USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 57
USA > Missouri > Atchison County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 57
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Mason and was for several years deputy grand master and lecturer for Missouri dis- trict No. 6.
M. B. W. HARMON.
Among the leading and influential citi- zens of Nodaway county is M. B. W. Har- mon, the well-known proprietor of the Oak- dale stock farm near Pickering. He served with distinction as an officer in the Civil war, and as a public-spirited and enterpris- ing man he has been actively identified with the substantial improvement and material development of his adopted county.
Ile was born in York county, Pennsylva- nia, March 26, 1834. a son of Eli and Mary ( Machlin ) Harmon, also natives of that state. Ilis paternal grandfather, Rudolph Harmon, was of German descent. He was a member of General Sullivan's command in the Revolutionary war and died in the ser- vice His children were Cassa, a resident of Pennsylvania: Louisa; Eliza: Eli: Freder- ick: and Lewis, a resident of Illinois. Our subject's maternal grandfather. George Machlin, was also one of the heroes of the Revolution, and was killed in the battle of Monmouth. He was a member of the First Pennsylvania regiment, being a resident of that state, and was of German and Irish ex- traction. In his family were the following children: Mrs. Eliza Knocker: Mary, the mother of our subject : Rebecca: George, a minister of the Church of God: John, a min- ister of the same church: and James. a farmer.
In early life Eli Harmon, our subject's father, followed the shoemaker's trade in Pennsylvania, and in 1850 moved to Dela- ware county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming until coming to Missouri in 1864.
Here he made his home on the farm now owned and occupied by our subject, who in connection with a brother bought the land as a home for the family. it being known as the Baker farm. His wife died while they were coming to this state, and his death oc- curred in 1880, when sixty-eight years of age. In religious faith they were Method- its. Their children were Elmira, who died in Pennsylvania: M. B. W .. our subject : James O. and 11. 11 .. who both died in Cali- fornia; J. W .. who served as a quartermas- ter in the war of the Rebellion and died at St. Joseph. Missouri: Estella, a resident of Kansas: Lee and Obed, deceased : Ludora. wife of L. L. Holbrook ; C. J .. also a soldier of the Civil war : Talbert. a resident of Kan- sas; and Wing, who died in Ohio.
During his boyhood Mr. Harmon attend- ed the common schools of his native state, and accompanied his parents on their removal te. Ohio, where he commenced work in a sal- eratus factory. At the end of three years he was promoted to cashier and bookkeeper and held those positions three years. He next sold books for D. & H. Miller, of Columbus, but during the crash of 1857 he lost all that he had made. Going south in the interest of the same business, he settled in Georgia, and also worked in Louisiana and Alabama. When the Civil war broke out he was in North Carolina, and when the states began to secede he returned to Georgia, where he made his home with a Mr. Garrison, a prom- inent slave-owner and merchant, who had served as a state senator and was a strong Union man until his state seceded, when he went with it and raised a regiment, of which he was made the colonel. He failed in his attempt to induce our subject to enter the southern army. Mr. Harmon then returned north by way of Kentucky, and, touching at
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important points where the rebels were or- ganizing, he was invited to join them, but always refused, telling them he was going north and would be back to fight against them. He had previously served as a captain of two different companies and was a good drill master, and as soon as he reached his home in Ohio he was solicited to raise a company by those knowing his ability in that line. This he did, but as their services were not needed at that time the company was dissolved, some of the men entering other ·companies.
Mr. Harmon enlisted as a private, but was soon made assistant drill master at Camp Chase and sergeant major of the Thir- ty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Colonel Walker. As soon as needed he was sent to General Thomas near Nicholasville, Kentucky, and shortly after- ward was made chief of the secret service in his brigade. He was in the battles of Wild Cat Mountain and Mill Springs, and later served as staff officer with M. B. Walker, J. M. Connell, George H. Thomas, A. Schopf. J. M. Scofield, A. Baird, C. Turchiin and J. C. Davis. He served as adjutant at the bat- tle of Perryville ; and later was quartermas- ter with Thomas' division, and ordnance master at the battle of Chickamauga, after which he was brevetted captain. As assist- ant engineer he had charge of many teams and men belonging to Grant's army and assisted in laying the bridge at Brown's ferry at the foot of Lookout Mountain, where the men were under heavy fire from the enemy's guns. After Grant left he again served as assistant quartermaster, under General Thomas, and with his division went to Ringgold, where he asigned to putting up the secondary base, overseeing three thou-
sand men. When General Sherman came upon the scene he wanted to leave our sub- ject in charge of the stores there. This was the first time Mr. Harmon refused to obey orders. He told General Sherman he would fight in the front rank, and was allowed to go with the army. He was made aide-de- camp on General J. B. Turchin's staff, and was detailed by General Sherman as mas- ter of transportation, having charge of the land transportation on the march to the sea. His next duty was as assistant quartermas- ter in the Fourteenth Army Corps. Al- though he held the rank of lieutenant colonel at this time he received only a captain's pay. lle saw much hard service, and was several times wounded. In a cavalry fight at Trinity Station, Alabama, in July, 1863. he received three wounds and had eleven bullet holes made in his clothes. One ball struck his cheek near the right eye, glanced and lodged in the forehead, but has since worked down and is still imbedded in the flesh under his chin. At Perryville he was shot through his right thigh ; was shot through the right leg at Hoover's Gap ; was bayoneted at Jonesboro ; shot through the shoulder at Trinity Station; and near Jonesboro received a cut in the left hand, which still troubles him. After serv- ing two and a half years Mr. Harmon veter- anized and remained in the service until the war ended, being mustered out at Camp Chase, Ohio, as lieutenant colonel. He re- mained at Louisville, Kentucky, until all bus- iness was settled up and he was honorably discharged. His regiment entered the service with one thousand, four hundred and ninety- two men, but only seven hundred and twelve lived to return home. At the battle of Al- toona they arrived in time to save the day. and here he was the ranking officer, the
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others being either killed or wounded. He compromising Grant Republican. Ile has was then brevetted major in the regular army.
The war having ended and his service being no longer needed Mr. Harmon came to Nodaway county, Missouri, in the fall of 1865, and turned his attention to farming. He bought the interests of the other chil- dren in the home farm, consisting of four liundred acres, to which he has added until he had over five hundred acres, but has since di- vided the property among his children, re- taining only two hundred acres. As a gen- eral farmer and stock-raiser he has met with marked success, and now makes a specialty of the raising of Duroc Jersey hogs and short horn cattle.
In 1866 Mr. Harmon married Mrs. Rosa Baker, who was born in Lawrence county, Ohio, in 1840, and was first married in this state to James Baker, who died while a sol- dier of the Civil war. Her parents were Pleasant and Margaret Boling. The father followed farming in Ohio, until 1856, when he came to this county and purchased a farm, which he operated many years. Ilis last days, however, were spent in Kansas. Ile was twice married and by his first wife had six children: Sarah, James, Mary .... Mahala, Thomas and Rose .A., and by the second union he had two daughters : Matikla and Nancy J. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Harmon are Lela, the wife of .1. 1. Morford: Linn, deceased: Cally R., a far- mer ; Nelle, the wife of W. A. Mustain : and Alice, at home.
Formerly Mr. Harmon was a Royal Arch Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow's and the Daughters of Rebekah, but is now dimitted. Religiously lie and his wife holl membership in the Christian church, and politically he is an in-
taken quite an active and prominent part in local politics, has filled nearly all the offices in Union township, and has represented his country in the state legislature, where he drafted the first bill to enfranchise Confed- erate soldiers and was one of the committee that drafted the bill for the assessment and collection of revenue, that is still in vogne. He was an active member of the assembly for three years, and helped to adopt the township organization law. He was a mem- ber of the state board of agriculture three years, and received an appointment from the governor to the signal service and a delegate to the Trans-Mississipii Comercial Congress in 1897. Public-spirited and progressive, he gives his support to all enterprises which he believes calculated to advance the public welfare and is justly numbered among the valued citizens of his adopted county. The destruction of the Maine aroused his patri- otism to a high pitch, and he joined the First New York Veteran Regiment of Vol- unteers, as a private, three days after the sinking of the Maine. He assisted in raising six companies of a regiment -the First United States Sharpshooters-but as few volunteers were needed these six companies were never called out.
JUDGE WILLIAM WOODS.
Often do we hear it said of those who have attained distinguished honors that they were men who rose to eminence through ad- ventitious circumstances; and yet to such carping criticism and lack of appreciation there needs be made but the one statement. that fortunate environments encompass nearly every man at some stage in his career ; but the strong man and the successful man
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is he who realizes the intrinsic value of minor as well as great opportunities: who stands ready to take advantage of circum- stances and who even molds adverse condi- tions until they serve his ends. The Judge is a representative of this class. Recogniz- ing the opportunity for accomplishment. he has met it and to-day he is ranked among the prosperous residents of Nodaway coun- ty, where he is also prominent in political and social circles.
On the 3d of June. 1841, in Licking county, Ohio, he was born, his parents being Jesse and Martha ( Spencer) Woods, who also were natives of the same county. The Woods family is of English origin and was founded in America at an early period in the history of colonial development here, the original ancestor locating in Virginia. His maternal grandfather was General John Spencer, of Scotch-Irish origin, and was born in Pennsylvania, settled in Licking county, Ohio, in 1807, and was drowned in that county about 1829; and his wife died about two years later. Many representa- tives of the family have attained prominence and have been active in promoting the sub- stantial upbuilding of the localities with which they have been connected. The par- ents of our subject were married September 3. 1835, and in 1855 removed to McLean county, Illinois, whence they went to Menard county, that state, in 1859. In 1873 they came to Nodaway county, Missouri, where the mother died, July 8, 1881, and the father passed away December 28. 1897.
Judge Woods accompained his parents on their various removals. He was living in Illinois at the time of the Civil war, and in July, 1862, he "donned the blue" and of- fered his services to the government, en- listing from, Menard county as a member of
Company K, One Hundred and Sixth Illi- nois Infantry. He participated in the bat- ties of Vicksburg, Little Rock and numerous other engagements of lesser importance. Each day he reported for duty and was al- ways found faithful to the old flag, whether upon the field of battle, in camp or upon the picket or the firing line. Loyally he np- held the honor of the Union, and when the country no longer needed his services he re- turned to his home with a creditable military record.
Judge Woods continued to reside in Illi- nois until after his marriage, which import- ant event in his life occurred on the 26th of January, 1871, Miss Sallie Paine becom- ing his wife. She was born in England April 15, 1846, and is a daughter of John and Maria (Giles) Paine, natives of Eng- land, who came with their family to America in 1848, locating first in Trenton, New Jer- sey. In 1859 they removed to Menard coun- ty, Illinois, and there Judge Woods met the lady whom he subsequently wooed and won. On the 23d of February, 1871, they arrived in Nodaway county and took up their iesi- dence at their present home, about five miles southwest of Burlington Junction. Here they have a model country place. Their commodious dwelling stands in the midst of well tilled fields, which yield to the owner a good return for the care and labor he be- stows upon them. He is engaged quite ex- tensively in raising stock of good grades, and this branch of his business adds ma- terially to his income. Everything about his place is neat and thrifty in appearance and denotes care, from the shining farm imple- ments to the well-groomed horses.
The home of Judge and Mrs. Woods has been blessed with three children : Mary E., who is now the wife of J. E. Hagey, by
-
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
whom she has two sons : Rosa Belle, the wife of Gerald Boyer: and Jessie G. This is an accomplished and refined family, its mem- bers occupying leading positions in social circles, where only true worth and intelli- gence are received as passports. The Judge is a very prominent Mason, having taken all the degrees of both the York and Scottish rites up to and including the thirty-second degree. He became a member of the order on the 20th of March. 1868, was afterward made a companion of the chapter and a Knight Templar in the commandery and was advanced through the grades and orders of the Scottish rite until he was proclaimed sublime prince of the royal secret in the consistory. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine .. He is a worthy exem- plar of the fraternity. his life standing in evidence of its beneficent and ennobling principles. Since casting his first presiden- tial vote for General Grant the Judge has exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, and, keeping well informed on the is- sues of the day, has been enabled to support his position by intelligent argument. He was elected judge of the county court in 1802. re-elected in 1894. and during his terms of office was a terror to all evil-doers. exercising his official prerogative in con- demnation of the contractors and men who illegally took advantage of trusts reposed in them. This was evidenced by his honorable
and manly fight for the people and justice in the great bridge gang case. He has ever stood on the side of right, has upheld the cause of the weak against the strong, his support has been generously given to charity and church work and the cause of education has found in hun a warm friend. He with-
holds his support from no movement which he believes will contribute to the public good. and he values his self-respect and that of his fellow man above riches. Ilis honorable and useful career has gained for him the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has been associated in every relation of life. and to-day he is justly regarded as one of the most valued citizens of Nodaway coun- ty. He and wife are members of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church.
HENRY M. HARMAN.
Henry M. Harman, one of the repre- sentative farmers of Nodaway county. Mis- souri, residing near Bolckow, was born in Wythe county. Virginia, October 19. 1829. a son of Daniel and Mandana ( Reader) Harman, both natives of Virginia. Daniel's father was among the prominent men of Wythe county. a large slave-owner and suc- cessful farmer. He served both in the Rev- olutionary war and in the war of 1812. Po- litically he was a Whig. His children were : William: Samuel; Wilburn : Daniel, the fa- ther of our subject : Nancy: and Rose, who married Coleman Asbury, of Ohio.
Daniel Harman grew to manhood on his father's farm. In those days United States bank money was used entirely, and he re- ceived the sum of twelve or fifteen thousand dollars in trading : but soon afterward Jack- son vetoed the bill for the renewal of the charter of the bank and Mr. Harman lost all this money, leaving him a bankrupt. His father, who had considerable wealth. wished to assist him, but with the exception of some young horses which he accepted Daniel refused the proffered aid. In the fall of 1837. in company with his wife and eight children, he started to Missouri on
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horseback, and on the way lost one of his finest horses. When they reached the Ohio river they took the boat to St. Louis, and after landing were not long in reaching St. Charles county, where Mr. Harman leased some land and began farming. In 1840 he moved to Platte county, where he settled on eighty acres of land, and was assisted in farming by his sons. In 1845 he sold out. moving to Andrew county, where he bought four hundred acres of land, and was very successful, saving a great deal of money. During the Mexican war he began trading and buying horses and oxen for the army. and at the close of the war was left with several hundred head of cattle on his hand. This proved to be a great set-back, and after losing his farm Mr. Harman went to Cali- fornia, in 1850, where, with four sons, he engaged in mining. He had made a good start and had sent home three hundred dol- lars when he took sick with cholera and died. Politically he was a Whig and relig- iously was a Methodist. He married Man- dana Reader, and they were blessed with several children, namely: Russell, deceased ; William A., of Oklahoma : H. M., the sub- ject of this sketch : Albert, who died in Cal- ifornia : Hanson G., of Nebraska ; John H., of Kansas : Redmond, killed at Shiloh : Anna G., wife of J. McGuire: Parmilia, Mrs. Christina Glaze; Lucetta, the wife of Mr. Glover: Joanna, the wife of T. Richey; and Mrs. Nancy Allcock. Mrs. Harman died in 1848.
Henry M. Harman, whose name heads this brief sketch, received a little schooling in the subscription schools which were in vogue in those days. He assisted his fa- ther in farming. With the money sent home from California government land was bought for a home for each member of the
family. In 1854. after his marriage, our subject settled on his wild land, which he began cultivating. He then sold this farm, and since that time has owned a thousand acres of land. The cattle business was at its height at that time, as there was plenty of open range. Mr. Harman began buying stock and it was not long until he was well on the road to success. The business was not all profit, however, and there were many difficulties to be met and contended with. Ile continued feeding cattle until the past two years. He has been a self-made man, making his own beginning, and also paying off some debts left by his father. During the Civil war the family of brothers were divided, some being in sympathy with the south, and the others firm Union men. Two of them joined the Confederate service, and others paid out and remained at home. Mr. Harman voted against secession. He joined the militia of the state. and off and on left home to look after bushwhackers. He is still a successful farmer and owns some four hun- dred acres of highly cultivated land. He has been very generous to his children, help- ing them along in life, and is known to be a kind and generous man. Honest and honor- able in all of his business dealings. he has won the confidence and esteem of all in the community.
Mr. Harman married Susan Baker, a daughter of John W. and Anna .( Cawgdell ) Baker. John Baker was a Tennessee farmer who moved to Missouri, settling in Clay county, in 1860. Later he made several moves,-from Clay to Andrew, from there to Nodaway, and then back to the vicinity of Barnard, where he died. He served in the Mormon war. Ile was a Democrat un- til the Civil war, and since that time has been a Republican. Five of his sons served
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i1. the Union army. He died in 1892, at the | Christian and an active member of the Mis- age of eighty-two years. His children were : Susan, the wife of our subject: Lawson: William: Thompson : James: Andrew : Jane : Joseph: John : and Merrill and Thomas, both deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Harman are the parents of eight children, namely: John ; Alonzo, who died in September, 1899: Emma .A., the wife of A. Diggs: George: Joseph; Fanny. the wife of William Allen : William and James. Mrs. Harman attends the Baptist church. Her husband is a stanch Democrat.
JOSEPH D. YOUNG.
The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is one of the enterprising and popular business men of northwest Missouri and has an extensive acquaintance with the travel- ing public, especially the commercial men who visit this part of the state. Though not a native of the soil. he has lived in Green township for thirty years and at Quit- man for the greater part of a decade, and is regarded by all who know him as richly cieserving the success that he has achieved.
Joseph D. Young, the proprietor of Young's livery and sale stables, Quitman, Missouri, is a native of Lafayette county, this state, born January 9. 1855. a son of Logan 1). and Caroline ( Barnet) Young. His father was born in Woodford county, Kentucky, a country noted for brave men, handsome women, fast horses and good liquor, and came to Lafayette county. Mis- souri, in 1844, and from there in 1870 to Green township. Nodaway county, where he purchased a farm His helpmeet died in 1875, leaving an enviable memory as a good wife, an affectionate mother and a generous and helpful neighbor. She was a devout
sionary Baptist church. Ile is now eighty- five years old and is an enthusiastic Demo- crat and a worthy Baptist, with the welfare of his country and his church always upper- most in his mind. Following is something of interest concerning the children of Logan D. and Caroline ( Barnet) Young: Eleven children were born to them, of whom five are living, namely: I. B .. of Green town- ship: Joseph D., the subject of this sketch : J MI., a resident of Kansas: Carrie, who married .A. B. Huff and lives in Green town- ship: and Mary, who married Ed Ruddle. of Fairfax. Atchison county, Missouri. Six are dead, among them Thomas C., who was killed at Sedalia, Missouri, while in the secret service.
Joseph D. Young was brought up on the farm, where ample opportunity was af- forded him to develop his muscle and fortify a naturally vigorous constitution by stren- nous out-door exercise of a practical kind that helped considerably in the home econ- omies. He attended the public schools and there secured a good practical education. lle was a member of the family circle until. at twenty-nine. he married Miss Edith Man- ning and settled in life for himself. Miss Manning was a daughter of Dr. E. M. Manning, a prominent and successful physi- cian, now living and practicing his profes- Son in Arkansas. To Mr. and Mrs. Young have been born two children, named Edna and Clifford.
Mr. Young established his business in Quitman in 1803, and his personal popu- larity, wide acquaintance, energy and good business management have built it up to very satisfactory proportions. He has a fine barn. covering a ground space of sixty by forty icet, good horses and carriages, and every-
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thing necessary to the correct and profitable conduct of such an enterprise. He is a Ma- son and a Woodman of America and a mem- ber of the Methodist church, and espouses the principles of the Democratic party. His public spirit leads him to support heartily and liberally all measures for the public benefit. All in all. he is a citizen of great influence who has at heart the welfare of his fellow men and seeks general advancement as zeal- ously as some men strive for personal ag- grandizement. It may be truly said of him that his upright course has commended him to his fellow citizens and that they repose in him the fullest measure of confidence.
ANDREW J. HOLT.
The fact has come to be quite generally recognized that farming is a business. The men who succeed best in handling agricult- ural interests are men of good business abil- ity, and the more thorough and instructive their training in the business world, the bet- ter farmers they are when they give their energies and abilities to the successful man- agement of farm interests. Among the busi- ness farmers of Nodaway county none stands higher than the able and successful man whose name appears above.
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