USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 38
USA > Missouri > Atchison County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
LEWIS J. MILES.
Lewis J. Miles, an eminent attorney and advocate of Rockport, Missouri, in 1872 first established himself in the practice of law at Watson, this state. But the necessity of being at the seat of government of the coun- ty, soon perceived by him, for the more suc- cessful and satisfactory conduct of his legal practice, led him in 1873 to remove to Rock- port.
When Mr. Miles first located in north- west Missouri he was yet a young man, and he was in search of a location which prom- ised him a liberal return for honest and able efforts in the line of some profession. Mr. Miles had come from the mountains of cast Tennessee, where he was born, April 17. 1852, the county of his nativity being War- ren, then Jefferson. There he obtained a good common-school education, such as was afforded by his native state at the time of his early youth, Mr. Miles inherits a love
305
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
for study, his father having been one of the prominent ante-bellum educators of the state, Professor S. D. Miles, principal of the Mor- ristown and of the Knoxville Institute. He died in 1859, while in charge of the latter institution.
Professor S. D. Miles was born in 18II, near Raleigh, North Carolina, received his education in Rogersville College, east Ten- nessee, and devoted his life to the education and training of the young. He was a prom- inent Mason and a Baptist, from which facts it is natural to infer, which was the fact, that he had a personal acquaintance with many of the most prominent men of his state. Among his best and warmest friends was the noted "Parson Brownlow," through whose efforts east Tennessee was saved to the Union, notwithstanding the state seceded. The ancestors of Professor Miles were Scotch people, who settled in North Caro- lina during the early days of the history of the American colonies and who contributed of their strength to the establishment of the new civilization in what is now the United States of America. Professor Miles mar- ried Miss Nancy Brown, a native of Ten- nessee, by whom he had the following chil- dren : Lue Miles, of Lyndon, Kansas ; Lewis J., the subject of this sketch; Robert Miles, M. D., of Lyndon, Kansas; and Frank Miles, a druggist of the same place.
"Boss Miles," as the subject of this sketch is called, resided in his home county in east Tennessee until he was twenty years of age. Having completed his education and being ambitious to see the great west, with the view of being a factor in the develop- ment of that part of the country, he left his native state of Tennessee when just coming of age and spent his first year or two on a farm working by the month. This proving
too much of a plodding life to suit his taste and temperament, he determined to qualify himself for a profession which would bring him into contact with the business of the country and with its leading men, and at the same time furnish him an opportunity to compete for the intellectual mastery of his country. With this object in view he read law, with Hon. John P. Lewis for his pre- ceptor, one of the most eminent practitioners before the Atchison county bar, and was ad- mitted to the bar by Judge Kelley in 1875. In the early years of his practice he dis- covered a tendency toward criminal law. which he has since pursued and is regarded as one of the best of the criminal lawyers in northwest Missouri.
His most important cases have been trials for murder, and embrace the Blake and Harris cases, which he prosecuted, se- curing conviction in each instance. The Coon Franklin case he defended and secured an acquittal. He also secured the acquittal of Lee Dillon at Nebraska City, and of John Morrow, in Atchison county, both of whom were charged with murder in the first de- gree. He defended Albert Sons, and prose- cuted Grounds in Holt county, the latter of whom was convicted and sent to the peni- tentiary for ten years. He also prosecuted George Ray, who was likewise convicted and sentenced for the same length of time. In liis civil practice he managed the Hunter & Wyatt suit, defending the mortgagees and securing a verdict for his clients. The equity suit of the Beck heirs was under his super- vision, their claim was established and judg- ment rendered accordingly, through the ef- forts of Mr. Miles.
Politically Mr. Miles is one of the lead- ing Democrats of his congressional district. So effective is he as a speaker that he has
306
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
been prominently mentioned as a candidate for congress, and his campaign work has been unusually effective. So well were his abilities thought of by his fellow citizens that in 1880 he was elected prosecuting attor- ney of his county, and he was re-elected in 1882. In 1886 he made the race for the state senate, but was defeated.
"Boss Miles" cannot be properly meas- ured and understood without a knowledge of his personality, as he possesses points of interest and ability which are not made mani- fest under the ordinary circumstances. While he is not what may properly be called a great student, yet he is well versed in the law and has a wonderful memory of what- ever there is in law and evidence. As a trial lawyer he is a master, handling testimony with a remarkable accuracy and defitness. and making playthings of jurors. One of the leaders at the bar has said: "If I had the worst murder charge against me that it is possible to conceive of, I wouldn't want anybody but that little high-cheek-boned Boss Miles to handle my case."
Mr. Miles was married December 25. 1881, to Miss Ada Thompson, whose father, Marion Thompson, was a Phelps City mer- chant. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Miles are named Hallie and Ray. Mr. Miles is an Odd Fellow, having received both the subordinate and encampment degrees.
REUBEN BARRETT.
This age is not wholly utilitarian. On all sides we see some earnest souls laboring detotally to bring about a recognition of some higher principle in life than selfish greed, and stimulating in the hearts of others & desire for spiritual progress. The friends of Reuben Barrett will see in his years of
faithful work in all forms of religious en- deavor, a source of present good to the com- munity, and long after he has entered into his final rest his influence will continue in everlasting circles.
Mr. Barrett was born in Warren county. Pennsylvania, September 15. 1844, a son of Edmond and Matilda ( Fryar ) Barrett, natives of England. His paternal grand- father. John Barrett, was a farmer and gar - (lener of Lincolnshire. where he spent his entire life. His children were John, Robert. William, Eli. Michael. James, Edmond. and Susan, the wife of T. Watts. Of these Eli. Michael, Edmond and Ann came to America. The mother of our subject was married to Michael Barrett, a brother of our subject's father who died soon after coming to the United States, and she sub- sequently married Edmond Barrett. By the first marriage she had four children : Reuben, who died at the age of nine years : Mary. the wife of H. Marsh : William, a resi- dent of Pennsylvania ; and Rhoda, the wife of John Howells. The children of the sec- ond union were Ellen, the widow of . 1. D. Russell, and Sarah, the widow of R. Rus- sell, both residents of this county; Reuben. our subject : John, James E., Henry T. and Robert all farmers of this county: Rose. the wife of E. Abbott, of Pennsylvania : and Charles W .. a farmer of this county.
In 1832 the father emigrated to America. and for the first year was employed in a hotel in Utica. New York. Soon after his marriage be located in Warren county. Pennsylvania, where he purchased a tract of heavily timbered land and improved a farm. He erected thereon a commodious house and three large barns, and made of the place one of the finest homesteads in the locality. Here his family were reared to
307
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
habits of industry and honesty under the strict influence of the church. For many years the parents were active and faithful members of the Methodist church, in which the father served as a class-leader, and they were widely and favorably known through- out Warren county. The mother died on the old homestead. October 10, 1889, at the age of seventy-nine years, and six of her sons acted as pall-bearers at the funeral, tenderly and carefully bearing her body to its last resting place. After the death of his devoted companion and helpmeet Mr. Barrett sold the farm, and about 1892 came to Missouri to make his home with his chil- dren, where he died February 26, 1896. The Barrett family has been a valuable ac- quisition to Nodaway county and have be- come leaders in its moral and physical development. The first to locate here was James E., and within three years eight members of the family were numbered among its residents.
Reuben Barrett was reared on the home farm and educated in the common schools of the neighborhood. In June, 1862, at the age of seventeen years he enlisted in Com- pany M, Twenty-first Pennsylvania Cavalry. as a corporal, and the following year re-en- listed in Company G. Two Hundred and Eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He carried the brigade flag and remained in the service until the war ended. He took part in the Petersburg campaign, was present at the surrender of Lee to Grant at Appo- mattox, and participated in the grand re- view at Washington, D. C. At Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, he was mustered out and hon- orably discharged in June, 1865.
Returning home, Mr. Barrett resumed work on the farm, and in 1866 went to Vine- land, New Jersey, where he was employed as
a gardener and small-fruit raiser. Later he worked in the oil regions of Pennsylvania, and for two years was engaged in the ben- zine business. Subsequently he was in the employ of a lumber company and ran an engine, and in 1874 rafted lumber down the river to Louisville, Kentucky. In May of that year he came to Marysville, Missouri, and purchased eighty acres of wild prairie land, bought a team and commenced to break his land. In September he returned to Pennsylvania for his wife and child, and brought them to their new home in this coun- ty. He bought his first land on credit, and after paying for it purchased a forty-acre tract and later eighty acres more, making a farm of two hundred acres, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation.
While in the oil regions of Pennsylvania Mr. Barrett was married, in 1869, to Miss Margaret MI. Gregg, who also was born in Warren county, that state, February 22. 1844, a daughter of Robert and Harriet Gregg, natives of England and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Her father was highly educated and was a successful merchant of Sugar Grove, Pen- sylvania. His children were Elizabeth. James H., Robert, Mary Jane, Eleanor. Margaret M., Emily, Sarah, Ruth and Will- iam. To Mr. and Mrs. Barrett were born six children, namely : Gertrude L., who died young : Mabel R., now Mrs. Manville Carothers ; James H., a graduate of the high school of Skidmore: Bessie R., who died January 12, 1897; Floyd R. and Frederick M., both at home.
In early life Mrs. Barrett was a success- ful teacher and commanded the highest posi- tions, following that profession sixteen terms. The family are all connected with the Methodist Episcopal church and take an ac-
308
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
tive part in its work. In 1888 Mr. Barrett was licensed to exhort; in 1890 to preach ; and in 1806 was ordained a regular minister. Although he has taken no regular charge, he fills appointments wherever desired, has preached many funeral sermons and united many couples in the holy bonds of matri- mony. His life is exemplary in all respects, and he has ever supported those interests which are calculated to benefit and uplift humanity. In politics he is independent.
MARCUS M. RHOADES. M. D.
Dr. Marcus M. Rhoades, a prominent physician and surgeon of Graham, was born in Saline county, Missouri, June 11, 1840. and is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this state. His paternal grandfather, William Rhoades, was a farm- er and slave owner of Virginia, where he spent his entire life. His children were Catlett. Benjamin, William, Susan and George.
George Rhoades, the Doctor's father,. was born in 1803 and reared in Virginia, and in 1820 came to Missouri, locating in Saline county, where he entered land and improved a farm with the assistance of the slaves he brought with him from Virginia. He was one of the prominent Democrats of his community, and was called upon to fill the office of justice of the peace, and was the county judge for four terms. Though modest and unassuming. he was very popular and had many friends. He wis twice married, his first wife being a Whis- Hawkins, of Saline county, by whom le bad five children. One died young, and the others were Littleton, Felix, Richard M. and Sarah. For hissecond wife he married Miss Jane Hall, a native of Maryland and
a daughter of Richard Hall, a pioneer of Missouri and a prominent farmer and slave owner, in whose family were four children, namely : Mordecai, John. Jane and Mrs. Re- becca Hluff. The Doctor is the oklest of the nine children born of the second marriage, the others being Henrietta, the widow of II. Gilliam: George, a farmer of Saline county ; Miriam, deceased ; John T .. a farmer and stock raiser of Marshall, Missouri; Mary, the wife of C. Mead; Rufus W., a druggist : Ethelbert. a farmer ; and Ann H., the widow of a Mr. Ely. The parents were both Baptists.
Reared on a farm. Dr. Rhoades obtained his education in the common schools of the neighborhood, and later attended Mount Pleasant College, Missouri. In 1861 he en- tered the Confederate army as a member of the Ninth Missouri Infantry under Generals Parsons and John B. Clark, and saw some hard service. He was in the battle of Lex- ington and the Black Water campaign, where he was taken prisoner and carried to St. Louis. Two months later he was sent to AAlton, Illinois, where he remained nino months. There six hundred prisoners were incarcerated, some of whom were reprieved by taking the oath of allegiance to the gov- ernment ; many died of measles and only sixty were left to be exchanged. These were taken to Vicksburg and from there to Horse Head Lake, above Little Rock, where they formed the Ninth Missouri Infantry, and were in a number of hotly contested engage- ments in Arkansas and Louisiana, including the battles of Little Rock, Mansfield, Pleas- ant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry. The Doctor was with Generals Buckner and Price when they surrendered to General Canby; the Ninth Missouri Infantry, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Gaines, the Doctor being
W. M. Rhoades, MUV.
٨
٤
309
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the adjutant. having been detailed to take charge of all supplies at Shreveport until the arrival of the federal troops from Baton Rouge; after which, with other Confed- erates, he was sent on transports to St. Louis. He made his way home without a dollar in money, with no clothing, except his uniform, and health so impaired as to require a six-months vacation to recuperate.
Dr. Rhoades commenced the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. A. M. Powell, of Collinsville, Illinois, where in partnership with that gentleman he also conducted a drug store. In 1866 he attend- ed lectures at the St. Louis Medical Col- lege. where he was graduated, in 1868, and for a year engaged in practice at his old home in Saline county. In 1870 he moved to Bigelow, and a year later came to Gra- ham, where he has since successfully en- gaged in practice, his skill and ability soon winning him recognition and a liberal share of the public patronage. In 1891 the Doctor helped to organize the People's Bank of Graham, of which he was president three and a half years; but, the business proving too hard for him, he sold out and has since given his entire attention to his professional duties. In 1897 he opened a lumber yard and placed his son in charge of the same. Besides his city property he owns a well-im- proved farm in this county, having met with success financially as well as professionally. Politically he is identified with the Demo- cratic party, and religiously is an active member of a Baptist church, taking an active interest in all church work and serving as moderator for the association in Nodaway; Atchison, Holt and a part of Andrew coun- ties. His wife is a Methodist in religious belief.
In 1872 Dr. Rhoades was united in mar-
riage with Miss Mary T. Bond, a lady of culture and refinement, who was born in Missouri, July 1, 1854. Her parents, Uriah and Louisa ( Fentress) Bond, moved from North Carolina to Clay county, this state. at an early day, and later came to Nodaway county. The mother is now deceased, and the father, who throughout his active busi- ness life followed the blacksmith's trade. now finds a home with the Doctor and his wife. Ite is seventy-nine years of age. Religious- ly he is a Methodist, to which church his wife also belonged. To them were born nine children, namely : Sarah. the wife of J. Har- land: Thomas, a farmer of Kansas; John. who was killed while serving in the Union army during the Civil war: William, de- ceased ; Louisa J., the widow of I. F. Brown ; Mary T., the wife of our subject: Martin. a resident of Graham: Alice, the wife of Rev. W. B. Cristie: and Lulu H .. the wife of William 11. Battie. The Doc- tor and his wife have had six children. namely: Guy, who died at the age of three years and a half: Ralph, who is now en - gaged in the lumber business in Graham; Karl, who died young; Pierre, who is at- tending the Chicago University : Verne, also in college: and Wayne, at home.
GEORGE W. DANIEL.
One of the prominent residents of Atch- ison county, Missouri, a representative of an old and honored pioneer family, is George W. Daniel, the subject of this review. He was born at the old homestead where he now resides, June 10, 1857, and was reared among the pioneers. Ile was a son of Will- iam Daniel, a native of Alabama, who re- moved to Missouri and entered a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, living in
310
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
· a little shanty and being almost totally isolat- od from the world. The men who made the great state of Missouri were the tillers of the soil, and among those in 1860 no one was more engaged in this undertaking than the father of our subject. There were many Indians in the locality, who appeared to be of a friendly disposition, and Mr. Daniel was a man who was able to appreciate and re- turn a good deed, even if the complexion of his neighbor was red. The Indians soon learned that they had a fair-dealing man to trade with, and he was able to profit by it in many honorable ways. The first team he owned he purchased from the savages. Game was very abundant and he would re- mark that the deer gave him so much hunt- ing that he never had time to hunt Indians.
Many judicious purchases made him one of the largest landowners of the neighbor- hood. AAlthough an ardent Republican he never accepted office. He was a soldier in the Florida Indian war and received a pension for the same, and during the Civil war he went out for a short time with the home guards, but was of a peaceful dispo- sition and had no trouble with those who held differing opinions. About 1890 he re- tired from the farm, moving into Westboro, and there he died April 25, 1900.
The mother of our subject was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, by name Margaret Mulkey, who after marriage in 1845 came with her husband to Atchison county, Mis- souri. Here she died December 25. 1894. They had been the parents of the following children : William A. : Jane. Mrs. Sawyer : James, a farmer: Mary, Mrs. Bailey: Belle. Mrs. Litle: Andrew, of Salem, Oregon ; our subject : Malom, deceased ; and Margaret. Mrs. Bowers.
Our subject remained under the parental
roof until 1879. He had the best education the schools afforded in his locality, but has learned more from his mingling with the world than any knowledge he gained in any institution of learning. After his marriage he settled on one of his father's farms and continued to farm for two years, and then moved to Kansas, but remained only eight- een months, coming back and finally settling upon the homestead, where he has remained ever since. He has given his attention to general line, also raising cattle, and former- ly fed a great many. He is a stanch Re- publican and always upholds his party prin- ciples, but has never aspired to office.
In 1879 he was married to Miss Ida Clabaugh, a native of Ohio who had come to Missouri with her mother, who was a widow. She was a daughter of John and Malinda Clabaugh, natives of Ohio, where Mr. Clabaugh died, Mrs. Clabaugh later marrying Mr. Morrell. The father of Mrs. Clabaugh was Dr. James Hull, who prac- ticed in the county for many years. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Clabaugh were. Oscar, Jennie, Ida. Ella, deceased, and John. By this marriage Mr. Daniel had three chil- dren: Mabel, Mrs. G. Livingston: W. () .. at home ; and George L., of Nebraska. Mrs. Daniel died April 30, 1895. She had been a good woman and many friends mourned her death. Mr. Daniel was again married. May 3. 1900, to Mrs. Oliver Foxworthy. born in lowa, December 8. 1870. a daugh- ter of William and Adeline Wade. early set- tlers of northern lowa. The father of Mrs. Daniel is deceased: the mother married a second time. Her children are William J .: Edwin, deceased: Andrew J. : Mrs. Daniel : Melissa, who is Mrs. J. Cartwell; and Sa- phronia .A., the wife of G. Sanderson.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Daniel are consist-
311
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ent and useful members of the Methodist church. Their home is one of the pleasant- est in the neighborhood, where they enjoy the respect of all. Mr. Daniel has long been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, of which he is an active worker. The pioneer band is well represented by our subject. He has seen much of the growth and develop- ment of his section and has always done his part towards its improvement.
CHARLES E. CARR.
The well known proprietor of the Maple Grove stock farm, situated five miles south- east of Maryville in the valley of the 102 river, is a typical self-made man, and in the following record of his career there is much to arouse respect and esteem. He has placed his reliance upon industry and perseverance rather than "luck," and by making the most of circumstances, however discouraging, has made his way to a substantial success, his fine farm being a tangible evidence of pros- perity.
Mr. Carr was born in Onondaga county, New York, August 31, 1833. a son of Daniel and Rhoda ( Watson) Carr, natives of Rhode Island and New York, respectively, and the former of Irish descent. The fam- ily have been mostly tillers of the soil, which vocation the father followed as a life work. His wife held membership in the Methodist church. He was twice married and by the first union had two children, Stephen and Tabitha. The children of the second mar- riage were Mrs. Elizabeth Ellis, a resident of Maryville, Missouri; Lorenzo and Rob- ert, both deceased; Lafayette, a resident of New York state ; Mary ; Charles E., our sub- ject : Hannah, the wife of J. McCates; and Rhoda, the wife of Calvin Bush.
When two years and a half old Charles E. Carr was taken by his parents to Cat- taraugus county, New York, where he was reared on his father's farm and educated in the common schools. At the age of six- teen he commenced teaching school, which profession he followed for three years, and then went to New York city, where he clerked in a store the same length of time. After visiting his old home he then emi- grated to La Salle county, Illinois, where he again engaged in teaching. At the end of about six months he took the gold fever alid started for California, but while passing through southern Iowa the rich lands of that region attracted his attention and he could not resist the temptation to buy a farm at the government price of one dollar and a quarter per acre. Borrowing an ax he cut a few poles, marked off his land and built a cabin near the present city of Braddyville, where he made his home until 1867. In 1863 he made a trip to Idaho and spent seventeen months in the west.
In 1867 Mr. Carr purchased a tract of unbroken land in the valley of the Noda- way river near Clearmont, Nodaway county, Missouri, and took up his residence there- on in March, in the late '50s. To his original purchase of one hundred and sixty acres he added forty acres. In 1874 he came to Polk township and located where he now resides. He now has over one thousand acres, which is one of the finest stock farms in the county, and besides this valuable place he owns prop- erty in Maryville. He now has sixteen hun- dred acres in this county. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of this city and a director for a number of years. As a financier he ranks among the ablest, and for many years loaned money to. his neighbors on good security.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.