continuing  the  organization,  as  there  seemed  no  prospect  soon  of 
the  state  requiring  any  troops,  as  all  was  peaceful  and  quiet  within  its 
borders.  Also,  at  the  elections  for  officers,  many  of  them  were  chosen 
on  account  of  their  personal  popularity,  instead  of  their  qualifications  to 
fill  the  office  for  which  they  were  elected.  Musters,  after  their  novelty 
had  worn  off,  became  very  unpopular,  the  citizens  believing  them  to  be 
an  unnecessary  burden  upon  them. 

Therefore,  some  time  before  the  battalion  muster,  which  was  to  take 
place  at  Boonville,  during  the  year  1842,  a  company,  the  existence  of 
which  was  known  only  to  its  members,  was  formed  at  that  place,  among 
the  members  of  which  were  some  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  city.  This 
company  was  styled  the  "fantastic  company,"  on  account  of  the  queer 
costumes,  arms,  etc.,  of  its  members,  they  being  dressed  in  all  manner 
of  outlandish  costumes,  carrying  every  conceivable  kind  of  a  weapon, 
from  a  broom-stick  to  a  gun,  and  mounted  upon  horses,  mules  and  jacks. 
The  company  was  intended  as  a  burlesque  upon  the  militia,  and  to  have 
some  fun  at  their  expense. 

The  regiment  of  the  state  militia  which  was  to  be  mustered  out  at 
the  above  mentioned  time  was  commanded  by  Col.  Jesse  T.  Turley  and 
Maj.  J.  Logan  Forsythe,  and  was  composed  of  all  the  companies  then  in 
the  north  half  of  the  county.  On  the  morning  of  the  muster  day  Colonel 
Turley  formed  his  regiment  in  front  of  the  court  house.  After  they 
were  organized  and  ready  for  muster  and  drill,  the  fantastic  company, 
which  was  commanded  by  John  Babbitt,  each  member  dressed  in  his 
peculiar  costume  and  carrying  his  strange  weapon,  marched  up  into  full 
view  of  Colonel  Turley's  command,  and  commenced  preparations  to  drill. 
Colonel  Turley,  feeling  indignant  that  his  proceedings  should  be  inter- 
rupted by  such  a  "mob,"  and  believing  that  it  was  intended  as  an  insult, 
ordered  his  command  to  surround  the  fantastic  company. 

There  was  a  high  fence  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  vacant  lot  on 
which  they  were  mustering,  and  Colonel  Turley's  command  surrounded 
the  "Fantastic  Company."  by  approaching  on  High  street,  on  the  alley 
between  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  and  on  Sixth  street,  thus  hemming  them 
in  on  the  vacant  lot.  The  latter,  being  closely  pressed,  retreated  back 
across  the  fence,  and  then  commenced  a  fight  by  throwing  brickbats.  The 
fight  immediately  became  general  and  promiscuous,  and  resulted  in  seri- 
ous damage  to  several  members  of  the  State  militia.  Col.  J.  J.  Turley 
was  struck  in  the  side  by  a  stone,  and  two  or  three  of  his  ribs  broken. 
Maj.  J.  Logan  Forsythe  was  struck  by  a  brickbat  in  the  face,  just  below 


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HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  177 

his  right  eye,  and  died  the  next  day  of  his  wounds.  The  members  of 
the  fantastic  company  then  dispersed  and  scattered  in  every  direction. 

The  death  of  Major  Forsythe  caused  great  excitement  throughout 
the  county,  and  great  indignation  was  felt  against  the  citizens  of  Boon- 
ville,  so  much  so,  that  a-  petition  was  immediately  circulated,  asking  that 
the  "county  seat  of  Cooper  County  be  removed  from  Boonville,"  to  a 
more  central  point  of  the  county."  So  great  was  the  excitement  that  some 
persons  living  within  three  miles  of  Boonville  signed  this  petition.  But 
the  county  seat,  after  a  severe  struggle  before  the  County  Court,  was 
retained  at  Boonville. 

The  death  of  Major  Forsythe  was  greatly  regretted  by  all  parties, 
for  he  was  an  excellent  citizen  and  a  very  popular  officer.  It  produced 
an  ill-feeling  throughout  the  county,  which  lasted  many  years.  After 
the  fight  was  oVer,  the  militia  went  through  with  their  usual  exercises, 
under  the  command  of  their  subordinate  officers,  as  Colonel  Turley  and 
Major  Forsythe  were  unable,  on  account  of  their  wounds,  to  drill  them. 

The  last  effort  was  as  stated,  in  1844,  by  the  people  of  Palestine 
township.  The  citizens  of  that  township  held  a  meeting  in  March  of 
that  year,  and  agreed  to  submit  the  question  of  changing  the  county  seat 
to  a  vote  of  the  people,  which  was  accordingly  done  at  the  succeeding 
August  election.  The  question  was  decided  adversely  to  those  who  favored 
the  change. 

The  second  court  house  erected  was  completed  in  the  year  1840.  The 
County  Court  at  its  May  term  ordered  that  the  public  square  be  laid  off 
into  lots  and  sold  to  raise  money  to  build  a  new  court  house  and  at  the 
same  time  it  was  ordered  that  the  old  court  house  (the  first  court  house) 
be  sold.  The  money,  however,  realized  from  the  sale  of  these  lots  and 
the  sale  of  the  old  court  house  was  not  sufficient  to  erect  the  new  build- 
ing. The  first  appropriation  made  in  money  for  this  purpose  by  the 
court  was  the  sum  of  $10,800.  Other  appropriations  were  made  from 
time  to  time  until  the  completion  of  the  building,  the  entire  amount  appro- 
priated being  about  $30,000.  This  building,  now  wrecked  and  upon  whose 
site  stands  the  present  handsome  court  house,  was  the  scene  of  many 
political  gatherings  of  the  past  and  spirited  legal  contests  by  the  best 
legal  minds  of  the  state.  It  will  be  cherished  in  the  memory  of  the  pres- 
ent generation.  A  picture  of  this  building  appears  in  this  volume,  as 
well  as  one  of  its  successor,  the  present  elegant  structure.  We  can  but 
wonder  how  those  that  come,  after  us  will  look  upon  our  last  effort  in 
(12) 


178  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

erecting  a  court  of  justice.  In  50  years  will  they  consider  it  as  inade- 
quate, as  antiquated,  as  dangerous  and  unsanitary,  as  we  of  today  con- 
sidered its  predecessor?  Doubtless  more  so,  for  the  human  race,  not  with 
mincing  steps  but  with  giant  strides,  is  moving  forward. 

There  are  few  living  at  the  present  time  who  recall  the  intense 
excitement  of  the  years  1849  and  1850  caused  by  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  California.  At  this  time,  the  period  of  its  greatest  excitement,  the 
people  generally  throughout  the  American  Union  became  deeply  inter- 
ested and  thousands  upon  thousands  were  filled  with  the  lust  for  gold. 
It  would  be  strange  indeed,  if  this  mania  did  not  penetrate  Cooper  County 
and  arouse  to  action  the  hardy  and  adventurous  settlers  of  that  day. 
While  it  may  not  be  a  beautiful  sentiment,  yet  in  a  measure  mankind 
responds  to  the  expression  of  the  poet, 

"Gold  is  the  strength,  the  sinews  of  the  world ; 
The  health,  the  soul,  the  beauty  most  divine." 

Cooper  County  sent  forth  to  the  gold  fields  of  California  many  of 
her  sons,  some  of  whom  were  past  the  middle  age  with  silvered  locks, 
others  were  boys  still  in  their  teens,  all  animated  with  the  hope  and 
strong  desire  that  their  labors,  their  sacrifices,  their  dangers,  and  their 
bravery  would  be  rewarded  with  an  abundance  of  the  glittering  and 
precious  ore.  The  desert  plains  over  which  they  traveled  to  reach  the 
gold  fields  were  littered  with  broken  wagons  and  carcasses  of  beasts  of 
burden  and  here  and  there  the  mouldering  remains  of  men.  Joaquin 
Miller,  the  poet  of  the  Sierras,  has  said,  "The  coward  never  started  and 
the  weak  did  not  arrive."  We  are  unable  to  give  the  names  of  all  those 
hardy  seekers  after  gold  who  left  our  county  at  this  time,  however,  we 
here  give  the  names  of  a  portion  of  the  companies  of  Capt.  Robert  Mc- 
Culloch  and  Solomon  Houck: 

Robert  McCulloch's  company:  Spotswook  McCulloch,  Joseph  McCul- 
loch,  John  McCulloch,  Robert  Douglass,  Charles  Lewis,  Merriweather 
Lewis,  Nicholas  Lewis,  Abraham  Weight,  John  Simmons,  Joseph  Potter, 
Nelson  Potter,  John  Hornbeck,  Perry  Taylor,  Alfred  Hornbeck,  C.  W. 
Sombart,  Julius  Sombart,  Robert  Allison,  Love  Wadly,  Erhart,  Sr.,  Au- 
gust Erhart,  Albert  Erhart,  William  Hardcastle,  Reuben  Stevens  and 
James  Humes,  of  Moniteau  County;  Ewing  Kelly,  Joseph  Hess,  John 
Kelly,  Peter  Kelly,  Bear,  Sr.,  Frank  Bear,  John  Carey,  William  Son,  George 
Kelly,  Oldhausen  and  son  and  Richard  Bidel,  of  St.  Louis  County;  Louis 
Brant,  Dr.  Antrim,  and  Abraham  Reidmeyer,  William  Reidmeyer  and 
John  Hahn,  from  Ohio ;  Joseph  Byler,  Calvin  Wilson,  Simon  Boyd,  Doctor 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  179 

Cooper,  Universalist  preacher;  C.  B.  Combes,  Thomas  Chambers,  Charles 
Mitchell,  Absalom  Meredith,  John  Baldwin,  Jacob  Gype,  John  Mars,  Cal 
Mason,  John  Oglesby,  Thomas  Mitchell,  Jacob  Harrier,  Horace  Hutchin- 
son, William  Samuels,  William  Wheatley,  Samuel  Row,  John  Porter. 

Upon  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  California,  one  of  the  Cooper 
County  boys  thought  to  be  the  late  Col.  Horace  A.  Hutchison  penned  the 
following  beautiful  and  touching  farewell: 

Farewell,  farewell,  my  native  land, 
I  leave  thee  only  with  a  sigh, 
To  wander  o'er  a  foreign  strand, 
Perchance  to  live,  perchance  to  die. 
Adieu,  my  friends,  whom  kindred  ties 
Unite,  though  distant  we  may  rove, 
•      How  ardent  as  time  onward  flies, 

Fond  memory  clings  to  those  we  love. 

O'er  the  broad  plains,  far  away, 
Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountain's  crest, 
Our  wayward  feet  awhile  shall  stray, 
And  press  the  gold-besprinkled  west. 
But  'mid  the  gaudy  scenes  of  strife, 
Where  gold  to  pride  enchantment  lends, 
We'll  ne'er  forget  that  boon  of  life — 
Companions  dear  and  faithful  friends. 

And  in  the  lapse  of  coming  years, 
Should  fortune  be  not  too  unkind, 
We'll  hope  reward  for  parting  tears, 
In  smiles  from  those  we  left  behind. 
We  go — yet  hoping  to  return, 
Friends  of  our  youth,  to  home  and  you, 
For  these  do  cause  our  hearts  to  yearn, 
E'en  when  we  sigh  Adieu — Adieu. 

There  are  few  now  living  in  Cooper  County  who  were  old  enough 
in  1853  to  remember  the  intense  excitement  and  the  bitterness  incident 
thereto,  caused  by  the  temperance  movement  inaugurated  by  the  Crystal 
Fount  division  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  in  that  year. 


180  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Sixty-six  years  ago  saloons  were  common  in  Boonville,  and  in  all 
probability,  there  were  four  times  as  many  as  at  the  present  time. 
Whiskey  was  cheap,  and  its  use  was  common.  The  "worm  of  the  still" 
could  be  found  wherever  the  thirst  demanded.  As  a  rule  drug  stores, 
grocery  stores,  general  merchandise  stores,  dry  goods  stores,  and  nearly 
all  mercantile  establishments  carried  their  barrel  or  barrels  of  whiskey. 
Although  a  merchant  may  have  depreciated  the  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  he  was  practically  forced  to  yield  to  the  common  custom  by 
reason  of  the  practise  of  his  competitors. 

The  Sons  of  Temperance  secured  the  services  of  Rev.  William  Ross, 
Deputy  Grand  Worthy  Patriarch  of  Missouri,  who  delivered  a  number 
of  stirring  lectures  in  the  Methodist,  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian 
churches  in  this  city.  The  Reverend  Ross  was  pugnacious,  possessed  of 
fervent  eloquence,  and  used  a  trenchant  tongue.  Like  the  woodman 
he  cared  not  where  the  chips  flew.  He  was  more  belligerent  than  dis- 
creet, but  withall,  his  methods  were  well  calculated  to  arouse  intense 
interest  and  excitement  in  his  hearers.  He  was  radical  in  his  views,  and 
by  the  bold  and  denunciatory  manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  liquor 
traffic,  and  those  who  drank,  incurred  the  resentment  and  displeasure  of 
the  saloon-keepers  of  the  town,  as  well  as  those  who  patronized  them. 

The  interest  in  his  subject  by  his  listeners  deepened  and  continued 
to  increase  from  day  to  day  until  it  reached  its  culminating  point  on 
July  17,  1853.  Upon  that  Sunday,  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of  temper- 
ance was  advertised  to  be  held  at  the  Presbyterian  Church,  where  Rev. 
William  Ross  would  deliver  one  of  his  interesting  lectures. 

H.  D.  Benedict  was  the  mayor  of  the  city  of  Boonville  at  that  time. 
Fearing  serious  results  from  the  bitterness  manifested  on  both  sides, 
on  the  16th  of  July,  the  day  preceding  the  day  of  the  lecture,  he  had 
published  the  following  proclamation,  which  speaks  for  itself: 

"Whereas,  a  certain  itinerant  lecturer,  calling  himself  "Billy  Ross," 
has  been  disseminating  discord  and  dissention  in  this  community,  by 
vituperation  and  abuse,  under  the  guise  of  temperance  lectures;  and, 
whereas,  it  is  said  that  sundry  persons  have  armed  themselves  and 
threatened  to  assemble  for  combat — some  to  encourage  and  others  to 
stop  said  Ross  in  his  course — these  are  therefore  to  forbid  all  such  riotous 
and  unlawful  assemblages.  And  the  police  of  this  city  are  hereby  re- 
quired to  suppress  and  disperse  all  riotous  and  unlawful  assemblies  in 
this  city. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  181 

In  testimony  whereof,  I,  H.  B.  Benedict,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Boon- 
ville,  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  caused  to  be  affixed  the  seal  of  the 
city,  at  office,  this  16th  day  of  July,  1853. 

"H.  B.  BENEDICT,  Mayor." 

Following  his  proclamation  by  action,  the  mayor  immediately  organ- 
ized a  force  numbering  62  men,  of  which  he  was  the  leader,  and  marched 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  on  the  17th  of  July,  where  he  took  posses- 
sion of  the  church  and  premises.  Many  came  to  the  church,  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  but  were  prevented  from  entering  the  building  by  the 
mayor  and  his  force,  and  the  assembled  crowd  was  quietly  dispersed.  No 
resistance  was  offered  nor  was  there  any  riotous  demonstration.  The 
partisan  of  the  respective  parties  to  the  controversy  commended  and 
condemned  in  turn  the  action  of  the  mayor,  according  to  the  respective 
inclinations,  and  their  interest  in  the  imbroglio. 

However,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  temperance  organiza- 
tion of  Boonville,  and  in  the  following  language.,  gave  vent  to  their  feel- 
ing, and  thus  expressed  their  views  of  the  action  of  the  police  force: 

"Who  made  up  that  (so-called)  police  force?  Everybody  in  Boon- 
ville knows.  Whisky  traders,  grog-shop  keepers  and  their  bloated  cus- 
tomers, black-legs,  infidels — some  known  long  and  truly,  to  be  infidels 
alike  towards  all  that  is  divine  in  Christianity,  and  pure  and  sacred  in 
the  principles  of  a  well-ordered  domestic  and  social  life.  When  Mr.  Ross 
together  with  his  peacable,  forbearing,  but  deeply  outraged  audience, 
assembled  at  the  church-yard  gate,  around  the  church  enclosure,  and 
looked  over,  they  saw  men  who  for  weeks  before  had  been  breathing 
"threatenings  and  slaughter"  against  Mr.  Ross  (for  no  other  reason 
than  this  only;  that  he  had  assaulted  within  the  walls  of  the  churches 
of  this  city,  the  Hydra  monster  whisky),  herded  together,  all  who  heart- 
lessly trade  in,  and  fatten  upon  the  profits  of  the  poison. 

"Large  numbers  of  ladies,  with  the  general  multitude,  lingered 
around  the  gate,  and  gazed  with  mingled  feelings  of  pity,  suppressed 
indignation  and  contempt  upon  the  motley  mass  of  disgusting,  animan 
and  moral  putrescence  that  made  up  almost  the  entire  number  of  the 
legalized  mob  that  invested,  by  barbarian,  bacchanalian  authority  the 
peaceful  premises  of  that  deeply  dishonored  sanctuary." 

From  the  past,  we  often  learn  the  present.  Thus  it  is  seen  that  in 
those  years  long  past,  the  men  and  the  women  who  passed  their  brief 
hour  upon  the  stage,  and  whose  memory  we  honor  and  revere,  gave  vent 


182  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

to  their  feelings  and  convictions,  in  language  at  times  virile,  vigorous 
and  bitter,  much  as  we  today  are  wont  to  do,  losing  sight  of  the  senti- 
ment and  the  poet's  vision, 

"Life  is  too  brief 
Between  the  budding  and  the  falling  leaf, 
Between  the  seed  time  and  the  golden  sheaf, 
For  hate  and  spite. 

"Life  is  too  swift 
Between  the  blossom  and  the  white  snow's  drift, 
Between  the  silence  and  the  lark's  uplift, 
For  bitter  words." 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union 
aroused  such  intense  and  bitter  agitation  throughout  the  whole  country 
that  it  was  feared  by  some  of  the  wisest  statesmen  of  the  day  that  it 
would  disrupt  the  Union.  Thi-oughout  the  years  succeeding  the  admis- 
sion of  Missouri  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  the  pro-slavery  and 
anti-slavery  agitators  were  busy  and  active.  In  1855  the  feeling  became 
intensified.  Cooper  County  at  that  time  was  settled  mostly  by  people 
from  the  southern  states  and  their  deep  sympathy  was  with  the  pro- 
slavery  cause.  At  this  time  the  German  population  of  Cooper  County 
was  not  large,  yet  not  being  slave  holders  nor  attached  by  tradition  to 
the  slave  holding  cause,  they  were  not  in  sympathy  with  the  pro-slavery 
movement. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  held  at  Bell  Air,  on 
Saturday,  June  30,  1855,  for  the  purpose  of  appointing  delegates  to  attend 
the  pro-slavery  convention  to  be  held  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  on  the  12th  day 
of  July,  1855,  the  following  delegates  were  appointed:  Boonville  town- 
ship. J.  L.  Stephens,  W.  Douglass,  A.  W.  Simpson,  J.  M.  Nelson,  J.  W. 
Torbert,  W.  N.  Ragland,  Isaac  Lionberger,  John  Combs,  T.  V.  Hickox, 
Benjamin  Tompkins;  Lamine  township,  Freeman  Wing,  Jesse  B.  Tiuiey, 
S.  W.  McMahan;  Saline  township,  John  L.  O'Bryan,  W.  T.  Thorton,  J.  K. 
Ragland,  A.  W.  Lucky;  Clarks  Fork  township,  Robert  McCulloch,  Henry 
Mills,  A.  Greenhalgh,  Charles  Q.  Lewis;  Moniteau  township,  A.  K.  Longan, 
D.  Jones,  D.  P.  Swearingen,  J.  Baughman,  Dr.  William  H.  Ellis:  Kelly 
township,  W.  McCurdy,  A.  Nelson,  Dr.  E.  Chilton;  Palestine  township, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  183 

William  Bradley,  R.  L.  Bradley,  B.  C.  Clark,  R.  H.  Menefee,  James  L. 
Bell,  L.  C.  Stephens,  R.  A.  Ewing;  Clear  Creek  township,  James  B.  Harris, 
George  S.  Cockrill,  Samuel  B.  Mahan;  Pilot  Grove  township,  Dr.  W.  W. 
Harriman,  Dr.  J.  K.  McCabe,  W.  M.  Taylor,  John  Miller;  Blackwater 
township,  N.  Sutherlin,  Thomas  L.  Williams,  Richard  Marshall,  John  A. 
Trigg;  Lebanon  township,  Richard  Willis,  Thomas  McCulloch,  Dr.  Sam- 
uel H.  Saunders,  H.  W.  Ferguson,  Geo.  Harland.  L.  C.  Stephens,  presi- 
dent; William  Bradley  and  J.  M.  Nelson,  vice-presidents;  Bennett  C. 
Clark,  secretary. 

About  this  time  great  efforts  were  being  made  by  both  the  contend- 
ing forces  in  the  slavery  controversy  to  settle  the  State  of  Kansas  with 
their  respective  adherents.  It  would  be  difficult  and  it  is  not  the  purpose 
in  this  volume  to  portray  the  unreasonable  bitterness  arising  therefrom, 
but  that  our  old  citizens  of  Cooper  were  active  in  the  controversy  and 
the  Kansas  troubles  of  1856  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  on  Aug.  20, 
1856,  a  call  was  made  in  Boonville  for  men  and  money  from  the  citizens 
of  Cooper  County  to  aid  the  pro-slavery  party  in  Kansas.  One  of  the 
posters  announcing  the  call  is  as  follows:  "A  meeting  of  the  citizens 
of  Cooper  County  will  be  held  at  the  court-house,  in  Boonville,  on  Satur- 
day, the  23rd,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  men  and  money  to  aid  the  law 
and  order  men  in  Kansas.  Let  every  pro-slavery  man  attend.  Bring 
your  guns  and  horses.  Let  us  sustain  the  Government,  and  drive  back 
the  abolitionists  who  are  murdering  our  citizens."  The  above  was  signed 
by  some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  town,  who  sent  men  and  money 
to  Kansas. 

The  practical  unanimity  among  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County  as  to 
the  slavery  issue  was  manifested  in  the  elections  of  1856  and  1860.  In 
1856  there  were  three  candidates  for  President  in  the  field,  namely: 
James  Buchanan,  Democrat;  Millard  Fillmore,  American;  and  John  C. 
Freemont,  Republican.  There  was  no  ticket  in  Cooper  County  for  Free- 
mont.  Millard  Fillmore  carried  the  county  over  James  Buchanan  by 
about  eight  votes,  so  nearly  even  were  the  two  parties,  but  so  small 
the  adherents  of  the  Republican  pai'ty  that  no  ticket  was  in  the  field. 

At  the  next  presidential  election  in  1860  the  candidates  were  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  Union  Democrat;  John  C.  Breckenridge,  Southern  Democrat; 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican;  and  John  Bell,  Union. 

Douglas  carried  Cooper  County  by  a  small  majority,  Bell  running 
him  close.    Breckenridge  had  a  small  vote  and  Lincoln  but  twenty  votes. 


184  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

So  strange  it  seemed  at  that  time  that  any  one  should  vote  for  Lincoln 
that  the  names  of  those  who  voted  for  him  were  afterwards  published 
in  the  newspapers  as  an  item  of  curiosity.  The  result  of  the  foregoing 
elections  demonstrates  that  while  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County  were 
for  slavery,  yet  they  were  against  secession  and  loyally  in  favor  of  the 
Union. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD 


CIVIL  WAR  A  MEMORY— BATTLE  BELOW  BOOXVILLE— HOME  GUARDS  IN  COOPER 
COUNTY— PRICE'S  RAID— SHELBY'S  RAID— PRICE'S  RAID  INTO  COOPER 
COUNTY. 

The  novelist  will  take  the  most  fragile  thread  of  fact,  and  from  this, 
with  cunning  skill,  weave  a  fabric  of  romantic  and  surpassing  beauty. 
The  historian  in  comparison  must  be  prosy,  eschewing  all  of  the  myths, 
and  avoiding  legends,  the  essence  of  poesy  and  songs.  As  one  has  said, 
he  must  "nothing  extenuate,  nor  set  down  aught  in  malice."  History  is 
a  skeleton  of  the  past.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  visualize  it 
with  flesh  and  blood,  make  the  dead  past  the  living  present. 

After  the  lapse  of  more  than  half  a  century,  the  bitterness  of  the 
Civil  War  is  but  a  memory,  and  with  the  younger  generation,  only  a 
tradition.  It  is  not  intended  in  this  chapter  to  discuss  the  causes  and 
long  chain  of  events  that  led  up  to  the  sanguinary  and  internecine  war  of 
1861-65.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  human  slavery  is  abolished.  Who  can 
now  regret  it?  The  Union  is  established,  one  and  inseparable.  The 
hand  of  God  has  fashioned  a  nation.  In  the  time  of  need,  He  has  been 
the  giant  of  strength,  to  stay  the  ruthless  onward  rush  of  might.  To 
the  peoples  of  the  earth,  and  the  powers  of  the  world,  our  country  pro- 
claims the  doctrine  that  the  right  of  man  must  prevail  over  the  might 
of  kings  and  classes. 

To  give  a  detailed  account  of  all  that  transpired  here  in  the  war  of 
rebellion,  or  the  Civil  War,  would  require  a  much  larger  volume  of  space 
than  we  have  at  our  command.  The  following  pages  only  profess  to 
give  without  comment,  some  of  the  facts  as  they  occurred. 

Cooper  County  suffered  a  great  deal  during  the  war.  Her  territory 
was  nearly  all  the  time  occupied  by  either  one  party  or  the  other,  and 


186  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  citizens  were  called  upon  to  contribute  to  first  one  of  the  contending 
forces  and  then  the  other.  Again,  some  of  the  most  inexcusable  crimes 
and  murders  were  committed  within  the  territory  of  Cooper  County, 
which,  while  not  a  part  of  the  war  proper,  will  be  given  in  another  chapter. 

Battle  Below  Boonville. — Governor  Jackson  and  General  Price,  on 
June  11,  1861,  left  Jefferson  City,  where  the  Legislature  was  in  session, 
sought  an  interview  with  Generals  Lyon  and  Blair,  and  made  proposi- 
tions for  a  compromise,  on  the  basis  of  neutrality,  etc.  The  two  last 
mentioned  generals  refused  to  make  any  compromise  whatever.  They 
claimed  the  "unrestricted  right  to  move  and  station  the  troops  of  the 
United  States  throughout  the  State,  whenever  and  wherever,  in  their 
opinion,  they  thought  it  to  be  necessary,  either  for  the  protection  of 
loyal  citizens  of  the  Federal  Government,  or  for  the  repelling  of  an 
invasion. 

Governor  Jackson  and  General  Price,  after  this  unsuccessful  en- 
deavor to  bring  about  peace,  returned  to  Jefferson  City,  and  the  Governor 
issued  a  proclamation,  calling  into  the  active  service  of  the  State  50,000 
men.  General  Lyon,  a  few  days  afterwards,  issued  a  counter  proclama- 
tion, in  justification  of  his  course  in  refusing  to  compromise  with  Gov- 
ernor Jackson  and  General  Price. 

General  Lyon  then  moved  his  troops  to  Jefferson  City,  and  on  his 
arrival  at  that  place,  he  found  that  Governor  Jackson  had  moved  his 
forces  50  miles  above,  to  Boonville,  cutting  the  telegraph  lines,  and 
destroying  the  bridges  on  the  railway  as  he  proceeded.  General  Lyon, 
leaving  Colonel  Boernstein  in  command  of  a  small  force  at  the  capital, 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th  day  of  June,  1861,  embarked  his  forces  on 
three  steamers,  and  ascending  the  Missouri  River,  they  arrived  at  Roche- 
port  about  six  o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  There  he  ascertained 
that  the  State  troops,  under  General  Marmaduke  (Price  at  that  time 
being  sick),  were  in  full  force  a  few  miles  below  Boonville,  and  that 
resistance  might  be  expected  from  them1,  should  he  attempt  to  reach 
Boonville  by  that  road.  Leaving  this  place,  and  taking  the  steam  ferry- 
boat, Paul  Wilcox,  General  Lyon's  command  ascended  the  river  to  the 
island,  eight  miles  below  Boonville,  which  was  reached  at  about  seven 
o'clock  a.  m.,  and  on  the  southern  shore  of  which  the  command  disembarked. 

No  enemy  being  in  sight,  and  the  scouts  reporting  no  sign  of  any, 
the  troops  at  once  marched  up  the  Missouri  River  towards  Boonville,  and 
followed  the  road  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  to  the  place  where  it  ascends 
the  bluffs,  from  the  river  bottom.     At  this  place,  several  shots  from 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  187 

General  Lyon's  scouts  announced  the  driving  in  of  General  Marmaduke's 
pickets.  General  Lyon  then  advanced  for  nearly  a  mile,  and  found  Gen- 
eral Marmaduke  well  posted  at  the  brow  of  the  ascent.  Captain  Totten 
opened  the  engagement  by  throwing  a  few  nine  pound  bombshells  into 
the  entrenchments  of  the  State  troops,  while  the  infantry  commenced 
a  heavy  volley  of  musketry,  which  was  well  replied  to,  the  balls  flying 
thick  and  fast  among  the  ranks  of  the  troops,  and  wounding  several  on 
both  sides. 

The  State  troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Marmaduke,  were 
posted  in  a  lane  running  from  the  Rocheport  road  in  the  direction  of 
the  river,  and  west  of  the  residence  of  William  M.  Adams,  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  junction  of  the  two  roads.  During  the  fight  a  couple 
of  bombs  were  thrown  through  the  east  wall  of  Mr.  Adam's  house,  caus- 
ing the  inmates  to  retreat  to  the  cellar  for  protection.  A  heavy  fire  from 
Colonel  Shaefer's  German  infantry,  General  Lyon's  company. of  regulars, 
and  part  of  Colonel  Blair's  regiment  which  were  stationed  on  the  left 
of  the  road,  compelled  the  troops  of  General  Marmaduke  to  retreat. 

His  force  then  clambered  over  the  fence  into  a  field  of  wheat,  and 
again  formed  in  line  just  below  the  brow  of  the  hill.  They  then  advanced 
some  twenty  steps  to  meet  the  Federal  troops,  and  for  a  short  time  the 
artillery  of  Captain  Totten  was  worked  with  great  rapidity.  Just  at  this 
the  State  troops  opened  a  galling  fire  from  a  grove  just  on  the  left 
of  the  Federal  center,  and  from  a  shed  from  beyond  and  still  farther 
to  the  left. 

What  had  been  before  this  a  skirmish  now  assumed  the  magnitude 
of  a  battle,  which  continued  only  about  a  half  hour.  The  State  troops 
finding  the  Federals  too  strong  and  too  well  armed  and  drilled  to  be 
successfully  opposed  by  raw  recruits  (most  of  them  had  never  been  under 
fire)  and  having  no  artillery  with  which  to  return  the  fire  from  General 
Lyon's  batteries,  abandoned  the  fight  and  retreated.  Captains  Cole  and 
Miller  took  possession  of  "Camp  Bacon,"  where  the  State  troops  had  been 
encamped  for  two  days. 

General  Lyon  continued  his  march  towards  Boonville.  He  was  met 
on  the  hill  near  the  residence  of  T.  W.  Nelson,  by  James  H.  O'Bryan, 
acting  mayor  of  Boonville,  Judge  G.  W.  Miller,  and  other  prominent  citi- 
zens, who  formally  surrendered  the  town  to  him,  and  he  immediately 
marched  into  and  took  possession  of  it. 

General  Marmaduke  commanded  the  State  troops  on  this  occasion. 
General  Price  was  in  ill  health,  and  on  the  day  on  which  the  battle 


188  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

occurred  he  left  Boonville  on  a  steamboat  for  Lexington.  Governor  Jack- 
son was  on  the  battleground  in  the  forenoon,  but  left  Boonville  on  the 
Georgetown  road  about  11  o'clock  of  that  day.  In  this  engagement  two 
of  Lyon's  men  were  killed  and  nine  wounded.  Among  the  State  troops, 
three  were  killed  and  several  wounded,  but  the  number  of  these  is 
unknown. 

Kelly's  was  the  only  well  organized  and  well  drilled  company  under 
the  command  of  General  Marmaduke,  and  it  did  not  participate  in  the 
battle.  It  is  said  that  General  Price  was  opposed  to  making  a  stand 
against  General  Lyon  at  the  time,  as  all  of  his  troops,  except  Kelly's 
company,  were  raw  recruits  and  very  poorly  armed  and  drilled,  having 
rallied  at  Boonville  during  the  preceding  three  days.  There  was  consid- 
erable controversy  among  the  officers  and  men,  whether,  considering  the 
circumstances,  a  stand  or  retreat  should  be  made;  but  some  of  the  most 
enthusiastic,  whose  counsel  prevailed,  said  that  they  had  come  to  fight 
and  they  intended  to  do  so.  There  were  several  prisoners  taken  by  Gen- 
eral Lyon,  but  they  were  afterwards  released  on  parole. 

The  next  day  after  the  battle,  General  Lyon  issued  a  proclamation, 
offering  full  pardon  to  all  who  would  lay  down  their  arms,  return  to 
their  homes,  relinquish  their  hostility  to  the  United  States  Government, 
and  persons  who  did  this  were  assured  that  they  would  not  be  molested 
for  past  offenses.  Many  w'ho  had  taken  part  in  this  battle  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  offered  by  General  Lyon,  and  some  of  them 
never  took  up  arms  again  during  the  war. 

General  Lyon  remained  at  Boonville  for  several  weeks,  during  which 
time  he  purchased  a  large  outfit  of  wagons,  horses  and  mules,  paying 
fair  prices  for  them,  no  pressing  or  forced  sales  being  made.  He  a] 
captured  every  steamboat  that  passed  down  the  river.  On  the  third  day 
of  July,  having  received  reinforcements  of  an  Iowa  regiment,  he  took 
his  departure  for  the  southwest,  his  objective  point  being  Springfield. 
A  short  time  before,  General  Blair  left  for  Washington,  to  take  his  seat 
in  Congress,  he  having  been  elected  a  representative  from  St.  Louis. 

This  being  the  first  battle  of  the  Rebellion  which  was  fought  on 
land,  the  taking  of  Fort  Sumter  having  occurred  only  a  short  time  before, 
produced  great  excitement  throughout  the  United  States,  and  General 
Blair  on  his  way  to  Washington  was  met  by  great  crowds  of  his  friends, 
and  lionized,  feasted,  and  toasted,  as  the  "hero  of  the  hour." 

Before  General  Lyon  left  Boonville,  Maj.  Joseph  A.  Eppstein  organ- 
ized two  companies  of  home  guards,  composed  entirely  of  Germans,  which 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  189 

were  commanded  by  him.  They  thi-ew  up  fortifications  at  the  old  fair 
grounds.  When  he  moved  to  Springfield,  he  left  Major  Curly,  who  was 
shortly  afterwards  succeeded  by  Col.  John  D.  Stephenson,  in  command 
at  the  fortifications. 

Doctor  Quarles  was  among  the  killed  of  the  State  troops.  His  body 
was  found  in  the  wheat  field  late  in  the  evening  after  the  battle,  he  hav- 
ing been  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  not  being  discovered,  bled 
to  death.  Young  McCutchen  was  also  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  although 
properly  cared  for,  all  their  efforts  could  not  save  him.  He  died  a  few 
days  after  the  battle.  The  death  of  these  two  gentlemen,  so  young,  so 
.remising  and  kindhearted,  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  community, 
and  their  loss  was  universally  regretted  by  all  parties.  The  other  gentle- 
man killed,  who  was  from  Pettis  County,  was  shot  in  the  head,  and  his 
name  is  not  remembered. 

General  Parsons,  with  the  artillery  belonging  to  the  State  troops, 
arrived  too  late  to  engage  in  the  Battle.  He  came  in  on  the  Boonville 
and  Tipton  road,  via  Wilkin's  bridge,  and  halted  at  the  top  of  the  hill, 
south  of  Boonville,  near  Dr.  William  Trigg's  present  residence,  where, 
learning  that  General  Marmaduke  had  been  defeated  and  was  retreating, 
he  took  the  road  leading  from  Boonville  to  Prairie  Lick  in  a  southwest 
direction,  and  soon  formed  a  junction  with  Governor  Jackson's  state  troops. 

General  Lyon,  two  days  after  the  battle  of  Boonville,  sent  a  detach- 
ment of  his  force  southwest,  by  way  of  Syracuse,  as  far  as  Florence, 
Morgan  county,  in  pursuit  of  Governor  Jackson.  But  finding  that  the 
state  troops  had  moved  still  farther  south,  the  command  returned  to 
Boonville  without  meeting  any  of  Jackson's  command. 

Home  Guards  in  Cooper  County. — General  Nathaniel  Lyon,  on  the 
20th  day  of  June,  1861,  organized  and  mustered  into  service  a  company  of 
German  home  guards,  consisting  of  135  men.  Of  this  company  Joseph  A. 
Eppstein  was  elected  captain ;  Emil  Haas,  first  lieutenant ;  Ernest  Roeschel, 
second  lieutenant;  and  John  A.  Hain,  orderly  sergeant.  This  company 
was,  on  the  fourth  day  of  August,  ordered  to  Jefferson  City  for  the  pur- 
pose of  aiding  in  the  protection  of  the  capital.  They  together  with  Colonel 
Brown's  7th  Missouri  regiment,  wei-e,  a  short  time  afterwards,  ordered  to 
Otterville.  They  went  by  rail  to  Syracuse,  and  marched  on  foot  the  bal- 
ance of  the  way  to  Otterville,  which  they  immediately  occupied. 

A  large  number  of  southern  men  living  in  the  vicinity  had  organized 
a  company,  and  under  the  command  of  Captain  Alexander,  James  B.  Harris, 
and  others,  were  camped  near  by.     These  two  commands  for  some  reason 


190  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

not  wishing  to  attack  each  other,  made  the  following  compromise  which 
was  suggested  by  the  southern  commanders,  and  after  some  parley,  ac- 
cepted by  Colonel  Brown.  It  was  agreed  that  if  the  Federal  troops  would 
withdraw  from  Otterville,  Captain  Alexander  would  disband  his  forces, 
and  Colonel  Brown  ordered  his  command  back  to  Jefferson  City. 

Afterwards,  the  home  guards,  with  part  of  Colonel  Worthington's 
command,  were  ordered  to  Boonville.  They  ascended  the  Missouri  River 
in  a  steamboat,  and  arrived  at  Boonville  very  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  day  following  their  start  from  Jefferson  City.  The  morning  was  very 
foggy,  so  that  the  boat  could  hardly  be  seen  from  the  shore.  It  passed 
Boonville  under  cover  of  darkness  and  the  fog,  and  landed  at  Haas'  brew- 
ery, situated  about  one-half  of  a  mile  west  of  the  city.  Here  the  home 
guards  disembarked,  and  from  thence  marched  around  and  surrounded 
the  town  before  the  citizens  were  aware  of  their  presence.  Colonel 
Worthington,  with  the  men  of  his  command,  dropped  down  on  the  steam- 
boat landing  at  the  foot  of  Main  street,  and  marched  up  into  the  town. 
He  then  took  a  number  of  prominent  citizens  prisoners,  and  confiscated 
the  contents  of  two  tin  stores  and  one  shoe  store,  the  owners  of  which 
were  charged  with  selling  goods  to  the  Confederates ;  he  also  took  posses- 
sion of  the  Observer  printing  establishment,  then  owned  by  A.  W.  Simp- 
son and  had  the  presses,  type,  etc.,  boxed  up  and  shipped  to  Jefferson  City. 
This  was  all  done  under  the  orders  of  Colonel  U.  S.  Grant  afterwards 
president  of  the  United  States,  who  was  then  in  command  at  Jefferson 
City.  The  home  guards,  together  with  Colonel  Worthington's  command, 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  took  with  them  the  prisoners  and  the 
property  which  they  had  confiscated.  The  prisoners  were  afterwards 
released,  and  returned  home;  but  most  of  the  property,  except  that  be- 
longing to  the  printing  establishment,  was  never  seen  again  by  its  owners. 

Aug.  28th,  in  the  same  year,  Gen.  Jeff  C.  Davis  ordered  the  home 
guards  to  reinforce  Colonel  Mulligan  at  Lexington,  Missouri.  Two  days 
before  the  2d  Illinois  regiment  of  cavalry  had  been  ordered  to  the  same 
place,  and  had  started.  When  Colonel  Eppstein,  the  commander  of  the 
home  guards,  arrived  at  Tipton,  he  heard  that  a  part  of  the  2d  Illinois 
cavalry  was  at  Boonville,  and  concluded  to  go  there  also,  and  reported  to 
headquarters,  that  if  they  had  any  orders  for  him,  to  forward  them  to 
him  at  that  place. 

Colonel  Eppstein  was  ordered  by  Gen.  Jeff  C.  Davis,  then  stationed 
at  Jefferson  City,  to  remain  at  Boonville  and  occupy  the  breastworks, 
which  he  did. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  191 

Sept.  1,  1861,  the  troops  around  Boonville  formed  themselves  into  a 
battalion,  consisting  of  two  and  one-half  companies;  companies  A  and  B, 
infantry,  and  one-half  a  company  of  cavalry.  The  officers  of  the  battalion 
were  Joseph  A.  Eppstein,  major;  Emil  Haas,  surgeon;  and  John  A.  Hayne, 
adjutant;  of  company  A,  infantry,  were  John  B.  Keiser,  captain;  John 
Roterd,  first  lieutenant;  Charles  Koch,  second  lieutenant;  of  company  B, 
infantry,  were  Charles  Beihle,  captain;  Joseph  Weber,  first  lieutenant; 
John  Fessler,  second  lieutenant.  The  half  company  of  cavalry  was  com- 
manded by  Peter  Ostermyer. 

About  four  days  afterwards,  this  battalion  received  information  that 
it  would  be  attacked  by  the  Confederates  from  several  surrounding 
counties.  Colonel  Eppstein  immediately  arrested  a  number  of  the  most 
prominent  southern  men  in  Boonville,  viz:  N.  H.  Ells,  Rev.  H.  M.  Painter, 
William  E.  Burr,  J.  W.  Draffen,  James  Harper,  and  Joseph  L.  Stephens, 
and  held  them  as  hostages,  hoping  thereby  to  prevent  the  contemplated 
attack.  But  about  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  day  of  Sept., 
1861,  while  Eppstein's  command  was  at  breakfast,  the  pickets  having  all 
come  in,  the  breastworks  were  attacked  by  a  force  of  about  eight  hun- 
dred men  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Brown,  of  Saline  County.  The 
fortifications  were  attacked  on  the  west,  southwest  and  southeast  sides. 
The  first  attack  was  from  the  southwest,  the  next  through  Lilly's  field 
on  the  southeast,  and  finally  extended  around  to  the  west  side.  At  first, 
the  firing  was  very  rapid  from  the  southwest  and  southeast,  and  soon 
afterwards  from  the  side  of  the  fortifications,  the  balls  falling  thick  on 
every  side.  Colonel  Brown  led  the  attack  on  the  southeast,  and  made 
two  charges  upon  the  breastworks,  but  was  compelled  to  fall  back  each 
time  under  the  heavy  fire  from  the  intrenchments.  In  the  second  attack 
Colonel  Brown  was  mortally  wounded,  and  fell  within  50  feet  of  the  breast- 
works. A  short  time  afterwards,  his  brother,  Captain  Brown,  was  also 
mortally  wounded,  and  fell  about  ten  feet  behind  him.  The  Browns  were 
both  brave  men,  and  fought  with  desperation  and  with  utter  disregard 
of  their  own  safety.  After  the  two  Browns  had  fallen  mortally  wounded, 
and  Major  Poindexter  been  left  in  command  of  the  Confederates,  Mr. 
Burr,  who  was  one  of  the  prisoners  at  the  breastworks,  having  become 
satisfied  that  the  entrenchments  could  not  be  taken,  asked,  and  was 
granted  pel-mission  to  visit  the  Confederates,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  in 
order  to  see  what  arrangements  could  be  made  so  as  to  bring  about  a 
cessation  of  hostilities.  The  two  commanders  finally  agreed  upon  an 
armistice  for  seven  days,  Major  Poindexter's  troops  to  be  withdrawn  from 


192  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  breastworks  and  city,  a  distance  of  three  miles,  and  were  not  to  enter 
town  only  for  medicine  during  that  time;  Poindexter  was  to  return  all 
horses  taken  from  Union  men,  and  surrender  the  arms  of  the  men  who 
had  fallen  in  the  engagements.  If  the  terms  of  the  armistice  were  broken 
by  Poindexter,  then  Rev.  H.  M.  Painter  was  to  be  shot. 

The  home  guards  numbered  about  140  effective  men.  Their  loss  was 
two  killed  and  seven  wounded.  The  names  of  the  killed  were  John  A. 
Hayne,  adjutant,  and  Kimball,  a  private.  The  number  of  Colonel  Brown's 
command  who  were  killed  and  wounded  is  not  known.  Colonel  and 
Captain  Brown  were,  after  the  battle,  taken  to  a  hospital  at  Boonville. 
The  colonel  died  of  his  wounds  the  same  evening;  the  captain  lingered 
until  the  next  day,  when  he  too  died.  Their  bodies  were  taken  to  Saline 
County  for  burial. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  messengers  were  dispatched  by 
three  different  routes,  viz:  by  way  of  Tipton,  Jefferson  City  road  and 
down  the  river  in  a  skiff,  asking  for  reinforcements.  Of  these  messengers, 
none  reached  Jefferson  City  except  Joseph  Read  and  Joseph  Reavis,  who 
went  down  the  river.  Those  who  went  by  the  way  of  Tipton  and  the 
Jefferson  City  road,  were  captured  by  Colonel  Brown's  men  while  they 
were  on  the  way. 

On  the  14th,  at  10  o'clock  p.  m.,  the  force  at  Boonville  was  reinforced 
by  the  5th  Iowa  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Worthington, 
which  came  up  the  river  on  a  steamboat.  After  the  armistice  had  ex- 
pired, Major  Poindexter  drew  off  his  men  and  marched  up  the  river  to 
join  General  Price,  at  Lexington. 

In  Nov.,  1861,  a  scouting  party  of  three  men  belonging  to  the  home 
guards,  started  out  to  gain  information  in  regard  to  a  band  of  bush- 
whackers, who  were  thought  to  have  their  headquarters  somewhere  in 
Clark's  Fork  township,  in  this  county.  While  approaching  the  house  of 
William  George,  in  said  township,  they  were  fired  upon  from  the  house, 
and  one  of  their  number  killed.  The  scouts  then  returned  to  Tipton,  and 
having  obtained  reinforcements,  returned  and  burned  William  George's 
house. 

On  Sept.  16,  1861,  Colonel  Eppstein's  battalion  was  commanded  by 
Colonel  Worthington  to  take  possession  of  and  guard  the  bridge  across  the 
Lamine  River,  on  the  road  from  Boonville  to  Arrow  Rock.  Before  their 
arrival  at  the  bridge,  they  heard  the  firing  of  several  minute  guns  behind 
them,  which  were  intended  to  warn  the.  state  troops  of  the  approach  of 
Colonel  Eppstein's  men.     They  reached  the  bridge  in  the  night,  and  were 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  193 

fired  upon  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  by  the  state  troops,  who 
seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  bridge.  Colonel  Eppstein  returned 
the  fire,  and  mortally  wounded  a  young  man  named  Herndon,  who  lived  in 
Lamine  township,  in  this  county.  He  was  taken  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
William  Higgenson,  where  he  soon  afterwards  expired.  The  state  troops 
soon  retreated  and  left  Colonel  Eppstein's  troops  in  possession  of  the 
bridge,  where  they  remained,  until  Sept.  19th,  when  they  were  ordered 
to  return  to  Boonville. 

Soon  afterwards,  Colonel  Worthington  ordered  Colonel  Eppstein  to 
take  his  command  with  him  and  burn  this  same  bridge,  it  having  been 
reported  that  General  Price's  army  was  marching  towards  Boonville  from 
that  direction,  and  would  probably  cross  the  Lamine  at  this  point.  Colonel 
Eppstein  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  this  purpose  by  telling  him 
that  this  would  only  delay  Price  a  single  day,  as  he  could  cross  a  short 
distance  above;  but  Colonel  Worthington  replied  that  it  must  be  done, 
as  he  deemed  it  to  be  a  military  necessity.  So  the  bridge  was  burned 
according  to  his  order.  This  proved  to  be  a  false  alarm,  as  Price  was  not 
on  his  way  to  Boonville,  and  did  not  attempt  to  march  in  that  direction. 

Under  a  special  law  of  congress,  passed  on  account  of  a  general  dis- 
satisfaction among  the  home  guards  all  over  the  state,  Colonel  Eppstein's 
battalion  was  reorganized,  and  became  a  part  of  the  Missouri  state  militia. 
Six  companies  were  raised  and  organized  at  Boonville,  and  to  these  were 
added  two  companies  from  St.  Louis,  thus  forming  the  13th  regiment 
of  the  Missouri  state  militia  cavalry.  The  company  of  infantry  which  was 
commanded  by  Capt.  Charles  Biehle,  joined  the  1st  Missouri  state  militia 
infantry.  Afterwards  the  13th  infantry  was  consolidated  with  four  com- 
panies of  the  12th  regiment,  and  Schofield's  "hussars",  and  from  that 
time  formed  the  5th  regiment,  the  old  5th  having  previously  been  dis- 
banded. 

The  officers  of  this  regiment  were  Albert  Sigel,  colonel ;  Joseph  A. 
Eppstein,  lieutenant-colonel;  John  B.  Kaiser,  major;  and  John  Fetzer, 
surgeon.  This  regiment  after  being  thoroughly  organized  and  fully 
drilled  and  equipped,  was  ordered  to  Waynesville,  in  the  Rolla  district, 
where  they  remained  and  from  which  place  they  operated  during  the  war. 
Part  of  this  regiment  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Brown  during 
his  pursuit  of  Shelby,  when  in  October,  1863,  he  made  his  raid  through 
the  state  in  the  direction  of  Boonville. 

Price's  Raid. — Six  companies  of  the  5th  regiment,  under  the  command 
(13) 


194  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  Colonel  Eppstein,  composed  a  portion  of  the  forces  of  General  Sanborn 
during  his  operations  against  General  Price  in  his  raid  through  Missouri 
in  the  fall  of  1864.  General  Sanborn,  at  first  supposing  that  General 
Price  would  march  in  the  direction  of  Rolla,  concentrated  his  forces  at  that 
place,  but  finding  that  General  Price  was  making  for  Jefferson  City,  he 
moved  his  command  to  the  latter  place,  on  the  way  marching  nearly 
parallel  with  the  Confederates ;  for  while  he  was  crossing  the  Osage  River 
at  Castle  Rock,  General  Price  was  crossing  the  stream  eight  miles  below. 
Colonel  Eppstein's  command  had  a  slight  skirmish  with  the  Confederate 
advance  guard  between  the  Osage  and  the  Moreau  creek,  but  he  succeeded 
in  reaching  Jefferson  City  first. 

General  Sanborn  had  concentrated  at  that  place,  3,000  infantry  and 
4,000  cavalry,  most  of  them  regulars,  and  all  of  them  well-armed  and 
drilled.  General  Price's  army  numbered  about  20,000  men,  yet  there  were 
thousands  of  them  who  had  no  arms,  and  had  never  seen  anything  like  a 
battle.  Neither  had  his  troops  been  organized  and  placed  under  com- 
manders, as  many  of  them  had  flocked  to  his  standard  as  he  had  marched 
through  the  state.  As  he  was  continually  on  the  march,  he  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  effect  organization  in  the  ranks  at  this  time  although  shortly 
afterwards  he  had  them  under  perfect  control. 

Price  only  made  a  slight  attack  on  Jefferson  City  with  a  small  por- 
tion of  his  forces,  then  withdrew  without  a  general  battle,  and  marched 
across  the  country  in  the  direction  of  Boonville.  General  Sanborn,  as 
soon  as  he  learned  the  true  state  of  affairs,  started  his  cavalry  in  pursuit 
of  the  Confederates.  The  cavalry  had  skirmishing  with  the  Confederal  e 
rear  guard,  which  was  commanded  by  General  Fagan  at  Stringtown,  Rus- 
selville,  and  California,  on  the  10th  clay  of  Oct.,  1864.  During  these 
skirmishes,  three  of  Colonel  Eppstein's  men  were  killed  and  13  wounded. 
The  loss  of  the  Confederates  is  unknown.  Price  camped,  on  the  night  of 
the  10th,  on  the  Moniteau  creek  just  within  the  limits  of  Cooper  County, 
and  on  the  next  day  marched  to  Boonville. 

The  P'ederals  moved  west  and  camped  on  the  upper  Tipton  road, 
about  eleven  miles  south  of  Boonville,  at  Crenshaw's  farm.  On  the  12th 
of  Oct.,  Colonel  Graveley,  with  about  four  hundred  mounted  men  of  San- 
bora's  command,  advanced  by  way  of  the  Tipton  road  to  within  about 
one-half  of  a  mile  of  Boonville,  to  test  the  strength,  and  if  possible,  to 
find  out  the  contemplated  movements  of  General  Price's  command.  At 
what  is  known  as  the  Vollrath  place,  about  one-half  mile  south  of  Boon- 
ville, Colonel  Graveley  came  upon  some  Confederate  companies  in  camp, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  195 

and  some  lively  fighting  ensued,  but  finding  the  Confederates  too  strong 
for  them,  the  Federals  retreated  to  the  main  army. 

On  the  12th,  Colonel  Eppstein  with  about  350  men  of  his  command, 
moved  toward  Boonville,  and  camped  at  Bohannon's  farm,  about  seven 
miles  south  of  Boonville.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  he  was 
ordered  to  advance  as  far  as  he  could  in  the  direction  of  Boonville,  and 
reconnoitre  General  Price's  position.  Immediately  upon  receiving  this 
order  he  commenced  his  march  with  the  above  mentioned  number  of  men 
and  two  mountain  howitzers,  and  on  arriving  at  Wilkin's  bridge,  across 
the  Petite  Saline  creek,  his  command  was  fired  upon  by  a  band  of  about 
400  men  under  the  command  of  General  Fagan,  who  were  guarding  the 
bridge.  Colonel  Eppstein  returned  the  fire,  and  ordered  four  mounted 
companies  to  dismount  and  deploy  as  skirmishers.  After  some  little 
skirmishing  along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  General  Fagan,  leisurely  re- 
treated toward  Boonville.  After  going  north  about  one-half  of  a  mile, 
to  where  a  lane  crosses  the  main  road,  south  of  Mrs.  McCarty's  house, 
Colonel  Eppstein,  who  was  in  pursuit,  found  that  General  Fagan  had  barri- 
caded the  road  with  trees,  etc.  Here  Miller's  and  Murphy's  companies 
had  a  close  fight  with  the  Confederates,  even  using  swords  and  bayonets. 
These  two  companies  were  surrounded  at  one  time  and  ordered  by  the 
Confederates  to  surrender  but  the  other  two  companies  of  Colonel  Epp- 
stein's  command  coming  up  to  their  aid,  General  Fagan  again  fell  baei,\ 
At  this  place  two  of  the  Federals  were  wounded,  but  none  hurt  upon  the 
other  side. 

General  Fagan  next  made  a  stand  at  Anderson's  branch,  and  here 
the  two  forces  had  a  more  severe  battle.  Three  of  the  Federals  were 
killed,  and  seven  wounded.  The  killed  were:  Fred  Hoecher;  a  man 
named  Jones ;  while  the  name  of  the  other  is  not  known.  The  loss  of  the 
Confederates,  as  was  afterwards  learned,  was  considerable. 

General  Fagan  by  this  time  had  brought  up  four  pieces  of  artillery, 
and  commenced  shelling  the  woods  .-".long  Anderson';,  branch  in  which 
cnel  Eppstein  was  stationed.  The  Federals  then  received  orders  to  f?.ll 
back,  and  retreated  to  California,  Moniteau  County,  to  obtain  supplies. 
They  soon  afterwards  returned  to  Crenshaw's  farm,  and  there  halted 
and  took  dinner.  Here  General  Sanborn  learned  that  Price  had  left  Boon- 
ville, so  marching  west  he  camped  for  the  night  at  New  Nebo  church.  The 
next  morning  he  continued  his  march  in  the  direction  of  Georgetown. 

In. Aug.,  1864,  Captain  Parks  with  two  companies,  of  which  Franklin 
Swap  was  first  lieutenant  and  provost  marshal,  being  a  part  of  the  Iowa 


196  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

cavalry,  had  command  of  the  post  at  Boonville.  Finding  but  little  to  do 
on  this  side  of  the  river,  they  crossed  over  into  Howard  County,  in  search 
of  Anderson's  bushwhackers — passed  through  New  Franklin,  and  took 
the  road  east  leading  to  Rocheport.  Although  warned  by  the  citizens  of 
his  danger,  as  Anderson  was  known  to  be  in  full  force  'in  the  neighbor- 
hood, Captain  Parks  marched  on.  When  about  one  mile  east  of  >T 
Franklin,  his  command  was  suddenly  attacked  by  Anderson's  men,  and 
cut  into  two  parts,  seven  of  them  being  killed  by  the  first  fire.  The 
greater  part  of  his  command  retreated  to  a  house  in  the  Missouri  River 
bottom,  and  kept  Anderson  at  bay  by  firing  through  the  cracks  of  the 
house.  Captain  Parks,  at  the  outset,  became  separated  from  his  men. 
and  retreated  towards  Fayette  until  he  met  Major  Leonard's  command, 
which  happened  to  be  marching  in  that  direction.  With  this  he  returned 
to  the  relief  of  his  company,  and  Anderson  having  learned  of  his  approach, 
drew  of  his  men  and  retired. 

The  part  of  Captain  Park's  company  which  had  been  besieged  in  the 
house,  finding  that  Anderson  had  drawn  off  his  men,  mounted  horses, 
came  back  to  Old  Franklin  in  the  night,  and  crossed  the  river  in  safety, 
although  several  men  were  missing.  This  part  of  the  company  knew 
nothing  of  Captain  Parks  until  the  next  day,  when  he  made  his  appearance. 
They  then  recrossed  the  river,  and  having  recovered  the  bodies  of  their 
companions  who  had  ben  killed,  buried  them  in  one  grave  at  the  city  ceme- 
tery, in  the  southwest  part  of  Boonville. 

In  the  winter  of  1862  and  1863,  Colonel  Pope  was  the  commander  of 
several  companies  of  home  militia,  with  headquarters  at  the  fair  grounds 
at  Boonville.  They  disbanded  in  1863,  and  Colonel  D.  W.  Wear  formed  a 
battalion  and  was  commander  of  the  post  at  Boonville.  The  battalion  did 
considerable  scouting,  the  details  of  which  are  not  sufficiently  known  to 
be  given. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Reavis,  while  under  Colonel  Pope,  learning  that 
some  Confederate  recruiting  forces  had  crossed  the  river,  making  their 
way  in  a  southern  direction,  immediately  started  in  pursuit  and  overtook 
them  while  in  camp  in  the  brush,  near  Thomas  Tucker's  house,  about  two 
miles  east  of  Bunceton  in  Cooper  county.  He  fired  upon  them,  killing  two 
men  and  wounding  one.  The  recruits  then  separated  and  made  their  way 
out  of  the  country  by  different  routes.  The  names  of  the  Confederates 
who  were  killed  were  Joshua  Lampton  and  Jones,  from  Boone  County. 
They  were  buried  at  the  "Vine"  or  Concord  church.     The  wounded  man, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  197 

after  recovering,  was  paroled  by  Colonel  Pope,  and  l-eturned  to  his  home 
in  Boone  County. 

Shelby's  Raid. — General  Joseph  Shelby,  of  the  Confederate  army, 
made  a  raid  into  Cooper  County  during  the  month  of  Oct.,  1863.  He 
passed  through  Otterville  on  the  night  of  the  9th  of  said  month,  and 
burned  the  Pacific  railroad  bridge  near  that  town.  On  the  night  of  the 
10th,  he  camped  near  Bell  Air,  in  a  pasture  belonging  to  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Leonard,  and  on  the  next  day  he  marched  to  Boonville.  His  movements 
becoming  known  in  Boonville  the  night  before,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens 
was  called  by  Mayor  McDeramon.  After  some  delay,  the  conclusion  was 
reached  that  the  only  alternative  was  to  surrender  the  city  to  General 
Shelby.  Citizens  were  sent  out  to  meet  him,  who  returned  without  being 
able  to  gain  any  information  as  to  his  whereabouts,  and  they  conveyed  the 
impression  that  he  would  not  pay  his  compliments  to  the  city  during  this 
expedition. 

Therefore,  his  arrival  at  Boonville  on  the  11th  day  of  October,  was 
quite  a  surprise  to  the  citizens.  Several  of  the  citizens  had  crossed  the 
river  into  Howard  County  the  night  before,  having  concluded  that  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valor,  that  their  presence  in  Boonville  would 
accomplish  no  good,  and  that  there  would  be  more  safety  in  making  them- 
selves scarce.  J.  L.  Stevens,  R.  F.  O'Brien,  A.  H.  C.  Koontz,  Alex  Frost, 
D.  C.  Koontz,  Leonard  Ware  and  D.  S.  Kcontz  were  in  this  party. 

Just  as  General  Shelby  marched  into  Boonville  from  the  south,  Major 
Leonard,  with  about  250  Federal  troops,  appeared  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river  and  commenced  crossing  his  men.  The  first  boat  load  had  almost 
reached  the  Boonville  shore,  when  some  one  called  to  those  in  the  boat 
that  the  town  was  full  of  Confederates,  and  that  they  had  better  retreat. 
The  pilots  immediately  turned  the  boat  around  and  made  for  the  Howard 
shore.  At  this  time  some  of  Shelby's  men  appeared  and  commenced  firing 
upon  the  boat  with  muskets.  But  the  boat,  having  gotten  out  of  reach 
of  this  fire,  the  Confederates  brought  up  some  artillery  and  opened  fire  on 
the  boat,  two  shots  striking  it  before  it  reached  the  shore.  As  soon  as 
Major  Leonard  landed  his  forces,  the  artillery  was  turned  upon  them,  and 
they  were  soon  forced  to  retire  beyond  the  reach  of  the  shells. 

At  the  same  time,  Colonel  Crittenden,  with  about  one  hundred  men, 
was  seen  steaming  up  the  river  in  a  boat,  but  on  learning  the  situation 
of  affairs  at  Boonville,  he  droped  down  the  river  and  landed  a  short  dis- 
tance below,  in  Howard  county. 


198  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

General  Shelby  remained  in  Boonville  the  balance  of  the  afternoon 
of  that  day,  and  encamped  for  the  night  west  of  the  city  on  the  George- 
town road.  He  came  here  to  obtain  supplies,  such  as  clothing  and  pro- 
visions, which  they  found  in  great  abundance,  and  which  they  took, 
wherever  found.  M.  J.  Wertheimer  and  Messrs.  Lamy  &  McFadden  were 
the  greatest  sufferers,  each  losing  about  $4,000  in  clothing.  The  Con- 
federate troops  did  not  molest  any  person  during  their  stay ;  not  a  single 
man  was  killed  or  wounded,  and  they  were  very  polite  and  gentlemanly 
to  every  person. 

While  the  Confederates  were  in  Boonville,  the  Federals,  under  Gen- 
eral Brown,  were  close  behind  them,  and  on  the  11th  day  of  October,  were 
within  eight  miles  of  Boonville,  on  the  Bell  Air  road.  On  that  day  Gen- 
eral Brown  moved  a  portion  of  his  troops  west  to  the  junction  of  the 
Sulphur  Springs  and  the  Boonville  and  Georgetown  roads,  which  is  about 
seven  miles  southwest  of  Boonville.  But  during  the  night  he  marched 
his  command  back  again  to  the  Bell  Air  road,  and  camped  near  Billings- 
ville.  The  next  morning  after  General  Shelby  had  left,  the  Federals 
passed  through  Boonville  in  pursuit,  their  advance  just  behind  the  Con- 
federate rear  guard.  Two  of  General  Shelby's  men  who  had  stopped  at 
Mr.  Labbo's  house,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Boonville  to  get 
their  breakfast,  were  killed  by  some  Federal  scouts  as  they  appeared  at 
the  front  door,  in  order  to  make  their  escape. 

A  running  fight  was  kept  up  at  intervals,  all  along  the  route  from 
Boonville  to  Marshall.  The  fight  became  pretty  spirited  between  the  Sul- 
phur Springs  and  Dug  Ford;  and  at  Dug  Ford  two  Federals  were  killed 
and  fell  from  their  horses  into  the  water.  During  the  long  running  fight 
there  was  quite  a  number  killed  on  each  side,  but  the  number  is  not  known. 

At  Marshall,  a  battle  took  place,  in  which  a  number  were  killed  and 
wounded  on  each  side.  But  General  Shelby  succeeded  in  escaping  from 
his  ursuers  with  the  loss  of  only  a  small  portion  of  the  stores  which  he 
had  obtained  at  Boonville. 

This  raid,  of  course  produced  great  excitement,  and  in  the  heat  of 
passion,  considerable  censure  was  heaped  upon  the  commanding  officer, 
whether  justly  or  unjustly,  is  left  to  the  reader  to  determine.  General 
Shelby  succeeded  in  getting  back  to  the  lines  without  any  great  loss,  but 
whether  his  entire  anticipations  in  regard  to  obtaining  supplies  and  rein- 
forcements were  fully  realized,  is  not  known.  Major  Leonard  and  Colonel 
Crittenden  crossed  their  commands  over  the  river  to  Boonville  about  ten 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  and  after  stopping  for  dinner,  they 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  199 

started  in  the  direction  of  Marshall.  Boonville,  then  was  once  more  clear 
of  troops,  and  the  citizens  had  time  to  gather  together  provisions  to  feed 
the  next  lot  of  hungry  soldiers  who  happened  to  land  whether  Federals 
or  Confederates.  Thus  ended  the  famous  "Shelby's  Raid,"  as  far  as 
Cooper  county  was  concerned. 

Price's  Raid  Into  Cooper  County. — The  Federal  troops  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  having  all  abandoned  Boonville,  three  companies  of  home  guards 
were  organized  for  the  protection  of  the  city  against  what  were  known 
as  the  bushwhackers.  Two  of  these  companies  were  composed  of 
men  belonging  to  both  parties,  who  had  joined  these  companies  with  the 
understanding  that  they  would  only  be  required  to  protect  the  city  against 
bushwhackers  and  plunderers,  and  would  not  be  compelled,  against  their 
wills,  to  fight  against  the  regular  southern  troops. 

Although  there  were  frequent  alarms,  the  bushwhackers  never 
attacked  Boonville,  but  often  during  the  war  made  raids  through  the 
county,  in  which  many  citizens  were  killed.  They  always  took  anything 
they  wished,  no  matter  in  whose  hands  it  was  found.  There  were  also 
bands  of  robbers  moving  continually  through  the  county,  who  cared  noth- 
ing for  either  party,  and  who  robbed  and  killed  without  discrimination  or 
regard  to  party.  During  the  year  1864,  many  good  citizens,  belonging  to 
each  side,  were  shot  down,  first  by  one  party  and  then  by  another,  and 
many  citizens  abandoned  their  homes,  seeking  places  of  more  security. 
The  details  of  these  murders  and  robberies  are  too  disgraceful  and  sicken- 
ing to  enumerate  in  this  brief  history. 

On  the  11th  day  of  October,  1864,  scouts  brought  information  that  a 
large  hostile  force  was  approaching  Boonville.  These  three  companies, 
being  under  the  impression  that  these  were  Andersons  bushwhackers, 
immediately  erected  a  strong  barricade  across  Fifth  street,  at  Thespian 
hall,  in  Boonville.  They  were  strengthened  in  the  belief  that  these  were 
bushwhackers  from  the  fact  that  they  had  received  a  dispatch  that  after- 
noon from  Mexico,  Missouri,  stating  that  General  Price  had  been  repulsed 
at  Jefferson  City,  and  was  retreating  by  way  of  Tipton. 

So  these  companies  of  home  guards,  expecting  no  quarter  from  Ander- 
son's men,  prepared  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  they  could,  thinking 
anyway,  that  it  would  be  certain  death  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  Bill  Ander- 
son. Soon  afterwards  Shelby's  command  entered  the  town  with  a  dash, 
killing  a  German  scout  near  Mrs.  Muir's  residence,  about  one  mile  east 
of  Boonville.  The  home  guard  fired  one  round  at  the  advance  guard  of 
Shelby's  command  as  they  advanced  along  Vine  street  near  the  Baptist 


200  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

church,  but  their  fire  injured  no  one. 

Learning  that  this  was  but  the  advance  guard  of  General  Price's  large 
army,  and  that  resistance  would  be  useless,  the  home  guards  surrendered 
as  prisoners  of  war.  These  prisoners  were  quartered  at  the  court  house 
and  closely  guarded,  but  the  commissioned  officers  were  paroled.  General 
Shelby,  with  his  command,  entered  about  sundown  on  the  above  mentioned 
day.  General  Price  and  his  staff  made  their  headquarters  at  the  City 
Hotel,  on  Morgan  street.  On  Tuesday,  the  13th  day  of  October,  the  prison- 
ers were  marched  in  front  of  the  city  hall,  ranged  in  line,  and  General 
Price  made  them  a  speech  and  gave  orders  for  their  parole,  on  the  condi- 
tion that  if  they  were  ever  found  with  arms  against  the  south  they  would 
be  shot. 

Price  had  about  20,000  men,  many  of  them  late  Missouri  recruits, 
without  arms.  Some  of  his  command  were  well  armed  and  drilled,  but 
the  greater  part  were  very  poorly  armed.  Their  general  conduct  toward 
the  citizens  during  their  stay  in  Boonville  was  good. 

On  the  night  of  the  13th,  while  Captain  Shoemaker,  who  was  on 
parole,  was  going  from  Capt.  John  Porter's  house  to  his  residence,  on  the 
corner  of  Central  avenue  and  Sixth  streets,  he  was  captured  by  some  men 
who  were  afterwards  discovered  to  be  Anderson's  men,  taken  to  the  fair 
grounds,  killed  and  his  body  thrown  into  the  river.  Two  men,  named  Neef 
and  Boiler,  were  killed  near  their  homes  about  four  miles  west  of  Boon- 
ville also  a  negro  man  who  was  concealed  in  a  corn-shock  on  the  farm  of 
J.  M.  Nelson,  situated  two  miles  west  of  Boonville.  These  were  all  the 
persons  killed  in  this  part  of  the  county,  who  were  not  slain  in  battle, 
whose  names  are  now  recollected. 

Thousands  of  volunteers  in  Missouri  flocked  to  the  standard  of  Gen- 
eral Price,  believing  that  he  would  be  able  to  hold  the  state.  The  rear 
guard  of  General  Price's  army  and  the  advance  guard  of  General  San- 
born's command,  skirmished,  at  intervals,  from  Jefferson  City  to  Boon- 
ville. General  Sanborn's  command  consisted  of  about  4,000  mounted  men. 
The  infantry  command  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  was  also  in  pursuit,  but 
never  came  within  fighting  distance  of  the  Confederates. 

There  was  considerable  skirmishing  and  some  hard  lighting  south  and 
southeast  of  Boonville,  during  Price's  three  day's  sojourn  at  that  place, 
in  which  a  number  were  killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides.  The  Arkansas 
militia,  under  the  command  of  General  Fagan,  who  were  left  to  protect 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  201 

the  rear  of  General  Price's  army,  were  the  greatest  sufferers  among  the 
Confederates. 

A  dash  was  made  upon  General  Price's  outposts  by  a  few  companies 
of  Federals,  who  came  so  near  Boonville  that  the  firing  could  be  heard  and 
the  smoke  of  the  battle  seen  from  the  city.  General  Price's  artillery  was 
brought  into  requisition  and  soon  compelled  the  Federals  to  retire.  The 
greater  part  of  Price's  regulars  was  then  called  out,  and  a  general  charge 
having  been  made  all  along  the  line,  the  Federal  army  fell  back  on  the  road 
leading  from  Jefferson  City  to  Georgetown,  via  Bell  Air  and  following  that 
road,  camped  about  four  miles  west  of  Bell  Air,  near  the  farm  of  A.  J. 
Read. 

Price's  army  left  Boonville  during  the  night  of  Oct.  14th,  having 
remained  three  days.  His  army  took  all  the  horses  in  the  northern  part, 
and  the  Federal  troops  all  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Both  parties 
foraged  upon  the  people  of  the  county  for  the  support  of  their  respective 
armies,  and  left  the  county  pretty  destitute,  especially  of  horses,  hardly 
a  good  one  being  left.  This  was  virtually  the  end  of  the  war  as  far  as 
Cooper  county  was  concerned,  no  more  battles  being  fought  in  it  between 
organized  armies. 

Tompkin's  Inn  was  known  in  the  early  days  as  a  hostelry  of  some 
importance.  The  stage  coach  that  used  to  run  between  Boonville  and 
Jefferson  City  in  the  very  early  days,  during  the  Civil  War  times,  made  a 
stop  at  Tompkin's  Inn. 

This  inn  was  situated  just  below  Prairie  Home  and  was  known  as  the 
Albert  G.  Tompkins  Inn,  and  was  located  on  the  site  of  the  residence  of 
W.  F.  Carpenter.  Here  were  not  only  the  stage  coach  horses  changed, 
but  the  hungry  travelers  were  fed  from  the  substantial  fare  of  the  times, 
and  frequently  were  bedded  for  the  night. 

During  the  Civil  War,  a  squad  of  Federal  troops  came  from  Boonville, 
and  lodged  at  this  inn  one  night.  Captain  Boswell,  who  lived  at  the  time 
on  the  Henry  Kuhn  farm,  west  of  Prairie  Home,  in  command  of  a  squad 
of  Confederates  made  an  attack  upon  these  Federal  troops,  and  in  the  fight 
Captain  Boswell  was  wounded.  A  few  days  thereafter,  he  died  from  the 
effects  of  the  wound.  The  Union  troops  had  guards  out,  one  of  them 
being  Felix  Imhoff,  who  after  faithfully  patrolling  his  beat,  until  relieved, 
lay  down  on  the  ground,  weary,  and  went  to  sleep.  So  sound  and  peaceful 
were  his  slumbers,  during  these  war  times,  especially  on  this  particular 


202  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

occasion,  that  the  fight  above  referred  to  was  all  over  before  he  came 
from  slumberland.  He  was  aroused  from  his  sleep  by  one  of  the  men, 
and  told  of  the  fight.  The  story  goes  that  he  was  intensely  indignant 
because  he  had  been  thus  neglected,  and  it  was  several  years  before  he 
was  restored  to  good  humor.  It  seemed  to  be  a  matter  of  deep  regret  to 
him  that  he  had  missed  the  fun. 

Captain  Boswell  was  buried  in  the  Pisgah  cemetery  and  Albert  G. 
and  Tompkins,  who  was  the  proprietor  of  the  inn,  is  buried  about  150 
yards  south  of  the  Carpenter  residence. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR. 


JOSEPH  SIFERS  KILLED — RELIGIOUS  SERVICES  INTERRUPTED — PETER  MITZEL 
AND  OTHO  ZELLER  MURDERED— JOHN  DIEHL.  NICHOLAS  AND  THOMAS 
COOPER  KILLED— MURDER  OF  ELLIS  AND  GRAVES— KILLING  OF  WILLIAM 
MAYO  BY  BILL  ANDERSON— THOMAS  BROWNFIELD'S  EXPERIENCE— McDEAR- 
MON  AND  A  SOLDIER  KILLED— OTHER  DEPREDATIONS  AND  MURDERS  BY 
BUSHWHACKERS— KROHN  AND  BASS  KILLED— ANDERSON'S  MEN  AND  HOME 
GUARDS  CLASH— JOHN  BALLINGER  KILLED— TRAGEDIES  IN  CLARKS  FORK 
AND    PRAIRIE    HOME    TOWNSHIPS. 

The  following  narration  of  the  incidents  and  killing  during  the  Civil 
war,  of  the  citizens  of  our  county,  by  lawless  bands,  upon  either  side,  is 
doubtless  correct  in  the  main,  yet  in  view  of  the  considerable  lapse  of  time 
since  the  occurrence  of  these  events,  the  fallibility  of  the  human  memory, 
and  many  other  circumstances  which  would  have  their  effect,  it  would  not 
be  strange  should  error  exist  in  some  of  the  more  minute  details. 

Considering  in  the  order  of  time  in  which  it  occurred,  we  mention  first 
the  killing  of  Joseph  Sifers,  two  miles  north  of  Pilot  Grove,  which  took 
place  about  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  was  a  Union  man,  whose  house 
was  surrounded  at  night  by  unknown  men,  who  demanded  of  him  his  fire- 
arms. Purporting  to  have  them  hidden  upon  the  outside  of  his  dwelling, 
he  went  out  intending  to  discover  who  they  were,  when,  doubtless,  under 
the  belief  that  his  life  was  in  danger,  he  ran,  endeavoring  to  reach  a  corn- 
field adjacent,  but  in  the  attempt  was  shot  down  by  a  sentinel  of  the  party. 
It  was  never  known  who  perpetrated  this  outrage. 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  during  a  revival  meeting  in  the  Southern 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Pilot  Grove,  Captain  Todd,  one  day  during 
the  hour  of  service,  surrounded  the  building  with  a  company  of  about  sixty 
savage  looking  bushwhackers,  who  rudely  entered  the  sacred  house,  stopped 


204  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  services,  and  uncermoniously  ej'ected  the  worshipers.  Aftei  refresh- 
ing themselves  with  the  eatables  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  selecting 
such  horses  as  they  desired,  from  the  many  secured  to  the  trees  near  by, 
they  departed,  taking  with  them  two  citizens,  Peter  Mitzel  and  Otho  Zeller 
as  hostages,  as  they  called  them,  whose  safety  would  depend  on  the  good 
conduct  of  the  citizens,  in  not  pursuing,  intercepting  or  informing  on 
them,  there  being  at  that  time,  state  militia  stationed  at  various  places 
around. 

These  two  unfortunate  men  were  that  night  barbarously  butchered 
some  miles  east  of  Pilot  Grove,  near  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  and  their  bodies 
found  a  day  or  two  later.  Zeller  had  belonged  to  the  state  militia,  which 
fact,  to  those  who  knew  the  character  of  the  guerrillas,  accounts  for  the 
reason  of  his  being  killed.  Mitzell  was  loyal,  though  a  very  quiet  and 
inoffensive  man  he  had  a  short  time  previous,  met  a  squad  of  guerrilas 
and  mistaking  them  for  militia,  had  doubtless,  indiscreetly  expressed  his 
sentiments,  for  which  offense,  in  a  time  when  men  were  killed  for  opinion's 
sake,  he  paid  the  forfeit  with  his  life. 

The  same  party  of  bushwhackers,  returning  a  day  or  two  later,  passed 
through  the  German  settlement  three  miles  west  of  here,  and  killed  two 
citizens,  John  Diehl  and  Vollmer,  who,  it  seems,  unfortunately  fell  into 
the  same  error  as  Mitzell,  of  mistaking  them  for  Federal  troops,  as  a 
number  of  them  were  dressed  in  blue. 

A  Mr.  Nichols  was  killed  near  Bell  Air,  in  this  county,  during  the  same 
summer  of  1864.  This  act  was  committed  by  a  band  of  Hall's  state 
militia.  Mr.  Nichols  was  a  Kentuckian,  a  conservative  Union  man,  and 
very  quiet  and  peaceable.  The  provocation  of  this  crime,  if  any,  was 
never  known. 

Thomas  Cooper,  of  this  vicinity,  was  arrested  in  the  fall  of  1864,  in 
James  Thompson's  store,  in  Boonville,  by  militia,  taken  to  a  secluded  spot, 
near  the  fair  grounds,  and  brutally  murdered  and  his  body  mutilated. 
Cooper  was  a  southern  man,  and  known  to  his  neighbors  as  quiet,  tolerant 
and  inoffensive. 

In  1861,  a  number  of  horses  were  taken  from  Mr.  Richard  P.  Ellis,  by 
Mulligan's  men.  Mr.  Ellis  was  then  living  in  Cooper  County,  on  land 
entered  by  him  in  1839,  in  Lebanon  township,  near  Syracuse.  Some  time 
after  the  horses  were  stolen,  a  soldier  in  citizen's  garb  was  seen  to  possess 
one  of  the  animals,  and  upon  it  being  recovered  from  him  by  Mr.  Ellis, 
he  reported  to  certain  soldiers  at  Syracuse,  and  a  squad  made  their  appear- 
ance and  committed  some  depredations  in  the  neighborhood.     The  family 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  205 

of  Mr.  Ellis  were  not  at  home,  but  Mr.  Ellis,  deeming  it  unsafe  to  be 
around,  started  to  Lexington,  and  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of 
General  Price's  army  at  that  place.  His  deepest  sympathies  were  with 
the  south,  but  he  did  not  enter  the  army,  as  age  and  other  matters  pre- 
vented him.  He  had  a  son,  however,  who  was  in  the  Confederate  army. 
This  was  in  October,  1861.  Matters  assuming  a  more  peaceful  stage, 
made  it  safe  for  him  to  return;  which  he  did  in  1862.  Upon  the  order 
calling  upon  all  citizens  to  apear  at  the  various  military  headquarters  to 
enroll,  he  went  with  his  neighbors  to  the  Lamine  bridge  to  obey.  Having 
enrolled,  he  was  returning  with  his  nephew,  Mr.  Graves,  his  son,  and  a 
Mr.  Veulesman,  when  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  bridge,  they 
were  met  by  a  squad  of  soldiers  who  ordered  them  into  the  woods  ahead 
of  them.  They  did  not  like  either  the  appearance  or  the  manner  of  these 
men,  and  feeling  well  satisfied  that  it  was  their  intention  to  shoot  them, 
Mr.  Ellis  objected.  When,  after  some  parley,  the  squad  fired  into  them, 
killing  instantly  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Graves,  and  severely  wounding  Mr. 
Ellis'  son.  Mr.  Veulesman  escaped  unhurt.  Thus  died  Richard  P.  Ellis, 
shot  down  without  a  cause  and  without  a  moment's  warning.  His  untimely 
death  struck  sorrow  to  the  hearts  of  his  many  friends.  He  was  very 
popular  and  great  sympathy  was  felt  for  his  grief-stricken  family. 

Mr.  Edward  H.  Harris,  of  Pilot  Grove,  Missouri,  has  given  the  writer 
the  facts  relative  to  the  killing  of  William  Mayo.  It  will  be  seen  from  the 
account  to  follow  that  Mr.  Harris  had  a  very  good  reason  to  remember 
the  details  of  this  incident,  though  nearly  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  Mr. 
Harris'  mind  is  strong  and  active,  and  his  memory  especially  good. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1864.  There  was  no  town  or  village  of  Pilot 
Grove  at  that  time,  yet  the  post-office  had  been  given  the  name  Pilot 
Grove.  Samuel  Roe  served  Uncle  Sam  as  postmaster,  and  received  and 
distributed  the  mail  at  his  log  residence  on  his  farm,  in  what  is  now  Pilot 
Grove.  William  Mayo  was  a  polished  gentleman,  a  man  of  considerable 
means,  who  came  from  Kentucky,  and  located  within  a  few  miles  of  Pilot 
Grove.  On  a  beautiful  spring  morning,  he  passed  by  Mr.  Harris'  house 
about  a  mile  from  Samuel  Roe's  residence,  and  together  he  and  Mr.  Harris 
started  for  the  mail  at  Samuel  Roe's.  They  were  horseback.  Mr.  Mayo 
told  Mr.  Harris  that  a  few  days  before,  a  man  had  come  to  his  house  and 
demanded  a  horse  from  him,  which  he  refused  to  give.  Mayo  seemed 
to  think  little  of  the  incident  at  the  time.  Mr.  Hams  said  that  he  thought 
at  the  time  it  might  be  some  of  Bill  Anderson's  men,  and  that  trouble 
might   arise   therefrom.     Arriving   at   the   postoffice,    they   joined   other 


206  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

neighbors,  who  had  gathered  upon  that  bright  day  sitting  on  the  front 
porch,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  mail,  and  discussing  the  events  of  the 
day,  as  neighbors  then  did  when  gathered  together  on  such  occasions. 

Presently  some  one  called  attention  to  about  twenty  men  on  horse- 
back, beyond  where  the  M.  K.  &  T.  depot  is  now  located.  At  this  time 
where  the  depot  is  now  located  was  but  a  pond,  or  small  lake.  Mr.  Harris 
remarked  that  they  did  not  appear  to  be  Union  soldiers.  Union  soldiers, 
however,  were  not  far  from  the  neighborhood. 

Presently  the  horsemen  rode  up,  and  then  it  was  discovered  that 
they  were  Bill  Anderson  and  his  men.  Those  sitting  upon  the  porch 
were  ordered  out  and  lined  up.  Anderson  then  called  upon  them  for 
their  valuables.  Mr.  Harris  says  that  he  remembers  distinctly  that  a 
boy  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age  passed  down  the  line  to  relieve 
them  of  their  possessions.  When  he  came  to  him,  Mr.  Harris  said  to 
him,  "Son,  don't  take  that  money,  I  had  to  work  for  it."  The  boy  imme- 
diately responded,  taking  his  pocket-book,  "Well,  you  can  work  and  get 
some  more."  Mr.  Harris  said  then,  "Do  not  take  my  papers."  The  boy 
then  returned  the  papers,  and  at  the  same  time  handed  him  a  dollar, 
saying,  "This  will  give  you  a  start."  William  Mayo  wore  at  that  time 
upon  his  person,  a  gold  watch  and  chain.  This  he  objected  to  giving  up, 
when  Bill  Anderson  fired  at  him  with  his  pistol,  or  rather  fired  at  his 
feet,  evidently  not  intending  to  hit  him.  At  this,  Mayo  turned,  and  im- 
mediately fled,  running  behind  Roe's  house,  where  he  was  joined  by 
Thomas  Brownfield,  who  had  been  hiding,  and  had  not  lined  up  with 
the  others. 

Bill   Anderson   and   another  man   on   horseback   pursued   them,   and 
when   Anderson  got  to  the   rear  of  the  house,   he   asked   an   old   nei 
woman  which  direction  they  went,  and  she,  waving  her  hand,  said,  "T 
way."     Anderson,   then  on  horseback,  started   in  pursuit   of  Mayo,   who 
was  going  in  the  direction  of  what  is  now  known  as  Robert  Ma 
farm,  evidently  attempting  ot  reach  a  thicket  of  plum  tret-s.     Brownfield, 
however,  veered  off  to  the  right,  and  went  towards  Mr.  Hai  i  ;• '  farm,  seek- 
ing some  brush,  and  low  shrubbery  to  hide  in. 

When  Mayo  had  reached  the  point  about  where,  or  a  little  beyond 
Otto  Kistenmacher's  present  residence,  he  turned  his  head,  at  which 
time  Anderson,  in  close  proximity  fired  at  him,  and  shot  him  in  the 
middle  of  the  forehead,  killing  him  instantly.  The  other  man  in  pursuit 
of  Brownfield  was  not  so  successful.  After  having  emptied  his  revolver 
at  Brownfield's  fleeing  figure,  Brownfield  immediately  turned,  and  with 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  207 

cool  courage,  pointed  his  pistol  at  the  trooper,  which  caused  him  to  nalt. 
Brownfield  did  not  shoot,  knowing  full  well  that  the  other  men  would 
search  the  country,  and  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  him.  Instead,  he 
fled  for  his  life,  and  in  the  meantime,  the  man  who  was  pursuing  him, 
reloaded  his  revolver,  and  started  in  pursuit.  When  Brownfield  was 
climbing  over  a  fence  into  Mr.  Harris's  farm,  the  pursuing  horseman 
shot  at  him  several  times,  and  finally  wounded  him  in  the  hand.  Brown- 
field, however,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  brush,  and  in  its  friendly  shel- 
ter, concealed  himself. 

Anderson,  in  the  meantime,  joined  the  other  man,  and  together  they 
sought  to  find  Brownfield,  but  Anderson,  being  apprised  by  his  compan- 
ion that  Brownfield  was  nervy,  and  was  well-armed,  they  desisted  from 
further  search,  and  returned  to  their  men. 

This  band  had  evidently  been  operating  in  the  county  several  days, 
despite  the  presence  of  militia  or  Union  soldiers.  A  day  or  so  before 
the  killing  of  Mayo,  this  same  band  appeared  at  Nathaniel  Leonard's,  the 
father  of  the  late  Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard,  near  Bell  Air,  and  had  it  not 
been,  for  the  timely  intercession  of  Miss  Minnie  Corum,  who  was  known 
to  be  of  southern  sympathies,  would  have  doubtless  have  done  much 
wanton  damage,  if  not  committed  worse  crimes.  Capt.  C.  E.  Leonard 
belonged  to  the  State  militia.  Mr.  Harris  thinks  that  this  band  came 
direct  from  Leonard's  to  Pilot  Grove  with  purposes  of  robbing  those 
whom  they  knew  were  accustomed  to  gather  at  the  postiffice  at  Samuel 
Cole's. 

The  facts  of  the  following  incident  were  given  by  Dave  Brownfield, 
the  nephew  of  Thomas  Brownfield.  This  is  the  same  Thomas  Brownfield 
that  escaped  Bill  Anderson's  ire,  on  the  occasion  .iust  above  related. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Thomas  Brownfield  was  living  where  one 
of  the  Wittmans  now  lives,  in  a  three  room  log  cabin  with  a  loft.  His 
half-brother,  Abraham  Brownfield,  was  with  him  on  this  occasion,  and 
was  sleeping  in  the  front  room,  whereas  the  family  was  sleeping  in  the 
room  to  the  rear. 

It  was  in  the  winter  time,  and  after  all  had  retired,  Thomas  Brown- 
field thought  he  heard  some  men  in  front  of  his  cabin.  After  listening 
a  while,  he  concluded  that  they  were  there  for  no  good,  and  he  judged 
that  they  were  marauders  bent  on  mischief.  Stepping  into  the  front 
room,  he  climbed  a  ladder  into  the  loft,  and  -with  his  gun,  from  the  open- 
ing of  the  loft,  commanded  the  door  leading  into  the  room  from  the  outside. 

Presently  admission   was   demanded,   bill    no   one   answered.     Then 


208  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  door  was  forced,  and  as  a  man  entered,  who  proved  afterwards  to  be  a 
Mr.  Brownlee,  Mr.  Brownfield  from  the  opening  of  the  loft,  shot  him, 
and  he  fell  to  the  floor.  He  struggled  to  get  out  of  the  door,  but  Abraham 
Brownfield  seized  him,  and  pulled  him  back,  and  slammed  the  door. 

Thinking  their  leader  was  dead,  the  others  upon  the  outside  set  fire 
to  the  house.  Brownlee,  however,  was  not  dead.  Realizing  his  condition, 
and  that  he  would  be  burned,  rather  than  to  save  the  house  and  lives  of 
others,  he  shouted  to  his  men  to  put  out  the  fire — not  to  burn  him  up. 
This  they  did  after  some  difficulty. 

Then  Thomas  Brownfield  entered  into  a  parley  with  the  men  upon 
the  outside,  and  promised  them  if  they  would  leave,  that  he  would  send 
for  a  doctor,  and  have  Brownlee  properly  attended  to,  would  not  turn 
him  over  to  the  authorities,  and  when  he  had  recovered  would  release 
him.  This  agreement  was  entered  into.  Brownfield  was  not  only  cool 
and  courageous,  and  a  man  of  great  discretion,  but  of  rectitude  as  well. 

As  soon  as  possible,  he  sent  for  Doctor  Pendleton,  who  came  and 
dressed  the  wounds  of  Brownlee,  and  in  every  respect,  Thomas  Brownfield 
faithfully  carried  out  his  agreement. 

A  few  days  after  the  tragic  event  of  the  death  of  Peter  Mitzel  and 
Otho  Zellar  at  the  hands  of  rebel  bushwhackers,  who  took  them  from  the 
old  Pilot  Grove  Methodist  Church  during  a  "protracted"  revival  meeting 
in  the  summer  of  1864,  and  killed  them  at  camp  near  Old  Palestine  the 
same  night,  Thomas  Cooper  and  Robert  Magruder,  citizens  of  Pilto  Grove 
neighborhood,  were  in  Boonville  together.  Cooper  and  Magruder  were  at 
the  church  the  day  Mitzel  and  Zellar  were  taken  from  the  congregation, 
but  it  happened  that  they  were  not  in  the  house  but  were  lying  together 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree  in  sight  of  the  open  windows,  when  the  squad 
of  bushwhackers  rode  up.  They  were  surrounded  by  the  squad,  who 
engaged  them  in  conversation,  which  fact  was  observed  by  some  persons 
in  the  congregation. 

It  seems  that  this  incident  led  to  a  report  which  had  come  to  the 
ears  of  the  Home  Guard  militia  of  Boonville,  that  Cooper  and  Magruder 
informed  the  bushwhackers  that  Mitzel  and  Zellar  were  in  the  church, 
thereby  implicating  them  in  the  apprehension  and  killing  of  the  latter. 

Cooper  was  shot  and  killed  in  a  drug  store  on  Main  street  in  Boon- 
ville by  members  of  the  Home  Guard,  and  diligent  search  was  made  for 
Magruder,  who  would  have  met  the  same  fate,  if  they  had  found  him. 
Magruder's  life  was  saved  by  the  effort  and  presence  of  mind  of  Colonel 


VINE   CLAD   BRIDGE 
BOONVILLE.   MO 


.■Jb^. 


VINE   CLAD   BRIDGE.    BOONVILLE.    MO. 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  HOSPITAL,   BOONVILLE,   MO. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  209 

Pierce,  who  kept  the  Pierce  Hotel  (now  Powell's  Rooming  House),  on 
High  street. 

Magruder  was  lying  on  a  lounge  in  the  office  of  the  hotel  when  sev- 
eral militiamen  entered  and  inquired  of  Pierce  whether  a  man  named 
Magruder  had  been  there.  Having  heard  of  the  shooting  of  Cooper  a 
little  while  before,  Pierce,  with  rare  presence  of  mind,  assured  the  soldiers 
that  Magruder  had  been  there,  but  had  gone  away.  Not  knowing  Ma- 
gruder personally,  the  soldiers  were  deceived,  and  left  to  continue  their 
search.  After  they  were  gone,  Pierce  searched  Magruder  and  later  smug- 
gled him  on  board  of  a  river  steamboat  bound  down  the  Missouri  River, 
and  he  left  Cooper  County  to  return  only  after  the  end  of  the  war. 

Our  fellow  county  man,  Walter  Barron,  gives  us  the  following  inci- 
dent in  the  killing  of  a  soldier  whose  name  he  does  not  now  recall,  and 
Frank  McDearman:  In  the  winter  of  1861,  the  37th  Illinois  Infantry 
was  then  stationed  near  Boonville.  The  regiment  to  which  the  infantry 
belonged,  and  to  which  our  friend,  Mr.  Barron,  was  a  member,  was 
located  on  the  Lamine  River  near  Otterville,  during  the  winter  of  1861. 

Mr.  Barron  knew  the  soldier  well,  although  at  this  time  he  does  not 
recall  his  name.  He  was  reputed  to  be  reckless,  and  of  a  desperate  char- 
acter. He  was  also  well  acquainted  with  and  was  a  friend  of  Frank 
McDearmon,  who  then  lived  in  Boonville. 

In  the  winter  of  1861,  a  dance  was  given,  in  a  two  story  frame  build- 
ing, in  east  Boonville,  known  as  the  Ainsle  house,  although  Ainsle  was 
not  occupying  the  house  at  the  time,  he  having  been  drowned  in  the 
Missouri  River  many  years  before. 

The  elite  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country  were  not  invited  nor 
expected  to  attend  this  dance.  The  attendance  was  rather  made  up  of 
those  who  desired  a  jolly,  reckless  and  rip-roaring  time,  rather  than  the 
refinement  of  a  gathering  of  the  best  society.  The  character  of  those 
who  attended  was  not  closely  scrutinized.  There  were  whisky  and  liquor 
in  profusion,  and  many  participated  in  the  flowing  bowl  until  they  be- 
came not  only  loquacious,  but  argumentative,  jealous  and  pugnacious. 

Frank  McDearmon  and  the  soldier  had  some  controversy,  and  heated 
argument.  After  the  same,  when  Frank  McDearmon  entered  the  room 
where  the  dance  was  being  conducted,  he  met  the  soldier,  and  at  once 
with  a  pistol,  shot  him,  inflicting  a  wound  that  proved  fatal.  However, 
before  expiring,  the  soldier,  with  a  knife,  cut  McDearmon  nine  times, 
(14) 


210  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

from  which  wounds  McDearmon  also  expired.  Both  parties  died  on  the 
scene  of  action. 

In  the  fall  of  1864,  numerous  small  bodies  of  men,  supposed  to  be 
guerillas  from  the  north  side  of  the  river,  made  incursions  into  Cooper 
County,  committing  many  depredations,  and  in  some  cases,  murdei-s. 
During  this  year  a  small  body  of  men  attempted  to  capture  Tom  Mercer, 
and  followed  him  to  the  Widow  Careys'  home.  Mercer  and  some  five 
or  six  men  were  in  the  house  at  the  time,  and  seeing  the  approach  of 
these  marauders,  Mercer  called  upon  the  men  to  defend  the  house.  They 
were  well  armed.  As  the  marauders  approached  the  house,  Mercer  picked 
out  one,  and  told  one  of  the  other  men  to  pick  out  another.  Aiming  their 
guns  they  fired.  Mercer  succeeded  in  killing  his  man,  but  the  other,  so 
far  as  known,  was  not  as  successful.  Mercer  and  the  men  in  the  house 
then  made  their  escape  through  a  cornfield. 

On  Aug.  31,  1864,  a  tragedy  occurred  seven  or  eight  miles  south  of 
Boonville  on  the  farm  known  as  the  Major  Moore  place,  in  which  then 
lived  Christian  Krohn.  Krohn  was  assisting  his  wife  and  little  ten  months 
old  son  to  dismount  from  a  horse  when  a  party  of  horsemen,  supposed  to 
be  guerillas,  rode  up.  Mr.  Krohn  was  commanded  to  go  into  the  house. 
He  turned  the  child  over  to  its  mother  and  started  to  do  as  he  was  bid 
when  a  volley  was  fired  into  him  and  he  fell  dead  at  his  own  threshold. 
In  innate  brutality  the  men  proceeded  to  set  fire  to  the  house  and  the 
widow  was  commanded  to  get  what  articles  she  wanted  to  save.  Tom 
with  grief  and  desperate,  she  replied,  "You  have  killed  my  husband  so 
you  might  as  well  burn  my  house  too."  At  this  some  pity  must  have 
touched  the  heart  of  one  of  the  men  for  he  returned  to  the  house  and 
extinguished  the  fire,  whereupon  they  rode  away.  The  ten  months  old 
infant  mentioned  in  this  incident  has  grown  to  manhood  and  is  now  our 
popular  county  man,  John  F.  Krohn. 

Radford  Bass,  a  Southern  sympathizer,  was  killed  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  near  the  Lutheran  Church,  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Gooch  Mill.  He  was  captured  by  a  band  of  men  and  held  in  captivity  a 
short  time  according  to  one  version,  and  was  turned  loose.  After  he  had 
left  and  traveled  but  a  short  distance  he  was  followed  by  a  boy,  who 
belonged  to  the  capturing  band,  of  about  17  years  of  age  who  came  upon 
him  and  shot  him  in  cold  blood.  Another  vei*sion  is  that  a  rope  was  put 
around  his  neck  and  he  was  dragged  by  a  man  on  horseback  until  he  was 
exhausted  and  was  practically  choked  to  death  and  shot. 

Another  man  by  the  name  of  Hill  was  killed  in  the  fall  of  1864,  on 
the  day  of  Bass's  murder,  northeast  of  Prairie  Home.    He  was  captured 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  211 

by  a  squad  of  men  who  left  him  in  charge  of  one  of  their  number.  A 
short  time  afterwards  this  man  joined  the  squad  and  upon  being  asked 
what  had  become  of  his  prisoner,  said  that  he  objected  to  being  held  in 
captivity  and  that  he  had  disposed  of  him.  Different  versions  have  been 
given  of  this  affair,  one  is  that  the  man  who  had  charge  of  this  prisoner, 
desiring  to  join  the  squad,  had  killed  the  prisoner,  as  the  easiest  method 
of  ridding  himself  of  an  unwelcome  charge. 

On  the  same  day  that  Radford  Bass  was  murdered  the  same  squad, 
consisting  of  nine  men,  killed  Squire  Handshaw.  Squire  Handshaw  was 
a  man  of  about  80  years  of  age.  This  gang  of  men  went  to  his  home 
about  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  Gooch  Mill  and  called  him  out 
of  his  house,  made  him  get  upon  a  fence  and  then  shot  him.  He  imme- 
diately expired. 

It  will  be  noted  that  most  of  these  crimes  and  depredations  were 
committed  during  the  end  of  the  Civil  War  and  the  excuse  as  given  in 
many  instances  was  that  of  reprisal.  On  the  north .  side  of  the  river 
were  Anderson's  men  under  various  captains.  In  the  earlv  fall  of  1864 
it  was  reported,  whether  true  or  not,  that  numerous  crimes  had  been  com- 
mitted by  the  Home  Guards  upon  Southern  sympathizers  in  Saline  town- 
ship. At  this  time  the  sentiment  of  the  people  on  both  sides  of  this  cause 
were  as  seething  cauldrons  and  men  seemed  to  have  lost  their  reason. 
Rumors  were  not  thoroughly  investigated  and  irresponsible  talk  was  plen- 
tiful. In  any  event,  Captain  Todd,  with  a  squad  of  Bill  Anderson's  men 
swam  the  Missouri  River  on  horse-back  and  entered  Cooper  County  in 
Saline  township  in  quest  of  the  Home  Guards.  About  noon  on  Oct.  7, 
1864,  they  saw  coming  up  the  hill  by  Granville  Smiths,  about  one  and 
one-quarter  miles  south  of  Gooch  Mill,  a  squad  of  men  of  the  militia 
under  command  of  Capt.  Bernhardt  Deidrich,  consisting  of  the  following: 
Frank  Hafferburg,  Henry  Weaver,  Erhardt  Blank,  John  Blank,  Jacob 
Blank,  Mr.  Deil  (grandfather  of  Theodore  Deil,  of  Wooldridge),  Mr. 
Hute  (grandfather  of  Peter  Hute  of  Prairie  Home),  Mr.  Ader,  Ernest 
Speiler  and  Otto  Speiler.  Todd's  men  were  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill  and 
as  these  men  approached  coming  up  the  hill  got  in  close  proximity,  they 
at  once  attacked  them  and  succeeded  in  killing  Capt.  Bernhardt  Deid- 
rich, Frank  Hafferburg,  Henry  Weaver,  who  was  said  to  have  been  scalped 
and  brained.  He  was  an  old  man.  Erhardt  Blank,  Deil,  Hute,  Ader,  were 
also  killed.  Ernest  Speiler,  who  was  shot  through  the  arm.  Otto  Speiler, 
John  Blank  and  Jacob  Blank  escaped. 

John  Henry  Boiler,  the  father  of  our  fellow  townsman,  Fred  J.  Boiler, 
was  murdered  on  June  15,  1864,  near  Boonville.     We  get  the  details  of 


212  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

this  incident  from  Mr.  Fred  J.  Boiler.  On  the  day  above  mentioned,  John 
Henry  Boiler  was  coming  to  Boonville,  on  the  public  road  riding  in  a 
buggy  when  he  passed  what  was  then  known  as  the  Miller  place.  Three 
men,  to-wit:  Bill  Stewart,  Carter  and  Sloan,  were  resting  under  the  shade 
of  a  tree.  When  Mr.  Boiler  had  passed,  one  of  the  men  asked  Sloan  who 
he  was.  Sloan  told  him.  The  three  men  then  followed  Boiler  to  near 
what  was  known  as  the  Ripley  place,  and  stopped  him  and  demanded 
his  money.  Mr.  Boiler  complied  with  their  demand  by  showing  them  his 
watch,  but  evidently  not  anticipating  trouble,  drove  on.  When  he  did 
so,  they  immediately  began  to  fire  upon  him,  shooting  him  four  or  five 
times.  After  they  had  robbed  him,  old  man  Kiele  came  along  and  they 
robbed  him. 

Mr.  Boiler  came  to  Boonville  and  as  he  neared  the  Missouri  Pacific 
station,  Mr.  Back,  noticing  his  bloody  and  weakened  condition,  took  him 
into  his  house  to  administer  to  him.     Mr.  Boiler  died  immediately. 

The  militia  was  then  stationed  at  Boonville.  It  was  notified  of  the 
killing  of  Boiler,  and  started  at  once  in  pursuit  of  the  murderers.  In 
the  Labbo  neighborhood,  they  came  upon  Sloan,  whom  one  of  the  militia 
succeeded  in  shooting  in  the  side  of  the  head.  Although  Sloan  recovered 
from  this  wound  thereafter  he  was  blind.  Carter  and  Stewart  were  not 
found  at  the  time,  and  it  is  not  known  what  became  of  Carter.  Bill 
Stewart,  however,  was  killed  in  1865  at  Franklin,  north  of  the  river.  A 
cattleman  had  stopped  at  a  hotel  at  Franklin  and  the  landlady  in  charge 
of  the  same,  seeing  Bill  Stewart  approaching,  told  the  cattleman  that  the 
notorious  desperado,  Bill  Stewart,  was  coming  to  the  hotel,  and  for  him 
to  be  on  his  guard.  The  cattleman  closed  the  door,  Stewart  came  and 
being  unable  to  open  the  door,  demanded  admittance.  Not  receiving  the 
same,  he  broke  open  the  door,  and  as  he  entered,  the  cattleman,  who  was; 
armed  with  a  revolver,  shot  him  dead  in  his  tracks. 

As  illustrative  of  the  conditions  that  existed  in  the  county  during 
and  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  the  following  incident  is  given:  Ross 
Montgomery,  a  bad  negro  lived  in  Saline  township  during  the  war.  and 
was  formerly  a  slave  belonging  to  the  late  H.  B.  Hopkins.  He  was  right- 
fully accused  of  burning  several  barns  and  residences  of  Southern  sym- 
pathizers and  threatening  the  lives  of  several  prominent  Southern  men. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  boys  returned  home.  This  negro  was 
engaged  in  cutting  cordwood  near  Overton  on  a  certain  day.  When  quit- 
ting work  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  he  started  home  by  way  of  an  aban- 
doned well  in  the  woods.     He  disappeared,  no  one  knew  where.     Several 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  213 

years  afterwards,  John  Wainwright,  having  built  a  cabin  in  the  woods, 
went  to  this  well  to  clean  it  out  to  supply  water  for  his  family,  and  after 
getting  a  lot  of  stumps  out  of  the  well,  he  found  the  skeleton  of  a  man, 
and  by  the  shoes  and  clothing,  which  were  identified  by  Ross'  wife  as 
belonging  to  the  negro,  they  solved  the  mystery  of  his  disappearance. 

In  Clarks  Fork  township  on  the  farm  where  Henry  Schubert  now 
lives,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  Chris  Fricke,  uncle  of  Henry  F.  Fricke  and  Henry 
Schultz  were  killed  by  a  small  band  of  four  or  five  men  supposed  to  be 
querillas. 

In  the  winter  of  1861  and  1862,  two  members  of  the  Home  Guards, 
seeking  to  impress  wagons  to  haul  soldiers  to  Tipton,  rode  up  to  William 
George's  house  in  Clarks  Fork  township  on  their  mission.  Mr.  George 
was  not  at  home  at  the  time.  John  Oakman,  however,  was  there,  and 
doubtless  mistaking  their  purpose,  shot  and  killed  one  of  the  Home 
Guards.    The  other,  the  late  Albert  Muntzel,  was  not  injured. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Charles  Wagner  was  killed  near  Pisgah  in 
the  early  part  of  the  war.  We  are  unable  to  give  any  further  details  of 
this  incident. 

At  the  time  of  Price's  raid,  Captain  Shoemaker  was  the  head  of  a 
Provisional  Militia  company.  When  Price's- army  left  Boonville  and  vi- 
cinity, Shoemaker  could  not  be  found  and  was  never  heard  of  again.  His 
disappearance  has  never  been  accounted  for.  The  supposition,  however, 
is  that  he  was  killed,  although  the  body  was  never  found. 

Jeremiah  Good  and  father  were  killed  between  Big  Lick  and  Prairie 
Home  shortly  after  the  Civil  War.  A  small  party  of  four  or  five  men 
were  approaching  the  house.  When  the  Goods  started  from  the  barn  to 
the  house  they  were  immediately  shot  down.  It  is  stated  that  a  small  boy 
of  about  fifteen,  a  Good,  was  in  the  house  at  the  time,  and  shot  one  of 
the  men.  It  seems  that  John  Good,  a  brother  of  Jeremiah  Good,  during 
the  war  had  shot  a  man  at  a  blacksmith's  shop  at  Big  Lick  and  it  was 
supposed  that  these  men  were  seeking  John  Good  when  they  approached 
the  Good  house.  John  Good,  however,  was  not  here  at  the  time  when 
his  father  and  brother  were  killed. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


PERIOD  OF  READJUSTMENT 


PREJUDICE— CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION— RADICALS— "DRACONIAN  CODE"— 
"IRON  CLAD  OATH"— CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED— LATER  AMENDED  AND  RADI- 
CALISM DEFEATED— BROWN  ELECTED  GOVERNOR— UNPOPULARITY  OF 
DRAKE— PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  DURING  AND  AFTER  THE  WAR. 

The  time  intervening  between  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  in  1865  and 
the  early  seventies,  was  properly  called  in  the  South  the  "period  of  recon- 
struction," but  in  Missouri,  the  "period  of  readjustment."  Prejudice  was 
inflamed  to  a  high  pitch,  and  in  Cooper,  the  inevitable  result  of  the  many 
oturages  committed  during  the  war  was  calculated  to  leave  scars  on  the 
very  souls  of  many  that  the  soothing  unction  of  time  alone  could  eradicate. 

In  times  of  intense  excitement,  when  passions  are  aroused,  whether 
in  state  or  more  local  matters,  the  reason  seems  dethroned,  and  the  evil 
in  man  comes  uppermost.  At  such  times,  those  of  light  mentality,  who 
"tear  the  tatters"  most,  and  feed  with  vehemence  upon  passions,  preju- 
dice and  malice,  too  often  rise  to  prominence  for  a  brief  time,  yet  long 
enough  to  stab  and  wound. 

Robespierr  was  such  a  one,  who  wept  at  the  death  of  a  pet  bird,  yet 
with  his  guillotin  drenched  the  streets  of  Paris  with  blood.  When  a 
stagnant  pool  is  stirred,  and  its  waters  violently  agitated,  the  sediment 
rises  to  the  top,  only  to  sink  again  to  its  proper  place  at  the  bottom  when 
the  calm  succeeds  the  agitation. 

A  Constitutional  Convention  assembled  in  St.  Louis  on  Jan.  6,  1865, 
and  continued  in  session  until  April  10th  of  that  year.  The  Radicals  of 
the  state  were  in  the  saddle,  and  like  a  beggar  astride,  rode  violently. 
This  convention  was  composed  of  66  members,  three-fourths  of  whom 
were  of  the  radical  element.    These  men  were  known  but  little  throughout 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  215 

the  State,  and  at  the  close  of  the  convention,  when  their  work  had  been 
completed,  most  of  them  went  back  into  immediate  obscurity,  and  were 
heard  of  no  more. 

The  great  dominating  figure  of  this  convention  was  Charles  Drake. 
He  was  the  radical  of  radicals.  His  career  had  been  kaleidoscopic,  and  in 
politics,  he  was  a  regular  turncoat.  He  was  first  a  Whig,  a  Know  Nothing, 
a  Democrat,  and  then  the  radical  of  radicals.  At  this  time,  he  became 
easily  the  leader  of  the  extremists.  The  constitution  adopted  became 
known  as  the  Drake  constitution,  and  because  of  Drake's  leading  part  in 
framing  this  constitution,  and  because  of  the  severities  of  many  of  its 
sections,  it  called  to  the  minds  of  many  people,  the  laws  of  Draco  of 
ancient  Greece,  which  were  noted  for  the  heavy  penalties  that  were  levied 
for  their  violation.  For  these  reasons  the  constitution  of  1865,  was  fre- 
quently called  the  "Draconian  Code." 

The  test  oath  provided  by  this  constitution  disfranchised  at  least  one- 
third  of  the  electors  of  the  State.  It  soon  became  intensely  unpopular, 
even  with  members  of  the  Radical  party.  Not  only  were  elaborate  disquali- 
fications for  voting  provided,  but  in  another  section,  the  religious,  chari- 
table, social  and  business  relations  were  invaded,  and  a  provision  was  made 
for  an  "expergatorial"  oath,  for  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  attorneys,  and 
teachers.  Under  that  section,  no  person  was  permitted  to  practice  law, 
or  be  competent  as  a  preacher,  priest,  minister,  deacon  or  clergyman,  of 
any  religious  persuasion,  sect  or  denomination  to  teach,  or  preach,  or 
solemnize  marriages,  unless  such  persons  should  first  take,  and  subscribe, 
and  file  the  prescribed  oath  of  loyalty. 

So  comprehensive  in  details  was  the  test  oath  that  was  required  to 
be  taken  by  those  who  sought  to  vote,  or  practice  any  of  the  above  pro- 
fessions, that  it  was  known  as  the  "Iron-Clad  Oath."  This  constitution 
was  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  adoption  or  rejection  June  6,  1865, 
but  only  those  who  could  take  the  oath  of  loyalty  prescribed,  by  the  con- 
stitution itself,  were  allowed  to  vote  upon  its  adoption. 

The  fight  was  bitter  from  beginning  to  end,  especially  in  the  Missouri 
River  counties,  including  Cooper,  of  course.  The  constitution  was  adopted 
by  a  majority  of  less  than  two  thousand.  The  votes  stood  43,670  for,  and 
41,808  against.  The  advice  of  loyal  Union  men,  such  as  Hamilton  R.  Gam- 
bel,  Frank  P.  Blair,  B.  Gratz  Brown,  and  a  short  time  afterwards  Carl 
Schurtz,  prominent  and  leaders  in  the  cause  of  the  Union,  true  men  and 
patriots,  went  unheeded. 

The  election  of  1868  marked  the  high  tide  of  Radical  success.    Under 


216  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  leadership  of  such  men  as  Blair,  and  others,  many  patriotic  Union  men 
throughout  the  State,  were  arrayed  in  violent  opposition,  and  protested 
against  the  indignities  of  the  test-oath. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Carl  Schurtz,  a  Liberal  Republican  ticket  was 
nominated  with  B.  Gratz  Brown,  as  candidate  for  Governor.  The  Radicals 
renominated  McClurg.    Brown  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  nearly  42,000. 

But  more  significant  and  important  than  the  political  success  of  the 
Liberal  Republican  ticket,  was  the  adoption  of  the  several  constitutional 
amendments,  the  one  abolishing  the  test-oath,  being  carried  by  a  vote  of 
137,000  to  16,000. 

With  the  election  of  the  Liberal  Republican  ticket  in  1870,  or  rather 
the  defeat  of  the  radicals,  their  most  prominent  leader,  Drake,  passed  from 
the  stage  as  an  actor  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  State.  In  all  probability 
no  other  political  leader  ever  left  Missouri  politics  with  greater  unpopu- 
larity than  Drake. 

While  this  chapter  may  in  a  measure  be  discoursive,  it  shall  bear  the 
merit  of  being  brief.  Its  purpose  has  been  simply  to  state  a  general  con- 
dition without  making  specific  and  local  applications.  We  have  mentioned 
no  local  incidents  of  this  period,  for  fear  that  in  doing  so,  or  mentioning 
names,  we  might  open  some  sores  of  which  the  editor  himself  is  not  in- 
formed. Those  strenuous  times  are  passed,  passion  and  prejudice  have 
vanished,  and  amity  and  friendship  now  prevail.  No  good  could  be  accom- 
plished by  going  into  specific  incidents  that  might  have  a  tendency  to 
arouse  in  part  a  bitterness  that  has  long  disappeared. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  During  and  After  the  Civil  War. — These 
matters,  of  difficult  adjustment  and  mutual  agreement,  grew  out  of  cer- 
tain declarations  •  made  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  during  the  war  period,  and  bear- 
ing upon  the  questions  which  vitally  concerned  the  people  of  both  the 
North  and  South.  They  were  deliverances  of  the  General  Assembly,  made 
when  intense  feeling  ran  high,  and  brotherly  love  was  at  low  ebb.  The 
Presbyterians,  living  south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line,  promptly  re- 
sented these  deliverances  of  the  General  Assembly.  Later  on  they  with- 
drew and  established  what  is  now  known  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
the  United  States. 

During  this  volcanic  eruption  in  the  church,  the  Presbyterians  of  Mis- 
souri stood  neutral.  Harmony  and  usefulness  of  the  church  was  the  para- 
mount question.  The  Synod  of  Missouri  met  in  the  Boonville  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  autumn  of  1866.     The  all  engrossing  subject  of  the  ecclesi- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  217 

astic  union  was  there  ably  and  vigorously  debated.  Rev.  Dr.  Nicolls  and 
Rev.  Dr.  James  H.  Brooks,  both  of  St.  Louis,  led  the  party  standing  for 
union  with  the  northern  branch  of  the  church.  As  no  agreement  could  be 
reached  by  this  Synod  as  then  organized,  Doctor  Nicolls  and  his  adherents 
withdrew  from  the  church  building,  and  held  their  meeting  of  Synod  in  the 
parlor  of  the  Home  of  Mrs.  Pauline  E.  Rush  on  Main  street,  and  carried 
the  churches  they  represented  into  the  northern  branch  of  the  church. 

The  remaining  members  of  the  Synod  of  Missouri  in  the  church  build- 
ing concluded  their  meeting  by  adopting  what  was  known  and  termed  a 
"declaration  and  testimony"  deliverance.  This  action,  on  the  part  of  the 
declaration  and  testimony  party  held  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Mis- 
souri of  southern  trend,  neutral  for  several  years,  when  they  formed  a 
union  with  the  southern  branch,  known  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
the  United  States. 

Those  were  trying  days  to  church  people.  The  drastic  deliverance 
of  the  General  Assembly  were  gradually  modified  or  withdrawn.  Now  the 
question  of  organic  union  of  these  two  great  branches  of  one  great  church, 
is  being  urgently  advocated  and  growing  in  favor,  both  in  the  North  and 
South.  It  is  most  unfortunate  that  political  differences  should  ever  enter 
into  any  church  discussion  or  action.  The  Boonville  Presbyterian  Church 
has  been  free  from  this  error.  Christian  fellowship  and  co-operation 
should  ever  be  the  ruling  spirit. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


TOWNSHIPS 


BOONVILLE  TOW  NSHIP— BOONVILI.E  AS  IT  IS  TODAY— BLACKWATER  TOWNSHIP- 
CLEAR  CREEK  TOWNSHIP— PILOT  GROVE  TOWNSHIP— KELLY  TOWNSHIP— 
LAMINE  TOWNSHIP— NORTH  AND  SOUTH  MONITEAU  TOWNSHIPS — PALESTINE 
TOWNSHIP— PRAIRIE  HOME  TOWNSHIP— CLARKS  FORK  TOWNSHIP— SALINE 
TOWNSHIP— LEBANON  TOWNSHIP— OTTERVILLE   TOWNSHIP 

Boonville  Township  evidently  took  its  name  from  Boonville,  and  Boon- 
ville  was  thus  named  in  honor  of  the  great  hunter,  pioneer  and  Indian- 
fighter,  Daniel  Boone.  When  it  acquired  this  name  is  not  known,  but  it 
has  been  so-called  from  "time  whereof  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not 
to  the  contrary."  Boone  was  intimate  with  the  Coles,  and  visited  at  Ste- 
phen Cole's  Fort  and  at  Hannah  Cole's  Fort,  and  being  a  man  of  much 
repute  and  fame  among  the  early  settlers  they  honored  him  by  calling 
this  settlement  Boonville. 

The  history  of  Boonville  and  Boonville  township  is  the  earliest  history 
of  Cooper  County,  much  of  which  has  heretofore  been  given  in  this  volume. 
Hannah  Cole,  who  was  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  located  and 
took  a  preemption  claim  in  1810,  which  included  what  is  now  Boonville 
and  afterward  sold  the  same  Jan.  25,  1819,  for  a  mere  trifle  to  Bird  Lock- 
hart  and  Henry  Carroll. 

Aside  from  the  Coles,  if  indeed  they  were  located  in  the  limits  of  old 
Boonville,  was  Gilliard  Rupe,  who  built  his  cabin  near  the  corner  of  Spring 
and  Third  streets,  and  on  the  south  side  of  Spring  street  near  where  was 
located  the  old  cement  factory.  Rupe  next  erected  a  building  as  a  ferry 
house  at  the  mouth  of  the  branch  which  today  bears  his  name.  Mrs. 
Hannah  Cole  operated  the  first  ferry.  Soon  thereafter  several  log  cabins 
were  built  on  the  bottom  land  below  this  branch,  extending  south  as  far 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  219 

as  the  cornel*  of  Morgan  and  Second  streets  before  the  <  town  was  laid  off. 

The  pioneer  business  house  was  kept  by  a  Frenchman  by  the  name  of 
A.  Robideux.  This  was  located  in  the  flat  of  the  Rupe  branch.  RobideUx 
came  from  St.  Louis,  and  was  doubtless  an  Indian  trader  before  settling 
in  Boonville.  Soon  after  Rodideux  commenced  business,  a  man  named  Nolin 
opened  a  grocery  near  the  mouth  of  Rupe  branch.  It  is  said  his  store  in 
trade  consisted  mostly  of  whisky  and  tobacco.  Their  houses  were  log  and 
pole  cabins  and  were  erected  along  about  1816  and  1817.  During  the  same 
period,  Mrs.  Reavis  and  William  Bartlett  kept  boarding  houses  in  the  same 
locality  and  Thomas  Rogers  built  a  cabin  at  the  corner  of  High  and  Second 
streets,  and  used  it  as  a  residence,  hotel  and  store. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Stephens,  who  was  the  wife  of  Judge  Lawrence  Ste- 
phens, and  the  daughter  of  William  Moore,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Cooper  County.  In  the  fall  of  1816,  after  her  father  had  settled  in  this 
county  she  went  to  Boonville  with  her  uncle,  Mr.  McFarland,  and  after 
looking  around  she  asked  where  Boonville  was.  She  thought  she  was  com- 
ing to  something  of  a  town.  Her  uncle  pointed  to  Robideux's  store,  a  round 
log  cabin  with  bark  on  the  logs,  and  said,  "there  is  Boonville."  They  then 
dismouunted,  and  after  making  some  purchases,  returned  home. 

Boonville  was  laid  out  by  Asa  Morgan  and  Charles  Lucas,  and  plat 
filed  on  Aug.  1,  1817.  It  was  surveyed  by  William  Ross.  The  first  lot  sold 
was  before  the  filing  of  this  plat.  The  deed  was  made  on  the  16th  clay  of 
July,  1817,  by  Asa  Morgan  of  the  county  of  Howard  and  Charles  Lucas  of 
the  town  of  St.  Louis,  both  in  the  territory  of  Missouri,  conveying  to  Rob- 
ert Austin  of  the  county  of  Howard  in  said  territory  for  and  in  considera- 
t;on  of  $75,  one  lot  or  parcel  of  ground  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  containing 
90  feet  front  on  Water  street  and  150  feet  more  or  less  in  depth,  being  lot 
number  43,  on  the  plat  of  said  town  of  Boonville. 

The  first  lot  sales  were  held  in  1819.  A  donation  of  50  acres  was 
made  by  Morgan  and  Lucas  to  Cooper  County  for  a  permanent  county  seat. 
The  first  donation  lots  were  sold  in  1821. 

The  first  houses  built  after  the  town  was  laid  off  were  two  brick 
structures  on  Morgan  street,  one  east  of  the  jail  and  the  other  east  of  and 
near  the  Central  National  Bank,  both  built  by  Asa  Morgan,  after  whom 
Morgan  street  was  named. 

From  the  history  of  Howard  and  Cooper  Counties,  written  in  1883, 
we  take  the  folloiwng: 

"Some  old  houses  now  standing  are  Doctor  Trigg's  on  Morgan  street 
and  a  log  house  on  the  north  side  of  High  street  on  the  comer  of  Seventh, 


220  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

now  occupied  by  a  colored  woman  by  the  name  of  Carter.  Also  a  brick 
house  on  High  street  northeast  of  the  court  house  built  by  TIon.  R.  P. 
Clark,  and  owned  by  Joseph  and  William  Williams." 

The  next  merchants  after  Robideux  and  Nolin  were  Jocab  and  Wyan 
and  Archie  Kavanaugh.  Their  store  and  residence  was  located  north  of 
the  court  house  square.  Other  early  merchants  were  McKenzie,  Bousfield, 
Colonel  Thornton,  Mrs.  Dobbins,  Thomas  M.  Campbell  and  Judge  C.  H. 
Smith. 

Justinian  Williams  built  the  next  hotel,  and  afterward  sold  it  to  John 
Dade,  a  part  of  which  is  still  standing  and  is  used  as  a  hotel  known  as  the 
Santa  Fe  Inn.  This  building  of  course  has  been  added  to,  and  greatly  modi- 
ged.  There  was  also  a  hotel  on  the  lot  north  of  the  jail,  once  occupied  as 
the  residence  of  Judge  C.  W.  Sombart,  and  is  now  a  portion  of  the  yard 
of  the  present  residence  of  C.  A.  Sombart,  son  of  the  judge. 

Boonville  up  to  1826  was  but  a  hamlet  of  straggling  log  cabins  and 
its  growth  had  been  slow.  However,  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  IS26  it 
entered  an  era  of  prosperity  never  known  before  in  its  brief  history.  This 
was  the  year  in  which  the  angry  waters  of  the  Missouri  sapped  the  foun- 
dations and  forever  put  an  end  to  the  future  prosperity  of  the  thriving 
town  of  Franklin  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  reference  to  which  has 
heretofore  been  made.  From  this  time  Boonville  began  to  assume  import- 
ance and  in  a  few  years  the  wholesale  and  supply  center  for  the  great 
southwest  territory.  Many  merchants  from  Franklin  moved  to  Boonville 
as  also  did  business  men  from  other  sections  of  the  country. 

The  first  macadamized  street  was  Main  street,  laid  in  1840.  During 
the  year  1843,  Moseley  and  Stanley  operated  a  brewery.  Between  the 
years  1840-1850  real  estate  in  Boonville  commanded  a  better  price  than 
it  ever  had  before  or  has  since,  except  within  the  last  few  years. 

Luke  Williams  is  celebrated  as  being  the  first  preached  in  Cooper 
County,  having  located  in  Boonville  several  years  before  the  county  was 
organized.    He  was  a  farmer  and  a  Baptist. 

Justinian  Williams  deserves  special  mention  in  the  history  of  Cooper 
County.  He  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  while  young,  emigrated  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  there  married.  He  then  moved  to  Howard  County,  Mo.,  and 
from  there  to  Cooper  County,  and  settled  in  Boonville  in  1818.  In  this 
year  he  located  the  first  Methodist  Church  in  Cooper  County.  He  was 
a  cabinet  maker  by  trade,  and  followed  that  business  for  several  years 
and  organizing  churches  at  intervals.    He  was  also  the  local  preacher  at 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  221 

Boonville  for  several  years.  In  1834,  he  built  a  steamboat  called  "The  Far 
West,"  about  two  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Bonne  Femme  Creek  in  How- 
ard County,  and  was  the  commander  of  the  same  for  some  time.  During 
that  year  he  emigrated  to  Tennessee,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  unique  and 
forceful  character  in  the  time  in  which  he  lived. 

We  have  been  unable  to  trace  the  local  records  of  Boonville  further 
back  than  Feb.  3,  1836.  On  that  day  there  was  an  organization  of  the 
trustees  of  the  town  of  Boonville,  of  which  body,  C.  P.  Powell  was  chair- 
man, and  Charles  G.  Lewis,  Alexander  Hanna,  David  Andrews,  and  John 
Rea,  were  trustees.  Washington  Adams,  who  afterwards  became  one  of 
the  prominent  lawyers  of  the  State,  was  secretary. 

At  the  succeeding  town  election,  Edward  Lawton  was  elected  chair- 
man, and  Richard  B.  Holeman,  secretary. 

The  city  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  approved 
Feb.  8,  1839,  and  the  first  organization  thereunder  was  affected  May  3, 
1839.  The  following  officers  were  elected  by  the  people,  under  the  charter, 
to-wit:  Marcus  Williams,  Jr.,  mayor;  J.  Rice,  president  of  the  board;  Wil- 
liam Shields,  J.  L.  Collins,  Jacob  Wyan,  David  Andrews,  Charles  Smith, 
J.  S.  McFarland,  and  J.  H.  Malone,  councilmen. 

Marcus  Williams,  the  first  mayor  of  Boonville,  was  a  brother  of  Jus- 
tinian Williams,  both  of  whom  were  uncles  of  the  late  lamented  Judge 
William  M.  Williams.  Marcus  Williams  was  a  brick  mason,  and  manu- 
factured the  first  bricks  ever  made  in  Cooper  County.  He  opened  a  lime 
kiln  in  the  western  part  of  Boonville.  At  the  Vollrath  place,  in  1840,  he 
made  the  first  stoneware  ever  manufactured  in  western  Missouri.  He  emi- 
grated to  California  at  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement  in  1849,  and  settled 
in  San  Jose,  and  died  about  the  year  1860.  It  is  related  that  just  before 
he  left  Boonville,  he  had  an  altercation  with  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  Boonville.  This  altercation  resulted  in  an  assault  upon  his  part.  lie 
was  arrested,  and  a  small  fine  placed  upon  him.  It  seems  that  he  had 
had  some  trouble  about  a  mortgage  this  citizen  held  upon  some  of  his 
property.  He  felt  that  he  had  been  badly  treated,  and  determined  to  shake 
the  dust  from  his  feet,  and  leave  the  town.  Having  loaded  all  his  remain- 
ing possessions  in  a  wagon,  with  his  team  he  drove  down  Main  street,  and 
stopped.  Then  called  together  a  crowd  of  citizens  and  from  his  wagon, 
made  them  a  speech,  in  which  he  told  them  that  he  had  cast  his  lot  among 
them,  endeavoring  to  build  up  their  town  and  country,  but  that  he  had 
not  been  appreciated,  but  instead  had  been  mistreated.     He  told  the  as- 


222  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

sembled  crowd  that  he  proposed  to  shake  the  dust  from  his  feet,  and  raising 
one  foot,  he  literally  shook  the  dust  from  it,  then  lashed  his  horses  with 
his  reins,  and  started  on  his  trip  to  California. 

The  year  1840  was  distinguished  as  being  the  time  when  the  first 
steamboat  built  and  successfully  launched  at  Boonville.  It  was  constructed 
under  the  superintendence  of  Captain  McCourtney,  and  was  intended  for 
the  Osage.    It  was  called  the  "Warsaw." 

As  a  port  of  entry  at  this  time,  Boonville  excelled  any  other  town  on 
the  river  except  St.  Louis.  As  many  as  five  or  six  steamboats  would  often 
land  during  the  day  and  night,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  on  and  discharg- 
ing freight. 

During  the  year  1850,  the  whole  number  of  deaths  that  had  occurred 
in  Boonville  was  45,  as  shown  by  the  sextons  report.  Thirty-eight  of  these 
were  white  persons,  and  seven  were  negroes.  Eleven  of  these  were  strang- 
ers who  had  just  arrived  in  the  city,  or  who  were  passing  through.  The 
population  of  the  city  at  that  time  was  estimated  at  about  2,800. 

During  the  decade  between  1850  and  1860,  several  newspapers  were 
established  and  discontinued.  Notably  among  these  were  the  "Central  Mis- 
sourian,"  and  the  "Boonville  Missourian." 

The  Missouri  State  Agricultural  Society  held  the  first  fairs  at  the 
Fair  Grounds  near  Boonville  in  1853  and  1854.  In  1855  the  foundations 
were  laid  for  Thespian  Hall,  which  was  begun  during  that  year.  At  the 
time  of  its  construction,  it  was  considered  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
magnificent  buildings  to  be  found  west  of  St.  Louis.  It  was  erected  by  a 
number  of  stockholders  and  occupies  the  northeast  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Church  street,  now  called  Vine  street.  The  building  is  constructed  of 
brick,  50x100  feet,  with  10  feet  open  space  in  front,  supported  by  four 
brick  colums,  4x4  feet  square.  The  Thespian  Hall  is  four  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  20  feet  high  in  the  clear.  The  second  story  was  divided  into 
three  apartments,  two  halls  originally  for  use  of  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow  s' 
Associations,  fronting  on  Fifth  street,  23i/2x43  feet,  a  town  hall  fronting 
Vine  street,  35x47  feet.  The  basement  story  was  designed  for  reading 
rooms.  This  building  has  since  been  remodeled,  the  basement  room  and 
first  story  being  converted  into  an  opera  house.  The  second  story  is  used 
entirely  by  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 

The  first  bank  established  in  Boonville  was  the  William  H.  Trigg,  in 
1847,  particular  reference  to  which  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  banking. 

In  May,  1883,  the  Boonville  Water  Company  was  organized  with  the 
following  stockholders :    John  Elliott,  John  Cosgroye,  Speed  Stephens,  Lon 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  223 

Stephens,  Henry  McCourtney,  W.  Whitlow,  T.  B.  Perkins,  W.  C.  Culwey- 
house  and  J.  H.  Johnson.  Perkins  was  the  promoter,  and  took  the  contract 
for  building  the  system.  The  plan  pursued  in  the  construction  of  this  im- 
portant enterprise  was  known  as  the  Perkins  system. 

July  1,  1905,  the  city  of  Boonville,  after  negotiations  covering  a  period 
of  two  years,  acquired  all  the  property,  rights  and  franchises  of  the  Boon- 
ville Water  Company.  The  price  paid  for  the  property  totaled  $52,500,  and 
was  based  upon  a  valuation  made  by  engineers  employed  by  the  city  in 
1903,  to  which  was  added  the  investment  by  the  company  up  to  the  time 
the  purchase  was  consummated. 

The  property  consisted  of  some  31,000  feet  of  distribution  mains,  about 
20  acres  of  land,  and  some  buildings  and  reservoirs,  pumping  station  and 
equipment,  and  a  brick  tower  with  wooden  tanks.  Of  the  original  prop- 
erty, only  the  distribution  system  and  land  are  still  in  service.  All  build- 
ings have  been  added  to  and  improved  since  the  purchase.  This  applies 
similarly  to  reservoirs  which  have  been  enlarged.  The  purchase  was  made 
possible  by  the  authorization  and  issue  of  a  bonded  debt  of  $75,000  bearing 
interest  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent  per  annum. 

By  Dec.  31,  1918,  all  the  $4,000  of  this  issue  had  been  returned.  The 
city  has  acquired  and  operated  a  property  which  represents  a  gross  invest- 
ment of  $121,000  in  14  years,  and  paid  therefor  with  a  net  tax  assessment 
of  about  17  cents  per  $1,000  valuation  in  excess  of  that,  which  would  have 
been  necessary  to  pay  for  fire  hydrant  service  under  private  ownership. 

The  first  board  of  public  works  which  had  charge  of  this  system  were 
appointed  in  March,  19 — ,  as  follows:  W.  F.  Johnson,  president;  M.  E. 
Schmidt,  secretary ;  S.  H.  Stephens  and  W.  A.  Sombart.  The  present  board 
is  Jeff  L.  Davis,  president;  Fred  Dauwalter,  secretary;  George  A.  Weyland, 
Clarence  Shears. 

At  our  request,  Mayor  C.  W.  Journey  has  prepared  a  short  article  on 
Boonville  as  it  is  today,  which  we  herewith  give : 

Boonville  as  It  is  Today. — The  present  population  of  the  city  of  Boon- 
ville is  about  6,000 ;  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  the  city  for  the 
year  1918  was  $2,300,000.  The  city  revenue  for  the  same  year  from  all 
sources  was  about  $26,500 ;'  and  the  city  indebtedness  is  only  $29,000. 

The  tax  rate  for  1918  was  $1.10.  The  rate  for  this  year  of  1919  will 
be  reduced  from  that  of  1918. 

The  city  has,  since  1905,  in  fourteen  years,  purchased  and  paid  for 
the  water  works  plant,  together  with  27.82  acres  of  land  acquired,  by  the 
original  purchase,  all  representing  a  gross  investment  of  $121,000  (this 


224  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

does  not  include  advanced  value  of  real  estate) ;  has  set  aside  $33,000  for 
depreciation,  has  accumulated  $6,000  surplus,  made  all  necessary  additions 
and  betterments,  and  today,  the  plant  is  in  first  class  working  order,  giving 
us  as  good  and  pure  water  as  is  to  be  found  anywhere.  Of  the  $75,000 
bonded  indebtedness  14  years  ago  in  the  matter  of  the  purchase  of  ths 
water  plant,  on  July  1,  1919,  only  $3,000  of  the  same  will  remain  unpaid. 

Boonville  now  has  three  banks,  and  another  practically  organized  and 
ready  for  business.    Boonville  now  has,  among  other  things,  the  following : 

A  large  public  school  building,  the  high  school  building  (a  magnificent 
and  beautiful  structure),  Kemper  Military  School,  a  large  and  splendid  in- 
stitution, and  with  a  larger  attendance  this  year  than  ever  before  in  its 
history,  the  new  Sumner  school  for  colored  people,  the  Missouri  Reforma- 
tory, and  Dunkle's  Business  School,  nine  churches,  one  large  flouring  mill, 
a  beautiful  new  court  house,  a  pipe  factory  employing  150  or  more  people, 
a  large  shoe  factory  now  in  course  of  construction,  its  estimated  cost  when 
completed  is  $110,000,  and  will  employ  300  workers,  a  large  ice  plant  and 
laundry  employing  30  persons  the  year  round,  the  Armour  packing  plant, 
employing  30  to  40  persons,  a  large  brick  plant,  sand-works  and  a  lime  kiln. 

There  are  now  fifteen  grocery  stores ;  three  large  and  up-to-date  cloth- 
ing stores ;  four  dry  goods  stores,  not  counting  combination  dry  goods  and 
grocery  stores ;  four  millinery  and  three  drug  stores ;  one  large  tin,  glass- 
ware and  notion  store ;  one  dealer  in  books ;  one  fruit  store,  and  two  com- 
bination fruit  and  stationery  stores;  two  furniture  stores;  two  hardware 
stores ;  two  exclusive  boot  and  shoe  stores ;  one  second  hand  store ;  two 
restaurants,  and  numerous  eating  booths;  three  ice  cream  parlors,  and 
numerous  tailor,  blacksmith  and  tin  shops ;  two  large  wholesale  houses, 
both  under  the  same  management.    Boonville  also  has  eight  garages. 

The  paved  streets  in  the  city  are  as  follows:  Main  (or  Fifth)  street, 
from  High  to  the  top  of  Trigg  Hill  in  the  southern  limits  of  the  city ;  High, 
from  Second  to  Eighth  streets ;  Morgan,  from  First  to  Tenth ;  Spring,  from 
Main  to  Tenth,  and  from  First  to  the  Boonville  and  Sedalia  road;  Sixth, 
from  Locust  to  the  Boonville  and  Jefferson  City  road ;  Chestnut,  from  Sixth 
to  Third ;  Third,  from  High  to  Pine  street ;  Court,  from  Fifth  to  Sixth ; 
Locust,  from  Main  East  to  the  Catholic  Cemetery,  thence  south  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  Cooper  County  Infirmary  Farm,  being  practically 
to  the  city  limits;  Shamrock  Heights,  from  the  north  part  of  Shamrock 
Heights  to  what  is  known  as  the  "New-Cut  Road" ;  Eighth,  from  High  to 
Morgan;  Second  street,  from  Spring  to  Water  street,  and  there  is  now 


RESIDENCE   STREET,    BUXCETON,   MO. 


IIIHII    SCHOOL,   BUNCETON,   MO. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  225 

under  construction  the  paving  of  Walnut  street  from  Sixth  street,  west- 
wardly  to  Shamrock  Heights. 

At  this  writing,  the  city  council  has  made  arrangements  to  call  a  spe- 
cial election  to  decide  on  the  proposition  of  issuing  bonds  for  $35,000  for 
the  purpose  of  laying  a  new  water  main  from  the  water  works  to  the  city. 
This  is  not  only  to  guard  against  serious  damage  by  fire  and  great  public 
inconvenience  in  case  the  single  line  now  existing  should  break,  but  to  give 
water  service  to  new  territory,  and  improve  and  extend  the  water  service 
gnerally  ;  and  to  issue  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $12,000  for  constructing  an  addi- 
tional sewer  main,  and  serve  the  new  addition  in  the  western  part  of  the 
city,  now  an  assured  fact;  and  to  issue  bonds  for  $10,000  for  the  purpose 
of  improving  the  City  Park. 

Walnut  Grove  Cemetery,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  State,  had 
its  inception  in  1852.  In  that  year  Charles  F.  Aehle,  Robert  D.  Perry,  Dr. 
A.  Keuckelhan  and  others  purchased  a  piece  of  ground  containing  two 
acres  from  William  S.  Myers  to  be  used  as  a  cemetery.  Upon  this  ground 
was  a  beautiful  grove  of  walnut  trees,  hence  the  name  Walnut  Grove 
Cemetery.  This  tract  has  been  added  to  from  time  to  time.  The  first 
body  interred  in  the  cemetery  was  that  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Quarles,  who 
died  Aug.  24,  1852.  Others  buried  about  the  same  time  were  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Massie,  James  McDearmon,  and  Ida  Aehle.  Also  the  remains  of  David 
Barton,  first  United  States  Senator  of  Missouri,  was  removed  from  the  City 
Cemetery  and  buried  here,  where  now  stands  an  appropriate  monument 
erected  by  the  State.  Up  to  1880  this  cemetery  was  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  Aehle,  in  which  year  the  cemetery  was  made  public  under  certain  rules 
and  restrictions  by  the  purchase  of  the  same  from  Mr.  Aahle  by  and 
through  a  corporation  organized  for  that  purpose.  The  charter,  however, 
was  not  issued  until  June  7,  1881. 

The  people  of  Boonville  and  Cooper  County  are  justly  proud  of  this 
beautiful  cemetery  where  rest  the  remains  of  their  loved  and  lost.  It  has 
grown  from  year  to  year  and  its  management  has  been  such  as  to  add  to  its 
beauty  with  years.  While  not  all  but  much  of  the  credit  due  to  the  superb 
management  of  this  cemetery  is  credited  to  Dr.  William  Mittlebach,  who 
for  years  has  been  superintendent  and  secretary  of  the  same.  The  present 
board  of  dirctors  are  T.  A.  Johnson,  president;  W.  W.  Trigg,  vice-presi- 
dent; R.  W.  Whitlow,  treasurer;  William  Mittlebach,  superintendent  and 
secretary;  Hilliard  Brewster,  Fred  G.  Lohse,  Starke  Koontz,  and  Charles 
Doerrie.  The  executive  committee  consists  of  William  Mittelbach,  W.  W. 
(15) 


226  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Trigg,  and  Fred  G.  Lohse.    Lawrence  Geiger,  Sr.,  is  the  present  sexton. 

Blackwater  Township. — Blackwater  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lamine 
township ;  on  the  east  by  Pilot  Grove  and  Clear  Creek  township,  and  on  the 
west  by  Saline  and  Pettis  Counties.  It  is  practically  surrounded  by  water, 
the  Blackwater  River  on  the  north  and  the  Lamine  on  the  east  and  south. 

The  soil  is  rich  and  very  productive.  It  has  much  bottom  land  which 
is  especially  adapted  to  the  growing  of  corn,  wheat  and  alfalfa. 

Lead  and  iron  ore  are  found  in  abundance.  Springs  are  very  numer- 
ous, some  of  which  are  salt.  Salt  was  manufactured  in  this  township  as 
early  as  1808  and  from  that  time  until  1836  it  was  manufactured  pretty 
extensively  by  Heath,  Bailey,  Christie,  Allison  and  others. 

William  Christie  and  John  D.  Heath  settled  here  in  1808  temporarily. 
James  Broch  was  the  first  permanent  settler,  arriving  in  1816.  Enoch 
Hambrich  came  in  1817.  David  Shellcraw  in  1818,  George  Chapman,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Caleb  Jones,  came  in  1818;  Nathaniel  T.  Allison  in  1831, 
Cleming  Marshall  and  Robert  Clark  in  1832,  Nathaniel  Bridgewater  in  1835. 

The  village  of  Blackwater  is  the  metropolis  of  Blackwater  township 
and  is  surrounded  by  fertile  and  enterprising  country  and  thrifty  farmers. 
The  town  has  a  population  of  about  500  and  the  mercantile  business  repre- 
sents practically  every  line  of  business  found  in  a  village  of  that  size.  It 
has  one  newspaper,  two  banks,  and  an  electric  light  plant.  The  merchants 
are  prosperous  and  enjoy  a  good  trade.  Blackwater  is  one  of  the  oldest 
trading  points  in  Cooper  County.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  stream 
Blackwater,  from  which  also  the  township  takes  its  name. 

Clear  Creek  Township. — Clear  Creek  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Lamine  River;  on  the  east  by  Pilot  Grove  and  Palestine  townships;  on 
the  south  by  Lebanon  and  Otterville  townships,  and  on  the  west  by  Pettis 
County. 

Some  rough  land  is  found  in  this  township  in  the  north  and  west  part 
but  in  the  east  and  south  are  found  some  of  the  best  farms  in  Cooper 
County.  James  Taylor  and  sons,  William,  John,  and  James  were  the  first 
settlers.  They  came  from  Georgia  by  the  way  of  New  Madrid  and  settled 
here  in  1817.  The  farmed  a  large  tract  of  land  and  were  the  early  corn 
kings  of  Cooper  County. 

At  one  time  when  com  was  very  scarce  throughout  the  county,  and 
very  little  could  be  had  for  love  or  money,  two  men  came  to  Mr.  Taylor's 
house  asking  to  purchase  some  corn,  of  which  he  had  a  large  quantity,  on 
credit,  as  neither  of  them  had  any  money  with  which  to  pay.  One  was 
very  poorly  dressed,  with  his  pants  torn  off  below  his  knees,  and  what 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY  227 

there  was  remaining  of  them  patched  all  over.  The  other  was  almost 
elegantly  dressed.  Mr.  Taylor  sold  the  poorly  dressed  man,  on  credit,  all 
the  corn  he  wished.  He  told  the  other  one  that  he  could  get  no  corn  there, 
unless  he  paid  the  money  for  it,  and  that  if  he  had  saved  the  money  which 
he  had  squandered  for  his  fine  clothes  he  would  have  had  sufficient  to  pay 
cash  for  the  corn. 

He  had  a  large  number  of  negroes,  and  required  them  during  the  day 
to  perform  a  great  deal  of  work.  Shovel  plows  were  mostly  used  in  his 
day,  and  the  wooden  mole  board  just  coming  into  use.  It  is  related  that 
the  shovels  of  Mr.  Taylor's  plows  had,  at  one  time,  worn  off  very  blunt, 
and  he  was  averse  to  buying  new  ones,  so  that  one  negro  man  plowed  once 
around  a  field  before  he  discovered  that  he  had  lost  the  dull  shovel  to  his 
plow,  the  plow  running  just  as  well  without  as  with  it.  He  was  a  leader  in 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  a  devoted  member,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a 
strictly  honest  man. 

Jordan  O'Bryan,  son-in-law  of  James  Taylor,  settled  here  in  1817.  He 
represented  the  county  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1822,  1826,  1834  and 
1840  and  in  the  State  Senate  1844  to  1848.  He  was  an  orator,  a  man  of 
great  ability  and  an  uncompromising  Whig. 

Charles  R.  Berry,  the  father  of  Finis  E.  Berry,  Isaac  Ellis  and  Hugh 
and  Alexander  Brown,  are  among  the  oldest  citizens ;  others  of  a  later  date 
were  Herman  Bailey,  William  Ellis,  Samuel  Walker,  A.  S.  Walker,  H.  R. 
Walker,  Finis  E.  Berry,  James  and  Samuel  Mahan,  the  Rubeys,  Jeremiah, 
William  G.  and  Martin  G.  Phillips,  Samuel  Forbes,  Ragan  Berry,  Hiram 
Dial,  Samuel  and  Rice  Hughes  and  Willis  Ellis. 

Pilot  Grove  Township. — Pilot  Grove  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  La- 
mine  ;  on  the  east  by  Boonville  and  Palestine ;  on  the  south  by  Clear  Creek 
and  Palestine,  and  on  the  west  by  Clear  Cleek  and  Blackwater.  It  is  a 
very  irregular  in  shape  and  offers  quite  a  variety  in  surface  features.  The 
township  derived  its  name  from  the  following  facts :  When  travelers  were 
passing  on  the  route  from  Boonville  to  Independence,  or  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  this  route,  as  it  led  through  the  township,  they  were  enabled  at 
once  to  determine  their  position  by  the  small  grove  of  trees  which  was 
plainly  visible  for  miles  around.  Very  little  of  the  present  timber  was  in 
existence  except  as  low  brush,  so  that  the  group  of  trees  standing  promi- 
nently above  all  the  rest  proved  a  pilot  to  the  traveler  in  his  journey 
across  the  then  extensive  prairie.    Hence  the  name  "Pilot  Grove." 

It  was  settled  about  1820.  Among  the  early  settlers  were  John  Mc- 
Cutchen,  John  Houx,  Jacob  Houx,  L.  A.  Summers,  James  McElroy,  Samuel 


228  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Roe,  Sr.,  Samuel  Woolridge,  Enoch  Mass,  Absalom  Meredith,  Azariah  Bone, 
who  was  a  Methodist  minister;  John  Rice,  a  blacksmith;  a  Mr.  Magee,  after 
whom  "Magee  Grove"  was  named,  and  Samuel  Gilbert,  whose  success  in 
after  life  as  a  cancer  doctor  was  a  surprise  to  all  and  a  familiar  theme  of 
conversation  among  the  old  settlers.  There  were  also  William  and  James 
Taylor,  Jr.,  who  were  among  the  pioneers. 

This  township  was  distinguished  in  the  early  times  by  the  number  and 
variety  of  camp  meetings  which  were  held  within  its  borders.  The  Metho- 
dists and  Presbyterians  were  rivals  for  the  honor  of  conducting  the  biggest 
and  best  camp  meeting  each  year.    People  attended  from  great  distances. 

Thomas  P.  Cropper  was  the  first  noted  teacher  in  this  township.  He 
taught  in  1828  and  1829. 

The  first  mill  erected  in  this  township  was  by  a  man  named  Hughes. 
It  was  a  horse-mill  and  stood  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Petite  Saline. 

Pilot  Grove  is  located  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  5,  township 
47,  range  18  in  Pilot  Grove  township  and  surrounded  by  large  and  beautiful 
farming  country.  The  town  and  township  take  their  name  from  the  post- 
office  called  in  the  early  day  Pilot  Grove.  The  town  was  laid  off  in  1873 
by  Samuel  Roe  and  is  situated  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroad 
twelve  miles  southwest  of  Boonville.  As  early  as  1836  the  Government 
located  a  postoffice  about  one  mile  from  the  present  town  site  and  called 
it  Pilot  Grove.  In  those  days  freighters  and  travelers  to  the  great  south- 
west guided  their  course  across  the  broad  prairies  by  a  beautiful  grove  of 
hickory  trees  that  stood  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Coleman  farm  and 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  of  Pilot  Grove.  This  grove  of  trees 
became  known  as  the  Pilot  Grove,  hence  the  name  of  the  postoffice,  Pilot 
Grove,  which  gave  the  name  to  the  town. 

Pilot  Grove  is  a  city  of  the  fourth  class  and  has  a  population  of  be- 
tween 800  and  1,000  inhabitants.  There  is  one  newspaper,  five  churches, 
two  elevators,  two  banks,  a  good  public  school  conducted  in  a  new  and  up- 
to-date  school  building,  stores  in  which  are  found  large  stocks  of  goods 
and  representing  every  line  of  the  mercantile  business,  garages,  blacksmith 
shops,  lumber  yard,  telephone  system,  electric  light  system,  and  in  fact 
every  enterprise  usually  found  in  the  most  up-to-date  town  of  similar  size. 

Kelly  Township. — Kelly  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Palestine 
and  Clarks  Fork,  on  the  east  by  Moniteau,  on  the  west  by  Lebanon,  and 
on  the  south  by  Moniteau  County.  It  is  named  in  honor  of  John  Kelly,  one 
of  its  oldest  and  most  respected  citizens. 

Its  surface  is  comparatively  regular,  consisting  of  prairie  diversified 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  229 

with  timbered  portions.  It  is  thought  to  have  been  settled  first  in  1818. 
The  first  settlers  were:  John  Kelly,  William  Stephens,  James  D.  Campbell, 
James  Kelly,  William  J.  Kelly,  Caperton  Kelly,  William  Jennings,  Gen. 
Charles  Woods,  Philip  E.  Davis,  Rice  Challis,  Hugh  Morric,  Jesse  White, 
Hartley  White,  Jeptha  Billingsley,  Joshua  Dellis,  and  William  Swearingen. 

James  Kelly  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  died  in  1840. 

John  Kelly,  Charles  Wood  and  James  D.  Campbell  served  as  soldiers  in 
the  War  of  1812. 

The  Kellys  came  originally  from  Tennessee  the  Campbells  from  Ken- 
tucky. William  Jennings,  the  first  preacher,  came  from  Georgia  in  1819. 
He  was  a  wealthy  slave  owner  and  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  "Old 
Nebo"  Church.  Campbell  was  for  many  years  justice  of  the  peace,  a 
prominent  politician,  and  a  noted  Democrat. 

Gen.  Charles  Woods  was  for  many  years  the  leading  Democratic 
politician  of  the  township.  He  was  a  forceful  speaker,  a  gentleman  in 
every  respect.    He  died  in  1874  at  the  age  of  78  years. 

Joseph  Reavis  with  his  sons,  Lewis,  William  T.  Jackson  and  Johnston, 
settled  in  this  township  in  1823  and  for  many  years  were  manufacturers 
of  wagons,  at  which  trade  they  attained  quite  a  good  deal  of  prominence. 

Joseph  S.  Anderson  was  probably  the  first  schoolmaster  in  this  town- 
ship. He  settled  here  in  1824.  He  taught  a  very  successful  school  for  four 
years  when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Cooper  County,  1828,  re-elected  in 
1830.  Previous  to  his  death  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  He  became 
a  large  land  owner  and  very  wealthy.  His  residence  was  on  a  hill  north  of 
Bunceton.  His  schoolhouse  was  near  the  ground  on  which  Hopewell  Church 
is  located.  William  Robertson,  a  Baptist  minister,  continued  this  school  for 
a  number  of  years. 

Robert  McCulloch  operated  the  first  mill  in  the  township.  Rice  Challis, 
a  carpenter,  was  a  prominent  Whig  and  in  respect  to  his  politics  stood  al- 
most alone  in  his  neighborhood. 

The  soil  of  Kelly  township  is  very  fertile  and  some  of  the  best  farms 
in  the  State  of  Missouri  are  to  be  found  within  its  borders. 

Bunceton  was  laid  out  in  1868  by  the  late  Harvey  Bunce,  from  whom 
it  derives  its  name.  It  lies  almost  in  the  geographical  center  of  the  county 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  great  trade  territory  of  fertile  and  highly  improved 
farms.  The  population  of  the  town  is  now  about  1,000.  Sam  T.  Smith  is 
mayor  and  the  city  council  is  composed  of  W.  E.  Harris,  Frank  Gholson, 
Joe  C.  Stephens  and  Edgar  C.  Nelson.    F.  C.  Betteridge  is  city  clerk. 

Bunceton  has  about  20  stores,  representing  all  lines  of  business.     It 


230  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

also  has  two  banks  with  resources  of  $1,000,000,  a  modem  garage,  a  tele- 
phone system,  an  up-to-date  hotel  and  a  cafe,  an  ice  plant  and  an  electric 
light  plant  furnishing  a  24-hour  service,  two  grain  elevators,  a  barber  shop, 
a  newspaper  with  the  largest  circulation  in  the  county,  a  fine  theatre,  a 
grist  mill,  a  splendid  accredited  four-year  high  school,  four  churches,  three 
lodges.. 

The  business  section  of  the  town  is  composed  of  modern  brick  build- 
ings, while  in  the  residence  sections  are  to  be  found  many  modern  and 
attractive  homes.  Sunset  Hill,  a  new  addition  to  the  town,  promises  to 
attract  many  new  home-owners.  A  building  and  loan  association  organized 
in  1914  has  been  very  successful  in  supplying  funds  for  many  new  homes 
in  the  town.  The  streets  of  the  town  are  well  kept  and  the  town  has  many 
blocks  of  concrete  sidewalks.  Beautiful  shade  trees  and  well  kept  lawns 
are  a  feature  of  the  town. 

Two  county  farmers'  organizations,  the  Cooper  County  Farmers'  Mu- 
tual Fire  Insurance  Company  and  the  Farmers  Live  Stock  Insurance  Com- 
pany, maintain  offices  in  Bunceton.  The  Bunceton  Fair,  now  the  county 
fair,  organized  more  than  a  quarter  century  ago,  is  famous  for  its  motto, 
"For  Farmers,  not  Fakirs,"  which  it  has  lived  up  to.  The  Cooper  County 
Shorthorn  Breeders'  Association  also  has  headquarters  in  Bunceton. 

Bunceton  is  the  shipping  point  for  much  live  stock,  hundreds  of  cars 
of  cattle,  hogs,  sheep  and  mules  going  to  market  from  the  town  each  year. 
It  lies  in  the  center  of  a  great  pure-bred  stock  community  and  attracts 
many  buyers  from  a  distance. 

The  Bunceton  postoffice  serves  four  rural  mail  routes  which  cover  a 
big  territory.    Miss  Mary  Shackleford  is  postmistress. 

The  people  of  Bunceton  are  cultured.  They  seek  and  enjoy  the  better 
things  of  life.  Schools  and  churches  are  well  supported.  Its  citizenship 
is  high. 

The  present  Bunceton  Fair  had  its  inception  at  a  meeting  of  farmers 
and  stockmen  held  in  the  office  of  the  "Bunceton  Eagle"  on  March  21,  1896, 
when  plans  for  an  agricultural  fair  were  discussed.  The  actual  organiza- 
tion was  perfected  on  May  9,  1896,  when  a  board  of  13  directors  were 
elected.  They  were  E.  H.  Rodgers,  Henry  Fricke,  John  G.  Burger,  N.  A. 
Gilbreath,  A.  B.  Alexander,  A.  A.  Wallace,  T.  A.  Nelson,  E.  F.  Lovell,  J.  U. 
Starke,  J.  R.  Conway,  T.  V.  Hickox,  Theo.  Brandes  and  Dr.  P.  E.  Williams. 
E.  H.  Rodgers  was  the  first  president;  John  G.  Burger,  first  vice-president : 
Henry  Fricke,  second  vice-president;  T.  A.  Nelson,  treasurer;  W.  I,.  Nelson. 
secretary,  and  E.  F.  Lovell,  assistant  secretary. 

Thirty-seven  acres  belonging  to  W.  L.  Allison  and  lying  a  half-mile 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  281 

west  of  Bunceton,  was  selected  as  a  site  for  the  fairgrounds.  It  was  at 
first  leased  and  later  bought.  On  Wednesday,  Sept.  9,  1896,  the  gates  were 
thrown  open  to  the  first  meeting  ever  held  by  the  association. 

The  association  has  held  a  successful  meeting  every  year  since  its 
organization.  It  adopted  in  its  early  history  for  its  motto,  "For  Farmers 
and  Not  Fakers,"  and  has  consistently  lived  up  to  the  motto. 

The  present  board  of  directors  (1919)  is  composed  of  F.  C.  Betteridge, 
Ben  Harned,  S.  H.  Groves,  H.  L.  Shirley,  Joseph  Popper,  George  Morris, 
Ben  Smith,  Clyde  T.  Nelson,  and  G.  A.  Gilbert.  F.  C.  Betteridge  is  presi- 
dent and  Edgar  C.  Nelson  is  secretary  and  treasurer. 

During  its  existence  the  following  men.  have  served  the  association 
as  president:  E.  H.  Rodgers,  1896;  T.  A.  Nelson,  1897-8-9  and  1907;  J.  E. 
Burger,  1900-01 ;  Henry  Fricke,  1902-03 ;  P.  E.  Williams,  1904-05 ;  G.  W. 
Morris,  1906;  George  A.  Carpenter,  1908;  Ben  Harned,  1909-10-14;  S.  H. 
Groves,  1911-16-17-18 ;  J.  A.  Hawkins,  1912-13  ;  F.  C.  Betteridge,  1915-19. 

During  its  existence  the  fair  has  exerted  a  great  influence  on  the  agri- 
cultural and  live  stock  interests  of  the  county.  It  has  always  been  con- 
ducted on  a  high  plane  and  has  been  clean  in  every  particular.  It  has 
become  known  over  the  corn  belt  as  a  model  country  fair. 

Lamine  Township. — Lamine  township  is  located  in  the  northwest  part 
of  Cooper  County  and  is  just  across  the  river  from  Howard.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  Boonville  township,  on  the  south  by  Pilot  Grove  and  Black- 
water  and  on  the  west  by  Saline  County. 

The  surface  is  rolling  and  was  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  timber.  The  soil  is  rich  and  very  productive.  It  was  settled  first  in 
1812  by  David  Jones,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  Thomas  and  James  McMahan, 
Stephen,  Samuel  and  Jesse  Turley,  Saunders  Townsend. 

Those  who  arrived  later  were  John  Cramer,  Bradford  Lawless,  John 
M.,  David  and  William  Reid,  Hezekiah  Harris,  Elijah  Taylor,  John,  Peter, 
Samuel  and  Joseph  Fisher,  William  and  Jesse  Moon,  Rudolph  Haupe, 
Isaac  Hedrick,  John  Smelser,  William  McDaniel,  Wyant  Parm,  Harmon 
Smelser,  Samuel  Larnd,  Pethnel  Foster,  Julius  Burton,  Ezekiel  Williams, 
and  some  others  at  present  unknown. 

"Fort  McMahan"  was  built  in  the  year  1812  or  1813  but  it  can  not 
be  exactly  located. 

Lead  has  been  found  in  paying  quantities  in  bygone  days  and  lumber 
and  cord-wood  were  for  many  years  shipped  extensively  from  the  town- 
ship. In  the  early  days,  fish  from  the  Blackwater  and  Lamine  Rivers 
were  sent  regularly  to  Boonville. 

Samuel  Walton  erected  a  business  house   in  the  village  of  Lamine 


232  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  1869.  Redd  and  Gibson  opened  a  store  in  November,  1871,  which 
was  broken  into  in  February,  1881,  the  safe  blown  and  about  $700  in 
money  taken. 

North  and  South  Moniteau  Townships. — These  two  townships,  origi- 
nally one,  are  separated  by  the  Moniteau  Creek.  They  are  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Clarks  Fork  and  Prairie  Home  townships,  on  the  east  and 
south  by  Moniteau  County  and  on  the  west  by  Kelly  township. 

The  surface  near  the  Moniteau  Creek  tends  to  be  rough,  which 
gradually  gives  way  to  prairie  both  in  the  north  and  south. 

Mr.  Shelton,  a  blacksmith,  settled  near  where  the  town  of  Pisgah 
now  stands  in  1818.  He  was.  quite  a  noted  "artificer  in  metals"  and  was 
the  only  blacksmith  in  the  county  outside  of  Boonville. 

Among  other  early  settlers  were  Thomas  B.  Smiley,  Seth  Joseph, 
Waid  and  Stephen  Howard,  William  Coal,  James  Stinson,  Hawking  Bur- 
ress,  David  Burress,  Charles  Hickox,  Samuel  McFarland,  Carroll  George, 
James  Snodgrass,  Martin  George,  Mathew  Burress,  Jesse  Martin,  Alex- 
ander Woods,  William  Landers,  Jesse  Bowles,  James  Donelson,  William 
A.  Stillson,  Samuel  Snodgrass,  James  W.  Maxey,  Job  Martin,  James 
Jones,  David  Jones,  Augustus  K.  Longan,  Patrick  Mahan,  Valentine  Mar- 
tin, John  Jones  and  John  B.  Longan. 

Thomas  B.  Smiley,  who  represented  Cooper  County  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1820,  was  a  man  of  considerable  information  and  a  good  historian. 
He  reared  a  large  family  of  children  and  died  in  1836. 

David  Jones  settled  at  Pisgah  prior  to  1820,  since  his  vote  was  re- 
corded in  that  year.  He,  with  Archibald  Kavanaugh,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature  in  1830,  1832,  1834  and  in  1836  he  was  elected  State 
Senator,  re-elected  in  1848.     He  died  in  1859. 

Pisgah  and  Mount  Pleasant  churches  were  built  by  the  Baptists  in 
an  early  day  and  were  presided  over  by  John  B.  Longan  and  Kemp  Scott. 
The  first  school  in  this  township  was  probably  taught  by  James  Donelson. 
He  only  professed  to  teach  arithmetic  as  far  as  the  "double  rule  of  three". 

A  man  named  Howard  erected  the  first  mill  at  what  was  afterwards 
known  as  "Old  Round  Hill".  An  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Summers. 
and  Judge  C.  H.  Smith  also  kept  a  store  in  this  place. 

Patrick  Mahan  later  built  a  tread-mill  which  was  a  considerable 
improvement  over  the  old  fashioned  "horse  mill".  Richard  D.  Bonsfield 
at  a  very  early  date  erected  a  store  at  Pisgah. 

Palestine  Township. — Palestine  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Pilot 
Grove  and  Boonville  townships;  on  the  south  by  Kelly  and  Lebanon;  on 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  233 

the  west  by  Clear  Creek  and  Pilot  Grove,  and  on  the  east  by  Clarks  Fork 
township.  It  is  generally  prairie,  but  a  bit  rough  on  the  east  side  and 
the  soil  is  of  the  most  excellent  quality. 

The  first  settlers  of  this  township  were  William  Moore,  and  Joseph 
Stevens.  William  Moore  came  from  North  Carolina  with  his  family  which 
consisted  of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  Margaret  married  Judge 
Lawrence  C.  Stephens  in  1818 ;  Sally  married  Col.  John  G.  Hutchison  and 
Mary  married  Harvey  Bunce. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Stephens  told  of  the  first  church  she  attended  in  the 
neighborhood,  which  was  held  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  settlers.  Luke 
Williams,  the  preacher,  was  dressed  in  a  complete  suit  of  buckskin,  and  a 
great  many  of  his  audience  was  dressed  in  the  same  style.  She  was  so 
dissatisfied  with  the  appearance  of  things  in  this  county  that  she  cried 
during  the  whole  of  the  services,  but  soon  became  accustomed  to  the  new 
order  of  things,  and  was  well  contented.  At  that  meeting  grease  from 
the  bear  meat,  stored  in  the  loft  above  the  congregation,  dropped  down 
and  spoiled  her  nice  Sunday  shawl,  which  was  a  fine  one,  brought  from 
North  Carolina,  and  which  could  not  be  replaced  in  this  backwoods 
country. 

Joseph  Stephens,  Sr.,  and  family  settled  in  Palestine  in  1817,  being 
piloted  to  their  new  home  by  Maj.  Stephen  Cole.  In  1818,  Samuel  Peters 
settled  two  miles  farther  north  at  a  place  now  called  Petersburg. 

When  Samuel  Peters  raised  his  dwelling  he  invited  his  neighbors  to 
come  and  help  him,  stating  that  he  would,  on  that  occasion,  kill  a  hog  and 
have  it  for  dinner.  As  this  was  the  first  hog  ever  butchered  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  and  as  very  few  of  the  settlers  had  ever  tasted  pork,  it  was 
no  little  inducement  to  them  to  be  present  and  assist  in  disposing  of  such 
rare  and  delicious  food  for  the  settlers,  previous  to  that  time,  had  sub- 
sisted entirely  upon  wild  game.  Always,  on  such  occasion,  they  had  a 
little  "fire-water"  to  give  life  to  the  occasion. 

Colonel  Andrew  and  Judge  John  Briscoe  settled  in  the  same  township 
in  1818.  They  were  both  very  prominent  men,  and  prominent  leaders  in 
their  respective  parties,  Andrew  being  a  whig,  and  John  a  democrat. 
Some  of  the  other  early  settlers  were  Henry,  Hiram,  Heli  and  Harden 
Corum,  Mr.  Tevis,  the  father  of  Capt.  Simeon  Tevis,  Thomas  Collins,  Jacob 
Summers,  Michael,  James  and  Williamson,  John  and  Joseph  Cathey,  James, 
David  and  John  H.  Hutchison,  Nathaniel  Leonard,  John  and  Andrew  Wal- 
lace, Henry  Woolery,  Holbert  and  Samuel  Cole,  James  Bridges,  James 
Simms,  Russell  Smallwood,  Thomas  Best,  Greenberry  Allison,  William  C. 


234  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Lowery,  Anthony  F.  Read,  and  others.  No  better  citizens  than  those 
mentioned  above  ever  settled  in  any  community. 

The  first  schools  in  Palestine  township  was  taught  by  Lawrence  C. 
Stephens,  Dr.  William  H.  Moore  and  a  young  man  from  Virginia  by  the 
same  name.  The  latter  was  considered  the  best  scholar  in  this  part  of 
the  country  in  the  early  days.  A  dancing  school  was  opened  at  the  resi- 
dence of  B.  W.  Levens  in  1832  by  a  man  named  Gibson.  He  was  the  first 
to  introduce  cotillions  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr.  Gibson  also  had 
schools  at  Boonville  and  Arrow  Rock,  teaching  two  days  at  each  place. 
It  is  presumed  that  he  rested  on  the  Sabbath. 

Prairie  Home  Township. — Prairie  Home  township  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Saline,  on  the  east  by  Moniteau  County,  and  on  the  west  by 
Clarks  Fork  township,  and  on  the  south  by  Moniteau  township.  Prairie 
Home  was  carved  from  the  territory  of  Clarks  Fork,  Saline  and  Moniteau 
townships  and  organized  in  1872. 

The  surface  is  generally  level  being  mostly  prairie.  The  soil  is  very 
fertile  and  some  very  excellent  farms  are  to  be  found  within  its  boundary. 

The  oldest  settlers,  according  to  the  best  information  that  can  be 
obtained,  were  James  McClain,  Lacy  McClanahan,  Adam  McClanahan, 
Jacob  Carpenter,  Absalom  McClanahan,  Michael  Hornbeck,  Samuel  Car- 
penter, William  N.  McClanahan,  William  G.  McClanahan,  and  Jeremiah 
Smith. 

The  early  history  of  this  township  cannot  be  dissociated  from  that  of 
the  parent  townships  enumerated  above. 

Prairie  Home,  one  of  the  best  inland  towns  in  this  section  of  the 
country  had  its  beginning  at  a  very  early  date  when  James  Boswell  erected 
a  store.     John  Zimmerman  established  a  business  here  in  1874. 

The  Prairie  Home  Institute  was  organized  in  1865  by  the  Rev.  A.  H. 
Misseldine. 

Prairie  Home  has  a  population  of  about  300.  It  has  one  bank  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $12,000,  two  churches,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South  and  the  Baptist,  a  good  school  with  three  teachers,  electric  lights, 
eight  stores,  one  hotel,  one  mill  and  one  blacksmith  shop.  The  present 
mayor  is  Dr.  R.  L.  Meredith. 

Clarks  Fork  Township. — Clarks  Fork  township  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Boonville  township;  on  the  east  by  Prairie  Home  and  Saline; 
on  the  south  by  Moniteau  and  Kelly,  and  on  the  west  by  Palestine.  The 
township  derives  its  name  from  Clark's  Fork  which  with  its  tributaries 
drain  it.     It  is  practically  all  prairie  land.     John  Glover  was  probably  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  235 

first  settler  in  this  township  locating  here  in  1813.  He  built  his  cabin 
near  where  Rankin's  Mill  now  stands.  John  C.  Rochester  settled  here 
shortly  afterwards.  He  was  a  grandson  of  the  founder  of  Rochester, 
New  York.  Having  lost  a  large  fortune,  he  sought  seclusion  by  emigrating 
to  the  frontier  country  where  people  required  nothing  save  honesty  and 
industry  to  admit  a  person  into  their  social  circles.  He  married  Miss 
Sally  Kelly,  the  daughter  of  James  Kelly,  who  was  a  honored  soldier  of 
the  Revolution. 

Some  of  the  old  citizens  of  this  township  were  Joshua  H.  Berry, 
William  Read,  William  and  Ruben  George,  Clayton  Hui't,  Samuel  Car- 
penter, Edward,  Andrew  and  Charles  Robertson,  James,  Robert  and  John 
Johnston,  Samuel,  Robert  and  William  Drinkwater,  Gabriel  Titsworth, 
William  Shipley,  Acrey  Hurt.  Peter  Carpenter,  George  Crawford,  George 
W.  Weight,  Martin  Jennings. 

George  Crawford  was  Cooper  County's  first  assessor,  afterwards  a 
member  of  the  legislature  from  the  county.  Judge  George  W.  Weight 
was  born  in  New  York,  Feb.  27,  1784.  Left  an  orphan  he  emigrated  to 
West  Virginia  and  from  thence  to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  where  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Williams.  He  came  to  Howard  County,  Mo.,  with  his 
family  in  1820,  and  in  1822  he  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  lived 
there  until  his  death,  Feb.  29,  1857.  He  was  a  school  teacher,  a  good 
violinist,  and  in  his  early  day  taught  dancing  school.  He  was  county 
judge,  county  surveyor  and  later  state  representative. 

Clarks  Fork  township  is  strictly  a  farming  community.  Practically 
every  acre  of  it  is  devoted  to  the  production  of  grain  and  hay,  which  in 
turn  was  converted  into  finished  meat  producing  animals  which  find  a 
ready  market  in  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City. 

Saline  Township. — Saline  township  lies  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Missouri  River;  on  the 
east  by  Moniteau  county ;  on  the  south  by  Prairie  Home  township,  and  on 
the  west  by  Clarks  Fork  and  Boonville  townships.  It  contains  quite  a 
good  deal  of  hilly  territory  and  much  bottom  land. 

Joseph  Jolly,  with  his  two  children,  John  and  William,  settled  in  this 
township  as  early  as  1812.  He  set  out  the  first  apple  orchard  and  built 
a  mill  which  would  grind  a  bushel  of  corn  an  hour.  William  Jolly  was  a 
gunsmith,  a  wheel  wright,  a  blacksmith,  a  cooper,  a  miller,  a  distiller,  a 
preacher,  a  doctor  and  a  farmer.     John  kept  a  ferry  across  the  Lamine. 

Some  of  the  other  early  settlers  were  William  Lamm,  James  and  John 
Turner,  Joseph  Pursley,  Levi  Cropper,  Henry  Levins,  B.  W.  Levins   (the 


236  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

grandfather,  and  father  of  Henry  C.  Levins  of  Boonville),  Josiah  Dickson, 
Charles  Force,  John  Farris,  Thomas  Farris,  Jesse  Wood,  David  Fine, 
Joshua  and  Lacy  McClanahan,  George  Dickson,  Frederick  and  James  F. 
Connor,  John  Calvert,  Adam  and  Absalom  McClanahan,  Elverton  Caldwell, 
Noding  Caldwell,  Joseph  Westbrook,  Alexander  Woods,  Robert  Givens, 
Leonard  Calvert.  August  McFall,  Alexander  R.  Dickson,  William  Calvert, 
Jr.,  James  Farris  and  Robert  Dickson. 

Big  Lick  church,  of  which  John  B.  Longdon  was  the  first  pastor,  was 
built  at  a  very  early  date.  John  M.  Stilman  (1820)  taught  the  first  school 
at  a  place  now  occupied  by  the  Highland  school.  A  town  by  the  name  of 
Washington  was  laid  out  by  B.  W.  Levens  near  the  Missouri  River  a'oout 
one  mile  below  Overton.  Lots  were  sold,  houses  built,  businesses  estab- 
lished and  quite  a  rosy  future  promised  but  in  time  it  disappeared  and  the 
spot  on  which  it  was  located  cannot  be  designated  by  any  living  man. 
Another  town  was  promoted  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  River  opposite 
Rocheport.  It  was  called  Houstonville.  It  was  laid  out  by  B.  W.  Levens 
and  John  Ward.  The  site  on  which  it  stood  now  forms  a  part  of  the  bed 
of  the  Missouri  River. 

Woolridge  was  incorporated  Feb.  5,  1904,  with  A.  F.  Nixon  as  mayor, 
who  through  the  years  has  held  and  now  holds  that  office.  The  town  has 
a  lumber  yard,  grain  elevator  and  flour  mill,  also  an  ice  plant.  It  also 
has  two  general  merchandise  stores,  two  restaurants,  one  grocery,  one 
drug  store,  one  hardware  store  and  one  furniture  store.  It  also  has  one 
harness  shop,  one  blacksmith  shop  and  one  garage. 

Lebanon  Township. — Thomas  J.  Starke,  who  has  imperishably  pre- 
served the  early  history  of  Lebanon  and  Otterville  townships,  has  joined 
"the  innumerable  caravan  that  moves  to  that  mysterious  realm  where 
each  must  take  his  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death."  He  departed 
this  life  at  Otterville  on  Saturday,  June  27,  1903,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty 
years.  He  had  spent  almost  three  score  and  ten  years  in  Cooper  County 
where  he  grew  to  manhood,  married  and  died.  He  was  the  father  of  Mrs. 
D.  S.  Koontz  of  Boonville.  Thomas  J.  Starke  was  an  admirable  man  of 
lovable  traits  and  Cooper  County  had  no  better  citizen. 

"About  the  fall  of  1819  and  the  spring  of  1820,  the  following  named 
persons  moved  to  New  Lebanon,  and  into  that  neighborhood  embracing  a 
portion  of  the  territory  now  known  as  Lebanon  township,  in  Cooper  county. 

Rev.  Finis  Ewing,  Rev.  James  L.  Wear,  John,  James  H.  Wear,  who 
was  the  father  of  William  G.  Wear,  of  Warsaw,  and  Samuel  Wear,  now  of 
Otterville;  Alexander  Sloan,  Robert  Kirkpatrick,  Colin  C.  Stoneman,  Wil- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  237 

Ham  Stone,  Frederick  Casteel,  Reuben  A.  Ewing,  Jas.  Berry,  Thomas 
Rubey,  Elizabeth  Steele,  sister  of  Alexander  Sloan's  wife,  a  man  named 
Smiley,  Rev.  Laird  Burns  and  his  father,  John  Burns,  John  Reed,  Silas 
Thomas,  James  Taylor,  Hugh  Wear,  who  was  a  brother  to  James  L.  and 
John  Wear,  James  McFarland  and  Rev.  William  Kavanaugh.  This  country 
then  extended  south  to  the  Osage  River. 

The  Rev.  Finis  Ewing  was  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  gospel, 
and  one  of  the  original  founders  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  from  Kentucky ;  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  year  1803,  and  in 
conjunction  with  Samuel  McAdam  and  Samuel  King,  founded  that  church 
in  1810. 

The  cause  which  gave  rise  to  the  establishment  of  the  branch  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  was,  that  the  mother  church  required  her  ministers 
to  possess  a  classical  education  before  ordination,  which  was  by  the  new 
church  not  regarded  as  absolutely  indispensable,  though  its  ministers  were 
required  to  cultivate  a  knowledge  of  the  elementary  branches  of  the  Eng- 
lish language. 

At  New  Lebanon  these  early  pioneers  pitched  their  tents,  and  soon 
began  the  erection  of  a  rude  building  as  a  sanctuary,  which,  when  com- 
pleted, they  called  New  Lebanon,  in  condistiction  to  the  house  in  which 
they  had  sung  and  worshipped  in  the  state  from  which  they  had  formerly 
emigrated.  It  was  built  of  hewed  logs,  and  the  settlers  of  this  little  colony 
united  in  the  project  of  building,  each  furnishing  his  proportionate  quota 
of  the  logs  requisite  to  complete  the  building.  These  logs  were  double ; 
that  is,  each  log  was  twenty-four  feet  in  length,  being  joined  in  the  middle 
of  the  house  by  means  of  an  upright  post,  into  which  the  ends  were 
mortised,  thus  making  the  entire  length  of  the  church  forty-eight  feet, 
by  thirty  feet  in  width.  This  building  served  as  a  place  of  worship  for 
many  years,  until  about  the  time  of  the  war,  when  the  new  and  neat  brick 
church  of  the  present  day  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  which 
was  torn  away. 

The  members  of  this  church  constituted  the  prevailing  religion  of 
the  neighborhood  for  many  years,  and  most  of  the  characters  portrayed 
herein  were  connected  with  this  denomination. 

The  Rev.  James  L.  Wear  was  also  for  many  years  a  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  preacher.  He  was  a  good  man,  and  lived  close  to  New 
Lebanon,  where  Frank  Asberry  now  lives.  He  died  at  the  old  mansion 
in  about  1868.  He  was  a  brother  of  John  Wear,  who  first  lived  at  New 
Lebanon  at  the  place  now  owned  by  Mr.  Majors  and  afterwards  at  Otter- 


238  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ville  where  Mr.  Anson  Hemenway  now  lives.  The  first  school  taught  in 
Otterville,  or  in  Otterville  township,  was  taught  by  his  son,  known  by  the 
sobriquet  of  Long  'George.'  They  were  originally  from  Kentucky,  moved 
to  Howard  County  in  1817,  and  afterwards  to  New  Lebanon  at  the  date 
above  indicated. 

Samuel  Wear,  Sr.  and  James  H.  Wear  were  brothers,  and  came  from 
Tennessee,  the  latter  being  the  father  of  William  G.  and  Samuel  Wear,  Jr., 
as  before  stated,  and  lived  in  the  place  now  occupied  by  William  Walker. 
He  was  a  successful  fanner  and  died  in  good  circumstances. 

Samuel  Wear,  Sr.,  lived  where  Wesley  Cook  now  lives  and  sold  a  large 
farm  there  to  Samuel  Burk,  late  of  this  county. 

Alexander  Sloan  was  from  Kentucky  and  settled  the  place  now  owned 
by  Peter  Spillers.  He  was  the  father  of  William  Sloan,  who  died  at 
Otterville  several  years  ago,  and  also  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Sloan,  who  was 
an  eminent  minister  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church,  and  who 
married  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Finis  Ewing. 

Robert  Kirkpatrick  was  a  Kentuckian  and  lived  near  the  New  Leb- 
anon graveyard.  He  died  many  years  ago.  He  was  a  revolutionary 
soldier,  and  had  a  son  named  David,  who  was  an  able  minister  of  the 
Cumberland  Church.  David  met  his  death  by  accident;  he  was  thrown 
from  a  carriage,  severely  wounded  and  afterwards  died  from  the  ampu- 
tation of  his  leg. 

Colin  C.  Stoneman  was  from  Kentucky  and  lived  at  the  old  cabin  still 
to  be  seen  standing  near  Andrew  Foster's  place.  He  was  a  practitioner 
of  medicine  of  the  Thomsonian  school,  and  died  a  good  many  years  ago. 

William  Stone  was  a  Kentuckian,  a  plain  old  farmer,  and  lived  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  the  Rev.  Minor  Neale.  He  was  a  good  man  and  died 
at  an  advanced  age. 

Rev.  Frederick  Casteel  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  lived  near  the  place  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Abram  Amick. 

Reuben  A.  Ewing  and  his  brother,  Irving  Ewing,  were  Kentuckians, 
and  lived  east  of  Lebanon.  The  former  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  good 
man  and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  honored  and  respected. 

James  Berry  was  also  a  Kentuckian  and  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  this  new  colony.     He  lived  where  his  son,  Finis  E.  Berry  now  lives. 

Thomas  Rubey  was  from  Kentucky  and  lived  at  Pleasant  Grove. 
Henry  Small  lived  at  the  Vincent  Walker  place. 

Mr.  Smiley  was  also  a  Kentuckian  and  settled  where  Mr.  Thomas 
Alexander  now  lives.     Rev.  Laird  Bums  was  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  239 

preacher  and  lived  where  Mr.  John  P.  Downs  now  lives,  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Ellis  neighborhood. 

John  Burns  was  his  brother  and  lived  close  to  New  Lebanon.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  with  Britain,  was  present  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans 
and  would  often  with  pride  talk  about  that  great  event,  of  the  fearful 
roaring  of  the  cannon,  of  the  sharp  whistling  of  the  bullets  and  the  thrill- 
ing echoes  of  martial  music,  which  stirred  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers  to 
deeds  of  valor,  and  enabled  the  brave  army  of  General  Jackson  to  achieve 
the  glorious  victory  which  ended  the  war  with  'Old  England'. 

Rev.  John  Reid  was  also  another  minister  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian church,  a  Kentuckian ;  he  first  lived  at  Honey  Creek  and  afterwards 
at  so  many  different  places,  that  for  want  of  space  in  this  brief  sketch 
I  dare  not  undertake  to  enumerate  them.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  set- 
tled more  new  places  in  the  neighborhood  than  any  half  dozen  pioneers  of 
the  infant  colony.  He  was  a  very  eccentric  character  in  his  younger  days, 
would  fight  at  the  'drop  of  a  hat'  and  was  never  known  to  meet  his  match 
in  a  hand  to  hand  combat.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  him  for  many  years,  during  the  latter  period  of  his  life, 
however,  and  can  truly  say  he  never  knew  a  man  of  steadier  habits,  nor 
one  more  remarkable  for  strict  rectitude  of  conduct,  or  exemplary  piety. 

Reid  was  driving  a  team  for  some  man  who  was  moving  to  this  county 
with  Mr.  Ewing,  who  had  ear  bells  on  his  six  horse  team.  The  young  man 
liked  the  jingle  of  these  bells  so  well  that  he  begged  Mr.  Ewing  to  allow 
his  teamster  to  divide  with  him,  in  order  that  he  might  share  the  music, 
but  Mr.  Ewing  'could  not  see  it'  and  refused  to  make  the  division  as  re- 
quested. Whereupon  Reid  bought  a  number  of  cow  bells  and  hung  one 
on  each  horse  of  his  team,  which  soon  had  the  effect  of  bringing  the 
preacher  to  terms.  He  was  so  much  annoyed  with  the  discord  produced 
by  these  coarse  bells  that  he  soon  proposed  a  compromise  by  giving  Reid 
his  sleigh  bells,  provided  he  would  stop  the  cow  bell  part  of  the  concert. 

Silas  Thompson  was  another  Kentuckian  and  lived  on  Honey  creek 
near  where  Lampton's  saw  mill  stood  a  few  years  ago. 

James  Taylor,  better  known  as  'Old  Corn  Taylor',  lived  in  an  old  log 
cabin  which  may  still  be  seen  standing  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
Anthony  place.  He  was  another  remarkably  eccentric  character.  He 
had  a  host  of  mules  and  negroes;  always  rode  with  a  rope  bridle  and 
raised  more  corn  and  kept  it  longer  than  any  half  dozen  men  in  Cooper 
County.  This  he  hoarded  away  in  pens  and  cribs,  with  as  much  care  as 
if  every  ear  had  been  a  silver  dollar,  in  anticipation  of  a  famine,  which. 


240  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

for  many  years  he  had  predicted,  but  which,  happily,  never  came,  though 
the  neighborhood  was  several  times  visited  with  great  scarcity  of  that 
valuable  commodity.  Although  he  was  miserly  in  this  respect,  yet  during 
these  times  of  scarcity,  he  would  generally  unlock  his  granaries,  and  like 
Joseph  of  old,  deal  it  out  to  his  starving  brethren,  whether  they  were 
able  to  pay  for  it  or  not;  that  is,  if  he  thought  a  man  was  industrious, 
he  would  furnish  him  with  what  corn  he  considered  necessary;  but  tradi- 
tion inform  us  that  he  invariably  refused  the  required  boon  to  a  man  who 
was  found,  on  examination,  to  wear  'patched  breeches',  especially  if  the 
patch  happened  in  a  particular  locality,  which  indicated  laziness. 

Hugh  Wear  was  from  Kentucky,  and  lived  in  the  Ellis  neighborhood. 
He  was  the  father  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Bennett  Wear,  another  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  of  considerable  distinction.  When  his  father,  who  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  enlisted,  Hugh,  although  too  young  to  enter  the 
army,  was  permitted  to  accompany  his  father  and  served  during  the  war 
as  a  soldier  notwithstanding  he  was  under  the  age  prescribed  for  military 
duty.     This  was  done  to  prevent  his  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  tories. 

Rev.  Wm.  Kavanaugh  was  a  Kentuckian  and  another  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  preacher  of  considerable  note.  It  was  said  of  him,  that  he 
could  preach  louder  and  longer  than  any  of  these  old  worthies. 

William  Bryant  was  a  Kentuckian  and  was  with  General  Jackson  at 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  He  first  settled  at  New  Lebanon,  on  the  place 
which  he  afterwards  sold  to  Finis  Ewing;  the  old  brick  house  where  Mr. 
Kemp  now  lives.  He  then  moved  to  the  farm  now  occupied  by  William  B. 
Harlan. 

Samuel  Miller  was  from  Kentucky  and  settled  on  the  place  now  owned 
by  Green  Walker.     He  was  a  farmer  and  afterwards  moved  to  Cold  Neck. 

There  yet  remains  but  one  other  man  to  notice  who  belonged  to  New 
Lebanon.  He  was  a  member  of  the  numerous  family  of  Smith,  whose 
Christian  name  I  cannot  now  recall.  He  settled  at  a  very  early  period  on 
what  is  known  as  Cedar  Bluff,  at  a  nice,  cool,  clear  spring,  not  far  from 
the  place  where  Mrs.  John  Wilkerson  now  lives.  Here  he  erected  what 
was  then  called  a  'band  mill',  a  species  of  old  fashioned  horse  mill,  so  com- 
mon in  those  days.  It  was  connected  with  a  small  distillery  at  which  he 
manufactured  a  kind  of  'aqua  mirabilis'  with  which  the  old  folks  in  those 
days  cheered  the  drooping  spirits  in  times  of  great  scarcity.  But  Mr. 
Smith  never  'ran  crooked.'  He  paid  no  license,  and  sold  or  gave  away  his 
delicious  beverage  without  molestation  from  revenue  agents,  iust  as  he 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  241 

i 

deemed  fit  and  convenient.  Revenue  stamps  and  revnue  agents  were  un- 
known then,  and  good  whiskey  (there  was  none  bad  then)  was  not  only 
considered  harmless,  but  drinking  hot  toddies,  eggnog  and  mint  juleps 
was  regarded  as  respectable,  as  well  as  a  pleasant  and  innocent  kind  of 
amusement,  and  quite  conducive  to  good  health." 

Otterville  Township. — "I  have  thus  briefly  glanced  at  the  early  settle- 
ment in  the  vicinity  of  New  Lebanon,  and  come  now  to  treat  of  the  colony 
which  was  planted  south  and  west  of  the  Lamine  and  which  was  peopled 
at  a  subsequent  period,  known  as  the  Otterville  township,  and  which  will 
perhaps  embrace  a  portion  of  the  adjoining  territory  included  within  the 
limits  of  Morgan  and  Pettis  counties. 

Thomas  Parsons  was  born  in  the  state  of  Virginia  in  the  year  1793, 
moved  to  Franklin,  the  county  of  Simpson,  Kentucky,  about  1819,  emi- 
grated to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1826,  and  settled  at  the  place  now 
owned  by  James  H.  Cline,  northwest  of  Otterville.  About  the  last  of 
October  of  that  year,  Parsons  sold  his  pre-emption  right  to  Absolom  Cline, 
the  father  of  James  H.  Cline.  In  1826,  the  time  Mr.  Parsons  came  into 
this  neighborhood,  there  were  only  three  families  living  west  of  the  Lamine 
in  this  vicinity.  These  were  James  G.  Wilkerson,  William  Reed  and  Wil- 
liam Sloan. 

Mr.  Parsons  established  the  first  hatter's  shop  south  of  Boonville, 
and  was  an  excellent  workman  in  that  line.  He  was  an  honest,  upright 
citizen,  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  7th  day  of  Sept.,  1768,  he  was  the  oldest  Free  Mason  in  Cooper 
county,  having  belonged  to  that  institution  nearly  three  score  years. 

William  Reed,  mentioned  above,  was,  perhaps,  the  first  white  man 
who  settled  in  this  neighborhood.  He  was  a  Tennesseean,  and  lived  near 
the  old  camp  ground,  a  little  west  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  Camp 
ground  spring,  in  the  old  field  now  owned  by  George  W.  Smith,  a  short 
distance  southwest  of  the  old  graveyard.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  A. 
M.  Reed,  now  of  Otterville.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  strict  integrity 
and  exemplary  piety. 

James  G.  Wilkerson  was  from  Kentucky  and  settled  the  farm  now 

owned  by  George  W.  Smith,  one  mile  west  of  Otterville.     The  old  mansion 

stands,  although  almost  in  a  complete  state  of  dilapidation,  to  remind  the 

passer  of  the  perishable  quality  of  all  human  labor.     He  sleeps,  with  sev- 

(16) 


242  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

I 

eral  other  members  of  his  once  numerous  family,  on  a  gentle  eminence  a 
few  yards  south  of  the  decayed  and  tottering  tenement  in  which  he  spent 
many  years  of  honest  toil. 

William  Sloan,  the  son  of  Alexander  Sloan  (mentioned  in  the  notes 
pertaining  to  New  Lebanon),  was  the  last  of  the  three  mentioned  above. 
He  first  settled  the  place  where  Charles  E.  Rice  now  lives,  in  1826,  but 
afterwards  lived,  until  his  death,  at  the  place  now  owned  by  Joseph  Minter. 
He  was  always  noted  for  his  scrupulous  honor  and  piety. 

Elijah  Hook  was  from  Tennessee  and  settled  near  where  Henry 
Bender  now  lives  in  1827.  He  was  a  hunter  and  trapper  and  obtained  a 
subsistence  for  his  family  like  Nirmod,  his  ancient  predecessor,  mentioned 
in  the  Bible  as  the  'mighty  hunter.' 

James  Brown  was  a  Kentuckian,  a  farmer,  a  hard  working  man,  and 
settled  where  T.  C.  Cranmer  lives  in  1827.  He  was  also  a  'Nimrod',  and 
hunted  with  Daniel  Boone. 

James  Davis  was  a  Tennesseean  and  settled  the  place  now  known  as 
the  McCullough  farm,  in  1827.  He  was  an  industrious  farmer  and  a  great 
rail  splitter. 

James  Birney  was  a  Kentuckian  and  married  the  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Sloan,  of  New  Lebanon.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  man  of  some  note. 
He  settled  in  1827,  the  farm  where  John  Harlan  now  lives.  He  had  a 
grandson,  Alexander,  who  was  formerly  a  lawyer  at  Otterville. 

Frederick  Shurley,  the  mightiest  hunter  in  all  the  land  round  about 
Otterville,  in  1827,  settled  the  place  now  owned  by  his  son,  Robert  Shur- 
ley, southeast  of  Otterville.  He  was  with  General  Jackson  in  the  Creek 
War,  and  was  present  at  the  memorable  battle  of  Horse  Shoe  Bend,  where 
the  Indians,  by  the  direction  of  their  prophet,  had  made  their  last  stand. 
He  used  to  recount  with  deep  interest,  the  thrilling  incidents  connected 
with  this  muzzle  to  muzzle  contest,  in  which  over  half  a  thousand  redskins 
were  sent  by  Jackson  and  Coffee  to  their  happy  hunting  grounds. 

Nathan  Neal  was  a  Kentuckian  and  settled  the  old  place  near  Lamine, 
two  miles  north  of  Otterville,  in  1827.  He  was  an  orderly,  upright  and 
industrious  citizen. 

George  Cranmer  was  born  in  the  state  of  Delaware  in  1801,  moved  to 
near  Paris,  Kentucky,  while  young,  and  Boonville,  Missouri,  in  the  year 
1828.  He  was  a  millwright  and  a  very  ingenious  and  skilful  mechanic. 
He  settled  at  Clifton  in  about  1832,  and  shortly  afterwards  he  and  James 
H.  Glasgow,  now  living  on  the  Petite  Saline  creek,  built  what  was  then 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  243 

known  as  Cranmer's,  afterwards  Corum's  mill,  precisely  where  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  and  Texas  railroad  now  crosses  the  Lamine.  Cranmer 
named  the  place  Clifton.  The  principal  mechanics  who  helped  to  build 
this  mill  were  Benjamin  Gilbert,  James  Kirkpatrick,  Nathan  Garten,  son- 
in-law  of  William  Steele,  Esquire,  a  blacksmith  named  John  Toole,  Noah 
Graham,  and  the  renowned  'Bill'  Rubey,  known  to  almost  all  the  old  settlers 
south  of  the  Missouri  River.  Cranmer  lived  first  at  the  milli  and  after- 
wards at  what  was  known  as  the  John  Caton  place,  where  Thomas  C. 
Cranmer  was  born  in  1836.  The  old  log  cabin  is  still  standing,  as  one  of 
the  few  old  landmarks  yet  visible,  to  remind  us  of  the  distant  past.  Cran- 
mer died  at  Michigan  Bluffs,  California,  in  1853. 

Another  man  will  perhaps  be  remembered  by  some  of  our  old  citizens. 
He  was  crazy  and  although  harmless,  used  to  wander  about  to  the  great 
terror  of  the  children  of  those  days.     His  name  was  John  Hatwood. 

Clifton  was  once  a  place  of  remarkable  notoriety.  In  those  early 
days  it  was  not  unfrequently  called  the  'Devil's  Half  Acre.'  There  was  a 
grocery  store  kept  there,  after  the  people  began  to  manufacture  poisoned 
whiskey,  which  had  the  effect  of  often  producing  little  skirmishes  among 
those  who  congregated  there.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  those  fracases 
to  end  in  a  bloody  nose,  a  black  eye,  or  a  broken  head.  Happily,  however, 
these  broils  were  generally  confined  to  a  few  notorious  outlaws,  whom 
the  order-loving  people  would  have  rejoiced  to  know  had  met  the  fate  of 
the  cats  of  Kilkenny. 

There  are  many  amusing  incidents  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
place,  but  space  forbids  allusion  to  only  one  or  two.  A  man  by  the  name 
of  Cox,  who  was  a  celebrated  hunter  and  trapper  in  this  neighborhood, 
was  known  as  a  dealer  in  tales,  connected  with  his  avocation,  of  a  fabulous 
and  Munchausen  character.  There  is  a  very  high  bluff  just  below  the  old 
mill ;  perhaps  it  is  nearly  five  hundred  feet  high.  During  one  of  his  num- 
erous hunting  excursions,  Matthew  met  with  a  large  bear,*which,  being 
slightly  wounded,  became  terribly  enraged,  and  attacked  the  hunter  with 
his  ugly  grip  before  he  had  time  to  reload  his  rifle.  This  formidable  con- 
test between  bruin  and  Matthew  occurred  just  on  the  verge  of  the  fearful 
precipice  above  described  and  every  struggle  brought  them  nearer  and 
nearer,  until  they  both  took  the  awful  leap,  striking  and  bounding  against 
the  projecting  crags  every  few  feet,  until  they  reached  the  bottom  of  the 
terrible  abyss.  You  will  naturally  say,  'Farewell,  Matthew,'  but  strange 
to  relate,  he  escaped  with  a  few  slight  scratches.  The  bear  had,  fortun- 
ately for  Matthew,  been  on  the  under  side  every  time  they  struck,  till  they 


244  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

reached  the  bottom,  when  he  loosed  his  hold  of  the  hunter  and  closed  his 
eyes  in  death. 

Matthew  Cox's  tales  were  generally  much  like  this,  almost  always 
terminating  favorably  to  himself,  and  fatally  to  his  adversaries.  This 
anecdote  gave  rise  to  the  name  'Matthew's  Bluff,'  well  known  to  everybody 
in  this  neighborhood. 

Sometime  during  the  year  1832,  the  people  of  this  neighborhood 
became  alarmed  by  the  report  that  the  Osage  Indians  were  about  to  attack 
and  massacre  all  the  settlers  in  this  vicinity.  This  report  started  first  by 
some  means  at  old  Luke  Williams  on  Cold  Camp  creek.  The  people  became 
almost  wild  with  excitement.  They  left  their  plows  in  the  fields,  and 
fled  precipitately  in  the  direction  of  the  other  settlements  towards  Boon- 
ville.  Some  of  them  took  refuge  in  a  fort  at  Vincent  Walker's,  some  at 
Sam  Forbes',  and  others  at  Collin  Stoneman's  and  Finis  Ewing's.  Hats 
and  caps,  shoes  and  stockings,  pillows,  baskets  and  bonnets  might  have 
been  seen  along  the  old  military  road  to  Boonville,  lying  scattered  about 
in  beautiful  confusion  all  that  day  and  the  next,  until  the  excitement  had 
ceased.  Fortunately  the  scare  did  not  last  long,  as  it  was  soon  ascer- 
tained that  the  alarm  was  false,  and  that  the  Osage  Indians  had  not  only 
not  contemplated  a  raid  on  the  white  settlements,  but  that  they  had 
actually  become  frightened  themselves  and  fled  south  of  the  Osage  River. 
But  the  panic  was  complete  and  exceedingly  frightful  while  it  lasted.  A 
fellow  by  the  name  of  Mike  Chism  lived  near  the  Bidstrup  place.  Mike 
had  a  wife  and  two  children.  They  were  already  preparing  for  a  flight. 
Mike's  wife  was  on  horseback  and  had  one  child  in  her  lap  and  one  behind 
her  and  Mike  was  on  foot. 

At  this  moment,  a  horseman  came  galloping  up  in  great  trepidation, 
and  informed  the  little  family  that  the  Indians  were  coming  by  the  thou- 
sands and  that  they  were  already  on  this  side  of  Flat  creek. 

On  receiving  this  intelligence,  Mike,  in  great  terror,  said  to  his  wife, 
"My  God,  Sallie,  I  can't  wait  for  you  any  longer',  and  suiting  his  actions 
to  his  words,  took  to  his  scrapers  in  such  hot  haste  that  at  the  first  frantic 
jump  he  made,  he  fell  at  full  length,  bleeding  and  trembling  on  the  rocks. 
But  the  poor  fellow  did  not  take  time  to  rise  to  his  feet  again.  He 
scrambled  off  on  'all  fours'  into  the  brush  like  some  wild  animal,  leaving 
his  wife  and  children  to  take  care  of  themselves  as  best  they  could.  He 
evidently  acted  upon  the  principle  that  'It  is  better  to  be  a  live  coward 
than  a  dead  hero.' 

Reuben  B.  Harris  was  from  Kentucky.     He  was  a  country  lawyer, 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY  245 

had  no  education,  but  was  a  man  of  good  natural  ability.  He  settled  the 
place  where  Montraville  Ross  now  lives,  on  Flat  Creek.  He  settled  here 
in  1827.     He  was  also  a  great  hunter. 

Hugh  Morrison  was  a  Kentuckian.  In  1827,  he  settled  the  place 
where  the  widow  of  Henderson  Finley  now  lives. 

John  Gabriel  was  also  from  Kentucky  and  settled  at  Richland,  at  a 
place  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Florence.  He  moved  there  at  a  very 
early  period,  in  1819,  or  1820.  He  had  a  distillery,  made  whiskey  and 
sold  it  to  the  Indians.  He  was  a  rough,  miserly  character,  but  honest  in 
his  dealings.  He  was  murdered  for  his  money  in  his  horse  lot,  on  his  own 
plantation.  He  was  killed  by  a  negro  man  belonging  to  Reuben  B.  Harris. 
The  negro  was  condemned  and  hung  at  Boonville.  Before  his  execution, 
this  negro  confessed  that  he  had  killed  Gabriel,  but  declared  that  he  had 
been  employed  to  commit  the  murder  by  Gabriel's  own  son-in-law,  a  man 
named  Abner  Weaver.  This  villain  escaped  punishment  for  the  reason 
that  the  negro's  testimony  was  then,  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States, 
excluded  as  inadmissible.  Justice,  however,  overtook  him  at  last.  His 
crime  did  not  stop  at  the  instigation  of  Gabriel's  murder.  He  was  after- 
ward found  in  possession  of  four  stolen  horses  somewhere  in  Texas.  In 
endeavoring  to  make  his  escape,  he  was  shot  from  one  of  these  horses,  and 
thus  ended  his  villainy. 

The  first  church  erected  in  this  neighborhood  was  built  by  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterians.  It  was  of  logs,  and  stood  near  the  old  graveyard. 
It  was  built  about  the  year  1835.  Here,  for  many  years,  this  denom- 
ination annually  held  the  old-fashioned  camp-meetings,  at  which  large 
numbers  of  the  old  citizens  were  wont  to  congregate  and  here  many  of 
them  would  sometimes  remain  for  days,  and  even  weeks,  on  the  ground 
in  camps  and  tents,  engaged  in  earnest  devotion.  But  this  order  of  things 
and  this  manner  of  worship  have  long  since  gone  into  disuse.  Not  a 
hawk's  eye  could  discern  a  single  mourners  track,  and  every  vestige  of 
the  old  church  and  camp  have  vanished  like  the  mist  before  the  morning 
sun  and  the  primitive  religious  customs  have  been  entirely  abandoned. 

In  the  foregoing  sketches,  I  have  briefly  glanced  at  the  characters 
of  most,  in  fact,  nearly  all  of  the  older  citizens  who  figured  in  the  history 
of  New  Lebanon  settlement,  which  then  comprised  our  own  township,  and 
included  the  country  between  the  Lamine  and  Flat  Creek.  Most  of  them 
belonged  to  a  class  of  men  which  have  since  passed  away. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  make  invidious  comparisons  between  them  and 
those  of  the  present  day.     It  is  but  justice,  however,  to  say,  that  with 


246  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

few  exceptions,  they  were  men  of  great  moral  worth,  of  true  and  tried 
patriotism  and  scrupulous  integrity." 

Otterville.— "I  come  now  to  take  a  brief  survey  of  matters  connected 
with  a  later  date.  The  town  of  Otterville  was  first  called  Elkton.  It  was 
laid  out  by  Gideon  R.  Thompson,  in  the  1837.  The  first  house  built,  stood 
where  Judge  Butler's  now  stands.  The  public  square  occupied  the  space 
ground  now  lying  between  Butler's  and  Geo.  W.  Smith's,  extending  east 
to  a  line  running  north  and  south,  near  the  place  where  Frank  Ami's 
house  formerly  stood.  William  G.  Wear  entered  the  forty  acres  on  which 
Elkton  was  built,  in  the  year  1836,  and  sold  it  to  Thompson  in  1837. 
About  that  time,  H.  Thompson  built  the  first  house  as  before  stated,  and 
he  and  George  Wear  built  a  storehouse  directly  east  of  Thompson's  dwell- 
ing, and  little  George  Wear  built  a  dwelling  house  on  the  present  site  of 
Colburn's  house.  James  Alcorn  built  on  the  north  side  of  the  square 
about  the  same  time.  'Long'  George  Wear  built  the  first  house  within 
the  present  limits  of  Otterville  proper,  where  W.  G.  Wear's  house  now 
stands. 

The  town  of  Otterville  was  regularly  laid  out  by  W.  G.  Wear  in  1854, 
though  several  houses  had  been  built  previous  to  that  time  within  its 
present  limits. 

There  was  no  postoffice  at  Otterville  until  about  1848.  The  mail  for 
this  neighborhood  was  supplied  from  Arator  postoffice,  kept  by  General 
Hogan,  where  Van  Tromp  Chilton  now  lives.  W.  G.  Wear  was  the  first 
postmaster.  He  held  the  office  until  1851,  when  the  writer  of  these 
sketches  was  appointed,  who  held  office  about  ten  years.  The  mail  route 
was  a  special  one  from  Arator  and  was  carried  on  horseback.  W.  R.  But- 
ler was  the  first  contractor  and  employed  James  H.  Wear,  son  of  W.  G. 
Wear,  to  carry  the  mail  twice  a  week.  The  mail  carrier — then  a  small 
boy — now  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  St.  Louis,  made  the  trip  twice 
a  week,  riding  a  small  grey  pony  called  'Tom',  which  had  been  bought  of 
Tom  Milham,  who  was  then  a  well  known  character  of  the  neighborhood. 
About  the  time  the  town  was  first  established,  several  houses  were  built 
on  or  near  the  public  square. 

Among  these  were  the  Masonic  hall ;  the  dwelling  house  built  by 
George  Embree,  north  of  the  hall ;  one  by  Samuel  Wear,  now  occupied  by 
John  D.  Strain ;  one  by  Harrison  Homan,  in  which  he  now  lives ;  and  about 
this  time  Robert  M.  Taylor  built  an  addition  to  the  Taylor  house.     The 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  247 

brick  store  house  known  as  the  Cannon  &  Zollinger  store  house,  was  not 
built  until  about  the  year  1856. 

The  Masonic  lodge,  called  Pleasant  Grove  Lodge  No.  142,  A.  F.  and  A. 
M.,  was  established  on  the  15th  day  of  July,  A.  D.,  1854,  A.  L.  5854.  The 
dispensation  was  granted  by  the  M.  W.  G.  M.,  of  Missouri,  L.  S.  Cornwell, 
on  the  6th  day  of  November,  1854.  This  dispensation  was  granted  to  the 
following  named  persons :  Wm.  E.  Combs,  Harrison  Homan,  S.  H.  Saund- 
ers, Wm.  Devine,  Tarleton  E.  Cox,  Strawther  O'Rourke,  Moses  B.  Small, 
Aaron  Hup,  Wm.  A.  Reed,  Wm.  R.  Butler,  Robt.  M.  Taylor,  and  George  W. 
Embree.  The  charter  was  granted  May  31,  1855,  and  signed  by  L.  S. 
Cornwell,  G.  M.,  Oscar  F.  Potter,  D.  G.  M. ;  J.  W.  Chenoweth,  D.  G.  E. ; 
Henry  Van  Odell,  J.  G.  W.  The  first  officers  were  as  follows :  S  H.  Saund- 
ers, W.  M. ;  Aaron  Hupp,  S.  W. ;  H.  Homan,  J.  W. ;  R.  M.  Taylor,  treasurer ; 
W.  R.  Butler,  secretary ;  George  W.  Embree,  S.  D. ;  Strother  O'Rourk,  J. 
W.,  and  R.  J.  Buchanan,  tyler. 

The  Odd  Fellows  lodge  was  established  in  October,  1856,  under  the 
name  of  the  Otterville  Lodge  No.  102,  I.  0.  0.  F. 

The  first  officers  were  as  follows :  W.  G.  Wear,  N.  G. ;  H.  A.  B. 
Johnston,  V.  G. ;  Samuel  M.  Homan,  secretary,  and  John  S.  Johnston, 
treasurer. 

The  present  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  was  built  by  Milton 
Starke,  in  the  year  1857. 

The  old  Presbyterian  church  was  built  by  John  D.  Strain,  in  1866, 
and  is  now  owned  by  the  Baptists. 

The  Mehtodists  and  Christian  churches  were  built  about  the  same 
time,  in  the  year  1872.  The  former  was  built  by  M.  C.  White,  and  the 
latter  by  T.  C.  Cranmer  and  T.  M.  Travillian.  They  are  both  neat  brick 
buildings,  and  an  ornament  to  our  village. 

The  public  school  building  was  erected  in  1869,  costing  $6,000. 

The  Pacific  railroad  was  completed  to  Otterville  from  St.  Louis  in 
1860,  and  this  place  for  a  short  time  became  the  terminus.  Whilst  the 
road  remained  here,  and  in  fact  for  a  long  time  previous,  Otterville  com- 
manded quite  a  brisk  trade,  presenting  a  very  active  and  business-like 
appearance,  and,  indeed,  for  a  time  it  flourished  like  a  "green  bay  tree." 
But  it  was  not  destined  to  enjoy  this  prosperity  long.  The  railroad  com- 
pany soon  pulled  up  its  stakes  and  transferred  its  terminus  to  the  then 
insignificant  village  of  Sedalia,  which, -at  that  time,  being  in  its  infancy, 


248  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

had  scarcely  been  christened ;  but,  though  young,  it  rose  like  magic  from 
the  bosom  of  the  beautiful  prairie,  and  in  a  few  years  Sedalia  became  the 
county  seat  of  one  of  the  richest  counties  in  the  state,  and  a  great  railroad 
centre,  while  truth  compels  me  to  say  that  Otterville  sank  back  into  its 
original  obscurity. 

The  town  of  Otterville  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
of  Missouri,  on  the  16th  day  of  Feb.,  1857. 

About  the  year  1860,  for  a  short  period,  a  considerable  wholesale 
business  was  done  here.  Among  the  wholesale  establishments  were  the 
following:  W.  G.  Wear  and  Son;  Cloney,  Crawford  &  Co.,  from  Jefferson 
City ;  Clark  &  Reed ;  Concannon ;  The  Robert  Brothers ;  Lohman  &  Co., 
etc.,  etc. 

About  this  time  the  Mansion  house  was  built  by  a  man  named  Pork, 
the  Embree  house  by  George  Embree  and  Chris.  Harlan.  The  latter  was 
quite  a  large  hotel  near  the  depot,  and  was  afterwards  moved  to  Sedalia 
by  George  R.  Smith,  and  about  the  same  time  several  houses  were  moved 
by  different  parties  to  that  place.  There  was,  after  this  time,  a  consider- 
able business  done  in  a  retail  way  around  the  old  public  square.  Among 
the  most  prominent  merchants  here  were  W.  G.  Wear  &  Son,  and  Cannon 
&  Zollinger,  who  carried  on  a  large  and  profitable  trade  for  many  years. 

But  having  already  extended  these  notes  far  beyond  what  I  had  first 
anticipated,  I  am  admonished  to  close  them  rather  abruptly,  lest  they 
become  wearisome.  They  were  prepared  at  a  very  short  notice,  and  might 
have  been  made  more  interesting  had  sufficient  time  been  given  the  writer 
to  arrange  them  with  some  regard  to  order. 

I  hope  that  due  allowances  will  be  made  by  an  appreciative  public  for 
this  defect  in  this  hastily-written  memorandum. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  take  occasion  to  say,  that  one  hundred  years  ago, 
where  we  meet  now  to  rejoice  together  at  the  happy  coming  of  our  first 
centennial,  this  part  of  Cooper  County,  nay,  even  Cooper  County  itself, 
was  a  howling  wilderness.  The  hungry  wolf  and  bear;  the  elk  and  the 
antelope;  the  wild  deer  and  the  buffalo  roamed  about  undisturbed,  save 
by  the  feeble  arrows  of  the  red  man. 

Today,  through  the  little  village  of  Otterville,  within  a  very  few  yards 
of  this  spot,  a  double  band  of  iron,  stretching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  connects  San  Francisco  with  the  city  of  New  York.  Over  these 
lines  of  metal  rails  ponderous  trains  are  almost  continuously  passing  to 
and  fro,  freighted  with  innumerable  articles  of  the  rich  merchandise  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  249 

the  east ;  the  varied  productions  of  the  west ;  the  teas  and  silks  of  China ; 
the  silver  of  Arizona,  and  the  gold  of  California. 

Otterville  contains  at  this  time  about  four  hundred  population.  It 
has  three  general  stores,  one  hardware  and  grocery  store,  two  drug  stores, 
one  confectionery,  one  furniture  store,  two  blacksmith  shops,  one  saloon, 
two  hotels,  four  churches,  one  school." 

The  town  of  Otterville  at  this  time  has  a  population  of  500.  It  has 
two  banks  with  a  capital  stock  of  $30,000,  a  good  system  of  schools  with 
an  enrollment  of  160  and  eight  teachers.  It  has  five  churches,  electric 
lights  system,  twelve  stores,  one  hotel,  lumber  yard,  one  newspaper,  two 
blacksmith  shops,  and  one  elevator  company.  While  Otterville  has  not 
grown  rapidly  in  population,  it  is  and  has  been  substantial  through  the 
years  and  its  population  is  made  up  of  an  excellent  citizenship. 

The  inauguration  of  rural  delivery  has  a  tendency  to  decrease  the 
number  of  postoffices  and  there  are  not  so  many  in  Cooper  County  now  as 
there  were  several  years  ago.  The  following  are  a  list  of  the  postoffices 
as  they  exist  today:  Boonville,  Billingsville,  Blackwater,  Bunceton,  Clif- 
ton City,  Lamine,  Otterville,  Overton,  Pilot  Grove,  Pleasant  Green,  Prairie 
Home,  Speed,  Vermont,  Wooldridge. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


SCHOOLS. 


PIONEER  SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS,  FIRST  SCHOOLS  IN  COOPER  COUNTY — DAVIS 
SCHOOL-COOPER  COUNTY  SCHOOLS— BOONVILLE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS— SCHOOL 
I  >l  RECTORS— SUPERINTENDENTS— FACULTY— SUMMER  S  C  H  O  O  L— CATHOLIC 
SCHOOL— COOPER  COUNTY  INSTITUTE— OTTERVILLE  ACADEMY— McGUIRE 
SEMINARY— KEMPER  MILITARY  SCHOOL— PILOT  GROVE  COLLEGIATE  INSTI- 
TUTE. 

The  history  of  the  schools  of  Cooper  County  would  be  the  history  of 
its  people.  For  whenever  and  wherever  Americans  have  been  thrown 
together  there  has  invariably  been  a  school  established.  The  first  schools 
of  Cooper  County  were  rude,  crude  affairs,  with  dirt  floors  and  split  log 
benches.  And  the  teachers  were  picturesque  characters  who  were  pos- 
sessed with  more  cunning  than  brains,  and  preferred  this  easy  method  of 
eking  out  a  precarious  existence  to  one  of  hardship  and  toil  incident  to 
the  work  in  the  frontier  country.  The  teacher  "boarded  out"  among  the 
families  lie  served  and  received  as  wage  often  as  much  as  ten  or  fifteen 
dollars  per  month  which  was  collected  as  tuition.  All  schools  prior  to  the 
year  1839  were  strictly  private  affairs,  since  it  was  not  until  this  year 
that  any  adequate  provision  was  made  by  the  state  for  the  establishment 
of  public  schools.  At  this  time  the  common  school  fund,  the  county 
school  fund,  and  the  township  school  fund  were  constituted,  by  legislative 
enactment,  and  the  money  derived  from  the  sale  of  the  sixteenth  section 
to  be  invested  and  the  proceeds  be  used  for  the  advancement  of  the  public 
schools  of  the  state  was  again  reaffirmed. 

The  first  school  in  the  present  limits  of  Cooper  County  was  taught  by 
John  Savage  in  the  year  1813,  about  one  mile  east  of  Boonville,  on  Lilly's 
Branch.     There  were  fifteen  pupils,  as  follows:     Benjamin,  Delany  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  251 

William  Bolin,  Hiram  and  William  Savage,  Hess  and  William  Warden,  John 
and  William  Yarnall,  John  and  William  Jolly,  Joseph  and  William  Scott, 
John  and  William  Rup'e.  John  and  William  seem  to  have  been  choice 
names  for  boys  in  this  early  day,  and  unless  girls  were  named  John  and 
William  they  were  evidently  in  the  minority  at  this  time  or  else  their 
education  was  neglected.  The  pupils  sat  upon  one  log  in  the  open  air  and 
the  teacher  upon  another  log  facing  his  pupils.  The  tuition  was  one  dol- 
lar per  month,  payable  in  anything  the  settler  had  that  was  worth  one 
dollar.  This  school  continued  only  one  month.  Fear  of  an  attack  by  the 
Indians  who  commenced  a  series  of  depredations  about  this  time  caused 
the  settlers  to  keep  their  children  under  the  protecting  walls  of  the  fort. 
During  the  period  from  1813  to  1820  Judge  Abiel  Leonard,  William  H. 
Moore,  Dr.  Edward  Lawton  looked  after  the  education  of  the  boys  and 
girls  of  the  early  settlers  of  Boonville.  The  first  school  house  in  Boonville 
was  a  brick  building  located  near  the  residence  of  Dr.  M.  McCoy. 

In  the  early  schools  of  Cooper  County  the  subjects  taught  were  read- 
ing, writing,  arithmetic,  geography  and  English  grammar,  their  import- 
ance indicated  by  the  order  in  which  they  are  enumerated. 

As  the  population  increased  and  the  desire  for  more  and  better  facil- 
ities for  education  became  general,  the  academy  grew  up  in  answer  to 
the  demand  for  "higher  education".  The  academy  that  flourished  in  Mis- 
souri from  1820  to  1890  was  an  outgrowth  of  the  old  English  grammar 
school  that  very  early  put  in  its  appearance  in  New  England  embellished 
with  the  ideas  that  permeated  the  "Aristocratic"  private  schools  of  the 
south  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  notably  those  that  flourished  in  Virginia 
and  Kentucky. 

Among  the  early  schools  of  Cooper  County  outside  of  Boonville  was 
a  subscription  school  taught  by  Henry  Severns.  It  met  in  an  old  log 
house  which  was  located  across  the  road  from  whei-e  the  home  of  Mr.  R.  S. 
Roe,  of  the  Bell  Air  neighborhood,  is  now  located.  This  school  was  main- 
tained during  the  early  forties,  and  prospered  until  the  public  school  of 
Bell  Air  was  established.  It  is  asserted,  on  good  authority,  that  Prof. 
Severns'  salary  was  sixty-five  dollars,  but  whether  this  means  for  the 
month  or  for  the  year  I  have  found  it  impossible  to  ascertain. 

The  following  history  of  the  Davis  school  is  typical  of  many  schools 
in  Cooper  County. 

Davis  School.— By  D.  R.  Culley.— "Prior  to  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 
no  public  school  organization  existed  as  we  now  have  it  in  this  district. 

The  people  in  this   and  adjoining  territory  had   emigrated   largely 


252  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

fiom  the  states  of  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  bringing  with  them 
the  educational  plans  that  prevailed  in  those  states. 

A  teacher  desiring  a  school  would  canvass  a  neighborhood  and  have 
the  parents  subscribe  so  many  pupils  for  a  specified  term  at  so  much  per 
month.  Hence,  schools  were  then  known  in  the  country  as  subscription 
schools. 

About  the  year  1854  the  Baptists  erected  a  church  building  about  a 
mile  southwest  of  the  present  school  building  and  some  two  miles  east  of 
Vermont.  It  was  built  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  farm  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  W.  H.  H.  Rowles  and  family.  This  was  known  as  Hope- 
well Baptist  Church  and  was  used  for  both  church  and  school  purposes. 
It  was  a  typical  building  of  those  days.  It  was  built  of  hewed  walnut  logs 
and  was  about  twenty  feet  square;  there  was  a  small  window  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  east  wall  and  one  in  the  west  wall;  batten  doors  were  in  the 
middle  of  the  north  and  south  sides ;  a  high,  home  made  pulpit  in  the  west 
end,  and  home  made  benches  fronting  west.  It  was  here  that  the  resi- 
dents of  the  community  and  those  for  miles  around  congregated  once  a 
month,  in  large  numbers,  to  get  the  news  as  well  as  to  hear  the  preacher. 
Whole  families  were  present  and  the  good  ladies  served  dinners  that  could 
not  be  surpassed  anywhere. 

During  the  year  1859,  the  citizens  erected  a  good,  modern  building 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  west  and  a  mile  east  of  Vermont. 
This  was  known  as  Vermont  Academy.  D.  R.  Culley  was  employed  as 
teacher  for  a  term  of  ten  months  at  a  salary  of  $60.00  per  month. 

This  was  probably  the  first  time  a  teacher  was  employed  in  this  dis- 
trict at  a  fixed  salary.  This  school  continued  for  five  years  when  condi- 
tions growing  out  of  the  Civil  War  caused  many  families  to  move  else- 
where and  the  community  as  known  prior  to  1860  was  almost  entirely 
broken  up. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1858,  D.  R.  Culley  opened  a  school  in  the  church 
building  and  it  was  intended  to  serve  the  purpose  of  an  academy  as  well 
as  to  meet  the  demands  of  what  would  now  be  termed  the  graded  course 
in  our  district  schools.  The  term  continued  for  ten  months.  The  larger 
boys  attended  for  the  full  term  and  were  not  taken  out  of  school  as  now, 
to  assist  with  the  farm  work.  It  was  also  observed  that  the  pupils  were 
more  advanced  in  years  than  now.  There  were  no  grades.  If  a  pupil 
could  make  two  grades  during  the  term  well  and  good,  and  many  of  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  £06 

pupils  did  this ;  no  pupil  was  held  back  on  account  of  the  weakness  or 
slowness  of  others. 

The  first  year  of  school  closed  with  oral  examinations  and  an  address 
by  Prof.  John  W.  Sutherland  of  Boonville. 

Pupils  from  other  counties  came  here  and  boarded  with  families  near 
by.  Young  men  walked  a  distance  of  four  or  five  miles  and  of  those  now 
living  are  our  best  and  most  prominent  citizens.  The  late  Rev.  A.  E. 
Rogers,  D.  D.,  attended  this  school  for  three  years  and  he  often  remarked, 
that  it  was  here  that  he  received  the  best  training  that  which  was  of  the 
most  worth  in  after  life. 

Rev.  Rockwell  Smith,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  a  missionary  to  Brazil, 
was  an  unusually  bright  young  man  who  began  his  literary  career  here. 
Those  who  in  after  life  became  bankers,  civil  officers,  financiers,  the  best 
of  farmers  and  the  best  and  most  useful  citizens  as  well,  received  their 
early  school  training  here. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  the  regular  organization  of  what 
is  now  termed  our  public  school  system  as  observed  in  our  district  schools, 
took  place." 

A  subscription  school  was  maintained  before  the  war,  in  the  Green- 
wood district,  in  a  small  house  erected  by  Mrs.  William  Guyer  for  a  Meth- 
odist church.  It  was  used  as  school  and  church  both  until  it  burned  sev- 
eral years  later.  Pisgah  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  Greenwood  district. 
About  1887  an  effort  was  made  to  divide  the  district.  The  Pisgah  people 
insisted  that  they  did  not  want  to  send  their  children  to  Greenwood  because 
the  children  carried  ticks,  and  the  Greenwood  vicinity  came  back  at  them 
with  the  argument  that  the  Pisgah  children  had  fleas.  The  fight  between 
the  factions  became  so  heated  that  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1887  the 
district  was  divided.  This  shows  the  length  to  which  neighborhood  quar- 
rels may  be  carried. 

There  were  enumerated  in  the  Cooper  County  schools  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1918,  4,307  white  children  and  741  colored,  a  grand  total 
of  5,048.  The  enrollment  shows  a  total  of  3,802  white  pupils  and  651 
colored.  These  pupils  attended  school  439,673  days,  and  there  was  spent 
on  them  during  the  year  $100,230,  of  which  $71,921.51  was  spent  for 
teachers'  wages,  $16,176.32  for  incidentals,  and  $12,132.17  for  building 
purposes. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  taxable  property  was  $11,556,679  and  the 


254 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 


average  levy  for  school  purposes  was  57  cents  on  $100  valuation.  In  the 
spring  of  1918  there  were  203  pupils  finishing  the  common  school  course 
of  study,  and  there  were  all  told  throughout  the  county  141  teachers  in 
the  public  schools,  teaching  in  76  districts.  The  average  salary  of  these 
teachers  was  $67  per  month. 

Although  Missouri  ranks  thirty-second  in  the  matter  of  education 
and  although  little  progress  has  been  made  in  the  rural  schools  in  the 
state  as  a  whole,  Cooper  County,  however,  has  made  marked  progress  in 
the  building  up  of  a  system  of  up-to-date  school  with  modern  buildings 
and  competent  teachers. 

It  has  been  said  that  should  a  Rip  Van  Winkle  wake  up  in  a  modern 
barn  he  would  realize  that  he  had  slept  150  years,  but  should  his  waking 
take  place  in  the  average  Missouri  rural  school  he  would  turn  over  to 
finish  his  nap.  Be  this  as  it  may.  Cooper  County  is  fast  forging  to  the 
front  among  the  counties  of  Missouri  in  the  matter  of  efficient  rural 
schools  and  when  this  spirit  of  improvement  and  progress  permeates  the 
whole  of  its  citizenship,  Cooper  County  schools  through  the  generosity 
of  its  people  and  because  of  their  pride  in  the  boys  and  girls,  will  be  made 
the  best  possible,  and  the  rural  community  will  offer  to  its  children  the 
same  advantages  now  enjoyed  by  the  city  children. 

COOPER  COUNTY  SCHOOLS  1918-19. 


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District  Clerk 

P.  O.  Address 

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Overton 15 

Woodland 32 

Bluffton 12 


Westwood    

Clear  Spring 

Locust  Grove_. 
Pleasant  Grove. 


8  Oakwood 


9 
17 
33 

18 
2 


40,083  Chas.  Windsor Overton 

109,438  B.  J.  Boillott Boonville  R.  D. 

96,976  J.  B.  Hickam Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

52,589  H.  E.  Fuser Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

108,200  A.  H.  Moehle Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

125,200  J.  H.  Turley Lamine 

160,275  G.  R.  Kelly Blackwater 

91,275  E.   R.   Schuster Blackwater 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 


Zoo 


9  Oakwood  No.  2_  21  105,025 

10  Willow  Grove__  15  97,400 

11  Sappington   ___  000  8,575 

12  Cotton  Patch__  18  109,678 

13  Shackleford  ___  15  39,227 

14  Buffalo  Prairie.  16  100,875 

15  Franklin 9  48,073 

16  Peninsula 15  57,438 

17  Becker 19  44,550 

18  Chouteau 36  68,225 

19  Simmons 12  71,600 

20  Prairie  View—  22  109,875 

21  Hickory  Grove.  21  83,946 

22  Billingsville  ___  13  126,700 

23  Mt.  Sinai 7  119,810 

24  Stony  Point  ___  9  68,524 

25  Concord 18  111,450 

26  Crab  Orchard. _  19  122,006 

27  Hail  Ridge 15  88,460 

28  Pleasant  Valley  12  42,361 

29  Fair  View 17  62,287 

30  Oak  Grove 28  91,963 

31  Highland 16  105,164 

32  Lowland 13  44,683 

34  Woolridge 64  104,780 

35  Liberty 17  116,925 

42  Washington  ___  23  115,558 

44  Lone  Grove 5  183,613 

45  Lone  Elm 14  160,125 

46  Independence    .  15  60,610 

47  Palestine 43  111,318 

48  Bell  Air 32  191,575 

49  Mt.  Nebo 18  136,205 

50  Cottonwood  ___  18  53,576 

51  Oakland 13  97,225 

52  Mt.  Vernon 14  65,125 

53  Harriston 11  83,775 

54  Pleasant  Green_  33  89,500 

55  Reinhardt 15  70,750 


Jesse  Kincheloe Blackwater 

J.   Roy  Jeffress Blackwater 

Noland  Taylor Nelson 

C.   W.   Racy Nelson 

Chas.  McLaughlin Nelson 

Louis  N.  Hoff Pilot  Grove 

W.   B.   Kella Blackwater 

A.  H.  Alley Blackwater 

A.  H.  Hartman Pilot  Grove 

H.  E.  Brownfield Pilot  Grove 

A.  W.  Tally Pilot  Grove 

L.  M.  Immele Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

M.  C.  Johnmeyer_ _Boonville  R.  F.  D. 
A.  S.  Chamberlain__Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

M.  R.  Sloan Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

W.  A.  Whitehurse Speed  R.  F.  D. 

Clark  E.  Bower Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

J.  P.  Reiser Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

T.  B.  Robertson___Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

L.  M.  Swarner Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Theo.  Lebbing Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

T.  H.  Swanstone. .Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Clay  Groom Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Lee  Eager Woolridge 

F.  B.   Hopkins Woolridge 

H.  H.  Warmbrodt Woolridge 

E.  L.  Shirley Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Walter  Toellner_._Bunceton  R.  F.  D. 

F.  H.  Muntzel Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Geo.  Chamberlin__Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

Wm.  Walje Speed 

Chas.  P.  Mitzel Bunceton 

R.  E.  Downing Pilot  Grove 

John  Dwyer Pilot  Grove 

H.  J.  Meyer Boonville  R.  F.  D. 

E.  E.  Tavenner__Pilot  Grove  R.  F.  D. 

W.  A.  Straub Pleasant  Green 

J.  S.  Parrish Pleasant  Green 

Frank  Clevorn Pleasant  Green 


256 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 


56  Oakland 10  81,862 

57  Vollmer    14  93,455 

104  Lamine 36  28,650 

59  Clifton   City___     42  113,963 

62  Rockland 20  30,126 

63  Oak   Hill 22  76,408 

64  Lebanon 27  51,972 

65  Mt.  Zion 18  72,500 

66  West   Fork 7  106,375 

67  Bethlehem 20  134,941 

68  Gillroy    19  108,794 

69  Glendale 21  98,925 

70  Franklin 000  132,986 

71  Davis   15  139,850 

72  Baxter 27  73,688 

73  Dick's   Mill 28  29,313 

74  Keener 15  34,539 

78  Whitlinger 15  30,638 

79  Felder    23  46,482 

80  Martin   000  8,150 

81  Mt.  Pleasant...     15  31,677 

82  Gill 15  35,988 

83  Cross  Roads___  000  24,675 

84  Excelsior 000  24,600 

85  Lone  Elm 15  41,550 

87  Byberry 15  441,172 

(1)  Consolidated   __     98  509,387 

(2)  Consolidated   __  195  378,490 

(3)  Consolidated   __  150  459,366 

Boonville 556  2,255,613 

Bunceton   176  457,820 

Pilot  Grove 108  358,700 

Blackwater   ___   111  302,605 


P.  G.  Meisenheimer_ -Pleasant  Green 

Frank  Vollmer Pleasant  Green 

G.  H.  Bidstrup Beaman 

J.  E.  Potter,  Jr Clifton  City 

G.   W.   Tomlinson Bunceton 

S.  L.  Willis Pleasant  Green 

C.  L.   Thomas Bunceton 

A.  A.  Strickfadden_Otterville  R.  F.  D. 
J.  S.   Funkhouser Bunceton 

D.  C.  Grove Otterville 

R.  E.  Hutchison Syracuse  R.  F.  D. 

Elmer  Fry Tipton  R.  F.  D. 

F.  C.  Betteridge Bunceton 

Ben  M.  Draff  en Bunceton  R.  F.  D. 

A.  N.  Pedego Tipton  R.  F.  D. 

J.  B.  Hodges Bunceton  R.  F.  D. 

F.  D.  Williams Clarksburg 

Luther   Moore    Clarksburg 

E.  J.  Roedel Jamestown  R.  F.  D. 

A.  F.  Zey California  R.  F.  D. 

Wm.  Hess Clarksburg 

J.  A.  Birdsong Clarksburg 

L.  J.  Stephens Clarksburg 

Stephen  H.   Martin Tipton 

P.  J.  Knipp Tipton 

A.    L.    Gochenour Byberry 

T.  W.  Howard Bunceton 

J.  L.  Spillers Otterville 

Wm.  H.  Byler Prairie  Home 

Wm.  Mittlebach Boonville 

G.  H.   Meeker Bunceton 

Otto  Kistenmacher Pilot  Grove 

C.   Q.   Shouse Blackwater 


The  Public  Schools  of  Boonville.— The  Missouri  Legislature  during 
its  session  passed  March  12,  1867  an  act  authorizing  cities,  towns,  and  vil- 
lages to  organize  for  school  purposes.  On  the  29th  of  the  same  month 
the  following  notice  was  issued: 


R.   F.    W VAN'S   RESIDENT  E 


MAIN  STREET.    HOOXEYIEEE 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  257 

"The  undersigned  resident  free  holders  of  the  city  of  Boonville  re- 
quest an  election  of  the  qualified  voters  of  said  city  at  the  mayor's  office 
on  Tuesday,  April  9,  1867,  to  determine  whether  they  will  accept  the  pro- 
visions of  an  act  authorizing  any  city,  town  or  village  to  organize  for 
school  purposes,  with  special  privileges,  approved  March  16,  1867 ;  and 
organize  said  city  in  accordance  therewith. — C.  W.  Sombart,  H.  L.  Wallace 
John  Bernard,  Thos.  Plant,  J.  L.  Stephens,  Nicholas  Walz,  Stephen  Weber, 
J.  P.  Neef,  Jacob  Zimmer,  E.  Roeschel,  J.  F.  Gmelich,  John  Fetzer. 

The  election  was  held  April  9,  1867,  at  which  30  votes  were  cast,  29 
for  and  one  against  organization  for  school  purposes.  On  the  23d  of  the 
same  month  the  following  citizens  were  elected  to  constitute  the  Board 
of  Education:  Jos.  L.  Stephens,  Jos.  A.  Eppstein,  C.  W.  Sonbart,  John 
Bernard,  H.  A.  Hutchison,  Franklin  Swap. 

The  schools  were  opened  Sep.  23,  1867,  with  Joseph  C.  Mason,  prin- 
cipal, and  Mrs.  Clara  Atkinson,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Schaefer,  and  Miss  M.  E. 
McKee,  assistants  in  the  school  for  white  children,  and  S.  G.  Bundy  and 
wife  teachers  in  that  for  colored  pupils. 

A  building  22x60  feet  and  located  on  Sixth  street  was  purchased  of  C. 
H.  Allison  for  $5,250,  and  used  as  a  school  for  white  children. 

The  enrollment  during  the  first  year  was  as  follows:  White  chil- 
dren, 377 ;  colored,  199 ;  a  total  of  576.  But  the  average  attendance  of 
white  children  was  only  207,  and  of  the  colored  only  77 — making  a  total 
average  attendance  of  only  284.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  enum- 
eration at  this  time  was  1,302. 

Two  wings  were  added  to  the  original  building  in  1870,  which  con- 
stitute the  north  and  south  wings  of  the  building  at  the  present  time. 
In  1896  the  original  center  of  the  building  was  torn  down  and  a  new 
center  erected. 

The  high  school  from  this  time  on  developed  rapidly  and  soon  out- 
grew the  cramped  quarters  afforded  at  the  Central  school.  So  a  special 
election  was  held  March  2,  1914  and  $65,000  voted  for  the  erection  of  a 
modern  high  school  building,  587  votes  being  cast  for  and  219  against  the 
bond  issues.  The  new  building  was  completed  Sept.  1,  1915  at  a  cost 
(including  furniture  and  equipment)  of  about  $85,000  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  state.  The  building  was  named  "The  Laura  Speed 
Elliott  High  School"  in  honor  of  and  as  a  memorial  to  the  deceased  wife 
of  Col.  Jno.  S.  Elliott  who  presented  to  the  Board  of  Education  and  through 
them  to  the  citizens  of  Boonville  the  site  on  which  the  building  stands. 
(17) 


258  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

The  lot  was  valued  at  $10,000  and  is  an  ideal  location  for  such  a  building. 

The  Laura  Speed  Elliott  High  School  building  consists  of  25  rooms 
including  auditorium,  gymnasium,  library,  cooking  room,  sewing  room, 
commercial  department,  laboratories,  class  rooms  and  offices.  It  has 
modern  heating,  ventilating  and  lighting  systems,  and  is  used  by  various 
organizations  as  a  community  center. 

Following  the  modern  trend  in  education,  Boonville  is  adapting  the 
curriculum  of  her  schools  to  meet  the  twentieth  century  demands.  Courses 
that  have  been  added  in  recent  years  are  agriculture,  bookkeeping,  type- 
writing, stenography,  cooking,  sewing,  general  science,  teacher-training, 
Spanish,  French  and  vocational  home  economics. 

The  trend  in  education  is  away  from  the  strictly  classical  course  to 
the  more  practical,  but  none  the  less  cultural,  semi-vocational  course, 
which  has  for  its  aim  the  making  of  better  citizens,  better  able  to  take 
their  place  in  the  complex  modern  society  and  earn  an  honest  living.  If 
the  school  does  not  develop  better  men  and  women,  a  higher  type  of 
citizen,  out  of  the  material  it  takes  in,  then  it  is  a  failure. 

Modern  education  looks  to  the  development  of  a  healthy  body  along 
with  a  trained  mind.  Too  often  in  the  past  we  have  ignored  the  health 
of  the  child  in  our  endeavor  to  educate  him,  as  a  result  the  present  genera- 
tion is  only  about  sixty  per  cent,  efficient  physically.  A  large  share  of 
the  blame  for  this  condition  must  be  assumed  by  the  schools. 

Statistics  obtained  by  the  army  in  the  recent  draft  show  that  prac- 
tically one-third  of  the  young  men  were  physically  inferior  and  that 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  this  inferiority  could  have  been  overcome  had 
the  right  training  been  administered  at  the  proper  time.  The  schools, 
therefore,  must  wake  up  to  the  necessity  for  adequate  physical  training, 
which  is  of  even  more  importance  than  mental  training.  Because  the  first 
requisite  for  a  sound  mind  is  a  sound  body.  Mental  development  at  the 
expense  of  physical  well-being  is  not  only  undesirable  but  nonsensical. 
Physical  training  in  the  school  need  not  interfere  with  mental  training 
but  should  rather  supplement  it.  The  universal  criticism  of  athletics  in 
the  past  has  been  that  it  is  administered  to  the  five  per  cent,  rather  than 
the  hundred  per  cent.  In  the  modern  school  the  health  of  the  pupil  is  of 
first  considei-ation  and  each  is  given  the  training  best  calculated  to  fit 
him  for  a  vigorous,  healthy,  successful  life. 

Thus  have  the  Boonville  schools  developed  through  the  years,  until 
today  we  have  a  system  that  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  state,  and  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  259 

which  we  are  justly  proud.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  review  the  list  of 
citizens  who  have  served  on  the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  superin- 
tendents who  have  come  and  gone. 

School  Directors  from  1867-1919.— Jos.  L.  Stephens,  1867-1881 ;  Jos. 
A.  Eppstein,  1867-1870;  C.  W.  Sombart,  1867-1895;  John  Bernard,  1867- 
1882;  H.  A.  Hutchison,  1867-1870;  Franklin  Swap,  1867-1881;  John  Fet- 
zer,  1870-1873 ;  John  O'Brien,  1870-1873 ;  John  B.  Holman,  1871-1881 ;  J. 
F.  Gmelich,  1873-1876;  George  Sahm,  1876-1879;  E.  Roeschal,  1877-1895; 
D.  D.  Miles,  1880-1884;  C.  H.  Brewster,  1881-1882;  John  N.  Gott,  1881- 
1882 ;  Sam  Acton,  1882-1885 ;  W.  W.  Taliaferro,  1882-1894 ;  John  Cosgrove, 
1882-1884;  W.  Speed  Stephens,  1884-1917;  Chas.  J.  Burger,  1884-1887; 
S.  H.  Stephens,  1885-1894 ;  *R.  W.  Whitlow,  1887-1919 ;  *Wm.  Mittlebach, 
1894-1919  ;  W.  A.  Smiley,  1894-1897;  J.  T.  McClanahan,  1895-1898  ;  Richard 
Hadelich,  1895-1898 ;  C.  P.  Gott,  1897-1903 ;  R.  L.  Moore,  1898-1904 ;  Win. 
Gibbons,  1898-1901;  C.  C.  Bell,  1901-1904;  *Wm.  F.  Johnson,  1903-1919;  F. 
R.  Smiley,  1904-1913;  John  C.  Pigott,  1904-1913;  *M.  E.  Schmidt,  1913- 
1919;  T.  F.  Waltz,  1913-1916;  John  Cosgrove,  1916-1919;  A.  C.  Jacobs, 
1917-1918;  *Wm.  B.  Talbott,  1918-1919. 

*Still  members  of  the  board. 

Superintendents,  Boonville  Public  Schools  From  1867-1919.— J.  C. 
Mason,  1867,  1868,  1870;  E.  A.  Angell,  1869;  R.  P.  Rider,  1871,  1872;  Wm. 
A.  Smiley,  1873;  S.  H.  Blewett,  1874-1875;  R.  R.  Rogers,  1876;  D.  A. 
McMillan,  1877-1883 ;  H.  T.  Norton,  1883 ;  G.  W.  Smith,  1884-1889 ;  F.  W. 
Ploger,  1889-1895 ;  D.  T.  Gentry,  1895-1899 ;  W.  A.  Annin,  1899-1903 ;  M. 
A.  O'Rear,  1903-1913;  C.  E.  Chrane,  1913-1919. 

The  high  school  enrollment  during  the  past  year  was  204.  This  is 
a  15  per  cent,  increase  over  the  year  previous.  Sixty-four  of  these  pupils 
were  from  the  rural  districts. 

There  were  enumerated  in  the  Boonville  school  district  May  1,  1919, 
795  white  children  and  194  colored— a  total  of  989,  and  the  total  enroll- 
ment during  the  school  year  was  728. 

The  Boonville  Board  of  Education  employs  23  teachers  to  run  its 
schools.     The  faculty  for  the  coming  year  1919-20  is  as  follows : 

High  School  Faculty.— C.  E.  Chrane,  superintendent;  E.  H.  Johnson, 
Principal  High  School,  Science;  Edna  Ginn,  History;  Alberta  Cowden. 
Home  Economics;  Helen  Dauwalter,  Latin,  Mathematics;  Grace  Graves, 
teacher-training;  Pauline  Holloway,  English;  Leota  Moser,  French,  Music; 
Mildred  Amick,  Commercial. 


260  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Grade  School  Faculty. — Emma  Stegner,  principal,  7,  8  grades,  Vergna 
Hopkins,  Gladys  Brown,  Lilia  Dritt,  Emmorie  Holtman,  Hazel  Moore, 
Helen  Gantner,  Elizabeth  Hayden,  Dora  Hennicke,  Elizabeth  Varnum. 

Sumner  School,  Boonville. — The  Sumner  school  for  colored  children 
was  established  in  1868  and  has  been  open  continuously  since  that  time  at 
the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Spruce  streets. 

The  following  statistics  that  are  taken  from  the  1910  census  of  the 
United  States  will  give  some  idea  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  work  of  this 
school. 

The  census  of  1910  gives  the  colored  population  of  Boonville,  910. 
The  number  of  illiterate  is  given  as  124,  which  shows  that  illiteracy  among 
the  colored  people  in  our  city  has  been  reduced  from  100  per  cent,  in  1869 
to  less  than  12  per  cent  in  1910. 

Following  the  same  line  of  investigation,  the  Boonville  colored  people 
compare  favorably  with  those  of  the  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  state. 

The  motto  of  the  school  is  "Grow  or  Go,"  and  every  one  is  so  busy 
that  the  loafer  or  laggard  so  inbibes  the  spirit  of  work  from  the  atmos- 
phere surrounding  him,  that  sooner  or  later  he  takes  up  the  work  with  a 
hearty  good  will. 

All  children  old  enough  to  help  the  family  and  themselves  are  encour- 
aged to  work  outside  of  school  hours,  because  it  is  found  that  the  child 
who  is  kept  busy  makes  a  better  scholar  than  the  loafer  or  idler.  In 
other  words,  it  is  more  of  a  help  than  a  handicap  to  be  forced  to  work. 

The  Sumner  High  School  was  established  in  1884.  The  first  pupil 
graduated  in  1886.  This  pupil  afterwards  attended  Oberlin  College  and  is 
now  one  of  the  prominent  teachers  in  the  state.  Since  this  time  some 
thirty-eight  classes  have  finished  the  two-year  high  school  course. 

More  than  50  per  cent,  have  gone  to  the  higher  institutions  of  learn- 
ing, where  they  finished  courses  in  medicine,  law,  pharmacy,  nurse-train- 
ing, teaching,  theology,  engineering,  commercial  business  course,  etc.  But 
one  of  the  greatest  benefits  has  been  received  by  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
race,  as  shown  by  the  improved  conditions  of  the  colored  people  of  our 
city. 

The  number  of  taxpayers  has  increased  from  none  in  1869  to  161  at 
present;  besides,  the  colored  people  own  two  good  churches,  two  parson- 
ages and  one  lodge  hall  valued  at  $5,000. 

A  new  six-room  building,  modern  in  every  respect,  was  completed  in 
1916.  Courses  in  cooking,  sewing  and  manual  training  have  been  added 
to  the  curriculum. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  261 

Faculty  of  School. — C.  G.  Williams,  principal ;  Ida  Hill,  Millie  Proctor, 
Josie  E.  Williams. 

Catholic  Parochial  School,  Boonville,  1848. — The  Catholic  church  was 
built  in  Boonville  in  the  year  1848,  and  the  school  was  started  soon  there- 
after. It  is  an  elementary  school  teaching  only  the  first  eight  grades  of 
school  work.  Examinations  are  given  twice  each  year  by  the  priest. 
There  are  at  the  present  time  two  teachers  and  one  housekeeper  in  charge 
of  the  school,  and  they  have  sixty-seven  pupils  enrolled. 

Cooper  County  Institute,  1863. — The  Cooper  County  Institute  was 
established  at  Boonville  in  1863,  by  the  Reverend  X.  X.  Buckner,  a  Baptist 
minister.  It  was  sold  in  1865  to  Q.  W.  Marston  who  had  charge  of  it  until 
the  year  1868.  It  was  discontinued  from  1868  to  1870  at  which  time 
Professor  Anthony  Haynes  took  charge  and.  moved  it  to  a  suite  of  rooms 
over  the  Stephen's  Opera  House.  Later  it  was  moved  to  the  building  now 
known  as  the  Quinly  apartments.  In  addition  to  the  conducting  of  a  suc- 
cessful day  school  Professor  Haynes  had  a  boarding  department  which 
proved  very  popular  to  the  people  of  Cooper  County  who  were  at  a  distance 
from  Boonville  and  out  of  touch  with  educational  advantages.  The  school 
was  maintained  until  the  year  1877  when  Professor  Haynes  was  forced 
to  give  up  his  chosen  work  on  account  of  ill  health. 

Prairie  Home  Institute  was  founded  at  Prairie  Home  in  1865  by  Rev. 
A.  H.  Misseline.  In  the  fall  of  1869  it  was  sold  to  the  public  school  dis- 
trict by  Washington  A.  Johnston.  In  May,  1871,  it  was  converted  into  a 
co-educational  boarding  school.  The  building  with  its  contents  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1874.  A  new  building  was  substituted  for  the  old  and 
school  reopened  April,  1875,  and  continued  until  1880.  After  1880  the 
school  had  a  precarious  existence,  being  alternately  opened  and  closed, 
and  was  finally  forced  to  close  altogether  a  few  years  later. 

The  Otterville  Academy  was  organized  in  the  year  1891.  Prof.  Wm. 
Curlin  was  employed  as  the  first  principal.  He  stayed  with  the  school 
two  years.     The  school  closed  in  1907. 

McGuire  Seminary  was  established  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  in  1892, 
by  Mrs.  Julia  McGuire.  This  was  a  very  select  school  for  young  ladies 
and  offered  an  exceedingly  fine  course  in  music.  Mrs.  McGuire  died  in 
1902.  Mrs.  Roller  took  charge  of  the  school  and  attempted  to  keep  it  up 
to  its  former  high  standard  of  excellence  and  enrollment,  and  she  suc- 
ceeded until  1905,  when  discouraged  because  of  the  lack  of  interest  that 
was  manifest  in  private  schools  and  academies,  generally,  at  this  time, 
it  was  closed. 


262  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Kemper  Military  Schools. — This  large  enterprise  and  distinguished 
school,  like  all  other  affairs  worthy  of  growth  and  development,  had  a 
small  and  humble  beginning.  In  1844,  Professor  F.  T.  Kemper  located 
in  Boonville  and  started  a  private  school  which  in  the  course  of  years 
became  known  as  the  Kemper  Family  School.  This  school  opened  with 
but  five  students,  only  one  of  whom,  D.  C.  Mack,  was  a  Boonville  boy. 
The  school  was  conducted  in  a  humble  frame  building  that  stood  on  the 
corner  of  Morgan  and  Spring  streets,  on  the  present  site  of  the  Citizen's 
Trust  Company  building.  A  little  frame  house  situated  a  little  farther 
west  was  the  residence  of  the  school  family  and  another  small  house 
served  as  an  office  to  piece  out  the  scanty  accommodations. 

Mr.  Kemper  did  all  the  instructing  himself  and  by  the  end  of  the  year 
the  enrollment  of  students  had  increased  to  35  and  a  portion  of  the  second 
story  of  the  building  now  known  as  the  Green  Hotel  was  secured  for  the 
school.  The  next  year  a  location  for  a  permanent  home  for  the  school  was 
secured  where  it  and  its  famed  successor,  the  Kemper  Military  School,  has 
ever  since  remained.  Professor  Kemper  was  a  ripe  scholai%  an  elegant 
gentleman,  and  possessed  of  a  strong  personality  which  he  impressed  upon 
his  pupils.  During  the  years  the  Kemper  Family  School  became  noted 
for  its  discipline  and  thoroughness.  Soon  after  founding  the  school, 
Kemper  associated  with  himself  the  brothers  Tyre  C.  and  James  B.  Harris. 
This  association,  however,  continued  but  a  short  time.  In  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  school  there  were  also  associated  with  Kemper,  James  and 
John  Chandler,  William  and  Roberdeau  Allison  and  J.  A.  Quarrels;  and 
again  during  the  Civil  War  the  school  was  under  the  joint  management 
of  Mr.  Kemper  and  Edwin  Taylor,  brother  of  Mrs.  Kemper.  During  the 
years  from  1867  to  1868,  Mr.  R.  Allison  was  associated  in  the  manage- 
ment. It  was  in  the  year  1867  that  T.  A.  Johnston,  now  the  superintendent 
of  the  Kemper  Military  School,  entered  this  family  school  as  a  student  and 
continued  thus  until  1871  when  he  entered  the  State  University  of  Mis- 
souri where  in  1872  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  later 
receiving  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and  at  once  returned  to  Boonville 
and  became  associate  principal  of  the  Kemper  Family  School.  The  man- 
agement of  the  school  was  thus  continued  until  the  death  of  Professor 
Kemper  in  1881.  The  school  then  passed  to  the  management  and  control 
of  T.  A.  Johnston  and  continued  under  this  management  to  prosper  with 
an  ever  widening  patronage.     Yet  its  growth  was  not  phenomenal  as  has 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  263 

been  that  of  the  Kemper  Military  School.  From  1865  until  1890,  50  was 
the  average  enrollment.  Col.  T.  A.  Johnston  with  a  far  sighted  vision 
realized  the  changing  conditions,  and  gradually  converted  the  institution 
into  what  now  is  known  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
as  the  "Kemper  Military  School."  It  was  not  until  1904  that  the  enroll- 
ment of  100  was  reached,  and  in  1909,  150  students  appeared  at  Kemper 
while  in  1916  saw  an  enrollment  of  217 ;  and  this  year,  1919,  a  total  enroll- 
ment of  527.  The  Kemper  Military  School  represents  an  investment  of 
half  a  million  dollars.  It  occupies  30  acres  of  ground  and  has  five  modern 
barracks,  two  study  halls,  an  auditorium  that  will  seat  500,  a  gymnasium, 
library,  manuel  training  and  machine  shops  and  employs  29  teachers  and 
officers.  For  the  last  five  years  it  has  been  among  the  10  Honor  Military 
Schools  of  the  United  States  and  this  year  ranks  second  among  the  10, 
and  is  the  first  in  rank  of  the  military  schools  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River. 

The  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute  is  but  a  memory,  dear  to  the 
students  and  instructors  who  once  occupied  and  spent  pleasant  and  in- 
structive days  within  its  walls.  This  institution  had  its  beginning  in  the 
establishment  of  a  private  school  by  the  Rev.  Geo.  Eichelberger,  in  1878 
in  a  two  story  frame  building  located  where  are  now  the  residences  of 
J.  A.  Thompson  and  R.  A.  Harriman,  in  the  city  of  Pilot  Grove,  Missouri. 
In  1879,  Prof.  Charles  Newton  Johnson  organized  a  company  and  pur- 
chased this  building  from  Mr.  Eichelberger.  He  had  associated  with  him 
his  mother,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Johnson,  and  the  school  flourished  from  the  begin- 
ning. It  was  chartered  in  1881  as  the  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute 
and  during  this  year  he  had  also  associated  with  him  W.  F.  Johnson,  the 
author  of  this  volume.  Prof.  Chas.  N.  Johnson  died  in  the  summer  of 
1882.  The  management  of  the  school  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  Prof. 
Chas.  B.  Johnson  (the  father  of  C.  N.  and  W.  F.  Johnson)  and  W.  F.  John- 
son and  under  this  management  it  was  continued  until  1887,  or  1888  in- 
creasing in  enrollment  year  by  year. 

At  this  time  Prof.  Chas.  Foster  and  D.  L.  Roe  purchased  and  became 
the  proprietors  of  the  school  and  conducted  the  same  for  several  years 
when  Prof.  Foster  retired  and  Prof.  Roe  continued  the  management. 
Prof.  Roe  was  eventually  succeeded  by  Prof.  Taylor  and  he  in  turn  by 
Prof.  Buckmeister  who  conducted  a  private  school  in  the  college  building 
for  two  or  three  years  when  he  gave  up  teaching.    The  property  has  been 


264  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

recently  wrecked  and  two  residences  built  upon  the  site  of  the  old  institu- 
tion. 

This  school  drew  its  patronage  not  only  from  many  counties  in  the 
state  but  from  other  states  especially  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and  had 
pupils  from  a  distance  varying1  from  sixty-five  to  eighty  and  an  enroll- 
ment in  all  averaging  from  150  to  175  pupils. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


CHURCHES. 


BAPTIST  —  METHODIST  —  PRESBYTERIAN— CHRISTIAN— GERMAN     EVANGELICAL- 
LUTHERAN— EPISCOPAL— CATHOLIC. 

Churches  have  ever  been  established  coincident  with  settlement,  and 
the  pioneer  considered  his  church  of  primary  importance.  In  that  early 
day, 

"A  church  in  every  grove  that  spread 
A  living  roof  above  their  heads," 
formed  their  only  place  of  worship  and  to  them, 

"No  temple  built  with  hands  could  vie 
In  glory  with  its  majesty."  Thus  in  nature's  magnificent 
cathedrals,  and  with  hearts  in  tune  with  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  the 
early  settlers  worshipped  their  Creator,  and  felt  the  quickening  power 
of  duty  done.  They  lived  humble  and  devout  lives  and  consistently  prac- 
ticed the  precepts,  and  tenets  of  their  faith. 
It  was  Alexander  Pope  who  said, 

"Honor  and  shame  from  no  condition  rise, 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies."  And  it  was 
the  pioneer  who,  above  all  else,  exemplified  this  truth.  In  rude  cabins 
and  huts  the  early  preachers  proclaimed  the  same  gospel  that  is  preached 
today  in  the  magnificent  palaces,  that,  under  the  name  of  church,  decorate 
the  cities  of  our  fair  land. 

Since  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  information  regarding  each  indi- 
vidual church  in  the  county  we  thought  it  best  to  confine  our  discussion 
of  churches  to  those  of  the  early  day.  Not  that  a  discussion  of  the  more 
recent  churches  would  not  be  profitable  and  interesting  to  a  majority  of 


266  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

our  readers,  but  because  it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to  get  accurate 
information  on  such  a  subject. 

The  number  of  churches  in  Cooper  County  has  increased  with  amazing 
rapidity  during  the  past  few  years,  until  today  there  is  probably  not  a 
community  in  the  county  that  is  not  served  by  one  or  more  church  houses, 
and  there  is  not  a  family  in  Cooper  County  who  cannot,  if  they  so  desire, 
worship  in  the  church  of  their  choice  any  Sunday,  with  but  little  effort. 

BAPTIST. 

The  Baptists  were  probably  the  first  to  become  active  in  Cooper 
County. 

Concord  Church  was  organized  May  10,  1817  by  Elders  Edward  Tur- 
ner, William  Thorp,  and  David  McLain.  The  following  were  the  first 
fourteen  members :  Luke  Williams,  Polly  Williams,  William  Savage,  Mary 
Savage,  Delaney  Bolen,  Judith  Williams,  Absalom  Huff,  Susanna  Savage, 
Joseph  Baze,  Lydia  Turner,  Charles  Williams,  Patsey  Bolen,  Sally  Baze 
and  Elizabeth  Williams. 

Concord  Church  was  located  in  the  settlement  south  of  Boonville  and 
was  called  Concord  Association  in  1823.  Elder  Luke  Williams  was  pastor 
for  six  years,  beginning  in  June,  1817.  After  his  death  which  occurred 
at  the  end  of  his  pastorate,  Elder  Kemp  Scott  was  chosen  pastor.  The 
church  had  a  membership  of  about  45.  Dec.  26,  1846,  Concord  church 
united  with  a  neighboring  church  known  as  "The  Vine"  which  strength- 
ened materially  the  old  church.  The  charter  members  of  this  church  were 
Luke  Williams,  Polly  Williams,  William  Savage,  Mary  Savage,  Delaney 
Bolen,  Judith  Williams,  Absalom  Huff,  Susanna  Savage,  Joseph  Baze, 
Lydia  Turner,  Charles  Williams,  Patsey  Bolen,  Sally  Baze  and  Elizabeth 
Williams. 

Mount  Nebo  Church  is  located  about  one  mile  north  of  the  present 
site  of  Bunceton  and  it  was  organized  in  1820.  An  early  list  of  members 
contains  63.  names.  Rev.  A.  P.  Williams  was  the  first  pastor.  The  first 
church  building  was  erected  in  1838.  The  present  building  was  erected 
in  1856.  Earliest  members  were,  Lydia  Corum,  Jordan  O'Bryan,  Abra- 
ham and  Nancy  Woolery. 

Big  Lick  Church  was  a  constituent  of  the  Concord  Association  and 
was  organized  Aug.  24,  1822,  under  an  arbor,  one  mile  north  of  where 
the  present  church  now  stands.  John  B.  Longan  and  Jacob  Chism  com- 
posed the  council.     There  were  sixteen  in  the  original  membership.     John 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  267 

B.  Longan  (822-845),  Tyre  C.  Harris  (1845-1851)  were  followed  as  pastors 
by  Robert  H.  Harris,  D.  G.  Tutt,  J.'  B.  Box,  J.  D.  Murphy  and  J.  S.  Palmer. 
In  1847,  the  membership  was  350. 

Pisgah  Baptist  Church  was  organized  at  a  meeting  held  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Lewis  Shelton  on  June  19,  1819,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers: The  Rev.  William  Jennings,  Rev.  Jacob  Chism,  Priseilla  Chism, 
David  Jones,  Tabitha  Jones,  James  Maxey,  William  Howard,  Leven  Savage, 
Pollie  Savage,  Joseph  McClure,  Elizabeth  McClure,  John  Bivian,  Mary 
Bivian,  Rhoda  Stephens,  Isabella  Pontan,  Sarah  Woods,  the  Rev.  John  B. 
Longan,  John  Apperson,  Sela  Apperson,  Jesse  Martin,  Mary  Martin  and 
Pollie  Longan.  The  first  meeting  house  was  erected  not  long  after  the 
congregation  had  effected  an  organization  and  was  situated  at  a  point  a 
half  mile  east  of  the  present  edifice.  This  somewhat  primitive  church 
building  was  in  time  supplanted  by  a  brick  building,  which  in  1871  gave 
way  to  the  much  larger  frame  building  which  has  since  then  supplied  the 
needs  of  the  congregation.  Mrs.  Jane  York,  who  died  on  March  15,  1919, 
joined  this  church  in  1849  and  at  the  time  of  her  death  was  the  oldest 
continuous  member  of  the  church,  her  connection  with  the  same  having 
covered  the  long  span  of  70  years. 

Providence  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  Nov.,  1879,  at  Prairie 
Home  by  Rev.  B.  T.  Taylor.  The  church  building  was  erected  in  1881  at 
a  cost  of  $1,000  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Box,  the  first  pastor.  Charter  members 
were  Miss  E.,  Miss  R.  and  Miss  J.  McLane,  A.  Slaughter,  Mrs.  L.  W. 
Slaughter,  Mrs.  M.  Simmons,  W.  E.  Watt,  Mrs.  L.  F.  Watt,  William  Sim- 
mons, Mrs.  Lizzie  Simmons,  Mrs.  Saline  Smith,  A.  J.  Hornbeck,  Jeremiah 
Hornbeck,  Mrs.  E.  Hornbeck,  Mrs.  Josie,  Miss  Sallie,  Miss  Nevada,  Miss 
Fannie,  Miss  Minerva,  Miss  Nannie,  Miss  Henrietta  and  C.  C.  Don  Carlos, 
Miss  M.  J.  and  Mrs.  Mary  Adair,  Mrs.  Mary,  Miss  Laura,  Miss  Lillie  and 
Miss  Mattie  Taylor,  Thomas  F.  and  Mrs.  Sallie  B.  Hall,  Gabriel,  Miss  Sarah 
Stemmons,  Miss  Sudie  and  Miss  Nannie  Stemmons,  George  W.,  Mrs.  Mary 
and  Clara  Carey,  Mrs.  Melinda  Dungan,  Miss  Jennie  and  Amanda  Max- 
well and  Bettie  Hudson. 

First  Baptist  Church,  Boonville,  was  organized  Dec.  30,  1843,  by  Rev. 
A.  M.  Lewis  and  A.  B.  Hardy.  A  brick  building  was  erected  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1847.  Some  of  the  early  pastors  were  Tyra  C.  Harris,  Robert 
Harris,  John  W.  Mitchell,  Spencer  H.  Olmstead,  X.  X.  Buckner,  M.  M. 
Paderford,  Charles  Whitting,  J.  L.  Blitch.  Original  members  were, 
Reuben  E.  McDaniel,  Alfred  Simmons,  David  Lilly,  Lawrence  B.  Lewis, 
Jordan  O'Bryan,  Elizabeth  Dow,  Sarah  Gates,  Maria  Elliott,  Eliza  Ann 


288  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Hickman,  Susan  D.  Conner,  Delia  McDaniel,  Elizabeth  N.  Richardson, 
Jane  E.  Richardson  and  Francis  B.  Major.  The  present  pastor  is  C.  Rus- 
sell Sorrell. 

First  Baptist  Church,  Otterville,  was  organized  in  1866,  by  J.  W. 
Williams  and  Brother  Parish.  The  church  building  was  bought  in  1874 
from  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  for  $360.  Some  of  the  early  pastors 
of  this  church  were  William  Pastors,  John  K.  Godby,  T.  V.  Greer,  W.  N. 
Phillips,  E.  F.  Shelton.  Original  members  were  George  I.  Key,  James 
Shackelford,  Samuel  Swearingen,  William  H.  Bowdin,  Martha  L.  Key, 
Sarah  Willard,  Catherine  L.  Key,  Angeline  Cook,  Mary  C.  Golladay, 
Josephine  Butler,  Mahala  Price,  Jane  Trimble,  Margaret  A.  Shackelford, 
Temperance  E.  Swearingen,  Mary  A.  Bowdin,  Sophia  Cook  and  Sarah 
Ellixon. 

Mt.  Herman  Church  is  located  in  Clark's  Fork  township.  It  was  or- 
ganized Jan.  3,  1868,  by  Jehe  Robinson  who  was  its  first  pastor.  The 
church  building  was  erected  in  1879  at  a  cost  of  $1,800.  Charter  mem- 
bers were  Mrs.  Margaret  Reid,  Sarah  Cartner,  Lucy  Brown,  Margaret 
Cartner. 

Pilot  Grove  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1876  by  Rev.  N.  T.  Alli- 
son. A  frame  church  building  costing  $1,000  was  built  in  the  same  year. 
Original  members,  Rev.  N.  T.-  Allison  and  wife,  J.  R.  Jeffress,  A.  N.  Spencer, 
J.  Tomlinson,  B.  F.  Chamberlain  and  wife,  L.  L.  Chamberlain  and  wife, 
Miss  Rebecca  Massie,  Miss  Millie  White  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Kaley. 

Second  Baptist  Church,  Colored,  is  located  on  Morgan  Street,  Boon- 
ville.  It  was  organized  in  1865  by  Rev.  W.  P.  Brooks.  A  building  was 
erected  in  1870  at  a  cost  of  $1,600.  There  were  216  members  in  1883. 
Original  members  were:  Richard  Taylor  and  wife,  William  Jackson  and 
wife,  Dilcey  Thomas,  Rebecca  Sharp,  Hannah  Alexander,  Washington 
Whittleton,  Minerva  Smith,  Jane  Smith,  Duke  Diggs  and  wife,  G.  Fowler 
and  wife,  Jane  Douglass,  Ellen  Woods,  Abbey  Smith,  Green  Smith,  Cvnthia 
Nelson,  P.  Watkins,  P.  Wilson. 

Sixth  Baptist  Church,  Colored,  is  located  in  Boonville  and  was  organ- 
ized in  1874  by  Rev.  S.  Bryan.  A  building  was  erected  in  1876  at  a  cost 
of  $1,000.  This  church  had  a  membership  of  one  hundred  in  1883.  Orig- 
inal members  were:  Green  Wilson,  William  Jackson,  David  Watson,  Paul 
Donaldson,  Smith  Barnes,  Rebecca  Sharp,  Martha  Tibbs,  Clacy  Waller, 
Esther  Rollins,  Clara  Johnson,  Dilcey  Thomas,  Sarah  Jackson,  Arrena 
Watson. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  269 

METHODIST. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. — The  first  religious  service 
ever  held  in  Boonville  of  which  we  have  any  record  was  held  in  a  private 
house  by  Reb.  John  Scripps,  a  pioneer  preacher  in  1817.  A  church  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Justinian  Williams  who  was  a  brother  of  Marcus  Wil- 
liams, the  first  mayor  of  Boonville  and  who  was  a  great  uncle  of  the  late 
Judge  W.  M.  Williams.  The  charter  members  were  Justinian  Williams 
and  wife,  Frederick  Houx  and  wife,  and  Allen  and  Louisa  Porter.  From 
1818  to  1834  the  church  was  a  part  of  the  Lamine  circuit,  but  in  1844,  it 
was  called  the  Boonville  circuit.  In  1840  it  was  made  a  station  and  was 
the  first  station  outside  of  St.  Louis  made  in  the  state.  The  first  church 
building  was  begun  in  1832,  and  dedicated  by  Bishop  Soul  in  1838.  The 
second  building  was  erected  in  1880  during  the  last  year  of  the  four  years 
pastorate  of  C.  H.  Briggs,  and  was  dedicated  by  C.  C.  Wood.  A  modern 
church  edifice  was  erected  in  1917,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  and  is  known  as 
the  Nelson  Memorial  Church.     Rev.  O.  E.  Vivian  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Bell  Air  Methodist  Church,  South,  was  organized  in  1850.  James 
Bell  and  wife,  Thornton  Bell  and  wife,  and  Jacob  G.  Shutler  and  wife,  were 
among  the  oldest  members.  The  building  was  erected  in  1870,  and  was 
dedicated  by  D.  K.  McAnally. 

Prairie  Home  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1881, 
by  Rev.  Vandiver.  The  church  building  was  dedicated  and  organized  in 
1881  by  Rev.  Phillip.  The  original  members  were  Sarah  Tompkins  and 
Eleanor  Huff. 

Pilot  Grove  M.  E.  Church,  South,  was  organized  in  1826.  Samuel 
Roe  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  this  church.  A  building  was 
erected  in  1850  and  rebuilt  in  1879. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Bunceton,  was  organized  in  April, 
1879.  by  Rev.  C.  H.  Briggs,  who  was  then  stationed  at  Boonville.  A  church 
building  was  erected  in  1880  on  a  plot  of  ground  contributed  by  Dr.  H.  C. 
Gibson,  of  Boonville.  The  original  members  were:  Mrs.  Marie  Stephens, 
Capt.  S.  P.  Tevis,  George  Dorsey,  James  Moon,  Mrs.  Jane  Moon,  George 
Dameron,  Mrs.  Lucy  Dameron,  O.  F.  Arnold  and  Mrs.  M.  E.  Arnold. 

The  German  Methodist  Church,  Boonville,  was  organized  in  1850.  A 
brick  church  building  was  erected  in  1852  at  a  cost  of  $1,200.  Some  of 
the  early  pastors  were  A.  Klippel,  Jacob  Feisel,  John  Hausn,  H.  Lahrman, 
William   Schreck.     The   original   members   were   as    follows:     H.    Gaus, 


270  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Helena  Gaus,  J.  H.  Reckmeyer,  Emilie  Reckmeyer,  Peter  Birkenbeil,  Eva 
M.  Birkenbeil,  Henry  Muhlenbruck,  Mina  Muhlenbruck,  John  Otten, 
Johanna  Otten,  H.  Blum,  Theresa  Blum,  Carl  Vollmer,  Henriette  Kuhl, 
Maria  Hausman. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

Boonville  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  April  28,  1821,  by  Rev. 
Edward  Hollister  with  23  members.  The  church  was  in  the  beginning 
known  as  the  Franklin  Church  due  to  the  fact  that  the  parent  church  was 
located  in  Franklin  prior  to  its  being  washed  away.  It  continued  to  be 
called  "Franklin"  until  1830.  Some  of  the  early  ministers  of  this  church 
were  Rev.  Pomeroy,  W.  P.  Cochran,  Hiram  Chamberlain.  A  building  was 
erected  in  1841  at  a  cost  of  $4,500  on  the  site  of  the  present  building.  A 
second  building  was  erected  in  1871-72  at  a  cost  of  $12,618.65.  A  third 
building  was  erected  in  1904  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  The  present  pastor  is 
Rev.  J.  E.  Green. 

New  Lebanon  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  possibly  the  oldest 
Cumberland  church  in  Cooper  County  was  organized  in  1820  by  Rev.  Finis 
Ewing.  It  got  its  name  from  the  fact  that  a  majority  of  its  members 
came  from  Lebanon  Church,  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky.  Robert  Kirk- 
patrick,  Alexander  Sloan,  John  Miller,  Thomas  Ruby  were  the  first  elders 
of  the  church.  A  log  church  was  built  in  1821.  A  brick  house  was  put 
up  in  1860.  Rev.  R.  D.  Morrow,  in  1824,  organized  a  school  in  this  neigh- 
borhood for  young  preachers  which  was  largely  attended.  The  names  of 
the  constituent  members  were  Robert  Kiikpatrick  and  wife,  Thomas  Ruby 
and  wife,  Alexander  Sloan  and  wife,  John  Wear  and  wife,  James  Wear  and 
wife,  Robert  Allison  and  wife,  John  Miller  and  wife,  and  Mr.  Stone  an  .1 
wife. 

Mount  Vernon  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  is  lo>  tout  one 

mile  southwest  of  Pilot  Grove,  and  was  organized  in  April,  1833.  Some 
of  the  early  preachers  were  Samuel  C.  Davidson.  Archibald  McCorl 
William  Kavanaugh  and  Finis  Ewing.  Original  members  were  William 
Houx,  John  Miller,  James  Deckard.  John  Houx,  Sr.,  Frederick  Houx, 
Gideon  B.  Miller,  Benjamin  Weedin,  Daniel  Weedin,  Jacob  Houx,  William 
Miller,  Charlotte  Houx,  Anne  McCutcheon,  Harriet  L.  McCutcheon,  Chris- 
tina Deckard,  Ellen  B.  Crawford,  Regina  Houx,  Mary  Miller,  Sr.,  Mary 
Miller,  Jr.,  Catherine  Weedin,  Mary  Weedin,  Elizabeth  and  Rachel  Weedin, 
Ann  Rennison,  Elizabeth  H.  C.  Berry,  Margaret  Houx. 

Highland  Cumberland  and  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  Feb. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  271 

20,  1867,  by  Rev.  A.  W.  Thompson.  A  building  was  erected  in  1870  at  a 
cost  of  $1,600.  The  original  members  were  John  Fluke,  John  Knikshire, 
Nancy  R.  Durnil,  Louisa  Fluke,  Wm.  E.  Clayton,  Andrew  J.  Roberson, 
Margaret  Knikshire,  Elizabeth  Edwards,  Mary  L.  Duncan,  Isaac  Henry, 
Frederick  Fluke,  James  D.  McFall,  James  Bankston,  Jane  Tucker,  George 
Fluke,  Frank  Guthrie,  Dow  Vaughan,  Sallie  Messicks,  Julia  Fluke,  Lavina 
Clayton,  Wm.  E.  Clayton,  Jr.,  Elizabeth  Duncan,  Patsey  Henry. 

New  Salem  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  is  located  in  Prairie 
Home  township  and  was  organized  in  1821  by  Rev.  Robert  Morrow  at  the 
residence  of  Alexander  Johnston.  A  log  house  was  erected  in  1828  which 
was  replaced  by  a  brick  building  in  1853,  which  was  again  replaced  by  a 
more  commodious  building  in  1877.  Early  preachers  were  Rev.  Finis 
Ewing,  and  Robert  W.  Morrow,  Daniel  Weedin,  Samuel  Kind,  Thomas  Ish, 
and  John  E.  Norris.  The  original  members  were  Alexander  Johnston, 
Joshua  Lewis,  Mrs.  Mary  (wife  of  Alex.  Johnston),  Mrs.  Mary  (wife  of 
James  Johnston) ,  Robert  Johnson  and  Margaret  Johnson  (mother  of  Alex- 
ander and  Robert  Johnston.) 

Presbyterian  Church  (Union)  Bunceton,  was  organized  1860  by  Rev. 
W.  G.  Bell,  of  Boonville.  The  constituent  members  were  Mrs.  Mary 
Phillips,  Dr.  E.  Chilton  and  wife,  John  J.  Hoge  and  wife,  Isaac  Hewitt  and 
wife,  Miss  M.  Hewitt,  James  Hewitt  and  Mrs.  E.  Russell. 

New  Zion.  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  is  located  in  Moniteau 
township  and  was  organized  in  1871  by  W.  W.  Branin,  its  first  pastor. 
In  1883  it  had  a  membership  of  100.  The  names  of  the  original  members 
were:  Martha  J.  Miller,  Catherine  Lawson,  Nancy  Holloway,  Harriett 
J.  Hollaway,  Joseph  Pierce,  Margaret  A.  Thompson,  L.  C.  McDaniel,  Henry 
Bowers,  P.  P.  Lawson,  Caroline  R.  Bowers,  Thomas  L.  Pierce,  Susan  J. 
Williams. 

CHRISTIAN. 

Lone  Elm  Churcn,  was  organized  in  1842.  It  was  the  first  Christian 
Church  organized  soutn  of  the  Missouri  River.  The  first  ministers  of  this 
congregation  were  Nelson  Davis  and  Allen  Wright,  and  the  original  mem- 
bers were  George  W.  Baker  and  wife,  Peter  and  Elizabeth  Poindexter, 
Rice  and  Elizabeth  Daniel,  B.  R.  and  Lucy  Waller  and  Mary  A.  Poindexter. 

Lamine  Church,  was  organized  in  1843  but  was  discontinued  after  a 
few  years.  It  was  recognized  in  1865  by  Elder  P.  Donan.  with  the  follow- 
ing white  membership:  Samuel  R.  Collins,  Sarah  L.  Collins,  Wm.  B.  Col- 
lins, J.  P.  Collins,  Marietta  M.  Collins,  Drusilla  E.  Thomas,  Susan  Biddie,. 


272  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Melinda  E.  Kincaid,  Mary  F.  Tyler,  Catherine  Wing,  Freeman  Wing,  Julia 
A.  Turley,  Ellen  Pope,  Josephine  Wall,  J.  P.  Wall,  Moses  Napier,  Mary  J. 
Mello,  Nancy  Reed,  Elizabeth  Courtney,  George  W.  Kincaid,  Francis  M. 
Kincaid,  A.  L.  Kincaid,  J.  B.  Baker,  Martha  J.  Baker,  Theo.  Turley,  Jas. 
O'Howell,  Thos.  Mello,  Thos.  Staples,  C.  F.  Younger,  F.  Harris,  Lucy  C. 
Hieucleher,  Pamelia  Williams.  Eighteen  colored  person  were  included  in 
the  membership  of  this  church  in  the  beginning,  but  soon  after  organ- 
izing, they  withdrew  and  built  a  church  of  their  own. 

Walnut  Grove,  was  organized  by  Elder  O.  P.  Davis,  on  the  first  Sun- 
day in  Dec,  1862.  The  following  were  the  charter  members  of  the 
church:  Lewis  D.  Reavis,  Henry  York,  Eli  P.  Adams,  Sarah  J.  Adams, 
Matilda  Cary,  Samuel  R.  Davis,  0.  P.  Davis,  Eliza  J.  Hawkins,  Martha  A. 
Davis,  Mary  F.  Logan,  Margaret  A.  Davis,  Mary  York,  Caroline  York, 
Isabelle  Clawson,  Sarah  Parmer  and  James  Eldredge.  Early  in  its  history 
the  church  numbered  over  150  members.  The  original  church  building 
was  replaced  by  a  commodious,  modern  church  building  in  1914.  This 
building  was  completely  destroyed  by  a  cyclone  in  the  summer  of  1917. 
Immediately  thereafter  the  congregation  met  and  determined  to  replace 
the  building  that  had  been  destroyed  by  an  even  better  edifice,  which  was 
accordingly  done. 

Boonville  Christian  Church,  was  organized  by  C.  Shouse,  Dec.  25, 
1887,  with  about  20  charter  members,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  viz., 
Mrs.  Frank  Swap,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  W.  R.  Baker,  Montana ;  Mrs.  Albert 
Elliott,  Chillicothe,  Mo. ;  Miss  Lizzie  Bacon,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  P.  L. 
Starke,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Miss  Lottye  Crews,  Boonville,  Mo. 

The  money  for  the  erection  of  the  church  building  was  raised  by  the 
faithful  and  persistent  efforts  of  J.  I.  Quigley.  It  was  dedicated  by  J.  H. 
Garrison,  of  St.  Louis,  in  1889.  The  Rev.  W.  W.  Gibbony  is  the  present 
minister. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL. 

Boonville  Evangelical  Church,  was  organized  in  1853.  Rev.  John 
Wettle  was  the  first  pastor.  The  first  building  was  erected  in  1854  due 
mainly  to  the  energy  and  labor  of  George  Vollrath,  one  of  the  early  mem- 
bers. A  school  building  was  erected  in  1857  and  a  parsonage  in  1879. 
The  school  was  discontinued  in  later  years.  The  present  building  was 
erected  in  1887  and  dedicated  by  Rev.  C.  A.  Richter,  of  Jefferson  City, 
Missouri.  Rev.  R.  M.  Hinze  served  as  pastor  of  this  church  from  1907- 
1917.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  was  refurnished  and  redecorated 
in  1908.     In  1915  the  church  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  several 


LONE    ELM    SCHOOL 


ST.    JOSEPHS    CHURCH    AND    SCHOOL.    PILOT    GROVE 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  273 

Sunday  school  rooms.  A  pipe  organ  was  presented  by  Mrs.  Doris  Gmelich, 
which  was  installed  at  the  time  of  the  addition.  Early  pastors  were  C. 
L.  Greimer,  J.  Lange,  E.  Schneider  and  L.  Kohlman.  Original  members 
were  George  Volbrath,  J.  H.  Boiler,  William  Haas,  St.  Weber,  Paul  Steg- 
ner,  Philip  Back,  William  Gemmer,  Peter  Back,  Jacob  Thauer,  J.  E.  Hof- 
lander,  David  Rau,  Sophia  Hain,  Frederica  Reinhart,  Erk.  Hirlinger,  Jacob 
Neef,  George  Goller,  L.  Holzmueller,  Adam  Sandrock,  Fred.  Metz,  J.  Mitta- 
meyer,  Philip  Stahl,  J.  F.  Fickel,  J.  Lotz. 

St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove  was  the  first  church 
organized  by  the  German  speaking  people  of  Cooper  County  and  was 
organized  in  1849  under  the  ministry  of  the  Reverend  Kewing,  who  for 
some  time  remained  as  pastor,  being  succeeded  in  turn  by  the  following 
pastors:  The  Reverends  Rauchenbush,  Hoffmeister,  Lange,  Streit,  Von 
Teobel,  Dellwo,  Kraft,  Woelfle,  Mohr,  Leutwein,  Klingeberger,  Alber, 
Egger,  Rasche,  Jennrich,  Lehmann,  Bredehoeft,  Leibner  and  Beissenherz, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  installed  as  pastor  in  the  fall  of  1917  and  is  now 
serving  the  congregation. 

The  first  meeting  house  erected  by  the  congregation  of  St.  Peter's 
was  a  little  log  church  building,  which  served  the  needs  of  the  pioneer 
congregation  until  a  more  commodious  edifice  could  be  built.  The  pres- 
ent building  was  erected  in  1877.  The  charter  member  of  St.  Peter's 
^Evangelical  church  were  the  following:  Adam  and  Jacob  Schilb,  Nich- 
olas Blank,  George  Knorp,  Fred  Stock,  J.  A.  Spieler,  J.  G.  Spieler,  William 
Baker,  F.  Schenck,  T.  Miller,  E.  Kirschman,  Jacob  Schilb,  Jr.,  Henry  Meyer, 
H.  J.  Meyer,  A.  Kaempfer  and  William  Hobrecht,  with  their  respective 
families. 

May  20,  1918,  the  congregation  at  its  semi-annual  business  meeting 
voted  to  discontinue  the  use  of  the  German  language  entirely.  So  time 
brings  its  changes,  always  to  remind  us  that  nothing  is  permanent. 

Pleasant  Grove  church  also  believes  in  its  Sunday  School  and  for 
many  years  has  taught  the  Bible  to  both  old  and  young.  The  following 
have  been  superintendents  in  their  time:  David  Schilb,  J.  E.  Derendinger, 
K.  M.  Seifert,  John  J.  Blank,  F.  N.  Blank,  and  H.  Spieler,  the  present 
incumbent. 

St.  Peters  Church  has  lately  been  re-roofed,  repainted,  and  a  few 

years  ago  a  first  class  piano  was  bought  and  in  the  spring  of  1919  the 

church  was  re-decorated  on  the  inside.     Several  new  members  joined 

again  recently,  all  of  which  goes  to  prove  that  the  St.  Peters  congregation 

(18) 


274  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

is  still  a  very  live  one. 

Billingsville  Evangelical  Church.  The  first  meeting  of  the  originators 
of  this  church  was  held  in  1855  at  the  home  of  J.  E.  Hoflander.  Those 
taking  part  were  as  follows :  John  E.  Hoflander  and  wife,  two  sons,  Joseph 
and  Paul  and  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Barbara ;  John  Peter  Stegner  and 
wife,  one  son,  August,  and  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Christina ;  and  John 
Paul  Stegner  and  wife.  Mrs.  Hoflander  led  in  prayer  and  read  the  scrip- 
tures at  this  service  while  John  Peter  Stegner  led  the  singing. 

These  meetings  were  held  regularly  on  each  Sunday  until  the  Civil 
War.  Sunday  services  were  resumed  in  1866  and  were  held  in  the  Oak 
Grov  School  building  and  were  led  twice  a  month  by  Father  Greiner,  who 
was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Evangelical  congregation  of  Boonville. 

Frederick  T.  Kemper,  founder  of  Kemper  Military  Academy  con- 
ducted each  Sunday,  Sunday  School  services  in  which  all  the  young  people 
of  the  community  took  part.  A  building  was  erected  at  Billingsville  in 
1879  at  a  cost  of  $1,100.  A  parsonage  building  was  built  in  1895  and 
W.  F.  Herman  was  installed  as  the  first  legal  pastor  in  1896.  The  present 
beautiful  building  was  erected  in  1916  at  a  cost  of  over  $7,000  under  the 
leadership  of  E.  W.  Berlekamp. 

LUTHERAN. 

Lutheran  Emanuel  Church,  is  located  in  Prairie  Home  township.  It 
was  organized  in  1855  by  Rev.  August  Lange.  The  church  building  was 
erected  the  same  year.  Original  membership,  Rev.  August  Lange,  Henry 
Meyer,  Frederick  Stock,  Jacob  Edes,  G.  Knorp,  Henry  Meyer,  John  Kemp- 
fer,  Dietrich  Molan,  John  Snauch,  Christine  Hecherman  and  Ludwig 
Mentz. 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  located  in  Clarks  Fork 
was  erected  in  1860.  Its  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Henry  Jorngel.  A  building 
was  erected  in  1867  at  a  cost  of  $2,500,  on  a  three  acre  plot  of  ground,  by 
Fred  Frieke.  Original  members,  Peter  Muntzel,  Albert  Muntzel,  Daniel 
Muntzel,  John  King,  Fred  Frieke,  John  A.  Schmidt,  Nicholas  Schmidt, 
Leonard  Schmidt,  David  Rauh,  William  Kahle,  Henry  Lankop,  Ferdinand 
Lankop,  William  Lankop,  Christian  Brandis,  Sr.,  Lewis  Lebbing,  Marimus 
Longers,  Henry  Kaune,  Sophia  Fredmeyer,  Christian  Fredmeyer,  Henry 
Fredmeyer,  Ferdinand  Ohlendorf,  Peter  Norenberg.  James  Martinson, 
Jacob  King,  Otto  Smolfield,  Berhard  Vieth,  Charles  Brandis,  Peter  Weh- 
meier. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  275 

EPISCOPAL. 

Christ's  Episcopal  Church,  was  probably  organized  in  1835  and  a  first 
church  building  was  erected  in  1844  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  Almond 
David  Corbyn,  rector.  It  is  thought  that  the  Rev.  F.  F.  Peak  preceded 
him  and  was  probably  the  first  Episcopal  pioneer  preacher  in  Boonville. 
Among  the  early  members  were  Dr.  E.  E.  Buckner  and  wife,  Richard 
Thompson  and  wife,  Mrs.  Tompkins  and  C.  B.  Powell  and  wife. 

CATHOLIC. 

St.  Peter's  and  Paul's  Parish,  Boonville. — Before  1850  Boonville  was 
visited  by  Fr.  Helias  S.  J.  of  Taos,  and  from  Jefferson  City.  Rev.  George 
Tuerk's  name  appears  on  the  baptismal  register  from  Nov.  1,  1850  to  Oct. 
11,  1851.  Rev.  U.  Joseph  Meister  attended  Boonville  from  Oct.  27,  1857 
to  July  3,  1856.  He  attended  quite  a  number  of  places:  Pilot  Grove, 
Moniteau  (Cedron)  Brunswick,  St.  Andrews  (Tinton),  Glasgow,  Fayette, 
Franklin,  Round-Hill,  Saline  County,  Chariton  County,  Pisgah,  Boons- 
borough.  Father  Meister  purchased  the  present  church  site  July  22,  1856. 
Rev.  B.  Hillner  took  charge  and  may  be  considered  the  first  priest  perma- 
nently located  at  Boonville.  He  remained  until  April  18,  1869.  He  built 
a  brick  church  and  erected  a  small  school  building.  He  also  visited  Cedron, 
Glasgow,  Cambridge  and  Brunswick. 

Rev.  Henry  Meurs  was  in  charge  from  May  16,  1869  to  April  24,  1875. 
He  built  a  two  story  rectory. 

Rev.  John  A.  Hoffman  was  in  charge  from  May  15,  1875  to  January 
7,  1885.  He  built  a  transent,  sanctuary  and  sacristies  as  an  addition  to 
the  church  at  an  expense  of  $5,000.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  the 
Catholic  school  and  made  the  one  story  building  of  Fr.  Hillner  two  stories, 
the  upper  story  containing  the  living  rooms  of  the  sisters,  and  the  first 
story  having  two  school  rooms.  Rev.  L.  M.  Porta  had  charge  from  Jan., 
1885.  to  Aug.  17,  1895. 

Rev.  Theodore  Kussman  took  charge  Aug.  17,  1885,  and  still  remains 
(1917).  He  was  born  in  Germany,  Jan.  19,  1843.  and  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of  1847.  There  he  attended  the  Holy  Trinity 
parochial  school.  He  attended  the  Christian  Brothers  School  7th  and 
Cherry  and  St.  Francis  Seminary  near  Milwaukee.  After  studying  phil- 
osophy and  theology  at  Cape  Girardeau,  he  was  ordained  there  by  Arch- 
bishop Kenrick,  May  27,  1866.     Two  years  after  his  appointment  to  Boon- 


276  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ville,  he  was  made  irremovable  rector  and  has  been  in  charge  now  over 
thirty-one  years.  Various  improvements  were  made  during  his  stay,  the 
most  important  being  the  building  of  the  new  church,  and  putting  an  addi- 
tion to  the  rectory,  making  it  double  the  previous  size.  March  2,  1890,  the 
old  church  caught  fire  and  was  damaged  $2,125.  The  old  church  was 
torn  down.  A  new  part  with  tower  and  side  turrets,  was  erected  and  con- 
nected with  Fr.  Hoffmans  transent,  sanctuary  and  sacristies,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  $11,200. 

May  27,  1916,  Rev.  Theodore  Kussman  celebrated  his  golden  jubilee 
in  the  presence  of  a  large  gathering.  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Lillis  and  thirty 
priests  honored  the  occasion  with  their  presence.  For  the  last  seven 
years  the  parish  school  has  been  free.  Since  Sept.  1,  1913,  Boonville  has 
had  as  assistant  priests  Revs.  P.  J.  Downey,  F.  S.  MacCardle,  F.  J.  Dono- 
van, and  P.  J.  Kennedy. 

The  societies  are  B.  V.  M.  Sodality,  St.  Anne's  Society,  St.  V.  St. 
Paul's  Society,  Extension  Society,  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  and  Knights 
of  Columbus,  with  a  membership  of  91. 

The  Benedictine  Sisters  have  been  here  eleven  years,  conducting  a 
private  hospital  for  Dr.  C.  H.  Van  Ravensway. 

The  parish  numbers  about  500  souls,  and  has  65  pupils  in  the  Paro- 
chial school. 

St.  Joseph  Church  at  Pilot  Grove,  was  established  by  Rev.  Father 
Pius  Conrad,  O.  S.  B.,  Jan.  1,  1895.  In  1893  the  cornerstone  of  St.  Joseph 
Church  was  laid  and  Sept.  16,  1894,  the  church  was  dedicated  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Abbot  Frowin  Conrad,  O.  S.  B.  of  Conception  Abbey,  Mo.,  Rev.  Father 
John  Conrad,  O.  S.  B.  Pastor  of  Clear  Ci-eek  built  St.  Joseph  Church  and 
held  service  in  it  until  Rev.  Fr.  Pius  came.  From  Jan.  1,  1895.  Pilot  Grove 
had  regular  services  every  Sunday  and  Holy  day.  When  the  parish  was 
organized,  35  families  belonged  to  it,  the  present  number  of  families  is  90. 
In  1898,  the  priest  house,  costing  $2,500,  was  built.  As  soon  as  Clear 
Creek  had  a  resident  priest,  Rev.  Fr.  Pius  held  service  every  Sunday  in 
Pilot  Grove  and  Martinsville.  He  worked  hard  for  God's  honor.  In  1907 
the  church  was  enlarged  by  adding  to  the  old  church  a  new  sanctuary,  rais- 
ing the  ceiling  about  six  feet  and  erecting  new  altars  at  the  cost  of 
$5,650.00.  Jan.  1,  1909,  Rev.  Fr.  Pius  took  charge  of  Martinsville  but 
lived  at  Pilot  Grove  until  Sept.,  1911,  when  he  moved  into  the  new  resi- 
dence at  Martinsville.  St.  Joseph  cemetery  consists  of  two  acres  and  is 
situated  one  mile  south  of  the  church. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  277 

Jan.  1,  1909,  Rev.  Father  Philip  Ruggle,  0.  S.  B.  took  charge  of  St. 
Joseph  Parish  and  stayed  here  until  Sept.  1,  1915.  From  Sept.  1,  1915, 
to  Dec.  4,  Rev.  Father  Berthold  Jaggle  0.  S.  B.  was  the  parrish  priest. 
December  4,  1915,  Rev.  Father  Hildebrand  Roesler,  0.  S.  B.  took  charge. 
In  1900  the  convent  and  school  was  built  at  the  cost  of  $4,000.00.  The 
parochial  school  started  in  1902  with  50  children.  Benedictine  Sisters 
were  the  teachers.  In  1917  a  new  school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $14,000.  The  attendance  is  90-100.  Benedictine  Sisters  from  Shool 
Creek,  Ark.,  are  the  teachers. 

St.  Martin's  Church.— On  May  16,  1870,  a  little  log  structure,  18x24 
feet,  called  St.  Martin  Chapel  was  erected  and  a  cemetery  laid  out  on  one 
and  one-half  acres  of  land  donated  by  Daniel  Martin.  This  location  was 
afterwards  known  as  Martinsville.  ■ 

The  original  families  of  St.  Martin  Church  were  the  following,  viz, 
Daniel  Martin,  John  Martin,  Leonard  Martin,  John  Martin,  Jr.,  Jacob 
Gross,  Nic.  Schank,  Anton  Wiemholt,  Philip  Wiedel,  Mr.  Bonan,  George 
Bergerhaus,  J.  Carvel. 

Martinsville  was  a  mission  of  Boonville,  from  1870-1877.  It  was  in 
charge  of  Reverend  Murus,  1870-1874;  Reverend  Hoffman,  1874-1877. 
Martinsville  was  a  mission  of  Clear  Creek,  1877-1897.  It  was  the  charge 
of  Rev.  W.  F.  Boden,  1877-1880.  Under  the  direction  of  Father  Boden 
the  second  St.  Martin's  Church,  a  frame  structure,  was  built.  In  1880 
this  mission  was  taken  care  of  by  Rev.  N.  Reding;  in  1881  by  Reverend 
Conrad,  O.  S.  B.  of  Conception  Abbey ;  in  1895  by  Rev.  Pius  Conrad  of 
Conception  Abbey.  Martinsville  was  a  mission  of  Pilot  Grove,  1897-1908, 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Pius  Conrad  O.  S.  B. 

The  present  and  third  St.  Martin's  Church  is  a  solid  brick  structure, 
erected  on  2.24  acres  of  land  on  the  Boonville  and  Sedalia  public  road, 
about  one-fourth  mile  north  of  the  M.  K.  T.  railroad  station  known  as 
Chouteau  Springs.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  in  1908  by  Rev.  Leo,  O.  S. 
B.  It  was  dedicated  by  Rt.  Reverend  Ignatius  of  Subiaco,  Ark.  January 
1,  1909.  Reverend  Pius  O.  S.  B.  became  pastor  of  St.  Martin's  Parish.  On 
Aug.  31,  1911,  Father  Pius  moved  to  St.  Martin's  Rectory.  On  Jan.  13, 
1915,  Father  Pius  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Koehler  of  the  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  Diocese. 

The  St.  Martin  Parish  at  present  consists  of  fortv  progressive  an  I 
prosperous  Catholic  families  and   is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


AGRICULTURE. 


NATURAL  ADVANTAGES— PRODUCTION— SURPLUS  PRODUCTS— COP. X  PRIZE  WIN- 
NERS—ORCHARDS AND  VINEYARDS — LIVE  STOCK— SHORTHORN"  HERDS — 
HOGS— HORSES— MULES-MARKET  PRICES  FROM  1886  TO  1915— LIVE  STOCK 
PRODUCTS— SHEEP— SOILS. 

The  Garden  of  Eden  might  have  been  located  in  Cooper  County. 
There  is  nothing  that  will  not  grow  within  its  bounds  and  its  fertile  soil, 
equable  climate,  and  beautiful  natural  scenery  make  it  one  of  the  most 
desirable  portions  of  the  globe.  In  location  it  is  fortunate.  It  is  south 
to  the  "Yankee" ;  north  to  the  "southerner" ;  west  to  the  "easterner" ; 
and  east  to  the  "westerner." 

It  furnishes  a  variety  of  seasons  unequalled  by  any  plot  of  earth  of 
similar  size.  Weather  here  gives  expression  to  a  variety  of  moods  which 
are  as  numerous  as  are  the  sand  grains  of  the  seashore.  From  the  cold 
and  snow  and  ice  of  winter  it  is  but  a  short  step  to  the  hot,  dry,  torrid 
conditions  oftimes  experienced  in  August.  Yet  these  extremes  are  rare 
indeed;  and  winter's  chilling  blast  seldom  penetrates  so  far  south,  and 
summer's'  intense  heat  is  usually  thwarted  in  its  designs  by  cooling  zeph- 
yrs. Taking  all  in  all,  the  climate  of  Cooper  County  is  ideally  adapted  to 
the  arousing  in  man  of  those  desires  for  activity  which  makes  the  tem- 
perate zone  the  place  of  civilization's  greatest  progress. 

Diversified  farming  is  practiced  extensively.  No  one  crop  is  counted 
on  in  any  season.  All  grains,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  adapted  to  temperate 
regions,  have  a  natural  habitat  here.  It  has  outdone  Kentucky  in  the 
production  of  prize  blue  grass ;  Kansas  in  the  acre  yield  of  wheat ;  Illinois 
in  the  production  of  prize  corn;  Virginia  in  the  production  of  premium 
tobacco;  Iowa  in  the  production  of  choice  hogs,  and  the  United  States  in 
the  production  of  choice  fruit. 

Resplendent  in  opportunity,  Cooper  County  has  a  veritable  store- 
house of  wealth  in  her  soil,  and  in  her  people — the  best  on  earth — you 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  279 

will  find  a  hospitality,  a  sympathy,  an  interest,  that  makes  for  a  cordial 
relationship  which  makes  life  worth  living. 

Cooper  County  is  the  home  of  many  prosperous  farmers  and  stock- 
men. The  soil,  climate,  and  topography  are  especially  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  grain,  hay,  and  stock  in  abundance. 

It  is  drained  by  numerous  small  streams  which  readily  find  an  outlet 
in  the  adjoining  Missouri  River.  As  a  consequence  the  bottom  lands 
along  the  small  streams  seldom  overflow,  and  if  they  do  become  inundated 
it  is  only  for  a  short  time.  There  is  a  strip  along  the  Missouri  River 
varying  in  width  from  one  to  five  miles  known  scientifically  as  Loess  soil 
that  is  especially  adapted  to  the  production  of  fruit  of  various  kinds.  It 
is  equally  as  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  farm  crops,  but  is  too  valuable 
as  fruit  soil  to  be  used  for  grain.  It  is  estimated  by  competent  authority 
that  nine-tenths  of  the  apples  produced  in  Missouri  are  grown  on  the  one- 
tenth  of  apple  area  found  on  the  Loess  soils.  The  time  is  coming  in  the 
not  far  distant  future,  when  every  acre  of  Loess  soil,  in  Cooper  County 
will  be  used  in  growing  fruit,  and  the  value  of  such  lands  is  destined  to 
increase  exceptionally.  Outside  of  the  Loess  soil  area  Cooper  County  soil 
is  rich  black  loam  and  for  the  growing  of  wheat,  corn,  clover,  and  alfalfa 
there  is  none  better. 

In  1918  Cooper  County  produced: 

Average  yield         Total  yield 

Average  per  acre  in  bushels 

Oats   17,320  26  bu.  450,320 

Tame   Hay   28,710  1.05  ton  30,140  tons 

Corn  71,430  17  bu.  1,214,310 

Wheat    66,000  19  bu.  1,254,000 

Wheat   (1919)    88,140 

(Note. — In  1917  Cooper  County  produced  2,756,416  bushels  of  corn.) 

Acre  Yields,   1911-1918. 

1911  1912  1913  1914  1915  1916  1917  1918 

Corn 20  42  29  24  42  30  35  17 

Oats  16  40  15  18  36  25  40  26 

Wheat   16  15  16  16  11  6  20  19 

Irish  Potatoes 16  134  23  64  78  52  68  60 

Sorghum  (Gal.) ___  __  __  __  __  __  61 

Tame   Hay    (Tons) 74  1.75  .50  .56  1.50  1.43  1.25  1.05 


280  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Facts  Regarding  Cooper  County. — Land  and  water  area,  357,120 
acres;  land  in  farms  (1910),  340,199  acres;  improved  farm  land  (1910), 
273,505  acres;  Woodland  in  farms  (1910),  54,760  acres;  per  cent,  of  land 
area  in  farms,  95.3  per  cent,  of  improved  farm  lands,  80.4 ;  average  num- 
ber acres  per  farm  (1910),  133.6;  area  in  acres  town  land  and  block  (1917), 
3.660;  land  values  March,  1918  (improved),  $95.00  per  acre;  land  values 
March,  1918  (unimproved),  $70.00  per  acre. 

Shipments  of  Surplus  Products  from  Cooper  County  1915  (based  on 
returns  made  by  railroads  and  express  agents  (Redbook,  1917). — Cattle, 
14,109;  hogs,  69,800;  horses,  mules,  2,378;  sheep,  8,684;  goats,  165;  jack 
and  stallions,  2. 

Wheat,  530,199  bushels;  corn,  5,154  bushels;  oats,  5,656  bushels;  tim- 
othy seed,  31  bushels;  clover  seed,  198  bushels;  hay,  115  tons:  tobacco, 
14,505  pounds;  cowpeas,  2,000  bushels;  planting  and  garden  seed,  145 
bushels;  nuts,  19,381  pounds. 

Flour,  40,000  bbl.;  cornmeal,  185,500  lbs.;  bran  shipstuff,  2,880,000 
lbs.;  fee  and  chops,  250,000  lbs.;  coal,  1,050  tons;  sand,  52,000  tons;  stone, 
344  cars;  macadam,  24  cars. 

Forest  Products:  Lumber,  cars,  9;  logs,  cars,  11;  cooperage,  cars, 
1 ;  walnut  logs,  cars,  16 ;  cordwood,  cars,  21. 

Farmyard  Products:  Poultry,  live,  pounds,  1,332,145;  poultry, 
dressed,  pounds,  933,924;  eggs,  dozen,  977,730;  feathers,  pounds,  21,233. 

Stone  and  Clay  Products :     Brick,  cars,  19 ;  cement  products,  tons,  60. 

Packing  House  Products:  Hides  and  pelts,  pounds,  169,467;  dressed 
meats,  pounds,  10,540;  tallow,  pounds,  13,640;  lard,  pounds,  2,251. 

Flowers  and  Nursery  Products :  Nursery  stock,  pounds,  184,425 ;  cut 
flowers,  pounds,  1,155. 

Dairy  Products:  Butter,  pounds,  44,299;  ice  cream,  gallons,  35,232; 
milk  and  cream,  gallons,  167,480. 

Wool  and  Mohair:     Wool,  pounds,  63,948. 

Liquid  Products :  Wine,  gallons,  10  ;  vinegar,  gallons,  408  ;  cider,  gal- 
lons, 232 ;  natural  mineral  water,  gal..  38 ;  soda  water,  cases,  3,000. 

Fish  and  Game  Products:  Game,  pounds,  15,770;  fish,  pounds,  323; 
furs,  pounds,  1,048. 

Medicinal  Products:     Roots  and  herbs,  pounds,  200. 

Vegetables:  Vegetables,  pounds,  5,012;  potatoes,  bushels,  528; 
tomatoes,  bushels,  26;  onions,  bushels,  15;  canned  vegetables  and  fruits, 
pounds,  1,387. 

Fruits :     Miscellaneous  fresh  fruits,  lbs.,  1,000 ;  melon,  pounds,  24,000 ; 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  281 

strawberries,  pounds,  95,575;  apples,  bbls.,  9,312;  grapes,  pounds,  200; 
peaches,  lbs.,  88,245. 

Apiary  and  Cane  Products:  Honey,  pounds,  595;  sorghum  molasses, 
gal.,  259. 

Unclassified  Products: — Washing  compound,  cases,  1,306;  coke,  tons, 
40;  junk  cars,  42;  ice  ,tons,  4,100;  coal  tar,  gallons,  5,000;  pipe  stems, 
383,688;  steel  harrows,  313;  bakery  products,  pounds,  35,000;  corncobs, 
cars,  1 ;  corncob  pipes,  gross,  57,653 ;  wooden  pipes,  gross,  7,246. 

Live  Stock,  January  1,  1919. 

Average  Value 
Number        Per  Head 

Cattle 24,742 

Milch  cows $  77.00 

Under  one  year 26.00 

V2  years 60.00 

2  and  above 84.00 

Hogs    76,770  19.20 

Sheep 17,245  16.50     (ewes) 

Horses   8,797  105.00   (above) 

(two  ) 
Mules   5,997  185.00     (year) 

Cooper  is  easily  the  leading  county  in  the  state  in  breeding  high  class 
corn.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  premium  list  furnished  us  by  Professor 
Hackleman,  Secretary  Corn  Growers'  Association  of  Missouri. 

Winners  of  First  Prizes  From  Cooper  County,  Missouri  State  Corn 
Growers'  Association  From  1907  to  1919,  Inc. 

Name.  Address.  1st  prize  won  on 

1907. 

R.  B.  Johnson,  Boonville,  Reid's  Yellow  Dent. 

Chris  Ohlendorf,  Boonville,  Cartner. 

Albert  Johnmeyer,  Boonville,  Boys'  contest. 

1908. 

Chris  Ohlendorf,  Boonville,  Bu.  of  shelled  corn  (Cartner  Yellow). 

Wm.  Johnmeyer,  Boonville,  Boone  County  White  (bu.  shelled). 

Martin  Johnmeyer,  Boonville,  10  ears  mixed  corn  south  of  river. 


282 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


1909. 

Highest  scoring  sample  (10  ears)  any  variety  exhibited  by  school 
district  in  any  county,  Sweepstakes  awarded  to  Jefferson  School  District 
near  Bunceton. 

Young  Men's  class  (yellow  corn). 

Sweepstakes  in  Young  Men's  Class. 
Chris  Ohlendorf,  Boonville,  1st  in  Variety  Class. 


1910. 

Chris  Ohlendorf,  Boonville, 

1911. 

Chris  Ohlendorf,  Boonville, 

1914. 

Chris  Smith,  Bunceton, 

1916. 

H.  G.  Windsor,  Boonville, 

Ewd.  Schwalfeldt,  Boonville, 

1917. 

H.  G.  Windsor,  Boonville, 


Ben  Smith,  Bunceton, 

1918. 

H.  G.  Windsor,  Boonville, 


1st  on  Yellow  Corn. 

1st  on  Yellow  Corn. 

1st  Black  Oats. 

1st  10  ears  Yellow  Corn. 
Sweepstakes  on  10  ears. 
Championship  best  10  ears  entire  show. 
Boy's  Class   (10  ears  Yellow  Corn). 

1st  10  ears  Yellow. 

Sweepstakes  (10  ears  Yellow  Corn). 

Championship    (10  ears  Yellow  Corn). 

Grand  Champion  (10  ears  Yellow  Corn). 

1st  Men's  Five  Acre  Yield. 

Sweepstakes  on  Five  Acre  Yield. 

1st  Men's  One  Acre  Yield. 

Sweepstakes  on  One  Acre  Yield. 

Grand  Champion  on  One  Acre  Yield. 

1st  Single  Ear  of  Yellow  Corn. 

Sweepstakes. 

Championship. 

Grand  Champion. 

1st  bu.  of  Yellow  Corn. 

1st  best  peck  of  Red  Clover  Seed. 

1st  bu.  Yellow  Com. 
Grand  Champion  bu. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  283 

Orchards  and  Vineyards. — Contributed  by  C.  C.  Bell. — Cooper  County 
and  central  Missouri  was  early  recognized  by  the  pioneer  settlers  as  a 
fruit  and  grape  growing  country,  and  among  those  who  had  orchards  were 
Henry  M.  Myers,  Isaac  N.  Bernard,  Benjamin  F.  Hickox,  David  Lilly, 
Isaac  Lionberger,  Wesley  Wyan,  David  Smith,  William  Gibson,  John  G. 
Miller,  C.  H.  F.  Greenlease,  Robert  D.  Perry,  Jacob  Newman,  Jesy  G.  New- 
man, Edmund  Elliott,  William  E.  Beard,  George  and  Nicholas  Vollrath  and 
some  others.  The  apple  varieties  in  those  days  were  mostly  Jenetin,  Bell- 
flowers,  Winesap,  Limbertwig,  Russets  and  often  some  very  good  seedlings, 
mostly  brought  here  by  early  settlers  from  Virginia  and  Kentucky. 

Boonville  and  surrounding  country  became  specially  noted  as  a  grape 
growing  section  after  1848,  when  some  leading  Germans  from  the  fruit 
and  wine  growing  country  of  the  Rhine  settled  here.  Many  of  them  had 
taken  part  in  the  German  Revolution  against  monarchy,  and  had  fled  to 
America;  and  recognizing  in  the  soil  and  hills  of  the  Missouri  River  Val- 
ley soil  equal  and  superior  to  the  soils  of  the  famous  Rhine  wine  vineyards, 
located  in  Cooper  County.  I  can  well  remember  George  Husman,  in  that 
day  recognized  as  the  best  authority  on  grape  growing,  who  would  often 
visit  here  to  advise  with  those  who  had  started  vineyards ;  there  were 
many  planted  about  Boonville  which  gave  it  the  name  of  the  "Vine  Clad 
City." 

The  Boonville  Wine  Company  had  the  largest  vineyard  and  it  adjoined 
the  city  on  the  west.  It  was  organized  by  William  Haas,  Dr.  E.  Roeschel, 
M.  J.  Wertheimer,  Maj.  William  Harley,  Capt.  C.  H.  Brewster  and  Judge 
Christian  Keill.  Other  vineyards  were  planted  by  George  Vollrath, 
Ignatius  Deringer,  Rochus  Knaup,  Henry  Weiland,  George  Rippley,  Fritz 
Schacht  and  others.  Several  miles  west  were  John  Henry  Boiler,  J.  G. 
Neef,  Frederick  Demffel,  Charles  Fiedler  and  George  and  Peter  Walther. 
East  of  Boonville  in  the  Squire  Herman  Schmidt  neighborhood  were  Louis 
Gsell,  Martin  Bonward,  Jacob  Kramer,  Blasious  Eflinger,  Franz  Joseph 
Sady,  and  others. 

My  father,  John  Adam  Bell,  planted  the  first  vineyard,  peach  and 
apple  orchard  in  the  Mount  Sinai  School  neighborhood,  and  was  followed 
by  John  Wilpret  and  others.  I  can  well  remember  how  those  veterans  of 
the  1848  German  Revolution,  at  times  would  discuss  the  narrow  escapes 
some  had  coming  to  America.  They  were  all  loyal  patriots  of  this  their 
adopted  country,  true  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  their  sons  answered 
the  call  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  defense  of  our  flag,  and  many  of  their 
grand-sons  have  done  good  service  in  the  World  War,  fighting  Prussian- 


284  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ism  and  Kaiserism,  against  which  their  grandfathers  had  fought  in  1848,. 
but  lost.  In  this  connection  we  should  remember  that  large  numbers 
(especially  southern  Germans),  are  not  and  never  have  been  in  sympathy 
with  Kaiserism,  Prussianism  and  Militarism. 

The  leading  grape  varieties  were  Isabella,  Catawba  and  Virginia  Seed- 
ling, later  on  varieties  such  as  Concord,  Delaware,  Elvire,  Goethe  and 
others  were  planted.  However,  on  account  of  California  extensive  grape 
production  and  wine  making,  and  some  other  influences  the  vineyards  of 
Cooper  County  have  disappeared,  and  the  large  rock-arched  wine  cellars 
are  all  there  is  left  of  what  once  was  a  very  promising  industry. 

I  well  recall  when  Gen.  Joseph  Shelby  made  his  raid  into  Boonville  in 
Sept.  1863,  coming  from  the  south  along  the  Bell  Air  road,  passed  father's 
vineyard,  which  was  heavy  loaded  with  ripe  grapes.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  a  large  part  of  his  men  hurriedly  stopped  off  to  get  ail  the  grapes 
they  could  handle.  Some  of  them  were  very  polite  and  expressed  their 
thanks,  while  others  offered  to  pay  in  Confederate  money;  but  most  of 
them  (in  war-time  soldier  style)  had  nothing  to  say  but  took  all  they 
wanted ;  yet  there  were  grapes  left,  as  the  crop  was  very  heavy. 

Apple  growing  has  also  diminished  on  account  of  insect  and  other 
pests  of  the  orchard.  In  my  boyhood  days,  we  knew  nothing  of  those 
orchard  enemies,  but  now  we  must  fight  them  by  spraying  with  various 
chemicals,  and  do  it  at  the  proper  time.  Thirty  to  50  years  ago  when  I 
bought  apples  in  Central  Missouri,  most  farmers  had  a  surplus  to  sell 
from  their  family  orchards;  those  orchards  however,  have  died  out,  and 
many  farmers  from  whom  I  bought  apples  years  ago,  now  come  to  my 
orchard  for  apples  for  their  home  use,  saying  that  they  can  buy  their 
apples  cheaper  than  they  can  fight  the  insects. 

While  this  is  true,  yet  when  I  think  of  the  splendid  fruit  soils  and 
ideal  locations  along  the  Missouri  River,  in  convenient  reach  of  large 
markets,  I  can  consistently  recommend  fruit-growing,  provided  it  is  done 
right,  and  in  quantity  large  enough  to  make  it  worth  while  to  equip  with 
the  best  machinery.  I  would  advise  planting  the  best  known  varieties, 
which  are  suitable  to  our  soils  and  localities  with  work  and  proper  atten- 
tion you  can  make  fruit-growing  a  great  success  in  Cooper  County,  and 
in  the  Missouri  River  valley.  Much  of  our  Missouri  soils  are  the  very 
best  in  the  world.  We  are  also  well  located  as  to  markets  with  big  de- 
mands, and  have  many  advantages  over  the  fruit-growers  of  the  far"  west 
and  other  localities.     But  it  requires  work,  economy  and  personal  prac- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  285 

tical  application.  Avoid  Waste — "Get  Busy  and  Stay  Busy",  and  you  can 
soon  have  a  home  and  plenty  in  Cooper  County,  or  in  Missouri. 

Live  Stock. — Cooper  easily  ranks  among  the  first  live  stock  counties 
in  Missouri.  It  is  now  almost  100  years  since  the  first  hei'd  of  registered 
animals  was  established  in  the  county.  Today,  there  are  perhaps  approxi- 
mately 100  herds  of  pure  bred  live  stock  and  this  number  is  constantly 
increasing.  At  one  time  this  county  was  credited  with  having  more  reg- 
istered Shorthorns  than  any  other  county  in  the  United  States.  While 
this  is  not  true  today,  the  number  being  somewhat  less  than  at  that  time 
owing  to  the  weeding-out  and  greater  attention  to  quality,  it  is  a  fact  that 
no  county  in  the  state  excels  Cooper.  Here  have  been  owned  many  world- 
famous  animals,  and  from  this  county  has  gone  the  seed  stock  to  estab- 
lish or  replenish  herds  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  the  great  West 
and  Southwest,  and  to  South  America  and  other  foreign  territories.  It 
was  on  a  Cooper  County  farm  that  young  Abbottsburn,  grand  champion 
Shorthorn  bull  of  the  Chicago  World's  Fair  (Louisiana  Purchase  Expo- 
sition), spent  his  last  days.  On  another  farm  only  a  short  distance  away 
was  Lavender  Viscount,  champion  and  grand  champion  at  leading  Amer- 
ican shows.  On  yet  another  farm  was  the  great  Goday,  famous  in  Canada 
and  America.  So  might  the  list  be  continued  at  length.  What  is  true 
of  Shorthorns  is  true  in  large  part  of  practically  all  other  kinds  of  live 
stock. 

The  location  of  Cooper  County  in  the  very  center  of  the  agricultural 
universe,  the  central  county  of  a  great  central  state,  could  not  be  improved 
upon.  Here  is  the  center  of  the  bluegrass  belt ;  here,  the  aristocratic 
animals  in  the  great  herds  find  their  happy  habitat;  here,  too,  are  the 
homes  of  people  who  appreciate  and  love  good  animals.  In  these  state- 
ments we  have  the  secret  of  the  success  that  has  so  long  attended  this 
county  in  live  stock  production. 

One  hundred  years  is  a  long  span  of  time  in  the  history  of  a  west- 
ern state.  During  this  period  of  time,  the  people  of  Cooper  County  have 
not  been  swayed  by  passing  fads  or  fancies,  but  have,  with  commendable 
conservatism  and  singleness  of  purpose,  adhered  to  the  well-defined  policy 
of  maintaining  on  their  farms  none  but  good  live  stock.  As  a  result  the 
county  has  acquired  a  national  reputation,  not  only  as  a  producer  of 
choice,  pure-bred  animals  but  year  after  year  hogs  and  cattle  from  this 
county  have  topped  the  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  markets. 

As  a  result  of  live  stock  farming  as  it  is  here  being  carried  on,  the 
soil  of  the  county  has  been  built  up  rather  than  depleted.     The  fields 


286  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

have  retained  their  fertility,  as  will  always  be  the  case  where  the  crops 
are  marketed  "on  foot".  The  effect  of  live  stock  farming  as  here  prac- 
ticed is  reflected  in  the  large  yields  of  corn,  wheat,  oats  and  other  staple 
crops,  as  well  as  of  many  minor  crops  with  which  the  county  is  credited. 

Brief  reference  has  been  made  to  the  importance  of  the  Shorthorn 
industry  in  the  county.  Not  only  was  this  the  first  branch  of  pure-bred 
live  stock  to  be  established,  but  it  is  today  the  most  important.  Some 
of  the  herds  now  owned  in  Cooper  County  are  as  follows:  Ashwood,  C. 
P.  Tutt  &  Sons ;  Ravenswood,  now  owned  by  N.  Nelson  Leonard  but  still 
conducted  under  the  name  of  C.  E.  Leonard  &  Son  with  Ed.  Patterson  as 
manager;  Eminence,  A.  J.  and  C.  T.  Nelson;  Prairie  View  Stock  Farm, 
G.  A.  Betteridge;  Idlewild,  W.  P.  Harned;  Crestmead,  W.  A.  Betteridge; 
Mt.  Vernon  Park,  Harriman  Bros. ;  Wayside  Valley,  P.  F.  Smith ;  Walnut 
Dale  Farm,  Ben  N.  Smith ;  Buena  Vista,  Wm.  Meyer  &  Son ;  Geo.  W.  Lowe, 
Glasgow  Bros.,  and  many  others  are  also  breeding  Shorthorns  at  the  pres- 
ent time. 

Many  herds  have  from  time  to  time  because  of  the  death  or  retire- 
ment of  their  owners  or  otherwise  been  dispersed.  One  of  the  most 
famous  of  these  was  the  old  Ellerslie  herd  of  Shorthorns  established  by 
the  late  T.  J.  Wallace  and  by  him  maintained  at  a  high-water  mark  for 
a  number  of  years.  Following  the  great  show  yard  triumph  of  young 
Abbottsburn  at  Chicago,  Mr.  Wallace  purchased  this  great  roan  bull  to 
head  his  own  herd.  Here,  too,  was  owned  Alice's  Prince  and  other 
famous  animals.  For  a  number  of  years  Geo.  A.  Carpenter  maintained 
t'fe  Ideal  Herd  of  Shorthorns.  At  the  same  time  John  R.  Hepler  was 
breeding  Shorthorns  at  his  Vermont  stock  farm. 

Two  other  names  that  will  live  long  in  Cooper  County  Shorthorn 
history  are  those  of  Sam  W.  Roberts,  who  had  a  large  herd  of  Bates  cat- 
tle on  his  farm  near  Pleasant  Green,  and  F.  M.  Marshall,  who  successfully 
bred  both  Bates  and  Scotch  Shorthorns  near  Blackwater.  Both  Messrs. 
Roberts  and  Marshall  have  passed  to  the  Great  Beyond.  For  many  years 
E.  H.  Rodgers,  now  retired  and  living  in  Boonville,  was  a  successful 
breeder  of  Shorthorns  as  well  as  horses,  jacks  and  jennets,  and  other  live 
stock  on  his  Cedar  Lawn  stock  farm  near  Bunceton.  Harris  and  McMahan, 
the  latter  now  deceased,  formerly  bred  Shorthorns  at  Sunnyside  near  La 
Mine.  The  late  W.  B.  Cully,  proprietor  of  the  Sunny  brook  stock  farm, 
was  a  breeder  of  Shorthorns  as  well  as  Poland  China  hogs.  For  many 
years  W.  H.  H.  Stephens  maintained  a  good  herd  of  Shorthorns  on  his 
Clover  Leaf  Stock  Farm  near  Bunceton. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is  necessary  to  condense  this  chapter,  only 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  287 

a  very  brief  history  can  be  given  of  the  active  Shorthorn  herds  of  the 
county  at  this  time.     These  individual  references  follow: 

The  oldest  herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  and 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  entire  nation,  is  the  Ravenswood  herd.  Estab- 
lished in  1839,  when  Nathaniel  Leonard  purchased  the  white  bull,  Comet 
Star  for  $600  and  the  Red  Heifer  Queen,  for  $500,  from  George  Renick,  a 
Kentucky  breeder.  These  were  the  first  registered  Shorthorns  west  of 
the  Mississippi  River.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Ravenswood  herd 
that  has  done  so  much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  live  stock  industry  in 
Cooper  County  and  the  middle  west  the  herd  passing  in  time  from 
Nathaniel  Leonard  to  his  son,  C.  E.  Leonard,  and  later  to  Nelson  Leonard, 
the  present  owner. 

At  different  times  the  Leonards  have  added  some  of  the  best  speci- 
mens to  their  herd  that  money  could  buy,  but  they  have  always  been  con- 
sidered breeders  of,  instead  of  buyers  of  high  class  Shorthorn  cattle;  and 
some  of  their  stock  have  frequently  won  prizes  at  the  live  stock  shows 
over  the  country.  Lavender  Viscount  was  the  Grand  Champion  Short- 
horn bull  of  America  for  two  years. 

One  of  the  notable  sales  from  Ravenswood  was  that  of  Merry  Ravens- 
wood 3rd,  sold  to  Walter  L.  Miller,  of  Peru,  Ind.,  and  shipped  by  him  to 
South  America,  where  one  of  the  calves,  "Americus,"  at  the  conclusion  of 
a  successful  career  in  the  show  ring,- was  sold  for  the  sum  of  80,000  peos, 
or  a  little  less  than  $40,000  in  American  gold. 

The  following  are  among  the  famous  families  represented  in  the 
Ravenswood  herd:  Lavenders,  Duchess  of  Glosters,  Victorias,  Campbell 
bred  Wimples,  Violets,  Fancys,  Miss  Ramsdens,  Charming  Roses  and  Rosa- 
monds. 

Some  ten  years  ago  A.  J.  and  C.  T.  Nelson — the  latter  now  located  on 
Eminence  Farm,  two  miles  east  of  Bunceton,  and  the  former  living  three 
miles  southwest  of  Bunceton — established  a  select  herd  of  Shorthorns 
which  is  now  being  maintained  under  the  name  of  the  Eminence  herd. 
From  time  to  time  new  blood  is  being  added  so  that  the  herd  is  each  year 
being  increased  in  size  and  improved  in  quality. 

Ben  N.  Smith  established  some  three  years  ago  a  small  but  select 
herd  of  Shorthorns  on  the  Walnut  Dale  Farm,  which  he  owns  east  of 
Bunceton.  This  herd  is  being  well  managed  and  bids  fair  to  become  one 
of  the  good  herds  of  the  county. 

Walter  N.  Harness  has  recently  established  a  small  but  good  herd 
of  Shorthorns  on  his  farm  northeast  of  Bunceton. 

"Ellerslie"  is  a  name  that  stands  out  prominently  in  the  live  stock 


288  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

history  of  Cooper  County.  Several  years  ago  this  farm  was  owned  by 
T.  J.  Wallace  and  later  became  the  property  of  W.  B.  Wallace,  who  two 
years  ago  sold  it  to  W.  L.  Clay,  the  present  owner.  This  farm  has  always 
been  known  as  the  home  of  good  live  stock,  specializing  on  Shorthorn 
cattle  and  high  class  saddle  horses.  Here  for  a  time  was  the  home  of 
Young  Abbotsburn,  Grand  Champion  of  the  Chicago  World's  Fair. 

This  review  would  not  be  complete  without  a  reference  to  the  beauti- 
ful old  stock  farm,  Clover  Leaf,  where  a  number  of  years  ago  W.  H.  H. 
Stephens  founded  one  of  the  well  known  Shorthorn  herds.  This  farm  was 
in  the  Stephens  family  for  almost  a  100  years,  having  only  recently  been 
disposed  of  to  George  Burger  of  Moniteau  County. 

A  pretty  200  acre  farm,  lying  just  within  the  edge  of  Bunceton,  is 
the  Ashwood  farm,  owned  by  C.  P.  Tutt.  Here  will  be  found  a  fine  herd 
of  Shorthorns  and  Berkshires.  Mr.  Tutt  is  one  of  the  well  informed  men 
on  Shorthorn  cattle. 

In  the  Mt.  Vernon  Park  Herd  of  Shorthorns  are  many  choice  Scotch 
and  Scotch  topped  cattle,  the  property  of  Col.  R.  L.  and  Bert  Harriman. 
Several  years  ago  the  Messrs.  Harriman  began  the  assemblying  of  a  great 
lot  of  cattle.  They  bought  freely  and  bred  as  well  as  they  had  bought. 
It  is  the  proud  boast  of  the  owners  of  this  herd  that  every  cow  has  paid 
for  herself  twice  over. 

The  old  idea  was  that  the  breeding  of  Shorthorns  was  a  rich  man's 
game,  but  it  remained  for  G.  A.  Betteridge,  of  the  Prairie  View  Herd  to 
prove  that  it  was  a  good  game  for  a  poor  man  to  play  provided  he  wanted 
to  get  on  his  feet.  In  the  past  thirty  years  Mr.  Betteridge  has  acquired 
a  200  acre  farm  and  has  as  fine  abunch  of  Shorthorns  as  one  would  care 
to  see. 

The  Crestmead  Herd  of  Scotch  Shorthorns,  owned  by  W.  A.  Bet- 
teridge, eight  miles  west  of  Bunceton,  consists  of  over  a  hundred  head  of 
some  of  the  very  best  breeds.  Many  of  these  cattle  are  Cruickshank 
Orange  Blossoms  and  the  remainder  are  of  other  leading  Scotch  families. 
Incidentally  it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Betteridge  is  one  of  the  best  posted 
men  on  Shorthorn  pedigrees  in  the  entire  country. 

The  history  of  the  Idlewild  Shorthorn  herd  dates  back  to  the  year 
1865,  when  the  late  George  Harned,  father  of  the  present  owner,  W.  P. 
Hamed,  began  its  establishment.  This  herd  has  a  strain  of  blood  from 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  herd,  "Sally  Washington",  purchased 
in  Kentucky  just  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  and  the  farm  boasts 
of  this  strain  which  is  more  than  half  a  century  old.     Mr.  Harned  is 


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HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  289 

especially  proud  of  his  "Double  Marys",  long  in  the  herd.  Bates,  Booth 
and  Cruickshank  blood  have  been  represented  and  much  attention  is  paid 
to  the  development  of  milking  Shorthorns. 

While  Shorthorns,  early  known  to  many  of  the  pioneer  people  as  Dur- 
hams,  were  the  first  registered  cattle  to  be  brought  to  Cooper  County, 
other  breeds  notably  the  Herefords,  are  now  represented  by  some  well 
established  herds  of  high  quality.  Blank  &  Spieler,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county  are  extensive  and  progressive  breeders.  D.  E.  McArthur, 
of  near  Billingsville,  has  also  for  many  years  maintained  a  good  herd  of 
Herefords.     Other  beef  breeds  are  also  represented,  but  the  number  of 

registered  animals  are  limited.     Wear,  of  Prairie  Home,  and 

Chris  Rasmus  who  owns  a  fine  farm  on  the  Boonville  and  Lone  Elm  road, 
are  breeding  Angus  cattle.     Both  have  well  established  herds. 

Hogs. — Cooper  County  has  many  good  herds  of  hogs,  including  Duroc 
Jerseys,  Poland  Chinas,  Berkshires,  O.  I.  C's.,  Hampshires,  Mule-Foots 
and  other  breeds.  In  an  early  day,  Essex  and  other  breeds,  then  popular, 
were  to  be  found  on  many  Cooper  County  farms.  The  late  Judge  Baker 
and  Thomas  Tucker  were  among  the  early  breeders  of  pure-bred  hogs. 
To  attempt  to  give  the  names  of  all  who  are  interested  in  hog  breeding  in 
the  county  would  be  an  utter  impossibility,  but  reference  is  here  made 
to  some  of  the  well-established  herds. 

Prominent  among  the  breeders  of  Poland  Chinas  are:  Bert  Harri- 
man,  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Park  stock  farm,  near  Pilot  Grove;  Webb  L. 
Clay,  who  secured  a  part  of  the  Ellerslie  herd  of  Poland  Chinas  at  the 
time  it  was  dispersed  by  W.  B.  Wallace — the  herd  having  been  sold  at 
auction  after  Mr.  Wallace  disposed  of  the  farm  which  had  been  owned 
by  his  father,  the  late  T.  J.  Wallace. 

In  this  connection  it  might  be  said  that  some  of  the  highest-priced 
Poland  Chinas  in  the  United  States  have  been  owned  in  Cooper  County, 
prices  of  $1,000  or  more  being  not  uncommon  for  a  single  individual  while 
more  than  $5,000,  has  been  paid  for  one  hog.  Seed  stock  from  this  county 
has  gone  to  practically  every  state  in  the  Mississippi  valley  as  well  as  to 
Central  and  South  America. 

Duroc  Jerseys  have  long  been  bred  in  this  county,  S.  Y.  Thornton  hav- 
ing established  the  Rose  Hill  herd  near  Blackwater  many  years  ago.  This 
was  one  of  the  early  herds  to  be  established  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Today 
Cooper  County  has  a  large  number  of  herds  of  unusual  quality.  Among 
these  might  be  mentioned  the  Fountain  Valley  herd  of  Richard  Rothgeb ; 
(19) 


290  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  Eminence  herd  owned  by  C.  T.  Nelson  and  containing  hogs  of  good 
individuality  and  choice  breeding. 

Berkshires  are  extensively  bred  by  T.  A.  Harris  and  Sons  at  their 
Sunnyside  Farm  near  La  Mine.  This  is  one  of  the  best  herds  of  Berk- 
shires to  be  found  in  the  United  States,  representatives  having  been 
winners  in  leading  national  and  state  shows. 

A  good  herd  of  0.  I.  C.  hogs  is  maintained  by  John  H.  NefF  at  River- 
side Farm  near  Boonville. 

Richard  Rothgeb  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Fountain  Valley  Herd  of 
Duroc  Jerseys,  which  he  started  in  the  year  1911.  Mr.  Rothgeb  has 
popularized  the  Duroc  Jersey  in  Cooper  County  and  has  succeeded  in 
developing  a  very  fine  type  of  the  breed. 

The  good  Blue  Ribbon  Herd  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  is  owned  by  Paul 
Winders  and  wife,  near  Boonville. 

The  late  W.  B.  Cully  established  the  Spring  Brook  Herd  of  Poland 
Chinas  in  1892,  when  he  bought  a  choice  thoroughbred  sow  from  the  herd 
of  David  Finch,  a  noted  Ohio  breeder.  From  time  to  time  additions  were 
made  to  the  herd  and  in  1906  the  entire  Cedar  Lawn  herd  of  E.  H.  Rodgers 
was  added.  In  this  purchase  was  the  first  prize  six  months  boar  at  the 
St.  Louis  Worlds  Fair,  Tecumseh  Perfection. 

One  of  the  earliest  breeders  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  in  all  the  Mississippi 
valley  is  S.  Y.  Thornton,  of  near  Blackwater,  proprietor  of  the  Rose  Hill 
Duroc  Jerseys.  This  herd  was  established  in  the  early  eighties.  Mr. 
Thornton  has  often  been  called  the  original  "Red  Hog  Man"  in  Missouri. 

Chris  Ohlendorf  is  breeding  Mule-Foot  hogs  on  his  farm  southeast  of 
Boonville. 

Hampshires  are  being  bred  in  a  limited  way  by  a  number  of  farmers 
and  this  market  is  becoming  fairly  well  established  in  the  county. 

Horses. — Cooper  County  has  long  been  justly  famous  for  its  good 
horses,  especially  saddle  horses  and  light  harness  horses.  In  many  cases 
the  pioneer  brought  with  him  favorite  animals  from  Virginia  or  Kentucky, 
and  the  same  blood  lines  have  been  continued  until  the  present  time.  An 
example  of  this  may  be  found  in  the  Ashby  "Whips",  widely  known  sad- 
dle horses  bred  in  Virginia,  and  descendants  from  the  original  stock  of 
which  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  farm  of  Chas.  P.  Tutt,  of  Bunceton. 

In  an  early  day  and  even  up  to  a  few  years  ago  the  "nodding"  running- 
walker,  the  best  real  riding  horse  the  world  has  ever  known,  was  common 
on  every  Cooper  County  road.  Some  of  these  horses  are  still  to  be  seen 
here,  but  with  the  growing  use  of  the  automobile  they  are  rapidly  disap- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNT.Y  291 

pearing.  The  five-gaited  saddle  horse,  with  his  beauty,  grace  and  marked 
show-yard  qualities,  has  here  reached  a  degree  of  perfection  not  often 
attained.  The  truth  of  this  statement  is  borne  out  at  local  fairs,  notably 
still  at  the  Bunceton  fair,  which  has  been  an  incentive  toward  the  breed- 
ing of  good  live  stock  and  especially  good  horses,  for  almost  a  quarter  of 
a  century. 

The  late  Capt.  Samuel  L.  Jewett,  famous  as  a  miller,  farmer  and 
stockman,  brought  to  Cooper  County,  what  was  known  as  the  "Gold  Bank" 
horses.  These  horses  are  said  by  older  citizens  to  have  had  much  stamina 
but  to  have  been  high  strung.  The  Glendours  and  Roebucks  were  other 
horses  which  years  ago  were  largely  bred  in  Cooper  County,  especially  in 
the  southern  part. 

Along  about  the  Civil  War  period  a  horse  known  as  Varner's  Roe- 
buck was  in  service  near  New  Lebanon  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
county,  where  there  was  established  a  family  of  grey  horses  from  which 
came  some  of  the  best  running  walkers  ever  owned  in  this  section.  About 
this  period  and  a  little  later  Wm.  T.  Groves,  father  of  Col.  S.  H.  Groves, 
and  of  the  other  "Groves  Boys"  was  breeding,  developing  and  training 
a  string  of  good  saddlers. 

Another  name  familiar  to  the  old  timers,  is  "The  Copper  Bottoms", 
from  which  came  horses  of  stamina  and  endurance.  More  familiar  still, 
to  the  present  generation,  at  least,  seem  the  Telegraphs.  Along  about 
this  time  came  the  great  horse,  Denmark  Chief,  brought  to  Missouri  by 
the  late  T.  J.  Wallace.  This  horse  has  some  wonderfully  good  sons  to 
his  credit,  especially  wheji  used  on  Roebuck  mares. 

About  five  years  after  the  acquisition  of  Denmark  Chief  by  Mr.  Wal- 
lace, the  late  John  F.  Rogers,  of  Boonville,  went  to  Kentucky  and  there 
purchased  Diamond  Denmark,  later  sold  to  the  Luray  Stock  Farm. 

At  this  point  it  is  well  to  briefly  review  the  story  of  Luray,  with  which 
the  names  of  Will  H.  Ewing  and  Col.  R.  L.  Harriman  are  intimately  asso- 
ciated. It  was  in  1885  or  '86  that  Messrs.  Harriman  anrl  Ewing  bought 
several  car  loads  of  horses  in  Kentucky  and  shipped  them  into  Missouri. 
A  little  later  Mr.  Ewing  went  to  Pilot  Grove,  while  "Bob"  Harriman  estab- 
lished himself  on  Luray  stock  farm,  one  mile  west  of  Bunceton.  Mr. 
Ewing  had  gotten  hold  of  the  grey  horse  Dandy  Jim  and  a  Nutwood  pacer. 
He  raced  these  horses  two  or  three  years,  then  went  to  Texas  with  them 
and  there  disposed  of  them  at  high  figures  for  those  times. 

A  year  after  the  dissolution  of  partnership  with  Mr.  Ewing,  Colonel 
Harriman  bought  a  stallion  and  a  car  load  of  brood  mares  in  Kentucky. 


292  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

The  stallion  was  a  Claybred,  Royal  Windsor,  a  large  1,200-pound  bay 
horse  with  fine  carriage  and  having  a  beautiful  mane  and  tail.  In  the 
carload  of  horses  just  referred  to  were  three  Alleys,  yearlings  and  two- 
year-olds,  which  developed  into  sensational  race  horses.  These  mares 
both  trotters  were  Miss  Fullerton  and  Josephine.  There  was  also  Pansy 
Blossom,  a  mare  by  General  Wilkes.  Col.  Harriman  trained  these  mares, 
developed  them  into  tip-top  race  horses  and  campaigned  them  for  three 
years,  during  which  time  they  won  something  like  $20,000.  Miss  Fuller- 
ton  was  the  better  of  the  three,  winning  75  per  cent,  of  all  the  races  in 
which  she  started.  At  the  conclusion  of  her  sensational  race  career  she, 
with  Josephine  was  sold  to  a  Boston  capitalist  for  $5,000. 

Profitable  as  was  the  investment  just  referred  to,  Col.  Harriman  de- 
clares that  the  best  race  horse  that  he  ever  got  hold  of  was  a  Walnut  Boy 
pacer,  Gyp  Walnut,  bought  in  two-year-old  form  for  $450  from  Dr.  Robin- 
son, of  Windsor.  Gyp  Walnut  could  make  2:10  in  three-year-old  form 
over  a  good  track,  and  was  a  steady  consistent  and  game  race  horse.  She 
piled  up  to  her  credit  in  two  seasons  a  little  more  than  $8,000.  This  sum 
was  duplicated  when  she  was  sold  in  her  four-year-old  form  to  Jerry 
O'Neal,  of  Boston. 

With  the  rare  foresight  that  has  been  his,  Col.  Harriman  early  fore- 
saw the  coming  popularity  of  the  automobile,  and  as  he  puts  it,  "Got  out 
of  the  horse  game  in  order  to  keep  from  being  run  over  by  Ford  cars." 
Before  passing  from  the  hasty  review  of  the  work  of  Messrs.  Harriman 
and  Ewing,  the  fact  should  be  mentioned  that  they  bought  King  Harold, 
of  Woodland  farm,  bringing  this  good  standard  bred  horse  by  Harold,  sire 
of  Maud  S.,  to  Cooper  County  at  an  initial  investment  of  $1,000. 

Of  the  younger  men  who  are  today  successfully  engaged  in  the  horse 
business  and  whose  work  has  been  of  lasting  benefit  to  the  county,  Trevor 
H.  Moore,  Bunceton,  R.  F.  D.  4,  is  entitled  to  high  rank.  Mr.  Moore  some 
fifteen  years  ago  bought  of  W.  S.  Waters,  who  had  come  to  Cooper  County 
from  the  good  horse  center  of  north  central  Missouri,  a  string  of  wonder- 
fully bred  horses,  including  King  Turner,  The  Royal  Cross,  Forest  King, 
Jr.,  and  Top  Squirrel,  all  out  of  Holivy  W.  1787,  a  black  Squirrel.  From 
this  rare  foundation  of  stock  Mr.  Moore  has  consistently  bred  and  de- 
veloped horses  of  merit  and  of  show  yard  quality,  some  of  his  animals 
selling  far  up  in  four  figures.  Among  the  good  horses  that  Mr.  Moore 
has  owned  might  be  mentioned,  Missouri  King  2960,  and  Forest  Rex  3873, 
the  latter  now  at  the  head  of  his  stables. 

Prominent  among  those  who  have  been  leaders  in  the  development 
of  the  horse  and  mule  industry  in  Cooper  County,  is  Ed  Patterson,  long 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  293 

a  breeder  of  tip  top  saddle  horses  and  of  jacks  and  jennets.  Among  the 
good  horses  that  Mr.  Patterson  has  owned  there  might  be  mentioned 
Bracken  King. 

Before  passing  from  the  horse  history  of  the  county  mention  should 
be  made  of  the  late  Col.  Robert  A.  McCulloch.  Back  in  "the  days  of  real 
sport",  Col.  McCulloch  owned  a  string  of  racers  of  the  kind  that  never 
failed  to  bring  the  boys  up  on  their  toes.  The  memory  of  these  game 
horses  ridden  by  negro  mounts,  is  a  happy  one  to  many  who  enjoyed  see- 
ing the  ponies  go.  The  late  John  R.  Allison,  of  near  Bunceton,  was  also 
a  breeder  of  speed  horses.  To  T.  J.  Lovell  and  his  son,  E.  F.  Lovell,  the 
latter  then  living  on  the  home  farm,  near  Prairie  Home,  belongs  the  credit 
of  having  owned  and  developed  some  of  the  best  harness  and  saddle  horses 
in  the  county.  Mr.  Lovell,  Sr.,  has  also  been  an  enthusiastic  breeder  of 
jacks  and  jennets.  On  another  farm,  only  a  short  distance  away,  the  late 
N.  A.  Gilbreath  bred  good  jacks  and  jennets.  N.  A.  George,  R.  A.  George 
and  the  late  I.  S.  Arnold  have  written  their  names  in  the  jack  and  mule 
history  of  the  county. 

In  many  instances  the  breeding  of  horses  and  of  jacks  and  jennets 
has  been  so  intimately  associated  that  to  mention  one  is  to  suggest  the 
other.  Among  other  names  prominent  in  horse  or  jack  circles,  or  in 
both,  there  should  be  mentioned  E.  H.  Rodgers,  J.  M.  Rodgers,  Green 
Martin,  Uncle  Billie  Martin,  W.  B.  Gibson,  C.  P.  Fairfax,  W.  A.  Sombart, 
Arlie  Frost,  W.  B.  Windsor,  Judge  Turley,  the  late  F.  M.  Marshall,  the  late 
Steve  M.  Smith,  L.  R.  Pedego,  John  Cartner,  and  the  late  Capt.  C.  E. 
Leonard.  Mr.  Cartner  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  own  good  jacks  in 
Cooper  County,  he  having  established  a  breeding  stable  south  of  Boonville, 
a  half  century  or  more  ago.  To  Capt.  Leonard,  however,  belongs  the 
credit  of  being  the  pioneer  jack  man  of  Cooper  County,  as  well  as  of  a 
large  part  of  the  entire  central  west.  Not  only  was  Captain  Leonard  a 
breeder  of  jacks,  but  he  was  also  an  importer.  As  a  leading  spirit  in  the 
organization  of  the  first  jack  book  association  in  America,  Mr.  Leonard, 
had  much  to  do  with  the  establishment  of  standards,  which  have  since 
become  generally  recognized  in  the  mule  world.  Mr.  Leonard  once  face- 
tiously remarked  that  it  was  he  who  put  the  black  in  jack.  By  this  he 
meant  that  color  was  at  his  insistence  made  one  of  the  standards. 

The  following  tables  supplied  by  Chris  Smith  and  covering  a  period 
of  years  show  the  prevailing  prices  on  cattle  and  hogs  on  Cooper  County 
farms  previous  to  1916.  Since  that  time  very  much  higher  prices  have 
prevailed,  cattle  passing  the  16c  mark  and  hogs  reaching  20c  per  pound 
on  the  home  market. 


294 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 


Fat 

cattle  sold,  not  including 

Fat 

hogs  sold.  All 

hogs  raised 

cows, 

heifers  and  calves: 

on  farm: 

1886 

20  head  @ 

4.25 

per 

b. 

1886 

53  head 

@ 

4.25  per 

b. 

1887 

18  head  @ 

4.20 

per 

b. 

1887 

40  head 

@ 

5.00  per 

1,. 

1888 

18  head  @ 

3.60 

per 

b. 

1888 

45  head 

@ 

4.00  per 

b. 

1889 

16  head  @ 

4.00 

per 

b. 

1889 

50  head 

@ 

3.25  per ' 

b. 

1890 

27  head  @ 

4.00 

per 

lb. 

1890 

55  head 

@ 

3.50  per 

b. 

1891 

20  head  @ 

5.00 

per 

[b. 

1891 

60  head  @ 

4.00  per 

b. 

1892 

23  head  @ 

4.25 

per 

lb. 

1892 

45  head 

@ 

5.00  per 

b. 

1893 

26  head  @ 

3.60 

per 

b. 

1893 

35  head 

@ 

4.75  per 

b. 

1894 

26  head  @ 

4.25 

per 

lb. 

1894 

30  head 

@ 

5.00  per 

lb. 

1895 

19  head  @ 

3.75 

per 

b. 

1895 

25  head 

@ 

4.25  per 

lb. 

1896 

23  head  @ 

4.10 

per 

lb. 

1896 

55  head 

at 

3.25  per 

lb. 

1897 

20  head  @ 

4.35 

per 

lb. 

1897 

60  head 

@ 

3.10  per 

lb. 

1898 

14  head  @ 

4.50 

per 

lb. 

1898 

50  head 

@ 

3.50  per 

lb. 

1899 

24  head  @ 

5.25 

per 

lb. 

1899 

75  head 

@ 

3.25  per 

ib. 

1900 

26  head  @ 

4.75 

per 

lb. 

1900 

60  head 

@ 

4.50  per 

lb. 

1901 

16  head  @ 

4.65 

per 

lb. 

■  1901 

50  head 

@ 

5.00  per 

Ib. 

1902 

16  head  @ 

5.75 

per 

lb. 

1902 

40  head 

@ 

6.50  per 

lb. 

1903 

24  head  @ 

4.60 

per 

lb. 

1903 

60  head 

@ 

5.25  per 

lb. 

1904 

24  head  @ 

4.65 

per 

lb. 

1904 

40  head 

@ 

4.75  per 

lb. 

1905 

28  head  @ 

4.50 

per 

lb. 

1905 

35  head 

@ 

5.25  per 

lb. 

1906 

16  head  @ 

4.15 

per 

lb. 

1906 

30  head 

@ 

5.75  per 

lb. 

1907 

21  head  @ 

4.50 

per 

lb. 

1907 

45  head 

@ 

6.00  per 

b. 

1908 

14  head  @ 

4.75 

per 

lb. 

1908 

35  head 

@ 

5.50  per 

b. 

1909 

18  head  @ 

4.75 

per 

lb. 

1909 

36  head 

@ 

6.00  per 

b. 

1910 

21  head  @ 

5.65 

per 

lb. 

1910 

37  head 

@ 

9.00  per 

lb. 

1911 

38  head  @ 

5.25 

per 

lb. 

1911 

40  head 

@ 

6.50  per 

1). 

1912 

24  head  @ 

7.75 

per 

lb. 

1912 

40  head 

@ 

7.00  per 

lb. 

1913 

19  head  @ 

6.50 

per 

lb. 

1913 

25  head 

@ 

7.25  per 

b. 

1914 

11  head  @ 

7.25 

per 

lb. 

1914 

30  head 

@ 

7.75  per 

b. 

1915 

27  head  @ 

7.30 

per 

lb. 

1915 

20  head 

@ 

7.75  per 

b. 

Live  Stock  Products. 

Dairy  Products: 

Dairy  cows  on  farms  reporting  dairy  products 5,142 

Dairy  cows  on  farms  reporting  milk  produced   4,898 

Milk  produced    (gallons)    1,182,479 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  295 

Milk  sold    (gallons)    32,315 

Cream  sold   (gallons)   5,042 

Butter  fat  sold  (pounds) 3,428 

Butter  produced  (pounds) 299,745 

Butter  sold  (pounds)  103,998 

Cheese  produced  (pounds)   330 

Cheese  sold  (pounds)  200 

Poultry  Produces: 

Poultry  raised 354,881 

Poultry  sold 107,172 

Eggs  produced  (dozens)   1,150,363 

Eggs  sold  (dozens)  810,004 

Honey  and  Wax: 

Honey  produced  (pounds)  16,085 

Wax  produced   (pounds)   305 

Wool,  Mohair  and  Goat  Hair: 

Wool,  fleeces  shorn 8,294 

Mohair  and  goat  hair,  fleeces  shorn 187 

Domestic  Animals  Sold  or  Slaughtered: 

Calves , 893 

Other  cattle 12,249 

Horses,  mules,  asses  and  burrows 2,772 

Swine 78,055 

Sheep  and  goats 3,306 

Sheep. — As  far  back  as  three-quarters  of  a  century,  Cooper  County 
was  noted  for  its  fine  flocks  of  sheep.  Among  the  present  day  breeders 
of  sheep  might  be  mentioned  the  following:  S.  H.  Groves,  R.  S.  Roe, 
Clayton  Glasgow,  W.  H.  Glasgow,  J.  O.  Groves,  T.  J.  Burrus,  C.  P.  Tutt 
&  Son. 

The  13th  census  taken  in  1910  gives  the  following  figures  relative  to 
live  stock  in  Cooper  County.  Cattle  were  listed  as  follows:  Dairy  cows, 
5,765 ;  other  cows,  3,251 ;  yearling  heifers,  2,660 ;  calves,  2,547 ;  yearling 
steers  and  bulls,  2,798 ;  other  steers  and  bulls,  5,482. 

Horses  were  listed  as  follows:  Mature  horses,  7,932;  yearling  colts, 
814;  spring  colts,  382;  mules  (mature),  4,572;  yearling  colts,  771;  spring 
colts,  328 ;  asses  and  burrows,  214. 


296  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Swine  were  listed  as  follows :    Mature  hogs,  44,609 ;  spring  pigs,  29353. 

Sheep  were  listed  as  follows :  Rams,  ewes  and  wethers,  9,676 ;  spring 
lambs,  6,383 ;  goats,  802. 

Soils. — The  soil  survey  of  Cooper  County  made  by  A.  T.  Sweet  of 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  E.  S.  Vanatta  and  B. 
W.  Tillman  of  the  University  of  Missouri,  presents  a  fund  of  information 
for  the  farmer  and  agriculturist  of  Cooper.  It  will  doubtless  be  read 
with  interest  by  a  large  part  of  our  population.  We  glean  from  it  the 
following : 

The  soils  of  Cooper*  County  group  themselves  naturally  into  four 
principal  divisions,  the  level  upland  soils,  the  loessial  soils,  the  residual 
soils,  and  the  alluvial  or  bottom  land  soils. 

The  origin  of  the  level  upland  soils  is  open  to  some  doubt.  The  soil 
as  it  exists  at  the  present  time  is  very  much  like  the  upland  soils  of 
northwestern  Missouri,  which  are  known  to  have  been  derived  from  glacial 
material  laid  down  either  by  water  or  wind.  The  latter  are  underlain  by 
glacial  deposits,  while  the  level  upland  soils  of  Cooper  County  have  no 
glacial  material  beneath  them.  They  lie  on  the  residuary  silts  and  clays 
derived  from  limestones  or  on  the  limestone  itself.  Typical  glacial  de- 
posits, like  those  underlying  the  northeastern  Missouri  soil,  are  not  known 
to  occur  under  the  level  upland  soils  of  central  and  southern  Cooper  County. 

The  soils  in  Cooper  County  are  also  very  much  like  certain  smoothland 
soils  in  Pettis,  Henry,  Bates,  Vernon,  and  other  counties  in  southwestern 
Missouri.  They  extend  across  the  State  line  into  southeastern  Kansas. 
These  soils  are  undoubtedly  derived  from  coal  measure  shales  and  clays. 
The  Cooper  County  soil  is  somewhat  better  soil  than  the  similar  soil 
occurring  in  these  counties,  but  its  physical  character,  the  thickness,  the 
nature  of  the  subsoil,  and  relation  to  the  underlying  rock  are  essentially 
the  same.  Its  greater  productivity  is  probably  due  to  its  better  drainage 
and  its  higher  percentage  of  humus. 

Because  of  the  absence  of  underlying  glacial  material  and  of  the 
close  similarity  between  this  soil  in  Cooper  County  and  those  in  the 
counties  named  above,  the  Cooper  County  soils  have  been  correlated  with 
the  latter  rather  than  with  the  soils  of  northeastern  Missouri,  and  are 
considered  to  have  been  derived  from  clays  and  shales  of  Coal  Measure 
age. 

The  origin  of  the  loess  is  not  clearly  understood,  but  it  is  supposed 
to  be  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the  removal  and  deposition  of  materials 
from  previously  glaciated  areas  by  the  wind.     The  present  soils  of  this 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  297 

group  are  the  result  of  weathering  of  these  deposits.  The  residual  soils 
have  come  from  the  weathering  in  place  of  various  beds  of  rock,  prin- 
cipally limestone,  occupying  the  hill  slopes  between  the  upland  prairies 
and  the  valley  floors. 

The  alluvial  soils  are  of  recent  origin,  and  have  been  deposited  in 
the  flood  plains  of  the  streams  by  which  they  have  been  carried  to  their 
present  position. 

The  loess  soils  stretch  in  a  rather  narrow  belt  along  the  northern 
side  of  the  county.  On  the  extreme  eastern  boundary  the  loess  disappears 
as  a  typical  deposit.  A  narrow  wedge  of  it  ends  one  mile  west  of  the 
county  line  -and  north  of  the  Petite  Saline.  Thence  westward  the  belt 
widens,  but  it  does  not  attain  a  greater  width  than  two  and  one-half  miles, 
except  in  one  or  two  places. 

The  loess  soils  are  usually  recognized  by  the  somewhat  rounded  topog- 
raphy of  the  country  over  which  they  are  spread ;  by  the  light  yellowish- 
brown  color  of  the  soil;  by  its  smooth  satiny  texture;  by  the  high  per- 
pendicular bluffs,  which  shut  in  the  older  roads;  by  the  absence  of  rocks 
of  any  kind,  except  occasionally  near  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  ditches ; 
by  the  uniform  texture  of  soil  and  subsoil :  and  usually  by  the  strong, 
healthy  appearance  of  the  growing  crops. 

In  elevation  the  loess  soils  range  from  a  little  over  600  feet  above 
sea  level  on  the  lower  slopes  to  a  little  over  750  feet  along  the  crest  of 
the  ridge  which  extends  almost  continuously  from  near  Wooldridge  on 
the  east  entirely  across  the  county.  The  surface,  therefore,  has  a  range 
in  elevation  of  only  about  150  feet,  yet,  except  for  a  few  flat  areas  on  the 
higher  portions  of  the  western  end  of  this  ridge,  it  has  a  well-rounded 
billowy  topography,  which  is  in  marked  contrast  to  the  sharper  cut 
topography  of  the  residual  soils  farther  south. 

Over  a  large  portion  of  the  area  covered  by  the  loess  soils  the  same 
material  extends  entirely  over  the  surface,  covering  crests,  slopes,  and 
valleys.  The  formation  is  deepest,  however,  near  the  Missouri  River  and 
thins  out  toward' the  south,  its  southern  boundary  being  a  very  indefinite 
line.  It  also  seems  to  be  somewhat  thicker  on  the  crest  of  the  ridges 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  slopes  than  on  the  slopes,  and  as  the  southern  edge 
of  the  area  of  deposition  is  approached  it  appears  only  upon  the  ridges. 

Although  the  greater  portion  of  the  country  occupied  by  the  loess 
soil  is  quite  undulating,  limited  areas  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
county  are-  more  nearly  level  and  are  darker  in  color. 

The  loess  soils  in  this  area  have  been  divided  into  two  classes,  the 


298  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

undulating  lighter-colored  soil,  called  the  Knox  silt  loam,  and  the  more 
nearly  level  darker  colored  soil  called  the  Marshall  silt  loam. 

A  large  part  of  the  uplands  south  of  the  loess  soils  is  called  prairie 
and  is  distinguished  by  the  absence  of  natural  timber  growth.  The  soils 
here  are  characterized  by  an  almost  level  surface  and  by  a  black  silty 
surface  material  which  grades  into  a  gray  silt,  and  is  underlin  by  a  layer 
of  stiff  resistant  clay  several  inches  in  thickness,  which  in  turn  is  under- 
lain by  a  mottled  yellow  and  gray  silty  clay.  From  the  very  close  resem- 
blance between  the  subsoil  of  the  prairie,  as  seen  in  the  exposures  on 
eroded  slopes,  and  the  subsoil  exposed  near  the  edge  of  the  loess  sheet,  it 
would  seem  that  these  prairie  soils  were  partly  covered  along  the  northern 
side  of  the  county  by  loess. 

In  many  places  the  transition  from  the  prairie  soils  to  the  residual 
soils  is  quite  abrupt,  only  a  few  steps  intervening  between  the  black 
surface  soil  .with  heavy  clay  subsoil  and  the  reddish-yellow  chert-filled 
residual  soil;  but  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  area  the  prairie 
soils  are  bordered  by  a  soil  differing  from  the  prairie  soil  in  being  gray 
or  yellowish-brown  at  the  surface  instead  of  black,  in  occupying  the 
slopes  of  small  streams  which  extend  back  into  the  prairie  in  places 
covering  the  narrow  ridges  between  the  small  streams,  and  in  having,  in 
most  cases,  no  well-defined  clay  layer  in  the  subsoil.  This  soil  may  be 
considered  a  modified  prairie  soil,  the  modification  in  some  places  being 
due  to  the  erosion  of  the  surface  of  the  prairie,  in  others  to  the  gradual 
movement  or  creep  of  the  soil  particles  down  the  slopes,  and  in  others  to 
a  thorough  leaching  of  the  soil  along  the  ridge  crests.  This  region  was 
formerly  timbered  to  a  considerable  extent. 

The  level  upland  soils,  then,  may  be  divided  into  the  level  black 
prairie  soil,  called  the  Oswego  silt  loam,  and  the  modified  glacial  soil, 
lighter  in  color  and  usually  without  the  heavy  layer  in  the  subsoil,  called 
the  Boone  silt  loam. 

In  the  rougher  portions  of  the  county  south  of  the  Blackwater-Petite 
Saline  line  there  is  no  possible  question  about  the  origin  of  the  soil.  It 
is  a  residula  limestone  soil,  partaking  of  the  nature  of  the  rocks  that 
underlie  it.  The  soils  in  the  sandstone-shale-clay  belt  likewise  are  residual 
soils,  derived  from  these  same  sandstones,  shales,  and  clays  and  partaking 
of  their  nature.  Along  the  river  bluffs  and  extending  southward  for  a 
few  miles  the  foundation  rock,  whether  it  be  limestone,  as  it  is  in  most 
places,  or  sandstone-shale-clay  rock,  as  it  is  in  a  few  cases,  is  covered  by 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  299 

the  loess,  a  brown  silt  deposit.  From  this  material  has  been  made  the 
soils  of  the  river  hill  belt. 

The  soils  of  the  uplands  south  of  the  Blackwater-Petite  Saline  belt 
are  derived  from  a  silt  and  clay  soil  material  that  lies  on  limestone  but 
has  not  been  derived  from  it. 

There  are  at  least  two  possible  sources  of  this  material:  (1)  It  may 
be  a  disintegrated  remnant  of  shales  and  clays  that  originally  overlaid 
this  area.  The  shales  and  clays  have  been  broken  up  by  weathering  into 
silts  and  clays,  but  the  material  has  not  been  removed  by  erosion  on 
account  of  the  protection  afforded  by  the  solid  limestone  on  which  it  lies. 
(2)  It  may  be  a  layer  of  overwash  or  outwash  glacial  material  that  was 
spread  out  over  this  region  dui-ing  glacial  times  by  streams  flowing  out 
from  the  glacier.  At  the  present  time  the  former  seems  to  be  the  most 
probable  origin  of  this  material.  The  general  soil  belts  or  areas  of  the 
county  therefore  are  (1)  residual  limestone  soils,  (2)  residual  sandstone- 
shale-clay  soils,  (3)  loess  soils,  (4)  soils  of  doubtful  origin  but  probably 
residual  soils  from  shales,  clays,  and  fine-grained  sandstones,  and  (5) 
alluvial  soils.  The  accompanying  map  shows  the  distribution  of  these  soil 
areas.  The  differentation  in  the  field  of  the  residual  soils  of  the  sandstone- 
shale-clay  belt  from  the  loess  soils  to  the  north  of  it  has  proved  to  be  a 
difficult  matter.  They  are  both  silty  soils  and  both  brown  in  color.  Where 
the  rock  does  not  underlie  the  soil  it  is  very  difficult  to  locate  the  boundary. 
The  crierion  used  was  the  percentage  of  clay  in  the  subsoil.  The  loess 
soil  has  a  low  clay  percentage.  When  the  subsoil  had  enough  clay  to  make 
it  sticky,  it  was  not  considered  as  of  loessial  origin.  The  character  of 
the  native  vegetation,  especially  the  trees,  was  used  as  a  supplementary 
criterion  in  mapping  this  difference. 

The  alluvial  soils  are  made  up  from  material  eroded  from  all  other 
soils  of  the  area,  carried  by  water  in  suspension  and  redeposited.  They 
vary  greatly  in  character,  depending  upon  the  source  from  which  derived, 
the  methods  of  deposition,  and  the  processes  they  have  undergone  since 
they  have  been  laid  down. 

The  alluvial  soils  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  contain  much 
material  which  has  been  carried  down  from  the  eroded  edges  of  the 
prairie  and  the  gray  silt  ridges  mixed  with  material  from  the  residual 
soils.  Those  found  along  the  streams  which  drain  the  loess  are  derived 
almost  entirely  from  that  formation  and  resemble  it  closely,  while  those 
deposited   along  the   Missouri   River   have   come   from   several   different 


300  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

sources,  are  more  complex,  and  differ  essentially  in  composition  from  the 
other  alluvial  soils  of  the  county. 

Closely  related  to  the  alluvial  soils  are  the  soils  found  in  valleys  of 
small  streams  and  along  the  base  of  long  slopes,  where  the  soils,  although 
they  have  not  been  carried  in  suspension,  have  reached  their  present  posi- 
tion through  the  gradual  work  of  surface  water,  which  has  removed  the 
particles  from  the  uplands  and  the  slopes  to  the  lowlands.  This  drift  or 
creep  often  results  in  almost  flat  areas  of  dark-colored  soil,  more  or  less 
similar  to  the  true  alluvial  types,  and  where  these  areas  are  of  suflicient 
extent  they  have  been  grouped  with  the  alluvial  soils. 

The  alluvial  soils  have  been  divided  into  two  groups.  Those  derived 
from  the  loess,  glacial,  and  residual  soils  and  found  along  the  streams  of 
the  county  have  been  mapped  as  Wabash  soils,  and  those  found  along  the 
Missouri  River  have  been  classified  as  Sarpy  soils. 

The  Knox  silt  loam  is  a  light-buff  or  very  light  yellowish-brown  silt 
loam,  smooth  and  satiny  in  texture.  At  a  depth  of  about  16  inches  this 
material  passes  very  gradually  into  a  heavier  silt  loam,  in  which  the  pro- 
portion of  very  fine  sand  found  in  the  surface  soil  is  very  much  reduced 
while  the  clay  content  is  slightly  increased.  The  subsoil  is  also  more 
yellow  and  sometimes  shows  a  reddish  tinge.  It  extends  to  a  depth  of 
several  feet.  In  many  places  at  a  depth  of  four  or  five  feet  there  occurs 
a  horizontal  layer  of  material  discolored  a  reddish  brown  by  iron  cxide. 
This  layer  usually  contains  numerous  small  iron  concretions  and  in  places 
small  pipes  of  the  same  material.  Below  this  depth  the  soil  grades  into 
a  more  or  less  mottled  gray  and  yellowish  silty  clay.  Where  exposed  to 
the  direct  action  of  running  water  or  to  travel,  as  in  public  roads,  the  loess 
from  which  the  type  is  derived  wears  away  very  rapidly  and  yet  the  soil 
seems  to  be  of  such  a  texture,  the  soil  grains  of  such  a  shape,  or  else  the 
material  is  so  held  together  by  a  very  slight  cementation  that  instead  oi 
creeping  and  moving  to  form  slopes  it  stands  in  perpendicular  banks.  Aa 
it  weathers  it  also  develops  a  peculiar  system  of  perpendicular  cracks 
which,  with  horizontal  cracks  at  greater  intervals,  gives  it  a  peculiar 
columnar  structure  somewhat  resembling  basaltic  columns. 

This  soil  was  formerly  timbered  and  supported  a  heavy  growth  of 
white,  bur,  and  laurel  oak,  black  and  white  walnut,  hickory,  elm,  hack- 
berry,  wild  cherry,  ash,  honey  locust,  pawpaw,  sassafras,  wild  plum,  and 
hazel,  but  on  account  of  its  value  for  agricultural  purposes  very  few  areas, 
and  these  of  small  extent,  remain  uncleared.  When  the  land  is  first 
cleared,  owing  to  the  very  large  amount  of  leaf  mold  and  humus  at  the 
surface,  this  portion  of  the  soil  is  quite  black,  but  after  weathering  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  301 

leaching  for  a  few  years,  it  becomes  much  lighter  in  color,  and  in  many 
places  the  surface  when  well  leached  and  dry  is  a  light-gray  differing  but 
little  in  color  or  texture  from  the  gray  silt  ridges  of  the  Boone  silt  loam. 
As  noted  already,  the  Knox  silt  loam  occupies  the  larger  part  of  the  survey 
between  the  main  east  and  west  lines  of  the  larger  streams  of  the  county 
and  the  Missouri  River,  the  area  approximating  one-fifth  of  that  of  the 
entire  county. 

As  a  whole  the  Knox  silt  loam  is  the  best  soil  of  the  area.  It  is  a 
deep,  well-drained  soil,  yet  holds  moisture  well.  This  is  noticeable  during 
periods  of  dry  weather  when  the  crops  on  it  are  much  better  able  to 
withstand  the  drought  than  those  on  some  of  the  other  soils  of  the  area. 
In  the  fall,  too,  the  forest  trees  on  it  remain  green  much  longer  than  on 
the  more  shallow  residual  soils.  This  soil  is  warm,  friable,  easily  culti- 
vated, and  productive.  The  average  yield  of  corn  on  fields  in  the  best 
condition  is  about  48  bushels  and  of  wheat  19  bushels  per  acre. 

The  Marshall  silt  loam,  like  the  Knox  silt  loam,  is  of  loessial  origin, 
but  it  differs  from  the  latter  in  color,  topography,  and  character  of  the 
subsoil.  On  the  other  hand,  it  differs  from  the  Oswego  silt  loam,  which 
it  resembles  at  the  surface,  in  having  a  deeper  surface  soil  and  in  lacking 
in  places  the  stiff  resistant  clay  layer  found  in  the  subsoil  of  the  latter. 

The  surface  soil  of  the  Marshall  silt  loam  is  a  very  dark  gray  to 
black,  smooth,  friable  silt  loam,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  about  20 
inches,  the  lower  part  of  the  section  usually  becoming  somewhat  lighter 
in  color.  The  subsoil  is  a  brown  mottled  silty  clay  grading  at  a  depth  of 
24  to  30  inches  into  a  yellowish  and  grayish  mottled  silty  clay,  some- 
what lighter  in  texture.  In  the  more  level  areas  a  heavy,  almost  imper- 
vious layer  of  brown  silty  clay,  six  to  10  inches  in  thickness,  forms  the 
upper  portion  of  the  subsoil,  but  in  the  more  rolling  areas  this  heavy 
layer  is  almost  or  entirely  wanting. 

The  Marshall  silt  loam  is  found  in  only  a  few  small  areas  in  Cooper 
County,  the  largest  of  these  occupying  the  more  level  land  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  portion  of  the  county.  A  few  small  bodies  also  occur  south- 
west of  the  town  of  Blackwater,  north  of  Lone  Elm,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Clarks  Fork. 

This  soil  is  well  supplied  with  humus  and  is  a  friable,  easily  culti- 
vated productive  soil.  Corn  yields  from  40  to  50  bushels  and  wheat  from 
13  to  18  bushels  per  acre. 

To  a  depth  of  10  inches  the  Oswego  silt  loam  is  a  smooth,  friable, 
black  or  very  dark  brown  silt  loam,  often  containing  in  the  first  few 
inches  an  appreciable  quantity  of  very  fine  sand.    Below  10  inches  the 


302  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

dark-colored  surface  soil  grades  into  a  lighter  colored  gray  silt.  The  soil 
also  becomes  slightly  heavier  in  texture  with  increased  depth,  and  at  about 
16  inches  rests  on  a  very  heavy,  tenacious,  brown  silty  clay,  which  often 
contains  numerous  small  iron  concretions.  The  line  of  contact  between 
the  soil  and  this  heavy  subsoil  is  very  sharp,  but  the  thickness  and  tenacity 
of  this  heavy  layer  varies  considerably  in  different  parts  of  the  area,  being 
thicker  and  more  resistant  on  the  more  level  and  poorly  drained  portions. 
At  a  depth  of  about  30  to  34  inches  this  heavy  subsoil  grades  into  a 
yellowish  and  gray  mottled  silty  clay  subsoil  lighter  in  texture  than  the 
soil  above  and  resembling  closely  the  subsoil  found  in  places  under  the 
loess  soils.  In  the  subsoil,  usually  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  heavy  layer, 
small  irregularly  lime  concretions  are  found,  the  quantity  in  places  being 
relatively  large. 

The  Oswego  silt  loam  is  one  of  the  extensive  soil  types  in  the  area 
and  occupies  the  higher  and  more  nearly  level  portions  of  the  area  covered 
by  the  upland  glacial  soils.  The  largest  body  of  it  occurs  east  of  Bunce- 
ton  and  south  of  Lone  Elm,  but  other  large  bodies  occur  in  the  vicinity 
of  Prairie  Home,  between  Moniteau  Creek  and  Stephens  Branch  jn  the 
east  and  Petite  Saline  on  the  west,  and  between  Petite  Saline  and  the 
Lamine.  Small  areas  also  occur  in  the  southeastern  and  in  the  south- 
western parts  of  the  county. 

Although  the  soils  of  these  areas  resemble  each  other  to  a  sufficient 
extent  to  be  classified  under  the  same  name,  there  is  considerable  varia- 
tion in  appearance  and  in  crop  value,  the  soils  west  of  a  north  and  south 
line  through  Bunceton  and  especially  those  southwest  of  Vermont  being 
dark-brown  instead  of  black  in  color,  having  a  somewhat  shallower  and 
more  resistant  subsoil,  and  as  a  whole  being  less  able  to  withstand 
droughts.  They  are  also  not  so  well  suited  for  deep  rooted  crops.  There 
are  also  variations  between  the  soils  of  areas  which  drain  toward  Moni- 
teau Creek  and  those  farther  north  which  drain  into  the  Petite  '  'inn, 
the  latter  in  most  places  being  slightly  deeper,  darker  colored,  and  re- 
sembling more  closely  the  Marshall  silt  loam. 

The  Oswego  silt  loam  is  a  corn,  timothy,  and  pasture  soil,  although 
wheat  and  oats  are  grown  on  it  to  a  considerable  extent.  Some  farmers 
are  using  portions  of  it  where  the  subsoil  is  not  too  heavy  quite  success- 
fully for  clover.  On  the  average  the  type  yields  42  bushels  of  corn  and 
15  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre. 

The  Boone  silt  loam  has  not  only  the  widest  distribution,  but  also  the 
greatest  range  in  variation  and  crop  value  of  any  soil  in  the  area.    Typi- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  ,')03 

cally  it  consists  of  a  yellowish-brown  or  grayish-brown  silt  loam  of  fairly 
uniform  texture,  with  a  depth  of  about  15  inches,  at  which  depth  it 
becomes  slightly  heavier  in  texture,  grading  into  the  same  mottled  yellow 
and  gray  silty  clay  subsoil  found  in  the  Oswego  silt  loam.  This  subsoil 
persists  to  a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more,  or  where  thin  rests  upon  the 
underlying  stony  material  derived  from  the  underlying  rocks.  This  ma- 
terial has  a  granular  structure  much  like  that  of  the  residual  limestone 
soils,  and  where  it  occurs  typically  no  heavy  layer  occurs  between  the  soil 
and  subsoil. 

The  Boone  silt  loam  borders  the  Oswego  silt  loam,  or  prairie  soils, 
on  all  sides,  and  may  be  considered  a  transitional  type  between  the  Os- 
wego silt  loam  and  the  lower  lying  residual  soils.  It  is  also  always  more 
or  less  mixed  with  both,  the  prairie  soils  being  washed  down  and  mixed 
with  it  and  the  underlying  residual  soils  mixed  with  it  through  the  move- 
ment of  the  soil  particles  down  the  slope,  so  that  its  boundaries  are  in 
places  very  indefinite.  In  origin  it  is  like  the  Oswego  silt  loam,  and  is  in 
reality  a  modified  form  of  that  soil,  resulting  from  the  removal  of  ma- 
terial from  the  surface.  In  areas  where  erosion  has  taken  place  the  yel- 
lowish brown  less  productive  soil  is  exposed  at  the  surface.  Boone  silt 
loam  where  the  black  prairie  soil  formerly  existed  can  be  noted  around 
the  source  and  along  the  slopes  of  many  small  streams  which  head  well 
back  into  the  prairie. 

At  the  foot  of  long  slopes  and  especially  along  the  heads  of  small 
streams  the  wash  may  accumulate,  forming  a  deep,  often  dark-colored 
soil.  Where  such  areas  are  of  sufficient  extent  they  have  been  mapped 
as  alluvial  soils,  but  where  too  small  to  be  indicated  on  the  soil  map  they 
have  been  included  with  the  Boone  silt  loam. 

Another  phase  of  this  soil  is  to  be  found  along  the  tops  of  long,  nar- 
row ridges  which  extend  from  the  prairie  out  between  the  upper  courses 
of  small  streams.  The  soil  of  these  ridges  ranges  in  color  from  an  ashy 
gray  to  cream  color  and  in  texture  from  that  of  the  loess  to  a  loose  flour- 
like silt,  probably  not  loess,  the  loess  areas  being  found  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  area  covered  by  the  type,  and  the  whiter  ridges  principally 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  The  light  soil  of  these  ridges  seems 
to  be  the  result  of  thorough  leaching,  in  which  not  only  the  color  but  also 
much  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  has  been  removed.  In  many  places  along 
the  tops  of  the  ridges  a  heavy  brown  clay  layer  has  been  developed  at  a 
depth  of  from  14  to  18  inches,  the  transition  from  the  light  silt  to  this 
layer  being  very  abrupt.    Below  the  brown  clay  occurs  the  mottled  silty 


304  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

clay,  found  under  the  remainder  of  this  soil.  These  ridges  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  area  undoubtedly  in  many  places  bear  a  thin  capping  of  loess 
and  approach  the  loess  in  crop  value,  but  those  farther  south  are  less 
productive. 

A  large  part  of  the  Boone  silt  loam  was  originally  timbered  by  oak, 
post  oak  and  bur  oak  being  the  principal  growth  on  the  ridges,  which 
are  locally  called  "post  oak  ridges'  and  have  the  heavy  layer  in  the  subsoil. 

The  Boone  silt  loam  as  a  whole  is  not  so  productive  a  soil  as  the 
prairie  soil  on  the  one  side  nor  the  limestone  soils  on  the  other.  It  has 
been  one  of  the  worst  used  soils  in  the  area,  is  deficient  in  organic  matter, 
and  does  not  hold  moisture  well,  yet  is  a  soil  which  can  readily  be  built 
up  and  made  to  yield  profitable  crops. 

The  Bates  silt  loam  is  a  dark-gray  to  grayish-brown  silt  loam  with  a 
yellowish  tinge  which  becomes  quite  noticeable  where  the  soil  is  eroded. 
At  a  depth  of  six  to  10  inches  this  graduates  into  a  yellowish-gray  to 
yellowish-brown  silt  loam.  The  clay  percentage  increases  downward  until 
at  30  inches  it  becomes  plastic  and  in  places  quite  sticky.  The  lower  15 
to  20  inches  is  usually  mottled  yellow  and  gray.  Bands  of  brown  to 
reddish-brown  silt,  in  places  faintly  cemented,  in  others  having  the  iron 
somewhat  concentrated  in  nodules,  occur  rather  abundantly  from  24 
inches  downward.  They  lie  horizontal.  Layers  of  light  ashy  gray  silt 
and  silty  clay  occur  also,  showing  an  ashy  gray  color  in  the  freshly 
plowed  fields  when  it  has  been  exposed. 

This  soil  differs  from  the  Knox  silt  loam  mainly  in  its  more  yellow 
color  and  its  higher  percentage  of  clay  in  the  subsoil.  Its  color  is  also 
much  less  uniform  than  is  that  of  the  Knox.  On  plowed  hillside  fields  its 
color  varies  with  the  erosion  and  the  color  of  the  particular  layer  out- 
cropping, while  that  of  the  Knox  is  uniform. 

The  timber  growth  is  like  that  of  the  Knox,  but  contains  a  higher 
percentage  of  oaks,  especially  laurel,  pin  and  post  oak,  and  a  lower  per- 
centage of  walnut  and  elm. 

The  Bates  silt  loam  is  derived  from  Coal  Measure  shales,  clays,  and 
argillaceous  sandstones  mixed  more  or  less  with  the  material  of  the  Knox 
silt  loam.  It  occurs  in  an  east-west  belt  across  the  northern  part  of  the 
county.  Where  the  surface  is  flat  the  soil  is  essentially  the  same  as  the 
Oswego  silt  loam.  It  becomes  the  Boone  silt  loam  only  within  the  areas 
where  the  surface  has  been  eroded.  The  belt  of  its  occurrence  lies  along 
an-  east-west  pre-Coal  Measure  valley  which  was  filled  with  Coal  Measure 
material  during  Coal  Measure  time.     It  lies  deeper  than  the  same  rocks 


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FROM  OSCAR   SPIELER'S   PENS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  305 

on  the  uplands  to  the  north  and  south  of  it.  They  have  disappeared  from 
the  latter  areas,  but  still  exist  in  this  belt. 

The  soil  of  the  Clarkoville  silt  loam  is  a  reddish  or  yellowish-brown 
silt  loam  having  a  somewhat  granular  structure,  by  which  it  can  often 
be  distinguished  from  the  other  silt  loams  of  the  area.  Typically  it  ex- 
tends to  a  depth  of  about  15  inches,  where  it  grades  into  a  siity  clay 
usually  brighter,  often  a  brick  red,  in  color.  This  subsoil  may  persist  to 
a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more,  but  often  at  a  less  depth  rests  upon  the 
underlying  bed  of  chert  or  limestone,  that  part  of  the  subsoil  immediately 
above  the  rocks  usually  being  a  very  stiff  red  or  yellow  clay. 

This  soil  is  residual  in  origin,  having  been  derived  from  the  disinte- 
gration in  place  of  beds  of  fossiliferous  limestone,  the  principal  formations 
being  the  Burlington  and  Choteau.  These,  especially  the  Burlington,  con- 
tain much  chert,  the  disintegration  of  which  takes  place  much  less  rapidly 
than  does  that  of  the  purer  limestone,  so  that  the  soil  is  often  quite  shal- 
low, and  fragments  of  chert  are  mingled  with  the  soil  and  scattered  over 
its  surface.  Where  the  soil  is  very  shallow  and  the  chert  fragments  are 
so  thick  as  to  interfere  seriously  with  cultivation,  the  areas,  if  of  sufficient 
size  to  be  shown  on  the  soil  map,  have  been  mapped  as  the  Clarksville 
stony  loam. 

The  Clarksville  silt  loam  occurs  along  the  lower  slopes  of  all  streams 
in  the  area,  except  those  in  the  northern  part  of  the  area  which  are  cov- 
ered by  loess,  the  tributaries  of  Moniteau  Creek  and  some  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  upper  Lamine.  Where  the  crests  of  the  ridges  and  hilltops 
carry  no  capping  of  glacial  or  loessial  material  the  entire  surface  is  cov- 
ered by  this  soil. 

Originally  the  Clarksville  silt  loam  was  heavily  timbered  with  black 
walnut,  laurel  oak,  elm,  hickory,  and  sassafras,  and  many  splendid  groves 
of  black  walnut  are  found  on  it  at  present  in  different  parts  of  the  area. 
Where  of  good  deoth,  comparatively  free  from  chert,  and  well  handled, 
it  is  probably  the  best  wheat  soil  of  the  area.  Corn  yields  range  from 
35  to  40  bushels  and  wheat  yields  from  16  to  22  bushels  per  acre. 

The  Clarksville  stony  loam  is  agriculturally  an  unimportant  type  and 
consists  of  those  areas  in  the  Clarksville  silt  loam  in  which  the  percentage 
of  rock  at  or  near  the  surface  is  so  large  that  they  are  of  little  or  no 
value  for  farming.  Some  of  the  less  stony  portions  might  be  cleared  of 
stones  and  used  for  orchard  and  pasture,  but  in  many  cases  the  surface 
of  the  ground  is  almost  or  entirely  covered  with  fragments  of  chert.  In 
(20) 


306  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

other  places  there  is  a  surface  covering  of  soil,  but  this  is  so  thin  that 
it  can  scarcely  be  cultivated.  Areas  in  which  limestone  outcrops  along 
the  bluffs  and  hill  slopes  have  been  included  with  this  soil  as  well  as  some 
of  the  stony  areas  found  along  Moniteau  Creek  and  surrounded  by  Baxter 
silt  loam. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  Clarksville  stony  loam  is  still  timbered, 
usually  with  post  and  bur  oak,  and  clumps  of  these  trees  in  areas  of  Clarks- 
ville silt  loam  usually  mark  the  stony  areas.  Many  areas  of  this  soil  on 
account  of  their  small  size  have  not  been  separated  from  the  silt  loam. 

The  surface  soil  of  the  Baxter  silt  loam  consists  of  a  light  yellowish 
brown  silt  loam  which,  at  a  depth  of  about  16  inches,  grades  into  a  silty 
granular  clay.  The  subsoil  becomes  heavier  in  texture  and  redder  in 
color  to  a  depth  of  about  two  feet,  where  it  is  mottled  in  appearance,  this 
mottling  extending  to  a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more. 

The  Baxer  silt  loam,  like  the  Clarksville  silt  loam,  is  residual  in 
origin.  It  is  derived  from  the  disintegration  of  the  less  fossiliferous  and, 
in  this  area,  more  cherty  Magnesian  limestone  which  outcrops  in  the 
southeastern  and  also  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county.  It  differs 
but  little  in  color  or  texture  from  the  Clarksville  silt  loam,  but  on  the 
whole  is  less  productive.  The  timber  growth  consists  principally  of  white, 
bur,  and  post  oak,  the  walnut,  elm,  and  other  trees  of  the  Clarksville  soils 
being  almost  entirely  wanting.  Many  of  the  ridges  also  have  the  whitish 
appearance  of  the  post-oak  ridges  of  the  Boone  silt  loam. 

This  soil  in  places  is  three  feet  or  more  in  depth,  but  is  often  underlain 
at  a  less  depth  by  chert  fragments  or  by  limestone.  Chert  and  fragments 
of  the  soft  white  "cotton  rock"  are  often  scattered  over  the  surface  and 
through  the  soil,  making  it  unfit  for  cultivation. 

The  Wabash  silt  loam  is  an  alluvial  soil  composed  of  material  eroded 
from  the  other  soils  of  the  area,  worked  over  by  the  streams,  and  rede- 
posited  along  their  flood  plains.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  along 
the  lower  course  of  the  Petite  Saline  and  the  small  streams  which  flow 
into  the  Missouri,  this  soil  has  been  derived  very  largely  from  the  loess ; 
but  in  other  parts  of  the  area  it  has  come  from  areas  occupied  by  the 
residual  soils  and  the  upland  soils  of  glacial  origin,  the  light-colored  silt 
from  the  gray  ridges  being  in  many  places  quite  noticeable. 

Although  varying  considerably  in  color,  texture,  and  structure  the 
Wabash  silt  loam,  as  occurring  in  this  area,  may  be  described  as  a  dark- 
gray  or,  when  moist,  a  black,  smooth-textured,  friable,  light  silt  loam, 
which  becomes  lighter  in  color  at  a  depth  of  about  12  inches,  but  shows  no 
change  in  texture  to  a  depth  of  two  feet  or  more.    At  this  depth  the  ma- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  307 

terial  usually  becomes  darker  and  heavier,  retaining  these  characteristics 
to  a  depth  of  several  feet.  In  places,  however,  the  subsoil  is  underlain  by 
gravel,  unconsolidated  and  residual  material,  or  the  solid  rock.  In  many 
places  a  gray,  flourlike  silt  covers  the  surface  of  small  areas,  and  in  others 
the  gray  layer  below  the  surface  soil  is  wanting,  the  dark,  rather  heavy 
silt  loam  extending  from  the  surface  to  the  depth  of  three  feet  or  more. 
In  still  other  places  the  surface  soil  is  found  to  contain  a  relatively  high 
content  of  very  fine  sand.  Where  the  light-colored  phase  occurs  it  is,  like 
the  gray  silt  ridges  from  which  it  has  been  eroded,  somewhat  less  pro- 
ductive than  the  darker  soils.  On  the  other  hand,  where  the  very  dark, 
rather  heavy  silt  loam  extends  through  the  entire  soil  section  the  type 
is  often  poorly  drained  and  somewhat  refractory  under  cultivation.  Much 
of  the  Wabash  silt  loam  is  subject  to  annual  or  occasional  overflow,  and 
while  this  adds  to  the  richness  of  the  soil  through  the  deposition  of  silt, 
especially  when  the  material  comes  from  the  loess  or  the  residual  soils, 
these  periods  of  high  water  usually  occur  at  times  when  they  do  consid- 
erable damage  to  crops. 

Where  second  bottoms  occur  they  are  in  most  cases  above  the  reach 
of  flood  water.  The  soils  are  also  comparatively  uniform  in  texture,  well 
drained,  and  among  the  most  productive  of  the  area.  Along  the  steep 
slope  which  usually  separates  the  lower  bottom  from  these  second  bot- 
toms there  is  often  exposed  a  narrow  strip  of  red  residual  soil. 

As  a  whole,  the  Wabash  silt  loam,  although  lacking  uniformity,  is 
among  the  best  soils  of  the  county.  It  is  especially  well  a'dapted  to  alfalfa, 
owing  in  part  to  the  position  of  ground  water,  which  is  near  enough  the 
surface  for  this  deep-rooted  plant  to  reach.  Corn  yields  an  average  of  45 
bushels  and  wheat  between  14  and  20  bushels  per  acre. 

The  Wabash  clay  is  an  unimportant  type  in  this  area,  only  a  few 
small  bodies  of  it  having  been  mapped,  although  many  others  too  small 
to  be  shown  on  the  soil  map  occur  in  the  lower  poorly  drained  portions  of 
the  Wabash  silt  loam.  It  is  a  heavy,  sticky  black  clay,  which  dries  and 
cracks  at  the  surface,  the  soil  breaking  into  small,  irregular  cubelike  frag- 
ments. At  a  depth  of  about  16  inches  this  black  soil  grades  into  a  stiff, 
waxy  clay,  somewhat  lighter  in  color,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  throe 
feet  or  more.  The  type  is  of  alluvial  origin,  being  the  result  of  deposition 
of  the  finer  soil  particles  from  very  quiet  water.  Its  formation  has  also 
in  most  places  been  influenced  by  conditions  of  very  poor  drainage. 

The  largest  area  of  this  soil  found  in  the  county  occurs  along  the 
Lamine  River  near  its  mouth,  but  other  small  areas  are  found  farther  up 
the  Lamine  Valley  and  along  Blackwater  and  Petite  Saline,  much  of  that 


308  *  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

near  the  town  of  Blackwater  being  somewhat  lighter  and  better  suited  for 
farming  than  the  typical  Wabash  clay.  This  soil  is  commonly  known  as 
gumbo,  and  is  cultivated  with  considerable  difficulty,  unless  handled  when 
in  just  the  proper  condition.  When  so  handled  it  produces  good  crops  of 
wheat  and  grass  and  is  used  to  some  extent  for  corn.  It  can,  however. 
be  greatly  improved  by  thorough  drainage  and  by  cultivation.  The  yields 
of  wheat  and  corn  are  somewhat  lower  than  on  the  type  just  described. 

The  Sarpy  silty  clay  is  a  yellowish  dark  brown  to  almost  black  silty 
clay,  underlain  at  a  depth  of  about  14  inches  by  a  very  fine  sandy  loam, 
light  in  color  and  extending  to  a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more.  In  places 
thin  layers  of  silt  or  silty  clay  are  encountered  in  the  subsoil,  and  in  other 
places  the  heavy  surface  soil  extends  to  a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more, 
the  subsoil  being  lighter  in  color  than  the  surface  material,  but  very 
plastic  and  puttylike.  The  light-textured  subsoil,  however,  seems  to  pre- 
vail over  the  greater  part  of  the  type. 

Only  a  small  area  of  Sarpy  silty  clay  occurs  in  Cooper  County,  this 
being  near  Wooldridge. 

This  soil  is  heavy  and  cracks  and  breaks  into  cubes  when  dry.  It  is 
thei'efore  somewhat  difficult  to  handle,  but  is  a  rich,  productive  soil  and 
well  suited  to  the  principal  crops  of  the  area,  which  yield  about  as  well 
as  on  the  Wabash  soils. 

The  Sarpy  silt  loam,  like  the  Sarpy  silty  clay,  is  of  alluvial  origin,  has 
a  level  surface,  and  is  subject  to  occasional  overflow.  It  consists  of  a 
yellowish-brown  rather  heavy  silty  soil,  though  lighter  both  in  color  and 
texture  than  the  silty  clay,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  about  16  inches, 
where  it  is  underlain  by  a  lighter-colored  fine  sandy  loam  similar  to  the 
materials  found  under  the  silty  clay.  In  places,  hoewver,  the  heavy  sur- 
face soil  extends  to  the  depth  of  three  feet  or  more.  This  soil  is  easily 
cultivated  and  very  productive.  It  occurs  in  only  one  area  located  near 
Wooldridge. 

The  Sarpy  fine  sandy  loam  consists  of  a  rather  silty  fine  sandy  loam 
with  a  depth  of  about  12  inches,  resting  on  a  fine  sand.  It  is  an  unim- 
portant type  in  this  area,  a  few  small  areas  only  having  been  outlined 
along  the  Missouri  River.  The  principal  cultivated  area  is  on  Terrapin 
Island. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  PRESS 


FIRST  NEWSPAPER— SECOND  NEWSPAPER — "THE  COON  HUNTER" — OTHER  PIO- 
NEER PAPERS—  BOONVILLE  ADVERTISER  FOUNDED— BOONVILLE  EAGLE- 
CENTRAL  MISSOURIAN — TOPIC — WESTERN  CHRISTIAN  UNION — PILOT  GROVE 
BEE— SHAVE  TAIL  COURIER— BLACKWATER  NEWS— OTTERVILLE  MAIL- 
CENTRAL  MISSOURI  REPUBLICAN— BUNCETON  EAGLE. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Cooper  County  was  established  at  Boonville 
about  the  year  1834,  and  was  called  the  "Boonville  Herald."  It  was  owned 
by  James  0.  Middleton,  and  edited  by  Benjamin  E.  Ferry,  who  was  after- 
wards county  clerk  of  Cooper  County.  In  the  year  1838,  Robert  Brent 
bought  one-half  interest  in  the  paper  from  James  Middleton,  and  on  the 
8th  of  April,  in  that  year,  they  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  that  of 
"The  Western  Emigrant."  March  7,  1839,  C.  W.  Todd  purchased  Brent's 
interest  in  the  paper,  and  the  paper  was  edited  about  one  year  by  Messrs. 
Middleton  and  Todd.  April  30,  1840,  C.  W.  Todd  purchased  Middlton's 
interest  in  the  paper,  and  changed  the  name  to  that  of  the  "Boonville 
Observer."  C.  W.  Todd  continued  as  sole  proprietor  of  the  paper  until 
Feb.  3,  1842,  when  he  sold  one-half  interest  in  it  to  T.  J.  Boggs.  March 
29,  1843,  F.  M.  Caldwell  and  J.  S.  Collins  purchased  the  paper  from  Todd 
&  Boggs.  They  continued  to  edit  it  in  partnership  only  until  June  7, 
1843,  when  F.  M.  Caldwell  purchased  the  interest  of  Collins,  and  became 
sole  proprietor.  Caldwell  soon  sold  one-half  interest  in  the  paper  to  Allen 
Hammond,  and  it  was  edited  under  the  firm  name  of  Caldwell  &  Hammond 
until  June  9,  1846,  when  Caldwell  sold  out  his  interest  to  Allen  Ham- 
mond. Hammond  continued  to  edit  it  alone  until  Nov.  7,  1850,  when  F. 
M.  Caldwell  returned  from  Virginia,  and  again  purchased  a  half  interest 
in  the  paper.    They  continued  to  edit  it  in  partnership  for  several  years, 


310  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

when  they  sold  the  paper  to  Augustus  W.  Simpson,  who  remained  pub- 
lisher of  it  until  it  ceased  publication  in  1861,  on  account  of  the  excitement 
incident  to  the  war.  In  politics  the  paper  was  Whig  until  the  year  1354, 
when  the  Whig  party  ceased  to  exist.  It  then  became  Democratic,  and 
remained  so  until  it  ceased  publication. 

The  next  newspaper  established  was  the  "Missouri  Register,"  pub- 
lished by  William  T.  Yoeman.  The  first  number  of  it  appeared  in  July. 
1839.  It  was  the  first  Democratic  paper  published  in  western  Missouri, 
and  was  established  mainly  to  aid  in  the  campaign  of  1840.  On  April  22, 
1841,  Yoeman  sold  one-half  interest  in  the  paper  to  Edgar  A.  Robinson, 
and  the  paper  continued  to  be  published  by  Yoeman  and  Robinson  until 
Aug.  9,  1843,  when  Ira  Van  Nortwick  purchased  it  from  them.  It  waa 
afterwards  successively  owned  by  Quisenberry,  Price,  Ward  &  Chilton, 
the  last  named  of  whom  continued  to  publish  it  until  the  great  temperance 
excitement  broke  out  in  1853.  The  paper  had  previous  to  this  time  been 
taken  up  almost  exclusively  by  political  discussions,  but  it  was  then  pur- 
chased by  a  man  named  Benjamin  F.  Buie,  who  filled  its  columns  exclu- 
sively with  discussions  in  regard  to  the  great  question  of  temperance, 
which  was  then  agitating  the  public  mind.  Buie  soon  sold  out  the  paper 
to  Allen  Hammond,  and  soon  after  this  the  paper  ceased  publication  for 
want  of  patronage. 

During  the  heat  of  the  campaign  of  1840,  the  editors  of  the  "Missouri 
Register,"  Messrs.  Ward  &  Chilton,  started  a  weekly  campaign  sheet, 
which  advocated  the  claims  of  Van  Buren  for  President.  As  soon  as  the 
campaign  was  over,  and  Van  Buren  defeated,  the  paper  ceased  publication. 
The  name  of  this  paper  was  the  "Boonville  Argus." 

"The  Coon  Hunter"  was  published  by  Ward  &  Shelton,  in  1840.  The 
next  paper  was  the  "Democratic  Union,"  established  in  the  fall  of  1844, 
and  run  by  Blair  and  Chilton.  Following  this  in  succession  in  1847,  was 
a  Whig  paper,  called  the  "Boonville  Bulletin,"  published  by  Caldwell  & 
Hammond.  On  Dec.  31,  1850,  Messrs.  Caldwell  and  Hammond,  proprie- 
tors of  the  "Boonville  Observer,"  commenced  the  publication  of  a  sheet, 
called  the  "Tri-Weekly  Observer,"  which  was  printed  three  times  a  week. 
It  was  continued  unutil  March  8,  1851.  "The  Iris,"  a  college  magazine, 
was  published  in  1851.  In  1852,  the  "Central  Missourian"  was  started, 
but  was  soon  discontinued.  It  was  succeeded  by  the  "Boonville  Missour- 
ian," in  1853,  which  occupied  the  same  office.  The  paper  was  edited  by 
A.  C.  Speer,  who  was  a  strong  advocate  of  Whig  principles,  and  also  a 
staunch  friend  of  the  temperance  cause.     "The  Ladies'  Garland"  was 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  311 

started  in  1856.  The  next  paper  was  the  "Boonville  Patriot,"  which  was 
established  by  a  man  named  John  Gill,  in  the  year  1856.  It  was  after- 
wards sold  to  F.  M.  Caldwell,  who  continued  to  publish  it  until  the  year 
1861,  when  the  materials,  presses,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  office  were  seized 
by  General  Worthington,  in  command  of  some  Federal  forces  at  Jefferson 
City,  and  taken  by  him  to  the  latter  place.  Soon  afterwards,  Lewis  H. 
Stahl  went  to  Jefferson  City,  and  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  most 
influential  Federals,  succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  the  material  be- 
longing to  the  office,  which  General  Worthington  had  seized,  and  brought 
them  back  to  Boonville.  Immediately  upon  his  return,  Messrs.  Caldwell 
and  Stahl  commenced  the  publication  of  the  "Boonville  Advertiser,"  the 
first  number  of  which  appeared  June  15,  1862.  After  publishing  it  for 
some  time,  they  sold  out  to  Messrs.  Drury  and  Selby,  who  published  the 
paper  for  a  year  or  two,  when  F.  M.  Caldwell  &  Company  again  got  pos- 
session of  it,  and  continued  proprietors  of  it  until  April,  1878.  The  edi- 
tors of  this  paper,  during  this  period,  have  been  J.  G.  Pangborn,  H.  A. 
Hutchinson,  George  W.  Frame,  Charles  E.  Hasbrook,  Judge  Benjamin 
Tompkins  and  S.  W.  Ravenel. 

October  25,  1875,  the  proprietors  of  the  "Boonville  Advertiser"  com- 
menced the  publication  of  a  daily  edition  of  the  same,  under  the  name  of 
the  "Boonville  Daily  Advertiser".  The  "Daily  Advertiser"  was  discontinued 
March  7,  1879.  Mr.  Ravenel  took  charge  of  the  "Advertiser"  in  March,  1878, 
as  manager  and  local  editor,  and  on  March  7,  1879,  leased  the  paper,  and 
was  until  1884  manager  and  editor.  He  was  succeeded  by  Walter  Wil- 
liams, now  the  dean  of  the  College  of  Journalism  at  the  State  University. 
He  in  turn  by  Messrs.  Stahl  with  James  R.  Allen,  editor.  Succeeding  Mr. 
Allen  as  editor  was  Lucien  Wright.  Later  the  paper  was  pui'chased  by 
the  veteran  editor  Capt.  C.  J.  Walden,  who  is  now  the  manager  and  editor 
of  the  same. 

The  "Boonville  Eagle",  a  weekly  paper,  was  established  in  Sept. 
1865,  by  Milo  Blair.  Sept.  28,  1875,  he  took  Charles  H.  Allen  into 
partnership  with  him.     In  politics  it  was  republican. 

The  "Wachter  Am  Missouri",  a  paper  published  in  the  German 
language  was  established  in  1867,  by  L.  Joachimi.  It  was  purchased  in 
1874  by  F.  W.  Ludwig,  who  changed  its  name  to  the  "Central  Missourier". 
Haller  was  the  proprietor  until  1907.  It  suspended  publication  Dec.  26th, 
of  that  year.     In  politics  it  was  republican. 

The  "Boonville  News"  was  started  October  1,  1880,  by  A.  B.  Thornton, 
who  was  afterwards  killed.     The  paper  was  continued  for  a  short  time  by 


312  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

his  wife,  Mrs.  M.  0.  Thornton,  and  her  daughters.  It  was  politically,  a 
greenback  paper. 

George  W.  Ferrell  started  the  "Boonville  Weekly  Topic",  Aug.  18, 
1877,  and  after  running  it  about  eight  months,  F.  M.  Caldwell  became 
owner.  Caldwell  published  the  paper  alone  till  Feb.  8,  1880,  when  A.  B. 
Thornton  purchased  an  interest.  September  18,  1880,  Col.  H.  A.  Hutchison 
bought  Thornton's  interest,  the  paper  was  edited  by  Hutchison,  and  pub- 
lished by  Caldwell  &  Hutchison,  Caldwell  as  business  manager.  It  was 
democratic  in  politics.  Capt.  S.  W.  Ravenel  and  William  McCarty  then 
became  the  owners  of  "The  Topic"  until  the  same  was  purchased  by  Col. 
William  Switzler,  who  changed  the  name  to  the  "Missouri  Democrat". 
Switzler  in  turn  was  succeeded  in  the  ownership  of  the  "Democrat"  by 
W.  D.  Jones,  who,  after  running  it  two  or  three  years  sold  it  to  Gordon 
Kapp.  The  Democrat  was  then  changed  to  a  daily  and  as  such  prospered 
for  a  year  or  so.  The  last  two  or  three  months  it  was  edited  and  con- 
ducted by  N.  H.  Johnson  and  Simpson  after  which  Gordon 

Kapp,  who  was  the  owner,  disposed  of  the  property.  Some  time  during 
the  80's  the  "Boonville  Tri-weekly  Star"  made  its  appearance  under  the 
management  of  Bert  Plant,  with  whom  was  associated  at  different  times  a 
number  of  writers  and  editors.  The  paper  was  of  a  sensational  character 
and  its  columns  were  open  to  various  writers.  It  flourished  for  a  while 
and  died  of  mental  exhaustion. 

The  "Western  Christian  Union"  was  started  a  number  of  years  ago 
by  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Pfaffenberger,  which  throughout  the  years  has  been  a 
pleasing,  interesting  and  beneficial  journal. 

The  "Pilot  Grove  Bee"  was  established  in  1882,  the  first  number  being 
issued  the  first  week  in  September,  by  James  Barton.  It  was  a  seven- 
column  folio,  and  democratic  in  politics.  This  plant  was  purchased  by  J. 
J.  Dickinson,  afterwards  major  of  the  6th  Missouri  regiment  in  the  Span- 
ish-American War  and  now  a  prominent  newspaper  man  in  New  York  City, 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  the  "Pilot  Grove  Record".  He  was  succeeded 
in  ownership  of  the  paper  by  Traughber  and  he  in  turn  by  D.  L.  Roe  and 
Charles  Houx,  D.  L.  Roe  eventually  becoming  the  owner.  D.  L.  Roe  after- 
wards sold  the  paper  to  W.  F.  Johnson,  who  after  conducting  it  about  two 
years  disposed  of  it  to  W.  R.  Annan.  This  paper  sometime  during  the 
years  was  changed  to  the  "Pilot  Grove  Record",  its  present  name,  and 
through  successive  changes  came  into  the  possession  of  G.  B.  Harland,  who 
is  now  the  owner  and  editor. 

In  this  history  of  the  newspapers  of  Cooper  County,  we  should  not 
omit  from  the  list  the  "Shave  Tail  Courier",  which  deserves  honorable  men- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  313 

tion,  because  it  was  much  esteemed  by  the  old  settlers  of  that  day. 

At  an  early  day,  Napoleon  Beatty,  quite  an  original  character,  lived 
18  miles  west  of  Boonville,  in  Cooper  County,  on  what  was  called  Shave 
Tail  Creek.  In  that  vicinity  a  store  was  located,  the  predominating  articles 
of  trade  being  tobacco  and  whiskey,  the  latter  the  matutinal  drink  of  the 
old  pioneer.  Beatty  was  noted  for  his  bonhommie,  and  was  not  only  the 
recognized  fiddler  of  the  neighborhood  where  he  resided,  but  was  intensely 
fond  of  and  well  posted  in  all  the  rural  games  and  sports  of  that  day.  Dur- 
ing his  early  manhood  he  was 

"In  wrestling  nimble,  in  running  swift; 
In  shooting  steady,  in  swimming  strong. 
Well  made  to  strike,  to  leap,  to  throw  or  lift, 
And  all  the  sports  that  shepherds  are  among." 

His  fiddle  was  his  inseparable  companion,  and  when  spending  an  even- 
ing with  friends,  he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  discoursing  to  them  the  most 
delightful  music,  always  accompanying  his  instrument  with  a  unique  and 
improvised  song,  which  was  replete  with  wise  and  startling  hits  and  felicit- 
ous inuendoes,  touching  the  vulnerability  of  some  one  or  more  of  his 
entranced  and  rustic  auditors. 

Beatty  was  the  sole  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  "Shave  Tail  Courier", 
which  appeared,  at  regular  intervals,  in  manuscript  form.  The  happenings, 
the  sayings  and  the  doings  of  the  neighborhood  were  faithfully  gathered 
and  garnered  by  this  original  chronicler,  who  read  aloud  his  paper  to  his 
admirers,  in  his  own  inimitable  style.  If  there  occurred  a  dance  in  the 
locality,  a  record  of  it  was  made  in  the  "Courier".  If  a  quilting  party  or  a 
shooting  match  came  off,  the  particulars  were  given  in  the  "Courier".  If 
a  wedding  took  place,  the  event  was  mentioned  in  a  recherche  manner  in 
the  "Courier".  The  bride  was  the  special  theme  for  highest  eulogium, 
and  the  wedded  pair  elicited  the  warmest  wishes  for  their  future  happiness, 
in  fact,  the  "Courier",  like  the  good  mirror,  reflected  not  only  the  redoubt- 
able editor's  views  of  matters  and  things,  but  reflected  as  well,  on  popular 
subjects,  the  will  of  the  people. 

The  "Blackwater  News"  was  established  in  Blackwater,  Mo.,  in  the 
seventies  by  Thomas  Horn,  who  was  a  forceful  and  vigorous  writer.  It 
was  conducted  by  him  until  the  time  of  his  death  and  is  now  successfully 
managed  by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Horn. 

The  "Otterville  Mail"  of  Otterville  was  established  over  twenty  years 
ago  and  is  now  successfully  and  ably  conducted  by  G.  P.  Garland. 

The  Boonville  Publishing  Company  was  organized  in  1884  for  the  pub- 


314  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

lication  of  the  "Central  Missouri  Republican".  The  first  issue  of  this  paper 
appeared  July  1,  1884.  Some  of  the  prime  movers  and  stockholders  in  the 
enterprise  were  Eugene  Haller,  Prof.  A.  H.  Sauter,  Martin  Haller,  and 
Col.  C.  C.  Bell.  Others  were  interested  also  but  we  have  not  the  names  at 
hand.  This  journal  continued  under  various  editorial  management  until 
about  1904  when  Mitchell  and  Mitchell  became  the  owners,  who  after  con- 
ducting the  paper  a  year  or  so,  sold  it  to  John  M.  Grimes,  who  in  turn  sold 
it  to  Meadow.  In  a  short  time,  however,  Mitchell  again  became  the  pro- 
prietor and  conducted  the  paper  until  his  death.  Ferguson  and  Harte  then 
purchased  the  same  from  the  widow  of  Mr.  Mitchell  on  the  first  day  of 
February,  1915.  Ferguson  retired  from  any  connection  in  August  of  that 
year  and  Mr.  Houston  Harte  is  now  the  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  same. 
It  is  an  up-to-date,  newsy,  and  bright  paper. 

The  present  Bunceton  "Weekly  Eagle"  was  established  in  Bunceton  in 
1888  by  the  late  J.  Monroe  Norris  under  the  name  of  the  "Bunceton  Enter- 
prise". In  a  short  time  Mr.  Norris  sold  the  paper  to  Asa  W.  Pizer  and  Dr. 
J.  B.  Norman,  who  in  turn  sold  it  in  1889  or  1890  to  W.  E.  Gold,  who 
changed  the  name  to  the  "Bunceton  Weekly  Eagle".  After  publishing  the 
paper  a  short  time  Gold  sold  to  J.  L.  (Fritz)  Johnson,  who  in  turn  sold  to 
C.  L.  Cully,  who  upon  his  appointment  to  the  postmastership  in  Bunceton, 
sold  to  L.  0.  Nelson,  in  June,  1893. 

Soon  after  acquiring  the  "Eagle"  Mr.  Nelson  took  into  partnership 
with  him  his  brother,  W.  L.  Nelson,  and  the  firm  name  became  L.  0.  and 
W.  L.  Nelson  and  remained  such  until  Aug.,  1915,  when  L.  0.  Nelson  re- 
linquished the  active  management  of  the  paper  to  become  postmaster  at 
Bunceton.  Edgar  C.  Nelson,  who  had  been  connected  .with  the  "Eagle"  in 
a  reportorial  capacity  for  several  years,  became  the  active  publisher  and 
the  firm  name  became  Nelson  Bros. 

The  "Eagle"  is  the  most  widely  read  newspaper  in  Cooper  County  and 
is  known  all  over  Missouri  as  a  county  farm  and  stock  weekly.  For  many 
years  special  attention  has  been  given  to  county  farm  and  stock  news  and 
the  "Eagle"  has  had  a  wonderful  success  along  that  line.  It  is  never  less 
than  eight  pages,  all  home  print,  and  during  the  busy  season  in  the  spring 
it  often  carries  from  12  to  16  pages. 

In  politics  the  "Eagle"  has  always  been  Democratic.  It  is  one  of  the 
few  weeklies  in  Missouri  that  is  strictly  cash  in  advance  as  regards  sub- 
scriptions, and  its  readers  seem  to  appreciate  this  policy. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


BANKING  AND  CURRENCY. 


EARLY  CONDITIONS— FIRST  BANKS— DR.  TRIGG  ESTABLISHES  FIRST  BANK  IN 
BOONVILLE— BRANCH  OF  BANK  OF  ST.  LOUIS  ESTABLISHED— CENTRAL  NA- 
TIONAL BANK— COOPER  COUNTY  BANKS — BOONVnJLiE  NATIONAL  BANK- 
FARMERS'  TRUST  COMPANY— COMMERCIAL  BANK  OF  BOONVILLE— BANK  OF 
BUNCETON — COOPER  COUNTY  BANK  OF  BUNCETON — FARMERS'  STOCK  BANK 
OF  BLACKWATER— EANK  OF  BLACKWATER— PILOT  GROVE  BANK— BANK  OF 
WOOLRIDGE— BANK  OF  PLEASANT  GREEN— FARMERS'  AND  MERCHANTS 
BANK  OF  OTTERVILLE. 

Cooper  County  entered  early  in  the  history  of  the  state  in  the  banking 
business.  It  is  true  that  banking  in  Missouri  is  just  a  little  more  than 
one  hundred  years  old,  yet  the  first  banks  were  mere  efforts  and  proved 
abortive.  The  first  bank  in  the  state  was  established  in  St.  Louis  in  1816, 
about  fifty  years  after  the  place  had  been  founded.  This  bank  had  been 
chartered  in  1813,  and  called  the  Bank  of  St.  Louis,  and  in  1817,  the  Bank 
of  Missouri  was  chartered.  Neither  of  these  banks,  however,  lasted  very 
long.  The  Bank  of  St.  Louis  failed  in  1819,  and  the  Bank  of  Missouri 
went  in  the  same  way  in  1822. 

.  In  1819,  there  was  a  country-wide  panic,  caused  by  the  riotous  of 
reckless  speculation  all  over  the  country,  particularly  in  the  newer  parts. 
There  was  a  great  mania  for  buying  and  selling  property,  especially  land, 
in  the  Boonslick  country.  It  was  not  until  1821,  that  Missouri  had  another 
bank.  This  was  a  branch  of  the  United  States  bank,  and  was  established 
in  St.  Louis.  It  in  turn  had  several  branches  throughout  the  state,  but 
this  bank  was  forced  to  wind  up  its  business  in  1836,  by  reason  of  President 
Jackson's  veto  of  the  bill  to  renew  the  charter  of  the  United  States  bank. 
At  this  time,  St.  Louis  had  a  population  of  about  six  thousand  people,  and 


316  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

there  was  a  crying  need  for  a  bank,  and  in  fact,  a  number  of  banks  through- 
out the  state. 

In  1837  the  Legislature  authorized  the  opening  of  a  state  bank.  The 
Bank  of  the  State  of  Missouri  was  for  ten  years  the  only  bank  of  sort  in 
the  state,  but  in  1847,  the  Boatsmen's  Saving  Institution  was  established 
in  St.  Louis.  This  bank  still  exists  under  the  name  of  Boatsmen's  Bank. 
This  year  also  marked  the  banking  business  in  Cooper  County. 

In  1847,  the  first  bank  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  established  by  Dr.  William 
H.  Trigg,  and  was  located  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Morgan 
streets.  James  Quarles  was  cashier.  Dr.  Trigg  continued  a  general  bank- 
ing business,  in  his  own  name,  until  1858.  He  then  formed  a  banking 
association,  under  the  name  of  William  H.  Trigg  &  Co.,  composed  of  some 
of  the  leading  capitalists  and  ablest  financiers  of  central  Missouri.  After  a 
prosperous  career  this  association  was  compelled  to  wind  up  its  extensive 
and  rapidly  increasing  business  on  account  of  the  troubles  into  which  the 
country  was  thrown  by  the  unfortunate  war  between  the  two  sections. 
The  cashier  of  the  Trigg  &  Co.  bank  was  John  Ainslee,  and  in  the  latter 
period  of  the  bank  liquidation,  John  T.  Pigott  and  William  M.  Johnson  were 
the  cashiers. 

The  next  banking  enterprise  in  Cooper  County  was  the  opening  at 
Boonville  of  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  St.  Louis  in  the  year  1856.  With  this 
enterprise  were  connected  William  E.  Burr,  Joseph  L.  Stephens,  James  M. 
Nelson,  C.  W.  and  J.  Sombart,  William  Harley,  John  R.  French  and  others. 
In  1865  the  Central  National  Bank  was  established  in  which  enterprise 
were  associated  some  of  the  leading  financiers  of  Boonville  and  Cooper 
County.  During  the  life  of  Joseph  L.  Stephens  until  his  death  in  1881  this 
was  one  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of  central  Missouri  and  con- 
tinued so  to  be  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter.  After  the  death  of 
Joseph  L.  Stephens,  the  bank  was  largely  under  the  control  and  mrnacrs- 
ment  of  W.  Speed  and  Lon  V.  Stephens  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a 
strong  and  flourishing  financial  institution.  Oct.  28,  1916,  it  was  forcer! 
to  close  its  doors  by  the  comptroller  of  currency  and  went  into  liquidation. 
There  was  no  run  upon  the  bank  and  every  depositor  received  his  money. 
The  supposed  cause  of  the  closing  of  the  bank  was  a  series  of  bad  loans 
running  back  through  a  number  of  years.  There  is  pending  at  this  time 
a  suit  by  some  of  the  stockholders  against  certain  officers  of  the  bank,  the 
result  of  which  is  not  yet  determined.  The  closing  of  this  supposed  strong 
financial  institution  was  a  surprise  and  shock  not  only  to  the  community 
but  to  central  Missouri.     Its  management  had  been  generous  and  those 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  317 

connected  with  the  bank  had  been  liberal  and  leaders  in  every  enterprise 
in  the  community. 

There  are  at  this  time  in  Cooper  County  15  banks  and  one  Trust  Com- 
pany, all  safe  and  sound  financially  and  conducted  in  a  thorough  and  con- 
servative manner.  We  have  written  to  each  of  these  banks  for  a  brief 
history  of  the  same  and  if  perchance  it  does  not  appear  in  this  chapter  it 
is  no  fault  of  the  editor,  but  because  some  officer  of  the  bank  has  either 
neglected  to  send  the  data  or  has  been  indifferent  to  the  opportunity 
afforded.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  banks  of  the  county :  Boon- 
ville  National  Bank,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Commercial  Bank,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Bank 
of  Bunceton,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Cooper  Co.  Bank,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Bank  of 
Pleasant  Green,  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.;  Prairie  Home  Bank,  Prairie  Home, 
Mo. ;  Bank  of  Woolridge,  Woolridge,  Mo. ;  Clifton  City  Bank,  Clifton  City, 
Mo. ;  Pilot  Grove  Bank,  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  Citizens  Bank,  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ; 
Farmers  Stock  Bank,  Blackwater,  Mo. ;  Bank  of  Blackwater,  Blackwater, 
Mo. ;  Bank  of  Speed,  Speed,  Mo. ;  Bank  of  Otterville,  Otterville,  Mo. ;  Farm- 
ers &  Merchants  Bank,  Otterville,  Mo. 

The  Boonville  National  Bank. — The  fact  that  Boonville  boasts  the 
largest  bank  in  the  United  States  in  cities  of  5,000  inhabitants,  or  less 
should  impress  the  observer  as  an  important  fact,  and  is  evidence  of  the 
prosperity  of  Cooper  County.  The  Boonville  National  Bank  was  opened 
for  business  Oct.  30,  1916  as  the  successor  to  the  old  Central  National 
Bank.  In  less  than  three  years  time  it  has  risen  to  a  place  of  importance 
and  standing  in  the  financial  world  of  the  Middle  West.  In  August  of 
1913  the  Farmers  Bank,  an  old  established  institution  was  absorbed  by 
the  Boonville  National,  resulting  in  a  substantial  increase  in  the  assets  and 
deposits  of  the  bank.  By  this  merger  the  large  amount  of  one  million 
dollars  was  added  to  the  deposits  of  the  Boonville  National. 

The  Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Boonville,  subsidiary  of  the  Boon- 
ville National  was  established  in  splendid  quarters  for  the  purpose  of 
handling  trust  funds  and  caring  for  the  safe  deposit  feature  of  the  bank. 
This  concern  is  capitalized  at  $100,000,  with  a  surplus  of  $25,000  and  the 
old  Farmers  Bank  Building,  remodelled,  in  which  the  Trust  Company  is 
located,  is  owned  by  the  Boonville  National.  The  same  directors  which 
control  the  bank  are  also  in  charge  of  the  Trust  Company. 

The  first  officers  of  this  bank  were  E.  E.  Amick,  president :  W.  A.  Som- 
bart,  vice-president;  W.  W.  G.  Helm,  chairman  of  board;  B.  M.  Lester, 
cashier;  R.  L.  Moore,  Jr.,  asst.  cashier.  The  first  board  of  directors  were: 
W.  W.  G.  Helm,  J.  E.  Thro,  N.  Nelson  Leonard,  Roy  D.  Williams,  H.  T. 


318  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Zuzak,  A.  W.  Nelson,  E.  E.  Amick,  G.  W.  Jewett  and  W.  A.  Sombart. 

The  resources  of  this  bank  at  the  close  of  business  on  June  29,  1919 
had  reached  the  grand  total  of  $1,062,759.62.  The  capital  stock  of  the  bank 
was  $75,000  with  a  surplus  fund  of  $25,000.  It  was  the  only  National  Bank 
and  the  only  member  of  the  Federal  Reserve  System  in  Cooper  County. 

The  present  officers  of  the  bank  are:  A.  W.  Nelson,  chairman  of  the 
board ;  E.  E.  Amick,  president ;  F.  S.  Sauter,  vice-president ;  W.  A.  Som- 
bart, vice-president ;  B.  M.  Lester,  vice-president ;  J.  L.  Meistrell,  vice-presi- 
dent; R.  D.  Williams,  counsel;  H.  T.  Redd,  cashier;  R.  L.  Moore,  Jr.,  assist- 
ant cashier.  The  directors  are :  A.  W.  Nelson,  W.  W.  G.  Helm,  L.  T.  Sites, 
H.  F.  Blankenbaker ;  W.  A.  Sombart,  J.  E.  Thro,  J.  A.  Fischer,  N.  N.  Leon- 
ard, H.  T.  Zuzak,  R.  D.  Williams,  Julius  Oswald,  G.  W.  Jewett,  E.  E.  Amick, 
F.  S.  Sauter,  and  W.  W.  Kingsbury. 

The  capital  stock  of  the  bank  has  been  increased  to  $200,000.  The 
surplus  fund  is  now  $70,000.  The  deposits  has  attained  to  the  grand  total 
of  $2,000,000. 

The  Farmer's  Trust  Company  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  has  been  recently 
organized  with  a  capital  of  $100,000  and  a  surplus  of  $35,000.  The  officers 
are  Harry  A.  Creagan,  president;  Frank  J.  Felton,  vice-president;  Edward 
J.  Muntzel,  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  Fred  Dauwalter  chairman  of  the 
board.  The  Board  of  Directors  are  W.  A.  Whitehurse,  Fred  Dauwalter, 
Robert  P.  Burge,  Edward  J.  Muntzel,  Frank  J.  Felton,  Homer  C.  Davis, 
Harry  A.  Creagan. 

The  Farmers  Trust  Company  has  secured  the  south  room  on  the  ground 
floor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  building  on  Main  street,  large  and  com- 
modious quarters  for  its  banking  business.  A  large  fire-proof  vault  has 
been  built,  safety  boxes  installed  and  the  furniture  and  equipment  are 
handsome  and  elegant  and  are  unexcelled  by  that  of  any  banking  institu- 
tion in  central  Missouri. 

The  Commercial  Bank  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  oraganized  in  1883  and  is 
the  oldest  financial  institution  in  Cooper  County  and  one  of  the  strongest 
and  most  important  in  central  Missouri.  Charter  No.  247  providing  for 
the  organization  of  this  bank  was  obtained  by  the  following  citizens :  John 
S.  Elliot,  R.  P.  Williams  of  Fayette,  Mo.,  Col.  John  Cosgrove,  John 
Often,  William  Johnson,  C.  W.  and  Julius  Sombart,  Joseph  Combs,  Col. 
Thomas  A.  Johnston,  John  Viertel,  Jacob  F.  Gmelich,  W.  R.  Hutchinson, 
B.  E.  Nance  and  John  Lee  of  Howard  County.  These  gentlemen  were  the 
original  stockholders  of  the  bank  which  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  319 

of  $50,000.  John  S.  Elliot  was  the  first  president ;  Jacob  F.  Gmelich  was 
the  first  vice-president  and  the  first  cashier  was  W.  R.  Hutchinson.  On 
January  16,  1888,  Mr.  Elliot  was  succeeded  as  president  by  Jacob  F. 
Gmelich.  Upon  Mr.  Gmelich's  election  as  state  treasurer  in  1905,  Mr. 
John  H.  Zollinger  was  elected  president  of  the  bank.  Mr.  Zollinger  served 
until  July  7,  1913  and  was  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent  of  the 
office,  Mr.  Edward  W.  Chilton,  who  had  previously  served  as  assistant 
cashier. 

This  bank  has  weathered  all  financial  panics  and  is  conducted  on  a 
safe,  conservative  plan  which  commends  it  to  the  hundreds  of  patrons  who 
have  always  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  integrity  of  the  institution. 
The  present  capitalization  is  $50,000 ;  surplus  and  undivided  profits  exceed 
$50,000;  and  the  deposits  are  over  $500,000.  The  officers  of  the  Com- 
mercial Bank  are  as  follows :,  Edward  W.  Chilton,  president ;  W.  W.  Trigg, 
vice-president;  R.  G.  Hadelich,  cashier;  J.  A.  Smith,  bookkeeper.  The 
directors  are:  E.  W.  Chilton,  John  Cosgrove,  W.  W.  Trigg,  W.  A.  Hurt, 
H.  G.  Windsor,  T.  A.  Johnston,  R.  G.  Hadelich,  Thomas  Hogan,  and  M.  R. 
McDowell. 

The  Bank  of  Bunceton  was  organized  Aug.  25,  1887,  with  a  paid-up 
capital  stock  of  $10,000  and  the  following  officers:  J.  H.  Goodwin,  presi- 
dent, Edward  Cramer,  vice-president;  E.  W.  Moore,  cashier;  W.  B.  Kerns, 
secretary;  and  with  the  following  directors,  J.  H.  Goodwin,  Edward  Cramer, 
E.  W.  Moore,  W.  B.  Kerns,  T.  J.  Wallace,  John  Coleman,  Geo.  A.  Carpenter, 
Wm.  Lusk,  Hugh  Rogers 

The  bank  now  has  a  paid-up  capital  of  $50,000  and  a  surplus  of  $35,000, 
with  resources  totaling  more  than  $6,000,000  The  following  are  the  pres- 
ent officers:  Dr.  A.  W.  Nelson,  president;  H.  .E.  Meeker,  vice-president; 
Snode  Moms,  vice-president ;  A.  Blomquist,  cashier ;  G.  H.  Meeker,  assist- 
ant cashier.  The  directors  are  Dr.  A.  W.  Nelson,  R.  L.  Harriman,  Snode 
Morris,  Geo.  K.  Crawford,  A.  T.  .Hockenberry,  Geo.  A.  Carpenter,  N.  N. 
Leonard,  C.  W.  Oglesby  and  H.  E.  Meeker. 

The  Cooper  County  Bank  of  Bunceton  was  incorporated  on  June  26, 
1893,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $20,000.  J.  A.  Waller  was  the  first  president 
and  W.  J.  Boschert,  cashier.  The  original  Board  of  Directors  consisted  of 
the  following:  John  S.  Vick,  Gordon  L.  Stephens,  John  A.  Wallace,  Newton 
A.  Gilbreath,  William  J.  Boschert,  Samuel  T.  Baugman,  Edward  Cramer, 
E.  H.  Rodgers,  James  A.  Lander.  The  present  capital  stock  is  $20,000,  sur- 
plus and  undivided  profit  earned,  $43,000,  total  deposits  $307,500,  total  re- 


320  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

sources  $380,000.  The  present  officers  are  W.  J.  Boschert,  president ; 
George  W.  Moms,  vice-president;  F.  C.  Betteridge,  cashier;  C.  W.  Olley, 
bookkeeper. 

The  Farmer's  Stock  Bank  of  Blackwater,  Mo.  was  organized  in  1895 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000.  The  first  officers  were:  G.  A.  Cramer, 
president;  Erhardt  Fischer,  vice-president;  F.  S.  Sauter,  cashier.  In 
1907  F.  S.  Sauter  tendered  his  resignation  as  cashier  of  the  above  bank 
and  C.  E.  Steele  was  elected  to  fill  this  vacancy  which  position  he  has  held 
since  the  above  date.  The  present  capital  stock  is  now  $20,000  with  an 
earned  surplus  of  $25,000  and  deposits  aggregating  $200,000.  The  present 
officers  are:  S.  Y.  Thornton,  president;  H.  C.  Griffith,  vice-president,  C.  E. 
Steele,  cashier. 

The  Bank  of  Blackwater,  Mo.  was  organized  in  1906  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000.  The  officers  were:  T.  B.  Gibson,  president;  Joseph 
Fischer,  vice-president;  C.  M.  Shepherd,  cashier.  C.  M.  Shepherd  served 
three  years  as  cashier  of  the  above  bank,  and  was  succeeded  by  H.  T.  Redd, 
who  served  eight  years,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Walter  Shouse,  the  pres- 
ent cashier.  The  bank  now  has  an  earned  surplus  of  $17,000  and  deposits 
aggregating  $150,000.  The  present  directors  are:  W.  B.  Gibson,  L.  T. 
Sites,  R.  B.  Hill,  H.  M.  Wing,  Joseph  Thompson,  C.  P.  Hudson,  T.  B.  Gib- 
son, Walter  Shouse,  Joseph  Fischer. 

The  Pilot  Grove  Bank  of  Pilot  Grove  is  the  second  oldest  bank  in 
Cooper  County,  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Boonville  being  the  oldest.  The 
Pilot  Grove  Bank  was  incorporated  June  13,  1884  and  was  organized  by 
Edward  H.  Harris,  who  was  the  president  of  the  same  and  E.  H.  Harris,  Jr., 
the  cashier,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000.  This  bank  had  a  remarkable 
career  in  that  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  under  the  management  of  the 
Harris  not  a  dollar  was  lost  by  bad  loans.  The  capital  stock  was  increased 
from  time  to  time  and  now,  1919,  the  capital  stock  is  $20,000,  surplus 
$20,000,  undivided  profits  $6,321.26.  The  total  assets  of  the  bank  March 
4,  of  this  year,  were  $371,259.45.  The  present  officers  are  J.  H.  Thompson, 
president;  Andrew  Davin,  vice-president;  and  C.  M.  Shepherd,  cashier. 
The  directors  are  Ham  Lusk,  E.  B.  McCutchen,  B.  J.  Felton,  Jacob  Hoff,  A. 
Davin,  W.  A.  Scott,  W.  B.  Simmons,  Reuben  Thomas,  A.  C.  Harriman,  R. 
A.  Harriman,  B.  E.  Sly,  J.  A.  Thompson,  J.  L.  Painter. 

The  Bank  of  Woolridge  was  organized  in  June,  1902,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $10,000  and  the  following  officers:  George  Vaughan,  presi- 
dent;  J.   K.   Bruce,   vice-president;   M.   A.   Smith,   cashier;   and   George 


WHAT   THE    TORNADO    I>II>   TO    MRS.    EMMA    srHMAI.FEI.HTS    RESIDENCE 
JUNE   5.    1917,   NEAR    LONE    ELM 


JPSL 


WHAT    WAS    LEFT    OF    ERNEST    OERLY'S    HOME    AFTER    THE    SAME    STORM 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  321 

Vaughan,  W.  J.  Wooldridge,  E.  I.  Smith,  Ben  Heying,  Charles  Leuger,  J. 
K.  Bruce,  and  W.  L.  Hays,  directors.  M.  A.  Smith  was  the  organizer  of 
the  bank. 

The  present  capital  stock  of  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge  is  810,000  with 
a  surplus  of  $8,000,  undivided  profits  of  $2,000,  deposits  amounting  to 
$100,000.  Corresponding  banks  are  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce  ot  St 
Louis,  Missouri;  National  Stockyards  National  Bank  of  East  St.  Louis, 
III. ;  and  the  Boonville  National  Bank  of  Boonville,  Mo. 

The  present  bank  officials,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  are:  W  J 
Wooldridge,  president;  J.  A.  Clayton,  vice-president;  A.  F.  Nixon,  cashier '; 
and  F.  B.  Hopkins,  bookkeeper.  The  directors  are:  W.  J.  Wooldridge  a' 
F.  Nixon,  J.  A.  Clayton,  A.  D.  Renfrew,  C.  L.  Eager,  Henry  Knorp,  'and 
Carl  Lenger.  The  bank  owns  its  building,  a  frame  structure,  erected  in 
1902.  The  Bank  of  Wooldridge  is  one  of  the  strongest  financial  institu- 
tions of  Cooper  County. 

Bank  of  Pleasant  Green,  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.-The  stockholders  of 
the  Bank  of  Pleasant  Green  met  on  the  11th  day  of  April,  1905  They 
organized  by  electing  Judge  J.  D.  Starke,  chairman,  and  Dr.  John  S  Parrish 
secretary,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000.  At  the  same  meeting  they 
elected  the  following  board  of  directors:  R.  E.  Ferguson,  J.  S.  Parrish  S 
L.  Rissler,  W.  B.  Rissler,  A.  J.  Read,  W.  E.  Roberts,  S.  W.  Roberts  and  J.' 
D  Starke  and  George  Stemberger.  The  board  proceeded  to  organize  by 
electing  Dr.  J.  S.  Parrish,  president;  A.  J.  Read,  vice-president;  W  B 
Rissler,  cashier;  and  S.  W.  Roberts,  secretary. 

The  bank  did  not  pay  any  dividends  until  it  had  an  accumulated  and 
certified  surplus  an  amount  equal  to  the  capital  stock,  which  was  in  the 
year  1913.  Since  then  it  has  paid  an  average  dividend  of  15  per  cent  The 
following  constitute  the  present  Board  of  Directors:     Adam  Bergmann, 

L  r\  c^  Hlte'  '•  S-  ParrlSh'  A-  J-  Read'  W-  B-  Riss1-.  Geo.  Stem- 
berger, C.  E.  Stone  and  J.  W.  Walker.  The  present  officers  are  J  S  Par- 
rish, president;  A.  J.  Read,  vice-president;  W.  B.  Rissler,  cashier,  and  J.  W 
Walker  secretary.  There  has  been  no  change  in  the  officers  since  the 
beginning  with  the  exception  that  of  secretary 

SentT1014armr  anf  M,erchants  Bank<  Nervine,  Mo.,  was  organized  in 
Sept.,  1914  with  a  capital  stock  of  $12,000.  The  first  officers  were :  H  D 
Case   president;  J.  E.  Golladay,  vice-president;  Joe  G.  Cox,  cashier      The 

WE STl -H *    ^  ^  ^  G°lladay'  J°e  G-  C°X'  James  A-  Laws 
Schupp  PP'        °-  Wilkerson'  C-  Rodenbach  and  August 

(21) 


322  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

The  present  officers  are  the  following:  H.  D.  Case,  president;  J.  E. 
Golladay,  vice-president;  Allen  H.  Cox,  cashier,  and  Mattie  Belle  Hupp, 
assistant  cashier. 

The  present  directors  are  the  following:  H.  D.  Case,  J.  E.  Golladay, 
Joe  G.  Cox,  J.  S.  Bane,  W.  D.  Ross,  Charlie  Hupp,  L.  C.  Wilkerson,  C. 
Kodenbach  and  August  Schupp. 

The  capital  stock  remains  $12,000.  The  surplus  is  $5,000 ;  undivided 
profits,  $2,900;  loans  and  discounts,  $107,000.  The  total  deposits  are 
$136,000.     The  total  resources  are  over  $188,000. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


FLOODS  AND  STORMS. 


FLOODS  OF  17S5.  1811  AND  1S2S — FLOOD  OF  1844— GREAT  DAMAGE  CAUSED — DEVAS- 
TATING FLOOD  OF  1905— REBUILDING  OF  BRIDGES  IN  THE  COUNTY— BUILD- 
ING  OF    NEW    COURT    HOUSE— BONDS   ISSUED— TORNADO. 

The  first  unusual  high  waters  of  the  Missouri  River,  of  which  we  have 
any  account,  was  in  1785,  and  of  the  destruction  wrought  at  that  time,  we 
know  but  little.  However,  we  know  that  there  were  no  settlements  in 
Cooper  County,  or  upon  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

In  the  spring  of  1811,  the  waters  of  the  Missouri  rose  to  an  unprece- 
dented height.  The  first  settlements  had  been  made  in  Cooper  County,  and 
in  Howard  County,  opposite  Boonville,  the  previous  year.  Hence  there 
were  no  farms  to  be  injured  or  crops  to  be  destroyed. 

We  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  high  the  water  reached  that  year. 
The  high  waters  in  the  spring  of  1826  set  the  seal  of  fate  to  Franklin. 
But  by  far  the  most  destructive  flood  that  ever  occurred  in  the  Missouri 
River  was  in  1844.  It  was  caused  as  usual  by  continuous  rainfall  on  the 
lower  river,  coming  on  top  of  the  annual  rise.  The  month  of  May  had  been 
attended  with  unusual  rains,  and  for  weeks  previous  to  the  10th  of  June, 
the  precipitation  had  been  unprecedented. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  the  water  began  to  overflow  the  banks,  and  the 
river  continued  to  rise  until  the  18th,  when  at  Jefferson  City  it  came  to 
a  stand  and  began  to  recede. 

The  entire  bottom  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri  was  completely  submerged,  and  from  bluff  to  bluff,  the  river  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  an  inland  sea. 

The  destruction  of  property,  considering  the  small  population,  was 
enormous,  and  much  suffering  ensued. 

Again  in  1845,  and  yet  again  in  1851,  there  were  unusual  high  water, 


324  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

but  the  damage  was  slight  compared  with  the  destruction  of  1844.  The 
next  most  destructive  flood  was  in  1881.  The  second  bottoms  and  low- 
lands were  under  water,  and  considerable  damage  was  done,  especially  in 
the  lower  reaches  of  the  river.*  This  flood,  however,  was  different  from 
the  others,  that  had  preceded  it,  in  that  it  occurred  in  March  and  the  first 
part  of  April.  It  was  caused  solely  by  the  unusual  rainfall,  and  not  from 
the  melting  of  snows  in  the  Rockies. 

It  seems  the  circumstances  that  attended  the  flood  of  1903  were  sim- 
ilar to  those  attending  the  great  flood  of  1844.  On  Friday  morning,  June 
5,  at  seven  o'clock,  1903,  the  government  gauge  registered  a  stage  of  water 
in  the  river  at  Boonville,  of  30.6  feet.  This  was  just  six  feet  higher  than 
the  mark  of  1881,  and  lacked  but  about  three  feet  of  that  of  1844. 

However,  by  noon  of  that  day,  the  water  rose  to  30  feet  and  ten  inches 
above  the  low  water  mark,  and  remained  on  a  stand  until  Saturday  morn- 
ing, when  it  began  to  fall  slowly.  During  the  day,  there  was  a  fall  of 
only  two  inches,  but  it  was  enough  to  bring  gladnesss  to  the  hearts  of 
many,  and  a  feeling  of  relief  among  those  who  had  so  anxiously  watched 
for  the  good  news. 

Much  damage  was  wrought  by  the  flood  in  the  vicinity  of  Boonville. 
Houses  on  islands  and  the  lowlands  were  washed  away,  crops  destroyed, 
and  much  livestock  drowned.  Cooper  County  alone  suffered  much  from  the 
destruction  of  ruined  crops  along  the  Missouri  and  Lamine  Rivers,  and  the 
Petit  Saline  creek,  which  overflowed  its  banks  from  the  Missouri  and  did 
considerable  damage  to  the  farms  along  its  bottoms. 

The  destruction  in  the  vicinity  of  Overton  and  Woolridge  was  greater 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  county.  The  greatest  damage  was  done,  how- 
ever, in  the  Howard  County  bottoms.  Both  up  and  down  the  river  from 
Boonville,  the  water  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  presented  the  appearance 
of  an  inland  sea.  The  water  during  the  high  stage  reached  almost  from 
bluff  to  bluff,  submerging  land  on  which  were  crops  of  growing  corn,  and 
almost  matured  crops  of  growing  wheat.  Scarcely  any  land  in  this  section 
was  above  the  stage  of  the  water.     Much  livestock  was  lost  also. 

The  greatest  losses,  though,  were  experienced  by  those  tenants,  who 
had  all  their  possessions  carried  away  and  destroyed.  Many  cases  were 
reported  in  which  tenants  lost  all  their  earthly  possessions.  Some  of  these 
were  even  thankful  to  escape  with  their  lives,  and  the  clothes  which  they 
wore. 

As  it  was  impossible  at  that  time  to  approximate  the  amount  of  the 
losses  occurring  to  the  farmers  in  this  territory,  it  is  equally  impossible 
to  make  an  estimate  at  this  time. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  325 

The  citizens  of  Boonville  responded  nobly  to  aid  the  flood  sufferers. 
Mayor  W.  G.  Pendleton  called  meetings,  and  appropriate  committees  were 
appointed  to  raise  the  necessary  funds  to  meet  the  temporary  and  im- 
mediate relief  of  the  sufferers.  Over  one  thousand  dollars  were  raised  and 
distributed  to  those  who  were  most  in  need. 

The  road  bed  of  the  M.  K.  &  T.  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  was 
greatly  damaged  and  traffic  upon  that  road  was  suspended  for  several 
days.  Probably  the  greatest  damage  done  the  farming  and  railroad  inter- 
ests in  the  Missouri  valley  below  Kansas  City,  however,  was  in  the  bottoms 
between  St.  Charles  and  the  rivers  mouth.  Here  was  a  broad  expanse  of 
territory  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  dotted  over  with  residences 
and  other  buildings.  Every  vestige  of  the  promising  crop  of  wheat,  corn, 
hay,  oats,  onions,  potatoes,  etc.,  was  drowned  out  and  washed  away. 

Losses  to  the  people  in  close  proximity  to  Boonville  were  heavy  indeed, 
but  compared  with  those  of  people  in  other  parts,  they  did  not  seem  so 
great. 

Charles  A.  Sombart  had  every  reason  to  remember  the  flood  of  this 
year,  because  of  the  threatened  damage  to  his  milling  property.  He  had  a 
rectangular  solid  stone  about  six  feet  in  length  planted  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  his  warehouse,  on  which  is  indicated  by  cuts  in  the  stone,  the 
highest  point  in  the  river  June  4,  1844,  and  June  5,  1903.  The  latter  mark 
is  only  about  two  feet  and  nine  inches  below  the  mark  of  1844. 

Grand  and  mighty  old  Missouri,  blessing  and  destroying,  blessed  and 
cursed,  the  great  artery  of  the  continent!  Old  Joaquin  Miller  has  struck  a 
noble  strain  in  his  spirited  poem  to  the  "Missouri".  He  refers  to  her  as  a 
lord  of  strength,  the  yellow  line  and  mad  molder  of  the  continent,  and  con- 
cludes with  these  words : 

"Hoar  sire  of  hot,  sweet  Cuban  seas,  ' 

Gray  father  of  the  continent, 
Fierce  fashioner  of  destinies, 

Of  states  thou  hast  upreared  or  rent, 
Thou  know'st  no  limit ;  seas  turn  back, 
Bent,  broken  from  the  shaggy  shore; 
But  thou,  in  thy  resistless  track, 
Art  lord  and  master  evermore. 
Missouri,  surge  and  sing  and  sweep. 

Missouri,  master  of  the  deep, 
From  snow-reared  Rockies  to  the  sea, 
Sweep  on,  sweep  on  eternally." 


326  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Again  in  Sept.,  1905,  the  devastating  flood  visited  Cooper  County.  The 
cause  of  this  high  water  was  similar  to  that  of  1881.  The  local  rains  were 
so  great  that  streams  flowing  into  the  Missouri  overflowed  their  banks, 
and  practically  all  the  bridges  in  Cooper  County  were  washed  away  and 
destroyed,  entailing  on  the  county  a  great  loss  in  dollars  and  disturbance 
of  traffic. 

The  county  at  that  time  faced  a  difficult  problem  because  these  bridges 
had  to  be  replaced  at  a  great  expense.  Prior  to  this  flood  the  county  court 
of  Cooper  County  had  called  an  election  for  a  bond  issue  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  court  house.  By  reason,  however,  of  the  great  loss  to  the  county 
caused  by  the  high  water  of  the  various  streams,  the  court  saw  fit  and 
proper  to  call  off  this  election. 

While  the  need  of  a  new  court  house  was  imperative  and  patent  to  the 
voters  of  the  county,  no  agitation  in  behalf  of  the  same  was  made  until 
1911.  There  being  a  demand  on  the  part  of  the  county  votes  that  the 
city  of  Boonville  should  do  something  in  addition,  and  beyond  that  done 
by  the  rest  of  the  county,  a  proposition  was  submitted  by  the  city  council 
to  the  voters  of  Boonville  to  bond  the  city  for  $15,000  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  court  house. 

The  election  was  held  June  5,  1911,  and  the  vote  in  favor  of  the  bonds 
was  practically  unanimous,  being  for,  724,  against,  6.  The  county  court 
upon  the  proper  petition  called  an  election  for  May  11,  1911,  submitting  to 
the  people  of  the  county  the  issue  of  a  $100,000  5-20  5  per  cent,  bonds,  from 
the  sale  of  which  to  erect  a  new  and  suitable  court  house. 

The  Commercial  Club  of  Boonville  took  charge  of  the  campaign  and 
appointed  as  managers  of  the  same  W.  D.  Pendleton,  then  mayor  of  the 
city  of  Boonville,  and  W.  F.  Johnson,  then  president  of  the  club.  The 
favorable  result  of  .this  election  was  a  great  surprise  to  many.  The  cam- 
paign was  quiet  and  no  public  meetings  were  held.  An  appeal  was  made 
to  the  intelligence  of  the  voters  which  resulted  for  the  bond  issue,  1,977; 
against  799. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  result  of  this  election  caused  great  re- 
joicing, especially  in  Boonville,  where  great  crowds  gathered  on  the  street 
after  supper,  as  soon  as  the  vote  was  announced,  and  by  the  playing  of 
bands,  speech-making  and  shouting  manifested  their  satisfaction. 

As  soon  as  the  sale  of  the  bonds  were  negotiated,  the  contract  for 
building  the  new  court  house  was  let  by  competitive  bids  to  W.  J.  Cochran 
of  Boonville.  Something  over  a  year  was  consumed  in  the  erection  of  the 
present  beautiful  court  house,  the  total  cost  of  which,  including  the  addi- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  327 

tional  site,  together  with  furniture  and  fixtures,  reached  approximately 
$140,000. 

Tornado. — About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  on  Tuesday,  June  5,  1917,  the 
most  destructive  storm  that  had  ever  visited  Cooper  County,  swept  a  path 
150  yards  wide,  and  approximately  20  miles  long  through  the  northeast 
part  of  the  county. 

It  began  fts  destructive  course  at  Lone  Elm  store,  and  swept  in  a 
straight  northeastward  direction,  leaving  the  county  at  a  point  about  mid- 
way between  Woolridge  and  Overton,  crossing  the  Missouri  River,  and  doing 
much  damage  in  Boone  County. 

At  Lone  Elm,  a  number  of  trees  were  blown  down.  The  cattle  barn 
of  Henry  Koenig,  one  mile  east  of  Lone  Elm,  was  unroofed,  and  scores  of 
forest  trees  in  the  woodland  pasture,  where  the  annual  Lone  Elm  picnic  is 
held,  were  uprooted. 

Mrs.  Emma  Schmallf eldt's  residence,  a  nine  room  frame  building,  was 
unroofed,  with  the  exception  of  one  room,  the  walls  blown  in,  and  the 
furniture  blown  away.  A  part  of  the  barn,  a  chicken  house,  and  a  sum- 
mer kitchen  were  blown  from  their  foundations.  Two  chicken  houses 
and  a  smoke  house  were  unroofed.     A  granary  was  also  demolished. 

The  entire  east  side  of  the  residence  of  Henry  J.  Muntzel,  located  a 
few  hundred  yards  southwest  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Trinity  Luthem  Church 
was  blown  out  and  the  house  was  unroofed  on  the  east  side.  A  summer 
kitchen  was  blown  off  into  foundation,  and  a  negro  farm  hand,  Winston 
Carr,  who  was  in  the  building  suffered  two  broken  ribs.  A  windmill  was 
also  blown  down,  as  well  as  fences  and  trees.  The  wooden  cross  on  the 
steeple  of  the  large  church  building  was  blown  down,  and  the  walls  of  the 
building  were  cracked  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  A  new  barn  at  the  rear 
of  the  church  parsonage  was  completely  demolished.  The  school  building 
just  south  of  the  church  edifice  was  blown  from  its  foundations,  and  a 
number  of  monuments  in  the  cemetery  were  blown  down. 

A  cattle  barn  on  the  farm  of  Mrs.  George  Myer  was  destroyed.  The 
Walnut  Christian  Church,  a  beautiful  edifice,  which  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  over  $6,000,  and  dedicated  July  25,  1915,  was  completely  demolished 
and  blown  northward  across  a  deep  ravine,  and  the  wreck  was  lodged  in 
a  grove  of  trees,  or  carried  out  into  an  adjoining  field.  The  floor  was 
swept  clean  of  all  the  furnishings,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  chairs  and 
the  organ,  which  was  not  damaged. 

Of  the  scores  of  monuments  in  the  church  cemetery,  only  three  were 
left  standing.     William  Wisdom,  of  Prairie  Home,  who  was  in  the  build- 


328  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

ing  at  the  time,  in  attempting  to  leave,  was  struck  down,  and  blown  from 
the  building,  without  receiving  serious  injury.  His  horse  and  buggy  was 
hitched  near  by.  The  buggy  was  completely  demolished,  but  the  horse 
escaped  uninjured. 

A  pine  timber  1x4  was  blown  through  a  tree  about  seven  inches  in 
diameter.  Large  monuments  were  blown  over  and  the  framing  of  the 
church  building  was  completely  demolished. 

The  barn  of  Jesse  Newkirk  was  blown  down,  and  his*  residence  was 
damaged.  The  tenant  house  occupied  by  the  Phipps  family,  on  the  T.  B. 
Jewett  farm  was  badly  damaged,  the  house  being  blown  off  its  foundation, 
and  several  of  the  rooms  were  wrecked.  Lon  and  George  Phipps  had  a 
narrow  escape  from  death,  when  the  roof  fell  in  on  the  bed  on  which 
they  were  sleeping. 

John  Schmolzi  and  his  family,  who  lived  two  miles  east  of  Clarks 
Fork  were  great  sufferers.  Mr.  Schmolzi  grabbed  his  baby,  and  rushed  to 
a  small  cave  in  the  yard,  and  shouted  to  his  wife  and  three  other  children 
to  follow.  However,  they  were  too  late,  and  the  house  of  logs  was  blown 
down  upon  them.  Mrs.  Schmolzi  and  her  young  son,  Willie,  fourteen 
years  old,  were  taken  from  the  ruins  of  their  humble  home,  badly  injured. 
The  mother  received  internal  injuries,  and  the  boy  sustained  a  fractured 
skull.  Every  building  on  the  Schmolzi  farm  was  demolished,  farm  ma- 
chinery was  blown  away,  the  apple  orchard  destroyed  and  the  poultry 
killed. 

A  freak  of  the  storm  here  was  the  taking  of  a  corn  planter,  twisting 
it  to  pieces,  and  then  taking  the  axle  of  the  planter  with  one  wheel  still 
attached,  and  driving  it  into  the  heart  of  a  big  oak  tree  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  from  the  ground. 

A  heavy  road  grader  was  lifted  from  the  side  of  the  road,  crumpled 
into  junk,  and  hurled  across  the  road  into  a  grove  of  trees.  Two  barns 
south  of  the  residence  of  Hogan  Freeman  were  destroyed.  One  was  a 
new  structure,  16x30,  and  the  other  was  42  feet  square,  and  housed  six 
head  of  work  stock,  all  of  which  escaped  injury.  However,  seven  head 
o  fcattle  grazing  in  a  pasture  were  killed  by  the  flying  debris  from  the 
ruined  Schmolzi  home  and  outbuildings. 

Auntinie  Overton  and  Nick  Robertson,  negro  farmers,  had  their 
houses  torn  'down.  The  residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Oerly,  located 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northwest  of  Gooch  Mill  was 
completely  demolished  and  blown  away.     Mr.  Oerly  was  struck  by  falling 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  329 

timbers,  and  his  wife  was  found  lying  unconscious  in  a  pool  of  blood  sev- 
eral yards  from  the  side  of  the  house. 

The  young  son  of  Nick  Blank  was  in  the  house  at  the  time  and  escaped 
uninjured. 

The  ground  where  the  residence  stood  was  swept  clean  of  all  debris, 
and  the  timbers  carried  for  hundreds  of  yards.  An  automobile  was  turned 
into  scrap  iron,  and  literally  scattered  over  a  forty  acre  field.  Cattle  and 
horses  were  maimed  and  killed  and  dead  poultry  was  to  be  seen  on  every 
hand. 

Tom  Christman's  house,  about  a  mile  north  of  Gooch's  Mill  was 
demolished.  Allene  Oerly,  the  13-year-old  daughter  of  Will  Oerly,  a 
Woolridge  merchant,  was  killed.  All  the  family  succeeded  in  reaching  a 
cyclone  cellar  beneath  the  summer  kitchen,  when  the  storm  in  its  fury, 
picked  up  Allene  and  hurled  her  away  in  the  fury  of  the  wind.  Her  body 
was  discovered  about  75  yards  away  from  the  cellar. 

The  residence  on  the  Joe  Hickman  farm,  occupied  by  Charles  Phipps, 
was  destroyed,  but  no  one  was  injured.  Tom  Calvert's  four-room  house, 
where  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvert  and  Thomp  Clayton,  wife  and  one  child, 
was  blown  down  without  injury  to  any  of  the  occupants. 

In  the  household  of  Fred  Fluke,  Fred  Fluke  himself  was  crushed  by 
falling  timbers  and  killed,  and  other  members  of  the  family  were  badly 
injured.  The  storm  moved  the  house  of  James  Adair  from  its  foundation, 
and  broke  Mr.  Adair's  leg. 

About  half  way  between  Woolridge  and  Overton,  the  storm  struck 
the  home  of  Theodore  Morchel,  killed  two  children  and  badly  injured  the 
wife  and  mother. 

This  was  the  most  appalling  calamity  that  had  come  to  Cooper  County 
in  years,  and  the  property  loss  was  great. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE  WORLD  WAR. 


UNITED  STATUS  ENTERS  THE  GREAT  WAR— COOPER  COUNTY'S  FINANCIAL  CON- 
TRIBUTION—LOYALTY OF  CITIZENS— COUNCIL  OF  DEFENSE— PROCLAMATION 
—ARMISTICE  SICNED— LIST  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  SOLDIERS— COMPANY  B, 
THIRD   REGIMENT.   CALLED— CASUALTY  LIST— SUMMARY. 

It  is  not  in  the  province  of  the  history  of  Cooper  County,  nor  within 
the  purview  of  this  short  chapter  to  attempt  a  history  of  the  great  World 
War  that  threatened  the  very  foundation  of  civilization,  and  seriously 
affected  every  nation  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

President  Wilson,  in  his  speech  before  Congress  on  April  6,  1918, 
used  these  eloquent  and  forceful  words  that  found  spontaneous  response 
in  the  true  patriotism  of  America: 

"Let  everything  that  we  say,  my  fellow  countrymen,  everything  that 
we  henceforth  plan  and  accomplish,  ring  true  to  this  response  till  the 
majesty  and  might  of  our  concerted  power  shall  fill  the  thought  and 
utterly  defeat  the  force  of  those  who  flout  and  misprize  what  we  honor 
and  hold  dear. 

"Germany  has  once  more  said  that  force,  and  force  alone,  shall  decide 
whether  justice  and  peace  shall  reign  in  the  affairs  of  men,  whether  right 
as  America  conceives  it,  and  dominion,  as  she  conceives,  shall  determine 
the  destinies  of  mankind. 

"There  is  therefore  but  one  response  for  us;  force,  force  to  the 
utmost,  force  without  stint  or  limit,  the  righteous  and  triumphant  force 
which  will  make  the  law  of  the  world,  and  cast  every  selfish  dominion 
down  in  the  dust." 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  331 

Cooper  County  did  generously  and  nobly  her  part  in  financing  the 
great  World  War.  According  tp  the  best  information  at  hand,  the  county 
subscribed  $2,598,481  to  the  various  war  activities.  Of  this  amount, 
almost  $100,000,  to  be  exact,  $97,131  was  actually  given  by  citizens  to 
take  care  of  the  boys  who  fought  for  freedom  and  for  right. 

The  Red  Cross  received  splendid  support,  receiving  $54,756,  as  nearly 
as  can  be  estimated.  The  Y.  M.  C,  A.,  $9,375;  Salvation  Army  Fund, 
$1,000;  United  War  Work  Fund,  $32,000.  This  vast  amount  was  given 
with  no  hope  of  return,  other  than  patriotically  aiding  in  the  war.  In  the 
Liberty  Loans,  our  people  invested  over  two  and  one-half  millions  dollars 
in  government  securities,  the  amount  being  divided  between  the  four 
drives  as  follows:  First  Liberty  Loan,  $100,000;  Second  Liberty  Loan, 
$525,000;  Third  Liberty  Loan,  $616,350;  Fourth  Liberty  Loan,  $846,000. 
Added  to  this  amount  is  $414,000  invested  in  War  Savings  Stamps. 

The  above  statement  does  not  take  into  consideration  the  various 
sums  contributed  to  other  causes  connected  with  the  war,  such  as  the 
Tobacco  Fund,  Armenian  Relief,  French  War  Orphans,  etc. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  here  that  Cooper  County  has  no  German 
citizens,  but  a  goodly  number  of  American  citizens  of  German  birth  or 
parentage.  As  a  class,  they  are  frugal,  saving,  prosperous  and  honest, 
withall  good  livers. 

Before  our  entrance  to  the  great  war,  most  of  them  were  in  sympathy 
with  Germany,  and  such  were  not  neutral.  Germany's  great  propaganda, 
in  which  over  $100,000,000  were  spent,  was  insidious.  The  effect  of  many 
publications  like  "The  Fatherland"-  had  little  to  say  in  favor  of  their 
government,  or  of  their  institutions,  but  in  practically  every  line  eulogized, 
praised  and  upheld  the  institutions  and  theories  of  the  German  Empire, 
in  direct  opposition  to  American  principles  and  institutions.  But  with 
the  unfurling  of  Old  Glory  from  the  housetops,  their  hearts  beat  true, 
and  they  at  once  sprang  to  action,  and  responded  as  a  class  to  every  call. 
If  there  were  reservations  in  the  minds  of  a  few,  the  number  was  indeed 
small,  and  existed  largely  in  the  minds  of  the  suspicious. 

By  reason  of  the  peculiar  situation  of  this  class  of  our  citizens,  the 
editor  feels  called  upon  to  pay  this  short  tribute.  We  are  Americans, 
regardless  of  the  route  each  has  traveled  to  become  one.  We  are  one 
in  love  of  home  and  country.  The  names  of  our  boys  who  toiled,  suffered 
and  bled  in  Flanders  field  are  confined  to  no  nationality.  Each  is  a  true 
American. 


332  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

"About  his  brow  the  laurel  and  the  bay 
Was  often  wreathed — on  this  our 
Memory  dwells — 

Upon  whose  bier  in  reverence  today 
We  lay  these  imortelles. 
His  was  a  vital,  virile,  warrior  soul ; 
If  force  were  needed,  he  exalted  force; 
Unswerving  as  the  pole  star  to  the  pole, 
He  held  his  righteous  course. 
He  smote  at  wrong,  if  he  believed  it  wrong, 
As  did  the  Knight,  with  stainless 
Accolade ; 

He  stood  for  right,  unfalteringly  strong, 
Forever  unafraid. 

With  somewhat  of  the  Savant  and  the 
Sage, 

He  was,  when  all  is  said  and  sung, 
A 

Man, 

The  flower  imperishable  of  his  valiant 
Age, 
A  true  American." 

We  had  no  spies  to  watch  in  Cooper,  yet  following  the  precedent 
established  throughout  the  country,  A  Board  of  Defense  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  the  following  gentlemen:  Dr.  A.  W.  Nelson,  chairman; 
H.  A.  Jewett,  A.  H.  Harriman,  E.  E.  Amick,  D.  A.  McArthur,  A.  A.  Wal- 
lace, Homer  Wear,  Roy  D.  Williams  and  L.  0.  Schaumburg,  secretary. 
Their  activities  were  tame,  for  there  was  no  necessity  for  unusual  vigil- 
ance. 

In  Sept.,  1918,  the  above  Council  of  Defense  of  Cooper  County,  met 
and  passed  the  following  resolutions :     *     *     * 

"WHEREAS,  a  spontaneous  sentiment  from  every  quarter  of  the 
county,  arising  from  the  patriotic  hearts  of  the  citizenship  of  Cooper 
County,  has  appealed  to  the  Cooper  County  Council  of  Defense  to  take 
action  in  the  matter  of  suppressing  the  use  of  the  German  language  in 
churches,  schools,  public  meetings  of  every  sort,  including  conversation 
over  telephone  lines,  and  also  on  the  public  streets  and  thoroughfares  of 
the  county; 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  333 

THEREFORE,  it  is  unanimously  resolved  by  the  Cooper  County 
Council  of  Defense  that  the  citizenship  of  this  county  be  and  is  hereby 
urgently  requested  to  refrain  from  communicating  in  the  language  of  our 
enemy  in  all  public  places  and  on  all  public  occasions  as  above  enumerated 
during  the  period  of  the  war. 

An  appeal  is  made  to  our  patriotic  citizenship  to  aid  with  every  means 
within  our  power  in  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this  proclamation." 

Early  Monday  morning,  Nov.  11,  1918,  the  news  was  flashed  through- 
out the  country  that  the  armistice  had  been  signed.  Great  demonstra- 
tions were  held  throughout  the  county  and  especially  in  Boonville.  It 
was  a  gala  day  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night.  Bands  were  play- 
ing and  demonstrations  of  all  characters  were  being  carried  on  in  jubila- 
tion of  the  end  of  the  most  stupendous  tragedy  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

A  treaty  of  peace  has  been  signed  and  our  boys  are  returning  to  their 
homes.  The  material  is  not  at  hand  to  give  more  than  the  names  of  those 
who  gave  their  services  to  their  country.  We  are  not  able  to  give  the 
pi-omotions  or  special  deeds  of  valor  of  our  boys,  for  any  attempt  so  to  do, 
with  the  meager  information  at  hand  would  be  unjust  to  many.  The 
ladies  of  Boonville  have  also  prepared  a  list,  and  upon  comparing  their 
list  with  ours,  we  find  that  they  have  apparently  omitted  a  number  of 
names  which  appear  upon  our  list,  and  upon  the  other  hand,  we  find  that 
they  have  names  that  we  have  not  secured.  We  therefore  give  first  the 
list  that  we  have  secured,  and  after  that,  we  give  those  that  appear  upon 
the  list  secured  by  the  ladies,  which  do  not  appear  upon  ours.  We  do  not 
vouch  for  the  correctness  of  either. 

Arnold,  Earl ;  Anderson,  Douglas ;  Allison,  Earl  M. ;  Alpers,  Wm.  H. ; 
Ausemus,  C.  E. ;  Armstrong,  John ;  Amick,  Eugene  Earl ;  Albin,  Jesse 
Vigel;  Alpers,  John  Wm.;  Anderson,  Hy. 

Burger,  Wm.  Arthur;  Boswell,  Merritt  H. ;  Boswell,  Henry;  Boggs, 
Thos.  J. ;  Brown,  Oliver  Carl ;  Brent,  Earl  F. ;  Barnes,  Paul ;  Burnham, 
Connie;  Bell,  Jas.  V.;  Burke,  Jaine  Martin;  Banty,  Earl  James;  Beatty, 
Jas. ;  Brown,  Louis  Alvin ;  Bradley,  Arthur  L. ;  Bower,  Clark  E. ;  Brock- 
man,  John;  Bowmer,  Newton;  Bishup,  Oscar;  Bowmer,  Jas.  R. ;  Butts, 
Orville  Ray;  Brandt,  Leon  Norrite;  Brooks,  John  H. ;  Buckley,  Carl  A.; 
Berry,  Franklin  ;  Bonham,  Alfred ;  Brown,  Ervine  W. ;  Bottom,  Lawrence ; 
Banks,  Coleman  C. ;  Buchanan,  Frank  G. ;  Brengarth,  Henry  L. ;  Brown- 
field,  Veit;  Burrell,  Ben  E. ;  Bauman,  Lee  Ernest;  Burger,  Wallace  Walker; 
Bradley,  Frank  R. ;  Bryan,  Lloyd ;  Blackstone,  Mack  L. ;  Baker,  Henry  J. ; 
Baugh,  Harry;  Burd,   Charlie;  Baker,   Wm.   Elmer;  Berry,   Harry  Lon; 


334  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Bell,  Stanley  Ira;  Baker,  Auburn  C;  Burger,  Joseph  A.;  Butler,  Elaske; 
Bruce,  Amos ;  Byler,  Robert  H. ;  Buckner,  Hallie ;  Burrus,  John  Milton ; 
Byler,  Garland ;  Brewster,  Harry  E. ;  Barnert,  Edgar  L. ;  Brown,  Harvey 
E. ;  Binkley,  Jas. ;  Baldwin,  Ira  C. ;  Blalock,  Jas.  T. 

Carl,  Edward  G.  J. ;  Cave,  John ;  Coleman,  Calvin ;  Cramar,  Ray ;  Con- 
way, Raborn  Lee;  Coleman,  Jas.  H. ;  Croft,  Geo.  W. ;  Coleman,  Wayt  J.; 
Clawson,  John ;  Conway,  John  Richard ;  Conway,  Jas.  F. ;  Chase,  John  H. ; 
Cornwell,  Clarence;  Copas,  Wm.  F.;  Crawford,  Willie;  Clawson,  Jas.; 
Crawford,  John  H. ;  Crump,  Sherman ;  Coats,  Wilbur ;  Cordry,  Omer  E. ; 
Chamberlin,  Leonadus ;  Crockett,  Jas.  F. ;  Coleman,  Nelson ;  Campbell, 
Roy;  Clay,  Charlie;  Cassell,  Charlie;  Cooper,  Linn;  Cardin,  Dudley  B.; 
Clark,  Leonadus  M. ;  Cochran,  William  J. ;  Cramar,  Chas.  D. ;  Coleman, 
Chas.  C. ;  Cardin,  Chas.  E. ;  Cox,  Allen ;  Clark,  John  B. ;  Corum,  Martene 
W. ;  Conway,  John  Robert ;  Cash,  H.  M. ;  Coleman,  Chas.  W. ;  Corder,  F.  F. ; 
Cary,  H.  E. ;  Cramar,  E.  D. ;  Callegari,  E. ;  Cole,  F.  L. ;  Chenault,  Clarence 
D.;  Cosgrove,  D.  W. 

Diel,  Wm.  0.;  Duncan,  Herbert;  Dohn,  J.  E. ;  Diel,  Raymond  F. ; 
Davis.  Samuel ;  Dunfield,  Jos. ;  Dief  endorf ,  John ;  Davis,  Porter  E. ;  Dick. 
John  Henry ;  Derondinger,  Emil  E. ;  Deurmeyr,  Harry ;  Diehl,  Wm. ; 
Draff  en,  Lot  Elbert;  Davison,  Harry;  Drew,  McKinley;  Douglass,  Ray- 
mond; Davis,  Lewis  C. ;  Diggs.  Arthur  E. ;  Decker,  Ray  H. ;  Dick,  Lewis 
Wm. ;  Devine,  Michael  Thos. ;  Davis,  Harland  H. ;  Davis,  Walter;  Drew, 
Isaac;  Diemler,  Lewis  G. ;  Daniels,  Roy  Oliver;  Dumolt,  Urban  A.;  Dix. 
Pearlie  Lee;  Davis,  J.  E. ;  Driver,  Wm.  Henry. 

Earley,  Arnold  J.;  Evans,  Herman  B. ;  Evans,  Loney ;  Embry,  Sidney 
E. ;  Enloe,  Lewis  M. ;  Eubank,  Louis  A. ;  Eichman,  Milton  R. ;  Eades  Cha*. 
H. ;  Edwards.  Robert  S.;  Ernst,  Otto  W. ;  Enquist,  Geo.  S. ;  Embry.  Roy 
H. ;  Edson,  Henry;  Embry,  Virgil  F.;  Evans,  Benj.  F.;  Edwards,  Riley 
Bird ;  Ellis,  Clay  W. 

Fry,  John  R. ;  Felton,  Leo  H. ;  Fetters,  Ben ;  Farris,  Nuckols ;  Frandes, 
Wm.  Carl ;  Fowler,  Tyre  B. ;  Fry,  Elmer  Leon ;  Fairchild,  Wm.  W. ;  Fried- 
erich,  Herman  B. ;  Friedrich,  Carl;  Fry,  Jesse  A.;  Friedrich,  Jacob  W. ; 
Felton,  Francis  Richard;  Fairfax,  Lon ;  Friedrich,  Edward  C;  Folkerts. 
Lewis  J. 

Griffin,  Victor  R. ;  Gargus,  Geo.  F.;  Grose,  Vanmeeter;  Gooseberry, 
Ernest;  Gantner,  Walter  E.:  Gravell,  Jos.  Lewis;  Golden,  Addie;  Groves, 
Oscar  B.;  Gronstedt,  Wm.;  Givens.  Bryan  B.;  Gillum,  Geo.  C;  Gilson,  Ira 
E. ;  Gantner,  Urban  A. ;  Gerke,  John ;  Givens,  Clarence  A. ;  Gunn,  J.  P. ; 
Givens,  Clay  Carl;  Green,  John  W.;  Golden,  Hickman;  Goode,  Mack  J.; 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  335 

Green,  Julian  Bact ;  Gantner,  Earl  Jerome ;  Good,  Isaac  N. ;  Grazier,  Sher- 
man; Gerling,  Jos.  J.;  Gilbreath,  Hugh  K. ;  Geiger,  Lawrence;  Gavisk, 
Morgan;  Gronstedt,  Martin;  Griffin,  Harry  B.;  Gibson,  Robert  Lercy;  Gil- 
more,  Finis  Glen;  Gensler,  Thomas;  Grotinger,  Ferdinand;  Geiger,  John 
Wilbur ;  Gump,  Roy.  Jord ;  Gantner,  Jos. ;  Grose,  Jas.  W. ;  Gray,  Olaff ;  Gar- 
land, Homer;  Gibson,  Wm.  M. 

Hirst,  John  R. ;  Hepler,  Jesse  J. ;  Harris,  W.  B. ;  Hogan,  Lenwood ; 
Hopkins,  Chas.  W. ;  Holmes,  Wm. ;  Haller,  Richard  W. ;  Heisler,  Herman 
V. ;  Hogan,  Alfred ;  Henderson,  Chas.  C. ;  Hoellerich,  Aug. ;  Harris,  Loy  E. ; 
Holliday,  Arthur  L. ;  Hutchinson,  P.  T. ;  Haley,  Joel ;  Hull,  Wm.  S. ;  Haley, 
W.  L. ;  Holmes,  Barney ;  Hilden,  Herman  P. ;  Hutchinson,  Robt.  M. ;  Harte, 
Houston ;  Harris,  Chas.  D. ;  Harris,  Edgar  W. ;  Hogan.  Oliver  A. ;  Huth, 
Wilbur  L. ;  Hausser,  Albert ;  Houcker,  Geo.  F. ;  Hupp,  Chas.  J. ;  Huff,  Ray- 
mond P.  L. ;  Hogan,  Jas.  Otey;  Harned,  Walter  P.;  Hardiman,  Wm.; 
Howard.  Claud ;  Holliday,  Ernest ;  Hale,  Frank  O. ;  Hoff ,  Edward  L. ;  Hec- 
tor, Herbert  A. ;  Hedgpeth,  Robt.  Geo. ;  Huckaby,  Samuel  T. ;  Hotsenpiller, 
Irl  H. ;  Hopkins,  Jesse;  Helmreich,  Elbert  E. ;  Hunt,  Robert  V.;  Hams, 
Terry  E. ;  Hill,  Jasper  L. ;  Hickam,  Chas.  S. ;  Hurt,  Ewing;  Hammonds, 
Ernest ;  Hale,  John  P. ;  Harris,  Marion  C. ;  Hurt,  Porter  Marion ;  Haunsen, 
Aaron  W. ;  Haller,  S.  John ;  Harris,  Wm.  J. ;  Huckaby,  Pearl ;  Hain,  Geo. 
John ;  Howard,  Joe ;  Harlan,  Geo.  C. ;  Hupp,  Isaac  Gill ;  Holliday,  Virgil ; 
Hedrick,  Lon  M. ;  Hoberecht,  Ray. 

Irvin,  John  T. 

Johnson,  Leslie  Smith;  Jones,  Brent;  Jones,  Chas.  Elmer;  Jegglin, 
Wm.  A.;  Johnson,  Johnny;  Jenry,  Wm.  H. ;  Jones,  Richard  C;  Jenry,  Job" 
M. ;  Johnson,  Ellis;  Jackson,  Walter;  Johnson,  Robt.  Perry;  Jegglin, 
Ulmont;  Jenkins,  Phillip;  Jones,  Roy  E. ;  Johnson,  Andrew  D. ;  Johnson. 
Clyde  Gail ;  Jones,  Roy  Lindsay ;  Johns,  Wm.  Kelly ;  Jaeger,  Albert,  Jr. 

Knabe,  Herman  H. ;  Kallian,  Chas. ;  Kraus,  Frederick  A. ;  Kirschman, 
Lester  L. ;  Klenklen,  Wm.  T. ;  Knorp,  John  G. ;  Krohn,  Frederick  H. ;  Kos- 
field,  Herman  Henry ;  Kaiser,  Wm.  Theodore ;  Kimlin,  Fred  A. ;  Kaiser,  Geo. 
F. ;  Kibler,  Wm.  Walter;  Kistenmacher,  Karl;  King,  Lawson  Lander; 
Knipp,  Peter  J.,  Jr. ;  Klenklen,  Victor  S. ;  Klein,  Elmer  Henry ;  King,  Judd ; 
Kinney,  Dorsey ;  Koontz,  Frank  L. ;  Kahle,  Herman  F. ;  Kinney,  Jewel  M. ; 
Korte,  Homer  E. 

Langlotz,  Verner  C. ;  Long,  John  T. ;  Loesing,  Geo.  Henry ;  Layne, 
John  W. ;  Long,  Chas.  Clifford ;  Langkep,  Walter ;  Lusk,  Marshall  B. ;  Lyle, 
Chas.  F. ;  Lovick,  Wm.  A. ;  Lewis,  Edward ;  Lance,  Geo. ;  Lacy,  Geo.  Whit ; 
Lawson,  Barney  E. ;  Lee,  Wm.;  Lawson,  Roy;  Lewis,  Harry;  Leuckert,. 


336  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

C.  D. ;  Langkop,  Edward  Chas. ;  Logan.  Urbie  Jas. ;  Lamm,  Oscar  Irving; 
Lee,  Nelson;  Lamm,  Jas.  Forrest;  Lee,  Harrison  G. 

Miller,  Roy  F. ;  Miles,  Homer ;  McKinley,  Lenwood ;  Mersey,  Elmer  E. ; 
Moore,  Jeff  T. ;  Miles,  Eugene ;  Mersey,  Wm.  H. ;  Minor,  Hogan ;  Mayer, 
Chas.  H.;  Meller,  Thos.  E. ;  Manning,  Floyd  H. ;  Miller,  Geo.  L. ;  Mallory, 
Gilbert;  Mcllveny,  John;  Meredith,  Wm.  Owen;  Moore,  LeRoy ;  Meredith, 
Geo.  H. ;  Morris,  Clay ;  Moore,  Hilliard  H. ;  Miller,  H.  J. ;  Miller,  John  L. ; 
Madison,  Ernest;  Myer.  Henry  Robert;  Morris,  Warren  Cole;  McDonnell, 
Paul  Brooks;  McCleary,  James;  Meyer,  August;  Mochel,  Wm.  F. ;  Moehle, 
Geo.  E. ;  McDowell,  Sid  ;  Marshall,  Rudolph  ;  Minor,  J.  W. ;  Morrison,  Paul ; 
Moore,  Hugh  Shelborn ;  Miller,  Archie ;  Montgomery,  Wm. ;  Meyers.  For- 
rest; Mize,  Richard  B. ;  Meisenheimer,  R.  D. ;  Muessig,  Robert;  Myers, 
Fred  Wm.,  Jr.;  Morrow,  Silas  A. 

Needy,  Forrest;  Nichols,  Willis;  Nookerman,  John  A.;  Nelson,  Wm. ; 
Neef,  Henry  Carl ;  Nelson,  Ruben  C. ;  Niederwimmer,  H. ;  Nelson,  Wm. ; 
Newbauer,  Emil;  Neale,  Monroe,  Lee. 

Oerly,  Frank  J.;  Ohlendorf,  Henry  F. ;  Odneal,  Hugh  B.;  Oak,  Walter 
S. ;  Odil,  Jan  Anderson ;  Odom,  Radford  F. ;  O'Neal,  Samuel  Amos ;  Odneal, 
J.  Geo.  Poindexter;  Owings,  William  T. ;  Orendorf,  Robert  Lee;  Oak,  W.  W. 

Pepper,  Herman ;  Peeples,  Harold ;  Palmer,  Frank  D. ;  Pare,  Oscar  H. ; 
Piatt,  Wm.  B. ;  Paxton,  John  H. ;  Phillips,  Paul  W. ;  Plater,  Calvin ;  Porter, 
Willie;  Poindexter,  Alfred;  Pulley,  Clarence;  Parkhurst,  Geo.  A.;  Pearson, 
Carl  C;  Powers,  Elmore;  Philpott,  James  E. ;  Phipps,  Geo.  Wm. ;  Parrish, 
James ;  Poindexter,  Arthur  L. ;  Phipps,  Marion  Lee ;  Patterson,  Jas.  W. ; 
Poindexter,  John  William;  Pulley,  Leonard  B. ;  Putnam,  Thos.  B.;  Park- 
hurst, Fred  A.;  Potter,  A.  Zabe  H. ;  Poindexter,  Chas.  F. ;  Poole,  Ellis': 
Poertner,  Ernest  J. ;  Powell,  Earl ;  Pethan,  Oscar  W.  H. ;  Perry,  Elmer  J. ; 
Phillip,  Noah;  Potter,  Lilburn  A.;  Perry,  Hiram;  Porter,  Chas. 

Quint,  Wm.;  Quinley,  Henry  Vernon;  Quigley,  Wm.  Oliver;  Quint, 
Geo. 

Read,  Chas.;  Ronan,  Lee  Albert;  Reavis,  Henry  F. ;  Rassmussen, 
Arthur;  Rawlins,  Howard  M. ;  Roth,  Louis  G.;  Richey,  Charlie;  Redmon. 
Chas.;  Richey,  Alphus  N. ;  Runkle,  Wm.  K.;  Ross,  James  A.;  Reynolds, 
H.  W. ;  Richardson,  Clarence ;  Reynolds,  Geo.  S. ;  Robinson,  Press ;  Richter, 
John  H. ;  Robinson,  Carter;  Rucker,  Ray;  Roberts,  Roy  Daniel;  Redd,  Roy ; 
Rentschler,  Samuel  D. ;  Ries,  Herman ;  Reed,  John  Wm. ;  Rolfe.  Sidney  R. ; 
Riggs,  Geo.  E.;  Roberts,  Cecil  C. ;  Riggs,  Oscar;  Rau,  Frank  Joseph. 

Schuster,  Wilbur  J.;  Smith,  Edgar  E. ;  Schilb,  Francis  Oscar;  Stretz, 
Wilbur  F.;  Sims,  Roy  B.;  Spillers,  Guy  E. :  Simms,  John  W. ;  Schmidt, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  337 

Edward  Joseph;  Simmers,  Luther;  Sanders,  Thos.  P.;  Stegner,  Lloyd  E.; 
-Stephens,  Ralph ;  Smith,  Walter  R. ;  Schupp,  Wm. ;  Stacy,  King  George ; 
Sevier,  Walker ;  Smith,  P.  L. ;  Schupp,  R. ;  Stephens,  Lon  V. ;  Sanders,  Jas. ; 
Stuart,  Jesse  E. ;  Stephens,  Clyde;  Smalley,  Joe  B. ;  Soph,  Raymond; 
Sharp,  John  W. ;  Smallwood,  Joe ;  Schwartz,  Joseph  H. ;  Stephens,  Joseph 
L. ;  Scott,  Willie  M. ;  Skith,  Henry  A. ;  Shaw,  Robert  J. ;  Schoen,  Frank  S. ; 
Shackleford,  John;  Schlup,  Ovey;  Simmons,  Chas.  C. ;  Salmon,  Thos.  J.; 
Straub,  John  F. ;  Sweeny,  David,  Jr.;  Smith,  Russell  B.;  Schultz,  Frank; 
Steinmetz,  Samuel  T. ;  Smith,  Thomas  B. ;  Schwartz,  John  C. ;  Sanders, 
Lester  J.;  Simms,  Morrison  C. ;  Schneibner,  Carl  F. ;  Schmidt,  Harry  L. ; 
Stephens,  Whitney  A.;  Sullins,  Elsa  Victor;  Schrader,  Wm.  H. ;  Selck, 
Hilliard ;  Schilb,  Alva  E. ;  Snyder,  Lee  F. ;  Stretz,  Norbert ;  Stephens,  Reid ; 
Sparks,  Daniel ;  Sombart,  Harry  E. ;  Sieckmann,  Wilhelm ;  Schupp,  Con- 
rad; Smith,  Arthur;  Schupp,  Fritz;  Sutton,  Lewis  H. ;  Scholle,  Albro; 
Snider,  Alex ;  Sanders,  Timothy ;  Strickf  adden,  Geo. ;  Simon,  Russell ; 
Schilb,  Enslie  Irvin;  Stapleton,  Winston;  Schlotzhauer,  Hallie  C:  Sim- 
mons, Roy  E. ;  Shinn,  Henry;  Schoen,  Charles;  Sites,  William  Lee;  Smith, 
Douglass ;  Stephens,  Walter ;  Smith,  J.  A. ;  Schwartz,  Jacob  John ;  Simms, 
Thomas  A.;  Simpson,  Sylvester;  Stephens,  James;  Speaker,  Neal  F. ; 
Shafer,  William  0.;  Shemwell,  George;  Stockard,  Frank  L. ;  Smith, 
Edward  B. 

Thompson,  Herman ;  Turley,  John  C. ;  Trester,  John ;  Toler,  Frank  G. ; 
Toley,  William  B. ;  Taylor,  Julius;  Thompson,  Clem  Arnold;  Toler,  Joseph 
A.;  Toennis,  John  Gustave;  Theiss,  Lawrence;  Thomas,  Lewis;  Turner, 
William  C. ;  Todd,  Frank;  Turner,  Henry;  Tolbert,  Floyd  A.;  Twenter, 
Albert  H. ;  Tuirtcis,  Paungistis ;  Taliaferro,  Louis  G. ;  Tompkins,  John 
Cheatham ;  Thomas,  George  M. ;  Tuttle,  Joseph  Morton ;  Thoma,  Frank  J. ; 
Teele,  Burke;  Thompson,  Joseph;  Templemire,  Edward;  Trester,  Harry 
Peter;  Tumy,  William  H. ;  Thomas,  John  L. ;  Terrell,  Arthur. 

Utz,  Winfield  Roy. 

Varnum,  F.  R.;  Vieth,  August  William;  Vamer,  Robert  E. ;  Verts, 
Joseph  L. ;  Verts,  Harry  Lee;  Verts,  Chalos  Isaac;  Varnum,  George  W. ; 
Vaugn,  Roy  R. 

Westerman,  Ernest;  Wolfe,  Lewis  E. ;  Wiemholt,  Fred  A.;  Williams, 
Lawrence;  Whitlow,  Henry  C;  Windsor,  Wilbur  C;  Wright,  Harry; 
Woodhouse,  Henry;  Willson,  Willis;  Wallace,  Roscoe  A.;  Woodhouse, 
Albert ;  Walterscheid,  Peter  M. ;  Williams,  Howard ;  Wolfe,  Oral  W. ;  Wil- 
liams, Grover  C. ;  Windsor,  Edward  H. ;  Williams,  Charles ;  Wilhite,  John 
(22) 


338  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

F. ;  Wide],  John  B. ;  Watkins,  Theodore ;  Wright,  Clarence ;  Wall,  William 
Arthur;  Wilson,  Charles  W. ;  Wolfe,  William  M. ;  Weyland,  Morgan  L. ; 
Windsor,  John  II. ;  Williams,  Roy ;  Williams,  Edwin  A. ;  Wendleton,  John 
E. ;  Williams,  Charles  A. ;  Witt,  Jeroid  Lee ;  Wisner,  John  B. ;  Whitlow, 
Elliot  W. ;  Windsor,  John  Leonard ;  Wassman,  Orion  F. ;  Wilhite,  Elea  S. ; 
Wallje,  Ernest  B. ;  White,  Arthur  F. ;  White,  Walter  C. 

Yeager,  Frederick  W.  L. ;  Young,  Rudolph  H. 

Zimmerman,  Robert. 

The  following  names  we  give  as  those  that  appear  upon  the  list  that  . 
was  prepared  by  the  ladies  of  Boonville  that  do  not  appear  upon  the  above 
list  prepared  by  us. 

Biltz,  Rolla ;  Blank,  Albert ;  Bonen,  Leo  Albert ;  Brandes,  William 
Carl;  Bryan,  Charles  Virgil;  Burke,  John  Joseph;  Barr,  David  Albert; 
Bamby,  Earl  James. 

Cash,  Horace  Miller;  Campbell,  Arthur  Harrie;  Cannon,  James  Nel- 
son; Cramer,  Ernest  Dewitt;  Cole,  Charles  Betteridge;  Collegan,  Ernest. 

Deimber,  Albert. 

Gooseberry,  Ernest;  Gabriel,  Samuel  Emery. 

Hutchison,  William  Thomas;  Huffman,  Paul  Bush. 

Kreeger,  Heo.  H. ;  Kelly.  Dr.  R.  Q. 

Larrimore,  William  H. 

Meeker,  Hiram;  Meagher,  Leo.  James;  McElroy,  Charles  Willey; 
Matheny,  William. 

Pfeiffer,  John. 

Reed,  Nolan  Potter;  Reynolds,  Virgil  Lee. 

Stegner,  Joseph  William;  Skinner,  Elvie  Elmer;  Stewart,  Wilbur; 
Schmitt,  Urban  Frank;  Stephens,  Robert;  Smith,  Samuel. 

Tuff,  Henry  G. 

Wilson,  Fred  W. ;  Watson,  George;  Williams,  Douglas  Kyril ;  Waller, 
Elliott. 

Company  B,  Third  Regiment  Infantry,  N.  G.,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was 
called  into  Federal  service  March  25,  1917,  and  drafted  into  Federal  service 
August  5,  1917  and  consolidated  with  Co.  B,  6th  Mo.  Infantry  and  desig- 
nated Co.  B,  140th  Infantry. 

Captain,  Carl  F.  Scheibner;  1st  Lieutenant,  Warren  T.  Davis;  2d 
Lieutenant,  William  F.  Short;  1st  Sergeant,  Merl  Joseph  Barnert;  Mess 
Sergeant,  Juneious  C.  Davis;  Suply  Sergeant,  Carl  A.  Miller;  Sergeants, 
John  P.  Logan,  Jr.,  Forest  E.  Callahan;  Corporals,  William  Lachneij, 
Joseph  C.  White,  Ewell  K.  Walden;  Cooks,  Morrison  C.  Simms,  George 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  339 

Langhans;  Buglers,  Monte  C.  Coulter,  Edward  T.  Willard ;  Privates, 
Robert  Annly,  Stephen  Y.  Bagby,  Daniel  Becker,  Wayne  R.  Berry,  Rolla 
Biltz,  Burke  E.  Bledsoe,  Rolla  T.  Bottom,  John  W.  Buchanan,  Arthur  L. 
Campbell,  Frank  W.  Cash,  John  Cauthon,  John  Cochran,  Charles  B.  Cor- 
nett,  Wyatt  Cramer,  Oscar  Crum,  Jesse  H.  Davis,  Oscar  J.  Dewell,  James 
L.  Donohew,  John  C.  Edwards,  Jewell  Fenical,  Paul  R.  Goode,  Monte  H. 
Haller,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  George  Hayes,  James  J.  Haley,  Roy  P.  Haley, 
Tom  A.  Hickcox,  Harry  R.  Holmer,  Henry  J.  Hilscamp,  Ewing  Hurt, 
Charles  H.  Huber,  Cecil  Jenkins,  Eugene  E.  Johnston,  Eugene  F.  Kleasner, 
James  L.  Kreeger,  George  Leininger,  Edgar  C.  Lohse,  Sylvanus  W.  Malott, 
Andrew  L.  Mayfield,  John  H.  McMellon,  Emett  H.  McRoberts,  Carl  W. 
Mock,  Sam  A.  Mock,  Charles  S.  Moore,  Kemper  Moore,  Riley  W.  Murphy, 
Claude  L.  Muncy,  Walker  Oswald,  Raymond  R.  Partee,  Phillip  Peeples, 
David  H.  Pfeifer,  Otto  E.  Poertner,  George  Potter,  Robert  C.  Renfrow, 
Earl  W.  Russell,  Albert  Schell,  William  Scotten,  Rodney  E.  Simmons,  Web- 
ster Joseph  Simmons,  Ernest  N.  Simpson,  Fred  Sims,  Jo  B.  Smalley, 
Ernest  F.  Spaete,  Robert  H.  Stephens,  Jesse  0.  Stillwell,  Curtis  Stiner, 
Stanley  M.  Thatcher,  William  R.  Thomas,  Ralph  A.  Tuckley,  Robert  Von 
Oertzen,  Dewey  F.  Wells,  Lon  H.  Weyland,  James  White,  Roger  E.  White, 
Richard  N.  Windsor,  Grady  T.  Wood,  William  H.  Yontz. 

Casualty  List. — Through  the  kindness  of  Floyd  C.  Shoemaker,  sec- 
retary of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  Missouri,  we  herein  give  the 
casualty  list  of  the  Cooper  County  boys.  Mr.  Shoemaker,  at  considerable 
trouble,  has  compiled  this  list  and  it  is  barely  possible  that  it  does  not 
contain  all  the  casualties,  yet  in  the  main  it  is  correct: 

Annley,  Robert,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Barnes,  Lucien  Nelson,  private,  Blackwater,  wounded  slightly. 

Berry,  Wayne  R.,  private,  Speed,  wounded    (degree  undetermined). 

Bietz,  Rolland,  private,  Bunceton,  wounded  slightly. 

Blackstone,  McLawrence,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  died  of  disease  (U. 
S.  A.). 

Coleman,  Wayt  J.,  private,  Woodridge,  wounded  slightly. 

Coulter,  Monte  C,  corporal,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Cramar,  Ray,  private,  Blackwater,  wounded  severely. 

Dickinson,  Jonathan  0.,  lieutenant,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Diel,  Raymond  Felix,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  (degree  unde- 
termined). 

Diel,  O.  William,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  died  of  disease   (U.  S.  A.). 

Dishion,  Pierce  J.,  private,  Bunceton,  wounded  slightly. 


340  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

Duncan,  Herbert,  private,  Overton,  wounded  slightly. 

Embry,  Sidney  E.,  private,  Cooper  County,  killed  in  action. 

Fairfax,  Lon  S.,  private,  Otterville,  died  of  disease. 

Fowler,  Tyre  Boon,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  (degree  undeter- 
mined). 

Haller,  Richard  William,  private,  Boonville,  died  of  disease. 

Harlan,  George  Clark  (navy),  died  of  disease. 

Harris,  William,  lieutenant,  Boonville.  wounded  (degree  undeter- 
mined). 

Johns,  William  Kelley,  private,  Boonville,  killed  in  action. 

Johnson,  Everett  Hale,  Blackwater,  killed  in  action. 

Junkerman,  Albert  F.,  private,  Blackwater,  died  of  disease. 

Klien,  George  J.,  private,  Blackwater,  missing  in  action. 

Knabe,  Henry  Herman,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  (degree  unde- 
termined). 

Knoep,  Elmer  T.,  private,  Prairie  Home,  wounded  severely. 

Kreeger,   George   H.,   corporal,   Boonville,   prisoner,   wounded. 

Langkop,  Walter  T.,  private,  Bunceton,  died  of  disease. 

Logan,  John  P.,  sergeant,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Long,  Charles  C,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  slightly. 

Malott,  Sylvanus  W.,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  slightly. 

Mayer,  Charles  H.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

McAllister,  Arthur  T.,  private,  Boonville,  died  of  wounds. 

Meyer,  Henry  R.,  recruit,  Prairie  Home,  died  of  disease   (U.  S.  A.). 

Miller,  Carl  A.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Miller,  George  True,  private,  LaMine,  wounded  (degree  undeter- 
mined). 

Miller,  John  L.,  private,  Speed,  wounded  slightly. 

Miller,  Roy  F.  (navy),  Boonville,  died  of  disease  (U.  S.  A.). 

Mock,  Samuel  A.,  lieutenant,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Odneal,  Hugh  B.,  private,  Prairie  Home,  wounded  severely. 

Ohlendorf,  Henry  E.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Poertner,  Otto  Ernest,  private,  Boonville,  killed  in  action. 

Robey,  William  M.,  private,  LaMine,  wounded  severely. 

Ross,  James  Alfred,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Sanders,  Thomas  P.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Salmon,  Thomas  J.,  private,  Otterville,  wounded  severely. 

Sears,  Ernest  Cecil,  private  (marine),  Blackwater,  wounded  severely. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  341 

• 

Simmons,  Charles  C,  corporal,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Simmons,  Henry  T.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Simmons,  Rodney  E.,  private,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Simmons,  Webster  J.,  sergeant,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Smith,  Edward  B.,  private,  Cooper  County,  missing  in  action. 

Smith,  Perry  D.,  private,  Blackwater,  died  of  disease. 

Speaker,  Neal  F.,  sergeant,  Otterville,  wounded  (degree  undetermined). 

Spray,  Walker,  corporal,  Boonville,  wounded  slightly. 

Stephens,  Clyde  P.,  private,  Bunceton,  wounded  slightly. 

Stephens,  Robert,  corporal,  Bunceton,  wounded  severely. 

Stock,  August  W.,  corporal,  Overton,  wounded  slightly. 

Stoner,  Curtis,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  (degree  undetermined). 

Straub,  John  Franklin,  bugler,  Pleasant  Green,  wounded  (undeter- 
mined) . 

Taylor,  George  Estel,  private,  Boonville,  died  of  disease. 

Thoma,  Leonard  E.,  mechanic,  Boonville,  died  of  wounds. 

Thomas,  William,  private,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  severely. 

Vaughn,  Harley  P.,  corporal,  Boonville,  wounded  severely. 

Watson,  George  W.,  mechanic,  Blackwater,  wounded  severely. 

Whitton,  Henry  C,  private,  Blackwater,  wounded  severely. 

Wilson,  Arthur  C,  private  (marine),  Pleasant  Green,  wounded  se- 
verely. 

Zoeller,  Frank  S.,  corporal,  Pilot  Grove,  wounded  (degree  undeter- 
mined). 

Summary. — From  "Statistical  Summary  of  the  War  with  Germany" 
prepared  by  Col.  Leonard  P.  Ayres  authorized  by  the  War  Department  is 
extracted  the  following,  which,  of  course,  is  of  interest  to  our  readers: 

Among  each  100  Americans  five  took  up  arms  in  defense  of  the 
country. 

During  the  Civil  War  10  out  of  every  100  inhabitants  of  the  North- 
ern States  served  as  soldiers  or  sailors.  In  that  struggle  2,400,000  men 
sei-ved  in  the  Northern  army  and  the  navy. 

Between  April  6,  1917,  and  Nov.  11,  1918,  when  the  armistice  went 
into  effect  4,800,000  men  constituted  our  land  and  naval  forces.  Yet 
a  force  proportional  to  that  put  forth  by  the  North  during  the  Civil 
War  would  have  produced  nearly  10,000,000  American  fighting  men. 

The  British  sent  to  France  in  their  first  year  of  the  war  more  men 
than  did  the  United  States   in  the  first  twelve  months.     On  the  other 


342  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

hand,  it  took  England  three  years  to  reach  a  strength  of  2,000,000  men 
in  France,  while  the  United  States  was  able  to  place  that  number  across 
the  seas  in  one-half  that  time. 

The  organization  of  an  immense  army  as  that  of  the  United  States, 
its  equipment  and  transportation  across  the  ocean  has  never  been  equaled 
in  the  history  of  the  world. 

Two  out  of  every  three  American  soldiers  who  reached  France  took 
part  in  battle.  The  number  that  reached  France  was  2,084,000  and  of 
these  1,300,000  were  engaged  at  the  front. 

American  divisions  were  in  battle  for  200  days  and  engaged  in  13 
major  operations  from  the  middle  of  August  until  the  armistice. 

The  American  divisions  held  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  a 
front  longer  than  that  held  by  the  British  in  October.  The  American 
divisions  held  101  miles  of  line  or  23  per  cent  of  the  entire  western  front. 

In  the  battle  of  Saint  Milhiel  550,000  Americans  were  engaged,  as 
compared  with  100,000  on  the  North  side  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

The  artillery  fired  more  than  1,000,000  shells  in  four  hours,  which 
is  the  most  intense  concentration  of  artillery  fire  recorded  in  the  history 
of  the  world. 

The  Meuse-Argonne  battle  lasted  47  days,  during  which  1,200,000 
American  troops  were  engaged. 

During  the  period  of  hostilities  two  out  of  every  100  American  sol- 
diers were  killed  or  died  of  disease.  The  total  battle  death  of  all  nations 
in  this  war  was  greater  than  the  total  of  all  the  deaths  of  all  the  wars 
in  the  previous  100  years. 

For  every  man  killed  in  battle  seven  were  wounded. 

Five  out  of  every  six  men  sent  to  hospitals  on  account  of  wounds 
were  cured  and  returned  to  duty. 

In  the  expeditionary  forces  battle  deaths  were  twice  as  many  as 
death  from  disease. 

The  number  of  American  lives  lost  was  122,500,  of  which  about 
10,000  were  in  the  navy  and  the  rest  in  the  army  and  marines  attached 
to  it. 

The  war  cost  of  America  was  $21,850,000,000,  or  approximately 
$1,000,000  an  hour.  The  greatest  number  of  men  sent  over  seas  in  a 
single  month  was  306,000  and  the  largest  returned  home  in  a  single 
month  at  the  time  of  the  report  was  333,000. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  343 

The  supplies  shipped  from  the  United  States  to  France  was  7,500,000 
tons  in  nineteen  months. 

The  registration  of  men  for  the  draft  was  24,234,021  and  of  these 
2,810,296  were  inducted  into  service.  The  largest  number  inducted  into 
the  service  in  a  single  month  was  400,000. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


MEXICAN  BORDER  TROUBLE— GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC— UNITED  VET- 
ERANS OF  THE  CONFEDERACY— OTTERVILLE  TRAIN  ROBBERY— SHERIFF 
CRAMER  MURDERED— A.  B.  THORNTON  KILLED— THE  PROHIBITION  QUES- 
TION. 

Mexican  Border  Trouble. — Company  B,  3rd  Infantry,  National  Guard 
of  Missouri,  was  called  with  other  National  Guard  units  for  service  on  the 
Mexican  border  on  June  18,  1916.  Capt.  R.  A.  Johnston,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, left  Boonville  with  sitxy-seven  men  for  the  mobilization  camp  at 
the  government  reservation  near  Nevada,  Mo. 

The  departure  of  this  organization  caused  much  sorrow  among  the 
relatives  and  friends  of  the  men.  The  citizens  turned  out  in  masse, 
escorted  the  company  to  the  train,  and  gave  the  men  a  rousing  send-off. 
After  being  in  camp  at  Nevada  a  few  days  the  citizens  sent  a  committee 
headed  by  the  Mayor  and  presented  the  company  a  beautiful  silk  United 
States  standard. 

On  June  30,  1916,  the  men  were  examined  physically  and  formally 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  There  were  now  near 
ninety  men  in  the  company  as  Lt.  Carl  F.  Scheibner  had  been  left  in  Boon- 
ville when  the  company  departed  and  had  gathered  in  several  recruits. 
Also  several  men  recruited  in  other  places  had  been  assigned  to  Com- 
pany B. 

The  physical  examination  was  most  rigid  and  several  were  disqualified 
and  sent  back  home,  among  them  the  captain  of  Company  B. 

The  list  of  those  accepted  and  mustered  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  follows: 

Company  B,  3d  Infantry,  Missouri  National  Guard.     Called  into  Fed- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  345 

eral  service  June  18,  1916.     Mustered  into  Federal  service  June  30,  1916. 

Captain,  Rea  A.  Johnston ;  1st  Lt.,  William  F.  Short ;  2nd  Lt.,  Carl  F. 
Scheibner;  1st  Sgt,  John  S.  Cobb;  Mess  Sgt.,  Carl  A.  Miller;  Sgts.,  War- 
ren T.  Davis,  Martene  Corum,  John  Parker  Logan,  Juneious  C.  Davis,  Wil- 
liam Bell.  Corps.:  Forrest  Callahan,  Fred  A.  Kimlin,  Charles  Henry 
Huber,  James  A.  Ross,  Merl  J.  Barnert.  Cooks:  Morrison  C.  Sims,  Paul 
R.  Goode.  Artificer:  George  Potter.  Buglers:  Ralph  Brumbaugh,  Monte 
Coulter.  Privates :  Bailey,  Curtis  F. ;  Bottom,  Rolla  T. ;  Campbell,  James 
W. ;  Cauthon,  John;  Cochran,  John;  Cordes,  Dewey  E. ;  Culp,  Henry; 
Deuel,  Oscar  J. ;  Finn,  William  W. ;  Fowler,  Ira  0. ;  Haley,  James  J. ;  Haller, 
Manfred  H. ;  Howard,  Wallace  E. ;  Hutchison,  Presley  T. ;  Johnston, 
Eugene  E. ;  Kane,  John  D. ;  Kidwell,  John  H. ;  King,  Judd ;  Kohn,  William 
P. ;  Kratzer,  Leroy ;  Kreeger,  James ;  Lachner,  William  G. ;  Langhans, 
George ;  Lohse,  Edgar  C. ;  Long,  William ;  McAllister,  William ;  McRoberts, 
Emmett  F. ;  Mock,  Samuel  A.;  Moore,  Charles  S. ;  Pack,  Hardie;  Paxton, 
John;  Peeples,  Phillip;  Potter,  Henry  V.;  Potter,  John  R.,  Jr.;  Renfrow, 
Robert  C. ;  Schroeder,  Albert  W. ;  Shea,  John  E.,  Jr. ;  Sim,  Fred ;  Simmons, 
Webster  J. ;  Smalley,  Joe  B. ;  Spaete,  Ernest  F. ;  Stillwell,  Jesse  0. ;  Sum- 
merskill,  Marshal  J. ;  Tezon,  William ;  Von  Oertzen,  Robert ;  Walden,  Ewell 
K. ;  Webster,  James  H. ;  White,  Roger  E. ;  White,  Joseph  C. ;  Wilhite,  James 
F. ;  Wilmesher,  Herman ;  Yontz,  William  H. 

Organizations  of  Civil  War  Veterans. — A  Grand  Army  Post  was 
organized  in  Boonville,  on  Aug.  19,  1885  with  seventeen  members  and 
with  the  following  officers :  Col.  Joseph  A.  Eppestein,  Commander ;  Judge 
T.  M.  Rice,  Senior  Vice-Commander;  Capt.  George  Meller,  Junior  Vice- 
Commander;  P.  H.  McNulty,  Quartermaster;  Dr.  John  B.  Holman,  Sur- 
geon; Sylvester  Young,  Chaplain;  W.  C.  Culverhouse,  Officer  of  the  Day; 
James  Mitchell,  Officer  of  the  Guard;  Franklin  Swap,  Adjutant;  R.  W. 
Whitlow,  Sergeant-Major ;  and  W.  W.  Taliaferro,  Quartermaster  Sergeant. 
Capt.  E.  J.  Smith,  of  Sedalia,  Mo.,  was  the  special  mustering  officer  on 
the  occasion.  This  organization  was  named  John  A.  Hayn  Post  No.  240, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  The  Boonville  battle  having  been  the  first 
land  battle  of  the  Civil  War,  and  John  A.  Hayn  having  lost  his  life  in  that 
battle,  this  post  was  properly  named  in  his  honor,  he  being  the  first  soldier 
who  gave  his  life  for  the  Union  in  a  land  engagement. 

Judge  T.  M.  Rice  was  elected  Commander  of  the  Post  on  Dec.  21, 
1888,  and  appointed  R.  W.  Whitlow,  Adjutant  of  the  Post,  who  has  since 
continuously  served  as  Adjutant  of  the  Post  and  holds  that  office  at  this 


346  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

time.  Mr.  Whitlow  is  now  the  only  surviving  member  in  good  standing 
of  the  charter  membership. 

In  all  this  post  has  had  234  members.  Its  present  membership  con- 
sists of  only  27  as  follows:  Joseph  Leiber,  Commander;  R.  W.  Whitlow, 
Adjutant;  C.  C.  Bell,  Chaplain;  Peter  Trester,  Officer  of  the  Day;  John  W. 
Rudolph,  George  W.  Rudolph,  Mathew  R.  McDowell,  Walter  Bai-ron,  George 
W.  Drennen,  James  P.  Tally,  John  F.  Wassmann ;  William  T.  Tally,  Officer 
of  the  Guard;  Joseph  Memmel,  Charles  R.  Cartner;  F.  J.  Boiler,  quarter- 
master; Gottlieb  Baumann,  George  W.  Piper,  Junior  Vice-Commander; 
John  F.  Dilthey,  Senior  Vice-Commander;  Daniel  Muntzel,  August  Steg- 
ner,  Sergeant ;  Henry  Hoppe,  George  A.  Jacobs,  James  H.  Wilkinson,  Henry 
Roesler,  Gilbert  L.  Wilson,  Martin  L.  Weekly,  E.  H.  Rodgers. 

The  George  B.  Harper  Camp  No.  714  United  Veterans  of  the  Con- 
federacy was  organized  in  the  city  of  Boonville,  Aug.  17,  1895,  with  the 
following  roster  of  attending  veterans: 

Robert  McCulloch,  B.  F.  Bedwell,  J.  L.  Campbell,  A.  M.  George,  F.  M. 
Davis,  J.  C.  Berry,  Jan  Halley,  H.  Allen,  James  Powell,  E.  I.  Smith,  J.  H. 
B.  Street,  T.  B.  Simmons,  Amos  O'Neal,  R.  A.  Kirkbride,  W.  E.  Toler,  0. 
F.  Arnold,  W.  W.  Trent,  J.  E.  Fairchild,  J.  W.  Williams,  Isaac  Henry,  J. 
M.  Givens,  A.  W.  McFarland,  Eph  Simmons,  A.  L.  Zollinger,  John  M. 
Boyles,  J.  H.  Zollinger,  R.  E.  Howlett,  W.  H.  Eades,  J.  A.  Howard,  A.  G. 
Dinwiddie,  John  Heplin,  Dr.  H.  H.  Miller. 

Gen  Robert  McCulloch  was  elected  Commander  of  the  camp.  He  ap- 
pointed the  following  gentlemen  to  constitute  the  staff  for  the  eastern 
district  for  Missouri: 

Maj.  Harry  Hill,  Adjutant  General,  St.  Louis;  Maj.  James  F.  Edwards. 
Inspecting  General,  Forestell ;  Maj.  Edmund  Casey,  Quartermaster-Gen- 
eral, Potosi,  Washington  County;  Maj.  John  S.  Mellon,  Commissary-Gen- 
eral, St.  Louis;  Capt.  R.  E.  Howlett,  Surgeon-General,  Otterville,  Mo.; 
Capt.  A.  L.  Zollinger,  Aid-de-Camp,  Otterville,  Mo.;  Capt.  W.  W.  Trent, 
Asst.  Adjutant-General,  Boonville,  Mo. 

In  1904  the  Gen.  Dick  Taylor  consolidated  with  the  George  B.  Harper 
Camp  under  the  name  of  the  latter. 

The  last  meeting  of  this  camp  of  which  we  find  any  record  was  held 
at  Otterville,  Mo.,  on  Aug.  10,  1915.  At  the  present  time  Dr.  R.  E.  Howlett 
is  Commander-in-Chief;  James  Speed,  Second  Commander;  R.  T.  Draffen, 
Third  Commander;  and  the  following  appointive  officers,  C.  N.  Zollinger, 
Adjutant;  Arch  George,  Quartermaster;  W.  G.  Streit,  Commissary.  Some 
of  the  younger  officers  are  sons  of  veterans. 

The  Blue  and  the  Gray  have  given  way  to  the  khaki,  one  color,  one 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  ,'>47 

Union  and  a  united  love  of  country.     The  ranks  of  the  old  veterans  are 
sadly  thinning.     Alas,  alas,  the  fleeting  years  go  swiftly  by ! 

Horace  in  one  of  his  odes,  says: 

"Alas,  Postumus,  Postumus,  the  fleeting  years  glide  by, 
Nor  can  piety  bring  delay  to  wrinkles,  importunate  old  age, 
And  invisible  death." 

The  modern  poet,  in  his  liberal  translation  has  evolved  the  following 
touching  lines. 

"Ah,  Postumus,  the  years,  the  fleeting  years 
Still  onwards,  onwards  glide; 
Nor  mortal  virtue  may 
Time's  wrinkling  fingers  stay, 
Nor  Age's  sure  advance,  nor  Death's  all-conquering  stride." 

Otterville  Train  Robbery.— On  the  night  of  the  13th  of  July,  1876,  a 
passenger  train  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad,  was  robbed  about  one 
mile  east  of  Otterville,  in  Otterville  township,  by  a  band  of  eight  men. 
Their  names  were  Frank  and  Jesse  James,  Cole  and  John  Younger,  Bill 
Chadwell,  Clell  Miller,  Charley  Pitts  and  Hobbs  Kerry. 

After  opening  the  safe  of  the  United  States  Express  Company  and 
the  safe  of  the  Adams  Express  Company,  the  robbers  proceeded  the  same 
night  to  a  point  on  Flat  Creek,  where  they  divided  the  treasure,  which 
consisted  of  about  $22,000  in  money,  and  other  valuables,  such  as  jewelry, 
bonds,  coupons,  and  exchange,  which  were  being  carried  east  by  the 
express  companies.  They,  however,  took  nothing  with  them  but  the 
money.  At  the  point  above  named,  on  Flat  Creek,  Hobbs  Kerry,  one  of 
the  band,  separated  from  his  companions.  Hiding  his  saddle  and  bridle 
in  the  woods,  he  turned  his  horse  loose  on  the  prairie  and  walking  to 
Windsor,  took  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas  train  to  his  home  at  Gran  by, 
Mo.,  where  some  weeks  after  he  was  arrested.  He  confessed  the  crime 
and  guided  the  officers  of  the  law  to  the  place  where  the  robbers  had 
divided  the  money,  and  where  was  found  much  of  the  jewelry  and  other 
valuables  taken  by  them,  being  such  property  as  they  could  not  well  use, 
and  were  afraid  to  have  on  their  persons. 

At  the  November  term,  1876,  of  the  Cooper  Circuit  Court,  Hobbs 
Kerry  was  indicted,  and  at  the  April  term,  in  1877,  Kerry  was  tried,  con- 


348  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

victed  and  sentenced  to  four  years'   imprisonment   in  the  penitentiary. 
James  H.  Johnston,  prosecuted,  and  John  R.  Walker,  defended. 

Immediately  after  the  train  robbery  at  Otterville,  the  robbers  were 
joined  by  one  of  the  Younger  brothers,  the  youngest,  who  supplied  the 
place  of  Kerry,  and  all  proceeded  to  Northfield,  Minn.,  where  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  day  of  Sept.,  1876,  in  the  attempt  to  rob  the  bank  at  that 
place,  Bill  Chadwell,  Clell  Miller  and  Charlie  Pitts,  were  killed  outright 
and  the  three  Youngers  were  wounded,  captured,  convicted  and  sentenced 
to  the  Minnesota  penitentiary.  The  James  brothers  made  their  escape  and 
were  engaged  in  many  robberies  subsequent  to  that  time.  Jesse  James 
was  killed  by  the  Ford  boys  (Bob  and  Charley),  on  the  3d  of  April,  1882. 
Frank  James,  afterwards,  and  in  Sept.,  1882,  surrendered  himself  to  Gov- 
ernor Crittenden,  of  Missouri,  in  the  executive  office,  in  Jefferson  City. 
He  quietly  walked  into  the  governor's  office,  announced  who  he  was,  un- 
buckled his  belt,  containing  his  pistols  and  cartridges,  and  handing  them 
to  the  governor,  surrendered. 

Sheriff  Cramer  Murdered. — On  the  night  of  March  21,  1890,  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  evolved  a  train  of  events  culminating  in  the  murder 
of  a  noble  officer,  and  a  hangman's  noose  for  the  murderer.  A  man  who 
gave  his  name  when  arrested  as  William  E.  West,  and  his  comanion  named 
Temple  were  ejected  from  a  freight  train  at  Otterville,  on  the  night  of 
March  21,  1890. 

Upon  being  ejected,  West,  who  after  proved  to  be  Turlington,  shot  at 
the  brakeman  and  when  he  arrived  at  Sedalia,  he  was  arrested,  and  served 
a  term  in  jail  for  carrying  concealed  weapons.  When  his  time  had  ex- 
pired, he  was  brought  to  Cooper  County  on  a  charge  of  felonious  assault 
with  a  deadly  weapon,  the  shooting  at  the  brakeman  having  occurred  in 
Cooper  County. 

Turlington's  personality  was  pleasing,  rather  than  forbidding,  an:'. 
he  gave  no  appearance  of  being  the  hardened  character  and  criminal 
he  was.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  warm  heart  of  Thomas  C.  Cranmer 
went  out  in  sympathy  to  his  prisoner,  and  it  was  upon  his  insistent  request 
that  the  firm  of  Cosgrove  &  Johnson,  both  warm  friends  of  Sheriff  Cran- 
mer, undertook  the  defense  of  Turlington.  By  reason  of  their  efforts 
and  the  intercession  of  Cranmer  Turlington  pleaded  guilty  and  received  a 
small  jail  sentence. 

On  Satui-day  evening,  June  14,  1890,  after  supper  had  been  given  the 
prisoners,  Sheriff  Cranmer  entered  the  jail  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the 
lower  cell  where  Turlington  was  confined,  while  a  trusty  removed  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  349 

dishes.  He  was  standing  with  his  left  hand  resting  on  the  door,  when 
Turlington  suddenly  appeared  and  said,  "Come  on,  throw  up  your  hands." 
Mr.  Cranmer  steped  back  and  drew  his  pistol.  West  sprang  through  the 
door  and  fired.  The  bullet  passed  through  Cranmer's  left  arm,  just  above 
the  wrist,  entered  the  left  side  of  the  abdomen,  passed  through  and  struck 
the  left  kidney,  and  lodged  in  his  back,  just  beneath  the  skin.  Almost 
at  the  same  time,  Cranmer  drew  his  pistol  and  fired  at  Turlington  and 
shot  at  him  a  second  time  before  Turlington  got  out  the  door. 

Cranmer,  although  mortally  wounded,  deliberately  turned,  closed, 
locked  the  jail  door  and  went  into  the  residence  part  of  the  jail  and  re- 
ported to  his  wife  that  he  had  been  shot.  Immediately  the  alarm  was 
given  and  pursuit  was  instituted.  Quite  a  number  of  citizens,  among 
whom  were  Joe  Green,  John  Thro,  Alex  Frost,  William  Koenig,  Frank 
Stover  succeeded  in  locating  Turlington,  but  as  they  were  unarmed,  and 
he  still  carried  his  large  pistol,  surrounded  him  and  sent  word  for  arms. 
Marshall  W.  W.  Taliaferro  and  policeman  Frank  Stretz  were  soon  on  the 
ground,  well  armed  and  at  their  command,  the  prisoner  surrendered  and 
was  returned  to  jail.     He  was  out  of  prison  less  than  an  hour. 

When  the  dying  sheriff  heard  of  the  capture,  with  a  characteristic 
desire  to  see  the  law  respected,  he  requested  that  no  violence  should  be 
done  his  assailant  and  that  he  should  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws 
of  the  land. 

Death  closed  the  eyes  of  Sheriff  Cranmer  at  about  seven-thirty  o'clock 
Sunday  morning.  The  news  that  Mr.  Cranmer  was  dead  spread  quickly. 
Men  gathered  in  groups  on  Main  street  and  discussed  the  terrible  and  sad 
affair.  The  indignation  so  generally  felt  through  the  night  was  more 
bitter  than  ever,  and  the  feeling  that  justice  should  be  meted  out  to  the 
murderer  at  once  became  intense. 

About  noon,  great  crowds  of  friends  of  Cranmer  from  different  sec- 
tions of  the  county  were  gathered  at  the  Central  National  Bank  corner 
and  as  they  looked  toward  the  jail,' their  faces  were  stamped  with  anger 
and  the  talk  was  of  taking  the  prisoner  out  to  his  death. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  Doctor  Broaddus  ascended  the  bank  steps  and 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  crowd  for  a  short  time.  He  spoke  feelingly 
of  he  sorrowing  family  of  the  deceased  and  pronounced  pleasant  encom- 
iums upon  the  character  of  Cranmer.  He  told  how  the  widow  and  children 
had  been  left  in  straitened  circumstances  and  that  as  the  husband  and 
the  father  had  been  slain,  while  in  the  services  of  the  community,  if  the 
people  there  assembled  desired  to  do  something  in  memory  of  a  worthy 


350  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

officer,  it  became  them  best  to  raise  funds  for  the  assistance  of  the  family, 
rather  than  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  one  whom  the  law  would  punish. 

His  appeal  was  eloquent  and  touched  a  responsive  chord  in  the  hearts 
of  his  hearers  and  had  much  to  do  with  curbing  the  feeling  of  those  who 
might  have  eventuated  into  a  mob. 

While  Turlington  was  confined  in  the  jail  at  Sedalia,  he  met  and 
became  acquainted  with  West  Hensley,  of  Sedalia,  a  youth  of  some 
eighteen  or  nineteen  years.  Turlington  promised  him  that  if  he  would 
secure  for  him  and  bring  to  Boonville,  a  pistol,  he  would  pay  him  three 
hundred  dollars,  and  after  he  had  escaped  from  jail,  would  take  him  into 
the  business  of  robbing  and  stealing.  And  thus  playing  upon  the  imag- 
ination of  Hensley,  he  elicited  his  interest.  Hensley  came  to  Boonville 
the  Friday  before  the  murder  and  slipped  the  pistol  to  Turlington,  using 
a  ladder  to  reach  the  window  in  the  upper  tier  of  cells,  through  which  he 
passed  the  pistol.  Hensley  was  convicted  for  his  part  in  the  crime  and 
sentenced  to  the  penitentiary. 

On  Monday  night,  after  the  tragedy,  Turlington  confessed  that  his 
name  was  not  William  E.  West,  but  John  0.  Turlington,  and  that  his  part- 
ner's name  was  Temple.  He  also  confessed  of  having  robbed  a  passenger 
train  at  Prior  Creek,  I.  T.,  assisted  by  Temple.  Temple  was  at  the  time 
serving  a  term  in  the  Arkansas  penitentiary.  Turlington  had  served 
several  terms  in  jail  and  two  penitentiaries  and  when  arrested  in  this 
county,  was  eluding  the  officers  of  the  Tennessee  State  Prison. 

Turlington  was  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  and  the  penalty 
of  death  was  assessed  against  him.  His  case  came  up  for  trial  at  the 
July  term,  1890,  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  on  the  25th  of  that  month,  the 
jury  found  him  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  and  he  was  sentenced 
to  be  hanged  Sept.  11,  1890.  His  case  was  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court. 
That  court  on  the  27th  da  yof  January,  sustained  the  decision  of  the  lower 
court,  and  Friday  morning,  March  16,  1891,  was  the  time  for  his  execution. 

While  his  case  was  before  the  Supreme  Court,  on  the  night  of  Octo- 
ber 31,  he  made  his  escape  from  the  jail  under  peculiar  circumstances, 
while  two  guards  were  on  duty.  He  placed  a  dummy  in  his  bed  and  by 
this  means  deceived  those  who  were  guarding  him.  He  was  recaptured 
in  Caseyville,  Ky.,  and  once  more  returned  to  Boonville. 

Sheriff  A.  Hombeck,  who  succeeded  the  dead  sheriff,  kept  his  prisoner 
in  a  cell  day  and  night,  but  had  no  guards.  This  plan  worked  well  until 
on  the  morning  of  Dec.  26,  1890,  when  the  sheriff  found  that  his  prisoner 
had  once  more  escaped.     He  cut  out  the  top  of  his  cell  and  went  through 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  351 

the  trap  door  of  the  roof  and  by  the  aid  of  a  rope,  descended  to  the  ground. 
He  stole  the  sheriffs  horse  and  was  once  more  at  liberty.  He  was  re- 
captured the  same  night  at  Otterville  by  Messrs.  George  Potter  and  John 
Hayner.  This  was  his  third  and  last  escape  from  the  Boonville  jail.  He 
was  hanged  in  the  jail  yard. 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  a  desperate  man  that  had  brought  death 
and  sorrow  to  the  county  and  had  tested  the  loyalty  of  our  citizenship  to 
law  and  order. 

A.  B.  Thornton  Killed.— On  Saturday,  Nov.  17,  1881,  Thomas  H.  B. 
McDearmon,  shot  and  instantly  killed  A.  B.  Thornton,  editor  of  the  "Boon- 
ville News".     We  copy  from  the  "Advertiser"  of  Nov.  25,  1881: 

"On  Saturday  afternoon  last,  about  4:30,  our  city  was  suddenly 
thrown  into  a  state  of  excitement  seldom  before  witnessed  here.  The 
cause  of  the  excitement  was  the  hearing  of  many  of  rapid  pistol  firing 
up  Main  street,  and  the  quickly  following  report  that  "Tom  McDearmon 
had  killed  Thornton,"  which  report  grated  only  the  truth  on  the  ears  of 
the  unwilling  hearers,  for  Marshal  McDearmon  had,  at  a  moment  when 
maddened  with  indignation  at  the  publishing  of  a  very  severe  articie  on 
him  by  the  editor  of  the  "News"  sought  out  and  shot  and  instantly  killed 
Dr.  Thornton.  Some  weeks  ago,  Mr.  McDearmon  and  Dr.  Thornton  had 
a  dispute  and  difficulty  over  the  settlement  of  an  ice  bill,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  publication  of  a  severe  article  on  McDearmon  in  the  "News". 
Mr.  McDearmon,  though  very  much  aggravated,  listened  to  his  friends 
and  took  no  notice  of  it  and  since  then  there  has  been  no  very  kind  feel- 
ings between  the  two." 

The  shooting  was  the  outcome  of  a  series  of  articles  which  Thornton 
had  published  in  his  paper  derogatory  to  the  official  conduct  of  McDearmon. 

McDearmon  had  a  preliminary  examination  and  was  bound  over  to 
answer  an  indictment  at  the  succeeding  term  of  the  Circuit  Court.  He 
was  prosecuted  by  John  R.  Walker,  county  attorney,  and  defended  by  Cos- 
grove  and  Johnston.  The  case  was  taken  to  Boone  County,  on  a  change 
of  venue,  and  there  tried  at  the  March  term  in  1882. 

The  case  was  quite  an  exciting  one,  there  being  much  interest  taken 
in  the  proceedings  and  in  the  result.     McDearmon  was  acquitted. 

The  Prohibition  Question.— Again  in  July,  1887,  the  vital  question, 
"Wet  or  Dry",  or  "Saloon  or  no  Saloon",  was  raised  in  Boonville.  This 
campaign  was  in  sharp  contrast  to  that  of  1853,  to  which  we  have  already 
referred.  Deep  interest  was  taken  in  the  campaign,  but  the  appeal  to  the 
voters  was  rational  and  free  from  malice  and  passion.     It  was  conducted 


352  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

by  the  citizens  of  Boonville  and  no  imported  talent  was  brought  into  the 
city  to  arouse  to  riotous  feelings  those  who  could  be  so  affected.  The 
ministers  of  the  city  were  active,  and  those  in  favor  of  the  saloons  wer<? 
equally  so.  The  remarkable  feature  of  this  campaign  was  that  no  hard 
feelings  were  engendered  and  after  the  result  of  the  election  was  made 
known,  friends  were  yet  friends,  and  neighbors  still  neighbors.  The  spirit 
of  live  and  charity  prevailed.  At  this  time  there  were  probably  twelve 
or  fifteen  saloons  in  Boonville,  and  the  temperance  wave  was  not  nearly 
so  strong  and  great  as  it  has  been  in  recent  years.  Yet  the  saloons  pre- 
dominated only  by  a  majority  of  105,  the  vote  for  the  saloons  being  428 
and  against  323. 

The  "Wet  and  Dry"  issue  was  not  again  raised  in  Boonville  until  the 
year  1915.  At  this  time  a  large  tabernacle,  at  the  cost  of  between  two 
and  three  thousand  dollars,  was  erected  in  the  city  and  Rev.  Charles  T. 
Wheeler  was  secured  to  conduct  therein  a  revival.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  an 
experienced  dry  leader  and  the  meeting  was  soon  turned  into  an  organ- 
ization to  direct  the  campaign  for  the  "drys".  He  was  a  forceful  and 
strong  speaker  and  in  his  arguments  used  plain  and  not  always  pleasant 
words. 

Great  crowds  attended  the  meetings,  both  from  the  city  and  from  the 
surrounding  country.  The  support  of  the  preachers  and  various  congre- 
gations were  elicited  and  secured.  Day  by  day  the  excitement  increased 
and  the  feeling  was  intensified.  On  a  proper  petition,  an  election  was 
called  in  the  city  of  Boonville  for  Dec.  3,  1915.  Those  who  advocated 
the  saloons  or  the  saloon  organization  brought  into  the  city  speakers  from 
a  distance,  who  held  their  meetings  in  the  opera  house,  which  on  each 
occasion  was  crowded  and  packed.  Yet  on  the  occasion  of  each  of  these 
meetings  the  tabernacle  of  the  Drys  was  equally  thronged.  A  week  or 
so  before  the  day  of  the  election  the  Drys  in  squads  of  fives  or  sixes 
patrolled  the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  city  during  the  late  hours  of  the 
night  and  the  early  hours  of  the  morning. 

Just  before  the  election  at  night  a  monster  and  spectacular  parade 
was  organized  by  the  Drys  in  which  participated  men,  women,  boys  and 
girls,  both  from  the  surrounding  country  and  the  city.  They  were  garbed 
in  sheets  fashioned  around  them  with  a  red  cross  showing  in  front.  Many 
men  were  horseback  and  a  great  number  of  automobiles,  loaded  to  their 
capacity,  made  up  part  of  this  parade,  all  of  which  intensified  and 
strengthened  the  feelings  of  the  respective  parties  to  the  issue. 

The  result  of  this  election  of  December  3,  was  721  for,  405  against, 
the  majority  in  favor  of  licensing  saloons  being  316. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  353 

The  Drys,  however,  not  being  discouraged,  by  proper  petition  called 
for  an  election  on  the  same  issue  in  the  county,  excluding  Boonville.  This 
campaign  was  orderly  and  well  conducted  and  no  special  bitterness  was 
aroused  in  the  country.  The  election  was  held  on  Feb.  10,  1916,  which 
resulted  as  follows:  Against,  1,756,  for,  1,445,  showing  that  outside  of 
Boonville,  the  majority  against  the  licensing  of  saloons  was  311. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  time  will  soon  heal  the  wounds  caused  by  the 
campaign  of  1915,  that  the  years  will  not  be  many  before  those  who  were 
deeply  interested  in  the  exciting  controversy  can  look  back  upon  it  as  an 
experience  of  the  past  and  its  incidents  not  to  be  held  with  prejudice 
against  those  with  whom  they  differed  and  with  whom  they  now  mingle 
and  associate  from  day  to  day.  It  is  the  common  experience  of  mankind 
that  when  ones  interest  becomes  too  deeply  intensified  and  feeling  runs 
riot  the  tongue  becomes  an  unruly  member  and  even  he  who  has'  been 
known  as  well  balanced  may  do  and  say  things  that  in  cooler  moments  he 
would  not  care  to  say  and  do.  It  is  therefore  well  to  draw  the  veil  of 
charity  over  the  faults  and  foibles  of  our  neighbors,  who  perchance  may 
have  given  way  to  the  enthusiasm  and  excitement  of  the  moment. 

The  statu  quo  with  reference  to  saloons  continued  until  June  30,  1919. 
Saturday,  June  28th  and  Monday,  30th,  were  active,  busy  days  in  Boon- 
ville, especially  at  nights  when  the  streets  were  hardly  long  enough  nor 
broad  enough  to  accommodate  the  numerous  automobiles  from  far  and 
near.  On  these  days  some  of  the  erstwhile  dry  leaders  as  well  as  the 
occasional  Wet  advocates  and  practitioners  were  protecting  themselves 
from  the  drouth  to  come.  The  saloons  did  an  enormous  business.  On 
both  days  the  crowd  was  good-natured  and  there  was  neither  rejoicing 
or  shedding  or  tears.  Monday  night  marked  the  last  night  of  the  saloons 
under  the  act  of  Congress  closing  them  during  the  period  of  war  and  until 
the  demobilization  of  the  army.  National  prohibition  goes  into  effect  in 
Jan.,  1920,  but  even  before  the  constitutional  amendment  of  prohibition 
was  ratified  by  the  states  three-fourths  of  the  United  States  was  already 
dry  territory.  Of  the  48  states,  32  were  "bone-dry"  without  any  federal 
law,  and  local  option  had  dried  up  practically  three-fourths  of  the  remain- 
ing territory.  Whether  or  not  the  saloons  will  be  permitted  to  open 
before  Jan.,  1920,  the  future  historian  must  record. 


(23) 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Hon.  Jacob  Friedrich  Gmelich. — Success  is  measured  by  the  degree 
of  an  individual's  accomplishments  during  his  lifetime,  what  he  does  in 
his  own  behalf  and  in  behalf  of  his  fellow  men  are  taken  as  true  crite- 
rions  of  the  measure  of  his  success.  If  this  be  true,  the  late  Hon.  Jacob 
F.  Gmelich,  for  many  years  an  influential  figure  in  Cooper  County  and 
Missouri,  was  a  successful  citizen  in  every  sense.  Coming  to  America 
from  a  foreign  land  in  his  boyhood  days,  making  of  himself  a  skilled  arti- 
san, becoming  a  shrewd  and  successful  business  man,  engaging  in  politics, 
and  evincing  ability  as  a  statesman,  he  held  two  of  the  highest  offices 
within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  Missouri  when  at  the  zenith  of  his  inter- 
esting career. 

Mr.  Gmelich  was  born  July  23,  1839,  and  died  Feb.  21,  1914.  At  the 
age  of  12  years  he  accompanied  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Barbara  (Walter) 
Gmelich,  to  America.  After  remaining  in  Ohio  a  short  time,  the  family 
located  at  Peru,  111.,  where  Mr.  Gmelich  was  reared  and  educated,  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  watchmaker  and  jeweler.  He  spent  two  years  in  Chi- 
cago, employed  at  his  trade ;  then  spent  one  and  a  half  years  in  St.  Louis ; 
was  married  in  1861,  and  in  May  of  that  year  he  located  in  Boonville. 
During  the  previous  year  he  had  made  a  trip  to  Boonville  and  purchased 
the  stock  and  good  will  of  a  small  jewelry  store.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Guards,  and  participated  in  the 
Battle  of  Boonville.  When  Shelby's  raiders  captured  Boonville,  his  store 
was  looted,  but  Mr.  Gmelich  induced  the  commanding  officer  to  give  him 
a  receipt  for  the  watches  belonging  to  his  patrons  which  were  taken  away 
by  the  Confederates.  His  store  was  closed  for  six  weeks  while  he  was 
away  on  soldier  duty.  In  1864,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  made  a  visit  to 
Peru,  111.,  and  then  remained  in  St.  Louis  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 
in  1865.  A  brother,  Gottlieb  Gmelich,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  Army. 
After  the  war,  Mr.  Gmelich  built  up  an  extensive  business  in  Boonville 
and  the  surrounding  country,  and  amassed  considerable  wealth.  He  pur- 
chased a  three-story  brick  residence  on  High  Street,  where  the  family 
lived  for  28  years  prior  to  taking  up  his  residence  in  Jefferson  City.  Upon 
his  return  from  the  State  capital  he  began  building  one  of  the  finest  homes 
in  Boonville,  which  was  half  completed  when  death  called  him. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  355 

Mr.  Gmelich  served  as  president  of  the  Boon-ville  Commercial  Bank 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  owned  considerable  real  estate  in  Boonville, 
besides  his  controlling  interest  in  the  large  jewelry  store  operated  under 
the  name  of  Gmelich  &  Schmidt.  He  was  also  interested  in  Kansas  City 
real  estate. 

Mr.  Gmelich's  political  career  was  a  noteworthy  one.  He  served  as 
mayor  of  Boonvile  for  eight  years  during  a  time  when  the  duties  of  mayor 
included  that  of  police  judge.  He  was  always  a  consistent  booster  for  a 
greater  and  better  Boonville  and  continuously  advocated  the  securing  of 
factories  and  public  improvements  for  the  city.  One  of  his  ambitions 
was  to  secure  the  building  of  a  wagon  bridge  across  the  Missouri  River. 
He  became  prominent  in  republican  politics  throughout  the  State,  and  in 
November  1904,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  State  treasurer,  and  served 
in  this  high  office  from  Jan.  1,  1905,  to  Jan.  1,  1909.  His  next  State 
office  was  the  post  of  lieutenant  governor  of  Missouri,  with  Gov.  Herbert 
L.  Hadley's  administration. 

May  8,  1861,  Jacob  F.  Gmelich  and  Miss  Doris  Mueller  were  united  in 
marriage.  Mrs.  Doris  (Mueller)  Gmelich  was  born  in  Germany,  Sept. 
27,  1842,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Carl  and  Johanna  (Bishop)  Mueller,  who 
emigrated  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Illinois,  later  locating  at  Collins- 
ville,  111.  When  14  years  of  age,  the  future  Mrs.  Gmelich  came  to  Amer- 
ica, accompanied  by  three  sisters  and  a  brother:  Mrs.  Minna  Mueller, 
East  St.  Louis,  111. ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Raybock,  widow  of  a  Union  veteran,  Col- 
linsville,  111.;  and  Mrs.  Christina  Schappino,  St.  Jacobs,  111.;  Emil  Mueller 
died  in  St.  Louis.  Two  brothers  were  already  in  America,  namely:  Ern- 
est Mueller,  died  later  in  California,  at  the  age  of  94  years ;  and  August, 
died  in  St.  Louis  in  1898;  Mrs.  Annistina  Schmidt  lives  in  California; 
Mrs.  Carola  Witte,  Aberdeen,  S.  D. 

No  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gmelich,  but  they  have  had 
an  adopted  child,  a  daughter  of  Emil  Mueller  whom  they  adopted  at  the 
age  of  one  and  a  half  year,  Louise,  wife  of  Max  E.  Schmidt,  proprietor  of 
the  Gmelich  &  Schmidt  Jewelry  Store.  The  wedded  life  of  Jacob  and 
Doris  Gmelich  was  a  very  happy  and  prosperous  one.  During  their 
earlier  years,  when  trials  and  vicissitudes  often  came  upon  them  they 
stood  side  by  side  and  bore  their  hardships  with  fortitude  and  with  a 
bright  and  optimistic  outlook  into  the  future.  The  Gmelich  store  was 
frequently  raided  and  stripped  by  the  Confederates  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  one  of  the  interesting  relics  which  is  preserved  as  indicating  customs 
of  raiders  during  the  Civil  War  is  a  receipt  signed  by  the  rebel  commander 


356  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

for  a  bunch  of  watches  taken  by  force  from  the  Gmelich  store  and  which 
reads:  "Taken  by  Force  of  Arms — a  Batch  of  Watches." 

During  the  eighties,  Mr  and  Mrs.  Gmelich  made  a  tour  of  Europe 
and  remained  for  six  months.  May  8,  1911,  their  fiftieth  or  golden  wed- 
ding anniversary  was  celebrated  in  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  in  the  governor's 
mansion.  A  dinner  was  served  and  the  celebration  was  a  notable  one  in 
the  history  of  the  State  Capital,  hundreds  of  people  attending  from  all 
parts  of  the  State.  Two  days  later  the  golden  wedding  was  again  cele- 
brated at  the  Schmidt  residence  in  Boonville,  many  relatives  and  friends 
taking  part. 

During  the  early  seventies,  Mr.  Gmelich  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Missouri  State  Legislature.  At  the  time  of  his  election  to  the  position 
of  lieutenant  governor,  the  vote  was  so  close  that  Gmelich's  margin  was 
but  75  votes  over  Painter,  his  opponent.  Painter  instituted  a  contest 
and  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Gmelich's  majority  was  275  votes.  His  attor- 
ner  at  that  time  was  the  present  Senator  Spencer  of  Missouri.  A  hand- 
some silver  loving  cup  was  presented  to  Mr.  Gmelich  by  the  Senate  of 
the  45th  General  Assembly  of  Missouri,  over  which  he  presided  at  the 
close  of  the  session  of  1909,  as  a  token  of  their  esteem  for  him.  A  hand- 
somely engraved  golden  loving  cup,  presented  by  relatives  on  the  occasion 
of  the  golden  wedding  anniversary,  and  highly  prized  by  Mrs.  Gmelich, 
bears  the  inscription,  "1861-1911." 

Mr.  Gmelich  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  lived  an 
upright  and  Christian  life.  He  was  liberal  to  a  fault,  loved  his  home 
city,  was  charitably  inclined  and  supported  all  worthy  enterprises  with  a 
free  purse  and  an  influential  voice.  He  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  patriarch  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Missouri,  and  frequently  attended  the  sessions  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
America.  Aug.  22,  1880,  he  received  a  commission  as  colonel  of  the 
First  Regiment  of  Missouri,  Patriarchs  Militant.  He  served  for  one  year 
as  grand  master  of  the  Missouri  Odd  Fellows.  His  life  was  worth  while; 
he  left  memories  of  a  man  who  did  his  duty  by  himself,  his  family,  his 
home  city  and  county,  and  his  country  which  had  given  him  the  opportu- 
nity to  make  of  himself  what  he  was. 

Charles  A.  Sombart. — The  Sombart  family  have  been  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  substantial  families  in  Boonville  for  over  80  years. 
Members  of  this  old  pioneer  family  have  been  closely  identified  with  the 
commercial  and  industrial  history  of  Cooper  County  since  the  first  advent 
of  the  ancestor  of  Charles  A.  Sombart  into  Cooper  County  in  1837.  They 
have  been  industrial  developers,  and  men  of  progress  and  initiative,  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  357 

have  used  their  capital  for  the  betterment  and  advancement  of  their  home 
city.  Charles  A.  Sombart,  retired  miller,  of  Boonville,  is  a  worthy  de- 
scendent  of  excellent  ancestors,  and  has  been  a  builder  and  developer  of 
the  most  progressive  type.     He  was  born  in  Boonville,  Nov.  22,  1856. 

The  history  of  the  Sombart  family  begins  with  William  Sombart, 
who  was  born  in  Burg  by  Harrtingen  on  the  Ruhr,  Prussia,  Sept.  22, 
1796.  He  came  of  a  good  family  and  was  well  educated  in  his  native  land. 
He  studied  at  the  University  of  Berlin  and  became  a  skilled  engineer. 
During  the  German  War  he  volunteered  in  the  army  and  fought  under 
Marshall  Blucher  in  the  battle  of  Ligney,  June  16,  1815.  When  22  years 
of  age  he  was  given  the  office  of  inspector  of  roads  in  Olpe,  and  later  had 
charge  of  the  roads  in  Gielenkirchen  by  Achen.  Illness,  caused  by  hard- 
ships endured  during  his  war  service,  necessitated  his  retirement  from 
the  service  on  a  pension.  He  married  Julia  Westhoff,  the  daughter  of 
a  minister,  and  after  his  marriage  they  resided  at  Bonn.  In  1837  he 
immigrated  to  America,  and  after  a  stay  of  some  months  in  St.  Louis,  he 
came  to  Cooper  County  and  located  on  a  farm  near  Billingsville,  where, 
on  account  of  having  independent  means  of  his  own,  he  took  life  easy  and 
lived  comfortably.  He  retired  from  the  farm  in  old  age  and  located  in 
Boonville,  where  he  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  82  years.  His  wife  died 
Aug.  7,  1872.     They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children. 

His  son,  Charles  William  Sombart,  father  of  Charles  A  Sombart,  of 
this  review,  was  born  in  Olpe,  Province  of  Westphalia,  Prussia,  May  2, 
1820.  He  first  attended  school  in  Germany  and  completed  his  education 
in  Cooper  County.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  1849,  he 
and  his  brother,  Julius,  became  inoculated  with  the  prevailing  "gold 
fever,"  and  made  the  overland  trip  to  Californa,  where  they  remained 
until  1852.  They  engaged  in  mining  and  trading,  and  were  very  suc- 
cessful, laying  the  foundation  of  their  future  large  fortunes.  Upon  their 
return  to  Boonville,  in  1852,  the  brothers  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  W.  &  J.  Sombart.  They  commenced  with  a 
small,  old-fashioned  mill,  a  short  distance  below  the  Sombart  mill  in 
Boonville,  but  a  few  years  later  acquired  the  present  Sombart  Milling  Co. 
property.  They  soon  built  up  an  extensve  milling  business  and  by  addi- 
tions and  improvements  to  their  property  created  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able and  best  known  milling  properties  in  central  Missouri.  In  1879  the 
concern  was  reorganized  and  became  the  Sombart  Milling  and  Mercantile 
Company,  C.  W.  Sombart,  president. 

Aside  from  his  milling  business,  Judge  Sombart  dealt,  largely  in  the 


358  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

purchase  and  sale  of  real  estate,  and  became  the  owner  of  much  fine 
property  in  Boonville.  He  was  interested  in  the  "Star"  line  of  Missouri 
River  steamers.  Jan.  6,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Mi-s.  Catherine  Thro, 
formerly  Catherine  Robinrith,  born  in  Alsace,  and  coming  from  there  to 
St.  Charles  County,  Mo.  She  died  May  10,  1885.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  this  marriage:  William  Alexander,  Kate,  Charles  Augustus, 
of  this  review;  Fannie,  Frank  Siegel,  Robert  Nathaniel,  and  Henry 
Edward.  All  of  these  are  deceased  excepting  W.  Alexander,  a  resident 
of  Boonville ;  Charles  A. ;  and  Robert  N.,  who  resides  in  St.  Louis.  Judge 
Sombart  was  married  the  second  time  to  Mi's.  Sophie  Hain,  widow  of  the 
late  George  Hain,  of  Boonville.  Judge  Sombart  departed  this  life  in 
June,  1898.  He  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  republican  party, 
but  was  never  ambitious  for  political  preferment.  He  served  the  people 
in  various  capacities,  such  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and 
judge  of  the  County  Court.  He  held  the  latter  office  for  four  years  and 
ably  served  the  people  of  Cooper  County  during  that  time.  Judge  Som- 
bart was  a  director  in  the  old  Central  National  Bank,  and  the  Commercial 
Bank  of  Boonville. 

Charles  A.  Sombart,  of  this  review,  was  reared  in  Boonville,  and 
studied  at  the  private  school  conducted  by  Prof.  Allison,  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  Kemper  Military  School  at  Boonville.  When  the  Sombart  Milling 
Company  was  incorporated  in  1876,  he  became  a  member  of  the  organiza- 
tion with  his  brother,  William  Alexander,  and  a  cousin.  After  the  death 
of  Judge  Sombai-t,  he  and  a  brother,  Henry  E.  Sombart,  bought  control 
of  the  milling  company  and  conducted  the  business  successfully  until 
1909,  when  Charles  A.  Sombart  became  sole  owner  of  the  business,  as  a 
family  corporation.  Dec.  25,  1918,  he  sold  the  mill  to  a  corporation  and 
retired  from  active  business,  having  been  a  miller  from  1876  to  1896, 
and  been  engaged  in  the  business  for  42  years.  Mr.  Sombart  has  well 
earned  his  retirement.  He  has,  like  his  father  before  him,  always  taken 
a  commendable  interest  in  local  enterprises  and  invested  his  working 
capital  so  as  to  benefit  his  home  city.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Farmers  Bank  and  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Boonville,  and  is 
financially  interested  in  the  Boonville  National  Bank.  For  some  time 
he  was  president  of  the  Farmers  Bank,  and  was  president  of  the  Citizens 
Trust  Company  until  its  amalgamation.  He  is  largely  interested  in 
Boonville  real  estate,  and  has  always  been  a  worker  for  the  best  interests 
of  Boonville,  its  growth  and  advancement. 

In  1905,  Mr.  Sombart  erected  the  Hotel  Frederick,  an  imposing,  mod- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  359 

ern  structure,  costing  over  $40,000.  This  investment  was  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  Boonville  with  a  modern  hostelry,  and  has  never 
paid  him  an  adequate  return  on  the  investment.  Mr.  Sombart  erected 
this  building  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  crying  need  for  a  modern  hotel 
in  Boonville,  and  others  were  loath  to  place  money  in  a  venture  which 
did  not  promise  an  adequate  financial  return. 

Mr.  Sombart  has  one  of  the  most  beautiful  residence  properties  in 
Boonville,  which  he  erected.  Mr.  Sombart  also  built  the  block  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  High  and  Main  Streets.  He  was  married  Feb.  2, 
1887,  to  Mary  Frances  Brechwald,  of  Galesburg,  111.,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Brechwald.  Mrs.  Mary  Frances  Sombart  died  Nov.  17,  1917,  at  the  age 
of  57  years.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  two  of  whom 
are  living:  Helen  Frances  and  Frederick  Charles,  at  home  in  Boonville. 
Frederick  C.  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and 
Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Sombart  is  a  republican,  but  has  never  had 
aspiration  for  office  or  political  matters  to  any  great  extent.  His  children 
are  members  of  the  Episcopalian  Church,  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

Charles  J.  Walden,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  "Weekly  Advertiser", 
Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  Missourian,  and  one  of  the  "old  timers"  in 
newspaperdom  in  this  section.  He  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Oct.  27, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  James  M.  Walden,  a  native  of  Indiana.  His  father 
went  overland  to  California,  and  died  there  in  1851.  His  mother  brought 
her  family  to  Howard  County  in  1852,  and  in  1855  Charles  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  He  worked  in  the  office  of  the  "Howard 
County  Banner"  for  four  years  and  then  studied  for  one  year  at  Central 
College,  Fayette. 

In  1861  he  enlisted  for  sei*vice  in  the  Confederate  Army  under  Gen. 
J.  B.  Clark  and  for  six  months  served  with  the  Richmond  Grays.  His 
last  service  was  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  department  under  command  of 
Gen.  Joseph  0.  Shelby.  April  13,  1865,  he  stacked  arms  with  many  of 
his  comrades  at  Shreveport,  La.  Upon  his  return  home  he  found  things 
in  such  an  unsettled  state  that  he  went  to  Illinois.  After  remaining 
there  for  about  one  year  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  settled  at  Glasgow 
in  1867. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Walden  purchased  the  "Weekly  Advertiser"  at  Fayette. 
In  1895  he  was  editor  of  the  Nevada,  Mo.,  "Daily  Mail"  for  one  year.  In 
1896  Mr.  Walden  took  charge  of  the  "Sedalia  Daily  Sentinel"  and  pub- 
lished this  paper  for  three  years;  was  appointed  beer  inspector  by  Gov- 


360  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ernor  Stephens  in  1898  and  served  two  years.  In  1890  he  went  to  Bruns- 
wick and  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work  in  that  city  until  the  construc- 
tion work  began  on  the  St.  Louis  World's  Fair  buildings.  He  then  re- 
ceived the  appointment  as  chief  of  the  Labor  Bureau  in  connection  with 
the  Exposition  and  remained  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  Louisi- 
ana Exposition.  In  April,  1905,  he  purchased  the  "Weekly  Advertiser" 
at  Boonville,  and  took  charge  of  the  newspaper  in  May  of  that  same  year. 
The  "Advertiser"  is  a  newsy,  well  edited  and  well  printed  newspaper 
which  has  a  large  circulation  in  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Walden  is  the  father  of  seven  children  as  follow:  Wilbur  L.,  a 
linotype  operator,  employed  on  the  "Globe  Democrat",  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Jem- 
mie  M.,  wife  of  J.  G.  Jones,  general  manager  of  the  Hamilton  Commercial 
College,  New  York  City ;  Jessie  B.,  wife  of  William  M.  Patterson,  a  bank 
cashier,  Monroe  City,  Mo. ;  Fred  H.,  an  advertising  man  employed  on  the 
"Globe  Democrat"  staff;  Homer,  located  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.;  Charles, 
buyer  for  a  feed  commission  house  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  whose  headquarters 
are  at  Farmington,  Mo. ;  Spahr,  a  druggist,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mr.  Walden  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and  the  policy  of  the  "Adver- 
tiser" is  democratic.  His  family  are  worshipers  at  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knight  Temp- 
lars. 

Mr.  Walden  served  as  postmaster  of  Fayette,  Mo.,  for  four  years  and 
six  months  under  the  administration  of  Grover  Cleveland. 

Col.  Thomas  Alexander  Johnston. — When  one  thinks  of  the  Kemper 
Military  School  of  Boonville,  it  is  only  natural  to  think  also  of  Col.  T.  A. 
Johnston,  the  commandant  and  head  of  this  famous  institution.  The  pres- 
tige, strength  and  popularity  of  this  school  throughout  the  Middle  West 
is  due  to  the  executive  and  organizing  ability  of  Colonel  Johnston.  Pri- 
marily founded  in  1844  as  a  school  of  higher  learning  for  young  men,  its 
popularity  as  a  school  for  training  young  men  both  physically  and  men- 
tally has  been  enhanced  from  year  to  year.  The  school  has  had  its 
greatest  growth  since  the  year  1872,  when  Col.  Johnston,  a  former  stu- 
dent of  the  school,  having  graduated  from  the  State  University,  became 
assistant  principal,  succeeding  to  the  superintendence^  in  1881.  In  Col. 
Johnston  are  combined  the  attributes  of  a  splendid  teacher,  a  strict  dis- 
ciplinarian, an  excellent  business  man  and  financier — a  combination  rarely 
found  among  scholarly  men,  or  among  those  who  have  devoted  their  lives 
to  teaching.  Col.  Johnston  was  born  an  educator,  became  a  business 
man,  and  developed  a  talent  as  an  organizer  which  is  unsurpassed  by  men 


COL.   T.    A.   JOHNSTON 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  361 

of  his  class.  One  has  but  to  look  at  the  group  of  splendid  buildings,  cost- 
ing many  thousands  of  dollars,  which  have  been  erected  on  the  Kemper 
Military  School  grounds  during  his  regime  as  superintendent  of  the  school, 
gee  with  pleasure  the  fine  appearing  young  men  who  have  had  training 
and  instruction  in  the  halls  of  Kemper,  to  realize  that  this  school  is  an 
institution  of  which  any  Cooper  County  citizen  can  rightly  boast.  Kem- 
per Military  School  is  distinctly  a  Boonville  institution,  its  builder  is  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  a  descendent  of  one  of  the  older  Cooper 
County  pioneers,  who  has  spent  practically  all  of  his  life  in  the  county  of 
his  birth.  Col.  Thomas  A.  Johnston  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Cooper 
County,  11  miles  south  of  Boonville,  Nov.  13,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
Benoni  Johnston,  and  a  grandson  of  Alexander  Johnston,  who  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1817,  when  this  section  of  Missouri  was  largely  an 
unpeopled  wilderness.  The  family  is  of  Southern  origin,  and  its  mem- 
bers were  among  prominent  families  of  Tennessee  and  the  Carolinas. 

The  Johnston  family  is  also  one  of  the  oldest  in  America.  The  his- 
tory of  the  family  in  America  begins  with  Gavin  Johnston,  a  native  of 
North  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  prior  to  the  Revolution  and  settled 
in  Pennsylvania  where  he  was  killed  by  Indians  while  plowing  in  his 
fields.  His  family  or  descendents  moved  to  North  Carolina  and  settled 
in  the  vicinity  of  Waxhaw.  Alexander  Johnston,  great-grandfather  of 
Col.  T.  A.  Johnston,  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  Army  of  Independence, 
and  fought  at  the  Battle  of  "The  Cowpens."  After  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lution, Alexander  removed  to  Tennessee,  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of 
McMinnville,  where  he  reared  his  family.  His  wife,  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage: was  Margaret  Barnett,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Barnett,  an  officer  in  the 
American  Army,  who  served  in  the  Revolution.  Alexander  Johnston  was 
father  of  four  sons,  Gavin,  Robert  B.,  James,  and  Alexander,  who  migrated 
to  Cooper  County.  Mo.,  in  1817.     He  had  one  daughter,  Mary. 

Alexander  Johnston,  grandfather  of  Thomas  A.  Johnston,  settled  in 
the  New  Salem  neighborhood,  just  north  of  New  Salem  Church,  and  en- 
tered Government  land.  He  developed  a  farm  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  He  was  born  July  16,  1787,  and  died  Feb.  2,  1839. 
He  married  Rachel  Thaxton,  who  died  shortly  after  the  birth  of  John 
Benoni  Johnston,  father  of  Col.  T.  A  Johnston.  After  her  death  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Hammond,  born  March  7,  1795;  died  Sept.  22,  1863;  married 
Dec.  6,  1813.  To  this  marriage  were  born:  Rachel  Dillard,  Nancy  McFad- 
den,  Margaret  Barnett,  Finis  Ewing,  Sarah  Jenkins,  Robert  Morrow, 
Harbert  Hammonds,  Martha  Ann,  Mary  Jane. 


362  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

John  Benoni  Johnston  was  born  Aug.  30,  1812,  and  died  Feb.  6,  1888. 
He  entered  land  adjoining  his  father's  home  place,  and  spent  his  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Ann  Rob- 
inson, who  was  born  May  21,  1818,  and  died  Dec.  19,  1844.  The  date  of 
this  marriage  was  Dec.  17,  1835.  There  were  five  children  born  to  this 
marriage:  Mary  Margaret,  born  Jan.  9,  1837,  and  died  May  22,  1911. 
She  became  the  wife  of  Shelton  Parsons,  Aug.  12,  1873,  and  at  her  death 
left  a  daughter,  Maggie  May.  The  other  children  were:  Rachel  Jane, 
Sarah  Ann,  Susan  Ellen,  and  Elizabeth  Robinson. 

Rachel  Jane  Johnston  was  born  Dec.  22,  1838.  married  Robert  Willis 
March  26,  1868,  and  is  mother  of  a  son,  William  Benoni  Johnston,  of 
Boonville.  Sarah  Ann  Johnston  was  born  June  29,  1840,  and  died  Sept. 
21,  1909.  She  married  Manson  B.  Simmons  Feb.  28,  1866,  and  bore  him 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  William  Henry,  Ella,  Bettie 
Johnston,  and  John  Kelly  Simmons.  Susan  Ellen  Johnston  was  born  Jan. 
4,  1842,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1917.  Elizabeth  Robinson  Johnston,  the  fifth 
child,  died  in  infancy.  The  second  marriage  of  John  Benoni  Johnston 
was  on  June  1,  1846,  with  Miss  Margaret  Harris,  who  was  born  Jan.  21, 
1821,  and  departed  this  life  Aug.  4,  1912.  The  children  born  of  this 
marriage  are:  Robert  Barnett,  Thomas  Alexander,  William  Franklin, 
Elizabeth,  George  Washington,  and  James  Ewing.  Robert  Barnett  John- 
ston was  born  March  6,  1847,  spent  his  life  as  an  agriculturist  in  Cooper 
County,  and  died  March  23,  1908.  William  Franklin  Johnston  was  born 
Feb.  21,  1857,  and  resides  in  Warrensburg,  Mo.  Elizabeth  was  born 
April  2,  1853,  and  is  the  wife  of  William  A.  Hurt,  a  farmer  near  Boon- 
ville. George  Washington  Johnston  was  born  Aug.  22,  1856,  and  died  in 
New  Mexico,  Feb.  4,  1904.  James  Ewing  Johnston  was  born  Feb.  1,  1859. 
He  is  an  electrical  engineer  in  Denver,  Colo. 

The  Johnstons  were  adherents  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  the 
ancestors  of  the  Johnstons  in  America  received  a  grant  of  land  on  the 
southern  border  of  Scotland  for  their  fealty  to  the  king,  the  seat  of  the 
family  being  known  as  Johnstown  on  the  River  Annan  in  Annandale, 
Scotland.  They  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  border  warfare  between 
the  Scottish  people  and  England,  and  were  given  the  task  of  guarding 
the  border  until  the  pacification  of  the  centuries  old  warfare  which  cul- 
minated in  the  union  of  Scotland  and  England  under  one  crown.  The 
direct  ancestor  of  Col  T.  A.  Johnston,  then,  with  hundreds  of  others  who 
sought  freedom  from  persecution,  moved  to  the  north  of  Ireland. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  363 

The  early  education  of  Thomas  Alexander  Johnston  was  obtained  in 
the  district  school  and  Kemper  School.  After  completing  his  prepara- 
tory course  at  the  Kemper  School  he  entered  the  State  University  at 
Columbia,  and  was  graduated  from  this  institution  in  1872  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  later  Master  of  Arts.  He  at  once  became 
a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Kemper  School,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Kemper,  he  succeeded  him  as  the  principal,  receiving  a  well  earned 
promotion  from  assistant  principal  to  the  superintendency,  March  9,  1881. 

Fro^n  the  day  on  which  Col.  Johnston  took  charge  of  the  Kemper 
School  there  has  been  steady  and  consistent  progress.  Each  year  has 
seen  an  increase  in  the  enrollment  of  the  school,  which  now  totals  510 
pupils  with  a  faculty  of  28  members.  New  and  more  modern  buldings 
have  been  erected  to  accommodate  the  increasing  enrollment,  and  the 
military  training  which  is  given  the  students  is  recognized  as  official  by 
the  War  Department  of  the  Federal  Government.  The  credit  of  this 
great  growth  is  due  to  the  enterprise,  ambition,  and  able  management  of 
Col.  Johnston,  who  like  a  good  executive,  has  surrounded  himself  with 
capable  assistants,  who  are  also  imbued  with  the  desire  to  enhance  and 
maintain  the  enviable  reputation  enjoyed  by  the  Kemper  Military  School 
throughout  the  United  States. 

June  27,  1877,  Thomas  Alexander  Johnston  and  Miss  Carrie  Frances 
Rea,  of  Saline  County,  Mo.,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Johnston  was 
born  near  Slater,  Mo.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Peter  G.  Rea,  who  was  a 
prominent  minister  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  for  many 
years.  The  children  born  to  this  marriage  are:  Bertha,  Rea  Alexander, 
Harris  Cecil,  Alice  Ewing.  Major  Rea  Alexander  Johnston  is  assistant 
superintendent  and  tactical  military  officer  of  the  Missouri  Training 
School  at  Boonville.  He'  married  Grace  Mosher,  of  Oneida,  111.,  and  has 
one  son,  William  Johnston.  Bertha  is  the  wife  of  Major  A.  M  Hitch, 
principal  of  the  Kemper  Military  School.  Major  and  Mrs.  Hitch  have 
two  children,  Charles  Johnston  and  Thomas  Kemper  Hitch.  Harris  Cecil 
Johnston  is  quartermaster  of  the  Kemper  Military  School,  and  has  charge 
of  all  supplies  used.  He  married  Georgia  Wooldridge  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Marjorie  and  Caroline.  Alice  Ewing  is  the  wife  of  Major  R.  J. 
Foster,  of  the  United  States  Army,  stationed  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Colonel  Johnston  is  a  democrat;  he  is  a  director  of  the  Commercial 
Bank  of  Boonville,  and  is  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  his  home 
city. 


364  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Hon.  John  Cosgrove. — For  56  years,  John  Cosgrove,  dean  of  the 
Cooper  County  Bar,  has  successfully  practiced  law.  During  his  54  years 
of  residence  in  Boonville,  he  has  not  only  been  an  honored  and  respected 
leader  of  the  legal  profression  in  this  section  of  Missouri,  but  he  has  been 
a  very  useful  and  progressive  citizen,  who  has  always  had  the  vision  of 
a  greater  and  richer  Boonville.  Mr.  Cosgrove  has  filled  various  official 
and  honorary  positions  with  both  honor  and  credit  to  himself  and  to 
Cooper  County,  and  his  time  and  talents  have  been  devoted  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  his  home  city.  He  has  likewise  distinguished  himself  in  the  halls 
of  the  National  Assembly.  Despite  his  advanced  age  of  four  score  years, 
Mr.  Cosgrove  is  an  erect,  upright,  commanding  figure — a  man  among 
men — vigorous  and  alert,  both  mentally  and  physically,  and  a  leader  of 
men. 

John  Cosgrove  was  born  near  Alexandria,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y., 
Sept.  12,  1838,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Farrell)  Cosgrove,  who 
were  parents  of  nine  children. 

James  Cosgrove,  the  father,  was  born  June  18,  1797,  and  died  Nov. 
6,  1879.  He  was  a  son  of  Henry  Cosgrove,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  immi- 
grated to  America  when  a  youth,  later  returned  to  Ireland,  finally  dying 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  Dr.  Daniel  Cosgrove.  James  Cosgrove  married 
Mary  Farrell.  born  Dec.  25,  1806,  and  died  at  Redwood,  N.  Y.,  May  6,  1892. 
James  Cosgrove  was  a  farmer  all  of  his  days,  and  while  not  a  wealthy 
man,  was  considered  as  well-to-do. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  John  Cosgrove  had  few  of  the  advan- 
tages now  easily  obtained  by  the  youth  of  the  present  day.  Gifted  with 
ambition  to  excel  and  to  raise  himself  to  a  higher  position  in  life,  he  at- 
tended the  Redwood  High  School  and  prepared  himself  for  the  teaching 
profession.  He  taught  three  terms  of  school  after  1859.  He  became 
imbued  with  the  Western  fever.  With  four  companions  he  set  out  for 
Pike's  Peak  in  1859  with  a  hand-cart  containing  the  baggage  and  provis- 
ions of  the  little  company  from  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  the  party  having  come 
up  the  Missouri  River,  and  made  a  brief  stop  at  Boonville.  Mr.  Cosgrove 
was  so  impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  location  of  the  then  thriving 
town  on  the  Missouri  River,  and  so  taken  with  its  possibilities,  that  he 
ever  bore  the  city  in  mind  until  his  later  permanent  location  seemed  to 
fulfill  a  dream.  The  boys  started  out  from  Leavenworth,  pulling  their 
hand-cart,  and  after  30  days  of  arduous  traveling  three  of  the  young 
fellows  cried  "enough,"  and  started  on  the  return  trip.  Young  Cosgrove 
and  Helmer,  his  other  companion,  however,  were  made  of  different  mate- 
rial, and  they  determined  to  go  the  entire  distance.     Joining  another 


JOHN   COSGROVK 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  365 

cavalcade  they  eventually  arrived  at  their  destination.  Denver,  Colo., 
at  that  time,  was  but  a  small  cluster  of  about  150  shacks.  The  boys 
prospected  for  gold  in  the  mountains,  and,  like  countless  others,  sought 
in  vain.  After  the  two  young  adventurers  decided  that  they  had  had 
enough  of  Western  mining  life,  they  walked  back  across  the  plains.  Cos- 
grove  stopped  at  Nemaha  City,  Neb.,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Missouri 
River,  and  bought  a  skiff  with  which  he  intended  to  journey  down  the 
river.  Not  long  after  embarking  on  the  journey  down  the  river,  the 
boat  struck  a  hidden  snag,  filled  with  water  and  sank.  The  unfortunate 
traveler  managed  to  get  on  an  island  in  the  river,  was  taken  off  to  safety, 
and  made  his  way  to  White  Cloud,  where  he  boarded  the  steamboat, 
"Iatan,"  and  arrived  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  June  30,  1859.  He  again  worked 
his  way  to  Quincy,  111.,  by  way  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad. 
From  Quincy  he  took  the  Burlington  Road  to  Chicago.  Young  Cosgrove 
had  no  money,  but  the  long  trip  and  the  outdoor  life  had  so  filled  him 
with  resourcefulness  that  he  persuaded  the  captain  of  the  "H.  E.  Mussey," 
a  lake  steamer,  to  allow  him  to  work  his  passage  to  Oswego,  N.  Y.  Dur- 
ing the  second  mate's  watch  some  time  during  the  voyage  he  was  called 
out  by  the  first  mate  to  help  furl  the  topsail.  He  climbed  up  the  main 
mast,  but  was  so  weak  from  privation  and  semi-starvation  that  he  lost 
his  balance  as  the  vessel  keeled,  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  boot  catching 
in  the  "rattle"  where  the  ropes  were  criss-crossed  he  would  have  gone 
into  the  lake.  When  the  vessel  rolled  back  to  an  upright  position  he 
again  took  hold  of  the  ladder  and  went  down  to  the  deck,  dropping  a  dis- 
tance of  10  feet.  The  first  mate  again  ordered  him  to  climb  the  mast. 
He  was  unable  to  do  so  and  the  mate  accused  him  of  mutiny  and  threat- 
ened him  with  punishment.  The  second  mate  then  came  on  the  deck  and 
espoused  his  cause.  He  eventually  arrived  at  Oswego.  Young  Cosgrove 
was  acquainted  with  the  captain  of  the  steamboat  which  ran  from  Oswego 
clown  to  Alexander  and  readily  received  permission  to  ride  home.  On  the 
trip  the  engine  of  the  boat  broke  down  and  it  was  10  o'clock  at  night 
before  the  boat  arrived  at  her  berth  in  Alexandria  Bay.  He  started  out, 
tired,  weary,  and  hungry,  to  walk  the  four  miles  to  his  father's  home. 
Two  and  a  half  miles  on  the  road  he  stopped  at  a  famous  spring,  drank 
his  fill  of  water  that  tasted  like  nectar,  rested,  and  arrived  home  like  a 
returned  prodigal  son,  at  daylight.  So  ended  John  Cosgrove's  long  quest 
for  gold. 

Upon  his  return  home,  John  Cosgrove  determined  to  secure  an  edu- 
cation. He  attended  the  select  school  at  Redwood  and  taught  school  in 
St.  Lawrence,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.     At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War 


366  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

he  volunteered  for  service  in  the  Union  Army,  but  was  rejected  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability  or  lack  of  strength.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  was  first  lieutenant  of  a  company  of  New  York  National  Guards,  and 
in  1864,  his  company  was  called  for  service  at  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  to  repulse 
a  rebel  attack  from  Canada,  serving  for  100  days.  While  teaching  school 
he  read  law  in  the  law  office  of  Hubbard  &  Lansing,  Watertown,  N.  Y. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1863,  and  practiced  in  New  York 
until  November,  1865,  when  he  came  to  Boonville,  Mo.  Mr.  Cosgrove 
arrived  in  Boonville,  Nov.  19,  1865,  with  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Col. 
Jos.  L.  Stephens,  then  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cooper  County. 

He  was  without  a  single  acquaintance  in  Boonville,  but  at  once  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Being  young  and  inexperienced 
the  way  was  hard  and  his  upward  climb  in  his  profession  in  competition 
with  some  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  State,  who  were  then  practicing 
in  Boonville,  was  not  without  its  difficulties  and  discouragements.  He 
soon  won  an  eviable  position  as  an  attorney,  and  for  the  past  54  years  has 
enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  Mr.  Cosgrove  was  elected  city  attorney  of 
Boonville  in  1870,  and  again  elected  to  the  office  in  1871.  He  served  one 
term  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cooper  County,  being  elected  to  this  office 
in  1872.  He  was  elected  Congressional  representative  from  the  Sixth 
District  in  1882,  and  served  one  term  in  Congress.  Mr.  Cosgrove  was 
elected  on  the  democratic  ticket  in  succession  to  former  Congressman 
John  B.  Clark.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Post  Offices  and 
Post  Roads,  and  the  Committee  on  Private  Lands.  From  this  committee 
he  reported  a  bill  to  compensate  Mrs.  Myra  Clark  Gaines  who  claimed 
title  to  several  hundred  acres  of  land  which  had  been  granted  to  General 
Clark,  her  father,  by  the  Federal  Government. 

Nov.  18,  1874,  Mr.  Cosgrove  was  married  to  Georgia  Augusta  Bliss, 
a  native  of  Vermont,  and  cousin  to  Mrs.  Frederick  T.  Kemper,  whose  hus- 
band founded  the  famous  Kemper  Military  School  of  Boonville.  Six  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  marriage:  John  Bliss,  James  Warden,  Ger- 
trude, George  Taylor,  Frederick  Kemper,  and  Daniel  W. 

John  Bliss  Cosgrove  was  born  in  1875  and  died  in  1892  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Notre  Dame,  South  Bend,  Ind.,  of  pneumonia.  James  Warden 
Cosgrove  was  graduated  from  Missouri  State  University  and  is  a  prac- 
ticing attorney  at  Muskogee,  Okla.  George  Taylor  Cosgrove  died  in 
infancy.  Frederick  Kemper  Cosgrove  died  in  infancy.  Gertrude  Cos- 
grove was  formerly  engaged  in  Government  work,  and  is  now  teaching 
on  Long  Island,  N.  Y.  She  is  a  graduate  of  Missouri  State  University. 
Daniel  W.  Cosgrove,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  was  born  in  1882,  gradu- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  367 

ated  from  Kemper  Military  School,  pursued  the  regular  classical  course 
at  the  State  University,  received  the  Bachelor's  degree,  and  studied  law  in 
his  father's  office.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  served  for  two  years 
as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cooper  County,  and  then  became  his  father's 
partner.  In  August,  1917,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  at  Chicago,  111.,  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  107th  Illinois  Infantry.  He  went  into  training 
at  Camp  Logan,  Houston,  Texas,  and  was  promoted  to  a  quartermaster 
sergeant  of  the  first  class  and  was  assigned  to  service  with  the  108th 
United  States  Supply  Train  for  service  on  the  western  front  in  France. 
Sergeant  Cosgrove  landed  at  Brest,  France,  in  May,  1918,  and  his  last 
station  on  the  firing  line  was  just  northeast  of  Verdun.  He  was  at  Cha- 
teau Thierry,  and  in  the  great  drive  begun  by  the  Americans  at  that 
point  which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  Germans.  From  Sept.  2  to 
Nov.  11,  1918,  Sergeant  Cosgrove  describes  this  great  experience  as  "one 
continuous  roar  of  heavy  guns,  bursting  shells,  and  the  whirring  of  air- 
planes, without  cessation" — when  the  turmoil  suddenly  stopped  at  11 
o'clock  of  Nov.  11 — then  everything  went  "dead." 

Mr.  Cosgrove  has  had  various  legal  partners  during  his  long  years  of 
practice,  the  firm  having  been  known  as  that  of  Cosgrove  &  Wear,  Cos- 
grove &  Johnson,  and  after  his  term  in  Congress  he  was  associated  with 
W.  T.  Piggott,  who  has  since  served  on  the  bench  as  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Montana.  Mrs.  Cosgrove  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian 
Church.  For  over  40  years  Mr.  Cosgrove  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow.  For 
the  past  four  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Boonville  Board  of 
Education,  and  was  recently  elected  treasurer  of  the  board.  He,  with 
others,  organized  the  Boonville  Electric  Light  Company,  and  he  served 
as  president  of  the  company;  J.  F.  Gmelich  was  treasurer  and  later  be- 
came lieutenant  governor;  C.  C.  Bell  was  secretary.  When  the  electric 
light  plant  was  built  by  these  citizens  the  price  of  artificial  gas  was 
dropped  from  the  old  arbitrary  price  of  $4.50  per  1,000  cubic  feet  to  $1.50 
per  1,000.  This  was  not  a  profitable  venture  for  Mi*.  Cosgrove,  and  he 
acted  as  president  and  attorney  for  the  company  without  receiving  any 
remuneration  for  his  services.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  project  of 
locating  the  Sahm  Shoe  Company  here,  and  made  an  effort  to  get  the 
stock  subscriptions  doubled,  but  his  proposition  was  voted  down  by  those 
interested. 

The  city  of  Boonville  had  no  water  company.  John  Cosgrove  was 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Boonville  Water  Company,  of 
which  Col.  John  S.  Elliot,  now  deceased,  was  the  first  president,  with  Mr. 
Cosgrove  as  treasurer  and  attorney.     Mr.  Cosgrove  had  200  shares  in 


368  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  company.  They  had  a  10-year  contract  with  the  city  for  supplying 
water.  The  city  repudiated  this  contract,  and  Mr.  Cosgrove  lost  upwards 
of  $12,000  to  $16,000  through  this  effort  to  provide  Boonville  with  a  nec- 
essary modern  convenience.  The  Boonville  Water  Company  is  the  best 
in  Missouri,  without  exception.  At  the  time  these  public-spirited  men 
built  the  water  plant  everybody  in  Boonville  relied  upon  cisterns  for  their 
water  supply.  The  stock  did  not  pay  on  the  capital  invested,  and  when 
the  city  refused  to  renew  the  contract  Mr.  Cosgrove  lost  $12,000. 

When  the  city  of  Boonville  voted  to  build  a  general  sewerage  system, 
the  City  Council  hesitated  to  issue  the  necessary  bonds  to  finance  the 
undertaking.  Mr.  Cosgrove  thereupon  agreed  to  take  the  tax  bills  at 
100  cents  on  the  dollar;  the  sewerage  system  was  established,  and  today 
Boonville  has  one  of  the  best  and  cleanest  sewerage  systems  in  the  State. 

When  the  project  of  paving  the  main  street  of  Boonville  came  up 
for  discussion,  Colonel  Elliot  and  Mr.  Cosgrove  went  on  the  bond  of  Thomas 
Hogan,  the  contractor,  for  the  paving  of  three  blocks  on  Main  Street. 
Colonel  Cosgrove  then  purchased  the  tax  bills  so  as  to  pay  Hogan  for 
putting  down  the  paving.  Some  property  owners  refused  to  pay.  Mr. 
Cosgrove  sued  for  payment  and  won  in  the  Circuit  Court.  The  case  was 
carried  to  the  Superior  Court  and  he  again  was  sustained.  Since  that 
time  the  city  has  built  miles  of  splendid  paved  streets. 

Mr.  Cosgrove  is  a  director  of  the  Commercial  Bank,  and  has  various 
financial  interests  of  importance.  As  a  lawyer,  he  is  widely  and  favora- 
bly known,  careful  and  painstaking  in  his  practice,  tireless  and  energetic, 
eloquent  in  pleading,  and  more  than  ordinarily  successful  in  his  practice 
before  the  courts.  As  a  public  speaker,  he  is  logical,  forceful,  and  is  elo- 
quent. Mr.  Cosgrove  is  a  commanding  and  forceful  figure  in  the  affairs 
of  Boonville  and  Cooper  County.  He  is  well  known  throughout  Missouri 
and  for  many  years  has  been  a  factor  in  democratic  politics  in  Missouri. 
When  most  citizens  of  his  age  are  thinking  of  retirement  and  taking  life 
easy  for  their  remaining  years,  he  is  still  attending  to  business  with  the 
same  vim  as  of  yore,  and  all  indications  are  that  he  will  continue  to  do  so 

ome  years  to  come. 

Henry  E.  Sombart. — Time  for  the  earthly  sojourn  is  allotted  to  each 
man;  it  behooves  him  to  accomplish  his  work  among  mankind  while  he 
may.  The  brief  half  century  of  time  allotted  to  the  late  Henry  E.  Som- 
bart. deaceased  prominent  citizen  of  Boonville,  was  sufficient  for  him  to 
achieve  a  success  and  leave  a  name  which  will  go  down  in  local  history. 
Mr.  Sombart  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  successful  business  men  of 
Boonville  and  central  Missouri — a  builder  of  Boonville,  a  citizen  who  be- 


HENRY  E  .   SOMBART 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  369 

lieved  in  making  his  home  city  better  and  more  beautiful — a  fitting 
example  of  his  love  of  the  beautiful  being  the  handsome  residence  which 
he  built  for  his  family  in  Boonville.  Henry  E.  Sombart  was  born  in 
Boonville,  June  3,  1863,  and  died  June  7,  1916.  He  was  a  son  of  Judge 
Charles  William  Sombart,  and  grandson  of  William  Sombart,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  immigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in 
1837.     His  mother  was  Mrs.  Catherine  (Thro)  Sombart. 

Henry  E.  Sombart  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Chris- 
tian Brothers  College,  St.  Louis.  When  a  young  man  he  became  associ- 
ated with  his  brother,  Charles  A.  Sombart,  in  the' milling  business,  under 
the  firm  name  of  the  Sombart  Milling  Company.  He  continued  in  the 
milling  business  until  1908,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
Charles  A.  Sombart,  and  retired  from  active  business  to  a  considerable 
extent.  He  erected  a  splendid  brick  mansion  on  Fourth  Street  in  Boon- 
ville in  1892.  Mr.  Sombart  was  active  in  local  business  and  financial 
enterprises,  was  a  director  and  organizer  of  the  Farmei-s  Bank  of  Boon- 
ville, and  was  one  of  the  founder  of  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Boon- 
ville. He  was  owner  of  several  buildings  in  the  city,  and  was  interested 
in  promoting  many  public  enterprises. 

Mr.  Sombart  was  married  on  Nov.  24,  1887,  to  Miss  Julia  Sahm,  born 
in  Boonville,  a  daughter  of  George  Sahm,  pioneer  shoe  merchant  and 
manufacturer  of  Boonville.  To  this  marriage  were  born  the  following 
children:    G.  William  and  Harry  Edward. 

G.  William  Sombart  was  born  Dec.  8,  1891.  He  was  educated  in 
the  Boonville  High  School  and  the  University  of  Notre  Dame,  Ind.  He 
is  a  partner  in  the  Boonville  Ice  and  Laundry  Company  of  Boonville,  and 
has  extensive  business  interests.  Mr.  Sombart  was  married  June  10, 
1914,  to  Miss  Bernice  McCann,  of  Versailles,  a  daughter  of  J.  W.  McCann. 
William  and  Bernice  Sombart  have  one  child,  Martha  Anne  Sombart,  aged 
one  and  a  half  years. 

Harry  Edward  Sombart,  the 'soldier  of  the  family,  was  born  Feb.  15, 
1896,  and  enlisted  in  the  National  Army,  Jan.  5,  1918,  after  receiving  four 
years'  training  and  study  at  Kemper  Military  School,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  June,  1916.  Private  Sombart  was  in  training  at  Camp 
Funston,  and  was  connected  with  the  quartermaster's  department.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  on  March  22,  1919,  and  is  a 
partner  in  the  Jeff  Davis  Shoe  Co. 

George  Sahm,  father  of  Mrs.  H.  E.  Sombart,  was  born  in  Bavaria, 
(24) 


370  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Germany,  Aug.  1,  1832,  and  came  to  America  in  1848.  After  working  at 
his  trade  of  boot  and  shoemaker  in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  for  three  years,  he 
came  to  Boonville.  After  working  at  his  trade  for  three  years  here,  he 
started  a  shop  of  his  own  in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  built  up  a  tremen- 
dous trade  and  expanded  his  business  to  such  an  extent  that  in  1877  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  his  own  stocks  and  for  the  general  markets. 
In  1876,  his  son,  George  W.  became  his  partner,  and  in  1880,  Henry, 
another  son,  joined  the  firm.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Dick, 
who  bore  him  the  following  children:  George  W.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mollie 
Mittelbach,  deceased ;  Henry  J.,  Colorado ;  Joseph,  St.  Louis ;  Julia  Som- 
bart,  New  York  City;  and  Mrs.  Katie  L.  Davis.  Mr.  Sahm  held  various 
official  positions  in  the  city  such  as  school  director  and  city  councilman. 
He  died  Nov  17,  1915.  Mrs.  Catherine  (Dick)  Sahm  was  born  in  1834 
and  departed  this  life  on  April  25,  1909. 

Henry  E.  Sombart  was  a  republican.  He  took  no  part  in  political 
affairs  except  in  such  a  manner  as  would  benefit  his  home  city.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Boonville  Water  Works 
Board,  and  was  active  in  promoting  the  success  of  this  undertaking, 
which  has  resulted  in  giving  the  city  of  Boonville  the  finest  supply  of 
pure  water  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  West.  He  was  a  member  of  Sts. 
Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church,  was  liberal  in  his  support  of  this 
denomination,  and  in  fact  was  a  liberal  giver  to  all  charitable  and  religious 
enterprises. 

Eugene  Earle  Amick. — The  banking  career  of  E.  E.  Amick,  president 
of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  Boonville,  Mo.,  began  when  he  was  four- 
teen years  old  at  Bunceton,  his  home  city.  He  rose  from  janitor  and 
messenger  boy  to  the  position  of  cashier  in  eight  years  and  at  that  time 
was  in  all  probability,  the  youngest  bank  cashier  in  the  State.  After 
assisting  in  the  organization  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank  in  1916,  Mr. 
Amick  was  elected  president  of  this  concern,  which  is  the  largest,  most 
important  and  the  strongest  financial  institution  of  Central  Missouri,  and 
the  strongest  in  amount  of  deposits  of  any  bank  in  cities  of  the  country  in 
population  under  5,000. 

Mr.  Amick  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Cooper  County,  Dec.  3,  1886.  His 
father  was  Alonzo  C.  or  "Lon"  Amick,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Cooper 
County  in  1853  and  died  in  1903.  Mr.  Amick's  grandfather,  Leander 
Amick,  whose  wife  was  Melissa  Lampton,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  this  county.  Upon  attaining  manhood,  "Lon" 
Amick  married  Miss  Alice  Grey  Moore,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Moore  who 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  371 

was  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Missouri  pioneer  families. 
Joseph  Moore  was  a  son  of  Major  William  Hampton  and  Anne  (Cathey) 
Moore.  Mrs.  Alice  Amick  resides  at  Bunceton  and  is  aged  64  years.  The 
children  born  to  Lon  C.  and  Alice  Amick  are:  Harry  Amick,  an  insur- 
ance man  at  Raton,  N.  M. ;  Eugene  Earle  Amick,  of  this  review;  and 
Frances  Amick,  a  teacher  in  the  High  School  of  Butler,  Mo. 

Since  leaving  the  district  school,  Mr.  Amick  has  been  a  constant 
student  and  by  close  application  has  become  well  informed.  It  seems 
that  he  was  naturally  inclined  and  destined  for  the  banking  business. 
Entering  the  Bank  of  Bunceton  when  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  ap- 
plied himself  so  diligently  and  painstakingly  to  the  tasks  at  hand  that  he 
was  advanced  to  the  post  of  bookkeeper  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
When  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  was  serving  as  cashier  of  this 
bank.  The  opportunity  presented  itself  and  he  came  to  Boonville  and 
became  associated  with  leading  and  progressive  business  men  of  this  city 
in  the  organization  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  which  is  capitalized 
at  $200,000  and  has  interest  bearing  deposits  of  over  $2,000,000. 

May  23,  1917,  Mr.  Amick  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Gertrude 
Jones  who  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Gilbert  F.  and  Melcina  Jones,  residents  of  Bunceton.  Mr.  Jones  has 
been  a  fanner  and  merchant  in  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Amick  enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy  in  July,  1918,  and  was 
in  training  at  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  until  after  the 
signing  of  the  armistice,  when  he  was  released  from  active  duty  in  Dec, 
1918.  He  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  is 
high  in  Masonic  circles,  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Ararat  Temple 
of  Kansas  City  and  has  taken  all  Masonic  degrees  excepting  the  Scottish 
Rite.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Personally  Mr. 
Amick  is  agreeable,  companionable  and  optimistic. 

La  Roy  O.  Schaumburg,  city  attorney  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  in 
this  city,  Jan.  22,  1891.  His  father,  Otto  Schaumburg,  was  bom  in  Her- 
mann, Mo.,  in  1854,  and  is  the  efficient  superintendent  of  the  brick  manu- 
factory at  Boonville.  Upon  attaining  young  manhood,  Otto  Schaumburg 
was  married  to  Mary  Winkelmeyer,  who  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1855, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Winkelmeyer,  a  former  citizen  of  Boonville 
of  German  birth  who  followed  cabinet  making  and  was  a  pioneer  furni- 
ture dealer  and  undertaker  of  Boonville.  Four  children  were  born  to 
Otto  and  Mary  Schaumburg:  Martin  B.,  manager  for  the  Baker-Vawter 
and  Wolfe  Company  at  St.  Louis;  Mamie,  at  home  with  her  parents;  L. 


372  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

O.  Schaumburg,  of  this  review;  Clarence,  deputy  Circuit  Court  of  Cooper 
County. 

L.  0.  Schaumburg  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  school  of  Boon- 
ville  and  then  entered  the  Gem  Business  College  of  Quincy,  111.,  where  he 
completed  the  course  of  study  in  Dec,  1909.  For  the  ensuing  two  yeai-s 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Johns-Manville  Company,  St.  Louis.  He 
then  returned  to  Boonville  and  entered  the  employ  of  Judge  W.  M.  Wil- 
liams as  stenographer.  This  position  afforded  him  the  opportunity  of 
reading  law  under  the  tutelage  of  Judge  Williams  and  he  remained  with 
the  Judge  until  the  latter's  death  in  the  fall  of  1916.  Mr.  Schaumburg 
then  passed  the  bar  examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law 
on  Jan.  3,  1917. 

Sept.  2,  1914,  Mr.  Schaumburg  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Barr  of 
St.  Louis,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Anna  Barr.  One  child  has  been  born 
of  this  union:  Mary  Frances,  born  March  5,  1916. 

Mr.  Schaumburg  is  a  republican  and  is  at  present  serving  as  city 
attorney  of  Boonville,  a  position  to  which  he  was  elected  in  April,  1918. 
Although  one  of  the  younger  attorneys  of  Boonville,  he  has  an  excellent 
practice.  Mr.  Schaumburg  is  a  young  man  of  pleasing  personality  and 
has  decided  ability  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Hon.  Charles  Christian  Bell. — To  obtain  a  lasting  place  in  the  annals 
of  his  native  city,  state,  and  nation,  a  citizen  must  have  been  not  only  a 
doer  and  creator  on  his  own  behalf,  but  he  must  have  accomplished  things 
of  lasting  benefit  to  his  fellow  men.  He  should  not  be  selfish  and  seeking 
solely  to  advance  his  own  personal  interests,  it  is  necessary  that  his  activ- 
ities be  so  linked  with  the  work  of  the  whole  people  in  some  one  depart- 
ment which  will  result  in  a  common  good,  that  history  will  record  of  him 
that  "He  strove  that  others  might  benefit,  as  well  as  himself."  Many 
instances  in  the  life  story  of  Charles  Christian  Bell,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Cooper  County  and  the  State  of  Missouri,  when  properly  portrayed,  will 
indicate  that  during  his  entire  successful  career  he  has  been  actuated  by 
a  desire  to  assist  his  fellow  men.  Fame  comes  to  a  man  of  that  type. 
More  than  local  recognition  usually  falls  to  his  lot.  His  acquaintance 
among  public  and  influential  men  who  are  doers  in  this  world  of  events, 
becomes  wide  and  important,  for  the  reason  that  his  abilities  and  accom- 
plishments received  just  and  well  merited  recognition.  Such  a  citizen  is 
Charles  C.  Bell,  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  Union  veteran,  president  of  the  Central 
Missouri  Horticultural   Association,  "The  Apple  King  of  Missouri,"  and 


ft 


HISTORY    OF  COOPER   COUNTY  373 

public  man  of  affairs,  who  was  born  in  Altstadt,  in  the  dukedom  of 
Nassau,  Germany,  Aug.  30,  1848. 

John  Adam  Bell,  his  father,  was  born  in  Germany,  on  Feb.  3,  1803, 
and  was  a  son  of  Henry  Bell,  who  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Bell.  Thomas 
Bell  was  a  Scotchman,  born  near  Edjnburg,  and  emigrated  to  Germany, 
where  he  established  himself  in  business,  and  his  descendents  were  men 
of  affairs  in  their  community  for  generations,  until  John  Adams  Bell, 
father  of  Charles  C.  Bell,  took  part  in  the  Revolution  of  1848,  led  by  Carl 
Schurz,  Fred  Sigel  and  others  against  monarchy  and  the  tyranny  of  the 
grandfather  of  the  lately  deposed  kaiser  of  Germany.  John  Adam  Bell 
assisted  in  organizing  volunteers  to  take  part  in  the  movement  to  estab- 
lish a  German  republic.  The  revolt  was  crushed,  and  those  who  were 
prominent  in  the  enterprise  were  compelled  to  flee  the  country.  Mr.  Bell 
had  six  sons.  He  resolved  that  none  of  them  should  ever  live  under  a 
kaiser.  Accordingly,  he  disposed  of  his  real  estate  and  manufacturing 
business  as  best  he  could,  and  set  sail  for  America,  but  met  with  ship- 
wreck in  mid-ocean.  Putting  back  into  Southampton,  England,  to  repair 
the  ship,  they  made  another  start,  and  reached  New  York.  Finally,  Mr. 
Bell,  his  wife,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  landed  at  Boonville,  in  October, 
1854.  He  bought  a  farm  two  miles  south,  opposite  Mt.  Sinai  schoolhouse, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  peaceful  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture, getting  the  freedom  and  liberty  which  his  independent  spirit  had 
craved,  and  for  which  he  had  sacrificed  so  much  in  his  native  land. 

He  planted  one  of  the  first  vineyards  and  orchards  in  that  neighbor- 
hood, and  taught  his  son,  Charles  C,  the  art  of  fruit-growing,  thus  teach- 
ing him  a  business  which  has  been  his  to  follow  much  of  his  active  life. 
Mr.  Bell  died  Dec.  11,  1865.  His  wife,  Katherine  Sophia  (Gross)  Bell, 
was  born  Jan.  10,  1810,  and  departed  this  life  Aug.  1,  1868.  The  children 
of  John  Adam  and  Katherine  Bell  were  as  follows:  Henry,  born  Feb.  15, 
1830,  died  May  11,  1904;  Wilhelnvne,  born  Feb.  13,  1832,  married  Casper 
Manger,  two  of  her  sons  are  now  millionaires  in  New  York,  lied  Sept.  13, 
1905;  Philip,  born  June  30,  1834,  was  killed  in  the  Union  service  during 
the  Civil  War;  Kalherina,  born  Aug.  27,  1836,  died  Sept.  18,  1840;  John 
August,  born  July  17,  1838,  killed  while  serving  in  the  Confederate  army 
under  Stonewall  Jackson,  Oct.  12,  18^3;  VYilhelm  Philip,  born  Sept.  5,  1840, 
died  Jan.  5,  1841;  William,  born  Nov.  29,  1841,  died  Jan.  9,  1855;  Cather- 
ina,  bom  Jan.  10,  1844,  married  Adam  Cook — whose  grandson,  Lewis  C. 
Cook,  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Bell  Fruit  Farm— died  Jan.  20,  1896; 
Herman,  born  Jan.  22,  1846,  died  March  8,  1900 ;  Charles  Christian,  of  this 


374  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

review;  John  William,  born  on  his  father's  farm,  Nov.  29,  1856,  died  Feb. 
15,  1906. 

Aug.  2,  1864,  Charles  C.  Bell  enlisted  in  the  Union  service  "cavalry." 
He  was  captured  by  Gen.  Joe  Shelby's  command  in  October,  1864,  was 
held  prisoner  for  two  days,  and  was  then  paroled,  but  a  few  days  later 
he  again  joined  his  command  and  served  to  the  end  of  the  war,  and  was 
discharged  July  11,  1865.  While  living  at  Austin,  Texas,  he  was  from 
1872  to  1876  a  member  of  the  "Travis  Rifles,"  then  the  best  drilled  com- 
pany in  Texas.  In  1879  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Phelps,  first 
lieutenant  of  Missouri  State  Guards,  serving  three  years. 

After  the  close  of  his  Civil  War  service  and  the  death  of  his  father, 
Mr.  Bell  operated  the  home  farm  for  thi'ee  years.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
mother,  in  1868,  he  turned  over  the  farm  and  estate  to  Col.  Joseph  A. 
Eppstein,  the  administrator,  and  determined  to  secure  an  education.  He 
attended  the  business  college  in  Boonville,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1869,  $115  in  debt.  He  then  went  to  Colorado,  making  the  long,  weari- 
some journey  on  foot.  Upon  his  arrival  in  the  mountains  he  and  a  friend 
staked  out  a  claim  in  Idaho  Gulch  and  began  to  mine  for  gold.  Meeting 
an  old  comrade  it  was  decided  upon  to  open  a  fruit  and  confectionery 
store  at  Central  City,  Colo.  This  young  firm  became  the  pioneers  in 
shipping  Missouri  apples  to  the  Rock  Mountain  country,  transporting 
them  by  wagons  from  Cheyenne,  Wyo.,  then  the  nearest  railroad  station, 
and  for  a  time  they  did  a  thriving  business.  In  the  spring  of  1870,  Mr. 
Bell  disposed  of  his  interest,  mostly  on  time,  and  returned  to  Boonville; 
his  successor,  however,  soon  failed,  causing  him  to  lose  his  investments. 
Being  again  without  means,  Mr.  Bell's  next  venture  was  driving  a  team 
for  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Bell  from  Boonville  to  Austin,  Texas,  there  being  no 
railroad  to  Texas  at  that  time.  At  Austin  he  secured  employment  as 
porter  in  a  wholesale  grocer  house,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  be  traveling 
salesman.  He  traveled  mostly  with  team  and  buggy,  but  sometimes 
when  the  Indians  were  bad  he  would  go  horseback.  He  became  widely 
acquainted  in  that,  then  frontier,  country.  Like  all  Texas  frontiersmen, 
in  those  days,  he  carrier  a  Winchester  rifle  and  his  Civil  War  revolvers 
for  his  personal  protection. 

From  1875  to  1877  he  was  in  bi^iness  at  Austin  for  himself,  having 
received  the  backing  of  a  large  St.  Louis  firm.  In  February,  1877,  he 
disposed  of  his  business  in  Texas,  and  with  a  capital  of  about  $6,000  he 
returned  to  Boonville,  and  with  his  brother,  J.  W.  Bell,  established  th<^ 
firm  of  C.  C.  Bell  &  Bro.,  wholesale  shippers  of  fruit  and  farm  products. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  375 

At  that  time  this  section  of  Missouri  produced  large  crops  of  apples. 
The  Bell  Brothers  handled  the  surplus  of  apples  from  Cooper  and  adjoin- 
ing counties,  building  at  Boonville  a  packing  and  fruit  drying  house  and 
fruit  jelly  factory.  These  latter  features  of  the  business,  however,  prov- 
ing to  be  unprofitable.  In  1885,  he  purchased  his  brother's  interest,  and 
made  a  specialty  of  buying,  packing  and  shipping  apples.  From  that 
time  on  his  business  reached  very  large  proportions.  He  is  justly  enti- 
tled to  the  name,  "Missouri's  Apple  King,"  given  him  by  the  Interstate 
Fruit  Growers  and  Shippers  convention  held  at  Cairo,  111.  Mr.  Bell's  plan 
has  been  to  pay  the  highest  cash  price  for  apples  and  to  furnish  the  trade 
with  carefully  assorted  and  best  packed  apples,  and  his  "Bell-brand"  is 
well  known  in  America  and  on  some  foreign  markets.  Since  1906  he  has 
not  been  engaged  in  buying  apples,  but  as  a  grower  he  has  planted  and 
operated  several  large  orchards.  His  operations  are  now  confined  to  a 
single  orchard  of  about  80  acres  at  Bell  Station,  four  miles  east  of  Boon- 
ville. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Bell  organized  the  Central  Missouri  Horticultural  Asso- 
ciation, serving  as  its  secretary  for  29  years,  and  is  now  its  president. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society,  Dec.  6,  1887, 
he  was  presented  with  a  gold  medal  for  the  successful  management  of  the 
horticultural  exposition.  For  years  he  was  the  awarding  judge  of  the 
fruit  and  horticultural  department  of  the  St.  Louis  Fair,  and  in  1904 
awarding  judge  of  the  fruit  exhibits  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  St.  Louis 
World's  Fair. 

Mr.  Bell  called  the  first  meeting  in  Chicago  to  organize  the  "Inter- 
national Apple  Shippers'  Association"  in  1894,  and  was  elected  its  first 
president.  This  is  now  the  largest  organization  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
The  object  of  this  association  was  to  secure  the  enactment  of  just  and 
uniform  laws  throughout  the  country  governing  grades,  weights,  meas- 
urements, etc.,  and  in  recognition  of  Mr.  Bell's  sei-vice  he  was  elected  an 
Honorary  member  for  life. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Missouri  State  Horticultural  Society  in 
Dec,  1896,  he  was  appointed  to  deliver  in  person  to  President-elect 
McKinley,  a  set  of  resolutions  adopted  by  that  body  in  regard  to  the 
introduction  of  growing  sugar  beets  in  Missouri,  in  which  work  Mr.  Bell 
took  a  great  interest,  and  he  distributed  the  following  spring,  without 
compensation,  planting  information  and  seed  throughout  the  State. 

Governor  Dockery  appointed  Mr.  Bell  to  make  the  Missouri  Fruit 
Exhibit  at  the  Pan-American  Exposition  held  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  1901, 


376  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  the  Charleston  S.  C,  Cotton  Exposition,  1902,  and  there  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  Missouri  Commission.  He  has  been  for  many  years 
orchard  appraiser  for  the  Wabash  Railway  Co.  in  Missouri,  and  the  M., 
K.  &  T.  Ry.  in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Oklahoma,  and  his  opinions  and 
judgments  as  to  values  are  accepted  as  authority  upon  matters  pertain- 
ing to  horticulture.  He  was  elected  a  life  honorary  member  by  the 
Luther  Burban'k  Society  of  California. 

The  political  career  of  Charles  C.  Bell  has  been  a  noteworthy  one, 
and  he  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  republican 
party  in  Missouri.  From  1882  to  1885  he  was  a  member  of  the  Boonville 
City  Council,  and  president  of  that  body.  In  1886,  1887,  1888,  he  served 
as  mayor  of  Boonville,  and  while  serving  in  this  capacity  he  introduced 
and  carried  out  a  number  of  reform  measures,  benefitting  the  city.  From 
1886  to  1897,  he  was  president  of  the  Boonville  Board  of  Trade.  In  1888, 
and  again  in  1890,  he  was  republican  candidate  for  representative  in  the 
State  Legislature.  In  1892,  he  was  elected  delegate  to  the  republican 
national  convention  at  Minneapolis,  and  was  there  chosen  to  represent 
Missouri  on  the  committee  to  notify  President  Harrison  and  Whitelaw 
Reid  of  their  nominations.  He  was  presidential  elector  on  the  republi- 
can McKinley  ticket  in  1896.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  late 
Presidents  Roosevelt  and  McKinley,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  national 
republican  convention  in  1892  at  Minneapolis,  made  a  speech  favoring 
McKinley's  nomination  in  1896.  In  1900  he  refused  the  nomination  for 
Congressman  against  Dick  Bland  on  the  republican  ticket.  In  1912  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Chicago  progressive  national  convention,  where  he 
assisted  in  organizing  the  progressive  party,  and  represented  Missouri 
on  the  Roosevelt  presidential  notification  committee  In  1916,  he  was  nom- 
inated by  the  progressive  party  of  Missouri  for  the  office  of  lieutenant 
governor. 

Mr.  Bell  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Farmers  Bank,  the 
Electric  Light  and  Power  Company,  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery,  and  of 
other  organizations  in  Boonville,  and  was  vice-president  of  the  Farmers 
Bank  during  its  entire  successful  business  career.  He  was  appointed  a 
delgate  to  the  national  monetary  convention  at  Indianapolis  in  1897,  and 
there  introduced  his  copyrighted  Financial  Plan,  which  attracted  much 
attention. 

On  April  30,  1889,  Charles  C.  Bell  and  Miss  Anna  Augusta  Luck- 
hardt,  of  Oregon,  Holt  County,  Mo.,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Anna 
A.  Bell  was  born  Sept.  9,  1869,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  P.  Luckhardt, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  377 

a  native  of  Germany,  born  Jan.  17,  1826,  who  came  to  America  in  1850, 
first  located  at  Johnstown,  Penn. ;  and  there  married  Henrietta  Francisca 
Von  Lunen,  on  Nov.  4,  1852.  Five  children  were  born  to  Charles  C.  and 
Anna  A.  Bell,  as  follows:  Minnie  Henrietta,  Clara  Louisa,  Capt.  C.  C. 
Bell,  Jr.,  Frances,  and  John.  Minnie  Henrietta  is  the  wife  of  F.  Stanley 
Piper,  of  Bellingham,  Wash.  Clara  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  Major  Roscoe 
W.  Stewart,  by  profession  an  attorney  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  and  is  now 
serving  in  the  judge  advocate  general's  office  at  Washington,  D.  C.  Capt. 
C.  C.  Bell,  Jr.,  is  with  Battery  A,  37th  Heavy  Artillery  Regulars,  U.  S.  A., 
now  on  duty  in  Honolulu.  He  was  commissioned  a  captain  at  the  age  of 
22  years.  He  was  a  student  at  Princeton  University,  when  he  enlisted  as 
private,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  second  lieutenant.  Frances,  aged  15 
years,  is  attending  the  Boonville  High  School.  John,  the  youngest  son, 
is  five  years  old. 

Mr.  Bell  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  He  is  a  past  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodges,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  World's  Court  League,  in  favor  of  uni- 
versal disarmament  and  against  all  militarism ;  he  would  like  to  see  all 
implements  of  war  consigned  to  the  melting  furnace,  and  made  into  agri- 
cultural machinery  or  anything  that  is  useful  and  productive  and  not 
destructive.  Mr.  Bell  has  delivered  numerous  addresses  on  Horticulture 
and  various  subjects,  and  in  a  recent  talk  promulgated  the  motto,  "In 
Time  of  Peace,  Prepare  for  Peace,  and  Practice  Peace." 

An  everlasting  monument  to  the  public  spirit  and  philanthropy  which 
have  been  the  prime  motives  guiding  the  life  career  of  this  illustrious 
Cooper  County  citizen  is  exemplified  in  his  gift  to  the  city  of  the  beautiful 
Lookout  Park,  which  is  built  on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  Missouri  River 
just  north  of  the  Bell  residence.  Mr.  Bell  built  this  little  park  of  endur- 
ing stone  and  concrete  as  a  memorial  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Manger.  It  has 
given  pleasure  to  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  who  can  comfortably 
ail  on  the  benches  and  gaze  at  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Missouri  River 
valley  stretching  below  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  His  creed  in  life 
has  been  expressed  on  a  tablet  inserted  in  the  paving  of  the  park,  which 
reads : 

"Get   Busy,   Stay    Busy, 
Avoid  Waster,  Vice,  Tobacco,  Booze, 
and  you  will  have 

Health,  Honor  and  Plenty." 


378  HISTORY    OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Louis  Sylvester  Edwards,  photographer,  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
Central  Committee,  and  a  native  of  Boonville,  is  living  in  the  house  where 
he  was  born  and  reared  and  which  was  erected  by  his  father  in  1859.  His 
father,  the  late  0.  D.  Edwards,  was  a  native  of  England,  and  settled  in 
Boonville  in  1859.  He  became  a  skilled  photographer  and  did  a  thriving 
business  during  the  Civil  War.  Mr.-  Edwards  made  photographs  of  such 
notable  warriors  as  General  Stuart  and  Gen.  J.  B.  Lyons  and  was  patron- 
ized by  both  Confederate  and  Union  soldiers  during  the  Civil  War.  For 
over  fifty  years  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  photographic  business 
in  Boonville.  He  died  in  1911  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Mrs.  Sophia  Ebert 
Edwards,  mother  of  L.  S.  Edwards,  was  bora  in  St.  Louis,  Nov.  12,  1841, 
and  died  Feb,  14,  1919.  There  were  three  children  born  to  0.  D.  and 
Sophia  Edwards,  as  follows:  Rev.  Ward  H.  Edwards,  a  member  of  the 
faculty  of  William  Jewell  College,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State 
Library  Board;  Louis  Sylvester  is  the  eldest  of  the  family;  Daisy  Ed- 
wards, wife  of  Roger  Morton,  Kansas  City,  shipping  clerk  for  the  Witte 
Gas  Engine  Company. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Boonville  High  School,  L.  S.  Edwards 
attended  the  Singleton  Academy,  Boonville.  Practically  his  entire  life 
has  been  spent  in  photography  and  his  photograph  gallery  is  widely  known 
and  liberally  patronized  as  a  place  where  popular  prices  are  charged  for 
the  work  done. 

Mr.  Edwards  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss  Belle  Lucas  of  Holden, 
Mo.,  a  daughter  of  the  late  J.  A.  Lucas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwards  have  two 
children:  Edith,  wife  of  Walter  D.  Glascock,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  an  em- 
ploye of  the  Kansas  City  Bridge  Company ;  Roger  L.  Edwards,  yeoman  in 
the  United  States  Naval  Air  Service,  was  born  Oct.  8,  1892.  Yeoman 
Edwards  is  a  skilled  stenographer  and  upon  his  first  attempt  to  enlist, 
he  was  rejected  on  account  of  light  weight  and  was  later  called  to  the 
service.  For  some  weeks  he  was  stationed  at  Chicago  with  the  recruiting 
office  and  was  then  sent  to  France  and  is  now  located  at  Pauillac,  France. 
He  enlisted  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Edwards  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men,  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  and  the  National  Union. 
He  is  a  thorough  democrat  who  has  always  been  a  hard  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  his  party.  He  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Central  Committee 
three  different  times  and  is  now  chairman  of  the  county  central  commit- 
tee.    Mr.  Edwards  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  democratic  politics 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  379 

and  is  a  frequent  attendant  at  the  state  conventions  and  has  a  wide  and 
favorable  acquaintance  among  the  leaders  of  democracy  throughout  Mis- 
souri. 

Charles  G.  Miller,  city  clerk  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  May  13,  1857, 
in  this  city.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Sophia  (Fox)  Miller,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  the  daughter  of  the  first  German  to  settle  in  Boonville.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Anton  Fox,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  arrived  in  Boon- 
ville, March  8,  1835,  with  his  wife,  two  sons  and  three  daughters :  Charles 
Fox,  Frank  Fox,  Mrs.  Amelia  Hissrich,  Mrs.  Rosa  Vollrath,  Mrs.  Fannie 
Eppstein.  All  of  these  children  are  deceased.  Mr.  Millei's  mother,  now 
Mrs.  Julius  Sombart,  was  bom  in  Boonville,  July  7,  1837. 

Beginning  with  Anton  Fox  and  ending  with  the  grandchildren  of 
Mr.  Miller,  there  have  been  five  genei'ations  of  the  family  who  have  lived 
in  Boonville,  four  of  which  were  born  in  the  city. 

Charles  G.  Miller  was  reared  and  educated  in  Boonville.  He  attended 
the  Boonville  public  school  and  Kemper  Military  School,  of  this  city. 
After  some  years  of  experience  in  mercantile  business  in  Chicago,  111.  and 
Glasgow,  Mo.,  he  returned  to  Boonville  in  1885  and  was  employed  with 
the  Sauter  Mercantile  Company  for  15  years.  He  became  city  clerk  of 
Boonville  in  1902  and  has  held  the  office  for  17  years. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Hattie  Briggs,  who  was  born 
in  Howard  County,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  P.  and  Mary  J.  (Thorpe)  Briggs, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  a  daughter  of  Jackson  Thorpe,  who  was  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  settled  in  Howard  County,  Mo.,  in  1815.  Three  children 
were  bom  to  this  marriage:  Edwin  B.  Miller,  part  owner  and  business 
manager  of  a  newspaper  at  Plainview,  Texas,  father  of  two  children, 
Ellen  and  Jean ;  Mrs.  Emma  Briggs  Figge,  of  N.  M.,  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren:    Mary  Frances,  Charles  and  Harriet;  one  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  republican.  He  joined  the  Knights  of  Pythias  in  1880 
and  is  one  of  three  of  the  Grand  Lodge  trustees  of  this  order. 

Frank  C.  Brosius. — The  firm  of  Nixon  and  Brosius,  engaged  in  the 
farm  loan  and  real  estate  business  in  Boonville,  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its  class  in  central  Missouri. 
The  members  of  the  firm  are  C.  W.  Nixon  and  Frank  C.  Brosius,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  this  section  of  Missouri.  The  business  was  founded 
in  1909  and  its  affairs  were  first  conducted  in  the  basement  rooms  of 
the  old  National  Bank  building.  In  1917  a  handsome  suite  of  offii 
was  established  in  the  present  location  in  the  northern  section  of  Main 
street.    This  firm  makes  farm  loans  in  eight  counties  of  central  Missouri 


380  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  do  an  aggregate  business  of  over  $1,000,000  annually  in  farm  loans 
besides  a  large  business  in  buying  and  selling  farms  in  central  Missouri. 

Frank  C.  Brosius,  junior  member  of  the  firm,  was  born  Nov.  18,  1885, 
in  California,  Moniteau  County,  Mo.  He  is  a  son  of  R.  B.  and  Ella  Jane 
Brosius,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  respectively.  Samuel  Brosius, 
the  father  of  R.  B.  Brosius,  came  to  Missouri  from  Virginia  in  1849  and 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Prairie  Home,  where  he  lived  to  the  great  age 
of  100  years  and  seven  months.  For  a  number  of  years  R.  B.  Brosius 
operated  a  hotel  at  California  and  came  to  Boonville  in  1899.  He  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life  at  the  age  of 
82  years.  Two  children  were  born  to  R.  B.  and  Ella  Jane  Brosius:  Frank 
C,  of  this  review;  and  Clarence  L.,  of  Wichita,  Kan. 

Frank  C.  Brosius  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of 
Boonville  and  for  eight  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  Central  National 
Bank,  working  his  way  upward  from  the  post  of  errand  boy.  In  1909  he 
associated  himself  with  Mr.  Nixon  in  the  loan  business. 

Oct.  30,  1909,  Mr.  Brosius  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jessie 
Wooldridge,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Wooldridge,  a  pioneer  in  Cooper 
County  and  was  well  known  in  banking  and  financial  circles.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brosius  have  two  children:  Jane  Elizabeth,  aged  12  years;  and  Mary 
Ellen,  born  Oct.  5,  1918. 

Mr.  Brosius  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Lodge,  being  a 
Knights  Templar,  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shriners. 

Judge  William  Muir  Williams. — Boonville  and  Cooper  County  has 
long  been  noted  throughout  the  state  for  the  strong  legal  talent  which 
has  been  developed  in  this  city.  Members  of  the  bar  of  Cooper  County 
have  achieved  national  renown  in  the  legal  profession  and  many  have 
held  high  official  position  in  the  courts,  and  the  halls  of  the  Legislature 
and  Congress  during  past  decades.  One  of  the  best  remembered  and  one 
of  the  most  able  of  the  attorneys  who  practiced  for  many  years  in  Boon- 
ville was  the  late  Judge  William  M.  Williams  who  was  a  native  of  this 
city.  Judge  Williams  was  born  Feb.  4,  1850,  the  son  of  Marcus  and  Mary 
J.  (Howard)  Williams. 

Marcus  Williams,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Virginia, 
born  in  Rockbridge  County,  and  came  to  Missouri  in  1840.  He  was  a 
steamboat  captain,  miller  and  farmer  and  was  a  man  of  varied  pursuits 
who  took  advantage  of  many  opportunities  which  presented  themselves 
to  him  in  the  course  of  the  development  of  the  new  country  with  whose 


WILLIAM   M.   WILLIAMS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  381 

future  he  had  aligned  himself.  Marcus  Williams  also  operated  a  pottery 
and  was  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Boonville  in  the  early  days. 

W.  M.  Williams  was  reared  in  Boonville  and  was  educated  in  the 
Kemper  School.  When  17  years  of  age  he  received  the  appointment  of 
deputy  collector  of  Cooper  County  and  so  successfully  did  he  discharge 
the  duties  of  his  position  that  he  was  retained  in  this  capacity  for  five 
years.  While  holding  this  position  he  began  the  study  of  law  and  after 
resigning  from  the  position  of  deputy  collector  he  entered  the  office  of  J. 
W.  Draffen  to  complete  his  studies.  One  year  later  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  A  short  time  after  his  admission 
to  the  bar  he  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Draffen  and  the  firm  was  known 
for  years  throughout  central  Missouri  as  one  of  the  ablest,  under  the 
name  of  Draffen  &  Williams.  Mr.  Williams  became  prominent  in  his  pro- 
fession and  was  known  as  an  able  and  profound  attorney  to  whom  was 
intrusted  many  cases  of  state  wide  importance.  He  practiced  in  Mis- 
souri and  neighboring  states  and  had  charge  of  the  merger  of  the  two 
branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  represented  the  International 
Harvester  Company  in  the  conduct  of  the  most  important  litigation  which 
took  place  in  Missouri.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  notable  career 
Judge  Williams  practiced  almost  exclusively  before  the  Supreme  Court. 
In  1898  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Missouri  but 
resigned  from  this  high  position  after  one  year's  service  on  the  bench, 
before  his  time  expired. 

Dec.  16,  1875,  Judge  Williams  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  Evans, 
daughter  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Evans,  formerly  of  Boonville,  who  survives  him. 
Six  children  were  born  to  this  union:  Bessie,  wife  of  J.  W.  Cosgrove,  of 
Muskogee,  Okla. ;  Roy  D.  Williams,  an  attorney  of  Boonville;  Mary,  wife 
of  H.  M.  Taliaferro,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.;  Edna,  wife  of  T.  E.  Simrall, 
abstractor,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Jessie,  wife  of  Dr.  Lloyd  Thompson,  St.  Louis, 
Mo. ;  Susan,  at  home  with  her  mother  in  Boonville. 

Judge  Williams  died  Sept.  19,  1916.  He  was  a  pronounced  Democrat 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  Missouri.  He 
was  an  active  and  influential  figure  in  the  State  and  national  conventions 
of  his  party  for  many  years.  From  the  very  beginning  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Missouri  Training  School  until  his  death,  Judge  Williams  was 
president  of  the  board  of  managers  for  the  school.  He  was  an  elder  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  took  a  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  this 
denomination.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  and  served  as  Grand  Master  of  Missouri.     Honors  came  easily  to 


382  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Judge  Williams  by  reason  of  his  great  ability  which  was  recognized  uni- 
versally by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  life-long  student 
and  reader  who  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law  and  had  the  gift  of 
being  able  to  expound  and  analyze  its  intricacies.  He  was  a  good  citizen 
and  his  death  was  an  occasion  for  sorrow  and  regret  among  the  many  who 
knew  him. 

Roy  D.  Williams,  attorney-at-law,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  in  this 
city,  Jan.  1,  1881,  and  although  one  of  the  younger  lawyers  of  Cooper 
County  is  already  giving  evidence  that  the  ability  and  genius  of  his 
father,  Judge  W.  M.  Williams  has  been  transmitted  in  some  measure  to 
the  son. 

Mr.  Williams  was  educated  in  Kemper  Military  School  and  Missouri 
University  at  Columbia  where  he  pursued  the  academic  course.  After 
serving  as  stenographer  for  one  year  in  the  office  of  Judge  Shackelford,  he 
entered  his  father's  law  office  and  studied  law  for  three  years  and  also 
filled  the  position  of  stenographer  to  his  father.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1904  and  practiced  with  Judge  Williams  under  the  firm  name  of 
Williams  &  Williams  until  the  latter's  death  in  1917.  Mr.  Williams  has 
an  excellent  legal  practice  in  Cooper  and  adjoining  counties  of  an  impor- 
tant character  and  is  attorney  for  most  of  the  banking  concerns  in  Cooper 
County.  He  is  serving  as  trial  lawyer  for  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  in  10  counties  of  Missouri  and  handles  the  cases  in  which  the 
railroad  company  is  interested,  or  is  defendant.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
important  post  of  chairman  of  the  State  Tax  Commission  by  Gov.  Gard- 
ner on  May  27,  1919.    This  appointment  came  to  him  entirely  unsolicited. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  1911  to  Miss  Anna  S.  Williams,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  P.  E.  Williams,  formerly  of  Bunceton,  Cooper  County  but  now 
in  charge  of  the  State  Hospital  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Mr.  Williams'  well  appointed  offices  are  located  in  the  Trust  Company 
Building  on  North  Main  Street  and  he  has  what  is  probably  the  most  com- 
plete law  library  in  central  or  western  Missouri,  consisting  of  3,000  well 
selected  volumes. 

Mr.  Williams  is  a  director  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank  and  Citizens 
Trust  Company.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  takes  considerable  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  being  a  Past  Master  of  the  local 
lodge,  a  Knights  Templar,  and  holds  membership  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 


0 
HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  383 

Crockett  Hickman. — The  Hickman  family,  of  which  Crockett  Hick- 
man, public  administrator  of  Cooper  County,  is  worthy  member,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  families  in  Cooper  County.  The  advent  of 
the  Hickmans  in  this  county  begins  with  the  settlement  of  Thomas  Hick- 
man, great  grandfather  of  Crockett  Hickman,  who  came  from  Kentucky 
in  the  year  1821  and  settled  at  Old  Franklin,  across  the  Missouri  River 
in  Howard  County.  The  great  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  review 
was  Capt.  Thomas  Hickman,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  who  settled 
upon  and  developed  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Howard  County.  His  son, 
John  L.  Hickman,  married  Eliza  Hutchinson,  a  daughter  of  John  Hutchin- 
son, another  pioneer  who  settled  at  Old  Franklin. 

Thomas  Hickman,  father  of  Crockett  Hickman,  developed  a  large 
farm  south  of  Boonville,  in  Cooper  County,  and  owned  640  acres.  He 
was  a  very  successful  farmer  and  stockman  who  was  well  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  section  of  Missouri.  He  was  born  in  1832  and 
died  in  1911.  His  wife  was  Martha  Crockett,  and  was  born  in  Boone 
County  in  1832.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Crockett,  a  relative  of 
the  famous  Davy  Crockett  of  St.  Alamo  fame.  Samuel  Crockett  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  was  a  Boone  County  pioneer.  Thomas  and 
Martha  Hickman  were  parents  of  two  children:  Mrs.  George  K.  Craw- 
ford of  Bunceton,  Mo.,  and  Crockett  Hickman,  of  this  review.  Mrs.  Hick- 
man resides  in  Bunceton. 

Crockett  Hickman  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  attended 
the  Kemper  Military  School.  After  fanning  for  some  years  he  became 
connected  with  the  Central  National  Bank  of  Boonville  and  at  the  end 
of  14  years  he  was  serving  as  head  bookkeeper  of  the  bank.  In  1911, 
Mr.  Hickman  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  with 
offices  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Hickman  does  considerable  business  in  real 
estate  and  handles  farm  loans  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  public  admin- 
istrator. 

Mr.  Hickman  was  married  in  1906  to  Miss  Gertrude  Gibson,  who  was 
born  in  Boonville,  a  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Medora  Gibson,  the  former 
bom  in  Cooper  County  and  died  in  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hickman  have 
an  adopted  child,  Martha  Frances,  aged  three  years. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  Thomas  Hickman,  father  of  Crockett 
Hickman,  crossed  the  Great  Plains  in  1862  and  spent  about  four  years 
in  the  West  engaged  in  freighting  and  mining. 

Mr.  Hickman  is  a  Democrat  of  the  stanch  variety.    He  was  elected 


384  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

to  the  office  of  public  administrator  in  1912  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
office  in  1918.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason. 

George  A.  Weyland. — An  interesting  and  sturdy  character  who  car- 
ries his  years  lightly  and  is  as  vigorous  mentally  and  physically  as  most 
men  who  are  years  younger — is  the  average  summing  up  of  a  friendly 
disquisition  on  the  characteristics  of  George  A.  Weyland,  the  aggressive 
and  capable  member  of  the  widely  known  and  extensive  firm  of  Roeder  & 
Weyland,  dealers  in  agricultural  implements,  wagons,  carriages,  farm 
machinery  of  every  description.  This  firm  is  the  most  extensive  in  cen- 
tral Missouri  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  established  concerns  of  this  section 
of  the  State.  Its  extension  and  the  prestige  which  it  enjoys  of  late  years 
has  been  due  principally  to  the  salesmanship,  and  vigorous  personality  of 
Mr.  Weyland,  who  is  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  his  line  in  Mis- 
souri. He  has  worked  his  way  upward  to  a  position  in  the  business  world 
of  Cooper  County  and  central  Missouri  through  his  own  efforts,  and  has 
won  his  position  through  the  exercise  of  a  tireless  energy,  prompted  by 
ambition,  and  aided  by  a  strong  physique  and  an  active  and  well  de- 
veloped mind. 

Louis  Weyland,  father  of  George  A.  Weyland  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  left  his  native  land  because  of  participation  in  the  Revolution  of  1846 
and  was  exiled.  He  came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Boonville  in  1848. 
He  had  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  builder.  This  he  followed  in  Boon- 
ville. 

Mr.  Weyland  established  a  shop  south  of  the  old  court  house  on 
Court  Street  where  he  plied  his  trade  until  1871.  He  then  located  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  High  and  Main  Streets  and  built  up  an  extensive  busi- 
ness. He  made  carriages  and  wagons  and  in  later  days  operated  a  re- 
pair shop  until  1908,  remaining  in  business  in  Boonville  for  60  years.  Not 
long  after  his  arrival  in  Boonville,  he  was  married  in  1848,  to  Catherine 
Weiland,  who  was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany.  Louis  and  Catherine  Wey- 
land were  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hill,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif. ;  Katie,  died  at  the  age  of  six  months ;  Mrs.  Mollie  Delano, 
Los  Angeles,  Calif.;  Matilda,  died  at  the  age  of  19  years;  William,  living 
at  DeSota,  Mo.;  E.  C.  Weyland,  resides  in  Piedmont,  Wayne  County,  Mo.; 
H.  P.  Weyland,  lives  at  Muskogee,  Okla. ;  Chas.  C.  Weyland,  owns  and 
operates  the  Weyland  carriage  shops  in  Boonville.;  George  A.  Weyland, 
of  this  review. 

Reared  and  educated  in  Boonville,  it  was  only  natural  that  George  A. 


GEORGE    A.    WKVI.AM  I 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  885 

Weyland  should  adopt  the  trade  of  his  father.  He  finished  learning  his 
trade  of  carriage  maker  in  the  shops  of  E.  M.  Miller,  the  most  famous 
carriage  and  bus  maker  m  the  woi'ld  in  his  day.  This  was  at  Quincy,  111., 
and  the  Miller  establishment  manufactured  none  but  the  highest  grade 
carriages  and  buses  for  use  in  the  large  cities  of  the  country.  Mr.  Wey- 
land returned  to  Boonville  in  1880  and  made  a  contract  with  George  Roe- 
der,  the  elder,  to  take  employment  with  the  Roeder  concern  and  he  was 
thus  employed  for  21  years.  The  firm  later  became  George  Roeder  & 
Son.  For  five  years  Mr.  Weyland  was  a  traveling  salesman  and  then 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Roeder  &  Weyland  prior  to  the  elder 
Roeder's  death.  Jan.  1,  1906,  the  firm  became  known  as  Roeder  &  Wey- 
land. 

In  1880,  George  A.  Weyland  and  Miss  Sophia  Heckerman  of  Prairie 
Home,  Mo.,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Sophia  Weyland  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Christian  Heckerman.  Six  children  are  living  out  of  seven  born  to 
this  marriage:  Cozy,  Gertrude,  Stella,  Viola,  Grover  C,  Lon  H.  Cozy 
Weyland  is  operating  nurse  in  the  hospital  at  Clinton,  Mo.  Gertrude  is 
the  wife  of  Claude  L.  Driskill,  manager  of  the  Antrum  Lumber  Company 
of  Binger,  Okla.  Stella  is  the  wife  of  Lieut.  Phillip  A.  Dickey,  who  served 
with  the  A.  E.  F.  in  France  and  is  now  located  in  Denver,  Colo.  Viola  is  at 
home  with  her  parents.  Grover  C.  Weyland  is  manager  of  the  J.  I.  Case 
Plow  Works,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Lon  H.  Weyland,  aged  24  years,  is  a  ser- 
geant in  the  35th  Division  and  has  seen  much  active  service  on  the  battle 
front  in  France.  He  enlisted  in  the  Regular  Army  in  November,  1917, 
was  trained  for  service  at  Fort  Sill,  Okla.,  and  went  to  France  with  his 
command  in  February,  1918.  Sergeant  Weyland  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Chateau  Thierry,  and  fought  in  the  great  battle  of  the  Argonne  Forest. 

While  Mr.  Weyland  is  a  Democrat  he  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  his 
father  was  a  Union  man  and  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat  as  well.  He  has 
generally  taken  an  active  and  influential  part  in  Democratic  politics  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  having  been  the  only  citizen  ever 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  from  his  home  ward.  During  his  term 
as  city  councilman  from  April,  1913,  to  April,  1915,  many  public  improve- 
ments of  benefit  to  the  city  were  made. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Boonville  Board  of  Public  Works.  During  his 
entire  active  life  Mr.  Weyland  has  been  a  doer,  and  is  always  found  in 
(25) 


386  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  _ 

the  forefront  of  all  good  movements  for  the  benefit  of  Boonville  and 
Cooper  County. 

William  Mittelbach,  druggist  and  secretary  of  the  Boonville  Board  of 
Education,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  and  highly  respected  business  men 
of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Mittelbach  was  born  in  Boonville,  April  2,  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  Mittelbach,  a  native  of  Germany  who  emigrated 
from  his  native  land  in  1849,  first  resided  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  a  short 
time  and  came  to  Boonville  in  1852. 

Frederick  Mittelbach  was  bom  Jan.  10,  1826,  at  Seeheim-Hessen, 
Germany,  and  died  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  Aug.  12,  1902.  He  opened  a  shoe 
shop  in  this  city  and  made  boots  and  shoes  until  the  factories  began  turn- 
ing them  out  by  the  aid  of  machinery  when  he  embarked  in  the  retail 
shoe  business  until  his  death.  He  married  Elisabeth  Hoflander  on  Jan. 
7,  1865.  Elisabetha  Hoflander  Mittelbach  was  born  in  Germany,  Aug.  9, 
1830,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Ernst  Hoflander,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  Billingsville  neighborhood  in  Cooper  County.  She  died  Jan.  23,  1911. 
To  Frederick  and  Elisabetha  Mittelbach  were  born  eight  children:  Wil- 
liam, subject  of  this  review;  Fannie,  born  Oct.  22,  1857,  died  Sept.  2,  1903; 
John  George,  born  July  13,  1859,  deceased;  Amelia  Laura,  born  Jan.  18, 
1862,  resides  in  Boonville;  John  George,  born  Nov.  4,  1864,  is  a  shoe  mer- 
chant in  Iola,  Kan.;  Henry  Mittelbach,  born  Oct.  23,  1867,  died  Oct.  20, 
1915,  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.;  Friedrich,  born  June  12,  1870,  died  March  12, 
1871 ;  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Lamora,  born  July  25,  1874,  resides  in  Chicago, 
111. 

William  Mittelbach,  of  this  review,  was  reared  in  Boonville  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  and  high  school  here.  After 
graduation  from  the  Boonville  high  school,  he  studied  for  two  years  in 
the  State  University  at  Columbia.  He  then  entered  the  drug  business 
and  was  for  four  years  under  the  tutelage  of  the  late  Dr.  Ernest  Roeschel, 
th  epioneer  druggist  of  Boonville  and  a  splendid  citizen.  In  1877  he 
entered  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  and  was  graduated  in  1879. 
Later,  in  1915  he  received  the  Masters  Degree  from  his  alma  mater. 
After  spending  one  year  in  St.  Louis  he  went  west  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  in 
1880.  This  was  before  the  advent  of  the  railroads  into  the  southwest  and 
the  railroad  reached  Santa  Fe  that  same  year  and  its  arrival  as  witnessed 
at  Albuquerqe  by  Mr.  Mittelbach.  Soon  afterwards  he  returned  to  Mis- 
souri with  the  intention  of  beginning  his  business  career  in  St.  Louis. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  387 

He  was  persuaded,  however,  by  his  father  to  open  a  drug  store  in  Boon- 
ville.  This  he  did  in  Oct.  1880  and  for  38  years,  Dr.  Mittelbaeh  has  been 
engaged  in  business  in  this  city  and  is  the  oldest  druggist  in  Boonville 
at  this  day.  The  Mittelbaeh  Drug  Store  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Boon- 
ville and  is  a  modern,  well  stocked  establishment  which  enjoys  a  splendid 
trade. 

Dr.  Mittelbaeh  was  married  to  Mollie  Sahm  in  1882.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  George  Sahm,  a  pioneer  shoe  merchant  of  Boonville,  a  sketch 
whom  appears  in  this  history.  She  died  in  1892,  leaving  two  children: 
Leola,  a  teacher  in  the  primary  department  of  the  Kansas  City  Public 
Schools ;  Leonore,  wife  of  D.  C.  Durland  of  New  York  City.  Doctor  Mit- 
tlebach's  second  marriage  in  January,  1899,  was  with  Miss  Sophia  Rein- 
hart,  of  Boonville,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Reinhart,  Sr.,  a  former  con- 
fectioner and  baker  of  this  city. 

Doctor  Mittelbaeh  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member  and  active  worker 
in  the  Evangelical  Church  of  this  city.  No  man  in  the  history  of  Boon- 
ville has  held  more  positions  both  honorary  and  active  than  this  esteemed 
citizen.  For  the  past  20  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Walnut 
Grove  Cemetery  Association  in  the  capacity  of  superintendent  and  secre- 
tary, a  position  which  he  has  held  for  the  past  six  years.  The  success 
of  this  association  has  been  due  in  a  great  extent  to  his  tireless  interest 
and  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  cemetery.  For  the  past  26  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  has  filled  the  post 
of  secretary  of  the  board  for  the  entire  time.  Doctor  Mittelbaeh  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  stands  high  in  Pythian  circles. 
He  was  the  first  chancellor  commander  of  the  local  lodge  when  it  was 
organized  in  1883.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Knights 
of  Pythias  several  terms,  representing  the  local  lodge.  Since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Boonville  Commercial  Club  in  1909  he  has  served  as  treas- 
urer of  the  organization.  For  24  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
Missouri  State  Pharmaceutical  Association  and  also  filled  the  office  of 
president  of  this  association.  He  was  formerly  active  in  the  affairs  of 
the  National  Pharmaceutical  Association  and  served  as  president  of  the 
National  Association  of  State  Boards  of  Pharmacy.  Doctor  Mittelbaeh 
has  served  as  president  of  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacists  and  has  filled 
all  offices  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  serving  as  first, 
second  and  third  vice-president  and  for  five  years  was  a  member  of  the 


388  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

committee  on  membership.  He  has  been  mindful  of  his  civic  responsi- 
bilities and  has  served  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council.  Doc- 
tor Mittelbach  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  citizens  of  Boonville 
and  Cooper  County. 

Col.  Charles  Edward  Andrews,  a  leading  citizen  of  Cooper  County  of 
the  past  decade  and  a  scion  of  an  old  pioneer  family  of  Boonville,  was 
one  of  the  best  known  of  the  citizens  of  this  section  of  Missouri.  He  was 
a  man  of  intellect  and  presence,  who  conducted  his  business  on  a  large 
scale  and  had  various  interests  in  different  sections  of  the  country.  Col. 
Andrews  was  for  years  engaged  in  business  in  Boonville,  first  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father,  the  late  David  Andrews,  and  then  on  his  own  account. 
He  became  interested  in  farm  development  and  did  considerable  business 
in  lands ;  his  financial  interests  were  large  and  extensive.  He  was  vice- 
president  of  the  Kasigan  Oil  and  Gas  Company  of  Independence,  Kans; 
vice-president  of  the  Independence  (Kas.)  Plate  Glass  Company;  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Boatman's  Bank  of  St.  Louis;  formerly  owned  the  Sicher 
Hotel,  now  the  Antlers  Hotel,  of  Sedalia,  and  had  other  extensive  property 
interests  in  Sedalia.  Among  his  business  associates  in  that  city  was  John 
H.  Bothwell,  prominent  attorney  and  banker. 

Col.  Charles  E.  Andi'ews  was  born  in  Boonville,  Feb.  8,  1849,  and  de- 
parted this  life  Nov.  24,  1917.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Boonville, 
attending  the  Kemper  School,  and  Westminster  College,  Fulton,  Mo.,  grad- 
uating therefrom  in  1867,  and  entered  his  father's  hardware  store  as  a 
partner  in  the  business  when  he  attained  his  majority. 

He  was  engaged  in  business  until  1889  when  he  retired  from  business 
and  dealt  in  farm  lands  and  real  estate  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  An- 
drews made  a  business  of  buying  farms,  building  them  up  as  regards  soil 
and  improvements  and  then  selling  at  a  profit. 

Charles  Edward  Andrews  was  united  in  marriage  Nov.  9,  1880,  with 
Miss  Jennie  Dobyns  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  Four  children  were  bom  to  this 
union :  Florie,  Hardage  Lane,  Charles  Edward  Jr.,  and  David  Adair.  Florie 
is  the  wife  of  Todd  M.  George,  treasurer  of  Jackson  County,  Mo.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  George  reside  in  Lees  Summit,  Mo.,  and  have  three  children: 
Todd  M.,  Hardage  Virginia,  and  Florie  Ann.  Hardage  Lane  Andrews 
was  born  in  1889.  He  is  an  official  of  the  General  Electric  Company  of 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.  His  profession  is  that  of  a  railway  and  traction  en- 
gineer in  which  he  is  a  recognized  expert.  He  married  Mittie  Huff.  Dur- 
ing the  World  War  he  was  connected  with  the  building  of  submarine  de- 
stroyers in  the  service  of  the  United  States  Government.    Charles  Edward 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  389 

Andrews  Jr.  was  born  in  1886.  He  is  in  the  employ  of  the  General  Elec- 
tric Company  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  During  the  World  War  he  was  in 
the  Government  service.  David  Adair  Andrews  was  born  in  1893.  He 
volunteered  for  service  in  the  World  War  and  was  a  second  class  petit 
officer  in  the  dirigible  balloon  section  of  the  air  service,  National  Army. 
Mrs.  Jennie  (Dobyns)  Andrews  is  a  member  of  an  old  Southern  Amer- 
ican family.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  Jefferson  Dobyns  who 
served  as  colonel  of  the  Second  Polish  Brigade  of  Louisiana  in  the  Civil 
War.  He  organized  three  companies  of  Confederate  soldiers  in  Louisiana 
and  commanded  the  Second  Louisiana  Regiment  during  the  war.  His 
command  was  known  as  the  "Tiger  Rifles"  on  account  of  the  fierceness  in 
which  they  waged  battle.  This  was  a  strong  fighting  organization  which 
fought  with  General  Lee  at  Gettysburg.  He  was  born  in  1801  and  died 
in  1865  as  a  result  of  chills  and  fever  contracted  during  his  arduous  serv- 
ice. He  was  a  loyal  southern  man,  so  loyal  that  when  he  had  gone  to  a 
health  resort  called  the  "Springs,"  a  man  called  out  to  him  "Lee  has  sur- 
rendered," he  replied  as  he  was  getting  a  drink  from  the  spring,  "I  hope 
I  may  never  live  to  see  Lee  surrender."  A  few  weeks  later  he  was  again 
at  the  spring  taking  a  drink.  A  friend  called  to  him,  "General  Lee  has 
surrendered."  Col.  Dobyns  rolled  over,  paralyzed  and  never  moved  again. 
He  had  married  Martha  Caroline  Sharpe  Feb.  12,  1837,  who  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Moulton,  Ala.,  Sept.  29,  1819,  and  died  in  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  in  February,  1887.  Eight  children  were  born  to  Col.  Thomas  J. 
and  Martha  Caroline  Dobyns,  seven  of  whom  were  reared,  as  follows: 
Mollie  Thomas,  born  in  Randolph,  Tenn.,  died  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  in  1912, 
was  the  wife  of  Capt.  D.  DeHaven,  a  citizen  of  Boonville,  who  during  the 
Civil  War  had  charge  of  all  the  Confederate  gunboats  and  was  stationed 
at  Selma,  Ala.;  Flora  Roselle,  born  in  Randolph,  Tenn.,  deceased  wife  of 
James  Clare  McDavitt,  of  Kentucky,  former  Lieutenant  of  Cavalry  in  the 
Civil  War;  Eloise  Lee,  born  in  Randolph,  Tenn.,  widow  of  Edward  L.  Col- 
burn,  a  Civil  War  veteran,  formerly  resident  of  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  and 
now  living  in  Denver,  Colo.;  Eliza  Senora,  born  in  Randolph,  Tenn.,  wife  of 
S.  W.  E.  Pegues,  of  Oxford,  Miss.,  now  a  government  official  in  the  pen- 
sion department  at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Emily  Coons,  .died  in  May,  1918, 
was  wife  of  Joseph  Philip  Angell,  of  Pine  Bluff,  Ark. ;  Thomas  .Jeffer- 
son, Jr.,  born  in  June,  1851,  former  railroad  man,  unmarried,  died  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  in  1881;  Mrs.  Jennie  Andrews  of  this  review;  Deslond  Beau- 
regard, called  "Carrie,"  bora  at  Amite  City,  La.,  wife  of  Cyrus  Garnsey  of 
New  York,  has  a  winter  residence  in  Memphis,  Tenn.    Mr.  Garnsey  gave 


390  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

his  services  without  price  to  the  government  as  assistant  fuel  inspector 
during  the  World  War,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garnsey  lost  their  only  son, 
Lieut.  Cyrus  Garnsey  (III),  in  the  battle  of  the  Argonne  Forest.  Lieu- 
tenant Garnsey  was  in  the  artillery  and  had  been  twice  cited  for  bravery 
in  action  with  the  A.  E.  F. 

Col.  Thomas  Dobyns  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Dobyns  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Mrs.  Martha  Caroline  Dobyns  was  a  second  cousin  of 
Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee. 

Members  of  the  Dobyns  and  Sharpe  families  have  figured  prominently 
in  the  affairs  of  the  nation  for  over  200  years  and  by  virtue  of  this  an- 
cestry, Mrs.  Jennie  (Dobyns)  Andrews  is  a  member  of  the  Colonial 
Dames,  and  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  She  organized 
the  local  Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  and  this 
chapter  is  named  in  honor  of  her  great-great-grandmother,  Jemima  Alex- 
ander Sharpe,  who  was  a  heroine  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  working  on 
the  battlefields  caring  for  the  wounded  and  the  dying.  Her  husband  was 
lost  while  fighting  in  the  Indian  Wars  and  who  had  five  sons  who  fought 
for  American  Independence  in  the  American  Revolution.  Mrs.  Andrews 
is  also  a  member  of  the  United  States  Daughters  of  1812,  Americans  of 
Armorial  Ancestors,  the  Colonial  Daughters  of  America,  and  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Confederacy.  She  has  good  and  just  right  to  be  proud  of  the 
interesting  fact  that  she  has  had  ancestors  and  descendants  who  served 
their  country  in  every  war  in  which  Americans  have  been  engaged  since 
the  early  settlement  and  colonial  days. 

Alexander's  History  of  Mecklenburg  County  has  this  to  say  of  Jemima 
Alexander  Sharp,  "On  one  occasion,  Jemima,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Jack- 
son, the  mother  of  a  subsequent  Vice-President,  and  others  volunteered 
as  nurses  to  go  from  Charlotte,  N.  C,  to  Charleston  to  the  prison  ships 
as  nurses.  They  set  out  on  foot,  traveling  through  a  thinly  settled  cun- 
try,  struggling  bravely  on — these  brave,  tender,  noble  women  of  the 
Revolutionary  day — Bible  loving,  church  going  women  who  were  willing 
to  endure  all  things  in  the  path  of  duty." 

Mrs.  C.  E.  Andrews  is  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Historical  Society, 
Washington  Headquarters  Association,  Maryland  Historical  Society,  and 
the  "Ark  and  the  Dove"  of  Maryland,  the  latter  being  the  name  of  the 
vessel  bringing  over  her  first  ancestors  to  settle  in  Maryland  and  which 
arrived  a  few  years  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Mayflower  at  Plymouth. 

Col.  Charles  Edward  Andrews  while  a  student  in  Westminster  Col- 
lege, embraced  the  Presbyterian  faith.     He  was  a  Democrat  and  promi- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  391 

nent  in  the  affairs  of  his  party,  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  national  con- 
vention which  nominated  W.  J.  Bryan  for  President.  He  was  a  man  dis- 
tinguished and  commanding  in  appearance,  handsome  and  possessed  of  a 
fine  physique,  and  because  of  his  fine  military  bearing  he  was  called  "Col- 
onel" by  his  friends  and  acquaintances  until  the  title  became  appropriate. 
Practically  his  entire  life  was  spent  in  Boonville  and  he  loved  his  native 
city.  He  was  kind  and  had  kind  deeds  to  his  credit,  kindly  in  thought 
and  action.  He  gave  liberally  to  all  worthy  enterprises  to  assist  his  home 
city,  was  owner  of  extensive  properties  in  Cooper  and  Saline  counties, 
and  was  connected  with  various  large  enterprises  elsewhere.  Other  con- 
cerns in  which  he  was  interested  was  the  Western  States  Portland  Ce- 
ment Company  of  Independence.  Kas.,  of  which  he  was  the  largest  stock- 
holder and  vice-president.  He  was  a  large  stockholder  and  vice-president 
of  the  West  St.  Louis  Water  and  Light  Company.  At  one  time  he  was 
the  largest  taxpayer  in  Cooper  County. 

Colonel  Andrews  easily  made  and  retained  friendships,  on  account  of  a 
pleasant  and  winning  disposition  and  was  respected  and  loved  by  those 
who  knew  him  best.  He  was  a  devoted  husband,  a  loving  and  indulgent 
father  and  loved  his  home  and  fireside.  His  greatest  pleasure  was  to 
spend  his  leisure  time  in  his  own  home  surrounded  by  his  children,  enter- 
ing into  their  spoi-ts  and  teaching  them  truth,  honor,  and  rectitude  by  his 
living  example — principles  which  have  been  followed  by  his  sons,  who  are 
successful  and  talented  men. 

James  Wellington  Draffen. — One  of  the  best  known  and  most  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  Cooper  County  bar  was  the  late  James  W. 
Draffen  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Draffen  was  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
March  24,  1824,  and  died  April  21,  1896.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Douglas)  Draffen,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  and  migrated  to  Cooper 
County,  Mo.,  in  1836.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in  this  county  whereon 
James  W.  Draffen  was  reared.  After  attending  the  district  school,  he 
studied  for  two  years  at  the  Kemper  school.  He  then  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  his  uncle,  John  Draffen,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Lawrenceburg, 
Ky.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852  and  entered  the  office  of  Judge 
Washington  Adams  in  Boonville.  Two  years  later  he  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  alone.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  George 
Vest,  who  became  United  States  Senator  from  Missouri,  and  also  prac- 
ticed in  partnership  with  Col.  J.  L.  Stephens,  William  D.  Muir  and  H. 
A.  Hutchinson.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with  the  late  Judge  W,  M. 
Williams,   which   continued   until   his   death.     This   firm   was  one  of  the 


392  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ablest  in  Missouri  and  handled  many  notable  cases  and  much  important 
litigation,  their  practice  extending  over  the  entire  State  and  even  beyond 
its  borders. 

In  July,  1859,  Mr.  Daffen  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  Tichenor,  of 
Newark,  N.  J.,  a  daughter  of  David  S.  and  Jane  S.  Tichenor.  Mrs.  Draff  en 
was  born  Dec.  20,  1835,  and  died  April  22,  1911.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  James  W.  and  Louise  Draff  en  as  follows:  David  T.,  deceased; 
Edwin  L.,  member  of  New  York  Appraisal  Company,  New  York  City; 
William  M.,  deceased;  James  Wellington,  Los  Angeles,  Calif.;  Whilton 
Vest ;  Frank  D.,  Boonville;  Martin  T.,  an  officer  at  Missouri  Training  School, 
Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mary  H.,  wife  of  F.  T.  Pigott,  Boonville. 

Mr.  Draff  en  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  Although  always  greatly  inter- 
ested in  matters  of  public  concern,  he  never  sought  nor  desired  official 
position,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  frequently  solicited  by 
the  leaders  of  his  party  to  become  a  candidate  for  high  office.  He  was  an 
able  lawyer  and  a  good  citizen  who  had  the  sincere  respect  and  regard  of 
his  fellow  citizens  and  the  members  of  the  bar  throughout  the  State. 

Judge  Philips  delivered  the  following  touching  tribute  to  the  life  of 
his  long  time  friend:  "For  a  quarter  of  a  century  I  met  him,  term  after 
term,  at  the  Circuit  Courts  of  central  Missouri.  We  were  generally  ar- 
rayed on  opposing  sides.  He  was  a  foeman  worthy  of  any  .man's  steel 
and  an  adversary  in  the  arena  of  •  the  forum  never  to  be  despised.  I 
bear  testimony,  here  in  the  presence  of  his  casket,  that  a  more  honorable 
practitioner,  a  more  chivalrous  opponent,  free  from  all  petty  meanness 
and  trickery,  I  never  encountered.  Do  you  ask  for  a  record  of  his  achieve- 
ments? Look  into  the  volumes  of  your  Supreme  Court,  extending  from 
the  25th  through  100  volumes,  and  from  the  17th  to  the  50th  volumes  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  you  will  find  his  name  connected  with  much 
of  the  important  litigation  of  the  central  part  of  the  State.  His  briefs 
are  his  monuments.  In  their  sententious  vigor,  lucidity  of  statement  and 
conciseness  of  argument,  with  appropriate  citation  of  authorities,  they 
stand  as  models,  worthy  the  study  and  imitation  of  every  young  lawyer. 

"His  client's  cause  was  his  own,  and  to  him  his  client  was  always 
in  the  right.  There  was  not  money  enough  in  Christendom  to  induce 
him  to  betray  the  cause,  however  small,  of  the  humblest  man  committed 
to  his  keeping.  If  it  be  true  that  'an  honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of 
God'  Draffen  was  God's  nobleman.  There  was  not  an  element  of  dishon- 
esty in  his  composition." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  bar  held  at  the  court  house 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  393 

in  his  memory,  the  following  resolutions  were  passed:  "Whenever  he 
accepted  a  retainer,  he  seemed  to  abandon  everything,  save  honor,  in  his 
client's  interests.  He  was  untiring  in  his  efforts,  often  forgetting,  or 
appearing  not  to  care  for,  that  remuneration  which  was  due  for  his  val- 
uable services.  His  record  as  a  bold,  adroit  and  able  lawyer  and  advocate 
commanded  the  admiration  of  his  associates,  and  is  worthy  of  the  emula- 
tion of  the  younger  members  of  the  bar.  His  integrity  was  of  the  highest 
order.  His  strong  characteristics  won  him  a  host  of  friends,  in  and 
outside  of  his  profession,  and  gave  him  great  influence  with  courts  and 
juries  of  the  country.  His  integrity  and  dauntless  courage,  coupled  with 
his  open  advocacy  of  every  cause  in  which  he  believed,  made  a  valuable 
and  worthy  citizen,  whose  death  will  be  seriously  felt  by  all  classes.  He 
left  behind  him  the  record  of  an  honorable  man,  an  able  lawyer,  an  affec- 
tionate husband  and  father,  and  a  good  citizen." 

Whitlow  Vest  Draffen,  successful  attorney  of  Boonville,  and  a  worthy 
son  of  a  distinguished  father,  was  born  in  Boonville,  May  4,  1870.  and  is 
a  son  of  James  Wellington  and  Louise  J.  Draffen.  He  was  educated  in 
Westminster  College  at  Fulton,  Mo.,  and  the  State  University  at  Columbia. 
Mr.  Draffen  studied  law  in  his  father's  office  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1896.  He  is  an  excellent  attorney,  well  versed  in  the  lore  of  the 
legal  profession  and  is  an  able  pleader  in  the  courts  of  central  Missouri. 

Mr.  Draffen  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World. 

Walter  B.  Windsor,  owner  of  "Fairfield"  farm  of  337  acres  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  six  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  is  of  the  pro- 
gressive type  of  agriculturists  and  stockmen  who  have  made  good  in 
Cooper  County.  He  and  his  sons#  are  owners  of  a  total  of  557  acres  of 
rich  land.  They  are  cultivating  in  addition  to  this  land,  another  very 
fertile  tract  of  bottom  land  comprising  a  total  of  150  acres.  The  Windsor 
farm  is  well  improved  with  a  modern  residence  of  eight  rooms,  silos, 
metal  grain  bins,  barns  and  buildings  all  in  good  condition.  The  farm 
is  devoted  to  stock  raising,  all  of  the  grain  and  forage  raised  on  the  place 
being  fed  to  live  stock  which  is  sold  on  the  hoof.  Mr.  Windsor  maintains 
a  herd  of  pure  bred  Angus  cattle  because  of  the  uniformity  and  beef 
producing  qualities  of  the  breed.  His  Poland  China  hogs  are  pure  bred 
as  are  his  Oxford  and  Shropshire  sheep.  There  are  sold  from  the  farm 
and  shipped  to  the  markets  one  load  each  of  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  each 
year.     Mr.  Windsor  is  an  ardent  soil  conservationist  who  believes  in  get- 


394  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ting  the  maximum  yield  from  the  land  and  keeping  it  in  first  class  con- 
dition through  fertilization  and  crop  rotation.  He  has  raised  as  high  as 
85  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre,  40  bushels  of  wheat,  50  bushels  of  rye  and 
55  bushels  of  oats.  This  is  a  record  which  can  not  be  excelled  anywhere 
in  Missouri  or  the  West.  The  Windsor  farm,  "Fairfield,"  is  the  old  home 
place  of  his  father,  the  late  John  H.  Windsor,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
successful  stockmen  of  his  day  in  Cooper  County.  John  H.  Windsor  was 
a  son  of  Horace  Simeon  Windsor,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  over  four 
score  years  ago.  The  family  is  of  English  descent  and  the  history  of  the 
Windsors  in  America  begins  with  Thomas  Windsor,  of  Fairfax  County, 
Va.  Further  details  of  the  Windsor  family  history  will  be  found  in  con- 
nection with  the  biography  of  Eugene  A.  Windsor,  of  Boonville,  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Walter  B.  Windsor  was  born  April  23,  1862.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  and  the  academy  at  Boonville.  With  the  exception  of  eight 
years  spent  as  a  traveling  salesman  he  has  always  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Mr.  Windsor  is  a  natural  salesman  and  made  a  success  on  the  road; 
for  a  number  of  years  he  traveled  for  the  McCormick  and  Deering  har- 
vester companies  and  has  sold  farming  machinery,  live  stock,  blooded 
stock  for  breeding  purposes,  and  made  good.  He  began  farming  on  a  200 
acre  tract  when  he  was  20  years  of  age  and. has  steadily  increased  the 
acreage  owned  by  himself  and  his  sons.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of 
the  farming  operations  carried  on  by  Mr.  Windsor  and  his  sons  can  be 
gleaned  from  the  fact  that  this  season  (1919)  they  will  harvest  300  acres 
of  wheat,  200  acres  of  com,  50  acres  of  oats,  and  20  acres  of  alfalfa. 

May  30,  1888,  Walter  B.  Windsor  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Ann  Jewett 
were  united  in  marriage.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  children 
as  follows:  Elmer  and  Jewett,  twins,  educated  in  the  Boonville  High 
School  and  Business  College,  born  April  29,  1891;  Dorsey  W.,  born  Feb. 
24,  1897,  educated  in  the  Boonville  High  School  and  Business  College, 
and  like  his  two  older  brothers,  is  a  farmer;  Alma  May,  born  July  25, 
1893,  educated  in  Boonville  High  School,  and  the  Warrensburg  Normal 
School  and  Boulder  University,  Colorado,  six  years  a  teacher  and  for  the 
past  two  years  has  been  in  charge  of  the  home  district  school ;  Annie 
Laura,  bora  April  17,  1895,  educated  in  Boonville  High  School.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  born  April  3.  1863,  in  Cooper  County,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  L.  and  Martha  Jewett,  both  deceased.  The  Jewetts 
are  an  old  pioneer  family  of  Cooper  County. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  395 

Walter  B.  Windsor  is  a  Democrat  of  the  true  and  tried  variety  which 
knows  ho  deviation  from  Democratic  principles.  During  the  administra- 
tion of  Gov.  William  J.  Stone  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  the 
office  of  county  assessor  for  Cooper  County  and  filled  this  office  credit- 
ably for  four  years.  His  family  worships  at  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr. 
Windsor  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  of  Boonville,  having  attained  to  a  membership  in  the  Com- 
mandery  at  Boonville.  Mr.  Windsors'  recreation  is  in  hunting  and  fish- 
ing, organizing  and  carrying  out  "fish  fries,"  picnics,  and  barbecues,  in 
which  he  is  a  past  master.  In  fact  no  "barbecue"  or  fish  fry  is  held  in 
his  neighborhood  without  he  is  one  of  the  mainstays  and  leading  promo- 
ters. At  the  great  barbecue  held  in  his  neighborhood  some  years  ago 
and  which  was  financed  by  the  merchants  of  Boonville  and  to  which  the 
entire  county  was  invited,  he  had  charge  of  the  roasting  and  basting  of 
the  meats  over  long  pits  of  hot  coals  and  the  job  was  done  in  an  expert 
manner  to  satisfy  the  finest  epicurean  tastes.  Over  5,000  people  attended 
this  barbecue  and  it  was  the  greatest  event  of  that  year.  It  is  probable 
that  no  Cooper  County  citizen  has  more  warm  friends  in  this  section  of 
.Missouri  than  "Walt"  Windsor,  who  is  a  welcome  addition  to  any  and  all 
gatherings  because  of  his  unfailing  good  nature,  his  desire  to  please  and 
'his  many  likable  qualities. 

John  Thomas  Pigott,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  successful  merch- 
ants of  the  Boonville  of  a  decade  or  so  ago,  was  a  native  Missourian.  Mr. 
Pigott  was  born  in  St.  Louis  June  14,  1823,  and  died  Nov.  29,  1907.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  T.  Pigott,  who  was  bom  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  died 
in  Missouri  when  his  son,  John  Thomas  was  but  a  boy  in  years.  Mr. 
Pigott  was  reared  in  St.  Louis  and  when  a  young  man  he  opened  a  book 
store  at  Lexington,  Mo.  He  came  to  Boonville  in  1867  and  he  and  Wil- 
liam E.  Walton  made  the  first  set  of  abstract  books  in  Cooper  County. 
He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with  William  H. 
Trigg  and  Company  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  business  until  1899. 
Prior  to  this  he  was  engaged  in  banking  until  1880.  In  1899  Mr.  Pigott 
retired  from  active  business  and  went  to  his  farm  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1907. 

On  March  17,  1859  Mr.  Pigott  was  married  to  Josephine  Trigg,  a 
daughter  of  William  H.  Trigg  of  Boonville.  Five  children  were  born  to 
this  marriage:  Frank,  Los  Angeles,  Calif.;  John  C,  member  of  the  dry 


396  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

goods  firm  of  Pigott  and  McKinley,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Harry  H.,  living  at 
Helena,  Mont. ;  Fred,  a  farmer  living  near  Boonville. 

John  Thomas  Pigott  was  for  60  years  a  Mason  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  the  oldest  Mason  in  Cooper  County. 

David  Andrews. — The  Andrews  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer 
families  of  Boonville,  and  the  name  has  been  an  honored  one  for  many 
years.  Ninety  years  ago,  David  Andrews,  father  of  the  late  Charles 
Andrews  of  Boonville,  settled  at  Old  Franklin  where  he  remained  until 
the  fickle  Missouri  washed  away  the  business  section  of  the  old  pioneer 
town.  He  then  came  to  Boonville  where  he  identified  himself  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  and  was  one  of  the  builders  of  Boonville. 
David  Andrews  came  to  this  section  of  Missouri,  a  poor  youth,  aged  19 
years — so  poor  that  he  had  but  one  shirt  to  his  back,  and  this  one  he  took 
off  and  washed  in  the  Missouri  River  as  the  boat  he  was  traveling  on  came 
near  to  the  frontier  town  of  Franklin.  This  boat,  upon  which  he  trav- 
eled, was  drawn  by  horses  hitched  to  long  ropes  and  drawn  through  the 
water  in  this  manner,  the  horses  walking  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 

David  Andrews  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  May  2,  1809,  and  died 
in  Boonville,  April  30,  1893.  He  came  West  in  1820  and  lived  with  a 
brother,  Thomas  Andrews,  in  St.  Louis  until  1828  when  he  came  to  Old 
Franklin  and  thence  to  Boonville.  Thomas  Andrews,  his  brother,  was  one 
of  the  first  stockholders  in  the  Boatsman  Bank  of  St.  Louis,  as  was  his 
brother,  David  Andrews,  at  a  later  date.  David  Andrews  learned  the 
trade  of  tinner  in  his  brother's  shop  in  St.  Louis.  Upon  his  arrival  at 
Franklin,  he  established  a  tin  shop  and  then  returned  to  St.  Louis  for 
his  bride  whom  he  married  that  same  year.  She  was  Margaret  Baird, 
who  was  also  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Jan.  17,  1818,  and  died  in  March, 
1901.  On  two  occasions  after  establishing  himself  in  Boonville,  after  the 
decadence  of  Old  Franklin,  Mr.  Andrews  had  the  misfortune  to  have  his 
shop  destroyed  by  fire.  Each  time  he  rebuilt  and  succeeded  in  amassing 
a  competence  despite  adversity. 

During  the  Civil  War  he  made  canteens  for  the  Southern  soldiers. 
This  brought  him  into  conflict  with  the  Union  forces  and  he  was  taken 
prisoner  by  General  Lyon's  command.  Previous  to  his  being  taken  pris- 
oner, some  soldiers  had  waylaid  him,  knocked  him  down  and  left  him 
lying  for  dead.  His  faithful  wife  found  him,  succored  him,  and  he  was 
then  placed  under  arrest  and  taken  to  the  prison  in  Jefferson  City.  His 
wife  also  went  to  the  State  Capital  and  so  determined  and  energetic  was 
she  that  she  succeeded  in  getting  him  freed,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Gen- 


DAVID  ANDREWS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  397 

eral  Lyons  insisted  that  Mr.  Andrews  be  shot  for  a  rebel  sympathizer  and 
adherent. 

David  Andrews  was  of  Irish  descent  and  was  an  energetic  man  of 
business  who  had  the  gift  of  finance  and  able  management  of  his  business 
affairs.  He  amassed  a  fortune  of  over  $300,000  and  was  one  of  the  wealth- 
iest citizens  of  Boonville  in  his  time.  He  opened  a  hardware  store  in 
Boonville,  one  of  the  first  to  be  conducted  in  the  city,  and  the  business 
prospered.  By  fair  and  honest  dealings  and  by  the  exercise  of  energy 
and  the  strictest  of  integrity,  Mr.  Andrews  carved  an  honored  and  re- 
.-petted  place  in  the  business  world  of  Boonville,  and  his  name  will  always 
be  known  as  that  of  one  of  the  real  pioneers  of  the  city.  He  took  an 
active  and  influential  part  in  civic  affairs  during  his  long  residence  here, 
served  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  and  was  mayor  of  the  city  for 
some  years.  He  was  father  of  11  children,  ten  sons  and  one  daughter, 
five  of  who  were  reared  to  maturity:  Hardage  Lane,  David,  Florence, 
Charles  Edward,  Lonnie  or  Alonzo. 

Hardage  Lane  Andrews  learned  the  trade  of  jeweler,  but  never  fol- 
lowed it.  He  went  West  in  1850  and  eventually  located  in  San  Jose, 
Calif.,  as  one  of  the  pioneer  pork  packers  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  He 
amassed  a  comfortable  fortune  and  died  at  the  age  of  50  years,  worth 
$60,000.  ^  David  Andrews  also  went  West  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  was 
associated  with  his  brother,  Hardage  L.,  in  the  pork  packing  business. 
He  died  in  San  Jose,  Calif.  Florence  Andrews  married  ex-Congressman 
John  T.  Heard,  of  Sedalia.  She  was  born  Sept.  7,  1846,  and  died  Sept.  14, 
1886.  "Lonnie"  or  Alonzo  Andrews  was  born  in  1854,  and  died  in  1875. 
A  sketch  of  Charles  E.  Andrews  appears  in  this  volume.  All  of  the  de- 
ceased children  of  David  Andrews  lie  sleeping  in  the  beautiful  Walnut 
Grove  Cemetery  in  Boonville.  Although  some  of  them  had  wandered  far 
from  the  city  of  their  birth,  it  was  the  wish  of  each  that  his  final  resting 
place  be  in  the  home  town  which  they  loved  so  well,  ahd  where  their  hap- 
piest days  had  been  spent. 

David  Andrews  was  a  man  eminently  fitted  for  the  period  in  which 
he  lived.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  was  a  devout 
man  who  feared  God  and  loved  his  fellow  men,  his  wife  and  his  children. 
He  was  a  democrat  and  a  stanch  believer  and  upholder  of  democratic 
principles  of  government. 

Charles  W.  Nixon,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Nixon  and  Brosius. 
engaged  in  the  farm  loan  and  real  estate  business,  Boonville,  is  a  native 
of  Cooper  County  and  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove,  Feb.  28,  1870.     He  is  a 


398  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

son  of  David  F.  and  Christina  (Schlotzhauer)  Nixon,  well  known  resi- 
dents of  Pilot  Grove. 

David  F.  Nixon  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Feb.  19,  1842.  His 
father,  William  H.  Nixon,  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.  in  1816  and 
died  in  1901.  His  parents  were  David  and  Rachel  (Carr)  Nixon,  both 
natives  of  Virginia,  and  settled  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  where  they  reared 
a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  William  H.  Nixon  was  the  eldest. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  E.  (Edmiston)  Nixon,  mother  of  David  H.  Nixon,  was 
born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  in  1815.  She  resided  at  Old  Chillicothe  when 
Indians  were  plentiful  in  the  forests  of  the  neighborhood,  and  she  died 
in  1887.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Miss  (Teeter)  Edmiston, 
natives  of  Tennessee.  The  Nixons  are  of  Scotch  descent.  Three  children 
were  born  to  William  H.  and  Elizabeth  Nixon:  John  W.,  was  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War  and  ranked  as  sergeant ;  David  F.  Nixon,  of  this  review ; 
and  Emily,  deceased  wife  of  James  Benner. 

In  October  of  1861,  David  F.  Nixon  enlisted  in  Company  C,  73rd 
Ohio  Regiment  of  Volunteers  and  served  until  his  honorable  discharge 
in  1864.  He  was  hit  by  a  shell  in  the  right  leg  at  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Rnn  and  was  also  hit  by  a  minnie  ball  in  the  left  thigh.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Cross-Kris,  Fort  Republic,  McDowell,  Morefield 
and  Romney,  besides  many  minor  battles  and  skirmishes.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  in  1863  and  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany A  21st  Regular  Regiment.  He  was  a  corporal  and  was  on  duty  at 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  saw  a  lot  of  hard  work  in  the  ensuing  year  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  in  1864. 

In  1866,  David  H.  Nixon  came  to  Pettis  County,  Mo.,  and  located  on 
a  farm.  Not  long  afterward  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  purchased  a 
farm  located  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Pilot  Grove,  where  he  farmed 
extensively  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  a  successful  breeder  of  Short- 
horn cattle.  Mr.  Nixon  has  disposed  of  all  his  land  excepting  a  tract  of 
94  acres.     In  1916  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  a  home  in  Pilot  Grove. 

Jan.  30,  1868,  David  H.  Nixon  and  Christine  Schlotzhauer  were  united 
in  marriage.  The  children  bom  of  this  marriage  are:  Alexander  Nixon, 
cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge;  Rudy,  died  in  1905;  Katie,  is  at  home 
with  her  parents ;  Charles  W.  Nixon,  of  this  review,  is  the  eldest  of  the 
family. 

David  H.  Nixon  is  a  Republican  and  served  a  term  judge  of  the 
County  Court  for  the  western  district  of  Cooper  County.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Wooldridge  Bank  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  309 

Pilot  Grove  Bank  serving  as  president  of  this  bank  for  two  years.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons. 

Charles  W.  Nixon  received  his  education  in  Pilot  Grove  College, 
founded  and  conducted  by  the  Johnson  family  and  which  was  in  charge 
of  William  F.  Johnson  for  some  years.  Mr.  Nixon  fanned  in  the  vicinity 
of  Pilot  Grove  for  three  years  and  continued  in  farming  near  Bunceton^ 
Mo.,  until  1902,  when  his  election  to  the  office  of  county  clerk  on  the 
Republican  ticket  required  his  residing  in  Boonville.  He  served  for  four 
years  in  this  office  and  in  June,  1905,  became  associated  with  Mr.  Brosius 
in  the  loan  and  land  business. 

In  August  of  1894,  Charles  W.  Nixon  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Margaret  Rodgers,  a  daughter  of  E.  H.  Rodgers,  who  now  makes  his 
home  in  Boonville  with  Mr.  Nixon.  Mr.  Rodgers  was  bom  at  West  Lib- 
erty, W.  Va.,  in  1842  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  War.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and 
became  a  large  land  owner  in  this  county.  Prior  to  his  advent  in  Cooper 
County  he  had  married  Mary  Elliot  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  in 
1843  and  died  in  1915. 

The  children  born  to  Charles  W.  and  Margaret  Nixon  are :  Mary  Jane, 
a  graduate  of  Sweet  Brier  College,  West  Virginia,  class  of  1919 ;  Mar- 
garet, a  graduate  of  Boonville  High  School,  class  of  1919 ;  David,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Boonville  Public  Schools,  class  of  1919 ;  Helen,  aged  six  years. 

Mr.  Nixon  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  is  frater- 
nally affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  having  attained  a  membership  in  Ararat  Temple  Mystic 
Shrine.    He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Rev.  Fr.  Theodore  Kussman. — For  nearly  34  years  Father  Kussman 
has  been  in  charge  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church  in  Boonville, 
Mo.  Two  years  after  taking  charge  of  this  church,  on  Aug.  17,  1885,  he 
was  made  irremovable  rector  and  will  remain  in  Boonville  during  the  rest 
of  his  natural  life  as  rector  of  this  large  and  prosperous  church  which  is 
one  of  the  oldest  in  central  Missouri  and  which  celebrated  Father  Russ- 
man's  golden  jubilee  on  May  27,  1916. 

Theodore  Kussman  was  born  in  Germany,  Jan.  19,  1843.  He  is  a  son 
of  Christopher  and  Clara  Gertrude  (Sperlbaum)  Kussman,  who  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1847  and  settled  in  St.  Louis,  where  the  father  plied 
his  trade  of  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker. 

Theodore    Kussman    attended    the    parochial    school    and    Christian 


400  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Brothers  College  in  St.  Louis.  He  then  spent  two  years  as  student  in 
St.  Francis  Seminary  near  Milwaukee.  He  next  studied  for  three  years 
at  the  Theological  College  in  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  and  was  ordained  in 
the  priesthood  May  27,  1866. 

Father  Kussman's  first  charge  was  as  substitute  priest  at  Kirkwood 
for  six  months.  He  was  then  pastor  of  the  Richwood,  Mo.,  church  for 
one  year.  He  was  pastor  of  French  Village  Church  for  two  years  and 
also  had  charge  of  the  De  Sota,  Mo.,  church  at  the  same  time.  For  the 
next  four  years  he  filled  the  post  of  pastor  of  the  Palmyra  Church  and 
also  cared  for  two  other  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Palmyra.  For  the 
next  12  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Springfield,  Mo.,  Catholic  Church  and 
has  spent  34  years  in  Boonville. 

During  his  long  years  of  service  in  Boonville  he  has  built  the  large 
church  which  is  still  standing  and  doubled  the  size  of  the  rectory.  The 
celebration  of  his  golden  jubilee  on  May  27,  1916,  was  a  great  occasion 
in  the  history  of  the  church. 

Dr.  Charles  Doerrie,  the  veterinarian,  Boonville,  Mo.,  besides  being 
a  successful  practitioner,  is  a  manufacturer.  His  manufacturing  busi- 
ness was  first  established  in  1893  at  404  East  Vine  Street.  The  Doerrie 
office,  residence  and  factory  is  now  located  at  722  Main  Street,  Dr.LDoerrie 
having  recently  purchased  the  Col.  John  S.  Elliot  propei-ty.  Dr.  Doerrie 
came  into  possession  of  an  excellent  recipe  for  a  facial  cream  which  he 
has  named  "Hattie's  Complexion  Beautifier."  This  is  a  splendid  face 
and  skin  preparation  for  the  use  of  both  women  and  men,  and  each 
year  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  popular  with  the  trade.  Over  70 
gross  were  manufactured  and  sold  in  1918,  and  this  business  was  accom- 
plished without  advertising,  the  goods  being  sold  only  through  agents 
and  the  drug  trade  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  The  quality  of  the 
product  speaks  for  itself,  and  the  user  of  a  first  jar  of  the  beautifier  is 
generally  a  continuous  customer  who  tells  of  its  qualities  to  others  of  her 
acquaintance.  Dr.  Doerrie  has  been  manufacturing  and  selling  the  prep- 
aration under  the  name  of  the  Beautifier  Company,  Boonville,  Mo. 

Charles  Doerrie  was  born  in  Illinois,  June  23,  1862,  and  was  yet  an 
infant  when  his  parents  located  in  St.  Charles,  Mo.  Henry  Doerrie,  his 
father,  died  when  Charles  was  but  a  child.  Hia  mother,  Mrs.  Louisa 
(Kemper)  Doerrie,  reared  the  two  children  to  maturity.  Dr.  Doerrie  has 
a  sister.  Mrs.  Minnie  Shubert,  residing  southeast  of  Boonville.  The 
Doerrie  family  came  to  Boonville  in  1881  and  the  mother  makes  her  home 
in  Boonville.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Doerrie  she  married  Peter  Young, 
who  is  deceased. 


DR.   CHARLES    I"  h:ki;i  i: 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  401 

Dr.  Charles  Doerrie  came  to  Boonville  in  the  fall  of  1882,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  and  coal  mining  for  the  first  10  years  of  his  residence  in 
Cooper  County.  He  studied  veterinary  surgery  at  the  New  York  Veter- 
inary College  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  1893.  During 
the  past  26  years  his  practice  has  ranged  over  Cooper,  Howard,  Saline, 
Moniteau,  Morgan  and  Chariton  Counties. 

April  22,  1886,  Dr.  Doerrie  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  G.  Bull,  of 
Cooper  County.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Bull,  of  this  county. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  Charles  and  Alice  G.  Doerrie.  Van 
Lee,  resides  at  home,  student  in  the  State  University,  is  the  only 
child  living.  Van  Lee  Doerrie  tried  on  seven  different  occasions  to  enlist 
in  the  National  Army  and  was  finally  accepted.  Seven  days  after  he 
received  notice  to  report  for  duty  at  Austin,  Tex.,  the  armistice  was 
signed  and  the  war  ended.  He  is  a  student  of  architecture  at  the  State 
University.  By  a  former  marriage,  Dr.  Doerrie  has  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Wash  Robertson,  of  Moulton,  Iowa. 

Dr.  Doerrie  is  a  republican  who  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Boon- 
ville City  Council.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  Travelers'  Protective  Association. 

Fred  G.  Lohse. — The  general  store  of  M.  Lohse  &  Son,  managed  by 
Fred  G.  Lohse,  is  one  of  the  old  established  and  most  successful  business 
concerns  in  Boonville.  A  large  room  on  Main  street  is  stocked  with  high 
class  groceries,  dry  goods,  and  feed,  and  the  Lohse  store  unquestionably 
carries  the  largest  stock  of  goods  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  Some  special- 
ties which  have  made  this  store  famous  throughout  the  country  are  its 
home  roasted  coffees,  fresh  made  peanut  products  or  butter,  and  the 
Heinz  products.  The  Lohse  store  sells  more  kraut  than  all  other  stores 
in  Boonville  combined  and  the  store  always  presents  a  busy,  hustling 
scene,  the  force  of  five  employees  being  kept  busily  employed  in  caring 
for  the  large  trade.  Lohse  &  Son  caters  to  the  highest  class  of  trade  in 
Cooper  County  and  makes  a  distinction  in  favor  of  quality  of  the  goods 
sold  rather  than  in  the  quantity. 

H.  Lohse,  father  of  Fred  G.  Lohse,  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Germany, 
in  1845,  and  immigrated  to  America  in  1863  to  escape  military  service  in 
the  Prussian  army.  He  came  to  Boonville  and  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  lime,  operating  a  lime  kiln  successfully  until  1916.  He  married 
Carrie  Stubbins,  who  departed  this  life  when  Fred  G.  Lohse  was  but  a 
child.  The  children  bom  to  M.  and  Carrie  Lohse  are  as  follows:  Fred  G., 
(26) 


402  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  this  review;  William,  engaged  in  the  automobile  business  at  St  Louis, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Flora  Hale,  died  in  1916;  Leslie,  is  connected  with  the  largest 
wholesale  grocery  corporation  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  with  head- 
quarters at  Tucson,  Ariz. ;  Edgar,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  a  soldier 
in  the  National  Army.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  age  of  16  years 
and  saw  service  on  the  Mexican  border,  later  going  to  France  when 
America  entered  the  World  War.  He  is  a  sergeant  in  Company  B,  140th 
Regiment  of  the  famous  35th  Division,  which  so  covered  itself  with  glory 
in  the  severe  fighting  at  St.  Mihiel  and  the  Argonne  Forest  on  the  west- 
ern front  in  France. 

Fred  G.  Lohse  was  born  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  March  3,  1881,  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  this  city.  He  embarked  in  business  in  1898  and 
has  risen  to  become  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  merchants  of 
Boonville  during  the  past  21  years.  The  success  of  M.  Lohse  &  Son 
has  been  due  to  his  energy,  ability,  and  natural  aptitude  for  business. 
Mr.  Lohse  was  married  in  1901  to  Miss  Mayme  Gibbons,  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Frank  Gibbons,  who  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Boonville 
for  several  years,  was  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club  and  was  active 
in  boosting  the  commercial  advantages  of  Boonville. 

Mr.  Lohse  is  a  Republican,  an  active  and  influential  booster  for  Boon- 
ville, liberal  in  his  contributions  to  worthy  causes  intended  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  best  interests  and  growth  of  his  native  city.  For  the 
past  15  years  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Sunday  school 
and  takes  a  just  pride  in  conducting  its  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

James  William  Jones,  city  collector  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  of 
this  county.  Mr.  Jones  was  born  in  Boonville,  June  10,  1863,  and  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  P.  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1834  and  died 
June  5,  1900. 

Thomas  P.  Jones  was  a  son  of  James  I.  Jones,  who  immigrated  to 
•  America  in  1840,  first  resided  in  New  York,  and  then  came  to  Boone 
County,  Mo.,  and  in  1854  located  in  Boonville.  When  he  attained  ma- 
turity he  became  engaged  in  the  transfer  and  freighting  industry  and 
hauled  goods  from  the  river  front  of  Boonville  to  Tipton  and  points  in 
the  southwest  for  a  number  of  years.  When  the  overland  freighting 
industry  waned  and  the  steam  railroads  took  up  the  work  formerly  done 
by  oxen  and  mules,  Mr.  Jones  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He  mar- 
ried Anna  Cochran,  born  in  1842  at  Turley,  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  a 
(laughter  of  John  Cochran,  who  came  to  America  in  1850  and  settled  at 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  403 

Bconville  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Cooper  County.  To  Thomas  P. 
!  Anna  Jones  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  J.  W. 
Jones  is  the  oldest  of  the  family;  Samuel  F.  is  yardmaster  in  the  rail- 
road yards,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Rosa,  at  home  in  Boonville;  Alice  Jones  is 
a  trained  nurse  at  the  Kemper  Military  School,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Margaret 
Jones  is  a  saleslady  in  Chasnoff's  store,  Boonville,  Mo. 

Desirous  of  obtaining  more  education  than  was  afforded  by  the 
public  schools  of  his  day,  James  W.  Jones  entered  the  employ  of  Pro- 
lessor  Kemper  and  worked  his  way  through  the  Kemper  School,  doing 
most  of  his  studying  at  night  after  his  days  work  was  done.  He  served 
an  apprenticeship  in  the  carpenter  trade  and  went  to  California  in  1885, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  for  the  next  seven  years.  He  was  then 
employed  in  the  rolling  stock  department  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad 
until  he  was  seriously  injured  in  1896  by  a  fall  from  a  moving  train. 
Returning  to  Boonville  he  engaged  in  contracting.  Mr.  Jones  built  the 
Faimers  Bank  building,  the  Gmelich  residence,  the  Schnack  home  on 
High  street,  the  Colored  Public  School,  and  many  other  fine  buildings 
and  residences  in  Cooper  County.  He  retired  from  business  in  the  spring 
of  1918  and  has  served  as  city  collector  since  April,  1918.  His  old  injury 
had  manifested  itself  in  spinal  trouble  and  after  he  had  completed  the 
erection  of  the  I.  O.  0.  F.  building,  Mr.  Jones  suffered  a  severe  spell  of 
sickness  which  left  him  incapacitated  for  further  active  work. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Thomas  P.  Jones,  when  17  years  of  age,  crossed  the  Great  Plains  in 
1851  with  a  cattle  outfit  owned  and  operated  by  Berry  &  Potter.  After 
he  had  assisted  in  driving  a  large,  drove  of  cattle  across  the  plains  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  he  remained  in  California  for  about  four  years,  engaged  in 
mining  and  farming. 

During  the  Civil  War  he  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri 
State  Guards  and  took  part  in  some  minor  battles  with  his  command.  He 
owned  a  few  teams  of  horses  and  kept  his  horses  at  the  tanyard.  George 
Sahm  was  then  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  in  Boonville  and  Mr.  Sham, 
at  the  time  of  Shelbys  raid  and  the  capture  of  Boonville,  hid  his  stock  of 
shoes  and  boots  in  an  empty  cistern  owned  by  Mr.  .Jones.  Shelby's  men 
captured  Mr.  Jones  and  Mr.  Sahm,  forced  Jones  to  go  for  his  teams,  and 
made  Sahm  recover  his  stock  of  shoes  and  boots  from  the  cistern.  The 
footwear  was  loaded  on  Jones'  wagon  and  they  were  driven  out  to  Caleb 
Jones'  place  southwest  of  town,  both  men  being  taken  along  as  prisoners. 
'•    an  opportune  time,  Mr.  Jones  eluded  his  guards  who  were  irttenl   on 


404  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

getting  a  pair  of  boots  and  the  team  went  on.  A  squad  of  cavalry  met 
him  on  the  road  and  asked  "Where  in  h — 1  are  you  going?"  Jones  an- 
swered, "I  am  going  for  another  load  of  boots."  The  other  told  him,  "Go 
ahead."  With  Mr.  Sahm  lying  in  the  bottom  of  the  wagon,  Jones  drove 
the  wagon  to  Boonville,  put  up  the  team  and  then  hid  in  the  brush  for 
some  time. 

The  most  important  and  the  largest  contract  ever  undertaken  by 
Mr.  Jones  was  the  erection  of  the  Phoenix  American  Pipe  Works  in 
Boonville. 

Oscar  Spieler,  proprietor  of  "The  Riverview  Stock  Farm"  in  Saline 
township,  the  "Home  of  Big  Bone  Spotted  Poland  Chinas,"  is  one  of 
Cooper  County's  most  progressive  and  successful  stockmen.  Mr.  Spieler 
was  born  Aug.  21,  1870,  near  California,  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  a  son  of 
F.  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Young)  Spieler,  natives  of  Germany  and  New  York, 
respectively. 

Frederick  Ernest  and  Elizabeth  Spieler  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Emma  ;  Maggie ;  Mrs.  Sophia  Schilb,  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ; 
Mrs.  F.  E.  Eberhardt,  of  California,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Ida  T.  Farris,  of  Boonville ; 
Theodore,  Richard,  and  Nora,  at  home.  F.  E.  Spieler  was  a  Union  vet- 
eran. He  served  in  the  Civil  War  for  four  years,  from  1861  to  1865,  en- 
listing in  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  where  he  had  located  prior  to  the  war. 
Mr.  Spieler  was  wounded  in  a  skirmish  near  Gooch's  Mill  in  Cooper 
County,  when  he  was  shot  in  the  right  arm.  He  came  with  his  family  to 
Cooper  County  in  1873  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Oscar 
Spieler.  The  father  is  now  deceased  and  his  remains  rest  in  Schmidt 
Cemetery  and  the  widowed  mother  resides  with  her  son  Oscar.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  (Young)  Spieler  was  born  Oct.  22,  i844,  in  New  York  City,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Margaret  Young,  who  settled  in  Missouri  in  1854. 

"The  Riverview  Stock  Farm"  is  located  seven  miles  east  of  Boon- 
ville and  comprises  240  acres  of  valuable  land  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Missouri  River.  This  is  the  home  of  the  Big  Bone  Spotted  Poland  China 
hogs.  Mr.  Spieler  purchased  his  most  valuable  brood  sow  in  March,  1917. 
In  the  spring  of  1918  he  had  15  sows  to  farrow  and  from  15  litters  raised 
108  pigs,  selling  105  from  this  same  herd  in  1918,  87  of  them  being 
shipped  out  by  express.  The  heads  of  the  herds  are  "Riverview  Mon- 
arch' 'and  "Real  Giant."  "Riverview  Monarch"  was  sired  by  "Spotted 
Mammoth,"  which  won  second  honors  in  the  Omaha  Swine  Show  in  1917 
and  first  honors  at  the  Missouri  State  Fair  in  Sedalia,  in  the  age  class  in 
1918.     "Spotted  Mammoth"  sold  for  $400  to  an  Iowa  breeder.     "River- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  405 

view  Monarch"  now  weighs  move  than  600  pounds  and  is  not  yet  two 
years  of  age.  "Real  Giant"  is  11  months  old  and  weighs  350  pounds.  Mr. 
Spieler  has  20  brood  sows  and  his  stock  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  the 
County.  He  has  stock  purchased  from  H.  L.  Faulkner,  of  Jamesport,  Mo. ; 
J.  O.  Riley,  of  Cainesville,  Mo. ;  R.  G.  Sartin,  of  Fayette,  Mo. ;  B.  B.  Me- 
gown,  of  New  London,  Mo.,  and  J.  D.  Gates  &  Sons,  of  Ravenwood,  Mo. 
There  is  no  better  stock  to  be  had  than  that  on  the  Spieler  place. 

Oscar  Spieler  is  numbered  among  the  leading  stockmen  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Missouri  and  he  ranks  highly  among  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
his  township  and  county. 

E.  J.  Huber,  proprietor  and  founder  of  the  Huber  Jewelry  Company 
of  Boonville  has  a  handsome  and  well  stocked  store  in  which  only  de- 
pendable goods  of  the  best  quality  are  sold.  Mr.  Huber  was  born  in 
Boonville,  June  29,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Karl  F.  and  Anna  (Walz)  Huber, 
natives  of  Germany. 

Karl  F.  Huber  was  born  in  1829  and  died  March  10,  1873.  He  ran 
away  from  home  in  the  early  forties  and  made  his  way  to  America, 
where  he  first  worked  in  the  woolen  mills  of  Massachusetts.  He  soon 
came  west  and  was  employed  on  the  construction  of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  rail- 
road while  this  line  was  being  built  to  Galesburg,  111.  He  opened  a  board- 
ing house  at  Mendota,  111.,  after  a  period  of  employment  at  Peru,  111.,  and 
in  1857  he  came  from  Mendota  to  Boonville.  He  conducted  a  saloon  busi- 
ness in  this  city  until  his  death.  While  a  resident  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Huber 
was  married  to  Anna  Walz,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1834  and  died 
at  her  home  in  Boonville  in  1892.  E.  J.  Huber  of  this  review,  was  the 
only  child  of  his  parents  reared  to  manhood  out  of  six  born. 

In  1873  E.  J.  Huber  was  apprenticed  to  Jacob  Gmelich  the  pioneer 
jeweler  and  watchmaker  of  Boonville,  after  receiving  a  good  common 
school  education.  After  spending  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  with  Mr. 
Gmelich  he  was  then  employed  by  Gmelich  for  another  three  years. 
From  1882  to  1893  he  was  a  partner  in  the  business,  which  was  con- 
ducted under  the  firm  name  of  Gmelich  and  Huber  Jewelry  Company.  In 
1893  Mr.  Schmidt  came  in  as  a  junior  partner.  In  1906  Mr.  Huber  sold 
his  interest  to  Mr.  Schmidt  and  after  a  period  of  resting  for  a  few  years. 
he  spent  seven  years  in  business  at  Blackwater,  Mo.  He  returned  to 
Boonville  in  1915  and  established  his  present  successful  business. 

Mr.  Huber  was  first  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Laura  Hayne,  who  died 
in  1892,  leaving  one  child,  Karl  A.  Huber.  This  son  was  born  in  1883 
and  has  served  his  country  in  France.     He  enlisted  in  August  of  1917, 


406  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  the  Twentieth  Engineer  Corps,  and  was  promoted  to  the  post  of  ser- 
geant. Sergeant  Huber's  regiment  was  engaged  from  the  rirst  of  its 
advent  in  France  in  the  building  of  saw  mills  and  railroads  on  the  west- 
ern front  in  France.  Sergeant  received  his  honorable  discharge  May  27, 
1919,  at  Camp  Dodge,  Iowa.  Upon  his  return  home  he  resumed  his  posi- 
tion in  the  Huber  jewelry  store.  His  grandfather,  John  A.  Hayne,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War.  He  fought  in  the  Battle  of  Boonville  as  a 
sergeant.  After  the  battle  was  won,  he  jumped  to  a  mound,  waved  the 
I  ..ion  flag,  shouted  "Hurrah  for  the  Union,"  and  was  shot  twice  and 
killed.    The  local  Grand  Army  post  is  named  in  honor  of  John  A.  Hayne. 

Mr.  Huber's  second  marriage  was  with  Miss  Laura  Roerder, 
who  departed  this  life  in  1903.  Three  children  blessed  this  union,  as 
follows:  George,  his  fathers'  assistant  in  the -business;  Ernest,  and  Min- 
nie. Einest  Huber  was  for  four  years  a  student  at  the  Missouri  S'. 
University  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1916.  He  enlisted  in  the  Medical 
Reserve  Corps  of  the  National  Army  in  1917  and  upon  receiving  his  dis- 
charge from  the  service  he  resumed  his  medical  studies  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.    In  1915  Mr.  Huber  was  married  to  Miss  Katie  Back. 

Politically,  Mr.  Huber  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Augustus  H,  Sauter. — Sincere  regret  was  expressed  by  hundreds  of 
people  in  Cooper  County  and  the  surrounding  country  when  the  Sauter 
Mercantile  Company  passed  out  of  existence  in  April,  1919.  For  nearly 
50  ..  is  concern  had  been  doing  business  in  Boonville  and  the  Sauter 

store  had  become  a  widely  known  landmark.  The  Sauter  Mercantile 
Company  was  established  in  1870  as  Sauter  &  Company,  the  firm  being 
composed  of  Fred  Sauter,  A.  H.  Sauter,  and  John  Weber.  The  busin 
was  conducted  under  the  name  of  Sauter  &  Company  until  1905,  when 
it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Sauter  Mercantile  Company,  a 
corporation  having  five  members:  Fred  Sauter,  president;  J.  Memmel, 
vice-president;  A.  H.  Sauter,  secretary  and  treasurer;  F.  S.  Sauter  and 
J.  L.  Sauter.  When  Fred  Sauter  died  on  Sept.  21,  1918,  it  was  decided  to 
close  out  the  business.  A  sale  of  the  stock  of  goods  was  carried  on  for 
several  weeks  until  the  remaining  stock  and  good  will  of  the  concern  was 
disposed  of  to  the  Bassett-Gregory  Company  on  March  21,  1919.  The 
Sauter  Mercantile  Company  occupied  a  large  building  of  three  floors 
140x180  feet  in  extent  and  the  stock  of  goods  usually  carried  for  sale 
would  exceed  $40,000  in  value.  The  volume  of  business  transacted  in  the 
Sauter  store  annually  exceeded  $100,000.     This  immense  trade  was  car- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  407 

ried  on  each  year  and  the  patrons  of  the  establishment  were  the  sub- 
stantial people  of  Cooper  and  Howard  Counties  who  had  the  utmost  con- 
fidence in  the  integrity  and  honesty  of  the  management  and  regularly 
made  their  purchases  at  this  store. 

Augustus  H.  Sauter,  former  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Sauter 
Mercantile  Company  and  now  engaged  in  conducting  a  music  store  in 
Boonville  was  born  in  South  Germany,  Nov.  17.  1847.  He  is  a  son  of 
Matthew  and  Rosa  (Knapp)  Sauter.  Matthew  Sauter  was  horn  in  1811 
an  1  died  in  1896.  With  his  family  he  immigi-ated  to  America  in  L859 
and  !  in  Boonville.  Oct.  5  of  that  year.     Mr.  Sauter  was  a  skilled 

cabinet  maker  in  his  native  land  but  when  he  came  to  Missouri  he  i 
ir.  farming.  He  located  on  a  farm  22  miles  south  of  Boonville  in  Moniteau 
County.  Later  he  came  to  a  farm  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Boonville. 
where  he  resided  until  1882.  He  then,  even  in  his  old  age.  went  to  South 
Dakota,  homesteaded  another  farm  in  that  new  country  and  died  there 
in  1896.  He  remained  hale  and  hearty  to  the  end  of  his  days.  His  wife, 
Rosa  (Knapp)  Sauter,  was  born  in  1819  and  died  in  1884.  The  children 
born  to  Matthew  and  Rosa  Sauter  are  as  follows :  Mrs.  John  Weber,  living 
in  South  Dakota;  Mrs.  Fannie  Memmel,  Fayette,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Bertha  Dief- 
endorf,  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. ;  Frank  S.  Sauter,  vice-president  of  the  Boonville 
National  Bank;  J.  L.  Sauter,  with  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company, 
Boonville,  and  A.  H.  Sauter  of  this  review. 

A.  H.  Sauter  was  13  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Boonville.  He  had  received  a  good  public  school  training  in  his  native 
land  and  this  was  supplemented  by  further  training  in  Boonville.  From 
childhood,  Mr.  Sauter  has  had  the  remarkable  gift  of  the  bom  musician. 
Hi .;  first  work  in  Boonville  was  as  a  teacher  of  music,  a  profession  which 
he  followed  for  25  years.  Professor  Sauter  taught  both  piano  and  organ 
to  many  Cooper  County  people  when  devoting  his  time  and  talents  to  his 
favorite  profession.  During  all  the  time  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  he  has  carried  pianos  and  organs  as  a  side 
line.  Since  retiring  from  the  mercantile  business  Professor  Sauter  has 
returned  to  his  first  love  and  is  following  his  personal  inclinations.  He 
has  opened  a  piano  and  music  store  vhere  his  time  is  mainly  spent  and 
his  natural  ability  as  a  musician  has  full  sway. 

Ho  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  1870  and  has  achieved 
a  reputation  as  a  good  business  man  as  well  as  musician,  a  rare  combina- 
tion. He  was  formerly  connected  with  the  Farmers  Bank  and  the  Citi- 
zens Trust  Company  of  Boonville  and  took  part  in  the  erection  of  the 


408  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

old  Trust  Company  building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Court  streets.  He 
was  the  main  promoter  in  the  organization  of  the  Citizens  Trust  Company 
which  purchased  the  Bankers  Bank,  and  both  were  subsequently  merged 
with  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  the  largest  and  strongest  bank  in 
Missouri  in  cities  of  5,000  to  10,000.  In  a  single  day  Mr.  Sauter  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of  the  Citizens  Trust  Com- 
pany to  the  extent  of  $100,000. 

Mr.  Sauter  was  married  in  1914  to  Miss  Mary  Wenig  of  Boonville. 
He  is  a  Republican.  While  not  a  member  of  any  religious  denomination 
Mr.  Sauter  has  been  and  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  all  churches.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  No  group  of  men  stand  higher  in 
the  esteem  of  the  people  than  the  sons  of  Matthew  Sauter,  and  Augustus 
H.  Sauter  is  one  of  the  best  liked  and  substantial  citizens  of  Boonville 
and  Cooper  County. 

Henry  Carl  Friedrich. — The  life  story  of  Henry  Carl  Friedrich,  of 
the  Billingsville  neighborhood,  Palestine  township,  is  a  record  of  indus- 
try, energy,  good  business  management,  and  of  an  interest  taken  in  good 
works  beyond  that  of  the  ordinary  citizen.  Since  the  purchase  of  his 
first  modest  farm  of  121  acres  in  Aug.,  1909,  Mr.  Friedrich  has  been  pros- 
perous and  enterprising.  His  present  home  place  of  214.70  acres  is  a 
fine  farm,  good  land,  which  raises  good  crops  each  year.  This  farm,  which 
is  fairly  well  improved,  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Friedrich  in  1909  at  a  cost 
of  $74  an  acre,  or  a  total  cost  of  $16,000.  Mr.  Friedrich  has  done  con- 
siderable improving  of  the  property  since  he  purchased  it.  He  has  built 
over  seven  miles  of  woven  wire  fencing.  He  handles  pure  bred  Hereford 
cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 

Henry  Carl  Friedrich  was  born  in  Germany,  Feb.  11,  1866.  He  is  a 
son  of  Herman  and  Martha  Elizabeth  (Sunshine)  Friedrich.  His  father 
was  a  public  school  teacher  in  Hesse-Cassel,  and  died  in  1868,  leaving 
seven  children:  Mary  died  in  Germany;  William  came  to  America,  set- 
tled in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  and  died  here  in  1897 ;  August  died  in  the  land 
of  his  birth ;  Ferdinand  lives  in  Pennsylvania ;  Charles  lives  on  a  farm 
eight  miles  east  of  Boonville;  Henry  Carl,  subject  of  this  review;  Adam 
resides  on  a  farm  south  of  Bunceton,  Mo.  The  mother  of  these  children 
was  born  May  3,  1835,  and  is  living  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Friedrich. 

Henry  Carl  Friedrich  received  a  good  education  in  his  native  land, 
which  he  left  in  1885,  accompanied  by  his  mother  and  his  brother,  Adam 
Friedrich.  When  he  arrived  in  Cooper  County,  he  was  possessed  of  $200 
in  cash.    He  first  worked  out  by  the  month  until  he  became  familiar  with 


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HENRY    ('.    FRIEDRICH    AND    FAMILY 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  409 

conditions  and  then  began  renting  land.  He  has  made  a  success  of  his 
vocation  as  an  intelligent  tiller  of  the  soil.  His  first  farm  was  bought  on 
time  payments  and  the  first  crop  season,  that  of  the  famous  dry  year  of 
1901,  was  a  period  of  discouragement  to  him.  However,  everybody  suf- 
fered the  same  hardships  and  like  his  neighbors,  he  managed  to  pull 
through  and  has  had  enough  good  crops  in  past  years  to  enable  him  to 
trade  his  first  homestead  for  his  present  place.  This  trade  placed  him 
$8000  in  debt,  but  this  is  all  paid  and  the  Friedrich  farm  is  clear  of  all 
indebtedness. 

Jan.  7,  1892,  Henry  Carl  Friedrich  and  Miss  Lena  Grauer  were  mar- 
ried. Mrs.  Lena  Friedrich  was  born  March  5,  1872,  near  Boonville,  Mo., 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  Grauer,  natives  of  Germany 
dncl  Texas,  respectively,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1881. 

The  children  born  to  Henry  Carl  and  Lena  Friedrich  are:  Ferdi- 
nand, Edward  Carl,  Arthur  Henry,  Oscar  Harmon,  Henry  Rudolph, 
Adolph  Eugene,  Adolph  Elmer.  Ferdinand  William  Friedrich  was  born 
Nov.  19,  1892.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  85  acres  of  land.  He  married 
Lydia  Delius.  Edward  Carl  Friedrich  was  born  Jan.  23,  1895,  is  a  farmer 
and  land  owner.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  to  serve  in  the  National 
Army  July  26,  1918.  He  was  in  training  at  Camp  Funston,  received  his 
honorable  discharge  in  Jan.,  1919,  and  returned  to  his  home  Jan.  14,  1919. 
Arthur  Henry  Friedrich  was  born  Feb.  7,  1897,  and  is  a  land  owner  and 
farmer.  Oscar  Herman  Friedrich  was  born  Jan.  30,  1899.  Henry  Ru- 
dolph Friedrich  was  born  Nov.  3,  1902.  Adolph  Eugene  Friedrich  was 
born  March  27,   1908.     Adolph  Elmer  Friedrich  was  born  July  8,   1916. 

Mr.  Friedrich  is  a  republican.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board  and  is  serving  as  president  of  the  board. 
For  the  past  13  years  he  has  been  trustee  of  the  Billingsville  Evangelical 
Church.  He  is  active  in  educational  work,  is  a  teacher  of  the  Bible  Class 
in  the  Sunday  School  and  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  is  active  in  lodge  circles.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  he  and  his  brother  Charles  inaugurated  and  were 
the  principal  organizers  of  the  Speed  Camp  of  Woodmen  in  1900.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Ladies'  Circle  and  Auxiliary  of  the  Woodmen. 

Charles  Durr,  presiding  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Cooper  County, 
and  senior  member  of  the  Durr-Warnhoff  Hardware  Company  and  junior 
member  of  the  Durr  Brothers  Saddlery  Company,  is  a  member  of  one  of 
the  oldest  business  families  in  Boonville.     The  Durr  saddlery  concern 


410  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

was  established  in  1859  and  the  hardware  business  was  inaugurated  in 
1915.  It  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  hardware  stores  in  central  Missouri 
and  a  complete  and  modern  stock  of  hardware,  stoves,  etc.,  is  carried  for 
discerning  buyers.  The  harness  manufactory  is  a  fioui'ishing  concern 
maintained  to  supply  local  trade.  Judge  Charles  Durr  was  born  in  Boon- 
ville,  Aug.  16,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  Durr. 

John  Durr  was  born  in  Germany,  Nov.  4,  1837  and  died  March  4, 
1918.  He  came  to  America  in  1851  and  first  located  in  New  Jersey.  He 
eventually  made  his  way  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  learned  the  trad* 
of  saddler  and  harness  maker.  He  was  next  employed  by  the  J.  P. 
Sickles  &  Company  harness  and  saddle  manufacturers  in  St.  Louis  until 
1859,  when  he  located  in  Boonville,  where  he  established  the  business 
which  he  carried  on  successfully  until  his  death.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Guards,  serving  in  a 
defensive  capacity.  He  served  for  a  few  years  as  city  treasurer  of  Boon- 
ville and  was  active  in  civic  affairs  during  his  lifetime.  The  wife  of 
John  Dun-  was  Mary  Augusta  Sombart,  born  1839,  died  March  7,  1900. 
Mrs.  Mary  Augusta  (Sombart)  Durr  was  a  sister  of  Judge  C.  W.  Som- 
bart. John  and  Mary  Augusta  Durr  were  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: John  W.,  of  the  Durr  Brothers  Harness  and  Saddlery  Company, 
Boonville;  Mary,  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  Charles  Frederick,  of 
this  review. 

Charles  Frederick  Durr  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city 
and  at  an  early  age  he  entered  his  father's  shop,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  saddler  and  harness  maker.  He  followed  his  trade  until  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  in  1915.  Judge  Durr  was  married  on 
Nov.  26,  1896.  to  Julia  M.  Stammerjohn,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and 
a  daughter  of  Claus  Stammerjohn.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two 
children:  Mary,  aged  21  years,  bookkeeper  for  the  firm;  Mildred,  aged 
seven  years. 

Judge  Durr  is  a  Republican  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in 
Cooper  County.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  in  1906 
and  served  two  terms  in  this  office.  In  November,  1918,  he  was  elected 
presiding  judge  of  the  County  Court.  Judge  Durr  is  affiliated  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  popular,  genial,  well  informed,  a  splen- 
did county  official  as  well  as  successful  business  man. 

William  E.  Crutchfield,  manager  of  the  Harris  Lumber  Company, 
Boonville,  Mo.,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  in  charge  of  the  Boonville 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  411 

yards  of  the  Harris  Lumber  Company  for  the  past  10  years.     He  was 
bom  in  Randolph  County,  Mo.,  Feb.  22,  1878. 

L.  A.  Crutchfield.  his  father,  was  also  bom  in  Randolph  County  and 
is  a  ^on  of  William  Crutchfield,  of  Virginia,  who  was  a  pioneer  settler 
in  Missouri.  The  Crutchfields  are  originally  from  Virginia  and  the  Caro- 
linas  and  are  an  old  American  family.  L.  A.  Crutchfield  was  born  in 
.:),  followed  farming  until  late  years  and  is  now  living  in  Huntsville, 
Mo.  His  wife,  who  was  Margaret  Richardson,  was  horn  May  1,  1856. 
Eleven  children  were  born  to  L.  A.  Crutchfield  and  wife,  as  follows:  Two 
died  in  infancy;  Annie,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  .Mrs.  Josephine 
Graves,  lives  in  Randolph  County.  Mo.:  William  E.,  of  this  review;  Leon- 
ard, lives  in  Randolph  County,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Fannie  Robinson,  lives  at  Ya1 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Edith  Owens,  and  Mrs.  Ella  Stark  live  in  Randolph  county: 
Mrs.  Zouri  Burton,  lives  on  a  farm  near  Armstrong,  Mo.;  Margaret,  lives 
in  California. 

W.  E.  Crutchfield  attended  the  Huntsville  Public  Schools  and  the 
Salisbury  Academy.  When  19  years  old  he  went  to  California  and  lived 
with  his  aunt,  who  was  conducting  a  hotel.  He  remained  in  California 
for  three  years  and  in  1900  he  came  back  to  Missouri.  In  1901  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  Jumber  business  at  Huntsville,  Mo.,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  his  uncle.  After  the  purchase  of  his  uncle's  yard  by  the  Harris 
Lumber  Company,  he  entered  their  employ  and  was  stationed  at  Louisi- 
ana, Mo.,  and  Vandalia,  111.,  for  a  year.  For  the  past  13  years  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  Harris  Lumber  Company,  has  a  financial  interest  in 
the  company  and  is  treasurer  of  the  concern.  Mr.  Crutchfield  located  in 
Boonville  in  1908. 

He  was  married  Feb.  17,  1904,  to  Miss  Mattie  Lee  Wallace  of  Ran- 
dolph County,  Mo.;  who  has  borne  him  two  children:  Gladys  Elzarine, 
born  Oct.  4,  1908;  and  William  Elzie,  Jr.,  bom  Feb.  17,  1915.  The  mother 
of  these  children  is  a  daughter  of  William  Harry  and  Leora  E.  (Matlock) 
Wallace,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of 
Randolph  County,  Mo. 

W.  H.  Wallace  was  born  April  16,  1850,  in  Gibson  County.  Ind..  and 
died  June  21,  1902.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert  Wallace,  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  He  came  to  Missouri  in  1871  and  first  settled  at  Moberly.  Tie 
was  married  at  Huntsville,  Nov.  22,  1877,  to  Leora  E.  Matlock,  bom  Feb. 
8,  1856,  a  daughter  of  James  A  (bom  May  4,  1824,  died  Oct.  30.  1895)  ; 
Susan  (Gunn)  Matlock  (born  Oct.  19,  1828,  died  July  3.  1912).  Mrs. 
Wallace's  parents  were  natives  of  North  Carolina  and  accompanied  their 


412  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

respective  parents  to  Missouri  in  childhood,  the  trip  being  made  overland 
in  wagons,  the  Gunns  making  the  long  trip  by  wagon  in  1829.  Michael 
Gunn,  a  brother  of  Susan  (Gunn)  Matlock,  made  three  trips  back  and 
forth  between  North  Carolina  and  Missouri  and  bought  a  great  deal  of 
land.  Susan  (Gunn)  Matlock  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Gunn,  who  was 
a  son  of  Thomas  Gunn,  who  married  Martha  Hooper,  and  was  a  native 
of  Ireland  and  founder  of  the  Gunn  family  in  this  country.  Thomas 
Gunn  (II)  married  Anna  Montgomery,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Jeanette 
Montgomery,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland. 

James  E.  Matlock  was  a  son  of  James  Matlock,  who  was  a  son  of 
Nicholas  Matlock.  Mrs.  Leora  E.  (Matlock)  Wallace  now  makes  her  home 
in  Boonville  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Crutchfield.  She  has  one  other 
child,  Mrs.  Lessie  Ball,  of  Macon,  Mo. 

Mr.  Crutchfield  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Travelers'  Protec- 
tive Association.  He  and  his  family  worship  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Ernest  Louis  Moehle. — The  Moehle  family  have  been  resident  in 
Cooper  County  since  1867,  when  Louis  Moehle,  father  of  E.  L.  Moehle, 
of  Boonville,  township,  came  to  this  county  from  Prairie  City,  Iowa,  and 
purchased  the  William  Howard  farm  of  185  acres  on  the  Lamine  River 
and  also  operated  a  saw  mill. 

Louis  Moehle,  the  elder,  was  born  in  Germany,  married  Elizabeth 
Brunscheid,  and  after  coming  to  this  country,  settled  in  Iowa,  where  he 
built  a  mill,  which  he  operated  until  his  removal  to  Cooper  County  in 
1867.  He  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  Lamine  River  and  he  and  his  son  Gustav 
engaged  in  the  building  of  steamboats.  Some  of  the  boats  which  the 
Moehles  built  are  still  running  on  the  Missouri  River.  Capt.  "Nick" 
Smith  bought  an  interest  in  the  first  boat  which  they  built.  Gustav 
Moehle  later  built  gasoline  boats  at  Arrow  Rock.  The  father  died  in 
May,  1892.  Mrs.  Moehle  died  in  1891.  They  were  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Mrs.  Emma  Deit  Maring,  Covington,  Ky. ;  Gustav,  engi- 
neer on  the  Boonville  Ferry  Boat;  Mrs.  Bertha  Hines,  Carrollton,  Mo.; 
Mrs.  Dena  Friess,  Boonville;  Ernest  Louis,  of  this  review;  Hugo,  died  in 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Ernest  Louis  Moehle  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  worked  in  his 
father's  saw  mill  and  assisted  in  the  boat  building  when  a  boy.  In  1885 
he  traded  for  the  Friess  mill  property  and  operated  it  as  a  flour  and  saw 
mill  until  1899.    Returning  to  the  family  homestead,  he  rented  the  tract 


THE    MOEHLE    RISTKRS 


B.    I..    MOEHLE 


MRS.    i:     I.    MOEHLE 


Till;    MOEHLE    BROTHERS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  413 

until  1900.  He  then  bought  his  present  homestead  of  129  acres  in  Boon- 
ville  township,  west  of  the  city,  and  moved  to  the  place  March  4,  1901. 
Mr.  Moehle  has  rebuilt  the  residence,  built  barns,  and  all  fences,  and  has 
a  concrete  cellar  in  rear  of  the  house.  The  Moehle  place  is  one  of  the 
most  attractive  along  the  highway. 

Ernest  Louis  Moehle  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ind.  His  father, 
Louis  Moehle,  was  concerned  in  the  uprising  of  the  German  people  against 
the  Kaiser  in  the  '40s,  met  with  defeat  with  his  fellow  patriots  in  1848 
and  fled  to  America  to  escape  the  vengeance  of  the  military  masters  in 
1849.     He  first  located  in  Indiana  and  thence  to  Iowa,  thence  to  Missouri. 

E.  L.  Moehle  was  married  on  Njov.  4,  1879,  to  Miss  Amelia  Neff,  who 
has  borne  him  the  following  children:  Arthur,  Paul,  Nora,  Harry, 
George,  Matilda,  Bertha,  Ernest  L.,  Martha.  Arthur  is  owner  of  145 
acres  in  Boonville  township,  purchased  for  him  by  his  father,  married 
Elizabeth  Frederick,  and  has  three  children:  Herbert,  Pauline  and  Irene. 
Paul  is  in  the  employ  of  an  oil  company  in  Oklahoma,  and  has  a  home 
near  Boonville.  He  married  Elgie  Lahman,  and  has  three  children:  Ed- 
win, Melvin,  and  Vivian.  Nora  is  the  wife  of  Ernest  Jaeger,  of  Boonville 
township,  mother  of  two  children:  Clara  and  Martha.  Harry  is  em- 
ployed in  the  Boonville  postoffice,  married  Mena  Bamman,  and  has  two 
children,  Martha  Jane  and  Marie.  George  Ernest,  the  soldier  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  inducted  into  the  National  Army,  July  26,  1918,  spent  six  months 
in  training  as  a  private  in  the  first  class,  Battery  A,  29th  Field  Artillery, 
at  Camp  Funston,  and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service,  Jan. 
29,  1919.  Matilda  is  at  home  with  her  parents.  Bertha  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Jaeger,  Boonville  township,  and  is  mother  of  a  son,  Charles. 
Ernest  Louis,  Jr.,  and  Martha  are  at  home.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren was  born  April  24,  1855,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Neff, 
natives  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  America  in  June,  1848,  arriving 
here  June  15.    They  left  Germany  in  March,  1848. 

Mr.  Moehle  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church. 

Frank  George. — The  George  and  Goodman  furniture  and  undertak- 
ing establishment  on  south  Main  street,  Boonville,  Mo.,  is  the  largest  and 
finest  concern  of  its  kind  in  Central  Missouri.  Mr.  George,  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  has  been  engaged  in  business  since  1899,  but  the 
present  firm  of  George  and  Goodman  was  organized  in  1911.  In  1915 
the  stock  and  fixtures  were  moved  to  the  present  location.  A  large  build- 
ing, 50x120  feet,  is  occupied  by  the  two  floors  filled  with  the  immense  stock 


414  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

of  furniture  of  the  latest  and  best  makes.  The  undertaking  department 
is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Goodman,  the  junior  member  of  this  enterprising  and 
successful  business  house. 

Frank  George  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  the 
Missouri  pioneer  families.  He  was  born  in  Cooper  county,  on  a  farm 
twelve  miles  south  of  Boonville,  Jan.  27,  1857. 

Thomas  L.  George,  his  father,  was  born  in  1824  and  died  in  1898. 
His  mother,  Lucy  (McCullough)  George,  was  born  in  1826  and  died  in 
1893.  She  was  a  sister  of  Col.  Robert  McCullough,  of  Confederate  army 
and  Civil  War  fame.  Thomas  L.  George  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County 
and  was  a  son  of  Reuben  George,  bom  in  Tennessee,  reared  there,  and 
rode  to  Cooper  County  on  horseback  from  his  Tennessee  home,  made  a 
location  on  the  Petit  Saline  creek  and  married  Sallie  McFarland.  daugh- 
ter of  another  pioneer  family.  Lucy  (McCullough)  George  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  McCullough,  of  Virginia,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  in 
1835.  During  the  Civil  War,  Thomas  L.  George  commanded  a  company 
of  Home  Guards  and  bore  the  title  of  captain.  He  developed  a  splendid 
farm  south  of  Boonville  and  reared  a  family  of  six  children:  Charles  L. 
George,  Boonville;  Mrs.  Ada  Rudolph,  deceased;  Frank  George,  of  this 
review;  Elmer  George,  judge  of  the  County  Court,  resides  on  a  farm 
near  Bunceton ;  Albert,  living  at  Rock  Island,  Texas ;  Margaret,  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County. 

Robert  McCulloch,  grandfather  of  this  subject,  was  born  in  Albemarle 
County,  Va.,  Dec.  2,  1781,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  June  12,  1853. 
He  served  his  country  as  captain  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  moved  to  this 
county  in  the  year  of  1835  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township  on  the 
Lone  Elm  prairie  and  built  the  first  house  erected  on  praiiie  land  in  the 
county. 

Robert  McCoIloch,  great  grandfather  of  subject,  was  born  in  Antrim, 
Ireland,  Sept.  4,  1743 ;  died  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.,  March  20,  1820.  He 
emigrated  to  America;  he  first  went  to  Pennsylvania  and  afterwards  to 
Virginia.  He  had  a  brother  killed  in  battle  at  Kings  Mountain.  He  was 
married  in  Ireland  to  Miss  Sarah  Wherry,  who  died  in  Albemarle  County, 
Va.,  Jan.  27,  1826,  aged  80  years,  six  months  and  IS  days. 

John  McCulloch,  great  great  grandfather  of  our  subject,  lived  and 
died   in   Ireland. 

Patsy  Mills  McCulloch,  grandmother  of  subject  on  the  maternal  side, 
was  married  to  Robert  McCulloch,  subject's  grandfather,  in  Albemarle 
County,  Va.,  Sept.  18,  1806,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo..  May  25,  1878. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  415 

Joseph  Mills,  the  maternal  great  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a 
native  of  England  and  emigrated  to  America.  He  married  Miss  Mary 
Blaekwell,  of  Virginia.  Joseph  Mills  died  in  Aug.,  1843,  at  an  advanced 
age.     His  wife  died  aged  81  years,  three  months  and  28  days. 

Reuben  George,  father  of  T.  L.  George,  born  Feb.  23,  1792,  came  to 
the  state  from  Tennessee  in  the  year  1816  and  settled  on  a  farm  4  miles 
south  of  Boonville,  on  the  Petit  Saline  creek.  He  married  Sarah  McFar- 
land,  April  1,  1821.  Thomas  L.  George  was  born  on  the  said  farm,  Janu- 
ary 5,  1824,  had  two  sisters  and  one  brother,  viz:  Mrs.  Nancy  (George) 
Aseltyne,  Ellen  George  and  Jacob  L.  George,  all  now  dead. 

Thomas  L.  George  was  married  to  Lucy  McCulloch,  June  11,  1850. 
Of  this  union  the  following  children  were  born:  C.  L.  George,  residing  in 
Boonville,  Mo.;  Ada  (George)  Rudolph,  wife  of  Judge  Adam  Rudolph,  now 
deceased ;  Albert,  now  residing  in  Rock  Island,  Texas ;  Elmer,  present 
judge  of  the  County  Court  from  the  eastern  district  of  this  county,  and 
Maggie,  teaching  in  the  rural  schools  of  the  county. 

Jacob  McFarland,  great  grandfather,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1772.  Nancy 
(Cathy)  McFarland,  his  wife,  was  born  Jan.  18,  1780,  and  came  to  this 
state  from  North  Carolina  in  the  year  1816,  and  settled  on  a  farm  four 
miles  south  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  near  the  Petit  Saline  creek.  They  were 
the  parents  of  Sallie  George,  wife  of  Reuben  George;  Sarah  (McFarland) 
George  was  born  in  the  state  of  North  Carolina  in  1802,  Jan.  13th. 

Reuben  George  died  in  this  county,  Jan.  13,  1862,  and  Sarah,  his  wife, 
Nov.  6,  1873. 

Thomas  L.  George  died  in  this  county,  Oct.,  1898.  Lucy  McCulloch 
George,  his  wife,  died  May  27,  1893,  and  was  buried  in  the  McCulloch 
cemetery  in  this  county. 

Frank  George  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself  when  he  attained  maturity.  He  developed  a  fine  farm 
near  Clarks  Fork,  Mo.,  and  in  1899  moved  to  Boonville,  where  he  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  business  for  the  past  20  years.  He  first  ventured 
into  the  implement  and  grocery  business  but  sold  out  and  has  ever  since 
been  engaged  in  the  furniture  business. 

Mr.  George  was  married  in  1883  to  Virginia,  the  daughter  of  George 
and  Cornelia  (Bear)  Shirley,  early  settlers  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  and 
.Mrs.  George  have  three  children:  Edna  George,  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  at  Durant,  Okla.;  Ila,  wife  of  George  R.  Johnson,  Webster  Groves, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Alma  Drury,  living  at  home  with  her  parents. 

A  few  words  regarding  the  McCulIough  family  would  be  timely  here. 


416  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Robert  McCullough  was  born  Dec.  2,  1781,  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.,  and 
died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  June  12,  1853.  He  served  as  captain  of  a 
company  of  volunteers  during  the  War  of  1812.  In  1835  he  came  to 
Cooper  County  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  erected  the  first 
house  built  upon  the  Upland  prairie  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  a  son  of 
Robert  McCullough,  a  native  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  born  Sept.  4, 
1743,  and  died  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.,  March  30,  1820.  He  became 
very  wealthy.  A  brother  of  Robert  McCullough  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  King's  Mountain  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  Robert  McCullough 
was  a  son  of  John  McCullough.  The  wife  of  Robert  McCullough  (I)  was 
Sarah  Wherry,  who  died  Jan.  27,  1826,  at  the  age  of  80  years.  Patsey 
(Mills)  McCullough,  wife  of  Capt.  Robert  McCullough  (II)  died  May  25, 
1878.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Mills,  a  native  of  England,  who  was 
a  famous  Greek  and  Latin  scholar.  Joseph  Mills  died  in  August,  1843. 
He  had  married  Mary  Blackwell. 

Frank  George  has  been  a  life  long  republican.  He  has  served  two 
terms  as  sheriff  of  Cooper  County,  being  first  elected  in  1902  and  was 
re-elected  in  1904.  Mr.  George  was  elected  mayor  of  Boonville  in  1914 
and  held  the  office  for  one  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  is  an  excellent  citizen  as  well  as  successful  business  man. 

Joseph  Lieber,  farmer  and  Union  veteran,  owner  of  a  fine  tract  of 
land  in  Boonville  township,  embracing  177  acres,  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
July  31,  1843.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Mary  Anna  (Fuerer)  Lieber,  left 
their  country  in  Dec,  1850,  and  came  to  America,  landing  from  a  sailing 
vessel  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  after  a  voyage  of  33  days.  Six  days  more 
were  consumed  in  making  the  river  trip  by  boat  from  New  Orleans  to 
Jefferson  City,  arriving  there  in  Feb.,  1851.  In  1854  the  family  came  to 
Boonville.  Peter  Lieber  had  been  a  charcoal  burner  in  his  native  country, 
but  his  skill  in  this  respect  not  being  in  demand  in  Boonville,  he  worked 
as  a  laborer. 

The  Civil  War  having  broken  out,  Joseph  Lieber,  May  10,  1861,  ac- 
companied by  John  Hirth  and  another  young  man,  named  Diringer, 
boai'ded  a  row  boat  and  made  their  way  to  St.  Louis,  down  the  Missouri 
River,  a  distance  of  220  miles.  He  there  joined  the  First  Missouri 
Light  Artillery,  Union  Army,  went  to  Rolla  with  his  company  and  thence 
to  Springfield,  soon  afterward  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek. 
He  was  there  taken  prisoner  and  held  for  five  days,  released  on  parole, 
promised  not  to  again  take  up  arms  against  the  Confederacy  and  then 
settled  down  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  tinner.     He 


JOSEPH    LIEBER 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  417 

returned  to  Boonville  in  1866  and  in  1867  he  established  a  tin  shop  in  the 
city,  which  he  operated  until  1883.  He  then  went  to  Franklin  county, 
Ark.,  and  farmed  in  that  county  until  1893.  Returning  to  Boonville,  he 
again  engaged  in  business,  working  at  his  trade  until  1916,  when  he  re- 
moved to  his  farm  just  south  of  Boonville.  In  1905,  Mr.  Lieber  had  pur- 
chased the  old  Greenlease  place  of  53.5  acres  and  has  added  to  this  tract 
until  he  owns  177  acres. 

Mr.  Lieber  was  married  in  Jan.,  1868,  to  Margaret  Fessler,  who  was 
born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1843,  and  came  to  America,  with  her  parents 
in  1855.  Her  parents  were  Franz  and  Geneva  Fessler,  who  settled  in 
Boonville.  Mrs.  Lieber  died  in  Oct.,  1890.  She  was  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren: Frank,  Joseph,  John,  James,  William,  Cecilia,  George,  Roman,  and 
Charles.  Frank  Lieber  lives  in  Dallas,  Texas.  Joseph  Lieber  is  buried  at 
Fort  Smith,  Ark,  his  death  occurring  in  1895.  John  Lieber  lives  at  Mus- 
cogee, Okla.  James  Lieber  resides  in  Tennessee.  William  Lieber  lives 
in  Boonville.  Cecelia  Lieber  is  deceased.  George  Lieber  lives  at  Parsons, 
Kan.  Roman  Lieber  lives  at  Muscogee,  Okla.  Lieut.  Charles  Lieber,  of 
the  National  Army,  A.  E.  F.,  in  France,  was  born  in  1889.  He  is  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  ambitious  of  Cooper  County's  young  men.  While  a 
student  at  Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  he  enlisted  in  the  Na- 
tional Army,  with  the  12th  Engineers  Battalion,  Company  C,  in  May, 
1917.  He  first  went  to  England  with  his  command  in  June,  1917,  thence 
to  France,  where  he  participated  in  the  memorable  campaigns  with  the 
A.  E.  F.  He  was  connected  with  the  motor  department  of  the  American 
Army  in  France.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  army  June  1, 
1919,  and  is  now  at  home. 

The  father  of  Joseph  Lieber  was  well  to  do  in  Baden,  Germany,  and 
came  of  a  family  of  charcoal  burners,  whose  business  it  was  to  supply  the 
big  iron  works  near  the  Black  Forest.  Wishing  to  be  free  and  indepen- 
dent and  settle  in  a  country  where  his  children  would  have  fuller  and 
better  opportunities  to  make  careers  of  their  own,  he  came  to  America. 
His  children  received  every  advantage  that  he  could  give  them  in  the  way 
of  training  and  education,  Joseph  Lieber,  of  this  review,  having  been  edu- 
cated in  Prof.  Alkison's  private  school  in  Boonville. 

Although   nominally   republican,    Joseph    Lieber   is   an    independent 
voter  who  does  his  own  thinking  along  political  lines.    He  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  John  A.  Hayne  Post,  No.  240,  and  has 
been  the  Colonel  Commanding  this  Post  for  the  past  eight  years. 
(27) 


418  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Maximilian  E.  Schmidt.— The  jewelry  establishment  of  Gmelich  & 
Schmidt,  owned  and  operated  by  M.  E.  Schmidt,  of  this  review,  is  the 
oldest  and  best  known  jewelry  store  of  central  Missouri.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  complete  and  best  stocked  and  compares  most  favorably  and 
equals  in  its  appointments  and  arrangements  any  concern  of  the  same 
character  in  the  larger  cities  of  Missouri.  For  nearly  60  years  this  store 
has  been  conducted  in  Boonville  and  was  founded  in  1860  by  the  late  Hon. 
Jacob  F.  Gmelich,  who  was  joined  by  Maximilian  E.  Schmidt,  his  son-in- 
law,  in  1893.  For  some  years  it  was  known  as  the  Gmelich  and  Huber 
Jewelry  Company  until  Mr.  E.  G.  Huber  retired  from  the  business  in 
1905.  The  firm  then  became  Gmelich  &  Schmidt  and  is  at  present  oper- 
ated under  that  name  with  Mr.  Schmidt  as  manager.  Since  Mr.  Gmelich's 
death  in  February,  1914,  Mr.  Schmidt  has  been  sole  proprietor. 

M.  E.  Schmidt  was  born  in  Peru,  111.,  April  19,  1865.  He  is  a  son  of 
Albin  and  Caroline  (Conrad)  Schmidt,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Albin 
Schmidt  was  a  revolutionist  in  his  native  land  and  in  1848  took  part  in 
the  ill  fated  revolt  against  the  grandfather  of  the  present  deposed  Kaiser 
of  Germany.  He  was  placed  under  arrest  and,  eventually  exiled  from 
his  native  country.  He  fled  to  America  with  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
his  compatriots  who  sought  free  homes  in  this  country.  He  first  located 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of  baker.  In  1850  he 
removed  to  Peru,  111.,  there  spending  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  in 
1895  at  the  age  of  74  years.  His  wife,  Caroline,  was  born  in  1825  and 
died  in  1885.  There  were  six  children  born  to  Albin  and  Caroline  Schmidt, 
as  follow:  Mrs.  Josephine  Gmelich,  widow  of  Gottlab  Gmelich,  Peru,  111., 
who  was  a  brother  of  the  late  J.  F.  Gmelich ;  Fredrick  Schmidt,  died  in 
Detroit,  Mich.;  Mrs.  Bertha  Weberling,  lives  at  Peru,  111.;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Wagenknecht,  Peru,  111. ;  Hermine,  lives  at  Peru,  111. ;  and  Maxi- 
milian E.  Schmidt,  of  this  review. 

M.  E.  Schmidt  was  reared  and  educated  in  Peru,  111.  At  the  age  of 
14  years,  he  went  to  La  Salle,  111.,  and  there  learned  the  trade  of  jeweler 
and  watchmaker.  After  a  two  years'  apprenticeship  in  La  Salle,  he  went 
to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  thence  to  Stillwater,  where  he  completed  his 
studentship  and  began  working  at  the  trade  of  watchmaker.  He  spent 
one  year  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  after  which  he  followed  his  trade  for 
three  years  at  Chillicothe,  Mo.  In  1893  he  came  to  Boonville  and  asso- 
ciated himself  with  Mr.  J.  F.  Gmelich. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  married  in  1889  to  Miss  Louise  Gmelich,  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  F.  Gmelich.  Three  children  have  blessed  this  marriage:  Albin 
Jacob,  Doris  Eugenie  and  Maximilian. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  419 

Albin  Jacob  Schmidt  is  his  father's  assistant  in  the  tidiness,  mar- 
ried Beulah  Randolph,  and  has  one  child,  Randolph  Schmidt,  born  Feb. 
27,  1918. 

Doris  Eugenie  is  the  wife  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Jr.,  a  grandson 
of  Col.  Joseph  L.  Stephens,  and  resides  in  Boonville. 

Maximilian  Gmelich  Schmidt  was  born  March  20,  1909,  and  is  at- 
tending school. 

Mr.  Schmidt  is  a  Reupblican  and  has  long  been  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Boonville  School  Board 
for  the  past  six  years  and  he  has  served  four  years  as  treasurer  of  the 
Missouri  Training  School.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian  Church 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Mr.  Schmidt 
is  a  Knights  Templar,  and  is  a  member  of  Ararat  Temple  of  Mystic 
Shriners  of  Kansas  City.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  is  one  of  the  leading,  progressive  and  influential  citizens  of  Boonville. 

Harry  T.  Manion. — The  clothing  and  mens'  furnishing  store  owned 
and  operated  by  Manion  and  Muntzel  is  a  gem  of  its  kind  and  is  one  of 
the  most  attractive  and  handsomest  stores  in  Central  Missouri.  Equipped 
and  furnished  with  up-to-the-minute  fixtures  of  the  latest  design  it  pre- 
sents an  attractive  appearance  both  from  the  front  and  the  interior.  This 
store  was  established  in  Sept.  21,  1918,  and  has  enjoyed  an  ever  increas- 
ing patronage  from  the  more  discerning  and  particular  class  of  purchas- 
ers since  its  inception.  The  arrangements  of  the  store  are  the  result  of 
planning  and  study  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Manion  who  spent  several  weeks 
in  traveling  and  making  a  thorough  study  of  the  methods  followed  by 
stores  in  other  modern  cities  in  the  country  before  opening  his  own  con- 
cern. The  Manion  and  Muntzel  store  carries  a  stock  valued  at  $60,000 
and  a  room  80x25  feet  is  filled  with  the  Hirsch-Wickwire  goods  and  lines 
of  the  very  best  men's  furnishing  goods. 

Harry  T.  Manion  was  born  April  4,  1889,  across  the  Missouri  River 
in  Howard  County.  He  is  a  son  of  John  W.  Manion,  a  native  of  Howard 
County,  whose  father  was  Amos  Manion,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
this  section  of  Missouri.  John  W.  Manion  was  bora  in  1855  and  died  in 
1893.  His  wife  was  Mattie  Fielding  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  J.  W. 
Fielding  of  Howard  County.  Mrs.  Manion  was  born  in  1867  and  now 
resides  in  Boonville.  John  W.  and  Mattie  Manion  were  parents  of  three 
children:  Walter  Manion,  a  merchant  of  Sedalia,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Lorena 
Capito.  living  in  Howard  Countv;  Harry  Manion,  of  this  review. 

Harry  T.  Manion  resided  on  the  home  farm  until  1900.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Sedalia  public  schools  of  Sedalia  and  Central  Business  Col- 


420  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

lege  of  that  city.  He  then  returned  to  the  home  farm  in  Howard  County 
and  remained  there  operating  the  farm  until  1906.  He  was  then  employed 
in  Victor's  store  in  Boonville  until  June,  1918.  Until  the  opening  of  the 
Manion  and  Muntzel  store  he  spent  several  months  in  visiting  eastern 
cities,  laying  in  his  stock  of  goods  and  getting  ideas  for  the  store  altera- 
tions and  furnishing — a  study  which  has  resulted  in  the  creation  of  the 
handsomest  store  in  central  Missouri. 

Mr.  Manion  was  married  in  1911  to  Miss  Elsa  Schnack,  a  daughter  of 
Heimnn  and  Minnie  Schnack  of  this  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manion  have 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Wilhelmina  Marie,  aged  six  years. 

Mr.  Manion  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  is  a  fine  type  of  young,  successful  merchant  who 
has  taken  his  place  among  the  nustling  business  men  of  Boonville. 

John  W.  Rudolph,  pioneer  farmer  and  Union  veteran,  has  one  of  the 
finest  prairie  farms,  consisting  of  170  acres,  in  Cooper  County.  The 
Rudolph  acreage  is  located  in  Palestine  township  and  is  well  improved. 
Mr.  Rudolph  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Va.,  Jan.  19,  1844,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  (Cooper)  Rudolph,  who  made  the  trip  by  steam- 
boat from  Virginia  to  Boonville  in  1854.  They  arrived  at  Boonville  in 
the  fall  of  1854  and  in  the  spring  of  1855  the  family  located  on  the  Squire 
Bear  farm.  Jacob  Rudolph  died  the  next  year,  1856,  and  the  widow  was 
left  to  rear  her  family  of  three  children,  as  follows:  Adam  Rudolph  is 
deceased;  John  W.  Rudolph,  subject  of  this  review;  and  George  Rudolph, 
living  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  Mrs.  Rachel  Rudolph  died  in  1888,  at  the 
age  of  86  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  John  W.  Rudolph  enlisted  in  Company  I.  Ninth 
Missouri  Cavalry,  and  served  under  the  Union  flag  in  northern  Missouri, 
and  other  parts  of  the  Southwest,  in  fighting  raiding  bands  of  Confed- 
erates, bushwhackers  and  guerillas.  He  took  part  in  the  chase  aftei 
General  Price's  army  of  invasion  and  assisted  in  driving  the  rebel  army 
to  Red  River.  Mr.  Rudolph  was  a  captain  of  artillery.  His  company 
fought  a  battle  in  Cooper  County,  near  Boonville.  He  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Independence,  Mo.,  and  they  had  another  engagement  with  Price 
at  Pilot  Knob.  At  the  battle  of  the  Blue,  near  Independence,  the  fighting 
was  fierce  during  the  day,  but  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Price  started 
his  memorable  retreat  with  Gen.  Joe  Shelby  guarding  his  rear.  Mr.  Ru- 
dolph also  took  part  in  the  battle  at  Houstonia,  Mo.,  and  the  battle  of  the 
Meries  De  Cygne,  both  of  which  actions  took  place  during  Price's  retreat 
to  the  south. 


JOHN    W.    KI'lMH.I'H 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY  421 

In  1875,  Mr.  Rudolph  settled  on  his  pretty  country  place  in  Palestine 
township  and  has  lived  there  contentedly  and  prosperously  for  the  past 
44  years.  Of  late  years  he  is  taking  life  easy,  as  befits  a  man  of  his  age, 
and  has  turned  over  the  cultivation  of  his  land  to  younger  and  stronger 
arms. 

Mr.  Rudolph  was  married  in  March,  1869,  to  Mary  Susan  Duncan, 
who  was  born  in  1849,  near  Rocheport,  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  a  daughter 
of  Granville  Duncan.  The  children  born  to  this  marriage  are:  Mrs.  Ida 
Wells,  Fort  Gibson,  Okla. ;  Patrick  Henry  Rudolph,  an  employe  of  the 
ico  Railroad,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Jessie  Hagelberger  living  on 
the  home  place.  Mr.  Rudolph  has  five  grandchildren.  Mrs.  Ida  Wells  has 
one  child,  Rudolph  Wells;  Patrick  Henry  has  one  child,  Lottie  Rudolph. 
Mr.  Rudolph  has  four  great-grandchildren:  Rudolph  Wells  married 
Sallie  E.  Effort,  of  Fort  Gibson,  Okla.,  and  has  four  daughters,  Mary 
Elizabeth,  Doris,  Pattie  Nadine,  and  Ida  Mary. 

The  first  vote  cast  by  Mr.  Rudolph  was  for  Abraham  Lincoln  while 
on  the  march  after  General  Price,  and  he  has  continued  to  vote  the  repub- 
lican ticket  for  the  past  55  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Col.  John  A.  Hayne 
Post,  No.  244,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Boonville,  Mo. 

William  M.  Johnson. — The  greater  number  of  the  sturdy  citizens 
who  were  pioneers  in  the  business,  industrial  and  professional  life  of 
Cooper  County  have  passed  away.  They  have  gone  to  their  eternal  re- 
wards ;  memory  remains,  and  their  children  and  descendants  are  keeping 
it  green.  One  of  the  best  known,  successful  and  highly  regarded  merch- 
ants of  the  city  was  the  late  William  M.  Johnson  of  Boonville.  His  life 
was  so  lived  that  the  story  of  his  success  will  prove  an  insipration  to  the 
rising  generation. 

William  M.  Johnson  was  born  in  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  July  12.  1828. 
He  departed  this  life  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  June  29,  1918.  His  parents  were 
Isaac  and  Mary  Johnson.  His  father  was  a  native  of  England,  came  to 
America  when  young  and  located  in  Richmond,  Va.  He  there  married 
Mary  ('notes  and  was  engaged,  in  connection  with  Jacob  Cootes,  in  the 
manufacture  of  tobacco  for  a  number  of  years.  He  later  went  to  Harri- 
sonburg, where  he  taught  school  until  his  death  in  18:>6.  Jacob  Cootes, 
grandfather  of  W.  M.  Johnson  on  the  maternal  side,  was  of  Holland  de- 
nt. After  the  death  of  his  parents,  W.  M.  Johnson  was  reared  in  the 
home  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  Cootes,  of  "Oakland'"  plantation,  situated  about 
14  miles  from  Harrisonburg. 

In  1855  he  left  Virginia  and  came  to  Missouri.    St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  was 


422  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

his  destination.  When  the  steamboat  on  which  he  was  traveling  stopped 
at  Boonville  for  a  few  hours,  he  made  his  way  uptown.  Not  expecting 
to  see  anybody  that  he  knew,  he  was  very  much  surprised  when  an 
acquaintance,  John  Keiser,  called  out,  "Hello,  Billy  Johnson,  where  are 
you. going?  I'll  get  you  a  job."  He  at  once  changed  his  mind  about 
going  on  to  St.  Joseph,  got  a  job  and  remained  in  Boonville.  Mr.  John- 
son's first  employment  was  with  the  firm  of  B.  and  W.  W.  Jones,  whole- 
salers, with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  was  a  trusted  em- 
ploye of  this  firm  and  was  sent  on  collection  trips  throughout  the  south- 
west. On  many  occasions  he  would  return  with  large  amounts  of  money, 
as  high  as  $10,000  in  his  saddle  bags.  He  was  afterward  employed  in 
the  dry  goods  house  of  George  T.  Hardcastle  until  1860,  when  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  William  H.  Trigg  Mercantile  Company.  He  re- 
mained with  this  firm  until  1886,  when  with  his  two  sons  he  established 
the  shoe  business  which  was  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  M. 
Johnson  and  Sons  until  1907  when  the  business  was  closed  out  by  the 
Johnsons  and  Mr.  Johnson  retiring  from  active  business.  Prior  to  en- 
gaging in  the  shoe  business  he  was  connected  with  the  banking  business 
established  by  William  H.  Trigg,  who  had  the  first  bank  in  Boonville. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  connected  with  the  William  H.  Trigg  Dry 
Goods  Company,  previous  to  embarking  in  the  shoe  business. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Juliet  A.  Trigg,  who  was 
born  in  Boonville,  Aug.  5,  1838,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  William 
H.  Trigg,  an  extended  review  of  whose  life  appears  in  this  history.  The 
children  born  to  William  M.  and  Juliet  Johnson  were  as  follows:  Sallie, 
died  in  infancy;  Mary  L.,  William  Morris,  and  Wilbur  T. 

Mary  L.  is  the  wife  of  Lawson  Price,  an  extensive  farmer  and  land 
owner  of  Jefferson  City,  who  is  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  have  one  child,  Juliet  Price. 

W.  Morris  Johnson  resides  in  Boonville  and  is  traveling  salesman  for 
a  wholesale  shoe  company  of  St.  Louis.  He  married  Miss  Byrd  Fiery  of 
Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

Wilbur  T.  Johnson  and  his  brother,  W.  Morris  Johnson,  were  en- 
gaged with  their  father  in  the  shoe  business  in  Boonville  until  the  busi- 
ness was  disposed  of  in  1907.  For  the  past  eight  years,  Wilbur  T.  John- 
son has  been  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Johannes  Brothers  Shoe  Com- 
pany of  St.  Louis.  On  Oct.  26,  1892,  he  married  Miss  Rhoda  E.  Stephens, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Boonville,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Col. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  423 

Joseph  L.  Stephens,  a  member  of  the  old  Stephens  family  of  Cooper 
County,  and  who  was  a  widely  known  attorney.  To  Wilbur  T.  and  Rhoda 
E.  Johnson  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Wilbur  T..  Jr.,  and 
Martha  S.  Johnson. 

Wilbur  T.  Johnson,  Jr.,  is  aged  25  years.  He  is  a  lieutenant  in  the 
National  Army,  stationed  at  Camp  Dix,  N.  J.  Lieutenant  Johnson  en- 
listed in  February,  1918,  studied  military  science  at  the  Officers'  Train- 
ing School,  and  is  now  with  the  13th  Battalion,  153d  Depot  Brigade. 

Martha  S.  Johnson  is  a  student  in  Lindenwood  College,  St.  Charles,  Mo. 

William  M.  Johnson  was  a  lifelong  Democrat,  but  never  sought 
political  preferment.  He  was  devoted  to  his  business,  his  family,  his 
home  city  and  his  church.  He  was  a  stanch  Presbyterian  who  took  a 
great  interest  in  religious  matters  and  was  a  liberal  supporter  of  the 
church.  From  1862  until  his  death  he  was  an  elder  of  the  Boonville 
Presbyterian  Church.  While  of  a  retiring,  modest  nature  he  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  lovable  disposition  which  endeared  him  to  a  large  circle  of 
friends  who  still  revere  his  memory  as  that  of  an  upright,  God-fearing 
gentleman  who  was  ever  ready  and  willing  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to 
the  needy  and  deserving. 

William  R.  Miller,  druggist  and  proprietor  of  the  oldest  drug  store  in 
Boonville,  is  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  successful  business  men  of  Boon- 
ville. The  Roeschel  Drug  Store,  which  Mr.  Miller  owns  and  operates,  was 
established  by  Dr.  Ernest  Roeschel  in  1858  and  was  later  conducted  and 
owned  by  his  son,  the  late  William  Roeschel.  After  Mr.  Roeschel's  re- 
tirement from  business,  the  store  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Miller  on  March 
1,  1915. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Boonville,  Sept.  11,  1887.  His  father,  Joseph 
W.  Miller,  was  also  born  in  Boonville,  April  23,  1853,  and  was  a  son  of 
Joseph  W.  Miller,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  fled  from  his  native  land  on 
account  of  being  concerned  in  the  revolution  against  the  Kaiser  in  1848 
and  he  located  in  Boonville.  The  grandfather  was  enrolled  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Missouri  State  Guards  during  the  Civil  War  and  saw  active 
service  in  Cooper  County  and  vicinity.  Joseph  W.  Miller,  the  father,  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  wagon  maker  in  Boonville  until  his  retirement  in  1915. 
He  married  Catherine  Berster,  who  was  born  in  1862  and  departed  this 
life  in  1900,  leaving  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows:  Robert, 
in  the  employ  of  the  Railway  Express  Company,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  William 
R.,  of  this  review ;  Florence  Miller,  a  public  school  teacher  in  Oklahoma ; 
Clarence,  assisting  his  brother  in  the  drug  store,  and  Mary,  bookkeeper 


424  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  the  Millei-  Drug  Store.  Joseph  W.  Miller  was  again  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Kline,  who  bore  him  one  son:  Joseph  W. 

After  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  public,  parochial  and  high  schools 
of  Boonville,  William  R.  Miller  studied  for  two  years  in  the  St.  Louis 
College  of  Pharmacy  and  was  graduated  in  1910.  He  had  pi-eviously  been 
employed  in  the  Roeschel  Drug  Store  in  1904  and  until  taking  up  his 
college  studies.  In  1915  he  purchased  the  business  and  is  making  a  splen- 
did success  of  the  business.  Oct.  3,  1907,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marie 
Oswald,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Oswald,  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman 
residing  in  Boonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  one  child,  Margaret  Cath- 
erine, born  Oct.  18,  1918. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  church  and  is 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  holding  the  position  of  Chancellor 
of  the  local  lodge.  He  is  a  fine  type  of  business  man,  courteous,  obliging 
and  progressive. 

Richard  Loftin  Windsor,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks 
Fork  township,  has  been  identified  with  the  development  of  Cooper  County 
for  over  50  years.  He  was  born  in  this  county  at  Boonville,  Nov.  23, 
1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Loftin  and  Louisa  (Smith)  Windsor,  both  natives 
of  Alexandria,  Fairfax  County,  Va.  The  Windsor  family  came  to  Boon- 
ville in  1848,  and  for  a  number  of  years  Loftin  Windsor,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  conducted  what  was  known  as  a  "boat  store", 
furnishing  supplies  to  boats  which  were  navigating  on  the  river  at  that 
time.  In  1850  Loftin  Windsor  made  the  trip  across  the  plains  and  over 
the  mountains  to  California.  He  took  with  him  a  drove  of  cows  from 
Missouri  to  California,  which  he  sold  after  reaching  there,  receiving  from 
$80.00  to  $100.00  per  head.  He  had  paid  from  $8.00  to  $10.00  per  head. 
After  remaining  in  California  about  two  years  he  returned  to  Cooper 
County,  and  located  on  the  farm  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  now 
lives.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1889.  His  wife  departed  this  life  in  1855  and  their  re- 
mains are  interred  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery,  Boonville,  Mo.  She  was 
born  in  Alexandria,  Va.  To  Loftin  and  Louisa  Windsor  were  bom 
four  sons  and  a  daughter:  Mrs.  Cora  Runkle,  deceased;  R.  L.  of  this  re- 
view; Walter,  who  died  in  Monterey  County,  Calif.;  Lill,  deceased  in  1885; 
Eugene,  died  in  infancy. 

Richard  Loftin  .Windsor  was  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing his  life's  occupation,  and  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  fine  farms  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  425 

this  county.  The  place  is  well  improved,  with  good  farm  buildings  in- 
cluding an  eight  room  residence  which  was  built  in  1885.  An  Old  log 
cabin  stands  on  the  Windsor  farm,  which  is  suggestive  of  Macauley's  epi- 
gram :  "To  make  the  past  present ;  to  bring  the  present  near".  This  old 
relic  of  bygone  days  was  built  in  1855. 

R.  L.  Windsor  was  united  in  marriage  March  26,  1879,  with  Miss 
Cornelia  Moore,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Martha  Mooi-e,  pioneer  settlers 
of  Cooper  County,  of  English  descent.  They  are  both  now  deceased. 
.Mrs.  Windsor  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents:  G. 
Hutch,  a  farmer  at  Speed,  Mo. ;  R.  L.,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Gilliss,  Kansas  City, 
Mo. ;  Cornelia  ,the  wife  of  R.  L.  Windsor  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs. 
Florence  Eller,  Fayette,  Mo.,  and  Mrs.  Gertrude  Curtin,  Porto,  Okla.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Windsor  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Martha, 
married  William  Vieth,  Lone  Elm,  Mo. ;  Charles,  a  railroad  man,  St.  Louis, 
Mo.;  Holman,  died  at  the  age  of  one  year  and  11  months;  Gilliss, 
an  electrician,  Boonville ;  Edward,  now  serving  in  United  States  army ; 
Henry  resides  on  the  home  place ;  Corinne,  resides  at  home  and  Richard, 
who  served  as  sergeant  of  Company  B,  140th  Infantry,  35th  Division, 
United  States  army.  He  volunteered  in  March,  1917,  and  went  to  France 
with  his  command  in  May,  1918.  He  participated  in  the  principal  battles 
(iuring  the  closing  months  of  the  World  War,  and  won  to  his  everlasting 
credit  a  brilliant  military  record. 

R.  L.  Windsor  has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  for  45  years.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  political  affairs  and  at  one  time  was  a  candidate  for  county  judge.  The 
Windsor  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  for  many  years 
have  been  prominent  in  Cooper  County. 

Richard  Norman  Windsor,  a  veteran  of  the  World  War,  and  one  of 
Cooper  County's  progressive  young  men,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county. 
He  was  born  May  19,  1898  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  Loftin  Windsor,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume.  Richard  Norman  Windsor  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Cooper  County.  He  graduated  from  the  Boonville  High 
School  in  the  class  of  1916.  When  the  United  States  entered  the  World 
War  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Brownfield  &  Hurt  at  Boonville. 

March  26,  1917,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  3rd  Missouri  Infantry. 
His  first  service  was  guarding  the  railroad  bridge  at  Boonville.  Aug.  15, 
1917,  he  was  transferred  from  Boonville  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he 
was  on  duty  until  Oct.  9,  1917.     He  was  then  sent  to  Ft.  Sill,  Okla.,  where 


426  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

he  was  trained  for  over-sea  service.  Here  the  6th  and  3rd  Missouri 
Infantry  were  consolidated  into  the  140th  Infantry,  and  Mr.  Windsor 
became  a  member  of  that  organization.  In  April,  1918,  he  was  trans- 
ferred with  his  command  to  Camp  Mill,  Long  Island,  and  from  there  em- 
barked for  over-sea,  April  25,  1918,  landing  at  Liverpool,  England,  May 
7,  1918.  Here  he  spent  three  weeks  at  a  hospital,  and  on  June  1,  1918, 
landed  at  Havre,  France,  where  he  joined  his  regiment  in  a  three  day 
hike  near  Moncho.  From  there  he  was  sent  with  the  140th  Infantry  as  a 
a  member  of  the  3rd  battallion  to  Alsace,  and  went  into  the  trenches  at 
Thann,  after  which  his  command  rested  for  a  few  days  at  Saluxurex. 
Later,  on  July  15th,  he  was  sent  to  the  Balmain  sector  and  was  relieved 
from  that  sector  Sept.  1,  1918.  His  command  was  then  sent  on  to  the 
St.  Mihiel  drive,  and  acted  as  reserve  from  Sept.  12th  to  Sept.  18th.  They 
were  sent  on  the  Argonne  Forest  drive,  and  went  over  the  top  in  this  great 
battle  on  Sept.  26th  and  continued  in  action  there  until  Oct.  2d.  They 
then  were  sent  back  to  Petit  Maritz,  about  eight  kilometers  from  Barleduc 
and  shortly  afterwards  was  returned  to  the  line  of  action  about  three 
kilometers  from  the  city  of  Verdun.  Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Windsor  was 
sent  to  the  officers  training  school  at  LaValboreen,  about  18  miles  from 
Lyons,  France.  He  remained  there  until  Dec.  20th,  when  he  was  sent 
to  LeMans,  France,  where  he  remained  until  Feb.  2,  1919,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Brest.  On  Feb.  11,  1919,  he  left  Brest  for  the  United  States, 
arriving  at  Newport  News,  Va..  Feb.  28th  and  on  March  7th,  left  there 
for  Camp  Taylor  near  Louisville,  Ky.  Here  he  received  his  honorable 
discharge  March  17,  1919  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Windsor  served  on  four  different  battle  fronts  while  in  the 
service,  and  saw  much  severe  fighting.  His  company  entered  the  engage- 
ment at  Argonne  Forest  with  194  men  and  came  out  of  the  battle  six  days 
later  with  only  17. 

Francis  Marion  Smith,  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cooper  County, 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  officials  who  ever  held  official  position  in  Cooper 
County  and  is  a  very  capable  court  officer.  Mr.  Smith  was  bom  in  Char- 
itan  County,  Mo.,  March  25,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
(Smith)   Smith. 

Jacob  Smith  was  born  in  Germany,  June  10,  1818,  and  died  on  March 
30,  1901.  When  he  was  21  years  old  he  fled  from  his  native  land  to  escape 
military  service  in  the  Prussian  army  and  came  to  America.  He  located 
in  Glasgow,  Mo.,  and  followed  his  trade  of  miller  for  a  few  years.  He 
then  located  in  Chariton  County,  where  he  developed  a  fine  farm  and  lived 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  427 

there  for  55  years.  During  the  Mexican  War  he  enlisted  and  served  in 
the  famous  regiment  raised  and  commanded  by  Colonel  Doniphan.  Mr. 
Smith  was  married  in  Glasgow  to  Barbara  Smith,  who  was  born  in  1832 
and  died  in  1908.  She  resided  for  57  years  upon  the  farm  which  she  and 
her  husband  improved  in  Chariton  County.  Jacob  and  Barbara  Smith  were 
parents  of  eleven  children:  Mrs.  Barbara  Ann  Kelly,  Boonville,  Mo.; 
Jacob  Benjamin  and  John  Otto,  deceased;  Peter  Theodore,  a  real  estate 
man  at  Burns,  Wyo. ;  Joseph  Anthony,  employed  in  the  Commercial  Bank 
of  Boonville ;  Francis  M.,  of  this  review ;  Catherine  Rosella,  deceased ;  Marie 
Regina  Dempsey,  wife  of  a  Kansas  City  attorney;  Mrs.  Otilla  Ewald, 
Great  Bend,  Kan.;  Mrs.  Isabella  Magdalena  Grantges,  Sumner,  Mo.;  Vic- 
tor W.,  a  successful  ranchman  of  Wyoming. 

After  attending  the  district  school  in  his  home  neighborhood  in 
Charitan  County,  F.  M.  Smith  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  War- 
rensburg,  Mo.  While  a  student  there  he  taught  penmanship  and  in  this 
manner  assisted  in  -paying  his  expenses  while  pursuing  his  course.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  was  a  salseman  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  He  followed  the  real  estate  business  at  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  and  has  always  been  a  hustler.  Mr.  Smith  located  in  Boonville  for 
the  first  time  in  1879  but  since  that  time  he  spent  some  years  away  from 
Cooper  County.  His  first  official  position  was  that  of  deputy  county  col- 
lector in  1885.  His  next  position  was  that  of  deputy  clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  he  was  elected  to  this  position  in  the  fall  of  1918. 

On  November  21,  1906,  Francis  M.  Smith  and  Miss  Anna  Jegglin 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Anna  Smith  was  born  and  reared  in  Boon- 
ville and  is  a  daughter  of  John  M.  Jegglin  of  this  city. 

The  republican  party  has  always  had  the  allegiance  of  Mr.  Smith  and 
he  stands  high  in  its  councils.  He  is  a  member  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's 
Catholic  church  and  is  a  painstaking,  conscientious  public  official  to  whom 
the  art  of  making  and  retaining  friends  is  second  nature.  He  has  a  wide 
and  favorable  acquaintance  throughout  Cooper  County  and  Central  Mis- 
souri and  is  a  genial,  whole  souled  gentleman. 

Jacob  Deck. — The  meat  market  conducted  by  Jacob  Deck  is  one  of 
the  best  established  and  well  conducted  business  concerns  of  Boonville 
and  has  been  in  continuous  operation  by  its  proprietor  since  1892.  Jacob 
Deck  was  born  in  Alsace-Lorraine,  July  24,  1860,  and  came  to  America 
with  his  father  in  the  spring  of  1869.  John  and  Anna  Marie  Deck,  his 
parents,  were  of  French  origin.  The  mother  died  in  her  native  land  and 
John  Deck  located  in  Kansas  City  after  coming  to  this  country  and  for 


428  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

awhile  worked  as  a  laborer  in  the  city.  He  later  engaged  in  farming  in 
Douglas  County,  Kansas,  and  died  in  Eudora,  within  eight  miles  of  the  city 
of  Lawrence,  Kansas. 

Jacob  Deck  was  reared  in  Kansas  City  and  on  the  farm  in  Douglas 
County,  Kan.  Forty-three  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent  in  the  meat 
market  business  and  prior  to  locating  in  Boonville  he  followed  his  trade 
in  Kansas  City  and  in  Atchison,  Kan.  He  has  prospered  since  coming  to 
Boonville  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  city's  substantial  citizens.  M  r. 
Deck  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Anna  Fessler,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Boonville  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  Fessler,  who  located  in  this  city 
prior  to  the  Civil  War.  Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Jacob  and  Anna 
Deck,  six  of  whom  were  reared  to  maturity  as  follows :  Mrs.  Joseph 
Keithley,  Kansas  City ;  William  H.,  druggist,  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Gilman,  of  Sedalia,  Mo. ;  Jacob,  employed  in  Swift  &  Co's  oifice, 
Kansas  City;  Raymond  is  his  father's  assistant;  Herman  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  Deck  and  the  members  of  his  family  worship  at  the  Evangelical 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Independence  in  politics  and  voting 
has  been  his  rule  for  many  years,  but  he  has  not  neglected  the  duties  of 
citizenship  and  has  served  as  city  alderman  for  six  years. 

Albert  Jaeger,  a  prosperous  retired  farmer,  whose  fine  farm  of  186.5 
acres  is  located  on  the  Old  Trails  Road  about  three  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  Boonville,  has  lived  upon  his  present  place  since  1909.  The  Jaeger 
farm  is  well  improved  with  a  large  brick  house  and  other  farm  buildings 
in  good  repair.  Mr.  Jaeger's  two  sons  are  now  operating  the  farm. 
Albert  Jaeger  was  born  in  Germany.  Nov.  23,  1860.  He  is  a  son  of  August 
and  Matilda  (Heider)  Jaeger,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared  in  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Jaeger  died  in  1882,  and  the  father  still  resides  in  his  native 
country  having  attained  the  great  age  of  81  years. 

Albert  Jaeger  was  not  content  to  lead  a  mediocre  existence  in  his 
native  country.  May  30,  1882  he  landed  at  Boonville  with  but  a  few  dol- 
lars in  his  purse.  For  one  and  a  half  years  he  was  employed  as  gardener. 
He  then  rented  land  for  four  years ;  he  met  with  reverses  and  had  no 
money;  he  then  went  to  Bloomington,  III.,  and  for  two  years  he  was 
employed  as  laborer  there,  three  months  of  which  were  spent  in  the  Illi- 
nois coal  mines.  It  was  only  to  be  expected  that  his  first  venture  in  till- 
ing the  soil  would  not  prove  successful  inasmuch  as  he  had  no  knowledge 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  429 

Oi  farming,  his  father  having  been  a  merchant  in  Germany.  From  Bloom- 
ington,  Mr.  Jaeger  went  to  Chicago  and  was  employed  there  for  five  years, 
three  years  in  the  packing  house  of  Armour  &  Company.  He  returned 
to  Boonville  in  1894,  worked  out  for  a  few  months,  carefully  studied 
methods  of  farming  and  made  another  try  at  his  desired  vocation.  He 
1 1  nted  a  farm  again.  He  saved  $375  and  made  a  first  payment  on  80 
acre  miles  southwest  of  Boonville.     This  time  he  was  successful 

and  he  sold  this  farm  at  a  profit  in  1905  and  bought  200  acres  in  the 
northwest  part  of  Boonville  township.  About  six  months  ago  he  sold 
this  farm  to  his  youngest  son,  and  bought  his  present  place  in  1910. 

Mr.  Jaeger  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Ida  Schroeder  who  was  born 
in  Germany.  June  5,  1858,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Ernest  and  Lisetta 
Schroeder,  who  died  when  Airs.  Jaeger  was  an  infant.  She  came  to 
America  on  the  same  ship  which  carried  Mr.  Jaegers.  Six  children  have 
been  born  to  this  marriage,  four  of  whom  survive:  Ernest,  a  farmer  three 
miles  west  of  his  father,  was  married  in  1909,  to  Miss  Nora  Moehle  and  has 
two  children,  Clara  and  Margaret;  William,  born  in  1885,  resides  on  a 
farm,  married  in  1910,  to  Bettie,  a  daughter  of  Hemy  Schierholz,  and  is 
father  of  two  children,  Florence  Virginia,  and  Mildred  Martha ;  Albert 
was  born  in  1890  and  is  assisting  his  father;  Charles  was  born  in  1892, 
and  was  married  in  1915  to  Bertha  Moehle,  and  has  one  child,  Charles; 
Otto,  the  youngest,  was  born  in  1894  and  died  of  appendicitis  in  1901 ;  and 
one  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Jaeger  is  an  independent  voter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Church  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  It  is  to  Mr.  Jaeger's  credit 
that  in  the  space  of  about  30  years,  he  should  come  to  a  strange  land,  with 
no  knowledge  of  fanning,  suffer  reverses  because  of  his  lack  of  knowl- 
edge and  in  the  end  achieve  success  which  places  him  in  the  front  rank  of 
Cooper  County's  successful  agriculturists. 

Harry  Ruskin. — The  career  of  Harry  Ruskin,  successful  merchant  of 
Boonville,  offers  a  striking  example  of  what  can  be  accomplished  by  an 
immigrant  from  the  old  world  who  comes  to  this  country  inspired  by  a 
vision  of  the  freedom  and  the  opportunities  awaiting  a  young  man 
endowed  with  ambition  and  energy.  Mr.  Ruskin  fled  to  America  from  his 
native  Russia  to  escape  military  service  and  to  get  away  from  the  perse- 
cution which  the  Russians  were  wont  to  inflict  upon  people  of  his  race. 
Since  coming  here,  a  poor  boy,  in  1903,  he  has  accumulated  a  comfortable 
competence  and  is  owner  of  one  of  the  most  thriving  business  enterprises 
in  Boonville,  besides  owning  considerable  property  in  Sedalia.     He  is  a 


430  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

natural  business  man  and  a  born  merchant  whose  store  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Morgan  streets  is  well  stocked  with  groceries,  meats,  drygoods 
and  has  an  ever-increasing  patronage  which  taxes  the  capacity  of  the 
many  clerks  to  wait  upon. 

Mr.  Ruskin  was  born  in  Russia  in  Dec.  26,  1884,  and  emigrated  to 
America  when  19  years  of  age.  He  landed  at  Boston,  Mass.,  without 
money  and  without  friends  and  no  knowledge  of  American  customs  and 
language.  For  the  first  six  months  he  worked  at  any  odd  job  which  came 
his  way  in  order  to  get  some  money.  He  then  came  west  to  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  and  obtained  employment  with  Swift  &  Companys'  packing  plant. 
Two  years  later  he  located  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  and  established  a  grocery  and 
notion  business  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Engineer  streets.  Mr. 
Ruskin  built  up  a  splendid  trade,  accumulated  real  estate  in  Sedalia,  sold 
out  on  account  of  his  wife's  health  and  came  to  Boonville  where  he  estab- 
lished his  present  store  in  1915. 

Mr.  Ruskin  was  married  in  March,  1906,  to  Miss  Yetta  Chasnoff,  a 
niece  of  M.  Chasnoff,  owner  of  the  Chasnoff  stores.  Five  children  have 
been  bom  of  this  marriage:  Roy,  Dorothy,  Leah,  Florence  and  Samuel. 

Harry  Ruskin  was  born  and  reared  in  the  old  Jewish  faith.  He  is 
affiliated  fraternally  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Security.  He  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  who  has  become 
heart  and  soul  with  the  plan  of  a  greater  Boonville  and  in  advancing  the 
best  interests  of  his  adopted  city. 

Jeff  L.  Davis. — The  Jeff  Davis  Shoe  Co.  store,  managed  by  Jeff  L. 
Davis,  and  established  in  March,  1906,  is  a  well  stocked  and  conveniently 
arranged  establishment  where  the  best  makes  of  ladies  and  men's  shoes 
are  retailed.  This  store  is  the  successor  to  the  George  Sahm  Shoe  Store, 
one  of  the  oldest  established  business  concerns  in  Boonville.  The  Jeff  L. 
Davis  Company,  was  incorporated  on  March  1,  1917,  and  the  store  was 
moved  to  its  present  location  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street.  Jeff  L.  Davis 
manager  of  the  shoe  business,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was 
born  on  the  Davis  farm  adjoining  the  city  of  Boonville  on  the  south. 

Daniel  Grosvenor  Davis,  his  father,  was  born  in  1842  and  died  on 
July  11,  1884.  He  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Mo.,  a  son  of  Daniel  G. 
Davis,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  pioneer  merchant  of  Missouri,  who  be- 
came very  wealthy,  dying  in  1859.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Rutherford  of 
Huntsville,  Mo.     Daniel  G.  Davis,  father  of  Jeff  L.  Davis,  came  to  Boon- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  431 

ville  when  a  boy  and  settled  on  the  Davis  farm,  where  he  was  reared  by 
an  uncle,  Henry  Davis,  a  pioneer  of  Cooper  county.  He  was  educated  in 
the  Kemper  Academy  and  married  Ruth  Brereton,  of  English  descent,  who 
was  born  in  1843  and  resides  on  the  home  farm.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  D.  Brereton,  who  came  from  Ireland  in  1846  and  made  a  settle- 
ment in  Cooper  County.  There  were  eight  children  in  the  Davis  family: 
William  G.,  deceased;  Charles  Daniel,  deceased;  Jeff  L.,  subject  of  this 
leview;  Ruth,  wife  of  E.  B.  Windsor,  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.;  Mary  Drew, 
deceased  wife  of  Thomas  Reed,  left  one  child,  Mary  Frances  Reid,  who 
makes  her  home  with  Mr.  Davis;  Leslie  B.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Emma  0. 
Gault,  deceased;  Daniel  G.,  a  dairyman  living  on  the  Davis  home  place. 

Jeff  L.  Davis  attended  the  Boonville  Academy  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  the  home  place  and  in  Pettis  County,  near  Clifton  City,  until  1904. 
He  engaged  in  business  in  Boonville  in  1906,  purchased  the  stock  and 
good  will  of  the  Sahm  shoe  store  and  continued  the  business  under  the 
name  of  Jeff  Davis  &  Co.  with  the  assistance  of  his  wife  until  March  1, 
1917,  when  he  established  his  present  thriving  business,  incorporating 
under  the  name  of  Jeff  Davis  Shoe  Co.  Stockholders,  Jeff  Davis,  Harry 
Sombart  and  Kathryn  Sahm  Davis. 

In  November  of  1905,  Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  Kathryn  Sahm, 
daughter  of  the  late  George  Sahm,  a  pioneer  shoe  man  of  Boonville. 

George  Sahm  was  born  in  Bavaria.  Germany,  Aug.  1,  1832,  and  emi- 
grated from  his  native  country  in  1848  or  1849  when  16  years  old.  He 
was  employed  for  three  years  in  the  boot  and  shoemaking  business  in 
Sandusky  County,  Ohio,  and  there  mastered  his  trade.  He  then  came 
to  Boonville  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  three  years  and  then  set  up  a 
shop  for  himself  in  the  spring  of  1865.  He  later  added  a  trade  stock  of 
boots  and  shoes  and  his  business  grew  steadily  so  that  by  1877  he  began 
the  manufacture  of  his  own  stocks  and  for  the  general  market  on  a  large 
scale.  In  1876  his  son,  George  W.  Sahm  became  his  partner,  and  in  1880, 
Henry,  his  other  son,  was  admitted  to  the  firm.  At  one  time  the  Sahm 
store  employed  over  30  hands  and  was  a  flourishing  and  prosperous  con- 
cern. 

Mr.  Sahm  was  married  July  8,  1854,  to  Miss  Catherine  Dick,  a  native 
of  Germany.  This  marriage  was  blessed  with  the  following  children: 
George  W.,  Mollie,  Henry  J.,  Joseph,  Julia,  Louis  and  Catherine.  Mr. 
Sahm  held  various  official  positions  in  the  city,  among  them  being  those 
of  school  director  and  city  councilman.     He  died  in'  1915. 


432  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  Democrat.  For  the  past  seven  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  City  Water  Works  Board  of  which  he  is  president.  He 
is  a  member  or  rather  was  reared  in  the  Episcopalian  faith.  Mr.  Davis 
is  a  Free  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Edward  Derendinger,  a  late  prominent  agriculturist  and  stockman 
of  Saline  township,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1868.  Mr.  Derendinger  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1885  and  located  in  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  where 
he  was  employed  in  farm  work,  laboring  by  the  month  for  three  or  four 
years,  when  he,  with  his  parents,  Rudolph  and  Louise  Derendinger,  moved 
to  Cooper  County  and  settled  on  the  farm  where  his  parents  died.  The 
remains  of  both  father  and  mother  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Pleasant  Grove. 

In  1901,  Edward  Derendinger  purchased  the  country  place  now 
owned  by  his  widow,  a  farm  comprising  207  acres  of  land,  located  seven 
miles  east  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Derendinger  improved  the  farm,  and  it  is 
now  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  He  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  until  the  time  of  his  death,  June  9,  1912,  and 
he  had  made  a  name  for  himself  in  the  county  as  an  honest,  industrious, 
hard-working  citizen. 

In  1906,  Edward  Derendinger  and  Magdalena  Stauffer  were  united 
in  marriage.  Mrs.  Derendinger  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Stauffer, 
of  Jimtown,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  both  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stauffer  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Henry  of  Lupus,  Mo.;  Annie  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Ulrich  Biere, 
residing  near  Moniteau  Church;  Rosada,  the  wife  of  Got  fried  Zurcher, 
of  Jimtown,  Mo.;  John,  of  Sandy  Hook,  Mo.;  Magdalena.  the  widow  of 
Edward  Derendinger.  the  subject  of  this  review;  Frederick,  who  resides 
in  Wisconsin;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Rudolph  Derendinger,  of  Sandy  Hook, 
Mo.;  and  Emil,  of  Lupus,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Derendinger 
were  born  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Emma,  Johnnie, 
Edwin,  Louis,  all  at  home  with  their  widowed  mother.  Frank  and  I.ydia 
died  in  infancy. 

Edward  Derendinger  was  one  of  the  following  children  bom  to  his 
parents:  Emil,  of  Pleasant  Grove  Mo.;  Louis,  of  Elgin,  111.;  Louisa,  de- 
ceased; Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Alica,  the  wife  of  Louis  Hei- 
sick,  residing  in  Germany;  Rudolph,  of  Sandy  Hook,  Mo.;  and  Fritz,  of 
Big  Lick,  Mo. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Derendinger  began  life 
under  discouraging  financial  conditions.     They  had  little  money  and  were 


v. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  433 

in  debt  for  their  farm,  but  by  practicing  economy  and  thrift  they  soon 
began  to  prosper,  and  since  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Derendinger 
has  continued  the  farm  work  with  success.  She  deserves  much  credit  for 
the  admirable  manner  in  which  she  has  managed  the  business  affairs 
and  is  rearing  her  fatherless  children. 

Mr.  Derendinger  was  a  valued  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove,  as  is  Mrs.  Derendinger.  He  was 
laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Pleasant  Grove,  and  the  loss  to  the  good 
citizenship  of  Cooper  County  has  long  been  lamented  by  those  who  knew 
him. 

Sonneck  Christiansen  Rossen. — The  splendid  new  county  home  for 
the  poor,  destitute  and  unfortunates  of  Cooper  County,  is  under  excellent 
and  capable  management.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  C.  Rossen,  who  have  charge 
of  the  home  and  the  inmates,  seem  to  have  found  their  niche  in  life  and 
are  filling  it  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  county  authorities,  and  the  people 
of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  S.  C.  Rossen,  superintendent  of  the  Cooper 
County  Home,  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  April  3,  1849.  His  parents, 
Christian  and  Bridgetta  (Hansen)   Rossen  spent  their  lives  in  Denmark. 

When  19  years  of  age,  S.  C.  Rossen  left  his  home  in  Denmark  and 
came  to  America,  arriving  here  in  September,  1868.  His  first  work  was 
on  railroad  construction  at  Effingham,  111.,  where  he  remained  for  three 
months.  Going  from  Illinois  to  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  he  worked  in  the  swamp 
region  of  the  Mississippi  River  Valley,  during  the  winter  season  of  1869 
and  1870.  He  contracted  malaria  in  the  South  and  returned  to  Illinois. 
From  1870  to  1871  he  was  employed  at  farm  labor  and  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  worked  in  the  lime  kilns  of  the  neighborhood.  He  saved  some 
money,  then  went  to  Kansas,  farmed  for  12  months,  sold  out  and  came 
to  Boonville,  Cooper  County  in  1873.  Mr.  Rossen  was  located  east  ,of 
Boonville  on  farms  for  18  years  and  finally  bought  a  farm  of  50  acres, 
west  of  Boonville.  He  later  bought  another  tract  of  73  acres,  upon  which 
he  lived  for  20  years,  reared  his  family  to  be  grown,  then  sold  out  and 
came  to  Boonville.  For  five  years,  Mr.  Rossen  was  road  overseer  of  the 
special  road  district.  In  February,  1917,  he  took  up  his  duties  as  super- 
intendent of  the  county  home,  with  Mrs.  Rossen  as  matron  of  the  home. 
They  have  the  care  of  from  20  to  25  indigent  poor  of  the  counfcy  and  no 
group  of  unfortunates  could  receive  better  care  than  that  given  them  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rossen. 
(28) 


434  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

In  the  spring  of  1873,  S.  C.  Rossen  and  Martha  Evans  were  mar- 
ried. Mrs.  Martha  Rossen  died  in  1881.  Three  children  were  born  to 
this  marriage,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  In  the  fall  of  1882,  Mr.  Rossen 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Frances  Robertson,  born  in  Arkansas,  June  5, 
1861,  She  is  a  daughter  of  Shelton  Eliphus  and  Rebecca  Serena  (Hill) 
Robertson,  natives,  respectively,  of  Illinois  and  Arkansas.  Shelton  E.  Rob- 
ertson died  in  the  Union  service  during  the  Civil  War.  He  and  a  brother- 
in-law,  named  Evans,  went  to  the  Nlorth  from  Arkansas  to  enlist  in  the 
Union  Army.  Mr.  Robertson  never  returned.  His  widow  and  children 
went  to  Illinois  and  from  there  to  Washington  County,  Mo.  The  widow 
married  Charles  Baker  and  the  family  moved  to  Cooper  County  in  1880. 
Mrs.  Baker  now  lives  at  Crane,  Stone  County,  Mo.  She  was  born  March 
17,  1837. 

Three  sons  and  a  daughter  were  born  to  S.  C.  and  Elizabeth  F.  Ros- 
sen, as  follows:  Josephine  Christina,  Shelton,  Carl  Frederick,  William 
Edward.  Josephine  Christina  is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Schnuck,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  living  east  of  Boonville.  Shelton  is  an  expert  automobile 
mechanic  and  is  employed  in  St.  Louis.  He  married  Grace  Seals,  Pacific, 
Mo.  Carl  Frederick  Rossen  is  manager  of  an  automobile  garage  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  William  Edward,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  was  born  Sept. 
8,  1892,  and  enlisted  for  service  in  the  National  Army  in  June,  1917.  He 
was  first  stationed  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  then  Nevada,  Mo., 
and  thence  to  Fort  Sill,  Okla.,  where  he  was  trained  for  duty  across  the 
seas.  He  left  for  France  as  a  member  of  the  110th  Auto  Supply  Train 
on  May  2,  1918,  and  saw  much  active  service  with  the  American  Army  in 
France.  He  returned  to  America,  and  received  his  honorable  discharge 
from  the  service  May  7,  1919.  Mr.  Rossen  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  For  15  years  he  served  as  road 
overseer  in  his  district  while  living  on  the  farm  and  has  always  been 
interested  in  good  road  building.  Mrs.  Rossen  is  a  member  of  the 
Women's  Circle  and  the  Degree  of  Pocahontas.  They  are  kind  hearted, 
yet  firm  in  their  management  of  the  County  Home  and  are  loved  and 
respected  by  the  inmates. 

John  Henry  Goodman,  member  of  the  prosperous  and  important 
uuniture  and  undertaking  firm  of  George  and  Goodman,  Boonville,  Mo., 
is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  Feb.  28,  1884,  and  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  W.  Goodman,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Missouri 
pioneer  families. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  435 

Johnson  Goodman  great  grandfather  of  J.  H.  Goodman  of  this  review, 
was  born  Aug.  7,  1797,  in  Kentucky,  and  in  1817  he  settled  on  Clarks 
Fork,  twelve  miles  south  of  Boonville.  He  was  descended  from  English 
forebears.  His  wife,  Lucy  Goodman,  was  born  July  6,  1795.  Benjamin 
Goodman,  grandfather  of  J.  H.  Goodman,  was  bom  in  Cooper  County  in 
1836  and  died  Jan.  7,  1917.  He  married  Eliza  Dunavant  of  Cooper  County, 
who  was  born  March  2,  1839,  and  died  Feb.  3,  1883.  This  marriage  took 
place  Oct.  8,  1856.  Benjamin  Goodman  served  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Civil  War,  and  after  his  war  service  he  settled  down  to  the  peaceful 
pursuits  of  agriculture. 

Thomas  W.  Goodman,  son  of  Benjamin  Goodman,  was  born  in  Cooper 
County,  July  24,  1857.  He  was  married  on  July  24,  1878,  to  Amelia 
Thoma  who  was  born  Nov.  28,  1859,  in  Cooper  County,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lawrence  and  Margaret  (Walther)  Thoma.  Lawrence  Thoma  was 
born  in  Germany,  reared  and  married  there  and  immigrated  to  America. 
He  made  a  home  in  Cooper  county  where  he  died  Jan.  11,  1881.  Margaret 
(Walther)  Thoma,  his  wife,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1824,  and  died  Sept.  23, 
1916. 

Thomas  W.  Goodman  was  engaged  in  the  pottery  business  prior  to 
taking  the  position  of  sexton  of  Walnut  Grove  cemetery,  the  duties  of 
which  place  he  performed  for  a  period  of  21  years.  Mr.  Goodman  is  now 
working  at  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker  and  is  connected  with  the  firm 
of  George  &  Goodman  in  this  capacity. 

The  children  born  to  Thomas  W.  and  Amelia  Goodman  are  as  follows: 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Duncan,  Cleveland  Heights,  Ohio;  Thomas  W.  Goodman.  Jr., 
an  undertaker  at  Holden,  Mo.;  John  Henry  Goodman,  of  this  review; 
Clara,  wife  of  Gus  F.  Bohler,  Boonville,  Mo. 

John  Henry  Goodman  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Boonville.  His  first  employment  was  with  a  hardware  and 
furniture  store  in  Boonville  and  he  has  followed  the  furniture  and  under- 
taking business  since  his  boyhood  days.  Besides  having  had  considerable 
practical  experience  as  an  undertaker,  Mr.  Goodman  pursued  a  course  of 
study  to  further  fit  himself  for  his  profession  in  St.  Louis  for  six  months. 
The  George  and  Goodman  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment,  be- 
sides conducting  the  leading  furniture  business  in  this  section  of  Missouri, 
are  the  leading  undertakers  in  a  considerable  extent  of  territory,  this 
department  of  the  business  being  in  charge  of  Mr.  Goodman. 

Feb.    2,    1909,    Mr.    Goodman    was    united    in    marriage    with    Miss 


\ 

436       •  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Bertha  Vollrath,  of  Boonville.     She  was  born  May  31,  1884,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Charles  L.  Vollrath,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Boonville. 

Mr.  Goodman  is  independent  in  his  political  views.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Goodman  are  popular  among  Boonville  people  and  have  many 
warm  and  steadfast  friends  who  wish  them  well.  Both  are  hard  working 
and  are  interested  in  the  success  of  the  business  and  co-operate  to  that  end 
in  view.  Mr.  Goodman  is  a  good  and  loyal  citizen  who  has  the  best  inter- 
ests of  Boonville  at  heart  and  responds  readily  to  calls  made  upon  him 
for  the  building  of  a  greater  and  better  Boonville. 

W.  L.  Cordry,  manager  of  "Chasnoff's",  has  been  in  charge  of  this 
widely  known  Boonville  store  since  Feb.  15,  1916.  The  Chasnoff  Store  in 
Boonville  was  established  by  M.  Chasnoff  in  March,  1915,  and  is  one  of  a 
number  of  stores  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  Chasnoff.  The  store  is  situ- 
ated at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Morgan  streets  and  occupies  a  floor  space 
of  50x125  feet.  A  general  stock  of  dry  goods  and  ladies  wearing  apparel 
of  the  latest  models  and  designs  is  carried.  From  12  to  15  people  are 
employed  to  care  for  the  extensive  trade  which  the  store  enjoys  under 
Mr.  Cordry's  efficient  and  capable  management. 

W.  L.  Cordry  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  on  a  farm  near  Arrow 
Rock.  Dec.  16,  1878.  James  W.  Cordry,  his  father,  was  born  in  1844 
and  followed  farming  until  1897  when  he  settled  in  Nelson,  Mo.  He  was 
born  in  Cooper  County,  on  a  farm  north  of  Syracuse,  Mo.,  and  was  a  son 
of  John  B.  Cordry,  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  was  a  Cooper  County  pioneer. 
James  W.  Cordry  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  fighting  with  the  Union 
forces,  entering  the  service  at  the  age  of  18  years.  He  married  Miss 
Lucy  Windsor,  who  was  born  near  Otterville,  Mo.,  in  1847.  Of  six  chil 
dren  born  to  James  W.  and  Lucy  Cordry,  two  are  living,  three  died  in 
infancy:  Arthur  died  at  the  age  of  17  years;  Mrs.  Myrtle  Dodson  lives 
at  Nelson,  Mo.,  and  W.  L.  Cordry,  of  this  review. 

W.  L.  Cordry  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Nelson  public  schools.  His  first  store  experience  was  at  Nel- 
son, where  he  was  employed  for  three  years.  He  then  traveled  for  Swift 
&  Company  for  one  and  a  half  years.  Following  this  he  was  again  em- 
ployed in  stores  for  five  years.  In  1909  he  went  to  western  Oklahoma 
and  was  there  for  a  short  time.  Returning  to  Missouri  he  had  charge 
of  a  shoe  store  at  Monett  for  two  and  a  half  years.     He  had  charge  of  a 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  437 

department  in  a  large  store  at  Nowata,  Okla.,  the  next  five  years  and  then 
came  to  Boonville  to  take  charge  of  the  Chasnoff  Store. 

Mr.  Cordry  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  marriage  occurred  on 
Nov.  12,  1902,  with  Miss  Lillian  McAllister  of  Nelson,  who  died  Feb.  14, 
1915,  leaving  four  children:  Eugene,  James  Thomas  or  "J.  T.,"  Helen  and 
Arthur.  His  second  marriage  took  place  June  5,  1917,  with  Miss  Leona 
Hyde  of  Warren,  Ind.  One  child  has  blessed  this  union:  Mary  Cath- 
erine, born  Jan.  10,  1919. 

While  adhering  to  the  principles  of  the  republican  party,  Mr.  Cordry 
is  inclined  to  independence  in  voting  and  believes  that  the  cause  of  good 
government  can  best  be  advanced  by  individual  thinking  and  decision 
along  the  lines  of  qualifications  of  candidates  and  the  principles  involved. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  is  a  progressive  citizen. 

John  N.  Gott. — For  over  half  a  century  the  late  John  N.  Gott  was  a 
resident  of  Boonville,  and  became  in  the  course  of  his  long  sojourn  in 
Cooper  County,  one  of  the  leading,  influential  and  successful  figures  in 
the  business  and  manufacturing  world  of  this  city.  His  successful  career 
placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  a  galaxy  of  noted  Boonville  men  who 
were  the  outstanding  figures  of  the  past  decade  in  Boonville.  John  N. 
Gott  was  born  in  Portland,  Mich.,  Dec.  25,  1833,  and  died  in  Boonville, 
Mo.,  Nov.  2,  1912. 

He  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  American  Colonial  fam- 
ilies of  French  and  English  descent.  Mr.  Gott  was  of  the  eighth  genera- 
tion in  direct  line  from  Charles  Gott,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America. 
Charles  Gott  (I)  was  born  in  France  in  1598.  He  married  Thankful 
Palmer  and  they  with  their  two  daughters,  Thankful  and  Bertha,  sailed 
from  Weymouth,  England,  June  20,  1628,  on  the  ship,  Abigail,  and  landed 
at  Salem,  Mass.  Three  children  were  born  to  them  in  Salem:  Deborah, 
born  in  1636;  Charles  in  1639,  and  Daniel  in  1646,  all  of  whom  were  bap- 
tized in  the  first  church  erected  in  America. 

Charles  Gott  (II)  was  married  Dec.  5,  1660,  to  Lydia  Clarke,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Clarke,  of  Lynn,  Mass.  Their  children  were  Charles,  Sarah, 
Lydia,  John,  Deborah,  Mary,  Bethah,  Samuel  and  Nathaniel  . 

Lieut.  John  Gott  (III)  of  the  Colonial  Army,  was  born  Nov.  8,  1668, 
and  died  Jan.  25,  1722.  He  married  Rebecca  Tarbox,  who  bore  him  three 
children:  John,  bom  Jan.  6,  1694,  and  Samuel  and  Benjamin. 

John  Gott  (IV)  married  Elizabeth  Badger,  Dec.  15,  1751.  Their 
children  were  John,  born  July  20,  1752;  Martha,  born  Sept.  19,  1753;  and 
Nathaniel  born  March  12,  1755  ,and  who  died  Sept.  14,  1828. 


438  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Nathaniel  (V)  Gott  was  a  surgeon  in  the  American  Revolution,  serv- 
ing on  the  staff  of  General  LaFayette.  He  married  Sarah  Bugham,  who 
was  born  Jan.  22,  1755,  and  died  Dec.  20,  1797.  Their  children  were: 
Benjamin,  bom  Dec.  6,  1783;  John,  born  Jan.  2,  1785;  and  Nathaniel,  born 
Feb.  6,  1786,  dying  in  1858. 

Nathaniel  Gott  (VI)  married  Elizabeth  Butterfield,  at  Hartnedjc, 
Otsego  County,  N.  Y.  She  was  bora  Oct.  20.  1787,  and  died  May  19,  1866. 
Their  children  were :  Charles,  born  Jan.  29,  1809,  and  died  Aug.  15,  1863, 
and  John  Nathaniel,  born  Feb.  4,  1811,  and  died  Sept.  10,  1882;  James 
Butterfield,  born  Aug.  31,  1818,  died  Dec.  17,  1882 ;  and  Sarah,  born  Nov. 
18,  1812,  died  in  April,  1883. 

Charles  Gott  (VII),  father  of  John  N.  Gott,  of  this  review,  was  born 
and  reared  in  New  York,  and  migrated  to  Michigan.  He  married  Maria 
Moe,  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  Jan.  11,  1832.  Marie  Moe  Gott  was  born  Jan. 
31,  1811,  and  died  Nov.  12,  1892.  The  children  bora  to  this  marriage 
were:  John  Nathaniel  Gott  of  this  review;  Sarah  Maria,  born  Aug.  17, 
1845,  died  Sept.  3,  1875,  and  Martha,  who  died  in  infancy. 

John  N.  Gott  was  reared  and  educated  in  Michigan.  He  studied  in 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  spent  two  years  at  Wesleyan  Seminary,  afterwards 
taking  a  partial  course  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  He  began  his 
business  experience  in  a  mercantile  store  at  East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  was 
located  in  that  city  until  1856,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  was 
employed  as  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  in  St.  Louis  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  in  1861. 

When  the  president  tailed  for  volunteers  with  which  to  quell  the  re- 
bellion of  the  Southern  states  he  responded  to  the  call  and  enlisted  in  the 
first  year  of  the  war  in  the  33rd  Missouri  Regiment.  In  1862  he  was 
promoted  to  the  post  of  quartermaster  sei-geant  of  his  regiment.  After 
the  battle  of  Helena.  Ark.,  he  was  again  promoted  for  conspicuous  bravery 
in  the  face  of  enemy  fire  and  was  advanced  to  the  post  of  sergeant  major. 
He  was  a  brave  soldier  and  while  the  battle  of  Helena  was  raging  among 
the  hills,  he  performed  a  feat  which  brought  him  well  merited  recognition 
and  promotion.  Under  his  charge  a  wagon  load  of  water  and  whiskey 
was  being  transported  to  the  Federal  soldiers.  He  rolled  up  the  barrels 
to  the  men  engaged  in  battle  and  thus  saved  the  day. 

In  December,  1863,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  to  the  post 
of  first  lieutenant,  regimental  quartermaster,  and  he  filled  this  important 
p03t  satisfactorily  and  well.  When  peace  was  concluded  he  was  breveted 
a  captain. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  439 

In  May,  1866,  Mr.  Gott  removed  with  his  family  to  Boonville.  He 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  partnership  with  Constantine 
Heim  until  1868.  Mr.  Gott  was  then  appointed  deputy  county  clerk,  and 
was  afterward  appointed  receiver  in  the  United  States  Land  Office  in 
Boonville,  holding  this  position  from  1868  to  1876.  He  next  served  as 
bookkeeper  of  the  old  Central  National  Bank  and  remained  in  this  posi- 
tion until  1878.  He  then  became  associated  with  Brewster  and  Hilliard. 
tobacco  manufacturers,  and  was  bookkeeper  for  this  concern  until  1883, 
when  he  nurchased  the  business.  He  operated  the  tobacco  manufacturing 
business  successfully  for  a  number  of  years,  being  joined  by  his  sons  and 
the  business  being  conducted  until  1910  under  the  name  of  John  N.  Gott 
and  Son. 

John  N.  Gott  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Nov.  13,  1859,  to  Miss  Angeline 
Lawton,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Edward  Lawton.  Mrs.  Angeline  Gott 
was  born  Sept.  16,  1836,  and  died  Oct.  15,  1910.  The  children  born  to  this 
marriage  who  are  of  the  ninth  generation  of  the  Gott  family  in  America 
are:  Charles  P.  and  Henry  H.  Gott.  Henry  H.  Gott  married  Kittie 
Genslinger,  now  deceased,  of  Piqua,  Ohio,  June  18,  1896,  and  is  practicing 
dentistry  in  St.  Louis. 

Charles  P.  Gott  was  educated  in  Cooper  Institute,  of  Boonville.  For 
a  period  of  four  years  he  was  connected  with  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Sauter  Brothers  and  was  a  partner  in  this  concern  for  one  year.  He  then 
joined  his  father  in  the  tobacco  manufacturing  business  and  was  engaged 
in  this  enterprise  until  1900,  beginning  in  1883.  The  business  was  then 
disposed  of  and  Mr.  Gott  removed  to  his  farm  of  370  acres  south  of  Bunce- 
ton  in  this  county  where  he  remained  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing for  five  years.  He  is  a  large  land  owner  and  owns  700  acres  of  land 
in  Howard  County,  500  acres  of  which  is  very  rich  Missouri  River  bottom 
land.  Mr.  Gott  conducts  a  farm  loan  business  in  Boonville.  Charles  P. 
Gott  was  married  on  Nov.  5,  1885,  to  Miss  Tillie  Wertheimer,  of  Boonville, 
born  and  reared  in  this  city,  a  daughter  of  Morris  J.  Wertheimer.  a  pioneer 
clothing  merchant  of  this  city.  Two  children  blessed  this  union:  John 
Morris  and  William  Wertheimer  Gott  of  the  tenth  generation  of  the  Gott 
family. 

John  Morris  Gott  is  an  emplove  of  the  J.  E.  Hutt  Construction  Com- 
pany of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

William  Wertheimer  Gott  in  the  employ  of  the  General  Motors  Corp- 
oration, married  Mildred  Buchanan  of  New  Franklin.     Mrs.  Mildred  Gott 


440  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

is  deceased,  and  left  one  child,  Mildred  Dorothy  Gott  of  the  eleventh 
generation. 

C.  P.  Gott  is  an  independent  republican.  He  has  served  his  home 
city  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  as  city  councilman.  When  his 
father  died  he  succeeded  him  as  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  church  and 
is  treasurer  of  this  congregation. 

The  late  Capt.  John  N.  Gott  was  a  stanch  republican  throughout  his 
entire  matured  life.  He  took  an  interest  in  political  matters  and  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  as  a  member  of  the  city  council. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  vestryman  of  the  Episcopalian  church  and 
was  highly  regarded  as  a  worthy  and  upright  citizen  whose  handsome 
home  in  Boonville  was  often  opened  for  social  and  literary  gatherings. 
He  was  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

F.  Joseph  Mann. — The  late  F.  Joseph  Mann,  of  Palestine  township, 
was  a  Cooper  County  citizen  of  industry  and  ambition  whose  sole  desire 
in  life  was  to  provide  a  comfortable  and  prosperous  home  for  his  family. 
In  this  he  succeeded  by  the  exercise  of  industry,  diligence  and  wise  man- 
agement and  in  the  space  of  20  years  created  one  of  the  most  attractive 
farm  houses  in  his  section  of  Missouri.  No  sooner  than  he  had  arrived  at 
the  point  where  he  could  look  into  the  future  in  the  anticipation  of  com- 
fortable living  during  the  remainder  of  his  days,  than  the  grim  reaper 
called  him.  The  Mann  estate  is  a  productive  tract  of  land,  a  good  part  of 
which  is  .Petit  Saline  River  bottom  land,  the  residence  and  buildings 
situated  upon  a  high  hill  from  which  the  surrounding  country  for  many 
miles  can  be  seen.  Mrs.  Josephine  Mann,  his  widow,  has  kept  the  place 
in  excellent  repair,  added  a  tenant  house  and  other  buildings  until  the 
farm  is  a  valuable  piece  of  property.  F.  Joseph  Mann  was  born  in  Ed- 
wardsville,  111.,  April  25,  1857  and  died  May  24,  1910. 

*F.  Joseph  Mann,  Sr.,  his  father,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in 
1829  and  died  June  28,  1893.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Mann,  a  native  of 
Alsace  and  a  Frenchman  by  birth  who  came  to  America  in  1850.  F. 
Joseph  Mann,  Sr.,  immigrated  to  this  country  in  1850,  married  here  and 
served  in  the  Union  army,  enlisting  in  1863  for  a  period  of  16  months. 
He  was  a  cabinet  maker  and  during  the  Civil  War  he  made  coffins  for  the 
deceased  soldiers.  In  1866  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  at  Pilot 
Grove.  During  that  same  year  he  bought  a  40  acre  farm  upon  which 
he  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  He  followed  his  trade  to  some  extent 
in  this  country  and  was  a  skilled  cabinet  maker  as  is  attested  by  several 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  441 

fine  pieces  of  his  handicraft  which  can  be  seen  in  the  Mann  home.  He 
died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  F.  Joseph  Mann. 

F.  Joseph  Mann,  of  this  sketch,  was  married  June  23,  1885,  in  Clear 
Creek  Catholic  Church,  by  Father  John,  to  Miss  Josephine  Marie  Dietrich, 
who  bore  him  the  following  children:  Nina  Marie,  Alma,  Josephine, 
Mabel  Bernardine.  Nina  Marie  was  born  March  22,  1886  and  is  the  wife 
of  E.  Humphrey ville,  living  on  the  adjoining  farm.  He  was  born  July  12, 
1885.  They  have  one  child,  Helen  Louise,  born  Oct.  7,  1907.  AJma 
Josephine,  born  Feb.  28,  1893,  married  Edward  Cleary,  Feb.  24,  1916, 
who  died  in  Feb.,  1918.  Mrs.  Alma  Cleary  is  office  assistant  to  Probate 
Judge  Davis.  Mabel  Bernardine,  born  June  12,  1896,  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  L.  Schuck,  of  Fredericksburg,  Texas,  and  has  one  child,  Francis 
Joseph,  born  March  8,  1918.     Mr.  Schuck  was  born  Dec.  2,  1897. 

F.  Joseph  Mann  was  a  republican,  but  was  distinctly  a  home  man 
who  cared  more  for  his  home  and  fireside  than  for  any  outside  attractions. 
His  death  was  a  distinct  loss  to  the  community  in  which  he  had  become 
a  valuable  and  worthy  citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  was  highly  regarded  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Mrs.  Josephine  Marie  (Dietrich)  Mann  was  born  in  the  French 
province  of  Alsace,  April  16,  1855  and  is  a  daughter  of  Herman  and  Mary 
(Hoffstetter)  Dietrich,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1871.  Herman  Dietrich 
came  to  America  before  the  Civil  War,  and  having  had  military  training 
in  his  native  land  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Union.  He  was  commis- 
sioned a  lieutenant  in  the  Union  army  and  died  of  fever  in  a  government 
hospital  at  New  Orleans.  Four  children  were  left  fatherless:  E.  C,  who 
died  in  1871,  and  had  served  five  years  in  the  French  army;  Cecilia,  de- 
ceased; Henrietta,  deceased;  and  Mrs.  Josephine  Mann  of  this  review. 

Josephine  Dietrich  came  to  America  in  1881  and  made  her  home  with 
her  uncle,  Jacob  Dietrich  who  owned  the  old  Bunce  place.  She  went  to 
Colorado  in  1885  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Mann  upon  her  return  to  Mis- 
souri in  1885.  Prior  to  purchasing  their  present  place  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mann 
lived  at  Pilot  Grove  until  1891.  The  Mann  place  was  recently  sold  to  her 
son-in-law,  E.  Humphreyville,  May  19,  1919,  and  Mrs.  Mann  is  making 
her  home  in  Boonville  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Edward  Cleary. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ellen  Drennen. — The  Drennen  dairy  farm  of  112  acres, 
situated  near  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  purchased  by  Mrs.  E.  E.  Drennen  in 
1905  and  is  operated  by  the  lady  and  her  sons.  Ten  cows  are  milked  and 
the  milk  is  sold  to  Boonville  restaurants.  For  the  past  30  years  the 
Drennen   family  have  been  engaged  in  the  dairying  industry  and   the 


442  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

family  rented  land  for  16  years  prior  to  purchasing  the  present  Drennen 
home  place. 

George  Washington  Drennen  husband  of  Mrs.  E.  E.  Drennen,  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  Dec.  6,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Martha  (Lee) 
Drennen  of  that  state.  Mr.  Drennen  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  War  and  fought  in  a  Kentucky  regiment. 

George  Washington  Drennen  and  Elizabeth  Ellen  McDowell,  were 
married  on  March  6,  1867.  In  October  of  1870,  they  loaded  their  effects 
on  wagons  and  moved  to  Indiana.  After  a  year's  residence  in  that  state 
they  came  to  Benton  County,  Mo.,  accompanied  by  two  of  Mrs.  Drennen's 
brothers.  James  P.  and  Alfred  Clark  McDowell.  After  a  residence  of 
about  12  years  in  Benton  County,  the  Drennens  came  to  Cooper  County, 
and  here  settled. 

The  children  born  to  G.  W.  and  Elizabeth  E.  Drennen  are:  Homer, 
born  in  Kentucky,  lives  at  Blackwater,  Mo.;  Eltie  Hugh,  deceased;  Vern- 
anda  C.j  a  farmer  in  Boonville  township;  George  W.,  merchant  at  Prairie 
Lick ;  Blanche,  deceased ;  Leonard  Austin,  born  in  1879 ;  Maurice,  a  hard- 
ware merchant,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  James  E.,  born  1886. 

Mrs.  E.  E.  Drennen  was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  16,  1849, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  James  Perry  and  Elizabeth  (House)  McDowell,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Her  father  was  of  Scotch  descent 
and  her  mother  of  German  ancestry.  James  P.  McDowell  was  a  son  of 
Matthew  McDowell,  who  was  a  son  of  Ephraim  McDowell,  whose  father, 
Ephraim  McDowell  (I)  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  emigrated  to  America 
and  became  owner  of  part  of  an  island  in  New  York  harbor.  Ephraim 
(II)  was  killed  by  Indians  in  Alabama.  Matthew  McDowell  returned  to 
New  York  from  the  South  after  the  death  of  his  father,  to  look  after  the 
family  estate.  He  had  previously  settled  in  Kentucky.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.  Mrs.  Drennen's  mother  was  a  daughter 
of  Richard  House,  a  son  of  German  parents. 

Mrs.  Drennen  has  reared  several  orphan  children.  In  Kentucky  she 
took  Elizabeth  Keim  into  her  home  for  several  months.  After  the  death 
of  her  own  daughter  she  took  Lulu  Keouw,  a  girl  12  years  old,  whom  she 
reared  for  five  years.  She  next  reared  her  niece,  lone  McDowell,  12  years 
old,  whom  she  mothered  for  12  years.  An  orphan  boy,  Charles  B.  Head, 
aged  nine  years,  she  reared  to  young  manhood.  Mrs.  Drennen  took  from 
the  Orphans  Home,  Minnie  Smallwood,  aged  10  years  and  kept  her  for 
nine  years.  Her  last  charge  was  a  little  boy,  taken  from  a  nursery  at 
St.  Louis,  adopting  him,  William  Henry  Drennen,  now  aged  six  years. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  443 

Mrs.  Drennen  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  all  of  her  chil- 
dren worship  at  this  church. 

Edward  L.  Bauman  county  collector  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native 
of  Boonville,  and  is  a  capable  and  thoroughly  efficient  county  official.  He 
was  born  Oct.  27,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  August  Bauman,  a  native  of 
Switzerland  who  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  Bau- 
man, in  1844.  The  Baumans  first  settled  in  southwestern  Missouri  in  the 
town  of  Sarcoxie.  After  a  few  years  residence  in  Sarcoxie  they  came  to 
Boonville  in  the  early  fifties.  John  Bauman  was  by  trade,  a  weaver  and 
followed  this  trade  in  Boonville  for  a  number  of  years. 

August  Bauman  was  born  in  1836  and  attained  young  manhood  in 
Boonville.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wagon  maker  and  wheelwright  and 
established  himself  in  business  at  Franklin,  Mo.,  where  he  operated  a 
shop  for  39  years  while  making  his  home  in  Boonville.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Stuckhart  who  was  bom  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1845,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Swiss  parents.  To  August  and  Margaret  Bauman  were  born 
seven  children:  William,  a  resident  of  Oregon;  August,  lives  at  Chanute, 
Kan.;  Edward,  of  this  i-eview;  Carl,  of  Caldwell,  Kan.;  Oliver  resides  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Miss  Frances  Beckett  lives  at  Boonville;  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Murray  resides  in  Jefferson  City,  Mo. ;  August  Bauman  was  bom  in  1836 
and  met  with  an  accidental  death  in  1915.  A  fall  from  a  ladder  caused 
concussion  of  the  brain  and  death  ensued  as  a  result. 

Edward  Bauman  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  school  of  his 
native  city.  After  fa/ming  for  one  year  he  learned  the  trade  of  harness 
maker  and  for  nineteen  years  he  worked  at  this  trade,  spending  23  years 
in  all  at  his  trade.  For  five  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  H.  T.  Hudson 
and  foij  a  considerable  period  he  was  manager  for  Dauwalter  and  Son  of 
Boonville. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  John  Bauman,  grandfather  of  Ed  Bau- 
man, was  a  freighter  for  a  number  of  years,  freighting  from  Boonville 
to  the  southwest.  This  was  in  the  old  days  when  Boonville  was  the 
shipping  center  for  a  large  section  of  territory  and  the  highways  leading 
south  from  the  city  were  filled  all  day  long  with  great  wagon  trains  loaded 
with  provisions  and  material  for  the  settlers  of  the  southwestern  country. 

Mr.  Bauman  is  a  republican.  He  was  elected  county  collector  in 
1914  and  was  re-elected  to  the  office  in  1918.  He  is  affiliated  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  popular  with  Cooper  County 
people,  managing  the  affairs  of  his  office  with  justice  and  regard  for  the 
best  interests  of  Cooper  County. 


444  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

John  E.  Walz. — The  jewelry  store  owned  and  operated  by  J.  E.  Walz, 
a  leading  citizen  of  Boonville,  was  established  in  1894.  It  is  one  of  the 
neatest,  best  stocked  and  well  equipped  jewelry  establishments  in  Central 
Missouri  and  during  the  25  years  of  its  existence  in  Boonville,  the  Walz 
store  has  enjoyed  a  steady  and  ever  increasing  patron  age.  J.  E.  Walz 
was  born  in  Booneville,  Nov.  3,  1864. 

Nicholas  Walz,  his  father  was  born  in  Zornheim,  Germany,  July  29, 
1838  and  died  in  April,  1892.  He  was  a  son  of  Philip  Walz  who  emigrated 
from  Germany  in  1846  and  located  in  Chicago,  111.,  where  Nicholas  Walz 
was  reared  to  young  manhood.  When  19  years  of  age  he  came  to  Boon- 
ville, his  father,  Philip  Walz,  having  preceded  him  to  this  city.  Nicholas 
Walz  was  first  employed  for  two  years  at  Mendota,  111.,  prior  to  coming 
to  Boonville  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  He  first  began  business  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Brenheisen,  and  in  three  years  time  he  purchased 
the  business  which  he  conducted  for  many  years  with  success.  Mr.  Walz 
did  an  extensive  business  and  operated  the  largest  grocery  store  in  Cen- 
tral Missouri.  For  a  number  of  years  he  transacted  the  largest  volume 
of  business  of  any  store  in  this  section  of  Missouri  and  he  became  widely 
and  favorably  known.  He  continued  in  business  until  1884  and  he  then 
retired. 

Nicholas  Walz  was  prominent  in  the  civic  affairs  of  Boonville  and  he 
served  three  terms  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  member  of  the  Boon- 
ville Turner  Society.  He  was  manned  to  Julia  Brenneisen,  a  daughter  of 
Reinhart  Brenheisen  a  native  of  Germany  who  emigrated  from  his  native 
land  in  1845  and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  Boonville.  Mrs. 
Julia  Walz  was  born  in  1839  and  died  on  April  18,  1914.  Five  sobs  and 
three  daughters  were  born  to  this  marriage:  Leopold  C,  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
John  E.,  subject  of  this  review;  Herman  G.,  New  York  City;  Louise,  at 
home  in  Boonville;  Charles  A.,  born  May  19,  1872,  assistant  to  J.  E.  Walz 
in  the  Walz- Jewelry  Store;  Julia,  at  home;  Mrs.  Laura,  wife  of  W.  Ernest 
Sombart,  Boonville;  Henry  G.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

J.  E.  Walz  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  began  learning  the  trade  of  watchmaker  and  jeweler 
in  1880  with  the  firm  of  Hannacke  and  Kauffman.  He  remained  with 
this  firm  for  four  years  and  the  following  ten  years  were  spent  with  the 
firm  of  Gmelich  and  Huber  in  Boonville.  He  then  established  his  present 
thriving  business. 

Mr.  Walz  is  a  republican.     He  is  a  director  of  the  Boonville  Com- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  445 

mercial  Club  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Mr.  Walz  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  who  has  been 
unusually  active  in  promoting  local  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  his  home 
city.  He  is  the  "Father  of  the  White  Way"  on  the  main  street  of  Boon- 
ville  which  was  established  in  1912.  Mr.  Walz  originated  the  plan  for  a 
white  way,  pushed  the  project,  solicited  the  contributions,  secured  suffici- 
ent funds  to  place  eight  standards,  induced  the  Sombarts  who  then  owned 
the  lighting  company,  to  donate  the  current,  and  when  the  electric  light 
company  was  sold,  the  contract  for  free  current  was  carried  on  by  the 
new  company.  He  has  been  twice  tendered  the  nomination  for  mayor 
of  the  city  by  the  republican  party  but  has  declined  each  time,  having 
no  ambition  or  preference  for  political  honors. 

-Dr.  Charles  Swap,  dentist,  Boonville,  Mo.,  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  for  the  past  35  years.  He  was  born  April  23, 
1865,  on  the  steamboat  "Cora  Kinney"  while  his  parents  were  making  the 
trip  up  the  Missouri  River  from  Jefferson  City  to  St.  Joseph,  enroute  to 
Iowa.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Franklin  Swap  and  Mary  E.  (Mitchell) 
Swap. 

Dr.  Franklin  Swap  was  born  Aug.  19,  1830,  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
and  died  Sept.  4,  1902.  He  was  a  son  of  William  Swap  and  Belinda  Swap, 
members  of  an  old  New  York  family  of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  Mrs. 
Swap  died  in  1837  and  William  Swap  removed  to  Crawford  County,  Pa., 
where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1881.  A  great-uncle  of  Charles  Swap, 
Jonathan  Swap  fought  in  the  Revolution.  The  ancestors  of  Franklin 
Swap  first  settled  in  New  Amsterdam,  whence  the  great  grandfather  of 
Charles  Swap  moved  to  Schenectady  in  later  years.  In  his  boyhood  days 
Franklin  Swap  learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade  and  developed  a  posi- 
tive genius  as  an  artisan  which  stood  him  in  good  stead  in  later  years. 
He  was  married  in  1851  and  in  1857  he  started  to  Lawrence,  Kansas;  did 
not  like  the  country  and  removed  with  his  family  to  Taylor  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  studied  dentistry.  He  began  the  practice  of  dentistry 
about  1860  and  was  so  poor  that  he  was  compelled  to  fashion  his  own 
dental  instruments.  His  son,  Dr.  Charles  Swap  has  a  number  of  these 
instruments  in  his  possession  at  this  day  and  they  are  of  fine  and  beauti- 
ful workmanship.  Prior  to  this  he  had  made  a  trip  to  Kansas  in  1857 
with  the  idea  of  settling  there..  He  arrived  at  Lawrence  Kansas,  when 
there  was  but  one  house  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  a  fair  sized  city.  He 
returned  to  Iowa  and  located  in  Bedford,  where  he  practiced  dentistry 


446  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

until  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Union  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
He  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private  soldier  and  rose  to  the  rank 
of  captain.  He  was  first  a  private  in  the  Second  Iowa  Cavalry,  in  1862 
he  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant,  not  long  afterward  was  given  a  cap- 
tain's commission.  He  was  appointed  provost  marshal  of  Central  Mis- 
souri and  had  charge  of  eight  counties,  his  district  embracing  all  of  the 
territory  from  Jefferson  City  to  Lexington.  Dr.  Swap  was  honest  and  his 
administration  of  his  important  office  was  marked  by  fairness,  kindness, 
and  absolute  honesty.  One  occasion  in  particular  stands  out  prominently 
in  his  career  in  which  he  saved  some  visitors  to  the  city  from  annoyance 
and  persecution  by  some  drunken  Union  soldiers  made  him  warm  friends, 
and  one  friend  in  particular  who  went  out  of  his  way  to  befriend  him 
when  he  was  struggling  to  gain  a  foothold  in  his  practice  in  Boonville  and 
support  his  family.  In  Dec,  1865,  he  again  came  to  Boonville  from  Iowa 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  succeeded  and  for  years 
was  one  of  the  best  liked  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Boonville. 

Dr.  Franklin  Swap  was  prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  adopted 
city  and  held  many  important  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He 
was  city  clerk  of  Boonville  for  18  years  and  served  four  terms  as  mayor 
of  Boonville.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  many  years 
and  identified  himself  with  the  cause  of  education.  He  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Osage  Valley  and  Southern  Kansas  Railroad 
during  the  time  this  road  was  being  constructed.  He  was  president  of 
the  State  Dental  Association  and  in  many  ways  was  a  remarkable  man 
who  was  fitted  by  nature  for  the  period  and  time  in  which  he  lived. 

Aug.  2,  1851,  Dr.  Franklin  Swap  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Mitchell  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Swap  was  born  June  2,  1830  and 
is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Boonville.  Six  children  were 
born  to  this  marriage:  Harvey,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years;  Frank,  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1854,  is  an  artist  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  Tanner  Studio  in  Boonville;  Mrs.  Ida  Gibbons  lives  at 
Edgewater,  near  Denver,  Col.;  Mrs.  Emma  Short  lives  in  Boonville; 
Ettie  is  deceased ;  and  Dr.  Charles  Swap  of  this  review. 

Dr.  Charles  Swap  studied  dentistry  in  the  Pennsylvania  College  of 
Dental  Surgery  from  1884  to  1886.  Prior  to  this  time  he  had  studied 
under  his  capable  and  talented  father  from  June,  1881,  until  he  left  home 
to  enter  the  Philadelphia  College.  Upon  his  return  home  he  entered  his 
father's  office  and  practiced  dentistry  with  his  father  until  the  tatter's 
retirement.  Doctor  Swap  during  the  many  years  of  his  practice,  has  been 
very  successful  and  his  hours  are  filled  with  the  work  of  his  calling. 


HISTORY  OP  COOPER  COUNTY  447 

March  23,  1891,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  North  of  New  Orleans, 
La.,  a  daughter  of  Fountain  North,  owner  of  "Laurel  Valley  Plantation," 
one  of  the  finest  southern  plantations  in  the  country.  Dr.  Swap  met  and 
wooed  his  wife  when  the  family  came  on  a  visit  to  Boonville.  Two  children 
have  blessed  this  marriage :  Charles,  born  in  1892  is  in  the  employ  of  the  A. 
P.  Munning  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  N.  Y.  City,  with  his  headquarters  in 
Chicago  of  Chicago  branch ;  Edgar,  was  born  in  1915. 

Dr.  Charles  Swap  is  an  independent  republican  and  was  a  former 
Roosevelt  adherent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  a 
member  of  the  district.  State  and  National  Dental  Associations,  and  has 
served  as  president  of  the  District  Dental  Society. 

Dr.  Rollie  L.  Anderson,  osteopathic  physician,  with  well  appointed 
and  finely  equipped  offices  at  309  \'->  Main  street,  is  one  of  the  popular 
professional  men  of  Cooper  county.  Dr.  Anderson  was  born  at  Pleasant- 
ville.  Marion  County.  Iowa,  May  28,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  Elizabeth   (Courtney)  Anderson,  both  natives  of  Iowa. 

Samuel  Anderson  was  the  son  of  John  Anderson,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land and  was  born  in  1858.  He  became  a  merchant  and  was  successfully 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Pleasantville,  Iowa,  until  1910,  when 
he  located  in  Des  Moines,  at  1500  Linden  street.  He  married  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Courtney,  a  daughter  of  John  Courtney,  the  son  of  Irish  parents. 
To  Samuel  Horton  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Anderson  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Albert  Franklin  Anderson  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
in  Minnesota;  George  Anderson  is  deceased;  Rollie  L.  Anderson  subject 
of  this  review. 

Dr.  Anderson  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Eldora, 
Iowa  and  completed  his  high  school  course  in  1899.  In  1901,  R.  L.  Ander- 
son went  to  Minnesota  and  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  general  mer- 
cantile business  until  he  decided  to  study  for  his  chosen  profession.  He 
studied  the  science  of  osteopathy  at  Kirksville,  Mo.,  for  four  years  and 
graduated  from  this  famous  school  in  1916. 

Soon  after  receiving  his  diploma  Dr.  Anderson  located  in  Boonville 
,and  outfitted  a  splendid  suite  of  offices  where  he  cares  for  a  huge  and 
ever  increasing  practice. 

Dr.  Anderson  was  married  in  November,  1903,  to  .Miss  .Mary  An- 
drews, of  Silver  Creek,  Minn.,  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Andrews. 

Dr.  Anderson  is  a  republican  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America  and  has  made  many  warm  and  steadfast  friends 
during  the  years  which  he  has  spent  in  Boonville. 


448 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


John  King  was  the  first  citizen  of 
German  birth  to  settle  on  Lone  Elm 
Prairie  in  1853.  He  became  owner  of  560 
acres  of  rich  prairie  land  upon  which  his 
descendants  are  now  living.  Through  Mr. 
King's  influence  many  Germans  came  from 
the  old  country  to  settle  in  Cooper  County 
and  he  would  go  so  far  as  to  travel  to  New 
York,  meet  them  and  assist  them  on  their 
way  here. 

The  late  John  King  was  born  in  Hol- 
stein,  Germany,  Feb.  15,  1828,  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Lone  Elm,  Mo.,  Nov.  10, 
1916.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war 
between  Germany  and  Denmark,  and  soon 
afterwards  left  his  native  land  for  a  freer 
life  in  America.  Landing  at  New  Orleans, 
he  made  his  way  to  Iowa,  and  there  heard 
of  the  opening  up  of  the  Kansas  territory 
and  of  the  free  and  cheap  lands  to  be  ob- 
tained in  the  new  country.  He  went  to  St.  Louis  and  boarded  a  river 
steamer  to  Atchison.  He  stopped  off  at  Boonville,  saw  several  of  his  coun- 
trymen who  encouraged  him  to  stay.  He  had  just  six  dollars  in  cash  when 
he  landed  at  Boonville.  His  first  job  was  as  hostler  in  a  stable  attached 
to  the  stage  route  from  Boonville  to  Jimtown,  receiving  $12  per  month. 
He  soon  became  stage  driver  and  later  went  to  work  on  a  farm  near  Pisgah 
at  $15  per  month  for  four  years.  Then  his  employer,  Colonel  Pope,  made 
him  a  partner  in  the  farm  and  he  saved  enough  money  in  three  years  to 
purchase  180  acres  of  undeveloped  prairie  land  at  Lone  Elm  at  a  cost  of 
SI 5  an  acre.     He  continued  to  purchase  land  until  he  owned  560  acres. 

Mr.  King  was  married  Jan.  18,  1859  to  Miss  Sophia  Friedmeyer,  born 
Jan.  19,  1838,  in  Germany.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Sophia 
(Karnes)  Friedmeyer,  who  first  settled  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1857  and  then 
came  to  Cooper  County.  The  children  born  to  John  and  Sophia  (Fried- 
meyer) King  are  as  follows :  Minnie,  wife  of  W.  H.  Twillman,  Lone  Elm  ; 
Henry,  living  on  the  old  home  place;  Mary,  deceased,  was  the  first  wife 
of  Fred  Treiber,  left  one  child,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Toellner;  Mrs.  Lucy  Treiber, 
Lone  Elm,  widow  of  Fred  Treiber,  has  one  child,  Amelia;  Sophia,  wife  of 
Richard  Martin,  Lone  Elm,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Ellen,  wife  of  Charles 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  449 

Twillman,  farmer,  near  Lone  Elm.  Mrs.  King  has  16  grand  children  and 
six  great  grandchildren,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  the  neighborhood. 

John  King  was  one  of  the  builders  and  always  a  liberal  supporter  of 
the  Lone  Elm  Evangelical  Church.  He  never  had  a  law  suit  and  was 
never  sued.  He  followed  as  his  course  in  business  and  living  the  golden 
rule  and  profited  thereby.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Mis- 
souri State  Guards  under  Capt.  Tom  George.  For  18  years  he  filled  the 
post  of  deacon  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Evangelical  Church  prior  to  the  building 
of  the  Lone  Elm  Church.  John  King  was  a  man  worth  while  who  left 
an  indelible  imprint  on  the  community  wherein  he  spent  the  greater  part 
of  a  long  and  active  life. 

Dr.  Aubrey  W.  Frost,  dentist,  Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper 
County  who  has  risen  high  in  the  ranks  of  his  chosen  profession,  during 
his  more  than  13  years  of  practice.  Dr.  Frost  was  born  in  Boonville,  and 
is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Lucinda  (Post)  Frost,  natives  of  New  England. 

Alexander  Frost  was  born  in  Glover,  Vt.,  in  1834  and  died  in 
April,  1916.  He  was  a  member  of  an  old  New  England  family  and  was 
the  first  of  a  large  family  of  14  children  to  die.  He  was  reared  in  Ver- 
mont and  was  a  farmer  and  stockman.  He  came  west  to  Boonville  in  the 
early  fifties  and  started  a  confectionery  store  which  is  still  in  existence. 
On  the  westward  trip  from  the  old  home  region  in  New  England,  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  (Frost)  Jones,  his  sister,  and  his 
brother-in-law,  Benjamin  F.  Jones.  Mr.  Frost  assisted  in  the  erection 
of  the  old  Central  National  Bank  building  and  later  entered  the  grocery 
and  drygoods  business,  being  a  partner  of  Hiram  Koontz  during  the  Civil 
War.  The  partners  buried  their  stock  of  goods  so  as  to  save  them  from 
the  raiding  Confederates  during  the  war.  In  later  years  he  removed  to 
Illinois  and  lived  there  six  years.  He  returned  to  Boonville  in  1916  and 
died  a  few  months  later.  Mr.  Frost  brought  the  first  real  carriages  and 
the  first  hearse  to  Boonville  and  operated  a  livery  barn  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  owned  the  first  bus  in  Boonville  and  also  dealt  extensively 
in  mules. 

Alexander  and  Lucinda  Frost  were  parents  of  three  children :  Louis 
Eugene  Frost,  Chicago,  111.;  Frank  Arlin,  Chicago,  111.;  and  Aubrey  Ward 
Frost,  subject  of  this  review. 

A.  W.  Frost  was  educated  in  the  local  schools  and  the  high  school 

of  Roadhouse,  111.,  and  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder  until 

1900  in  the  employ  of  his  uncle,  B.  F.  Jones.     He  then  took  up  the  study 

of  dentistry  in  1903.     Entering  Washington  University  in  that  year  he 

(29) 


450  HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

graduated  from  the  dental  department  in  1906  and  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  until  locating  in  Boonville  in  the  fall  of  1915. 
Dr.  Frost  has  a  suite  of  offices  in  the  Victor  Building  and  enjoys  a  large 
and  ever  increasing  practice.  He  was  married  in  1905  to  Miss  Geneva 
E.  Yeager,  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Yeager.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Frost  have  one  child,  Roy  Frost,  aged  10  years. 

Dr.  Frost  is  a  republican ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

Gideon  A.  Brownfield. — The  career  of  G.  A.  Brownfield,  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Brownfield  &  Meyer,  automobile  dealers,  Boonville.  Mo., 
is  that  of  a  self  made  man  who  commenced  wresting  a  living  from  Cooper 
County  soil  when  19  years  of  age,  became  a  land  owner,  built  up  a  splendid 
farm,  made  a  success  of  the  live  stock  shipping  business,  and  then  made 
another  success  of  the  automobile  business.  Mr.  Brownfield  is  not  only 
a  first  class  farmer,  a  keen  and  sure  judge  of  live  stock,  but  he  is  a  thor- 
oughly successful  business  man. 

The  Brownfield  and  Meyer  automobile  business  was  established  in 
1915  at  the  corner  of  Morgan  and  Sixth  streets  and  the  business  room  and 
repair  department  of  the  garage  occupies  a  space  75x92  feet.  Five  men 
are  employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  business  and  such  substantial  and  well 
known  makes  of  automobiles  as  the  Hupmobile,  Cadillac,  Reo,  and  the 
Buick  are  sold  to  buyers  in  this  section  of  Missouri. 

Jonas  Brownfield,  father  of  G.  A.  Brownfield,  was  born  in  Cooper 
County,  reared  here  and  married  Jael  K.  Collins,  who  was  born  in  Cooper 
County  in  1819  and  died  in  1889.  To  Jonas  and  Jael  Brownfield  were 
born  six  children:  Frank  Brownfield,  deceased;  James  Brownfield,  a 
farmer  living  near  Speed,  Mo.;  Gideon  A.,  of  this  review;  Augustus 
Brownfield,  a  farmer  living  near  Blackwater,  Mo. ;  Frances,  wife  of  A.  E. 
Beeson,  Sedalia ;  Mo. ;  Nannie,  deceased. 

G.  A.  Brownfield  was  born  near  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  Dec.  12,  1860. 

The  death  of  James  Brownfield  in  1862  left  the  widowed  mother  to 
rear  her  family  of  children  as  best  she  could  under  adverse  circumstances. 
When  nine  years  of  age,  Gideon  A.  Brownfield  left  the  parental  roof  and 
began  working  out  for  his  living.  During  his  first  year  he  received  only 
his  board  and  clothing;  the  second  year  he  received  small  wages  in  addi- 
tion to  his  keep.  He  continued  working  at  farm  labor  with  ever  increas- 
ing wages  until  1879.  when  he  rented  land  and  farmed  on  his  own  account 
for  the  next  15  years  until  he  had  saved  enough  money  to  make  his 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  451 

initial  investment  in  a  trust  of  farm  land.  Purchasing  a  farm  of  140 
acres  near  Prairie  Lick,  Mo.,  he  improved  it  and  made  a  success  of  the 
venture.  Mr.  Brownfield  began  the  buying  and  shipping  of  live  stock  in 
1893  and  has  become  one  of  the  largest  live  stock  dealers  and  shippers 
in  Cooper  County.  He  handles  over  365  car  loads  of  stock  yearly  and  his 
deals  aggregated  during  the  past  two  years  the  extremely  large  total  in 
value  of  $1,608,123.28.  He  is  without  doubt  the  most  extensive  live  stock 
dealer  in  this  section  of  Missouri  and  has  built  up  a  reputation  for  honesty, 
square  dealing  and  straightforward  business  methods  which  have  stood 
him  in  good  stead  among  the  live  stock  men  of  the  county.  He  located 
in  Boonville  in  1916.  Mr.  Brownfield  is  the  principal  owner  of  the  auto- 
mobile business  in  which  he  is  interested. 

G.  A.  Brownfield  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss  Anna  Hostler,  of  Pilot 
Grove,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Washington  Hostler.  This  marriage 
was  blessed  with  one  son,  Earl  Brownfield,  born  in  1883,  assisting  his 
father  in  the  automobile  business,  maried  Grace  Hull. 

G.  A.  Brownfield  is  a  republican.  Mrs.  Brownfield  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

Dr.  John  Ambrose  Barnett,  osteopathic  physician,  with  offices  in 
the  Trust  Company  building,  Boonville,  Mo.,  enjoys  a  lucrative  and  grow- 
ing practice  which  he  has  built  up  since  coming  to  Boonville  in  January, 
1913.  Doctor  Barnett  was  born  in  Cicero,  Hamilton  County,  Ind.,  April 
7,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Harrison  and  Lucy  (Boyd)  Barnett,  the 
former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  and  the  latter  a 
native  of  Kentucky. 

William  Harrison  Barnett  was  bom  in  1841  and  was  a  son  of  Am- 
brose Dudley  Barnett,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Dr.  John  A.  Barnett  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  and  taught  school  for  five 
years.  For  about  one  and  a  half  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Scar- 
borough Company,  handling  maps  and  school  supplies,  and  when  at  Okla- 
homa City  he  became  interested  in  the  science  of  Osteopathy.  He  en- 
tered college  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  graduated  from  the  Still  Osteopathic 
College  in  1905.  His  parents  then  being  residents  of  Irvington,  at  that 
time  a  suburb  of  Indianapolis,  he  located  in  the  latter  city  and  remained 
Ihere  until  his  mothers  death  in  April,  1906.  Doctor  Barnett  then  prac- 
ticed at  Attica,  Ind.,  for  one  and  a  half  years  and  then  moved  to  Rogers, 
Ark.,  in  the  hope  that  a  change  of  climate  would  be  beneficial  to  his  wife's 
1  salth.  From  March.  1909.  until  January,  1913.  he  remained  at  Rogers 
and  then  located  at  Boonville. 


452  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

There  were  five  children  born  to  William  Harrison  and  Lucy  (Boyd) 
Barnett,  as  follow:  Albert  Raphael,  a  farmer,  Franklin,  Ind. ;  Dr.  John 
Ambrose  Barnett,  of  this  review;  Victor  Hugo  Barnett,  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1916;  Rev.  Carl  Harry  Barnett,  a  graduate  of  Butler  University, 
graduate  of  Yale  University,  prominent  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  and  now 
pastor  of  the  Oak  Cliff  Christian  Church,  Dallas,  Texas;  Chester  Boyd 
Barnett,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Indianapolis  Law  School,  and  was  engaged 
in  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service  when  he  died  of  influenza  in 
the  West  Dec.  28,  1918. 

In  March,  1903,  Doctor  Barnett  was  married  to  Miss  Ruby  Hall,  of 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  a  daughter  of  Herschell  and  Victoria  (Hall)  Hall. 
Seven  children  have  blessed  this  union:  Harold  Ray,  Juanita,  Therese 
Lucille,  Leslie  Ambrose,  John  Alfred,  Victoria  Boyd,  and  Ruby  Darline. 

Doctor  Barnett,  while  practicing  his  profession  at  Rogers,  Ark.,  was 
appointed  by  Gov.  George  W.  Donaghey  to  a  membership  on  the  State 
Board  of  Osteopathic  Examiners  and  served  for  two  years,  beginning 
Nov.  7,  1911.  Upon  coming  to  Boonville  he  passed  the  Missouri  State 
Board  of  Osteopathic  Examiners  Feb.  8,  1913.  He  is  a  Democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Joseph  Ignatius  Hazell,  retired  pioneer  farmer,  Speed,  Mo.,  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  Palestine,  Cooper  County,  March  7,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of 
Edwin  and  Sarah  (Yarnell)  Hazell,  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  pioneers  in 
Missouri. 

Edwin  Hazell  was  born  in  1811  and  died  in  1893.  He  was  a  son  of 
Nathan  Hazell,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1821  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  old  Palestine.  He  reared  a  family  in  Cooper  County  and  died  here. 
Edwin  Hazell  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  and  when  he  attained 
maturity,  married  Sarah  Yarnell,  who  was  born  in  1806  and  died  in  1884. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Yarnell,  a  noted  pioneer  settler  who  was  a 
close  friend  of  Stephen  Cole,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Howard  and 
Cooper  Counties.  Joseph  Yarnell  was  an  Indian  fighter,  a  typical  fron- 
tiersman, who  with  others  went  fully  armed  and  assisted  in  the  building 
of  the  forts  wherein  the  people  remained  during  the  troublesome  days 
of  the  War  of  1812. 

A  traditional  story  handed  down  for  the  past  hundred  years  and 
since  told  with  manv  variations  makes  Samuel  Cole  and  Joseph  Yarnell 
the  heroes  of  a  comical  episode.  The  story  goes  that  Yarnell  and  Cole 
were  going  to  attend  a  party  across  the  Missouri  River  in  Howard  Countv. 


J.   I.   HAZKI.I, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  453 

There  was  only  one  small  skiff  which  they  could  use.  Yarnell  took  the 
skiff  and  rowed  his  girl  across  the  stream.  Sam  Cole  stripped,  took  a 
young  bull  by  the  tail  and  made  him  swim  across  the  stream  and  both 
attended  the  party.  One  version  of  the  tale  gives  it  that  Yarnell  and 
Cole  rode  a  bull  into  the  midst  of  the  gathering  and  created  an  uproar. 
These  two,  however  were  apparently  the  heroes  of  many  misadventures 
which  have  become  legendary. 

Edwin  Hazell  became  a  blacksmith  and  carpenter  and  conducted  a 
blacksmith  shop  on  his  place  for  the  convenience  of  the  settlers.  When 
Shelby's  raiders  made  their  famous  trip  through  Cooper  County,  during 
the  Civil  War,  some  of  Shelby's  men  welded  a  broken  axle  and  mended  a 
cannon  at  the  Hazell  shop.  The  Hazell  home  was  stripped  of  every  vestige 
of  food  and  valuables,  the  horses  were  taken  and  the  cows  and  pigs  were 
seized  by  the  raiders.  The  next  day  after  the  rebels  had  passed  through 
Joseph  I.  Hazell  was  sent  to  Pinney's  Mill  for  a  supply  of  corn  meal.  Old 
John  Brown's  men  then  came  along  in  chase  of  Shelby's  crowd  and  ate  up 
all  the  meal,  and  perforce  the  trip  had  to  be  made  over  again  so  that  the 
family  could  have  something  to  eat.  Brown's  men  seized  two  horses 
which  had  been  left  in  exchange  by  Shelby's  men  and  all  that  the  Hazells 
had  left  were  two  contraband  horses  which  were  worn  out  and  feeble  from 
use.  They  fed  up  these  animals,  raiders  came  again  and  the  same  thing 
again  happened,  and  so  it  went  on  throughout  the  war. 

Edwin  Hazell  had  a  family  of  ten  children:  James  died  in  1849  in 
California;  Susan,  Nancy,  Elizabeth,  William,  Sarah,  Eliza.  Mary  and 
Rhoda,  are  deceased.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  now  living. 

Opportunities  for  schooling  were  very  limited  during  the  youthful 
days  of  J.  I.  Hazell.  During  the  four  years  of  Civil  War  there  were  no 
schools.  Mr.  Hazell  recalls  that  a  young  man  named  Henderson  taught, 
school  during  the  war  time  for  awhile.  This  teacher  wore  a  new  pair  of 
boots.  He  took  them  off  while  school  was  in  session  and  wore  slippers, 
taking  good  care  to  hide  the  boots  in  the  fear  that  some  wandering  soldier 
might  take  a  fancy  to  them  and  commandeer  them  for  his  own  use.  The 
school  house  of  his  home  vicinity  was  a  log  building  with  rough  wooden 
benches  and  everything  about  it  was  very  primitive. 

Mr.  Hazell  was  married  in  1869  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Pulley,  who  was 
born  near  Tipton.  Ind.,  in  1851  and  is  a  daughter  of  Lorenzo  and  Demaris 
(Crews)  Pulley,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  this  marriage  are:  Judson,  a  railroad  man,  Atchison.  Kans. ; 


454  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

Leslie,  a  railroad  man,  Atchison,  Kans. ;  Aubrey  and  Dade,  farmers,  living 
near  Billingsville,  Mo. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Hazell  settled  on  a  rented  farm  two  miles 
west  of  Speed.  He  eventually  purchased  the  old  Hazell  homestead  of  60 
acres.  He  lived  there  for  some  years  and  then  purchased  299  acres  of 
bottom  land,  now  owned  by  H.  Friedrich,  upon  which  he  resided  for  seven 
years.  This  low  ground  was  not  good  for  an  asthmatic  condition  which 
persisted  in  bothering  Mr.  Hazell  and  he  exchanged  farms  with  Mr.  Fried- 
rich  and  received  a  tract  of  122.5  acres.  Mr.  Hazell  sold  out  this  land, 
purchased  property  in  Sedalia  which  is  bringing  him  good  rentals  and 
moved  to  Speed.  He  owns  three  fine  residence  properties  in  Sedalia  and 
has  recently  moved  to  the  A.  Rudolph  farm  northeast  of  Speed. 

Mr.  Hazell  is  a  democrat,  loyal  to  the  president  and  loyal  to  his  party 
at  all  times.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  a  democrat  and  a 
Baptist  being  a  splendid  combination  of  old  time  settler  which  cannot  be 
beaten  for  reliability,  sturdiness,  honesty  and  good  humor.  He  is  fra- 
ternally allied  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  at  Speed. 

Jamesj  R.  Miller. — The  city  of  Boonville  has  a  very  efficient  and 
capable  police  force  and  is  noted  as  a  law  abiding  municipality.  Chief 
of  Police  James  R.  Miller  is  a  capable  and  honest  public  officer  who  is  now 
serving  his  third  term  as  city  marshal  and  has  been  connected  with  tie 
police  force  of  the  city  since  his  first  appointment  on  May  1.  1911.  Mr. 
Miller  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Boonville  Feb.  27,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  W.  (born  1839,  died  May  5,  1911)  and  Jessie 
B.   (Payne)  Miller  (born  1843,  died  Jan.  20,  1899). 

Frederick  W.  Miller  was  born  in  Germany  and  accompanied  his 
father  to  America  in  1848,  his  father  being  a  rebel  against  the  Kaisers 
government  and  being  connected  with  the  uprising  of  a  part  of  the  Ger- 
man people  in  1848,  he  fled  to  America  for  a  haven  of  refuge  for  liberty 
loving  people  of  his  class.  Jessie  B.  (Payne)  Miller  was  a  daughter  of 
James  R.  Payne,  better  known  as  Squire  Payne,  one  of  the  best  known 
of  the  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  Frederick  W.  Miller  served  his  adopted 
country  as  a  soldier  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War  and  fol- 
lowed fanning  successfully  west  of  Boonville  until  his  retirement  to  a 
home  in  Boonville  in  1901.  He  was  father  of  four  children:  Mrs. 
Eieanora  Drexel.  Boonville  township;  John  \V.  Miller,  California,  Mo.; 
Mis.  Rosa  Marie  Brueckner.  died  in  1914;  James  R.  Miller,  of  this  review. 

Mr.  Miller  followed  farming  until  1909.  He  became  owner  of  a 
splendid  farm  about  four  miles  west  of  Boonville,  which   he  cultivated 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY  455 

with  great  success,  becoming-  owner  of  the  Miller  home  place.  Not  being 
satisfied  with  a  mediocre  success  Mr.  Miller  accumulated  three  farms  in 
all,  making  a  total  of  315  acres.  He  has  disposed  of  all  of  his  farm 
lands,  selling  157  acres  in  1909.  When  he  came  to  Boonville,  he  pur- 
chased a  20  acre  tract  on  West  Spring  street  in  November,  1912.  This 
place  is  well  improved  with  a  handsome  brick  residence  and  is  very 
productive,  Mrs.  Miller  having  charge  of  its  operation  to  a  considerable 
extent  while  her  husband  keeps  Boonville  a  law  abiding  community. 
From  1909  to  his  appointment  as  a  member  of  the  police  force  of  Boon- 
ville May  1,  1911,  Mr.  Miller  conducted  a  meat  market  and  grocery. 
After  serving  three  years  as  city  policeman  he  was  elected  to  the  post 
of  city  marshal  and  is  chief  of  police  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  Oct.  18,  1893,  to  Miss  Carrie  M.  Brommer, 
born  in  West  Boonville  township,  a  daughter  of  Louis  and  Elizabeth 
Brommer,  well  known  deceased  residents  of  Cooper  County.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  James  R.  and  Carrie  M.  Miller  are:  Harry  James,  Beatrice, 
Roy  Ferdinand  and  Earl  Charles. 

Harry  James  Miller  is  an  officer  in  the  commissary  department  of 
the  Missouri  Training  School. 

Beatrice  Martha  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Roy  Ferdinand  Miller  was  bora  April  21,  1897,  and  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  Navy  July  1,  1918  and  was  trained  for  service  at  the  Great 
Lakes  Naval  Training  Station.  Pneumonia  resulting  from  a  severe  at- 
tack of  the  influenza  caused  his  death  at  Great  Lakes,  Sept.  30,  1918. 

Earl  Charles  Miller  is  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Phoenix  Ameri- 
can Pipe  Factory. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Chief  Miller  is  a  conscientious  and  fearless  of- 
ficer who  is  devoted  to  his  sworn  duty  although  he  is  kind  and  just  with 
minor  offenders  of  the  law.  He  is  a  familiar  and  well  liked  personality 
on  the  streets  of  Boonville  and  has  many  warm  friends  in  the  city  and 
county. 

Edward  J.  GarthofTner,  proprietor  of  a  flourishing  feed  mill,  has 
been  engaged  in  business  since  July  1,  1917,  when  he  purchased  the  mill 
from  H.  Olendorf.  Two  men  are  employed  and  Mr.  Garthofner  does  a 
general  wholesale  and  retail  business  which  is  growing  in  volume  through 
his  management.    He  was  born  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  April  11,  1867. 


456  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

George  J.  Garthoffner  his  father,  was  born  in  Germany  and  came 
to  America  in  1857.  He  operated  a  wagon  shop  in  Boonville  for  many 
years  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the  early  growth  and  history 
of  Boonville.  He  was  born  in  1828  and  died  May  13,  1873.  His  wife 
was  Victoria  (Wagner)  Garthoffner,  who  bore  him  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living:  George,  Boonville;  Edward,  subject  of  this  review; 
Frank  and  Henry,  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  St.  Louis ;  Mary,  Boon- 
ville; Louisa,  deceased;  Emma,  Boonville;  and  Mrs.  Sophia  Gantner, 
Boonville. 

After  attending  the  parochial  schools  of  Boonville,  Edward  J.  Garth- 
offner learned  the  trade  of  cigarmaker  and  followed  his  trade  for  twenty 
years,  becoming  a  partner  in  business  with  his  brother  in  1890.  He  re- 
mained with  him  until  1910,  when  he  closed  out  his  partnership  interest, 
in  the  business.  In  1910,  June,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Boon- 
ville and  served  until  July  1,  1914.  For  the  following  year  he  traveled 
for  the  Melito  Fish  and  Oyster  Company.  Mr.  Kramm  became  owner  of 
the  local  feed  mill  at  that  time  and  Mr.  Garthoffner  operated  it  for 
Kramm  for  six  months.  Then  Olendorf  bought  it  and  Mr.  Garthoffner 
was  in  his  employ  until  he  became  sole  owner  on  July  1,  1917. 

Mr.  Garthoffner  was  married  in  1896  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Darby,  a 
native  of  Cooper  County,  and  daughter  of  Patrick  Darby,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  in  this  volume.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  marriage: 
Bernardine,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County;  Mary, 
bookkeeper  in  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Boonville;  Richard,  Edward,  Jr., 
Dorothy  and  Frances. 

Mr.  Garthoffner  has  been  active  and  influential  in  Republican  politics 
and  has  served  on  the  County  and  Congressional  Central  Committees.  He 
has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  the  State  convention  of  his  party  and 
has  attended  the  National  conventions.  For  several  years  he  was  vice- 
president  of  the  Young  Mens'  Republican  Association.  He  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  city  treasurer  in  1908  and  filled  this  office  for  two  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church,  is  a  Grand  Knight 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World. 

George  H.  Meyer,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  is  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  section.  He  is  a  son  of  George  H.  and 
Elizabeth  (Molan)  Meyer.  George  H.  Meyer  was  bom  in  Saline  town- 
ship, Cooper  County,  in  1853,  and  died  Feb.  9,  1903.  His  wife  is  also  a 
native  of  Saline  township  and  still  resides  in  Saline  township. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  157 

George  H.  Meyer  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  his  parents: 
Henry,  deceased ;  Herman  W.  resides  in  Boonville ;  Lawrence  C,  Clarks 
Fork  township;  Emil  Ewing,  resides  with  his  mother,  Saline  township; 
and  George  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Meyer  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Cooper  County,  and  attended 
the  district  school.  Later,  he  attended  the  Kemper  Military  School,  and 
afterwards  took  a  course  in  Gem  City  Business  College,  at  Quincy,  111. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming,  and  for  a  few  years  operated  rented  land. 
In  1910  he  purchased  his  present  place  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where 
he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  This  is  one  of 
the  valuable  farms  of  Cooper  County,  and  consists  of  275  acres  of  well- 
improved  land.  The  farm  buildings  are  all  modern,  the  residence  being 
equipped  with  a  heating  and  lighting  system.  The  place  is  underlaid  with 
coal  to  the  extent  of  a  vein  of  7  feet  thick  in  some  places,  although  Mr. 
Meyer  does  not  mine  any  of  the  coal  at  the  present  time. 

Sept.  6,  1905,  George  H.  Meyer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Julia  N.  Muntzel,  a  daughter  of  Albert  and  Margaret  (Schmidt)  Muntzel, 
the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Cooper  County,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Meyer  was  born  on  the  farm  where  she 
now  resides,  Oct.  '15,  1881,  and  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to 
her  parents :  Albert,  Portland,  Ore. ;  Martin  W.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Edward 
J.,  Boonville;  Mrs.  Clara  Trampe,  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.;  Lillian,  resides 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer;  Mrs.  Caroline  Fricke,  on  a  farm  near  Sedalia, 
Mo.;  Harry  J.,  Clarks  Fork  township;  and  Mrs.  Delia  D.  Muntzel.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meyer  have  been  born  two  children:  Margaret  Elizabeth,  born 
July  20,  1906,  and  Norbert  Wilbur,  born  May  10,  1919. 

Mr.  Meyer  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  local  public  affairs,  and 
is  one  of  the  present  members  of  the  Washington  District  School  Board. 
He  and  Mrs.  Meyer  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at 
Clarks  Fork.  They  are  prominent  in  the  community  and  rank  among  the 
leading  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Dr.  Roy  H.  Ellis,  dentist  of  23  years  successful  practice  in  Cooper 
County,  with  offices  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  building,  Boonville,  was 
born  in  Cooper  County,  Aug.  7,  1878.  He  is  a  son  of  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  William  H.  Ellis,  who  was  born  in 
Cooper  County  in  1850  in  the  house  where  he  now  lives. 

Dr.  William  H.  Ellis,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Roy  H.  Ellis,  was  a  native 
of  Richmond,  Va.,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1839.  He  settled  on 
a  farm  which  had  been  entered  by  his  father-in-law,  Colin  Johnson,  a 


458  HISTORY    OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

pioneer  of  Cooper  County,  who  entered  part  of  the  Ellis  farm  in  1834. 
Dr.  W.  H.  Ellis  practiced  medicine  among  the  pioneer  families  of 
this  section  of  Missouri  until  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  most  widely 
and  favorably  known  of  the  early  doctors  of  this  section  of  Missouri. 

The  original  patent  of  the  land  which  is  still  owned  by  the  Ellis 
family  was  signed  by  President  James  Monroe.  William  H.  Ellis  has 
always  been  interested  in  farming  and  has  resided  upon  his  land  prac- 
tically all  of  his  days.  He  is  owner  of  340  acres  of  land,  part  of  which 
was  a  portion  of  a  large  estate  of  over  1,000  acres  accumulated  by  his 
father,  Doctor  Ellis.  The  Ellis  land  is  situated  near  Prairie  Home,  Mo 
and  is  vary  valuable,  easily  worth  $125  an  acre.  William  H.  Ellis  mar- 
ried Margaret  Graham  McPhatridge,  born  in  Abbington,  Va.,  in  1850, 
and  who  came  to  Cooper  County  and  taught  in  the  public  schools  for 
some  years.  Eight  sons  and  two  daughters  were  bom  'to  William  H.  and 
Margaret  Ellis,  as  follow:  Two  died  in  infancy;  Edward  E.,  Dr.  Roy  H. 
Ellis ;  Joseph  Graham ;  Lance  F.,  Mary  Ann,  Clay  W.,  Rylie. 

Edward  E.  is  42  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  and 
is  now  sergeant  in  the  90th  Division,  Army  of  Occupation  in  Germany 
and  is  stationed  at  Coblenz.  He  fought  at  St.  Mihiel  and  in  the  Argonne 
Forest  battle,  having  been  over  79  days  on  the  front,  prior  to  the  sign- 
ing of  the  armistice.  Joseph  Graham  Ellis  is  living  on  the  home  farm. 
T-ance  F.  Ellis  lives  in  Wichita,  Kan.  Samuel  T.  Ellis  resides  in  Lexing- 
ton, Mo.  Mary  Ann  Simmons  lives  at  Bunceton,  Mo.  Clay  W.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Wichita,  Kan.,  also  spent  six  months  as  a  private  soldier  in  the 
National  Army  and  received  an  honorable  discharge  from  the  service. 
Rylie  Ellis  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Roy  H.  Ellis  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  Prairie  Home 
Institute.  He  studied  dentistry  at  Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  graduated  from  this  institution  in  1898.  He  practiced  for  a  time  at 
Prairie  Home  and  then  came  to  Boonville,  where  he  has  built  up  a  splen- 
did practice.  Since  his  graduation  he  has  taken  four  special  courses  in 
dentistry  under  special  instructors  and  has  endeavored  in  every  way  to 
keep  abreast  of  all  modern  developments  and  advancement  in  the  science 
of  his  profession. 

Doctor  Ellis  was  married  dn  June  3,  1903,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Durrett, 
of  Charlottesville,  Va..  a  daughter  of  Frank  Durrett.  Doctor  and  Mrs. 
Ellis  have  two  children:   William  Henry.  Jr.,  and  Clara  Margaret  Ellis. 

Doctor  Ellis  is  a  member  of  the  Missourt  State,  the  Central  Missouri 
and  the  National  Dental  Associations.  He  is  a  Democrat,  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  is  a  Mason. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  459 

Dr.  William  Thomas  Gibson,  justice  of  the  peace,  Boonville,  Mo.,  and 
also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  born  in  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  Nov.  1,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
Gibson. 

Thomas  Gibson,  his  father,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1806  and  died  in 
1874.  He  immigrated  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1809  and  was 
reared  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  there  married  to  Margaret  Thomas, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1812  and  departed  this  life  in  1896. 
The  life  of  Thomas  Gibson  was  spent  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  reared  a 
famih  of  four  children:  Israel,  a  soldier  in  the  Union  Army,  killed  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House;  Samuel,  a  Union  veteran,  died  in  1894;  Wil- 
liam T.,  of  this  review;  John,  a  Union  veteran,  died  in  1915.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  that  all  four  sons  of  Thomas  Gibson  served  the  Nation  in  time 
of  stress  and  the  eldest  gave  his  life  on  the  battlefield.  Israel  Gibson 
was  captain  of  Company  C,  Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Reserve  Corps. 

William  T.  Gibson  enlisted  in  July,  1862,  in  Company  A,  135th  Penn- 
sylvania Regiment,  served  six  months  in  the  First  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 
and  while  serving  12  months  in  the  188th  Pennsylvania  Infantry  he  was 
marked  for  conspicuous  bravery.  At  Fort  Harrison,  below  Richmond, 
it  wai  quoted  in  official  notices  that  he  had  performed  an  act  of  bravery 
in  earning  off  wounded  men  under  fire  from  the  battlefield  on  Sept.  29. 
1864.  Oct.  11,  1864,  he  was  given  a  lieutenant's  commission,  and  was 
afterwards  commissioned  a  first  lieutenant  by  President  Lincoln,  in  the 
Fourth  United  States  Colored  Troops.  Lieutenant  Gibson  received  his 
honorable  discharge  at  Washington,  D.  C.  June  4,  1866,  and  immedi- 
ately returned  to  his  home.  The  great  battles  in  which  he  participated 
during  the  Civil  War  were:  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg, 
the  thirty  days  battle  in  the  Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor,  where  half  of  his 
inient  were  killed  or  wounded  in  one-half  hour,  Fort  Harrison  and 
Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.  He  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry  as  a  profession 
and  came  to  Boonville,  April  10,  1869.  He  practiced  his  profession  for 
25  years  and  reluctantly  relinquished  his  practice  on  account  of  his  fail- 
ing eyesight.  For  10  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
and  served  as  police  judge.  He  served  20  years  in  all  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  was  re-elected  to  this  office  in  November,  1918. 

Doctor  Gibson  was  married  in  1877  to  Margaret  Rankin,  who  died 
in  1905.  His  second  marriage  took  place  in  1908  with  Mrs.  Alberta 
Greenstreet,  who  is  mother  of  two  daughters  by  a  former  marriage, 
viz:  Louise,  former  milliner,  died  of  influenza  in  St.  Louis  in  November. 
1918;  Maurine  Greenstreet  is  at  home  in  Boonville. 


460  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

During  the  25  years  in  practicing  his  profession  in  Cooper  County, 
Doctor  Gibson  was  located  at  Prairie  Home,  Pisgah,  and  Boonville  and 
became  known  far  and  wide  as  a  noted  horse  trader,  his  keen  judgment 
of  horseflesh  enabling  him  to  make  profitable  trades. 

Justice  Gibson  is  a  stalwart  Republican. 

George  H.  Meyer,  now  deceased,  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families,  and  for  many  years  was  iden- 
tified with  the  development  of  the  eastern  portion  of  this  country.  He 
was  born  in  Saline  township,  Feb.  5,  1853,  and  died  Feb.  13,  1903.  He 
was  a  son  of  Henry  C.  and  Anna  (Bahlman)  Meyers,  natives  of  Germany, 
both  of  whom  were  early  settlers  of  this  county  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  here,  prior  to  the  Civil  War.  Their  remains  are  buried  in 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Cemetery  at  Clarks  Fork. 

George  H.  Meyer  was  reared  to  manhood  and  educated  in  Cooper 
County,  and  during  his  lifetime  was  well  known  as  an  extensive  farmer 
and  stockman.  He  not  only  raised  cattle  and  hogs,  but  bought  and 
shipped  cattle  extensively.  He  was  a  progressive  citizen  and  a  good  busi- 
ness man,  and  became  well-to-do  and  prominent  in  the  community.  He 
took  a  special,  interest  in  the  betterment  of  the  public  school  system,  and 
for  many  years  was  an  active  member  of  the  local  school  board. 

June  16,  1874,  George  H.  Meyer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Molan,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Schnuck)  Molan. 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased  and  their  remains  are  buried  in  Pleasant 
Grove  Cemetery.  They  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  settled  in  Missouri 
sometime  in  the  '50s.  Elizabeth  (Molan)  Meyer  was  born  Oct.  29,  1856, 
in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.,  and  when  a.  young  girl,  in  1857,  came  to  Cooper 
County  with  her  parents,  and  here  she  was  reared  and  educated,  attend- 
ing the  Highland  District  School  in  Saline  township.  After  their  mar- 
riage, Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  H.  Meyer  settled  on  the  place  where  she  now 
resides,  in  1877.  They  first  purchased  200  acres,  and  later  added  200 
acres,  and  now  the  home  place  consists  of  530  acres  of  valuable  farm  land. 
This  is  one  of  the  notable  stock  farms  of  Saline  township,  and  is  known 
as  "Forrest  Grove  Stock  Farm."  It  is  located  10  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville, and  one  mile  from  Clarks  Fork  store. 

To  George  H.  Meyer  and  wife  were   born   the  following  children: 
Henry,  born  Jan.  16,  1876,  died  at  the  age  of  26  years ;  Herman  W.,  born 
Sept.   1,   1878,  now  engaged   in  the  automobile   business   at   Boonville 
George  H.,  Jr.,  born.  Sept.  17,  1880,  married  Julia  Muntzel,  Sept.  6,  1905 
Lawrence  C,  born  Aug.  25,  1883,  married  Pauline  Mills,  Aug.  30,  1904 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  461 

and  E.  Ewing,  born  June  14,  1893,  and  now  resides  on  the  home  place. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Missouri,  having  completed  the  ag- 
ricultural course  in  1913.  In  the  operation  of  the  home  place,  he  gives 
special  attention  to  raising  Shorthorn  cattle  and  pure  bred  Duroc  Jersey 
hogs,  of  which  he  raises  annually  from  200  to  300  head.  The  annual  cat- 
tle production  of  the  place  varies  from  75  to  100  head,  and  Mr.  Meyer  also 
raises  some  sheep.  The  Meyers  farm  is  naturally  well  adapted  to  stock 
raising,  and  the  splendid  barns  and  other  arrangements  for  the  care  of 
stock  classifies  this  place  as  one  of  the  modern  stock  farms  of  Cooper 
County.  E.  Ewing  Meyer  and  his  brother,  Herman  W.,  are  both  members 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
rank  among  the  progressive  young  men  of  Cooper  County. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Moloan)  Meyer  is  one  of  the  estimable  pioneer 
women  of  Cooper  County.  Her  home  has  been  within  the  confines  of  this 
county  since  1857,  and  she  has  resided  on  her  present  home  place  for  over 
42  years.  She  has  seen  Cooper  County  grow  up,  as  it  were.  The  Meyer 
family  are  highly  valued  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  and  are  all  members 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Clarks  Fork. 

.1.  L.  Hosford,  conducting  the  best  equipped  and  most  modern  shoe 
repair  shop  in  Boonville  which  he  established  Aug.  17,  1904,  is  a  versa- 
tile and  well  informed  citizen.  The  Hosford  shop  is  equipped  with  the 
latest  improved  shoe  machinery.  Only  recently  Mr.  Hosford  has  added 
an  adjunct  to  his  many  activities  in  the  way  of  a  second  hand  store. 

J.  L.  Hosford  was  born  in  Pike  County,  111.,  Jan.  1,  1869.  He  is  a 
son  of  J.  L.  and  Rowena  (Hatch)  Hosford,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of  New  York  State.  J.  L.  Hosford 
the  elder  was  an  engineer  and  carpenter  but  he  engaged  in  farming 
when  he  came  west  and  located  in  Pike  County.  He  followed  farming 
pursuits  for  a  period  of  40  years  and  died  on  March  15,  1917,  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  H.  Riley,  living  near  Greenridge,  Mo.,  at 
the  ripe  age  of  84  years.  In  1845  J.  L.  Hosford,  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  review,  settled  at  Versailles,  Brown  County.  111.,  and  later 
went  to  Pike  County,  where  he  reared  a  large  family  of  12  children. 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Hosford  died  in  1881.  The  other  children  of  the  family  besides 
the  subject  of  this  review  are:  Mrs.  M.  H.  Riley,  living  near  Greenridge. 
Mo.,  and  Mrs.  D.  C.  Riley,  of  Windsor,  Mo. 

When  still  a  boy  in  his  teens,  J.  L.  Hosford  learned  the  trade  of 
shoemaker  and  has  followed  his  trade  successfully  for  over  30  years. 
At  the  age  of  14  years  he  located  in  St.  Louis  and  learned  his  trade  in 


462  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

that  city.  After  his  marriage  in  1895  he  operated  a  shop  in  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  from  1900  to  1903.  He  came  to  Boonville  in  1903  and  for  the  first 
14  months  he  was  employed  as  teacher  of  shoe  repair  and  shoemaking 
at  the  Missouri  Training  School  for  Boys.  He  then  established  his  pres- 
ent business. 

Mr.  Hosford  was  married  on  June  30,  1895,  to  Miss  Florence  Collison, 
of  near  Bluffs  City,  111.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage: 
John  L.  Hosford,  aged  24  years,  a  shoemaker  in  St.  Louis;  Floyd  B.,  is 
his  fathers  assistant;  Glenn  is  deceased;  J.  D.,  aged  11  years;  Rosa,  aged 
nine  years;  Jessie,  aged  six,  and  Nadine,  aged  three  years. 

Mr.  Hosford  is  an  independent  voter.  He  is  an  extensive  reader  and 
student  of  history,  law  and  instructive  texts.  He  is  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed men  of  his  age  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Hosford  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Edward  G.  Scott,  officer  at  the  Missouri  Training  School  in  charge 
of  the  laundry,  has  held  his  present  position  for  19  years  and  is  one  of 
the  most  trustworthy  and  capable  officials  of  the  State  Training  School. 
Mr,  Scott  is  a  member  of  an  old  pioneer  family  in  Missouri  and  was  born 
in  Boonville  March  21,  1862. 

Adam  Scott,  his  father,  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1819  and  died 
in  1908.  He-was  a  son  of  Robert  Scott,  a  Virginian,  who  was  the  son  of 
Adam  Scott,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  who  was  one  of  the  early  pion- 
eers of  this  section  of  Missouri.  The  Scotts  came  to  Cooper  County  in 
1819.  Adam  Scott  (III)  married  Kate  Gentry.  She  was  born  in  1839 
and  died  in  1915.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Gentry  a  pioneer  of 
Pettis  County,  Mo.,  and  a  native  of  Kentucky.  For  some  years  Adam 
Scott  conducted  a  merchandise  store  at  Boonville  and  then  bought  a  farm 
one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  city,  where  he  lived  until  he  retired 
to  a  home  in  Boonville  about  1890.  The  children  born  to  Adam  and  Kate 
Scott  are:  Mrs.  Robert  Snyder,  living  south  of  Boonville;  Edward  G. 
Scott,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Joseph  Combs,  deceased;  Charles  Scott,  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.;  Jessie,  wife  of  Joseph  Combs,  Boonville;  Lola  Scott, 
Boonville. 

When  Edward  G.  Scott  was  18  years  of  age  he  went  to  New  Mexico 
and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  for  three  years.  In  1883  he  returned 
to  Boonville  and  farmed  on  the  Scott  home  place  south  of  the  Boonville 
until  he  took  up  his  duties  as  one  of  the  officers  at  the  Missouri  Training 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  463 

School  in  1900.  Mr.  Scott  is  owner  of  40  acres,  of  valuable  land  adjoin- 
ing the  Scott  home  place.  He  was  married  in  1903  to  Miss  Kate  Dwyer,  a 
daughter  of  William  Dwyer  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.  He  is  a  Democrat.  Per- 
sonally, Ed  Scott  is  a  genial,  whole  souled,  capable  citizen  who  has  many 
friends. 

Dr.  Robert  L.  Evans. — The  28  years  of  medical  practice  which  Dr. 
Robert  L.  Evans  has  had  in  Cooper  County  have  been  replete  with  suc- 
cess and  his  career  has  been  such  as  to  place  him  in  the  front  rank  of 
the  Cooper  County  physicians.  During  all  these  years  he  has  enjoyed  a 
large  practice  and  is  well  liked  and  highly  respected  by  the  people  of 
the  county.  Doctor  Evans  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boon  County,  Mo., 
Oct.  13,  1865. 

His  father,  Willis  J.  Evans,  was  born  in  1817  and  died  in  1868.  He 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  came  to  Missouri  when  a  young  man  and 
eventually  created  a  fine  farm  in  Boone  County.  He  married  Jane  Mor- 
gan Vanhorn,  who  was  born  in  Maryland,  Jan.  29,  1826,  and  died  Sept. 
23,  1914.  Her  parents  moved  from  Maryland  to  Virginia  and  came  to 
Missouri  in  1838.  Her  father  founded  the  famous  Van  Horn  Tavern, 
situated  on  the  highway  between  Rocheport  and  Columbia,  which  for 
years  was  the  midway  point  between  these  two  towns  and  was  the 
stopping  place  for  the  stages  which  plied  from  town  to  town  over  the 
Old  Trails  road.  Willis  J.  Evans,  prior  to  his  marriage,  drove  a  stage 
coach  between  Columbia  and  Lexington  and  made  his  headquarters  in 
Boonville.  After  he  had  begun  farming  he  operated  a  stage  line.  He 
was  married  in  1843  and  had  a  family  of  13  children,  only  six  of  whom 
are  now  living:  Mrs.  Ella  Angell,  living  on  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Rocheport,  Mo. ;  John  G.,  Columbia,  Mo. ;  I.  V.  Evans.  Rocheport, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  J.  N.  Darby,  Burnett,  Texas;  L.  L.  Evans,  Fairland,  Okla. ; 
and  Dr.  Robert  L.  Evans,  of  this  review. 

After  attending  the  State  University,  Robert  L.  Evans  entered  the 
Missouri  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1891. 
He  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  has  practiced 
continuously  in  Cooper  County,  four  years  of  which  was  at  Pilot  Grove, 
the  rest  of  the  time  being  in  Boonville.    He  returned  to  Boonville  in  1898. 

In  October,  1896,  Doctor  Evans  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Simmons, 
of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  A.  N.  and  Martha  Simmons,  the  former 
of  whom  is  deceased  and  the  latter  lives  at  Pilot  Grove. 

Doctor  Evans  is  a  member  of  the  Cooper  County  Medical  Society, 
the  Missouri  State  and  the  American  Medical  Associations.    He  is  a  spe- 


464  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

cial  physician  for  the  Missouri  Training  School  of  Boonville.  He  is  a 
member  cf  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South  and  is  fraternally 
affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Doctor  Evans  is  past  master  of  the  Boon- 
ville Masonic  Lodge,  a  Knight  Templar  and  member  of  the  Ararat  Tem- 
ple of  Mystic  Shriners. 

Henry  Fricke,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  "Prairie  Home  Stock 
Farm,"  one  of  the  notable  country  places  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native 
of  Missouri.  He  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Jan.  18,  1852,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Wilhelmina  (Lindeman)  Fricke,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
Henry  Fricke,  the  father,  settled  in  St.  Louis  upon  coming  to  this  country 
from  his  native  land.  Here  he  worked  at  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a 
stone  mason.  He  met  with  an  accidental  death  Avhile  digging  a  well. 
After  his  death,  his  widow  came  to  Cooper  County,  about  1855,  and  here 
married  Ferdinand  Ohlendorf.  Mrs.  Wilhelmina  (Fricke)  Ohlendorf  died 
March  30,  1904,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Cemetery  of  Clarks  Fork. 

Henry  Fricke,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  Washington  School  District,  and  the  German  school  at 
Pleasant  Grove.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer  and  stockman,  and  has  met 
with  considerable  more  than  ordinary  success.  He  is  known  and  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  breeders  of  Cooper  County,  and  for  the  past  20 
years  has  given  special  attention  to  breeding  Hereford  cattle.  He  is  also 
an  extensive  feeder,  and  has  shipped  stock  on  a  large  scale  and  has  been 
very  successful  in  all  his  undertakings.  Mr.  Fricke  bought  his  present 
farm  of  320  acres  in  1881,  at  $23.50  per  acre.  This  land  was  originally 
entered  from  the  Government  by  Henry  Berger  at  the  regulation  Govern- 
ment price  of  25  cents  per  acre.  It  is  located  12  miles  from  Boonville 
and  three  miles  northwest  of  Prairie  Home,  on  Jefferson  Highway.  In 
striking  contrast  to  the  modem  improvement  on  this  place,  stands  an  old 
log  cabin,  which  was  built  by  Mrs.  E.  P.  Adams,  at  a  very  early  date. 
The  Fricke  residence  is  one  of  the  attractive  places  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  picturesque  grove  of  maple  trees,  which 
Mr.  Fricke,  himself,  planted.  At  one  time,  Mr.  Fricke  was  the  owner  of 
500  acres  of  land,  but  he  sold  180  acres.  The  Fricke  place  is  one  of  the 
historic  old  landmarks  of  the  early  days.  The  Fricke  residence  occupies 
the  site  of  the  old  stage  station,  where  the  stage  horses  were  changed 
enroute  from  Boonville  to  Jefferson  City,  and  here  is  where  Ely  P.  Adams 
conducted  an  old-time  tavern  in  connection  with  the  stage  station. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  465 

Feb.  14,  1873,  Henry  Fricke  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  with  Miss  Caroline  Kostedt,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Chris- 
tina (Hasenjoger)  Kostedt,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Mrs.  Fricke  was 
born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Sept.  13,  1853,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  with 
her  parents  March  26,  1869.  They  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
where  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  and  their  remains 
are  now  interred  in  Lutheran  Cemetery  of  Clarks  Foi-k.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  William,  Peoria,  111.;  Mrs.  Christine 
Poese,  Lone  Elm ;  Herman,  Fairland,  Okla. ;  Caroline,  the  wife  of  Henry 
Fricke,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Fred,  who  was  accidentally  killed  in 
St.  Louis;  and  Charles,  died  in  Clarks  Fork  township  at  the  age  of  21 
years. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fricke  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Sophia,  married  Peter  Hein,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Mary,  married  Walter 
Hoerl,  Prairie  Home  township;  Henry  F.,  Sedalia,  Mo.;  Christ  F.,  Prairie 
Home ;  Clara,  married  Martin  Smith,  Lone  Elm ;  Martha,  resides  at  home ; 
Anna,  died  at  the  age  of  24  years ;  Minnie,  married  Harry  Muntzel,  Clarks 
Fork  township;  and  George  H.,  Sedalia. 

In  addition  to  his  extensive  farming  and  stock  interest,  Mr.  Fricke 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  development  of  other  important  enter- 
prises in  the  county.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of 
both  the  Bunceton  and  Prairie  Home  fairs,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Prairie  Home  Fair.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  Clarks  Fork  Farmers  Mutual  Fire,  Lightning  and  Tornado 
Insurance  Co.  of  Cooper  County.  This  company  was  organized  in  Nov., 
1892.  and  was  incorporated  Feb.  25,  1915.  Mr.  Fricke  is  now  the  only 
charter  member  on  the  board  of  directors  of  this  company.  This  is  one 
of  the  substantial  institutions  of  its  kind,  and  the  following  gentlemen 
constitute  its  present  board  of  directors  and  officers:  John  King,  presi- 
dent: C.  H.  Toeliner,  secretary;  P.  G.  Meisenheimer,  treasurer;  Conrad 
Greibold,  Emil  Bittner,  John  Brandes,  Henry  Fricke,  and  Emil  Derend- 
inger,  directors. 

Mr.  Fricke  is  also  interested  in  the  Cooper  County  Bank,  of  which 
he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the 
grain  elevator  at  Bunceton. 

Mr.  Fricke  is  prominently  identified  with  the  republican  party,  and 
was  his  party  candidate  for  county  judge  of  the  eastern  district  of  Cooper 
County,  and  while  the  opposition  partv  has  a  normal  majority  of  about 
(30) 


466  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

600  in  this  district,  Mr.  Fricke  lacked  but  a  few  votes  of  being  elected. 
Mr.  Fricke  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  substantial  citizens,  and  he 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of 
Clarks  Fork. 

John  F.  Hack,  baker  at  the  Missouri  Reformatory  since  1891,  and 
for  the  past  15  years  in  charge  of  the  commissary  at  the  school,  has  had 
40  years'  experience  at  his  trade.  He  was  born  in  Henderson  County, 
Ky.,  Jan.  27,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Hack  (born  1822,  died  1891), 
a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany. 

Andrew  Hack  emigrated  from  his  native  country  when  a  young  man 
and  operated  a  tailor  shop  and  clothing  business  at  Henderson,  Ky.,  until 
1863.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Jeffersonville  and  was  employed  as  a 
journeyman  tailor  until  his  death.  His  wife,  prior  to  her  marriage,  was 
Mary  Weisenberger  (born  1834,  died  1869),  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany. 
Andrew  Hack  was  father  of  five  children,  namely:  Emil,  a  druggist  at 
Sewickley,  Pa.;  George,  died  in  1915;  John  F.,  of  this  review;  Edward, 
a  candymaker  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Rosa  Hack,  a  trained  nurse  at  Jeffer- 
sonville, Ind. 

John  F.  Hack  was  reared  and  educated  in  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  and 
learned  his  trade  at  New  Albany,  Ind.  In  1883  he  located  at  Washing- 
ton, Ind.,  and  was  employed  at  his  trade  for  two  years.  In  1888  he  went 
to  Pana,  111.,  and  remained  in  that  city  for  two  years.  In  1890  he  was 
baker  at  the  Indiana  Reformatory  for  seven  months.  After  six  months 
spent  in  St.  Louis  he  came  to  Boonville  and  took  charge  of  the  bakery 
and  commissary  at  the  Missouri  Training  School. 

Mr.  Hack  is  a  Democrat  of  the  old  school  of  Democracy.  He  was 
reared  in  the  Catholic  faith  but  has  no  church  ties,  believing  in  the 
brotherhood  of  man  in  so  far  as  he  can  practice  it  and  live  rightly  and 
sanely.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
is  a  citizen  who  keeps  abreast  of  the  times  and  is  an  expert  in  his 
profession. 

John  S.  Underwood,  office  assistant  to  the  superintendent  of  the 
Missouri  Reformatory,  Boonville,  was  born  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.,  Oct. 
29,  1884. 

John  S.  Underwood,  his  father,  was  born  in  October,  1844,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Cass-Johnson  County  line,  and  was  the  son  of  Jack- 
son County  pioneer  parents.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  for  25 
years  was  engaged  in  the  buying  and  shipping  of  live  stock  at  Pleasant 
Hill,  Mo.     He  removed  to  Boonville  in  August,  1918,  and  is  living  a  re- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  467 

tired  life.  A  brother,  Fletcher  Underwood,  was  killed  while  serving  in 
the  Southern  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  His  wife  was  Miss  Josephine 
Winters  prior  to  her  marriage  and  she  was  born  at  Port  Gibson,  Miss., 
in  1856.  Soon  after  her  birth  her  parents  located  in  Missouri  and  some 
time  later  located  in  Louisiana  and  again  came  to  Missouri  after  the 
Civil  War.  John  S.  and  Josephine  (Winters)  Underwood  were  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wilson,  Lamar,  Colo.;  Tessie, 
wife  of  Newton  H.  Johnson,.  Boonville;  Mrs.  Hazel  Shortridge,  Pleasant 
Hill,  Mo.;  Harry  W.  is  in  the  live  stock  commission  business  at  Kansas 
City;  John  S.,  subject  of  this  sketch. 

After  completing  the  courses  of  study  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Pleasant  Hill,  Mr.  Underwood  attended  the  Central  Business  College  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  For  two  years  he  was  then  employed  in  the  stock 
yards  of  Kansas  City.  Jan.  1,  1905,  Mr.  Underwood  came  to  Boonville 
and  was  employed  in  the  law  office  of  William  F.  Johnson  as  stenographer 
and  also  by  the  late  Judge  W.  M.  Williams  for  several  years.  He  studied 
law  under  the  tutelage  of  these  gentlemen  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1907.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boonville  and  served 
as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  under  W.  F.  Johnson.  Mr.  Underwood 
was  elected  county  treasurer  of  Cooper  County  in  1912  and  served  for 
four  years,  then  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  filled  the 
post  of  secretary  of  the  Boonville  Commercial  Club  from  1905  to  1917 
and  was  for  three  years  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Cooper  County 
Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Cooper  County 
Automobile  Association  and  served  as  secretary  of  the  County  Council 
of  Defense  during  the  World  War. 

Mr.  Underwood  was  married  on  Aug.  6,  1907,  to  Miss  Dora  Brewster 
of  Boonville  and  to  this  marriage  have  been  born  three  children :  Dorothy, 
born  June  19,  1910;  Josephine,  born  Sept.  16,  1912;  and  Elizabeth,  born 
Feb.  7,  1919.  Mrs.  Dora  (Brewster)  Underwood  is  a  daughter  of  Harry 
and  Willis  (Trent)  Brewster,  both  of  whom  died  when  Mrs.  Underwood 
was  but  a  child.  Mrs.  Willis  (Trent)  Brewster  was  a  daughter  of  W. 
W.  Trent. 

The  Democratic  party  has  always  had  the  steadfast  allegiance  of 
Mr.  Underwood.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  is  affil- 
iated with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in  all  of  which  fraternal 
societies  he  takes  an  active  interest. 


468  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Fred  Lohse,  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  substantial  of  the  "old- 
time"  residents  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1843, 
a  son  of  Hans  and  Katrina  (Schlater)  Lohse,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  that  country  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there.  M.  Lohse,  a  well- 
known  grocer  at  Boonville,  is  a  brother  of  Fred  Lohse.  Another  brother, 
Martin,  was  living  at  Hamburg  at  the  time  communication  between  this 
country  and  Germany  was  interrupted  during  the  World  War  and  no 
word  has  been  received  regarding  him  by  the  brothers  here  since  that 
time. 

Reared  in  Germany  Fred  Lohse  received  his  schooling  there  and  re- 
mained in  that  country  until  after  attaining  his  majority  when,  in  1866, 
he  came  to  this  country,  locating  in  Cooper  County.  Here  he  has  made  his 
home  ever  since.  Upon  his  arrival  here,  Mr.  Lohse  for  a  time  worked  for 
John  King,  then  took  employment  on  the  James  Martin  farm  and  was 
for  six  years  thus  engaged,  for  $14  a  month.  He  then  transferred  his 
services  to  the  Daniels  farm  and  for  seven  years  was  employed  there,  re- 
ceiving from  $18  to  $20  a  month.  He  then  rented  the  George  Adams  farm 
for  five  years,  when  he  bought  from  Doctor  Potter  a  quarter  section  of 
the  farm  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Lohse  later  bought 
from  John  Hedgepath  50  acres  and  has  a  fine  place  of  210  acres,  which 
he  has  well  improved.  Mr.  Lohse's  farm  is  four  miles  west  of  Prairie 
Home.  Among  the  improvements  are  a  substantial  farm  house,  two 
bams,  48x50  and  30x40,  a  12x30  silo  and  other  buildings.  The  place  is 
well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  Of  late  years,  he  has  been  con- 
tent to  "take  things  easy"  in  the  pleasant  "evening  time"  of  his  life  and 
some  time  ago  turned  over  the  active  management  of  the  farm  to  his  son, 
Ernest  Lohse.  Mr.  Lohse  has  always  been  interested  in  church  work  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  church  erected  at  Clarks  Fork  and 
helped  build  the  same,  there  being  at  that  time  about  twenty  members 
of  the  congregation,  under  the  ministration  of  the  Reverend  Lauger.  He 
also  contributed  substantially  to  the  erection  of  the  later  church,  built 
about  10  years  ago. 

In  1872,  Fred  Lohse  was  united  in  marriage  to  Annie  Schmidt,  a 
daughter  of  Claus  Schmidt,  one  of  the  old  settler's  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Lohse  died  in  1896  and  is  buried  in  Clarks  Fork  cemetery. 
To  her  union  with  Fred  Lohse,  eight  children  were  bora :  Margaret,  mar- 
ried August  Kaiser  and  is  now  deceased;  John,  a  farmer  and  stockman, 
of  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Henry,  of  same  township ;  Lena,  deceased ;  Wil- 
liam, deceased;  Martin,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 


V. 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER  COUNTY  469 

ship;  Ernest,  on  the  home  farm  for  his  father;  Sophia,  wife  of  William 
Fricke,  Clarks  Fork  township;  and  Walter,  now  fanning  on  Lone  Elm 
Prairie,  who  was  but  an  infant  when  his  mother  died  and  was  reared  in 
the  family  of  a  kinsman,  Morris  Naumann.  Mr.  Lohse  has  14  grand- 
children, and  in  them  he  takes  much  delight.  These  grandchildren  are 
Wilbur,  Grace  Marie  and  Bernice  Lohse;  Raymond,  Roy  and  Anna  Kai- 
ser; Lorine,  Clara,  Edna  and  Roy  Lohse;  Frances  Elaine  Lohse;  Norbert 
and  Lucille  Fricke,  and  Laura  Naumann. 

Ernest  Lohse  was  reared  on  the  farm  of  which  he  now  has  practical 
charge,  relieving  his  father  of  the  burden  of  management,  and  has  from 
his  boyhood  devoted  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  place.  June 
19,  1912,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Natalie  Weller,  who  was 
born  and  educated  in  California,  Mo.  To  this  union  one  child  has  been 
born,  a  daughter,  Frances  Elaine.  Mrs.  Lohse  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Holzer)  Weller,  who  are  now  living  in  California,  Mo.  John 
Weller  was  born  in  Ohio  and  his  wife  in  Iowa.  They  have  four  daughters, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Lohse  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Otillie 
Pearl,  Flora  Rosetta  and  Alma  Ursula. 

Dr.  Walter  L.  Dugan. — The  14  years  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Cooper  County  have  established  Dr.  W.  L.  Dugan  firmly  in  the  esteem 
and  regard  of  a  large  number  of  patients.  His  career  as  a  physician 
has  been  a  successful  and  useful  one  which  has  merited  just  recognition 
of  his  capabilities.  Doctor  Dugan  is  a  native  Missourian  and  was  born 
March  19,  1860  on  a  farm  in  Webster  County,  not  far  from  Springfield. 

George  W.  Dugan,  his  father,  was  born  in  1810  and  died  in  1885. 
He  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  was  a  son  of  Kentucky  pioneer  parents 
who  in  turn  were  early  settlers  in  Tennessee.  George  W.  Dugan  was 
reared  in  Tennessee  and  made  a  permanent  settlement  in  Webster  County, 
Mo.,  in  1843.  He  developed  a  fine  farm  in  that  county  and  was  twice 
married.  His  second  wife  was  Rebecca  Benahaw,  who  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee in  1825  and  departed  this  life  in  1906.  She  was  of  English  descent. 
By  a  former  marriage  George  W.  Dugan  was  father  of  18  children.  His 
second  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of  three  sons:  Milton,  killed  in  a 
railroad  accident  at  Parsons,  Kan.,  in  1917;  Dr.  Walter  L.,  of  this  review; 
Addison  Watts  Dugan,  lives  at  Wendling,  Ore. 

Walter  L.  Dugan  was  educated  at  the  Mountain  Dale  Seminary  in 
Webster  County  and  the  Henderson  Academy.  For  eight  years  he  suc- 
cessfully taujrht  school  in  his  native  county  and  in  1888  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  a  physicians  office.     In  1889  he  entered  the  College 


470  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  graduated  from  this 
college  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1891.  For  the  next  10 
years  he  practiced  medicine  in  Laclede  County,  Mo.  In  1901  he  located 
in  Barton  County,  Mo.,  and  remained  there  for  four  years.  On  Dec.  3, 
1904,  he  located  in  Cooper  County  and  has  practiced  his  profession  with 
offices  at  Clarks  Fork  and  at  Boonville  continuously  since  that  time. 
Sept.  25,  1918,  Doctor  Dugan  came  to  Boonville,  the  advent  and  universal 
use  of  the  automobile,  and  the  continuous  betterment  of  the  highways 
of  the  county  enabling  him  to  care  for  his  large  country  practice  from 
this  city  with  convenience. 

On  Sunday,  July  31,  1881,  Dr.  Walter  L.  Dugan  and  Miss  Addie 
Josephine  Derry  of  Mercer  County  were  married  at  Long  Lane,  Dallas 
County,  Mo.  Mrs.  Addie  Dugan  is  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Derry,  who 
is  descended  from  Pennsylvania  ancestry.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Dugan  have 
four  children:  Eugenie,  Beatrice,  Myrtle  and  Gertrude.  Mrs.  Eugenie 
Kissel  lives  in  Barton  County,  Mo.,  and  has  there  children:  Alma,  Lloyd, 
and  Edwin.  Beatrice  Dugan  is  a  teacher  in  the  Mt.  Sinai  School,  Cooper 
County;  Mrs.  Myrtle  Sharp  lives  at  Independence,  Mo.,  where  her  hus- 
band is  employed  as  telegraph  operator.  She  is  mother  of  two  children: 
Edward  and  George.  Gertrude  Dugan  is  a  teacher  in  the  Cooper  County 
schools. 

Doctor  Dugan  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Dr.  George  A.  Russell,  city  physician,  Boonville,  with  offices  at  the 
corner  of  Spring  and  Sixth  streets,  is  one  of  the  best  known  among  the 
successful  physicians  of  central  Missouri.  Doctor  Russell  was  born  near 
Darlington,  Lafayette  County,  Wis.,  Oct.  22,  1860. 

His  father,  John  B.  Russell,  was  born  in  Waterloo.  N.  Y.,  and  died 
in  1914  at  the  age  of  86  years.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  George  W.  Russell, 
a  native  of  New  York,  and  descended  from  a  Massachusetts  family  of 
English  origin.  Dr.  George  W.  Russell  practiced  his  profession  in  New 
York  until  his  removal  to  Gratiot,  Wis.,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
70  years.  He  followed  farming  in  Wisconsin  in  connection  with  his 
me'dical  practice.  John  B.  Russell  was  married  to  Elona  Abell,  of  Brad- 
ford, Pa.,  daughter  of  Capt.  Daniel  Abell.  She  died  at  the  age  of  43 
years  After  his  marriage,  John  B.  Russell  settled  upon  a  tract  of  land 
in  Lafayette  County,  Wis.,  and  developed  a  fine  farm  from  land  which 
cost  him  a  few  dollars  an  acre.  In  old  age  he  retired  to  a  home  in 
Platteville,  Wis.    His  children  are:  Dr.  George  A.  Russell,  of  this  review; 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  471 

Edward  Russell,  Platteville,  Wis.;  Mary,  life  of  Robert  Dugdale,  editor 
of  the  "Grant  County  News."  Platteville,  Wis. 

George  A.  Russell  graduated  from  the  Darlington,  Wis.,  high  school 
in  1880,  and  then  studied  at  the  Northwestern  University,  Evans  ton,  111. 
In  1884  he  entered  the  office  of  Doctor  Can-  at  Apple  River,  111.,  later 
entering  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Chicago,  graduating  therefrom 
in  1888.  After  two  years'  practice  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  he  went  to  Sedalia 
on  March  1,  1890,  and  for  eight  years  was  a  partner  of  Doctor  Abell. 
Doctor  Russell  returned  to  Boonville  in  1898.  In  addition  to  an  extensive 
practice  he  is  filling  the  post  of  city  physician. 

In  1900  he  was  married  to  Emily  Wadlow,  of  Sedalia,  Mo. 

Doctor  Russell  is  a  Republican  and  has  filled  the  office  of  coroner  of 
Cooper  County.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons. 

Frank  J.  Felton,  farmer  and  stockman  of  Cooper  County,  residing 
at  609  East  Spring  street,  Boonville,  is  owner  of  490  acres  in  his  home 
farm  in  Boonville  township  formerly  owned  by  Professor  Kemper,  foun- 
der of  the  Kemper  Military  School  and  which  the  professor  had  intended 
for  a  site  for  his  school  (and  is  also  interested  in  an  "80").  This  farm 
is  located  about  four  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Boonville  and  was  pur- 
chased from  the  Kemper  heirs  by  Mr.  Felton  in  1889.  The  Felton  farms 
are  well  improved  and  devoted  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr. 
Felton  was  born  on  a  farm  six  miles  east  of  Boonville  Oct.  15,  1863,  and 
is  a  son  of  Hubert  Felton,  born  in  1834  and  died  in  1896. 

Hubert  Felton  was  born  in  Germany  and  immigrated  to  America  in 
1853.  He  returned  to  his  native  land  in  1855  and  there  married  Annie 
Catherine  Leslie.  He  lived  in  Boonville  for  a  short  time  after  his  return 
and  then  settled  on  his  farm  east  of  Boonville.  He  sold  this  tract  in 
1861  and  then  purchased  land  near  Prairie  Lick  which  he  developed  and 
which  is  now  owned  by  his  sons.  Mr.  Felton  became  a  large  land  owner 
and  was  very  successful.  He  removed  to  Boonville  in  1888  and  spent  his 
last  days  in  comfortable  retirement  in  this  city.  To  Hubert  and  Annie 
Catherine  Felton  the  following  children  were  born:  Mrs.  Bena  Huff, 
Pilto  Grove,  Mo.;  Joseph,  Boonville;  Christena,  Boonville;  Michael,  on 
the  old  home  place  of  the  familv;  Frank  H.,  of  this  review:  John  R..  a 
farmer;  Herman,  a  farmer;  Katie,  deceased. 

What  schooling  Frank  J.  Felton  received  was  obtained  in  the  Hickory 
Grove  school  house.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer  from  his  boyhood 
days.     His  first  investment  was  the  old  Kemper  tract  of  400  acres  to 


472  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

which  he  has  added  additional  land.  Mr.  Felton  removed  to  Boonville 
in  1909. 

Nov.  16,  1909,  Frank  J.  Felton  and  Miss  Laura  Whitehurse  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Laura  Felton  was  born  in  Cooper  County  near 
the  old  Kemper  farm  and  is  a  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Mary  (Scheide- 
mantle)  Whitehurse,  natives  of  Lorraine,  France,  and  Cincinnati,  re- 
spectively. Mr.  Whitehurse  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 
He  was  born  in  1838  and  died  in  1896.  The  Whitehurse  family  made  a 
settlement  in  Cooper  County  and  his  descendants  are  well  to  do  agricul- 
tural folk.  Ferdinand  Whitehurse  was  a  Union  soldier  who  came  to 
Cooper  County  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  four  years 
in  an  Ohio  regiment  and  participated  in  many  battles. 

Mr.  Felton  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felton  are  members  of 
Sts.  Peter  and  Pauls  Catholic  Church  of  Boonville  and  Mr.  Felton  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Heinrich  Gronstedt,  one  of  the  well  known  and  substantial  farmers 
of  Clarks  Fork  township,  was  born  at  Nordlengen,  Hillscheim,  Hanover, 
Aug.  16,  1853,  and  remained  in  his  native  country  until  he  was  27  years 
of  age  when  he  came  to  America,  arriving  on  this  side  Nov.  4,  1880. 
The  following  winter  and  the  next  spring  he  spent  in  Hancock  County, 
111.,  and  then,  in  June,  1881,  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Cooper  County, 
where  he  ever  since  has  resided. 

In  1884,  the  year  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Gronstedt  bought  80  acres  of 
land  in  Prairie  Home  township  and  has  since  been  farming  there.  In 
1905,  he  bought  more  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  in  1910  bought 
another  tract  and  now  owns  260  acres.  Since  buying  this  farm,  Mr. 
Gronstedt  has  improved  the  place,  including  a  new  farm  house,  two  barns 
and  other  buildings.     He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Nov.  5,  1884,  Heinrich  Gronstedt  was  married  to  Margaret  Theiss, 
who  was  born  near  Jamestown,  Mo.,  and  who  died  at  her  home  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  Oct.  18,  1899,  and  is  buried  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery  at 
Clarks  Fork.  To  Heinrich  and  Margaret  (Theiss)  Gronstedt_  were  born 
six  sons,  namely:  Fred,  born  Feb.  1,  1886,  Dec.  6,  1911,  married  Blanche 
Wolf  and  is  now  farming  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Hermann,  April  6, 
1887,  assisting  his  father;  Frank,  March  18,  1889,  also  at  home;  William, 
Sept.  20,  1891,  at  home;  Martin,  Aug.  29,  1896,  who  has  recently  returned 
from  overseas  service  in  the  United  States  army ;  and  George,  Feb.  15, 
1899,  at  home.     Martin  Gronstedt,  the  soldier  son,  was  inducted  into  the 


HEINRICH    GRl  (NSTEDT 


HISTORY    OF  COOPER  COUNTY  473 

army  and  after  preliminary  training  on  this  side  was  ordered  in  Nov., 
1918,  with  his  command  to  sail  for  overseas  service.  The  vessel  on  which 
he  and  his  comrades  sailed  was  three  days  at  sea  when  a  wireless  message 
brought  the  tidings  that  an  armistice  had  been  signed  and  that  the  war 
thus  virtually  was  over.  Not  long  after  the  command  reached  European 
shores,  preparations  were  begun  for  its  return  and  in  December  he  was 
flustered  out  and  returned  home.  William  Gronstedt,  the  fourth  son, 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  World  War  Sept.  19,  1917,  and  was  attached  to 
the  354th  Infantry,  with  which  he  confidently  expected  to  get  into  the 
overseas  service,  but  the  later  discovery  on  the  part  of  the  medical  exam- 
iners of  a  slight  physical  fault  due  to  an  injury  to  one  of  his  hands  re- 
ceived in  boyhood  days  resulted  in  his  discharge  on  an  examiner's  cer- 
tificate of  disability  in  the  following  December.  Mr.  Gronstedt  and  his 
sons  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Frank  S.  Sauter,  vice-president  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  Boon- 
ville,  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  successful  men  in  central  Missouri 
and  a  member  of  the  substantial  Sauter  family  of  Cooper  County.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  in  June,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Rosa 
Sauter,  former  well  known  residents  of  Boonville,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the 
family. 

Frank  S.  Sauter  was  but  litte  over  a  year  old  when  his  parents 
landed  from  a  Missouri  River  steamboat  at  Boonville  in  October,  1859. 
Mr.  Sauter  was  reared  on  his  fathers  farm  in  Cooper  County  and  became 
interested  with  his  brothers  in  the  mercantile  business  under  the  name 
of  Sauter  Mercantile  Company.  Mr.  Sauter  applied  himself  to  farming 
for  a  number  of  years  and  in  1895  engaged  in  banking.  He  organized 
the  Fanners  Stock  Bank  at  Blackwater,  Mo.,  and  served  as  cashier  of 
this  bank  for  12  years.  In  1907  he  returned  to  Boonville  and  a  short 
time  later  he  organized  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Boonville.  He 
was  one  .of  the  charter  members  of  the  trust  company  which  later  bought 
out  the  Fanners  Bank  which  was  later  consolidated  with  the  Boonville 
National  Bank  of  which  Mr.  Sauter  is  vice-president.  Mr.  Sauter  is  a 
Republican  and  a  citizen  whose  fidelity  and  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of 
his  home  city  and  county  is  well  known. 

Col.  John  S.  Elliot. — One  of  the  outstanding  figures  in  the  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  Boonville  and  central  Missouri  was  the  late  Col. 
John  S.  Elliot  of  Boonville,  pioneer  railroad  builder,  banker,  and  influ- 


474  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

ential  citizen  whose  generosity  to  his  home  city  will  long  be  remembered. 
Colonel  Elliot  was  a  native  Missourian  and  a  son  of  one  of  the  first 
native  born  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the  State. 

His  father.  Col.  Newton  G.  Elliot,  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Mo., 
March  3,  1812,  and  died  Jan.  3,  1877.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Elliot  a 
Virginian  who  removed  to  Kentucky  with  his  father.  After  his  marriage 
to  Polly  Glasgow,  he  set  out  for  Missouri,  he  and  his  bride  riding  horse- 
back the  entire  distance,  in  1811.  John  Elliot  subsequently  took  part 
in  the  Indian  wars  of  the  period  from  1812  to  1815  and  founded  a  home 
on  the  then  frontier.  Col.  Newton  G.  Elliot  was  reared  in  Howard 
County,  and  became  prominent  in  the  official  life  of  this  section  of  Mis- 
souri. In  1837  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Missouri  State  Legislature  in  1852.  Prior  to  this  he  had  filled  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  the  county  from  1848  to  1852.  In  1838  he  had  been 
elected  captain  of  the  company  organized  to  expel  the  Mormans  from 
western  Missouri  and  became  commandant  of  the  organization.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  he  was  elected  major  of  the  14th  Regiment  of  State  Militia. 
In  1840  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  of  this  regiment.  He 
became  interested  in  railroad  building  and  in  1869  he  became  a  director 
of  the  Tebo  and  Neosho  railroad,  now  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
railroad.    In  1872  he  became  a  director  of  the  Boonville  Bridge  Company. 

Col.  Newton  G.  Elliot's  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Wilkerson.  His 
second  wife  was  Martha  W.  Stewart,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Elizabeth 
Stewart. 

John  S.  Elliot  was  born  March  16,  1844,  and  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Howard  County.  He  completed  his  education  in  Central  College 
at  Fayette,  Mo.  His  first  business  experience  was  in  the  stock  business 
with  his  father  until  1869.  The  opportunity  then  presented  itself  for 
him  to  engage  in  railroad  construction  work  as  a  contractor.  He  took 
the  contract  for  the  building  of  the  Tebo  and  Neosho  railroad  from 
Moberly  to  Fayette  and  completed  the  work  in  1872.  The  railroad  com- 
pany was  in  need  of  large  numbers  of  ties  for  further  building  and  repairs 
to  the  road  bed.  Mr.  Elliot  took  the  contract  for  supplying  the  railroad 
company  (The  M.  K.  &  T.)  with  ties.  This  contract  lasted  over  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  resulted  in  considerable  profit  to  Colonel  Elliot.  He 
made  his  home  in  Boonville  and  identified  himself  with  the  growth  and 
well  being  of  the  city.  He  engaged  in  the  banking  business  in  1881  and 
later  became  president  of  the  Commercial  Bank,  identifying  himself  with 
the  organization  of  this  bank  in  1883.     He  served  as  president  of  this 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  475 

bank  until  he  was  succeeded  by  the  late  Jacob  F.  Gmelich  in  1888. 
Colonel  Elliot  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boonville  Water  Works 
Company,  which  gave  to  the  city  its  water  supply.  He  served  as  presi- 
dent of  this  company  during  its  existence.  He  was  largely  interested  in 
Boonville  real  estate  and  in  Central  Missouri  farm  lands  and  left  a  con- 
siderable estate  at  his  death.  March  11,  1915. 

November  15,  1882,  he  was  manned  to  Miss  Laura  Speed,  a  daughter 
of  William  P.  Speed,  born  in  1816,  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1840  and 
died  in  this  county  June  27,  1863.  The  wife  of  William  P.  Speed  was 
Sarah  Ardell  Hutchison,  before  her  marriage.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Col.  Jack  Hutchison,  a  Cooper  County  pioneer.  Mrs.  Laura  Speed  Elliot 
departed  this  life  in  1912.  Grief  over  the  loss  of  his  wife  caused  the 
death  of  Colonel  Elliot  three  years  later.  One  son  survives:  John  Speed 
Elliot. 

Colonel  Elliot  was  a  democrat  who  took  a  considerable  interest  in 
county  and  state  politics  more  on  account  of  a  love  of  the  political  game 
than  any  other  motive,  inasmuch  as  he  had  no  aspirations  for  public 
office.  He  was  a  Mason,  this  lodge  having  charge  of  the  obsequies  con- 
ducted at  the  grave  of  this  distinguished  citizen.  Colonel  Elliot  was  kind 
hearted,  liberal  to  a  high  degree  and  ever  ready  to  extend  the  hand  of 
charity  or  to  give  freely  of  his  means  to  assist  his  home  city.  One  of 
the  notable  gifts  to  the  city  of  Boonville  was  the  "Hayden"  lot  upon  which 
was  erected  the  Laura  Speed  Elliot  High  School  so  named  in  memory  of 
Mrs.  Laura  Speed  Elliot. 

Herman  Schnack,  retired,  and  living  comfortably  in  his  beautiful 
residence  at  600  East  High  street,  Boonville,  is  one  of  the  best  known  of 
the  substantial  and  wealthy  citizens  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Schnack  was  born 
at  Hornerkirchen,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  Oct.  15,  1849.  He  is  a 
son  of  Christian  Frederick  and  Magdalene  (Pingel)  Schnack,  who  lived  all 
of  their  lives  in  their  native  village.  Herman  Schnack  was  not  contented 
to  remain  in  his  native  land,  however,  and  accordingly,  he  left  the  old 
home  of  the  family  on  May  29,  1869,  aboard  ship  from  Hamburg,  Ger- 
many. After  landing  at  Castle  Garden,  New  York,  he  came  directly  to 
Boonville  and  thence  to  the  Clarks  Fork  neighborhood  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  Cooper  County  where  he  was  employed  as  farm  laborer  for  the 
next  two  years.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  employed  in  that  city 
until  1871.  After  a  period  of  employment  in  the  sawmills  of  Wayne 
County,  Mo.,  he  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  was  employed  there  until  1873 
when  he  returned  to  Boonville.     From  1888  until  1918,  Mr.  Schnack  was 


476  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

engaged  in  the  retail  liquor  business  in  Boonville  and  was  very  successful 
from  a  financial  standpoint.  Mr.  Schnack  erected  one  of  the  finest  brick 
residences  in  Boonville  and  is  owner  of  the  brick  building  in  which  the 
Manion  &  Muntzel  clothing  store  is  located. 

December  13,  1877,  Herman  Schnack  and  Wilhelmina  Ohlendorf  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Wilhelmina  Schnack  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  Oct.  7,  1858,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Ferdinand  Ohlendorf,  a  sketch 
of  whom  is  given  in  this  volume.  The  following  children  were  born  of 
this  marriage:  Wilhelmina,  deceased  wife  of  F.  J.  Muntzel;  Emma, 
wife  of  William  L.  Koenig,  automobile  dealer,  Boonville;  Elsie,  wife  of 
Harry  T.  Manion,  of  the  New  Clothing  Store,  Boonville. 

Mr.  Schnack  is  a  republican  and  is  well  informed,  genial,  kindly  dis- 
posed, and  is  one  of  the  city's  liberal  and  progressive  citizens  who  has 
ever  been  ready  to  lend  assistance  in  counsel  and  money  to  advance  the 
prestige  and  growth  of  his  home  city. 

Fritz  Sieckman,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  the  Overton  neighbor- 
hood in  Saline  township  in  the  spring  of  1913,  was  a  native  of  Germany. 
He  was  born  in  1855  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  this  country  with 
his  parents,  the  family  first  locating  at  Washington,  Mo.,  and  moved  from 
there  to  Warren  County,  where  they  settled  on  the  farm  and  there  the 
parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Sieckman  married  in 
Warren  County  and  three  years  later,  in  1890,  moved  from  there  to  Osage 
County,  where  he  remained  until  1901,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Cooper  County  and  bought  the  farm  in  Saline  township  on  which  his 
widow  and  the  younger  children  of  the  family  are  still  living.  His  orig- 
inal purchase  there  was  of  130  acres,  but  he  bought  an  adjoining  tract 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  190  acres.  There  he  died 
April  22,  1913,  being  then  58  years  of  age,  and  is  buried  in  the  Clayton 
cemetery.  Mr.  Sieckman  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  as  is 
his  widow,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 

After  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Sieckman  assumed  the  management 
of  the  home  place,  kept  her  family  together,  carried  out  necessary  im- 
provements on  the  place  and  during  the  recent  absence  of  her  elder  son 
in  the  United  States  naval  service  she  bravely  assumed  the  double  burden 
of  management  thus  laid  on  her  shoulders  and  in  times  of  scarcity  of  help 
pluckily  took  up  the  most  pressing  out-door  labors,  the  care  of  stock  and 
such  other  duties  as  thus  devolved  upon  her. 

Mrs.  Sieckman  was  born,  Fredericka  Wehmeyer,  in  Germany,  in  1867, 
a  daugher  of  Fritz  and  Charlotte  (Erske)  Wehmeyer,  the  former  a  vet- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  477 

eran  of  the  German  army,  who  came  with  their  family  to  the  United 
States  in  1882  and  to  Missouri,  locating  on  a  farm  in  Warren  County, 
where  in  1887,  five  years  after  her  arrival  here,  the  daughter  Fredericka 
was  married  to  Fritz  Sieckman.  Mrs.  Sieckman's  parents  both  are  living 
at  Hermann,  Mo.  They  have  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Sieckman 
being  Mrs.  Caroline  Vahrenburg,  of  Warren  County ;  Mrs.  Augusta  Vieth, 
of  Kingfisher,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  Emma  Schwartz,  of  Warren  County,  and  Charles 
Wehmeyer,  of  Boone  County. 

To  Fritz  and  Fredericka  (Wehmeyer)  Sieckman  eight  children  were 
born,  namely :  Ida,  born  Feb.  21,  1890,  wife  of  Henry  Kosf eldt,  of  Overton  ; 
Lena,  March  22,  1892,  wife  of  Gilbert  Korte,  of  Boonville ;  Edward,  April 
14,  1894,  who  died  at  the  age  of  23  years  and  is  buried  at  the  Clayton  ceme- 
tery; Otto,  Feb.  5,  1896,  who  has  but  recently  returned  home  from  more 
than  a  year's  service  in  the  United  States  navy  in  the  World  War;  Alma, 
Dec.  17,  1897;  Laurence,  Feb.  4,  1900;  Martin,  July  16,  1903,  and  Lorena, 
Aug.  5.  1911.  Otto  Sieckman,  the  sailor  son,  enlisted  Dec.  5,  1917,  at  St. 
Louis.  He  was  sent  to  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  at  Chi- 
cago and  after  three  weeks  of  training  there  was  transferred  to  Phila- 
delphia, whence  a  week  later  he  was  sent  to  New  York  and  thence  to  New- 
port, where  he  was  assigned  to  the  U.  S.  S.  "Canandaigua",  a  mine  layer 
attached  to  Base  18  at  Inverness,  Scotland,  and  on  that  vessel  was  engaged 
in  laying  mines  in  the  North  Sea  from  May  until  the  signing  of  the 
armistice,  continuing  attached  to  Base  18  until  Dec.  9,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  U.  S.  S.  "Arkansas"  at  Portland,  England,  and  with  that 
vessel  formed  part  of  the  convoy  which  went  out  to  meet  the  "George 
Washington",  which  was  bearing  President  Wilson  to  France  to  attend 
the  Versailles  peace  conference,  and  thus  helped  escort  the  President  to 
Brest.  He  left  Brest  Dec.  14  and  on  the  26th  arrived  at  New  York,  where 
he  was  transferred  to  the  receiving  ship  "New  York".  Not  long  after- 
ward he  was  transferred  to  the  mine-sweeper  "Osprey"  and  served  on 
that  vessel  until  his  discharge  about  a  month  later.  He  arrived  home 
Jan.  25,  1919,  and  is  again  looking  after  the  affairs  of  the  home  farm, 
having  many  a  thrilling  and  interesting  tale  to  tell  of  his  service  in  the 
submarine  zone  during  the  closing  months  of  the  war.  One  of  Mrs.  Sieck- 
man's nephews,  Fritz  Vahrenburg,  also  rendered  sen-ice  during  the  time 
of  this  country's  participation  in  the  World  War  with  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces  in  Europe 

Anthony  Smith,  retired  merchant.  Boonville,  was  bom  Nov.  22.  1848, 
in   Chariton  County,  Mo.     He  is  a  son   of  John   and   Catherine    (Lock) 


478  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Smith,  natives  of  Prussia,  who  immigrated  to  America  in  1839  and 
settled  in  Charitan  County. 

John  Smith  was  a  pioneer  blacksmith  in  Charitan  Count  and  had 
a  shop  on  his  farm  which  he  conducted  until  his  early  death  in  1844. 
Catherine  (Lock)  Smith,  his  wife,  died  in  1885  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
Anthony,  in  Boonville,  where  she  resided  during  the  last  18  years  of 
her  life.  There  were  nine  children  born  to  John"  and  Catherine  Smith, 
eight  of  whom  were  reared  to  maturity :  John,  deceased ;  Nicholas,  Bar- 
bara, and  Peter,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary  Grubbs,  lives  in  Charitan  County, 
Mo. ;  Matthias,  served  three  years  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  lives  at  Lansing,  Kan,  with  his  children;  Catherine,  deceased; 
Anthony,  subject  of  this  review.  Six  of  the  foregoing  children  were 
born  in  Germany. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Anthony  Smith  left  Chariton  County,  after 
serving  for  a  short  time  with  the  Missouri  State  Militia.  He  crossed 
the  plains  to  Nevada  and  drove  a  freighting  team  to  Salt  Lake  City.  He 
remained  in  the  western  country  for  three  years,  worked  in  the  timber, 
and  hauled  cord  wood  to  the  stamp  mills  at  Virginia  City.  He  wit- 
nessed the  glory  of  the  great  mining  camps  of  the  West  when  at  their 
greatest  prosperity  and  recalls  the  wild  days  of  the  famous  Virginia 
City  camp.  In  1867,  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  Missouri  and  established 
himself  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Boonville.  He  remained  in  busi- 
ness pursuits  until  1898  when  he  sold  out  his  business  and  retired. 

In  April,  1868,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Catherine  Franken,  who 
was  born  at  Cologne,  Germany,  May  21,  1849,  and  accompanied  her 
parents  to  America  in  1854.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Urban  and  Sybilla 
(Proepper)  Franken,  who  with  their  eight  children  settled  on  a  farm 
located  on  the  Jefferson  City  road  seven  miles  southeast  of  Boonville. 
On  the  way  across  the  Atlantic,  the  father  of  the  family  died  and  was 
buried  in  mid  ocean.  The  Franken  children  were:  Joanna,  Peter  Joseph 
and  Theodore,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary  Heinen,  California;  Peter,  deceased; 
.Mrs.  Margaret  Meistrell,  Boonville.  Catherine  was  buried  in  Germany ; 
Henry,  died  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  his  home  having  been  at  Norborne,  Mo. 

The  children  born  to  Anthony  and  Catherine  Smith  are:  Joseph,  Ed- 
ward, and  Antoinette,  deceased;  Mrs.  Henrietta  Am,  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
Urban  Albert,  a  music  dealer,  Boonville ;  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Smith,  Boonville ; 
Olive,  wife  of  John  F.  Wright,  Dallas,  Texas;  Augusta,  a  trained  nurse, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Oscar,  deceased ;  Bertha,  at  home  with  her  parents ;  Laura 
Cecelia,  a  music  teacher,  Boonville;  Warner  a  plumber,  Boonville;  Helen, 
wife  of  John  G.  McNair,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  479 

Dr.  Arthur  J.  Smith  was  born  Oct.  21,  1875  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his  native  city.  Entering  Wash- 
ington University  at  St.  Louis,  he  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment in  1901.  Doctor  Smith  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Boonville.  In  June,  1913,  he  enlisted  in  the  Missouri  National 
Guard.  On  April  30,  1918,  Doctor  Smith  was  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  National  Army.  Previous  to  this  he 
had  served  with  his  command  on  the  Mexican  border  from  August,  1916 
to  June  5,  1917,  having  been  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Fort  Riley. 
Since  his  second  enlistment  Lieutenant  Smith  was  stationed  at  Camp 
Travis,  Texas.  On  May  20,  1919,  he  embarked  at  New  Orleans  en  route 
to  the  Panama  Canal  Zone,  where  he  will  be  stationed.  He  is  a  skilled 
physician  and  his  services  are  appreciated  and  valued  by  his  superior 
officers  in  the  National  Army.  Keen  of  intellect,  well  informed,  pro- 
gressive, and  studious,  Doctor  Smith  has  had  a  successful  career  thus 
far  with  a  bright  future  before  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  given 
all  of  their  children  the  advantage  of  a  good  education  and  a  training 
for  some  profession.  They  have  14  grandchildren.  On  April  30.  1918 
this  aged  and  worthy  couple  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary. 
Doctor  Smith  served  for  three  years  in  Mullanphy  Hospital  in  St.  Louis 
and  was  assistant  associate  surgeon  at  St.  Joseph  Centenary  Hospital 
from  1902  to  1916. 

To  digress  and  go  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  the  Smith 
family  in  America,  it  is  well  to  state  that  the  Smith  family  set  sail  from 
Havre,  France,  and  landed  a  New  Orleans.  They  traveled  for  six  weeks 
on  the  road  from  their  native  city  of  Saint  Wendel  to  Havre.  The  name 
of  the  vessel  which  earned  them  to  this  country  was  the  "George  Hud- 
dlebut."  They  were  42  days  upon  the  ocean.  The  Frankens  came  across 
the  Atlantic  in  a  steamship,  which  they  boarded  at  Antwerp,  Holland, 
and  in  10  days  voyaging  landed  at  New  York.  After  12  years'  residence 
on  the  farm  the  Franken  family  moved  to  Boonville.  Two  of  the  sons 
of  the  family  fought  in  the  Civil  War  on  the  Union  side. 

Anthony  Smith,  on  his  westward  trip,  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
at  St.  Joseph  on  April  15,  1864  and  arrived  at  his  destination  in  the  West 
on  July  15,  1864.  He  returned  to  his  home  in  Missouri  by  the  Nicara- 
guan  route,  landing  at  Greytown,  crossing  the  Isthmus  and  again  took 
ship  at  San  Juan,  thence  north. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  family  are  devout  Catholics 
and  are  members  of  the  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church. 


480  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Henry  A.  Allen,  one  of  Saline  township's  progressive  farmers,  was 
born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  9,  1862,  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Stottlemeier)  Allen,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in 
1817  and  the  latter  in  1824,  who  were  married  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio, 
and  there  resided  until  about  1874  when  they  came  to  Missouri  with  their 
family  and  located  in  Moniteau  County,  later  coming  to  Cooper  County, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  Mrs.  Allen  was  71  years 
of  age  when  she  died  and  Mr.  Allen  lived  to  the  great  age  of  89  years,  and 
both  are  buried  in  Clayton  cemetery.  Thomas  Allen  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  11  children  as  follows:  John,  died  at  the  age  of  11  years; 
Mrs.  Mollie  Landon,  of  Delaware  County,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  St.  Louis 
County,  Mo. ;  Emma,  of  Boonville ;  Jennie,  widow  of  Michael  Gray, 
Shawnee,  Okla. ;  Henry  A. ;  Edward,  Overton  ;  Margaret,  deceased  ;  Charles, 
of  Fowler,  Cal. ;  Thomas,  Fowler,  Cal.,  and  Caroline  B.,  wife  of  Frank 
Henderson,  St.  Louis 

Henry  A.  Allen  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Sherman  district  school 
in  Moniteau  County  and  was  about  21  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Cooper  County,  in  1883.  Here  he  rented  the  W.  P.  Eager  farm  in  Saline 
township  and  continued  to  make  that  his  home  for  33  years.  In  the 
meantime  he  bought  from  Thomas  Tucker  a  farm  of  117  acres,  two  miles 
southeast  of  Overton  and  for  3  time  lived  on  that  place,  but  in  1915  moved 
back  to  the  Eager  farm,  where  he  is  now  living,  renting  his  own  farm. 
Mr.  Allen  is  an  energetic  and  progressive  farmer  and  has  always  done 
well.  In  the  current  year  (1919)  he  has  170  acres  of  wheat  and  60  acres 
of  corn  and  has  a  drove  of  about  50  head  of  hogs,  together  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  horses  and  cows  for  farm  and  dairy  needs.  For  years  Mr. 
Allen  has  been  one  of  the  most  persistent  and  energetic  good  roads  "boost- 
ers" in  the  county  and  for  some  time  served  as  overseer  of  roads  in  his 
home  township,  during  this  incumbency  being  able  to  accomplish  much 
toward  the  betterment  of  the  roads  in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Gooch's  Mill, 
as  are  all  his  sons  and  sons-in-law,  and  his  wife  and  four  daughters  are 
members  of  the  auxilliary  lodge  of  the  Woodmen's  Circle. 

Jan.  22,  1886,  Henry  A.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Addie  Ander- 
son, who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  and  to  this  union  four  daughters 
have  been  born,  namely:  Mary  E..  wife  of  Troy  Neal,  of  Saline  town- 
ship; Maud,  born  on  June  26,  1889,  wife  of  A.  Hagan  Windsor,  of  Clarks 
Fork  township:  Novel,  Dec.  2,  1891,  wife  of  William  Lamm,  Overton,  who 
was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Wooldridge.  July  12,  1891,  and  Bessie,  May  21, 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  481 

1893,  wife  of  William  Diehl,  of  Boonville,  who  is  now  (spring  of  1919) 
with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe.  William  Diehl  en- 
listed May  23,  1918,  for  service  in  the  World  War  and  sailed  in  July  fol- 
lowing for  overseas  service,  a  member  of  the  351st  Infantry,  88th  Divi- 
sion and  was  at  the  front  when  the  armistice  was  signed.  He  was  hon- 
orably discharged  and  arrived  home  June  5,  1919.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen 
have  four  grandchildren,  Thelma  Rae,  Allen  Walker,  and  Orville  Fluke 
Neal,  and  Agnes  Ruth  Lamm.  Mrs.  Allen  was  born  in  Saline  township,  a 
daughter  of  John  Anderson  and  wife,  both  long  since  deceased.  Mr.  John 
Anderson  was  a  Union  veteran.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  but  an 
infant  and  she  was  reared  in  the  family  of  William  Eager,  with  whom  she 
was  making  her  home  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Allen.  She 
was  the  last  born  of  the  four  children  born  to  her  parents  and  she  has 
three  sisters,  Rena,  wife  of  Mel  Bailey,  of  Overton;  Loretta,  wife  of 
Thomas  Douglas,  of  Windsor,  and  Sarah,  wife  of  John  Ainsworth,  of 
Franklin. 

Edgar  Thomas  Hale,  county  surveyor,  and  county  engineer  of  Cooper 
County,  is  making  a  record  for  thorough  and  conscientious  work  in  his 
profession  that  has  given  him  a  reputation  as  an  engineer  second  to  none 
in  Central  Missouri.  Mr.  Hale  is  also  filling  the  post  of  city  engineer 
for  Boonville  and  is  one  of  the  busiest  county  officials  in  Cooper  County. 
He  was  first  elected  to  the  office  in  1904  and  has  served  in  the  capacity  of 
county  surveyor  since  Jan.,  1905.  Many  fine  bridges  have  been  erected 
under  his  supervision  and  planning  in  Cooper  County  and  the  splendid 
system  of  county  roads  have  been  graded  during  his  period  of  service. 
The  Turley  bridge  across  the  Lamine  River,  also  the  Dick  bridge,  across 
the  Blackwater,  five  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Blackwater,  were  erected 
under  his  supervision.  Mr.  Hale  has  had  sole  charge  of  all  of  the  modern 
bridge,  culvert  and  road  work  in  Cooper  County  during  the  past  few 
years.  He  surveyed  the  site  for  the  Laura  Speed  Elliot  High  School 
building,  the  new  court  house  and  had  charge  of  all  street  improvement, 
paving  and  bridge  work  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Hale  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  Hale  farm  six  miles  southeast 
of  Boonville,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Wagner  Hale,  former  well  known 
farmer  of  Cooper  County.  Thomas  Wagner  Hale  was  born  in  Tennessee 
in  1832,  of  Holland  Dutch  descent  and  died  in  1907.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth Partis  born  in  1844  and  departed  this  life  in  1911.  She  was  born  in 
London,  England,  a  daughter  of  David  Partis,  a  cooper  by  trade  who  after 
(31) 


482  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

making  several  trips  to  America,  decided  to  settle  in  this  country.  He 
settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1850,  locating  10  miles  southwest  of  Boon- 
ville  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  his  death.  Thomas  Wagner  Hale 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  Hale  of  Tennessee  who  settled  in  Cooper  County 
on  a  farm  adjoining  the  Partis  place  in  1837.  William  Hale,  a  son  of 
Thomas  Hale,  crossed  the  Great  Plains  in  1849,  went  to  the  gold  fields 
of  California  and  never  returned.  During  his  lifetime,  Thomas  Wag- 
ner Hale  developed  a  fine  farm  of  107  acres  and  about  six  months  prior 
to  his  death  he  located  in  Boonville.  He  served  in  the  45th  Missouri 
Regiment  during  the  Civil  War  and  fought  with  the  Union  forces  in  Mis- 
souri, Arkansas,  and  Tennessee,  contracting  a  severe  illness.  He  was 
treated  in  the  Jefferson  City  Hospital  for  some  months  and  as  a  result  of 
his  illness  he  lost  the  power  of  speech  and  never  regained  it  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  father  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Rosa  H.  Smith,  Liberty;  Dr.  Byron  L.  Hale,  Cherry  vale,  Kan.;  William 
D.  Hale,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Millie  A.  Monroe,  Boonville ;  Street  L.,  deceased ; 
Edgar  Thomas  Hale  of  this  review;  and  Dr.  Tyre  H.  Hale,  of  801  Easton 
avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

E.  T.  Hale  was  educated  in  the  Hooper  Institute.  Clarksburg,  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Denton,  Texas,  and  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Warrensburg,  Mo.  He  holds  a  State  teachers  certifice  in  both  Texas  and 
Missouri  and  taught  school  for  five  years  in  Texas.  While  engaged  in 
teaching  he  specialized  in  engineering  and  began  his  professional  career 
in  1904  in  his  native  county.  Success  has  marked  his  efforts.  Mr.  Hale 
recently  disposed  of  the  old  Hale  Farm  which  had  come  into  his  possession. 

January  13,  1908,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Flora  Lohse,  of 
Boonville,  who  died  Feb.  13,  1916.  Mrs.  Flora  (Lohse)  Hale  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  M.  Lohse  of  Boonville,  a  slcetch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Hale  is  a  republican.  He  attends  the  Sunday  School  and  Divine 
services  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

William  L.  Koenig. — Fair  dealing  and  honesty  in  business  trans- 
actions are  keynotes  of  the  business  policy  pursued  by  the  Koenig  Auto 
Sales  Company  at  the  Corner  of  Main  and  Chestnut  streets,  Boonville. 
The  concern  was  established  Jan.  25,  1918,  by  William  L.  Koenig  and  has 
met  with  success  from  its  very  inception.  The  Hudson,  Essex  and 
Chevrolet  automobiles  are  sold  by  Mr.  Koenig  over  a  considerable  extent 
of  territory.  The  Essex  is  a  new  automobile  manufactured  by  the  Hud- 
son Motor  Car  Company  of  Detroit  and  is  a  splendid  machine  which   is 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  183 

rapidly  becoming  a  prime  favorite  among  auto  lovers.  During  the  past 
season  it  has  been  almost  impossible  to  supply  the  demands  for  this  auto- 
mobile, so  universal  has  been  the  acclaim  accorded  it  on  the  standpoint 
cf  utility,  compactness  and  beauty  of  design,  speed  and  action  on  the 
load.  A  storage  room  is  operated  in  connection  with  the  sales  depart- 
ment of  the  Koenig  Company  with  space  90x90  feet,  a  show  room  and  a 
rspair  department  operated  by  expert  mechanics  is  also  maintained. 

William  L.  Koenig  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and  was  born  at 
Prairie  Lick,  June  23,  1886.  His  father,  William  Koenig,  was  born  in 
1853  and  died  in  1909.  William  Koenig  was  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and 
was  a  son  of  Joseph  Koenig,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  first  settled  in  the 
woods  of  Wisconsin  and  then  came  to  Cooper  County  where  he  settled  in 
1865  in  the  Prairie  Lick  neighborhood.  Mr.  Koenig  was  reared  on  the 
farm  at  Prairie  Lick  and  followed  farming  until  his  removal  to  Boonville 
in  1891.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  implement  business  and  became  inter- 
ested in  politics,  serving  two  terms  as  sheriff  of  Cooper  County.  During 
his  period  of  service  he  officiated  at  the  hanging  of  three  convicted  mur- 
derers. During  his  first  term  of  sheriff  the  murderer  "Jacko"  paid  the 
penalty  of  his  crime  for  the  killing  of  the  city  marshal  and  met  death 
upon  the  scaffold.  During  William  Koenig's  second  term  he  officiated 
at  the  hanging  of  Spinner  Reeves  who  was  convicted  of  brutally  mur- 
dering his  wife.  After  his  second  term  as  sheriff  expired,  Mr.  Koenig 
engaged  in  the  hardware  and  seed  business  but  again  entered  politics 
and  was  elected  county  collector.  He  died  while  serving  the  county  in 
this  capacity,  a  popular  and  highly  esteemed  county  official.  His  son, 
William  L.  Koenig,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  made  vacant 
by  his  father's  death. 

William  Koenig  married  Miss  Louisa  Hirsch  who  was  born  in  1862. 
To  this  marriage  were  born  four  sons  and  three  daughters:  George,  liv- 
ing in  Chicago,  111.;  Mamie,  deceased;  William  L.,  of  this  review; 
Mrs.  Rosa  True,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Clara,  deceased,  and  Lawrence. 

Lawrence  Koenig  enlisted  in  the  National  Army  on  Jan.,  1918,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  Aviation  Corps  as  a  pilot.  At  this  writing  he 
is  in  training  at  Riverside,  Cal. 

After  attending  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Boonville,  William  L. 
Kcenig  pursued  a  course  at  Central  Business  College,  Sedalia,  Mo.  From 
1904  to  1907  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Kingman's  Implement  Company, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  returned  to  Boonville  in  1907  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  deputy  county  collector  under  his   father.     Upon   his  father's 


484  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

death  in  1909  he  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  until  1911.  During  the 
fall  of  1910  he  was  a  candidate  for  election  to  the  office  and  was  elected 
for  another  term  of  four  years,  serving  as  county  collector  until  1915. 
Mr.  Koenig  then  purchased  a  local  bus  and  transfer  business  and  oper- 
ated this  until  Feb.  11,  1917.  Disposing  of  the  transfer  business  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Viertel  Garage  as  automobile  salesman  until 
beginning  business  on  his  own  account  in  1918.  Mr.  Koenig  formerly 
had  the  agency  for  the  Dodge  cars  but  sold  this  agency  to  George  Esser. 

July  13,  1909,  William  L.  Koenig  and  Miss  Emma  Schnack  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Koenig  is  a  daughter  of  Herman  Schnack  of 
Boonville. 

Mr.  Koenig  is  a  democrat  and  has  generally  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man,  a  good  sales- 
man, and  an  excellent  citizen  who  has  the  best  interests  of  his  native 
county  and  city  at  heart. 

Colbey  Coward  Groom,  who  died  at  his  farm  home,  the  old  Kickashear 
place,  at  the  edge  of  Overton  in  Saline  township  in  1912,  was  a  Virginian. 
He  was  born  in  Louisa  County,  in  1859,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sallie  (Smith) 
Groom,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  that  county.  Samuel  Groom  was 
born  in  Kentucky  but  in  1812  his  parents  returned  to  Virginia.  Samuel 
was  a  babe  in  arms  at  the  time  being  carried  in  the  arms  of  his  mother, 
who  made  the  trip  on  horseback.  Of  the  12  children  born  to  Samuel 
Groom  and  wife  two  are  now  living,  John  M.  Groom,  of  Bunceton,  and 
James  Groom,  Shady  Side,  Ohio. 

In  1880,  Colbey  C.  Groom  came  to  Cooper  County.  Not  long  after 
coming  here  he  bought  a  part  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry  Schnuck 
in  Saline  township  and  settled  there  in  1883.  Not  long  afterward,  how- 
ever, he  sold  that  place  to  Mr.  Schnuck  and  then  bought  from  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Kickashear,  his  wife's  mother,  the  farm  at  the  edge  of  Overton  on 
which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1912.  He  is  buried 
in  the  Clayton  cemetery.  It  was  on  that  farm  on  Oct.  29,  1883,  that 
Colbey  C.  Groom  was  married  to  Emma  Kickashear,  her  parents  having 
moved  there  when  she  was  but  a  child,  she  receiving  her  schooling  in 
the  Highland  school.  The  Groom  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in  that  section 
of  Cooper  County  and  is  admirably  located  just  at  the  southeast  edge  of 
Overton.  Of  the  300  acres  in  the  farm  110  acres  is  Missouri  River  bot- 
tom land  and  the  rest  upland,  the  place  thus  not  only  being  an  excellent 
grain  producer  but  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  Mr.  Groom  was  a  man 
of  excellent  qualities  and  left  a  good  memory  in  the  neighborhood.     He 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  485 

was  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Gooch's  Mill,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  at  Overton  and  of  the  Modern  Brotherhood  at 
Wooldridge,  and  in  the  affairs  of  these  several  organizations,  as  well  as 
in  church  work  and  in  the  general  social  affairs  of  the  community  took  a 
hearty  interest,  he  and  his  family  having  been  among  the  organizers  of 
the  Sunday  school  of  the  Highland  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mrs.  Emma  K.  Groom  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Rymel) 
Kickashear  and  was  born  on  the  place  on  which  she  is  now  living.  The 
cabin  in  which  she  was  born  and  in  which  her  parents  began  housekeeping 
is  still  standing  on  the  place.  This  cabin  originally  occupied  the  site  of 
the  present  farm  house,  but  when  the  latter  was  erected  was  moved  over 
to  make  room  for  the  new  house  and  is  carefully  preserved  as  a  relic  of 
pioneer  days.  Joseph  Kickashear  was  an  Italian  who  came  to  America 
in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  and  in  1852  became  a  resident  of  Cooper 
County.  His  name  was  Chicazolla,  but  the  soft  Italian  pronunciation  of 
this  name  apparently  was  too  difficult  for  his  Missouri  neighbors,  who  by 
common  consent  "Americanized"  it  to  Kickashear,  a  process  to  which 
Mr.  Chicazolla  offered  no  serious  objection  and  in  this  latter  form  it  has 
now  been  the  family  name  for  three  generations.  In  1855  Joseph  Kicka- 
shear married  Margaret  Rymel,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  this  neighborhood,  and  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  his  widow  is  still 
living.  Mrs.  Kickashear  now  83  years  of  age,  is  the  only  living  chai'ter 
member  of  the  Highland  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  and  still  main- 
tains her  interest  in  that  organization,  a  constant  attendant  at  Sunday 
school  and  otherwise  interested  in  the  work  of  the  church.  She  is  well 
and  active  and  during  the  recent  war  knit  50  pair  of  socks  for  the  Red 
Cross.  She  and  her  husband  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
four  are  still  living,  those  besides  Mrs.  Groom  being  the  following:  Mary 
Frances,  Aberdeen,  Wash.,  widow  of  George  Johnson:  Andrew  J.,  Sedalia: 
and  Virginia  Leta,  wife  of  Fred  Schilb,  postmaster  at  Prairie  Home.  The 
deceased  members  of  this  family  are  Martha,  who  died  in  infancy;  George, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  21  vears,  and  Morris,  who  married  Kate  Hickman 
and  who.  as  well  as  his  wife,  died,  leaving  a  son  Joseph,  then  10  years  of 
age,  who  was  reared  bv  Mrs.  Groom  and  who  died  at  the  age  of  19  in  L914. 

To  Colbey  C.  and  Emma  (Kickashear)  Groom  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren. Of  these  a  son,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  and  a  daughter,  the 
fifth  in  order  of  birth,  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Joseph 
Hurt  Groom,  named  in  honor  of  his  maternal  grandfather  and  Dr.  Hurt, 
of  Boonville,  and  who  is  now  farming  in  Saline  township;  Bessie,  wife  of 


486     .  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Emest  H.  Ambrose,  farmer,  Overton;  John  Clay  Groom,  farmer,  Saline 
township;  George  K.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  20  years,  and  Colbey  Coward 
Groom,  who  is  farming  the  home  place.  He  married  Dena  Grannemann, 
of  Saline  township,  and  has  a  daughter,  Dorothy  Pauline.  Mrs.  Groom 
has  seven  grandchildren,  Zerelda  Hazel  and  George  Ambrose.  Laura  Vir- 
ginia, Jessie  Madeline  and  Dorothy  Pauline  Groom  and  Paul  and  Chapman 
Groom.  As  noted  above,  Mrs.  Groom  and  her  husband  were  the  chief 
promoters  of  the  organization  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Highland  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church  and  during  the  21  years  of  that  school's 
service  she  has  missed  voluntarily  attendance  but  four  Sundays  and  for 
CO  ■•  avs  was  the  teacher  of  one  cia3S. 

Emil  H.  Mueller,  one  of  the  best  known  and  successful  citizens  of 
Boonville,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  He  was  born  Sept.  10,  1865,  at  Zeller- 
feld,  Hanover.  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Julia  (Hoehne) 
Mueller,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  well  educated  man  who  followed  the 
profession  of  mining  engineer  in  his  native  country.  The  father  died  in 
Germany  in  1918,  and  his  widow  still  resides  in  her  native  town,  aged  73 
years.  Edward  and  Julia  Mueller  were  parents  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  were  sons:  Albert,  who  followed  the  teaching  profession  in  Ger- 
many, is  deceased;  Emil  H.,  subject  of  this  review;  Hugo  died  in  infancy; 
Herman  died  at  the  age  of  14  years;  Leopold,  who  is  following  in  his 
fathei-'s  footsteps  and  is  a  mining  engineer  in  his  native  country ;  Fred- 
erick, a  postal  service  official  in  Germany. 

Emil  H.  Mueller  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  attended  a  private  school  at  Clausthal,  Hanover. 

entered  the  mercantile  business  and  received  a  thorough  training  in 
this  "business  in  Germany  until  1889  when  he  emigrated  to  America.  Prior 
to  this  time  he  had  served  for  two  years  in  the  German  army,  from  1885 
to  1887.  He  first  located  at  Versailles,  Mo.,  and  was  there  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  for  one  year;  then  spent  one  year  at  Deepwater. 
Mo.  After  two  and  a  half  years  in  business  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  he  came 
to  Boonville  and  established  himself  in  the  retail  liquor  business  in  1895. 

Whatever  may  be  said  about  the  saloon  business  by  its  opponents 
it  tan  be  stated  of  Mr.  Mueller  that  he  always  endeavored  to  conduct  a 
quiet  orderly  place   in  Boonville  and  carried  on  his  business  strictly   in 

rdance  with  the  laws  regulations.  He  is  a  striking  exception  to  the 
usual  influence  which  the  conduct  of  the  business  has  had  upon  the  saloon 
man  and  has  been  an  excellent  citizen  who  has  carefully  saved  his  profits 
and  heavily  invested  in  Boonville  real  estate.     Now  that  national  legis- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPEE   COUNTY  487 

lation  has  put  an  end  to  the  business  which  Mr.  Mueller  has  followed  for 
30  many  years  he  has  no  regrets  and  no  incriminations  against  the  oppon- 
ents of  the  liquor  traffic.  He  owns  one  of  the  finest  brick  residences  in 
Boonviile,  modern  in  every  respect,  erected  in  1916  on  lots  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1901.  He  is  also  owner  of  six  residence  properties  in  the  city 
most  of  which  are  acreage  tracts,  besides  two  business  properties  on 
Main  street.  Mr.  Mueller  is  a  genial,  well  informed  citizen,  who  is  a 
booster  for  Boonville's  prosperity  and  growth  at  any  and  all  times. 

May  6.  1897,  Emil  H.  Mueller  and  Miss  Sallie  Smith  of  Pilot  Grove 
were  united  in  marriage.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Helen 
Mueller,  born  March  26,  1898:  Edward  Mueller,  bom  Sept.  13,  1899. 
Mrs.  Sallie  (Smith)  Mueller  is  a  daughter  of  Squire  John  E.  and  Lucy 
(Marshall)  Smith  both  of  whom  were  old  and  well  known  residents  of 
Cooper  County.  Squire  Smith  died  in  1915  and  his  widow  makes  her 
home  with  Mr.  Mueller,  having  attained  the  advanced  age  of  72  years. 

Mr.  Mueller  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church.     He  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

August  Brueckner. — When  a  building  site  for  the  location  of  the 
splendid,  new  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  was  desired  in  Boonviile,  the  pro- 
moters had  little  difficulty  in  finding  a  place  on  the  high  bluffs  of  the 
Missouri  River  just  east  of  the  main  part  of  the  city.  A  more  ideal  loca- 
tion for  the  hospital  could  not  be  desired  and  it  was  the  public  spirited 
and  kindly  impulse  of  August  Brueckner  to  dispose  of  11  acres  of  his 
land  for  this  purpose  at  less  than  its  actual  value,  the  sale  price  being  $200 
per  acre.  The  remaining  30  acres  of  the  Brueckner  land  is  devoted  to 
fruit  raising  and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  fruit  farms  in  Cooper  County. 
Mr.  Brueckner  moved  to  this  place  from  his  farm  in  1904,  erected  a  large 
handsome  brick  residence  facing  the  grounds  of  the  Missouri  Training 
School  and  set  out  an  orchard.  His  orchard  was  planted  in  1905  and  con- 
's of  peaches,  pears  and  plums,  containing  500  peach  trees,  and  50  pear 
trees,  60  cherry  trees  and  embracing  five  acres  in  all.  Mr.  Brueckner 
raises  alfalfa  as  well  as  small  fruits  and  is  kept  busily  employed  in  caring 
for  his  orchards. 

August  Brueckner  was  born  on  a  farm  one  mile  south  of  Boonvillr. 
Aug.  28,  1855.  He  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Margaret  Brueckner  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Germany.  His  parents  emigrated  from  Germany  in 
IS',2  and  John  M.  Brueckner  settled  on  his  farm  and  resided  thereon  until 
his  death  in  1906  at  the  age  of  82  years.  He  reared  a  family  of  five  sons 
and  a  daughter:     George,  the  eldest  son  was  killed  by  lightning;  August, 


488  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

subject  of  this  review;  Gustav  A.,  lives  in  Boonville;  William  L.,  retired 
farmer  living  in  Boonville ;  John  lives  in  Henry  County,  Mo. ;  Louisa,  wife 
of  Rudolph  Kennis,  Boonville. 

When  he  was  26  years,  August  Brueckner  rented  land  from  his 
father.  He  was  industrious  and  saving  and  in  1890  he  was  enabled  to 
purchase  his  own  farm  of  136  acres.  This  tract  was  without  improve- 
ments of  any  value  and  Mr.  Brueckner,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  placed 
excellent  improvements  on  the  farm  and  from  year  to  year  made  money. 
In  1904,  the  condition  of  his  wife's  health  demanded  that  he  leave  the 
farm  and  he  accordingly  sold  out  and  purchased  his  present  place.  The 
old  Brueckner  farm  is  now  owned  by  G.  A.  Brownfield. 

Mr.  Brueckner  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Bettie  Smith  of  Cooper 
Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Smith.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage:  Laura,  at  home  with  her  parents;  Nettie,  wife  of 
George  Neff ,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Victor  A.,  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  Roeder 
&  Weyland. 

Mr.  Brueckner  is  inclined  to  support  the  republican  party  but  has 
little  time  to  devote  to  political  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evang- 
elical Lutheran  church  and  is  a  good,  progressive  citizen  who  loves  his 
home  county  and  is  whole  souled,  genial  and  kindly. 

Herman  Kaiser,  Sr.,  one  of  the  real  "old-timers"  of  Saline  township, 
was  born  in  Hanover,  June  30,  1837,  and  was  22  years  of  age  when  in  1860 
he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  Henry  and  Mary  (Warneck) 
Kaiser.  They  settled  on  the  place  in  Saline  township  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Kaiser,  who  has  been  a  continuous  resident  of  that  place  since  coming 
here  more  than  59  years  ago.  When  the  Kaiser  family  settled  there  in 
1860  the  place  was  an  unimproved  woodland  tract  and  the  task  of  making 
a  clearing  for  the  home  and  getting  the  place  under  cultivation  was  no 
small  one.  At  that  time  Jacob  Schilb,  Henry  Meyer,  Isaac  Glass,  Joseph 
Pursley  and  Colonel  Dalton  were  about  the  only  neighbors  anyways  near 
the  Kaiser  place  and  Gooch's  Mill  was  the  trading  point  of  the  settlement. 
John  Clayton  being  the  proprietor  of  the  only  store  there  at  that  time. 
On  that  pioneer  farm  Henry  Kaiser  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  latter  dying  in  1870  and  the  former  in  1875,  and  both 
are  buried  in  the  Lutheran  church  yard.  Of  the  children  born  to  this 
pioneer  pair  and  who  accompanied  them  here  from  Hanover,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  now  living. 

During  the  Civil  War  Herman  Kaiser  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Home  Guard,  and  on  account  of  the  numerous  Confederate  forays  made 


HERMAN     KAISER,     WIFE     AND    GRANDCHILDREN. 


HERMAN   KAISER,    WIFE    \\'l>    DAITGHTERS 


HERMAN    KAISER,    WIFE    AND    SONS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  489 

through  this  section  saw  considerable  active  service  and  had  a  number  of 
exciting  experiences.  He  married  in  1866  and  established  his  home  on 
the  home  place,  where  he  ever  since  has  resided,  in  time  coming  into  full 
ownership  of  the  same,  and  as  time  passed  made  improvements  until  all 
the  original  buildings  on  the  place  had  been  supplanted  by  newer  and  more 
commodious  buildings  and  an  excellent  farm  plant  was  created.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Kaiser  also  for  years  has  been  more  or 
less  actively  engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock.  Of  late  years  he  has 
lived  practically  retired  from  the  active  management  of  the  farm,  turn- 
ing the  same  over  to  his  son,  Herman  Kaiser,  Jr.  He  recalls  that  Luth- 
wick  Haxel  owned  the  first  "self-binder"  reaping  machine  brought  to  this 
neighborhood  and  that  immediately  afterward,  in  the  same  season,  he 
bought  a  "binder",  Ulrich  Oerly  buying  one  at  the  same  time.  The  junior 
Herman  Kaiser,  who  is  now  in  charge  of  the  farm,  has  the  same  pro- 
gressive spirit  as  his  father  and  is  doing  well. 

Herman  Kaiser,  Sr.,  has  been  twice  married.  In  1866  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  Gatchet,  who  was  born  on  April  3,  1844,  and  to  that 
union  10  children  were  born,  namely:  John,  born  Nov.  28,  1866,  died  at 
the  age  of  19  years ;  Elizabeth,  Dec.  .15,  1867,  wife  of  Charles  Schrader, 
Saline  township;  Wilhelm,  Feb.  1,  1869,' Wooldridge ;  H.  Heinrich,  Dec.  28, 
1870;  Emma  C,  Jan.  19,  1873,  married  C.  R.  Diehl  and  died  Nov.  19,  1908; 
R.  Sophia,  Feb.  17,  1875,  died  Oct.  13,  following;  M.  Louisa,  Aug.  10,  1876, 
wife  of  Henry  Hazel,  Prairie  Home  township;  A.  Catherine,  Oct.  15,  1878, 
married  Martin  Lohse  and  died  May  2,  1907;  Anna  C,  Jan.  15,  1881,  wife 
of  Otto  Stock,  Moniteau  County,  and  Ida  M.,  Dec,  17,  1884,  married 
Edward  McFall  and  died  Nov.  19,  1906.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  Aug.  21,  1885,  and  Sept.  3,  1886,  Mr.  Kaiser  married  Mrs.  Louisa 
(Heckermann)  Broer,  widow  of  Carl  Broer,  and  to  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  L.  Marie,  bora  Aug.  2,  1887,  wife  of  Emil  Klatt,  Moniteau 
County,  and  A.  \Y.  Kaiser,  Nov.  30,  1888.  Mrs.  Kaiser's  first  husband, 
Carl  Broer,  died  June  30.  1874.  She  married  him  in  1869  and  to  that 
union  were  born  two  children,  Charles  Broer,  born  Feb.  9,  1870,  now  liv- 
ing in  St.  Louis,  and  Cordelia,  Nov.  14,  1871,  wife  of  H.  Winkelmeyer. 
of  Boonville.  Mrs.  Kaiser  was  born  in  Germany  and  received  her  school- 
ing in  the  private  school  at  Pleasant  Grove,  her  first  teacher  there  having 
been  the  Reverend  Juengel,  who  had  about  40  pupils.  The  Kaisers  have 
ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  church  work. 

Matthew  Cleary,  farmer  and  stockman,  and  well  known  dealer  in  live 
stock,   residing  at  626   East  Morgan   street  is  a  native  born   citizen   of 


490  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Cooper  County.  Mr.  Cleary  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Bunceton,  Jan.  21, 
1863. 

John  Cleary,  his  father,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1812  and  died  in 
Cooper  County,  1884.  He  came  to  America  in  1852  and  for  some  years 
he  was  employed  in  railroad  construction  work.  Following  the  line  of 
the  railroad  his  work  eventually  brought  him  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.  Mr. 
Cleary  rightly  decided  that  this  beautiful  and  productive  country  was  the 
best  place  on  earth  in  which  to  buy  a  farm,  settle  and  rear  a  family.  He 
had  married  Catherine  Clifford,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  to  this  marriage. 
seven  children  were  born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  John  Cleary. 
Wichita,  Kan.;  Edward  Cleary,  Boonville,  Mn. ;  and  Matthew,  subject  of 
this  review.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  1869.  John  Cleary  later 
married  Martha  Johnson  who  bore  him  two  children:  Mrs.  Eliza  Farris, 
Boonville,  Mo. ;  and  Helen,  deceased. 

Matt  Cleary  attended  the  Concord  district  school  and  the  parochial 
schools  of  Boonville.  He  began  his  own  career  when  he  became  of  age 
but  embarked  as  a  live  stock  trader  when  he  was  but  16  years  old.  He 
accumulated  300  acres  of  ground  of  which  Mr.  Cleary  sold  80  acres  in  1917 
and  is  now  owner  of  220  acres  of  good  land  located  six  miles  south  of 
Boonville.  During  his  career  he  has  handled  a  great  amount  of  live 
stock  and  formerly  supplied  the  local  meat  markets  when  the  dealers  con- 
ducted their  own  abattoirs.  He  is  now  raising  and  feeding  from  one  and 
a  half  to  two  carloads  of  hogs  each  year. 

Mr.  Cleary  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  marriage  took  place  in 
Jan.,  1890,  to  Christina  Oswald,  who  died  Jan.  14,  1891,  leaving  one  child. 
Laura,  who  married  Barney  Youngkamp  and  died  at  Manhattan,  Kan.. 
July  4,  1912,  leaving  one  child,  Virginia  May  Youngkamp. 

Mr.  Cleary's  second  marriage  occurred  May  2,  1900,  to  Miss  Julia 
Darby,  born  Nov.  1,  1868  in  Geneseo,  New  York,  a  daughter  of  Patrick 
Darby  and  Ellen  Coleman  Darby,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled 
near  Billingsville,  Mo.,  in  1869.  Soon  after  Mrs.  Darby's  death  in  1899, 
Patrick  Darby  left  the  farm  and  located  in  Boonville,  where  he  died  Jan.. 
1917.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Patrick  and  Ellen  Darby,  viz:  John. 
Nelson,  Mo.;  James,  Shreveport,  La.;  Mrs.  Matthew  Cleary;  Edward,  a 
merchant,  Boonville,  Mo.;  Eugene,  engaged  in  the  implement  business. 
Boonville,  Mo.;  Edward  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Mrs.  Mary  Gart- 
hofner,  Boonville. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matthew  Cleary  have  three  living  children,  viz:  Ger- 
trude, attending  the  Catholic  Seminary  at  Marshall,  Mo.;  Edith,  also  a 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  491 

student  at  Marshall,  Mo.;  Louise,  attending  the  Boonville  schools;  one 
child  died  in  infancy. 

The  democratic  party  has  always  had  the  steadfast  allegiance  of 
Matt  Cleary  and  he  has  alwavs  been  somewhat  interested  in  civic  and 
political  matters.  He  filled  the  position  of  street  commissioner  of  Boon- 
vi'le  from  1912  to  1914  at  the  time  the  street  paving  system  was  placed 
under  way  and  at  times  had  as  high  as  50  men  in  his  charge  working  on 
the  city  improvements.  He  and  Mrs.  Cleary  are  members  of  Sts.  Peter 
and  Paul's  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Cleary  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

John  E.  Walterscheid,  retail  liquor  dealer,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born 
in  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  Dec.  3,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Caro- 
lina (Baker)  Walterscheid.  Peter  Walterscheid,  his  father,  was  born 
near  Killan,  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  when  a  boy,  settling  on  a 
farm  in  Moniteau  County,  where  he  died  in  about  1870.  His  wife,  Caro- 
line Baker  Walterscheid,  was  born  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1840,  and  died 
in  1914.  She  was  a  daughter  of  pioneer  parents  in  Moniteau  County, 
who  were  natives  of  Germany.  Twelve  children  were  born  to  Peter  and 
Caroline  (Baker)  Walterscheid,  eleven  of  whom  were  reared:  Catherine, 
deceased ;  Peter,  lives  at  Tipton,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Louisa  Strickfadden,  lives  at 
Prairie  Home,  Mo.;  John  E.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Joseph,  lives  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.;  William,  a  farmer  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Frank,  a  farmer 
in  Moniteau  County,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Emma  Imhoff,  Walters,  Okla. ;  Charles, 
a  resident  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Scheid,  Prairie  Home,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Rosa  Imhoff,  Moniteau  County,  Mo. ;  Edward,  lives  in  Kansas.  The  last 
five  children  were  born  of  a  second  marriage  of  Mrs.  Walterscheid  to 
Joseph  Sweitzer. 

John  E.  Walterscheid  was  reared  in  Moniteau  and  Cooper  Counties 
and  learned  the  blacksmith  trade  in  his  youth.  He  plied  his  trade,  at 
Prairie  Home  and  California,  Mo.  In  1898  he  established  a  hardware 
business  at  Prairie  Home,  Mo.,  and  a  short  time  later  he  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business  at  California. 

Mr.  Walterscheid  came  to  Boonville  in  1903  and  established  his  pres- 
ent business.  He  was  married  in  1890  to  Louisa  Imhoff  of  Moniteau 
County,  a  daughter  of  Michael  Imhoff.  Five  children  have  been  born  of 
this  union:    Herman  J.,  Peter,  Paul,  Lulu,  and  Gertrude. 

Herman  J.  Walterscheid  was  born  in  1892,  enlisted  in  the  National 
Army    in    Sept.,    1917,    and    was    stationed    at    Governor's    Island,    De- 


492  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

partment  of  Manhattan,  as  departmental  clerk.  He  received  his  honor- 
able discharge  on  May  8,  1919. 

Peter  Walterscheid  was  born  in  1893,  and  is  employed  at  Hannibal, 
Mo.  He  enlisted  in  May,  1917,  and  was  trained  at  Fort  Riley,  and  Camp 
Funston,  was  first  sergeant,  entered  the  Officers'  Training  School  and  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service  in  Dec,  1918. 

Paul  Walterscheid,  aged  24  years,  is  a  mechanical  draughtsman,  in 
the  employ  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.,  Hannibal,  Mo.  Lulu,  aged  22  years, 
and  Gertrude,  aged  15  years,  are  at  home.  Mr.  Walterscheid  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter. 

Charles  Lewis  Eager,  properietor  of  "Elmwood  Farm",  is  a  native  of 
Cooper  County.  During  his  boyhood,  in  war  times,  there  were  many 
stirring  scenes  in  and  about  Gooch's  Mill,  incidents  due  to  the  irrepress- 
ible clash  of  sectional  feeling,  and  he  has  many  interesting  stories  to  tell 
of  that  period,  stories  of  tragedies  that  thrilled  the  neighborhood  and 
created  lasting  impressions  in  his  memory.  Mr.  Eager  was  born  May  5, 
1850,  son  of  Lewis  and  Cynthia  A.  (Gooch)  Eager,  the  former  of  whom 
was  connected  with  the  mill  that  had  been  established  by  his  father-in-law 
and  was  afterward  proprietor  of  the  mill  and  long  one  of  the  most  influen- 
tial citizens  in  that  part  of  Cooper  County. 

Lewis  Eager  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Louisa  County,  May  1, 
1809,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  pioneer  days.  Here  he  married 
Cynthia  A.  Gooch,  daughter  of  William  D.  Gooch,  the  pioneer  miller.  She 
was  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Virginia,  in  1814,  and  was  about  ten  years 
of  age  when  her  father,  William  D.  Gooch,  moved  with  his  family  from 
Virginia  into  Ohio.  About  five  years  later,  about  1830  Mr.  Gooch  left 
Ohio  and  with  his  family  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  this  county  and 
erecting  in  Saline  township  the  mill  which  bore  his  name  and  around 
which  gathered  the  settlement  which  was  the  nucleus  of  the  present  thriv- 
ing town  of  Gooch's  Mill.  Originally,  this  mill  derived  its  motive  power 
from  the  watercourse  along  which  it  was  built,  but  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Gooch  his  son-in-law,  Lewis  Eager,  who  was  a  millwright,  who  became 
proprietor  of  the  mill,  installed  a  steam  plant  and  for  years  afterward 
operated  the  mill.  He  died  in  1881  and  is  buried  at  Gooch's  Mill.  His 
wife  had  long  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  her  death  having  occurred  in 
1859,  and  she  also  is  buried  at  Gooch's  Mill.  Lewis  Eager  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  four  children:  John  William  Eager,  deceased;  Mary 
Louisa,  deceased;  Tyre  Harris  Eager,  Muskogee,  Okla. ;  and  Charles  L. 

In  addition  to  his  milling  operations  Lewis  Eager  also  was  the  owner 
of  a  good  farm  and  his  youngest  son,  Charles  Lewis  Eager,  was  from  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  493 

days  of  his  boyhood  interested  in  the  work  of  the  farm.  Upon  complet- 
ing his  schooling  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  farming  and  has  ever 
pursued  that  vocation  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  his  present  fine 
place,  "Elmwood",  a  mile  east  of  the  old  mill  site.  His  house  is  of  modern 
construction,  equipped  with  an  acetylene  gas  plant,  and  he  has  two  good 
barns  and  other  buildings  in  keeping  with  the  same.  Of  late  years  Mr. 
Eager  has  been  living  more  or  less  "retired"  from  the  active  manage- 
ment of  the  farm,  the  operation  of  which  is  being  carried  on  by  his  young- 
est son,  Paul  Raymond  Eager. 

In  1876  Charles  Lewis  Eager  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca 
Shepherd,  a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Joanna  (Campbell)  Shepherd,  of  Saline 
township.  Levi  Shepherd  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Independence.  Mo., 
and  became  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Cooper  County.  He  and  his  wife  spent 
their  last  days  in  Saline  township  and  are  buried  at  Gooch's  Mill.  To 
Charles  L.  and  Rebecca  (Shepherd)  Eager  five  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Anna  Lee,  wife  of  Fred  Keifer,  of  Saline  township;  Lewis  Vir- 
gil, a  graduate  of  Kemper  Military  School  .and  a  Free  Mason,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  26  years;  Ethel,  wife  of  Joseph  T.  Hickam,  of  Saline  town- 
ship; Clarence  Levi,  of  that  same  township,  and  Paul  Raymond  on  the 
home  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eager  have  11  grandchildren,  namely:  Herbert, 
Charles  Shelby,  Eunice  Ethel,  Ruth  Jane,  Helen  Marie,  Emma  Lorine  and 
Aubrey  Wayne  Hickam ;  Anna  Lewis  and  Charles  Frederick  Keiffer,  and 
Hazel  Louise  and  Powell  Milton  Eager. 

Mr.  Eager  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Prairie  Home, 
Mo. 

William  G.  Pendleton. — The  name  of  Pendleton  has  long  been  an 
honored  and  respected  one  in  Cooper  County.  The  history  of  the  family 
in  Cooper  Countv  begins  with  the  advent  of  the  late  Dr.  George  T.  Pendle- 
ton in  1855.  The  law  firm  of  W.  G.  and  G.  T.  Pendleton  oi  floonville  is 
one  of  the  best  known  and  efficient  legal  firms  in  the  county  and  central 
Missouri,  William  G.  Pendleton,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  having  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  this  county  since  1878,  and  during  that 
time  has  filled  positions  of  honor,  trust  and  usefulness  in  the  city  of  Boon- 
ville.     He  was  bom  Jan.  6,  1854,  in  Oldham  County,  Kentucky. 

Dr.  George  T.  Pendleton  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  2, 
1824,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  Jan.  25,  1883.  George  T.  Pendle- 
ton was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  after  having  secured  the  groundwork  of  an  academic  preparation. 
He  studied  at  the  Louisville  Medical  College  and  graduated  from  this 


494  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

institution.  He  was  married  on  May  1,  1851,  to  Miss  Catherine  A.  Ma- 
g  ruder.  In  1855  or  1856  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  located  near  Pilot 
Grove,  Cooper  County,  where  for  nearly  30  years  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession successfully  and  honorably.  While  practicing  medicine  he  fol- 
lowed the  custom  of  his  day  and  lived  on  his  farm,  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  directed.  Dr.  Pendleton  was  a  man  greatly  beloved  and  re- 
spected in  the  community  and  his  passing  was  marked  with  deep  regret 
and  sorrow  from  the  hundreds  of  people  to  whom  he  had  ministered  in 
time  of  sickness  and  trouble.  Naturally  gifted,  well  educated,  the  pass- 
ing years  only  ripened  his  intellect  and  capabilities  and  he  became  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  of  Central  Missouri. 

Dr.  Pendleton  was  father  of  the  following  children:  Dr.  Thomas  0. 
Pendleton,  a  physician  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.;  William  G.  Pendleton,  of  this 
review;  Elizabeth  A.,  wife  of  Prof.  Charles  R.  Forster,  a  member  of  the 
faculty  of  Macon  College,  Macon,  Ga. ;  Catherine  H.,  wife  of  S.  C.  Stites, 
Pilot  Grove,  Mo.;  Stapleton  C,  a  railway  official,  Denver,  Colo.;  Susan  R., 
living  at  Pilot  Grove;  George  T.,  an  attorney,  member  of  the  law  firm, 
Boonville,  Mo. ;  Eleanor  C,  wife  of  R.  M.  Embry,  an  attorney,  California, 
Mo. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  born  in  Oldham  County, 
Ky.,  in  1833,  and  died  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  Oct.  20,  1909.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Owen  Magruder,  of  Kentucky,  who  was  a  descendant  of  the 
McGregors  of  Scotland. 

William  G.  Pendleton  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Cooper  County  and  the  Law  School  of  Louisville,  Ky.  He  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1878  and  for  the  past  41  years  he  has  held  a 
high  place  among  the  legal  fraternity  of  Cooper  County  and  Central  Mis- 
souri, as  a  practitioner  endowed  with  a  profound  knowledge  of  the  law, 
and  keen  legal  acumen. 

Mr.  Pendleton  was  married  Dec.  27,  1888  to  Miss  Marriet  E.  McKenzie, 
a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Jennie  McKenzie 
who  were  natives  of  Inverness,  Scotland,  first  settled  in  New  York  and 
from  that  state  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1878.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McKenzie  died  in  this  county,  the  latter  having  departed  this  life  in  Boon- 
ville, in  March,  1897. 

Mr.  Pendleton  was  originally  a  democrat  but  became  a  republican  in 
1896,  because  of  the  fact  that  he  could  not  acquiesce  in  the  "free  silver" 
plank  in  the  democratic  platform  in  that  year.  For  eight  years  he  served 
as  county  chairman  of  the  Republican  Central  Committee,  and  has  attended 
the  State  Convention  of  his  party  as  delegate.     From  1902  to  1912,  he 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  495 

filled  the  office  of  mayor  of  Boonville.  During  his  term  as  mayor  the 
city  waterworks  were  acquired  by  the  municipality,  the  improvement  of 
the  city's  streets  was  placed  under  way,  much  public  work  was  under- 
taken and  the  streets  of  the  city  were  extensively  paved.  His  admin- 
istration was  one  of  the  best  the  city  has  ever  had. 

Herman  August  Schmidt,  former  police  judge,  and  prominent  citizen 
of  Boonville,  and  now  engaged  in  fanning,  on  his  fine  farm  of  182  acres 
on  the  Lamine  River  bottoms  in  Blackwater  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
Cooper  County.  The  Schmidt  farm  is  a  very  productive  one  which  pro- 
duced 39  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre  during  the  season  of  1918.  Judge 
Schmidt  was  bom  Oct.  19,  1861,  on  a  pioneer  farm  eight  miles  east  of 
Boonville,  in  Saline  township. 

His  father,  Herman  Schmidt,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1821  and 
died  Jan.  4,  1880.  He  immigrated  to  America  in  1837,  with  his  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  Schmidt,  who  settled  on  the  old  Schmidt  home- 
stead. Four  generations  of  Schmidts  have  lived  upon  the  farm,  where 
the  father  of  Judge  Schmidt  died  and  upon  which  he  was  reared  to  ma- 
turity. Only  six  small  acres  of  the  Schmidt  land  was  cleared  of  forests 
in  1836  and  the  first  home  of  the  family  was  a  small  log  cabin.  Herman 
Schmidt  was  reared  on  this  farm  and  married  Theresa  Spieler,  who  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1830  and  died  Dec.  29,  1905.  She  came  to  America  in 
1845  with  her  parents,  Andrew  Spieler  and  wife.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  Herman  and  Theresa  Schmidt:  Mrs.  Ida  Hoberecht,  Cali- 
fornia, Mo.;  Mrs.  Emma  Hasenbach,  Boonville;  Herman  August,  of  this 
review;  Otto,  living  on  the  old  home  place  of  the  family,  whose  son,  Oscar, 
aged  19  years,  is  of  the  fourth  generation  of  Schmidts  who  have  lived  on 
the  homestead. 

Herman  August  Schmidt  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  18  years  of  age  and  he  remained  at  home  unti 
38  years  old  and  then  came  to  Boonville  in  1899.  In  1898  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  post  of  receiver  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  by  Presi- 
dent William  McKinley.  In  1902  he  was  re-appointed  by  President  Roose- 
velt, and  served  for  eight  years  in  this  capacity.  In  1910  he  was  elected 
police  judge  and  was  re-elected  to  this  position  in  1912.  Mr.  Schmidt  has 
served  as  deputy  assessor  and  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  Hoefer,  of  Boonville.  ; 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Hoefer,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  thu 
volume. 

Mr.  Schmidt  has  always  been  allied  with  the  Republican  party  and  is 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  in  Cooper  County.    In  August,  1910, 


496  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

he  was  nominated  by  his  party  as  their  candidate  for  the  office  of  judge 
of  the  Probate  Court,  but  was  defeated  in  the  November  election  by  a 
very  narrow  margin.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  for 
the  past  16  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  this 
church.  He  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the  board  for  the  past  year.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  managers  of  this  camp  for  the  past  14  years. 

Ernest  C.  Oerly,  proprietor  of  the  "Gooch  Pioneer  Stock  Farm",  the 
old  Gooch  homestead  place  at  Gooch's  Mill,  one  of  the  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive young  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Cooper  Cunty,  was  born  in  this 
county  Feb.  11,  1893,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Michler)  Oerly,  the  lat- 
ter born  in  1856,  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  in  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship. She  whs  born  in  Switzerland  and  came  to  this  country  with  her 
parents,  who  settled  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  John  Oerly  also  was  of 
Swiss  stock.  He  was  born  near  Jamestown,  Mo.,  in  1853,  son  of  Ulrich 
Oerly  and  wife,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Cooper  County  and  who 
are  buried  in  the  Pleasant  Grove  cemetery.  Ulrich  Oerly  was  born  in 
Switzerland  and  came  to  this  country  in  young  manhood,  locating  in  Moni- 
teau County  and  later  came  to  Cooper  County  and  located  on  a  farm  in 
Prairie  Home  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  in  1904.  His  son  John  also  spent  his  last  days  there,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  1912,  and  is  buried  in  Pleasant  Grove  cemetery.  John  and  Eliza- 
beth Oerly  were  the  parents  of  seven  children:  W.  A.  Oerly,  of  Woold- 
ridge ;  Lulu,  wife  of  Thomas  Chrisman,  Wooldridge;  Bertha,  married 
Nicholas  H.  Blank  and  died  in  Sept.,  1918,  and  is  buried  in  Walnut  Grove 
cemetery,  Boonville;  Oscar  Oerly,  who  was  accidentally  killed  by  the  dis- 
charge of  a  gun  at  Gooch's  Mill  in  1907,  he  then  being  21  years  old ;  Dula, 
wife  of  Hagan  Hickam,  of  Boonville,  and  Grace,  wife  of  Truman  Swan- 
stone,  of  Saline  township  and  Ernest  C. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township,  Ernest  Oerly 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Liberty  district  school  and  from  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  has  been  devoted  to  farming.  In  1913,  when  he  was  20  years 
of  age  he  bought  80  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  Saline  township  and 
began  farming.  In  1917  he  bought  a  tract  of  153  acres  adjoining  and 
on  which  stands  the  substantial  old  house  erected  there  by  his  wife's 
great-grandfather  before  the  Civil  War,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in 
that  house,  Ihe  old  Gooch  home,  which  in  days  now  long  gone  was  a  centre 
for  much  of  the  social  activity  of  the  Gooch's  Mill  neighborhood.     There 


ERNEST    C.    OERLY    AND    WIPE 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  497 

are  five  great  fireplaces  in  the  old  house  and  in  its  picturesque  setting  it 
affords  a  very  pleasant  home  for  its  present  owners.  Since  taking  posses- 
sion of  this  fine  farm  of  233  acres  and  which  he  very  appropriately  has 
named  the  "Gooch  Pioneer  Stock  Farm",  Mr.  Oerly  has  made  numerous 
substantial  improvements  along  the  lines  of  modern  development.  One 
of  the  valuable  features  of  this  farm  is  a  great  never  failing  spring,  which 
i    said  to  be  one  of  the  best  springs  in  this  region  of  numerous  springs. 

In  1916  Ernest  Oerly  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Gray  Coch- 
ran, who  was  born  at  Gooch's  Mill  April  26,  1893,  daughter  of  Dr.  0.  W. 
Cochran,  of  that  place.  Mr.  Oerly  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  at  Gooch's  Mill  and  Mrs.  Oerly  is  a  member  of  the  auxiliary 
order  of  Daughters  of  Rebecca  there. 

During  the  time  of  the  cyclone  which  visited  this  section  on  the  even- 
ing of  June  5,  1917,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oerly  lost  their  home  and  had  a  most 
thrilling  and  hazardous  experience.  They  then  were  living  in  the  house 
on  the  other  part  of  their  present  farm,  in  the  place  and  both  were  at 
home  at  the  time  the  cyclone  came  up,  that  being  about  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  with  them  being  Herbert  Blank,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Oerly.  The 
house  was  blown  away,  utterly  destroyed.  When  neighbors  searched  the 
scene  of  devastation  Mrs.  Oerly  was  found  lying  but  a  few  feet  from  the 
site  of  the  house  and  was  at  first  thought  to  be  dead,  but  signs  of  life 
presently  were  detected  and  she  was  tenderly  cared  for.  So  great  was 
the  shock  she  had  received,  however,  that  it  was  three  weeks  before  shg 
regained  consciousness.  Mr.  Oerly  was  blown  a  distance  of  300  yards 
or  more,  was  rendered  insensible  by  the  shock  and  did  not  l-egain  conscious- 
ness for  half  an  hour  afterwards.  Happily  no  permanent  injury  was  in- 
curred either  by  his  wife  or  himself.  Herbert  Blank,  the  lad  who  was 
visiting  with  his  uncle  and  aunt,  was  picked  up  by  the  cyclone  and  car- 
ried above  the  treetops.  He  was  not  rendered  unconscious  and  retains 
the  most  distinct  impressions  of  his  journey  through  the  air  and  of  being 
lightly  deposited  again  on  mother  earth  uninjured.  A  big  carpet  fell 
upon  him  as  he  was  lying  wondering  what  was  going  to  happen  next. 
Mr.  Oerly's  bank  book  was  found  at  Paris,  eight  miles  away.  Nearly  all 
the  household  silverware  was  recovered,  but  of  the  furniture  scarcely  a 
vestige  remained.  Chickens  were  completely  stripped  of  their  feathers 
and  of  Mr.  Oerly's  live  stock  four  horses  and  about  25  head  of  hogs  were 
killed.  He  also  lost  his  automobile  and  in  other  ways  suffered  a  severe 
loss  of  property. 
(32) 


498  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

William  L.  Tanner. — Without  question  or  possible  rivalry,  the  Tanner 
Studio  and  Art  Shop,  which  was  opened  by  William  L.  Tanner,  in  Boon- 
ville,  on  Feb.  26,  1919,  is  the  most  artistic  and  completely  equipped  studio 
and  photographic  establishment  in  Central  Missouri.  Following  a  dis- 
astrous fire,  which  destroyed  the  former  Tanner  Studio  in  the  McCurdy 
Building,  Dec.  23,  1918,  it  was  necessary  for  Mr.  Tanner  to  find  other 
quarters  and  to  completely  equip  a  new  studio  and  shop.  This  he  pro- 
ceeded to  do  and  has  spared  no  pains  or  expense  in  presenting  to  the 
people  his  present  beautiful  shop,  located  in  the  Gmelich  Building,  305 
Main  Street.  The  Tanner  Studio  is  the  last  word  in  modernity.  The 
nitrogen  lighting  system,  with  a  battery  of  eight  lights,  of  strength  of 
8000  watts,  is  used  and  renders  reliance  on  daylight  as  an  adjunct  to 
photography  unnecessary.  Posing  can  be  accomplished  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  or  night  by  means  of  the  lighting  system  which  Mr.  Tanner  has 
installed.  The  studio  is  equipped  with  the  finest  model  of  camera  in 
existence  fitted  with  an  automatic  adjustment,  and  which  uses  films  in- 
stead of  plates.  Perfectly  appointed  dressing  rooms  have  been  provided 
for  patrons.  The  studio  occupies  two  floors  and  the  basement  of  the  build- 
ing. Mr.  Tanner's  assistants  are  Mrs.  Tanner,  who  is  an  expert  pho- 
tographer; Carl  Bach,  and  Frank  Swap,  the  local  artist. 

Mr.  Tanner  has  been  in  business  in  Boonville  since  1916.  He  came  to 
this  city  from  St.  Louis,  a  stranger,  unknown  and  without  friends  or 
even  acquaintances.  On  March  23,  1916,  he  held  an  opening,  something 
unique  in  presenting  a  newly  equipped  photo  study  for  the  inspection  of 
the  public.  Each  lady  attending  his  first  opening  received  an  appropriate 
souvenir  of  the  occasion — a  photograph  of  herself.  Fifty-four  Boonville 
ladies  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity,  and  the  Tanner  Studio  was 
successfully  launched  in  Boonville.  Since  his  initial  opening  in  Boonville, 
the  business  has  prospered  and  numbers  among  its  clients  the  best  fam- 
ilies of  Boonville  and  this  section  of  Missouri.  The  re-opening  of  the 
Tanner  Studio  and  Art  Shop  on  Feb.  26,  1919,  was  largely  attended  and 
was  a  social  event  in  the  city;  none  called  but  to  admire  and  commenl 
upon  the  perfect  appointments  and  the  furnishings  of  the  studio,  and 
others  have  been  coming  to  have  high  grade  work  done. 

A  department  of  the  business  or  profession  which  will  be  cared  for 
at  the  Tanner  Studio  is  the  painting  of  portraits  of  those  who  desire  work 
of  this  character. 

William  L.  Tanner  was  born  in  Illinois,  Sept.  24,  1880.  He  is  a  son  of 
Louis  and  Christina  (Kraft)  Tanner,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  Switzerland  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.     Louis  Tanner  left  his  native 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  499 

mountain  country  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  New  Orleans  when  a  boy 
of  14.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  munition  driver  with  the  Fed- 
eral forces  and  had  the  rank  of  captain.  When  16  years  old  he  was  a 
whip  maker.  He  located  in  St.  Louis  with  his  parents  and  operated  a 
manufacturing  business  there.  Later  the  family  traded  for  property  at 
Lost  Prairie,  near  Sparta,  111.,  and  there  made  their  future  home.  William 
L.  Tanner  is  the  oldest  son  of  a  family  of  12  children,  five  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  born  to  his  parents.  In  1886  the  family  again  moved  to  St. 
Louis,  where  the  father  died  Aug.  4,  1912,  at  the  age  of  69  years.  Mrs. 
Tanner  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  William  L.,  and  is  aged  73  years. 
When  13  years  old,  William  L.  Tanner  left  school  and  went  to  work.  He 
was  employed  in  a  gents'  furnishing  store  until  he  attained  the  age  of  19 
years.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  photography  and  worked  for  Gustav 
Schneidt,  a  successful  photographer  who  had  learned  his  art  in  Germany 
and  operated  two  studios  in  St.  Louis.  He  was  with  Mr.  Schneidt  (his 
father-in-law)  for  ten  years  and  in  1911  was  in  the  studio  of  0.  C.  Conk- 
ling  for  three  years.  In  1914  he  entered  the  employ  of  Hyatt's  Photo 
Supply  Company  as  traveling  salesman  and  remained  with  this  concern 
until  he  located  in  Boonville  in  1916. 

Mr.  Tanner  was  married  on  June  5,  1905,  to  Miss  Emma  Georgiana 
Schneidt,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Gustav 
Schneidt,  who  died  April  24,  1916.  Mrs.  Schneidt  and  her  son,  George  C. 
Schneidt,  are  operating  the  studios  in  St.  Louis.  Mrs.  Emma  Tanner  is 
an  expert  finisher  of  photos  and  has  followed  the  profession  since  leaving 
school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tanner  have  a  son,  William  Louis,  Jr.,  born 
Feb.  2,  1904. 

Mr.  Tanner  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  National  Union  of  St.  Louis. 

William  L.  Brickner,  retired  farmer,  residing  at  411  Center  street, 
Boonville,  Mo.,  is  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  380  acres  on  the  Santa  Fe  Trail 
road,  five  miles  west  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Brickner  was  born  Feb.  8,  1860, 
on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Boonville  and  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Mar- 
et  Brickner,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  history  in  connection 
with  that  of  August  Bricker. 

Mr.  Brickner  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Cooper  County  and 
in  October,  1884,  he  located  on  a  farm  one  mile  south  of  the  home  place 
from  his  father.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  135  acres  to  begin  with  and 
erected  all  buildings  and  improvements  on  the  place.  He  continued  to 
accumulate  land  as  he  prospered  in  his  farming  operations  until  he  be- 


500  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

came  owner  of  380  acres.  Mr.  Brickner  then  rightly  decided  that  he  had 
earned  a  rest  and  he  removed  to  Boonville  in  October,  1914. 

Oct.  28,  1884,  William  L.  Brickner  and  Mary  Williams  were  united 
in  marriage.  The  following  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Walter 
is  operating  the  home  farm,  married  Nellie  Johnmeyer  and  has  three 
children,  William  W.,  Margaret,  and  Earl;  Mrs.  Birdie  Rasmussen  also 
lives  on  part  of  the  home  place  and  is  mother  of  one  child,  Dorsey,  born 
Sept.  23,  1918 ;  Lloyd  and  Beulah  Brickner,  twins,  born  July  7,  1898. 

The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  Feb.  6,  1868,  on  a  farm  within 
one-half  mile  of  the  Brickner  home  place.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Walter 
and  Virginia  (Payne)  Williams,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  and  reared 
in  Cooper  County,  the  daughter  of  Cooper  County  pioneers.  Walter  Wil- 
liams was  born  in  1826  and  died  March  1,  1895.  He  was  a  native  of  Wales 
and  immigrated  to  America  in  the  early  forties.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to 
the  gold  fields  of  the  Pacific  Slope  in  1849  and  was  engaged  in  mining 
gold  for  some  months.  Virginia  (Payne)  Williams  was  born  July  28, 
1S47,  and  died  Feb.  7,  1918.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Lucy 
Payne,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  in  Cooper  County. 
The  children  of  the  Williams  family  are  as  follows :  Mrs.  Mary  Brickner, 
of  this  review;  James  R.,  Walter,  and  William  C.  Williams,  who  reside  on 
the  Williams  home  place,  west  of  Boonville. 

Mr.  Brickner  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  family  worship  at  the 
Evangelical  Church. 

^arnut!  Oerly,  proprietor  of  "Walnut  Grove  Farm"  in  Saline  town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  stockmen  of  Cooper  County. 
Mr.  Oerlv  is  a  native  of  Moniteau  County,  Mo.  He  was  born  in  1858,  a 
son  of  Ulrich  and  Margaret  (Gatchet)  Oerly,  natives  of  Switzerland. 

Ulrich  Oerly  was  born  in  1827.  He  immigrated  to  America  in  1847 
and  located  first  in  Ohio,  coming  thence  two  years  later  to  Missouri,  locat- 
ing in  Moniteau  County,  whence  he  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1865  and 
settled  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Wooldridge.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  served  in  the  state  militia  one  year.  He  died  in  1909  and  is  buried  in 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  cemetery  at  Pleasant  Ridge.  Margaret 
(Gatchet)  Oerly  came  to  America  from  Switzerland  with  her  parents, 
when  she  was  a  child  eight  years  of  age,  in  1834.  Her  father,  John 
Gatchet,  located  first  in  Ohio,  also,  and  from  Ohio  he  came  to  Missouri  in 
1849  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Moniteau  County.  Mrs.  Oerly  died  in  1911. 
The  children  of  Ulrich  and  Margaret  Oerly  are:  John,  deceased;  Emanuel, 
a  farmer,  of  Overton,  Mo. ;  Samuel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Adam  Schilb,  Wooldridge,   Mo.;  William,   of  Spice  Creek,   Mo.; 


MR     AND    MRS     SAMUEL    OERLY    AND    FAMILY 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  501 

Ferdinand,  whose  address  is  unknown ;  Charles,  Moniteau  County,  Mo. ; 
and  Fred,  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. 

Samuel  Oerly  attended  Oakland  school  in  Moniteau  County  and  Lib- 
erty school  in  Cooper  County.  He  recalls  the  log  cabin  home  of  his  child- 
hood, with  its  mortar-filled  cracks  and  puncheon  floor,  and  the  old-style 
trundle  bed  in  which  he  slept,  when  a  lad  Since  attaining  maturity,  Mr. 
Oerly  has  engaged  in  farming  and  stockraising.  He  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  1881,  from  James  Q.  Ragland,  a  place  comprising  204  acres 
of  land,  named  "Walnut  Grove  Farm"  because  of  the  splendid  walnut 
trees  growing  thereon.  Excepting  the  residence  and  a  barn,  Mr.  Oerly 
has  added  all  the  improvements  now  on  his  farm.  The  land  is  well 
watered  by  eight  springs,  three  of  which  are  never  failing.  He  raises 
registered  Big  Bone  Poland  China  hogs  and  Shorthorn  cattle,  Cotswold 
sheep  and  Rhode  Island  Red  chickens.  Mr.  Oerly  does  general  farming 
and  feeds  extensively  hogs  and  cattle. 

June  16,  1881,  Samuel  Oerly  and  Mary  Adaline  Schnuck  were  united 
in  marriage.  Mrs.  Oerly  is  a  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Catherina  E. 
(Meyer)  Schnuck.  Mr.  Schnuck  died  Aug.  2,  1880,  and  the  widowed 
mother  now  makes  her  home  with  a  son  in  Boonville  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Oerly  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Henry  W.,  born 
April  7,  1882,  the  postmaster  and  merchant  at  Overton,  Mo. ;  Herman  H., 
born  March  4,  1884,  at  home;  Frank  J.,  born  Nov.  19,  1886,  now  with  Com- 
pany L,  356th  Infantry,  89th  Division,  at  Bordeaux,  France,  when  last 
heard  from  at  the  time  of  this  writing;  Florence  M.,  at  home;  and  Dora 
E.,  the  wife  of  Herman  Frederick,  of  Saline  township.  Frank  J.  Oerly, 
the  soldier  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  army  Sept.  19,  1917,  and  was  trained  for 
service  at  Camp  Funston ;  became  a  member  of  Company  L,  356th  In- 
fantry, 89th  Division.  He  sailed  for  France,  June  30,  1918,  and  from 
Aug.  5,  1918  to  Oct.  19,  1918,  was  at  the  front,  Verdun  and  Argonne  For- 
est. He  was  taken  sick  and  sent  back  to  Base  Hospital  No.  22,  Bordeaux. 
Arrived  in  America  March  28,  1919;  honorably  discharged  April  21.  1919, 
and  now  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oerly  are  highly  respected  in  their  community.  They 
are  worthy  and  consistent  members  of  the  Boonville  Evangelical  Church. 
Mr.  Oerly  is  a  republican. 

Herman  B.  Friedrich,  Mr.  Oerly's  son-in-law,  served  in  the  National 
Army  and  was  on  his  way  to  France  when  the  armistice  was  signed. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oerly  have  two  grandchildren :  Laura  Marie  and  Ewing 
Jcseph,  the  former,  the  daughter  of  Henry  W.  Oerly  and  the  latter,  the 
son  of  Mrs.  Herman  Frederick. 


502  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

John  M.  Haller,  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  Boonville  Coal  Com- 
pany, is  a  native  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Haller  is  successor  to  Burger  &  Son, 
and  purchased  this  thriving  business  on  Dec.  1,  1918.  The  yards  of  the 
Boonville  Coal  Company  are  located  at  602  East  Spring  Street  and  cover 
one-half  block.  Wood,  coal,  cement,  sewer  pipe,  etc.,  are  sold  at  retail  and 
three  teams  are  operating  continually,  and  five  men  are  employed  in  car- 
ing for  the  activities  of  the  yard.  John  M.  Haller  was  born  in  Boonville 
June  22,  1888. 

Martin  J.  Haller,  his  father,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  in 
1859,  learned  the  printer's  trade,  and  emigrating  from  his  native  land, 
located  in  Boonville  in  1872.  For  the  past  15  years,  Mr.  Haller  has  been 
foreman  of  the  "Advertiser"  publishing  and  printing  plant  in  Boonville. 
He  was  married  to  Anna  Bach  in  1869.  Mrs.  Anna  (Bach)  Haller  was 
bom  in  Boonville  and  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  Bach,  a  Cooper  County 
pioneer.  The  children  born  to  Martin  and  Anna  Haller  are :  John  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Minnie  Cramer,  Boonville;  Louise,  at  home 
with  her  parents;  Ernest,  a  sailor,  enlisted  man  in  United  States  Navy, 
enlisted  in  1917  as  a  pharmacist  and  is  located  at  Naval  Base  No.  29; 
Gilbert  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Navy  in  1918,  and  is  attached  to 
U  Submarine  Boat,  No.  3. 

John  M.  Haller  was  educated  in  the  Boonville  public  and  high  schools. 
For  15  years  after  leaving  high  school  he  was  a  trusted  and  capable  em- 
ploye of  the  Sauter  Mercantile  Company  of  Boonville.  The  business  ex- 
perience gained  with  this  old  time  established  concern,  which  has  lately 
dissolved,  has  stood  him  in  good  stead  since  he  has  engaged  in  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  Mr.  Haller  is  making  a  decided  success  of  his 
business  venture. 

He  was  married,  Aug.  11,  1913,  to  Miss  Nina  Demarest  of  New  York 
City,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Evelyn  (Vreeland)  Demarest,  who  now 
reside  in  Chariton  County,  Mo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  M.  Haller  have  two 
children:  John  Haller,  Jr.,  born  Oct.  6,  1916;  Helen  Louise  Haller,  born 
Aug.  18.  1914. 

Mr.  Haller  is  a  republican,  but  is  an  independent  voter.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church  and  is  affiliated  fraternally  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge. 

Martin  Tucker,  sheriff  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Louisville, 
Ky.,  Jan.  23,  1864.  His  parents  were  Joseph  Albert  and  Mary  Magdalena 
(Huber)  Tucker,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  a  native 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  503 

of  Germany.  Joseph  A.  Tucker  was  bom  in  1825- and  died  in  1880.  He 
emigrated  from  England  to  America  in  1860  and  fought  in  the  Union 
army  throughout  the  Civil  War,  as  sergeant  of  his  company  in  a  Ken- 
tucky Union  regiment  of  volunteers.  Magdalena  (Huber)  Tucker  was 
born  in  1842  and  accompanied  her  mother  to  America  in  1845.  Her 
father  died  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  German  army.  She  now 
resides  in  St.  Louis.  In  1870  the  Tuckers  left  Kentucky  and  after  one 
year  in  St.  Louis,  they  settled  at  Tipton.  The  children  born  to  Joseph  A. 
and  Mary  Magdalena  Tucker  are :  Mrs.  Priscilla  Belle  Hamilton,  a  widow, 
residing  with  her  mother  in  St.  Louis;  Albert  Edward,  St.  Louis,  and 
Martin  Tucker  of  this  review. 

Martin  Tucker  learned  the  trade  of  painter  and  decorator  in  St.  Louis 
and  first  followed  his  trade  at  Tipton,  Mo.,  where  he  resided  until  Sept.  7, 
1884,  when  he  located  in  Boonville.  He  was  employed  by  Spahr  Brothers 
of  this  city  for  a  few  months  and  then  engaged  in  business  for  himself. 
Mr.  Tucker  was  appointed  to  a  membership  on  the  city  police  force  in 
1899  and  served  as  city  policeman  for  six  years  and  seven  months.  He 
was  then  elected  city  marshal  and  served  for  eight  years  as  marshal  and 
chief  of  police,  from  1906  to  1914.  The  next  step  in  his  official  career  was 
his  election  to  the  office  of  sheriff  of  the  county  in  November  of  1916  for 
a  term  of  four  years. 

Sheriff  Tucker  was  married  on  Feb.  12,  1885,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Kirchner,  who  was  born  at  Belleville,  111.,  April  18,  1864,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  John  C.  and  Anna  B.  (Knoch)  Kirchner.  natives  of  Germany  who  im- 
migrated to  America  in  1854.  In  about  1854  the  Kirchners  settled  in 
Boonville,  later  moved  to  Belleville,  111.,  in  1862,  and  returned  to  Boon- 
ville in  the  spring  of  1866.  Mr.  Kirchner  was  employed  in  the  coal  mines 
near  Boonville  and  was  a  farmer  and  grape  grower  who  conducted  a  vine- 
yard near  Boonville.  John  C.  Kirchner  was  born  Aug.  19,  1833,  and  died 
\ug.  8,  f900.  His  wife,  Anna  B.  Kirchner,  was  born  Jan.  29,  1830,  and 
died  Aug.  23,  1907.  Two  children  of  theirs  are  living  out  of  11  born  to 
them:  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  John  G.  Bauer,  Boonville,  Mo.,  and  Mrs. 
Martin  Tucker. 

Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Martin  and  Margaret  Tucker,  as 
follows:  Two  died  in  infancy;  John,  Ramsey,  111.,  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order;  Charles  lives  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Barbara,  at  home;  Edna 
Jane,  her  father's  office  assistant,  member  of  the  Eastern  Star;  Pauline, 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  near  Otterville,  Mo.;  James,  graduate  of 


504  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  Boonville  High  School,  class  of  1919.  Pauline  Tucker  was  married 
April  17,  1918,  to  Carl  Anthony  Watts,  a  soldier  in  the  National  Army, 
landed  in  France  in  August,  1918,  member  of  Company  F,  313th  Engi- 
neers, 88th  Division. 

Sheriff  Tucker  is  a  republican,  but  is  a  sheriff  of  all  the  people,  faith- 
ful and  conscientious  and  honest  to  the  last  degree  in  the  performance  of 
his  official  duties — one  of  the  best  and  most  capable  sheriffs  who  ever 
held  this  high  office  in  Cooper  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Degree  of  Pocahontas,  and  the 
Woodmen  Auxiliary  Order.  Mrs.  Tucker  is  a  member  of  the  Ladies' 
Auxiliary  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Degree  of  Pocahontas. 

John  M.  Burrus,  now  deceased,  was  one  of  the  honored  and  highly 
valued  pioneers  of  Cooper  County,  who  contributed  his  part  to  the  better- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  his  community  and  county.  He  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  born  Aug.  23,  1819,  and  departed  this  life  March  30,  1888,  and 
his  remains  now  rest  in  the  Harris  cemetery.  He  was  a  son  of  Hawkey 
and  Frances  (Martin)  Burrus,  who  were  married  May  19,  1817.  They 
settled  in  Cooper  County  2*/2  miles  south  of  Pisgah,  on  a  farm  now  owned 
by  George  Class,  and  were  among  the  very  earliest  pioneers  of  this  sec- 
tion. They  came  from  Tennessee.  Their  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead, 
were  as  follows:  John  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Jacob,  born  Jan. 
22,  1823 ;  Sarah,  born  Feb.  24,  1825 ;  William,  born  March  9,  1827 ;  James, 
born  April  16,  1828,  was  a  Confederate  soldier,  and  was  killed  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg;  and  Valentine,  born  Aug.  28,  1830. 

John  M.  Burrus  was  united  in  marriage  April  2,  1857  with  Miss 
Amanda  Lovell,  the  marriage  ceremony  taking  place  on  the  farm  where 
Mrs.  Burrus  now  lives,  Rev.  Robert  Harris  being  the  officiating  minister. 
Mrs.  Burrus  was  born  Feb.  3.  1837,  on  the  farm  where  she  now  lives  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Olive  (Burrus)  Lovell. 

To  John  M.  and  Amanda  F.  (Lovell)  Burrus  were  bom  four  children 
as  follows:  Jacob,  born  June  29,  1858;  Hawkey,  born  May  3,  1860;  T.  J., 
born  April  15,  1870.  and  Martin  Nolan,  born  June  7,  1867. 

T.  J.  Burrus  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Prairie  Home  township 
was  married  Sept.  4,  1895,  to  Miss  Alpha  McDow,  a  daughter  of  Milton 
and  Keziah  (Kirkpatrick)  McDow.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  as  follows:     Bernice  married  L.  B.  Morris  and  has  two  chil- 


Ji  IHN    M.    AND  AMANDA    BURRUS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  505 

dren :  Thomas  J.  and  Clara  Louise ;  John  M.,  Prairie  Home ;  Porter  Valen- 
tine ;  Emil  Thomas ;  Charles  Edward ;  Mary  Margaret  and  Joe  McDow,  all 
residing  at  home  with  their  parents. 

The  Burrus  homestead,  the  home  of  Mrs.  Burrus,  is  one  of  the  valu- 
able home  farms  of  Prairie  Home  township.  It  contains  215  acres  and  is 
well  located  21/2  miles  southwest  of  Prairie  Home.  This  land  was  entered 
from  the  government  by  Mrs.  Burrus'  father,  T.  J.  Lovell. 

Mrs.  Burrus  is  one  of  the  noble  pioneer  women  of  Cooper  County. 
She  has  an  extensive  acquaintance  throughout  southeastern  Cooper 
County  and  her  friends  are  legion.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Pisgah.     She  is  the  oldest  native  born  pioneer  woman  in  Cooper  County. 

Joseph  M.  Green,  proprietor  of  the  European  Hotel,  one  of  the  oldest 
established  and  best  known  hostelries  in  Boonville,  which  Mr.  Green  has 
been  conducting  since  1883,  was  born  May  23,  1850,  in  Green  County, 
near  Greensburg,  on  Green  River,  Ky.  The  hotel  which  Mr.  Green  owns 
and  operates  was  used  as  the  official  building  of  the  county  during  the 
process  of  construction  of  the  new  court  house  a  few  years  ago.  For 
years,  until  Mr.  Green  purposely  curtailed  his  activities  as  a  landlord  so 
as  to  cut  down  to  a  minimum  the  amount  of  work  involved  in  conducting 
the  house,  this  hotel  was  a  popular  place  for  visitors  to  Boonville,  and 
was  prosperous. 

David  D.  Green,  father  of  Joseph  M.  Green,  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  migrated  to  Ohio  in  the  thirties,  thence  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  business  for  15  years,  and  then  came  to  Arrow  Rock,  Mo., 
in  1852.  Here  he  operated  a  general  store  and  also  conducted  a  saddlery 
and  a  hardware  business.  As  age  came  upon  him,  the  elder  Green  turned 
over  the  store  to  his  eldest  son,  who  changed  the  business  plant  to  that 
of  a  general  merchandist  store ;  later,  Joseph  M.  Green  took  charge  of  the 
business,  succeeding  his  elder  brother  in  the  saddlery  and  harness  busi- 
ness, and  conducted  it  for  a  number  of  years. 

David  D.  Green  was  born  in  1801  and  died  in  1875.  When  a  young 
man  he  married  Nancy  C.  Phillips,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1816 
and  died  in  1884.  To  this  marriage  were  bom  three  children;  Sarah, 
deceased;  Joseph  M.,  of  this  review;  and  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  By  a  former  marriage,  David  D.  Green  was  father  of  a  son, 
William  P.,  who  died  in  Texas. 

Joseph  M.  Green  operated  the  general  store  at  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  until 
1883.  He  then  came  to  Boonville  and  took  charge  of  the  hotel.  Mr. 
Green,  in  past  years,  has  built  four  additions  to  the  hotel  and  has  modern- 


506  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

ized  the  building  throughout.  It  now  consists  of  22  rooms  fitted  with 
every  comfort  for  the  convenience  of  guests.  He  has  lived  continuously 
in  Boonville  for  the  past  36  years,  with  the  exception  of  three  years  spent 
in  Arkansas,  from  1911  to  1914,  looking  after  some  land  which  he  owns 
in  that  state. 

Mr.  Green  was  married  on  Jan.  14,  1870,  to  Miss  Willa  A.  Mahan, 
who  has  borne  him  children  as  follows:  Mrs.  Ida  Gale  Stewart,  born 
May  20,  1871,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Jan.  12,  1919;  Will  Ella,  born 
April  19,  1873,  died  Oct.  30,  1883;  Leeta  Kate,  bom  Feb.  3,  1875,  died 
Dec.  26,  1883 ;  William  David,  born  Jan.  19,  1877,  died  Feb.  6,  1879 ;  Mabel 
Lenore,  born  April  3,  1881,  died  Dec.  28,  1883 ;  Jessie,  born  Feb.  24,  1885, 
is  wife  of  George  R.  Whittaker,  Raton,  N.  M. ;  Dorothy,  born  Feb.  24, 
1885,  wife  of  George  Barnes,  Boonville,  Mo.,  and  mother  of  two  children, 
George  Marshall  Barnes,  bom  June  19,  1916,  and  Selma  Anita,  born 
Dec.  10,  1917. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  born  in  Cooper  County, 
Mo.,  in  1853.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  William  D.  Mahan, 
picneer  Cumberland  Presbyterian  minister  of  Central  Missouri.  Reverend 
Mahan  was  bom  in  Virginia  July  27,  1824,  and  died  Oct.  19,  1906.  He 
was  married  on  July  27,  1850,  to  Martha  R.  Johnston,  who  bore  him  the 
following  children:  Eleanor  B.,  deceased  wife  of  Frank  Stewart;  and 
Mrs.  Willa  A.  Green  of  this  review.  Reverend  Mahan  was  born  in  Pitts- 
burg County,  Va.,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Missouri  in  1837.  He 
came  to  Cooper  County  in  1845  and  preached  the  gospel  according  to  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  faith  for  over  half  a  century.  He  was  a  son  of 
Thomas  Jefferson  Mahan,  who  was  a  son  of  William  Pope  and  Permelia 
Mahan  of  Pittsylvania  County,  Va.  Thomas  Mahan  served  in  Capt. 
Henry  Garnett's  Company  or  the  Captain  John  Douglas  Company,  Sec- 
ond Virginia  State  Militia,  under  Colonel  Gregory,  during  the  War  of 
1812.  Mrs.  Green  is  a  niece  by  marriage  of  Judge  McFarland,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  B.  Johnston,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Johnston,  a  Cooper  County 
pioneer,  and  is  a  second  cousin  of  Col.  Thomas  A.  Johnston  of  Boonville. 
An  ancestor  was  Thomas  Mahan,  whose  name  appears  on  the  roster  of 
exchanged  prisoners  sent  from  Quebec  in  November,  1779,  during  the 
American  Revolution.  Another  ancestor,  named  Smith,  served  in  the 
Revolution.    He  enlisted  Feb.  12,  1778,  and  served  until  February,  1779. 

Rev.  W.  D.  Mahan  was  widely  known  as  an  author  and  writer  of 
religious  books.  He  published  "Archaeological  Writings  of  the  Sanhedrim 
and  Talmuds  of  the  Jews,"  which  were  afterwards  combined  in  the  Archko 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  507 

Library.  He  based  his  deductions  and  decisions  upon  the  results  of  ex- 
tensive personal  research  and  study  in  the  ruins  and  libraries  of  Rome 
and  Constantinople,  gathering  at  first  hand  the  information  necessary 
from  archaeological  inscriptions  and  had  the  translations  duly  made  by 
scholars  so  that  he  could  incorporate  the  matter  in  his  books.  He  wrote 
and  published  "Caesar's  Court,"  in  1895.  The  Archko  Library,  which 
originally  consisted  of  five  volumes,  was  afterwards  combined  and  pub- 
lished in  its  entirety  by  the  Archko  Book  Company  of  Boonville.  He 
wrote  "History  on  Baptism"  and  other  pamphlets.  Rev.  Mahan  devoted 
the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  production  of  "Acta  Pilate,"  his  first  book. 

Joseph  M.  Green  is  a  democrat  of  the  straight,  and  true  variety, 
which  recognizes  no  deviation  from  democratic  principles  of  government. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Mr.  Green  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees.    He  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since  May,  1871. 

.ichn  J.  Walther,  contractor  and  builder,  residing  at  406  East  High 
street,  Boonville,  Mo.,  has  been  engaged  in  the  contracting  business  since 
1880.  During  his  career  as  contractor  and  builder,  Mr.  Walther  has  built 
a  large  number  of  Missouri  River  steamboats;  erected  the  large  elevator 
for  the  milling  company ;  built  many  new  store  fronts  in  Boonville ;  erected 
a  large  number  of  residences  in  Boonville  and  Cooper  County,  and  has 
employed  from  three  to  10  men  during  his  busy  seasons. 

John  J.  Walther  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  Jan.  23,  1854  and  is 
a  son  of  Peter  and  Carolina  (Englehardt)  Walther  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Germany.  Mr.  Walther's  grandfather  was  a  carpenter  and  gov- 
ernment official  in  Germany.  Peter  Walther,  his  father,  was  an  expert 
willow  worker. 

Peter  Walther  immigrated  to  America  leaving  Bremen  and  landing 
at  New  Orleans  from  a  sailing  vessel  when  John  J.  Walther  was  six  weeks 
old.  Walther,  Sr..  settled  on  a  farm  west  of  Boonville  and  here  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  He  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1900.  His  wife 
was  born  in  1833  and  died  in  1873.  The  children  of  the  Walther  family 
were:  John  J.,  of  this  review;  Louis,  Emma,  Louise,  and  Bertha,  de- 
ceased :  and  Mrs.  Anna  Labbo,  San  Francisco. 

At  the  age  of  21  years,  Mr.  Walther  began  to  follow  his  trade  of 
carpenter.  When  a  boy  he  chopped  wood  on  his  father's  farm,  helped 
to  build  the  parental  home  from  timber  cut  on  the  place,  drove  oxen  and 
did  the  hardest  kind  of  farm  labor.  Having  a  natural  aptitude  for  car- 
penter work  he  indulged  his  lobby  and  has  made  a  success  of  his  life  work. 


508  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

For  many  years  he  was  a  skilled  steamboat  builder.  He  built  the 
"Dorothy"  a  local  ferry  boat,  the  "Edna",  "Elta"  and  many  other  boats 
and  barges.  Mr.  Walther  is  owner  of  a  half  block  of  valuable  city  prop- 
erty, upon  which  are  three  brick  residence  buildings,  including  his  own 
large  house  which  is  a  double  structure,  and  his  shop  which  is  built  upon 
the  same  block. 

Mr.  Walther  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Weber,  who  was 
born  in  '1857  and  departed  this  life  in  1900.  She  was  born  in  Boonville, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Weber.  To  this  marriage  have  been 
born  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  William,  Carl  and  Odell.  William 
Walther  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  married  Nettie  Becker  and  has  a 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Walther.  Carl  Walther  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor 
now  in  Texas,  married  Donell  Woods  who  died  leaving  one  child,  Carl 
Jacob.     Odell  Walther  is  at  home.     One  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Walther  is  a  republican  but  spends  little  time  with  political 
affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church  and  has  been  an  Odd 
Fellow  since  1884.  He  is  a  substantial  well  informed,  industrious  and 
progressive  citizen  who  has  won  a  high  place  in  the  citizenship  of  Boon- 
ville and  Cooper  County. 

Mark  Jacobs,  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  Jacobs  Brothers  Dry 
Goods  Store,  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  and  merchant  of 
Boonville,  who  is  ever  found  in  the  forefront  of  all  movements  for  the 
advancement  of  his  home  city.  Jacobs  Bros,  store  was  founded  in  May, 
1894,  by  David  W.  and  Mark  Jacobs.  After  the  accidental  death  of  David 
W.  Jacobs  as  a  result  of  injuries  received  from  a  boiler  explosion  in  Seattle. 
Mark  Jacobs  purchased  the  business.  The  store  room  is  140  feet  in  depth 
to  which  has  been  added  two  rooms  on  Spring  street  facing  to  the  south 
and  40x90  feet  in  size.  In  1916,  Mr.  Jacobs  purchased  the  three  buildings 
now  occupied  by  his  large  establishment  and  remodeled  the  floor  space 
and  uses  the  lower  floors  of  the  buildings.  The  Jacobs  store  has  the 
largest  floor  space  and  the  most  extensive  stock  of  ladies'  wearing  apparel, 
cloaks  and  suits,  in  central  Missouri  and  the  trade  is  the  best  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Mr.  Jacobs  employs  fourteen  sales  people,  has  a  secre- 
tary, Miss  Mollie  Jones,  who  has  been  in  his  employ  for  the  past  21  years, 
and  he  has  kept  the  same  porter  for  17  years.  During  the  25  years  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  in  business  he  has  never  discharged  an  em- 
ploye, although  many  young  ladies  have  left  his  employ  for  the  duties 
of  wife  and  housekeeper  in  past  years.     Four  of  his  salespeople  have  been 


DR.    A.   C.   .1  \i'i  »BS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  509 

in  his  employ  since  the  beginning  of  the  business.  This  record  speaks 
volumes  for  the  kindness,  fairness  and  diplomatic  management  of  Mr. 
Jacobs. 

Mark  Jacobs  was  born  in  Quincy,  111.,  Aug.  2,  1869.  He  is  a  son  of 
A.  Jacobs  and  Flora  (Levy)  Jacobs,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Berlin, 
Germany.  When  A.  Jacobs  was  a  child  his  parents  removed  from  Berlin 
to  England  and  he  was  there  reared.  He  was  born  in  1836  and  died  in 
1900,  in  Boonville.  He  came  to  America  in  1848  with  his  parents,  and 
was  brought  up  in  the  shoe  business  in  Quincy,  111.  He  was  a  merchant 
in  Quincy,  111.  until  1884  when  he  went  to  the  Osage  Mission,  Kan.,  and 
was  engaged  in  business  there  until  he  came  to  Boonville  in  1894.  Mrs. 
Jacobs  died  in  1904  at  the  age  of  64  years.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacobs,  as  follows:  David  W.,  deceased;  Mark,  subject  of 
this  review;  Mrs.  Belle  Mendheim,  Chicago,  111.;  Mrs.  Rose  Wolfson,  Pilot 
Grove,  Mo. ;  Dr.  A.  C.  Jacobs,  Boonville,  Mo.,  who  died  July  24,  1918,  as  the 
result  of  injuries  received  in  an  accident  at  Choteau  Springs,  Mo.;  Mrs. 
Adelaide  Klein,  Keokuk,  Iowa,  died  April  14,  1919 ;  Burt  Jacobs,  traveling 
salesman  for  the  Hirschfield  Skirt  Company. 

At  the  age  of  14  years,  Mark  Jacobs  ended  his  schooling  and  enter- 
ing his  father's  store  where  he  received  his  excellent  business  training. 
In  addition  to  the  management  of  his  large  dry  goods  business,  Mr.  Jacobs 
is  secretary  of  the  Hirsch  Wholesale  Grocery  Company.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  board  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  State 
Fuel  Committee  having  entire  charge  of  the  fuel  disposition  in  three 
counties.  Howard,  Cooper  and  Moniteau  during  the  World  War.  Mr. 
Jacobs  is  a  factor  in  local,  civic  and  commercial  affairs  and  is  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  project  for  a  greater  and  better  Boonville. 

Dr.  Henry  Clay  Gibson.  The  late  Dr.  Henry  Clay  Gibson  was,  in 
his  day,  the  most  able  physician  in  Cooper  County,  and  was  in  his  later 
days  the  oldest  practicing  physician  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  Dr. 
Gibson  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Aug.  25,  1825,  and  died  Dec.  14,  1887. 
He  was  born  on  the  old  Gibson  homestead,  which  is  now  incorporated 
into  the  Missouri  Training  School  property.  William,  or  "Uncle  Billy 
Gibson,"  his  father,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  was  an  early 
pioneer  in  Cooper  County.  He  married  for  his  first  wife,  Rhoda  Cole, 
born  in  Cole's  Fort  on  the  Missouri  River,  and  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
Cole,  the  first  white  settler  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County. 

Henry  Clay  Gibson  was  educated  in  Kemper  School,  and  attended  the 
Transylvania  Medical  College  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  during  the  sessions  of 


510  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

1846-47.  He  then  entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  afterwards  graduated. 
Returning  to  Boonville  after  receiving  his  degree,  he  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  soon  secured  a  lucrative  practice,  and  established  a  wide 
reputation  as  an  educated,  successful  physician.  Devoted  to  medicine  as 
a  science,  not  less  than  to  his  practice,  and  desiring  to  keep  up  with  the 
progress  of  the  profession  as  represented  by  the  advancement  in  learning 
in  the  schools,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  and  again  entered  his  alma 
mater  for  a  post  graduate  course. 

Dr.  Gibson  resumed  his  practice  in  Boonville  in  1853  and  continued 
to  practice  successfully  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Gibson  was  twice  married.  His  first  marriage  occurred  on  Jan. 
11,  1856,  too  Miss  Mittie  Nelson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  sister  to  James 
M.  Nelson.  She  died  one  year  after  marriage.  Dr.  Gibson's  second  mar- 
riage took  place  Jan.  11,  1871,  with  Mrs.  Mary  L.  (Jones)  McCarthy, 
widow  of  Justin  McCarthy.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
Mary  J.  Gibson,  at  home  with  her  mother;  Rhoda  Cole  Gibson,  died  in 
infancy ;  Martha,  wife  of  A.  K.  Mills,  died  at  Webb  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Nancy 
O'Meara,  wife  of  Joseph  O'Meara,  teacher  of  dramatic  art  in  the  College 
of  Music,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  Nov. 
2,  1840,  in  a  log  cabin  at  Bolivar,  Mo.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Caleb  and 
Nancy  (Chapman)  Jones,  natives  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  Old  Franklin, 
Mo.,  respectively.  Caleb  Jones  was  a  pioneer  merchant,  trader,  post- 
master, and  Whig  politician  of  the  early  pioneer  days.  He  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  a  son  of  Joshua  Jones,  a  native  of  that  city,  who  fought  with 
the  American  Army  in  the  War  of  1812.  The  wife  of  Joshua  Jones  was 
Mary  Ann  Sands,  a  daughter  of  Commodore  Sands  of  the  United  States 
Navy.  Caleb  Jones  was  born  in  1800  and  died  March  15,  1883.  He  came 
up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  walked  to  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  where  he  taught 
school  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Clay  Jackson,  later  the  war  gov- 
ernor of  Missouri.  He  became  a  merchant,  moved  to  Old  Franklin,  and 
developed  a  large  wholesale  business  which  supplied  many  points  in  south- 
west Missouri  with  goods.  He  had  previously  operated  a  trading  post  in 
Bolivar,  Mo.,  and  was  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  entire 
section  where  his  goods  were  sold.  Mr.  Jones  later  had  an  establishment 
in  Boonville,  including  both  a  retail  and  a  wholesale  business.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  suffered  serious  reverses  from  which  he  never  fully  recov- 
ered.    He  died  in  Mrs.  Dr.  Gibson's  home.     His  children  were:     Mrs. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  511 

H.  C.  Gibson ;  Mrs.  William  D.  Muir,  deceased ;  George  C.  Jones,  a  large 
land  owner  of  Blackwater,  Mo. 

Joshua  Jones,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  was  a  son  of 
Joshua  Jones,  patriot,  of  Welsh  extraction,  who  fought  in  the  American 
Revolution.  Nancy  Chapman  Jones,  mother  of  Mrs.  Gibson,  was  born 
April  6,  1814,  and  died  Feb.  7,  1878.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Squire 
George  Washington  Chapman,  a  Kentucky  frontiersman,  and  a  pioneer 
in  Missouri,  Illinois,  and  Kansas.  He  was  a  noted  border  character  who 
spent  his  life  in  advancing  the  outposts  of  civilization  in  remote  and 
unsettled  regions. 

Mary  L.  Jones  was  first  married  in  1860  to  Justin  McCarthy,  of  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  who  died  in  that  city  in  1865,  leaving  a  son,  William  J., 
an  actor. 

Dr.  Gibson  was  a  democrat  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  Mrs.  Gibson  and  her  children  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

John  J.  Heiberger,  proprietor  of  the  Heiberger  Bakery,  Boonville, 
Mo.,  has  the  oldest  established  bakery  in  the  city.  Mr.  Heiberger  estab- 
lished his  bakery  in  May,  1895,  and  has  been  doing  business  successfully 
in  the  same  location  since  that  time.  The  output  of  the  Heiberger  bakery 
is  700  loaves  of  bread  daily,  besides  a  quantity  of  pies,  all  of  which  is  con- 
sumed in  Boonville  and  the  towns  of  Cooper  County.  One  auto  truck  is 
operated  and  three  men  are  employed  in  the  operation  of  the  bakery. 

Mr.  Heiberger  was  born  in  Boonville,  Aug.  3,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
Blasius  (b.  1847,  d.  May  11,  1918),  who  was  born  in  Alsace  and  came  with 
his  mother  to  America  in  his  boyhood  days  and  settled  in  the  Clear  Creek 
neighborhood  in  Cooper  County.  When  grown  to  manhood  B.  Heiberger 
came  to  Boonville  and  operated  a  saloon,  restaurant  and  various  other 
business  enterprises  during  his  career.  He  married  Mary  Friess  who 
was  bom  in  Germany  in  1849  and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when 
a  child.  B.  and  Mary  Heiberger  were  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Charles,  Hannibal,  Mo. ;  Anna,  wife  of  Clarence  Ashley,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ; 
Kate  Heiberger,  a  trained  nurse,  in  the  government  hospital  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ;  and  John  J.,  subject  of  this  review;  Josephine,  employed  in 
the  office  of  the  United  States  Rubber  Co.,  St.  Louis,  makes  her  home 
with  her  mother. 

At  the  age  of  13  years,  John  J.  Heiberger  began  to  learn  the  trade 
of  baker  in  Boonville.     When  17  years  old  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  fol- 


512  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

lowed  his  trade  in  the  metropolis  for  three  years.  In  1892  he  returned 
to  Boonville  and  three  years  later  started  his  successful  industry. 

October  6,  1897,  he  was  married  to  Rebecca  Stammerjohn  who  was 
born  in  Boonville,  June  24,  1875,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Claus  Stammer- 
john  and  Emma,  his  wife,  natives  of  Holstein,  and  Prussia,  respectively, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1843,  emigrated  to  America  in  1869  and 
settled  in  Boonville.  Emma  Stammerjohn  was  born  in  1851  and  came  to 
America  when  young.  Two  children  were  born  to  John  J.  and  Rebecca 
Heiberger,  as  follows:  John  C,  a  student  in  the  Missouri  State  Uni- 
versity, Columbia,  Mo.;  Edwin,  assisting  his  father  in  the  bakery. 

Mr.  Heiberger  is  a  stanch  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  a  good  citizen,  substantial,  progressive  and  enterprising. 

Walter  Barron,  a  Civil  War  veteran  of  the  Union  army,  and  an  early 
settler  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was  born  in  County 
Waterford,  April  2,  1840,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  R.  (Murphy)  Barron, 
both  natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  was  born  in  1800,  and  immigrated  to 
America  with  his  family  in  1848.  They  first  settled  in  Calloway  County, 
Mo.,  after  landing  at  New  Orleans  from  a  sailing  vessel,  and  coming  up 
the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis  by  steamboat  and  to  Calloway  County 
by  stage  coach.  They  remained  in  Calloway  County  about  two  years, 
and  in  1850  settled  at  Boonville.  The  father  helped  build  a  mill  at  Boon- 
ville and  was  engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
died  in  1891  at  the  advanced  age  of  91  years.  His  wife  died  in  1870  at  the 
age  of  50  years.  This  pioneer  couple  were  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Mary,  who  married  Hiram  Shrowt,  and  died  in  1900,  and  Walter,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Walter  Barron  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville  and 
Mt.  Sinia,  Cooper  County.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and 
has  been  engaged  in  that  business  all  his  life.  He  purchased  the  farm, 
"Ballan  Curia,"  where  he  now  resides,  in  1865,  and  thus  it  has  been  his 
home  for  over  half  a  century.  He  first  bought  80  acres  of  land  and  later 
added  320  acres  more  and  at  one  time  owned  about  400  acres.  However, 
he  disposed  of  a  part  of  his  land  and  now  owns  166  acres.  He  has  a  well- 
improved  place,  a  good  modern  farm  residence  of  nine  rooms  with  a  good 
barn  48x54  feet,  and  other  commdious  and  convenient  farm  buildings.  In 
recent  years  Mr.  Barron  has  rented  his  place,  although  he  continues  in 
the  stock  business  on  a  moderate  scale.  During  his  active  carrer  he  was 
one  of  the  successful  fruit  growers  of  Cooper  County,  and  has  set  out 
three  orchards. 


WALTER   BARRON 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  513 

When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Barron  enlisted  in  the  Home 
Guards  at  Boonville.  He  was  then  just  21  years  of  age.  Later  he  en- 
listed in  the  37th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  afterwards  became  a  member  of 
the  9th  Missouri  Cavalry.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Castle  Rock 
Ford  on  the  Osage  River  and  was  in  the  skirmish  south  of  Boonville.  He 
was  also  at  the  battles  of  Little  Blue,  Independence,  Big  Blue,  Mine  Creek 
and  Little  Osage  and  a  number  of  other  engagements  and  skirmishes. 
He  took  part  in  21  engagements  in  all,  including  the  battle  with  Bill  An- 
derson's guerrillas  at  Fayette,  in  which  many  men  were  killed. 

In  1869.  Mr.  Barron  was  married  to  Miss  Virginia  M.  Hurt,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joel  and  Harriet  (Farris)  Hurt,  both  deceased.  The  Hurt  family 
consisted  of  the  following  children:  Henrietta  Runkle;  Virginia  M. ; 
Boone  Hurt,  Pleasant  Green ;  Mary  Helen  Cartner,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Dora 
Davis,  Boonville  township;  Mrs.  Josie  Earhart,  Gooch  Mill,  and  Milo  B., 
deceased.  By  a  first  marriage,  Joel  Hurt  was  father  of:  Joel  Hurt,  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  Omaha ;  Ira  0.,  Texas ;  Nancy  McAllister,  Oklahoma. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barron  were  born  the  following  children:  William  P., 
died  at  the  age  of  24  years ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Langkop,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Rosa  Brandes,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Mrs.  Lulu  Brandes,  Boonville,  Mo.; 
John,  Moniteau  township ;  Nellie  resides  at  home ;  Boone,  Brunceton,  Mo. ; 
Walter,  Jr.,  died  at  the  age  of  19 ;  Mary  Ellen,  died  at  the  age  of  13,  and 
Josie  and  Joseph,  twins,  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Barron  died  January  7, 
1918,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Boonville. 
The  following  are  the  grandchildren:  Ralph  and  Waldo  Langkop;  Clo- 
rine,  Earle,  Mary  Virginia  Brandes,  Walter  Barron  and  Ruth,  Lloyd  and 
Rodney  Brandes.     Boone  Brandes  has  one  son,  Boone  Donald. 

Mr.  Barron  was  commissioned  captain  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia 
by  Governor  Thomas  Fletcher  just  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
the  duties  of  this  organization  was  to  protect  peaceful  citizens  against 
bands  of  outlaws  which  infested  the  state  at  that  time.  Mr.  Barron  is 
one  of  the  real  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  He  says  that  he  cannot  recall 
the  names  of  a  half  dozen  people  now  living  in  Boonville  who  were  here 
when  he  came  here,  69  years  ago,  which  impresses  us  with  the  fact  that 
time  is  rapidly  thinning  the  ranks  of  the  old  settlers.  Mr.  Barron  cast 
his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president,  and  since  that  time  has 
supported  the  policies  and  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republican,  John  A.  Hayne  Post  No. 
240,  Boonville,  Mo.,  and  is  Past  Commander  of  this  post. 
(33) 


514  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

William  F.  Johnmeyer. — It  is  given  to  but  few  men  to  achieve  suc- 
cess such  as  that  which  has  come  to  William  F.  Johnmeyer,  retired  farmer 
of  Boonville,  in  the  short  space  of  37  years  since  he  first  came  to  America 
from  Germany  and  hired  out  as  farm  hand  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  John- 
meyer has  not  only  accumulated  a  fine  farm,  become  well  to  do,  but  has 
achieved  more  than  a  local  reputation  as  a  grower  of  corn  and  a  breeder 
of  poultry.  In  1907  his  exhibit  of  corn  was  awarded  a  silver  loving  cup 
at  the  Jamestown  Exposition  for  the  best  exhibit  of  many  kinds  of  corn. 
He  received  the  grand  corn  prize  through  the  Missouri  Commission  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  Missouri  exhibits  at  the  exposition.  Mrs.  Johnmeyer, 
in  1901,  1902,  and  1903,  was  awarded  loving  cups  at  the  county  fairs,  for 
taking  the  most  prizes  ,for  canned  goods  and  farm  products  put  up  on  the 
Johnmeyer  farm.  For  several  years  Mr.  Johnmeyer  was  an  expert  corn 
grower  and  made  a  business  of  producing  seed  corn  which  commanded  a 
ready  sale  at  good  prices.  He  also  specialized  in  fine  poultry.  He  won 
many  premiums  on  seed  corn  exhibited  at  Columbia  and  elsewhere,  and 
his  achievements  as  a  corn  grower  attracted  nation-wide  attention,  as 
having  produced  the  best  grades  of  corn  in  the  United  States,  according 
to  the  leading  agricultural  authorities  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

William  F.  Johnmeyer  was  born  in  Germany,  Nov.  15,  1858,  and  was 
a  son  of  Frederick  William  and  Charlotte  Johnmeyer,  who  lived  and  died 
in  Germany.  Mr.  Johnmeyer  came  to  America  in  1881,  locating  at  once 
in  Cooper  County.  He  had  very  little  money  and  accordingly  went  right 
to  work  as  a  hired  hand  on  the  farms  in  Cooper  County.  He  hired  out 
for  three  years  at  $12  per  month  at  the  start,  and  $20  per  month  during 
the  third  year,  and  during  that  time  saved  $500.  Feeling  himself  to  be 
well  off,  he  got  married  and  then  rented  a  farm  for  four  and  a  half  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1888,  he  purchased  132  acres  of  land  west  of  Boonville  in 
Boonville  township.  He  agreed  to  pay  $36  an  acre  for  this  land.  Not 
long  afterwards  he  bought  an  additional  33  acres,  paid  out,  and  then 
bought  another  tract  of  140  acres,  which  he  sold  some  time  ago  at  a 
profit.  The  Johnmeyer  farm  is  well  improved  and  highly  productive  and 
has  created  wealth  for  its  owner,  who  has  tilled  his  land  with  intelligence 
and  foresight.  March  2,  1914,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnmeyer  moved  to  Boon- 
ville. In  process  of  erection  on  High  Street,  is  a  new  residence  which  will 
be  occupied  by  this  worthy  couple  when  completed. 

Jan.  28,  1884,  William  F.  Johnmeyer  and  Miss  Sophia  Smith  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Sophia  Johnmeyer  was  born  on  Lone  Elm 
Prairie,  Dec.  25,  1863,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Margaret  (Dem- 
hauser)    Smith,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  history. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  515 

Eight  children  have  been  born  to  William  F.  and-  Sophia  Johnmeyer,  as 
follows :  Margaret,  wife  of  George  Branch,  a  farmer  of  Boonville  town- 
ship ;  Fred,  a  farmer  in  Saline  County,  Mo. ;  Albert,  a  farmer,  living  west 
of  Boonville ;  Martin,  who  is  cultivating  the  Johnmeyer  home  place ;  Nellie, 
wife  of  Walter  Breuckner,  living  west  of  Boonville;  Mrs.  Emma  Lang- 
lotz,  west  of  Boonville;  Perley,  on  the  home  place;  Alexandra,  aged 
12  years. 

Mr.  Johnmeyer  is  a  republican,  but  has  taken  little  part  in  political 
affairs,  other  than  to  cast  his  vote.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Evangelical  Church.  Many  things  are  to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnmeyer,  the  best  of  which  is  the  rearing  of  a  splendid 
family  of  sons  and  daughters,  who  are  all  good  citizens,  industrious  and 
enterprising.  They  are  a  congenial,  intelligent,  and  progressive  couple, 
whose  achievements  in  Cooper  County  have  made  them  widely  known 
throughout  the  country.  For  a  farmer,  Mr.  Johnmeyer  evidently  has 
enough  fame  to  last  him  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

William  B.  Talbott,  traveling  salesman,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  was  born  at 
Marengo,  Iowa,  May  20,  1885.  He  is  a  son  of  George  Edward  and  Mary 
(Davis)  Talbott,  the  former  of  whom  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  the  latter 
a  native  of  Williamsburg,  Iowa. 

George  Edward  Talbott  was  a  son  of  George  Washington  Talbott,  of 
Virginia,  who  first  settled  in  Ohio  and  went  from  that  state  to  Illinois, 
where  George  Edward  Talbott  was  born  and  reared.  Mr.  Talbott  was 
married  in  Iowa,  and  in  about  1910,  went  to  Wichita,  Kan.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  In  1912  he  located  in  Kansas  City  where  he 
holds  the  position  of  manager  of  the  Baker  Manufacturing  Company.  He 
had  previously  been  engaged  in  manufacturing  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Smith-Talbott  Manufacturing  Company.  His 
children  are  as  follows :  William  B.  Talbott,  Maude  L.,  at  home  with  her 
parents;  Mina  C,  a  teacher  in  the  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  public  schools;  Mrs. 
Josephine  Ramsdale,  Kansas  City ;  Rev.  Howard  Talbott,  a  minister  of 
the  Presbyterian  denomination,  now  Chaplain  with  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces,  2nd  Division,  first  in  France  and  now  in  Germany  with 
the  Army  of  Occupation ;  Lieut.  George  H.  Talbott,  a  theological  student, 
enlisted  in  the  National  Army  with  the  32nd  Division  at  the  outbreak  of 
he  war  and  has  seen  much  active  service  with  the  American  Army  in 
France ;  Helen  Louise  Talbott,  aged  12  years,  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 
William  B.  Talbott  received  his  education  in  the  high  school  of  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  attended  the  Beloit  College,  Beloit,  Wis.  for  two  years,  and 


516  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

then  studied  law  in  the  University  of  Iowa.  Illness  coming  upon  his 
father,  he  was  prevented  from  completing  his  collegiate  course  and  had 
to  go  to  work  and  assist  in  supporting  the  family.  In  1907  he  became  a 
salesman  for  the  Baker  Manufacturing  Company  of  Kansas  City,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  traveling  salesmen  on  the  road.  Mr.  Talbott's 
territory  covers  western  Missouri  from  Jefferson  City,  westward.  He 
came  to  Boonville  on  July  4,  1909  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the 
progressive  and  public  spirited  citizens  of  this  city.  He  was  married  on 
June  14,  1911,  to  Miss  Minnie  B.  Gross,  who  was  born  in  Boonville  and  is 
a  daughter  of  C.  E.  Gross.  The  children  born  to  William  B.  and  Minnie 
B.  Talbott  are:  Ruth  Louise,  bom  April  19,  1912;  William  Burl,  Jr.,  born- 
Oct.  13,  1913;  Mary  Frances,  born  Oct.  12,  1917. 

Mr.  Talbott  is  a  pronounced  democrat.  He  has  been  active  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party  and  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Democratic  Cen- 
tral Committee.  He  was  elected  to  a  membership  on  the  Boonville  Board 
of  Education  in  the  spring  of  1918  and  took  his  seat  as  a  member  of 
the  board  in  June,  1918.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
while  Mrs.  Talbott  is  a  Catholic.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chapter,  Commandery  and 
Shrine;  the  United  Commercial  Travelers  and  the  Missouri  Drummers 
Association. 

A.  W.  McFarland. — The  story  of  the  struggles  and  accomplishments 
of  the  pioneer  men  and  women  of  any  section  of  the  country,  is  one  of 
ever  increasing  interest.  The  true  history  of  Cooper  County  consists,  in 
a  large  measure,  in  the  recital  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  the  pioneers, 
whose  sacrifices  made  possible  the  better  condiations  which  those  of  a 
later  generation  enjoy.  A.  W.  McFarland,  who  died  Jan.  9,  1910,  while 
a  native  of  Cooper  County  saw  much  of  the  early  life  and  early  day  devel- 
opment of  this  county.  He  belonged  to  a  family  of  pioneers.  He  was 
born  in  Boonville  township  in  1834,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Matilda  (Fleming) 
McFarland,  who  were  among  the  very  early  settlers  of  this  county. 
Jacob  McFarland  died  in  1843,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life  three  years 
later,  and  their  remains  now  rest  in  a  private  cemetery  on  their  old  home 
farm. 

A.  W.  McFarland  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Cooper  County,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools,  or  such  schools  as  existed  at  that  time.  He 
was  married  Dec.  10,  1857,  to  Miss  Mary  Catherine  Hurt.  They  resided  in 
Cooper  County  for  about  three  years  after  their  marriage,  when  they 
removed  to  Henry  County,  and  remained  there  three  years.  They  then 
returned  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  on  the  farm  where  Mrs.  McFarland 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  517 

now  lives.  Here  A.  W.  McFarland  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
and  was  regarded  as  a  successful  man  of  affairs,  and  a  good  citizen.  He 
improved  his  place  and  made  a  pleasant  home  for  himself  and  his  family. 
It  is  one  of  the  attractive  places  in  that  section  of  the  county,  and  the 
cedar  trees  which  were  set  out  over  a  half  century  ago  still  ornament  the 
front  yard  of  the  residence,  and  give  the  place  an  artistic  and  distinctive 
appearance. 

Mary  Catherine  (Hurt)  McFarland  is  also  a  native  of  Cooper  County, 
and  belongs  to  a  family  of  pioneers.  She  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, Sept.  2,  1838,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  (Robertson) 
Hurt.  William  Hurt  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  of  Virginia  parents, 
who  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  this  section.  He  died  in  1895.  His 
wife,  who  was  also  born  in  this  county  died  in  1881.  Their  remains  are 
interred  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery.  William  and  Catherine  (Robertson) 
Hurt  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Nancy  M.  Davis, 
deceased;  Mary  Catherine,  widow  of  A.  W.  McFarland,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Jenkin  B.,  deceased ;  Benijoh,  deceased ;  William,  resides  in  Clarks 
Fork  township ;  and  James,  resides  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 

To  A.  W.  and  Mary  Catherine  (Hurt)  McFarland  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Alice,  married  Robert  Johnston,  who  is  now  deceased, 
and  she  lives  in  Boonville ;  Laura  Catherine,  deceased ;  William  J.,  resides 
on  the  old  home  place ;  Lillie  May,  deceased ;  and  Agnes  Lee,  married  Ter- 
rell Mills,  and  they  reside  on  the  McFarland  homestead. 

Terrell  Mills  and  Agnes  Lee  McFarland  were  married  Oct.  11,  1899. 
Mr.  Mills  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Feb.  20,  1878.  He  is  a  son 
of  James  T.  and  Bettie  Elizabeth  Mills.  The  father  is  now  deceased  and 
the  mother  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  To  Terrell  and  Agnes  Lee  (Mc- 
Farland) Mills  has  been  born  one  child.  Mary  Elizabeth,  bom  Jan.  18,  1905. 

There  were  nine  grandchildren  in  the  McFarland  family,  as  follows: 
Emmett  B.  Johnston;  Mrs.  Berna  Swarne;  Mrs.  Ruth  Swarner;  Percy  E. 
McFarland,  deceased;  Mrs.  Eula  Mercer;  Wilbur  J.  McFarland;  Mary 
Martha  McFarland;  Alice  Grace  McFarland;  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Mills. 
The  following  are  great-grandchildren  of  Mrs.  McFarland:  Burnah  Mil- 
dred Lucile,  Edward,  and  Mildred  Swamer,  and  Roberta,  Bernard,  and 
Mary  Edwina  Johnston. 

The  McFarland  family  have  been  prominently  identified  with  Cooper 
County  almost  since  its  beginning,  and  are  one  of  the  highly  respected 
pioneer  families  of  this  section.  Mrs.  McFarland,  although  in  her  81st 
year,  has  a  keen  insight  into  the  affairs  of  every-day  life  and  a  remarka- 
ble memory,  rich  in  reminiscense  of  Cooper  County  history. 


518  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Homer  L.  Chamberlin  has  resided  in  Cooper  County  since  his  birth, 
with  the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  the  employ  of  the  Consolidated 
Copper  Company  of  Luray,  Ariz.  When  19  years  old  he  bought  72  acres 
of  land  near  Speed,  Mo.  He  sold  this  farm  and  then  bought  300  acres  in 
the  Texas  Panhandle,  which  he  sold  in  1907.  He  then  rented  until  he 
purchased  his  present  farm  in  1910. 

November  10,  1912,  Homer  L.  Chamberlin  and  Miss  Alice  Dauer  were 
married.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  the  following  children: 
Doris,  born  Nov.  8,  1913;  Bernice,  born  July  5,  1915;  Hortense,  born  July 
9,  1917;  Birdie  Jeanette,  born  Dec.  2,  1918.  In  addition  to  his  own  family, 
Mr.  Chamberlin  is  rearing  an  orphan  boy,  George  Kowler,  whom  he 
adopted  Nov.  25,  1913,  and  who  was  born  March  2,  1903. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  born  in  Cooper  County, 
July  4,  1888,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Max  and  Augusta  (Haas)  Dauer.  Max 
Dauer  was  born  in  Germany,  April  1,  1860,  and  accompanied  his  parents, 
George  and  Anna  Dauer,  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1867.  He  was  reared 
here,  became  a  farm  owner,  and  was  married  in  1885  to  Augusta  Haas, 
who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1865.  Mr.  Dauer  owned  a  farm  of  85  acres, 
which  he  recently  sold  and  is  now  living  in  Boonville.  He  has  two  chil- 
dren: Mrs.  Homer  L.  Chamberlin,  and  Birdie,  wife  of  Albert  Selck,  as- 
sistant postmaster,  Boonville,  Mo. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Thomas  Hogan,  retired  contractor,  living  in  his  comfortable  and 
substantial  home  at  629  East  Spring  street,  Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  of 
New  York.  Mr.  Hogan  was  born  Aug.  15,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Catherine  (Murphy)  Hogan,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland.  They 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America  when  young  and  lived  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  City  and  Brooklyn,  rearing  a 
family  of  four  children  of  whom  Thomas  Hogan  of  this  review  is  the  only 
survivor. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Thomas  Hogan  were  spent  in  the  city  of  his 
birth  and  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  home  city.  When  Greeley 
was  giving  his  famous  advice,  "Go  West  Young  Man,  Go  West,  and  Grow 
Up  With  the  Country."  Thomas  Hogan  was  one  of  the  many  thousands 
of  young  men  from  the  East  who  read,  thought,  then  acted  upon  the 
admonition  of  the  great  editor.  He  came  West,  grew  up  with  the  country 
and  assisted  it  to  materially  grow  up  with  him.  He  began  his  westward 
way  as  a  builder  of  railroads,  albeit  at  first  in  an  humble  capacity,  first 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  519 

working  with  the  construction  gangs  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
and  Indiana,  then  farther  west  to  Illinois.  All  the  time  he  was  following 
the  laying  of  the  steel  tracks  toward  his  goal  "The  West."  He  continued 
to  go  West  until  he  got  to  the  furthermost  end  of  the  country,  Washing- 
ton Territory,  all  the  time  engaged  in  railroad  building.  He  rose  from  an 
humble  shoveler  and  digger  to  become  a  contractor  in  his  own  right  and 
handled  some  large  and  important  construction  undertakings.  He  was 
doing  construction  work  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  and  the  Northern 
Pacific  through  the  Cascade  Mountains  in  1882.  Before  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  21  years  he  had  reached  the  Puget  Sound  country.  In  1877 
he  was  laying  track  on  the  Eastern  and  Washington  Railroad  from 
Springfield,  Ohio,  to  Washington  Court  House.  At  this  time  he  began 
contracting  on  his  own  account  and  has  followed  it  for  over  40  years  with 
varying  degrees  of  fortune.  Sometimes,  Mr.  Hogan  made  money;  then 
at  other  times,  weather  conditions  and  other  things  would  conspire  to  rob 
him  of  any  profit  which  might  have  been  made  on  the  job.  He  constructed 
the  great  railroad  tunnel  at  Carter,  Okla.,  on  the  Iron  Mountain  Railway, 
in  1904.  This  tunnel  is  4,700  feet  long  and  was  a  notable  undertaking. 
He  built  15  miles  of  railroad  from  Batesville,  Ark.,  west  on  the  White 
River  line.  Mr.  Hogan  located  at  Boonville  in  1892  and  made  this  city 
his  headquarters.  In  1898  he  built  part  of  the  line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  to  Jefferson  City,  building  two  miles  of  the  road  to  the  Elliot 
station.  He  built  five  miles  of  road  between  Wymore  and  Fairbury,  Neb., 
on  the  Burlington  Railway  in  1880,  at  a  time  when  Nebraska  was  new 
and  undeveloped.  He  followed  the  iron  rails  into  Colorado,  and  built  six 
miles  of  the  Denver  extension  in  1882.  He  built  eight  miles  on  the  Wood 
River  branch,  running  into  Bellevue,  Idaho,  from  1883  to  1884,  to  meet 
the  Oregon  Short  Line.  From  1878  to  1904,  Mr.  Hogan  was  engaged  in 
railroad  construction  work. 

The  greater  part  of  the  public  improvements  in  Boonville,  such  as 
streets,  sewerage,  water  works,  etc.,  has  been  built  by  Mr.  Hogan.  He 
built  the  firts  brick  paving  in  Boonville  in  1898.  In  fact  he  built  all  of 
the  paving  in  the  city  excepting  about  one  half  mile  and  the  work  was 
done  in  a  thoroughly  workmanship  manner  which  is  enduring  the  stress 
of  traffic  in  a  way  which  compares  most  favorably  with  similar  work  in 
other  cities.  Mr.  Hogan  built  all  of  the  sewerage  in  the  city,  that  is,  the 
district  sewers,  built  the  Boonville  Water  Works  basins  and  other  work 
of  importance  in  the  city.  At  the  outset  of  his  successful  career  he  made 
his  headquarters  in  Springfield,  Ohio,  for  two  years  and  built  some  of  the 


520  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

first  rock  roads  in  Pike  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Hogan  was  the  originator  of 
the  modern  sewerage  system  in  Boonville;  he  advocated  the  building  of  a 
sewerage  system  and  led  the  agitation  for  its  installation.  During  his 
career  he  has  employed  hundreds  and  thousands  of  men  of  all  nationalities 
and  his  contracts  have  run  into  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars.  At 
Carter,  Ark.,  the  tunnel  project  which  he  constructed  cost  a  half  million 
dollars  to  build. 

Mr.  Hogan  was  married  in  1892,  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Sharp,  who  was  bom  in  1869,  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Margaret  Sharp.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Indiana 
and  pioneers  in  this  county.  Mr.  Sharp  is  deceased;  Mrs.  Sharp  makes 
her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogan. 

Mr.  Hogan  is  a  democrat  and  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  party. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  City  Water  Works  Board,  and  was  the  originator 
of  the  present  splendid  water  works  system  in  Boonville,  which  is  con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  this  section  of  the  country.  Mr.  Hogan 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of 
Columbus. 

Henry  A.  Renken,  proprietor  of  "Willow  Spring  Farm,"  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  "self-made"  men,  a  leading  agri- 
culturist and  stockman,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of  his  township.  Mr. 
Renken  was  born  June  26,  1853,  in  Bremen,  Oldenburg,  Germany,  a  son 
of  Eilert  G.  and  Sophia  Dorothy  (Addix)  Renkin,  who  immigrated  to 
America  in  1882  and  settled  in  Boonville,  Mo. 

Eilert  G.  Renken  was  a  tailor  by  trade.  He  died  at  the  advanced  age 
of  90  years,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Renken  died  at  the  home  of  their  son,  Henry  A.,  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 
The  children  of  E.  G.  and  Sophia  D.  Renken  are  as  follows:  William 
Henry,  who  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo,  from  Germany  in  1875,  and  died 
in  September  of  the  same  year;  Henry  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Ida, 
now  deceased,  the  wife  of  Leonard  Smith  and  the  mother  of  one  child,  a 
son,  John  Henry,  who  is  now  living  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  William 
Henry  served  in  the  German  army  prior  to  his  coming  to  America. 

Henry  A.  Renken  immigrated  to  America  in  1872  and  located  at  Bil- 
lingsville,  Mo.,  where  he  was  employed  for  four  years,  receiving  §100  a 
year.  He  worked  as  a  laborer  for  12  years  and  saved  his  earnings.  Mr. 
Renken  resided  at  Big  Lick  for  one  year  after  his  marriage,  and  he  moved 
to  his  present  country  place  in  1882,  a  farm  comprising  185  acres  of  land. 
At  the  time  of  his  purchase,  an  old  log-cabin  stood  on  the  place.      The 


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HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  521 

present  comfortable  residence  was  built  in  1892.  It  is  a  seven-room 
structure,  well  constructed,  airy,  and  arranged  with  two  halls.  Prior  to 
building  the  residence,  Mr.  Renken  built  two  barns  one  in  1882,  and  the 
other  in  1883.  All  buildings  on  the  Renken  farm  are  in  excellent  repair, 
including  a  garage,  chicken  houses,  machinery  shed,  engine  house,  smoke 
house,  shed  for  farm  scales  and  granary.  Mr.  Renken  has  drilled  two 
wells,  one  212  feet  in  depth,  the  second  323  feet  in  depth.  A  third  well 
is  on  the  farm.  In  addition  to  the  wells,  there  is  an  excellent  spring  on 
the  farm  and  Clarks  Fork  Creek  touches  it.  The  Renken  farm,  widely 
known  as  "Willow  Grove  Farm,"  is  located  six  miles  from  Boonville  on 
the  Jefferson  road.  Mr.  Renken  raises  pure  bred,  but  not  registered,  cat- 
tle and  hogs.  In  former  years,  he  was  interested  in  raising  trotting 
horses,  and  as  a  horseman  he  was  unusually  successful.  He  raised  "Billy," 
and  "Billy"  was  a  high-stepper,  a  jumper,  the  sort  used  in  England  for 
fox  chases.  "Billy"  was  sold  afterward  for  $15,000  and  he  was  taken  to 
England. 

In  1880,  Henry  A.  Renken  was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  C. 
Schnuck,  of  Saline  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Meyer) 
Schnuck.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Renken  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Ida,  now  deceased,  the  wife  of  Herman  Schmidt;  Tillie,  the  wife  of 
W.  A.  Farris,  of  Boonville;  Florence,  the  wife  of  Walter  Wamhoff,  of 
Pilot  Grove;  William  H.,  of  Boonville;  Leonora,  the  wife  of  John  G.  Henry, 
of  Boonville;  and  Clara  the  wife  of  William  G.  Henry,  of  Boonville.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Renken  are  the  proud  grandparents  of  four  grandchildren: 
Walter  M.  Warnhoff,  Alvina  Elizabeth  Henry,  and  George  Henry  Renken 
and  Ralph  Homer  Warnhoff. 

Henry  A.  Renken  came  to  Missouri  when  deer  still  abounded.  When 
he  purchased  his  farm  it  was  still  unimproved.  He  and  his  faithful  wife 
have  together  labored  long  and  persistently  to  make  their  country  place 
one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  county,  and  they  have  succeeded.  Mr. 
Renken  has  always  taken  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  county  and  in  the  work  of  the  late  war  he  was  very  active.  He 
assisted  with  all  the  Liberty  Loans,  the  Red  Cross  work,  and  the  sale  of 
Thrift  Stamps.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Renken  are  industrious  progressive,  highly 
respected  citizens.  They  are  valued  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
of  Boonville.  Recently  Mr.  Renken  sold  his  farm  to  his  son-in-law. 
William  G.  Henry,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Renken  will  make  their  future  home 
in  Boonville. 


522  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

William  E.  Roeschel. — The  late  William  E.  Roesehel,  former  druggist 
of  Boonville.  was  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  who 
lived  a  life  of  usefulness  and  bore  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  place 
him  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  leading  and  best  respected  citizens  of  Cooper 
County.  He  was  born  in  Boonville.  Oct.  7.  1859.  lived  practically  all  of 
his  days  in  the  city  of  his  birth  and  died  here.  Nov.  12.  1916. 

Dr.  Ernest  Roeschel,  his  father,  was  born  at  Moerfelden.  Dukedom 
of  Hesen-Darmstadt.  Germany.  March  3.  1824.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  land  and  became  an  expert  chemist  and  apothecary.  When  _  - 
years  of  age  he  came  to  America,  landing  at  New  York  City,  and  from 
there  went  to  Belleville.  111.  Six  months  later  he  came  to  Boonville.  and 
was  first  employed  in  the  drug  store  conducted  by  Dr.  Kueckelhan.  He 
remained  there  for  three  years  and  was  then  engaged  by  Thomas  Allen 
who  purchased  the  store.  When  Mr.  Allen  was  succeeded  in  business  by 
the  firm  of  Allen,  Speed  &  Co..  he  remained  with  the  firm  for  one  year 
and  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Speed  i  Roeschel.  When  the 
firm  was  dissolved  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Speed,  in  1S62.  Mr.  Roeschel 
became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business  which  he  conducted  for  many  years 
until  he  turned  it  over  to  his  son.  William,  of  this  review. 

During  the  Civil  War.  Dr.  Ernest  Roeschel  was  enrolled  on  the  side 
of  the  Union  and  served  in  the  Home  Guards  and  the  Missouri  Militia. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Boonville  School  Board,  and 
also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Boonville  City  Council. 

Dr.  Roeschel  was  married  in  Nov.,  1853.  in  Boonville.  to  Miss  Mary 
Haas.  One  child  was  born  to  this  marriage.  Mary,  wife  of  W.  A.  Som- 
bart  of  this  city.  In  1855.  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife.  Dr.  Roeschel 
was  married  to  her  sister.  Miss  Rosetta  Haas.  Four  children  were  born 
of  this  marriage:  William.  Victor.  Laura  and  Emma.  Emma  married 
William  J.  Courtney,  a  shoe  merchant  of  Sedalia.  She  and  two  of  her 
children  were  drowned  in  the  Missouri  River  at  Boonville  in  1906.  One 
child  survives  her.  William,  aged  18  years.  Mrs.  Ernest  Roeschel  resides 
in  Boonville  and  is  aged  87  years. 

Ernest  Roeschel  was  a  son  of  George  Roeschel.  a  farmer  and  miller 
of  Hessen-Darmstadt.  Germany.  His  mother  was  Elenora  Doerner  Roes- 
chel. who  died  at  the  age  of  72  years. 

William  E.  Roeschel.  of  this  review,  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville  and  graduated  from  the  local  high  school. 
He  then  studied  at  the  University  of  St.  Louis,  and  the  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy.     He  was  first  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Carth- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  523 

age,  Mo.,  from  1882  to  1883.  He  then  located  permanently  in  Boonville 
and  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  drug  business.  Soon  after- 
wards he  took  entire  charge  of  the  Roeschel  Drug  Store  and  continued  in 
business  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  dispose  of  the  business  to 
the  present  proprietor,  William  R.  Miller,  in  1914. 

September  25,  1883,  William  E.  Roeschel  and  Miss  Cora  Holt  were 
united  in  marriage.  Three  children  blessed  this  union:  Mabel,  Ernest 
H.,  and  William  E.  Roeschel.  Mabel  is  the  wife  of  Otto  H.  Cramer,  a 
leading  merchant  of  Bunceton,  Mo. 

Ernest  H.  Roeschel  was  born  in  1888.  He  enlisted  in  the  National 
Army  in  June,  1917,  trained  at  Fort  Sheridan,  was  commissioned  a  second 
lieutenant,  remained  on  duty  at  Camp  Taylor  for  one  year  and  was  sent 
to  France  in  Sept.,  1918.  He  was  a  member  of  the  334th  Infantry,  trans- 
ferred to  the  138th  Regiment  and  was  with  the  35th  Division.  Lieu- 
tenant Roeschel  took  part  in  the  last  great  drive  on  the  western  front  in 
the  fall  of  1918.  He  was  honorably  discharged  in  May,  1919  and  is  now 
in  Chicago  with  an  engineering  firm. 

William  E.  is  a  musician,  at  present  traveling  in  his  professional 
capacity,  with  headquarters  in  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  Cora  (Holt)  Roeschel  was  born  in  Alton,  111.,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Jane  Jemima  (Four)  Holt,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Both  parents, came 
of  an  old  American  stock.  The  Holt  family  moved  from  Alton,  111.,  to 
Richmond,  Mo.,  and  there  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  clays. 

Mr.  Roeschel  was  successful  in  business  and  was  interested  financially 
in  other  enterprises  in  Boonville  aside  from  his  drug  business.  He  was 
formerly  a  director  of  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Boonville,  and  was  one  of 
the  substantial  men  of  the  city.  He  was  a  republican  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Fred  Dauwalter,  secretary  of  the  Boonville  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, and  also  engaged  in  the  writing  of  fire  and  live  stock  insurance, 
with  offices  in  the  Pythian  Building,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  His  parents  were  J.  S.  and  Catherine  (Haller)  Dauwalter,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  J.  S.  Dauwalter  was  a  tanner  by  trade 
and  established  a  tanning  business  in  Boonville  in  1868  and  remained  in 
the  tanning  business  until  his  death  in  1913  at  the  age  of  84  years.  He 
also  established  a  harness  manufacturing  business  which  was  the  leading 
concern  of  its  kind  in  Boonville  for  many  years,  later  being  operated 
under  the  name  of  Dauwalter  and  Son.     Catherine  Dauwalter  his  wife. 


524  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

was  born  in  1833  and  died  in  1912.  They  were  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Clara  Dauwalter,  in  the  offices  of  W.  H.  Trigg  &  Co.,  Boon- 
ville;  Bertha  and  Kate,  living  in  Boonville;  Fred,  of  this  review. 

Reared  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville,  Fred  Dau- 
walter became  associated  with  his  father  in  business  and  remained  with 
the  Dauwalter  &  Son  firm  until  1895  when  he  became  cashier  of  the  Com- 
mercial Bank  of  Boonville  and  served  in  this  position  for  18  years.  In 
1913  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business. 

Mr.  Dauwalter  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Minnie  Kratz  of  Boon- 
ville, who  died  in  Oct.,  1914,  leaving  three  children:  Schuyler,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  special  agent  for  the  Fidelity  &  Phoenix  Fire  Insurance  Co., 
for  the  state  of  Missouri;  Helen,  physical  training  teacher  in  the  Boon- 
ville High  School,  graduate  of  the  Warrensburg  Normal,  and  the  Chicago 
University  and  was  a  candidate  for  the  position  of  county  superintendent 
of  schools  at  the  election  held  in  April,  1919 ;  Elizabeth,  a  student  in  Boon- 
ville High  School. 

Mr.  Dauwalter  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  lodge. 

Powhatan  C.  Nuckols  a  well-known  and  respected  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Boonville  township,  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Nuckols  was  born 
Feb.  1,  1849,  a  son  of  George  P.  and  Martha  B.  (Crawford)  Nuckols. 

George  P.  Nuckols  was  born  in  Goochland  County,  Va.,  in  1815.  He 
was  a  plasterer,  bricklayer  and  whitewasher.  The  whitewasher  has  been 
supplanted  by  the  painter  of  today,  but  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century  whitewashing  was  as  much  a  vocation  as  painting  is  now  It  was 
said  that  George  P.  Nuckols  was  one  of  the  most  expert  washers  in  his 
part  of  the  country,  as  he  could  whitewash  an  entire  room  without  drop- 
ping one  bit  of  lime  on  the  floor.  He  was  wont  to  relate  a  story  in  regard 
to  the  coming  of  the  railroads  into  his  section  of  Virginia,  and  his  son, 
Powhatan,  recalls  the  tale.  When  the  first  train  came  puffing  into  Gor- 
donsville,  Va.,  the  entire  countryside  flocked  into  the  village  to  see  the 
sight.  One  old  lady,  completely  overwhelmed  with  the  novelty,  exclaimed 
earnestly,  "Law!  that  engine  must  be  tired.  See  how  the  poor  thing 
blows!"  Martha  B.  (Crawford)  Nuckols  was  a  native  of  Louisa  County, 
Va.  The  children  of  George  P.  and  Martha  B.  Nuckols  are  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Sarah  Elizabeth  Nuckols,  deceased;  Mrs.  Missouri  Ann  Perkins,  de- 
ceased ;  Charles  Robert,  who  resides  on  a  part  of  the  Nuckols  home  place 
in  Virginia;  Powhatan  C,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Frances  Wade, 
who  resides  on  a  part  of  the  home  place  in  Virginia ;  Mrs.  Susan  Georgetta 
Isabel,  deceased;   Luther  Robinson,  deceased;  Melvin  Werllow,  of  Cody, 


POWHATAN   C.    NUCKOLS 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  525 

Wy. ;  Napoleon  and  Benjamin,  of  Cody,  Wy. ;  and.  three  children,  who  died 
in  infancy.  Both  father  and  mother  are  now  deceased,  and  their  remains 
rest  in  the  family  burial  ground  on  the  home  farm  in  Virginia.  The 
Nuckols  family  is  of  Scotch  descent. 

Powhatan  C.  Nuckols  attended  a  private  school  in  his  native  State. 
He  was  with  the  Confederate  army  for  a  short  time  during  the  Civil  War, 
but  he  was  not  a  regularly  enlisted  man,  as  he  was  but  16  years  of  age  at 
the  time.  Mr.  Nuckols  came  to  Missouri  in  1869  and  located  at  Overton, 
where  he  was  employed  by  Kelly  Ragland  for  three  years,  receiving  as 
remuneration,  $20  a  month  at  first,  and  later  $25  as  foreman,  and  then 
received  $30  per  month.  He  saved  his  earnings  and  purchased  of  farm 
of  340  acres  at  Overton,  Mo.  The  river  took  away  from  him  about  200 
acres  of  the  farm,  and  he  sold  the  remainder  and  purchased  his  present 
country  place  in  Boonville  township,  a  farm  of  230  acres,  formerly  owned 
by  Lon  Hickerson,  known  as  the  old  Tucker  place.  There  is  a  good  resi- 
dence on  the  farm,  and  two  barns,  one  of  which  Mr.  Nuckols  has  added. 
There  is  a  well,  163  feet  in  depth,  on  the  Nuckols  place,  which  well  is 
pumped  by  a  windmill,  and  always  contains  at  least  86  feet  of  water. 
The  previous  owner  of  the  farm  thought  no  water  could  ever  be  found 
under  the  land.  Mr.  Nuckols  raises  whiteface  and  Durham  cattle,  and  a 
cross  between  Duroc  Red  and  Poland  China  hogs. 

Powhatan  C.  Nuckols  and  Zerilda  J.  Brushwood  were  united  in  mar- 
riage in  December,  1873.  Mrs.  Nuckols  is  a  native  of  Boone  County,  Mo. 
She  was  left  an  orphan  when  she  was  a  very  small  child,  and  she  was 
reared  and  educated  by  Mrs.  Zerilda  Farris.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nuckols  have 
one  daughter,  Mattie  Bell,  who  is  the  wife  of  M.  C.  Farris,  and  they  reside 
in  Texas.  Mr.  Farris  is  an  engineer.  Mr.  Nuckols  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mrs.  Nuckols  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

Mr.  Nuckols  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  numbered  among  the  best  and 
most  progressive  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Benjamin  F.  Fredmeyer,  proprietor  of  a  flourishing  dry  cleaning,  dye- 
ing and  pressing  establishment  in  Boonsville  engaged  in  his  present  busi- 
ness on  May  1,  1915.  It  is  a  pronounced  success  and  the  Fredmeyer 
establishment  enjoys  the  trade  and  patronage  of  the  best  class  of  Boon- 
ville citizens.  He  was  born  in  this  city,  April  13,  1886,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  Fredmeyer,  an  old  citizen  of  Boonville. 

John  Fredmeyer  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Oct.  12,  1848  and  is  a 
son  of  Bernard  and  Sophia   (Karnes)   Fredmeyer,  who  were  natives  of 


526  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Germany,  settled  in  St.  Louis  upon  immigrating  to  America  and  in  1857, 
came  to  Cooper  County,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  years  engaged 
in  farming.  John  Friedmeyer  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  engaged 
in  farming  pursuits  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood  until  his  removal  to 
Boonville.  He  was  married  to  Catherine  Eder,  at  Gooch  Mill.  She  was 
born  in  1849  and  died  June  10,  1901.  Nine  children  were  born  to  John 
and  Catherine  Fredmeyer,  six  of  whom  are  living  as  follow:  Tillie,  wife 
of  J.  W.  Mitchell,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  John,  a  painter  and  decorator,  Boon- 
ville, Mo. ;  William,  a  painter,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Josie  Harrison,  Boon- 
ville, Mo.;  Benjamin  F.,  subject  of  this  sketch.  Those  deceased  are: 
Bettie,  Caroline,  Edward  and  Harry. 

B.  F.  Fredmeyer  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Boonville 
and  then  pursued  a  course  in  Hill's  Business  College,  Sedalia,  Mo.  For 
eight  years  he  followed  the  profession  of  telegraph  operator.  For  six 
and  a  half  years  he  was  manager  of  the  Western  Union  office  at  Boonville 
and  served  as  manager  at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  for  18  months.  In  1915  he 
established  his  present  business. 

Mr.  Fredmeyer  was  married  on  Nov.  25,  1914,  to  Miss  Matilda  Kopp, 
who  was  born  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  June  2,  1893,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Philip 
Kopp  (b.  1837,  d.  1898).  Philip  Kopp  was  born  in  Germany  and  came 
to  Boonville,  Mo.,  with  his  parents  who  immigrated  to  America  from 
Germany  in  1843.  He  married  Louise  Bowler  who  was  formerly  engaged 
in  the  millinery  and  dressmaking  business  in  Boonville  with  her  sister 
for  over  25  years.  She  was  bom  in  1857  and  died  June  22,  1917.  Mrs. 
Louise  Kopp  was  born  on  a  farm  west  of  Boonville  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Gottfried  Bowler  who  was  killed  by  guerrillas  during  the  Civil  War. 
His  father  was  also  shot  in  the  back  while  driving  to  the  city.  Philip  A. 
Kopp  conducted  a  barber  shop  in  Boonville  for  a  number  of  years  and 
erected  the  building  now  occupied  by  the  Fredmeyer  business.  He  sold 
the  lot  upon  which  is  built  the  McCurdy  building.  Philip  A.  Kopp  was 
father  of  the  following  children :  Philip  E.,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Arthur 
W.,  a  soldier  in  the  National  Army,  stationed  at  Camp  Hallburg,  near 
Baltimore,  Maryland. 

Mr.  Fredmeyer  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

Homer  L.  Chamberlain,  proprietor  of  "Coal  Spring  Stock  Farm," 
consisting  of  192  acres  of  good  land  purchased  Aug.  9,  1910.  This  farm 
is  so  called  because  a  good  part  of  the  farm  is  underlaid  with  a  vein  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  527 

coal.  Mr.  Chamberlin  is  engaged  in  stock  raising,  sells  no  grain  from  the 
farm,  and  feeds  everything  raised  on  the  place  to  live  stock,  and  even 
buys  grain  and  hay  for  his  live  stock.  Mr.  Chamberlin  was  born  in  the 
Bell  Air  neighborhood,  Feb.  3,  1883. 

Lucien  L.  Chamberlin,  his  father,  was  born  Jan.  22,  1838,  and  died 
Feb.  28,  1919.  His  birth  occurred  in  Jefferson  county,  Va.,  and  he  died 
at  Magnolia,  Miss.,  at  the  age  of  81  years,  one  month,  and  six  days.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Eliza  (Headwald)  Chamberlin,  mention  of 
whom  is  made  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  A.  L.  and  his  father, 
Albert  M.  Chamberlin,  in  this  volume.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
L.  L.  Chamberlin  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  12th  Virginia  Regiment,  Colonel  Har- 
mon's regiment,  in  Ashby's  brigade,  afterward  known  as  the  "Laurel 
Brigade,"  and  served  with  his  command  until  the  close  of  the  war.  "Ash- 
by's Brigade"  covered  itself  with  glory  during  the  Civil  War.  This 
brigade  participated  in  more  hard  fought  battles  than  any  other  com- 
mand on  either  side  during  the  war.  It  never  surrendered,  but  at  the 
close  of  the  war  disbanded,  and  what  was  left  of  its  tattered  and  war- 
worn members,  went  home,  to  surrender,  if  at  all,  as  individuals.  L.  L. 
Chamberlin  took  a  part  in  all  the  battles  in  which  his  command  partici- 
pated and  passed  through  the  entire  struggle  without  a  wound.  He  was 
under  constant  fire  for  40  days  during  one  of  their  most  severe  cam- 
paigns. He  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1865,  and  in  1882,  he  located 
on  his  farm  of  349  acres,  which  he  developed  into  a  fine  estate.  In  189T 
he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  bought  1800  acres  in  Harris  County.  One 
year  later  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  purchased  the  old  McCurdy  farm 
of  over  300  acres.  Two  years  later  he  made  his  home  with  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  L.  M.  Harriman,  and  also  with  his  son,  Homer  L. 

L.  L.  Chamberlin  was  married  Aug.  8,  1867,  at  Bell  Air,  to  Miss  Mary 
M.  Robinson,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Jehu  Robinson,  of  Johnson  County,  who 
removed  to  Cooper  County  and  was  a  wealthy  land  owner,  holding  acre- 
age in  three  counties.  Mrs.  Mary  or  Mollie  (Robinson)  Chamberlin  was 
born  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  in  1847,  and  was  one  of  11  children  born  to  her 
parents.  She  died  in  1898,  admired  and  loved  for  her  good  Christian 
works,  all  her  life  being  a  devout  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  The 
children  bora  to  L.  L.  and  Mollie  Chamberlin  are:  Magnus  J.,  Homer  L., 
Leonard  M.,  Claybourne,  Mrs.  Wyatt  Wyan,  and  Mrs.  L.  M.  Harriman,  of 
Magnolia,  Miss.  Magnus  J.  Chamberlin  lives  in  St.  Louis.  Leonard  M. 
Chamberlin  lives  in  Mississippi  and  is  a  farmer  and  live  stock  dealer. 
Claybourne  Chamberlin,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  enlisted  in  the  National 


528  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Army  early  in  May,  1917,  sailed  for  France  in  April,  1918,  after  training 
with  the  4th  Regular  Engineers  at  Vancouver,  Wash.,  and  Charlotte,  N.  C. 
In  July,  1918,  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Marne,  participated  in  the 
St.  Mihiel  drive,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  the  Argonne  Forest,  from  Sept. 
26  until  the  latter  part  of  October.  He  was  at  the  Vesle  River,  where  he 
took  part  in  some  hot  fighting.  Mrs.  Wyatt  Wyan  lives  in  Texas.  Mrs. 
L.  M.  Harriman  lives  at  Magnolia,  Miss.,  and  is  a  worker  in  the  Red  Cross. 

The  late  Lucien  L.  Chamberlin  was  a  well  educated  man  and  came 
from  a  fine  Virginia  family.  He  was  active  in  democratic  politics  in 
Cooper  County  and  was  one  of  the  "Wheel  horses"  of  his  party  during  his 
active  lifetime.  He  was  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

Robert  F.  Wyan. — The  oldest  mercantile  family  in  Cooper  County  is 
the  Wyan's,  beginning  with  Jacob  Fortney  Wyan,  grandfather  of  Robert 
F.  Wyan,  retired  merchant  of  Bunceton.  Three  generations  of  this  fam- 
ily have  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  this  county  since  the 
advent  of  Jacob  F.  Wyan  as  the  first  merchant  in  Boonville  in  1817.  His 
son,  Wesley  J.  Wyan,  also  became  a  merchant,  as  was  the  subject  of  this 
review.  For  over  100  years  the  grandfather,  father,  and  Robert  F. 
Wyan  have  been  among  the  leaders  in  the  business  world  of  Cooper 
County,  and  the  family  is  one  of  the  most  honored  and  respected  in  this 
section  of  Missouri. 

Jacob  Fortney  Wyan,  the  pioneer  merchant  of  Boonville,  was  born 
in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  Oct.  14,  1772.  He  was  a  son  of  Dutch  parents,  and 
was  left  an  orphan  when  but  a  child.  He  died  in  Boonville,  April  20,  1842. 
He  came  to  Boonville  in  1817  and  established  the  first  store.  Prior  to 
coming  here  he  had  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  had  made 
a  gallant  record  as  a  soldier.  Mr.  Wyan  was  the  first  Free  Mason  to 
reside  in  what  is  now  Cooper  County,  and  he  gave  to  the  city  of  Boon- 
ville the  first  cemetery  in  1821.  He  brought  to  the  town  the  first  wool- 
carding  machine  and  assisted  in  establishing  the  first  woolen  mill. 

Jacob  F.  Wyan  was  three  times  married.  His  first  marriage  was 
with  Mary  Gay,  born  Feb.  8,  1798,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Gay.  His 
second  marriage  was  with  Mrs.  Sallie  (Gaines)  Shanks,  a  daughter  of 
John  Shanks.  His  third  marriage  occurred  at  Crab  Orchard,  Ky.,  Jan.  16, 
1817,  with  Nancy  Shanks.  Seven  children  were  born  to  this  marriage, 
five  of  whom  were  reared  to  maturity:    Sallie  Gaines,  who  married  Dr. 


ROBERT    F.    WYAX 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  529 

William  H.  Trigg,  of  Boonville;  Margaret  wife  of  the  late  James  M. 
Nelson;  Mary,  wife  of  Thomas  W.  Nelson;  Nancy,  wife  of  William  S. 
Myers;  and  Wesley  J.  Wyan,  of  this  review. 

Wesley  J.  Wyan,  father  of  Robert  F.  Wyan,  was  born  in  Boonville, 
June  8,  1825.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  studied  for  four  years 
in  the  State  University  at  Columbia.  When  he  finished  his  course  at 
Columbia,  he  returned  home  and  followed  merchandising  in  Boonville 
about  15  yeai-s.  In  1868  he  located  at  Bell  Air  and  established  a  general 
merchandise  business.  Later,  he  engaged  in  the  live  stock  business,  but 
again  resumed  the  mercantile  business  and  resided  at  Bell  Air  until  his 
death  in  1898.  Mr.  Wyan  won  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  thorough  man 
of  business,  honest  and  upright  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  and 
he  was  universally  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  and  was  a  member  of  Wallace  Lodge,  No.  456, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Bunceton,  Mo. 

Aug.  17,  1847,  Wesley  J.  Wyan  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  J. 
Menefee,  bom  in  Virginia  in  1838,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Henry  R.  Menefee,  who  came  from  Rappahannock  County,  Va.,  in  the 
early  forties.  Mrs.  Catherine  Wyan  departed  this  life  in  1908.  To  Wes- 
ley J.  and  Catherine  Wyan  were  born  five  sons:  Robert  F.  subject  of 
this  review;  W.  F.,  deceased;  Wyatt  T,  residing  in  Texas;  Henry  T., 
deceased ;  Wesley  J.,  died  in  Texas. 

Robert  F.  Wyan  received  his  education  in  the  Kemper  School  at  Boon- 
ville, and  when  16  years  of  age  he  joined  his  father  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. In  1872  he  engaged  in  business  at  Bell  Aair,  and  succeeded  his 
father  at  that  place.  For  over  20  years  he  carried  on  a  large  and  suc- 
cessful business  enterprise  at  Bell  Air.  In  1911,  he  having  located  in 
Bunceton,  he  associated  himself  with  others  and  erected  the  Bunceton 
Ice  and  Electric  Plant  which  the  corporation  operated  for  a  period  of  five 
years,  and  then  sold  the  plant  in  1918.  Mr.  Wyan  erected  the  finest  and 
most  beautiful  residence  in  Bunceton  in  1912.  This  splendid  home,  the 
only  strictly  modern  home  in  Bunceton,  consists  of  15  rooms,  and  is  taste- 
fully decorated  and  arranged. 

Robert  F.  Wyan  was  married  in  1894  to  Miss  Rosa  Callahan,  who  was 
born  in  Cooper  County  in  1872,  and  is  a  daughter  of  C.  C.  Callahan.     Four 
daughters  and  a  son  have  blessed  this  union:    Augusta,  Florence,  Jessie, 
Pauline,  and  Jacob  F.  Wyan,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 
(34) 


530  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mr.  Wyan  is  a  democrat,  but  has  never  sought  political  preferment. 
He  is  a  member  of  Wallace  Lodge,  No.  456,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  and  comes  of  a  family  of  Masons,  his  father, 
Wesley  J.  Wyan,  having  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  Masons  in  Mis- 
souri, attaining  to  a  membership  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  Mr.  Wyan  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  oldest  Mason  in  the  southern  part  of  Cooper 
County  in  point  of  years  of  membership,  having  been  40  years  a  Mason, 
and  is  the  only  surviving  charter  member  of  the  Bunceton  Lodge.  He  is 
a  past  master  of  his  lodge.  Mr.  Wyan  is  a  pleasant,  agreeable,  well  in- 
formed gentleman,  whose  friends  are  legion  in  Cooper  County,  and  his 
family  are  prominent  socially  in  the  city  and  county. 

Henry  Waterman. — This  was  a  better  world  for  having  had  the  late 
Henry  Waterman  of  Boonville  for  a  denizen,  even  for  his  brief  span  of 
years  as  alloted  to  mankind ;  lives  were  freshened,  hearts  were  made  glad, 
and  thousands  of  people  were  entertained  by  his  great  musical  talent 
during  his  lifetime.  For  many  years  Mr.  Waterman  was  president  of 
the  Boonville  Singing  Society,  which  flourished  in  the  days  gone  by;  he 
was  a  founder  of  the  original  Turner  Hall  and  was  one  of  the  most  active 
citizens  in  Boonville  when  it  came  to  promotion  of  civic  enterprise  or  ar- 
ranging some  entertainment  which  all  the  people  could  enjoy. 

Mr.  Waterman  was  born  in  Roth,  Bavaria,  in  1818,  and  died  April 
1,  1901.  The  same  ship  which  carried  him  to  America  brought  along  his 
intended  wife,  Fannie  Strauss,  whom  he  married  shortly  after  landing 
in  New  York  City,  in  1848.  She  was  born  in  1821  and  died  Dec.  13,  1907. 
Mr.  Waterman  first*  located  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  from  that  city  located 
in  Worcester,  where  he  engaged  in  business.  From  there  he  came  to  St. 
Louis  and  established  a  clothing  business.  April  1,  1867,  he  came  to 
Boonville,  Mo.,  on  the  steamboat  "Clara."  He  engaged  in  the  clothing 
business  in  this  city  on  the  corner  now  occupied  by  the  Victor  Building 
and  was  successful  in  business  for  many  years.  Mr.  Waterman  built  up 
a  large  trade  and  his  name  became  familiar  throughout  this  part  of 
Missouri. 

Nine  children  were  bom  to  Henry  and  Fannie  Waterman,  as  follows: 
Hannah,  deceased,  wife  of  Henry  Wolfert,  Boonville,  Mo.;  John,  a  former 
merchant,  born  1852,  and  died  Feb.  15,  1896;  Mrs.  Henrietta  Becker, 
Boonville,  Mo.;  Elizabeth,  born,  1851,  deceased  wife  of  Philip  Wolfert,  a 
merchant  of  Belleville,  111.;  Nannie,  deceased  wife  of  Joseph  Rosenbaum, 
a  former  merchant  of  Fayette,  Mo.,  and  New  York  City;  Belle,  living  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  531 

St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Carrie  Kohn,  a  widow,  Maryanna,  Ark.,  now  of  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.;  Alexander  makes  his  home  with  Mrs.  Becker. 

Dec.  26,  1898,  the  golden  wedding  anniversary  of  the  marriage  of 
Henry  and  Fannie  Waterman  was  celebrated.  The  occasion  was  made 
practically  a  holiday  in  Boonville.  Hundreds  of  friends  gathered  to  wit- 
ness the  wedding,  which  was  performed  by  Rabbi  Dr.  Sale  of  St.  Louis. 
Dr.  William  Mittelbach  was  master  of  ceremonies ;  Prof.  A.  H.  Sauter  had 
charge  of  the  music,  and  the  late  Hon.  Jacob  F.  Gmelich  gave  a  talk  in 
a  happy  strain  in  the  native  speech  of  the  worthy  couple.  Mr.  Waterman 
sang  his  favorite  song,  "Brightest  Eyes,"  and  others  well  known  in 
Boonville  contributed  to  make  an  entertainment  and  celebration  famous 
in  the  history  of  the  old  families  of  Boonville.  It  was  the  concensus  of 
opinion  that  there  had  never  been  a  more  beautiful  nor  a  more  delightful 
ooccasion  of  a  similar  kind  held  in  this  city.  The  outpouring  from  friends, 
who  loaded  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waterman  down  with  valuable  and  handsome 
presents,  was  a  true  and  fitting  testimonial  of  the  very  high  regard  in 
which  they  were  held  in  their  home  city. 

The  late  Henry  Waterman  was  a  noted  singer,  who  gave  his  services 
freely  on  public  occasions.  He  sang  at  all  of  the  churches  in  the  city  at 
various  times  when  his  services  were  desired,  and  he  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  musical  society  of  Boonville.  It  was  a  regular  occasion  that 
when  Mr.  Waterman  had  a  birthday  anniversary,  the  singing  society, 
which  he  organized,  would  visit  him  and  celebrate  the  anniversary;  when 
Mrs.  Waterman  had  a  birthday  anniversary,  the  society  would  call  and 
sing  beneath  her  window  and  Mr.  Waterman  would  sing  a  solo.  He  was 
a  true  American  patriot,  who  loved  his  adopted  country  and  its  customs 
with  heart  and  soul.  He  was  an  Odd  Fellow  for  over  50  years  and  re- 
ceived the  coveted  gold  medal  awarded  to  members  who  belong  to  the 
society  for  a  half  century.  He  was  a  stanch  democrat  and  took  an  active 
and  influential  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  party. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  (Waterman)  Becker,  of  this  review,  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  1853.  She  was  married  in  1874  in  St.  Louis,  to  Ferdi- 
nand Becker,  who  was  born  in  Aldenstadt,  Germany,  in  1852,  emigrated 
from  Germany  to  America  in  1870,  located  in  Fayette.  Mo.,  and  clerked 
for  Charles  Rosebaum  of  that  city.  He  died  in  1893,  while  on  a  business 
and  pleasure  trip,  death  coming  in  Chicago  as  an  operation  was  per- 
formed.   He  became  a  Mason  at  the  age  of  21  years. 

The  children  born  to  Ferdinand  and  Henrietta  Becker  are  as  follows : 


532  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Nettie,  wife  of  Will  Walters,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Harry  died  as  a  result  of  an 
operation  in  St.  Louis,  at  the  age  of  seven  years;  Fred  met  his  death  in 
a  tragic  automobile  accident,  May  10,  1914,  when  19  years  of  age. 

Mrs.  Becker  inherited  her  father's  musical  gift  and  became  a  singer 
of  more  than  local  note.  She  received  a  thorough  musical  education  and 
sang  for  the  public  for  many  years.  She  was  a  soloist  at  a  famous  masked 
ball  held  at  Turner  Hall  and  took  first  prize  as  "Pocahontas."  Mrs.  Will 
Walters,  her  daughter,  was  formerly  a  fine  singer  and  talented  musician, 
who  received  a  splendid  musical  education. 

Chris  Smith,  retired  farmer  and  justice  of  the  peace,  was  born  on 
a  farm  seven  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton,  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
April  13,  1862.  His  first  home  was  a  log-cabin  set  in  the  midst  of  a  clear- 
ing which  his  father  Squire  Nicholas  Smith,  made  in  the  early  fifties. 

Nicholas  Smith  was  born  Nov.  2  1837,  and  died  July  5,  1914.  He 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  immigrated  to  America  in  1854.  One  year 
later,  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adam  Smith,  joined  him  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  where  Nicholas  Smith  had  purchased  40  acres  of  virgin  timber 
land.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  build  his  cabin  of  logs,  cut  and 
trimmed  on  the  place,  gradually  enlarging  his  clearing,  cutting  cord-wood 
in  winter  and  hauling  it  to  Boonville  for  sale  and  trade  in  the  summer  sea- 
son. In  1866,  he  moved  to  a  farm  on  the  prairie,  and  bought  120  acres 
northeast  of  Lone  Elm  Store.  He  lived  on  this  place  for  two  years  and 
then  bought  the  old  Fryer  estate  of  300  acres  three  miles  east  of  Lone 
Elm.  He  resided  on  his  farm  until  1887  and  then  went  to  Boonville  to 
make  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his  days.  Squire  Nicholas  Smith 
served  in  the  State  Guards  during  the  Civil  War,  and  served  four  years 
as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  After  removing  to 
Boonville  he  again  filled  the  post  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years. 
His  wife  was  Margaret  Dornhouser  prior  to  her  marriage,  and  was  born 
in  Moniteau  County,  in  1844,  a  daughter  of  pioneer  parents.  She  now 
resides  in  Texas  with  her  son,  William  Smith.  The  children  born  to 
Nicholas  and  Margaret  Smith  are  as  follows:  Josephine  lives  in  Texas; 
William,  Texas;  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  William  F.  Johnmeyer,  Boonville; 
Bettie  is  the  wife  of  August  Brickner,  Boonville;  and  Chris,  subject  of 
this  review. 

Chris  Smith  lived  for  50  years  on  his  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 
He  purchased  this  tract  of  300  acres  in  1887  and  sold  the  place  on  March 
1,  1919,  to  his  son,  Benjamin. 


CHRIST    SMITH     AND    WIFE 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  533 

Nov.  17,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Brandes,  who  was 
born  in  New  Zealand,  June  11,  1867.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Chris  and  Sarah 
(Wilshire)  Brandes,  natives  respectively  of  Hanover  and  New  Zealand. 
Chris  Brandes  went  to  New  Zealand  when  a  boy  16  years  old  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  musical  organization  which  was  touring  Australia  and  New  Zea- 
land. He  remained  for  five  years  in  New  Zealand,  and  was  five  years  in 
Australia.  The  band  of  which  he  was  a  member  was  an  adjunct  to  a  cir- 
cus. In  1871,  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  on  a  farm  west  of  Prairie 
Home,  later  moving  to  a  farm  north  of  Lone  Elm,  where  the  mother  of 
Mrs.  Smith  now  resides.  The  children  born  to  Chris  and  Augusta 
(Brandes)  Smith  are:  Mrs.  Mamie  Langkop,  whose  husband  is  a  mer- 
chant at  Nelson,  Mo. ;  Benjamin  Smith  on  the  home  place ;  Pearl,  wife  of 
Arthur  Smith,  living  on  a  farm  seven  miles  east  of  Bunceton;  Emily,  wife 
of  Ed  Fricke,  merchant  at  Lone  Elm ;  Lillian,  wife  of  John  Roehrs,  Bunce- 
ton, Mo.,  married  Jan.  1,  1919;  Esther  Smith  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  republican,  and  is  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  party. 
When  living  on  the  farm  he  took  a  keen  interest  in  educational  matters, 
and  served  as  school  director  of  his  district  for  18  years.  For  four  years 
he  was  road  commissioner  and  took  a  commendable  interest  in  having 
good  roads.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Kelly  township  in 
November,  1918.  For  the  past  12  years  he  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Cooper  County  Bank,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  a  director 
of  the  Farmers  Elevator  Company  of  Bunceton.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Modern  Brotherhood.  Chris  Smith  is  a  useful  and  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  citizen,  who  stands  high  in  the  esteem  and  regard 
of  his  fellow  men  and  whose  friends  are  legion. 

Dr.  H.  D.  Quigg,  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  secialist,  Boonville,  Mo., 
has  practiced  his  profession  in  Cooper  County  for  nearly  30  years  and 
during  that  time  has  filled  one  of  the  highest  offices  within  the  gift  of  the 
people.  In  the  number  of  years  of  practice  in  this  county  he  is  one  of 
the  oldest  physicians  in  the  county.  Dr.  Quigg  was  born  in  Hickory 
County,  Mo.,  March  5,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  W.  and  Lucretia  A.  (Brad- 
ley) Quigg,  the  former  was  of  Pennsylvania  German  stock  and  the  latter 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent  whose  forbears  settled  in  Tennessee. 

J.  W.  Quigg,  Sr.,  came  to  Missouri  in  1830  and  developed  a  farm  in 
Hickory  County  where  he  was  a  very  prominent  citizen.  He  served  sev- 
eral terms  as  sheriff  of  the  county  and  was  widely  and  favorably  known. 


534  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

He  was  born  in  1819  and  departed  this  life  in  1894.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, three  children  being  born  to  his  first  marriage  and  11  children  were 
born  of  his  second  marriage  of  whom  Dr.  Quigg  is  one. 

Reared  in  Hickory  county,  Dr.  Quigg  attended  the  district  school  and 
then  went  to  the  Southwest  Baptist  College  in  Polk  County,  Mo.  He 
entered  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College  and  graduated  from  this  institu- 
tion in  1890.  He  began  practice  in  Hickory  County  and  then  located  at 
Blackwater,  Cooper  County  the  same  year.  With  the  exception  of  four 
years  spent  as  the  superintendent  of  the  Missouri  Hospital  for  the  Feeble 
Minded  and  Epileptics  at  Marshall,  Mo.,  he  has  practiced  continuously  in 
Cooper  County.  He  was  appointed  to  the  superintendency  of  the  State 
Hospital  at  Marshall  in  1910  and  served  until  1914.  Soon  after  leaving 
the  hospital  he  went  to  Chicago  and  pursued  a  course  in  the  famous  Chi- 
cago eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  hospital  and  prepared  himself  for  this 
special  practice.  He  then  came  to  Boonville  and  established  his  offices 
where  he  devotes  his  time  to  special  as  well  as  general  practice. 

Dr.  Quigg  was  married  twice.  His  first  marriage  took  place  in 
Hickory  County  in  1890  with  Elizabeth  Cully,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Cully. 
She  died  in  1906  leaving  one  child,  Farrell  C,  a  ranchman  in  Montana. 
Dr.  Quiggs  second  marriage  occurred  in  1911  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Craig, 
of  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  Craig.  One  child  has  blessed 
this  marriage:  H.  D.  Quigg,  Jr.,  aged  seven  years. 

Dr.  Quigg  is  a  republican  who  served  two  years  as  coroner  of  Cooper 
County.  He  .was  elected  representative  from  Cooper  County  in  1902  and 
served  until  1904  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Legislature.  He  was 
again  elected  in  1904,  serving  two  terms.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Ways  and  Means  and  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Health 
and  Scientific  Institutes.  He  introduced  and  had  passed  a  bill  empower- 
ing the  city  of  Boonville  to  build  High  street  in  this  city.  Dr.  Quigg 
is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons. 

Henry  Schrader,  owner  of  a  well  improved  farm  of  73  acres  situated 
just  west  of  Boonville,  is  a  native  of  the  province  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
and  was  born  Sept.  18,  1869.  His  parents  were  Henry  and  Henrietta 
Schrader,  who  left  their  native  country  and  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo., 
in  1882.  They  settled  in  Boonville  and  Henry,  the  elder,  operated  a  dairy 
in  the  vicinity  for  17  years.  The  father  died  in  1907  at  the  age  of  68 
years.  The  mother  died  in  1916  aged  73  years.  There  were  three  chil- 
dren in  the  Schrader  family,  as  follows:     Henry,  subject  of  this  sketch; 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  535 

Charles  Schrader  living  at  Wooldridge,  this  county;  Lena,  wife  of   Ed 
Thoma,  Boonville,  Mo. 

Henry  Schrader  was  13  years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in 
Boonville.  He  was  reared  in  this  city  and  began  when  a  boy  to  assist  his 
father  in  the  operation  of  his  dairy  business.  In  1899  he  moved  to  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns,  rented  the  land  for  a  number  of  years  and 
finally  purchased  the  place  in  1916.  Mr.  Schrader  is  a  good  farmer, 
industrious  and  a  good  business  manager. 

Mr.  Schrader  was  married  in  1899  to  Miss  Kate  Miller,  a  daughter 
of  Taylor  Miller.  To  Henry  and  Kate  Schrader  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows :  Rosa,  Wilbur,  Henry  and  Harold,  all  at  home  with  their 
parents. 

Mr.  Schrader  is  a  republican  and  takes  an  interest  in  political  and 
civic  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  is  popular  and  well  known  in  the  community. 

John  Clifford  Barnhart,  proprietor  of  a  flourishing  tire  and  vulcan- 
izing shop,  established  in  Boonville,  in  the  fall  of  1916,  is  a  native  of 
Cooper  County.  Mr.  Barnhart  has  a  fully  equipped  tire  repair  and  vul- 
canizing shop  and  handles  such  excellent  lines  of  auto  tires  as  the  Fisk, 
Mohawk,  Firestone  and  Mason  makes  and  also  makes  a  specialty  of  re- 
treading worn  outer  casings. 

Joseph  Barnhart,  his  father  was  born  Jan.  8,  1850,  and  died  April  7, 
1906.  He  was  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Pa.,  and  was  a  son  of 
John  Barnhart,  who  migrated  to  Indiana  thence  to  Iowa  and  then  moved 
to  Schuyler  County,  Mo.  He  removed  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  about 
1868.  John  Barnhart  settled  on  a  farm  one  mile  south  of  Billingsville 
and  later  removed  to  a  place  south  of  Rankin's  Mill.  Joseph  Barnhart 
was  married  in  Cooper  County  to  Mary  Frances  Jeffries,  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  John  Jeffries,  a  minister  and  farmer  of  Cooper  County,  now  deceased. 
Mary  F.  Barnhart  was  born  in  this  county  in  1853  and  now  resides  in 
Boonville  at  510  Third  street.  Joseph  Barnhart  developed  a  splendid 
farm  of  158  acres  one  mile  west  of  Prairie  Lick.  He  was  father  of  the 
following  children:  Mrs.  Stella  Helmrich,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Leona  Barn- 
hart, a  milliner  living  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Alima  Barnhart,  at  home  with 
her  mother ;  and  John  C,  of  this  review. 

J.  C.  Barnhart  was  born  Dec.  19,  1888  on  a  farm  six  miles  southwest 
of  Boonville  and  was  there  reared  to  young  manhood.  He  was  educated 
at  Prairie  View  District  School  and  the  Boonville  High  School,  and  after 


536  HISTORY   OP  COOPER   COUNTY 

his  fathers  death  he  took  charge  of  the  home  place.  He  came  to  Boon- 
ville  in  1916  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  tire  business.  His  new 
bungalow  residence  is  located  on  Third  street  across  from  the  Kemper 
Military  School. 

Mr.  Barnhart  was  married  on  Oct.  4,  1910,  to  Miss  Mabel  Marshall, 
born  on  a  farm  two  miles  west  of  Blackwater,  in  Cooper  County,  and  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  Marshall,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased. 
William  Marshall  still  resides  on  the  old  Marshall  homestead,  one  of  the 
oldest  settled  farms  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  have  one 
child,  Margaret  Barnhart,  born  Jan.  2,  1919. 

Mr.  Barnhart  is  a  republican  and  is  a  thorough  business  man  who  is 
making  a  success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  is  progressive, 
intelligent  and  keenly  alive  to  the  project  of  building  a  greater  and  better 
Boonville. 

Ed  Patterson,  farmer  and  stockman,  manager  of  the  famous  "Ra- 
venswood  Stock  Farm,"  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  pop- 
ular citizens  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Patterson  is  owner  of  173  acres, 
two  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Bunceton.  The  "Ravenswood  Stock 
Farm"  comprises  2,100  acres  and  is  one  of  the  largest  individual  farms  in 
central  Missouri.  Most  of  the  land  is  in  grass,  and  the  farm  is  devoted 
to  the  breeding  of  Shorthorn  cattle.  The  oldest  Shorthorn  herd  in  the 
world  was  started  on  this  farm  in  the  year  1839  by  Nathaniel  Leonard, 
and  the  profession  of  breeding  Shorthorns  has  been  carried  on  with  in- 
creasing success  by  his  descendents.  A  herd  of  125  purebred  Shorthorns 
is  maintained  constantly  on  the  farm,  and  the  best  of  care  is  given  this 
fine  live  stock.  The  majority  of  all  Shorthorn  cattle  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River  are  descendents  from  the  famous  Ravenswood  herd.  On  this 
farm  has  been  bred  and  sold  the  highest  priced  sire  ever  sold  in  the 
world,  which  brought  $40,000  at  the  Royal  Stock  Sales  in  Argentine. 
This  animal  was  grand  champion  for  two  years  at  the  Royal  Stock  Shows. 
Through  him  and  through  the  reputation  of  the  cattle  exported  to  South 
America  from  the  "Ravenswood  Stock  Farm"  has  come  the  popularity  of 
American  Shorthorn  cattle  in  Argentine  and  South  American  stock  raising 
centers.  This  importation  began  in  1893  and  marks  the  beginning  of  a 
ne  wera  in  South  America,  and  the  way  was  opened  for  the  exportation 
of  American  pure  bred  live  stock  to  South  America.  Mr.  Patterson  has 
been  manager  of  the  "Ravenswood  Stock  Farm"  for  the  past  34  years. 
Ten  men  are  employed  in  the  operations  of  the  farm. 


ED   PATTERSON 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  537 

Ed  Patterson  was  born  in  Clarksburg,  Ind.,  in  1852,  Aug.  10.  He  is 
a  son  of  Thompson  and  Rebecca  (Day)  Patterson  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Kentucky.  Thompson  Patterson  was  born  in  1816,  and  died  in 
1892.  Rebecca,  his  wife,  was  born  in  1820  and  died  in  1885.  They  set- 
tled in  Indiana  in  1852,  and  from  there  came  to  Missouri  in  1870,  settling 
on  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  where  the  elder  Patterson  bought  a  farm  and  re- 
sided until  the  end  of  his  days.  They  were  parents  of  seven  children: 
Mrs.  Maria  Taylor,  living  in  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Lovell,  living  at  Tipton,  Mo. ; 
Malinda  died  in  Indiana;  Thompson,  Bunceton,  Mo.;  Darius,  a  farmer  in 
Indiana ;  Ed  Patterson,  of  this  review ;  Rev.  Henry  C.  Patterson,  who  died 
in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1909,  and  was  a  noted  evangelist  of  the  Christian 
denomination. 

Ed  Patterson  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  in  1870,  and  lived 
with  his  father  until  1873  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 
In  1885,  he  took  charge  of  the  "Ravenswood  Stock  Farm."  Mr.  Patterson 
was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Emma  Dills,  a  daughter  of  J.  N  Dills.  To 
this  marriage  was  born  Gussie,  wife  of  Bret  Peters,  proprietor  of  the 
moving  picture  theater,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  and  they  have  two  children,  Emma 
Peyton  and  Coleta. 

Mr.  Patterson  bred  the  famous  Shorthorn  bull  which  sold  for  $10,000 
at  the  famous  Red  Cross  sale  held  in  1918  at  Birmingham,  Ala.  This 
was  the  grand  champion  of  100  bulls  exhibited,  and  was  sold  to  Woodrow 
Wilson  for  $1.00.  The  president  donated  the  animal  to  be  sold  again. 
He  was  sold  again  on  condition  that  the  champion  was  to  be  quartered 
for  24  hours  in  the  lobby  of  the  luxurious  and  palatial  Hotel  Tutwiler  in 
Birmingham.  This  was  done,  and  the  occasion  was  made  a  great  event 
in  the  South. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  a  stanch  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  skilled  breeders  in  animal  husbandry  in  Missouri,  and 
is  widely  known  among  the  stockmen  of  the  country.  Genial,  friendly 
disposed,  kind  hearted,  his  friends  are  legion,  and  his  standing  as  a  citi- 
zen of  Cooper  County  is  high. 

Michael  J.  Felton,  farmer  and  grain  dealer,  Prairie  Lick,  Mo.,  has  a 
splendid  country  place  embracing  300  acres  and  known  as  the  "Harbor 
Farm".  This  place  is  improved  by  a  large  brick  house  erected  by  Michael 
Felton,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Hubert  Felton  was  born  in  Germany,  married  Catherine   Leswick, 


538  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

settled  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.  and  reared  a  family  of  children.  For  further 
particulars  concerning-  Hubert  Felton,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch 
of  Frank  J.  Felton,  of  Boonville. 

M.  J.  Felton  was  born  March  10,  1860  on  a  farm  east  of  Boonville 
and  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  present  place  where  he  now  resides 
when  but  a  boy.  He  attended  the  Hickory  Grove  School  and  when  he 
became  of  age  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  He  also  operated  a 
threshing  outfit  and  has  been  financially  interested  in  threshing  machinery 
and  the  industry  for  a  number  of  years.  He  embarked  in  the  business  of 
buying  and  shipping  grain  in  1900  and  purchased  the  Prairie  Lick  Elevator 
from  Mr.  Rogers.  The  fine  brick  house  which  graces  the  Felton  farm  was 
erected  in  1907. 

Mr.  Felton  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Gertrude  Brummel,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Peter  Brummel  and  sister  of  Henry  Brummel,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  in  this  history.  Mrs.  Mary  Gertrude  Felton  was  born  in 
1855  and  died  in  Aug.  ,1904,  leaving  eight  children,  as  follows:  Gertrude, 
wife  of  George  Hayes,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Leo.  H.  Felton,  grain  dealer  and 
shipper,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Isabella,  at  home  with  her  father ;  Florence,  Sister 
Emelda,  in  a  convent  at  Clyde,  Mo. ;  Margaret,  Clifton  City,  Mo. ;  Mary, 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Agnes,  Sister  Elfelda,  Clyde,  Mo.;  Hubert,  aged  18 
years,  at  home. 

Mr.  Felton  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  the 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

Balthasar  Lang. — The  really  remarkable  success  achieved  by  Balt- 
hasar  Lang  of  the  Prairie  Lick  neighborhood  in  the  space  of  33  years, 
could  only  have  been  accomplished  by  a  man  of  energy,  industry  and  of 
decided  financial  ability.  Mr.  Lang  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1885,  pur- 
chased his  first  land  in  1891,  went  in  debt  for  it,  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  418  acres  of  good  land,  besides  owning  a  half  interest  in  220  acres  in 
Howard  County.  Mr.  Langs  home  place  of  132  acres  is  splendidly  im- 
proved with  a  large,  handsome  frame  house,  and  big  barns  with  the 
fencing  in  excellent  repair.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  keen  and  shrewd  farmer  who 
knows  how  to  retain  and  restore  the  fertility  of  soil.  He  favors  the  Here- 
ford breed  of  cattle  for  his  farms. 

Balthasar  Lang  was  bora  in  Germany  in  1857  and  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Ottilior  Lang,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  Germany.  Mr.  Lang  came 
to  America  in  Dec,  1881  and  was  first  employed  in  Lake  County,  Ind., 
where  he  remained  for  three  years  and  then  had  occasion  to  make  a  visit 
to  Germany  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  father.     He  then  came  to 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  539 

Cooper  County,  having  just  located  here  when  he  was  called  home  to 
Germany.  When  he  returned  to  America  he  was  accompanied  by  his 
mother,  his  brother,  George,  and  his  sisters,  Elizabeth,  now  deceased, 
Ortillia,  Marguerite,  and  Anna,  now  deceased.  At  once  he  and  his  brother 
George  established  themselves  and  the  family  upon  a  farm  which  they 
bought.  Mr.  Lang's  mother  died  at  his  home.  His  sister  Ortillia,  now 
Mrs.  Day,  lives  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.  Marguerite  Lang  married  Jos.  F. 
Esser  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. 

Mr.  Lang  moved  to  his  present  home  farm  in  1891  and  for  some  years 
lived  in  a  log  and  box  house.  In  1900  he  built  his  large  six  room  house. 
He  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Annie  Day,  born  in  the  Rhine  Province, 
Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1886.  The  children  born  to  Balthasar 
and  Annie  Lang,  are  Mrs.  Mary,  wife  of  Frank  Gross,  living  on  the  Lang 
farm  land ;  George  at  home ;  Annie,  wife  of  Fred  Martin,  Lamine  town- 
ship; Rosa,  wife  of  Joseph  Lang,  Boonville  township;  Bertha,  twin  of 
Rosa,  Joseph,  Henry,  William,  Magdalena  and  Frank,  are  at  home. 

While  Mr.  Lang  is  a  republican,  he  is  inclined  to  vote  independently 
for  those  candidates  whom  he  deems  best  fitted.  He  and  his  family  wor- 
ship at  the  Martinsville  Catholic  Church.  Joseph  and  George  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  good,  all  round  Amer- 
ican citizen. 

Everett  Hilden,  late  of  Billingsville,  was  one  of  the  successful  citizens 
of  Cooper  County  who  not  only  made  a  success  of  his  life  in  a  material 
sense,  but  whose  life  as  he  lived  it  furnishes  a  lesson  in  good  citizenship. 
Mr.  Hilden  was  born  Sept.  8,  1848,  and  died  March  6,  1907.  He  was  a 
native  of  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  1853  with  his  parents,  Adolph 
and  Ursula  (Reinfeldt)  Hilden,  who  emigrated  from  the  seat  of  the  fam- 
ily at  Ludrich,  Cologne.  They  landed  at  New  Orleans,  after  a  long  trip 
in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  on  Dec.  17,  1853,  they  arrived  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
In  May,  1854,  the  family  came  to  Boonville  and  then  removed  to  a  farm 
near  Jewett's  Mills.  Later  the  father  settled  on  a  farm  one-half  mile 
north  of  Billingsville. 

Mr.  Hilden  conducted  the  general  merchandise  store  at  Billingsville 
for  five  years,  but  was  primarily  a  farmer  and  stockman  during  his  entire 
life.  He  became  owner  of  a  large  estate  of  400  acres,  which  is  improved 
with  substantial  farm,  home  and  other  good  buildings. 

He  was  married  Sept.  9,  1879,  to  Miss  Lena  Esser,  who  bore  him  nine 
children:  Henry  died  in  1895;  Mrs.  Annie  Moore,  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.; 
Julia,  Adolph,  Bertram  L.,  Evelyn,  at  home ;  Patrick,  William,  and  Barbara. 


540  HISTORY   OF  COOPEK   COUNTY 

Patrick  Hilden,  the  soldier  of  the  Hilden  family,  was  born  May  3, 
1894,  and  enlisted  in  the  National  Army  in  June,  1918.  He  was  trained 
for  overseas  service  at  Camp  Pike,  Ark.,  and  in  Aug.,  1918,  went  to 
France  as  a  member  of  General  Headquarters  Company  No.  2,  Co.  G, 
Provisional  Infantry  Regiment. 

Mrs.  Lena  Esser  Hilden  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  Jan.  25, 
1859,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Bertram  and  Agnes  (Felton)  Esser,  natives  of 
Germany,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  sister  of  the  late  Hubert  Felton. 
Bertram  Esser  died  in  Cooper  County  in  1877.  Mrs.  Agnes  Esser  died  in 
March,  1897.  There  were  eight  children  born  to  Bertram  and  Agnes 
Esser,  of  whom  seven  are  living:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Weitz,  Marshall,  Mo.; 
Joseph,  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  Lawrence,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Brooks, 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Margaret  Martin,  deceased;  Mrs.  Catherine 
Dumalty,  Billingsville,  Mo. ;  and  Mrs.  Lena  Hilden,  of  this  sketch ;  John 
lives  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. 

The  late  Mr.  Hilden  was  a  member  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic 
Church  of  Boonville,  as  are  all  the  members  of  his  family.  He  was  affili- 
ated fraternally  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Boonville  Camp  No.  40, 
and  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America.  He  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  and  for  a  long  period  was  closely  identified  with  live  stock  and 
farming  in  Cooper  County. 

H.  D.  Carlos  and  H.  D.  Carlos,  Jr. — The  Carlos  family  is  one  of  the 
old  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County.  H.  D.  Carlos,  Jr.,  druggist  of 
Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  descended  from  a  Spanish  immigrant,  Don  Carlos,  who 
fought  in  the  American  Revolution  in  behalf  of  the  American  colonies. 
His  son,  C.  M.  Don  Carlos,  settled  in  Cooper  County  about  1825,  and  built 
up  what  was  formerly  known  as  the  old  Carlos  homestead  near  Prairie 
Home. 

H.  D.  Carlos,  father  of  H.  D  Carlos,  Jr.,  was  born  on  the  Carlos  home- 
stead in  1842,  and  was  reared  to  maturity  near  Prairie  Home.  He  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  for  a  number  of  years  and  established  the 
first  drug  store  at  Prairie  Home  in  1882.  Later,  he  removed  to  Boon- 
ville and  served  as  assessor  of  Cooper  County  for  two  terms.  He  went 
to  Texas  in  1902  and  located  in  Rock  Island  County,  where  he  invested  in 
a  large  tract  of  land.  Eventually  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in 
Dallas.  In  1905,  the  Carlos  Drug  Store  was  established  in  Bunceton,  in 
which  both  father  and  son  are  interested. 

H.  D.  Carlos  was  married  to  Elnora  Simms  who  was  born  in  1855, 


H.    D.   CARLOS,   si: 


HISTORY   OF    COOPER   COUNTY  541 

and  died  in  1909.  She  was  a  sister  of  Clay  Simms  of  Gooch's  Mill,  and 
was  born  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  pioneer  parents.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  H.  D.  and  Elnora  Carlos,  as  follows:  Nellie,  wife  of 
T.  H.  Eayde,  Tulsa,  Okla. ;  Anna,  deceased  wife  of  E.  E.  Carey ;  Porter, 
deceased  wife  of  A.  H.  Moore;  Clay,  wife  of  R.  E.  Maze,  Rock  Island, 
Texas ;  Hattige,  Kansas  City ;  Nora,  wife  of  L.  G.  Smith,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ; 
Fannie,  deceased  wife  of  John  Waite. 

Hillard  D.  Carlos,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  the  Bunceton  public  schools, 
and  in  the  St.  Louis  Colloge  of  Pharmacy.  He  graduated  in  pharmacy  in 
1914,  and  immediately  engaged  in  the  business  at  Bunceton.  Mr.  Carlos 
has  been  practically  reared  in  the  drug  business  and  is  familiar  with  every 
phase  of  it.  He  is  operating  one  of  the  neatest,  best  stocked  and  best 
equipped  drug  stores  in  central  Missouri. 

Hillard  D.  Carlos,  Jr.,  was  married  Sept.  25,  1918,  to  Miss  Bernardine 
English,  born  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  H.  H.  English,  widely  known 
stockman  of  Cooper  County. 

H.  D.  Carlos  and  his  son  are  stanch  democrats.  H.  D.  Carlos,  Jr.. 
served  as  lieutenant  in  the  Bunceton  Home  Guards  during  the  World  War. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  is  a  past  master  of  the  Bunce- 
ton Lodge  of  Free  Masons,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
H.  D.  Carlos,  Sr.,  is  one  of  the  oldest  Masons  in  Cooper  County,  having 
become  a  member  of  the  order  when  he  was  21  years  of  age. 

Samuel  Walker  Roberts. — The  late  Samuel  Walker  Roberts  was  one 
of  those  citizens  who,  gifted  beyond  ordinary  attainments,  made  a  repu- 
tation as  a  scientific  breeder  of  fine  cattle  that  extended  far  beyond  the 
borders  of  his  home  county.  He  was  born  in  Camden  County,  Mo.,  June 
1,  1860,  and  died  in  Boonville,  Sept.  25,  1916.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
he  held  the  post  of  farmer  at  the  Missouri  Training  School.  His  parents 
were  Hon.  James  Green  and  Ailcy  (Walker)  Roberts,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  member  of  an  old  and  honored  pioneer  family  of  Cooper  County. 

Hon.  James  Green  Roberts  was  born  in  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  Dec.  6, 
1826,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  June  28,  1901.  He  settled  in  Camden 
County,  Mo.,  in  1844.  In  1849,  James  Green  Roberts  made  the  overland 
trip  to  the  gold  fields  of  California.  He  remained  there  for  two  years, 
and  then  went  to  Lima,  Penn.,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  made 
the  trip  home  to  Missouri  via  Cape  Horn  and  New  York  City.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  made  his  home  in  Vernon  County,  Mo.  Mr.  Roberts  en- 
listed in  1862,  in  Company  I,  under  Capt.  Jesse  McCaliph,  Colonel  Bain- 


542  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

bridge's  regiment,  which  was  attached  to  General  Mamiaduke's  Division. 
He  was  later  made  a  member  of  General  Marmaduke's  staff  and  was  cap- 
tured at  Nine  Mile  Creek,  Kansas,  and  kept  a  prisoner  by  the  Federals 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Roberts  had  six  brothers  who  fought  in 
the  Civil  War. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  James  Green  Roberts  came  to  Cooper 
County,  where  he  became  a  prominent  and  influential  figure.  He  pur- 
chased the  old  Walker  home  place  at  Pleasant  Glenn  and  became  well 
to  do  as  a  farmer  and  stockman.  In  1874  he  was  elected  representative 
from  Cooper  County  and  served  two  terms  in  the  Missouri  Assembly  of 
1874  and  1876.  He  was  the  father  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  died  in 
infancy:  Samuel  Walker  Roberts,  of  this  review,  being  the  only  child  of 
his  parents  who  grew  to  maturity.  J.  L.  Roberts  was  married  in  1856 
to  Ailcy  (Walker)  Roberts,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  review.  She 
was  born  in  1828  and  departed  this  life  in  1902.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Walker,  who  was  one  of  the  first  pioneers  of  Cooper  County,  set- 
tling at  what  has  since  been  known  as  Walker  in  this  county.  The  wife 
of  Samuel  Walker  was  Miss  Nancy  Cockrell,  a  native  of  Virginia,  whose 
father  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

Samuel  W.  Roberts  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  Cooper  County. 
He  received  an  excellent  education,  graduating  from  Central  College  at 
Fayette,  Mo.,  and  the  State  University  at  Columbia.  It  had  been  Mr. 
Roberts'  intention  to  prepare  himself  for  the  practice  of  law,  but  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  science  of  raising  pure  bred  live  stock  and  achieved 
a  signal  success  in  this  departure.  The  advancing  age  of  his  parents 
caused  him  to  relinquish  his  early  ambitions  and  the  care  for  the  large 
farm  and  his  parents.  He  was  owner  of  nearly  400  acres  of  land,  which 
was  principally  devoted  to  the  breeding  and  raising  of  pure  bred  Short- 
horn cattle.  His  herd  became  widely  known  as  the  "Clear  Creek  Short- 
horn Herd,"  and  won  many  ribbons  and  prizes  when  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  and  the  principal  live  stock  shows  of  the  country.  He  resided  on 
his  farm  until  1910,  when  he  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Boonville  and 
took  charge  of  the  farming  operations  carried  on  in  connection  with  the 
Missouri  Training  School.  He  was  residing  on  the  State  Farm  at  the 
Training  School  and  capably  managing  this  farm  when  his  death  occurred. 

April  28,  1891,  Samuel  W.  Roberts  and  Miss  Frances  Lyon  Myrtle 
Rogers  were  united  in  marriage.  One  child  was  born  to  this  union, — 
Ferda,  wife  of  Dr.  John  R.  Hall,  a  surgeon  in  the  Regular  Army,  on  duty 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  543 

in  France.  Dr.  Hall  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  University,  from  which 
institution  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  received  his 
Medical  Degree  from  Washington  University.  He  enlisted  in  the  Regular 
Army,  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  and  is  now  a  major.  Dr.  Hall  was 
married  to  Miss  Ferda  Roberts  on  Feb.  11,  1912.  Two  children  were 
born  to  this  marriage:  John  Randolph  Hall,  born  June  20,  1913;  and 
Sarah  Hall,  born  Feb.  11,  1915. 

Mrs.  Frances  Lyon  Myrtle  (Rogers)  Roberts  was  born  in  Bunceton, 
Mo.,  Jan.  23,  1871.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Ferdinand  A.  and  Sallie 
(Lionberger)  Rogers,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  1847  and  died  in 
1915,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  H.  Lionberger,  a  pioneer  of  Cooper 
County.  Captain  Rogers  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1879.  He  had  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  sheriff  of  Cooper  County  elected  on  the  democratic 
ticket  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  in  the  Confederate 
Army  as  captain  of  a  company,  was  made  prisoner  and  confined  on  John- 
son's Island.  He  was  married  after  the  close  of  the  war  to  Sallie  Lion- 
berger, as  stated  in  a  preceding  paragraph.  Mrs.  Sallie  (Lionberger) 
Rogers  was  a  descendant  on  the  maternal  side  from  Captain  John  Ashby, 
grandfather  of  her  mother,  Mary  (Ashby)  Lionberger,  who  served  in  the 
Revolution.  The  children  born  to  Capt.  F.  A.  and  Sallie  Rogers  were  as 
follows:  Mrs.  Frances  L.  M.  Roberts,  of  this  review;  Mary  died  at  the 
age  of  18  years;  and  Chatte,  wife  of  Frank  Waltz,  station  agent  of  the 
M.  K.  and  T.  R.  R.  at  Boonville.  Captain  Rogex*s  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
descended  from  Virginian  ancestry.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  he 
located  in  Bunceton,  Mo.,  and  served  six  years  as  sheriff  of  the  county. 
He  was  filling  the  duties  of  this  official  position  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Captain  Rogers  was  an  influential  and  commanding  figure  in  Cooper 
County  for  many  years. 

Samuel  W.  Roberts  was  a  versatile  and  accomplished  citizen,  who 
was  well  educated,  a  great  reader  and  student  who  kept  himself  well  in- 
formed upon  the  events  of  the  day.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  was  prominent  in  Masonic  circles.  His 
father,  James  Green  Roberts,  was  also  a  Mason,  as  were  his  six  brothers. 
Samuel  W.  Roberts  was  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge  of  Pilot  Grove,  a 
member  of  Olivet  Commandery  Knight  Templars  of  Boonville,  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  and  a  member  of  Centralia  Council.  In  his  day  he  was  one 
of  the  best  known  and  influential  and  useful  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 


544  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Charles  C.  Eldredge,  a  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Boonville,  is  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  Mr.  Eldredge  was  born  Sept.  29, 
1839,  in  East  Greenwich,  Kent  County,  a  son  of  Charles  C  and  Sarah  P. 
(Pierce)  Eldredge,  natives  of  Rhode  Island.  Charles  C.  Eldredge,  Sr., 
was  a  son  of  Dr.  Charles  Eldredge,  a  leading  practitioner  in  Rhode  Island, 
who  spent  his  life  in  that  State.  To  Charles  C,  Sr.,  and  Sarah  P.  El- 
dredge were  born  the  following  children:  Ellen,  of  Providence,  R.  I.; 
James,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  in  the  fifties  and  joined  the  forces  of 
the  Confederates  when  they  passed  through  Cooper  County  during  the 
Civil  War,  took  an  important  part  in  the  battle  of  Lexington,  resided  in 
Cooper  County  for  many  years,  and  in  his  later  years  moved  to  Johnson 
County  and  died  at  Holden,  Mo.;  Charles  C,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Lucy,  of  East  Greenwich,  R.  I. ;  and  Henry,  deceased.  The  father  of 
Charles  C.  Eldredge  died  when  his  son  was  still  a  child. 

In  private  and  public  schools  Charles  C.  Eldredge  received  his  ele- 
mentary education.  He  mastered  the  machinist's  trade  at  Beloit,  Wis., 
and  worked  at  his  trade  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  with  Company  C,  Marine  Artillery, 
and  served  90  days.  He  returned  home  at  that  time  and  re-enlisted  later 
for  three  years.  Mr.  Eldredge  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Rhode  Island  Infantry.  He  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder 
at  the  battle  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  when  he  was  forming  his  men  for  a 
charge.  He  recovered  slowly  from  the  wound,  but  he  did  not  return  to 
the  army  after  his  recovery.  Mr.  Eldredge  had  served  three  and  one- 
half  years.  After  the  war  had  ended,  he  again  took  up  his  trade  and  fol- 
lowed it  until  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  the  late 
sixties.  Mr.  Eldredge,  at  first,  rented  a  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township, 
and,  later,  purchased  a  country  place,  comprising  300  acres  of  the  best 
land  in  the  county,  which  was  his  residence  until  his  removal  to  Boonville 
in  1904. 

In  1868,  Charles  C.  Eldredge  and  Martha  Ann  Davis  were  united  in 
marriage.  Mrs.  Eldredge  was  a  daughter  of  N.  E.  and  Martha  (Johnson) 
Davis,  honored  pioneers  of  Missouri.  To  this  union  were  born  10  chil- 
dren: Dr.  James  Shelton,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Lucy,  the  wife  of  Rever- 
end Cunningham,  of  Texas;  Elizabeth  Dean,  the  wife  of  "Min"  Cunning- 
ham, of  Cooper  County;  Margaret  Olive,  the  wife  of  Leslie  Laws,  of 
Camargo,  Okla. ;  Charles  C,  Jr.,  of  Boonville;  Anna  Martha,  the  wife  of 
Al  Shannon,  of  Boonville  township;  Dorothy,  the  wife  of  Fred  Bair,  of 


CHAIU.ICS  c.    IOLDRIOIkiiO    AND    WIFE 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  545 

Vernon  County,  near  Walker,  Mo. ;  Sarah  Pierce,  the  wife  of  VV.  Williams, 
of  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. ;  Laura,  the  wife  of  David  Hurt ;  and  Hemy  P.,  who 
died  in  infancy.  The  mother  died  in  1897  and*  her  remains  are  interred 
in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery  in  Clark's  Monument. 

Oct.  14,  1908,  Charles  C.  Eldredge  and  Roberta  Ella  (Harris)  Howlett 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Eldredge  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Nancy  (Burger)  Harris.  She  was  bom  at  Prairie  Home  in  1845,  and 
her  father  and  mother  were  natives  of  Boone  and  Cooper  Counties,  re- 
spectively. Robert  Harris  died  when  the  overflow  of  the  Missouri  River 
occurred  in  the  early  forties  (1844).  His  death  was  due  to  exposure  from 
working  in  the  overflow,  attempting  to  save  the  lives  of  people  and  stock. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Harris  operated  a  tannery.  Mrs.  Eldredge 
was  first  married  to  James  Archie  Howlett  in  1862,  and  by  her  first  mar- 
riage she  is  the  mother  of  six  children :  James  A.,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Harriet 
Elizabeth  Stemmons,  deceased ;  Logie  Josephine,  the  wife  of  Edward 
Nance,  of  San  Francisco,  Calif. ;  Lillian,  the  wife  of  Will  Sperry,  of  St. 
Louis ;  Athalena,  the  wife  of  Robert  Fleming,  of  California ;  and  Robert 
Hatcher,  of  St.  Louis.  Mrs.  Eldredge  recalls  that,  in  connection  with  the 
history  of  the  early  days  in  the  county,  her  uncle  and  aunt,  Joseph  and 
Betsy  Jane  Burger,  frequently  rode  on  horseback  to  Boonville,  a  distance 
of  14  miles  from  their  home,  and  carried  to  the  market  a  large  bucket  of 
butter  and  a  basket  of  eggs.  The  Burger  family  came  from  Holland,  and 
Joseph  Burger  settled  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eldredge  reside 
in  a  comfortable  home  south  of  the  Kemper  Military  School. 

Mr.  Eldredge  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  for  50  years.  He  and  Mrs.  Eldredge  are  valued  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Christian  Church.  They  stand  high  in  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  their  fellow  citizens  and  they  are  numbered  among  the  county's 
best  families. 

William  George  Robien,  farmer  and  live  stock  dealer,  residing  at 
Prairie  Lick,  Mo.,  has  a  splendid  farm  of  245  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
resided  since  1912.    Mr.  Robien  was  born  in  Cooper  County  Feb.  24,  1870. 

His  father,  Henry  Robien,  was  born  March  9,  1836,  and  died  June 
11,  1872.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  America  in 
1859,  married  Marie  Hoflander,  who  was  born  May  16,  1834,  and  died 
Jan.  15,  1917.  She,  Maine  Robien,  was  born  in  Sachsen-Coburg,  Germany, 
village  of  Grosgornstadt,  and  came  to  America,  May  19,  1853.  She  was 
(35) 


546  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

first  married  to  Christian  Krohn  Aug.  14,  1861.  Mr.  Krohn  was  killed 
by  guerillas  Aug.  31,  1863.  Her  next  marriage  was  with  Henry  Robien, 
on  Feb.  2,  1865,  and  to  this  marriage  were  born  three  children:  William 
George  Robien,  of  this  review;  Lena  Robien  resides  with  the  other  son, 
Henry  P.  Robien,  who  lives  on  a  farm  just  south  of  Boonville.  Henry 
Robien,  the  elder,  served  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War,  with 
a  Missouri  regiment.  He  was  badly  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Arrow 
Rock,  nine  buckshot  being  taken  from  his  body.  He  took  part  in  the 
memorable  chase  after  General  Price's  rebel  army  through  Missouri  and 
Arkansas,  followed  farming  pursuits  after  the  close  of  the  war  and  died 
of  pneumonia  in  1872. 

May  11,  1876,  Mrs.  Marie  Robien  was  married  to  Henry  Zimmerman, 
who  was  born  April  30,  1831,  in  Wertumburg,  Germany,  came  to  America 
in  1852  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  July  22,  1913.  Two  children  of 
Henry  Zimmerman  survive :  Mary,  wife  of  John  E.  Kirchner,  near  Boon- 
ville; Katie,  deceased  wife  of  Henry  Wendleton,  near  Speed,  Mo. 

W.  G.  Robien  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  has  always  been  a 
farmer  and  live  stock  man.  He  purchased  his  first  farm  in  1897.  For 
the  past  22  years  he  has  been  a  large  buyer  and  shipper  of  live  stock  and 
his  shipments  will  aggregate  many  carloads  yearly.  The  past  season  of 
1918  and  1919  has  been  exceptionally  unfavorable  to  the  live  stock  buyers 
and  shippers,  who,  in  many  cases,  have  been  merely  turning  over  their 
money  or  losing  on  their  deals  because  of  the  scarcity  and  high  price  of 
feed  for  the  stock,  and  poor  condition  of  the  stock. 

Feb.  10,  1897,  W.  G.  Robien  and  Miss  Lizzie  Oswald,  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Herman  Oswald,  were  united  in  marriage.  The  children  born  to 
this  union  are :    Florence,  Elmer,  Frances,  Mary,  and  Mabel. 

Mr.  Robien  is  a  member  of  the  Martinsville  Catholic  Church  and  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  He  is  a  well  informed  and  progressive  citizen  who 
is  usually  found  in  the  forefront  of  good  movements  for  the  betterment 
and  progress  of  things  in  his  native  county.  Genial  and  kindly  disposed, 
he  has  many  friends  in  Cooper  County. 

John  E.  Kirchner,  owner  of  600  acres  of  fertile  and  productive  Cooper 
County  land  began  with  a  small  tract  of  12  acres  when  23  years  of  age. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had  120  acres  and  has  carefully  followed 
out  his  well  defined  plan  of  continually  adding  to  his  acreage  as  he  was 
able.  Mr.  Kirchner  never  had  things  easy  in  his  life  until  of  late  years. 
If  one  were  to  ask  how  he  came  to  be  so  well  fixed  he  would  answer,  "by 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  547 

hard  work,  planning  ahead  and  making  the  earnings  of  the  farm  count 
for  the  best,  and  not  being  extravagant".  He  began  to  work  when  he 
was  nine  years  old,  because  necessity  demanded  that  he  go  to  work  and 
help  support  his  widowed  mother  and  family.  At  the  age  of  10  he  was 
doing  the  work  of  a  plowman,  cutting  wood,  and  doing  the  hardest  kind 
of  work  around  the  farm.  When  he  was  22  years  old  he  began  renting 
land.  Soon  thereafter  he  purchased  his  first  farm  a  modest  12  acres. 
Anyhow,  it  was  a  beginning,  and  there  is  no  telling  when  this  ambitious 
citizen  will  stop  accumulating  farms.  Of  the  acreage  held  by  the  Kirch- 
ners,  Mrs.  Kirchner  has  250  acres  which  came  to  her  by  inheritance. 

John  E.  Kirchner  was  born  in  Germany,  Dec.  18,  1852.  He  was  three 
weeks  old  when  his  parents,  Nicholas  and  Eva  Kirchner,  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  to  seek  a  home  in  America.  Nicholas  Kirchner  located 
in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  Jan.,  1853,  lived  for  two  years  in  Boonville,  and 
then  bought  a  small  farm  of  20  acres  just  southeast  of  the  city.  He  died 
of  pneumonia  in  1863.  Four  children  were  left  fatherless  and  another 
child  was  born  after  the  father's  death.  The  children  are:  John  E.,  sub-> 
ject  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Mary  Lowe,  living  southwest  of  Vermont,  Mo.; 
Frank,  a  farmer  southeast  of  Vermont,  Mo. ;  Louise,  deceased ;  Annie,  the 
wife  of  Ed  Melkelrsman,  Boonville,  Mo.  The  mother  of  these  children 
nobly  shouldered  the  task  of  rearing  her  family  to  maturity.  She  de- 
parted this  life  in  1907. 

Mr.  Kirchner's  home  place,  whereon  he  has  resided  for  the  past  12 
years,  is  well  improved,  with  a  handsome  farm  residence,  which  sets  on 
an  elevation  overlooking  the  surrounding  country.  The  greater  part  of 
the  Kirchner  land  cost  $20  an  acre  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  it  is  now 
easily  worth  from  $150  to  $200  an  acre. 

John  E.  Kirchner  was  married  in  1884  to  Mary  B.  Zimmerman,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Sophie  (Beck)  Zimmerman,  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Kirch- 
ner was  born  in  Ohio,  in  April,  1857,  and  one  month  later  her  parents 
came  to  Cooper  County,  where  she  was  reared.  Her  mother  was  born  in 
1830  and  died  in  1874.    She  had  a  sister,  Mrs.  Henry  Wendleton,  deceased. 

The  children  born  to  John  E.  and  Mary  B.  Kirchner  are  as  follows: 
Emery  Korchner,  born  Jan.  29,  1886,  owner  of  a  farm  of  100  acres; 
Katie  is  the  wife  of  William  Boggemeier,  near  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Flora,  at 
home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Kirchner  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church. 


548  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Dr.  O.  W.  Cochran,  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  prominent  and  best- 
known  citizens,  is  a  native  of  Boone  County.  Dr.  Cochran  was  born 
March  5,  1860,  near  Rocheport,  a  son  of  Samuel  D.  and  Amanda  (Boggs) 
Cochran,  honored  pioneers  of  Missouri. 

Samuel  D.  Cochran  was  a  son  of  John  Cochran,  an  early  settler  of 
Boone  County,  who  came  west  in  1811.  Amanda  (Boggs)  Cochran  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Boggs,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1812.  Both  the  Coch- 
ran and  the  Boggs  families  came  from  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Cochran  died  in 
1880,  at  the  age  of  50  years.  Samuel  D.  Cochran  died  in  1915,  at  the  age 
of  82  years.  Both  mother  and  father  are  interred  in  Sugar  Creek  Ceme- 
tery in  Boone  County.  The  children  of  Samuel  D.  and  Amanda  Cochran 
are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Baldwin,  who  died  in  1916;  Mrs.  Thomas 
T.  Lowrey,  Perkins,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  George  L.  Williamson,  Columbia,  Mo.; 
and  Dr.  0.  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Dr.  0.  W.  Cochran  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Boone  County.  James  Cooney,  who  later  became  congressman 
from  the  Seventh  District,  was  his  teacher.  Dr.  Cochran  attended  the 
State  University  of  Missouri  at  Columbia  for  three  years.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Louisville  Medical  College,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1885. 
March  4,  1887,  he  came  to  Gooch's  Mill,  and  he  has  been  located  here  for 
the  past  32  years.  Dr.  Cochran  is  the  owner  of  a  farm,  comprising  375 
acres  of  valuable  land  in  Saline  township.  He  is  perhaps  the  oldest  prac- 
titioner in  Cooper  County,  and  he  has  established  an  unusually  fine  prac- 
tice. 

In  December,  1887,  Dr.  0.  W.  Cochran  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Octavia  V.  Quarles,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Quarles,  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship. Both  the  father  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Cochran  were  natives  of 
Virginia,  and  both  are  now  deceased  and  their  remains  are  interred  in 
Ellis  Cemetery  near  Prairie  Home.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cochran  "have  been 
born  the  following  children:  William  Owen,  who  was  born  Dec.  7,  1888, 
and  died  July  11,  1916;  Nellie,  the  wife  of  Frank  Bornhauser,  of  Prairie 
Home  township;  Anna  Gray,  the  wife  of  Ernest  C.  Oerly,  of  Saline  town- 
ship; and  Samuel  Victor,  a  student  in  the  Boonville  High  School.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Cochran  have  five  grandchildren ;  Virginia,  Margaret,  B.  0.,  and 
Willie  Gray,  and  an  infant.  All  the  children  of  Dr.  Cochran  and  wife  are 
graduates  of  the  Boonville  High  School.  The  doctor  and  Mrs.  Cochran 
are  worthy  and  valued  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Dr.  Cochran  was  in  charge  of  the  war  work  in  Saline  township,  man- 
againg  the  Liberty  Loans,  Red  Cross  work,  United  War  work  campaign, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  549 

the  Armenian  Relief,  and  he  was  chairman  of  the  .township  Council  of 
Defense.  For  eight  years  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  democratic  cen- 
tral committee  of  Cooper  County.  Dr.  Cochran  is  affiliated  with  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Dr.  Cochran  made  the  race  for 
tke  State  senatorship  in  1909  and  was  defeated  by  one  vote  by  Sam  C. 
Major,  now  congressman  from  the  Seventh  District  of  Missouri.  Dr. 
Cochran  is  a  good  citizen,  and  a  man  of  high  ideals.  He  commands  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Dr.  Ace  Overton  Donahew,  veterinarian,  with  offices  at  803  East 
Morgan  street,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  has  during  the  17  years  he  has  been  prac- 
ticing his  profession,  made  a  reputation  as  a  skilled  and  competent  veter- 
inarian, which  is  second  to  none  in  Central  Missouri.  Dr.  Donahew's 
practice  extends  over  Cooper,  Howard,  Moniteau,  Pettis,  and  Saline 
Counties  and  part  of  Boone  County,  Mo.  He  was  born  Aug.  17,  1865,  in 
Mount  Sterling,  Ky.  His  father  was  John  Donahew  (b.  1820,  d.  1888), 
born  in  Kentucky  and  a  son  of  John  Donahew,  a  Kentucky  pioneer.  John 
Donahew  migrated  with  his  family  to  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  1870,  bring- 
ing his  movable  possessions  to  this  county  in  wagons.  He  settled  on  the 
prairie  near  La  Monte,  Mo.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1874,  removed  to  a  farm 
in  Saline  County.  His  first  few  years  in  Missouri  were  disastrous  ones, 
facing  total  crop  failures  through  the  dry  years  of  the  early  seventies. 
The  panic  of  1873  had  its  effect,  also,  with  the  dropping  of  prices  of  farm 
products  ot  their  lowest  level  in  many  years.  The  grasshopper  pest  of 
1872-73  also  cleaned  out  the  crops  on  the  prairies.  Mr.  Donahew  man- 
aged to  make  a  new  start  in  Saline  County,  prospering  and  was  making 
plans  to  purchase  a  farm  of  his  own  when  he  was  stricken  down  with 
typhoid  fever  and  died  in  1888.  The  entire  family  was  attacked,  and  the 
father  succumbed.  John  Donahew  married  Mary  Pettit,  who  was. born 
in  Stanton,  Ky.,  in  1840  and  died  in  1909.  She  bore  him  five  sons: 
Andrew,  died  in  1916;  Ace  Overton,  of  this  review;  James  F.,  Redding, 
California;  Edward,  Slater,  Mo.;  Austin,  Kansas  City.  Mrs.  Donahew, 
faced  with  the  task  of  keeping  her  family  together  and  rearing  them  to 
maturity.  She  succeeded  and  all  of  her  sons,  now  living  are  excellent 
citizens  in  their  respective  localities.  For  three  years  the  family  lived 
on  the  old  Ben  Derrick  farm  near  Orearville,  Mo.  In  1891  they  removed 
to  Slater,  Mo.  and  resided  there  for  seven  years.  Mrs.  Donahew  then 
moved  to  Kansas  City. 


550  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Dr.  Ace  0.  Donahew  was  educated  in  the  Kansas  City  Veterinary 
College  and  studied  his  profession  for  three  years,  1888-1889-1900.  He 
first  practiced  for  three  years  at  Slater,  Mo.  He  was  then  located  at 
Fayette,  Mo.  for  four  months  prior  to  coming  to  Boonville  on  May  15, 
1903. 

Combined  with  Sr.  Donahew's  knowledge  of  the  science  of  his  pro- 
fession is  a  profound  understanding  of  animals,  and  an  expert  insight  into 
the  characteristics  of  the  horse.  For  a  period  of  15  years  prior  to  taking 
up  the  study  of  his  profession  he  was  one  of  the  best  known  horse  break- 
ers and  trainers  in  this  section  of  the  West.  He  studied  the  art  of  horse 
training  under  Prof.  Gleason  of  Kansas  City,  and  then  made  a  business  of 
training  and  breaking  track  horses.  Regularly  each  season  he  would 
make  the  circuit  and  would  be  at  all  the  racing  meets  when  trotting  and 
running  races  were  in  the  heyday  of  popularity  with  the  western  people. 
Dr.  Donahew  trained  "Jim  Ramey"  of  Sedalia  and  broke  and  trained  sev- 
eral track  animals  for  John  R.  Gentry  of  Sedalia,  who  produced  "John  R. 
Gentry"  and  "Theodore  Shelton"  the  greatest  two-year-olds  of  their  day. 
He  trained  "Sam  Fuller"  of  Fayette,  and  was  the  trainer  of  "King 
Herod"  and  "Telegram",  two  of  the  noted  pacers  and  trotters  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country. 

Dr.  Ace  O.  Donahew  was  married  in  1906  to  Miss  Theresa  German 
of  Hermann,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Henry  German.  This  marriage 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children:  Garmon  Frederick,  Frances  Louise, 
and  Dorothy  May. 

Dr.  Donahew  is  a  democrat  and  takes  quite  an  interest  in  political 
matters.  He  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

George  Hutchin  Moore,  proprietor  of  "Truesdale  Stock  Farm,"  is  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  first  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  mem- 
bers of  which  have  been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  this  county  for  over  a 
century.  His  great  grandfather  was  Maj.  William  Moore,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1816,  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  War  of  1812,  during  which  struggle  he  served  as  major  in  an 
American  regiment.  George  Moore,  son  of  Major  Moore,  married  a  Miss 
Stephens  of  the  old  Stephens  family  of  Cooper  County,  who  settled  here 
as  early  as  1817. 

Charles  F.  Moore,  father  of  George  H.  Moore,  of  this  review,  was 
born  in  Cooper  County  in  1829  and  died  in  1913.  He  married  Martha 
Inglish,  a  daughter  of  Hutchin  Inglish,  a  pioneer  settler  of  Moniteau 
County,  and  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.    Charles  F.  Moore  conducted 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  551 

a  store  at  the  old  town  of  Palestine  and  was  an  extensive  grain  buyer  and 
shipper  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  citizen  of  versatile  attainments, 
well  educated,  and  proficient  in  many  lines.  He  was  a  veterinary  sur- 
geon. He  was  one  of  those  neighborhood  geniuses  who  could  turn  a  deft 
hand  and  brain  to  almost  anything  in  the  line  of  a  farmer's  necessity  and 
do  it  well.  He  speculated  largely  in  Missouri  land  and  bought  and  sold 
farms  in  Cooper  County,  becoming  a  large  land  owner  on  his  own  account. 
During  the  last  20  years  of  his  life  he  made  his  home  in  Boonville. 
Charles  F.  Moore  was  father  of  six  children:  George  Hutchin,  subject 
of  this  review;  Return  L.,  for  25  years  local  agent  for  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railroad  Co.  at  Boonville,  now  living  in  Georgia;  Cornelia  is  the  wife  of 
R.  L.  Windsor,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Mrs.  Florence  Eller  lives  near 
Fayette,  Howard  County,  Mo. ;  Gillis  Moore  lives  in  Kansas  City ;  Ger- 
trude is  the  wife  of  Ben  Curtis,  Poteau,  Okla. 

G.  Hutchin  Moore  was  bom  July  26,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  and  attended  Professors  Cullough  and  Simpson's  Institute, 
near  Concord  Church.  He  began  upon  a  rented  farm  on  his  own  account 
near  Billingsville  in  1873.  In  1877  he  removed  to  Johnson  County,  Mo., 
and  after  farming  in  that  county  for  four  years  he  returned  to  Cooper 
County  in  1882  and  purchased  part  of  his  father's  home  place  in  June  of 
that  year.  For  the  past  31  years  Mr.  Moore  has  resided  on  his  farm  and 
is  the  owner  of  240  acres,  upon  which  he  has  practically  placed  all  of  the 
existing  improvements.  The  Truesdale  Stock  Farm  is  noted  for  the  fine 
horses  produced  and  raised  on  the  place.  The  sons  of  Mr.  Moore  are 
breeders  of  saddle  horses  and  jacks.  They  sold  "Missouri  King,"  a  three- 
year-old,  to  P.  Hawkins,  who  later  sold  him  to  a  California  man  for  $5,000. 
The  strain  of  the  Moore  horses  is  the  "Rex  McDonald"  breed.  "Missouri 
King'  was  awarded  the  grand  championship  prize  at  the  Royal  Stock 
Show  in  Kansas  City.  Mammoth  jacks  are  bred  on  the  Moore  farm, 
which  has  had  as  high  as  a  dozen  or  more  head  of  fine  thoroughbreds  at 
one  time  in  the  stables. 

G.  Hutchin  Moore  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Lucretia  Eller,  born 
in  Cooper  County  in  1854,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Martha  (Oglesby) 
Eller,  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  were  pioneers  in  this  county.  The  chil- 
dren born  of  this  union  are :  Mrs.  Claudia  Gosnold,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. ; 
Mrs.  Daisy  Dean  Rutherford,  living  near  Otterville,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Bessie 
Coleman,  Bunceton,  Mo.;  Marvin,  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  Calif.; 
Trevor  H.,  on  the  home  place ;  Delia,  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Moore  is  a  democrat  and  is  a  member  of  the  Bapitst  Church. 


552  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Frank  N.  Blank,  proprietor  of  "Grove  Place,"  a  valuable  farm  of  240 
acres  in  Prairie  Home  township,  is  one  of  the  most  successful  cattle  breed- 
ers in  that  section.  Mr.  Blank  was  born  May  24,  1876,  son  and  only  child 
of  Jacob  and  Emma  (Hofferberg)  Blank,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on 
that  same  place,  son  of  Nicholas  Blank,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  that  section  of  Cooper  County.  Nicholas  Blank  and  wife 
were  among  the  first  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church  at  Pleasant 
Grove,  and  are  buried  in  the  churchyard  there.  Jacob  Blank  died  in 
1878,  at  the  age  of  32  years,  and  his  widow  survived  him  but  two  years, 
her  death  occurring  in  1880,  she  then  being  26  years  of  age. 

Frank  N.  Blank,  early  orphaned,  was  reared  in  the  household  of  his 
uncle,  Ernest  Kirschman,  and  upon  coming  into  his  majority  took  over 
the  fine  farm  which  had  come  to  him  through  his  father  and  his  grand- 
father. He  grew  up  on  that  place,  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old 
Prairie  Home  Insitute  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  has  given  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  a  vocation  which  is  returning  him 
ample  rewards.  "Grove  Place  Farm"  is  an  admirably  improved  place  of 
240  acres  which  was  "entered"  from  the  Government  by  one  Murphy  in 
the  days  of  the  Van  Buren  administration,  and  was  purchased  from  the 
patentee  by  Mr.  Blank's  grandfather,  Nicholas  Blank.  The  place  is  well 
situated  three  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Prairie  Home,  and  is  well 
watered,  a  good  pond  and  springs  being  supplemented  by  a  driven  well 
214  feet  deep.  Since  taking  over  the  management  of  the  property,  Mr. 
Blank  has  made  numerous  substantial  improvements  on  the  same,  these 
including  the  erection  of  a  new  farm  house  in  1899,  and  the  building  of 
three  barns,  one  in  that  same  year,  another  in  1902,  and  another  in  1912, 
besides  garage,  machine  shop  and  such  other  buildings  as  required.  Since 
1901  Mr.  Blank  has  been  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  registered  Hereford 
cattle  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Spieler,  their  present 
herd  of  about  40  head  being  headed  by  "Excelsior  VI"  and  "Free  Lance," 
and  in  this  connection  has  done  much  to  improve  the  strain  of  Hereford 
throughout  tnis  section,  the  products  of  "Grove  Place"  herd  being  in  wide 
demand.  As  one  of  the  means  of  exploiting  this  herd  Mr.  Blank,  who  is 
a  highly-skilled  amateur  photographer,  maintains  a  well-equipped  photo- 
graph "gallery"  on  his  place. 

In  1899,  Frank  N.  Blank  was  united  in  marriage  to  Bertha  Spieler, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
Lucille,  who  is  at  home.  Mrs.  Blank  is  a  daughter  of  Otto  and  Margaret 
(Young)   Spieler,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  making  her  home  on 


FRANK    N.    BLANK 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  553 

the  home  place.  Otto  Spieler  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Blank  having  three  brothers,  Ernest,  of  Wooldridge;  Otto,  of 
St.  Louis ;  and  Henry  Spieler,  of  Wooldridge,  who  is  a  partner  of  Mr. 
Blank ;  Mrs.  Charles  Oerly,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Lon  S.  Swanstone,  near  Gooch's 
Mills ;  Laura  and  Minnie,  at  home. 

Mr.  Blank  is  a  member  of  the  Herford  Breeders'  Association.  He  is 
a  republican,  and  a  member  of  Pleasant  Grove  Evangelical  Church,  and  is 
affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen. 

Lon  V.  Wendleton. — The  most  complete  farm  plant  in  the  central 
part  of  Cooper  County  is  that  of  Lon  V.  Wendleton,  in  Palestine  township. 
The  Wendleton  farm  is  improved  with  a  handsome,  modern  farm  resi- 
dence, large  barns,  shops  and  a  planing  mill  so  as  to  make  the  place  inde- 
pendent of  outside  assistance.  The  saw  mill  and  planing  mill  was  erected 
by  Mr.  Wendleton  so  as  to  prepare  the  lumber  for  his  new  home,  which  is 
practically  built  of  hardwood  lumber,  cut  from  the  timber  on  the  farm  of 
543.5  acres,  which  he  is  managing.  The  house  consists  of  ten  rooms, 
finished  in  oak,  cherry,  walnut,  and  red  elm,  all  of  which  was  cut,  sawed, 
and  finished  for  use  on  the  farm.  The  planing  mill  has  been  in  operation 
since  1915  and  has  already  paid  for  itself  and  done  work  far  above  in 
value  of  the  original  cost.  Mr.  Wendleton  does  some  custom  work 
merely  for  the  accommodation  of  his  neighbors.  This  fine  home  is  lighted 
by  gas,  and  heated  by  a  hot  water  heating  plant.  The  modem  day, 
progressive  farmer  of  the  class  to  which  Mr.  Wendleton  belongs,  has  come 
into  his  own  and  is  fast  seeing  the  light  of  better  days. 

Mr.  Wendleton  is  owner  of  137.5  acres,  the  rest  of  the  large  tract 
which  he  is  farming  being  the  property  of  his  uncle,  Henry  Wendleton. 
Considerable  live  stock  is  produced  on  the  Wendleton  farms;  one  carload 
of  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle  is  fed  each  year  and  fattened  for  the 
market;  from  one  to  two  carloads  of  hogs  are  sold  on  the  markets;  60 
sheep  are  maintained  the  year  round. 

Lon  V.  Wendleton  was  born  Dec.  22,  1886,  on  a  farm  three  miles 
west  of  his  present  home.  He  is  a  son  of  David  Wendleton.  He  has 
resided  with  his  uncle,  Henry  Wendleton,  since  he  was  10  years  of  age 
and  has  had  the  management  of  his  uncle's  large  farm  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Wendleton  was  married  Sept.  29,  1908,  to  Miss  Grace  Hendrick, 
who  was  born  in  the  Indian  Territory,  May  12,  1888,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  James  P.  and  Eva  (Turner)  Hendrick,  natives  of  Missouri.  James  B. 
Hendrick  resided  for  a  few  years  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  after  his 
return  to  Missouri,  settled  in  Lafayette  county,  where  he  resided  until 


554  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

his  removal  to  Boone  County,  where  he  is  now  residing.  Three  children 
have  blessed  this  marriage:  Mildred,  born  Oct.  5,  1909;  Ruth,  born  Jan. 
20,  1911;  Earl,  born  March  12,  1915. 

Mr.  Wendleton  is  a  democrat.  He  and  Mrs.  Wendleton  are  members 
of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masons.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wendleton  are  well  informed  and  well  educated  people,  who  are  hos- 
pitably inclined  and  of  the  true  Missouri,  progressive  type.  Both  have 
had  the  advantages  of  study  in  the  State  University  and  the  Normal 
Academy,  and  endeavor  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times. 

Henry  Wendleton  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1854,  and  was  a  son 
of  David  Wendleton,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  left  his  native  land,  came 
to  America,  and  located  permanently  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1833. 
Further  details  of  the  history  of  the  Wendleton  family  will  be  found  in 
the  sketch  of  David  Wendleton.  Mr.  Wendleton  has  been  twice  married ; 
his  first  wife  having  been  a  Miss  Catherine  Barbara  Zimmerman,  who 
died  in  1903.  His  second  marriage,  in  1906,  was  with  Sophia  Muntzel, 
who  died  two  and  a  half  years  after  her  marriage. 

J.  Louis  Staebler. — A  rich  and  fertile  farm,  well  improved  and 
located  advantageously,  such  as  the  farm  of  J.  Louis  Staebler,  of  Billings- 
ville,  is  a  possession  of  which  any  man  can  well  be  proud.  The  Staebler 
place  consists  of  200  acres  and  has  a  handsome  residence  of  11  rooms 
erected  in  1907  and  modern  in  every  respect.  This  home  is  equipped  with 
a  gas  lighting  system,  water  system,  furnace  and  was  one  of  the  first 
modern  homes  built  in  this  section  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Staebler  is 
a  producer  of  hogs  and  raises  and  feeds  about  150  head  of  animals  yearly 
for  the  markets.    He  was  born  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  June  6,  1856. 

J.  Louis  Staebler,  Sr.,  his  father,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1820,  and 
died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1903.  The  ancestral  seat  of  the  Staebler 
family  is  at  or  near  Stuttgart,  Wurtemburg,  Germany.  Mr.  Staebler  im- 
migrated to  America  in  1853  and  settled  near  Urbana,  Ohio.  This  section 
of  Ohio,  at  that  time,  was  in  a  more  or  less  wooded  condition  and  the 
forests  in  process  of  clearing.  The  soil  was  wet  and  malaria  was  pre- 
valent among  the  settlers  and  residents.  Mr.  Staebler  became  afflicted 
with  malaria  and  was  advised  by  his  family  doctor  to  come  west,  entirely 
out  of  the  malaria-ridden  country.  He  had  friends  in  Missouri  and  learned 
through  them  of  the  excellence  of  the  climate  in  the  Cooper  County 
neighborhood.  Accordingly,  he  disposed  of  his  property  in  Ohio,  and 
drove  across  country  in  company  with  two  other  families,  their  belong- 
ings being  carried  in  six  wagons.  In  1859,  Mr.  Staebler  brought  his  be- 
longings to  Missouri  with  two  teams  and  lived  for  the  first  two  years  on 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  555 

a  farm  south  of  Boonville.  J.  Louis  Staebler,  .Sr.,  served  in  the  State 
Militia  during  the  Civil  War.  When  General  Rice's  Army  raided  Boon- 
ville and  Cooper  County  in  1863,  the  Confederates  raided  the  Staebler 
farm,  stripped  the  farm  and  home  of  provisions  and  live  stock  and  feed, 
and  robbed  him  of  his  money  and  all  his  possessions.  A  battle  was  fought 
near  the  Staebler  place  between  the  Union  forces  under  General  Kratz 
Brown  and  Price's  men.  In  1873  he  located  on  the  farm  owned  by  his 
son,  J.  Louis  Staebler,  Jr.  His  wife  was  Christina  Grauer.  She  was  bora 
near  Stuttgart,  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  in  1833  and  departed  this  life 
Jan.  20,  1917.    J.  Louis  Staebler  was  the  only  child  of  his  parents. 

Nov.  7,  1889,  J.  Louis  Staebler  was  married  to  Elizabeth  J.  Dueschle, 
born  in  1867,  near  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Adam,  Sr.,  and 
Catherine  (Shook)  Dueschle,  natives  of  Germany  and  early  settlers  in 
Cooper  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Staebler  have  two  children:  Esther  O., 
a  graduate  of  the  business  college  at  Boonville;  Edith,  at  home  with  her 
parents. 

Mr.  Staebler  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Billingsville 
Evangelical  Church  and  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He 
is  an  intelligent,  well  posted  citizen,  who  has  made  a  success  of  his  life 
work  and  has  arrived  at  the  point  in  life  where  he  can  live  in  comfortable 
circumstances. 

Henry  P.  Robien. — Success  in  farming  and  stock  raising  seems  to  be 
characteristic  of  the  members  of  the  Robien  family  in  Cooper  County, 
and  Henry  P.  Robien,  who  has  a  splendid  farm  of  180  acres  just  south  of 
Boonville,  is  no  exception — rather,  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the 
family,  inasmuch  as  he  is  owner  of  450  acres  of  land  in  addition  to  his 
home  farm,  situated  south  of  Billingsville.  Mr.  Robien  has  resided  on  his 
home  place  for  the  past  18  years  and  it  is  well  improved  with  a  large  brick 
house  and  other  substantial  farm  buildings,  there  being  two  sets  of  im- 
provements on  his  land.  Mr.  Robien  is  a  large  feeder  of  cattle  and  hogs, 
fattening  two  carloads  each  of  these  animals  each  year. 

Mr.  Robien  was  born  near  Speed,  Mo.,  Sept.  25,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Hof lander)  Robien,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this 
volume  in  connection  with  the  biography  of  William  G.  Robien  of  Prairie 
Lick.  When  Henry  P.  Robien  was  three  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to 
a  farm  just  south  of  Boonville.  Here  he  was  reared  to  young  manhood 
and  attended  the  district  school.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  28 
years  old  and  then  began  doing  for  himself. 

Mr.  Robien  was  married  in  1901  to  Henrietta  Zimmerman,  born  on 
the  farm  near  Billingsville,  in  1879,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Helena 


556  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

(Renken)  Zimmerman,  natives  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany.  George  Zim- 
merman was  born  in  1834  and  died  on  April  5,  1905.  His  wife,  Helena, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1838,  and  died  Jan.  17,  1907.  George  Zimmer- 
man came  to  America  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1852.  Helen 
(Renkin)  Zimmerman  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1843,  and  was 
reared  and  married  in  Cooper  County.  The  Zimmermans  settled  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Henry  P.  Robien  in  1891.  They  were  pai-ents  of  five 
children:  Henry,  Emma,  Frederick,  and  Catherine,  all  deceased;  Hen- 
rietta, wife  of  H.  P.  Robien,  is  the  only  living  child. 

H.  P.  and  Henrietta  Robien  have  two  children,  namely:  Helen  Marie 
Robien,  age  14  years;  and  George  Henry  Robien,  aged  17  years. 

Mr.  Robien  is  a  republican,  but  has  little  time  for  political  matters. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  He  is  popular, 
well  and  favorably  known  and  is  one  of  the  young  hustlers  in  Cooper 
County. 

George  W.  Carey,  of  "Maple  Grove  Farm,"  a  mile  north  of  the  town 
of  Prairie  Home,  is  not  only  the  oldest  native  born  pioneer  in  this  section 
of  Missouri,  but  is  a  member  of  the  first  families  of  Missouri.  His  grand- 
father settled  here  in  territorial  days.  Mr.  Carey  was  born  on  a  place 
four  miles  north  of  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  on  Jan.  14,  1833. 
Among  the  names  of  the  pioneers  who  were  prominent  in  affairs  here  in 
the  days  of  his  boyhood,  Mr.  Carey  recalls  James  McLain,  Andrew  Wells, 
Robert  Johnston,  James  Adair,  and  William  Smith. 

John  Carey,  a  Tennesseean,  who  came  here  and  entered  a  tract  of 
land,  now  a  part  of  Frank  Kirschman's  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township, 
100  years  or  more  ago,  was  the  founder  of  the  Carey  family  in  this  sec- 
tion. His  son,  Evans  Carey,  father  of  George  W.  Carey,  entered  two 
tracts  of  land  at  the  same  time,  a  quarter  section  on  Cave  Creek  in  Saline 
township,  now  owned  by  James  Cartner,  and  the  tract  now  included  in 
"Maple  Grove  Farm,"  owned  by  his  grandson,  Robert  A.  Carey,  and  for 
many  years  the  home  of  the  venerable  George  W.  Carey.  In  time,  Calvin 
M.  Carey,  one  of  Evans  Carey's  sons,  and  an  elder  brother  of  George  W. 
Carey,  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  this  latter  piece  of  prop- 
erty, and  in  the  succeeding  generation  his  youngest  son,  Robert  A.,  the 
present  owner,  bought  the  undivided  interests  of  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
"Maple  Grove  Farm"  thus  having  been  held  in  the  Carey  name  since  the 
day  the  original  patent  was  granted.  George  W.  Carey  has  been  twice 
married.     His  first  wife,  Polly  Woods,  died  many  years  ago,  and  is  buried 


a 

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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  557 

in  Providence  Cemetery.  By  that  union  he  has  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Clara 
Adair,  of  Prairie  Home  township,  and  Mrs.  T.  F.  Hale,  of  California,  Mo. 
Feb.  2,  1885,  Mr.  Carey  married  Mrs.  Matilda  T.  (Miller)  Carey,  widow 
of  his  deceased  brother,  Calvin  M.  Carey.     This  union  is  without  issue. 

Calvin  M.  Carey  was  born  in  Saline  township  in  1825,  and  died  in 
1879,  and  is  buried  in  the  Salem  Cemetery  in  Prairie  Home  township. 
Dec.  2,  1862,  at  Tipton,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Matilda  T.  Miller, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  seven  children  all  of  whom  are  living,  save 
George  Calvin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years,  the  others  being  as 
follows:  Prof.  Estill  Carey,  now  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Malta 
Bend,  Mo. ;  Harriet,  wife  of  L.  P.  Stark,  St.  Louis ;  Anna,  wife  of  R.  W. 
Payne,  Fayette;  Maud,  wife  of  R.  L.  Meredith,  Joplin;  Sarah,  wife  of 
Starke  Koontz,  Boonville,  and  Robert  A.,  proprietor  of  "Maple  Grove 
Farm." 

Mrs.  Matilda  T.  (Miller)  Carey  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Richmond, 
Ky.,  June  6,  1840,  and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  in  1846  her  parents, 
James  E.  and  Harriet  F.  (Tevis)  Miller,  came  to  Missouri  with  their  fam- 
ily, and  located  in  Howard  County.  A  year  later  they  moved  to  Moniteau 
County  and  settled  on  a  farm  a  mile  south  of  Tipton,  where  James  E.  Mil- 
ler died  shortly  afterward  in  1847.  His  widow  died  in  1867.  Of  the  11 
children  born  to  James  E.  Miller  and  wife,  Mrs.  Carey  is  the  only  survivor. 
She  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  in  a  boarding  school  or  sem- 
inary, which  then  was  being  conducted  in  the  settlement  which  was  the 
forerunner  of  the  present  city  of  Sedalia,  that  having  been  in  the  days 
before  the  Sedalia  townsite  was  platted,  and  was  living  at  Tipton  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  to  Calvin  M.  Carey  in  1862.  Mrs.  Carey  has  an 
unusually  well  cultivated  memory  and  her  recollection  of  social  conditions 
here  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood  form  a  most  interesting  chain  of  remin- 
iscence. She  has  one  great-grandson,  Robert  Miller  Payne,  and  20  grand- 
children, namely:  Matilda,  Anna  Maud  and  Robert  E.  Carey;  Edna, 
Estill,  Helen  and  Lenore  Stark;  Francis  and  David  Koontz;  Lee.  Carey, 
Lillian,  Harriet,  and  Guy  Meredith ;  Robert,  Martha,  and  William  Richard 
Payne,  and  Virginia  Lee  and  Robert  A.  Carey. 

Robert  Arthur  Carey,  proprietor  of  "Maple  Grove  Farm,"  one  mile 
north  of  Prairie  Home,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived  there  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  Sept.  9,  1873,  son  of  Calvin  M.  and  Matilda  T.  (Miller) 
Carey,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  making  her  home  at  "Maple 
Grove,"  as  she  has  done  for  many  years.     Calvin  M.  Carey  died  in  1879 


558  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  his  widow  in  1885  married  his  younger  brother,  George  W.  Carey, 
who  also  is  still  living  at  "Maple  Grove.'" 

Robert  A.  Carey  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old  Prairie  Home 
Institute  and  in  the  high  school  at  Boonville,  and  from  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  farm.  Some 
time  ago  he  became  owner  of  the  place,  with  his  mother,  by  purchase' of 
the  interests  of  his  brother  and  sisters.  Since  then  he  has  made  numer- 
ous substantial  improvements  to  the  place,  including  a  remodeling  of  the 
residence,  the  erection  of  two  barns,  one  38x54  and  the  other  36x60,  and 
other  essential  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Carey  has  long  given  considerable 
attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  for  the  past  five  years  has  main- 
tained an  excellent  herd  of  registered  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle,  with  which 
he  has  had  much  success.  He  also  has  a  good  bunch  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs 
and  a  flock  of  60  or  more  sheep. 

Dec.  27,  1909,  Robert  A.  Carey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine 
Niederwimer,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born,  Virginia  Lee  and  Robert  Arthur,  Jr.  Mrs.  Carey 
is  a  daughter  of  Frank  Niederwimer  and  wife,  who  are  now  living  at 
Fayette.  She  received  her  schooling  at  the  Oak  Grove  School  in  Saline 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carey  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Prairie  Home.  Mr.  Carey  gives  a  good  citizen's  attention  to 
local  civic  affairs,  and  has  served  as  clerk  and  director  of  the  Providence 
School  District  several  terms.  "Maple  Grove  Farm"  is  an  attractive  and 
well  kept  place. 

Thomas  Francis  Grathwohl,  of  the  Billingsville  neighborhood,  has  a 
splendid  farm  of  260  acres,  which  is  well  improved  with  a  modern  resi- 
dence erected  in  1907,  two  large  barns,  a  silo  40  feet  in  height,  and  14 
feet  in  width  and  everything  about  his  place  is  kept  in  first-class  shape. 
Two  tracts,  one  of  80  acres  and  the  other  of  108  acres,  lay  in  Boonville 
township,  the  rest  of  his  land  is  in  Palestine  township. 

Thomas  F.  Grathwohl  was  born  in  Logansport,  Ind.,  Oct.  4,  1866. 
His  father  was  Timothy  Grathwohl,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  immi- 
grated to  America  when  a  young  man,  married  Margeretha  Barbara  Hol- 
lander, and  settled  in  Cooper  County  about  1866.  He  died  in  this  county, 
Oct.  7,  1871. 

Margaretha  Barbara  (Hoflander)  Grathwohl  was  bora  Aug.  9,  1836, 
in  Germany,  and  accompanied  her  parents,  Johann  Ernst  and  Kunigunda 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  559 

(Stegner)  Hoflander  to  America  in  1854.  She  died  Dec.  29,  1913.  The 
children  born  to  Timothy  and  Margaretha  Barbara  Grathwohl  are  as  fol- 
lows: Charles  Timothy,  born  Sept.  3,  1860;  Conrad  Ansell,  born  in  La- 
fayette, Ind.,  April  3,  1862,  died  Feb.  18,  1914;  Maria  Anna,  born  July 
25,  1864,  died  Aug.  14,  1885;  Thomas  Francis,  born  Oct.  4,  1866;  Mag- 
dalena  Barbara,  born  Dec.  11,  1869;  Joseph  Caspar,  born  Aug.  24,  1871, 
died  in  1873. 

After  the  death  of  Timothy  Grathwohl,  the  widow  and  children  went 
to  her  father's  home  at  Billingsville  and  she  kept  house  for  her  brother 
until  the  children  were  able  to  work  for  their  own  support.  The  widow 
eventually  bought  a  small  farm  and  assisted  by  her  brothers  Paul  and 
George  and  her  growing  sons,  the  family  eventually  became  possessed  of 
the  place  of  108  acres,  where  Thomas  F.  Grathwohl  now  lives.  Here  the 
mother  lived  until  two  years  prior  to  her  death,  when  she  made  her  home 
with  her  son  Charles. 

Thomas  F.  Grathwohl  lived  at  the  homes  of  his  uncles,  Paul  and 
George  Hoflander,  until  he  became  of  age.  He  and  his  two  brothers, 
Charles  and  Conrad,  then  pooled  their  possessions  and  strength  and 
bought  the  Charles  Grathwohl  farm  together.  They  kept  up  a  partner- 
ship for  10  years  and  prospered.  In  1904  the  brothers  divided  their  land 
holdings.  Thomas  F.  Grathwohl  received  117  acres  of  land  and  Charles 
and  Conrad,  his  brothers,  took  the  original  farm  bought  by  the  brothers, 
and  the  partnership  was  dissolved.  Mr.  Grathwohl  keeps  good  live  stock 
and  has  a  thoroughbred  male  Hereford  leader  for  his  herd  of  cattle.  He 
keeps  thoroughbred  Duroc  Jersey  and  Poland  China  hogs.  Industry,  wise 
management,  and  close  application  have  made  him  one  of  the  well  to  do 
and  influential  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Grathwold  was  married  on  Nov.  8,  1896,  to  Miss  Amelia  Muntzel, 
who  was  born  May  10,  1877,  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Fritz  Muntzel,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  connection  with  that  of  F.  H. 
Muntzel  in  this  history.  The  children  born  to  Thomas  F.  and  Amelia 
Grathwohl  are  as  follows:  Henry,  a  senior  in  the  Boonville  High  School; 
Corinne,  Joseph,  Marie,  Carl,  and  Elsie,  at  home. 

Mr.  Grathwohl  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Billingsville  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Billingsville  Sunday 
school.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Speed,  Mo.,  and  is  a  director  of 
the  Clarks  Fork  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company. 


560  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Judge  Thomas  Alvin  Harris,  of  Prairie  Home,  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  citizens  and  interesting  men  of  the  older  generation  of  Cooper 
County's  native  sons.  He  was  born  in  Prairie  Home  township  in  1839, 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Edwards)  Harris,  both  natives  of  Kentucky. 
Thomas  Harris  came  here  with  his  father,  William  Harris,  and  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1820.  They  settled  in  Prairie  Home  township,  and 
William  Harris  died  a  few  years  after  coming  here,  and  was  the  first  per- 
son to  be  buried  in  the  Harris  private  cemetery.  Nancy  (Edwards)  Har- 
ris, mother  of  Judge  Harris,  died  in  1864. 

Judge  Harris  is  the  only  survivor  of  10  children  born  to  his  parents. 
The  others  were :  Stanton  P. ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Johnston ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Read ;  William ;  Mrs.  Lucinda  McDuff ee ;  John ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Son ;  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Son;  and  George  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Judge  Harris  was  reared  in  Prairie  Home  township  and  received  such 
education  as  the  local  schools  of  his  time  afforded.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  at  Boonville,  under 
General  Marmaduke,  and  took  part  in  a  number  of  battles,  among  which 
were  the  engagements  at  Independence,  Big  Blue,  Mine  Creek,  Newtonia, 
being  in  the  campaigns  through  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Texas  and  Louisiana. 
He  was  at  Shreveport,  La.,  when  the  war  closed,  there  surrendering,  and 
returned  home  by  way  of  the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis,  and  from 
there  to  Jefferson  City  by  rail.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed 
farming  and  stock  raising  in  Prairie  Home  township,  and  met  with  well- 
merited  success.  He  raised  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  and  attained  quite  a 
reputation  as  a  breeder  of  Oxford  sheep.  He  lived  on  the  place  of  120 
acres  where  he  was  born,  except  the  time  he  was  in  the  army,  for  80  years, 
or  until  1919,  when  he  bought  a  pleasant  home  in  the  town  of  Prairie 
Home,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  enjoying  well-earned  peaceful  retirement. 

During  the  course  of  his  caree,  Judge  Harris  has  always  taken  a  deep 
and  abiding  interest  in  matters  affecting  the  public  welfare,  and  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  Cooper  County  in  a  political  way.  He  was 
elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the  County  Court  from  the  eastern  district 
in  1891,  and  re-elected  by  a  larger  majority  than  the  first  time  to  succeed 
himself.  Many  improvements  were  made  of  a  character  which  came 
within  the  scope  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  County  Court  during  his  two 
terms  of  office.  Among  the  more  important,  which  might  be  here  men- 
tioned, was  the  building  of  the  Jewett  bridge  over  Clarks  Creek,  and  a 
number  of  other  bridges  in  the  county. 

Judge  Harris  was  first  married  in  1859  to  Miss  Rachel  Hall,  of  North 
Moniteau  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Hall.     The  follow- 


JUDGE  T.   A.    HAKIMS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  561 

ing  children  were  born  to  this  union:  Letitia,  married  Henry  Carpenter, 
Prairie  Home  township;  Lulu,  who  married  D.  W.  Hunt,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased, and  she  lives  at  Pisgah,  and  George  W.,  died  at  the  age  of  23. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1883.  In  1890,  Judge  Harris  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bessie  Apperson,  daughter  of  Gilbert  and 
Martha  (Berkley)  Apperson.  The  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  They  were  pioneers  of  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship. They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Bessie,  the  wife 
of  Judge  Harris,  born  May  10,  1846 ;  William  F. ;  Robert  W. ;  Thomas  F. ; 
George  P. ;  Nancy  P.     The  last  three  mentioned  are  deceased. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Harris  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Prairie 
Home,  and  he  has  served  as  clerk  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church  for  22 
years.  The  Harris  family  are  numbered  among  Cooper  County's  most 
valued  and  highly  respected  citizens,  and  Judge  Harris  and  his  wife  have 
a  host  of  friends. 

Walter  L.  Coleman  of  the  firm  of  Coleman  and  Lee,  general  mer- 
chandise, Bunceton,  Mo.,  has  been  a  resident  of  Bunceton  since  1887  and 
has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  since  1910.  This  store  is 
well  stocked  with  groceries,  dry  goods  and  general  merchandise  and  has 
an  excellent  and  substantial  trade. 

Walter  L.  Coleman  was  born  June  13,  1873,  in  Lees  Summit,  Mo., 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Coleman,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  history. 
W.  L.  Coleman  attended  the  Bunceton,  Mo.,  schools  and  for  ten  years  he 
traveled  over  the  country,  and  was  a  baseball  player  for  some  years  in 
various  parts  of  the  country.  Mr.  Coleman  returned  to  Bunceton  in  1902 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  business  with  his  father  and  brothers.  He  was 
next  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  and  in  1910,  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  Lee,  the  firm  of  Coleman  &  Lee  Merc.  Co.  was  established. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  on  May  30,  1902  to  Miss  Huldah  Lee  of 
Bunceton,  a  daughter  of  Caleb  A.  Lee,  partner  in  the  business.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Coleman  have  one  child:     John  Lee  Coleman,  aged  15  years. 

Caleb  Atkinson  Lee,  father  of  Mrs.  Coleman,  was  born  Jan.  4,  1851, 
in  Howard  County.  He  is  a  son  of  Atkinson  Hill  and  Susan  (Wilcox)  Lee, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  The  ancestry  of  this  branch  of  the  Lee  family 
traces  back  to  the  Lees  of  Virginia  and  thence  to  Ireland.  Col.  Phil  Lee, 
an  uncle  of  C.  A.  Lee,  fought  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil 
War.  A.  H.  Lee,  father  of  C.  A.  Lee,  was  born  in  1808  and  died  on  April 
5,  1863.  He  came  to  Missouri  from  Kentucky  in  1830,  and  drove  a  freight- 
ing outfit  from  St.  Louis  to  Old  Franklin  for  a  number  of  years  and  later 
(36) 


562  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

engaged  in  farming.     He  was  father  of  nine  children,  of  whom  C.  A. 
Lee  is  the  only  one  living. 

Caleb  Atkinson  Lee  was  married  in  1876  to  Mattie  M.,  a  daughter 
of  William  R.  George;  she  was  born  in  1855  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lee  have  two  children :  Mrs.  Walter  L.  Coleman  and  William  Atkin- 
son Lee,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Sept.  5,  1881,  Mr.  Lee  moved  to  Cooper  County,  and  located  on  a 
farm  one  mile  east  of  Bunceton  where  he  followed  fanning  for  18  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  business  with  Mr.  Coleman. 

Mr.  Coleman  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Lee  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  and  is  a  Mason. 

Joseph  Popper. — The  largest  mercantile  establishment  in  central 
Missouri,  is  the  department  store  on  Joseph  Popper  and  Company,  Bunce- 
ton, Mo.,  established  in  1893.  Mr.  Popper  began  business  on  an  ordinary 
scale  in  that  year  on  a  side  street  of  Bunceton,  in  a  room  18x60  feet  and 
carried  a  stock  of  goods  value  at  about  $8,000.  His  business  soon  out- 
grew its  quarters  and  he  moved  to  his  present  location  in  1894.  The 
Popper  Store  occupies  a  floor  space  of  over  4,000  square  feet  besides  a 
ware  room  of  the  same  size.  The  business  occupies  two  floors  of  the 
largest  building  in  Bunceton.  The  clothing  department  occupies  a  space 
30x65  feet;  the  grocery  department  occupies  a  space  40x50  feet;  the  dry 
goods  and  notions  department  occupied  28x80  feet;  the  shoe  department 
is  situated  along  one  entire  side  of  the  building  80  feet ;  and  the  goods 
are  arranged  on  the  departmental  plan  with  every  modern  facility  for  the 
rapid  transaction  of  the  large  volume  of  business.  Six  sales  people  are 
employed  in  this  store  and  the  extensive  trade  covers  southern  Cooper 
County  and  Moniteau  County. 

Joseph  Popper  was  born  in  Austria,  Feb.  12,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of 
Adelbert  and  Johanna  Popper,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  merchant  and 
farmer  in  his  native  land  and  who  gave  his  son  Joseph  a  good  education 
to  fit  him  for  his  career.  Mr.  Popper  came  to  America  in  1883  and  located 
at  Versailles,  Mo.,  where  he  was  employed  by  William  Mendel,  a  merchant 
of  that  city,  for  ten  and  a  half  years.  He  then  came  to  Bunceton  and 
began  his  successful  business  career. 

Mr.  Popper  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  marriage  was  with 
Miss  Johanna  Winter,  who  died  in  1905  leaving  one  son:  Herman  Popper, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  563 

an  ex-soldier  in  the  National  Army.  Herman  Popper  was  bora  in  1896. 
He  enlisted  in  the  aviation  department  of  the  National  Army  early  in 
1918,  was  trained  at  the  New  York  Aviation  School  and  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  the  training  station,  Kelly  Field,  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and 
received  an  honorable  discharge  in  Feb.,  1919.  Mr.  Popper  was  again 
married  in  1907  to  Bettie  Nassauer,  of  St.  Louis,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sigmund  Nassauer,  of  that  city. 

Mr.  Popper  is  a  republican.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Jewish 
religious  faith.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masons,  the  Chapter  at  Boonville, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Per- 
sonally, Mr.  Popper  is  a  pleasant,  genial,  likable  citizen  who  is  liberal  in 
his  support  of  all  public  enterprises. 

Herbert  L.  Hawkins. — The  Hawkins  Hardware  Co.,  Bunceton,  Mo., 
of  which  Herbert  L.  Hawkins  is  president  and  treasurer,  was  organized 
in  1916  with  a  capital  of  $7,000.  This  capital  has  since  been  increased  to 
830,000,  the  demands  of  the  growth  of  the  business  making  necessary  an 
increase  in  the  capitalization.  L.  H.  Moore  is  the  vice-president  and 
secretary  of  the  company.  Two  floors,  60x100  feet  are  occupied  by  a 
splendid  stock  of  hardware,  harness  and  implements.  Three  warehouses 
are  used  in  addition  to  the  store  room,  and  six  people  are  given  employ- 
ment in  conducting  this  large  business.  A  plumbing  and  electrical  de- 
partment is  maintained  as  well  as  a  tin  shop,  and  a  wagon  and  automobile 
repair  shop.  A  line  of  wagons,  buggies  and  automobiles  is  car- 
ried, such  substantial  makes  as  the  Studebaker,  Maxwell  and  Scripps- 
Booth  automobiles  being  sold  and  in  addition  the  firm  handles  the  famous 
"Titan  Tractors". 

Herbert  L.  Hawkins  was  born  in  1883  at  Mohawk,  Tenn.  He  is  a 
son  of  J.  K.  and  Sarah  C.  (Lotspeich)  Hawkins.  J.  K.  Hawkins  has  been 
during  his  whole  active  life,  a  promoter  and  organizer  whose  profession 
took  him  in  various  parts  of  the  country  while  he  made  his  headquarters 
at  Morristown,  Tenn.  H.  L.  Hawkins  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  seminary  at  Bowling  Green,  Ky.  For  several  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  paint  manufacturing  business  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  following 
which  he  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Versailles,  Mo.  Mr. 
Hawkins  came  to  Bunceton  in  1914  and  embarked  in  the  hardware  and 
implement  business  as  previously  stated.  Mr.  Hawkins  is  president  of 
the  Bunceton  Ice,  Electric  Light  and  Fuel  Company. 


564  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

He  was  married  in  1910  to  Miss  Sallie  Burger  of  Bunceton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  G.  Burger.  One  child  has  been  born  of  this  union,  Helen 
Hawkins,  aged  four  years. 

Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  democrat  of  the  old  school.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  the  Masons  of  Bunceton,  the  Chapter  of  Boonville, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Independent  Order  of 
Red  Men  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Samuel  L.  Hickam,  a  substantial  land-owner  and  retired  farmer  of 
Cooper  County,  now  living  in  a  historic  old  house  on  the  corporation  line 
of  the  city  of  Boonville,  is  a  native  Missourian,  and  has  lived  in  this  State 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  Moniteau  County  in  1852,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Susan   (Teeters)   Hickam. 

Joseph  Hickam  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  was  eight  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  in  1824,  the  family  landing  at 
Marion,  Cole  County,  going  from  there  to  Moniteau  County,  where  they 
settled.  He  thus  grew  up  in  Moniteau  County,  where,  after  his  marriage 
to  Susan  Teeters,  who  was  born  in  Boone  County,  he  located  on  a  farm, 
remaining  there  until  1876,  when  he  moved  to  Cooper  County,  where  he 
and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Joseph  Hickam  died  Feb.  23, 
1889,  and  his  wife  died  two  days  later.  By  an  astonishing  coincidental 
train  of  sorrow  in  the  Hickam  family  at  that  time,  Samuel  L.  Hickam's 
first  wife  died  Feb.  22,  the  day  prior  to  her  father-in-law's  death,  and  two 
of  the  funerals  were  held  together  in  the  Hickam  Cemetery  in  Moniteau 
County.  To  Joseph  Hickam  and  wife  were  born  17  children,  10  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Squire  William,  deceased;  John  T.,  who  was 
killed  while  serving  under  Gen.  Sterling  Price  at  the  battle  of  Little.  Blue ; 
Jasper,  deceased;  Mrs.  Nancy  Lamm,  who  died  Jan.  31,  1889;  Mrs.  Susan 
Stevens,  deceased ;  Samuel  L.,  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs.  Henrietta  Tee- 
ters, deceased ;  S.  H.  Hickam,  living  in  Moniteau  County ;  Joseph,  de- 
ceased ;  and  James  T.,  near  Boonville. 

Samuel  L.  Hickam  was  reared  in  Moniteau,  County  where  he  received 
his  schooling,  and  where  he  began  farming,  later  coming  to  Cooper  County, 
where  for  21  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  near  Wooldridge,  the  owner 
there  of  a  fine  farm  of  1,100  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1917.  Prior  to  that 
he  was  for  four  years  engaged  in  farming  in  Howard  County,  whei-e  he 
owned  a  farm  of  360  acres.  In  1907,  upon  his  retirement  from  the  active 
labors  of  the  farm,  Mr.  Hickam  bought  the  historic  old  house  on  the 
Jefferson  City  road,  at  the  city  limits  of  Boonville,  and  has  since  made  his 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  565 

home  there.  Surrounding  this  house  Mr.  Hickam  has  63  acres  of  land,  28 
acres  of  which  are  in  the  city  limits.  He  also  owns-  202  acres  in  Saline 
township.  The  house  in  which  the  Hickams  live  has  20  rooms,  and  stands 
right  on  the  city  corporation  line,  the  house  being  thus  divided  that  the 
family  take  their  meals  in  the  city  but  sleep  in  the  suburbs.  The  house 
was  erected  in  the  thirties  or  early  forties  by  the  original  owner,  Mr. 
Morton,  and  was  constructed  from  bricks  burned  on  the  place.  The  next 
owner  was  Mr.  Isaac  Lionberger,  who  built  an  addition  to  the  house,  ex- 
tending it  to  its  present  capacious  dimensions.  Mr.  Hickam  is  a  democrat, 
and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Mr.  Hickam  has  been  thrice  married.  On  March  15,  1877,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Nannie  Stone,  who  was  born  in  Boone  County,  and 
who  died  Feb.  22,  1889.  To  that  union  five  children  were  born,  four  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  the  survivor  being  Mary,  wife  of  Henry  Lachner, 
of  Clarksburg.  June  25,  1891,  Mr.  Hickam  married  Dora  Wiggins,  who 
was  born  in  Boone  County,  and  who  died  in  May,  1896,  and  is  also  buried 
in  the  Hickam  Cemetery.  To  that  union  was  born  four  children,  one  child 
living,  Mildred,  wife  of  John  McDaniel,  of  Saline  township.  July  8,  1897, 
Mr.  Hickam  married  Myrtle  Sumner,  who  was  born  up  in  Audrain  County. 
This  union  has  been  without  issue,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hickam  have  reared 
the  following  children:  Clarence  Dietz,  Joe  Jones  (a  colored  boy),  Fred 
Teeters,  John  Earnhardt,  Harry  Vots,  Ollie  Thomas  and  Nannie  Hickam. 
Mrs.  Hickam  has  a  sister,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Benham,  living  in  East  St.  Louis,  111. 
Her  parents,  Joseph  Thomas  and  Martha  Elizabeth  (Clement)  Sumner, 
were  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Missouri,  the  former  born  in 
St.  Louis  County  in  1844,  and  the  latter  in  1839.  Joseph  Thomas  Sumner 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Confederacy  during  the  Civil  War  and  spent  his  18th 
birthday  in  a  Federal  prison,  having  been  taken  a  prisoner  of  war.  He 
died  in  1902,  and  his  widow  died  in  1912.  Both  are  buried  at  Santa  Fe, 
Monroe  County.  Mr.  Hickam  has  seven  grandchildren,  namely:  Nannie 
Hickam,  Anna  Leona,  Mildred  Jewel  and  Clara  Louise  Lachner  and 
and  Samuel  L.  McDaniel,  and  two  step-grandchildren,  William  and 
Henry  Lachner  and  Minnie  Lachner.  Sergeant  William  Lachner,  one  of 
the  grandchildren  served  18  months  with  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  France,  a  member  of  the  140th  Infantry  35th  Division.  On  his 
birthday,  Sept.  26,  he  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  battle  in  the  Argonne 
Forest,  and  was  for  some  time  thereafter  confined  to  hospital,  but  recov- 
ered and  was  returned  to  his  command,  and  is  now  at  home  in  Boonville. 


566 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 


His  brother,  Henry  Lachner,  was  also  in  service  of  the  United  States 
Navy.  One  of  Mr.  Hickam's  cousins,  Capt.  John  T.  Hickam,  was  an  officer 
of  the  35th  Division,  A.  E.  F.,  in  France. 

August  Stegner. — For  66  years  August  Stegner,  well  to  do  retired 
farmer,  living  at  1006  Seventh  Street,  Boonville,  Mo.,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Cooper  County,  and  for  55  years  prior  to  his  removal  to  Boonville,  he 
resided  on  one  farm,  reared  a  splendid  family  and  has  well  earned  a 
place  in  the  history  of  his  home  county. 

Mr.  Stegner  was  born  in  Sachsen-Coburg,  Germany,  Aug.  24,  1843, 
and  immigrated  with  his  parents,  John  Peter  and  Margaret  Barbara 
(Hertte)  Stegner  in  1853.  The  parents  were  accompanied  by  their  four 
children,  as  follows:  August,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Mary  Rentchler,  now 
deceased;  Mrs.  Christina  Engen,  who  died  in  Howard  County,  Mo.,  in 
March,  1919;  Feodor,  a  farmer,  living  at  Billingsville,  Mo.;  and  Mrs. 
Hildegarde  Diehl,  who  died  in  this  county. 

John  Peter  Stegner  settled  on  a  farm  near  Billingsville,  now  owned 
by  Feodor  Stegner,  and  which  was  purchased  in  June,  1853. 

August  Stegner  was  10  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  America.  He  enlisted  in  the  Missouri  State  Guards  in  1863,  under 
Capt.  Tom  George  and  Colonel  Pope  and  served  for  six  months.  His  next 
service  for  another  six  months  was  under  the  command  of  Captain  Shoe- 
maker. He  was  tak,en  prisoner  by  Shelby's  raiders  in  1864  and  held  for 
two  days  in  the  Cooper  County  court  house. 

Mr.  Stegner  built  his  home  in  1873  and  settled  on  the  farm  at  Bill- 
ingsville now  owned  by  his  son,  Fred  C.  Stegner.  He  resided  there  until 
1908  and  then  came  to  Boonville.  He  became  owner  of  280  acres  in  three 
farms,  which  he  has  sold  to  his  sons  at  different  times,  and  is  one  of  the 
well  to  do  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Jan.  3,  1871,  August  Stegner  was  married  to  Anna  Engemann,  who 
was  born  in  Sachsen-Coburg,  in  1852,  and  came  to  America  with  her  par- 
ents in  1864.  Seven  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  of  whom  five 
are  living :  Laura  is  deceased ;  Otto  is  a  farmer  in  Palestine  township ; 
Benjamin  is  a  farmer  in  Cooper  County;  Frederick  Carl,  owner  of  the 
home  place ;  August  Gottlieb  is  deceased ;  Mrs.  Augusta  Twillman  lives  at 
Lone  Elm,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Anna,  wife  of  Fred  Dueschle,  lives  near  Speed,  Mo. 

Mr.  Stegner  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  John  A.  Hayne  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Boonville,  Mo.  He  is  a  member  of  and 
was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  Billingsville  Evangelical  Church.  Mr.  Steg- 
ner is  one  of  the  fine  "old  timers"  of  Cooper  County,  who  has  a  good  rec- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  567 

ollection  of  the  early  pioneer  days  of  Cooper  County's  development.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood  days  there  was  only  one  man  in  the  neighborhood  who 
had  a  team  of  horses,  everybody  using  oxen  for  work  and  for  travel. 
Mr.  Stegner  recalls  that  he  paid  $140  for  a  wagon  after  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War  and  did  all  of  his  plowing  and  farm  work  with  oxen.  Horses 
were  used  only  for  riding  and  corn  plowing,  and  no  one  was  rich  enough 
to  own  a  carriage.  His  wagon  had  no  sideboards  and  no  springs  and  rid- 
ing in  a  wagon  was  a  rough,  jolting  experience  over  the  nondescript  roads 
of  that  day.  Everybody  used  big,  clumsy  wagons  when  it  was  necessary 
to  transport  produce  or  carry  the  family  to  church  or  on  a  visiting  trip. 

Otto  H.  Cramer,  proprietor  of  the  Cramer  Mercantile  Company, 
Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  conducting  the  oldest  business  enterprise  in  Bunceton. 
This  store  was  established  in  1867  by  Edward  Cramer,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  in  Cooper  County,  retailing  general  merchandise  and  dry  goods. 
Two  generations  of  patrons  have  dealt  with  this  store  and  it  is  now 
practically  old  enough  for  the  third  generation  of  patrons. 

Edward  Cramer,  father  of  Otto  H.  Cramer,  was  born  at  Harmon, 
Mo.,  March  12,  1844  and  died  Dec.  31,  1914.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Edward 
Cramer,  the  first  physician  who  practiced  in  Gasconade  County.  Dr. 
Cramer  was  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  received  his  medical  education  in 
one  of  the  universities  of  his  native  country.  Soon  after  his  graduation 
in  medicine  he  came  to  America,  and  located  in  Gasconade  County,  Mo. 
Here  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Knocker,  who  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pa.     After  practicing  medicine  for  a  number  of  years,  Dr.  Cramer  en- 

» 

gaged  in  merchandising  until  his  death  on  Jan.  3,  1878. 

Edward  Cramer  was  educated  in  St.  Louis  University  and  for  about 
six  months  he  was  connected  with  Judge  Heim,  at  Boonville  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  prior  to  locating  in  Bunceton,  in  1867.  In  the  fall  of 
1862  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  employed  in  a  hardware  store  in  that 
city  for  some  years.  He  then  established  his  business  at  Bunceton.  In 
1878  his  store  was  burned  and  he  rebuilt  and  began  anew.  Mr.  Cramer 
took  a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters  and  was  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  old  Parrish  Institute  at  Bunceton.  Oct.  7,  1875,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Louisa  Henley,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Samuel  Henley,  born 
and  reared  in  Boone  County.  She  died  in  April,  1913.  The  children  bom 
to  Edward  and  Louisa  Cramer  are:  Catherine  M.,  living  in  Bunceton; 
Otto  H.,  of  this  review;  and  Walker,  a  merchant  at  Sedalia,  Mo. 

Otto  H.  Cramer  attended  the  school  of  his  native  town  and  entered 
his  father's  store  when  a  boy.     He  became  thoroughly  grounded  in  busi- 


568  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ness  management  and  business  principles  and  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
store.  Mr.  Cramer  was  married  in  1907  to  Miss  Mabel  Roeschel,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  W.  E.  Roeschel  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Cramer  is  an  independent 
voter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  is  a  Mason,  holding 
a  membership  in  the  Knights  Templar  and  Chapter  at  Boonville. 

Christ  Ohlendorf,  proprietor  of  "Evergreen  Stock  Farm,"  a  valuable 
place  of  224  acres  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  11  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville, is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  Nov.  19,  1863,  sone  of  Ferdinand  and  Wilhelmina  (Linda- 
man)  Ohlendorf,  natives  of  Germany. 

Ferdinand  Ohlendorf  left  his  native  land  in  young  manhood  and  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Cooper  County,  where  he  married  Mrs.  Wilhelmina 
(Lindaman)  Fricke,  a  widow,  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  becom- 
ing a  substantial  farmer  and  a  leading  man  of  affairs.  He  died  on  that 
farm  about  1909.  His  wife  died  about  1904,  and  both  are  buried  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran  Church.  By  her  first  marriage, 
Mrs.  Ohlendorf  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  Henry  Fricke,  of  Prairie 
Home  township,  and  William,  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Ohlendorf  had  been 
a  resident  of  Missouri  since  she  was  eight  years  of  age  having  at  that 
age  accompanied  her  parents  to  this  country  from  Germany,  the  family 
first  locating  in  St.  Loais,  and  later  coming  to  Cooper  County.  By  her 
marrige  to  Ferdinand  Ohlendorf  she  was  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
as  follows :  Ferdinand,  deceased ;  Minnie,  wife  of  Herman  Schnack,  Boon- 
Ville ;  Sophia,  wife  of  William  Bewie,  Beecher,  111. ;  Christ  Herman,  propri- 
etor of  "Wintergreen  Farm,"  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Emma,  Clarks 
Fork  township,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  Schmalfeldt,  who  died  in  1904, 
and  Caroline,  Boonville. 

Christ  Ohlendorf  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, and  received  his  schooling  in  the  Lutheran  parochial  school.  As  a 
young  man  assumed  the  management  of  the  home  place,  relieving  his 
father  of  much  of  the  responsibility,  and  at  the  same  time  for  some  sea- 
sons operated  a  threshing  rig  until  about  1889,  when  he  bought  from  the 
Nicholson  heirs  the  farm  of  224  acres,  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and 
which  he  has  very  appropriately  named  "Evergreen  Farm."  After  his 
marriage  in  the  fall  of  1890,  Mr.  Ohlendorf  established  his  home  on  that 
place,  and  has  ever  since  resided  there,  during  that  time  having  made  a 
complete  new  set  of  improvements,  including  farm  house  and  barns. 
The  first  barn  he  built  was  destroyed  by  lightning,  but  he  now  has  three 
barns,  the  largest  being  48x44,  with  metal  roof  and  concrete  floor.     Mr. 


CHRIST    OHLBNDORF 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  569 

Ohlendorf  gives  a  good  deal  of  attention  to  his  live  stock,  and  keeps  regis- 
tered pure-bred  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  registered  Mulefoot  hogs,  these 
latter  having  had  their  origin  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  said  to  be 
cholera  proof.  There  also  is  a  fine  flock  of  Rosecomb  white  Leghorn 
chickens  at  "Evergreen  Farm."  By  careful  treatment  of  the  soil  and 
equally  careful  sifting  of  seeds,  Mr.  Ohlendorf  has  gained  a  reputation 
as  one  of  the  most  successful  prize  winners  at  neighboring  agricultural 
exhibits,  having  a  record  of  more  than  50  premiums  awarded  his  exhibits 
at  the  State  Fair  at  Sedalia  and  at  the  county  fairs  in  Cooper  County, 
His  entry  at  the  State  Fair  in  1910  netted  him  more  than  $400  in  premi- 
ums on  products  of  his  farm,  corn,  clover,  oats,  etc.,  and  in  1912  at  Sedalia 
he  won  sweepstakes  on  the  best  10  ears  of  corn,  this  premium  being  $40. 
With  this  record  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  is  constantly  answer- 
ing inquiries  for  seeds,  and  he  has  sold  seed  corn,  especially,  in  all  parts 
of  the  State.  Mr.  Ohlendorf  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  general  local 
affairs.  He  and  Horace  Windsor  and  Elza  B.  Shannon  were  the  first 
commissioners  for  the  first  special  road  district  in  Cooper  County,  the 
road  thus  indicated  being  the  road  from  Rankin's  Mill  to  a  point  a  half 
mile  south  of  "Evergreen  Farm."  With  the  exception  of  the  Meyers  hill 
this  road  was  constructed  on  a  four  and  one-half  per  cent  grade.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ohlendorf  are  members  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran  Church. 

Oct.  23,  1890,  Christ  Ohlendorf  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna 
Barbara  Honerbrink,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  E.  F. 
and  Barbara  (Aeisle)  Honerbrink,  pioneers  of  Prairie  Home  township, 
and  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  there.  Mrs. 
Honerbrink  died  in  1914.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ohlendorf  have  been  born  five 
children,  namely:  Henry,  who  served  with  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  Europe ;  George,  at  home ;  William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years;  and  Alma  and  Lenora,  at  home.  Henry  Ohlendorf,  the  soldier  son, 
entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  Army  in  September,  1917,  and 
was  sent  to  France  in  May,  1918.  He  was  at  the  front  from  July  5  until 
wounded,  Sept.  27.  He  then  was  in  a  hospital  until  Nov.  14,  when  he  was 
returned  to  his  command  in  France,  a  member  of  Company  I,  138th  In- 
fantry, 35th  Division,  until  his  honorable  discharge,  May  12,  1919,  and  is 
now  at  home.  On  Sept.  26,  1918,  Private  Ohlendorf,  with  40  of  his  com- 
pany, became  lost  from  their  company,  and  fought  alone  for  an  entire 
day,  and  when  relieved  they  had  captured  40  Huns  He  was  wounded  on 
the  next  day  when  holding  the  line.  Gunner  Ohlendorf  raised  up  and 
was  shot  through  the  right  arm.     As  a  result  he  is  yet  badly  crippled. 


570  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Col.  Albert  Gallatin  Blakey. — For  several  years  past  the  people  of 
this  country  have  been  greatly  interested  in  the  humane  manner  in  which 
many  of  the  reform  institutions  of  the  United  States  are  being  conducted. 
A  new  profession  has  sprung  into  being;  different  and  better  methods 
based  upon  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  have  been  applied  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  penal  and  reformatory  institutions  where  those  who  have 
fallen  into  ways  of  transgression  against  the  laws  of  the  country  have 
been  placed  as  a  punishment  for  alleged  wrong  doing.  The  harsh  dis- 
ciplinarians in  the  State  penal  institutions  have  been  replaced  in  many 
instances  by  men  of  broader  outlook,  endowed  with  humane  sentiments, 
and  imbued  with  beliefs  that  there  is  some  good  in  every  boy  or  man 
if  the  individual  is  handled  properly.  Harsh  and  unrestrained  discipline 
with  its  ironclad  rules  of  dire  punishments  for  infraction  of  petty  rules 
governing  the  conduct  of  inmates  have  given  place  to  a  kinder,  juster, 
more  lovable  method  which  places  the  unfortunate  one  upon  his  honor 
and  gently  leads  him  to  better  ways  of  living  and  is  more  inclined  to 
assist  him  to  attain  true  manhood  in  the  end. 

Since  July,  1917,  when  Col.  A.  G.  Blakey,  superintendent  of  the  Mis- 
souri Training  School,  took  charge  of  this  important  State  institution,  a 
marked  and  pleasing  change  has  taken  place,  not  only  in  the  management 
of  the  school,  but  in  the  well  being  and  comfort  of  the  unfortunate  youths 
who  have  been  sent  to  the  school  from  all  parts  of  the  State.  Colonel 
Blakey  has  surrounded  himself  with  officers  who  were  alike  in  their  ideas 
of  management  and  believe  that  there  is  in  every  boy  some  latent  good 
which  can  be  developed  if  he  is  handled  rightly. 

The  precepts  of  the  Great  Teacher  are  taken  as  the  basis  in  handling 
the  youths  who  are  inmates  of  the  school.  It  is  the  avowed  object  of 
the  superintendent  and  his  capable  assistants  to  teach  the  boys  who  are 
sent  to  the  school  that  they  must  live,  act,  think  and  conduct  them- 
selves as  the  Master  would  have  them  do.  Actuated  by  such  a  laudable 
and  moral  idea,  it  is  not  to  be  marveled  that  during  the  past  two  years 
a  wonderful  change  has  taken  place  in  the  conditions  as  they  existed 
at  the  training  school  when  Colonel  Blakey  took  charge.  The  boys  have 
been  taught  the  dignity  of  labor  and  instructors  are  at  hand  to  teach 
them  the  trade  for  which  they  seem  best  adapted  and  for  which  they 
have  an  inclination. 

At  the  time  Colonel  Blakey  took  charge  many  of  the  buildings  were 
in  a  deplorable  condition,  plastering  had  fallen  from  the  walls  and  ceil- 
ings, the  sanitary  conditions  were  bad,  vermin  were  plentiful  in  the  dor- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  571 

mitories  and  buildings,  the  heating  arrangements  were  inadequate  and 
practically  everything  was  in  a  run  down  condition. 

His  first  duty  was  to  place  the  school  in  a  condition  which  would 
result  in  more  livable  conditions  for  the  erring  youths  placed  in  his 
charge.  Handicapped  as  he  was  by  lack  of  funds  to  accomplish  the  ends 
sought,  he  cast  about  for  ways  and  means  to  add  to  the  income  which 
the  State  of  Missouri  and  the  counties  from  whence  came  the  boys 
allowed  him.  The  past  two  seasons  have  been  a  time  of  labor  shortage. 
Many  of  the  boys  were  capable  of  earning  money  by  assisting  the  farmers 
in  the  vicinity  and  others  who  were  in  need  of  labor.  Hundreds  were 
hired  out;  a  certain  portion  of  their  earnings,  by  law,  goes  to  the  upkeep 
of  the  institution.  By  the  use  of  the  labor  of  the  boys  themselves  and 
the  earnings  of  those  who  were  thus  "farmed"  out,  the  run  down  condi- 
tion of  the  buildings  was  remedied,  the  noxious  vermin  were  eradicated 
and  precautions  taken  to  prevent  their  return,  the  sanitary  conditions 
were  made  better  and  bad  odors  have  been  absent  from  the  dormitories 
and  toilets,  better  heating  arrangements  were  installed  and  an  era  of 
well  being  inaugurated  in  the  training  school  which  has  been  the  marvel 
of  all  observers.  An  entirely  new  heating  plant  was  placed  in  the  main 
building.  All  these  things  were  brought  about  by  the  willing  co-operation 
of  the  officers  and  boys  of  the  school.  The  writer  was  privileged  to  ob- 
serve on  several  occasions  diu-ing  the  early  spring  the  splendid  team  work 
of  the  officers  and  boys  in  the  performance  of  work  about  the  buildings 
and  grounds.  Instead  of  sullen  and  vengeful  appearing  youngsters  as 
are  often  seen  at  similar  institutions  he  observed  polite  and  well  mannered 
youths  who  appeared  well  fed,  contented,  and  willingly  performing  their 
tasks.  On  different  occasions  he  witnessed  the  active  work  of  rock  road 
building  on  the  grounds  and  was  told  by  the  officer  in  charge  that  the 
stone  had  been  quarried  and  crushed  by  the  boys  themselves  and  that 
the  work  of  building  these  splendid  macadamized  drives  would  be  done 
at  little  expense  to  the  State.  The  moral  tone  of  the  school  is  likewise 
a  marvel;  little  or  no  restraint  is  placed  upon  the  boys  who  are  placed 
upon  their  honor  and  taught  the  precepts  of  Christianity.  For  half  the 
day  the  boys  attend  school  under  competent  instructors.  The  other  half 
is  devoted  to  useful  employment  and  recreation.  A  fine  band  furnishes 
music  to  enliven  the  hours  of  the  day  and  evening. 

The  State  Farm  in  connection  with  the  school  was  found  to  be  in  a 
run  down  condition.  Gullies  were  worn  on  the  hillsides  and  the  soil  fer- 
tility was  depleted  to  such  an  extent  that  careful  methods  of  conserva- 


572  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

tion  and  restoring  its  productivity  were  necessary.  All  this  has  been 
remedied  to  a  considerable  extent.  In  1918  there  was  farmed  in  addition 
to  the  540  acres  owned  by  the  State,  an  additional  350  acres  which  were 
rented  on  a  crop  basis.  During  the  season  of  1919  there  is  being  farmed 
nearly  1,000  acres. 

Corporal  punishments  have  decreased  more  than  50  per  cent  but 
discipline  is  enforced  as  usual  and  the  boys  are  required  to  be  obedient, 
clean,  courteous,  and  industrious.  Kindness  has  taken  the  place  of  force 
to  a  considerable  extent  and,  whereas,  in  former  times  the  buildings  of 
the  school  had  the  appearance  of  a  jail  owing  to  the  windows  being 
covered  with  heavy  steel  screens,  now,  the  screens  have  been  removed 
and  have  been  made  into  corn  cribs.  Loyalty,  faith,  and  honor  in  mankind 
have  taken  the  place  of  the  unbending,  blind  requirements  of  past  years, 
and  a  wholesome,  happy  atmosphere  pervades  the  entire  institution. 

Albert  Gallatin  Blakey  was  born  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Feb.  3,  1874.  At 
the  early  age  of  three  years  he  was  left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his 
father,  Col.  A.  G.  Blakey,  and  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  Cooper 
County. 

Col.  A.  G.  Blakey,  the  elder,  was  one  of  the  noted  personages  and 
a  striking  character  of  the  earlier  period  of  Missouri  history.  He  was 
born  in  Warren  County,  Ky.,  July  4,  1825,  and  died  July  28,  1877.  His 
father  was  a  son  of  Scotch-English  parents  and  emigrated  from  England 
to  America  and  settled  in  Ketucky,  where  A.  G.  Blakey,  the  elder,  was 
reared,  until  1836.  He  was  a  man  gifted  with  the  power  of  leadership 
and  his  entire  career  was  a  distinguished  one  such  as  comes  to  a  soldier, 
editor,  and  diplomat.  He  was  well  educated.  He  served  his  country  in 
the  Mexican  War  and  fought  with  Colonel  Doniphan's  command.  He 
first  enlisted  as  a  captain  in  the  army  in  1846  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war  was  a  major  general  of  volunteers.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Missouri  in  1836,  and  was  here  reared  to  manhood.  His  first  business 
venture  was  in  1856  when  he  and  a  brother  settled  in  Benton  County,  Mo., 
establishing  a  trading  post  at  Cole  Camp.  He  became  owner  of  the  land 
upon  which  the  town  of  Cole  Camp  was  built,  but  after  leaving  that  local- 
ity some  years  later  he  paid  little  attention  to  his  holdings,  having  the 
early  pioneer's  disregard  of  the  eventual  rise  in  the  value  of  lands.  Of 
recent  years  his  son  has,  in  numberless  instances,  freely  given  a  quit- 
claim deed  to  property  in  Cole  Camp  and  vicinity  because  of  the  fact  that 
the  original  owner  was  his  father.  Colonel  Blakey  served  two  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  Missouri  Legislature,  in  1858  and  again  in  1860.     Dur- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  573 

ing  the  administration  of  James  Buchanan  he  was  appointed  minister  to 
Chili  and  served  in  this  capacity  prior  to  the  Civil  War. 

When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  was  elected  colonel  of  the  Third 
Regiment  of  Missouri,  but  declined  to  serve,  because  of  the  fact  that  he 
still  held  an  affection  for  the  Southland  and  desired  to 'be  loyal  to  the 
Union.  He  spent  the  war  period  in  Europe  and  at  the  close  of  the  war 
he  returned  home  and  located  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  newspaper  business.  He  published  the  "Pleasant  Hill  Review"  for 
a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  death,  took  a  considerable  and  influential 
interest  in  local  and  State  politics  and  served  three  terms  as  mayor  of 
his  home  city.  During  the  Crimean  War  he  was  again  sent  to  Europe 
on  a  diplomatic  mission.  He  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Sue  Tompkins, 
of  Cooper  County.  She  was  born  in  Marion  County,  Mo.,  Aug.  3,  1849, 
and  departed  this  life  Feb.  8,  1880.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hiram  A. 
Tompkins,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Missouri  and  Cooper  County.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  marriage: 
Mrs.  Fred  H.  Hams,  Eldorado  Springs,  Mo.;  and  A.  G.  Blakey,  of  this 
review. 

A.  G.  Blakey  of  this  review,  after  the  death  of  his  parents,  was 
reared  in  the  home  of  his  uncle,  William  D.  Adams,  who  lived  on  a  farm 
four  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Boonville.  He  received  a  good  education  in 
the  public  schools,  Kemper  Military  Academy,  Boonville,  and  Westmin- 
ster College,  Fulton,  Mo.  For  three  years  after  leaving  college  he  worked 
on  the  farm  of  W.  D.  Haas  and  then  came  to  Boonville  to  engage  in  the 
real  estate  business.  For  seven  years  he  was  an  officer  in  the  Missouri 
Training  School  and  while  serving  in  this  under  capacity  he  developed 
the  ideas  which  his  present  position  have  permitted  him  to  place  in  force. 
In  1898  he  became  a  traveling  salesman  in  the  employ  of  the  McCormick 
Harvester  Machine  Company.  He  was  next  in  the  employ  of  the  John 
Deere  Plow  Company  and  his  last  employment  as  salesman  was  with  the 
Delker  Brothers  Carriage  Company  and  while  with  this  concern  he  had 
entire  charge  of  the  Missouri  territory.  In  July,  1917,  Colonel  Blakey 
took  charge  of  the  Missouri  Training  School  at  Boonville  as  superintendent. 

December  31,  1897,  A.  G.  Blakey  and  Miss  Edith  Ells  were  united 
in  marriage.  Mrs.  Edith  (Ells)  Blakey  was  born  in  Boonville  and  is  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Clemence  Ells,  who  are  residents  of  this  city. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  A.  G.  and  Edith  Blakey,  as  follows: 
Florence,  wife  of  Robert  Jewett,  a  farmer  living  east  of  Boonville;  Albert, 
at  home,  served  six  months  as  an  enlisted  man  in  the  United  States  Navy, 


574  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

at  Seattle,  during  the  World  War;  Mary,  Clemence  and  William  are  at 
home. 

The  democratic  party  has  always  had  the  allegiance  of  Colonel  Blakey 
and  the  only  political  office  that  he  has  ever  held  was  that  of  chief  clerk 
in  the  office  of  State  Auditor  John  Gordon  for  a  period  of  six  months. 
He  had  charge  of  John  Gordon's  campaign  for  the  office,  a  task  in  which 
his  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the  State  came  into  good  play.  Colonel 
Blakey  organized  the  State  Drummers  Association  which  held  its  first 
meeting  in  1906,  and  he  served  as  the  first  president  of  the  association. 
Through  his  energy  and  organizing  ability  the  membership  of  the  associa- 
tion attained  the  large  total  of  1,300  and  this  membership  is  now  around 
600.  Colonel  Blakey  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is 
affiliated  fraternally  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Prob- 
ably no  Cooper  County  citizen  has  a  wider  or  more  favorable  acquaintance 
throughout  the  State  than  Colonel  Blakey  and  his  splendid  success  in 
placing  the  Missouri  Training  School  in  the  front  ranks  of  schools  of  this 
character  is  destined  to  bring  him  a  nation  wide  renown. 

Lorenzo  H.  Moore,  vice-president  and  secretary  of  the  Hawkins  Hard- 
ware Company,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  Cooper 
County  pioneer  families.  He  was  born  April  15,  1853  in  Palestine  town- 
ship. 

J.  Henderson  Moore,  his  father  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  in  1821 
and  was  a  son  of  George  H.  Moore,  of  Kentucky,  who  settled  in  Palestine 
township  in  1817.  J.  H.  Moore  died  in  1890.  He  followed  farming  dur- 
ing his  entire  life  and  was  a  splendid  horseman  who  bred  fine  horses.  He 
died  in  Clinton,  Mo.,  where  he  had  moved  in  1888.  Mr.  Moore  became 
owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  rich  Cooper  County  land  and  gave  each 
of  his  children  a  farm,  owning  220  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
father  of  three  children:  Lorenzo  H.,  of  this  review;  J.  Warren  Moore, 
with  a  manufacturing  concern,  Omaha,  Neb.;  Hattie,  wife  of  O.  N.  Dills, 
retired,  Bunceton,  Mo.  The  mother  of  these  children,  Mary  A.  (Mc- 
Carthy) Moore,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  in  1823  and  departed  this  life 
in  1891. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  L.  H.  Moore  received  an  outright  gift 
of  130  acres  of  good  land  from  his  father  when  he  became  of  age.  He 
added  to  this  acreage  until  he  owned  183  acres  upon  which  he  resided 
until  1899,  when  he  came  to  Bunceton.     During  1900  he  was  in  the  employ 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  575 

of  the  International  Harvester  Company  as  salesman  and  then  embarked 
in  the  hardware  and  implement  business. 

Mr.  Moore  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Josie  Tevis,  a  native  of  John- 
son County,  Mo.,  and  daughter  of  Silas  Tevis,  of  a  Missouri  pioneer  family. 
Two  children  blessed  this  union :  Bessie,  wife  of  C.  D.  Corum,  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo. ;  Hattie,  wife  of  A.  J.  Nelson,  of  Kelly  township. 

Over  100  years  have  elapsed  since  the  Moore  family  came  to  Cooper 
County.  J.  Henderson  Moore  was  one  of  the  "Forty-Niners"  who  made 
the  long  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast  with  a  wagon  train,  hauled  by  oxen. 

L.  H.  Moore  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Albert  S.  Chamberlin,  farmer  and  stockman,  secretary  of  the  Bell 
Air  Special  Road  Commission,  clerk  of  the  district  school  board,  is  owner 
of  a  nicely  improved  farm  of  95  acres  in  Palestine  township.  His  farm 
is  part  of  the  old  Chamberlin  place  upon  which  his  grandfather,  John  W. 
Chamberlin,  settled  in  1858.  Near  this  farm  and  bridging  the  Petit  Saline 
creek  flowing  nearby  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  wooden  covered  bridges 
in  central  Missouri,  erected  in  1856,  and  still  in  a  good  state  of  repair. 

John  W.  Chamberlin  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1802  and  died  in  Cooper 
County,  in  1882.  He  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1858.  His  son, 
Albert  M.  Chamberlin,  father  of  Albert  S.  Chamberlin,  of  this  review, 
was  born  in  1844,  served  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil  War 
and  died  in  Cooper  County,  in  1890.  He  came  to  this  county  in  1865, 
married  Bettie  A.  Barnett,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.,  in 
1856  later  moved  to  Polk  County,  and  departed  this  life  in  1907.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  W.  F.  Barnett,  who  married  Minerva  Thurston  of  Mor- 
gan County.  The  children  born  to  Albert  N.  and  Battie  A.  Chamberlin 
are  as  follows:  Grace,  wife  of  Charles  Shirley,  living  three  miles  east  of 
Speed,  Mo.;  Albert  S.;  Clara,  deceased;  Kellie,  wife  of  Ernest  Aldridge, 
living  three  miles  east  of  Speed;  Barnett  G.,  deceased;  George  W.,  living 
west  of  Speed;  Leonidas  H.  resides  with  his  brother  George. 

Leonidas  H.  Chamberlin  was  born  March  14,  1890,  was  inducted  into 
the  National  Army,  July  26,  1918,  training  at  Camp  Funston  became  a 
member  of  the  28th  Field  Artillery,  Tenth  Division,  and  received  his  hon- 
orable discharge  from  the  service  Feb.  2,  1919. 

John  W.  Chamberlin  accumulated  a  large  estate  of  500  acres.  His 
son,  Albert  M.  Chamberlin,  had  a  large  farm  of  320  acres  and  both  were 
rated  among  the  well-to-do  and  substantial  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Albert  S.  Chamberlin  was  born  March  9,  1875,  attended  the  Billings- 


576  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ville  School  and  the  Clarksburg  College,  afterwards  becoming  a  student 
in  the  Pilot  Grove  College.  He  has  always  followed  farming  and  has  been 
successful.  He  erected  his  pretty  cottage  home  in  1897.  He  was  mar- 
ried Nov.  27,  1895  to  Miss  Florence  Shirley,  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mo., 
March  7,  1876,  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  Shirley.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chamberlin  have  one  child:  Mildred,  born  March  3,  1897,  a  graduate  of 
Boonville  High  School,  class  of  1918. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  is  a  democrat.  For  the  past  20  years  he  has  served 
as  school  director  and  clerk  of  the  district  school  board.  He  was  ap- 
pointed road  commissioner  for  the  Bell  Air  Special  Road  District  in  1911 
and  is  secretary  of  this  commission.  He  is  a  member  of  Concord  Baptist 
Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
Boonville  Lodge,  No.  36. 

Theodore  Brandes,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  Christian  and 
Sophie  (Vent)  Brandes,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  Brandes  family 
immigrated  to  America  when  Theodore  was  five  years  years  old.  They 
settled  in  Iowa,  where  they  remained  about  a  year  and  a  half,  when  they 
came  to  Cooper  County,  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  the 
father  bought  an  unimproved  farm  of  80  acres,  for  which  he  paid  $5.00 
per  acre.  Here  he  built  a  log  cabin  which  was  the  family  home  for 
many  years,  until  the  present  Brandes  residence  was  erected  in  1880,  but 
the  old  log  house  still  stands  on  the  place.  Christian  Brandes  was  an 
industrious  man  and  a  good  citizen  He  died  at  the  age  of  74  years,  and 
his  wife  departed  this  life  in  1897,  aged  86  years,  and  their  remains  are 
buried  in  Clarks  Fork  Cemetery.  They  were  charter  members  of  the 
Clarks  Fork  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

Theodore  Brandes  was  educated  in  the  Pleasant  Grove  parochial  and 
the  public  schools  of  Clarks  Fork,  and  has  spent  his  life  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  with  the  exception  of  about  two  years.  At  the  death  of  his 
father  he  succeeded  to  the  home  place,  to  which  he  has  added  162  acres, 
and  now  owns  282  acres.  The  place  is  well  improved  and  one  of  the  valu- 
able farms  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  The  residence,  which  was  built  in 
1880,  was  remodeled  and  modernized  in  1911,  and  is  now  one  of  the  fine 
residences  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  There  are  three  good  barns  on  the 
place.  Mr.  Brandes  raises  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  and  is  an  extensive 
feeder.  He  has  met  with  success  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of 
the  county.     He  was  formerly  an  extensive  dealer  in  mules. 


THEODORE  BRANDES  AND  WIKK 


578  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

in  Cooper  County  until  1873  and  they  then  settled  on  the  place  now  owned 
by  George  Oak.  The  following  children  were  born  to  John  and  Margaret 
Oak :  Mrs.  Kate  Heim ;  George ;  Henry,  and  John,  deceased ;  William,  liv- 
ing on  a  farm  two  miles  west;  Charles,  a  rice  grower  in  Arkansas;  Eliza- 
beth, deceased  wife  of  James  Gault;  Catherine,  deceased  wife  of  Frank 
Heim ;  Margaret,  living  in  Arkansas.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  1898. 

George  Oak  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Va.,  Feb.  10,  1843.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1858,  and  has  always 
followed  farming  and  operating  threshing  outfits.  Mr.  Oak  has  resided 
on  the  land  which  he  owns  since  1873  and  settled  on  the  place  in  1880. 
All  improvement  was  placed  thereon  by  himself  or  under  his  direction, 
excepting  the  house  and  barn,  which  were  built  by  William  Sombart.  The 
Oak  estate  consists  of  256  acres  of  good  land  a  few  miles  south  of  Boon- 
ville.  In  years  past  Mr.  Oak  operated  a  saw  mill,  grist  mill  or  feed 
grinder,  and  threshing  outfits,  work  which  has  now  been  taken  up  by  his 
sons  and  son-in-law,  who  are  also  managing  his  large  farm. 

Mr.  Oak  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Mary  Gault,  who  was  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  and  died  in  1918,  at  the  age  of  73  years.  Eight  children 
were  born  to  George  and  Mary  Oak,  as  follows:  Robert  and  Edward,  de- 
ceased ;  Frank  lives  on  the  home  place ;  George,  died  Feb.  2,  1919 ;  Alice, 
the  deceased  wife  of  Alex  Hoefer,  her  death  occurring  in  1903 ;  Annie  is 
the  second  wife  of  Alex  Hoefer  of  Boonville;  Margaret  is  the  wife  of 
George  Lacey,  living  on  the  Oak  home  place ;  Bessie  is  at  home. 

Mrs.  Alice  Hoefer  was  accidentally  shot  while  killing  sparrows. 

George  White  Lacey  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1888,  was  inducted  into 
the  National  Army  on  Sept.  1,  1918,  was  in  training  for  military  service 
at  Camp  Jackson,  Columbia,  S.  C,  and  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  service  Jan.  5,  1919. 

Mr.  Oak  has  been  a  lifelong  republican,  although  his  son  Frank  is  a 
pronounced  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
is  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  and  most  substantial  citizens. 

Viet  C.  Eppstein. — The  Eppstein  family  is  an  old  and  honored  family 
of  Boonville  and  Cooper  County  whose  members  have  been  prominently 
identified  with  Cooper  County  over  four  score  years.  Viet  C.  Eppstein, 
traveling  salesman  of  Boonville,  is  worthy  representative  of  this  fine  old 
family.     Mr.  Eppstein  was  born  in  Boonville,  April  26,  1862. 

The  history  of  the  Eppstein  family  in  America  begins  with  Joseph 
Eppstein,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  with  his  wife,   formerly   Barbara 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  579 

Reitz,  together  with  their  family  of  seven  children,  came  to  America, 
disembarking  at  Baltimore,  Md.  From  there  they  came  west  on  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  as  far  as  it  ran — about  100  miles — after 
which  they  boarded  a  canal  boat  which  took  them  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence 
by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Eppstein  left  his 
family  in  St.  Louis,  came  up  the  Missouri  to  Boonville,  and  located  on  a 
farm  near  Pisgah.  Later  he  moved  to  Boonville  and  died  in  this  city  of 
measles  in  1858.  Joseph  Eppstein  was  a  German  of  the  better  class  in 
his  native  land,  where  he  was  a  manufacturer  of  coaches  and  wagons, 
and  also  had  other  important  interests.  His  wife,  Barbara,  survived  him 
over  30  years,  and  died  in  Boonville,  in  1882.  There  were  reared  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  three  daughters  as  follows :  Col.  Joseph  Eppstein,  Henry, 
Viet,  George,  Frank,  Barbara,  Katie  or  Kittie,  and  Frances,  all  of  whom 
are  deceased. 

Col.  Joseph  A.  Eppstein  made  a  record  as  a  citizen  and  soldier  which 
any  American  can  read  with  pride  and   satisfaction.     He  was  born   in 
Germany,  Jan.  1,  1824,  and  was  14  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to 
America.     In  1843  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  employed  in  a  store  in 
that  city  until  1847.     In  February  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  3rd  Missouri  Mounted  Rifles,   in  which   he  was   made   sergeant,   and 
served  for  nearly  two  years,  until  Oct.,  1848.     After  the  expiration  of 
his  ware  service  which  led  him  to  Mexico  City  with  General  Scott's  con- 
quering forces,  he  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  in  Aug.,   1840,  was  given 
charge  of  a  store,  which  he  conducted  until  1850,  and  then  returned  to 
Boonville.     He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  his  brother  Viet 
Eppstein  until  1860.  when  he  purchased  his  brother's  interest.     When  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  in  1861,  he  at  once  organized  a  company  of  135,  every 
one  of  whom  with  a  single  exception  was  of  German  birth  or  ancestry. 
This  company  was  known  as  the  "Boonville  Corps".     He  then  organized 
a  battalion  and  a  company  of  cavalary,   but  these  were  only  for  local 
service.     He  later  organized  the  6th  Battalion  Missouri  State  Guards,  and 
after  that  a   number  of  companies,   both   cavalry   and    infantry.     From 
March  24,  1862  to  Jan.,  1863,  he  was  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  13th  Cavalry, 
Missouri  State  Guards,  and  then  by  consolidation  of  troops,  he  became  the 
commander  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.     He  followed  merchandising  after  the  war  until  1878,  when  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Boonville  and  served  until  his  death  in  1885. 
In  1867  and  1868  he  represented  Cooper  County  in  the  Legislature.     June 
14,   1846,  he  was  married  to  Theresa  Bertrand  of  St.   Louis.     He  was 


580  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

father  of  seven  children:  Joseph  M.,  William  H.,  Emil  M.,  Louis  B.,  Alex- 
ander, Charles  A.,  and  Theresa  G. 

Viet  Eppstein,  father  of  V.  C.  Eppstein,  whose  name  heads  this 
review,  was  born  Feb.  12,  1827,  and  died  March  7,  1901.  He  was  born 
at  Mainz,  Germany,  and  was  14  years  of  age  when  he  left  home  and 
became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Davy  Jones  at  Pisgah,  he  then  went  to  New 
Orleans  and  remained  for  a  time.  Upon  his  return  to  Boonville  he  engaged 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  Joseph  in  the  mercantile  business,  in 
1850.  He  continued  actively  in  business  until  1869,  when  he  made  a  trip 
to  Europe  where  he  remained  for  a  year.  Returning  in  1871,  he  purchased 
the  store  of  his  brother  and  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  60  years 
(1887)  he  retired  from  active  business,  while  retaining  an  interest  in 
the  Eppstein  store  which  was  conducted  then  by  his  son,  Viet  C.  Eppstein, 
having  as  partner  George  Hain,  under  which  management  the  store  con- 
tinued in  operation  until  1900.  In  that  year  V.  C.  Eppstein  sold  his  inter- 
est in  the  business  to  his  father.  Upon  the  elder  Eppstein's  death  in 
1901,  the  widow  sold  the  business  to  George  Hain  in  190G. 

Mr.  Eppstein  was  public  administrator  of  Cooper  County  from  1872 
to  1876,  and  was  reelected  in  1880  and  served  until  the  latter  part  of 
1884.  He  served  several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  of  Boon- 
ville and  was  known  as  a  public  spirited  citizen.  Mr.  Eppstein  was  a  man 
of  broadness  and  culture  who  reared  a  splendid  family  of  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. He  was  married  on  Nov.  20,  1851  to  Miss  Fannie,  daughter  of 
Anthony  Fox  who  came  to  this  country  in  1835.  Anthony  Fox  was  a 
native  of  Herbelsheim  near  Strasbourg.  He  first  settled  in  New  Orleans, 
and  in  1835  accompanied  by  his  wife,  Rosalie,  he  came  to  Boonville  and 
established  a  brewery  which  he  operated  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
children  of  Charles  and  Rosalie  Fox  were:  Frank,  Charles,  Rosa,  Amelia, 
and  Mrs.  Fannie  Eppstein,  deceased;  and  Mrs.  Sophia  (Sombart)  Miller, 
one  of  the  oldest  pioneer  women  of  Boonville.  Mrs.  Fannie  (Fox)  Epp- 
stein was  born  in  1835  and  died  in  1908.  The  children  born  to  Viet  C. 
and  Fannie  Eppstein  were:  Louise,  Rose,  Mary,  Viet  C,  Fannie,  Sallie, 
Lollie. 

Louise  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Wooldridge,  who  formerly  operated 
"Dan's  Drug  Store",  was  known  as  Mr.  Dan,  was  a  fine  musician  and  a 
town  character.     Both  Dan  and  Louise  Wooldridge  are  deceased.  , 

Rose  married  George  Sahm,  who  for  many  years  with  his  father 
George  Sahm,  Sr.,  conducted  a  very  successful  shoe  business  in  Boonville, 
and  died  in  1896.     She  has  one  daughter,  Corinne  Frances,  wife  of  H.  M. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  581 

Herzog,  an  interior  decorator.  Mrs.  Herzog  is  mother  of  a  son,  Herman 
Theodore  Maximilian  Herzog.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  George  Hain,  retired 
merchant  of  Boonville.  Fannie  married  M.  A.  Eisen,  druggist  of  Hot 
Springs,  Ark.  Sallie  is  wife  of  C.  H.  Weaver,  of  Hot  Springs,  Ark.  Lollie 
is  the  wife  of  John  Tillman,  superintendent  of  the  Jefferson  Hotel,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Viet  C.  Epstein  was  educated  in  Prof.  Merrill's  Seminary,  where  he 
studied  for  three  years.  He  spent  four  in  the  Boonville  public  schools. 
He  then  studied  for  four  years  in  Mentzker's  Business  College  and  re- 
ceived a  thorough  ground  work  in  business  preparation.  He  entered  the 
Eppstein  store  in  1879  and  remained  in  the  business  until  1900.  In  Nov., 
1901,  he  began  traveling  for  the  Swofford  Brothers  Dry  Goods  Company 
of  Kansas  City  and  was  in  the  employ  of  this  firm  for  four  years.  He 
was  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Ferguson-McKinney  Company  of  St.  Louis 
for  10  years.  Aug.  1,  1916,  he  became  a  member  of  the  traveling  sales 
force  of  the  Richardson  Dry  Goods  Company,  of  St.  Joseph,  covering  west- 
ern and  central  Missouri. 

Mr.  Eppstein  was  married  Nov.  15,  1887  to  Miss  Belle  Gentry,  of 
Louisiana,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Jesse  and  Susan  Gentry,  natives  of 
Virginia.  Captain  Gentry  served  with  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil 
War  and  was  with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea."  Mr.  Epp- 
stein has  one  son,  Viet  Gentry  Eppstein,  born  May  4,  1889.  He  is  engaged 
in  the  publishing  business  and  is  president  of  Rogers  and  Hall  Publishing 
Company,  of  Chicago.  V.  G.  Eppstein  is  a  born  newspaper  man  and  pub- 
lisher. At  the  age  of  13  years  he  edited  and  published  the  "Boonville 
Success",  and  at  that  time  was  said  to  have  been  the  youngest  editor  in 
the  country.  He  graduated  from  the  Kemper  Military  Academy  in  1907, 
studied  for  two  years  at  the  State  University,  and  two  years  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  This  talented  young  man  has  worked  his  way  upward 
to  the  presidency  of  the  Rogers  and  Hall  Publishing  Company  from  a 
subordinate  position  paying  $15  per  week.  He  married  Miss  Peggy  Zim- 
merman of  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Belle  (Gentry)  Eppstein  was  born  Feb.  28,  1869  and  died  Aug. 
6,  1918.  She  was  a  talented,  popular  and  well  loved  woman  of  Boonville 
who  has  been  sadly  missed  from  the  best  social  circles  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Eppstein  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  United  Commercial  Travelers,  the  Travelers 
Health  Association,  the  Travelers  Protective  Association,  and  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.     Mr.  Eppstein  made  a  trip  to  Europe  in  1881  and  traveled 


582  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

over  the  continent  for  more  than  a  year.  He  visited  Mainz,  the  ancestral 
seat  of  the  Eppstein  family  and  found  that  from  records  which  dated  back 
200  years,  that  his  ancestors  had  originally  come  from  Vienna,  Austria, 
in  1681.  His  original  ancestor  who  came  from  Vienna,  was  a  tanner  by 
trade,  but  most  of  his  lineal  descendants  were  farmers. 

Frank  Klekamp. — One  of  the  prettiest  farms  in  this  section  of  Mis- 
souri is  that  of  Frank  Klekamp,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Cooper  County. 
The  Klekamp  holdings  consist  of  160  acres,  120  acres  of  which  is  com- 
prised in  the  home  place,  where  Mr.  Klekamp  and  his  family  have  resided 
since  June  20,  1916.  Forty  acres  of  the  farm  is  pasture  and  timber  land. 
The  Klekamp  tract  is  improved  with  a  beautiful,  modern  bungalow,  and 
is  one  of  the  prettiest  homes  on  Lone  Elm  Prairie. 

Mr.  Klekamp  was  born  in  Germany,  July  4,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Charlotte  Klekamp,  who  lived  and  died  in  their  native  land. 
When  22  years  of  age,  Frank  Klekamp  immigrated  to  America,  and  after 
a  residence  of  one  year  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  worked  as  a  common  la- 
borer, he  came  to  Cooper  County.  From  Aug.,  1883,  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  late  John  King,  as  farm  laborer,  until  1884.  Te  then  worked  for 
Mr.  Hockenberry  for  one  year  and  after  his  marriage  in  1885,  he  worked 
for  Mr.  Hockenberry  for  two  years  more.  With  his  savings  he  became 
possessed  of  a  team  of  horses,  and  carefully  saving  his  earnings,  he  bought 
100  acres  of  land  in  1888,  improved  it  and  then  bought  his  40  acre  tract. 
In  June,  1918,  he  sold  his  former  homestead  to  his  son,  and  purchased  his 
present  place. 

Mr.  Klekamp  was  married  in  1885  to  Minnie  Menzpeter,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  March  18,  1862,  and  came  to  America  with  an  uncle 
in  1882. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Frank  and  Minnie  Klekamp,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  others  are  Emma  and  Albert.  Emma  Klekamp  was 
born  in  1890  and  is  the  wife  of  Augustan  Toellner  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship. Albert  Klekamp  was  born  Oct.  23,  1891,  and  married  Ilda,  daugh- 
ter of  H.  P.  Muntzel.  They  were  married  on  April  30,  1916,  and  have  one 
child,  Irene  Klekamp. 

Mr.  Klekamp  is  a  republican,  and  he  and  his  family  worship  at  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Lone  Elm. 

George  C.  Harness. — Seventy-two  years  of  residence  in  one  vicinity 
and  practically  on  one  farm  is  a  record  for  George  C.  Harness  of  Pales- 
tine township,  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  pioneer  residents  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  583 

Cooper  County,  and  owner  of  a  beautiful  country  estate  of  186  acres. 
All  of  the  improvements  on  this  attractive  place  have  been  built  by  the 
owner.  A  driveway  leads  up  to  the  handsome  farm  residence  and  the 
big  red  barns.  One  of  the  landmarks  on  the  place,  which  marks  the  spot 
where  an  old  time  log  cabin  stood  years  ago,  is  a  large  cedar  tree,  planted 
in  the  early  forties.  George  C.  Harness  was  born  on  the  place,  June  29, 
1847.  Conrad  Harness,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was 
born  March  27,  1811.  He  died  March  20,  1898.  The  Harness  family  is 
of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  Conrad  Harness  was  a  son  of  Adam  Harness, 
whose  father  was  Peter  Harness,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  first  settled 
in  Pennsylvania.  Adam  Harness  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  Con- 
rad Harness  was  married  April  19,  1835,  to  Ann  Tucker,  who  was  born 
April  13,  1817,  and  died  March  3,  1897.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Josephus 
and  Sarah  (Hutton)  Tucker,  who  were  Cooper  County  pioneers.  The 
father  of  Sarah  (Hutton)  Tucker  was  a  quartermaster  in  the  American 
Army  in  the  War  of  1812.  In  1841,  Conrad  Harness  left  the  old  Har- 
ness home  in  "Virginia  and  made  the  long  overland  trip  to  Cooper  County, 
driving  two  six-horse  teams,  with  all  of  his  movable  possessions.  He 
located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  first 
home  of  the  family  was  a  two-story  log  house;  later  the  family  moved  to 
a  new  one-and-a-half  story  log  house,  which  was  a  comfortable  abode. 
Conrad  Harness  settled  on  what  was  known  for  years  as  the  Harness 
homestead  in  1850  and  accumulated  a  large  estate  of  over  600  acres  prior 
to  his  death.  The  children  born  to  Conrad  and  Ann  (Tucker)  Harness 
are  as  follows:  Jacob  T.,  deceased;  John  Josephus,  deceased;  William  T. 
died  at  Lexington,  Okla. ;  Henry  C,  and  Charles  C,  deceased ;  George 
Conrad,  of  this  sketch ;  Isaac  H.,  a  ranchman  at  Chickasha,  Okla. ;  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Hurst,  deceased;  Edwin  B.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Henry  Crawford, 
Palestine  township. 

George  Conrad  Harness  attended  school  in  a  little  old  log  school 
house,  where  the  pupils  had  to  chop  the  wood  to  keep  the  big  stove  filled 
with  chunks  of  wood.  Two  boys  were  detailed  each  week  for  this  job 
and  they  managed  to  spend  most  of  their  time  keeping  up  the  fire,  car- 
rying wood  for  a  distance  of  about  one-fourth  mile.  The  pupils  sat  on 
rough  slab  benches.  An  old  fashioned  pine  desk  ran  clear  around  the 
room,  with  a  shelf  beneath  for  books  and  slates.  The  bench  on  which  the 
small  youngsters  sat  had  no  backs  and  they  were  continually  tumbling 
off  to  the  floor.    When  the  teacher  called  the  class,  the  boys  would  jerk 


584  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  big  bench  up.  The  room  was  eventually  heated  by  a  little  wood  stove, 
the  pipe  of  which  ran  through  a  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  roof.  As  a  re- 
sult, the  log  house  caught  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground  one  day,  and 
George  Harness  felt  "blue"  about  it  for  a  time. 

Cooper  County  was  a  hunter's  paradise  in  the  forties  and  wild  ducks 
and  geese  were  plentiful.  Prairie  chickens  and  pigeons  swarmed  over 
the  land  in  untold  numbers  and  George  Harness  became  a  good  shot.  The 
most  fun  was  the  hunting  of  wild  turkeys  at  night  in  the  timber.  Conrad 
Harness,  his  father,  killed  many  deer  around  Bunceton,  but  the  deer  were 
all  gone  when  George  was  big  enough  to  hunt  deer.  The  children  of  those 
old  days  lived  under  primitive  conditions,  but  were  happy  and  contented, 
more  so  than  the  children  now-a-days,  who  have  every  convenience  and 
luxury  at  their  disposal. 

George  Conrad  Harness  was  married  in  1872  to  Martha  Dills,  who 
was  bom  in  Indiana,  July  10,  1855,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  May 
10,  1910.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Dills,  a  Kentuckian,  who  first 
migrated  to  Indiana  and  then  came  to  Missouri.  Two  children  blessed 
this  union:  George  Irving,  born  March  4,  1881;  and  Nellie  Gertrude,  her 
father's  capable  housekeeper,  born  Aug.  26,  1885. 

Mr.  Harness  is  a  democrat  and  a  Baptist,  a  good  and  stable  and  reli- 
able combination,  which  indicates  that  he  comes  of  the  old  reliable 
Southern  stock. 

It  is  worthy  of  record  that  in  1863,  Conrad  Harness  crossed  the  plains 
with  an  ox  team  outfit,  driving  three  yokes  of  cattle  hitched  to  a  heavy 
freight  wagon  through  Iowa  and  thence  to  Idaho  and  Montana,  where  he 
followed  freighting  for  three  years,  until  his  return  to  Missouri  in  1867. 

Walter  Wade  Iteavis  is  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres  in  Clarks 
Fork  township.  He  was  born  on  what  is  now  the  George  A.  Carpenter 
farm,  Clark's  Fork  township,  on  Aug.  1,  1867,  son  of  Henry  Joseph  and 
Lucy  A.  (Gentry)  Reavis,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same 
farm.  Henry  J.  Reavis  was  born  in  1839,  his  parents  having  been  among 
the  early  residents  of  that  part  of  Cooper  County,  and  continued  to  make 
his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  until  1872,  when  he  moved 
to  the  Meyer  place  near  the  store  at  Clarks  Fork.  He  later  moved  to 
what  is  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Forest,  and  there  died  on  March 
22,  1914.  He  is  buried  in  the  old  family  cemetery  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  was  born.  His  widow  is  living  with  her  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
She  was  born  in  Madison  County,  Ky.,  in  1849,  and  came  with  her  parents 
to  Missouri,  locating  first  in  Howard  County,  and  in  1877  coming  to  Cooper 
County,  where,  at  Bunceton,  on  Nov.  15,  1866,  she  was  married  to  Henry 


W.    W.   REAVIS 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  585 

J.  Reavis.  Her  father  died  in  this  county  and  is  buried  at  Walnut  Grove 
Cemetery.  Her  mother  died  in  Howard  County,  where  she  was  born. 
To  Henry  J.  and  Lucy  A.  (Gentry)  Reavis  were  born  three  children: 
Walter  Wade ;  E.  Forest  Reavis,  who  is  living  on  his  mother's  farm  in 
Clarks  Fork  township,  and  Stella  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  10  years. 

W.  W.  Reavis  has  followed  fanning  all  his  life.  He  received  his 
schooling  in  the  Fairview,  Jefferson  and  Ellis  district  schools  and  as  a 
young  man  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm.  In  time  he  became  owner  of 
the  place  on  which  he  and  his  mother  are  now  living.  This  farm  was 
owned  many  years  ago  by  Mrs.  Fulkerson,  who  with  her  husband  is  buried 
on  the  place.  Abraham  Weight  later  bought  the  place  and  he  and  his 
wife  also  are  buried  there.  Among  other  graves  in  this  plot  is  that  of 
Daniel  Davis,  a  friend  of  Abraham  Weight,  who  died  Nov.  4,  1881.  The 
headstone  at  Mrs.  Fulkerson's  grave  gives  the  date  of  her  death  as  Sept. 
11,  1854.  Abraham  J.  Weight's  gravestone  gives  the  date  of  his  birth 
as  Nov.  27,  1822;  his  death,  Feb.  3,  1894.  Julia  A.,  his  wife,  born  Jan. 
25,  1834 ;  died  on  Feb.  1,  1906.  Among  the  graves  are  those  of  an  infant 
son  and  an  infant  daughter  of  the  Weights. 

Mr.  Reavis  is  one  of  the  best  known  huntsmen  in  Cooper  County  and 
his  home  is  adorned  with  numerous  trophies  of  the  chase,  including  a  half 
dozen  handsomely  mounted  deer  antlers.  He  has  about  30  deer  to  his 
credit.  The  Reavis  family  tradition  has  it  that  the  Reavises  were  ever 
great  hunters  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  this  present  representative 
of  the  family  has  found  much  pleasure  with  his  dogs  and  guns.  Mr. 
Reavis  also  has  a  valuable  collection  of  Indian  relics,  arrow  points  and 
the  like,  as  well  as  an  interesting  collection  of  pioneer  relics,  hdusehold 
articles,  hunting  paraphernalia  and  the  like,  formerly  used  by  his  grand- 
father. Henry  Johnson  Reavis. 

Lafayette  Montgomery  Moore. — One  hundred  and  three  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  first  of  the  Moore  family  settled  in  Cooper  County. 
Prior  to  this  time  there  were  not  white  people  in  this  section,  excepting 
roving  bands  of  hunters  or  trappers..  The  Indians  roamed  at  will  over 
the  land  and  camped  beside  the  flowing  waters;  wild  animals  were  plen- 
tiful and  great  forests  stretched  along  the  streams  and  on  the  hill  and 
valley  lands. 

The  Moore  farm  in  Palestine  township,  along  the  valley  of  the  Petit 
Saline  River,  known  as  "Idylhour  Place,"  and  formerly  owned  by  the  late 
Lafayette  Montgomery  Moore,  is  one  of  the  historic  places  of  interest  in 
Cooper  County.  This  land  has  been  settled  for  over  a  century ;  during  the 
Civil  War  a  battle  was  fought  thereon  between  a  roving  band  of  Con- 


586  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

federates  and  Union  forces.  Some  men  were  killed  and  many  wounded; 
the  wounded  and  dying  were  taken  to  the  old  Moore  house  on  the  hill,  a 
landmark  in  Cooper  County.  Several  soldiers  died  and  were  buried  near 
the  old  house,  later  to  be  taken  up  and  removed  to  the  Moore  Cemetery. 
This  old  brick  house  was,  in  bygone  days,  a  station  on  the  overland  stage 
route  between  Boonville  and  Versailles,  and  is  situated  eight  miles  south 
of  Boonville.  Lafayette  Montgomery  Moore,  of  this  review,  was  born  in 
Cooper  County,  Jan.  16,  1838,  and  died  April  17,  1902,  on  the  farm  which 
his  grandfather  entered  in  1816. 

Maj.  William  Hamilton  Moore,  grandfather  of  L.  M.  Moore,  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1777,  and  died  in  Cooper  County  in  1861.  He  was 
descended  from  the  distinguished  Moore  family  which  numbers  among 
its  progenitors,  Tom  Moore,  the  songster,  and  Gen.  Wade  Hampton  Moore, 
of  Revolutionary  War  fame.  Maj.  William  Moore  commanded  a  battalion 
of  American  troops  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  married  Anne  Cathey,  born 
in  Haywood  County,  N.  C.  She  had  five  sisters,  all  of  whom  were  re- 
markable and  talented  women.  Major  Moore  became  owner  of  over  3000 
acres  of  land  in  Cooper  County,  his  land  holdings  extending  as  far  as  the 
present  site  of  Bunceton,  Mo.  He  tilled  his  large  acreage  with  slaves, 
whom  he  brought  from  the  South.  Before  his  death  he  freed  two  of  his 
oldest  slaves — the  first  negro  slaves  ever  set  free  in  Cooper  County. 
Major  Moore  reared  ten  sons  and  three  daughters:  Dr.  William  H.,  An- 
drew, Robert,  John,  Thomas,  James,  deceased;  Sarah  is  wife  of  John 
Hutchinson,  left  a  daughter,  Mrs.  John  Elliot;  Margaret  married  Hon. 
Lawrence  V.  Stephens,  former  member  of  Missouri  Legislature  and  father 
of  Joseph  L.  Stephens;  Mary  married  Harvey  Bunce,  for  11  years  sheriff 
of  Cooper  County  and  after  whom  Bunceton  was  named. 

Dr.  William  H.  Moore  (II)  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1802,  and 
died  in  Cooper  County  in  1867.  He  was  a  physician  and  practiced  in 
Cooper  County  many  years.  Dr.  Moore  also  taught  school  and  compiled 
some  of  the  early  textbooks  used  in  the  schools  of  the  early  days.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  physicians  to  practice  in  Cooper  County  and  at  the 
same  time  he  followed  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  with  considerable  suc- 
cess. He  married  Edith  Trammel  of  Arkansas  and  was  father  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Lafayette  Montgomery,  of  this  review;  William  H. 
died  in  Windsor,  Mo.;  Margaret,  wife  of  James  Harris;  Martha,  wife  of 
Joshua  C.  Berry,  now  living  at  Speed,  Mo. 

Lafayette  Montgomery  Moore  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  during  his  entire  life.  He  built 
a  home  upon  his  farm  of  120  acres  which  was  burned  and  then  supplanted 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  587 

by  the  present  neat,  attractive  cottage  known  as  "Idylhour  Place."  He 
was  married  on  March  2,  1865,  to  Matilda  Morton,  who  bore  him  children 
as  follows:  Lee,  died  in  infancy  in  1867;  Allen  B.,  born  1867,  died  1888; 
Judge  B.  L.  Moore  of  Boonville;  Harvey  Bunce,  Gibson  Stephens,  Edith 
Grace,  and  Erastus  Beverley  Moore. 

Harvey  Bunce  Moore,  who  resides  with  his  mother  on  the  Moore 
homestead,  was  born  Jan.  26,  1872.  He  was  educated  in  Central  Busi- 
ness College,  Sedalia,  Mo.,  and  the  Chillicothe  Normal  School,  and  the 
State  University  at  Columbia,  Mo.  For  five  years  he  taught  school  in 
Cooper  County  and  at  the  same  time  operated  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Moore 
is  conducting  a  business  of  his  own,  as  manufacturer  and  salesman  of 
the  Kill  Germ  Disinfectant  Company.  He  is  an  intelligent,  courteous  and 
progressive  citizen,  who  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  of  his 
home  county.  Mr.  Moore,  like  his  ancestors,  is  a  thorough  democrat.  He 
is  a  Baptist.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Mason's  Lodge  of  Bunceton.  Judge 
B.  L.  Moore  is  also  a  Mason. 

Edith  Grace  Moore  is  wife  of  Edgar  Rudolph,  assessor  of  Cooper 
County  and  is  mother  of  one  child,  James  William  Randolph.  Prof.  E. 
Beverley  Moore  was  born  in  1880,  educated  at  Central  Business  College  of 
Sedalia  and  the  Kirksville  Normal  School.  He  has  taught  school  for  the 
past  17  years.  He  is  also  a  farmer  and  owns  a  farm,  one  mile  east  of  the 
Moore  farm. 

Mrs.  Matilda  Morton  Moore  was  born  in  Tennessee,  Nov.  14,  1840, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Matilda  (Tate)  Morton,  both  natives  of 
Tennessee.     Isaiah  H.  Norton  was  born  in  1803  and  died  in  1899. 

The  history  of  the  Morton  family  in  America  begins  with  John  Mor- 
ton, a  native  of  England,  who  immigrated  to  America  late  in  the  17th 
century.  John  Morton,  his  grandson,  was  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  The  father  of  Isaiah  H.  Morton  was  John  Morton,  who 
fought  in  the  War  of  1812  under  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson,  and  who  disap- 
peared during  Jackson's  last  campaign.  Matilda  Tate  Morton  was  a 
daughter  of  Maj.  John  Tate,  an  officer  in  the  American  Army  during  the 
War  of  1812. 

I.  H.  Morton  migrated  to  Cooper  County  in  1844,  landed  at  Boonville 
from  a  Missouri  River  steamboat,  made  his  way  to  the  Pilot  Grove  neigh- 
borhood and  cleared  a  farm  from  the  virgin  forest  upon  which  he  resided 
until  his  death.  His  children  were  as  follows:  Adaline,  wife  of  Capt. 
Lee  Bohannon,  who  served  in  the  Federal  Army  in  command  of  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers  and  died  in  1915;  Andrew  Jackson,  deceased,  was  an 
extensive  farmer  and  stock  man  of  Prairie  Lick;  Jefferson  Gaines  died 


588  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

in  Saline  County,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  L.  H.  Moore,  of  this  review ;  John  D.  lives  in 
Oklahoma,  a  fine  citizen  and  great  religious  student. 

Lafayette  Montgomery  Moore  was  a  fine  citizen;  content  to  lead  a 
useful  and  studious  existence  in  his  home  and  attend  to  his  duties  around 
the  farm  and  oversee  the  rearing  and  educating  of  his  family.  Inasmuch 
as  he  provided  well  for  his  family,  gave  his  children  the  necessary  ad- 
vantages to  fit  themselves  properly  for  their  individual  careers,  lived  ac- 
cording to  the  teachings  of  the  Great  Preceptor  as  nearly  as  possible  for 
mortal  man  to  do,  he  was  a  success  in  this  life.  His  widow  is  well  in- 
formed, hospitable,  kindly,  with  a  mind  stored  with  reminiscences  of  the 
old  days.  "Aunt  Mattie,"  as  she  is  affectionately  known  to  her  numerous 
relatives  and  hundreds  of  friends  in  Cooper  County,  is  the  last  and  most 
authentic  authority  to  be  consulted  upon  family  history  in  her  locality. 

Charles  R.  Cartner,  Union  veteran  and  retired  farmer,  Clarks  Fork 
township,  has  lived  practically  all  of  the  75  years  of  his  life  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns.  The  Cartner  farm  consists  of  153  acres,  well  im- 
proved, with  a  large  house  and  farm  buildings  setting  on  a  hill  overlook- 
ing the  rich  meadow  land  which  comprises  the  greater  part  of  the  tract. 
Mr.  Cartner  was  born  Jan.  19,  1845.  William  Cartner,  his  father,  was 
born  in  this  country  and  his  father  was  a  Scotchman,  who  was  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  The  grandfather  of  Charles  Cartner 
entered  the  land  which  he  now  owns.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  a  fire  de- 
stroyed the  Cartner  home,  its  contents,  the  family  and  land  records,  in- 
formation concerning  this  pioneer  grandfather  is  necessarily  meager. 
William  Cartner  married  Keziah  Robinson,  who  bore  him  seven  children: 
Mary,  deceased;  Charles  R.,  of  this  review;  Julia,  deceased;  John  N., 
Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Fannie  Anderson,  lives  in  Arkansas ;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  T.  Edward  Bonn,  lives  in  Virginia;  Mrs.  Laura  Runkle  lives  in  Boon- 
ville.    William  Cartner  died  in  1852  and  his  wife,  Keziah,  died  in  1859. 

Feb.  2,  1862,  Charles  R.  Cartner  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  13th  Missouri 
Infantry  regiment,  and  served  until  1865,  under  the  Union  flag.  His  war 
service  was  practically  all  in  Missouri  and  his  command  was  constantly 
waging  war  against  the  bushwhackers  and  guerillas  which  infested  the 
state.  He  also  participated  in  the  rout  of  General  Price's  Army  until  it 
was  driven  out  of  Missouri.  After  the  close  of  his  war  service,  Mr.  Cart- 
ner returned  to  the  home  place  in  Cooper  County  and  settled  down  to  the 
peaceful  life  of  an  agriculturist.  Fire  destroyed  his  old  home  in  1872  and 
he  rebuilt  the  present  large  house  which  stands  on  the  hillside  overlook- 
ing the  valley  of  the  Petit  Saline  River. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  589 

Mr.  Cartner  was  married  on  Dec.  22,  1880, '  to  Miss  Annie  Louise 
Haley,  who  was  born  April  13,  1858,  and  departed  this  life  on  Dec.  12, 
1892.  She  was  bora  and  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Haley,  a  Cooper  County  pioneer.  Mr.  Cartner  has  an  only  daugh- 
ter, Emma  Jane,  born  April  13,  1883,  married  James  T.  Case,  and  has 
children  as  follows :  Bernice  Miller,  born  Feb.  27,  1904 ;  Charles  Edmond, 
born  March  1,  1905;  Helen  Frances,  born  Dec.  3,  1906;  James  Herbert, 
born  Sept.  22,  1909;  James  Thornton,  born  Oct.  20,  1911;  Robert  Earl, 
born  April  6,  1918.  James  T.  Case  is  managing  the  home  farm,  in  addi- 
tion to  tilling  his  own  acreage.  He  was  born  at  Monroe,  Wis.,  Dec.  23, 
1860,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Bessie  (Miller)  Case,  who  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  1870. 

Mr.  Cartner  has  been  a  lifelong  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  affiliated  with  Col.  John  A. 
Hayne  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Boonville. 

Marion  Stegner,  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  138  acres  in  Palestine  town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  place  which  he  now  owns,  Feb.  18,  1876.  His  father, 
Nicholas  Stegner,  was  born  in  Saxe-Coburg,  Germany,  March  17,  1840, 
and  departed  this  life  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  June  27,  1918.  He  was  a 
son  of  Paul  and  Catherine  Stegner,  who  immigrated  to  America  in  1853 
and  settled  in  Cooper  County.  Nicholas  Stegner  was  reared  to  young 
manhood  in  Cooper  County  and  was  married  in  1865  to  Margaret  Ellen 
Brown,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Sept.  15,  1839,  and  died  Feb. 
25,  1914.  The  children  born  of  this  marriage  were:  Mollie  Jane,  living 
with  her  brother  on  the  Stegner  home  place ;  John,  a  farmer  in  Moniteau 
County,  Mo. ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Charles  C.  Cook,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
in  this  volume;  Marion,  proprietor  of  the  home  place;  George  Stegner,  a 
farmer  in  Palestine  township ;  and  Mrs.  Julia  Girchner,  living  in  Cooper 
County.  During  the  Civil  War,  Nicholas  Stegner  served  under  the  Union 
flag  in  the  Missouri  State  Guards  and  did  guard  duty  throughout  the  war. 

The  Stegner  home  place,  owned  and  operated  by  Marion  Stegner,  for- 
merly belonged  to  his  mother's  parents,  and  is  one  of  the  old  pioneer 
farms  of  Cooper  County,  upon  which  his  mother  was  born  and  reared. 

Mr.  Stegner  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  is  a  good,  progressive  citizen,  a  successful  farmer,  hospitable  and  is 
well  informed. 

Henry  H.  English. — Every  man  to  his  specialty.  The  individual 
who  early  in  life  begins  to  follow  his  natural  inclination — which  if  it  is 
along  a  productive  and  useful  line  of  endeavor,  is  destined  to  success. 


590  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

H.  H.  English,  when  a  boy,  had  a  fondness  for  mules  and  horses;  he  in- 
dulged his  hobby  in  this  direction ;  for  years  has  followed  horse  breeding 
and  mule  dealing  as  a  vocation;  has  made  a  pronounced  success  of  his 
business  and  is  known  far  and  wide  as  the  best  mule  man  in 'central  Mis- 
souri. He  is  also  widely  known  as  a  breeder  of  fine  horses.  Mr.  English 
first  began  as  a  mule  dealer  with  Green  Walker,  one  of  the  old  settlers 
of  Cooper  County.  His  operations  run  to  the  handling  of  from  500  to  700 
mules  annually.  Mr.  English's  business  calls  for  the  buying,  handling, 
and  shipping  of  this  many  mules  each  year.  His  custom  is  to  buy,  put 
the  animals  in  first  class  condition  and  then  sell  them.  He  conditioned 
and  exhibited  the  grand  champion  mule  at  the  Missouri  State  Fair  held 
in  Sedalia  in  1916.  He  has  taken  many  ribbons,  and  first  prizes  won  by 
the  fine  animals  which  he  has  exhibited,  and  is  known  as  an  expert  mule 
man  in  Missouri.  His  son,  Forrest  English,  is  owned  of  a  splendid  show 
horse  and  he  is  also  an  exhibitor.  Mr.  English  is  the  first  mule  fancier  in 
central  Missouri  who  ever  paid  as  high  as  $150  for  a  mule  and  he  has 
never  been  behind  the  prize  money  in  any  show  ring  where  he  has  ex- 
hibited his  stock.  He  is  owner  of  540  acres  of  rich  Cooper  County  land, 
380  acres  of  which  is  comprised  in  his  home  place,  which  is  improved 
with  a  modern  residence.  He  has  an  improved  farm  of  160  acres  east  of 
Bunceton.  His  home  place  is  situated  in  Palestine  township,  northeast 
of  Bunceton.  Mr.  English  formerly  owned  more  land,  but  sold  100  acres 
in  1918. 

H.  H.  English  was  born  Oct.  20,  1852,  in  Boone  County,  Mo.  He  is 
a  son  of  Howard  English  (born  Dec.  12,  1806 — is  now  deceased)  a 
native  of  Madison  County,  Ky.  Howard  English  was  reared  in  Kentucky 
and  came  to  this  county  when  a  young  man.  He  was  here  manned  to 
Martha  Tucker,  a  native  of  Hampshire  County,  Va.,  bom  Dec.  1,  1814, 
and  died  June  6,  1897.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Josephus  and  Sarah 
Tucker  of  Virginia.  Her  father  died  in  Virginia,  and  the  widow  came  to 
Cooper  County  in  about  1840  with  her  four  sons  and  settled  here.  Four 
children  were  born  to  Howard  and  Martha  English,  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Emma  Drecker,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Anna  Day,  living  in  Colorado ; 
John  T.  English,  somewhere  in  the  West;  and  H.  H.,  subject  of  this  re- 
view. To  a  first  marriage  with  a  Miss  Crockett,  five  children  were  born, 
only  one  of  whom  is  living,  Mrs.  Mollie  Hickman. 

Mr.  English  was  married  on  March  16,  1887,  to  Miss  Kellie  Virginia 
Henderson,  bora  and  reared  in  Cooper  County.  Two  children  have 
blessed  this  union:    E.  Forrest,  and  Bernardine. 

E.  Forrest  English  was  born  March  18,  1890,  and  is  operating  his 
own  farm.    He  is  a  horseman  and  a  breeder  of  more  than  a  local  reputa- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  591 

tion  and  is  owner  of  "Rex  McDonald,"  a  famous  saddle  mare.  "Rex  Mc- 
Donald" has  taken  more  prizes  at  the  State  and  county  fairs  than  any 
competitor.  Forrest  English's  first  animal  was  a  white  pony  and  he  has 
taken  a  keen  interest  in  fine  horses  since  a  boy.  He  has  won  many  prizes 
and  ribbons  at  the  State  and  county  stock  shows.  He  is  a  breeder,  also, 
of  thoroughbred  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 

Bernadine  is  the  wife  of  Hillard  D.  Carlos,  Jr.,  druggist,  Bunceton,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Kellie  English  is  a  daughter  of  James  Newberiy  Henderson,  who 
was  born  at  Wittfield,  Va.,  in  1837,  and  died  in  1884.  He  was  married  in 
Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1863,  to  Miss  Julia  R.  Chamberlin,  who  was  born 
July  17,  1837,  at  Cabelltown,  Jefferson  County,  Va.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
John  W.  and  Eliza  (Headwalt)  Chamberlin,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  in 
1861.  John  W.  Chamberlin  was  born  in  1808  and  died  in  1883.  Eliza,  his 
wife,  was  born  in  1808  and  died  in  1886.  Their  children  were:  Lucien  C, 
deceased ;  Alfred  M.,  Eugene,  and  Frank,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Anna  Good  lives  at 
Pilot  Grove ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Chamberlin  lives  on  the  Bell  Air  road ;  and  Mrs. 
Julia  R.  Henderson.  Five  children  were  born  to  James  N.  and  Julia  R.  Hen- 
derson, as  follows:  Mrs.  Kellie  Virginia  English;  Mrs.  Eva  Lee  Grooms, 
Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  R.  W.  Corum,  Boonville ;  Mrs.  0.  C.  Berry,  near  Speed, 
Mo. ;  John  J.,  somewhere  in  the  West. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Henderson's  death,  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
County  Farm.  After  his  death,  Mrs.  Henderson  took  up  the  duties  of  the 
position  and  conducted  the  County  Farm  from  1870  to  March,  1892. 

Mr.  English  is  a  democrat.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  of 
Cooper  County,  substantial,  well  liked,  and  enterprising. 

Ernest  W.  Torbeck. — The  career  of  Ernest  W.  Torbeck  since  he  came 
to  America  from  his  boyhood  home  in  Germany,  36  years  ago,  has  been 
a  successful  one.  Mr.  Torbeck  was  eight  years  old  when  he  accompanied 
his  father,  William  Torbeck,  to  this  country.  All  that  he  has  and  all  that 
he  owns  has  been  earned  in  Cooper  County.  When  he  grew  to  manhood, 
he  and  his  brother,  Henry  F.  Torbeck,  formed  a  partnership  and  worked 
harmoniously  together  for  a  number  of  years,  with  profit  to  themselves, 
until  the  marriage  of  Henry  F.  in  1910.  Since  that  time  he  has  added  to 
his  possessions  until  he  owns  a  total  of  182  acres,  including  the  Torbeck 
h^me  place  of  82  acres,  which  he  recently  bought  from  his  father.  Mr. 
Torbeck  moved  from  his  other  farm  to  the  home  place  in  Oct.,  1918.  He 
was  born  in  Germany,  Jan.  23,  1875. 

Ernest  W.  Torbeck  was  married  in  1901  to  Miss  Amelia  Hasemeier, 
who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in   1886.     She  is  a  daughter  of 


592  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

George  and  Dorothy  Hasemeier,  natives  of  Germany,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  deceased. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Ernest  W.  and  Amelia  Torbeck,  as 
follows:  Freddie  W.,  aged  14  years;  Dora,  aged  nine;  Wilhelmina,  seven 
years  old;  Marie,  five  years  of  age;  Alice,  aged  three  years;  and  Rosa, 
just  a  year  old. 

Mr.  Torbeck  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Billingsville  and  is  fraternally  allied  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  Lodge  of  Boonville. 

George  Homer  Wear,  owner  of  the  "Hazel  Dell  Farm"  in  Prairie  Home 
township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides  Nov.  1,  1880,  and  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  Missouri.  He  is  a  son  of  George  N.  Wear,  who  was  also  born  in 
Cooper  County,  near  Otterville,  Aug.  21,  1842.  George  N.  Wear  is  a  son 
of  George  Finis  Wear,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  came  to  Missouri  at  a 
very  early  date  and  first  settled  at  St.  Louis,  and  later  came  to  Cooper 
County,  settling  near  Otterville.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Oglesby.  She  died  while  on  a  trip  to  Texas  with 
her  husband,  who  had  large  land  holdings  near  Houston.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Mrs.  Thomas 
Potter,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Martin  deceased ;  Mrs.  Levina  McFarland,  Boonville, 
and  George  N.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  George  Finis  Wear  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Burns.  George  Finis  Wear  was  killed  while  crossing  the 
plains  in  1849. 

George  N.  Wear  was  married  Feb.  10,  1874,  to  Miss  Francas  Ophelia 
George,  a  daughter  of  Houston  and  Francis  George,  pioneer  settlers  of 
Prairie  Home  township.  Mrs.  Wear  died  Dec.  30,  1907,  and  her  remains 
are  buried  in  the  Boonville  cemetery.  George  N.  Wear  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Elmer  Emmett,  farmer  Prairie 
Home  township;  Truman  Clement  died  in  1904,  aged  30  years;  George  H., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

George  Homer  Wear  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Central 
College  at  Fayette,  Mo.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life 
occupation  and  is  meeting  with  more  than  ordinary  success.  He  has 
established  an  extensive  reputation  as  a  successful  breeder  of  Aberdeen 
Angus  cattle,  and  at  this  writing  has  a  herd  of  about  40  head  of  these 
cattle.  He  is  also  an  extensive  cattle  feeder.  "Hazel  Dell  Farm"  consists 
of  435  acres,  190  of  which  belongs  to  George  H.  Wear.  It  is  one  of  the 
nicely  improved  farms  of  Cooper  County  with  a  good  residence,  and  barns 


GEO.   N.   WEAR   AND   WIFE 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  593 

and  also  silo.  The  place  has  an  ample  supply  of  water  and  is  well  adapted 
to  the  stock  business  as  well  as  general  farming. ' 

Oct.  9,  1905,  George  H.  Wear  was  married  to  Eva  Teel  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  S.  N.  and  Nettie  (Williams)  Teel,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  born 
Jan.  4,  1846.  He  came  to  Missouri  when  he  was  about  25  years  of  age 
and  located  at  Prairie  Home,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  until  his  death.  His  widow  now  resides  at  Prairie  Home.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Agnes,  married  Dr.  A.  L. 
Meredith,  Prairie  Home;  Polly,  married  L  E.  George,  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship ;  Mrs.  Logan  Spahr  Oakland,  Cal. ;  Eva,  wife  of  George  H.  Wear,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch ;  Willie,  married  Dr.  Dorsey  E.  Hooper,  Warsaw,  Mo. ; 
Kelly,  married  Roy  Hanley,  California,  Mo. ;  Pearl,  assistant  cashier  of 
Prairie  Home  Bank;  Mrs.  Newell  Teel,  Prairie  Home;  Burk  now  in  U.  S. 
navy,  having  enlisted  in  Aug.,  1917,  and  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean 
three  times  on  the  U.  S.  transport  Huron ;  Garth,  resides  at  home  and 
Samuel  Victor,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Wear  have  been  born  four  children  as  follows:  Frances  Annette;  Eliza- 
beth, died  at  the  age  of  three  years ;  Mary  Evaline  and  George  H.,  Jr. 

Mr.  Wear  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Prairie  Home  and  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive citizens  of  Cooper  County  and  the  Wear  family  stand  high  in  the 
community. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Layne. — Eighty  years  have  elapsed  since  the 
father  of  Benjamin  F.  Layne,  retired  farmer  and  stockman  of  Bunceton, 
Mo.,  came  to  Cooper  County  from  Kentucky  and  made  a  home  for  his 
family  in  Lebanon  township.  The  Laynes  have  been  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  Cooper  County  since  1840  and  are  among  the  honored  and  sub- 
stantial pioneer  families  of  this  section  of  Missouri.  B.  F.  Layne  was 
born  on  the  Layne  homestead  in  Lebanon  township,  March  9,  1867.  He 
was  the  son  of  John  Wilson  and  Catherine  (Robinson)  Layne. 

John  Wilson  Layne  was  born  in  Buckingham,  Va.,  April  9,  1810,  and 
died  in  Cooper  County,  Feb.  27,  1905.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Kentucky  in  1822,  there  grew  to  manhood  and  was  married.  In  1839  he 
made  his  first  trip  to  Cooper  County,  acquired  land  and  returned  for  his 
family  whom  he  moved  overland  to  the  new  home  in  the  following  year. 
His  first  trip  was  made  on  horseback,  the  second  was  made  with  wagons 
which  carried  his  family  and  his  movable  possessions.  He  brought  a 
number  of  slaves  with  him  who  tilled  the  soil  of  the  new  farm  which  he 


594  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

created  from  the  undeveloped  wilderness  country  in  southern  Cooper 
County.  His  retinue  of  slaves  consisted  of  five  males  and  one  female 
slave.  His  first  house  was  a  cabin,  built  of  logs  hewn  and  trimmed  from 
his  land.  This  was  in  due  time  supplanted  by  a  more  pretentious  struc- 
ture, built  on  the  prairie.  Mr.  Layne  took  up  a  timber  tract  on  the  Lamine 
River  from  which  he  cut  rails  with  which  to  fence  his  acreage.  These 
rails  were  hauled  a  distance  of  five  miles.  He  planted  hedges  which  in 
time  grew  to  be  suitable  for  girding  in  the  fields.  He  accumulated  920 
acres  of  land  and  was  quite  wealthy  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War.  Like 
many  others  who  were  slave  owners  at  the  time  of  the  war  he  suffered 
misfortunes ;  he  was  robbed  of  his  money,  his  live  stock  was  taken  away 
and  the  premises  were  stipped  of  everything  of  value  and  he  was  impover- 
ished. In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  maintained  a  neturality  during  the 
war,  his  life  was  many  times  in  danger  and  on  one  or  two  occasions  he 
was  saved  only  by  the  intereference  of  a  girl  whom  he  had  reared  as 
a  daughter  in  his  household.  He  spent  his  last  days  with  his  sons.  To 
John  Wilson  and  Catherine  Layne  were  born  nine  children,  five  of  whom 
were  reared,  as  follows:  Belle,  wife  of  Nathan  Harris,  died  in  1889; 
Dora,  wife  of  Shaw  Roe,  lives  at  Oakland,  Cal.;  Alexander  resides  on  a 
farm  adjoining  the  home  place  in  Lebanon  township ;  Edward  is  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  at  Otterville,  Mo.;  Benjamin  Franklin,  subject  of 
this  review. 

The  family  of  which  John  Wilson  Layne  was  a  member,  was  a  very 
large  one,  consisting  of  13  sons  and  one  daughter. 

B.  F.  Layne  attended  the  district  school  located  one  and  three-fourths 
miles  from  the  Layne  homestead,  and  which  was  known  as  the  West  Fork 
School.  When  he  became  of  age  his  father  gave  him  a  tract  of  80  acres 
which  he  improved.  He  resided  on  this  farm  for  four  years  and  then 
traded  it,  eventually  taking  charge  of  the  homestead.  When  the  elder 
Layne  died  he  and  his  brother  purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs 
and  B.  F.  Layne  made  his  home  on  this  farm  of  373  acres  until  June  17, 
1916,  when  he  removed  to  Bunceton.  Mr.  Layne  served  as  president  of 
the  Syracuse  Bank  for  four  years  and  is  now  a  director  of  the  Clifton 
City  Bank.     He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Syracuse,  Mo. 

Nov.  28,  1886,  B.  F.  Layne  was  married  to  Lottie  Lander  Bailey. 
This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  the  following  children:  William, 
John  Wilson,  Sarah  Catherine,  and  Lottie  Franklin.  William  is  cashier 
of  the  bank  at  Clifton  City.     He  married  Emma  Belle  Graves  and  has 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  595 

one  child,  Dorothy.  Dr.  John  Wilson  Layne,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1892, 
studied  dentistry  and  was  practicing  his  profession  in  Bunceton  when  he 
was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  in  Sept.,-  1918.  He  received  a  com- 
mission as  first  lieutenant  in  the  dental  corps  of  the  army,  Eighth  Cavalry 
Regiment  and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Cody,  Deming,  N.  M.,  and  is  at 
Marfa,  Texas,  at  present.  Sarah  Catherine,  aged  16  years,  is  a  junior  in 
Bunceton  High  School.  Lottie  Franklin,  aged  11  years,  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  Layne  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  and  Mrs.  Layne  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  are  pleasant, 
progressive,  and  hospitable  people  who  have  a  host  of  friends  in  Cooper 
County. 

Henry  John  Niebruegge. — When  Henry  John  Niebruegge  came  to 
America  from  his  native  Germany  in  1881,  he  was  possessed  of  about  $50 
in  cash.  He  hired  out  as  farm  laborer  until  1886,  when  his  marriage  de- 
manded that  he  secure  a  home  for  himself  and  his  wife.  For  the  next 
five  years  he  rented  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lone  Elm  and  in  1891 
he  decided  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  begin  to  accumulate  some  prop- 
perty.  He  invested  his  savings  in  114  acres  of  land,  and  naturally,  be- 
cause he  had  not  been  able  to  save  enough  money  to  pay  for  this  land  he 
went  in  debt  for  the  greater  part  of  the  amount  of  the  value  of  the  farm. 
An  old  log  house  on  the  place  sufficed  as  the  first  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Niebruegge  for  the  next  10  years.  In  the  meantime  they  scrimped  and 
saved,  worked  from  early  mora  till  late  at  night  so  as  to  get  out  of  debt 
and  get  the  means  wherewith  to  build  a  comfortable  home.  This  they 
built  in  1901 — in  fact,  every  rod  of  fence,  every  tree  and  shrub  around 
the  residence,  every  building,  barn,  outhouse,  and  shelter  for  stock,  has 
been  built  by  Mr.  Niebruegge  and  the  farm  near  Lone  Elm  is  one  of  the 
best  improved  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Niebruegge  is  now  the  owner  of 
389.5  acres,  in  three  tracts,  one  farm  of  which  is  at  Lone  Elm. 

Henry  John  Niebruegge  was  born  in  Germany,  Jan.  28,  1855,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Blanche  Niebrugge  who  lived  all  of  their  days  in 
Germany.  Mr.  Niebruegge  emigrated  from  Germany  in  1881  and  came 
directly  to  Cooper  County  where  he  has  become  one  of  the  prosperous 
citizens  of  the  county.  He  was  married  Feb.  9,  1886  to  Maria  Katharina 
Schluetter,  born  in  1854,  in  Germany.  The  children  born  to  this  mar- 
riage are:  William,  Henry,  Oscar,  and  Emma.     One  child  died  in  infancy. 

Oscar  Niebruegge  is  the  soldier  of  the  family  and  his  parents  have 


596  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

good  and  just  right  to  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  they  sent  one  of  their 
sons  to  fight  in  behalf  of  the  principles  of  liberty  for  which  America, 
their  adopted  country,  joined  in  the  great  World  War.  Oscar  Niebruegge 
was  born  July  27,  1892.  He  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army,  in 
Oct.,  1917  and  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston.  He  was  then  sent  to  Camp 
Doniphan  and  in  April,  1918,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  fight  on  the  Western 
front  in  France  with  the  famous  35th  Division,  139th  Infantry,  Company 
H.  Private  Niebruegge  took  part  in  the  terrific  fighting  in  the  Argonne 
Forest.  So  great  were  the  hardships  that  he  endured  that  he  lay  sick 
in  a  hospital  for  30  days  after  the  fight  and  was  then  transferred  to  the 
Headquarters  Company.  He  received  his  honorable  discharge  May  8, 
1919  and  is  now  at  home. 

Mr.  Niebruegge  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Lone  Elm  and  are  liberal  supporters 
of  this  denomination.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niebruegge  are  intelligent,  hospitable 
folks  and  have  a  fine  family. 

Peter  Smith,  living  retired  at  Lone  Elm,  Cooper  County,  is  one  of 
the  highly  respected  'old  settlers'  of  this  county  whose  advent  into  the 
county  dates  back  over  50  years.  Successful  as  a  farmer,  having  reared 
a  fine  family,  now  in  his  old  age,  he  is  taking  life  easy.  Mr.  Smith 
formerly  owned  two  farms,  one  of  126  acres  and  another  of  170  acres, 
totalling  296  acres  in  all  which  he  sold  in  1917  and  1918  and  has  since 
made  his  home  at  Lone  Elm. 

He  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  Jan.  1,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of 
Claus  and  Margaret  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1866.  Claus 
Smith  and  his  six  children,  Peter,  Henry,  Annie,  Margaret,  Joseph  and 
John  Heinrich,  emigrated  from  Germany  to  America  in  1868  and  located 
in  Cooper  county  where  Claus  Smith  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
Henry  Smith  resides  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  Mrs.  Margaret 
Nauman  lives  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  John  Smith  resides  in  California. 
Heinrich  is  a  resident  of  Petersburg,  Mo. 

Peter  Smith  of  this  review  worked  out  as  farm  laborer  for  five  years 
after  coming  to  Cooper  County.  After  his  marriage  in  1875  he  bought 
63  acres  of  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township  .agreed  to  pay  $25  an  acre 
for  the  land,  improved  it,  added  to  it  until  it  was  126  acres  and  disposed 
of  this  farm  in  1917.  This  farm  brought  $100  an  acre  when  sold.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  purchased  170  acres  near  Bunceton,  for  $36  an  acre. 
He  placed  all  of  the  existing  improvements  on  this  farm  and  sold  it  for 
$100  an  acre. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  597 

• 

Jan.  19,  1875,  Peter  Smith  and  Mrs.  Polly  Arnold  Schmalfeld  were 
united  in  marriage.  Two  children  blessed  this  union:  Maggie  C,  born 
Feb.  26,  1876,  is  wife  of  George  Friedmeyer,  of  California,  Mo.;  Martin 
D.,  born  June  19,  1878,  is  farming  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 

The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  in  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  Dec. 
18,  1850,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Keziah  (Williams)  Arnold, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  respectively.  The 
Arnolds  migrated  to  Missouri  in  1867  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, Cooper  County,  near  the  Clarks  Fork  Evangelical  Church.  The  par- 
ents spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  here.  Daniel  and  Keziah  Arnold 
were  parents  of  12  children,  10  of  whom  came  to  Missouri:  John  died 
while  serving  in  the  Union  army ;  Levi  died  in  1916 ;  Margaret  died  in 
1917 ;  Sarah  died  in  1906 ;  William  died  in  1915 ;  Joseph  resides  on  a  farm 
six  miles  west  of  Sedalia ;  Mrs.  Cynthia  Kelly  lives  at  Ozark,  Mo. ;  Henry 
lives  on  a  farm  south  of  Pisgah,  Mo.  Polly  Arnold  was  first  married  to 
Otto  Schmalfeld  in  1869.  Mr.  Schmalfeld  died  in  December,  1873.  To 
Otto  and  Polly  Schmalfeld  were  born  children  as  follows:  John  H.,  born 
Dec.  20,  1869,  died  April  1,  1905;  William  F.,  born  Sept.  9,  1871,  is  a 
farmer  living  east  of  Clarks  Fork  Church ;  Christena,  born  Aug.  26,  1873, 
is  wife  of  George  Frieling,  and  lives  in  Palestine  township. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  republican.  He  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  and  are  excellent,  honest,  well  to  do  citizens  of  Cooper 
County. 

Dan  G.  Davis,  dairyman,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  May  8,  1843,  in 
Cooper  County  and  is  a  son  of  pioneer  parents  in  this  county.  His  father 
was  Daniel  G.  Davis  and  his  mother  was  Ruth  Breredon,  prior  to  her 
marriage.  Further  and  more  extended  mention  of  this  pioneer  couple 
will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Jeff  L.  Davis,  of  Boonville. 

After  receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville,  Dan 
G.  Davis  engaged  in  farming.  For  the  past  11  years  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business  upon  a  farm  of  95  acres  just  on  the  south  edge  of 
Boonville.  In  addition  to  the  dairy  farm,  Mr.  Davis  has  a  tract  of  140 
acres  one  mile  west  of  the  home  place.  He  has  50  head  of  pure  bred 
Jersey  cows  and  two  splendid  registered  males.  Mr.  Davis  sells  the  out- 
put of  his  dairy  to  the  local  ice  cream  factory  and  is  making  a  success  of 
his  business.     He  erected  one  of  the  first  silos  in  Cooper  County  in  1912. 

Mr.  Davis  was  married  in  1906  to  Mabel  M.  Gallagher,  of  Tipton, 
Mo.,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Peyton  Gallagher.     Five  children  were  born 


598  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

to  this  union  of  whom  four  are  living:  Elizabeth,  Louise,  Jefferson  Lee, 
Kathryn,  deceased,  and  Daniel  Grosvenor. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  democrat.  He  was  reared  in  the  Episcopalian  faith. 
Personally,  he  is  a  likable,  genial  and  whole  hearted  citizen  who  takes 
life  as  he  finds  it  and  is  liked  by  those  who  know  him  best. 

Thomas  Alpheus  Nelson,  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  native  born 
pioneers  of  Cooper  County,  now  living,  retired,  in  Bunceton,  Mo.,  and 
owner  of  "Eminence  Stock  Farm,"  situated  a  few  miles  northeast  of 
Bunceton.  Mr.  Nelson  was  born  Aug.  23,  1848,  on  a  farm  four  miles 
northeast  of  Bunceton,  and  resided  for  70  years  within  sight  of  his  birth- 
place. He  is  a  son  of  James  0.  Nelson,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this 
section  of  Missouri. 

James  0.  Nelson  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1802  and  died  in  Cooper 
County,  Mo.,  in  1861.  He  immigrated  to  Cooper  County  in  about  1833, 
entered  government  land  and  improved  a  farm,  upon  which  he  reared 
his  family  of  11  children,  as  follows:  A.  M.  Nelson,  Boonville,  Mo.;  E.  D., 
deceased;  Mrs.  T.  B.  Stephens,  deceased;  Mrs.  Nora  Reavis,  deceased; 
John  Albert,  and  T.  A.  Nelson,  twins,  the  former  deceased ;  Addie  died  at 
the  age  of  21  years;  two  children,  Henrietta  and  Maryetta,  died  young; 
James  0.  Nelson  resides  in  Bunceton.  The  mother  of  these  children  was 
Mary  E.  (Hirst)  Nelson,  who  was  born  in  1809  and  departed  this  life 
Dec.  25,  1891. 

In  the  beginning  there  were  seven  Nelson  brothers  who  located  in 
Cooper  County  in  pioneer  days.  Of  these,  Thomas  W.  Nelson  became  a 
merchant  in  Boonville.  James  0.  and  John  B.  Nelson  were  farmers,  the 
former  becoming  a  large  land  owner.  Henry  and  Addison  Nelson  were 
bachelors.  Alexander  Nelson  located  in  California,  Mo.,  and  George 
Nelson. 

Thomas  A.  Nelson  was  married  Dec.  24,  1868,  to  Sarah  A.  Tucker, 
who  bore  him  children  as  follows :  Walter  died  in  infancy ;  Louis  0.  Nel- 
son lives  in  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  W.  L.  Nelson  is  the  present  member  of  Con- 
gress from  this  district  and  resides  in  Columbia,  Mo.;  Albert  J.  and  Al- 
pheus J.  are  farmers  in  Cooper  County;  Edgar  C.  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  Bunceton  Eagle;  Clyde  T.  Nelson  is  managing  "Eminence  Stock 
Farm. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  born  in  Cooper  County, 
April  6,  1849,  within  sight  of  "Eminence  Stock  Farm."  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  B.  (Taliaferro)  Tucker,  natives  of  Virginia  and 
Kentucky,  respectively.  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Tucker  was  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Nancy  Taliaferro,  who  came  From  Kentucky  to  Cooper  County,  Mo., 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  599 

in  1834.  Thomas  Tucker  was  a  son  of  Josephus  and  Sarah  Tucker.  He 
was  born  in  1812  and  died  in  1893.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1841, 
was  married  in  1847  and  built  up  a  splendid  farm.  He  was  father  of  the 
following  children:  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Nelson,  of  this  review;  W.  J.  Tucker 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  John  R.  Tucker  of  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Bohling,  Medford,  Ore.  William  and  Nancy  Taliaferro  were  par- 
ents of  six  children:  James,  Robert,  Johnson,  Lucy,  wife  of  James  H. 
Baker,  and  Elizabeth,  who  attained  the  great  age  of  90  years.  Thomas 
Tucker  was  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of  Cooper 
county. 

When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  A.  Nelson  began  their  wedded  life,  they 
purchased  a  tract  of  undeveloped  prairie  land  which  adjoined  the  old 
Tucker  homestead.  In  order  to  fence  this  tract,  Mr.  Nelson  hauled  rails 
with  ox  teams  from  Moniteau.  Every  tree,  shrub,  vine,  and  plant  which 
now  adorns  the  grounds  of  their  fine  estate  was  planted  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nelson.  "Eminence  Stock  Farm"  consisted  of  364  acres,  well  improved 
with  a  large,  handsome  residence,  good  farm  buildings,  and  is  devoted  to 
the  breeding  and  raising  of  fine  live  stock.  Mr.  Nelson  has  always  been 
an  extensive  feeder  and  producer  of  live  stock.  In  1882,  Mrs.  Nelson 
began  breeding  and  raising  fine  poultry,  mostly  Barred  Rocks  and  other 
varieties.  She  was  the  first  woman  to  make  a  specialty  of  producing 
poultry  of  the  better  breeds  and  of  pure  strain.  Mr.  Nelson  achieved  a 
great  reputation  as  a  breeder  of  Duroc  Jersey  swine. 

Dec.  24,  1918,  Thomas  A.  and  Sarah  A.  Nelson  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding  anniversary.  When  Mr.  Nelson  was  purchasing  live 
stock  for  the  State  Institutions  some  years  ago,  Mrs.  Nelson  managed  the 
farm  during  his  frequent  periods  of  absence  and  weighed  the  corn  and 
did  a  man's  work  on  the  place.  They  are  both  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  as  are  all  of  their  children.  Mr.  Nelson  has  been  a  deacon  in  the 
,)tist  Church  for  40  years  and  las  son  Louis  0.  Nelson  is  also  a  deacon. 
They  are  among  the  most  highly  respected  and  best  loved  pioneer  couples 
in  Cooper  County,  and  Mrs.  Nelson  is  the  source  of  authority  in  her 
neighborhood  for  facts  concerning  family  history  and  is  the  last  recourse 
for  information  concerning  the  early  history  of  the  Bunceton  neighbor- 
hood. In  September  of  1918,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  made  their  first  move 
in  a  half  century.  They  came  to  Bunceton,  after  turning  over  the  home 
farm  to  their  son,  Clyde  Nelson,  who  is  now  managing  it.  Now,  in  the 
eventide  of  a  long  and  useful  life,  they  are  enjoying  well  earned  repose, 
serene  in  the  consciousness  that  theirs  has  been  a  life  well  spent. 


600  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Emmett  E.  Wear,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  state. 
He  was  born  in  Prairie  Home  township  Dec.  15,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  N.  and  Ophelia  F.  (George)  Wear. 

Emmett  E.  Wear  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  Clarksburg  Col- 
lege and  Prairie  Home  College.  He  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising 
in  early  life,  and  has  been  successful  from  the  start.  He  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  180  acres,  which  is  a  part  of  "Hazel  Dell  Farm",  in  1919. 
This  land  was  entered  from  the  government  by  Thomas  Byler,  the  original 
land  patent  being  granted  in  the  20's,  and  signed  by  John  Quincy  Adams, 
nearly  100  years  ago.  The  brick  residence  which  now  stands  on  the  place 
was  built  in  1844,  the  bricks  being  manufactured  on  the  place.  John 
Burrus  did  the  carpenter  work.  This  old  residence,  notwithstanding  its 
75  years  of  service,  is  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

Jan.  23,  1915,  Elmer  E.  Wear  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Pansy 
Hemphill,  a  daughter  of  Charles  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Hemphill,  who 
reside  at  Lawrence,  Kan.,  where  the  father  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  Mrs.  Wear  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lawrence,  Kan.,  and 
also  attended  Baker  University,  Baldwin,  Kan.  She  is  a  graduate  nurse, 
having  received  her  training  at  the  Research  Hospital  at  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  Mrs.  Wear  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents: 
Lynn,  whose  present  address  is  unknown;  Anna,  married  Charles  Cham- 
pion ;  Margarette,  married  John  Klevinger,  Lawrence,  Kan. ;  Joseph,  Law- 
rence, Kan. ;  Ruth,  Lawrence,  Kan.,  and  Pansy  H.,  wife  of  Emmett  E. 
Wear,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wear  has  been  born 
one  child,  Ophelia  Wear. 

William  Schleuter. — From  laborer  to  prosperous  farmer,  owning  one 
of  the  best  prairie  farms  in  Cooper  County  during  37  years  of  endeavor 
in  this  country,  is  the  reward  of  William  Schlueter  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, for  industry,  thrift  and  good  management.  He  came  to  America 
from  his  native  Germany,  ignorant  of  our  customs  and  language  and  has 
made  good  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  Mr.  Schlueter  owns  a  fine  place 
of  180  acres,  upon  which  he  has  resided  since  1903.  His  home  place  con- 
sists of  100  acres,  and  includes  the  first  80  which  he  bought,  to  which  he 
has  added  20  acres.  He  then  bought  his  other  80,  situated  just  across  the 
highway,  in  1916.  The  Schlueter  farm  is  well  improved  and  presents  an 
attractive  and  prosperous  appearance. 

William  Schlueter  was  born  in  Germany,  May  7,  1863,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Louise  Schlueter,  who  spent  their  lives  in  their  native  land. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  601 

William  immigrated  to  America  in  1881,  and  worked  as  a  laborer  in  St. 
Louis  for  two  years.  In  1883,  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  having  been 
employed  in  a  creamery  and  dairy  establishment  in  St.  Louis.  He  worked 
as  farm  laborer  in  Cooper  County  for  $15  per  month.  All  the  capital  he 
had  in  the  world  when  he  set  foot  in  this  country  was  $13.  He  agreed  to 
pay  $42  an  acre  for  his  first  80,  and  went  in  debt  for  nearly  all  of  the 
purchase  price.  He  erected  all  of  the  buildings  on  the  tract  and  fenced 
it.  His  next  purchase  of  20  acres  cost  him  $70  an  acre.  His  last  pur- 
chase of  80  acres  cost  him  $92.75  an  acre.  The  Schlueter  land  is  easily 
worth. $150  an  acre.  Mr.  Schlueter  handles  Angus  cattle,  his  favorite 
breed  of  live  stock.  He  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Minnie  Langkop, 
who  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Oct.  15,  1867,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Philippina  Langkop,  natives  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  America 
and  made  a  permanent  settlement  in  Cooper  County  in  about  1855.  Henry 
Langkop  was  born  Sept.  28,  1837,  and  died  July  23,  1897.  Phillipina,  his 
wife,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1846,  and  died  July  16,  1915.  Henry  was  a  native 
of  Hanover,  while  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Saxony.  Henry  Langkop  was 
a  son  of  William  Henry,  who  first  settled  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  settled  in 
Clarks  Fork  township  in  1855  and  died  here  in  1857.  In  1894,  Mr.  Lang- 
kop sold  his  Clarks  Fork  township  farm  and  moved  to  Moniteau  township, 
where  he  died.  He  reared  a  family  of  12  children:  Mrs.  Minnie  Schlue- 
ter, of  this  review;  William,  Lone  Elm,  Mo.;  Henry,  Boonville;  Caroline, 
died  at  the  age  of  25  years ;  Herman,  Elliston,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Sophia  House- 
man, St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Theodore,  on  the  home  place,  south  of  Lone  Elm ; 
Mrs.  Lucy  Gruner,  San  Francisco ;  Emma,  living  at  Lone  Elm,  Mo. ;  John, 
Moniteau  township;  George,  Montana;  Clara,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  William  and  Minnie  Schlueter,  as 
follows:    Emma,  Ida,  Henry,  and  Herman,  all  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Schlueter  is  a  republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Lone  Elm  Evangelical  Church. 

William  W.  Trigg,  former  merchant,  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
and  loan  business  in  Boonville,  is  a  native  of  Boonville,  and  a  son  of  the 
late  Dr.  William  Hodge  Trigg,  pioneer  physician  and  banker,  and  widely 
known  merchant  of  this  city. 

The  Trigg  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  American  families,  and 
the  name  of  "Trigg"  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  recorded  history.  The  name 
is  derived  from  the  Gothic — "Tryggve,"  through  the  course  of  years 
changed  to  "Trygg,"  thence  to  the  English  name  of  "Trigg."  The  family 
is  of  Norse  origin  and  the  earliest  trace  of  the  family  is  found  as  begin- 


602  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ning  with  the  11th  century,  when  the  Norse  conquered  a  portion  of  the 
British  Islands  and  left  their  imprint  and  racial  characteristics  upon  the 
Islanders. 

The  history  of  the  Trigg  family  in  America  begins  with  (I)  Abraham 
Trigg,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1690  and  immigrated  to  America  in 
1715.  He  made  a  settlement  in  Spottsylvania  County,  Va.  (II)  William 
Trigg,  his  son,  the  direct  ancestor  of  W.  W.  Trigg,  served  as  judge  of 
Bedford  County,  Va.  His  children  were:  Abraham,  Stephen,  John, 
(III)  William,  Daniel,  Nancy,  wife  of  Arthur  Moseley,  and  Lockey,  wife 
of  Captain  Henderson. 

(III)  William  Trigg  was  a  colonel  in  the  Bedford  County  Militia  in 
1781.  He  had  children  as  follows:  Alanson,  William  (IV),  Daniel, 
Haden,  Nancy,  and  Elizabeth.  Daniel  Trigg  was  born  in  1776  in  Bedford 
County,  Va. 

(IV)  Daniel  Trigg  was  a  farmer  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.  He  was  an 
elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  married  Nancy  Hodge,  who  bore 
him  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Juliet  Hannah,  (V)  William  Hodge, 
John  H.,  Haden  S.,  Daniel,  Abraham  and  Stephen  (twins),  Charity  A., 
Nancy  Bell  and  Alanson  (twins),  and  Samuel  L. 

(V)  Dr.  William  Hodge  Trigg  was  born  Jan.  24,  1808,  and  died  in 
Boonville,  Mo.,  Feb.  20,  1895.  He  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in 
Tennessee  and  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  After  leaving  school,  he  studied  medicine  in  the  office  of 
Dr.  Hodge,  a  physician  of  Gallatin,  Tenn.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  his  native  state  and  practiced  there  until  he  came  West  in 
1834.  Dr.  Trigg  made  the  trip  through  Missouri  from  St.  Louis  on  horse- 
back and  recorded  his  impressions  of  this  new  and  undeveloped  country 
in  a  diary  which  makes  interesting  reading.  He  arrived  in  Cooper  County 
in  Feb.,  1834,  and  so  favorably  impressed  was  he  with  the  beauty  of  the 
country  and  the  apparent  richness  of  the  soil,  and  the  attractive  appear- 
ance of  Boonville,  that  he  decided  to  locate  here.  He  opened  an  office  in 
this  city  and  was  soon  embarked  in  the  successful  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Opportunities  were  plentiful  in  those  days  for  business  enterprises 
and  Dr.  Trigg  decided  to  take  advantage  of  this  fact  and  he  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with  two  young  friends  from 
Tennessee,  under  the  firm  name  of  Boyers,  Blythe  and  Trigg.  This  part- 
nership continued  for  two  years,  and  Dr.  Trigg  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  father-in-law,  Jacob  F.  Wyan,  the  first  merchant  in  Boon- 
ville.    The  firm  was  known  as  Wyan  and  Trigg,  and  continued  until  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  603 

death  of  Mr.  Wyan  in  1842.  Dr.  Trigg  continued. in  business  for  several 
years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Wyan.  In  1847  he  established  the  first  bank 
in  Boonville,  doing  a  strictly  banking  business  in  his  own  name  until  1858. 
He  then  established  a  banking  concern  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  H. 
Trigg  and  Company.  When  the  troubles  incident  to  the  ravages  of  Civil 
War  caused  a  business  depression  in  this  vicinity,  the  affairs  of  this  bank 
were  wound  up.  During  the  Civil  War,  Dr.  Trigg  opened  a  mercantile 
nouse  in  Boonville  with  his  son,  W.  W.  Trigg.  Associated  with  him  were 
also  his  sons-in-law,  John  T.  Pigott  and  William  M.  Johnson,  under  the 
firm  name  of  William  H.  Trigg  and  Company.  This  firm  did  business  in 
Boonville  until  1864.  Conditions  had,  meanwhile,  become  more  and  more 
unsettled  and  the  firm  removed  to  Courtland,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained 
until  the  fall  of  1865.  Returning  to  Boonville,  in  1866,  they  erected  the 
largest  business  house  in  central  Missouri  and  the  partnership  was  main- 
tained until  1892.  It  was  then  dissolved  and  the  business  was  closed  out. 
For  over  half  a  century,  Dr.  Trigg  was  the  most  prominent  merchant  in 
central  Missouri.  When  he  retired  from  business  he  could  not  be  content. 
He  had  been  so  long  actively  engaged  in  mercantile  and  banking  pursuits 
that  he  desired  again  to  have  something  to  occupy  his  mind.  At  the  age 
of  86  years,  he  proposed  to  his  son,  W.  W.  Trigg,  that  they  establish  a 
loan  and  brokerage  busiess.  Since  the  death  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Trigg,  his  son, 
W.  W.  Trigg,  has  carried  on  the  business  under  the  name  of  Wm.  H. 
Trigg  and  Company. 

April  14,  1835,  Dr.  Trigg  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Gaines  Wyan, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Nancy  Wyan,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this 
volume  in  connection  with  that  of  Robert  F.  Wyan  of  Bunceton.  Mrs. 
Sarah  G.  Trigg  was  born  Dec.  30,  1817,  and  departed  this  life  July  11, 
1884.  The  following  children  were  born  to  this  marriage:  Josephine  H., 
Juliet  A.,  Annie  M.,  William  Wyan.  Josephine  H,  decased,  was  the  wife 
of  the  late  John  T.  Pigott.  Juliet  A.,  born  Aug.  5,  1838,  became  the  wife 
of  the  late  William  M.  Johnson  of  Boonville.  Annie  M.,  born  Aug.  17, 
1842,  married  William  Mann  Lionberger  of  Boonville.  William  Wyan 
Trigg,  of  this  review,  was  born  July  10,  1845. 

Dr.  William  Hodge  Trigg  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  every  enter- 
prise tending  to  develop  the  resources  of  his  city  and  county.  He  was 
connected  with  establishment  of  the  first  ferry  across  the  Missouri 
River,  at  Boonville.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Central  District 
Agricultural  Society,  and  he  was  interested  in  the  promotion  of  the  rail- 
roads, manufactures,  schools  and  churches  of  the  city.     He  was  exten- 


604  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

sively  engaged  in  the  handling  of  real  estate  and  during  his  career  he 
handled  thousands  of  acres  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  During  the  Civil 
War,  he  took  a  determined  stand  for  the  Union  and  allied  himself  with 
the  democratic  party  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  a  gentleman  of 
the  old  school,  high  minded,  never  profane,  eschewed  liquor  and  tobacco, 
and  was  temperate  in  all  things. 

William  Wyan  Trigg  was  educated  in  the  Kemper  School  of  Boon- 
ville,  entering  in  1861,  and  studying  there  until  the  closing  of  the  school 
in  1864,  on  account  of  war  conditions.  For  a  period  of  thirty  years,  he 
was  connected  with  the  Wm.  H.  Trigg  Mercantile  Company,  and  was  one 
of  the  active  partners  in  this  concern  until  1894.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business  in  Boonville. 

Oct.  13,  1869,  W.  W.  Trigg  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  Friend  Hall, 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  M.  W.  Hall,  formerly  a  physician  of  Saline  County,  Mo. 
Four  children  blessed  this  marriage,  namely:  William  Hall,  Walton 
Wyan,  Louise,  and  Ewing  Lester. 

William  Hall  Trigg  was  born  Aug.  2,  1870.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Kemper  Military  School,  and  Columbia  University,  New  York,  graduating 
from  the  law  department.  For  10  years  he  practiced  his  profession  in  St. 
Louis  and  then  came  to  Boonville,  where  he  practiced  law  and  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business.  In  May,  1918,  Mr.  Trigg  was  appointed 
to  a  law  position  in  the  State  Tax  Division  of  the  Internal  Revenue  De- 
partment at  Washington,  D.  C.     He  married  Miss  Julia  Young. 

Walton  Wyann  Trigg  was  born  Dec.  31,  1873.  He  was  educated  in 
Kemper  Military  School,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  oil  business  at  Mel- 
vern,  Kan. 

Louise,  wife  of  E.  T.  Dutcher,  died  in  1911. 

Ewing  Lester  Trigg  was  born  April  17,  1888,  and  was  educated  in 
Kemper  Military  School. 

Mr.  Trigg  is  an  independent  democrat.  He  is  a  Knights  Templar 
Mason.  For  25  years  he  was  a  deacon  of  the  Boonville  Presbyterian 
Church  and  for  the  past  20  years  he  has  been  an  elder  of  the  local  church. 

William  A.  Hurt,  owner  of  "Forest  Grove"  stock  farm  is  an  honored 
pioneer  of  Cooper  County  and  one  of  the  most  highly  valued  and  respected 
citizens  of  Boonville  township.  Mr.  Hurt  is  a  native  son  of  this  county, 
a  member  of  one  of  Missouri's  first  families.  He  was  born  May  16,  1850, 
in  Clarks  Fork  township,  a  son  of  William  Hurt,  Sr.  and  Catherine  (Rob- 
ertson) Hurt. 

William  Hurt,  Sr.,  father  of  William  A.  Hurt,  was  born  March  7, 
1816  at  Old  Cole's  Fort  in  Cooper  County,  a  son  of  Colonel  Clayton  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  605 

Mary  (Dillard)  Hurt,  the  former,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter, 
a  daughter  of  James  Dillard.  Colonel  Clayton  Hurt  was  born  Jan.  15, 
1790,  in  Bedford  County,  Ky.  He  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  about  1815 
and  settled  at  Old  Cole's  Fort.  Colonel  Clayton  Hurt  was  in  charge  of 
the  settlers'  military  organization,  which  for  many  years  was  maintained 
as  a  protection  against  the  Indians.  He  died  in  1862  and  his  remains  rest 
in  Hail  Ridge  cemetery.  Mrs.  Hurt  died  in  1867.  Two  children  of  Colonel 
Clayton  and  Mary  (Dillard)  Hurt  are  now  living  in  Cooper  County,  namely: 
J.  T.  Hurt  and  Mrs.  Julia  (Hurt)  Shannon. 

Sept.  6,  1837,  William  Hurt,  Sr.  and  Catherine  Robertson,  daughter 
of  Capt.  Andrew  Robertson,  one  of  the  leading  pioneers  of  Cooper  County, 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  were  true-hearted,  sturdy 
pioneers  and  spent  their  lives  in  rearing  their  family  and  improving  their 
farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  To  them  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Mrs.  Mary  Catherine  McFarland,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Mrs. 
Nancy  Emmeline  Davis,  who  died  Jan.  6,  1912;  Jenkin  D.,  deceased; 
Beniga,  who  died  Dec.  15,  1914;  William  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  James  M.,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  township. 
The  mother  died  May  28,  1882  and  the  father  died  Jan.  11,  1894.  The 
remains  of  both  parents  rest  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery. 

William  A.  Hurt  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County.  Prac- 
tically his  entire  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  pursuits  of  farming  and 
stockraising  in  Boonville  and  Clarks  Fork  townships.  His  farm  comprises 
585  acres  of  excellent  land,  all  of  Section  6  in  Boonville  township.  The 
Hurt  residence  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country  and  is  well  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  farm  on  the  state  highway,  which  traverses  the  Hurt  land. 
Noble,  old  shade  trees,  planted  before  the  Civil  War,  surround  the  resi- 
dence. On  this  farm,  Mr.  Hurt  has  made  his  home  for  35  years.  In  the 
raising  of  hogs,  mules  and  registered  Hereford  cattle,  he  has  been  very 
successful. 

July  31,  1878,  William  A.  Hurt  and  Elizabeth  Johnston,  a  native  of 
Cooper  County  and  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Margaret  Johnston,  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  were  pioneers  of  Prairie 
Home  township,  in  which  township  they  reared  a  splendid  family  of  ten 
children,  five  boys  and  five  girls,  as  follow:  Mrs.  Mary  Margaret  Par- 
sons, deceased ;  Mrs.  Rachel  J.  Miller,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Sallie  Ann  Simmons, 
deceased  ;  Susan  Ellen,  deceased  ;  Robert  B.,  deceased  ;  Colonel  T.  A.  Johns- 
ton, of  Boonville,  Mo.;  William  F.,  of  Warrensburg,  Mo.;  Mrs.  William  A. 
Hurt,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review;  George  W.,  deceased;  and 


606  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

James  E.,  of  Denver,  Col.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Hurt  are  now  deceased 
and  she  is  one  of  the  four  surviving  children.  To  William  A.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Johnston)  Hurt  have  been  born  four  children:  Sidney  J.,  at  home; 
William  B.,  deceased ;  Margaret  Catherine,  at  home ;  and  Mrs.  Mary  Far- 
ris,  of  Boonville.  Miss  Margaret  possesses  unusual  artistic  ability  and 
her  paintings,  which  decorate  the  walls  of  the  Hurt  home,  show  exceptional 
skill  and  taste.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  are  proud  of  their  only  grandson, 
James  William  Farris,  now  four  years  of  age. 

More  than  a  century  has  passed  since  the  Hurt  name  became  a 
familiar  one  in  this  state  and  now,  as  then,  it  is  the  synonym  of  upright 
manhood  and  noble  womanhood.  There  is  no  family  in  this  section  of 
Missouri  more  highly  regarded  or  more  worthy  of  respect  and  affection. 
Mr.  Hurt  is  a  stanch  democrat.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Farmers  Bank 
of  Boonville  and  he  is  likewise  a  director  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of 
Boonville. 

Robert  Schwitzky. — In  35  years  of  endeavor  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
Robert  Schwitzky  of  Palestine  township,  has  achieved  what  can  rightly 
be  called  a  success.  Mr.  Schwitzky  has  a  large  farm  of  300  acres  upon 
which  are  two  sets  of  handsome  improvements.  He  has  a  pretty,  modern 
cottage  erected  in  1914,  a  large  bank  barn  which  he  built  him  self  and 
everything  about  his  home  place  gives  evidence  of  thrift,  pride,  and  enter- 
prise. 

Robert  Schwitzky  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  Feb.  17,  1863,  and 
is  a  son  of  Herman  and  Amelia  (Temple)  Schwitzky,  who  immigrated  to 
America  in  1882  and  settled  in  Indiana.  One  year  later,  Robert  Schwitzky 
came  to  Cooper  County.  Herman,  his  father,  was  born  in  April,  1836,  and 
makes  his  home  with  his  son,  Robert.  Amalie  Schwitzky  died  in  1882 
shortly  after  her  arrival  in  this  country. 

During  his  first  summer  in  Indiana,  Robert  Schwitzky  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  $8  per  month.  After  he  came  to  Cooper  County  he  re- 
ceived $12  per  month  for  three  years.  He  rented  land  for  the  next  three 
years  and  then  bought  52  acres  in  1888  near  Boonville  upon  which  he  re- 
sided for  seven  years.  In  1895  he  purchased  140  acres  of  his  present 
homestead.  This  land  had  no  improvements  worthy  of  the  name  and  it 
has  been  built  up  to  its  present  fine  condition  by  the  owner  who  is  one 
of  the  best  agriculturists  in  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Schwitzky  was  married  in  1885  to  Minnie  Johnmeyer,  a  sister 
of  William  F.  Johnmeyer,  whose  biography  appears  in  this  history.  Mrs. 
Schwitzky  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germany,  Aug.  11,  1865.     The  chil- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  607 

dren  bom  to  this  union  are :  Herman,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Ida,  wife  of  Henry 
Hein,  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  Mo. ;  Anna,  wife  of  Henry  Torbeck,  Boonville 
township ;  Rosa,  wife  of  Henry  Kahle,  Lone  Elm  Prairie ;  William,  Minnie 
and  Robert  on  the  home  farm;  Freda,  at  home.  William  and  Herman 
are  engaged  in  the  automobile  business  in  Boonville  and  are  owners  of 
the  Schwitzky  Auto  Sales  Co. 

Mr.  Schwitzky  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  lodge  at  Speed,  Mo. 

John  Hein. — The  John  Hein  farm  of  294  acres,  in  Palestine  township, 
is  one  of  the  finest  improved  prairie  farms  in  Cooper  County.  The  hand- 
some residence  painted  white,  with  red  roofs,  situated  far  back  from  the 
roadway,  consists  of  ten  rooms,  all  modern,  eqipped  with  electric  lights, 
hot  and  cold  running  water — an  ideal  country  place.  A  cellar  runs  entirely 
underneath  this  fine  home  and  every  convenience  for  comfortable  living 
is  arranged  in  the  home.  Other  farm  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  the 
Hein  residence.  Mr.  Hein  raises  pure  bred  Duroc  Jersey  swine  and  has 
a  herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle.  Mrs.  Hein  has  a  large  flock  of  pure  bred 
white  Leghorn  poultry. 

John  Hein  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Boonville,  Jan.  28,  1866,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  Hein,  who  was  born  in  1826  and  died  in  1903.  His  mother 
was  Catherine  Titkens  prior  to  her  marriage,  and  she  was  born  in  1838 
and  died  in  1897. 

Henry  Hein  was  a  native  of  Holstein,  Germany,  and  came  to  America 
in  1856.  He  served  under  the  Union  flag  during  the  Civil  War  and  settled 
in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood  in  Cooper  County,  where  he  owned  120 
acres,  upon  which  he  settled  in  about  1874.  He  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children:  Mrs.  Mary  Cotterman,  living  north  of  Speed,  Mo.;  John,  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  William  lives  near  Appleton  City,  Mo.;  Christ  lives 
on  the  farm  adjoining  that  of  John  Hein ;  Peter,  a  farmer,  north  of  Lone 
Elm ;  Sophia,  Lone  Elm ;  J.  W.  Henry  lives  on  the  home  place. 

John  Hein  attended  the  old  Clarks  Fork  School  and  the  Lone  Grove 
School  and  learned  to  till  the  soil  under  his  father.  When  he  attained 
the  age  of  21  years,  he  began  his  own  career.  He  rented  land  in  the 
neighborhood  until  1900,  and  then  made  his  first  purchase  of  177  acres 
at  a  cost  of  $44  an  acre.  In  1911  he  bought  116  acres,  plus  a  fraction, 
at  a  cost  of  $85  an  acre.  This  fine  farm  of  nearly  294  acres  is  easily 
worth  from  $125  to  $150  an  acre. 

Feb.  15,  1900,  Mr.  Hein  was  married  •  to  Miss  Minnie  Toellner,  a 
daughter  of  Herman  Toellner.     The  children  born  to  John  and  Minnie 


608  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Hein  are  as  follows :     Herman,  deceased ;  Lydia,  Harry,  Albert,  and  Ella. 

Mr.  Hein  is  a  republican,  but  has  little  time  for  political  matters. 
When  he  has  a  few  hours  free  from  his  farming  duties,  he  can  usually 
be  found  doing  something  to  add  to  the  attractiveness  or  convenience  of 
his  splendid  country  estate.  He  and  his  family  worship  at  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church  at  Lone  Elm,  and  he  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  this 
church. 

John  H.  Smith  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and  a  descendant  of  very 
early  Missouri  pioneers.  He  was  born  in  Prairie  Home  township,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  Jan.  12,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Lutetia 
C  (George)  Smith.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  May  16, 
1810,  and  the  latter  born  March  1,  1823  and  died  July  16,  1905.  Jeremiah 
died  Dec.  21,  1903.  Jeremiah  Smith  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Smith,  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  his  wife  was  from  North  Carolina. 

In  1817  Thomas  Smith  came  to  Missouri  from  Tennessee  with  his 
family  and  settled  at  Boonslick,  where  he  remained  about  a  year  and 
removed  to  Old  Franklin.  Some  years  later  he  came  to  Cooper  County, 
settling  in  Prairie  Home  township,  where  he  entered  160  acres  of  land; 
which  is  now  the  Fred  Sullivan  place.  Jeremiah  Smith  also  entered  80 
acres  of  government  land  about  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later.  John  H. 
Smith,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  owns  this  property.  Jeremiah 
Smith  became  an  extensive  land  owner  and  at  one  time  owned  about  1,000 
acres,  which  he  divided  among  his  eight  children.  He  was  a  Presbyterian 
and  a  democrat,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson  for  president. 

Jeremiah  and  Lutetia  C.  (George)  Smith,  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Margaret  Ann,  born  March  31,  1846,  and  died  June 
20,  1856;  Thomas  Richard,  born  April  5,  1848,  and  resides  at  Pleasant 
Hill,  Mo.;  George  Almond,  born  April  3,  1850  and  died  in  Cass  County, 
Mo.,  Jan.  23,  1912;  Martha  Ellen,  born  April  30.  1854,  married  Joseph 
Franklin  and  resides  at  Hume,  Mo.;  Robert  Boone,  born  Oct.  24,  1855, 
and  resides  in  Prairie  Home ;  Mary  Alice,  born  May  17,  1858,  married  Dr. 
G.  W.  Stiffler,  Stirling,  Colo.;  William  A.,  born  April  24,  1860,  Prairie 
Home ;  John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Josie  Lee,  born  April  24, 
1864,  married  E.  L.  Koontz,  Fulton,  Mo. 

John  H.  Smith  was  reared  and  educated  in  Prairie  Home  township 
and  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life  occupation,  and  has  met 
with  a  very  satisfactory  degree  of  success  in  his  undertaking.  He  was 
married  Nov.  30,  1887,  to  Elizabeth  Ann  Mitchell,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  June  27,  1867.  She  is  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Margaret  J. 
(Harmon)   Mitchell,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.     W.  H.  Mitchell  was 


MR.   AND  MRS.    JOHN   H.   SMITH 


.110  UK  Ml  AH    SMITH    AND    WIFK 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  609 

born  in  Jackson  township,  Huntington  County,  June  8,  1845,  and  his  wife 
was  born  in  Union  township,  Mifflin  County,  Dec.  4,  1845.  They  were 
married  in  Mifflin  County,  July  4,  1866.  They  came  to  Missouri  in  1880 
and  settled  at  East  Lynn.  In  1900  they  removed  to  Oklahoma,  where 
they  now  reside.  The  following  children  were  born  to  W.  H.  Mitchell  and 
wife:  Elizabeth  Ann,  wife  of  John  H.  Smith,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
John  Irvin  C,  born  July  2,  1868,  now  resides  at  Arnett,  Okla. ;  Laura  Wil- 
liamson, born  Dec.  19,  1869  and  died  near  East  Lynn,  Mo.,  in  1886 ;  Porter 
Davis,  born  June  19,  1871,  resides  in  Prairie  Home;  James  Solomon,  born 
Nov.  29,  1872,  and  died  at  East  Lynn,  Nov.  26,  1889 ;  William  Nelson,  born 
Sept.  10,  1874,  resides  at  Arnett  Okla. ;  Rebecca  Jane,  born  March  7,  1876, 
and  died  Sept.  13,  1889  at  East  Lynn ;  Sarah  Emma,  born  Nov.  20,  1878, 
and  died  June  12,  1896,  at  East  Lynn ;  Margaret  Bailey,  born  Sept.  4,  1879 
now  resides  at  Boundbrook,  N.  J. ;  Thomas  Hope,  born  Jan.  11,  1882,  re- 
sides at  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Dora  Viola,  born  May  24,  1883,  lives  at  Arnett, 
Okla. ;  Lawrence  Earl,  born  April  7,  1885,  and  died  May  9,  1887 ;  Bertha 
May,  born  Jan.  28,  1887,  resides  at  Arnett,  Okla.,  and  Joseph  Hastings, 
born  May  26,  1889,  lives  at  Arnett,  Okla.  All  of  the  above  named  chil- 
dren were  born  in  Mifflin  County,  Pa.,  except  the  last  five  mentioned,  who 
were  born  in  Cass  County,  Mo. 

To  John  H.  Smith  and  wife  have  been  bom  the  following  children: 
Lottie  Bell,  born  Sept.  20,  1888,  died  May  1,  1901 ;  Jessie  Lee,  born  Feb. 
5,  1890,  married  John  Knorp,  Prairie  Home;  Lutitia  Nadine,  born  Feb.  8, 
1893,  married  Cornelius  Keil,  Spring  Valley,  Canada;  Laura  Jane,  born 
Jan.  15,  1895,  married  A.  C.  Dishion,  Prairie  Home;  Lonnie  Stevens,  born 
Oct.  2,  1897,  married  Martin  Odneal,  Prairie  Home;  Grace  Pearl,  born 
March  2,  1899,  married  John  Schaaf,  Cedron,  Mo.;  Jerry  William,  born 
July  17,  1900,  died  Dec.  31,  1900;  Margaret  Barnett,  born  Nov.  20,  1901 
and  died  July  21  1902 ;  Mina  Eugenia,  born  June  8,  1904  and  died  May  18, 
1909,  and  Ida  E.,  born  May  15,  1901,  and  a  daughter  born  Sept.  5,  1891, 
died  in  infancy. 

John  H.  Smith  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  citizens  and  the 
Smith  family  has  ever  ranked  high  in  this  section  of  Missouri. 

John  Parsons  Glazier,  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  prominent  citizens, 
is  a  native  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  Mr.  Glazier  was  born  on  Lone  Elm 
Prairie,  July  1,  1858,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Frances  Ann  (Parsons)  Glazier, 
the  former,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Virginia. 

Charles  Glazier  was  born  in  1811  in  Huntington,  Pa.,  came  to  Missouri 
in  1830  and  was  a  cabinet  maker  in  Boonville  until  1833,  when  he 
(38) 


610  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

located  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  comprising 
320  acres  of  land,  which  he  spent  his  life  cultivating  and  improving,  and 
there  died  in  1900.  His  remains  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Salem  Church. 
Frances  Ann  Glazier  was  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.  In  1836,  she 
came  to  Missouri  and  she  was  then  14  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Glazier  died  in 
1911  and  she  was  laid  to  rest  beside  her  husband  in  the  cemetery  at 
Salem  Church.  John  Parsons  Glazier  is  one  of  six  children  born  to  Charles 
and  Frances  Ann  Glazier,  as  follow :  James,  deceased ;  Hattie,  deceased ; 
Laura,  deceased ;  Martha,  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  Cowden,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased ;  Mary  Ella,  deceased ;  John  Parsons,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  and  Charles  Ernest,  deceased. 

John  Parsons  Glazier  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County. 
Since  attaining  maturity,  he  has  followed  farming  in  Clarks  Fork  and 
Boonville  townships.  In  1903,  he  purchased  his  present  homeplace,  a 
farm  comprising  88  Va  acres,  located  four  miles  southeast  of  Boonville, 
on  the  state  highway.  The  residence,  a  brick  structure,  is  one  of  the  old- 
est in  the  county.  It  was  built  by  Alex  Tucker  perhaps  90  years  ago  and 
is  still  in  good  condition.  Mr.  Glazier  raises  Jersey  cattle  and  Duroc 
Jersey  hogs,  both  eligible  for  registry. 

April  25,  1883,  John  Parsons  Glazier  and  Nannie  Washington  Weight 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Glazier  is  a  daughter  of  Oscar  and  Cor- 
nelia B.  (O'Brien)  Weight  a  great-gieat-grandniece  of  George  Washing- 
ton. Oscar  Weight  was  a  native  of  Clark's  Fork  township.  He  was  uom 
on  Saturday,  Jan.  27,  1821  and  his  wife  was  born  on  Sunday,  June  29, 
1829.  When  a  young  man,  17  years  of  age,  Oscar  Weight  made  the  trip 
across  the  plains,  journeying  into  Old  Mexico  with  the  famous  Santa  Fe 
pioneers,  the  Houcks.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weight  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Mrs.  Mary  Catherine  Finley,  born  in  1847  resides  in 
Saline  township;  Emily  Gibson,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  James  Reed, 
born  in  1851,  deceased ;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1854,  deceased ;  Laura  E.,  born 
in  1856 ;  Louisa  H.,  bom  in  1860,  married  Reginald  Walker,  Nov.  20,  1877, 
died  July  30,  1884 ;  Nannie  Washington  and  Julia  Taylor,  twins,  the  former, 
the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review  and  the  latter,  the  wife  of  W.  A. 
Chambers,  died  May  13,  1916;  George  Washington,  born  Feb.  23,  1864, 
died  in  1865 ;  Cornelia,  born  Nov.  4,  1870,  deceased ;  John  L.  O'Brien,  born 
Oct.  23,  1873,  resides  in  Blackwell,  Okla.  John  L.  O'Brien  Weight  mar- 
ried Frances  Roberta  Don  Carlos  in  1896.  She  is  now  deceased  and  he 
has  remarried.     To  John  Parsons  and  Nannie  Washington  Glazier  have 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  611 

been  born  three  children:  A  son,  died  in  infancy,  was'  born  Feb.  17,  1885; 
John  Taylor,  born  Feb.  11,  1897  and  died  in  infancy;  and  Annie  Laura, 
born  Feb.  19,  1900.  Miss  Annie  Laura  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boonville 
High  School,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1916.  She  took  the  post-graduate 
course  in  the  high  school  in  1917  and  is  teaching  her  second  school  in 
Bethlehem  district.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Glazier  are  deceased.  The 
father  died  Jan.  23,  1874  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  O'Brien  ceme- 
tery. The  mother  died  Jan.  24,  1897  and  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  Wal- 
nut Grove  cemetery. 

Jordan  O'Brien,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  battle  of  New  Orleans, 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Glazier,  came  from  Kentucky  to  southeastern  Mis- 
souri about  1816,  at  the  time  of  the  earthquake.  He  located  in  Boonville 
township  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Herman  Erhardt.  Jordan 
O'Brien  was  one  of  Missouri's  most  conspicuous  characters  of  pioneers 
days.  He  was  in  public  life  for  20  years,  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
when  Missouri  was  still  a  territoiy,  a  charter  members  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  at  Boonville,  one  of  the  organizers  and  promoters  of  William 
Jewell  College  at  Liberty,  Mo.  Jordan  O'Brien  and  William  Jewell  were 
close,  personal  friends,  both  leaders  of  their  day.  George  Washington 
Weight,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Glazier,  was  educated  at  William  &  Mary's 
College  in  Virginia  and  he  was  one  of  the  first  county  surveyors  of  Cooper 
County  and  was  prominent  in  all  educational  movements  and  works.  Mary 
E.  Hampton  Taylor,  wife  of  Jordan  O'Brien,  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Glazier, 
was  a  cousin  of  Zachariah  Taylor  and  of  Wade  Hampton.  Thus  Mrs. 
Glazier  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  best  colonial  families  and  a  daughter 
of  one  of  Missouri's  leading  pioneer  families,  a  family  directly  connected 
with  two  presidents  of  the  United  States,  George  Washington  and  Zach- 
ariah Taylor.  A.  J.  Wright,  a  great-uncle  of  Mrs.  Glazier,  was  governor 
of  Missouri  in  1825,  completing  an  unexpired  term.  Mrs.  Glazier  is  well 
known  throughout  the  county,  as  much  for  her  own  abilities  and  worth 
as  for  the  untarnished  name  of  her  ancestors.  She  has  established  a 
reputation  during  the  past  16  years  for  raising  the  best  Barred  Plymouth 
Rock  chickens  and  at  the  present  time  she  has  a  splendid  flock  of  170. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glazier  are  held  in  the  highest  respect  in  this  section  of 
Missouri  and  are  valued  highly  in  their  community. 

John  F.  Viertel,  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Boonville  township,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Oct.  28,  1851,  a  son  of  John  and  Maria  (Schnuck) 
Viertel,  the  eldest  of  the  following  children  born  to  this  parents:     John 


612  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

F.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  George,  of  Boonville  township;  Anna,  de- 
ceased; Elizabeth,  of  Boonville;  William,  of  Boonville;  and  Paul  P.,  of 
Boonville. 

John  Viertel,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. He  came  to  America,  when  he  was  18  years  of  age  and,  in  1869, 
located  in  Boonville  township,  Cooper  County,  on  a  farm  comprising  170 
acres  of  land  owned  formerly  by  Mr.  Vivian.  Mr.  Viertel  died  on  his 
farm  about  1906  and  18  days  later  he  was  joined  in  death  by  his  wife  and 
both  father  and  mother  were  interred  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Maryland,  John  F.  Viertel  obtained  his  edu- 
cation. He  came  with  his  parents  to  Missouri  in  1869  and  in  1881  pur- 
chased his  present  country  place.  Mr.  Viertels  farm  comprises  254  acres 
of  valuable  land  located  six  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  He  has  placed 
all  the  improvements  on  the  farm,  except  an  old,  brick  house  which  was 
built  in  pioneer  days.  The  residence  was  built  in  1893,  in  addition  to 
which  he  has  two  good  barns,  a  machine  shed  and  a  granary.  There  is 
an  excellent  spring  on  the  land,  which  is  well  adapted  for  stock  raising, 
and  the  Viertel  farm  is  considered  one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the 
township.  Mr.  Viertel  formerly  raised  hogs,  cattle,  mules  and  sheep  ex- 
tensively. 

In  1883,  John  F.  Viertel  and  Elizabeth  Langfort  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viertel  have  been  born  two  sons :  Jesse  P.,  who 
is  at  home,  his  father's  assistant  in  the  work  of  the  farm ;  and  Charles 
Henry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

Mr.  Viertel  is  a  democrat.  He  has  served  as  school  director  in  his 
district  and  takes  a  good  citizens  interest  in  public  affairs  of  general  inter- 
est.    He  is  well  and  favorably  known  in  Cooper  County. 

Harry  C.  Morgan,  proprietor  of  "Riverview  Farm"  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, is  one  of  Cooper  County's  self-made  men  and  most  respected  and 
valued  citizens.  Mr.  Morgan  was  born  in  1866  near  Wellsburg,  W.  Va., 
son  of  William  and  Ellen   (Reynolds)   Morgan. 

William  Morgan,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  killed  in 
the  Civil  War.  His  widow  and  two-year-old  son  left  Virginia  and  came 
to  Missouri  in  1868  and  Mrs.  Morgan  located  in  Cooper  County.  She  later 
married  Jacob  Reed  and  now  resides  near  Otterville.  Her  children,  be- 
sides Harry  C.  Morgan,  are  Leslie,  Charles,  and  Emmet  Reed,  of  Syra- 
cuse; Maggie,  who  married  Commodore  Fairfax  and  Belle,  who  married 
Frank  Robinson,  both  of  Seattle,  Wash. 

Harry  C.  Morgan  attended  school  in  Cooper  County.  When  still  a 
lad,  he  was  employed  at  hard  labor  for  the  small  remuneration  of  $10  a 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  613 

month.  Later,  he  was  paid  $14  and  $15  a  month. for  his  labor  and  he 
saved  money.  In  1910,  Mr.  Morgan  purchased  his  present  country  place, 
a  farm  of  170  acres  of  excellent  land,  and  has  since  then  fenced  and  im- 
proved it.  He  raises  hogs,  calves  and  grain  and  during  the  years  has 
prospered.  The  soil  of  this  farm  is  of  the  best  and  most  productive  qual- 
ity. Last  year,  1918,  the  wheat  averaged  25  bushels  an  acre  on  105  acres. 
"Riverview  Farm"  is  appropriately  named  for  one  can  obtain  a  wonder- 
ful view  of  the  Missouri  river  and  can  with  the  eye  locate  many  historic 
spots  of  the  early  days,  among  them  the  sites  of  Old  Franklin  and  Fort 
Cole,  for  one  can  from  the  farm  see  for  miles  up  and  down  the  river. 

In  1889,  Harry  C.  Morgan  and  Nellie  Brown  were  united  in  marriage. 
Nellie  (Brown)  Morgan  is  a  daughter  of  R.  D.  and  Rebecca  (Hurt)  Brown. 
R.  D.  Brown  was  a  native  of  England.  He  came  to  America,  when  he  was 
a  lad  13  years  of  age,  and  located  in  Wisconsin.  From  Wisconsin,  Mr. 
Brown  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Moniteau  County,  coming  thence 
to  Cooper  County,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Boonville  township  and 
there  he  and  his  wife  reared  their  family  of  five  children,  who  are,  as 
follow:  Henry  C,  of  Pilot  Grove;  Bettie  J.,  the  wife  of  William  Mc- 
Cubbin,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  James  H.,  of  Pisgah ;  Julia  A.,  the  wife  of 
Allen  Bates,  of  Otterville ;  and  Mrs.  Harry  C.  Morgan,  the  wife  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review.  Mrs.  Brown  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and  her 
parents  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  Her  brother,  Wil- 
liam Hurt,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  born 
in  Old  Fort  Cole.  R.  D.  Brown  died  Feb.  20,  1905  and  his  wife  followed 
him  in  death  in  April,  1915.  The  remains  of  both  father  and  mother 
rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonville.  To  Harry  C.  and  Nellie  Morgan  have 
been  born  three  children:  Florence,  the  wife  of  Leonard  Sampson,  of 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.;  Lizzie,  who  died  March  12,  1899,  at  the  age  of  five 
years ;  and  Grace  S.,  a  graduate  of  the  Boonville  High  School,  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1918,  now  a  student  in  Gem  City  Business  College  at  Quincy, 
111. 

More  than  a  half  century  ago,  Harry  C.  Morgan  came  to  Cooper 
County  and  he  was  then  a  fatherless  babe-in-arms.  By  his  own  persist- 
ent endeavors  and  honest  industry,  he  has  earned  for  himself  an  honored 
and  respected  place  among  the  successful  men  of  the  county  and  for  his 
family  a  name  untarnished. 

James  T.  Hickam,  one  of  the  best-known  farmers  and  stockmen  of 
Cooper  County,  is  a  member  of  one  of  Missouri's  most  highly  respected 
pioneer  families.     Mr.  Hickam  was  bora  Sept.  7,  1861,  in  Moniteau  County, 


614  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

a  son  of  Joseph  Hickam  and  Susan  (Teeter)  Hickam,  the  former,  a  native 
of  Washington  county,  Va.,  and  the  latter,  of  Boone  County. 

Joseph  Hickam  was  born  in  1816,  a  son  of  William  Hickam,  a  native 
of  Washington  County,  Va.  William  Hickam  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Hickam, 
Sr.,  a  native  of  Ireland,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  colonial  days  in  Vir- 
ginia. In  1813,  William  Hickam,  with  his  wife  and  children,  left  Virginia 
and  located  in  Illinois,  whence  he  came  to  Missouri  in  1824  and  located  in 
Boone  County.  From  Boone  County,  the  family  moved  to  Cole  County, 
where  the  father  died. 

When  a  child,  eight  years  of  age,  Joseph  Hickam  came  with  his  par- 
ents from  Illinois  to  Missouri  and  with  them  located  in  Boone  county.  In 
young  manhood,  he  served  in  the  war  with  the  Seminoles  in  1836  and  he 
was  with  Colonel  Gentry  when  the  colonel  was  killed.  After  the  war  had 
closed,  Mr.  Hickam  returned  to  Boone  County,  where  he  was  married  in 
1838  to  Susan  Teeter.  Joseph  Hickam  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Samuel  L.,  of  Boonville;  Shelby  H.,  Lupus,  Moni- 
teau County;  James  T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  14  children,  who 
are  now  deceased.  The  Hickam  family  moved  from  Boone  County  to 
Moniteau  County  in  1851  and  there  remained  until  1876,  when  they  set- 
tled in  Cooper  County,  where  the  father  died  Feb.  23,  1889  and  the  mother 
died  two  days  later.  Interment  for  both  parents  was  made  in  the  Hickam 
cemetery  in  Moniteau  County. 

James  T.  Hickam  attended  the  public  schools  of  Moniteau  and  Cooper 
Counties.  Practically  his  entire  life,  Mr.  Hickam  has  been  interested 
in  farming  and  stockraising.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  100  acres  of  land 
in  Saline  township  and  205  acres  of  land  in  Boonville  township.  He  pur- 
chased his  home  place  in  1901  from  the  Elliot  heirs  and  has  since  rebuilt 
the  residence.  The  Hickam  farm  is  unusually  well  kept  and  the  improve- 
ments reckoned  among  the  best  in  the  county. 

In  1884,  James  T.  Hickam  and  Belle  Powell  were  united  in  marriage. 
Mrs.  Hickam  is  a  native  of  Moniteau  County,  a  daughter  of  Irvin  and 
Bettie  Powell.  To  James  T.  and  Belle  Hickam  have  been  born  eight  chil- 
dren: Joseph  W.,  of  Boonville;  James  B.  and  Samuel  H.,  twins,  Cooper 
County ;  Mrs.  Virgie  Elizabeth  Groom,  of  Overton ;  Speed  S.,  of  Clarks 
Fork  township;  Jessie  B.,  Owen  P.  and  Russell  Roy,  all  at  home. 

In  connection  with  the  history  of  Missouri  in  pioneer  days,  Mr. 
Hickam  relates  that  his  father  did  his  first  plowing  in  Moniteau  County, 
using  a  blind  horse  and  a  cow  for  a  team.  For  some  time,  the  Hickam 
family  lived  in  a  crib,  thatched  with  straw  and  several  of  the  children  first 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  615 

saw  the  light  of  day  when  this  was  the  family's  home.  The  record  of  this 
family  in  our  country's  wars  is  in  itself  a  story  of  interest.  Capt.  Silas 
Hickam,  an  uncle  of  James  T.  Hickam,  was  killed  in  the  war  against  the 
Indians  in  Florida.  Two  brothers  of  James  T.  Hickam,  Squire  W.  and 
John,  served  with  the  Confederates  in  the  Civil  War  for  three  years  and 
six  months  and  John  was  killed  in  the  battle  at  Mine  Creek.  Squire  W. 
Hickam  was  captured  by  the  Union  men  in  the  same  battle  and  was  held 
prisoner  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  sentenced  to  be  shot,  but 
the  father  fortunately  was  able  to  secure  the  boy's  release,  from  the  prison 
at  Jefferson  City.  Capt.  John  B.  Hickam,  a  cousin  of  James  T.,  was  with 
Company  I.  138th  Division  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces.  Cap- 
tain Hickam  enlisted  as  a  private  in  1917,  served  on  the  Western  front  in 
France  and  has  returned  to  America. 

James  T.  Hickam  is  an  earnest  adhei-ent  to  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
crat party.  He  is  a  man  of  marked  individuality  and  strong  personality 
and  is  well  known  in  business  circles  as  one  possessing  exceptionally  good 
judgment.  The  Hickam  family  has  for  many  years  been  numbered  among 
the  best  in  Cooper  County. 

Sam  T.  Mauck,  former  county  superintendent  of  schools  and  at  pres- 
ent a  successful  real  estate  and  loan  dealer  at  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  a  native 
of  northern  Missouri.  Mr.  Mauck  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Mo.,  Nov. 
27,  1887  and  is  a  son  of  Edgar  and  Angeline  (Fitzgerald)  Mauck,  who 
were  natives  of  Indiana.  Edgard  Mauck  settled  in  Missouri  in  1884  but 
returned  to  Indiana  and  located  at  Princeton  in  1900. 

Sam  T.  Mauck  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  State 
Normal  College  at  Kirksville.  He  graduated  from  this  institution  in  1909. 
Two  years  prior  to  this  he  had  begun  his  teaching  career.  In  1908  and 
1909,  he  served  as  principal  of  the  Boonville  High  School.  The  next  three 
years  were  spent  on  his  father's  farm  in  Indiana.  His  next  position  was 
that  of  superintendent  of  the  Bunceton,  Mo.,  public  schools  during  the 
years  1913,  1914  and  1915.  His  work  was  recognized  as  that  of  a  school 
man  of  ability  and  he  became  well  acquainted  in  Cooper  County.  Making 
the  race  for  the  county  superintendence  in  the  spring  of  1915,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  and  served  for  four  years.  His  administration  of  the 
public  school  system  of  Cooper  County  was  a  distinct  success. 

Mindful  of  the  fact  that  the  teaching  profession  offers  no  permanent 
future  for  an  ambitious  man  and  that  the  monetary  returns  from  the 
profession  are  meager,  and  the  future  status  of  a  teacher  is  subject  to 
the  whims  and  caprices  of  a  fickle  multitude,  Mr.   Mauck   pursued   the 


616  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

wiser  course  and  firmly  established  himself  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business  at  Bunceton.  He  was  married  in  1909  to  Miss  Fay  E.  Million, 
daughter  of  W.  R.  Million,  proprietor  of  the  Frederick  Hotel,  Boonville, 
Mo.  Three  children  have  blessed  this  union:  William,  Martha  A.  and 
Ona  M.  Mauck. 

Mr.  Mauck  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

John  A.  Brandes,  owner  of  a  well  kept  farm  of  137  acres  in  North 
Moniteau  township,  is  one  of  the  wideawake  and  progressive  farmers  of 
that  neighborhood.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township  in 
1877,  son  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Schmidt)  Brandes,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  living  with  the  family  of  her  son,  Albert,  on  the  old  home  farm  in  North 
Moniteau  township.  Charles  Brandes,  who  died  at  his  home  there  in 
1912,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  as  is  his  widow,  and  was  but  a  boy  when 
he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  the  family  coming  into  Missouri 
by  way  of  Iowa,  in  which  latter  state  they  resided  for  a  while,  and 
settling  in  this  county  before  the  Civil  War.  Charles  Brandes  served  for 
three  years  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  married  some  time  after  his  return 
from  the  army  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  farming  in  this  county.  This 
veteran  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  By  a  prior  marriage 
his  wife  was  the  mother  of  two  children.  All  her  children  are  living  and 
she  has  40  grandchildren  and  nine  great-grandchildren. 

-John  A.  Brandes  has  followed  farming  all  his  life  and  has  met  with  a 
gratifying  measure  of  success.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  district 
schools.  Upon  beginning  operations  on  his  own  account  he  bought  from 
his  father  80  acres  which  formerly  was  known  as  the  Swanger  farm  and 
as  his  affairs  prospered  he  added  to  that  until  he  now  has  137  acres,  well 
improved  and  under  cultivation.  He  has  built  all  the  improvements  on 
this  place  and  has  a  well  kept  farm,  including  two  stock  barns,  one  42x50 
feet  and  the  other  43x32  feet,  and  other  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Brandes 
pays  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  registered  Galaway  cattle  and 
Poland  China  hogs  and  is  doing  well  with  his  stock.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Farmers  Elevator  at  Bunceton  and  gives 
his  thoughtful  attention  to  general  local  business  conditions. 

Nov.  16,  1899,  John  A.  Brandes  was  married  to  Laura  Hoerl,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born,  Alvin  M.,  Lawrence  B.  and  Ilda.  Mrs.  Brandes  is  a  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Ida  (Selck)  Hoerl,  the  latter  of  whom  died  on  June  17,  1897, 


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1 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  G17 

and  is  buried  at  Lone  Elm.  Martin  Hoerl  is  still  living  in  Clarks  Fork 
township.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children,  those  besides 
Mrs.  Laura  Brandes  being  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brandes,  who  lives  in  North 
Moniteau  township ;  Leonard  Hoerl,  of  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Mrs.  Dora 
Timm,  also  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  Elmer  Hoerl,  of  Bunceton.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brandes  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Lone  Elm  and 
Mr.  Brandes  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  parochial  school 
at  that  place.  He  is  also  a  memebr  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Clarks 
Fork  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company. 

Otto  G.  Schmidt,  proprietor  of  "Locust  Grove  Farm,"  in  Saline  town- 
ship, is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  valued  citizens,  a  native  son  of 
Saline  township.  Mr.  Schmidt  was  born  Jan.  30,  1867,  in  the  residence 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  him,  a  son  of  Herman  and  Theresa  (Spieler) 
Schmidt. 

Herman  Schmidt  was  born  in  Germany,  a  son  of  Andreas  Schmidt. 
Father  and  son  came  to  America  in  1833  and  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Otto  G.  Schmidt.  They  purchased  80  acres  of  land  for  $10  an 
acre.  A  log  house,  16x20  feet,  now  used  as  a  chicken  house,  was  then 
the  residence.  Here,  Andreas  Schmidt  died  when  he  was  about  80  years 
of  age  and  interment  was  made  in  the  family  burial  ground  on  the  farm, 
where  the  remains  of  his  wife  were  also  laid  to  rest.  Herman  Schmidt 
resided  on  this  farm  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  he  was  16  years 
of  age  when  his  father  settled  here.  Herman  and  Theresa  (Spieler) 
Schmidt  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Henry,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  19  years ;  Mrs.  Ida  Hobrecht,  of  California,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Emma 
Hasenbach,  of  Boonville;  Herman,  Jr.,  of  Boonville;  Bertha,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  21  years ;  and  Otto  G.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Both  father 
and  mother  are  now  deceased  and  their  remains  rest  in  the  family  burial 
ground.  Mrs.  Schmidt  died  Dec.  29,  1906,  at  the  age  of  81  years.  The 
Schmidt  Cemetery  contains  about  75  interments,  the  remains  of  Cooper 
County  pioneers.  The  first  burial  made  there  was  that  of  Gustav  Schmidt, 
11  years  of  age,  who  died  in  1833.    He  was  a  brother  of  Herman  Schmdit. 

Otto  G.  Schmidt  attended  school  at  Connor  school-house  in  Saline 
township,  at  Woodland  school-house,  and  six  months  at  a  German  school 
in  Boonville.  Leaving  school,  Mr.  Schmidt  returned  to  the  farm,  where 
he  now  resides.  "Locust  Grove  Farm"  comprises  170  acres  of  land, 
located  eight  miles  east  of  Boonville,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  county.  It  is  conveniently  located  one  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  Overton.    Mr.  Schmidt  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  rais- 


618  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

ing.  He  raises  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs.  The  farm  is  neatly  kept  and  the 
residence,  built  by  Mr.  Schmidt's  father  in  1850,  is  a  good,  substantial 
house,  in  excellent  repair. 

Oct.  25,  1891,  Otto  G.  Schmidt  and  Fannie  Kramer,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Kramer,  were  united  in  marriage  in  Saline  township. 
Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Schmidt  came  from  Germany  to  America  and  settled 
in  Cooper  County  about  1835.  They  are  now  deceased  and  are  buried  in 
the  Schmidt  Cemetery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kramer  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Henry  B.,  of  Overton;  Herman,  of  Boonville;  Jacob, 
who  resides  in  the  State  of  Washigton;  Mrs.  Otto  G.  Schmidt,  the  wife 
of  the  subject  of  this  review;  Mary,  deceased.  To  Otto  G.  and  Fannie 
Schmidt  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Oscar  G.,  who  is  19  years  of  age 
and  is  at  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Schmidt  is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party.  He  is  keenly 
interested  in  matters  of  public  interest,  but  he  has  never  sought  or  cared 
to  seek  political  office.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  been  a 
member  of  the  former  for  25  years  and  of  the  latter  for  16  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schmidt  are  members  of  the  German  Evangelical  Church  at 
Boonville.  Otto  G.  Schmidt  is  now  52  years  of  age  and  he  has  never  in 
his  life  smoked  or  been  in  a  saloon.  The  Schmidt  family  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  Cooper  County,  and  Mr.  Schmidt  ranks  highly  among 
the  intelligent,  progressive  men  of  his  community. 

Z.  R.  Neal,  proprietor  of  "Locust  Hurst  Farm,"  in  Saline  township, 
is  a  member  of  one  of  Missouri's  first  families,  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
a  son  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  honored  pioneer  ministers.  Mr.  Neal 
was  born  Aug.  25,  1849,  near  Otterville.  a  son  of  Rev.  Minor  and  Nancy 
(Amick)  Neal,  both  deceased. 

Reverend  Neal  was  a  well-known  minister  of  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  one  of  the  early  preachers  of  Moniteau  and  Cooper 
Counties.  Reverend  Minor  and  Nancy  Neal  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  George,  James  Q.,  and  Thomas  L.,  of  Lebanon;  Mrs. 
T.  B.  Young,  of  Sedalia;  Mrs.  May  Hixon,  of  Pilot  Grove;  and  Z.  R.,  the 
subject  of  this  review. 

Z.  R.  Neal  attended  the  public  school  of  Mount  Zion.  He  has  fol- 
lowed farming  and  stock  raising  practically  all  his  life  and  since  1901  has 
resided  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  "Locust  Hurst  Farm"  comprises 
340  acres  of  some  of  the  most  valuable  land  in  Cooper  County.  This 
country  place  is  located  10  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.     The  residence 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  619 

was  built  in  1901,  a  modern  structure,  equipped  with  acetylene  lights. 
There  are  two  good  barns  on  the  place,  which  is  well  arranged  for  the 
handling  of  stock  and  grain. 

In  1875,  Z.  R.  Neal  and  Mary  E.  Fluke,  a  daughter  of  John  Fluke,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  connection  with  the 
biogi'aphy  of  G.  F.  Fluke,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Neal  was  born 
on  the  farm  where  she  now  resides  on  March  4,  1853,  and  she  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Highland  district.  To  Z.  R.  and  Mary  E.  Neal  have 
been  bom  six  children:  John  M.,  who  died  in  infancy;  William  W.,  at 
home;  Ollie  H.,  who  married  Ella  Givens,  of  Saline  township,  now  an  engi- 
neer, residing  in  Parsons,  Kans. ;  Troy  W.,  who  married  Mary  Allen,  of 
Saline  township,  and  they  reside  on  the  home  farm ;  Stella  R.,  the  wife  of 
Rev.  C.  C.  Cox,  of  Chicago,  111.,  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church; 
and  Dorsey  M.,  who  is  a  teacher  at  Highland  school  and  one  of  the  favor- 
ably known  teachers  of  Cooper  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neal  have  reared  and  educated  as  fine  a  family  as  can 
be  found  in  the  State  and  now  they  are  spending  the  eventide  of  life  in 
contentment  on  their  farm,  one  of  the  pretty  country  places  of  Saline 
township. 

H.  E.  Schnuck,  proprietor  of  "Walnut  Range  Stock  Farm,"  in  Saline 
township,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  country  places  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  was  born  in  Saline  township,  Nov.  25,  1866,  on  a  farm  located  one- 
half  mile  east  of  Big  Lick.  Mr.  Schnuck  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Meyer)  Schnuck,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  latter,  of 
Moniteau  County. 

John  Schnuck  was  born  in  1830  and  in  the  early  fifties  he  immi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  in  Missouri  on  a  farm  near  Gooch's  Mills. 
Mr.  Schnuck  died  in  1880  and  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Pleasant  Grove.  His  widow  now  makes  her  home  with  their  son,  John, 
in  Boonville  township.  The  children  of  John  and  Catherine  Schnuck  are: 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Oerly,  of  Saline  township;  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  Henry  Renken,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Mrs.  Catherine  Smith,  de- 
ceased; H.  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Ed  Twillman, 
of  St.  Louis  County;  and  John  H.,  of  Boonville  township. 

H.  E.  Schnuck  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County  and 
spent  one  year  in  attendance  at  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg,  Mo. 
Leaving  school,  Mr.  Schnuck  was  for  nine  years  in  the  mercantile  and 
milling  business  at  Big  Lick,  or  Gooch's  Mills.  In  1897,  he  moved  to  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides.     "Walnut  Range  Farm'"  is  one  of  the  splen- 


620  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

did  stock  farms  of  the  county,  a  part  of  the  original  Kelly  Ragland  farm 
of  nearly  2000  acres.  Mr.  Schnuck  owns  the  old  home  place,  a  farm  of 
300  acres  of  land,  in  addition  to  110  acres  of  river  bottom  land.  Kelly 
Ragland,  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Missouri  in  the  days  gone  by,  was 
at  one  time  owner  of  100  slaves.  He  was  a  Virginian.  Mr.  Ragland  built 
the  residence  in  which  Mr.  Schnuck  now  lives,  a  two-story  structure, 
"T-shape,"  made  from  brick  from  a  kiln  on  the  farm.  The  style  of  archi- 
tecture is  that  of  Colonial  days.  There  are  10  rooms  in  the  residence,  all 
unusually  large,  and  originally  each  contained  a  huge  fireplace.  A  sec- 
ond brick  residence,  which  was  built  for  the  Ragland  slaves,  is  now  used 
as  a  granary  and  storehouse.  Kelly  Ragland  died  shortly  after  the  Civil 
War.  His  heirs  sold  the  farm  to  Emanuel  Oerly,  who  sold  the  place  to 
H.  E.  Schnuck  in  1897.  "Walnut  Range  Stock  Farm"  is  conveniently 
located  12  miles  from  Boonville  and  two  miles  from  Overton.  Mr. 
Schnuck  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising.  He  raises  reg- 
istered Poland  China  hogs,  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  black-face  sheep.  A 
registered  Shorthorn  male  leads  the  herd  of  cattle.  Mr.  Schnuck  raises 
annually  from  200  to  500  chickens,  White  Leghorns,  Rhode  Island  Reds, 
all  pure  breds.  The  Schnuck  place  is  well  equipped  in  every  particular 
to  take  care  of  large  herds  of  stock  and  flocks  of  chickens.  There  are 
four  barns,  two  tenant  houses,  a  large  granary  on  the  home  place  and  a 
good  residence  on  the  river  bottom  land.  Mr.  Schnuck  is  very  proud  of 
a  splendid  chicken  house,  20x24  feet,  exclusive  of  an  extra  shed  called 
"The  Fool  Proof."  The  building  has  excellent  ventilation  and  is  vermin 
proof.  Everything  is  done  on  a  large  scale  at  "Walnut  Range  Stock 
Farm,"  a  country  place  to  which  the  citizens  of  Cooper  County  point  with 
pride.  Mr.  Schnuck  has  improved  the  appearance  of  the  old  homestead 
by  the  addition  of  concrete  porches  and  cement  walks. 

Nov.  25,  1897,  H.  E.  Schnuck  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ida  Vieth, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabet  (Selck)  Vieth,  both  of  whom  are 
now  residing  on  a  farm  in  Kelly  township,  near  Bunceton.  Mrs.  Schnuck 
is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents :  Ida,  the  wife  of  the 
subject  of  this  review ;  Emma,  at  home ;  Tillie,  the  wife  of  Charles  Barta, 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Henry  and  Carrie,  at  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schnuck  have  been  born  four  children:  Lorine,  Arthur  and  Lloyd  and 
Wilbur,  the  latter  deceased. 

Mr.  Schnuck  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Pleas- 
ant Grove  Lutheran  Church.  Honest,  industrious,  capable,  Mr.  Schnuck 
stands  very  high  in  his  community,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Schnuck  are  num- 
bered among  Cooper  County's  most  respected  citizens. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  b21 

William  J.  Wooldridge,  merchant,  miller,  lumberman,  and  an  "all  round 
hustler,"  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  near  the  town  of  Wooldridge,  Sept. 
11,  1870,  a  son  of  H.  H.  and  Sallie  (Eager)  Wooldridge,  the  former,  a 
native  of  Hardin  County,  Ky.,  and  the  latter  of  Cooper  County,  Mo. 

H.  H.  Wooldridge  was  a  son  of  Jesse  Wooldridge,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Jesse  Wooldridge  migrated  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  and  thence 
to  Missouri,  where  he  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1858,  on  land  where  the 
town  of  Wooldridge  now  is  located.  He  purchased  a  section  of  land, 
improved  his  farm,  and  there  died  in  the  latter  seventies.  The  remains 
of  Jesse  Wooldridge  rest  in  the  family  burial  ground.  His  son,  H.  H. 
Wooldridge,  was  a  merchant,  farmer,  and  stockman.  He  owned  400  acres 
of  land,  a  part  of  which  was  the  townsite  of  Wooldridge.  The  town  was 
laid  out  in  1901,  when  the  railroad  came.  H.  H.  Wooldridge  was  for  30 
years  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Overton,  Mo.  He  died  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1916,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  family 
cemetery.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and  is  now  residing  on  the  old 
homeplace.  The  Wooldridge  children  are:  W.  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Mrs.  A.  F.  Nixon,  of  Wooldridge,  and  H.  H.,  Jr. 

William  J.  Wooldridge  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Cooper  County  and  at  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg.  For  ten  years, 
Mr.  Wooldridge  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  Hooper  Institute.  Leav- 
ing the  teaching  profession,  Mr.  Wooldridge  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business,  in  farming  and  stockraising.  After  two  years 
at  Clarksburg,  three  years  at  Corticelli,  and  three  years  at  Linn  Creek, 
William  J.  Wooldridge  located  at  his  old  home,  Wooldridge,  about  1897. 
He  now  conducts  a  lumber  yard  and  grain  elevator  at  Overton,  and  since 
1914  a  feed  and  flour  mill  at  Wooldridge,  the  last  named  having  a  capacity 
of  60  barrels  a  day.  In  1914,  he  had  drilled  near  the  mill  an  artesian 
well,  197  feet  in  depth,  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state., 
Mr.  Wooldridge  is  president  of  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge.  In  addition  to 
the  manifold  responsibilities  of  his  mercantile  and  financial  business, 
Mr.  Wooldridge  operates  his  farm  of  1350  acres  near  the  town  of  Wool- 
dridge, and  at  the  time  of  this  writing  he  and  W.  R.  Freeman  are  feeding 
800  head  of  hogs  and  141  head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Wooldridge  has  a  hand- 
some, modern  home  in  the  town  of  Wooldridge. 

In  1890,  William  J.  Wooldridge  and  Lily  Hooper,  a  daughter  of  Pro- 
fessor J.  N.  and  Georgia  Hooper,  were  united  in  marriage.  The  Hoopers 
were  from  Clarksburg,  Mo.  Professor  Hooper  is  deceased  since  1892,  and 
his  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Clarksburg.  The  widowed 
mother  now  makes  her  home  with  her  son-in-law,  W.  J.  Wooldridge.     To 


622  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wooldridge  were  born  seven  children:  Flossie  M.,  the  wife 
of  Lon  Freeman,  of  Wooldridge;  Hooper  E.,  Willie  Fay,  Georgia  Hazel, 
Jessie  Lee,  William  J.,  Jr.,  and  Harry.  Mrs.  Wooldridge  was  the  oldest 
of  three  children  born  to  her  parents:  W.  E.,  of  Wooldridge;  Dorsey  E., 
a  dentist  of  Warsaw,  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Wooldridge,  who  died  April  27,  1915, 
at  the  age  of  44  years. 

The  history  of  the  Wooldridge  family  is  inseparably  linked  with  the 
history  of  Cooper  County,  and  for  more  than  60  years  the  name  has 
stood  for  all  that  is  best  in  manhood  and  womanhood.  No  man  stands 
higher  in  the  respect  of  his  fellowmen  than  does  William  J.  Wooldridge. 
He  is  a  democrat  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and 
is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Modern  Brotherhood, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Holman  Lee,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Boonville  town- 
ship, is  a  member  of  a  highly  respected,  colonial  family,  a  son  of  one  of 
Missouri's  honored  pioneers.  Mr.  Lee  was  born  Sept.  18,  1879,  in  Howard 
County,  Mo.,  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Talbott)  Lee,  the  latter,  a  native  of 
Kentucky. 

John  Lee  was  born  March  5,  1816.  in  Richmond,  Va.,  son  of  John 
Lee,  Sr.,  and  Susan  (Owen)  Lee,  natives  of  Virginia.  John  Lee.  Sr.  was 
a  son  of  Joel  Lee,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  of  1776,  who  served  under 
General  Washington.  The  elder  John  Lee,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
came  from  Virginia  to  Missouri  in  1819  and  this  family  was  one  of  the 
first  families  of  the  state.  John  Lee,  Jr.  was  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
and  stockmen  of  Howard  County,  Mo.,  and  he  was  also  a  prominent 
financier  of  Boonville,  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  bank  of  Ahle,  Lee  & 
Duncia  at  Boonville,  which  bank  was  conducted  until  1882,  when  Mr.  Lee 
became  head  of  the  banking  institution  known  as  John  Lee  &  Son,  Bank- 
ers. In  1885,  John  Lee,  Jr.  sold  his  interest  in  this  bank  and  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  Commercial  Bank,  becoming  a  director,  a  posi- 
tion he  held  until  his  death  in  1893. 

The  father  died  at  his  home  at  Old  Franklin  on  Dec.  18,  1893,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  77  years.  Mr.  Lee  was  widely  known  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  His  home  and  farm  were  at  Old  Franklin  in  Howard  County, 
but  his  chief  business  interests  are  in  Boonville.  By  a  former  marriage, 
John  Lee,  Jr.,  was  the  father  of  two  children,  who  are  now  living:  Mrs. 
Ida  Swinney,  wife  of  E.  F.  Swinney,  a  prosperous  banker  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  and  Samuel,  of  Kansas  City. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  623 

Holman  Lee,  subject  of  this  review,  attended  •  Coopers  Institute  and 
the  Culver  Military  Academy,  Culver,  Ind.,  completing  his  school  work 
with  a  business  course  at  Gem  City  Business  College,  Quincy,  111.  After 
completing  the  course,  Mr.  Lee  began  farming  and  stockraising  in  Howard 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  resided  until  1909,  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County 
and  located  on  his  present  farm  of  245  acres  of  well  improved  land.  He 
has  made  unusual  success  in  sheepraising.  Mr.  Lee  has  a  herd  of  600 
black-faced  Shropshires,  100  head  of  feeding  cattle,  15  head  of  horses 
and  mules,  and  100  head  of  Poland  China  hogs. 

Nov.  4,  1903,  Holman  Lee  and  Elizabeth  Blackburn,  adopted  daughter 
of  Carroll  and  Mary  T.  Logsdon,  were  united  in  marriage.  Carroll  Logs- 
don,  grandfather  and  foster-father  of  Mrs.  Lee,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  and  largest  landowners  in  Saline  County,  Mo.  Mrs.  Lee  is  a 
graduate  of  William  Woods  College,  Fulton,  Mo.,  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1903  and  is  successfully  engaged  in  raising  poultry,  keeping  the  best 
Barred  Plymouth  Rocks,  for  which  she  finds  a  ready  market.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Holman  Lee  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Carroll,  Suzanne, 
and  Holman,  Jr.  The  Lee  family  has  long  been  highly  valued  in  the  com- 
munity and  respected  throughout  the  county. 

Sid  A.  Lusk,  farmer  and  stockman,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  although  one  of 
the  younger  generation  of  stockmen  in  Cooper  County,  is  one  of  the  most 
successful.  Mr.  Lusk  sold  a  farm  of  321  acres  west  of  Bunceton,  on  Feb. 
1,  1918.  He  has  purchased  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  Bunceton  and  has 
bought  another  farm  of  240  acres  about  one-half  mile  southwest  of  Bunce- 
ton in  Kelly  township.  Sid  A.  Lusk  was  born  on  the  Lusk  homestead, 
March  10,  1888. 

William  M.  Lusk,  his  father,  was  born  in  Polk  County,  near  Brighton, 
Mo.,  in  1850,  and  died  in  April,  1912.  He  was  a  son  of  James  B.  Lusk,  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  a  Missouri  pioneer.  James  B.  Lusk  lived  in  Polk 
County  until  1861  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  and  bought  a  farm 
near  Harrison  Station.  His  children  were:  Mediothe,  John,  Hugh,  Wiley, 
Lafayette,  Benjamin  and  William  M.,  and  Hamilton.  William  M.  Lusk 
was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  married  Mattie  Collins  who  was  bom  in 
1858  and  died  in  June,  1896.  To  William  M.  and  Mattie  Lusk  were  born 
seven  children:  James  lives  in  Kansas;  Tucker  lives  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.; 
Mrs.  Willie  Cook  lives  in  Sedalia,  Mo. ;  Benjamin  resides  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo. ;  Sid  A.,  of  this  review ;  Mrs.  Abbie  Davidson,  lives  in  Sedalia,  Mo. ; 
Harry  died  in  infancy;  William  M.  Lusk  resided  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon 
township  until  he  settled  on  what  is  known  as  the  Lusk  homestead  in 


624  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

1880.  After  his  father's  death,  his  son,  Sid  A.  Luck,  came  into  possession 
of  the  homestead  through  inheritance  and  purchase. 

Sid  A.  Lusk  was  married  in  June,  1913,  to  Miss  Arlotta  Windsor,  born 
in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Windsor,  who  was  born  in  1862, 
and  is  a  resident  of  the  Pleasant  Green  neighborhood.  Her  mother  is 
Ruth  (Davis)  Windsor,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1875.  The 
Windsors  have  four  children:  Mrs.  Arlotta  Lusk,  of  this  review;  Mrs. 
Speed  Boulware  of  near  Bunceton ;  Grosvenor  and  Edward. 

Three  children  have  been  bora  to  Sid  A.  and  Arlotta  Lusk,  as  follows: 
Bill,  born  March  21,  1914 ;  Helen  Wiley,  bora  June  27,  1916 ;  and  Martha 
Ruth,  born  Feb.  15,  1918. 

Mr.  Lusk  is  a  democrat.  He  is  an  Episcopalian  and  a  member  of 
the  Elks  at  Sedalia. 

Charles  Timothy  Grathwohl.— "Twin  Springs  Stock  Farm",  of  235 
acres  situated  just  south  of  the  valley  of  the  Petit  Saline  River,  five  and 
a  half  miles  south  of  Boonville,  is  a  fertile  well  developed  and  substan- 
tially improved  farm.  This  farm  is  owned  and  operated  by  Charles  T. 
Grathwohl,  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  of  Cooper  County,  and  is 
devoted  to  wheat  growing  and  stock  raising.  A  handsome  farm  residence 
reached  by  a  driveway,  stands  on  the  hill  overlooking  the  beautiful  river 
valley.  This  home  was  built  in  1914.  A  large  barn  built  of  stone  quar- 
ried on  the  place  and  from  oak  timber  cut  and  sawed  from  the  woods  on 
the  Grathwohl  farm  was  erected  in  1916.  A  silo  of  150  tons  capacity  is 
built  of  re-inforced  concrete.  Mr.  Grathwohl  feeds  a  carload  of  pure  bred 
Shorthorn  cattle  yearly  for  the  markets,  keeping  the  best  breeds  of  cattle 
because  it  pays  to  handle  only  pure  bred  stock.  He  keeps  Poland  China 
and  Berkshire  hogs  on  the  place. 

Charles  T.  Grathwohl  was  bora  Sept.  3,  1860  in  Boonville,  and  is  a 
son  of  Timothy  and  Barbara  (Hoflander)  Grathwohl.  The  sons  of  Tim- 
othy and  Barbara  Grathwohl  all  farmed  together  for  a  number  of  years 
on  the  Grathwohl  home  place.  Charles  and  Conrad  Ansul  Grathwohl  and 
Thomas  purchased  the  present  place  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view in  1887.  Upon  the  death  of  Mrs.  and  Conrad  A.  Grathwohl,  Charles 
T.  came  into  possession  of  the  home  place  in  1914,  placing  the  present  fine 
improvements  thereon.  Residing  with  Mr.  Grathwohl  are  his  sisters, 
Miss  Magdalena  Grathwohl  and  Miss  Minnie  Becker.  Mrs.  Grathwohl 
died  Dec.  29,  1913.     Conrad  Ansul  Grathwohl  died  Feb.  18,  1914. 

Mr.  Grathwohl  is  an  independent  republican  and  is  a  member  of 
Evangelical  Church  of  Billingsville,  Mo. 


CHARGES   T.    GRATHWOHL 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  b25 

Mr.  Grathvvohl  has  a  herd  leader  of  Shorthorns  from  the  Ben  Smith 
herd  which  cost  him  $150  when  a  yearling  and  which  traces  to  the  famous 
Ravenswood  herd.  The  Grathwohl  herd  numbers  20  pure  bred  cows  and 
a  noted  herd  leader.  He  has  three  purebred  Berkshire  sows  and  one  pure- 
bred male  from  the  Harris  drove.  His  drove  of  Poland  China  hogs  is 
headed  by  a  registered  male  from  the  Wallace  herd. 

James  A.  Clayton,  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge,  is  a 
native  of  Saline  township,  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Clayton  is  one  of  the 
county's  leading  business  men  and  in  the  financial  and  business  circles  of 
this  section  of  the  State  he  commands  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  was  born  Jan.  22,  1854,  a  son  of  John  M.  and 
Elizabeth   (Lamm)   Clayton. 

John  M.  Clayton  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  He  came  to  Missouri 
with  his  father,  John  Clayton,  when  he,  the  son,  was  a  child,  six  years 
of  age.  The  senior  Clayton  settled  on  a  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township, 
and  there  John  M.  was  reared  and  educated.  John  Clayton  was  of  English 
descent.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  John  M.,  in  Saline  township, 
and  his  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Goochs  Mill.  John  M. 
Clayton  owned  a  farm  located  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Wooldridge 
and  was  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  died  in  Arkansas,  whither  he 
had  gone  with  his  son,  J.  L.  Clayton,  and  is  buried  there. 

Elizabeth  (Lamm)  Clayton,  mother  of  James  A.  Clayton,  was  born 
in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  Lamm,  of  Saline 
township.  Mrs.  Clayton  is  deceased  and  her  remains  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Gooch's  Mill.  Two  nephews,  George  and  James  Lamm,  still  own 
the  old  homeplace  of  the  Lamm  family  in  Saline  township. 

James  A.  Clayton  is  one  of  five  children  born  to  his  parents,  John  M. 
and  Elizabeth  Clayton,  as  follows:  William  E.,  of  South  Fork,  Howell 
County ;  Mrs.  Martha  Ford,  who  resides  in  Colorado ;  Charles,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years ;  James  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review ;  and  John  L.,  of 
Dayton,  Wash. 

In  the  district  school  at  Lowland  schoolhouse  in  Cooper  County, 
James  A.  Clayton  received  his  education.  Until  1907,  he  was  engaged 
in  farming,  when  he  entered  the  mercantile  business  as  clerk  in  the  store 
of  Potter  &  Hopkins,  and  for  two  years  was  employed  in  clerking.  Mr. 
Clayton  returned  to  the  farm  after  his  experience  in  the  store  and  re- 
mained there  until  1914,  when  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  Bank 
of  Wooldridge,  a  position  he  has  since  filled  most  capably. 

In  1882,  James  A.  Clayton  was  united  in  marriage  with   Laberta 


626  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Givens,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Cynthia  Givens,  of  Saline  township. 
Mrs.  Clayton  died  in  1883.  In  1910.  Mr.  Clayton  and  Mrs.  Alice  (Shep- 
herd) Pate,  a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Johanna  (Compbell)  Shepherd,  were 
married.  Mrs.  Claytons  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Bradley  Campbell, 
an  honored  pioneer  of  Saline  township,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Bradley 
Campbell  and  his  wife  are  buried  in  the  family  burial  ground  on  the  old 
homeplace  in  Saline  township.  Mrs.  Shepherd  died  at  the  age  of  82  years, 
and  Levi  Shepherd  died  at  the  age  of  84  years.  Both  parents  of  Mrs. 
Clayton  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Gooch's  Mill.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clayton  have  a  comfortable  home  in  Wooldridge. 

Mr.  Clayton  is  a  stanch  democrat.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  and 
Mrs.  Clayton  are  widely  known  and  respected  in  Cooper  County,  worthy 
representatives  of  two  of  Missouri's  best  pioneer  families. 

Farris  B.  Hopkins,  bookkeeper  of  the  Bank  of  Woolridge,  is  a  native 
of  Saline  township.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  born  in  1887,  son  of  Hallah  H.  and 
Lydia  (Farris)  Hopkins,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Saline  township. 

H.  H.  Hopkins  is  a  son  of  Hirma  B.  and  Rebecca  (Burcham)  Hopkins, 
the  former,  a  native  of  England.  Hiram  B.  Hopkins  immigrated  to 
America  and  located  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  whence  he  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky, thence  to  Texas,  and,  about  1856,  settled  on  a  vast  tract  of  land, 
comprising  almost  1,000  acres,  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.  A  portion  of  this 
tract  of  land  was  sold  to  Jesse  Wooldridge,  that  part  upon  which  the 
town  of  Woolridge  was  laid  out  in  1901.  Truman  B.  Hopkins,  a  son  of 
Hiram  B.,  now  resides  at  the  old  homestead.  Hiram  B.  Hopkins  died  on 
his  farm,  Nov.  18,  1899,  and  he  was  buried  in  Wooldridge  Cemetery,  a 
family  burial  ground,  maintained  by  the  Hayes,  Wooldridge  and  Hopkins 
families.  John  B.  Truman  was  the  first  to  be  interred  there.  Rebecca 
(Bucham)  Hopkins  died  at  the  old  homeplace  and  her  remains  rest  beside 
those  of  her  husband  in  Wooldridge  Cemetery.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
neatly  kept  of  the  private  burial  grounds  in  the  county.  The  old  home- 
place  of  the  Hopkins  family  contains  five  Indian  mounds  and  arrowheads 
and  various  articles,  which  must  have  once  belonged  to  the  savages  of 
the  forest,  have  frequently  been  found  there.  Hallah  H.  Hopkins  is 
residing  on  his  farm  in  Saline  township,  where  practically  his  entire  life 
has  thus  far  been  spent,  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  To 
Hallah  and  Lydia  Hopkins  have  been  born  two  children :  Farris  B.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  Vergna,  a  popular  teacher  of  Boonville,  Mo. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  627 

Farris  B.  Hopkins  has,  for  the  past  three  years  been  clerk  of  the 
school-board  of  Wooldridge,  for  the  past  eight' years  clerk  of  the  town, 
and  he  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the  Wooldridge  Baptist 
Church,  and  since  the  organization  of  the  church  in  1907  he  has  been 
the  treasurer.  Mr.  Hopkins  has  been  connected  with  the  Bank  of  Wool- 
dridge since  1903  as  the  bookkeeper  of  the  institution. 

Mr.  Hopkins  attended  Hills  Business  College  at  Sedalia  in  1904.  He 
was  for  one  year  with  the  Missouri  State  Guards,  in  Company  E.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  politics  is  a 
democrat.  In  the  business  and  the  social  circles  of  Cooper  County,  Mr. 
Hopkins  has  maintained  an  unusually  good  name.  He  is  one  of  Cooper 
County's  own  boys,  who  have  "made  good,"  and  of  whom  all  are  proud. 

Judge  Boz  L.  Moore,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Boonville,  ex-judge  of 
the  County  Court  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  Palestine  township. 
Mr.  Moore  was  born  Sept.  12,  1869,  a  son  of  Lafayette  M.  and  Matilda 
(Morton)  Moore,  who  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Lee, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Allen  B.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  21 
years;  Boz  L.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Harvey  B.,  who  resides  on  the 
Moore  homeplace;  Gipson  S.,  a  teacher  at  Cape  Girardeau;  Erastus  B., 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  and  Edith  Grace, 
the  wife  of  Edgar  Rudolph,  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  Mr.  Rudolph  is 
the  present  assessor  of  Cooper  County,  1919. 

Lafayette  M.  Moore  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1839.  He  received 
as  good  education  as  the  early  schools  of  the  county  afforded,  and  early 
in  life  began  farming  and  stockraising.  He  owned  a  farm  of  120  acres 
of  land  in  Palestine  township  and  at  his  country  place  he  lived  from  1864 
or  1865  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1902.  His  remains  l'est  in  Moore 
Cemetery.  Matilda  (Morton)  Moore  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1840,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaiah  Morton.  Her  mother  died  in  1840  or 
1841  and  the  father  with  his  infant  daughter  came  from  Tennessee  to 
Missouri  in  1843.  The  father  died  in  1898  at  his  home  in  Palestine  town- 
ship, and  he  is  buried  in  the  family  burial  ground  on  the  homeplace. 
Mrs.  Moore  still  resides  at  the  Moore  homestead,  in  the  home  to  which 
she  and  Mr.  Moore  came  in  1865.  She  is  now  79  years  of  age  and  lias 
retained  to  a  remarkable  degree  her  physical  and  mental  vigor. 

Major  William  Moore,  great-grandfather  of  Judge  Boz  L.  Moore, 
entered  land  from  the  Government  in  Palestine  township,  a  part  of  the 
tract  now  a  portion  of  the  Moore  homeplace,  about  1817.  He  came  to 
Missouri  from  Burke  County,  N.  C.     Major  Moore  was  an  army  officer 


628  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  the  father  of  Dr.  William  H.  Moore,  a 
pioneer  teacher  and  physician.  Dr.  Moore  taught  his  first  school  out  in 
the  forest,  and  it  was  a  subscription  school.  He  made  the  pens  used  in 
the  school,  made  pens  from  goose  quills.  He  was  probably  the  first 
teacher  in  Cooper  County.  Dr.  Moore  was  also  the  country  practitioner. 
He  rode  a  pony  when  answering  calls  from  the  countryside.  He  was  a 
cripple  and  unable  to  walk,  and  when  not  on  his  pony  he  went  about  in  a 
chair  which  he  operated  with  his  hands.  Dr.  Moore  died  in  1866  and  is 
buried  in  Moore  Cemetery. 

Judge  Boz  L.  Moore  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County. 
Until  1917,  Judge  Moore  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stockraising.  In 
1910,  Judge  Moore  was  elected  julge  of  the  County  Court,  and  in  1912 
he  was  re-elected,  serving  four  years.  Judge  Moore  was  active  in  pro- 
moting road  work  while  a  member  of  the  County  Court,  and  more  good 
work,  more  bridges,  more  public  building  resulted  during  the  four  years 
he  was  serving  as  a  member  of  the  court  than  during  any  other  four 
years  in  the  history  of  the  county.  A  new  courhouse  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $115,000,  and  a  new  county  home  at  a  cost  of  $40,000. 

In  1914,  Judge  Boz  L.  Moore  was  united  in  marriage  with  Abbie 
Boggs,  a  daughter  of  Harry  and  Beulah  (Ashley)  Boggs,  of  Fayette, 
Howard  County.  Mrs.  Boggs  is  deceased  and  Harry  Boggs  now  resides 
at  Higginsville.     Judge  and  Mrs.  Moore  reside  at  Shamrock  Heights. 

Judge  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
at  Bunceton.  He  and  Mrs.  Moore  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and 
in  Boonville,  where  they  are  best  known,  they  number  their  friends  by 
the  score. 

S.  Hamilton  Fairchild. — The  Fairchild  family  has  been  resident  in 
Cooper  County  for  the  past  50  years  and  are  native  to  North  Carolina. 

Joel  Fairchild,  father  of  S.  Hamilton  Fairchild,  of  this  review,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  Army  who  sought  a  new  home  in  Missouri 
four  years  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  located  on  the  John  Lilly  farm, 
on  the  Boonville  and  Bell  Air  highway.  Later  he  spent  10  years  in  Wy- 
oming for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Returning  to  Missouri,  he  went  from 
here  to  Oklahoma,  and  after  a  residence  of  six  months  in  the  new  state, 
he  died  in  1911.  His  wife  was  Frances  Phillips  prior  to  her  marriage, 
and  she  bore  him  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  as  follows:  George 
died  in  Oklahoma ;  Mrs.  Mary  Sideler,  Thayer,  Mo. ;  S.  Hamilton,  of  this 
review;  Mrs.  Ellen  Parrish,  Oklahoma;  Mrs.  Catherine  Ward  died  in 
Arkansas;  John,  somewhere  in  the  West.     The  mother  died  in  1874  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  629 

by  a  second  marriage  of  Joel  Fairchild  there  was  one  child,  Mrs.  Ray- 
Davis,  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

The  50  years  of  the  life  of  S.  H.  Fairchild  have  been  spent  in  Cooper 
County  to  good  purpose.  He  is  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  154.72  acres  in 
Palestine  township,  purchased  in  1895,  and  upon  which  he  has  resided 
since  the  spring  of  1896.  This  farm  is  well  improved  and  is  highly 
productive. 

Mr.  Fairchild  was  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Dumolt,  born 
1871,  near  Billingsville,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  John  Dumolt,  pioneer  settler 
of  Cooper  County.  Four  sons  and  a  daughter  have  blessed  this  union: 
William  Ward,  Charleston,  S.  C. ;  John  Edden,  Elmer  Eugene,  Philip  Har- 
vey, and  Alma  Elizabeth.  Two  children  of  the  family  are  deceased, 
namely:  Emil  Allen,  died  at  the  age  of  12  years;  and  George  died  in 
infancy. 

William  Ward  Fairchild,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  was  bora  in  1895 
and  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Navy,  Nov.  20,  1917.  He  was  trained 
at  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  and  assigned  to  duty  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  in  Jan.,  1918. 

Mr.  Fairchild  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  of  Billingsville,  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

The  Boonville  Mercantile  Company,  located  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Chestnut  Streets  in  Boonville,  was  organized  as  a  corporation  in 
1906.  The  present  officers  are:  W.  M.  Rowe,  President  R.  P.  Burge, 
vice-president ;  W.  W.  Kingsbury,  secretary.  Other  stockholders  are : 
John  A.  Fischer,  F.  S.  Sauter,  J.  L.  Sauter,  and  Walter  Reed.  R.  P.  Burge 
was  associated  in  the  mercantile  business  for  many  years  with  H.  T. 
Hudson,  prior  to  the  organization  of  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company. 

The  building  occupied  by  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company  fronts 
on  Main  or  Fifth  Street  in  Boonville.  It  is  50x122  feet  in  dimensions. 
To  this  building,  the  company  moved  in  1907  and  the  building  has  since 
been  remodeled  and  up-to-date  furnishings  and  fixtures  installed  in  1914. 
The  ceiling  is  of  steel,  plate  glass  is  across  the  entire  front,  and  the 
Warren  fixtures,  the  very  latest  and  best,  are  used. 

The  Boonville  Mercantile  Company  carries  a  complete  and  excep- 
tionally good  line  of  hardware,  including  stoves,  harness,  plumbing  and 
heating  apparatus,  pumps  and  windmills.  The  company  enjoys  a  flat- 
tering patronage  and  the  business  is  annually  increasing.  The  quality 
of  the  goods  handled  is  the  best  and  the  company  has  an  established  repu- 
tation for  fair  and  honorable  business  dealings. 


630  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Edward  Stegner,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Cooper  County, 
a  well-known  merchant  of  Boonville,  was  bora  March  13,  1865,  in  Boon- 
ville,  one  of  twins  born  to  John  Adam  and  Margaretta  (Hoffbacher) 
Stegner,  natives  of  Germany. 

John  Adam  Stegner  came  to  America  in  1854  and  settled  in  Boon- 
ville. After  arriving  at  Boonville,  Mr.  Stegner  had  but  75  cents  left  in 
his  purse,  and  with  this  money  he  purchased  an  ax  and  secured  a  job 
cutting  cord-wood.  He  also  cut  wheat  with  a  sickle  for  50  cents  a  day. 
In  1856,  Mr.  Stegner  opened  a  cooper  shop.  He  was  by  trade  a  cooper 
and  he  conducted  this  shop  until  in  the  nineties.  In  1881,  he  erected  the 
store  building  at  601  Main  Street  in  Boonville,  now  the  store  occupied  by 
his  son,  Edward,  and  opened  a  hardware  and  woodenware  establishment 
and  within  a  few  months  afterward  added  to  his  stock,  groceries.  He 
admitted  his  sons  to  partnership  with  him  and  the  firm  became  known 
as  J.  A.  Stegner  &  Sons.  After  Mr.  Stegner's  death,  his  wife  continued 
to  manage  the  business.  John  Adam  Stegner  died  June  25,  1890,  and 
nine  years  later  Mrs.  Margaretta  Stegner  died,  Jan.  2,  1899.  The  remains 
of  both  parents  were  interred  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery. 

Edward  Stegner  is  one  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents,  as  fol- 
low: Sophia,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Frank,  of  Boonville;  Theodore,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo. ;  William  E.,  of  Fayette,  Mo. ;  Edward  and  Emil,  twins,  the 
former,  the  subject  of  this  review,  and  the  latter,  who  died  in  1906; 
Matilda,  of  Boonville;  and  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Adam  Walters. 

Edward  Stegner  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Boon- 
ville, and  practically  his  entire  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  mercantile 
business,  thus  far,  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Stegner  has  been  bravely  bearing 
the  affliction  of  blindness  since  November,  1917,  and  is  still  actively  en- 
gaged in  business.  A  niece,  Ida  L.  Stegner,  assists  Mr.  Stegner  with  the 
work  in  the  store,  and  he  usually  employs  from  four  to  five  other  assist- 
ants. 

Sept.  6,  1899,  Edward  Stegner  and  Bertha  Jegglin,  a  native  of  Boon- 
ville and  a  daughter  of  J.  M.  and  Anna  Jegglin,  were  united  in  marriage. 
J.  M.  Jegglin  was  in  the  pottery  business  in  Boonville  for  many  years. 
He  was  a  manufacturer  and  retail  merchant.  He  was  very  successful  in 
business,  and  owned,  besides  his  shop,  three  farms.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jegg- 
lin are  now  deceased,  and  their  remains  rest  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery. 
The  children  of  J.  M.  and  Anna  Jegglin  are  as  follow:  Herman;  Gus ; 
Albert ;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Francis  Smith,  of  Boonville ;  Bruno,  deceased ; 
Bettie ;  Robert ;  John ;  Clara,  the  wife  of  A.  J.  Perry,  of  Sedalia ;  Ray- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  631 

mond ;  and  Mrs.  Edward  Stegner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.'  Stegner  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Margaret,  of  Sedalia;  Edward,  of  Boonville; 
Roland  K.,  Helen  B.,  and  John  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stegner  reside  in  Boon- 
ville at  512  East  Sixth  Street. 

Mr.  Stegner  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
the  Redmen,  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he 
was  candidate  for  public  administrator,  but  was  defeated  by  a  "land- 
slide," the  coming  of  which  was  unforeseen. 

In  connection  with  stories  of  pioneer  days,  Mr.  Stegner  relates  that 
his  mother  dried  three  barrels  of  apples  in  the  days  before  the  Civil  War. 
She  traded  the  three  barrels  for  a  set  of  knives  and  forks  and  the  actual 
value  of  the  set  today  is  75  cents. 

In  Cooper  County,  no  man  stands  higher  in  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
men  than  Edward  Stegner.  He  is  an  intelligent,  useful  citizen,  one  of 
Boonville's  best  business  men. 

Christian  Brandes. — The  late  Christian  Brandes  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship was  a  citizen  of  worth  and  integrity  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  indus- 
trious, law-abiding,  honest  to  the  core  of  his  being  and  was  a  man  of 
diligence  and  enterprise.  Looking  far  into  the  future  he  provided  well 
for  his  family  and  built  up  a  valuable  farm,  so  that  his  family  could  live 
in  peace  and  plenty  after  his  departure  from  this  earthly  realm. 

Christian  Brandes  was  born  in  Germany,  June  1,  1840.  He  died  in 
Cooper  County,  Nov.  9,  1902.  He  was  a  son  of  Christian  and  Sophia 
Brandes.  He  was  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  when  13  years  old 
he  came  to  America  with  his  brother,  Henry  Brandes.  He  became  a 
musician  and  when  16  years  of  age  he  joined  a  band  which  was  attached 
to  a  circus.  This  circus  make  a  tour  of  the  Antipodes,  traveling  over 
Australia,  and  New  Zealand  for  five  years.  While  in  New  Zealand,  he 
was  married  to  Sara  Willshire,  who  was  born  at  Greymouth,  New  Zea- 
land, Feb.  28,  1847,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  Willshire,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. In  1870  or  1871,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brandes  left  New  Zealand  and  came 
to  America,  settling  at  Lone  Elm  on  the  Brandes  home  place,  which  Mr. 
Brandes  built  up  and  improved  and  which  consists  of  200  acres  of  rich 
prairie  land. 

In  September  of  1866,  Christian  Brandes  and  Sara  Willshire  were 
married.  The  children  born  to  this  marriage  are:  Ellen  Augusta,  born 
June  11,  1867,  is  the  wife  of  Chris  Smith,  Bunceton,  Mo.;  Sophia  Wil- 
helmina,  born  Aug.  20,  1870,  wife  of  John  Hall;  Edwin  Nicholas,  born 
Dec.  27,  1871,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Johanna  Margaret,  born  April  23,  1873, 


632  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

wife  of  Willis  Schmalfeldt ;  Florence  Frederick,  born  Jan.  17,  1875,  de- 
ceased; Emily  Louisa  Wilhelmina  Mansegar,  born  Sept.  30,  1877,  lives 
in  Iowa;  Mrs.  Esther  Carlotta  Eophia  Smith,  born  Jan.  31,  1879;  Henry- 
Frederick,  born  Feb.  15,  1880 ;  Louisa  Mary,  born  June  15,  1883,  deceased ; 
Walter  Hermann,  born  Oct.  10,  1886,  a  farmer,  Lone  Elm;  Speer;  Julius 
Frederick,  born  Aug.  31,  1889,  on  the  home  place;  Mattie  Margaret  Caro- 
lina, bora  Jan.  15,  1891,  died  Nov.  17,  1892. 

Mr.  Brandes  was  a  republican  and  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church. 

Edward  Melkersman,  a  prosperous  and  progressive  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Melkersman 
was  born  Feb.  19,  1855,  a  son  of  Robert  R.  and  Louisa  (Portzig)  Melkers- 
man. He  was  born  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  whence  his  parents  moved  in  1872 
to  Cooper  County  and  located  on  an  80  acre  farm  three  miles  south  of 
Boonville,  where  the  father  died  in  1879.  His  remains  are  interred  in  the 
cemetery  at  Boonville.  The  widowed  mother  now  makes  her  home  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Frank  Kirschner,  at  Otterville,  Mo.  Mrs.  Melkers- 
man is  now,  in  1919,  at  the  advanced  age  of  86  years.  Robert  R.  and 
Louisa  Melkersman  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs. 
Sophia  Achepohl,  who  died  in  Oregon;  Edward,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Mrs.  Lucy  Wells,  of  the  state  of  Washington;  Mrs.  Ottilia  Kirschner,  of 
Otterville,  Mo.,  with  whom  the  mother  resides ;  Fred,  who  resides  in 
Idaho;  Mrs.  Emma  Landen,  of  the  state  of  Washington;  Mrs.  Helen 
Nathan,  deceased ;  and  Mrs.  Nora  Comstock,  of  Freeman,  Wash. 

In  the  public  schools  of  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  Edward  Melkersman  re- 
ceived his  education.  He  has  followed  farming  and  stockraising  prac- 
tically his  entire  life  and  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  since 
1872.  He  purchased  his  first  farm  30  years  ago  and  he  later  sold  it  and 
bought  the  country  place  he  now  owns,  a  farm  comprising  330  acres  of 
valuable  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  six  miles  from  Boonville.  Mr. 
Melkersman  has,  since  acquiring  the  ownership  of  the  place,  added  three 
barns.  Petite  Saline  creek  crosses  the  farm  on  the  north  and  there  are 
two  exceptionally  fine  springs  on  the  land,  which  is  admirably  adapted 
for  stockraising.  Large  herds  of  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep  are  raised  on 
the  Melkersman  place,  which  is  managed  by  Mr.  Melkersman's  son, 
Edward  L. 

April  2,  1893,  Edward  Melkersman  and  Annie  Margaret  Kirschner, 
a  daughter  of  John  Nicholas  and  Eva  (Hess)  Kirschner,  noble  pioneers  of 
Boonville  township,  were  united  in  marriage.  The  Kirschners  settled  in 
Cooper  County,  in  1853,  and  reared  and  educated  their  five  children  in 


a 

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X 

H 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  633 

'Boonville  township.  The  father  died  in  1863  and  he  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  Boonville.  The  mother  died  in  March,  1905,  and  she  was 
buried  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery.  John  Nicholas  and  Eva  Kirschner 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  John  E.,  a  farmer,  Boon- 
ville; Mrs.  Mary  Lowe,  of  Otterville;  Frank,  of  Otterville;  Mrs.  Henry 
Roesler,  of  Otterville ;  and  Mrs.  Edward  Melkersman,  the  wife  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  To  Edward  and  Annie  M.  Melkersman  have  been 
bom  two  children:  Edward  Leroy,  who  manages  the  home  farm;  and 
Evaline  Louise,  a  student  at  Cottey  College,  Nevada,  Mo. ;  Edward  Leroy 
Melkersman  married  Bertha  Bechtold,  of  Boonville,  and  to  them  has  been 
born  two  children:  Charles  Edward,  who  was  born  March  2,  1917;  and 
one  son,  Harry  Leroy,  born  Feb.  13,  1918,  and  died  Feb.  14,  1919. 

Edward  Melkersman  is  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  first  families 
of  Missouri.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  an  upright,  honorable 
citizen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melkersman  moved  to  Boonville  in  Nov.,  1915,  and 
they  have  a  very  pleasant  home  on  South  Third  street  on  a  22  acre  tract. 

Mr.  Melkersman  is  a  republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Boonville  Evangelical  Church. 

Abe  Lincoln  Hews,  the  well-known  proprietor  of  "Uncle  Abe's  Billiard 
Room"  in  Boonville,  is  a  native  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Hews  was  born  at  Canton, 
111.,  Jan.  19,  1861,  a  son  of  Abe  and  Permelia  (Saunders)  Hews,  who  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  John,  deceased;  Abe  Lincoln,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Gardner  E.,  died  at  Joplin ;  Benjamin  H.,  deceased ; 
and  Mrs.  Laura  Chipp,  deceased. 

The  Saunders  family  was  founded  in  America  by  Tobias  Saunders, 
who  was  one  of  King's  Life  Guards.  He  and  two  brothers  came  to  Amer- 
ica.    He  married  Mary  Clark.     The  descendents  of  this  marriage: 

I.  Stephen  Saunder.  II.  His  son.  III.  Tobias.  IV.  Luke.  The 
geneology  of  the  Saunders  family  has  been  written  beginning  with  the 
eleventh  century. 

Mary  Clark  was  a  daughter  of  Corow  Clark,  and  a  niece  of  Dr.  John 
Clark,  of  Newport,  who  was  a  friend  of  Sir  Roger  Williams. 

Abe  Hews,  father  of  Abe  Lincoln  Hews,  was  born  in  New  York  City 
in  1818,  a  son  of  James  McHew.  James  McHew  was  born  in  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland.  For  political  offenses,  he  was  driven  out  of  Ireland,  and 
he  immigrated  to  America.  He  was  still  a  young  man,  and  that  was  prior 
to  1800.  After  coming  to  the  new  country,  James  McHew  changed  his 
name  from  McHew  to  Hews,  which  name  the  family  has  continued  to 
adopt.  Abe  Hews  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  in  the 
Union  army  for  four  years  and  was  wounded  once  in  battle.      He  died 


634  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

about  1890  in  Indian  Territory  of  "Choctaw  fever."  Permelia  (Saunders)^ 
Hews  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1828,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  Saunders.  Mr. 
Saunders  walked  from  Ohio  to  Illinois  and  in  the  latter  state  remained  for 
seven  years  while  preparing  a  home  for  his  family,  and  when  the  home 
was  ready  he  returned  to  Ohio  for  them.  Mr.  Saunders  purchased  land  in 
Henry  County,  111.,  in  those  early  days  for  $1.75  an  acre.  He  later  sold 
this  farm  and  the  family  moved  to  Fulton  County,  111.,  where  he  lived  in 
quiet  retirement  with  his  children  until  his  death.  Abe  Hews  was  an 
early-day  freighter  from  Boonville  to  Chicago. 

Abe  Lincoln  Hews  received  his  early  education  in  log  schoolhouse 
near  Canton,  111.  Later,  he  attended  the  city  schools  of  Canton  and  sup- 
plemented his  school  work  with  a  course  in  a  mining  school  in  Springfield, 
111.  In  the  first  part  of  his  career,  Mr.  Hews  followed  mine  inspecting  as 
his  vocation,  but,  upon  being  "blacklisted"  on  account  of  a  strike,  he  be- 
came a  metal  polisher,  buffer,  and  finisher.  He  was  for  12  years  engaged 
in  farming  in  Illinois,  Nebraska,  and  Missouri.  Oct.  10,  1911,  he  came  to 
Boonville,  and  purchased  the  Swasky  Amusement  Company's  establish- 
ment at  the  present  location,  which  establishment  is  now  known  as  the 
Boonville  Amusement  Company,  at  227  Fifth  Street.  Mr.  Hews  conducts 
a  first-class  billiard  room,  and  his  place  is  one  of  the  most  popular  "smoke- 
houses" for  young  men  in  the  county. 

In  1882,  Abe  Lincoln  Hews  and  Nellie  Carter  were  united  in  marriage 
at  Lewistown,  111.  Mrs.  Hews  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Sienda  Carter, 
both  now  deceased.  The  Carter  children,  who  are  living,  are:  Mrs.  Jennie 
Barlow,  of  Red  Cloud,  Neb.;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Kyle,  of  Trivola,  111.;  and  Mrs. 
Abe  L.  Hews,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review.  By  a  second  mar- 
riage, Andrew  Carter  was  the  father  of  the  following  children:  A.  J.,  who 
is  employed  as  division  superintendent  by  the  Burlington  Railway  Com- 
pany, and  is  located  at  Aurora,  111.;  Mrs.  Fannie  Williams,  of  Canton,  111.; 
James,  William,  and  Frank,  of  Canton,  111.;  and  Mrs.  Gertrude  Lent,  of 
Canton,  111.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hews  have  been  born  two  children:  Thomas, 
who  married  Hattie  Malincott,  and  they  reside  in  Boonville,  where  he  is 
in  business  with  his  father;  and  Wylia,  the  wife  of  Lt.  C.  J.  Wilgaus,  who 
recently  received  his  honorable  discharge  from  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
of  the  United  States  army,  and  is  again  following  his  profession  as  veter- 
inary surgeon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hews  have  two  granddaughters:  Nadine 
Wilgaus  and  Aileen  Hews. 

Since  1883,  Abe  Lincoln  Hews  has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  1913  he  became  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  635 

Pythias.  In  a  small  collection  of  curios,  which  Mr.  Hews  has  in  his  pos- 
session, is  a  bullet  used  in  the  battle  of  Boonville  during  the  Civil  War;  a 
gun  cartridge,  which  was  used  in  the  Spanish-American  war;  and  cart- 
ridges used  in  the  World  War.  As  a  testimonial  of  the  high  regard  in 
which  "Uncle  Abe"  Hews  is  held  by  the  young  men  of  Boonville  and  of 
their  affection  for  him  he  has  a  collection  of  letters,  postcards,  and  souve- 
nirs of  various  kinds  in  the  showcase  of  his  billiard  room.  The  boys  of 
Boonville,  who  entered  the  service  in  the  World  War,  have  remembered 
"Uncle  Abe,"  no  matter  in  what  part  of  the  world  they  have  been  stationed, 
and  to  show  his  appreciation  of  their  thoughtfulness  he  has  answered 
every  letter  and  card  he  received  from  the  boys  at  the  front. 

Louis  L.  Chilton  and  Joseph  W.  Chilton,  of  Chilton  &  Company,  jew- 
elers, at  308  Main  Street,  in  Boonville,  have  been  partners  in  the  jewelry 
business  in  this  city  since  1888,  when  they  opened  a  jewelry  store,  carry- 
ing a  small  stock,  on  Morgan  Street.  The  storeroom  of  Chilton  &  Com- 
pany is  22x80  feet,  and  is  equipped  with  one  of  the  best  jewelry  stocks  in 
this  section  of  the  State.  In  addition  to  jewelry,  the  firm  carries  an  excel- 
lent line  of  the  finest  quality  of  chinaware. 

Joseph  W.  Chilton,  Sr.,  father  of  the  Chilton  brothers,  was  a  native  of 
Fauquier  County  Va.  He  came  from  Virginia  to  Missouri  prior  to  the 
Civil  War  and  located  at  New  Franklin,  where  he  entered  the  mercantile 
business,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  more  than  40  years.  He  died  in 
1895  at  Boonville.  His  wife,  Bettie  (Wyatt)  Chilton,  was  also  a  native  of 
Virginia.  She  died  in  1886,  and  the  remains  of  both  mother  and  father 
are  interred  in  Mount  Pleasant  Cemetery.  The  children  of  Joseph  W.,  Sr., 
and  Bettie  Chilton  are :  E.  W.,  president  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Boon- 
ville; H.  B..  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  dry  goods  firm  of  Chicago,  111.; 
Louis  L.  and  Joseph  W.,  the  subjects  of  this  sketch ;  W.  C,  a  jeweler  of 
La  Junta,  Col.;  and  four  children  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  Chilton  family  trace  the  origin  of  the  family  in  America  to  Mary 
Chilton,  who  came  with  the  Pilgrims  in  the  "Mayflower"  in  1620,  and  was 
the  first  to  set  foot  on  American  soil,  of  all  the  little  band.  Governor 
Bradford's  "Journal,"  the  only  authentic  account  of  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims  in  1620,  states  in  regard  to  the  Chiltons: 

"Weakened  by  privations  of  their  well-nigh  desperate  voyage  and 
exposure  consequent  on  debarkation  and  settlement  in  the  rigors  of  a 
North  Atlantic  winter,  many  of  the  beloved  members  of  the  devoted  colony 
were  fatally  stricken  within  a  few  weeks  of  their  thankful  arrival. 

"Of   this   lamented    number  were   James    Chilton    and    wife,   whose 


636  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

daugter,  Mary,  a  young  girl,  was  thus  doubly  bereft  at  the  outset  of  her 
new  fortunes.     James  Chilton  and  his  wife  also  died  in  the  first  infection." 

The  foregoing  was  written  30  years  after  the  Mayflower  reached 
Plymouth.  Mary  Chilton  was  known  as  the  "Pilgrims'  Orphan."  She 
married  John  Winslow,  who  came  to  America  about  one  year  after  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  the  account  of  the  marriage  states  that  their 
life  at  Plymouth  was  prosperous  and  fruitful.  John  Winslow  died  in  1674 
and  Mary  (Chilton)  Winslow  died  in  1679,  and  their  remains  rest  in  King's 
Chapel  burial  ground.  Mary  (Chilton)  Winslow's  will  bequeathes  to  her 
children  an  estate  of  considerable  value  and  is  notable  for  the  number  and 
importance  of  the  pieces  of  silverware  enumerated.  Chilton  &  Co.  pos- 
sess a  copy  of  the  advertising  catalogue  of  the  Towle  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  which  catalogue  shows  that  the  com- 
pany manufactures  many  pieces  of  silverware  bearing  the  name  of  Mary 
Chilton  for  the  value  and  prestige  the  name  carries  for  colonial  ware. 

The  Chilton  brothers  received  their  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  Franklin,  Mo.  They  received  their  first  mercantile  experience  in 
their  Father's  store  at  New  Franklin,  and  from  there  they  later  came  to 
Boonville,  where  for  the  past  30  years  the  Chilton  name  has  been  the 
synonym  of  honesty  and  uprightness.  The  younger  brother,  Joseph  W., 
has  never  married. 

In  October,  1886,  Louis  L.  Chilton  and  Sadie  Harper  Howard  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Chilton  is  a  daughter  of  J.  A.  and  Alice  M. 
(Albertson)  Howard,  of  Boonville,  who  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  M.  A.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. ;  J.  A.,  Dallas,  Texas;  and  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Thompson,  of  New  York  City,  and  Mrs.  Louis  L  Chilton,  the  wife  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Howard  died  in  1918,  and  Mrs.  Howard  died 
many  years  ago.  The  remains  of  both  father  and  mother  are  buried  in 
Walnut  Grove  Cemetery.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chilton  has  been  born  one 
child,  a  son,  A.  L.,  who  now  resides  at  Dallas,  Texas.  A.  L.  Chilton  mar- 
ried Leonora  Hummel,  of  San  Antonio,  Texas,  in  1911.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Boonville  High  School  and  is  now  manager  and  owner  of  an  adver- 
tising agency  at  Dallas,  Texas. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  L.  Chilton  are  active  members  of  the  church,  and 
Mr.  Chilton  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of 
Boonville.  The  Chiltons  are  numbered  among  Cooper  County's  best  fam- 
ilies and  most  highly  regarded  citizens. 

Urban  A.  Smith,  proprietor  of  "The  Music  Emporium"  at  Boonville, 
is  one  of  Cooper  County's  best-known  citizens  and  most  respected  business 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  637 

men.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  bom  in  Boonville, 
Dec.  8,  1873,  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Catherine  H.  (Franken)  Smith,  and  is 
the  eldest  living  son  of  his  father's  family. 

Mr.  Smith,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  the  Catholic  school 
at  Boonville,  and  later  was  a  student  at  the  Boonville  High  School.  Prior 
to  1894,  Urban  A.  Smith  was  connected  with  A.  Smith  &  Sons'  general 
merchandise  store  for  seven  years.  He  was  for  10  years  with  Eppstein 
&  Hains,  and  was  for  four  years  manager  of  Wilson  &  Fredendall's  estab- 
lishment. In  July,  1918,  Mr.  Smith  opened  "The  Music  Emporium"  at 
Boonville.  He  carries  an  exceptionally  good  line  of  musical  instruments, 
including  pianos,  players,  phonographs,  player  rolls,  records,  and  sheet 
music.  In  addition,  he  handles  the  Lalley  Electric  Farm  Light,  which  is 
undoubtedly  the  best  lighting  system  on  the  market  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  cautious  but  energetic  business  man,  and  he  is  meeting  with 
unqualified  success. 

Oct.  18,  1906,  Urban  A.  Smith  and  Sadie  Ruth  Tucker  were  united  in 
marriage.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  H.  and  Sarah  E.  (Parker) 
Tucker,  of  Cooper  County,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  six  children :  Urban,  Jr.,  deceased ;  Vivian 
Elizabeth,  Mary  Louise,  Kenneth  Joseph,  Rose  Catherine  Augusta,  and 
Jerome  Pershing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  consistent  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  they  are  numbered  among  the  best  families  of  Boonville. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  In 
politics  he  is  a  republican. 

Edward  J.  Muntzel,  junior  member  of  the  clothing  firm  of  Manion 
&  Muntzel,  Booneville,  was  born  on  a  farm,  near  Lone  Elm,  Mo.,  Jan.  15, 
1875.  Albert  Muntzel,  his  father,  was  born  in  1835  and  died  in  1907.  He 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  the  forties  with  his 
parents  and  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet Smith,  who  died  in  1892,  and  to  this  union  were  born  12  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  living:  Albert  P.,  a  druggist  at  Portland,  Ore.;  Martin 
W.,  a  bank  cashier  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Edward  J.,  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs. 
Clara  Trampe,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Julia  Meyer,  living  south  of  Boonville 
on  the  old  home  place ;  Lillie  Muntzel,  also  living  on  the  home  place ;  Mrs. 
Caroline  Fricke,  living  four  miles  south  of  Sedalia,  on  a  farm ;  Harry,  a 
farmer,  adjoining  the  home  place;  Delia,  living  with  Mrs.  Trampe,  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

Edward  J.  Muntzell  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  after  attend- 
ing the  district  school,  he  pursued  an  agricultural  course  at  the  State 


638  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

University.  He  then  followed  farming  until  1908,  on  his  tract  of  120 
acres  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood.  Coming  to  Boonville  in  that  year, 
he  tended  bar  in  this  city  until  1918,  when  he  became  associated  with  Mr. 
Manion  in  the  firm  of  Manion  &  Muntzel. 

Mr.  Muntzel  was  married  in  1901  to  Miss  Minnie  Schmack,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Herman  Schmack,  of  Boonville.  She  died  in  April,  1911,  leaving  a 
daughter,  Elsa  M.  Muntzel. 

Mr.  Muntzel  is  a  stanch  republican  and  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church. 

Martin  Schieberl,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Boonville,  a  widely-known 
tailor  of  this  city,  has  been  a  resident  of  Boonville  since  1868.  Mr.  Schie- 
berl was  born  Nov.  4,  1838,  in  Bohemia,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherina 
(Stahl)  Schieberl,  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mar- 
tin Schieberl  is  the  sole  survivor. 

Jacob  Schieberl  was  born  in  Koitchovitz,  Bishofinitz,  in  Bczirck, 
County,  Bohemia,  and  Catherina  (Stahl)  Schieberl  was  born  in  Honositz, 
at  Stap,  in  Bczirck  County,  Bohemia.  She  died  in  1842  and  he  died  in 
1863.  Their  son,  Martin,  immigrated  to  this  country  after  the  father's 
death,  and  landed  in  New  York  City,  Nov.  8,  1867.  He  came  over  on  the 
ship  "Metropolitan,"  the  ship  which  brought  Maxmillian  to  Mexico. 

Martin  Schieberl  received  his  education  at  Holeishen,  in  Bohemia, 
where  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade.  After  coming  to  the  new  world,  he 
located  temporarily  at  Cole  Camp,  Mo.,  where  he  spent  his  first  winter  in 
America.  He  worked  in  a  brick  yard  for  the  first  four  days  and  then 
obtained  employment  on  a  farm  and  was  employed  in  farm  work  for  six 
weeks.  Mr.  Schieberl  purchased  a  cleaning  and  repair  shop  in  Boonville 
and  later  added  new  merchandise  to  his  stock  and  thus  opened  his  tailoring 
establishment.  Prior  to  coming  to  America,  Mr.  Schieberl  served  eight 
years  in  the  Austrian  army. 

Jan.  30,  1869,  Martin  Schieberl  and  Dora  Schiller,  a  daughter  of  Wint- 
zel  and  Mary  (Printz)  Schiller,  both  natives  of  Bohemia,  were  united  in 
marriage.  Wintzel  Schiller  was  a  weaver.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
for  18  years  prior  to  coming  with  his  family  to  America  in  1867.  The 
Schillers  settled  in  Missouri  on  a  farm  in  Benton  County,  near  Lincoln, 
where  both  father  and  mother  died.  The  remains  of  the  mother  are  in- 
terred in  a  cemetery  at  Cole  Camp;  the  father's  remains  are  interred  in 
a  cemetery  at  Lick  Creek.  The  children  of  Wintzel  and  Mary  Schiller  are, 
as  follow:  Mrs.  Martin  Schieberl,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Joseph,  who  resides  at  the  Schiller  homeplace ;  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  639 

of  24  years ;  Annie,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Jacob,  who  died  in  infancy ;  and 
Annie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  The  Schiller  farm  comprises 
80  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Benton  County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schieberl 
have  been  born  10  children,  six  living:  Joseph,  who  married  Edith  Delthy, 
of  Boonville,  and  they  reside  in  Muskogee,  Okla. ;  John,  who  married  Flora 
Stretz,  and  they  reside  at  Joplin;  Charlie,  at  home;  Mrs.  Julia  Kaiser,  of 
Boonville;  Nellie,  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Watts,  of  Fayette,  and  Edith,  the 
widow  of  Arthur  Christman,  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schieberl  are  the  proud  grandparents  of  nine  grandchildren,  as  follow: 
Mamie  Schieberl;  Julian,  Dorothy,  Margaret,  Virginia,  Elizabeth,  and 
Martha  Kaiser,  the  daughters  of  Frank  and  Julia  Kaiser;  Maxine  and  Ar- 
thur Christman,  the  children  of  Mrs.  Edith  Christman. 

A  half  century  ago,  Martin  Schieberl  came  to  this  country  a  poor  immi- 
grant, unlearned  in  the  ways  and  customs  of  the  new  world.  A  half  cen- 
tury of  honest  toil  and  earnest  endeavor  has  placed  Mr.  Schieberl  in  the 
foremost  ranks  of  the  countys  most  respected  citizens. 

Joseph  L.  Sauter,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Boonville,  a  stock- 
holder of  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company,  is  a  native  of  Moniteau 
County.  Mr.  Sauter  was  born  in  1861,  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Rosa 
(Knaupp)  Sauter,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1859  and  located  in  Moniteau 
County. 

The  Sauter  family  resided  in  Moniteau  County  until  1866,  when  they 
moved  to  Cooper  County  and  located  on  a  farm  one  and  a  half  miles  south 
of  Boonville.  In  1881,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sauter  moved  from  Missouri  to  the 
Dakota  Territory,  where  both  died.  Mrs.  Souter  died  in  1884  and  Mr. 
Sauter  died  in  1896.  The  remains  of  both  mother  and  father  are  interred 
in  a  cemetery  in  Dickey  County,  N.  D. 

The  children  of  Matthew  and  Rosa  Sauter  are,  as  follow:  Frederick, 
who  died  Sept.  21,  1918,  in  Boonville,  and  is  buried  in  Walnut  Grove 
Cemetery,  the  late  president  of  the  Sauter  Mercantile  Company,  a  prom- 
inent business  man  of  Boonville  since  1870 ;  Professor  A.  H.,  who  is  with 
the  Sauter  Mercantile  Company;  F.  S.,  acting  president  of  the  Boonville 
National  Bank ;  Joseph  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Addie,  the  wife  of 
John  Weber,  and  she  died  in  North  Dakota  in  1915;  Fannie,  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Memmel,  of  Fayette ;  and  Bertha,  the  wife  of  Dr.  L.  F.  Diefendorf , 
of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. 

Joseph  L.  Sauter  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County  and 
Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg.  He  first  entered  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  1896,  associated  with  Judge  John  A.  Fischer,  at  Blackwater,  the 


640  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

firm  handling  lumber  and  hardware.  A  sketch  of  the  life  of  Judge 
Fischer  will  be  found  in  this  volume.  Sauter  &  Fischer  were  very  suc- 
cessful in  business  at  Blackwater.  They  moved  to  Boonville  in  1907  and 
are  now  both  stockholders  in  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company. 

Mr.  Sauter  is  a  man  of  upright  principles,  excellent  business  judg- 
ment, and  strong  character.  He  is  well  known  and  respected  in  Cooper 
County. 

W.  F.  and  G.  H.  Steigleder,  proprietors  of  the  "Waldheim  Stock 
Farm"  in  Kelly  township,  rank  among  the  prosperous  and  progressive 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Cooper  County.  "Waldheim  Stock  Farm"  con- 
sists of  482  acres  and  is  situated  in  Kelly  township,  adjoining  the  town 
site  of  Bunceton  on  the  south.  This  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  Kelly 
township.  For  a  number  of  years  the  Steigleder  Brothers  were  engaged 
in  breeding  registered  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  at  one  time  kept  a  herd  of 
about  40  head.  In  recent  years  they  have  been  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising,  and  are  the  owners  of  some  valuable  jacks. 

The  Steigleder  family  are  representative  Cooper  County  citizens,  and 
the  Steigleder  Brothers  are  among  the  substantial  men  of  the  county. 
Andrew  Steigleder,  the  father,  was  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
born  July  30,  1829  and  died  Dec.  5,  1909.  He  immigrated  to  this  country 
when  quite  young  and  saw  much  of  the  West  in  the  early  days.  He  went 
to  Californa  in  1849,  making  the  trip  overland,  which  required  three 
months.  He  remained  on  the  Pacific  coast  about  three  years.  He  re- 
sided in  Iowa  for  12  years  and  in  1866  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  near 
Boonville;  later  moved  to  the  farm  near  Bunceton.  He  married  Mary  E. 
Hochstetler,  a  native  of  Holmes  County,  Ohio.  She  was  born  Aug.  15, 
1834,  and  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  American  family,  being  of  the  sixth 
generation  born  in  the  United  States.  Her  parents  were  Elias  and  Ann 
Elizabeth  (Joss)  Hochstetler,  the  former  born  near  Elk  Lick,  Penn.,  in 
1808,  and  died  in  1888,  and  the  latter  was  born  in  Switzerland,  Oct.  27, 
1815.  Jacob  Hochstetler,  founder  of  the  Hochstetler  family  in  America, 
and  direct  ancestor  of  Mrs.  Steigleder,  came  to  this  country  in  1736  from 
Switzerland,  landing  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Sept.  1,  1736.  He  made  the 
voyage  on  the  ship  "Harle".  He  died  at  Bernhill,  Penn.,  in  1776,  aged 
72  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Amish  Mennonite  Church.  His  home 
was  attacked  by  the  Indians  at  one  time  and  the  entire  family  were  mur- 
dered except  two  children,  Joseph  and  Christian.  Mrs.  Steigleder  now 
resides  with  her  sons,  W.  F.  and  G.  H.  She  is  84  years  old  and  has  been 
afflicted  with  blindness  since  1912. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY'  641 

To  Andrew  and  Mary  E.  (Hochstetler)  Steigleder  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  William  Fred,  born  Dec.  14,  1856,  one  of  the  sub- 
jects of  this  sketch ;  George  Henry,  born  May  11,  1858,  whose  name  also 
introduces  this  sketch;  Minnie,  wife  of  Herman  P.  Muntzel,  born  Feb.  2, 
1860;  Robert  L.,  born  July  10,  1862,  married  Caroline  Smith,  a  native  of 
Cooper  County ;  Henriette,  wife  of  William  Meyer,  born  July  12,  1864 ; 
Martha  E.  L.,  born  Feb.  15,  1867,  maried  Elmer  George;  Barbara,  born 
Feb.  10,  1869,  married  Thomas  Etter  and  resides  at  Ritzville,  Wash.,  and 
Ella,  born  April  20,  1872,  and  resides  near  Bunceton.  The  above  named 
wei-e  all  born  near  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  except  the  last  three  who  were  born  in 
Cooper  County,  Mo. 

Three  of  the  grandsons  of  the  Steigleder  family  served  in  the  World 
War.  Andrew  Etter  enlisted  in  Aug.,  1917,  and  served  with  the  80th 
Aerial  Squadron,  and  was  in  France  14  months,  returning  to  New  York, 
Jan.  22,  1919.  Rehwaldt  Steigleder  enlisted  Dec.  12,  1917  and  sailed  for 
France  in  Sept.,  1918.  He  served  in  the  navy.  Robert  Muntzel  entered 
the  army  and  was  in  training  at  Columbia,  Mo.,  until  Jan.,  1919,  when  he 
was  discharged. 

The  Steigleder  family  is  one  of  the  representative  families  of  Cooper 
County  and  rank  among  it's  highest  type  of  citizens. 

Charles  F.  Wagner,  the  well-known  confectioner  of  The  Wagner  Ice 
Cream  Company,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  Mr.  Wagner  was  born  in  1849, 
a  son  of  Christian  and  Hannah  (Stahl)  Wagner,  who  immigrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1855.  Christian  Wagner  is  a  well-remembered  teacher  of  Boonville, 
as  he  taught  a  private  school  in  this  city  for  five  years  after  settling  here. 
Mrs.  Wagner  died  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  about  1909.  She  had  survived 
her  husband  34  years.  Mr.  Wagner  died  at  Boonville  about  1875.  The 
children  of  Christian  and  Hannah  Wagner,  now  living,  are,  as  follow: 
Charles,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Matilda,  of  Boston.  Mass.;  and  Mrs. 
Hannah  Moser,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal ;  and  Mrs.  Anna  Suren,  of  California. 

The  Wagner  family  resided  in  the  State  of  Ohio  for  15  or  more  years 
after  coming  to  America,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  that  State  Charles  F. 
Wigner  obtained  his  education.  The  Wagners  came  to  Missouri  in  the 
early  seventies  and  settled  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Wagner,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  for  several  years  employed  as  pastry  cook  by  the  Northern 
Packet,  and  his  run  was  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Wagner  is 
a  confectioner  by  trade,  and  he  began  the  confectionery  business  at  Boon- 
ville in  187G.  and  he  has  continued  in  the  business  here  since  that  date. 
(39) 


642  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

At  the  time  of  this  writing,  he  is  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  ice 
cream  business  and  he  is  known  throughout  central  Missouri  by  his  con- 
nection with  The  Wagner  Ice  Cream  Company.  Mr.  Wagner,  his  son-in- 
law,  and  his  daughter  are  interested  in  the  company.  Mr.  Wagner's  busi- 
ness experience  has  covered  a  period  of  43  years,  and  his  success  in  the 
confectionery  business  has  been  phenomenal.  One  of  the  Sauter  brothers, 
A.  M.  Koontz,  and  Sam  Koontz  are  the  only  people  beside  Mr.  Wagner  who 
were  in  business  in  Boonvile  in  1876  now  in  business  in  this  city. 

In  1878,  Chares  F.  Wagner  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Geiser  were  married. 
Mrs.  Wagner  is  a  daughter  of  Christian  Geiser,  who  resided  near  Tipton, 
Mo.  She  has  three  brothers :  John,  of  Missoula,  Mont. ;  Christian,  of 
Tipton ;  and  Lawrence,  who  resides  in  Kansas.  To  Charles  F.  and  Mrs. 
Wagner  has  been  bom  one  child,  a  daughter,  Laura,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  Stammerjohn,  of  Boonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stammerjohn  are  in  busi- 
ness with  Mr.  Wagner,  partners  in  The  Wagner  Ice  Cream  Company. 

Charles  F.  Wagner  is  a  republican  and  an  earnest  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  his  party.  In  Ohio,  he  knew  personally  several  of  the  great 
men  of  the  day,  among  them  Chief  Justice  Chase,  General  Sherman,  Sen- 
ator Thurman,  and  the  war  governor,  Governor  Brough.  The  present  gov- 
ernor of  Arknsas  is  a  grandnephew  of  Governor  Brough.  Mr.  Wagner 
saw  President  Lincoln  in  his  coffin  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  when  the  remains 
of  the  martyred  president  were  enroute  from  Washington  to  Springfield, 
111.,  for  burial. 

Mr.  Wagner  is  respected  as  an  honest,  capable,  business  man,  and  he 
and  Mrs.  Wagner  are  held  in  the  highest  regard  in  the  community. 

Judge  John  A.  Fischer,  ex-representative,  ex-judge  of  the  County 
Court,  ex-pi-esiding  judge,  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Boonville  Mer- 
cantile Company,  is  a  native  of  Bavaria.  Mr.  Fischer  was  born  April  18, 
1861,  at  Rodesgruen,  a  son  of  Henry  C.  and  Anna  E.  (Fischer)  Fischer, 
who  immigrated  to  America  in  1872  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Pisgah  in 
Cooper  County,  Mo. 

Henry  C.  Fischer  purchased  a  farm  of  95  acres  of  land,  and  at  his 
country  place  in  Cooper  County  he  spent  the  brief  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  had  been  in  the  new  country  but  three  years  and  here  died  in 
1875.  His  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  in  Moniteau  County.  Mrs.  Fischer  continued  to  reside  on  the 
farm,  after  her  husbands  death,  until  1898,  when  she  moved  to  Black- 
water,  where  she  resided  for  a  few  years.  She  now  makes  her  home 
with  her  son,  Judge  Fischer.     Mrs.  Fischer  is,  at  the  time  of  this  writing 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  643 

in  1919,  92  years  of  age,  and  as  active  and  alert,  mentally  and  physically, 
as  many  women  at  the  age  of  60  years.  The  children  of  Henry  C.  and 
Anna  Fischer  are,  as  follow:  Erhardt,  who  died  in  1904,  and  is  buried  in 
Nelson  Cemetery;  Judge  John  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Joseph,  a 
farmer,  of  Blackwater;  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Boles,  of  Blackwater. 

Judge  John  A.  Fischer  was  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper 
County  for  four  years,  and  he  was  in  attendance  at  Pisgah  school  one 
term.  He  was  a  lad,  11  years  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
America.  He  first  entered  the  mercantile  business  in  1892,  at  Pisgah. 
He  purchased  his  younger  brothers  interest  in  a  store  at  that  place. 
Four  years  later,  Judge  Fischer  moved  to  Blackwater  and  there  became 
associated  in  business  with  Joseph  L.  Sauter,  conducting  a  lumber  and 
hardware  store.  Both  Judge  Fischer  and  Mr.  Sauter  are  now  stockhold- 
ers in  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company. 

Nov.  25,  1885,  Judge  John  A.  Fischer  and  Josephine  Meyer,  of  Pisgah, 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Fischer  has  one  brother  and  one  sister 
now  living :  Ben  and  Mrs.  Robert  Klein,  both  of  Prairie  Home.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Judge  and  Mrs.  Fischer:  Mary,  the  wife  of  Leo 
Meistrell,  vice-president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Boonville,  who  is  also 
interested  in  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Boonville  and  Elizabeth,  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meistrell  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Frances, 
John  Vincent,  and  Joseph. 

In  1898,  John  A.  Fischer  was  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court  for  a 
term  of  two  years,  and  in  1890  he  was  re-elected.  Judge  Fischer  was 
elected  representative  in  1908,  and  in  1914  he  was  elected  presiding  judge 
of  the  County  Court.  He  served  four  years  as  presiding  judge.  Judge 
Fischer  is  a  republican.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  known  and  most 
popular  citizens,  and  he  commands  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact. 

William  W.  Neal,  one  of  Saline  township's  most  energetic  and  enthusi- 
astic, young  agriculturists  and  stockmen,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County. 
Mr.  Neal  was  born  Feb.  12,  1878,  son  of  Z.  R.  and  Mary  E.  (Fluke)  Neal. 
His  birthplace  was  the  farm  in  Saline  township  now  owned  by  William 
Kasfeld. 

William  W.  Neal  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County  and 
he  has  attended  the  State  University  of  Missouri.  In  the  latter  institu- 
tion, Mr.  Neal  pursued  the  course  in  agriculture.  He  has  followed  farm- 
ing in  Saline  township  practically  all  his  life  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a 


644  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

splendid  farm  of  224  acres  of  land  in  Saline  township,  a  country  place 
located  ten  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Neal  has  built  the  residence 
and  two  barns  since  he  acquired  the  ownership  of  the  land,  which  was 
formerly  known  as  the  Mary  J.  Eager  farm.  Approximately  75  per  cent, 
of  the  land  is  now  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Neal  raises  wheat  and  corn, 
but  he  is  chiefly  interested  in  stockraising.  He  has  native  western  sheep 
and  his  flock  numbers  150.  He  has  also  a  large  herd  of  Poland  China 
hogs.  Mr.  Neal  is  satisfied  with  Cooper  County  and  the  country  in  gen- 
eral. He  is  finding  that  in  his  own  community  there  are  vast  oppor- 
tunities for  the  progressive,  industrious  man  and  he  is  making  for  him- 
self a  host  of  friends. 

Mr.  Neal  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.     He  is  a  democrat. 

Charles  E.  Robertson  and  Warner  W.  Robertson,  proprietors  of  "The 
Petite  Saline  Stock  Farm"  are  natives  of  Cooper  County.  Charles  E.  Rob- 
ertson was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  Oct.  27,  1853,  and  Warner 
W.  Robertson  was  born  Sept.  12,  1868,  sons  of  John  and  Mary  (Potter) 
Robertson.  John  Robertson  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mary  (Potter) 
Robertson  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Dillard)  Potter,  who 
located  in  Boonville  township,  and  later  settled  in  Boonville  in  the  early 
days.  William  Potter  operated  a  ferry  boat  and  was  one  of  the  first  to 
operate  a  ferry  boat  at  Boonville.  His  boat  was  run  by  horse-power.  That 
was  in  the  days  when  the  Indians  were  here.  The  Potters  came  to  Mis- 
souri with  the  Coles  and  the  Stephens  in  1807,  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Missouri.  The  mother  of  Nancy  (Dillard)  Potter  was  a  member  of  the 
Cole  family.  William  Potter  and  Mrs.  Potter  are  both  deceased,  and  he 
is  buried  in  Hail  Ridge  cemetery,  and  she  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Boonville.  John  Robertson  died  at  the  home  place  in  the  nineties,  and 
Mrs.  Robertson  died  Jan.  7,  1912,  and  the  remains  of  both  are  interred  in 
the  cemetery  at  Boonville.  Elizabeth  Robertson,  familiarly  known  as 
"Aunt  Betty",  an  aunt  of  Charles  E.  Robertson  and  Warner  W.  Robert- 
son, now  makes  her  home  with  them.  She  is  at  the  time  of  this  writing, 
81  years  of  age,  the  only  one  of  the  Potter  family  of  11  children  who  is 
now  living.  She  is  still  active  and  alert,  physically  and  mentally.  The 
father  of  the  Robertson  brothers  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  and  of  the 
Civil  Wars. 

"The  Petite  Saline  Stock  Farm"  in  Boonville  township,  comprises  388 
acres  of  land,  located  five  miles  from  Boonville.  This  farm  is  one  of  the 
best  stock  farms  in  the  countv.     The  residence  was  built  in  1903.     It  is  a 


MRS.  NANCY    I'1  >TTEH 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  645 

ten-room  structure,  modern  in  every  respect.  The  farm  is  equipped  with 
three  good  barns.  The  Robertson  brothers  are  partners  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  stock  farm,  and  at  the  present  time  in  1919  they  have  sixty 
head  of  calves  and  one  hundred  head  of  hogs.  About  one-half  the  farm 
is  bottom  land,  and  they  have  one  hundred  acres  of  the  farm  in  wheat. 

Warner  W.  Robertson  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
The  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Both  Warner  W.  Robert- 
son and  Charles  E.  Robertson  are  members  of  the  Bethel  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  Robertson  brothers  are  numbered  among  the  best  citizens 
of  Cooper  County. 

Captain  Andrew  Jackson  Spahr,  one  of  the  few  remaining  pioneer 
pilots  of  the  Missouri  River,  an  honored  son  of  one  of  the  brave  pioneers 
of  Missouri,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  Captain  Spahr  was  born  Dec. 
25,  1842,  in  Boonville,  a  son  of  David  and  Ann  Elizabeth  (Foble)  Spahr, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Baltimore. 

David  Spahr  was  born  in  1818,  and  when  a  young  man  he  migrated 
west,  about  1836,  and  settled  in  Boonville,  where  he  entered  the  manufac- 
turing business,  operating  a  tobacco  factory,  associated  with  Mr.  Calhoun. 
The  factory  of  Spahr  &  Calhoun  was  located  on  Fourth  Street,  and  the 
firm  was  a  very  successful  one.  Later,  Calhoun  sold  his  interest  in  the 
factory,  and  Jacob  Spahr,  a  son  of  David  Spahr,  entered  in  partnership 
with  his  father.  David  and  Ann  Elizabeth  Spahr  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Jacob  W.,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  is  now 
deceased ;  Mrs.  Maria  Brewster,  deceased ;  David  0.  deceased ;  Mrs.  Susan- 
nah R.  Steel,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Frances  (Watson)  Hurd,  who  married  a 
brother  of  ex-Congressman  Hurd,  of  Sedalia ;  Mrs.  Levina  Edgar,  deceased  ; 
Adda,  deceased;  Helen,  deceased;  Captain  Andrew  Jackson,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch ;  J.  C,  deceased ;  Thomas  Frederick,  deceased ;  and  Charles  C, 
who  is  now  with  the  police  force  of  Boonville.  Of  this  splendid  family  but 
three  remain:  Captain  Spahr,  Mrs.  Hurd,  and  Charles  C.  The  father  died 
in  1861,  and  the  mother  died  about  1884.  The  remains  of  both  parents 
rest  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery. 

Captain  Spahr  attended  the  Loomis  Private  School  and  Kemper  School, 
the  latter  being  later  known  as  Kemper  Military  School.  After  leaving 
school,  he  followed  farming  for  two  years  and  then  returned  to  Boonville 
and  began  the  work  of  carriage  making.  This  business  he  abandoned  to 
begin,  with  his  brothers,  the  manufacture  of  tobacco.  Of  the  plant  the 
Spahr  brothers  established,  Captain  Spahr  was  foreman.  He  was  for  50 
years  employed  as  pilot  on  the  Missouri  River,  a  part  of  the  time  with 


646 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


Captain  Kinney's  boats  and  later  with  the  Star  Line.  He  made  regular 
trips  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas,  and,  for  a  time,  to  Fort  Benton  in  Montana, 
the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri  River.  It  usually  required  from 
two  to  three  months  to  make  the  trip  to  Fort  Benton,  and  the  return  trip 
was  made  in  from  8  to  10  days.  As  pilot,  Captain  Spahr  received  from 
$600  to  $700  a  month  remuneration.  The  capacity  of  the  boats  was  from 
200  to  500  tons.  Captain  Spahr  worked  on  the  river  until  five  years  ago, 
and  the  last  25  years  of  his  work  on  the  river  was  done  for  the  Govern- 
ment in  the  Missouri  River  improvement  work.  He  recalls  that  in  1868 
his  crew  had  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians  in  Montana,  and  again  at  Fort 
Peck,  where  one  of  the  number  was  killed.  Captain  Spahr  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  brought  Sitting  Bull  with  250  Sioux  Indians  from  Fort 
Bufprd  to  Fort  Yates,  at  the  time  of  Sitting  Bull's  surrender. 

Oct.  17,  1880,  Captain  Spahr  and  Erma  Palmore  Browne,  a  daughter 
of  W.  S.  and  Mary  (Blackburn)  Browne,  of  Miami,  Mo.,  were  married. 
The  Brownes  are  honored  pioneers  and  prominent  citizens  of  Saline  County. 
Mr.  Browne  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Mrs.  Browne  was  born  at 
White  Sulphur  Springs,  Va.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Mrs.  Adelaide  Guthrie,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Helen  Spencer  Irvine,  of 
Marshall,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Hudson,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Anna ; 
Mrs.  Mary  Ellis  Webster,  deceased;  Mrs.  Martha  Washington  McDaniel, 
of  Siloam  Springs,  Ark. ;  Lilia  Leola,  of  Marshall,  now  deceased ;  Mrs. 
Captain  Spahr,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mollie,  deceased; 
and  George  W.,  a  dry  goods  merchant  at  Platte  City,  Mo.  Mr.  Browne 
was  the  first  banker  of  Saline  County,  and  he  was  afterward  interested  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  that  county.  He  died  at  the  age  of  99  years 
at  Siloam  Springs,  Ark.,  and  Mrs.  Browne  died  at  the  age  of  52  years  in 
Miami,  Mo. 

Captain  Spahr  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
and  he  is  a  democrat.  He  is  well  known  throughout  this  State  and  he  is 
held  in  the  highest  regard  in  Cooper  County. 

Elijah  Hugh  Roberts,  a  well-known  and  respected  citizen  of  Boonville, 
is  one  of  the  Boonville  boys  of  yesterday,  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County. 
Mr.  Roberts  was  born  and  reared  in  Boonville,  a  son  of  E.  H.  and  Ellen 
(Sweeney)  Roberts,  the  former  of  Welsh  descent,  and  the  latter  of  Irish. 
He  was  born  Nov.  30,  1862. 

E.  H.  Roberts,  father  of  Elijah  Hugh  Roberts,  was  born  March  19, 
1830.  He  immigrated  to  America  in  the  early  fifties  and  located  at  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.  From  Buffalo,  he  went  to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  thence  to  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  whence  he  came  to  Cooper  County,   in   1854,   and   settled   in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  647 

Boonville,  where  he  opened  a  lumber  yard  and. entered  the  contracting 
business.  Mr.  Roberts  built  the  James  Nelson  residence  in  Boonville,  and 
he  erected  the  Christian  and  the  Evangelical  churches,  the  hall  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  one  of  the  buildings  of  the  Kemper  Military 
School.  He  died  Jan.  22,  1907.  Mrs.  Roberts  was  bom  in  1832  in  Ire- 
land. In  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  E.  H.  Roberts 
in  1852,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children :  T.  E.,  a  late  lum- 
berman of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  who  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  for 
20  years,  and  he  died  in  1895  and  is  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery; 
Sallie,  the  only  woman  living  in  Boonville  who  attended  the  Kemper  School ; 
Mary ;  James  W.,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  splendid  reputation,  who 
died  in  1904 ;  Elijah  Hugh,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Hattie,  the  widow 
of  Herman  Appel,  a  late  riverman  and  boat  clerk  at  St.  Louis,  who  died  in 
1916,  leaving  his  wife  and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Ruth  Roeschel,  of  Chicago, 
111.,  whose  husband  served  with  Company  I,  135th  infantry,  in  France, 
and  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  is  in  Chicago,  111. ;  and  Dora,  the 
wife  of  Harry  L.  Byler,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.  All  the  Roberts  children  were 
born,  reared,  and  educated  in  Boonville.  The  Roberts  home  is  the  same 
as  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts  decided  in  Boonville  to  reside  permanently, 
in  1868,  although  they  had  located  in  this  city  14  years  before,  in  1854. 
Mr.  Roberts  was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guards  during  the  Civil  War. 
The  family  suffered  many  hardships  and  privations  in  those  days,  due  to 
the  general  scarcity  of  provisions.  Mrs.  Roberts  is  a  brave  and  noble 
woman.  She  will  be  88  years  of  age  Jan.  20,  1920,  the  oldest  living  mem- 
ber of  the  Boonville  Presbyterian  Church,  a  woman  worthy  of  the  highest 
respect  and  greatest  consideration. 

Elijah  Hugh  Roberts  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boonville  High  School.  He 
completed  the  high  school  course,  May  29,  1880,  studying  under  D.  A. 
McMillan,  one  of  the  most  renowned  and  best  educators  of  Missouri,  who 
left  Boonville  to  take  up  work  in  Mexico,  Mo.,  where  he  died.  The  Mc- 
Millan School  in  Mexico,  Mo.,  was  named  in  honor  of  D.  A.  McMillan. 
After  leaving  school,  Mr.  Roberts  entered  the  lumber  and  building  busi- 
ness, and  upon  his  father's  death  succeeded  him.  For  one  year  he  was 
foreman  of  a  lumber  camp  in  Texas,  and  there  operated  a  mill.  He  dis- 
posed of  the  lumber  business  in  Boonville  in  1911,  selling  the  Roberts  plant 
to  the  Logan  Moore  Lumber  Company,  after  the  Roberts  Lumber  Yards 
had  been  in  operation  for  more  than  50  years.  T.  E.  Robert's  wife,  Kate 
Roberts,  and  son,  Hugh,  reside  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Mr.  Roberts  and  his 
mother  and  his  sisters  reside  at  the  old  homeplace  at  1135  South  Seventh 
Street  in  Boonville. 


648  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Charles  A.  Friedrich,  a  successful  farmer  of  Saline  township,  is  a 
native  of  Germany.  Mr.  Friedrich  was  born  July  15,  1862.  He  came 
to  America  in  April,  1879,  and  located  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  there  helped 
build  and  operate  the  first  complete  wire  mill  in  this  country.  He  learned 
his  trade  at  Krupp,  Germany.  At  Pittsburg,  Mr.  Friedrich  remained 
three  years.  He  then  spent  a  short  time  in  Chicago  and  came  to  Mis- 
souri about  36  years  ago. 

Mr.  Friedrich  is  a  son  of  Herman  and  Elizabeth  Friedrich,  who  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  William,  deceased;  Ferdinand, 
who  resides  in  Pennsylvania;  Charles  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Henry  C,  of  Palestine  township,  and  Adam,  of  Kelly  township,  Tipton, 
Mo.  The  father  died  in  Germany  in  1867,  and  the  mother  then  came  with 
her  children  to  America.  She  now  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  Henry, 
in  Kelly  township. 

When  Mr.  Friedrich  first  came  to  Missouri  he  worked  on  a  farm  by 
the  month  for  four  years,  and  in  1892  he  purchased  his  present  home,  a 
farm  comprising  442  acres  of  land  in  Saline  township.  This  farm  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  township  and  upon  it  are  two  sets  of  improvements. 
Mr.  Friedrich  is  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  raises  hogs,  cattle, 
sheep,  horses  and  mules.  Formerly  Mr.  Friedrich  raised  Big  Bone  Poland 
Chinas,  but  is  now  raising  Spotted  Poland  China  hogs. 

March  18,  1891,  Charles  A.  Friedrich  and  Louise  Eftinger,  a  daughter 
of  Blasius  and  Louise  Effinger,  of  Saline  township,  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Effinger  was  born  in  1830  in  Germany,  and  came  to  America 
in  the  early  fifties  and  died  at  the  Effinger  home  place  in  Saline  town- 
ship, the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  A.  Friedrich  and  wife.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Friedrich  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Herman,  a  farmer 
on  the  old  Effinger  home  place,  who  was  in  the  United  States  Army  from 
Sept.,  1918,  to  Dec.  23,  1918,  and  was  on  his  way  to  France  when  the 
armistice  was  signed ;  Lula,  at  home ;  Laura,  the  wife  of  Emil  Derendinger, 
who  served  in  the  United  States  Army,  and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Mc- 
Arthur,  Waco,  Texas,  and  they  now  reside  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  William, 
George  and  Anna,  at  home.  Mrs.  Effinger,  mother  of  Mr.  Friedrich,  died 
in  Oct.,  1905,  and  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery.  Mrs. 
Friedrich  has  one  sister  and  one  brother  now  living:  Mary,  the  wife  of 
George  Effinger,  of  Boonville  township;  and  Henry,  a  farmer  of  Boon- 
ville  township.  Herman  Friedrich  married  Dora  Oerly,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Oerly,  and  they  have  a  son,  Ewing  Joseph. 

Mr.  Friedrich  has  filled  the  position  of  road  overseer  twice,  the  first 
time  his  services  covered  three  years  and  the  second  time  seven  years. 


= 


1 

- 
r 
- 


4 

a 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  649 

He  has  always  been  a  "booster"  for  good  roads.  ■  Mr.  Friedrich  operated 
the  first  road  grader  in  Saline  township.  He  has  talked  and  worked  for 
good  roads,  but  he  admits  that  we  are  not  making  the  progress  he  would 
like  to  see.  Because  of  his  interest  in  better  roads  he  is  known  as  the 
"Road  Booster"  in  his  township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Friedrich  are  consistent  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Friedrich  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Friedrich  are  highly  regarded  in  their  community. 

John  Cardwell  Sappington,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Boonville,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  the  old,  colonial  families  of  the  south,  a  native  of  Saline 
County.  Mr.  Sappington  was  born  Feb.  4,  1849,  a  son  of  William  B.  and 
Mary  Mildred  (Breathitt)  Sappington. 

William  B.  Sappington  was  born  Jan.  4,  1811  in  Madison  County,  Tenn., 
a  son  of  Dr.  John  Sappington,  who  located  in  Missouri  more  than  100 
years  ago.  Dr.  Sappington  located  first  in  Franklin  in  Howard  County, 
moving  thence  to  Arrow  Rock  in  Saline  County,  where  he  settled.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  was  the  owner  of  a  large 
plantation  and  he  had  from  50  to  60  slaves.  Governor  Claiborne  F.  Jack- 
son, Missouri's  Civil  War  governor,  married  three  daughters  of  Dr.  Sapp- 
ington, namely :  Jane,  who  died  within  a  short  time  after  her  marriage ; 
Louisa,  who  died;  and  Eliza.  The  Sappington  family  is  of  English  an- 
cestry. Mary  Mildred  (Breathitt)  Sappington  was  born  in  Russellville, 
Ky.,  Aug.  7,  1827,  a  daughter  of  Governor  John  Breathitt,  of  Kentucky. 
To  William  B.  and  Mary  M.  Sappington  were  born  the  following  children : 
William  B.,  Jr.,  deceased ;  John  Cardwell,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mil- 
dred Jane,  who  died  in  1896 ;  E.  D.,  who  died  Nov.  24,  1908 ;  Mrs.  Stella  P. 
Gephart,  deceased ;  and  Price,  who  died  in  infancy.  William  B.  Sapping- 
ton was  engaged  in  farming  in  Saline  County  and  he  was  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Arrow  Rock  for  many  years.  He  was  a  resident  of  Arrow  Rock 
for  more  than  a  half  century.  He  died  Aug.  16,  1888.  Mrs.  Sappington 
died  Aug.  13,  1880.  Both  mother  and  father  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Sappington  cemetery  near  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  in  the  burial  ground  estab- 
lished by  Dr.  John  Sappington  about  1840. 

John  Cardwell  Sappington  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  he 
was  a  student  of  the  Presbyterian  College  at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  a  member 
of  the  class  of  1867.  He  also  attended  Kemper  Military  School  at  Boon- 
ville, Mo.  and  the  State  University  of  Missouri  at  Columbia,  a  student  at 
the  latter  institution  in  1869.     Mr.  Sappington  has  followed  the  vocation 


650  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  farming  practically  his  entire  life  and  he  is  the  owner  of  two  farms 
in  Boone  County.  Formerly,  he  was  engaged  in  raising  livestock  exten- 
sively. He  moved  from  his  farm  to  Boonville  in  April,  1905,  but  he  still 
attends  to  his  farms  and  farming  interests.  He  keeps  a  few  registered 
cattle  of  the  Jersey  breed  at  Boonville,  which  he  raises  more  for  the 
pleasure  than  the  profit  of  so  doing. 

Oct.  22,  1873,  John  Cardwell  Sappington  and  Pauline  W.  Nelson,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  George  and  Pauline  E.  (Wyan)  Nelson,  were  united  in 
marriage.  Dr.  Nelson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  was  one  of  the  honored 
pioneer  physicians  of  Cooper  County.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  a  native  of  Boon- 
ville and  daughter  of  Jacob  F.  Wyan.  He  died  Aug.  13,  1867  at  the  age 
of  40  years  and  Mrs.  Nelson  died  Oct.  15,  1910  at  the  age  of  82  years. 
Both  parents  of  Mrs.'  Sappington  are  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery. 
Mrs.  Sappington  has  one  sister  now  living,  Mrs.  Sallie  N.  Chandler,  who 
makes  her  home  in  New  York  City.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sappington  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  George  William,  at  home;  and  Card- 
well  Wyan,  who  died  at  the  age  of  42  years,  Dec.  18,  1918.  Cardwell 
Wyan  Sappington  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman,  a  leading  agri- 
culturist of  Columbia,  Mo.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Nelson  High  School. 
He  left  a  wife  and  two  children,  May  (Hupp)  Sappington,  formerly  of 
Marshall,  Mo.,  Pauline  and  Arthur  Cardwell.  One  child,  a  daughter,  Lena 
May,  died  April  11,  1910,  at  Boonville.  Son  and  daughter  are  buried  in 
Walnut  Grove  cemetery. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sappington  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  South. 
Mr.  Sappington  is  a  democrat.  Mrs.  Sappington  is  a  member  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Alvin  J.  Bozarth,  a  well-known,  wholesale  dealer  in  butter,  eggs, 
poultry,  hides  and  cream  at  415  Chestnut  street  in  Boonville,  is  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Bozarth  entered  business 
Jan.  1,  1916  at  his  present  location,  purchasing  the  business  of  the  Wilson 
Produce  Company.  He  mastered  his  trade  under  F.  M.  Stamper  of  the 
F.  M.  Stamper  Company  at  Moberly,  Mo.  and  George  Legg  of  the  George 
Legg  Poultry  establishment  at  Mattoon,  111.  Since  he  began  business  three 
years  ago,  Mr.  Bozarth  has  prospered  and  his  trade  has  vearly  grown. 
The  receipts  for  the  three  years,  enumerated  successively,  were :  $98,000, 
$108,000  and  $150,000.  He  ships  his  produce  to  New  York,  Chicago  and 
other  leading  markets,  shipping  in  carload  lots.  Mr.  Bozarth  deserves 
much  praise  and  credit  for  the  excellent  market  he  has  established  for  all 
the  countryside  bordering  Boonville. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  651 

Mr.  Bozarth  was  born  at  Cairo,  Mo.,  Nov.  21,  1891,  a  son  of  F.  R.  and 
Frances  (Roberts)  Bozarth,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Monroe  County, 
Mo.  Jefferson  Bozarth,  father  of  F.  R.  Bozarth,  came  from  Kentucky  to 
Missouri  and  settled  in  Monroe  county  in  the  early  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
F.  R.  Bozarth  reside  at  Cairo,  Mo.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
as  follow :  Lucy,  the  wife  of  Albert  Snodgrass,  of  Moberly,  Mo. ;  Alvin  J., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Harry  J.,  of  Moberly,  Mo. ;  Floyd  C,  of  Detroit, 
Mich. ;  Deston  L.,  of  Cairo,  Mo. ;  Pearly,  Eulah  Mae,  and  Roy  Marshal,  of 
Cairo,  Mo.  Floyd  C.  Bozarth  is,  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  serving 
as  mess  sergeant  with  the  Signal  Corps,  United  States  Army. 

April  27,  1915,  Alvin  J.  Bozarth  and  Isla  Rinehart,  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Rosa  (Irwin)  Rinehart,  formerly  of  Iowa,  now  residents  of 
Cairo,  Mo.,  were  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bozarth  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Wilburta  E.  and  Hartzell  I..  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bozarth  reside  at 
Shamrock  Heights  in  Boonville.  Both  are  worthy  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  Mr.  Bozarth  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Alvin  J.  Bozarth  first  learned  the  elementary  principles  of  the  poultry 
business  under  his  fathers  instructions.  The  elder  Bozarth  was  engaged 
in  this  business  at  Cairo,  Mo.  Leaving  Moberly  High  School,  where  he 
was  a  student,  Mr.  Bozarth  entered  the  mercantile  trade  and  he  has  in  a 
few  years  time  established  a  name  and  reputation  for  himself,  a  name 
which  is  known  throughout  the  county  as  the  synonym  for  honesty  and  fair 
dealings. 

W.  C.  Renfrow,  of  the  firm  of  Renfrow  &  Renfrow,  of  Overton,  Mo., 
was  born  Oct.  14,  1866,  a  son  of  William  and  Malvina  (Freeman)  Ren- 
frow, both  natives  of  Cooper  County.  The  mother  died  in  1870  and  is 
buried  in  Moniteau  County  at  Cop  Cemetery.  The  father  lives  in  south- 
eastern Missouri.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Renfrow  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Alonzo,  lives  in  southeastern  Missouri;  and  W.  C,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  other  member  of  the  firm  of  Renfrow  & 
Renfrow  is  A.  D.  Renfrow,  a  cousin  of  W.  C.  Renfrow,  born  in  1859,  a 
son  of  James  Renfrow,  of  Moniteau  County.  A.  D.  Renfrow  lives  on  the 
farm  in  Moniteau  County,  and  also  owns  a  farm  in  Cooper  County,  near 
Wooldridge.  The  well  known  firm  of  Renfrow  &  Renfrow  are  dealers  in 
groceries,  dry  goods,  shoes,  hardware,  etc.,  and  occupy  a  nice  building, 
40x60  feet,  with  arches  nicely  arranged  between  the  rooms. 

W.  C.  Renfrow  was  educated  in  Liberty  School,  near  Gooch's  Mill, 
and  taught  school  for  10  years  in  Prairie  Home,  Robinson  and  Oak  Grove, 
Cooper  County,  and  Bruce  and  Lupus  and  Oakland,  in  Moniteau  County. 


652  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

He  was  afterwards  with  Dr.  Cochran,  of  Gooch's  Mill,  for  about  six  years. 
Mr.  Renfrow  then  went  into  the  mercantile  business  at  Gooch's  Mill,  and 
in  1914  came  to  Overton  and  accepted  a  position  with  Mr.  A.  D.  Manson, 
his  father-in-law,  and  afterwards  went  into  the  store  in  which  he  now 
owns  a  half  interest. 

Mr.  Renfrow  was  married  April,  1910,  to  Miss  Cora  Manson,  daugh- 
ter of  A.  D.  and  Anna  (Kelly)  Manson,  of  Gooch's  Mill.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Manson  live  at  Overton  and  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Ida  Whittahes,  died  at  Raton,  N.  M.,  Jan.  1919 ;  Cora,  wife  of  W.  C.  Ren- 
frow, subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  resides  at  Gooch's  Mill;  Kelly,  resides 
at  Prairie  Home,  and  Owen  C,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ren- 
frow have  been  born  the  following  children:  William  Cyrus,  Harold 
Barber,  Chester  Bryan,  and  Gordon  Woodrow,  all  residing  at  home. 

Mr.  Renfrow  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  of  Gooch's 
Mill,  and  Mrs.  Renfrow  belongs  to  the  Woodman  Circle,  and  their  boys 
are  members  of  the  Boys  Woodcraft.  Mr.  Renfrow  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Cooper  County  Sick  and  Accident  Society  and  the  Renfrows  are  sub- 
stantial citizens  and  stand  high  in  their  community. 

John  Frederick  Krohn. — "Fairview  Dairy  Farm",  consisting  of  103 
acres  located  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Boonville,  is  one  of  the  finest 
country  places  in  Cooper  Country.  This  place  is  owned  and  operated  by 
John  F.  Krohn,  and  is  equipped  with  every  convenience  for  caring  for  the 
large  amount  of  work  involved  in  the  operation  of  a  dairy.  Thirty-six 
Jersey  cows  comprise  the  Krohn  herd,  the  milk  obtained  being  sold  over 
established  milk  routes  in  Boonville.  The  Krohn  residence  is  a  large  ten 
room  house,  modern  in  every  respect  and  very  attractive.  A  large  bank 
barn  30x40  feet,  and  a  silo  with  a  capacity  of  125  tons  are  substantial 
fixtures  on  the  place.  Mr.  Krohn  has  recently  erected  a  new  tile  silo 
14x36  feet. 

J.  F.  Krohn  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Oct.  18,  1863,  on  a  farm  near 
Billingsville,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Mary  (Hoflander)  Krohn. 
Christian  Krohn,  the  father,  was  born  in  Holland,  and  emigrated  from  his 
native  land  to  America  when  a  young  man.  He  was  shot  down  in  cold 
blood  by  marauding  bushwhackers  in  his  own  yard  in  Aug.,  1863.  Mr. 
Krohn,  had  like  others  who  were  loyal  men  in  Cooper  County,  been  in 
hiding  when  the  guerrillas  were  infesting  the  country.  Mrs.  Krohn  had 
been  visiting  at  one  of  the  neighbor's  houses.  Mr.  Krohn  sent  for  her  to 
come  home  that  he  wanted  to  see  her.     She  came  on  horseback  carrying 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  653 

John  F.  Krohn,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  in  her  arms.  Mr.  Krohn  as- 
sisted her  to  a  light  from  the  horse,  first  taking  the  child  in  his  arms. 
The  guerrillas  who  had  been  hiding,  then  stepped  out  and  told  her  to  take 
the  baby,  that  they  were  going  to  kill  her  husband.  She  was  forced  to  do 
as  they  bid.  The  assassins  then  deliberately  shot  their  defenseless  vic- 
tim in  the  back,  and  one  more  dastardly  crime  was  laid  at  the  door  of  the 
murderers  masquerading  as  Confederate  soldiers.  Mrs.  Krohn  was  twice 
married  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband  but  the  details  of  the  family 
history  will  be  given  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Robien  and 
Zimmerman  families  of  Cooper  County. 

John  F.  Krohn  was  reared  in  the  vicinity  of  Boonville,  and  attended 
the  Concord  district  school,  Lone  Elm,  and  Mt.  Sinai  schools,  and  also 
attended  the  German  Evangelical  school  at  Boonville  for  a  time.  He  began 
for  himself  in  1889  when  he  bought  his  present  home  place  and  began 
improving  it. 

Mr.  Krohn  was  married  on  Feb.  4,  1891,  to  Miss  Flora  Hoefer,  who 
was  born  Oct.  25,  1870,  in  Boonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krohn  have  one  son: 
Frederick  H.,  born  Oct.  18,  1896,  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army 
July  26,  1918,  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston,  became  a  private  in  the 
Battery  A.  28th  Field  Artillery,  10th  Division  and  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service,  Feb.  6,  1919.  He  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  the 
management  of  Fairview  Dairy.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

Mr.  Ki-ohn  is  a  republican  but  takes  little  active  interest  in  political 
matters.  He  and  Mrs.  Krohn  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church  of 
Boonville,  and  Mr.  Krohn  is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  a  thoroughly 
progressive  citizen  of  the  best  type. 

Clarence  Shears,  contractor  and  builder,  is  one  of  Boonvilles  best 
known  citizens  and  most  competent  workmen.  Mr.  Shears  is  a  native  of 
Illinois.  He  was  born  Feb.  10,  1858,  in  Christian  County,  111.,  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Emily  (Wilcox)  Sears,  the  father  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
the  mother  of  New  York.  The  Shears  family  left  Illinois  in  1876  and 
located  in  Boone  County,  where  the  mother  died  in  1908,  and  the  father 
died  10  years  later,  at  the  age  of  76  years.  The  remains  of  both  parents 
lie  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery  in  Boone  County.  Robert  Shears  was  an 
honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  four  years  with  the  Union 
army.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shears  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  as  follow: 


654  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Clarence,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Marion,  deceased;  Elmer,  of  Colum- 
bia, Mo. ;  Byron,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  and  Mrs.  Lillie  Thorpe  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Nokomis,  111.,  Clarence  Shears  obtained  his 
education.  He  came  to  Missouri  in  1876,  with  his  parents,  and  in  Boone 
County  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  Later,  he  abandoned  farming  and 
engaged  in  carpentering  and  contracting  in  the  vicinity  of  Woodlandville, 
and  these  trades  he  followed  until  he  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1897. 
Since  locating  in  Boonville,  Mr.  Shears  has  built  many  residences  and 
erected  several  important  buildings.  He  built  the  $10,000  residence  of 
John  Lohse  in  1918,  and  he  also  built  the  residence  of  ex-Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Gimelich.  The  Farmers  Bank  building  and  the  Phoenix  American 
Pipe  Factory  building  were  erected  by  Mr.  Shears.  His  shop  is  located 
at  the  corner  of  Morgan  and  Fourth  Streets. 

Sept.  25,  1877,  Clarence  Shears  and  Bettie  Settles,  a  daughter  of 
Duskin  and  Mark  Settles,  noble  pioneers  of  Virginia,  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Shears  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  She  is  one  of  nine  children 
bom  to  her  parents,  as  follow:  George,  of  Woodlandville,  Mo.;  Harris,  of 
Woodlandville;  John,  of  Fulton;  Duskin,  of  Columbia;  Mrs.  Clarence 
Shears,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs.  Mary  Turner,  of  Boon- 
ville; Mrs.  Susie  Morritz,  of  Witt,  111.;  Mrs.  Amanda  Smallwood,  of  Wash- 
ington, Mo.;  and  Mrs.  Mattie  Shears,  of  Ottawa,  Kan.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shears  have  been  born  six  children:  Susie,  the  wife  of  J.  T.  Tucker,  of 
Boonville ;  Edna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  17  years ;  and  four  children  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  Shears  reside  at  1026  South  Third 
Street  in  Boonville. 

Mr.  Shears  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  an  honest,  capable  workman,  and  he  is 
respected  highly  among  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  an  independent  repub- 
lican. Since  January,  1915,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Boonville  Board 
of  Public  Works.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  City 
Council,  was  president  of  the  Council,  and  finished  out  Grimes'  term  as 
mayor  of  the  city. 

W.  A.  Oerly,  merchant  of  Wooldridge,  Mo.,  one  of  the  best-known 
citizens  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  this  county.  Mr.  Oerly  was  born 
May  21,  1879,  in  Prairie  Home  township,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Mischler)  Oerly,  the  former,  a  native  of  Moniteau  County. 

John  Oerly  was  born  in  1854  near  Jamestown,  a  son  of  Ulrich  Oerly, 
who  located  in  Moniteau  County  in  1853,  and  later  settled  in  Cooper 
County.     Ulrich  Oerly  died   in  Cooper  County  and  he  is  buried  in  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  655 

cemetery  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove.  John  Oerly  owned 
several  farms  in  Prairie  Home  township  and  he  moved  from  Moniteau 
County  to  Cooper  County  and  here  followed  farming  and  stockraising. 
He  died  in  September,  1912,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  where  his 
father's  remains  were  laid  to  rest.  His  widow  still  resides  at  the  old 
homestead. 

The  children  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Mischler)  Oerly  are:  W.  A., 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Lulu,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Chrisman,  of 
Wooldridge ;  Mrs.  N.  H.  Blank,  who  died  in  August,  1918 ;  Oscar,  who  died 
in  1908 ;  Cordula,  the  wife  of  Hogan  Hickman,  of  Boonville ;  Ernest  C, 
residing  near  Gooch's  Mill ;  and  Grace,  the  wife  of  True  Swanston,  of 
Boonville. 

W.  A.  Oerly  obtained  his  education  at  Liberty  schoolhouse  in  Saline 
township.  Until  1912,  Mr.  Oerly  was  engaged  in  farming,  when  he  en- 
tered the  mercantile  business.  He  purchased  the  stock  of  George  T. 
Bruce  at  Wooldridge  and  since  1912  he  has  conducted  a  general  store 
there.  Mr.  Oerly  carries  an  exceptionally  good  line  of  merchandise  for 
a  store  of  the  size,  and  he  has  thus  far  had  a  flattering  patronage  and 
the  receipts  in  1918  showed  a  business  amounting  to  more  than  $17,000. 
In  addition  to  his  store,  Mr.  Oerly  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  comprising  260 
acres  of  land,  located  near  Bunceton. 

In  1902.  W.  A.  Oerly  was  united  in  marriage  with  Emma  Keamfer, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Keamfer,  of  Prairie  Home  township. 
The  Keamfer  children  are:  John,  Mrs.  Maggie  Kuhns,  Mrs.  Mary  Pipkin, 
Mrs.  Emma  Oerly,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Byler,  Mrs.  Annie  Byler,  Lulu  Keamfer, 
Mrs.  Meta  Hornbeck,  and  Mrs.  Nora  Morris.  To  W.  A.  and  Emma  Oerly 
have  been  born  five  children,  who  are  living,  six  children  in  all:  Owen 
Lester,  Curtis  Richard,  Myrl  Raymond.  Oliver  Robert  and  Earl  Alvin. 
The  only  daughter,  Alleene  Bertha,  was  killed  in  a  cyclone,  June  5,  1917, 
when  she  was  12  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Oerly  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  a  republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oerly  have  scores  of  friends  in  Cooper 
County,  and  they  are  numbered  among  the  county's  best  and  most  valued 
citizens. 

A.  H.  Hesel,  engaged  in  the  retail  liquor  business  in  Boonville,  lie, 
is  a  native  of  Boonville,  and  was  born  October  30,  1882.  He  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  L.  Hesel. 

His  father,  Joseph  L.  Hesel,  was  born  at  Riegel,  Baden,  Germany, 
Nov.  12,  1849,  and  died  in  June,  1917.     He  came  to  America  when  a  young 


656  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

man  and  resided  in  Fayette,  Mo.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he 
located  in  Boonville  and  operated  the  city  meat  market  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  married  Louise  Hoefer,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mo., 
Sept.  14,  1850.  The  children  born  of  this  marriage  are:  Charles  Hesel, 
born  Aug.  16,  1877,  operates  the  meat  market  in  connection  with  Harry 
Ruskin's  general  store;  Lee  Paul,  born  Sept.  6,  1884,  bartender  in  the 
Hesel  saloon ;  J.  L.  Hesel,  Jr.,  born  Nov.  29,  1886,  an  automobile  salesman 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Louise  J.,  born  Dec.  24,  1892,  at  home;  Rosa  and  Roy 
Hesel  are  deceased. 

Arthur  H.  Hesel  was  reared  and  educated  in  Boonville  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  conduct  of  his  meat  market  business.  He  first  tended 
bar  for  Tony  Hain  and  was  then  in  the  employ  of  Emil  H.  Mueller  prior 
to  engaging  in  business  for  himself  in  1911. 

Mr.  Hesel  is  a  republican.  The  family  church  is  the  Catholic  denom- 
ination. The  mother  of  the  family  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church.  Mr.  Hesel  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles.  Joseph  L.  Hesel,  his  father,  was 
an  Odd  Fellow. 

Horace  G.  Windsor,  proprietor  of  "Benvenue  Farm"  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  stockmen  of  Clarks  Fork 
township.  Mr.  Windsor  was  born  Dec.  4,  1860,  a  son  of  John  H.  and 
Eleanna  (Zollinger)  Windsor.  Mrs.  Windsor  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Zollinger,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  War  and  a  grand  daughter  of  Peter 
Zollinger,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  She  was  born  March  27, 
1835  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  she  died  Dec.  28,  1890.  The  children  of 
John  H.  and  Eleanna  Windsor,  are  as  follow:  Horace  G.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Walter  B.,  who  was  born  April  23,  1862  and  now  resides  in 
Clarks  Fork  township ;  John  L.,  who  was  born  July  4,  1863  and  died  Aug. 
8,  1884 ;  Alma  M.,  who  was  born  Nov.  4,  1866,  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Harris, 
Jr.,  of  Sedalia;  Eugene  A.,  who  was  born  Jan.  4,  1870,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  and  Dr.  Norman  Myers,  who  was  born 
April  18,  1871,  now  a  resident  of  St.  Louis. 

Horace  G.  Windsor  was  educated  in  Boonville,  at  the  Kemper  Military 
School  and  the  Boonville  Academy.  In  early  manhood,  he  began  farming 
on  the  home  place.  His  grandmother,  Anne  Matilda  (Allison)  Windsor, 
gave  him  a  farm  comprising  240  acres  of  valuable  land,  which  farm  is 
now  a  part  of  his  splendid  country  place.  Mr.  Windsor  now  owns  650 
acres  of  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  probably  the  finest  country  place 
in  Cooper  County,  a  farm  which  is  reputed  to  be  the  most  productive  in 


hi  >i:a<'k  (i    wixpsoi: 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  657 

the  country.  Seventy  acres  of  the  farm,  the  land  lying  directly  east  of 
the  residence,  produced  in  1915,  more  than  100  bushels  of  corn  per  acre, 
which  is  considered  to  be  the  best  production  in  the  world.  Mr.  Windsor 
has  made  the  average  of  90  bushels  an  acre  for  a  tract  of  80  acres  of  his 
farm.  In  1916,  the  dry  year,  he  produced  on  one  acre  of  his  land  119 
bushels  and  10  pounds  of  corn,  the  record  for  the  state  of  Missouri.  Prac- 
tically his  entire  life,  Mr.  Windsor  has  been  interested  in  feeding  livestock 
and  he  usually  feeds  from  150  to  250  head  of  cattle  annually,  also  from 
1,000  to  1,500  lambs  and  from  200  to  250  hogs.  He  raises  the  mules  used 
in  work  on  his  place  and,  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  he  had  20 
on  the  farm.  Mr.  Windsor  plants  soybeans  in  with  the  corn,  one  bushel 
of  the  former  to  every  12  acres  of  land,  and  after  the  corn  has  matured 
he  pastures  the  land.  The  "Benvenue  Farms"  are  equipped  with  three 
sets  of  improvements,  including  three  bungalows  for  the  assistants ;  a 
Dickey  silo,  18x60  feet  in  dimensions ;  four  barns,  the  largest,  90x54  feet 
in  dimensions,  affording  shelter  for  all  the  stock;  and  three  windmills. 

Oct.  6,  1886,  Horace  G.  Windsor  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna 
K.  Cunningham,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  John  W.  and 
Ellen  (Spencer)  Cunningham,  the  former  of  whom  now  at  the  advanced 
age  of  93  years  resides  in  Boonville,  and  the  latter  died  Feb.  15,  1916.  To 
Horace  G.  and  Mrs.  Windsor  have  been  born  two  sons:  Capt.  John  H., 
who  was  born  Dec.  13,  1888,  a  graduate  of  Kemper  Military  School,  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1907,  who  received  his  degree  of  L.  L.  D.  in  1912 
from  the  Missouri  State  University  and  for  five  years  practiced  law  in  the 
city  of  Boonville,  volunteered  his  services  in  the  World  War,  Aug.  27, 
1917  and  was  sent  to  Fort  Sheridan  for  training,  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant  Nov.  27,  1917,  sailed  for  France,  Dec.  24,  of  the  same  year, 
with  500  other  officers,  was  first  attached  to  the  British  infancy  and  later 
to  the  77th  Division,  was  in  the  battle  of  Arras  in  March,  1918,  and  was 
gassed  in  May,  1918,  made  Judge  Advocate  of  his  section,  commissioned 
captain,  Aug.  28,  1919,  and  honorably  discharged  March  2,  1919;  Wilbur 
C,  who  was  born  Jan.  14,  1891,  graduated  from  the  Kemper  Military 
School  in  1910,  was  senior  captain  of  the  cadets  in  this  school,  was  a 
student  at  the  Missouri  State  University  for  three  and  a  half  years, 
specializing  in  banking,  engaged  in  the  banking  business  in  Oklahoma 
for  two  years,  was  associated  with  his  father  in  managing  the  "Benvenue 
Farms",  volunteered  for  service  and  was  sent  to  Fort  Sheridan  in  Aug., 
1917,  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  and  sent  to  Camp  Zachariah  Tay- 


658  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

lor  in  Kentucky  as  instructor,  thence  to  Camp  Sherman  in  Ohio,  a  member 
of  the  84th  Division,  sailed  for  France  in  Sept.,  1918,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  from  the  service  on  April  18,  1919. 

Wilbur  C.  Windsor  was  married  to  Gertrude  Buckley  of  Poteau,  Okla., 
a  daughter  of  William  Buckley,  ex-attorney  United  States  district,  of 
Oklahoma,  on  Dec.  28,  1916,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one  child,  Ger- 
trude Anna. 

Horace  G.  Windsor  has  been  president  of  the  Missouri  State  Corn 
Growers  Association  for  four  years.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  Rural  Route  1  out  of  Boonville,  the  second  route  established 
in  the  state,  and  he  assisted  in  the  establishing  of  the  first  rural  telephone 
line  in  the  county.  He  is  the  originator  of  the  benefit  assessment  system 
for  the  building  of  better  roads  and  he  has  been  president  in  his  district 
for  eight  years.  Mr.  Windsor  writes  for  the  "Missouri  Ruralist"  and 
other  farm  papers  and  he  is  considered  one  of  the  most  advanced  thinkers 
in  Cooper  County  and  one  of  the  most  progressive  men  in  the  country. 
He  is  widely  known  throughout  the  state.  Mr.  Windsor  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  and  is  a  Shriner. 

Irene  Schubert,  a  prosperous  and  highly  respected  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Saline  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Schubert  was 
born  June  8,  1864  on  his  father's  farm  in  Palestine  township,  a  son  of 
Henry  B.  and  Christina  Schubert,  who  were  born,  reared,  educated  and 
married  in  Germany. 

Henry  B.  Schubert  was  born  in  1830  and  Christina  Schubert  was 
born  in  1838.  The  Schuberts  located  in  Cooper  County  on  a  farm  near 
Billingsville  in  1863  and  there  resided  for  several  years,  when  Mr.  Schubert 
purchased  a  farm  comprising  72  acres  of  land,  which  he  improved  and 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  in  1912.  His  remains 
rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Billingsville,  Mo.  Mrs.  Schubert  now  resides  at 
Speed,  Mo.  The  children  of  Henry  B.  and  Christina  Schubert  are,  as 
follow:  Mrs.  Mary  Huffman,  who  lives  in  Germany;  Mrs.  Amelia  Steg- 
ner,  deceased,  wife  of  Paul  Stegner;  Irene,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Mrs.  Emma  Baker,  deceased ;  Henry,  deceased ;  Fannie  and  John,  of  Speed, 
and  Willie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Gottholt  Schubert  and  his 
wife,  grandparents  of  Irene  Schubert,  immigrated  to  America  from  Ger- 
many about  1861.  The  senior  Schubert  was,  by  trade,  a  miller.  Both 
grandfather  and  grandmother  have  been  deceased  many  years  and  their 
remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Billingsville,  Mo. 

Irene  Schubert  attended  school  at  Independence,  in  Palestine  town- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  659 

ship.  Since  leaving  school,  he  has  followed  farming  and  stockraising 
and  with  the  exception  of  ten  years.  Mr.  Schubert  purchased  his  present 
country  place  in  March,  1914,  a  farm  which  was  originally  a  part  of  the 
Bates  farm,  144  acres  of  well-watered  land,  an  ideal  stock  farm.  Mr. 
Schubert  is  just  beginning  the  raising  of  registered  Hampshire  hogs.  He 
is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising.  In  his  district,  he  is 
overseer  of  roads  and  he  takes  an  active  and  keen  interest  in  the  upkeep- 
ing  of  the  public  highways. 

In  1890,  Irene  Schubert  and  Minnie  Doerrie  were  married.  Mrs. 
Schubert  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Louisa  (Kemper)  Doerrie,  natives 
of  Germany.  The  Doerries  immigrated  from  Germany  and  settled  in 
Missouri,  locating  first  in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Doerrie  died  at  St.  Charles,  Mo. 
and  Mrs.  Doerrie  was  later  married  to  Peter  Young  and  she  now  resides 
in  Boonville.  She  is  now  80  years  of  age.  Louisa  (Kemper)  Doerrie 
Young  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Lottie  Kemper,  who  settled  in  St. 
Charles  County,  Mo.  in  1856.  He  was,  by  trade,  a  carpenter.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kemper  died  in  St.  Charles,  and  are  buried  there.  To  Irene  and 
Minnie  (Doerrie)  Schubert  have  been  born  two  children:  Bert  and  Rose- 
mond,  both  at  home  with  their  parents,  and  both  educated  in  the  Boon- 
ville schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schubert  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  Mr.  Schubert  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Boonville. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schubert  are  well  known  and  highly  regarded  in  Cooper 
County  and  they  number  their  friends  in  this  section  of  the  state  by  the 
score. 

Walter  Meredith  and  George  Meredith,  proprietors  of  "The  Lowell 
Stock  Farm,"  in  Saline  township,  one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the 
county,  are  numbered  among  the  progressive  agriculturists  of  Cooper 
County.  "The  Lowell  Stock  Farm"  comprises  238  acres  of  valuable  land, 
located  eight  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  Walter  Meredith  and  George 
Meredith  are  sons  of  Lee  and  Susan  (McGruder)  Meredith. 

Lee  Meredith  was  born  near  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  a  son  of  Thomas  Mere- 
dith, one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  county.  The  mother 
of  Lee  Meredith  was  Susan  (Woolridge)  Meredith.  Thomas  and  Susan 
Meredith  are  now  deceased  and  the  remains  rest  in  Pilot  Grove  Cemetery. 
Lee  Meredith  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
was  a  democrat.  Mrs.  Meredith  died  in  1900  and  she  was  buried  in  Pilot 
Grove  Cemetery.  She  reared  the  family  and  educated  the  children,  as  all 
were  small  when  the  father  died. 

"The  Lowell  Stock  Farm"  was  purchased  by  the  Meredith  brothers 


660  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  their  sisters,  Grace  Alice  and  Winona,  in  1901,  from  John  Engfer. 
The  brothers  and  sisters  reside  at  this  farm,  and  though  grown  to  matur- 
ity, they  are  still  as  closely  united  as  when  they  were  children.  The 
Meredith  residence  is  a  brick  structure  of  seven  large  rooms,  four  halls 
and  two  stories.  It  is  "T-shape,"  and  was  built  prior  to  the  Civil  War. 
This  farm  in  early  days  was  known  as  the  James  Connor  farm,  and  on  the 
place  are  ruins  of  foundation  of  houses  formerly  occupied  by  slaves.  Since 
coming  to  the  place,  the  Merediths  have  added  two  barns  and  fences,  and 
have  drilled  a  well  which  is  over  226  feet  in  depth,  the  same  supplying  an 
abundance  of  excellent  water.  There  are  two  good  springs  in  the  pasture. 
In  every  respect  "The  Lowell  Stock  Farm"  is  an  ideal  one.  The  builder 
of  the  large  brick  residence  was  one  of  the  aristocrats  of  his  day,  and  the 
large  rooms,  four  times  the  size  of  the  average  room  of  today,  suggest 
colonial  architecture,  and  the  surroundings  show  the  taste  of  the  typical 
southern  plantation  owner. 

The  Merediths  are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Oak  Grove.  They  are  highly  respected  among  the  best  citizens  of 
Cooper  County. 

Joseph  Gerhardt. — When  Joseph  Gerhardt  left  his  native  Germany 
1881,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  made  his  way  to  Pickaway  County,  Ohio, 
he  had  very  little  of  this  world's  goods.  When  he  came  to  Cooper  County, 
Mo.,  in  1887,  he  had  not  made  much  progress  in  accumulating  a  fortune. 
However,  matters  shaped  themselves  so  that  in  1905  he  began  to  buy 
land,  although  his  first  farm  of  192  acres  was  purchased  on  time.  To  this 
he  subsequently  added  25  acres,  then  added  160  acres,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  retirement  to  a  home  in  Speed,  Mo.,  in  the  spring  of  1919,  Mr.  Ger- 
hardt was  the  owner  of  a  total  of  377  acres  of  well  improved  land,  without 
incumbrance.  The  farm  buildings  are  very  good,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
attractive  places  in  Cooper  County.  This  country  has  been  good  to  Mr. 
Gerhardt,  and  Cooper  County -seems  to  be  a  place  of  unbounded  opportu- 
nity for  men  of  industry  and  thrift  and  energy,  like  himself. 

Joseph  Gerhardt,  retired  farmer,  Speed,  Mo.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
Jan.  9,  1857,  a  son  of  Christ  and  Lena  Gerhardt,  who  spent  their  lives  in 
Germany.  Joseph  Gerhardt  came  to  America  in  1881,  a  poor  lad  in  search 
of  fortune.  Hs  stopped  for  five  years  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  and 
earned  some  money.  In  1887,  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  worked  as  farm 
laborer  for  one  year,  and  then  rented  land  until  he  made  his  first  pur- 
chase of  a  farm  in  1905.     During  the  space  of  14  years,  Mr.  Gerhardt 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  661 

has  prospered  to  such  an  extent  that  he  has  laid  away  the  cares  of  active 
farming,  turned  over  the  management  of  his  large  acreage  to  his  sons, 
and  is  taking  life  easy  in  his  comfortable  cottage  home  in  Speed,  Mo. 

Mr.  Gerhardt  was  married  in  Ohio,  in  1882,  to  Katrina  Grom,  who 
was  born  in  1858.  The  children  born  to  this  marriage  are:  Henry  Ger- 
hardt, a  farmer,  Cooper  County ;  Christ  F.,  merchant  at  Speed,  Mo. ;  Cath- 
erine, wife  of  Anton  Schler,  farmer  in  Boonville  township;  Albert,  a 
thresher,  Speed,  Mo. ;  William,  living  on  a  farm  east  of  Bunceton ;  August, 
a  farmer  living  one  mile  west  of  Speed;  Mrs.  Louise  Vieth,  on  a  farm 
near  Bunceton ;  Emil  and  Herman  Gerhardt  are  operating  the  home  place. 

The  democratic  party  has  always  had  the  allegiance  of  Mr.  Gerhardt 
since  he  cast  his  first  vote.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
and  is  a  good,  substantial  citizen. 

Elza  B.  Shannon,  proprietor  of  "Rose  Lawn"  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 
township  (rural  mail  route  No.  1  out  of  Boonville)  and  for  years  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stockmen  of  that  vicinity,  an 
active  member  of  the  energetic  Farmers  Club  in  that  neighborhood  and  in 
other  ways  prominently  identified  with  the  life  of  the  community,  was 
born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  Oct. 
31,  1854,  son  of  Alexander  and  Julia  A.  (Hurt)  Shannon,  pioneers  of  that 
vicinity  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  continuing  to  make  her 
home  on  the  old  home  place,  being  now  nearly  90  years  of  age. 

Alexander  Shannon  was  an  Easterner,  born  in  Charles  County,  Md., 
Feb.  10.  1823,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1847  and  in  1849  located  on  the 
place  now  known  as  "Rose  Lawn"  farm  and  owned  by  his  son  Elza.  That 
farm,  originally  known  as  the  Bell  farm,  he  bought  from  D.  C.  Steele  and 
when  he  bought  it  consisted  of  110  acres,  which  tract,  under  its  present 
ownership,  has  been  expanded  to  the  present  dimensions  of  "Rose  Lawn", 
a  fine  farm  of  402  acres.  During  the  two  years  he  spent  in  Missouri 
before  buying  his  farm,  Alexander  Shannon  was  engaged  in  freighting 
between  Boonville  and  Knobnoster  and  during  this  form  of  service  he 
not  infrequently  was  in  perilous  touch  with  the  Indians  that  still  were 
numerous  hereabout  in  those  days.  He  married  not  long  after  coming 
here  and  established  his  home  on  the  farm  he  had  bought  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  June  10,  1898,  he  then 
being  past  75  years  of  age,  and  he  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonvilli>. 
As  noted  above,  his  widow  is  still  living  at  "Rose  Lawn".  She  was  born 
on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  this  county,  in  1830,  daugh- 


662  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

ter  of  Colonel  Hurt,  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  early  settlers  of  that 
neighborhood,  and  has  spent  all  her  life  in  that  vicinity,  having  thus  been 
a  witness  to  the  amazing  development  noted  there  during  her  lifetime. 
To  Alexander  and  Julia  A.  (Hurt)  Shannon  were  born  five  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  G.  W.  and  F.  H.  Shannon,  Texas  County,  Mo. ;  J.  B.  Shannon, 
deceased,  and  Nannie,  wife  of  J.  W.  Draften,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  Elza  B.  Shannon  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  the  then  somewhat  primitive  district  school 
of  his  home  neighborhood  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the 
Kemper  Family  School  at  Boonville,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  farm 
and  resumed  his  labors  there,  a  valuable  aid  to  his  father  in  the  work  of 
development  on  the  place.  After  his  marriage  in  1876  he  established  his 
home  on  the  place,  presently  assuming  the  management  of  the  same,  and 
has  ever  since  resided  there,  gradually  improving  the  place  by  the  erection 
of  new  buildings  and  from  time  to  time  buying  adjoining  tracts  until 
"Rose  Lawn"  long  ago  came  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  attractive 
farms  in  that  part  of  the  county.  The  place  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
raising  of  live  stock  and  Mr.  Shannon  annually  markets  about  200  hogs 
and  one  or  two  car  loads  of  cattle.  He  also  maintains  a  flock  of  about 
250  sheep  and  in  his  operations  is  doing  well,  in  these  operations  being 
ably  assisted  by  those  of  his  sons  who  still  are  at  home  and  who  are  bend- 
ing their  energies  to  the  further  and  profitable  improvement  of  "Rose 
Lawn."  Mr.  Shannon  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  local  Farmers 
Club  and  has  for  years  been  actively  interested  in  movements  having  to 
do  with  the  advancement  of  the  common  interest  in  that  neighborhood. 
In  his  political  faith  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  take  a  proper  interest  in  church  work  as 
well  as  in  the  general  social  activities  of  the  community  in  which  they 
live. 

Mr.  Shannon  has  been  twice  married.  It  was  in  1876,  when  he  was 
little  past  21  years  of  age,  that  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Cath- 
erine Miller,  who  also  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  who  died  on 
July  26,  1884.  To  that  union  three  children  were  born,  namely:  Minnie 
Gray,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Robert  Alexander,  who  is  now 
farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Rankin's  Mill,  and  Elza  M.  Shannon,  who  is  at 
home  aiding  in  the  management  of  "Rose  Lawn".  On  March  6,  1889,  Mr. 
Shannon  married,  secondly,  Jennie  L.  Johnston,  a  music  teacher,  who  was 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  663 

graduated  from  the  old  Prairie  Home  Institute  and  for  some  time  follow- 
ing her  graduation  was  teacher  of  music  there,  later  giving  general  music 
lessons,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born:  Martha,  wife  of 
B.  H.  Mills,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Georgia,  at  home;  Margaret,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  Noye  L.  and  Louis  J.,  at  home.  Mrs. 
Jennie  L.  (Johnston)  Shannon  also  was  born  in  this  county,  March  20, 
1861,  a  daughter  of  Washington  A.  and  Martha  (Hunt)  Johnston,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  here,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  who  spent 
all  their  lives  here,  both  living  to  ripe  old  age.  W.  A.  Johnston  was  bom 
on  Jan.  1,  1825,  and  died  on  Feb.  15,  1908,  he  then  being  past  83  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  Martha  Hunt,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Pisgah  on  Jan. 
3,  1829,  and  died  on  Jan.  14,  1919,  she  then  being  past  90  years  of  age. 
W.  A.  Johnston  was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Ellender  P.  (Powell)  Johnston, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  North  Carolina  on  July  14,  1800,  and  came 
to  Missouri  with  her  parents,  William  Powell  and  wife,  in  1822,  the  family 
settling  in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown,  in  Monteau  County.  Robert  Johns- 
ton was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1783  and  came  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Cooper 
County  in  territorial  days.     He  married  Ellender  Powell  in  March,  1824. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Anderson,  a  veteran  teacher  of  Cooper  County, 
who  is  also  engaged  in  farming  in  Saline  township,  was  born  in  Prairie 
Home  township,  Dec.  14,  1860.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Twenty- 
man)  Anderson.  John  Anderson  was  born  near  Miami,  Ohio,  in  1824. 
He  came  to  Missouri  in  the  early  forties,  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  120 
acres,  three  miles  northwest  of  Prairie  Home.  He  died  in  1881.  Nancy 
(Twentyman)  Anderson  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1862.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Twentyman,  who  was  a  very  early  settler  in  Cooper 
County,  and  a  member  of  the  first  grand  jury  of  Cooper  County.  John 
and  Nancy  (Twentyman)  Anderson  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Mrs.  Amanda  Arnold,  Moniteau  township;  J.  H.,  Searcy,  Ark.; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  Goodrich,  Bolivar,  Mo. ;  T.  B.,  California,  Mo. ;  and  B.  F., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

B.  F.  Anderson  attended  public  school  until  he  was  about  15  years 
of  age,  he  then  attended  a  private  school  in  Polk  County,  and  later  en- 
tered Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg,  Mo.,  where  he  was  graduated.  He 
engaged  in  teaching  in  1882,  his  first  school  benig  in  the  Lowland  district 
in  Saline  township.  He  taught  school  in  this  same  district  during  the 
school  year  1918-1919.  During  the  intervening  time  he  has  taught  in 
the  district  schools  of  the  adjoining  districts,  including  Highland,  Lib- 


664  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

erty,  Wooldridge,  Bruce,  Overton,  and  Hail  Ridge.  He  has  a  long  career 
of  successful  teaching  to  his  credit,  and  ranks  among  the  leading  edu- 
cators of  Cooper  County.  In  addition  to  teaching,  Mr.  Anderson  has  car- 
ried on  farming  in  the  summertime  and  owns  130  acres  known  as  "Maple 
Wood  Farm,"  located  one  mile  northwest  of  Wooldridge.  This  was  for- 
merly a  part  of  the  H.  B.  Hopkins  farm.  The  place  is  well  improved,  and 
it  is  a  productive  and  valuable  farm. 

B.  F.  Anderson  was  married  Nov.  7,  1883,  to  Miss  Emma  S.  Hopkins, 
a  daughter  of  H.  B.  and  Rebecca  (Burcham)  Hopkins,  Cooper  County 
pioneers.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Emma  S., 
wife  of  B.  F.  Anderson,  subject  of  this  sketch;  H.  H.,  Wooldridge,  Mo.; 
and  T.  B.,  Wooldridge.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  been  born  two 
children:  Ida  H.,  mari-ied  W.  E.  Hooper,  Wooldridge,  Mo.,  and  F.  L.,  who 
resides  at  home.  There  are  two  grandchildren  in  the  Anderson  family: 
Emma  Marjorie  and  Hazel  Lillian  Hooper. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  rank 
among  its  most  substantial  representative  people.  Mrs.  Anderson  is  a 
member  of  Big  Lick  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  democrat.  Cast 
his  first  vote  in  1881,  never  missed  an  election,  never  scratched  his  ticket, 
and  never  sought  office. 

Herman  P.  Muntzel. — "Pleasant  Valley  Stock  Farm,"  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  Herman  P.  Muntzel,  and  consisting  of  193  acres  of  valley  land, 
well  watered  and  drained,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  richest  farms 
in  all  Missouri.  No  tract  of  fertile  and  productive  land  lies  in  a  prettier 
location  than  this  farm,  which  is  rightly  named.  A  winding  creek  makes 
its  way  through  the  farm  and  affords  ample  water  for  stock  and  drainage. 
In  the  background  to  the  east  are  wooded  hills  which  give  a  touch  of 
beauty  to  the  whole  setting.  A  pretty  cottage  and  well  kept  farm  build- 
ings, set  on  a  rise  of  ground  above  the  valley,  overlook  the  entire  tract. 
The  barn  is  of  ample  size,  built  by  Mr.  Muntzel  in  1912,  and  is  32x50  feet 
in  extent.  The  residence  has  been  remodeled  since  the  purchase  of  the 
farm  in  1904.  Herman  P.  Muntzel  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  highly  respected  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  which 
dates  its  advent  into  the  county  in  the  early  forties. 

Daniel  Muntzel,  father  of  Herman  P.  Muntzel,  who  now  resides  at  or 
near  Washington  schoolhouse  on  his  farm,  where  he  has  resided  for  over 
a  half  century,  was  born  in  1835,  and  accompanied  his  father,  Peter  Munt- 
zel, from  Germany  to  America  when  but  a  child.     Peter  Muntzel  settled 


ROBERT  .1.    MUNTZEL, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  665 

in  this  county,  reared  a  family  and  lived  to  be  over  90  years  of  age. 
Daniel  Muntzel  married  Minnie  Kauns,  born  in  Germany,  and  died  in 
Cooper  County  in  1914.  There  were  eight  children  born  to  Daniel  and 
Minnie  Muntzel,  as  follows:  Christ  died  in  infancy;  Mrs.  Sophia  Prigge 
lives  in  St.  Louis ;  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Schubert,  lives  near  Washington 
School ;  Lavina,  wife  of  Martin  Meyer,  is  deceased ;  August  lives  with  his 
father;  Herman  P.,  of  this  review. 

Herman  P.  Muntzel  was  born  Aug.  25,  1861.  He  attended  the  Wash- 
ington School,  and  at  the  age  of  18  years  he  began  to  earn  his  own  way 
in  the  world.  In  1887,  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  Washington  School  neigh- 
borhood, improved  it  and  sold  it  at  a  profit  in  1905.  His  present  farm, 
purchased  in  1904,  cost  him  $51  an  acre.  Mr.  Muntzel's  first  farm  cost 
him  $46  an  acre,  and  he  disposed  of  it  for  $57  an  acre,  making  a  profit  of 
$2,000.  The  Muntzel  farm  is  noted  for  its  thoroughbred  live  stock.  Mr. 
Muntzel  has  a  herd  of  75  or  more  pure-bred  Poland  China  and  Duroc  Jer- 
sey hogs.  Mrs.  Muntzel  has  a  flock  of  fine  Barred  Plymouth  Rock  chick- 
ens.    She  sells  eggs  for  hatching  at  good  prices,  and  cockerels  to  fanciers. 

Sept.  7,  1887,  Herman  P.  Muntzel  and  Miss  Minnie  A.  E.  Steigleder 
were  united  in  marriage  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity  Church  of 
Clarks  Fork  by  Rev.  August  Rehwaldt.  The  following  children  have  been 
born  to  Herman  P.  and  Minnie  A.  E.  Muntzel:  Ilda  lola  Esther,  Andrew 
Daniel  and  Robert  John. 

Ilda  lola  Esther  Muntzel  was  born  Nov.  9,  1888,  near  Boonville,  was 
baptized  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity  Church  by  Rev.  August 
Rehwaldt,  Dec.  12,  1882.  She  was  educated  in  Washington  and  Concord 
Schools,  spent  two  years  in  the  parochial  school,  was  instructed  and  con- 
firmed April,  1903,  by  Rev.  J.  Hoenes.  She  was  married  to  Albert  E.  H. 
Klekamp,  April  30,  1916,  at  4  o'clock  in  Trinity  Church,  Clarks  Fork.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Klekamp  are  now  living  on  their  fine  farm  near  Lone  Elm,  and 
are  communicants  of  the  Zion  Church  of -Lone  Elm.  Mo.  Their  postoffice 
address  is  Boonvile,  Mo.,  R.  F.  D.  No.  1.  They  have  one  child,  Irene  Wil- 
helmina  Klekamp,  born  Feb.  27,  1918,  and  baptized  March,  1918,  by  Rev. 
John  Mueller. 

Andrew  Daniel  Muntzel  was  born  Feb.  3,  1891,  near  Boonville,  was 
baptized  March  15,  1891,  in  Trinity  Church,  Clarks  Fork,  by  Rev.  August 
Rehwaldt.  He  was  educated  in  Washington  and  Concord  Schools,  and 
studied  for  one  year  at  the  Columbia  Normal,  and  studied  for  two  years 
in  the  parochial  school.     He  was  instructed  and  confirmed  April  16,  1905, 


666  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

by  Rev.  J.  Hoeness.  He  is  now  a  member  of  Trinity  Church,  Clarks 
Fork.  He  is  now  a  partner  with  his  father  in  the  operation  of  Pleasant 
Valley  Farm. 

Robert  John  Muntzel  was  born  Oct  18,  1898,  and  was  baptized  Nov. 
20,  1898,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Rupprecht.  He  attended  the  Concord  School,  and 
after  receiving  his  diploma  on  May  14,  1912,  attended  the  parochial  school 
for  one  year.  He  was  instructed  and  confirmed  March  16,  1913,  by  Rev. 
K.  F.  Lohrman.  He  is  a  communicant  of  Trinity  Church,  Clarks  Fork, 
On  Sept.  1,  1914,  he  entered  Boonville  High  School,  and  the  last  two  years 
of  his  course  was  spent  in  Laura  Speed  Elliot  High  School,  from  which  he 
graduated  on  May  17,  1917.  On  Jan.  2,  1918,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  N.  K.  Fairbanks  Company  as  junior  salesman,  selling  the  trade,  and 
after  three  months'  service  he  was  promoted  to  a  position  which  placed 
him  charge  of  an  advertising  display  and  specialty  salesman  of  soap 
products.  While  in  Kansas  City  he  joined  the  unit  of  the  army  and 
enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  at  Columbia,  Mo.  He  received  his 
honorable  discharge  from  the  service  on  Dec.  16,  1918,  and  again  resumed 
his  work  with  the  N.  K.  Fairbanks  Co.,  on  Jan.  6,  1919.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  post  of  propriety  edible  salesman  on  Feb.  1,  1919.  His  ter- 
ritory requires  that  he  travel  out  of  the  St.  Louis  branch,  and  his  city 
address  is  at  5063  Delmar  Avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  born  Feb  2,  1860,  in  Oska- 
loosa,  Iowa,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  Frederick  Andrew  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  (Hochstetler)  Steigleder,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Holmes  County,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Minnie 
A.  E.  Muntzel  (nee  Steigleder)  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  with  her 
parents  in  1866. 

Mr.  Muntzel  is  a  republican  and  is  road  overseer  of  his  district.  For 
the  past  four  years  he  has  been  an  elder  of  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity 
Church  of  Clarks  Fork.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muntzel  are  intelligent,  well-in- 
formed people,  who  are  progressive  and  enterprising  and  believe  in  keep- 
ing fully  abreast  of  the  times.  They  are  prominent  socially  and  are 
among  the  leaders  in  their  community. 

Robert  Thomas  Byler,  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  Clarks  Fork 
township  and  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  substantial  farmers  in  that 
section  of  Cooper  County,  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  ten  miles 
southeast  of  Boonville  (rural  mail  route  No.  1  out  of  Boonville),  was  born 
in  Prairie  Home  township,  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families 
of  Cooper  County,  and  has  lived  in  the  county  all  his  life.     He  was  born 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  667 

Dec.  8,  1867,  son  of  Joel  Woodard  and  Susan  Esther  (Harris)  Byler,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still 
living,  being  now  past  85  years  of  age. 

Joel  Woodard  Byler  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Boonville  town- 
ship Feb.  18,  1834,  son  of  Thomas  Dillard  Byler,  who  was  a  son  of  Thomas 
Byler,  who  had  come  here  in  territorial  days  and  had  entered  a  tract  of 
land  in  what  is  now  Clarks  Fork  township  and  had  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  and  at  his  death  was  buried  on  his  farm  there.  Thomas 
Dillard  Byler,  grandfather  of  'Squire  Byler,  made  his  home  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Henry  Muntzel  and  died  there  in  1876,  being  then  76  years 
of  age.  His  son,  Joel  Woodard  Byler,  father  of  'Squire  Byler,  grew  up  on 
that  farm  and  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account.  June  8,  1865,  he 
married  Susan  Esther  Harris,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  this  county,  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm 
in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  he  continued  actively  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  retirement.  He  is  now  living  in  Moniteau  township,  over  the 
line  in  the  county  of  that  name.  His  wife  died  on  June  8,  1915,  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Fannie  Jane,  wife  of  Robert  Horn- 
beck,  of  Prairie  Home;  William  Henry  Byler,  a  hardware  merchant  at 
Prairie  Home ;  Tyra  Emmet,  also  of  Prairie  Home ;  Joel  Albert,  of  Kansas 
City;  Jesse  Dillard,  a  farmer  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Moniteau,  and 
Walter  Lawrence  and  Harris  Byler,  who  continue  to  make  their  home  on 
the  old  home  place. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Robert  Thomas 
Byler  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  local  district  school  and  sup- 
plemented the  same  by  a  course  of  two  years  at  the  old  Prairie  Home 
College.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  was  helpful  on  the  home  place 
and  after  his  marriage  when  21  years  of  age  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  a  vocation  he  ever  since  has  continued.  In  Jan.,  1909,  he  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  the  old  Peter  Wehmeyer  place  of  160 
acres  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  since  taking  possession  of  the  same 
has  made  numerous  substantial  improvements,  bringing  the  farm  plant 
up  to  an  excellent  standard.  One  half  of  the  farm  is  Clarks  creek  bot- 
tom land  and  the  place  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  raising  of  live  stock, 
Mr.  Byler  giving  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Shorthorn  cattle 
and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs.  Mr.  Byler  has  always  given  proper  attention  to 
local  civic  affairs  and  is  now  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his 


668  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

home  township.  He  also  for  the  past  nine  years  has  served  as  director 
in  the  Washington  school  district.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Prairie  Home  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Prairie  Home  and  Mrs.  Byler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  auxiliary  order  of  the  Royal  Neighbors  of  America. 

Feb.  20,  1889,  that  Robert  T.  Byler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Leonore 
Hurt,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  six  children 
have  been  born,  namely:  Joel  Fleming  Byler,  who  manned  Addie  Doug- 
las and  lives  in  Saline  township;  Flora  Esther,  wife  of  Arthur  White,  of 
Prairie  Home ;  Robna  Frances,  wife  of  John  Woodhouse,  of  Boonville ; 
Stella  Teel,  wife  of  Adolph  Hoerl,  of  Boonville,  and  Jessie  Gibson  and 
Virginia  Florence,  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byler  have  three  grand- 
children, Charles  Robert  Woodhouse,  Arthur  Lewis  White  and  Norma 
Jeannette  Byler.  Mrs.  Byler  was  born  in  Boonville  township  on  March 
21,  1871,  daughter  of  Fleming  and  Flora  (Davis)  Hurt,  both  members  of 
pioneer  families  in  Cooper  County  and  both  now  deceased.  Fleming  Hurt 
died  in  July,  1909,  and  his  widow  did  not  long  survive  him,  her  death 
occurring  in  Jan.,  1912.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  those 
besides  Mrs.  Byler  being  H.  G.  Hurt,  of  Boonville,  Mrs.  Florence  Davis, 
living  east  of  Boonville,  and  Mrs.  Dollie  Adair,  deceased. 

James  Lymer,  one  of  the  progressive  and  substantial  farmers  of 
Clarks  Fork  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township,  March 
20,  1865,  son  of  William  and  Ellen  Lymer,  both  deceased. 

William  Lymer  was  a  native  of  England,  born  about  1802,  who  came 
to  this  country  and  settled  in  Cooper  County,  residing  on  a  farm  in  Boon- 
ville township  until  his  death,  about  1872.  His  widow  died  in  1884  and 
was  50  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children  as  follows : 
Richard,  Boonville  township;  William,  Boonville  township;  John,  St. 
Louis;  Robert,  Boonville;  James;  Margaret,  wife  of  Casper  Lamglotz, 
Boonville,  and  Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  Isaac  Hurd,  Boonville. 

James  Lymer  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  school- 
ing at  the  Hail  Ridge  School  and  at  the  Clear  Spring  School.  Upon  en- 
gaging in  farming  on  his  own  account  years  ago,  he  bought  a  farm  six 
miles  west  of  Boonville,  but  soon  sold  that  place  to  advantage  and  bought 
another  farm  near  Pilot  Grove,  although  he  did  not  reside  on  the  farm. 
This  latter  place  he  also  sold  when  the  opportunity  to  better  himself  pre- 
sented, and  in  1910  bought  from  William  Solomon  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  no  living  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  the  place  formerly  belonging  to 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  669 

the  Berry  estate,  where  he  has  138  acres,  all  lying  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
save  20  acres  in  Boonville  township.  The  two-story  farm  house  on  the 
place  Mr.  Lymer  rebuilt  in  1912,  the  house  being  one  of  eight  rooms  with 
a  hall  10x28  feet,  well  fitted  and  furnished.  The  bricks  from  which  the 
house  was  built  were  burned  on  the  place.  The  farm  buildings  are  in 
keeping  with  the  house,  and  include  good  barns,  a  12x30  silo,  and  a  wind- 
mill, the  latter  drawing  an  ample  supply  of  water  for  stock  purposes  from 
a  drilled  well  150  feet  deep.  This  water  supply  is  supplemented  by  sev- 
eral excellent  springs  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Lymer  has  for  years  given 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  has  a  fine  drove  of 
Duroc  Jersey  hogs,  a  herd  of  eight  dairy  cows,  and  a  flock  of  175  chickens, 
pure-bred  Rhode  Island  Reds. 

Dec.  18,  1894,  James  Lymer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Dena  Langlotz, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Langlotz, 
natives  of  Germany,  and  for  many  years  well-known  residents  of  the 
neighborhood  west  of  Boonville  John  Langlotz  came  to  this  country  in 
the  fifties,  and  was  working  in  Missouri  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
He  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  and  after  the  war  sent  for  other 
members  of  the  family  to  come  over  from  Germany,  married  and  settled 
down  on  a  farm  which  he  bought,  a  little  more  than  six  miles  west  of 
Boonville.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Lymer  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Casper,  Boonville;  Sophia,  wife  of  George  Lang,  Boonville;  Rosa,  who 
married  Benjamin  Schroeder,  and  is  now  deceased ;  Caroline,  who  married 
George  Krammel,  and  lives  in  Oklahoma;  Henry,  married  Carrie  Kulow, 
and  is  living  at  Blackwater;  John,  deceased,  and  whose  widow  (who  was 
Minnie  Schubert  before  her  marriage),  now  lives  at  Boonville;  Mary,  wife 
of  Henry  Simmons,  Boonville ;  and  Minnie,  wife  of  William  Woolery, 
Otterville.  To  James  and  Dena  (Langlotz)  Lymer  six  children  have  been 
born :  James  William,  died  in  infancy ;  Herman  Earl,  at  home,  a  valued 
assistant  to  his  father;  Edgar,  died  in  infancy;  and  Robert  Henry,  Mar- 
garet Catherine  and  Wilbur  Lee.  The  Lymers  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  (South),  and  take  a  proper  part  in  church  work 
as  well  as  in  the  general  social  activities  of  the  neighborhood  in  which 
they  live. 

Charles  P.  Tutt,  of  Kelly  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  this  county  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  Oct.  29,  1858,  of  pioneer 


670  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

parents  and  is  a  descendant  of  colonial  ancestors.  Charles  P.  Tutt  is  the 
son  of  James  H.  and  Harriet  E.  (Hickox)  Tutt,  early  settlers  of  Cooper 
County.  James  H.  Tutt  was  a  native  of  Virginia;  he  was  born  in  Fau- 
quier County,  Jan.  21,  1830,  and  died  in  March,  1898.  He  came  to  Mis- 
souri with  his  parents,  Phillip  A.  and  Catherine  (Ashby)  Tutt,  in  1835. 
The  family  first  settled  in  Calloway  County  and  in  1836  came  to  Cooper 
County,  and  settled  in  Kelly  township  on  the  farm  that  is  now  owned  by 
Charles  P.  Tutt.  Phillip  A.  Tutt  bought  this  place  from  Thomas  Best 
for  $5  per  acre.  At  that  time  there  was  a  log  cabin  on  the  place  and  a 
few  acres  of  land  were  cleared.  Here  Phillip  Tutt  and  his  wife  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Phillip  Tutt  was  a  surveyor,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  served  as  surveyor  of  Cooper  County.  He  also  held  the  office  of 
judge  of  the  County  Court.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  his 
father,  John  Tutt,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  serving  with 
the  Virginian  troops.  Phillip  Tutt  was  one  of  four  brothers  who  came  to 
Missouri  together,  the  others  being  Dr.  Gabriel,  Col.  John,  and  Col. 
Richard  J.  They  came  down  the  Kanawha  River  to  the  Ohio  in  a  boat, 
and  from  there  the  younger  men  of  the  families  and  the  negro  slaves 
drove  across  the  country  to  St.  Louis  with  a  wagon  train,  while  the 
women  and  the  older  men  came  by  steamboat  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the 
Mississippi  Rivers  to  St.  Louis.  When  the  Tutt  family  came  to  Missouri 
they  brought  with  them  a  mare  which  was  a  descendant  of  the  famous 
running  horse,  "Imported  Whip,"  and  Charles  P.  Tutt  still  has  on  his 
place  descendants  of  that  animal. 

Harriet  E.  (Hickox)  Tutt,  mother  of  Charles  P.  Tutt,  was  born  in 
Cooper  County,  April  9,  1836,  and  died  May  21,  1898.  She  was  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  very  early  New  England  families.  Judith  Clark, 
who  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  with  the  Pilgrims  in  1620,  was  a  direct 
ancestor  of  Charles  P.  Tutt's  mother.  To  James  H.  and  Harriet  E. 
(Hickox)  Tutt  were  born  five  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
and  the  others  were  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  27  years,  and  Charles 
P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  P.  Tutt  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Cully  and 
Simpson  Academy,  and  Paris  Institute.  He  then  attended  William  Jewell 
College  at  Liberty,  Mo.,  from  1881  to  1883.  In  early  life  he  taught  school 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  has  practically  devoted  his  entire  attention  to 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  breeding  pure 
blood  Shorthorn  cattle,  Berkshire  hogs,  and  Cotswold  sheep,  and  has 
been  successfully  engaged  in  this  work  for  the  past  25  years.    His  stock 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  671 

has  recently  been  awarded  premiums  at  state  fairs  and  stock  shows,  and 
he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  successful  breeders  of  the  state.  His  father 
before  him  was  a  successful  stock  breeder. 

Charles  P.  Tutt  was  married  in  1892  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Grantham,  of 
Mexico,  Mo.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  A.  and  Mary  (Ford)  Grant- 
ham, early  settlers  of  St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tutt  have  been  bom  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Mary  E.,  married  Dr.  Silas  Barnes,  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  George  A., 
Bunceton,  Mo.,  married  Blanche  White;  Henry  was  in  an  officers'  training 
school  during  the  World  War  and  is  now  residing  at  home;  Claire,  a 
teacher  in  the  Pilot  Grove  school;  Frank  E.,  at  home;  Harriet,  at  home; 
and  Virginia,  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tutt  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Bunceton. 
Mr.  Tutt  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  leading  citizens  and  the  Tutt  family 
is  prominent  in  this  county. 

B.  F.  Hurt,  a  prominent  hardware  merchant  of  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Dec. 
19,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  C.  and  Celeste  Ann  (Holstein)  Hurt. 
The  Hurt  family  are  Cooper  County  pioneers.  Andrew  C.  Hurt  was  born 
in  Clarks  Fork  township  in  1844.  He  was  a  son  of  Benijah  Hurt,  who 
was  a  veiy  early  settler  in  that  section  of  the  county.  Benijah  Hurt  and 
his  wife  are  buried  in  the  Concord  Cemetery.  Celeste  Ann  (Holstein) 
Hurt  is  a  native  of  Illinois. 

Andrew  C.  Hurt  and  his  wife  now  reside  on  their  home  farm  in 
Clarks  Fork  township.  He  is  76  years  old  and  his  wife  is  66  years  of  age. 
Andrew  C.  Hurt  served  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil  War, 
under  "Fighting  Joe  Shelby." 

To  Andrew  C.  and  Celesta  Ann  (Holstein)  Burt  were  bom  the  fol- 
lowing children:  B.  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  James  A.,  North 
Moniteau  township;  William,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Dolphin  0.,  Clarks 
Fork  township,  and  Orbra  F.,  Hustonia,  Mo. 

B.  F.  Hurt  was  reared  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  remained  on  the  home  place  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  21  years  of  age.  He  then  engaged  in  the  carpenter  trade,  and  fol- 
lowed building  for  24  years.  In  1912  he  bought  the  Couchman  interest 
in  the  Moore  &  Couchman  Hardware  Store  at  Bunceton,  Mo.  He  con- 
tinued this  business  until  1916,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  the  Hawkins 
Hardware  Company.  In  March,  1917,  he  bought  the  Hunt  &  Co.  Hard- 
ware Store  in  Bunceton  and  has  since  successfully  conducted  that  busi- 


672  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ness.  He  carries  a  complete  line  of  hardware,  stoves  and  everything 
usually  found  in  a  modern  hardware  store.  He  also  sells  farming  imple- 
ments, carrying  the  Rock  Island  farm  implements.  He  is  a  progressive 
business  man  and  his  methods  are  modern  and  up  to  date,  and  by  his  fair 
dealing  and  reliable  representations   has  built  up  a  profitable  business. 

Mr.  Hurt  was  married  in  August,  1916,  to  Miss  Matilda  M.  Langkop, 
a  daughter  of  Ferdinand  Langkop,  a  Clarks  Fork  township  pioneer,  who 
is  now  deceased,  as  is  also  his  wife.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  have  been 
born  two  daughters,  Leona  Lois,  and  Clotilda  Margaret. 

Mr.  Hurt  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  having  been  made  a 
Mason  in  December,  1895,  at  Prairie  Home  Lodge.  While  he  does  not 
take  an  active  part  in  political  matters,  he  has  always  supported  the  poli- 
cies and  principles  of  the  democrat  party. 

Henry  0.  King. — An  inspection  of  the  splendid  farm  of  Henry  0. 
King,  of  Lone  Elm  Prairie  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  will  disclose  the  fact 
that  Mr.  King  is  a  real  farmer,  who  is  rarely  worried  about  the  success 
or  non-success  of  his  crops.  The  richness  of  the  soil  of  his  tract  of  80 
acres  and  the  additional  40  acres  which  he  is  tilling  will  attest  to  the  care 
which  he  has  bestowed  upon  the  land,  and  through  the  years  which  he 
has  owned  this  farm,  he  has  carefully  conserved  and  increased  the  fer- 
tility of  the  land.  During  the  season  of  1918,  when  the  corn  was  almost  a 
total  failure  in  Missouri,  Mr.  King  harvested  a  good  crop.  His  father, 
the  late  John  King,  who  was  the  first  of  the  farmers  of  German  birth  to 
settle  on  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  was  a  very  successful  farmer,  who  had  a  keen 
and  discerning  knowledge  of  how  best  to  get  the  maximum  yield  from 
Missouri  soil. 

Henry  0.  King  is  a  native  born  citizen  of  Cooper  County,  and  is  proud 
of  the  fact  that  his  54  years  have  all  been  spent  within  sight  and  sound  of 
his  birthplace.  He  was  bora  on  April  11,  1865,  on  the  Captain  Fricke  place, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sophia  King,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  He  attended  the  Lone  Elm  School,  and  when  but  a  boy 
he  assisted  his  father  in  the  farm  work.  After  his  marriage  in  1890, 
Mr.  King  settled  on  the  fine  farm  where  he  now  resides  and  reared  his 
family.  He  was  married  on  Jan.  28,  1890,  to  Miss  Maggie  Brandes, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Margaret  Brandes,  former  old  residents  of  this 
county.  Mrs.  Maggie  King  was  born  on  Aug.  26,  1868,  in  Cooper  County. 
Five  children  have  blessed  this  marriage:  Clarence,  who  is  assisting  his 
father  in  the  farm  work;  Stella,  wife  of  Walter  Turner,  of  the  Lone  Elm 
neighborhood;  Myrtle,  Martin,  and  Carl,  at  home.     Mr.  King  is  a  repub- 


HISTORY   OP  COOPER  COUNTY  673 

lican,  and  he  and  the  members  of  his  family  worship  at  the  Lone  Elm 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

John  W.  King,  proprietor  of  "Valley  View  Farm"  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  nine  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  president  of  the  Clarks  Fork 
Fire,  Lightning  and  Tornado  Insurance  Company,  formerly  and  for  years 
director  of  the  Washington  school  district  and  in  other  ways  prominently 
identified  with  the  best  interests  of  his  home  community,  one  of  the  most 
substantial  farmers  in  that  neighborhood,  was  bom  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  living  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  Oct.  13, 
1869,  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  (Nohrenberg)  "Koenke"  now  King,  both  of 
European  birth,  who  were  married  in  this  county,  established  their  home 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  their  son,  John,  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives. 

Jacob  King  was  born  July  18,  1817  and  was  a  native  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  which  at  the  time  of  his  birth  was  a  province  of  Denmark  but 
which  later  was  taken  over  by  Germany.  He  came  to  America  in  1857 
and  proceeded  on  out  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Cooper  County,  where  in 
1867  he  became  the  owner  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  John  and 
known  as  "Valley  View".  The  year  previous  (1866)  in  this  county  he 
married  Anna  Nohrenberg,  who  also  was  born  1851  in  Schleswig-Holstein 
and  who  had  come  here  in  1865  with  her  brother,  Peter  Nohrenberg. 
After  his  marriage  he  settled  on  the  farm  he  had  bought  and  proceeded 
to  develop  the  same.  For  some  time  his  brother-in-law,  Peter  Nohren- 
berg, also  made  his  home  there,  but  later  moved  over  into  Nebraska, 
where  he  is  now  living  retired.  Jacob  King  died  on  his  farm  in  Feb.  23, 
1878  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  15  years,  her  death  occurring 
in  Jan.  10,  1891,  and  both  are  buried  in  the  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran  ceme- 
tery. They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  first  born,  the  others  being  Christ  F.  King,  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  and  Henry  M.  King,  also  of  Clarks  Fork. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  John  W.  King  received  his  schooling  in  the 
Washington  district  school  and  has  ever  maintained  the  heartiest  possible 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  school  district,  for  19  years  serving  as 
director  of  the  same,  occupying  that  position  in  1904  when  the  present 
admirable  school  building  was  erected  there,  a  structure  to  which  he  gave 
his  most  thoughtful  care.  Mr.  King  has  always  advocated  the  employ- 
ment of  the  best  teachers  available  and  during  his  long  term  of  ser 
as  director  of  the  Washington  district  experienced  the  satisfaction  of 
(40) 


674  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

seeing  that  school  brought  up  to  the  highest  standard  of  efficiency.  Indeed, 
in  1916  this  school  was  declared  by  the  public  school  survey  to  be  the 
highest  type  of  country  school  in  Cooper  County,  this  approval  being 
based  both  on  architectural  features  and  curriculum,  and  as  Mr.  King  was 
one  of  the  most  consistent  and  unwearying  advocates  of  the  improve- 
ments on  which  this  high  approval  was  based  he  not  unnaturally  experi- 
enced a  very  proper  feeling  of  gratification.  After  his  marriage  in  1898 
Mr.  King  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  to  which  he  has 
given  the  name  of  "Valley  View  Farm",  suggestive  of  the  fine  view  up 
and  down  the  beautiful  valley  of  Clarks  Creek,  and  he  and  his  family  are 
very  pleasantly  situated  there.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr. 
King  has  long  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  at 
"Valley  View"  and  is  doing  well  in  his  operations.  He  also  gives  his 
earnest  attention  to  the  general  business  affairs  of  the  community  and  is 
president  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Fire,  Lightning  and  Tornado  Insurance  Com- 
pany, in  the  affairs  of  which  he  has  for  years  been  actively  interested  and 
the  growth  of  which  concern  he  has  done  much  to  promote.  This  com- 
pany was  organized  Nov.  15,  1892,  was  incorporated  on  Feb.  15,  1915,  and 
now  has  $1,500,000  of  insurance  covering  Cooper  County  farm  property, 
besides  $50,000  of  live-stock  insurance  and  has  a  widely  established  repu- 
tation for  prudence  of  management  and  promptness  and  fairness  of  set- 
tlements. Mr.  King  is  a  Republican  and  in  1914  was  the  nominee  of  his 
party  for  judge  of  the  County  Court,  his  candidacy  being  opposed  to  that 
of  Judge  Moore,  who  was  elected  to  succeed  himself  on  the  bench  in  that 
year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  are  members  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran 
Church  and  have  ever  given  proper  attention  to  church  affairs,  as  well  as 
to  the  general  social  activities  of  the  community  in  which  both  have  spent 
all  their  lives  and  to  the  best  interests  of  which  both  are  earnestly  devoted. 
Dec.  15,  1898,  John  W.  King  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Hoerl, 
also  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  sons  both,  Henry  Morton  King,  born  on  Oct.  22,  1899,  and  John 
Ewing  King,  Oct.  26,  1901,  both  of  whom  are  at  home,  valued  aids  to 
their  father  in  the  operations  of  "Valley  View  Farm".  Mrs.  King  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Kaiser)  Hoerl,  who  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Clarks  Fork  township,  this  county,  upon  coming  to  this  country  from 
Germany  in  the  days  not  long  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  and  who 
are  still  living  in  that  township,  now  making  their  home  with  their  eldest 
son,  Adolph  Hoerl,  who  is  now  owner  of  the  old  home  farm.     Besides  this 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  675 

son  and  Mrs.  King,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoerl  have  three  other  children,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Jenry,  of  Saline  township,  and  Leonard  and  Walter  Hoerl,  the 
former  a  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  the  latter  of  Prairie  Home 
township. 

William  Jacob  McFarland,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  of  this  county.  He  was 
born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Sept.  9,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  A.  W.  and 
Mary  Catherine  (Hurt)  McFarland,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this 
volume. 

William  Jacob  McFarland  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  has  been  a  farmer 
and  stockman  all  his  life.  His  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township  consists  of 
188  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  pretty  and  well  improved  farms  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  county.  The  residence  is  a  10-room,  two-story  structure,  and 
was  built  in  1907.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  well-kept  yard  with  several 
splendid  maple  trees,  which  Mr.  McFarland  planted  himself.  Mr.  Mc- 
Farland has  two  good  barns  on  his  place,  one  of  which  was  built  in  1900 
and  the  other  two  years  later.  He  also  has  a  silo  14x30  feet  which  he 
built  in  1914,  machine  shed,  garage  and  other  buildings  to  facilitate  mod- 
ern farming  methods,  are  to  be  found  on  the  place.  Mr.  McFarland 
bought  his  first  land,  which  consisted  of  70  acres,  in  1886;  later  he  pur- 
chased 85  acres,  to  which  he  subsequently  added  30  more.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  and  raises  cattle  and  hogs.  He  feeds  a  number  of  cattle 
each  year,  although  he  does  not  pretend  to  make  feeding  a  business. 

Mr.  McFarland  was  married  Nov.  2,  1884,  to  Miss  Mollie  Eller,  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Martha  Eller,  of  Boonville  township.  Her  parents 
are  both  deceased  and  their  remains  are  buried  in  the  Boonville  Ceme- 
tery. Mrs.  McFarland  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  par- 
ents: Nannie,  Bunceton,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Malvina  Shirley,  Palestine  township; 
Mrs.  Lucretia  Moore,  Palestine  township;  Mrs.  Bettie  Kepner,  Henry 
County,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Mattie  Knaus,  Henry  Co.;  Mollie,  married  to  William 
Jacob  McFarland,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  William,  Fayette,  Mo. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Percy  Eller,  died  at  the  age  of  19  years  in  1908;  Wilbur  J.,  a  farmer  in 
Clarks  Fork  township,  married  Chloe  Hobrecht,  who  died  in  Jan.,  1919; 
Eula  Marie,  married  William  Mersey,  who  served  with  the  35th  Division 
in  France  during  the  World  War  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Ar- 
gonne,  Marne.  Chateau  Thierry,  and  was  in  the  trenches  90  days  or  more; 


676  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mary,  resides  at  home  with  her  parents,  and  Alice,  is  a  student  in  the 
Boonville  High  School. 

Mr.  McFarland  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at 
Boonville,  and  the  McFarland  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Bethel.  Mr.  McFarland  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  all  matters  pei*taining  to  the  public  welfare  and  the 
advancement  of  the  community. 

David  VVendleton,  proprietor  of  a  well-improved  valley  farm  of  106 
acres  in  the  north  part  of  Palestine  township,  has  resided  on  his  farm  for 
the  past  40  years.  His  present  large  residence  was  built  to  replace  a 
house  which  had  been  built  by  former  owners,  and  was  80  years  standing. 
He  placed  the  last  addition  to  his  home  in  1893. 

Mr.  Wendleton  was  born  June  6,  1850,  on  a  farm  near  his  present 
home  place.  His  father,  David  Wendleton,  was  a  native  of  Holland,  who 
married  a  Miss  Sieback,  and  emigrated  from  his  native  country  in  1833. 
He  first  rented  land  from  Hiram  Corum,  and  later  purchased  a  farm, 
most  of  which  was  covered  with  timber.  He  cut  down  trees,  built  a  log 
cabin  from  the  cut  timber,  and  laboriously  cleared  the  ground  for  his 
crops.  When  he  first  bought  the  place  there  was  an  old  log  cabin  in  the 
clearing.  On  the  very  night  that  Mr.  Wendleton  had  made  his  prepara- 
tions to  move  in  with  his  belongings,  some  miscreant  set  fire  to  the  house 
and  it  burned  to  the  ground.  This  necessitated  the  building  of  a  new 
cabin.  David  Wendleton,  the  elder,  reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Cecilia,  deceased  wife  of  Fred  Nunn,  an  extensive  Cooper 
County  farmer;  John  H.,  deceased;  Archibald,  living  in  Bates  County, 
Mo. ;  William,  Fortuna,  Morgan  County,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Amelia  Allison,  living 
near  Proctor,  Me.;  David,  subject  of  this  review;  Henry,  a  large  land 
owner  in  Palestine  township. 

After  his  marriage  in  1877,  David  Wendleton  rented  land  for  three 
years  and  then  purchased  his  farm.  He  was  married  on  Nov.  14,  1877, 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Lowry,  who  was  born  in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  April  11, 
1855,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jehiel  and  Melissa  Lowry,  who  came  to  Cooper 
County,  Mo.,  in  1866.  Ten  children  have  blessed  this  marriage:  Alice  C, 
is  the  wife  of  T.  C.  Crosswhite,  Boonville;  Ada  Melissa  Clark  lives  in 
Boonville ;  one  child  died  in  infancy ;  William  Henry  died  in  November, 
1918;  Stella  Lee  is  at  home;  Lon  V.,  a  farmer  and  land  owner,  living  on 
the  former  Henry  Wendleton  home  place;  John  Estill,  a  student  in  the 
State  University,  Columbia,  was  a  member  of  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  during  the 


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PAVID    WENDUETON    AND    WIFE 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  677 

Worid  War.     Ollie  May  and  Forrest  Lowry  are  at  home;  Eugene  Monroe, 
is  deceased. 

Mr.  Wendleton  is  a  democrat;  has  reared  one  of  the  large  families 
in  Cooper  County,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  native  born  pioneer 
residents  of  Cooper  County,  who  is  highly  respected  in  the  county. 

Erie  S.  Mills,  proprietor  of  "Fair  View  Stock  Farm,"  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  prominent  farmers  and  stockmen, 
and  a  descendant  of  an  early  pioneer  family  of  this  county.  Mr.  Mills 
was  bom  in  Prairie  Home  township  on  the  farm  known  as  "Dunlora," 
April  7,  1864.  His  parents  were  Henry  W.  and  Susan  V.  (Lewis)  Mills, 
natives  of  Virginia.  Henry  W.  Mills  was  born  July  27,  1815,  and  died 
Feb.  12,  1898.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1842,  and  after  living  about 
a  year  in  Saline  township,  he  went  to  Mississippi,  and  two  years  later 
returned  to  Cooper  County.  He  acquired  a  great  deal  of  land  and  at  one 
time  was  the  owner  of  1640  acres.  He  was  a  very  successful  stockman 
and  general  farmer.  He  was  married  shortly  after  coming  to  Cooper 
County,  Aug.  20,  1842,  to  Miss  Susan  V.  Lewis.  She  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia in  1825  and  died  Feb.  14,  1896.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  Q. 
Lewis,  who  was  a  very  early  settler  in  Cooper  County  in  the  thirties.  To 
Henry  W.  and  Susan  V.  (Lewis)  Mills  were  born  the  following  children: 
William  H.,  died  at  the  age  of  70  years ;  Charles  T.,  died  at  the  age  of  40 ; 
James  T.,  died  at  the  age  of  65;  Hunter  N.,  died  at  the  age  of  65;  Au- 
gustus K.,  Boonville,  Mo.;  Judge  J.  Add,  died  at  the  age  of  60;  Walker 
M.,  died  at  the  age  of  24;  Erie  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary  and 
Bettie,  twins,  the  former  dying  at  the  age  of  20,  and  the  latter  married 
R.  E.  Maxwell,  who  is  now  deceased;  Florence  M.,  married  O.  C.  Byler, 
and  is  now  deceased;  Helena,  married  John  E.  Elliott,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased; and  Carrie  Lee,  married  Dr.  J.  D.  Potts,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  All  of 
these  children  were  married  and  reared  families,  excepting  Walker  M. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hemy  W.  Mills  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary Aug.  20,  1892,  and  on  this  occasion  there  were  present  65  grand- 
children, and  six  great  grandchildren.  A  few  days  after  the  wedding 
anniversary,  United  States  Senator  Roger  Q.  Mills,  a  cousin  of  Henry  W. 
Mills,  made  him  a  visit,  which  was  the  occasion  of  another  reunion  of  the 
Mills  family. 

Erie  S.  Mills  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life  occupation,  and  is  one 
of  the  thorough  and  pi-actical  stockmen  and  fanners  of  Cooper  County. 


678  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

He  has  lived  on  his  present  place  since  Jan.  19,  1887.  Here  he  owns  290 
acres  of  land  which  is  well  improved  and  under  high  state  of  cultivation. 
It  is  located  just  north  of  Clarks  Fork  store  on  the  Jefferson  City  road. 
The  place  is  well  watered,  having  an  inexhaustible  well,  178  feet  deep, 
and  Clarks  Fork  Creek  courses  its  way  across  the  place.  The  farm  resi- 
dence is  a  large  well  built  structure  and  Mr.  Mills  has  erected  two  new 
stock  barns  within  recent  years.  He  keeps  high  grade  Angus  cattle, 
Shropshire  sheep,  and  Big  Bone  Poland  China  hogs  crossed  with  Duroc 
Jerseys.  He  is  an  extensive  feeder,  and  has  made  this  branch  of  animal 
husbandry  profitable. 

Erie  S.  Mills  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  3,  1884,  to  Miss  Annie  L. 
Tucker,  a  daughter  of  J.  W.  and  Virginia  A.  Tucker.  The  Tucker  family 
were  pioneers  of  Saline  township.  The  father  died  in  1885,  and  the 
mother  now  resides  at  Marshall,  Mo.  Mrs.  Mills  has  one  sister,  Mrs. 
E.  G.  Utz,  of  Marshall,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Layton  Tucker;  Erie  H. ;  Roger  Q.,  and  Virginia,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Mills  has  been  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Walnut 
Grove  since  he  was  14  years  old,  and  has  been  an  elder  for  20  years.  The 
Mills  family  are  all  members  of  the  Christian  Church  and  the  youngest 
son,  Roger  Q.,  is  also  a  deacon.  Since  Mr.  Mills  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Walnut  Grove  Church,  he  has  seen  three  different  church  buildings 
erected  on  the  same  ground  and  dedicated.  June  5,  1916,  a  cyclone  de- 
stroyed the  church,  which  had  been  built  three  years  previously,  and  it 
was  immediately  reconstructed.  Mr.  Mills  has  some  very  interesting 
family  heir-looms,  and  historical  documents  in  his  possession,  one  of 
which  is  a  list  of  his  grandfather's  children,  Dr.  William  Mills,  dated 
March  8,  1774.  It  was  written  with  a  quill,  and  is  a  specimen  of  perfect 
penmanship.  He  also  has  an  old  deed  made  out  to  a  member  of  the  Mills 
family  under  date  1760. 

The  Mills  family  is  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  which  Cooper 
County  takes  a  just  pride  and  Erie  S.  Mills  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  this  county. 

Vivian  Hunter  Mills,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Saline 
township,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  Cooper 
County.  Mr.  Mills  was  born  in  Saline  township,  Dec.  9,  1888.  He  is  a 
son  of  Hunter  N.  and  Mary  Ella  (Thomas)  Mills,  both  natives  of  Cooper 
County.  More  extensive  mention  of  the  Mills  family  is  made  in  connec- 
tion with  the  sketch  of  Robert  William  Mills  and  Erie  S.  Mills,  which  ap- 
pears in  this  volume. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  679 

Vivian  H.  Mills  was  reared  in  Saline  township  and  educated  in  the 
Fairview  district  school  and  the  Boonville  High  School.  He  was  then  em- 
ployed in  a  wholesale  dry  goods  store  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  for  one  year. 
He  then  returned  to  Cooper  County  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  moved  to  his  present  place,  which  is  a  part  of  his  father's 
old  homestead,  in  1914.  His  farm  consists  of  250  acres.  All  the  build- 
ings are  practically  new,  having  been  built  since  1914.  The  residence  is 
a  modern  cottage  of  eight  rooms,  with  spacious  porches,  with  a  neatly 
kept  and  nicely  fenced  yard.  The  other  farm  buildings  include  a  metal 
bam  45x50  feet,  metal  garage,  grain  barn,  machine  shed,  ice  house  and  a 
tile  silo.  All  in  splendid  condition,  which  gives  to  the  place  an  excellent 
appearance.  In  addition  to  general  farming,  Mr.  Mills  raises  and  feeds 
cattle  and  also  pure  bred  Duroc  Jersey  hogs.  He  ships  about  two  car- 
loads of  hogs  annually,  and  about  one  and  one-half  carloads  of  cattle. 
Mrs.  Mills  is  interested  in  the  poultry  industry  and  has  about  250  Rhode 
Island  Red  chickens.  She  makes  a  specialty  of  furnishing  eggs  for  hatch- 
ing purposes,  for  which  she  receives  from  $1.00  to  $3.00  per  setting. 
The  Mills  farm  is  well  equipped  for  the  poultry  business,  having  a  modern 
metal  poultry  house. 

Vivian  H.  Mills  was  married  Sept.  17,  1914,  to  Miss  Martha  Shannon, 
a  daughter  of  E.  B.  and  Jennie  (Johnston)  Shannon,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhei'e  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Mills  is  one  of  the  following  chil- 
dren bom  to  her  parents:  Martha,  wife  of  Vivian  H.  Mills,  subject  of 
this  sketch ;  Lewis,  Georgia,  and  Noye.  By  a  former  marriage  of  E.  B. 
Shannon,  the  following  children  were  bom :  R.  A.,  and  E.  M.  Mrs.  Mills 
was  bom  in  Clarks  Fork  township  in  1891,  educated  in  the  Washington 
school  district,  and  the  Boonville  High  School,  where  she  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1909.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County 
and  stand  high  among  their  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Lawrence  C.  Meyer,  a  progressive  young  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
this  county.  He  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Aug.  25,  1883,  and  is  a  son 
of  George  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Molan)  Meyer,  a  more  extensive  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Lawrence  C.  Meyer  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  on  his  father's  farm.  He  received  his  education  in  the  Fair- 
view  School  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  later  attended  the  Kemper 
Military  School  at  Boonville.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his 
chief  occupation,  and  has  met  with  success  in  his  undertaking,  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  Cooper  County's  citizens  of  sterling  worth. 


680  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mr.  Meyer  was  united  in  marriage,  Aug.  30,  1904,  with  Miss  Pauline 
Mills,  a  daughter  of  James  T.  and  Bettie  Mills,  pioneer  settlers  of  Saline 
township,  Cooper  County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  have  been  born  four 
children,  as  follows:  James  Henry,  born  June  26,  1905;  Randall  W.,  bom 
Feb.  8,  1907 ;  Lawrence,  Jr.,  born  Oct.  26,  1910 ;  and  Doris  Elizabeth,  born 
Aug.  27,  1917. 

Mr.  Meyer  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  of 
Clarks  Fork  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  Mrs.  Meyer 
belongs  to  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  are  well  and 
favorably  known  in  the  community,  and  rank  high  in  Cooper  County  for 
their  integrity  and  worth. 

William  John  Cochran. — The  individual  success  of  a  worthy  citizen 
is  deserving  of  attention  and  should  be  a  matter  of  record  in  the  history 
of  his  native  county.  W.  J.  Cochran,  contractor  and  builder,  Boonville, 
has  won  a  place  in  the  business  world  of  Cooper  County  and  central  Mis- 
souri, second  to  no  man  in  his  vocation.  Born  in  Cooper  County,  his 
father  before  him  having  been  a  builder  and  contractor,  Mr.  Cochran  has 
forged  to  the  front  by  the  exercise  of  diligence,  energy,  good  financial 
judgment  and  management,  and  the  policy  of  giving  to  a  patron  the  maxi- 
mum service  in  a  strictly  honest  and  capable  manner.  W.  J.  Cochi'an  was 
born  in  Boonville,  Oct.  1,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Cochran,  a  native  of 
North  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  17  years,  with 
his  parents,  John  and  Elizabeth  Cochran.  The  Cochrans  first  settled  at 
Patterson,  N.  J.,  and  one  year  later  came  to  Cooper  County,  where  John 
Cochran   (I)   followed  farming  pursuits  south  of  Boonville. 

John  Cochran  (II),  father  of  W.  J.  Cochran,  was  reared  in  this  county, 
and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  under  Marcus  Williams.  He  engaged 
in  business  for  himself  as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  the  fall  of  1865. 
Prior  to  this  he  had  served  as  a  Union  soldier,  as  corporal  of  his  company, 
and  for  three  years  he  fought  to  uphold  the  Union  authority  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  At  first,  he  had  a  small  shop  and  began  on  a  small 
scale.  During  the  building  era  which  followed  the  Civil  War,  he  pros- 
pered, and  remained  in  active  business  until  his  retirement  in  1904.  John 
Cochran  was  born  June  16,  1834,  and  died  Dec.  13,  1899.  When  a  young 
man  he  married  Mary  E.  Brown,  who  was  born  April  2,  1834,  in  Flemings- 
burg,  Ky.,  and  departed  this  life  in  Jan.,  1911.  John  and  Mary  E.  Cochran 
were  parents  of  seven  children,  only  four  of  whom  were  reared:  Mrs. 
Fred  J.  Faris,  of  Kansas  City;  William  John  Cochran,  of  this  review; 


W.   J.   COCHRAN 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  681 

Mamie,  wife  of  George  E.  Sapp,  Boonville  township;  Mrs.  Frank  H.  Her- 
ron,  Lees  Summit,  Mo. 

When  W.  J.  Cochran  was  12  years  old  he  began  work  under  his 
father,  and  the  only  schooling  he  obtained  from  that  time  on  was  by 
attending  night  schools.  He  learned  the  builders'  trade  under  his  father, 
and  remained  in  his  father's  employ  until  he  was  24  years  old.  From 
October,  1899,  to  May  13,  1900,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  building  depart- 
ment of  the  Missouri  Training  School  as  superintendent  He  then  fol- 
lowed his  vocation  on  his  own  account  and  established  his  first  shop  on 
Main  Street.  In  1902,  he  located  in  an  old  wholesale  building  in  front  of 
the  courthouse  and  remained  there  until  1905,  when  he  purchased  the 
planing  mill  now  owned  and  operated  by  him  on  High  Street.  Mr.  Coch- 
ran's operations  as  a  general  contractor  and  builder  have  been  extensive. 
He  employs  from  40  to  100  men,  and  his  payroll  runs  into  thousands  of 
dollars.  He  has  erected  many  large  buildings  in  Cooper  and  Howard 
Counties  and  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  For  the  past  13  years  he  has 
been  doing  special  road  work  for  Cooper  County,  and  has  done  consider- 
able railroad  work  in  the  vicinity  of  Boonville.  Among  the  buildings 
which  he  has  erected  under  contract  are  the  Cooper  County  courthouse, 
$115,000;  the  Frederick  Hotel,  $40,000;  the  Victor  building,  $40,000;  the 
County  Home  for  Indigents,  $25,000;  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  build- 
ing, $12,000;  Kemper  Military  School  building,  $35,000;  remodeling  old 
Kemper  building  and  gymnasium,  $13,000;  new  barracks  building  at 
Kemper  School,  $35,000;  Kemper  power  plant  and  armory,  remodeled, 
$2,500 ;  bam  at  Kemper,  $2,300 ;  sewer  through  the  Kemper  grounds,  540 
feet,  $3,000;  grading  for  the  school,  $5,000;  barracks  building  and  bar- 
racks, $200,000;  the  Armour  &  Company's  packing  house,  $22,000;  the 
Hirsch  Wholesale  Grocery  Company  warehouse,  No.  2,  $7,000;  the  Harri- 
man  garage,  $9,000;  the  Brownfield  garage,  $9,000;  the  E.  M.  Mueller 
residence,  $12,000;  the  George  Roeder  residence,  $7,000;  the  E.  A.  Wind- 
sor residence,  $12,000 ;  the  Pigott  residence,  $8,000 ;  and  a  splendid  brick 
residence  of  his  own  on  Morgan  Street.  Mr.  Cochran  also  rebuilt  the 
A.  H.  Sauter  residence  and  the  Captain  Harris  and  Johnston  homes  and 
many  others,  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Nov.  11,  1890,  W.  J.  Cochran  and  Miss  Mattie  Calloway  Harrison 
were  united  in  marriage.  To  this  union  have  been  born  children  as  fol- 
lows: Laura  Mary,  wife  of  W.  B.  Whitlow,  a  practicing  attorney  at  Ful- 
ton, Mo.;  Jessie  Pauline  Cochran  is  her  father's  office  assistant;  Augusta 


682  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Hazel  Cochran  is  at  home;  William  John  Cochran,  Jr.,  is  assisting  his 
father  in  his  business ;  Doris  Aline,  James  Robert,  and  Charles  Harrison 
are  at  home.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  in  Boonville,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Laura  Lundy  Harrison,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Old  Franklin,  Mo.,  and  the  latter  was  a  native  of 
Maysville,  Ky.  William  H.  Harrison  was  a  son  of  Cosby  Berryman  Har- 
rison, who  married  Mary  Calloway,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mildred 
Calloway.  William  Calloway  was  a  son  of  James  and  Susanna  (White) 
Calloway,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  development  of  the  West,  William  H.  Harrison  was  a 
plains  freighter.  He  made  three  trips  across  the  Plains  with  Mr.  Whit- 
low, and  for  several  years  he  drove  the  mail  coach  to  Lexington,  Warsaw, 
and  Springfield.  He  held  various  mail  carrying  contracts  with  the  Gov- 
ernment and  made  a  business  of  operating  mail  routes  and  running  stage 
coaches. 

Mr.  Cochran  is  an  independent  republican.  He  and  his  family  wor- 
ship at  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  Blue  Lodge,  and  Commandery,  and  the  Mystic 
Shrine  of  Sedalia  and  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cochran  and 
daughters,  Jessie  Pauline,  Mrs.  Laura  Whitlow  and  Hazel  Cochran  are 
members  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  and  Miss  Jessie  Pauline  and  Laura 
and  Mrs.  Cochran  are  members  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

Mr.  Cochran  has  also  achieved  a  reputation  as  a  farmer  and  breeder 
of  live  stock,  and  of  late  years  he  is  credited  with  taking  more  interest  in 
his  farming  operations  than  his  contracting  business,  which  he  is  shift- 
ing somewhat  to  younger  shoulders.  How  he  became  a  farmer  can  be 
explained  from  the  standpoint  of  necessity,  although  he  is  descended 
from  forebears  who  were  tillers  of  the  soil  and  agriculture  comes  natur- 
ally to  him.  His  contracting  operations  require  that  he  maintain  a  large 
stable  of  from  10  to  22  teams  of  draft  animals.  With  the  outbreak' of  the 
World  War  and  the  rise  in  the  price  of  feed  for  live  stock,  as  well  as 
everything  else  under  the  sun,  the  problem  of  providing  provender  for 
so  many  animals  became  a  serious  problem,  and  the  cost  of  the  feeding 
threatened  to  wipe  out  the  profits  of  his  business.  He  thereupon  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  engaged  in  farming  on  a  considerable  scale  on  a  tract 
of  231  acres  in  Boonville  township,  besides  renting  additional  land.  For 
several  years  most  of  his  land  has  been  devoted  to  raising  hay  and  corn. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  683 

and  during  1918  he  cut  over  140  acres  of  hay.  A  misfortune  befell  his 
farm  in  1918.  A  fire  destroyed  practically  all  of  the  buildings  in  June, 
and  he  suffered  a  loss  of  $10,000  in  buildings  and  harness,  etc.  Mr.  Coch- 
ranran  is  specializing,  as  all  good  farmers  do,  and  is  building  up  a  fine  herd 
of  pure-bred  Shorthorn  cattle  and  a  fine  drove  of  big  boned  Poland  China 
hogs. 

One  of  the  most  important  contracts  which  Mr.  Cochran  has  only 
recently  undertaken,  and  one  which  has  a  bearing  on  the  industrial  devel- 
opment of  Boonville,  is  the  erection  of  the  new  factory  of  the  Hamilton- 
Brown  Shoe  Company.  This  contract  calls  for  an  initial  cost  of  $73,000, 
exclusive  of  foundation,  which  Mr.  Cochran  has  also  undertaken,  and 
outside  fixing  of  the  grounds,  heating  and  lighting,  etc.  The  factory  when 
completed  will  have  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $115,000,  all  of  which 
money  will  have  been  spent  in  Boonville  for  labor  and  materials. 

Henry  Lohse,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  was  born  near  Prairie  Home,  Oct.  12,  1877.  He  is  a  son  of 
Fred  and  Anna  (Smith)  Lohse.  The  mother  died  about  25  years  ago, 
and  the  father  now  resides  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  at  the  age  of  76  years. 

Henry  Lohse  was  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Washington  School.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising 
his  life's  work,  and  has  met  with  uniform  success  in  his  undertaking. 
He  purchased  his  present  place,  which  consists  of  200  acres,  in  1905. 
This  property  was  formerly  owned  by  Henry  Fredmeyer.  It  is  located 
about  12  miles  south  of  Boonville  and  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of 
Cooper  County.  The  place  is  well  improved,  with  good,  substantial  barns, 
silo,  and  other  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Lohse  has  recently  erected  a  splendid 
eight-room,  modern  residence,  and,  altogether,  the  Lohse  place  is  one  of 
the  best  improved  in  the  county.  While  Mr.  Lohse  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  he  specializes  in  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Spotted 
Poland  China  hogs,  and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  successful  breeders 
of  the  county. 

Dec.  11,  1902,  Henry  Lohse  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Chris- 
tine Kahle,  daughter  of  William  and  Hanna  (Conrad)  Kahle,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  The  father  came  here  when  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  and 
settled  with  his  parents  at  Lone  Elm,  where  he  still  resides.  To  William 
and  Hannah  Kahle  were  born  the  following  children:  Lizzie,  married 
Herman  Oldendorf,  Boonville;  Mrs.  Clarence  Hosp,  Boonville;  Mrs.  Min- 
nie Twillman,  Bunceton ;  Christine,  the  wife  of  Henry  Lohse ;  Stella,  who 
resides  at  home  with  her  parents ;  Henry,  Bunceton ;  Albert  and  Herman, 


684  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

twins;  Adolph;  William  and  Anna  Pauline,  deceased.  Herman  Kahle  is 
now  serving  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France.  He  enlisted 
in  Sept.,  1917,  and  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston,  Kans.  He  went  to  France 
in  April,  1918,  being  a  member  of  the  356th  Infantry,  89th  Division.  He 
took  part  in  much  of  the  severe  fighting  during  the  latter  months  of  the 
war,  and  was  severely  gassed  at  one  time.  He  was  in  a  hospital  in  France 
when  the  armistice  was  signed.  He  received  his  honorable  discharge  in 
June,  1919,  and  is  now  at  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohse  has  been  born 
one  daughter,  Lorene. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohse  are  well  known  in  the  community,  and  are  recog- 
nized as  being  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  Cooper  County.  They 
are  both  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Clarks  Fork. 

Charles  Christian  Cook. — Hard  work  and  keeping  everlastingly  at 
the  task  at  hand  until  it  was  accomplished  has  placed  Charles  C.  Cook, 
of  Clarks  Fork  township,  in  a  position  of  independence  as  a  successful 
farmer  and  stockman.  Mr.  Cook  is  owner  of  115  acres  of  good  land,  and 
is  one  of  the  young  men  who  have  been  befriended  and  assisted  in  getting 
a  start  in  an  agricultural  career  by  Charles  C.  Bell,  of  Boonville.  Mr. 
Cook's  farm  is  improved  with  a  handsome  and  imposing  residence  of  10 
rooms,  modern  in  every  respect,  and  was  erected  in  1915  and  1916.  The 
house  is  fitted  with  a  basement  of  four  rooms  underneath  the  entire 
structure,  and  is  built  for  comfort  as  well  as  appearance.  Charles  C. 
Cook  was  born  in  Boonville,  June  1,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Cath- 
erine (Bell)  Cook  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  sister  of  Charles  C.  Bell,  of 
Boonville,  and  was  born  in  1845  and  died  in  1897. 

Adam  Cook  was  born  in  Germany  in  1846  and  departed  this  life  in 
1876.  He  came  to  Boonville  when  a  young  man  and  plied  his  trade  of 
blacksmith  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  in  the  Union 
Army,  and  was  among  the  first  volunteers  to  offer  their  services  to  the 
Union  under  General  Siegel.  He  fought  in  the  battle  of  Wilsons  Creek 
during  his  first  three  months'  service.  He  then  i-e-enlisted  for  thi-ee 
years  and  served  under  General  Grant.  He  participated  in  the  siege  and 
capture  of  Vicksburg,  and  fought  at  the  battles  of  Fort  Pillow  and  the 
Seven  Days'  Battle  of  the  Wilderness.  He  was  with  Sherman's  command 
on  the  famous  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea.  He  served,  in  all,  three 
years  and  three  months,  and  after  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  he 
returned  to  St.  Louis  and  hired  himself  out  as  a  substitute  for  a  rich 
merchant  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Cook  married  upon  returning  from  the  war  and  was  father  of 
two  children:    Charles  C,  of  this  review,  and  J.  W.  Cook,  somewhere  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  685 

the  West.  He  plied  his  trade  of  blacksmith  at  Boonville  and  Bunceton, 
then  went  to  Kansas  and  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land,  built  a  home  for 
his  family,  and  died  there.  His  family  was  left  in  poor  circumstances, 
and  stayed  with  Henry  Bell  until  Charles  C.  Bell  came,  found  them,  and 
took  mother  and  children  back  to  Boonville.  For  one  and  a  half  years, 
Charles  C.  Cook  lived  in  the  home  of  John  E.  Elliot.  He  was  employed  by 
Julius  Hosp  and  H.  Fredmeyer  for  about  seven  and  a  half  years.  In 
1890,  with  the  assistance  of  his  uncle,  Charles  C.  Bell,  he  purchased  his 
farm. 

In  1892,  Mr.  Cook  was  married  to  Sarah  C.  Stegner,  who  was  born 
July  6,  1870,  in  Cooper  County,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Stegner, 
concerning  whose  biography  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of  Marion 
Stegner.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Charles  C.  and  Sarah  C.  Cook, 
as  follows:  Louis  C,  Minnie  Mabel,  Mary  Ellen,  Nellie  Frances,  and 
Charles  C.  Jr.  Mary  Ellen  Cook  was  married  June  3,  1918,  to  Ernest 
Walters,  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer,  living  west  of  Boonville. 

Mr.  Cook  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  and  a  deacon  of  the  Mt. 
Hermon  Baptist  Church,  and  is  affiliated  with  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica, Lodge  No.  3701. 

Henry  Mersey,  a  leading  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, is  a  Cooper  County  citizen  of  real  worth.  He  was  born  in  Germany, 
Aug.  21,  1854,  a  son  of  Henry  Mersey,  and  was  one  of  the  following  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents:  Mrs.  Maggie  Middlecamp,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary 
Grapherhouse,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Beckerman ;  and  Henry,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Henry  Mersey  left  his  native  land  when  he  was  about  18  years  of 
age,  in  1872,  and  immigrated  to  America.  He  first  settled  in  St.  Louis, 
where  he  remained  about  two  years,  and  in  1874  came  to  Boonville, 
Cooper  County,  where  for  a  few  years  he  sought  employment  as  a  farm 
laborer.  Here  he  worked  for  $14.00  per  month.  He  was  industrious  and 
frugal  and  saved  his  earnings,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  was  able  to 
invest  in  a  farm  and  make  the  initial  payment.  He  purchased  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  10  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  on  the  Jefferson 
City  road,  in  1893.  This  was  formerly  the  J.  S.  Johnston  farm,  and  con- 
sists of  174  acres  of  well  improved  farm  land. 

Feb.  28,  1881,  Henry  Mersey  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cath- 
erine Wehmeyer,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Helena  (Fiedler)  Wehmeyt -r. 
The  father  was  a  Civil  War  veteran,  having  served  in  the  Union  Army  for 
three  years  during  that  great  conflict.    He  Avas  a  native  of  Germany,  born 


686  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

at  Westphalia,  May  6,  1834,  and  came  to  America  when  he  was  about  20 
years  of  age,  in  1854.  He  located  in  Cooper  County,  and  settler  on  the 
place  in  1864  which  is  now  owned  by  Robert  Byler.  Here  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock  raising  for  many  years,  and  attained  a  very  satis- 
factory degree  of  success.  He  died  Feb.  20,  1913,  at  the  age  of  78  years. 
His  wife  departed  this  life  June  19,  1899,  at  the  age  of  65  years,  and 
their  remains  are  interred  in  Clarks  Fork  Cemetery.  She  was  bom  at 
Bayem,  Germany,  March  13,  1835,  and  was  married  May  15,  1859.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Catherine,  born  Feb.  23, 
1860,  wife  of  Henry  Mersey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Sophia,  wife  of 
Henry  Honerbrink,  Saline  township,  born  Feb.  21,  1862;  Miss  Maggie 
Wehmeyer,  Clarks  Fork  township,  born  April  30,  1866;  Minnie,  bora  Aug. 

16,  1870,  wife  of  J.  P.  Heath,  Prarie  Home  township ;  Caroline,  bora  Aug. 

17,  1872,  wife  of  Albert  Adair,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Lena  L.,  born  Sept. 
25.  1881,  wife  of  Herman  Rethemeyer. 

To  Henry  and  Catherine  (Wehmeyer)  Mersey  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  George,  farmer  and  stockman,  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship; Herman  J.,  a  carpenter,  Pilot  Grove;  Fred  L.,  Boonville;  Elmer  E., 
who  served  in  the  United  States  Army  during  the  World  War,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  10th  Infantry,  69th  Division,  and  was  at  Camp 
Funston  when  the  war  closed;  William  H.,  who  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  Army,  Sept.  19,  1917,  and  became  a  member  of  Company  I,  138th 
Infantry,  35th  Division,  went  to  France  in  May,  1918,  and  saw  much 
active  service  with  his  division,  having  been  on  the  firing  line  for  seventy- 
two  consecutive  days,  and  was  discharged  from  the  service  May  12,  1919, 
at  Camp  Funston;  Julius  J.,  enlisted  in  United  States  Navy  during  the 
World  War  in  May,  1918,  and  served  until  Feb.,  1919,  when  he  received 
his  honorable  discharge  on  account  of  the  close  of  the  war,  and  is  now 
residing  at  home  with  his  parents ;  Robert  L.,  and  Maggie,  also  residing 
at  home  with  their  parents. 

Herman  J.  was  born  Sept.  15,  1883 ;  married  Grace  Swanson.  George 
Mersey  was  born  Jan.  18,  1882;  married  Emma  Ohlendorf,  and  has  one 
child,  Ruth  Irene.  Elmer  E.  was  born  Dec.  24,  1890;  married  Myrtle 
Ramsey.  Fred  L.  was  born  Oct.  12,  1885.  William  H.  was  born  April 
12,  1893 ;  married  Eula  McFarland.  Henrietta  was  born  July  28,  and  died 
Aug.  2,  1895.  Julius  was  born  July  31,  1896.  Robert  was  born  April  19, 
1899.    Margaret  Elizabeth  was  born  Jan.  6,  1888. 

Mr.  Mersey  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  valued  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens,  and  the  Mersey  family  stand  high  in  the  community. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  687 

Mr.  Mersey  has  been  identified  with  Cooper  County  for  over  47  years,  and 
has  proven  himself  to  be  a  worthy  citizen  and  has  reared  a  family  which 
is  not  only  a  credit  to  Cooper  County,  but  to  the  State  and  Nation.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mersey  and  the  children  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Clarks  Fork. 

Amos  B.  Gentry. — The  Gentry  family  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  settlement  of  Missouri,  and  members  of  this  family  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  Howard  County,  which  perhaps  was  the  first  set- 
tlement of  the  Gentrys  in  this  State.  Later  members  of  this  family  set- 
tled in  other  counties  in  this  section  of  the  State,  including  Cooper. 

Amos  B.  Gentry  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Jan.  29,  1844.  He  is  a 
son  of  Claybourne  S.  and  Nancy  (Detherage)  Gentry,  both  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  very  early  settlers  in  Howard  County.  However,  after 
spending  a  few  years  in  Howard  County,  they  came  to  Cooper  County  in 
1859,  where  both  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were 
natives  of  Madison  County,  Ky.,  and  C.  S.  Gentry  was  prominent  in  the 
early  day  affairs  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Lodge  for  42  years.  He  died  in  1899  at  the  age  of  80  years,  and  his  re- 
mains are  interred  in  the  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery.  His  wife  preceded 
him  in  death  many  years,  she  having  passed  away  in  1857  in  Howard 
County,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  the  Detherage  family  cemetery. 

Amos  B.  Gentry  received  his  education  mostly  in  private  schools,  and 
was  reared  to  manhood  in  Howard  and  Cooper  Counties.  In  1874  he  pur- 
chased his  present  place,  which  is  located  nine  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville,  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  The  farm  is  known  as  "Cedar  Grove 
Farm,"  is  of  116.44  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  well  kept  and  valuable  farms 
of  this  section  of  Cooper  County.  The  place  is  well  improved  and  the 
farm  residence  is  a  substantial  and  well  preserved  building,  which  was 
built  over  60  years  ago. 

January  5,  1869,  Amos  B.  Gentry  was  united  in  marriage  at  Bunce- 
ton,  with  Miss  Susan  M.  Woodson,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Louisa 
(Shackelford)  Woodson,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  pioneer  settlers 
in  Cooper  County.  They  are  both  now  deceased,  the  mother  having  died 
Feb.  8,  1867,  and  the  father  survived  her  a  number  of  years  and  died  at 
Bunceton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gentry  have  been  born  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Louisa,  resides  at  home  with  her  parents;  Capt.  Herschel,  a  sur- 
geon in  United  States  Army,  was  stationed  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  having 
volunteered  his  services  in  Oct.,  1918,  and  received  a  commission  as  cap- 
tain, discharged  in  May,  1919,  and  is  now  practicing  surgery  at  Carthage, 


688  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mo.;  Osie,  married  J.  E.  Moss  and  resides  in  Boone  county;  Archie  L., 
resides  on  the  home  place;  and  Nannie  L.,  also  resides  at  home  with  her 
parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gentry  have  three  grandchildren,  Margaret  G. 
Moss;  Catherine  May  Moss;  and  Roy  Woodson  Moss. 

The  Gentrys  originally  came  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  and  for 
many  years  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  affairs  of  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri. They  are  of  English  descent.  Amos  B.  Gentry  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  Madison  County,  Ky.,  and  after  serving 
three  months,  was  taken  prisoner  and  later  paroled.  He  is  a  democrat, 
and  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

George  E.  Bowmer,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks 
Fork  township,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  is  a  descendent  of  some  of  the 
early  pioneer  families  of  this  State.  He  was  born  in  Howard  County, 
Nov.  7,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Mahan  and  Luranier  Ruth  (Wilcoxen) 
Bowmer.  James  M.  Bowmer  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Feb.  29,  1832. 
He  was  a  son  of  Peter  Bowmer,  a  native  of  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  and 
came  to  Missouri  in  1816.  He  lived  in  Missouri  at  a  time  when  Indian 
uprisings  were  frequent,  and  on  occasions  was  forced  to  take  refuge  with 
the  other  settlers  in  forts  for  defense  against  the  attacks  of  hostile 
Indians.  He  was  one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of  Howard  County.  He 
married  Catherine  Mahan,  whose  father,  Patrick  Mahan,  was  one  of  the 
very  early  settlers  of  Cooper  County,  and  lived  in  Lebanon  township. 
He  operated  a  sawmill  near  Pilot  Grove  in  the  early  days.  He  built  the 
first  bridge  across  the  Petit  Saline  Creek.  This  bridge  was  five  miles 
south  of  Boonville. 

James  Mahan  Bowmer  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Mexican  War,  and 
when  he  reached  St.  Louis  peace  was  declared.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  served  under  General 
Price,  in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Arkansas.  He  was  taken  prisoner  in 
Arkansas  and  was  held  a  prisoner  of  war  by  the  Federals  at  St.  Louis 
until  the  war  closed.  In  1869  he  removed  to  California  with  his  family, 
and  after  residing  in  that  State  for  eight  years,  he  returned  to  Howard 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1884,  when  he  removed 
to  Cooper  County.     He  died  here  July  24,  1906. 

George  E.  Bowmer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Howard 
County,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  California.  He  came  to 
Cooper  County  with  his  father  in  1884,  and  they  bought  a  farm  together, 
which  they  later  sold ;  and  in  1898,  George  E.  bought  his  present  f arm  of 


•     HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  689 

144  acres,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  This  is  one  of  the  best  grain  and 
stock  farms  in  this  part  of  Cooper  County.  The  place  is  well  improved, 
with  a  good  farm  residence,  barns  and  other  buildings,  which  are  kept  in 
excellent  condition  and  present  a  good  appearance. 

Mr.  Bowmer  was  married  March  26,  1891,  to  Miss  Lizzie  McArthur. 
She  was  born  Feb.  3,  1867,  and  left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early  age.  She 
was  reared  by  N.  A.  Gilbreath,  of  Prairie  Home  township.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bowmer  were  born  the  following  children:  James  R.,  born  July  12, 
1892;  Newton  W.,  born  Nov.  26,  1894;  William  E.,  born  Nov.  19,  1897; 
Helen  Louisa,  born  Jan.  31,  1903;  Susan  Catherine  and  Mary  Margaret, 
twins,  born  Aug.  19,  1909. 

James  R.,  the  eldest  son,  served  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  during  the  World 
War.  He  volunteered  Dec.  13,  1917,  and  was  sent  to  Great  Lakes  Naval 
Training  Station,  and  from  there  was  sent  to  Camp  Logan,  111.,  for  rifle 
practice  for  two  months.  He  was  then  returned  to  the  Great  Lakes 
Naval  Training  Station,  and  while  there  volunteered  for  overseas  service. 
He  was  then  sent  to  Newport,  and  embarked  for  France,  May  26,  1918, 
landing  at  Brest,  June  8 ;  from  there  he  was  sent  to  Bordeaux,  France, 
by  rail,  and  was  stationed  at  Pawillac,  France.  Durings  his  service  in 
France  he  was  a  member  of  a  motorcycle  squad,  which  operated  as  dis- 
patch bearers.  He  returned  to  New  York,  Dec.  13,  1918,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  Pelham  Park  until  March  26,  1919,  and  from  there  was  sent  to 
the  armed  general  barracks  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  two  days  later  trans- 
ferred to  Bay  Ridge,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  discharged,  April  7,  1919. 

Newton  W.  Bowmer  entered  the  army  July  26,  1918,  and  was  sent 
to  Camp  Funston,  where  he  was  trained.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Medi- 
cal Detachment  of  the  29th  Field  Artillery,  10th  Division,  and  at  this 
writing  is  stationed  at  Ft.  D.  A.  Russell,  Wy. 

Mrs.  Lizzie  (McArthur)  Bowman  died  Jan.  6,  1918,  and  her  remains 
are  buried  in  WTalnut  Grove  Cemetery. 

George  E.  Bowmer  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  citizens,  and 
the  Bowmer  family  rank  high  in  the  community.  Mr.  Bowmer  is  a  demo- 
crat. He  and  his  family  worship  at  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  is  affiliated  with  the  Modem  Woodmen  of  America  Lodge  of  Boonville. 

William  Fricke.  a  well-known  and  successful  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  Cooper  County's 


690  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

pioneer  families.  Mr.  Fricke  was  born  Jan.  31,  1886,  and  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Minnie  (Keorp)  Fricke.  The  father  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  Cooper  County.  He  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1900.  The  mother  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  having  been  born  in 
Moniteau  County  in  1850.  She  now  resides  with  her  son  William,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  William  and  Minnie  (Keorpe)  Frick  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Dora,  married  John  Lohse ;  Emma,  mar- 
ried William  Smith ;  and  William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  Fricke  was  reared  and  educated  in  Cooper  County.  He  at- 
tended the  Jefferson  School  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  the  German 
school  at  Clarks  Fork.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing all  his  life  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  regarded  as  one 
of  Cooper  County's  successful  agriculturists.  Mr.  Fricke's  father  died, 
leaving  the  young  man  with  practically  all  the  responsibilies  of  conduct- 
ing the  home  farm  when  he  was  only  15  years  of  age.  Thus  Mr.  Fricke 
has  been  a  practical  farmer  since  early  boyhood.  His  farm  consists  of 
160  acres,  located  13  miles  south  of  Boonville,  and  the  place  bears  testi- 
mony of  the  skill  and  efficiency  of  Mr.  Fricke  as  a  modem  farmer.  He 
has  recently  rebuilt  the  residence,  and  has  constructed  other  ample  farm 
buildings,  including  a  metal  barn  32x42  feet.  He  is  extensively  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  Hereford 
cattle. 

Oct.  4,  1911,  William  Fricke  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sophia 
Lohse,  a  daughter  of  Fred  and  Anna  Lohse,  pioneer  settlers  of  Cooper 
County.  The  mother  is  now  deceased  and  the  father  resides  in  Clarks 
Fork  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fricke  have  been  born  two  children,  as 
follows:     Norbert,  born  Nov.  3,  1913,  and  Lucille,  born  March  19,  1919. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fricke  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Evangelical 
Church  at  Clarks  Fork.  While  Mr.  Fricke  does  not  take  an  active  part 
in  political  affairs,  he  supports  the  policies  and  principles  of  the  republican 
party.  He  is  well  known  in  Cooper  County  as  one  of  its  reliable  and  pro- 
gressive citizens,  and  the  Fricke  family  is  highly  esteemed. 

Charles  W.  Schubert,  proprietor  of  the  "Cool  Spring  Farm,"  which 
is  one  of  the  interesting  places  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  son 
of  this  county.  He  was  born  near  Billingsville,  Jan.  14,  1874,  a  son  of 
C.  A.  and  Wilhelmina  (Langkop)  Schubert.  C.  A.  Schubert  was  born  in 
Gelenau,  Saxony,  Germany,  Dec,  1830,  and  died  March  26,  1900,  and  emi- 
grated to  America  when  he  was  a  boy.    He  was  an  early  settler  in  Cooper 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  691 

County.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Union  Army,  and  re- 
ceived a  gunshot  wound  in  the  arm  at  the  battle  of  Boonville.  After  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  returned  to  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agricultural  life 
in  Cooper  County  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  remains 
now  rest  in  the  Clarks  Fork  Cemetery.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and 
resides  in  Prairie  Home.  She  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1840. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Henry,  Prairie  Home 
township;  Mrs.  Minnie  Langlotz,  Boonville;  Anna,  died  in  infancy;  and 
Charles  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  W.  Schubert  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Cooper  County,  having  attended  school  at  the  Washington  School  district. 
He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  the  principal  pursuit  of  his  life, 
and  has  met  with  more  than  ordinary  success.  He  owns  143  acres  of 
some  of  Cooper  County's  best  land,  where  his  father  settled  in  1879. 
Mr.  Schubert  has  made  many  improvements  and  keeps  his  place  well  up 
to  the  standard  of  modern  farm  homes.  On  June  5,  1917,  he  met  with 
considerable  loss  in  the  way  of  the  destruction  of  many  of  his  farm  build- 
ings by  a  tornado.  However,  he  soon  rebuilt  and  repaired  the  damage, 
and  to-day  there  remains  no  evidence  of  nature's  great  destruction  on  the 
Schubert  place. 

Mr.  Schubert  was  united  in  marriage,  June  22,  1902,  with  Miss  Mary 
Muntzel,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Wilhelmina  (Kaune)  Muntzel,  the  for- 
mer now  i*esiding  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  the  latter  died  Jan.  26, 
1912,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery  at  Clarks 
Fork.  Mrs.  Schubert  is  one  of  the  following  children  bora  to  her  parents: 
August,  who  resides  on  the  home  place;  Herman  P.,  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship; William,  on  the  home  place;  John,  Boonville;  Mrs.  Sophia  Prigge, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Lavina  Meyer,  died  at  the  age  of  20  years  in  Cali- 
fornia, Mo.;  and  Mary,  married  Charles  W.  Schubert,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schubert  have  been  bom  two  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Lillian,  died  in  1915,  at  the  age  of  12  years,  and  Aurelius,  born 
April  27,  1906. 

The  Schubert  homestead  is  one  of  the  historic  places  of  Cooper 
County,  and  its  story  is  interwoven  with  many  interesting  incidents  of 
the  early  days  in  this  section.  A  portion  of  what  is  now  the  Schubert 
residence  was  built  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  and  Christ  Fricke,  who  owned 
the  place  during  the  stirring  days  of  that  conflict,  was  taken  from  his 
home  at  night  and  hanged  by  bushwhackers  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home. 


692  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

A  man  who  worked  for  him  was  also  murdered  about  the  same  time. 
Christ  Fricke's  widow  married  Charles  Brandes,  and  now  resides  near 
Lone  Elm,  Mo. 

The  Schubert  place  is  also  noted  for  the  great  number  of  Indian 
relics  found  upon  its  soil.  Arrow  heads  have  been  found  in  abundance, 
and  two  well-preserved  tomahawks  have  been  found  here,  one  of  which 
Mrs.  Schubert  has  in  her  possession,  and  values  very  highly  as  a  relic 
of  the  Red  Men's  handicraft. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schubert  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Clarks  Fork,  and  are  numbered  among  Cooper  County's  valued  citizens. 

Charles  D.  Shirley. — The  progressive  farmer  of  today  is  not  content 
to  till  his  land  in  a  mediocre,  hit-and-miss  manner,  and  is  not  satisfied  to 
keep  any  but  the  best  of  live  stock  on  his  place.  Here  and  there  over  the 
county  are  men  of  intelligence  and  foresight  who  are  making  a  specialty 
of  producing  pure-bred  live  stock  and  are  engaging  the  business  as  a  com- 
mercial venture.  Charles  D.  Shirley,  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  one  of 
this  class.  Mr.  Shirley  is  specializing  in  Angus  cattle,  and  intends  to 
breed  this  fine  variety  of  cattle.  He  also  keeps  pure-bred  Shorthorns  on 
the  place,  and  pure-bred  Poland  China  hogs.  A  flock  of  100  head  of 
Shropshire  sheep  are  a  paying  venture  on  the  farm.  The  Shirley  farm 
consists  of  336  acres,  and  has  been  the  home  of  the  present  proprietor 
since  1902.  During  the  past  17  years  all  of  Mr.  Shirley's  time  that  he 
could  spare  from  crop  production,  has  been  devoted  to  building  improve- 
ments on  the  farm.  The  big  barn  has  been  remodeled,  fences  built,  a 
concrete  silo  erected,  an  attractive  driveway  is  in  process  of  building, 
and  the  time  is  coming  when  the  Shirley  estate  will  be  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  land.  Mr.  Shirley  was  born  March  2,  1872,  on  a  farm  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  Cooper  County. 

William  A.  J.  Shirley,  his  father,  was  born  on  the  Shirley  homestead 
in  the  same  township  in  1835,  and  died  in  1882.  He  was  a  son  of  Charles 
Shirley,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  an  early  pioneer  in  Cooper  County, 
settling  on  Clarks  Fork  sometime  in  the  twenties.  William  A.  J.  Shirley 
was  married  May  3,  1871,  to  Harriet  Malvina  Eller,  who  was  born  Dec. 
24,  1850,  on  a  farm  near  Boonville,  and  is  a  daughter  of  David  and  Martha 
(Oglesby)  Eller.  David  Eller  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1822,  and  died  in 
1864.  He  was  killed  by  bushwhackers  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a 
son  of  Jacob  Eller,  who  was  one  of  the  first  pioneers  to  settle  in  Cooper 
County,  and  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Shirley 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1828,  came  to  Cooper  County  with  her  parents  in 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  693 

1831.  and  died  here  in  1912.  Mr.  Shirley's  mother,  Malvina  (Eller)  Shir- 
ley, was  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  David  and  Martha  Eller: 
Nancy  Jane,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Harriet  Shirley ;  Henry,  Susan  Elizabeth 
Kepner,  Lucretia  Ann  Moore,  William,  Mrs.  Mattie  Knaus,  Mrs.  Mollie 
McFarland. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shirley  lived  on  the  Shirley  home  place  for  a  few  years, 
then  sold  it  and  moved  to  the  Eller  place,  finally  settling  on  the  homestead 
of  120  acres  in  Palestine  township.  The  children  born  to  them  are  as 
follows:  Charles  D.,  of  this  review;  Florence,  wife  of  Bert  Chamberlin; 
Harry  L.,  living  on  an  adjoining  farm ;  Susan,  at  home  with  her  mothei  , 
and  William,  managing  the  home  farm. 

Charles  D.  Shirley  attended  the  Stony  Point  School  and  also  the  Con- 
cord School.  After  his  district  school  days  he  studied  at  Hooper  Insti- 
tute in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  has  always  followed  farming.  He 
purchased  his  first  tract  of  116  acres  in  the  fall  of  1900,  and  placed  all  of 
the  needed  improvements  on  the  place.  He  rented  his  present  farm  for 
two  years  prior  to  its  purchase  in  1905.  The  farm  which  Mr.  Shirley 
owns  is  one  of  the  oldest  settled  places  in  Cooper  County,  known  as  the 
Oglesby  farm.  This  tract  was  entered  as  Government  land  by  his  grand- 
father Oglesby,  who  gave  the  farm  to  Thomas  Oglesby,  an  uncle  of  Charles 
D.  Shirley,  and  from  whom  the  present  owner  purchased  it.  The  original 
elm  tree,  from  which  "Lone  Elm  Prairie"  takes  name,  stood  on  this  farm. 

Mr.  Shirley  was  married  in  September,  1912,  to  Miss  Grace  M.  Cham- 
berlin, born  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Albert  M.  Chamber- 
lin, a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  history.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shirley  have 
two  children:  Harriet  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  7,  1913;  and  Charles  David, 
born  March  11,  1915. 

Mr.  Shirley  is  a  democrat,  as  were  his  ancestors  before  him.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  the  faith  of  his  fathers.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  at  Speed,  Mo. 

Luther  Clinton  Debo,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Boonville 
township,  belongs  to  a  pioneer  family  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born 
in  Bedford  County.  Va.,  Nov.  9,  1869,  a  son  of  Reed  Perry  and  Mary 
(Hepstonstall)  Debo,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  Reed  Perry  Debo  was 
bom  June  19,  1832  and  died  April  21,  1911.  He  served  in  the  Confederate 
Army  during  the  Civil  War,  enlisting  April  1,  1862  in  Company  G,  28th 
Virginia  Infantry,  which  was  attached  to  Pickett's  Division.  He  became 
1st  Sergeant  of  his  company  and  participated  in  many  of  the  important 
battles  which  were  fought  by  the  army  of  Virginia  under  command  of 


694  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee.  He  was  twice  wounded,  once  by  a  gun  shot  through 
the  thigh,  and  again  on  the  wrist.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he 
came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Howard  County,  and  in  1874  settled  in 
Cooper  County.  Later  he  went  to  Livingston  County  where  he  remained 
about  nine  years,  but  returned  to  Cooper  County  and  spent  the  latter 
years  of  his  life. 

Luther  Clinton  Debo  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  educated  in 
the  public  school  and  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life  occu- 
pation. He  bought  his  present  place  in  Boonville  township  in  1908.  It  is 
a  well  improved  farm  situated  4V'->  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  and  was 
formerly  the  MacFarland  place.  Mr.  Debo  has  improved  this  place,  and 
has  built  barns,  silo  and  other  necessary  equipment  for  the  successful 
carrying  on  of  modern  day  agricultural  method,  and  has  one  of  the  valu- 
able places  of  the  county,  and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  he  is  one  of  Cooper 
County's  successful  farmers  and  stockmen. 

June  3,  1909,  Luther  C.  Debo  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth MacFarland,  daughter  of  Warren  and  Amanda  Malvina  MacFarland. 
Warren  MacFarland  was  born  on  the  place  where  Mr.  Debo  now  resides 
in  Boonville  township,  Feb.  12,  1841.  He  spent  his  life  in  this  county 
and  died  July  22,  1908.  His  wife  was  bom  July  31,  1843,  and  died  July 
24,  1895.  Their  remains  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonville.  War- 
ren MacFarland  was  a  son  of  Rueben  and  Eunice  (Rice)  MacFarland. 
Rueben  MacFarland  was  born  Oct.  17,  1804,  and  died  Jan.  25,  1882.  Eunice 
(Rice)  MacFarland  was  born  March  6,  1805,  and  died  Dec.  24,  1874.  Rue- 
ben MacFarland  was  the  son  of  Jacob  MacFarland,  who  was  born  Feb.  21, 
1772,  and  died  Oct.  13,  1846.  Jacob  MacFarland's  remains  are  buried  in 
Clarks  Fork  township  on  the  Melkerson  farm.  Jacob  MacFarland  came 
to  St.  Genevieve,  Mo.  in  1816  and  in  1818  came  to  Cooper  County  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm,  a  part  of  which  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Debo,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  After  coming  here  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  on 
this  place,  as  did  his  son  Rueben,  also;  and  Warren  MacFarland  likewise 
spent  his  life  on  this  farm.  Archibald  Rice,  great  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Debo,  was  born  Dec.  19.  1782.  William  MacFarland,  a  brother 
of  Jacob  MacFarland,  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Cooper  County.  He  was 
born  in  Buncomb  County,  N.  C,  in  1778.  He  came  to  Cooper  County,  in 
1816. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  (MacFarland)  Debo  has  three  sisters  living  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Eunice  Miller,  Millerton,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  C.  Borne  Talliaferro,  Ardmore, 
Okla. ;  and  Mrs.  Grover  Debo,  Boonville  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Luther  C.  Debo  have  been  born  the  following  children:     Elizabeth  Lee, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  695 

born  Dec.  10,  1911;  Louis  Clinton,  born  Feb.  22,  1913;  and  Truman  Reed, 
born  Oct.  26,  1914. 

The  Debos  have  some  interesting  historic  relics  of  bygone  days.  Mr. 
Debo  has  the  upper  and  lower  buhr  mill  stones  which  were  first  used  in  a 
mill  which  was  built  by  Jacob  MacFarland  in  Boonville  township  about 
100  years  ago.  This  was  the  first  mill  to  grind  flour  in  Cooper  County. 
Mrs.  Debo  has  in  her  possession  one  of  the  old  fashion  clocks  with  wooden 
wheels,  which  was  owned  by  her  grandfather  Oglesby.  This  venerable 
time  piece  is  over  a  century  old,  and  was  manufactured  by  Henry  Terry 
at  Plymouth,  Conn.  There  are  many  other  interesting  historic  relices  in 
the  Debo  home,  which  have  been  collected  from  generation  to  generation, 
during  the  long  residence  of  this  pioneer  family  in  Cooper  County.  The 
Debo  home  is  one  of  the  pleasant  and  interesting  places  of  Cooper  County 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Debo  have  an  extensive  acquaintance  and  are  among 
Cooper  County's  most  valued  citizens. 

Edwin  K.  Smith,  proprietor  of  "Woodville  Mill  Farm"  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  Boonville,  Dec. 
24,  1890,  a  son  of  Leslie  and  Fannie  P.  (Thompson)  Smith.  Leslie  Smith 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  settled  in  Cooper  County,  prior  to  the  Civil 
War.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here  and  died  in  Boonville  in 
1894.  His  widow  now  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  Major  Richard  Smith,  who  served  with 
the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France;  Elizabeth,  married  Gerald 
Hughes,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  Edwin  K.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Major  Richard  Smith  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper 
County,  and  graduated  from  the  Boonville  High  School.  He  first  enlisted 
in  the  Missouri  National  Guards  and  served  on  the  Mexican  border,  and 
was  later  mustered  out  of  service.  When  the  United  States  entered  the 
World  War  he  reenlisted  and  in  Sept.,  1917,  went  to  France  with  the 
Rainbow  Division.  During  the  latter  months  of  the  war  Major  Smith 
commanded  the  117th  Field  Battalion  Signal  Corps.  During  his  service 
in  France  he  was  decorated  with  the  distinguished  service  cross  and  also 
the  French  Croix  de  Guerre.  He  arrived  in  Amei'ica  with  his  battalion 
in  May,  1919  and  remains  with  the  army,  stationed  at  Camp  Funston. 
Major  Smith  was  married  in  May,  1919,  to  Miss  Bething  Plank,  of  Kan 
City,  a  daughter  of  Cooper  County  pioneer  parents. 

Edwin  K.  Smith,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville  and  the  Westport  High  School, 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo.     He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  principal 


696  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

occupation,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  this  field  of  endeavor.  In 
the  spring  of  1917  he  purchased  92  acres  of  the  R.  S.  Rankin  farm,  five 
miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  The  following  year  he  added  71  acres  and 
now  owns  163  acres  of  valuable  farm  land,  which  is  well  improved  and 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  Rankin  mill  is  located  on  this 
place,  which  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Smith  bought 
a  half  interest  in  this  mill  and  operated  it  four  years.  This  mill  was  built 
in  1840  and  rebuilt  in  1893.  For  the  last  two  years  it  has  not  been  oper- 
ated very  extensively. 

Edwin  K.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  July  24,  1912,  with  Miss 
Robna  Rankin,  a  daughter  of  R.  S.  Rankin,  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this 
volume.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  has  been  born  one  child,  Elizabeth  Louise. 

Mr.  Smith  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a 
specialty  of  high  grade  Jersey  cows,  and  registered  Hampshire  hogs.  He 
is  one  of  Cooper  County's  progressive  farmers  and  stockmen.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Christian  W.  Fahrenbrink,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stockmen 
of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and  was  born  in 
the  township  where  he  now  resides,  Jan.  13,  1874.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry 
and  Magdalena  (Schnack)  Fahrenbrink,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
Henry  Fahrenbrink  was  born  June  8,  1842,  and  came  to  America  about 
1867,  and  settled  in  Cooper  County.  Here  he  first  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer,  and  at  different  times  was  employed  by  Henry  Knaus,  John  King 
and  Nick  Smith.  He  later  rented  land  from  Robert  Clawson.  He  then 
purchased  a  farm  of  425  acres,  part  of  the  old  Colonel  Pope  place,  and  was 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  July  8,  1917, 
age  75  years  and  1  month,  and  his  remains  are  buried  in  the  Lone  Elm 
Cemetery.  His  widow  now  resides  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  C.  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
H.  H.  lives  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  John  died  in  infancy;  H.  W.,  a  min- 
ing man  of  Yuma,  Ariz.;  Emma  married  A.  C.  Brandes,  and  resides  in 
Moniteau  township;  Lena,  residing  at  home  with  her  mother,  and  J.  J., 
also  on  the  home  place. 

C.  W.  Fahrenbrink  was  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  was  educated 
in  the  Jefferson  School  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  the  parochial  school 
at  Clarks  Fork.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  his  early  training  well 
fitted  him  for  the  business  of  farming  and  stock  raising,  which  has  been 
his  life's  vocation.      He  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  173  acres,  which  is 


X 
z 

3 


r 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  697 

located  6!/>  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton.  He  purchased  this  place  in 
1901  from  the  Hall  estate.  There  were  no  improvements  on  the  place 
when  Mr.  Fahrenbrink  bought  it.  He  has  built  a  good  modem  residence 
which  is  fitted  with  acetylene  light  and  other  modern  conveniences.  He 
has  erected  two  large  barns  upon  the  place  and  other  farm  buildings, 
which  classifies  his  place  as  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  of  the  county. 
He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  being  extensively 
interested  in  breeding  registered  Poland  China  hogs  and  Shorthorn  cattle. 

Mr.  Fahrenbrink  was  united  in  marriage  in  1902  with  Miss  Dora 
Brandes,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Margaret  Brandes,  of  North  Moniteau 
township.  Charles  Brandes  was  a  successful  farmer  and  an  early  settler 
in  Cooper  County,  coming  here  prior  to  the  Civil  War  and  serving  four 
years  as  a  Union  soldier.  He  died  in  1911,  and  his  widow  now  resides  on 
the  old  home  place  in  North  Moniteau  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fahr- 
enbrink have  been  born  the  following  children:  Erna,  died  in  infancy; 
Margaret;  Carl  and  Paul,  twins;  and  Gertrude. 

To  Charles  and  Margaret  Brandes  were  born  the  following  children: 
Christ  J.,  who  resides  in  Moniteau  township;  Maggie,  married  Henry 
King,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Josie,  married  John  Pethan,  Clarks  Fork 
township ;  Emma,  married  Henry  Langkop,  Boonville ;  Lizzie,  married 
William  Brokamp,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  John  A.,  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship ;  Theodore,  North  Moniteau  township ;  Dora,  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Fahr- 
enbrink, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Albert  C,  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship. By  a  former  marriage  of  the  mother  to  Christ  Fricke,  who  was 
killed  by  bushwhackers  during  the  Civil  War,  two  children  were  born,  as 
follows:  Sophie,  the  wife  of  Christ  Rasmussen,  of  Clarks  Fork  township; 
and  Caroline,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  D.  Alpers,  Prairie  Home  township. 

Mr.  Fahrenbrink  is  a  republican,  and  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest 
in  local  affairs.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of  Consoli- 
dated District  No.  1  for  six  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Farmers  Elevator  Company,  of  Bunceton,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Fahrenbrink  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Zion  Church  at 
Lone  Elm.  Mr.  Fahrenbrink  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Cooper  County  Bank 
at  Bunceton,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  newly  organized  Farmers  Trust 
Company,  of  Boonville.     He  is  a  substantial  and  valued  citizen. 

J.  H.  Rethemeyer,  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  Saline  town- 
ship, who  is  well  known  in  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  He 
was  born  in  Gasconade  County,  Feb.  11,  1881,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 


698  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

(Fleer)  Rethemeyer.  Henry  Rethemeyer  was  born  in  Germany  in  1842 
and  when  he  was  two  years  of  age  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents, 
who  settled  in  Gasconade  County,  Mo.  He  now  resides  in  Sedalia,  at  the 
age  of  79  years,  and  his  wife  is  64  years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Henry,  St.  Louis;  Minnie,  married  Peter  Adair 
and  lives  in  Prairie  Home  township,  Cooper  County;  J.  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Annie,  married  Ed.  Roseman,  St.  Louis;  Alvina,  deceased; 
Mary,  married  Neal  Dancing,  Portland,  Ore. ;  Amanda  married  Frank 
Less,  Sedalia;  and  Huldah  married  Ernest  Marshall,  Sedalia. 

J.  H.  Rethemeyer  was  reared  in  Gasconade  County  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
was  19  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  drove  teams  for  a 
time,  and  did  other  general  labor  for  about  five  years.  He  then  came  to 
Cooper  County  and  conducted  a  general  mercantile  store  for  two  years. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Pilot  Grove  for  two  years.  In 
1909  he  bought  his  present  place  in  Saline  township.  He  first  purchased 
80  acres  from  W.  J.  Hurt,  to  which  he  has  added  from  time  to  time,  as 
opportunities  offered  and  his  means  permitted,  until  he  now  owns  197 
acres  of  valuable  and  well  improved  land  on  the  Boonville  and  Jefferson 
City  highway.  He  has  made  many  improvements  on  his  place  until  he 
has  made  of  it  one  of  the  model  farms  of  Cooper  County.  He  raises 
cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  as  well  as  carrying  on  general  grain  farming,  and 
is  also  interested  in  raising  brown  leghorn  chickens,  and  altogether,  Mr. 
Rethemeyer  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  successful  citizens. 

May  7,  1905,  J.  H.  Rethemeyer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Helena  Wehmeyer,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Magdalena  (Fiedler)  Weh- 
meyer,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Peter  Wehmeyer  was  born  March  13, 
1835,  and  came  to  America  when  he  was  16  years  of  age.  He  first  worked 
by  the  month  as  a  farm  laborer  for  Fred  Fricke,  and  a  short  time  after 
coming  here  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  to  which 
he  later  added  80  acres.  He  sold  his  farm  later  and  conducted  a  store  at 
Clarks  Fork  for  nearly  20  years.  Retiring  from  this  business,  he  bought 
a  42  acre  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township,  which  he  sold  in  1912.  He 
died  in  Feb.,  1912.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death,  having  departed  this 
life  June  19,  1899.  Their  remains  are  both  interred  in  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  cemetery  at  Clarks  Fork.  Mrs.  Rethemeyer  is  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing children  born  to  her  parents:  Katie,  married  Henry  Mersey, 
Prairie  Home  township;  Sophia,  married  H.  C.  Honerbrink,  Prairie  Home 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  699 

township;  Miss  Margaret  Wehmeyer,  Saline  township;  Minnie,  married 
J.  P.  Ruth,  Prairie  Home;  Carrie,  married  Albert  Adair,  Saline  township; 
Helena  maried  J.  H.  Rethemeyer,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Emma  and 
Martha  both  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Rethemeyer  is  a  republican  and  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  citizens.  The  Rethmeyer  family  are  well  known 
and  highly  respected  in  this  county. 

Leonard  Langkop,  proprietor  of  "Jefferson  Valley  Farm"  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  successful  and  well  known  farm- 
ers and  stockmen.  He  was  born  in  this  county  Sept.  1,  1874,  a  son  of 
Ferdinand  and  Margaret  (Smith)  Langkop,  natives  of  Germany.  Ferdi- 
nand Langkop  was  born  in  1844,  and  was  brought  to  America  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  three  years  old.  The  family  located  in  Iowa. 
Ferdinand  Langkop  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  all  his  life.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army  in  1862,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  died  at  Bunceton,  March  3,  1919,  age  75 
years,  and  his  remains  are  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Church  cemetery  at 
Clarks  Fork.  His  wife  died  in  1888.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  W.  H.,  a  mail  carrier,  Bunceton;  Lizze,  married  Frank 
Theiss,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Leonard,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Anna, 
married  H.  J.  Kopp,  Bunceton;  Martin  resides  in  Moniteau  County;  Mag- 
gie died  at  the  age  of  10  years;  Tillie  married  Ben  Hurt,  Bunceton,  and 
one  son  died  in  infancy.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Ferdinand 
Langkop  married  Mrs.  Mary  Henry,  and  one  daughter  was  born  to  this 
union,  Lydia,  who  now  resides  at  Bunceton. 

Leonard  Langkop  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  educated  in  the 
German  school  at  Clarks  Fork,  and  the  public  school  at  New  Salem.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life's 
vocation.  He  purchased  his  first  land  in  1903,  which  consisted  of  a  farm 
of  50  acres.  He  has  added  more  land  from  time  to  time  to  his  original 
farm  and  now  owns  220  acres,  which  is  considered  one  of  Cooper  County's 
best  farms.  The  place  is  well  improved,  a  good  farm  residence  having 
been  built  in  1904,  and  a  large  barn  was  erected  in  1906.  Mr.  Langkop 
is  engaged  in  stock  raising  as  well  as  general  farming  and  raises  large 
numbers  of  Poland  China  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep. 

July  12,  1903,  Mr.  Langkop  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Minnie 
Barron,  a  daughter  of  Walter  and  Virginia  (Hurt)  Barron.  A  review 
of  the  Barron  family  history  appears  in  this  volume.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


700  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Langkop  have  been  born  two  sons:  Ralph,  born  May  10,  1904,  now  a 
student  in  the  Boonville  High  School,  and  Waldo  is  at  home  with  his  par- 
ents. The  Langkop  family  is  well  known  in  the  community  and  Mr.  Lang- 
kop is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  progressive  citizens. 

George  T.  Taliaferro,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Clarks  Fork  township 
in  the  spring  of  1910,  was  born  in  that  township  June  16,  1860,  son  of 
Robert  H.  and  Louise  M.  (Hickox)  Taliaferro,  both  members  of  old  fam- 
ilies in  this  county.  Robert  H.  Taliaferro  was  born  on  Feb.  3,  1822,  and 
his  wife  was  born  on  Dec.  28,  1832.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Charles  W.,  born  on  Jan.  8  1853,  Kansas  City;  James 
B.,  Dec.  8,  1854,  deceased;  Johnson  A.,  Sept.  10,  1856,  New  Mexico; 
George  T. ;  Anna  M.,  Sept.  22,  1862,  deceased;  Hattie  Louise,  Aug.  26, 
1869,  deceased;  Robert  Burns,  Nov.  21,  1870,  Oklahoma;  and  Mary  Vir- 
ginia, Aug.  4,  1873,  now  living  at  Kansas  City,  Kan. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  George  T.  Talia- 
ferro received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools,  and  from  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  his  life  was  devoted  to  farming.  He  married  at  the  age  of 
30,  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  the  farm  of  110  acres 
on  which  he  died,  a  part  of  the  Carpenter  estate  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
and  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  the  labor  of  developing  the  place.  It 
was  in  1900  when  he  established  his  home  there,  and  in  that  same  year 
he  erected  on  the  place  a  comfortable  six-room  house  and  made  other 
improvements.  A  few  years  later  he  built  a  new  barn,  and  before  his 
death  he  had  an  admirable  farm  plant,  and  his  affairs  were  prospering. 
Mr.  Taliaferro  died  on  April  3,  1910,  leaving  his  widow  with  the  care  of 
seven  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  then  was  under  17  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Taliaferro  maintained  the  place,  superintended  the  operations  of  the  same 
until  her  sons  came  of  an  age  to  be  of  material  assitance  in  relieving  her 
of  the  burden  of  management,  and  at  the  same  time  continued  to  make 
improvements  on  the  farm,  these  including  the  erection  of  an  addition  to 
the  house  in  1916.  In  1912,  she  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  84  acres, 
and  now  has  a  well-improved  farm  of  194  acres,  which  her  sons  are  oper- 
ating. Mrs.  Taliaferro  has  kept  her  children  together,  has  a  very  pleas- 
ant home,  and  she  and  her  family  are  comfortably  situated. 

Mrs.  Taliaferro  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Julia  Ann  Carpenter, 
daughter  of  Gabriel  and  Sarah  (Harris)  Carpenter,  both  members  of 
pioneer  families  in  this  county.  She  was  reared  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
and  was  living  there  when  married  to  George  T.  Taliaferro,  Dec.  31,  1890. 
To  that  union  were  born  eight  children:   Mary  Mable,  born  Oct.  23,  1893, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  701 

a  Cooper  County  teacher;  Virginia  Myrtle,  June  24,  1895,  who  is  a  stu- 
dent in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg;  Louis  Gabriel,  March 
17,  1897,  who  has  but  recently  returned  from  service  with  the  United 
States  Army;  Robert  Luther,  May  17,  1898;  Thomas  Alfred  and  Albert 
Weight  (twins),  Feb.  10,  1900,  who  are  giving  special  attention  to  the 
operations  of  the  farm ;  Clara  Mildred,  Feb.  4,  1904,  and  an  infant  son, 
April  28,  1905,  who  did  not  live  to  receive  a  name.  Louis  Gabriel  Talia- 
ferro, the  soldier  son,  enlisted  for  service  in  the  United  States  Army, 
Aug.  15,  1918.  He  was  sent  to  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C,  and  was  there 
attached  to  Company  A,  First  Regiment,  Fifth  Division,  when  the  sign- 
ing of  the  armistice  ended  hostilities,  and  his  command  was  mustered  out 
and  he  returned  home  to  resume  the  pursuits  of  peace. 

William  Kahle,  a  leading  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, and  a  member  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  respected  pioneer  families, 
was  born  in  Germany,  Oct.  16,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth Kahle,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  mother  died  in  her  native  land 
in  1852;  three  years  later  Henry  Kahle  came  to  America  with  his  family 
and  settled  in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.  In  1857  he  came  to  Cooper  County 
and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  40  acres 
from  Joel  Hurt,  for  which  he  paid  $5.00  per  acre.  This  land  is  now  owned 
by  Charles  Schubert.  Upon  this  place  Henry  Kahle  built  a  log  cabin  and 
cleared  about  10  acres  of  ground.  He  died  in  1860  and  his  remains  are 
buried  in  a  private  burial  ground  on  the  Muntzel  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 
township.  The  children  born  to  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Kahle  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Sophia ;  Henry ;  Mrs.  Mena  Lohman,  Reno,  111. ;  Mrs.  Bettie  Obuch, 
who  died  in  Texas,  and  William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  Kahle  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  after  his  father's 
death  he  lived  with  Peter  Muntzel  for  about  seven  years.  He  attended 
school  in  the  Washington  and  Crabapple  school  district  and  in  early  life 
was  employed  as  a  farm  laborer  at  wages  ranging  from  $15.00  to  $25.00 
per  month.  He  bought  his  first  land  in  1873  with  Herman  Toellner  as  a 
partner.  This  farm  consisted  of  150  acres  for  which  they  paid  $35  per 
acre.  Later  Mr.  Kahle  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Toellner.  In  1881  he  pur- 
chased 87  acres  and  later  added  to  his  acreage  until  he  now  owns  625 
acres,  located  in  Clarks  Fork.  North  Moniteau  and  Kelly  townships, 
comprising  some  of  the  most  valuable  land  in  Cooper  County.  There  are 
two  sets  of  farm  improvements  on  Mr.  Kahle's  place  all  of  which  are  of 
good  substantial  character,  including  residences,  barns  and  other  buildings. 

William  Kahle  was  married  Feb.  18,  1874  to  Miss  Johanna  Kunrath. 


702  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  (Schmalfeldt)  Kunrath  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, where  they  spent  their  lives  and  are  now  deceased.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Johanna,  the  wife  of  William 
Kahle,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch ;  Elizabeth  who  died  at  the  age 
of  21 ;  Catherine  and  John.  Mrs.  Kahle  came  to  this  country  in  company 
with  her  uncle,  John  King,  when  she  was  17  years  of  age.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kahle  have  been  born  children  as  follows:  Mrs.  Lizzie  Ohlendorf; 
Anna,  died  at  the  age  of  40  years ;  Christine,  married  Henry  Lohse ;  Dora, 
married  Clarence  Hosp ;  Minnie  married  He"nry  Twillman;  Henry  J.,  who 
resides  on  the  home  place ;  Herman  F. ;  Albert ;  Adolph ;  Stella  and  William 
J.  Herman  F.  served  in  the  World  War.  He  was  inducted  into  the 
National  Army  in  Sept.,  1917  and  became  a  member  of  Company  L.  ssGth 
Infantry,  89th  Division.  He  reached  France  with  his  command  in  June, 
1918,  and  participated  in  much  of  the  important  fighting  as  a  private- 
mechanic  during  the  closing  months  of  the  war.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Argonne  Forest,  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  and  the  Meuse  River  and  was  at 
the  battle  front  when  the  armistice  was  signed.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  at  Camp  Funston,  June  11,  1919,  and  is  now  at 
home. 

William  Kahle  has  had  an  active  and  successful  career  and  has  seen 
much  of  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  has  a  distinct 
recollection,  as  a  boy,  of  the  stirring  days  of  the  Civil  War.  He  remem- 
bers the  killing  of  Christ  Fricke  and  Henry  Schulte  by  guerrillas  during 
the  war.  Mr.  Fricke  owned  the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  Schubert  and 
Henry  Schulte  was  working  for  him  when  the  tragedy  took  place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kahle  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
of  Lone  Elm  and  rank  among  the  best  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Henry  Fahrenbrink,  now  deceased,  was  a  Cooper  County  citizen  of 
sterling  worth,  who  contributed  his  share  to  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  this  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  near  Westphalia, 
July  8,  1842.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  land  and  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1866.  He  came  directly  to  Cooper  County,  Mo., 
where  for  a  time  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer.  Later  he  rented  land,  the 
first  farm  which  he  operated  being  the  Clawson  farm,  which  is  now  owned 
by  George  Brandes.  He  operated  rented  land  extensively,  at  one  time 
farming  over  800  acres.  In  1875  he  purchased  425  acres  of  the  Colonel 
Pope  farm.  He  improved  this  place  extensively,  erecting  farm  buildings 
and  setting  out  trees  until  he  made  of  it  one  of  the  best  improved  farms 
in  the  county.  In  1893  he  erected  a  large  modern  residence,  with  all 
modern  conveniences.     He  was  a  successful   farmer  and  stockman.     He 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY    .  703 

fed  cattle  extensively  and  met  with  success  in  his  undertakings.  He  was 
a  substantial  citizen  and  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
of  Lone  Elm.  He  died  July  8,  1907,  and  his  remains  are  buried  in  the 
Lone  Elm  cemetery. 

March  28,  1873,  Henry  Fahrenbrink  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Magdalena  Schnack,  a  native  of  Holstein,  Germany.  She  was  born 
Feb.  24.  1852,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Magdalena  (Pengle)  Schnack, 
both  natives  of  Holstein.  Mrs.  Fahrenbrink  came  to  America  when  she 
was  18  years  of  age,  with  the  family  of  John  King,  who  were  neighbors 
of  the  Schnack  family  in  their  native  land.  Her  transportation  to  this 
country  cost  $66.00  and  she  worked  one  year  after  coming  here  to  pay  it. 

To  Henry  and  Magdalena  Fahrenbrink  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Christ  W.,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume;  H.  H.,  a 
sketch  of  whom  also  appears  in  this  volume ;  H.  W.,  a  mining  man  of 
Yuma,  Ariz. ;  Mrs.  A.  C.  Brandes ;  Lena,  resides  at  home  with  her  mother, 
and  Julius  J.,  who  operates  the  home  place. 

Julius  J.  Fahrenbrink  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  educated  in 
the  Jefferson  school  and  parochial  school  of  Lone  Elm.  Since  he  was 
18  years  of  age  he  has  had  charge  of  the  home  place  and  has  demonstrated 
his  capability  as  a  manager  and  successful  farmer  and  stockman.  He 
raises  Shorthorn  cattle,  Spotted  Poland  China  hogs,  and  brown  leghorn 
chickens. 

The  Fahrenbrink  farm  was  one  of  the  first  places  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lone  Elm  Prairie.  At  the  time  Colonel  Pope  located  on  this 
land  it  was  generally  believed  by  the  settlers  that  prairie  land  was  not 
productive,  or,  at  least,  that  it  was  impractical  to  undertake  to  farm  it. 
This  theory  was  one  of  the  many  delusions  of  the  early  pioneers.  When 
Mr.  Fahrenbrink  bought  this  land  he  paid  $24.50  per  acre  for  it.  The 
place  is  well  improved  with  a  good  residence,  ample  barns  and  other  farm 
buildings,  although  one  of  the  bams  was  destroyed  by  fire  March  22,  1918. 

The  Fahrenbrinks  are  numbered  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Cooper 
County  and  Julius  J.  Fahrenbrink  is  one  of  the  progressive  young  men  of 
the  community. 

A.  J.  White,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelly  township, 
was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  Dec.  25,  1865.  He  is  a  son  of  Stephen  ancr 
Martha  (Robertson)  White. 

A.  J.  White  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Moniteau  County, 
and  since  early  manhood  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  purchased  his  present  place  in  Kelly  township,  which  is  known  as  the 
Tipton  Loop  Farm,  in   1899.     This  farm  was  formerly   the  property  of 


704  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Charles  Dunaway  and  since  buying  the  place  Mr.  White  has  made  many 
valuable  improvements,  including  a  good  eight  room  residence,  a  barn 
40x50  feet  and  a  silo  built  of  concrete  block,  with  a  capacity  of  135  tons. 
Mr.  White  raises  cattle,  hogs  and  horses,  and  carries  on  general  farming, 
and  has  met  with  success.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  Kelly 
township. 

March  8,  1898,  A.  J.  White  was  married  to  Martha  Bear,  a  daughter 
of  J.  H.  and  Mary  D.  (Morris)  Bear.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  been 
born  two  daughters,  Blanche,  married  George  Tutt,  Bunceton,  and  Maude, 
resides  at  home  with  her  parents.  The  W"hite  family  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Tipton,  and  rank  among  the  representative  families  of 
this  section. 

William  F.  Schmalfeldt,  proprietor  of  "Alfalfa  Valley  Farm,"  in 
Clark's  Fork  township,  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Cooper  County. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Lone  Elm  in  1871,  son  of  Otto  and  Polly 
(Arnold)  Schmalfeldt,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  at  Lone  Elm. 

Otto  Schmalfeldt,  a  Union  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  at 
Honerkirchen,  Germany,  March  4,  1842,  and  was  about  18  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  this  country  accompanied  by  his  sister  and  brother 
John,  another  brother  dying  while  crossing  the  Atlantic.  He  settled  in 
this  county,  where  he  was  living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
gun  which  he  carried  is  still  preserved  in  the  family,  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  his  grandson.  Otto  Schmalfeldt.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Otto 
Schmalfeldt  located  on  a  farm  at  Lone'  Elm  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  Jan.  14,  1874,  and  his  body  lies  in  Clarks 
Fork  Cemetery.  His  widow  later  married  Peter  Smith.  She  was  born  in 
Holmes  County,  Ohio,  Dec.  18,  1850,  and  was  about  16  years  of  age  when 
she  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  Daniel  Arnold  and  wife,  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  By  her  marriage  to  Otto  Schmalfeldt  she  was 
the  mother  of  three  children:  J.  H.  Schmalfeldt,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
32  years ;  William  F.,  and  Mrs.  Christina  Freiling,  of  Speed,  Mo.  By  her 
marriage  to  Peter  Smith  she  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Friedmyer,  now  living  at  California,  Mo.,  and  M.  D.  Smith,  who 
owns  the  old  Schmalfeldt  farm  at  Lone  Elm. 

William  F.  Schmalfeldt  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  public  school  at  Lone  Grove  and  the  parochial 
school  at  Clarks  Fork  and  Prairie  Home  Institute.  From  boyhood,  Mr. 
Schmalfeldt  has  followed   farming,   beginning  on   rented   land.     He  con- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  705 

.tinued  as  a  renter  until  1900,  when  he  purchased  from  Frank  George  the 
farm  of  184  acres,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  on  which  he  has  since  lived. 
This  land  was  entered  by  Peter  T.  Bowler,  who  in  1840  sold  120  acres, 
the  tract  on  which  the  farm  house  stands,  for  $600  to  David  Smith,  who 
in  1882  sold  the  same  tract  to  Frank  George  for  $1,800.  In  1912  he  pur- 
chased a  60-acre  tract  of  Levi  Arnold,  and  later,  in  1918,  he  bought  76 
acres  from  J.  T.  Patterson.  Mr.  Schmalfeldt  has  given  the  very  appro- 
priate name  of  "Alfalfa  Valley  Farm"  to  his  place,  owing  to  the  luxuri- 
ance of  the  growth  of  alfalfa  there,  his  fields  having  given  him  as  high 
as  five  cuttings  a  season,  the  first  cutting  coming  in  the  middle  of  May. 
Mr.  Schmalfeldt  has  remodeled  the  buildings,  erected  a  new  tenant  house, 
built  adequate  fences,  and  made  other  improvements.  He  has  his  house 
piped  for  both  hard  and  soft  water,  has  an  acetyline  gas  plant  for  light- 
ing purposes,  and  his  basement  is  fitted  with  furnace  and  laundry.  In 
addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  live  stock.  Mr.  Schmalfeldt  has  180  head  of  pure-bred  Chester 
White  hogs.  He  has  been  a  breeder  of  O.  I.  C.  hogs  since  1902,  and  in 
1918  began  to  sell  registered  hogs.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  regis- 
tered stock,  and  has  some  of  the  best  hogs  in  Missouri.  An  accurate 
record  of  the  "Alfalfa  Valley  Drove"  is  kept  by  Mrs.  Schmalfeldt. 

Oct.  4,  1894,  William  F.  Schmalfeldt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 
Brandes,  who  was  born  in  this  county  on  April  23,  1873,  daughter  of 
Christian  H.  and  Sarah  (Willshire)  Brandes,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  in 
New  Zealand  and  reared  in  Melbourne,  Australia,  is  still  living,  making 
her  home  at  Lone  Elm.  She  was  born  on  Feb.  28,  1847.  Christian  H. 
Brandes,  who  died  at  his  home  in  this  county,  Nov.  9,  1902,  and  is  buried 
at  Lone  Elm,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  in  young  manhood  went  to 
Australia,  where  he  married  Sarah  Willshire,  and  later  came  to  this 
country  to  join  relatives  who  had  located  in  this  county.  The  trip  from 
Australia  occupied  six  months,  and  he  made  a  careful  record  of  the  inci- 
dents of  the  long  journey,  that  record  now  being  carefully  preserved  by 
the  family.  Upon  his  arrival  here,  Christian  H.  Brandes  became  engaged 
in  farming,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife 
had  10  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Chris  T.  Smith,  of  Bunceton ;  Mrs. 
Sophia  Hall,  of  Cotton;  E.  N.  Brandes,  of  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  Schmalfeldt  ; 
Mrs.  Florence  Martin,  deceased;  Mrs.  Emily  Mansager,  of  Jewell,  Iowa; 
Esther,  wife  of  Andrew  C.  Smith,  of  Lone  Elm;  Henry,  of  Macon,  Mo.; 
Walter,  of  Lone  Elm;  and  Speer,  on  the  home  place.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
(41) 


706  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Schmalfelclt  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Ethel  G.,  born  on  June 
21,  1896,  married  Henry  Toellner,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Emma  C, 
March  25,  1898,  wife  of  P.  W.  Loesing,  of  same  township;  Edward  L., 
June  20,  1899,  on  the  home  farm ;  Florence  N.,  Jan.  17,  1904,  also  at 
home;  and  Helen  E.,  Sept.  28,  1912,  died  Sept.  13,  1915.  The  Schmal- 
feldts  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Clarks  Fork, 
and  Mr.  Schmalfeldt  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

John  N.  Whitlow,  proprietor  of  a  well  improved  farm  of  265  acres  in 
LaMine  township,  was  born  in  Metcalf  County,  Ky.,  April  4,  1867,  son  of 
James  A.  and  Martha  L.  (Pedigo)  Whitlow.  James  A.  Whitlow  was  born 
in  Metcalf  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  24,  1830.  He  grew  up  a  farmer  in  his  native 
state  and  remained  there  until  in  1874,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and 
located  in  Cooper  County,  arriving  here  with  his  family  February  14th 
of  that  same  year,  settling  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  John,  who 
has  thus  been  a  resident  of  that  place  for  45  years.  There  James  A. 
Whitlow  was  begining  to  develop  his  farm  when  death  interrupted  his  lab- 
ors in  Jan.,  1876.  His  widow  kept  the  family  together  and  is  still  living  on 
the  home  place.  She  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Va.,  Jan.  24,  1830,  and  was 
11  years  of  age  when  her  parents  moved  into  Kentucky,  where  she  grew 
to  womanhood  and  married.  To  James  A.  Whitlow  and  wife  were  born 
10  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth  in  order 
of  birth. 

John  N.  Whitlow  was  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  Cooper  County  from  Kentucky  and  here  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
He  was  but  10  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  he  thus  early  had  to 
take  his  part  in  the  labors  of  maintaining  the  home  place.  About  1889 
he  bought  100  acres  of  his  present  farm,  a  part  of  the  place  which  his 
father  had  bought  upon  coming  to  Cooper  County,  and  to  this  he  has  added 
until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  265  acres,  which  he  has  im- 
proved in  excellent  fashion,  the  improvements  including  a  new  and  mod- 
ern dwelling  house,  a  silo  and  other  improvements  in  keeping  with  the 
same.     Mr.  Whitlow  is  a  Democrat. 

Feb.  26,  1902,  John  N.  Whitlow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada  L. 
Gorrell,  who  was  born  in  this  county  April  30,  1872,  daughter  of  Amos 
Gorrell  and  wife,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made  in  this  volume,  and  to 
this  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Martha  C,  Jesse  E., 
Wilbur  R.,  Louise  L.,  Ada  S.,  Linnie  Oma  and  Woodrow. 

Andrew  C.  Smith,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  wideawake  farmers  of  Cooper 
County.    He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood,  Oct.  10, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  707 

1878,  son  of  Henry  and  Julia  (Hosp)  Smith,  both  of  whom  live  in  Boon- 
ville,  where  they  have  resided  since  their  retirement  from  the  farm. 
Henry  Smith  is  a  native  of  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  and  was  a  grown 
man  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  father,  Claus  Schmidt, 
and  located  in  this  county.  A  few  months  after  coming  here,  in 
1877,  he  married  Julia  Hosp,  twin  sister  of  Julius  Hosp  and  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Amelia  (Sombart)  Hosp,  and  after  his  marriage  settled  on  a 
farm  near  Lone  Elm,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  some  years  ago 
and  removal  to  Boonville.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born  at  Boonville,  where  her 
father  had  located  upon  coming  to  this  country  from  his  native  Germany. 
Her  mother  also  was  born  in  Germany  and  was  about  three  years  of  age 
when  her  parents  came  to  America.  To  Henry  Smith  and  wife  were  born 
four  sons,  the  last  born  of  whom,  Charles,  died  when  two  years  of  age, 
the  others,  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  (the  first  born),  being  Wil- 
liam, of  Bunceton,  and  George,  who  continues  to  make  his  home  on  the 
Henry  Smith  farm,  near  Lone  Elm. 

Andrew  C.  Smith  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  parochial  school 
and  in  the  Washington  District  School  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  In  1901 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  after  his  marriage,  in 
the  following  year,  established  his  home  there.  Mr.  Smith  has  a  well 
cultivated  place  of  120  acres,  six  miles  east  and  north  of  Bunceton  and 
since  has  made  numerous  substantial  improvements  on  the  place,  includ- 
ing the  rebuilding  of  the  farm  house,  the  erection  of  a  barn,  the  drilling 
of  a  deep  well,  the  erection  of  a  garage  and  other  buildings.  In  addition 
to  his  general  farming,  he  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
live  stock.  He  has  served  on  the  local  school  board.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Lone  Elm  Lutheran  Church. 

In  1902  Andrew  C.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Esther  Brandes, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Chris  and  Sarah  Brandes,  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living  near  Lone  Elm.  Chris  Brandes  died  in  1902. 
He  and  his  wife  had  nine  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Smith  is  the  youngest, 
the  others  being  as  follows:  Edward,  Kansas  City;  Henry,  Macon;  Wal- 
ter, Bunceton;  Speer,  Bunceton;  Augusta,  wife  of  Chris  T.  Smith,  of  this 
county;  Sophia,  wife  of  John  Hall;  Emalina,  married  M.  J.  Mansager, 
resides  in  Iowa ;  Anna,  wife  of  William  Schmalfeldt,  Clarks  Fork,  and 
Mrs.  Florence  Martin,  deceased.  To  Andrew  C.  and  Esther  (Brandes) 
Smith  have  been  born  two  children,  Raymond  and  Elvadene  Ruth.  Be- 
sides these,  they  are  rearing  two  children  of  Mrs.  Smith's  deceased  sister 
Florence,  Edna  and  Spencer  Martin.  Edward  Martin,  father  of  these 
children,  is  now  living  in  St.  Louis. 


708  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

William  Meyer,  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  prosperous  and  promi- 
nent farmers  and  stockmen,  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  April  9,  1858, 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Anna  (Bahlmann)  Meyer,  the  former  a  native  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Oldenberg,  Germany. 

Henry  Meyer  immigrated  to  America  after  his  marriage  to  Anna 
Bahlmann,  in  1842,  and  he  and  his  wife  located  in  New  Orleans,  La., 
moving  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  to  Moniteau  County,  where 
Mr.  Meyer  entered  a  tract  of  land  comprising  200  acres,  to  which  he  later 
added  100  acres,  acquired  by  purchase  He  sold  the  farm  in  Moniteau 
County  after  farming  there  for  several  years,  and  moved  to  Cooper 
County,  where  he  settled  on  the  farm  now  the  country  place  of  his  son, 
William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Henry  Meyer  resided  in  Cooper 
County  from  1867  to  the  time  of  his  death.  During  the  Civil  War,  he 
served  with  the  Home  Guards  in  Moniteau  County.  He  was  a  very  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  stockman,  and  was  highly  regarded  in  Cooper  County. 
The  children  of  Henry  and  Anna  Meyer  are  as  follows:  Mary,  who  died 
in  childhood ;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  John  Schnuck,  of  Boonville ;  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  infancy;  Levina,  the  wife  of  Christian  Muntzel,  of 
Black  water;  Sophia,  the  wife  of  Henry  Friedmeyer,  and  she  is  now  de- 
ceased ;  Louise,  now  deceased,  the  wife  of  Henry  Molau ;  George,  deceased ; 
Henry,  Jr.,  and  Ana,  twins,  deceased;  and  William,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

William  Meyer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County. 
Practically  his  entire  life  thus  far  has  been  spent  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  "Buena  Vista 
Stock  Farm,"  located  eight  miles  southeast  of  Boonville  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  a  place  comprising  425  acres  of  valuable  land,  equipped  with 
two  sets  of  improvements,  all  of  which  have  been  placed  on  the  farm  by 
Mr.  Meyer,  the  buildings  including  a  handsome  two  -story  residence,  three 
bams,  and  a  tenant  house.  The  farm  is  very  neatly  kept,  the  land  is 
well  watered  and  stocked,  an  ideal  stock  farm.  Mr.  Meyer  has,  at  the 
time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  400  head  of  sheep  of  good  quality,  Jersey 
cattle,  and  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr.  Meyer  and  his  son,  Elmer,  in  part- 
nership, have  conducted  stock  sales  at  the  "Buena  Vista  Stock  Farm," 
in  connection  with  W.  B.  Windsor  and  C.  N.  Menefee,  and  in  cataloguing 
the  stock,  the  Meyer  cattle  and  hogs  invariably  ranked  as  the  best  quality. 

Aug.  23,  1883,  William  Meyer  and  Henrietta  M.  Steigleder  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Meyer  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Oskaloosa, 
Iowa,  a  daughter  of  George  Frederick  Andrew  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Hoch- 


2 


- 
> 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  700 

stetler)  Steigleder,  the  former,  born  July  30,  1829,  at  Michelbach  on  der 
Haide,  in  Germany,  and  the  latter  born  Aug.  16,  1834,  in  Holmes  County, 
Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steigleder  were  united  in  marriage,  Jan.  28,  1855, 
in  Ohio,  by  Rev.  J.  G.  Zohner,  and  to  them  were  born  eight  children: 
William  Frederick  and  George  Henry;  Anna  Elizabeth  Wilhelmina,  the 
wife  of  H.  P.  Muntzel,  of  Boonville ;  Louis  Robert,  of  Big  Cabin,  Okla. ; 
Matilda  H.,  the  wife  of  subject  of  this  sketch;  Martha  Amelia  Louise, 
the'  wife  of  Elmer  George,  of  Bunceton ;  Sophia  Barbara,  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Etter,  of  Richville;  and  Louvina  Luella,  of  Bunceton.  Jacob 
Hochstetler  immigrated  to  America  from  Rotterdam,  and  his  descend- 
ents  are  scattered  throughout  America,  Mrs.  Meyer  being  a  lineal  de- 
scendent.  The  Hochstetlers  settled  originally  in  Somerset  County,  Pa. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  have  been  born  two  children:  Elmer  C,  married 
Elsie  Stumpf,  Jan.  31,  1918,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Marie 
Stumpf ;  and  Stella  A.  E.,  at  home  with  her  parents. 

William  Meyer  is  one  of  the  original  "boosters"  of  good  roads  in 
Cooper  County,  and  one  of  the  first  to  be  interested  in  the  establishment 
of  the  rural  telephone  and  rural  routes.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Farmers  Bank  of  Boonville,  of  which  he  has  been  a  director  for  21  years, 
until  the  bank  was  sold.  He  was  a  school  director  in  his  district  for  15 
years.  Mr.  Meyer  stands  high  in  the  respect  and  trust  of  his  fellowmen 
and  there  is  no  man  in  this  section  of  the  State  more  worthy  of  admira- 
tion and  confidence. 

Henry  Smith,  well  known  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood  for  many 
years,  now  living  retired  in  Boonville,  was  born  in  Schleswig-Holstein, 
Germany,  Oct.  15,  1847,  son  of  Claus  and  Margaret  (Sulau)  Schmidt,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  that  country.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  Claus 
Schmidt  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  seven  children  and  located 
in  this  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1896, 
being  then  nearly  86  years  of  age,  and  is  buried  in  the  Clarks  Fork  Ceme- 
tery. He  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Peter,  Lone  Elm; 
Henry;  Joseph,  died  in  Henry  County;  John,  San  Francisco;  Heinrich, 
Petersburg,  Mo. ;  Anna,  manned  Frederick  Lohee  and  is  deceased ;  and 
Mrs.  Margaret  Naumann,  Lone  Elm. 

In  the  spring  of  1877  Henry  Smith,  with  his  father,  located  in  this 
county.  Nov.  16,  1877,  he  married  here  Julia  Hosp,  who  was  born  in 
this  county,  and  after  his  marriage,  he  followed  farming,  until  his  retire- 
ment and  removal  to  Boonville,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living  at 
509  East  Third  Street.     Mr.  Smith  still  owns  his  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 


710  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

township.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  sons:  Andrew  C,  a 
farmer,  Clarks  Fork  township;  George,  farming  the  home  place  at  Lone 
Elm;  William,  Bunceton;  Charles,  died,  aged  two  years. 

Mrs.  Julia  Smith,  the  mother  of  these  sons,  was  born  at  Boonville, 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Amelia  (Sombart)  Hosp,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this  county.  Andrew  Hosp  was 
born  in  Prussia  in  1825,  and  there  remained  until  he  had  attained  his 
majority  when,  in  1846,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  at  Boon- 
ville. Feb.  1,  1849,  he  married  Amelia  Sombart,  who  was  born  in  1828, 
and  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  her  parents  when  about  three 
years  of  age.  The  same  year  that  he  was  married  came  the  announce- 
ment of  the  great  gold  discovery  in  California,  and  Andrew  Hosp  joined 
a  party  and  set  out  for  the  coast.  From  there  he  went  to  Australia,  after 
about  two  years  of  experience  in  California,  and  did  not  return  to  Cooper 
County  until  in  1854,  in  the  meantime  having  undergone  numerous  hard- 
ships, but  saved  considerable  money.  Upon  his  return  he  bought  a  farm 
of  125  acres  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Boonville,  the  place  now 
owned  and  operated  by  his  son,  Julius  A.  Hosp,  and  there  lived  until  his 
removal  to  Boonville,  where,  for  a  time,  he  conducted  a  hotel.  He  died  in 
1916,  at  the  age  of  91  years.  His  wife  died  in  1904  and  is  buried  in  Wal- 
nut Grove  Cemetery.  Andrew  Hosp  and  his  wife  had  seven  children: 
Mrs.  Smith  and  her  twin  brother,  Julius;  Mary  Hosp,  Boonville;  Mrs. 
William  Kosted,  Peoria,  111. ;  Dora,  died  at  the  age  of  58  years ;  Amelia, 
married  William  Allison  and  is  deceased;  and  Laura,  died  in  infancy. 
The  Hosp  children  received  their  schooling  in  the  Mt.  Sinai  School. 

Toler  Brothers,  0.  K.  and  Grover  C.  Toler,  well  known  and  substan- 
tial young  farmers  and  stockmen,  doing  business  in  partnership  on  their 
well  improved  farm  of  200  acres,  14  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  in 
Clarks  Fork  township,  were  born  on  a  farm  one-half  mile  south  and  have 
lived  there  all  their  lives,  proprietors  of  the  place  since  1915,  when,  upon 
the  retirement  of  their  father,  who  also  was  born  on  the  farm,  they 
bought  the  place  and  have  since  devoted  their  attention  to  its  develop- 
ment. These  brothers  are  sons  of  Jesse  R.  and  Ella  A.  (Oakman)  Toler, 
who,  upon  their  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1915,  moved  to  Prairie 
Home,  where  they  are  now  living.  Jesse  R.  Toler  is  a  son  of  Elijah  R. 
Toler,  who  opened  for  cultivation  the  farm  now  owned  and  operated  by 
his  grandsons,  the  Toler  brothers. 

Elijah  R.  Toler  was  born  Aug.  15,  1804,  and  died  on  July  4,  1879.  He 
was  twice  married.    His  first  wife,  Sarah  Jane  Toler,  died  Sept.  24,  1841, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  711 

and  his  second  wife,  Nancy  Toler,  Feb.  4,  1902,  and  all  are  buried  in  the 
private  burial  plot  on  the  old  Toler  homestead,  on  the  rise  of  the  knoll 
just  north  of  the  residence  of  the  Toler  brothers.  A  single  monument 
carries  the  essential  data  relating  to  those  lying  there  and  four  beautiful 
cedar  trees  shade  the  well-kept  plot.  It  was  on  that  pioneer  farm  that 
Jesse  Toler  was  born  and  reared,  and  it  was  there  that  after  his  marriage 
to  Ella  Oakman,  he  established  his  home  and  reared  his  family.  To  him 
and  his  wife  were  born  six  sons,  as  follows :  Roy,  lives  at  Sedalia,  where 
he  is  employed  as  a  carpenter  for  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad ;  0.  K. 
and  Grover  C,  subjects  of  this  sketch;  Frank  George,  who  is  now  (spring 
of  1919)  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France ;  Joseph,  at 
home  with  his  parents;  and  Freeman,  at  home.  Frank  George  Toler,  the 
soldier  son,  enlisted  in  the  American  Army  in  June,  1918,  and  sailed  for 
overseas  service,  a  member  of  Company  A,  351st  Infantry,  and  was  at 
the  front  when  the  armistice  was  signed,  his  command  later  being  made 
part  of  the  Army  of  Occupation,  and  was  discharged  in  July,  1919. 

0.  K.  Toler  was  born  May  1,  1886,  and  Grover  C.  Toler  was  born  Aug. 
9,  1888.  They  received  their  schooling  in  the  Washington  and  Jefferson 
District  Schools.  With  the  exception  of  four  years,  during  which  0.  K. 
Toler  was  employed  in  the  pipe  factory  at  Boonville,  the  brothers  have, 
from  the  days  of  their  boyhood,  been  engaged  in  farming  together  on  the 
home  place,  and  upon  their  father's  retirement  in  1915,  they  bought  the 
place  and  have  since  been  operating  the  same  in  partnership.  The  Toler 
farm  is  admirably  situated,  about  60  acres  of  the  200-acre  place  being 
bottom  land  and  the  remainder  upland,  the  drainage  thus  being  excellent. 
In  addition  to  a  201-foot  driven  well,  there  are  two  excellent  springs  on 
the  place,  affording  an  ample  supply  of  pure  water.  About  160  acres  of 
the  place  is  under  cultivation  and  there  is  a  well-kept  Orchard.  The  farm 
house  is  a  substantial  two-story  structure  and  there  are  two  good  barns 
with  the  proper  complement  of  other  farm  buildings  to  add  to  the  con- 
venience of  the  well-ordered  farm  plant,  these  including  a  12x32  Dickey 
silo.  Besides  the  horses  on  the  place  and  a  good  herd  of  milch  cows,  the 
brothers  have  a  flock  of  fifty  Shropshire  sheep  and  a  good  drove  of  Duroc 
Jersey  hogs,  the  place  being  admirably  adapted  for  stock  raising.  The 
brothers  are  carrying  on  their  operations  in  accordance  with  up-to-date 
methods  and  are  doing  well.  Both  are  members  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Boonville  and  of  the  Mystic  Workers  at  Pisgah. 

July  1,  1912,  0.  K.  Toler,  the  elder  brother,  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rosa  Miller,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Myers)  Miller,  of  Boon- 


712  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

ville,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter,  Alberta  Cath- 
erine. July  26,  1913,  G.  C.  Toler  married  Lillie  Bybee,  an  orphan,  who 
was  reared  by  her  grandmother,  Mrs.  Graydoff,  and  both  families  are 
making  their  home  together -very  pleasantly. 

Robert  Boone  Smith,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Prairie  Home,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  Prairie 
Home  township  in  1855,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Lutitia  (George)  Smith, 
the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  the  latter  of  North  Carolina. 

Robert  Boone  Smith  received  his  education  in  the  public  school  and 
Prairie  Home  College.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stocK 
raising.  His  place  was  located  in  Prairie  Home  township,  and  is  now 
known  as  "Forest  View  Farm,"  the  name  which  Mr.  Smith  gave  it.  He 
improved  this  place  and  made  of  it  one  of  the  prettiest  stock  farms  in 
that  part  of  Cooper  County,  and  for  30  years  made  his  home  there.  He 
sold  it  in  1910  and  moved  to  Prairie  Home,  where  he  purchased  10  acres 
of  land  within  the  town  limits.  He  has  made  extensive  improvements 
on  this  place,  building  a  modern  residence,  with  garage,  bam,  poultry 
house,  etc.,  and  has  a  pretty  home. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  the  first  time  to  Miss  Catherine  Boswell,  a 
daughter  of  James  Boswell,  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.  Three  children  were 
born  to  this  union:  Myra,  married  William  Hurt,  Clarks  Fork  township, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Wilma ;  Lena  and  Ruth,  deceased.  Mrs. 
Catherine  Smith  died  in  1895.  June  27,  1897,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Yankee,  a  daugher  of  Wesley  Yankee,  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  bore  the  name  of 
Underwood,  and  to  this  union  were  born  the  following  children:  Andrew, 
deceased ;  Samuel,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Maxwell,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ; 
Amelia,  deceased ;  and  Joel,  deceased.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
Wesley  Yankee  married  a  Miss  Franklin,  and  the  following  children  were 
born  to  this  union :  Frank,  Lone  Jack,  Mo. ;  Fannie,  now  Mrs.  Thompson, 
near  Lone  Jack,  Mo. ;  Anna,  wife  of  Robert  B.  Smith,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Huston,  Strasburg,  Mo.;  Benjamin,  Lone  Jack; 
William,  Independence,  Mo.,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Hurt,  Lone  Jack.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  educated  in  Cass  and  Jackson  Counties.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Mystic  Work- 
ers, and  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star.  They  both  belong 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 

Mr.  Smith  has  in  his  possession  a  family  heirloom  which  is  highly 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  713 

prized  by  him.  It  is  an  old  rocking  chair  which  was  made  nearly  100 
years  ago,  and  was  the  property  of  his  grandfather,  Jeremiah  Smith. 

The  Smith  family  are  among  the  best  citizens  of  Cooper  County, 
and  Robert  Boone  Smith  is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  man  who  has 
had  a  successful  career,  and  stands  ever  ready  to  co-operate  with  any 
commendable  public  enterprise. 

George  W.  Carl,  proprietor  of  "Woodland  Farm,"  an  excellent  piece 
of  property  on  both  sides  of  the  Rankin  Mill  road,  three  miles  southeast 
of  Boonville,  in  Boonville  township,  where  he  has  resided  since  1911,  is 
a  native  son  of  Missouri  and  has  resided  in  this  State  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Warren  County,  Dec.  3,  1849,  son  of  George  and  Anna 
(Phillip)  Carl,  the  former  an  Alsatian  and  the  latter  born  in  Switzerland, 
who  were  married  in  Missouri  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

The  senior  George  Carl  was  born  Nov.  12,  1812,  and  left  his  native 
Alsace  and  in  the  thirties  came  to  Missouri,  and  for  three  yeais  worked 
on  a  farm  in  Gasconade  County  to  pay  his  board  and  repay  the  man  who 
had  paid  for  his  passage  to  this  country.  The  next  year  he  worked  for 
a  small  pair  of  steers,  cut  wood  on  Rush  Island  for  a  little  money  and 
afterward  traded  his  steers  for  40  acres  of  land  in  Gasconade  County, 
which  land  he  later  sold  for  $50.  In  1847  he  bought  a  tract  of  80  acres 
in  Warren  County  and  on  that  place,  in  the  spring  of  1849,  established  his 
home  and  reared  his  children.  To  this  tract  he  gradually  added  until  he 
had  200  acres,  which  in  time  he  sold  for  $1,500  and  with  this  purchase 
money  secured  an  equity  in  a  farm  of  100  acres  in  Franklin  County  for 
$6,500,  and  seven  years  later  had  the  place  paid  for.     He  died  here  Nov. 

20,  1880,  and  is  buried  at  Etla.  His  widow  died  March  19,  1912,  and  she 
is  buried  at  Independence,  Mo.  She  was  bom  Feb.  1,  1828  ,and  came  to 
this  country  with  her  parents  in  1844,  the  family  settling  in  Gasconade 
County,  where  on  March  7,  1849,  she  married  George  Carl.  To  that  union 
were  born  13  children:  George  W.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  John  Jacob, 
born  March  6,  1851;  Joseph,  born  March  15,  1852,  died  Sept.  17,  1854; 
Margaret,  bom  May  2,  1853 ;  Rosa,  born  Oct.  29,  1855 ;  Robert,  born  Feb. 
14,  1856;  Anna,  born  Sept.  9,  1857;  Henry,  born  Feb.  5,  1859;  Ferdinand, 
bom  Dec.  26,  1861 ;  Mary,  born  Oct.  25,  1862 ;  August,  bom  July  10,  1864 ; 
Julia,  born  March  2,  1866,  died  Sept.  7,  1867 ;  and  Wilhelmina,  born  March 

21,  1869. 

George  W.  Carl  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Warren  County  and  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  a  little  log  school  house.  He  remained  with  his 
father  until  he  was  21  years  of  age.    For  six  years  he  worked  in  a  saw  and 


714  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

grist-mill.  For  seven  years  thereafter  he  made  his  home  in  Osage 
County,  where  he  bought  a  small  farm,  selling  that  farm,  he  returned 
to  Franklin  County,  where  he  bought  85  acres  and  remained  there  for  23 
years.  In  1911,  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  took  possession  of  "Wood- 
land Farm"  of  205  acres,  which  he  had  bought  in  1910,  and  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  Besides  this  farm,  he  still  owns  his  farm  in  Frank- 
lin County,  a  place  which  he  had  brought  up  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Carl  raises  live  stock  and  raises 
Red  Polled  cattle.  An  ample  supply  of  water  is  obtained  from  a  drilled 
well,  105  feet  in  depth,  a  gas  engine  being  utilized  for  pumping  purposes. 

May  19,  1880,  George  W.  Carl  was  united  in  marriage  with  Amelia 
Witthar,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Jan.  28,  1859,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Juedemann)  Witthar,  natives  of  Holland,  whose  last 
days  were  spent  in  Missouri,  to  which  State  the  former  had  come  with 
his  parents  when  about  12  years  of  age,  and  the  latter,  with  her  parents 
when  about  14.  They  were  married  in  Franklin  County,  where  they  made 
their  home  for  years,  later  moving  to  Independence,  where  they  spent 
their  last  days  and  where  they  are  buried.  Mrs.  Carl  is  the  fourth  born 
of  the  seven  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  the  following: 
Henry  Witthar,  Independence;  Fred,  Independence;  Chris,  Kansas  City; 
Mrs.  Louis  Carl,  Independence ;  Mrs.  Lottie  Borgemann,  Buckner ;  and  Mrs. 
Catherine  Drewel,  Buckner.  To  George  W.  and  Amelia  (Witthar)  Carl 
seven  children  have  been  born :  Minnie,  wife  of  Ernest  Berkmeier,  Inde- 
pendence; Delia,  wife  Of  Ernest  Wattenburg,  Independence;  Anna,  at 
home;  Rosa,  wife  of  William  Twiehaus,  Independence;  Dora,  wife  of  Wil- 
liem  Loesing,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Edwin  Carl,  who  served  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France  during  the  World  War,  and 
Emil,  at  borne.  Edwin  Carl  enlistsd  for  service  in  the  World  War  Oct.  2, 
1917,  and  after  a  period  of  intensive  training,  sailed  in  the  spring  of  1918 
for  overseas  service,  a  member  of  Company  D,  110th  Ammunition  Train, 
35th  Division,  and  with  that  command  participated  in  some  of  the  hottest 
fighting  which  preceded  the  armistice,  including  battle  of  the  Argonne 
Forest.  Following  the  armistice  the  command  to  which  he  was  attached 
was  made  a  part  of  the  Army  of  Occupation.  He  was  discharged  May  5, 
1919,  and  is  now  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  have  six  grandchildren: 
George  Berkmeier,  Freda  and  Carl  Wattenburg;  Dorothy  Twiehaus  and 
Delphie  and  Wilbur  Loesing.  The  Carls  are  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  at  Boonville. 

Aaron  T.  Hockenberry,  one  of  the  substantial  fanners  and  stockmen 
of  Clarks  Fork  township  and  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  585  acres  in  that 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  715 

township,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Cooper 
County  for  more  than  50  years,  living  for  nearly  45  years  on  his  present 
farm.  He  was  bom  in  Butler  County,  Pa.,  April  21,  1853,  son  of  John  and 
Matilda  (McCandless)  Hockenberry,  both  also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
who  spent  their  last  days  there.  John  Hockenberry  was  a  son  of  Joseph 
Hockenberry,  also  a  native  of  Butler  County,  who  was  a  son  of  John 
Hockenberry,  a  native  of  Maryland  and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812, 
whose  father,  John  Hockenberry,  also  a  native  of  Maryland,  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  who  lived  to  be  104  years  of  age.  The 
Hockenberries  in  this  country  were  founded  by  a  family  of  Covenanters 
which  came  from  County  Down,  Ireland,  in  Colonial  days.  Mr.  Hocken- 
berry's  mother,  Matilda  McCandless,  was  a  daughter  of  John  McCandless, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  whose  father, 
William  McCandless,  was  a  native  of  North  Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent, and  whose  mother  was  a  native  of  England. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  Aaron  T.  Hockenberry  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  local  schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  18  years  of  age,  when,  in  1868,  he  came  to  Missouri  with  the  family 
of  his  uncle,  Oliver  Pizer,  and  for  20  years  made  his  home  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Weight  in  this  county.  After  his  marriage  in  1892,  Mr.  Hock- 
enberry has  since  continued  to  reside  there.  In  1878  Mr.  Hockenberry 
bought  from  J.  Richard  Davis  90  acres  of  his  present  tract  of  585  acres 
and  to  this  he  gradually  added  until  he  became  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Cooper  County.  This  farm  lies  on  the  Clarks  Fork-Moniteau 
township  line,  and  all  the  substantial  improvements  now  marking  the 
place  as  one  of  the  best  farm  plants  in  that  section  of  Cooper  County 
have  been  made  by  Mr.  Hockenbei-ry.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming, 
he  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock,  feeding  all  his  cattle  and  hogs, 
and  ships  about  five  carloads  of  hogs  and  cattle  annually.  During  the 
current  year  (1919)  he  has  115  acres  in  wheat.  There  are  two  sets  of 
improvements  on  the  place. 

June  9,  1892,  Aaron  T.  Hockenberry  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
Bates  County  ,  to  Fannie  Pope,  who  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Word)  Pope,  both  members  of  pioneer  families. 
Henry  Pope  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  came  to  Missouri  with  his 
parents,  Henry  Pope  and  wife,  the  family  first  settling  in  Cooper  County 
and  then  going  to  DeKalb  County.  The  senior  Henry  Pope,  who  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  was  a  school  teacher  and  after  coming  here  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  Round  Hill  in  Kelly  township.  His  granddaughter, 
Mrs.  Hockenberry  has  an  old  rollbook  of  the  pupils  attending  his  school 


716  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

at  that  place,  for  the  term  beginning  Sept.  1,  1856,  which  is  an  interest- 
ing souvenir  of  pioneer  days,  carrying  the  names  of  some  whose  great- 
grandchildren are  the  school  children  of  this  generation.  The  junior 
Henry  Pope  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  49  years,  and  is  buried  in  Pisgah 
Church  yard.  He  and  his  wife  had  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Hockenberry 
having  a  sister,  Anna,  wife  of  R.  E.  Neale,  of  Bunceton.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hockenberry  have  a  son,  Weight  Pope  Hockenberry,  who  attended  high 
school  at  Bunceton  and  at  California,  afterward  taking  a  course  in  the 
Business  College  at  Sedalia  and  a  two-year  course  in  agriculture  at  the 
Missouri  State  University,  and  is  now  a  valued  assistant  to  his  father. 

Philip  Davis,  who  lived  on  the  farm  where  William  Davis  now  lives, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Davis  school  house,  in  Kelly  township,  was  acci- 
dentally killed  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse,  the  accident  being  caused 
by  the  horse  starting  from  fright  at  the  sudden  whirring  of  the  wings 
of  a  prairie  chicken,  which  rose  immediately  in  front  of  it  while  the  rider 
was  cantering  across  the  prairie  in  quest  of  game.  Philip  Davis  was  a 
man  of  unusual  activity  and  was  a  famous  hunter  in  his  day,  apparently 
satisfied  only  when  out  hunting  or  exploring  some  new  part  of  the  unset- 
tled portion  of  the  West.  So  noticeably  true  was  this  that  the  neighbors 
jokingly  called  his  wife  "the  Widow  Davis,"  because  her  husband  often 
was  absent  for  so  much  of  the  time.  He  would  organize  a  crew  to  go 
West  in  search  of  fortune  and  adventure,  and  in  this  way  had  crossed  the 
plains  and  had  frequently  been  in  skirmishes  with  hostile  Indians.  The 
accident  by  which  he  came  to  his  death  occurred  at  a  point  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  from  the  Clarks  Fork  and  Moniteau  township  line,  near  the 
present  residence  of  Mr.  Hockenberry.  Philip  Davis  was  the  father  of 
George  and  Porter  Davis,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Williams,  of  Ver- 
sailles, the  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Porter  Williams  and  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Rod  Williams. 

James  M.  Hurt,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of 
Clarks  Fork  township,  a  member  of  a  highly  respected  family,  one  of  the 
first  families  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Hurt  was  born  April  10,  1853,  a  son  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Robertson)  Hurt,  natives  of  Cooper  County. 

William  Hurt  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1817,  at  old  Cole's  Fort, 
a  son  of  Col.  Clayton  and  Mary  (Dillard)  Hurt.  Col.  Clayton  Hurt  was  a 
native  of  Virginia.  He  was  born  Jan.  15,  1790,  in  Bedford  County,  Va. 
In  1814,  he  was  farried  to  Mary  Dillard,  a  daughter  of  James  Dillard,  of 
Kentucky,  and  in  1815  they  came  to  Missouri  and  settled   in   Boonville 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  717 

township,  Cooper  County.  They  resided  at  Fort  Cole  for  a  short  time, 
after  coming  to  Missouri,  and  there  William  Hurt  was  born.  William 
Hurt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Catherine  Robertson,  Sept.  6,  1837. 
Catherine  (Robertson)  Hurt  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Andrew  Robertson, 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  William  and  Catherine 
Hurt  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  W.  A.;  Mrs.  Mary  C. 
McFarland,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  James  M.,  the  subject  of  thifc 
sketch ;  Jenkins  D.,  Beniga,  and  Mrs.  Nancy  E.  Davis,  who  are  deceased. 

James  M.  Hurt  was  educated  in  private  schools,  as  he  was  of  school 
age  when  the  Civil  War  war  raging.  Since  attaining  maturity,  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was  given  a  farm  of  100 
acres  of  land  by  his  father,  when  he,  the  son,  had  attained  the  age  of  22 
years.  To  this  tract  of  land,  James  M.  Hurt  has  added  125  acres  of  land, 
and  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  country  places  in  the  county.  His  land 
is  well  watered  and  is  located  7'/:>  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  There 
are  two  good  barns  and  a  comfortable  residence  on  the  place,  which  has 
been  improved  by  Mr.  Hurt  since  he  acquired  the  ownership.  He  raises 
cattle,  horses  and  mules. 

Nov.  25,  1874,  James  M.  Hurt  was  married  to  Adaline  Rogers,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Benjamin  and  Harriet  (McDonald)  Rogers,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Saline  township,  Cooper  County, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  remains  of  both  parents  of  Mrs. 
Hurt  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  New  Salem  Church.  Dr.  Rogers 
came  from  the  South  to  Missouri  in  the  early  fifties,  and  opened  his  office 
in  Saline  township  at  his  home.  Adaline  (Rogers)  Hurt  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Saline  township.  She  is  one  of  six  children  born  to  her 
parents,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Ann  Johnston,  deceased;  Mrs.  James  M.  Hurt, 
the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Lucy  Williams,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Jeff  Stone,  deceased;  Mrs.  Hattie  Parson,  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.; 
and  Benjamin  F..  Jr.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Jessie,  the  wife  of  Hubert  Brubaker.  of  Madison,  Wis.:  William  .1., 
a  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  township ;  and  Grace,  the  wife  of  S.  S.  Hickam. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  are  very  proud  of  their  two  grandchildren:  Lois 
Hickam  and  Adaline  Brubaker. 

James  M.  Hurt  and  Mrs.  Hurt  are  worthy  and  consistent  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  They  are  highly  regarded  in  their  com- 
munity, and  they  are  numbered  among  the  best  families  of  the  county. 

James  Franklin  Carpenter,  proprietor  of  "Lone  Cedar  Farm,"  in 
Clarks  Fork  township,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  that  section,  was 


718  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Jan.  21,  1875,  son  of  Gabiiel  and 
Sarah  Catherine  (Harris)  Carpenter,  the  former  born  in  that  township 
and  both  spent  their  last  days  there. 

Gabriel  Carpenter  was  born  Oct.  15,  1837,  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter 
and  wife,  Pennsylvanians,  who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Clarks  Fork 
township.  The  farm  on  which  Samuel  Carpenter  settled  upon  coming 
here  is  now  owned  by  the  Reavis  estate,  and  the  grave  of  that  pioneer  is 
on  the  H.  J.  Reavis  farm.  Gabriel  Carpenter  grew  to  manhood  on  that 
farm  and  became  a  farmer  and  stockman  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  G.  W. 
Morris,  to  which  place  he  moved  in  1866  and  where  he  made  his  home 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  April  6,  1914.  His  widow  died  March  5,  1915, 
and  both  are  buried  at  Pisgah.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of 
whom  James  F.  was  the  third,  the  others  being  George  H.  Carpenter,  a 
farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Julia  Ann,  widow  of  George  T.  Talia- 
ferro, Clarks  Fork  township ;  Mrs.  E.  L.  Allison,  Kansas  City,  and  Andrew 
M.,  deceased. 

James  F.  Carpenter  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born,  receiving  his  schooling  at  Prairie  Home  Institute  and  at  Wentworth 
Military  School,  completing  his  schooling  when  18  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  has  made  many  substantial  improve- 
ments, including  the  erection  of  a  new  eight-room  house,  a  barn,  garage, 
tool  shed  and  the  like,  his  farm  plant  now  being  admirably  equipped.  The 
farm,  an  almost  level  tract  of  118  acres,  takes  its  name  from  the  fact 
that  in  the  front  yard  there  is  a  single  cedar  tree  which  was  planted  there 
by  Gabriel  Carpenter  about  the  year  1884.  "Lone  Cedar  Farm"  is  situ- 
ated five  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Bunceton  and  is  well  adapted  to  stock 
raising,  to  which  phase  of  farming  Mr.  Carpenter  gives  considerable  at- 
tention, particularly  to  the  raising  of  Jersey  cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey 
hogs.  Mr.  Carpenter  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Bunceton  and  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  at  Pisgah.  He  and  his  family  are  members  Of  the  Christian 
Church. 

Nov.  18,  1896,  James  F.  Carpenter  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ger- 
trude Hayes,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three 
children  have  been  bora,  Gabriel  William,  Catherine  Lourinda  and  How- 
ard Tilden.  Mrs.  Carpenter  is  a  daughter  of  William  A.  and  Lourinda 
(Miller)  Hayes,  the  latter  of  whom  lives  at  Bunceton.  William  A.  Hayes 
died  in  1898  and  is  buried  in  Concord  Cemetery.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  those  besides  Mi's.  Carpenter  being  George 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  719 

T.  Hayes,  of  Boonville;  Mrs.  Bessie  Doyle,  deceased;  Mrs.  Delia  Watson, 
of  Livingston,  Mont. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Hinton,  of  Chelsea,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  Lora 
Davis,  of  Kansas;  and  Mildred,  resides  with  her  mother.  Samuel  Car- 
penter, the  pioneer,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  crossed  the 
plains  in  1848  and  spent  some  time  prospecting  in  the  West.  Unlike  so 
many  who  set  out  on  an  adventurous  trip,  he  profited  quite  heavily  from 
the  trip.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  the  chase  and  the  experience  appealed 
to  him  doubly  on  this  account,  for  he  combined  his  business  enterprises 
with  hunting  along  the  way  and  in  this  way  found  real  pleasure  in  what 
to  so  many  who  ventured  West  in  those  days  was  but  an  arduous  and 
toilsome  trip.  Samuel  Carpenter  especially  liked  to  hunt  the  buffalo  and 
often  engaged  in  that  sport  in  the  early  days,  in  company  with  Johnson 
Reavis. 

Peter  W.  Loesing,  one  of  the  energetic  and  progressive  young  farmers 
of  Clarks  Fork  township,  who  is  assisting  in  the  operation  of  "Alfalfa  Val- 
ley Farm,"  owned  by  his  father-in-law,  William  F.  Schmalfeldt.  He  was 
bora  on  a  farm  near  Bunceton  in  1894,  son  of  August  and  Louisa  (Falter) 
Loesing. 

August  Loesing  was  bora  in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.,  in  1861,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  since  young  manhood.  It  was  here  that 
he  married  Louisa  Falter,  who  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  in  1863, 
and  who  had  come  to  this  county  with  her  parents.  After  their  marriage, 
he  and  his  wife  established  their  home  on  a  farm  in  this  county  and  their 
children  were  reared  here.  Mrs.  Louisa  Loesing  died  in  Feb.,  1916,  and 
is  buried  in  the  Lone  Elm  Cemetery.  August  Loesing  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  12  children,  as  follows:  Lena,  wife  of  H.  H.  Fahrenbrink, 
Bunceton;  Fred,  Bunceton;  William,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Bruno, 
same  township;  Christina,  housekeeper  for  her  father;  George  Henry, 
who  recently  returned  home  from  service  in  the  United  States  Army; 
Peter  W. ;  Minnie,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Julius,  at  home;  Eliza- 
beth, at  home;  Edgar,  died  in  infancy;  and  Emily,  resides  with  her  sister, 
IV*vr.  Fahrenbrink.  George  Henry  Loesing,  the  soldier  son,  enlisted  Oct. 
21,  1918,  and  was  sent  to  Camp  Bowie  (Texas)  for  training.  There  he 
was  attached  to  the  23rd  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry.  He  was  dis- 
charged March  28,  1919,  after  which  he  returned  home. 

Peter  W.  Loesing  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  at  Lone  Elm  and  at  Glendale.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
he  has  given  his  attention  to  farming  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of 
of  the  community. 


720  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

1918,  he  put  in  his  lot  with  that  of  his  father-in-law,  William  F.  Schmal- 
feldt,  at  "Alfalfa  Valley  Farm,"  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  the  operations  of  that  extensive  farm,  he  and  his  wife 
making  their  home  on  the  place. 

Sept.  10,  1918,  Peter  W.  Loesing  was  united  in  marriage  with  Emma 
C.  Schmalfeldt,  who  was  born  in  this  county  March  25,  1898,  daughter  of 
William  F.  and  Anna  (Brandes)  Schmalfeldt,  both  natives  of  this  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loesing  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Clarks 
Fork  and  take  part  in  church  work  as  well  as  the  general  social  activities 
of  the  community. 

P.  Lee  Debo. — The  Debo  Farmstead,  in  Boonville  township,  consist- 
ing of  177  acres,  is  a  well  kept  and  productive  tract  of  land.  Mr.  Debo 
erected  a  large,  modem  residence  of  cement  blocks  in  1909.  This  home 
contains  10  rooms  and  has  every  convenience  for  the  comfort  of  the 
family.  He  erected  the  first  silo  ever  built  in  Cooper  County  in  1910. 
Mr.  Debo  is  a  breeder  of  Black  Angus  cattle  and  has  been  specializing  in 
this  famous  breed  of  live  stock  since  1915.  He  now  has  a  herd  of  30 
head,  nearly  all  of  which  are  pure-bred  stock.  Mr.  Debo  does  not  handle 
this  breed  of  cattle  for  show  purposes  or  for  fanciers,  but  simply  raises 
the  Angus  cattle  to  satisfy  his  own  fancy  and  desire  for  a  good,  pure 
bi^eed  of  cattle  on  his  farm. 

P.  Lee  Debo  was  born  June  6,  1864,  in  Bedford  County,  Va.,  and  is 
a  son  of  R.  P.  Debo  and  Mary  Jane  (Hepstonstall)  Debo,  both  of  whom 
were  members  of  old  Virginia  families.  The  family  came  to  Howard 
County  in  1870  and  five  years  later  the  parents  came  to  Cooper  County 
and  made  their  home  with  the  subject  of  this  review.  Reed  P. 
Debo,  his  father,  was  born  Jan.  19,  1832,  and  died  April  21,  1912.  Mary, 
his  mother,  was  born  Oct.  18,  1840,  and  died  July  23,  1888.  Reed  P.  Debo 
served  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted 
from  Bedford,  Va.,  and  served  for  four  years  in  a  Virginia  regiment. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  while  fighting  with  Gen. 
Lee's  invading  army  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Federals. 

Reed  P.  and  Mary  Debo  were  parents  of  the  following  children: 
P.  Lee,  of  this  review;  Luther  C,  a  farmer  in  Boonville  township;  Grover 
E.,  a  farmer  across  the  highway  from  P.  L.  Debo.  For  the  first  15  years 
Reed  P.  Debo  lived  on  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Boonville  on 
his  own  place. 

When  he  became  of  age,  P.  Lee  Debo  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  and  for  10  years  he  rented  farm  land.     He  then  settled  on  a  farm 


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2 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  721 

owned  by  Mrs.  Debo,  the  old  George  place,  and  lived  there  until  October, 
1906,  and  then  came  to  their  present  place. 

Jan.  2,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  W.  George,  who  was  born 
Sept.  6,  1870,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  George,  who  is  one  of  the  old  pioneers 
of  Cooper  County.  Her  grandfather,  William  George,  entered  the  land 
in  1817,  the  land  patent  being  signed  by  President  James  Monroe  on  Nov. 
15,  1817.  The  Debo  farm  was  first  settled  in  1817  by  the  Chambers 
family,  and  is  the  oldest  settled  place  in  the  neighborhood.  James  Cham- 
bers came  to  Missouri  from  North  Carolina  in  1817,  raised  a  crop  and 
returned  to  North  Carolina  and  brought  back  cherry  and  apple  trees, 
which  he  planted,  establishing  the  first  nursery  here.  These  trees  ma- 
tured and  bore  fruit  until  just  four  years  ago,  when  the  last  of  them 
disappeared. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Debo  have  one  child:  Thelma  Louise,  born  May  10, 
1904. 

The  Georges  came  to  Cooper  County  during  the  War  of  1812,  and 
were  warned  by  the  people  that  they  would  have  to  remain  in  the  forts 
or  go  back,  inasmuch  as  it  was  dangerous  for  settlers  to  live  upon  the 
land.  They  went  to  St.  Genevieve,  remained  during  the  war,  and  then 
came  to  Cooper  County  in  1816.  Mr.  Chambers  built  a  two-room  cabin, 
and  established  the  first  nursery  in  Cooper  County.  In  the  years  which 
followed  his  settlement  here,  he  assisted  many  people  in  getting  located 
in  Cooper  County.  Six  brothers  of  the  George  family  settled  here.  Else- 
where in  this  history  is  a  fuller  account  of  the  George  family. 

Mrs.  Alice  W.  (George)  Debo  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  L.  George  (born 
May  4,  1831,  died  March  25,  1897),  who  was  born  on  a  farm  just  one-half 
mile  south  of  the  Debo  place.  He  was  a  son  of  Reuben  George,  born  Feb. 
25,  1792,  in  North  Carolina,  whose  wife  was  Sarah  McFarlan,  prior  to  her 
marriage,  and  was  born  Aug.  8,  1792.  Jacob  L.  George  migrated  to  St. 
Genevieve  County  Mo.,  in  1815,  and  two  years  later  came  to  Cooper  County 
with  the  Chambers  family.  He  had  four  children :  Nancy  L,  born  Jan.  9, 
1823;  Thomas  L.,  bora  Jan.  5,  1826;  Ellen  K.,  bom  Sept.  11,  1829;  and 
Jacob  George. 

Jacob  George  married  Mary  E.  Chambers  (born  March  20,  1836,  died 
Oct.  12,  1912),  who  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  Chambers,  who 
had  three  children:  Mrs.  Mary  E.  George;  Louisa  Jane,  bora  April  12, 
1841;  Martha  E.  Givens,  of  La  Plata,  Mo.,  born  March  8.  1844.  Mrs. 
Debo  is  the  only  child  of  her  parents. 


722  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mr.  Debo  is  an  independent  democrat.  He  and  Mrs.  Debo  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  are  intelligent,  progressive  people 
who  have  many  friends  in  Cooper  County 

William  F.  Poertner,  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  of  Clarks 
Fork  township  and  owner  of  a  well-kept  farm,  five  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Boonville,  was  bom  on  a  farm  near  Berger,  Franklin 
County,  Dec.  1,  1887,  son  of  Henry  and  Jennie  (Kroeger)  Poertner,  the 
latter  now  residing  at  Boonville. 

Henry  Poertner  was  of  European  birth,  born  in  1853,  and  was  15 
years  of  age  when  in  1868  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Warren  County,  Mo..  He  married  at  the  age  of  28  and  bought  a  farm  in 
Franklin  County  and  improved  the  place  and  died  there  in  1909,  aged  56 
years.  In  1910,  his  widow  came  to  Cooper  County  with  her  family  and 
bought  the  Steigleder  place,  on  which  she  made  her  home  until  she  sold 
it  to  Albert  Shannon.  She  is  now  living  in  Boonville,  where  she  is  very 
pleasantly  situated.  To  Henry  and  Jennie  (Kroeger)  Poertner  were  born 
eleven  children:  Mrs.  C.  H.  Witthar,  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  August  Wiss- 
mann,  New  Haven ;  Mrs.  A.  J.  Allemann,  Boonville ;  Mrs.  A.  E.  Schepper- 
claus,  Kansas  City;  Henry,  also  of  Kansas  City;  William  F. ;  John,  died 
at  the  age  of  five  years;  Otto,  who  was  killed  in  battle  while  serving  as 
a  soldier  in  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France  in  the  World 
War  in  the  fall  of  1918;  Ernest,  now  (spring  of  1919)  with  the  American 
Army  in  Europe;  Anna,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  Flora,  attend- 
ing college  at  Nevada,  Mo.  Otto  Poertner,  the  elder  of  the  two  soldier 
sons  of  Mrs.  Poertner,  responded  to  the  call  to  arms  immediately  follow- 
ing this  country's  declaration  of  war  in  April,  1917,  and  in  that  same 
month,  as  a  member  of  the  local  company  of  state  guardsmen  at  Boon- 
ville, to  which  he  had  been  attached  for  some  time,  was  inducted  into  the 
Federal  service,  going  with  his  company  to  Kansas  City  and  thence  to 
Ft.  Sill  (Oklahoma),  whence,  after  a  period  of  intensive  training,  he  was 
sent  with  his  command  on  overseas  service,  attached  to  a  machine  gun 
company  of  the  35th  Division,  until  he  met  a  soldier's  death  in  the  battle 
of  the  Argonne  Forest  in  France,  Sept.  28,  1918,  he  then  being  26  years 
of  age.  Ernest  Poertner,  the  second  soldier  son  of  this  family,  was 
drafted  for  service  in  the  National  Army  and  the  greater  part  of  that 
time  being  in  active  service  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in 
France,  attached  to  the  Third  Division  of  the  United  States  Army,  long 
at  the  front.    While  at  the  front,  he  was  severely  gassed  and  for  21  days 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  723 

thereafter  was  confined  in  hospital,  his  condition  for  some  time  being  re- 
garded as  critical.  He  received  his  honorable  discharge  from  the  service 
and  is  now  at  home. 

William  F.  Poertner  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Franklin 
County  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  Berger.  As  a  young  man  he  con- 
tinued his  labors  on  the  farm  and  was  21  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Cooper  County  with  his  mother  in  1910.  Two  years  later,  in  1912,  he 
bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  in  Clark's  Fork  township. 
This  is  a  well-kept  farm  of  80  acres,  which  Mr.  Poertner  bought  from 
Arby  Mills.  The  farm  is  rich  black  second  bottom  land  and  there  are 
two  excellent  running  springs  on  the  place.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming,  Mr.  Poertner  raises  cattle  and  hogs. 

May  26,  1914,  William  F.  Poertner  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ida 
Kohlsbusch,  born  in  Franklin  County,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has 
been  born,  Grace,  born  in  May,  1915.  Mrs.  Poertner  is  a  daughter  of 
Herman  and  Minnie  Kohlbusch,  natives  of  Missouri  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  in  Franklin  County.  Herman  Kohlbusch  died  on  March  18, 
1919,  and  his  wife  died  about  10  years  prior  to  that  time.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  but  three  are  still  living,  Mrs.  Poert- 
ner having  a  brother,  Louis  Kohlbusch,  a  farmer  in  Franklin  County,  and 
a  sister,  Mrs.  Charles  Oberg,  also  of  that  county.  The  children  now  de- 
ceased were  August,  Edward,  John,  Sophia  and  Mary.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Poertner  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church  at  Boonville. 

Henry  Brokamp,  owner  of  a  well-kept  farm  of  80  acres,  six  and  one- 
half  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native 
son  of  Cooper  County  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  near  Pisgah,  Jan.  12,  1878,  son  of  Henry  J.  and  Mary  Louise  (Behle) 
Brokamp,  and  was  the  fourth  of  the  six  children  born  of  that  parentage, 
as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of  Newton  Mills,  Clarks  Fork  township;  William, 
same  township;  Bettie,  wife  of  Chris  Hein,  Palestine  township;  Annie, 
wife  of  M.  H.  Lohse,  of  Clarks  Fork ;  and  Emil,  on  the  home  place.  Henry 
J.  Brokamp  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1869,  locating  in  St.  Louis  County,  whence  they  came  to  Cooper 
County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  the  place  where 
Emil  Brokamp  now  lives.  Henry  J.  Brokamp  died  in  1903  and  his  widow- 
died  in  1916.    Both  are  buried  in  the  CTarks  Fork  Cemetery. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Pisgah,  Henry  Brokamp 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  parochial  school  and  in  the  Jefferson 
District  School,  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  has  followed  farming. 


724  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

He  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  1905,  and  since  his  mar- 
riage in  the  following  year,  he  has  lived  on  this  place.  Mr.  Brokamp 
bought  his  farm,  a  part  of  the  old  Clark  Hall  farm,  from  John  Hall  and 
since  taking  possession  of  the  same  has  made  substantial  improvements, 
including  a  remodeling  of  the  farm  house,  the  erection  of  a  new  barn 
and  adequate  drainage. 

In  1906,  Henry  Brokamp  was  united  in  marriage  with  Minnie  Kaiser, 
who,  also,  was  born  in  this  county ;  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
Edgar,  born  Dec.  9,  1910.  Mrs.  Brokamp  was  born  in  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship May  24,  1878,  daughter  of  George  and  Henrietta  (Smith)  Kaiser, 
and  one  of  the  five  childxen:  Mrs.  Mary  Schilb,  of  Otterville;  John  H. 
Kaiser,  of  North  Moniteau  township;  and  August  and  George,  deceased; 
and  Mrs.  Brokamp.  The  late  George  Kaiser,  father  of  Mrs.  Brokamp, 
was  for  years  one  of  Prairie  Home  township's  best  known  and  most  sub- 
stantial farmers,  the  owner  at  the  time  of  his  death  of  a  fine  place  of  240 
acres,  the  farm  now  owned  by  L.  B.  Laws.  Mr.  Kaiser  was  born  Nov.  4, 
1827,  and  died  on  Oct.  26,  1903.  His  wife  died  Feb.  19,  1897.  She  was 
born  May  18,  1840.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Pleasant  Grove  Lutheran 
Church  Cemetery. 

Elmer  George,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Kelly  township,  and  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  the  eastern  district,  is  a 
native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  Boonville,  March  17,  1862,  a 
son  of  Thomas  L.  and  Lucy  (McCulloch)  George.  Thomas  L.  George  was 
also  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  Jan.  6,  1826.  He  spent  his  entire 
life  in  this  county,  and  died  in  1890,  and  his  remains  are  buried  in  the 
McCulloch  Cemetery.  Thomas  L.  George  and  Lucy  A.  (McCulloch)  George 
were  married  June  21,  1850.  She  was  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
Nov.  1,  1826,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Patsy  (Mills)  McCulloch.  The 
McCulloch  family  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Cooper  County,  in 
1835,  and  here  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

To  Thomas  L.  and  Lucy  A.  (McCulloch)  George  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Charles,  Boonville ;  Frank,  Boonville ;  Albert  and  Elmer, 
twins,  Albert  residing  at  Rock  Island  Texas,  and  Elmer,  the  subject  of 
..his  sketch;  Mrs.  Ada  Rudolph,  deceased;  and  Maggie,  a  successful  Cooper 
ounty  teacher. 

Elmer  George  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  Since  early  manhood  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  and  has  met  with  well-merited  success  in  this  field  of 
endeavor.     He   owns    120   acres   of   well   improved   and   productive   land 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  725 

adjoining  the  town  site  of  Bunceton.  He  has  material  on  the  place  for 
the  building  of  a  new  residence  to  succeed  the  old  one,  which  is  a  brick 
structure,  and  has  done  service  for  many  years,  although  it  is  still  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation. 

Since  early  life,  Mr.  George  has  manifested  a  strong  liking  and  an 
unusual  ability  for  mechanical  work,  and  especially  for  machinery.  He 
has  always  kept  a  machine  and  repair  shop,  which  is  equipped  for  general 
machine  and  repair  work.  He  is  capable  of  doing  almost  any  kind  of 
mechanical  work.  He  has  rebuilt  threshing  machines,  manufactured 
wagons,  and  built  an  automobile.  In  connection  with  his  other  work  he 
has  operated  a  sawmill  for  a  number  of  years. 

March  21,  1888,  Elmer  George  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Martha  E  L.  Steigleder,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Hoch- 
stetler)  Steigleder,  the  former  born  July  30,  1829,  and  the  latter  Aug.  15, 
1834.  The  father  died  in  1909,  and  the  mother  now  resides  at  Bunceton. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  William  F.,  Bunceton ; 
George  H.,  Bunceton ;  Anna  E.,  married  Herman  P.  Muntzel ;  Louis  Rob- 
ert, Big  Cabin,  Okla. ;  Matilda  Henrietta,  married  William  Meyer,  Clarks 
Fork  township;  Martha  E.  L.,  married  Elmer  George,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Sophia  Barbara,  married  T.  H.  Etter,  Richville,  Wash.,  and 
Leona  Luella,  resides  at  home  with  her  mother. 

Mr.  George  is  a  republican,  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  polit- 
ical affairs  of  this  township  and  county.  He  was  elected  in  November, 
1918,  and  is  serving  as  judge  of  the  County  Court  from  the  eastern  dis- 
trict, and  giving  a  satisfactory  and  praiseworthy  administration.  He 
was  the  first  republican  to  be  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court  from  this 
District.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  21  years,  and 
has  always  consistently  advocated  and  encouraged  the  betterment  of  the 
public  school  system.  Mr.  George  is  an  industrious  man  of  good  habits. 
He  is  57  years  of  age  and  never  drank  liquor  or  used  tobacco  in  any  form. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  have  been  born  one  son,  T.  Edgar  George, 
born  July  8,  1893,  and  resides  at  home  with  his  parents.  The  George 
family  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  rank  among  its  leading 
citizens. 

Christian  F.  King,  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Clarks  Fork 
township  and  is  the  second  of  the  three  sons  of  Jacob  and  Annie  (Nohrn- 
berg)  King.  The  other  brothers,  J.  W.  and  H.  M.  King  also  reside  on 
the  place  and  C.  F.  King  has  a  bachelor's  home,  which  he  built  in  the  door- 
yard  of  his  brother  H.  M.  King  and  in  which  he  thus  feels  himself  very 


726  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

properly  "boss  of  his  own  household".  Jacob  King,  the  father  of  these 
sons,  was  one  of  the  real  pioneers  of  that  section  of  Cooper  County  and 
on  the  first  clearing  made  on  his  quarter  section  of  land  there  he  set  out 
an  orchard,  the  first  orchard  in  that  neighborhood.  This  pioneer  was  a 
skilled  cabinet-maker,  an  art  he  had  learned  in  his  native  Denmark,  and 
after  settling  here  built  a  little  cabinet-making  shop  and  at  "odd"  times 
engaged  in  making  furniture  not  only  for  his  own  household  but  for  his 
pioneer  neighbors,  the  products  of  his  skill  being  in  much  demand.  This 
handicraft  skill  was  inherited  by  his  son,  C.  F.  King,  and  the  latter  is  a 
cabinet-maker  of  exceptional  ability,  many  of  the  products  of  his  skill 
finding  their  way  into  the  homes  of  the  neighborhood,  and  his  bachelor 
quarters  are  furnished  in  like  manner.  One  of  his  most  highly  prized 
bits  of  furniture  is  a  writing  desk  made  by  his  father  and  a  replica  of 
which  was  sold  in  its  day  for  $100.  Mr.  King  also  is  an  amateur  photo- 
grapher of  much  skill  and  in  his  rooms  are  many  evidences  of  his  pro- 
ficiency in  that  art,  to  the  development  of  which  he  gives  much  of  his 
leisure  which  is  not  devoted  to  his  prized  wood-working  tools.  Some  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  photographs  which  Mr.  King  has  thus  secured 
are  scenes  disclosed  by  his  camera  following  the  passing  of  the  cyclone 
of  1916.  One  of  these  views  shows  the  axle  of  a  corn  planter  with  wheel 
attached  driven  into  a  tree  on  the  Smalsey  farm.  Another  view  shows  a 
one-by-four  scantling  piercing  an  elm  tree.  Mr.  King  also  has  a  number 
of  exceedingly  interesting  views  taken  along  the  Missouri  River  during 
the  height  of  the  flood  of  1903. 

While  fine  woodworking  and  photography  give  Mr.  King  much  pleasure 
in  his  leisure  moments,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  he  devotes  all  his 
time  to  these  interesting  and  valuable  "hobbies".  Far  from  it,  indeed. 
He  owns  a  saw-mill  and  threshing  machine  rig  and  in  connection  with  the 
former  also  operates  a  neighborhood  store;  while  as  a  carpenter  his 
services  are  in  much  demand,  one  of  his  recent  bits  of  work  along  that 
line  having  been  the  construction  of  the  fine  woodwork  on  the  house  not 
long  ago  built  by  H.  H.  Fahenbrink  and  on  which  the  finishing  is  of  the 
very  highest  order. 

Joseph  A.  Davis,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  "old  time"  residents 
of  Prairie  Home  township,  was  born  on  his  present  farm  and  has  lived 
there  all  his  life.  The  little  old  log  cabin  in  which  he  was  born  is  still 
standing  in  the  dooryard  of  his  present  home  and,  with  its  contents  serves 
to  recall  the  memory  of  pioneer  times.  Mr.  Davis'  parents  established 
their  home  here  in  1857  and  there  are  preserved  many  interesting  relics 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  727 

of  that  period,  including  a  brass  kettle,  familiar  adjunct  of  the  great  lire 
place  which  occupies  the  greater  part  of  one  end  of  the  cabin;  a  hackle 
with  which  the  flax  was  rendered  fit  for  spinning,  the  mother's  spinning- 
wheel  and  quite  a  few  other  bits  of  furniture  of  the  period.  Mr.  Davis 
also  owns  his  father's  old  rifle,  bearing  the  manufacturer's  date  of  1831, 
and  this  he  also  prizes  very  highly,  as  well  as  the  powder  horn,  the  bullet 
pouch  and  the  charge  measure.  But  perhaps  the  most  vital  point  of 
interest  connected  with  that  little  old  log  cabin  is  the  fact  that  it  very 
properly  may  be  regarded  as  the  practical  birthplace  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  Cooper  County,  for  it  was  his  father,  the  Rev.  0.  P.  Davis, 
who  settled  there  in  1857  and  who  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  accord- 
ance with  the  tenets  of  the  Christian  Church  throughout  this  county  and 
in  the  neighboring  counties  of  Moniteau  and  down  as  far  as  Miller  County, 
to  whom  the  history  of  that  period  ascribes  a  very  large  measure  of  the 
credit  for  establishing  and  building  up  the  Christian  Church  hereabout. 

Rev.  Oliver  Perry  Davis  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  26, 
1816,  son  of  Major  Drury  Davis  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the 
daughter  of  Capt.  North  East,  of  that  county,  and  was  the  first  born  of 
twelve  sons  and  four  daughters.  Major  Drury  Davis,  a  veteran  of  the 
War  of  1812,  came  with  his  wife  and  their  first-born  son.  the  latter  being 
carried  on  horseback  in  the  arms  of  his  mother,  from  Wayne  County,  Ky., 
to  Missouri  in  the  fall  of  1817  and  settled  in  Howard  County,  where  not 
'cng  afterward  he  was  elected  the  first  justice  of  the  peace.  About  three 
years  later  he  moved  to  Cole  County  and  settled  at  the  site  of  a  great 
spring  16  miles  southwest  of  Jefferson  City,  where  he  began  the  manufac- 
ture of  gunpowder.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  there,  was  com- 
missioned a  major  of  the  state  militia  and  represented  Cole  County  in 
the  state  Legislature.  In  1832  he  moved  to  Cooper  County  and  for  11 
years  made  his  home  here,  moving  then  to  Macon  County,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  merchandising  until  1856,  when  he  returned  to 
Cooper  County  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  Oct.  10, 
1872,  aged  85  years. 

In  1837,  while  the  family  were  living  in  this  countv.  Rev.  0.  P.  Davis 
became  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Pisgah.  In  1839,  in  company 
with  his  younger  brother,  Jeremiah,  he  went  to  Macon  County  and  there 
in  1842  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  the  spring  of  1843  he  was  regularly 
ordained  as  a  minister.  For  three  years  thereafter  the  Rev.  0.  P.  Davis 
preached  for  the  Baptist  church,  or  until  he  was  formally  accused  of 
preaching  Campbellism;  whereupon  he  withdrew  from  the  Baptist  com- 


728  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

munion  and  in  the  fall  of  1848  identified  himself  with  the  Christian 
Church,  with  which  he  ever  afterward  remained  affiliated. 

Sept.  12,  1843,  the  Rev.  0.  P.  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sallie 
L.  Robinson,  of  Mercer  County,  and  to  that  union  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren :  Margaret  Ann,  married  Judge  J.  H.  Zollinger  and  is  now  deceased ; 
Samuel  R.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  during  the  Civil  War;  D.  L.  Davis  died  at 
Sedalia  while  on  a  visit ;  Nancy  Jane,  wife  of  Hugh  Logan,  Sr. ;  U.  E. 
Davis,  Chicago ;  Susan  F.,  married  D.  J.  Judy  and  is  deceased ;  Joseph  A. ; 
and  Lucy  B.,  wife  of  Hugh  Logan,  Jr. 

Joseph  A.  Davis,  son  of  the  Rev.  O.  P.  and  Sallie  L.  (Robinson)  Davis, 
was  born  Sept.  19,  1857.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  New  Salem 
district  school,  James  F.  Adams  being  his  first  teacher.  Mr.  Davis  has 
made  farming  his  life's  work  but  is  now  practically  retired,  renting  the 
place  to  his  son-in-law,  Roger  Q.  Mills.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  democrat,  has 
filled  offices  on  the  local  school  board  and  is  an  elder  in  the  Walnut  Grove 
Christian  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  since  his  boyhood. 

Jan.  25,  1888,  Joseph  A.  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  with  Kate 
Logan,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  and  to  this  union  two  children  were 
born:  Fannie  Logan  died  in  infancy  and  Jessie  Ann,  wife  of  Roger  Q. 
Mills,  who  is  farming  the  home  place.  Mrs.  Davis  was  born  March  9, 
1858,  died  Jan.  2,  1908,  and  is  buried  in  the  Walnut  Grove  Church  yard. 
Though  born  in  this  state,  she  was  reared  in  the  neighborhood  of  Stam- 
ford in  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  where  her  father  died.  Her  mother  died  in 
Chicago  and  her  body  was  taken  to  Lincoln  County,  Ky.  for  interment 
beside  that  of  her  husband. 

William  Foreman  Johnson. — If  signal  achievement  in  a  civic  sense  is 
a  criterion  whereby  a  good  citizen's  standing  in  the  community  is  meas- 
ured and  a  definite  place  in  history  is  thus  assured  him  by  reason  of  his 
labors  in  behalf  of  his  home  city  and  county,  then  W.  F.  Johnson's  place 
in  the  history  of  his  home  county  of  Cooper  is  established.  During  his 
30  years  of  practice  in  the  courts  of  central  Missouri  and  throughout  the 
state,  he  has  won  a  place  of  importance  among  the  legal  fraternity ;  those 
years  have  likewise  been  spent  in  promoting  the  development  of  his  home 
city  in  ways  which  are  enduring  and  beneficial,  with  the  welfare  of  his 
fellow  citizens  and  the  city  and  county  ever  uppermost  in  his  thoughts. 
Mr.  Johnson  may  not  have  amassed  great  wealth  as  some  men  have;  he 
may  not  have  won  nation  wide  fame  but  he  possesses  what  few  Cooper 
County  citizens  can  boast — the  warm  friendship  and  esteem  of  the  great 
mass  of  citizens  of  this  county.     William  Foreman  Johnson  was  born  Feb. 


V. 

z 
■I. 

V. 

X 


^i  ■■■-•■      H 

HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  729 

8,  1861,  in  Shelbyville,  Shelby  County,  Mo.     He  is  the  son  of  Prof.  Charles 
Brown  Johnson,  a  native  of  Owen  County,  Ky. 

Prof.  Charles  Brown  Johnson  was  born  Oct.  22,  1824,  the  fourth  child 
of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to  William  C.  and  Harriet  (Dillon) 
Johnson  of  Kentucky.  William  C.  Johnson  was  a  Kentucky  pioneer  who 
removed  to  that  state  from  Ohio  and  followed  the  profession  of  government 
surveyor.  He  entered  large  tracts  of  land  in  Kentucky  and  developed  a 
considerable  estate.  The  Johnson  family  became  prominent  in  Kentucky 
and  the  seven  children  of  William  C.  Johnson  were  reared  and  educated 
in  that  state.  Prof.  C.  B.  Johnson,  after  completing  a  preparatory  course 
of  study,  was  graduated  from  St.  Mary's  College,  and  also  completed  the 
course  in  the  Kentucky  Military  School,  near  Frankfort.  Following  the 
completion  of  his  education  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  plows 
until  his  removal  to  Shelbyville,  Mo.,  in  1856,  where  he  established  a  male 
and  female  seminary.  During  the  Civil  War  he  organized  a  company  of 
soldiers  for  service  in  the  Confederate  army,  attempted  to  join  General 
Price's  army,  was  captured  by  the  Federals  and  paroled.  For  over  40 
years,  Professor  Johnson  was  engaged  in  teaching  and  during  that  time  he 
had  charge  of  some  of  the  best  academic  schools  in  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri. He  served  two  terms  as  school  commissioner  of  Shelby  County. 
In  1881  he  came  to  Pilot  Grove  and  with  his  son  William  F.  of  this  re- 
view, took  charge  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute  which  had  been 
previously  established  by  his  oldest  son,  Charles  Newton  Johnston.  He 
with  his  son  W.  F.  had  charge  of  this  widely  known  institute  for  six  years 
and  spent  his  last  days  in  Boonville  where  he  died  Sunday  morning,  June 
8,  1900.  Professor  Johnson  was  a  Presbyterian  and  a  Mason  and  was 
always  a  democrat. 

Prof.  C.  B.  Johnson  was  twice  married.  His  first  marriage  was  on 
May  15,  1849,  with  Miss  Hannah  Walton,  of  Kentucky,  who  died  in  Nov., 
1851.  He  was  again  married  Feb.  22,  1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ford,  a 
daughter  of  Jeremiah,  and  Artemesia  (Baker)  Ford  of  Kentucky,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Virginia.  The  other  son  born  to  this  union 
besides  the  subject  of  this  review  was  Prof.  Charles  Newton  Johnson,  a 
graduate  of  the  Annapolis  Naval  Academy,  the  Chicago  Conservatory  of 
Music  and  the  Hamil  School  of  Elocution.  He  taught  in  Shelbina  College 
and  established  the  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute  in  1879.  He  died 
three  years  later,  in  1882. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Johnson,  mother  of  W.  F.  and  Charles  N.  Johnson 
was  a  woman  of  fine  attainments  and  education.     She  was  an  accomplished 


730  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

teacher  who  shared  the  labors  of  her  husband  and  sons  in  their  educational 
work.  She  died  in  Boonville  in  July,  1916,  aged  90  years.  In  dedicating 
this  volume  of  Cooper  County  History  to  the  memory  of  his  parents,  Mr. 
W.  F.  Johnson  is  conveying  a  tribute  to  their  memories  and  building  a 
monument  which  will  be  as  enduring  as  any  marble  or  granite  shaft. 

The  education  of  William  F.  Johnson  was  obtained  largely  under  his 
father's  preceptorship  in  the  Brandenburg,  Ky.  Seminary  and  Shelbina 
College.  He  held  the  position  of  assistant  principal  of  the  Shelbina,  Mo., 
public  schools  in  1880.  He  came  to  Pilot  Grove  and  was  associated  with 
his  brother  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute  for  one  year.  He  and 
his  father  then  conducted  the  institute  until  1888.  He  then  served  as 
publisher  and  editor  of  the  "Pilot  Grove  Leader"  until  his  election  to  the 
office  of  State  representative  in  the  General  Assembly  at  the  revising 
session  1888-89.  In  1889  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  and 
removed  to  Boonville  in  1894.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Johnson  was 
prominent  in  county,  state  and  national  politics  and  was  one  of  the  real 
leaders  of  the  democratic  party  in  the  state.  He  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Cooper  County  in  1906,  re-elected  in  1908  and  1910,  serving 
six  years  in  all.  In  1912  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  held  at  Baltimore  and  there  supported  his  kinsman,  Champ 
Clark  for  the  presidential  nomination. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Margaret  Harris,  a  daugh- 
ter of  E.  H.  Harris,  of  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.  Three  children  have  blessed  this 
marriage,  as  follows:  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Walter  M.  Small,  a 
geologist  whose  home  is  in  Franklin,  Pa. ;  Marguerite,  wife  of  E.  H.  Green, 
a  capitalist  of  New  York  City,  mother  of  one  child,  Marguerite,  born  in 
Dec,  1918 ;  Newton  H.,  born  Dec.  9,  1884,  educated  in  Kemper  Military 
School,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  married  Miss 
Tess  Underwood  and  has  two  children,  Joellis  and  Barbara. 

Mr.  Johnson  became  a  member  of  Wm.  D.  Muir  Lodge  No.  277,  of 
Pilot  Grove,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  in  1882,  and  is  a  past 
master  of  this  lodge.  He  became  affiliated  with  Cooper  Lodge  No.  36,  of 
Boonville,  in  1897,  and  is  past  master  of  this  lodge.  He  has  filled  the  post 
of  Grand  Senior  Warden  of  the  Missouri  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons ;  is  Past 
Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter;  is  past  commander  of 
Olivet  Commandery  Knights  Templar  and  a  member  of  the  council  and 
a  Shriner. 

Mr.  Johnson  served  for  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Re- 
formatory in  Boonville.     For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  731 

Boonville  Board  of  Education  and  has  been  the  foremost  champion  of  edu- 
cational progress  in  the  city.  He  championed  the  erection  of  the  Laura 
Speed  Elliot  High  School  building  and  through  his  personal  influence  with 
Col.  John  Elliot,  the  city  became  the  recipient  of  Col.  Elliot's  generosity 
in  giving  the  lot  upon  which  the  building  stands,  to  the  city. 

No  greater  friend  to  the  cause  of  education  resides  in  Cooper  County 
than  Mr.  Johnson.  For  eight  years  he  served  as  president  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  and  during  his  period  of  office  many  notable  civic  improve- 
ments were  fathered  by  the  club  and  brought  to  fruition,  all  of  which 
stand  as  testimony  to  his  worth  as  a  citizen  and  his  abiding  love  for  his 
home  city.  This  history  of  Cooper  county  which  he  has  written  has  been 
a  labor  of  love  and  a  pleasure  on  his  part  to  record  the  story  of  the  mak- 
ing of  Cooper  County  in  order  that  posterity  might  know  what  manner 
of  men  and  women  were  those  who  developed  this  fair  and  fertile  tract 
of  land  into  the  present  thriving  and  rich  county,  and  built  the  cities  and 
towns  which  grace  the  country  side. — Written  by  Robert  M.  Gibson. 

Charles  Newell  Menefee,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  of  200  acres 
in  Prairie  Home  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky., 
Aug.  4,  1850,  son  of  Frank  S.  and  Mary  Frances  (Hamilton)  Menefee,  both 
natives  of  that  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Col. 
William  Hamilton,  an  officer  of  the  War  of  1812,  who  died  on  that  farm 
at  the  age  of  89  years. 

Frank  S.  Menefee  came  to  Missouri  with  his  family  in  1860  and 
located  in  Knox  County,  but  two  years  later  returned  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  remained  until  1867,  when  he  came  back  to  Missouri  with  a  view  to 
settling  in  Calloway  County,  but  came  over  into  Cooper  County  and  settled 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  C.  N.  Menefee  and  here  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  During  the  Civil  War  Frank  S.  Menefee  was  an  ardent  Southern 
sympathizer  and  was  for  three  months  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  by  the 
Federals  on  account  of  his  outspoken  views.  He  was  born  on  Jan.  30, 
1825,  and  died  on  Sept.  20,  1888.  His  widow  died  May  29,  1900.  She 
was  born  on  June  28,  1827.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Charles  Newell;  John  A.,  living  in  Montana;  William  H.,  whereabouts 
unknown;  Jonah,  whereabouts  unknown;  Samuel  G.,  Denver,  Col.,  and 
Mrs.  George  Adams,  Boulder,  Col. 

C.  N.  Menefee  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living, 
and  in  time  bought  the  other  heirs'  interests.  This  is  a  well  improved 
farm  of  200  acres  and  the  house  was  erected  by  Jesse  McFarland,  the 
owner  prior  to  the  Civil  War.     McFarland  sold  the  place  to  Benjamin  and 


732  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Solon  Smith.  The  Smiths  sold  to  Frank  S.  Menefee  upon  the  latter's 
arrival  here  in  1867  and  it  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Menefee 
family  since.  Mr.  Menefee  is  a  democrat,  but  has  never  sought  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Prairie  Home. 
For  25  years  he  was  an  extensive  breeder  of  Poland  China  hogs  and  while 
thus  engaged  held  19  sales. 

March  10,  1881,  C.  N.  Menefee  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Taylor,  who 
was  born  in  Missouri,  daughter  of  William  Taylor  and  wife,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  state  and  died  at  Herndon,  Mo.  William  Taylor 
and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  Mrs.  Menefee;  Mrs.  Mary 
Finley,  Saline  county ;  Mrs.  Linnie  Champion,  Montrose,  Colo. ;  James, 
Saline  County ;  Henry,  Montrose,  and  Robert,  Herndon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Menefee  have  one  child,  Mary,  wife  of  Frank  Poindexter,  who  was  with 
the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe  and  a  part  of  the  Army 
of  Occupation  in  Germany.  Mr.  Poindexter  was  one  of  the  first  men  in 
Cooper  County  to  be  inducted  into  the  National  Army  and  was  sent  to 
Camp  Funston  in  April,  1918,  to  France  for  overseas  service  with  the 
356th  Regiment,  89th  Division,  which  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice 
was  a  part  of  the  American  Army  of  Occupation  and  was  sent  back  to 
America  and  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  Camp  Funston,  June  10, 
1919. 

John  H.  Windsor. — A  strong  character,  a  stm-dy  and  upright  citizen 
who  was  universally  respected  and  admired  throughout  this  section  of 
Missouri,  was  the  late  John  H.  Windsor,  extensive  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  was  born  on  the  Mt.  Vernon  estate  in  Fair- 
fax County,  Va.,  Sept.  4,  1832.  He  was  a  son  of  Horace  Simeon  Windsor, 
of  Virginia,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1838. 

Thomas  Windsor,  the  predecessor  of  the  Windsors  in  Cooper  County, 
was  born  in  England,  May  14,  1714.  He  was  born  near  Old  Sarum  Castle. 
In  early  manhood  he  immigrated  to  America  and  settled  on  a  large  farm 
in  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  where  he  operated  a  large  plantation.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Warden,  who  bore  him  a  large  family  of  children:  John, 
Thomas,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  George,  William,  Libbie,  Jemima,  Millie,  Sam- 
son, Mary  and  Richard. 

Richard  Windsor  was  born  March  15,  1778.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Numan  who  bore  him  the  following  children:  Numan,  Catherine.  Pris- 
cilla,  James,  Elizabeth,  James,  Richard  S.,  Mary  Ann,  Loftin,  and  Horace 
Simeon.  The  last  named  married  Anne  Matilda  Allison  and  at  his  death 
left  her  a  large  state.     He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1838  and  became 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  733 

owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land  south  of  Boonville.  Returning  to  Virginia, 
he  brought  his  family,  movable  belongings  and  a  number  of  slaves  on  the 
return  trip  and  settled  in  this  county.  He  farmed  on  an  extensive  scale 
after  the  manner  of  the  Virginia  planters.  Horace  Simeon  Windsor  died 
in  Boonville.  His  only  child  was  John  H.  Windsor  of  this  review,  who 
became  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  and  stockmen  in  Missouri  dur- 
ing his  lifetime.  He  received  from  his  father  a  tract  of  320  acres  upon 
which  he  settled.  Mr.  Windsor  accumulated  a  total  of  1,200  acres  of  land 
which  is  noted  for  its  splendid  improvements.  He  raised  all  the  feed 
for  his  cattle  and  hogs  and  when  asked  the  secret  of  his  success  in  feed- 
ing live  stock,  he  would  reply,  "I  have  never  lost  anything  by  feeding  as 
the  Lord  gave  me  the  corn  and  the  Lord  gave  me  the  cattle'*.  At  his 
death  he  left  his  heirs  a  large  estate,  comprising  1,700  acres  of  land 
located  chiefly  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 

When  a  young  man  he  married  Eleanor  Zollinger,  who  was  born  at 
Hagerstown,  in  1835  and  died  in  1890.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Zollinger,  a  pioneer  of  Cooper  County,  who  migrated  from  his  native  state 
of  Maryland  in  about  1844  and  settled  southeast  of  Boonville  near  the 
Clarks  Fork  store.  He  entered  land,  accumulated  400  acres  which  was 
tilled  by  the  slaves  which  he  brought  with  him  from  Maryland.  To  John 
H.  and  Eleanor  Windsor  were  born  children  as  follows:  Horace  George, 
one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  Cooper  County,  and  an  extensive 
corn  grower  and  stockman  who  is  owner  of  over  600  acres  of  land ;  Walter 
B.  Windsor,  owner  of  500  acres  of  land  south  of  Boonville,  and  success- 
fully engaged  in  raising  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs;  John  L.  Windsor  died 
in  1882;  Alma,  wife  of  E.  H.  Harris,  Jr.,  cashier  of  the  Third  National 
Bank  of  Sedalia,  Mo.:  Eugene  A.  Windsor;  and  Dr.  Norman  Windsor,  a 
successful  physician  who  for  20  years  has  been  located  in  St.  Louis. 

The  late  John  H.  Windsor  found  time  to  take  an  interest  in  civic  and 
religious  matters  aside  from  the  management  of  his  extensive  farming 
interests  and  he  was  a  man  universally  respected  and  admired  through- 
out the  country.  He  was  an  elder  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church  and  served  for  many  years  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
of  his  church. 

Warren  E.  Carpenter,  a  progressive  young  farmer  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  owner  of  "Meadow  Brook  Farm",  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper 
County  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
Clarks  Fork  township  near  Pisgah,  Feb.  28,  1886,  son  of  George  A.  and 
Mary  McCune   (McCulloch)  Carpenter,  the  latter  was  a  daughter  of  Col. 


734  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Robert  Allen  McCulloch,  an  officer  of  General  Forrest's  cavalry  in  the 
Confederate  service  during  the  Civil  War  and  who,  as  well  as  George  A. 
Carpenter's  grandfather,  Samuel  Carpenter,  was  a  '49er,  both  were  grand- 
fathers and  great  grandfathers  of  Warren  E.  Carpenter,  having  been 
among  that  courageous  band  which  faced  the  practically  unknown  dangers 
of  the  plains  and  the  mountains  in  the  days  when  the  California  gold  fields 
were  attracting  the  attention  of  the  world. 

"Meadow  Brook  Farm",  now  the  property  of  Warren  E.  Carpenter 
was  originally  entered  by  William  Tyre,  Dec.  16,  1833,  and  the  govern- 
ment patent  granting  his  claim  bears  date  of  Oct.  1,  1835.  Samuel  Car- 
penter and  his  wife  Lucy,  grandparents  of  Warren  E.,  bought  the  farm 
Feb.  10,  1865,  from  John  F.  Smith  and  later  transferred  it  to  their  son, 
M.  P.  Carpenter,  who  sold  it  to  Francis  M.  Davis,  who  in  time  sold  it  to 
Louis  Erhardt.  who  sold  it  to  George  A.  Carpenter,  who  on  Jan.  5,  1909, 
transferred  the  old  homestead  of  320  acres  to  his  sons  Warren  and  Homer, 
the  present  owners.  Distinctively  ornamental  features  of  the  place  are 
several  noble  pine  trees  standing  in  the  dooryard,  which  were  planted 
by  Samuel  Carpenter,  and  a  noble  elm  which  was  set  out  by  William 
Henry  Carpenter,  an  uncle  of  the  present  owners. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Warren  E.  Carpenter  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming.  He  and  his 
brother  Homer  became  joint  owners  of  the  old  Samuel  Carpenter  home- 
stead and  which  they  have  since  greatly  improved.  The  place  is  well 
adapted  to  stock  raising.  "Meadow  Brook  Farm"  is  admirably  located 
on  the  Prairie  Home-Bunceton  road,  has  a  substantial  two-story  nine- 
room  house,  which  was  rebuilt  by  W.  E.  Carpenter,  a  good  tenent  house, 
an  ample  stock  barn,  machine  shed  and  other  buildings  and  an  excellent 
water  supply,  the  water  being  pumped  from  a  deep  well  by  a  gas  engine 
which  also  furnishes  power  for  small  machinery  used  about  the  place. 
A  tractor  which  pulls  eight  fourteen-inch  plows  and  is  capable  of  turning 
over  25  acres  a  day  is  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  operation  of  the  place. 

Jan.  10,  1907,  Warren  E.  Carpenter  was  married  to  Ola  Myrtle 
McDonald,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Savage)  McDonald,  formerly  of  Clarks  Fork,  both  deceased,  their  daugh- 
ter Ola  having  been  reared  in  the  household  of  Judge  George  W.  Morris. 
and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  Mary  Matilda,  George  Emil, 
Bessie  Virginia,  Ada  Lucille  and  Warren  E.,  Jr.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter 
are  members  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church  and  take  an  interested  part 
in  church  work  as  well  as  in  general  social  and  cultural  activities. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  735 

R.  S.  Rankin  was  born  at  Woodville  Mills,  Cooper  County,  Dec.  13, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (MacFarland)  Rankin,  both 
natives  of  Virginia.  William  Rankin  was  born  near  Winchester,  Va.,  in 
1806.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1838  and  settled  at  Boonville.  In 
1840  he  built  the  Woodville  Mill  and  operated  it  for  a  number  of  years. 
This  mill  was  originally  a  water-power  mill,  but  steam  power  was  added 
in  1854.  The  old  mill  continued  to  do  service  until  1893,  when  it  was  torn 
down  and  the  present  mill  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  by  S.  L.  and 
R.  S.  Rankin.     S.  L.  Rankin  died  in  1914,  age  69  years. 

R.  S.  Rankin  has  been  engaged  in  the  milling  business  nearly  all  his 
life.  He  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Marie  L.  Duncan,  a  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Mary  Duncan,  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  They  are  both 
now  deceased.     Mrs.  Rankin  died  Nov.  5,  1890. 

The  Rankin  family  is  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County, 
having  been  identified  with  this  section  of  the  state  for  over  80  years. 

William  H.  Carpenter,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  Prairie  Home 
township  and  the  owner  of  "Oakland",  a  fine  farm,  is  a  member  of  one  of 
Cooper  County's  pioneer  families.  He  was  born  on  the  Henry  Reavis 
farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township  on  Sept.  4,  1857,  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter, 
born  in  1835,  who  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter,  who  came  from  Ken- 
tucky with  his  family  to  this  county  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  During  the  days  of  the  gold  rush  to  California  in  1849  he  went 
to  the  gold  fields.  He  died  on  the  Carpenter  homestead  and  is  buried 
there,  as  is  his  son  Samuel  and  the  latter's  wife.  The  younger  Samuel 
Carpenter,  who  became  one  of  the  large  landowners  in  this  section,  died 
.May  17,  1907.  His  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Lucy  Catherine 
Dooley,  died  in  1899.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  living  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first  born,  the  others  being 
George  A.  Carpenter,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork  township; 
M.  P.  Carpenter,  an  inventor,  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Ella  Taylor,  Holden,  Mo. 

William  H.  Carpenter  has  followed  farming  all  his  life.  He  completed 
his  schooling  in  Slaughter  College,  Prairie  Home  and  after  his  marriage 
settled  on  the  place  where  he  is  now  living,  which  he  has  developed  into 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  that  neighborhood.  He  has  160  acres  and  his 
'on,  S.  Alvin  Carpenter,  has  an  adjoining  farm  of  120  acres;  they  carry 
on  their  operations  in  close  cooperation.  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing Mr.  Carpenter  has  for  many  years  also  given  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock. 


736  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

May  6,  1886,  William  H.  Carpenter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Letitia 
Belle  Harris,  a  daughter  of  Judge  A.  T.  Harris,  of  Prairie  Home,  and  to 
this  union  one  child  has  been  bom,  S.  Alvin  Carpenter,  born  on  April  3, 
1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  at 
Prairie  Home.     He  is  an  independent  democrat. 

Eugene  A.  Windsor. — In  writing  the  history  of  the  families  of  Cooper 
County,  the  biographer  is  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  early  pioneers 
of  this  county  were  from  the  older  states  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  They 
were  people  of  substance,  perseverance  and  standing,  and  many  of  them 
were  of  the  better  class  from  these  older  states.  These  traits  have 
endured  in  their  descendants  to  this  day  and  the  sons  and  grandsons  of 
these  early  Virginia  pioneers  are  the  leaders  in  this  county  and  the  stale 
of  Missouri  in  the  business  and  professional  walks  of  life.  Eugene  A. 
Windsor,  successful  real  estate  and  farm  loan  dealer  of  Boonville,  is  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Cooper  Coui*;y  pioneers.  Mr. 
Windsor  was  born  on  the  Windsor  homestead,  six  miles  south  of  Boon- 
ville, Jan.  4,  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  H.  Windsor  and  is  a 
grandson  of  Horace  Simeon  Windsor  who  settled  in  this  county  in  1838. 

Eugene  A.  Windsor  was  educated  in  the  old  Cooper  Institute  and  the 
Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute  After  farming  for  some  years  he  engaged 
in  banking  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank  for  a  year.  He  has  followed  the  real 
estate  business  for  the  past  25  years  and  has  been  and  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  dealers  in  farm  lands  in  central  Missouri.  Mr.  Windsor  has 
handled  thousands  of  acres  of  farm  lands  and  is  owner  of  700  acres  of 
land  located  near  Boonville,  Choteau  Springs,  and  Prairie  Lick  in  this 
county.  His  offices  are  located  in  what  was  formerly  known  as  the  Wind- 
sor Building  in  Boonville. 

Mr.  Windsor  is  owner  of  the  Choteau  Springs  Resort,  ten  miles  south- 
west of  Boonville,  which  he  purchased  in  1900.  This  resort  consists  of  40 
acres  of  picturesque  ground  and  is  noted  for  its  springs  which  yield  a 
medicinal  water.  The  place  is  equipped  with  a  hotel,  baths,  swimming 
pool  and  several  cottages  for  summer  dwellers  and  is  an  inviting  spot  in 
which  to  spend  a  part  or  all  of  the  summer  season.  Choteau  Springs  has 
an  interesting  history.  Mr.  Windsor's  holdings  are  a  part  of  a  grant  of 
30,000  "arpens"  of  land  or  26,250  acres  which  was  made  to  Pierre  Cho- 
teau by  the  Spanish  King  in  1799  when  this  entire  territory  belonged  to 
the  Spaniards.  Later,  trouble  was  made  in  getting  the  title  to  the  land 
ratified  by  the  American  Congress  and  Congressman  William  H.  Ashley 
rode  to  Washington,  had  the  title  perfected  and  purchased  the  land  of 


EUGENE    A     WINDSOR 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  737 

Choteau.  Mr.  Ashley  discovered  the  medicinal  springs  and  named  the 
locality  alter  its  former  grantee,  Pierre  Choteau.  The  original  land  grant 
was  made  Nov.  28,  1799  and  the  deed  conveys  all  of  the  tract  from  the 
Governor  of  Upper  Louisiana,  Charles  DeHault  DeLassus  to  Pierre  Cho- 
teau. The  scenery  around  the  springs  is  beautiful  and  inviting  and  hun- 
dreds of  people  visit  the  Springs  each  year  for  the  benefit  of  the  baths 
and  the  medicinal  waters. 

March  20,  1907,  Mr.  Windsor  and  Miss  Gertrude  Hudson  were  united 
in  marriage.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  two  children:  Eugene 
A.  Windsor,  Jr.,  aged  nine  years ;  and  Horace  Hudson  Windsor,  aged  seven 
years. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  (Hudson)  Windsor  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  H.  T. 
Hudson,  formerly  a  prominent  and  well  known  merchant  of  Boonville, 
who  was  founder  of  the  firm  of  H.  T.  Hudson  &  Co.  Mr.  Hudson  was  born 
in  Miami,  Saline  County,  Mo.,  in  1849,  was  there  reared  to  manhood,  mar- 
ried Lina  A.  Meyers  who  was  born  in  1845  and  died  in  1900.  H.  T.  and 
Lina  Hudson  were  parents  of  six  children:  Hallie,  wife  of  Doctor 
Dunlap.  Dallas,  Texas;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Richard  H.  Keith,  Kansas  City, 
Mo. ;  Mrs.  Gertrude  Windsor,  of  this  review ;  Taylor,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ; 
Mrs.  Alice  McGee,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Hargrave,  a  member  of  the  Bell 
Coal  Company,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Mr.  Hudson  died  in  Los  Angeles,  April 
20,  1916. 

Mr.  Windsor  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Commercial  Bank  and  is  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  successful  citizens  of  Boonville  and  Cooper  County. 
His  handsome  residence  at  the  southwest  comer  of  Chestnut  and  Fourth 
streets  is  an  ornament  to  the  city.  He  is  a  democrat  and  takes  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  political  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  and  is  liberal  in  his  support  of  the  church  and  all  worthy 
enterprises.  No  call  upon  his  purse  for  a  worthy  project  to  advance  the 
interests  of  his  home  city  goes  unheeded,  but  he  is  always  found  in  the 
forefront  of  good  movements.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  is  affiliated  with  the  Commandery,  is  a  Shriner  and  a 
member  of  Aarat  Temple  of  Kansas  City,  having  attained  the  York  Rite 
in  Masonry.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  To 
know  Eugene  A.  Windsor  is  to  have  a  sincere  regard  for  him  and  to 
admire  his  qualities. 

Herman  H.  Fahrenbrink,  a  well  known  and  progressive  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He 
was  bom  on  the  old  Clawson  place  four  miles  northeast  of  the  place  where 
(42) 


738  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

he  now  resides  Feb.  9,  1876.  A  son  of  Henry  and  Magdalena  (Scnnack) 
Fahrenbrink.  A  more  extensive"  history  of  the  Fahrenbrink  family  is 
given  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  C.  W.  Fahrenbrink,  which  appears 
in  this  volume. 

Herman  H.  Fahrenbrink  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  and  received  his  education  in  the  Jefferson  school  district 
and  the  parochial  school  at  Lone  Elm.  He  also  attended  the  high  school 
at  Bunceton  for  a  time.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life 
occupation,  and  has  met  with  more  than  ordinary  success  in  this  field  of 
endeavor.  Mr.  Fahrenbrink  owns  one  of  the  valuable  and  attractive 
farms  of  the  county,  it  being  a  part  of  his  father's  old  home  place.  He 
owns  170  acres  of  well  improved  land,  which  is  located  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  about  six  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton.  The  Fahrenbrink  home 
is  a  neat  six  room  residence,  and  was  built  in  1903.  It  is  modern  through- 
out and  lighted  with  acetylene  gas.  There  are  two  barns  on  the  place 
and  other  ample  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Fahrenbrink  in  addition  to  general 
farming,  is  extensively  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  hogs  and  he  also 
raises  large  numbers  of  pure  bred  brown  leghorn  chickens. 

March  31,  1912,  H.  H.  Fahrenbrink  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Magdalena  Loesing,  a  daughter  of  August  and  Louise  (Falter)  Loesing, 
both  natives  of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Loesing  died  in  1914,  and  her  remains 
are  buried  at  Lone  Elm.  August  Loesing  now  resides  in  Clarks  Fork 
township.  To  August  and  Louise  (Falter)  Loesing  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Fred  lives  in  Oklahoma;  William,  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship; George  Henry,  who  served  in  the  United  States  army  during  the 
World  War,  now  resides  at  home  in  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Peter,  Clarks 
Fork  township;  Julius,  Christine,  Lizzie  and  Emily  all  residing  at  home. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fahrenbrink  have  been  born  four  children :  Helen  Louise, 
born  Feb.  20,  1917,  and  three  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Fahrenbrink  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers  Elevator  Co.,  of  Bunce- 
ton, and  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizens  of  Cooper 
County.  He  and  Mrs.  Fahrenbrink  are  members  of  the  Lone  Elm  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church. 

S.  Alvin  Carpenter,  proprietor  of  "The  Maples",  a  well  kept  farm  of 
120  acres  in  Prairie  Home  township,  was  born  in  that  township  and  is 
one  of  the  substantial  young  farmers  of  the  county.  He  was  born  April 
3,  1889,  son  of  William  H.  and  Letitia  Belle  (Harris)  Carpenter,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Judge  T.  A.  Han-is,  of  Prairie  Home.  William  H.  Carpenter 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter,  who  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter,  a  Ken- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  739 

tuckian,  who  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  in  pioneer  days  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  that  community.  William  H.  Carpenter  and 
his  wife  are  living  on  the  farm  adjoining  that  of  their  son  Alvin  and  father 
and  son  carry  on  their  farming  operations  in  close  cooperation. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  S.  Alvin  Carpenter  completed  his  schooling  in 
Clarksburg  College  and  in  William  Jewell  College  and  upon  his  return  from 
college  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  and  so  con- 
tinued until  in  1914,  when  he  bought  the  place  of  120  aci-es  adjoining  that 
of  his  father,  buying  the  place  from  Robert  Heinen.  Since  taking  posses- 
sion of  that  farm  Mr.  Carpenter  has  made  numerous  substantial  improve- 
ments, these  including  the  remodeling  of  the  farm  house,  the  erection  of 
a  new  barn  48x50  feet,  a  large  water  tank  of  tile  and  concrete,  a  wash 
house  and  engine  house  and  other  buildings.  Mr.  Carpenter  is  pursuing 
modem  methods  in  his  farming  and  included  in  the  mechanical  equip- 
ment of  his  farm  plant  is  a  high-power  tractor.  He  raises  some  cattle, 
Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  Buff  Orpington  chickens.  "The  Maples"  is  delight- 
fully situated  and  Mr.  Carpenter  and  his  family  have  a  very  pleasant 
home. 

July  10,  1913,  S.  Alvin  Carpenter  was  married  to  Edna  Hale,  who  also 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  bom, 
Claud  Elliott  and  Dorsey  Earl  Juanita.  Mrs.  Carpenter  was  born  in 
Clark's  Fork  township,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  F.  and  Sallie  (Carey)  Hale, 
who  are  now  living  in  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  are  members 
of  the  Prairie  Home  Baptist  Church. 

Henry  P.  McPhatridge,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, residing  at  "Edgewood  Farm",  is  a  Virginian,  but  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Cooper  County  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  was  bom  in  Virginia 
.March  29.  1853,  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Mary  M.  (Latham)  McPhatridge,  both 
bom  in  Virginia.  Alfred  McPhatridge  died  in  Tennessee  and  his  widow 
came  to  this  county  and  here  spent  her  last  days,  she  being  83  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  is  buried  in  the  family  burial  plot  on 
"Woodland  Farm"  in  this  county.  Alfred  McPhatridge  and  his  wife  had 
three  children,  of  whom  Henry  P.  is  the  youngest,  the  others  being  Mrs. 
William  H.  Ellis,  of  Prairie  Home,  and  Napoleon,  who  is  now  living  in 
Arkansas. 

Reared  in  Virginia,  Henry  P.  McPhatridge  completed  his  schooling 
in  a  private  school  there.  In  1881  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in 
Prairie  Home  township,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  After  his 
marriage,  four  or  five  years  after  coming  here,  he  settled  on  his  present 


740  HISTORY    OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

place  and  has  since  resided  there.  "Edgewood  Farm"  is  a  part  ol  tne 
Ellis  estate  and  consists  of  110  acres  of  well  improved  land.  The  house 
stands  at  the  edge  of  a  fine  wood  of  natural  trees,  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque spots  in  that  neighborhood. 

March  10,  1886,  that  Henry  P.  McPhatridge  was  married  to  Minnie 
-  L.  Ellis,  who  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County, 
who  have  been  represented  here  since  the  early  days  of  this  section  of 
Missouri.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Ann  M.  Ellis,  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  1886,  aged  65  years,  and  the  latter  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
69  years.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Ellis  cemetery.  William  H.  Ellis  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children :  William  H.  Ellis,  Jr.,  Prairie  Home ; 
Mrs.  McPhatridge;  Collin  E.,  died  in  Kansas  City,  and  Anna  Gray,  died 
in  1894.     Mrs.  McPhatridge  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Robert  S.  Tevis,  farmer  and  stockman,  who  with  his  sister,  Lillie  M. 
Tevis,  is  owner  of  240  acres  of  the  old  Tevis  homestead,  southwest  of  Lone 
Elm,  Clarks  Fork  township,  was  born  Oct.  4,  1875.  Mr.  Tevis  was  born 
on  a  farm  west  of  Bell  Air  and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  old  Tevis 
homestead  in  1895. 

The  history  of  the  Tevis  family  in  Missouri  begins  with  Jeremiah 
Tevis,  great  grandfather  of  Robert  S.  Tevis,  who  came  to  Cooper  County 
from  Kentucky  in  1831.  His  wife  was  Miss  Hixie  Lowry,  prior  to 
her  marriage.  Others  who  came  to  Cooper  County  at  the  same  time  was 
William  Lowry,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Tevis  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Gillie,  wife  of 
Henry  Corum,  and  another  sister,  Mrs.  Lucy,  wife  of  James  Bridges. 
Jeremiah  Tevis  settled  on  the  farm  north  of  Bell  Air,  now  owned  by 
George  Schlotzhauer.  The  Corums  settled  south  of  Bell  Air  on  land  now 
comprised  in  the  Ravenswood  Stock  Farm. 

Capt.  Simeon  P.  Tevis,  grandfather  of  Robert  S.  Tevis,  settled  on 
the  Tevis  homestead  in  1831.  His  first  visit  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  was 
made  in  1823.  He  worked  as  a  carpenter  in  this  county,  returned  to 
Kentucky,  married  Emily  Berkeley  of  Louisville,  and  upon  his  return  to 
this  county  settled  on  land  which  he  entered  from  the  government.  He 
had  a  family  of  six  children:  Cassandra,  wife  of  William  Allen;  Daniel 
W.  B. ;  Jeremiah,  St.  Clair  County,  Mo.;  John  W. ;  Nestor  C. ;  one  child 
died  in  infancy ;  Susan  died  in  childhood ;  and  Mrs.  Anna  McCrosky,  de- 
ceased.    Mrs.  Emily  Tevis  died  March  19,  1888,  at  the  age  of- 76  years. 

Capt.  Simeon  P.  Tevis  drilled  a  company  of  militia  which  was  enrolled 
during  the  Mormon  trouble  in  Missouri.  His  company  was  called  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  down  what  was  called  the  Mormon  insurrection  near 


NESTOR    C.    TEVIS 


MRS,    NESTOR   C.   TEVIS 


CAPT.    SIMEON    P.   TEVIS 


KOIIIOKT    S.    TKVI.S 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  741 

Independence  in  the  forties.  Captain  Tevis  was  born  in  1806  and  died 
in  1893. 

Nestor  C.  Tevis,  father  of  Robert  S.  Tevis,  was  born  March  25,  1839 
and  died  April  11,  1912.  He  was  married  on  July  14,  1874  to  Julia  A. 
Smith  who  bore  him  children  as  follows:  Robert  S.  of  this  review;  Simeon 
P.,  lives  in  Texas,  married  Bertie  Jeanette  Allen  and  has  two  children, 
Charlotte  Julia  and  Anna  Elizabeth;  Lillie  M.  Tevis  resides  with  her 
brother  on  the  homestead.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  bom  in  Ala- 
bama, May  19,  1848  and  departed  this  life  Dec.  25,  1918.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Nelson  Smith  who  met  death  on  the  Manassas  battle- 
field. He  was  a  grandson  of  Governor  Page  of  revolutionary  times  and 
was  a  native  of  Yorktown,  Va.  He  volunteered  in  the  Florida  War  in 
1836. 

Genealogy  of  the  Smith  Family  in  Virginia:  (I)  Major  General 
Lawrence  Smith,  of  York  County,  Va.,  laid  out  Yorktown,  Va.  in  1691. 
He  died  in  1700.  His  son  (II)  Col.  Lawrence  Smith,  justice,  sheriff  of 
York  County  Va.,  and  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  in  1683.  He 
died  in  1700.  His  wife  was  Mildred  Reed.  Will  proved,  1754.  Their 
son,  (III)  Robert  Smith,  born  1733,  died  1787.  His  wife  was  Mary  Cal- 
thorpe.  Their  son,  (IV)  Dr.  Augustin  Smith  of  York  County,  Va.,  edu- 
cated in  Edinburg  University,  married  Alice  Page  in  1793.  She  was  born 
in  1775  and  was  a  daughter  of  Gov.  John  Page  of  Virginia.  They  had 
six  children.  His  son,  (V)  William  T.  N.  Smith,  born  March  18,  1804, 
in  York  County,  Va.,  married  Elizabeth  M.  Fugua  who  was  born  near 
Farmville,  Prince  Edwardsville  County,  Va.,  Dec.  2,  1805,  died  Dec.  18, 
1854  in  Rogersville,  Ala.  William  T.  N.  Smith  was  a  direct  descendant 
of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  He  was  a  volunteer  in  the  P'lorida  War  of 
1836.  The  soil  in  which  he  was  buried  was  probably  in  other  years 
owned  by  his  ancestors.  William  T.  N.  Smith  was  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  daughter  of  whom,  born  near  Rogersville,  Ala.,  was 
married  to  Nestor  C.  Tevis  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  July  14,  1848.  William 
T.  N.  Smith  was  killed  at  the  first  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  or  Manassas,  July 
21,  1861. 

In  1686,  Ludlow's  land  was  sold  to  Lawrence  Smith.  This  tract  con- 
tained 1,452  acres  in  York  County  on  Wamley  Creek.  The  land  came  into 
possession  of  his  great  grandson,  Robert  Smith,  and  afterwards  became 
Templa  Farm.  The  Articles  of  Surrender  of  Cornwallis'  army  to  General 
Washington  were  signed  in  the  Smith  mansion. 

The  Tevis  home  place  in  Cooper  County  is  one  of  the  oldest  settled 


742  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

places  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  The  old  Versailles  Trail  passed  the  old 
Greenhalge  and  the  Tevis  places. 

Robert  S.  Tevis  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  excellent  ancestors  and 
is  keeping  alive  the  traditions  of  the  family.  He  has  made  some  sub- 
stantial improvements  on  the  old  homestead  and  is  successful  as  a  farmer 
and  citizen.  He  has  recently  completed  a  200  ton  concrete  silo  on  the 
place. 

Mr.  Tevis  is  a  democrat  as  were  his  ancestors.  He  is  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  his  township  and  county  and  is  well  and  favorably  known 
throughout  the  county.  Mr.  Tevis  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
South. 

Edgar  A.  Carpenter,  an  energetic  young  fanner  of  North  Moniteau 
township  and  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  of  120  acres  eight  miles  east  of 
Bunceton,  was  bora  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township  Nov.  13,  1890,  son 
of  George  A.  and  Mary  M.  (McCulloch)  Carpenter,  prominent  residents 
of  that  community.  Col.  R.  A.  McCulloch,  maternal  grandfather  of  Mr. 
Carpenter,  was  an  officer  of  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  War 
and  spent  his  last  days  in  this  county.  He  died  Dec,  1911,  and  was 
buried  in  Pisgah  cemetery,  which  is  a  part  of  the  original  confines  of 
Mr.  Carpenter's  farm. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork,  Edgar  A.  Carpenter  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  the  Ellis  district  school  and  during  the  years 
1909,  1910  attended  the  Missouri  Valley  College  at  Marshall.  He  then 
resumed  farming  on  the  home  place  until  1911,  when  he  began  farming 
on  his  own  account.  He  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
Feb.  28,  1912,  moved  onto  the  same.  Mr.  Carpenter  has  made  substantial 
improvements.  He  has  a  good  two-story  seven-room  farm  house,  a  sub- 
stantial barn  48x48,  a  machine  shed  and  other  suitable  buildings.  In 
addition  to  general  farming,  Mr.  Carpenter  gives  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  is  now  feeding  a  car  load  of  cattle  and  has 
a  fine  bunch  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 

June  7,  1911,  Edgar  A.  Carpenter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Edna 
Missouri  Lewis,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born,  Gladys  Margaret  and  Robert  Allen,  the  latter 
named  in  honor  of  his  great-grandfather,  the  late  Col.  Robert  Allen  Mc- 
Culloch. Mrs.  Carpenter  is  a  daughter  of  J.  F.  and  Margaret  (King) 
Lewis,  of  North  Moniteau  township.  J.  F.  Lewis  also  was  born  in  this 
county,  son  of  John  M.  Lewis,  who  was  an  early  settler  near  Otterville. 
Mrs.  Lewis  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  where  the  Kings  had  located  in 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  743 

pioneer  days.  She  and  Mr.  Lewis  were  married  at  Tipton.  To  their  union 
seven  children  were  born:  Miss  Aura  Lewis,  of  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  Car- 
penter; Minnie,  died  at  the  age  of  19  years,  and  Susan  Frances,  Mary 
Belle,  Mildred  and  Lucille,  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church  and  Mr.  Carpenter  is  affiliated  with  the 
Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  at  that  place. 

John  R.  Smith,  a  former  teacher  of  Cooper  County  and  for  the  past 
20  years  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Pisgah,  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  that  section  of  the  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Clarksburg,  Moniteau  County,  June  30,  1858,  son  of  John  I.  and  Peggy 
(Guyer)  Smith,  who  were  among  the  best  known  residents  of  Pisgah. 

John  I.  Smith  was  a  Kentuckian.  He  came  to  this  state  during  the 
early  '40s  and  located  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  for  a  short  time  a 
resident  of  Moniteau  County,  but  soon  made  his  permanent  home  half  a 
mile  southeast  of  Pisgah,  in  North  Moniteau  township,  this  county,  and 
here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  as  did  his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents.  John  Smith  and  his  wife 
are  buried  in  the  Guyer  cemetery.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  still  living:  John  R.;  Mrs.  Christina  Diffenbaugh, 
Eldon;  and  Mrs.  Birdie  Scott,  Pleasant  Green.  The  deceased  members 
of  this  family  are  Berry,  Mrs.  Mallie  Allison,  William,  Mrs.  Lucy  Yancey, 
Henry,  Mrs.  Mattie  Russell  and  Charles. 

J.  R.  Smith  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  as  a  young 
men  was  for  three  winters  engaged  in  teaching  in  this  county,  continuing 
his  farm  labors  during  the  summers.  In  1897,  he  bought  an  interest  in 
the  business  of  his  father-in-law,  Squire  Moore,  of  the  Moore  Mercantile 
Company  at  Pisgah,  and  became  actively  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  that  place.  This  mutually  agreeable  partnership  continued  until 
the  death  of  Squire  Moore,  after  which  the  latter's  son,  T.  J.  Moore, 
bought  his  father's  interest.  A  year  later  Mr.  Smith  bought  his  new 
partner's  interest  in  the  business  and  has  since  been  conducting  the  store 
alone.  He  carries  a  general  line  of  goods  required  in  the  local  trade, 
handles  all  kinds  of  country  produce  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  in  that  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  at  Pisgah. 

In  Aug.,  1897,  J.  R.  Smith  was  married  to  Ollie  Frances  Moore,  daugh- 
ter of  Squire  Moore  and  Frances  (Lovell)  Moore,  both  now  deceased. 
The  late  Squire  Moore,  who  for  years  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
influential  figures  in  the  community  life  of  the  Pisgah,  is  buried  in  Pisgah 


744  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

cemetery.  He  and  his  wife  had  four  children,  Mrs.  Smith  having  three 
brothers,  Robert  Moore,  Wyoming;  T.  J.  Moore,  Moniteau  township,  and 
Edward  Moore,  Moniteau  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  five  chil- 
dren: Ruth,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Pisgah  High  School  and  is  now 
a  Cooper  County  teacher;  Zaney,  who  also  was  graduated  from  Pisgah 
High  School  and  is  now  teaching;  Roy,  who  is  now  attending  high  school 
at  Bunceton,  and  Woodson  and  Squire.  The  Smiths  have  a  pleasant  home 
at  Pisgah  and  have  ever  taken  an  interested  and  helpful  part  in  the  gen- 
eral social  activities  of  that  community. 

Charles  H.  Drechsel,  one  of  Boonville  township's  best  known  and  most 
substantial  farmers  was  born  in  Saxony,  Oct.  18,  1859,  son  of  Charles  H. 
and  Wilhelmina  (Pasley)  Drechsel,  both  natives  of  that  country,  to  whom 
were  born  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  the 
only  survivor.  In  1865  the  senior  Charles  H.  Drechsel  and  his  wife  and 
children  came  to  America  and  settled  at  Boonville,  where  the  father  pres- 
ently bought  a  farm  in  Boonville  township.  Fifteen  years  later,  in  1880, 
he  made  a  visit  back  to  his  old  home  across  the  water  and  remained  about 
three  months,  returning  then  to  Boonville.  About  a  week  after  his  return 
he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  died,  being  then  at  the  age  of  53.  His 
widow  was  married  first  time  to  Philip  Pasley  and  by  this  first  union  was 
the  mother  of  two  children,  of  whom  but  one,  Charles  Pasley,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  is  living.     She  died  in  1908  at  the  age  of  72  years. 

Charles  H.  Drechsel  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, receiving  his  schooling  in  the  Clear  Spring  district  school.  As  a 
young  man  he  worked  for  some  time  by  the  month  and  then  began  to 
farm  his  father's  place,  inheriting  40  acres  of  it  upon  the  death  of  his 
father.  From  time  to  time,  as  his  affairs  prospered,  he  bought  more 
land,  until  he  now  is  the  owner  of  551  acres,  260  acres  of  which  lies  in 
his  home  farm  in  section  1,  well  improved  and  amply  equipped  for  the 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  carried  on  so  successfully  by  the  pro- 
prietor. Mr.  Drechsel  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Evangelical  Church,  the  faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  and  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Boonville. 

In  1883,  Charles  H.  Drechsel  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ellen 
Mellor,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  this  community.  To  this 
union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Henry,  deceased;  Fred, 
deceased;  Sophia,  wife  of  John  McNorton,  of  Boonville  township;  Rosa, 
wife  of  C.  Meeks,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Ernest,  of  Boonville  township; 
Robert,   at  home,   and   Florence,   wife   of   E.   Quint,   of  Boonville.     Mrs. 


MR.    AND    MRS.    CHARLES    II.    DRBCHSEL 


HISTOEY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  745 

Drechsel  was  born  at  Belleville,  111.,  Jan.  10,  1864,  and  was  but  a  child 
when  her  parents,  Fred  and  Jessie  (Payne)  Mellor,  came  to  Cooper  County, 
where  kinsfolk  had  preceded  them,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Boonville 
township.  Fred  Mellor  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  his  wife  was  born 
in  Virginia. 

Hon.  Henry  Judson  Yancey,  former  state  senator  and  for  many 
years  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  influential  figures  in  the  political 
life  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  near  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living, 
a  mile  south  of  Pisgah,  in  North  Moniteau  township,  in  1853,  son  of  Capt. 
Alfred  and  Jane  Ann  (Bowles)  Yancey,  both  members  of  pioneer  fam- 
ilies. Mrs.  Bowles,  grandmother  of  Senator  Yancey,  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church,  and  her  brother,  the  Rev.  John  Longan, 
will  always  be  held  in  pleasant  memory  hereabouts  as  the  pioneer  Bap- 
tist minister  of  this  region.  Almost  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  the 
Rev.  John  Longan  was  a  devoted  missionary  throughout  this  country, 
traveling  horseback  from  settlement  to  settlement,  preaching  the  gospel 
and  neither  expecting  nor  receiving  compensation.  It  is  a  matter  of  early 
note  that  the  only  material  compensation  this  devoted  missioner  ever  re- 
ceived was  on  one  occasion  when  his  horse  died  and  the  members  of  his 
scattered  congregations  bought  him  another  horse.  But  his  memory  is 
still  green  heareabout  and  when  Pisgah  Church  celebrates  its  centenary, 
his  long  and  faithful  labor  of  love  will  be  brought  to  mind. 

Capt.  Alfred  Yancey,  father  of  Senator  Yancey,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  the  year  1820  and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Missouri  in  1826,  the  family  first  settling  in  Howard 
County  and  later  came  to  Cooper  County,  where  the  Yanceys  have  ever 
since  been  prominently  represented.  Captain  Yancey  married  here  and 
settled  on  the  farm  just  south  of  Pisgah,  near  where  his  son,  the  Senator, 
is  now  living.  Preceding  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  commis- 
sioned captain  of  the  local  company  of  state  militia  and  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  Union  cause.  After  the  war  he  settled  down  to  his  farm- 
ing and  became  a  substantial  farmer  and  landowner.  Captain  Yancey 
died  in  1893  and  his  widow  died  in  1894.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Sapping- 
ton  Cemetery  at  Clarksburg.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  Senator  Yancey  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the  others  having  been 
Mary  Belle,  who  married  George  T.  Clark,  of  Clarksburg;  Mrs.  Bettie 
Patrick  and  Jesse  Layton  Yancey. 

Henry  Judson  Yancey  received  his  schooling  in  the  Yancey  district 
and  has  given  his  chief  attention  to  farming.  When  he  was  a  boy  of  17, 
he  went  to  western  Texas,  where  his  uncle,  Joseph  Bowles,  was  engaged 


746  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

in  cattle  ranching,  and  for  some  time  was  engaged  as  a  "cowboy,"  assist- 
ing his  uncle  in  driving  cattle  through  the  then  Indian  country  to  Abilene, 
Kans.  Though  he  enjoyed  the  wild,  free  life  of  the  great  plains,  he  re- 
turned from  Abilene,  quite  content  to  give  his  whole  time  thereafter  to 
th  best  interests  of  his  home  county.  From  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood, Senator  Yancey  has  given  his  earnest  and  thoughtful  attention  to 
civic  affairs  and  has  for  years  been  reckoned  as  one  of  the  strong  per- 
sonal factors  in  the  political  life  of  this  section,  a  leader  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  in  1914  was  elected  to  represent  this  sena- 
torial district  in  the  48th  and  49th  General  Assemblies.  During  this 
period  of  service  in  the  Senate,  Senator  Yancey  rendered  conspicuous 
service  not  only  to  his  own  district  but  to  the  State  at  large  and  had  place 
on  several  of  the  important  committees  of  the  Senate ;  his  most  notable 
act  perhaps  being  that  of  introducing  and  pushing  through  through  the 
Senate  to  enactment  the  bill  abolishing  capital  punishment  in  the  State 
of  Missouri. 

Nov.  28,  1876,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Isabel  McNeal,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born:  Jennie 
Alberta,  died  at  the  age  of  23  years,  and  is  buried  at  New  Zion  church- 
yard ;  Alfred  Jesse,  who  is  now  connected  with  the  State  Grain  Inspection 
Department,  with  headquarters  at  Kansas  City ;  Mary  Belle,  wife  of  Ar- 
thur Elliott,  North  Moniteau  township,  and  Anna  E.,  who  is  at  home  with 
her  parents.  Senator  and  Mrs.  Yancey  have  14  grandchildren,  the  El- 
liotts having  eight  children,  James  Earl,  Louis  Judson,  Vincel  Weight, 
Mervin  Lee,  Anna  May,  Leta  Belle,  Luther  Brant  and  Edward  Raymond, 
while  A.  J.  Yancey  and  his  wife  have  six  children,  William  Henry,  Jesse 
Poindexter,  Ada,  Charles  Brant,  Woodrow  Wilson,  and  Mary  Frances. 
The  Senator  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church  and 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  at  Pisgah. 

Mrs.  Yancey's  father,  Archibald  McNeal,  also  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  in  service.  He  was  a  native 
of  Ohio,  as  was  his  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Mary  Elizabeth 
Lippy.  They  were  among  the  early  residents  of  Moniteau  township,  and 
there  Mrs.  McNeal  spent  her  last  days.  She  died  on  May  5,  1887,  and  is 
buried  in  New  Zion  churchyard.  Mrs.  Yancey  has  a  brother,  George  Mc- 
Neal, of  Montrose,  Mo. 

Benjamin  L.  Morris,  a  substantial  farmer  of  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship, has  been  for  more  than  20  years  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  known 
school  teachers.     Mr.  Morris  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Tipton,  Mo.,  Dec. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  747 

7,  1866,  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  (Davis)  Morris,  both  born  in  Missouri, 
the  former  in  Howard  and  the  latter  in  Cooper  County,  and  who  reared 
a  family  of  10  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Hugh  B.  Morris  was  a 
son  of  Shadrack  Morris,  who  was  a  son  of  Hammond  Morris,  a  Virginian, 
who  settled  in  this  section  of  Missouri  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago. 
Hugh  B.  Morris  was  born  in  1825  and  died  in  1907.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Moniteau  township  in  1833  and  died  in  Nov.,  1918.  Both  are  buried  in 
the  Pisgah  Baptist  Cemetery. 

Of  the  10  children  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  (Davis)  Morris,  B.  L.  Morris 
was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local 
district  schools,  and  Missouri  State  University  at  Columbia.  Among  his 
classmates  at  the  university  was  the  late  Judge  Divelbis,  of  Richmond, 
whose  recent  tragic  death  at  that  place  was  the  occasion  of  such  a  shock 
to  his  friends.  Upon  his  return  from  the  university,  Mr.  Morris  resumed 
farming  and  has  ever  since  been  thus  engaged.  In  addition  to  his  farm- 
ing, he  has  been  for  more  than  20  years  engaged  in  teaching  school  dur- 
ing the  winters  and  is  thus  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  influential 
members  of  Cooper  County's  excellent  teaching  force.  In  1891,  Mr.  Mor- 
ris bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  at  the  edge  of  the  pleasant 
village  of  Pisgah,  and  has  since  resided  there.  In  1897,  he  erected  a  new 
house.  In  1904  he  built  a  new  barn,  which  was  swept  away  in  1909  in  a 
cyclone,  and  he  straightway  put  up  another  and  better  barn,  a  substantial 
structure  46x40  feet.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in  that  neighborhood. 
The  farm  is  well  watered,  several  excellent  springs  being  supplemented 
by  a  never-failing  driven  well,  176  feet  in  depth.  Naturally  Mr.  Morris 
has  given  his  close  attention  to  local  school  conditions  and  in  May,  1913, 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  consolidated  School  District  No.  1,  of  which, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  he  ever  since  has  been  secretary,  and  to 
the  genei'al  extension  of  which  he  devoted  his  efforts.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morris  are  members  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church,  and  their  son,  Lewis 
L.  Morris,  is  clerk  of  the  congregation. 

December  22,  1891,  B.  L.  Morris  was  married  to  Patience  Baughman, 
who  was  born  on  the  farm  near  Bunceton.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Anna  (Cole)  Baughman,  both  bom  in  this  county,  the  former  in  1835 
and  the  latter  in  1847.  Both  the  Baughmans  and  the  Coles  are  among 
the  real  "old  families"  of  this  section,  particularly  the  Coles,  for  Mrs. 
Morris's  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Cole,  was  a  son  of  Hannah  Cole, 
after  whom  Cole's  Fort  received  its  name  in  the  days  of  the  Indian  trou- 
bles in  connection  with  the  war  of  1812.    The  Coles  came  from  Virginia. 


748  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Henry  Baughman  died  in  1911  and  his  widow  died  in  1918.  Both  are 
buried  in  the  Baptist  Cemetery  at  Pisgah.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Morris  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  Charles  Baughman,  of  Bunceton;  Mrs.  Margaret  Underwood, 
of  Webb  City ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Morris  and  Mrs.  Flora  Edwards,  of  Bunceton ; 
Mrs.  Mary  Hadley,  of  Glendora,  Calif ;  and  Mrs.  Katie  Gilbert,  of  Bunceton. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  have  one  son,  Lewis  L.  Morris,  born  on  Dec.  28, 
1893,  graduated  from  the  Bunceton  High  School,  and  on  Nov.  23,  1916,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Alice  Doll,  daughter  of  Ellen  Edward  and  Nannie 
(Patton)  Doll,  residents  of  this  county.  Mrs.  Alice  Morris  was  bom  in 
Illinois,  coming  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Bunceton  High  School.  Lewis  L.  Morris,  who,  with  his  wife,  makes 
his  home  on  the  Morris  farm,  is  a  valued  assistant  to  his  father. 

Philip  Peter  Meef,  owner  of  "Riverside  Farms"  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, is  a  substantial  farmer  and  stockman,  was  born  in  that  township  and 
has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  May  13,  1857,  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Neef,  natives  of  Germany. 

Jacob  Neef  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1848,  immediately 
following  the  unsuccessful  revolution  in  Germany,  the  family  locating  on 
a  farm  three  miles  west  of  Boonville.  Not  long  after  coming  here  he  was 
married  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Boonville  township. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  espoused  the  Union  cause  and  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Home  Guards  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Boonville  in  1864, 
he  then  being  about  36  years  of  age,  and  his  widow  was  left  with  a  family 
of  small  children  to  look  after.  She  kept  her  family  together  and  sur- 
vived her  husband  many  years.  She  died  in  1896,  at  75  years  of  age. 
To  Jacob  Neef  and  wire  were  born  six  children  as  follows:  George,  de- 
ceased; Fred,  living  near  Boonville;  Mollie,  wife  of  E.  L.  Moehle,  Boon- 
ville township;  Philip  Peter;  Frank,  deceased,  and  Jacob,  deceased. 

Having  been  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  was  killed  in 
battle,  Philip  P.  Neef  early  found  himself  facing  responsibilities  and 
labors  such  as  are  spared  the  average  boy  and  he  thus  grew  up  self- 
reliant  and  able  to  face  the  future.  He  stuck  to  the  farm  and  after  his 
marriage  in  1879  rented  a  farm.  In  1882  he  bought  85  acres,  a  part  of 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  there  established  his  home  in  a 
log  cabin  that  was  standing  on  the  place.  The  ground  was  but  incom- 
pletely cleared  and  was  full  of  stumps,  but  the  new  owner  went  to  work 
with  a  will  and  soon  had  it  cleared  and  it  also  was  not  long  until  he  had 
a  more  habitable  dwelling  house  on  the  place.     Mr.  Neef  added  to  his 


I'HIl.ir   PETER   NEEF   AND    KAMII.V 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  749 

land  holdings  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  317  acres  of  excellent  land, 
195  acres  of  which  is  in  the  home  place,  and  he  is  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  the  community.  In  1900,  Mr.  Neef  bought  110  acres  adjoin- 
ing his  original  85  and  in  1906  he  bought  another  farm  of  123  acres  as  a 
home  for  his  elder  son,  Carl,  who  also  is  making  his  home  in  Boonville 
township.  Mr.  Neef  and  his  sons  are  republicans  and  the  family  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Dec.  28,  1879,  Philip  P.  Neef  was  married  to  Julia  C.  Huth,  who  also 
was  born  in  Boonville  township,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  sons, 
Carl  A.  and  John  H.,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  on  June  21,  1882,  is  unmar- 
ried and  remains  at  home  and  is  managing  "Riverside  Farms",  the  home 
place,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  breeders  of  Cooper  County.  He 
breeds  Mammoth  jacks,  Percheron  horses,  Shorthorn  cattle  and  0.  I.  C. 
and  Chester  White  hogs,  eligible  to  registration.  For  13  years  he  has 
been  a  successful  breeder  of  S.  C.  R.  I.  Reds,  Reid's  Yellow  Dent  seed 
corn  and  Poole,  Marvelous,  Fultz  and  Harvest  King  seed  wheat. 

Carl  A.  Neef,  who  was  born  on  Dec.  15,  1880,  married  Flora  Gantner 
and  is  living  on  a  farm  not  far  from  his  father's  place.  He  and  his  wife 
have  four  children,  Philip  F.,  Catherine  J.,  Carl  E.  and  Margaret  J.,  lively 
youngsters  in  whom  their  grandparents  take  much  delight.  Mrs.  Julia 
C.  Neef  was  born  in  Boonville  township  on  Sept.  5,  1856,  one  of  the  seven 
children  born  to  John  Peter  and  Mary  Madeline  (Back)  Huth,  five  of  which 
children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  are  still  living.  John  Peter  Huth 
and  his  wife  Were  both  in  Germany  and  were  married  in  this  county, 
where  their  last  days  were  spent.  Mr.  Huth  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1848  and  not  long  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  joined  the  rush  fir 
the  gold  fields  of  California,  making  the  arduous  overland  trip.  He  re- 
turned in  1852  via  Cape  Horn  and  New  York  City  and  came  to  Missouri, 
locating  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township,  where  after  his  marriage  in 
1853  he  and  his  wife  lived.  There  Mr.  Huth  died  May  26,  1896,  aged  74 
v«  ars.     His  widow  died  in  1909  and  was  79  years  of  age. 

Truman  H.  Morris,  one  of  the  best  known  agriculturists  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Cooper  County,  and  formerly  one  of  the  county's  best  known 
school  teachers,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  a  member  of  one  of 
the  county's  pioneer  families.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  north  of 
Tipton,  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  A.  (Davis)  Morris,  both  members  of 
pioneer  families.  Hugh  B.  Morris  entered  from  the  government  a  farm 
north  of  Tipton.  Eight  of  his  10  children  were  born,  the  two  younger  chil- 
dren being  born  on  the  farm  to  which  he  moved  in  1868,  and  which  is 


750  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  Snode  Morris.  The  Morrises  have 
been  represented  in  this  section  since  territorial  days. 

Truman  H.  Morris  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  district  school 
and  Missouri  State  University,  which  he  attended  during  the  years  1881- 
82-83.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  farming  during 
the  summers,  at  the  same  time  teaching  school  during  the  winters,  and 
for  25  years  continued  this  dual  vocation,  13  years  of  this  period  being 
spent  at  teacher  at  the  Greenwood  school.  In  all  of  that  time  Mr.  Morris's 
employment  as  a  teacher  did  not  take  him  into  districts  farther  than  two 
miles  removed  from  his  home  and  he  thus  was  enabled  to  carry  on  his 
farming  operations  uninterrupted.  In  1904  Mr.  Morris  bought  from  the 
J.  W.  Penn  estate  his  present  farm  of  200  acres,  seven  miles  east  of 
Bunceton.  This  is  the  old  John  R.  French  farm  and  the  house  of  15 
rooms  which  stands  on  the  place  was  erected  by  Mr.  French  before  the 
Civil  War.  In  this  house  are  three  great  stone  fire-places,  which  were 
built  by  the  late  Col.  Robert  A.  McCulloch,  and  which  are  in  good  condi- 
tion. A  stone  fence  and  stile,  together  with  great  stone  hitching-posts, 
at  the  front  of  the  house,  built  more  than  60  years  ago,  and  a  stone  fence 
to  the  west,  probably  built  at  the  same  time,  still  stand,  as  true  to  the  line 
as  when  built.  The  fine  forest  trees  in  the  front  yard  were  planted  by 
Mr.  French.  It  is  recalled  that  in  the  days  of  the  French  proprietorship 
there,  Mr.  French  maintained  an  orchard  of  60  acres  and  the  cider  vine- 
par  which  he  produced  from  the  products  of  that  orchard  helped  no  little 
in  establishing  the  reputation  Missouri  has  long  held  as  a  vinegar  state. 
The  old  building  in  which  he  operated  his  cider-mill  is  still  standing.  On 
one  occasion,  Mr.  French  was  unable  to  get  barrels  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  care  for  his  cider  and  he  pumped  the  water  out  of  his  four  cisterns  and 
filled  them  with  cider.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  place,  Mr.  Morris 
has  made  substantial  improvements,  including  the  erection  of  two  barns, 
one  56x64  and  the  other  36x40.  and  has  in  other  ways  brought  the  farm 
plant  up-to-date.  Mr.  Morris  is  a  democrat  and  in  1895  he  made  the  race 
in  the  primaries  for  the  nomination  for  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at 
Prairie  Home  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church 
at  Pisgah. 

Dec.  21,  1883,  Truman  H.  Morris  was  married  to  Bettie  Clawson, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have 
been  born ;  Jesse  Teel,  who  is  in  government  service  in  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  and  John  Paul  and  Edith  Gertrude,  twins,  who  were  graduated 
from  the  high  school  at  Bunceton  with  the  class  of  1919.      Jesse  Teel 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  751 

Morris,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg, 
Columbia  University  (New  York),  and  of  Carnegie  Technical  Institute  at 
Pittsburgh,  was  for  some  time  engaged  as  supervisor  of  manual  training 
in  one  of  the  high  schools  at  Pittsburgh,  but  transferred  his  services  to 
the  Government,  and  is  now  connected  with  the  agricultural  department 
in  the  bureau  of  live-stock  inspection  at  Washington.  Mrs.  Morris  was 
born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Catherine  (Pal- 
mer) Clawson,  both  long  since  deceased.  Jesse  Clawson  was  a  well-known 
business  man,  and  had  an  interest  in  a  St.  Louis  packing  plant.  He  died 
in  1865,  and  his  widow  died  in  1900.  Bot  hare  buried  in  Pisgah  Cem- 
etery. They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living,  Mrs.  Morris  having  two  brothers,  R.  M.  Clawson,  of  Cass  County, 
this  State,  and  J.  W.  Clawson,  of  Vinita,  Okla.,  and  two  sisters,  Miss  Kate 
Clawson  and  Mrs.  L.  M.  Hagen,  who  are  living  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Chris  J.  Brandes,  one  of  the  well-known  and  successful  farmers  and 
stockmen  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  July  6, 
1866.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Smith)  Brandes,  further 
mention  of  whom  is  made  in  this  volume  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of 
Theodore   L.   Brandes. 

Chris  J.  Brandes  received  his  education  in  the  Washington  and  the 
Lee  School  districts.  He  also  attended  the  German  school  at  Clarks  Fork 
for  a  time.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  21  years 
of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  farming  for  himself  on  rented  land  for  about 
five  years.  In  1894  he  purchased  160  acres  of  his  present  place.  He  has 
added  to  it  until  he  now  owns  380  acres  of  well-improved  farm  land  with 
three  sets  of  farm  buildings.  The  home  residence  was  built  by  Mr. 
Brandes  shorty  after  he  bought  his  first  land.  The  family  lived  in  a 
temporary  building  on  the  place  while  the  residence  was  being  erecte.l. 
Mr.  Brandes  practically  built  his  house  alone,  from  excavating  the  cellar 
to  doing  the  carpenter  and  mason  work.  His  first  barn  on  the  place  was 
;■  double  log  building,  which  he  also  built  himself,  and  which  cost  him 
beside  his  own  labor  only  $7.75.  This  old  building  is  still  standing.  Mr. 
Brandes  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty 
of  Callaway  cattle.  Poland  China  hogs,  and  Shropshire  sheep.  The  place 
is  well  adapted  for  both  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  The  water 
supply  is  pumped  by  a  gas  engine  from  a  well  207  feet  deep.  The  Brandes 
place  is  one  of  the  well  improved  farms  of  Cooper  County. 

Sept.  2?.,  1888,  Chris  Brandes  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lee 
Long,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  Kelly  township,  Aug.  22,  1868. 


752  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

She  is  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Mary  (Dale)  Long.  W.  H.  Long  was 
born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  in  1833,  and  died  in  Cooper  County  in  1909, 
and  his  remains  are  buried  at  Pisgah.  He  served  as  a  captain  in  the 
Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  War,  under  Gen.  Sterling  Price.  When 
the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  Cedar  County,  Mo.,  and  served  through- 
out the  war,  and  was  wounded.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in 
1835.  They  were  married  in  Cedar  County,  and  the  following  children 
were  born  to  them:  Mrs.  Lizzie  Salmons,  Rockville;  Josie  died  in  infancy; 
Florence  married  William  E.  Draffen  and  died  at  the  age  of  36  years, 
in  1903 ;  Lee  married  Chris  J.  Brandes,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Thomas 
lives  in  North  Moniteau  township;  Charles  M.,  North  Moniteau  township; 
W.  R.,  San  Antonio,  Texas;  Sterling  Price  died  in  infancy,  and  Wade 
Hampton,  Jefferson  City. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris  J.  Brandes  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Clara  N„  married  William  T.  Martin;  Edna  M.,  died  in  infancy; 
William  Carl  resides  at  home  with  his  parents;  Edgar  resides  at  home. 
Six  children  died  in  infancy.  William  Carl  is  a  veteran  of  the  World 
War.  He  entered  the  United  States  service,  Sept.  5,  1918,  and  was 
trained  at  Camp  McArthur,  Texas,  until  Nov.  4,  1918,  when  he  transferred 
to  Camp  Merrit,  N.  J.,  and  was  aboard  the  English  transport  Cedric, 
which  was  preparing  to  start  for  France  when  the  armistice  was  signed 
Nov.  11,  1918.  He  was  then  returned  to  Camp  Merrit,  and  later  to  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  where  he  was  mustered  out  of  service,  Dec.  31,  1918.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brandes  have  three  grandchildren :  Mary  Lee,  Irma  Gray,  and 
Grace  Lucille  Martin,  who  live  with  their  grandparents.  Mr.  Brandes 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Bunceton,  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Pisgah. 

William  H.  Turley,  who  died  at  his  home  in  LaMine  township  in  the 
fall  of  1909  was  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  progressive  farmers  of 
the  county.  He  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  died  and  had  spent 
all  his  life  there.  His  father  also  was  born  on  that  farm,  a  son  of  one 
of  the  real  pioneers  of  this  region,  the  Turleys  having  been  represented 
in  this  community  practically  since  the  days  of  its  beginning.  Milton 
Turley,  the  father,  married  Louisa  Ricks  and  to  that  union  were  born 
four  children,  three 'sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
Of  these  William  H.  Turley,  born  on  March  8,  1856,  was  the  eldest,  the 
others  being  Harvey  C,  Stephen  G.  and  Adelia.  William  H.  Turley  began 
operations  there  on  his  own  account  on  reaching  manhood  and  established 
his  home  there.     He  and  his  brother,  Harvey  C.  Turley  owned  in  partner- 


WILLIAM     II.    TIULKY    AND    WIFE 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  753 

ship  a  tract  of  340  acres  of  excellent  land  and  did  well-  in  their  operations. 
Their  farm  was  well  improved  and  they  made  a  specialty  of  good  live 
stock.  William  H.  Turley  was  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  was  affiliated  with  the  M.  W.  of  A.  He  died  Oct.  12,  1909, 
and  his  widow  is  still  making  her  home  on  the  home  place,  which  is  now 
owned  and  operated  under  the  general  direction  of  her  elder  son,  John  H. 
Turley. 

Dec.  13,  1881,  William  H.  Turley  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna 
B.  Herndon,  who  also  was  born  in  LaMine  township,  July  6,  1861,  second 
in  order  of  birth  of  the  seven  children  born  to  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Pope)  Herndon,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Benjamin  T.  Herndon, 
Saline  County;  William,  deceased;  John  M.,  deceased;  Ella  D.,  deceased, 
and  Lester  H.  and  James  G.  Herndon,  of  Saline  County.  George  Herndon, 
also  was  born  in  LaMine  township,  about  1824,  son  of  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  that  section,  a  Virginian,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1811. 
George  Herndon  died  at  his  home  in  this  county  in  1884.  His  wife  died 
at  the  age  of  35  years  in  1872.  She  was  born  in  Garrett  County,  Ky.,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Pope  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Bland,  who 
came  to  Cooper  County  about  1836,  settled  on  a  farm  here  and  reared 
a  family  of  three  children. 

To  William  H.  and  Anna  B.  (Herndon)  Turley  were  born  nine  chil- 
dren, namely:  Susan  E.,  born  on  Oct.  17,  1882,  died  Oct.  30,  1883;  John 
H,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  below;  Mary  D.,  born  on  May  11, 
1885.  married  Wade  Keuckelhan,  Dundee,  Texas;  Harvey  H.,  born  Nov. 
17,  1886,  died  on  Dec.  2,  1909;  Ethlyn  M.,  June  16.  1888,  died  Sept,  5, 
1908;  William  G.,  June  30,  1890,  at  LaMine,  engaged  in  the  building  trade; 
Harry  and  Hazel  (twins),  March  23,  1894,  the  latter  died  July  10,  1894, 
and  the  former  is  living  in  LaMine  township,  and  Margaret,  Nov.  12,  1898, 
died  March  20,  1899. 

John  H.  Turley  was  born  Nov.  4,  1883,  and  has  always  lived  on  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns,  except  a  few  years  during  when  he  was  en- 
gaged in  railroad  service.  He  supplemented  the  schooling  received  in  the 
local  schools  by  a  course  in  Hill's  Business  College  at  Sedalia  and  from 
1907  to  1911  was  employed  as  a  clerk  for  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  a1 
Boonville  and  later  at  Marshall.  He  then  returned  to  the  home  farm  and 
operated  the  same  for  his  widowed  mother  until  in  1918,  when  ho  bough! 
the  place.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  farm  Mr.  Turley  has  made 
numerous  improvements  on  the  place  and  now  has  an  excellent  farm. 
That  portion  of  the  old  Turley  place  which  he  bought  consists  of  100 


754  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  breeding  of  Poland-China  hogs.  Mr.  Turley  is  a  democrat  and 
in  the  campaign  of  1916  he  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  the  legis- 
lature, but  went  down  in  the  face  of  the  republican  majority  of  that  year. 
Aug.  24,  1918,  he  married  Ethel  Clickner,  who  was  born  at  Edina,  Mo., 
was  graduated  from  Fayette  High  School  and  attended  Howard  Payne 
College,  also  the  Warrensburg  Normal  School,  and  is  now  the  teacher  at 
the  Locust  Grove  school  in  LaMine  township.  Mr.  Turley  is  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Robert  Thomas  Draffen,  a  Civil  War  veteran,  and  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Kelly  township, 
July  16,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Atlanta  (McCullough)  Draf- 
fen, both  natives  of  Virginia.  William  Draffen  was  born  in  1820,  and 
died  in  Moniteau  township  in  1906,  on  his  home  place,  where  he  had  lived 
since  settling  in  Cooper  County  in  the  thirties.  His  wife  died  in  1907, 
and  their  remains  are  buried  at  Pisgah.  William  Draffen  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Thomas  Draffen,  who  settled  at  Boonville  at  a  very  early  date. 
He  was  a  cigar  manufacturer  and  also  bought  and  sold  tobacco. 

Robert  T.  Draffen  was  educated  at  Lee's  School,  and  has  always  lived 
in  Kelly  and  Moniteau  townships,  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  bought  his  present  place,  which  consists  of  84  acres, 
in  1885.  This  is  one  of  the  historic  old  places  of  Cooper  County.  A  still 
was  operated  here  during  the  Civil  War  and  for  some  years  afterwards. 

When  the  Civil  War  bi-oke  out,  Mr.  Draffen  enlisted  in  the  Confed- 
erate army  under  General  Marmaduke.  He  participated  in  a  number  of 
engagements,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Mine  Creek,  where  General  Mar- 
maduke was  captured.  Later,  in  1862,  Mr.  Di-affen  was  taken  prisoner 
and  held  in  the  Boonville  jail  for  a  time,  when  he  was  paroled.  He  after- 
ward joined  the  army  and  was  at  Shreveport,  La.,  when  the  Confederate 
army  under  General  Price  surrendered  there.  He  then  returned  to 
Cooper  County,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising. 

Mr.  Draffen  was  first  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Rebecca  McLean,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Jennie  (Bull)  McLean,  pioneers  of  Cooper  County. 
Two  children  were  born  of  this  union,  Sterling  Price,  who  resides  near 
McBain,  Mo.,  and  Laura,  married  Elmer  Hedspeth,  who  resides  in  Ala- 
bama. The  mother  died  in  1878,  and  on  Dec.  15,  1881,  Mr.  Draffen  was 
married  to  Miss  Bettie  Carpenter,  a  daughter  of  Robert  L.  and  Priscille 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  755 

(Robinson)  Carpenter,  the  former  a  native  of  Copper  County,  who  died 
March  25,  1892,  aged  61  years,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Kentucky,  died 
Feb.  16,  1913,  aged  83  years.  Their  remains  are  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Bunceton.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  James, 
Jefferson  City;  Mrs.  Helen  Richey,  Bunceton;  Mrs.  J.  B.  Scott,  Bunceton; 
William,  Bunceton ;  Robert,  Bunceton ;  Emmett,  married  Maggie  Rowles 
and  is  now  deceased ;  Josie,  died  at  the  age  of  50  years,  and  Bettie,  wife 
of  Robert  T.  Draff  en,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

To  Robert  T.  and  Bettie  (Carpenter)  Draffen  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  William  Robert,  residing  at  home;  Gussie,  married 
Andrew  Snorgrass,  Vermont,  Mo.;  Lynne  Lee,  a  student  at  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Warrensburg,  has  been  a  teacher  at  Blackwater,  Mo., 
for  three  years ;  Wallace,  married  Edith  Embry,  Moniteau  township ; 
Weight,  a  teacher;  and  Benjamin  McCulloch,  at  home. 

The  land  which  constitutes  Mr.  Draffen's  farm  was  entered  from  the 
Government  by  his  grandfather,  Robert  Thomas  McCulloch,  who  entered 
several  hundred  acres  of  land  in  this  vicinity.  William  Chambers,  great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Draffen,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Boonville,  and 
his  career  was  intimately  associated  with  the  early  history  of  that  town. 
Thus,  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Draffen  are  descendents  of  the  very  earliest 
pioneers  of  this  section,  and  rank  among  the  leading  people  of  Cooper 
County. 

Berend  Vieth,  a  Cooper  County  pioneer,  who  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  is  a  native  of  Holstein,  Germany. 
He  was  born  Aug.  16,  1839,  a  son  of  Heinrich  and  Catherine  (Behrens) 
Vieth.  Berend  Vieth  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land,  and 
came  to  America  in  1865,  locating  in  Cooper  County.  Here  he  worked 
as  a  farm  laborer  and  in  other  lines  of  industry  for  a  time,  and  later  oper- 
ated rented  land.  He  made  the  initial  purchase  of  his  present  farm  in 
1880,  which  consisted  of  160  acres  and  also  of  80  acres  of  timber  land. 
He  bought  more  land  later  until  he  was  the  owner  of  540  acres,  which 
constitute  the  present  Vieth  farm.  In  the  early  days,  Mr.  Vieth  was  an 
extensive  feeder  of  cattle  and  hogs,  which  he  shipped  to  the  St.  Louis 
markets.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  undertaking,  and  is  one  of  the 
well-to-do  men  of  the  community.  Due  to  an  injury  Mr.  Vieth  received 
20  years  ago,  he  has  been  practically  an  invalid  for  the  past  five  years, 
and  his  son,  H.  C.  Vieth,  has  carried  on  the  farming  operations. 

Berend  Vieth  was  united  in  marriage  March  12,  1872,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Selck,  a  daughter  of  Carl  and  Christine  Selck,  pioneers  of  Cooper 


756  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

County.  Mrs.  Vieth  was  born  in  Germany,  Sept.  10,  1848,  and  was 
brought  to  America  by  her  parents  when  she  was  4  years  old.  The  fam- 
ily first  settled  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  15  years  later  came  to  Cooper 
County,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Crawfords  Bridge.  To  Berend  Vieth 
and  wife  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Ida,  married  Henry 
Schnuck,  Overton,  Mo.;  Emma  resides  at  home;  Tillie,  married  Charles 
Barta,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  H.  C,  who  is  farming  the  home  place,  and 
Carries  resides  at  home.  The  grand  children  are  as  follows:  Lorine, 
Arthur  and  Lloyd  Schnuck,  and  Raymond  and  Ralph  Barta. 

The  Vieth  farm  is  one  of  the  valuable  places  of  Cooper  County.  It 
is  well  improved  with  a  good  nine-room  farm  residence,  and  other  high 
class  improvements.  H.  C.|  Vieth,  who  conducts  the  home  farm,  is  one 
of  the  progressive  young  men  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  Kelly 
Township,  July  30,  1881,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  parochial  school  at  Clarks  Fork,  and  later  attended  Hill's  Busi- 
ness College  at  Sedalia.  In  addition  to  general  farming,  Mr.  Vieth  raises 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  hogs  extensively. 

The  Vieth  family  are  prominent  in  the  community  and  members  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Lone  Elm. 

Thomas  A.  Harris,  proprietor  of  "Sunnyside"  farm  in  LaMine  town- 
ship and  progressive  stockmen  in  Cooper  County,  former  president  of  the 
American  Berkshire  Association,  was  born  July  23,  1862,  son  of  William  J. 
and  Sarah  (McMahan)   Harris,  both  members  of  pioneer  families. 

William  J.  Harris  was  born  on  June  15,  1815,  near  Richmond,  Va.. 
and  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  in  1823  he  came  with  his  mother, 
Nancy  (Ferris)  Harris,  and  the  Turley  and  Herndon  families  to  this  part 
of  Missouri.  With  him  and  his  mother  was  his  sister,  who  when  16  years 
of  age  married  I.  Majors,  of  Cass  County,  Mo.,  and  who  lived  to  celebrate 
the  seventieth  anniversay  of  her  marriage.  She  was  the  mother  of  16 
children.  In  this  region  William  J.  Hai*ris  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
an  influential  factor  in  its  development.  He  helped  Mr.  Turley,  Mr.  Hern- 
don and  Thomas  Mellor  hew  the  logs  for  the  first  school  house  in  the  dis- 
trict and  also  helped  to  pay  the  wages  of  the  first  teacher.  In  1849  he 
joined  the  great  rush  of  gold  seekers  to  California,  driving  an  ox-team 
through,  but  did  not  find  his  expectations  realized  there  and  presently 
came  back,  returning  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  and  the  East.  In  1853  he 
bought  the  farm  on  which  his  son,  Thomas  A.  Harris,  is  now  living,  erected 
a  log  house  and  reared  his  family,  where  he  died  Nov.  12,  1881.  William 
J.  Harris  was  twice  married.     By  his  first  wife,  Sarah  McMahan,  who 


THOMAS     A       IIAKIIIS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  757 

died  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  27  years,  he  was  the  father  of  five  children, 
namely:  Mantie,  wife  of  Judge  John  B.  Harris,  Fulton,  Mo.;  William  P., 
deceased;  Sterling  P.,  of  Pettis  County;  Leona,  died  in  infancy,  and 
Thomas  A.,  who  was  but  eight  days  old  when  his  mother  died.  In  1869 
William  J.  Harris  married  Lizzie  Lake,  who  was  born  in  Howard  County, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  two  children,  Stella  and  Ada,  both  now  de- 
ceased. 

Thomas  A.  Harris  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
which  he  has  owned  since  1899,  when  he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  in  the  place,  which  he  has  named  "Sunnyside"  farm.  For  years  he 
has  been  extensively  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Berkshire  hogs  and  the 
raising  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  of  the  latter  feeding  two  loads  a  year.  Mr. 
Harris  has  a  fine  farm  of  417  acres,  his  last  purchase  being  127  acres  in 
Feb.,  1919,  and  his  place  is  well  improved,  including  a  modern  house  lighted 
with  gas,  and  two  silos  and  is  otherwise  well  equipped.  He  began  the 
breeding  of  Berkshire  hogs  in  1889,  his  first  pair  having  been  bought  from 
N.  H.  Gentry,  of  Pettis  County,  and  he  ever  since  has  made  a  specialty 
of  Berkshires,  holding  semi-annual  sales  at  "Sunnyside",  a  veteran  ex- 
hibitor at  state  fairs,  and  has  long  been  recognized  as  the  most  extensive 
breeder  of  Berkshires  in  Cooper  County.  He  has  received  as  high  as  $350 
for  a  single  hog  and  has  bred  hogs  that  have  brought  as  much  as  $1,500. 
For  years  Mr.  Harris  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  members  Of  the 
American  Berkshire  Association  and  served  as  president  of  that  associa- 
tion for  one  year.  His  three  sons  are  partners  in  the  operations  at  "Sunny- 
side". Mr.  Harris  and  his  sons  are  democrats  and  the  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 

Oct.  9,  1895,  Thomas  A.  Harris  was  united  in  marriage  with  Margarel 
P.  Wing,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Mildred, 
deceased ;  Wilbur  M.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boonville  High  School, 
and  Robert  P.,  Ella  L.,  Sarah  Lillian,  Thomas  A.  and  Margaret  Leona. 
Robert  P.  is  a  graduate  of  Dunkle's  Business  School.  Mrs.  Harris  also 
is  a  member  of  one  of  Missouri's  pioneer  families.  She  was  born  in 
Columbia,  this  state,  Sept.  30,  1870,  daughter  of  David  W.  and  Ella 
(Parker)  Wing,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Thomas  J.  Lovell,  a  Civil  War  veteran  and  a  member  of  one  of  the 
very  early  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Prairie  Home 
township,  about  a  mile  from  where  he  now  resides,  Aug.  4,  1842.  He  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  J.,  Sr.,  and  Ollie  (Burrus)  Lovell,  the  former  a  native  of 


758  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  They  were  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Prairie  Home  township.  The  following  children  were 
born  to  them :  Lucy  Ann,  married  Fayette  Carlos,  and  they  are  both  now 
deceased ;  Armstead  Franklin,  deceased ;  John,  deceased ;  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried William  Burrus,  and  both  are  now  deceased;  Amanda,  married  John 
M.  Burrus,  and  resides  on  the  old  home  place;  Sarah,  deceased;  Thomas 
J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  and  Olive  Francis,  married  Squire  Moore, 
and  they  are  both  deceased.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1847, 
and  Thomas  J.  Lovell  afterwards  married  Catherine  Fry,  and  three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  this  union:  Martha  Bell,  deceased;  Nevada,  married 
Henry  Summers,  and  both  died  in  Denver,  Col. ;  and  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
resides  in  Denison,  Texas.  Thomas  J.  Lovell's  second  wife  died  about 
1852,  and  he  married  Mrs.  Telitha  Timms,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
daughter,  Nannie,  now  the  wife  of  Robert  Kirkpatrick,  Clinton,  Mo. 
Thomas  J.  Lovell,  Sr.,  died  in  1855. 

Thomas  J.  Lovell,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  was  reared  in 
Cooper  County,  and  attended  the  early  day  schools.  The  first  school 
which  he  attended  was  a  log  building  in  the  Pisgah  district,  and  the  school 
was  taught  by  a  Mr.  Teeters.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Lovell 
enlisted  at  Versailles,  Mo.,  in  the  Confederate  army,  in  Captain  Butler's 
company.  He  served  from  1861  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
wounded  three  times,  the  first  time  at  the  battle  of  Dry  Wood,  Sept.  1, 
1861,  near  Fort  Scott,  Kan.  He  was  sent  home  from  there,  but  returned 
to  the  army  in  1862,  and  was  again  wounded  at  Jenkins  Ferry,  Ark.  His 
company  surrendered  at  the  close  of  the  war  at  Shreveport,  La.  He  then 
returned  to  Cooper  County,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has  met  with  success.  He 
owns  120  acres  of  well  improved  land  in  Prairie  Home  township,  and  is 
one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  and  highly  respected  citizens. 

Mr.  Lovell  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Hattie  B.  Kirkpatrick. 
One  child  was  born  to  this  union,  Edward  Franklin,  who  resides  at  Salem, 
III.  The  wife  and  mother  died  in  1893,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in 
Pisgah  Cemetery.  May  12,  1897,  Mr.  Lovell  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Martha  Gilbreath,  a  native  of  Macon,  born  in  1851.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  F.  and  Catherine  (Carpenter)  Gilbreath,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  born  in  1826,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1888,  and  the  latter  a  native 
of  Cooper  County,  born  in  1828,  and  died  in  May,  1915.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Mary  Francis,  deceased;  Mrs.  Laura 
Clawson,  Vinita,  Okla. ;  Martha,  the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Lovell,  the  subject 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  759 

of  this  sketch ;  J.  N.,  Tulsa,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  Flora  Johnson,  deceased ;  Gilmer, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Victoria  Floyd,  deceased;  Anna,  deceased;  Walter,  Speed, 
Mo. ;  and  two  sons  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Lovell  is  a  member  of  New 
Salem  Church  in  Prairie  Home  township.  Mr.  Lovell  is  a  democrat,  and 
is  a  member  of  Camp  Harper,  Confederate  Veterans,  Bunceton,  Mo. 

William  J.  Lacy,  of  Prairie  Home  township,  belongs  to  a  family  of 
pioneers  of  this  State  of  Revolutionary  ancestors.  William  J.  Lacy  was 
born  in  Moniteau  County,  Nov.  29,  1847,  a  son  of  Dr.  Archibald  J.  and 
Mary  Letitia  (Winston)  Lacy,  both  natives  of  Stokes  County,  N.  C.  Dr. 
Archibald  Lacy  was  born  July  25,  1823,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Jan. 
6,  1892.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  William  A.  Lacy  and  Agnes  (Johnson) 
Lacy,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1802,  and  died  in 
Cooper  County,  May  26,  1887.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Sept.  23,  1888.  Dr.  William  A.  Lacy  came  to 
Missouri  in  1836  and  settled  in  Moniteau  County,  which  was  then  a  part 
of  Cole  County,  and  he  later  moved  to  Salem  County,  and  then  returned 
to  Cooper  County. 

Mary  Letitia  (Winston)  Lacy,  mother  of  William  J.  Lacy,  was  born 
in  Stokes  County,  N.  C,  March  10,  1827,  and  died  Oct.  24,  1848.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Gen.  Joseph  W.  Winston,  who  was  a  major  general  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  his  father  was  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
under  Washington. 

William  J.  Lacy  was  the  only  child  born  to  his  parents.  After  the 
death  of  William  J.  Lacy's  mother,  his  father  married  Julia  Gale,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  R.  W.  Gale,  of  Cooper  County,  and  three  children  were 
born  to  this  union :  Robert  A.,  deceased  George  G.,  now  living  in  Okla- 
homa and  Agnes  G.,  deceased. 

William  J.  Lacy  was  reared  by  his  grandparents,  who  moved  from 
Moniteau  to  Saline  County  in  1851.  They  later  went  to  Vernor  County, 
but  in  1874  William  J.  returned  to  Cooper  County,  where  he  has  since 
resided.     He  settled  on  his  present  place  of  120  acres  in  1912. 

Mr.  Lacy  was  married  Sept.  5,  1872,  to  Nancy  Elem  Johnston,  a 
daughter  of  Washington  A.  and  Martha  (Hunt)  Johnston,  the  former  a 
native  of  Prairie  Home  township,  born  Jan.  1,  1825,  and  died  Feb.  15, 
1908.  His  wife  was  born  in  1829  and  died  Jan.  14,  1919.  Robert  B. 
Johnston,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Lacy,  and  his  wife  were  among  the  very 
early  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  Mrs.  Lacy  has  a  sister  living,  Jennie 
L.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  B.  Shannon,  Clarks  Fork  township. 

William  Hunt,  Mrs.  Lacy's  maternal  grandfather,  was  born  in  Bun- 


760  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

conbe  County,  N.  C,  March  8,  1789,  and  his  wife,  Nancy  Hunt,  was  born 
June  21,  1795,  and  died  Aug.  20,  1876.  They  moved  to  Howard  County, 
Mo.,  in  1816,  and  in  1825  settled  on  Salt  Creek,  near  Pisgah,  Cooper 
County.  They  reared  10  children.  William  Hunt  was  a  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Ailcy  (Berry)  Hunt,  natives  of  Buncom  County,  N.  C. 

To  William  J.  Lacy  and  wife  have  been  born  two  sons,  Archibald 
Johnston  Lacy,  born  Jan.  4,  1876,  and  died  Nov.  15,  1912,  and  Robert 
Winston  Lacy,  born  June  21,  1880,  married  Elizabeth  Jones,  a  daughter 
of  David  L.  Jones,  Jan.  16,  1907,  and  they  have  two  children,  Archibald 
Jones,  born  Nov.  8,  1909,  and  Robert  Winston,  born  March  13,  1916. 
They  live  in  Prairie  Home  township. 

The  Lacy  family  are  well  known  and  highly  respected  and  rank  among 
the  first  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County. 

George  Washington  Mellor,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  stock- 
men of  LaMine  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living, 
Jan.  10,  1856.  He  is  the  elder  of  the  two  sons  born  to  Thomas  and  Mary 
Jane  (Talbot)  Mellor,  the  former  of  whom  was  of  English  birth  and  the 
latter  a  Virginian,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Cooper  County. 

Thomas  Mellor  was  born  at  Ashland,  in  Derbyshire,  England,  March 
18,  1818,  and  was  about  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  John  and  Martha  (Barrett)  Mellor,  in  1830,  the  family 
locating  in  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.  John  Mellor  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  soon  moved  to  Franklin,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  bought 
a  small  dairy  farm  and  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  In  1838.  he  then  being  20  years  of  age,  Thomas  Mellon  decided  to 
come  West.  He  came  by  way  of  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  until 
1844  when  he  came  by  boat  to  this  section  of  Missouri  and  settled  on  land 
which  he  bought  near  Rankin's  Mill,  in  Boonville  township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  California  gold  excitement  in  1849  caused  him  to  join 
the  band  of  prospectors  headed  for  the  new  Eldorado  and  he  drove  an 
ox-team  through  to  the  gold  fields.  He  did  not  remain  long,  however, 
returning  by  way  of  the  isthmus  and  New  York.  While  East  he  visited 
with  old  home  folks  in  New  York  state  for  a  while  and  then  returned  to 
Cooper  County,  where  about  1853  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  LaMine  ' 
township  and  created  a  home  in  which  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  becom- 
ing the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  640  acres.  He  also  was  the  proprietor 
of  a  freight  warehouse  on  the  river  front  at  the  mouth  of  the  LaMine 
River.  He  died  on  May  28,  1904.  Thomas  Mellor  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife,  Sarah  Gadsby,  died  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  her  first 


MR,    AND    MRS.    GEORGE    W.    MELLOF 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  761 

child,  the  child  also  dying,  and  he  later  married  Mary  Jane  Talbot,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  who  died  in  1894  at  the  age  of  66  years.  To 
that  union  two  sons  were  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  younger 
brother,  John  Paul  Mellor,  also  a  resident  of  LaMine  township. 

George  W.  Mellor  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  LaMine  township 
and  completed  his  schooling  in  the  high  school  at  Boonville.  He  early 
turned  his  attention  to  Cable  Railway  system  and  for  two  years  he  worked 
at  Los  Angeles  and  for  two  years  at  San  Diego  in  that  business.  He 
was  married  in  the  former  city  in  1891  and  the  year  following  his  mar- 
riage returned  to  the  old  home  in  this  county,  the  operations  of  the  farm 
requiring  his  attention,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there,  owner  of  a 
fine  farm  of  210  acres  which  he  inherited  at  the  death  of  his  father.  In 
1898  he  erected  on  that  place  a  fine,  modern  eight-room  house  and  his 
farm  is  equipped  in  keeping  with  the  same.  Mr.  Mellor  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  National  Bank  of  Boonville.  He  is  a  democrat  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Modem  Woodmen  of  America  at  Blackwater.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Aug.  19,  1891,  at  San  Diego,  Cal.,  George  W.  Mellor  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Charlotte  Stiles,  who  was  born  in  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  Dec.  6, 
1870,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Mary  Ann  (Hovey)  Stiles,  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  New  York  and  Ohio,  who  moved  with  their  family  to  San 
Diego  in  1886,  spending  the  rest  of  their  lives  there.  Mi-,  and  Mrs.  Mellor 
have  four  children,  namely:  Bessie  0.,  wife  of  G.  H.  Neiderjohn,  of  Nel- 
son, Mo. ;  Thomas  E.,  now  at  home,  having  but  recently  returned  from 
service  in  the  United  States  army,  receiving  his  discharge  at  Camp  Funs- 
ton,  Kan. ;  Mabel  S.,  wife  of  P.  M.  Floyd,  of  Boonville,  and  Bernice,  wife 
of  William  G.  Weekley,  of  LaMine  Station. 

Judge  George  W.  Morris,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Mon- 
iteau township,  former  member  of  the  Board  of  County  Judges  of  Cooper 
County,  is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies. Judge  Morris  was  born  in  Kelly  township,  Oct.  22,  1863.  He  is  a 
son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  A.  (Davis)  Morris,  early  settlers  of  Cooper 
County. 

Judge  Morris  was  reared  in  this  county,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  at  Pisgah.  He  received  a  very  good  common  school  education. 
having  been  fortunate  in  having  some  very  good  instructors,  among 
whom  was  James  Groves.  Judge  Morris  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  has 
made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life's  occupation.  He  has  lived  on 
his  present  place  in  North  Moniteau  township  since  1885.     The  place  con- 


762  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

sists  of  700  acres,  a  part  of  which  was  formerly  the  old  McCulloch  place. 
It  is  located  in  North  Moniteau  and  Clarks  Fork  townships,  and  is  one  of 
the  valuable  farms  of  Cooper  County.  There  are  three  sets  of  improve- 
ments on  the  place.  The  farm  is  nicely  located,  and  an  extensive  view 
can  be  had  from  the  home  residence.  From  here  one  can  easily  see  the 
water  tower  and  court  house  at  California,  Mo.,  when  atmospheric  condi- 
tions are  favorable. 

George  W.  Morris  was  united  in  marriage  Dec.  30,  1885,  to  Miss 
Matilda  McCulloch,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  Kelly  township, 
Oct.  13,  1860.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Col.  Robert  A.  and  Mary  (Mahan) 
McCulloch.  Col.  Robert  A.  McCulloch  was  born  in  Albemarle  County, 
Va.,-  in  1825,  and  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary 
McCulloch,  who  first  settled  in  Howard.  County.  They  remained  there 
but  a  short  time,  when  they  came  to  Cooper  County.  Robert  A.  McCul- 
loch served  in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  War  and  became 
a  lieutenant  colonel.  He  served  in  General  Forest's  brigade.  He  was 
known  as  "White  Headed  Bob"  McCulloch,  and  a  cousin  of  his,  Col.  Robert 
McCulloch,  who  was  also  a  Confederate  veteran,  was  known  as  "Black 
Headed  Bob"  McCulloch.  They  crossed  the  plains  together  and  went  to 
California  with  ox  teams  during  the  gold  excitement  of  1849.  Col.  Rob- 
ert A.  McCulloch  died  in  1911,  aged  86  years.  His  wife,  Mary  (Mahan) 
McCulloch,  was  a  native  of  Cole  County.  She  died  several  years  prior  to 
her  husband's  death,  aged  45  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children  as  follows:  Mary,  married  George  A.  Carpenter,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; Matilda,  wife  of  George  W.  Morris,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Albert  J.,  who  resides  at  Winfield,  Kan. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Morris  reared  an  orphan  child,  Ola  McDonald,  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  Warren  Carpenter,  of  Prairie  Home  township.  Judge 
Morris  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  substantial  citizens.  He  has  an 
extensive  acquaintaince,  not  only  in  Cooper  County,  but  in  this  section 
of  the  State,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Morris  have  many  friends  and  are  univer- 
sally respected.  Judge  Morris  served  as  a  member  of  the  County  Court 
from  1915  to  Jan.  1,  1919,  having  been  elected  on  the  democratic  ticket 
in  November,  1914. 

William  Edgar  Wolfe,  of  Prairie  Home  township  is  a  native  of  Cooper 
County  whose  ancestors  were  very  early  settlers  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Wolfe  was  born  near  Overton,  Nov.  14,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of 
Wesley  and  Sallie  (Street)  Wolf.  Wesley  Wolfe  was  also  a  native  of 
Cooper  County,  born  near  Wooldridge,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  763 

During  the  Civil  War  he  entered  the  Confederate  army  and  served  for 
two  years,  until  that  great  conflict  closed.  He  returned  to  Cooper  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  Feb.  10,  1875.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Virginia ;  she  died  Jan.  21,  1878.  Their  remains  are 
buried  in  the  Clayton  Cemeteiy.  Wesley  Wolfe's  father  was  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  and  settled  in  Missouri  about  100  years  ago.  Shortly  after  com- 
ing here  he  entered  the  island  just  east  of  Wooldridge  and  lived  there  for 
many  years.  To  Wesley  and  Sallie  (Street)  Wolfe  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Lucy,  deceased;  James,  deceased;  Charles  C.  resides  at 
Overton ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Anderson,  deceased ;  Columbus,  lives  in  Illinois ;  Mrs. 
Lavina  Isom,  Carrollton,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Julia  Ward,  lives  in  Carroll  County; 
William  Edgar,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Pressley,  Overton. 

William  Edgar  Wolfe  was  reared  and  educated  near  Overton,  and  in 
early  life  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  about  10  years,  receiving  from 
$15.00  to  $16.00  per  month.  He  worked  for  C.  C.  Eldridge,  who  is  now 
living  retired  in  Boonville,  for  six  years.  Mr.  Wolfe  bought  his  first  land 
in  1901,  which  he  later  sold  and  bought  his  present  place  in  Prairie  Home 
township  in  1911,  which  he  purchased  from  H.  F.  Fricke.  The  place  con- 
sists of  1091/2  acres,  and  is  nicely  located  on  the  Jefferson  Highway. 
Since  he  bought  the  place,  Mr.  Wolfe  has  built  a  good  substantial  eight- 
room  residence  and  other  farm  buildings. 

June  26.  1892,  William  Edgar  Wolf  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Annie  Dishion,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  Jane  (Adair)  Dishion, 
the  former  of  whom  died  Sept.  16,  1911,  and  the  mother  now  resides  on 
the  home  place  in  Prairie  Home  township.  James  F.  and  Nancy  Jane 
(Adair)  Dishion  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Mrs.  Laura 
Deuel ;  Anna,  wife  of  William  Edgar  Wolfe ;  Mrs.  W.  C.  Kirschman ;  Ada, 
died  at  the  age  of  12  years;  Margaret,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years; 
Alvin,  resides  in  Prairie  Home;  Silas,  Prairie  Home;  Minnie  May,  Prairie 
Home ;  Mrs.  Myrtle  Richie,  died  at  the  age  of  27  years  in  Colorado ;  Edna 
Ritchey,  Prairie  Home;  and  Speed,  Prairie  Home. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfe  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Blanch,  married  Fred  L.  Grostedt,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Oral  Wilson 
Wolfe,  served  in  the  World  War  in  France  and  Germany,  a  member  of 
Company  L,  356th  Infantry,  89th  Division.  He  entered  the  army  April 
24,  1918,  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston,  Kan.,  and  sent  to  France  June  3, 
1918,  and  arrived  there  June  24.  He  took  part  in  the  important  engage- 
ments in  which  the  89th  Division  participated,  including  the  battles  of 
the  Meuse,  Argonne  and  St.  Mihiel,  as  well  as  other  continuous  fighting. 


764  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

He  was  wounded  at  St.  Mihiel,  and  was  discharged  from  the  service  June 
24,  1919.  Louis  Edgar  Wolfe  entered  the  army  Oct.  21,  1918,  and  was 
sent  to  Camp  Bowie,  near  Ft.  Worth,  Texas,  and  was  on  detached  service 
there  when  the  armistice  was  signed.  The  other  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wolfe  are :  Elva,  at  home ;  Serelda,  deceased ;  John  J.,  died  in 
infancy;  Nancy  J.;  Leith  Alexander;  Willie  Franklin;  Ewing  C. ;  Champ 
Clark;  Charles  K.,  died  in  infancy;  and  Allen  B. 

Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  citizens. 

John  Paul  Mellor,  proprietor  of  "Cape  Verde"  stock  farm  along  the 
Missouri  River  in  LaMine  township,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived 
there  all  his  life,  having  developed  an  excellent  piece  of  property.  He 
inherited  the  old  home  place  which  was  established  by  his  father  many 
years  ago  and  has  done  much  toward  the  improvement  of  the  same  since 
it  came  into  his  possession.  Born  July  23,  1857,  Mr.  Mellor  retains  dis- 
tinct recollections  of  the  Civil  War  period  and  has  some  interesting 
souvenirs  of  that  struggle  picked  up  on  his  farm,  including  a  grape-shot 
that  was  fired  from  Boonville.  He  also  has  some  quite  interesting  relics 
of  the  days  of  Indian  occupancy,  the  collection  which  he  maintains  at  his 
home  attracting  much  attention  on  the  part  of  those  interested  in  such 
matters.  Mr.  Mellor's  father  was  a  cripple  during  a  part  of  his  life  and 
was  thus  incapacitated  for  service  during  the  Civil  War.  He  had  a  freight 
warehouse  on  the  river  front  at  the  mouth  of  the  LaMine  River  and  this 
warehouse  was  once  attacked  by  Federal  gunboats  which  fired  as  many 
as  300  shots  at  the  place.  The  Mellor  place  also  was  raided  by  Federal 
soldiers,  who  took  the  horses  out  of  the  stable,  emptied  the  smokehouse 
of  its  stored  meats  and  took  the  bedclothes  and  such  other  articles  from 
the  house.  The  elder  Mellor,  Thomas  Mellor,  was  of  English  birth  and 
was  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  the 
family  locating  in  New  York  state.  When  20  years  of  age  he  went  to 
New  Orleans  and  a  few  years  later  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  near 
Rankin's  Mill  in  Boonville  township,  this  county.  In  1849  he  went  to 
California  and  on  his  return  made  a  visit  back  to  his  boyhood  home  in 
New  York,  after  which  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  in  this  county  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  On  the  home  place,  "Cape  Verde"  farm,  now  owned 
by  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  elder  Mellor  created  a  good  piece  of 
property  and  the  same  has  been  much  improved  since  coming  into  the 
possession  of  the  present  owner. 

John  P  Mellor  grew  up  familiar  with  the  practical  details  of  farm 


THOMAS    MKll.nl: 


HISTORY    OF   COOPER  COUNTY  765 

life  and  has  always  made  his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born, 
being  now  the  owner  of  371  acres  of  excellent  and  well  cultivated  land. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Central  National  Bank  of  Boonville  and  in  the 
Citizens  Trust  Company  of  that  city.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

"Nov.  28,  1888,  John  P.  Mellor  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nancy  Clara 
Schuster,  who  was  born  at  Chouteau  Springs,  Mo.,  Dec.  19,  1865,  daughter 
of  Moritz  and  Rachel  (Hidlebridle)  Schuster,  the  latter  born  in  Maryland. 
Moritz  Schuster  was  a  native  of  Germany,  but  had  been  a  resident  of 
this  country  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mellor  have  six 
children,  namely :  George  T. ;  Agnes,  wife  of  Henry  Fritz,  of  Blackwater 
township ;  Speed  S.,  who  is  farming  in  LaMine  township ;  Grace  G.,  wife 
of  William  G.  Turley,  of  LaMine  Station,  and  Ada  Marie  and  Ernest,  at 
home. 

George  T.  Mellor,  the  eldest  son,  who  was  born  on  Dec.  11,  1889, 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  national  army  in  June,  1917,  not  long  after  this 
country's  declarations  of  war  against  Germany,  and  as  a  member  of  G 
Company,  140th  Infantry,  underwent  training  at  Camp  Nichols,  Leaven- 
worth, Flat  River  and  Ft.  Sill,  and  was  a  first  class  private  when  he  sailed 
for  France  with  his  detachment  in  the  spring  of  1918.  On  Sept.  28,  1918, 
he  was  severely  wounded  during  the  battle  then  raging  in  the  Argonne 
Forest ;  was  discharged  and  now  living  at  home.  George  T.  Mellor  mar- 
ried Mollie  Cramer,  also  of  LaMine  township,  and  has  one  child,  Roy  T. 

William  F.  Carpenter,  a  progressive  citizen  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, who  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantal  citizens,  is  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. He  was  born  in  Macon  County,  Dec.  6,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of 
Hugh  F.  and  Rebecca  (Buck)  Carpenter.  Hugh  F.  Carpenter  was  also 
born  in  Macon  County,  and  now  resides  at  La  Plata,  Mo.  His  wife  died 
in  November,  1912.  Hugh  F.  Carpenter  is  a  son  of  Henry  Carpenter, 
who  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  died  at  St.  Louis.  Hugh  F. 
and  Rebecca  Carpenter  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs. 
Ellen  Dale,  deceased ;  William  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Emma,  mar- 
ried William  Self,  Macon  County;  James,  lives  in  Montana;  Minnie,  mar- 
ried Arthur  McKinzey,  Macon  County;  Ada  Mame  and  Frances  reside  in 
Adair  County. 

William  F.  Carpenter  was  reared  and  educated  in  Macon  County,  and 
since  early  manhood  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
came  to  Cooper  County  from  Macon  about  1898.  In  1919  he  bought  his 
present  place,  which  is  located  one  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  Prairie 


766  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Home,  and  consists  of  155  acres  of  fertile  and  well  improved  land.  He 
has  a  nice  eight-room  farm  residence,  and  the  other  buildings  and  im- 
provements on  the  place  are  substantial  and  in  good  condition. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  married  April  6,  1905,  to  Miss  Dora  F.  Short,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Victoria  (Rich)  Short.  Robert  Short  was  a 
native  of  Missouri  and  died  Nov.  26,  1899,  aged  50  years,  and  his  wife 
died  in  1885.  They  were  residents  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  their 
remains  are  buried  in  Carpenter  Cemetery,  near  Pisgah.  They  we're  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Dora  F.,  the  wife  of  William  F.  Car- 
penter, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Maude  L.,  married  L.  B.  Amick,  How- 
ard County;  Jessie  died  in  infancy.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  have 
been  born  children  as  follows;  Myriam  Ruth;  Helen  Louise;  Clyde;  Gene- 
vieve, and  Marvin  Earl. 

Mr.  Carpenter  follows  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has 
met  with  uniform  success.  Mrs.  Carpenter  is  quite  extensively  engaged 
in  the  poultry  business,  specializing  in  Brown  Leghorn  chickens,  an  indus- 
try which  has  proven  both  interesting  and  profitable. 

Mr.  Carpenter  is  public-spirited  and  enterprising,  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Consolidated 
School  District  No.  3  at  Prairie  Home,  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Prairie  Home  Fair  Board.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Frederick  Schilb,  a  well  known  Cooper  County  pioneer  and  Union 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  March  3,  1845,  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  Ann  (Mueller)  Schilb,  both  natives  of  Bavaria.  The 
father  was  born  March  3,  1799,  and  died  June  30,  1856,  and  the  mother 
died  Dec.  31,  1876,  aged  75  years.  The  Schilb  family  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1847,  when  Frederick  Schilb  was  two 

• 

years  old.  The  father  bought  a  farm  near  Liberty  School.  The  place 
consisted  of  80  acres,  for  which  he  paid  $275.00,  which  not  only  included 
the  farm,  but  the  growing  crops,  a  cow  and  a  calf  and  the  dog.  To  Jacob 
and  Margaret  Ann  (Mueller)  Schilb  were  born  the  following  children: 
Jacob,  deceased ;  Adam,  deceased ;  David,  deceased ;  Margaret,  married 
Henry  Meyer  and  both  are  deceased;  Frederick,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Frederick  Schilb  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  old  Lib- 
erty School  district.  A  part  of  the  time  during  his  school  days,  school 
was  held  in  private  residences.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  not  unlike 
the  average  boy  of  his  time  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.     In  January. 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  767 

1862,  he  enlisted  at  Boonville  in  Company  A,  1st  Missouri  regiment,  and 
re-enlisted  in  1863,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  F.,  13th  Missouri 
cavalry.  He  experienced  an  active  military  career  during  the  war  and 
remained  in  the  service  for  some  time  afterward.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Mine  Creek,  Big  Blue  and  a  number  of  other  engagements.  When  the 
war  closed  he  was  sent  with  his  regiment  across  the  Plains  to  Colorado 
against  hostile  Indians.  He  was  discharged  and  mustered  out  of  service 
at  Ft.  Leavenworth  Kan.,  in  1866.  During  his  service  in  the  army,  Mr. 
Schilb  had  many  interesting  experiences.  On  the  campaign  across  the 
Plains,  he  had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  west  as  it  was  before  civilization 
had  made  much  progress  in  that  section.  In  the  summer  of  1865,  Mr. 
Schilb  remembers  of  having  seen  700  covered  wagons,  or  "prairie  schoon- 
ers," leave  Ft.  Kearney,  Neb.,  in  one  train,  on  their  way  across  the  Plains. 
The  Government  required  at  that  time  that  emigrants  travel  in  trains  of 
not  less  than  50  wagons,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  protect  them- 
selves against  the  attacks  of  hostile  Indians. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army,  Mr.  Schilb  returned  to  Cooper 
County,  and  the  following  year  he  bought  his  first  farm  of  95  acres  near 
Guyers  Ford,  upon  which  he  lived  until  1877,  when  he  sold  out,  and  in 
1878  he  bought  110  acres  of  land  in  Prairie  Home  township,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  1911,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  place,  and  has 
since  been  living  practically  retired  in  the  village  of  Prairie  Home.  Mr. 
Schilb  was  married  March  15,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Meyer,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Edna  D.  (Robinson)  Meyer,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  the  latter  of  Lynchburg,  Va.  John  Meyer  died  in  1853,  when  Mrs. 
Schilb  was  about  two  years  old,  leaving  three  children  besides  Mrs.  Schilb. 
The  others  were  Louis  G.,  Slater,  Mo. ;  John  H.,  Neosho,  Mo. ;  and  Sarah 
Ann,  who  married  Frederick  Hertzburg,  and  is  now  deceased.  After  her 
husband's  death  the  mother  married  again,  and  to  this  marriage  was  born 
one  child,  Louisa  Ruth,  who  married  Earnest  Klatt,  and  they  are  both 
now  deceased. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schilb  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Mar- 
garet, married  Henry  Kuhn,  Prairie  Home  township;  Frederick  L..  the 
present  postmaster  of  Prairie  Home;  Mary  Edna,  married  William  Dietzel, 
of  Moniteau  County;  Laura  Olive,  married  Ernest  Kirschman,  Prairie 
Home  township;  Clara  M.,  married  Oliver  T.  Haley,  resides  on  the  home 
farm ;  Stella  F.,  married  George  Morris,  Prairie  Home ;  Nettie,  married 
Frank  Renfrew,  Wooldridge,  Mo. ;  Lula  A.,  married  Oscar  Blank,  Prairie 


768  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Home  township ;  Ida  L.  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  and  Ernest  T.,  died 
at  the  age  of  10  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schilb  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary 
March  15,  1918,  an  event  long  to  be  remembered  by  the  members  of  this 
numerous  and  highly  respected  family  of  Cooper  County.  The  Schilb 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  stand  high  in  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Schilb  is  a  member  of  John  A.  Hayne  Post,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  Boonville. 

Martin  Luther  Weekley,  a  well-known  and  substantial  landowner  and 
retired  farmer  living  in  LaMine  township,  this  county,  and  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War,  is  a  native  of  the  old  Buckeye  state,  but  has  been  a  resident 
of  Missouri  and  of  Cooper  County  since  coming  here  in  the  latter  '60s  and 
has  thus  been  a  witness  to  and  a  participant  in  the  development  of  this 
region  for  more  than  a  half  century.  He  was  born  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  March  23,  1842,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Beckett)  Weekley,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  that  state. 

Henry  Weekley  was  born  in  eastern  Virginia  on  Sept.  3,  1800,  and 
was  but  a  boy  when  his  parents,  William  and  Susan  Ann  (Bigby)  Weekley, 
who  were  the  parents  of  11  children,  of  whom  he  was  the  seventh  in  order 
of  birth,  moved  from  their  native  Virginia  over  into  Ohio  and  established 
their  home  in  the  then  wilderness  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  new  state 
and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  and  continued 
farming  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  10  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  survive,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  three  sisters 
living,  namely:  Mrs.  Susan  Ann  Willis,  of  Armstrong's  Mill,  Ohio;  Cath- 
erine Penrose,  of  Dorsey,  Ohio,  and  Sarah,  widow  of  M.  Woodburn,  of 
Canton,  Ohio. 

Martin  L.  Weekley  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  Dec.  24, 
1861,  he  then  being  but  19  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf 
of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  D  Company, 
43d  Rgiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private  with  that 
command  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  with  his  regiment 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  July,  1865.  During  this  time  of  service  Mr.  Weekley 
participated  in  a  number  of  important  battles  and  engagements  and  was 
with  Sherman's  army  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  military  service  Mr.  Weekley  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  but  two 
years  later,  in  1867,  came  to  Missouri  and  became  engaged  in  wood- 
chopping  and  the  making  of  railroad  ties  in  Cooper  County,  where  he  ever 


MARTIN    I.1THK1!    WKKKLTCY 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  769 

since  has  made  his  home.  Two  years  after  coming  here  Mr.  Weekley  mar- 
ried one  of  Cooper  County's  daughters  and  in  the  spring  of  1870,  shortly 
after  his  marriage,  began  farming  on  a  small  tract  of  twenty-eight  acres 
of  land  he  had  bought  in  section  28  of  LaMine  township.  There  he  made 
his  home  and  as  his  farming  operations  prospered  he  gradually  added  to 
his  holdings  until  he  became  the  owner  of  506  acres,  all  but  150  acres  of 
which  he  has  now  sold,  dividing  the  proceeds  among  his  children,  and  is 
now  in  a  position  to  "take  things  easy"  in  the  comfortable  evening  time 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Weekley  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  John  Hain 
post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  republic  at  Boonville,  in  the  affairs  of 
which  organization  he  has  for  many  years  taken  an  active  interest.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  he  has  long  been 
an  elder  in  the  same. 

On  Dec.  26,  1869,  Martin  L.  Weekley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Martha  E.  Lewis,  who  was  born  at  Boonville,  this  county,  Dec.  8,  1845, 
and  who  died  on  Dec.  7,  1905.  Mrs.  Weekley  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Amelia  (McMahan)  Lewis,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  in  Saline  County,  Mo.,  a  member  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  further  refer- 
ence to  which  family  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  To  Martin  L. 
and  Martha  E.  (Lewis)  Weekley  six  children  were  born,  as  follows: 
Charles  H.,  deceased ;  Alvaretta,  deceased ;  Luther  F.,  of  LaMine  town- 
ship ;  Laura  E.,  wife  of  Palmer  Taggart,  living  on  the  Weekley  home  place 
in  LaMine  township;  Thomas  Alexander,  also  of  LaMine  township,  and 
William  G.,  of  that  same  township.  Luther,  the  oldest  child,  has  a  daugh- 
ter, Martha  Rose,  and  second  child,  Thomas  A.,  two  sons,  DeWitt  J.  and 
Martin  R. 

Andrew  A.  Ritchie,  a  well  known  and  progressive  farmer  of  Prairie 
Home  township,  residing  at  Prairie  Home  since  Jan.  20,  1919,  was  born  in 
Cooper  County,  Sept.  29,  1866,  and  is  a  descendent  of  pioneers  of  this 
county.  Ho  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Lizzie  (Wood)  Ritchie.  The  mother 
died  in  1869.  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  Andrew  County,  Mo.  She 
was  born  in  Cooper  County,  in  1846.  Abraham  Ritchie  was  born  in 
Prairie  Home  township,  in  1841,  and  now  resides  with  his  son  here.  To 
Abraham  and  Lizzie  (Wood)  Ritchie  were  born  the  following  children: 
J.  L.,  Cole  County;  A.  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary  Ellen,  married 
Charles  Hawkins  and  resides  at  Gorham,  Wash. 

A.  A.  Ritchie  was  educated  in  the  Salem  School  and  recalls  as  his 
(43) 


770  HISTORY    OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

first  teacher,  Jennie  Adams.  Mr.  Ritchie  has  spent  his  life  in  Cooper 
County,  except  two  years,  when  he  was  in  Arkansas.  He  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  in  1915,  purchased  the 
old  homestead  of  90.5  acres  from  his  father. 

Mr.  Ritchie  was  married  Jan.  IS,  1888,  to  Miss  Dora  Sinclair,  a 
daughter  of  George  A.  and  Rhoda  (Stephens)  Sinclair.  George  A.  Sin- 
clair had  two  half  brothers.  Joe  and  Peter  Cole.  The  Cole  family  was 
one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  Cooper  County,  and  the  Stephens  family  were 
also  one  of  the  very  first  to  families  to  settle  in  this  county.  George  A. 
Sinclair  died  in  1890  at  the  age  of  55  years.  His  wife  died  in  1918,  aged 
71  years.  His  remains  are  buried  at  Siloam  Springs,  Ark.,  and  his  wife 
is  buried  at  Walnut  Grove  Christian  Church  Cemetery.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Dora,  the  wife  of  A.  A.  Ritchie,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Henry  County,  in  1870 ;  William  B., 
Tipton,  Mo. ;  Mollie,  married  Ed.  McNair,  Siloam  Springs.  Ark. ;  John. 
Boonville ;  Lizzie,  married  Hardin  Hill.  Speed :  Anna.  Parsons,  Kan. ;  Joe. 
Boonville;  and  Emmerett,  Parsons.  Kan.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchie  have 
been  born  three  children  as  follows:  Abraham  Lee.  born  in  1889,  married 
Edna  Dishion  in  1912,  and  resides  on  the  home  farm :  George  Emil,  born 
1890,  married  Myrtle  Dishion  in  1912,  and  his  wife  is  now  deceased,  and 
he  resides  on  the  home  farm :  Ray  P.,  resides  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ritchie  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Walnut  Grove.  The 
Ritchie  family  is  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  are  highly  regarded. 

Thomas  Henry  Smith,  a  former  well  known  merchant  at  Prairie 
Home,  now  deceased,  was  born  on  a  ranch  in  Guadaloupe  County,  Texas. 
March  4,  1857,  a  son  of  George  P.  and  Mary  Louisa  (Miller)  Smith, 
natives  of  Kentucky,  and  parents  of  four  other  children,  namely:  George 
P.  Smith,  of  Kingville.  Texas;  Mrs.  R.  S.  Rurges.  of  Sequin.  Texas;  Mrs. 
R.  S.  Thomas,  of  Blue  Springs,  Mo.;  and  W.  E.  Smith,  of  San  Antonio. 
Texas.  By  a  prior  marriage  George  P.  Smith  had  a  daughter.  Mrs.  J.  P. 
Jefferson,  of  Sequin,  Texas. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  Texas.  Thomas  Henry  Smith  early  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  cattle,  and  so  continued  carrying  on  his  operations  on  a 
ranch  in  western  Texas  until  1890.  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  City,  and 
from  there  to  Prairie  Home,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  con- 
tinuing this  for  about  10  years;  he  bought  a  farm  and  engaged  in  cattle 
feeding  until  his  retirement  in  March,  1919.  and  returned  to  Prairie  Home. 
where  he  died  on  April  9.  1919.    The  Smith  home  is  prettily  situated  on 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  771 

North  Broadway,  Prairie  Home,  and  may  be  regarded  as  of  historic  in- 
terest from  the  fact  that  a  part  of  the  material  entering  into  its  construc- 
tion had  many  years  before  been  used  in  the  erection  of  the  old  Prairie 
Home  College.  And  in  that  pleasant  home,  Mr.  Smith's  widow  and  her 
son  and  daughter  are  now  living,  and  Mrs.  Smith's  mother,  Mrs.  Martha 
Gray  Thomas,  is  making  her  home  with  them. 

Oct.  14,  1885,  at  Greenwood,  Mo.,  Thomas  Henry  Smith  was  married  to 
Anna  Gray  Thomas,  who  was  born  near  Pisgah,  Cooper  County.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  James  Bennett  Thomas  and  Martha  Gray 
(Ellis)  Thomas.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  born  on  Sept.  9,  1834,  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Dickinson)  Ellis.  Mrs.  Thomas  and  her  sister,  Ann 
M.  Ellis,  were  the  original  promoters  of  the  movement  to  create  a  fund 
for  the  erection  of  the  Prairie  Home  Baptist  Church  about  1894,  and  were 
among  the  most  active  solicitors.  The  late  Dr.  James  Bennett  Thomas 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  Thomas, 
A.  M.,  first  president  of  William  Jewell  College,  and  one  of  the  first  pro- 
fessors of  Missouri  State  University.  The  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  Thomas 
was  bom  in  Scott  County,  Ky.,  June  25,  1805,  and  was  married  on  July  16, 
1824,  to  Elvira  Johnston,  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.  His  father,  John  P. 
Thomas,  came  to  Missouri  in  1827  and  settled  in  Boone  County,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  State.  The  Thomases  are  of  Virginia  Colonial  stock,  and  are 
related  to  the  Madisons,  the  Pendletons  and  the  Barbours.  The  Rev. 
Robert  Stewart  Thomas  was  taken  into  the  Baptist  Church  at  Paris,  Ky., 
when  16  years  of  age,  and  his  life  thereafter  was  devoted  to  the  church. 
At  18  years  of  age  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  it  was  not  long  until 
he  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  forceful  pulpit  orators  of  his 
day.  He  accompanied  his  father  into  Missouri  in  1827,  and  his  talents 
soon  won  for  him  a  foremost  position  among  the  educators  and  ministers 
of  his  generation  in  this  State.  He  received  his  Master  of  Arts  degree 
from  Yale,  and  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  education  was  second  only 
to  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  church.  He  died  at  Fulton  on  June  12, 
1859,  and  the  Baptists  of  Missouri  have  preserved  something  of  the  rec- 
ord of  his  life's  work  in  a  memorial  volume. 

To  Thomas  Henry  and  Anna  Gray  (Thomas)  Smith  were  born  three 
children,  Lula  Gray  Smith,  who  completed  her  schooling  at  Lexington 
College  and  is  at  home  with  her  mother;  Ellis  Thomas  Smith,  deceased; 
and  William   Robert  Smith,  at  home.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  also  reared 


772  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Lalla  Kookh  Fowler,  taking  her  into  their  home  when  she  was  an  infant. 
On  Dec.  25,  1915,  Miss  Fowler  married  W.  R.  Wilson,  and  is  now  living 
at  St.  Louis,  where  Mr.  Wilson  is  engaged  as  advertising  manager  for  an 
extensive  dry  goods  establishment. 

August  R.  Schuster,  a  well-known  and  substantial  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  LaMine  township,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  LaMine  township  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  Sept.  23,  1883,  a  son  of 
Moritz  and  Rachel  (Hildebrant)  Schuster,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last 
days  on  the  farm  here  mentioned. 

Moritz  Schuster  was  born  in  Germany  in  1844  and  was  but  five  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  came  with  their  family  to  this  country  in  1849 
and  came  to  Missouri,  Boonville  being  their  objective  point.  Not  long 
after  coming  to  this  county  the  father  of  Moritz  Schuster  bought  the 
farm  in  LaMine  township  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandson, 
August,  and  in  time  had  a  very  well  developed  place.  Moritz  Schuster 
grew  to  manhood  there  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out.  He  enlisted  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  same  company 
and  regiment,  that  Charles  Bell  was  with.  He  served  until  mustered  out 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  after  his  mar- 
riage established  his  home  there  and  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days  on  that  place.  He  died  in  March,  1915,  less  than  one  month 
after  the  death  of  his  wife  which  occurred  on  Feb.  28.  She  was  born 
in  Virginia,  March  18,  1845,  and  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Cooper  County.  Moritz  Schuster  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth 
and  of  wjiom  seven  are  still  living. 

August  R.  Schuster  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and 
has  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  bought  his  first  farm  in 
1904,  and  after  setting  out  trees  and  otherwise  improving  it,  in  1910,  sold 
it  to  his  brother,  Benjamin  Schuster.  He  then  bought  the  old  home 
place  and  since  taking  possession  of  the  same  has  made  many  improve- 
ments, crowning  the  same  by  the  erection  in  the  summer  of  1919  of  a 
handsome  10-room  dwelling  house  of 'the  modern  bungalow  type.  Mr. 
Schuster  has  318  acres  of  excellent  land  and  in  addition  to  his  general 
farming  giving  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Boonville  National  Bank  and  Trust  Company  of  Boon- 
ville. He  is  a  republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

Dec.  23,  1903,  August  R.  Schuster  was  married  to  Minne  O'Neil,  who 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  773 

also  was  born  in  LaMine  township,  a  daughter  of  Ballard  and  Lillie 
(Rhoden)  O'Neil,  natives  of  Missouri,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  and 
to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mabel,  deceased; 
Agnes  R,  Virginia,  Elnora  and  a  son  who  died  in  infancy. 

Clarence  Levi  Eager,  one  of  Cooper  County's  progressive  young 
farmers  and  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  of  175  acres  near  Gooch's  Mill  in 
Saline  township,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  county's  pioneer  families,  a 
great-grandson  of  the  founder  of  Gooch's  Mill.  He  was  born  at  Gooch's 
Mill,  Aug.  4,  1890,  son  of  Charles  L.  and  Rebecca  (Shepherd)  Eager,  resi- 
dents of  "Elmwood"  farm  in  Saline  township.  Charles  L.  Eager  is  a  son 
of  Lewis  and  Cynthia  A.  (Gooch)  Eager,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
daughter  of  William  D.  Gooch,  a  Virginia  who  founded  Gooch's  Mill  and 
was  succeded  by  his  son-in-law,  Lewis  Eeager,  also  a  Virginian.  Rebecca 
Shepherd  Eager  is  a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Joanna  (Campbell)  Shepherd, 
former  residents  of  Saline  townships. 

Clarence  L.  Eager  received  his  schooling  in  the  old  Liberty  School  in 
Saline  township,  in  the  Boonville  High  School  and  Kemper  School,  and 
upon  completing  his  schooling  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In 
1914,  not  long  after  his  marriage,  he  established  his  home  on  his  present 
farm,  the  old  Judge  Hall  place,  in  Saline  township,  and  has  since  resided 
there.  When  Mr.  Eager  took  possession  of  that  place  it  was  but  slightly 
improved,  and  he  has  worked  wonders  in  bringing  it  "out  of  the  kinks;" 
included  in  the  improvements  he  has  made  being  the  erection  of  a  hand- 
some modern  bungalow  of  seven  rooms,  a  stock  barn,  48x56,  with  metal 
roof  and  sides,  and  other  essential  outbuildings,  and  has  secured  an  un- 
failing water  supply  from  a  well  230  feet  deep. 

Clarence  L.  Eager  was  united  in  marriage  in  1913  to  Emma  Louise 
Catherine  Effinger,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been 
born,  Hazel  Louise.  Mrs.  Eager  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Louise  Cath- 
erine (Brockman)  Effinger,  of  Boonville  township,  and  is  a  graduate  of 
Cottey  College  at  Nevada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eager  have  a  very  pleasant 
home.  Mr.  Eager  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
at  Prairie  Home. 

O.  M.  &  C.  E.  Hale,  proprietors  of  the  Prairie  Home  Garage,  are  two 
of  the  live  young  business  men  of  this  thriving  town.  0.  M.  Hale  con- 
ducted this  business  alone  until  Feb.  7,  1919,  when  he  sold  a  half  interest 
to  his  brother,  C.  E.  This  garage  was  established  in  1911,  having  been 
built  by  Brooks  &  Fischer.  It  is  a  well  equipped  garage,  40x60  feet. 
The  Hale  Brothers  do  all  kind  of  automobile  repair  work,  and  their  repair 


774  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

department  is  equipped  with  special  machinery  for  automobile  work.  They 
have  the  agency  for  the  Mitchell  cars  and  a  sub-agency  for  the  Maxwell, 
and  are  doing  a  very  satisfactory  business  in  their  sales  department. 

The  Hale  family  is  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  section  of  Mis- 
souri. 0.  M.  Hale,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  born  Aug.  28,  1890, 
a  son  of  T.  F.  and  Sallie  B.  {Carey)  Hale.  T.  F.  Hale  was  born  in  Cooper 
County  in  1851,  a  son  of  Meade  Hale,  a  Missouri  pioneer,  who  settled  near 
Big  Lick,  Saline  township,  at  a  very  early  date.  Sallie  B.  (Carey)  Hale 
is  a  daughter  of  George  Carey,  a  pioneer  of  Prairie  Home  township,  who 
is  now  80  years  old.  T.  F.  Hale  and  wife  now  reside  at  California,  Mo. 
Their  children  are  as  follows  George,  deceased ;  John,  a  farmer  in  Moni- 
teau County;  0.  M.,  senior  member  of  the  Hale  Brothers;  Frank,  resides 
on  the  home  place  in  Prairie  Home  township;  Charles  E.,  junior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Hale  Brothers ;  Isaac  C,  California,  Mo. ;  Allie,  married  R. 
L.  Simmons,  California,  Mo.;  Bertha,  married  Arthur  Bottoms,  Prairie 
Home;  Edna,  married  Alvin  Carpenter,  Prairie  Home  township. 

O.  M.  Hale  was  married  to  Miss  Lillie  Klockner,  of  California,  Mo. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Louis  and  Rosa  (Moss)  Klockner.  The  Klockner 
family  were  very  early  settlers  in  Cooper  County.  Louis  Klockner"s 
father  was  reared  in  Boonville,  Mo.  Mrs.  Hale  was  one  of  four  children 
born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  as  follows  Dora,  married  Joseph 
Graff,  Prairie  Home;  Clara,  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Louis  0.  is 
a  druggist  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  0.  M.  Hale  have  been 
born  two  children:    Courtney  and  Kinneth. 

The  Hale  family  is  well  known  in  Cooper  and  Moniteau  Counties,  and 
0.  M.  and  C.  E.  Hale  are  two  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  Prairie 
Home. 

Gilman  W.  Jewett,  proprietor  of  "Sugar  Tree  Farm,"  in  Saline  town- 
ship, one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  that  neighborhood,  was  born  at 
Jewett's  Mill,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Jan.  20,  1865,  son  of  Samuel  L. 
and  Martha  M.  (Dorsey)  Jewett,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in 
this  county  and  are  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery. 

Samuel  L.  Jewett,  who  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  in  this  county,  and  whose  old  mill  in  the  Clarks  Fork  neighbor- 
hood is  still  standing,  was  born  near  Waterloo,  111.,  in  1834.  His  father 
and  mother  both  died  when  he  was  about  five  years  of  age,  and  he  was 
cared  for  by  William  Cropper,  with  whom  he  came  to  Missouri  in  1840, 
the  family  settling  near  the  present  town  of  Overton.  There,  Samuel  L. 
Jewett  grew  up  and  received  his  early  schooling.     At  the  age  of  17  he 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  775 

began  working  in  Conner's  mill,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  two  years, 
when  he  entered  college  at  Alton,  111.,  and  after  a  course  there  left  for 
Calfornia,  going  by  way  of  the  isthmus.  That  was  about  1854  and  he 
was  absent  for  five  or  six  years,  mining  and  milling  in  California.  He 
returned  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  and  New  York  to  Cooper  County  and 
bought  Davis  &  Barker's  mill  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarks  Fork  and  resumed 
the  milling  business.  For  five  years  he  operated  this  mill  and  then  sold  it 
and  in  1865  returned  to  Illinois  and  became  engaged  in  farming  in  Madi- 
son County,  that  State,  but  shortly  afterwards  returned  here,  buying 
back  his  old  mill,  which  by  that  time  had  come  into  the  ownership  of 
James  Armstrong,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in 
February,  1917,  he  then  being  83  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  May, 
1893.  To  Samuel  L.  Jewett  and  wife  were  born  six  children,  as  follows: 
Judge  Benjamin  D.  Jewett,  living  on  the  home  place  at  Clarks  Fork,  an 
ex-judge  of  the  eastern  district  of  Cooper  County;  Mrs.  Walter  B.  Wind- 
sor, living  near  Clarks  Fork ;  Gilman  W. ;  Edward  M.,  died  at  Boonville, 
Dec,  1918;  Halbert  A.,  Clarks  Fork;  and  Theodore  B.,  on  the  home  place 
with  Judge  Jewett. 

Reared  in  Clarks  Fork,  Gilman  Jewett  received  his  early  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  the  Pilot  Grove  School.  In  1898,  he  bought  a  farm 
southeast  of  Bunceton  with  his  brothers  and  a  few  months  later  estab- 
lished his  home  there.  A  few  years  later,  however,  he  sold  that  place, 
and  in  March,  1903,  bought  from  John  Malone  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
now  living,  the  old  Hammond  place  in  Saline  township,  and  has  since 
made  that  his  home,  developing  there  a  fine  piece  of  property,  "Sugar 
Tree  Farm."  Since  taking  possession  of  "Sugar  Tree  Farm,"  Mr.  Jewett 
has  made  numerous  improvements,  including  the  remodeling  the  fine  old 
brick  farm  house  which  was  erected  there  by  Samuel  Hammond  in  1850 
with  brick  burned  on  the  place,  the  building  of  two  fine  barns  and  a  tile 
silo,  two  tenant  houses  and  other  buildings.  Of  the  443  acres  in  "Sugar 
Tree  Farm"  about  half  is  bottom  land,  the  remainder  being  what  is  known 
as  "second  bottom,"  and  all  is  productive.  The  place  is  well  watered,  and 
200  acres  of  meadow  land  afford  admirable  faclities  for  extensive  live- 
stock operations.     There  also  is  an  excellent  orchard  on  the  place. 

March  22,  1899,  G.  W.  Jewett  was  married  to  Myrtle  A.  Mills,  of 
Clarks  Fork  township,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  bom, 
Samuel  L.,  a  student  at  Missouri  State  University,  and  who,  during  the 
World  War  was  a  member  of  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  there,  receiving  his  discharge 
in  December,  1918,  and  Martha  W.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boon- 


776  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ville  High  School  with  the  class  of  1919.  Mrs.  Jewett  was  born  in  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  Nov.  11,  1872,  only  child  of  J.  T.  and  Leona  (Maxwell)  Mills, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  23  years,  when  her  daughter  was 
an  infant.  J.  T.  Mills  was  a  native  of  this  county,  born  in  Clarks  Fork 
township  in  1845,  and  nearly  all  his  life  was  spent  on  a  farm  there.  He 
retired  and  moved  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  67.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife,  J.  T.  Mills  married  Bettie  L.  Tucker,  and  to 
that  union  were  born  seven  chlidem:  J.  Turril  Mills,  Boonville;  Anna, 
wife  of  C.  E.  Conner,  Boonville;  William  H.  Mills,  Kansas  City;  Pauline, 
wife  of  Lawrence  Meyer,  Boonville;  Thomas  W.  Mills,  who  served  in  the 
United  States  Army  in  the  World  War  as  a  member  of  the  Hospital  Corps 
at  Camp  Eustice,  Va. ;  Miss  Gladys  Mills,  Kansas  City;  and  Mrs.  Helen 
Hale,  Kansas  City.  Mr.  Jewett  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Gooch's  Mill. 

Benjamin  E.  Schuster,  one  of  LaMine  township's  best  known  and 
most  progressive  young  farmers  and  hog  breeders  and  the  proprietor  of 
a  well-improved  farm  in  that  township,  was  born  in  LaMine  township 
and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  Sept.  23,  1888,  a  son  of 
Moritz  and  Rachel  (Hildebrant)  Schuster,  further  mention  of  whom  is 
made  in  this  volume. 

Benjamin  E.  Schuster  received  his  schooling  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  neighborhood  and  high  school  at  Marshall,  Mo.,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1908.  As  a  young  man  began  to  turn  his  attention 
to  farming  on  his  own  account  and  soon  became  a  landowner.  In  1907 
he  purchased  the  place  that  was  owned  by  his  father  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  the  fall  of  1908  established  his  home  on  the  place  known  as  "Silver- 
crest"  farm  and  has  since  been  residing  there.  Since  taking  possession 
of  that  farm  Mr.  Schuster  has  made  extensive  improvements  on  the  place 
and  now  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  neighborhood.  He  is  the  owner 
of  100  acres  of  excellent  land  and  is  doing  well  in  general  farming  and 
hog  raising.  Mr.  Schuster  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding  pure  bred 
Poland  China  hogs  and  during  the  year  disposes  of  200  head  or  more  for 
breeding  purposes  at  prices  considerably  above  the  market  price.  He 
ranks  among  the  successful  breeders  of  pure  blood  Poland  China  hogs  in 
the  country  and  the  product  of  his  pens  are  shipped  all  over  the  United 
States.  He  holds  two  sales  annually.  His  pens  are  well  arranged  and 
the  place  shows  every  evidence  of  modern  methods. 

Nov.  18,  1908,  Benjamin  E.  Schuster  was  united  in  marriage.to  Ethel 
Davis,  who  also  was  born   in  LaMine  township,  daughter  of  Jasper  A. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY   •  777 

Davis  and  wife.  Mr.  Schuster  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and 
his  wife  is  a  Baptist.  Mr.  Schuster  is  a  republican  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Boonville  National  Bank  and  in  the  Citizens  Trust  Company  of 
Boonville,  as  well  as  in  the  Bank  of  Blackwater  at  Blackwater. 

William  Karm.  station  agent  at  Overton,  for  more  than  23  years  an 
employe  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  is  a  native  of  Indiana.  He  was  born  in 
Lawrenceburg,  Ind.,  July  28,  1865,  son  of  James  C.  and  Teresa  (Rudolph) 
Karm,  who  came  to  Cooper  County  more  than  40  years  ago,  and  whose 
last  days  were  spent-  near  Chateau  Springs. 

James  C.  Karm  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  after 
their  marriage  came  to  America,  locating  at  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.,  where 
Mr.  Karm  followed  his  profession  as  a  school  teacher.  In  1877  they 
moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Chateau  Springs,  where 
he  opened  a  private  school  and  became  one  of  the  influential  factors  in  the 
educational  and  social  development  of  that  section.  He  and  his  wife  died 
in  1882,  the  former  in  January  of  that  year  and  the  latter  in  July,  and 
are  buried  in  the  Martinsville  Cemetery.  James  C.  Karm  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children:  Mrs.  Katie  Ehlen,  St.  Louis;  Mrs.  Mary 
Martin,  La  Mine ;  Mrs.  Teresa  Ludwig,  Helena,  Mont. ;  Mrs.  Annie  Rogers, 
Helena;  Josephine,  Helena;  William;  and  James  C,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  50  years  at  Redlands,  Calif. 

In  1882,  William  Karm  went  to  Helena,  Mont.,  and  was  employed 
there  until  1887.  Upon  his  return  he  followed  farming  near  Chateau 
Springs.  March  1,  1896,  he  was  appointed  agent  for  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  Company  at  the  station  at  La  Mine  and  continued  thus  engaged 
there  for  nine  years,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Overton,  where  he  since 
has  been  located.  During  the  more  than  23  years  he  has  been  employed 
by  the  company  he  has  lost  but  one  week  of  time,  which  is  a  record  of 
which  any  railroad  man  might  be  proud.  Mr.  Karm  owns  a  comfortable 
home  at  Overton.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at 
Gooch's  Mill  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

July  28,  1892,  William  Karm  was  united  in  marriage  at  the  Martins- 
ville Church  near  Chateau  Springs,  to  Mary  Ann  Ryan,  who  was  born  in 
Missouri,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born:  Margaret,  wife 
of  Carl  Fisher,  Prairie  Home ;  John  R.,  with  the  bridge  department  of  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Railway  Company;  and  William,  Jr.,  and  Henry  R.,  at 
home.  Mrs.  Karm  was  born  at  Billingsville,  Mo.,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  Ryan,  and  was  but  two  days  old  when  her  mother  died.  Her 
father,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  was  killed 


778  HISTORY    OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  service  in  1865,  and  she  was  reared  in  the  household  of  John  McVay  and 
wife  at  Chateau  Springs. 

Arthur  F.  White,  of  the  well  known  blacksmithing  firm  of  White  & 
Sells,  is  one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of  Prairie  Home,  Mo.  He  is  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County  and  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  July 
16,  1888.  He  is  a  son  of  Millard  F.  and  Sarah  (Darberry)  White,  who 
now  reside  in  Prairie  Home.  The  former  is  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the 
latter  of  Arkansas. 

Arthur  F.  White  is  one  of  five  children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Pearl,  married  Andy  Shirley,  Boonville;  Maggie,  mar- 
ried Elmer  Shirley ;  Ethel,  married  Dean  Deuel,  Sedalia ;  and  Walter,  who 
served  with  the  89th  Division  during  the  World  War.  He  was  a  member 
of  Company  L,  356th  Infantry.  He  enlisted  Sept.  5,  1917,  and  was  trained 
at  Camp  Funston,  and  on  June  16,  1918,  was  sent  to  France.  He  partici- 
pated in  much  of  the  severe  fighting.  He  was  at  the  front  and  through 
the  battle  of  Argonne  and  other  engagements,  and  with  his  division  as 
a' part  of  the  army  of  occupation  in  Germany.  Arthur  White  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Cooper  County,  and  learned  the  blacksmith  trade  with 
Frank  Rodell.  He  has  been  engaged  in  blacksmithing  at  his  present  loca- 
tion in  Prairie  Home  for  five  years.  On  Feb.  11,  1919,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Joseph  Sells,  and  they  are  doing  an  extensive  business. 
They  have  a  well  equipped  shop  for  doing  a  general  line  of  blacksmithing 
and  woodwork.  The  place  is  furnished  with  power  from  a  gas  engine, 
by  which  their  saws,  disc  sharpeners,  emery  wheels  and  other  mechanical 
devices  are  operated. 

Mr.  White  was  married  Feb.  14,  1912,  to  Miss  Esther  Byler,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Nora  Byler.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  been 
born  one  son,  Arthur  Lewis,  born  Dec.  26,  1918. 

During  the  World  War,  Mr.  White  was  in  the  U.  S.  Army  about  60 
days.  He  went  to  Camp  Funston,  Sept.  19,  1918,  and  was  discharged 
Nov.  20,  1918.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  W7orld  and  the 
Royal  Neighbors.  He  is  an  enterprising  young  man,  and  a  Cooper  County 
citizen  worth  while. 

Robert  Kaempfer,  now  living  retired  at  Prairie  Home,  is  one  of  the 
best  known  men  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  He  was  born  on  the 
old  Kaempfer  place,  part  of  which  he  still  owns,  two  miles  east  of  Prairie 
Home,  June  2,  1846,  son  of  John  Godfrey  and  Mary  (Schiele)  Kaempfer. 

John  Godfrey  Kaempfer  was  bora  in  Germany  about  the  year  1813, 
and  came  to  Cooper  County  about  1835.     He  was  a  blacksmith  in  the  old 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  779 

country.  Upon  coming  here,  he  settled  in  what  then  was  known  as  Mid- 
way, bought  a  "40"  from  William  Snodgrass  established  his  home  and  set 
up  on  his  place  a  blacksmith  shop,  the  first  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
At  that  time,  long  before  Prairie  Home  had  found  a  place  on  the  map, 
Midway  was  regarded  as  the  half-way  place  between  Jefferson  City  and 
Boonville,  and  was  a  stage  stop  and  postoffice  site,  the  postoffice  being 
"kept"  by  Albert  Tompkins  at  his  home  on  the  present  site  of  the  W.  F. 
Carpenter  residence  a  short  distance  southeast  of  Prairie  Home.  Albert 
Tompkins  "entered"  that  place  from  the  Government  in  1833,  and  he  and 
his  wife  and  sister  are  buried  there.  John  G.  Kaempfer's  home  and 
blacksmith  shop  were  about  two  miles  from  the  Midway  station,  and  this 
necessitated  quite  a  walk  for  him  when  called  on  to  shoe  the  stage  horses 
at  Midway,  which  he  often  was  called  on  to  do.  He  was  the  first  smith 
in  this  part  of  the  country  to  make  a  steel  mold-board  plow,  and  his  ser- 
vices were  in  wide  demand.  Later,  however,  he  gave  more  attention  to 
farming,  becoming  a  considerable  land  owner.  His  wife  died  in  1852, 
and  he  died  October  7,  1887,  and  both  are  buried  on  the  home  farm.  Of 
the  children  born  to  them  two  survive,  Mr.  Kaempfer  having  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Mary  Schnuck,  who  makes  her  home  with  him  at  Prairie  Home.  Mrs. 
Schnuck  is  the  widow  of  Henry  Schnuck,  Sr.,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Saline 
township,  who  came  here  with  his  parents  when  about  12  years  of  age, 
and  died  June  2,  1909. 

Robert  Kaempfer  received  his  schooling  in  the  Hornbeck  School,  and 
among  his  teachers  he  recalls  particularly  Robert  Carlos,  who  was  a  half- 
brother  of  Frank  and  Carter  Carlos. 

Mr.  Kaempfer  has  always  lollowed  farming,  becoming  a  part  owner 
of  the  home  place,  and  there  resided  until  his  recent  retirement  and  re- 
moval to  Prairie  Home,  where  he  and  his.  wife  now  reside.  March  1, 
1919,  Mr.  Kaempfer  moved  to  town,  buying  there  the  William  Byler  prop- 
erty. Mr.  Kaempfer  still  owns  156  acres  of  the  old  home  place.  Not 
long  ago  he  sold  to  B.  L.  Morris  a  tract  of  something  more  than  52  acres. 
He  is  in  a  position  to  "take  things  easy"  in  the  pleasant  "evening  time" 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Kaempfer  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Gooch's  Mill. 

Sept.  10,  1873,  Robert  Kaempfer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine 
Alice  Graff,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret 
Graff,  old  settlers  of  Saline  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kaempfer  have  nine 
children,  one  son  and  eight  daughters,  and  these  daughters  at  the  Prairie 
Home  Fair  in  1918  brought  to  their  mother  quite  a  unique  distinction, 


780  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mrs.  Kaempfer  having  been  awarded  the  premium  for  the  largest  family 
of  girls  reared  in  Cooper  County.  The  only  son,  John  Kaempfer,  the 
fourth  child  in  order  of  birth,  married  Anna  Hertsick,  and  lives  in  Cedar 
County.  He  and  his  wife  have  two  children,  Homer  and  Mary  Bernice. 
The  daughters  are  as  follows :  Margaret,  wife  of  William  H.  Kuhn,  Prairie 
Home ;  Mary,  wife  of  Millard  Pipkin,  Russellville ;  Emma,  wife  of  William 
Oerly,  Wooldridge;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Jesse  Byler,  Moniteau  County; 
Anna,  wife  of  Walter  Byler,  same  county ;  Nora,  wife  of  B.  L.  Morris,  who 
owns  a  part  of  the  old  Kaempfer  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township ;  Louisa, 
wife  of  Otto  Wallenmeier,  Moniteau  County,  and  Meta,  wife  of  Clarence 
Hornbeck,  Prairie  Home  township.  Besides  the  two  grandchildren, 
Homer  and  Mary  Bernice  Kaempfer,  mentioned  above,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kaempfer  have  22  other  grandchildren,  namely:  Lawrence,  Herbert, 
Floyd,  Elmer,  Blanche  and  Alice  Kuhn;  Newell  Pipkin;  Lester,  Curtis, 
Raymond,  Oliver  and  Alvin  Oerly ;  Garland,  Roger,  Joseph,  Charles,  Ar- 
thur and  Ruth  Byler;  Kenneth  Hornbeck,  and  Gerine,  Ruby  and  Fern 
Morris. 

Henry  Louis  Muntzel,  one  of  LaMine  township's  best  known  and  most 
progresive  farmers  and  the  owner  of  a  well  improved  farm  of  275  acres 
in  that  township  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
south  of  Boonville  on  Dec.  17,  1866,  son  of  Christian  and  Lavinia  (Meyer) 
Muntzel,  the  latter  of  whom,  also  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  is  living  with 
the  subject  of  this  review. 

Both  the  Muntzels  and  the  Meyers  are  of  Hanoverian  stock  and  among 
the  pioneers  of  Missouri,  settling  first  in  St.  Louis  County  and  then  com- 
ing to  Cooper  County.  Peter  Muntzel,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this 
state,  was  born  in  Hanover  in  1799  and  came  to  America  in  1843,  locat- 
ing on  a  farm  in  St.  Louis  County,  where  he  remained  until  1856,  when  he 
came  to  Cooper  County.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  in 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  sons, 
Henry,  Albert,  Daniel  and  Christian. 

Christian  Muntzel  was  born  in  1840  and  was  but  a  child  when  his 
parents  came  to  this  country.  He  was  16  years  of  age  when  the  family 
came  to  Cooper  County.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  A  29th 
Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  marched  with  Sher- 
man to  the  sea  and  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war  as  one  of 
the  nine  survivors  of  his  company.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Cooper  County  and  Sept.  10,  1865,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lavinia 
Meyer,  who  was  born  in  this  county  on  April  1,  1846. 


CHRISTIAN    MUNTZEL   AND    WIPE,    I.AVIMA 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  781 

Mrs.  Lavinia  Muntzel  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Anna  (Baldwin) 
Meyer,  Hanoverians,  who  came  to  this  country  shortly  after  their  mar- 
riage and  settled  in  Cooper  County  about  1840,  where  Henry  Meyer  bought 
320  acres  of  Congress  land,  he  and  his  wife  spending  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  here.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  10  children:  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  Katherine,  Lavinia,  Sophia,  Louise,  Annie,  George,  Henry  and 
William.  Following  his  marriage  to  Lavinia  Meyer,  Christian  Muntzel 
settled  on  a  farm  south  of  Boonville  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  died  in  1886.     His  widow  still  owns  the  home  place  of  340  acres. 

To  Christian  and  Lavinia  (Meyer)  Muntzel  were  born  four  children: 
Henry  L.,  Matilda,  Ida  and  George,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  Matilda 
Muntzel  was  born  in  1869  and  completed  her  schooling  in  the  Pilot  Grove 
High  School.  In  1893,  she  was  married  to  C.  H.  Phillips,  and  now  resides 
in  Kansas  City,  where  Mr  Phillips  is  cashier  in  the  city  water  department. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phillips  have  two  children,  Charles,  who  is  now  (spring  of 
1919)  still  in  France,  a  member  of  Base  Hospital  Unit  No.  28,  which  was 
called  on  for  much  active  service  during  the  pi*ogress  of  Amercia's  partici- 
pation in  the  World  War,  and  Frances,  a  senior  in  the  Central  High  School. 
Ida  Muntzel  was  born  in  1873  and  completed  her  schooling  in  Missouri 
Valley  School  at  Marshall.  In  1899,  she  married  Dr.  W.  H.  Gentry,  phy- 
sician, of  Carthage,  Mo.,  who  in  1918  was  called  to  the  colors  in  the  World 
War,  was  commissioned  captain  and  stationed  at  Camp  Taylor,  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  and  now  lives  at  Carthage,  Mo.  George  Muntzel  was  born  in 
1876  and  completed  his  schooling  at  the  Haynes  School  in  Boonville  and 
in  the  Gem  City  Business  College,  Quincy,  111.  In  1901,  he  married  Fannie 
McNulty,  and  made  his  home  on  a  farm  south  of  Boonville.  They  have 
three  children.  Frances,  Wilbur  and  Charles,  who  are  now  attendim; 
high  school  at  Boonville. 

Henry  L.  Muntzel  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Boonville. 
Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  Pilot  Grove  High  School,  he  took  a 
supplemental  course  in  the  International  Business  College  at  St.  Louis, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1886.  He  then  farmed  on  his  own  ac- 
count on  the  home  place  until  in  1895,  when  he  bought  his  present  farm 
east  of  Blackwater,  and  has  since  resided  here.  Mr.  Muntzel  carries  on 
general  farming  and  gives  considerable  attention  to  raising  hogs.  His 
farm  of  275  acres  is  well  improved. 

Dec.  23,  1893,  Henry  L.  Muntzel  was  married  to  Margaret  Rudolph, 
who  was  born  in  this  county.  Dec.  20,  1868,  and  who  died  on  Aug.  27, 
1904.  Mrs.  Margaret  Muntzel  was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Anna  (Bow- 
man) Rudolph,  Virginians,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  before  the  Civil 


782  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

War,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  residing  seven  miles  south  of  Boonville. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muntzel  were  born  three  children:  George,  born  in  1894, 
attended  Central  College  at  Fayette,  and  who  died  in  1916;  Robert,  born 
in  1896,  also  attended  Central  College,  and  died  in  1915,  and  James,  who 
was  born  in  1900,  is  now  attending  Boonville  High  School.  Mr.  Muntzel 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  is  a  republican,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  served  as  committeeman  from  his  precinct. 

Henry  W.  Oerly,  postmaster  and  general  merchant  at  Overton,  and 
one  of  the  influential  citizens  of  that  section  of  Cooper  County,  postmaster 
at  Overton  for  nearly  15  years,  was  born  in  this  county,  April  7,  1882,  son 
of  Samuel  and  Mary  A.  (Schunck)  Oerly.  He  received  his  schooling  in 
the  Highland  Schools  in  Saline  township,  and  continued  making  his  home 
on  the  home  farm  until  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  postmaster  at 
Overton  in  August,  1905,and  has  since  held  that  office.  When  he  took 
charge  of  the  postoffice  Mr.  Oerly  started  in  connection  with  the  same  a 
local  jewelry  shop  and  watchmaking  establishment  and  maintained  that 
business  until  in  June,  1916,  when  he  opened  a  grocery  store  and  moved 
the  postoffice  into  the  building  he  erected  at  that  time,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  addition  to  looking  after  the  affairs 
of  the  postoffice.  Starting  his  grocery  with  a  $450  stock,  Mr.  Oerly  has 
increased  his  business  until  he  now  has  a  well  stocked  and  well  equipped 
store,  carrying  a  full  line  of  goods  required  in  the  general  trade  of  the 
community.  In  October,  1915,  he  bought  the  T.  L.  Tucker  residence  at 
Overton  and  he  and  his  family  have  since  resided  there.  Besides  this 
property  and  his  store  building  Mr.  Oerly  is  the  owner  of  six  half-acre 
lots  at  Overton  and  one  smaller  lot. 

June  16,  1908,  the  twenty-seventh  anniversary  of  the  marriage  of 
his  parents,  H.  W.  Oerly  was  married  to  Sara  Martha  Grannemann,  who 
was  born  at  Morrison,  Mo.,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
Laura  Marie.  Mrs.  Oerly  was  born  on  July  9,  1887,  a  daughter  of  Louis 
and  Minnie  (Noltensmeyer)  Grannemann,  both  natives  of  Missouri,  now 
deceased.  They  are  buried  at  Wainwright.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oerly  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Church  at  Boonville.  Mr.  Oerly  is  one  of  the 
leading  factors  in  the  business  life  of  his  home  town. 

W.  H.  H.  Rowles,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Kelly  township,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  early  pioneers  of  Cooper  County,  both  on  his  father's  and  mother's 
sides.  He  was  born  May  29,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Margaret 
(Stephens)    Rowles.     Reuben   Rowles  was  born  near  Baltimore,   Md.,   in 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  783 

1814,  and  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1835.  Margaret  Stephens  was 
born  in  Cooper  County  and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Stephens,  one  of 
the  very  first  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  Reuben  and  Margaret 
(Stephens)  Rowles  were  married  in  Cooper  County  in  1840,  and  spent 
their  lives  in  this  county.  He  died  at  Bunceton  in  1900  and  his  wife  de- 
parted this  life  at  Bunceton  in  1905.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  W.  H.  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Catherine 
Stephens,  Tipton,  Mo. ;  Alpha  Marge,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Sallie  Barber,  de- 
ceased; Joseph  died  in  Oklahoma;  Reuben  on  the  home  place,  Kelly  town- 
ship; John  on  the  home  place,  Kelly  township;  Charles  Ochiltree,  Texas, 
and  Mrs.  Maggie  Carpenter. 

William  H.  H.  Rowles  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  attended  such 
schools  as  were  in  the  neighborhood  when  he  was  a  boy.  His  first  school 
was  held  in  a  log  building  in  the  Davis  school  district  and  was  taught  by 
his  uncle,  John  D.  Stephens.  Later  he  attended  school  at  the  Dublin  dis- 
trict, north  of  Bunceton,  and  recalls  among  early  teachers,  Mary  Chilton, 
Thomas  Bridges,  Mr.  Hogue,  Benjamin  Hickman  and  Mrs.  Smoot.  He 
also  attended  school  at  the  Hopewell  Church  school,  which  was  taught  by 
Jack  Stephens  and  B.  R.  Cully.  Mr.  Rowles  has  always  lived  in  Cooper 
County,  except  three  years  spent  in  California  and  18  months  in  Texas. 
He  bought  his  present  home  in  1873.  This  farm  was  entered  from  the 
Government  in  1819  by  Joseph  Stephens,  grandfather  of  Mr.  Rowles. 
The  home  place  consists  of  147]/i  acres  and  Mr.  Rowles  owns  two  other 
farms,  one  of  80  acres  and  one  240.  The  home  place  is  well  improved, 
with  a  neat  six  room  residence  and  good  substantial  barns  and  other 
buildings.    Mr.  Rowles  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Dec.  26.  1871,  W.  H.  H.  Rowles  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Perlina  J.  Arnold,  a  daughter  of  James  S.  and  Malvina  (Lahue)  Arnold, 
both  natives  of  Indiana.  They  went  from  thoir  native  state  to  Iowa  in 
early  life,  and  in  1864  came  to  Missouri.  The  father  was  born  in  1823 
and  died  in  Benton  County,  Texas,  in  1887.  His  wife  was  born  in  1824 
and  died  in  Oklahoma  in  1896.  They  went  to  Texas  in  1872.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Perlina  J.,  the  wife  of  W.  H.  H. 
Rowles ;  Mrs.  Mary  Miller,  Denton,  Texas ;  Willard,  Dallas,  Texas ;  George 
resides  in  Colorado;  Mrs.  Dorcas  Stephens,  deceased;  Mrs.  Lola  Morgan, 
deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowles  have  been  born  two  children:  A.  D. 
married  Alta  Yarnell  and  lives  three  miles  west  of  Vermont  Station,  and 
James  R.  lives  near  Hopewell  Church.     He  married  Pauline  Walge.  There 


784  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

are  12  grandchildren  in  the  Rowles  family,  each  of  the  sons  having  six 
children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowles  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  Rowles  family  are  prominent  in  the  community. 

Samuel  Y.  Thornton,  president  of  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank  of  Black- 
water,  and  one  of  the  best  known  stockmen  in  Cooper  County,  proprietor 
of  the  great  "Rose  Hill"  Stock  Farm  in  LaMine  township,  and  recognized 
throughout  the  country  as  the  most  extensive  breeder  of  Duroc  Jersey 
hogs  west  of  the  Mississippi,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  has  been  a  resident 
6f  this  State  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  and  therefore  regards  him- 
self as  a  Missourian  "to  the  core."  He  was  born  in  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  Dec.  23,  1851,  son  of  Dr.  Samuel  Y.  and  Frances  (Clarke)  Thorn- 
ton, the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  county  and  both  of  whom 
spent  their  last  days  in  Missouri. 

Dr.  Samuel  Y.  Thornton  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1807,  and  early 
turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine.  He  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Batavia,  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  about  1832,  and  later 
practiced  at  Bethel,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1857,  in  which  year  he 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  family  and  located  near  Jefferson  City,  where 
he  began  farming  on  1,000  acres  12  miles  south  of  that  city  on  the  Osage 
River,  where  he  died  in  1877.  On  this  big  farm  there  was  a  tract  of  300 
acres  of  "bottom"  timber  land,  which  he  cleared  and  brought  under  cul- 
tivation. Doctor  Thornton's  wife  died  in  1868.  She  was  born  in  1809. 
They  were  the  parents  ,of  eight  children,  of  whom  but  two  survive,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch — the  last  in  order  of  birth — having  a  sister,  Mrs. 
Lida  McMillan,  residing  at  Jefferson  City.  One  of  the  sons  of  Amos  B. 
Thornton,  who  died  in  1880,  is  well  remembered  in  Cooper  County  as  a 
newspaper  editor  at  Boonville,  and  further  reference  to  him  is  made  in 
the  chapter  relating  to  the  press  of  Cooper  County  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  younger  Samuel  Y.  Thornton  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
big  farm  on  the  Osage,  where  he  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
details  of  farming  operations,  and  early  began  to  pay  particular  attention 
to  stock  raising.  He  supplemented  the  schooling  received  in  the  local 
schools  by  a  course  in  Westminster  College  at  Fulton  and  at  Missouri 
State  University  at  Columbia,  and  after  leaving  college  returned  to  the 
farm  and  became  engaged  as  a  partner  of  his  father  in  the  operations  of 
the  home  place.  In  1887.  about  five  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton bought  "Rose  Hill."  his  present  fine  stock  farm  of  540  acres  in 
LaMine  township,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there.     For  years  on  that 


^tM^T^ 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  785 

place  he  gave  much  attention  to  apple  growing,  having  a  fine  orchard  of 
80  acres,  maintained  his  own  cooperage,  and  in  1906  raised  10,000  barrels 
of  apples.  Of  late  years,  however,  Mr.  Thornton  has  devoted  his  place 
particularly  to  the  breeding  of  Duroc  Jersey  swine  and  the  raising  of  cat- 
tle and  grade  sheep.  It  was  in  the  latter  '80s  that  he  began  to  give  his 
particular  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Durocs,  and  it  was  not  long  until 
his  success  in  that  line  gave  his  name  a  high  standing  among  swine 
breeders  throughout  the  country,  the  demand  for  stock  swine  of  the 
"Rose  Hill"  herd  coming  from  widely  separated  districts  in  the  United 
States.  He  has  for  years  taken  an  active  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
Swine  Breeders  Association,  and  has  been  an  extensive  writer  for  stock 
journals,  his  advice  on  matters  relating  to  proper  breeding  of  swine  being 
widely  sought.  The  operations  on  "Rose  Hill"  farm  are  carried  on  in 
accordance  with  modern  principles  of  agriculture,  and  there  has  been 
created  one  of  the  best  farm  plants  in  this  section  of  the  State,  including 
three  tenant  houses,  two  silos  and  three  feed  barns.  Of  late  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton has  been  relieved  of  much  of  the  detail  of  farm  management  by  his 
younger  son,  John  P.  Thornton,  whom  he  made  his  partner  some  time 
ago,  and  who  now  is  in  practical  management  of  the  place,  thus  giving 
his  father  more  time  for  the  details  of  other  forms  of  business  in  which 
he  is  engaged.  In  1897,  Mr.  Thornton  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Farm- 
ers Stock  Bank  of  Blackwater,  and  in  1909  was  elected  president  of  the 
bank,  a  position  which  he  since1  has  maintained.  In  1910,  Mr.  Thornton 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Hadley  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the  Sixth  Mis- 
souri District  Board  of  Horticulture,  and  he  retained  that  position  as  long 
as  the  board  continued,  his  activities  in  that  connection  giving  him  a  wide 
acquaintance  throughout  the  State.  Mr.  Thornton  is  a  democrat  and  has 
long  given  his  earnest  attention  to  local  civic  affairs,  but  has  not  been  a 
seeker  after  public  office.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

May  4,  1882,  Samuel  Y.  Thornton  was  united  in  marriage  with  Fan- 
nie Collins,  who  died  Oct.  24,  1916.  Mrs.  Thornton  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ky.,  March  1,  1855,  daughter  of  Samuel  R.  and  Sarah 
(Tipton)  Collins,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1860, 
and  in  1861  settled  on  the  farm  in  LaMine  township,  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Thorton,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  It  was  thus  that  Mrs. 
Thornton  (Fannie  Collins)  grew  to  womanhood  on  beautiful  "Rose  Hill" 
farm.  She  completed  her  schooling  in  Farringer  Seminary  at  Boonville. 
where  she  was  awarded  the  prize  offered  her  class  for  excellence  in  pen- 
manship.    To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thornton  six  children  were  born,  namely : 


786  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

Mattie  C,  who  is  at  home,  hostess  at  "Rose  Hill" ;  Sadie  B.,  deceased ; 
Samuel  C,  a  substantial  young  farmer  of  LaMine  township;  William  B., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  six  months ;  Lida  Frances,  who  is 
at  home,  and  John  P.,  who,  is  also  at  home  and  is  now  his  father's  partner 
in  the  operations  of  the  stock  farm. 

Charles  Henry  Bodamer,  a  leading  citizen  of  Prairie  Home  township, 
was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  Feb.  2,  1870.  He  was  reared  by  Charles 
and  William  Bodamer  from  the  time  he  was  five  years  of  age.  He  is  a 
son  of  Bernard  and  Catherine  (Hens)  Keucherer,  who  both  died  when 
Charles  H.  was  an  infant. 

Charles  Bodamer  was  born  in  Germany  and  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  when  Charles  was  three 
years  of  age.  His  brother,  William  B.,  and  sister,  Mary,  were  born  in  that 
city.  The  family  lived  in  Philadelphia  for  a  time  when  they  removed  to 
Indiana.  After  remaining  there  seven  years  they  came  to  Missouri  and 
settled  in  Moniteau  County  in  1857.  Here  the  two  brothers  and  a  sister 
lived  together  during  the  remainder  of  their  days.  Charles  died  in  1912 ; 
William  in  1919,  and  Mary  in  1905. 

Charles  Henry  Bodamer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  James- 
town, Mo.,  and  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life  occupation.  He 
first  bought  120  acres  of  land,  which  is  his  present  home  place,  in  1893. 
Since  that  time  he  has  acquired  250  acres  more,  which  was  given  him  by 
Charles  and  William  Bodamer.  Mr.  Bodamer's  place  is  known  as  "High 
View  Farm,"  and  is  located  two  miles  south  of  Prairie  Home.  The  place  is 
well  improved,  with  a  modern  farm  residence  of  10  rooms,  built  in  1910. 
The  house  is  equipped  with  actylene  lights,  furnace  heat  and  a  hot  water 
system.  The  barns  and  other  farm  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  the  resi- 
dence. For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Bodamer  specialized  in  raising  Aberdeen 
Angus  cattle,  but  a  few  years  ago  sold  his  herd  to  his  son,  Arthur. 

Mr.  Bodamer  was  married  April  3,  1895,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kuhn.  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Amelia  (Scholle)  Kuhn,  early  settlers  at  James- 
town, Mo.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1835.  He  served  in  the 
Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  During  his  active  career  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  milling  business,  and  operated  a  mill  at  Jamestown  for  25 
years.  He  is  now  83  years  of  age.  His  wife  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1845,  and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when  she  was  eight  years  of 
age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhn  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Alvina, 
married  H.  R.  Burroughs,  and  resides  at  Kingman,  Kan.;  Henry,  cashier 
of  Farmers  and  Traders  Bank,  California,  Mo.;  Emma,  married  John 
Reuszer,  and  resides  in  Moniteau  County;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Charles 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  787 

H.  Bodamer,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Sophia,  married  Fred  Knorp ;  and 
William  died  at  the  age  of  23  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Bodamer 
have  been  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Arthur,  born  April  6,  1896,  a 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home  township ;  Carl,  born  June  26,  1897, 
resides  at  home ;  William,  born  May  12,  1899,  a  graduate  of  the  California 
High  School,  resides  at  home;  Marie  E.,  born  April  28,  1914,  and  Elsia 
Gertrude,  born  Feb.  18,  1911.  William  was  at  the  Washington  University 
Training  School  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  when  the  war  closed. 

Charles  H.  Bodamer  is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen.  He  , 
and  Mrs.  Bodamer  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Jamestown. 
Frank  Irving  Hale,  a  progressive  and  enterprising  young  farmer  and 
stockman,  of  Prairie  Home  township,  was  born  near  Gooch  Mill  in  Saline 
township,  March  10,  1896.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  F.  and  Sallie  Bell 
(Carey)  Hale,  both  also  natives  of  Saline  township.  They  now  reside  at 
California,  Mo.  Thomas  F.  Hale  was  born  in  1857,  his  father  being  a 
pioneer  of  Cooper  County.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  George  Carey,  who 
now  resides  about  a  mile  north  of  Prairie  Home  at  the  advanced  age  of  80 
years.  To  Thomas  F.  and  Sallie  Bell  (Carey)  Hale  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Allie,  married  Richard  Summers,  California,  Mo.;  Bertha, 
married  Arthur  Bottom  ;  John,  resides  in  California,  Mo. ;  Oliver  M.,  Prairie 
Home ;  Edna,  married  Alvin  Carpenter ;  Frank  I.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
Charles,  Prairie  Home;  William,  California,  Mo.;  and  George,  died  at  the 
age  of  six  years. 

Frank  Irving  Hale  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  made  farming  and 
stock  raising  his  life  occupation.  He  purchased  his  present  place,  which 
bears  the  very  appropriate  name  of  "Pretty  Prairie  Farm,"  from  his  father 
in  1919.  The  farm  consists  of  160  acres  with  a  good  farm  residence  and 
other  improvements  to  correspond.  Mr.  Hale  carries  on  general  farming 
and  stock  raising,  and  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success.  Mrs.  Hale 
has  developed  a  department  of  her  own.  She  is  successfully  engaged  in 
raising  Rhode  Island  Red  chickens. 

Sept.  29,  1917,  Frank  Irving  Hale  was  married  to  Miss  Estella  Brandes, 
a  daughter  of  Theodore  and  Marie  (Knorp)  Brandes,  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, where  Mrs.  Hale  was  born,  reared  and  educated.  Mrs.  Hale  was  one 
of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents:  George,  resides  in  Boon- 
ville;  Herman,  Boonville;  Amelia,  married  John  Banon,  of  North  Moniteau 
township;  Nora,  married  John  Bonhauser,  who  is  now  deceased,  and  she 
resides  at  home  with  her  parents;  Estella,  the  wife  of  Frank  I.  Hale,  of 
this  sketch. 


788  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

July  26,  1918,  Frank  Irving  Hale  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Army  and  was 
sent  to  Camp  Funston,  Kan.,  for  training,  where  he  became  a  member  of 
the  69th  Infantry,  10th  Division.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  Feb.  26, 
1919,  when  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Cooper  County  and  engaged  in 
farming  again. 

Amos  Gorrell,  a  retired  farmer  of  LaMine  township,  for  many  years 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  has  made  his  home 
in  this  county  for  more  than  50  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  Beaver  County,  Feb.  12,  1837,  son  of  Amos  and  Leah  (Wollarn) 
Gorrell,  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
When  he  was  but  six  years  of  age,  in  1843,  his  parents  moved  with  their 
family  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Ross  County,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives. 

Amos  Gorrell  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  his 
schooling  was  received  in  the  district  schools.  When  the  Civil  War  broke 
out,  he  enlisted  at  Frankfort,  Ohio,  in  July,  1861,  in  the  Union  Army  and 
went  to  the  front  as  a  private  in  Company  A,  Eighteenth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry.  With  that  command,  Mr.  Gorrell  participated  in  some  of  the 
most  important  engagements  of  the  war,  including  Athens,  Perryville, 
Stone  River,  Davis  Cross  Roads  and  Chickamaugua.  During  this  latter 
battle,  Sept.  19,  1863,  he  was  shot  in  the  right  arm  and  for  some  time 
was  on  the  invalid  list,  but  early  in  1864  was  able  to  return  to  his  regi- 
ment and  continued  in  active  service  until  mustered  out  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  Mr.  Gorrell  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  where  early  in  1866 
he  married.  After  his  marriage  he  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Ohio 
for  a  few  months,  when  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Missouri  in  the  summer 
of  1866  and  located  in  Morgan  County.  A  year  later  they  came  to  Cooper 
County,  and  here  Mr.  Gorrell  has  ever  since  resided.  His  first  employ- 
ment here  was  in  the  timber,  chopping  cord-wood,  and  he  continued  work- 
ing as  a  timberman  until  1869,  when  he  bought  40  acres  of  timber  land 
and  proceeded  to  clear  a  small  farm  for  himself.  He  cleared  the  land  and 
farmed  it  for  several  years,  when  he  sold  the  place  to  advantage  and 
bought  another  farm.  In  1881,  he  bought  the  farm  of  80  acres  he  now 
owns  in  LaMine  township,  and  there  continued  to  make  his  home  until 
his  retirement  in  1912,  when  he  removed  to  Blackwater,  where  he  since 
has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Gorrell  is  a  democrat,  and  for  16  years  during 
the  time  of  his  residence  on  the  farm  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
his  home  township.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Feb.  6,  1866,  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Amos  Gorrell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Catherine  E.  Sayer,  who  was  bora  in  that  county,  Feb.  18,  1835, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  789 

and  who  died  at  her  home  in  Blackwater  on  Sept.  22,  1918.  To  that  union 
were  born  six  children,  namely :  Leula,  wife  of  William  E.  McMahan ; 
Sarah  L.,  wife  of  P.  Netherton,  living  on  the  Gorrell  home  place  in  LaMine 
township;  Joseph  N.,  of  Carthage;  Ada,  wife  of  John  Whitlow,  of  LaMine 
township;  one  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Arthur,  also  deceased. 

M:  K.  Gentry,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cooper  County,  who  has  served 
as  county  treasurer  for  two  terms,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was 
bom  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  27,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Nelson  B.  and 
Francis  (Elkin)  Gentry.  Nelson  B.  Gentry  was  born  in  Madison  County, 
Ky.,  Dec.  23,  1823,  and  died  in  Kelly  township,  Cooper  County,  in  1912. 
He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  the  fall  of  1865  with  his  family,  and  the 
following  spring  bought  380  acres  of  land  in  Kelly  township  for  which  he 
paid  $7,500.00,  95  acres  of  which  is  now  owned  by  M.  K.  Gentry,  pur- 
chased of  the  other  Gentry  heirs  in  1919.  Francis  (Elkin)  Gentry  was 
born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  12,  1833,  and  died  in  Cooper  County, 
in  1897.  She  and  her  husband  are  buried  in  the  Masonic  cemetery  at 
Bunceton.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  in  Kentucky :  M.  K.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Pauline  B., 
deceased ;  Lucy  Francis,  married  J.  H.  Goodwin,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  W.  D., 
deceased,  and  Orpha  P.,  Kansas  City. 

M.  K.  Gentry  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kentucky,  and 
D.  S.  Cully's  private  academy,  which  was  three  miles  northwest  of  the 
present  town  of  Bunceton.  After  Bunceton  was  laid  out  this  school  was 
moved  there  and  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Bunceton  High  School. 
Mr.  Gentry  was  reared  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Kelly  township, 
and  in  1880  removed  to  Boonville,  and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in  the  grain 
business.  In  1884  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  on  the  Republican 
ticket  by  a  majority  of  48  votes.  He  was  the  first  republican  ever  elected 
to  a  county  office  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  again  elected  county  treas- 
urer in  1894.  He  resided  in  Boonville  from  1880  to  1898,  and  during 
that  time  he  served  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Central  National  Bank  for  six 
years,  and  for  eight  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  clothing  business.  Dur- 
ing the  balance  of  the  time,  while  in  Boonville,  he  served  as  county  treas- 
urer. Mr.  Gentry  is  now  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has 
a  well  improved  and  valuable  farm  in  Kelly  township. 

Mr.  Gentry  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Emily  F.  Haynes,  a  daughter 
of  Anthonv  and  Mary  (Montgomery)  Haynes,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  The  father  was  a  prominent  educator,  and  for  many  years 
was  a  professor  in  the  Young  Ladies  Seminary  at  Boonville.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gentry  have  an  adopted  daughter,  Catherine  Sneed  Gentry,  who  is 


790  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

now  the  wife  of  Charles  A.  Clark,   of  Chicago,   111.     She  has  one  son, 
Charles  T. 

Mr.  Gentry  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  and  Mrs.  Gentry  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  rank  among  Cooper  County's  leading  citizens. 

Frederick  Charles  Betteridge,  the  capable  cashier  of  the  Cooper 
County  Bank,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  a  native  of  Canada.  He  was  born  at 
Guelph,  Ont.,  Oct.  10,  1870,  a  son  of  George  and  Ann  Maria  (Jones)  Bet- 
teridge. The  parents  were  both  natives  of  England,  where  they  were 
married,  and  about  1860  went  to  Canada,  settling  at  Guelph.  In  1874 
the  family  removed  to  Connecticut  and  settled  near  Woodstock.  In  1877 
they  went  to  Illinois  and  lived  at  Greenville  about  10  years,  and  in  1888 
came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  near  Bunceton.  The 
father  now  resides  at  Bunceton  at  the  age  of  85  years,  the  mother  having 
died  in  1899.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  William 
A.,  a  well  known  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle  at  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.; 
G.  A.,  a  farmer  and  stockman  in  Kelly  township;  Mrs.  A.  L.  Palmer, 
Lebanon  township,  and  Frederick  Charles. 

Frederick  C.  Betteridge  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Ken- 
tucky University  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  he  was  graduated  from  the 
business  department  of  that  institution.  He  taught  school  for  11  years 
in  Cooper  County,  and  was  very  successful  as  an  educator.  In  1903,  Mr. 
Betteridge  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the  Cooper  County 
Bank,  and  after  11  years  of  service  with  that  institution  he  became  cash- 
ier, a  position  which  he  has  since  held.  Mr.  Betteridge  has  been  identified 
with  the  Cooper  County  Bank  for  over  16  years,  and  during  that  time 
this  institution  has  developed  rapidly  and  kept  pace  with  the  commercial 
and  financial  requirements  of  the  progressive  town  and  surrounding  coun- 
try. The  deposits  of  this  bank  in  1903  were  about  $80,000.00,  and  today 
they  are  about  $300,000.00.  The  original  surplus  was  $2,000.00,  and  it 
is  now  $42,000.00.     The  capital  stock  is  $20,000.00. 

Frederick  Charles  Betteridge  was  united  in  marriage  Aug.  14,  1900, 
to  Miss  Lillian  May  Baughman,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  P.  and  Laura  Baugh- 
man,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father  died  in  1919,  aged  81,  and  the 
mother  now  resides  with  Mrs.  Betteridge  in  Bunceton. 

Mr.  Betteridge  owns  a  fine  farm  of  145  acres  in  Kelly  township, 
which  he  bought  in  1899.  He  directs  the  operation  of  this  farm  per- 
sonally, and  has  made  a  success  of  farming  and  stock  raising,  as  well  as 
banking.     He  is  a  careful  student  of  the  complicated  problem  of  banking 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  791 

and  financing,  which,  together  with  years  of  experience  in  this  field,  well 
qualify  him  for  the  responsible  position  which  he  holds.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has  an  extensive  acquaintance  over  Cooper 
County  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  it's  business  affairs. 

Benjamin  Harned,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, is  a  descendant  of  a  pioneer  family.  He  was  born  at  Price's  Land- 
ing, Scott  County,  Mo.,  March  25,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Marcia 
(Pash)  Harned,  both  natives  of  Nelson  County,  Ky.  They  settled  in 
Scott  County  about  1855,  and  10  years  later  came  to  Cooper  County  and 
settled  on  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  W.  P.  Harned,  and  here  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  George  Harned  was  one  of  the  earliest 
Shorthorn  breeders  of  Cooper  County  and  prior  to  his  death  he  sold  a  part 
of  his  herd  to  his  son.  W.  P.  Harned,  who  still  continues  the  business.  Lee 
Harned,  a  brother  of  George  Harned,  was  a  Confederate  soldier  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Another  brother,  Atkin 
Lee  Harned,  lost  an  arm  in  the  battle  of  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  while  in  the 
Confederate  service.  George  and  Marcia  (Pash)  Harned,  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  W.  P.  lives  near  Vermont  Station;  Ben- 
jamin, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Edwin  Price,  Bunceton ;  Hulda,  mar- 
ried Walter  Williams,  and  died  at  Columbia,  Mo.,  and  Atkins,  died  in 
infancy. 

Benjamin  Harned  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Franklin  and 
in  Professor  Cully's  school  at  Bunceton.  He  has  followed  farming  and 
stock  raising  all  his  life,  and  has  met  with  very  satisfactory  success.  He 
moved  to  his  present  farm  in  April,  1902.  His  home  farm  consists  of  247 
acres  and  is  known  as  "Walnut  Rows  Farm".  This  very  appropriate  name 
is  given  the  place  on  account  of  two  rows  of  walnut  trees  which  stood 
along  the  road  side  at  the  place.  Mr.  Harned  owns  in  all  563  acres  and  Is 
one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Cooper  County.  His 
other  farm  of  320  acres  is  called  "Tanglewild". 

Jan.  10,  1888,  Benjamin  Harned  was  married  to  Miss  Bettie  Brad- 
ley, a  daughter  of  R.  L.  and  Marian  (Clark*  Bradley.  The  tormer  a 
native  of  Page  County,  Va.,  and  the  latter  of  Frankfort.  Ky.  R.  L.  Brad- 
ley came  to  Cooper  County  in  1847  and  settled  on  a  farm  4  miles  west  of 
Bunceton.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  this  county  and  died  in 
1892,  age  67  years.  His  wife  died  in  1908,  age  78  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Frank  Slaughter,  born  Nov.  17,  1856, 
and  died  Sept.  13,  1881;  John  Williams  died  in  infancy;  Margaret  Lee, 
died  in  infancy;  Tompkins,  born  Jan.  13,  1859,  lives  in  Camden  County, 


792  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Mo.;  Mary  McPherson,  born  Feb.  24,  1865,  and  died  June  30,  1895;  Sue 
Clark,  born  Feb.  24,  1869,  and  resides  at  Boonville,  Mo.;  Bettie,  the  wife 
of  Benjamin  Harned,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  born  June  23,  1867.  All 
of  the  above  named  children  were  born  in  Kelly  township,  Cooper  County. 
Mrs.  Harned  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kelly  township  and  the 
Baptist  Female  College  at  Columbia,  Mo. 

To  Benjamin  Harned  and  wife  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
George,  at  home  with  his  parents ;  Bettie  married  R.  L.  Harriman,  Bunce- 
ton;  Clara  Virginia,  married  Clyde  T.  Nelson;  Benjamin,  Jr.,  married 
Eunice  Jones;  Josephine,  Hulda,  Atkin  Lee,  Porter  Allen,  Myrtle  Jewett, 
and  Marian  and  Marcia,  twins,  all  residing  at  home  with  their  parents. 
There  is  one  grandchild  in  the  family,  Bettie  Lee  Harned,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Harned,  Jr. 

The  Harned  family  is  well  known  and  highly  respected  in  Cooper 
County  and  Benjamin  Harned  is  a  public  spirited  and  enterprising  citizen. 

Adam  Schuster,  one  of  LaMine  township's  most  substantial  farmers 
and  land-owners,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Farmers 
Stock  Bank  of  Blackwater,  was  born  in  this  county  in  1855.  He  is  next 
to  the  youngest  of  the  six  children  born  to  Frank  and  Terrica  (Cleatta) 
Schuster,  pioneers  of  Cooper  County. 

Frank  Schuster  was  a  weaver  by  trade  in  his  native  Germany,  and 
early  became  imbued  with  a  desire,  like  thousands  of  his  fellow  countrymen, 
to  come  to  America  to  find  a  home  amid  the  free  conditions  of  the  unsettled 
West.  Weaving  by  night  and  farming  by  day,  he  saved  enough  money 
to  bring  himself  and  wife  and  their  small  children  here.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  this  country,  he  settled  in  St.  Louis,  and  after  a  couple  of  years  there 
joined  the  German  colony  in  Cooper  County  and  bought  a  farm  of  tim- 
bered land  in  LaMine  township,  and  there  built  a  home.  Among  the 
children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  after  their  arrival  in  this  country  was 
Adam,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  other  children  of  this  pioneer 
couple  were  as  follows:  Moritz,  deceased,  further  mention  of  whom  is 
made  in  this  volume;  Mrs.  Sophia  Sandrock,  deceased;  Joseph,  a  shoe- 
maker at  Boonville;  William,  deceased;  and  Anna,  who  married  Joseph 
Esser,  and  is  now  deceased.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  her 
home  in  LaMine  township  about  1861,  and  five  or  six  years  later  Frank 
Schuster  returned  to  Germany  and  there  married  a  second  time,  return- 
ing to  his  home  in  Cooper  County  with  his  second  wife.  Some  years 
later  he  made  a  second  trip  back  to  Germany  on  a  visit  to  kinsfolk.  Not 
long  after  his  return  home,  about  1870,  a  wagon  in  which  he  was  riding 


ME    AND   MRS    ADAM   SCHUSTBH 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  793 

was  caught  at  a  railway  crossing  by  a  train  and  he  received  injuries  from 
which  he  died  not  long  afterward,  he  then  being  about  65  years  of  age. 

Adam  Schuster  was  about  15  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and 
he  thus  early  was  thrown  pretty  largely  upon  his  own  resources.  He 
began  working  as  a  farm  hand  at  $14  dollars  a  month,  but  continued  his 
schooling,  however,  during  the  winter  months.  When  17  years  of  age  he 
began  working  for  Adam  Eckert  at  the  butcher  trade,  and  was  thus  em- 
ployed for  three  years,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis  to  work,  and  while  there 
witnessed  the  completion  of  the  first  bridge  constructed  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  He  worked  as  a  butcher  in  St.  Louis  for  two  years,  and 
then  went  to  Virginia  City,  Nev.,  where  he  worked  at  butchering  for  two 
years,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  this  county  and  resumed  his 
work  as  a  farm  hand.  In  1880,  he  rented  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives, 
and  in  1882  bought  the  same.  Mr.  Schuster  has  464  acres  in  his  home 
farm,  and  owns  beside  a  farm  of  86  acres  near  Pilot  Grove.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank  at  Blackwater, 
which  he  helped  to  organize,  and  of  which  he  has  been  a  director  since 
its  organization ;  he  also  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Arrow  Rock  Bank.  When 
he  bought  his  present  farm  it  was  raw  prairie,  and  all  the  improvements 
on  the  place  have  thus  been  made  by  himself.  He  recalls  well  that  in  his 
father's  day  the  farming  was  done  by  oxen,  and  the  wheat  was  reaped 
with  scythes.  Many  a  day,  he  recalls,  has  he  plowed  corn  with  oxen.  One 
year  his  father  had  17  acres  in  wheat  which  made  1,700  bushels.  This 
wheat  was  hauled  in  barrels  to  the  mouth  of  the  LaMine  River,  whence 
it  was  taken  by  steamboats  to  St.  Louis,  where  it  sold  on  the  market  at 
$2.25  a  bushel.  In  those  days,  wild  hogs,  turkeys  and  other  wild  game 
were  plentiful  in  the  LaMine  regions,,  and  the  settlers  had  no  trouble  in 
keeping  their  tables  supplied  with  meat.  Hogs  roamed  the  timber  at  will 
and  without  apparent  ownership,  and  the  man  who  found  one  could  law- 
fully call  it  his  own. 

Sept.  9.  1883,  Adam  Schuster  was  married  to  Lowell  Cramar,  who 
was  born  on  a  farm  a  mile  east  of  where  she  now  lives,  April  17,  1865, 
daughter  of  Gabriel  Allen  and  Nancy  (Hemdon)  Cramar,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families, 
and  the  latter  in  Madison  Countv.  Kv.  No  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schuster  have  reared  several  nieces  and  nephew^. 
Mr.  Schuster  is  a  republican,  though,  as  he  says,  "not  much  on  politics." 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 


794  HISTORY    OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Joseph  Sells,  one  of  the  enterprising  business  men  of  Prairie  Home, 
and  a  member  of  the  blacksmithing  firm  of  White  &  Sells,  is  a  native  of 
Missouri.  He  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  Dec.  20,  1887,  a  son  of 
William  H.  Sells.  William  H.  Sells  was  a  Union  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  a  native  of  Iowa.  He  enlisted  in  his  native  State  and  served 
18  months.  After  the  war  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  from  there  to  Moni- 
teau County,  Mo.,  and  later  removed  to  Texas  County,  Mo.,  where  he  died 
in  1913.  His  widow  now  resides  in  that  county.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Alice,  married  Joseph  Chandler  and  lives  in 
Oklahoma ;  Dasie,  married  William  Wood,  California,  Mo. ;  Ed.,  resides 
at  Lupus,  Mo. ;  Guinn,  deceased ;  Sarah,  married  Philip  Wittenberger, 
Jamestown,  Mo. ;  George,  Texas  County ;  Pink,  Texas  County ;  Joseph,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Willie,  married  Ed.  Mayberry,  Texas  County ;  and 
Vernon  resides  in  Texas  County. 

Joseph  Sells  was  united  in  marriage  in  1913  to  Ida  Martin,  a  daughter 
of  Menro  and  Eliza  (Murl)  Martin.  The  father  died  in  1908  and  his 
remains  are  buried  in  Bethel  Cemetery  in  Moniteau  County,  and  the 
mother  now  resides  at  Lupus.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Clara,  married  Ambrose  Coots,  Jamestown;  Douglas,  resides  at 
Lupus ;  Mary ;  Nathan,  Lupus ;  Job,  now  serving  in  U.  S.  Army  in  France, 
having  enlisted  in  California ;  Ida,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Sells ;  Cora,  mar- 
ried Harry  Childers,  Lupus.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sells  have  been  born  two 
children:  Mildred  and  Francis.  Mr.  Sells  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  White  &  Sells  in  1919.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  at  Jamestown,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Yeomen  at  that  place. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  industry  and  integrity  and  is  making  good  in  his 
chosen  line  of  industry. 

David  R.  Cully,  who  during  his  active  professional  career,  was  one 
of  the  prominent  educators  of  this  state,  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  Jan.  17,  1836,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret 
Cully.  Joseph  Cully  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  about  1798  and  settled 
in  Ohio  when  a  young  man.  He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  99  years 
and  10  months.  His  wife  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Md.,  about 
1802,  and  died  at  the  age  of  85  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  David  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
James,  who  lives  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  holds  the  position  of  president 
of  the  welfare  board  in  that  city.  The  deceased  children  are  William, 
died  at  Massilon,  Ohio ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  McMillan,  died  at  St.  Paul,  Minn. ; 
Joseph  died  at  the  age  of  21  years  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Margaret 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  795 

McDowell  died  at  Dalton,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Marrah  McCall,  died  at  Crawfords- 
ville,  Iowa,  and  Thomas  died  in  Florida  in  Feb.,  1918. 

David  R.  Cully  was  educated  in  Vermillion  Institute,  Hayesville,  Ohio, 
and  was  the  youngest  student  in  that  institution.  He  then  entered  Jeffer- 
son College,  now  Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  Washington,  Pa.  and 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1858.  Mr.  Cully  then  came  to  Boonville, 
Mo.,  at  the  invitation  of  John  W.  Sutherland,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
Missouri  Female  College  at  that  place.  At  that  time  there  was  a  Baptist 
College  at  Hopewell  Church,  Kelly  township,  and  Mr.  Cully  taught  there 
for  ten  months.  The  following  year  Hopewell  Academy  was  built  and 
Mr.  Cully  taught  at  that  institution  for  six  years  which  included  the  Civil 
War  period.  He  then  taught  two  years  at  the  Missouri  Female  College  at 
Boonville.  About  this  time  a  building  was  erected  at  Concord  Church,  3 
miles  northeast  of  Bunceton,  and  was  offered  to  Mr.  Cully,  provided  he 
would  conduct  a  school  there  for  five  years.  He  accepted  the  proposition 
and  shortly  after  this  the  town  of  Bunceton  was  laid  out  and  a  railroad 
built,  and  this  school  was  moved  to  Bunceton,  where  Mr.  Cully  conducted 
it  for  six  years.  In  1877  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  schools  of 
Mexico,  Mo.,  and  held  that  position  one  year.  He  was  reelected,  but  on 
the  same  day  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Sedalia  schools.  He  ac- 
cepted the  Sedalia  position  and  served  as  superintendent  of  the  schools 
of  that  city  for  10  years.  In  1898  he  returned  to  Kelly  township  and  took 
charge  of  "Seclusion  Stock  Farm",  where  he  has  since  resided. 

"Seclusion  Stock  Farm"  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  Cooper 
County.  It  contains  320  acres  and  is  one  of  the  historic  old  places  of  the 
county.  The  farm  residence,  which  is  over  100  years  old,  was  the  second 
house  built  in  Kelly  township. 

David  R.  Cully  was  united  in  marriage  in  1864  to  Miss  Susan  Chilton, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  E.  (Chilton)  Chilton  native  of  Fauquier 
County,  Va.  The  Chilton  family  came  from  Virginia  to  Missouri  about 
1840,  and  first  settled  at  Old  Franklin,  Howard  County,  and  soon  after- 
wards removed  to  Boonville.  Charles  Chilton  died  at  Boonville  in  1849 
at  the  age  of  29  years.  His  widow  died  in  1912  at  the  age  of  86  years. 
A  sister  of  Mrs.  Cully,  Eloise  Chilton,  makes  her  home  with  the  Cully 
family  and  is  a  half  owner  of  the  farm. 

The  Chilton  family  are  of  old  American  stock  and  trace  their  ancestry 
in  this  country  back  to  Colonial  times,  and  were  early  settlers  in  Cooper 
County.  Mrs.  Cully's  grandfather,  Mark  Anthony  Chilton,  at  one  time 
owned  1,100  acres  of  land  in  Kelly  township.     He  was  a  native  of  Vir- 


796  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

ginia.  Gen.  John  Blackwell,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was  Mrs.  Cully's 
great  grandfather.  He  received  a  grant  of  land  from  the  government 
in  the  Sciota  Valley  in  Ohio,  and  Mark  Anthony  Chilton  inherited  an  inter- 
est in  that  land,  which  he  traded  for  the  Kelly  township  land.  Samuel 
Chilton,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Cully,  was  a  prominent  attorney  at  Warrenton, 
Va.,  and  was  one  of  the  attorneys  who  defended  John  Brown,  of  Harper's 
Ferry  fame.  He  was  not  in  sympathy  with  John  Brown's  cause,  how- 
ever, he  made  an  able  defense  for  him.  This  was  about  the  last  case  that 
he  ever  tried.     He  died  in  Washington,  D.  C.  shortly  afterwards. 

Amos  O'Neal,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  a  retired  farmer  and 
land-owner  of  LaMine  township,  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  born  in 
Raleigh  County,  Va.,  Feb.  16,  1841,  son  of  Jesse  and  Mary  (Shumate) 
O'Neal,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Virginia,  who  came  to  Mis- 
souri in  the  '50s  with  their  family,  and  here  spent  their  last  days. 

Jesse  O'Neal  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1808,  and  was  a  farmer 
all  his  life.  He  married  in  Virginia,  and  there  resided  until  the  '50s,  when 
with  his  family  he  came  to  this  State.  He  first  tried  Moniteau  County, 
but  not  being  wholly  satisfied  with  conditions  there,  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  1856,  and  the  next  year  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  LaMine  town- 
ship, paying  $12.50  an  acre  for  the  same,  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  1869.  His  widow  died  in  1885.  She  was  born  in 
1812,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Shumate.  Jesse  O'Neal  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  12  children,  of  whom  Amos  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth, 
and  three  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Amos  O'Neal  was  15  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  with 
his  parents  in  1856,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood,  attending  the  district 
school  in  LaMine  township.  He  was  20  years  of  age  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out,  and  in  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  as  a  member 
of  the  Second  Missouri  Cavalry,  with  which  he  served  most  of  the  time 
under  Gen.  N.  B.  Forrest,  though  a  part  of  the  time  the  command  was  in 
the  brigade  of  Gen.  Sterling  Price,  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Mr.  O'Neal 
was  taken  prisoner  at  Bahalia,  Miss.,  and  was  a  prisoner  of  war  for  nine 
months,  when  he  was  paroled  on  account  of  illness.  During  his  long  mili- 
tary service  he  one  time  came  very  near  death,  when  his  horse  was  shot 
from  under  him  by  a  cannon  ball.  Another  time  a  minnie  ball  struck  a 
stiiTup  and  knocked  it  off.  Upon  receiving  his  discharge  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  Mr.  O'Neal  returned  home,  arriving  by  boat  at  Arrow  Rock, 
July  4,  1865.  The  next  year  he  returned  South,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years,  when  he  returned  to  Cooper  County,  married  in  the  fall  of 
1869,  "settled  down"  on  the  farm  and  has  ever  since  been  quite  content 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  797 

here  to  reside.  Mr..  O'Neal  has  a  well  improved  farm  of  205  acres.  For 
some  yeai-s  past  he  has  been  living  practically  retired,  the  operations  of 
the  farm  being  carried  on  by  his  eldest  son,  S.  A.  O'Neal,  who  is  married 
and  lives  on  the  place.  Mr.  O'Neal  is  one  of  the  veteran  farmers  of  the 
county,  whose  memory  extends  back  to  the  days  when  oxen  were  used  in 
farming,  and  he  has  many  interesting  stories  to  tell  of  the  days  now  long 
gone.     He  is  a  stanch  democrat,  and  is  a  Baptist. 

Oct.  2,  1869,  Amos  O'Neal  was  married  to  Lucinda  Cramer,  who  was 
born  in  LaMine  township,  Oct.  19,  1851,  daughter  of  Gabriel  and  Mary 
(Jeffress)  Cramer,  and  who  died  on  Oct.  22,  1914.  To  this  union  nine 
children  were  born,  namely:  Sanford  Alonzo,  who  is  farming  the  home 
place ;  Edward  Lee,  a  merchant,  farmer  and  stockman  living  at  Black- 
water;  Silas,  also  of  Blackwater;  Gabriel,  deceased;  Riley,  deceased; 
Aubrey,  of  Kansas  City  Mo. ;  Nora,  deceased ;  Grace,  wife  of  D.  L.  Edson, 
of  West  Boonville,  and  Freeman,  who  is  now  (spring  of  1919)-  with  the 
American  Army  in  Europe.  Freeman  O'Neal  enlisted  in  the  Medical 
Corps  of  the  National  Army  for  service  in  the  World  War  in  1917,  and 
sailed  for  overseas  in  July,  1918.  Sanford  A.  Freeman,  who  is  looking 
after  the  affairs  of  the  home  farm,  married  Agnes  Reynolds,  who  also  was 
bom  in  this  county,  and  has  two  children,  Alma,  wife  of  H  C.  Minard, 
and  Amos,  who  during  America's  participation  in  the  World  War  served 
as  a  member  of  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  at  Missouri  State  University,  Columbia. 

Howard  B.  Collins,  proprietor  of  the  Bank  Hotel,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  is  a 
mining  man  of  vast  experience.  Mr.  Collins  was  born  in  Denver,  Colo., 
Sept.  27,  1875.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  G.  and  Emilie  (Browning)  Collins, 
the  former  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  in  1849,  and  the  latter  of  New 
York,  bom  in  1852.  They  went  to  Colorado  in  1868,  where  the  father 
was  employed  in  the  banking  house  of  Koontz  Bros.,  at  Denver,  until  1879. 
He  then  went  to  Leadville,  Colo.,  where  he  has  since  been  interested  in 
mining  and  milling  properties.  They  now  reside  at  Denver,  Colo.  To 
Samuel  G.  and  Emilie  (Browning)  Collins  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Howard  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Edna  W.,  who  is  now  secre- 
tary of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Division  of  the  Civilian  Red  Cross,  with  head- 
quarters at  Denver,  and  Walter  G.  manager  for  J.  D.  Lacy  &  Co.,  Port- 
land, Ore.  He  was  drafted  by  the  war  department  as  a  timber  expert, 
during  the  World  War,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  war  closed. 
He  is  a  Yale  graduate. 

Howard  B.  Collins  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Denver,  the 
Shattuck  Military  School  at  Faribault,  Minn.,  and  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology  at  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the 


798  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

class  of  1898.  He  then  went  to  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  and  later  to  Lead- 
ville  where  he  was  engaged  as  mine  operator  and  manager  of  mining  and 
milling  properties  until  Jan.,  1918,  when  he  came  to  central  Missouri  to 
take  charge  of  a  zinc  and  baryte  mining  property,  where  he  remained 
until  June,  1918.  He  then  came  to  Bunceton  in  partnership  with  George 
H.  Hubbard  of  Versailles,  in  the  operation  of  the  Hubbard  Cannel  Coal 
Mine.  Mr.  Collins  sold  his  interest  in  this  mine  to  his  partner,  and  on 
May  4,  1919  purchased  the  Bank  Hotel  at  Bunceton.  Mr.  Collins  is  giving 
Bunceton  a  good  hotel,  which  is  much  appreciated  by  the  public. 

Howard  B.  Collins  was  married  Sept.  2,  1902  to  Miss  Georgia  Curf- 
man,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  George  W.  Curfman,  of  Denver,  Colo.  Mrs.  Col- 
lins' parents  are  both  deceased,  the  father  died  in  1918,  and  the  mother 
in  1915,  and  their  remains  are  buried  at  Crown  Hill  Cemetery,  Denver, 
Colo.  Mrs.  Collins  has  one  brother,  Floyd  G.,  a  mechanical  engineer  of 
New  York  City.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  of 
Ft.  Collins,  Colo.  Mrs.  Collins  was  educated  in  the  North  Denver  High 
School  and  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  She  has 
specialized  in  music  and  for  a  number  of  years  taught  music  in  Denver. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collins  have  been  born  one  daughter,  Miriam  Browning, 
who  was  born  at  Denver,  Colo.,  and  is  now  a  student  in  the  Bunceton 
high  school.  Mr.  Collins  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  and  the  Signa 
Alpha  Epsilon  College  fraternity. 

Charles  E.  Steele,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank  at  Blackwater 
and  many  years  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  known  educators ;  is  a  native 
son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  six  miles  south  of  Boon-' 
ville  Jan.  27,  1872,  son  of  John  A.  and  Eliza  J.  (Batten)  Steele,  the  latter 
of  whom,  born  in  Howard  County,  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Boon- 
ville. 

John  A.  Steele,  who  died  at  his  home  on  the  old  Steele  farm  south  of 
Boonville  Jan.  26,  1917,  just  50  years  to  the  day  from  the  time  he  had 
settled  on  that  place,  was  a  Tennesseean,  born  on  Aug.  10,  1835,  and  was 
nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  in  1841,  the 
family  settling  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarksburg.  William  H.  Steele, 
the  father,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  Blackburn, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  or  Tennessee.  They  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  on  the  farm  near  Clarksburg.  John  A.  Steele  grew  to  manhood  on 
that  pioneer  farm  and  in  time  became  a  substantial  farmer  on  his  own 
account.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fratemitv  and  was  a  demo- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  799 

crat.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  the  following:  John  T.,  Webb  City;  Maggie,  widow  of  M. 
C.  Toler,  living  near  Boonville ;  Georgia,  wife  of  J.  E.  Rennison,  Boonville ; 
Frances,  wife  of  U.  T.  Toler,  Columbia;  William  H.,  near  Otterville;  Lavine, 
wife  of  John  C.  Muntzel,  Boonville,  and  Claud  W.,  deceased. 

Charles  E.  Steele  was  reared  on  the  farm.  He  completed  his  school- 
ing in  the  Pilot  Grove  Academy  and  in  Sept.,  1890,  entered  upon  a  career 
of  school  teaching  which  was  to  continue  for  16  years,  during  which 
period  he  also  for  four  years  occupied  the  position  of  school  commissioner, 
serving  two  terms,  beginning  in  1897.  In  1904  Mr.  Steele  was  appointed 
principal  of  the  public  schools  at  Blackwater,  a  position  he  occupied  for 
six  years.  Not  long  after  going  to  Blackwater  Mr.  Steele  became  em- 
ployed as  a  bookkeeper  in  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank,  keeping  books  after 
school  hours,  and  in  1907  was  made  cashier  of  the  bank,  the  position  he 
has  since  occupied.  Mr.  Steele  is  a  democrat,  a  Baptist  and  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

May  3,  1905,  Charles  E.  Steele  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mattie 
Shouse,  who  also  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  and  who  died  April  30, 
1907,  at  the  age  of  24  years.  A  child  born  to  that  union  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs.  Mattie  Steele  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Charles  O.  and  Marian 
(Ford)  Shouse,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  residing  on  a  farm  in 
Blackwater  township.  The  late  Rev.  Charles  O.  Shouse,  a  pioneer  min- 
ister of  the  Christian  Church  in  Cooper  County,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
as  is  his  widow,  and  was  for  many  years  a  strong  factor  for  good  in  this 
community. 

Walter  H.  Shouse,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Blackwater  was  born  on  a 
farm  three  miles  west  of  Blackwater,  Aug.  5,  1884,  son  of  Ernest  and 
Mary  (Harvey)  Shouse,  who  were  members  of  pioneer  families  and  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Ernest  Shouse  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Charles 
Q.  Shouse,  a  minister  of  the  Christian  Church,  who  came  to  Missouri 
from  Kentucky  in  pioneer  days  and  who  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
strong  factors  in  bringing  about  orderly  conditions  in  this  community. 
Ernest  Shouse,  who  became  a  farmer,  died  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  about 
32  years,  and  his  widow  died  in  1895,  aged  40  years.  They  had  two  sons, 
Walter  H.  and  Albert  E.  Shouse,  born  on  Jan.  25,  1887,  who  is  now  (1919) 
in  Belgium,  a  member  of  the  Canadian  Expeditionary  Forces,  serving  in 
the  Signal  Corps.     Albert  E.  Shouse  early  became  a  telegraph  operator 


800  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

and  in  Nov.,  1917,  while  thus  engaged  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Canadian  army,  was  attached  to  the  Signal  Corps  of  that 
army  and  on  Jan.  25,  1918,  sailed  for  overseas  duty. 

Bereft  of  his  father  when  he  was  but  a  small  child,  Walter  H.  Shouse 
was  reared  in  the  home  of  his  maternal  grandparents,  James  A.  and  Sarah 
(Bagby)  Harvey,  whose  home  was  in  Saline  County.  vHe  received  his 
schooling  in  the  public  schools  at  Nelson  and  early  began  to  "look  out  for 
himself."  Until  he  was  18  years  of  age  Mr.  Shouse  continued  working 
on  a  farm  and  then  he  began  his  commercial  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  village 
general  store.  For  eight  years  he  continued  thus  engaged  and  in  1909, 
became  a  bookkeeper  in  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank  at  Blackwater,  a  position 
he  occupied  until  in  Aug.,  1918,  when  he  was  made  cashier  of  the  Bank 
of  Blackwater,  a  position  of  responsible  trust  he  since  has  occupied.  Mr. 
Shouse  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  a  democrat. 

Walter  H.  Shouse  was  married  Feb.  22,  1919,  at  Holton.  Kan.,  to 
Peachie  Griffith,  a  native  of  Saline  County,  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and 
Anna  (McCutchion)  Griffith,  natives  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio  and  Saline 
County,  Mo.,  respectively.  They  live  seven  miles  west  of  Blackwater  on 
a  farm.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Shouse  and 
Mrs.  Reba  Williams,  living  in  Saline  County. 

Fleming  Miles  Marshall,  banker,  stockman,  lumberman,  merchant 
and  land-owner,  who  died  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  in  1910,  had  created  for 
himself  a  distinctive  piace  along  the  several  lines  of  activity  in  which  his 
energies  found  their  outlet,  and  there  are  few  names  held  in  higher 
remembrance  than  his.  Mr.  Marshall  was  born  in  this  county,  on  the 
ild  Marshall  place  in  Blackwater  township,  the  place  where  his  father 
tvas  born,  which  had  been  entered  from  the  Government  by  his  grand- 
father, and  had  lived  here  all  his  life,  doing  well  those  things  whicl  his 
hands  had  found  to  do,  so  that  in  his  passing  there  was  sincere  moui  -ling 
throughout  the  community. 

The  Marshalls  are  one  of  the  old  families  of  Cooper  County,  the  irst 
of  the  name  in  this  county  having  been  Fleming  Marshall,  who  came  here 
ivith  his  family  from  Virginia  in  the  early  days  of  settlement,  and  enured 
a  tract  of  Government  land  in  section  18  of  Blackwater  township.  Flem- 
ing Marshall  and  his  wife  (Frances  Fray)  were  of  the  true  pioneer  type. 
Their  son,  James  A.  Marshall,  father  of  the  late  F.  M.  Marshall,  wa  i  born 
on  that  pioneer  farm,  Oct.  11,  1841,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  becoming 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  801 

an  extensive  land-owner,  proprietor  of  fine  farms  in  this  county  .is  well 
as  in  Saline  and  Johnson  Counties.  The  original  Marshall  place  in  Black- 
ivater  township  is  still  held  in  the  family. 

James  A.  Marshall,  who  died  on  April  21,  1902,  in  the  61st  yea1  of  his 
age,  was  united  in  marriage  on  Feb.  1,  1871,  to  Hannah  Scott  MiTns,  who 
was  bom  in  Hardy  County,  Va.,  Aug.  28,  1849,  and  whose  fathe?',  James 
S  Miles,  died  in  his  native  State,  Virginia.  His  widow,  with  her  ■  hildren, 
came  to  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  in  1860,  where  her  last  days  were  sper  K  Mrs. 
Hannah  Marshall  died  Feb.  15,  1917.  By  her  union  with  James  V.  Mar- 
shall she  was  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Fleming  Miles  having  a  surviving 
brother,  Thomas  F.,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Fleming  Miles  Marshall  was  born  on  Aug.  2,  1874,  on  the  place  on 
which  his  father  was  born  in  Blackwater  township.  His  earlv  schooling 
in  the  Kemper  Military  School  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  Mexico,  Mo.,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1892.  The 
year  following,  Mr.  Marshall  married  and  established  a  home  of  his  own. 
He,  meanwhile,  had  become  engaged  on  a  somewhat  extensive  scale  in 
the  breeding  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  became 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  stockmen  in  this  section,  his  exhibits  of 
Shorthorns  at  State  fairs  and  other  cattle  shows  winning  numerous  prizes. 

At  one  time  he  was  the  largest  individual  stockholder  in  the  Farmers 
Stock  Bank  of  Blackwater,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  its  vice- 
president.  He  also  was  interested  in  the  lumber  business  at  Blackwater 
and  Nelson,  was  a  partner  of  Lee  O'Neal  in  the  hardware,  implement  and 
grain  business  of  Blackwater,  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  owner 
of  2,500  acres  of  land  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in  Cooper  County. 
A  democrat,  he  had  ever  taken  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  local  political 
affairs,  and  was  a  firm  promoter  of  the  cause  of  good  government.  As  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  Mr.  Marshall  was  more  than  a  merely 
nominal  member,  and  did  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  his  church,  for 
years  serving  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  He  was  affiliated 
with  the  Blackwater  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr. 
Marshall  died  Feb.  15,  1910. 

Sept.  12,  1893,  Fleming  Miles  Marshall  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Anna  Shouse,  who,  since  the  death  of  her  husband,  has  been  successfully 
carrying  on  the  affairs  of  the  estate.  To  her  union  with  Mr.  Marshall, 
(44) 


802  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

three  children  were  born:  Mary  F.,  married  J.  B.  Harris,  Rocheport,  Mo., 
and  has  one  child,  Helen  Virginia;  James  A.,  deceased,  and  Fleming  Wil- 
lard,  who  is  at  home  with  his  mother.  Mrs.  Marshall  was  born  in  Cooper 
County,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families.  She  was  born  on  a 
farm  south  of  Nelson,  Sept.  15,  1873,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles  Q.  and 
Marian  (Ford)  Shouse,  and  was  one  of  the  eight  children  born  to  them. 
Rev.  Charles  Q.  Shouse,  a  well-remembered  minister  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  this  county  a  generation  ago,  was  born  in  Woodford  County, 
Ky.,  on  Jan.  2,  1836,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1861.  He  died  on 
his  farm  in  Blackwater  township  in  1914,  and  his  widow,  who  also  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  is  living  on  the  old  home  place.  Mrs.  Marshall  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

L.  R  Ervine,  proprietor  of  a  large  department  store  at  Blackwater 
and  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  this  section  of  Missouri,  is  a  native 
Missourian.  He  was  born  at  Slater,  Saline  County,  Nov.  8,  1877,  son  of 
Richard  and  Mary  E.  (Elder)  Ervine,  and  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth 
of  the  five  children  born  to  them. 

Richard  Ervine  was  born  near  New  York  City,  June,  1844,  and  was 
early  trained  to  the  details  of  the  building  business.  Upon  reaching  man- 
hood he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Slater,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
contracting  business,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
in  1916.  Not  long  after  coming  to  Missouri,  Richard  Ervine  married 
Mary  E.  Elder,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  died  in  1905,  aged  50  years. 

L.  R.  Ervine  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Slater,  and 
early  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  a  line  he  has  followed, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  spent  in  the  newspaper  business,  ever 
since.  The  foundation  of  Mr.  Ervine's  successful  business  career  was 
laid  at  Slater,  where  he  became  well  grounded  in  the  details  of  the  mer- 
cantile business.  He  later  was  for  some  time  also  thus  engaged  at  Kan- 
sas City  and  during  the  time  of  this  latter  connection  traveled  all  over 
the  country,  putting  on  special  sales  of  merchandise  and  thus  became  par- 
ticularly well  known  to  the  trade  in  that  line.  During  this  period  Mr. 
Ervine  became  attracted  to  the  possibilities  of  Blackwater  as  a  trade 
center  and  Feb.  4,  1910,  located  in  that  city  and  opened  a  general  store, 
which  has  gradually  been  developed  into  one  of  the  best-stocked  depart- 
ment stores  in  the  State.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  study  of  adver- 
tising as  an  applied  science  and  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the  adver- 
tising field  with  a  Chicago  publishing  house,  with  other  newspapers  in 
Missouri,  and  was  for  three  years  in  charge  of  the  advertising  of  a  Kan- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  803 

sas  City  mail-order  house.  During  this  latter  connection  he  won  five 
prizes  in  a  field  offering  the  sternest  competition  for  the  business-getting 
qualities  and  general  effectiveness  of  his  advertising  matter.  Mr.  Ervine 
has  been  able  to  turn  that  specialty  to  advantage  in  the  promotion  of  his 
business  interests  since  locating  at  Blackwater  and  he  has  thus  made  his 
name  and  the  fame  of  his  department  store  familiar  household  words 
throughout  this  section  of  Missouri. 

In  the  year  1900,  at  Slater,  L.  R.  Ervine  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lulu  Ross  Walton,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  and  to  this  union  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Esther,  born  in  1902,  and  Russell  L.,  born  in  1904. 
Mr.  Ervine  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

Charles  P.  Hudson,  of  Blackwater,  who  for  many  years  has  been 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  auctioneers  and  criers  of  live  stock  sales 
in  this  section  of  Missouri,  who  also  formerly  was  well  known  throughout 
this  region  as  a  dealer  in  mules,  and  who  is  a  member  of  the  directorate 
of  the  Bank  of  Blackwater,  is  a  native  Missourian,  bora  at  Marshall,  in 
Saline  County.  He  was  born  on  May  22,  1856,  first  born  of  the  three  sons 
of  Laud  and  Amanda  (Person)  Hudson,  the  other  sons  being  Austin  W. 
Hudson,  superintendent  of  the  Saline  County  Poor  Farm,  and  Laud  O. 
Hudson,  of  Spokane,  Wash. 

The  senior  Laud  Hudson  was  bora  in  Virginia  about  1818  and  was  18 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  widowed  mother,  the 
family  locating  in  Boone  County.  Not  long  afterward,  he  went  to  Arrow 
Rock,  in  Saline  County,  where  he  learned  harness  making.  While  living 
in  Arrow  Rock,  he  married  Amanda  Person,  who  was  born  near  that 
place,  daughter  of  O.  B.  Person  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Dan- 
iels, natives  of  North  Carolina  and  early  settlers  in  the  Arrow  Rock 
neighborhood.  After  a  residence  of  some  years  at  Arrow  Rock,  Laud 
Hudson  moved  to  Marshall,  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  saddler  and 
harness  maker  until  his  death  in  1860.  His  widow  died  in  1910,  being 
75  years  of  age. 

Charles  P.  Hudson  early  felt  the  necessity  of  relieving  his  widowed 
mother  of  a  portion  of  the  care  thus  thrown  upon  her  shoulders,  and 
when  13  years  of  age,  began  working  as  a  farm  hand  at  $100  a  year.  He 
did  not  neglect  his  schooling,  however,  and  he  was  able  to  complete  the 
course  in  the  common  schools  of  Arrow  Rock.  Finally  Mr.  Hudson  rented 
a  farm  and  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1892,  he 
was  able  to  buy  a  farm  of  45  acres,  five  miles  northeast  of  Blackwater. 


804  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

He  improved  the  place  and  in  1902  sold  it  and  bought  a  farm  of  80  acres 
near  Blackwater,  which  he  also  improved ;  resided  there  until  1916,  when 
he  sold  the  place  and  moved  to  Blackwater.  In  the  meantime,  as  much 
as  40  years  ago,  Mr.  Hudson  began  crying  sales  and  it  was  not  long  until 
his  reputation  as  a  successful  auctioneer  became  known  throughout 
Cooper,  Saline  and  Pettis  Counties.  This  line  he  ever  since  has  continued, 
making  a  specialty  of  live  stock  sales,  and  is  widely  known  among  stock- 
men throughout  this  region.  For  some  years  also  Mr.  Hudson  was  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  selling  mules.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Blackwater,  and  in  other  ways  has 
given  his  active  attention  to  the  business  interests  of  his  home  town  and 
county.  Mr.  Hudson  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

Dec.  21,  1875,  Charles  P.  Hudson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Theo- 
dosia  H.  Turley,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Julia  (Riddle)  Turley,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  early  residents  of  this 
county,  both  now  deceased.  Jesse  Turley  was  a  landowner  in  LaMine 
township,  and  in  the  earlier  days  was  engaged  in  freighting  between 
Boonville  and  Santa  Fe.  He  died  in  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hud- 
son have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  reared  five  children,  all  of 
whom  have  grown  up  and  married  and  in  whose  hearts  there  exists  for 
their  foster  parents  the  same  loving  devotion  as  would  be  felt  in  behalf 
of  real  parents. 

V.  S.  Irvin,  a  registered  pharmacist,  dealer  in  drugs  and  druggists' 
sundries  at  Blackwater,  one  of  the  most  progressive  young  merchants  in 
Cooper  County,  was  born  at  Red  Cloud,  Neb.,  Feb.  7,  1887,  son  of  John  B. 
and  Luella  (Loney)  Irvin,  former  well  known  residents  of  Blackwater, 
now  residing  at  Kansas  City.  John  B.  Irvin  is  a  native  of  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  born  in  1855.  In  his  young  manhood  he  came  West  and  in  Nebraska 
engaged  in  the  building  trades,  in  time  becoming  a  successful  building 
contractor.  In  1891,  he  engaged  in  business  at  Kansas  City  and  five 
years  later  located  at  Blackwater.  After  a  residence  of  some  years  there, 
he  returned  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  contracting.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  in  1865.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  is  the  eldest. 

Having  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  to  Blackwater,  V.  S. 
Irvin  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  city  and  early  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  pharmacy,  upon  leaving  school  becoming 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store.  That  was  in  1904.  Ten  years  later, 
in  1914,  he  bought  the  store  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  as  a  clerk  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  805 

has  since  been  conducting  the  same  successfully,  carrying  on  his  business 
along  strictly  up-to-date  lines.  In  addition  to  being  a  registered  phar- 
macist, Mr.  Irvin  is  a  licensed  embalmer,  having  taken  a  course  in  the 
latter  art  parallel  with  his  course  in  pharmacy,  and  is  a  chemist  of  ex- 
cellent qualifications.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  is  a  democrat. 

June  16,  1909,  V.  S.  Irvin  was  married  to  Beulah  F.  Mustain,  and  to 
this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  V.  S.,  Jr.  Mrs.  Irvin  was  born  in 
Howard  County,  daughter  of  T.  B.  Mustain  and  wife,  who  have  for  some 
years  been  living  in  Blackwater,  Mr.  Mustain  being  a  retired  farmer. 

Charles  Q.  Shouse,  lumberman  at  Blackwater,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  business  in  partnership  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Anna  Marshall,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  Cooper  County's  old  families.  For  years  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  and  his  impress  upon  the  general  social  life  of  the  community 
has  thus  been  equally  well  marked  in  that  direction.  Mr.  Shouse  was 
born  on  a  farm  three  miles  west  of  Blackwater,  April  13,  1877,  son  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  Q.  and  Marian  (Ford)  Shouse,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still 
living  on  the  old  home  place  west  of  town. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Shouse,  who  was  a  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel, 
connected  with  the  Christian  Church,  was  a  Kentuckian,  as  is  his  widow. 
He  came  to  Missouri  in  1861  and  settled  in  Cooper  County,  where  his 
service  thereafter  was  rendered  until  his  death  a  few  years  ago.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  John  H.,  deceased;  Thomas 
F.,  on  the  old  home  place;  Dr.  William  S.,  a  physician  at  Kingston,  Mo.; 
Ernest  L.,  deceased ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Noland  Taylor,  Nelson ;  Anna, 
widow  of  Fleming  M.  Marshall ;  Charles  Q. ;  and  Mattie,  deceased  wife  of 
C.  E.  Steele. 

The  junior  Charles  Q.  Shouse  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  the  public  schools.  He  later  attended  the 
Warrensburg  Normal  School  and  Normal  School  at  Chillicothe,  and  for 
12  years  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Cooper  and  Saline  Counties  during 
the  winters,  in  the  meantime  following  farming  during  the  summers.  In 
1906,  Mr.  Shouse  was  made  manager  of  the  Marshall  lumber  interests  at 
Blackwater  and  four  years  later  bought  into  the  business  as  a  partner  of 
his  widowed  sister,  Mrs.  Anna  Marshall,  and  has  since  continued  as  gen- 
eral director  and  manager  of  the  extensive  interests  of  the  firm  at  that 
place. 

Sept.  3,  1903,  Charles  Q.  Shouse  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza- 
beth Duncan,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Gillian,  Saline  County,  a 
daughter  of  James  P.  and  Naomi   (Wilhite)    Duncan,  Kentuckians,  and 


806  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

old  settlers  in  Saline  County,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born,  Ruth,  Aaron  and  Mary  E.  Mr.  Shouse  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  his  wife,  the  Baptist  Church.    Mr.  Shouse  is  a  democrat. 

Riley  S.  Holman,  former  mayor  of  Blackwater  and  a  landowner  of 
Cooper  County,  now  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Blackwater,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  New  Franklin,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1857,  son  of  Dr.  John  B. 
and  Mildred  (Sebree)  Holman,  both  deceased.  Dr.  John  B.  Holman  was 
one  of  the  best  known  physicians  hereabout ;  was  bora  in  Cooper  County 
Nov.  9,  1828,  his  parents  having  been  early  settlers  here.  In  1849  he 
made  a  trip  to  California  with  an  overland  band  of  gold  seekers,  but  after 
some  time  spent  in  prospecting,  returned  to  Missouri  and  settled  down  to 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Boonville  for  the  rest  of  his  active  life. 
He  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  400  acres,  four  miles  east  of  Blackwater, 
and  upon  his  retirement  from  practice,  moved  to  that  farm,  where  his 
last  days  were  spent.  He  died  April  27,  1897.  Dec.  20,  1855,  Dr.  John  B. 
Holman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mildred  Sebree,  who  was  born  in 
Howard  County,  in  1832,  and  died  in  Cooper  County  in  1900.  To  that 
union  were  born  four  children :  Riley  S. ;  Dr.  Richard  S.  Holman,  a  phy- 
sician, St.  Louis ;  Susan  P.,  wife  of  Austin  Blodgett,  and  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
Charles  Harris,  of  St.  Louis. 

Riley  S.  Holman's  early  youth  was  spent  in  Boonville.  When  14 
years  of  age,  he  went  to  Colorado  and  spent  a  year  or  two  on  the  cattle 
ranch  of  his  uncle,  Captain  Sebree,  when  he  engaged  in  cattle  raising  for 
himself  until  1882,  when  he  returned  to  this  county  and  went  onto  his 
father's  farm,  east  of  Blackwater,  and  was  there  engaged  in  fanning 
eight  years.  He  then  moved  to  Blackwater  and  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness. Some  time  later  he  took  up  the  livery  business,  which  he  since  has 
been  conducting  successfully.  He  also  continues  to  look  after  his  farm- 
ing interests.  Mr.  Holman  is  a  democrat  and  has  long  been  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  party  in  his  home  county.  For  about  12  years 
he  served  as  mayor  of  Blackwater  and  in  other  ways  he  has  given  his 
close  attention  to  local  civic  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Brotherhood  of  America. 

Feb.  28,  1884,  Riley  S.  Holman  was  married  to  Ruth  Staples,  who 
was  born  on  March  18,  1864,  in  Saline  County,  and  to  this  union  one  child 
has  been  born,  Mildred,  who  married  Harry  T.  Redd,  cashier  of  the  Boon- 
ville National  Bank,  and  has  one  child,  Rylie. 

Mrs.  Ruth  Staples  Holman  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  807 

of  this  section  of  Missouri,  her  parents,  James  G.  and  Victoria  (Sparks) 
Staples,  both  having  been  of  pioneer  parentage.  James  G.  Staples,  who 
during  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Confederacy, 
was  born  at  Glasgow,  Mo.,  in  1839,  a  son  of  James  K.  Staples  and  wife, 
natives  of  Virginia,  who  drove  here  from  Hardy  County,  Va.,  and  settled 
on  the  line  between  Cooper  and  Saline  Counties,  where  James  K.  Staples 
became  the  owner  of  1000  acres  of  land,  entered  from  the  Government  at 
a  fee  of  $1.25  an  acre.  Here  this  pioneer  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
one  of  the  influential  members  of  the  community.  He  died  in  1881,  at 
85  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Virginia  Nicholas,  died  in  1903,  aged  85  years. 
James  G.  Staples,  who  became  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  farm- 
ers, died  Oct.  14,  1909.  His  widow  died  Feb.  3,  1917,  while  on  a  visit 
to  her  son,  Harry  Staples,  at  Fresno,  Calif.  She  was  born  in  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.,  Dec.  31,  1842,  a  daughter  of  James  Sparks,  a  well-to-do 
stockman,  horseman  and  slaveowner  of  Kentucky.  James  G.  Staples  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  the  survivors  being  Mrs.  Holman 
and  her  brother,  Harry  Staples,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Fresno,  Calif. 
Mrs.  Holman  is  an  active  member  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  was  for  two  years  president  of  the  Cooper  County  Chapter. 
She  completed  her  schooling  in  private  schools  at  Arrow  Rock  and  at 
Cilnton  and  was  for  12  years  engaged  in  teaching  in  this  county,  a  portion 
of  that  time  a  teacher  in  the  Blackwater  schools.  For  over  15  years  she 
has  been  a  correspondent  of  the  "Bunceton  Eagle-News,"  and  takes  an 
earnest  interest  in  general  public  affairs.  She  was  for  more  than  20 
years  an  ardent  worker  in  Sunday  school  work  in  the  Christian  Church. 
In  later  years  she  was  converted  to  Christian  Science. 

John  N.  Sims,  a  well-known  dealer  in  live  stock  at  Blackwater  and 
a  substantial  landowner,  was  boin  in  Howard  County,  Nov.  4,  1864,  a 
son  of  John  J.  and  Mary  F.  (Overstreet)  Sims,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still 
living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  LaMine  township.  John  J.  Sims,  who  died 
at  his  home  in  LaMine  township  in  1909,  at  72  years  of  age,  had  been  a 
resident  of  Cooper  County  since  coming  here  from  his  native  Howard 
County  40  years  ago.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  followed  that  calling 
until  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  last  days  were  spent.  His  widow, 
who  is  also  a  member  of  an  old  Missouri  family,  was  born  in  Howard 
County  in  Oct.,  1840.  To  them  were  born  eight  children:  William,  farm- 
ing the  old  home  place  in  LaMine  township;  John  N.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Joseph  E.,  farming  with  his  brother  William;  E.  S.,  St.  Louis; 


808  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Bettie,  wife  of  Willard  Worts,  LaMine  township;  Clay  Jackson,  who  is 
now  living  on  the  home  farm;  Susan,  who  also  is  on  the  farm  with  her 
mother  and  brothers,  and  Thomas,  Blackwater. 

John  N.  Sims  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life. 
He  bought  his  first  farm  when  a  young  man  and  has  since  enlarged  his 
holdings  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  845  acres  of  excellent  land  in 
Cooper  and  Vernon  Counties.  In  1904,  Mr.  Sims  located  at  Blackwater, 
where  he  has  since  successfully  carried  on  his  operations  in  the  buying 
and  selling  of  live  stock,  at  the  same  time  directing  his  extensive  farming 
interests.  Mr.  Sims  is  a  democrat,  but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after  public 
office. 

In  1904,  John  N.  Sims  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lydia  Rucker,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Charles  T.  Rucker  and  wife,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  Poindexter,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  this 
county  and  who  are  now  making  their  home  in  Blackwater.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sims  have  one  son,  John  R.  Sims. 

William  Schuster,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Pilot  Grove  township  in 
the  fall  of  1915,  and  whose  widow  is  living  on  the  home  farm,  which 
is  being  operated  by  her  eldest  son,  William  Schuster,  was  of  European 
birth,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  since  the  days  of  his 
childhood,  and  was  thus  a  devoted  Missourian.  He  was  born  in  Saxony, 
July  4,  1850,  and  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  with  their 
children  came  to  America.  For  a  time  the  Schusters  were  located  in  St. 
Louis,  and  then  they  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
LaMine  township,  where  the  family  home  was  established,  and  where  the 
parents  reared  their  family  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  earnest 
pioneers  of  that  neighborhood. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  his  parents  had  settled  when  he  was 
about  four  years  of  age,  William  Schuster  received  his  schooling  in  the 
district  schools,  followed  farming  all  his  life,  and  in  which  he  was  suc- 
cessful, and  was  the  owner  at  the  time  of  his  death  of  an  excellent  farm 
of  243  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  the  same  now  owned  by  his  widow 
and  operated  by  his  son,  William.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  the 
late  William  Schuster  was  an  extensive  breeder  of  Poland  China  hogs. 
For  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Pilot  Grove 
Bank  at  Pilot  Grove.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as  is  his 
widow,  and  the  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  He  died  Oct.  22,  1915, 
highly  respected  in  the  community  where  he  had  lived  since  the  days  of 
his  childhood. 


\\  M.I.I  Ul    SCHUSTER 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  809 

William  Schuster  was  twice  married,  and  was  the  father  of  22  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  save  one.  His  first  wife,  Christina  Felten, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  who  died  in  1894,  was  the  mother  of  10 
children,  of  whom  nine  are  living,  namely:  Fred,  farmer,  a  mile  east  of 
Pilot  Grove;  Margaret,  wife  of  P.  Hoffman,  St.  Louis;  Mrs.  Anna  Miller, 
St.  Louis;  Frank,  Pilot  Grove  township;  Mary,  wife  of  Henry  G.  Lam- 
mers,  proprietor  of  "Hickory  Grove"  Farm,  Pilot  Grove  township ;  Sophia, 
wife  of  Frank  Lammers,  also  of  Pilot  Grove  township;  John,  of  Pilot 
Grove  township;  Leona,  wife  of  Henry  Meyer,  of  the  Pleasant  Green 
neighborhood,  and  Christina,  wife  of  L.  Wittman,  of  the  Pilot  Grove 
neighborhood.  Feb.  12,  1896,  William  Schuster  married  Anna  Vollrath, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  Oct.  27,  1876,  and  to  that  union  12  children 
were  born,  namely:  William,  born  March  3,  1897,  who  is  managing  the 
home  place  for  his  mother;  Grace;  Hubert  and  Henry,  twins,  the  latter 
deceased ;  Nellie ;  Florence ;  Catherine ;  Irene ;  Alma  and  Alice,  twins ; 
Martha;  and  Henry,  died  in  infancy. 

William  E.  McMahan,  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  of  LaMine 
township,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Cooper 
County,  his  great-grandfather,  Samuel  McMahan,  who  was  slain  by  In- 
dians in  the  vicinity  of  Boonville,  having  been  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
this  section  of  Missouri.  The  McMahans  drove  from  Kentucky  at  the 
very  beginning  of  organized  settlement  hereabout  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  LaMine  township.  It  was  while  returning  from  Boonville  one  day, 
after  having  driven  some  cattle  to  that  settlement,  that  Samuel  McMahan 
was  killed  by  hostile  Indians.  One  of  the  sons  of  this  pioneer  was  Samuel 
Woodson  McMahan,  who  became  one  of  the  largest  landholders  of 
Cooper  County,  owner  of  a  tract  of  1000  acres  and  many  slaves.  He  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  his  wife,  Harriet  Riddle,  was  born  in  Maryland,  her 
parents  also  having  been  early  settlers  here.  One  of  their  sons,  William 
H.  McMahan,  was  bom  in  LaMine  township  in  1834  and  became  a  sub- 
stantial farmer,  spending  all  his  life  here,  and  died  Oct.,  1895.  He  mar- 
ried Lucy  Hornbeck,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  died  in  1870.  To 
them  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first  born,  the  others  being:  R.  S.  McMahan,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Susan, 
wife  of  John  H.  Duncan,  Helena,  Mont.;  Anna,  wife  of  William  H.  Dun- 
can, Spokane,  Wash.,  and  Josephine,  wife  of  Frank  Duncan,  Helena,  Mont. 

William  E.  McMahan  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  continued  farming, 
in  time  becoming  the  owner  of  the  farm  of  100  acres  on  which  he  is  now 
living  in  LaMine  township  and  which  he  has  greatly  improved.     Ten 


810  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

years  or  more  ago  Mr.  McMahan  began  to  give  special  attention  to  breed- 
ing Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  has  made  a  success  in  that  line.  He  was  born 
Sept.  10,  1860, 

March  27,  1894,  William  E.  McMahan  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Louella  Gorrell,  who  also  was  born  in  LaMine  township,  a  daughter  of 
Amos  Gorrell  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Schotts,  natives  of  Ohio, 
who  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1865  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  LaMine 
township.  Mr.  Gorrell  is  now  living  retired  in  Blackwater.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McMahan  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  Mr.  McMahan  is  a 
democrat. 

William  E.  McMahan's  farm  has  been  in  the  McMahan  family 
since  1832. 

Charles  E.  Woodroof,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Blackwater,  July  24, 
1902,  was  a  Virginian.  He  was  born  Oct.  30,  1822,  a  son  of  Wyett  P.  and 
Mary  J.  (Taliafero)  Woodroof,  Virginians,  the  mother  of  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  Gatewood. 

Wyett  P.  Woodroof  came  to  Missouri  with  his  family  about  1825, 
locating  near  St.  Louis,  and  later  moved  to  St.  Charles,  and  thence  to 
Montgomery  County,  where  he  died  about  1832,  leaving  his  widow  and 
her  five  small  children  in  straightened  circumstances.  The  widow,  how- 
ever, was  typical  of  the  true  pioneer  type  of  womanhood,  and  she  kept 
her  little  family  together,  all  working  to  the  common  good  of  the  family, 
the  four  sons  and  one  daughter  in  time  all  becoming  quite  successful  in 
life.  The  sons  were  John,  Charles  Edward,  Robert  and  David  Barton, 
and  the  daughter  was  Sophia,  who  married  Mason  Freeland.  All  these 
are  now  deceased. 

Charles  Edward  Woodroof  was  but  10  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died  and  he  was  thus  early  thrown  pretty  much  on  his  own  resources  for 
a  livelihood,  helping  his  widowed  mother  and  the  younger  children.  For 
some  time  he  worked  in  the  pineries  of  southern  Missouri  and  in  saw 
mills  on  the  Piney  River  in  Texas  County  and  also  helped  to  freight  the 
lumber  by  raft  to  St.  Louis.  In  1848  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Mex- 
ican War  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  his  health 
considerably  impaired.  He  then  went  to  California,  the  overland  trip, 
but  it  was  not  long  until  he  returned  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Montgomery 
County,  where  in  1853  he  was  married.  In  1888  he  moved  to  Saline 
County  and  there  he  remained  until  1896,  when  he  came  to  Cooper 
County  and  located  at  Blackwater,  where  he  died  July  24,  1902.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  he  owned  several  hundred  acres  of  choice  land  and 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  Cooper  County.     His 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  811 

father  was  an  old  line  Whig  and  he  became  a  Republican  upon  the  organ- 
ization of  that  party.    He  was  a  Mason. 

Charles  E.  Woodroof  was  twice  married.  Feb.  6,  1853,  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Jones,  who  was  born  in  that 
county  on  July  4,  1829,  daughter  of  Lewis  Jones  and  wife,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  Hayes,  of  Callaway  County,  Mo.,  a  relative  of  Daniel  Boone. 
Of  the  children  born  to  this  union,  all  died  in  childhood  save  Anna  Myrie, 
who  married  H.  Ritter;  Robert  Mathew,  who  married  Ida  Moore,  and 
Orpha  K.,  who  married  Joseph  H.  Blades,  of  Montgomery  County.  Rob- 
ert M.  Woodruff  died  near  Blackwater  Aug.  16,  1914.  He  is  survived  by 
his  motherless  daughter,  Kathryne.  Catherine  Jones  Woodruff  died  on 
December  13,  1871,  and  Aug.  26,  1875,  Mr.  Woodroof  married  Susan 
Moseley,  who  survives  and  who  since  the  death  of  her  husband  has  been 
making  her  home  at  "Glenwood,"  the  place  in  LaMine  township  which 
she  purchased  after  her  husband's  death. 

Mrs.  Susan  Moseley  Woodroof  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
Sept.  8,  1839,  daughter  of  John  and  Sophia  (McMahan)  Moseley,  Ken- 
tuckians.  John  Moseley  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Moseley,  son  of  Robert 
Moseley,  of  Montgomery  County,  Ky.  John  Moseley  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ky.,  in  1806,  and  came  to  Missouri  in  1828,  being  en- 
gaged as  a  school  teacher  in  Callaway  County  until  1833,  when  he  mar- 
ried and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Montgomery  County,  where  he  and  his 
wife  lived  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Sept.  24,  1833,  John  Moseley  was  mar- 
ried to  Sophia  McMahan.  She  died  on  April  25,  1875,  and  he  died  in  1881. 
They  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith.  Of  these  children  two  survive,  Mrs.  Woodroof's 
only  sister  making  her  home  with  her  at  "Glenwood"  farm.  For  many 
years  Mrs.  Woodroof  was  a  school  teacher  and  she  has  always  retained 
her  active  interest  in  cultural  affairs.  She  has  written  a  good  deal  and 
from  her  girlhood  has  found  pleasure  in  expressing  herself  in  poetic 
form.  The  poems  she  had  thus  written  she  collected  after  the  death  of 
her  husband  and  published  in  a  volume,  to  which  she  gave  the  title 
"Sea  Shells,"  dedicating  the  same  to  the  memory  of  her  husband.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Though  not  granted  children  of 
her  own,  Mrs.  Woodroof  has  reared  to  manhood  and  womanhood  several 
children.  She  retains  an  interest  in  other  forms  of  business  activity  and 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Stock  Bank  of  Blackwater. 

Henry  Moss  Wing,  second  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  Blackwater 
and  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen  of  LaMine  township, 
was  born  Aug.  21,  1876,  son  of  David  W.  and  Ella  (Parker)  Wing,  the 


812  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

latter  of  whom,  born  in  Boone  County,  daughter  of  Robnett  Parker  and 
wife,  died  in  1882.  David  W.  Wing  was  born  in  Jan.,  1849,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  his  son  Henry,  and  is  a  son  of  Freeman  Wing  and  wife,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  Daniels,  who  came  here  from  Virginia  in  an  early 
day  and  located  on  the  place  in  LaMine  township  now  owned  by  Henry 
M.  Wing.  Freeman  Wing  and  his  wife  lived  in  a  log  cabin  which  is  still 
standing  on  the  place,  carefully  and  reverently  preserved  as  a  priceless 
relic  of  pioneer  days,  and  on  that  place  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
days,  and  here  their  13  children  were  born.  The  last  born  of  these  chil- 
dren was  David  W.  Wing,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  re- 
mained on  the  home  place,  of  which  in  time  he  became  the  owner,  and 
there  continued  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  until  1904,  when  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Mar- 
shall, where  he  is  now  living.  Fifty  years  ago  he  erected  on  the  place 
the  substantial  farm  house  which  is  still  standing  and  to  which  numerous 
improvements  have  been  made. 

Henry  M.  Wing  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  local  schools,  supplementing  this  by  a  course  at  Kemper 
Military  School  at  Boonville  and  at  the  Missouri  University  at  Columbia. 
When  18  years  of  age  he  undertook  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting 
from  his  father.  After  his  marriage  in  1905,  he  established  his  home  on 
the  place,  his  father  meanwhile  having  moved  to  Marshall,  and  in  1916 
bought  the  farm,  an  excellent  tract  of  365  acres,  where  he  is  carrying  on 
general  farming  and  raising  of  live  stock.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Dec.  18,  1905,  Henry  M.  Wing  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Fray,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has 
been  born,  Warner  Fray  Wing,  born  on  Feb.  1,  1914.  Mrs.  Martha  Wing 
was  born  Sept.  26,  1888,  a  daughter  of  H.  G.  and  Dora   (Pierce)  Fray. 

Willard  A.  Worts,  proprietor  of  "Grand  View"  stock  farm  in  LaMine 
township,  and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  extensive  breeders  of  Duroc 
Jersey  hogs  in  this  section  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was 
born  on  March  2,  1879,  son  of  I.  R.  and  Laura  E.  (Phillips)  Worts,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Virginia  and  are  now  living  i*etired  at  Boonville. 

I.  R.  Worts  came  to  Missouri  from  Indiana,  having  for  some  time 
made  his  home  in  the  latter  state  after  leaving  Virginia.  In  the  fall  of 
1878  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  made  his  home,  becoming  the  owner 
of  213  acres  of  land  in  Palestine  township,  where  he  made  his  home  until 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  813 

his  removal  to  Boonville.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  children: 
Ida,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  F.  H.  Muntzel ;  Willard  A. ;  Leslie  E.,  Pales- 
tine township,  and  Vernon,  also  of  Palestine  township. 

Willard  A.  Worts  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  district  schools  and  the  Boonville  High  School.  He  has  followed 
farming  on  his  own  account  since  he  reached  manhood ;  for  some  years 
he  has  given  special  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  is 
said  to  have  the  largest  herd  of  Durocs  in  Cooper  County  and  has  calls 
for  his  breeding  stock  from  Oklahoma,  Texas,  Illinois,  Arizona,  Kansas, 
Tennessee,  Arkansas  and  from  all  parts  of  Missouri,  selling  as  many  as 
150  breeders  a  year.  In  1902,  Mr.  Worts  bought  "Grand  View"  farm, 
his  present  well-improved  place  of  85  acres  in  LaMine  township,  and  in 
1913  he  began  to  pay  particular  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Durocs.  He 
now  (1919)  has  a  fine  herd  of  225  registered  hogs  and  his  pens  are  said 
to  be  the  best  in  the  county.  Mr.  Worts  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Duroc  Jersey  Record  Association,  of  Peoria,  111.     He  is  a  democrat. 

On  Sept.  14,  1902,  Willard  A.  Worts  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 
Elizabeth  Sims,  who  was  born  in  Howard  County.  Mrs.  Worts  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  J.  and  Mary  (Overstreet)  Sims,  both  members  of  old  families 
in  Howard  County  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  living  in  LaMine  town- 
ship. 

Armstead  Lee  Kincaid,  one  of  LaMine  township's  well  known  and 
progressive  farmers  and  the  proprietor  of  a  well  kept  place  of  320  acres 
in  that  township,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
Missouri  and  of  Cooper  County  since  1860.  He  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ky.,  April  14,  1849,  son  of  George  W.  and  Frances  M.  (Collins) 
Kincaid,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in  Cooper  County. 

George  W.  Kincaid  was  born  in  Kentucky,  Sept.,  1813,  and  there  mar- 
ried Frances  M.  Collins,  who  was  bom  in  that  state  in  1818.  They  made 
their  home  in  Kentucky  until  1860.  when  they  came  to  Missouri  and 
located  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Armstead  L.  Kincaid, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Mr.  Kincaid  dying  in  1893 
and  his  widow  in  1905.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  but  two  grew  to  maturity,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his 
brother,  the  late  Richard  Franklin  Kincaid. 

Armstead  L.  Kincaid  was  11  years  of  age  when  he  came  into  Cooper 
County  with  his  parents  and  he  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  LaMine 
township,  completing  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools.     Upon  attain- 


814  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ing  manhood  he  remained  on  the  farm  and  in  time  came  into  possession 
of  the  same  by  inheritance.  He  has  made  excellent  improvements  on  the 
place  and  has  done  well  in  his  farming  operations.  Mr.  Kincaid  is  a  demo- 
crat and  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Dec.  23,  1891,  Armstead  L.  Kincaid  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mattie  Sanders  Lawless,  whose  first  husband  was  Doctor  Hutchinson,  of 
Boonville.  Mrs.  Kincaid  was  born  in  this  county  in  1860  and  died  in 
1905.  By  her  union  with  Mr.  Kincaid  three  children  were  born:  Frances, 
wife  of  Elmer  Schuster,  LaMine  township ;  Nellie  L.,  wife  of  Speed  Mellor, 
LaMine  township  and  Georgia  May,  who  is  at  home  with  her  father. 

William  P.  Harris,  who  died  at  his  home  in  LaMine  township  in  the 
late  fall  of  1901  and  whose  widow  is  still  making  her  home  on  the  place 
was  born  in  that  township  and  there  spent  all  his  life,  becoming  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  and  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  173  acres,  which  his  widow 
is  continuing  to  manage  with  success.  William  P.  Harris  was  born  Sept. 
2,  1857,  son  of  William  J.  and  Sallie  (McMahan)  Harris,  and  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth  of  the  five  children,  the  others  being  Samantha, 
wife  of  John  B.  Harris,  of  Fulton;  Sterling  P.,  Sedalia;  Thomas  A.,  of 
LaMine  township,  and  Leona,  who  died  in  infancy.  William  J.  Harris  was 
twice  married  and  by  his  second  wife,  Lizzie  Lake,  was  the  father  of  two 
daughters,  Stella  and  Ada,  both  deceased. 

William  P.  Harris  grew  up  in  LaMine  township  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  district  schools.  As  a  young  man  he  began  fai-ming  on 
his  own  account.  In  1895  he  bought  the  farm  of  173  acres  on  which  he 
spent  his  last  days  and  had  made  extensive  improvements.  He  died  Nov. 
25,  1901,  at  44  years  of  age.  Mr.  Hams  was  a  democrat  and  had  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  general  civic  affairs  of  his  home  county. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  of  the  Modern 
Brotherhood  of  America.  Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Harris  has  been 
in  management  of  the  home  farm  and  has  made  numerous  improvements 
on  the  place,  including  the  remodeling  of  the  house  and  the  erection  of  a 
silo,  she  and  her  children  now  having  an  excellent  farm. 

Mrs.  Harris  was  born  in  Saline  County,  Feb.  13,  1862,  fourth  in  order 
of  birth  of  the  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  born  to  Thomas 
L.  and  Bettie  (Gregory)  Kincheloe.  Thomas  L.  Kincheloe  was  born" in 
Howard  County,  April  16,  1822,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his  par- 
ents when  a  boy.  He  became  a  successful  farmer  and  died  April  19,  1910. 
His  wife  died  Dec.  23,  1884,  the  day  on  which  their  daughter  Anna  was 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  815 

united  in  marriage  to  William  P.  Harris.  She  was  born  in  Saline  county 
April  1,  1831,  the  Kincheloes  and  the  Gregorys  were  early  pioneers  of  this 
section. 

To  William  P.  and  Anna  (Kincheloe)  Harris  were  born  five  children: 
Edna,  wife  of  William  J.  Harris,  of  LaCrosse,  Wis. ;  Amy,  who  is  at  home 
assisting  her  mother;  Elmer  and  Elwood,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is 
farming  in  LaMine  township  and  the  latter  remaining  on  the  home  farm 
superintending  the  management  of  the  same,  and  Nellie,  wife  of  H. 
Brockway,  of  LaMine  township. 

Thomas  B.  Gibson,  a  retired  merchant  of  Blackwater,  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  War  and  of  the  Civil  War,  and  the  oldest  living  settler  of  LaMine 
township,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  region 
since  his  boyhood.  He  was  born  at  the  headquarters  of  the  James  River 
in  Louisa  County,  Va.,  Jan.  21,  1830,  son  of  William  B.  and  Susan  J. 
(Turner)  Gibson,  who  came  to  Howard  County  with  their  family  in  the 
year  of  1839. 

William  B.  Gibson  was  born  in  Virginia,  as  was  his  wife.  He  was  a 
son  of  William  B.  Gibson,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  grew  up 
in  his  native  state,  becoming  a  brick  mason  and  plasterer  by  trade.  About 
1839  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Howard  County,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  Howard  County  and  his  widow  later  died  in  Cali- 
fornia. They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Thomas  B. 
is  the  only  survivor. 

Thomas  B.  Gibson  was  about  nine  or  10  years  old  when  his  parents 
came  to  Missouri  and  he  grew  up  familiar  with  pioneer  conditions.  He 
was  18  years  old  when  the  Mexican  War  broke  out  and  he  enlisted  and 
was  attached  to  a  supply  train,  as  a  herdsman  for  the  government.  While 
in  that  service  he  participated  in  an  Indian  fight  on  the  Kansas  plains. 
Attached  to  his  supply  train,  made  up  of  live  yoke  of  oxen,  hauling 
provisions  for  the  soldiers,  were  25  men.  One  morning  about  sunrise  the 
night's  camp  was  disturbed  by  a  maurading  band  of  Indians  and  a  brisk 
fight  ensued,  the  redskins  presently  being  driven  off  without  casualties  to 
the  freighters.  Upon  his  discharge  from  the  service  at  the  close  of  the 
war  young  Gibson  returned  home.  He  married  in  1859  and  continued 
farming,  being  thus  engaged  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Toward  the 
close  of  the  war  he  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the  Confederacy,  being  first 
attached  to  the  cavalry  and  later  to  the  infantry,  and  was  with  the  army 
in  Louisiana  when  the  surrender  came.     Upon  his  return  he  bought  his 


816  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

present  farm  in  LaMine  township.  The  next  year  he  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  John  T.  Redd,  opened  a  store  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  at  a  point  above 
the  LaMine  River — the  place  now  owned  by  Sims  Brothers — and  there  he 
and  Mr.  Redd  were  engaged  in  business  for  17  years,  when  they  moved 
their  stock  to  Blackwater,  where  for  ten  years  they  were  engaged  in  sell- 
ing goods.  Mr.  Gibson  then  sold  his  interest  and  retired  from  business. 
He  always  lived  on  his  farm  in  LaMine  township,  where  he  has  since 
been  making  his  home. 

Mr.  Gibson  has  a  well  improved  place  of  320  acres.  As  one  of  the 
oldest  surviving  pioneers  of  this  region  he  has  many  interesting  stories 
to  tell  of  the  old  days  of  the  plains  and  of  the  Santa  Fe  Trail  and  is  a 
veritable  storehouse  of  reminiscence.  In  1849  he  crossed  the  plains,  driv- 
ing a  six  mule  team  from  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  to  California  and  returned  to 
Missouri  via  Panama,  in  1853. 

In  Dec,  1859,  Thomas  B.  Gibson  was  married  to  Lucy  A.  Redd,  who 
was  bom  in  this  county,  and  died  in  Feb.,  1903,  at  the  age  of  65  years. 
To  that  union  were  born  two  children :  William  B.  and  Mollie  T.,  the  latter 
of  whom  married  W.  R.  Scott  and  is  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Scott  left  one 
child,  a  son,  Gibson  Scott,  of  Marshall. 

William  B.  Gibson,  who  was  named  for  his  grandfather  and  for  his 
Revolutionary  great-grandfather,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
now  living  in  LaMine  township,  Dec.  18,  1860,  and  has  lived  there  all  his 
life,  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  managing  the  place  for  his 
father.  He  married  Mary  C.  McPherson,  who  was  born  at  Boonville,  and 
has  five  sons.  William  McPherson,  Robert,  LeRoy,  Henry  Thomas,  Arthur 
Chandler  and  John  Elliot. 

William  H.  Haun,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  at  his  home 
in  Pilot  Grove  township  in  the  spring  of  1890,  and  whose  widow  is  still 
living  on  the  home  place,  which  is  now  managed  by  her  elder  son,  Albert 
L.  Haun,  former  clerk  of  Circuit  Court  of  Cooper  County,  was  an  influen- 
tial and  useful  citizens  of  this  county.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  Aug.  15,  1841,  son  of  John  Haun  and  wife,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  Shank,  who  were  the  parents  of  12  children,  of  whom  six 
grew  to  maturity.  John  Haun  was  bom  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  early 
left  an  orphan.  About  1830  he  went  to  Ohio,  was  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  Holmes  County,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last 
days. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  William  H.  Haun  was 
given  the  advantage  of  excellent  schooling,  and  all  his  life  took  an  earnest 


X 

- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  817 

interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  his  labors  in  that  behalf,  after  becoming 
a  resident  of  Cooper  County,  having  contributed  largely  to  the  elevation 
of  the  standards  of  the  schools  of  Pilot  Grove  township  in  an  earlier  day. 
He  was  not  20  years  of  age  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and  shortly 
after  passing  his  20th  birthday  he  enlisted  Sept.  7,  1861,  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  19th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  command  he  served  until  mustered  out  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  Jan.  27, 
1865.  During  this  long  military  service  Mr.  Haun's  regiment  participated 
in  many  of  the  most  important  engagements  of  the  Civil  War,  including 
Shiloh,  Tenn.,  April  6-7,  1862;  the  occupation  of  Corinth,  Miss.,  May  30, 
1862;  Stone  River,  Dec.  31,  1862;  Liberty  Gap,  June  25,  1863;  Chicka- 
mauga,  Sept.  19-20,  1863;  Mission  Ridge,  Rocky  Face,  Cassville,  Pickett's 
Mill,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Hood's  first  sortie  toward  Atlanta,  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion, Franklin.  On  Dec.  26,  1864,  he  was  permitted  to  return  home  on 
a  furlough,  and  was  mustered  out  a  month  later.  During  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  Sept.  20,  1863,  Mr.  Haun  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and 
for  15  months  was  confined  in  Libby  Prison  and  later  at  Andersonville. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service,  William  H.  Haun  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  and  resumed  his  place  on  the 
farm.  During  the  following  winter  he  taught  a  term  of  school  in  his 
home  neighborhood,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866  came  to  Missouri  and 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land  in  section  24  of  Pilot  Grove  township,  with 
a  view  to  clearing  off  a  farm  there  and  establishing  his  home.  He  built 
a  log  cabin  on  the  place,  and  with  his  plans  for  a  home  thus  well  started 
returned  to  Ohio,  married  the  girl  of  his  choice,  and  with  his  bride  returned 
to  his  timber  tract  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  there  he  and  his  wife 
started  their  home-making  in  true  pioneer  fashion.  It  was  no  small  job 
to  clear  the  place  of  its  heavy  growth  of  timber,  but  Mr.  Haun  was  dilli- 
gent,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  had  a  tillable  farm.  He  presently 
erected  a  better  and  more  commodious  house,  as  the  needs  of  his  growing 
family  demanded,  and  later  erected  a  third  and  modern  house  on  the 
place,  the  other  improvements  of  which  also  were  in  keeping  with  his 
progressive  notions  of  farming.  During  the  earlier  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  this  county,  Mr.  Haun  devoted  much  of  his  leisure  to  an  extension 
of  the  cultural  development  of  the  community  in  which  he  had  settled, 
and  as  a  pioneer  teacher  of  music  did  much  toward  the  bringing  about  of 
wholesome  social  conditions.  He  was  an  ardent  Methodist,  as  is  his 
widow,  and  was  ever  an  active  and  earnest  participant  in  church  work, 


818  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

doing  what  he  could  to  advance  all  good  causes  in  the  community.  He 
was  a  republican  and  ever  took  a  good  citizen's  part  in  local  civic  affairs. 
On  the  farm  which  he  carved  out  of  the  woods  there  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, this  good  man  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  March  30,  1890,  and  at  his  passing  there  was  sincere  mourning 
in  the  community. 

Aug.  30,  1866,  William  H.  Haun  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  with  Salome  M.  Shutt,  who  was  born  in  that  county.  To 
that  union  were  bom  seven  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the 
other  being  as  follows:  Albert  L.,  is  now  managing  the  home  place; 
Adella  F.,  married  W.  E.  Geary,  St.  Louis ;  Hattie  Belle,  and  Eula  Martha, 
at  home  with  their  mother;  and  William  H.,  Grand  Junction,  Colo.  Mrs. 
Haun,  who  is  now  in  the  76th  year  of  her  age,  and  who  has  witnessed  the 
development  of  this  region  since  the  days  of  her  coming  here,  shortly 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  Oct.  1,  1843,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Susan  (Bell)  Shutt,  natives  of  Maryland,  who  located  in  Holmes 
County,  Ohio,  after  their  marriage,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives. 

Albert  L.  Haun,  elder  son  of  William  H.  and  Salome  M.  (Shutt) 
Haun,  was  born  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  this  county, 
Dec.  5,  1867,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  His  early  schooling  was  re- 
ceived in  the  Prairie  View  District  School,  and  was  supplemented  by  a 
course  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Academy,  followed  by  a  course  in  the  Gem  City 
Business  College,  Quincy,  111.  Following  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the  home 
farm,  and  was  also  engaged  for  four  or  five  winters  as  a  teacher  of  district 
schools  in  his  home  neighborhood.  Mr.  Haun  is  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  the  republican  party  in  Cooper  County,  and  in  February,  1903, 
was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  a  position  he  occupied 
for  eight  years,  or  until  his  election  in  1910  as  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
and  recorder  of  deeds.  By  successive  re-elections  Mr.  Haun  continued  to 
serve  in  this  important  public  capacity  until  Jan.  5,  1919,  when  his  last 
term  of  office  expired,  and  he  returned  to  the  home  farm,  to  the  man- 
agement of  which  he  is  now  giving  his  attention.  Mr.  Haun  is  a  member 
of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Boonville. 

Fountain  Durrett  Smith,  a  substantial  farmer  and  stockman  of  La- 
Mine  township,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  July  1,   1867,  son  of  Nicholas  and   Lucy    (Higgerson) 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  819 

Smith,  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children  as  follows :  Travis,  deceased  ; 
DeWitt,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Edward  D.,  of  LaMine  township;  Laura, 
wife  of  L.  T.  Sites,  LaMine  township;  Fountan  D.;  and  Ada,  wife  of  P. 
Davidson,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  LaMine  township,  Fountain  D.  Smith 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Oakwood  district  school  and  as  a  young  man 
began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  land  until  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm.  He  now  has  a  well-improved  place  of  260  acres  and  in  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farming  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  breed- 
ing of  Poland  China  hogs,  his  operations  along  both  lines  having  been  car- 
ried on  successfully.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  democrat  and  has  ever  given  a  good 
citizen's  attention  to  local  civic  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
o  fthe  World. 

Oct.  26,  1892,  Fountain  D.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret 
Kincheloe,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Bettie 
(Gregory)  Kincheloe  and  twin  sister  of  Jesse  Kincheloe,  of  LaMine  town- 
ship, further  reference  to  which  family  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  two  children,  daughters,  Marie  and  Rowena, 
both  of  whom  are  at  home. 

Edward  D.  Smith,  a  substantial  farmer  and  landowner  of  LaMine 
township  and  constable  for  that  township,  and  for  many  years  a  railroad 
surveyor,  was  born  in  LaMine  township  and  has  always  regarded  that  as 
his  home,  though  during  the  time  of  his  connection  with  railroad  work 
he  was  required  to  be  away  a  great  deal  of  his  time.  He  was  born  on 
March  4,  1862,  a  son  of  Nicholas  Smith,  for  many  years  one  of  LaMine 
township's  best  known  citizens. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  LaMine  township,  Edward  D.  Smith 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  early  became  interested  in 
civil  engineering,  becoming  a  competent  surveyor.  In  addition  to  local 
work  performed  by  him  along  that  line,  about  twenty  years  ago  Mr. 
Smith  became  employed  as  a  railroad  surveyor  and  for  four  or  five  years 
was  thus  engaged.  During  this  time  he  helped  to  locate  and  build  the 
railroad  from  Boonville  to  Lexington,  as  well  as  the  road  from  Boonville 
to  Jefferson  City,  and  also  helped  to  lay  the  bridge  across  the  Arkansas 
River  at  Ft.  Smith.  Upon  the  completion  of  this  service  Mr.  Smith  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm  and  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  in  which  he  has  been  quite  successful,  being  now  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  of  120  acres.  For  14  years  Mr.  Smith  had  charge  of  the 
highways  of  district  14  in  LaMine  township.     He  is  a  democrat  and  in 


820  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

1912  was  elected  constable,  a  position  which  he  still  holds,  having  been 
re-elected  at  successive  elections.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Boonville 
lodge,  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Mr.  Smith's  wife  died  in  1910.  She  also  was  born  in  LaMine  town- 
ship, this  county,  Ida  Higgsorn,  daughter  of  C.  C.  and  Mary  (Herndon) 
Higgsorn,  Virginians,  who  became  residents  of  this  county  many  years 
ago.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smth  four  children  were  born :  Jessie,  deceased ; 
Mary,  who  is  at  home  presiding  over  the  affairs  of  her  father's  household, 
and  Ray  and  Edward  Lee,  also  at  home. 

Jesse  Lee  Kincheloe,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stockman  of  LaMine 
township,  was  born  in  that  township  Aug.  18,  1869,  son  of  Thomas  L.  and 
Bettie   (Gregory)  Kincheloe, 

Thomas  L.  Kincheloe  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  in  the  service 
of  the  Confederacy,  a  private  in  E  Company  of  Wood's  Regiment  of  Mis- 
souri Cavalry,  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  Army,  and  served  until  his  com- 
mand was  surrendered  at  Shreveport,  La.,  June  9,  1865.  Mr.  Kincheloe 
then  came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis  and  thence  returned  to  his  home  in 
LaMine  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  successfully  engaged 
in  farming.  He  died  April  19,  1910.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  namely:  William  J.,  deceased;  Victoria,  who  married 
Capt.  L.  J.  Sites  and  is  now  deceased;  Tasso,  deceased;  Anna,  widow  of 
the  late  William  P.  Harris,  of  LaMine  township;  Thomas  Ludwell,  Jr., 
deceased;  Mrs.  Catherine  Lucas,  of  Colorado;  Jesse  L.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  his  twin  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret  Smith,  and  Mrs.  Bettie  Diggs, 
of  LaMine  township. 

Jesse  L.  Kincheloe  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and 
as  a  young  man  became  engaged  as  a  farm  hand  for  the  first  three  years, 
working  for  W.  B.  Collins  and  losing  but  18  days  during  that  period.  Fol- 
lowing his  marriage  in  1894,  Mr.  Kincheloe  rented  a  farm  and  began 
farming  on  his  own  account  and  in  1901  bought  a  farm.  Since  then  he 
has  bought  and  improved  five  or  six  different  farms,  in  each  instance 
selling  to  advantage,  and  now  has  a  well-improved  farm  of  80  acres  on 
which  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 
Mr.  Kincheloe  is  a  democrat.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Jan.  18,  1894,  Jesse  L.  Kincheloe  was  married  to  Lottie  Lee  Eades, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  Dec.  24,  1873,  and  to  this  union  four  children 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  821 

have  been  bom :  Thomas  Collins,  deceased ;  Margaret  May,  Eugene  Fields 
and  Jessie  Lee.  Mrs.  Kincheloe  is  a  daughter  of  Horace  and  Eugenia 
(Brisco)  Eades,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Kentucky  years  ago  and 
who  are  now  living  retired  at  Blackwater. 

Henry  Green  Fray,  a  well-known  and  substantial  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  LaMine  township,  was  born  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  house 
in  which  he  is  now  living,  July  3,  1861,  son  of  John  A.  and  Martha  (Hern- 
don)  Fray,  both  members  of  Missouri  pioneer  families.  John  A.  Fray 
was  born  at  Huntsville,  Mo.,  in  1835  and  in  1850  came  to  Cooper  County, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  When  a  young  man  he  bought 
160  acres  of  "Congress"  land,  the  place  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Susan  M. 
Woodruff,  in  LaMine  township.  Later  he  bought  other  land  adjoining 
and  became  well-to-do.  He  died  on  that  place  in  1905.  His  widow  died 
in  1907,  aged  68  years.  She  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families 
of  Cooper  County,  the  Herndons  having  been  among  the  very  first  of  the 
Virginia  contingent  to  settle  in  LaMine  township.  John  A.  Fray  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Susan  F.,  wife  of  F.  W.  Vawter, 
Parkville;  Katherine,  wife  of  John  P.  Cully,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Benjamin 
A.,  Marshall;  John  W.,  Fayette;  DeWitt  C,  Kansas  City;  and  Harry  G. 

Henry  G.  Fray  was  reared  in  LaMine  township  and  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  He  remained  on  the  home  place  until  1885,  when  he 
bought  240  acres  of  the  home  place  from  his  father.  In  1890,  he  sold 
that  farm  and  bought  another  portion  of  the  home  place,  just  across  the 
road  south,  and  in  1911  bought  the  quarter  section  on  which  he  is  now  liv- 
ing. In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Fray  has  for  years  been 
dealing  in  live  stock  and  has  been  successful.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Bank  of  Blackwater  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  general  business 
affairs  of  the  community.     He  is  a  democrat. 

Feb.  9,  1885,  Henry  G.  Fray  was  united  in  marriage  with  Dora  Pierce, 
who  was  born  near  Fayette,  in  June,  1859,  and  to  this  union  one  child 
was  born,  Martha,  wife  of  Henry  M.  Wing. 

Gustav  F.  Boiler,  treasurer  of  the  Hirsch  Wholesale  Grocery  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  of  Boonville,  is  one  of  the  progressive  young  business  men  of 
Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township  Nov.  4, 
1887,  son  of  Fred  J.  and  Dora  (Wehling)  Roller.  Fred  J.  Boiler  is  of 
European  birth,  born  in  Nassau  on  April  10,  1844,  but  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  country  since  he  was  four  years  of  age,  his  parents,  Henry  J. 
and  Johnetta  Boiler,  having  left  their  native  land  and  come  to  America 
with  their  family  in  1849,  after  the  unsuccessful  revolution  of  1848,  and 


822  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

sought  conditions  more  to  their  liking  in  this  land  of  free  men.  Upon 
their  arrival  in  this  country  the  Boilers  located  in  Cooper  County.  Fred 
J.  Boiler  grew  up  in  this  county  and  developed  his  interests  here.  He 
was  a  farmer  for  50  years,  in  Boonville  township,  until  his  retirement  anc 
removal  to  Boonville,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  March  18, 
1872,  Fred  J.  Boiler  married  Dora  Wehling,  who  was  bora  in  St.  Louis, 
Aug.  23,  1855,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Christine  Wehling,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  and  to  this  union  were  born  eight  children:  August,  de- 
ceased; Sophia,  widow  of  the  late  F.  S.  Brommer,  resides  in  Boonville; 
Fred,  deceased ;  William,  deceased ;  Laura  L.,  wife  of  Lewis  Moehle,  Boon- 
ville; Nettie,  wife  of  Frank  Hirlinger,  Boonville;  Gustav  F. ;  and  Matilda, 
living  with  her  parents. 

Gustav  F.  Boiler  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  of 
Boonville,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1905.  In  the  meantime, 
he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  commercial  pursuits  and  upon  leaving 
school  became  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  Hirlinger  bakery  at  Boonville, 
also  working  as  a  bookkeeper  at  the  Boonville  elevator.  In  1907,  he  be- 
came employed  as  shipping  clerk  for  the  Hirsch  Wholesale  Grocer  Com- 
pany and  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  bookkeeper  and  general  office 
assistant.  In  1914,  Mr.  Boiler  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Hirsch  Com- 
pany and  was  elected  treasurer,  a  position  he  since  has  occupied,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  duty  he  also,  for  the  past  two  or  three  years,  has  acted  as 
general  city  salesman  for  the  big  wholesale  house  and  traveling  repre- 
sentative for  the  same.  Mr.  Boiler  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  he  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  that 
church.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen. 

Nov.  4,  1908,  Gustav  F.  Boiler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara  M. 
Goodman,  of  Boonville,  and  to  this  union  one  child  was  born,  Goodman  F. 
Boiler,  born  on  Oct.  5,  1910.  Mrs.  Boiler  was  born  in  Boonville  and  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school  there.  Her  parents,  Thomas  W.  and 
Amelia  (Thoma)  Goodman,  are  living  in  Boonville;  both  were  born  in 
Cooper  County. 

Frank  Schuster,  one  of  LaMine  township's  most  progressive  farmers 
and  proprietors  of  "Good  Hope"  farm  was  born  in  LaMine  township.  His 
father,  Moritz  Schuster,  to  whom  reference  is  made  in  this  volume,  died 
in  the  spring  of  1915,  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  son  of  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  LaMine  township,  he  having  been  but  five  years  of 
age  when  his  parents  came  to  this  country  in  1849  and  located  in  this 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  823 

county  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Moritz  Schuster  and  his 
wife,  Rachel  Hildebrant,  a  native  of  Virginia,  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Frank  Schuster  received  his  schooling  in  the  Hickerson  district 
school  and  from  boyhood  gave  his  attention  to  farm  life.  He  married  in 
the  spring  of  1898  and  the  following  year  bought  from  his  father  the 
tract  of  land  of  178  acres  he  now  owns,  231  acres,  a  part  of  which  was 
formerly  known  as  the  Washington  Harris  place,  but  which  Mr.  Schuster 
has  named  "Good  Hope"  farm.  On  the  place  is  a  tract  of  twenty  acres 
of  natural  woodland  and  Mr.  Schuster  has  made  improvements  which 
gives  him  a  farm  equal  to  any  in  the  neighborhood.  He  raises  a  good 
grade  of  live  stock.  Mr.  Schuster  is  a  republican,  as  was  his  father,  and 
he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

March  2,  1898,  Frank  Schuster  was  married  to  Mary  Sophia  Ruf,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Clarence  R.,  born 
Aug.  29,  1899,  died  Sept.  28,  1899 ;  Aubrey  Lee,  born  Aug.  16,  1900 ;  Wilbur 
E.,  Nov.  10.  1902;  Mary  L.,  Feb.  9,  1905,  and  Nettie  L.,  Sept.  29,  1906. 
Mrs.  Schuster  was  born  at  Council  Grove,  Kan.,  Nov.  22,  1872,  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Johanna  (Schuster)  Ruf,  natives  of  Germany,  who  were 
married  at  Jioonville,  Aug.  8,  1858.  Joseph  Ruf  was  a  tailor.  He  learned 
his  trade  in  his  native  land  and  came  to  this  country,  locating  in  Missouri, 
but  during  the  course  of  his  life  lived  in  several  states  in  the  West.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  49  years  on  Jan.  16,  1877,  and  his  widow  died  Aug.  16, 
1897,  67  years  of  age.  Joseph  Ruf  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Schuster  was  the  youngest  and  four  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

William  O.  Burge,  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  and  stockmen  of 
LaMine  township  was  born  on  a  farm  southeast  of  Boonville  Jan.  29,  1861, 
son  of  Oscar  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Burge,  the  latter  of  whom  also 
was  born  in  this  county  and  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  here. 
Oscar  F.  Burge  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1820.  In  1850  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  great  gold  rush  of  that  year,  but  returned  to  Kentucky  in 
1853.  In  1856  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Bates  County,  where 
he  remained  until  1861,  when  he  moved  to  Cooper  County  and  began  farm- 
ing in  Clarks  Fork  township,,  where  his  wife  owned  a  farm.  He  died 
there  on  Nov.  5,  1900.  Oscar  F.  Burge  was  twice  married.  By  his  first 
wife,  Elizabeth  Miller,  he  was  the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are  still  living,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  John  Burge, 
living  east  of  Boonville;  Robert  Burge,  who  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile 


824  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

business  at  Boonville,  and  Dora,  who  is  living  in  Kentucky.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  1872  and  Oscar  F.  Burge  married  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Williams.  To  this  latter  union  were  born  two  children,  but  one  of  whom, 
Eldridge  Burge,  of  Boonville,  survives. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  southeast  of  Boonville  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, William  0.  Burge  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  town- 
ship and  early  began  working  at  farm  labor,  his  wages  being  50  cents  a 
day.  Later  he  operated  a  threshing  rig  and  in  1894  bought  his  first  farm 
of  90  acres  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  improved  that  place  and  three 
years  later  sold  it  and  bought  160  acres  in  Clinton  County.  In  1899  he 
married  and  established  his  home  on  his  Clinton  County  place,  remaining 
there  until  1905  when  he  bought  his  present  farm  in  Cooper  County  and 
has  since  made  his  home  on  this  place.  In  addition  to  his  farm  of  338 
acres  in  LaMine  township,  Mr.  Burge  owns  a  half  interest  in  the  old  Burge 
home  place  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  On  his  home  farm  he  has  erected  a 
handsome  six-room  modern  residence  and  his  extensive  cattle  barns  and 
other  improvements  are  in  keeping  with  the  same.  Mr.  Burge  raises 
cattle  for  the  market.  He  also  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Boonville  National 
Bank.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church. 

Nov.  8,  1899,  William  O.  Burge  was  married  to  Jennie  Tillett  and  to 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born :  Oscar  L.,  a  student  in  Kemper 
Military  School;  one  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Paul  C,  at  home.  Mrs. 
Burge  was  bom  in  Tennessee,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Missouri  since 
her  girlhood,  her  parents  having  come  to  this  state  many  years  ago,  locat- 
ing in  Clinton  County,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Edward  H.  Harris,  banker,  retired  farmer,  and  merchant  of  Pilot 
Grove,  and  for  many  years  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  potent  factors 
in  the  commercial  life  of  this  community,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He 
was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  20,  1830,  son  of  Richard  and 
Frances  (Wilson)  Harris,  the  latter  of  whom  spent  her  last  days  in 
Cooper  County. 

Richard  Harris  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  son  of  Nathaniel  Harris,  a 
Virginia  of  Irish  stock,  and  all  his  life  was  spent  there,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  1831.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Grayson,  a  widow,  who  makes  her  home  with  him  at  Pilot  Grove.  Some 
time  after  the  death  of  Richard  Harris,  his  widow  married  W.  T.  Red- 
mond, a  Kentuckian,  and  to  that  union  a  daughter  was  born.     The  Red- 


EDWARD    II     HARRIS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  825 

monds  came  to  Missouri  from  Kentucky  in  1840,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Boonville,  W.  T.  Redmond  and  his  wife  spending  the  rest  of  their 
lives  there. 

Edward  H.  Harris  was  but  10  months  of  age  when  his  father  died. 
When  he  was  a  lad  of  eight,  he  was  brought  to  Missouri  by  his  much  elder 
brother,  Dr.  M.  W.  Harris,  who  became  a  successful  physician  in  this 
county,  as  well  as  an  extensive  land-owner,  and  here  grew  to  manhood. 
It  was  in  1838  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  and  he  remained  on  his 
brother's  farm  south  of  Boonville  until  he  was  17  years  of  age,  in  1847, 
when  he  entered  the  Kemper  School  at  Boonville.  There  he  continued 
his  schooling,  taking  Greek  and  Latin  in  addition  to  the  extensive  curri- 
culum provided  in  English  for  four  years.  While  carrying  on  his  studies 
at  Kemper,  Mr.  Harris  did  not  neglect  his  interest  in  agricultural  affairs, 
and  upon  leaving  school,  in  1851,  he  bought,  for  $6.25  an  acre,  a  tract  of 
land  two  miles  west  of  where  Pilot  Grove  village  later  sprang  up,  and 
which  tract  is  now  regai'ded  as  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Cooper  County. 
Not  long  after  buying  this  tract,  Mr.  Harris  married  and  established  his 
home  in  a  log  cabin  he  erected  on  his  farm.  He  remained  there  about  10 
years,  developing  the  place,  and  then  sold  it  and  bought  what  was  known 
as  the  old  Doctor  Phillips  farm,  a  mile  south  of  the  grove.  On  this  latter 
place  he  had  a  better  home,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  reared  their  fam- 
ily. Twenty  years  or  more  after  taking  up  his  residence  on  the  Phillips 
place,  Mr.  Harris  bought  13  acres,  now  within  the  city  limits  of  Pilot 
Grove,  the  land  being  owned  by  J.  W.  Roe,  who  laid  out  a  townsite,  erected 
the  first  store  building  of  Pilot  Grove,  and  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business.  For  18  years  he  continued  in  the  mercantile  business. 
Mr.  Harris  then  sold  his  store  and  engaged  in  the  banking  business,  organ- 
izing the  Pilot  Grove  Bank,  of  which  he  was  elected  president,  a  position 
which  he  held  for  25  years  during  which  time  he  built  up  one  of  the  most 
substantial  financial  instiutions  in  this  section.  At  the  time  Mr.  Harris 
organized  his  bank  at  Pilot  Grove,  there  were  but  two  other  banks  in 
Cooper  County  and  both  of  these  were  situated  at  Boonville.  From  the 
very  beginning  of  his  banking  operations  Mr.  Harris  was  successful,  and 
as  his  affairs  prospered  he  extended  his  banking  interests,  at  the  same 
time  being  much  gratified  to  see  two  of  his  sons  engage  successfully  in  the 
same  line,  until  now  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank,  the 
Southwest  National  Bank,  the  Bank  of  Commerce  of  Kansas  City,  the 
Merchants  Bank  of  Eldorado  Springs,  and  the  Bank  of  Harwood  at  Har- 
wood,  Mo.,  and  is  widely  known  in  commercial  circles  over  the  State  as 


826  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

one  of  Missouri's  veteran  bankers  and  successful  capitalists.  Mr.  Harris 
is  a  democrat  on  national  issues,  but  for  years  past  has  held  pronounced 
independent  leanings  in  the  campaigns  in  which  local  issues  were  domi- 
nant. For  20  years  or  more  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons  at  Pilot  Grove. 

About  1852,  Edward  H.  Harris  was  married  to  Mary  Ellis,  who  died 
about  20  years  ago,  and  whose  memory  is  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  her 
husband.  Mrs.  Harris  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Virginia,  about  the 
year  1832,  and,  like  her  husband,  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  Mis- 
souri, her  parents  becoming  prominent  among  the  Virginia  colonists  who 
became  pioneers  of  this  region.  To  Edward  H.  and  Mary  (Ellis)  Harris 
seven  children  were  born,  namely:  Richard,  now  engaged  in  business  at 
Detroit,  Mich. ;  William  E.,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in  New  York  City ; 
Sarah,  widow  of  the  late  R.  M.  Fink,  who  makes  her  home  with  her 
father  at  Pilot  Grove;  Margaret,  wife  of  W.  F.  Johnson,  editor  of  this 
History  of  Cooper  County ;  Mary,  at  home ;  Edward  H.,  Jr.,  cashier  Third 
National  Bank  of  Sedalia,  this  State,  and  Frederick  Kemper  Harris,  pres- 
ident of  the  bank  at  Eldorado  Springs.  Mrs.  Fink,  who  is  now  making 
her  home  with  her  father,  has  two  children,  a  son,  Frederick,  who  is  now 
(1919  serving  the  United  States  Navy,  and  daughter,  Madge,  living  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Mr.  Harris  was  the  means  of  the  depot  being  built  at  Pilot  Grove ;  he 
gave  the  largest  part  of  the  $1,650.00  to  the  railroad  company  for  estab- 
lishing a  depot  here. 

John  R.  Higginbotham,  former  marshal  of  Blackwater,  was  bom  on 
a  farm  in  Montgomery  County,  Aug.  6,  1881,  son  of  William  H.  H.  and 
Johanna  (Davis)  Higginbotham,  the  former  of  whom  spent  his  last  days 
in  Saline  County.  William  Henry  Harrison  Higginbotham  was  born  near 
Parma,  Mo.,  Dec.  8,  1838,  son  of  Moses  and  Susan  Ewing  (Sproul)  Hig- 
ginbotham, the  latter  born  in  Crab  Orchard,  Ky.,  of  a  family  connected 
with  the  William  Henry  Harrison's  of  Virginia  stock.  Moses  Higgin- 
botham was  born  in  Tazewell  County,  Va.,  member  of  an  old  Colonial 
family,  and  came  to  Missouri  by  way  of  Kentucky,  he  and  his  wife  rear- 
ing their  family  in  this  State.  William  H.  H.  Higginbotham  grew  to  man- 
hood in  this  State.  June  17,  1861,  at  Paris,  Mo.,  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 
federate Army  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  with  which  command  he  saw 
much  active  service  under  Generals  Price  and  Joe  Shelby,  participated  in 
several  important  battles  and  received  more  than  one  wound.  On  March 
9,  1863,  he  married  Johanna  Davis,  of  Quincy,  111.,  and  settled  in  Mont- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  827 

gomery  County,  Mo.  He  later  moved  to  Saline  County,  where  he  died  in 
Aug.,  1914.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  12  children,  of  whom 
two  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being:  William  F.,  an  agricultural  expert, 
assistant  farmer  at  the  Missouri  Training  School,  Boonville;  Susan,  de- 
ceased; Sidney  J.,  of  Oklahoma  City;  Samuel  T.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
Wade  H.,  of  Slater,  Mo. ;  Thomas  B.,  of  Hannibal ;  Frances,  of  Boonville ; 
Grover  C,  of  Bluffton,  111. ;  John  R. ;  and  Julia,  wife  of  George  Mackler, 
Boonville  township.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  in  Quincy, 
111.,  Oct.,  1844,  and  is  now  living  at  Boonville. 

John  R.  Higginbotham  received  his  schooling  in  the  public  schools. 
In  1906,  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  located  at  Blackwater."  It  was  not 
long  until  he  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  personal  factors  of  that 
town  and  he  presently  was  elected  town  marshal,  a  position  he  held  by 
successive  re-elections  for  six  years,  or  until  in  1912,  when  he  bought  a 
farm  of  170  acres  in  LaMine  township  and  entered  upon  the  task  of  im- 
proving the  same.  He  erected  a  new  house  and  barn,  fenced  the  place 
and  made  other  substantial  improvements.  When  he  bought  the  place 
there  were  but  50  acres  of  it  under  cultivation.  Now  there  are  130  acres 
under  cultivation.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Higginbotham 
gave  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  In  Feb.,  1919, 
he  sold  the  farm  to  advantage  and  bought  a  farm  of  245  acres  near  Black- 
water,  LaMine  township.  Mr.  Higginbotham  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a 
member  of  Cooper  Lodge  No.  36,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at 
Boonville. 

William  H.  Deck,  druggist  at  Pilot  Grove  and  a  leading  commercial 
factor  of  that  town,  was  bom  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  Aug.  1,  1887,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Anna  (Fessler)  Deck,  who  have  for  years  been  residents  of 
Boonville.  Jacob  Deck  was  born  in  the  province  of  Alsace,  France,  and 
was  but  eight  or  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America  with  his 
parents,  the  family  locating  in  Missouri,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
after  his  marriage  established  his  home,  after  a  time  locating  at  Boon- 
ville, where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business.  To  him  and 
his  wife  eight  children  have  been  born.    Of  these  all  are  living  save  two. 

William  H.  Deck  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Boonville 
and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  there  in  1905,  after  which  he 
entered  Kemper  Military  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1906. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of  phar- 
macy and  upon  leaving  school  he  entered  the  Mittelbach  drug  store  at 
Boonville  as  a  clerk,  continuing  for  four  years,  or  until  1910,  during  which 


828  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

time  he  completed  his  pharmacy  course.  Thus  equipped,  he  went  to 
Steelville,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  clerking  in  a  drug  store, 
until  1912.  During  this  latter  year  he  acquired  further  experience  in  the 
drug  business  as  a  clerk  at  Salem  and  at  Columbia  and  in  1913  returned 
to  Cooper  County  and  bought  the  drug  store  of  Meyer  Brothers  at  Pilot 
Grove.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  store  Mr.  Deck  has  made  nu- 
merous improvements  and  has  considerably  enlarged  the  stock,  as  well  as 
increased  the  facilities  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  business,  now  having  a 
full  line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries,  and  is  doing  a  good  business, 
being  recognized  as  one  of  the  "live"  young  business  men  of  the  town. 
Mr.  Deck  is  an  independent  republican.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  is  the 
present  secretary  of  the  former  lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Church,  and  his  wife  of  the  Christian  Church. 

July  17,  1910,  William  H.  Deck  was  united  in  marriage  to  Marie  L. 
Roe,  who  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove,  Aug.  17,  1891,  daughter  of  Prof.  D. 
Lee  and  Lillie  (Fray)  Roe.  Professor  Roe  is  now  residing  at  Canadian, 
Okla.  His  wife  is  deceased.  Prof.  D.  Lee  Roe  was  born  at  Pilot  Grove,  a 
member  of  a  pioneer  family,  who  were  owners  of  the  land  on  which  the 
town  is  situated.  Professor  Roe  formerly  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  a  teacher  in  the  Pilot  Grove  schools  and  is  now  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Canadian,  Okla. 

Dr.  George  C.  Jones,  Jr.,  well-known  doctor  of  dental  surgery  at 
Pilot  Grove,  this  county,  and  long  recognized  as  one  of  the  progressive 
citizens  of  that  community,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County  and  has 
resided  here  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  that  period  of  his  life  when 
he  was  away  completing  his  schooling.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Black- 
water  township  on  March  9,  1876,  son  of  George  C.  and  Anna  (Trent) 
Jones,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Blackwater  township,  the  junior  George 
C.  Jones  received  his  early  schooling  in. the  schools  of  that  neighborhood 
and  the  Johnson  Military  School  at  Pilot  Grove.  Upon  leaving  the  latter 
institution,  he  entered  Central  College  at  Fayette  and  later  took  a  course 
at  Washington  University,  where  he  received  his  first  year  in  the  study 
of  dental  surgery,  finishing  in  the  Dental  College  at  St.  Louis  in  1900. 
Thus  admirably  equipped  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  Doctor 
Jones  in  the  following  year,  1901,  opened  an  office  at  Pilot  Grove,  where 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  829 

he  ever  since  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  practice.  He  has  shown 
his  faith  in  Cooper  County  land  by  investing  in  a  farm  of  160  acres  in 
Blackwater  township  and  is  vitally  interested  in  the  general  development 
of  the  region  in  which  his  life  has  been  spent.  By  political  preference  the 
Doctor  is  a  democrat  and  gives  close  attention  to  local  civic  affairs,  but 
he  has  not  been  a  seeker  after  public  office. 

William  A.  Scott,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Pilot  Grove  and  for  many 
years  one  of  the  best  known  business  men  there,  was  born  in  McLean 
County,  111.,  Aug.  13,  1859,  son  of  John  and  Harriet  (Diffenbaugh)  Scott, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  who  came  to  Cooper 
County  many  years  ago.  John  Scott  was  born  in  Ohio,  but  early  became 
a  resident  of  Illinois,  where  he  married  and  where  he  resided  until  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  family  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Prairie  Home,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  1887,  aged  60  years.  His  widow  died  in  1890,  aged 
55  years.  John  Scott  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children: 
William  A. ;  one  died  in  infancy ;  Andrew,  Moniteau  County ;  Bettie ;  and 
Hester,  who  are  now  living  in  California. 

William  A.  Scott  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and 
grew  up  a  farmer,  becoming  the  owner  of  land,  both  in  Moniteau  and 
Cooper  Counties.  In  1895,  Mr.  Scott  sold  his  land  and  located  at  Pilot 
Grove,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business,  which  he 
ever  since  has  followed  wth  success.  He  has  long  given  considerable 
attention  to  raising  pure-bred  Poland  China  hogs  for  breeding  purposes 
and  has  created  a  wide  market  for  the  output  of  his  pens,  shipping  breed- 
ing stock  to  far-distant  points.  As  an  example  of  the  demand  that  has 
been  created  for  his  pigs,  it  may  be  said  that  a  recent  bunch  of  25  head 
of  spring  pigs  netted  him  $1,000.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  democrat  and  has  for 
years  been  an  active  factor  in  party  affairs.  In  1916,  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  Pilot  Grove  to  fill  a  vacancy  and  in  the  ensuing  election  was  re- 
elected and  is  now  serving  his  second  term.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  member  of 
the  Masons  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Jan.  5,  1882,  William  A.  Scott  was  married  to  Birdie  Lee  Smith 
and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born:  Artie  Belle,  wife  of 
Guy  Long,  a  hardware  merchant,  Pilot  Grove;  Nellie,  wife  of  Boyd  Lusk, 
St.  Louis,  and  Catherine,  at  home  with  her  parents.    Mrs.  Scott  was  bom 


830  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  Cooper  County  and  is  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family.  Her  parents, 
John  I.  Smith  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Guyer,  were  born  in 
Kentucky  and  many  years  ago  became  residents  of  Cooper  County,  where 
their  last  days  were  spent. 

Hamilton  Lusk,  one  of  the  most  substantial  retired  fanners  and 
stock  breeders  of  Cooper  County,  living  at  Pilot  Grove,  was  born  in  Polk 
County,  March  1,  1858,  son  of  James  and  Joanna  (Bond)  Lusk,  Tennes- 
seeans,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Cooper  County.  James  Lusk  was 
born  in  1818  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Tennessee,  coming  into  Missouri 
after  his  marriage  and  locating  in  Polk  County,  where  he  remained  until 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  when,  in  1865,  he  moved  to  Cooper 
County  and  bought  a  farm  four  miles  south  of  Pilot  Grove,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1884.  His  widow  died  in  1892. 
She  was  born  in  1818.  James  Lusk  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  survivor. 
The  eldest  son,  John  Lusk,  a  soldier  of  the  Confederacy,  was  killed  in 
battle  at  Helena,  Ark.  Another  son,  Benjamin  Lusk,  also  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Confederacy.     He  died  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  a  few  years  ago. 

Hamilton  Lusk  was  about  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came 
to  this  county  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  place,  south  of  Pilot 
Grove,  receiving  his  schooling  at  Mt.  Vernon  and  at  Pleasant  Green.  He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  bought  the 
interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  place  and  gradually  adding  to  the  same 
until  he  became  the  owner  of  557  acres,  which  he  developed  into  one  of 
the  best  improved  farms  in  the  county,  among  these  improvements  being 
a  modern  farm  house,  which  was  looked  on  as  one  of  the  finest  in  Cooper 
County.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Lusk  for  years  gave  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  breeding  of  pure  bred  Poland  China  hogs  and 
Hampshires  and  the  pure  bred  Shorthorn  cattle.  In  1914  he  sold  his 
land  and  closed  out  his  live  stock  and  retired,  and  is  now  living  in  Pilot 
Grove  in  a  house  which  was  erected  by  his  son,  Boyd  S.,  and  which  is 
the  finest  house  in  the  town.  Mr.  Lusk  has  been  connected  with  the  Pilot 
Grove  Bank  for  25  years,  and  has  for  years  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  that  financial  institution.  He  is  a  democrat,  but  has  not 
been  a  seeker  after  public  office.     He  is  a  Mason. 

Oct.  16,  1884,  Hamilton  Lusk  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lulu  Schlotz- 
hauer,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born: 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  831 

Stella  V.,  married  Prof.  Roy  Wharton  and  is  now  living  at  Columbia, 
where  Professor  Wharton  is  engaged  in  teaching  civil  engineering  in  the 
university;  Edgar  Hamilton,  deceased;  Boyd  S.,  who  is  now  living  in  St. 
Louis,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  grain  commission  business,  and  Mar- 
shall B.  Lusk,  who  was  with  the  American  Army  of  Occupation  in  Eu- 
rope. Marshall  B.  Lusk  was  born  on  June  16,  1896.  In  June,  1917,  two 
months  after  this  country  entered  the  World  War,  he  was  inducted  into 
the  National  Army  and  went  into  training  at  Camp  Dodge,  where  he  be- 
came attached  to  the  Signal  Corps,  with  which  command  he  sailed  in  the 
following  August  for  France,  attached  to  the  351st  Regiment,  Infantry, 
88th  Division,  and  with  that  command  participated  in  some  of  the  mo«t 
difficult  campaigning  of  the  war,  in  one  battle  about  30  of  the  members 
of  his  company  having  been  killed.  He  was  discharged  at  Camp  Taylor, 
June  6,  1919,  now  living  at  St.  Louis,  engaging  in  business  with  his 
brother,  Boyd  S.  Mrs.  Lusk  was  born  in  Cooper  County  of  German  par- 
entage, her  parents,  John  W.  Schlotzhaur  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  Weaver,  both  having  been  born  in  Germany.  John  W.  Schlotzhaur 
settled  in  Cooper  County  many  years  ago  and  is  still  living  in  the  Harris 
neighborhood. 

Dr.  Thomas  0.  Pendleton,  one  of  the  best  known  members  of  the 
medical  profession  in  Cooper  County,  is  a  Kentuckian.  He  was  born  at 
Goshen,  Ky.,  Jan.  26,  1852,  son  of  Dr.  George  T.  and  Catherine  (Ma- 
gruder)  Pendleton,  both  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  came  to  Missouri 
many  years  ago  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this  county. 

Dr.  George  T.  Pendleton  received  his  professional  education  in  the 
Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  Louisville,  and  in  his  native  state  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  remaining  there  until  1852,  when  he  came 
to  Missouri  with  his  family  and  located  in  Cooper  County,  opening  an 
office  at  Pilot  Grove,  where  he  continued  in  practice  the  rest  of  his  life, 
becoming  widely  known  over  the  county  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  pro- 
fession. During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  the  burden  of  his  practice 
was  lifted  from  his  shoulders  by  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  review,  who 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  practice  six  or  seven  years  before 
the  latter's  death,  which  occurred  about  1883.  The  senior  Doctor  Pendle- 
ton and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living,  and  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first  born,  the 
others    being    as    follows:      William    Pendleton,    an    attorney-at-Iaw,    of 


832  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Boonville;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Foster,  Macon,  Ga. ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Stites, 
of  Pilot  Gi'ove;  Stapleton  Pendleton,  Denver,  Colo.;  Susan  R.,  of  Pilot 
Grove;  Mrs.  Nellie  Embry,  living  in  California,  and  George  T.,  lawyer, 
Boonville. 

Reared  at  Pilot  Grove,  Thomas  0.  Pendleton  received  his  early 
schooling  in  that  then  village  and  in  Cully's  School  at  Bunceton.  From 
the  days  of  his  boyhood,  he  was  attracted  to  his  father's  profession  and 
under  the  kindly  and  skillful  preceptorship  of  his  father,  was  prepared 
for  medical  school.  In  1875  he  entered  the  Missouri  Medical  School  at 
St.  Louis  and  so  well  equipped  was  he  by  preparatory  study  that  he  was 
enabled  to  graduate  in  the  spring  of  1876.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma, 
Doctor  Pendleton  returned  to  Pilot  Grove  prepared  to  relieve  his  father 
of  the  growing  burden  of  the  latter's  practice,  which,  owing  to  his  ad- 
vancing years,  was  growing  too  much  for  the  elder  doctor,  and  he  ever 
since  has  continued  in  practice  there;  so  long  a  time,  in  fact,  that  for 
some  time  he  has  expressed  a  desire  to  be  permitted  to  retire  from  prac- 
tice, but  every  expression  of  this  character  has  met  with  such  stout  oppo- 
sition on  the  part  of  those  in  the  community  who  have  so  long  depended 
upon  his  ministrations  that  he  has  again  and  again  put  off  the  day  of  the 
announcement  of  his  definite  intention  to  retire.  The  Doctor  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Citizens  Bank.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

July  31,  1876,  Dr.  Thomas  0.  Pendleton  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ida  Cunningham,  who  was  born  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  and  to  this  union 
one  child  has  been  born,  Gertrude,  who  is  living  at  Boonville. 

John  W.  Schlotzhauer,  one  of  Pilot  Grove  township's  successful  farm- 
ers and  stockmen,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  March  30,  1879,  son  of  John  and  Rickay 
(Masel)  Schlotzhauer,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  and 
the  former  is  still  living  in  Clear  Creek  township. 

John  Schlotzhauer  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  what  is  now  Pales- 
tine township,  June  1,  1839,  a  son  of  Henry  Schlotzhauer  and  wife,  who 
were  among  the  early  settlers  in  that  community.  Henry  Schlotzhauer 
was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  France.  They  were 
married  in  Germany  and  immediately  afterward  came  to  the  United 
States.  They  came  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  up  the  Missouri  River 
and  located  in  Cooper  County,  settling  in  Palestine  township,  reared  their 
family  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  It  was  on  that  pioneer 
farm  that  John  Schlotzhauer  grew  to  manhood,  early  taking  his  part  in 


3 
X 


N 

X 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  833 

the  development  of  the  place.  During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guard.  After  his  marriage  he  settled  in 
Clear  Creek  township  and  became  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  that 
neighborhood,  and  is  still  living  there,  the  place  now  being  operated  by 
his  son,  Ernest.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Palestine  township  in  1845, 
died  April  17,  1901.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  as  is 
her  husband,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  are 
seven  children:  James  H.,  Pleasant  Green;  Mrs.  Hamilton  Luck,  of  whom 
further  mention  is  made  in  this  volume ;  Mrs.  P.  G.  Marshall,  Marshall, 
Mo. ;  John  W. ;  Ernest,  on  the  home  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township ;  Mrs. 
Charles  B.  Sly,  and  Fred  W.,  Clear  Creek  township. 

John  W.  Schlotzhauer  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  Pilot 
Grove  College.  When  21  years  of  age  he  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  renting  land  from  his  father,  and  has  ever  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  At  the  age  of  23  he  bought  from  his  father  120 
acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township.  Later,  he  bought  100  acres  more,  a  part 
of  the  old  homestead  of  his  grandfather,  Henry  Schlotzhauer,  this  giving 
him  220  acres,  in  addition  to  which  he  is  farming  another  100  acres,  thus 
having  control  of  320  acres.  In  addition  to  general  farming,  he  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock,  both  cattle  and  hogs,  and  gives 
particular  attention  to  his  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has 
made  extensive  improvements  on  his  place,  including  two  capacious  silos, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers  that  section.  He  is  a  republi- 
can.    He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Nov.  28,  1893,  John  W.  Schlotzhauer  was  married  to  Bettie  Hampy, 
who  was  born  in  Palestine  township  on  the  farm  of  Nelson  Leonard.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Yost)  Hampy,  both  of  whom  were  bom 
in  Morgan  County,  Mo.,  who  later  came  to  Cooper  County,  moving  12 
years  ago  to  Saline  County.  They  live  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schlotzhauer  have  five  children:  Laura,  married  R.  Eichel- 
berger,  Columbia,  Mo. ;  Roy ;  Herbert ;  Ruby  and  Alice. 

Charles  M.  Shepherd,  cashier  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank  at  Pilot  Grove, 
was  born  in  McDonough  County,  111.,  April  12,  1866,  son  of  Levi  and 
Joanna  (Campbell)  Shepherd,  both  natives  of  Missouri,  the  latter  born  in 
this  county.  Levi  Shepherd,  who  died  a  few  years  ago,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial landowners  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  at  the  then  mere  trading 
post  of  Independence,  Jackson  County,  in  January,  1833,  a  son  of  Elijah 
Shepherd  and  wife,  Virginains,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that 
(45) 


834  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

place.  When  he  was  18  years  of  age,  Levi  Shepherd  came  to  Cooper 
County,  where  he  afterward  was  married,  and  his  interests  thereafter 
were  ever  closely  connected  with  this  county,  though  for  a  time  during 
and  after  the  Civil  War  he  resided  in  Illinois.  During  the  latter  part  of 
the  war,  he  was  drafted  into  service  and  among  the  engagements  in 
which  he  participated  was  the  battle  at  Lexington,  Mo.  He  settled  in 
Saline  township,  this  county,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  of  270  acres,  which  is  still  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  estate. 
For  more  than  60  years,  Levi  Shepherd  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  as  was  his  wife,  and  they  were  useful  and  helpful  factors 
in  the  social  and  moral  life  of  the  community.  Levi  Shepherd  died  in 
1915,  and  his  widow  died  in  1917,  aged  82  years.  She  was  born  in  Saline 
township,  daughter  of  Bradley  and  Meekie  (Hall)  Campbell,  Tennessee- 
ans,  who  were  among  the  earliest  residents  of  that  township,  they  having 
come  up  the  river  on  flat  boats  and  settled  here  on  what  is  still  known  as 
the  Campbell  homestead  place,  100  years  ago.  Levi  Shepherd  was  of 
Scottish  stock  and  his  wife  was  of  English  descent,  both  families  being 
of  Colonial  stock.  Of  the  seven  children  bom  to  Levi  and  Joanna  (Camp- 
bell) Shepherd,  four  are  still  living,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  youngest,  being :  James  B.  Shepherd,  of  Wooldridge,  Mo. ; 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Eager,  Overton,  and  Mrs.  Alice  Clayton,  of  Wooldridge. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Saline  township,  Charles  M.  Shepherd 
grew  to  manhood  there,  receiving  his  elementary  schooling  in  the  district 
schools.  This  he  supplemented  by  a  course  at  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarks- 
burg, where  he  was  graduated  in  1889,  and  in  that  year,  after  a  brief 
course  in  normal  work,  passed  the  state  examination  under  State  Super- 
intendent W.  E.  Coleman  and  was  granted  a  teacher's  certificate  for  life. 
Thus  admirably  equipped  for  the  teaching  profession,  Mr.  Shepherd  en- 
tered the  ranks  of  Cooper  County's  teaching  corps  and  for  nine  years  was 
engaged  in  teaching  in  this  county.  In  1899,  he  was  appointed  by  W.  B. 
Rissler,  county  clerk,  to  serve  as  deputy  clerk,  and  for  four  years,  or  until 
1903,  he  served  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Shepherd  then  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  at  Boonville  until  1907,  when  he  assisted  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Bank  of  Blackwater  at  Blackwater,  and  as  cashier  of  that 
institution,  opened  the  same  and  started  it  on  its  successful  career,  con- 
tinuing thus  engaged  until  June  9,  1913,  when  he  entered  upon  his  pres- 
ent position  as  cashier  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank  at  Pilot  Grove,  to  the 
duties  of  which  position  he  since  has  been  giving  his  undivided  and  earn- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  835 

est  attention.  Mr.  Shepherd  is  a  democrat.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  deacon,  and  he  is  a  York 
Rite  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  Blue  Lodge  at  Pilot  Grove  and  the  Com- 
mandery  at  Boonville. 

June  1,  1898,  Charles  M.  Shepherd  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hattie 
M.  Simms,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born :  Mable  L.,  attending  Hardin  College  at  Mexico,  Mo. ;  William  L., 
a  student  in  the  Pilot  Grove  High  School,  and  Josephine.  Mrs.  Shepherd 
is  a  member  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  pioneer  families.  She  was  born 
in  Saline  township,  daughter  of  H.  Clay  and  Mary  L.  V.  (Eager)  Simms, 
Virginians,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Eager,  whose 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  the  pioneer  Gooch,  who  came  into  this  region  in 
an  early  day  and  erected  a  mill  in  the  southern  part  of  what  is  now  Saline 
township.  He  operated  this  mill  for  fifty  years  and  the  present  village 
of  Gooch's  Mill  gradually  grew  as  the  settlement  expanded. 

Clemens  A.  Lammers,  proprietor  of  "Shady  Brook"  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  this  county,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Citizens  Bank  of  Pilot  Grove,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Dec.  27, 
1870,  son  of  Henry  and  Wilhelmina  (Vonderhaar)  Lammers,  natives  of 
Germany,  who  were  married  in  St.  Louis,  where  they  had  located  upon 
coming  to  this  country  about  1868,  and  who  remained  there  until  in  1877, 
when  they  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove 
township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Of  the  children 
bom  to  Henry  Lammers  and  his  wife,  six  grew  to  maturity  and  five  are 
still  living,  all  residents  of  Cooper  County. 

Clemens  A.  Lammers  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
located  in  this  county  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools.  In  1895, 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  "Shady  Brook"  is  a 
well  improved  place  of  305  acres  on  which  Mr.  Lammers  has  carried  on  his 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  successfully.  Among  the  improve- 
ments on  the  place  are  the  commodious  dwelling  house  and  the  corrugated 
iron  barn,  other  improvements  being  in  keeping  with  the  same.  Mr. 
Lammers  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Citizens  Bank  of 
Pilot  Grove  and  is  one  of  the  successful  men  of  the  community.  He  is 
a  republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  M.  B.  A. 

Feb.   13,   1895,  Clemens  A.  Lammers  was   united  in  marriage  with 


836  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Pauline  Bahm,  who  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  daughter  of  Peter 
D.  Bahm  and  wife,  and  to  this  union  10  children  have  been  bora,  two  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  Herman,  William,  Augustine, 
Lorene,  Isabel,  Alice,  Walter  and  Gilbert. 

Archibald  McGuire,  proprietor  of  "Mountcalm"  farm  in  Blackwater 
township  and  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Cooper 
County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township  Dec.  18,  1876, 
son  of  John  and  Hannah  McGuire,  who  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  six  sui-vive  as  follows :  George,  a  retired  farmer,  Nelson, ; 
Uncas,  also  living  near  Nelson ;  Mrs.  William  Taylor,  also  of  Nelson ;  Mrs. 
Frances  Younger,  of  Nelson ;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Bromer,  Boonville,  and  Archibald. 

Archibald  McGuire  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and 
from  his  boyhood  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  When 
21  years  of  age  he  rented  a  farm  near  Boonville  and  began  to  farm  on  his 
own  account  for  six  years,  when  he  took  a  farm  in  Blackwater  township 
and  in  the  fall  of  1904  established  his  home  at  "Mountcalm",  where  he 
now  lives,  a  farm  of  180  acres  owned  by  his  wife  in  section  13  of  that 
township.  In  addition  to  his  interest  in  this  place  Mr.  McGuire  is  the 
owner  of  375  acres.  He  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  live  stock.  His  place  is  well  improved.  Mr.  McGuire  takes  an  interest 
in  local  civic  affairs,  but  is  independent  in  his  political  views.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 

Sept.  4,  1904,  Archibald  McGuire  was  married  to  Nancy  Trent  Jones, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  and  to 
this  union  two  children  have  been  born:  Archibald  Jones  McGuire  and 
Woodrow  Wilson  McGuire.  Mrs.  McGuire  was  bora  near  the  place  on 
which  she  is  now  living  in  Blackwater  township  (the  old  Jones  home- 
stead) Jan.  1,  1881,  daughter  of  George  C.  and  Nannie  (Trent)  Jones, 
both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  county,  the  founder  of  which 
family  here  was  Caleb  Jones,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  McGuire,  who  came 
here  from  Kentucky  penniless  in  1826  and  who  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1883  was  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in  Cooper  County. 

John  Schlotzhauer,  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  highly  respected 
citizens,  is  now  living  retired  in  Clear  Creek  township.  He  was  born  on 
a  pioneer  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  his  birthplace  having  been  a  log 
cabin  with  a  dirt  floor,  June  1,  1839,  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Lingen) 
Schlotzhauer,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Cooper  County. 

Henry  Schlotzhauer  was  born  in  Germany,  and  there  remained  until 


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JOHN   SCHLOTZHAUER 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  837 

young  manhood,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  arriving  at  New 
Orleans,  and  for  a  time  remained  in  the  South,  where  he  married  Cather- 
ine Lingen,  who  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  and  who  had  come  to  this 
country  with  her  parents.  Not  long  after  their  marriage,  Henry  Schlotz- 
hauer  and  his  wife  came  by  boat  up  the  Mississippi  and  thence  up  the 
Missouri  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  in  Clear  Creek  township,  where 
they  established  their  home  in  a  log  cabin.  In  that  log  cabin  the  first 
of  their  children  were  born,  but  they  soon  had  a  better  house,  and  as  time 
passed  had  a  well  improved  farm.  On  that  place  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives,  useful  and  influential  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  Henry 
Schlotzhauer  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follows: 
John ;  Henry,  Pilot  Grove  township ;  Christina,  wife  of  D.  F.  Nixon,  Pilot 
Grove;  Christian  C,  Pilot  Grove  township;  Rudolph  H.,  a  resident  of 
California,  and  Fredericka,  deceased. 

John  Schlotzhauer  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  He  became  the 
owner  of  500  acres  of  land,  which  in  later  years  he  sold  to  his  sons,  and 
is  thus  relieved  of  the  responsibility  of  management,  being  now  in  a 
position  to  take  things  easy.  During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Home  Guard.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  wife,  America  Masel,  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families,  and  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1866 ;  she  died  many 
years  ago.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Sylvester  Masel,  who  also  was  born 
in  this  county,  a  son  of  one  of  the  very  early  early  settlers  in  this  part  of 
Missouri.  To  John  and  America  (Masel)  Schlotzhauer  were  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made  in  this  volume.  Following 
the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  married  Mrs.  Sarah  V. 
(Long)  Holman,  widow  of  M.  F.  Holman,  who  died  without  issue.  Mr. 
Schlotzhauer  is  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  Boonville  National  Bank 
of  Boonville.  Politically,  he  is  an  independent  republican,  and  is  a  Meth- 
odist. 

Theodore  Koonse,  an  extensive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Cooper 
County,  was  born  in  Northumberland  County,  Pa.,  Aug.  30,  1870,  son  of 
George  R.  and  Emma  (Gerhardt)  Koonse,  both  natives  of  that  same  state. 
George  R.  Koonse  grew  up  in  Pennsylvania,  familiar  with  the  building 
trades  and  in  his  later  life  became  a  successful  carpenter  and  building 
contractor.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union, 
serving  first  as  a  private  in  one  of  the  Pennsylvania  infantry  regiments 


838  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  later  with  the  cavalry  and  in  one  of  the  battles  in  which  he  was 
engaged  was  seriously  wounded  and  was  taken  prisoner  and  confined  in 
Libby  prison,  from  which  he  was  exchanged  on  account  of  his  wound. 
In  1877  he  came  with  his  wife  and  family  west  and  located  at  Ellsworth, 
Kan.,  where  he  became  engaged  as  a  building  contractor  and  also  worked 
for  some  time  as  a  railroad  carpenter.  About  1895  he  moved  to  Hugo, 
Okla.,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living  retired,  he  being  77  years  of 
age  and  his  wife,  76.  Two  children  were  born  to  them:  Mrs.  Anna  Spof- 
ford,  now  deceased,  and  Theodore. 

Theodore  Koonse  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Kansas  and  in  the  latter  state  he  grew  to  manhood. 
In  1893  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Boonville,  where  he  worked  for 
a  while  and  then  became  engaged  as  a  farm  hand,  working  for  40  cents 
a  day,  and  continued  thus  employed  until  1901,  since  which  time  he  has 
made  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  and  his  family  are  now  living, 
a  well  improved  place  of  220  acres  which  is  owned  by  his  wife.  Mr. 
Koonse  is  carrying  on  his  farming  operations  on  quite  an  extensive  scale, 
using  gas  tractors  and  cultivating  in  all  400  acres  of  land,  besides  feeding 
much  live  stock.  In  the  fall  of  1918  he  put  in  130  acres  of  wheat  and  in 
the  following  spring  put  in  an  additional  acreage  of  twenty-five  acres  in 
spring  wheat,  he  having  found  that,  contrary  to  the  results  of  similar 
experiments  on  the  part  of  some  of  his  neighbors,  spring  wheat  can  be 
successfully  raised  in  Boonville  township.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Koonse  reserves  the  right  to  be  independent,  declining  to  be  confined  in 
his  opinions  of  men  and  policies  by  party  ties. 

July  10,  1901,  Theodore  Koonse  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucy  Pre- 
witt  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  George  P.  and  Van 
Wesley.  Mrs.  Koonse  was  born  on  the  place  on  which  she  is  now  living, 
March  3,  1876,  and  has  lived  there  all  her  life.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Nannie  (Redd)  Prewitt,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  native  of 
Cooper  County,  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  daughter  on  the 
old  Prewitt  homestead,  which  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  historic  spots  in 
west  Boonville  township,  one  of  the  first  school  houses  in  Cooper  County 
having  been  erected  just  as  the  rear  of  the  old  original  log  cabin  which 
stood  on  the  place  in  pioneer  days.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the 
place  is  Magee  Grove,  a  favorite  camping  ground  for  the  freighters  in  the 
days  of  the  old  overland  trail  which  passed  through  this  farm.  In  the 
old  days  the  Prewitt  farm,  which  is  in  sections  13  and  14  of  Boonville 
township,  was  owned  by  a  Mr.  Wilson,  who  hauled  lumber  by  ox  teams 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  839 

from  Arkansas  to  erect  a  house  on  the  place,  exchanging  merchandise 
for  the  lumber.  For  some  years  after  coming  to  this  county,  Mr.  Koonse 
was  engaged  in  operating  a  threshing  rig  and  saw-mill  and  in  Sept.,  1903, 
suffered  the  misfortune  of  losing  his  left  arm  while  trying  to  manipulate 
the  belting  which  controlled  the  big  saw.  He  is  now  running  a  threshing 
rig  and  has  two  large  tractors. 

Dr.  Enslie  Irvin  Schilb,  a  well  known  young  dentist  of  Pilot  Grove, 
who  served  during  the  greater  part  of  the  period  in  which  the  United 
States  participated  in  the  World  War  as  a  private  and  later  as  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  dental  detachment  of  the  National  Army  and  holds  a  com- 
mission in  reserve  corp  for  period  of  five  years,  was  born  at  Otterville, 
April  1,  1893,  a  son  of  Francis  and  Sophia  (Spiler)  Schilb. 

Francis  Schilb  also  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  at  Gooch's 
Mill  in  1861,  a  son  of  Adam  Schilb  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Germany  and  as  a  young  man  came  to  the  United  States,  first 
locating  in  Kentucky,  later  coming  to  Missouri,  where  he  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Cooper  County  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  a  sub- 
stantial resident  of  the  Gooch's  Mill  neighborhood.  Francis  Schilb  grew 
up  as  a  farmer  and  for  some  time  followed  that  vocation  near  Otterville, 
but  in  1899  he  moved  to  Pilot  Grove,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  until  his  death  in  1911.  His  widow  is  making  her  home 
with  her  son,  Doctor  Schilb,  at  Pilot  Grove.  She  was  born  on  a  farm  six 
miles  east  of  Boonville  in  1866,  daughter  of  Ernest  Spiler  and  wife,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  Graff  and  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Germany, 
having  come  here  with  their  respective  parents  in  the  latter  '40s  or  early 
'50s.  To  Francis  and  Sophia  (Spiler)  Schilb  were  born  three  children, 
those  besides  the  subject  of  this  review  being  Emily,  wife  of  Ray  Lot- 
speich,  of  Nelson,  Mo.,  and  Ernest  A.,  deceased. 

Dr.  Enslie  I.  Schilb  received  excellent  training  for  the  practice  of  the 
exacting  profession  to  which  he  early  directed  his  studies  and  he  has  a 
well  equipped  office  at  Pilot  Grove.  He  was  but  five  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  moved  from  the  farm  to  Pilot  Grove  and  his  early  schooling 
was  received  in  the  schools  of  that  town,  including  the  course  in  the 
academy  there.  In  1912  he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity at  St.  Louis  and  was  graduated  in  June,  1915.  Doctor  Schilb  then 
returned  to  Pilot  Grove  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. In  Jan.,  1918,  at  Jefferson  Barracks  he  enlisted  in  the  National 
Army  as  a  private  in  the  dental  detachment.  In  the  following  June  he 
was  called  to  service  and  was  assigned  to  Camp  Pike  (Arkansas),  where 


840  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

he  was  thus  serving  when  the  demobilization  of  his  detachment  was 
ordered  some  time  following  the  signing  of  the  armistice  in  the  World 
War  in  November.  Dec.  21,  1918,  he  received  his  honorable  discharge  and 
returned  home  and  resumed  his  practice,  to  which  he  has  since  given  his 
undivided  attention. 

Doctor  Schilb  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Greek 
letter  college  fraternity  Psi  Omega  (dental)  and  also  takes  a  warm  inter- 
est in  the  affairs  of  that  organization. 

Judge  Peter  G.  Meisenheimer,  county  judge  for  the  western  district 
of  Cooper  County,  and  one  of  the  substantial  land-owners  and  farmers  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  April 
27,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Stabeline)  Meisenheimer, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  many  years  residents  of  this  country.  Philip 
Meisenheimer  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Dec.  18,  1822,  and  remained 
in  his  native  land  until  he  had  reached  his  majority,  when,  in  1855,  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Illinois,  where  he  was  living  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Aug.  8,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second 
Illinois  Artillery,  and  he  served  until  mustered  out,  Sept.  29,  1864.  In 
St.  Louis,  he  married,  and  in  1866  came  to  Cooper  County  and  located  on 
the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Judge  Meisenheimer.  There  he 
opened  a  general  store,  which  he  conducted  in  addition  to  his  farming, 
and  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Clear  Creek.  He  developed  an  excel- 
lent farm,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  March  19, 
1912,  he  then  being  in  his  79th  year.  His  wife  died  Aug.  12,  1910.  She 
was  born  in  Baden,  Jan.  25,  1832,  and  had  been  married  twice  prior  to 
her  marriage  to  Philip  Meisenheimer.  By  her  first  marriage  she  was 
the  mother  of  two  children,  William  J.  Reuter,  who  is  still  living  in  Clear 
Creek  township,  and  Minnie  Reuter,  who  has  for  years  been  a  nun  in  the 
convent  at  Conception,  Mo.  By  her  second  marriage  she  also  was  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Jacob  F.  Meussig,  a  farmer  of  Pilot  Grove  township. 
To  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Stabeline)  Meisenheimer  were  bom  two  chil- 
dren, Judge  Meisenheimer  having  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Bonen  of  Pettis 
County.  Philip  Meisenheimer  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
and  his  wife  was  a  Catholic. 

Peter  G.  Meisenheimer  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
born,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district  school  and  Pilot  Grove  Acad- 
emy.    In  1891,  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  the  home 


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HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  '  841 

farm  from  his  father.  Following  his  father's  death  he  inherited  225  acres, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  420  acres,  165  acres  of  which  lies  in  Pilot  Grove 
township.  Judge  Meisenheimer  has  made  substantial  improvements  on 
the  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  he  has  long  given  consid- 
erable attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  is  interested  in  the  Citi- 
zens Bank  of  Pilot  Grove,  and  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank.  Since  1909,  Judge 
Meisenheimer  has  been  a  director  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Farmers  Mutual  Fire, 
Lightning  and  Tornado  Insurance  Company  of  Cooper  County,  and  he  has 
been  vice-president  of  that  company  since  1915.  The  judge  is  a  repub- 
lican, and  has  for  years  been  recognized  as  among  the  leaders  of  his  party 
in  this  county.  Nov.  7,  1916,  he  was  elected  judge  for  the  western  dis- 
trict of  Cooper  County,  and  in  1918  was  re-elected,  thus  now  serving  his 
second  term  in  that  capacity.  Judge  Meisenheimer  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Judge  Meisenheimer  has  been  twice  married.  Dec.  28,  1892,  he  was 
married  to  Jennie  Back,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  Nov.  4,  1868, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Christina  (Schupp)  Back,  and  to  that  union  three 
children  were  born:  The  Rev.  Philip  W.,  a  minister  of  the  Evangelical 
Church,  Lewisville,  Ohio;  Daniel  R.,  who  was  inducted  into  the  National 
Army,  a  member  of  the  Medical  Corps,  in  1917,  and  was  stationed  at  Ft. 
Benjamin  Harrison,  Indianapolis,  and  is  now  at  home;  and  Otto  P.,  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  management  of  the  farm.  The  mother  of  these  sons 
died  April  21,  1903,  and  Dec.  27,  1907,  Judge  Meisenheimer  married  Kath- 
erine  Eve  Friess,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  four 
children  have  been  born:  Carl  A.,  John  Reinhardt,  Paul  E.,  and  Oscar 
William.  The  mother  of  these  latter  children  was  born  in  Clear  Creek 
township,  Sept.  24,  1877,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Schupp) 
Friess,  natives  of  Germany,  and  early  settlers  in  Clear  Creek  township, 
both  now  deceased. 

John  B.  Immele,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  and  former  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  at 
Boonville  on  July  7,  1866,  son  of  Louis  and  Teresa  (Meisburger)  Immele, 
natives  of  Alsace-Lorraine  and  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Cooper 
County,  whose  last  days  were  spent  here.  The  Immele  and  Meisburger 
families  were  two  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Boonville.  The  passport  of 
F.  J.  Immele  and  family,  issued  at  Havre,  France,  in  1851,  is  still  pre- 
served in  the  family.  One  son,  F.  J.  Immele,  Jr.,  accompanied  the  par- 
ents. The  elder  son,  Louis  Immele,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  review 
was  a  cannoneer  in  the  French  army  in  Africa  at  the  time.     After  six 


842  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

years  of  service  with  honors  he  rejoined  the  family  in  this  country  and 
located  at  Boonville.  In  1856  the  junior  F.  J.  Immele  married  Catherine 
Meisburger  and  in  1859  Louis  Immele  married  Catherine's  sister,  Teresa 
Meisburger.  These  young  women  were  daughters  of  Max  Meisburger, 
who  with  his  family  of  eight  children  arrived  in  Boonville  from  Alsace, 
France,  in  1848.  Max  Meisburger  had  served  for  six  years  as  a  soldier 
in  the  army  of  the  great  Napoleon  and  was  very  proud  of  the  medals 
he  had  received  for  bravery.  During  the  progress  of  the  Franco-Prussian 
War  (1870-73)  he  kept  posted  through  the  French  papers  which  he  re- 
ceived and  when  the  Prussian  victory  was  announced  he,  with  clenched 
fists  and  tear-dimmed  eyes,  declared:  "If  our  great  Napoleon  had  lived 
he  and  I  would  never  have  tolerated  the  Prussians  to  lord  it  over  our 
beloved  France",  and  expressed  the  hope  and  belief  that  his  grandchildren 
would  live  to  see  the  happy  day  when  Alsace-Lorraine  would  be  liberated 
from  the  Prussian  domination.  During  the  time  of  America's  participa- 
tion in  the  World  War  which  resulted  in  the  return  to  France  of  the  "lost" 
provinces  nine  of  his  great-grandsons  answered  the  call  to  the  front  and 
when  the  armistice  was  declared  in  the  fall  of  1918  six  more  were  wait- 
ing for  the  next  call,  all  eager  to  serve  America  first  and  France  next. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  both  F.  J.  and  Louis  Immele  served 
faithfully  for  three  years  as  soldiers  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  union, 
and  their  previous  military  experience  as  soldiers  of  France  gave  a  special 
value  to  their  services,  both  being  qualified  as  sharpshooters. 

Mrs.  Immele,  wife  of  the  senior  F.  J.  Immele  and  grandmother  of 
Professor  Immele,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  daughter  of  Major 
General  Boshea,  who  offered  his  life  in  a  ten-years  service  in  the  French 
army.  As  the  river  boat  on  which  she  arrived  at  Boonville  neared  the 
landing  amid  the  Boonville  hills  she  exclaimed,  "Oh,  where  are  our  beauti- 
ful church  spires  of  France?"  When  she  realized  there  were  none  here 
she  begged  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  France,  but  amid  the  many, 
though  often  trying,  novelties  of  the  new  situated  she  presenlly  became 
reconciled  to  the  pioneer  conditions  which  faced  the  family  and  per- 
formed ably  her  part  in  helping  to  bring  about  stable  social  conditions. 
Boonville  then  consisted  of  a  few  log  houses  used  as  trading  centers  and 
a  few  dwelling  houses  of  a  very  humble  sort.  The  house  which  the 
Immeles  occupied  until  they  could  build  a  new  one  was  located  at  what  is 
now  the  corner  of  High  and  Sixth  streets.  Church  services,  which  meant 
much  to  the  Immeles,  who  were  devout  Catholics,  were  held  in  a  room 
of  a  log  cabin  by  Father  Meister,  a  missionary,  who  once  or  twice  a  year 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  843 

would  ride  over  from  Illinois  on  his  faithful  donkey  to  administer  for  the 
comfort  of  the  few  families  of  the  Catholic  faith  who  by  this  time  had  as- 
sembled at  the  settlement  around  Boonville  landing.  These  faithful  fam- 
ilies formed  the  nucleus  for  the  present  strong  Catholic  congregation  and 
the  church  and  school  which  they  established  there.  In  those  days  deer 
roamed  the  woods  which  then  covered  the  site  of  the  present  opera  house 
at  Boonville  and  F.  J.  Immele  enjoyed  deer  hunting  in  the  hills  now  known 
as  Kemper  Grounds.  He  was  a  skilled  musician  and  was  often  called  on 
to  furnish  the  music  for  the  dances  which  were  held  at  Franklin,  he  and 
Doctor  Roeschell  and  Doctor  Kuekelhan  crossing  the  river  in  a  canoe  and 
on  their  way  combine  duck-hunting  with  their  prospective  service  in  behalf 
of  the  merrymakers. 

The  surviving  members  of  the  Immele  family  in  Cooper  County  are 
mainly  farmers.  Prof.  John  Immele  of  Pilot  Grove  has  combined  teach- 
ing school  for  nearly  30  years  with  farming  and  has  reared  a  family  of 
10  children.  Others  also  are  farming  successfully,  while  some  have 
chosen  city  life  for  the  exercise  of  their  endeavors.  The  only  surviving 
members  in  Boonville  of  the  F.  J.  Immele  family  are  Miss  Mary  Immele 
and  Anna  Immele  Lester,  who,  with  the  aid  of  their  aged  father  in  1894 
purchased  the  square  known  as  Hendricks  Addition  on  Third  street.  The 
abstract  of  title  to  this  square  carries  the  data  back  to  1800.  The  ab- 
stract to  the  present  Immele  location  on  Chestnut  street  also  dates  back 
to  1800. 

John  B.  Immele  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  his  elementary  schooling 
was  received  in  the  parochial  school  at  Boonville,  this  being  supplemented 
by  attendance  at  the  public  school  and  at  Pilot  Grove  Collegiate  Institute. 
In  1892  he  began  teaching  school,  continuing  farming  during  the  summers 
and  for  27  years  continued  teaching,  during  this  time  becoming  one  of 
the  best  known  educators  in  Cooper  County.  After  his  marriage  in  1898 
Professor  Immele  established  his  home  on  his  present  farm  of  80  acres  a 
mile  north  of  Pilot  Grove  and  has  since  resided  there.  The  Professor  is  a 
democrat.  In  1905  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners from  his  district  and  in  this  important  public  capacity  served 
for  two  years.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America. 

Sept.  5,  1898,  Prof.  John  B.  Immele  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Anna  Martin  and  to  this  union  10  children  have  been  born:  John,  Ray- 
mond, deceased;  Isabelle,  Cecelia,  Sophia,  Mary  A.,  Joseph,  deceased; 
Martha,  Leonard  and  Anastacia.     Mrs.  Immele  was  born  on  a  farm  in 


844  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Pilot  Grove  township  on  Nov.  9,  1873.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
Prussia,  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Esser)  Martin,  and  were  members  of 
pioneer  families  in  the  Pilot  Grove  neighborhood. 

Judge  James  P.  Talley,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  former  judge 
of  the  County  Court  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  on  a  farm  east  of  Boon- 
ville,  April  17,  1842,  son  of  Henderson  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Talley,  the 
former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky,  who  came  to 
this  county  with  their  respective  parents  in  pioneer  days  and  here  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Henderson  Talley  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  six  children  as  follows:  Mrs.  Louisa  Hopkins,  deceased;  Wil- 
liam, Boonville;  James  P.;  Mrs.  Mary  Woods,  deceased;  Marion  C,  de- 
ceased, and  Mrs.  Catherine  Nuland,  a  widow,  Boonville. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  east  of  Boonville,  James  P.  Talley  received 
his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  When  twenty  years  of  age,  in  April,  1862,  at  Boonville, 
he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia.  Not  long  after- 
ward he  enlisted  in  the  Federal  army  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Mis- 
souri Volunteer  Cavalry  and  served  in  Missouri  and  the  West  until  his 
discharge  at  Ft.  Collins,  Colo.,  in  July,  1866,  and  was  shortly  afterward 
mustered  out  with  his  command  at  Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kan.  He  returned 
to  Cooper  County  and  resumed  farming,  renting  a  place  near  Boonville, 
where  he  continued  farming  until  1868  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  265 
acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township.  When  Judge  Talley  bought  that  place  it 
was  almost  wholly  timber  land,  but  he  went  to  work  vigorously  to 
get  the  place  cleared  and  under  cultivation  and  it  was  not  long  until  he 
had  a  well  improved  farm.  There  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until 
his  retirement  in  1911,  when  he  sold  the  farm  and  moved  to  Pilot  Grove, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Judge  Talley  is  a  republican.  Many  years 
ago  he  was  elected  constable  in  his  home  township  and  in  1892  was  elected 
county  judge,  a  position  he  filled  for  two  terms.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  with  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 

Judge  Talley  has  been  thrice  married.  His  first  wife,  Zilda  Morton, 
who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  died  six  years  after  her  marriage,  leaving 
one  child,  Mrs.  Annette  Malott,  of  Pilot  Grove  township.  The  second  wife, 
Isabel  Kirkpatrick  who  was  born  in  western  Missouri,  died  '20  years  ago. 
To  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely:  Waldo,  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship; James  B.,  of  that  same  township;  Effie  M.,  wife  of  Curry  Brown- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  845 

field,  of  East  Pilot  Grove;  Mrs.  Nellie  Cramer,  of  Blackwater  township, 
and  John,  deceased.  Nov.  9,  1894,  Judge  Talley  married  Fannie  Mc- 
Gibony,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1853  and  who  was  18  months  of 
age  when,  her  parents  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  state,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  a  school  teacher,  a 
vocation  in  which  she  was  engaged  for  29  years,  teaching  in  and  around 
Denton,  Texas,  and  in  Phelps  and  Howell  Counties. 

Lester  O.  Zeigle,  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  farmers  and 
stockmen,  was  born  Sept.  18,  1873,  son  of  Henry  and  Malinda  (McGuire) 
Zeigle,  influential  residents  of  Boonville  township  in  their  generation  and 
the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  in  Pilot  Grove  township.  Henry  Zeigle 
was  born  in  New  York  State  about  1846,  and  was  12  or  14  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  on  a  farm 
in  Boonville  township,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  enlisted  at  Boonville  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  even  after  he  had  been  severely  wounded  by  a  minnie  ball 
through  the  body  in  a  battle  in  this  State,  rejoining  his  command  before 
his  wound  had  healed  and  fighting  to  the  end.  On  one  occasion  he  be- 
came separated  from  his  command  and  found  himself  surrounded  by  a 
detachment  of  50  or  more  of  the  enemy  who  demanded  his  surrender. 
In  reply,  he  put  the  spurs  to  his  horse  and  dashed  through  the  line  that 
surrounded  him  and  thus  made  his  way  safely  back  to  his  own  lines.  At 
the  close  of  his  military  service,  Henry  Zeigle  engaged  in  farming,  start- 
ing with  $50.  He  prospered,  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  over  500 
acres  of  land  in  Boonville  township.  Though  his  own  schooling  had  been 
limited  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  Henry  Zeigle  was  an  instinctive  student 
and  a  great  reader,  and  ever  took  an  earnest  interest  in  the  cause  of 
education,  a  constant  encouragement  to  his  children  and  to  the  whole 
neighborhood  to  make  the  most  of  the  growing  advantages  along  that 
line.  He  was  a  republican.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  local  post 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  faith  of  which  denomination  their 
children  were  reared.  Henry  Zeigle  died  in  1913,  and  at  his  passing  left 
a  good  memory.  His  widow  is  now  living  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  in 
which  township  she  was  born,  a  daughter  of  Timothy  McGuire  and  wife, 
well  known  residents  of  that  community  in  their  generation.  To  Henry 
and  Malinda  (McGuire)  Zeigle  were  born  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Lester  0. ;  Prof.  William  H.  Zeigle,  who  for  years  has  been  active  in  the 
work  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Kirksville,  a  lecturer  in  the  school 


846  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

and  a  wide  traveler  in  its  behalf;  Rev.  Anthony  F.  Zeigle,  also  of  Kirks- 
ville,  and  one  of  the  best  known  Presbyterian  clergyment  in  Missouri,  a 
sound  pulpit  orator  whose  services  are  much  in  demand  over  the  State 
as  a  preacher  of  baccalaureate  sermons  and  for  services  of  a  general  pub- 
lic character;  John,  deceased;  one  who  died  in  infancy;  Claud,  deceased; 
Lee,  deceased,  and  Grace  M.,  wife  of  Daniel  Rothgeb,  of  New  Lebanon 
township. 

Lester  0.  Zeigle  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools,  supple- 
menting the  same  by  the  extensive  home  reading  to  which  his  father  con- 
stantly encouraged  him.  In  1909  he  bought  his  first  farm,  a  tract  of  157 
acres,  and  in  1913  bought  a  tract  of  235  acres,  the  place  on  which  he  is 
now  living.  In  the  spring  of  1919  he  sold  his  first  tract  and  is  now  giving 
his  whole  attention  to  his  home  farm,  which  he  has  improved  in  admira- 
ble fashion  and  on  which,  in  addition  to  his  general  farming,  he  raises 
live  stock,  with  special  reference  to  high  grade  Jersey  cattle  and  0.  I.  C. 
and  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr.  Zeigle  is  a  republican,  as  was  his  father. 
His  wife  and  children  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

April  20,  1896,  Lester  O.  Zeigle  was  married  to  Catherine  Immele, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Louis  and  Teresa  (Meis- 
burger)  Immele,  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  their  respective 
parents  in  the  early  '50s.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zeigle  six  children  have  been 
bora,  namely:  Lorena,  who  is  completing  her  schooling  at  Pilot  Grove; 
Viola,  deceased;  and  Francis,  Christina,  Henry  and  Robert. 

George  Gross,  proprietor  of  a  well-kept  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship and  one  of  the  best-known  men  in  that  township,  was  born  in  St. 
Clair  County,  111.,  April  15,  1858,  son  of  Jacob  and  Josephine  (Wachter) 
Gross,  both  natives  of  Bavaria,  but  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this 
county,  residents  of  the  Chauteau  Springs,  Pilot  Grove  township  and 
whose  remains  are  resting  in  St.  Martin's  Cemetery  in  that  township. 
Jacob  Gross  was  born  in  1819,  and  in  1840  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  at  Belleville,  111.,  where  he  operated  a  stone  quarry,  a  vocation 
which  he  had  followed  in  his  home  land.  There  he  married  and  continued 
to  reside  until  1869,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Missouri,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  near  Chauteau  Springs  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  where  he 
and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  in 
1893.  She  was  born  Sept.  13,  1818,  and  died  Nov.  22,  1912.  Jacob  Gross 
and  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
and  the  others  are  George  and  Jacob,  a  resident  of  Pilot  Grove  township. 
George  Gross  was  10  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  with 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  847 

his  parents  in  1869,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  completing  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools.  After  his 
marriage  in  1886  he  continued  making  his  home  on  the  home  place  of  120 
acres,  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  the  same.  In  1893  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  220  acres  in  that  same  township,  and  in  1895  sold  the 
old  home  place  and  moved  on  to  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  improved 
in  excellent  fashion.  Mr.  Gross  is  a  democrat.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  St.  Martin's  Catholic  Church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

Jan.  20,  1886,  George  Gross  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Peak,  who  was 
born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  Barnard,  Howard  County ;  Josephine,  wife  of  Andrew  Gramlick, 
Pilot  Grove  township ;  Frank,  Howard  County ;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Schus- 
ter, Pilot  Grove  township ;  John,  at  home,  assisting  in  the  operations  of 
the  home  farm ;  Edward  H.,  who  served  with  the  United  States  Army  in 
France;  and  Leonard,  who  is  now  a  student  in  a  school  of  automotive 
mechanics  at  Kansas  City.  Edward  H.  Gross,  who  was  born  Feb.  4,  1896, 
was  inducted  into  the  National  Army,  Sept.  20,  1917,  and  was  trained  at 
Camp  Funston ;  seven  months  later  he  went  to  France  as  a  member  of 
Company  C,  138th  Infantry,  35th  Division,  with  which  command  he  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  the  most  severe  campaigning  of  the  World  War,  in- 
cluding the  battle  which  was  waged  in  the  Argonne  Forest.  He  was  dis- 
charged in  May,  1919,  and  is  now  at  home.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gross  was 
born  in  Clear  Creek  township,  May  1,  1863,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Cather- 
ine (Keck)  Peak,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  bom  in  this  county,  of 
pioneer  parentage,  and  the  latter  in  Baden,  Germany.  During  the  Civil 
War,  Peter  Peak  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  was  killed  in 
battle  during  the  Shelby  raid.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two 
daughters,  of  whom  Mrs.  Gross  is  the  elder,  she  having  a  sister,  Mary, 
who,  under  the  name  of  Sister  Mary  Maura,  has  for  years  been  rendering 
service  in  the  convent  school  at  Conception,  Mo.  Some  time  after  the 
death  of  her  soldier  husband  the  Widow  Peak  married  Bernard  Horst, 
who  also  was  born  in  Germany,  and  who  as  well  as  herself  is  now  de- 
ceased.    To  that  union  five  children  were  born. 

John  T.  Davis,  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township 
and  a  good  piece  of  property  in  the  town  of  Blackwater,  where  he  is  now 
living  and  who  prefers  to  refer  to  himself  as  an  "ex-farmer",  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  18,  1862,  son  of  John  J.  and  Hester  Ann 
(Rose)  Davis,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  that  county.     John  J.  Davis 


848  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

was  a  native  of  Wales,  born  on  a  farm  in  1841.  When  a  boy  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  country,  locating  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  later 
moved  to  Franklin  County,  Ohio,  where  he  married  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  where  he  died  in  1915.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  56  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  residing  in  Missouri. 

Reared  on  the  farm  in  Franklin  County,  Ohio,  John  T.  Davis  there 
grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools,  and  there 
remained  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1889,  when  he  and  his  wife 
came  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Blackwater,  where  he  became  engaged 
as  a  laborer,  later  becoming  engaged  as  a  farm  hand.  In  1904,  he  bought 
a  farm  of  35  acres  and  began  farming.  He  prospered  and  in  1906,  he 
bought  188  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  to  which  he  moved  and  there 
continued  to  reside  until  his  retirement  in  Aug.,  1918,  and  return  to  Black- 
water,  where  he  owns  a  comfortable  place  comprising  six  acres.  Mr.  Davis 
is  a  republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

March  6,  1889,  in  Ohio,  John  T.  Davis  was  married  to  Nina  B.  Smith 
and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  bom,  namely:  Irvin,  is  farm- 
ing in  this  county;  John  S.,  is  farming  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove 
township;  Fannie,  wife  of  C.  G.  Moore,  Boonville;  George,  deceased;  and 
Willard,  Howard  and  Vernon,  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  Davis 
was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  April  13,  1872,  daughter  of  S.  Smith 
and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Hoover.     Mrs.  Smith  lives  in  Ohio. 

William  B.  Rissler,  cashier  of  the  Pleasant  Green  Bank  of  Pleasant 
Green,  and  former  clerk  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  has 
been  a  resident  of  Missouri  and  of  Cooper  County  since  he  was  12  years 
of  age.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  County,  Va.,  July  27,  1861, 
son  of  Samuel  L.  and  Sarah  (Johnston)  Rissler,  both  natives  of  Virginia, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  there  at  the 
age  of  87  years.  Samuel  L.  Rissler  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1905. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  11  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

When  he  was  12  years  of  age,  William  B.  Rissler  came  to  Missouri 
with  his  uncle.  William  Rissler,  who  located  on  a  farm  here  in  1873,  and 
who  afterward  served  as  judge  for  the  western  district  of  the  county, 
and  on  that  farm  he  grew  to  manhood,  completing  his  schooling  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  Central  College  at  Fayette,  Mo.     He  then  resumed 


WIT.I.IAM     B,     KISSI.KK 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY.  849 

farming  on  the  farm  of  his  uncle,  Judge  Rissler,  but  in  1884,  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account,  and  thus  continued  until  his  election  in  1898,  as 
the  nominee  of  the  democratic  party,  to  the  office  of  clerk  of  Cooper 
County.  For  four  years  Mr.  Rissler  occupied  that  position,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  his  term  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  horses  and  mules. 

In  1905,  recognizing  the  need  of  a  bank  at  Pleasant  Green,  Mr.  Riss- 
ler set  about  the  organization  of  such  an  institution,  and  upon  organiza- 
tion was  elected  cashier  of  the  same,  a  position  he  since  has  occupied. 
The  Pleasant  Green  Bank  is  capitalized  at  $10,000.  Upon  organization  of 
the  bank  in  1905,  Judge  J.  D.  Stark  was  chairman  of  the  organization. 
Dr.  J.  S.  Parish  was  elected  president,  which  office  he  now  holds.  A.  J. 
Reed  has  been  vice-president  of  the  bank  since  its  organization.  The 
bank  has  a  directorate  of  nine  members,  all  farmers  with  the  exception 
of  Mr.  Rissler  and  Doctor  Parish,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State 
Bankers  Association  and  of  the  American  Bankers  Association. 

Mr.  Rissler  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South), 
and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  member  of  the  council,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masters;  of  the  commandery,  Knights  Templar  (York 
Rite),  and  of  the  Boonville  temple  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

William  T.  Tally,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  a  substantial  retired 
farmer  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Saline  township,  Oct.  14, 
1839,  son  of  Henderson  and  Mary  Ann  (Taylor)  Tally,  the  former  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  Jan.  6,  1811,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky,  born  Feb.  10, 
1816.  They  were  married  in  this  county  Dec.  15,  1836,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  here.  Henderson  Tally  died  in  1887.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  Mrs.  Louisa  Hopkins,  deceased; 
William  T. ;  Judge  James  P.  Tally,  Pilot  Grove;  Mrs.  Mary  Woods,  de- 
ceased ;  Marion  C,  deceased,  and  Mrs.  Catherine  Newlin,  a  widow,  Boon- 
ville. 

William  T.  Tally  received  his  schooling  in  the  primitive  schools  of  the 
time,  and  was  living  at  home  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  in  the  Union  cause  for  two  years,  and  was  attached  to  Company 
F,  Fifth  Regiment,  Missouri  State  Militia.  At  the  end  of  his  two  years 
he  re-enlisted  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Twelfth 
Missouri  Cavalry,  serving  with  Sherman's  army.  Nov.  24,  1864,  in  the 
battle  of  Franklin,  his  horse  was  shot  from  under  him  and  he  was  taken 
(54) 


850  JIISTOKY    OK   COOPER  COUNTY 

prisoner  and  sent  to  the  Confederate  prison  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  where 
he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  mustered  out  under  a 
general  order,  April  29,  1865.  During  a  visit  home  on  furlough  in  the 
summer  of  1863,  Mr.  Tally  had  married,  and  upon  his  return  home,  after 
his  long  military  service,  he  resumed  farming  in  Saline  township,  where 
he  owned  a  farm  of  120  acres.  He  added  to  his  holding,  and  from  time 
to  time  was  the  owner  of  several  farms  in  this  county.  In  1903,  Mr. 
Tally  disposed  of  his  farm  holdings  and  moved  to  Boonville,  where  he 
since  has  made  his  home  at  1026  Fifth  Street.  Mr.  Tally  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after  office.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Aug.  14,  1863,  William  T.  Tally  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louisa  A. 
Tate,  who  was  born  in  Warren  County,  Tenn.,  Dec.  22,  1845,  daughter  of 
Douglas  and  Sarah  (Price)  Tate,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that 
county,  and  the  latter  in  Jackson  County,  Ala.,  who  came  with  their  fam- 
ily  to  Missouri  in  1852  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Texas  County,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Douglas  Tate  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  11  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Tally  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tally  have  six  children:  William  A.,  Boonville; 
Alice,  wife  of  A.  L.  Durnil,  Saline  township;  Joseph  D.,  Boonville;  Charles 
E.,  of  Excelsior  Springs;  Oscar  F.,  a  railway  mail  clerk  of  Kansas  City; 
and  Hattie  E.,  widow  of  David  A.  Snyder,  resides  with  her  parents  in 
Boonville.  Mrs.  Snyder  has  three  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son,  the 
latter  of  whom,  Oscar  E.  Snyder,  enlisted  in  the  aviation  corps  of  the 
National  Army  Jan.  25,  1918,  and  was  assigned  to  Camp  Sevier,  N.  C, 
where,  after  a  period  of  training,  he  was  made  a  first-class  sergeant,  and 
in  March,  1918,  sailed  for  overseas  service,  and  is  still  (spring  of  1919) 
in  France. 

Charles  L.  Vollrath,  for  ye^rs  president  of  the  City  Council  at  Boon- 
ville, and  until  quite  recently  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Sombart  Milling 
Company,  was  born  on  July  10,  1858,  son  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
(Breneisen)  Vollrath,  natives  of  Germany,  whose  last  days  were  spent 
here,  both  dying  while  their  son  Charles  was  still  a  child.  Nicholas  Voll- 
rath was  born  at  Frohubach,  in  the  Saxon  duchy  of  Saxe-Coburg,  Aug.  28, 
1814,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  brother,  George,  and  engaged  in 
the  milling  business  at  Boonville  until  they  sold  their  mill  to  the  Sombart 
Milling  Company,  which  has  ever  since  been  carrying  on  the  business. 
Here,  Nicholas  Vollrath  married  Mary  Elizabeth  Breneisen,  who  was  born 
at  Bruchsaal,  Gross  Hernogthum,  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden,  Aug.  31, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  851 

1830,  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her 
parents,  Reinhart  and  Mary  E.  Breneisen,  the  family  coming  to  Missouri 
and  locating  at  Boonville.  Reinhart  Breneisen  was  born  in  Milan,  Italy, 
Dec.  24,  1800,  and  was  trained  there  as  a  manufacturer  of  silk.  Upon 
taking  up  his  residence  in  Boonville  he  became  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  and  continued  until  his  death,  one  of  the  best  known 
of  the  earlier  merchants  of  that  city.  He  died  at  Boonville,  July  16,  1878. 
Nicholas  Vollrath  died  at  Boonville  Feb.  29,  1867.  His  wife  died  Dec.  5, 
1865.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follows:  H.  W.,  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  George  J.  Weber,  a  widow,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Mrs.  C.  C. 
Greenlease,  also  of  Kansas  City;  Charles  L. ;  Fannie  R.,  deceased;  and 
Mary  A.,  deceased. 

Charles  L.  Vollrath  was  but  a  child  when  he  was  bereft  by  death  of 
his  parents,  and  he  was  reared  at  Boonville  by  kinsfolk,  supplementing 
the  schooling  he  received  in  the  schools  of  that  city  by  a  course  in  the 
University  at  St.  Louis.  Upon  returning  from  the  university  he  took 
employment  with  his  elder  brother,  H.  W.  Vollrath,  who  was  engaged  in 
the  stoneware  and  pottery  business  at  Boonville,  and  some  time  later 
began  clerking  in  the  general  store  of  his  uncle  in  that  city,  later  taking 
employment  in  the  Brockmeyer  store,  and  thus  became  thoroughly  famil- 
iar with  the  details  of  the  mercantile  business.  In  1892,  Mr.  Vollrath 
began  his  service  with  the  Sombart  Milling  Company,  having  acquired  an 
interest  in  the  same,  and  was  made  secretary-treasurer  of  the  company, 
a  position  he  occupied  until  in  January,  1919,  when  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Vollrath  is  a  republican,  and  has  for  many  years  been  regarded 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  Cooper  County.  For  13  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Boonville  Board  of  Aldermen  and  president  of  the 
City  Council,  and  on  several  occasions  was  urged  to  become  a  candidate 
for  mayor  of  the  city,  but  he  always  declined.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  since  1883,  and  of  Boonville  Lodge, 
No.  91,  Knights  of  Pythias,  since  1884.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Church,  in  the  faith  of  which  he  was  reared,  and  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Jan.  24,  1884,  Charles  L.  Vollrath  was  married  to  Pauline  C.  Kratz, 
of  Boonville,  and  to  ths  union  one  child  has  been  born,  Bertha  C,  wife  of 
H.  Goodman,  who  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  at  Boonville.  Mrs. 
Vollrath  was  born  in  Boonville,  March  24,  1858,  daughter  of  Christian  C. 
and  Elizabeth  Cecelia  (Beha)  Kratz,  natives  of  Germany,  who  became 
residents  of  Boonville  in  their  youth,  they  having  accompanied  their  re- 


852  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

spective  parents  to  this  country  many  years  ago,  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  in  that  city.  Christian  C.  Kratz,  who  was  bom  in  the  duchy 
of  Nassau,  now  Wiesbaden,  a  district  of  the  Prussian  province  of  Hesse- 
Nassau,  in  1836,  died  at  his  home  in  Boonville,  July  5,  1866,  at  the  age  of 
32  years,  9  months  and  26  days.  His  widow  died  in  Boonville,  Jan.  12, 
1913.     She  was  born  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden  on  Nov.  19,  1827. 

Judge  Herbert  J.  Hoff,  former  county  judge  for  the  western  district 
of  Cooper  County,  and  a  well-known  and  progressive  farmer  of  Pilot  Grove 
township,  was  born  Dec.  4,  1875,  son  of  Jacob  and  Jacobanna  (Felton) 
Hoff,  the  latter  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  both  of  whom  are 
still  living.  Jacob  Hoff  was  born  in  Eppenbrumen,  Germany,  May  12, 
1842,  and  in  his  young  manhood  came  to  the  United  Staes,  going  to  Michi- 
gan. He  soon  afterwards  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Cooper  County, 
where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  presently  was  married  here.  After 
his  marriage  he  bought  the  farm  which  he  still  owns  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, and  there  continued  to  reside  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to 
Pilot  Grove,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Hoff  was  born 
in  this  county  in  1853,  daughter  of  Hubert  Felton,  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  in  this  volume.  To  Jacob  Hoff  and  his  wife  were  born 
eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  in  order 
of  birth. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Herbert  J.  Hoff 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools,  and  from  boyhood  has  been 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1899  he  bought  the  farm  of  76  acres  on  which 
he  is  now  living,  and  has  made  many  improvements  on  the  place.  He 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Judge  Hoff  is  a  democrat 
and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  Cooper  County.  In  1914,  he  was 
elected  county  judge  for  the  western  district,  and  in  that  important 
capacity  served  the  people  for  two  years.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

May  23,  1899,  Herbert  J.  Hoff  was  married  to  Helena  Weber,  and  to 
this  union  five  children  have  been  born  Gertrude,  Herman,  Cecelia,  Clara 
and  Anna  M.  Mrs.  Hoff  was  born  at  Tipton,  Mo.,  July  29,  1875,  a  daughter 
of  Godfrey  and  Gertrude  (Lutz)  Weber,  natives  of  Germany,  who  settled 
in  Moniteau  County  many  years  ago  and  are  now  deceased. 

Anthony  Vollmer,  one  of  the  well-known  and  substantial  farmers  of 
Pilot  Grove  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  March 
16,  1866,  son  of  Leo  and  Mary  Vollmer,  both  of  German  descent,  the 
former  of  whom  died  at  30  years  of  age,  when  his  son  Anthony  was  but 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  853 

eight  years  old.  Leo  Vollmer  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Anthony ;  Joseph,  Pilot  Grove  township ;  Sophia,  wife  of  Joseph 
Sellers,  Clear  Creek  township;  and  Frank,  Clear  Creek  township. 

Anthony  Vollmer  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  from 
the  days  of  his  youth  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  Thirty  years 
or  more  ago  he  rented  a  farm  in  Blackwater  township.  His  affairs  pros- 
pered, and  in  1893  he  was  enabled  to  buy  a  farm  of  190  acres  in  Pilot 
Grove,  where,  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1896,  he  established  his 
home,  and  resided  there  until  1911,  when  he  sold  that  farm  and  bought 
200  acres  where  he  is  now  living  and  which  he  has  greatly  improved, 
erecting  a  residence  and  making  other  improvements.  He  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has  prospered.  Mr.  Vollmer  is  a 
republican,  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
Church,  Pilot  Grove,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of 
America,  while  his  elder  son,  Leo,  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

April  21,  1896,  at  St.  Martin's  Church,  Anthony  Vollmer  was  married 
to  Mary  Bonen,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children:  Leo  H., 
assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm ;  Minnie  M..  Anna  E.,  Raymond  J., 
Sophia  T.,  Bernardine  M.  and  Edna  M.  Mrs.  Vollmer  was  born  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  Jan.  2,  1874,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Vonderheil) 
Bonen,  both  natives  of  Germany  who  came  to  this  country  with  their 
respective  parents  in  their  youth,  the  Bonen  and  Vonderheil  families 
locating  in  this  county.  Henry  Bonen  and  wife,  both  now  deceased,  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Vollmer  was  the  fifth  in 
order  of  birth. 

Stonewall  Jackson  Coleman,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  at  the  edge 
of  the  village  of  Pilot  Grove,  in  the  spring  of  1915,  was  born  on  April  13, 
1868,  son  of  James  S.  and  Margaret  Ann  (Cockrell)  Coleman,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  a  cousin  of  the  late  United  States  Senator  Cockrell,  of  this 
State,  and  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in  this  county.  James  S. 
Coleman  was  born  in  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  Jan.  6,  1830,  and  was  but  eight 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  Dr.  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Gunnell)  Coleman,  in  1838,  the  family  settling  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  widow  of  S.  J.  Coleman,  near  the  site  on  which  the  village 
of  Pilot  Grove  sprang  up.  The  town  received  its  name  from  a  grove 
which  was  on  this  farm.  This  place  thus  having  been  in  the  Coleman 
family's  continuous  possession  now  for  more  than  80  years.  Though 
giving  considerable  attention  to  the  development  of  his  farm,  Doctor  Cole- 
man continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  after  coming  here,  and  for 


854  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

years  was  one  of  the  best  known  pioneer  physicians  in  these  parts.  His 
son,  James  S.  Coleman  grew  up  on  that  farm,  and  after  his  marriage  to 
Margaret  Ann  Cockrell  continued  making  his  home  there,  carrying  on  the 
farming  operations  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July  4,  1897.  His 
widow  died  March  19,  1898.  She  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Va., 
Oct.  21,  1830.  To  James  S.  Coleman  and  wife  were  born  nine  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Samuel  W.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Gen- 
eral Lee,  lives  at  Sedalia,  and  is  a  teacher  in  the  Northeastern  High 
School,  Kansas  City;  Major  B.,  Kansas  City;  and  Mary  E.,  wife  of  D. 
Grover,  Kansas  City. 

Stonewall  Jackson  Coleman  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old  Pilot 
Grove  College,  at  that  time  being  conducted  by  W.  F.  Johnson,  author  of 
this  history,  and  upon  leaving  school  continued  his  place  on  the  farm, 
later  assuming  management  of  the  same,  and  in  1899  bought  the  other 
heirs'  interests  in  the  place.  He  made  extensive  improvements  on  the 
place  and  enjoyed  one  of  the  most  comfortable  suburban  residences  in  the 
county.  He  was  a  stanch  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  (South),  as  is  his  widow,  and  their  sons  have  been  reared 
in  that  faith. 

July  12,  1893,  Stonewall  Coleman  was  married  to  Hortense  Hardy, 
who  was  born  at  California,  Mo.,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  sons, 
James  Hardy,  born  on  Aug.  6,  1894,  and  Charles  William,  May  18,  1896. 
James  Hardy  Coleman  in  1918  married  Sarah  Morris,  of  Centralia,  Mo., 
and  lives  on  the  home  place.  Charles  William  Coleman  was  inducted  into 
the  National  Army  during  the  World  War,  and  after  preliminary  training 
sailed  in  August,  1918,  for  overseas  service,  and  is  now  at  Camp  Mills, 
N.  J.,  having  returned  to  the  United  States,  June  23,  1919.  Mrs.  Cole- 
man is  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Duncan)  Hardy, 
the  former  born  in  Tennesse,  and  the  latter  in  Virginia.  The  Rev.  James 
M.  Hardy  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South),  and 
his  last  days  were  spent  in  Moniteau  County,  for  many  years  one  of  the 
best  known  clergymen  in  that  county.  His  wife  was  widow  when  he 
married  her,  her  first  husband  having  been  Allen  Hammond,  who  yeai's 
ago  was  the  editor  of  the  Boonville  Observer,  the  forerunner  of  the  pres- 
ent Advertiser. 

Walter  J.  Kraus,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, and  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  of  Cooper  County,  was 
bom  Jan.  30,  1889,  son  of  Frank  and  Julia  (Wittman)  Kraus,  the  former 
of  whom  is  still  living  at  Pilot  Grove,  retired.     Frank  Kraus  was  born 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  855 

on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Dec.  15,  1858,  and  grew  up  to 
the  life  of  the  farm,  afterward  buying  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son, 
Walter,  and  there  resided  until  his  retirement.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
on  Nov.  2,  1859,  died  July  4,  1915.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  as  is  her  husband,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  six  of  these  children,  as  follows :  Walter  J. ;  Herman,  who  in 
the  spring  of  1917  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  and  after  pre- 
liminary training  sailed  in  April,  1918,  for  overseas  service  with  the  89th 
Division,  and  was  in  France  until  June  12,  1919,  when  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  is  now  living  at  Columbia;  Fred,  who  also  participated 
in  the  World  War,  in  the  naval  service,  and  recently  received  his  honor- 
able discharge  at  the  naval  station  at  Pensacola,  Fla,  now  mail  carrier. 
Pilot  Grove;  Regina,  deceased;  and  Bernardine  and  Rosaline  (twins), 
the  former  of  whom  is  living  with  her  father  at  Pilot  Grove,  and  the  lat- 
ter is  deceased. 

Walter  J.  Kraus  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  Pilot  Grove,  and  when  21  years  of  age  began  farming 
on  his  own  account  on  a  rented  farm,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  1917, 
when  he  bought  his  father's  farm  of  104  acres,  the  place  on  which  he  is 
now  living.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Kraus  gives  consid- 
erable attention  to  the  breeding  of  Poland  China  hogs  and  is  meeting  with 
success.  His  place  is  well  improved,  and  he  carries  on  his  operations  in 
accordance  with  up-to-date  methods.  Mr.  Kraus  is  a  republican.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

April  10,  1918,  Walter  J.  Kraus  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Esser,  who  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  daughter  of  Lawrence  and 
Margaret  (Martin)  Esser,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship. Lawrence  Esser  was  born  in  1851  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  is 
now  living  retired  in  Boonville,  Mo.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Margaret  (Martin)  Esser  was  born  in  1857,  and  died  in  May, 
1914.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  Mrs.  Kraus  is  the 
youngest. 

Henry  G.  Lammers,  proprietor  of  "Hickory  Grove"  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  a  substantial  farmer  and  stockman,  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
May  15,  1877,  son  of  Henry  and  Wilhelmina  (Vonderhaar)  Lammers,  who 
were  born  in  Germany  and  were  married  in  St.  Louis  in  1868.  In  that 
city  they  remained  until  the  summer  of  1877  when  they  came  to  Cooper 
County  with  their  children  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township, 


856  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Of  the  children  born  to 
Henry  Lammers  and  wife  six  grew  to  maturity  and  five  are  still  living,  all 
residents  of  Cooper  County. 

Henry  G.  Lammers  was  but  an  infant  in  arms  when  his  parents  came 
to  Cooper  county  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district  school.  In  1900 
he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  in  the  fall  of  1903  he  settled 
on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living,  beautiful  "Hickory  Grove"  farm, 
formerly  known  as  the  Eads  farm,  where  he  has  a  well-improved  place 
of  276  acres.  He  raises  pure-bred  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr.  Lammers  is 
a  republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Oct.  20,  1903,  Henry  G.  Lammers  was  married  to  Mary  C.  Schuster, 
a  member  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  pioneer  families,  and  to  this  union 
have  been  born  seven  children,  Roy,  Raymond,  Ona,  Robert,  Estella, 
Marvin  and  Ernest.  Mrs.  Lammers  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township, 
daughters  of  William  and  Christina  (Felten)  Schuster,  both  now  deceased. 
The  late  William  Schuster  was  twice  married  and  his  widow,  who  before 
her  marriage  was  Anna  Vollrath,  is  living  on  the  old  home  farm. 

Dr.  John  Sinclair  Parrish,  physician  and  druggist  at  Pleasant  Green, 
and  president  of  the  bank  at  that  place,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
practice  for  nearly  30  years,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  Speed,  March  6,  1863,  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Sin- 
clair) Parrish,  both  of  whom  died  in  the  days  of  his  childhood,  leaving 
him  to  be  reared  by  kinsfolk  in  this  county. 

David  Parrish  was  a  North  Carolinian,  born  in  1807,  who  came  to 
Missouri  in  his  young  manhood  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  Lone  Elm  Prairie, 
Palestine  township,  this  county,  later  moving  to  a  farm  near  Speed, 
where  his  last  days  were  spent.  During  the  rush  of  gold  seekers  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  he  made  the  trip  across  the  plains  with  others  from  this 
section.  He  presently  returned  and  was  content  to  remain  here  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  became  a  substantial  farmer  and  died  at  his  home  near 
Speed  in  1872.  David  Parrish  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife, 
who  was  a  Miss  Waller,  he  was  the  father  of  seven  children.  After  the 
death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  he  remained  a  widower  for  20  years, 
when,  in  1860,  he  married  Elizabeth  Sinclair,  who  was  born  in  Illinois 
To  that  union  five  children  were  born.  Of  these  Doctor  Parrish  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth. 

Dr.  Parrish  received  excellent  scholastic  training  for  the  arduous 
profession  to  which  he  early  devoted  his  talents,  and  has  for  many  years 


DR.   JOHN   SINCLAIR   PARRISH 


HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  857 

been  one  of  the  best  known  physicians  in  this  county.  Reared  on  the 
home  farm  near  Speed,  which,  after  the  death  of  his  parents,  was  retained 
in  the  possession  of  the  family,  his  early  schooling  was  received  in  the 
district  school.  He  then  attended  the  old  Parrish  Institute  at  Bunceton, 
and  thus  prepared  by  preliminary  study,  entered  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Warrensburg,  and  after  his  graduation  from  that  institution  was  for 
five  years  engaged  in  teaching  school  during  the  winters,  continuing  farm- 
ing in  the  summers.  In  the  meantime,  he  had  been  devoting  his  leisure 
to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  1888  entered  Beaumont  Hospital  Medical 
College  at  St.  Louis.  From  this  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1891, 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Jamestown,  Mo.  He  had  been 
there  but  a  few  months,  however,  when  he  returned  to  Cooper  County 
and  located  at  Pleasant  Green,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1895, 
Doctor  Parrish  opened  a  drug  store  at  Pleasant  Green  and  has  since  been 
carrying  on  the  business  in  addition  to  the  wide  practice  he  has  enjoyed 
all  these  years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Pleasant  Green 
Bank,  and  upon  its  organization  was  elected  president  of  the  same.  He 
is  a  democrat.  Though  reared  in  the  Christian  Church,  he  has  for  years 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South).  He  is  affili- 
ated with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

April  29,  1895,  Dr.  John  S.  Parrish  was  married  to  Martha  Eliza- 
beth Rissler,  who  was  born  in  Pettis  County,  daughter  of  John  G.  Rissler 
and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  was  a  Miss  Longon,  both  natives  of 
Virginia,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Mary,  born  Feb. 
10,  1897,  and  John  R.,  born  in  1898,  and  died  in  1907.  Mary  Parrish 
married  James  W.  Stephens,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  who  was 
with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France,  and  was  discharged 
June  11,  1919,  now  al  home,  as  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Robert  Lee  Dunn,  one  of  Blackwater  township's  substantial  fanners, 
was  born  in  Blackwater  township,  Aug.  12,  1867,  son  of  Joseph  William 
and  Nancy  Dunn.  Joseph  William  Dunn  was  born  in  Logan  County,  Ky., 
of  Irish  parentage,  both  of  his  parents  having  been  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  first  made  their  home  in  Kentucky  after  coming  to  this  country,  but 
later  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Cooper  County,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  During  the  Civil  War,  Joseph  W.  Dunn 
served  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  Upon  his  return  he  resumed  farming  in  this  county  and  became 
well-to-do,  continuing  his  farming  until  his  death  in  1890,  he  then  being 
65  years  of  age.     His  widow,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  died 


858  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

in  1901,  aged  75  years.  They  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  the  only  survivor,  was  the 
youngest,  the  others  having  been  as  follows:  Rebecca,  married  J.  Hamil- 
ton; Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Potter;  Bettie,  married  P.  D.  Smith;  and  Thomas  and 
Charles. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Blackwater  township,  Robert  Lee  Dunn 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  from  his  boyhood  has  de- 
voted his  attention  to  farming.  Upon  beginning  operations  on  his  own 
account  he  rented  a  farm,  continuing  his  operations  as  a  renter  until  in 
1918  when  he  bought  from  his  niece,  Orpha  Dunn,  of  Kansas  City,  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and  where  for  years  he  had  been  making 
his  home.  Mr.  Dunn  has  his  place  well  improved  and  is  prosperous.  He 
is  a  stanch  democrat,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Jan.  2,  1902,  Robert  Lee  Dunn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Eliza 
A.  (Barnhart)  Stone,  widow  of  Henry  Stone,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  born  two  sons,  Warner  and  Sylvester.  By  her  first  marriage,  Mrs. 
Dunn  was  the  mother  of  two  children;  the  first  born  died  in  infancy,  and 
the  other,  Mada  Stone,  is  living.  Mrs.  Dunn  was  born  in  Osage  County, 
Mo.,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Morris)  Barnhart,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Maries  County,  Mo.,  and  who  many  years  ago  came  to  Cooper 
County  and  settled  in  Saline  township,  where  they  remained  until  their 
retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Boonville,  where  they  now  live. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Dunn 
was  the  second. 

Henry  Kraus,  one  of  Clear  Creek  township's  most  substantial  farm- 
ers and  the  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  that  township  of  230  acres 
of  land,  was  born  on  that  farm  June  23,  1864,  son  of  Francis  M.  and  Mary 
Ann  (Remspeacher)  Kraus,  natives  of  Germany,  who  were  married  in 
this  county,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here.  Francis  M.  Kraus  was 
born  in  Ratheim,  Germany,  June  25,  1812,  son  of  Jacob  and  Katherine 
(Eries)  Kraus,  who  spent  all  their  lives  in  their  native  land.  When  he 
was  24  years  old,  Francis  M.  Kraus  came  to  the  United  States,  and  shortly 
afterwards  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  this  county.  Here  he  began 
working  as  a  farm  hand.  In  1858  he  entered  from  the  Government  the 
tract  of  land  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  Henry,  and  developed 
and  excellent  farm  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  Nov.  23, 
1892,  he  then  being  80  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  Sept.  18,  1890.  She 
also  was  born  at  Ratheim,  July  6,  1827,  and  was  nine  years  of  age  when 
she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  Anthony  Remspeacher  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  859 

wife,  who  settled  in  this  county,  Anthony  securing  from  the  Government 
a  grant  of  land  in  Clear  Creek  township.  The  original  certificate  of  this 
grant,  issued  during  the  administration  of  President  Taylor,  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Henry  Kraus,  as  is  the  certificate  of  the  land  grant 
issued  to  his  father,  Francis  M.  Kraus,  during  the  administration  of  Pres- 
ident Buchanan.  Francis  M.  Kraus  and  his  wife  were  Catholics,  were 
among  the  first  members  of  St.  John's  Catholic  Church,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  reared  in  that  faith.  Of  the  children  born  to  them  10  were 
reared  to  maturity,  of  these  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  ninth  in 
order  of  birth. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township, 
Henry  Kraus  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools,  and  from  boy- 
hood devoted  his  attention  to  the  labors  of  the  farm.  He  married  in  the 
spring  of  1891,  and  after  his  father's  death  in  1892  bought  from  the 
other  heirs  to  the  estate  their  respective  interests  in  the  home  farm  of 
180  acres,  and  has  since  continued  to  reside  there.  He  has  made  many 
improvements  on  the  old  home  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming, 
Mr.  Kraus  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  Mr. 
Kraus  is  a  republican,  and  has  served  as  director  of  schools  in  his  district. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Catholic  Church. 

April  15,  1891,  Henry  Kraus  was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
Wessing,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  them  four  children 
were  born:  Frances  K.,  wife  of  H.  T.  Young,  New  Lebanon  township; 
Daniel  F.,  who  is  at  home  looking  after  the  interests  of  the  farm;  Flor- 
ence M.,  wife  of  B.  Felton,  and  Matilda,  at  home.  The  mother  of  these 
children  was  born  on  Feb.  24,  1869,  and  died  March  5,  1905.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Anthony  and  Katherine  (Twenter)  Wessing,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  many  years  ago  settled  on  a  farm  in  this  county  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  here. 

Jacob  F.  Muessig,  proprietor  of  a  well-kept  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, this  county,  and  long  accounted  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of 
that  section,  was  born  at  St.  Louis,  on  April  18,  1857,  son  of  Ludwig  and 
Elizabeth  (Stabeline)  Muessig,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  he  was  seven  or  eight  years  of  age.  Ludwig  Muessig  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  in  Baden  in  1831,  who  came  to  this  country  when  he 
was  23  years  of  age,  and  in  St.  Louis  married  Elizabeth  Stabeline,  also  a 
native  of  Baden,  born  in  1832.  To  this  marriage  were  born  two  children: 
Jacob  F.,  and  one  died  in  infancy.  Ludwig  Muessig  died  and  his  widow 
married  William  Reuter,  who  died  as  the  result  of  an  accident  in  St.  Louis, 
leaving  two  children,  William  J.,  Clear  Fork  township,  and  Minnie,  now 


860  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

a  nun  in  Conception  Convent,  Clyde,  Mo.  After  the  death  of  William 
Reuter  his  widow  married  Philip  Meisenheimer.  Two  children  were  born 
to  this  union:  Peter  G.,  of  Cooper  County,  and  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Bonen,  of 
Pettis  County.  The  family  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Clear  Creek  township  in  1866.  On  that  place  Philip  Meisenheimer  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  latter  dying  in  August, 
1910,  and  the  former  in  March,  1912. 

Jacob  F.  Muessig  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  this  county  with 
his  mother  and  his  stepfather  from  St.  Louis  in  1866,  and  he  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  neighborhood.  From  his  boyhood  he  was  trained  to  the 
ways  of  farming,  and  after  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  23  rented  a  farm 
and  began  operations  on  his  own  account.  He  prospered  and  soon  bought 
a  farm  of  80  acres  in  Clear  Creek  township.  Later  he  bought  an  adja- 
cent tract  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  now  has  an  excellent  farm  of  145 
acres,  which  he  has  improved,  and  on  which  he  makes  his  home.  Mr. 
Muessig  is  a  republican,  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church. 

Oct.  19,  1880,  Jacob  F.  Muessig  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  A. 
Kraus,  who  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township  Feb.  12,  1860.  and  died 
Feb.  23,  1905.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Francis  Kraus  and  wife.  To  Jacob 
F.  and  Anna  A.  (Kraus)  Muessig  were  born  nine  children,  namely:  Clara 
E.,  widow  of  F.  Klenklen  who  is  now  housekeeper  for  her  father;  Frank 
L.,  is  farming  in  that  township;  Mary  M.,  wife  of  Frank  Stoecklein,  Pilot 
Grove  township;  Johannes,  deceased;  Martha,  deceased;  Anselma  I.,  wife 
of  William  Kemp,  Pilot  Grove;  Pauline,  deceased;  Robert  J.,  who  is  now 
(spring  of  1919)  with  the  American  Army  in  France,  and  John  J.,  who  is 
at  home  assisting  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  farm.  Robert  J. 
Muessig,  the  soldier  son,  was  born  May  27,  1896,  and  was  a  farmer  when 
he  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  for  service  in  the  World  War. 
After  a  period  of  military  training  in  this  country  he  sailed  for  overseas 
service  in  September,  1918. 

James  M.  Haley,  one  of  the  well-known  older  residents  of  Palestine 
township,  was  born  in  Howard  County  on  March  12,  1848,  son  of  Thomas 
A.  and  Elizabeth  (Benson)  Haley,  who  were  the  parents  of  10  children, 
of  whom  James  M.  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Thomas  A.  Haley  also  was  a  native  Missourian,  bom  in  Boone 
County,  Dec.  19,  1820.  He  grew  up  a  farmer,  married  March  2,  1841,  in 
Moniteau  County,  where  his  wife  was  born  March  26,  1827,  resided  for  a 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  861 

while  in  Howard  County,  and  later  in  Moniteau  County,  and  from  the  lat- 
ter county  moved  to  Cooper  County  in  1865  and  located  on  a  farm  near 
Boonville,  where  died  in  1898.  His  wife  died  Nov.  22,  1877.  He  was  a 
republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

James  M.  Haley  was  17  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  from  Moniteau  County  in  1865,  and  here  he  remained 
until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  21,  after  which  he  moved  to  a  farm  in 
Jasper  County.  In  1872,  he  returned  to  Cooper  County  and  bought 
a  farm  near  Boonville.  In  1884  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living  in  Palestine  township,  and  has  since  made  his  home  on  that  place. 

Jan.  7,  1869,  James  M.  Haley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  M. 
Batton,  who  also  was  born  in  Howard  County,  and  to  this  union  eight 
children  have  been  born:  two  first  born  died  in  infancy;  Minnie,  married 
F.  W.  Babbitt,  Walsenburg,  Colo.;  Mrs.  Mattie  Roberts,  Prairie  Lick; 
Maud,  wife  of  Peter  Schlotzhauer,  Palestine  township;  Emma,  wife  of 
Joseph  Schlotzhauer,  Clear  Creek  township;  Arthur  and  Leslie,  who  are 
operating  the  home  place  in  Palestine  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haley 
have  10  grandchildren,  in  whom  they  take  much  delight. 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  Batton  Haley  died  April  3,  1919.  She  was  born  Dec. 
24,  1848. 

Sylvanus  Masel,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  one  of  the  well-known 
farmers  of  Clear  Creek  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Palestine  town- 
ship, April  3,  1841,  son  of  John  George  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Mueller)  Masel, 
both  of  European  birth,  who  became  early  settlers  in  this  county,  and 
here  spent  their  last  days.  John  George  Masel  was  born  in  Switzerland 
in  1803,  and  was  there  trained  to  the  art  of  cabinet  making,  at  which 
trade  he  worked  there  until  1837,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Palestine  township,  this  county,  where  he  died  in  1845.  His 
widow,  who  was  born  in  Bavaria  in  1807,  married  George  Weber,  and  died 
in  1882  without  issue  of  that  union.  By  her  first  marriage  she  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Mary,  married  Christian  Schupp  and 
is  now  deceased ;  John  C,  deceased ;  Fredericka,  married  John  Schloutz- 
hauer  and  is  deceased,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Sylvanus  Masel  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and 
he  early  undertook  to  face  the  responsibilities  of  life  "on  his  own  hook." 
The  meager  schooling  he  received  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  obtained 
in  the  little  old  log  school  house  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  and 
when  14  years  of  age  he  began  working  on  the  farm  of  a  neighbor  at  $5 


862  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

a  month,  and  when  15  years  of  age  he  was  driving  oxen  to  a  "breaking" 
plow  at  20  cents  a  day.  He  recalls  distinctly  an  incident  in  May,  1856, 
while  he  was  driving  oxen  for  Henry  Schlotzhauer,  when  the  oxen  became 
so  annoyed  at  the  flies  which  then  were  a  perfect  scourge  that  they  ran 
away,  making  a  break  for  a  clump  of  shade  trees  and  dragged  behind 
them,  boy,  plow,  and  all.  On  Aug.  12,  1862,  Sylvanus  Masel,  then  21 
years  of  age,  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army,  and  went  to  the  front,  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  A,  29th  Regiment,  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
with  that  command  saw  much  active  service,  first  in  the  Mississippi  cam- 
paigns and  later  on  the  march  with  Sherman  to  the  sea.  At  the  battle 
of  Arkansas  Post  he  had  a  narrow  escape  when  a  bullet  struck  his  belt. 
After  the  Atlanta  campaign,  Nov.  1,  1864,  his  regiment  was  mounted 
and  he  thereafter  served  as  a  cavalryman  in  the  15th  Army  Corps,  and 
was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  12,  1865,  the  war  then  being 
over. 

Mr.  Masel  returned  to  his  home  in  this  county  and  resumed  farming 
on  rented  land  until  1870,  when  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living.  At  one  time  he  owned  there  a  tract  of  95  acres,  but  some  time 
ago  he  sold  40  acres  of  the  place  to  his  adopted  son,  Frank  Wilfred  Masel, 
who  is  living  on  the  place.  Mr.  Masel  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Church. 

Feb.  22  1870,  Sylvanus  Masel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine 
Schupp,  who  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township,  this  county,  Feb.  10,  1852, 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Dorothy  Schupp.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Masel  have  no 
children  of  their  own,  but  years  ago  they  adopted  a  son,  Frank  W.,  who 
was  born  in  1872.  Frank  W.  Masel  has  been  twice  married.  By  his  first 
wife,  Mary  Organbright,  was  born  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  married  Mary  Saner,  and  to  this  union  four 
children  have  been  bom,  namely:  Matilda,  Louisa,  Rebecca.  One,  the 
oldest,  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Masel  was  justice  of  peace  of  Clear  Creek  township  for  16  years, 
and  was  again  elected  in  1919,  but  declined  to  serve. 

Robert  H.  Jeffress,  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Pilot  Grove 
township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township  Oct.  17,  1863,  son  of 
John  R.  and  Isabel  (Laurie)  Jeffress.  Robert  H.  Jeffress  received  his 
schooling  in  the  public  schools,  and  from  boyhood  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  farming.  For  some  time  he  worked  a  rented  farm  and  then 
bought  a  farm  east  of  Boonville.     In  1908  he  sold  that  place  and  bought 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  863 

the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Pilot  Grove,  which  he  has  greatly 
improved.  Mr.  Jeffress  has  an  excellent  farm  of  265  acres.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Citizens  Bank  of  Pilot  Grove,  of 
which  he  is  the  secretary.  In  civic  affairs  he  has  long  been  accounted 
one  of  the  leaders  in  his  neighborhood.  In  1913  he  was  made  democratic 
central  committeeman  for  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  in  1919  was  re- 
elected to  that  position.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  he  is  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  same.  Mr.  Jeffress  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 

June  25,  1892,  Robert  H.  Jeffress  was  married  to  Sophia  Baker,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Ruth,  Henry,  Mable,  Mildred,  Rob- 
ert B.,  and  one  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Jeffress  was  born  near  Alton,  111., 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Rebecca  (Hill)  Baker,  the  latter  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, now  living  in  Stone  County,  Mo.,  at  the  age  of  82  years.  Charles 
Baker  was  a  native  of  England  who  came  to  this  country  in  young  man- 
hood. During  the  Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Union  Army,  a  member  of 
an  Illinois  regiment,  and  in  1873  came  with  his  family  to  Missouri  and 
settled  on  a  farm  near  Boonville,  in  this  county,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life. 

Richey  Brothers  (John  W.  and  Henry  L.  Richey),  who  have  been 
farming  together  in  this  county  for  the  past  25  years,  and  who  are  the 
owners  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  were  born  in  this 
county.  John  W.  Richey  was  born  Sept.  27,  1867,  and  Henry  L.  Richey 
Jan.  1,  1871.  They  are  sons  of  John  H.  and  Rebecca  N.  (Kirkman) 
Richey,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the  latter  dying  on  Jan.  12,  1913, 
and  the  former,  Dec.  14,  1918. 

John  H.  Richey  was  a  Kentuckian,  born  on  June  6,  1837,  and  was  but 
two  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  William  and  Diamy  (Tinsley)  Richey, 
also  natives  of  Kntucky,  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Hickory  county. 
In  that  county,  John  H.  Richey  grew  to  manhood,  afterward  coming  to 
Cooper  County  and  locating  on  a  farm  east  of  Speed.  Here  he  married 
Rebecca  N.  Kirkman,  who  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township  on  Oct.  31, 
1839,  and  after  his  marriage  bought  a  farm  in  that  township,  where  he 
made  his  home  and  where  he  was  residing  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army,  participating  in  some  severe  en- 
gagements until  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and  taken  to  the  military 
prison  at  Rock  Island,  111.,  where  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  of  war  until  the 
close  of  the  war.     Upon  his  return  home,  Mr.  Richey  resumed  fanning 


864  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

in  Pilot  Grove  township  and  there  remained  until  his  retirement  from  the 
farm  and  removal  to  Pilot  Grove,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  He 
was  a  democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
They  were  parents  of  nine  childen,  as  follows:  Emma,  married  F.  Waller 
and  is  now  deceased ;  Mary  Ellen,  married  B.  H.  Meredith  and  is  deceased ; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Wilson,  Pilot  Grove;  Sarah,  wife  of  William 
Sharp,  Palestine  township ;  John  W. ;  Lucy,  wife  of  Charles  Jeffress,  same 
township ;  Henry  L. ;  Anna,  is  living-  with  her  brother  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship; and  Cora,  married  James  Gosnell  and  is  now  deceased. 

John  W.  and  Henry  L.  Richey  grew  up  together  on  the  home  farm  in 
Pilot  Grove  township,  and  received  their  schooling  in  the  district  school. 
From  the  days  of  their  boyhood  they  have  devoted  their  attention  to 
farming  and  early  decided  to  "stick  together"  in  their  operations  along 
those  lines,  and  thus  for  25  years  have  been  in  partnership.  In  1918 
they  bought  the  Thomas  Sims  farm  of  120  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township 
and  are  making  extensive  improvements.  They  entertain  similar  politi- 
cal views,  both  being  democrats,  as  was  their  father;  and,  as  were  their 
parents,  both  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  The  younger  brother, 
Henry  L.  Richey,  is  unmarried,  but  the  elder  brother,  John  William 
Richey,  was  married  on  April  28,  1917,  to  Edverda  Barnes,  who  was  born 
in  Saline  County. 

James  H.  Schlotzhauer,  a  substantial  farmer  and  stockman,  and  the 
owner  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Cooper  County  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Palestine  town- 
ship, Oct.  27,  1862,  the  eldest  of  the  children  born  to  John  and  Fredericka 
(Masel)  Schlotzhauer,  who  were  prominent  among  the  residents  of  that 
community. 

James  H.  Schlotzhauer  completed  his  schooling  in  the  school  at  Pilot 
Grove,  under  Professor  Eichelberger  and  C.  M.  Johnson,  and  for  a  while 
thereafter  remained  at  home,  farming  for  his  father.  In  1885,  he  bought 
130  acres  in  Clear  Creek  township,  proceeded  to  improve  the  same,  and 
for  21  years  made  his  home  there.  In  1906,  he  sold  that  farm  and  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  formerly  known  as  the  A.  W.  Walker 
farm,  and  which,  when  he  bought  it,  consisted  of  350  acres,  122  acres  of 
which  he  later  sold  to  his  son  Harry.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has  made  exten- 
sive improvements  on  the  place,  including  the  erection  of  a  large  silo  and 
a  set  of  farm  buildings  for  his  son,  Harry.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has  for 
many  years  made  a  specialty  of  feeding  live  stock  for  the  market  and  in 
his  operations  has  done  well,  long  having  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 


a 
- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  865 

leading  farmers  in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  is  an  independent  repub- 
lican, and  for  two  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  in  Dis- 
trict No.  54.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  (South). 

Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has  been  twice  married.  March  3,  1885,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Christina  Back,  who  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  town- 
ship in  1862,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Christina  (Yost)  Back,  and  who  died 
on  June  24,  1894.  To  that  union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  Harry, 
who  is  living  on  the  home  farm,  a  part  of  which  he  now  owns ;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  B.  Cordrey,  and  who  is  now  deceased ;  Oscar,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  automobile  business  at  Boonville ;  James  H.,  Jr.,  who  also  is  engaged 
in  the  automobile  business  at  Bunceton,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
Dec.  23,  1895,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  married  Mrs.  Lottie  (Carson)  Pounds, 
and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Hazel,  Virgil,  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Schlotzhauer  was  born  in  Morgan  County, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  State  all  her  life. 

David  Brownfield,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Pilot  Grove 
township  and  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen  in  that 
section  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  Oct.  4,  1848,  son  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine (Brownfield)  Brownfield,  Pennsylvanians,  who  came  to  this  county 
in  the  '40s  and  here  spent  their  last  days,  the  latter  living  to  a  ripe  old 
age.  John  Brownfield  was  born  in  1820  and  in  young  manhood  came 
West  and  settled  in  this  county.  He  took  a  trip  across  the  plains  and  on 
his  return  settled  on  his  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  where  he  died 
Oct.  4,  1856.  His  widow  died  Feb.  24,  1919.  John  Brownfield  and  his 
wife  had  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Eliz- 
abeth Graham,  now  deceased. 

David  Brownfield  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools. 
When  20  years  of  age,  in  1868,  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living.  Mr.  Brownfield  has  a  well  improved  farm  of  265  acres,  and  in 
addition  to  his  general  farming  he  raises  high  grade  live  stock.  The 
Brownfields  have  a  pleasant  home.  Two  of  the  sons  of  the  family  served 
with  the  American  Army  in  France  during  the  World  War.  Mr.  Brown- 
field is  a  republican,  but  has  not  been  an  office  seeker. 

Oct.  3,  1871,  David  Brownfield  was  united  in  marriage  to  Christina 

Schupp,  who  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township,  this  county,  and  to  this 

union  11  children  have  been  born,  namely:    Joseph,  deceased;  Curry,  who 

is  living  in  East  Pilot  Grove:  Jacob,  of  that  same  place;  Margaret,  wife 

(46) 


866  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  F.  Gerling,  of  Pilot  Grove  township;  Daniel,  who  is  now  living  in 
Wyoming-;  Grover,  deceased;  Veit,  who  was  with  the  American  Army  in 
France,  taking  his  part  in  the  World  War,  now  at  home;  Arthur,  who  is 
at  home  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  farm ;  Catherine,  who  married 
G.  Meredith  and  is  now  living  in  Omaha,  Neb.;  Silas,  who  went  overseas 
for  service  in  the  aviation  corps  of  the  United  States  Army  and  is  now  in 
the  United  States ;  and  Opal,  wife  of  F.  Neeley,  who  makes  his  home  with 
the  Brownfields  and  is  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  home  place.  Mrs. 
Brownfield  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County. 

Charles  A.  Stites,  one  of  Pilot  Grove  township's  substantial  farmers 
and  stockmen,  was  born  Aug.  5,  1870,  son  of  Prof.  Joseph  M.  and  Amanda 
(Hail)  Stites,  Tennesseans,  who  came  to  Missouri  with  their  respective 
parents,  and  who  after  the  Civil  War  settled  in  Cooper  County,  and  the 
latter  living  at  Pilot  Grove. 

Prof.  Joseph  M.  Stites,  who  for  many  years  was  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  educators  in  this  part  of  Missouri,  was  born  in  Wilson 
County,  Tenn.,  Feb.  3,  1834,  and  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his 
parents,  Levi  and  Mary  (Adamson)  Stites,  who  were  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina and  in  Tennessee,  respectively,  moved  to  Illinois  in  1838.  Two  years 
later  they  came  to  Greene  County,  Mo.,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  It  was  thus  that  Professor  Stites  had  his  rearing  and  his 
early  schooling  in  Greene  County,  this  State,  he  having  been  but  six  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  took  up  their  residence  there.  That  was  in  1840, 
and  the  schools  of  that  region  were  not  organized  on  the  high  plane  that 
today  marks  Missouri's  schools,  but  he  made  the  most  of  his  opportuni- 
ties, and  became  qualified  to  enter  upon  his  long  career  as  a  teacher,  a 
profession  which  he  followed  for  25  years  or  more.  On  Feb.  28,  1858, 
Professor  Stites  married  Amanda  Hail,  who  also  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
and  in  1863  came  to  Cooper  County,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove 
township.  He  followed  farming  and  teaching,  spending  his  winters  very 
usefully  in  that  important  calling.  Professor  Stites  died  in  1891.  To 
Professor  and  Amanda  (Hail)  Stites  were  born  five  children,  as  follows: 
Prof.  Horace  L.  Stites,  who  is  now  carrying  on  his  educational  labors  in 
the  State  of  Oklahoma;  Fannie,  wife  of  George  Judy,  Pilot  Grove;  Miss 
Mattie  Stites,  who  is  engaged  in  office  work  at  Pilot  Grove,  and  Charles 
A. ;  Bertha,  who  married  R.  S.  Harriman  and  is  now  deceased. 

Charles  A.  Stites  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship and  received  his  schooling  in  this  county,  the  same  being  supple- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  867 

men  ted  by  the  careful  home  instructions  he  received  from  his  father. 
From  his  boyhood  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  a  vocation 
which  he  has  followed  with  considerable  success,  for  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  a  well-improved  farm  of  240  acres  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  citi- 
zens of  his  community.  He  is  a  shareholder  in  the  Citizens  Bank  of 
Pilot  Grove.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons. 

In  February  1911,  Charles  A.  Stites  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma 
Davis,  daughter  of  J.  C.  Davis  and  wife,  and  to  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  Winifred  and  Ellen. 

James  Lewis  Painter,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Pales- 
tine township,  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Jan.  27,  1857, 
son  of  William  and  Eliza  (Long)  Painter,  Virginians.  They  settled  in 
Clear  Creek  township  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  It 
was  from  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  that  William  Painter  and  his  wife  and  the 
two  children  came  to  Cooper  County.  Their  third  and  last  child,  James 
L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  after  they  came  here.  William 
Painter  did  not  live  many  years  after  his  arrival  here.  He  died  about 
1861.  His  widow  continued  to  make  her  home  in  this  county  and  died  in 
1902.  Besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  she  had  another  son,  Charles 
Painter,  her  first  born,  now  living  in  California,  and  a  daughter,  Alberta, 
who  married  A.  Workman  and  is  now  deceased. 

Having  been  but  a  child  when  his  father  died,  James  L.  Painter  was 
early  thrown  pretty  much  on  his  own  resources,  and  thus  early  learned 
the  great  secret  of  self-reliance.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  Pleasant 
Green,  and  when  18  years  of  age  began  working  as  a  farm  hand  at  $12 
a  month.  He  afterward  rented  a  farm  and  later  he  bought  85  acres  in 
Palestine  township  and  continued  farming  that  place  until  1906,  when  he 
bought  his  present  farm,  the  old  Doctor  Evans  home  place,  and  has  since 
resided  there.  Mr.  Painter  has  a  well-kept  farm  of  244  acres,  maintains 
one  of  the  best  farm  plants  in  the  township.  He  is  giving  considerable 
attention  to  the  raising  of  high  grade  live  stock.  He  is  a  Democrat. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Feb.  1,  1884,  James  L.  Painter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Bab- 
bitt, who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born:  Edna,  who  married  Lester  Worts,  living  near  Bellaire, 
Mo.;  Lester,  Palestine  township;  and  Lloyd,  is  cashier  of  the  Bank  of 
Speed,  at  Speed,  Mo.     Mrs.  Painter  was  born  in  Palestine  township,  Dec. 


868  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

SI,  1862,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Burnham)  Babbitt,  both  of 
whom  died  while  she  was  a  small  child,  and  she  was  reared  by  a  relative, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Stewart  Babbitt. 

Peter  L.  Muntzel,  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  Palestine 
township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  May  25,  1872,  son 
of  Fred  and  Doris  (Senholt)  Muntzel,  who  came  to  this  country  after  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  Fred  Muntzel  was  born  in  Hanover  in  1832,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Doris  Senholt,  who  was  born  in  that 
country  about  1842.  In  1865  he  came  to  this  country.  Six  months  later 
he  returned  to  his  native  land  to  get  his  wife,  and  upon  their  return 
located  at  St.  Louis,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  butcher 
shop.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his  family  in  1868,  and  bought 
a  40-acre  tract  of  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  His  affairs  prospered 
there,  and  in  time  he  moved  to  Palestine  township,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  of  190  acres,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
in  January,  1904.  His  widow  died  in  January,  1918.  Fred  Muntzel 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  St.  John's  Evangelical  Church  at  Billings- 
ville,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  still  living,  as  follows:  Anna,  Billingsville ;  Adolph, 
Boonville  township ;  Peter  L. ;  Amelia,  wife  of  Thomas  Grathwohl,  Bil- 
lingsville; Fritz,  farming  the  home  place,  Palestine  township;  and  Mar- 
tha, wife  of  W.  Helmrich,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

Peter  L.  Muntzel  has  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  farming,  and  has  prospered.  He  received  his  schooling  in 
Palestine  township  and  remained  at  home  until  1903,  when  he  bought  an 
80-acre  farm  in  Palestine  township  and  there  made  his  home  until  1905, 
when  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  his  present  place  in  that  same  town- 
ship. Mr.  Muntzel  has  a  well-improved  farm  of  301  acres,  and  follows 
general  farming  and  raising  of  high-grade  live  stock.  He  is  a  republican. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Aug.  5,  1903,  Peter  L.  Muntzel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jessie 
Eichelberger,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Washington 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Merritt)  Eichelberger,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
five  children:    Dorris,  Ona.  Lawrence,  Anna  May  and  Helen  Marie. 

Charles  P.  Mitzel,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Palestine  township,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  May  19,  1868,  son  of  Fenton  W. 
and  Cora  (Simmons)  Mitzel.  Fenton  W.  Mitzel  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  Ohio,  Dec.  2,  1848,  and  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents.  Peter 
Mitzel  and  wife,  in  1858,  the  family  settling  in  this  county.   Reared  on  a 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  869 

farm,  he  early  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  and  prospered,  becom- 
ing a  large  land-owner  and  an  extensive  dealer  in  live  stock,  buying  over 
a  wide  radius  and  selling  in  the  markets.  Though  now  practically  retired 
Mr.  Mitzel  still  maintains  ownership  in  a  tract  of  90  acres  at  the  edge  of 
Pilot  Grove,  and  there  has  a  very  pleasant  home,  which  is  now  presided 
over  by  his  daughter.  On  May  22,  1867,  Fenton  W.  Mitzel  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Cora  Simmons,  who  died  on  March  5,  1883.  To  that  union 
were  born  six  children,  of  who  four  are  still  living :  Charles  P. ;  Elizabeth 
Matilda,  who  lives  with  her  father;  James  F.,  living  retired  at  Pilot 
Grove,  and  Lottie  May,  wife  of  Waldo  Talley,  of  Pilot  Grove  township. 

Charles  P.  Mitzel  has  successfully  followed  farming  for  years.  He 
completed  his  schooling  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Academy,  of  which  at  that 
time  W.  F.  Johnson  was  the  principal,  and  in  1889  began  teaching  school, 
a  profession  which  he  followed  for  12  years,  in  the  meantime  continuing 
his  farming  operations  during  the  summers.  The  first  farm  he  bought 
was  a  tract  of  200  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  that  place  he  farmed 
for  17  years,  when  he  sold  it  and  in  1910  bought  his  present  farm  of  164 
acres  in  Palestine  township,  paying  for  the  same  what  was  said  at  the 
time  to  have  been  the  highest  price  ever  paid  for  farm  land  in  Cooper 
County.  Mr.  Mitzel  has  made  extensive  improvements,  and  has  one  of 
the  best  farm  plants  in  the  county.  He  is  quite  extensively  engaged  in 
cattle  feeding.  He  recently  bought  the  house,  with  its  surrounding  lot, 
in  which  Governor  Crossley  was  born  at  Bellaire.  Mr.  Mitzel  is  an  inde- 
pendent republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  (South),  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  His  father  was  a  member  of  the  Pilot  Grove  lodge  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

March  7,  1894,  Charles  P.  Mitzel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Vira  A. 
Grigsby,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born: 
Mary  Corrine,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boonville  High  School  with 
the  class  of  1917;  William  Roy,  who  in  that  same  year  was  graduated 
from  the  Bunceton  High  School,  and  Charles  Harold,  who  is  now  a  student 
in  the  Bunceton  High  School.  Mrs.  Mitzel  was  born  at  Landmark,  How- 
ard County,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Blanton)  Grigsby,  who  came 
to  this  county  with  their  family  about  1884  and  located  at  Pilot  Grove. 
Mrs.  Grigsby  was  born  in  Missouri,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies. She  died  July  30,  1919.  Her  mother  was  a  McCrary.  Henry 
Grigsby  was  born  in  Ohio  and  came  to  Missouri  in  young  manhood.  He 
became  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  at  Pilot  Grove  and  there  spent  his 


870  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  CO'JNTY 

last  days,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  in  that  place,  with  his  son,  Ed- 
ward M.  Grigsby,  who  is  now  conducting  the  largest  shoe  store  of  Liv- 
ingston, Mont. 

Michael  Myer,  a  leading  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, was  born  on  a  farm  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  near  Cincinnati, 
June  13,  1859,  son  of  Adam  and  Margaret  (Fullmar)  Myer,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  whom  spent  her  last  days  in 
Cooper  County,  she  having  come  here  with  her  children  after  the  death  of 
her  husband.  Adam  Myer  was  born  about  1821  and  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  lands.  As  a  young  man  he  came  to  this  country  and  first 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  There  he  married, 
and  rented  a  farm  there  for  some  years,  when  he  moved  with  his  family 
to  Indiana  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Jennings  County,  where  he  died  about 
1877.  After  his  death  his  widow  disposed  of  the  farm  in  Indiana,  and 
in  1880  came  to  Missouri  with  seven  of  her  children  and  located  in  Cooper 
County,  where  she  died  about  1894.  She  was  born  in  Germany  about 
1822.  Of  the  children  born  to  Adam  Myer  and  wife  nine  grew  to  matur- 
ity, and  seven  of  these  accompanied  their  mother  to  Missouri  in  1880. 
Of  these  children  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Mary,  wife  of  George  Miller,  of 
Boonville  township;  Lena,  married  Chris  Young,  and  is  living  in  Indi- 
anapolis, Ind. ;  Barbara,  married  Adam  Kirsch,  also  living  in  Indianapolis ; 
Louis,  deceased;  Jacob,  now  living  at  Pilot  Grove;  Charles,  Kansas  City; 
Joseph,  Pilot  Grove,  and  John  is  a  bridge  worker  for  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railroad  Company. 

Michael  Myer  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his  mother  and  other 
members  of  the  family  when  he  was  21  years  old,  and  he  began  farm 
work.  In  1887,  he  bought  a  tract  of  80  acres  and  proceeded  to  improve 
the  same.  As  he  prospered  he  added  to  his  original  tract  until  he  became 
the  owner  of  280  acres.  His  original  "80"  he  recently  sold  to  his  son, 
Jacob  N.  Myer,  and  still  owns  200  acres.  He  has  made  excellent  im- 
provements on  the  place,  and  has  one  of  the  best  farm  plants  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank  of  Pilot  Grove. 
He  is  an  independent  democrat.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Michael  Myer  has  been  twice  married.  In  1885  he  married  Anna 
Dorflinger,  who  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  without  issue  14 
months  after  her  marriage.     In  1887  Mr.  Myer  married  Katherine  Hoff, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  871 

who  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents, 
and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born ;  Jacob  N. ;  Rosa,  deceased ; 
William,  deceased;  Minnie,  wife  of  H.  Foser,  of  Boonville  township,  and 
Hubert,  at  home. 

Charles  E.  Wilson,  now  living  in  Pilot  Grove,  is  a  native  Missourian, 
born  in  Jasper  County  on  March  23,  1859,  son  of  John  M.  and  Eliza 
(Beebe)  Wilson,  who  were  the  parents  of  12  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
still  living.  About  1867  John  M.  Wilson  and  his  wife  came  to  Cooper 
County  with  their  family  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  LaMine  township, 
where  they  remained  until  their  retirement,  after  which  they  made  their 
home  with  their  children.  John  M.  Wilson  died  at  Sedalia  in  1914,  he 
then  being  91  years  of  age.  His  widow  died  in  1915,  she  then  being  81 
years  of  age. 

Charles  E.  Wilson  has  always  been  a  farmer,  and  though  he  recently 
sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  town  he  is  even  now  casting  about  for  another 
farm  to  suit  him.  He  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Jasper  County  to  Cooper,  and  his  schooling  was  acquired  in  the 
schools  of  LaMine  township.  As  a  young  man  he  started  farming  on  his 
own  account,  renting  a  farm,  and  continued  until  1894,  when  he  bought 
a  farm  near  Clifton  City.  He  improved  it  and  sold  to  advantage.  He 
then  bought  175  acres  in  Pettis  County,  where  he  lived  for  four  years, 
when  he  sold  that  place  and  in  1912  bought  120  acres  in  Pilot  Grove 
township,  where  he  lived  until  he  sold  that  place  early  in  1919  and  moved 
to  Pilot  Grove.     Mr.  Wilson  is  independent. 

March  13,  1887,  Charles  E.  Wilson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza- 
beth Richey,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  Charles  L.  Wilson,  at  home,  and  Anna  May,  who  married  Ricie  Bea- 
man,  of  Heaths  Creek  township,  Pettis  County.  Mrs.  Wilson  was  born 
in  Cooper  County  in  1863,  daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Kirkman) 
Richey. 

William  A.  Betteridge,  proprietor  of  "Crestmead  Farm,"  in  Clear 
Creek  township,  this  county,  and  one  of  the  best  known  breeders  of  high 
grade  cattle  in  Missouri,  is  a  native  of  England.  He  was  born  in  Shrop- 
shire, England,  Jan.  7,  1858,  son  of  George  and  Ann  M.  (Jones)  Bet- 
teridge, and  was  the  eldest  born  of  the  six  children,  four  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity.  In  1863  George  Betteridge  moved  with  his  family  from 
England  to  Canada  and  there  remained  until  1888,  when  he  and  his  wife 
came  to  Cooper  County,  their  son  William  having  settled  here,  and  here 


872  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

George  Betteridge  is  still  living,  being  now  in  his  85th  year.     His  wife 
died  here  in  1899,  she  then  being  65  years  of  age. 

Having  been  but  five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  1863,  William  A.  Betteridge  was  reared  in  Canada  and  there 
received  his  schooling.  When  he  was  16  years  of  age,  in  1874,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  and  two  years  later  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in 
Cooper  County,  where  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home,  and  where  he 
has  for  many  years  been  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  breeding  of  pure- 
bred cattle.  In  1888,  Mr.  Betteridge  began  the  breeding  of  Scotch  Short- 
horn cattle,  and  the  herd  he  then  established  has  been  for  years  widely 
known  throughout  the  West,  shipments  from  "Crestmead"  being  made 
to  various  parts  of  the  country.  "Crestmead"  is  a  well-improved  farm 
of  340  acres  in  Clear  Creek  township,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
model  stock  farms  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Betteridge  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Shorthorn  Breeders'  Association,  and  has  for  years 
taken  an  interested  part  in  the  deliberations  and  activities  of  that  body. 

Oct.  22,  1890,  in  this  county,  William  A.  Betteridge  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ada  M.  Amick,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child, 
Verne  K.  Betteridge,  bom  on  May  27,  1896,  near  Bellaire,  this  county, 
who  upon  leaving  the  Boonville  High  School,  entered  Robins  Business 
College  at  Sedalia,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  and  is  now 
a  valued  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  operations  of  "Crestmead  Farm." 
Mrs.  Betteridge  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Leander  and  Melissa 
(Lampton)  Amick.  Mrs.  Betteridge  and  her  son  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 

George  Schupp,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  in  Clear  Creek 
township,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Citizens  Bank  of 
Pilot  Grove,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  he  is  now  living  in  Clear  Creek  township,  June  8,  1859,  son  of 
Christian  and  Mary  (Masel)  Schupp,  natives  of  Germany.  Christian 
Schupp  was  born  in  Nassau,  and  was  about  20  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  this  country  with  his  parents,  following  the  revolution  of  1848,  who 
settled  in  Cooper  County.  Here  Christian  Schupp  married  Mary  Masel, 
who  also  was  born  in  Germany,  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  left 
there  with  her  parents,  the  Masel  family  also  settling  in  this  county. 
After  his  marriage,  Christian  Schupp  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  the  place  now  owned  by  his  son,  Geoi'ge,  and  there 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1911,  he  then  being  82  years  of 
age.     His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  six  years,  and  she 


M  I:     AN]  I   M  RS    I ;  I'.'  1R1 :  E   SCHUPP 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  873 

was  65  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
14  children,  of  whom  ten  grew  to  maturity,  and  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

George  Schupp  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools,  and  has 
always  retained  his  interest  in  farming,  a  vocation  which  he  has  followed 
with  much  success.  He  bought  his  first  farm  in  1882,  and  on  that  place 
built  a  house  and  barn,  and  made  other  improvements,  and  there  resided 
until  1893,  when  he  bought  the  old  home  place.  His  eldest  son,  August 
Schupp,  is  now  residing  on  the  first  named  farm.  As  he  prospered  in  his 
affairs,  Mr.  Schupp  bought  more  land,  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  708 
acres,  all  lying  in  Clear  Creek  township,  save  a  tract  of  265  acres  in  Pilot 
Grove  township.  In  addition  to  this  he  is  the  owner  of  some  business 
buildings  in  Pilot  Grove,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens  Bank  of 
Pilot  Grove,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  this  institution. 
Mr.  Schupp  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church. 

Feb.  16,  1882,  George  Schupp  was  married  to  Minnie  Walje,  who  died 
June  5,  1914,  and  to  that  union  four  children  were  born,  namely:  Mrs. 
Catherine  Eichelberger,  Clear  Creek  township;  August,  farming  in  Clear 
Creek  township;  Walter,  farming  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  Reinhart, 
who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father.  Mrs.  Minnie  Walje  Schupp,  mother 
of  these  children,  was  born  in  Germany,  Nov.  7,  1856,  and  was  about  10 
years  of  age  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  Ernest 
Walje  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Miss  Foglepohl,  and  settled  in 
Pettis  County.  A  year  or  two  later,  in  1868,  they  came  into  Cooper 
County,  and  settled  in  Clear  Creek  township,  where  the  parents  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives. 

Walter  Cyrus  West,  contractor  and  builder  at  Pleasant  Green,  was 
bom  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Aug.  21,  1879,  son  of  John  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Robertson)  West,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  Missouri,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  she  and  her  son  Walter 
making  their  home  together  at  Pleasant  Green. 

John  William  West  was  born  near  Manchester,  in  St.  Louis  County, 
Mo.,  March  14,  1838,  son  of  Thomas  West,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
came  to  Cooper  County,  arriving  here  on  Oct.  8,  1855.  Upon  coming  here 
he  bought  a  tract  of  128  acres  of  timber  land  in  Clear  Creek  township. 
This  he  proceeded  to  clear  and  render  tillable,  and  after  his  marriage 
established  his  home  on  that  place  and  there  remained  until  his  death, 
March  15,  1908,  he  then  being  one  day  past  70  years  of  age.     Mrs.  Eliza- 


874  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

beth  West  was  born  in  this  county,  Sept.  7,  1848,  daughter  of  George 
Robertson  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Mann,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
who  had  come  to  this  county  with  their  respective  parents.  Mrs.  West 
was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age.  Her  mother  died  and  her  father  later 
vvent  to  Indian  Territory  and  was  never  again  heard  from,  the  presump- 
tion being  he  was  killed  by  Indians.  John  William  West  helped  build  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South)  at  Pleasant  Green,  and  was  for  a 
number  of  years  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  same.  He  was  married  Aug. 
29,  1878.  Four  children  were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  Walter  Cyrus 
was  the  eldest  born,  the  other  being :  Thomas  P.,  deceased ;  George  H.,  a 
farmer,  Clear  Creek  township ;  and  Anna  F.,  deceased. 

Walter  C.  West  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  local  schools  of 
•  Clear  Creek  township  and  the  Otterville  High  School  and  a  short  course  at 
the  State  University.  He  continued  farming  until  1903,  when  he  became 
engaged  working  on  the  Midland  interurban  bridge  at  St.  Charles,  and 
while  thus  employed  became  so  interested  in  the  carpenter's  trade  that 
he  ever  since  has  been  engaged  working  at  that  trade,  gradually  devel- 
oping in  business  for  himself  as  a  building  contractor,  and  since  returning 
from  St.  Charles  in  1903  has  erected  many  of  the  houses  and  barns  in 
Pleasant  Green  and  vicinity.  In  1918,  Mr.  West  was  employed  on  the 
new  Baptist  Church  at  Syracuse,  Mo.  In  1906,  he  spent  the  year  working 
on  the  structure  at  old  Ft.  Supply  in  Oklahoma,  which  has  been  converted 
into  a  hospital  for  the  insane.  Mr.  West  is  a  democrat,  and  he  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Sedalia.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Pleasant  Green  Bank. 

Charles  W.  Oglesby,  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bunce- 
ton  Bank,  as  well  as  a  stockholder  in  the  Pleasant  Green  Bank,  and  who 
for  years  has  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock- 
men in  Palestine  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living,  May  13,  1862,  son  of  Henry  F.  and  Martha  C.  (Nichols)  Oglesby, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Cooper  County  and  who  spent  all  their  lives 
here. 

Henry  F.  Oglesby  was  born  on  May  13,  1836,  a  son  of  Pleasant  G. 
and  Millie  C.  (Wollery)  Oglesby,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county,  daughter  of  one  of  the  early  settlers,  her  father  having  entered 
a  good  deal  of  land  in  what  afterward  came  to  be  Palestine  township. 
Pleasant  G.  Oglesby  was  born  in  Kentucky  March  12,  1804,  and  came  here 
with  his  parents.  He  married  here  and  engaged  in  farming  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  his  grandson,  Charles  W.  Oglesby.     He  died  July  1,  1845. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  875 

His  widow  died  Nov.  2,  1882.  She  was  born  here  Nov.  14,  1814.  They 
had  five  children.  Henry  F.  Oglesby  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
was  born,  in  time  became  owner  of  the  same  and  there  spent  his  life. 
He  died  Jan.  27,  1888.  He  was  twice  married.  April  14,  1859,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Martha  C.  Nichols,  who  was  bom  in  this  county 
Sept.  10,  1840,  and  died  June  7,  1869.  To  that  union  were  born  four  chil- 
dren: Charles  W. ;  Mollie,  wife  of  C.  W.  Cordrey,  Palestine  township; 
George  P.,  deceased,  and  Martha,  deceased.  Nov.  23,  1871,  Henry  F. 
Oglesby  married  Nancy  E.  Wollery,  who  was  born  in  Palestine  township, 
Feb.  26,  1839,  and  died  Sept.  19,  1887.  To  that  union  three  children  were 
born,  Hamilton,  died  in  1874;  Mattie  Hamilton,  born  May  23,  1875,  now 
living  with  his  half  brother  Charles,  and  Robert  F.,  born  March  13,  1878, 
Stoneton,  Colo. 

Charles  W.  Oglesby  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  in  1888  he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  in  the  home  tract  of  197  acres  and  has  added  to  the  same  by  pur- 
chase of  adjoining  land  until  he  now  owns  2IOV2  acres.  His  improve- 
ments including  the  erection  in  1907  of  a  fine  new  and  modern  farm  house. 
His  wife  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  78  acres  in  Lebanon  township,  which 
also  is  well  improved.  In  1904  Mr.  Oglesby  became  engaged  in  the  breed- 
ing of  Shorthorn  cattle,  starting  his  herd  with  select  stock  from  the  cele- 
brated Betteridge  herd  in  this  county,  and  is  one  of  the  best  stockmen 
in  that  neighborhood.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bunceton  Bank  and  in 
the  Pleasant  Green  Bank  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
first  named  institution.  Mr.  Oglesby  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 

Oct.  8,  1889,  Charles  W.  Oglesby  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eva  E. 
Cordry,  who  also  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  and  to  this  union  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely:  Anna  E.,  born  May  7,  1891,  married 
Charles  McCutcheon  living  near  Pilot  Grove;  Mattie  Ellen,  born  Sept.  21, 
1895,  is  a  Cooper  County  teacher;  Daphn  Alberta,  Jan.  26,  1900,  is  a 
teacher  in  grade  school,  Hartsburg,  Mo.,  and  Charles  Kenneth,  Aug.  22, 
1902,  is  attending  school  at  Boonville.  Mrs.  Oglesby  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Lebanon  township  Sept.  1,  1865,  daughter  of  James  and  Anna  E.  (Rob- 
inson) Cordry,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  this  county 
and  both  now  deceased. 

Edward  B.  Windsor,  proprietor  of  "Airy  View  Farm"  in  Palestine 
township,  a  progressive  farmer,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township 
June  19,  1861,  son  of  Henderson  and  Icybindia  (Coleman)  Windsor,  Vir- 


876  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ginians.  Henderson  Windsor  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Va.,  in  1818 
and  his  wife  was  born  in  that  same  county  in  1831.  After  their  marriage 
they  located  in  Jackson  County  and  came  to  this  county  in  1860  and 
located  on  a  farm  about  three  miles  south  of  Pleasant  Green.  There 
Henderson  Windsor  died  in  May,  1900.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
1903.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being:  Sallie,  de- 
ceased; Dorcas,  married  M.  Tavner  and  is  now  deceased;  Emma,  wife  of 
James  W.  Coe,  Lebanon  township;  Mrs.  Jennie  Woolery,  of  Sedalia;  Mrs. 
Mattie  Cruse,  deceased;  Mrs.  Susan  Read,  deceased,  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Heim,  Pleasant  Green. 

Edward  B.  Windsor  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born, 
receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools.  In  1893,  he  bought  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  there  established  his  home.  Mr. 
Windsor  has  made  extensive  improvements,  including  a  fine  modern  farm 
house,  and  he  and  his  family  are  very  pleasantly  situated  on  his  place  of 
240  acres.  Mr.  Windsor  has  for  years  raised  graded  Polled  Angus  cattle 
and  has  an  excellent  herd.     He  is  a  Democrat,  voting  the  ticket  "straight". 

Feb.  15,  1893,  Edward  B.  Windsor  was  manned  to  Kate  R.  Davis, 
who  also  was  bom  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Arlotta,  wife  of  Sidney  A.  Lusk,  Bunceton;  Helen 
W.,  wife  of  Speed  Boulware,  Lebanon  township;  Grovner  D.,  who  is  at 
home  assisting  his  father,  and  Edward  B.,  Jr.,  also  at  home.  Mrs.  Wind- 
sor was  born  in  Boonville  township,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  G.  and  Ruth  M. 
(Brereton)  Davis. 

Morgan  Broe,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Clear  Creek  township  in  the 
fall  of  1906  and  whose  widow  and  several  members  of  the  family  are  still 
living  there,  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  that 
part  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  bom  in  Ireland  Feb.  3,  1848,  and  came  to 
Cooper  County  in  1872.  His  parents,  Patrick  and  Margaret  (Fitzsim- 
mons)  Broe  spent  their  lives  in  Ireland.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  Morgan  was  the  youngest.  Several  of  these  children 
had  come  to  the  United  States  and  when  he  was  14  years  of  age,  Morgan 
Broe  came  to  join  them.  Here  he  learned  the  stone  cutter's  trade  and 
had  worked  at  that  trade  for  some  years  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
when  in  March  1872,  he  became  employed  as  a  stonecutter  on  the  M.  K.  & 
T.  railroad  bridge  which  then  was  being  constructed  across  the  LaMine 
River  between  Clifton  and  Pleasant  Green.  When  the  bridge  was  com- 
pleted he  located  at  Boonville,  where  he  was  employed  at  his  trade  until 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  877 

in  1874,  when  he  rented  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township  and  engaged  as 
a  tenant  farmer  until  1879,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  that 
township  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  there,  one  of  the  substantial 
members  of  the  community.  He  died  Oct.  21,  1906.  Mr.  Broe  was  a 
democrat  and  always  took  an  active  interest  in  local  politics.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as  is  his  widow,  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith. 

July  29,  1872,  Morgan  Broe  married  Eliza  Sweeney,  of  this  county, 
and  to  that  union  seven  children  were  born,  namely:  Mary  M.,  wife  of 
Frank  Clevorn,  of  Clear  Creek  township;  Timothy  E.,  on  the  home  farm, 
giving  particular  attention  to  the  live  stock  interests ;  Anna  A.,  who  also 
is  at  home  with  her  mother;  William  M.,  now  living  at  St.  Louis;  Eliza 
C,  wife  of  A.  C.  Mayfield,  a  hardware  merchant,  Pleasant  Green ;  John  H., 
at  home  and  who  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Timothy,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Broe  Brothers,  and  Elsie  I.,  wife  of  T.  W.  Stratton,  a  grocery 
merchant,  Bunceton.  Mrs.  Broe  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo., 
Feb.  7,  1855.  and  was  but  an  infant  in  arms  when  she  became  a  resident 
of  Cooper  County,  her  parents,  Dennis  and  Mary  (Quaid)  Sweeney,  hav- 
ing come  here  in  the  spring  of  1856  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon 
township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Both  Dennis 
Sweeney  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Ireland.  They  had  two  children, 
Mrs.  Broe  and  Mary,  wife  of  William  Quirk,  of  Enon,  Mo. 

Frank  C.  Stegnor,  one  of  Palestine  township's  well  known  and  sub- 
stantial farmers  and  the  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  was  born  in  Pilot 
Grove  township  on  Jan.  23,  1874,  son  of  George  J.  and  Theresa  (Richard) 
Stegner,  both  now  deceased.  George  J.  Stegner  was  born  in  Saxony  and 
was  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  and 
settled  in  this  county.  Here  George  J.  Stegner  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  and  became  a  farmer.  He  was  twice  married.  By  his  union  with 
Theresa  Richarp,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  he  had  four  children: 
Frank  C. ;  Charles  L.,  Palestine  township;  Julius  IL,  same  township,  and 
Ada,  deceased.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of 
30  years,  and  Mr.  Stegner  later  married  Katherine  Schreck.  who  was  born 
in  Moniteau  County  and  died  in  1917  at  the  age  of  66  years.  To  that 
union  four  children  were  born,  namely:  Minnie,  deceased;  Joseph,  who 
was  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France,  now  living  at 
Boonville;  Hannah,  wife  of  H.  Schwitzsky,  Boonville,  and  James  C,  of 
Boonville.  Joseph  Stegner,  the  soldier  son,  was  bora  Jan.  27,  1887.  He 
was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  and  after  a  period  of  training  sailed 


878  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

in  September,  1918,  for  overseas  service  in  the  World  War,  a  member  of 
A  Company,  351  Regiment  of  Infantry,  88th  Division  of  the  United  States 
Army. 

Frank  C.  Stegner  received  his  schooling  in  the  public  schools  and  not 
long  after  he  had  attained  his  majority  he  rented  a  farm  from  his  grand- 
mother and  began  fanning.  Later,  in  association  with  his  brother, 
Charles  L.,  he  bought  60  acres  and  as  his  affairs  have  prospered  he  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
of  185  acres  in  Palestine  township,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank.  He  is  a 
republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  local  civic  affairs,  having  been 
one  of  those  who  helped  to  organize  the  last  special  road  district.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Mr.  Stegner  has  been  twice  married.  In  1902  he  was  married  to 
Clara  Dumolt,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  in  1913. 
To  that  union  was  born  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy.  Aug.  10,  1915, 
Mr.  Stegner  married  Lillian  L.  Kinser,  who  was  born  in  Logan  County, 
111.,  daughter  of  William  and  Amanda  (Robinson)  Kinser,  and  to  this 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy. 

William  D.  Cole,  who  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families 
of  Cooper  County,  has  an  excellent  farm  of  207  acres  in  Palestine  town- 
ship and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  gives  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  this 
township  March  13,  1863,  son  of  Stephen  and  Josephine  (Bryant)  Cole, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  both  the  Cole  and  the  Bryant 
families  having  been  represented  here  since  the  early  settlement.  Stephen 
Cole  was  a  farmer  and  was  one  of  the  well  known  residents  of  the  com- 
munity. He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy  and  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being,  Ada,  married  D.  Horner  and  is  now 
deceased ;  Holbert,  Palestine  township ;  George,  living  in  Morgan  County, 
and  Irving,  also  a  resident  of  Morgan  County. 

William  D.  Cole  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  when 
21  years  of  age  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  He  rented  land  until 
1886,  when  he  bought  seventy  acres  in  the  section  in  which  he  now  lives; 
later  he  added  to  that  farm,  later  sold  his  original  tract  of  70  acres  and 
bought  more  land  until  now  owns  207  acres,  which  is  well  improved.  Mr. 
Cole  is  a  democrat  and  takes  an  interest  in  local  affairs. 

March  18,  1892,  William  D.  Cole  was  married  to  Catherine  Reed, 
whom  he  had  known  since  the  days  of  her  childhood,  and  to  this  union 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  879 

three  children  have  been  born,  Noel,  Clarence  and  Carl,  all  of  whom  are  at 
home.  Mrs.  Cole  also  was  born  in  Palestine  township  and  has  lived  there 
all  her  life.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Evaline  (Ewing)  Reed  and 
was  born  on  Feb.  22,  1874. 

George  H.  Schlotzhauer,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Palestine  township 
and  one  of  the  leading  orchardists  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Pilot 
Grove  township  March  17,  1870,  son  of  Chris  and  Lottie  (Morrow)  Schlotz- 
hauer, the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Scotland  and  died  in  this  county  in 
1880,  she  then  being  29  years  of  age.  Chris.  Schlotzhauer  is  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  Pilot  Grove  township.  He  is  one  of  the  sons  of  Henry 
Schlotzhauer,  a  pioneer  of  Cooper  County.  George  H.  Schlotzhauer  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  attended  the  Pilot  Grove  Academy. 
Shortly  after  attaining  his  majority  he  bought  the  place  on  which  he  is 
now  living  in  the  spring  of  1896.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has  an  excellent  farm 
of  150  acres  and  has  the  same  improved  in  admirable  fashion.  He  has  a 
fine  apple  orchard  of  20  acres  and  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  orchardists  in  Cooper  County,  as  his  father  was  before 
him,  for  on  his  father's  place  there  also  is  a  very  fine  orchard  of  20  acres 
or  more.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  is  a  republican.  He  is  affiliated  with  Bunce- 
ton  Lodge  No.  456,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  at  Speed.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church. 

March  10.  1896,  George  H.  Schlotzhauer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ella  Babbitt,  who  also  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sarah  (Stewart)  Babbitt,  both  now  deceased,  and  to  this  union 
five  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Elizabeth  B.,  wife  of  L.  Gander, 
Lebanon  township ;  Hallie  C,  who  recently  returned  from  army  service, 
and  Eugene,  Arthur  and  Mary  E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schlotzhauer  have  reared 
two  of  the  children  of  William  Babbitt,  Mrs.  Katie  Haley  and  Lester  Bab- 
bitt, both  of  Pilot  Grove  township.  Hallie  C.  Schlotzhauer,  the  soldier 
son,  was  bom  Aug.  2,  1899.  In  Oct.,  1918,  young  Schlotzhauer  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  celebrated  "Tank"  Corps  of  the  United  States  Army 
and  was  sent  to  Camp  Dix,  N.  J.,  for  training  and  was  there  when  the 
armistice  was  signed,  when  his  corps  was  demobilized. 

Leslie  F.  Cordry,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Palestine  township,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  on  Sept.  2,  1873,  son  of  William  F.  and 
Dora  (Hutchison)  Cordry,  both  natives  of  this  county,  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Lebanon  township,  Leslie  F.  Cordry  was  educated  in  the  district 
school  and  in  the  Otterville  High  School.  He  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  the  spring  of  1900,  when  he  bought  from  his  father  the  tract 


880  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  120  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living.  Since  taki  lg  possession  of  that 
place  Mr.  Cordry  has  made  extensive  improvement  i  on  the  same,  these 
improvements  including  the  erection  of  a  new  and  modern  farm  house 
and  other  buildings  in  keeping  with  the  same.  His  f  trm  is  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  his  operations  are  being  carried  on  with  constantly- 
increasing  profit,  he  having  demonstrated  to  his  own  satisfaction  that 
progressive  methods  pay.  Mr.  Cordry  is  a  republican.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Feb.  14,  1900,  Leslie  F.  Cordry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Maggie  A. 
Fritts,  who  was  born  in  Lebanon  township,  this  county,  Oct.  3,  1873,  fifth 
in  order  of  birth  of  the  eight  children  born  there  to  John  W.  and  Patsy 
(Reese)  Fritts,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cordry.  She  was  born  in  Audrain  County,  May  8,  1843,  and 
came  to  Cooper  County  with  her  parents,  this  having  been  her  home  when 
she  married  in  1863.  Mr.  Fritts  was  a  Virginian,  born  Oct.  9,  1836. 
When  he  was  24  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Cooper  County.  After  his  mar- 
riage to  Patsy  Reese  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  Feb.  1,  1888,  aged  52  years. 
Mrs.  Fritts  is  now  in  her  72nd  year  and  can  tell  many  interesting  tales 
of  conditions  in  Missouri  as  she  knew  them  in  her  girlhood. 

Christopher  Schlotzhauer,  a  progressive  citizen  of  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, who  is  a  well  known  farmer,  and  one  of  the  most  successful  orchard- 
ists  in  central  Missouri,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born 
on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Palestine  township,  June  21,  1848,  a  son  of  Henry 
Schlotzhauer  and  wife,  well  known  in  that  section  in  their  generation. 

Christopher  Schlotzhauer  was  early  trained  in  the  ways  of  farming, 
and  has  followed  that  vocation  all  his  life.  He  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  district  schools,  and  when  little  more  than  a  boy  served  for 
three  months  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia,  during  the  Civil 
War.  When  he  attained  his  majority,  he  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count. His  father  deeded  him  120  acres  long  before  his  death,  and  since 
coming  into  possession  of  the  same  he  has  made  extensive  improvements 
to  the  same,  for  years  having  had  one  of  the  best  farm  plants  in  that 
neighborhood.  About  20  years  ago,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  set  out  an  apple 
orchard  of  20  acres  on  his  place,  and  has  for  years  been  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  orchardists  in  Cooper  County,  though  of  recent 
years  he  has  not  given  the  attention  to  this  branch  of  his  operations  that 
he  formerly  did.  He  also  has  another  orchard  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Pilot  Grove.     During  the  years  in  which  he  gave  special  attention  to 


CHRISTOPHER    SCHLOTZHAUER 


HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY  881 

his  orchards  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Fruit  Growers  Association, 
and  some  years  ago  shipped  in  one  season  13  carloads  of  apples  from  his 
place.  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  is  the  owner  of  320  acres  of  land,  which  is  well 
improved  and  profitably  cultivated.  He  is  a  republican.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Schlotzhauer  has  been  twice  married.  In  1869  he  was  married 
to  Lottie  Morrow,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  who  died  at  her  home 
in  this  county  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  29  years.  To  that  union  were  born 
four  children,  namely :  George,  a  farmer,  of  Bellaire,  Mo. ;  Margaret,  who 
makes  her  home  with  her  brother,  George;  Lloyd,  Morgan  County,  Ohio; 
and  Arthur,  deceased.  On  Feb.  11,  1883,  Mr.  Schlotzhauer  married  Mar- 
garet Ferguson,  who  was  born  in  Pettis  County,  and  to  this  union  five 
children  have  been  born.  Of  these  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are  as  follows:  Myrtle,  married  Fred  Harris,  La- 
monte,  Mo. ;  Charles,  Pilot  Grove ;  Horace,  who  is  at  home  assisting  his 
father;  and  Grace,  wife  of  James  Verts,  farming  near  Boonville.  Mrs. 
Schlotzhauer  was  reared  in  Pettis  County,  where  she  was  born.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Lucretia  (Smith)  Ferguson,  who  spent  their 
last  days  in  Pettis  County.  Samuel  Ferguson  was  bom  in  that  county, 
and  his  wife  was  born  in  Kentucky. 

.  Robert  E.  Downing,  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  known  real  "old- 
timers,"  was  bom  in  Palestine  township  March  28,  1847,  son  of  Robert 
E.  and  Lucy  (Boulware)  Downing,  and  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth 
of  the  three  children  born  to  that  parentage,  he  having  had  two  sisters, 
Mrs.  Lucy  Harness,  now  deceased,  and  Agnes,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Robert  E.  Downing,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Northumberland  County,  Va.,  and 
came  to  Missouri  in  the  early  '40s  and  settled  on  a  farm  west  of  the  site 
of  Bunceton.  In  1849  he  joined  that  great  band  of  fortune  hunters  which 
streamed  across  the  plains  seeking  gold  in  California.  Not  finding  con- 
ditions there  as  his  fancy  had  painted  them,  he  started  home,  taking  ves- 
sel to  return  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  but  was  taken  ill  and  died  before  many 
days  out  and  was  buried  at  sea.  He  was  twice  manned  and  by  his  first 
wife,  Eliza  Bell,  who  also  was  born  in  Virginia,  had  two  sons,  Everett  S., 
and  Samuel  W.,  both  now  deceased.  His  second  wife,  Lucy  Boulware, 
also  was  born  in  Virginia.  She  died  at  her  home  in  this  county  in  1875, 
being  then  55  years  of  age. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  Robert  E.  Downing  have  to  do  with  the 
efforts  he  early  recognized  to  help  his  widowed  mother.     Of  his  father 


882  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

he  has  no  recollection,  for  he  was  little  more  than  an  infant  when  that 
unfortunate  man  started  on  his  ill-fated  quest  for  gold.  He  grew  up  on 
the  little  farm  which  his  mother  retained,  west  of  Bunceton,  and  his 
schooling  was  received  in  a  little  old  log  school  house  more  than  three 
miles  from  his  home  and  to  which  he  walked  to  and  from  during  the  win- 
ter periods  of  from  three  to  four  months  in  which  school  was  "held." 
His  boyhood  was  given  over  to  farm  work  until  he  was  18  years  of  age, 
when,  in  1865,  he  became  employed  by  the  government  as  a  "bullwhacker" 
for  the  supply  trains  of  ox-teams  plodding  across  the  plains  to  Ft.  Union 
in  New  Mexico  territory,  and  during  this  period  of  employment  under- 
went some  interesting  experiences.  Upon  the  completion  of  this  service, 
Mr.  Downing  resumed  his  place  on  his  mother's  farm  and  continued  in 
charge  of  the  same  until  her  death  in  1875.  In  the  meantime,  a  few  years 
prior  to  that  event,  he  had  married ;  moved  to  Cass  County.  After  three 
years,  he  returned  to  Cooper  County  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Green 
Walker  in  the  live  stock  business  and  was  for  three  years  thus  engaged. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  back  to  the  old  home  farm,  then  owned 
by  T.  J.  Wallace,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Wallace  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  place  which  lasted  for  three  years,  when,  in  1886,  he  bought 
80  acres  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  E.  B.  Windsor  in  Palestine  township. 
Mr.  Downing  resided  there  for  about  20  years,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought 
the  quarter  section  on  which  he  is  now  living.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  operations,  Mr.  Downing  has  been  engaged  ever  since  his  return 
from  Cass  County  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  mules  and  has  long  been 
recognized  as  an  expert  in  mule  values.  Although  Mr.  Downing  is  widely 
known  as  one  of  the  "safest"  buyers  in  the  country,  he  says  the  days  of 
former  profits  in  the  mule  market  seem  to  have  gone  forever.  Mr.  Down- 
ing is  a  democrat  and  has  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  taken  an 
interested  part  in  local  civic  affairs.  For  the  past  20  years  he  has  been 
the  clerk  of  the  school  board  in  his  home  district  and  during  that  time 
has  done  much  to  help  elevate  educational  standards,  it  having  been  dur- 
ing his  incumbency  that  District  No.  49  became  famous  as  the  seat  of 
the  highest-priced  school  plant  of  any  country  school  district  in  Missouri, 
a  distinction  it  held  from  the  time  it  achieved  the  same  until  six  years 
ago,  when  the  banner  was  won  away  by  another  district;  however,  Dis- 
trict 49  still  claims  the  best  country  school  in  Cooper  County.  The  Down- 
ings  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Dec.  24,  1872,  Robert  E.  Downing  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Paxton,  who  was  born  in  Nichols  county,  Ky.,  Sept.  12,  1846,  daughter 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  883 

of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Orr)  Paxton,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that 
state.  Thomas  Paxton  died  in  Kentucky  and  his  widow  later  came  to 
Cooper  County,  where  her  daughters  resided,  and  here  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  her  life.  To  Robert  E.  and  Martha  (Paxton)  Downing  five 
children  have  been  born:  William  B.,  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Cooper  County;  Lutie  May,  who  died  in  infancy;  twins,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Martha,  wife  of  W.  H.  Streitt,  of  Lebanon  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Streitt  have  two  children,  Wade  H.,  Jr.,  and  Margaret. 

Prof.  William  B.  Downing,  county  superintendent  of  schools,  began 
his  educational  career  when,  at  the  age  of  16  years,  following  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  Otterville  High  School,  he  was  granted  a  certificate  to  teach 
school,  his  examination  papers  receiving  the  highest  grade  accorded  in 
the  county  in  that  year.  Though  but  a  boy,  his  initial  effort  was  success- 
ful and  he  ever  since  has  continued  as  a  teacher,  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  educators  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  in  Jan.,  1919,  was 
elected  superintendent  of  schools  for  Cooper  County.  Professor  Down- 
ing makes  his  home  with  his  children  in  the  household  of  his  parents,  his 
wife  having  died  in  1906,  leaving  three  children,  Lucy,  Dorothy  and 
Lewis.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  Grace  Parrish,  who  was  born 
in  this  county,  daughter  of  Robert  Parrish  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  Waller,  and  who  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  32  years. 

John  M.  Putnam,  manager  of  the  Nelson  farms  in  Kelly  township, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Palestine  township  June  27,  1863,  son  of  Darius 
and  Mary  (Jeffress)  Putnam,  both  deceased.  Darius  Putnam  was  born 
in  Worcester  County,  Mass.,  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  father  died. 
His  mother  married  again  and  he  left  home  and  came  West,  arriving  at 
Boonville  when  he  was  12  years  of  age.  There,  under  the  instructions 
of  George  Sahm,  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  which  he  followed 
the  rest  of  his  life  and  in  which  he  was  successful,  making  considerable 
money,  which  he  lost  in  unfortunate  investments.  He  entered  business 
in  Boonville,  that  being  a  time  when  custom-made  boots  were  generally 
worn,  and  after  some  years  moved  to  Bunceton,  where  he  set  up  in  busi- 
ness and  bought  a  farm  on  which  his  sons  were  reared  and  trained  in  the 
ways  of  farming,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  at  the  age 
of  56  years.  His  widow  died  in  1881,  aged  71  years.  She  was  bora  in 
Tennessee  and  was  married  in  this  county.  Darius  Putnam  was  a  stal- 
wart democrat  and  ever  took  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  serving 
for  some  time  as  constable  and  later  for  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  in 
and  for  Palestine  township.     He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 


884  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

children,  of  whom  but  two  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  hav- 
ing a  sister  older  than  himself,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Blackburn,  Alhambra,  Calif. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Palestine  township,  John  M.  Putnam 
was  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  given  an  excellent  training  in  the  ways 
of  practical  farming.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and 
when  21  years  of  age  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  a  por- 
tion of  the  Nelson  tract.  Early  in  1888  he  married,  thereafter  continu- 
ing his  farming  as  a  renter  until  in  1891  he  was  made  sole  manager  for 
the  Dr.  Arthur  W.  Nelson  farms,  a  position  he  ever  since  has  occupied, 
now  having  under  his  charge  3500  acres  of  land  in  Kelly  township.  Mr. 
Putnam  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Traders  Bank  of  Tipton,  Mo.  He  is  a 
democrat,  as  was  his  father.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church. 

Feb.  22,  1888,  John  M.  Putnam  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth 
Ranz,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Florence,  wife  of  C.  E.  Hutchinson,  Lebanon  township;  George, 
Palestine  township;  Frank,  Morgan  County;  Arthur  W.,  Kelly  township, 
and  Thomas,  who  has  but  recently  returned  from  service  in  the  United 
States  Army,  having  received  his  honorable  discharge  on  Feb.  7,  1919. 
He  was  in  training  at  Camp  Funston,  and  was  a  corporal  in  the  head- 
quarters company  of  the  Tenth  Division,  Infantry,  when  the  armistice 
was  signed.  Mrs.  Putnam  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  was  but  four  years 
of  age  when  she  came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
Ranz,  the  family  locating  in  this  county.  Here  Jacob  Ranz  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.    His  widow  is  now  living  in  Moniteau  County. 

Joseph  R.  Koontz,  one  of  Kelly  township's  successful  fanners,  was 
born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  Feb.  21,  1863,  son  of  Lewis  and  Elizabeth 
(Hutchinson)  Koontz,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  that  state,  the 
latter  in  Shenandoah  County,  and  who  died  there.  Lewis  Koontz  was 
born  in  1821  and  died  in  1899.  Many  years  ago  he  made  several  trips 
west  and  bought  land  both  in  Illinois  and  in  Missouri  as  an  investment, 
but  never  farmed  the  same.  He  made  three  trips  into  Cooper  County, 
coming  once  by  boat  and  twice  by  wagon,  to  look  after  his  investments 
here,  but  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  make  this  his  place  of  residence, 
as  many  other  Virginians,  who  came  here  about  the  same  time,  did.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  10  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 

In  1883,  Joseph  R.  Koontz  came  to  Missouri  to  look  after  some  land 
investments  that  his  father  had  made  in  Cooper  County  and  he  ever 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  885 

since  has  resided  here.  He  settled  on  the  place  where  he  is  now  living, 
238  acres  of  which  he  bought  in  1885,  and  which  he  has  well  improved. 
This  farm  is  the  site  of  the  old  John  Roatcap  flour  mill,  which  stood  there 
in  pioneer  days  and  the  products  of  which  were  known  for  miles  about, 
the  early  settlers  driving  from  far  distant  points  to  get  their  "grist" 
done  there.  In  those  days  there  was  a  big  spring  near  the  mill  and  the 
waters  of  which  had  a  wide  celebrity  among  the  pioneers. 

Dec.  21,  1886,  Joseph  R.  Koonte  was  married  to  Lida  Funkhouser,  an 
adopted  daughter  of  Eli  Funkhouser,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have 
been  bora,  namely:  Lewis,  now  a  resident  of  St.  Louis;  Russell,  farmer, 
Kelly  township;  Frank  and  Josephine,  at  home.  Mr.  Koontz  is  a  demo- 
crat, and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Charles  S.  Phillips,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Kelly  township,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  Aug. 
6,  1843,  son  of  John  and  Czrina  (Buchanan)  Phillips,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Athens  County  and  the  latter  in  Morgan 
County.  John  Phillips  died  in  Washington  County  when  about  45  years 
of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  many  years  and  her  last  days  were  spent 
in  Grundy  County,  111.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom 
two  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Walter 
Phillips,  Morris,  111. 

Charles  S.  Phillips  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army, 
and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Fourth  Virginia  (after- 
ward West  Virginia)  Cavalry,  with  which  command  he  served  for  six 
months,  when  he  re-enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  36th  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  with  which  he  served  until  mustered  out  at  Wheeling, 
W.  Va.,  in  1865,  the  war  then  being  over.  During  this  service,  Mr.  Phil- 
lips participated  in  the  battle  of  Medaly  Gap  as  a  cavalryman  and  after 
joining  the  infantry  took  part  in  several  of  the  important  battles  and 
engagements  of  the  war,  including  Meadows  Bluff,  Lynchburg,  Winches- 
ter and  Cedar  Creek.  At  the  battle  of  Winchester,  July  24,  1864,  he  was 
severely  wounded  by  a  minnie  ball,  which  went  through  his  right  leg 
below  the  knee.  After  the  war,  Mr.  Phillips  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio 
and  remained  until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  St. 
Louis  County.  In  1871  he  returned  to  Ohio,  but  in  1875  came  back  to 
Missouri  and  located  in  Cooper  County,  beginning  here  by  renting  a  farm 
in  Pilot  Grove  township  and  was  thus  engaged  there  until  1880,  when  he 
moved  to  Kelly  township,  rented  of  James  Nelson  the  farm.  In  1893  he 
bought  his  present  farm.    Mr.  Phillips  has  been  successful  in  his  farm- 


886  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ing  and  stock  raising  and  has  added  to  the  acreage  until  now  he  is  the 
owner  of  238  acres  and  has  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Mr.  Phillips  is  a  republican,  but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after 
office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Tipton. 
Formerly  he  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South). 

March  4,  1880,  Charles  S.  Phillips  was  married  to  Matilda  Barnhart, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1853,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been 
born:  Charles  S.,  Kansas  City;  Clarence  E.,  Lebanon  township;  Orville 
H.,  at  home,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Harry  Hegmire,  Kelly  township. 

James  N.  Blythe,  formerly  and  for  many  years  a  well-known  black- 
smith at  Pleasant  Green,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Otterville  township 
March  20,  1858,  son  of  William  and  Nancy  (James)  Blythe,  natives  of 
Kentucky,  who  had  come  here  some  years  prior  to  that  date  and  had  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Otterville  township.  William  Blythe  also  was  a  black- 
smith and  the  forge  he  set  up  on  his  farm  was  a  great  accommodation 
to  his  neighbors.  He  continued  to  make  his  home  on  that  place  and  there 
died  in  1907,  he  then  being  66  years  of  age.  William  Blythe  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Nancy  James,  whom  he  married  in  Kentucky, 
died  in  1864.  By  that  marriage  he  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  James  N.  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  Following  the  death  of 
the  mother  of  these  children,  William  Blythe  married  Mary  Fink,  and  to 
that  union  seven  children  also  were  born. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Otterville  township,  James  N.  Blythe 
received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  was  early  trained  by  his 
father  not  only  in  the  ways  of  farming  but  in  blacksmithing,  to  which 
latter  vocation  he  gave  particular  attention  and  about  40  years  ago  set 
up  as  a  blacksmith  on  his  own  account.  He  married  in  1881  and  not  long 
thereafter  moved  to  Pleasant  Green,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  35  acres 
at  the  edge  of  the  town,  and  set  up  his  blacksmith  shop,  and  for  many 
years  worked  there  at  his  trade,  one  of  the  best  known  smiths  hereabout. 
In  1913,  Mr.  Blythe  bought  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  his  home  and  has 
since  then  been  devoting  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the  breeding  of 
Poland  China  hogs  and  to  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock,  and  has  met 
with  success.  He  owns  a  well-kept  farm  of  151  acres.  He  also  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Pleasant  Green  Bank.  Mr.  Blythe  is  a  democrat,  and  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  his  wife  is  a  Baptist. 

Mr.  Blythe  has  been  twice  married.  Dec.  24,  1881,  he  was  married 
to  Margaret  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Polk  County,  Mo.,  and  who  died 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  887 

without  issue  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  41  years.  Dec.  28,  1891,  Mr.  Blythe 
married  Sarah  W.  Woolery,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
Taylor  and  Eliza  (Berry)  Woolery,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in 
Cooper  County  and  both  of  whom  are  living  on  their  farm,  east  of  Pleas- 
ant Green. 

William  F.  Cordry,  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  Lebanon  town- 
ship, was  born  near  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  Nov.  8,  1846,  son 
of  William  L.  and  Polly  Ann  (Weir)  Cordry.  William  L.  Cordry  was  born 
in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  15,  1816,  and  was  but  14  years  of  age  when,  in 
1830,  he  came  with  his  parents,  James  Cordry  and  wife,  to  Missouri,  the 
family  driving  through  with  both  oxen  and  horses  and  settling  on  land 
which  James  Cordry  had  entered  from  the  Government,  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship. There  a  log  cabin  was  erected.  The  nearest  market  at  that  time 
was  at  Boonville  and  conditions  of  living  were  somewhat  rough  and  prim- 
itive. The  little  old  log  cabin  which  sheltered  the  family  for  years  and 
in  which  children  were  born  and  reared,  is  still  standing  on  the  old  home 
pdace,  a  most  highly  valued  relic  of  pioneer  days,  and  is  being  carefully 
preserved.  It  was  on  that  pioneer  farm  that  William  L.  Cordry  grew  to 
manhood  and  laid  the  foundations  for  his  after  success,  for  in  time  he 
became  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  and  landowners  in  that  com- 
munity. In  the  spring  of  1838  he  married  Polly  Ann  Weir,  who  was  born 
in  Howard  County,  Sept.  28,  1819,  and  after  his  marriage  established 
his  home  in  Lebanon  township,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  Both  lived  to  be  past  80  years  of  age  and  at  their  pass- 
ing left  good  memories  as  a  legacy  to  their  children,  grandchildren  and 
great-grandchildren.  William  L.  Cordry  died  in  1902.  His  wife  died 
Oct.  14,  1900.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Sam- 
uel J.,  now  deceased,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil 
War;  James  N.,  a  farmer  in  Kelly  township;  William  F. ;  Thomas  N., 
Pilot  Grove;  Charles  W.,  Palestine  township;  Robert  D.,  Lebanon  town- 
ship ;  Mrs.  Alice  Eichelberger,  Fulton,  Mo. ;  and  Margaret  Ida,  wife  of 
Peter  F.  Smith,  Lebanon  township. 

Reared  in  Lebanon  township,  William  F.  Cordry  attended  school  in 
the  little  old  log  school  house  which  was  serving  the  district  in  the  days 
of  his  boyhood,  but  which  before  his  school  days  were  over  was  sup- 
planted by  a  small  frame  structure  with  oak  slabs  for  seats.  He  was  but 
15  years  of  age  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  but  he  was  enrolled  for 
service,  thought  it  never  became  necessary  to  call  him  out  to  active  duty. 
In  1871,  his  father  gave  him  the  "80"  on  which  he  established  his  home 
and  on  which  he  is  still  living.     As  his  affairs  prospered  Mr.  Cordry 


888  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

bought  more  land  adjoining  and  now  has  an  excellent  farm  of  250  acres, 
besides  which  he  has  given  land  and  money  to  his  children.  Mr.  Cordry 
has  lived  to  see  many  wonderful  changes  in  the  methods  of  agricultural 
operations  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  has  been  progressive 
enough  to  adopt  the  new  ways,  and  he  has  prospered  thereby.  Mr.  Cor- 
dry is  a  republican,  but  has  not  been  included  in  the  office-seeking  class. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Jan.  12,  1871,  William  F.  Cordry  was  married  to  Madora  Hutchinson, 
who  was  born  in  that  same  township,  Dec.  17,  1851,  daughter  of  L.  M. 
Hutchinson  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Cordry.  L.  M.  Hutchin- 
son was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  Kentucky. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cordry  have  four  children,  namely:  Leslie  L.,  a  farmer  of 
Palestine  township ;  Oliver  L.,  a  Lebanon  township  farmer ;  Owen  E.,  also 
of  Lebanon  township,  and  Bessie,  wife  of  John  Streit,  in  Otterville 
township. 

Davin  Brothers,  Michael  and  Andrew  Davin,  extensive  farmers  and 
stock  raisers  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  the  latter  of  whom  served  for 
three  terms  as  county  judge  for  the  western  district  of  Cooper  County, 
and  is  vice-president  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank,  and  vice-president  of  the 
Elliott  &  Chapman  Furniture  Company  of  that  place,  have  resided  in  this 
county  since  1877,  and  have  for  years  been  among  its  most  progressive 
and  substantial  citizens.  Michael  Davin  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Dec,  2,  1854,  and  Andrew  Davin  was  born  across  the  Ohio  River,  in  Cov- 
ington, Ky.,  June  29,  1860,  sons  of  Michael  and  Ellen  (Ryan)  Davin, 
natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this  county  after  their  marriage,  and 
after  a  some  time  residence  in  Cincinnati  and  Covington,  came  to  Mis- 
souri with  their  family  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Michael  Davin,  the  father,  was  born  Jan.  6,  1816,  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Ireland,  where  on  Feb.  8,  1837,  he  married  Ellen  Ryan,  who  was 
bom  in  1817.  He  and  his  wife  remained  in  their  native  land  until  1848, 
when  they  came  to  the  United  States.  At  that  time  they  had  several 
small  children  and  others  were  born  to  them  after  they  came  to  this 
country.  They  first  went  to  Cincinnati,  but  later  moved  across  the  river 
to  Covington  and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1877  when  they  came 
to  Cooper  County,  arriving  here  March  17  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pilot 
Grove  township,  which  place  is  still  in  the  family  and  there  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Michael  Davin  died  on  July  9,  1891,  and  his 
widow  died  July  27,  1899.     They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  889 

and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  twelve  of  these 
children,  of  whom  two  died  in  childhood,  the  others  besides  the  subjects 
of  this  sketch  being  as  follows:  Thomas,  born  in  Ireland,  March  1,  1838, 
died  July,  1898 ;  Mary,  married  John  Kirwin  and  is  deceased ;  Bridget, 
wife  of  Thomas  Woods,  St.  Louis ;  Jeremiah,  deceased ;  John,  deceased ; 
Ellen,  with  her  brothers  on  the  old  home  place;  Margaret,  who  also  is  at 
home,  and  James,  deceased. 

Of  these  children,  Michael  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth  and 
Andrew  the  ninth.  The  former  had  passed  his  majority  when  the  family 
came  to  Cooper  County  and  the  latter  was  about  17  years  of  age.  Thus 
both  were  able  assistants  in  the  labors  of  developing  and  improving  the 
farm  on  which  the  family  settled.  Following  the  death  of  their  father, 
the  brothers  continued  operations  on  the  home  place  and  now  have  an 
excellent  farm  of  480  acres,  on  which  they  are  profitably  carrying  on  gen- 
eral fanning  and  stock  raising.  They  are  republicans  and  in  1908  Andrew 
Davin  was  elected  county  judge  for  the  western  district  of  Cooper  County 
and  by  successive  re-elections  served  in  that  important  judicial  capacity 
for  three  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Bank  as  well  as  vice-president  of  the  Elliott  & 
Chapman  Furniture  Company  of  Pilot  Grove.  The  Davin  brothers  and 
their  sisters  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  Michael  and  Andrew 
Davin  are  members  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

William  R.  Phillips,  one  of  Clear  Creek  township's  well-known 
farmers,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  member  of  one  of  the  real 
pioneer  families.  He  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Feb.  18,  1847, 
son  of  Martin  G.  and  Susan  (Huff)  Phillips,  both  of  whom  were  members 
of  pioneer  families  in  this  county  and  who  spent  their  last  days  here. 

Martin  G.  Phillips  was  born  in  Alabama  in  1814  and  was  but  eight 
years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Jeremiah  and  Ann  (Brown)  Phillips,  came 
to  Missouri  with  their  family  and  a  few  years  later  settled  on  Govern- 
ment land  near  Buffalo  Prairie  in  Clear  Creek  township,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Jeremiah  Phillips  was  of  Irish  stock  and 
was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  On  that  pioneer  farm  in  Clear  Creek 
township,  Martin  G.  Phillips  grew  to  manhood  and  after  his  marriage  to 
Susan  Huff,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  who  had  come  to  Missouri 
with  her  parents,  settled  on  a  farm  in  that  same  neighborhood  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Martin  G.  Phillips 
died  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  80  years.  His  widow  died  in  1896.  She  was 
born  in  1818.     They  were  the  parents  of  11  children,  of  whom  five  are 


890  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

still  living,  as  follows :  William  R. ;  James  W.,  Yukon,  Okla. ;  George  W., 
of  Hughesville,  Mo. ;  Jennie,  widow  of  J.  Parrish ;  and  Addie,  wife  of  C.  F. 
Smith,  Clear  Creek  township. 

William  R.  Phillips,  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  gave  his  attention 
to  farming.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  of  his  home 
neighborhood  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of 
1873,  when  he  rented  a  farm.  He  continued  as  a  renter  until  1888,  when 
he  bought  the  farm  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Since  taking 
possession  of  that  place,  Mr.  Phillips  has  improved  it  in  substantial 
fashion.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  democrat.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

April  8,  1873,  William  R.  Phillips  was  married  to  Catherine  Gentry, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  George,  deceased;  Jennie,  wife  of  John  J.  Potter, 
Clifton;  Martin  G.,  Palestine  township;  Margaret,  deceased,  and  Riley, 
who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm.  Mrs.  Phillips  was  born 
in  Pilot  Grove  township,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (Roe)  Gen- 
try, who  for  years  were  among  the  well-known  residents  of  that  part  of 
the  county. 

In  May,  1919,  Mr.  Phillips  retii-ed  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Pilot 
Grove,  where  he  bought  property.  His  son,  William  Riley,  Jr.,  is  con- 
ducting the  farm. 

Daniel  R.  Brubaker,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  one  of  the  well- 
known  and  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Lebanon  township,  was 
born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  Feb.  14,  1844,  son  of  Gideon  and  Nancy  (Roth- 
geb)  Brubaker,  both  also  natives  of  that  state  and  who  spent  their  lives 
there.  Gideon  Brubaker  was  born  in  Page  county,  Va.,  Aug.  28,  1806, 
and  died  in  1892.  He  was  a  son  of  Peter  and  Barbara  Ann  (Kaufman) 
Brubaker,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  The  Brubakers  are  of  Swedish  stock 
and  have  been  established  in  this  country  since  1700,  when  the  first  of 
the  name  on  this  side  of  the  water  settled  in  Virginia.  Gideon  Brubaker 
was  married  four  times  and  had  children  by  three  wives.  By  his  union 
with  Nancy  Rothgeb,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  he  had  six 
children,  of  whom  Daniel  R.  was  the  first  born. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Page  county,  Va.,  Dan- 
iel R.  Brubaker  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he  then 
being  17  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  at  Luray, 
Va.,  and  served  until  finally  mustered  out.  At  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill 
— the  seven  days  fight — he  was  wounded  in  the  eye  and  sustained  other 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  891 

wounds  from  bursting  shells.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he  married  and  set- 
tled down  in  his  home  county,  where  he  remained  until  Feb.  22,  1873, 
when  he  left  Virginia  with  his  family  and  came  to  Missouri,  settling  in 
this  county.  Here  he  bought  a  tract  of  90  acres,  a  part  of  the  farm  on 
which  he  is  now  living  in  Lebanon  township.  As  his  affairs  prospered,  he 
added  to  the  same  until  he  now  owns  440  acres.  Fifty  years  and  more 
ago,  back  in  his  old  home  county,  Mr.  Brubaker  taught  a  term  of  school 
and  has  ever  retained  the  liveliest  interest  in  school  affairs.  For  some 
time  he  served  as  director  of  his  local  school  district  and  also  has  served 
as  clerk  of  the  school  board.  He  maintains  an  independent  attitude  on 
political  questions. 

March  29,  1866,  in  Page  County,  Va.,  Daniel  R.  Brubaker  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Frances  E.  Gander,  who  was  born  in  that  county,  and 
to  this  union  10  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Edgar,  Sedalia,  Mo.; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  V.  L.  Biedler,  of  Rockingham  County,  Va. ;  Hubert  L.,  Chi- 
cago, 111.;  Henry  M.,  who  is  at  home  with  his  father;  Ashby  W.,  Kansas 
City;  Elmer  J.,  Kelly  township;  Ella  M.,  wife  of  J.  C.  Cordry,  Kelly  town- 
ship; Homer  V.,  of  Lebanon  township;  Nettie  L.,  wife  of  W.  P.  Coe,  Se- 
dalia, and  Bessie  P.,  wife  of  T.  H.  Coe,  Sedalia.  Mrs.  Brubaker,  mother 
of  these  children,  was  born  on  July  18,  1844,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary 
Coffman  Gander,  who  were  born  in  what  is  now  known  as  Page  County, 
Va.  Three  years  ago  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brubaker  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  anniversary. 

William  H.  Glasgow,  a  successful  young  stock  breeder  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, was  born  on  Oct.  10,  1894,  son  of  William  H.  and  Belle  J.  (Gates) 
Glasgow,  both  now  deceased.  The  senior  William  H.  Glasgow,  who  died 
at  Syracuse  Oct.  30,  1901,  was  born  in  this  county,  Sept.  23,  1849,  son 
of  James  H.  and  Harriet  (Cranmer)  Glasgow,  who  were  among  the  pio- 
neers of  Cooper  County.  James  H.  Glasgow  was  born  in  Delaware,  Jan. 
5,  1807,  and  came  to  Missouri  when  Government  land  still  was  available 
for  settlement  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  a  slaveholder  and  bought  from 
the  Government  for  $1.25  an  acre  the  land  upon  which  he  settled,  later 
increasing  his  holdings  until  he  became  the  owner  of  a  plantation  of  800 
acres.  He  died  at  his  home  in  this  county  Dec.  5,  1885.  His  widow  died 
Oct.  5,  1902.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky  Nov.  10,  1816,  and  came  to  this 
county  with  her  parents,  the  Cranmers  having  been  among  the  early  set- 
tlers here.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  James  H.  Glasgow  and  wife,  Wil- 
liam H.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  this 
county  and  became  an  extensive  farmer  and  influential.     He  organized 


892  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  Cooper  County  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association,  and  was  the  first  presi- 
dent and  until  his  death  one  of  the  leading  spirits.  William  H.  Glasgow, 
Sr.,  died  in  the  fall  of  1901  and  his  widow  died  March  14,  1917.  She  was 
born  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  25,  1860,  and  was  past  57  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  her  death.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Gates  family,  which 
came  from  England  to  this  country  in  Colonial  days  and  of  which  now 
widely  scattered  family  there  is  a  complete  genealogy  beginning  in  the 
17th  century  and  bringing  the  descent  down  to  the  year  1917.  William 
H.  Glasgow  and  Belle  J.  Gates  were  married  at  St.  Louis,  Oct.  5,  1892, 
and  to  that  union  three  children  were  born.  Of  these  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  The  first  born,  Versalis  H.,  died 
in  infancy.  The  third,  Clayton  S.  Glasgow,  lives  on  the  farm  adjoining 
that  of  his  brother  William,  a  part  of  the  old  home  place,  in  Kelly 
township. 

The  junior  William  H.  Glasgow  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his 
father  died  and  the  responsibility  of  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the 
home  place  early  fell  upon  his  shoulders.  He  completed  his  schooling  in 
Central  College  at  Fayette  and  upon  his  return  from  college  resumed  his 
place  on  the  farm,  he  and  his  brother  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the 
place  jointly  in  behalf  of  their  mother.  After  their  mother's  death,  in 
the  spring  of  1917,  the  brothers  divided  the  estate  equitably,  this  division 
giving  to  each  210  acres.  For  some  years  past  William  H.  Glasgow  has 
been  giving  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of  Hampshire  sheep  and 
his  breeding  cotes  have  attained  more  than  a  local  reputation.  He  has 
made  exhibits  at  the  Bunceton  Fair  and  in  addition  to  the  private  sales 
which  he  conducts  on  his  farm,  he  has  received  orders  for  the  increase  of 
his  flock  from  several  states.  Mr.  Glasgow  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Hampshire  Sheep  Association  of  Detroit,  and  a  member  of  the  local 
Sheep  Breeders'  Association,  which  confines  its  field  of  activities  to 
Cooper  and  Moniteau  Counties.    He  is  a  democrat. 

Oct.  18,  1916,  William  H.  Glasgow  was  married  to  Dora  B.  Kite,  who 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
William  H.  Glasgow,  III.  Mrs.  Glasgow  was  born  in  Lebanon  township, 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Emma  J.  (Buracker)  Kite,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  living  in  Lebanon  township.  She  was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  Jan. 
1,  1867.  George  W.  Kite  also  was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  March  27, 
1857.  He  and  his  wife  came  to  Missouri  about  1887  and  located  on  a 
farm  in  Lebanon  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.    He 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  893 

died  in  1905.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  three 
are  still  living,  Mrs.  Glasgow  having  a  brother,  Grover  C.  Kite,  of  Kelly 
township,  and  a  sister,  Ruth  V.,  who  is  at  home  with  her  mother. 

Clayton  Stilhnan  Glasgow,  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  and 
stockmen  of  Kelly  township  was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now  resiues, 
Aug.  27,  1896,  son  of  William  H.  and  Belle  J.  (Gates)  Glasgow,  both  now 
deceased.  The  former  died  in  1901  and  the  latter  in  1917.  James  H. 
Glasgow,  a  native  of  Delaware  and  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  bought  at  an  early  day  a  considerable  tract  of  land  here  on  which 
to  establish  his  home.  This  pioneer's  son,  William  H.  Glasgow,  anc?  his 
wife  had  three  children,  the  first  born  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy, 
Clayton  S.  Glasgow  having  an  elder  brother,  William  H.,  who  lives  on  the 
farm  adjoining  him. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Clayton  S.  Glasgow  was  from  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  trained  in  the  ways  of  farming,  the  operations  of  the  home 
place  early  devolving  upon  his  elder  brother  and  himself  due  to  the  tact 
of  their  father's  death  when  they  were  but  boys.  He  completed  his 
schooling  in  Central  College  at  Fayette  and  in  the  University  of  Missouri 
and  upon  leaving  the  university  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  there  re- 
sumed his  operations,  he  and  his  bi'other  managing  the  place  jointly  in 
behalf  of  their  mother,  and  after  the  latter's  death  in  1917  the  brothers 
divided  the  estate,  each  receiving  210  acres  of  excellent  and  well  improved 
land.  In  the  following  spring  Clayton  S.  Glasgow  married  and  estab- 
lished his  home  on  that  portion  of  the  estate  which  came  to  his  share  and 
has  since  been  making  extensive  improvements  on  the  same.  In  addition 
to  his  general  farming  he  has  for  some  time  given  special  attention  to  the 
raising  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Shropshire  sheep  and  has  met  with  much 
s-uccess  in  this  line.  Mr.  Glasgow  is  a  member  of  local  association  of 
Shropshire  breeders  which  confines  its  activities  to  Cooper  and  Moniteau 
Counties,  has  been  an  exhibitor  at  the  county  fair  and  is  going  into  the 
breeding  business  in  a  way  to  bespeak  his  continued  success  and  influence 
in  that  line,  coming  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  wideawake  young 
stockmen  of  his  county. 

May  29,  1918,  Clayton  S.  Glasgow  was  united  in  marriage  with  Velma 
G.  Palmer,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Greenville,  111.,  June  15,  1897, 
daughter  of  A.  L.  and  Alice  (Betteridge)  Palmer.  A.  L.  Palmer  is  n 
native  of  Illinois  and  his  wife  of  Connecticut.  Upon  coming  to  Cooper 
County  from  Illinois  they  located  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  and  are 


894  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

living  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glasgow  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Mr.  Glasgow  is  a  democrat,  as  were  his  father  and  grand- 
father before  him.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glasgow  have  been  born  a  son,  Cecil 
Wayne,  born  April  27,  1919. 

George  Barnhart,  one  of  Kelly  township's  substantial  farmers  and 
stockmen,  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  forty  miles  north  Oskaloosa, 
Iowa,  Dec.  15,  1857.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Ashmead)  Barn- 
hart,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  settled  in  Cooper  County  at  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here,  both  living  to  a 
ripe  old  age. 

John  Barnhart  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  his  native  state,  and  there 
married  Sarah  Ashmead,  who  also  was  born  in  that  state.  Not  long  after 
their  marriage  they  moved  to  central  Iowa,  where  they  remained  until 
1866,  when  they  moved  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Cooper  County.  Not 
long  after  coming  here  John  Barnhart  bought  a  farm  south  of  Boon- 
ville  and  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  there.  John 
Barnhart  died  in  1894,  he  then  being  past  76  years  of  age.  His  widow 
died  in  1909,  being  76  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth 
and  three  of  whom  are  still  living,  Mr.  Barnhart  having  two  sisters, 
Matildia,  wife  of  C.  S.  Phillips  and  Mrs.  Laura  Rockwood,  near  Pilot  Grove. 

George  Barnhart  was  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cooper 
County  with  his  parents  from  Iowa  in  1866  and  his  schooling  was  com- 
pleted in  the  district  school.  When  22  years  of  age  he  rented  a  farm  in 
Boonville  township  and  continued  to  make  that  township  his  residence 
until  1899,  when  he  bought  the  quarter  section  in  Kelly  township  on  which 
he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Barnhart  has  made  numerous  substantial  improve- 
ments on  his  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  an  excellent 
herd  of  Hereford  cattle.     He  is  a  republican. 

Feb.  12,  1884,  that  George  Barnhart  was  married  to  Susan  Wilson, 
who  was  born  at  Adair,  Mo.,  daughter  of  James  T.  Wilson  and  wife,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  Jones,  and  who  died  Feb.  24,  1915,  at  the  age  of  53 
years.  To  that  union  was  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Laura,  who  married 
Earl  Stahl  and  is  now  (spring  of  1919)  at  home  with  her  father  during 
the  continued  absence  of  her  husband  in  Europe  as  a  member  of  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stahl  have  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Ruth. 

Thomas  G.  Hutchison,  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelly 
township  was  born  at  Danville,  Ky.,  May  30,  1847.     He  is  a  son  of  John 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  895 

G.  and  Sallie  (Downton)  Hutchison,  who  many  years  ago  became  residents 
of  Kelly  township,  and  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Syracuse,  Mo.  John 
G.  Hutchison  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  there  married  and  became  a 
farmer  and  merchant.  In  1856  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and  with 
his  family  came  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Kelly  township,  where  he  became 
a  quite  extensive  landowner  and  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  living  to  a  ripe  old  age.  His  wife  died  at  Sedalia,  ten  years  before 
her  husband's  death.  A  couple  of  years  after  John  G.  Hutchison  had 
settled  in  this  county  his  parents,  Elijah  and  Isabel  (West)  Hutchison, 
disposed  of  their  interests  in  Kentucky  and  also  came  here.  Elijah  Hutch- 
ison was  a  Virginian  as  was  his  wife.  Upon  coming  here  in  1858  he 
bought  several  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Cooper  and  Pettis  Counties  and 
with  the  200  negroes  which  he  brought  with  him  from  Kentucky  started 
in  to  create  a  great  plantation  with  particular  reference  to  the  raising  of 
cattle  and  mules,  but  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  a  few  years  later, 
and  the  permanent  consequences  necessitated  a  complete  revision  of  his 
plans,  though  he  still  maintained  a  considerable  estate.  John  G.  Hutch- 
ison and  his  wife  lived  to  ripe  old  ages.  Of  the  children  born  to  them 
but  two  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  younger 
brother,  Elijah  Hutchison,  now  living  at  Independence,  Mo. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  his  parents  had  settled  when  he  was 
nine  years  of  age,  Thomas  G.  Hutchison  has  continued  to  make  that  place 
his  home.  He  married  when  twenty  years  of  age  and  established  his 
home  on  the  place,  in  time  coming  into  the  inherited  possession  of  300 
acres  of  the  same.  Of  this  tract  he  later  sold  fifty  acres  and  thus  now 
has  250  acres,  the  same  being  well  improved  and  profitably  cultivated. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Hutchison  has  for  many  years 
given  considerable  attention  to  stock  raising.  In  recent  years  he  has  been 
ably  assisted  in  the  management  of  the  place  by  his  son,  Richard  E.  For 
nine  years  during  the  educational  period  of  their  son,Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutch- 
ison maintained  a  city  residence  at  Sedalia,  where  their  son  went  to  school, 
Mr.  Hutchison  meantime,  however,  continuing  to  look  after  the  farm. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 

Mr.  Hutchison  has  been  twice  married.  In  1867  he  was  married  to 
Lucy  E.  Thompson,  who  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  leaving 
two  children,  Mary  E.,  wife  of  T.  Bradley,  of  Boonville,  and  Segis  Leslie, 
deceased.  Oct.  17,  1883,  Mr.  Hutchison  married  Margaret  Lenora  Ellis, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have 


896  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

been  born,  namely:  Margaret,  deceased;  Richard  Ellis,  mentioned  above, 
and  Thomas  G.,  Jr.,  deceased.  Richard  Ellis  Hutchison  married  Julia 
Bridges  and  is  making  his  home  on  the  home  farm  in  Kelly  township, 
being  able  thus  to  relieve  his  father  of  much  of  the  detail  of  management. 
Mrs.  Margaret  Lenora  Hutchison  was  born  in  Lebanon  township  Sept.  28, 
1849,  one  of  the  nine  children  born  to  Richard  P.  and  Margaret  V.  (Fergu- 
son) Ellis,  the  eldest  of  these  children  having  been  the  late  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Harris,  mother  of  Mrs.  W.  F.  Johnson,  whose  name  appears  on  the  title 
page  of  this  work.  Richard  P.  Ellis  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in 
Orange  County,  in  1809.  Nov.  25,  1830,  he  married  Margaret  V.  Fergu- 
son, who  was  born  in  Bath  County,  Ky.  In  1836  he  came  to  Missouri 
with  his  family  and  settled  in  Cooper  County,  where  he  was  living  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  During  that  struggle  he  was  killed.  His  widow 
died  at  Pilot  Grove  many  years  afterward. 

William  A.  Mayfield,  one  of  the  large  landowners  and  best  known 
farmers  and  stockmen  in  the  county,  now  living  retired  at  Pleasant  Green, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township  March  29,  1852.  He  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  V.  (Linn)  Mayfield,  both  of  whom  were  bom 
in  Barren  County,  Ky.,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  nearly  70  years  ago 
and  settled  in  the  Clear  Creek  section. 

James  Mayfield  was  born  at  Glasgow,  Ky.,  March  4,  1815,  a  son  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  that  section.  The  Mayfields  are  an  old 
Colonial  family,  the  first  of  this  name  in  this  country,  having  come  here 
from  Glasgow,  Scotland,  about  300  years  ago,  settling  on  the  North  Caro- 
lina coast,  whence  members  of  the  family  drifted  into  Kentucky  in  the 
early  days  of  the  settlement  of  that  state.  Sept.  3,  1843,  in  Kentucky, 
James  Mayfield  married  Elizabeth  V.  Linn  and  there  continued  to  reside 
until  1850,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Missouri  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  died  Oct.  19,  1892.  His  widow  died  Jan.  25,  1901.  She  was  born  Aug. 
28,  1822.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children  as  follows:  Louisa, 
married  Captain  Zollinger  and  is  now  deceased :  Emma,  who  married  W. 
A.  Huyett  and  is  deceased;  William  A.;  Thomas^  Vernon  County,  Mo.; 
James,  deceased,  and  David  B.  Mayfield.  a  stockman,  Otterville. 

William  A.  Mayfield  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
in  Clear  Creek  township  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools. 
As  a  young  man  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  rented  land 
owned  by  his  father,  but  in  1878  he  bought  a  farm  on  which  he  made  his 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  897 

home  until  he  later  sold  it.  He  has  from  time  to  time  made  some  excel- 
lent investments  and  has  owned  a  great  deal  of  land.  At  present  he  -is 
the  owner  of  750  acres  in  this  county  and  480  acres  near  Amarillo,  Texas. 
During  the  progress  of  the  various  Liberty  Bond  sales  during  the  World 
War  Mr.  Mayfield  bought  $20,000  worth  of  bonds  and  was  in  other  ways 
an  active  factor  in  promoting  the  sale  of  these  securities  in  this  county. 
In  1910  Mr.  Mayfield  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm  and  moved 
to  Pleasant  Green,  where  he  is  now  very  comfortably  situated,  his  house 
being  surrounded  by  a  four-acre  tract.  He  is  a  democrat  but  has  not 
been  a  seeker  after  office. 

Feb.  20,  1878,  William  A.  Mayfield  was  married  to  Laura  J.  Licklider, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio  on  Oct.  30,  1849,  and  who  died  at  Pleasant  Green 
Sept.  13,  1917.  To  that  union  were  born  eight  children,  namely:  Maud 
E.,  deceased ;  Elsie,  wife  of  Doctor  Hite,  Greenridge,  Mo. ;  James  W.,  farm- 
ing in  New  Lebanon  township;  Cleveland,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware, grain  and  live-stock  business  at  Pleasant  Green;  Laura,  at  home 
with  her  father;  Luella,  wife  of  James  Algaier,  a  hardware  and  imple- 
ment merchant  at  Lincoln,  Mo.;  Ruth,  at  home,  and  Anna  B.,  wife  of  E. 
Hurt,  of  Pleasant  Green.  Ewing  Hurt,  a  corporal  in  the  89th  Division 
of  the  United  States  army,  attached  to  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces 
overseas,  and  who  is  now  (spring  of  1919)  in  France  with  his  command, 
was  inducted  into  the  army  in  1917,  and  in  1918  sailed  with  his  division 
for  overseas  service.  He  participated  in  the  great  battle  of  the  Argonne 
Forest  and  other  engagements. 

Joseph  Clark  Cordry,  a  progressive  farmer  of  Kelly  township,  was 
bom  Nov.  30,  1874,  son  of  Newton  and  Amanda  (Woolery)  Cordry,  both 
members  of  pioneer  families  in  Cooper  County.  Reared  on  the  home 
farm,  Joseph  C.  Cordry  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  school  and 
from  his  boyhood  was  a  valued  assistant  in  the  labors  of  the  home  farm. 
When  he  had  attained  his  majority  his  father  gave  him  80  acres,  a  part 
of  the  home  place,  and  he  then  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  a 
vocation  he  ever  since  has  followed  and  with  considerable  success.  That 
was  in  1895  and  seven  vears  later,  he  bought  an  adjoining  80  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  cultivating  and  improving  his  place  of  160  acres 
until  now  he  has  an  excellent  farm,  among  these  improvements  being  the 
erection  of  a  new  house  and  a  new  barn  on  the  place.  Mr.  Cordry  has 
long  given  proper  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  has  found 
(47) 


898  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

that  a  profitable  phase  of  his  agricultural  operations.  Mr.  Cordry  does 
not  acknowledge  unshaken  fealty  to  any  political  party,  preferring  rather 
to  maintain  an  independent  attitude,  particularly  with  respect  to  local 
issues. 

June  5,  1900,  Joseph  C.  Cordry  was  married  to  Ella  May  Brumaker, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been 
bom,  Cletus  Daniel,  Jessie  F.,  Agnes  E.  and  Joseph  C,  Jr.  Mrs.  Cordry 
is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  R.  Brubaker  and  wife,  members  of  pioneer  fam- 
ilies in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cordry  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  and  have  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  church  work. 

William  H.  Cordry  is  one  of  the  well  fixed  farmers  of  Kelly  township 
and  he  has  a  pleasant  home  where  he  and  his  family  are  very  comfort- 
ably situated.  The  youngest  member  of  that  household  is  Mr.  Cordry's 
grandson,  Arthur  William  Putman,  a  representative  of  the  Cordry  family 
in  the  fifth  generation  since  that  family  came  to  Cooper  County  from 
Kentucky,  the  Cordrys  being  one  of  the  real  "old  families"  of  this  com- 
munity. William  H.  Cordry  was  born  on  the  old  Cordry  home  place  in 
Kelly  township,  on  a  part  of  which  he  still  resides.  He  was  born  Sept. 
27,  1870,  his  parents  being  James  Newton  and  Amanda  L.  (Woolery) 
Cordry.  James  Newton  Cordry  gave  his  son,  William  H.,  80  acres  of  the 
home  place  when  the  latter  attained  his  majority  and  that  property  not 
only  has  been  carefully  conserved  but  added  to,  the  present  owner  long 
having  been  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  that  neigh- 
borhood. He  had  grown  up  on  the  home  farm,  had  received  his  schooling 
in  the  public  school  and  had  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  been  a  valuable 
assistant  on  the  home  place.  When  he  took  possession  of  his  farm  there 
was  no  improvement  save  an  old  house  which  had  been  erected  there  many 
years  before,  thus  all  the  present  improvements,  including  the  comfortable 
farm  house,  the  ample  barn  and  other  buildings  have  been  placed  by  the 
present  owner.  In  1904  Mr.  Cordry  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  35 
acres  and  now  has  an  excellent  farm  of  115  acres,  well  improved  and 
profitably  cultivated. 

Sept.  5,  1893,  William  H.  Cordry  was  married  to  Nora  May  Davis,  who 
also  is  a  member  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  pioneer  families,  and  to  this 
union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter,  Mary  G.,  who  married  A.  W. 
Putman,  who  is  living  on  the  Cordry  place,  assisting  in  the  operations  of 
the  same,  and  has  one  child,  Arthur  William,  representative  in  the  fifth 
generation  of  the  Cooper  County  Cordrys.  Mrs.  Cordry  was  born  in  this 
county  in  Aug.,  1872,  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Matilda    (McMahan) 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  899 

Davis,  both  now  deceased.  George  W.  Davis  in  his  younger  days  was  a 
Santa  Fe  "trailer",  an  Indian  fighter  and  a  man  thoroughly  conversant 
with  the  hazard  of  Western  frontier  life,  having  often  faced  the  most 
imminent  peril  and  come  through  the  same  safely.  But  death  came  to 
him  at  last  amid  the  calm  pursuits  of  peaceful  agricultural  life  at  home. 
One  day  he  was  riding  horseback  across  the  fields  when  a  prairie  chicken 
whirred  up  from  the  grass  directly  in  front  of  his  horse.  The  frightened 
animal  whirled  and  threw  its  rider.  Mr.  Davis'  back  was  injured  and  he 
died  from  the  effects.  The  Cordrys  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  Mr.  Cordry  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America. 

James  M.  Corson,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Kelly  township  in 
the  spring  of  1911  was  born  in  Madison  County,  Ohio,  Feb.  11,  1845.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Blizzard)  Corson,  and  was  one  of  the 
eight  children  born  to  them. 

Reared  and  schooled  in  his  native  county,  James  M.  Corson  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  upon  finishing  his  trade  came  to  Missouri  and 
located  in  Henry  County,  where  he  had  relatives.  There  he  remained 
until  1876,  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  took  employment  on  the 
farm  of  the  Mrs.  Varner,  a  widow,  in  Kelly  township.  A  few  months 
later  he  married  the  youngest  daughter  of  Mrs.  Varner,  established  his 
home  on  the  place  and  thereafter  continued  in  proprietory  management 
of  the  same,  spending  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  He  died  April  12,  1911, 
he  then  being  past  66  years  of  age.  During  his  many  years  of  residence 
in  Kelly  township,  Mr.  Corson  did  well  his  part  in  the  work  of  community 
betterment.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  was  a  demo- 
crat. 

Aug.  12,  1876,  James  M.  Corson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rose 
Vainer,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  is  still  living  and  which 
she  owns,  Jan.  17,  1856,  daughter  of  Daniel  A.  and  Eustatia  (Cordry) 
Varner,  both  long  since  deceased.  Daniel  A.  Varner  was  a  Virginian  who 
came  to  Missouri  and  entered  government  land  in  Kelly  township,  a  part 
of  his  original  tract  being  the  farm  which  Mrs.  Corson  now  owns.  Here 
he  married  Eustatia  Cordry,  who  was  a  member  of  the  pioneer  Cordry 
family  from  Kentucky,  and  was  getting  a  good  start  along  the  lines  of 
development  on  his  home  place  when  he  died  in  1861,  he  then  being  but  40 
years  of  age.  His  widow  maintained  the  home  place  and  survived  him 
for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  on  May  4,  1898.  Of  the  six  chil- 
dren born  to  Daniel  A.  Varner  and  wife,  Mrs.  Corson  was  the  youngest, 


900  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  others  being  as  follows :  Charles  N.,  Benton  County,  Mo. ;  Asa,  de- 
ceased ;  Barbara,  married  William  Smith  and  is  now  deceased ;  John  T., 
deceased,  and  Mary  R.,  wife  of  Charles  Hassett,  Syracuse,  Mo. 

To  James  M.  and  Rose  (Varner)  Corson  were  born  seven  children, 
namely:  Jesse  B.,  who  is  now  living  in  Canada;  Elizabeth,  of  Kansas 
City;  Levi,  of  Sedalia ;  Etta,  of  Kansas  City;  Nettie,  wife  of  Cyrus  Decker, 
of  Morgan  County ;  Marsh,  deceased,  and  Bertie,  at  home  with  her  mother. 
Mrs.  Corson  has  a  well  improved  farm  of  80  acres  and  a  very  pleasant 
home.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  has  ever  taken  an 
interested  part  in  church  work. 

James  Henry  Gunn,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville,  is  one  of  Cooper 
County's  well  known  and  successful  business  men.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Morgan  County,  Nov.  1,  1875,  son  of  Judge  Ephraim  F.  and  Sallie 
A.  (Madale)  Gunn,  both  members  of  pioneer  families. 

Judge  Ephraim  E.  Gunn  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  Cum- 
berland County,  Nov.  7,  1838,  and  in  1840  his  parents,  Starling  and  Jemima 
(Marshall)  Gunn,  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  near  Versailles,  Morgan 
County,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  On  that  farm 
Ephraim  F.  Gunn  grew  to  manhood  and  became  a  farmer  and  landowner, 
a  man  of  influence.  An  earnest  member  of  the  primitive  Baptist  Church, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  became  widely  known  exhorter  of  the  faith. 
He  also  took  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Democratic  party  in  his  home  county  and  for  some  time  served  as 
judge  of  the  eastern  district  of  Morgan  County.  He  had  a  good  farm  and 
in  addition  to  his  general  farming,  for  21  years  operated  a  threshing-rig. 
Judge  Gunn  died  on  Jan.  1,  1889,  and  his  widow  died  Jan.  2,  1910.  She 
was  born  in  Kentucky  May  5,  1837,  and  was  but  a  child  when  her  parents, 
Samuel  and  Sarah  (Ross)  Madale,  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  settled  in  Morgan  County.  Judge  Gunn  and  wife  were  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth 
in  order  of  birth  and  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 

James  H.  Gunn  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Morgan  County  and 
received  excellent  schooling,  completing  his  studies  in  Barnett  Academy 
and  in  the  high  school  at  Versailles,  after  which  for  four  years  he  was 
engaged  during  the  winters  as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  his  home 
county.  He  early  began  to  turn  his  attention  to  commercial  pursuits  and 
in  1899,  in  association  with  his  brother,  John  R.  Gunn,  who  then  was 
cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville,  became  engaged  in  the  agricultural 
implement  business  at  Otterville.     In  1902  he  was  elected  assistant  cashier 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  901 

of  the  Bank  of  Otterville  and  in  1909  was  elected  cashier  of  that  institu- 
tion, a  position  he  since  has  occupied,  one  of  the  best  known  bankers  in 
Cooper  County.  Mr.  Gunn  also  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Boonville  National 
Bank  and  in  the  Boonville  Trust  Company.  He  owns  a  tract  of  40  acres 
of  land  in  this  county  and  has  other  investments.  He  is  a  Democrat  and 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Otterville  public  schools. 
He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  chapter  at  Sedalia  and  of  the  council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters,  at  Centralia  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South)  at 
Otterville  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of  the  same.  Mr. 
Gunn  also  has  long  been  interested  in  Sunday  school  work,  is  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday  school  of  his  church  and  is  vice-president  of  the  Cooper 
County  Sunday  School  Association.  He  has  for  years  given  much  earnest 
thought  to  local  historical  matters  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Mis- 
souri State  Historical  Society,  in  the  affairs  of  which  society  he  takes  a 
warm  interest,  a  valued  contributor  to  its  archives. 

Dec.  4,  1912,  James  H.  Gunn  was  married  to  Ida  May  Potter,  who 
was  born  at  Otterville.  Mrs.  Gunn  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  W.  and  Ida 
May  (Amick)  Potter,  both  now  deceased.  Samuel  W.  Potter  was  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Missouri  and  was  for  years  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  at  Otterville,  one  of  the  most  influential  factors  in  the  com- 
mercial life  of  that  town.  He  also  owned  an  excellent  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gunn  have  a  pleasant  home  and  take  an  active  interest  in  the  general 
social  affairs  of  their  home  town. 

Edwin  Price  Harned,  manager  of  the  Bunceton  Telephone  Company, 
a  director  of  the  Bunceton  High  School,  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  230 
acres  in  Palestine  township  and  in  other  ways  interested  in  the  affairs  of 
Cooper  County,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Kelly  township  Dec.  8,  1865,  son  of  George  and  Marcia  A.  (Pash)  Harned, 
natives  of  Kentucky,  who  became  residents  of  Cooper  County  in  Civil  War 
times  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

George  Harned  was  born  in  Nelson  County,  Ky.,  April  8.  1829.  He 
was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Harned  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Blan- 
ford,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Christian  County,  Ky.,  who  spent  most 
of  their  lives  in  Nelson  County,  where  they  died  and  are  buried.  Benjamin 
Harned  and  wife  had  a  large  family,  but  of  their  numerous  children  George 
was  the  only  one  who  located  in  Cooper  County.     Two  of  the  latter's 


902  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

brothers,  Lee  and  Ack.  L.  Harned,  served  as  soldiers  of  the  Confederacy 
during  the  Civil  War,  the  former  losing  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
and  the  latter  being  so  seriously  wounded  that  one  of  his  arms  had  to  be 
amputated.  In  1859  George  Harned  and  wife  came  to  Missouri,  locating 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state,  where  they  remained  until  Feb., 
1865,  when  they  came  to  Cooper  County,  where  he  bought  1,000  acres  of 
land  in  Kelly  township  and  establishing  there  in  that  same  year  a  great 
herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  being  the  third  person  in  this  county  to  under- 
take the  breeding  of  Shorthorns.  For  ten  years  he  maintained  this  herd 
and  became  widely  known  among  stockmen  as  an  exhibitor  at  county 
fairs,  his  herd  attracting  much  attention.  He  developed  a  fine  farm  and 
lived  to  be  past  70  years  of  age.  He  died  in  1900.  His  widow  died  March 
24,  1912.  She  was  born  at  Cox's  Creek,  Nelson  County,  Ky.,  April  11, 
1832.  George  Harned  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  Wil- 
liam P.  Hamed,  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Kelly  township;  Benjamin 
Harned,  who  lives  five  miles  east  of  Bunceton ;  Edwin  P.  and  Huldah,  who 
married  Walter  Williams  and  is  now  deceased. 

Edwin  P.  Harned  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  near 
Vermont  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  Bunceton  schools.  As  a  young 
man  he  became  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Vermont  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  nine  years.  In  1900  he  began  fanning  two  miles  west  of 
Bunceton  on  a  farm  which  his  father  had  given  him  and  has  thus  occu- 
pied that  place  for  nineteen  years,  making  his  home  there  during  the 
summers  and  living  at  Bunceton  during  the  winters.  This  is  an  excel- 
lent farm  of  230  acres,  well  improved  and  profitably  cultivated.  In  1913 
Mr.  Harned  became  one  of  the  leading  stockholders  in  the  Bunceton  Tele- 
phone Company  and  in  1915  was  made  manager  of  that  concern,  a  position 
he  has  since  occupied,  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  company 
having  done  much  to  extend  the  service  of  the  telephone  plant  through- 
out the  territory  it  covers.  Mr.  Harned  is  also  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Bunceton  High  School.  He  is  a  democrat  and  he  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Nov.  8,  1894,  Edwin  P.  Harned  was  married  to  Harriet  McDonald 
and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born:  Virginia,  Howard,  Mc- 
Donald, Harriet  H.  and  William  S.,  all  at  home.  Mrs.  Harned  was  bom 
in  Howard  County,  a  daughter  of  Strother  and  Virginia  (Turner)  Mc- 
Donald, natives  of  Virginia,  who  came  to  Missouri  many  years  ago. 
Strother  McDonald  died  in  187R  and  his  widow  resides  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Harned. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  903 

John  Leonard  Spillers,  former  county  collector  for  Cooper  County  and 
a  well  known  business  man  of  Otterville,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  May  23,  1876,  son  of  Henry 
T.  and  Nancy  E.  (Thomas)  Spillers.  Henry  T.  Spillers  was  born  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  Ind.,  Aug.  6,  1850,  and  was  but  a  boy  when  his  parents, 
William  and  Mary  (Harris)  Spillers,  came  to  Missouri  with  their  family 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  active  lives,  moving  to  Otterville  upon  their  retirement 
from  the  farm  and  there  spending  their  last  days.  William  Spillers  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  his  wife  in  Indiana.  Henry  T.  Spillers  grew  to  manhood 
in  Lebanon  township  and  followed  farming  until  about  1906,  when  he 
moved  to  Otterville  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  implements  business. 
He  died  June  24,  1913.  His  wife  died  Jan.  18,  1901.  She  was  born  in 
Ken.,  March  27,  1848.  To  Henry  T.  Spillers  and  wife  were  born  five  chil- 
dren as  follows:  John  L. ;  William,  Kansas  City;  Thomas  0.,  Otterville; 
Margaret,  wife  of  Solomon  Rothgeb,  Lebanon  township,  and  May,  wife 
of  Jesse  Favorite,  Blairstown. 

John  L.  Spillers  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Lebanon  township 
and  completed  his  schooling  in  Otterville  College.  He  married  when 
21  years  of  age  and  thereafter  continued  farming  until  his  election  in 
1903  to  the  office  of  county  collector.  He  was  re-elected  to  that  office  and 
thus  served  for  two  years.  In  1909,  he  moved  to  Otterville  and  engaged 
in  the  hardware  business,  buying  a  store  which  had  already  been  estab- 
lished for  some  time.  In  1915  he  sold  that  store  and  opened  a  furniture 
store  and  undertaking  establishment  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  this 
business.  In  order  properly  to  prepare  himself  for  the  exacting  profession 
of  funeral  director,  Mr.  Spillers  entered  the  Williams  School  of  Embalming 
at  Kansas  City  and  after  a  full  course  at  that  institution  was  graduated 
and  was  then  licensed  under  the  laws  of  the  state.  Mr.  Spillers  has  for 
years  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  the  cause  of  education  in  that  state 
and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  Missouri  State  Normal 
School  at  Warrensburg.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of 
that  party  in  Cooper  County.  He  is  a  York  Rite  Mason,  affiliated  with 
the  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  at  Boonville,  and  the  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  at  Boonville;  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  at  Otterville  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  and  take  a  proper  interest  in  church  work. 

Oct.  12,  1897,  John  L.  Spillers  was  married  to  Pauline  Starke,  who 


904  HISTORY  OP  COOPER  COUNTY 

was  bom  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Starke.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spill- 
ers  have  two  children,  Guy  E.,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Missouri  State 
Normal  School,  and  Agnes  E.,  who  is  a  member  of  the  junior  class  of  the 
Otterville  High  School.  During  the  last  registration  in  1918  under  the 
selective  service  law  Mr.  Spillers  and  his  son,  both  of  whom  were  eligible 
for  service,  registered  together,  this  being  the  only  such  instance  of  father 
and  son  registering  in  Otterville,  and  they  properly  regarded  it  as  quite  a 
momentous  occasion  in  their  lives.  In  the  Spillers  family  there  is  care- 
fully preserved  a  photograph  of  four  living  generations  in  the  male  line, 
the  value  of  the  picture  being  further  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  each  of 
the  persons  thus  pictured  was  the  first  born  son  in  his  respective  genera- 
tion. This  picture  was  taken  of  course  during  the  childhood  of  Mr.  Spill- 
er's  son  Guy,  his  father  and  his  grandfather  then  both  being  alive,  and 
represents  William  Spillers,  the  pioneer,  Henry  T.  Spillers,  John  L.  Spill- 
ers and  Guy  E.  Spillers,  a  photograph  certainly  worthy  of  preservation 
as  a  most  interesting  memorial  for  future  generations  of  the  family. 

Ernest  L.  Hite,  president  of  the  Farmers  Club  in  his  home  district, 
is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  progressive  young  farmers  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Page  County,  Va.,  July  15, 
1880,  son  of  Isaac  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Gander)  Hite,  both  born  in  that  county 
and  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  with  her  son,  Edward  W.  Hite,  in  Leb- 
anon township. 

Isaac  M.  Hite  was  born  in  1835  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Virginia, 
where  he  was  living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  at  once  enlisted 
in  the  Confederate  army,  serving  four  years,  and  for  quite  a  period  of 
this  time  serving  as  the  personal  body  guard  of  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee.  After 
the  war  he  settled  down  in  his  home  county,  married  and  continued  to 
reside  there  until  in  1885,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Missouri  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  this  county,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  Sept.,  1898.  Mr.  Hite  was  a  substantial 
citizen  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  300  acres  of  land 
in  this  county.  To  Isaac  M.  Hite  and  wife  five  children  were  born.  Of 
these  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last  born;  the  first  born  died  in 
infancy  and  the  others  are  as  follows:  Edward  W.,  a  substantial  farmer 
of  Lebanon  township ;  Ella,  wife  of  Charles  C.  Murray,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  Dr.  Henry  Ashby  Hite,  a  physician  and  surgeon  now  practicing  at 
Greenridge,  Mo. 

Ernest  L.  Hite  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  in  1885  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  905 

Lebanon  township,  attending  the  schools  of  that  district.  During  the 
winter  of  1898-99  he  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg 
and  the  following  winter  attended  the  State  University  at  Columbia,  where 
he  served  as  a  private  in  the  cadet  corps  for  five  months.  In  1904,  he 
established  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Hite 
has  230  acres  which  he  has  improved.  Early  in  the  present  year  (1919) 
he  helped  to  organize  the  Farmers  Club  in  his  home  district  and  upon 
the  organization  of  the  same  was  elected  president.  Mr.  Hite  is  a  demo- 
crat and  for  the  past  two  years  has  been  president  of  school  district  No. 
64.  In  addition  to  his  farm  he  owns  a  good  piece  of  business  property  in 
Pleasant  Green. 

Dec.  28,  1904,  Ernest  L.  Hite  was  married  to  Frances  Connell,  who 
was  born  in  Saline  County,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Cecil  C.  and  Earl  Lee.  Mrs.  Hite  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Smith)  Connell,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Howard  County. 
The  late  Joseph  Connell  was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  but  had  long  been 
a  resident  of  Missouri,  a  substantial  cattle  feeder  in  Saline  County.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  12  children. 

Judge  Joseph  Minter,  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville,  former 
judge  of  Cooper  County  now  living  at  Otterville,  was  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Va.,  June  22,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Clarecy  (Neely) 
Minter,  both  members  of  Colonial  families  and  Revolutionary  stock.  Jacob 
Minter  was  born  in  Fairfax  County  in  1800  and  died  in  1868.  His  grand- 
father, Jacob  Minter,  was  a  Hollander  who  had  been  in  this  country  but 
two  years  when  the  Revolutionary  War  broke  out.  He  organized  a  com- 
pany to  fight  in  defense  of  the  cause  of  the  colonists  and  served  through- 
out the  war  as  captain  of  that  company.  Clarecy  (Neely)  Minter,  mother 
of  Judge  Minter,  was  born  in  1803  and  died  in  1871.  Her  father,  John 
Neely,  also  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  serving  as  a  lieutenant.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  captured  by  Indians  in  the  service  of  the  British  and 
for  four  years  was  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  At  his  death  he  was  buried 
with  military  honors.  Jacob  and  Clarecy  (Neely)  Minter  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  Judge 
Minter  is  now  the  sole  survivor. 

In  1870  Judge  Minter  came  to  Missouri.  He  had  been  engaged  in 
the  East  in  railway  construction  work  and  came  here  to  help  construct 
the  dyke  across  the  Missouri  River  at  Boonville  for  the  passage  of  the 
M.  K.  &  T.  railroad.  Upon  the  completion  of  this  job  he  continued  his 
railway  construction  work  and  was  for  twelve  years  thus  engaged,  this 


906  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

service  taking  him  into  various  states.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  had 
become  so  much  "taken"  with  Cooper  County  that  in  1874,  he  bought  a 
farm  near  Otterville  and  after  his  marriage  here  two  years  later  estab- 
lished his  home  there.  On  that  place,  which  he  continued  to  improve  and 
which  contained  320  acres  of  fine  land,  Judge  Minter  continued  farming 
and  stock  raising  until  1909  when  he  sold  the  place,  retired  from  farm 
life  and  moved  to  Otterville,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  For 
the  past  17  years  has  served  as  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville. 
He  is  a  republican  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  Cooper  County. 
In  1906  he  was  elected  county  judge  from  his  district  and  served  for  four 
years. 

Judge  Minter  has  been  twice  married.  In  1876  he  was  married  to 
Fannie  Ross,  who  was  born  in  Otterville  and  who  died  in  June,  1907,  with- 
out issue.  In  Nov.,  1909,  the  Judge  married  Belle  Starke,  who  was  bora 
in  Otterville,  daughter  of  Squire  Thomas  J.  Starke,  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Minter  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  affiliated  with 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

H.  Roger  Starke,  a  well-known  live  stock  buyer  at  Otterville,  is  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, Oct.  24,  1881,  son  of  the  Hon.  John  D.  and  Mary  A.  (Stratton) 
Starke.  The  Hon.  John  D.  Starke  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading 
men  in  this  county.  He  was  the  first  judge  of  the  eastern  district  of 
Cooper  County  and  in  Nov.,  1882,  was  elected  county  collector,  an  office  to 
which  he  was  re-elected,  thus  holding  it  for  two  terms.  In  1886  he  was 
elected  to  represent  this  district  in  the  upper  house  of  the  Missouri  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  rendered  conspicuous  service  in  the  State  Senate. 
From  1897  to  1901  he  occupied  the  position  of  warden  of  the  Missouri 
State  Penitentiary  at  Jefferson  City  and  upon  the  completion  of  that  term 
of  public  service  returned  to  his  old  home  in  this  county  and  here  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last  born. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  H.  Roger  Starke's 
early  residence  was  divided  between  that  place  and  Boonville  and  Jeffer- 
son City  on  account  of  his  father's  official  residence  in  the  cities  during 
his  public  service,  and  his  schooling  was  thus  somewhat  interrupted,  be- 
ing completed  by  one  term  in  the  high  school  at  Jefferson  City,  a  year  in 
Missouri  Valley  College  at  Marshall  and  a  year  in  the  Missouri  State 
Normal  School.  As  a  young  man  he  continued  giving  attention  to  the 
affairs  of  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in  1908  he  formed  a  part- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  907 

nership  with  his  father  in  the  live  stock  business,  maintaining  his  base 
of  operations  on  the  home  farm  until  1916,  when,  after  his  father's  death, 
he  moved  to  Otterville  and  has  since  carried  on  his  operations  from  that 
point,  making  his  home  there.  Mr.  Starke  is  a  democrat,  as  was  his 
father,  and  has  long  given  his  attention  to  local  civic  affairs,  at  present 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  at  Otterville.  He  owns  a  good  little  farm  of  80  acres,  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Bank  of  Otterville,  and  has  other  investments  besides  his 
extensive  dealings  in  the  live  stock  market. 

Nov.  28,  1908,  H.  Roger  Starke  was  married  to  Gladys  Lee  Huff,  who 
was  born  at  Syracuse,  Mo.,  daughter  of  J.  T.  and  Bettie  Lee  (Johnson) 
Huff,  who  also  were  bom  in  this  state,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has 
been  born,  Jennie  Lee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Starke  have  a  pleasant  home  at 
Otterville.  They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
(South)  and  take  their  part  in  church  work.  Mr.  Starke  is  a  member  of 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

James  S.  Bane,  a  well-known  and  progressive  business  man  of  Otter- 
ville, was  born  in  Lewis  County,  Mo.,  Feb.  4,  1864,  son  of  Robert  and 
Martha  (Goodwin)  Bane.  Robert  Bane  was  born  in  that  part  of  Virginia 
now  comprised  in  West  Virginia  and  was  there  married  to  Martha  Good- 
win, who  also  was  bom  in  that  part  of  Virginia.  In  the  days  before  the 
Civil  War,  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Lewis  County, 
but  in  1866  they  disposed  of  their  interests  there  and  moved  to  Morgan 
County,  settling  on  a  farm,  where  Robert  Bane  died  not  many  years  later. 
His  widow  survived  him  until  1901.  She  was  75  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  and  all  of  whom  are 
living,  save  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Morgan  county,  he  having  been  but  two 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  there,  James  S.  Bane  received  his 
schooling  in  the  district  school  and  in  a  select  school  at  Otterville.  He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  after  his  marriage  in  1886,  when  he  be- 
gan farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  land  for  two  or  three  years, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Morgan  County.  In  1893  he  sold  that  farm  and 
came  to  Cooper  County  and  bought  a  farm  of  155  acres  in  Otterville  town- 
ship, near  Otterville.  In  1918  he  bought  the  garage  at  Otterville,  which 
he  is  now  conducting  and  at  the  same  time  engaged  in  the  general  sale 
of  automobiles  and  accessories.     Mr.  Bane  has  a  well-equipped  and  up- 


908  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

to-date  place  and  is  doing  well  in  his  new  business.  He  still  resides  on 
his  farm,  although  he  rents  the  land.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank  of  Ot- 
terville  and  gives  his  earnest  attention  to  the  general  business  conditions 
of  his  home  town.  He  is  a  democrat,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Dec.  1,  1886,  James  S.  Bane  was  married  to  Rose  L.  Smith,  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  Cooper  County's  old  families,  and  to  this  union  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely:  Loren  Ardee,  a  soldier  in  the  American 
Army ;  Irma,  wife  of  Thornton  Ware,  of  Otterville,  and  Vivien  Pearl,  wife 
of  Gus  Ware,  also  of  Otterville.  Loren  Ardee  Bane,  the  soldier  son,  was 
born  on  Aug.  30,  1889,  and  completed  his  schooling  in  Otterville  College. 
After  his  marriage  he  became  engaged  in  farming  in  Arkansas  and  was 
living  there  when  he  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  and  after  a 
period  of  training,  sailed  for  Europe  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  156th 
Infantry,  89th  Division,  with  which  command  he  saw  much  active  service 
and  was  engaged  in  some  important  battles  before  the  armistice.  In 
April,  1919,  he  was  returned  to  this  side  with  his  command  and  was  dis- 
charged at  Louisville,  Ky.,  April  21,  1919,  at  Camp  Taylor.  L.  A.  Bane 
married  Nancy  E.  Monroe,  of  Otterville,  who  died,  leaving  a  son,  Loren 
Edwin,  who  is  now  being  cared  for  by  his  paternal  grandparents  at 
Otterville. 

Alfred  G.  Hansberger,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen 
of  Otterville  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bowling  Green  township, 
Pettis  County,  June  5,  1864,  son  of  Emanuel  and  Cordelia  (Stephens) 
Hansberger.  Emanuel  Hansberger  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va., 
about  1825,  and  in  1853  came  to  Missouri  and  located  near  Bunceton.  Later 
he  moved  to  Pettis  County,  where  he  settled  on  a  farm  and  became  a  sub- 
stantial farmer.  He  died  in  1888  while  in  Texas.  His  widow  died  at  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  at  her  daughter's  home,  Mrs.  J.  T.  Crenshaw,  in  her  75th 
year.  She  was  born  on  the  old  Stephens  home  place  near  Bunceton,  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Lawrence  and  Margaret  (Moore)  Stephens.  Judge 
Stephens  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  was  a  man  of  much  influence  in 
this  community.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Emanuel 
lii'.nsberger  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  The  first 
born  died  in  infancy;  Margaret,  widow  of  J.  T.  Crenshaw,  Kansas  City; 
Lawrence  H.  Hansberger,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  and  Alfred  G. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  over  in  Pettis  County,  Alfred  G.  Hans- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  909 

berger  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  at  Bunceton 
Academy,  and  in  1887  left  the  farm  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Lone  Elm,  until  he  sold  his  store  in  1893  and  entered  upon  the 
life  of  a  traveling  salesman,  a  vocation  he  followed  for  nine  years,  repre- 
senting the  J.  A.  Lamy  Company,  of  Sedalia,  a  part  of  that  time  and  the 
remainder  the  Hammond  Packing  Company,  of  St.  Joseph.  In  the  mean- 
time he  married  and  in  1903  wisely  left  "the  road"  and  settled  down  on 
the  farm  owned  by  his  wife  in  Otterville  township  and  has  since  made 
that  place  his  residence.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Hans- 
berger  has  made  numerous  improvements  and  is  contemplating  more. 
He  carries  on  general  farming  and  raises  high  grade  live  stock. 

Nov.  6,  1901,  Alfred  G.  Hansberger  was  married  to  Jennie  L.  Harlan, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
the  little  one  dying,  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Hansberger  was  born  in  Otter- 
ville township,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Susan  (Streit)  Harlan, 
the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  who  became 
residents  of  Cooper  County  in  their  youth,  were  married  here  and  here 
spent  their  last  days.  Mrs.  Hansberger's  father  died  in  1891  and  his 
widow  died  in  the  summer  of  1916  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  A.  G.  Hansberger, 
she  then  being  nearly  87  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansberger  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South).  Mr.  Hansberger 
is  a  democrat. 

James  William  Walker,  one  of  the  well-known  and  substantial 
fanners  and  stockmen  of  Lebanon  township,  was  born  on  that  farm 
where  he  resides,  Jan.  9,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  William  W.  and  Sarah 
(Boatman)  Walker,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  bom  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, in  1829,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  (Cockrell)  Walker,  who  had 
come  here  from  Kentucky  and  established  their  home  on  a  pioneer  farm 
in  Lebanon  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
William  W.  Walker  grew  to  manhood  in  that  community  and  after  his 
marriage  to  Sarah  Boatman,  also  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  that  section,  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  James  and  there 
developed  an  excellent  piece  of  property.  He  spent  his  last  days  on  that 
farm,  where  he  died  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  70  years.  Of  the  six  children 
born  to  him  and  his  wife,  three  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  a  brother,  Lee  Walker,  of  Sedalia,  and  a  sister,  Lela  W.,  widow  of 
the  late  H.  L.  Tutt,  of  Pocatello,  Idaho. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  bom  and  on  which  he  is  still 
living,  James  W.  Walker  received  his  schooling  in  the  Otterville  schools 


910  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

and  in  Central  College  at  Fayette  and  upon  returning  from  college,  re- 
sumed his  place  on  the  farm,  of  which  in  time  he  became  the  owner,  buy- 
ing from  the  other  heirs  their  respective  interests.  After  his  marriage 
in  the  fall  of  1898,  he  established  his  home  there  and  has  continued  to 
reside  on  the  place.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the  com- 
munity. He  has  long  been  a  stockholder  in  the  Pleasant  Green  Bank 
and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  same.    He  is  a  democrat. 

Oct.  26,  1898,  James  W.  Walker  was  married  to  Bessie  R.  Rissler, 
who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  three  miles  northwest 
of  where  she  now  resides,  March  16,  1874,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Tavenner)  Rissler,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  with  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Walker.  She  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  Sept.  17,  1832, 
and  is  now  in  her  87th  year.  William  Rissler  also  was  a  Virginian,  born 
on  June  22,  1820,  in  Jefferson  County,  now  W.  Va.,  and  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  1873,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  where  he 
became  a  large  landowner  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  one  of  the 
substantial  and  influential  members  of  that  community.  He  died  Sept. 
13,  1914,  being  past  94  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South). 

Anton  Beck,  a  well-known  and  substantial  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Otterville  township,  was  born  March  3,  1860,  in  the  grand  duchy  of 
Baden.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Theresa  (Swintch)  Beck,  also  were  na- 
tives of  Baden  and  were  there  married  in  1851.  March  4,  1882,  with  five 
children,  they  left  their  native  land  and  came  to  the  United  States,  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township.  Here  Mrs.  Theresa  Beck 
died  on  Christmas  Day,  1896.  She  was  born  in  1828.  Her  husband  died 
Aug.  28,  1918.  He  was  bom  on  May  9,  1819,  thus  lacked  about  nine 
months  of  being  100  years  of  age.  To  Jacob  Beck  and  wife  were  born 
ten  children,  as  follows:  Joseph,  deceased;  Edward,  deceased;  Renie, 
deceased;  Anton;  Emma,  wife  of  H.  Young  Camp,  Clifton  City;  Anna, 
deceased;  Clara,  wife  of  E.  Altermott,  Lebanon  township;  Eugene,  de- 
ceased; Elizabeth,  wife  of  Leo  Knedgen,  and  Rosa,  deceased. 

Anton  Beck  came  to  America  with  his  parents  and  upon  his  arrival 
in  Cooper  County,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  at  five  dollars  a  month,  and 
for  eight  years  thereafter,  off  and  on,  was  engaged  in  farm  labor.  In  his 
native  land,  he  had  been  trained  to  the  trade  of  stone  cutter  and  he  varied 
his  work  as  a  farm  laborer  by  working  at  that  trade,  continuing  thus 
engaged  at  varying  periods  of  time  for  12  years  after  coming  here,  his 
work  as  a  stone  cutter  taking  him  into  nearly  all  the  principal  cities  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  911 

Missouri.  In  1892,  Mr.  Beck  bought  80  acres  in  Clear  Creek  township 
and  after  his  marriage,  two  years  later,  established  his  home  there,  im- 
proving the  place  and  continuing  to  reside  on  that  farm  until  1904,  when 
he  bought  the  farm  of  283  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Otterville 
township.  He  owns  a  well-improved  and  valuable  farm.  For  the  past 
nine  years  he  has  been  serving  as  overseer  of  roads  in  his  home  district 
and  in  that  capacity  has  rendered  effective  service  in  behalf  of  the  grow- 
ing demand  for  better  roads.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America. 
Mi-.  Becl\  ;■  a  republican. 

Jan.  26,  1894,  Anton  Beck  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Anna 
Williams,  who  was  born  in  Moniteau  County  in  1874,  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Josephine  (Heater)  Williams,  natives  of  Moniteau  county,  and  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Kansas,  and  to  this  union 
13  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Jacob,  farming  in  Otterville  town- 
ship; Emma,  wife  of  Joseph  Gramlich,  same  township;  Robert,  who  is 
at  home  assisting  her  father;  Clara,  also  at  home;  Lawrence,  deceased, 
and  Katherine,  Henry,  Eugene,  Frank,  Rosa  (deceased),  Anton,  Jr.,  Mary 
Ann  and  Susan. 

Calvin  Gehringer,  a  well-known  and  progressive  farmer  of  Otterville 
township,  was  born  in  New  York  State,  Nov.  23,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of 
Christopher  and  Lena  (Lindenholdt)  Gehringer,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
were  married  in  that  country  and  who  came  to  America  in  1854  and 
located  in  New  York  State.  Some  years  later  they  moved  to  Indiana, 
locating  in  Hamilton  County,  where  they  remained  until  1865,  when  they 
came  to  Missouri  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pettis  County,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Mrs.  Gehringer  dying  about  1905  and 
Mr.  Gehringer  eight  or  10  years  ago,  he  being  75  years  of  age. 

Calvin  Gehringer  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his 
parents  and  he  grew  up  in  Pettis  County,  becoming  engaged  there  in  his 
young  manhood  in  saw  mill  work,  which  he  followed  until  1879,  when  he 
became  engaged  in  farming  in  the  Pleasant  Green  neighborhood,  re- 
maining here  until  1884,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres  in  Pettis 
County  and  returned  to  that  county,  where  he  prospered  and  from  time 
to  time  bought  other  land.  There  he  remained  until  1911,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  and  returned  to  Cooper  County,  buying  the  farm  on 
which  he  is  now  living  in  Otterville  township,  and  has  since  resided  here. 
Since  taking  possession  of  that  farm,  Mr.  Gehringer  has  made  numerous 
substantial  improvements  to  the  place  and  is  contemplating  more.     In 


912  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Gehringer  gives  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  with  particular  reference  to  pure-bred 
Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  mules.  Mr.  Gehringer  is  a  democrat,  but  has  not 
been  a  seeker  after  office. 

In  1877,  Calvin  Gehringer  was  married  to  Sarah  M.  DeWitt,  who  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Lafayette  DeWitt,  and  to  this 
union  11  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Otto,  deceased;  Dudley,  who 
is  now  farming  in  South  Dakota ;  Lafayette,  South  Dakota ;  Zetta,  wife  of 
Jabe  Potter,  Clifton,  Mo. ;  Lulu,  wife  of  Charles  Knox,  Pettis  County ; 
Theodore,  who  is  farming  in  this  county;  Blanche,  wife  of  J.  S.  Phillips, 
of  Pettis  County;  Gertrude,  wife  of  Lewis  J.  Potter,  Sedalia;  James,  who 
is  at  home,  assisting  in  the  management  of  the  farm,  and  Dewey  and 
Matilda,  also  at  home.  The  Gehringers  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gehringer  have  16  grandchildren. 

John  M.  Stephens,  a  former  teacher  and  formerly  a  merchant  and 
postmaster  at  Bellaire,  who  has  charge  of  the  big  Burwood  farm  in  Clear 
Creek  township,  is  a  native  Missourian.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Moni- 
teau County  Jan.  25,  1864,  son  of  Kemp  S.  and  Huldah  (Renfrew) 
Stephens.  Kemp  S.  Stephens  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  June  7,  1837, 
son  of  Thomas  Stephens  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Williams,  the  Missouri  pioneer  who  was  driven  from  this  region 
by  the  Indians  in  1815,  but  later  returned,  settled  here  and  lived  to  be 
101  years  of  age.  He  was  a  Tennessean.  Thomas  Stephens  was  born 
near  Pemberton  Court  House,  N.  C,  Sept.  18,  1800,  and  was  not  yet  18 
years  of  age  when  in  1818  he  came  to  Missouri.  In  1827  he  married  and 
bought  a  claim  in  Moniteau  County  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
there.  He  died  in  Jan.,  1892,  aged  92  years.  His  wife  had  died  many 
years  before.  Thomas  Stephens  got  his  start  here  as  a  young  man  by 
splitting  rails.  When  he  earned  money  enough  to  buy  a  horse  he  started 
out  as  a  horse  trader  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  was  one  of  the  best 
known  horse  dealers  in  central  Missouri.  For  21  years  he  made  annual 
trips  to  New  Orleans,  going  and  returning  horseback,  with  bunches  of 
horses  he  had  bought  for  the  trade,  this  trade  being  chiefly  confined  to  the 
cotton  planters  of  the  South.  It  was  on  that  farm  in  Moniteau  County 
that  Kemp  S.  Stephens  was  reared  and  after  his  marriage  he  continued 
farming  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Boonville, 
where  he  died  in  Oct.,  1907.  His  wife  had  died  many  years  before,  in 
1866.  She  was  born  in  1837.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children: 
One  died  in  infancy;  James  T.  Stephens,  now  living  at  Sedalia;  Ruth  J., 
married  J.  W.  Kenny  and  is  deceased,  and  John  M. 


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HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  913 

John  M.  Stephens  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died 
and  he  was  reared  in  the  household  of  his  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas 
Stephens.  There  he  received  all  the  advantages  of  schooling  and  rearing 
possible  to  the  time  and  place,  completing  his  schooling  in  the  old  Prairie 
Home  College,  and  for  some  years,  in  connection  with  his  farm  labors 
as  a  young  man  taught  school.  He  married  before  he  was  21  years 
of  age  and  after  his  marriage  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  also 
for  some  years  continued  teaching  during  the  winters.  During  the  four 
years,  1902-1906,  Mr.  Stephens  was  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business  at  Bellaire  and  during  that  period  also  was  postmaster.  He  then 
resumed  his  farming  operations  and  in  1916  moved  from  Boonville  town- 
ship and  took  over  the  great  Burwood  farm  of  635  acres  in  Clear  Creek 
township,  owned  by  Henry  R.  Walker,  of  Columbia,  taking  the  same  under 
a  ten-year  lease,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Stephens  is  a 
democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Dec.  18,  1884,  John  M.  Stephens  was  married  to  Sophronia  Stone, 
who  was  born  in  Livingston  County,  Mo.,  daughter  of  William  and  Ellen 
(Alexander)  Stone,  both  natives  of  Tennessee  who  came  to  Missouri  many 
years  ago  and  both  are  now  deceased,  and  to  this  union  eight  children 
have  been  bom,  as  follows :  Eula,  wife  of  Edward  Solomon,  of  New  Frank- 
lin; Ether,  wife  of  Julius  Stegner,  of  Palestine  township;  Inez,  a  Cooper 
County  teacher,  who  resides  with  her  parents ;  James  W.,  who  was  with 
the  American  Army  of  Occupation  in  Germany,  is  now  at  home;  Ellen, 
wife  of  A.  Hilden,  of  Boonville  township;  Willie  B.  (a  daughter),  at  home, 
Cora  L.  and  John  H.,  both  at  home.  James  W.  Stephens,  the  soldier  son, 
was  born  in  Boonville  township,  Feb.  23,  1892,  and  was  engaged  as  a 
farmer  and  teacher  in  this  county  when  he  was  inducted  into  the  National 
Army  for  service  in  the  World  War.  He  sought  service  in  the  machine 
gun  branch  of  the  army  and  after  a  period  of  preliminary  training  in  this 
country  sailed  with  his  command  for  France  in  June,  1918,  attached  to 
the  356th  Machine  Gun  Corps,  89th  Division.  James  W.  Stephens  mar- 
ried Mary  Parrish,  daughter  of  Doctor  Parrish  and  wife,  of  Pleasant 
Green.     Six  of  John  M.  Stephens  children  have  been  school  teachers. 

Peter  J.  Devine,  vice-president  of  the  Clifton  City  Bank  and  a  well- 
known  and  substantial  farmer  of  Otterville  township,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Otterville  township,  Oct.  4,  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen  (Mc- 
Sheehy)  Devine,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  County  Kerry  Ireland,  and 
the  former  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  95  years.  John  Devine 
was  born  in  1824  and  was  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country 


914  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Boston,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  where  he  early  learned  the  care  of  horses,  becoming  a  teamster. 
He  married  in  Boston  and  remained  there  until  he  came  to  Missouri  about 
Civil  War  times  to  take  part  in  the  railway  construction  work.  .Upon  the 
completion  of  his  contract  here,  he  located  in  Cooper  County  and  bought 
a  farm  in  Otterville  township,  where  he  was  for  years  actively  engaged 
in  farming  and  where  he  is  now  living.  His  wife  died  there  in  1896,  at 
the  age  of  68  years.  Mr.  Devine  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as 
was  his  wife,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were 
seven  of  these  children,  as  follows :  John,  Ft.  Scott,  Kan. ;  Michael  C,  of 
Hammond,  Ind. ;  one  who  died  in  infancy ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Shea,  deceased ; 
Daniel,  deceased;  Peter  J.,  and  Ellen,  deceased. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Peter  J.  Devine  attended  the  district 
schools  and  has  ever  stuck  to  the  farm.  In  1894  he  bought  90  acres  of 
land  near  Clifton  City  and  has  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  As 
his  affairs  prospered,  Mr.  Devine  bought  adjoining  land  and  now  has  a 
well-improved  farm  of  240  acres,  on  which  he  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  and  on  which  he  has  done  well.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Clifton  City  Bank,  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  and 
vice-president  of  the  same.  He  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the 
local  school  board. 

Mr.  Devine  has  been  twice  married.  In  1895  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Griffin,  who  died  in  1905  at  the  age  of  33  years.  To  that  union 
three  children  were  born,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  In  1907  Mr.  De- 
vine  married  Louisa  Connor,  who  was  born  in  Pettis  County,  daughter  of 
Dennis  Connor  and  wife,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born, 
Peter  J.,  Jr.,  and  Llewellyn,  both  deceased ;  one  child,  born  May  2,  1919, 
Eleanor  Mary,  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Devine  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.    Mr.  Devine  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

John  Sweeney,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Otterville  township,  was  born 
in  County  Limerick,  Munster,  Ireland,  Oct.  4,  1848.  He  was  less  than 
three  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  John  and  Ellen  (Donohue)  Sweeney, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1851,  arriving  at  New  Orleans.  For  some 
little  time  after  his  arrival  here,  the  elder  John  Sweeney  remained  in  New 
Orleans  and  then  came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
which  city  he  began  to  work  as  a  farm  hand.  Not  long  afterward,  about 
the  middle  of  the  '50s,  he  came  over  into  Cooper  County  with  his  family 
and  settled  in  Otterville  township,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and  estab- 
lished his  home.     He  gradually  increased  his  land  holdings  there  until 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  915 

he  became  the  owner  of  700  acres  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  that  neighborhood.  On  that  farm  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1899,  being  80  years  of  age.  His  widow 
died  in  1901.  When  they  came  to  America,  their  son  John  was  their  only 
child,  but  six  more  children  were  born  to  them  after  their  arrival  here. 
Of  these  seven  children,  five  are  living.  John  Sweeney  and  his  wife  were 
devout  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  their  children  were  reared  in 
that  faith. 

The  junior  John  Sweeney  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  receiving 
his  schooling  at  Clifton.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  he  was  required 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  farm,  and  as  the  eldest  son,  grew  to  be  his 
father's  "right  hand  man"  in  the  operation  of  the  place.  After  his  mar- 
riage in  1881,  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  of 
which,  after  his  father's  death,  he  inherited  80  acres.  He  has  since 
bought  an  adjoining  40  acres  and  now  has  a  farm  of  120  acres,  which  he 
has  improved  in  excellent  fashion  and  on  which  he  is  engaged  profitably 
in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  being  accounted  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  that  community. 

In  1881,  John  Sweeney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Temple- 
mire,  who  was  born  in  Lebanon  township,  daughter  of  Fred  Templemire 
and  wife,  natives  of  Germany  who  had  become  residents  of  this  county 
upon  coming  to  the  United  States,  and  to  this  union  five  children  were 
born,  namely:  John  R.,  Sedalia;  Edward,  deceased;  Charles  and  Nellie, 
at  home,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Emma  Sweeney,  mother  of 
these  children,  died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  40  years,  and  her  daughter 
Nellie  is  mistress  of  the  household.  Charles  Sweeney,  who  also  still  re- 
mains at  home,  has  long  been  assisting  his  father  in  the  direction  of  the 
farm  and  has  helped  to  develop  there  a  good  piece  of  property.  The 
Sweeneys  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Sweeney  and  his 
son  are  republicans. 

George  C.  Jones,  one  of  the  extensive  landowners  of  Cooper  County 
is  a  son  of  the  pioneer  Caleb  Jones  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1883 
was  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in  Cooper  County. 

Caleb  Jones  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  11,  1805,  a  son  of 
Capt.  Joshua  Jones,  who  during  the  time  of  the  War  of  1812  when  Balti- 
more was  bombarded  by  the  British  (the  night  of  stress  which  inspired 
Francis  Scott  Key  to  write  his  immortal  "Star  Spangled  Banner")  helped 
in  the  defense  of  the  city.  About  1815  Capt.  Joshua  Jones  moved  with 
his  family  from  Baltimore  to  Kentucky,  the  boy  Caleb  then  being  about 


916  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ten  years  of  age,  and  it  was  in  that  state  that  the  latter  grew  to  manhood, 
his  education  being  received  in  the  schools  of  Cynthiana,  Ky.  When  he 
was  21  years  of  age,  in  1826,  Caleb  Jones  came  here  horseback,  swimming 
his  horse  across  the  Missouri  River  at  Franklin.  With  such  meager  re- 
sources as  he  could  command,  Caleb  Jones  put  his  credit  to  the  test  and 
was  able  to  secure  a  small  stock  of  merchandise  with  which  he  opened  a 
store  at  the  landing  at  Arrow  Rock.  This  venture  was  the  beginning  of 
the  successful  career.  From  the  very  beginning  his  affairs  prospered, 
his  mercantile  venture  presently  was  expanded  to  include  banking  and 
he  thus  became  one  of  the  pioneer  bankers  of  this  section  of  Missouri,  his 
operations  necessitating  the  removal  of  his  base  of  operations  from  Arrow 
Rock  to  Boonville.  He  invested  largely  in  real  estate  and  was  at  one  time 
the  owner  of  about  6,000  acres  of  land  in  this  county,  the  greater  part 
of  his  holdings  lying  in  Blackwater  township.  He  also  gave  much  atten- 
tion to  the  live  stock  business  and  in  all  his  ventures,  whether  as  mer- 
chant, banker  or  stockman  and  farmer,  he  prospered,  so  that  it  probably 
is  nothing  amiss  to  say,  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  Cooper 
County's  wealthiest  citizen.  Nov.  10,  1831,  Caleb  Jones  married  Nancy 
Chapman,  who  was  born  in  April,  1814,  in  Howard  County.  She  died 
about  ten  years  before  he  did,  his  death  occurring  May  15,  1883. 

George  C.  Jones,  son  of  Caleb  and  Nancy  (Chapman)  Jones,  was  born 
in  Polk  County  Dec.  12,  1844,  and  grew  up  in  this  county,  from  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  his  interests  being  more  directly  connected  with  his  father's 
farming  operations  and  he  continued  a  farmer  all  his  life,  coming  in  time 
to  be  a  large  landowner.  During  the  Civil  War  he  went  to  Canada,  but 
returned  to  Cooper  County  in  1865,  and  resumed  farming  with  his  father, 
later  branching  out  for  himself,  and  became  successful,  at  one  time  own- 
ing as  much  as  1,400  acres  of  land  in  this  county,  mostly  in  Blackwater 
township.  On  March  5,  1868,  George  C.  Jones  was  married  to  Ann  E. 
Trent,  who  was  born  on  March  16,  1844,  in  Cumberland  County,  Va., 
member  of  an  old-  Colonial  family  of  English  ancestry,  the  family  name 
being  derived  from  the  ancient  seat  of  the  family  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Trent.  To  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely:  Caleb  C,  a  stock- 
man and  auctioneer  of  Pilot  Grove:  Addie  Muir,  married  George  H.  Mo- 
Elroy  and  is  now  deceased ;  Dr.  George  C.  Jones,  a  dentist  at  Pilot  Grov1 : 
Maria,  wife  of  M.  L.  Jones,  Blackwater  township;  Nancy  Trent,  wife  of 
Archibald  McGuire.  Blackwater  township  and  Woodson  Trent  Jones, 
Blackwater  township.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  Jan.  18,  1909. 
Of  late  years  George  C.  Jones  has  disposed  of  some  of  his  land  interests, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  917 

but  still  retains  a  life  interest  in  1,000  acres  in  Blackwater  township  which 
he  has  divided  among  his  children,  preferring  to  make  disposition  of  his 
estate  while  he  is  living. 

William  Manger  and  Julius  Manger,  now  of  New  York  City,  owners 
of  several  hotels  in  the  large  cities  of  the  country,  are  natives  of  Boon- 
ville.  They  are  the  sons  of  Casper  Manger  and  Wilhelmina  (Bell)  Manger, 
who  were  early  citizens  of  Boonville. 

William  and  Julius  Manger  left  Boonville  about  30  years  ago.  Wil- 
liam attended  Valparaiso  University  and  Julius  graduated  from  Tulane 
University  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  They  founded  the  International 
Coffee  Company  and  were  importers  and  jobbers  of  coffee  and  spices. 
They  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  have  built  more  than  a  1,000 
buildings  and  have  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate.  They  are  proprietors 
of  the  Hotel  Netherland,  Great  Northern  Hotel,  Navarre  Hotel,  Endicott 
Hotel,  Grand  Hotel,  and  Bell  Apartment  Hotel,  all  in  New  York  City;  The 
Plaza  Hotel,  Chicago;  The  Continental  Hotel,  Philadelphia;  and  are  inter- 
ested in  many  other  large  enterprises. 

Col.  Charles  C.  Bell  of  Boonville,  their  uncle,  has  been  their  life  long 
friend  and  adviser. 

William  Manger  is  a  bachelor.  Julius  Manger  married  Miss  Lillian 
Weissenger,  a  noted  Kentucky  beauty,  and  daughter  of  the  late  Col.  Harry 
Weissenger,  of  Louisville,  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Ken- 
tucky.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Julius  Manger  have  three  children. 

Dr.  Porter  E.  Williams  was  born  in  Versailles,  Mo..  March  25,  1867. 
Dr.  Williams'  father  was  also  a  physician  and  one  of  the  most  prominent 
in  central  Missouri,  honored,  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  with  his  father  came  to  Versailles  when 
two  years  of  age.  He  practiced  his  profession  for  about  50  years  and 
died  in  the  spring  of  1903,  70  years  of  age.  Dr.  Williams'  paternal  grand- 
father erected  the  first  building,  a  blacksmith  shop,  in  Versailles  about 
1835.  Here  he  manufactured  all  the  plows,  axes,  horseshoes  and  nails 
that  were  used  in  that  section  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in  Ver- 
sailles when  84  years  of  age. 

The  maiden  name  of  Dr.  Williams'  grandmother  on  his  father's  side 
was  Mary  McGlothlin.  She  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Morgan  County 
when  86  years  of  age.  Dr.  Williams  mother  was  Miss  Alpha  Davis,  born 
in  Morgan  County,  Mo.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Porter  E.  Davis  who 
was  born  on  the  old  homestead  about  four  miles  southeast  of  Bunceton, 
now  occupied  by  his  grandson,  W.  E.  Davis.     Porter  E.  Davis  made  the 


918  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

trip  across  the  plains  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  '49  in  quest  of  gold  and  after 
three  years  returned  to  his  home  in  Cooper  County. 

Phillip  Davis,  father  of  Porter  E.  Davis  and  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county,  and 
located  the  old  Davis  homestead  above  referred  to.  He  was  a  first  cousin 
of  Jefferson  Davis,  the  president  of  the  southern  Confederacy.  The  Davis 
stock  originally  came  from  Mississippi. 

Dr.  Porter  E.  Williams  was  married  Nov.  20,  1890,  to  Miss  Gussie 
Stephens,  the  daughter  of  John  H.  Stephens  a  brother  of  Joseph  L.  Steph- 
ens and  belonged  to  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County.  Dr. 
Williams  has  one  daughter  Adda,  the  wife  of  Roy  D.  Williams  a  promi- 
nent attorney  of  the  Cooper  County  bar. 

Dr.  Williams  graduated  at  Beaumont  Hospital,  now  the  Washington, 
in  1887,  served  one  year  as  interne  at  the  hospital  and  May  6,  1888,  located 
at  Bunceton.  Nov.  1,  1905,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  State 
Hospital,  No.  1,  at  Fulton,  and  remained  there  until  1909,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Bunceton  to  practice  his  profession.  In  1917  he  was  appointed 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  St.  Joseph  Hospital  No.  2,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  present  time. 

Dr.  Williams  is  a  physician  of  high  standing  throughout  the  state,  a 
firm  democrat,  a  loyal  friend  and  an  upright  and  good  citizen. 

Curtis  Earle  Chrane,  superintendent  of  public  schools  of  Boonville,  is 
a  native  Missourian.  He  was  born  Oct.  29,  1886,  on  a  farm  at  Musselfork, 
Chariton  County.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Earley  and  Elizabeth  (Stith) 
Chrane,  natives  of  Missouri  and  Kentucky,  respectively. 

John  Earley  Chrane,  was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  which  was 
entered  from  the  government  in  the  early  twenties.  He  was  a  son  of 
Harold  Julius  Chrane,  who  emigrated  from  Denmark  with  his  family  in 
the  nineteenth  century  and  settled  in  Chariton  County,  Mo.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Confederate  army  under  General  Price.  John 
Earley  Chrane  was  reared  to  maturity  in  Chariton  County  and  married 
Elizabeth  Stith,  a  native  of  Breckenridge  County,  Ky.,  who  accompanied 
her  parents  to  Linn  County,  Mo.,  in  1870.  John  E.  Chrane  is  a  farmer 
and  stockman  and  is  now  residing  upon  his  farm  in  Chariton  County. 

Prof.  C.  E.  Chrane  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the 
district  school.  He  attended  the  Warrensburg  State  Normal  School  and 
graduated  from  this  institution  when  19  years  of  age.  For  three  years 
following  he  was  principal  of  Windsor  High  School  and  afterwards  served 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  919 

for  four  years  as  superintendent  of  Windsor  Public  Schools,  following 
which  he  became  Superintendent  of  Boonville  Public  Schools,  a  position 
which  he  has  held  for  the  past  six  years.  Professor  Chrane's  work  as 
superintendent  of  Boonville  Public  Schools  has  been  such  as  to  place  the 
schools  in  the  front  rank  of  Missouri  public  school  system.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Missouri  State  University  and  has  attended  summer  school 
sessions  at  University  of  Colorado,  University  of  Michigan,  and  Chicago 
University. 

May  29,  1910,  Mr.  Chrane  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Irmah 
Griffith,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Griffith,  at  Windsor,  Mo.  Dr. 
Griffith  and  family  now  reside  at  Gallitan,  Mo.,  the  birth  place  of  Mrs. 
Griffith  whose  maiden  name  was  Harriet  Poague.  Dr.  Griffith's  mother 
was  Margaret  Drake  prior  to  her  marriage  and  she  was  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Howard  County.  His  father  was  Dr.  Edgar 
Griffith  who  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  was  one  of  the  largest  land  own- 
ers and  wealthiest  men  in  Cass  County.  He  cast  his  fortunes  with  the 
Confederate  cause  and  was  impoverished  as  a  result  of  the  ravages  of  the 
war.  His  family  suffered  severely  from  the  effects  of  "Order  No.  11". 
To  C.  E.  and  Irmah  Chrane  has  been  born  two  children,  Barbara  Jeanne, 
born  March  22,  1915;  and  Jacqueline,  born  Sept.  26,  1916.  The  mother 
of  these  children  was  a  graduate  of  the  Sedalia  College  of  Music,  where 
she  pursued  a  course  in  violin  and  elocution.  She  is  also  a  graduate  of 
the  Chicago  Conservatory  of  Music  in  the  same  subjects.  Two  years 
prior  to  her  marriage  she  was  engaged  in  Chautauqua  work  as  a  reader 
and  violinist. 

Mr.  Chrane  is  a  member  of  the  Cooper  County  Board  of  Education, 
receiving  his  appointment  to  the  position  from  the  State  Superintendent 
of  Schools.  He  was  also  appointed  by  the  governor  of  Missouri  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Missouri  Library  Commission.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chrane  are  both 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  as  have  been  all  of  their  an- 
cestors for  generations.  They  are  both 'connected  with  the  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star  and  Mr.  Chrane  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  the  Royal  Arch  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Chrane's  career  as  an  educator  has  been  marked  with  signal  suc- 
cess; he  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability;  energetic,  progressive. 
highly  -  >-  :ated  be  is  possessed  of  a  strong  and  likable  personality  which 
has  made  him  popular  with  all  classes  of  the  people. 

The  six  years  of  his  incumbency  as  superintendent  of  the  Boonville 


920  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Public  Schools  has  been  an  era  of  progress  and  advancement  which  has 
seen  the  Boonville  Schools  take  a  leading  place  among  the  small  city 
schools  of  Missouri. 

Dr.  Arthur  Wesley  Nelson,  president  of  the  Bank  of  Bunceton,  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  member 
of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Missouri  State  Hospital  at  St.  Joseph,  one 
of  the  most  extensive  landowners  and  cattle  breeders  in  central  Missouri 
and  proprietor  of  "Eastwood",  the  great  stock  farm  in  Kelly  and  Lebanon 
townships  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  always  regarded  the  place  as 
his  home,  a  continuous  resident  there  since  his  return  in  the  spring  of 
1902  from  New  York  City,  where  he  rounded  out  his  medical  education. 
The  Doctor  was  born  Jan.  21,  1878,  son  and  only  child  of  Arthur  W.  and 
Lolla  (Marmaduke)  Nelson,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  section 
of  Missouri  and  the  latter  of  whom,  a  member  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished families  in  Missouri,  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Kansas 
City. 

The  senior  Arthur  W.  Nelson  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  two  miles 
west  of  Boonville  in  1854,  son  of  James  M.  and  Margaret  (Wyan)  Nelson, 
who  had  established  their  home  there  after  their  marriage  in  this  county. 
The  latter  was  one  of  the  oldest  living  natives  of  Cooper  County  at  time 
of  her  death,  July  9,  1919,  at  the  age  of  98  years,  she  having  been  born 
in  this  county  in  1821,  a  daughter  of  real  pioneer  parents,  the  Wyans  hav- 
ing been  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  James  M.  Nelson 
was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  member  of  a  well-established  family 
there,  and  was  self  educated.  As  a  young  man  he  came  to  Missouri  and 
located  in  Cooper  County,  where  he  married  Margaret  Wyan  and  estab- 
lished his  home.  He  was  a  man  of  varied  activities  and  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  men  in  Cooper  County. 
In  1858,  in  association  with  W.  W.  Trigg,  he  started  the  first  bank  that 
was  opened  for  business  in  Boonville  and  thus  early  became  one  of  the 
most  influential  factors  in  the  development  of  that  city  and  of  the  region 
surrounding.  He  also  became  a  large  landowner  and  the  possessor  of 
other  interests  of  a  valuable  character,  the  impress  of  his  forceful  per- 
sonality being  manifest  in  many  directions  throughout  the  local  business 
world.  James  M.  Nelson  died  in  Aug.,  1902,  being  then  at  the  age  of 
86  years.  His  widow  died  July  9,  1919,  she  having  lived  to  the  great  age 
of  98  years.  She  was  bora  at  Crab  Orchard,  Ky.  James  M.  Nelson  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  Arthur 
W.,  father  of  Doctor  Nelson  and  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  921 

being  Louis  Cass  Nelson,  a  retired  banker  and  capitalist,  St.  Louis;  Mrs. 
Charles  E.  Leonard,  a  widow  and  owner  of  the  notable  "Ravenswood" 
farm  in  Palestine  township,  who  is  now  living  at  Boonville,  and  Margaret, 
wife  of  the  Hon.  Lon  V.  Stephens  of  St.  Louis,  former  governor  of  the 
state  of  Missouri.  Arthur  W.  Nelson  was  reared  at  Boonville  and  was 
early  tx-ained  and  schooled  in  a  way  to  fit  him  for  the  large  responsibilities 
entailed  upon  him  by  reason  of  his  father's  estate.  After  his  marriage 
to  Lolla  Marmaduke  he  established  his  home  on  the  great  ranch  in  Kelly 
township  now  owned  by  his  son,  the  house  in  which  he  and  his  wife  set 
up  their  establishment  there  having  been  a  conventional  "big  house"  of 
the  period,  erected  by  slave  labor  in  1854.  On  that  place  he  gave  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  breeding  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  had  developed 
one  of  the  finest  stock  farms  in  this  section  when  in  1880  his  activities 
were  untimely  brought  to  an  end,  his  death  coming  in  a  runaway  acci- 
dent in  that  year.  His  widow  later  married  Robert  W.  Cary  and  is  now 
living  at  Kansas  City.  She  was  born  in  Saline  County,  a  daughter  of 
Col.  Vincent  Marmaduke,  a  gallant  officer  of  the  Confederate  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  who  was  a  son  of  the  Hon.  M.  M.  Marmaduke,  one 
time  lieutenant-governor  of  Missouri,  and  a  brother  of  former  Governor 
Marmaduke,  of  this  state. 

Born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  Dr.  Arthur  W.  Nelson 
was  reared  at  Kansas  City,  in  the  schools  of  which  city  he  received  his 
schooling  preparatory  to  entrance  at  Wentworth  Military  Academy,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1897.  He  then  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  South  at  Sewanee,  Tenn.,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1900,  with  the  degrees  of  M.  D.,  A.  B.  and  Ph.  G.  Thus 
equipped  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  Doctor  Nelson  received  the 
appointment  to  an  internship  in  the  Woman's  Hospital  at  New  York  City 
and  was  there  until  the  spring  of  1902,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
in  this  county,  foregoing  his  expectation  of  actively  engaging  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  order  to  assume  the  practical  management  of  the 
great  estate  he  had  inherited  in  Cooper  County  and  has  since  been  thus 
engaged,  having  extended  in  many  ways  the  operations  for  many  years 
carried  on  there.  In  the  spring  following  his  return  to  Cooper  County, 
Doctor  Nelson  married  and  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place, 
where  he  since  has  resided.  In  1913,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000  he  rebuilt  the 
historical  old  farm  house  which  had  stood  as  the  dwelling  place  there  for 
nearly  60  years  and  erected  in  its  stead  one  of  the  finest  farm  houses  in 
Missouri,  the  same  equipped  throughout  with  modern  fittings.     One  of 


922  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  features  of  this  new  house  is  the  great  reception  hall  which  with  true 
Southern  hospitality  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  ever  keep  open  for  the  social 
gatherings  of  the  young  people  of  the  neighborhood,  the  Nelson  house  thus 
having  long  been  most  pleasantly  noted  as  the  center  of  social  activities 
thereabout.  Doctor  Nelson  is  the  proprietor  of  an  estate  exceeding  2,000 
acres  in  Kelly  and  Lebanon  townships  and  gives  his  chief  attention  to 
the  raising  of  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  the  operations  of  the  place  being 
under  the  direction  of  his  ranch  manager,  J.  M.  Putman,  and  the  products 
of  the  Nelson  stock  farm  are  in  wide  demand  among  discriminating  stock- 
men throughout  this  section  of  the  West.  Doctor  Nelson  is  widely  known 
in  live-stock  circles  and  during  the  years  1912-15  served  as  president  of 
the  Missouri  Live  Stock  Producers  Association,  an  organization  in  the 
affairs  of  which  he  has  for  years  taken  an  active  interest  and  of  which 
he  is  still  a  member  of  the  executive  committee.  In  general  business 
affairs  the  Doctor  also  has  for  years  taken  a  proper  interest  and  in  1903 
was  elected  president  of  the  Bunceton  Bank  at  Bunceton,  this  selection 
carrying  with  it  the  distinction  of  being  the  youngest  bank  president  then 
in  the  state  of  Missouri.  He  also  is  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Boonville  National  Bank.  In  recognition  of  his  attainments  in  the 
field  of  medical  science  he  was  appointed  in  1918  a  member  of  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  Missouri  State  Hospital  at  St.  Joseph  and  is  still  serv- 
ing on  that  important  board.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  democrat. 
He  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  affiliated  locally  with  the  blue  lodge  at 
Bunceton  and  is  a  noble  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  affiliated  with  the  temple  at  Kansas  City,  his  attainment  to  the 
shrine  having  been  through  the  York  Rite  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  this  latter  affiliation  being  with  the  Commandery  at  Boon- 
ville.    The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at  Kansas  City. 

March  25,  1903,  Dr.  Arthur  W.  Nelson  was  united  in  marriage  at  Boon- 
ville with  Rilye  Stephens,  of  that  city,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  Rilye  S.  and  Arthur  W.,  III.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  born  at  Boon- 
ville and  is  a  daughter  of  W.  Speed  and  Virginia  (Thompson)  Stephens, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Cooper  County,  members  of  old  families 
in  this  section  of  Missouri,  and  who  are  now  living  at  St.  Louis,  where  W. 
Speed  Stephens  is  engaged  in  business  as  treasurer  of  a  life  insurance 
company. 

Thomas  Smith  Simral!,  the  vice-president  and  acting  manager  of  the 
Cooper  County  Abstract  Company  of  Boonville,  was  born  Oct.  15,  1886, 
at  Keytesville,  Mo.     His  father  was  a  distinguished  Presbyterian  Divine 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  923 

and  was  born  in  Shelbyville,  Ky.,  in  1849.  He  was  educated  at  Washing- 
ton Lee  University  and  at  the  Louisville  Theological  Seminary  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  Having  received  a  finished  education  at  the  aforesaid  institu- 
tions, he  came  to  Missouri  when  yet  a  young  man  and  preached  first  at  St. 
Louis,  filling  a  vacancy  in  a  pulpit  there,  for  a  short  time.  He  then  located 
at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  having  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  there  for 
several  years  after  which  he  preached  in  Keytesville,  Mo.,  and  finally 
located  at  Sweet  Springs,  Mo.,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  until  his  death,  Nov.  24,  1899. 

Mr.  Simrall's  mother,  now  living,  is  Dollie  (Ewing)  Simrall  who  was 
born  in  Owensville,  Ky.,  in  1860.  She  was  married  to  Rev.  Thomas  Sim- 
rall in  1882  at  Owensville.  Both  the  Simralls  and  Ewings  are  of  old  Ken- 
tucky stock. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  belongs  to  the  younger  class  of  energetic, 
pushing  business,  men  of  the  county  and  takes  deep  interest  in  all  public 
enterprises,  having  formerly  been  secretary  of  the  Boonville  Commercial 
Club  until  his  business  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  devote  the  time 
necessary  to  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  that  office.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  graduated  at  the  high  school  at  Sweet  Springs 
and  completed  his  education  at  the  University  of  Missouri.  When  he  first 
started  in  business  for  himself  he  was  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  whole- 
sale jewelry  company  of  St.  Louis  and  traveled  in  Texas. 

He  came  to  Boonville  in  July,  1915,  and  founded  the  Cooper  County 
Abstract  Company  which  he  caused  to  be  incorporated  and  is  the  vice- 
president  and  acting  manager  of  the  same.  The  corporation  bought  the 
"Book  of  Abstracts"  known  as  the  Chambers  set.  On  this  set  of  ab- 
stracts he  spent  considerable  time,  labor  and  pains  verifying  the  same, 
making  corrections  and  bringing  them  up-to-date,  so  that  now  the  com- 
pany has  a  complete  and  thorough  set  of  books.  Mr.  Simrall  has  been 
remarkably  fortunate  and  successful  in  the  management  of  this  company 
and  by  his  industry  and  tireless  efforts  has  built  up  a  flourishing  business. 

He  was  married  June  14,  1916  to  Miss  Edna  Chalmers  Williams  the 
daughter  of  the  late  lamented  Judge  William  M.  Williams.  There  was 
born  to  that  marriage,  on  March  19,  19J.8,  one  child,  Ann  Ewing.  Mr. 
Simrall  is  a  democrat,  a  Presbyterian  and  a  Free  Mason. 

B.  M.  Lester,  president  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  was  born 
Dec.  10,  1890,  in  Boonville,  Mo.  His  father,  Thomas  P.  Lester,  was  bom 
in  Queen's  County,  Ireland,  and  came  to  Boonville  in  1869,  where  he  was 
a  large  and  successful  contractor  until  his  death,  Oct.  13,  1910.    He  was 


924  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

married  in  St.  Louis  to  Theresa  Creamer,  who  died  June  7,   1901,  at 
Boonville. 

B.  M.  Lester  was  educated  at  the  parochial  schools  of  Boonville  and 
took  a  special  commercial  course.  At  the  age  of  15  he  was  employed  as 
messenger  boy  in  the  old  Central  National  Bank  at  a  salary  of  $5  per 
month.  His  rise  in  that  bank  by  reason  of  his  industry  was  rapid,  and 
he  soon  became  head  bookkeeper,  which  position  he  held  until  the  liqui- 
dation of  the  bank. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank,  which  took  over 
the  assets  of  the  Central  National  Bank,  he,  because  of  his  especial  fit- 
ness and  reliability,  was  chosen  cashier  of  the  new  institution,  and  upon 
the  consolidation  of  the  Boonville  National  Bank  and  the  Farmer's  Bank 
of  Boonville,  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  consolidated  banks, 
which  operated  under  the  name  and  charter  of  the  Boonville  National 
Bank. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  E.  E.  Amick  as  president  of  the  Boonville 
National  Bank,  Mr.  Lester  was  again  advanced  and  elected  president  of 
the  institution  in  his  stead,  and  is  doubtless  the  youngest  president  of 
so  large  a  financial  banking  institution,  he  being  now  but  28  years  of  age. 
He  is  thoroughly  versed  in  banking,  having  come  up  from  a  messenger 
boy  to  his  present  responsible  position.  Mr.  Lester  is  affable,  courteous 
and  quick  to  grasp  a  financial  proposition. 

He  was  married  Nov.  26,  1914,  to  Miss  Loretta  Bierck  at  the  home 
of  her  parents  in  Shelbyville,  Ind. 

Rolla  D.  Pealer,  the  present  popular  county  clerk  of  Cooper  County, 
was  bora  in  this  county  in  1873,  being  the  youngest  of  six  children.  His 
parents  were  John  C.  and  Mary  (Bittinger)  Pealer,  formerly  of  Ohio, 
who  moved  to  Iowa  from  Cooper  County  in  1873  and  purchased  a  farm 
eight  miles  northwest  of  California,  where  they  lived  until  their  demise. 

Mr.  Pealer  was  married  in  1894  to  Miss  Myrtle  M.,  daughter  of  B.  D. 
and  Mary  (Lawson)  Wilson.  They  have  four  children,  Erma  W. ;  Vera 
W. ;  Don  F. ;  and  Paul  M.  Mr.  Pealer,  until  inducted  into  office,  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  merchandising.  He  established  a  store  on  the 
home  farm  in  1901,  one  mile  north  of  Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist  Church  and 
one  mile  east  of  the  New  Zion  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  The 
postoffice  was  located  at  his  store,  which  was  named  Lakota.  In  the  fall 
of  1908,  he  disposed  of  his  store  and  was  appointed  the  probation  officer 
at  the  Missouri  Training  School  in  1909,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
change  of  the  State  administration.     He  was  appointed  deputy  county 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  925 

clerk  in  1911  by  County  Clerk  J.  T.  Hayes,  which  position  he  held  until 
1914.  In  this  year  he  became  a  candidate  for  and  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  county  clerk  and  was  re-elected  in  1918,  which  office  he  now  holds,  his 
term  expiring  in  1922.  At  the  election  of  1918  he  was  elected  county 
clerk  by  a  large  majority,  being  the  only  democrat  elected  in  the  county. 
During  the  World  War  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  local  Exemption 
Board  for  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  Pealer  is  affable  in  manner  and  has  a  pleasing  personality  which 
renders  him  popular,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  election  of  1918.  He  is  a 
careful,  painstaking  officer  and  has  endeared  many  to  him  by  reason  of 
his  continued  courtesy  and  kindness  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of 
his  office.  Mr.  Pealer  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
a  Free  Mason,  Knight  of  Pythias,  Odd  Fellow,  and  a  Woodman. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pealer  were  educated  at  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarks- 
burg, Mo.  They  believe  in  education  and  are  offering  their  children  the 
best  opportunity  available.  Erma  W.,  who  graduated  at  Laura  Speed 
Elliott  High  School  in  1918,  the  following  year  attended  the  Monticello 
Seminary  at  Godfrey,  111.  Vera  W.  graduated  from  the  above  high  school 
in  1919,  and  Don  F.  is  a  sophomore  in  the  same  institution  and  was  page 
in  the  Senate  of  the  50th  General  Assembly.  Paul  M.,  the  youngest,  is 
attending  the  grade  school  of  Boonville. 

George  D.  Brownfield,  who  is  now  serving  as  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Cooper  County,  was  born  March  9,  1879,  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.  His 
father,  Martin  Brownfield,  was  born  in  Virginia,  Oct.  15,  1835,  and  came 
to  Pettis  County  when  a  small  boy  and  afterwards  located  in  Cooper 
County,  near  Pilot  Grove,  where  he  was  a  successful  farmer.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  Cooper  County,  Dec.  26,  1883.  His  mother  was  Adeline 
(Lewis)  Brownfield,  who  was  born  Aug.  6,  1836,  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 
She  came  to  Boonville  with  her  parents  when  quite  a  small  girl,  and  lived 
in  Cooper  County  practically  all  of  her  life.  She  died  in  Pilot  Grove, 
March  28,  1914,  after  having  lived  a  noble  and  Christian  life.  Mrs. 
Brownfield,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  married  twice, 
the  first  time  to  John  Baker,  and  there  were  born  to  this  union  three 
children,  Ida,  Anna  and  Katie,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  Her  second 
marriage  was  to  the  father  of  George  Brownfield,  and  to  this  union  there 
were  born  four  children,  Minnie,  Flora,  Lewis  and  George  D. 

George  D.  Brownfield  attended  the  public  schools  at  Pilot  Grove,  the 
Pilot  Grove  Academy,  and  graduated  at  the  high  school  at  Sedalia.  He 
then  completed  the  commercial  course  at  Hill's  Business  College  at  Se- 


926  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

dalia,  after  which  he  entered  the  law  department  at  the  State  University 
at  Columbia,  where  he  graduated  in  1909,  ranking  first  in  his  class.  He 
also  won  the  Rollin's  scholarship  of  $50  in  gold,  for  the  highest  rank  in 
the  junior  class  of  the  previous  year. 

Mr.  Brownfield  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Boonville  in  1914-1916. 
He  was  also  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cooper  County  in  1914-1916- 
1918,  which  office  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Brownfield  is  a  hard  worker  and  a 
close  student.  He  is  a  fervent  and  earnest  prosecutor  and  a  forceful 
and  pleasing  speaker. 

Jesse  Thomas  Hays  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  Nov.  23,  1870. 
His  parents,  Hon.  William  G.  and  Mary  E.  (Hurley)  Hays  were  natives 
of  Hardin  County,  Ky.  and  were  there  reared  and  married.  In  1864  they 
came  to  Missouri,  settling  on  a  farm  in  the  river  bottoms  in  Cooper  County, 
eight  miles  east  of  Boonville.  Subsequently  they  removed  to  a  farm  on 
a  bluff,  three  miles  from  Overton,  and  it  was  on  that  place  that  Jesse 
Thomas  Hays  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  In  1892  the  parents  took  up 
their  abode  on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Bunceton  which  remained  the 
home  until  the  death  of  William  G.  Hays,  who  died  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark., 
in  1905. 

William  G.  Hays  was  prominent  in  democratic  politics  and  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  State  Legislature  three  terms.  His  counsel  was 
sought  in  all  political  matters  and  his  opinion  carried  weight.  He  was  a 
member  of  both  the  Masonic  and  Odd  'Fellows  lodges  and  was  one  of 
Cooper  County's  most  prosperous,  substantial  and  esteemed  citizens. 

Jesse  Thomas  Hays  spent  his  youth  upon  the  home  farm,  his  experi- 
ences being  those  of  the  average  lad  in  the  multifarious  duties  upon  the 
farm  and  the  obligations  of  life.  He  attended  the  district  school  and 
afterwards  entered  the  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg,  Mo.,  where  he 
continued  through  the  school  years  of  1888-89  and  1889-90.  In  the  fall 
of  the  latter  year  he  entered  the  Missouri  University  at  Columbia,  where 
he  spent  the  succeeding  term,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Cooper  County  and  engaged  in  farming  in  partnership  with  his  father 
until  the  latter's  death.  For  two  years  thereafter  he  lived  in  the  country 
handling  stock  and  grain  and  meeting  with  substantial  success.  In  Nov., 
1906,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  clerk  and  at  the  expiration  of 
his  first  term  in  1910,  was  re-elected  to  that  office.  The  duties  of  this 
office  he  performed  with  painstaking  care  and  fidelity.  Mr.  Hays  ia  a 
member  of  Cooper  Lodge,  No.  36  A.  F.  and  A.  M. ;  of  Boonville  Chapter, 
No.  60,  R.  A.  M. ;  of  Olivette  Commandery,  No.  53,  K.  T. ;  Centralia  Council, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  927 

No.  34,  R.  &  S.  M.  at  Centralia,  Mo.;  of  the  Boonville  Lodge  K.  P.;  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He,  like  his  father  before  him,  takes 
an  active  interest  in  public  matters  and  especially  is  he  active. in  demo- 
cratic politics  and  as  well  a  student  of  public  questions.  Being  pleasant 
and  affable,  his  friends  are  legion. 

E.  H.  Rcdgers,  for  many  years  one  of  the  largest  and  most  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  Cooper  County  as  well  as  one  of  the  largest  breeders  of 
Atwood  Merino  sheep  in  central  Missouri,  is  a  native  of  Virginia  and  was 
bc>rn  in  Ohio  County,  Dec.  6,  1843.  His  parents,  John  G.  and  Margaret 
Rodgers,  were  natives  of  that  county  and  their  homestead  upon  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born,  was  composed  of  land  entered  by  the 
family  several  generations  ago.  His  grandmother  of  the  fourth  genera- 
tion on  the  father's  side  was  the  first  white  woman  that  ever  set  foot 
in  that  county.  Mr.  Rodger's  father  was  a  large  and  prosperous  farmer. 
In  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Rodgers  still  a  youth,  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
union  and  in  his  19th  year,  in  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
12th  West  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  witnessing  personally  the  final  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox  in 
1865.  He  was  in  the  Battle  of  Winchester  under  General  Milroy  and 
numerous  other  hotly  contested  engagements.  After  peace  was  consum- 
mated he  farmed  for  two  years  in  his  native  county  and  in  1868  moved 
to  Missouri  and  located  in  Pilot  Grove  township  in  this  county  where  he 
lived  for  twelve  years.  In  1880  he  sold  his  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township 
and  bought  the  farm  of  Judge  Bennet  C.  Clark,  in  Palestine  township, 
consisting  of  970  acres  of  fertile  land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
well  improved.  Besides  general  farming  he  made  a  specialty  of  breeding 
and  raising  the  celebrated  Atwood  stock  of  Merino  sheep.  His  flock 
frequently  consisted  of  2,500  and  as  high  as  4,000  head. 

Mr.  Rodgers  was  married  in  Ohio  County,  Va.,  to  Miss  Mary  L., 
daughter  of  James  Elliott  of  that  county,  August  18,  1870.  He  has  but 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Margaret  A.,  the  wife  of  Charles  W.  Nixon,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume.  His  wife  departed  this  life  in  Boonville, 
in  June,  1916,  and  was  buried  at  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery  at  Boonville. 

In  March  of  this  year  Mr.  Rodgers  sold  that  portion  of  his  farm  that 
he  had  not  heretofore  sold,  about  600  acres,  to  his  son-in-law,  C.  W. 
Ni vcn  cf  Boonville  For  several  years,  Mr.  Rodgers  has  made  his  home 
with  Mr.  Nixon  where  he  has  enjoyed  not  only  the  companionship  of 
his  daughter  and  son-in-law,  but  the  close  attachment  he  feels  to  his 
grand-children.     Mr.  Rodgers  has  large  property  intei-ests  in  Virginia, 


928  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

especially  in  coal  lands.  He  has  retired  from  all  public  activities  and 
spends  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  traveling  in  the  east.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  the 
John  A.  Hayn  Post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Mr.  Rodgers 
is  an  exemplary  citizen  and  active  in  any  cause  he  espouses.  He  was  a 
generous  contributor  to  all  war  activities  in  the  World  War.  A  thor- 
ough American,  his  heart  has  beat  with  a  patriotism,  in  that  great 
cataclysm,  unaffected  by  age. 

Nathaniel  Nelson  Leonard,  owner  and  proprietor  of  "Ravenswood 
Farm",  which  is  located  four  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton  in  Palestine 
township,  has  for  years  been  a  prominent  factor  in  Cooper  County  affairs, 
as  well  as  his  father  and  grandfather  before  him.  Nathaniel  Nelson 
Leonard  was  born  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  Dec.  6,  1876,  and  was  the  only  child 
born  to  his  parents,  the  late  Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard  and  Nadine  (Nel- 
son) Leonard. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  on 
"Ravenswood  Farm"  march  27,  1839,  and  died  March  8,  1916.  He  was  a 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Margaret  (Hutchinson)  Leonard,  who  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1825  from  Vermont.  Here  Nathaniel  Leonard  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land  and  settled  on  what  has  since  been  known  as  "Ravens- 
wood Farm",  which  is  one  of  the  notable  stock  farms  in  America,  from 
the  breeder's  standpoint.  Nathaniel  Leonard  engaged  in  breeding  pure- 
bred Shorthorn  cattle  in  1839.  At  that  time  he  went  to  Kentucky  and 
purchased  a  white  male  Shorthorn,  "Comet  Star",  for  $600,  and  a  red 
female,  "Queen"  for  $500,  from  George  Renick,  a  well  known  stock  breeder 
in  Kentucky.  These  animals  were  the  first  pure  bred  Shorthorn  cattle 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  it  is  said  that  the  "Ravenswood  Farm" 
is  the  oldest  stock  farm  in  the  world  devoted  to  breeding  Shorthorn  cat- 
tle. Nathaniel  Leonard  successfully  carried  on  farming  and  stock  breed- 
ing on  the  "Ravenswood  Farm"  during  his  lifetime,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard,  the  father  of  Nathaniel  Nelson  Leonard, 
whose  name  introduces  this  review. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard  was  reared  to  manhood  on  "Ravenswood 
Farm",  and  received  his  education  in  the  Kemper  Military  School  at  Boon- 
ville and  the  Missouri  University  at  Columbia,  where  he  was  graduated. 
After  his  educational  career,  he  returned  to  "Ravenswood  Farm"  and  was 
actively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  breeding  during  the  balance  of  his 
life.  He  became  widely  known  throughout  the  country  as  a  successful 
breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  was  one  of  the  best  known  men  in 


r 


<   f>//c  t  r\    , 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  929 

America  as  an  advocate  of  the  merits  of  that  breed  of  cattle.  His  efforts 
were  not  limited  merely  to  the  commercial  side  of  Shorthorn  breeding,  but 
as  a  member  of  the  American  Shorthorn  Breeders  Association,  he  was  one 
of  the  leading  factors  in  the  financing  of  the  American  Herd  Book,  the 
rights  to  which  were  later  purchased  by  the  American  Shorthorn  Breeders 
Association  in  1883.  Captain  Leonard  was  an  active  member  of  this 
association  for  a  number  of  years,  serving  as  a  director  from  1882  to 
1906,  when,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  relieved  from  further  activity  on 
that  board.  From  1889  until  1902  he  was  president  of  that  organization, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  conspicuous  figure  at  Royal  and  International 
stock  shows,  where  his  advice  and  co-operation  were  eagerly  sought  by 
stock  breeders  from  various  sections  of  the  country. 

Captain  Leonard  was  equally  successful  in  other  fields  of  enterprise, 
as  he  was  as  a  breeder.  He  was  interested  in  the  banking  business  exten- 
sively and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Central  National 
Bank  of  Boonville,  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  financial  institutions. 
He  was  a  man  of  keen  perception  and  good  judgment.  He  not  only  knew 
cattle,  but  he  knew  men  as  well.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  every 
worthy  enterprise  and  gave  generously  to  religious  and  other  causes.  He 
was  a  Methodist. 

Capt.  Charles  E.  Leonard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nadine  Nel- 
son, Oct.  27,  1872.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  M.  and  Margaret  (Wyan) 
Nelson,  Cooper  County  pioneers,  a  more  extensive  history  of  whom  is 
given  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Arthur  W.  Nelson.  Mrs.  Leon- 
ard now  resides  at  Booneville. 

Nathaniel  Nelson  Leonard,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  was 
educated  in  Kemper  Military  School,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1896.  He  then  attended  Vanderbilt  University,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where 
he  completed  the  law  course  in  1898,  after  which  he  traveled  extensively 
in  Europe.  He  then  returned  to  Cooper  County,  and  since  that  time  has 
made  his  home  at  "Ravenswood  Farm",  where  he  has  continued  the  breed- 
ing of  Shorthorns  which  is  being  carried  on  on  an  extensive  scale  under 
the  supervision  of  his  superintendent,  Ed  Patterson,  a  man  who  thoroughly 
understands  the  stock  business  in  the  most  minute  detail,  and  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Ravenswood  Stock  Farm  is  one  of  the  famous  stock  farms  of  America. 
It  consists  of  2,100  acres,  and  is  devoted  to  breeding  Shorthorn  cattle. 
It  was  founded  in  1825,  as  above  stated,  by  the  grandfather  of  the  present 
(48) 


930  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

owner.  A  herd  of  125  pure  bred  Shorthorns  is  maintained  on  this  place, 
and  upon  this  place  some  of  the  highest  priced  Shorthorn  cattle  in  the 
world  have  been  bred.  One  animal  from  this  farm  was  sold  for  $40,000 
at  the  Royal  Stock  sale  in  Argentina.  Stock  from  the  "Ravenswood 
Farm"  are  well  known  and  highly  prized,  not  only  in  this  country  but  in 
South  America  and  other  parts  of  the  world. 

Nathaniel  Nelson  Leonard  was  united  in  marriage  at  Chicago,  111., 
Jan.  20,  1909,  with  Miss  Roselia  Willard,  daughter  of  Henry  G.  and  Anne 
(Rafferty)  Willard.  Henry  G.  Willard  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
at  Newtown,  Dec.  17,  1846,  and  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
and  died  in  Chicago,  111.  Mr.  Willard  was  formerly  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  gas  and  electric  light  fixtures,  and  is  now  retired  and  makes  his 
home  at  the  "Ravenswood  Farm".  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leonard  were  born 
three  children,  as  follows:  Nathaniel  N.,  Jr.,  born  Feb.  5,  1910;  Charles 
Willard,  born  Jan.  18,  1912,  and  Anne  Nadine,  born  July  25,  1914.  Mrs. 
Leonard  was  born  in  Chicago,  111.,  Feb.  5,  1885,  and  died  at  "Ravenswood 
Farm"  Nov.  11,  1918.  She  was  a  woman  of  noble  Christian  character 
who  made  the  world  better  by  having  lived  in  it.  During  her  lifetime 
she  was  active  in  charitable  and  social  work,  and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact 
that  during  the  World  War  her  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Red  Cross 
was  the  crowning  event  of  her  life. 

Mr.  Leonard,  in  addition  to  his  vast  interest  in  the  stock  business,  is 
active  in  other  industrial  and  financial  enterprises.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Boonville  National  Bank,  and  also  in  the  Bank  of  Bunceton.  He  is 
a  Knights  Templar  Mason,  being  a  member  at  Boonville,  and  he  also  holds 
membership  in  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Ararat  Temple,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  He 
takes  a  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  is  a  council  member 
of  Gov.  Gardner's  staff. 

Fleming  H.  Shannon,  for  most  of  his  life  a  citizen  of  Cooper  County, 
but  now  of  Texas  County,  Mo.,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Dec.  19,  1861. 
His  father,  Alexander  Shannon,  was  born  in  Maryland  about  1810,  and 
came  to  Cooper  County  about  1825.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  first  located 
in  Boonville,  then  moved  to  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  again  back  to 
Boonville  township.  Here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  as  a  prosperous 
and  successful  farmer.  He  died  in  June,  1893,  and  left  as  the  fruits  of 
his  industry  and  skill,  a  large  estate.  He  married  Miss  Julia  Hurt, 
daughter  of  Peyton  and  Jennin  (Coobe)  Hurt.  Five  children  were  born 
of  that  marriage,  G.  W.,  E.  B.,  F.  H.,  J.  B.,  and  Nannie,  all  of  whom  are 
living  except  J.  B. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  931 

F.  H.  Shannon  was  reared  on  a  farm,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
this  county,  and  took  a  special  business  course  at  the  Moore  Business 
College  of  Sedalia,  graduating  in  1883.  He  was  married  in  November, 
1884,  to  Katie  J.  Fray,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Westerfield)  Fray, 
to  which  union  was  born  one  child,  George  William,  born  March  12,  1886. 
He  is  at  present  located  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  as  the  manager  of  the  F. 
Joseph  Lamb  &  Co.,  manufacturers,  who  during  the  World  War  were 
engaged  solely  in  the  manufacture  of  munitions.  Mrs.  Shannon  died 
March  8,  1890. 

Nov.  1,  1893,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  to  Miss  Nannie 
F.  Bankston,  daughter  of  John  and  Bettie  (Miller)  Bankston,  of  which 
union  three  children  were  born:  Clarence  Miller,  21  years  of  age;  Ida 
Belle,  19,  and  Eugene  Monroe,  13.     Mrs.  Shannon  died  in  March,  1917. 

Mr.  Shannon  was  elected  county  judge  of  the  Eastern  District  of 
Cooper  County  in  1902  and  again  in  1904.  He  served  the  people  with 
fidelity  and  distinction  and  rendered  himself  popular  by  reason  of  his 
eminent  fairness  upon  the  bench. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  of  office  he  continued  farming 
until  he  entered  the  service  of  the  International  Harvester  Company  in 
1908,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  In  1911,  the  state  of  Missouri 
sought  and  secured  his  services  as  probation  officer  of  the  Missouri  Train- 
ing School  at  Boonville,  which  position  he  held  about  four  years,  and 
then  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  Assistant  Superintendent  of  that 
institution.  He  resigned  Nov.  1,  1917,  and  moved  to  Texas  County  where 
he  had  purchased  a  farm. 

Mr.  Shannon  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  a  Democrat,  and 
a  Free  Mason.  He  is  warm  hearted,  fervent  and  active  in  any  cause  that 
he  espouses  and  is  a  true  friend.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  politics. 

Albert  H.  Myer,  president  and  manager  of  the  Palace  Clothing  Com- 
pany, Boonville,  Mo.,  can  truly  be  said  to  have  been  born  and  reared  a 
merchant.  He  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at  Rocheport,  Mo.,  June  30, 
1872.  His  father,  Charles  Myer,  was  born  at  Illegen,  Germany,  Jan.  20, 
1845,  and  died  at  Fayette,  Mo.,  March  17,  1911.  When  a  small  boy  about 
nine  years,  he  came  from  Germany  to  make  America  his  home.  He  first 
engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  Rocheport,  Mo.,  where  for  a  number 
of  years  he  conducted  a  general  store.  From  there  he  went  to  Fayette, 
Mo.,  and  engaged  in  the  clothing  business  and  conducted  said  business 
about  20  years,  to  the  time  of  his  death.     He  was  married  in  1868  to 


932  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Laura  (Tumy)  Myer.  She  was  born  in  Rocheport,  Mo.,  Dec.  25,  1847, 
and  is  now  living  at  Fayette.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  George 
Ann  Tumy,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  both  de- 
scendents  of  old  Kentucky  families. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
under  the  tuition  of  his  fathers  since  old  enough  to  wait  upon  customers. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Rocheport  and  Fayette.  Nov. 
6,  1901,  he  was  married  at  Fayette  to  Estelle  May  Turner,  the  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Adelia  (Gibson)  Turner,  both  of  whom  came  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Howard  County  with  their  respective  parents  in  the  early  days 
and  were  united  in  marriage  in  Howard  County.  Their  forefathers  on 
both  sides  were  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Estelle,  age  about  16;  Albert  H.,  age  about  12,  and  Dorothy  Ross,  about 
B.  Gibson,  a  distinguished  soldier  and  commander  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution. 

There  was  born  to  Albert  H.  Myer  and  wife,  three  children:  Laura 
Estelle,  age  about  16;  Albert  H.,  age  about  12,  and  Dorothy  Rose,  about 
nine.  Mr.  Myer  was  associated  with  his  father  for  a  number  of  years  at 
Fayette  in  the  clothing  business  and  in  connection  with  his  brother 
established  a  branch  clothing  store  at  Franklin,  Mo.,  where  they  did  an 
extensive  and  prosperous  business  for  five  or  six  years.  Seeking  broader 
fields,  in  1909  he  moved  to  Boonville  where  he  has  conducted  a  successful 
and  growing  business  ever  since.  He  is  the  president  and  acting  man- 
ager of  the  Palace  Clothing  Company  of  Boonville,  which  is  incorporated 
and  has  an  elegant  and  up-to-date  stock  of  clothing  and  he  prides  himself 
on  the  quality  of  the  goods  he  sells.  The  store  is  equipped  with  every 
modem  convenience  and  will  stand  comparison  with  the  best  arranged 
and  furnished  clothing  stores  of  the  larger  cities.  The  business  of  the 
Palace  Clothing  Company  has  grown  from  year  to  year.  Mr.  Myer  is 
ever  kind  and  courteous  and  is  a  most  applicable  and  pleasing  salesman. 
His  friends  are  legion.  He  is  an  active  and  live  wire  in  all  public  enter- 
prises that  go  to  build  up  the  city  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  generous  and 
willing  to  donate  and  pay  his  portion  in  every  public  movement.  He  is 
the  vice-president  of  the  Boonville  Commercial  Club,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  active  and  enthusiastic  in  all  its  operations.  In 
1917  he  was  president  of  the  State  Retail  Clothiers  of  Missouri.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  past  Chancellor  of  same,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  directors. 

W.  G.  Gilbreath  is  one  of  the  prosperous  and  up-to-date  farmers  of 
Cooper  County,  and  the  owner  of  200  fertile  acres  in  Palestine  township, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  933 

about  nine  miles  from  Boonville.     He  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  June 
6,  1869,  the  son  of  H.  F.  Gilbreath  and  Catherine  Gilbreath. 

H.  F.  Gilbreath  was  born  in  Tennessee,  Feb.  1,  1826,  and  died  in 
Vernon  County,  Missouri,  Jan.  26,  1888,  and  his  remains  were  interred 
in  New  Salem  Cemetery,  in  this  county.  His  father,  Hugh  Gilbreath, 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
March  10,  1781,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Jan.  21,  1852.  The  grand- 
mother, Flora  (McDuffy)  Gilbreath,  the  wife  of  Hugh  Gilbreath,  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  and  died  in  Cooper  County  in  February,  1875.  The 
remains  of  this  couple  were  also  interred  in  New  Salem  Cemetery. 

W.  G.  Gilbreath's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Hannah 
Carpenter.  Robert  Carpenter  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1798,  and  died 
in  Cooper  County,  March,  1830.  Hannah  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
Oct.  11,  1802,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Feb.  19,  1865.  Mr.  Gilbreath's 
family  on  both  sides  were  among  the  oldest  and  most  respected  citizens 
of  Missouri,  and  among  the  early  settlers  of  Cooper  County. 

His  grandparents,  above  mentioned,  moved  to  Cooper  County  in  1827, 
and  settled  in  Prairie  Home  township  in  what  is  known  as  the  Newt 
Gilbreath  farm.  William  M.  Gilbreath  and  Newton  A.  Gilbreath,  both 
deceased,  were  uncles  of  the  subjects  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Gilbreath  spent 
his  early  years  upon  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
at  Brannock's  College  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.  He  was  an  officer  at  the 
Missouri  Reform  School  in  1892,  and  served  efficiently  and  satisfactorily 
in  that  capacity  for  two  years  under  the  superintendency  of  Colonel 
Drake.  From  1897  he  was  deputy  sheriff  for  four  years  under  J.  M. 
Rymel,  and  as  such  was  active,  vigilant,  and  competent,  and  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  no  former  deputy  or  any  succeeding  one  excelled  him  in  the 
performance  of  his  duties.  He  was  married  in  1900  to  Miss  Mary  Waller, 
daughter  of  the  late  and  lamented  Judge  John  A.  Waller,  who  was  one 
of  Cooper  County's  most  esteemed  citizens,  having  served  the  people  of 
his  county  in  responsible  positions  with  credit  and  distinction. 

Judge  Waller  was  born  in  Kentucky,  Nov.  19,  1826,  and  died  in 
Cooper  County,  Jan.  6,  1915.  Judge  Waller's  father,  Benjamin  R.  Waller, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1802,  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1840.  He 
departed  this  life  in  Cooper  County  in  January,  1891.  The  wife  of  Ben- 
jamin Waller  was  Lucy  (Harris)  Waller,  who  was  born  in  1810  in  Clark 
County,  Ky.,  and  died  in  Cooper  County. 

Mrs.  W.  G.  Gilbreath's  mother,  the  first  wife  of  Judge  Waller,  he 
having  been  married  twice,  was  Cordelia    (Holladay)    Waller,  who  was 


934  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

born  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  14,  1844,  and  died  in  Cooper  County, 
Feb.  13,  1878.  Cordelia's  father  was  Waller  Holladay,  and  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  Ky.,  March  17,  1797,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Oct.  11, 
1876.  He  was  married  in  1843.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Mrs.  Gilbreath 
is  a  descendant  of  one  of  our  oldest  and  best  families. 

W.  G.  Gilbreath  was  for  a  number  of  years  the  superintendent  of 
the  county  infirmary,  and  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  county  in  the 
building  and  establishment  of  the  new  infirmary ;  and  with  the  assistance 
of  his  competent  wife,  raised  it  to  a  standard  unsurpassed  by  any  insti- 
tution of  its  kind  in  the  state. 

There  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbreath  two  children:  Glen,  17 
years  of  age,  and  Martha  Eee,  age  12. 

Mr.  Gilbreath  is  an  active  and  enthusiastic  Democrat,  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  Free  Mason.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  posi- 
tive connection,  a  staunch  friend,  dependable  and  worthy  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

Ray  P.  Cramer  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  progressive  farmers  and 
business  men.  He  was  born  in  Lamine  township,  Sept.  25,  1880,  and  is 
the  son  of  G.  A.  Cramer,  Jr.,  who  was  the  son  of  G.  A.  Cramer.  Ray 
Cramer's  grandfather  came  from  Holland  to  this  country.  The  ship  in 
which  he  came  was  wrecked  and  he  was  one  of  the  few  survivers.  He 
located  first  in  Pennsylvania,  then  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  from  there 
came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  here  soon  after  the  first  Turleys, 
thought  to  be  about  1814. 

The  land  upon  which  Ray  P.  Cramer  now  lives  was  a  part  of  the 
tract  on  which  his  grandfather  settled.  Mr.  Cramer's  grandfather  on 
his  mother's  side  was  Frank  Hill,  who  came  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
located  in  Cooper  County  soon  after  the  Civil  War.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  owner  of  102  acres  of  highly  improved  and  well  cultivated 
land  and  is  situated  two  miles  west  of  Lamine  station  in  Lamine  town- 
ship. He  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Cooper  County,  except  about  one 
year  which  he  spent  in  Oklahoma.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  county,  and  took  a  special  commercial  course  at  another  institution. 
He  was  the  organizer  of  the  Boonville  Oil  and  Gas  Company  at  Okmulgee, 
Okla.,  and  the  Gilmer  Oil  Company  of  the  same  place,  both  of  which  are 
now  consolidated  and  known  as  the  Gilmer  Oil  Company.  Mr.  Cramer 
has  been  successful  in  the  oil  fields  and  upon  property  aforesaid  has 
seven  producing  oil  wells  and  two  productive  gas  wells.  He  is  the  man- 
ager of  this  company,  and  has  the  absolute  confidence  of  those  who  have 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  935 

invested  with  him.  They  are  mostly  local  men,  and  as  a  testimony  of 
their  confidence  and  esteem,  they  presented  him  a  few  months  ago  with 
a  handsome  $250  Victrola. 

Mr.  Cramer  was  married  to  Lilly  K.  Wing,  the  daughter  of  D.  W. 
Wing,  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  central  Missouri.  The 
father  of  D.  W.  Wing  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Cooper  County 
about  1818.  Three  children  were  born  of  this  marriage:  David,  age  14; 
W.  Russell,  age  13,  and  Catherine  Lucile,  age  six.  David  has  graduated 
from  the  eighth  grade  and  next  year  is  to  enter  the  Kemper  Military 
School  of  this  city. 

Mr.  Cramer  is  a  Democrat  of  high  degree,  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  an  estimable  citizen,  popular  with  all  who  know  him,  and  suc- 
cessful in  his  ventures. 

Felix  Victor,  one  of  the  leading  clothiers  of  central  Missouri,  when  a 
young  man  came  to  Mexico,  Mo.,  in  1884,  and  clerked  in  the  clothing  store 
of  Joseph  and  Victor  Barth,  under  whose  tutelage  and  training  he  learned 
thoroughly  and  in  detail  the  clothing  business.  The  Barths  were  exten- 
sive clothiers,  having  at  the  same  time  another  store  at  Columbia,  Mo. 
Mr.  Victor  served  them  for  about  nine  years  and  came  to  Boonville,  Sept. 
2,  1893,  and  engaged  in  the  clothing  business  with  his  brother,  Adolph 
Victor,  who  had  served  his  apprenticeship  in  the  Barth  store  in  Colum- 
bia, under  the  firm  name  of  F.  &  A.  Victor.  This  firm  for  seven  years 
conducted  their  business  on  Main  Street  in  the  building  now  occupied  by 
the  Tanner  Studio.  The  firm  moved  to  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Main 
Streets  in  1900  to  secure  larger  quarters,  occupying  the  building  then 
known  as  the  Windsor  Building.  A  few  years  thereafter  they  purchased 
his  building  together  with  an  adjoining  building  and  wrecked  the  same 
and  upon  the  lots  erected  a  magnificent  structure  for  their  ever  growing 
business.  This  building  is  a  monument  to  the  success  and  enterprise  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  It  is  handsomely  furnished  and  equipped,  and 
has  every  convenient  appointment  required  by  the  most  up-to-date  mer- 
cantile establishment.  It  is  an  honor  and  credit  to  Boonville  and  Cooper 
County,  and  doubtless  has  not  its  equal  in  the  state  outside  of  St.  Louis 
and  Kansas  City.  January,  1919,  Adolph  Victor  retired  from  the  firm 
and  Felix,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  became  the  sole  proprietor.  Mr. 
Victor  has  always  prided  himself  upon  the  quality  of  his  goods  and 
completeness  of  his  stock. 

Mr.  Victor  was  married  Jan.  1,  1902,  to  Miss  Ida  Barth.  daughter  of 
Joseph  Barth,  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Victor  has  taken  pleasure  in  active 
leadership  in  all  civic  and  social  matters  in  the  city. 


936  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Clarence  W.  Atkinson,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Palestine 
township  and  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  in  that  part  of  Cooper  County, 
is  a  native  of  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township, 
Sept.  17,  1876,  son  of  William  and  Sarah  E.  (Dickey)  Atkinson,  the  former 
of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Boonville. 

William  Atkinson  was  born  in  Ohio  County,  Virginia,  now  in  that  part 
of  the  Old  Dominion  comprised  in  West  Virginia,  May  14,  1837,  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Trimble)  Atkinson,  Pennsylvanians  and  both  mem- 
bers of  old  Colonial  families.  The  Atkinsons  in  this  country  are  of 
Scottish  origin  and  the  family  was  founded  on  this  side  before  the  days  of 
the  Revolution.  March  5,  1863,  William  Atkinson  married  Sarah  E. 
Dickey,  who  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  Oct.  21,  1836, 
and  whom  he  had  known  since  the  days  of  their  childhood  when  they 
were  playmates,  and  in  1865  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Missouri  and  located 
in  Cooper  County,  settling  on  a  farm  which  he  bought  in  Boonville  town- 
ship. He  later  moved  to  a  farm  near  Prairie  Lick  and  in  1881  bought  a 
farm  in  Palestine  township,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  retire- 
ment in  1910.  His  wife  died  on  Feb.  28,  1917,  and  in  1918  he  moved  to 
Boonville,  where  he  is  now  living.  To  William  and  Sarah  E.  (Dickey) 
Atkinson  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  still  living,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  having  two  brothers,  Miller  T.  Atkinson,  of  Palestine 
township,  and  Charles  S.  Atkinson,  of  Boonville. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Clarence  W.  Atkinson  has  always  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  well  improved  farm  of  260 
acres  in  Palestine  township,  where  he  is  quite  successfully  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the 
local  district  schools  and  as  a  young  man  took  a  part  in  the  operations  of 
the  home  farm,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  in  1901  when  he  rented 
a  farm  and  began  operations  on  his  own  account.  By  hard  work  and  good 
management  he  was  enabled  in  Jan.,  1909,  to  buy  the  farm  on  which  he 
is  now  living.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Atkinson  has 
made  numerous  improvements  on  the  same  and  now  has  an  admirable 
farm  plant  and  is  doing  well.  Politically,  he  is  an  independent  republican. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

On  April  14,  1904,  Clarence  W.  Atkinson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lydia  H.  Muntzel,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  who  died  on  July 
10,  1918.  To  that  union  were  born  three  children,  Ruth  E.,  John  F.  and 
Clarence  W.,  Jr.  (deceased).  The  late  Mrs.  Lydia  H.  Atkinson  was  born 
in  Clarks  Fork  township,  this  county,  April  30,  1881,  and  was  thus  but  a 
little  past  37  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.     She  was  a  member 


MR.    AND    MRS.   C.    W.   ATKINSON 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  937 

of  one  of  the  old  families  in  Cooper  County,  the.  Muntzels  having  been 
represented  here  since  the  days  just  following  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 

Dr.  T.  H.  Winterbower  was  born  on  the  Ohio  River  in  Hardin  County, 
Ky.,  July  25,  1848.  He  was  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  University 
of  Kentucky  at  Louisville  in  1869.  After  graduating  he  immediately 
came  to  Missouri  to  locate  and  selected  Overton,  in  Saline  township  of 
this  county,  to  practice  his  profession.  He  followed  his  profession  and 
had  an  extensive  practice  in  that  part  of  the  county  until  he  moved  to 
Boonville  in  1906.  He  then  became  deputy  county  clerk,  retiring  from 
the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1909  he  was  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  probate  judge  of  Cooper  County  and  was  elected  to  that  office. 
He  was  again,  in  1813,  the  nominee  of  that  party  and  was  again  elected, 
holding  the  same  two  full  terms  of  eight  years.  Dr.  Winterbower  was 
married  in  1876  to  Miss  Belle  Wooldridge.  There  were  born  of  this 
marriage  two  children,  Stanley,  who  is  in  business  at  Sapulpa,  Okla., 
and  Nellie,  who  lives  with  her  father. 

Dr.  Winterbower's  father  came  to  Kentucky  in  the  early  days  from 
Tennessee.  His  mother  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky.,  and  her  maiden 
name  was  Nannie  Hays.  The  Hays  family  were  old  settlers  of  Ken- 
tucky. Dr.  Winterbower's  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Jesse  Wooldridge 
and  Susan  Hays  Wooldridge  who  were  married  in  Kentucky  and  came 
to  Missouri  in  the  early  days.  Mrs.  Winterbower  died  at  Boonville  in 
1912. 

Dr.  Winterbower,  in  office,  was  known  not  only  for  his  efficiency  but 
for  his  universal  affability  and  courtesy.  As  a  physician  he  was  capable 
and  sympathetic.  He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  politics  and 
public  affairs. 

Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Jr.,  who  is  a  prosperous  traveling  salesman, 
was  born  May  7,  1894,  at  Boonville,  Mo.  His  father,  A.  H.  Stephens,  is 
a  son  of  James  L.  Stephens  and  is  also  a  brother  of  Speed  and  ex-Gov- 
ernor Lon  V.  Stephens.  His  mother,  Adda  (Edgar)  Stephens,  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Russell  L.  Edgar,  her  mother  being  a  member  of  the  Spahr  family. 
The  Stephens,  Edgars,  and  Spahrs  are  among  the  oldest  families  of 
Cooper  County. 

Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Boonville,  attended  the  Kemper  Military  School  two  years  and  graduated 
in  the  academic  course  at  Central  College,  Fayette,  Mo.  After  grad- 
uating, he  was  for  a  short  time  associated  with  his  father  in  the  automo- 
bile business  and  in  conducting  a  garage.  In  1916  he  accepted  employ- 
ment from  the  Hine-Watt  Manufacturing  Company  of  Chicago  as  trav- 


938  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

eling  salesman.  His  territory  consists  of  the  states  of  Missouri,  Kansas 
and  Oklahoma.  He  was  married  Jan.  6,  1919,  to  Miss  Doris  Eugenia 
Schmidt,  the  daughter  of  M.  E.  Schmidt,  the  son-in-law  of  the  late  la- 
mented ex-Lieutenant  Governor  James  F.  Gmelich. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  a  young  man  who  is  hewing  out  his  own  fortune  and 
is  making  success  of  his  efforts.  He  has  a  pleasant  manner  and  a  pleas- 
ing address.  He  is  known  among  his  trade  as  being  entirely  dependable 
and  is  meeting  with  marked  success. 

Frank  C.  Brickey,  one  of  the  live  wires  among  the  young  business 
men  of  Boonville,  was  born  July  22,  1893,  at  Festus,  Mo.  His  father, 
F.  W.  Brickey,  was  born  at  Brickeys  Landing,  Mo.,  75  years  ago,  and 
the  father  of  F.  W.  Brickey,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,, 
was  also  born  in  Missouri,  the  Brickey  stock  originally  coming  from 
Virginia.  John  S.  Brickey,  the  first  circuit  attorney  of  the  circuit  in 
which  Cooper  County  was  a  part  and  who  lived  in  Franklin,  Mo.,  was  a 
great-uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Brickey 's  mother,  Nettie 
E.  (Davis)  Brickey,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  is  58  years  of  age. 
She  belongs  to  the  old  Davis  family  of  Missouri. 

Mr.  Brickey  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Festus  and  then 
attended  the  Western  Military  Academy,  Alton,  111.,  and  Central  Col- 
lege, Fayette,  Mo.  After  having  spent  about  two  years  at  Fayette,  Mo., 
Mr.  Brickey  removed  to  Boonville  in  the  fall  of  1914,  assumed  charge  of 
the  agency  for  the  sale  of  Ford  cars  in  this  section  and  conducted  a  sales 
and  service  station  at  the  Viertel  Garage.  The  following  year  he  moved 
to  the  Stephen's  Garage  located  in  the  Harriman  building  on  Main  Street, 
and  in  1917,  purchased  the  business  of  this  garage.  In  1919  he  leased 
the  Viertel  Garage  building  above  mentioned  in  order  to  give  him  more 
room  for  the  rapidly  expanding  business.  This  building  has  40,000  square 
feet  and  is  by  far  the  largest  garage  in  central  Missouri  and  on  the  first 
floor  there  is  doubtless  more  floor  space  than  in  any  other  garage  in  the 
state.  Here  he  handles  the  Ford  cars  and  Ford  tractors  and  reasonably 
anticipates,  for  the  coming  year,  a  business  of  $500,000. 

In  1919,  Mr.  Brickey  purchased  the  "Elkins  &  Elkins  Garage"  at 
Bunceton,  Mo.,  as  a  Ford  Sales  and  Service  Station  in  that  section  of 
the  county  and  is  known  as  the  "Bunceton  Auto  Company."  The  building 
in  which  he  conducts  this  business  is  about  60x90  feet,  and  the  business 
there  is  a  thriving  one.  In  the  spring  of  1918  he  sold  a  one-half  interest 
in  the  Bunceton  Auto  Company  to  J.  H.  Schlotzhauer,  who  from  that 
date  became  the  active  manager  there. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  939 

In  the  first  part  of  the  year  1918  Mr.  Brickey  purchased  from  Jacob 
Deck,  the  Lyric  Theater  (picture  show)  and  soon  thereafter  sold  a  one- 
half  interest  in  the  same  to  the  late  Dr.  A.  C.  Jacobs.  This  enterprise 
is  now  conducted  by  Mr.  Brickey  in  conjunction  with  Mark  Jacobs, 
brother  of  Dr.  A.  C.  Jacobs.  In  May,  1919,  he  purchased  the  building 
known  as  the  Stephen's  Opera  House  in  connection  with  Mr.  Mark  Jacobs 
and  is  now  arranging  for  various  improvements  of  this  building.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  World  War  he  offered  his  service  to  his  country  and  was 
selected  as  civilian  instructor  at  the  vocational  training  school  at  Colum- 
bia, Mo.,  and  was  made  head  instructor  of  Motor  Mechanics,  which  po- 
sition he  held  for  seven  months,  until  the  closing  of  the  school.  Decem- 
ber 15,  1918,  he  was  appointed  by  the  government  to  take  charge  and 
dispose  of  the  equipment  and  material  of  the  school  which  duty  he  per- 
formed in  a  most  satisfactory  manner  to  the  government.  He  is  now  at 
Boonville,  energetically  and  successfully  conducting  his  various  enter- 
prises. 

Guy  C.  Million,  associated  with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
Frederick  Hotel  of  Boonville,  was  bom  July  22,  1878,  in  Chariton  County, 
Mo.  He  is  the  son  of  W.  R.  Million  and  Martha  A.  (McCampbell)  Million. 
W.  R.  Million  is  a  veteran  hotel  man,  having  operated  some  of  the  most 
popular  hotels  of  the  state  and  is  favorably  and  well  known  to  the  travel- 
ing public.  Though  never  a  candidate  for  office  he  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  Democratic  politics  in  state  as  well  as  county  affairs.  Martha  (Mc- 
Campbell) Million  was  born  and  reared  in  Chariton  County,  Mo.,  and  her 
parents,  Robert  S.  and  Mary  (Willis)  McCampbell,  were  born  and  reared 
in  Shelby  County,  Ky.  They  came  to  Missouri  in  1858,  making  the 
trip  in  emigrant  wagons. 

Guy  C.  Million,  the  subject  of  the  review,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Glasgow,  and  at  Pritchett  Institute.  He  spent  five  years  in  the 
drug  business  at  Salisbury,  Mo.,  and  for  four  years  was  in  the  Hospital 
Department  of  the  United  States  Navy  and  saw  service  in  the  Philippines, 
China  and  Japan.  For  the  past  15  years,  associated  with  his  father,  he 
has  managed  and  conducted  the  famed  Frederick  Hotel  at  Boonville.  As 
a  host  he  has  no  superior  in  central  Missouri,  and  is  popular  with  the 
trading  public.  He  is  a  Free  Mason  of  high  standing  and  rank,  being  a 
Past  Master,  Past  High  Priest,  and  Past  Eminent  Commander.  He  is  a 
Stewart  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and  in  politics,  a  Democrat. 

Sept.  28,  1903,  Guy  C.  Million  was  married  at  Salisbury,  Mo., 
to  Miss  Pensa  Cola  Dameron,  who  is  the  daughter  of  John  T.  and  Josie 


940  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

(Lea)  Dameron,  and  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  Mo.,  and  moved  with 
her  parents  to  Salisbury.  She  was  educated  in  Salisbury  Academy.  Her 
grandfather,  Judge  A.  G.  Lea,  was  a  prominent  judge  in  north  Missouri 
before  the  Civil  War.  Her  father  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  in  the  Confed- 
erate Army  at  the  age  of  15,  who  as  well  as  her  paternal  grandfather, 
served  through  the  Civil  War,  and  was  engaged  in  many  important  bat- 
tles. Her  great-great-great-grandfather,  Joseph  Dameron,  fought 
through  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  married  to  Sarah  Ball,  a 
first  cousin  of  George  Washington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guy  C.  Million  have  one  child,  Guy  C.  Jr.,  who  was 
born  Aug.  2,  1913. 

C.  H.  Brokmeyer,  who  departed  this  life,  aged  57,  in  Boonville,  on 
Wednesday  morning,  July  23,  1902,  was  born  in  Hille,  Westphalia,  Ger- 
many, April  20,  1845.  He  came  to  the  United  States  when  about  20  years 
of  age.  After  living  in  St.  Louis  and  Jefferson  City  a  short  time,  he 
moved  to  Bunceton  and  opened  a  tailor  shop.  Later  he  located  at  Boon- 
ville and  in  association  with  C.  H.  Heim  engaged  in  the  general  merchan- 
dise business.  This  partnership  continued  two  years  when  the  interest 
of  Heim  was  purchased  by  A.  Schnedler.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Mr. 
Brokmeyer  became  the  sole  owner  and  manager  of  the  store  and  from 
this  time  he  continued  in  the  business  until  the  date  of  his  demise.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Boonville,  Mr.  Brokmeyer  built  more  than  60  dwell- 
ings. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  owner  of  two  store  houses, 
the  home  property,  and  twelve  residences. 

Mr.  Brokmeyer  and  Miss  Hannah  Otten  were  united  in  marriage  in 
Boonville  on  Dec.  6,  1870,  and  seven  children  were  born  to  this  union,  one 
having  died  in  infancy.  He  left  surviving  him  the  widow,  and  six  chil- 
dren, John,  who  married  Miss  Stella  Yeater  of  Sedalia;  Mrs.  Emma 
Schott;  Frank,  who  depa'rted  this  life  in  his  40th  year,  Aug.  21,  1916, 
loved,  respected,  and  honored,  having  a  host  of  friends;  William;  Mrs. 
Sophia  Page,  and  Henry,  who  married  Miss  Eva  Cross  of  New  Franklin, 
Mo. 

Mr.  Brokmeyer  was  a  valuable  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Boon- 
ville and  was  an  active  factor  in  every  public  enterprise  and  in  the  up- 
building of  the  city.  He  had  a  most  pleasing  disposition,  a  kind  word 
for  everyone,  and  always  wore  a  smile.  No  deal  or  trade  was  too  big 
for  him  to  handle.  He  bought  anything  and  was  always  willing  to  sell. 
He  built  up  an  enormous  business  and  seemed  to  handle  and  manage  the 
same  with  astonishing  ease.  In  his  death  Boonville,  as  well  as  his  fam- 
ily, suffered  an  irretrievable  loss.     His  business  has  been  continued  by 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  941 

his  wife  under  the  able  management  of  her  three  sons,  Frank,  William, 
and  Henry.  Frank  having  died,  the  management  has  devolved  upon 
William  and  Henry,  who  have  been  successful  in  the  enterprise  and  have 
continued  the  prosperity  built  up  by  their  father  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. They  are  the  fortunate  possessors  of  happy,  kind,  and  accommo- 
dating dispositions  and  number  their  friends  by  the  legion. 

Dr.  Paul  Ashland  Brickey  is  a  brother  of  Frank  C.  Brickey  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume.  He  is  therefore  of  the  same  parentage 
and  genealogy.  Dr.  Brickey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at 
Festus,  Mo.,  where  his  father  and  mother  now  live,  Feb.  17,  1895.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Festus  and  took  the  high  school  course  at 
that  place  after  which  he  attended  the  Western  Military  Academy,  Alton, 
111.,  for  two  years  and  graduated  from  the  same.  His  father  then  sent 
him  to  Central  College  at  Fayette  where  he  spent  two  years  in  the  pre- 
paratory medical  course.  Then  he  attended  school  at  the  St.  Louis  Uni- 
versity, School  of  Medicine,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1918.    He  served  one  year  as  intern  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital. 

June  17,  1918,  Dr.  Brickey  entered  the  service  of  his  country  and 
was  sent  to  France  as  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  Medical  Corps  with  Base 
Hospital  No.  112.  He  was  stationed  at  Camp  Pontanezen,  Napoleon 
Barracks,  Brest,  France.  Here  he  rendered  valuable  services  as  a  physi- 
cian in  relieving  the  pain  and  suffering  of  our  soldier  boys.  He  returned 
to  the  United  States  Feb.  17,  1919,  and  was  discharged  April  15.  He  is 
now  commissioned  in  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps. 

Dr.  Brickey  was  married  Dec.  18,  1917,  to  Miss  Grace  Gildehaus 
whose  father  is  a  prosperous  wholesale  merchant  of  St.  Louis. 

Soon  after  his  discharge  from  the  service  he  located  in  Boonville 
and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  is  examiner  for  life 
insurance  companies  and  is  rapidly  building  up  a  remunerative  practice. 
Dr.  Brickey  is  thoroughly  educated  and  in  every  respect  well  equipped 
and  qualified  for  his  chosen  profession  of  medicine. 

George  H.  Scholle,  a  merchant  tailor  of  Boonville  who  also  handles 
Victrolas  and  pianos,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  March  4,  1872. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Mary  (Schuerman)  Scholle  of  the  province 
of  Hanover,  who,  as  well  as  their  parents  before  them  were  born  in  Han- 
over, Germany.  William  Scholle  died  in  1881.  Mary  Scholle,  now  about 
82  years  of  age  is  yet  living. 

George  H.  Scholle  came  to  the  United  States  in  1890,  when  18  years 
of  age,  and  located  at  Sunmen,  Ind.,  where  he  worked  as  a  tailor  for  two 


942  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

years.  Mr.  Scholle  learned  the  business  of  tailoring  in  Germany,  serving 
an  apprenticeship.  From  Indiana,  Mr.  Scholle  went  to  Toledo,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  until  1903  when  he  came  to  the  Reform  School  for 
Boys  at  Boonville  and  for  one  year  had  charge  of  the  tailoring  depart- 
ment. From  there  he  went  to  Versailles,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  four 
years.  He  then  returned  to  the  Reform  School  and  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Col.  Clark  had  charge  of  the  tailoring  department  and  in- 
structed the  boys  therein  for  three  years.  In  1915  Mr.  Scholle  opened 
his  establishment  in  Boonville  where  he  is  now  occupied  as  a  merchant 
tailor  and  handles  victrolas  and  musical  instruments.  His  wife,  Amanda 
(Unverferth)  Scholle,  was  born  in  Pemberville,  Ohio,  in  1874.  Her  par- 
ents came  from  Germany.  She  and  Mr.  Scholle  were  married  in  Toledo, 
Ohio,  where  Mrs.  Scholle's  parents  lived  at  that  time.  There  were  born 
of  this  union  eight  children:  Albro,  23  years  of  age,  is  serving  his  coun- 
try in  the  Marines;  Wilbur,  21,  is  assisting  his  father;  Paul,  19,  is  also 
with  his  father ;  Alma,  17  years  of  age ;  Frederick,  13 ;  Helen,  10 ;  George, 
seven,  and  Bertha,  four. 

Mr.  Scholle  is  a  conscientious,  and  painstaking  workman.  He  is 
affable  and  accommodating  and  by  his  close  attention  to  business  and 
his  effort  to  please,  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  business.  He  is  a  loyal 
American  citizen  and  has  willingly  and  cheerfully  responded  to  all  calls 
made  upon  him  in  war  activities. 

Theodore  F.  Lebing  is  a  prosperous  merchant  at  Clarks  Fork.  He 
conducts  a  general  mercantile  store  in  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural 
section  of  the  county.  He  was  born  Aug.  21,  1878,  at  Clarks  Fork  and 
reared  on  a  farm  in  Cooper  County.  When  old  enough  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  1917  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  Q.  Mills. 
They  conducted  a  general  merchandise  business  at  Clarks  Fork  under 
the  firm  name  of  Lebing  &  Mills.  During  this  partnership  they  did  a 
large  business  and  handled  large  quantities  of  poultry  and  produce  which 
they  transported  to  Boonville  and  shipped  to  market.  The  firm  of  Lebing 
&  Mills  was  successor  in  the  business  to  0.  L.  Letherman.  May  7,  1919, 
Mr.  Lebing  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and  since  then  the 
business  has  been  conducted  by  him.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
is  now  a  successful  merchant. 

October  13,  1900,  Mr.  Lebing  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  Mills,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  T.  and  Ellen  (Brusius)  Mills.  Charles  T.  Mills  was  son  of 
Henry  W.  and  Susan  (Lewis)  Mills.  The  Mills  family  is  numerous  in 
Cooper  County,  prosperous  and  of  high  standing. 

Theodore  F.  Lebing  is  the  son  of  Lewis  and  Johanna    (Brandes) 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  943 

Lebing,  both  deceased.  Lewis  Lebing  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
in  1913,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1856  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Clarks 
Fork  township.  His  wife,  Johanna  Brandes,  was  also  born  in  Germany, 
in  1838,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  with  her  parents  in  1855.  Christine 
Brandes,  the  father  of  Johanna  Brandes,  settled  first  in  Iowa  and  then 
came  to  Cooper  County  which  became  his  home.  The  Brandes  family 
with  its  numerous  branches  is  well  known  in  Cooper  County  for  honesty, 
integrity  and  industry. 

Harry  A.  Creagan,  president  of  the  Farmer's  Trust  Company  of 
Boonville,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  July  30,  1882.  His  father  was 
P.  F.  Creagan,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1859  and  settled  at  St.  Louis 
where  he  lived  for  seven  years.  He  was  largely  engaged  in  railroading 
in  different  capacities  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas  railroad  and  in 
1876  purchased  a  farm  of  280  acres  near  Clifton  City,  Cooper  County, 
where  he  located  and  where  he  died.  He  was  a  prominent  Democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  a  highly  esteemed  citizen.  His 
father,  William  Creagan,  came  from  the  county  of  Meath,  Ireland,  and 
was  married  in  New  York  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Scullin.  P.  F.  Creagan  was 
married  in  1863  to  Miss  Fannie  Keenan,  of  St.  Louis,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Keenan  of  New  York. 

Harry  A  Creagan,  was  the  ninth  child  born  to  P.  F.  and  Fannie 
(Keenan)  Creagan.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper 
County  and  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Sedalia.  He  then  became 
telegraph  operator  at  the  M.,  K.  &  T.  station  at  Boonville.  For  five 
years  he  was  a  trusted  employee  of  W.  H.  Trigg  &  Co.  Jan.  23,  1909,  he 
move!  to  St.  Louh  and  accepte  i  a  responsible  position  with  the  Mer- 
cantile Trust  Company,  which  he  held  for  ten  years.  Aug.  9,  1918,  he 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  Navy  and  was  mustered  out  Dec.  11,  1918. 
He  has  recently  organized  the  Farmer's  Trust  Company  of  Boonville,  of 
which  he  has  been  selected  president.  Mr.  Creagan's  career  has  been 
one  of  continued  advancement.  He  has  had  a  thorough  training  in  fin- 
ance and  is  experienced  in  all  banking  matters.  He  is  one  of  the  promising 
young  financiers  of  central  Missouri. 

Homer  McGuire,  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  young  farm- 
ers of  Cooper  County,  was  born  Dec.  6,  1886,  in  Pilot  Grove  township, 
Cooper  County.  His  father,  J.  V.  McGuire,  66  years  of  age,  is  also  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County.  Thirty-six  years  ago  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Hurd  a  native  of  Illinois.  J.  V.  McGuire  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Cooper  County,  known  for  his  honesty  and  integrity. 

Homer  McGuire  was  educated  in  the  county  schools  of  Cooper  County. 


944  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  under  the  tutelage  of  his  father,  and  by 
close  attention  to  the  study  of  agriculture  and  stock-raising,  he  has  se- 
cured a  success  that  may  be  envied.  He  was  married  Aug.  5,  1914,  to  Miss 
Brooksie  Rush,  at  the  home  of  the  bride's  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  R. 
Rush,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  There  has  been  born  to  this  union  one  child,  a 
son,  Wilbur  V.,  Dec.  16,  1918. 

Homer  McGuire  is  a  Republican,  but  in  casting  his  vote  uses  his  own 
intelligence  rather  than  the  dictum  of  party.  He  was  made  a  Master 
Mason  in  1918,  and  is  a  member  of  Cooper  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.  Associated  with  his  father,  he  superintends  and  conducts  a 
farm  consisting  of  over  200  fertile  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  which 
is  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation  and  well  improved.  Here  his  ener- 
gies are  devoted,  not  only  to  agriculture  but  in  the  breeding  and  raising 
of  live-stock,  of  which  he  has  made  quite  a  success.  He  is  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  know,  and  his  friends  are  many. 

Peter  Franklin  Smith,  a  well  known  and  substantial  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Lebanon  township,  proprietor  (in  joint  ownership  with  his 
wife)  of  "Wayside  Valley  Farm",  a  well  improved  place  of  180  acres  in 
that  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
at  the  edge  of  the  village  of  Otterville  in  the  township  of  that  name  on 
June  29,  1854,  son  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  E.  (Neal)  Smith. 

George  W.  Smith,  who  died  at  his  home  in  this  county  25  years  ago, 
was  a  Virginian  and  grew  to  manhood  in  the  Old  Dominion,  remaining 
there  until  he  was  27  years  of  age,  when  with  his  wife  and  four  children 
(for  he  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  dying  about  10  years  after  they 
took  up  their  residence  here)  he  came  to  Missouri  in  1837  and  located  at 
Otterville,  where  he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  and  there  became  engaged 
working  at  the  trade  to  which  he  had  been  trained  in  Virginia,  proving  in 
this  capacity  a  valued  factor  in  the  life  of  the  new  community.  When 
he  came  here  the  deer  were  very  numerous  hereabout  and  as  he  was  an 
ardent  sportsman  he  found  much  pleasure  in  the  hunt.  From  the  time  he 
killed  his  first  deer  up  to  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  he  kept  tally  of  the  deer 
he  killed  and  the  net  bag  totalled  in  excess  of  60.  Even  after  war  times 
quite  a  few  deer  still  lingered  in  the  deeper  portions  of  the  woods  in  this 
section,  affording  further  sport  for  this  tireless  Nimrod.  The  first  sum- 
mer of  his  settlement  at  Otterville  he  planted  five  or  six  acres  of  corn  on 
a  tract  some  distance  from  the  hamlet,  but  when  the  time  came  to  gather 
the  ripened  ears  the  inconvenience  of  bringing  the  same  in  deterred  him 
and  he  left  the  corn  for  the  deer.  During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Smith  had  a 
contract  with  the  government  to  furnish  beef  for  the  army  and  became 


GEORGK  W.   SMITH 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  945 

well  known  over  the  county  as  a  cattle  buyer  in  that  connection.  He  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  the  Otterville  neighborhood  and  there  spent 
his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  April  7,  1894.  He  was  bom  on  May 
10,  1810,  and  was  thus  slightly  under  84  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  As  noted  above,  George  W.  Smith  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  who  was  a  Beard  and  whom  he  married  in  Virginia,  died  at  her  home 
in  this  county  in  1843.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  that  union  two  are 
still  living,  Mrs.  Virginia  Ann  Finley,  of  this  county,  and  Mrs.  Ellen  Wagen- 
knecht,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Morgan.  In  1847  Mr.  Smith  mar- 
ried Nancy  E.  Neal,  who  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, this  county,  Dec.  14,  1827,  and  who  (as  noted  above)  is  still  living, 
an  honored  nonogenarian  of  the  Otterville  community.  To  this  second 
union  eight  children  were  born.  Of  these  six  grew  to  maturity  and  four 
are  still  living,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  (the 
eldest)  being  Nathan  A.  Smith,  long  a  resident  of  Kansas;  Mrs.  Martha 
E.  White,  a  widow,  now  living  at  Otterville  with  her  aged  mother,  and 
Mrs.  Rose  L.  Bane  of  Otterville  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  on  the  edge  of  the  village  of  Otterville, 
Peter  F.  Smith  received  his  schooling  in  the  Otterville  schools  and  from 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  his  attention  has  been  devoted  to  farming.  In 
the  fall  of  1880  he  married  and  in  1881  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
now  living,  beautiful  "Wayside  Valley  Farm",  in  Lebanon  township,  which 
he  has  improved  in  admirable  fashion.  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing Mr.  Smith  has  for  years  been  quite  extensively  engaged  in  breeding 
Shorthorn  cattle  of  the  Scotch  Top  breed  and  has  been  a  frequent  ex- 
hibitor at  stock  shows  hereabout.  He  has  created  a  good  market  for  the 
products  of  "Wayside  Valley  Farm",  his  cattle  commanding  good  prices, 
and  has  done  well  in  his  operations,  long  having  been  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  stockmen  in  that  neighborhood.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Bunceton  Fair  Association  and  has  done  well  his  share  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  that  useful  organization.  He  also  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
local  bank  and  in  the  company  controlling  the  grain  elevator  and  in  other 
ways  exhibits  his  interest  in  the  general  business  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity. In  his  political  views  Mr.  Smith  is  a  democrat,  as  was  his  father. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Oct.  6,  1880,  Peter  F.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  Ida 
Cordry,  who  also  was  bom  in  this  county,  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families,  and  to  this  union  eleven  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Harry 
A.,  deceased  •  Azelia  Velma,  wife  of  T.  A.  Nelson,  Jr.,  of  Kelly  township ; 


946  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Margaret  Naomi,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Lewis,  of  St.  Louis;  Hunter  F.,  of 
Speed,  this  county,  Homer  W.,  who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father;  Zula, 
wife  of  Benjamin  N.  Smith,  of  Clarks  Fork  township;  Hubert  L.,  of  Pales- 
tine township;  Mary  (Gussie)  Herschel  and  Harold  V.,  at  home,  and  Vera, 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Lebanon  township  on  Dec. 
13,  1860,  daughter  of  William  L.  and  Mary  (Ware)  Cordry,  both  now  de- 
ceased and  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  section  of  Missouri. 
William  L.  Cordry  was  born  in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  and  came  to  Missouri 
with  his  parents  in  pioneer  days,  the  family  locating  in  Cooper  County. 
Here  he  married  Mary  Ware,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Howard,  and  to  that  union  were  born  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing save  one;  the  Cordry  connection  hereabout  being  a  quite  numerous 
one  in  the  present  generation. 

Woodson  T.  Jones,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Blackwater 
township,  and  who  formerly  was  engaged  in  the  railway  service  as  tele- 
graph operator,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Blackwater  township  March  19, 
1883,  a  son  of  George  C.  Jones  and  a  grandson  of  the  pioneer,  Caleb  Jones, 
who  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  the  early  '80's  was  said  to  have  been  the 
wealthiest  man  in  Cooper  County. 

Woodson  T.  Jones  received  his  education  in  the  district  school  and 
Pilot  Grove  Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1901.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  learned  telegraphing  at  Pilot  Grove  and  in  1902  was 
made  station  agent  on  the  Sedalia  division  of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  and 
Texas  Railroad.  In  the  following  year  he  transferred  his  services  to  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad  and  for  seven  or  eight  years  thereafter  continued  as  a 
telegraph  operator,  serving  the  Santa  Fe  and  other  western  roads.  He 
then  returned  home,  having  in  the  meantime  shared  in  the  division  of  his 
father's  extensive  estate,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  addition  to  his 
general  farming  operations  Mr.  Jones  has  gone  in  somewhat  extensively 
for  live  stock  and  is  doing  a  good  business  in  that  line.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  well  improved  farm  of  160  acres.     Mr.  Jones  is  a  democrat. 

June  30.  1913,  Woodson  T.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage  with  Hulda 
Kirkman,  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  Martha 
Sue.  Mrs.  Jones  was  born  at  Columbia,  Boone  County,  but  from  the  days 
of  her  girlhood  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county.  Her  parents,  John  B. 
Kirkman  and  wife  (the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Blanchard),  came  here  years 
ago  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Saline  township,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  In  addition  to  his  farming  operations  John  B. 
Kirkman  was  a  dealer  in  memorial  monuments  and  was  one  of  the  well 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  947 

known  men  of  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  were  born  in  North  Carolina 
and  came  to  Missouri  with  their  respective  parents  in  pioneer  days. 

Charles  E.  Roth,  one  of  the  well  known  farmers  of  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Cole  County,  Mo.,  March  1,  1859,  son  of  Louis  and  Mary 
(Meyer)  Roth,  the  former  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  both  spent  their 
last  days  in  Cooper  County.  % 

Louis  Roth  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  t^  this  country  with  his 
parents,  Charles  Roth  and  wife,  in  1848,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in 
Kentucky,  where  they  were  living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Both 
father  and  son  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  serving  in  the  same  company, 
in  Gen.  "Pap"  Thomas'  celebrated  brigade.  Charles  Roth's  first  wife  died 
after  they  came  to  this  country  and  he  married  again  and  spent  his  last 
days  in  Kentucky.  Shortly  after  the  Civil  War  Louis  Roth  came  to  Mis- 
souri and  entered  on  a  soldier's  homestead  in  Cole  County,  a  tract  of  80 
acres,  but  shortly  afterward  left  Cole  County  and  in  1866  came  to  Cooper 
County.  For  two  yeai's  after  coming  here  he  worked  at  Boonville  and 
then  bought  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  1899,  being  72  years  old.  His  wife  survived  him 
but  five  days.  She  also  was  born  in  Germany,  in  Aug.,  1830.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church  and  her  husband  was  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Louis  Roth  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six 
children  as  follows:  Charles  E. ;  Caroline,  wife  of  C.  G.  Stanfield,  Pilot 
Grove  township ;  Lucy,  married  C.  W.  Erhardt  and  is  now  deceased ;  Martin 
is  unmarried  and  lives  in  Pilot  Grove  township;  Frank  M.,  Kelly  town- 
ship, and  Fred,  Pilot  Grove. 

Charles  E.  Roth's  first  schooling  was  received  in  a  Lutheran  parochial 
school  and  he  later  attended  school  in  the  old  Bluffton  district  in  Boon- 
ville township  and  in  Hail  Ridge  district.  When  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  began  to  "look  out  for  himself",  working  as  a  farm  hand,  but  soon 
resumed  operations  on  the  home  farm  and  remained  there  until  he  was 
27  years  of  age.  Fo^j  three  years  he  rented  his  father's  farm  and  in 
1906  bought  the  same,  buying  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs.  Some 
time  afterward  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  the  farm  where  he  is  now 
living  and  on  which  he  has  made  substantial  improvements.  Mr.  Roth 
is  a  republican.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Feb.  12,  1895,  Charles  E.  Roth  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Krumm,  who  was  bom  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  eight  children 
have  been  born :  Louis,  Odessa,  Helen,  Cyril,  Frank,  Elf reda,  Edward  and 


948  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mary  G.  The  first  of  these  children,  Louis  Roth,  named  in  honor  of  his 
grandfather,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  this  county,  Feb. 
9,  1896.  On  June  11,  1917,  he  enlisted  in  the  navy  and  is  still  serving, 
having  during  the  period  of  this  service  had  a  quite  interesting  experi- 
ence, including  several  trips  across  the  Atlantic  and  cruises  to  different 
points.  Mrs.  Mary  Roth  was  born  in  Lebanon  township,  in  1875,  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Anna  (Zeller)  Krumm,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  George 
Krumm  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  sister 
Zera  (Larntz)  about  1850,  and  later  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, where  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Krumm  continued  to  reside,  he  and 
his  wife  spending  the  remainder  of  their  lives  there. 

Captain  Lee  Thomas  Sites  was  born  in  Lamine  township,  Cooper 
County,  Oct.  13,  1856.  His  father,  Chester  P.  Sites,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  born  about  1836.  He  came  to  Boonville  with  his  father  and 
mother  about  1841  or  1842  and  built  a  log  house  on  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Morgan  Streets,  Boonville,  where  now  stands  the  garage  of  Brown- 
field  and  Meyers.  The  grandfather  of  Captain  Sites  was  J.  P.  Sites,  who 
manufactured,  in  early  days  at  Boonville,  rifles  and  guns  for  the  forty- 
niners  who  sought  the  gold  fields  of  California.  About  ten  years  ago  in 
the  mountains  of  Colorado  the  barrel  of  a  gun  from  which  the  stock  had 
rotted  away  was  found.  Upon  it  was  the  name  "J.  P.  Sites."  The  finding 
of  this  gun  barrel  attracted  considerable  attention  and  upon  inquiry  it 
was  found  to  have  been  made  in  Boonville  and  was  evidently  lost  by  a 
forty-niner  in  his  trip  across  the  mountains. 

Captain  Sites  is  the  owner  of  965  acres  of  the  best  land  in  Lamine 
township  and  has  lived  in  his  present  residence  about  28  years,  and  only 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  where  he  was  born.  He  owns  a  part  of 
the  land  originally  owned  by  his  father.  All  his  life  has  been  spent  in 
Lamine  township.  Captain  Sites  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office  and 
in  answer  to  that  question  said  "he  never  had  s^nse  enough"  but  his 
possessions  demonstrate  that  he  is  abundantly  able  to  take  care  of  his 
interests — a  trait  that  might  well  be  emulated  by  office  seekers. 

Captain  Sites  was  married  in  1878  to  Victorine  Kinchiloe,  who  departed 
this  life  Oct.  7,  1910.  There  were  born  of  that  marriage  three  girls, 
Jessie,  Stella  and  Maude,  and  two  sons,  Lee  and  John  Captain  Sites  was 
married  the  second  time  Jan.  14,  1918,  to  Mrs.  Laura  Farris  whose 
maiden  name  was  Laura  Smith.  Captain  Sites  has  been  engaged  in  the 
steamboat  business  off  and  on  since  '73.    He  has  been  the  owner  of  sev- 


1 

\ 

1 

^H 

CAPT     I.     T     SITES 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  949 

eral  boats  and  the  builder  of  many.  He  is  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
the  county  and  has  been  prominent  in  every  progressive  and  civic  move- 
ment in  his  section.  One  of  the  largest,  most  successful  and  prominent 
farmers  of  Cooper  County,  he  is  nevertheless  modest  and  retiring. 

During  the  World  War  he  was  active  in  local  war  work  and  was  a 
leader  in  Liberty  Loan  drives  in  his  township.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.     He  is  a  director  in  the  Boonville  National  Bank. 

John  C.  Muntzel,  a  well-known  and  successful  dealer  in  live  stock  at 
Boonville,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  a  member  of  one  of  the  county's 
pioneer  families,  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life,  having  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  removal  about  10  years  ago  to  Boonville, 
where  he  has  since  been  quite  extensively  engaged  in  the  sale  of  live  stock, 
giving  particular  attention  to  the  buying  and  selling  of  mules.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Nov.  23,  1874,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Minnie  (Kaune)  Muntzel,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  on  his  farm 
in  that  township,  the  owner  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres  of  land. 

Daniel  Muntzel  was  born  in  Hanover,  Aug.,  1834,  and  was  but  a  boy 
when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  Peter  Muntzel  and  wife, 
who  settled  in  Missouri  and  became  substantial  members  of  the  com- 
munity. Daniel  Muntzel's  wife  died  in  Jan.,  1912,  at  the  age  of  73  years. 
Of  the  eight  children  born  to  Daniel  Muntzel  and  wife  and  of  whom  John 
C.  was  the  youngest,  all  are  living  but  two. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  John  C.  Muntzel 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  grew  up  to 
the  life  of  the  farm,  early  undertaking  farming  on  his  own  account,  and 
remained  at  home  until  1906,  when  he  moved  to  the  old  Earnhardt  farm, 
which  he  had  bought  and  there  remained  until  1909,  when  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  Boonville.  While  he  was  engaged  in  farming,  Mr.  Muntzel 
owned  and  improved  two  farms  in  this  county,  increasing  their  value  and 
selling  to  advantage  and  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive citizens  of  the  county.  He  is  independent  in  his  political  views. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Boonville  and  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  Baptist  Church. 

Nov.  28,  1912,  John  C.  Muntzel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lavinia 
Steele,  who  also  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Feb.  22,  1884,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Jane  Steele,  well-known  residents  of  that  township.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Muntzel  reside  at  743  Sixth  street,  Boonville,  and  have  a  very 
pleasant  home. 


950  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

George  Bail,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Palestine  township  is 
one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  stockmen  in  that  section  of  Cooper 
County.  He  was  born  in  Boonville  Aug.  27,  1861,  son  of  Meirad  and 
Gertrude  (Stegney)  Bail,  who  in  1873  moved  from  that  city  to  a  farm  in 
Palestine  township,  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by  their  son,  George, 
and  there  established  their  home. 

Having  been  but  12  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from  Boon- 
ville to  the  farm  in  Palestine  township,  George  Bail  completed  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  early  became  acquainted  with 
the  details  of  farm  life.  He  continued  farming  there  until  he  was  25 
years  of  age  when,  in  1886,  he  went  to  California,  remaining  there  for 
two  years.  In  1888  he  returned  home  and  began  farming  with  his  brother, 
renting  a  farm  in  partnership,  and  in  1895,  he  bought  the  old  home  place 
and  has  since  resided  there.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  place  Mr. 
Bail  has  made  extensive  improvements.  He  is  the  owner  of  350  acres 
of  land  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  gives  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  high  grade  live  stock.  Mr.  Bail  is  an  independent  re- 
publican. His  parents  were  among  the  organizers  of  the  Evangelical 
church  in  that  neighborhood  and  he  has  ever  remained  a  faithful  sup- 
porter of  the  same. 

Sept.  23,  1896,  George  Bail  was  married  to  Mary  Muller,  who  also 
was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  Sept.  9,  1912.  To  that  union  were 
born  six  children,  Edna,  Erne,  Lorine,  Fred,  Harry  and  Roy,  all  of  whom 
are  at  home  with  their  father.  The  late  Mrs.  Mary  Bail  was  born  in  Clear 
Creek  township  Aug.  6,  1873,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Mar- 
garet (Gardner)  Muller,  natives  of  Germany,  who  upon  coming  to  Cooper 
County  settled  in  Clear  Creek  township. 

Rev.  F.  J.  Kalvelage,  pastor  of  St.  John's  Catholic  Church  in  Clear 
Creek  township,  this  county,  and  one  of  the  best  known  young  clergymen 
in  this  section  of  the  state,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  March  18,  1881, 
son  of  Henry  and  Susan  (Enzweiler)  Kalvelage,  both  of  whom  are  still 
living  and  have  been  making  their  home  with  their  son,  Father  Kalvelage, 
ever  since  the  latter  became  established  as  a  resident  priest  in  Missouri. 

Father  Kalvelage,  whose  training  and  inclination  early  directed  his 
ambition  to  be  of  service  to  the  church,  was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents 
moved  from  Chicago  to  Shannon,  111.,  and  his  early  schooling  was  received 
in  the  schools  of  that  place.     This  schooling  was  supplemented  by  a  course 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  951 

in  a  private  school  at  Freeport,  111.,  under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  Rev. 
Clement  Kalvelage,  and  it  was  there  that  he  began  to  bend  his  studies 
toward  preparation  for  the  priesthood.  Thus  equipped  by  preliminary 
study  he  entered  St.  Bede's  College  at  Peru,  111.,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1901,  having  successfully  completed  the  general  and 
classical  course.  In  that  year  he  entered  Kenrick  Theological  Seminary 
at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  further  grounded  in  theology  and  philosophy, 
and  from  that  institution  was  graduated  in  1906.  Immediately  following 
his  graduation  Father  Kalvelage  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  June, 
1906,  and  was  assigned  by  the  bishop  to  be  the  assistant  priest  in  St. 
John's  parish  in  Kansas  City.  Sept.  8,  1906,  he  was  transferred  to  Mary's 
Home,  Mo.,  in  pastoral  charge  of  the  parish  at  that  place,  and  there  re- 
mained, doing  an  excellent  and  effectual  work,  for  nearly  10  years,  or 
until  July  1,  1916,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  John's 
parish  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Cooper  County,  where  he  has  since  been 
stationed  and  where  he  has  been  granted  the  gratification  of  seeing  the 
work  of  the  parish  much  enlarged  during  his  incumbency. 

Thomas  L.  Fairfax,  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  known  school  teach- 
ers, for  the  past  10  years  principal  of  the  Clifton  schools,  and  who  also 
has  for  some  years  past  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
live  stock  business  at  Clifton  City,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  June  9,  1881,  son  of  C.  P.  and 
Emma  (Kemp)  Fairfax,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living,  very  comfort- 
ably situated  on  his  farm  in  Lebanon  township. 

C.  P.  Fairfax  was  born  in  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  in  1853,  and  was  but 
a  boy  when  he  came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  this 
county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  engaged  in  farming,  a  vocation 
which  he  ever  since  has  followed.  His  wife  was  killed  in  1890  by  being 
thrown  from  a  horse  which  she  was  riding,  the  animal  becoming  fright- 
ened and  throwing  her  in  such  a  way  that  her  foot  caught  in  the  stirrup. 
Before  she  was  released  from  her  dreadful  position  she  had  received  in- 
juries which  terminated  fatally.  To  C.  P.  Fairfax  and  wife  were  born 
seven  children:  Willard  P.,  Versailles,  Mo.;  Leslie  P.,  Kansas  City;  June, 
wife  of  T.  G.  Lavis,  Kansas  City;  Thomas  L. ;  Foster  H.,  Holcomb,  Kan.; 
Elmer  N.,  deceased,  and  Earl  L.,  died  in  infancy. 

Thomas  L.  Fairfax  was  educated  in  the  local  schools  and  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Warrembnrg  anl  in   1001   began  I   aching  a  profession 


952  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

he  has  followed  during  season  ever  since,  his  work  in  the  school  room 
covering  five  districts.  During  the  past  10  years  he  has  been  engaged 
as  principal  of  the  Clifton  schools  and  in  that  capacity  has  done  much  to 
elevate  the  standard  of  education  in  the  schools  over  which  he  has  had 
charge.  Mr.  Fairfax  also  has  for  years  been  actively  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  and  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  live  stock  at  Clifton  City. 
He  is  one  of  the  town's  progressive  and  wideawake  business  men.  Politic- 
ally, he  is  a  democrat,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Otterville  lodge  of  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  Royal  Neighbors. 

April  24,  1917,  Thomas  L.  Fairfax  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
L.  Sweeney,  also  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
a  son,  Thomas  L.,  Jr.,  born  Feb.  8,  1918.  Mrs.  Fairfax  was  bom  at  Clif- 
ton City,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Lucy  (Mullens)  Sweeney,  who  are 
now  living  on  a  farm  north  of  Clifton  City,  where  they  have  lived  the 
past  36  years. 

Dryden  L.  Starke,  one  of  Cooper  County's  prominent  farmers  and 
stockmen  is  a  native  son  of  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Leb- 
anon township  on  Dec.  1,  1867,  son  of  John  D.  and  Mary  A.  (Stratton) 
Starke,  both  now  deceased  and  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume. 

Dryden  L.  Starke  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Lebanon  township 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Boonville  High 
School  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1887  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Professor  Haines.  Upon  leaving  school  he  returned  to  the  home  farm 
and  there  remained  until  his  marriage  in  1891,  in  which  year  he  took  up 
his  residence  on  the  farm  on  which  his  wife  was  born,  the  old  John  Davis 
farm  in  Kelly  township,  a  mile  north  of  Bethlemen  Church,  and  has  since 
been  very  successfully  engaged  there  in  general  farming  and  cattle  rais- 
ing, long  having  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  extensive  cattle  feed- 
ers in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Starke  and  his  wife  are  the  owners  of  a  fine, 
farm  of  500  acres.  Since  taking  charge  there  Mr.  Starke  has  made  many 
substantial  improvements  on  the  place.  He  is  a  democrat,  as  was  his 
father,  and  has  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  civic  affairs.  He  served 
in  the  capacity  of  inspector  of  meats  at  the  state  prison  at  Jefferson  City, 
during  which  time  he  and  his  wife  made  their  home  at  the  state  capital. 
Mr.  Starke  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Bunceton,  with  the 
Boonville  lodge  of  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  with  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COU.NTY  953 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Oct.  23,  1891,  Dryden  L.  Starke  was  married  to  Bertha  May  Davis, 
who  was  born  on  the  place  on  which  she  is  still  living,  May  19,  1871, 
daughter  of  John  A.  and  Mary  (Booth)  Davis,  the  former  of  whom  also 
was  bom  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  pioneer 
families  and  the  latter  in  Sardis,  Miss.  John  A.  Davis  was  reared  in  this 
county  and  in  time  became  a  substantial  farmer  in  Kelly  township,  owner 
of  the  place  on  which  the  Starkes  now  reside,  and  was  also  for  years  ex- 
tensively engaged  as  a  dealer  in  the  mule  market,  one  of  the  best  known 
dealers  in  that  line  in  central  Missouri.  He  married  in  Mississippi  and 
thereafter  made  his  home  in  this  county,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent 
their  last  days.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Starke  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  To  Dryden  L.  and  Bertha  M. 
(Davis)  Starke  four  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mary,  who  is  at 
home;  Maurice  P.,  also  at  home,  a  valued  assistant  to  his  father;  Dick 
D.,  who  is  now  (spring  of  1919)  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces 
in  France,  and  Virginia,  deceased.  Dick  D.  Starke,  the  soldier  son,  was 
born  Nov.  22,  1898,  had  finished  his  studies  in  a  school  of  civil  engineering 
at  Kansas  City  and  was  a  student  at  Washington  University,  St.  Louis, 
when  this  country  declared  war  against  Germany.  He  at  once  enlisted 
and  served  in  a  machine  gun  company  attached  to  the  138th  Infantry  of 
the  United  States  army,  with  which  command  he  sailed  for  overseas 
service  in  April,  1918,  and  served  in  the  rank  of  corporal.  He  was  dis- 
charged in  June,  1919,  and  is  now  at  home. 

Oliver  L.  Cordry,  who  has  a  well-improved  farm  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, was  born  within  a  half  mile  of  the  site  of  his  present  home,  a  son 
of  William  F.  Cordry,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place,  and  has 
lived  thereabout  all  his  life.  He  is  a  grandson  of  James  Cordry,  the 
pioneer,  who  came  here  with  his  family  in  1830  and  settled  on  a  tract 
of  government  land  he  had  entered  here,  becoming  a  useful  and  influential 
residents  of  that  community.  The  little  log  cabin  set  up  there  in  the 
clearing  by  James  Cordry  back  in  pioneer  days  is  still  standing  and  » 
treasured  by  the  family. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  within  almost  a  stone's  throw  of  where 
he  is  now  living,  Oliver  L.  Cordry,  who  was  born  on  April  29,  1877,  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  remaining  at  home  until  his 


954  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

marriage,  when  he  built  a  modern  home  on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  liv- 
ing, having  acquired  the  tract  from  his  father  in  1906.  Mr.  Cordry  has 
improved  his  farm  in  admirable  fashion  and  is  doing  well  in  his  opera- 
tions, which  he  is  carrying  on  in  accordance  with  modern  methods. 

Dec.  20,  1914,  Oliver  L.  Cordry  was  united  in  marriage  with  Stella 
Sites,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cordry  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  take  a  proper  part  in  the  work  of  the 
church  as  well  as  in  the  general  social  activities  of  the  community. 
Mrs.  Cordry  was  born  in  East  LaMine  township,  Dec.  5,  1880,  a  daughter 
of  Capt.  L.  T.  Sites  and  wife,  prominent  in  the  life  of  that  community  and 
of  whom  further  mention  is  made  in  this  work. 

Charles  Lester  Thomas,  a  former  teacher  of  this  county  and  who  for 
some  years  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Lebanon,  is  now  a 
successful  farmer  and  stock  man  in  Lebanon  township,  where  he  was  born 
Feb.  10,  1874.  His  parents,  A.  G.  T.  and  Eliza  (Steele)  Thomas,  are 
prominent  residents  of  that  community. 

A.  G.  T.  Thomas  also  was  born  in  Lebanon  township,  Oct.  11,  1848,  son 
of  Jonas  and  Izilla  (Woolery)  Thomas,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  member 
of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  Jonas  Thomas' 
father  was  born  in  Germany.  Upon  coming  to  this  country  he  settled 
on  a  farm  south  of  Boonville,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
On  that  farm  A.  G.  T.  Thomas  grew  to  manhood.  After  his  marriage 
in  1871  he  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship. He  is  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  190  acres.  He  is  a  republican  and 
about  the  year  1886  was  the  nominee  of  that  party  for  the  office  of  county 
collector,  but  was  defeated.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  Dec.  7,  1871,  A.  G. 
T.  Thomas  was  married  to  Eliza  Steele,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
Aug.  26,  1851,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born  as  follows: 
Ximena,  deceased ;  Charles  Lester ;  Carrie,  deceased ;  Ina,  who  is  at  home 
with  her  parents;  Arthur,  deceased;  Ira,  who  is  farming  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship, and  Robert,  who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  Charles  L.  Thomas 
completed  his  schooling  in  the  Clarksburg  schools  and  for  six  years  was 
engaged  in  teaching  school  in  this  county,  meantime  continuing  his  labors 
on  the  home  farm  during  the  summers.  In  the  summer  of  1903  he  mar- 
ried and  not  long  thereafter  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Lebanon  in  partnership  with  George  Vaughn.  In  1905  this  store  was 
destroyed  by  fire  and  for  three  years  Mr.  Thomas  was  again  engaged  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  955 

teaching.  In  1908  he  rented  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  and  two  years 
later,  in  1910,  bought  the  farm  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  he 
and  his  family  being  very  pleasantly  situated.  Mr.  Thomas  has  a  well 
kept  farm  of  120  acres  and  is  carrying  on  his  operations  in  accordance 
with  modern  methods.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  on  March  3,  1919,  one 
of  his  cows,  a  pure  bred  six-year-old  Jersey,  gave  birth  to  four  calves, 
two  males  and  two  females,  all  of  which  are  still  (spring  of  1919)  living 
and  thriving.  This  successful  quadruple  birth  of  calves  has  attracted 
much  attention  among  stockmen  and  is  said  to  be  the  first  case  of  the 
kind  on  record  where  quadruple  calves  have  lived.  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  re- 
publican and  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

June  3,  1903,  Charles  L.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza- 
beth Kopp,  also  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been 
born,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  the  first  born  who  died  in  infancy,  the 
others  being  Farrel  W.,  Charles  B.  and  Marvin  V.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  born 
and  reared  in  Boonville.  She  was  for  a  number  of  years  one  of  the  lead- 
ing teachers  of  the  county.  She  was  a  teacher  in  the  Boonville  schools 
when  she  was  married,  having  held  this  position  for  a  number  of  years. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Melissa  (Mills)  Kopp,  both  know  de- 
ceased, the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  Ken- 
tucky. William  Kopp  was  for  years  one  of  the  best  known  barbers  in 
Boonville. 

Richard  Rothgeb,  formerly  and  for  years  one  of  Cooper  County's  best 
known  school  teachers,  a  one  time  nominee  of  the  republican  party  in  this 
county  for  county  clerk  and  for  years  one  of  the  leading  breeders  of 
Duroc  Jersey  hogs  in  this  section  of  Missouri,  owner  of  a  fine  farm  in 
Lebanon  township,  where  he  makes  his  home,  was  born  in  that  township 
and  has  always  regarded  that  as  his  home.  He  was  born  on  Jan.  31, 
1880,  son  of  Samuel  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Carr)  Rothgeb,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  children  in  this  county,  being 
now  in  the  82d  year  of  her  age. 

Samuel  B.  Rothgeb  was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  in  1830  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Cooper  County  in  1890.  He  had  been  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  this  county  and  was  long  regarded  as  one  of  the  influential 
farmers  of  Lebanon  township.  His  wife  was  born  in  Cooper  County, 
Mo.     They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  were  given 


956  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

proper  advantages  in  the  way  of  securing  an  education  and  five  of  whom 
became  school  teachers.  One  of  their  sons,  Daniel  L.  Rothgeb,  was  for 
some  time  superintendent  of  schools  in  Cooper  county. 

Richard  Rothgeb  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
county  and  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg,  after  which,  in  1901, 
he  began  teaching  and  was,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  thus  engaged 
until  1912.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  continuing  his  labors  on  the 
home  farm  during  the  summers  and  in  1912  he  began  farming  on  his  own 
account  and  at  the  same  time  paying  special  attention  to  the  breeding 
of  pure  bred  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  most  successful  Duroc  breeders  in  this  section.  When 
Mr.  Rothgeb  began  his  breeding  operations  the  stock  sold  at  his  sales 
brought  an  average  of  around  $28  a  head.  He  holds  two  or  three  sales 
annually  on  his  farm  and  the  products  of  his  pens,  sold  at  from  six  to 
11  months  of  age,  bring  an  average  of  from  $70  to  $80  a  head.  At  one  of 
his  recent  sales  one  of  his  sows  brought  $300  and  sold  later  for  $800.  Mr. 
Rothgeb  has  an  excellent  farm  of  122  acres  and  now  (spring  of  1919)  has 
in  his  pens  more  than  250  head  of  purebred  Durocs,  one  of  the  finest  droves 
in  this  section.  For  some  seasons  past  he  has  been  an  exhibitor  at  the 
state  fair  and  has  created  a  growing  market  for  his  product  throughout 
this  part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Rothgeb  is  a  republican  and  has  for  years  been 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  this  county.  In  1907  he 
was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  county  clerk,  but  was  de- 
feated in  the  ensuing  election  by  the  narrow  margin  of  77  votes. 

May  7,  1906,  Richard  Rothgeb  was  maried  to  Jessie  Sites,  who  also 
was  born  in  this  county  and  who  for  three  years  prior  to  her  marriage 
was  engaged  in  teaching  school  here  and  to  this  union  eight  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Mabel,  bom  on  Oct.  30,  1907;  Wilbur  H.,  Dec.  18, 
1908;  Thomas  B.,  June  17,  1910;  Orville  L.  and  Opal  L.  (twins),  Oct.  30, 
1911,  the  latter  of  whom  died  on  Aug.  1,  1912;  Alice  M.  and  Alline  M. 
(twins),  Feb.  2,  1913,  the  former  of  whom  died  on  March  22,  1913,  and 
the  latter  July  8,  1914 ;  and  Eldon  S.,  born  on  Sept.  29,  1915.  Mrs.  Roth- 
geb was  born  in  Oct.,  1880,  in  LaMine  township,  this  county,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  L.  T.  Sites,  for  many  years  one  of  the  best  known  and 
influential  residents  of  Cooper  County. 

Elmer  James  Brubaker,  one  of  Kelly  township's  well  known  farmers, 
is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County  and  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township  March  25,  1878,  son  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  957 

Daniel  R.  and  Frances  E.  (Gander)  Brubaker,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Page  County,  Va.,  who  were  married  in  that  county  in  1866  and  who 
came  to  Missouri  in  1873,  locating  on  the  farm  on  which  they  are  still  liv- 
ing in  Lebanon  township.  Daniel  R.  Brubaker  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  having  served  in  the  Confederate  army  and  at  the  battle  of  Malvern 
Hill  was  several  wounded.  He  and  his  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding anniversary  three  years  ago.  To  them  10  children  have  been  born, 
all  of  whom  are  living. 

Elmer  J.  Brubaker  received  his  education  in  the  local  schools  and  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg.  He  assisted  in  the  operations  of 
the  home  farm  until  after  his  marriage  when  21  years  of  age,  after 
which,  early  in  1900,  he  located  on  an  "eighty"  which  his  wife  owned  in 
Kelly  township,  a  part  of  his  present  farm  there,  and  has  since  resided 
there.  As  Mr.  Brubaker  prospered  he  added  to  his  acreage  and  now  has 
an  excellent  farm  of  177 Vs  acres,  which  is  well  improved.  Mr.  Brubaker 
is  independent  in  his  political  views,  but  has  ever  given  his  thoughtful 
attention  to  local  affairs  and  for  some  time  served  as  director  of  district. 
No.  67. 

Dec.  25,  1899,  Elmer  J.  Brubaker  married  Emma  Gertrude  Cordry, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Wilbur  N.,  born  Aug.  25,  1902;  Joseph  W.,  Aug.  16, 
1904;  Cyrus  Eldon,  June  28,  1907;  Louise  F.,  Jan.  13,  1910;  David  R., 
Dec.  16,  1911 ;  Vincil  L.,  Sept.  18,  1913,  and  Kenneth  H.,  Jan.  25,  1919, 
who  died  March  17,  following.  Mrs.  Brubaker  was  born  Feb.  5,  1880, 
daughter  of  James  Newton  and  Amanda  L.  (Woolery)  Cordry,  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families  and  both  of 
whom  are  living  in  Kelly  township.  James  Newton  Cordry  was  born  in 
Lebanon  township,  June  4,  1844.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia.  May  13,  1868,  he  married  Amanda 
L.  Woolery,  who  also  was  born  in  Lebanon  township,  Nov.  24,  1848,  and 
to  that  union  three  children  were  born,  all  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Bru- 
baker, the  youngest,  having  two  brothers,  William  H.  and  Joseph  C.  Cor- 
dry, both  of  Kelly  township.  Mrs.  Brubaker  received  her  early  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  her  home  township  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a 
course  in  the  Baptist  College  at  Lexington,  Mo. 

Major  Rea  Alexander  Johnston,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Mis- 
souri Training  School,  Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  an  old 
and  prominent  family  in  Cooper  County.     Major  Johnston  was  born  in 


958  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Boonville,  Oct.  28,  1879  and  is  a  son  of  Col.  Thomas  A.  Johnston,  superin- 
tendent of  the  famous  Kemper  Military  School  of  Boonville.  A  genealogy 
of  the  Johnston  family  and  a  sketch  of  Colonel  Johnston  appears  in  this 
volume. 

Major  Johnston  was  educated  in  the  Kemper  Military  School  and  in 
1896  he  entered  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  of  Lexington,  Va.,  com- 
pleting the  course  of  study  in  that  institution  in  1899.  Upon  his  return 
home  he  served  as  an  instructor  in  the  Kemper  School  from  1899  to  1909. 
In  1909  he  went  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming  until  Oct.,  1911.  In 
October  of  1911  he  was  appointed  military  instructor  at  the  Missouri 
Training  School  and  served  as  company  captain  until  July  1,  1917.  He 
was  then  appointed  to  the  responsible  position  of  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  training  school  and  has  given  evidence  throughout  his  service  that 
he  is  thoroughly  competent,  efficient,  diplomatic  and  well  versed  in  the 
handling  of  the  youth  committed  to  the  institution. 

Major  Johnston  was  married  in  Illinois  Aug.  20,  1902  to  Miss  Grace 
E.  Mosher,  of  Oneida,  Knox  County,  111.,  a  daughter  of  William  J.  and 
Sarah  E.  (Wetmore)  Mosher,  both  deceased.  One  child  has  blessed  this 
union:  William  Alexander  Johnston,  born  Jan.  3,  1905. 

Major  Johnston  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  Presbyterian 
church.  He  has  decidedly  made  good  in  his  present  position  and  has 
demonstrated  a  capability  which  has  commended  his  work  to  his  im- 
mediate superior.  Major  Johnston  is  not  only  a  first  class  military  in- 
structor and  skilled  in  the  handling  of  growing  boys,  but  he  is  well  in- 
formed, genial,  and  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  well  wishers. 

James  Madison  Sparkman. — Over  20  years  devoted  by  Maj.  J.  M. 
Sparkman  of  the  Missouri  Training  School  have  capably  fitted  him  for 
the  duties  of  his  present  position  in  charge  of  a  company  of  small  boys 
at  the  school.  Major  Sparkman's  first  position  was  that  of  director  of  the 
horticultural  department  of  the  Missouri  Training  School  which  he  held 
from  1897  to  1907.  He  then  spent  nine  years  as  an  officer  of  the  Iowa 
Industrial  School  and  returned  to  the  Missouri  Training  School  in  1916. 

J.  M.  Sparkman  was  born  at  Columbia,  Tenn..  Dec.  7,  1862,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  M.  and  Minerva  (Hill)  Sparkman.  Capt.  James  M.  Spark- 
man, his  father  was  a  captain  in  the  heavy  artillery  during  the  Civil  War 
and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Port  Hudson  in  1863  while  serving  with  the 
Confederate  forces.  He  was  a  son  of  William  Andrews  Sparkman  of 
Tennessee,  a  member  of  an  old  southern  family.  Minerva  (Hill)  Spark- 
man, mother  of  J.  M.  Sparkman,  of  this  review,  was  born  in  1838  and 
died  in  1908  in  Calloway  County,  Ky.     She  was  born  in  Tennessee  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  959 

was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  W.  Hill  of  North  Carolina.  Mrs.  Sparkman 
removed  with  her  family  to  Kentucky  in  1880.  She  had  two  sons:  Wil- 
liam Andrews  Sparkman,  of  Calloway  County,  Ky.,  and  James  Madison, 
of  this  review. 

Reared  to  maturity  in  Tennessee,  J.  M.  Sparkman  left  home  in  1881, 
and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1883  and  engaged  in  farming  near  Choteau 
Springs.  He  followed  farming  until  his  appointment  to  a  position  in  the 
Missouri  Training  School  in  1897. 

Major  Sparkman  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Meredith,  who 
was  born  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  R.  and  Rachel  (Leith) 
Meredith,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  died  in 
Cooper  County  in  about  1908  at  the  age  of  68  years.  Mr.  Meredith  killed 
the  last  deer  that  was  killed  in  Cooper  County  near  Choteau  Springs.  To 
Major  and  Mrs.  Sparkman  have  been  born  two  children :  Lois,  wife  of 
John  Stephens,  Lansing,  Mich. ;  and  Eunice  Lee,  stenographer  in  the  office 
of  Col.  A.  G.  Blakey,  superintendent  of  the  Missouri  Training  School. 

The  democratic  party  has  always  had  the  allegiance  of  Major  Spark- 
man. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Knights  Templar,  the 
Mystic  Shrine  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 

Armour  and  Company. — One  of  the  most  important  commercial  insti- 
tutions in  Boonville  and  probably  the  largest  and  most  extensive  of  its 
kind  in  central  Missouri  is  the  plant  of  Armour  and  Company,  managed 
by  Fred  Renshaw.  This  concern  was  first  established  in  1908  by  the 
Adams  Produce  Company  and  was  purchased  by  Armour  and  Company  in 
1916.  It  was  then  enlarged  and  converted  into  the  extensive  packing  and 
produce  concern.  All  of  the  old  buildings  were  razed  and  new  structures 
erected.  A  brick  building  90x40  feet  was  built  and  the  packing  plant 
proper  was  built,  90x110  feet.  From  50  to  60  people  are  employed  in 
season. 

The  concern  handles  poultry,  eggs  and  butter.  The  Boonville  branch 
of  Armour  and  Company  is  the  central  depot  for  a  number  of  smaller 
depots  in  Morgan,  Pettis,  Cooper,  Howard  Boone  and  Saline  counties,  and 
an  immense  volume  of  business  is  transacted  through  this  office.  Branch 
buying  stations,  tributary  to  the  Boonville  depot  are  conducted  at  Mar- 
shall, and  Fayette.  The  payroll  averages  from  $800  to  $900  per  week  in 
the  busy  months,  from  April  to  January,  each  year. 

During  all  months  of  the  year  excepting  February,  March  and  April, 


/ 


960  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

the  poultry  handled  at  this  plant  is  killed  and  packed  for  shipment.  The 
concern  has  its  own  refrigerating  plant  and  all  poultry  are  given  a  feed 
of  buttermilk  for  a  period  of  10  days  before  killing  so  as  to  whiten  and 
render  more  tender  and  palatable  the  meat.  The  dressed  poultry,  eggs, 
and  butter  are  loaded  directly  into  refrigerator  cars  and  every  modern 
appliance  for  the  quick  handling  of  packing  house  products  has  been  in- 
stalled in  the  large  plant. 

Hon.  John  D.  Starke,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  former  county  judge, 
former  state  senator  from  this  district,  former  warden  of  the  Missouri 
state  prison,  president  of  the  Otterville  Bank  and  for  many  years  one  of 
the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  who  died  at  his  home  in 
this  county  in  1917  and  whose  family  is  still  substantially  represented 
here,  was  a  Virginian,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  the 
days  of  his  boyhood,  he  having  come  here  with  his  parents  along  in  the 
latter  '40s  of  the  past  century. 

Judge  Starke  was  bom  in  Virginia  in  1844  and  was  but  a  lad  when 
his  parents  came  to  Missouri,  a  part  of  that  numerous  band  of  Virginians 
which  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  orderly  development  of  this  section  of 
Missouri  in  the  old  days.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  living  here 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  45th  Regiment, 
Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his  term  of  en- 
listment re-enlisted  and  was  attached  to  the  48th  Regiment,  with  which 
he  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war  with  the  rank  of  corporal. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned  to  Cooper  County, 
here  married  Mary  A.  Stratton  and  settled  down  as  a  farmer,  a  vocation 
in  which  he  was  quite  successful,  but  from  which  the  calls  of  public  duty 
soon  withdrew  him,  although  during  the  long  period  of  his  public  service 
he  continued  to  retain  his  interest  in  his  agricultural  operations  and  be- 
came one  of  Cooper  County's  most  extensive  landholders,  owner  of  900 
acres  of  land  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  an  ardent  democrat  and 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs.  The  first  public  office 
of  consequence  to  which  he  was  called  was  that  of  judge  for  the  eastern 
district  of  Cooper  County  and  upon  the  completion  of  that  judicial  service 
he  was  elected  county  collector,  and  afterward  was  elected  state  senator 
from  this  senatorial  district.  In  1897  Judge  Starke  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Stephens  as  warden  of  the  Missouri  state  prison  at  Jefferson 
City  and  for  four  years  thereafter  served  the  state  in  that  important 
capacity.  Upon  the  completion  of  that  service  he  returned  to  Cooper 
County,  erected  a  fine  new  home  on  his  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  as  well 


Jl'l  IGE  JOHN'    1 1.   STARK  E 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  961 

as  a  house  in  Otterville,  and  thereafter  divided  his  time  between  his  farm 
and  his  business  interests  in  the  village.  The  Judge  was  president  of  the 
Otterville  Bank  and  was  otherwise  actively  identified  with  the  commercial 
interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Boonville  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  during  the 
time  he  resided  at  Boonville  when  serving  as  county  collector  was  master 
of  the  lodge.  Judge  Starke  died  at  his  home  in  Otterville  in  1917  and  his 
wife  died  in  that  same  year.  She  also  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  1844,  as 
was  her  husband,  and  thus  the  lines  of  the  lives  of  this  couple  ran  parallel 
to  an  unusual  degree.  Judge  Starke  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that 
faith.  There  were  nine  of  these  children,  of  whom  six  are  still  living, 
namely :  Dryden  L.  Starke,  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelley 
township;  Blanche,  wife  of  James  S.  Funkhauser,  of  Lebanon  township, 
of  whom  further  mention  also  is  made  elsewhere;  Mrs.  Mary  Reavis,  of 
Kansas  City ;  Mrs.  Nora  Lee  Tieman,  now  living  at  California,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Pauline  Spillers,  of  Otterville,  and  H.  Rodgers  Starke,  also  of  Otterville. 

Henry  Gibson  Hurt,  assistant  Captain  of  Company  D,  Missouri  Train- 
ing School,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was  born  on  a  farm  southeast  of  Boonville, 
Nov.  23,  1872.  His  father  was  Fleming  Mitchell  Hurt,  who  was  born  on 
a  pioneer  farm  in  Cooper  County  in  1826  and  departed  this  life  in  1908. 
Clayton  Hurt,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Virginia  who  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1812  and  assisted  in  the  building  of  Fort  Boone.  He 
held  the  title  of  Colonel  Hurt  and  had  charge  of  the  task  of  defending  the 
pioneer  settlement  against  the  attacks  of  the  Indians  during  the  War  of 
1812.  From  1812  to  1815  the  settlers  of  this  section  of  Missouri  lived 
in  the  forts  and  stockades  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  River  and 
were  kept  constantly  on  the  alert  to  ward  off  attacks  by  the  Indians  who 
had  been  incited  by  British  agents  to  attack  the  Americans.  Colonel  Hurt 
married  Nancy  Dillard  of  Kentucky  and  after  the  frontier  had  been  made 
safe  for  the  settlers,  he  pre-empted  a  large  tract  of  government  land  in 
Cooper  County  on  which  his  descendants  are  still  living. 

Fleming  Mitchell  Hurt  owned  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres  and  was  a 
substantial  citizen  of  Cooper  County  during  his  lifetime.  He  married 
Miss  Flora  Ann  Davis  of  Macon  County,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Davis 
who  married  a  Miss  Gilbreath  and  came  from  Virginia  to  Macon  County 
and  thence  to  Cooper  County  in  pioneer  days.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Fleming  Mitchell  and  Flora  Ann  Hurt,  as  follows:  Mary  Ann,  deceased 
(49) 


962  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

wife  of  Albert  Adair;  Mrs.  Leonora  Byler,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Henry 
Gibson  Hurt,  of  this  review;  Florence  B.,  widow  of  Lee  Davis,  living  east 
of  Boonville. 

H.  G.  Hurt  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  in  addition  to  his  dis- 
trict school  studies  he  attended  the  Pilot  Grove  Seminary  and  the  Otter- 
ville  Seminary.  He  pursued  a  business  course  at  Chillicothe,  Mo.,  in  1892 
and  then  engaged  in  farming.  He  improved  a  tract  of  182  acres  of  land 
and  was  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  20  yeai*s.  In 
the  spring  of  1915  he  disposed  of  his  farm  land  and  engaged  in  the  auto- 
mobile business  in  partnership  with  G.  A.  Brownfield.  In  the  spring  of 
1918  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  business  and  took  up  the  duties  of 
his  present  position  in  the  Missouri  Training  School  for  Boys. 

Oct.  21,  1896,  Mr.  Hurt  was  married  to  Miss  Myrtle  Rankin  who  was 
born  in  Cooper  County,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  S.  and  Louisa  (Dun- 
can) Rankin,  pioneer  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  William  Rankin,  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Hurt  erected  the  Rankin  mill  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Cooper  County.  Mrs.  Louisa  Rankin  is  deceased  and  Robert  S.  Rankin 
makes  his  home  with  Mr.  H.  A.  Jewett  in  Cooper  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
H.  G.  Hurt  are  parents  of  four  children:  Ewing  Rankin  Hurt;  Mabel 
Louise ;  Holman  G.,  a  student  in  Boonville  High  School ;  and  William. 

Ewing  Rankin  Hurt,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  was  born  Sept.  21, 
1897,  and  is  a  volunteer  in  the  National  Army.  He  enlisted  in  the  U.  S. 
army,  March  22,  1917,  first  as  an  infantryman  and  was  then  transferred 
to  the  aviation  corps.  He  was  trained  at  Ft.  Sill,  Okla.  and  holds  the  rank 
of  first  sergeant. 

Mr.  Hurt  is  a  democrat  of  the  pronounced  type.  Mrs.  Hurt  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  past 
master  in  the  local  lodge. 

Dr.  William  Peyton  Harriman,  late  prominent  physician  and  stock- 
man of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in  Louisiana,  May  28,  1838,  and  died  at 
his  home  in  Boonville,  Sept.  14.  1918.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  William  Harri- 
man who  was  born  in  New  York  City  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ken- 
tucky when  he  was  a  child.  He  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  married  a  Miss 
Mayo  and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1846.  Dr.  William  Harriman  located 
at  Pilot  Grove  and  there  reared  his  family. 

Dr.  W.  P.  Harriman  received  his  higher  education  in  the  University 
of  Michigan  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.  He 
was  successful  as  a  physician  but  became  more  successful  as  a  farmer  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  963 

stockman.  He  accumulated  a  large  acreage  of  land  and  built  a  flouring 
mill  and  hired  a  miller  to  operate  the  mill.  Prior  to  this  time  he  had 
lived  on  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  and  after  establishing  himself  on  the  old  Harri- 
man  place  near  Pilot  Grove  he  made  a  trip  to  Kentucky  and  returned  with 
some  blooded  horses.  He  then  engaged  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of 
thoroughbred  horses  and  became  widely  known  throughout  the  country 
as  a  result.  Dr.  Harriman  produced  some  splendid  animals  which  sold 
for  very  high  prices.  As  age  came  upon  him  he  relinquished  much  of 
his  interests  and  sold  out  his  stock  and  farming  interests  to  his  son  and 
went  south  in  1900,  purchasing  a  home  in  San  Antonio,  Texas.  He  re- 
turned to  Boonville  in  1912  and  died  here  six  years  later. 

Dr.  W.  P.  Harriman  was  married  April  6,  1866  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Russell,  who  was  born  on  Lone  Elm  Prairie,  Jan.  8,  1842.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  Russell  of  Virginia.  Her  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Eleanor  Russell  who  was  born  in  1796  and  died  April  5,  1868.  The  Rus- 
sells  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1838.  Colonel  Russell  brought  along  30 
slaves  and  purchased  1,300  acres  of  land.  Col.  Thomas  Russell  was  born 
in  1796  and  died  in  1852.  He  was  a  scion  of  an  old  and  prominent  Vir- 
ginia family,  which  formerly  owned  a  beautiful  country  seat  in  Virginia, 
now  known  as  "Rannemead  Farm"  and  owned  by  Sen.  Charles  A.  Faulkner. 

Col.  Thomas  Russell  was  a  son  of  Captain  Russell,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  who  resided  in  Alexandria,  Va.  The  history  of  the  family 
begins  with  Lord  John  Russell,  whose  younger  son,  James  Russell,  emi- 
grated from  England  in  1700  and  settled  in  York  County,  Va.  Captain 
Russell  married  a  Miss  Throckmorton  of  Louisville,  Ky. 

Out  of  seven  children  born  to  Col.  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Eleanor 
Russell,  only  two  are  living:  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  P.  Harriman  of  this  review; 
and  John  N.  Russell  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  aged  84  years,  who  has  a  son, 
Dr.  John  N.  Russell,  president  of  the  Pacific  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co. 
of  Los  Angeles. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Dr.  W.  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Russell)  Harri- 
man, as  follows:  William  Mayo,  died  at  the  age  of  16  years;  Russell  lives 
>n  California;  Albert  C.  Harriman,  farmer  and  stockman  at  Pilot  Grove, 
Mo. ;  Bessie,  deceased  wife  of  Will  Ross,  left  one  child,  Margaret  E.  Ross. 

Dr.  Harriman  was  a  democrat  and  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
his  party.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Feodor  Stegner,  living  comfortably  on  his  farm  of  89  acres  near 
Billingsville,  the  old  home  place  of  the  Stegner  family,  is  one  of  the  best 
known  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Stegner  has  lived 
all  of  the  64  years  of  his  existence  on  his  farm  and  has  reared  a  fine 


964  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

family.  The  Stegner  place  is  a  pretty  farmstead,  the  residence,  a  neat 
cottage  home  sets  far  back  from  the  roadway  and  the  land  is  fertile  and 
protective. 

Feodor  Stegner  was  born  on  the  place  which  he  now  owns,  Feb.  26, 
1855.  His  birth  took  place  in  a  log  house  which  was  the  first  home  of 
the  Stegner  family  in  Cooper  County.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Peter  and 
Margaret  Barbara  Stegner  who  emigrated  from  Germany  and  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1853. 

Mr.  Stegner  was  married  Nov.  24,  1887  to  Miss  Louise  Back,  who  was 
born  at  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.,  July  3,  1866  and  died  June  6,  1905.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Christina  (Yost)  Back,  natives  of  Germany 
and  old  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  The  children  born  of  this  union  are: 
Daniel  P.,  born  in  1888,  lives  on  a  farm ;  Bertha,  born  1890,  married  Albert 
Gerhardt  near  Speed  and  is  mother  of  four  children,  Louise,  Ruth,  Joseph 
and  Frances ;  Flora,  born  Nov.  9,  1893,  wife  of  August  Gerhardt,  a  farmer 
near  Speed,  is  mother  of  two  children,  Elmer  and  Helen ;  Edna,  born  March 
1,  1896,  is  her  father's  housekeeper;  Rudolph,  born  Dec.  26,  1899,  makes 
his  home  with  his  father;  Herman,  born  Aug.  9,  1902,  is  at  home  with  his 
father;  and  Louis  was  born  June  6,  1905. 

While  Mr.  Stegner  is  generally  a  republican  and  supports  republican 
party  principles,  he  is  an  independent  voter  who  refuses  to  wear  a  party 
yoke.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Billingsville  Evangelical  Church. 

Henry  F.  Torbeck,  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Boonville 
township  is  owner  of  153  acres  of  productive  land  which  he  is  creating 
into  a  splendid  farm.  Mr.  Torbeck  has  just  completed  the  erection  of  a 
handsome  10  room  house,  with  bath,  water,  electric  light  and  furnace,  at 
a  cost  of  $5,250.  Mr.  Torbeck  is  a  breeder  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs,  not  as 
a  specialist  but  because  he  favors  this  breed  as  being  the  most  remunera- 
tive to  raise  on  the  farm.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  Jan.  17,  1870.  His 
father,  William  H.  Torbeck,  now  living  retired  in  Boonville,  was  born  in 
Germany,  April  29,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Rudolph  and  Sophia  Torbeck.  He 
was  married  Aug.  10,  1866  to  Sophia  Loss  who  was  born  Nov.  7,  1839. 
He  brought  his  family  to  America  in  1882,  landing  in  Boonville  in  Novem- 
ber of  that  year.  He  immediately  went  to  the  farming  section  and  worked 
as  farm  laborers  for  the  first  six  months  in  order  to  familiarize  himself 
with  American  methods  of  tilling  soil.  He  then  rented  land  until  1892 
when  he  bought  an  80  acres  in  Boonville  township  upon  which  he  lived 
for  25  years,  prior  to  his  retirement  to  a  home  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Torbeck 
has  recently  sold  his  farm  to  his  son,  Ernest  W.  Torbeck.     Six  children 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  965 

were  born  to  William  H.  and  Sophia  Torbeck,  as  follows:  Henry,  of  this 
review ;  Ernest  W.,  a  farmer  south  of  Boonville ;  Anna,  widow  of  J.  C.  Neff ,_ 
Boonville  township ;  Mrs.  Bertha  Winkler,  Saline  County,  Mo. ;  Mary  Tor- 
beck  died  at  the  home  of  Senator  Cockrell,  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  where  she 
was  serving  as  nurse ;  Amelia  died  at  the  age  of  six  years. 

When  he  attained  young  manhood,  Henry  Torbeck  purchased  land  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Ernest  W.  Torbeck.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued amicably  and  profitably  until  his  marriage.  Then  the  brothers 
divided  their  holdings  and  Mr.  Torbeck  started  to  improve  his  property. 
He  was  married  Feb.  23,  1910,  to  Annie  C.  Schwitzky,  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Schwitzky,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Palestine  township.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Henry  and  Annie  C.  Torbeck,  as  follows:  Sophia 
Wilhelmina,  aged  seven  years ;  Agnes  Marie,  aged  six  years ;  Henrietta 
Alma,  deceased. 

Mr.  Torbeck  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Billingsville 
Evangelical  Church.  He  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  who 
takes  an  active  and  influential  part  in  civic  affairs  and  is  highly  respected 
in  his  neighborhood.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Blackwater  Telephone  Com- 
pany. 

William  L.  Bryan. — For  over  fifty  years,  William  L.  Bryan  has  re- 
sided upon  his  pretty  farm  just  south  of  Prairie  Lick,  Mo.  He  is  owner 
of  134  acres  which  is  nicely  improved  with  a  neat  cottage  home  and 
attractive  surroundings.  Mr.  Bryan  was  born  in  Kentucky,  Jan.  1,  1850, 
and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Mary  (West)  Bryan,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  a  native  of  England. 

Benjamin  B.  Bryan  came  to  Missouri  in  1869  and  settled  upon  the 
place  which  W.  L.  Bryan  now  owns.  Mr.  Bryan  erected  a  double  log 
cabin  which  served  as  the  family  home  for  a  number  of  years.  A  big 
brick  chimney  was  built  in  one  end  of  the  house  and  a  flue  was  built  in 
the  other  end.  Oxen  were  used  in  breaking  up  the  Bryan  land  and  it 
took  much  labor  to  gradually  clear  away  the  woods  and  create  a  farm. 
B.  B.  Bryan  died  in  Nov.,  1880,  at  the  age  of  65  years.  Mrs.  Mary  Bryan 
died  in  1873  at  the  age  of  55  years.  The  children  in  the  Bryan  family 
were:  Jennie,  dead;  William  L.,  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Sarah  Case,  Belling- 
ham.  Wash. ;  B.  F.  Bryan,  on  a  farm  near  Prairie  Lick. 

Prior  to  purchasing  the  Bryan  home  place,  W.  L.  Bryan  rented  land. 
He  erected  his  present  home  in  1895.  He  was  married  in  January,  1872, 
to  Miss  Julia  Burns,  born  April  4,  1857  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel   and  Jane    (Faris)    Burns,  who  were   natives  of  Georgia.     The 


966  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Burns  family  went  to  Kentucky  in  1864  and  from  there  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  1872.  They  settled  near  Boonville,  on  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Barnhart  farm.  Later,  Mr.  Burns  returned  to  Georgia  and  died  there. 
His  wife  died  in  Tana  County,  Mo.  There  were  eight  children  in  the 
Burns  family :  Robert,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Julia  Bryan,  of  this  review ;  Mrs. 
Ellen  Trammel,  Okla. ;  John,  Tana  County,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Trammel, 
Okla. ;  Mrs.  Emma  Aubury,  Cedar  Creek,  Tana  Co.,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Ida  Claussen, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Georgia  Williams,  Tana  County,  Mo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryan  have  reared  six  children:  Jennie,  Robert,  Wil- 
liam, Josephine,  Riley  and  Mary  Ellen,  and  Lloyd.  Mrs.  Jennie  Case  lives 
at  Bellingham,  Wash.;  Robert  is  deceased;  William  lives  on  the  home 
farm ;  Mrs.  Josephine  Dwyer,  lives  near  Speed,  Mo. ;  Riley,  lives  in  Kan- 
sas. ;  Mary  Ellen  Bryan  is  a  teacher  in  the  Speed  school ;  Lloyd  Bryan  was 
born  Aug.  31,  1896  and  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  July  26, 
1918.  He  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston  until  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  Jan.  22,  1919. 

Riley  Bryan  was  born  Oct.  25,  1885.  He  enlisted  in  Hospital  Unit  No. 
28  of  the  National  Army  in  May,  1917.  He  was  trained  for  service  at 
Fort  McPherson,  Ga.  He  was  honorably  discharged  after  14  months  of 
service.     He  now  is  a  traveling  drug  salesman  and  resides  in  Kansas. 

Mr.  Bryan  is  a  democrat  and  all  of  his  sons  are  stanch  democrats. 
He  is  also  a  Baptist — a  fine  combination  of  good  qualities.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Fred  Deuschle,  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Palestine  town- 
ship, has  one  of  the  finest  farm  homes  in  Cooper  County,  consisting  of  208 
acres  and  was  purchased  by  the  proprietor  in  1898.  The  splendid  appear- 
ing farm  residence  consists  of  six  large  rooms.  Mr.  Deuschle  will  har- 
vest 45  acres  of  wheat  this  season,  1919.  Fred  Deuschle  was  born  Jan. 
3,  1869  on  a  farm  three  miles  west  of  Pleasant  Green,  Cooper  County, 
and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Catherine  (Schupp)  Deuschle. 

Adam  Deuschle  was  born  in  Wuertenburg,  Germany,  in  1824  and  died 
in  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1897.  He  left  his  native  country  and  came  to 
America  in  1845.  During  the  great  gold  rush  of  1849,  he  made  the  trip 
across  the  plains  and  mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  spent  two  years 
in  that  region.  When  he  returned  to  Cooper  County  in  1851,  he  built  a 
home  upon  his  200  acre  farm  near  Pleasant  Green,  becoming  owner  of 
the  land  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
days  upon  his  farm  and  died  there.     During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  DeuscWe 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  967 

served  in  the  Missouri  State  Guards.  His  wife,  Catherine  Schupp 
Deuschle,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1838  and  now  resides  with  her  daugh- 
ter one  mile  east  of  Pleasant  Green.  The  children  born  to  Adam  and 
Catherine  Deuschle  are:  Mrs.  J.  Louis  Staebler,  Billingsville;  Fred 
Deuschle,  subject  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Catherine  Bergmann,  living  two 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  Pleasant  Green;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of  Daniel 
Schupp,  left  five  children;  Adam,  J.,  living  on  the  old  homestead;  Louisa 
resides  with  the  Schupp  family ;  Bertha,  wife  of  Frank  Schupp  lives  near 
Pleasant  Green. 

The  early  education  of  Fred  Deuschle  was  obtained  in  the  district 
school  at  Pleasant  Green.  When  a  boy  he  began  to  assist  his  father  on 
the  farm  and  learned  to  become  a  good  farmer.  When  28  years  old  he 
began  to  make  his  own  way.  In  1898  he  made  his  first  purchase  of  land 
and  has  made  a  success  of  his  life  work. 

April  17,  1901,  Mr.  Deuschle  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Stegner,  a 
daughter  of  August  Stegner.  The  children  born  of  this  marriage  are: 
Martin  Oliver,  born  July  4,  1902 ;  Clara  Anna,  born  May  3,  1904 ;  Rudolph 
Frederick,  bora  March  23,  1906;  Frieda  Catherine,  born  Jan.  3,  1910; 
Marie  Augusta,  born  Aug.  30,  1916;  Earl  August,  born  Nov.  21,  1917. 

Mr.  Deuschle  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  his  district.  He  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  educational  and  civic 
affairs  and  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of  his  vicinity. 
He  is  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  the  Billingsville  Evangelical  Church. 

Robert  Snider,  farmer  and  stockman,  Boonville  township,  has  resided 
on  his  fine  farm  of  110  acres  just  south  of  Boonville  since  1886.  His  first 
home  on  this  farm  was  a  story  and  a  half  log  house  in  which  he  and  his 
wife  lived  for  a  few  years.  In  1906  he  erected  a  pretty  cottage  which 
has  an  admirable  setting  with  a  sloping  lawn  and  presents  an  attractive 
appearance.     A  large  and  substantial  barn  was  built  in  1901. 

Robert  Snider  was  born  in  Boonville,  Feb.  10,  1853.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  (b.  1822,  d.  1899)  and  Malinda  (Houx)  (b.  1830,  d.  1898)  Snider. 
His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Uncle  Fritz  Houx  who  was  a  pioneer  in 
Cooper  County,  from  Kentucky  and  a  member  of  the  old  pioneer  Houx 
family  of  Missouri.  William  Snider  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  came 
to  Cooper  County  in  the  early  40's.  He  went  to  the  gold  fields  of  Cali- 
fornia, crossing  the  plains  and  remained  for  18  months  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  was  married  in  Cooper  County  and  lived  all  of  his  days  in  this 
county.     The  children  of  William  and  Malinda  Snider  were:     Margaret, 


968  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

widow  of  John  Jamieson,  Okla. ;  William,  living  in  Cass  County,  Mo. ; 
Robert ;  Charles,  Coffeyville,  Kan. ;  Mrs.  Fannie  Johnson,  Bloomfield,  111. ; 
Sallie  Snider  resides  with  her  sister  Fannie;  Edward  Snider  lives  in  But- 
ler, Mo. 

Robert  Snider  attended  the  district  schools  and  also  studied  under 
Professor  Smiley.  With  the  exception  of  three  and  a  half  years  spent  in 
the  Rocky  Mountain  country  from  1878  to  1881,  he  has  always  resided 
in  Cooper  County. 

March  2,  1882,  Robert  Snider  and  Mollie  Scott  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Mollie  (Scott)  Snider  was  born  in  this  county,  March  30,  1860 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Adam  Scott,  a  Cooper  County  pioneer.  Three  sons 
were  born  to  Robert  and  Mollie  (Scott)  Snider  as  follows:  Harry  Snider 
married  Gertrude  Toler  and  has  one  son,  Eugene ;  Ross,  Spokane,  Wash. ; 
and  Ralph,  aged  21  years,  resides  with  his  parents,  married  Miss  Maude 
Wyland,  daughter  of  Louis  Weyland. 

Mr.  Snider  is  an  independent  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church. 

Conrad  M.  Zollinger,  mayor  of  Otterville  and  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  Otterville,  was  born  at  Otterville  and  is  one  of  the  most  forceful 
factors  in  the  general  commercial  life  of  the  town.  He  was  born  on  April 
20,  1885,  son  of  Capt.  Augustus  L.  and  Louisa  (Mayfield)  Zollinger,  both 
members  of  old  families  in  Cooper  County  and  both  now  deceased,  their 
last  days  having  been  spent  at  Otterville,  of  which  place  they  had  been 
residents  even  in  the  days  before  the  railroad  entered  there. 

The  late  Capt.  Augustus  L.  Zollinger,  an  honored  soldier  of  the  Con- 
federacy during  the  Civil  War  and  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous figures  in  the  commercial  life  of  Otterville,  an  organizer  of  enter- 
prises and  a  leader  of  affairs,  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  born 
on  Aug.  30,  1825,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  that  state,  remaining 
there  until  he  was  21  years  of  age  when,  in  1847,  he  came  to  Missouri  with 
his  parents,  George  Zollinger  and  wife  (the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Meyers), 
the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township,  this  county.  Six 
months  later,  immediately  following  the  cession  of  California  to  the  United 
States,  Augustus  L.  Zollinger  left  Missouri  and  crossed  the  plains  with  a 
company  of  other  hardy  adventurers,  bent  on  seeking  fortune  in  the  then 
promising  land  on  the  western  coast,  the  promise  of  gold  in  California 
just  then  beginning  to  attract  general  attention  in  the  East.  For  seven 
years  he  remained  in  California  and  then,  in  1854,  returned  to  Cooper 
County  and  became  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Otter- 


CAPT    AUGUSTUS   I..   ZOLLINGER 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  969 

ville.  That  was  in  the  days  before  the  railroad  and  his  goods  were  hauled 
from  Boonville  by  ox-teams.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he 
dropped  his  commercial  affairs  at  Otterville,  leaving  his  store  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Cannon,  and  helped  in  the  organization  of  a  troop  of  cavalry  for 
the  service  of  the  Confederacy ;  was  elected  captain  of  Company  A,  Second 
Missouri  Cavalry,  attached  to  the  command  of  General  Forrest,  and  with 
that  gallant  command  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  military  service  Captain  Zollinger  resumed  his  mercantile 
business  at  Otterville  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  retirement  from  the 
store  in  1892.  Two  years  later,  in  1894,  he  organized  the  present  Bank  of 
Otterville,  was  elected  president  of  the  same  and  thereafter  gave  his 
whole  attention  to  his  banking  business,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  his 
retirement  from  business  in  1908.  Following  his  retirement  the  Captain 
continued  to  make  his  home  in  Otterville  and  there  spent  his  last  days, 
his  death  occurring  on  March  30,  1914.  In  addition  to  his  business  inter- 
ests he  was  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  350  acres  and  had  other  sound 
investments.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  oldest  continuous  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  the  state  of  Missouri, 
having  become  a  member  of  that  order  in  Maryland  when  18  years  of  age, 
affiliated  with  the  lodge  at  Hagerstown,  Md.  He  also  was  a  member  of 
the  Pleasant  Grove  lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Otter- 
ville. He  was  a  democrat  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in 
Cooper  County.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  Captain  Zollinger's  wife 
died  in  1901.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1845  and  was  but  a  girl  when 
she  came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents,  the  Mayfields  settling  in  the  Pleas- 
ant Green  neighborhood  in  this  county.  Captain  Zollinger  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  last  born,  the  others  being  as  follows:  George  Zollinger,  who  is  now 
engaged  in  general  reporting  work  at  St.  Louis ;  Stella,  wife  of  H.  M.  Ames, 
a  retired  railroad  man  living  at  Otterville;  Augustus  L.,  a  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Warrensburg ;  Elma  L.,  wife  of  A.  L.  Ferguson,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  at  Columbia,  and  John  H.,  of  Kansas  City. 

Conrad  M.  Zollinger  grew  up  at  Otterville,  was  graduated  from  the 
Otterville  College  in  1904  and  then  took  a  course  in  a  commercial  college 
at  Sedalia.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  familiar  with  the  details  of 
his  father's  banking  business  at  Otterville  and  upon  his  return  from  col- 


970  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

lege  was  made  assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville,  a  position  he 
since  has  occupied  and  to  the  duties  of  which  he  has  given  his  most 
thoughtful  attention,  long  having  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
progressive  young  bankers  in  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Zollinger  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  160  acres  of  LaMine  River  bottom  land  one  mile  east  of  Otter- 
ville and  has  other  investments  of  a  valuable  character.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat and  has  ever  given  his  thoughtful  attention  to  local  civic  affairs. 
In  1918  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Otterville  and  his  administration  has 
been  marked  by  the  erection  of  the  admirable  municipal  electric  light  plant 
there  as  well  as  in  the  advancement  of  other  movements  looking  to  the 
promotion  of  the  town's  best  interests. 

July  9,  1916,  Conrad  M.  Zollinger  was  united  in  marriage  with  Maud 
E.  Varner,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  he  and  his  wife  have  a 
very  pleasant  home  at  Otterville.  Mrs.  Zollinger  was  born  in  Kelly  town- 
ship, a  daughter  of  Hiram  B.  and  Lottie  (Wyles)  Varner,  both  members 
of  pioneer  families  in  this  section  of  Missouri,  the  former  born  in  Cooper 
County  and  the  latter  in  Howard  County,  who  are  now  living  retired  at 
Otterville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zollinger  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  take  a  proper  interest  in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the  general  social 
activities  of  their  home  town.  Mr.  Zollinger  is  a  member  of  Pleasant 
Grove  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Otterville,  to  the 
affairs  of  which  organization  he  has  for  years  given  his  earnest  attention, 
and  is  a  past  master  of  the  lodge. 

Antcn  Henry  Schler,  owner  of  200  acres  of  good  farm  land  in  Boon- 
ville  township,  is  not  only  a  good  farmer,  but  he  is  rearing  a  fine  family  of 
children.  The  Schler  farm  is  well  improved  with  good  buildings  and  a 
large,  well  built,  farm  residence  which  sets  far  back  on  the  farm  and  is 
reached  by  a  winding  roadway  which  runs  through  the  farm.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  and  his  brother,  Peter  Schler,  farmed  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  partnership  until  this  partnership  was  dissolved  in  Aug.,  1916. 
The  brothers  then  divided  their  accumulations  which  were  the  result  of 
years  of  good,  hard  work,  and  excellent  management,  and  each  took  his 
rightful  share  of  the  farm  land.  Anton  Henry  Schler  was  born  May  30, 
1865  in  Clear  Creek  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Louis  (b.  1817,  d.  1871),  a 
native  of  Germany  who  immigrated  to  America  when  a  young  man.  He 
located  in  Clear  Creek  township.  Cooper  County,  married  Margaret  Troes- 
ter  (b.  July  3,  1827,  d.  Oct.  3,  1912),  the  latter  of  whom  resided  with  her 
sons  after  the  father's  death.  The  children  of  the  Schler  family  are  as 
follows :  Two  children  died  in  infancy ;  Charles,  a  farmer  in  Clear  Creek 
township;  Mrs.  Josephine  Troester  lives  in  Clayton  county,  Iowa;  Peter,  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  971 

this  review;  Anton,  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Paul,  a  farmer  living  near 
Choteau  Springs. 

The  Schler  boys  had  little  opportunity  for  schooling  in  their  younger 
days;  work  was  the  rule  in  the  Schler  household  because  the  head  of  the 
family  had  died  early.  The  home  farm  of  the  family  was  in  the  timber 
and  the  hardest  kind  of  work  was  necessary  to  clear  the  land  of  the  trees, 
build  fences  and  keep  up  the  crops  each  season.  The  Schler  brothers, 
Peter  and  Anton  Henry  purchased  their  large  farm  in  1892.  At  the  time 
of  purchase  the  farm  was  partly  improved.  The  tract  embraced  a  total 
of  430  acres  of  land  after  they  added  30  acres  to  the  original  purchase. 
Peter  Schler  was  actively  engaged  in  tilling  his  land  until  an  accident 
in  1907,  when  he  was  injured  by  the  turning  over  of  a  wagon,  incapaci- 
tated him  for  hard  work.     He  then  moved  to  Boonville,  in  1909. 

Peter  Schler  was  married  June  2,  1897  to  Sophia  Schierholz,  who  was 
born  in  Boonville,  Cooper  County,  June  5,  1858,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Mary  (Holtgreve)  Schierholz.  Charles  Schierholz  was  born  in  Prussia,  in 
1823,  and  died  July  27,  1891.  Mrs.  Mary  Schierholz  was  born  Jan.  24, 
1838  and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1845.  Mr.  Schierholz  oper- 
ated a  brick  yard  in  Boonville  until  he  settled  on  his  farm  south  of  Boon- 
ville in  1876.  He  was  father  of  six  children :  Mrs.  Ophia  Schler  of  this 
review ;  Henry,  a  farmer,  Boonville  township ;  Charles,  a  farmer  living 
with  his  mother;  the  three  younger  children  died.  Peter  Schler  is  a  re- 
publican.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Anton  Henry  Schler  was  born  and  reared  in  Cooper  County.  He  was 
married  March  29,  1910  to  Catherine  Barbara  Gerhardt,  who  was  born  in 
North  Dakota,  Jan.  31,  1887,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Gerhardt,  retired 
farmer  of  Speed,  Mo.  The  children  born  of  this  union  are:  Henry  Her- 
man, born  May  7,  1911;  Margaret  Paullina,  born  Aug.  24,  1912;  Catherine 
Elizabeth,  born  March  7,  1914;  Joseph,  born  Jan.  2,  1916;  Lizzie  Rosina, 
born  July  16,  1917;  George,  born  Feb.  22,  1919. 

Mr.  Schler  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

George  K.  Crawford,  farmer,  Bunceton,  Mo.,  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork 
township  about  six  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton,  Oct.  11,  1866.  He  is  a 
son  of  John  Crawford  who  was  born  March  5,  1816  and  died  Nov.  5,  1889. 

John  Crawford  was  a  native  of  Cumberland  County,  Ky.  and  was  a 
son  of  George  Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  was  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  Cooper  County  who  came  to  this  county  and  settled  at 
what  is  now  Crawford  Bridge.  Herman  P.  Muntzell  now  owns  the  first 
home  of  the  Crawfords  in  this  county.  Mr.  Crawford  improved  a  farm 
and  resided  there  the  rest  of  his  days.     John  Crawford  was  reared  to 


972  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

manhood  on  this  farm  and  after  his  marriage  he  resided  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Clarence  Hops  place.  In  1848  he  settled  on  the  place  now- 
owned  by  George  K.  Crawford  and  improved  it,  erecting  a  large  residence, 
and  eventually  became  owner  of  over  1,000  acres  of  land.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  owned  500  acres.  In  1862  John  Crawford  married  Miss 
Maria  Kepner,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1840  and  died  Aug.  29, 

1916.  Maria  Kepner  Crawford  was  a  daughter  of  Solomon  Kepner  who 
came  to  Cooper  County  from  Pennsylvania  about  1860. 

Two  children  born  to  this  second  marriage  are  living:  Mrs.  Clara 
Shackleford,  residing  on  the  home  place ;  and  George  K.  Crawford,  of  this 
review.  By  a  former  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  Greenhalge,  John  Craw- 
ford had  one  son,  Henry,  now  deceased. 

George  K.  Crawford  resided  for  50  years  on  the  Crawford  home  place, 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  removed  to  Bunceton  in  1917. 
In  Feb.,  1917,  Mr.  Crawford  was  married  to  Mrs.  Frances  (Hickman) 
Edwards  widow  of  Dr.  G.  H.  Edwards,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hick- 
man, a  pioneer  settler  near  Lone  Elm  who  is  deceased.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage Mrs.  Crawford  is  mother  of  two  children:  John  C,  and  Thomas  H. 
Edwards. 

John  C.  Edwards  died  at  Camp  Mills,  Mineola,  L.  I.,  May  3,  1918,  at 
the  age  of  21  years.  He  was  a  corporal  in  the  National  Army,  having 
volunteered  for  service  in  May,  1917,  and  became  a  member  of  Co.  B,  140th 
Infantry,  35th  Division. 

Thomas  H.  Edwards,  aged  27  years,  volunteered  for  service  in  May, 

1917.  He  spent  one  month  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  and  then 
sailed  for  France,  July  2,  1917.  He  was  a  member  of  the  12th  Railway 
Engineers,  organized  at  St.  Louis,  but  he  was  later  transferred  to  the 
Signal  Corps  of  the  A.  E.  F. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  of  Wallace  Lodge  No.  456,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Bunceton. 

George  F.  Fluke,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Cooper  County,  was  born 
May  27,  1850,  at  Connor's  Mill,  a  son  of  John  and  Louisa  (Fisher)  Fluke, 
the  former,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Fluke 
is  one  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents:  George  F.,  the  subject  of  this 
review;- John  W.,  deceased;  and  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Z.  R.  Neal,  of  Saline 
township. 

John  Fluke  came  to  Missouri  in  1838  and  located  at  Connor's  Mill. 
He  was  by  trade  a  miller  and  he  operated  this  mill  for  15  years.     He  died 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  973 

Nov.  13,  1879  and  interment  was  made  in  Clayton  cemetery.  Mrs.  Fluke 
joined  him  in  death,  Dec.  8,  1883,  and  she,  too,  was  laid  to  rest  in  Clayton 
cemetery.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  John  Fluke  owned  more  than  500 
acres  of  some  of  the  most  valuable  land  in  Saline  township. 

George  F.  Fluke  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County  and, 
since  1875,  he  has  resided  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Fluke 
is  owner  of  130  acres  of  land  located  10  miles  from  Boonville  and  one- 
half  mile  from  Overton.     He  is  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming. 

March  13,  1872,  George  F.  Fluke  and  Eliza  Givens,  a  daughter  of 
Walter  and  Mary  (Vivian)  Givens,  were  united  in  marriage.  Eliza  A. 
Givens  Fluke  was  born  Jan.  7,  1852.  To  George  F.  and  Eliza  Fluke  were 
born  the  following  children :  Andrew  J.,  of  Shawnee,  Okla.,  who  married 
Etta  Rogers  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  George  F.  and 
Vivian  Mayo;  and  Mary  Lou,  the  wife  of  Aubrey  Buell  and  the  mother 
of  two  children,  Orvill  Allison  and  Vernal  Leeann.  Mrs.  Fluke  died 
June  3,  1897. 

Jan.  9,  1900,  George  F.  Fluke  and  Lizzie  Tucker,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
H.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Parker)  Tucker,  were  united  in  marriage.  Rob- 
ert H.  Tucker  was  born  in  Virginia,  Aug.  14,  1824  and  died  May  25,  1893, 
in  Cooper  County,  Mo.  Mrs.  Tucker  was  born  near  Clarks  Fork  in  Cooper 
County,  March  7,  1840.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker  are  as  fol- 
lows: Robert  M.,  Silas  E.,  Mrs.  Kate  Venable,  Nathaniel  and  Mrs.  Mattie 
Pollard,  twins;  Mrs.  George  F.  Fluke,  Mrs.  Sophronia  May  Drennen, 
Charles  W.,  James  T.,  Mrs.  Minnie  E.  Verts,  Mrs.  Sadie  Ruth  Smith,  and 
Tyre  T.  Tucker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fluke  are  valued  members  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church. 

Politically,  George  F.  Fluke  is  affiliated  with  the  democrat  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  Cooper  Lodge  No.  36,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fluke  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  they  are  held 
in  the  highest  respect  in  Saline  township.  The  Fluke  family  has  long 
been  numbered  among  the  first  and  best  families  of  this  section  of  the 
state. 

Harry  J.  Miller,  a  highly  respected  young  citizen  of  Cooper  County, 
is  one  of  Boonville's  boys  of  yesterday,  men  who  have  "made  good,"  and 
of  whom  all  are  justly  proud.  Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Boonville,  Aug.  31, 
1894,  a  son  of  James  R.  and  Carrie  Miller,  the  former,  a  native  of  Cooper 
County,  Mo.,  ami  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  James  R.  Miller  is  a  son  of 
one  of  the  county's  honored  pioneers.  He  has  resided  in  the  county  all 
his  life,  and  is  at  the  present  time  filling  the  position  of  chief  of  police 


974  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  Boonville,  a  position  he  has  most  capably  filled  for  the  past  eight  years. 
Mr.  Miller  was  formerly  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Boonville.  The  children  of  James  R.  and  Carrie  Miller  are,  as 
follow:  Beatrice,  at  home;  Earl,  the  bookkeeper  at  the  Phoenix  American 
Pipe  Works;  Roy  F.,  who  died  in  1918,  at  the  age  of  21  years;  and  Harry 
J.,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Boonville,  Harry  J.  Miller  obtained  his  ele- 
mentary education,  which  he  supplemented  with  a  course  at  Brown's 
Business  College  at  St.  Louis  and  at  Dunkle's  Business  College  at  Boon- 
ville. After  leaving  school,  Mr.  Miller  was  for  three  years  employed  at 
the  Hirsch  Wholesale  Grocery  Company  store  in  Boonville.  In  1917,  he 
was  appointed  storekeeper  for  the  Boonville  Training  School,  a  position 
he  at  the  time  of  this  writing  occupies. 

Fraternally,  Harry  J.  Miller  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fo  Boonvlle.  He  is  well  known  throughout  the  county  and  stands  high 
in  his  own  community,  where  he  has  a  host  of  friends. 

Henry  B.  Kramer,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cooper  County,  was  born 
Oct.  14,  1862  in  Cooper  County  on  the  Clayton  farm,  a  son  of  Jacob  Anton 
and  Francisco  Kramer,  the  former,  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  Denmark, 
and  the  latter,  of  Baden,  Germany.  Jacob  Anton  Kramer  served  three 
years  in  the  Danish  army,  in  1849,  1850,  and  1851,  and  he  had  a  scalp 
wound  caused  by  a  minnie  ball.  He  immigrated  to  America  in  1854  and 
was  married  at  Staten  Island. 

Jacob  Anton  Kramer  was  born  at  Copenhagen  in  1812.  After  com- 
ing to  America,  Mr.  Kramer  spent  one  year  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  From  St. 
Louis,  he  came  to  Connor's  Mill  in  Cooper  County  and  for  four  years  was 
engaged  in  gardening.  In  1860,  he  purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Charles  Clayton.  This  place  was  sold  in  1910  to  George  Viertel.  Jacob 
Anton  Kramer  died  Oct.  9,  1874  and  interment  was  made  in  Schmidt 
cemetery.  Mrs.  Kramer  was  born  May  27,  1827  and  died  Dec.  6,  1907. 
She,  too,  was  laid  to  rest  in  Schmidt  cemetery. 

Henry  B.  Kramer  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  Jacob  Anton 
and  Francisco  Kramer:  Mary  Ann,  the  wife  of  George  A.  Back,  to  whom 
she  was  married  in  1883,  deceased  since  Jan.  1,  1896 ;  Henry  B.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  Herman,  of  Boonville;  Jacob  Anton,  Jr.,  who  resides 
in  the  state  of  Washington ;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Otto  Schmidt  and  Charlie, 
who  died  in  1869  at  the  age  of  10  years  and  is  buried  in  Schmidt  cemetery. 

At  Highland  school,  Henry  B.  Kramer  obtained  his  education.  In 
early  manhood,  Mr.  Kramer  was  engaged  in  farming  extensively,  but  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  975 

recent  years  he  has  been  employed  in  paper-hanging,  carpentering  and 
writing  life  insurance  policies.  Mr.  Kramer  is  a  specialist  in  horticulture. 
He  has  never  married.  He  promised  his  mother  that  he  would  remain 
single  as  long  as  she  lived  and  he  kept  his  word.  Mr.  Kramer's  mother 
survived  her  husband  33  years. 

Henry  B.  Kramer  is  an  enthusiastic  lodge  worker.  He  is  clerk  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  district  deputy  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  of  the  B.  O.  W.  The  Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Gooch's  Mill 
has  a  membership  of  160  and  Mr.  Kramer  has  been  a  member  for  22 
years,  clerk  for  four  years,  counsel  commander  for  13  years,  assistant 
clerk  for  19  years,  and  advertising  lieutenant  for  four  years.  In  the  first 
10  years  of  his  membership,  Mr.  Kramer  missed  but  five  meetings  and  he 
had  a  distance  of  four  miles  to  walk.  He  has  now  a  class  of  68  boys  and 
girls,  ranging  in  ages  from  one  to  16  years,  for  whom  he  looks  after  in- 
surance. The  first  member  of  the  B.  0.  W.,  the  juvenile  department  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  holding  Policy  No. 
1,  was  Ben  L.  Givens  and  Mr.  Kramer  has  the  distinction  of  having  writ- 
ten the  policy. 

On  the  democrat  ticket,  Mr.  Kramer  was  elected  constable  of  Saline 
township.  He  is  highly  respected  in  his  community  and  throughout  the 
county  and  he  numbers  his  friends  by  the  score. 

Frederick  H.  Muntzel,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was 
born  in  Cooper  County  and  is  owner  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Cooper 
County,  consisting  of  347  acres.  Mr.  Muntzel  retired  from  active  farm- 
ing in  the  spring  of  1919,  his  farm  being  managed  by  J.  W.  Woolery. 
After  completing  the  district  school  he  attended  the  Chillicothe  Normal 
College.     He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

John  George  Hoflander,  late  well  and  favorably  known  resident  of 
the  Billingsville  neighborhood,  Cooper  County,  and  veteran  of  the  Civil 
W>',  was  a  native  of  Saxony  Coburg,  Germany.  Mr.  Hoflander  was  born 
July  17,  1841  and  died  at  his  country  home  near  Billingsville,  March  6, 
1915. 

He  was  a  son  of  John  Ernst  and  Kunigunda  (Stegner)  Hoflander, 
natives  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1853. 

John  George  Hoflander  was  reared  to  young  manhood  on  the  Hoflander 
home  place  and  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Guards 
during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  detailed  for  guard  duty  to  protect  traffic 
along  the  Missouri  River. 


976  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mr.  Hoflander  was  married  at  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.,  Jan.  15,  1880,  to 
Elizabeth  L.  Back,  born  at  Pleasant  Green,  Cooper  County,  Jan.  30,  1856. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Doreathe  Fredericka  Back.  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Hoflander  is  one  of  two  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hoflander; 
Mrs.  Ernest  Vbgelpohl,  Pilot  Grove. 

When  George  and  Elizabeth  Hoflander  were  married  they  settled  on 
the  old  Hoflander  home  place,  near  Billingsville  which  Mr.  Hoflander 
farmed  successfully  during  his  entire  life.  This  is  a  fine  farm  of  128 
acres  which  is  well  improved  and  the  soil  of  which  is  very  productive. 

The  Hoflander  children  are:  Henry,  born  Oct.  28,  1880,  and  died 
Nov.  1,  1880;  Marie  Christine,  born  Sept.  11,  1881,  at  home;  Caroline 
Henrietta  was  born  March  2,  1885,  at  home;  Marie  Pauline,  born  March 
2,  1885,  was  wife  of  the  late  Frank  Wallje,  is  now  at  Sedalia,  Mo. ;  Dorothea 
Elizabeth,  born  July  5,  1887,  is  wife  of  George  Geiger,  vicinity  of  Billings- 
ville, Mo. ;  George  Thomas,  born  Oct.  1  1889,  at  home ;  Laura  Amelia,  born 
Jan.  11,  1892,  is  wife  of  Oliver  Koenig,  near  Prairie  Lick,  Cooper  County, 
Mo. ;  Marie  Magdaline,  born  Jan.  25,  1897,  at  home ;  and  Carl  John,  born 
Oct.  25,  1901,  at  home. 

The  late  George  Hoflander  was  one  of  the  sterling  and  energetic 
citizens  of  Cooper  County  and  was  highly  regarded  in  the  community 
where  he  was  born  and  reared.  He  was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  Bill- 
ingsville St.  John's  Evangelical  Church  and  was  a  devout  Christian,  a 
kind  husband  and  father.  He  was  a  republican  but  took  little  part  in 
political  affairs.  It  is  such  as  he  that  assisted  materially  in  upbuilding 
the  Cooper  County  of  today. 

George  W.  Harlan,  fanner  and  stockman,  proprietor  of  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  Otterville  township,  his  well  improved  place  of  550  acres 
being  situated  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  the  town  of  Otterville;  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville  and  long  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  that  part  of  Cooper 
County,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  has  resided 
there  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  seven  years  during  the  period  of 
his  childrens'  educational  course  at  Otterville  when  he  and  his  family  re- 
sided in  town.  The  Harlan  family  is  one  of  the  families  in  Cooper  County 
entitled  to  a  service  flag  carying  a  gold  star,  the  only  son  of  this  family 
having  died  in  the  service  of  his  country  in  the  fall  of  1918.  The  young 
husband  of  the  only  daughter  of  the  family  also  is  in  service  being  now 
(summer  of  1919)  with  the  naval  arm  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  Europe.     The  Harlans  are  an  old  American  family,  the  pro- 


§X£^e, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  977 

genitor  of  the  family  in  this  country  having  come  to  this  side  from  Eng- 
land in  early  CoLonial  days.  George  W.  Harlan  was  born  on  Nov.  22,  1869, 
son  of  George  W.  and  Susan  (Streit)  Harlan,  the  former  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  who  became  residents  of  Cooper  County 
in  the  days  of  their  youth  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

The  senior  George  W.  Harlan  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  Sept. 
28,  1823,  and  was  but  15  or  16  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Missouri  auuut 
the  year  1840  with  his  parents,  George  T.  and  Johanna  (Helm)  Harlan, 
also  natives  of  KentucKy,  the  family  locating  in  Otterville  township,  this 
county,  where  George  T.  Harlan  and  his  wife,  the  pioneers,  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days.  On  the  pioneer  farm  settled  there  by  his  parents 
the  senior  George  W.  Harlan  grew  to  manhood  and  in  time  became  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  cattle  breeder,  a  man  of  substance  and  influence  in  his 
community  and  in  that  township  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  Jan.  13,  1891.  His  widow  died  Aug.  6,  1916.  She  was  born 
near  Salem,  Va.,  Sept.  29,  1829.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  last  born,  having  two  sisters,  Anna,  widow 
of  J.  W.  Harlan,  of  Danville,  Ky.,  and  Jennie  H.,  wife  of  A.  G.  Hansberger, 
of  Otterville  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  just  northwest  of  Otterville,  the  junior 
George  W.  Harlan  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and 
completed  the  same  by  a  course  in  Central  College  at  Fayette,  after  which, 
when  21  years  age,  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  home 
place.  He  married  when  23  years  of  age,  and  after  his  marriage  estab- 
lishing his  home  on  the  home  place,  of  which  in  time  he  became  the 
owner,  and  where  he  and  his  family  are  now  very  comfortably  situated. 
In  1911,  Mr.  Harlan  erected  a  handsome  new  and  up-to-date  farm  house, 
said  to  be  one  of  the  best  such  dwellings  in  Cooper  County,  and  the  other 
improvements  on  his  model  farm  are  in  keeping  with  the  same.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farming  he  has  for  years  given  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  also  takes  a  proper  interest  in  the  gen- 
eral business  affairs  of  the  community,  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  Otterville.  He  is  a  democrat,  and  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees. He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
(South). 

Feb.  22,  1893,  George  W.  Harlan  was  manned  to  Birdie  Clark,  who 
was  born  in  Morgan  County,  daughter  of  Thomas  B,  and  Louise  J.  (Mey- 


978  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ers)  Clark,  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  both  now  deceased,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Ennell,  who  is  now  (summer  of 
1919)  at  home  with  her  parents,  pending  the  return  of  her  husband,  J.  C. 
Miller,  from  service  with  the  naval  branch  of  the  American  Expedition- 
ary Forces  in  Europe,  and  George  C,  who,  as  noted  above,  is  represented 
by  a  gold  star  in  the  Harlan  family's  service  flag.  George  C.  Harlan  was 
born  on  the  home  farm,  Oct.  19,  1896,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Otter- 
ville  High  School.  On  July  18,  1918,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Navy  for  service  in  the  World  War,  and  was  sent  for  training  to  the  Great 
Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  at  Chicago,  where,  not  long  afterward,  he 
was  taken  ill,  and  Sept.  30,  died,  being  then  under  22  years  of  age.  J.  C. 
Miller,  husband  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harlan's  daughter,  enlisted  in  the  navy 
on  July  7,  1918,  and  after  a  period  of  preliminary  training  was  assigned 
to  active  service,  and  is  now  serving  in  European  waters. 

A.  F.  Nixon,  the  well-known  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge,  was 
born  Oct.  15,  1875,  near  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  a  son  of  D.  F.  and  Christina 
(Schlatzhauer)  Nixon,  the  former,  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  the 
latter,  of  Cooper  County.  D.  F.  Nixon  was  born  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio. 
He  prospered  in  farming  and  stockraising  and  he  and  his  wife  are  now 
living  in  quiet  retirement  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.  The  children  of  D.  F. 
and  Christina  Nixon  are:  Charles,  who  is  in  the  real  estate  business  in 
Boonville;  Catherine  E.,  at  home;  A.  F.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  and 
Rudy,  who  died  in  West  Virginia. 

Mr.  Nixon,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  the  public  schools, 
Pilot  Grove  College,  and  the  Warrensburg  State  Normal  School.  He 
erected  an  elevator  at  Wooldridge  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  grain 
business  there.  He  sold  his  business  to  G.  H.  Dooley  Milling  Company, 
which  company  still  operates  the  mill,  and  in  1904,  Mr.  Nixon  purchased 
the  interest  of  M.  A.  Smith  in  the  Bank  of  Wooldridge  and  has  since 
been  the  cashier  of  that  institution. 

May  22,  1904,  A.  F.  Nixon  and  Elizabeth  Wooldridge  were  united  in 
marriage.  Mrs.  Nixon  is  a  daughter  of  H.  H.  and  Sallie  E.  (Eager) 
Wooldridge,  of  Saline  township.  H.  H.  Wooldridge  died  in  1917  and,  on 
Dec.  31  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  family  cemetery.  His  widow  now  re- 
sides on  the  old  home  place.  The  town  of  Wooldridge  is  located  on  land 
formerly  owned  bv  Mrs.  Nixon's  father.  To  A.  F.  Nixon  and  Mrs.  Nixon 
have  been  born  three  children:  Audrey,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the 
Boonville  High  School ;  Fletcher  W.  and  Eager. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPEE  COUNTY  979 

Recently,  Mr.  Nixon  purchased  60  acres  of  land,  on  which  was  form- 
erly located  the  old  tanyard  known  as  the  "Fox  Hunters'  Home"  and 
owned  by  A.  A.  Walker,  Dr.  S.  M.  Teel,  Mr.  Draften,  Dr.  Hurt  and  others, 
whose  names  cannot  be  recalled.  Fox  hunting  meets  have  been  held  here 
since  the  early  days  and  a  meeting  is  held  semi-annually  by  the  lovers  of 
this  sport  and  to  this  present  time  fox  chases  are  frequently  held.  Mr. 
Nixon  is  planning  improving  his  tract  of  land.  He  will  construct  a  con- 
crete dam  below  the  springs  and  make  there  one  of  the  finest  fishing 
ponds  in  the  country. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Nixon  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  an  upright,  respected 
citizen  and  among  the  business  men  of  Cooper  County,  no  man  is  valued 
more  highly. 

Thomas  R.  Peyton  &  Sons,  proprietors  of  "The  Peyton  Nurseries", 
at  Boonville,  Mo.,  are  widely  known  and  respected  business  men  of  Cooper 
County.  "The  Peyton  Nurseries"  was  organized  Jan.  1,  1913.  Eight 
years  previous  to  that  date,  Thomas  R.  Peyton  and  A.  E.  Barnes  began 
operating  the  "Boonville  Nurseries"  and  on  the  first  of  the  year,  1913,  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  and  "The  Peyton  Nurseries"  established.  A. 
E.  Barnes  has  continued  business  under  the  old  name  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Peyton,  Sr.,  served  an  apprenticeship  of  eight  years  with  Stark 
Brothers'  Nurseries  in  Louisiana,  Mo.  He  discontinued  his  services  at 
Stark  Brothers'  to  accept  the  management  of  a  nursery  at  Mexico,  Mo., 
in  which  place  he  was  for  10  years  prior  to  coming  to  Boonville.  "The 
Peyton  Nurseries"  has  from  20  to  25  agents  in  the  field,  covering  the 
states  of  Missouri,  Illinois,  Oklahoma,  Arkansas  and  Kansas.  Frequently, 
shipments  are  made  to  other  states. 

"The  Peyton  Nurseries"  specializes  in  fruit  trees,  in  apple,  peach, 
pear,  apricot,  quince  and  cherry  trees.  The  first  year  the  firm  was  in 
business  the  outlook  was  not  encouraging.  Since  Jan.  1,  1913,  with  sales 
for  the  first  year  totaling  but  $6,000,  the  business  has  grown  marvelously 
and  the  receipts  for  the  year  of  1918  amounted  to  $30,000.  The  firm  plans 
putting  out  200,000  trees  annually,  namely:  100,000  apple  grafts;  50,000 
cherry  and  pear;  and  50,000  peach  trees.  "The  Peyton  Nurseries"  does  a 
large  retail  business  through  salesmen  and  in  addition  does  a  flattering 
mail-order  business.  The  firm's  slogan  is  "Growers  of  Reliable  Trees 
Since  1887".  All  orders  are  packed  under  cover  in  the  packing  house,  a 
building,  40x60  feet,  located  at  the  junction  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  and 


980  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroads,  where  the  office  is  also  located.  The 
firm  is  a  growing  one  and  the  citizens  of  Boonville  point  with  pride  to 
"The  Peyton  Nurseries"  as  an  example  of  what  western  enterprise  and 
industry  can  in  a  short  time  accomplish. 

Thomas  R.  Peyton  was  born  in  Rappahannock  County,  Va.,  Nov.  24, 
1872,  a  son  of  John  II.  and  Sarah  Martha  (Wince)  Peyton,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Virginia.  The  Peytons  moved  to  Pike  County,  Mo.,  in 
1885,  and  John  H.  Peyton  was  for  several  years  with  Stark  Brothers' 
Nursery.  He  died  while  visiting  his  son,  Thomas  R.,  at  Boonville,  in 
February,  1917,  and  he  is  buried  at  Louisiana.  Mrs.  Peyton  died  in  1896 
at  Louisiana  and  is  buried  there.  The  children  of  John  H.  and  Sarah 
Peyton  are  as  follows:  Henry  A.,  of  Los  Angeles,  Calif.;  Thomas  R.,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  Joseph  W.,  of  Lincoln,  111.;  Mrs.  Luella  Downing, 
deceased;  John  A.,  who  has  been  with  the  Stark  Brothers'  Nurseries  for 
the  past  30  years;  Dora  May,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Russell,  of  Spring- 
field, 111. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Virginia,  Thomas  R.  Peyton  received  his  ele- 
mentary education,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  course  at  the  academy 
at  Louisiana,  Mo.  He  was  married  in  1900  to  Edith  A.  Barnes,  a  daughter 
of  Noble  and  Mary  (Bybee)  Barnes,  and  a  native  of  Audrain  County,  Mo. 
The  mother  is  deceased,  and  the  father  resides  in  Audrain  County. 

The  children  of  Noble  and  Mary  Barnes  are  as  follows:  M.  C.  and 
Theodore,  of  Audrain  County,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Thomas  R.  Peyton,  the  wife  of 
the  subject  of  this  review;  A.  E.,  a  well-known  nurseryman  of  Boonville; 
Claude,  a  farmer  and  fruit-grower  of  Idaho ;  Roy  and  Ray,  who  are  farm- 
ing near  Bradshaw,  Neb.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peyton  have  been  born  five 
children:  Thomas  B.  and  Genevieve,  who  are  attending  the  Boonville 
High  School ;  James  A.,  Edith  J.,  and  Charles  W.,  at  home  with  their 
parents.     The  Peytons  reside  at  Shamrock  Heights  in  Boonville. 

Thomas  R.  Peyton  and  Mrs.  Peyton  are  worthy  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church.  They  are  held  in  the  highest  respect  and 
esteem  by  all  who  know  them,  and  they  number  their  friends  by  the  score. 
Mr.  Peyton  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modem  Woodmen  of  America. 

Hermann  Frederick  Herfurth,  assistant  engineer  of  the  Missouri  Re- 
formatory, Boonville,  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  respected  citizens. 
H.  F.  Herfurth  was  born  in  Germany  in  1872,  and  came  to  this  country  in 
1882  with  his  parents,  John  Frederick  and  Wilhelmina  Herfurth,  who 
located  in  Cooper  County,  where  the  father  died  in  1892.  The  widowed 
mother  resides  in  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  now  making  her  home  with  a 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  981 

son  and  a  daughter.  The  children  of  John  Frederick  and  Wilhelmina 
Herfurth  are,  as  follow:  John  Frederick,  Jr.,  of  Moniteau  County;  Mar- 
tha, the  wife  of  Charles  Gropp,  of  Moniteau  County;  Herman  Frederick, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Selma,  of  Moniteau  County. 

H.  F.  Herfurth  attended  school  in  Cooper  County.  He  has  practically 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world  since  he  was  a  child  13  years  of  age.  He 
began  his  business  career  in  Moniteau  County,  but  prior  to  that  he  had 
been  employed  in  farm  work,  laboring  for  $7  a  month  and  chopping  cord- 
wood  for  35  cents  a  cord.  H.  F.  Herfurth  was  manager  of  a  farm  in 
Clark's  Fork  township  for  seven  years,  the  owner  of  the  farm  being  W. 
B.  Windsor.  H.  F.  Herfurth  was  in  business  in  Moniteau  County  for 
seven  years,  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness in  St.  Louis,  manufacturing  raincoats  and  dealing  in  automobile  ac- 
cessories. He  received  the  appointment  as  assistant  to  the  chief  engineer 
under  J.  W.  Bozarth,  at  present  chief  engineer  at  the  Missouri  Reforma- 
tory, Boonville.  The  engineering  department  furnishes  electric  light  and 
power  for  all  the  buildings  of  the  Reformatory. 

In  September,  1917,  Hermann  Frederick  Herfurth  and  Elizabeth  Ott 
were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Herfurth  is  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  Ott,  of 
Franklin  County,  Mo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ott  now  reside  at  Berger,  Mo.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herfurth  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Frances 
Bessie.  The  Herfurths  are  valued  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
and  they  are  numbered  among  the  best  families  of  Boonville. 

H.  F.  Herfurth  has  surmounted  countless  obstacles  to  make  the  suc- 
cess in  life  which  he  has  thus  far  achieved.  He  taught  himself  to  read 
the  English  language  by  translating  at  home  the  German  Bible  into  Eng- 
lish, and  when  he  saw  the  value  and  necessity  of  reading  English  he 
tenaciously  clung  to  his  resolve  to  master  the  language,  and  he  is  now 
able  to  read  well,  and  he  is  a  constant  reader.  He  is  captain  of  the  Honor 
Company,  a  squad  of  75  boys  of  the  Reformatory.  It  is  the  captain's  duty 
to  keep  close  watch  upon  the  morals  of  the  lads.  Captain  Herfurth  takes 
much  pride  in  his  work,  is  a  most  efficient  officer,  and  he  is  making  good 
citizens  of  the  boys  under  his  charge. 

William  R.  Scott,  teacher  and  gardener,  one  of  Cooper  County's  best 
known  citizens,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oct.  18,  1876,  a  son  of  William  C. 
and  Lucy  (Moore)  Scott.  William  C.  Scott  was  born  in  1837  in  Cooper 
County.  He  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families  of  Missouri,  a  son 
of  an  honored  and  brave  pioneer,  who  settled  in  Boonville  in  1815.  Mr. 
Scott  was  in  the  early  days  a  freighter  from  Boonville  to  southwestern 


982  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Missouri  in  the  days  of  the  steamboat.  He  is  at  the  present  time  a  resi- 
dent of  Boonville.  Mrs.  Scott  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  She  died 
here  about  1882.  The  children  of  William  C.  and  Lucy  Scott  are;  Mrs. 
J.  P.  Logan,  of  Boonville ;  Dr.  W.  M.,  of  Iberia,  Mo. ;  Dr.  L.  E.,  of  Belle- 
ville, 111.;  William  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  H.  A.,  of  Missoula,  Mont.; 
and  Mrs.  L.  Comstock,  of  Seattle,  Wash.,  twins. 

W.  R.  Scott  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boonville  High  School,  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1894.  After  completing  the  high  school  course,  he  was  for 
12  years  prospecting  and  mining  in  Washington,  Montana  and  Oregon. 
In  1915,  he  returned  to  Boonville,  and  he  has  since  then  been  employed  in 
the  capacity  of  teacher  and  gardener  at  the  Boonville  Training  School, 
now  the  Missouri  Refonnatory.  He  teaches  during  the  winter  seasons 
and  is  engaged  in  gardening  in  the  summers.  He  is  captain  of  Company 
F,  about  65  boys  being  under  his  charge.  Captain  Scott  enjoys  his  work 
and  is  giving  his  best  efforts  to  advance  the  pupils  of  his  classes. 

Feb.  11,  1918,  William  R.  Scott  and  Ruth  Tuttle  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Scott  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  Tuttle,  of  Boon- 
ville. J.  B.  Tuttle  is  employed  by  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railway 
Company.  Mrs.  Scott  was  born,  reared,  and  educated  in  Boonville.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  William  R.,  Jr.,  bom 
Jan.  20,  1919,  the  representative  of  the  fourth  generation  of  the  Scott 
family  in  Cooper  County.  Mrs.  Scott  has  one  sister  and  two  brothers 
living:  Mrs.  William  Pieper,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.;  Morton,  of  Boonville; 
and  Chester,  of  Boonville. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Cooper  County, 
and  in  Boonville  they  are  numbered  among  the  city's  best  citizens  and 
most  respected  families. 

Capt.  C.  S.  Hanna,  the  competent  blacksmith  of  the  Boonville  Train- 
ing School,  now  the  Missouri  Reformatory,  is  a  native  of  Howard  County. 
Captain  Hanna  was  born  July  3.  1857,  a  son  of  Frank  and  Sarah  (Hall) 
Hanna,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana. 

Frank  Hanna,  with  his  three  brothers,  William,  James,  and  Harvey, 
came  from  Virginia  in  1812,  and  located  first  in  Grundy  County,  and  later 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Howard  County,  near  the  present  site  of  Fayette, 
Mo.  With  his  brothers,  Frank  Hanna  was  first  engaged  in  farming,  and 
later  entered  a  cabinet  shop  in  Fayette,  the  shop  owned  by  Samuel  Majors. 
He  died  in  Howard  County  in  1872,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the 
cemetery  at  Fayette.  Mrs.  Hanna  died  in  1876  and  she  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  cemetery  at  Fayette.  The  children  of  Frank  and  Sarah  (Hall)  Hanna 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  983 

are,  as  follow :  James,  William,  and  Robert,  deceased ;  Capt.  C.  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Virginia,  deceased;  Rebecca,  who  married  George 
Thurman  and  is  now  deceased;  and  Bessie.  The  Hanna  family  were 
Hanna  family  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Missouri,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  coming  of  the  three  brothers  to  Howard  County,  deer  were  very 
plentiful,  and  Frank  Hanna  frequently  went  on  deer  chases  on  and  near 
the  present  townsite  of  Fayette. 

Captain  Hanna  obtained  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Howard  County,  Mo.  Until  he  was  about  30  years  of  age,  he 
followed  farming  in  Howard  county,  and  he  then  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Fayette,  serving  his  apprenticeship  under  Mr.  McClammer. 
Captain  Hanna  followed  blacksmithing  at  Fayette  until  he  moved  to  Boon- 
ville,  six  years  ago,  and  he  was  thus  employed  in  this  city  until  he  was 
appointed  in  March,  1918,  blacksmith  of  the  Training  School.  He  in- 
structs the  boys  of  the  school,  who  are  under  his  charge,  in  the  trade  of 
blacksmithing,  and  there  could  be  found  no  more  efficient  mechanic  and 
thorough  teacher.  Two  lads,  Bernard  Lloyd  and  John  Jewer,  who  were 
under  Captain  Hanna's  supervision,  left  the  school  recently  to  take  good 
position  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  they  are  both  "making  good."  Captain 
Hanna  frequently  receives  letters  from  the  boys,  telling  him  how  much 
they  appreciate  all  he  did  for  them.  It  is  his  desire  and  ambition  to  do 
all  within  his  power  to  assist  the  boys  under  his  care  to  become  good 
citizens. 

In  1884,  Capt.  C.  S.  Hanna  and  Ida  R.  VVatkins  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Mrs.  Hanna  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Martha  VVatkins,  of  New 
Franklin,  honored  pioneers  of  Howard  County.  Both  father  and  mother 
are  now  deceased,  and  their  remains  rest  in  Walnut  Ridge  Cemetery  in 
Howard  County.  The  children  of  John  and  Martha  Watkins  are:  Mrs. 
C.  S.  Hanna,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  John,  of  New  Frank- 
lin ;  Mrs.  Emma  Canole,  of  New  Franklin ;  Mrs.  Claude  Maupin,  of  Sedalia ; 
Mrs.  Anna  McGavoc,  of  New  Franklin;  Mrs.  Eula  Minor,  of  New  Frank- 
lin; Mrs.  Cliff  Drake,  of  Fayette;  Mrs.  Martha  Hams,  of  Moberly ;  and 
James,  a  fanner,  of  New  Franklin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanna  are  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Lela  G.,  the  wife  of  William  Wells,  of  Boonville;  C.  W., 
clerk  in  H.  T.  Zugales'  general  merchandise  stort  of  Boonville;  Eula.  a 
student  in  the  Boonville  High  School;  and  Russell,  grade  school.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  Wells  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  a  daughter,  Louise. 

Captain  Hanna  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
in  politics  he  is  a  democrat.     He  and  Mrs.  Hanna  are  highly  respected 


984  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

and  valued  in  Boonville  and  Cooper  County,  and  they  have  a  host  of  friends 
in  their  community. 

Dr.  Robert  E.  Howlett,  a  venerable  retired  physician,  formerly  sur- 
geon at  Confederate  Home  at  Higginsville,  and  during  the  Civil  War  a 
surgeon  in  the  Confederate  Army,  for  many  years  a  practicing  physician 
at  Otterville,  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Doctor  Howlett  was  born  near  Richmond,  Va.,  March  19,  1836, 
son  of  James  M.  and  Harriet  (Hatcher)  Howlett,  the  former  of  whom 
became  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  in  1843  and  here  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life. 

The  Howletts  are  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  America,  the  family 
having  been  founded  on  this  side  by  three  brothers  of  that  name,  who  came 
over  from  Wales  in  the  early  days  of  the  Jamestown  settlement,  and  thus 
became  established  here  among  the  first  of  the  Virginia  colonists.  James 
M.  Howlett  was  born  at  Chesterfield,  Va.,  April  1,  1801,  a  son  of  John 
Howlett  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Goode,  also  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  spent  all  their  lives  in  that  State.  He  married  Harriet  Hatcher, 
who  was  born  in  Chesterfield  County,  Va.,  in  1806,  and  who  died  in  1842. 
Of  the  children  born  to  that  union  seven  grew  to  maturity.  Of  these 
Doctor  Howlett  is  now  the  only  survivor.  The  others  were  Thomas  T., 
James  A.,  Anna  B.,  who  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  William  Eustace;  John  M., 
Daniel  and  Martha.  In  1845,  the  mother  of  these  children  then  having 
been  dead  about  three  years,  James  M.  Howlett  married  Anna  Maria  Pey- 
ton, who  also  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  who  died  in  1860  at  the  age  of  48 
years.  That  union  was  without  issue.  It  was  in  1843,  the  year  follow- 
ing the  death  of  his  first  wife,  that  James  M.  Howlett  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  Virginia  and  with  his  family  came  to  Cooper  County  and 
established  himself  on  a  farm  in  Lebanon  township,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1873,  he  then  being  72  years 
of  age. 

It  was  on  that  pioneer  farm  in  Lebanon  township  that  Doctor  How- 
lett grew  to  manhood.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  by  the 
special  instruction  given  him  at  home  by  his  stepmother,  who  had  been 
a  school  teacher  in  Virginia.  He  early  became  attracted  to  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  after  some  preliminary  reading  along  that  line,  in  1858 
entered  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1861,  the  year  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  He 
straightway  put  aside  his  ambition  for  a  medical  career  and  at  once  en- 
listed as  a  private  for  service  in  the  Confederate  Army.     Three  months 


DR,    ROBERT   10.    HOWLETT 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  985 

:er  he  was  raised  from  the  ranks  and  commissioned  assistant  surgeon 
the  army.  In  this  important  capacity,  Doctor  Howlett  continued  to 
rve  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned  to  his  home 
this  county  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
terville.  In  1867  he  went  to  New  York  City  for  a  post-graduate  course 
the  medical  college  there,  returning  to  his  office  at  Otterville  in  April, 
68.  A  year  later  he  married,  and  two  years  after  his  marriage  (in 
71)  became  attracted  to  the  possibilities  which  seemed  to  offer  in  con- 
ction  with  a  point  for  practice  in  Mississippi,  and  moved  to  that  State, 
t  18  months  later  returned  to  Otterville  and  resumed  his  practice  there, 
ntinuing  thus  actively  engaged  until  his  appointment  in  December, 
01,  to  the  post  of  physician  to  the  Confederate  Soldiers  Home  at  Hig- 
nsville,  Mo.  While  thus  officially  stationed  at  the  home  the  Doctor 
und  his  health  beginning  to  break,  and  in  1903  he  resigned  his  post  and 
turned  to  Otterville,  where  he  is  now  living  retired  from  active  practice, 
ing  now  in  the  84th  year  of  his  age.  Doctor  Howlett  has  for  many 
ars  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  this  part  of  the 
ate,  and  during  his  many  years  of  practice  in  this  county  ever  took  an 
rnest  interest  in  the  deliberations  of  the  local  and  State  medical  socie- 
!S,  as  well  as  the  American  Medical  Association,  of  which  societies  he 
is  an  active  member.  The  Doctor  is  a  democrat,  and  formerly  took  an 
tive  part  in  local  and  State  political  affairs,  but  was  never  a  seeker  after 
blis  office.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the 
icient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
illows,  and  is  the  oldest  Mason  as  well  as  the  oldest  Odd  Fellow  in  Otter- 
le. 

April  6,  1869,  in  Mississippi,  Dr.  Robert  E.  Howlett  was  united  in 
irriage  to  Eliza  Marian  Howell,  who  was  born  in  Alabama  on  Aug.  12, 
43,  daughter  of  A.  Y.  and  Phoebe  D.  (Ingram)  Howell,  natives  of  North 
irolina,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Mississippi,  and  to  this  union 
ree  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Dr.  Robert  E.  Howlett,  Jr.,  a 
acticing  physician  at  Richland,  Mo.;  Helen  H.,  widow  of  the  late  Prof. 
A.  Edwards,  of  Kansas  City,  and  Addie  Nolton,  who  has  ever  remained 
home,  and  whose  comfortable  home  at  the  eastern  edge  of  C  terville 
now  shared  by  his  parents.  A.  N.  Howlett  is  a  well-to-do  farmer  and 
ackman,  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  170  acres  just  at  the  edge  of  town, 
lere  he  and  his  wife  and  his  aged  parents  are  pleasantly  situated.  His 
fe,  before  her  marriage,  was  Clarice  Weyand.  Her  parents  were  early 
ttlers  in  Vernon  County,  Mo. 


986  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

William  A.  Hoefer,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native 
of  Boonville.  He  was  born  July  17,  1874,  a  son  of  Henry  L.  and  Mary  A. 
(Krust)  Hoefer,  the  former  a  native  of  Nassau,  Germany. 

Henry  L.  Hoefer  was  born  Aug.  22,  1823.  He  came  to  America  in 
1846  and  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  1847.  He  entered  the  mercantile 
business  at  Boonville,  and  followed  his  vocation  of  painter  and  interior 
decorator.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War,  Aug.  18,  1862,  and  served  in 
the  State  Militia.  He  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  Company  G,  52nd 
Regiment,  and  he  served  in  the  army  until  the  war  closed.  Mary  A. 
(Krust)  Hoefer  was  born  in  1838  at  Hesse,  Daunstadt.  She  immigrated 
to  America  in  1853  with  the  Hoffmeister  family.  They  were  located  at 
Mendota,  111.,  for  two  years.  She  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1858,  and  is 
at  the  present  time  a  resident  of  Boonville. 

Capt.  Archie  Burr  Bates,  of  Kemper  Military  School,  was  born  Jan. 
6,  1883,  at  Churdan,  Iowa,  a  son  of  E.  W.  and  Hattie  (Easter)  Bates,  the 
former  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  the  latter  of  Iowa,  now  residents  of  Persia, 
Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  W.  Bates  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Orin  E.,  a  prosperous  merchant  of  Pittsburg,  Kan.;  Capt.  Archie 
Burr,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Blanche  Ferguson,  of  Nevada, 
Iowa;  L.  E.  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Forest  E.,  of  Corsicana,  Texas;  Miss 
Edith,  and  Mrs.  Ethel  Cox,  twins,  the  former  of  Boonville,  and  the  latter 
of  Indianola,  Iowa. 

Captain  Bates  attended  Churdan  High  School  three  years  and  Ogden 
High  School  one  year.  He  pursued  the  business  course  at  Simpson  Col- 
lege, Indianola,  Iowa,  and  he  is  a  graduate  of  this  institution,  a  member 
of  the  class  of  1904.  After  completing  his  college  work,  Captain  Bates 
entered  the  teaching  proftssion  and  taught  school  at  Pendleton,  Ore.,  one* 
year,  and  at  Mount  Vernon,  Wash.,  one  term.  Thence  he  returned  to 
Iowa,  and  at  Des  Moines  entered  Iowa  Business  College  and  studied  short- 
hand and  typewriting.  Upon  completing  the  course,  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  school  for  six  months.  Captain  Bates  came  to  Boonville 
as  principal  of  the  commercial  department  of  Kemper  Military  School. 
When  this  school  became  a  corporation  in  1909,  he  was  elected  secretary, 
a  position  which  he  still  retains  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919.  Cap- 
tain Bates  has  been  post  adjutant  for  the  past  ten  years. 

July  31,  1907,  Capt.  Archie  Burr  Bates  and  Martha  Frances  Breiner, 
a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Ida  M.  Breiner  Harlow,  of  Churdan,  Iowa,  were  mar- 
ried. The  father  of  Mrs.  Bates  died  when  she  was  an  infant,  and  her 
mother  afterward  married  William  F.  Harlow,  and  they  now  reside  at 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  987 

hurdan,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Bates  has  three  brothers,  all  residents  of  Churdan, 
)\va:  Verle,  Wilmer,  and  Elmore.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Bates  are  the 
arents  of  two  daughters:  Ida  Frances  and  Martha  Burr.  They  are 
alued  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Captain 
ates  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Boonville. 

Captain  Bates  is  well  known  and  respected  in  Cooper  County  as  a 
entleman  and  a  scholar.  He  and  Mrs.  Bates  have  innumerable  friends 
1  this  section  of  the  State,  and  they  have  the  highest  regard  of  all  who 
now  them. 

Oscar  F.  Case,  the  widely-known  and  competent  blacksmith,  pro- 
rietor  of  the  machine  shop  at  Gooch's  Mill  in  Cooper  County,  is  a  native 
f  Illinois.  Mr.  Case  was  born  in  Kane  County  in  1849,  a  son  of  A.  J. 
tid  Julia  A.  (Morris)  Case,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  and  the 
iter  of  Long  Island.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case  moved  from  New  York  to 
linois,  and  from  Illinois  to  Bremer  County,  Iowa,  where  they  both  died. 
scar  F.  Case  is  the  only  living  member  of  his  father's  family,  and  he 
the  eldest  of  four  sons  born  to  A.  J.  and  Julia  A.  Case,  the  others  being 
;  follow:    Prentice,  Ernest,  and  Wirt,  all  deceased. 

Mr.  Case,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  school  at  Waverly, 
>wa.  In  May,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Iowa  with  Company  E.  44th  Iowa 
lfantry,  and  served  until  October,  1864.  He  was  active  in  service  in 
ennessee  and  in  Mississippi  under  the  command  of  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith, 
l  1867,  Mr.  Case  came  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Connor's  Mill,  one  of 
le  pioneer  mills  of  Cooper  County.  This  was  a  steam  and  water  mill, 
•ected  by  James  F.  Connor  in  the  days  long  prior  to  the  Civil  war.  The 
itlers  from  40  and  50  miles  distant  came  to  the  mill  to  have  their  grain 
round.  Kiln-dried  flour  was  made  there,  and  this  fact  was  widely 
Ivertised  in  1849,  at  the  time  of  the  wild  exodus  from  the  East  to  the 
jld  field  newly  discovered  in  California,  and  the  fortune  hunters,  read- 
ig  the  advertisement  in  the  St.  Louis  papers,  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
t  Rocheport,  on  the  ferry  to  obtain  the  flour,  which  was  guaranteed  to 
?ep  for  a  long  time.  Wagon  trains,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length, 
isited  the  mill  to  be  served  with  the  far-famed  flour.  James  F.  Connor 
nployed  23  assistants  at  his  mill,  and,  in  addition,  he  operated  a  large 
irm,  and  had  13  yoke  of  cattle,  besides  horses  and  mules. 

In  1879,  Oscar  F.  Case  moved  to  Gooch's  Mill,  and  built  his  black- 

nithing  shop,  and  at  this  place  he  has  ever  since  been  located.     His  shop 

fitted  for  work  of  all  kinds  with  up-to-date  machinery.     In  1897,  Mr. 

ase  added  machinery,  and  one  year  later  he  began  handling  farm  ma- 


988  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

chinery.  He  operates  two  forges  and  his  work  in  his  shop  and  the  busi- 
ness of  his  store  keeps  him  constantly  "on  the  job."  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  trip  hammer  and  power  blower,  there  being  but  one  other  such 
blower  in  the  county. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Case  was  united  in  marriage  with  Nancy  R.  Durnil,  of 
Connor's  Mill.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oscar  F.  Case  were  born  the  following 
children :  Mrs.  Julia  Shaf er,  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa ;  Wirt  and  Bert,  twins, 
the  former,  now  deceased,  and  the  latter  a  machinist,  who  has  been  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States  for  the  past  year ;  and  Andrew,  at  home. 
Mr.  Case  is  very  proud  of  his  six  grandchildren:  Mamie  Shafer;  Oscar  F., 
Jr.,  Catherine,  Julia,  Audra,  and  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Case  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1918,  and  her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Gooch's 
Mill. 

Oscar  F.  Case  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  highly  respected 
in  Cooper  County. 

Louis  Gantner,  a  prominent  manufacturer  of  Boonville,  is  a  native 
of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Gantner  was  born  in  Boonville,  Nov.  21,  1861, 
a  son  of  Andy  and  Rosa  Gantner. 

Andy  Gantner  was  born  in  1835  in  Baden,  Germany.  He  immigrated 
to  America  in  1854  and  settled  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Gantner  was,  by  trade, 
a  brick  and  stone  contractor.  He  erected  many  building  in  Boonville's 
business  district,  more  than  any  other  one  builder  in  the  county.  He 
built  the  wings  of  the  old  public  school  on  Sixth  Street  in  Boonville ;  a  part 
of  the  Kemper  Military  School  buildings;  the  Nelson  residence;  the  Mc- 
Pherson  residence;  and  the  Triggs  residence.  During  the  Civil  War,  he 
enlisted  with  the  Unon  Army  and  served  under  Colonel  Eppstein.  Rosa 
(Diringer)  Gantner  was  born  in  Alsace  in  1836,  and  she  came  to  America 
in  1849  with  her  parents,  who  settled  in  Boonville.  Andy  and  Rosa  Gant- 
ner were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  The  father  died  Oct.  5,  1890,  and 
the  mother  died  Dec.  9,  1912. 

Andy  and  Rosa  Gantner  were  married  in  Boonville  in  1856,  and  Mr. 
Gantner  built  a  sandstone  house  on  Triggs'  Hill  in  Boonville,  where  all 
the  Gantner  children  were  born.  There  the  father  died  and  Mrs.  Gant- 
ner sold  the  residence  to  Ewing  Roberts.  The  old  homestead  of  the 
Gantners  still  stands  in  Boonville.  Andy  and  Louis  Gantner  were  part- 
ners for  eight  years,  and  father  and  son  built  the  Catholic  Church  in 
Boonville. 

In  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Catholic  School  in  Boonville,  Louis 
Gantner  received  his  education.     He  was  born,  reared,  and  educated  in 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  989 

this  city,  and  he  has  thus  far  spent  his  life  here.  He  has,  since  attaining 
maturity,  been  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  contracting,  and  is  now  a 
member  and  manager  of  the  firm  owning  the  Boonville  Brick  Company. 
This  company,  of  which  J.  H.  Stretz  and  Louis  Gantner  are  the  sole  mem- 
bers, succeeded  Claus  Stammerjohn  about  1905.  The  plant  is  located  in 
west  Boonville,  near  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad.  It  has  a 
daily  capacity  of  20,000  bricks.  The  firm  is  engaged  in  general  contract- 
ing, and  it  has  erected  many  hundred  buildings  in  Cooper  County,  among 
them  the  County  Home,  the  pipe  factory  in  Boonville,  and  the  St.  Joseph 
Hospital.  Mr.  Gantner  and  Mr.  Stretz  are  capable,  energetic  business 
men,  and  the  marked  success  they  have  achieved  reflects  great  credit 
upon  themselves  and  brings  much  renown  to  Boonville. 

In  1889,  Louis  Gantner  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sophia  Gart- 
hoffner,  of  Boonville,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Victoria  Garthoffner. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gantner  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Helen, 
a  graduate  of  the  Boonville  High  School,  and  graduate  of  the  Warrens- 
burg  State  Normal  School,  now  a  teacher  in  the  Boonville  schools ;  Lenore, 
a  graduate  of  the  Boonville  High  School,  now  a  stenographer  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo. ;  Ernest,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Walter,  who  enlisted  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States  in  August,  1917,  at  Washington  University,  and  is  now, 
at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  France  with  Unit  21,  Hospital  Corp/; 
George,  a  law  student  at  St.  Louis  University,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Bertram!, 
a  student  pharmacist  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gantner  and  their 
children  are  worthy  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Gantner  is 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  The  Gantners  reside  at  726  Spring  street  in  Boonville.  Mr. 
Gantner  has  served  one  term  as  member  of  the  City  Council.  For  more 
than  40  years,  the  Gantner  name  has  been  an  honored  and  highly  regarded 
name  in  Cooper  County,  the  synonym  of  honest  industry,  efficiency,  and 
integrity. 

W.  E.  Hooper,  the  present  efficient  postmaster  of  Wooldridge,  Mo., 
and  the  well  known  engrossing  clerk  of  the  State  Senate,  is  a  native  Mis- 
sourian.  He  was  born  at  Clarksburg,  Moniteau  County,  in  1876,  the  son 
of  Prof.  J.  N.  and  Georgia  (Amos)  Hooper.  Prof.  J.  N.  Hooper  estab- 
lished Hooper  Institute  and  conducted  that  institution  for  many  years. 
He  died  in  1894,  and  his  widow  now  resides  at  Jefferson  City,  Mo.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children:  W.  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Wooldridge,  and  Dr.  D.  E.  Hooper,  of  Warsaw,  Mo. 

W.  E.  Hooper  settled  in  Cooper  County  about  20  years  ago,  and  for 
the  past  18  years  has  been  postmaster  at  Wooldridge.     Mr.  Hooper  was 


990  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

married  in  1904  to  Miss  Ida  Anderson,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Frank 
and  Emma  S.  Anderson,  who  now  reside  in  Saline  township,  Cooper 
County.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  as  is  also  his  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emma  Hopkins.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  children,  F.  L.  and  Ida,  the  latter  now  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Hooper, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hooper  have  been  born  two 
children:  Marjorie  E.  and  Hazel  L. 

Mrs.  Hooper  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Howard  Payne 
College,  Fayette,  Mo.  H.  B.  Hopkins,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Hoopgr,  was  a  native  of  Mississippi,  and  a  pioneer  of  Wooldridge,  Mo. 
He  married  Rebecca  Burcham,  of  Kentucky,  and  they  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  1858.  They  once  owned  the  original  townsite  of  Wooldridge. 
A  more  extensive  history  of  the  Hopkins  family  is  given  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Farris  B.  Hopkins. 

W.  E.  Hooper  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
W.  C,  and  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  representative  citizens  of  Cooper 
County.  He  and  Mrs.  Hooper  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  at 
Wooldridge. 

Willis  Hurt,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native 
of-  Page  County,  Va.,  born  Aug.  2,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  Acrey  and  Ma- 
tilda (Rickard)  Hurt,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  and  early  settlers  in 
Cooper  County.  Acrey  Hurt  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1820,  and  his  wife 
was  born  in  that  State  Dec.  20,  1827.  They  were  married  Sept.  23,  1847, 
and  in  1855  came  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Cooper 
County.  They  located  near  Washington  school  house,  which  was  then 
an  old  log  building.  Acrey  Hurt  was  an  industrious  man  and  a  good  citi- 
zen. During  the  Civil  War  he  was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guards.  He 
died  on  his  place  in  Clarks  Fork  township  in  February,  1883,  and  his  wife 
died  April  9,  1898.  Their  remains  are  interred  in  Green  Ridge  Cemetery. 
Acrey  and  Matilda  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs. 
Jeannette  Arnold,  Boonville;  Willis,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Benjamin, 
resides  in  Henry  County;  Mrs.  Arabella  Albin,  resides  near  Clarksburg, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Eliza  Copas,  Jefferson  City;  Newton,  died  in  Henry  County; 
Acrey,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume;  Silas,  Boonville;  and 
William,  Pilot  Grove. 

Willis  Hurt  was  reared  to  the  age  of  manhood  in  Cooper  County,  his 
parents  having  settled  here  when  he  was  about  five  years  old.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  Washington  School  district,  and  recalled 
among  the  early  teachers  of  that  district,  Dock  Freyer,  who  lived  near 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  991 

Lone  Elm  Prairie.  Mr.  Hurt  remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  about  27  years  of  age.  In  1877,  he  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  having  purchased  it  two  years  previously.  This  place  was  for- 
merly owned  by  the  Berry  heirs,  their  father  having  entered  it  from  the 
Government.  Mr.  Hurt  bought  the  place  from  Sylvanius  Young.  He 
has  made  many  improvements,  and  while  Mr.  Hurt  is  not  the  owner  of  a 
large  farm,  it  is  one  of  the  well  improved  and  valuable  places  of  the  county, 
and  here  Mr.  Hurt  has  successfully  carried  on  farming  and  stock  raising 
for  over  40  years. 

March  4,  1877,  A.  W.  Hurt  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Bear,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  K.  and  Susanna  (Woods)  Bear,  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. Samuel  Bear  was  born  May  26,  1825,  and  died  Dec.  30,  1882. 
Susanna  (Woods)  Bear  was  born  in  January,  1828,  and  died  Dec.  9,  1887. 
The  Bear  family  consisted  of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Barbara  J. 
Clawson,  Barnard,  Mo.;  Charles,  of  Alva,  Wy. ;  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Cox,  Den- 
ver, Colo. ;  Emma  S.,  the  wife  of  Willis  Hurt ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Moffitt,  Barnard, 
Mo. ;  Cornelia  M.,  Morphew,  N.  M. ;  Mrs.  Martha  Smith,  Santa  Ana,  Calif. ; 
and  Mrs.  Laura  Robinson,  Spearfish,  S.  D. ;  William  Henry,  died  at  the 
age  of  16  years,  and  Benjamin  Alfred,  died  in  infancy. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  W.  Hurt  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Minnie  Bell,  was  born  Aug.  3,  1879,  married  Harry  Kirchner,  Clarks  Fork 
township,  Nov.  28,  1900 ;  Alva  Willis,  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was  born  March  30,  1882;  Alvina,  born  Feb.  8,  1884, 
and  was  married  to  Frank  Kalb,  April  26,  1905;  Clarence  Lee,  bora  May 
8,  1888,  married  Luda  Anna  Blanck,  May  22,  1912,  now  resides  in  Boon- 
ville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  have  six  grandchildren :  Richard  Kirchner,  born 
Nov.  16,  1905 ;  Mary  Josephine  Kircher,  bora  Nov.  23,  1909 ;  Emma  Louise 
Kircher,  born  July  16,  1912;  Wilbur  Hurt  Kalb,  born  Jan.  19,  1907; 
Charles  Marvin  Kalb,  born  Feb.  2,  1908,  and  Hazel  Emma  Kalb,  bora 
Dec.  30,  1912. 

A  historic  landmark  in  the  way  of  a  hackberry  tree  adorns  the  front 
yard  of  the  Hurt  place.  This  tree  is  42  years  old,  and  came  up  from  its 
own  accord  the  year  that  the  Hurt  family  settled  on  the  place,  42  years 
ago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  and 
the  members  of  the  Hurt  family  are  well  known  and  prominent  in  the 
community. 

Lewis  B.  Nelson,  a  well  known  and  successful  citizen  of  North  Moni- 
teau township  ,was  bora  in  Page  County,  Iowa,  Oct.  2,  1878.  He  is  a  son 
of  John  E.  and  Julia  H.  Nelson,  natives  of  Sweden.     John  E.  Nelson  came 


992  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

to  America  when  he  was  about  23  years  of  age.  He  is  now  deceased. 
His  widow  now  resides  in  Coin,  Page  County,  Iowa.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Ellen  A.,  married  August  S.  Lind,  and 
resides  at  College  Springs,  Iowa;  Sophia  J.,  married  J.  F.  Johnson,  Coin, 
Iowa ;  Oscar,  lives  near  Canton,  Mo. ;  and  Lewis  B.  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Lewis  B.  Nelson  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  Amity  College,  College  Springs,  Iowa,  and  graduated 
from  this  institution  in  the  class  of  1896.  He  then  engaged  in  farming 
in  Iowa,  until  1906  when  he  located  in  Nodaway  County,  Mo.  He  bought 
a  farm  there,  and  was  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  until 
1918,  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  purchased  his  present  place 
in  North  Moniteau  township,  41/2  miles  south  of  Prairie  Home.  His  farm 
consists  of  120  acres  of  well  improved  land,  located  on  the  Prairie  Home- 
California  highway. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  Oct.  20,  1916,  to  Miss  Nora  A.  Odneal,  a 
daughter  of  G.  C.  Odneal. 

Peter  P.  McNeil,  a  former  railroad  foreman  of  construction,  and  now 
a  substantial  farmer  and  land-owner,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  near 
Otterville  in  the  spring  of  1914,  had  been  a  resident  of  that  neighborhood 
for  30  years,  and  during  that  period  had  done  much  for  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  the  community.  He  was  born  at  New  Boston,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
13,  1833,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  McNeil,  both  of  whom  were  of  Scottish 
stock.  He  was  reared  in  the  East,  and  when  the  Missouri  Pacific  Rail- 
road was  being  constructed  in  Missouri,  he  became  connected  with  that 
work  as  a  foreman,  his  first  work  being  in  Cole  County,  where,  in  1858, 
he  married  and  established  his  home.  He  later  lived  in  Bates  County, 
and  in  1884  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his  family  and  bought  a  farm 
near  Otterville,  being  attracted  to  that  location  by  the  educational  advan- 
tages thus  offered  his  children  at  the  Otterville  Academy,  which  then  was 
presided  over  by  Professor  Curlin.  On  that  farm  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  one  of  the  substantial  factors  in  the  community  life.  He  died 
there,  April  15,  1914,  and  his  widow  and  two  of  her  daughters  are  still 
living  there.  Mr.  McNeil  was  particularly  attentive  to  the  work  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Otterville,  of  which  he  was  a  devout  member,  and  for 
20  years  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the  same,  in  that 
capacity  rendering  an  effective  service  for  good  in  the  community  to 
which  he  had  become  greatly  attached,  and  his  memory  will  long  be  cher- 
ished in  that  connection. 

Jan.  1,  1858,  at  Elston  Station,  in  Cole  County  Mo.,  Peter  P.  McNeil 


PETER    P.    McNEIL 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  993 

was  married  to  Sarah  Jane  Elston,  who  was  born  there  Oct.  13,  1841,  and 
to  this  union  12  children  were  born.  Of  these  the  following  are  still 
living:  Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Leach,  of  Otterville  township;  Arthur  L.  McNeil, 
of  Sedalia ;  Mrs.  Jennie  S.  Evans,  also  of  Sedalia ;  Mrs.  Lydia  S.  Kelby, 
of  Cole  County ;  Margaret,  who  is  at  home  with  her  mother ;  Lulu  J.,  also 
at  home,  and  Dr.  Charles  A.  McNeil,  a  practicing  physician  at  Sedalia. 
As  noted  above,  Mrs.  McNeil  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm 
at  the  edge  of  Otterville,  where  she  and  her  daughters  are  very  comfort- 
ably and  pleasantly  situated.  She  owns  146  acres  of  well  improved  and 
profitably  cultivated  land,  and  takes  a  personal  interest  in  directing  the 
management  of  the  same.  Mrs.  McNeil  and  her  daughters  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  to  the  affairs  of  which  the  husband  and  father  was 
so  long  and  so  earnestly  devoted,  and  have  ever  taken  a  warm  interest 
in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the  general  social  affairs  of  the  community 
in  which  they  live,  doing  well  their  part  in  the  promotion  of  all  move- 
ments having  to  do  with  the  advancement  of  the  common  weal  there- 
about,  and  are  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  community. 

Henry  Jenry,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  lives,  March  27,  1861,  a  son  of  John  P.  Jenry,  who  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  in  Darmstadt,  and  came  to  America,  1842.  Hk 
parents  came  later  and  located  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  John  P.  Jenry  came  from  New  York  State  to 
Boonville  about  1850.  He  was  a  bricklayer  and  worked  at  his  trade 
here  for  a  number  of  years.  He  built  the  Lohse  building  in  Boonville,  as 
well  as  many  other  structures  in  that  locality.  He  spent  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  he  died  June  14,  1905,  and 
his  widow,  who  is  now  85  years  of  age,  still  survives  him.  She  has  been 
an  invalid  for  56  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
John,  died  in  New  York  State;  Mrs.  Caroline  Defress,  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
Mrs.  Louise  Smith,  deceased ;  Daniel,  deceased ;  Charles,  resides  near 
Gooch  Mill,  Mo. ;  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  George,  lives  in  Wyo- 
ming; Mrs.  Kate  Hundley,  lives  on  the  old  home  place  in  Cooper  County; 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Smith,  Blue  Springs,  Mo. 

Hemy  Jenry  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper 
County,  attending  the  New  Salem  District  School.  Cooper  County  has 
always  been  his  home,  and  he  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his 
life  occupation.  He  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  91  acres  in  Prairie  Home 
township,  which  he  purchased  in  1892.  His  place  is  located  on  the  Jef- 
(50) 


994  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ferson  State  Highway,  11  miles  southeast  of  Booneville,  and  is  one  of  the 
valuable  farms  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

Feb.  21,  1901,  Henry  Jenry  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary 
Allen  Chappell,  a  daughter  of  Anderson  and  Sarah  Morland,  of  La- 
Clede  County,  Mo.  The  father  was  a  Civil  War  veteran,  having 
served  in  the  Union  Army  for  four  years.  He  settled  in  Cooper  County, 
near  Gooch  Mill,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  this  vicinity.  He 
died  Feb.  21,  1897,  aged  52  years,  and  his  wife  died  at  Raleigh,  Mo.,  Sept. 
23,  1918,  aged  71  years.  Mrs.  Jenry  is  one  of  the  following  children  born 
to  her  parents :  Maiy  Ellen,  wife  of  Henry  Jenry,  born  July  20,  1869 ; 
Harriett,  born  April  25,  1871,  married  Louis  Rhodes,  and  resides  at  Vida, 
Mo.;  and  Joseph,  born  Aug.  20,  1875,  resides  at  Raleigh,  Mo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenry  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  rank  among 
its  leading  people. 

Frank  H.  Deuel,  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  was  born  in  Pottawatomie,  Kan.,  Aug.  11,  1868.  He  is  a  son 
of  L.  W.  and  Nancy  J.  (Davis)  Deuel.  L.  W.  Deuel  was  born  in  New 
York  State  in  1836,  and  in  1849  started  to  the  gold  fields  of  California 
with  his  father,  who  died  at  Salisbury,  Mo.,  and  was  buried  there.  L.  W. 
then  went  on  west  to  Kansas,  remaining  in  that  State  until  1882 ;  he  then 
returned  to  Macon  County,  Mo.,  and  five  years  later  settled  in  Cooper 
County.  Here  he  bought  a  farm  in  Saline  township,  where  he  resided 
until  1909,  when  he  went  to  Sedalia,  where  he  now  lives.  L.  W.  Deuel 
had  an  extensive  experience  as  an  early  day  plainsman.  During  and 
after  the  Civil  War  he  crossed  the  plains  12  times,  being  employed  in 
driving  cattle.  During  some  of  these  drives  in  the  wild  and  unsettled 
West,  hostile  Indians  were  frequently  encountered.  Nancy  J.  (Davis) 
Deuel,  wife  of  L.  W.  Deuel,  was  born  in  Macon  County,  Mo.,  in  1850. 
They  were  married  at  Manhattan,  Kan.,  in  1867,  and  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union :  Frank  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs. 
Maggie  Gupton,  Sedalia;  Charles,  Sedalia;  Deam,  Sedalia;  George,  Sedalia; 
Mrs.  Mattie  Hoerl,  Boonville;  Oscar,  now  serving  in  U.  S.  Army  in  France; 
and  Mrs.  May  Heckerdt,  Sedalia. 

Frank  H.  Deuel  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kansas.  After 
coming  to  Missouri  with  his  parents,  he  was  rural  mail  carrier  on  the 
first  route  that  was  established  out  of  Prairie  Home,  for  16  years.  He 
resigned  this  position  in  1917,  and  bought  his  present  farm  of  61  acres 
in  Prairie  Home  township.  This  place  is  located  about  l1/'  miles  south 
of  Prairie  Home,  and  is  a  well  improved,  productive  and  valuable  place. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  995 

Mr.  Deuel  was  married  Feb.  20,  1889,  to  Miss  Laura  Dishion  a 
daughter  of  James  F.  and  Nancy  J.  (Adair)  Dishion,  the  marriage  cere- 
mony being  performed  by  Rev.  0.  P.  Davis.  James  F.  Dishion  was  a 
farmer  and  died  in  1911 ;  the  widow  now  resides  on  the  home  place  in 
Prairie  Home  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deuel  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Nellie,  married  Earl  Ford,  Bunceton;  Mollie,  married 
Charles  Friday,  Bunceton ;  Ola,  married  Louis  L.  Blank,  Prairie  Home ; 
Icie,  resides  at  home;  Ira  P.,  who  served  in  U.  S.  Navy  from  May,  1918, 
to  March,  1919,  being  connected  with  the  medical  department ;  and  Stella, 
who  resides  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deuel  have  10 
grandchildren:  Margaret,  Agnes,  Nannie  Laura,  and  Harold  Ford;  Sarah 
Frances,  Charles  Robert,  and  Harry  Lee  Friday ;  Louis  Hilton ;  Kenneth 
and  Randall  Blank. 

Mr.  Deuel  is  a  well  posted  citizen,  and  takes  a  commendable  interest 
in  public  affairs.  While  a  resident  of  Prairie  Home  he  served  as  mayor 
of  that  town  for  two  terms,  and  was  a  member  of  the  City  Council  for  a 
number  of  terms.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deuel  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  at  Walnut  Grove,  of  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

G.  C.  Odneal,  a  Civil  War  veteran  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  Missouri,  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  Sept.  22,  1846.  He 
is  a  son  of  Valentine  and  Dicy  (Gilbreath)  Odneal,  both  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee, the  former  born  in  1812,  and  the  latter  in  1816.  Valentine  Odneal 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  father  about  100  years  ago;  he  died  in  1852. 
Dicy  Gilbreath  was  a  daughter  of  Hugh  Gilbreath,  who  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee in  1782,  and  came  to  Missouri  about  the  same  time  that  the  Odneals 
came.  He  died  in  1852.  To  Valentine  Odneal  and  wife  were  born  the 
following  children:  William,  who  was  killed  at  Tipton,  Mo.,  during  the 
Civil  War;  Hugh  G.,  died  in  1912;  Thomas  B.,  died  in  1873;  John  W.,  died 
in  1912;  James  M.,  died  in  1916;  G.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Nancy  Foster,  deceased ;  and  Mrs.  Dora  Hannah,  resides  in  North  Moni- 
teau township. 

G.  C.  Odneal  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Prairie  Home 
College.  He  spent  all  his  life  in  North  Moniteau  township,  where  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  except  two  and  one-half  years 
when  he  was  in  Texas.  During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Orneal  served  in  the 
Confederate  Army  under  Fighting  Gen.  Joe  Shelby.  He  was  with  his 
command  in  Missouri,  Arkansas  and  Texas,  and  when  the  war  closed  he 
was  at  Shreveport,  La.  Mr.  Odneal  had  some  narrow  escapes  during  the 
course  of  his  military  career,  and  at  one  time  was  severely  wounded  by 


996  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

a  piece  of  shell  which  entered  his  side  and  which  remained  there  until 
about  seven  years  ago  when  he  had  it  removed. 

Mr.  Odneal  was  married  Sept.  30,  1875,  to  Martha  J.  Harris,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Nancy  (Martin)  Harris,  both  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased. The  mother  died  in  1895,  and  the  father  died  in  1896.  Mrs. 
Odneal  was  born  in  North  Moniteau  township  Feb.  27,  1854.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Odneal  have  been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Nora  A.,  married 
Louis  Nelson,  North  Moniteau  township;  Flora  N.,  married  William 
Schaaf,  and  lives  in  Moniteau  County;  and  Thomas  A.,  married  Augusta 
Stuckfoden,  and  they  have  one  child,  Edna  May.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Odneal 
have  the  following  grandchildren:  Dorsey,  Harold  and  Estella  George; 
Floyd  Nelson;  Lucile,  Floyd,  George,  and  Curtis  Schaaf;  and  Edna  May 
Odneal. 

Mr.  Odneal  commands  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him,  and  the 
Odneal  family  stand  high  in  the  community. 

Peter  J.  Strickfaden,  who  departed  this  life  July  19,  1919,  was  a  well 
known  and  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  North  Moniteau  township, 
a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  a  descendent  of  pioneer  parents.  He 
was  born  on  the  plac»j  where  he  now  resides,  April  16,  1854,  a  son  of  Am- 
brose and  Gertrude  (Henhover)  Strickfaden.  Ambrose  Strickfaden  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  and  when  a  young  man  settled  on  the  place  where 
Peter  J.  now  resides,  in  the  early  forties.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1888,  he  owned  over  525  acres  of  land.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death 
several  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Vinse, 
deceased;  Sebastian,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary  Stembach,  deceased;  Frank, 
resides  in  California,  Mo. ;  John,  deceased  ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Sheidt,  deceased ; 
Peter  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Ambrose,  resides  in  North  Moniteau 
township;  Leap,  Pilot  Grove;  and  Josie,  deceased. 

Peter  J.  Strickfaden  was  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  followed  farming  and  stock  raising 
all  his  life.  He  owned  a  valuable  farm  of  155  acres,  six  miles  south  of 
Prairie  Home,  where  successfully  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  for  many  years. 

May  7,  1889,  Peter  J.  Strickfaden  was  married  to  Miss  Anne  Schaber, 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Schaber,  both  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
father  was  born  Oct.  18,  1846,  and  died  in  1912,  and  the  mother  now 
resides  at  Pilot  Grove.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Annie,  the  wife  of  Peter  J.  Strickfaden ;  Tony,  deceased ;  George,  Bea- 
man,  Mo. ;  John,  resides  in  Florida ;  Mrs.  Kate  Mullet,  Pilot  Grove ;  Tena, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  997 

resides  in  Sedaiia;  Mrs.  Mary  Hayes,  deceased;  Mrs.  Lena  Mullet,  lives 
in  Oklahoma,  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Alberts,  Marshall,  Mo. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  J.  Strickfaden  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Mary,  who  resides  at  home ;  Andy  and  George.  Andy  Strickfaden 
was  born  Jan.  3,  1893,  and  is  now  serving  as  road  overseer  of  District 
No.  2,  North  Moniteau  township.  George  W.  Strickfaden  was  born  March 
31,  1894.  He  was  married  Nov.  30,  1917,  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Keil,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Louisa  (Heernleben)  Keil,  the  former  now  de- 
ceased, and  the  latter  resides  at  Cedron,  Mo. 

George  W.  Strickfaden  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  April  29,  1918, 
and  for  a  time  was  trained  at  Camp  Funston,  Kan.  Later,  he  was  sent 
to  Camp  Mills,  N.  Y.,  and  from  there  to  Liverpool,  England,  where  he 
arrived  June  16,  1918.  He  was  then  taken  sick  with  measles  and  sent 
to  a  hospital,  where  he  remained  until  July  23,  after  which  he  was  detailecl 
on  special  duty  at  an  American  rest  camp  at  Liverpool,  until  March  20, 
1919.  He  was  then  returned  to  New  York  by  way  of  Brest,  arriving 
March  30,  1919.  He  was  then  sent  to  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  where  he  was 
discharged,  April  21,  1919.  While  in  the  army  he  was  a  member  of 
Company  L,  356th  Infantry,  under  Captain  Wear,  who  was  killed  in  France. 

The  Strickfaden  family  are  well  known  and  highly  respected  in 
Cooper  County. 

Dr.  A.  L.  Meredith,  a  well  known  physician  and  surgeon  of  Prairie 
Home,  is  not  only  a  leader  in  his  profession,  but  is  one  of  Cooper  County's 
most  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens.  Dr.  Meredith  was  born  at 
Lupus,  Moniteau  County,  March  30,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  F.  and  Mal- 
vina  (Clay)  Meredith,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Malvina  Clay  is  a  daughter 
of  Green  Clay,  who  was  a  second  cousin  of  Henry  Clay.  J.  F.  Meredith 
and  his  wife  now  reside  at  Lupus. 

Dr.  A.  L.  Meredith  was  reared  in  Moniteau  County,  and  educated  in 
Hooper  Institute  and  Washington  and  Lee  University  at  Lexington,  Va. 
He  then  entered  Beaumont  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was 
graduated  with  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1901.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Lupus,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time,  when  he  located  at  Wooldridge,  where  he  practiced  for  nine 
years.  In  the  meantime,  he  took  a  post  graduate  course  at  the  Post 
Graduate  Medical  College  at  New  York  City.  He  practiced  at  James- 
town, Mo.,  for  18  months,  and  in  1912  located  at  Prairie  Home,  where  he 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
except  during  the  period  of  service  in  the  medical  department  of  U.  S. 


998  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Army.  On  Sept.  30,  1918,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
army  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  and  immediately  proceeded  to 
Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  where  he  served  until  Dec.  28,  1918,  when  he 
received  his  discharge. 

Dr.  Meredith  was  united  in  marriage  June  10,  1908,  with  Miss  Agnes 
Teel,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  S.  M.  and  Nettie  P.  (Williams)  Teel.  Dr.  S.  M. 
Teel  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Virginia,  and  after  completing  his  medical  course  located  at  Prairie  Home, 
Mo.,  and  for  30  years  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession there.  He  died  Feb.  28,  1912,  and  his  remains  are  buried  in  the 
New  Salem  Cemetery.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  R.  Williams,  a  pioneer  of  Saline  township.  She  now 
resides  at  Prairie  Home.  Dr.  Teel  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Garth,  resides  in  Prairie  Home;  Burke,  now  serving  in 
the  U.  S.  Navy  on  the  transport  Huron,  having  entered  the  service  in 
August,  1917;  Samuel,  died  at  the  age  of  3  years;  Pearl,  bookkeeper  in 
the  Bank  of  Prairie  Home ;  Newell,  a  teacher  in  the  Cooper  County  School  ; 
Eva,  married  Homer  Wear,  Prairie  Home;  Polly,  married  L.  A.  George, 
Prairie  Home ;  Willie  married  Dr.  Dorsey  Hooper,  Warsaw,  Mo. ;  Kelly, 
married  Roy  Hadley;  and  Logan,  married  C.  Reid  Spahr,  Oakland,  Cal. 
To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Meredith  have  been  born  two  children:  A.  L.,  Jr.,  and 
Virginia  Teel. 

Dr.  Meredith  is  an  able  physician  and  a  constant  student  of  the  devel- 
opments in  the  great  science  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  requirements  of  a  large  practice,  he  has  found  time  to  devote  to 
public  improvements  and  local  progressive  enterprises.  He  has  served  as 
president  of  Consolidated  School  District  No.  3  for  five  years.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Prairie  Home  Fair,  one  of  the  successful 
institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  country,  and  for  four  years  he  has  been 
president  of  this  organization.  He  is  also  the  present  mayor  of  Prairie 
Home,  which  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  little  towns  of  its  size  in  the 
State. 

Dr.  Meredith  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Mystic  Workers. 

Louis  M.  Meredith,  the  capable  and  efficient  superintendent  of  the 
State  Reformatory  Farm  of  Boonville,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  belongs 
to  one  of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  this  State.  Mr.  Meredith  was  born 
in  Polk  County,  Oct.  25,  1860,  a  son  of  Joseph  R,  and  Rachel    (Leith) 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  999 

Meredith.  Joseph  R.  Meredith  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1832,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  70  years.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Meredith,  who  set- 
tled near  Pilot  .Grove  in  the  early  twenties,  and  entered  200  acres  of  land 
from  the  Government,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that  vicin- 
ity. Rachel  (Leith)  Meredith  died  in  1892,  aged  70  years.  Louis  M. 
Meredith  was  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  his  parents:  Fannie, 
married  S.  M.  Whitlow;  Louis  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  R.  A.,  lives 
at  Pilot  Grove;  Susan,  married  J.  M.  Sparkman,  and  William  Henry,  Ver- 
milion, Kan. 

Louis  M.  Meredith  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in  the  vicinity  of 
Pilot  Grove  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1897,  he  accepted  a  position  as 
night-watchman  at  the  Reform  School,  and  for  four  years  served  in  that 
capacity.  He  then  became  captain  of  Company  H,  and  held  that  position 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  superintendent  of  the  brickyard  of  the 
institution  for  a  time.  In  1915  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
institutional  farm  and  has  held  that  position  to  the  present  time.  While 
Mr.  Meredith  is  a  modest  and  unassuming  man,  it  is  a  fact  that  he  holds 
one  of  the  important  positions  in  the  State.  The  work  that  he  is  able  to 
accomplish  in  training  the  boys  under  his  charge  in  the  proper  channel 
means  much  to  the  future  citizenship  of  Missouri.  Mr.  Meredith  realizes 
this,  and  has  given  much  thought  and  study  to  plans  and  methods  of 
building  up  the  characters  and  making  good  citizens  of  those  boys  who 
are  legally  delegated  to  his  charge.  The  State  Farm  under  Mr.  Meredith's 
charge  consists  of  485  acres,  besides  another  farm  of  400  acres,  which 
the  State  rents.  There  are  a  number  of  departments  of  the  institution, 
including  a  blacksmith  shop,  brickyard,  stone  quarry,  carpenter  shop, 
greenhouse,  etc.  The  600  boys  in  the  institution  are  kept  busily  engaged 
in  beneficial  and  helpful  work  in  connection  with  these  various  depart- 
ments, in  addition  to  their  mental  and  moral  training. 

Aug.  1,  1885,  Louis  M.  Meredith  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Addie  Kirkman,  of  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Susan 
(Shoemaker)  Kirkman,  both  natives  of  Cooper  County,  and  now  deceased. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meredith  have  been  born  seven  children,  as  follows : 
Oscar  L.,  Waterman,  Calif.,  married  Katherine  Williams,  of  Versailles, 
Mo. ;  Joseph  Ross,  married  Jennie  Oslander,  served  in  the  World  War  with 
144th  Field  Artillery  in  France,  from  August,  1918,  to  February,  1919, 
having  enlisted  in  June  24,  1918,  at  San  Francisco,  Calif.:  Mary  Susan, 


1000  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

a  stenographer,  resides  at  home ;  James  Madison,  now  serving  in  U.  S. 
Navy,  and  is  stationed  at  Anapolis,  Md. ;  William  Ralph,  a  student  in  the 
Boonville  High  School ;  Louis  M.,  Jr.,  and  Alice  Virginia,  at  home. 

Abraham  Potter,  a  well-to-do  land-owner  of  Cooper  County,  now  liv- 
ing retired,  is  one  of  the  oldest  native-born  sons  of  Cooper  County  now 
living,  he  now  being  in  his  94th  year.  He  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm 
near  Boonville,  Nov.  12,  1825,  a  son  of  John  and  Martha  (Edgar)  Potter, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  that  vicinity.  John  Potter  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  born  in  Rockinghham  County,  in  1774,  and  came  to  Missouri 
in  territorial  days,  and  located  at  the  landing  at  Boonville.  In  the  early 
days  he  was  widely  known  as  a  hunter,  and  he  and  his  old  flint-lock  gun 
were  inseparable  companions  This  was  frontier  country  when  he  came 
here,  and  there  were  no  limits  to  the  boundaries  of  the  territory  over 
which  he  the  could  range  in  quest  of  game.  As  the  country  settled  he 
became  a  substantial  farmer,  a  well-to-do  land-owner  in  this  county,  and 
here  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  about  1860.  His  wife  also 
spent  her  last  days  here.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  also  was  of  the 
real  pioneer  stock.  John  Potter  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  12 
children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead,  save  the 
venerable  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Reared  on  the  old  Potter  farm  in  this  county,  Abraham  Potter  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  somewhat  primitive  schools  of  the  time  and 
place,  and  as  a  young  man  devoted  himself  to  farming,  a  vocation  at 
which  he  was  working,  when  in  1849  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
started  the  stampede  of  hardy  and  adventurous  souls  in  that  direction. 
He  then  was  23  years  of  age,  and  of  the  temperament  eager  to  seize  upon 
the  prospect  of  so  promising  an  adventure,  and  in  1849  he  joined  a  band 
of  "Argonauts"  and  started  across  the  plains  for  the  gold  fields,  arriving 
there  without  serious  mishap  in  1850.  For  four  years  he  remained  in 
the  gold  country,  and  then  came  back  to  Cooper  County,  returning  by 
way  of  Panama  and  the  East,  and  in  the  spring  of  1855  became  engaged 
again  in  farming  in  this  county.  Upon  his  return  here  he  bought  222 
acres,  and  in  the  years  since  has  added  to  his  holdings  until  now  he  has 
720  acres  of  fine  land,  a  part  of  which  has  been  under  cultivation  more 
than  90  years.  During  the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Potter  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Home  Guards,  but  was  not  called  into  active  service. 
In  the  fall  of  1865  he  married  and  established  his  home  in  a  log  cabin 
on  his  farm,  but  it  was  not  long  until  he  had  a  better  home,  and  as  the 
years  passed  he  brought  his  farm  up  to  a  high  standard,  which  is  being 


Al'.KAHAM    POTTER 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1001 

maintained  by  his  son,  John  J.  Potter,  who,  since  his  father's  retirement, 
has  been  directing  the  affairs  of  the  home  farm.  Abraham  Potter  is  a 
stanch  democrat,,  and  has  ever  stoutly  maintained  the  principles  of  that 
party.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of  Clifton  City,  and  has  other 
good  investments  besides  his  broad  acres.  He  attends  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  but  is  not  a  professed  member  of  the  same. 

In  October,  1865,  Abraham  Potter  was  married  to  Sarah  Erwin,  who 
was  bom  in  Pettis  County  in  1845,  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  that  county,  and  who  died  in  1914,  she  then  being  69  years  of  age.  To 
that  union  were  born  10  children,  namely:  Lura,  wife  of  J.  W.  Neal,  of 
Sedaila;  Ella,  who  is  living  with  her  father;  Granville,  of  Sedalia;  John 
J.,  who  is  farming  the  old  home  place ;  Clayton,  deceased ;  Flora,  wife  of 
A.  M.  Harlan,  of  Sedalia ;  Eva,  wife  of  F.  B.  Richards,  now  living  in  Flor- 
ida; Hettie,  at  home;  Ethel,  wife  of  F.  Griffin,  of  Pettis  County,  and 
Brookie,  wife  of  T.  A.  Huffine,  of  Napton.  Mr.  Potter  has  14  grandchil- 
dren, and  in  his  old  age  takes  much  pride  and  interest  in  watching  their 
growth  and  development.  John  J.  Potter,  who  has  charge  of  the  old 
home  farm,  is  carrying  on  operations  there  in  progressive  fashion  and 
in  accordance  with  up-to-date  methods,  which  offer  an  amazing  contrast 
to  the  methods  which  his  father  perforce  had  to  employ  in  the  days  when 
he  entered  upon  the  development  of  that  fine  farm,  and  is  doing  well. 
He  married  Jennie  Phillips,  of  Pleasant  Green,  and  has  a  very  pleasant 
home.  Mrs.  Potter  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  Coopeer  County's  pioneer 
families. 

Hon.  Henry  Lee  Myers,  United  States  senator  from  the  state  of  Mon- 
tana, is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  in  whose  preferment  her  citizens 
take  a  just  measure  of  pride,  and  it  is  but  proper  that,  though  he  long  has 
been  an  honored  citizen  of  another  State,  there  should  here  be  set  out  in 
this  record  of  his  old  home  county  some  brief  record  of  his  life  and 
achievements.  Cooper  County  has  been  singularly  favored  in  the  char- 
acter of  her  citizenship  and  in  the  number  of  her  sons  who  have  achieved 
distinction  in  the  various  fields  of  lofty  human  endeavor. 

Senator  Myers  is  a  representative  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  real 
"old  families,"  his  mother's  family  having  settled  here  in  territorial  days, 
and  in  his  parental  inheritance  he  partakes  of  the  pioneer  qualities  of 
sturdy  and  self-reliant  Virginia  and  Kentucky  stock.  The  senator's 
father,  Henry  M.  Myers,  was  a  Virginian,  born  of  Colonial  stock  in  1814. 
He  grew  to  manhood  in  Virginia,  receiving  his  schooling  there  and  becom- 
ing a  substantial  citizen,  remaining  there  until  the  year  1840,  when  he 


1002  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  came  to  Missouri,  settling  on  a  farm 
on  the  Jefferson  City  road,  one  mile  east  of  Boonville,  where  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  active  life,  becoming  a  useful  and  influential  citizen  of  the 
community.  In  his  old  age,  and  upon  his  retirement  he  joined  his  son, 
Henry  L.,  at  Hamilton,  Mont.,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  He  died 
there  in  1899,  being  85  years  of  age,  and  his  body  lies  in  the  cemetery  at 
that  place.  Henry  M.  Myers  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  who  was 
a  Hickox,  and  whom  he  married  in  Missouri,  having  died  after  about  14 
years  of  married  life.  To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  namely: 
Helen,  widow  of  F.  P.  Bronaugh,  of  St.  Louis ;  Martha,  who  married  the 
Rev.  G.  W.  Horn,  and  is  now  deceased ;  Kate,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her 
girlhood,  and  Laura,  wife  of  C.  A.  Patton,  of  Fulton,  Mo.  The  second 
wife,  mother  of  Senator  Myers,  was  Maria  Moss  Adams,  who  was  born 
on  a  pioneer  farm,  four  miles  east  of  Boonville,  in  1831,  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Margaret  Adams,  pioneers  who  had  come  here  from  Kentucky 
in  the  territorial  days.  To  Henry  M.  and  Maria  (Adams)  Myers  were 
born  two  sons,  Senator  Myers  having  a  younger  brother,  Dr.  Ernest 
Adams  Myers,  a  dental  surgeon,  now  practicing  at  Portland,  Ore.  The 
mother  of  these  sons  died  at  Hamilton,  Mont.,  in  1897,  and  is  buried  there 
beside  the  body  of  her  husband. 

It  was  on  the  Myers  farm,  a  mile  east  of  Boonville,  that  Henry  Lee 
Myers  was  born,  Oct.  9,  1862,  and  his  boyhood  was  spent  there.  His 
schooling  was  received  in  private  schools  at  Boonville  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Anthony  Haynes  and  M.  M.  Singleton,  who  directed  his  studies, 
and  under  whose  instructions  he  cultivated  an  inclination  to  adopt  the 
law  as  his  profession.  Thus  equipped  by  preparatory  study  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  Draffen  &  Williams  at  Boonville,  and  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  this  firm,  teaching  school  at  intervals,  he  made  such  advancement 
that  in  1884  he  passed  the  examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
After  admission,  he  continued  to  teach  for  a  time,  and  also  engaged  in 
newspaper  work.  Later,  he  went  to  West  Plains,  Howell  County,  and 
opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law,  but  conditions  there  not  proving 
satisfactory,  he  yielded  to  an  inclination  to  do  a  bit  of  pioneering,  to  go 
West  and  "grow  up  with  the  country,"  and  in  1893  he  went  to  Hamilton, 
in  Ravalli  County,  on  the  very  western  border  of  Montana,  and  in  the 
new  county  seat  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He  arrived  at  singu- 
larly opportune  moment,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  was  becoming  widely 
recognized  as  one  of  the  coming  factors  of  Western  Montana.     Reared  a 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1003 

democrat  of  the  true  Jeffersonian  type,  and  with  a  lawyer's  aptitude  for 
such  activities,  it  was  but  natural  that  he  should  early  take  his  place  in 
the  rapidly  expanding  political  arena  of  the  community,  and  it  was  not 
long  until  he  found  himself  elected  to  office,  his  first  public  service  being 
rendered  as  county  attorney  of  Ravalli  county.  He  served  two  terms  in 
this  office,  and  in  1898  was  elected  to  represent  his  senatorial  district  in 
the  State  Senate,  the  term  being  for  four  years.  It  was  while  thus  serv- 
ing that  Senator  Myers  acquired  the  initial  legislative  experience  that 
later  was  to  prove  so  valuable  an  acquisition  in  the  greatest  deliberative 
body  in  the  world,  the  United  States  Senate.  During  his  service  in  the 
Montana  General  Assembly  the  Senator  extended  his  acquaintance  pretty 
widely  throughout  the  State,  and  became  recognized  by  leaders  generally 
as  a  State  figure  in  politics.  In  the  meantime  he  was  not  neglecting  his 
practice,  the  modest  law  office  which  he  had  opened  at  Hamilton  upon 
his  arrival  having  early  acquired  a  profitable  clientele,  and  he  also  became 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  his  judicial  district,  a  fit  can- 
didate for  judicial  honors.  A  vacancy  occurring,  he  was  appointed  dis- 
trict judge  by  the  governor.  At  the  next  election  his  party  presented 
him  as  its  nominee  for  district  judge  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  District.  He 
was  elected,  and  was  on  the  bench  when  elected  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  his  State  to  serve  as  a  United  States  senator  from  Montana  for  the 
six-year  term,  beginning  March  4,  1911.  So  satisfactory  was  Senator 
Myers'  service  in  the  United  States  Senate  prove  during  his  first  term 
that  in  1916  he  was,  without  opposition,  made  the  nominee  of  his  party 
in  Montana  for  re-election  (the  law  relating  to  the  selection  of  United 
States  senators  meanwhile  having  been  revised),  and  in  the  following 
election  was  chosen  by  the  vote  of  the  people  to  succeed  himself,  and  is 
now  thus  serving  his  second  term  in  the  United  States  Senate. 

Senator  Myers  is  married.  In  July,  1896,  at  Hamilton,  Mont.,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Nora  S.  Dora,  of  that  place,  whose  parents, 
T.  M.  Doran  and  wife,  still  live  there,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been 
born,  Mary  Annetta.  The  senator  and  his  wife  are  Presbyterians,  and 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

William  A.  Smith,  a  well-to-do  retired  farmer  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Prairie 
Home  township,  April  24,  1860,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Letitia  (George) 
Smith.     Thomas  Smith,  father  of  Jeremiah  Smith,  entered  from  the  Gov- 


1004  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ernment  a  tract  of  land  in  Prairie  Home  township  upon  coming  here,  and 
the  west  half  of  the  plat  of  the  town  of  Prairie  Home  covers  a  part  of 
that  land. 

William  A.  Smith  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  public  schools, 
his  attendance  at  school,  as  he  recalls  it,  being  pretty  largely  confined  to 
rainy  days.  He  stuck  to  the  home  farm  when  he  grew  up,  and  after  his 
marriage  at  the  age  of  23,  his  father  gave  him  80  acres  on  which  he 
established  his  home.  As  his  affairs  prospered  he  bought  adjoining  land 
until  he  became  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  210  acres  a  mile  west  of  town, 
where  he  continued  his  operations  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and 
removal  to  Prairie  Home  in  1914,  since  which  time  his  farm  has  been 
under  the  management  of  his  son,  Elmer  Smith.  Prior  to  moving  to 
Prairie  Home  in  September,  1914,  Mr.  Smith  had  bought  a  four-acre  tract 
within  the  corporate  limits,  erected  a  five-room  house,  and  he  and  his 
wife  have  since  resided  there,  their  chief  domestic  concern  being  the  care 
of  their  poultry  yard,  where  they  have  a  fine  flock  of  White  Wyandot 
chickens.  Mr.  and  Mi\s.  Smith  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Chui-ch  at 
Prairie  Home,  and  Mr.  Smith  is  clerk  of  the  congregation.  He  also  gives 
close  attention  to  local  civic  affairs,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Town  Council, 
serving  as  clerk  of  the  same,  and  is  secretary-treasurer  of  the  local  light 
plant.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Nov.  29,  1883,  William  A.  Smith  was  married  to  Bettie  Muir,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Mamie  Levens,  born  on  Oct.  7,  1884,  married  Harold  Mills,  Dec. 
27,  1905,  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  has  two  children,  Jerome  and  Vir- 
ginia; and  Elmer  K.  Smith,  born  June  15,  1888,  who,  on  Feb.  11,  1914, 
married  Melvina  Milner,  who  was  born  at  Medill,  Okla.,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Harry  Milner  and  Mildred  Elizabeth.  Elmer  K.  Smith  is  now  farm- 
ing the  home  place,  where  he  and  his  familv  live.  Mrs.  Bettie  Smith  was 
born  at  Bunceton,  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Rhoda  (Levens)  Muir,  both 
members  of  old  families  in  this  part  of  Missouri.  Dr.  B.  W.  Levens, 
maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Smith,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians 
of  Cooper  County,  he  having  practiced  in  what  is  now  the  Bunceton  neigh- 
borhood long  before  the  town  of  Bunceton  was  laid  out.  He  married 
Rhoda  Stevens  in  1818.  Henry  Levens,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Smith,  wrote  in 
collaboration  with  his  partner,  N.  M.  Drake,  an  attorney  of  Boonville,  a 
history  of  Cooper  County  in  1876.  William  Basil  Muir.  paternal  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Smith,  was  a  pioneer  of  Howard  County,  locating  there 
unon  coming  from  Tennessee  in  the  early  days.     His  son,  Thomas  J.  Muir, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  1005 

father  of  Mrs.  Smith,  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Sept.  21,  1828,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Cass  County  on  Feb.  18,  1875.  His  remains  rest  in 
the  family  cemetery  in  Howard  County.  His  widow,  who  was  born  on 
April  29,  1834,  died  Jan.  18,  1889,  and  she  was  buried  at  Bunceton. 
Thomas  J.  and  Rhoda  (Levens)  Muir  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely :  Thomas  H.,  born  Nov.  1,  1854,  Gridley,  Kan. ;  William  B.,  Jan. 
20,  1857,  Hammond  Ind. ;  Bettie,  wife  of  William  A.  Smith,  Feb.  4,  1861 ; 
Margaret  L.,  June  17,  1863,  married  Charles  Stemmons,  and  died  July  6, 
1902,  and  is  buried  at  Bunceton;  Cora,  March  15,  1870,  wife  of  J.  A. 
Geary,  deceased,  of  Kansas  City ;  Minnie,  July  6,  1872,  married  George  A. 
Barker,  and  was  killed  in  a  street  railway  accident  at  St.  Louis,  Sept.  22, 
1900,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  plot  at  Bunceton,  and  George  Wash- 
ington, the  first  born,  died  an  infant  in  1854. 

Herman  F.  Kuhn,  member  of  the  firm  of  Kuhn  Bros.  &  Co.,  general 
merchandise,  at  Prairie  Home,  was  born  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Nich- 
olas Meyer  in  Prairie  Home  township,  July  19,  1893,  son  of  H.  G.  and 
Margaret  A.  (Schilb)  Kuhn,  who  are  now  living  on  their  farm  near  Prairie 
Home. 

H.  G.  Kuhn  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  May  15,  1869,  son  of 
Christian  Kuhn,  who  came  to  the  United  States  from  Germany  when  a 
boy,  grew  up  in  Missouri  and  in  time  became  a  substantial  land-owned  in 
Moniteau  County,  where  he  is  still  living,  being  now  86  years  of  age. 
Christian  Kuhn's  wife.  Laura,  died  in  1917,  and  is  buried  in  the  Evangeli- 
cal Churchyard  in  her  home  county.  Margaret  wife  of  H.  G.  Kuhn,  was 
born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  this  county,  Aug.  31,  1869,  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  Schilb,  who  also  is  now  a  resident  of  Prairie  Home  township. 
To  H.  G.  Kuhn  and  wife  have  been  born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Viola 
May,  deceased;  Herman  F.;  William  McKinley,  born  on  Nov.  3,  1896, 
married  Blanche  Griesbach,  of  Moniteau  County,  and  is  farming  near 
Jacksonville ;  Leslie  Christian,  is  now  serving  in  the  United  States  navy ; 
Emil  Wilbur,  is  at  home  assisting  his  father;  Henry  Howard,  Jackson- 
ville, and  Theodore  R.,  at  home.  Leslie  Christian  Kuhn,  the  sailor  son, 
enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  in  August,  1918,  and  was  sent  to  the  Great 
Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  at  Chicago  for  preliminary  training,  and 
from  there  to  the  Naval  Station  at  Norfolk,  and  was  assigned  to  service 
on  a  United  States  submarine  chaser,  and  is  still  (spring  of  1919)  in 
service. 

Herman  F.  Kuhn  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  Prairie  Home.     He  early  decided  upon  a  busi- 


1006  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ness  career,  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  home  schools  entered 
Central  Business  College  at  Kansas  City,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1913.  For  three  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  as  book- 
keeper and  stenographer  in  the  office  of  the  Hadley  Milling  Company,  at 
Olathe,  Kan.,  and  then  returned  to  Prairie  Home,  and  bought  the  interest 
held  by  E.  M.  Kirschman  in  the  mercantile  firm  of  Kuhn  Bros.  &  Co.,  at 
that  place,  of  which  firm  he  since  has  been  a  member,  devoting  his  earnest 
attention  to  the  growing  business  of  that  firm,  the  other  members  of 
which  are  H.  G.  Kuhn  and  W.  H.  Kuhn.  The  building  in  which  Kuhn 
Bros.  &  Co.  are  doing  business  is  a  sightly  brick  building  erected  in  1912, 
and  the  mezxantile  firm  occupies  the  first  and  second  floors  and  basement 
of  the  same,  carrying  a  complete  line  of  general  merchandise.  This  firm 
also  has  a  similar  stock  of  goods  at  Lupus,  and  is  known  as  an  enterpris- 
ing and  energetic  firm  of  merchants,  enjoying  a  constantly  growing  trade. 
In  connection  with  its  mercantile  enterprise  the  firm  publishes  a  neat 
little  monthly  paper,  the  title  of  which  is  "Over  the  Top,"  and  which  car- 
ries prominently  displayed  the  firm's  motto:  "Good  service  means  good 
will ;  good  will  means  good  business."  The  paper  properly  enough  is 
devoted  to  the  company's  trade  announcements,  but  carries  in  addition  a 
lot  of  entertaining  reading  matter,  which  makes  it  a  welcome  visitor  in 
the  homes  of  the  community. 

Nov.  17,  1915,  Herman  F.  Kuhn  was  married  to  Olive  G.  Meek, 
daughter  of  M.  B.  and  Frances  Meek,  of  Ochiltree,  Kan.,  and  to  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born,  Edgar  Milton,  born  on  Nov.  29,  1916, 
and  Loyal  Margaret,  Nov.  10,  1918.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhn  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (South)  and  take  a  proper  interest  in 
church  work. 

Joseph  Hurt  Groom,  proprietor  of  "Sunny  Crest  Stock  Farm,"  near 
Overton,  in  Saline  township,  is  one  of  the  leading  young  stock  breeders 
in  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Saline  township,  Aug.  18, 
1884,  son  of  Colby  C.  and  Emma  Davis  (Kickashear)  Groom,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  living  at  her  fine  home  on  the  outskirts  of  Overton. 

Joseph  H.  Groom  received  his  schooling  in  the  Highland  School,  and 
from  his  boyhood  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he  moved  to 
LaMine  township,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  near  Blackwater 
until  1913,  when  he  bought  70  acres  of  his  present  farm  southeast  of 
Overton,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there.  Not  long  afterward  he 
bought  87  acres  adjoining,  and  now  has  a  well  improved  place  of  157 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1007 

acres,  which  he  has  developed  with  special  reference  to  his  stock  breeding, 
"Sunny  Crest  Stock  Farm"  being  widely  known  for  its  high  grade  of 
stock.  The  original  patent  for  "Sunny  Crest"  was  made  out  to  one 
James  M.  Farris,  who  filed  on  this  land  over  100  years  ago,  he  having 
come  here  from  the  section  of  Missouri  that  was  devastated  by  an  earth- 
quake. During  the  past  century  there  have  been  numerous  transfers 
made  of  this  tract,  and  by  a  somewhat  singular  coincidence  of  names  it 
was  owned  by  James  W.  Farris  at  the  time  Mr.  Groom  bought  it,  this  latter 
Farris  being  of  no  known  kinship  to  the  original  owner.  But  speaking  of 
"original"  owners,  there  are  evidences  on  the  farm  of  a  much  prior  own- 
ership, these  mute  testimonials  of  prehistoric  proprietorship  being  five 
mounds,  typical  of  the  work  of  the  Mound  Builders.  "Sunny  Crest"  is 
branch  bottom  and  upland,  and  about  half  of  it  is  now  in  pasture,  it  being 
Mr.  Groom's  intention  eventually  to  devote  the  whole  place  to  pasture 
in  extension  of  his  stock-breeding  operations.  He  is  a  breeder  of  Per- 
cheron  horses,  Shorthorn  cattle,  jacks  and  jennets,  Duroc-Jersey  hogs  and 
Shropshire  sheep,  all  eligible  to  registry,  and  is  doing  a  constantly  in- 
creasing business  in  that  line.  "Black  Coco,"  the  Percheron  stallion  he 
has  owned  for  the  past  three  or  four  years,  has  won  16  blue  ribbons  in 
this  State.  He  also  has  two  registered  Kentucky  bred  jacks,  "Governor 
Glenn  7250"  and  "Tom  Mace,"  the  former  of  which  won  a  second  premium 
at  the  Missouri  State  Fair  and  sweepstakes  at  the  Moniteau  and  Cooper 
County  fair.  In  his  stable  are  also  16  good  brood  mares,  and  his  flock  of 
Shropshires  now  numbers  about  40. 

Joseph  H.  Groom  has  been  twice  married.  In  1909  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Edith  May  Hill,  of  LaMine  township,  who  died  on  May  4, 
1916,  and  on  June  3,  1918,  he  married  Mrs.  Arminda  (Bell)  Hyatt,  widow 
of  Paul  Z.  Hyatt,  and  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Paul  Z.  and  Manlies  Chap- 
man Hyatt.  Paul  Z.  Hyatt,  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Groom,  died  Oct.  29, 
1915.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Groom  has  been  born  a  son,  Joseph  Hurt  Groom, 
born  June  24,  1919.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Groom  are  members  of  the  Highland 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr.  Groom  has  been  ordained  both 
a  deacon  and  an  elder  in  the  church,  in  which  the  Groom  family  for  many 
years  have  been  among  the  most  active  workers. 

Samuel  T.  Fulton,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Kelly  township  and  owner 
and  proprietor  of  the  "Green  Ridge"  farm,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He 
was  born  at  Carlisle,  Oct.  5,  1848.  the  son  of  James  and  Sallie  (Alexander) 
Fulton,  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren: Samuel  T..  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Mary  Jane  Berry,  who 


1008  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

died  at  Pilot  Grove.  The  father  died  in  1850  in  Kentucky  and  the  mother 
afterwards  married  Singleton  Paxton  and  to  this  union  two  daughters 
were  born:  Hattie,  who  resides  at  Bunceton  and  Mrs.  James  Hall,  Butler, 
Mo.  In  1864,  shortly  after  her  second  marriage,  the  mother  and  her 
second  husband  and  other  members  of  the  family  came  to  Cooper  County, 
Mo.,  and  settled  at  Pilot  Grove,  where  she  died  March  6,  1898. 

Samuel  T.  Fulton  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Kentucky  and  Illi- 
nois, and  after  coming  to  Cooper  County  attended  Simpson's  private 
school,  which  was  located  near  Nebo.  He  lived  for  a  few  years  in  Illinois 
and  for  a  time  in  Cass  County,  Mo.,  and  has  resided  on  his  present  place 
since  1892.  He  owns  160  acres,  which  he  bought  from  T.  J.  Wallace  for 
$30.00  per  acre.  At  that  time  it  was  unimproved  land.  Mr.  Fulton  has 
added  valuable  improvements  and  has  a  very  good  farm.  He  raises 
Scotch  Top  cattle,  eligible  to  registration  and  he  also  raises  Poland  China 
hogs,  and  formerly  was  an  extensive  cattle  feeder. 

Mr.  Fulton  is  unmarried  and  spends  a  part  of  his  time  on  his  farm, 
but  practically  makes  his  home  with  his  sister  in  Bunceton.  Mr.  Fulton 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Bunceton  and  one  of  Cooper  County's 
substantial  and  highly  respected  citizens. 

Hiram  D.  Case,  president  of  the  Farmers  and  Mercants  Bank  of 
Otterville,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lafayette  County,  Wis.,  Jan.  18,  1867, 
son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Case,  natives  of  Ohio,  whose  last 
days  were  spent  in  Missouri. 

Samuel  S.  Case  was  born  in  Ohio,  Aug.  4,  1815,  and  some  time  after 
his  marriage  in  that  State  became  a  resident  of  Lafayette  County,  Wis., 
remaining  there  until  1868,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Missouri, 
driving  through  in  a  covered  wagon,  and  became  engaged  in  farming  near 
Boonville,  later  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Blackwater  township. 
During  the  '70s  he  moved  to  Bates  County,  but  after  four  years  of  resi- 
dence there  returned  to  Cooper  County.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the 
farm  he  went  to  Marshall,  and  there  spent  his  last  days.  He  died  Dec. 
15,  1895.  His  wife  died  Nov.  8,  1883.  She  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1820. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Samuel  S.  Case  served  for  nine  months  as  a  soldier 
of  the  Union,  and  his  eldest  son,  Jacob  M.  Case,  served  throughout  the 
war  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union.  Samuel  S.  Case  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  still  living.  Of  these,  three  are  resi- 
dents of  Cooper  County,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  two  brothers 
here,  E.  A.  Case,  of  Blackwater  township,  and  J.  T.  Case,  of  Clarks  Fork 
township. 

Hiram  D.  Case  was  but  a  babe  in  arms,  not  yet  a  year  old,  when  his 


II      EARL  CAS 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1009 

parents  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1868,  and  he  was  reared  in  this  county, 
receiving  his  schooling-  in  this  county  and  in  Bates  County.  When  17 
years  of  age,  in  association  with  his  brother,  J.  T.  Case,  Mr.  Case  began 
farming  on  his  own  account,  and  in  1892  he  rented  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 
township.  Two  years  later  he  married  and  then  continued  to  make  his 
home  on  that  farm  until  in  1900,  when  he  bought  a  place  of  90  acres  in 
Lebanon  township,  where  he  remained  until  1905,  when  he  sold  that  place 
and  bought  his  present  excellent  farm  of  271  acres  near  Otterville,  where 
he  and  his  family  have  since  resided.  Mr.  Case  has  made  numerous  sub- 
stantial improvements  on  the  place,  and  is  contemplating  more.  He  gives 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs,  and  his  operations 
have  been  profitable.  In  1914,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Farms 
and  Merchants  Bank  of  Otterville,  a  position  which  he  still  occupies. 
Mr.  Case  also  has  ever  taken  a  close  interest  in  educational  affairs,  and 
for  the  past  14  years  has  been  serving  very  effectively  as  president  of 
the  Otterville  School  Board. 

Oct.  24,  1894,  Hiram  D.  Case  was  married  to  Ida  Rennison,  who  was 
born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  H.  Earl,  who  died  in  1918  while  serving  as  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Smithton,  Missouri ;  Florence  Beatrice,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  Otterville  High  School,  and  is  at  home;  James  Eugene  now  a 
student  in  the  high  school;  Alma  Annabel  and  Amy  Frances  (twins),  and 
Roy  E.  and  Mabel  B.  H.  Earl  Case  the  eldest  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case 
aforementioned,  was  born  Nov.  1,  1897,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Cooper 
County.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Otterville  High  School  in  the  class  of  1915.  He 
then  taught  in  LaMine  School,  near  Clifton  City,  one  term.  He  then 
attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg.  In  1917,  he  accepted 
a  position  as  teacher  in  the  public  schools  at  Smithton,  Mo.  That  same 
fall  he  took  charge  of  the  Smithton  Schools,  being  elected  principal,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  the  former  principal.  He 
was  serving  in  this  capacity  when  he  died,  April  17,  1918.  He  was  a  capa- 
ble young  man,  whose  untimely  death  was  a  severe  loss. 

Mrs.  Case  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  daughter  of 
J.  H.  and  Sarah  (Cartner)  Rennison,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still  liv- 
ing now  making  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lewis,  of  Lebanon 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case  and  their  elder  children  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Otterville,  and  take  a  proper  part  in  church 


1010  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

work,  as  well  as  in  the  general  social  activities  of  their  home  community. 
Mr.  Case  is  a  republican,  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  the 
Otterville  neighborhood.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 

Fred  L.  Schilb,  who  for  nearly  20  years  past  has  served  as  postmas- 
ter at  Prairie  Home,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  Clarks 
Fork  township,  Aug.  3,  1874,  son  of  Fred  and  Mary  (Meyer)  Schilb. 
Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Fred  L.  Schilb  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  public  schools  and  completed  the  same  by  a 
course  in  the  old  Prairie  Home  Institute.  He  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  21  years  of  age,  or  until  his  appointment  on  Sept.  1, 
1897,  to  the  position  of  deputy  postmaster  at  Prairie  Home.  May  11, 
1900,  having  then  served  for  more  than  two  years  as  deputy  postmaster, 
Mr.  Schilb  received  his  commission  as  postmaster  at  Prairie  Home  and 
has  ever  since  occupied  that  position.  Upon  taking  charge  of  the  post- 
office  at  Prairie  Home,  Mr.  Schilb  bought  from  Robert  Hornbeck  the  lat- 
ter's  stock  of  confectioneries  and  has  since  conducted  a  confectionery 
store.  Since  taking  over  the  store  he  has  added  a  stock  of  groceries 
and  is  doing  a  nice  business,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  town. 
During  the  Government's  War  Savings  Stamp  "drive"  in  the  summer  of 
1918,  Mr.  Schilb  sold  about  $12,000  worth  of  savings  stamps,  and  was 
also  otherwise  active  in  promoting  the  various  war-work  activities  of  the 
community.  He  owns  his  home  and  business  property,  and  is  one  of  the 
active  factors  in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  community.  He  is 
affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  and  his  family  are  connected  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  Prairie  Home,  and  for  the  past  20  years  Mr. 
Schilb  has  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School,  during  the  past 
five  years  not  having  missed  attendance  a  single  Sunday.  This  Sunday 
School  is  a  standard  Sunday  School,  meeting  all  the  requirements  of  the 
Sunday  School  Association,  and  during  Mr.  Schilb's  incumbency  as  super- 
intendent he  has  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  it  grow  from  an  average 
attendance  of  about  25  to  its  present  average  attendance  of  125,  a  record 
in  which  all  connected  with  the  school  take  pride. 

Oct.  5,  1898,  Fred  L.  Schilb  was  united  in  marriage  to  Leta  Kicka- 
shear,  who  was  born  in  Saline  township,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Patesta 
(Chicazolla)  and  Margaret  (Rymer)  Kickashear,  the  latter  of  whom  is 
living.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schilb  have  seven  children,  Patesta  J.,  now  in  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1011 

service  of  the  United  States  navy  and  Lewis  F.,  Lorena  E.,  Opal,  Mary 
Margaret,  Huston  B.  and  Myra  V.,  at  home.  Patesta  J.  Schilb,  the  sailor 
son,  was  born-  at  Prairie  Home  Aug.  29,  1899,  and  was  named  in  honor 
of  his  maternal  grandfather.  Feb.,  1918,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
navv  in  connection  with  this  country's  participation  in  the  World  War 
and  was  sent  to  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  at  Chicago  for 
preliminary  training.  In  August  he  was  assigned  for  service  and  was 
sent  to  England,  the  vessel  to  which  he  was  assigned  being  attached  to 
the  base  station  at  Eastleigh,  and  he  was  serving  on  that  station  when  the 
armistice  was  signed.  In  December  he  was  returned  to  New  York  and 
was  assigned  to  the  U.  S.  S.  "Nasemond",  with  which  vessel  he  still 
(spring  of  1919)  is  connected  and  on  which  he  has  taken  several  trips 
across  the  Atlantic. 

W.  A.  Farris,  representative  of  the  Gates  Halfsoie  Tires  at  Boon- 
ville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County  and  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  this  section  of  Missouri.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
P.  and  Almeda  (Grubbs)  Farris.  William  P.  Farris  was  born  near  Elliott, 
Cooper  County,  in  1842.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  and 
became  well-to-do.  During  the  course  of  his  career  he  accumulated  about 
300  acres  of  land.  He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Big  Lick.  He  died  in  1914.  His  wife  departed  this  life  in 
1901,  and  their  remains  are  buried  in  the  Clayton  cemetery.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Emmett,  deceased ;  Lydia,  de- 
ceased; James  Eri,  deceased;  A.  L.  resides  in  Saline  township;  W.  A.  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Nellie  married  A.  W.  Finley ;  Edna  E.,  married  L. 
T.  Mills,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Anna  M.  married  George  Bruckner,  Jr., 
Boonville,  and  two  died  in  infancy. 

W.  A.  Farris  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County, 
and  the  high  school  at  Jefferson  City,  Mo.  He  followed  farming  for  a 
number  of  years  and  for  the  past  eight  years  was  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business.  In  Jan.,  1919,  he  became  the  representative  of  the  Gates  Rub- 
ber Co.,  of  Denver,  Col.,  and  opened  a  branch  for  this  company  at  Boon- 
ville. They  manufacture  what  is  known  as  the  Gates  Halfsoie  for  auto- 
mobile tire  casings,  which  is  recognized  as  the  only  successful  tire  saver 
on  the  market.  Mr.  Farris  has  taken  a  special  course  of  training  in  ap- 
plying these  halfsoles  to  automobile  tires,  and  since  engaging  in  this  busi- 
ness at  Boonville,  he  has  met  with  marked  success. 

Mr.  Farris  was  married  Oct.  18,  1915  to  Miss  Matilda  S.  Renken,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Schnuck)  Renken,  more  extensive  men- 


1012  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

tion  of  whom  are  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Farris  is  also  a 
native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township  March  3,  1883. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farris  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  have  many 
friends. 

Henry  S.  Stephens,  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  North  Moni- 
teau township,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  March  7,  1876.  He  is  a  son 
of  J.  D.  and  Melinda  (Arnold)  Stephens.  J.  D.  Stephens  was  also  a  native 
of  Cooper  County,  born  in  South  Moniteau  township  in  1843,  and  when  he 
was  an  infant  his  parents  moved  to  St.  Clair  County,  Mo.,  where  he  was 
reared.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  entered  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice and  served  under  Gen.  Sterling  Price  in  the  16th  Missouri  Infantry, 
General  Parson's  Brigade  and  was  with  the  army  which  surrendered  at 
Shreveport,  La.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Missouri,  coming 
up  the  river  to  St.  Louis  by  steamboat,  and  from  there  to  Tipton  by  rail. 
After  living  at  Tipton  for  a  few  years  he  moved  to  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  suddenly  at  Bunceton, 
Mo.,  from  heart  failure  while  attending  a  show  there,  and  his  remains 
are  buried  at  Pisgah,  Mo.  Melinda  (Arnold)  Stephens,  mother  of  Henry 
S.  Stephens,  was  born  in  Kelly  township,  this  county  in  1844,  and  died 
June  20,  1906,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  Pisgah,  Mo.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Lee  Arnold,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  1813.  He  came  to 
Missouri  when  a  small  boy  making  the  trip  on  horseback.  He  was  reared 
by  Hartley  White,  who  brought  him  from  Kentucky  to  Cooper  County  and 
who  settled  about  four  miles  north  of  Tipton.  Lee  Arnold  married  Nancy 
Morris,  a  daughter  of  Shadrach  Morris  of  Kelly  township,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Martha ;  John ;  Hugh ;  Ann ;  Ham- 
mond ;  Jael ;  Melinda,  who  married  J.  D.  Stephens ;  Peter  and  Ira,  all  of 
whom  are  now  deceased  except  Jael  who  now  resides  in  South  Moniteau 
township.  Lee  Arnold  died  in  South  Moniteau  township  about  1885  and 
is  buried  in  the  Shadrach,  Morris  private  cemetery.  His  wife  preceded 
him  in  death  about  three  years. 

To  J.  D.  and  Melinda  (Arnold)  Stephens  were  born  the  following 
children:  Dora,  who  died  when  about  four  years  of  age;  Henry  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Eme  Lee,  who  married  C.  E.  Scott  and  now 
resides  in  South  Moniteau  township.  To  C.  E.  and  Effie  Lee  (Stephens) 
Scott  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Lola  Lee;  Louis  Leslie; 
Edgar  D. ;  Willie ;  John  Henry  and  Edith  Myrtle. 

Henry  S.  Stephens  was  reared  in  North  Moniteau  township  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools,  attending  school  in  the  Lee  dis- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1013 

trict.  He  has  spent  his  life  since  he  reached  the  age  of  li  in  North  Moni- 
teau township  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Stephens  is 
unmarried. 

William  Lynn  Spahr,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Kelly  township,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Nov.  3,  1890.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  Lynn  and  Sarah  Paulina  (Stark)  Spahr,  the  former  also  a 
native  of  Cooper  County,  where  he  spent  his  life  and  where  he  died  April 
17,  1896.  The  mother  was  born  near  Otterville,  Mo.,  and  died  Aug.  22, 
1914.  William  Lynn  Spahr,  the  father,  was  engaged  in  the  undertaking 
business  at  Boonville,  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  To  William  Lynn  and 
Sarah  Paulina  (Stark)  Spahr  were  born  the  following  children :  Lawrence, 
a  farmer  in  Kelly  township;  William  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
David,  Tulsa,  Okla. 

William  L.  Spahr  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Cooper 
County  and  the  Bunceton  High  School.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  since  boyhood.  He  purchased  his  present  place  in  Kelly 
township  from  Frank  Smith  in  1912.  His  farm  consists  of  80  acres  of 
well  improved  land,  located  three  miles  southwest  of  Bunceton.  He  has 
a  pretty  home  and  the  other  improvements  on  the  place  are  of  a  corre- 
spondingly high  type.  He  feeds  cattle  quite  extensively  and  has  met  with 
success  in  this  line  of  endeavor. 

Mr.  Spahr  was  married  in  1910  to  Miss  Anna  Lee  Palmer,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Ella  (Collins)  Palmer,  both  now  residing  in  Lebanon  town- 
ship. To  James  and  Ella  (Collins)  Palmer  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Clarence,  Sedalia,  Mo.;  Henry,  Bunceton;  Russell,  Bunceton; 
Mrs.  Kate  Schlotzhauer,  Bunceton;  Mrs.  Mattie  Cole,  Otterville,  Mo.  and 
Frank  Lillian ;  Louise ;  Pauline ;  Stanley  and  Jack,  residing  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Spahr  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  representative 
citizens  and  the  Spahr  family  stand  high  in  the  community. 

M.  J.  Fassler,  proprietor  of  "Fassler  Prairie  View  Farm",  is  one  of 
the  successful  farmers  and  progressive  citizens  of  Kelly  township.  He 
was  born  in  Switzerland,  July  21,  1876,  a  son  of  Louis  and  Catherine 
(Holdenner)  Fassler,  both  natives  of  Switzerland.  Louis  Fassler  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1880,  leaving  his  family  in  Switzerland  until  he 
became  established  sufficiently  in  this  country  to  send  for  them,  which 
he  did  two  years  later.  They  first  located  in  Elk  County,  Pa.,  and  in 
1885  the  family  came  to  Missouri  and  settled  in  Lamine  township,  Cooper 
County.     About  1890  they  removed  to  Kelly  township,  where  the  father 


1014  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

bought  160  acres  of  land.  Later  he  sold  40  acres,  and  in  1917  the  father 
sold  the  remainder  of  the  home  farm,  which  consisted  of  120  acres,  to 
M.  J.  Fassler  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  when  he  and  his  wife  removed 
to  Tipton,  Mo.,  where  they  now  reside.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Dora,  resides  at  home  with  her  parents  in  Tipton; 
Joseph  J.  lives  in  Henry  County;  Mary,  married  W.  H.  Woolfolk,  Alta- 
mont,  Kan.;  M.  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Lizzie  who  died  at  the 
age  of  30  years. 

M.  J.  Fassler  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Speed,  Mo.,  and 
when  a  young  man  learned  the  blacksmith  trade.  He  followed  this  voca- 
tion for  seven  years  at  Bellingsville,  Mo.,  and  one  year  at  Speed.  He  then 
engaged  in  farming,  buying  a  farm  in  Kelly  township,  which  he  operated 
from  1904  until  1917,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought  the  old  homestead  from 
his  father,  as  above  stated.  This  place  is  located  on  the  Southern  State 
Highway,  northwest  of  Tipton  and  about  seven  miles  south  of  Bunceton. 
It  is  a  pretty  place  and  kept  in  fine  condition.  The  water  for  the  place 
is  supplied  from  a  well  305  feet  deep,  which  is  pumped  by  a  gas  engine. 

M.  J.  Fassler  was  married  in  1904  to  Miss  Fannie  Erhardt,  a  daughter 
of  H.  L.  and  Sophia  (Hobrecht)  Erhardt,  both  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Mrs.  Fassler  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents:  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Fassler,  Henry  County,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Oscar  Lauer,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Wm.  Simmons,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Emmet  Reynolds,  Boonville,  Mo. ; 
Henry  of  Meadsville.  Mo. ;  Frank,  Memphis,  Tenn. ;  and  Mrs.  M.  J.  Fassler, 
Tipton,  of  this  review.  To  M.  J.  Fassler  and  wife  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Catherine,  Frances,  Margaret,  John,  Charles,  Mary  and 
William,  all  residing  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fassler  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Tipton 
and  are  of  Cooper  County's  most  progressive  and  substantial  citizens. 

John  G.  Wolfrum,  proprietor  of  "Prairie  Lawn  Farm",  is  one  of  the 
progressive  and  public  spirited  farmers  and  breeders  of  Kelly  township. 
He  was  horn  at  Jamestown,  Mo.,  Sept.  20,  1858,  a  son  of  John  and  Louisa 
Wolfrum  the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Cole  County, 
Mo.,  born  Oct.  23,  1837,  and  died  Nov.  10,  1897.  John  Wolfrum  came  to 
America  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Cole  County,  when  he  was  eight 
years  old.  He  was  born  Oct.  22,  1834  and  died  Jan.  24,  1913.  The  Wolf- 
rum family  came  to  Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  after  residing  in  Cole  County 
for  a  few  years.  During  the  Civil  War  John  Wolfrum  served  in  the  Mis- 
souri State  militia. 

John  G.  Wolfrum  was  one  of  seven  children  born  to  his  parents,  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1015 

others  being  as  follows:  Nicholas,  Knob  Noster,  Mo.;  Earhardt,  died  in 
infancy;  Margaret,  married  Henry  Schubert,  Cole  County;  Henry  J., 
Rosoling,  Canada;  Christ  G.,  died  at  the  age  of  27  years;  William  L., 
Concordia,  Mo.  ■ 

John  G.  Wolfrum  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Moniteau 
County,  and  from  early  life  has  been  interested  in  stock  breeding  as  well 
as  general  farming  and  stockraising.  He  breeds  registered  Chester  White 
hogs,  and  has  some  of  the  finest  animals,  both  male  and  female,  in  the 
country,  and  is  recognized  as  a  successful  breeder.  He  also  is  an  exten- 
sive breeder  of  registered  Shorthorn  cattle,  of  which  he  has  made  a  recog- 
nized success.  Mrs.  Wolfrum  gives  special  attention  to  the  poultry  busi- 
ness, specializing  in  the  Orpington  and  Rhode  Island  Reds.  "Prairie 
Lawn  Farm"  consists  of  96  acres  and  is  well  located  about  one  mile  east 
of  Bunceton.  The  place  is  well  improved  with  a  good  residence  and  other 
farm  buildings  and  improvements. 

John  G.  Wolfrum  was  married  May  12,  1881  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Her- 
ruleben,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Caroline  (Moser)  Herruleben,  both 
natives  of  Germany.  The  father  came  here  when  he  was  17  years  of 
age  and  the  mother  when  she  was  nine.  They  were  married  at  Sandy 
Hook.  Mo.  The  mother  died  March  24,  1873,  and  the  father  died  in 
1901.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  William 
Kile,  who  resides  in  Moniteau  County ;  Charles  E.,  California,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Dan  Wallenmeier,  Prairie  Home ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  John  G.  Wolfrum, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mary  died  at  the  age  of  28 ;  Mrs.  William 
Sperber,  Jamestown,  Mo.;  Benjamin  Franklin,  Jamestown,  Mo.;  Henry, 
died  at  the  age  of  40  years ;  Laura  died  at  the  age  of  23  years ;  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Sherer,  Bocen,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfrum  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren as  follows:  William  F.,  married  Eliza  Miller,  of  Moniteau  County, 
and  resides  in  Kelly  township;  Nicholas  D.,  reside  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship; Emma  E.,  married  William  Gerhardt  and  lives  in  Kelly  township; 
Ella  L.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Bunceton  High  School,  and  resides  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfrum  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church  and 
the  Wolfrum  family  are  among  Cooper  County's  representative  people. 

Dr.  Irvin  J.  Kehr,  a  leading  and  progressive  dental  surgeon  of  Bunce- 
ton, Mo.,  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  Dr.  Kehr  was  born  in  .Kansas  City, 
April  24,  1889,  a  son  of  Charles  G.  and  Louisa  (Kamper)  Kehr,  the  former 
a  native  of  Gasconade  County,  Mo.,  and  the  latter  of  Macoupin  County, 
111.  They  now  reside  at  Bunker  Hill,  111.  Dr.  Kehr  is  one  of  four  children 
born  to  his  parents,  the  others  being  as  follows:     Arthur,  a  practicing 


1016  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

dentist  at  Dubuque,  Iowa ;  Chester,  a  farmer  in  Macoupin  County,  111.  and 
Ruby  resides  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Dr.  Kher  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  the  high  school  at  Bunker  Hill,  111.,  graduating  from  that  institu- 
tion. He  then  entered  the  Washington  University  at  St.  Louis,  where 
he  was  graduated  with  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  When  the 
United  States  entered  the  WTorld  War,  he  enlisted  in  1917  in  the  dental 
corps  U.  S.  army,  and  for  a  time  was  stationed  at  Camp  Greenlief,  Ga. 
From  there  he  was  transferred  to  Camp  Shelby,  Miss.,  where  he  was  dis- 
charged Jan.  9,  1919.  Feb.  10,  1919,  Dr.  Kehr  opened  an  office  in  the 
Berger  Building  at  Bunceton,  where  he  is  rapidly  building  up  a  very  satis- 
factory practice.  He  has  had  valuable  experience  in  dental  work  in  his 
army  practice,  which,  together  with  his  thorough  preparation,  and  com- 
plete training,  well  qualify  him  for  the  exacting  duties  of  modern  den- 
tistry. Dr.  Kehr  is  public  spirited  and  enterprising  and  has  made  exten- 
sive acquaintances  and  many  friends  in  Bunceton  and  vicinity. 

Edgar  C.  Nelson,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Bunceton  Eagle,  Mo.,  is 
a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  Aug.  17,  1883,  on  a  farm  a 
few  miles  east  of  Bunceton,  in  Cooper  County,  a  son  of  T.  A.  and  Sarah  A. 
Nelson,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume.  Mr.  Nelson  was  edu- 
cated in  William  Jewell  College.  After  leaving  college  he  spent  one  year 
in  Texas,  and  upon  his  return  to  Missouri  he  held  a  position  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Missouri  for  one  year.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  near  Bunce- 
ton and  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  two  years. 

In  1907,  he  became  associated  with  his  brother,  L.  0.  Nelson,  in  the 
management  of  the  Bunceton  Eagle.  In  1915,  Mr.  Nelson  leased  the 
Eagle  plant  and  business  from  his  brother,  and  has  achieved  one  of  the 
splendid  successes  in  the  newspaper  field  which  has  placed  the  Eagle  in 
the  front  rank  of  Missouri  weekly  newspapers.  The  Eagle  has  the  largest 
circulation  of  any  newspaper  in  Cooper  County,  and  is  the  most  prosperous 
and  popular  of  the  newspapers  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  The  circula- 
tion exceeds  2,500 — and  it  is  the  home  paper  of  Cooper  County. 

Jan.  16,  1912,  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  to  Mrs  Celeste  (Allison) 
Chamberlain,  a  widow,  and  to  this  union  one  child.  Nell  Edwina,  aged  five 
years,  has  been  born.  By  a  former  marriage,  Mrs.  Nelson  has  a  son,  Rob- 
ert Chamberlain. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  a  democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  is  a  past  master  of  Lodge  No.  456,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and 
the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  Fraternity  of  William  Jewell  College. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1017 

David  Lawrence  Edson,  one  of  Boonville  township's  progressive 
young  citizens,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Edson  was  born  June 
8,  1889,  in  Boonville  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Anna  (Brook- 
shire)  Edwards"  Edson,  the  former,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and  the 
latter  of  St.  Clair  County. 

Lewis  Edson  was  born  in  1857  in  Boonville  township,  a  son  of  Sydney 
and  Margaret  (Nixon)  Edson.  Sydney  Edson  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  He 
came  to  Cooper  County  in  1856  and  settled  on  a  farm,  the  place  purchased 
by  David  Lawrence  Edson  in  1918,  and  now  owned  by  him.  Mai-garet 
Edson,  at  the  age  of  11  years,  came  from  Ireland  to  America.  Sydney 
Edson  died  in  1897,  and  his  remains  rest  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery. 

When  a  young  man,  Lewis  Edson  went  west  to  Idaho,  Oregon  and 
California,  was  successful  there,  and  returned  to  Missouri  with  money. 
He  purchased  a  farm  then  known  as  the  "Ed  Jewett  farm,"  which  he 
later  sold  and  purchased  the  farm  where  his  son,  David  L.,  now  resides. 
The  senior  Edson  followed  general  farming,  and  specialized  in  hog-rais- 
ing, in  which  vocations  he  was  unusually  successful.  He  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Boonville.  Lewis  and  Anna  Edson  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren: Grace,  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Dow,  of  Boonville;  and  David  L.,  the  subject 
of  this  review.  By  a  former  marriage  of  Anna  Edson  to  David  Edwards, 
she  is  the  mother  of  two  children:  H.  L.  Edwards,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Prairie  Home  township;  and  A.  D.  Edwards,  a  merchant  of 
Moberly,  Mo. 

David  L.  Edson  obtained  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  county.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Boonville  High  School.  Mr. 
Edson  daily  made  the  trip  from  his  home  to  the  high  school,  a  distance  of 
three  and  a  half  miles,  and  was  never  absent,  and  was  late  but  twice, 
which  is  a  record  difficult  to  surpass.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Missouri 
State  University,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1914,  receiving  the  degrees 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of  Science,  and  also  a  teacher's  life 
certificate.  After  completing  the  university  course,  Mr.  Edson  taught 
school  one  year.  He  was  connected  with  the  State  Board  of  Charities 
and  Corrections  for  18  months,  and  was  the  first  agent  of  the  Department 
of  Child  Welfare.  He  returned  to  the  farm  in  1917,  and  has  since  been 
been  very  successfully  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  Mr.  Edson 
raises  three  varieties  of  corn :  Yellow  Dent,  Iowa  Silver  Mine  and  Pride  of 
the  North,  the  last  a  91  corn.  In  1918,  the  corn  produced  on  the  Edson 
farm  was  of  excellent  quality. 

The  Edson  farm  is  located  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville on  the  state  highway.     David  L.  Edson  has  charge  of  his  father's 


1018  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

place,  which  comprises  350  acres  of  the  best  farm  land,  and  in  addition 
manages  his  own  farm,  which  comprises  160  acres,  formerly  the  Alex 
Bear  farm.  Mr.  Edson  has  had  a  grade  herd  of  cattle,  but,  at  the  time 
of  this  writing,  he  is  starting  a  registered  Polled  Angus  herd,  having  at 
the  present  time  25  head  of  cattle.  He  raises  hogs  extensively  and  last 
year,  1918,  fed  three  car-loads  of  hogs,  additional  to  one  car-load  of  sheep 
and  one  of  cattle.     The  Edson  farm  is  very  productive  and  is  well  watered. 

In  1909,  David  Lawrence  Edson  and  Mary  Grace  O'Neal  were  united 
in  marriage.  Mrs.  Edson  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  and  Lucy  O'Neal,  the 
former,  now  a  resident  of  LaMine  township.  Mrs.  O'Neal  died  in  1913. 
The  O'Neal  children  are:  Alonzo  0.,  of  LaMine  township;  Lee,  of  Black- 
water;  Silas,  of  Blackwater;  Aubrey,  a  well-known  cattle  salesman  of 
Kansas  City;  Freeman,  who  is  at  the  present  time  serving  under  the 
colors  in  France;  and  Mrs.  Edson,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review. 
Two  children  are  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edson  has  been  born  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Ethel. 

In  the  fall  of  1918,  Mr.  Edson  was  a  candidate  for  election  as  repre- 
sentative on  the  democratic  ticket.  Although  keenly  interested  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  Mr.  Edson  takes  a  good  citizen's  part  in  all  matters  of 
vital  import.  He  is  especially  interested  in  all  child-welfare  movements. 
The  Edson  family  stands  high  in  the  community  and  in  the  county  there  is 
none  more  highly  valued  and  respected. 

"The  Boonville  Nurseries",  located  opposite  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Topeka  depot,  was  established  in  1904  by  A.  E.  Barnes  and  T.  R.  Peyton, 
both  of  whom  came  to  Cooper  County  from  Audrain  County,  Mo.,  and 
located  at  Boonville  because  of  the  pure  loess  soil  at  this  place.  The  firm 
began  business  on  a  very  small  scale,  but  increased  the  business  yearly. 
In  1913,  A.  E.  Barnes  purchased  the  interest  of  T.  R.  Peyton  and  to  the 
plant  of  the  "Boonville  Nurseries",  as  it  was  at  that  time,  added  the 
nursery  of  H.  W.  Jenkins  and  now  the  "Boonville  Nurseries"  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  best  equipped  nurseries  in  the  state  and  in  the  west  cen- 
tral states.  Trees  are  grown  here  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands.  The 
"Boonville  Nurseries"  also  has  the  largest  cherry  orchard  in  Missouri, 
an  orchard  of  nearly  2,500  trees,  which  will  begin  bearing  next  year,  1920. 
The  orchard  is  located  in  the  western  part  of  Boonville  on  the  cross  state 
highway.  The  company  employs  a  large  number  of  agents,  who  sell  stock 
in  Missouri  and  adjoining  states,  selling  a  complete  line  of  nursery  stock, 
including  all  kinds  of  berries,  shrubs  and  roses. 

A.  E.  Barnes  was  with  the  Kansas  Home  Nursery  and  at  the  Experi- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1019 

mental  Grounds  at  Lawrence,  Kan.  for  three  years  prior  to  coming  to 
Boonville.  Prior  to  that  time,  Mr.  Barnes  was  employed  at  the  Ortez 
Fruit  Farm  &  Nursery  in  Audrain  County,  Mo.  He  obtained  his  general 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Mexico,  Mo.  and  at  Sproul's  Academy, 
at  the  latter  studying  the  business  course.  He  spent  a  year  in  the  state 
of  Colorado,  where  he  was  studying  irrigation,  and  thence  came  to  Law- 
rence, Kan.  and  to  Boonville. 

Mr.  Barnes  was  born  in  Audrain  County,  Mo.,  near  Mexico,  Dec.  29, 
1880,  a  son  of  Noble  and  Mary  (Bybee)  Barnes,  natives  of  Kentucky. 
Noble  Barnes  has  just  completed  two  terms  of  service  in  the  office  of 
county  treasurer,  eight  years,  and  now  resides  at  Mexico.  Mrs.  Barnes 
died  in  1917  and  her  remains  are  interred  in  Sunrise  Church  cemetery  in 
Audrain  County.  The  children  of  Noble  and  Mary  Barnes  are:  M.  C.  and 
Theodore,  farmers,  Mexico,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  T.  R.  Peyton,  of  Boonville ;  A.  E., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Claud  L.,  who  is  on  a  fruit  farm  in  Idaho;  and 
Roy  and  Ray,  who  are  farming  in  Nebraska. 

In  1909,  A.  E.  Barnes  and  Grace  E.  Stammerjohn,  a  daughter  of  Claus 
and  Emma  Stammerjohn,  of  Boonville,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stammerjohn  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  living 
and  residents  of  Boonville;  Meta,  the  wife  of  Ed  Holtman;  Henry;  Re- 
becca, the  wife  of  J.  J.  Heiberger;  Julia,  the  wife  of  Charles  Durr;  John, 
Dora,  Edward,  and  Benjamin ;  and  Grace,  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Barnes.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  have  been  born  three  children,  who  are  now  living, 
one  child  now  deceased:  Noel,  Meta  and  Leah.  Noble,  Jr.,  the  second 
son  and  child,  died  in  nfancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  are  members  of  the 
Boonville  Christian  Church,  on  which  Mr.  Barnes  is  a  deacon.  He  is  a 
past-grand  officer  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Boonville. 

Recently,  Mr.  Barnes  has  completed  an  eleven-room  bungalow,  mod- 
ern throughout,  equipped  with  a  private  water  system,  in  the  city  of 
Boonville.  He  has  on  his  farm  an  underground  silo,  which  is  attracting 
much  attention  in  the  county.  The  silo  is  cemented  and  built  on  the  plan 
of  a  cistern  and  the  silage  as  cut  is  dropped  into  the  silo.  It  was  filled  m 
1918  and  has  proven  a  success.  Mr.  Barnes  converts  an  old  wine  cellar  on 
the  farm  into  a  cold  storage  room,  when  the  season  opens.  He  handles 
in  the  nursery  business,  three  kinds  of  cherries,  the  Early  Richmond,  the 
Montmorency,  the  Morillo,  and  he  has  about  100  each  of  apples,  pears  and 
plums,  and  these  are  growing  on  his  farm,  the  entire  tract  of  40  acres 
being  set  out  in  fruit. 

A.    E.    Barnes    is    widely   known    throughout    Missouri    and    Cooper 


1020  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

County  knows  no  more  useful  or  better  citizen.  He  and  Mrs.  Barnes  are 
numbered  among  Boonville's  best  families. 

Capt.  Edgar  L.  Barnert,  captain  of  Company  H,  of  the  Boonville 
Training  School,  is  one  of  the  county's  most  valued  and  respected  citizens. 
He  was  born  Sept.  22,  1891  in  Boonville,  a  son  of  Dominic  and  Mary  A. 
(Back)  Barnert,  the  former,  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter,  of  Boon- 
ville. Dominic  Barnert  is  a  retired  carpenter  and  contractor  and  one  of 
Boonville's  well-known  citizens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnert  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Minnie,  who  is  married  and  now  resides  in 
Chicago,  111. ;  Carl,  a  traveling  salesman  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Edgar  L.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Merle,  a  lieutenant  of  the  35th  Division,  140th 
Infantry,  Company  I,  who  enlisted  at  Boonville  in  the  National  Guards, 
was  transferred  to  the  army  and  served  in  Mexico  and  then  re-enlisted  for 
overseas  service;  Anna  E.,  at  home;  and  Jerome  D.,  a  student  in  the 
Boonville  high  school. 

Captain  Barnert  attended  the  Boonville  high  school.  He  worked  with 
his  father  for  a  few  years  in  carpentering  and  contracting  and  then  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  clerk  in  the  Boonville  postoffice,  under  R.  W.  Corum. 
He  enlisted  Sept.  5,  1918  in  Company  K,  12th  Battalion,  Infantry  Replace- 
ment at  Camp  McArthur,  Waco,  Texas,  and  he  was  honorably  discharged 
Dec.  19,  1919.  Captain  Barnert  has  been  connected  with  the  Training 
School  in  Boonville  for  the  past  five  years,  at  different  intervals,  and  he 
has  held  his  present  position  since  Dec.  23,  1918.  He  has  95  boys  in  his 
company  and  he  teaches  the  primary  grade.  He  drills  his  company  one 
hour  each  morning  and  evening  and  he  is  responsible  also  for  the  moral 
welfare  of  the  boys.  Captain  Barnert  is  giving  much  satisfaction  as 
instructor  and  he  takes  a  most  commendable  interest  in  his  work  and  in 
the  lads  under  his  charge. 

Feb.  27,  1913,  Edgar  L.  Barnert  and  Marian  C.  Bradley,  a  daughter  of 
Thompkins  and  Mary  Bradley,  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  were  united  in  marriage. 
The  Bradleys  are  honored  pioneers  of  Boonville  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradley 
are  numbered  among  the  county's  best  families.  To  Edgar  L.  and  Marian 
C.  Barnert  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Catherine.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barnert  are  highly  regarded  in  their  community  and  they  have  a 
host  of  friends  in  Cooper  County. 

Edward  Gantner  and  Joseph  Gantner,  proprietors  of  "The  De  Luxe 
Studio",  at  4191/2  East  Spring  street  in  Boonville,  one  of  the  best  studios 
in  Missouri,  entered  the  business  of  photography  in  this  city  in  April, 
1911  and  their  gallery  was  formerly  on  Main  street.     Joseph  Gantner 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1021 

served  an  apprenticeship  under  Pete  Stockholm  and  completed  his  study 
of  the  art  of  photography  under  Holborn  at  Columbia,  a  photographer  who 
is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  artists  in  his  line  of  work.  Since  the  Gant- 
ner  brothers  began  business,  Joseph  Gantner  has  established  a  splendid 
reputation  throughout  the  country  as  a  most  capable  retoucher  and  etcher 
and  he  has  had  exceptional  success  with  children's  photos.  The  studio, 
a  large,  modern  one  of  four  rooms,  equipped  with  north  skylights,  artifi- 
cial lights,  the  best  lenses,  every  up-to-date  convenience,  is  one  of  the 
busiest  places  in  Boonville.  The  printing  and  enlarging  is  done  by  elec- 
tricity. "The  De  Luxe  Studio"  is  a  monument  to  the  industry  and  enter- 
prise of  the  Gantner  brothers  and  they  are  most  highly  appreciated  by 
the  people  of  Boonville  and  adjoining  territory.  Both  young  men  were 
born,  reared,  and  educated  in  Boonville.  Joseph  Gantner  was  for  five 
months  with  the  First  Infirmary  Section,  United  States  Medical  Corps,  at 
Camp  McArthur,  Waco,  Texas. 

Frank  Gantner,  father  of  Edward  and  Joseph  Gantner,  a  well-known 
and  capable  bricklayer  of  Boonville,  was  born  Nov.  27,  1859,  at  Boonville, 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Rosa  (Diringer)  Gantner,  honored  pioneers  of  Boon- 
ville. Both  the  father  and  mother  have  long  been  deceased  and  their 
remains  rest  in  the  Catholic  cemetery.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Andrew  Gantner  are  as  follows:  Frank  and  Louis,  of  Boonville;  Joseph, 
of  Fayette,'  Mo. ;  Andrew,  deceased ;  John  and  Mrs.  Louise  Potter,  of  Boon- 
ville; Mrs.  Julia  Kohlbick,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Annie  Graner,  of 
Boonville;  and  Dora,  deceased. 

In  the  Catholic  school  at  Boonville,  Frank  Gantner  obtained  nis 
primary  education.  He  later  attended  the  public  schools  of  Boonville. 
His  elementary  education  was  supplemented  with  a  course  pursued  at  the 
Business  College  in  Boonville.  Since  attaining  maturity,  Mr.  Gantner 
has  followed  his  vocation  of  bricklaying  and  he  is  recognized  in  the  county 
as  a  most  efficient  workman. 

In  June,  1881,  Frank  Gantner  and  Mary  Kathrain  Augusta  Smith, 
a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Amelia  (McDaniel)  Smith  were  married.  Mr. 
Smith  served  three  years  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War  and  died 
while  in  service.  His  remains  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Glasgow, 
Mo.  Mrs.  Smith  later  died  in  Texas  and  is  buried  there.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholas  Smith  are,  as  follow:  Mrs.  Frank  Gantner,  the 
wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Peter  F.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  John  J., 
of  Oregon ;  and  Nicholas  M.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.  To  Frank  and  Mary  K. 
Gantner  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Flora,  the  wife  of  Carl 


1022  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Neff,  of  Boonville;  Francis  Edward,  one  of  the  two  brothers,  the  subjects 
of  this  sketch;  Reverend  B.  N.,  chaplain  at  Camp  Mills,  Long  Island; 
Joseph  K.,  one  of  the  two  brothers,  the  subjects  of  this  sketch;  and  Mittie 
Rosa  Amelia,  the  eldest  child,  who  died  at  the  age  of  13  years.  Mr.  ana 
Mrs.  Gantner  reside  on  South  Eighth  street  in  Boonville.  They  are  highly 
regarded  in  the  community  and  they  are  worthy  and  consistent  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Capt.  J.  W.  Bozarth,  chief  engineer  of  the  Boonville  Training  School, 
is  a  native  of  Worth  County,  Mo.  Mr.  Bozarth  was  born  in  Allendale, 
March  18,  1878,  a  son  of  John  Rogers  and  Mary  E.  (Blodgett)  Bozarth, 
the  former,  a  native  of  Worth  County,  Mo.  and  the  latter  of  California. 

The  Bozarths  are  of  French  lineage  and  the  Blodgetts  are  of  English 
lineage.  John  Rogers  Bozarth  was  a  son  of  John  Rogers  Bozarth,  Sr.,  who 
came  from  New  York  to  Missouri  about  1870.  The  senior  Bozarth  died 
in  Iowa.  John  Rogers  Bozarth,  Jr.  and  Mary  E.  Blodgett  were  united 
in  marriage  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following 
children:  Rosa,  the  wife  of  John  L.  Crandall,  of  Wichita,  Kan.;  Capt.  J. 
W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Andrew  J.,  of  Liberal,  Kan. ;  Francis  F.,  of 
Liberal,  Kan. ;  Grace,  the  wife  of  Everett  Stalker,  of  St.  John,  Kan. ;  and 
Jess  M.,  who  is,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  a  member  of  the  44th  Infantry, 
Company  G.,  now  at  Camp  Lewis,  Wash.  Jess  M.  Bozarth  enlisted  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States  in  May,  1918.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  42  years  in  1890  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  at 
Ruskin,  Neb.  The  widowed  mother  now  makes  her  home  at  St.  John, 
Kan.  Mrs.  Bozarth  is  a  member  of  an  old  and  prominent  pioneer  family, 
who,  upon  coming  to  America,  located  first  in  Tennessee,  afterwards  in 
Missouri,  and  then  settled  in  California,  during  the  period  of  the  excite- 
ment over  the  discovery  of  gold  there.     Mrs.  Bozarth  was  born  in  1851. 

Capt.  J.  W.  Bazarth  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  attended  Armour's  Technical  Engineering  School  in  Chicago, 
111.  and  studied  civil  engineering  in  the  Kansas  City  Technical  School  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  Captain  Bozarth  also  took  the  machinists'  course  at 
Kansas  City  with  the  Eagle  Manufacturing  Company.  He  was  appointed 
engineer  of  the  Boonville  Training  School,  now  the  Missouri  Reformatory 
at  Boonville,  in  Dec,  1904,  a  position  he  has  since  held.  He  has  an 
assistant  engineer  and  about  20  boys  help  with  the  work.  The  different 
shops  of  the  school  are  run  by  electric  motor  power,  furnished  by  the 
engineering  plant,  which  plant  also  supplies  the  light,  heat  and  hot  water 
used  by  the  school.  A  tunnel,  5,000  feet  in  length,  has  been  constructed 
under  the  hill  upon  which  the  buildings  of  the  school  are  and  through 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1023 

this  tunnel  are  the  pipes  which  carry  the  water  and  heat  to  the  various 
buildings. 

Dec.  25,  1906,  Capt.  J.  W.  Bozarth  and  Georgia  M.  Cheshire  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Bozarth  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  ana 
Angelina  (Strickland)  Cheshire,  now  residents  of  Versailles,  Mo.  Mr. 
Cheshire  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Mo.  in  1841  and  Mrs.  Cheshire  was 
born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  1844.  The  Cheshire  family  is  of  English 
descent.  David  Cheshire,  a  pioneer  blacksmith  of  Old  Franklin,  Mo., 
came  from  Virginia  in  the  early  days  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Howard 
County.  The  children  of  Thomas  B.  and  Angelina  Cheshire,  are:  Nettie 
S.,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Wilkerson,  born  March  31,  1863  and  is  now  deceased; 
Nannie,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Odell,  born  Feb.  3,  1865 ;  Ethel,  the  wife  of  P.  F. 
Casey,  born  June  17,  1879,  now  residing  in  Oklahoma  City,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  J. 
W.  Bozarth,  born  June  6,  1881,  in  Morgan  County,  Mo. ;  Jimmie,  born  Jan. 
20,  1868  and  Julia,  born  Sept.  18,  1870,  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Bozartn 
was  prior  to  her  marriage  a  school  teacher  in  Morgan  and  Moniteau 
Counties.     She  was  a  student  at  the  Warrensburg  State  Normal  School. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Bozarth  are  numbered  among  the  most  respected 
citizens  of  the  county  and  the  best  families  of  Boonville. 

Capt.  C.  C.  Meyer,  the  efficient  night  watchman  of  the  Missouri  Re- 
formatory, is  one  of  Cooper  County's  best-known  citizens.  Captain  Meyer 
is  a  member  of  a  prominent  pioneer  family  of  Missouri.  He  was  born 
Feb.  8,  1869  at  California,  Mo.,  in  Moniteau  County,  a  son  of  W.  F.  and 
Mrs.  Meyer. 

W.  F.  Meyer  was  a  native  of  Germany.  He  immigrated  to  America 
in  his  early  manhood  and  located  in  Cole  County,  Mo.,  on  a  farm  near 
Warsaw.  Later,  he  moved  to  Moniteau  County.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War  and  he  held  the  position  of  city  treasurer  of  California,  Mo. 
for  20  years.  He  died  in  1908  at  the  age  of  77  years  and  his  remains 
were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  California,  Mo.  Ten  years  later,  he 
was  joined  in  death  by  his  wife,  in  1918,  and  she,  too,  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  cemetery  at  California.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  F.  Meyer 
are  as  follows :  Henry,  a  tailor,  of  California,  Mo. ;  W.  L.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  at  Sandy  Hook,  Mo. ;  Adolph,  manager  of  a  hotel 
at  Mountain  Grove,  Mo. ;  Ed,  a  tailor,  of  California,  Mo. ;  Frank,  who  is 
engaged  extensively  in  the  lumber  business  near  Palm  Beach,  Fla. ;  Capt. 
C.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  A.  B.,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Jamestown, 
Mo. ;  and  Rose,  of  California,  Mo. 

Capt.  C.  C.  Meyer  is  a  graduate  of  the  California  High  School.  He 
was  for  18  years  employed  as  station  agent  by  the  Missouri  Pacific  and  the 


1024  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Missouri,  Kansas  &  Topeka  Railway  companies.  For  eight  years,  he  cap- 
ably filled  the  position  of  marshal  at  California,  Mo.,  which  position  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  as  night  watchman  at  the  Missouri 
Reformatory.  Captain  Meyer  has  charge  of  the  quarry  at  the  Reforma- 
tory. He  is  an  exceptionally  intelligent  workman  and  is  conscientious  in 
his  efforts  to  give  the  boys  a  fair  chance  to  become  good  citizens. 

In  1894,  Capt.  C.  C.  Meyer  and  Lou  Harris,  a  daughter  of  C.  C.  and 
Ellen  Harris,  of  California,  Mo.,  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Meyer 
has  one  brother,  Frank,  a  harness  maker,  of  California,  Mo.  To  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Meyer  have  been  born  two  children:  Harris,  who  assists  his 
father  with  the  work  at  the  reformatory ;  and  Winona,  a  teacher.  Miss 
Winona  offered  her  services  as  Red  Cross  nurse,  but  as  she  was  too  young 
to  be  accepted,  she  continued  her  work  as  a  teacher. 

Captain  Meyer  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
He  and  Mrs.  Meyer  are  worthy  members  of  the  Christian  Church  and  in 
politics  Captain  Meyer  is  a  democrat. 

William  L.  Nelson,  congressman  from  the  Eighth  Congressional  Dis- 
trict, is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  Aug. 
4,  1875.  After  completing  the  course  in  the  district  school  he  was  awarded 
a  scholarship  in  Hooper  Institute  at  Clarksburg,  Moniteau  County,  and 
studied  there  for  some  time.  He  later  entered  William  Jewell  College 
and  taught  school  while  studying  at  this  college  to  pay  his  expenses.  Mr. 
Nelson  would  attend  William  Jewell  for  a  year  and  then  teach  school  in 
order  to  earn  the  needed  funds  to  pay  his  way.  He  has  also  taken  special 
work  in  the  Missouri  College  of  Agriculture. 

In  1893  he  and  his  brother  Louis  0.  Nelson  purchased  the  Bunceton 
Eagle,  and  the  success  which  they  achieved  in  this  new  field  of  endeavor 
attracted  attention  throughout  the  State. 

In  1900,  when  25  years  of  age,  Mr.  Nelson  was  nominated  for  the 
State  Legislature.  His  election  followed.  In  1906,  he  was  again  chosen 
to  serve  in  the  Missouri  General  Assembly.  As  a  legislator,  he  took  spe- 
cial interest  in  farm  matters,  and  was  the  author  of  various  agricultural 
measures.  Serving  through  two  regular  terms  and  one  special  session, 
he  was  never  absent  from  his  desk  when  the  House  was  in  session. 

Mr.  Nelson  has  also  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  agricultural 
papers,  and  has  several  times  refused  offers  of  editorial  positions  on  such 
publications.  He  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  community  work  of 
every  kind.  While  on  the  farm  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Cooper 
County  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  for  seven  years 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1025 

served  as  secretary.  He  was  also  the  first  secretary  of  the  Cooper  County 
Fair  at  Bunceton,  which,  for  more  than  20  years,  has  lived  up  to  the 
motto  which  he  gave  it — "For  Farmers,  Not  Fakirs." 

In  the  spring,  of  1908,  Mr.  Nelson  was  asked  by  H.  J.  Waters,  then  at 
the  head  of  the  Missouri  College  of  Agriculture,  and  George  B.  Ellis,  at 
that  time  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  to  become  assistant 
secretary  of  the  board.  The  offer  was  entirely  unsolicited  and  not  until 
August  did  Mr.  Nelson  accept  it. 

As  assistant  secretary  of  the  Missouri  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
Mr.  Nelson  served  during  the  latter  part  of  Governor  Folk's  administra- 
tion, throughout  the  terms  of  Governor  Hadley  and  Governor  Major,  and 
in  January,  1916,  was  elected  to  serve  during  the  four  years  of  Governor 
Gardner's  administration.  Each  time  his  election  was  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  board.  In  August,  1917,  Mr.  Nelson  was  asked  by  Doubleday, 
Page  &  Co.,  New  York  City  publishers,  to  assist  in  editing  a  farmers' 
cyclopedia.  The  Board  of  Agriculture,  on  learning  of  the  offer,  gener- 
ously granted  Mr.  Nelson  a  three  months'  leave  of  absence — the  first  vaca- 
tion that  he  had  ever  taken.  On  his  return  to  Missouri,  the  offices  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture  having  in  the  meantime  been  moved  to  Jefferson 
City,  Mr.  Nelson  resigned  his  position  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in 
Columbia.  Later,  he  did  special  organization  work  under  the  direction  of 
the  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  U  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

In  the  fall  of  1918,  W.  L.  Nelson  was  elected  to  represent  the  Eighth 
District  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  on  March  4,  1919,  he 
took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  June  9,  1909,  to  Miss  Stella  Boschert,  a 
daughter  of  W.  J.  Boschert,  of  Bunceton.  To  this  marriage  has  been 
born  one  son,  Will  L.,  Jr.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  is  a  thorough  democrat. 

Capt.  George  Todd  Irvine,  instructor  of  mathematics  and  physical 
sciences  at  Kemper  Military  School,  is  one  of  the  county's  most  successful 
and  prominent  citizens.  Captain  Irvine  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  was  born 
Oct.  25,  1876,  at  Wakeman,  Ohio,  a  son  of  Rev.  Edward  and  Ellen  Georgi- 
ana  (Todd)  Irvine. 

Rev.  Edward  D.  Irvine  was  a  native  of  England.  He  immigrated  to 
America,  when  he  was  but  a  lad,  with  his  father,  Samuel  T.  Irvine,  and 
settled  at  SpringTTCsi^  Ohio.  Reverend  Irvine  was  educated  at  Kenyon 
College,  Gambier,  Ohio,  and  was  in  the  ministry  practically  all  his  life. 
Ellen  Georgiana  (Todd)  Irvine  is  a  native  of  Wakeman,  Ohio.  She  was 
(51) 


1026  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

born  March  3,  1848,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Betsey  (Pierpont)  Todd, 
who  came  from  Connecticut  to  Ohio  in  the  early  days.  To  Rev.  Edward 
D.  and  Ellen  G.  Irvine  were  born  the  following  children:  Capt.  George 
Todd,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Pierpont  Edward,  an  engineer  employed 
by  the  American  Coal  and  By-Products  Coke  Company  of  Chicago,  111., 
and  Silva  Grace,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  The  father  died  Dec. 
15,  1906,  at  Wellsburg,  W.  Va.  and  the  widowed  mother  now  makes  her 
home  in  Wakeman,  Ohio. 

Captain  Irvine  is  a  graduate  of  Kenyon  College,  Gambier,  Ohio,  as 
was  his  father  before  him.  He  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1898.  Since 
completing  his  college  course,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  teaching  pro- 
fession, for  one  year  in  the  state  of  New  York  and  since  then  at  Kemper 
Military  School,  taking  his  present  position  as  instructor  of  mathematics 
and  physical  sciences  in  Jan.,  1900. 

Captain  Irvine  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
and  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  he  has  filled  the  office  of  Master. 
He  is  a  worthy  and  consistent  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
church  his  father  was  for  so  many  years  a  highly  respected  and  beloved 
minister.  Captain  Irvine  is  one  of  the  county's  most  popular  young 
citizens  and  he  is  held  in  the  highest  regard  in  Boonville. 

Charles  Henry  Dunnavant,  of  the  Sand  &  Gravel  Company  of  Boon- 
ville, is  one  of  the  highly  regarded  citizens  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Dunna- 
vant was  born  at  Boonville,  Jan.  16,  1868,  a  son  of  George  and  Mary  Jane 
(Sullens)  Dunnavant,  the  former,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter, 
of  Howard  County. 

George  Dunnavant  was  a  steamboat  pilot  on  the  Missouri  River  and 
for  36  years  he  operated  the  ferry  at  Boonville.  During  the  Civil  War, 
Mr.  Dunnavant  piloted  the  boat  which  brought  the  soldiers  of  the  Federal 
army  up  the  Missouri.  George  and  Mary  Jane  Dunnavant  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  James,  of  Jefferson  City,  Mo.;  Joseph, 
of  Nelson,  Mo.;  Frank,  of  Boonville;  Charles  Henry,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Mrs.  Georgiana  Ross,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mollie  Robinson, 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Luttie  Hogg,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  and  Feedy, 
Johnny,  Willie,  Eddie  and  Mrs.  Maggie  Grundy,  all  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  died  about  1889  and  the  widowed  mother  now  resides 
in  Boonville. 

Charles  Henry  Dunnavant  attended  the  city  schools  of  Boonville.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  river  work  and  engineering  practically  all  his  life. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1027 

At  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1909,  Mr.  Dunnavant  is  the  engineer  of  the 
Sand  &  Gravel  Company  at  Boonville.  He  is  a  capable  workman  and  he 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  vocation. 

In  1890,  Charles  Henry  Dunnavant  was  united  in  marriage  with  Daisy 
Brown  and  to  them  were  bom  two  children:  Earl,  at  home;  and  Grace, 
the  wife  of  James  Kramer,  who  resides  in  Arkansas.  Mrs.  Dunnavant 
died  May  8,  1903  and  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonville. 
Mr.  Dunnavant  was  married  to  Alpha  Spry,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Nancy  Spry.  George  Spry  died  Sept.  22,  1906  and  his  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Nelson  cemetery.  George  and  Nancy  Spry  were  the  parents 
of  four  children  as  follows :  Mrs.  Charles  Henry  Dunnavant,  the  wife 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Corp.  Walker  Allen,  who  was  with  the  35th 
Division,  3rd  Regiment,  140th  Infantry  in  the  World  War  and  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Argonne;  Pearl  C.  and  Mabel  F.,  of  Boonville.  Mrs. 
Dunnavant  has  a  halfsister,  the  child  born  to  Mrs.  Spry  by  her  first  mar- 
riage, Mrs.  Bertha  C.  McLaughlin,  of  Boonville.  Mrs.  Spry  has  remarried 
and  she  is  now  the  wife  of  Ben  Dobson,  of  Boonville.  To  Charles  Henry 
and  Alpha  Dunnavant  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Rosalie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dunnavant  reside  at  112  Water  street  in  Boonville. 

Mr.  Dunnavant  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a 
democrat  and  he  has  served  as  councilman  from  the  first  ward  for  two 
terms.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  city  of  Boonville  and  he 
and  Mrs.  Dunnavant  are  highly  regarded  and  valued  in  Cooper  County. 

Patrick  Darby,  a  late  prominent  citizen  of  Cooper  County,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland.  Mr.  Darby  was  born  April  4,  1838,  a  son  of  James  and 
Catherine  (Ferrell)  Darby.  He  immigrated  to  New  York,  when  he  was  a 
young  man,  18  years  of  age.  In  1862,  Mr.  Darby  enlisted  in  the  Civil 
War  with  the  First  New  York  Veteran  Cavalry  of  Volunteers  and  served 
until  the  end  of  the  conflict.  For  ten  months  he  was  confined  in  Ander- 
sonville  Prison  and  no  words  could  possibly  depict  the  sufferings  of  every 
unfortunate  soldier  there,  victims  of  barbarous  cruelty.  In  1868,  Patrick 
Darby  came  to  Missouri  and  purchased  the  farm  located  near  Billingsville 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  stockraising  and  became  very  successful. 

In  New  York,  Patrick  Darby  and  Ellen  Coleman  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. Ellen  (Coleman)  Darby  was  a  native  of  Geneseo,  N.  Y.  To  Patrick 
and  Ellen  Darby  were  born  the  following  children:  John  F.,  of  Saline 
County;  James,  of  Shreveport,  La.;  Mrs.  Matt  Cleary,  of  Boonville;  Mrs. 
Ed  Garthoffner,  of  Boonville;  Edward  B.  and  Eugene  M.,  of  Boonville. 


1028  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Mrs.  Darby  died  in  1898  and  her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Boonville. 

May  4,  1904,  Patrick  Darby  and  Miss  Albertine  Hartman,  of  Tipton, 
Mo.,  were  married.  Albertine  (Hartman)  Darby  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Josephine  (Veulemans)  Hartman.  She  was  born  March  14,  1852  in 
Cooper  County.  The  Hartmans  were  among  the  first  families  of  Moni- 
teau County,  where  they  located  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  railroads  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Darby  is  the  eldest  of  14  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Patrick  Darby,  Adam,  John,  Herman  J., 
Frances  J.,  and  Thomas  F.  With  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Darby,  the  Hart- 
man children  all  reside  at  Tipton,  Mo.  Mr.  Darby  was  a  member  of  the 
John  A.  Hayne  Post  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

In  this  entire  state,  there  could  be  found  no  more  patriotic  citizen 
than  Patrick  Darby,  no  man  of  higher  ideals  or  stronger  character.  He 
was  beloved  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  and  he  had  countless 
friends  in  the  county,  who  still  lament  their  loss.  Mr.  Darby  died  Jan. 
30,  1917.  A  writer  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Darby,  thus  described 
a  beautiful  floral  tribute  laid  at  his  feet: 

"Because  of  his  intense  patriotism  and  his  great  love  for  the  flag 
of  his  adopted  country,  The  United  States,  the  family  of  Patrick  Darby 
had  Mr.  E.  C.  Stammerjohn,  the  Boonville  florist  design  and  arrange  a 
beautiful  flag  emblem  of  flowers  for  the  funeral.  The  flag  was  perfectly 
made  of  white  and  red  carnations  for  the  stripes  and  white  heliotropes 
representing  the  stars  on  a  ground  of  blue,  made  also  of  flowers.  The 
whole  was  surrounded  with  foliage  of  various  colors,  making  a  beautiful 
and  appropriate  emblem." 

Wallace  L.  Morton,  proprietor  of  "Shamrock  Dairy  Farm",  Sham- 
rock Heights,  near  Boonville,  was  born  Oct.  23,  1879,  on  the  place,  where 
he  now  resides.  Mr.  Morton  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Permelia  Frances 
(Orr)  Morton,  the  former,  a  native  of  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  the  lat- 
ter, of  Kentucky.  The  father  died  in  1891  and  his  remains  are  interred 
in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery.  The  widowed  mother  now  makes  her  home 
with  her  son,  Wallace  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  "Shamrock 
Dairy  Farm"  has  been  the  home  of  the  Mortons  for  more  than  40  years. 
The  children  of  Robert  and  Permelia  Frances  Morton  are,  as  follow:  Mrs. 
Minnie  G.  Short,  of  Boonville ;  Mrs.  John  H.  Baer,  of  Wichita,  Kan. ;  H. 
R.,  who  is  with  the  Witte  Engine  Company,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Mrs. 
Joseph  Sale,  of  Fort  Worth,  Texas ;  Wallace  L.,  the  subject  of  this  review ; 
Mrs.  Russell  Blakey,  of  Wichita.  Kan.,  and  Robert  M.,  a  registered  pharma- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1029 

cist,  who  is  now  with  the  United  States  army,  serving  in  the  Medical 
Corps,  stationed  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Robert  M.  Morton  enlisted  in  the  service 
in  the  fall  of  1918. 

"Shamrock  Dairy  Farm"  comprises  53  acres  of  land  within  the  city 
limits  of  Boonville.  The  residence  is  a  modern  structure,  built  upon 
the  highest  point  of  the  farm,  and  overlooking  the  city.  Robert  Morton, 
father  of  Wallace  L.  Morton,  was  a  market  gardener  and  horticulturist  and 
his  garden  and  orchard  were  famed  throughout  the  county.  Wallace  L. 
Morton  has  been  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  for  the  past  several  years 
and,  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  he  has  a  herd  of  25  head  of  Jer- 
sey cattle,  which  he  has  himself  raised  on  "Shamrock  Dairy  Farm".  A 
silo,  12x30  feet,  has  been  erected  on  the  place  and  Mr.  Morton  usually 
keeps  from  20  to  25  acres  of  the  farm  in  pasture  land.  He  has  an  up-to- 
date  milkhouse,  where  the  milk  is  cared  for  in  a  sanitary  manner  and  he 
delivers  bottled  milk  to  his  customers  twice  daily  in  the  summers  and  once 
daily  in  the  winters. 

April  22,  1917,  Wallace  L.  Morton  was  united  in-  marriage  with  Dora 
Sloan,  of  Boonville,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Mudd)  Sloan,  the 
father,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  mother,  of  Illinois,  both  now  resi- 
dents of  Boonville  township.  Mr.  Sloan  has  resided  in  Boonville  town- 
ship for  the  past  64  years.  The  children  born  to  Robert  and  Mary  Sloan 
are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Wallace  L.  Morton,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Barlow,  of  Boonville  township ;  Marshal,  Elizabeth 
and  Pauline,  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morton  are  valued 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Morton  is  affiliated  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.     In  politics,  he  is  a  democrat. 

At  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1919,  Mr.  Morton  had  cut  down  a  tree, 
an  old,  historic  oak,  connected  with  stories  of  the  Civil  War  in  Cooper 
County.  Two  confederates,  on  the  then  newly  opened  road  near  Boon- 
ville, saw  a  body  of  Federals  approaching  and  to  escape  capture  the  two 
climbed  the  oak  tree,  growing  on  the  Morton  farm.  The  Federals  camped 
near  the  tree,  in  which  the  Confederates  were  obliged  to  remain  one  day 
and  one  night,  before  they  could  make  their  escape.  The  tree  has  now 
passed  into  history  as  all  that  remains  to  remind  one  of  the  tales  of  other 
days  is  the  spot  where  it  grew  and  the  six  cords  of  wood  into  which  it 
has  been  cut. 

P.  R.  Jaeger,  proprietor  of  the  "Jaeger  Fruit  Farm",  in  Boonville,  is 
Cooper  County's  leading  horticulturist  and  one  of  the  most  thoroughly 
posted  fruit  growers  in  the  state.     Mr.  Jaeger  was  born  in  Germany,  July 


1030  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

6,  1869,  a  son  of  Ernest  and  Clara  (Schubert)  Jaeger,  of  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, who  immigrated  to  America  in  1884  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  40 
acres  located  in  Lone  Elm  township.  Mr.  Jaeger  improved  his  land  and 
spent  his  life  on  his  farm.  He  died  in  1913  and  his  remains  were  laid  to 
rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Clarks  Fork  Church.  The  widowed  mother  re- 
sides in  Boonville.  She  is  now  79  years  of  age.  The  children  born  to 
Ernest  and  Clara  (Schubert)  Jaeger  are,  as  follows:  Otto,  who  resides 
in  the  state  of  Washington;  Bruno,  of  Boonville;  P.  R.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Mrs.  M.  Lohse,  of  Boonville ;  and  Hugo,  of  Sedalia. 

In  the  schools  of  Germany  and  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County, 
P.  R.  Jaeger  received  his  education.  He  attended  Warrenton  College  at 
Warren,  Mo.  For  several  years,  Mr.  Jaeger  has  been  engaged  in  fann- 
ing and  fruit  growing.  He  served  10  years  in  the  lumber  business,  em- 
ployed by  J.  E.  Thro.  Abandoning  the  lumber  business,  Mr.  Jaeger 
entered  the  business  of  carpentering  and  contracting.  In  1908,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  country  place,  a  small  farm  of  two  and  one-half  acres 
of  land  within  the  city  limits  of  Boonville,  with  a  small  orchard  to  which 
tract  he  added  an  adjoining  farm  of  15  acres,  10  acres  an  apple  orchard. 
In  addition  to  growing  apples,  Mr.  Jaeger  has  cherries,  strawberries  and 
raspberries  growing  on  his  farm.  The  orchard  has  a  northeast  slope  and 
it  has  proven  an  exceedingly  profitable  investment.  The  gross  income 
from  the  orchard  in  1918  was  about  $5,000.  Mr.  Jaeger  has  always  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  horticulture  and  his  exceptionally  thorough  training  has 
been  a  splendid  asset  to  him  in  his  chosen  vocation.  He  raises  several 
varieties  of  apples,  namely:  Ben  Davis,  Gano,  Grimes  Golden,  Jonathan, 
Winesap,  Huntsman,  Favorite,  Delicious,  Ingrain  and  a  few  early  sum- 
mer varieties.  He  has  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919,  just  closed 
a  deal  for  an  adjoining  tract  of  land,  of  10  acres,  upon  which  he  will  place 
another  orchard.  Mr.  Jaeger  is  a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Horti- 
cultural Society.  He  has  made  many  exhibits  of  his  fruit  at  the  Sedalia 
State  Fair  and  he  has  won  many  premiums. 

In  1901,  P.  R.  Jaeger  and  Mary  Schack,  of  Boonville,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  Shack,  were  married.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jaeger  as  follow:  Mildred,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
Boonville  High  School ;  and  Florence,  who  is  a  pupil  of  the  city  schools,  in 
the  seventh  grade  of  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jaeger  are  highly  regarded 
in  Boonville  and  they  are  numbered  among  the  best  families  of  the  county. 

William  G.  Lauer,  the  well-known  and  respected  street  commissioner 
of  Boonville,  is  one  of  Boonville's  own  boys  of  yesterday,  a  native  son  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1031 

Cooper  County.     Mr.  Lauer  was  born  Sept.  10,  1870,  a  son  of  Erhart  and 
Francis  (Tempfel)   Lauer,  natives  of  Germany. 

Erhart  Lauer  immigrated  to  America  about  1861.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Civil  War  and.  served  with  the  Union  army  in  the  United  States  cavalry, 
enlisting  at  Boonville.  Mr.  Lauer  was  in  the  service  three  years,  serving 
until  the  war  had  ended,  in  Missouri  and  Kansas.  Frances  (Tempfel) 
Lauer  came  to  America  with  her  parents,  when  she  was  a  girl  10  years 
of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  Tempfel  settled  in  Boonville  township 
on  the  farm  where  both  died.  Their  remains  rest  in  West  Boonville  ceme- 
tery. Mr.  Lauer  has  long  been  deceased  and  he  was  laid  to  i-est  in  Walnut 
Grove  cemetery.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and  she  resides  on  South 
Main  street  in  Boonville.  Erhart  and  Frances  Lauer  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  as  follow:  Mrs.  Julia  Mock,  deceased;  Ella,  at  home 
with  her  mother;  Charles  F.,  a  farmer,  of  Boonville  township;  Henry,  a 
farmer,  of  Boonville  township;  Arthur,  a  farmer,  of  Boonville  township; 
Fred,  a  traveling  salesman,  of  Marshall,  Mo.;  Oscar,  at  home  with  his 
mother;  and  William  G.,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

William  G.  Lauer  attended  the  public  schools  of  Boonville.  He  had 
been  engaged  in  farming  in  Boonville  township,  until  he  came  to  Boon- 
ville nine  years  ago  and  purchased  the  old  Rice  homestead  at  1003  South 
Seventh  street,  his  present  residence.  In  1915,  he  was  appointed  street 
commissioner  and  he  is  now  serving  his  fourth  year  in  office. 

June  18,  1889,  William  G.  Lauer  and  Cora  Simmons,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Belinda  Simmons,  were  united  in  marriage.  James  Simmons 
died  in  1901  and  he  was  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery.  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons makes  her  home  with  her  son,  William  Simmons,  a  farmer  in  Boon- 
ville township.  Mrs.  Lauer  is  one  of  six  children  born  to  her  parents, 
as  follows:  Mrs.  Ella  Lymer,  of  Boonville;  Mrs.  William  C.  Lauer,  the 
wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  George  Simmons,  of  Boonville 
township;  Mrs.  Hattie  Lauer,  of  Boonville;  Mrs.  Levina  Lymer,  of  Boon- 
ville; and  Mrs.  Stella  Oswald,  who  resides  in  Arkansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lauer  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  William,  who  is  employed  by  the 
Boonville  National  Bank;  Roy  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  army  from  Seattle, 
Wash.,  June  14,  1918;  arrived  at  Spokane,  June  15,  took  a  two  months' 
training  course  in  an  automobile  school  and  from  there  was  sent  to  Camp 
Taylor,  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  served  six  months,  was  discharged,  came 
home  Dec.  15,  1918  and  left  for  Seattle,  Jan.  8,  1919,  where  he  is  employed 
by  the  Electric  Light  &  Power  Co. ;  Earl  who  served  10  months  a  member 
of  Battery  E,  316th  Field  Artillery  in  France;  returned  to  the  United 


1032  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

States  June  9,  1919  and  was  discharged  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  arriving 
home  June  19,  1919 ;  and  Frances  and  Herbert,  at  home.  Mr.  Lauer  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  and  Mrs.  Lauer  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  former  is  affiliated  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World. 

The  Lauer  family  is  held  in  the  highest  regard  in  Boonville  and  they 
are  respected  and  valued  by  all  who  know  them. 

Robert  S.  Roe,  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families  of  this 
section  of  Missouri,  and  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  substantial  farm- 
ers in  Cooper  County,  is  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Palestine  town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  this  county  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  town- 
ship, Jan.  18,  1858,  son  of  Robert  and  Frances  (Harrelson)  Roe,  the  latter 
of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  both  of  whom  were  representa- 
tives of  families  which  had  settled  here  in  the  early  days. 

Robert  Roe  was  born  in  Caroline  County,  Md.,  Feb.  27,  1815,  and 
was  but  10  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Leith) 
Roe,  came  to  Missouri  from  Virginia  in  1825  and  located  in  Cooper  County. 
Two  years  later,  in  1827,  Samuel  Roe  entered  a  tract  of  land  from  the 
Government  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  town  of  Pilot  Grove,  and 
there  established  his  home,  spending  there  the  rest  of  his  life,  one  of  the 
substantial  and  influential  pioneers.  Samuel  Roe  was  born  in  Scotland, 
Jan.  17,  1788,  and  died  at  his  home  in  this  county,  May  26,  1878,  at  the 
age  of  91  years.  He  was  twice  mamed.  His  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Leith, 
was  born  in  England,  March  30,  1794,  and  died  in  this  county,  Dec.  17, 
1826,  about  a  year  after  the  family  located  here.  To  that  union  were 
born  five  children,  of  whom  Robert  was  the  eldest.  Following  the  death 
of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Samuel  Roe  married  Sarah  Shaw,  who 
was  born  Jan.  18,  1795,  and  died  in  1868.  To  that  union  four  children 
were  born.  In  1817,  Samuel  Roe  moved  from  Maryland  to  Virginia,  his 
son,  Robert,  then  being  but  two  years  of  age,  and  it  was  thus  that  the 
latter  had  lived  in  two  States  before  coming  to  Missouri  with  his  paretics 
in  1825.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  the  Pilot  Grove  set- 
tlement, and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  in  Henry  County. 
Mo.  near  Calhoun.  In  1849,  he  joined  the  numerous  bands  then  flocking 
across  the  plains  to  the  promising  gold  fields  of  California,  but  in  1852 
returned  to  Cooper  County,  and  east  of  Pilot  Grove  resumed  his  farming 
operations  there  until  1869,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  farm  in  Pales- 
tine township.  He  retired  in  1893,  moved  to  Pilot  Grove,  where  his  death 
occurred,  April  15,  1894,  he  then  being  79  years  of  age.     His  widow  died 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1033 

July  19,  1899.  She  was  born  near  Boonville,  Feb.  25,  1824,  daughter  of 
Bennett  and  Amy  (Brashear)  Harrelson,  natives  of  England,  the  former 
bom  on  Sept.  12,  1773,  and  the  latter,  Dec.  16,  1785,  who  were  among  the 
real  pioneers  of  Cooper  County.  Bennett  Harrelson's  last  days  were 
spent  in  Henry  County,  Mo.  To  Robert  and  Frances  (Harrelson)  Roe 
were  born  10  children,  of  whom  four  are  still  living,  those  besides  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being:  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Alice,  wife  of  Edward 
Wallin,  a  retired  farmer,  Greenridge,  Mo. ;  and  0.  L.  Roe,  Sedalia,  engaged 
as  a  painter  and  coach  finisher  in  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  shops. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Robert  S.  Roe 
has  always  been  a  farmer,  a  vocation  which  he  has  followed  with  consider- 
able success,  as  the  well-improved  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  will 
attest.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools,  and  when  21 
years  of  age,  in  1879,  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  in  Pettis 
County,  and  remained  there  until  1882,  when  he  returned  to  this  county 
and  bought  a  farm  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Speed.  Three  years 
later,  in  1885,  he  sold  that  farm  to  advantage  and  went  to  Camden  County, 
where  he  remained  until  1890,  when  he  returned  to  this  county  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1893,  when  he  went  back  to  Camden  County. 
There  he  remained  until  1898,  returning  then  to  Cooper  County  and  rent- 
ing the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Palestine  township,  the  old 
Cole  place,  and  there  established  his  home.  In  1918,  Mr.  Roe  sold  253 
acres  of  the  home  place,  including  that  portion  occupied  by  the  old  farm 
house,  but  still  owns  188  acres,  on  which  he  has  erected  a  new  and  modem 
house,  the  same  being  equipped  with  electric  lights,  hot  and  cold  water 
and  all  the  conveniences  of  an  up-to-date  farm  house,  and  has  built  up  a 
general  farm  plant  in  keeping  with  the  same,  his  place  being  one  of  the 
best  improved  farms  in  that  locality.  Mr.  Roe  is  a  democrat  and  has 
ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  local  civic  affairs,  but  the  only  public 
office  he  has  held  was  that  of  local  highway  engineer,  a  position  which  he 
occupied  for  four  years.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church. 

Robert  S.  Roe  has  been  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Myrtle 
Wilkerson,  two  children  were  born,  Mrs.  Lena  Doyle,  of  Palestine  town- 
ship, and  J.  Lovell  Roe,  a  telegraph  operator,  now  at  Lakeside,  Neb.  Fol- 
lowing the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Mr.  Roe  married  on 
March  6,  1892,  Mrs.  Gilla  C.  (Cole)  Soloman,  who  was  born  in  this  county, 
and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Samuel  C,  of  Pales- 
tine township ;  Truman  T.,  of  Boonville ;  Porter  E.,  deceased ;  Grace,  wife 


1034  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  George  Putnam,  of  Palestine  township ;  Adda,  wife  of  Aubrey  Gander, 
of  Kelly  township,  and  Joseph  L.,  who  is  at  home.  Mrs.  Roe  was  born  on 
the  farm  on  which  she  is  now  living,  or  rather  on  that  portion  of  the  place 
recently  sold  by  Mr.  Roe,  Jan.  25,  1859,  and  there  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  married  to  Tilman  H.  Soloman,  who  was  born  in  Moniteau 
County,  and  who  died  leaving  her  with  three  children,  Edward,  who  is 
now  living  at  New  Franklin;  Nadine,  wife  of  V.  Oswald,  of  Lebanon 
township,  and  Cordelia,  wife  of  James  Leslie  Painter,  Jr.,  of  Palestine 
township.  Mrs.  Roe  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Peters) 
Cole,  and  is  one  of  the  two  daughters  born  to  them,  she  having  a  sister, 
Mrs.  Jennie  Cash,  living  at  Warrensburg.  Samuel  Cole  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1800,  and  was  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  State  with 
his  parents  in  1812,  the  family  being  a  part  of  the  colony  which  accom- 
panied Daniel  Boone  here  in  that  year.  Samuel  Cole  was  twice  married, 
and  his  first  wife,  Sallie  Briscoe,  also  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  this  region,  bore  him  15  children. 

John  H.  Schnuck,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Boonville  township,  was 
born  at  Gooch's  Mill,  April  11,  1874.  Mr.  Schnuck  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and 
Catherine  (Meyer)  Schnuck. 

John  G.  Schnuck  was  born  in  Germany  in  1830.  Catherine  (Meyer) 
Schnuck,  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1842,  on  the  farm  later  known  as 
the  Ulrich  Oerly  farm.  John  G.  Schnuck  owned  and  improved  a  farm  of 
225  acres  east  of  Gooch's  Mill.  He  died  in  1880  and  was  buried  in  Pleas- 
ant Grove  cemetery.  Mrs.  Schnuck  now  makes  her  home  with  her  son, 
John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  John  G.  Schnuck  was,  and  his  wife 
is,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  The  children  of  John  G.  and  Cath- 
erine (Meyer)  Schnuck  are:  Mrs.  Samuel  Oerly,  of  Overton,  Mo.;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Renken,  of  Boonville;  Mrs.  Catherine  Smith,  deceased;  Henry 
E.,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume;  Mrs.  Annie  Twillman,  of 
St.  Louis,  and  John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  H.  Schnuck  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County, 
attending  school  at  Gooch's  Mill  in  Liberty  district.  For  about  three 
years,  he  was  in  a  drug  business  at  Gooch's  Mill.  He  abandoned  this  and 
engaged  in  farming  on  the  home  place  for  a  few  years,  then  moved  to  his 
present  farm,  which  comprises  188  acres,  of  valuable  land.  In  addition 
to  the  home  place,  Mr.  Schnuck  owns  a  farm  of  90  acres  located  one  mile 
east  of  the  home  place.  The  Schnuck  homestead  is  located  one  mile  south- 
east of  the  city  limits  of  Boonville.  Since  coming  to  this  farm,  Mr. 
Schnuck  has  added  two  barns,  fences  and  numerous  other  improvements. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1035 

He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising.  Mrs.  Schnuck  is 
interested  in  the  poultry  industry  and  raises  Buff  Orpingtons,  pure  breds, 
and  has  one  of  the  best  flocks  in  the  county. 

In  1899,  John  H.  Schnuck  was  united  in  marriage  with  Margaret 
Oswald,  a  daughter  of  Herman  and  Christina  Oswald.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schnuck  were  born  five  children:  Katherine,  Beatrice,  Oswald,  Norbert 
and  Vergil,  all  at  home.  Mrs.  Schnuck  died  in  1909  and  her  remains  are 
interred  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Boonville.  Sept.  28,  1911,  Mr.  Schnuck 
was  married  to  Josephine  Rossen,  a  daughter  of  S.  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Rob- 
ertson) Rossen,  the  former  a  native  of  Denmark,  and  the  latter  of  Arkan- 
sas. S.  C.  Rossen  was  born  in  1849,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  1861.  They 
are  both  residents  of  Boonville,  and  he  is  the  pi-esent  superintendent  of 
the  County  Home  of  Cooper  County.  The  children  of  S.  C.  and  Elizabeth 
Rossen  are:  Mrs.  Schnuck,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  James, 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Albertine,  deceased ;  Frederick,  of  St.  Louis ;  and  Ed- 
ward, who,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  is  in  France,  a  corporal  with  Com- 
pany F,  110th  Supply  Train.  Corporal  Edward  Rossen  enlisted  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States  in  June,  1917,  and  he  has  been  in  France  since 
May,  1918.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schnuck  had  a  son,  Joseph  Rossen,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years  in  Sept.,  1918. 

Mr.  Schnuck  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Mrs.  Schnuck  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The 
Schnuck  family  is  well  known  and  highly  respected  in  Cooper  County. 

J.  R.  Gilman,  an  honest,  industrious  farmer  of  Boonville  township, 
was  born  July  3,  1858,  near  Overton,  Mo.,  a  son  of  John  and  Kate  (Smith) 
Gilman,  the  former  a  native  of  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  John  Gilman  came 
to  Missouri  in  1856,  and  located  near  Overton,  moving  thence  to  Jewett's 
Mill.  In  later  years  he  moved  to  Cole  County,  where  he  died  and  is  buried. 
Mrs.  Gilman  died  Aug.  10,  1858,  and  she  is  buried  in  Clayton  cemetery  at 
Overton. 

J.  R.  Gilman,  the  only  child  born  to  John  and  Kate  Gilman,  attended 
the  public  school  of  Cole  County.  He  had  few  educational  advantages, 
but  in  spite  of  the  handicap,  he  has  "made  good".  In  the  first  part  of  his 
career,  he  rented  land.  Twenty-six  years  ago  he  moved  to  his  present 
farm  and  a  year  later  purchased  it.  This  farm  comprises  100  acres, 
located  three  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  in  Boonville  township,  on  the 
Jefferson  City  road.  He  had  improved  the  farm,  adding  a  barn,  and  has 
dug  a  well  and  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  is  preparing  to  install  a  water 
system,  which  will  supply  water  for  the  residence,  from  a  supply  tank 


1036  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

outside.  The  farm  is  well  watered,  and  although  somewhat  rough,  the 
soil  is  excellent.  Mr.  Gilman  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  he  has 
been  very  successful. 

Dec.  25,  1879,  J.  R.  Gilman  and  Kate  Robertson,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  Robertson,  of  Boonville  township,  were  married.  John  Robert- 
son was  born  in  Cooper  County.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  War 
and  a  Confederate  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Gil- 
man are  now  deceased,  and  the  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at 
Boonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilman  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  all  of 
whom  have  been  reared  to  maturity  and  are  now  married:  Stella,  now 
Mrs.  Henry  G.  Adams,  of  Brinkley,  Ark.;  Myrtle,  the  wife  of  Harry 
Kaiser,  of  Washington  township ;  John,  who  married  Stella  Robinson,  near 
Boonville ;  Paul,  who  married  Margaret  Dick,  Sedalia,  where  he  is  a  drug 
salesman;  and  Ed,  who  maried  Ruby  Gray,  of  Longfellow,  Texas.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gilman  are  the  proud  grandparents  of  ten  grandchildren,  namely : 
Charlie,  Mary  K.,  Margaret  and  Joe  Adams;  Derrick,  Joseph,  Harry,  Jr., 
Kaiser,  Deckey  May,  Betty  Ann  and  Darrell  Gilman. 

Mr.  Gilman  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Maccabees.  He  and  Mrs.  Gilman  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Politically,  he  is  a  democrat.  The  Gilman  family  stands  high 
In  the  respect  of  the  best  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

J.  H.  Meyer  and  F.  A.  Meyer,  the  well-known  Meyer  Brothers,  pro- 
prietors of  the  Boonville  Bottling  Works,  began  business  in  Boonville  in 
1915,  purchasing  the  business  of  Meyer  &  Tackett,  located  at  525  Morgan 
street  in  Boonville.  The  present  building  occupied  by  the  firm  is  20x90 
feet,  with  a  basement.  The  Meyer  Brothers  have  established  an  excel- 
lent trade  since  they  entered  the  mercantile  business  four  years  ago.  The 
elder  brother,  J.  H.,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  is  now  deceased.  He 
died  Sept.       1,  1918. 

The  Meyer  brothers  were  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Boonville. 
J.  H.  Meyer  was  born  in  1871  and  F.  A.  Meyer  was  born  in  1883.  They 
are  sons  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Schoen)  Meyer,  natives  of  Germany. 
Joseph  Meyer  immigrated  to  America  in  1854  and  Mrs.  Meyer  came  two 
years  later.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Cooper  County  in  1866. 
Mr.  Meyer  was,  by  trade,  a  stonemason  and  a  very  competent  workman. 
He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  enlisting  in  1861  and  serving  until 
the  close  of  the  conflict,  when  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Boonville.  He 
died  in  1914  at  the  advanced  age  of  86  years  and  his  remains  are  interred 
in  Walnut  Grove  cemetery.     Mrs.  Meyer  still  survives  her  husband  and 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1037 

resides  in  Boonville  at  1109  Sixth  street.  She  is  75  years  of  age.  The 
children  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  Meyer  are,  as  follows :  August,  of  Boon- 
ville; Anna,  the  wife  of  W.  M.  Parsons,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  J.  H.,  the 
senior  partner 'of  the  firm,  Meyer  Brothers,  who  died  at  the  age  of  48 
years  in  1918,  and  he  was  unmarried ;  Theresa,  of  Boonville ;  Mamie,  the 
wife  of  C.  W.  Richards,  of  St.  Louis ;  Susie,  the  wife  of  W.  R.  Dodge,  of 
Manhattan,  Kan.;  F.  A.,  the  youngest  brother  of  the  two  partners,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  Charlie,  who  is,  in  1919,  with  Company  I,  85th 
Division  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Force,  in  France,  who  enlisted  in 
April,  1918,  reached  France  in  June,  1918,  was  formerly  with  the  89th 
Division,  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Argonne  Forest,  was  confined  in 
a  hospital  for  four  months,  and  is  now  back  with  his  division  in  active 
service. 

F.  A.  Meyer  attended  the  Boonville  High  School.  After  leaving 
school,  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the  nursery  business  with  the  H. 
W.  Jenkins  Nursery.  He,  with  his  brother,  J.  H.,  became  interested  in 
the  bottling  business  and  he  is  well  equipped  to  handle  his  work  and  the 
brothers  have  been  very  successful.  Mr.  Meyer  is  one  of  Boonville's 
good  citizens,  a  progressive,  industrious,  capable  business  man. 

George  C.  Honerbrink,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Saline 
township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Honerbrink  was  bom  June 
23,  1875  in  Prairie  Home  township,  a  son  of  E.  F.  and  Barbara  (Iceley) 
Honerbrink,  natives  of  Germany.  E.  F.  Honerbrink  immigrated  to 
America,  when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  he  was  married  to  Barbara  Ice- 
ley  in  Ohio.  The  Honerbrinks  settled  in  Missouri  in  the  early  seventies, 
on  a  farm  of  80  acres  of  land  located  in  Prairie  Home  township,  to  which 
tract  Mr.  Honerbrink  added  80  acres  of  land  in  1881  and  160  acres  of  land 
10  years  ago.  He  now  owns  a  half  section  of  land  in  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Honerbrink  died  at  the  Honerbrink  homestead  in  1912  and  her 
remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonville.  The  children  of 
E.  F.  and  Barbara  Honerbrink  are:  Henry,  of  Prairie  Home  township; 
Fred,  of  Saline  township;  Lucy,  of  Saline  township;  Annie,  the  wife  of 
Christian  Ohlandorf,  of  Clark's  Fork  township;  Mary,  the  wife  of  John 
Crane,  of  Clark's  Fork  township;  Sophia,  the  wife  of  Hogan  Freeman,  of 
Saline  township;  and  Ernest,  at  home. 

Mr.  Honerbrink,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Prairie  Home  township.  He  has  been  interested  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  all  his  life  and  he  has  raised  large  herds  of  cattle  and  hogs  in 
recent  years.     His  farm,  comprising  118  acres  of  valuable  land,  is  located 


1038  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

nine  miles  southeast  of  Boonville  and  four  miles  southwest  of  Overton  in 
Saline  township.  Mr.  Honerbrink  purchased  this  country  place  in  1905 
and  since  acquiring  the  ownership  of  the  farm  he  has  partly  fenced  it 
and  has  added  a  barn,  42x54  feet,  and  other  buildings,  and  he  has  improved 
the  residence.  The  Honerbrink  farm  is  well  watered  by  a  stream,  which 
crosses  the  place,  and  several  good  springs. 

March  19,  1905,  George  C.  Honerbrink  and  Christina  Brueckner,  of 
Saline  township,  were  married.  Mrs.  Honerbrink  is  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Caroline  (Metz)  Brueckner.  She  was  born  Aug.  12,  1882.  George 
Brueckner  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  he  immigrated  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1850.  He  was  killed  by  a  stroke  of  lightning  on  the  Brueck- 
ner homeplace,  June  3,  1895.  Mrs.  Brueckner  was  bom  Aug.  5,  1861,  on 
the  farm  which  is  now  her  home.  The  deed  to  her  farm  was  signed  by 
Andrew  Jackson.  Mrs.  Honerbrink  has  one  sister  and  one  brother  now 
living:  Mrs.  J.  C.  Farris,  of  Arkansas;  and  George,  Jr.,  of  Boonville.  To 
George  C.  and  Christina  Honerbrink  have  been  born  three  children :  George 
Carl,  Eulah  Viola;  and  Willie  Beatrice.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Honerbrink  are  con- 
sistent and  valued  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

The  Honerbrink  farm  has  located  upon  it  an  old  cemetery,  established 
by  Joseph  Westbrook,  who  owned  the  farm  90  years  or  more  ago.  He 
was  trie  first  to  be  interred  in  the  buria!  ground  and  later  the  different 
members  of  his  family  were  laid  to  rest  there.  Other  pioneers  of  Cooper 
County  have  this  spot  for  their  last  resting  place,  among  them  the  Elliot 
and  William  Leek  families.  It  is  related  that  Grandmother  Cynthia  West- 
brook,  who  lived  on  the  Honerbrink  farm  more  than  a  century  ago,  was 
accustomed  to  ride  horseback  from  her  home  to  the  principal  marketing 
place  in  Howard  County  and  that  on  horseback  she  would  cross  the  Mis- 
souri River,  when  the  water  was  low.  The  Honerbrink  farm  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  country  places,  historically,  in  Cooper  County. 

J.  H.  Stretz,  of  the  Boonville  Brick  Company,  is  one  of  Boonville's 
own  boys.  Mr.  Stretz  was  bora  June  23,  1862  in  Boonville,  a  son  of  Frank 
and  Magdalena   (Rider)  Stretz,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany. 

Frank  Stretz  immigrated  from  Germany  to  America  in  1845  and  set- 
tled at  Boonville,  where  he  was  first  employed  as  potter  by  Mr.  Vollrath, 
the  pioneer  potter  of  this  city.  In  his  latter  years,  Mr.  Stretz  was  engaged 
in  gardening.  He  died  in  1878,  from  the  effects  of  sunstroke.  Mrs. 
Stretz  died  at  the  age  of  82  years.  Both  father  and  mother  are  interred 
in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Boonville.  The  children  of  Frank  and  Magda- 
lena Stretz  are,  as  follow:     Mrs.  Mary  Strickfaden,  deceased;  Frank,  of 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1039 

Boonville;  Charles,  who  died  about  two  years  ago  in  New  Orleans;  Mrs. 
Kate  Strickfaden,  of  California,  Mo. ;  Joseph,  who  resides  in  the  state  of 
California;  Mrs.- Sophia  Schuster,  of  Boonville;  Theresa,  a  daughter  who 
died  at  the  age  of  24  years;  J.  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Albert, 
of  Chicago,  111. 

J.  H.  Stretz  received  his  education  in  the  Catholic  school  of  Boonville. 
Since  attaining  maturity,  he  has  been  employed  in  brick  manufacturing 
and  he  has  followed  this  vocation  and  bricklaying  in  Boonville  the  past  38 
years.  J.  H.  Stretz  and  Louis  Gautner  have  formed  a  partnership  in  the 
business  of  brick  making  and  they  have  succeeded  Claus  Stammer  John. 
The  firm  was  established  in  1905  and  the  office  is  located  at  the  factory, 
which  is  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Topeka  railroad,  near  the  station.  The 
plant  has  a  capacity  of  20,000  bricks  daily.  The  firm  does  a  general  con- 
tracting business  and  has  built  in  Boonville  the  St.  Joseph  Hospital,  which 
is  48x102  feet  in  dimensions;  the  pipe  factory,  the  largest  factory  in  the 
city;  the  county  infirmary;  and  perhaps  100  other  buildings.  The  Boon- 
ville Brick  Company  has  done  much  toward  pushing  Boonville  into  the 
front  ranks  among  the  leading  manufacturing  cities  of  the  state  and  Mr. 
Stretz  and  his  partner  deserve  much  credit  and  commendation. 

J.  H.  Stretz  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mittie  Edwards  and  to  this 
union  were  born  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Julia  Walje,  of  Sedalia, 
whose  husband  is  a  well-known  railroad  employe  there;  Henry,  of  Boon- 
ville; Mrs.  Rose  Taylor,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Lawrence,  a  competent 
brickmason  of  Fulton,  Mo. ;  Norbert,  who  has  recently  returned  from 
England  after  serving  one  year  in  the  United  States  army,  with  the  Air- 
craft Construction  Company;  Ernest,  who  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States  in  Jan.,  1918,  a  gunner  with  the  Anti-Aircraft  Machine  Gun 
Battalion,  homeward  bound  from  France  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in 
1919;  Mrs.  Mary  Sonen,  of  Osawatomie,  Kan.;  and  Ferdinand,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  16  years.     The  mother  died  in  1888. 

In  1899,  J.  H.  Stretz  and  Mrs.  Mary  (Edwards)  Gantner,  of  Boon- 
ville, were  married.  Mrs.  Stretz  is  a  daughter  of  J.  A.  and  Eva  (Potts) 
Edwards,  the  former,  a  late  stockdealer  of  this  city,  and  the  latter,  now  a 
resident  of  Rockyford,  Col.  Mr.  Edwards  is  deceased.  Mrs.  Stretz,  by 
her  first  marriage,  is  the  mother  of  four  children:  Mrs.  Ollie  Sinclair, 
of  Boonville;  Mrs.  Nettie  Smith,  of  Boonville;  Urban  and  Earl,  both  of 
whom  served  in  the  United  States  army  overseas  for  one  year  with  the 
Aircraft  Construction  Company  in  England,  returning  to  America  in  Jan., 
1919,  now  engaged  in  brick-masonry  in  Boonville.     To  J.  H.  and  Mary 


1040  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Stretz  have  been  born  four  children:  Virgil,  Agnes,  Helen  and  Leonard. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stretz  are  faithful  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  Mr. 
Stretz  and  all  his  sons,  excepting  the  youngest,  are  members  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Mr.  Stretz  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 

There  is  no  man  in  Cooper  Couny  more  worthy  of  respect  and  con- 
sideration than  J.  H.  Stretz.  He  is  one  of  Boonville's  leading  citizens  and 
is  admired  by  all  who  know  him.  He  has  served  three  terms  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council  and,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1919,  he  is  serv- 
ing his  fourth  term  in  office.  He  has  proven  himself  an  able  and  con- 
scientious official. 

Col.  Robert  L.  Harriman,  for  years  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
live-stock  auctioneers  in  the  West,  for  20  years  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  Bunceton,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harriman 
Bros.,  breeders  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  a  resident  of  Bunceton  for  nearly  35 
years,  and  in  many  ways  actively  identified  with  the  growing  interests  of 
that  section  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county.  He  was 
born  at  Pilot  Grove,  March  19,  1856,  son  of  Dr.  William  and  Caroline 
(Mayo)  Harriman,  formerly  and  for  years  influential  residents  of  that 
neighborhood,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  there,  their  final  resting 
place  being  in  Mt.  Vernon  Cemetery,  which  was  established  on  a  corner 
of  the  old  Harriman  home  place. 

Dr.  William  Harriman  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  the  son  of  a  clergy- 
man, and  was  reared  by  two  aunts,  who  brought  him  up  in  a  bookish 
atmosphere.  He  was  schooled  in  both  law  and  medicine,  but  gave  his 
preference  to  the  latter  profession,  and  as  a  young  man  went  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  where  he  married 
Caroline  Mayo,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  (Pleasants)  Mayo, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  second  cousin  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Pocohontas.  William  Mayo  and  his  wife  were  natives  of 
Virginia,  who  moved  from  Norfolk,  Va.,  to  Kentucky,  where  they  reared 
their  family.  It  was  in  the  latter  '40s,  and  after  two  children  had  been 
born  to  him  and  his  wife  that  Dr.  William  Harriman  left  Kentucky  and 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  family,  coming  up  the  river  with  a  bunch  of 
negroes,  a  fine  string  of  thoroughbred  horses  and  jacks  and  a  good  small 
herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle.  He  landed  with  his  possessions  at  Boonville, 
and  moved  thence  to  the  Pilot  Grove  neighborhood,  where  he  established 
his  home,  and  where  he  became  the  owner  of  2,400  acres  of  land.     Upon 


COL.    ROBERT    L.    II A  Hill  MAN* 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1041 

locating  there,  Doctor  Harriman  re-established  himself  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  soon  became  widely  known  as  one  of  the  leading  phy- 
sicians of  his  time  in  this  section  of  Missouri.  He  had  not  been  trained 
to  the  life  of  the  farm,  but  his  wife  was  a  skilled  executive  along  those 
lines,  and  acted  as  overseer  of  the  place,  she  and  her  sons  directing  the 
operations  of  the  same,  while  the  Doctor  devoted  his  attention  to  his 
practice  and  his  books.  On  that  place,  Doctor  Harriman  and  his  wife 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  useful  in  all  good  works  thereabout  in 
their  clay  and  generation,  and  their  memory  is  still  cherished  throughout 
that  neighborhood.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Dr.  William  P.,  a  physician,  now  deceased;  Georgianna,  also  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  John  F.  Rogers,  former  sheriff  of  Cooper  County ; 
Isabella,  deceased;  John  H.,  deceased;  Jennie,  wife  of  J.  A.  Thompson,  of 
Pilot  Grove ;  Col.  Robert  L. ;  Regis  A.,  of  Pilot  Grove,  and  Caroline,  wife 
of  J.  D.  McCutcheon,  of  Pilot  Grove. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Pilot  Grove,  Robert  L.  Harriman  received  his  schooling  in  the  Pilot 
Grove  School  and  in  the  private  school  then  being  conducted  at  Bunceton 
by  D.  R.  Cully,  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  devoted  himself  to  the 
affairs  of  the  farm,  with  particular  attention  to  the  live-stock  breeding 
operations  long  carried  on  there.  He  married  in  the  fall  of  1882,  and  for 
some  time  thereafter  made  his  home  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Luray 
stock  farm  in  Palestine  township,  and  which  he  owned  for  five  or  six 
years.  In  1885,  however,  he  moved  to  Bunceton  for  the  better  attention 
he  could  there  give  to  his  growing  live-stock  interests,  and  has  resided 
since.  About  1889  Colonel  Harriman  began  the  crying  of  sales  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home,  and  it  was  not  long  until  his  success  in  that  line 
had  created  a  wide  demand  for  his  services,  this  demand  presently  neces- 
sitating the  limitation  of  his  services  to  live-stock  sales  only,  and  for 
many  years  the  Colonel  has  thus  been  one  of  the  best  known  live-stock 
auctioneers  in  the  West.  He  has  long  specialized  in  the  crying  of  sales 
of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs,  and  is  an  acknowledged  author- 
ity in  these  classes.  The  Colonel  has  cried  stock  sales  in  no  fewer  than 
12  of  the  States  of  the  Union,  and  his  operations  have  carried  him  as  far 
as  Portland,  Ore.,  in  which  city  in  one  week  he  sold  at  auction  more  than 
$100,000  worth  of  stock.  Though  he  is  not  an  advertiser,  the  Colonel  is 
so  widely  known  in  his  particular  field  that  during  the  seasons  he  finds 


1042  HISTORY  OB'  COOPER  COUNTY 

himself  book  40  or  50  sales  ahead,  and  as  a  measure  of  the  value  in  which 
his  services  are  held  it  is  not  improper  to  state  that  his  fee  for  crying 
the  sales  of  pure-bred  stock  is  $100  the  day. 

Colonel  Harriman  has  been  twice  married.  In  November,  1882,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa  Stephens,  who  was  born  in  Kelly  town- 
ship, in  1860,  and  who  died  March  9,  1916.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  H.  and  Margaret  (Ewing)  Stephens,  the  former  of  whom  was  an 
extensive  landowner  and  stockman  in  Kelly  township.  To  that  union 
were  born  four  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being 
Louise  and  Helen.  Louise  Harriman  married  W.  B.  Wallace,  a  son  of 
T.  J.  Wallace,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Cooper  County,  and 
is  now  living  at  Boonville.  She  and  her  husband  have  one  child,  a  son, 
Thomas  H.  Wallace.  Helen  Harriman  married  George  W.  Robertson,  a 
hardware  merchant  at  Mexico,  Mo.,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  George  Wil- 
liam Robertson  III.  On  Dec.  26,  1917,  Colonel  Harriman  married  Bettie 
J.  Harned,  who  also  was  born  in  this  State,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Bettie  J.  (Bradley)  Harned,  who  are  now  living  on  a  farm  in  this  county. 
Benjamin  Harned  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  11  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Harriman  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Harriman 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  Colonel  is  a  democrat. 
Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
at  Bunceton.  The  Colonel  has  for  years  given  his  active  attention  to  the 
general  business  affairs  of  his  home  community,  and  for  20  years  or  more 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Bunceton. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Shorthorn  Association  of  Kansas  City, 
and  in  association  with  his  nephew,  Bert  Harriman,  is  connected  with  the 
firm  of  Harriman  Bros.,  of  Bunceton,  a  firm  widely  known  as  breeders 
of  pure-bred  Shorthorn  cattle. 

James  B.  Shepherd,  a  leading  agriculturist  and  stockman  of  Saline 
township,  is  one  of  the  county's  prominent  citizens.  Mr.  Shepherd  is  a 
native  of  Andrew  County,  Mo.  He  was  born  Jan.  9,  1856,  a  son  of  Levi 
and  Joanna   (Campbell)   Shepherd. 

Levi  Shepherd  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Mo.,  on  the  farm  which 
is  now  the  present  site  of  Independence,  a  son  of  Elijah  Shepherd  and 
Rebecca  (Yates)  Shepherd.  Elijah  Shepherd  came  to  Missouri  from  Ken- 
tucky about  1810  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Jackson  County,  where 
he  died.  His  widow  moved  from  Missouri  to  California  in  1870  and  she 
died  near  San  Jose,  several  years  later.  Levi  Shepherd  was  born  in  1832 
and  he  died  May  14,  1914,  on  his  farm  in  Saline  township.     His  remains 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1043 

are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Gooch's  Mill.  Joanna  (Campbell)  Shep- 
herd was  born  in  1834  near  Wooldridge  in  Saline  township,  a  daughter 
of  Bradley  and  Meka  Campbell,  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the 
latter,  of  North  Carolina,  honored  pioneers  of  Saline  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  have  long  been  deceased  and  their  remains  are  buried  in 
the  family  cemetery  near  Wooldridge.  Mrs.  Shepherd  died  in  1916  and 
she  was  laid  to  rest  beside  her  husband  in  the  cemetery  at  Gooch's  Mill. 
Mr.  Shepherd  was  a  confederate  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  The  children 
of  Levi  and  Joanna  Shepherd  are,  as  follow:  James  B.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Mrs.  Rebecca  J.  Eager,  of  Saline  township;  C.  M.,  cashier  of 
the  Pilot  Grove  Bank,  Pilot  Grove,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Alice  C.  Clayton,  of  Woold- 
ridge, Mo. ;  and  William  L.,  a  late  teacher  in  the  Robinson  district  schools, 
near  Prairie  Home,  who  died  at  the  age  of  22  years  at  the  Shepherd  home- 
stead. 

James  B.  Shepherd  attended  the  public  schools  of  Missouri  and  Hooper 
Institute,  at  Clarksburg,  Mo.  Since  leaving  school,  he  has  been  engaged 
in  farming  and  stockraising  in  Saline  township.  He  purchased  his  pres- 
ent country  place,  a  farm  comprising  205  acres  of  land,  in  1881.  There 
are  two  sets  of  improvements  on  the  farm.  The  land  is  exceptionally  well 
watered  by  three  never-failing  springs.  Mr.  Shepherd  is  following  gen- 
eral farming  and  he  raises  large  herds  of  cattle,  hogs  and  horses.  The 
Shepherd  farm  is  located  14  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Shepherd 
relates  that  the  covered  bridge  over  the  Petite  Saline  River  at  Gooch's 
Mill  was  built  more  than  75  years.  This  bridge  is  a  landmark  in  the 
county,  having  covered  sides  and  a  roof,  constructed  of  wood,  and  is  still 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  in  1919. 

In  1880,  James  B.  Shepherd  and  Amanda  E.  Stone,  of  Saline  town- 
ship, were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Shepherd  died  April  23,  1903,  and 
she  was  laid  to  rest  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  Aug.  27,  1916,  Mr.  Shep- 
herd was  married  to  Mrs.  Maggie  L.  Shepherd,  of  Clay  County.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shepherd  have  been  born  two  children:  Addie  Lee,  11  years 
of  age;  and  Helen  Louise,  three  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepherd 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Shepherd  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  which  was  organized  at  Overton  in 
1881. 

Capt.  George  T.  Boyce,  of  the  Kemper  Military  School  in  Boonville, 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  Shelby  County, 
Mo.     Mr.  Boyce  was  born  Sept.  20,  1876,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Mary  J. 


1044  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

(Brewington)  Boyce,  the  former,  a  native  of  Delaware  and  the  latter,  of 
Maryland.     Captain  Boyce  is  the  only  child  born  to  his  parents. 

George  W.  Boyce  was  born  in  Delaware  in  1825.  He  was,  by  trade, 
a  contractor  and  builder.  During  the  Civil  War,  he  served  with  the  con- 
federates under  Colonel  Porter,  who  secured  volunteers  for  the  command 
of  General  Sterling  Price.  Mr.  Boyce  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Union 
men,  after  he  had  been  in  service  but  a  few  weeks,  at  Newark,  Mo.,  in 
1864.  Later,  he  was  paroled  and  he  returned  to  Delaware,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1866,  when  he  returned  to  Shelby  County,  Mo.  Mr.  Boyce 
first  came  to  Shelby  County  in  1857  and  three  different  times  he  returned 
to  his  native  state,  the  last  time  in  1869.  When  he  came  back  to  Shelby 
County,  after  his  last  visit  to  Delaware,  he  remained.  George  W.  Boyce 
was  a  son  of  Joseph  J.  Boyce,  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812,  who  enlisted 
in  1812  and  served  throughout  the  war  and  until  1819,  in  the  regular 
army.  He  was  with  General  Andrew  Jackson  in  the  war  against  the  Sem- 
inoles  in  Florida.  The  predecessor  of  the  Boyces  in  America  came  to 
this  country  about  1630.  Mary  J.  Boyce,  mother  of  Captain  Boyce,  died 
in  1891  and  George  W.  Boyce  died  in  1895.  The  remains  of  both  parents 
are  interred  in  Bacon  Chapel  cemetery  in  Shelby  County. 

Captain  Boyce  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Shelby  County.  Later,  he  was  a  student  at  Northwest  Missouri  Col- 
lege at  Albany,  Mo.,  and  at  Rose  Polytechnic  Institute,  and  at  the  State 
University  of  Missouri.  He  came  to  the  Kemper  Military  School  in  Octo- 
ber, 1900,  and  for  the  first  three  years  he  taught  commercial  subjects. 
In  1903  and  1904,  Captain  Boyce  attended  the  State  University,  after 
which  he  accepted  a  position  as  principal  of  the  township  high  school  at 
Marshall,  111.  He  taught  in  the  high  school  of  Albany,  Ga.,  a  place 
he  held  during  1907  and  1908.  In  the  latter  year,  he  was  recalled 
to  the  Kemper  Military  School  to  open  the  manual  training  de- 
partment of  the  school.  Captain  Boyce  is  the  originator  of  the  manual 
training  work  here  and  today  this  department  in  the  Kemper  Military 
School  is  the*  best  manual  training  department  in  any  preparatory  mili- 
tary school  in  the  United  States.  The  training  is  not  compulsory,  but 
optional  with  the  students,  and  more  than  one-third  the  student  body 
is  taking  the  course.  Captain  Boyce  made  a  map  of  Cooper  County  in 
1918,  the  original  of  which  hangs  in  the  Commercial  Club  room  in  Boon- 
ville.     The  map  is  a  pen  drawing  and  accurate  in  every  detail. 

In  1907,  Capt.  George  T.  Boyce  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  E. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1045 

Gilbert,  a  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Melissa  (Taylor)  Gilbert.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Boyce  died  in  1916  and  she  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Marshall, 
111.  Mr.  Gilbert  resides  at  Kansas,  111.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Boyce, 
father  of  Melissa  (Taylor)  Gilbert,  was  a  cousin  of  former  President 
Zachariah  Taylor.  To  Captain  and  Mrs.  Boyce  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: George  T.,  Jr.,  John  M.,  and  Mary  M.  The  Boyces  are  membei-s 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Boonville. 

Captain  Boyce  is  widely  known  throughout  the  county  and  he  is  uni- 
versally respected  as  a  gentleman  and  scholar.  He  and  Mrs.  Boyce  are 
numbered  among  Boonville's  best  and  most  prominent  citizens  and  they 
have  innumerable  friends  wherever  they  are  known. 

Captain  Harris  Cecil  Johnston,  of  the  Kemper  Military  School,  a 
prominent  and  highly  respected  young  citizens  of  Boonville,  was  born 
Feb.  12,  1883,  in  Boonville,  a  son  of  Col.  T.  A.  Johnston,  superintendent 
of  the  Kemper  Military  School,  and  Carolina  (Rea)  Johnston.  Captain 
Johnston  is  one  of  four  children  born  to  his  parents,  as  follows :  Rea  Alex- 
ander, the  present  major  of  the  Missouri  State  Reformatory  at  Boonville; 
Bertha,  the  wife  of  Major  A.  M.  Hitch,  of  Boonville;  Capt.  Harris  Cecil, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  and  Alice,  the  wife  of  Major  R.  J.  Foster,  of 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Captain  Johnston  is  a  graduate  of  the  Kemper  Military  School,  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1901,  and  he  was  a  student  of  the  Western  Reserve 
University  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  accepted  the  position  of  quartermas- 
ter at  Kemper  Military  School  in  1904,  succeeding  Major  Joseph  H.  Rea, 
and  this  position  he  has  most  capably  filled  for  the  past  15  years.  The 
quartermaster's  department  has  complete  charge  of  all  the  supplies  of 
the  school,  and  Captain  Johnston  is  a  most  efficient  officer.  In  addition 
to  his  regular  duties,  he  attends  to  the  finances  and  to  the  coaching  of  the 
athletic  teams  and  to  the  "booking"  of  games  with  outside  schools. 

June  27,  1905,  Capt.  Harris  Cecil  Johnston  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Georgia  Walker  Wooldridge  of  Boonville.  Mrs.  Johnston  is  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Osborne)  Wooldridge.  Dr.  Wool- 
dridge was  a  prominent  banker  and  grain  merchant  of  Boonville,  and  he 
is  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Wooldridge  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  with  her 
son.  J.  H.,  a  well-known  grain  merchant  of  that  city.  The  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wooldridge  are  as  follows:  Lula  B.,  of  Boonville;  Jay  H., 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  0.  J.,  a  grain  merchant  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Har- 
ris Cecil  Johnston,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review;  Jessie,  the  wife 


1046  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

of  Frank  Brosius,  of  Boonville ;  and  one  child,  the  eldest,  died  in  infancy. 
To  Captain  and  Mrs.  Johnston  have  been  born  two  children:  Marjorie 
Walker  and  Ann  Caroline. 

Captain  Johnston  is  a  deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a 
thorough,  able,  young  man,  and  he  is  held  in  the  highest  respect  by  all 
his  colleagues  and  acquaintances. 

Charles  F.  Lauer,  a  successful  and  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Boonville  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Lauer  was  born 
in  Boonville  township,  Oct.  10,  1868,  a  son  of  Erhardt  and  Frances 
(Tempfe!)  Lauer,  natives  of  Germany. 

Erhardt  Lauer  immigrated  to  America  in  1861.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Civil  War  and  served  throughout  the  conflict  with  the  Union  Army,  with 
Company  E,  5th  Missouri  Infantry.  He  was,  by  trade,  a  potter,  and  he 
was  employed  for  several  years  by  Mr.  Jeglin,  of  Boonville.  Later,  he 
purchased  a  farm  west  of  Boonville,  near  the  Missouri  Valley  coal  mines. 
He  died  in  1905  and  his  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  Walnut  Grove  Ceme- 
tery. Frances  (Tempfel)  Lauer  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in 
1845.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Fredericka  (Oswald)  Temp- 
fel. Mr.  Tempfel  was,  by  trade,  a  stonemason.  Mrs.  Lauer  now  resides 
in  Boonville.  She  is,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  73  years  of  age.  The 
children  of  Erhardt  and  Frances  Lauer  are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Julia  Mocks, 
deceased ;  Emma,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Charles  F.,  the  subject  of  this 
review ;  William  G.,  of  Boonville ;  Fred  W.,  of  Marshall,  Mo. ;  Henry  E., 
Ella  M.,  Oscar  G.  and  Arthur  C,  twins,  all  of  Boonville. 

Charles  F.  Lauer  attended  Westwood  School  in  Boonville  township. 
He  has,  since  leaving  school,  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 
Mr.  Lauer  was  on  the  home  place  for  24  years.  He  purchased  his  present 
farm  in  September,  1892,  a  place  comprising  114  acres  of  land  located 
six  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Lauer  has  himself  improved  this 
farm,  adding  all  the  buildings,  except  the  residence,  since  acquiring  the 
ownership  of  the  place.  The  land  is  well  watered  by  five  springs,  and  is 
well  adapted  for  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Lauer  raises 
cattle,  hogs,  horses  and  mules. 

March  6,  1901,  Charles  F.  Lauer  was  married  to  Delia  Woolery,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Wilkes)  Woolery.  Thomas  Woolery 
was  born  near  Pleasant  Green  and  now  resides  at  Bunceton.  He  is  75 
years  of  age,  at  the  time  of  this  writing  in  1919.  Mrs.  Woolery  was  born 
near  Springfield,  Mo.  She  died  about  20  years  ago,  and  her  remains  rest 
in  Mount  Nebo  Cemetery..  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woolery  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:   Mrs.  Charles  F.  Lauer,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1047 

this  review;  Mrs.  Mary  Johnson,  of  Pleasant  Green,  Mo.;  Allen,  of  Kan- 
sas Cityr  Mo.;  Samuel,  of  Bunceton;  Mrs.  Bessie  Reed,  of  Pleasant  Green; 
Minnie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  11  years;  and  Downing,  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator, now  residing  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Woolery  is  a  Confederate  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War.  He  served  throughout  the  conflict  with  Gen.  Sterling 
Price.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauer  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lorine 
Frances.  Mr.  Lauer  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelictl  Church,  and  Mrs. 
Lauer  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Lauer  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  modest,  unassuming  citizen,  a 
man  highly  regarded  by  all  who  know  him. 

Edward  Hasenbach,  a  prosperous  and  progressive  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Saline  township,  residing  on  the  F.  H.  Hobrecht  farm  of  160  acres, 
located  nine  miles  southeast  of  Boonville,  was  born  Feb.  8,  1882,  in  Cali- 
fornia, Mo.,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Emma  (Schmidt)  Hasenbach,  the 
former  a  native  of  Germany.  Mr.  Hasenbach  died  at  Boonville  in  Octo- 
ber, 1881,  a  few  years  after  coming  to  this  country.  His  widow  resides  in 
Bconville.  Frederick  Hasenbach  was,  by  trade,  a  tanner,  and  he  oper- 
ated a  tanyard  in  Boonville.  Edward  Hasenbach,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  the  only  child  born  to  his  parents. 

Mr.  Hasenbach  attended  Woodland  District  School  in  Saline  town- 
ship. Practically  all  his  life  he  has  been  interested  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  for  the  past  six  years  he  has  resided  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  56  acres  of  valuable  land  in 
Saline  township.  He  is  an  industrious,  honest  citizen,  respected  by  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

In  1907,  Edward  Hasenbach  was  united  in  marriage  with  Alma 
Hobrecht,  a  daughter  of  H.  A.  and  Nancy  Hobrecht,  of  Saline  township. 
The  great-grandparents  of  Mrs.  Hasenbach,  on  the  paternal  side  of  the 
family,  died  and  were  buried  in  Schmidt  Cemetery  in  Saline  township  in 
1844.  The  Schmidt  Cemetery  is  one  of  the  first  burial  grounds  estab- 
lished in  Cooper  County,  and  is  located  on  the  farm  of  Otto  Schmidt. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hasenbach  have  been  born  two  sons:  Harold  and 
Carl.  The  Hasenbachs  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  Mr.  Hasenbach  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows: 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hasenbach  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County,  and  they 
are  numbered  among  the  county's  good,  substantial  citizens. 

Acrey  B.  Hurt,  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County, 
and  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  this  section  of  the  State.  He  was 
born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Sept.  27,  1864,  a  son  of  Acrey  and  Matilda 
(Rackaid)   Hurt,  both  natives  of  Virginia.     They  were  married  in  Vir- 


1048  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

ginia  and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1855,  settling  on  the  farm  where 
Acrey  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  lives.  The  father  served  in  the 
Home  Guards  during  the  Civil  War,  and  followed  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing throughout  his  life.  He  met  with  success,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  land.  He  died  in  1882,  and  was  sur- 
vived by  his  widow  a  number  of  years.  She  died  in  1898.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Mrs.  Jeanette  Arnold,  Boonville ; 
Andrew  W.,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Benjamin  F.,  Clinton;  Arbell,  Moni- 
teau County;  Mrs.  Annie  E.  Copas,  Jefferson  City;  Newton  J.,  deceased; 
Acrey  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Silas,  Boonville;  and  William  T., 
Pilot  Grove. 

Acrey  B.  Hurt  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, and  was  educated  in  the  district  school.  The  first  school  house  in 
his  district  was  a  log  structure,  which  stood  on  the  Hurt  farm.  The 
seats  were  made  of  split  logs,  and  it  was  a  typical  school  building  of 
pioneer  days.  It  was  abandoned  for  school  purposes,  however,  before 
Mr.  Hurt  was  old  enough  to  attend  school.  Acrey  Hurt  has  always  fol- 
lowed farming  and  stock  raising.  However,  during  the  last  year,  on 
account  of  poor  health,  he  has  rented  his  place,  but  still  retains  his  resi- 
dence there. 

A  number  of  Mr.  Hurt's  uncles  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Cooper  County.  Theodore  Hurt  came  here  in  1855,  and  another  uncle, 
Joseph  Hurt,  came  prior  to  that  date.  Another  uncle,  Osmus  Hurt,  set- 
tled in  Pettis  County  at  an  early  date. 

Mr.  Hurt  is  a  constant  reader,  and  keeps  himself  well  posted  on  the 
world's  current  events.  He  is  one  of  the  intelligent  and  substantial  citi- 
zens of  Cooper  County. 

Commodore  P.  Fairfax,  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  of  333  acres  in 
Lebanon  township,  and  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful  breed- 
ers of  horses  and  mules  in  this  section  of  Missouri,  is  a  native  of  Virginia. 
He  was  born  in  Wirt  County,  Va.  (now  W.  Va.),  May  1,  1852,  son  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  Fairfax,  who  were  the  parents  of  10  children,  five 
sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  still  living.  Of  these  but  two 
are  living  in  Cooper  County,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister, 
Mrs.  Melissa  Arnold,  who  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  Vermont.  In  1865, 
William  Fairfax  came  to  Missouri  with  his  family,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  this  county,  where  he  died  a  month  later.  He  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1803,  and  was  thus  73  years  of  age  at  his  death.    His  widow  died  in  1866. 

Commodore  P.  Fairfax  was  about   13   years   old  when  he  came  to 


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('.    P.    FAIRFAX 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1049 

Cooper  County  with  his  parents  in  1865.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm  which  his  father  had  bought  upon  coming  to  this  county,  completed 
his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has 
followed  all  .his  life,  and  with  gratifying  success.  He  married  when  21 
years  of  age,  and  then  bought  a  farm  near  Lebanon.  Sometime  later  he 
sold  that  farm  and  bought  one  of  300  acres  south  of  Lebanon,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  many  years,  in  1917  he  trading  that  place  for  the  farm 
of  333  acres  on  which  he  now  lives.  This  place,  in  1865,  when  Mr.  Fairfax 
came  to  Cooper  County,  was  owned  by  Jack  Newman,  whose  son  at  that 
time  was  sheriff  of  Cooper  County,  and  it  has  long  been  regarded  as  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  that  vicinity.  Mr.  Fairfax  has  made  numerous  im- 
provements, and  is  contemplating  more.  He  for  years  has  been  engaged 
in  the  breeding  of  horses  and  mules,  his  stable  including  both  saddle  and 
and  draught  horses  and  jacks  of  notable  strain.  One  of  the  latest  addi- 
tions to  his  stable  is  a  French  coach  stallion.  Mr.  Fairfax  is  a  democrat, 
and  has  ever  given  attention  to  local  civic  affairs.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Fairfax  has  been  twice  married.  In  1873,  he  was  married  to 
Emma  Kemp,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  who  in  1891  met  her 
death  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse  she  was  riding,  her  foot  being 
caught  in  the  stirrup.  To  that  union  were  born  seven  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Lester,  now  a  well- 
to-do  banker  at  Kansas  City ;  Willard,  who  is  farming  in  Morgan  County ; 
June,  wife  of  T.  G.  Lewis,  Kansas  City;  Thomas  L.,  head  of  the  schools 
at  Clifton  City ;  Forester,  living  in  western  Kansas ;  and  Elmer,  deceased. 
June  24,  1893,  Mr.  Fairfax  married  Margaret  Reed,  who  was  born  in  this 
county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  this  section  of  the  State, 
and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Homer,  who  is 
at  home  assisting  his  father ;  Lon  S.,  who  died  while  serving  in  his  coun- 
try's army  in  Europe  during  the  late  World  War;  and  Edith,  Jack,  Hugh, 
Nola.  and  Leta  May,  at  home. 

Lon  Stephens  Fairfax,  the  soldier  son,  whose  death  while  serving  as 
a  member  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe  has  put  a 
gold  star  in  the  service  flag  of  the  Fairfax  family,  was  born  in  this  county 
Feb.  2,  1896,  and  here  grew  to  promising  young  manhood.  Early  in  the 
course  of  this  country's  war  against  Germany  in  1917,  he  was  inducted 
into  the  National  Army,  and  was  assigned  to  Camp  Dodge,  Iowa,  for 
preliminary  training.  There  he  was  attached  to  Company  H,  351st  In- 
fantry   (Pioneer  Regiment),  56th   Division,  and   with   that  command   in 


1050  HISTORY  OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

August,  1918,  sailed  for  France,  his  division  arriving  just  at  the  time  of 
preparations  for  the  terrific  push  which  was  destined  to  bring  the  war  to 
an  end.  With  his  command  he  took  part  in  the  desperate  and  decisive 
battle  in  the  Argonne  Forest  in  September,  went  "over  the  top"  without 
receiving  a  scratch,  marched  then  with  the  victorious  army  to  Coblentz, 
and  was  on  the  front  when  the  armistice  was  signed  in  November.  His 
division  then  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  Occupation  in  the  Rhine  coun- 
try, and  he  was  there  serving,  when  on  Jan.  11,  1919,  he  was  stricken  with 
pneumonia.  His  condition  was  regarded  as  critical  from  the  start,  and 
eight  days  later,  Jan.  11,  1919,  he  died,  a  true  American  soldier  and  a 
loyal  and  valiant  defender  of  his  country's  cause.  The  body  was  buried 
in  Coblentz,  Germany,  where  many  other  American  soldiers  sleep  amid 
the  poppies,  and  his  sorrowing  comrades  erected  a  stone  over  his  grave, 
and  there  devoted  a  wreath  to  his  memory — to  the  memory  of  a  gallant 
lad  who  relinquished  all  thought  of  self  when  his  country  called. 

Dr.  Hugo  H.  Buescher,  a  successful  dentist  of  Boonville,  is  a  native 
of  Warren  County,  Mo.  Mr.  Buescher  was  born  Oct.  28,  1896,  a  son  of 
Rudolph  and  Wilhelmina  (Hasenjager)  Buescher,  natives  of  Warren 
County. 

Rudolph  Buescher  was  born  in  1852,  a  son  of  one  of  Warren  County's 
most  honored  pioneers.  The  senior  Buescher  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
near  Hopewell,  Mo.  Wilhelmina  Buescher  was  born  in  1853.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Buescher  now  reside  in  Hartsburg,  in  Boone  County,  where  they 
moved  in  1896.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Louis, 
deceased ;  Josephine,  the  wife  of  Henry  Kluesmeyer,  of  New  Franklin, 
Mo. ;  John,  a  minister  of  the  Burlington  Evangelical  Church,  Burlington, 
Iowa;  Herman  and  Robert,  who  died  in  infancy;  Edward,  a  prosperous 
farmer  near  Hartsburg,  Mo.;  Meta,  the  wife  of  Frank  Backhorst,  of 
Hartsburg;  Alina,  the  wife  of  Frank  Osterloh,  a  farmer,  near  Harts- 
burg; Otto,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Hartburg;  Oscar,  who  en- 
listed in  the  service  of  the  United  States  in  May,  1918,  and 
reached  France  in  August,  1918,  was  at  the  front  when  the 
armistice  was  signed,  has  been  in  active  service  for  many  months,  and 
has  escaped  unharmed,  and  is  now  with  his  company,  Company  F,  349th 
Infantry,  in  France,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1919 ;  Hugo  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Levonia,  the  wife  of  Julius  Meyer,  a  well-known 
farmer  near  Hartsburg,  Mo. 

Dr.  Buescher  obtained  his  elementary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Hartsburg.     He  later  attended  the  high  school  at  Columbia  and  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1051 

University  at  St.  Louis,  and  of  the  latter  institution  he  is  a  graduate,  a 
member  of  the  class  of  June  3,  1918.  He  opened  a  dental  office  at  Galla- 
tin, Mo.,  in  June,  1918,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year  he  was  called  into 
service,  as  he  had  enlisted  for  duty,  Dec.  21,  1917,  and  was  awaiting  call. 
Dr.  Buescher  was  sent  to  Camp  Pike,  where  he  was  kept  on  duty  until  he 
was  honorably  discharged  in  December,  1918.  While  in  service,  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  located  in  Boonville,  Jan.  1, 
1919,  coming  thence  from  Camp  Pike,  and  he  has  thus  far  established  a 
splendid  reputation,  and  is  meeting  with  exceptional  success.  Dr. 
Buescher  is  a  capable  practitioner  and  a  young  man  in  very  way  worthy 
of  all  the  success  which  will  attend  his  efforts. 

July  31,  1918,  Dr.  Huga  H.  Buescher  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Susie  Woodward,  of  Gallatin,  Mo.,  a  native  of  McFall,  Mo.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Buescher  have  made  many  friends  in  Boonville  and  Cooper  County  since 
their  recent  coming  to  this  locality,  and  they  are  highly  regarded  by  all 
who  know  them.  Dr.  Buescher  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of 
Boonville. 

Archie  L.  Farris,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Saline  town- 
ship, is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  pioneer  familier  of  Cooper 
County.  Mr.  Farris  was  born  March  10,  1876,  at  the  Farris  homestead  in 
Saline  township,  on  the  farm  a  part  of  which  is  the  present  home  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  a  son  of  William  P.  and  Almeda  S.  (Grubbs) 
Farris,  natives  of  Cooper  County. 

Eri  Mosley  Farris,  great-grandfather  of  Archie  L.  Faris,  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Cooper  County.  He  settled  on  the  farm  known  as 
the  Farris  home  place,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  interred  in  the  family 
burial  ground  on  this  farm.  Eri  Farris,  Jr.,  an  uncle  of  Archie  L.  Farris, 
now  resides  in  Pettis  County,  and  he,  at  the  advanced  age  of  90  years,  is 
still  active  and  alert,  mentally  and  physically.  William  P.  Farris,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1842.  He 
was  a  Confederate  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  He  served  under  Gen.  Ster- 
ling Price,  and  was  twice  imprisoned  at  Jefferson  City.  After  the  war 
ended,  Mr.  Farris  returned  to  the  farm  and  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1914,  and  his 
remains  are  interred  in  Clayton  Cemetery.  Almeda  S.  (Grubbs)  Farris 
was  born  in  1844  and  died  in  1901.  She  was  laid  to  rest  in  Clayton  Cem- 
etery. The  children  of  William  P.  and  Almeda  S.  Farris  are  as  follows: 
Emmet,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Lena  and  Nela,  who  died  in  infancy ;  James 
E.,  who  was  born  in  1874  and  died  in  1901 ;  Archie  L.,  the  subject  of  this 


1052  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

review;  William  A.,  an  auto  repairman  of  Boonville;  Nellie,  the  wife  of 
Waite  Finley,  of  Saline  township ;  Lydia  M.,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Edna  E., 
the  wife  of  Layton  T.  Mills,  of  Boonville ;  and  Annie  M.,  the  wife  of  George 
Brueckner,  of  Boonville. 

Archie  L.  Farris  attended  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County.  He 
was  a  student  for  one  year  at  Harper  Institute  at  Clarksburg,  Mo.,  when 
he  returned  to  the  home  place  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Farris  raises  Poland  China  hogs  and  pure-bred 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens,  having  of  the  latter  a  flock  of  150  hens.  Mr. 
Farris's  farm  comprises  128  acres  of  land  located  eight  miles  southeast 
of  Boonville,  and  is  known  as  the  "Maple  Dale  Farm."  On  this  place  are 
two  good  barns,  an  excellent  chicken  house,  a  machine  shed,  and  a  com- 
fortable residence,  built  in  1898,  all  improvements  placed  there  by  Mr. 
Farris. 

Oct.  19,  1898,  Archie  L.  Farris  was  married  to  Sadie  M.  Hobrecht, 
a  daughter  of  H.  A.  and  Nancy  J.  Hobrecht,  both  of  whom  are  residents 
of  Saline  township.  Mrs.  Farris  has  one  brother  and  one  sister  living: 
Frank  Elmer,  who  resides  on  the  Hobrecht  home  place  in  Saline  township ; 
and  Mrs.  Alma  B.  Hasenbach,  of  Boonville.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farris  have 
been  born  three  children:  Wilbur  S.,  Hargrove,  and  Raymond  E.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Farris  are  worthy  and  consistent  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  Mr.  Farris  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

For  nine  years,  Mr.  Farris  has  been  a  valued  member  of  the  School 
Beard  of  his  district.  He  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  educational 
matters  and  in  affairs  of  public  import.  He  and  Mrs.  Farris  are  highly 
regarded  among  the  best  families  of  Cooper  County. 

John  C.  Lohse,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  and  a  descendent  of  pioneer 
parents.  He  was  born  in  Prairie  Home,  March  31,  1876,  a  son  of  Fred 
and  Anna  (Smith)  Lohse,  both  natives  of  Germany,  who  settled  in  Prairie 
Home  township  some  years  prior  to  the  Civil  War.  When  Fred  Lohse 
first  came  to  this  county  he  worked  out  by  the  month,  and  continued  to 
do  so  for  several  years  before  he  was  able  to  invest  in  a  farm  of  his  own. 
He  spent  his  life  here  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising,  and  now  resides  on  the  old  home  place  at  the  age  of  76  years. 
His  wife  died  about  20  years  ago,  and  her  remains  are  buried  in  the 
Lutheran  Church  Cemetery  at  Clarks  Fork.  They  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:    Mrs.  Maggie  Kaiser,  deceased;  John  C,  the  sub- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1053 

ject  of  this  sketch;  Henry,  a  farmer  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Lena,  de- 
ceased; Martin,  a  farmer  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Ernest,  who  resides 
on  the  old  home  place;  Walter,  lives  at  Lone  Elm,  and  Willie  died  at  the 
age  of  14  years. 

John  C.  Lohse  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  His  farm  consists  of  160  acres, 
and  is  one  of  the  nicely  improved  and  well  kept  places  of  Clarks  Fork 
township.  It  was  formerly  the  Dorsey  place,  and  Mr.  Lohse  purchased 
it  in  1899.  He  has  just  completed  the  erection  of  a  10-rocm  brick  resi- 
dence with  all  modern  improvements,  including  electric  lights,  hot  and 
cold  water  system,  with  furnace  heat.  This  is  one  of  the  fine  residents 
of  this  section  of  the  county.  There  are  three  barns  on  the  Lohse  place, 
all  of  which  are  commodious  and  conveniently  arranged.  Mr.  Lohse  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  raises  hogs  and  cattle  extensively. 

John  C.  Lohse  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nora  Fricke,  of 
Clarks  Fork  township.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Minnie  Fricke. 
The  father  is  now  deceased,  and  the  mother  lives  in  Carks  Fork  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Lohse  is  one  of  three  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others 
being  William,  who  resides  on  the  home  place,  and  Emma,  who  married 
William  Smith,  of  Bunceton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohse  have  been  born  the 
following  children :  Arthur,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years ;  Wilbur,  Grace 
Marie,  Bernice.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohse  reared  a  nephew,  Raymond  Kaiser, 
who  now  resides  with  the  Lohse  family. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohse  are  members  of  the  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran 
Church.  The  Lohse  family  are  well  known  and  highly  respected,  and 
Mr.  Lohse  is  a  citizen  of  genuine  worth  to  the  community. 

Robert  A.  Shannon,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks  Fork 
township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  resides,  April  26,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Elza  and  Mary 
(Miller)  Shannon. 

Robert  A.  Shannon  is  one  of  two  children  born  to  his  parents,  the 
other  one  being  Eliza  Miller  Shannon.  The  mother  died  in  1884.  and  to 
the  father's  second  marriage  the  following  children  were  born:  Martha, 
married  Vivian  Mills;  George,  Noye,  Louis  Minnie,  died  in  infancy,  and 
Maggie,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 

Mr.  Shannon  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cooper  County  and 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Chillicothe,  Mo.  He  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  and  in  1901  bought  the  Joel  Hurt  place.  Later  he  sold  that 
farm  and  bought  his  present  place  of  160  acres  in  1916.     This  is  a  well 


1054  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

improved  place,  with  a  good  two-story,  10-room,  modern  residence.  The 
place  is  equipped  with  an  acetylene  lighting  system,  and  is  modern  in  every 
particular.  There  is  one  large  barn,  40x40  feet  on  the  place  and  other 
farm  buildings.  The  place  is  well  watered  aand  nicely  adapted  to  stock 
raising  as  well  as  general  farming.  Mr.  Shannon  raises  Duroc  Jersey  hogs 
extensively,  and  has  also  made  a  success  of  breeding  Galloway  cattle.  He 
also  raises  pure-bred  Rhode  Island  chickens. 

In  1901,  Robert  A.  Shannon  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Eldredge,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  C.  Eldredge,  of  Prairie  Home  township.  Mrs.  Shan- 
non is  one  of  the  following  children  born  of  her  parents:  Dr.  James  El- 
dredge, Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Lucy,  married  Newton  Cunningham,  and  resides 
in  Texas ;  Bessie,  married  Milton  Cunningham,  Boonville ;  Olive,  married 
Leslie  Laws,  they  reside  in  Oklahoma;  Charles  C,  Jr.,  Boonville;  Anna, 
wife  of  Robert  A.  Shannon,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Dorothy,  married 
Fred  Bear,  Vernon  County ;  Sarah,  married  Asa  Williams,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. ; 
Louisa,  married  David  Hurt,  Boonville.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  A.  Shan- 
non have  been  born  four  children  as  follows:  Norman  Laura,  Mary  and 
Gilbert. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shannon  are  members  of  the  Walnut  Grove  Christian 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen.  He  is  for  good  schools,  good 
roads,  and  stands  ever  ready  to  give  his  support  to  any  movement  which 
has  for  its  object  the  betterment  of  the  community. 

One  of  the  historic  landmarks  of  Cooper  County  is  an  old  building 
which  stands  on  the  Shannon  farm.  It  was  built  nearly  100  years  ago. 
Colonel  McCulloch  owned  it  at  one  time,  and  he  sold  it  to  Steigleder,  and 
here  all  the  Steigleder  children  were  reared.  Louis  Earhart  bought  it 
later,  and  he  sold  it  to  Jennie  Portner,  who  sold  it  to  Mr.  Shannon.  It  is 
a  log  structure  and  in  later  years  was  clapboarded.  It  is  now  used  for  a 
corn  crib. 

Robert  William  Mills,  a  descendent  of  one  of  Cooper  County's  honored 
pioneer  families,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county.  He  was  born  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides  in  Saline  township,  Oct.  18,  1881,  the  son  of  Hunter 
N.  and  Mary  E.  (Thomas)  Mills.  Hunter  N.  Mills  was  also  born  in  Cooper 
County,  and  was  a  son  of  Henry  W.  Mills,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  July 
27,  1815,  and  died  Feb.  12,  1898.  He  was  a  prominent  pioneer  of  Cooper 
County  and  became  prosperous. 

Hunter  N.  Mills  was  reared  in  Saline  township,  and  was  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1055 

owner  of  500  acres  of  land.  He  married  Mary  E.  Thomas,  a  native  of 
Moniteau  township,  Cooper  County.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Martha  G.  (Ellis)  Thomas,  natives  of  Virginia,  and  early  settlers  in  Cooper 
County.  Hunter  N.  Mills  died  in  1915,  and  his  wife  died  in  1912.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mabel,  married  D.  L.  Rogers, 
Boonville;  Irene,  married  J.  P.  Kaiser,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Robert  W., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Garland,  died  at  the  age  of  one  year;  Vivian  H., 
resides  in  Saline  township;  Vera,  Axil,  Colo.;  and  Elvira,  married  Louis 
James,  Axil,  Colo. 

Robert  W.  Mills  was  educated  in  the  Fairview  School  District  and  the 
Boonville  High  School.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life's 
business,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  his  undertakings.  His  farm, 
which  is  known  as  "Edge  Hill  Farm,"  consists  of  350  acres  of  well  improved 
land  in  Saline  township.  He  had  a  fine  residence,  two  large  stock  barns, 
which  are  complete  in  detail,  and  also  a  silo  with  a  capacity  of  150  tons. 
Mr.  Mills  is  an  extensive  feeder,  and  feeds  about  two  and  a  half  carloads 
of  cattle  annually,  and  about  three  carloads  of  hogs  and  sheep.  He  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  is  a  practical  farmer,  as 
well  as  a  student  of  modern  progressive  farming  methods. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  Oct.  19,  1905,  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Logan,  a 
daughter  of  Hugh  and  Nancy  (Davis)  Logan,  of  Prairie  Home  township. 
Her  father  died  May  17,  1903,  and  her  mother  now  resides  on  the  Logan 
home  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township.  Mrs.  Mils  is  one  of  the  following 
children  born  to  her  parents :  John,  who  resides  on  the  home  place ;  Sallie, 
married  Aubrey  Mills,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Katie,  married  T.  B.  Jewett, 
Clarks  Fork  township ;  Katie,  married  T.  B.  Jewett,  Clarks  Fork  township ; 
Margaret  E.,  the  wife  of  Robert  W.  Mills,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Lucy,  married  William  Hunt,  North  Moniteau  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mills  has  been  born  one  child,  Robert  William,  born  Nov.  27,  1916. 

Mr.  Mills  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  is  a 
democrat.     He  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  progressive  citizens. 

H.  C.  Honerbrink,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
of  Prairie  Home  township,  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  was  born  in  Cleveland, 
Jan.  13,  1865,  a  son  of  Earnest  F.  and  Barbara  (Eisle)  Honerbrink.  They 
were  early  settlers  in  Cooper  County,  and  the  father  now  resides  in  Prairie 
Home  township,  at  the  age  of  78  years.  The  mother  died  April  20,  1914, 
and  her  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Boonville.  They  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  H.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Fred,  who  resides  in  Saline  township;  Lucy,  Saline  township;  Anna,  married 


1056  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Christ  Olendorf ;  Mary,  married  James  Crane ;  George,  lives  in  Saline  town- 
ship; Sophia,  married  Hogan  Freeman,  Saline  township;  Earnest,  resides 
on  the  home  place,  and  Herman,  died  in  infancy. 

H.  C.  Honerbrink  was  reared  in  Cooper  County,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  attending  the  school  in  the  Providence  district. 
He  has  made  farming  and  stock  raising  the  chief  occupation  of  his  life. 
He  purchased  his  present  place  in  Prairie  Home  township  in  1889,  and 
has  made  many  improvements,  and  brought  this  farm  up  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  The  place  contains  140  acres,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
valuable  farms  of  that  neighborhood.  Mr.  Honerbrink  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle  and  hogs  and  makes  a  specialty  of  Poland  China 
hogs. 

Mr.  Honerbring  was  united  in  marriage,  June  5,  1892,  with  Miss  Sophia 
Wehmeyer,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Lena  (Fiedler)  Wehmeyer,  early 
pioneer  settlers  of  Cooper  County,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs. 
Honerbrink  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Feb.  21,  1862.  Her  father, 
Peter  Wehmeyer,  was  a  Civil  War  veteran,  having  served  in  the  Union 
Army  for  three  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Honerbrink  have  been  born  three 
children,  as  follows :  Barbara,  married  Fred  Ohlendorf ,  of  Boonville ;  Ida, 
resides  at  home  with  her  parents,  and  Martha,  died  at  the  age  of  15  years. 

Mr.  Honerbrink  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  public  welfare  and  stands 
ever  ready  to  do  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  local  School  Board  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  Cooper  County's  progressive  citizens. 

Henry  Schuster,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  LaMine  town- 
ship and  owner  of  "Longview"  Farm,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County, 
and  belongs  to  a  pioneer  family  of  this  section  of  Missouri.  He  was 
born  in  the  township  where  he  now  resides  April  5,  1867,  and  is  a  son 
of  Mortiz  and  Rachel  (Hildebrant)  Schuster,  a  more  extensive  review  of 
whom  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Henry  Schuster  was  the  second  child  born  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  LaMine  township,  and 
attended  the  district  schools.  He  was  brought  up  to  the  life  of  a  farmer 
and  in  1888  engaged  in  farming  and  stockraising  on  his  own  account 
on  his  father's  farm.  Two  years  later  he  settled  on  the  place  where  he 
now  resides,  which  he  rented  for  seven  years,  when  he  bought  It. 
"Longview"  Farm  consists  of  120  acres  of  well  improved,  productive 
and  valuable  land,  and  here  Mr.  Schuster  has  been  successfully  carrying 


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MR.    AND    MRS,    HENRY    SCHUSTER 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1057 

on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  for  a  number  of  years.  Recently 
he  has  turned  his  attention  to  breeding  Duroc  Jersey  hogs,  and  is  mak- 
ing a  success,  of  this  field  of  endeavor. 

On  Sept.  23,  1888,  Henry  Schuster  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Viola  Belle  Phelps,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  LaMine  town- 
ship, April  23,  1869.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(White)  Phelps.  William  H.  Phelps  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  section.  He  was  born 
in  Boone  County  in  1832,  and  came  to  Cooper  County  sometime  in  the 
sixties.  Here  he  settled  on  a  farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  that  line  of  work.  He  died  in  1882.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  (White) 
Phelps,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1832  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Mo., 
in  1886. 

To  Henry  Schuster  and  wife  have  been  born  three  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Morris  H.,  born  Aug.  22,  1889,  a  farmer  in  LaMine  township, 
married  Henrietta  Gibson  of  Blackwater,  and  they  have  one  child,  Harold 
Gibson ;  Elmer  R.,  born  Nov.  21,  1890,  also  a  farmer  in  LaMine  township, 
married  Frances  Kincaid,  and  they  have  three  children,  Robert  H.,  Henry 
L.  and  Margaret;  and  Lealia,  born  Feb.  26,  1894,  married  Roy  Jeffress, 
LaMine  township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Helen  L.  and  Eva. 

Henry  Schuster  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Henry  County, 
and  the  Schuster  family  are  well  known  and  highly  respected. 

George  Viertel,  of  Boonville  township,  has  spent  practically  all  his  life 
in  Cooper  County,  and  has  been  identified  with  this  section  of  the  State 
since  his  boyhood.  He  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Jan.  18,  1854,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Marie  (Schunch)  Virtell.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  came  to  America  at  about  the  age  of  15  years,  settling  in 
Baltimore,  Md.  He  was  married  in  that  city,  and  in  May,  1869,  came  to 
Cooper  County,  and  settled  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Boonville  on  the 
place  where  George  Viertel  now  resides.  He  improved  this  farm  and 
made  his  home  here  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1908.  His  wife  died 
the  same  year,  and  the  remains  are  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery, 
Boonville.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  John  F., 
Boonville  township ;  George,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Anna  K.,  deceased ; 
Lizzie  C,  Boonville;  William,  Boonville;  and  P.  P.,  Boonville. 

George  Viertel  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  in  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
where  he  received  his  early  education.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  with 
(5?.: 


1058  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

his  parents  when  he  was  about  15  years  of  age.  For  15  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Boonville.  He  built  the  bam  which  is 
now  owned  by  Thomas  B.  Robinson,  of  Boonville.  He  has  been  interested 
in  farming  during  the  greater  part  of  his  career,  and  has  owned  a  number 
of  valuable  farms  in  both  Cooper  and  Howard  Counties.  He  purchased  his 
present  place,  which  consists  of  40  acres,  the  same  being  his  father's  old 
homestead,  1915.  W.  B.  Miller  owned  the  place  for  a  number  of  years 
prior  to  the  time  that  George  Viertel  purchased  it.  This  is  one  of  the 
well  improved  and  valuable  places  of  Cooper  County.  The  place  is  equipped 
with  a  good  modern  cottage  and  other  suitable  farm  buildings.  ■  A  thrifty 
young  orchard  adorns  the  place,  and  everything  about  the  Viertel  farm 
bears  evidence  of  the  thrift  and  industry  of  the  owner.  Mr.  Viertel  gives 
special  attention  to  the  poultry  industry,  and  has  about  200  splendid 
Plymouth  Rock  and  Rhode  Island  Red  chickens. 

Dec.  18,  1889,  Mr.  Viertel  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mollie  Z. 
Fluke,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Julia  (Rector)  Fluke,  both  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  came  to  Missouri  in 
the  fifties.  He  was  killed  in  a  cyclone  at  his  home  in  Saline  township, 
June  5,  1917.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death,  having  departed  this  life 
in  1903.  Their  remains  are  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Overton,  Mo.  Mrs. 
George  Viertel  was  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents: 
Luallan,  deceased;  Troy  C,  resides  in  Oklahoma;  William  F.,  deceased; 
Harrison  B.,  deceased;  Mattie,  married  Arthur  Henry,  and  resides  in 
Sedalia ;  Ida  N.,  married  James  Brady,  Saline  township ;  and  Mollie  Z.,  the 
wife  of  George  Viertel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Viertel  was  born 
in  Saline  township,  Aug.  18,  1871,  and  was  reared  aand  educated  in  this 
county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viertel  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Laura  Elliot,  married  Bower  Hickman,  Boonville  township;  Vance  V., 
resides  at  home  wth  his  parents.  He  is  a  stenographer,  a  graduate  of  the 
Boonville  High  School  and  has  taught  several  terms  of  school. 

Mr.  Viertel  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  his  politi- 
cal allegiance  is  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  the  affairs  of  his  party,  and  was  a  candidate  in  the  party  primaries 
for  county  treasurer. 

Mr.  Viertel  is  one  of  the  younger  men  of  this  section  who  has  seen 
much  of  the  development  of  Cooper  County,  from  almost  its  primitive  state 
to  its  present  greatness.  His  father  owned  the  first  wagon  which  was 
equipped  with  a  brake  in  Cooper  County.     In  those  days  it  was  considered 


HISTORY    OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1059 

an  extraordinary  vehicle,  and  was  frequently  used  as  a  hearse  in  the  pioneer 
days. 

Harry  J.  Muntzel,  a  progressive  young  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clarks 
Fork  township,  was  born  in  the  township  where  he  now  resides  on  Nov. 
29,  1888,  and  is  a  descendent  of  Cooper  County  pioneer  parents.  He  is  a 
son  of  Albert  and  Margaret  (Schmidt)  Muntzel.  Albert  Muntzel  was  born 
in  Germany,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when  he  was  12  years 
of  age.  The  family  first  settled  in  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.,  and  from  there 
came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  being  early 
settlers  in  that  locality.  Albert  Muntzel  was  a  hard-working  and  frugal 
citizen,  and  contributed  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  rearing  his  family 
and  improving  and  bettering  their  condition.  He  died  in  1905,  his  wife 
having  preceded  him  in  death  about  10  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Albert,  Portland,  Ore. ;  M.  W.,  St.  Louis ;  Ed.,  Boone- 
ville ;  Clare,  married  H.  E.  Trampe,  St.  Louis  County ;  Julia,  married  George 
H.  Meyer ;  Lillie,  resides  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Meyer,  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship; Caroline,  married  George  H.  Fricke;  Harry  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Delia,  resides  in  St.  Louis  County;  Lizzie,  deceased;  and  Leonard, 
died  in  infancy. 

Harry  J.  Muntzel  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship and  attend  the  local  district  school.  Later  he  took  a  course  in  the 
Gem  City  Business  College  at  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1909. 
About  a  year  later  he  purchased  his  present  place  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship from  his  brother,  Ed.  Muntzel.  This  is  one  of  the  well-kept  and 
highly  productive  farms  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  It  consists  of  112% 
acres,  with  good,  modern  and  substantial  improvements.  The  farm  resi- 
dence is  a  six-room  cottage,  and  the  other  farm  buildings,  including  two 
barns  and  a  silo,  are  well  arranged  for  convenience  and  facilitating  modern 
agricultural  methods.  Mr.  Muntzel  has  made  a  marked  success  as  a 
breeder  of  Hereford  cattle,  Chester  White  hogs,  and  Percheron  horses,  and 
is  the  owner  of  some  very  valuable  registered  animals. 

Harry  J.  Muntzel  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Minnie  Fricke,  in 
December,  1911.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Caroline  Fricke,  well 
known  and  highly  respected  residents  of  Clarks  Fork  township.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Muntzel  have  been  born  three  children:  Erla  Harriette,  Ralph 
Edmund  and  Doris. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muntzel  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Evangelical 
Church  of  Clarks  Fork,  and  are  well  known  throughout  eastern  Cooper 


1060  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

County.  They  are  numbered  among  the  substantial  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  county. 

F.  H.  Bornhauser,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  near  Prairie 
Home.  Aug.  27.  1S84,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Caroline  (Schwaff) 
Bornhauser.  Benjamin  Bornhauser  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  came 
to  America  when  he  was  about  20  years  of  age.  He  was  an  early  settler 
in  Prairie  Home  township,  where  he  now  resides  at  the  age  of  73  years. 
His  wife  died  in  1905,  aged  54  years.  She  was  a  native  of  Moniteau 
County.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  C.  A.,  who 
resides  in  Evansville,  Ind. ;  John,  who  was  killed  in  an  automobile  accident 
in  1915,  at  the  age  of  35;  F.  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary,  married 
James  Longan,  and  resides  on  the  home  place ;  Maud,  married  J.  A.  Erhart, 
and  lives  in  Henry  County ;  and  Clara,  died  in  infancy. 

F.  H.  Bornhauser  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  Since  boyhood  he  has  been  interested  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  purchased  his  present  farm  from  W.  F. 
Johnson  in  1910.  The  place  consists  of  255  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  is 
located  12  miles  southeast  of  Boonville.  in  Prairie  Home  township.  It  is 
well  improved,  and  one  of  the  valuable  and  productive  farms  of  Cooper 
County.  It  is  an  exceptionally  well  adapted  place  to  stock  raising,  having 
an  abundant  supply  of  water.  Mr.  Bornhauser  is  extensively  engaged  in 
raising  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  and  has  met  with  unusual  success  in  this 
line  of  endeavor. 

Mr.  Bornhauser  was  united  in  manage  in  1911  with  Miss  Nellie 
Cochran,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  O.  W.  Cochran,  of  Gooch  Mills.  A  sketch  of 
Dr.  Cochran  appears  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Bornhauser  is  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing children  bom  to  her  parents:  William  Owen,  deceased;  Annie  Gray, 
now  Mrs.  Emmet  Oerly :  Samuel  Victor:  Nellie,  wife  of  F.  H.  Bornhauser. 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bornhauser  have  been  born 
five  children  as  follows:  Virginia.  Margaret,  Bernard  Owen.  Willie  Gray. 
and  Elizabeth. 

Mr.  Bornhauser  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He 
and  Mrs.  Bornhauser  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  are  reckoned 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

Grover  E.  Debo.  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  Boonville  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a  descendent  of  one  of  the  honored 
pioneer  families  of  this  section  of  Missouri.     Mr.  Debo  was  born  in  Boon- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1061 

villc  township,  April  22,  1884,  a  son  of  R.  P.  and  Mary  (Hippenstall) 
Debo,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  R.  P.  Debo  was  born  in  1832.  When  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  he  cast  his  lot  with  his  native  State  and  enlisted  in  the 
Confederate  Army,  and  served  throughout  the  entire  war.  He  served  in 
General  Pickett's  Division,  and  was  with  that  renowned  division  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg,  where  he  was  severely  wounded.  After  the  close  of  the 
war,  in  1866,  R.  P.  Debo  came  to  Missouri  and  first  settled  in  Howard 
County.  A  few  years  later  he  moved  to  Cooper  County,  settling  on  a  farm 
east  of  Boonville.  Later  he  removed  to  Livingston  County,  where  he  re- 
mained about  nine  years,  when  he  returned  to  Cooper  County.  Here  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  died  April  21,  1911.  His  wife  died 
July  23,  1889,  aged  49  years.  She  died  while  on  a  visit  to  her  old  home 
near  Lynchburg,  Va. 

Grover  E.  Debo  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  his  parents: 
P.  L.,  Mattie,  L.  C,  and  Grover  E.,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, and  the  following  are  deceased:  Gillie  Jane,  Julia  Mary,  Ida  Laura, 
and  Pearl.  Grover  E.  Debo  attended  the  public  schools  in  Cooper  County, 
and  later  took  a  course  in  a  business  college  at  Columbia,  Mo.  He  has 
made  farming  and  stock  raising  his  life  work,  and  has  met  with  very  satis- 
factory degree  of  success.  He  purchased  his  present  place  in  Boonville 
township  in  1909.  A  part  of  this  place  was  originally  the  old  G.  E.  Cham- 
bers farm,  and  a  part  of  it  belonged  to  the  Warren  MacFarland  place.  Mr. 
Debo  owns  140  acres,  which  is  one  of  the  well  improved  and  attractive 
places  of  Boonville  township.  The  residence  is  a  modern  structure  of 
eight  rooms,  and  was  built  in  1910,  and  the  place  is  well  equipped  with 
barns,  silo  and  other  suitable  buildings  for  carrying  on  farming  and  stock 
raising,  according  to  the  most  modern  and  approved  methods.  Mr.  Debo 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  and 
Hampshire  hogs. 

Aug.  5,  1908,  Grover  E.  Debo  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hattie 
M.  MacFarland,  a  native  of  Boonville  township,  born  March  15,  1883.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Warren  and  Malvina  (Wear)  MacFarland.  Warren  Mac- 
Farland was  born  in  Boonville  township,  Feb.  12,  1841,  and  died  July  21, 
1908.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War,  and  was 
a  farmer  and  stockman  all  his  life.  Malvina  (Wear)  MacFarland  was  born 
in  1844,  and  died  June  24,  1895.  The  MacFarland  family  are  numbered 
among  the  very  early  pioneers  of  Missouri.  Reuben  MacFarland,  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Debo,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  Mis- 
souri with  his  father,  Jacob  MacFarland,  in  1816.     They  settled  near  St. 


1062  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Genevieve,  and  in  1818  came  to  Cooper  County  and  entered  Government 
land  in  Boonville  township.  Reuben  McFarland  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  Boonville  township  and  his  remains  are  buried  on  the  old  MacFar- 
land  place,  and  Jacob  MacFarland  is  buried  at  the  same  place.  Mrs.  Debo 
is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents:  Mrs.  Mary  Eunice 
Mellor,  Millerton,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Elmira  Debo,  Boonville  township ; 
Mrs.  Mettie  Reed  Tellesferro,  Ardmore,  Okla. ;  and  Hattie  M.,  the  wife  of 
Grover  E.  Debo,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Debo  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Mary 
Malvina,  Grover  Glenn  and  Ethel  Louise.  Mr.  Debo  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Boonville,  and  the  Debo  family  are 
members  of  Bethel  Presbyterian  Church. 

Benjamin  Nicholas  Smith,  president  of  the  Missouri  Farm  Manage- 
agement  Association,  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bunceton 
Fair  Association,  proprietor  of  "Walnut  Dale  Farm"  in  Clark's  Fork  town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers  and  stockmen  in  Cooper 
County. 

"Walnut  Dale  Farm,"  situated  six  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
Bunceton,  was  bought  by  Nicholas  Smith,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  from  the  Fryer  heirs,  in  1866,  the  original  owner,  Fryer,  hav- 
ing lost  his  life  while  returning  from  California  in  the  days  of  the  gold 
excitement  following  the  days  of  '49.  The  Fryers  were  slave  owners,  and 
besides  the  big  brick  house  there  were  three  cabins  for  slaves  on  the  place 
when  Nicholas  Smith  bought  it.  The  "big  house"  was  erected  in  1835,  and 
was  constructed  from  brick  burned  on  the  place.  Chris.  T.  Smith  had  a 
herd  of  registered  Galloways.  At  the  Panama  Pacific  Exposition  at  San 
Francisco  in  1915,  Chris  T.  Smith  won  the  first  prize  on  blue  grass  taken 
from  the  park  of  50  acres  which  marks  the  approach  to  the  "big  house" 
at  "Walnut  Dale,"  this  beautiful  park  being  filled  with  walnut  trees  of 
ancient  growth,  from  which  the  place  takes  its  name.  At  that  same  expo- 
sition, he  also  won  first  on  a  sheaf  of  wheat  raised  at  "Walnut  Dale"  and 
second  on  Ben  Davis  apples  taken  from  the  fine  orchard  there;  and  in  1913 
won  the  grand  championship  on  single  and  10-ears  contests  at  the  Missouri 
State  Corn  Show  at  Columbia.  At  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at 
St.  Louis  a  sample  of  corn  from  this  farm  won  (in  conjunction  with  R.  B. 
Johnson  and  the  T.  W.  McFarland  farm)  the  gold  medal  on  an  exhibit  of 
Cartner  corn. 

Benjamin  Nicholas  Smith  was  born  on  "Walnut  Dale  Farm,"  March  2, 
1890,  son  of  Christ  T.  and  Ellen  Augusta  (Brandes)  Smith,  the  latter  of 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1063 

whom  was  born  in  New  Zealand.  Chris  T.  Smith  was  bora  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lone  Elm,  in  this  county,  a  son  of  Nicholas  Smith,  one  of  the  leading 
figures  of  his  day  in  Cooper  County,  and  succeeded  his  father  in  the  direc- 
tion of  "Walnut  Dale  Farm,"  even  as  his  son  has  now  succeeded  him,  three 
generations  of  the  family  thus  having  labored  to  bring  the  place  up  to  its 
present  high  standard.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  T.  Smith  are  now  living  retired  at 
Bunceton.  They  have  six  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Herman  Langkop, 
Elston,  Mo. ;  Benjamin  N. ;  Mrs.  Arthur  Smith,  of  Clarks  Fork  township ; 
Mrs.  Edward  Fricke,  of  Lone  Elm;  Mrs.  John  Roehrs,  of  Bunceton;  and 
Esther  Marie,  living  with  her  parents  at  Bunceton. 

B.  N.  Smith  has  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  devoted  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  has  made  a  real  study  of  the  same,  and  has  thus 
come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  wideawake  and  progressive  young 
farmers  and  stockmen  in  Missouri.  He  received  his  early  schooling  in  the 
Jefferson  School  and  followed  this  by  a  course  at  the  State  Agricultural 
College  at  Columbia  and  University  of  Minnesota,  St.  Paul.  In  1909,  he 
won  a  scholarship  in  the  county  corn  judging  contest.  Upon  completing 
his  studies  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  "Walnut  Dale,"  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  developing  the  place,  which  he  now  owns,  and  of  which  he  has 
been  in  complete  charge  since  his  father's  retirement.  The  place  covers 
300  acres  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  is  well  improved,  in  addition  to 
having  one  of  the  best  tenant  houses  in  the  county  on  it,  being  equipped 
with  two  stock  barns,  an  ample  hog  barn  and  an  Indiana  silo,  14x37  in 
dimensions.  Though  his  father  made  much  of  the  herd  of  Galloway  cattle 
which  formerly  added  to  the  reputation  of  "Walnut  Dale  Stock  Farm." 
Mr.  Smith,  the  present  owner,  gives  his  particular  attention  to  registered 
Shorthorns,  and  has  a  fine  herd,  and  is  secretary  of  Cooper  County  Short- 
horn Breeders'  Association.  He  also  has  a  fine  lot  of  registered  Duroc 
Jersey  hogs,  the  start  of  which  he  gained  by  winning  a  prize  of  a  registered 
Duroc  in  a  Missouri  Farm  Management  Association  contest,  prize  given  by 
Longview  Farm,  Kansas  City,  seeking  to  ascertain  definite  information 
relating  to  records  of  farm  management  in  Missouri.  The  records  sub- 
mitted by  Mr.  Smith  covering  his  system  of  farm  management  won  for 
him  second  place  in  the  State  contest.  Mr.  Smith  is  ably  and  intelligently 
assisted  by  his  wife  in  his  stock  operations,  and  the  latter  has  a  fine  flock 
of  Mammoth  Bronze  turkeys  and  125  Brown  Leghorn  chickens.  Mr.  Smith 
also  has  an  excellent  herd  of  registered  Shropshire  sheep. 

Sept.  2,  1916,  Benjamin  Nicholas  Smith  was  married  to  Zula  Erma 
Smith,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  P.  F.  and  Margaret 


1064  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Ida  (Cordry)  Smith,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Cooper  County,  mem- 
bers.of  pioneers  families,  and  who  are  now  living  in  Lebanon  township. 
P.  F.  Smith  was  born  at  Otterville,  where  his  mother,  Mrs.  Nancy  Ellen 
Smith,  is  still  living,  being  now  in  the  92nd  year  of  her  age.  His  wife 
was  born  near  New  Lebanon.  To  them  10  children  were  born,  as  follows : 
Harry  Alonzo,  deceased;  Mrs.  T.  A.  Nelson,  Jr.,  Bunceton;  Mrs.  W.  C. 
Lewis,  St.  Louis;  Hunter  F.,  who  is  at  home;  Homer  W.,  also  at  home; 
Mrs.  Benjamin  N.  Smith ;  Hubert  L.,  Speed ;  and  Mary  Augusta,  William 
Herschell,  and  Harold  Vincil,  at  home.  Mrs.  B.  N.  Smith  received  her 
early  schooling  in  the  public  school  at  West  Fork  and  supplemented  this 
by  a  literary  course  at  Missouri  Valley  College  at  Marshall.  She  then  took 
a  course  in  the  Washington  University  Art  School  at  St.  Louis,  where  she 
gave  special  attention  to  the  details  of  china  painting,  and  has  since  done 
some  very  handsome  work  in  that  line,  a  number  of  pieces  in  her  home 
collection  revealing  true  artistry  and  a  real  delicacy  of  both  conception 
and  touch.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Milton  McGee  McCarty,  justice  of  the  peace,  a  former  merchant  of 
Clifton,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  bank  there,  for- 
merly postmaster  at  Pleasant  Green,  and  in  other  ways  for  many  years 
actively  identified  with  that  part  of  the  county,  now  living  retired  at 
Clifton  City,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  what 
then  was  known  as  the  W.  D.  Muir  farm,  near  Boonville,  Oct.  6,  1850,  son 
of  W.  S.  and  Mary  (Ferguson)  McCarty,  who  were  among  the  well  known 
residents  of  Boonville,  and  both  long  since  deceased. 

W.  S.  McCarty  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1821,  son  of  Dennis  McCarty 
and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  who 
came  to  Missouri  with  their  family  in  the  early  days  and  settled  on  a 
farm.  Dennis  McCarty  and  wife  had  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  the  sons  being  Richard,  John  and  W.  S.,  the  first  named  of 
whom  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil  War. 
W.  S.  McCarty  grew  to  manhood  here,  and  after  his  marriage  settled  at 
Boonville,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  and  was  also  for  years 
a  mail  carrier,  having  charge  of  "star"  routes  out  of  Boonville  to  Fayette 
and  other  points  adjacent.  During  the  progress  of  the  county  fair  at 
Boonville  in  September,  1867,  he  was  running  a  hack  line  to  and  from  the 
fair  grounds,  and  on  Sept.  26  was  known  to  have  had  a  good  bit  of  money 
in  his  possession,  the  accumulation  of  fares  taken  during  the  day.  The 
last  seen  of  him  on  the  evening  of  that  day  was  when  he  bade  goodby  to 


M     M     McCARTY 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1065 

a  party  of  women  friends  whom  he  had  treated  to  ice  cream  in  a  Main 
Street  confectionery  store.  He  started  home  from  that  point,  but  did 
not  arrive  home,  and  the  next  day  his  body  was  found  in  a  downtown 
cellar,  the  supposition  being  that  he  had  been  murdered  for  the  money 
he  had,  though  no  one  ever  was  brought  to  justice  for  the  crime.  His 
widow  died  at  South  McAlester,  Okla.,  May  6,  1895,  she  then  being  76 
years  of  age.  She  was  born  at  Palmyra,  Mo.,  and  was  married  to  W.  S. 
McCarty  on  Dec.  19,  1843.  To  that  union  were  born  10  children,  of  whom 
but  two  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Mary, 
wife  of  J.  B.  Kline,  now  living  at  Clifton,  Ariz. 

Milton  R.  McCarty  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Allison  and  Kemper 
Schools  in  Boonville,  and  for  one  year  taught  school.  He  then  went  to 
Kansas  City,  and  presently  was  made  constable  for  Kaw  township  (that 
city),  his  service  being  in  connection  with  the  routine  of  the  common  pleas 
court.  In  1875,  he  engaged  in  railroad  work  in  a  clerical  capacity,  and 
after  awhile  was  made  foreman  of  the  railroad  yards  at  Moberly.  In 
1894,  Mr.  McCarty  left  the  railroad  service  and  located  at  Clifton,  where 
he  became  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business,  and  for  about  20 
years  conducted  a  store  there ;  in  connection  with  which,  during  the  Cleve- 
land administration,  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Pleasant  Green.  He 
helped  to  organize  the  bank  at  Clifton  City,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Clifton  City  Bank,  and  has  property  at  Clifton, 
where  he  is  now  living  retired,  having  practically  given  up  his  various 
business  activities  in  1914.  Mr.  McCarty  is  a  stanch  democrat,  and  for 
some  years  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  his  home  township.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church   (South). 

On  Dec.  28,  1875,  Milton  M.  McCarty  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lulu 
A.  Bridges,  who  was  born  near  Madison,  Ind.,  and  who  in  1873  had  come 
to  Missouri  with  her  parents,  Joseph  H.  and  Sarah  A.  (Bowman)  Bridges, 
both  natives  of  Indiana,  the  family  locating  in  Cooper  County,  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bridges  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Joseph  H.  Bridges 
was  born  Nov.  15,  1828,  and  died  on  Feb.  21,  1899.  His  widow  survived 
him  until  May  23,  1918.  She  was  born  on  Feb.  22,  1832.  Both  were 
members  of  pioneer  families  in  southern  Indiana.  To  Milton  M.  and 
Lulu  A.  (Bridges)  McCarty  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely: 
Douglas,  Chicago;  Minnie,  deceased;  Mrs.  Jennie  Cauthen,  Independence, 
Mo.;  Joseph  M.,  Ashland,  Ore.;  Arthur,  Kansas  City;  Clyde,  of  Ft.  Smith, 
Ark. ;  and  Wilbur  S.,  a  telegraph  operator  for  the  M.,  K.  &  T.  at  Clifton. 


1066  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

Wilbur  S.  McCarty  was  inducted  into  the  National  Army  early  in  1918 
for  service  in  the  World  War  and  served  for  five  months,  in  training  at 
Camp  Dodge,  Iowa,  attached  to  Company  17,  163rd  Depot  Brigade,  5th 
Battalion,  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  in  November,  1918. 

H.  G.  Brandes,  of  Boonville  township,  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stockmen.  He  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Nov.  24, 
1882,  a  son  of  Theodore  and  Mary  (Knorp)  Brandes.  Theodore  Brandes 
was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  at  an  early  age  with  his  parents, 
who  settled  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  and  his  wife  now  reside  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  where  they  have  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  for  many  years.  To  Theodore  and  Mary  (Knorp) 
Brandes  have  been  born  the  following  children :  George,  a  farmer  in  Clarks 
Fork  township;  H.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Emelia,  married  John 
Barron,  Bunceton ;  Nora,  married  John  Bomhauser,  Prairie  Home  township ; 
and  Stella,  married  Frank  Hale.  Prairie  Home  township. 

Theodore  Brandes  purchased  his  home  place  in  Clarks  Fork  township 
from  Wiliam  Pope.  He  improved  this  place  and  bought  more  land  until 
at  one  time  he  was  the  owner  of  583  acres.  Later  he  sold  a  part  of  his 
Tand  and  now  owns  313  acres. 

H.  C.  Brandes  was  educated  in  the  Ellis  School  District,  and  has  always 
followed  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  bought  his  present  place  in  Boon- 
ville township  in  1914.  The  place  consists  of  182  acres  of  rich,  productive 
land,  located  on  the  Jefferson  Highway,  six  miles  southeast  of  Boonville. 
This  land  was  formerly  owned  by  Berryot  Hurt,  who  sold  it  to  Joseph 
Rich,  who  later  sold  it  to  Thomas  Rich.  It  was  then  purchased  by  Fleming 
Hurt,  who  sold  it  to  H.  G.  Hurt,  from  whom  Mr.  Brandes  bought  it.  This 
place  is  well  adapted  to  both  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  150  acres 
of  it  being  bottom  land.  It  is  well  watered  with  one  never-failing  spring, 
and  Clarks  Fork  Creek  courses  its  way  through  the  place.  Mr.  Brandes 
raises  cattle  extensively,  and  also  red  hogs  and  Rhode  Island  Red  chickens. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and  practical  stockmen  of  the  county. 

Nov.  25.  1903,  H.  C.  Brandes  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lula 
Barron,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Virginia  (Hurt)  Barron.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brandes  have  been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Chlorene  Lois, 
Earl  M..  and  Mary  Virginia. 

The  Brandes  family  stand  high  in  the  community,  and  Mr.  Brandes  is 
one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of  this  county. 

J.  D.  Crain.  proprietor  of  the  old  Mai-inus  Lanjers  farm  of  340  acres 
in  Clark's  Fork  township,  a  substantial  farmer,  was  born  in  Warren  County, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1067 

Tenn.,  Sept.  18,  1863,  son  of  N.  C.  and  Margaret  (Lewis)  Crain,  the  former 
born  in  that  State  and  the  latter  in  Germany.  N.  C.  Crain  died  in  1899. 
His  wife  died  in  1893,  and  both  are  buried  in  Greenwood  Cemetery  in  War- 
ren County,  Tenn.  They  had  seven  children:  N.  B.  and  C.  C,  of  White 
County,  Tenn. ;  N.  C,  Oklahoma  City ;  J.  D. ;  B.  C,  of  Princeton,  Ky. ;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  James  Pffeifer,  Warren  County,  Tenn.;  Theodosia,  wife  of 
Samuel  Shockley,  Texas ;  and  Elvana,  wife  of  George  Simmons,  of  Van 
Buren  County,  Tenn. 

Reared  in  Tennessee,  J.  D.  Crain  received  his  schooling  in  the  public- 
schools  of  his  home  county,  and  took  up  railroading,  which  he  followed  28 
years,  and  in  1899  came  to  Cooper  County  and  bought  a  farm  in  Saline 
township.  Here  he  made  his  home  until  1918,  when  he  sold  the  place  and 
bought  the  Lebbing  heirs'  place,  where  he  now  lives,  formerly  the  Herman 
Lonjers  farm.  The  substantial  farm  house  was  erected  more  than  50  years 
ago,  and  is  in  good  condition.  Nearby  is  the  grave  of  Marinus  Lonjers, 
surrounded  by  an  iron  fence  and  neatly  kept.  The  headstone  notes  that 
Marinus  Lonjers  was  born  March  2,  1827,  and  died  on  June  28,  1874.  This 
farm  has  270  acres  of  bottom  land,  the  rest  being  upland,  and  has  two  sets 
of  improvements.  There  are  two  fine  springs  on  the  farm,  providing  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  water.  Mr.  Crain  raises  registered  Hampshire 
hogs. 

Mr.  Crain  has  been  twice  married.  In  1878  he  was  married  to  Abitha 
Moore,  of  Warren  County,  Tenn.,  who  died  in  1901.  To  that  union  were 
bora  three  sons,  John,  Arless  and  Edward,  all  connected  with  the  Wilson 
Packing  Company  at  Kansas  City,  the  latter  being  foreman.  Mr.  Crain's 
second  wife,  Mary  Honerbrink,  was  born  in  this  county.  To  this  marriage 
has  been  born  two  children ;  Tennie  and  James.  Mrs.  Crain  is  a  daughter 
of  Ernest  and  Barbara  Christina  Honerbrink,  the  latter  of  whom  died  on 
April  22,  1914,  and  is  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery,  Boonville.  Ernest 
Honerbrink  is  living  in  Saline  township.  He  and  his  wife  had  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Crain  was  the  last  bora,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Fred,  of  Boonville  township ;  Henry,  of  Saline  township ;  George,  of  Boon- 
ville township ;  Ernest,  of  Saline  township ;  Anna,  wife  of  Chris  Ohlandorf, 
of  Clark's  Fork  township ;  Sophia,  wife  of  Hogan  Freeman,  and  Lucy,  who 
is  living  in  Boonville  township.  Mr.  Crain  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

Andrew  Hagan  Windsor,  owner  of  "Fairview  Farm"  in  Boonville  town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  fanners  and  stockmen  of 
the  younger  generation  in  Cooper  County.     Mr.  Windsor  was  bora  in  Mon- 


1068  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

iteau  County,  Dec.  5,  1883,  a  son  of  Alfred  M.  and  Martha  Ann  (Renfrew) 
Windsor.  Alfred  Windsor,  the  father,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  and 
now  resides  near  Overton,  Mo.  Andrew  H.  Windsor  was  the  eldest  of  four 
children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others  being :  Charles  Owen,  James  Law- 
rence, and  Virginia  Mattenlee,  all  of  whem  reside  at  Overton,  Mo. 

Andrew  H.  Windsor  was  reared  in  Moniteau  County,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county.  He  is  a  practical  farmer 
and  stockman,  having  been  reared  and  trained  to  that  business  since  boy- 
hood. He  purchased  "Fairview  Farm"  in  March,  1919.  This  place  con- 
sists of  448  acres,  and  was  formerly  the  David  Smith  farm.  It  is  a  well 
improved  and  productive  place.  The  farm  residence  is  an  imposing  brick 
structure  of  nine  rooms,  built  by  David  Smith,  five  of  the  rooms  of  the 
early  day  residence  being  equipped  with  wood  fire-places,  which  is  sugges- 
tive of  pioneer  times.  There  is  a  splendid  barn  on  the  place  which  was 
built  in  1918.  It  is  56x50  feet  in  dimensions.  Mr.  Windsor  raises  a  good 
grade  of  hogs  and  cattle,  and  in  the  near  future  he  expects  to  stock  his 
place  with  registered  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  Hereford  cattle. 

Andrew  H.  Windsor  was  united  in  marriage  Feb.  19,  1918,  with  Miss 
Grace  Maud  Allen,  of  Overton,  Mo.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Addie 
Allen,  who  now  reside  at  Overton.  Mrs.  Windsor  is  one  of  the  following 
children  born  to  her  parents :  Mary,  married  Troy  Niel,  Boonville ;  Norel, 
married  W.  B.  Lann,  Overton ;  Bessie,  married  W.  M.  Drehl,  who  is  now  in 
United  States  Army  in  France,  and  Grace  Maud,  wife  of  Andrew  H.  Wind- 
sor, the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Windsor  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial 
young  men. 

William  Loesing,  a  well  established  young  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, and  owner  of  a  fine  farm,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was 
born  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  March  4,  1888,  son  of  August  and  Laura 
(Faulter)  Loesing,  the  former  of  whom  is  living  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 

August  Loesing  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County,  Aug.  19,  1862,  son  of 
William  Loesing.  William  Loesing  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  and  died 
while  in  service.  His  widow  married  again,  and  is  living  in  St.  Louis. 
August  Loesing  has  been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  for  many  years  on 
his  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  His  wife  died  Feb.  10,  1916,  and  is 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Lone  Elm.  They  were  the  parents  of  12  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  save  two,  Minnie  and  Edgar,  the  others  being 
as  follows :  Lena,  wife  of  H.  H.  Fahenbrink ;  Fred,  in  Oklahoma ;  William, 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1069 

the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Bruno,  Clarks  Fork  township;  Christina,  at 
home  with  her  father ;  Henry,  an  assistant  to  his  father ;  Peter,  farming  in 
Clarks  Fork 'township,  and  Lizzie,  Julia  and  Emily,  at  home. 

William  Loesing  has  always  been  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He 
received  his  schooling  in  the  parochial  school  at  Lone  Elm  and  the  public 
school  at  Bunceton,  and  in  the  fall  of  1915  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count. In  1917,  he  bought  the  farm  of  154  acres  on  which  he  is  now  liv- 
ing. This  farm  was  formerly  owned  by  Matthew  McDowel  for  41  years. 
About  110  acres  of  it  is  rich  bottom  land  on  the  Petite  Saline.  Mr.  Loesing 
has  made  a  number  of  impi-ovements,  including  fencing,  and  he  also  drilled 
a  well  100  feet  in  depth.  He  has  a  good  bunch  of  registered  Poland  China 
hogs,  35  head  of  sheep,  and  contemplates  engaging  in  the  raising  of  live 
stock  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  His  wife  has  about  300  chickens,  and  is 
making  a  specialty  of  pure-bred  Orpingtons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loesing  have 
plans  in  hand  for  further  improvements  on  the  place,  and  are  bending 
their  energies  in  that  direction. 

Nov.  25,  1915,  William  Loesing  was  married  to  Dora  Carl,  also  of  that 
township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Delphia  and  Wilbur.  Mr.  Loesing 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Lone  Elm,  and  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Church  at  Boonville.  Mrs.  Loesing  is  a  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Amelia  (Witthar)  Carl,  of  "Woodland  Farm,"  in  Clarks 
Fork  township. 

H.  M.  King,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  township,  was 
born  on  his  present  place,  Aug.  5,  1876.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Annie 
(Nohrnberg)  King,  both  natives  of  Holland.  Jacob  King,  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  community  in  which  he  settled  after  his  marriage, 
bought  a  quarter  of  a  section  of  timber  land  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 
His  was  the  first  piece  of  land  cleared  in  that  community,  and  he  set  out 
the  first  orchard  in  that  section  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  a  cabinet 
maker  and  at  nights  and  odd  times  while  living  on  the  farm  followed  that 
trade.  Some  of  the  furniture  he  made  for  his  home  use,  particularly  a 
"safe"  and  a  writing  desk,  are  still  held  by  his  son,  H.  M.  King,  and  are 
greatly  prized  by  him  and  his  family.  Jacob  King  and  his  wife  died  on  that 
farm  and  are  buried  in  Clarks  Fork  Cemetery.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  as  follows:  J.  W.  King,  part  owner  of  the  old  home  place; 
C.  F.  King,  Clarks  Fork  township;  H.  M. ;  and  Sophia  and  Anna,  deceased. 

H.  M.  King  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  has  always  followed  farming. 
He  received  his  schooling  in  the  old  Washington  School.  This  district  has 
the  honor  of  being  the  leading  rural  school  district  in  Cooper  County,  it 


1070  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

having  been  the  first  district  in  the  county  to  win  a  certificate  in  Class  1, 
and  much  credit  for  this  distinction  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  King  and 
his  brother.  Upon  reaching  manhood's  estate,  Mr.  King  continued  on  the 
home  farm.  In  1918,  he  and  his  brother,  J.  W.  King,  bought  the  home 
place,  H.  M.  King  buying  the  south  portion  of  115  acres,  on  which  he  has 
since  done  much  in  the  way  of  improvement.  Twenty-five  acres  of  the 
farm  is  bottom  land,  the  remainder  being  second  bottom  and  upland,  and 
is  well  watered  for  stock  purposes  by  excellent  living  springs.  The  build- 
ings are  of  good  construction  and  include  a  modern  type  poultry  house,  to 
which  latter  Mrs.  King  gives  her  special  attention,  having  for  years  been 
one  of  the  most  successful  poultry  fanciers  in  that  neighborhood,  her 
pure-bred  Black  Langshans  having  a  high  reputation. 

Nov.  30,  1904,  H.  M.  King  was  married  to  Mary  Smith,  who  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born, 
Josephine  and  Irving,  who  are  at  home,  and  Mary  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
King  was  born  in  1877,  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Josephine  (Kloeckner) 
Schmidt,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1883,  and  is  buried  in  Clarks  Fork 
Cemetery.  Leonard  Schmidt  is  living  at  Clarks  Fork.  He  was  born  in 
Germany  and  was  about  seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  who  located  in  Missouri  about  the  year  1856.  Leonard 
Schmidt  has  been  thrice  married.  By  his  union  with  Josephine  Kloeckner 
he  was  the  father  of  six  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  King  being  Martin 
and  Leonard,  who  live  at  Crockett,  Texas;  Caroline,  wife  of  R.  L.  Stieg- 
leder ;  Emma,  wife  of  F.  E.  Klug,  of  Denver,  Colo. ;  and  Anna,  at  home. 
His  second  wife  was  Ida  Renken,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one  child, 
John  Smith,  Clarks  Fork  township.  Mr.  Schmidt's  third  wife  was  Kalie 
Siegel,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mrs.  Flora 
Bridges,  deceased;  Ailene,  at  home;  Elmer,  farmer,  Clarks  Fork  township; 
Harry,  same  township;  and  Siegel  R.,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  are 
members  of  the  Clark's  Fork  Lutheran  Church. 

Homer  L.  Carpenter,  a  wideawake  young  farmer  of  Prairie  Home 
township,  and  joint  owner  with  his  elder  brother,  Warren  E.  Carpenter, 
of  "Meadow  Brook  Farm,"  a  fine  place  on  the  Prairie  Home-Bunceton  rOad, 
on  which  farm  the  brothers  maintain  separate  establishments,  was  born 
in  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Pisgah,  May  30,  1888,  son  of 
George  A.  and  Mary  McCune  (McCulloch)  Carpenter,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  in  1911,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living,  one  of  Clarks  Fork 
township's  best  known  and  substantial  residents. 

Homer  L.  Carpenter  received  his  schooling  in  the  Ellis  School  District 
and  continued  his  activities  on  the  home  farm  until  in  1909,  when  his 


HISTORY    OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1071 

father  transferred  to  him  and  his  brother  Warren  the  valuable  tract  com- 
prised in  "Meadow  Brook  Farm,"  which  he  has  since  been  cultivating,  and 
on  which,  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1910,  he  established  his 
home.  All  the  improvements  on  that  portion  of  "Meadow  Brook"  looked 
after  by  him  have  been  made  since  he  came  into  possession,  these  including 
a  substantial  residence,  a  good  barn,  granaries,  garage  and  the  like,  all 
bespeaking  the  progressive  character  of  the  owner.  The  place  is  well 
drained  and  has  an  ample  water  supply.  During  the  current  year  (1919) 
Mr.  Carpenter  has  120  acres  in  wheat.  The  whole  farm  is  under  cultiva- 
tion. Mr.  Carpenter  also  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
livestock.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Carpenter,  at  one  time  owned  1,300 
acres  of  land  in  that  vicinity  and  the  Carpenters  have  thus  for  three  gen- 
erations been  carrying  on  extensive  agricultural  operations  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, the  family  from  pioneer  days  having  been  substantial  and  influ- 
ential. 

May  18,  1910,  Homer  L.  Carpenter  was  married  to  Bessie  Virginia 
Hurt,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Helen  Virginia,  Forest  Lee  and  Lucy  M.  Mrs.  Carpenter 
was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township  in  1890,  daughter  of  Boone  Hurt,  who 
is  now  living  at  Pleasant  Green,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools ;  she 
and  her  husband  have  known  each  other  since  childhood.  Mr.  Carpenter 
is  a  democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  Pisgah  Baptist  Church. 

Theodore  L.  Brandes,  who  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  in  North  Moniteau  township,  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  township  in 
1879.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Smith)  Brandes,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  Charles  Brandes  was  a  successful  farmer  of  Cooper  County. 
He  died  Jan.  22,  1912,  aged  68  years,  9  months,  29  days,  and  his  remains 
are  buried  at  Lone  Elm.  His  widow  now  resides  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
A.  C.  Brandes,  in  North  Moniteau  township. 

Theodore  L.  Brandes  is  one  of  11  children  born  to  his  parents.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  of  Clarks 
Fork  township,  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  all  his 
life.  He  bought  his  present  farm  in  1911.  This  is  a  well  improved  and 
productive  farm,  with  a  good  farm  residence  and  other  buildings.  The 
place  has  a  never  failing  water  supply,  and  is  well  adapted  to  both  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Brandes  raises  large  numbers  of  cattle  and 
hogs,  with  a  tendency  to  specialize  in  Galloway  cattle  and  Hampshire  hogs. 

Oct.  16,  1902,  Theodore  L.  Brandes  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  Hoerl, 
a  daughter  of  Martin  and  Ida  (Selck)  Hoerl.     Martin  Hoerl  was  born  in 


1072  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

Germany  in  1849,  and  immigrated  to  America  when  he  was  about  20  years 
of  age.  He  has  spent  his  life  engaged  in  farming,  and  now  resides  in  Clarks 
Fork  township.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  Germany,  born  July  6,  1852, 
and  came  to  America  when  she  was  a  young  girl.  She  died  June  17,  1896, 
and  her  remains  are  buried  at  Lone  Elm.  Martin  and  Ida  (Selck)  Hoerl 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  Theodore 
Brandes,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Laura,  married  John  Brandes;  Dora, 
married  William  Timm ;  Leonard,  resides  in  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Elmer, 
resides  at  Bunceton ;  and  Ida,  Martin  and  Walter  are  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Theodore  L.  Brandes  have  been  bom  four  children,  as  follows :  Arthur 
M. ;  Martin  L.,  died  in  infancy ;  Warren  E. ;  and  Porter  C. 

Mr.  Brandes  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  successful  men.  He  and  Mrs. 
Brandes  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Lone  Elm. 

Col.  Caleb  C.  Jones,  auctioneer,  farmer  and  stockman,  and  one  of  the 
best  known  citizens  of  Cooper  County,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  a 
mile  east  of  Pilot  Grove,  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
real  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  Oct.  28,  1872,  son 
of  George  C.  and  Anna  (Trent)  Jones,  the  former  of  whom,  one  of  the 
large  landowners  of  Cooper  County,  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Anna  Jones  died 
in  1909.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  those  beside  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  being  Addie  M.,  who  married  George  H.  McElroy,  and  is  now 
deceased ;  Dr.  George  C.  Jones,  a  Pilot  Grove  dentist ;  Marie,  wife  of  M.  L. 
Jones,  of  Blackwater  township;  Nancy  T.,  wife  of  Archibald  McGuire,  of 
Blackwater  township;  and  Woodson  T.,  also  of  Blackwater  township. 
George  C.  Jones  is  a  son  of  Caleb  Jones,  the  pioneer,  who  came  to  this 
county  from  Kentucky  in  1826,  and  started  a  store  at  Arrow  Rock.  From 
that  beginning  Caleb  Jones  gradually  branched  out,  as  his  affairs  pros- 
pered, becoming  merchant,  banker,  farmer  and  stockman,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1883  was  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in  Cooper  County. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Caleb  C.  Jones  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  local  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  in 
Blackwater  township,  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  Wil- 
liam F.  Johnson  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  From  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  Mr.  Jones  has  given  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of 
live  stock,  and  has  been  successful  in  that  line.  His  first  load  of  stock  was 
shipped  from  Pilot  Grove  in  1898.  Of  late  he  has  been  giving  special 
attention  to  the  breeding  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  his  place  is  well  equipped 
for  the  purpose.  He  is  renting  a  farm  of  212  acres,  known  as  the  Mrs. 
John  Lee  farm,  one  mile  northeast  of  Pilot  Grove,  in  the  township  of  that 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  1073 

name,  and  also  owns  140  acres  of  land  in  Blackwater  township.  In  1914, 
Mr.  Jones  began  crying  public  sales,  both  farm  and  stock,  a  department 
of  endeavor  for  which  from  the  start  he  displayed  peculiar  aptitude,  and 
his  success  in  that  line  by  the  common  consent  of  neighborhood  brevetry 
has  earned  for  him  the  title  of  "Colonel,"  by  which  he  is  widely  known 
throughout  the  county.  Colonel  Jones  is  a  democrat,  and  fraternally  is 
affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Pilot  Grove. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

In  October,  1901,  Caleb  C.  Jones  was  married  to  Lavinia  Burns,  who 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  have  been  bom  five  chil- 
dren, Virginia,  Caleb  C,  Jr.,  Lavinia,  Ruth  and  Robert  Burns.  Mrs. 
Jones  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  county. 
She  was  born  in  New  Lebanon  township,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Vir- 
ginia (Weedin)  Burns,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter 
of  Virginia,  who  had  come  here  with  their  respective  parents  in  the 
earlier  days.  During  the  Civil  War,  Robert  Burns  served  as  a  soldier  of 
the  Union,  enlisting  at  Boonville,  and  was  one  of  the  youngest  soldiers  in 
the  service.  He  died  in  1917,  having  lived  to  be  past  the  traditional  three 
score  and  ten.  His  widow  is  now  Jiving  in  Kansas  City,  and  is  about  70 
years  of  age. 

Albert  Brandes,  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  of  130  acres  four  miles 
east  of  Bunceton  in  North  Moniteau  township,  was  born  on  that  farm, 
March  25,  1884,  son  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Schmidt)  Brandes,  both 
natives  of  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  with  her  son,  Albert, 
on  the  place  which  has  been  her  home  for  40  years. 

Charles  Brandes,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  on 
March  23,  1843,  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents  from  Germany,  the  family  first  locating  in  Iowa,  but  presently 
coming  to  Missouri  and  settling  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Theodore 
Brandes,  Sr.,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and  it  was  there  that  Charles 
Brandes  was  living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  Army  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  29th  Missouri  Volunteer 
Infantry,  attached  to  the  15th  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
with  that  command  served  until  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
During  this  three  years  of  service  Mr.  Brandes  participated  in  some  of  the 
most  difficult  campaigning  of  the  war,  and  was  with  Sherman's  army  on 
the  march  to  the  sea.  Among  the  other  commanders  under  which  he  served 
were  John  A.  Logan,  F.  P.  Blair,  P.  J.  Osterhaus  and  William  B.  Hazen.  At 


1074  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  this  county  and  resumed 
farming.  He  presently  married,  and  in  1879  established  his  home  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Albert,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  that  community.  He  died  Jan.  22, 
1912.  Mr.  Brandes  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at 
Boonville.  Margaret  (Schmidt)  Brandes  was  born  in  1840,  and  was  15  years 
of  age  when  she  came  from  Germany  to  this  country  with  her  parents  in 
1855,  the  family  locating  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Leonard  Schmidt, 
near  Clarks  Fork.  There,  Mrs.  Brandes's  parents  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days,  and  are  buried  in  Clarks  Fork  Cemetery.  Mrs.  Brandes  has 
been  twice  married  and  by  her  first  husband,  Christian  Fricke,  is  the 
mother  of  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Caroline  Alpers  and  Mrs.  Sophia  Rasmussen. 
To  her  union  with  Charles  Brandes  nine  children  were  born,  as  follows: 
Christian,  a  farmer  of  Moniteau  township ;  Mrs.  Margaret  King,  of  Clarks 
Fork;  Mrs.  Josephine  Pethan,  of  Clarks  Fork;  Mrs.  Emma  Langkop,  of 
Boonville ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brockamp,  of  Clarks  Fork ;  John  A.,  a  fanner  of 
North  Moniteau  township;  Theodore,  North  Moniteau  township;  Mrs. 
Dora  Fahrenbrink,  of  Clark's  Fork,  and  Albert.  Mrs.  Brandes  has  41 
grandchildren,  namely:  Carl  and  Edgar  Brandes;  Mrs.  Clara  Martin;  Clar- 
ence King;  Mrs.  Stella  Toellner;  Martin,  Myrtle  and  Carl  King;  Emile, 
Lydia,  Oscar,  Ernest,  Edgar  and  Edna  (twins),  Cordia  and  Walter  Pethan; 
Delia,  Alma,  Ada,  Lydia  and  Selma  Langkop ;  Belva,  Emelia,  Wilbur,  Her- 
man, Clara,  Bernardine  and  Leonard  Brockamp;  Alvin,  Lawrence,  Ilda, 
Arthur,  Warren  and  Porter  and  Norbert  Brandes;  Margaret,  Paul  and 
Carl  (twins),  and  Gertrude  Fahrenbrink,  and  Julius  and  Helene  Dorothy 
Brandes.  This  venerable  "mother  in  Israel"  also  has  nine  great-grandchil- 
dren, namely:  Mary  Lee,  Irma  Grey  and  Lucille  Martin,  Eleanor  Pethan, 
Norbert  Toellner,  Ruth  Mersey,  Leona  and  Lorine  Toellner  and  Dorsey  Ras- 
mussen. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Albert  Brandes  received 
his  schooling  the  local  schools,  and  as  a  young  man  continued  on  the  farm, 
gradually  relieving  his  father  of  the  burden  of  management,  and  in  1911, 
bought  the  place.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  farm,  Mr.  Brandes  has 
remodeled  the  house,  built  a  new  barn,  installed  a  local  water  plant  and 
put  up  minor  farm  buildings.  He  gives  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  live  stock. 

In  1911,  Albert  Brandes  was  married  to  Emma  Fahrenbrink,  who  also 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Julius  and  Helene  Dorothy.      Mrs.  Brandes  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1075 

Magdalene  (Schnack)  Fahrenbrink,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased,  and 
the  latter  of  whom  lives  with  her  son,  J.  J.  Fahrenbrink.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brandes  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

W.  H.  Morris,  one  of  the  well  known  and  substantial  farmers  of  North 
Moniteau  township,  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  North  Moniteau  township,  Aug.  6,  1871,  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  A. 
(Davis)  Morris,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  the 
former  in  Howard  County.  Hugh  B.  Morris  was  born  May  16,  1825,  and 
was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his 
parents,  Shadrack  Morris  and  wife,  who  settled  on  a  farm  one  mile  east  of 
of  Vermont.  Shadrack  Morris  was  a  son  of  Hammond  Morris,  a  Virginian, 
who  came  West  in  the  early  days  and  was  the  only  one  of  the  10  children 
of  his  father's  family  thus  to  emigrate.  Upon  coming  here  Hammond 
Morris  settled  on  what  is  now  the  John  McCulloch  farm,  where  he  died  and 
is  buried.  In  1917,  Judge  Boland,  of  Hillsville,  Va.,  a  cousin  five  times 
removed  of  W.  H.  Morris,  came  to  Cooper  County  on  a  visit  to  his  kinsfolk 
here  and  brought  with  him  a  letter  written  by  Hammond  Morris  from  Mis- 
souri to  his  relatives  in  the  East  more  than  100  years  ago,  together  with 
other  papers  of  interest  concerning  the  Virginia  Morrises.  Shadrack  Mor- 
ris spent  his  last  days  in  this  county  and  was  buried  on  what  is  now  the 
John  Bear  farm.  His  son,  Hugh  B.  Morris  grew  up  here  and  became  a 
substantial  farmer.  He  died  Aug.  6,  1908,  in  his  84th  year,  and  is  buried 
in  the  Baptist  Churchyard  at  Pisgah.  Hugh  B.  Morris  was  twice  married, 
and  by  his  first  wife,  Mary  Wiley,  was  the  father  of  two  sons,  L.  A.  and 
A.  W.  Morris,  the  former  of  Kelly  township  and  the  latter  of  Bunceton. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  sons,  Hugh  B.  Morris  married  Juda 
A.  Davis,  who  was  born  in  Kelly  township,  Oct.  18,  1833,  and  to  this  union 
were  born  eight  children:  J.  O.  Morris,  a  farmer,  North  Moniteau  town- 
ship ;  Mrs.  L.  C.  Yancey,  of  that  same  township ;  T.  H.  Morris,  North  Moni- 
teau township ;  Judge  G.  W.  Morris,  Snode  Morris  and  B.  L.  Morris,  of  the 
same  township;  W.  H.,  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Hurt,  North  Moniteau  township. 
Mrs.  Juda  Morris  died  Nov.  8,  1918,  in  the  86th  year  of  her  age. 

W.  H.  Morris  received  his  schooling  in  the  Pisgah  schools,  and  as  a 
young  man  continued  helping  develop  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage  at 
the  age  of  24  years,  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1906 
Mr.  Morris  bought  from  N.  A.  George  the  farm  of  200  acres  where  he  has 
since  lived,  and  which  he  has  greatly  improved,  these  improvements  includ- 
ing a  new  barn,  50x60  feet,  built  in  1912.  The  substantial  old  farm  house 
on  the  place  was  erected  in  pioneer  days  by  Adam  Scott,  the  original  owner, 


1076  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

and  was  rebuilt  by  W.  R.  George,  who  lived  on  the  place  for  50  years.  The 
farm  is  well  watered,  Mr.  Morris  having  two  dug  wells  and  a  driven  well 
and  utilizes  his  gas  engine  for  pumping  power. 

Jan.  8,  1896,  W.  H.  Morris  was  married  to  Nannie  L.  Hunt,  who  was 
born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families,  and  to 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Mary  Lee,  John  H.  and  Leighton, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Morris  is  a  daughter  of  William 
B.  and  Sallie  (Boswell)  Hunt,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  in  North  Carolina, 
died  in  1871,  her  daughter,  Nannie,  being  then  but  an  infant.  William  B. 
Hunt  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Pisgah,  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Heysell 
farm,  in  1831,  son  of  W.  B.  and  Nancy  (Jones)  Hunt,  the  former  a  North 
Carolinian,  and  the  latter  an  Indianian,  who  were  married  in  Kentucky  and 
came  to  Missouri  during  the  War  of  1812,  when  they  were  required  to  take 
refuge  in  Cole's  Fort  against  the  threats  of  Indian  attack.  W.  B.  Hunt 
first  settled  in  Howard  County,  but  soon  came  to  Cooper  County  and  en- 
tered the  land  now  known  as  the  Heysell  farm,  becoming  an  influentiol 
pioneer.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  this  county,  and  is  buried 
on  the  Apperson  farm,  one  mile  east  of  Pisgah.  On  the  farm  on  which 
he  was  born,  William  B.  Hunt,  son  of  the  pioneer,  spent  his  life.  He  died 
Aug.  9,  1901,  at  70  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  on  the  farm,  where  his 
wife  had  been  buried  years  before.  William  B.  Hunt  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Morris  being  Mrs.  Mollie  Claw- 
son  and  D.  W.  Hunt,  both  now  deceased,  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  Pealer,  of  Lawton, 
Okla.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  are  members  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church 
and  take  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  organization,  the  church 
to  which  their  respective  parents  also  were  attached.  This  church  will 
celebrate  the  centenary  of  its  organization  in  September,  1919. 

L.  C.  Yancey,  proprietor  of  "Locust  Grove  Farm,"  in  North  Moniteau 
township,  was  born  on  that  farm,  Dec.  26,  1851,  son  of  Joel  and  Rosanna 
(Guyer)  Yancey,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  here.  Joel  Yancey 
was  born  in  Howard  County,  in  1828,  his  father,  a  Kentuckian,  having  been 
one  of  the  original  land  entrants  in  that  county.  When  he  was  21  years 
of  age,  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  married  Rosanna  Guyer.  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents,  Williamson 
Guyer  and  wife,  in  the  '40s.  Williamson  Guyer  entered  several  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Cooper  County,  including  the  place  on  which  L.  C.  Yancey 
was  born  and  now  lives,  and  on  that  place  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last 
days  and  are  buried.  Sometime  after  his  marriage,  Joel  Yancey  settled  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  J.  W.  Kinsey  and  engaged  in  farming  until  his 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1077 

retirement.  He  died  in  1915,  in  his  88th  year,  and  is  buried  at  Lamar,  Mo. 
Joel  Yancey  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living:  L.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Alpha  Hurt,  living  in  Barton 
County,  widow  of  G.  W.  Hurt ;  Evan,  of  Lamar ;  Alonzo,  of  Clarksburg,  and 
Rozzell,  of  Lamar. 

L.  C.  Yancey  received  his  early  schooling  in  what  then  was  known  as 
the  Yancey  district  (now  the  Greenwood  district),  the  pioneer  school  house 
having  been  built  on  the  Yancey  farm  and  used  both  for  school  and  church 
purposes.  That  was  before  the  days  of  the  public  school  and  the  school 
terms  were  arranged  by  private  subscription  in  the  neighborhood.  For 
a  time  in  those  early  days  the  Yancey  school  supported  two  teachers  and 
among  these  Mr.  Yancey  recalls  the  names  of  Professor  Buck  and  wife, 
Will  Foreman,  A.  C.  Fisher,  Obediah  Bailey  and  others.  While  in  remini- 
scent mood,  Mr.  Yancey  also  recalls  the  names  of  persons  who  were  engaged 
in  business  at  Pisgah  more  than  60  years  ago ;  Richard  Boughsfield,  David 
Jones,  Milton  Mohan,  and  John  A.  Hickman.  Joseph  Bostwick  and  John 
St.  John  operated  a  chair  factory  many  years  ago,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yancey  have  two  chairs  that  were  made  at  Pisgah  42  years  ago.  During 
those  days,  John  L.  Jones  made  wagons  and  plows  at  Pisgah,  and  Leander 
Reavis  operated  a  carding  machine,  the  motive  power  of  which  was  a  tread- 
mill operated  by  oxen.  Mr.  Yancey  has  followed  farming  at  "Locust  Grove 
Farm"  all  his  life,  and  has  been  successful.  In  1897,  he  rebuilt  the  old 
farm  house  along  more  modern  lines,  also  built  a  new  barn  and  other  farm 
buildings. 

Oct.  22,  1876,  L.  C.  Yancey  was  married  to  Mary  Jane  Morris,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  Oct.  6,  1858,  daughter  of  Hugh  B.  and  Juda  A. 
(Davis)  Morris,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  dying  in  1907,  and  the 
latter  in  1918.  Mrs.  Yancey  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  10 
children  born  to  her  parents,  and  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Yancey  one  child  was  born,  a  daughter,  Ada  L.,  born  on  Sept.  29, 
1883,  married  A.  L.  Rickman,  and  who  died  Sept.  8,  1913,  and  is  buried  in 
the  Baptist  Churchyard  at  Pisgah. 

Jackson  Wallace  Kimsey,  on  of  the  well  known  and  substantial  farmers 
of  North  Moniteau  township,  is  a  native  Missourian,  born  in  Platte  County. 
He  was  born  on  March  30,  1870,  son  of  W.  D.  and  Parmelia  (Baxter)  Kim- 
sey, both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  Missouri,  the  former  in  Platte  County, 
and  the  latter  near  Tipton,  in  Moniteau  County. 

In  1879^  W.  D.  Kimsey  left  Platte  County  with  his  family  and  came 
to  Cooper  County.     Here  he  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  J.  W. 


1078  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Kimsey,  and  engaged  there  in  farming  until  his  retirement.  He  died  in 
1906,  at  the  age  of  72  years,  and  his  widow  died  Feb.  10,  1907,  at  the  age  of 
65  years.  W.  D.  Kimsey  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  12  childen,  five  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity :  Bettie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  45  years ;  Walter, 
farmer,  North  Moniteau  township;  F.  M.,  living  in  Johnson  County;  W.  N., 
Lynn,  Minn.,  and  Jackson  W. 

Jackson  W.  Kimsey  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Cooper  County  with  his  parents.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his 
schooling  in  the  local  schools,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm.  After  his  mar- 
riage in  1896,  he  established  his  home  on  the  place,  and  in  1904  bought  the 
farm.  All  the  buildings  on  the  farm  save  the  farm  house  have  been  built 
by  him,  and  he  has  a  very  well  kept  farm.  Among  these  buildings  is  a 
barn  44x36  feet,  with  a  native  walnut  frame  and  a  cattle  shed  with  a  front- 
age of  150  feet.  He  also  erected  a  tenant  house  in  1906.  He  raises  regis- 
tered Shorthorn  cattle,  and  generally  has  on  hand  50  or  more  hogs. 

Jackson  W.  Kimsey  has  been  twice  married.  In  1896  he  was 
married  to  Addie  Harris,  a  daughter  of  W.  A.  Harris,  who  died  in  1900, 
leaving  two  daughters,  Miriam,  who  married  R.  H.  Rucker,  O'Keen,  Okla. ; 
and  Porter,  who  is  at  home.  Feb.  9,  1902,  Mr.  Kimsey  married  Eva  Mins- 
ter, who  was  born  in  Missouri,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  Veen 
born :  Michael,  Lawrence  Lee  and  Eva  Pauline.  Mrs.  Kimsey  is  a  daughter 
of  Michael  and  Hester  (Sappington)  Minster,  both  now  deceased.  Michael 
Minster  was  bora  in  Germany  in  1846,  and  was  nine  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents.  He  died  in  1912  and  is  buried  at 
Clarksburg.  His  widow  died  March  28,  1916,  and  she  also  is  buried  at 
Clarksburg,  where  she  was  bora.  Michael  Minster  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Kimsey  being  S.  S.,  Monroe, 
La.:  G.  R.,  Clarksburg;  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Birdsong,  Clarksburg.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kimsey  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Pisgah,  and  Mr.  Kim- 
sey belongs  to  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World. 

Williamson  Guyer,  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  near  Pisgah  in  North 
Moniteau  township,  was  born  in  this  county.  He  not  only  is  a  member  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  county,  and  thus  familiar  with  the  tra- 
ditions of  pioneer  days,  but  is  one  of  the  old-timers  of  the  community. 
Mr.  Guyer  was  born  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Moore  farm,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Pisgah,  Feb.  10,  1854,  son  of  Henry  Speed  and  Mary  A. 
(Clauch)  Guyer,  both  members  of  pioneer  families. 

Henry  Speed  Guyer  was  bom  in  Madison  County,  Ky..  in  1818,  and 
was  10  or  12  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1079 

parents.  His  father  was  of  German  birth,  and  for  some  time  after  coming 
to  this  country  had  lived  in  Kentucky.  The  Guyers  settled  in  what  is  now 
North  Moniteau  township,  opening  the  farm  now  owned  by  J.  W.  Kimsey 
at  Pisgah,  and  on  that  place  the  elder  Guyer  died  and  is  buried.  Henry 
Speed  Guyer  grew  up  there,  and  upon  beginning  operations  on  his  own 
account,  settled  about  two  miles  south  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Moore 
farm.  He  died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  children  in  Texas,  and  was  buried 
in  the  New  Zion  Churchyard,  South  Moniteau  township.  His  widow  died 
in  August,  1917,  at  the  age  of  92  years.  She  was  born  in  Pulaski  County, 
Ky.  Henry  Speed  Guyer  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children: 
Williamson ;  Mrs.  Nancy  Jane  Maxey,  deceased ;  Christopher  C. ;  Mrs.  Mary 
Catherine  Burris,  deceased ;  Margaret,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years ; 
George  W.,  Clayton,  N.  M. ;  Mrs.  Esther  Copaz,  deceased ;  Henry  S.,  of 
Nevada,  Mo. ;  and  John  R.,  of  Oklahoma  City. 

Williamson  Guyer  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Pisgah,  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Yancey  School,  the  school  building  at  that  time 
being  used  both  for  school  and  church  purposes,  and  it  was  there,  he  says, 
that  he  got  his  "diploma."  Trained  to  farm  work  as  a  boy,  he  has  always 
followed  that  vocation,  and  has  met  the  changes  in  farm  conditions  with  a 
progressive  spirit.  The  first  home  his  father  had  was  a  log  cabin,  and  he 
thus  knows  how  the  pioneers  lived.  In  his  boyhood,  oxen  were  used  about 
the  farm,  and  he  recalls  trips  by  ox-team  to  the  Jewett  mill  with  grist,  a 
trip  necessitating  his  staying  over  night  at  the  mill,  where  his  comfort 
would  be  assured  by  the  kindly  engineer,  Wiseman,  who  would  make  up 
a  bed  for  him  alongside  the  engine.  In  1901,  Mr.  Guyer  bought  the  quar- 
ter section  on  which  he  is  now  living,  formerly  known  as  the  "Aunt  Peggy" 
Martin  place,  near  Pisgah,  and  has  since  resided  there.  On  this  farm, 
the  first  circular  saw  ever  seen  in  Cooper  County  was  operated.  The  farm 
is  substantially  improved,  well  watered  and  well  drained. 

Mr.  Guyer  has  for  years  regarded  the  prohibition  question,  that  is, 
the  elimination  of  the  saloon,  a  sthe  most  vital  issue  before  the  people 
of  this  country.  He  also  is  ardently  in  favor  of  the  thorough  American- 
ization of  the  schools,  stoutly  maintining  that  the  English  language  only 
should  be  taught  in  the  schools.     One  country,  one  flag,  one  tongue,  says  he. 

Nov.  24,  1874,  Williamson  Guyer  was  married  to  Harriet  A.  Edwar  Is, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families,  and 
to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Henry  Griffin,  died 
in  infancy;  Dora,  wife  of  George  Turner;  William  Barton,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Mary  Harriet  Crownhite,  Mrs.  Bertha  Leona  Hurt,  Mrs.  Amanda  Florence 


1080  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Carpenter  (deceased),  and  Logan,  deceased.  Mrs.  Guyer  is  a  daughter 
of  Griffin  and  Harriet  Edwards,  former  well  known  residents  of  this  com- 
munity, who  are  buried  in  the  Harris  home  cemetery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guyer 
have  10  grandchildren:  Raymond,  Ophelia,  Sada  Leona  and  Ada  Turner; 
Audrey  Lucille  and  Paul  Guyer  Crownhite;  Alma  Ruth  and  Lucille  Hurt; 
and  William  Merwin  and  Florence  Lee  Guyer. 

Curry  Schupp,  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  in  Clear  Creek  town- 
ship, is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  Nov.  14,  1852,  son  of  Chris- 
tian and  Mary  (Masel)  Schupp,  and  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of 
the  children  bom  to  them. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Curry  Schupp  received  his  schooling  in  the 
local  schools,  and  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  a  vocation  in 
which  he  has  been  successful,  being  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  280 
acres,  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  in  Clear  Creek  township,  and  on 
which  he  has  made  his  home  for  nearly  40  years.  At  the  age  of  16  he 
begain  working  on  his  own  account  as  a  farm  hand,  working  many  a  day 
for  50  cents  day,  and  thus  continued  until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  25 
years,  when  he  rented  a  farm.  A  couple  of  years  later,  in  1880,  he 
bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and  has  there  since  resided. 
When  Mr.  Schupp  bought  that  place,  there  was  an  old  double  house, 
built  of  logs,  on  it,  and  another  small  house  partly  of  frame.  The  place 
was  quite  heavily  timbered,  and  it  was  no  small  task  to  clear  it,  but  the 
new  owner  was  energetic  and  industrious,  and  in  time  had  the  place 
cleared  and  under  profitable  cultivation.  Mr.  Schupp  is  a  republican,  and 
for  a  couple  of  years  some  years  ago  served  the  public  as  constable  in  his 
home  township. 

On  March  31,  1878,  Curry  Schupp  was  united  in  marriage  with  Kath- 
erine  Muller,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  10  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely:  Chris  F.,  farming  in  Pilot  Grove  township; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  William  Dwyer,  of  the  same  township;  Maggie,  wife  of 
Joseph  Kirkpatrick,  Lamonte,  Mo.;  Flora,  wife  of  George  Wolf,  also  of 
Lamonte ;  Rose,  wife  of  E.  Holliday,  of  Blackwater ;  William,  who,  during 
America's  participation  in  the  World  War,  served  in  the  navy,  a  student  of 
wireless  telegraphy;  Robert  and  Frederick  (twins),  born  on  Feb.  1,  1893, 
both  of  whom  also  rendered  service  in  the  World  War,  and  the  former  of 
whom  was  discharged  June,  1919,  and  is  now  at  home.  He  served  in 
France,  a  member  of  an  infantry  regiment  in  the  United  States  Army, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1081 

and  the  latter  of  whom  served  in  the  navy,  a  student  at  the  Great  Lakes 
Naval  Training  Station  at  Chicago,  received  his  discharge  at  the  close  of 
the  war  and  is  now  living  at  Blackwater ;  Conrad,  born  in  1897,  who  also 
was  in  France,  attached  to  an  infantry  regiment  of  the  United  States 
Army,  and  is  now  home ;  and  Albert,  who  is  farming  in  Clear  Creek  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Schupp.  mother  of  these  children,  was  born  in  Clear  Creek 
township  on  Feb.  26,  1857,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Margaret  (Gard- 
ner) Muller,  both  now  deceased.  Frederick  Muller  and  his  wife  were  both 
natives  of  Germany,  and  were  among  the  early  residents  of  Clear  Creek 
township,  where  they  for  many  years  made  their  home  on  a  farm,  and 
where  they  reared  their  family. 

W.  F.  Apperson,  farmer  and  horticulturist  and  a  substantial  citizen  of 
Cooper  County,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living,  and  is  a 
member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families  of  Cooper  County,  the  Apper- 
sons  having  been  prominently  represented  here  for  100  years.  He  was  born 
on  Sept.  8,  1848,  and  has  thus  lived  the  tradition  "three  score  and  ten 
years,"  though  his  friends  assure  him  he  "does  not  look  it,"  and  the  vigor 
with  which  he  continues  to  carry  on  his  operations  certainly  belies  the 
date.     Mr.  Apperson  is  a  son  of  Gilbert  and  Martha  (Berkley)  Apperson. 

Gilbert  Apperson  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1812,  a  son  of  Francis 
Apperson  and  wife,  who  not  long  after  his  birth  moved  from  North  Caro- 
lina to  Kentucky,  whence  in  1819  they  came  with  their  family  over  into 
Missouri  Territory  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  T.  M.  Kirkpat- 
rick  in  Moniteau  township.  Later  Francis  Apperson  moved  to  the  farm 
which  he  owned  and  there  spent  his  last  days.  He  and  his  wife  are  buried 
in  the  Apperson  Cemetery  on  the  Kirkpatrick  farm.  Gilbert  Apperson 
was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his 
parents  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  developed  the  farm  on  which 
his  son,  W.  F.  Apperson,  now  lives,  and  there  died  in  1888.  His  wife  died 
in  1886,  and  both  are  buried  in  the  Apperson  Cemetery.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Judge  T.  A.  Harris;  W.  F., 
subject ;  B.  J.,  died  in  1892  at  the  age  of  39  years ;  R.  W.,  living  on  the  home 
farm ;  G.  P.  and  T.  F.,  who  died  in  infancy ;  and  Nancy  P.,  married  P.  S. 
Haycock,  and  died  about  1867. 

W.  F.  Apperson  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  the  Pisgah  neighborhood 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  Yancey  School  and  at  Pisgah.  He  has  fol- 
lowed farming  in  this  county  all  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  three  years, 
when  he  tried  ranching  in  Idaho.     Mr.  Apperson  has  an  excellent  orchard 


1082  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

of  three  acres,  and  has  for  years  taken  a  special  interest  in  his  horticul- 
ture. The  products  of  his  orchard  have  something  more  than  local  fame. 
He  also  raises  cattle  and  hogs. 

Sept.  19,  1895,  W.  F.  Apperson  was  married  to  Lou  E.  York,  who  was 
born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  W.  R.  Apper- 
son, who  is  at  home,  assisting  his  father.  Mrs.  Apperson  is  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Jane  (Hunt)  York,  for  years  well  known  residents  of  Clarks 
Fork,  and  has  a  brother,  W.  H.  York,  of  Leslie,  Ark.  James  York  was 
killed  in  a  runaway  accident  at  Bunceton,  June  15,  1902,  and  his  widow 
died  March  14,  1919.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Apperson  Cemetery.  Mrs. 
York  had  joined  Pisgah  Baptist  Church  in  1849,  and  at  the  time  of  her 
death  was  the  oldest  continuous  member  of  that  church,  the  same  having 
covered  the  long  span  of  70  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Apperson  are  members 
of  this  church. 

T.  Edgar  Hurt,  blacksmith  and  general  mechanic,  and  proprietor  of  a 
well  equipped  shop  at  Pisgah,  is  reviving  the  reputation  Pisgah  enjoyed  as 
a  local  center  of  the  mechanical  trade  back  in  the  pioneer  days.  The  old 
brick  building  in  which  he  carries  on  his  operations  is  one  of  the  landmarks 
of  Cooper  County,  it  having  been  erected  for  factory  purposes  by  the  pio- 
neer Jones  in  1835,  the  bricks  entering  into  it  having  been  burned  at  a  kiln 
just  east  of  the  place.  Originally  the  building  was  a  two-story  structure, 
but  the  top  story  long  ago  was  removed.  The  primary  use  of  the  building 
was  as  a  wagon,  carriage  and  plow  factory. 

Mr.  Hurt  learned  his  trade  at  Pleasant  Green  and  operated  a  shop 
there  until  the  summer  of  1915,  when  he  bought  his  present  shop  at  Pis- 
gah, and  moved  here,  where  he  ever  since  has  been  successfully  engaged 
in  business.  His  shop  is  equipped  with  a  gas  engine  for  motive  power,  and 
his  mechanical  equipment  is  sufficient  to  take  care  of  all  ordinary  calls  for 
repair  work  and  such  machine-shop  work  as  is  required  in  an  agricultural 
community.     He  also  carries  a  good  line  of  supplies. 

Mr.  Hurt  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Feb.  3,  1882, 
a  son  of  Boone  and  Melinda  (Haley)  Hurt,  both  of  whom  are  living  in  the 
Pleasant  Green  neighborhood.  Boone  Hurt  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship in  1854,  and  his  wife  was  born  near  Jamestown,  Mo.,  their  respective 
parents  having  been  pioneers  of  this  section.  Boone  Hurt  is  a  substantial 
farmer,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  10  children,  as  follows: 
T.  Edgar;  Nannie,  wife  of  Homer  Brubaker;  Eliza,  wife  of  Archibald 
Powell;  Chester,  of  Pleasant  Green;  Bessie,  wife  of  Homer  Carpenter; 
Raymond,  of  Pleasant  Green;  Ewing,  who  is  now  (spring  of  1919)  with  the 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1083 

American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe,  and  Thelma,  Huldah  and  Lewis, 
at  home.  Ewing  Hurt,  the  soldier  son,  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Army 
in  September,  1917,  and  after  training  was  sent  to  France  as  a  member  of 
Company  L,  356th  Infantry,  89th  Division,  and  spent  six  months  in  France 
and  participated  in  some  of  the  most  desperate  engagements  of  the  war, 
and  is  still  held  on  foreign  service,  a  part  of  the  Army  of  Occupation  in 
Germany. 

T.  Edgar  Hurt  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his  schooling  in  the 
Washington  District  School.  He  married  when  20  years  of  age,  and  for 
10  years  thereafter  continued  farming.  In  the  meanwhile,  however,  he 
had  been  cultivating  his  naturally  mechanically-inclined  bent,  and  about 
six  years  ago  took  up  the  blacksmith  trade  at  Pleasant  Green,  and  was  thus 
engaged  at  that  place  until  his  removal  in  August,  1915,  to  Pisgah,  where 
he  bought  from  Clarence  Polley  the  shop  he  has  since  been  operating.  In 
November,  1917,  Mr.  Hurt  entered  upon  a  contract  with  Government  for 
the  supply  of  walnut  logs  for  gun  stocks,  and  continued  purchasing  walnut 
timber  throughout  this  section  of  Missouri  for  more  than  a  year,  his  con- 
tract terminating  Jan.  1,  1919.  During  that  time  he  bought  for  the  Gov- 
ernment around  400  carloads  of  walnut  logs,  the  average  value  per  car 
being  around  $1,000.     Mr.  Hurt  is  a  republican. 

In  1902,  T.  Edgar  Hurt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Howard,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  have  been  four  children :  Hallene, 
Helen,  Juanita  and  T.  Edgar,  Jr.  Mrs.  Hurt  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Parmelia  (Dale)  Howard,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in  Missouri  and  are 
living  in  North  Moniteau  township.  Thomas  Howard  was  bom  near  James- 
town, Mo.,  and  his  wife  was  bora  at  Carthage.  Both  the  Howards  and  the 
Dales  are  of  pioneer  stock.  Mrs.  Howard's  father  at  one  time  owned  a  part 
of  the  townsite  of  Joplin. 

Louis  Braun,  one  of  North  Moniteau  township's  progressive  farmers, 
is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  at  Pisgah,  May  18,  1867, 
son  of  Peter  and  Harriet  (English)  Braun.  Peter  Braun  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  when  14  years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States  alone,  joining 
relatives  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  trained  in  the  trade  of  wagon-maker. 
After  working  there  for  some  time  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  and  worked 
in  the  old  Jones  wagon-shop  at  Pisgah,  which  he  later  bought  and  for  some 
time  operated.  He  died  at  Pisgah  in  1888,  and  he  is  buried  in  the  Lutheran 
Churchyard  in  Moniteau  County.  Peter  Braun  was  thrice  married.  By 
his  first  wife,  Louisa  Kuhle,  he  was  the  father  of  two  sons,  Edward  Braun, 
of  South  Moniteau  township,  and  Charles,  deceased.     The  subject  of  this 


1084  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

sketch  was  the  only. child  born  of  his  marriage  to  Harriet  English.  By  his 
later  marriage  to  Rachel  Deitzel,  he  was  the  father  of  three  children, 
William  T..  North  Moniteau ;  Frank,  Prairie  Home ;  and  Dora,  wife  of  H.  W. 
Williamson,  Prairie  Home. 

Louis  Braun  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  at  Pisgah  and  at 
Fail-view  School  in  Moniteau.  In  1899,  Mr.  Braun  bought  the  Fisher  farm 
and  has  since  made  his  residence  there.  He  has  rebuilt  the  farm  house  and 
bams,  and  has  a  well  improved  farm.  The  place  is  well  watered,  and  is 
adapted  to  live  stock  raising.  Mr.  Braun  is  a  member  of  the  Modem  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Chapel  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Moniteau  County. 

In  1890,  Louis  Braun  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carolina  Haldiman, 
of  Moniteau  County,  d?ughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Haldiman,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  living  at  Califoi-nia,  Mo.  Jacob  Haldiman  died  in  1910,  and  is 
buried  at  California  He  and  hi?  wife  were  the  parents  of  10  children, 
those  besides  Mr.  Braun  being  Mrs.  Mary  Geiger ;  John,  deceased ;  Mrs. 
Emma  Muri,  Godfrey,  who  is  now  living  in  Colorado;  Charles,  in  Okla- 
homa ;  Jacob,  Moniteau  County ;  Joseph,  Moniteau  County ;  Adolph,  Kansas 
City ;  and  William,  California,  Mo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braun  have  two  sons, 
William  and  Leslie  T.,  both  of  whom  are  now  (spring  of  1919)  in  the  serv- 
ice of  their  country,  the  former  in  the  army  and  the  latter  in  the  navy. 
William  Braun  was  born  Aug.  30,  1892.  June  25,  1918,  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  United  States  Army,  and  after  training  was,  in  August,  1918, 
sent  to  France  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  131st  Engineers,  with  which 
command  he  was  serving  at  the  front  when  the  armistice  was  signed,  and 
has  since  remained  in  Europe,  being  retained  on  foreign  service.  The 
younger  son,  Leslie  T.  Braun,  bom  Oct.  13,  1895,  enlisted  in  the  navy 
May  6,  1917.  He  was  trained  at  the  naval  station  at  Norfolk,  and  after 
some  preliminary  coastwise  service  down  as  far  as  Vera  Cruz  was  attached 
to  the  destroyer  "Alywin,"  which  afterward  rendered  valiant  service  in 
the  waters  of  the  English  Channel  and  other  European  waters,  hunting 
German  submarines,  and  during  that  service  had  some  most  exciting  expe- 
riences, the  "Alywin"  several  times  coming  in  contact  with  the  enemy, 
and  having  at  least  one  definite  "hit"  accredited  to  its  score.  The  "Alywin" 
also  saw  service  in  the  Baltic  and  the  marines  on  board  took  part  in  certain 
actions  in  Russia. 

Charles  A.  Baughman,  of  North  Moniteau  township,  is  a  native  of 
Cooper  County,  and  a  descendent  of  one  of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  this 
section.     He  was  bora  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  north  of  Pisgah,  Nov.  6.  1864, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  3085 

and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Anna  (Briscoe)  (Cole)  Baughman.  Henry  Baugh- 
man  was  born  near  Boonville  in  1837,  and  spent  his  life  in  Cooper  County, 
and  died  in  1913.  His  wife  was  born  in  Palestine  township  and  died  at 
Bunceton,  in  1918,  at  the  age  of  74  years.  Henry  Baughman  improved  the 
place,  which  is  now  owned  by  Charles  A.,  and  resided  here  for  50  years. 

Henry  Baughman  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Baughman,  who  was  one  of  the 
earliest  pioneer  settlers  of  North  Moniteau  township.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  North  Moniteau  township,  after  coming 
to  this  county.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Parks.  They  are 
both  now  deceased,  and  their  remains  are  buried  on  the  old  Baughman  home 
farm. 

Of  the  children  born  to  Henry  Baughman  and  wife  the  following  are 
living:  Charles  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Maggie,  the  widow  of  Harve 
Underwood,  Webb  City,  Mo. ;  Patience,  married  Ben  Morris,  North  Moniteau 
township;  Minnie,  married  John  Morris,  Bunceton;  Mary,  married  Rollo 
Hadley,  Glendora,  Calif. ;  Flora,  married  Charles  Edwards,  Kelly  township ; 
and  Katie,  married  George  Gilbert,  Bunceton. 

Charles  A.  Baughman  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising 
all  his  life,  and  has  met  with  success.  His  farm  consists  of  180  acres  of  well 
improved  land,  with  two  good  sets  of  farm  buildings.  He  was  married 
Nov.  18,  1895,  to  Miss  Ella  Dill,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Angeline  (Hick- 
man) Dill,  the  former  of  whom  is  now  deceased,  and  the  mother  resides  in 
South  Moniteau  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baughman  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Luther  Wallace,  born  Aug.  30,  1897;  Jesse  Claud,  born 
Sept.  23,  1900;  and  Charles  Lloyd,  born  May  21,  1906. 

Luther  Wallace,  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Baughman,  has  attained  a  degree 
of  distinction  as  a  specialist  in  the  agricultural  world,  well  worthy  of  note. 
He  has  made  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  developing  seed  corn,  as  well  as 
raising  some  prize  corn  crops.  In  1915,  he  won  the  prize  for  raising  the 
best  acre  of  corn  in  Cooper  County,  and  also  received  the  second  prize  in 
the  Boys'  Class  of  the  State.  His  prize  acre  produced  106  bushels  and  10 
pounds  of  corn.  He  raises  corn  for  seed  purposes,  which  he  sells  at  a  good 
price.  He  is  also  a  successful  poultry  raiser,  and  has  the  best  strain  of 
Barred  Plymouth  Rock  chickens  to  be  found  anywhere.  His  chickens  are 
frequently  exhibited  at  state  and  county  fairs,  and  they  always  win  the 
honors.  In  1918,  he  won  29  ribbons  with  his  poultry  exhibits.  He  has  won 
in  all  150  ribbons.  He  has  also  taken  a  number  of  premiums  at  the  State 
and  other  fairs  for  his  exhibition  of  seed  corn. 

Charles  A.  Baughman  is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen,  and 


1086  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

takes  a  keen  interest  in  local  affairs,  being  a  special  friend  and  advocate  of 
good  schools.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  board  of  Consolidated 
School  District  No.  2.  The  Baughman  family  is  well  and  favorably  known 
in  Cooper  County. 

John  Kaiser,  a  leading  citizen  and  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  of 
North  Moniteau  township,  was  born  Sept.  19,  1859.  He  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Henrietta  (Smith)  Kaiser,  both  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
Cooper  County  with  their  respective  parents.  George  Kaiser  lived  about 
three  miles  west  of  Prairie  Home,  where  he  spent  his  life  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  was  a  Civil  War  veteran,  having  served  in  Col- 
onel Pope's  regiment,  under  Captain  George.  He  died  in  1903,  and  his  wife 
departed  this  life  in  1897.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs.  Mary  Shilp,  Otterville,  Mo. ;  August 
Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of  42 ;  George,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Brokamp, 
Clarks  Fork  township ;  and  Lizzie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  10  years. 

John  Kaiser  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  attending 
school  in  the  Henshaw  district.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  has  followed 
farming  and  stock  raising  all  his  life.  He  bought  his  present  place  of  176 
acres  from  Samuel  P.  Baughman  in  1891.  This  land  was  entered  from  tne 
Government  by  Judge  Baughman,  father  of  Samuel  P.  Mr.  Kaiser  has  im- 
proved the  place,  rebuilt  the  residence  and  erected  two  large  barns,  and 
other  buildings,  until  he  has  one  of  the  well  improved  and  valuable  places 
of  the  county.     He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

John  Kaiser  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  5,  1888,  with  Carrie  Knorp,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Minnie  (Schenck)  Knorp,  natives  of  Germany. 
The  father  was  born  in  1813,  and  died  July  12,  1886.  The  mother  was  born 
April  26,  1825,  and  died  Jan.  10,  1901.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Henry,  Pleasant  Grove,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Louise  Stock,  Sedalia ; 
Charles,  Jamestown  ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Fricke,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Mrs.  Mary 
Brandes,  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  John  Kaiser,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch ;  John,  Pleasant  Grove ;  and  Fred,  California,  Mo. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Kaiser  have  been  born  eight  children  as  follows : 
John,  married  Lena  Carrie  Burlison,  Dallas,  Texas;  Ida,  married  Delbert 
York,  Cotton,  Mo. ;  William  was  inducted  into  United  States  Army,  July  26, 
1918,  trained  at  Camp  Funston,  Kan.,  and  after  the  armistice  was  signed 
received  his  discharge,  and  is  now  residing  at  home;  Emma,  married  Harry 
Timm,  and  resides  near  Pisgah ;  Lula,  resides  at  home ;  George,  also  served 
in  the  United  States  Army  during  the  World  War,  having  entered  the 
service  Oct.  21,  1918,  and  was  trained  at  Camp  Stanley,  Texas,  has  also  been 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1087 

mustered  out  of  service  and  is  now  residing-  at  home ;  Lawrence  and  Clar- 
ence, residing  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kaiser  have  five  grandchildren  as 
follows:  Wilma  Elizabeth;  John  Burlison;  and  Doris  Marie  Kaiser,  and 
Herbert  Harrison  and  Emia  Louise  Timm. 

The  Kaiser  family  is  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  rank  among  its 
best  citizens.  Mr.  Kaiser  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board 
for  many  years. 

Luther  B.  Laws,  a  leading  farmer  aand  stockman,  and  a  progressive 
citizen  of  Prairie  Home  township,  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  was  born  at 
Glasgow,  April  9,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  M-  L.  and  Gertrude  A.  (Taylor) 
Laws.  Rev.  M.  L.  Laws  was  a  native  of  Accomac  County,  Va.,  born  Aug. 
2,  1842.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  faith,  and  died  May  4,  1882.  To 
Rev.  M.  L.  and  Gertrude  A.  (Taylor)  Laws  were  born  two  children :  Luther 
B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Leslie  Temple,  who  resides  in  Oklahoma. 

After  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  Mrs.  Gertrude  (Taylor)  Laws 
married  Rev.  B.  G.  Tutt.  He  was  born  near  Bunceton,  and  was  a  prominent 
Baptist  minister,  and  for  several  years  was  chaplain  of  the  State  Prison, 
Jefferson  City.  He  died  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Jefferson  City,  Aug.  4, 
1906,  aged  69  years.  By  a  former  marriage,  Rev.  B.  G.  Tutt  was  the  father 
of  the  following  children :  W.  P. ;  George  E. ;  Dr.  A.  N. ;  Henry,  deceased ; 
Anna,  married  Reverend  Stafford  and  is  now  deceased,  and  Dr.  J.  M.,  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  A.  Tutt,  mother  of  Luther  B.  Laws,  was  born  at  Har- 
rodsburg,  Ky.,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  B.  T.  Taylor,  a  native  of  Henderson 
County,  Ky.  He  was  born  March  12,  1823,  educated  in  Kentucky,  and  was 
a  graduate  of  Georgetown  College.  He  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years 
and  conducted  a  boarding  school  at  Columbia,  Ky.  He  was  married  Dec.  25, 
1851,  to  Mary  Bell  Alexander.  They  came  to  Missouri  in  the  '70s,  and  Rev- 
erend Taylor  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Columbia,  Mo.,  for  sev- 
eral years,  when  he  bought  a  farm  near  Aullville,  Mo.,  and  for  a  time  sup- 
plied the  pulpit  there  and  also  at  Sweet  Springs.  He  also  preached  in  other 
country  churches  and  later  came  to  Cooper  County  and  bought  the  farm 
wbich  is  now  owned  by  L.  T.  Yancey.  His  wife,  Mary  Bell  Alexander,  was 
a  native  of  Harrodsburg,  Ky.,  born  Nov.  15,  1830.  She  was  educated  at  a 
Presbyterian  school  conducted  by  Dr.  Montgomery,  and  was  a  well  educated 
and  highly  accomplished  woman.  She  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  82 
years.  Mrs.  Gertrude  A.  Tutt  was  educated  by  private  tutors  and  at 
private  schools  in  Henderson,  Ky.,  and  Urbana,  Ohio. 

Luther  B.  Laws  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  in  Boonville,  and  has 


1088  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

resided  in  Prairie  Home  township  on  his  present  place  since  1890.  His 
home  place  consists  of  160  acres,  and  he  owns  440  acres  in  Moniteau  and 
Prairie  Home  townships.  This  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  valuable  farms. 
Mr.  Laws  is  successfully  engaged  in  stock  raising,  and  is  also  an  extensive 
feeder.  ,  He  has  bought  and  sold  a  number  of  farms  in  the  vicinity  where 
he  lives,  and  is  a  successful  man  of  affairs.  He  is  one  of  Cooper  County's 
self  made  men  and  has  made  good. 

James  T.  Jeffress,  a  member  of  the  directorate  of  the  Fanners  Stock 
Bank  of  Blackwater,  and  proprietor  of  "East  View"  Farm  in  LaMine 
township,  this  county,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  and  has  lived 
here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Palestine  township  on  June  17, 
1859,  son  of  John  R.  and  Isabelle  (Lourie)  Jeffress,  the  latter  of  whom 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
the  Boonville  settlement. 

John  R.  Jeffress  was  born  near  Huntsville,  Ala.,  Feb.  20,  1830,  a  son 
of  Richard  and  Susan  (Bruce)  Jeffress,  Virginians,  who  in  1840  came  to 
Missouri  and  settled  at  Boonville,  where  John  R.  Jeffries  grew  to  man- 
hood, later  going  to  Glasgow,  Mo.,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  shoe 
business.  For  some  time  he  drove  stage  from  Glasgow  to  Boonville,  and 
during  the  Civil  War  managed  a  threshing  crew.  He  later  turned  his 
attention  to  farming,  bought  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Cooper 
County,  and  on  that  place  spent  his  last  days.  He  died  Nov.  12,  1906. 
His  wife  died  July  1,  1885.  She  was  born  on  Feb.  15,  1835.  They  were 
the  parents  of  13  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being 
the  following:  Ann,  wife  of  T.  W.  Caton,  of  Blackwater  township;  Mary 
F,  now  living  at  Boonville,  widow  of  Joseph  Barnhardt;  Richard,  de- 
ceased; John  William,  of  LaMine  township;  James  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Sallie  E.,  Washington,  D.  C,  widow  of  W.  H.  Cochran;  Robert  H., 
of  Pilot  Grove  township;  Susan,  wife  of  H.  C.  Davis,  of  Boonville:  Charles, 
of  Palestine  township;  Jesse  Ross,  of  Boonville  township;  and  Etson  B.,  of 
Boonville  township. 

James  T.  Jeffress  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  He  grew  up  a  practical 
farmer,  and  in  1882  bought  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township.  Two  or 
three  years  later  he  sold  this  farm  and  bought  another,  which  he  also  dis- 
posed of,  and  in  1890  bought  "East  View,"  his  present  fine  farm  of  165 
acres  in  LaMine  township,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home,  and  where 
in  addition  to  his  extensive  farming  operations  he  also  has  carried  on 
with  much  success  the  breeding  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 


MR.    AND    MRS     JAMES    T     JEFFRESS 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1089 

For  years  Mr.  Jeffress  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Blackwater,  to  the  affairs  of  which  well  known 
fiancial  institution  he  gives  his  thoughtful  attention.  He  is  a  democrat, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  con- 
gregation of  which  Mr.  Jeffress  has  for  some  time  served  as  a  member 
of  the  session. 

Nov.  17,  1881,  James  T.  Jeffress  was  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda 
Brownfield,  who  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Oct.  20,  1858,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Groves)  Brownfield,  former  well  known  resi- 
dents of  that  township  and  representatives  of  pioneer  families  hereabout. 
Thomas  Brownfield  was  born  near  Richmond,  Va.,  Feb.  5,  1818,  and  died 
on  Feb.  15,  1889.  His  wife  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1823,  and  died  on  July 
25,  1901.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jeffress  have  been  born  four  children,  namely: 
Ivan,  a  farmer  of  Blackwater  township;  Gertrude,  wife  of  J.  W.  Davis, 
also  of  Blackwater  township;  Grace,  wife  of  G.  C.  Nunn,  of  Blackwater 
township;  and  James  R.,  of  LaMine  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jeffress  have 
14  grand  children. 

Arthur  Bodamer,  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman,  who  is  well  known 
as  a  breeder  of  registered  Aberdeen  Angus  cattle,  was  born  in  Prairie 
Home  township,  April  6,  1896.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(Kuhn)  Bodamer,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume.  Arthur 
Bodamer  was  reared  and  educated  in  Prairie  Home  township,  attending 
school  at  Hazel  Dell  district.  He  has  recently  purchased  223  acres  of  land, 
which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  Gilbreath  place.  He  is  also  the  owner 
of  40  acres  in  another  tract,  which  makes  his  entire  holding  263  acres,  and 
this  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  Prairie  Home  township.  Mr.  Bodamer 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  for  the  past  two  years 
has  given  considerable  attention  to  breeding  registered  Aberdeen  Angus 
cattle,  and  now  has  a  herd  numbering  35  head,  headed  by  "Black  Dale," 
which  is  considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  Aberdeen  Angus  animals  in 
the  State. 

Nov.  7,  1917,  Arthur  Bodamer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucile  Gilbreath,  a  daughter  of  Newton  A.  and  Myra  E.  (Boswell)  Gil- 
breath.  Newton  A.  Gilbreath  was  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in 
Prairie  Home  township,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  township.  He 
died  in  October,  1910,  at  the  age  of  75  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  435  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  son  of  Hugh  Gilbreath,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  who  was  a  very  early  Cooper  County  pioneer.  Myra  E.  (Bos- 
(53) 


1090  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

well)  Gilbreath  was  born  in  Pleasant  Home  township,  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Benjamin  Meyers,  and  now  resides  in  Cooper  County. 

Hugh  Gilbreath,  brother  of  Mrs.  Bodamer,  was  born  Aug.  10,  1890. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Bunceton  schools  and  the  Missouri  Valley  College 
at  Marshall,  Mo.  In  October,  1917,  he  enlisted  in  U.  S.  Army  and  was  first 
sent  to  Camp  Funston,  and  later  to  Fort.  Sill,  Okla.,  where  he  was  trained, 
and  in  May,  1918,  he  went  to  France,  a  member  of  130th  Field  Artillery, 
35th  Division.  He  participated  in  much  of  the  severe  fighting  during  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1918.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Argonne  Forest  and 
other  engagements.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  discharged  and  re- 
turned to  his  Cooper  County  farm.  He  owns  285  acres  known  as  "Glen- 
wood  Farm." 

Arthur  Bodamer  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  503,  Prairie 
Home,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Bodamer  are  members  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

T.  J.  Burrus  &  Sons,  proprietors  of  the  "Champion  Oxford  Down  Sheep 
Farm,"  rank  among  the  leading  sheep  breeders  of  the  country.  They  have 
lived  up  to  the  standard  of  the  business  motto,  "The  best  is  none  too  good." 
Purebred  sheep  from  this  farm  have  been  among  the  leading  prize  win- 
ners of  stock  shows  and  State  fairs  throughout  the  country  since  1907. 
They  have  won  prizes  at  the  Missouri  State  Fair,  the  Chicago  International 
Stock  Show,  the  Fort  Worth  (Texas)  Fat  Stock  Show,  and  the  Denver 
(Colorado)  Fat  Stock  Show.  The  winnings  of  the  stock  from  the  Cham- 
pion Oxford  Sheep  Farm  include  21  champion  ribbons,  96  first  premium 
ribbons,  and  60  second  premium  ribbons. 

T.  J.  Burrus  began  breeding  purebred  Oxford  sheep  in  1899,  and  made 
his  first  exhibit  in  1907  at  the  Missouri  State  Fair,  and  has  exhibited  there 
every  year  to  the  present  time.  He  exhibited  at  the  Chicago  International 
Stock  Show  in  1918 ;  at  Ft.  Worth,  Texas,  in  1918 ;  and  Denver,  Colo.,  in 
1918.  Among  some  of  his  most  valuable  animals  is  "Burrus  Lady,"  No. 
388,  ewe  which  has  won  champion  ribbons  at  the  Missouri  State  Fair, 
and  "McKerrow's  Bumpton  X,  69148,"  one  of  the  most  valuable  rams  in 
the  country,  has  been  exhibited  at  12  different  State  fairs  and  won  first 
and  champion  premiums  each  time.  The  Burrus  flock  of  sheep  are  rich 
in  the  strains  of  J.  T.  Hobbs,  Horlick,  Stilgoe,  White  and  Trewerkee,  all 
famous  English  breeders.  Mr.  Burrus  is  also  interested  in  breeding  pure- 
bred Buff  Orpington  chickens  and  Mammoth  Bronze  turkeys,  all  of  which 
rank  high  in  the  poultry  world.  Mr.  Burrus  purchased  his  present  farm 
in  1907,  and  has  added  most  of  the  improvements  himself.     It  is  one  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1091 

well  improved  farms  of  the  county,  with  a  good  residence  and  other  farm 
buildings,  including  a  large  barn,  50x56  feet. 

J.  T.  Burrus  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County,  born  on  the  Lovell  farm 
in  Prairie  Home  township,  April  15,  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and 
Amanda  F.  (Lovell)  Burrus.  J.  T.  Burrus  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Prairie  Home  township  and  at  Pilot  Grove.  He  has  been  inter- 
ested in  farming  and  stock  raising  since  boyhood,  specializing  in  sheep 
raising  as  above  stated,  of  which  he  has  made  a  decided  success. 

Mr.  Burrus  was  married  Sept.  4,  189t5,  in  California,  Mo.,  to  Miss 
Alpha  McDow,  a  daughter  of  J.  M.  and  Kiziar  (Kirkpatrick)  McDow.  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  mother  died  in  1879,  and  the  father  de- 
parted this  life  Feb.  24,  1897.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Joe  E.  Versailles,  Mo. ;  T.  J.,  Barnett,  Mo. ;  C.  E.,  Deming,  N.  M. ; 
Tolby  Alpha,  the  wife  of  T.  J.  Burrus,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Bird,  who  is  now  a  sergeant  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  stationed  at  Camp  Lewis, 
Wash.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  having  served  in 
Cuba  and  the  Philippine  Island.  He  also  served  in  the  army  in  Alaska, 
and  has  been  in  the  U.  S.  Army  for  the  past  25  years. 

To  T.  J.  Burrus  and  wife  have  been  born  the  following  children :  Ber- 
nice,  married  L.  B.  Morris;  John  M. ;  Porter;  Emile;  Charles;  Mary  Mar- 
garet ;  and  Joe  Mack,  all  of  whom  reside  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Nicholas  John  Blank,  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman  of  North 
Moniteau  township,  was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  March  28, 
1862.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Lanbolt)  Blank,  both 
natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  The  father  first  came  to  Cooper  County  in 
the  '40s,  and  later  returned  to  his  native  land,  where  he  was  married,  and 
after  remaining  there  a  few  years  came  to  Cooper  County  again  in  1852. 
He  purchased  130  acres  of  land  from  Dr.  Alexander  Apperson,  located  in 
North  Moniteau  and  Prairie  Home  townships.  This  farm  is  the  present 
home  of  Nicholas  John  Blank.  The  deed  of  this  farm  was  recorded  Feb. 
19,  1852.  John  Jacob  Blank  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  on  this  place, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  76  years.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  80,  and  their 
remains  are  buried  in  the  Moniteau  Evangelical  Church  Cemetery.  When 
John  J.  Blank  purchased  this  place  there  was  a  log  house  on  it  which  was 
built  by  Dr.  Apperson.  It  has  been  remodeled  and  is  still  standing  in  a 
fair  state  of  preservation.     It  is  probably  100  years  old. 

Nicholas  John  Blank  was  one  of  five  children  born  to  his  parents, 
the  others  being  as  follows:    Mrs.  Mary  Heyssell,  North  Moniteau  town- 


1092  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

ship ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Wolfram,  California,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Annie  Kossman,  Cali- 
fornia, Mo. ;  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Bloch,  California,  Mo. 

Nicholas  J.  Blank  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  such 
schools  as  the  neighborhood  afforded.  His  school  district  is  Felder  dis- 
trict, but  when  he  attended  school  it  was  known  as  the  "Dirt  Dauber 
School,"  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  a  log  cabin  and  the  cracks  between 
the  logs  were  daubed  with  mud.  The  seats  were  made  of  split  logs,  and 
the  building  was  about  10x20  feet  in  dimension.  Mr.  Blank  says  that  the 
old  building  was  usually  pretty  well  filled  with  children  from  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  recalls  among  the  early  teachers  at  this  school,  Squire  Elliot, 
Mrs.  Chilton,  and  a  Mr.  Bruzan.  The  old  school  building  stood  on  the  farm 
now  known  as  the  Nelson  place. 

Mr.  Blank  has  followed  general  farming  all  his  life,  and  has  met  with 
a  very  satisfactory  degree  of  success.  He  owns  170  acres  of  land,  which  is 
a  fertile  and  productive  farm.  The  place  has  a  good  supply  of  water, 
which  is  procured  from  a  well,  and,  besides,  Pisgah  Creek  courses  its  way 
across  the  place.  Mr.  Blank  has  rented  his  place  for  the  past  year;  how- 
ever, he  still  makes  his  home  here. 

Mr.  Blank  has  some  interesting  relics  of  bygone  days,  among  which  is 
a  walnut  log  12  feet  long  and  2 1/2  feet  in  diameter,  which  his  father  hewed 
and  hollowed  out  in  1855,  and  used  it  for  a  receptacle,  in  place  of  a  barrel, 
in  which  to  pack  and  cure  pork.  Mr.  Blank  still  uses  this  odd  and  unusual 
pork  barrel  for  its  original  purpose.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Moniteau  township. 

John  William  Jeffress,  proprietor  of  a  well-improved  farm  in  LaMine 
township,  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  in 
this  county.  He  was  born  April  11,  1857,  son  of  John  Richard  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lourie)  Jeffress,  of  who  further  mention  is  made  in  this  volume. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  John  W.  Jeffress  received  his  schooling  in  the 
district  schools,  and  from  boyhood  has  given  attention  to  farming.  When 
a  young  man  he  engaged  in  fanning  on  his  own  account.  In  1881,  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Saline  County,  and  looked  after  the  same  until  1887, 
when  he  sold  the  place  and  for  four  years  operated  the  home  farm  on  a 
rental  basis.  In  1891,  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and 
has  here  since  made  his  residence.  Mr.  Jeffress  has  300  acres  in  his  home 
farm,  and  since  coming  into  possession  of  the  same  has  made  extensive 
improvements,  which  are  in  keeping  with  his  progressive  methods  of 
farming.     Mr.  Jeffries  has  been  successful,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 


JOHN    W     JEFFRESS,    WIFE    AND    FAMILY 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1093 

Bank  of  Blackwater.  He  is  a  democrat,  but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after 
public  office. 

Nov.  19,  1887,  John  W.  Jeffress  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rhoda  E. 
Hazell,  and  to  this  union  were  born  three  children,  Pearl,  John  and  Berny. 
Mrs.  Jeffress  also  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  of  pioneer  parentage,  and 
all  her  life  was  spent  here.  She  was  born  on  May  21,  1855,  and  died  on 
Dec.  19,  1918.  Her  parents,  Edward  and  Sallie  (Yamell)  Hazell,  were 
both  of  pioneer  stock  in  Missouri,  the  Yarnells  having  been  the  fourth 
settlers  in  Cooper  County. 

Col.  N.  D.  Patrick,  a  well  known  and  successful  auctioneer  of  Prairie 
Home,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  South  Moniteau 
township,  April  12,  1891,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Emma  (Wingate) 
Patrick,  both  natives  of  Missouri,  the  former  born  in  Howard  County,  and 
the  latter  in  Moniteau  County.  Benjamin  Patrick  was  reared  in  Howard 
County,  where  his  father  was  a  large  land  owner  in  the  early  days.  He 
came  to  Cooper  County  in  1869,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here. 
He  died  in  1899,  and  his  widow  now  resides  at  California,  Mo.  They  were 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mona,  married  Rev.  T.  J. 
Deakins,  Osceola,  Mo. ;  Martha,  married  L.  F.  Overboy,  and  died  Nov.  20, 
1918 ;  Amanda,  married  Len  Ritchey ;  Col.  N.  D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
By  a  former  marriage  Benjamin  Patrick  had  one  child,  C.  B.  Patrick,  who 
now  lives  at  Elliot  Station,  Cooper  County. 

Col.  N.  D.  Patrick  was  reared  in  Cooper  County  and  educated  in  public 
schools  at  Clarksburg.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and 
at  an  early  age  began  auctioneering  in  a  local  way.  In  1917,  he  took  a 
course  in  the  Kansas  City  School  of  Auctioneering  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution,  and  since  that  time  has  devoted  practically  his  entire 
attention  to  that  work.  His  field  of  activity  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
Cooper  County,  as  he  cries  sales  not  only  in  this  county,  but  in  adjoining 
counties  as  well,  and  has  won  a  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  capable 
auctioneers  in  this  section  of  the  State. 

Colonel  Patrick  was  married  Feb.  22,  1911,  to  Miss  Beulah  Edwards,  a 
daughter  of  Ryley  T.  and  Margaret  Edwards  of  Prairie  Home  township. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patrick  have  been  born  two  childen,  Ryley  Dennis  and 
Emma  Marguerite. 

Colonel  Patrick  has  recently  moved  to  Prairie  Home,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  place  of  Dr.  H.  A.  McDonald,  and  has  a  pleasant  home.  He  is 
a  progressive  young  man  and  one  of  Cooper  County's  valued  citizens. 


1094  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Findlay  A.  Collins,  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  adjoining  the  townsite 
of  Prairie  Home,  and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  young 
farmers  of  that  section  of  Cooper  County,  was  born  at  Warrensburg,  Mo., 
in  1891,  son  of  Noah  Thomas  and  Mary. Ellen  (Miller)  Collins,  both  of 
whom  are  living  in  Lafayette  County.  Noah  Thomas  Collins  was  born  in 
Lafayette  County  in  1838,  a  son  of  Thomas  Collins,  who  had  settled  there 
upon  coming  to  Missouri  from  Kentucky  in  the  early  days,  and  was  an 
extensive  land-owner  and  slave-holder  at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  War,  being  the  owner  of  1,800  acres  of  land  and  100  slaves,  a  part 
of  his  land  being  the  townsite  of  Higginsville.  During  the  Civil  War, 
Noah  Thomas  Collins  served  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy  under  Gen. 
Sterling  Price,  and  the  day  before  the  battle  of  Lexington  was  encamped 
with  that  command  on  the  Collins  farm.  This  veteran  of  the  Confederacy 
is  still  living  one  mile  west  of  the  old  home  of  his  father  in  Lafayette 
County,  he  now  being  81  years  of  age.  His  wife  is  62  years  of  age.  Noah 
Thomas  Collins  has  been  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  marriage  was  the 
father  of  three  children,  Gertrude,  wife  of  Samuel  Boone,  of  Lafayette 
County ;  Robert,  deceased ;  and  Virginia  Lee,  wife  of  James  E.  Weaver,  of 
Coburg,  Mont.  To  his  union  with  Mary  Ellen  (Miller)  Lilleston  one  child 
was  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  By  her  prior  marriage  to  William 
B.  Lilleston,  Mrs.  Collins  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely :  Florence, 
wife  of  B.  F.  Warden,  of  Higginsville;  Lottie  M.,  wife  of  Edward  Blakes- 
ley,  of  Lincoln ;  Norma,  wife  of  J.  R.  Brand,  of  Oil  Hill,  Kan. ;  and  William 
B.  Lilleston,  of  Odessa,  Mo.  Mrs.  Collins  also  is  of  pioneer  stock,  her 
grandfather  Miller  having  been  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Lafayette 
County,  coming  here  from  Virginia  and  locating  two  and  one-half  miles 
north  of  Odessa,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  He  was  an  extensive  land- 
owner and  slave-holder  and  proprietor  of  a  hemp-breaker  in  the  days  before 
the  war.  Hemp  bales  taken  from  his  mills  and  soaked  in  the  waters  of 
the  Missouri  were  used  for  the  construction  of  breastworks  at  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  Lexington.  Mrs.  Collins's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
John  A.  Ryland,  one  of  the  foremost  figures  in  the  early  civic  life  of  Lafay- 
ette County. 

Though  born  at  Warrensburg,  Johnson  county,  Findlay  A.  Collins  was 
reared  in  Lafayette  County,  and  grew  up  familiar  with  the  details  of  farm 
life.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  public  schools  of  his  home  dis- 
trict he  spent  three  and  one-half  years  as  a  student  at  the  Missouri  State 
Normal  School  at  Warrensburg.     He  then  resumed  farming  in  Lafayette 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1095 

County,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  two  years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business  at  Warrensburg.  In  the  spring  of  1916  he  married,  and  in 
September  following  came  to  Cooper  County,  and  has  since  been  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  present  farm.  Besides  the  118  acres  of  his  home  farm, 
Mr.  Collins  is  farming  122  acres  adjoining,  belonging  to  his  father-in-law, 
C.  H.  Muri.  He  feeds  two  or  three  carloads  of  cattle  a  year.  On  the  Col- 
lins farm,  about  200  yards  south  of  the  residence,  was  the  site  of  the  his- 
toric old  Prairie  Home  College,  which  had  much  fame  as  an  educational 
institution  in  its  day.  The  Collins  residence,  an  attractive  seven-room 
bungalow,  was  erected  in  1917.  The  barn,  built  in  1916,  is  36x50  feet, 
with  metal  roof  and  sides,  and  with  a  Gothic  roof,  the  first  of  this  type 
erected  in  Cooper  County,  and  one  of  the  finest  barns  in  the  county.  Other 
buildings  and  the  general  equipment  of  Mr.  Collins's  farm  plant  are  in 
keeping. 

April  22,  1916,  Findlay  A.  Collins  was  married  to  Alice  Muri,  who  had 
been  graduated  in  that  same  year  from  the  State  Normal  School  at  War- 
rensburg. She  was  born  in  Moniteau  County,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  California  High  School  in  1913,  winning  second  honors  of  her  class. 
Thus  equipped  she  entered  the  State  Normal  School,  took  the  four-years 
course  in  three  years,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1916.  Mrs.  Collins  is  a  daughter  of  C.  H. 
and  Amanda  J.  (Gentzsch)  Muri,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Moniteau 
County,  the  former  in  1857,  and  the  latter  in  1872,  and  who  are  now  living 
at  Sandy  Hook.  C.  H.  Muri  is  the  owner  of  380  acres  of  land  in  Moniteau 
County,  where  he  lives,  and  120  acres  in  Prairie  Home  township,  this 
county.  He  and  his  wife  have  two  children,  Mrs.  Collins  having  a  brother, 
Homer  T.  Muri,  who  is  at  home  assisting  in  the  management  of  his  father's 
place. 

Albert  Brengarth,  of  Saline  township,  is  a  progressive  and  successful 
farmer  and  stockman,  and  one  of  the  most  extensive  land-owners  in  Cooper 
County.  At  17  he  was  making  his  own  way,  at  19  he  was  the  owner  of 
a  team  of  horses  and  possessed  a  stout  heart,  willing  hands,  a  clear  head, 
and  a  realizing  sence  of  farm  values.  At  21,  in  association  with  his 
brother,  Frank,  he  made  his  first  investment  in  farm  lands,  he  and  his 
brother  buying  80  acres  in  Saline  township.  That  was  in  1898.  Two 
years  later  they  sold  that  place,  and  in  partnership  bought  253  acres  a 
mile  north  of  Gooch's  Mill.  That  place  Frank  Brengarth  now  owns,  hav- 
ing bought  his  brother's  interest  in  it  in  1914.     The  brothers  in  the  mean- 


1096  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

time  had  bought  and  sold  other  farms  and  in  the  rising  market  had  done 
well.  In  1914  Albert  Brengarth  bought  from  T.  L.  Jones  the  latter's  farm 
of  125  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1916,  and  then  bought  225  acres  of  the  place 
he  now  owns  at  the  edge  of  Overton.  The  next  year  he  bought  the  bal- 
ance of  the  place,  305  acres,  and  thus  has  in  that  tract  530  acres.  Not 
long  ago  he  bought  from  W.  H.  Swanstone  465  acres,  also  in  Saline  town- 
ship, the  place  being  better  known  as  the  George  Conner  farm,  and  is  culti- 
vating and  improving  them  along  modern  lines,  and  also  carrying  on  exten- 
sive live  stock  operation.  Since  taking  possession  of  his  place,  just  at  the 
east  side  of  Overton  in  1916,  Mr.  Brengarth  has  improved  it  greatly,  and  is 
developing  there  one  of  th  emost  up-to-date  farms  in  Cooper  County.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Woodmen's  Circle  at 
Gooch's  Mill. 

Mr.  Brengarth  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Prairie  Home  township,  May  2,  1877,  son  of  Frank  I.  and  Catherine 
(Schneider)  Brengarth,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  at  Boonville.  Mrs. 
Brengarth  was  born  in  Germany,  and  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to 
this  county  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating  in  this  part  of  Missouri, 
and  it  was  here  that  she  married  Frank  I.  Brengarth,  who  had  come  to 
America  when  a  young  man,  and  also  had  settled  in  this  county.  Frank 
I.  Brengarth  was  born  in  Alsace-Lorraine,  then  a  province  of  France,  in 
1831.  There  he  remained  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when,  about 
1852,  he  came  to  this  country.  For  several  years  after  coming  to  Cooper 
County,  he  worked  by  the  month  on  the  Edmond  Elliott  farm  near  Boon- 
ville, later  buying  a  farm  in  Prairie  Home  township.  On  that  place  he 
lived  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1904,  when  he  sold  the  place 
and  moved  to  Boonville,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  Oct.  25,  1917.  His  widow  is  still  living.  Mr.  Brengarth  was  buried  in 
the  Catholic  Cemetery  at  Boonville. 

To  Frank  I.  and  Catherine  (Schneider)  Brengarth  were  born  12  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely :  Catherine,  wife  of  J.  B.  Felton, 
of  Boonville;  Frank,  is  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  stockman  in  Saline  town- 
ship ;  Anna,  wife  of  Charles  Tritzell,  of  Jefferson  City ;  Taritha,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Walterscheid,  of  Boonville  township;  Albert,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Mary,  wife  of  David  Diehl,  of  Boonville ;  Philip,  now  living  in  Kan- 
sas City ;  Margaret,  who  is  living  with  her  brother  Frank  in  Saline  town- 
ship ;  Rose,  wife  of  E.  A.  Bacon,  of  St.  Louis ;  Henry,  who  is  now  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe ;  Augusta,  who  is  living  at  Boon- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1097 

ville ;  and  John,  who  is  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe. 
Henry  Brengarth,  the  elder  of  the  two  soldier  sons,  has  been  in  the  service 
of  the  United' States  Army  since  May,  1918;  was  at  the  front  at  the  time 
the  armistice  was  signed,  and  is  now  (spring  of  1919)  with  the  Army  of 
Occupation  at  Coblenz,  attached  to  the  89th  Pioneer  Infantry  Regiment. 
John  Brengarth,  the  other  soldier  son,  enlisted  for  service  in  the  World 
War  in  November,  1917,  and  has  now  (spring  of  1919)  been  in  France  for 
more  than  18  months,  attached  to  the  Aviation  Corps,  a  member  of  the 
222nd  Aero  Squadron,  and  during  this  long  period  of  service  has  been  a 
participant  in  some  exceedingly  spectacular  and  thrilling  actions.  The 
Brengarth  children  received  their  schooling  in  the  New  Salem  School  in 
Prairie  Home  township,  and  though  the  members  of  the  family  are  now 
widely  scattered,  as  is  the  way  of  families,  that  community  ever  will  be 
regarded  by  them  as  "back  home." 

Ernest  H.  Ambrose,  proprietor  of  the  "Ambrose  Missouri  River  Val- 
ley Farm,"  at  the  north  edge  of  the  town  of  Overton  in  Saline  township, 
and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  energetic  young  farmers 
of  that  section  of  Cooper  County,  is  a  native  of  this  county.  He  was  born 
Oct.  15,  1881,  son  of  J.  T.  and  Elizabeth  (Bell)  Ambrose.  J.  T.  Ambrose 
was  born  in  Howard  County  in  1845,  and  though  but  16  years  of  age  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he  enlisted  at  Boonville  in  the  cause  of  the  Con- 
federacy as  a  member  of  Company  B,  14th  Infantry,  and  served  for  three 
years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  at  Shreveport,  La.,  with  the 
army  when  the  war  ended.  Mr.  Ambrose  then  engaged  in  farming,  and 
so  continued  the  rest  of  his  active  life.  He  died  in  March,  1916,  he  then 
being  71  years  of  age,  and  is  buried  in  the  Sulphur  Springs  Churchyard 
in  Howard  County.  His  widow  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Lloyd  Station. 
She  and  her  husband  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are 
still  living:  Margaret,  wife  of  Daniel  Stewart,  of  Columbia,  Mo.;  Thomas, 
near  Rochef ort,  Boone  County ;  Ernest  H. ;  Fannie,  wife  of  Edgar  McVee, 
near  Pierson  Spur  in  Howard  County;  and  Grover  M.,  who  is  living  with 
his  mother  at  Lloyd  Station. 

Ernest  H.  Ambrose  has  always  followed  fanning  pursuits.  He  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  public  schools,  and  early  began  farming  on  his 
own  account.  In  the  spring  of  1913  he  bought  100  acres  of  the  farm  on 
which  he  is  now  living,  just  north  of  Overton,  and  since  then  has  added  to 
this  by  purchase  from  Mont  Cooper  of  an  adjoining  strip  of  eight  acres, 
having  now  108  acres,  as  rich  a  tract  of  land  as  lies  in  the  whole  Missouri 


1098  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Valley.  During  the  past  few  years,  Mr.  Ambrose  has  made  some  very  sub- 
stantial improvements  on  his  place.  Included  in  these  improvements  is  a 
modern  ne  wseven-room  house,  a  barn  30x48  feet,  a  machine  shed  20x50,  a 
garage,  an  up-to-date  poultry  house  in  which  Mrs.  Ambrose  has  300 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens.  The  farm  has  an  excellent  orchard  of  50  or 
more  trees.  During  the  current  year  (1919)  Mr.  Ambrose  had  raised  15 
acres  of  alfalfa,  35  acres  of  wheat,  one  acre  of  potatoes  and  the  balance 
in  corn. 

Nov.  20,  1907,  Ei-nest  H.  Ambrose  was  married  to  Bessie  Groom,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Hazel  and  George.  Mrs.  Ambrose  is  a  daughter  of  Colby  C.  and  Emma 
(Kickashear)  Groom,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1864, 
is  still  living  on  the  Groom  home  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Overton. 
Colby  C.  Groom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  came  to  Cooper  County  when  23 
years  of  age.  Here  he  married  and  became  engaged  in  farming,  a  voca- 
tion which  he  followed  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1913,  and  is  buried 
in  the  Clayton  Cemetery.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  children, 
Mrs.  Ambrose  having  three  brothers,  Hurt,  Clay  and  Colby  Groom,  all 
residing  at  Overton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ambrose  are  members  of  the  Highland 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  both  are  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
School  of  that  church.  Mr.  Ambrose  also  gives  his  thoughtful  attention 
to  local  educational  matters,  and  has  served  as  director  of  the  Overton 
School  District. 

John  Emil  Derendinger,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Switzerland,  March  2,  1864,  son  of  Rudolph  and  Louisa 
(Bucher)  Derendinger,  both  natives  of  that  same  country,  who  came  to 
America  in  1887  and  spent  their  their  last  days  in  Cooper  County.  Rudolph 
Derendinger  and  his  wife  first  located  in  Moniteau  County,  but  about  five 
years  later  moved  to  Prairie  Home  township,  this  county,  with  their  son 
Fred,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Derendinger  died 
in  1913,  and  his  wife  in  1915.  They  were  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church  at  Pleasant  Grove,  and  are  buried  in  the  cemetery  there.  Of  the 
seven  children  born  to  them,  John  Emil  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being: 
E.  F.  Derendinger,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Louisa  Hosman,  also  deceased ;  Rudolph, 
of  Sandy  Hook ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Louis  Hersick,  Hamburg,  Germany ;  and 
J.  F.,  Gooch's  Mill. 

J.  E.  Derendinger  came  to  this  country  in  1881  and  in  1887  he  sent 
for  his  parents  and  the  younger  members  of  the  family  to  join  him  here 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1099 

in  Missouri,  and  in  the  summer  of  that  same  year  he  married.  In  1888 
he  bought  200  acres  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Prairie  Home 
township,,  established  his  home  there  and  has  ever  since  resided  there. 
In  1916  Mr.  Derendinger  added  to  his  acreage  there  by  the  purchase  of 
120  acres,  and  now  has  an  excellent  farm  of  320  acres,  in  the  management 
of  which  he  is  ably  assisted  by  his  second  son,  Louis  Derendinger,  who  is 
married  and  makes  his  home  in  a  house  nearby  the  family  residence. 
Since  taking  possession  of  that  farm  Mr.  Derendinger  has  made  numerous 
substantial  improvements  on  the  place. 

August  12,  1887,  John  E.  Derendinger  was  married  to  Wilhelmina 
Schilb,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have 
been  bom:  Margaret,  wife  of  Waller  Neiderwimmer,  of  Sedalia;  E.  F. 
married  Laura  Friederich,  now  living  at  Kansas  City ;  Louis,  married 
Nannie  Friederich,  and  is  living  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  his  father; 
J.  C,  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Gooch's  Mill,  and  Meta  Bertha, 
at  home  with  her  parents.  J.  C.  Derendinger  married  Bertha  Reglin,  who 
died  leaving  two  children,  Cecil  R.  and  Marjorie  Elene,  who  are  being 
reared  by  their  grandparents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Derendinger  have  three  other 
grandchildren,  Herbert  and  Harold  Neiderwimmer  and  William  Deren- 
dinger. Mrs.  Derendinger  was  born  in  Saline  township,  Oct.  15,  1864, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Barbara  (Kesseling)  Schilb,  who  had  settled  there 
in  1847  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Shilb  died  in 
1894,  and  her  husband  died  in  1908.  They  were  charter  members  of  the 
Pleasant  Grove  Evangelical  Church,  and  are  buried  in  the  churchyard 
there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Derendinger  are  members  of  this  church  and  have 
reared  their  children  in  the  faith  of  the  church. 

St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove  was  the  first  church 
organized  by  the  German-speaking  people  of  Cooper  County,  and  was  or- 
ganized in  1849  under  the  ministry  of  the  Reverend  Kewing,  who  for  some 
time  remainded  as  pastor,  being  succeeded  in  turn  by  the  following  pas- 
tors: The  Reverends  Rauschenbusch,  Hoffmeister,  Lange,  Streit,  Von 
Teobel,  Dellwo,  Kraft,  Woelfle,  Moore,  Leutwein,  Klingebei'ger,  Alber, 
Egger,  Rasche,  Jennerich,  Lehman,  Bredehoeft,  Leibner  and  Beisenherc, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  installed  as  pastor  in  the  fall  of  1917,  and  is  now 
serving  the  congregation.  The  first  meeting  house  erected  by  the  congrega- 
tion of  St.  Peter's  was  a  little  log  church  building.  The  present  building 
was  erected  in  1877.  The  charter  members  of  St.  Peter's  Evangelical 
Church  were  the  following:  Adam  and  Jacob  Schilb,  Nicholas  Blank,  George 


1100  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Knorp,  Fred  Stock,  J.  A.  Spieler,  J.  G.  Spieler,  William  Baker,  F.  Schenck, 
T.  Miller,  E.  Kirschman,  Jacob  Schilb,  Jr.,  Henry  Meier,  H.  J.  Meier,  A. 
Kaempfer  and  William  Hobrecht. 

Henry  Knosp,  proprietor  of  "Hazel  Grove  Farm,"  in  Saline  township, 
one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  of  that  section  of  Cooper  Count,  is  a 
native  son  of  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  two  and  one-half  miles 
east  of  Prairie  Home,  Feb.  12,  1853,  son  of  George  and  Minnie  (Schenck) 
Knosp,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  on  that  place. 

George  Knosp,  who  lived  to  be  nearly  84  years  of  age,  was  born  in 
Germany,  and  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents,  the  family  settling  in  Cole  Count,  Mo.,  in  the  '30s.  He  came  to 
Cooper  County  some  time  in  the  '40s,  was  here  married,  established  his 
home,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  here.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Evangelical  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery 
there,  as  is  his  wife,  who  lived  to  be  75  years  of  age.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  as 
follows  Louise,  wife  of  J.  H.  Stock,  of  Sedalia;  Charles,  of  Jamestown, 
Mo. ;  Minnie,  Clarks  Fork  township,  widow  of  William  Fricke ;  Mary,  wife 
of  Theodore  Brandes,  also  of  Clarks  Fork  township ;  Caroline,  wife  of  John 
Kaiser,  of  North  Moniteau  township;  John,  living  on  the  old  home  place; 
and  Fred,  of  Calfomia,  Mo. 

Henry  Knosp  received  his  schooling  in  the  Splice  Creek  School,  his 
first  teacher  having  been  Bartlett  Metcalf ,  who  taught  in  the  little  log  school 
house.  Mr.  Knosp  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming.  In  1883,  he 
bought  from  the  Haxel  heirs  the  quarter  section,  and  has  since  resided  on 
that  place,  bringing  the  place  up  to  a  state  of  improvement  second  to  none 
in  the  neighborhood.  For  that  tract  of  160  acres  he  paid  about  $24  an 
acre.  As  his  affairs  prospered,  Mr.  Knosp  bought  from  William  Oerly  an 
adjoining  120  acres,  but  this  he  recently  has  sold  to  his  son,  who  lives  on 
the  place.  All  the  improvements  on  the  farm  have  been  made  by  Mr. 
Knosp.  For  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  raising  of  Whiteface  cattle,  but 
of  late  years  has  not  done  so  much  in  that  line,  though  he  still  maintains 
a  excellent  drove  of  Duroc  Jersey  hogs,  all  eligible  to  register.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Pleasant  Grove. 

Feb.  16,  1882,  Henry  Knosp  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sophia  Fred- 
ericka  Lonjers,  at  Lone  Elm,  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Thiess,  and  to  this  union  10 
children  have  been  born,  namely :  Albert,  born  April  5,  1883,  died  in  the 
fall  of  1902 ;  Anna  B.,  Sept.  17.  1885,  wife  of  Charles  Langer,  of  Moniteau 
County;   Minnie,   Jan.    15,    1886,   wife  of   Louis    Dahler,    of    California, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1101 

Mo. :  Henry,  April  2,  1887,  of  Prairie  Home  township ;  Fred,  Jan.  12,  1859, 
died  Nov.  3/ 1907;  Cora,  August,  1891,  who  died  at  the  age  of  13  months; 
Oliver,  July  28,  1893,  died  Dec.  4,  1918;  Lydia,  Nov.  25,  1896,  at  home; 
George,  Feb.  26,  1898,  also  at  home,  and  Herbert,  May  24,  1900,  at  home. 
Mrs.  Knosp  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Lone  Elm,  in  Clarks  Fork  township, 
daughter  of  Maurine  and  Johanna  (Brandes)  Lonjers,  both  of  whom  spent 
their  last  days  in  this  county.  Maurine  Lonjers  was  born  in  Holland, 
and  many  years  ago  settled  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood,  where  he  died 
Sept.  28,  1914.  She  was  bom  in  1838.  After  the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band she  married  Louis  Lebbing  and  had  two  children,  Theodore  Lebbing, 
now  a  merchant  at  Clarks  Fork,  and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  By 
her  marriage  to  Maurine  Lonjers  she  was  the  mother  of  10  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Knosp  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as 
follows:  Henry  Lonjers,  Stockton,  Calif.;  Louise,  wife  of  Daniel  Langkop, 
Bunceton ;  Christian,  Colorado ;  Herman,  who  married  Lizzie  Kluss  and 
died  in  1911  in  Clarks  Fork,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  Emil  and  Wil- 
liam ;  Charles,  who  died  in  California  at  the  age  of  28  years ;  Bettie,  whs 
died  at  the  age  of  19  years;  Caroline,  wife  of  William  Hein,  of  Appleton 
City,  Mo. ;  Margaret,  who  died  at  the  age  of  14  years,  and  William,  who 
died  in  youth. 

Henry  H.  Knosp,  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  of  120  acres  three  and  one- 
half  miles  from  Wooldridge  in  Saline  township,  was  born  at  "Hazel  Grove 
Farm,"  April  2,  1887,  son  of  Henry  and  Sophia  Fredericka  (Lonjers) 
Knosp,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  section,  and  both  of  whom 
are  still  living  at  "Hazel  Grove  Farm." 

Reared  at  "Hazel  Grove  Farm,"  Henry  H.  Knosp  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  church  school  at  Pleasant  Grove,  and  in  the  Liberty  dis- 
trict school.  He  has  applied  himself  to  farming,  remaining  at  home  until 
his  marriage  when  23  years  of  age,  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own 
account  in  Moniteau  County.  Three  years  later,  in  1914,  he  bought  from 
his  father,  120  acres,  and  has  since  resided  there.  Mr.  Knosp  has  made 
substantial  improvements  and  is  contemplating  more.  Among  the  im- 
provements is  a  modern  poultry  house,  14x36,  Mrs.  Knosp  being  much 
interested  in  her  fine  flock  of  more  than  200  Rhode  Island  Reds.  Mr. 
Knosp  raises  Duroc  Jersey  hogs  and  is  meeting  with  success.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Pleasant  Grove  Lutheran  Church. 

March  12,  1911,  Henry  H.  Knosp  was  married  to  Mollie  Lenger,  whom 
he  had  known  from  childhood,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born,  Florence,  Harry  and  Pauline.     Mrs.  Knosp  was  bora  over  in  Moni- 


1102  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

teau  County,  April  18,  1884,  daughters  of  Charles  and  Minnie  (Hampster) 
Lenger,  natives  of  Germany,  both  of  whom  are  living  on  the  farm  in 
Moniteau  County,  where  they  have  resided  for  more  than  40  years,  Mr. 
Lenger  now  being  88  years  of  age  and  his  wife  77.  Charles  Lenger  and 
his  wife  have  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Knosp  being:  Sophia,  wife 
of  William  Gross,  a  woodworker  living  at  California,  Mo. ;  Matilda,  wife 
of  William  Kieslig,  also  of  California;  Charles,  Jr.,  who  married  Anna 
Knosp,  operating  his  father's  farm,  and  Fred,  who  married  Nettie  Graff, 
and  is  also  on  the  home  farm. 

D.  D.  Hurt,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, was  born  in  this  township  March  25,  1879.  He  is  a  son  of  A.  C.  and 
Celesta  A.  (Holestein)  Hurt,  natives  of  Cooper  County  and  descendents 
of  early  pioneers  in  this  section.  A.  C.  Hurt  and  his  wife  spent  their  lives 
in  Clarks  Fork  township.  He  was  a  Confederate  veteran  of  the  Civil  War, 
and  was  with  the  army  at  Shreveport,  La.,  when  the  war  closed.  A.  C. 
and  Celesta  A.  (Holestein)  Hurt  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: B.  F.,  Bunceton;  J.  A.,  North  Moniteau  township;  William  A.,  Clarks 
Fork  township;  D.  D.  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  0.  F.,  Blackwater. 

D.  D.  Hurt  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  Ellis  School  District.  He  has  been  a  fanner 
and  stockman  all  his  life.  He  purchased  80  acres  of  his  present  farm  in 
1905,  and  since  that  time  has  added  40  acres.  He  has  a  well  improved 
place  with  good  residence  and  other  buildings.  The  farm  is  located  on 
the  Bunceton-Pisgah  road  in  the  southern  part  of  Clarks  Fork  township, 
and  is  valuable  property.  Mr.  Hurt  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising,  and  has  been  very  successful. 

May  20,  1900,  D.  D,  Hurt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Myrtle 
Jones,  a  daughter  of  B.  L.  Jones,  of  Pisgah.  Her  mother  is  deceased. 
Mrs.  Hurt  is  one  of  the  following  children  born  to  her  parents:  J.  T., 
Pisgah ;  Myrtle,  wife  of  D.  D.  Hurt;  L.  T.,  Prairie  Home;  Mrs.  R.  W.  Lacy, 
Prairie  Home ;  Mrs.  A.  L.  Lewis,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Mrs.  Ben  Harned, 
who  resides  on  the  home  place  at  Pisgah. 

To  D.  D.  Hurt  and  wife  has  been  born  three  children,  as  follows: 
Opal,  died  when  14  years  of  age ;  David,  born  Sept.  30,  1903 ;  and  Louis, 
born  Sept.  26,  1908. 

Mr.  Hurt  is  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Consolidate  District  No. 
1,  and  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  local  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  Workers  at  Pisgah,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Hurt  belong  to  the  Baptist 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1103 

Church  at  that  place.     Mr.  Hurt  is  a  congenial  man,  a  good  neighbor  and 
citizen,  and  has  many  friends  in  Cooper  County. 

George  Truman  Cole,  a  progressive  farmer  and  stockman  of  Prairie 
Home  township,  was  born  in  this  township,  Oct.  2,  1875,  and  is  a  descend- 
ent  of  one  of  the  first  families  that  settled  in  Cooper  County.  He  is  a  son 
of  Andrew  B.  and  Mary  J.  (Hickox)  Cole.  Andrew  B.  Cole  was  born  at 
Bell  Air,  Cooper  County,  in  1827.  He  was  a  son  of  Samuel,  who  was  a 
son  of  Hannah  Cole,  who,  with  the  Stephens  family,  were  the  first  settlers 
in  Cooper  County.  Samuel  Cole  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  92  years, 
and  died  near  Bell  Air,  and  his  remains  are  buried  at  the  Nebo  Church 
Cemetery.  Andrew  B.  Cole  made  three  trips  across  the  Plains  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  early  days.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  and  an 
influential  citizen.  He  died  in  1913,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life  in  1917, 
and  their  remains  are  buried  in  the  Pisgah  Cemetery.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children  as  follows:  Edward,  Prairie  Home  township; 
George  Truman,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Warren,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  By  a  former  marriage  to  Rebecca  Ann  Boughman  there 
were  three  children  born:  W.  H.,  North  Moniteau  township;  Mollie,  mar- 
ried J.  0.  Morris,  North  Moniteau  township;  and  Clara,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  20  years. 

George  Truman  Cole  traces  his  ancestry  in  this  country  back  for  300 
years,  to  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower  at  Plymouth  Rock  in  1620.  Thomas 
Clark,  who  was  a  passenger  on  the  Mayflower,  was  a  direct  ancestor  of 
George  Truman  Cole,  on  his  mother's  side.  Mary  J.  Hickox,  mother  of 
George  Truman  Cole,  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mara  (Hill)  Hickox, 
the  latter  being  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  Feb.  4,  1804.  Hon.  H.  L. 
Meyers,  U.  S.  senator  from  Montana,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this 
volume,  is  a  second  cousin  of  Mary  J.  (Hickox)  Cole. 

George  Truman  Cole  was  reared  and  educated  in  Cooper  County,  and 
has  spent  his  life  here,  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  owns  a 
well  improved  farm  of  200  acres  in  Prairie  Home  township,  where  he  is 
successfully  carrying  on  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Cole  was  mar- 
ried Nov.  25,  1897,  to  Miss  Ida  Tumy,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Bettie 
(Hall)  Tumy,  the  former  a  native  of  Boone  County,  born  in  1857,  and  the 
latter  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  in  1862.  They  now  reside  at  Bunce- 
ton.  To  James  and  Sallie  (Hall)  Tumy  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Ida,  wife  of  George  Truman  Cole,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Robert, 
Bunceton;  Gracia,  married  Leonard  Holliday,  Bunceton;  William,  Bunce- 
ton,  who  served  with  the  42d  Infantry,  Rainbow  Division,  in  France  during 


1104  HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY 

the  World  War ;  Mary,  married  Edgar  Byler,  Dinuba,  Calif. ;  Porter,  a  book- 
keeper in  the  Bank  of  Bunceton.  To  George  Truman  Cole  and  wife  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Lena  Leota,  a  graduate  of  the  Pisgah 
High  School,  who  has  also  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrens- 
burg,  is  a  teacher  in  the  Jefferson  district ;  Claude ;  James ;  Mary  Arostine 
and  Martha  Pauline,  twins ;  Warren  Gregory,  and  Clara  Booksie. 

Henry  H.  Tumy,  grand  father  of  Mrs.  Cole  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Missouri  when  a  young  man,  locating  at  Rocheport.  He  was 
a  saddler,  and  for  50  years  conducted  business  in  that  town,  but  for  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life  he  lived  retired.  He  died  at  the  age  of  78  years, 
and  is  buried  in  the  Rocheport  Cemetery.  He  was  the  father  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  John.  Fayette,  Mo.;  James,  Bunceton;  Frank,  Columbia, 
Mo.;  Henry,  Fayette,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Laura  Meyers,  Fayette;  Mrs.  Debroh 
Robertson;  Mrs.  M.  T.  Lyell,  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  and  Mrs.  Hiriam  Bur- 
rous,  Crawfordsville,  Ind. 

Mr.  Cole  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  representative  and  progressive  cit- 
izens and  stands  ever  ready  to  contribute  his  part  to  any  worthy  public 
enterprise. 

William  Lynn  Spahr,  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Kelly  township,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Nov.  3,  1890.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  Lynn  and  Sarah  Prolma  (Stark)  Spahr,  the  former  also  a 
native  of  Cooper  Count,  where  he  spent  his  life,  and  died  April  17,  1896. 
The  mother  was  born  near  Otterville,  Mo.,  and  died  Aug.  22,  1914.  Wil- 
liam Lynn  Spahr,  the  father,  was  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  at 
Boonville,  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  To  William  Lynn  and  Sarah  Prolma 
(Stark)  Spahr  were  born  the  following  children:  Lawrence,  a  farmer  in 
Kelly  township ;  William  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  and  David,  Tulsa, 
Okla. 

William  L.  Spahr  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Cooper 
County  and  the  Bunceton  High  School.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  since  boyhood.  He  purchased  his  present  place  in  Kelly 
township  from  Frank  Smith  in  1912.  His  farm  consists  of  80  acres 
of  well  improved  land,  located  three  miles  southwest  of  Bunceton.  He 
has  a  pretty  home  and  the  other  improvements  on  the  place  are  of  a  cor- 
responding high  type.  He  feeds  cattle  quite  extensively,  and  has  met 
with  success  in  this  line  of  endeavor. 

Mr.  Spahr  was  married  in  1911  to  Miss  Anna  Lee  Palmer,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Ella  (Collins)  Palmer,  both  now  residing  in  Lebanon  town- 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1105 

ship.  To  James  and  Ella  (Collins)  Palmer  have  been  born  the  following 
children  besides  Mrs.  Spahr:  Clarence,  Sedalia;  Henry,  Bunceton;  Rus- 
sell, Bunceton ;  Mrs.  Kate  Schlotzhauer ;  Mrs.  Mattie  Cole,  Otterville ;  and 
Frank  Lillian,  Louise,  Pauline,  Stanley  and  Jack,  residing  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Spahr  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  representative  citi- 
zens, and  he  and  Mrs.  Spahr  stand  high  in  the  community. 

Lawrence  Spahr,  owner  of  the  "Cedar  Lawn  Farm"  in  Kelly  township, 
is  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Cooper  County, 
and  belongs  to  a  prominent  pioneer  family  of  this  section.  He  was  born 
July  22,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of  William  L.  and  Sarah  Prolma  (Stark)  Spahr, 
both  natives  of  Cooper  County.  The  father  was  engaged  in  the  under- 
taking business  at  Boonville  most  of  his  life,  and  is  now  deceased.  The 
mother,  Sarah  Prolma  (Stark)  Spahr,  was  a  daughter  of  J.  D.  Stark,  who 
for  many  years  was  prominently  identified  with  Cooper  County  and  Mis- 
souri in  a  political  way.  He  served  as  county  collector  of  Cooper  County, 
and  was  also  county  judge.  He  represented  Cooper  County  in  the  Legis- 
lature for  a  time,  and  was  warden  of  the  State  Penitentiary  during  the 
administration  of  Gov.  Stephens.  About  that  time  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Kelly  township,  which  is  now  owned  by  Lawrence  Spahr.  While  her 
father  was  warden  of  the  State  Penitentiary,  Sarah  Prolma  (Stark)  Spain 
was  matron  of  that  institution.  At  the  expiration  of  her  term  she  re- 
turned to  Cooper  County  and  lived  on  the  farm  in  Kelly  township,  which 
her  father  had  purchased.  At  that  time  she  was  a  widow,  her  husband 
having  died  in  1896.  She  successfully  managed  the  operation  of  the  farm 
in  Kelly  township,  and  reared  her  family.  She  was  a  capable  business 
woman,  and  successfully  carried  out  her  undertakings.  She  died  Aug.  22, 
1914.  Lawrence  Spahr  now  owns  the  place  in  Kelly  township  which  was 
owned  by  his  grandfather  Stark.  It  is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  the 
county,  and' is  one  of  the  old  historic  places  of  that  neighborhood.  It  was 
originally  entered  from  the  Government  by  W.  T.  Reavis  at  a  cost  of  $1.25 
per  acre  in  1850,  and  was  later  owned  by  Dick  Reavis,  who  made  many 
improvements  out  of  the  ordinary  for  the  early  times.  He  planted  an 
orchard  of  40  acres  and  later  doubled  the  acreage  of  his  orchard.  He 
manufactured  apple  brandy  here  for  a  time.  He  also  set  out  two  rows  of 
cedar  trees  along  the  driveway,  between  the  main  highway  and  the  resi- 
dence, which  greatly  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  place.     The  farm  now  con- 


1106  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

sists  of  185  acres,  and  here  Mr.  Spahr  successfully  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  feeds  cattle  extensively,  a  branch  of  animal 
husbandry  which  has  proven  very  profitable  to  him. 

Mr.  Spahr  was  married  June  5,  1912,  to  Miss  Grace  Gander,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Annie  (Presgraves)  Gander,  of  Lebanon  township.  Mrs. 
Spahr  is  one  of  the  following  children  bom  to  her  parents :  Grace,  wife  of 
Lawrence  Spahr,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Virgil,  leaves  near  Vermont 
Station;  Ollie,  resides  at  home;  Aubrey,  lives  near  Vermont  Station;  and 
Elon,  lives  near  Vermont  Station.  To  Mr.  and  Mi's.  Spahr  have  been  born 
two  children :   Jack  Stark  and  Annie  Olive. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spahr  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  are  representatives  of  Cooper  County's  most  progressive  and  enter- 
prising citizens. 

H.  C.  Biltz,  a  successful  farmer  of  Kelly  township,  is  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois. He  was  born  in  Summerfield,  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  Aug.  1,  1867,  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Dora  Biltz,  both  now  deceased.  Jacob  Biltz  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  took  part  in  the  German  Revolution  in  1848,  and  on  ac- 
count of  his  participation  in  that  uprising  against  the  Government  fled 
from  that  country  in  company  with  Frederick  Hecker,  who  was  also  impli- 
cated in  the  revolution  against  the  German  Government,  and  during  the 
Civil  War  became  a  colonel  in  the  Union  Army. 

H.  C.  Biltz  first  came  to  Boonville  in  the  capacity  of  an  apple  buyer. 
He  and  his  brother,  Philip,  were  in  the  commission  business  at  St.  Louis, 
and  his  brother  is  still  engaged  in  the  same  business  there.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years,  H.  C.  Biltz  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  in  Kelly  township,  where  he  owns  one  of  the  valuable,  well 
improved  farms  of  Cooper  County.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising,  and  has  met  with  well  merited  success  in  his  undertakings. 

March  9,  1892,  H.  C.  Biltz  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Guita  A. 
Levens,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  After  their  marriage  they  lived  in  Omaha, 
Neb.,  for  a  short  time,  and  in  1893  came  to  Cooper  County,  where  Mr.  Biltz 
has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  Mrs.  Biltz  is  a  daughter  of  B.  W. 
Levens,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  who  was  born  on  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Bunceton,  Feb.  25,  1841.  He  was  a  son  of  Basil  W.  Levens,  a 
native  of  Washington  County.  Pa.,  bom  in  1791.  Basil  W.  Levens  came 
to  Randolph  County,  111.,  with  his  parents  at  a  very  early  date.  His 
father  was  a  slave-owner,  and  owing  to  the  sentiment  against  slavery  in 
Illinois,  he  came  to  Missouri  by  boat,  taking  his  slaves  with  him,  and  set- 
tled at  Overton,  Mo.     He  operated  the  ferry  across  the  river  for  a  number 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1107 

of  years,  and  was  later  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Rhoda  Stephens 
here  in  1818.  He  spent  his  latter  years  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  east  of 
Bunceton,  where  he  died  in  1844,  and  his  wife  died  in  1876. 

B.  W.  Levens,  father  of  Mrs.  H.  C.  Biltz,  was  a  Confederate  veteran. 
He  was  married  Feb.  25,  1864,  to  Mary  E.  Reavis,  who  died  Jan.  8,  1911. 
Two  children  were  born  to  this  union :  Dr.  W.  B.  Levens,  Creighton,  Mo., 
and  Guita,  the  wife  of  H.  C.  Biltz,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

To  H.  C.  Biltz  and  wife  have  been  born  two  children:  Rolla  L.  and 
Hilda  Marie,  the  latter  a  student  in  the  Bunceton  High  School.  Rolla  L. 
Biltz  served  in  the  World  War,  and  is  now  residing  at  home  with  his 
parents.  He  enlisted  in  March,  1917,  and  after  being  trained  at  Ft.  Sill, 
Okla.,  was  sent  to  France  in  April,  1918,  with  the  144th  Infantry,  35th 
Division.  He  participated  in  the  severe  fighting  of  the  summer  and  fall 
of  1918.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Argone  Forest,  and  St.  Mihiel.  He  was 
wounded  three  times,  twice  in  the  arm,  and  once  in  the  side,  and  he  was 
also  severely  gassed,  and  was  returned  to  the  United  States  as  a  member 
of  a  casualty  company. 

Mrs.  Biltz  has  won  a  reputation  as  a  successful  poultry  raiser  which 
has  extended  far  beyond  the  limits  of  Cooper  County.  She  won  the 
first  premium  at  the  Missouri  State  Poultry  Show  in  1912,  and  also  at  the 
Springfield  Poultry  Show  for  the  largest  turkey  in  the  world,  which 
weighed  60  pounds.  This  was  a  mammoth  Bronze  turkey,  and  at  that  time 
Mrs.  Biltz  was  raising  that  breed  of  turkeys.  This  turkey  was  afterwards 
sold  for  $150.00. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Biltz  are  well  known  in  Cooper  County  and  rank  among 
the  leading  families  of  this  section. 

Samuel  Holbert  Groves,  proprietor  of  the  "Locust  Grove  Farm,  Home 
of  the  Cotswold,"  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  breeders  in  the  coun- 
try. Mr.  Groves  is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  near  Bell  Air, 
June  13,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  T.  and  Margaret  (Cole)  Groves.  The 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sallie  (Bristoe)  Cole.  Samuel  Cole 
was  a  son  of  Stephen  Cole,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Cooper 
County,  who  lived  at  Cole's  Fort,  the  first  settlement  of  this  county.  W. 
T.  Groves  was  a  native  of  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  born  Aug.  2,  1828,  and 
came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  in  1850,  when  he  was  22  years  old.  He  died 
here  July  2,  1911,  and  his  wife  died  in  1867.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  J.  O.,  who  resides  in  Kelly  township;  Samuel  H,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Thomas,  Moniteau  County.  After  the  death  of 
his  first  wife,  W.  T.  Groves  married  Anna  Morton.     She  died  in  1917. 


1108  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

The  following  children  were  born  to  the  second  marriage:  John,  Tipton, 
Mo. ;  Clara,  married  Robert  McCulloch,  Jefferson  City,  Mo. ;  Cora,  married 
M.  A.  Worley,  Tipton,  Mo.;  Addie,  married  0.  P.  Worley,  Tipton,  Mo.; 
Oscar,  enlisted  when  the  United  States  entered  the  World  War,  and  was 
sent  to  France  in  the  spring  of  1918,  and  is  still  serving  with  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Force  there. 

Samuel  H.  Groves  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  Prof.  Don- 
nelly's school  at  Bunceton.  He  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  made  a  specialty  in  breeding 
Cotswold  sheep.  He  brought  the  first  imported  sheep  of  this  breed  that 
was  ever  brought  to  Cooper  County,  and  has  bred  several  hundred  sheep 
of  this  breed  all  eligible  to  registration.  His  sheep  have  been  exhibited  at 
numerous  fairs  and  stock  shows  throughout  the  country,  and  he  perhaps 
has  won  over  300  premiums.  His  imported  ram,  Games  37,  which  heads 
his  flock,  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  sheep  in  this  country.  He  now  has 
a  herd  of  42  pure-bred  Cotswold  sheep  on  his  place.  Mr.  Groves  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  sheep  department  of  the  Missouri  State  Fair  for 
several  years,  and  holds  that  position  for  the  year  1919.  For  five  years 
he  was  president  of  the  Missouri  State  Sheep  Breeders'  Association,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  this  line  of  work.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Bunceton  Fair,  23  years  ago.  This  is  one  of  the  successful 
fairs  of  the  State.  Mr.  Groves  is  not  only  a  successful  farmer  and  breeder, 
but  is  known  throughout  a  broad  scope  of  territory  as  a  successful  auc- 
tioneer. He  makes  a  specialty  of  conducting  sheep  sales,  in  which  he  is 
regarded  as  an  expert.  The  sheep  growers  of  the  State  have  found  in 
Mr.  Groves  an  exceptional  auctioneer  in  handling  their  particular  line  of 
sales,  and  the  demand  upon  his  time  for  this  work  is  very  great.  He  has 
conducted  sheep  sales  for  eight  years. 

Mr.  Groves  was  married  Dec.  22,  1887,  to  Miss  Anna  Bear,  a  daugh- 
ter of  J.  H.  and  Mary  (Morris)  Bear.  J.  H.  Bear  is  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Cooper  County  when  a  young  man.  He  was  born  Dec.  22, 
1835,  and  makes  his  home  with  his  children.  His  wife  was  born  in  St. 
Clair  County.  Mo.,  and  died  Feb.  12,  1914,  at  the  age  of  G8  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  J.  O.  Groves,  Tipton, 
Mo. ;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Samuel  H.  Groves,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Davis,  Otterville,  Mo.:  Mrs.  A.  J.  White,  Tipton,  Mo.;  Mrs.  F.  M. 
Shrout,  Bunceton,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  R.  H.  Franks,  Thomasville,  Mo. ;  Alfred  S., 
Oknee,  Okla. ;  Hugh  M.,  Colorado ;  George,  a  teacher,  who  is  now  taking  a 
special  course  at  the  State  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg,  Mo.  He  enlisted 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  1109 

at  the  beginning  of  the  World  War  and  attended  an  officers'  training  school, 
where  he  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant  and  was  sent  to  France  in  the 
spring  of  1918,  and  returned  to  the  United  States,  March  5,  1919.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Groves  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Edgar  E.,  a 
locomotive  engineer  on  the  Rock  Island  Railroad,  married  Bessie  Monks, 
of  Cooper  County,  and  they  have  two  children,  Gladys  and  Anna  Mar- 
guerite; and  Morris  C,  of  Bayfield,  Colo.,  married  Lydia  Doll,  of  Cooper 
County,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Edna  Frances. 

Mr.  Groves  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  highly  respected  and  sub- 
stantial citizens. 

George  Reynolds,  a  highly  respected  pioneer  of  Cooper  County,  resid- 
ing in  Kelly  township,  is  a  native  of  West  Virginia.  He  was  born  in 
Brooks  County,  May  8,  1847,  a  son  of  Josephus  and  Margaret  (Umphrey) 
Reynolds,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  born  near  Steubenville.  The  mother  died 
in  1897,  the  father  having  died  in  1870,  in  Johnson  County,  Mo.  He  came 
to  Cooper  County  in  1867,  and  settled  near  Nebo,  Cooper  County.  Josephus 
and  Margaret  (Umphrey)  Reynolds  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Samuel,  who  resides  at  Boonville,  and  George,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  were  twins ;  Frank,  lives  in  Boonville ;  William  F.,  died  in  1898,  near 
Blackwater ;  Robert  Scott,  died  in  infancy ;  Joshua,  the  eldest  of  the  fam- 
ily, was  killed  at  Hatches  Run,  Va.,  while  serving  in  the  Union  Army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War. 

George  Reynolds  has  lived  in  Cooper  County  for  52  years  with  the 
exception  of  1881  and  1882,  when  he  resided  in  Vernon  County.  He  bought 
his  present  home  in  Kelly  township  in  1887.  His  farm  consists  of  120 
acres,  which  is  nicely  located  and  makes  a  pleasant  home.  His  residence  is 
located  on  an  eminence  which  gives  a  commanding  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  under  proper  atmospheric  condition  a  splendid  view  of 
20  miles  to  the  northwest  can  be  had  from  this  place. 

George  Reynolds  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Sarah  Gallagher,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Susan  Gallagher,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Mon- 
iteau County,  coming  from  Virginia.  To  this  union  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Dr.  William  H.,  who  resides  in  Pettis  County,  married  Minnie 
Kahrs,  and  they  have  two  children,  Delia  May  and  William  K. ;  Cora  May, 
married  J.  J.  Baxter,  Rockyford,  Colo.,  and  they  have  four  children,  Gus- 
sie,  Arthur  N.,  Walter  H.,  and  Willa  S.  Mrs.  Reynolds  died  Feb.  6,  1901, 
and  her  remains  are  buried  in  Hopewell  Cemetery.  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Bell  Air.  He  is  an  intelli- 
gent and  well  posted  gentleman  and  one  of  Cooper  County's  best  citizens. 


1110  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Joseph  O.  Nelson,  a  progressive  citizen  and  well  known  farmer  of 
Kelly  township,  was  born  in  Texas,  Aug.  6,  1867.  He  is  a  son  of  Decatur 
and  Isabella  (Stephens)  Nelson.  Decatur  Nelson  was  born  in  Virginia, 
Dec.  12,  1831,  and  died  in  Cooper  County,  Nov.  10,  1903.  He  came  to 
Cooper  County  with  his  parents  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age.  When 
the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  went  to  Texas  and  entered  the  Confederate 
Army  there,  and  served  nearly  four  years  until  the  war  closed.  Isabella 
(Stephens)  Nelson  was  a  member  of  a  Cooper  County  pioneer  family. 
She  was  born  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Bunceton  long  before 
Bunceton  was  thought  of.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Stephens,  Sr., 
a  native  of  Wythe  County,  Va.,  who  settled  in  the  locality  where  Bunceton 
now  stands  in  November,  1817.  Isabella  (Stephens)  Nelson  died  in  1886. 
She  was  one  of  24  children  born  of  two  unions  who  all  lived  to  man  and 
womanhood,  except  three,  who  died  in  infancy.  Her  mother  being  Miss 
Catherine  Dickenson ;  nine  children  belong  to  that  union.  To  Decatur 
and  Isabella  (Stephens)  Nelson  were  bom  two  children:  Mrs.  Mollie  C. 
Francis,  who  now  resides  in  Texas  and  Joseph  O.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Joseph  0.  Nelson  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Glen  Dale, 
Clarksburg  College,  and  Otterville  College,  and  since  leaving  school  has 
been  engaged  in  farming.  He  has  lived  on  the  place  which  he  now  owns 
in  Kelly  township  for  30  years.  He  first  purchased  42 J4  acres  and  later 
added  90  acres  more.  His  farm  is  located  five  miles  south  of  Bunceton. 
It  is  well  improved,  with  a  good  residence,  new  barn  and  other  improve- 
ments of  a  high  order.  The  water  supply  for  the  place  is  obtained  from 
a  well  110  feet  deep,  and  is  pumped  by  a  gas  engine. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  first  married  in  April,  1887,  to  Miss  Ida  May  Tilton, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Tilton,  of  Tipton,  Mo.  One  son  was  born  to  this 
union,  Newton,  who  lives  at  Tipton.  Mrs.  Nelson  died  in  1888.  April 
22,  1890,  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  to  Alice  C.  Kelly,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Nancy  Kelly.  John  Kelly  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland  was  a  railroad 
man  and  worked  on  the  construction  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad 
through  Tipton  and  also  M.  K.  &  T.  through  Clifton  City.  He  died  in 
Kansas  City.  July  9,  1906.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy 
Jones,  died  in  1872,  when  Mrs.  Nelson  was  about  two  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Nelson  was  reared  by  her  grandparents,  Samuel  and  Susan  Jones,  who 
resided  near  Otterville.  Samuel  Jones  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
Nov.  3,  1826,  and  came  to  Missouri  about  1835,  settling  near  Otterville 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1111 

where  he  kept  the  postoffice  which  was  Elkton  in  the  forties  before  Otter- 
ville  was  founded.  His  wife  was  born  in  Page  County,  Va.,  in  1832,  and 
died  in  July,  1893.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Cooper  County,  Otterville  College  and  the  Pilot  Grove  College.  She  was 
a  student  at  the  latter  institution  in  1883  when  W.  F.  Johnson,  the  editor 
of  this  work,  was  a  teacher  there. 

To  Joseph  0.  Nelson  and  wife  have  been  born  five  children  as  fol- 
lows: Isabella,  born  March  1,  1891,  was  educated  in  Bunceton  High 
School,  Missouri  State  University,  The  Gem  City  Business  College,  Quincy, 
111.,  and  is  now  a  teacher  at  the  Laura  Speed  Elliot  High  School,  Boonville; 
Richard  Truman,  born  Nov.  27,  1897,  resides  at  home;  Ernest  Decatur, 
born  March  3,  1900;  Edgar  Eurico,  born  Feb.  6,  1902;  Armstead  Mason, 
born  Aug.  26,  1910. 

The  Nelsons  are  one  of  the  well  known  and  representative  families  of 
Cooper  County  and  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen. 
He  is  a  cousin  of  Hon.  W.  L.  Nelson,  United  States  Congressman  from  the 
Eighth  Missouri  District  and  of  Lady  Maxwell  of  England. 

Emil  Hagemeier,  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  near  Lone  Elm,  May  9, 
1885,  and  is  a  son  of  Fred  and  Lizzie  (Loesing)  Hagemeier,  both  natives 
of  St.  Louis  County,  and  now  residents  of  Kelly  township.  They  came 
to  Cooper  County  about  1871,  and  settled  near  Lone  Elm,  where  they  now 
reside.  Fred  and  Lizzie  (Loesing)  Hagemeier,  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Lizzie,  married  John  Day  and  resides  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.;  Minnie,  married  Frank  Neimeyer,  Kelly  township;  Emma,  married 
George  Stegner  and  they  reside  near  Mt.  Herman  Church ;  Mary,  married 
George  Bushhorn  and  is  now  deceased;  Emil,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Harry  resides  in  Kelly  township,  and  Amanda  married  Clyde  C.  Waller  and 
they  reside  at  Wright  City,  Mo. 

Emil  Hagemeier  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Baxter,  Mo., 
and  the  Bunceton  schools.  He  also  attended  the  German  school  at  Lone 
Elm.  Mr.  Hagemeier  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. He  bought  60  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  1912,  to  which  he  added 
60  acres  more  later  and  now  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  120  acres.  It  is 
located  5i/>  mlies  southwest  of  Bunceton,  and  is  one  of  the  well  improved 
and  well  kept  farms  of  that  vicinity.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  and  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success.  Mrs.  Hagemeier 
is  successfully  engaged  in  the  poultry  business.     She  keeps  about  300 


1112  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Rhode  Island  Red  and  Brown  Leghorn  chickens,  all  of  which  are  pure 
bred.  Mrs.  Hagemeier  has  been  very  successful  in  the  production  of  eggs, 
which  she  sells  both  for  hatching  and  on  the  general  market.  During  the 
month  of  March,  1919  she  sold  SI 18.00  worth  of  eggs. 

Emil  Hagemeier  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  4.  1910,  to  Miss  Ger- 
trude Varner,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  (Cook)  Varner.  William 
Vainer  was  born  in  Virginia,  June  30,  1833,  and  his  wife  was  born  in 
Cooper  County,  near  Otterville,  March  16,  1835.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  served  in  the  Union  State  Militia.  He  has  always  followed  fanning 
and  stock  raising.  This  aged  and  highly  respected  couple  now  reside  in 
Kelly  township.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Pole- 
ata,  married  H.  H.  Yarnell,  who  is  now  deceased  and  she  lives  in  Kelly 
township ;  Joseph,  Beloit,  Kan. ;  Mary,  married  J.  A.  Stevenson,  St.  Louis ; 
James,  born  May  6,  1871,  and  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  Richard,  re- 
sides in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Ida  died  in  infancy,  and  Gertrude,  the  wife  of 
Emil  Hagemeier,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hagemeier 
have  been  bom  one  son,  Paul  Emil.  bom  March  17,  1915.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hagemeier  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  rank  among 
Cooper  County's  representative  and  highly  respected  citizens. 

Joshua  Berry  Scott  of  Bunceton  is  a  descendant  of  Cooper  County 
pioneer  stock,  who  has  spent  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  two  years, 
in  this  county.  Mr.  Scott  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  Feb.  7,  1857.  He 
is  a  son  of  William  Wilson  and  Carolina  (Berry)  Scott.  William  Wilson 
Scott  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  came  to  Missouri  with  his  father, 
Leonard  Scott,  who  settled  in  Cole  County,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  William  Wilson  Scott  settled  in  Cooper  County  in  the  thirties. 
Here  he  married  Carolina  Berry,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork 
township,  which  is  now  owned  by  Christ  Ohlandorf,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  on  this  place.  Carolina  Berry  was  the  daughter  of 
Joshua  Berry,  who  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers  of  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, where  he  entered  government  land.  He  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  drove  from  that  state  with  ox  teams  and  wagons,  bringing  his 
slaves  with  him.  After  coming  here  he  became  an  extensive  land  owner. 
He  built  a  large  brick  residence  on  his  place  in  Clarks  Fork  township. 
This  house  is  still  standing  and  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  He  died 
at  his  home  in  Cooper  County,  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 
His  wife  preceded  him  in  death  many  years. 

William  Wilson  and  Carolina  (Berry)  Scott  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Martha  J.,  born  Dec.  27,  1844.  married  Charles  S. 
Shirley,  April  6,  1870,  who  died  July  27,  1874,  three  children  having  been 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1113 

born  to  them:  Thomas  Edward,  lives  in  Boonville;  Searles  L.,  deceased; 
and  William  Augustus,  lives  in  Chicago ;  George  Walter,  born  Feb.  7,  1847, 
deceased ;  William  Bryon,  born  June  12,  1849,  lives  at  Clinton,  Mo. ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Evaline  Baslee,  born  Dec.  7,  1851,  lives  in  Clear  Fork  township; 
James  Monroe,  born  May  18,  1854 ;  Joshua  Berry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Robert  Ellis,  bora  July  19,  1859,  deceased,  and  Mrs.  Eleanora  Bottoms, 
bom  April  29,  1862,  lives  in  Prairie  Home. 

Joshua  Berry  Scott  lived  in  Kelly  township  for  many  years  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  1900  he  sold  his  farm  in 
that  township  and  bought  his  present  splendid  home  in  Bunceton.  He 
has  been  an  extensive  dealer  in  real  estate  for  many  years,  and  has  bought 
and  sold  a  great  deal  of  land.  Mr.  Scott  was  first  married  Feb.  19,  1879, 
to  Miss  Susan  Russell,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Two  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  Tallia  and  Beulah,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  mother 
died  Feb.  7,  1890.  Mr.  Scott's  second  wife  bore  the  name  of  Maude  Mc- 
Curdy.  She  died  about  a  year  after  their  marriage,  leaving  an  infant 
son,  John,  who  is  also  deceased.  After  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  Mr. 
Scott  was  married  to  Addie  Carpenter,  a  native  of  Cooper  County.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Priscilla  Carpenter,  pioneers  of  Clarks  Fork 
township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  been  born  one  son,  Joe  Dewey, 
born  Nov.  16,  1898  and  resides  at  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Scott  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  and  has  had  a 
successful  career.     He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of  Bunceton. 

L.  A.  Bestgen,  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, was  born  in  this  township  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  June 
25,  1891.  He  is  a  son  of  A.  J.  and  Ella  (Class)  Bestgen.  A.  J.  Bestgen 
was  also  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  born  near  Pisgah,  Jan.  16,  1864,  a  son 
of  Andrew  and  Catherine  (Alter)  Bestgen,  natives  of  Germany.  The 
former  was  born  in  1818,  and  the  latter  in  1829.  They  were  married  Feb. 
16,  1848,  at  Cedron,  Moniteau  County,  and  the  following  children  were 
born  to  this  union:  Catherine,  born  Sept.  21,  1849;  Anna  Mary,  born  Nov. 
7,  1852 ;  John  P.  born  Nov.  18,  1854 ;  Barbera,  born  Jan.  7,  1857 ;  Gertrude, 
born  Feb.  8,  1859;  Margaret,  bora  May  19,  1861;  Andrew  J.,  bora  Jan. 
16,  1864;  Teresa  H.,  born  Sept.  24,  1866,  and  Cornelius,  bom  July  26,  1870. 

Andrew  Bestgen,  grandfather  of  Louis  A.,  was  a  pioneer  of  Cooper 
County,  and  for  many  years  was  a  notary  public  and  did  a  great  deal  of 
work  of  this  kind  in  the  early  days.  He  died  April  25,  1894,  and  his 
remains  are  buried  at  Tipton,  Mo. 

Louis  A.  Bestgen  was  one  of  six  children  bora  to  his  parents,  the 
others  being  as  follows:     George  J.;  Urban  J.,  both  residing  in  Kelly  town- 


1114  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

ship,  and  Alverta,  Leonard  P.  and  Coletta,  residing  at  home.  Louis  A. 
Bestgen  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  has  made  farming  and 
stock  raising  his  principle  occupation,  and  has  met  with  well  merited  suc- 
cess.- The  home  place  which  he  operates  consists  of  120  acres.  The  place 
is  well  improved  with  a  good  six  room  residence  and  a  conveniently  planned 
barn  28x32  feet,  with  metal  roof.  Mr.  Bestgen  raises  wheat,  com  and 
other  grains,  and  also  carries  on  stock  raising.  Being  naturally  a 
mechanical  turn,  Mr.  Bestgen  has  built  and  fully  equipped  a  blacksmith 
shop,  where  he  has  installed  a  high  speed  drill,  emery  wheel,  and  other 
mechanical  devices.  He  is  the  inventor  of  the  Farmers  Barn  Door  Latch, 
which  he  manufactures  here  in  his  shop.  This  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  cleverly  designed  and  practical  barn  door  latches  on  the  market.  It 
is  used  extensively  by  farmers  in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Iowa.  The  latch 
is  made  in  a  variety  of  sizes  and  styles,  and  is  designed  for  bam  doors, 
hay  doors,  double  doors  and  garage  doors.  It  is  cheap,  durable,  simple  in 
construction,  easy  to  put  on  a  door,  and  saves  time,  temper  and  money. 
The  Farmers  Barn  Door  Latch  is  sold  by  dealers  throughout  the  country, 
although  Mr.  Bestgen  also  sells  to  the  trade  direct. 

Mr.  Bestgen  is  also  an  excellent  woodworker  and  has  done  some  fine 
cabinet  work.  Mechanical  work  of  this  character  is  as  easy  and  natural 
for  him  as  iron  work,  and  his  mechanical  genius  is  evinced  by  many  labor- 
ing saving  devices  around  the  Bestgen  home.  He  has  installed  an  irri- 
gation system  for  his  garden  which  has  proved  of  great  value  in  extreme 
dry  seasons. 

Louis  A.  Bestgen  was  married  Oct.  6,  1914  to  Miss  Clara  Dueber,  of 
Moniteau  County,  where  she  was  bom  March  27,  1891.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Martin  and  Mary  (Leffler)  Dueber,  the  former  a  native  of  Pettis 
County,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio  and  now  residents  of  Moniteau  County. 
They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Joseph,  Moniteau  County ; 
Tillie,  married  Aquin  Simpson ;  Clara,  wife  of  Louis  A.  Bestgen,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  ;  Adelia,  married  George  Bestgen ;  Nora,  resides  at  home ; 
Leo,  was  in  training  during  the  World  War  at  Camp  Bowie,  Texas,  from 
Sept.,  1918,  until  Feb.,  1919,  when  he  was  discharged,  and  is  now  residing 
at  home  in  Kelly  township ;  John,  George  and  Mamie,  all  residing  at  home. 
By  a  former  marriage  of  Martin  Dueber  to  Johana  Brill,  the  following 
children  were  bom:  Augusta,  married  Henry  Klein;  Loma,  El  Reno, 
Okla.,  and  Ida,  married  Andy  Kuttenkueler,  Tipton,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bestgen  have  been  born  two  children,  Virginia  and  Eleanor. 

Mr.  Bestgen  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  The  Anti-Horse 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1115 

Thief  Association,  and  the  Farmers  Club  at  Lone  Elm.  The  Bestgen 
family  are  members  of  St.  Andrews  Catholic  Church  at  Tipton. 

Daniel  Langkop,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, bears  the  distinction  of  belonging  to  a  family,  three  generations  of 
which  have  been  well  represented  in  the  wars  of  this  country  since  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  Daniel  Langkop  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1851, 
a  son  of  William  Henry  and  Anna  (Klaus)  Langkop,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. William  Henry  Langkop  migrated  to  America  in  1849  or  1850  and 
first  settled  in  Iowa.  He  came  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  sometime  in  the 
50's.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army  at 
Boonville,  and  served  three  years.  His  two  sons,  Henry  and  Frank,  also 
served  throughout  the  Civil  War  and  remained  in  the  army  for  some  years 
afterwards.  They  were  in  the  cavalry  and  after  the  Civil  War  served 
under  General  Custer  in  his  campaigns  against  the  Indians  in  the  west. 
They  then  returned  to  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  where  they  were  engaged  in 
farming  during  the  remainder  of  their  lives._  Henry  died,  July  23,  1897, 
and  is  buried  at  Lone  Elm.  Frank  died  March  3,  1919,  and  is  buried  in 
Clarks  Fork  cemetery.  William  Henry  Langkop  died  in  1880  and  his 
remains  are  buried  in  Clarks  Fork  cemetery.  His  wife  died  in  1854  and 
her  remains  are  buried  at  Dubuque,  Iowa.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Henry,  mention  of  whom  is  made  above;  Mrs.  Minnie 
Schubert;  Frank,  who  is  also  previously  mentioned  in  this  sketch;  and 
Daniel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Daniel  Langkop  attended  such  schools  as  the  times  afforded  during 
his  boyhood,  and  in  early  life  was  employed  as  a  government  teamster 
during  the  war,  mostly  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  Cooper  County  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising.  In  1917,  he  located  on  his  present  farm,  which  is  two  miles 
southeast  of  Bunceton.  Here  he  owns  40  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
which  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  The  farm  residence  is  a  well 
built  modern  cottage  of  six  rooms  and  the  other  buildings  are  nicely 
arranged  and  well  kept. 

Daniel  Langkop  was  married  April  8,  1880  to  Miss  Louisa  Longers, 
a  daughter  of  Morine  and  Anna  (Brandes)  Longers.  The  former  a  native 
of  Holland  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  They  ai-e  both  now  deceased. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Langkop  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Frank, 
resides  on  the  old  home  place  in  Cooper  County;  Charles  was  in  South 
America  when  last  heard  of  and  is  probably  a  soldier  in  the  British  army ; 
Herman,  Bunceton ;  Albert,  died  at  the  age  of  18  months ;  Oscar,  Bunce- 


1116  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

ton;  Walter  entered  the  United  States  Army  in  Sept.,  1917,  was  sent  to 
France  in  June,  1918,  a  member  of  Company  A,  125th  Infantry,  and  was 
taken  sick  while  in  the  battle  of  Argonne  Forest  and  died  Oct.  23,  1918 ; 
Ed,  who  entered  the  United  States  Army  Oct.  21,  1918,  and  was  sent  to 
Camp  Bowie,  Texas,  for  training  and  was  transferred  from  there  to  Camp 
Pike,  Ark.,  where  he  was  discharged  March  28,  1919;  and  Anna,  resides 
at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mrs.  Langkop  has  spent  her  life  in  Cooper  County  and  while  she  was 
a  young  girl  during  the  Civil  War,  she  has  a  distinct  recollection  of  many 
of  the  events  which  transpired  in  the  neighborhood  where  she  lived,  dur- 
ing the  stirring  days  of  that  great  conflict.  She  recalls  an  incident  when 
the  bushwhackers  were  about  to  take  their  last  horse  when  the  Captain  of 
the  company  appeared  on  the  scene  and  ordered  the  soldier  who  was  tak- 
ing the  horse  to  turn  it  loose. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Langkop  are  members  of  Clarks  Fork  Lutheran  Church 
and  the  Langkop  family  are.  well  and  favorably  known  in  Cooper  County 
and  highly  respected. 

John  W.  Richey,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Kelly  township,  is  a  native 
Missourian.  He  was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  Dec.  22,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  R.  and  Margaret  (Keeton)  Richey.  In  1861,  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out,  the  Richey  family  resided  in  St.  Clair  County.  The  father 
entered  the  Confederate  Army  and  served  throughout  the  war.  Shortly 
after  he  enlisted,  the  mother  and  children  left  St.  Clair  County  and  drove 
to  Cooper  County,  with  an  ox  team  and  wagon,  bringing  all  their  posses- 
sions with  them.  John  W.  was  then  a  boy  about  10  years  old  and  he  drove 
the  oxen,  riding  one  most  of  the  way.  The  mother  maintained  the  family 
and  kept  them  together  in  their  new  home  in  Cooper  County  until  the  war 
ended,  when  the  father  returned.  He  rented  land  in  Cooper  County  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here.  He  died  in 
March,  1917,  at  the  age  of  82  years,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life  in  1910, 
aged  77  years,  and  their  remains  are  both  buried  in  Baxter  cemetery, 
Kelly  township.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  John 
W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Andrew  J.  lives  in  Kelly  township ;  Mrs. 
Nancy  Majors,  deceased;  Wesley,  Bunceton;  James,  Bunceton;  Joshua, 
lives  on  the  home  farm  in  Kelly  township;  Mrs.  Rhoda  Potts,  lives  in  the 
state  of  California  and  Robert  died  in  California. 

John  W.  Richey  has  been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  since  1862.     He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents  until  he  was  married,  when 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1117 

he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  for  himself.  He  bought  his  pres- 
ent place  in  1890.  This  is  one  of  the  old  historic  places  of  Cooper  County, 
and  was  formerly  owned  by  John  J.  Chilton.  Chilton  was  an  early  settler 
;n  this  section  and  owned  a  number  of  slaves,  and  the  old  building  in 
which  the  slaves  lived  is  still  standing  on  the  place.  It  was  built  of  hewed 
logs,  weatherboarded  with  walnut  boards,  and  is  still  in  a  fairly  good  state 
of  preservation.  It  is  probably  100  years  old.  Mr.  Richey  has  a  well  im- 
proved farm  with  a  nice  seven  room,  two  story,  modern  residence,  which 
he  built  in  1917.  The  place  is  surrounded  by  locust  and  elm  shade  trees, 
and  has  altogether  a  well  kept  and  neat  appearance.  The  farm  buildings, 
fences  and  general  appearance  of  the  place  bears  testimony  to  the  industry 
of  its  owner.  The  place  is  known  as  the  "Willow  Spring  Stock  Farm" 
which  name  is  officially  recorded. 

Mr.  Richey  was  married  Sept.  2,  1875  to  Miss  Jennie  Morton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  C.  and  Isabel  (Miller)  Morton.  The  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  They  were  married  in  Tennessee  and 
came  to  Missouri,  first  settling  in  Cedar  County.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  John  C.  Morton  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  served 
throughout  the  war  under  General  Price.  After  the  war  the  family  came 
to  Cooper  County  and  settled  near  Bunceton,  where  the  father  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he  removed  to  Texas  where  he 
died  in  1894.  His  wife  died  in  Oklahoma  in  1901.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Jennie,  wife  of  John  W.  Richey,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch ;  John  P.,  died  Aug.  6,  1915,  aged  55  years ;  Sarah  Elizabeth 
was  born  April  24,  1862  and  died  Jan.  6,  1916;  Martha  Lee,  born  June  5, 
1866,  married  William  J.  Luker  and  they  reside  in  Oklahoma;  David 
Emmet,  born  Dec.  13,  1867  and  died  in  Jan.,  1890;  Benjamin  N.,  born 
March  22,  1879  and  lives  in  Oklahoma.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richey  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Margaret  Isabel,  bora  Nov.  22,  1876, 
married  Riley  Marcum,  Hughesville,  Mo. ;  Lon,  bora  Jan.  30,  1879,  Jeffer- 
son City,  Mo.;  Henry,  born  June  26,  1881,  died  Sept.  7,  1909;  Andrew 
Jackson,  born  Dec.  24,  1883,  Sedalia,  Mo.;  Wallace,  born  March  15,  1886, 
lives  in  Kelly  township,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richey  have  12  grand- 
children: Willie,  Mary,  Henry  and  Herbert,  Norman  Francis,  Virginia,  Ben 
Henry,  Dortha  Henrietta,  Lucile,  Louise  and  Lon,  Jr.,  Richey. 

Willie  Marcum,  a  grandson  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richey  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  army  in  July,  1917,  and  went  to  France  in  April,  1918,  a 
member  of  Company  D,  140th  Infantry,  35th  Division.     He  participated 


1118  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

in  the  battles  of  Argonne  Forest  and  St.  Mihiel.  For  five  days  he  was 
under  fire  without  intermission.  He  was  discharged  and  returned  home 
in  May,  1919. 

John  W.  Richer  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most  substantial  citizens 
and  the  Richey  family  stand  high  in  the  community. 

John  W.  Morris,  a  prominent  pioneer  and  successful  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Kelly  township,  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  was  born  near  Roscoe, 
St.  Clair  County,  March  30,  1858,  a  son  of  Snodent  and  Nancy  (Dallas) 
Morris.  Snodent  T.  Morris  was  born  in  Howard  County,  and  came  with 
his  father,  Shadrach  Morris,  and  family  to  Cooper  County,  when  he  was 
six  years  old.  Snodent  T.  Moms  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Cooper 
County,  when  he  went  to  St.  Clair  County,  and  was  there  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  served  three 
yeai-s  and  six  months.  During  the  war  his  wife  and  children  came  to 
Cooper  County,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

The  Moms  family  is  an  old  American  family,  which  dates  back  in 
this  country  to  Colonial  times.  They  are  of  English  descent  and  first 
settled  in  Virginia.  Shadrach  Morris,  grandfather  of  John  W.  of  this 
review  was  bom  in  Kentucky.  He  was  a  son  of  Hammond  Moms,  Jr., 
who  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers 
of  Howard  County,  Mo.  Hammond  Morris,  Jr.,  was  a  son  of  Hammond 
Morris,  Sr.,  who  was  a  son  of  Edward  Morris. 

John  W.  Morris  has  in  his  possession  some  interesting  family  docu- 
ments, one  of  which  is  the  will  of  Edward  Morris,  which  was  filed  by  his 
widow,  Elizabeth  Morris,  in  Richmond  County,  Va.,  in  1752.  Another 
interesting  old  document  which  he  has  is  a  will  executed  by  Jesse  Morris 
and  wife,  conveying  land  in  Madison  County,  Ky.,  to  Hammond  Morris, 
dated  Sept.  5,  1816.  He  has  a  letter  dated  Nov.  6,  1839,  written  by  Ham- 
mond Morris,  who  at  that  time  lived  in  Kelly  township,  to  John  Morris 
and  family,  and  Jene  Fry  and  family.  This  letter  states  that  the  parties 
to  whom  it  is  written  would  do  well  to  come  to  Cooper  County.  That 
land  there  is  selling  for  $1.25  per  acre;  corn  is  worth  from  20  to  25c  per 
bushel;  wheat,  75c:  oats,  20c;  bacon,  7c  per  pound  and  pork  from  3  to 
3%c  per  pound.  That  there  is  no  money  current  here  in  the  land  office, 
except  Missouri  paper,  and  gold  and  silver. 

John  W.  Morris  has  lived  in  Kelly  township  since  1862  since  he  was 
four  years  old.  He  bought  his  present  home  farm,  which  consists  of 
150  acres  in  1886.  He  also  owns  80  acres  in  another  tract,  making  230 
acres  in  all.     His  place  is  well  improved  with  a  good  farm  residence  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1119 

he  is  successfully  egaged  in  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Mr.  Morris  was  married  Oct.  8,  1878  to  Miss  Mattie  J.  Cline,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Cline  of  Kelly  township,  and  the  following  children  were  born 
to  this  union:  Arthur,  born  Nov.  29,  1879,  resides  near  Turney,  Mo.; 
Grace  Ann,  born  Sept.  15,  1889,  married  Fred  Ratchey  and  they  reside  on 
the  home  place;  Edith  Kline,  born  June  8,  1897  and  died  July  5,  1916,  was 
the  wife  of  Arthur  Holliday.  There  are  two  grandchildren  in  the  family, 
Herbert  J.  C.  Morris  and  Laura  Ritchey. 

The  Morris  family  is  one  of  the  representative  pioneer  families  of  this 
section  of  Missouri,  and  John  W.  Morris  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  most 
substantial  citizens. 

Harry  Williams,  a  progressive  and  enterprising  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Kelly  township,  was  born  April  9,  1873.  He  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Anna 
(Yontz)  Williams.  Isaac  Williams  was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio, 
in  1840,  a  son  of  Joseph  Williams,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  Isaac 
Williams  was  a  Union  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  having  served  in  Company 
G,  163d  Ohio  Infantry  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned  to 
Ohio  where  he  remained  until  1873,  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County.  A 
few  years  after  coming  here,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Kelly  township,  which 
he  later  sold,  and  in  1882  purchased  the  place  where  Harry  Williams  now 
resides.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  was 
a  prominent  and  public  spirited  citizen.  He  died  May  11,  1916,  and  his 
remains  are  buried  in  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  cemetery  at  Tipton,  Mo. 

Isaac  Williams  was  married  in  1872  to  Anna  Yontz,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Harriet  (Windall)  Yontz,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  the  former 
died  in  1865  and  is  buried  in  Mifflin  County,  Pa.,  and  the  latter  died  in 
1892  and  is  buried  in  Tipton,  Mo.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  union : 
Lewis,  who  resides  in  Kelly  township;  Harry,  Tipton,  Mo.,  and  Anne 
(Yontz)  Williams,  who  resides  on  the  old  home  place  with  her  son,  Harry 
Williams.  Three  children  were  born  to  Isaac  and  Anna  (Yontz)  Williams, 
as  follows:  Harry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Lavern,  who  died  in  1908, 
at  the  age  of  33  years,  married  Anna  Tumell,  to  whom  was  born  a  daugh- 
ter, Lillian,  and  they  now  live  in  Arizona;  and  Lillian,  married  Harry 
Shrout  and  they  reside  in  Kelly  township. 

Harry  Williams  was  reared  and  educated  in  Kelly  township  and  has 
spent  all  his  life  in  Cooper  County.  He  has  made  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing his  life  occupation  and  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success.  He  is 
the  owner  of  100  acres  of  valuable  and  well  improved  land  in  Kelly  town- 


1120  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

ship,  and  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  place  is  located 
three  miles  north  of  Tipton.  Mr.  Williams  was  married  Nov.  20,  1900, 
to  Miss  Laura  Snorgrass,  of  Moniteau  County.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Baiiy 
and  Ella  (Robinson)  Snorgrass.  The  father  is  now  deceased  and  the 
mother  resides  at  Tipton,  Mo.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have  been  born 
one  son,  Virgil,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Tipton  High  School. 

Mr.  Williams  is  a  member  of  the  local  school  board  and  takes  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  local  public  affairs.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Tipton,  and  is  one  of  Cooper  County"s 
substantial  citizens. 

Frank  B.  White,  a  well  known  and  prosperous  farmer  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, is  a  tiative  Missourian.  He  was  born  July  2,  1865  in  Moniteau 
County,  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Martha  (Robertson)  White.  Stephen  White 
was  a  native  of  Louisiana,  and  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Moniteau  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  at  one  time  decided  to  go  to 
Nebraska  and  chartered  a  car  to  ship  his  household  goods,  and  started  to 
drive  overland  to  Nebraska.  However,  he  returned  to  Moniteau  County 
within  30  days,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  was  well  satisfied  with  Missouri. 
He  died  in  1883  and  his  wife  died  in  1907.  They  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Frank  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  A.  J.,  mention 
of  whom  is  made  in  this  vohime;  Edna,  married  Robert  M.  Hudson,  and 
they  live  in  Moniteau  County,  and  Vesta  who  married  Henry  Swarner,  of 
Moniteau  County. 

Frank  B.  White  was  reared  in  Moniteau  County  and  educated  in  Pleas- 
ant View  school  district.  He  and  his  brother  bought  the  farm  where 
Frank  now  lives  in  partnership  in  1887,  later  Frank  B.  bought  his  brother's 
interest  and  since  that  time  has  owned  and  operated  the  place.  The  place 
is  well  improved  with  a  good  residence  and  other  farm  buildings.  Mr. 
White  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  raises  and  feeds 
cattle  and  hogs,  although  he  has  given  special  attention  to  breeding  and 
raising  pure  bred  Shropshire  sheep.  He  has  made  an  unusual  success  of 
this  department  of  animal  husbandry,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful pure  blood  sheep  breeders  of  Cooper  County. 

Mr.  White  was  married,  March  28,  1895,  to  Miss  Nannie  Masters,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Price)  Masters,  the  former  a  native 
of  Morgan  County  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  The  father  died  in  1907 
and  the  mother  departed  this  life  in  1866.  Mrs.  White  was  one  of  eight 
children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Mrs.  Farnne 
Askew,   deceased :   Mrs.   Mary   Gilliam,   Blairstown,   Mo. ;   William,   Blue- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1121 

jacket,  Okla. ;  Richard,  Berryville,  Ark. ;  Wade,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Walter, 
Calhoun,  Mo.,  and  Charles  Woodland,  Calhoun.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White 
have  been  born  one  daughter,  Daisy  Lee,  who  resides  at  home  with  her 
parents.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Tipton  High  School  and  attended 
Howard  Payne  College  and  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Warrensburg,  Mo. 

Mr.  White  is  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen,  and  has  always 
been  a  strong  supporter  of  good  schools  and  in  recent  years  has  been  an 
enthusiastic  advocate  of  better  roads.  He  has  served  as  overseer  of  his 
local  road  district  for  14  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  at  Tipton. 

Dr.  M.  R.  Huffman,  who  formerly  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  this  state,  but  who  for  the  past  six  or  seven  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Blackwater,  is  a  native 
of  West  Virginia.  Doctor  Huffman  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Alderson,  W.  Va.,  Sept.  1,  1867,  son  of  Washington  and  Mary  Ellen 
(Bibb)  Huffman. 

Washington  Huffman  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  was  a  tanner  by 
trade.  He  died  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  about  47  years,  and  his  widow,  who 
also  was  born  in  Virginia,  afterwards  married  Lewis  Alderson,  who  in 
1880  came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Montgomery  County,  where  he  is 
still  living.  Mrs.  Alderson  died  in  1909  at  the  age  of  65.  To  the  second 
union  no  children  were  born. 

,  M.  R.  Huffman  was  about  13  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Missouri 
in  1880  with  his  mother  and  stepfather  and  he  grew  to  manhood  in  Mont- 
gomery County.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  high  school  at  New 
Florence,  he  attended  the  Normal  School  at  Warrensburg  and  for  six  years 
thereafter  was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  three  terms  at  Americus  and 
three  at  Big  Springs.  Meantime,  he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine  under  private  preceptorship  and  in  1889,  he  entered  the 
Kentucky  School  of  Medicine  at  Louisville,  where  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  June,  1892.  Doctor  Huffman  then  re- 
turned to  Missouri  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Minneola. 
A  year  later  he  moved  to  Big  Springs,  where  he  formerly  had  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching  school,  and  at  that  place  continued  in  prac- 
tice for  four  years,  when  he  moved  to  Americus,  where  he  also  had  been 
engaged  in  teaching  and  here  remained  in  practice  for  13  years,  or  until 
1913,  when  he  moved  to  Blackwater.  where  he  bought  the  Joseph  Fisher 
(54) 


1122  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

stock  of  general  merchandise  and  engaged  in  business.  In  1916  Doctor 
Huffman  found  that  his  growing  trade  required  more  extensive  quarters 
and  in  November  of  that  year  he  moved  his  store  to  its  present  admirable 
location,  carrying  a  full  line  of  general  merchandise,  including  groceries, 
dry  goods  and  shoes.  Doctor  Huffman  is  a  Democrat  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Jan.  23,  1892,  Dr.  M.  R.  Huffman  was  married  to  Zula  Mosley  and  to 
this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Paul  B.,  who  marr/ed  Elsie  G. 
Cramer  and  is  an  able  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  store  at  Blackwater, 
and  Vera  B.,  who  married  George  Huber,  Boonville.  Mrs.  Huffman  is  a 
member  of 'one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Missouri,  her  parents,  John  T. 
and  Virginia  (Bush)  Mosley,  both  having  been  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  their  respective  parents  having  been  among  the  early  settlers  of 
that  part  of  the  state,  and  it  was  in  Montgomery  County  that  Mrs.  Huff- 
man was  born  and  reared. 

Sims  Brothers,  farmers  and  stockmen,  who  are  operating  a  well- 
ordered  and  progressively  conducted  place  of  390  acres  in  section  31  of 
LaMine  township,  this  county,  have  long  been  recognized  as  among  the 
substantial  factors  in  the  agricultural  development  of  that  section  of  the 
county  in  which  they  live  and  it  is  regarded  as  but  fitting  to  the  purposes 
of  such  a  chronicle  of  the  times  and  place  as  is  this  work  that  mention 
should  here  be  made  of  the  work  they  are  carrying  on. 

The  three  brothers,  James  W.,  Joseph  E.,  and  Claibourne  J.  Sims,  are 
farming  the  old  Sims  home  place  of  390  acres  in  LaMine  township  and  in 
addition  to  their  general  farming  are  giving  proper  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  live  stock,  their  operations  being  carried  on  in  accordance  with 
modern  methods  and  with  gratifying  results.  The  brothers  are  bachelors 
and  their  home  five  miles  east  of  Blackwater  is  presided  over  by  their 
widowed  mother  and  their  sister.  The  Sims  family  came  into  Cooper 
County  from  Howard  County  more  than  40  years  ago  and  has  long  been 
recognized  as  one  of  the  established  families  of  LaMine  township.  Further 
reference  to  this  family  will  be  found  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to 
John  N.  Sims,  another  brother,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  work,  where 
fitting  reference  also  is  made  to  the  late  John  C.  Sims,  father  of  these 
sons,  who  died  on  the  place  which  he  had  established  nearly  a  half  cen- 
tury ago  and  where  his  widow  and  the  four  unmarried  children  still  reside. 

Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Reed,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  a  farmer 
and  landowner  in  the  vicinity  of  Blackwater,  is  a  native  Missourian.     He 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1123 

\v;is  born  on  a  farm  in  Livingston  County,  July  14,  1853,  son  of  John  and 
Jane  (Justice)  Reed,  who  were  the  parents  of  14  children. 

John  Reed  was  born  in  Can-oil  County,  Mo.,  in  1822,  his  parents  hav- 
ing been  pioneers  of  that  section.  He  was  reared  a  farmer  and  in  the 
days  of  his  young  manhood  went  to  Livingston  County,  where  he  married, 
established  his  home  and  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  1905.  His  widow  died  in  1907.  She  was  born  in  Frankfort, 
Ky.,  in  July,  1822.  Her  parents  died  when  she  was  a  child  and  when 
14  years  of  age  she  came  to  Missouri  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  the  home 
of  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Betsy  McCroskey. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Reed  grew  up  familiar  with 
the  details  of  farm  life.  His  early  schooling  was  received  in  the  schools 
of  Livingston  County  and  from  boyhood  he  has  been  a  close  student,  early 
giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of  theology  and  philosophy.  In  1870  he 
married  and  continued  farming,  meanwhile  pursuing  his  theological 
studies  and  in  1889  was  licensed  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  has 
ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  during  that  time 
serving  in  a  pastoral  relation  many  congregations  and  driving  or  riding 
many  miles  horseback  throughout  this  region.  For  the  past  14  years  he 
has  been  the  settled  pastor  of  Heaths  Creek  Baptist  Church  in  Saline 
County.  In  1897  Mr.  Reed  came  to  the  Blackwater  neighborhood  and 
bought  the  40  acres  of  land  two  miles  south  of  town  in  Blackwater  town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  giving  his  active  attention  to  the 
operation  of  the  farm  in  addition  to  attending  to  his  ministerial  duties. 
Mr.  Reed  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Mason  and  also  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Dec.  11,  1870,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Reed  was  married  to  Martha 
Branstter,  who  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Mo.,  in  1856,  and  to  this  union 
13  children  have  been  born,  10  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Howard, 
of  Fayette,  Mo. ;  Augustus,  of  Blackwater ;  Nora,  wife  of  H.  Branstter,  of 
LaMine  township ;  Cora,  wife  of  F.  Miller,  of  East  Boonville ;  Ada,  wife  of 
N.  Renison,  of  LaMine  township;  Artie,  of  Blackwater  township;  Arlie, 
of  that  same  township;  May,  wife  of  E.  Figgans,  of  Blackwater  township, 
and  George  and  Charlie,  of  Blackwater  township.  Among  the  children 
thus  enumerated  are  two  sets  of  twins,  Mrs.  Nora  Branstter  and  Mrs. 
Cora  Miller  and  Artie  and  Arlie. 

Jacob  Gross,  a  successful  farmer  of  Pilot  Grove  township,  was  born 
in  Belleville,  111.,  Feb.  12,  1855,  son  of  Jacob  and  Josephine   (Wachter) 


1124  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Gross,  who  came  to  this  county  with  their  family  from  Illinois  many  years 
ago. 

Having  been  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  Cooper  County  with  his  par- 
ents, Jacob  Gross  here  grew  to  manhood,  completing  his  schooling  in  the 
local  schools,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage  in  1877, 
when  he  rented  a  farm.  He  continued  as  a  renter  until  about  1892,  when 
he  bought  his  present  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  there.  Mr.  Gross  has  a  well  improved  place  of  1121/2  acres  and 
in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  raises  live  stock.  When  he  bought 
the  place  the  only  "improvement"  on  it  was  a  log  cabin.  This  primitive 
structure,  Mr.  Gross  soon  supplanted  by  a  new  and  modern  house  and 
the  other  improvements  he  has  made  on  the  place  are  in  keeping  with  the 
same.  Mr.  Gross  is  a  republican  and  has  for  years  given  close  attention 
to  local  political  affairs.  He  served  for  some  time  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board.     He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Jacob  Gross  has  been  twice  married.  Feb.  15,  1877,  he  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Berringer,  who  was  born  in  Boonville,  Feb.  9,  1858,  and  who 
died  Sept.  11,  1894.  To  that  union  were  born  seven  children,  namely: 
Sophia,  deceased;  George,  whose  present  whereabouts  are  unknown  to  his 
father;  Rosa,  wife  of  William  Ashmead,  of  Pilot  Grove  township;  Clara, 
wife  of  William  Tempfel,  living  in  Montana;  William  L.,  also  of  Montana; 
Anna,  deceased,  and  Herman,  who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father.  Nov. 
25,  1896,  Mr.  Gross  married  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  (Aldridge)  Ashmead,  widow 
of  Joseph  W.  Ashmead  and  whose  son,  William  E.  Ashmead,  married  Mr. 
Gross's  daughter,  Rosa.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Gross  was  born  in  Stonebridge, 
Worchestershire,  England,  June  16,  1855,  and  was  but  seven  years  of  age 
when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  John  and  Sarah 
(Sprague)  Aldridge,  in  1862,  the  family  locating  in  Alton,  111.,  where  they 
remained  for  some  years  or  until  the  death  of  Mrs.  Aldridge,  when  they 
came  to  Missouri  and  located  in  St.  Clair  County,  where  Mary  A.  Aldridge 
married  Joseph  W.  Ashmead.  To  that  union  two  children  were  born, 
Mrs.  Gross  having  besides  the  son  mentioned  above  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Lil- 
lian Hull,  of  LaMine  township. 

Frank  J.  Hoff,  a  successful  farmer  of  Pilot  Grove  township,  the  pro- 
prietor of  an  excellent  farm,  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township  Oct.  27, 
1882,  son  of  Jacob  and  Bena  (Felton)  Hoff,  substantial  residents  of  that 
community. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Frank  J.  Hoff  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  from  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming.     In  the  fall  of  1905  he  bought 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1125 

from  his  father  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  began  operations 
on  his  own  account.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1912  he  estab- 
lished his  home  on  that  place  and  since  then  has  made  numerous  substan- 
tial improvements.  Mr.  Hoff  is  independent  in  his  political  views.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  arid  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

May  7,  1912,  Frank  J.  Hoff  was  married  to  Anna  Thiel,  who  was  born 
at  Tipton,  Mo.  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Helen 
Beatrice,  deceased,  Andrew  N.  and  Geraldine  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Hoff  was 
born  Nov.  27,  1887,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Catherine  (Besthen)  Thiel, 
the  latter  of  whom,  also  born  in  Moniteau  County,  is  living  at  Tipton. 
Peter  Thiel,  who  died  some  years  ago,  was  bom  in  Germany  but  had  been 
a  resident  of  this  country  since  his  boyhood,  his  parents  having  been 
among  th£  early  settlers  of  this  section  of  Missouri. 

Daniel  J.  Meyer,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm  in  Blackwater  town- 
ship, and  one  of  the  progressive  young  farmers  of  Cooper  County,  was 
born  in  this  county  Dec.  21,  1885,  son  of  Louis  and  Mary  (Martin)  Meyer. 
Louis  Meyer,  who  died  in  1916,  was  born  in  1860  and  was  a  farmer  all  his 
life  and  was  successful.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  320  acres  of 
land  in  this  county.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Germany  and  upon 
coming  to  this  country  settled  in  Indiana,  but  many  years  ago  came  to 
Missouri  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  this  county,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Louis  Meyer  was  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  as  is  his  widow,  and  their  children  were  reared  in 
that  faith.  There  were  11  of  these  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living, 
as  follows :  Mrs.  Louisa  Quigley,  of  Pilot  Grove  township ;  George  A., 
living  on  the  old  home  place ;  Daniel  J. ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Ausemus,  of  Black- 
water  township;  Lena,  wife  of  Edward  McClammer,  of  Blackwater  town- 
ship ;  John  is  on  the  home  place  with  his  brother  George,  and  Lorine 
and  Anna,  who  are  living  with  their  mother  in  Pilot  Grove. 

Daniel  J.  Meyer  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  farming  with  considerable  success.  Upon  under- 
taking operations  on  his  own  account  he  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres 
from  his  father  which  he  has  brought  up  to  a  high  state  of  productivity. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  also  raises  stock  quite  extensively. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

Dec.  22,  1909,  Daniel  J.  Meyer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucy  Daugh- 
erty,  who  also  was  born  in  Blackwater  township,  and  to  this  union  five 


1126  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

children  have  been  born,  namely:  Ruby,  William,  Bemice,  Ruple,  who 
died  when  three  weeks  old,  and  Helen.  Mrs.  Meyer  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Daugherty  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Miss  Linn,  former  well 
known  residents  of  Blackwater  township  and  both  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased. 

George  A.  Meyer,  one  of  Blackwater  township's  well  known  and  pro- 
gressive young  fanners,  who  is  living  on  the  old  Meyer  place  in  that  town- 
ship, farming  the  same  in  conjunction  with  his  brother  Daniel,  was  born 
on  that  farm.  He  was  born  Feb.  12,  1883,  son  of  Louis  and  Mary  (Mar- 
tin) Meyer,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  at  Pilot  Grove. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  A.  Meyer  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  since  boyhood  has  been  interested  in  farming.  His 
father  was  an  extensive  farmer;  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1916  was  the 
owner  of  320  acres  of  land  in  Blackwater  township  and  George  A.  grew 
up  familiar  with  the  details  of  farming.  In  1908  he  began  farming  on 
his  own  account,  renting  land  from  his  father  and  after  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1910  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  227  acres 
of  which  he  is  now  farming  in  conjunction  with  his  younger  brother, 
Daniel  J.  Meyer,  who  is  living  on  an  adjoining  farm.  Not  only  is  Mr. 
Meyer  carrying  on  his  general  farming  operations  with  profit,  but  he 
is  doing  well  in  the  live  stock  way.  He  is  a  democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  at  Pilot  Grove. 

Nov.  24,  1910,  George  A.  Meyer  was  married  to  Harriet  Brommer, 
who  also  was  bom  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been 
born:  Mary  M.,  Georgia  Frances,  Walter  M.,  Opal  and  Gladys.  Mrs. 
Meyer  was  born  in  Boonville  township,  daughter  of  Morris  Brommer  and 
wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Miss  Lebo.  Mr.  Brommer  is  living  on  his 
farm  in  Boonville  township.  His  first  wife,  mother  of  Mrs.  Meyer,  died 
some  years  ago  and  he  later  married  Lydia  McGuire. 

Otto  Stoecklein,  proprietor  of  a  well  improved  farm  in  Pilot  Grove 
township,  is  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  and  stockmen  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. He  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  Aug.  24,  1879,  son  of  Andrew 
and  Mary  Ann  (Rainhard)  Stoecklein,  natives  of  Germany. 

Andrew  Stoecklein  was  born  in  1844  and  grew  up  in  his  native  country, 
was  there  married  and  in  1882  he  with  his  family  came  to  the  United  States 
locating  on  a  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township,  this  county.  July  23,  1900, 
he  left  for  a  visit  to  his  old  home  in  Baden,  was  taken  ill  and  died  there 
in  that  same  year.  His  widow,  who  was  born  April  9,  1841,  is  living  on 
the  home  place  in  Clear  Creek  township.     She  is  a  Catholic,  as  was  her 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1127 

husband,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.     There  were  nine 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

Otto  Stoecklein  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this 
country  with  his  parents  in  1882  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm 
in  Clear  Creek  township,  his  schooling  being  received  in  the  local  schools. 
In  1904  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  a  farm ;  his  affairs 
prospered  and  in  1908,  he  was  able  to  buy  a  farm  of  his  own,  in  Palestine 
township,  which  he  proceeded  to  improve  and  on  which  he  lived  until  in 
1917,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought  what  was  known  as  the  Abe  Brownfield 
place  of  134  acres  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  where  he  since  has  made  his 
home  and  which  he  has  greatly  improved.  Mr.  Stoecklein  is  a  success- 
ful breeder  of  Poland  China  hogs.  He  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Feb.  9,  1904,  Otto  Stoecklein  was  married  to  Mamie  Hamilton,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Bernard,  Leonard,  Lorine,  Otto,  Jr.,  Mildred  and  Martha  (twins)  and 
Teresa.  Mrs.  Stocklein  was  born  in  LaMine  township  and  was  reared  in 
the  family  of  Bernard  Martin. 

Arthur  H.  Wood,  one  of  Palestine  township's  well  known  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  and  owner  of  a  well-improved  farm  in  that  township, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Cooper  County  since  the  days  of  boyhood.  He 
was  born  in  Rock  county,  Wis.,  Feb.  18,  1881,  only  child  of  Herbert  and 
Sarah  (Taylor)  Wood,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  state,  the  for- 
mer born  in  1850  and  the  latter  in  1854. 

In  October,  1887,  Mrs.  Sarah  Wood  came  to  Cooper  county  with  her 
young  son  Arthur,  then  six  years  of  age,  having  been  attracted  to  this 
county  as  a  place  of  residence  by  the  fact  of  her  brother,  William  Taylor, 
having  located  here  in  1871.  He  is  still  living  here,  with  his  sister  and 
her  son  in  Palestine  township.  It  was  thus  that  Arthur  H.  Wood  came 
to  be  reared  in  Cooper  county  and  here  received  his  schooling.  From 
the  days  of  his  youth  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  for  a  time 
renting  a  farm,  and  in  1901  bought  80  acres,  to  which  in  1914  he  added  an 
adjoining  tract  of  105  acres.  He  is  also  farming  his  mother's  place  of 
185  acres  and  is  a  substantial  farmer.  He' carries  on  his  operations  in 
accordance  with  modern  methods  and  is  doing  well,  he  and  his  mother  and 
his  uncle  having  a  very  pleasant  home  in  Palestine  township.  Mr.  Wood 
is  a  republican  and  has  ever  given  his  attention  to  civic  affairs. 

John  Stoecklein,  a  progressive  and  substantial  farmer  of  Pilot  Grove 
township  has   been  a  resident  of  Cooper  county  sine*  his   bvybood.     Hi. 


1128  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  Nov.  8,  18G7,  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Ann 
(Reinhart)  Stoecklein,  natives  of  that  country,  who  came  here  during 
the  '70s  and  settled  in  this  county. 

When  he  came  to  Cooper  County,  John  Stoecklein  began  working  as 
a  farm  hand  and  was  for  six  years  thus  engaged,  working  on  the  farms 
of  Joseph  Stuckey  and  Hamilton  Lusk.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring 
of  1891,  Mr.  Lusk  rented  a  farm  to  him  and  "set  him  up  in  business," 
providing  him  (without  security)  with  a  team  of  mules  and  other  essen- 
tials of  farming,  at  the  same  time  giving  him  a  bit  of  advice  which  Mr. 
Stoecklein  today  admits  would  have  made  him  a  rich  man  had  he  pos- 
sessed the  foresight  to  follow  it.  In  1897  Mr.  Stoecklein  bought  a  farm 
a  mile  east  of  Pleasant  Green,  making  his  home  there  until  1909,  when  he 
bought  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living  and  has  since  resided  on  this 
place.  Mr.  Stocklein  has  a  well  improved  farm  of  151  acres  and  in 
addition  to  his  general  farming  he  is  raising  pure  bred  Chester  White 
hogs.  Since  taking  possession  of  his  present  place  he  has  erected  a  new 
house  and  barn  and  the  other  improvements  on  the  place  are  in  keeping 
with  the  same.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church. 

April  16,  1891,  John  Stoecklein  was  married  to  Caroline  Prummell, 
who  was  born  in  Michigan,  daughter  of  Peter  Prummell  and  wife,  na- 
tives of  Germany,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children,  Rich- 
ard, Genevieve,  Florence,  Gertrude,  Helen,  John  and  Philip. 

Peter  D.  McClain,  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clear  Creek 
township  and  widely  known  breeder  of  Poland  China  hogs,  is  a  native 
son  of  Cooper  county.  He  was  born  in  Palestine  township,  Jan.  18,  1863, 
son  of  David  and  Jaily  (Stevens)  McClain,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is 
still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  son  Peter,  at  the  great  age  of 
93  years. 

David  McClain  was  born  in  this  county  in  1829,  his  parents  having 
been  among  the  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  Missouri,  and  here  he  grew  to 
manhood,  became  a  farmer  and  so  continued  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1883.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  the  following  children: 
Bettie,  who  married  H.  C.  White  and  is  now  deceased;  John,  deceased; 
William,  who  is  now  living  in  Texas ;  Rhody,  wife  of  J.  T.  Hirst,  of  Se- 
dalia;  Fannie,  wife  of  Alexander  Lane,  of  Lebanon  township;  Joann,  who 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1129 

married  Theodore  Beck  and  is  now  deceased;  Peter  D.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  George,  of  Palestine  township,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
mother  of  these  children,  who  (as  noted  above)  is  still  living,  was  born 
in  what  is  now  Palestine  township  in  1826. 

Peter  D.  McClain  was  20  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  he 
continued  on  the  farm,  helping  look  after  affairs  for  his  mother,  until 
his  marriage  at  the  age  of  26.  He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Palestine  town- 
ship and  soon  afterward  bought  a  farm  there.  For  20  years  he  resided 
there  and  in  1912  bought  his  present  farm  in  Clear  Creek  township.  Mr. 
McClain  has  a  well-improved  farm  of  364  acres.  He  is  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Poland  China  hogs;  holds  stock  sales  twice 
a  year  and  ships  his  stock  for  breeding  purposes  quite  widely  over  the 
country.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church. 

In  1889  Peter  D.  McClain  was  married  to  Florence  Mowrey,  of  this 
county,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  'born,  namely:  Lulu, 
wife  of  F.  R.  Quint,  of  the  Pettis  county;  Cecil  lives  in  Blackwater  town- 
ship ;  Marie,  Emil  and  Ross,  at  home,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
McClain  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  She  is  a  daughter  of  David  and  Miria 
(Fichelberger)  Mowrey,  who  also  were  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  who 
came  to  Cooper  county  in  1877,  locating  here  on  a  farm. 

Andrew  F.  Gramlich,  proprietor  of  a  well  kept  farm  in  Clear  Creek 
township,  is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  Dec.  23,  1884,  son  of  Frank  and  Josephine  (Stoltz- 
enberger)    Gramlich,  both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in  this  county. 

Frank  Gramlich  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township  in  1854,  son  of 
Martin  Gramlich  and  wife,  who  were  pioneers  there.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  farm  there  and  after  his  marriage  to  Josephine  Stoltzenberger, 
who  also  was  born  in  Clear  Creek  township,  member  of  a  pioneer  family 
there,  settled  on  a  farm  where  he  is  still  living.  His  wife  died  Feb.  1, 
1919,  at  the  age  of  56  years.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  Andrew 
F.  having  a  brother,  Peter,  who  lives  on  the  home  place  with  his  father. 

Andrew  F.  Gramlich  received  his  schooling  in  district  schools  and 
when  21  years  of  age  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  land  at 
first.  A  few  years  later,  in  1909,  the  year  of  his  marriage,  he  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  a  well-kept  tract  of  130  acres,  and  has 
since  lived  there.  Mr.  Gramlich  has  made  extensive  improvements  and  is 
carrying  on  his  farming  according  with  up-to-date  methods.     He  is  a 


1130  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Republican.  For  some  years  he  served  as  director  of  schools  and  is  now 
overseer  of  roads  in  that  district.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Oct.  28,  1909,  that  Andrew  F.  Gramlich  was  married  to  Josephine 
K.  Gross,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  four  chil- 
dren have  been  bom:  Ernest  George,-  Isabel  J.,  Marie  E.,  and  Lucille  K. 
Mrs.  Gramlich  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove  township,  Oct.  15,  1885,  daughter 
of  George  Gross  and  wife. 

Louis  N.  Hoff,  one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  Clear  Creek 
township,  is  a  native  of  Michigan.  He  was  born  at  Paw  Paw,  Van  Buren 
county,  Dec.   28,   1856,   son  of  William   and   Catherine    (Donehoe)    Hoff. 

William  Hoff  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at  Eppenbraun,  Dec.  12, 
1832,  and  when  about  20  years  of  age  he  left  his  native  land  and  ar- 
rived in  New  York  on  the  day  on  which  Franklin  Pierce  was  inaugurated 
President  of  the  United  States  in  1853  and  for  two  or  three  years  made 
his  home  there  and  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  the  latter  city  he  married 
in  October,  1854,  and  in  the  following  year  he  and  his  wife  moved  to 
Michigan  and  settled  in  VanBuren  county,  near  Paw  Paw,  where  Mrs. 
Catherine  Hoff  died  in  June,  1881.  In  Feb.,  1883,  William  Hoff  moved  to 
Missouri  and  bought  107  acres  in  Clear  Creek  township,  this  county.  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  Feb.  3,  1917.  William  Hoff  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Louis  N.  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Waters,  a  widow,  living  at  Sterling,  Col.  The  mother  was  bom  in  On- 
tario, Canada,  in  April,  1834,  and  was  in  her  48th  year  when  she  died. 
She  and  her  husband  were  Catholics  and  their  children  were  reared  in 
that  faith. 

Louis  N.  Hoff  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Michigan,  and  attended 
the  common  schools,  such  as  they  were,  and  as  a  home  student  in  later 
years  became  a  well  informed  man.  Not  only  that,  but  his  own  lack  of 
opportunities  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood  impressed  upon  him  the  neces- 
sity of  better  school  facilities  and  for  many  years  he  has  given  his  most 
earnest  attention  to  school  affairs  and  as  a  school  officer  has  done  much 
to  advance  the  cause  of  education  in  his  home  district.  Mr.  Hoff  was 
married  in  the  spring  of  1880  and  had  for  some  time  been  farming  in 
Michigan  when  his  father  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1883.  Three  months 
after  his  father's  arrival  here  Louis  N.  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Michi- 
gan and  came  here,  taking  charge  of  the  place  his  father  had  bought  in 
Clear  Creek  township,  renting  the  same  until  1889,  when  he  bought  80 
acres,  a  part  of  the  place  which  he  now  owns.     As  his  affairs  prospered 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY  1131 

Mr.  Hoff  in  1892  bought  adjacent  land  and  now  has  there  a  well-imporved 
and  profitably  cultivated  farm  of  223  acres.  The  Hoff  house  occupies  a 
commanding  elevation  on  the  south  bank  of  the  LaMine  river,  overlook- 
ing the  beautiful  valley  of  the  LaMine,  and  is  one  of  the  best  building 
sites  in  that  section  of  the  county.  Mr.  Hoff  is  stockholder  and  a  director 
of  the  Citizens  Bank  of  Pilot  Grove.  He  is  a  Democrat  as  was  his  father. 
For  33  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  district  No.  14.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Pilot  Grove  and 
when  the  congregation  there  set  about  the  erection  of  a  church  he  was 
selected  as  one  of  the  members  of  the  building  committee,  and  in  that 
capacity  gave  of  his  time  and  his  means  to  the  completion  of  the  present 
substantial  church  and  other  buildings.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

Louis  N.  Hoff  has  been  twice  married.  Feb.  4,  1880,  in  Michigan, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Brummell  who  was  born  in  DuPage 
county,  111.,  and  to  that  union  seven  children  were  born,  namely :  William, 
deceased  Mary,  wife  of  William  Schneider,  Clear  Creek  township ;  Joseph, 
Clear  Creek  township ;  Francis,  deceased ;  Bertha,  Benton  Harbor,  Mich. ; 
Edward  L.,  who  has  just  recently  returned  from  a  period  of  military 
training  at  Camp  Funston,  where  he  was  assigned  upon  being  inducted 
into  the  National  Army  during  the  World  War,  but  was  mustered  out 
following  the  signing  of  the  armistice;  and  Leo,  deceased.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  Sept.  9,  1895,  and  on  May  25,  1897,  Mr.  Hoff  mar- 
ried Matilda  Irene  Schneider,  who  was  bora  on  a  farm  in  South  Moniteau 
township,  and  whose  parents  are  now  residents  of  Pilot  Grove.  To  this 
union  eight  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Anna,  wife  of  F.  Lamm, 
Pilot  Grove ;  Albert,  at  home,  and  Charles,  George,  Alice,  William,  Louis  N. 
Jr.,  and  Dorothy. 

James  S.  Funkhauser,  a  well  known  and  substantial  farmer  of  Leb- 
anon township  is  a  native  of  Cooper  county.  He  was  bora  on  a  farm  in 
Saline  township,  Jan.  1,  1865,  son  of  James  C.  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Calvert) 
Broyles,  and  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  five  children  born 
to  them.  When  seven  years  of  age  he  was  adopted  by  Eli  and  Elizabeth 
Ann  Funhauser,  Virginians,  who  had  settled  on  the  farm  which  he  now 
owns  in  Lebanon  township  about  1870  and  which  after  their  death  he  in- 
herited. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  James  S.  Funkhauser  received  his  schooling 
in  the  district  schools  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  a  valuable 
aid  in  the  labors  of  developing  the  farm  which  he  now  owns.     He  re- 


1132  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

mained  by  his  foster  parents  and  when  21  years  of  age  took  charge  of 
the  farm  on  a  rental  basis  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1889 
iblished  his  home  there  and  has  since  lived  on  the  place,  which  he  has 
improved  in  admirable  fashion.  Mr.  Funkhauser  is  a  Democrat,  but  has 
never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office. 

Oct.  7.  1889.  Jame;  5.  Funkhauser  was  married  to  Blanche  Starke, 
of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  nam-r 
Mary  P..  wife  of  L.  Edmonston,  of  Pleasant  Green,  and  Jack,  of  Kansas 
City.  Jack  Funkhauser  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  his  parents  re- 
side. Dec.  30.  1893.  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  local  schools 
took  a  course  in  the  Manual  Training  High  School  at  Kansas  City.  Upon 
his  graduation  from  that  school  he  became  employed  as  a  solicitor  for 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Kansas  :ill  connected  with  that 

institution.     He  married  Ruth  DeLancey.  who  was  born  in  Kans; 
and  has  one  child,  Donald  Lyle.    Mrs.  Blanche  S.  Funkhauser  was  born  in 
this  county  Nov.  11.  1869.  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  John  D. 
S     rke.  who  died  at  his  home  in  Otterville  in  1917  and  who  for  many 
yea:  recognized  as  among  the  most  prominent  figures  in  the  public 

life  of  central  Missouri. 

William  Henry  Stahl.  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  old  time  r- 
of  Lebanon  township,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  has  been  a  resident 
of  Missouri  for  fifr  is  born  on  a  farm  in  Perry  county.  Pa.. 

Feb.  9.  1843.  son  of  Abraham  and  Mary  (Ernst)  Stahl,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they  spent  all  their  lives.  Abraham 
r.l  was  born  in  1818  and  was  73  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
stil'  _    :he  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  elde 

Reared  in  the  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  William  H.  Stahl  attended 
the  dis::  :ols.    During  the  Civil  War  he  served  the  government  as  a 

teamster  and  after  the  war  returned  to  his  home  In  the  fall  of  1868  he 
married  there  and  in  the  following  spring  (1869)  came  t  ri  with 

his  wife  and  located  in  Morgan  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
remained  until  1873.  when  he  came  to  Cooper  county  and  rented  a  farm. 
A  year  later  he  bought  120  acres  in  Lebanon  township,  a  part  of  the  farm 
on  which  he  is  still  living.  He  prospered  and  in  time  added  to  his  hold- 
ings until  he  became  the  owner  of  his  present  fine  farm  of  201  acres.  Of 
late  years  Mr.  Stahl's  health  has  not  been  up  to  standard  and  he  has  long 
been  living  prac  I  -tired,  the  operations  on  his  farm  beng  carred  on  by 

-on-in-law.  L.  H  Roesler.  who  is  living  on  the  home  place.    For  some 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1133 

years  Mr.  Stahl  made  his  home  in  Texas,  seeking  a  change  for  the  better- 
ment of  his  health,  and  also  for  some  time  lived  in  Clarksburg,  Mo.,  but 
the  old  home  farm  still  seems  the  best  place  in  the  world  for  him.  He  is 
a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Oct.  1,  1868,  in  Perry  county,  Pa.,  William  H.  Stahl  was  married  to 
Mary  Arnold,  who  also  was  born  in  that  county,  and  to  this  union 
eight  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mrs.  Jennie  Spillers,  Wichita, 
Kan. ;  George  D.,  the  owner  of  a  farm  southeast  of  Tipton ;  Bluhm  E., 
deceased ;  Laban,  of  Buffalo,  Okla. ;  William  E.,  who  recently  received 
his  discharge  from  the  United  States  army  and  is  now  living  at  Denver, 
Colo. ;  Irvin  Lee,  of  Rock  Island,  Texas ;  Roy  T.,  deceased,  and  Ruth,  wife 
of  L.  H.  Roesler,  on  the  home  farm.  William  E.  Stahl,  the  soldier  son 
was  born  Nov.  28,  1884,  and  was  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman  when 
he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  National  Army.  With  his  command  he  got 
to  the  seaboard  on  the  way  for  overseas  service,  but  was  taken  ill  and  was 
for  11  weeks  confined  in  hospital  at  Baltimore.  On  this  account  he  did 
not  get  to  participate  in  foreign  service  and  was  in  due  time  discharged  and 
went  to  Denver  for  more  complete  recuperation  than  could  be  promised  in 
the  climate  of  this  region.  Mrs.  Stahl,  the  mother  of  these  children  was 
born  on  June  17,  1849,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Diana  (Garbejr) 
Arnold,  both  of  whom  also  were  bora  in  Pennsylvania.  Samuel  Garber 
died  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  his  wife  died  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 
Oct.  1,  1918,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stahl  celebrated  the  "golden"  anniversary  of 
their  marriage  and  the  occasion  was  made  one  of  many  congratulations 
and  much  felicitation  on  the  part  of  their  many  friends  in  the  community 
of  which  they  have  been  a  part  for  so  many  years.  This  excellent  couple 
have  nineteen  living  grandchildren  and  five  great-grandchildren. 

William  Speed  Poage,  owner  of  an  excelent  farm  of  240  acres  in 
Kelly  township  and  one  of  the  progressive  and  energetic  young  farmers 
and  stockmen  of  that  part  of  Cooper  County,  has  created  an  admirable 
farm  plant  there  and  is  doing  well  in  his  operations.  He  was  born  in  Mon- 
roe County,  Mo.,  Oct.  10,  1886,  son  of  Samuel  and  Fannie  J.  (Speed)  Poage, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  living  with  his  son  William,  her  only  surviving  child. 
Of  the  children  born  to  Samuel  Poage  and  wife  but  two  lived  to  maturity, 
a  son  and  a  daughter.  The  latter,  Mary  V.,  married  A.  A.  Knoop  and  is 
now  deceased.  Samuel  Poage  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Mo.,  in  1852, 
and  died  in  1887,  he  then  being  but  35  years  of  age.  His  widow  was  bora 
in  Morgan  County  in  1853. 

Dec.  18,  1908,  William  Speed  Poage  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rhoda 


1134  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Richards,  who  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Mo.,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  F. 
C.  Richards  and  wife,  who  are  now  living  in  Morgan  County,  and_to  this 
union  three  children  have  been  bom,  Eva  M.,  Mary  H.  and  Sarah  F.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Poage  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  take  a  proper 
interest  in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the  general  social  activities  of  the 
community  in  which  they  live.  Mr.  Poage  is  a  democrat  and  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 

Homer  E.  Norris,  a  progressive  young  farmer  of  Kelly  township,  and 
owner  of  a  fine  farm,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Monroe  County.  Ohio,  March 
1,  1885,  son  of  William  L.  and  Adelia  M.  (Wise)  Norris,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  in  Pettis  County. 

William  L.  Norris  was  bora  in  Monroe  County,  Ohio,  and  there  grew 
to  manhood.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  and  for  three  years  served 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  being  twice  wounded  during  this  service.  After 
the  war  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Monroe  county,  where  he  remained 
until  1887  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Ohio  and  with  his  family 
came  to  Missouri  and  located  on  a  farm  near  Pleasant  Green,  this  county, 
where  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement.  He 
is  now  living  in  Pettis  County  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Mattie  McMullen, 
being  now  76  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  Cooper  County  in  1904, 
she  then  being  57  years  of  age.  William  L.  Norris  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  and  all  of  whom  are  still  living  save 
one  of  the  sons. 

Homer  E.  Norris  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to 
Cooper  County  in  1887  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  school- 
ing in  the  local  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Green.  When  20  years 
of  age  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting  for  a  season,  and 
then  in  1904  bought  a  farm  in  Pettis  County  and  made  his  home  there 
until  1907,  when  he  sold  that  place  and  returned  to  Cooper  County  and 
bought  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Norris  owns  an  excellent 
farm  of  188!o  acres  and  in  addition  to  that  is  farming  an  adjacent  tract, 
300  acres  thus  being  under  his  control.  His  farm  plant  is  well  equipped 
and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  attention  to 
the  feeding  of  live  stock. 

Nov.  30,  1905,  Homer  E.  Norris  was  married  to  Anna  Woolery,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born. 
Homer  E.,  Jr.,  and  William  L.,  the  latter  named  in  honor  of  his  grand- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1135 

father.  Mrs.  Norris  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Cooper 
County,  the  Woolerys  having  been  represented  here  since  pioneer  days, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Taylor  and  Eliza  (Berry)  Woolery.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Norris  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  take  an  interested  part 
in  church  work.  Mr.  Norris  is  a  democrat  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Millard  E.  Thomas,  one  of  Lebanon  township's  well  known  and  pro- 
gressive young  farmers,  who  is  managing  there  a  fine  farm  of  200  acres 
belonging  to  his  father,  who  is  now  retired,  was  born  on  that  farm,  as  was 
his  mother.  He  was  born  July  26,  1882,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Jennie 
(Steele)  Thomas,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Lebanon  township, 
members  of  pioneer  families  there. 

Charles  M.  Thomas  was  born  in  1854,  a  son  of  Jonas  Thomas  and 
wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Miss  Woolery  prior  to  her  marriage.  After 
his  marriage  Charles  M.  Thomas  settled  on  his  home  on  the  farm  which 
he  now  owns  and  which  is  being  operated  by  his  son,  Millard,  and  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  his  retirement  and 
removal  to  Belton,  where  he  is  now  living.  His  wife  died  in  1915.  She 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  spent  all  her  life  in  1855,  daughter  of 
D.  K.  and  Caroline  (Burns)  Steele,  who  were  among  the  early  residents 
in  that  part  of  Lebanon  township.  To  Charles  M.  Thomas  and  wife  were 
born  five  children  as  follows:  May,  wife  of  S.  L.  Burford,  living  in  Kan- 
sas ;  Carrie,  married  John  Hawkins  and  is  now  deceased ;  Millard  E. ;  Dale, 
wife  of  John  Schilb,  living  southwest  of  Otterville  and  Clarence,  living 
south  of  Otterville. 

Reared  on  the  home  place  in  Lebanon  township,  Millard  E.  Thomas 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  local  public  schools  and  supplemented 
this  by  a  course  in  the  college  at  Clarksburg.  From  boyhood  he  had  given 
his  attention  to  the  labors  of  the  home  farm  and  after  a  while  beg;m 
farming  on  his  own  account  there  under  a  proper  working  arrangement 
with  his  father  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1913  when  he  went  to  Sedalia 
and  was  there  for  three  years  engaged  as  check  clerk  in  a  wholesale 
grocery  house.  In  1916  Mr.  Thomas  returned  from  Sedalia  and  resumed 
the  management  of  the  home  farm  in  his  father's  behalf  and  has  since 
successfully  been  carrying  on  the  operations  of  that  place.  He  gives  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock. 

July  26,  1904.  Millard  E.  Thomas  was  married  at  Syracuse,  Mo.,  to 
Minnie  Burford,  who  was  born  at  that  place  June  28,  1878,  daughter  of 
Albert  and  Mary  (Mathis)  Burford.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  are  members 


1136  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  republican  and  is  affiliated  with 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Otterville. 

Boone  Hurt,  a  substantial  farmer  and  stockman  of  Clear  Creek  town- 
ship is  a  native  son  of  Cooper  County.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Clarks 
Fork  township  Aug.  30,  1854,  son  of  Joel  and  Harriet  (Fairs)  Hurt,  both 
of  whom  spent  their  last  days  here. 

Joel  Hurt  was  a  Virginian,  born  near  Culpeper  Court  House,  March 
11,  1814.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Virginia  and  was  there  married  to 
Elizabeth  Hess,  who  also  was  born  in  Virginia  and  by  whom  he  had  three 
children.  In  the  early  '40s  he  came  with  his  family  to  Missouri  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  there.  He  died  March  10,  1880.  In  his  youth  Joel  Hurt  had  been 
trained  as  a  brick  mason  and  after  locating  on  his  farm  here  also  followed 
that  trade  as  demands  warranted.  He  was  a  republican  and  was  for 
years  regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  his  part  of  Cooper 
County.  For  25  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Clarks  Foi'k 
township  and  it  is  a  matter  of  record  in  which  his  family  takes  a  just 
degree  of  pride  that  rarely  indeed  were  the  judgments  rendered  by  him 
overruled  by  the  higher  courts,  even  in  such  few  cases  as  were  appealed 
from  his  court.  Not  long  after  coming  to  this  county  Joel  Hurt's  first 
wife  died  and  he  married  Harriet  Fairs,  who  was  born  in  Saline  township, 
in  1828;  she  died  in  1905.  To  this  latter  union  were  born  nine  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  Boone  Hurt  at- 
tended the  local  schools  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  has  followed 
farming.  He  married  in  the  fall  of  1880  and  in  1885  bought  a  farm  in 
Clarks  Fork  township,  which  he  sold  in  1892  and  bought  another  farm  in 
that  township.  This  latter  place  he  also  sold  to  advantage  and  then 
bought  a  farm  in  North  Moniteau  township,  where  he  resided  until  the 
spring  of  1911,  when  he  sold  that  place  and  moved  to  Oklahoma  with  the 
expectation  of  making  his  home  in  that  state.  Things  there,  however, 
did  not  present  themselves  to  his  liking  and  in  the  following  October  he 
disposed  of  such  interests  as  he  had  acquired  there  and  returned  to  Cooper 
County,  buying  here  the  farm  of  287  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living  in 
Clear  Creek  township  and  has  there  since  resided.  Mr.  Hurt  has  made 
numerous  improvements  on  the  place.  Mr.  Hurt  is  a  republican,  as  was 
his  father. 

Nov.  9,  1880,  Boone  Hurt  was  married  to  Malinda  Haley,  who  was 
born  Jan.  2,  1862,  in  Moniteau  County,  daughter  of  Thomas  A.  and  Eliza- 
beth  (Benson)   Haley,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Howard  County,  and 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1137 

who  after  their  marriage  made  their  home  in  Moniteau  County,  where 
they  reared  their  family.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurt  have  been  born  13  chil- 
dren, namely :  Edgar  G.,  living  at  Pisgah ;  Nannie,  wife  of  Homer  Bru- 
baker,  Lebanon  township;  Eliza,  wife  of  Archibald  Powell,  Clear  Creek 
township ;  Chester  A.,  farming  in  Lebanon  township ;  Bessie,  wife 
of  H.  Carpenter,  Prairie  Home  township;  Leslie,  deceased;  Raymond, 
farming  in  Clear  Creek  township,  and  his  twin  sister,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Ewing,  who  married  Annabel  Mayfield  and  is  now,  summer  of  1919,  with 
the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  Europe ;  Gordon,  deceased ;  Thelma, 
at  home,  and  Lewis  and  Huldah  H.,  also  at  home.  -Sergt.  Ewing  Hurt, 
the  soldier  son,  was  born  on  April  21,  1896,  in  Clarks  Fork  township,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  when  on  Sept.  19,  1917,  he  was  called  to  the  colors 
in  the  World  War.  After  a  period  of  training  at  Camp  Funston,  he  sailed 
with  his  command  for  overseas  service  in  April,  1918,  and  thus  partici- 
pated in  considerable  active  service.  After  the  armistice  he  continued 
on  with  the  victorious  army  and  was  serving  in  the  Army  of  Occupation 
in  Germany,  a  sergeant  of  Company  L,  356th  Infantry,  89th  Division, 
when  the  German  government  signed  the  treaty  of  peace  in  June,  1919. 

John  Harris  Fray,  owner  and  proprietor  of  "Walnut  Grove  Farm", 
LaMine  township,  is  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Cooper  County.  He  was  born  in  LaMine  township  Nov.  23,  1878,  and 
is  a  son  of  Benjamin  A.  and  Adelia  Frances  (Harris)  Fray,  and  is  one  of 
the  following  children  born  to  them:  John  Harris,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Elwood  H.,  a  stockman,  Blackwater;  William  Tyler,  St.  Louis; 
Mary  E.,  married  Leslie  O'Rear,  Chicago,  111. ;  and  Alva  C,  Marshall,  Mo. 

Benjamin  A.  Fray  was  born  in  LaMine  township  in  1853,  a  son  of 
John  A.  and  Martha  Elizabeth  (Herndon)  Fray,  natives  of  Virginia,  who 
came  to  Cooper  County  from  that  state  at  an  early  date,  and  were  among 
the  pioneers  of  LaMine  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  after  coming  here.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  Benj. 
A.  Fray  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in  Cooper 
County  for  many  years,  and  is  now  living  retired  at  Marshall,  Mo. 

Adelia  Frances  (Harris)  Fray  was  also  bora  in  LaMine  township  in 
1851.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Washington  and  Mary  (Tyler)  Harris,  who 
were  early  settlers  in  Cooper  County.  She  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Pilot  Grove  College. 

John  Harris  Fray  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  also  attended 
Pilot  Grove  College.     He  began  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Black- 


1138  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

water.  Two  years  later  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  National  Live  Stock 
Commission  Company  and  for  ten  years  represented  that  company  as  a 
live  stock  salesman  at  East  St.  Louis,  111.,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
Kansas  City  in  the  same  capacity  for  that  company  and  remained  there 
about  eight  years.  He  then  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  remained  about 
three  years,  when  he  returned  to  Cooper  County  and  engaged  in  his  pres- 
ent business  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  which  he  purchased  in 
March,  1919.  "Walnut  Grove  Farm"  is  a  well  improved  place  of  400 
acres,  and  well  adapted  to  the  stock  business.  Mr.  Fray  is  perhaps  the 
largest  cattle  feeder  in  Cooper  County,  usually  feeding  for  the  market 
from  400  to  500  head  of  cattle  each  year,  and  about  800  head  of  hogs. 
His  broad  and  varied  experience  in  the  live  stock  business  well  qualified 
him  to  get  the  best  results  out  of  his  endeavor  in  this  particular  line,  and 
he  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success. 

Dec.  26,  1900,  John  Harris  Fray  was  married  to  Miss  Bessie  E.  Rey- 
nolds, who  was  bom  in  Iowa  and  reared  in  Nebraska.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  John  H.  and  Mary  (Claiborne)  Reynolds,  natives  of  Illinois  and  France, 
respectively.  The  father  was  engaged  in  railroad  contracting  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  is  now  living  in  St.  Louis.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fray  have 
been  born  one  child,  Mary  Claiborne  Fray. 

Mr.  Fray  is  a  member  of  the  time  honored  Masonic  Lodge  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Elks.     He  is  one  of  Cooper  County's  substantial  citizens. 

Robert  Leyton  Miller,  company  officer  at  the  Missouri  State  Train- 
ing School  for  Boys,  Boonville,  was  bora  on  a  farm  in  Boonville  township, 
March  23,  1889. 

Everett  Miller,  his  father,  is  also  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and  was 
born  Oct.  14,  1865,  on  what  is  called  the  old  Miller  home  place,  and  is  a 
son  of  Robert  Miller,  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  settled  in  Cooper  County 
before  the  Civil  War  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  Army.  Robert 
Miller  died  in  1914  at  the  age  of  89  years.  Everett  Miller  has  a  splendid 
farm  of  160  acres  with  excellent  improvements.  He  married  Miss  Bettie 
Robinson,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  five  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville, and  is  a  daughter  of  John  Robinson,  a  Cooper  County  pioneer. 

Everett  Miller,  his  father,  is  also  a  native  of  Cooper  County  and  was 
educated  in  the  Boonville  High  School  and  Christian  Brothers  College  at  St. 
Louis.  Until  his  appointment  to  his  present  post  on  Sept.  23,  1917,  he 
was  engaged  as  a  motor  machinist  in  Kansas  City.  During  the  years  of 
1912  and  1913,  Mr.  Miller  traveled  over  Colorado,  Washington  and  Oregon. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1139 

making  trips  also  into  Texas  and  New  Mexico.  He  also  made  a  trip 
through  the  East  as  far  as  Perry,  N.  Y.  During  his  travels  he  visited 
various  penal  institutions  such  as  the  Federal  penitentiary  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kan.,  the  Illinois  State  penitentiary  at  Joliet,  reformatory  at  Pont- 
iac,  and  various  other  penal  institutions  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  study 
of  prison  reform  and  prison  management.  He  is  still  a  student  of  state 
reform  school  management  and  his  studies  along  the  line  of  this  pro- 
fession have  been  invaluable  to  him  in  the  proper  performance  of  the 
duties  of  his  position  at  the  Missouri  Training  School  where  a  company 
of  boys  are  in  his  charge. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  is  well  informed,  broad  minded,  and  of  a  kindly  disposition,  and  seems 
especially  fitted  for  the  position  which  he  holds. 

Robert  P.  Burge,  vice-president  of  the  Boonville  Mercantile  Company, 
Boonville,  Mo.,  is  a  native  Missourian  and  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Butler, 
Bates  County,  April  6,  1863.  Oscar  Burge,  his  father,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1822  and  died  in  1900.  Oscar  Burge's  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812  and  had  a  government  land  grant  in  Bates  County,  Mo. 
Oscar  Burge  made  the  long  overland  trip  to  the  gold  fields  of  California 
in  1850  and  remained  there  for  two  years.  He  acquired  a  quantity  of 
gold,  a  part  of  which  his  son,  Robert  P.,  still  has  in  his  possession,  con- 
sisting of  a  gold  nugget  valued  at  over  $100.  Mr.  Burge  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky by  way  of  Cape  Horn  and  soon  afterwards  went  to  Bates  County, 
Mo.,  where  he  took  possession  of  his  father's  land  grant.  Disposing  of 
this  he  came  to  Cooper  County  and  settled  seven  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville where  he  developed  a  good  farm  of  150  acres  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  Early  in  young  manhood  he  married  Elizabeth 
Miller  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  pioneer 
parents.  '  She  was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  Boonville  in  1824  and  departed 
this  life  in  1872,  leaving  children  as  follows:  John,  a  farmer,  southwest 
of  Boonville;  William,  a  fanner,  near  Blackwater;  Robert  P.,  of  this  re- 
view ;  and  Dora  Burge  lives  in  Kentucky. 

Robert  P.  Burge  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  and  followed  farming  until  1904.  He  became  owner  of  a  fine 
farm  of  136  acres  in  the  old  home  neighborhood  which  is  well  improved. 
After  leaving  the  farm  he  spent  the  winter  of  1904  and  1905  at  Eldorado 
Springs,  Mo.,  and  then  engaged  in  business  in  partnership  with  H.  G. 
Hudson  of  Boonville  for  two  years.     The  Boonville  Mercantile  Company 


1140  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

■was  then  organized  and  he  became  a  stockholder  and  officer  in  the  concern. 
Mr.  Burge  has  charge  of  all  the  plumbing  and  electrical  work  done  by  this 
large  establishment. 

He  was  married  in  Oct.,  1893,  to  Miss  Addie  Parker,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  J.  Parker  who  settled  in  Cooper  County 
some  years  ago.  The  children  born  to  Robert  P.  and  Addie  Burge  are 
as  follows :  Alma  Burge,  a  student  in  Monticello  Seminary,  Godfrey,  111. ; 
Grace  Burge,  attending  the  Boonville  High  School. 

Mr.  Burge  is  a  democrat  and  attends  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  an  industrious,  substantial 
citizen  and  loyal  to  his  home  city  and  county. 

Joseph  M.  Clark,  painter  and  decorator,  Boonville,  was  born  on  a 
farm  six  miles  east  of  Boonville,  April  4,  1861.  The  farm  on  which  he 
was  born  is  one  of  the  most  historic  in  this  section  and  is  the  site  of  the 
first  Battle  of  Boonville  which  was  fought  between  the  Confederates  and 
the  Union  soldiers  in  June,  1861. 

David  B.  Clark,  his  father  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1828  and 
died  in  1914.  He  was  a  son  of  Adam  and  Nancy  Clark,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  at  the  age  of  85  years.  Adam  Clark  was  bom  in  Ireland  and  died 
in  Boonville  at  the  age  of  86  years.  He  was  born  in  Belfast  and  learned 
the  trade  of  mill  wright  and  bridge  builder.  After  settling  in  Ohio  he 
followed  his  trade.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  in  the  thirties  and  here 
built  many  of  the  earlier  bridges  and  mills  in  this  section.  Two  of  the 
bridges  which  he  built  across  the  Petit  Saline  River  are  still  standing,  one 
of  which  the  covered  wooden  bridge  known  as  the  Shumaker  bridge,  was 
erected  in  1857  and  the  other  spans  the  river  at  Big  Lick,  or  Gooch  Mill. 
In  all,  he  erected  six  bridges  across  the  Petit  Saline  and  built  many  flour 
mills.  'When  he  approached  the  Board  of  County  Judges  relative  to  erect- 
ing a  wooden,  covered  structure  such  as  he  had  in  mind  he  found  the 
judges  skeptical  about  the  strength  of  the  proposed  bridge.  He  there- 
upon built  a  model  bridge  four  feet  in  length,  complete  in  every  detail. 
Calling  the  judges  to  a  store,  he  placed  each  end  of  the  bridge  upon  a 
chair  and  then  placed  a  100  pound  sack  of  flour  on  the  center  of  his  model. 
The  model  sustained  weight  of  the  flour  and  the  judges  were  convinced 
of  the  stability  of  the  proposed  bridges. 

David  B.  Clark  removed  from  his  farm  to  Boonville  in  the  spring  of 
1861  and  resumed  his  occupation  as  river  man.  For  a  period  of  35  years 
he  operated  steamboats  on  the  Missouri  River  and  served  as  purser  ana 
captain  on  many  boats.     During  the  Civil  War  his  steamer  transported 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1141 

Union  soldiers  down  the  river  and  he  carried  the  troops  which  invested 
Yieksburg.  For  several  years  after  the  war  he  carried  provisions  to  Fort 
Benton  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Missouri.  After  his  retirement  from 
the  river  he  followed  his  natural  bent  as  a  skilled  cabinet  maker  and  many 
pieces  of  furniture  and  ornamentation,  such  as  mantels  and  stair  cases 
and  panel  work  adorn  the  Clark  home  on  Seventh  street.  His  wife  was 
Margaret  Mitchell  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  was  born  in  1812  and  died 
in  1884.  She  was  born  near  Brighton,  Beaver  County,  Pa.,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Mitchell  who  came  to  Boonville  in  1848  and  conducted 
a  retail  store  in  this  city  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  83  years.  The  other 
children  born  to  David  B.  and  Margaret  Clark  are,  besides  the  subject  of 
this  sketch:  Mrs.  Agnes  Askew,  deceased;  and  John  Clark,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

For  38  years,  Joseph  M.  Clark  has  followed  his  trade  of  painter  and 
decorator  and  fills  contracts  in  Cooper  County  and  the  surrounding  cities 
and  towns  in  central  Missouri,  including  Jefferson  City.  He  is  a  born 
artist  and  many  fine  paintings  which  he  has  created  with  his  brush  adorn 
the  walls  of  his  home.  He  was  married  in  1895  to  Miss  Cora  F.  Fritts, 
who  was  born  in  Cooper  County  in  1868,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Patsie 
Fritts,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased,  while  the  mother  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  77  years. 

Mr.  Clark  has  two  sons  who  are  assisting  him  in  his  business.  The 
eldest  son  is  Leonidas  M.,  a  decorator  and  painter  like  his  father,  and  who 
served  six  months  in  the  National  Army  as  first  sergeant  of  his  company, 
stationed  at  Fort  Bliss.  The  younger  son  is  Price  Boone  Clark,  aged  14 
years. 

Mr.  Clark  is  an  independent  republican.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  and 
comes  from  a  long  line  of  Presbyterian  ancestors  of  Scotch  descent.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  lodge. 

Joseph  Anthony  Oswald,  farmer  and  live  stock  dealer,  Boonville,  is 
proprietor  of  two  farms  aggregating  400  acres,  one  farm  being  located 
two  miles  south  and  the  other  five  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Boon- 
ville. Mr.  Oswald  was  born  Oct.  16,  1870,  on  a  farm  four  miles  south  of 
Boonville  and  is  a  son  of  the  later  Herman  Oswald. 

Herman  Oswald  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  April  17,  1820,  and 
died  in  Cooper  County,  Dec.  15,  1903.  His  wife,  who  was  Christina 
Youngkamp  prior  to  her  marriage  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germany,  Oct. 
12,  1844  and  died  March  10,  1893.  They  were  parents  of  the  following 
children:     Frank,  born  Sept.  17,  1868,  lives  in  Boonville;  Julius,  born  Feb. 


1142  HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY 

2,  1863.  Cooper  County  farmer ;  August,  born  July  6.  1864.  Cooper  County 
farmer;  Christina,  born  Jan.  6,  1867.  deceased  wife  of  Matt  Clean.-;  Joseph 
A.,  of  this  review;  Lizzie,  born  Oct.  10.  1872.  wife  of  William  G.  Robien. 
well  known  stockman  and  farmer  of  Cooper  County ;  Margaret,  born  March 
7.  1875,  deceased  wife  of  John  H.  Schnuck.  Boonville  township;  Katie, 
born  Feb.  7.  1878,  wife  of  P.  F.  Fitzpatrick,  a  farmer  west  of  Boonville: 
Julia,  born  Sept.  17.  1880.  wife  of  Ed  Darby.  Boonville. 

Herman  Oswald  came  to  America  in  1854  and  first  located  in  the 
timber  lands  of  Wisconsin.  He  entered  40  acres  of  virgin  timber  land  near 
Green  Bay.  and  proceeded  to  clear  the  land.  In  order  to  afford  him  an 
outlet  to  the  village  he  cut  a  road  through  the  timber  which  to  this  day 
is  known  as  the  Oswald  road.  He  came  to  Cooper  County  after  a  year 
or  so  to  be  able  to  live  in  a  climate  which  was  not  so  severe  as  the  Wiscon- 
sin climate.  Not  long  after  he  came  here  he  sold  his  northern  farm  and 
after  renting  land  for  a  time  in  Cooper  County  he  purchased  a  place  south 
of  Boonville.  He  accumulated  over  400  acres  of  land  and  became  one  of. 
the  wealthy  citizens  of  Cooper  County.  He  owned  prior  to  his  death  a 
total  of  1.300  acres  of  land,  1.000  acres  of  which  was  situated  in  Cooper 
County  and  300  acres  located  in  Kansas.  Mr.  Oswald  followed  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  and  operated  on  a  large  scale  as  a  feeder  of  live 
stock.  He  prospered  until  the  breakng  out  of  the  Civil  War  when  the 
depredations  of  the  bands  of  soldiers  who  were  overrunning  the  country 
practically  cleaned  him  out ;  his  live  stock  was  run  off ;  his  provisions 
taken  whenever  he  had  any  and  everything  movable  was  "requisitioned". 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  practically  "broke"  and  a  new  start  was 
necessary.  Like  others  who  were  in  the  same  plight,  he  recovered  from 
his  losses  and  became  wealthy.  He  was  married  in  1861  to  Christina 
Youngkamp,  who  came  to  America  from  Germany  in  1858  with  her  father. 
Bernard  Youngkamp. 

Joseph  A.  Oswald  attended  the  school  at  Stony  Point,  and  worked  for 
his  father  on  the  farm  until  1900.  He  and  his  three  brothers  farmed 
together  and  handled  live  stock  until  1906.  Joseph  and  Julius  Oswald 
then  became  partners  in  the  live  stock  business.  Mr.  Oswald  feeds  about 
300  head  of  cattle  and  500  hogs  annually.  He  ships  about  200  car  loads 
of  stock  each  year.  Mr.  Oswald  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Boonville  in 
1913. 

April  16.  1913.  Joseph  A.  Oswald  and  Miss  Minnie  Dumalt.  of  Bill- 
ingsville.  were  married.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  the  follow- 
ing children:     Edward,  born  Feb.  5,  1914:  Margaret,  born  Aug.  25.  1915; 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1143 

Mildred,  born  Oct.  15,  1916;  Harold,  born  Dec.  8,  1918.  The  mother  of 
these  children  was  born  on  a  farm  seven  miles  southwest  of  Boonville  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Catherine  (Esser)  Dumalt,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  1851,  and  the  latter  born  in  1852,  both  being  natives 
of  Germany.  Mrs.  Catherine  (Esser)  Dumalt  is  a  daughter  of  Bertram 
Esser. 

Mr.  Oswald  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Church.  Mr.  Oswald  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 

Frank  E.  Lionberger. — The  late  Francis  Edward  Lionberger  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  oldest  Cooper  County  pioneer  families.  He  was  bom 
April  7,  1842  in  Boonville,  and  died  April  13,  1913.  His  father  was  Isaac 
Lionberger,  a  pioneer  merchant  and  very  popular  citizen  of  Boonville  who 
died  in  1861.  The  mother  of  F.  E.  Lionberger  was  Mary  Ann  Tutt,  prior 
to  her  marriage,  and  both  parents  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  were 
descended  from  old  American  stock.  Isaac  Lionberger  was  for  years,  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  Boonville,  and  was  very  popular  with  the 
ladies  in  the  antebellum  period.  When  making  his  yearly  trips  to  New 
York  City  to  do  his  buying  for  the  season  he  would  be  commissioned  by 
the  Cooper  County  ladies  to  purchase  their  frocks — his  judgment  regard- 
ing the  prevailing  styles  being  so  discriminating  that  he  rarely  made  a 
mistake  in  selecting  suitable  wearing  apparel  for  his  patrons. 

Frank  E.  Lionberger  attended  the  Kemper  School  and  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Columbia.  He  then  settled  on  the  farm  owned  by  his  mother, 
south  of  Boonville  which  is  now  owned  by  S.  L.  Hickam,  and  remained 
there  until  the  farm  was  sold  in  1891.  He  then  bought  a  place  of  100 
acres  adjoining  the  old  home  place  and  the  family  resided  there  until 
Sept.,  1917,  when  they  moved  to  the  present  home  in  Boonville. 

May  13,  1869,  Mr.  Lionberger  was  married  to  Emma  (Hersey)  Talbot. 
To  this  marriage  were  born  the  following  children:  Charles  Edward,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  married  Helen  Baskerville  and  lias  two  sons,  Frances  Edward 
and  William  Talbot ;  Bettie  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Van  Ravensway,  is 
mother  of  two  sons,  Arie  Cornelius  and  Charles  Edward ;  Mary,  at  home 
with  her  mother;  Addie  Talbot,  a  member  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  at  home  with 
her  mother. 

The  mother  of  these  children  was  born  Jan.  1,  1850,  on  Loutre  Island. 
Loutre  Island  is  situated  opposite  Hermann,  Mo.,  and  in  size  it  was  two 
and  a  half  miles  wide  by  twelve  miles  long.  William  Irving  Talbot,  father 
of  Mrs.  Lionberger,  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1808  and  died  in  1874. 


1144  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

He  was  a  son  of  Matthew  Talbot,  whose  father  came  to  America  from 
England  early  in  the  18th  century.  Matthew  Talbot  was  a  pioneer  in 
Missouri,  settling  here  in  the  early  thirties.  He  was  a  slaveholder  and 
owned  many  fine  horses.  It  was  his  custom  to  give  each  son  a  fine  mare 
as  he  became  of  age.  William  Irving  Talbot  cleared  his  island  farm  of 
timber  but  left  several  fine  pecan  trees.  He  tilled  his  land  with  slave 
labor  until  the  war  brought  freedom  for  the  slaves  and  after  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War  he  came  to  Boonville  and  died  here.  When  a  young  man 
he  married  Mrs.  Catherine  Jane  (Hersey)  Bascom,  a  widow,  who  was  born 
in  Lynchburg,  Va.,  in  1812  and  died  in  Sedalia,  Mo.,  in  1877.  By  her  first 
marriage  she  had  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Lionberger  is  the  only  child  of 
her  parents. 

The  late  Frank  E.  Lionberger  was  a  democrat  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church  south.  He  was  a  great  reader  and  student  of  the 
times  and  was  posted  on  all  subjects  of  interest.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
very  retentive  memory  which  enabled  him  to  converse  with  fluency  and 
ability  upon  almost  any  topic  of  interest.  Mr.  Lionberger  was  a  kind 
husband  and  a  wise  father  to  his  children.  His  death  was  a  sincere  loss 
to  the  community. 

Henry  E.  Brummel. — When  Henry  E.  Brummel,  prosperous  farmer 
and  stockman  of  the  Prairie  Lick  neighborhood,  came  from  Michigan  to 
Cooper  County,  26  years  ago,  he  brought  most  of  his  earthly  possessions 
in  a  prairie  schooner,  hauled  by  four  horses.  Mr.  Brummel  made  the  trip 
from  Michigan  in  the  late  fall  and  it  took  six  weeks  because  of  the  fact 
that  he  stopped  enroute  and  worked  two  weeks  on  the  railroad  so  as  to  get 
some  needed  money.  He  arrived  at  Boonville,  Dec.  1,  1892  and  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  trip  he  would  have  to  get  up  in  the  night  from  his 
rough  couch  and  run  around  for  awhile  to  restore  circulation  and  get 
warmed  up.  Having  sold  his  property  in  Michigan,  realizing  S800,  he  at 
once  invested  in  Cooper  County  land  at  $28  an  acre.  Mr.  Brummel  has 
208  acres  of  valuable  farm  land  upon  which  he  has  placed  every  improve- 
ment including  a  large  frame  residence  which  stands  on  the  highest  spot 
of  his  farm,  two  large  barns  and  silo.  He  raises  Shorthorn  cattle,  hogs 
and  sheep  and  is  rated  as  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  and  stockmen  of 
this  section  of  Missouri. 

Henry  E.  Brummel  was  born  in  1860,  at  Aurora,  111.  He  is  a  son  of 
Peter  (b.  1830,  d.  Feb.  28,  1899)  and  Mary  Brummel  (b.  1838,  d.  June  7, 
1911).  His  parents  came  to  America  in  1852,  although  Peter  Brummel 
crossed  the  ocean  in  1851. 

Peter  Brummel  went  to  Michigan  in  1865  and  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Bums.     He  sold  out  his  holdings  in  Michigan  in  1895  and  came  to  Cooper 


HISTORY   OF   COOPER   COUNTY  1145 

County  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  on  a  farm  here.  The  chil- 
dren of  Peter  and  Mary  Brummel  were :  Anna  and  Kate,  deceased ;  Mary 
Gertrude,  deceased;  Peter,  Buffalo  Prairie,  Mo.;  Joseph,  trainmaster  on 
the  Minneapolis  and  St.  Louis  railroad  at  Monmouth,  111.;  Mrs.  Margaret 
Whitehurse,  living  on  a  farm  four  miles  southeast  of  Boonville;  Mrs. 
Agnes  Kronen,  Michigan ;  Lena,  wife  of  John  Stoecklein,  living  near  Pilot 
Grove;  Jennie,  wife  of  Fred  Schuester,  R.  F.  D.  carrier,  Pilot  Grove;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Joe  Vollmer,  Pilot  Grove ;  two  children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Brummel  was  married  in  1896  to  Verona  Wittman,  born  in  1867, 
a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Regina  (Heilman)  Wittman,  natives  of  Baden, 
Germany.  Peter  Wittman  was  born  in  1826  and  died  in  1901.  Regina 
Wittman  was  born  in  May,  1837,  and  died  in  1891.  Peter  Wittman  came 
to  America  in  the  early  forties  and  his  wife  came  to  this  country  in  1855. 
Peter  Wittman  was  a  "forty-niner"  who  went  to  California  during  the 
great  rush  for  gold.  The  children  born  to  Henry  E.  and  Verona  Brum- 
mel are:  Viol,  born  March  31,  1897,  married  on  March  7,  1916  to  Marvin 
Eichelberger,  who  was  bom  in  Cooper  County,  in  1893  and  is  a  son  of  A. 
H.  Eichelberger.     They  have  one  child,  Edward,  born  Feb.  5,  1918. 

Mr.  Brummel  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Martinsville  Catholic 
Church  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Frank  Bechtold. — The  Bechtold  Dairy  Farm,  located  about  one  mile 
s^uth  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  consisting  of  124  acres,  was  established  in  1893 
by  Frank  Bechtold.  The  farm  is  well  equipped  with  every  facility  for 
caring  for  the  dairy  herd  of  22  Jerseys  and  Holsteins  and  the  output  of 
the  dairy  is  sold  over  established  milk  routes  in  Boonville.  A  large  bank 
barn  and  silo,  with  a  substantial  cottage  residence  make  up  the  improve- 
ments on  the  place  which  have  all  been  placed  thereon  by  the  proprietor. 

Frank  Bechtold  was  born  in  Germany,  Oct.  13,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Christina  Bechtold  who  lived  all  of  their  lives  in  their  native 
country.  Mr.  Bechtold  emigrated  from  his  native  land  in  1880  and  came 
directly  to  Boonville.  He  arrived  here  with  a  capital  of  about  $200.  He 
followed  his  trade -of  stone  cutter  for  30  years  and  resided  in  Boonville 
until  he  purchased  his  dairy  farm.  For  the  past  40  years,  Mr.  Bechtold 
has  resided  in  Boonville  and  vicinity  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  as 
a  conscientious  and  skilled  stone  worker  who  is  also  a  good  business  man. 
Of  late  years,  Mr.  Bechtold  has  turned  over  the  management  of  the  dairy 
business  to  his  capable  and  energetic  son. 

Mr.  Bechtold  was  married  in  1878  to  Mary  Hoflander,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  reared  and  married  there,  and  is  now  aged  64  years.  The 
oldest' child  of  the  family  was  born  in  Germany.     The  children  born  to 


1146  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

Frank  and  Mary  Bechtold  are :  Theresa  Bechtold  married  William  Lever, 
a  tinner  of  Boonville;  William  is  a  shoemaker  in  St.  Louis;  Rosa  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Oswald,  Boonville;  Charles,  the  soldier  of  the  family,  was 
born  March  5,  1886,  enlisted  in  July,  1918,  in  the  National  Army,  was 
trained  at  Camp  Cole,  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  for  active  tank  service  and  sailed 
for  France  just  one  week  before  the  armistice  was  declared  which  ended 
the  great  World  War;  Fred  John  was  born  June  14,  1888,  and  is  a  drug- 
gist at  St.  Louis ;  Bertha  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Melkersman,  who  resides  on 
a  farm  six  miles  southeast  of  Boonville;  Clara;  Mary  Catherine,  and 
Henry  are  at  home.  Henry  Bechtold  is  the  active  manager  of  the  dairy 
farm  and  business. 

Mr.  Bechtold  is  a  republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 

Wilbur  B.  Wallace,  retired  stockman  and  farmer,  Boonville,  is  a 
native  of  Cooper  County.  Mr.  Wallace  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles 
west  of  Bunceton,  Aug.  26,  1881.  His  father,  Thomas  J.  Wallace  was 
born  in  1837  and  died  in  1900.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia  whose  father 
migrated  to  Missouri  about  1845  and  settled  in  Cooper  County.  The  Wal- 
lace family  is  an  old  American  family  which  numbers  among  its  members 
some  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Missouri  and  the  nation.  Hugh  Wal- 
lace of  Liberty,  present  ambassador  to  France  is  a  cousin  of  W.  B.  Wal- 
lace. The  grandfather  of  W.  B.  Wallace  entered  government  land  in  this 
county  and  had  quite  a  large  estate.  Thomas  J.  Wallace  was  reared  to 
young  manhood  in  Cooper  County  and  married  Martha  S.  Cockrell  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1824,  and  now  resides  in  Boonville.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Cockrell  who  was  related  to  Senator  Cockrell  of  Mis- 
souri. She  came  to  Cooper  County  when  a  child  in  company  with  her 
brother,  George  Cockrell.  Thomas  J.  Wallace  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising  during  his  active  life  and  was  very  successful.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  dealt  extensively  in  mules,  supplying  the  armies  with  these  ani- 
mals. He  was  father  of  four  children:  Edgar  Wallace,  living  in  New 
York ;  A.  A.  Wallace,  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  business  in  Boonville ; 
Thomas,  deceased;  Wilbur  B.,  subject  of  this  sketch. 

W.  B.  Wallace  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  Central  College 
at  Fayette,  Mo.  He  entered  Yale  University  and  was  pursuing  a  scientific 
course  when  his  father's  death  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  return  home 
to  assist  in  looking  after  the  estate.     He  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1147 

raising  on  his  farm  of  325  acres  near  Bunceton  until  March,  1918,  when 
he  sold  his  land  holdings  and  moved  to  Boonville. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  married  in  1906  to  Miss  Louise  Harriman  of  Bunce- 
ton, a  daughter  of  Col.  Robert  Harriman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace  have  one 
child,  Thomas  Wallace,  aged  six  years. 

Mr.  Wallace  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  and  holds  a  membership  in  the  Ararat  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Joseph  Walker  Woolery,  farmer  and  stockman  of  Palestine  township 
who  is  operating  the  F.  H.  Muntzel  farm  of  347  acres,  is  a  native  of 
Cooper  County.  He  was  born  May  26,  1877,  within  one-half  mile  of  Nebo 
Church. 

His  father,  Scott  Woolery,  was  born  in  Cooper  County,  and  was  a  son 
of  pioneer  parents  in  this  county.  He  married  Kate  Patrick  a  daughter 
of  a  Cooper  County  pioneer  who  married  a  sister  of  Samuel  Cole's  second 
wife.  Scott  Woolery  was  a  twin  brother  to  Taylor  Woolery  of  Pleasant 
Green  and  a  brother  to  Col.  Thomas  S.  Woolery  of  Bunceton. 

J.  W.  Woolery  was  educated  in  Nebo  School  and  Bell  Air  High  School. 
From  July  21,  1915,  to  Feb.  26,  1919,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  at  Pilot  Grove.  He  then  leased  the  Muntzel  farm  and  is 
operating  the  tract  on  a  partnership  basis. 

Mr.  Woolery  was  married  in  Oct.,  1901,  to  Mary  Susan  Connelly,  who 
has  borne  him  two  children:  Joseph  D.  and  Emily  Margaretha.  Mrs. 
Mary  Susan  Woolery  was  born  in  Cooper  County  and  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Joseph  Connelly,  who  resided  on  a  farm  near  Pilot  Grove  for  over  50 
years. 

Joseph  Connelly  was  born  in  1846  and  died  April  1,  1910.  He  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina  and  came  to  Missouri  in  1867.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  was  married  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Pilot  Grove  where  he 
lived  until  but  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death  when  he  moved  to  Pilot 
Grove.  He  was  father  of  seven  children:  James  Anthony,  drowned; 
Mary  Susan,  wife  of  J.  W.  Woolery,  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Minnie. Josephine, 
wife  of  Dr.  Ely,  Jacksonville,  Texas ;  Ruth  Ethel,  wife  of  Arthur  Haley, 
Pilot  Grove ;  Margaret  Lavinia,  wife  of  Prof.  J.  C.  Godley,  Milton,  Iowa ; 
William  Walter,  deceased ;  John  Daniel,  was  accidentally  killed  by  a  street 
car  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  June,  1916.  The  mother  of  these  children, 
Margaret  (Boles)  Connelly  was  bom  in  Stone  County,  Mo.,  in  1854.     She 


1148  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

is  a  daughter  of  Anthony  and  Ruth  (Johnston)  Boles,  the  latter  being 
related  to  the  old  Johnston  family  of  Cooper  County,  of  whom  Col.  Thomas 
A.  Johnston,  head  of  the  Kemper  Military  School  at  Boonville,  is  a  mem- 
ber. Anthony  Johnston  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  a  stone  mason, 
married  in  Indiana.  He  was  also  a  millwright  who  built  several  water 
mills  in  Stone  and  Caney  Counties,  Mo.,  and  also  built  the  Harriman  Mill 
at  Pilot  Grove.  He  owned  the  flouring  mill  at  Bunceton.  He  was  born 
in  1814,  came  to  Cooper  County,  in  1863  and  died  April  30,  1901.  Ruth 
Boles,  his  wife  was  born  Dec.  5,  1808  and  died  March  15,  1898.  There 
were  seven  children  in  the  Boles  family :  Minerva ;  John  \Y. ;  Johnston ; 
Eli,  and  Julia,  deceased;  Josephine,  wife  of  Wm.  Fentress,  lives  at  Mont- 
rose, Mo. ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Connelly  of  this  review. 

Mr.  Woolery  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  is  a  past  grand  of  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  of  Pilot 
Grove  and  is  a  member  of  the  Pilot  Grove  Business  Men's  Association. 

Fred  C.  Stegner.  farmer  and  stockman,  owner  of  a  well  improved 
tract  of  81  acres  of  land  near  Billingsville,  was  born  and  reared  on  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns.  Mr.  Stegner  was  born  Feb.  15,  1878  and  is  a 
son  of  August  and  Annie  (Angemann)  Stegner,  well-to-do  residents  of 
Cooper  County  who  left  the  farm  in  1908  and  moved  to  Boonville. 

Fred  C.  Stegner  attended  the  Billingsville  public  schools  and,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  the  West  engaged  in  railroading,  he 
has  always  lived  on  the  home  place  in  Cooper  County.  His  father,  August 
Stegner.  a  wise  and  provident  citizen,  realizing  that  the  best  way  to  have 
his  sons  remain  on  the  farms  of  Cooper  County,  has  assisted  each  of  his 
children  to  become  farm  owners  and  used  his  credit  and  means  to  this  end 
while  encouraging  his  sons  to  earn  their  own  way.  As  a  result,  each  boy 
is  row  a  prosperous  land  owner  and  making  good  in  Cooper  County.  Fred 
C.  Stegner  purchased  the  home  place  1914  after  renting  it  from  his  father 
for  some  time.  He  is  improving  the  place  and  in  1913  replaced  a  barn 
which  had  been  struck  by  lightning  and  burned  to  the  ground. 

Mr.  Stegner  was  married  Dec.  25,  1907,  to  Matilda  Magdalena  Koellner 
of  Cooper  County,  a  daughter  of  Christ  and  Annie  (Timm)  Koellner. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Irvin  Benjamin,  born  Dec. 
26,  1911 ;  Virginia,  born  April  22,  1914;  Elmer  August,  born  Dec.  27,  1916. 

Mr.  Stegner  is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church  of 
Billingsville  and  is  a  good,  industrious,  progressive  citizen. 

George  T.  Steinmetz,  although  retired  from  active  work,  is  kept  busily 
employed  in  gardening  at  his  fine  old,  country  place  on  the  hill  just  at  the 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1149 

end  of  Locust  street  in  the  east  part  of  Boonville.  This  tract  of  five  acres 
is  the  old  Nelson  Place  and  embraces  five  acres,  sufficient  to  keep  one  man 
busy  almost  the  year  around.  A  large  brick  house  of  imposing  appear- 
ance graces  this  homestead.  Mr.  Steinmetz  was  born  Dec.  12,  1856,  at 
Glasgow,  Mo.,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Lizette  Steinmetz,  natives  of 
Germany,  and  Charitan  County,  respectively. 

Samuel  Steinmetz,  his  father,  came  from  Germany  to  America  when 
a  young  man,  was  first  a  shoemaker,  then  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, later  conducted  a  live  stock  business  at  St.  Louis,  became  one  of  the 
noted  Shorthorn  breeders  of  the  West  and  achieved  national  fame  as  a 
horticulturist,  becoming  one  of  the  most  widely  known  men  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  He  accumulated  a  large  estate  of  700  acres,  his  home 
place  being  across  the  roadway  from  Glasgow.  He  owned  the  old  Cleve- 
land farm  of  475  acres  in  Howard  County.  Mr.  Steinmetz  died  in  1911 
at  the  great  age  of  96  years  and  four  days.  Samuel  Steinmetz  maintained 
a  large  green  house  and  spent  his  spare  time  in  propagating  rare  and  new 
specimens  of  flowers.  He  produced  and  bred  the  celebrated  green  dahlia 
which  brought  at  sale  the  sum  of  $1,200.  He  also  propagated  the  famous 
black  dahlia  which  sold  for  $1,500.  He  had  learned  the  art  of  cloriculture 
in  his  native  Germany  and  was  thus  following  his  natural  bent  in  indulg- 
ing his  hobby.  So  expert  did  he  become  in  the  art  of  propagating  and 
breeding  flowers  that  he  could  change  the  color  of  blooms  at  will  and  he 
created  many  new  flowering  plants  which  are  enjoyed  by  flower  lovers 
everywhere  to  this  day.  A  lover  of  the  beautiful,  he  made  life  pleasanter 
by  devoting  his  later  years  to  the  development  of  his  latent  powers  in 
his  inherited  art. 

Samuel  Steinmetz  was  father  of  12  children:  Captain  Samuel  Stein- 
metz, an  elder  son,  was  killed  while  serving  with  the  Missouri  militia  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War;  Aaron  Steinmetz  was  also  killed  in  the  service  of  his 
country;  Mrs.  Amelia  Tillman  lives  at  Glasgow,  Mo.;  Edward,  died  in 
Sedalia,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Myers  lives  at  Glasgow,  Mo. ;  George  T.,  subject 
of  this  review;  Mrs.  Catherine  Weiler  lives  at  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  Don 
Palmer,  lives  at  Texarkanam,  Ark. ;  John  is  deceased ;  William  and  Nannie 
live  in  Howard  County;  one  child  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  the 
foregoing  children  died  at  the  age  of  78  years. 

George  T.  Steinmetz  embarked  in  the  meat  market  business  in  Glas- 
gow when  a  young  man  and  was  engaged  in  business  for  22  years.  In 
the  meantime  he  was  owner  of  a  farm  in  Howard  County,  Mo.,  which  had 
his  supervision  for  a  number  of  years.     He  came  to  Boonville  in  1898  and 


1150  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

was  bookkeeper  for  George  Roeder  &  Son  for  two  years.  For  two  years 
he  served  as  street  commissioner  of  Boonville,  and  was  city  treasurer  for 
four  years.  He  filled  the  office  of  police  judge  of  the  city  for  one  year, 
but  of  late  has  been  contenting  himself  with  caring  for  his  suburban 
place. 

Mr.  Steinmetz  was  first  married  to  Julia  A.  Stettmund,  of  Glasgow, 
Mo.,  who  died,  leaving  two  children:  Waldo,  living  at  Belleville,  111.;  and 
Mrs.  Verna  Rankin,  now  making  her  home  with  her  father.  Mr.  Stein- 
metz's  second  marriage  occurred  in  1882  with  Miss  Annie  Roeder,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  George  Roeder.  She  died  in  1914  leaving  four  children: 
Lloyd,  Denver,  Col. ;  Alice,  at  home  with  her  father ;  Martha,  deceased ; 
Samuel,  Denver,  Col. 

Mr.  Steinmetz  is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
and  is  allied  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen. 

Dr.  William  H.  Elliot,  M.  D.,  is  the  leading  physician  and  the  most 
popular  practitioner  in  the  southern  part  of  Cooper  County.  Dr.  Elliot 
located  in  Bunceton  in  1904  and  has  built  up  a  splendid  practice  in  Bunce- 
ton  and  the  surrounding  country. 

William  H.  Elliot  was  born  Oct.  25,  1875  in  Moniteau  County.  He 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Naomia  (Turner)  Elliot,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Moniteau  County,  the  children  of  pioneer  parents.  Joseph  Elliot  was 
the  son  of  William  Elliot  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  settled  in  Moniteau 
County  and  cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilderness  in  1840. 

Joseph  Elliot  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  in  his  youth  and  now 
resides  at  Latham,  Mo.,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age.  His  wife,  Naomia, 
was  born  in  1858  and  departed  this  life  in  1891.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Horace  Turner,  who  was  born  in  1817  at  Old  Franklin,  Mo.  Horace  Turner 
was  a  son  of  Philip  Turner,  of  Kentucky,  an  associate  and  friend  of  Stephen 
Cole,  the  first  settler  of  Cooper  County.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Dr. 
Elliot  is  descended  on  his  mother's  side  from  one  of  the  first  of  the  Cooper 
County  pioneer  families.  To  Joseph  and  Naomia  Elliot  were  born  four 
sons,  as  follows :  Napoleon,  living  in  Oklahoma ;  Walker,  resides  at 
Crocker,  Mo.;  Luther,  a  farmer,  living  west  of  Bunceton. 

Dr.  William  H.  Elliot  was  educated  in  the  Warrensburg  State  Normal 
School.  Following  that  course  he  entered  Barnes  Medical  College  at  St. 
Louis  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1899.  He  practiced  his 
profession  for  the  next  five  years  with  old  Doctor  Latham  at  Latham, 
Mo.  and  then  came  to  Bunceton.     Dr.  Elliot  is  a  member  of  the  Cooper 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1151 

County  Medical  Society,  the  Missouri  State  and  the  American  Medical 
Associations. 

Doctor  Elliot  was  married  in  1905  to  Miss  Alberta  E.  Young,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of  John  C.  Young,  a  carpenter  and  contractor. 
To  Dr.  and  Alberta  C.  Elliot  have  been  born  four  children:  Marguerite, 
Joseph,  Raymond  and  William  Henry  Junior. 

Doctor  Elliot  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

John  Coleman,  retired  veteran  grain  dealer,  Bunceton,  was  born  at 
New  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  Dec.  29,  1839.  His  parents  were  Ephraim  and 
Nancy  (Bess)  Coleman,  who  were  of  true  pioneer  stock  of  Ohio.  In  1842 
he  loaded  his  movable  effects  upon  a  wagon  and  set  out  across  country 
enroute  to  Missouri.  He  located  in  Phelps  County,  Mo.  and  developed  a 
farm.  In  1859  he  removed  from  Phelps  County  to  Gasconade  County, 
where  he  bought  300  acres  of  Missouri  River  bottom  land.  In  the  course 
of  time  the  fickle  and  treacherous  Missouri  River  earned  away  his  river 
bottom  farm  and  left  him  without  a  home  or  farm.  Undaunted,  he  decided 
to  make  a  new  start  and  went  to  Moniteau  County,  locating  at  California, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

John  Coleman  began  his  business  career  at  Chamois,  Mo.,  in  1874  and 
was  located  in  that  town  for  about  six  years.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
bought  horses  and  mules  for  the  Federal  government.  After  the  term- 
ination of  his  business  career  in  Chamois,  he  located  at  California,  Mo., 
where  he  bought  grain  and  live  stock  until  his  removal  to  Bunceton  in 
1886.  Here  he  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  buying  and  shipping 
of  grain  and  live  stock  for  the  past  31  years.  His  sons  have  taken  up  the 
business  and  have  relieved  him  of  the  work  to  a  considerable  extent. 

John  Coleman  was  married  the  first  time  in  1865  to  Miss  Rhoda  Edel- 
man  who  died  in  1904,  leaving  four  children :  Edgar,  engaged  in  the  grain 
business  with  his  father  at  Bunceton ;  Walter  E.,  of  the  firm  of  Coleman 
and  Lee,  Bunceton ;  Morris,  who  is  a  partner  in  the  grain  business  at 
Bunceton;  James  M.  died  in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Coleman  was  married  the 
second  time  to  Eva  Ewing.  She  died  in  1907  without  issue.  He  is  a 
democrat;  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  has  been  a  Free 
Mason  since  1872. 

William  Bechtold. — The  farm  of  William  Bechtold,  south  of  Boon- 
ville,  now  managed  by  his  son,  George  Bechtold,  is,  besides  being  a  fertile 
tract  of  land,  and  highly  productive,  unique  in  a  particular  sense,  because 


1152  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

of  the  great  amount  of  stone  work  which  is  in  evidence  in  the  buildings 
for  ornamentation.  Mr.  Bechtold  was  originally  a  skilled  stone  mason, 
and  artistic  stone  cutter  who  learned  his  trade  in  Germany  and  plied  it 
for  many  years  in  Boonville  prior  to  locating  on  the  farm.  A  stone  wash 
house,  a  stone  drying  and  smoke  house,  and  other  structures  which  are 
built  enduringly  partly  of  stone  testify  to  the  handiwork  of  Mr.  Bechtold. 
In  the  front  yard  of  the  Bechtold  home  is  a  complete  suite  of  stone  tables 
and  settees  handsomely  carved  and  chiseled  from  the  solid  stone. 

William  Bechtold  was  born  in  Germany  in  1848  and  immigrated  to 
America  in  1867.  Here  he  followed  his  trade  of  stone  mason  and  cutter 
at  Boonville,  and  worked  on  the  construction  of  the  Katy  railroad  bridge 
across  the  Missouri  River.  For  several  months  he  was  foreman  of  a 
gang  of  men  engaged  in  the  stone  laying  of  the  abutments  of  the  bridge, 
also  the  building  of  the  pillars.  He  built  many  culverts  and  bridge  founda- 
tions of  stone  throughout  Cooper  County.  Me  moved  to  his  present  place 
in  1884.  There  are  120  acres  in  the  home  place  and  35  acres  addi- 
tional in  another  tract.  Owing  to  the  continued  illness  of  the  elder  Bech- 
told, his  son  George  has  the  active  management  of  the  farm. 

William  Bechtold  was  married  in  1872  to  Bertha  Lieber,  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1849,  and  immigrated  to  America  in  1851.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Mary  Lieber.  Peter  Lieber  came  to  Boonville  in  1854  and 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  came  to  America;  they 
were  Joseph,  Boonville  township;  Adam,  Gottfried,  Mary  and  John,  de- 
ceased ;  and  Mrs.  Bertha  Bechtold. 

To  William  and  Bertha  Bechtold  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  William ;  Joseph ;  Herman ;  Albert,  deceased ;  Frank,  living  on  the 
Scott  farm ;  George,  on  the  home  place ;  Paul,  farmer,  living  on  the  Stretz 
place;  Joseph,  living  on  the  Chambers  farm.  Mrs.  Bechtold  has  seven 
grandchildren.  Frank  Bechtold  married  Nora  Schuester,  and  has  four 
children:  Abra,  Clarence,  William  and  Mary  Margaret.  Joseph  married 
Anna  Martensen  and  has  three  children :  Cecilia,  Bertha  and  Anna.  Paul 
Bechtold  married  Lizzie  Heilman. 

George  Bechtold  was  born  in  1885.  He  is  an  independent  voter  who 
refuses  to  wear  the  party  yoke  of  any  political  organization.  Mrs.  Bech- 
told and  the  children  are  all  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  Bech- 
tolds  are  well-to-do  people,  besides  their  farm  land,  Mrs.  Bechtold  has  a 
comfortable  brick  residence  on  High  street  in  Boonville. 

George  W.  Chamberlin,  proprietor  of  a  nicely  improved  farm  of  153 
acres,  Palestine  township,   is  a  native  of  this  county.     Mr.  Chamberlin 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1153 

was  born  Feb.  22,  1888,  on  the  old  Chamberlin  place  south  of  Billingsville 
and  is  a  son  of  Albert  M.  Chamberlin.  Mr.  Chamberlin  attended  the 
Billingsville  school  and  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until  his  mar- 
riage. He  purchased  his  farm  in  1910,  and  moved  to  the  place  in  the 
spring  of  1911.  He  has  done  considerable  improving  on  this  tract,  has 
rebuilt  the  residence,  rebuilt  the  barns,  and  built  considerable  fencing  until 
the  farm  is  a  very  attractive  one  with  a  well  kept  and  prosperous  appear- 
ance. 

April  29,  1909,  George  W.  Chamberlin  and  Clara  Eichelberger  were 
married.  Two  children  have  blessed  this  marriage:  Albert  Hoke,  born 
/(fug.  16,  1910;  and  Clairbel  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  27,  1911.  Mrs.  Clara 
Chamberlin  was  born  March  29,  1887  and  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Hoke 
Eichelberger. 

A.  H.  Eichelberger  was  born  Dec.  14,  1859  in  Cooper  County,  and  is 
a  son  of  Andrew  Eichelberger,  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  came  to  Cooper 
County  in  the  spring  of  1855,  settled  in  this  county  and  accumulated  a 
large  tract  of  660  acres.  Andrew  Eichelberger  was  born  in  1823  and  died 
in  April,  1900.  His  wife  was  Isabella  Ketser,  born  in  1820  and  died  in 
1802.  She  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of  John  Keyser. 
To  Andrew  and  Isabella  Eichelberger  were  born  five  sons  and  a  daughter: 
John,  deceased;  George,  living  in  Arkansas;  Charles  E.,  died  in  infancy; 
Andrew  Hoke,  Palestine  township;  James  M.,  lives  near  Columbus,  Mo.; 
Mrs.  Sallie  E.  Buchanan,  Moberly,  Mo. 

A.  Hoke  Eichelberger  has  always  been  a  farmer  and  owns  a  well  im- 
proved and  valuable  tract  of  387  acres.  He  was  married  on  March  2, 
1886  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Tavener,  born  June  27,  1865  in  Cooper  County, 
a  daughter  of  Morris  and  Joanna  (Lichleider)  Tavener,  who  settled  in 
Cooper  County  in  1854.  Six  children  were  born  to  A.  Hoke  and  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Eichelberger;  Mrs.  George  W.  Chamberlin  of  this  review;  Mrs. 
Lillian  S.  Worts,  living  near  Speed,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Bessie  Edna  Smith,  living  in 
the  same  neighborhood;  Andrew  Marvin,  a  farmer  living  near  Prairie 
Lick;  Jessie  Hall,  at  home;  Mrs.  Anna  Juanita  Butterwick,  Pilot  Grove. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  is  a  democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  Mrs.  Chamberlin  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
south.     Mr.  Chamberlin  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Otto  Stegner,  farmer  and  stockman,  Palestine  township,  is  owner  of 
a  fine  farm  of  145  acres  of  good  land  which  he  is  constantly  improving. 
Mr.  Stegner  has  resided  on  the  farm  since  1900  and  it  was  formerly  owned 
(55) 


1154  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

by  his  father,  August  Stegner.  In  1906  he  purchased  125  acres  and  added 
25  acres  in  1911.  He  and  his  father  erected  the  substantial  residence  on 
the  place,  but  the  present  owner  has  since  built  a  large  barn,  garage, 
and  erected  a  windmill.  He  has  built  hundreds  of  rods  of  new  fencing  all 
of  which  is  the  best  woven  wire  which  replaces  the  hedges  which  formerly 
bounded  the  place.  This  farm  was  in  rather  poor  condition  when  Mr. 
Stegner  moved  onto  it  in  1900,  but  it  has  since  risen  in  value.  August 
Stegner,  his  father  purchased  the  land  for  $33  an  acre.  Otto  Stegner 
paid  his  father  $50  an  acre  for  the  tract  which  is  now  easily  worth  $150 
an  acre.  A  valuable  asset  to  the  place  is  a  tract  of  20  acres  of  timber 
which  furnishes  an  unlimited  supply  of  hard  wood  lumber  and  fuel.  Mr. 
Stegner  disposed  of  a  carload  of  prime  walnut  logs  at  a  good  price  in  1917. 

Otto  Stegner  was  born  Nov.  11,  1873,  on  the  old  Stegner  homestead 
near  Billingsville,  where  his  uncle,  Feodor  Stegner  now  resides.  He  at- 
tended the  Billingsville  district  school  and  began  for  himself  in  1894.  He 
worked  for  his  uncle  Feodor  for  22  months.  Then  he  cut  cordwood  for 
his  father  from  November  until  the  next  March,  during  that  time  cutting 
and  cording  91  cords  of  wood,  and  splitting  1,000  fence  rails  and  posts. 
For  the  next  three  years  he  worked  for  Grathwohl  Brothers  on  their  farm 
at  Stony  Point  and  then  moved  to  his  present  home  place.  Mr.  Stegner's 
wages  were  from  $15  to  $16  per  month  during  his  period  of  farm  laborer 
and  he  saved  $700.  From  1898  to  1899  he  received  wages  of  $16  per 
month. 

Mr.  Stegner  was  married  in  1902  to  Essie  Marie  Roesler,  who  was 
born  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  Henry  Zimmerman  farm,  now  the  Wendleton 
place,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Roesler,  whose  wife  was  accidentally 
killed  on  July  4,  1917.  Henry  Roesler  owns  a  farm  near  Otterville, 
Mo.,  where  he  resides.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Otto  and  Essie 
Marie  Stegner,  as  follows :  Constantina  Augusta,  born  Oct.  12,  1904 ;  Edith 
Marie,  born  July  13,  1906 ;  Elsie  Esther,  born  Oct.  27,  1908. 

While  Mr.  Stegner  is  a  republican  in  general  political  matters  he  pre- 
fers to  do  his  own  thinking  and  vote  for  the  individual  candidate.  He 
and  his  family  worship  at  the  Billingsville  Evangelical  Church. 

Patrick  Francis  Fitzpatrick,  owner  of  206  and  a  fraction  acres  of  good 
land  in  Boonville  township  just  west  of  the  city  of  Boonville,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Gubb,  Ireland,  Feb.  3,  1878. 

His  parents,  Patrick  and  Delia  (McDonough)  Fitzpatrick,  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  America  in  1880  and  first  located  in  New  York.  In  1881  the 
family  journeyed  to  south  Missouri  and  Patrick  Fitzpatrick,  the  elder, 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1155 

remained  there  engaged  in  farming  until  1907.  He  then  moved  to  Clin- 
ton, where  his  death  occurred  in  1907.  Mrs.  Delia  Fitzpatrick  died  in 
1916.  They  were  parents  of  seven  children:  Peter,  Dansville,  Mo. ;  Frank, 
Nashville,  Tenn. ;  Mary  died  in  1897;  Patrick  F.,  subject  of  this  review; 
John,  living  in  Arizona;  Thomas,  also  residing  in  Arizona;  Joseph,  living 
in  California. 

P.  F.  Fitzpatrick  was  reared  to  maturity  in  Camden  County,  Mo., 
and  came  to  Cooper  County  in  1897.  He  worked  as  farm  hand  until  1904 
at  which  time  he  was  married  and  settled  upon  a  farm  adjoining  the  one 
he  is  now  cultivating  and  which  was  received  as  an  inheritance  by  Mrs. 
Fitzpatrick.  In  1907  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitzpatrick  purchased  the  farm  where 
they  are  now  living  and  have  a  total  of  20G  acres.  In  1904  they  settled 
upon  a  tract  of  312  acres.  In  1907  they  sold  175  acres  of  their  original 
holdings  and  purchased  the  present  home  place. 

In  1904,  Patrick  Francis  Fitzpatrick  and  Miss  Katie  Oswald  of  Cooper 
County  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Katie  (Oswald)  Fitzpatrick  was 
born  in  Cooper  County,  Feb.  17,  1878,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Herman 
Oswald,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Fitzpatrick  is  a  democrat  and  he  and  Mrs.  Fitzpatrick  are  mem- 
bers of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Churches.  He  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

Marie  Robert  Sloan. — The  Robert  Sloan  residence  just  south  of  Boon- 
ville,  is  in  all  probability,  the  oldest  farm  house  in  Cooper  County,  built  in 
the  early  twenties  of  brick,  and  woodwork  of  walnut,  cut  from  the  farm. 
This  house  has  a  ten  foot  rock  cellar  underneath  and  the  original  structure 
has  had  an  addition  built  on  the  front.  The  Sloan  farm  consists  of  140 
acres  of  rich  land.  M.  R.  Sloan  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  Feb.  12,  1853, 
and  has  resided  in  Cooper  County  for  the  past  63  years. 

James  Robert  Sloan,  his  father  was  born  April  13,  1814,  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  and  died  Aug.  7,  1903.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Bridget  (Hickey) 
Sloan,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  settled  at  St.  Louis  in 
about  1800.  Two  brothers  immigrated  to  New  York.  John  Sloan  came 
to  St.  Louis,  then  a  straggling  river  settlement,  and  operated  a  keel  boat 
on  the  Mississippi  River.  When  making  one  of  his  trips  down  the  river 
in  1816,  he  was  stricken  with  yellow  fever  and  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss. 
He  was  buried  in  the  river.  His  only  brother  then  came  to  St.  Louis  and 
took  his  widow  and  son  with  him  to  his  home  at  Lexington,  Ky.  This 
brother  was  Simon  Hickey,  his  wife,  Margaret  Hickey.  James  Robert, 
the  son  left  fatherless  in  his  childhood,  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  and  there 


1156  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

married  Elizabeth  Morton  (b.  May  16,  1816,  d.  Feb.  22,  1889).  This  mar- 
riage was  a  happy  and  prosperous  one  and  the  couple  lived  to  celebrate 
their  golden  wedding  aniversary  on  May  16,  1884. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  James  Robert  Sloan  left  Kentucky  with  his  family 
and  settled  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  The  climate  proving  to  be  unhealth- 
ful  in  that  locality,  he  removed  his  family  to  Boonville  and  arrived  here 
Oct.  25,  1856.  The  children  born  to  James  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Sloan 
were:  Pauline,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  S.  Boarman,  who  was  a  pioneer  physician 
of  Cooper  County,  both  deceased;  Elizabeth  Redd,  deceased  wife  of  Jacob 
W.  Spahr;  Anna  Stockton,  deceased;  Marie  Robert,  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Georgie  Morton  Sloan,  widow  of  Frank  DeForrest,  Boonville,  Mo. ;  Emma 
Morton  Sloan,  living  on  South  Main  street,  Boonville. 

The  mother  of  the  foregoing  children  was  a  daughter  of  George  W. 
Morton  who  died  at  the  Sloan  home,  Dec.  31,  1856.  James  Robert  Sloan 
purchased  the  farm  where  the  subject  of  this  review  now  resides.  He 
was  a  well  educated  man  who  in  Kentucky  was  a  scribe  and  county  official. 
He  served  as  sheriff  of  the  county  for  12  years.  He  prospered  in  this 
county  and  was  well-to-do.  George  W.  Morton,  grandfather  of  M.  R. 
Sloan  was  also  a  pioneer  in  this  county.  He  built  the  old  Lionberger  place 
in  the  east  part  of  the  city,  and  entered  land  near  Bunceton,  what  is  known 
as  the  Redmond  farm. 

M.  R.  Sloan  was  educated  in  the  district  and  parochial  schools.  He 
was  married  Oct.  12,  1886  to  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Mudd,  born  Sept.  13, 
1865  in  Randolph  County,  111.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet (Simpson)  Mudd  who  left  Illinois  and  settled  in  Moniteau  County, 
three  miles  west  of  Tipton  in  1883.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
five  of  them  are  living:  Dora  Agnes,  Margaret  Mudd,  Marshall  Ignatius, 
Mary  Elizabeth,  Robert  William  and  Pauline  Bennett.  Dora  Agnes  was 
born  Oct.  4,  1887,  is  the  wife  of  Wallace  Morton  of  Shamrock  Heights, 
Boonville ;  Margaret  Mudd  was  born  Aug.  2,  1889,  and  is  the  wife  of  E.  L. 
Barrow,  Boonville  township;  Marshall  Ignatius,  born  May  5,  1891,  at 
home  on  the  farm ;  Mary  Elizabeth  was  born  July  2,  1895,  is  a  teacher  in 
the  Boonville  High  School,  taught  one  year  in  Kansas  City,  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Warrensburg  Normal  School  with  high  honors,  and  is  a  talented 
and  gifted  scholar.  Robert  William,  born  Aug.  13,  1897,  and  died  in  1912. 
Pauline  Bennett  Sloan  was  born  Jan.  20,  1904. 

Coming  of  a  long  line  of  democratic  ancestors,  M.  R.  Sloan  is  naturally 
and  decidedly  a  democrat  of  the  old  school.     He  has  served  two  terms  as 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1157 

county  assessor  of  Cooper  County,  from  Jan.  1,  1891  to  Jan.  1,  1895.  He 
is  a  member  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Church  and  is  marshall  of 
the  local  lodge  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Christ  Toellner,  retired  farmer  and  proprietor  of  a  well  improved 
farm  of  200  acres  in  the  Lone  Elm  neighborhood  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, began  his  accumulating  of  farm  land  with  a  tract  of  100  acres  of 
unimproved  prairie  land  in  1877.  There  were  no  buildings  and  no  fencing 
on  the  land  when  Mr.  Toellner  contracted  for  the  land.  He  built  a  home 
and  fenced  the  tract  and  placed  it  under  cultivation.  In  due  time  he 
erected  a  large  residence  of  six  rooms  and  big  barns  and  has  the  farm  well 
fenced.     Mr.  Toellner  bought  an  additional  100  acres  in  1895. 

Christ  Toellner  was  born  in  Germany  July  11,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of 
Christ  and  Mata  Toellner  who  lived  and  died  in  their  native  land.  Mr. 
Toellner  immigrated  to  America  in  1868,  locating  in  the  Lone  Elm  neigh- 
borhood he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  for  some  years,  then  rented  land 
until  he  was  able  to  make  his  first  investment. 

Mr.  Toellner  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Anna  Timm,  who  was  born 
in  Germany  in  1858  and  departed  this  life  in  1916.  To  Christ  and  Anna 
Toellner  were  born  a  large  family  of  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Sophia 
Fricke;  Mrs.  Christina  Rowe,  Boonville;  Herman,  Chicago;  Mrs.  Emma 
Rowe,  in  Canada;  Tillie.  wife  of  Fred  C.  Stegner,  Billingsville ;  George, 
lK>-v""J<"1'  Uo"'7,  "  farmer  in  Clarks  Fork  township;  Walter  and  William, 
operating  the  home  place. 

Mr.  Toellner  is  a  republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lone  Elm  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church. 

Clyde  T.  Nelson,  manager  of  "Eminence"  a  splendid  stock  farm  of 
230  acres  in  Palestine  township,  a  few  miles  northeast  of  Bunceton,  is  a 
native  son  of  Cooper  County  who  is  making  good  as  a  breeder  of  Shorthorn 
cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs.  The  Nelson  farm  lands  are  operated  by 
Nelson  Brothers  who  have  achieved  more  than  a  local  reputation  as  stock- 
men in  his  section  of  Missouri.  The  Duroc  Jersey  herd  was  established  i 
in  1898  aid  the  breeding  of  these  fine  animals  has  continued  for  the  pas$ 
30  years  ith  success.  The  leader  of  the  Duroc  drove  is  a  boar  bred 
McKee  Brehers  of  Versailles,  Ky.  This  drove  numbers  150  head  of  pi/e 
breds.     Tht  Shorthorn  herd  registers  12  head  of  animals. 

Clyde  T  Nelson  was  born  April  17,  1886  on  the  farm  where  he/ow 
resides.  He  <  a  son  of  Alpha  Nelson  Sr.  of  Bunceton  who  settled/ipon 
and  improved  >ie  Nelson  place.     The  beautiful  residence  on  the  plate  was 


1158  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

erected  over  50  years  ago  and  is  large  and  imposing.  Mr.  Nelson,  of  this 
review,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  William  Jewell  College, 
after  which  he  pursued  the  short  agricultural  course  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity, Columbia.  Mr.  Nelson  has  been  in  charge  of  the  farm  since 
October,  1918. 

On  June  26,  1918,  Clyde  T.  Nelson  adn  Miss  Clara  Harned,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ben  Harned  of  Kelly  township,  were  united  in  marriage. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Louis  D.  Bernard,  a  well  known  cigar  manufacturer  of  Boonville,  is  a 
native  of  this  city,  born  Jan.  14,  1854,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Schneider) 
Bernard,  the  former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  John 
Bernard  immigrated  to  America  when  he  was  a  boy  and  first  settled  at 
New  Orleans,  La.;  shortly  afterwards,  he  went  to  Ohio;  later  he  went 
from  Ohio  to  St.  Louis.  He  rode  on  horseback  from  that  city  to  West- 
port,  Mo.,  which  is  now  included  within  the  city  limits  of  Kansas  City. 
After  reaching  there  he  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  that  section 
and  returned  on  horseback  to  Boonville.  This  was  in  1849,  and  here  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of  cigars.  He  introduced  the  famous 
"Dexter"  cigar,  which  was  named  after  the  well  known  trotting  horse, 
Dexter.  This  soon  became  one  of  the  most  popular  brandp  <jJ  Liew»  ;~ 
the  country,  the  sale  of  wmcn  increased  so  rapidly  that  Mr.  Bernard  soon 
had  one  of  the  most  extensive  cigar  trades  in  the  West.  This  brand  was 
well  and  favorably  known  from  Missouri  to  California,  and  it  was  not  long 
until  Mr.  Bernard  was  employing  a  force  of  from  15  to  20  cigar  maKers. 
He  met  with  an  unusual  degree  of  success  in  his  business  undertakings, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Boonville.  He  died  at  the  a?e  of 
88  years.  His  wife  is  also  deceased.  They  were  the  parents  of  tie  fol- 
lowing children :  Kate,  married  William  Fessler,  Nevada,  Mo. ;  L*uis  D., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary,  married  Frank  Sombart,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased and  she  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Susanna,  marrier  William 
Boehm,  Coffey ville,  Kan.;  John,  Jr.,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Anna,  died  it  the  age 

if  12  years,  and  Oscar  who  was  accidentally  killed  by  an  exploion  during 

a  tth  of  July  celebration  in  1866.     All  the  children  of  the  Be«ard  family 

we,e  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boonville. 

John  Bernard  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  Boonville  dui«g  his  career, 

and  v,as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  this  section.     H  always  took  a 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1159 

deep  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Boonville  public  school  system,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  boai'd, 
of  which  he  was  president  for  a  number  of  years. 

Louis  D.  Bernard  learned  the  cigar-makers  trade  in  his  father's  fac- 
tory and  has  spent  his  life  in  the  cigar  business.  During  his  career  in  the 
manufacturing  of  cigars  he  has  probably  made  over  two  and  a  half  million 
cigars  himself. 

Mr.  Bernard  was  first  married  to  Miss  Nellie  Beager  of  Boonville. 
She  died  leaving  one  daughter,  Ada,  now  the  wife  of  Glenn  Keeton,  of 
Denver,  Col.  Mr.  Bernard's  second  wife  bore  the  name  of  Elizabeth 
Boiler.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Godfrey  and  Matilda  Boiler.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bernard  has  been  bora  one  child,  Lois,  who  resides  at  home  with  her 
parents. 

Godfrey  Boiler  was  killed  by  bushwhackers  during  the  Civil  War, 
while  at  work  in  his  field  2l/o  miles  west  of  Boonville.  His  father  was  also 
killed  by  bushwhackers  a  short  time  previous  to  the  murder  of  Godfrey 
Boiler. 

Mr.  Bernard  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  one  of  the 
seven  surviving  charter  members  of  the  Boonville  lodge,  out  of  a  charter 
membership  of  35.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bernard  have  a  pleasant  home  at  1858 
East  Spring  street  and  rank  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Cooper  County. 

George  A.  Carpenter,  one  of  Cooper  County's  leading  farmers  and 
stockmen,  is  a  native  Missourian,  and  belongs  to  a  pioneer  family  of  this 
state.  He  was  bora  in  Benton  County,  in  1860,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Lucy 
C.  (Dooley)  Carpenter.  Samuel  Carpenter  was  born  in  Clarks  Fork  town- 
ship, Cooper  County,  and  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Carpenter,  who  was  a 
Kentuckian,  and  came  to  Missouri  at  an  early  date.  He  bought  360  acres 
of  land  in  Clarks  Fork  and  Moniteau  township  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  here.  He  died  on  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  Henry 
Reavis'  heirs. 

Samuel  Carpenter,  father  of  George  A.,  was  born  on  the  Reavis  farm 
in  1835.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  stockman  and  was  very  suc- 
cessful. At  one  time  he  owned  over  1,000  acres  of  land.  He  gave  each 
of  his  children  160  acres,  before  his  death.  He  died  May  17,  1907.  His 
wife  died  Dec.  9,  1899,  and  their  remains  are  buried  in  the  Carpenter  and 
Reavis  private  burial  ground.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children    W.  H.,  farmer  in  Prairie  Home  township;  George  A.,  the  sub- 


1160 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


ject  of  this  sketch;  Uriah  G.  died  in  infancy;  Mason  P.,  the  inventor  of 
the  rotary  engine  resides  in  Chicago,  111.,  and  Martha  Ellen  married  George 
E.  Taylor  and  lives  in  Johnson  County,  Mo. 

George  A.  Carpenter  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Cooper  County,  attending  school  in  the  Ellis  district,  and  later  attended 
Prairie  Home  College.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  on  his  own  account,  and  has  successfully  devoted  himself  to  that 
field  of  endeavor  to  the  present  time.  He  began  with  180  acres  in  1881, 
and  has  increased  his  acreage  until  he  now  owns  430  acres  in  Clarks  Fork 
township  after  giving  his  four  children  460  acres.  This  is  known  as  the 
"Ideal  Stock  Farm",  which  is  a  very  appropriate  name  for  this  place,  as 
it  is  truly  an  ideal  farm  in  many  particulars.  For  several  years  Mr. 
Carpenter  engaged  in  breeding  Shorthorn  cattle  and  he  has  also  been  an 
extensive  feeder  of  hogs  and  cattle,  feeding  from  100  to  150  head  of  cattle 
annually.  Mr.  Carpenter's  barn  which  is  70x112  feet,  is  one  of  the  largest 
barns  in  the  county  and  is  built  very  substantially.  The  frame  is  of  oak 
and  the  roof  is  metal.  There  is  also  a  large  horse  barn  on  the  place 
44x52  feet,  and  also  silo,  garage  and  other  suitable  farm  buildings. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  first  married  in  1883  to  Mary  McCune  McCullough 
of  Moniteau  township.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  McCullough.  The 
following  children  were  bom  to  this  union :  Lucy  M.,  died  in  infancy ; 
Warren  E.  lives  in  Prairie  Home  township;  Homer  L.,  Prairie  Home  town- 
ship; Edgar  A.,  Moniteau  township;  and  Virginia,  a  graduate  of  the  Mis- 
souri Valley  College  at  Marshall,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  Bunceton 
school.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  Aug.,  1910,  and  Mr.  Car- 
penter married  Cora  M.  Dilse,  Nov.  15,  1917.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Dilse  of  Cooper  County,  who  resides  in  Clarks  Fork  township.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carpenter  has  been  born  one  son,  Newberry  Wilson. 

Mr.  Carpenter  has  had  a  successful  career  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  this  county.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Bank  of 
Bunceton,  and  has  always  been  ready  to  cooperate  with  any  worthy  enter- 
prise, the  object  of  which  has  been  for  the  betterment  or  upbuilding  of 
his  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Prairie  Home,  of  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

Henry  E.  Fuser,  farmer  and  stockman,  Boonville  township,  is  owner 
of  a  fine  tract  of  90  acres  and  is  farming  the  Martin  Fuser  farm  of  279 
acres  which  adjoins  his  own  place.  Mr.  Fuser  is  raising  cattle,  horses, 
hogs  and  mules,  and  is  specializing  in  the  breeding  of  purebred  Here- 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER   COUNTY  1161 

ford  cattle.  He  has  16  head  of  registered  Herefords  with  a  splendid 
herd  leader  which  he  purchased  in  October,  1918.  Mr.  Fuser  is  a  breeder 
of  Mammoth  jacks  and  has  two  of  these  famous  animals,  descended  from 
the  Monsees  herd  of  Mammoth  jacks. 

Mr.  Fuser  was  born  in  Boonville  township,  Oct.  9,  1881  and  has  lived 
on  his  present  place  since  1883.  Martin  Fuser,  his  father,  was  born  in 
Germany  in  February,  1856.  He  accompanied  his  parents,  Vernon  Fuser 
and  wife  to  America  in  1864  and  was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  Cooper 
County.  He  married  Mary  Lutz,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1857 
and  is  the  daughter  of  pioneer  parents.  His  first  farm  was  a  small  tract 
of  40  acres  a  short  distance  from  the  present  Fuser  home  place.  In 
1883,  he  purchased  part  of  the  home  tract  and  continued  to  add  to  it 
until  he  accumulated  a  total  of  279  acres,  well  improved  with  a  good 
residence,  fencing  and  farm  buildings.  In  1911,  Mr.  Fuser  went  to  Vinita, 
Oklahoma,  where  he  is  living  retired.  His  children  are:  John,  a  stock- 
man, Afton,  Okla.,  owner  of  1,380  acres  of  land;  Martin,  a  fanner  and 
stockman,  of  Brighton,  111.;  Henry  E.,  of  this  review;  Benjamin,  a  drug- 
gist, traveling  salesman  in  Texas;  Anna,  wife  of  Henry  Esser,  Boonville 
township;  Mrs.  Mamie  Hubener,  whose  husband  is  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man, Brighton,  111. ;  Lydia  and  Cora  are  with  their  parents. 

Henry  E.  Fuser  attended  the  Westwood  district  school  and  the  Boon- 
ville High  School.  He  purchased  his  farm  in  1907  and  has  lived  all  of 
his  life  on  the  home  farm.  He  was  married  on  Nov.  23,  1910,  to  Miss 
Minnie  Meyers,  born  July  5,  1892,  at  Pilot  Grove,  Mo.,  a  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Catherine  (Hoff)  Meyers,  who  reside  on  their  farm  three 
miles  east  of  Pilot  Grove.  The  children  born  to  Henry  E.  and  Minnie 
Fuser  are:  Henrietta,  born  Oct.  5,  1911;  Herbert  Benjamin,  bom  Oct. 
2,  1913;  Alberta  Catherine,  born  Oct.  28,  1915;  Martin  Michael,  bom 
March  1,  1919. 

Mr.  Fuser  is  a  republican  who  takes  an  active  and  influential  part 
in  local  politics.  For  the  past  nine  years  he  has  served  as  school  director 
ana  dork  of  the  district  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  holds  membership 
with  the  Missouri  Jack  Association. 

R.  W.  Whitlow,  abstractor  and  iliourance  man,  Boonville,  Mo.,  was 
born  Sept.  9,  1843,  in  Cooper  County,  four  mne^  couth  of  the  city.  He 
was  a  son  of  Andrew  King  Whitlow,  who  settled  in  Coopei  County  in 


1162  ,  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

1841,  moved  to  Henry  County  in  1856,  locating  on  a  farm  nine  miles 
southeast  of  Clinton.     Andrew  King  Whitlow  married  Susan  Harvey  in 

1842,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  died  when  R.  W.  Whitlow  was  three 
years  old. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  R.  W.  Whitlow  made  his  home  with 
his  grandfather,  Martin  Harvey  for  10  years,  when  his  grandmother 
died.  In  the  meantime  his  father  had  gone  back  to  Kentucky,  married 
his  second  wife  and  returned  to  Cooper  County  in  1847.  The  son  joined 
his  father  in  1855  near  Boonville  and  in  March  1856,  the  family  moved 
to  Henry  County,  Mo.  and  assisted  his  father  in  fencing  and  improving 
his  farm.  They  made  rails  on  timbered  land  owned  by  the  government 
and  he  and  his  father  camped  out  during  one  winter  on  Grand  River 
while  busy  in  cutting  and  splitting  rails.  In  December  of  1861,  the  Civil 
War  being  on,  conditions  around  the  neighborhood  became  disturbed  and 
the  locality  was  dangerous  for  any  one  who  desired  to  keep  out  of  trouble. 
R.  W.  Whitlow  went  to  his  grandfather  Harvey's  place,  riding  horse- 
back to  Sedalia  with  a  Union  man  who  was  fleeing  for  his  life.  He  then 
walked  to  Boonville,  25  miles.  He  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fifth  Missouri 
State  Militia,  for  service  within  the  state,  as  a  cavalryman.  His  com- 
mand went  south  to  Waynesville  and  guarded  the  hauling  of  supplies 
from  Rolla  to  Springfield.  They  also  hunted  guerrillas  and  had  many 
running  fights  with  rebels.  He  was  at  Licking,  Mo.  several  months,  and 
then  went  to  Rolla  in  February,  1864.  At  that  time  the  Federal  govern- 
ment was  offering  a  bounty  of  $400  for  volunteer  veteran  soldiers,  and 
had  given  orders  to  recruit  men  from  the  Missouri  State  Militia.  Capt. 
W.  A.  Mills,  of  Versailles,  was  recruiting  and  organizing  Company  I,  the 
Twelfth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  when  he  came  to  Rolla  about  twenty-five 
men  of  Whitlow' a  company  enlisted,  private  Whitlow  among  them,  on 
Feb.  14,  1864.  This  company  went  to  Benton  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  where 
he  was  taken  down  with  smallpox.  He  was  then  taken  to  the  hospital 
near  Carondolet  and  quarantined  on  "Bloody  Island". 

After  his  recovery  private  Whitlow  was  ordered  to  join  his  raiment 
at  St.  Louis.  He  was  quartered  at  White  Station  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  railroad  for  a  while,  and  then  mo%ed  to  Lagrange,  Tennessee. 
They  frequently  made  raids  into  «»e  state  of  Mississippi  and  had  many 
fights  with  General  Forr«»fs  cavalry  in  the  vicinity  of  Tallahatchie  River. 

Private  wnitlow,  not  being  able  to  join  the  command,  was  ordered 
t^  me  hospital  at  Memphis  and  remained  there  in  Adam's  hospital,  being 
subjected  to  a  rigid  diet  until  Feb.,  1865,  and  ever  since  that  period  he 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1163 

has  enjoyed  good  health.  Traveling  from  Memphis  to  Cairo,  111.,  on  steam- 
boat and  after  a  short  stay  there  went  up  the  Tennessee  River  on  a  flotilla 
of  boats  and  wintered  at  Eastport,  Miss.  Here,  Gen.  James  H.  Wilson 
organized  a  raiding  division  of  10,000  cavalry  to  destroy  the  rebels'  source 
of  supplies.  On  March  12,  1865,  they  defeated  a  regiment  or  so  of 
Georgia  militia  and  went  on  to  Selma,  Ala.  They  then  went  to  Columbus, 
Georgia.  They  followed  Cobb  through  Georgia  and  arrived  within  two 
miles  of  Macon  when  the  city  surrendered.  The  regiment  was  camped 
in  that  vicinity  until  the  war  closed.  Mr.  Whitlow  saw  Jeff  Davis 
brought  in  a  prisoner  and  taken  before  General  Wilson  at  Macon.  Mr. 
Whitlow  arrived  at  St.  Louis  on  June  4,  1865  and  was  sent  to  Omaha, 
thence  to  barracks  up  the  river  and  in  August  camped  just  south  of  Sioux 
City  on  the  Nebraska  side.  He  then  was  ordered  to  Pawnee  Indian 
Agency  and  from  there  to  guard  the  overland  mail  route  to  Cheyenne. 
Ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Whitlow,  was  there  discharged  June  9, 

1866. 

W.  W.  Taliaferro  had  been  elected  circuit  clerk  of  Cooper  County  in 
1866.  He  appointed  Mr.  Whitlow  his  deputy  for  two  years,  1867  and 
1868.  Whitlow  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Thomas  B.  Wright,  a 
lawyer,  and  made  an  abstract  of  title  to  all  the  lands  and  town  lots  in 
Cooper  County.  He  served  four  yeare  as  county  assessor  and  kept  up 
the  abstract  work. 

Mr.  Whitlow  served  three  terms  as  city  assessor;  served  as  city 
councilman  and  mayor  of  Boonville  under  its  old  and  new  charters. 

Mr.  Whitlow  has  dealt  rather  heavily  in  real  estate  and  loan  busi- 
ness during  the  past  years,  but  for  the  past  few  years  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  abstract  work  and  insurance  business  exclusively. 

Mr.  Whitlow  was  married  Nov.  8,  1872,  to  Hattie  L.  Rochester,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  E.  Rochester,  former  sheriff  of  Cooper  County.  Six 
children  survive  out  of  seven  born  to  this  marriage:  Eugene,  died  in  1875; 
Charles  W.,  employed  in  the  Boonville  National  Bank;  Sue  Rochester, 
wife  of  Chester  L.  Landes,  clerk  in  the  New  England  National  Bank, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Hattie  L.,  wife  of  Henry  W.  Michels,  a  traveling  sales- 
man ;  Arthur  W.,  married  Martha  Lee  and  lives  at  Bartlesville,  Okla. ; 
Rose,  at  home;  Elliot  W.  was  bom  in  1887,  inducted  into  the  National 
Army  on  May  25,  1918,  trained  at  Camp  Dodge,  Iowa,  sailed  for  Fiance, 
Aug.  13,  1918,  with  the  Headquarters  Company  of  the  351st  Regiment, 
88th  Division,  A.  E.  F. 

Mr.   Whitlow  is  adjutant  of  John   A.   Hayne  Post   No.   240,   Grand 


1164  HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 

Army  of  the  Republic,  a  position  which  he  has  held  for  thirty  years.  He 
is  a  member  and  treasurer  of  the  Walnut  Grove  Cemetery  Association  and 
is  now  and  has  been  president  of  the  Boonville  School  Board  for  the  past 
32  years. 

Paul  Hoflander. — The  late  Paul  Hoflander,  who  died  at  his  country 
home  near  Billingsville,  Jan.  18,  1897,  was  an  industrious  citizen  who 
built  up  a  fine  farm  and  reared  an  excellent  family.  He  was  born  in 
Germany,  Oct.  26,  1838.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Ernst  Hoflander  who  was 
born  June  5,  1804  at  Grosgarnstadt,  Sachsen-Coburg,  Germany  and  died 
at  Billingsville,  Mo.,  Aug.  24,  1879.  He  married  Kunigunda  Stegner, 
in  Germany,  1829.  Kunigunda  Stegner  Hoflander  was  born  Feb.  10, 
1806,  at  Frohnloch,  Saxon-Coburg,  Germany,  and  died  at  Billingsville, 
March  19,  1891. 

John  Ernst  Hoflander  was  a  son  of  Heinrich  Hoflander,  a  miller  by 
trade  who  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Sachsen-Coburg,  Germany.  He 
resided  for  many  years  in  London,  England  and  could  speak  and  write 
the  English  language  very  fluently.  He  married  Kunigunde  Ludwig, 
daughter  of  a  surgeon.     He  had  one  son,  John  Ernst  Hoflander. 

Nicholas  Hoflander,  father  of  Heinrich  Hoflander,  lived  early  in  the 
18th  century  in  the  old  home  of  the  family  which  was  built  in  1692.  He 
married  Louisa  Sabina  Mechtold  who  vm  a  skilled  needle  «uman. 

John  Ernst  Hoflander  left  Germany  enroute  to  America  Oct.  12, 
1853  and  arrived  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  Feb.  26,  1854,  after  traveling  by  the 
ocean  and  river  route  by  way  of  New  Orleans.  He  settled  in  what  is 
now  the  Billingsville  neighborhood  and  there  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  His  children  were:  Elizabeth  Margarethe,  born  in  Germany,  July 
30,  1830,  married  Jan.  7,  1855,  at  Boonville,  to  Frederick  Mittelbach; 
Margarethe  Barbara,  born  Aug.  9,  1836,  married  Timothy  Grathwohl; 
Maria,  born  May  13,  1834,  came  to  America  May  19,  1853,  married  Chris- 
tian Krohn  who  was  killed  at  his  home  by  guerrillas,  Aug.  31,  1864 ;  Paul 
Hoflander,  of  this  review;  and  John  George  Hoflander. 

Paul  Hoflander  was  born  Oct.  26,  1838  and  died  Jan.  18,  1896.  He 
came  to  America  with  his  parents  and  settled  in  the  Billingsville  neigh- 
borhood. He  served  for  three  years  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
War,  participating  in  several  engagements  in  Missouri.  He  built  the 
present  home  of  the  family  in  1871  and  accumulated  a  fine  farm  of  150 
acres.  He  was  a  member  of  John  A.  Hayne  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  first  church  erected  at  Bill- 
ingsville by  the  Evangelical  denomination. 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY  1165 

On  Nov.  7,  1869,  Paul  Hollander  was  married  at  Clear  Creek,  Cooper 
County,  to  Maria  E.  Quint,  who  bore  him  the  following  children:  Mary 
Elizabeth,  born  Jan.,  1877,  died  Feb.,  1877;  Fannie  Pauline,  born  March 
29,  1878,  died  July  21,  1898;  Christian  Henry,  born  Dec.  7  1882;  and 
Ethel  Smith,  a  girl  who  was  reared  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoflander.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  Jan.  15,  1847 
and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1854.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Walge)  Quint,  early  settlers  of  Cooper  County. 
Mrs.  Hoflander  has  reared  a  nephew,  Ernest  Quint,  an  orphan  boy  whom 
she  took  in  her  home  when  three  years  of  age.  Ernest  Quint  is  a  son 
of  Ernest  Quint  and  Bida  (Ellis)  Quint,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Ellis. 

Henry  Hoflander  is  managing  the  home  farm  and  has  recently  on 
Aug.  1,  1919  taken  charge  of  the  general  store  at  Billingsville,  having 
purchased  the  store  in  April,  1919. 

Charles  Emil  Gross  was  born  on  a  farm  just  outside  the  corporate 
limits  of  Boonville,  June  14,  1859,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the 
Vine  Clad  city,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public  school.  He 
is  the  second  oldest  of  three  brothers,  the  eldest  being  Henry  W.,  who  died 
in  1918,  and  Karl  F.,  now  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  "Gross  Hotel"  in 
Boonville.  His  father  was  John  Christian  Gross  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Nassau,  Germany,  in  Feb.,  1853,  with  his  father,  David 
Phillip  Gross,  who  was  a  cobbler  and  plied  his  vocation  in  Boonville  during 
the  60's.  Just  after  the  Civil  War  the  father  of  C.  E.  Gross  established 
a  bakery  on  Morgan  street  and  operated  the  same  there  until  1875,  when 
he  purchased  the  building  now  occupied  by  the  Bassett  and  Gregory  store 
and  moved  to  this  location. 

C.  E.  Gross  was  married  to  Sophia  F.  Biehle,  at  Belleville,  111.,  May 
23,  1883  and  the  following  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Irene  Louise, 
has  been  money  order  clerk  in  the  Boonville  postoffice  for  14  years ;  Minnie, 
wife  of  William  Talbot ;  and  Gertrude,  stenographer  for  the  Boonville  Na- 
tional Bank.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1884,  he  succeeded  him  in  the 
confectionery  business.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  city  councilman 
in  1885  and  succeeded  himself  for  several  years.  In  1896  he  was  elected 
city  register  and  during  his  term  in  this  office  the  special  charter  of  the 
city  was  surrendered  and  Boonville  became  a  city  of  the  third  class. 

In  June,  1897,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Boonville  by  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  and  was  reappointed  to  the  office  by  Roosevelt  in  1901, 
and  again  succeeded  himself,  being  appointed  by  Taft,  in  1905,  holding 


1166  HISTORY   OF   COOPER  COUNTY 

the  office  13  years.  After  retiring  as  postmaster  he  established  the 
"Kozy  Korner"  confectionery,  which  he  sold  to  the  present  owner  after 
operating  it  a  year. 

In  1914,  Mr.  Gross  was  elected  police  judge  of  Boonville,  which  office 
he  now  holds,  having  been  re-elected  twice.  In  May,  1918,  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  Central  Missouri  Republican  while  the  owner,  Houston 
Harte,  was  in  the  service.  In  March,  1919,  Mr.  Harte  returned  and 
again  assumed  the  general  management  of  the  paper,  but  he  retains  Mr. 
Gross  as  office  manager. 

James  J.  McCoy,  proprietor  of  an  excellent  farm,  the  old  Brady  place, 
in  LaMine  township,  though  a  comparative  newcomer  in  that  neighbor- 
hood and  until  a  few  years  ago  a  stranger  to  Cooper  county,  has  created 
for  himself  a  substantial  position  in  the  community  during  the  time  of 
his  residence  here  and  is  thus  fully  entitled  to  mention  in  a  work  of  this 
character,  having  to  do  with  the  history  of  Cooper  county  and  with  the 
stories  of  the  lives  of  its  representative  citizens.  Mr.  McCoy  is  a  native 
of  Illinois,  born  in  St.  Clair  county  Aug.  25,  1862,  son  of  James  S.  and 
Eliza  Jane  (McKinney)  McCoy,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resi- 
dent of  Blue  Mound,  111.,  in  the  eighty -fourth  year  of  her  age. 

James  S.  McCoy  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  but  early  took 
up  railroad  work  and  was  the  first  conductor  to  run  a  train  over  the  Lehigh 
Valley  road  upon  the  completion  of  that  road.  During  the  40's  he  went 
to  Illinois  and  was  living  there  when  the  Mexican  War  broke  out.  He 
enlisted  at  once  for  service,  helped  to  raise  a  company,  was  commissioned 
an  officer  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  Following  the  war  he  took 
up  saw-milling  in  Madison  county,  111.,  later  bought  a  farm  in  Christian 
county,  same  state,  where  his  children  were  reared,  and  there  resided  until 
his  retirement  in  1893  and  removal  to  Chicago,  where  his  last  days  were 
spent,  his  death  occurring  there  on  Feb.  27,  1899,  he  then  being  in  his 
eightieth  year.  As  noted  above,  his  widow  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Blue  Mound,  111.  She  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  this  country  with 
her  parents  when  she  was  13  years  of  age.  To  James  S.  McCoy  and  wife 
seven  children  were  born,  as  follows :  Edwin  J.,  who  was  killed  by  a  run- 
away team  of  mules  years  ago ;  H.  B.  McCoy,  of  Blue  Mound,  111. ;  Lizzie 
B.,  widow  of  Dr.  R.  S.  Anderson,  of  Princeton,  Ind.;  James  J.,  the -subject 
of  this  review,  and  his  twin  sister,  Elizabeth ;  Anna,  who  is  widely  known 
as  a  church  worker  and  who  makes  her  home  with  her  aged  mother  at 
Blue  Mound,  and  John  R.,  deceased. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  Christian  county,  111.,  James  J.  McCoy  received 
his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  gave 
his  attention  to  farming,  a  vocation  he  has  followed  with  considerable 


HISTORY   OF  COOPER  COUNTY 


1167 


success.  His  first  venture  as  a  farmer  on  his  own  account  was  on  a  farm 
he  bought  in  Nebraska  and  he  remained  there  until  1900,  when  he  sold 
that  place  and  came  to  Missouri,  buying  a  farm  in  Saline  county,  where 
he  lived  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  engaged  in  the  im- 
plement business  at  Marshall.  Five  years  later  he  disposed  of  that  busi- 
ness and  bought  a  farm  in  Missouri  county,  Texas,  and  moved  onto  the 
same.  There  he  remained  until  the  first  of  March,  1917,  when  he  came 
to  Cooper  county  and  entered  upon  the  occupancy  of  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  living  and  for  which  he  had  traded  in  1912,  an  excellent  and 
well-improved  farm  of  522  acres,  formerly  known  as  the  Brady  farm  and 
later  owned  by  Albert  Hall,  a  son-in-law  of  Brady.  In  addition  to  this 
farm  Mr.  McCoy  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  220  acres  in  Randolph  county, 
this  state,  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resides. 

Nov.  14,  1900,  James  J.  McCoy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  F. 
Stillman,  who  was  born  at  Lincoln,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCoy  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  McCoy  is  a  Republican  and  is  affiliated  with  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.