USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 78
USA > Missouri > Atchison County > A Biographical history of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri : compendium of national biography > Part 78
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now a resident of the state of Washington; William, a farmer of this county; David, who died at the age of twelve years ; Lincoln, who is engaged in farming on the home- stead; Archibald, a druggist of Skidmore; and Barney, a farmer of Kansas.
For a few years after his marriage, Mr. Hitchcock engaged in farming on rented land' in his native state, and later bought and sold two or three farms, at a small profit. In October, 1861, he enlisted for three years or during the war, in Company B, Forty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was as- signed to the Army of the Tennessee. He took part in all the important battles in which that department engaged, was in the siege of Vicksburg and the campaign in Arkansas and Texas, and assisted in opening the Miss- issippi river country. While under the com- mand of General Banks at New Orleans, his term of enlistment expired, and with his reg- iment was sent by water to New York, and from there to Indianapolis, where he was mustered out and honorably discharged. For- tunately he was never wounded nor taken prisoner.
In the fall of 1869, with two good teams and wagons, Mr. Hitchcock came to the new Eldorado, locating on a partially improved farm in Holt county, Missouri. A year later he sold that place and came to Nodaway county and bought one hundred and' thirty acres of wild land, on which he built a small house. He soon broke the land and placed it under cultivation, and from time to time added to his landed' possessions. Though he lias since given his children some of the property he still owns three hundred acres of well improved and valuable land. In 1897 he rented the homestead to his son and built a comfortable residence on a forty-acre tract, where he now makes his home. In connec-
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tion with general farming he has engaged in stock-raising, and has met with excellent success in his undertakings. The Republican party finds in Mr. Hitchcock a stanch sup- porter of its principles, but he has never cared for political preferment, desiring rather to devote his entire time and attention to his business interests. Hle has been the architect of his own fortune, for he started out in life for himself empty-handed, and his prosperity is due to his own untiring industry, persever- ance and good management. He is familiar- ly known as Uncle David, and he has a large circle of friends and acquaintances who es- teem him highly for his sterling worth. So- cially he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and religiously both he and his estimable wife are members of the Christian church.
J. N. RIPLEY.
This successful farmer and highly re- spected citizen of Nodaway county, Mis- souri, was born in Cortland county, New York, March 22, 1837, and is a son of Sam- vel and Polly ( Grant ) Ripley, natives of Connecticut, who when children were taken by their respective parents to New York, and after growing up were married in that state. llis paternal grandparents were John and Lois ( Emerson ) Ripley, also natives of Con- recticut and farming people. They were of French and English descent and belonged to an honored old family of New England. John Ripley was a soldier of the war of 1812, and a descendant of General Ripley, of Revolutionary fame. He spent his last days in New York state. His children were Samuel, the father of our subject : John D .. who died in 1877: Louisa and Thomas, who both died in Pennsylvania. On the mater-
nal side our subject traces his ancestry back to Mathew Grant, from whom General U. S. Grant was also descended. Mathew Grant came to this country from England in 1630, and first settled in Dorchester, Massachu- setts, but five years later moved to Connecti- cut. From him the ancestry is traced through Samuel, Noah, Noah and Noah, a farmer of New York, who was the maternal grandfa- ther of our subject. In his family were ten children, namely : Russell, Ruth, Cyrus, Nancy. Justus. Polly, Patty, Noah, Jr., Will- iam and Minor. Throughout life Samuel Ripley, father of our subject, followed farm- ing in New York, where he died in 1871. In politics he was first a Whig and later a Republican. Of his children Eli died unmar- ried : Amy married J. Kerr, who died in An- dersonville prison during the Civil war, and for her second husband she married Turner Butman: J. N. is the next in order of birth, and is followed by Heman, Lorenzo D .. Francis M. and Filando. The parents were both earnest and consistent members of the Wesleyan Methodist church.
J. N. Ripley attended the common schools and passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm until fifteen years of age, when he bought his time of his father and served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, which he subsequently followed for many Years. In 1855 he went to Minnesota, where he worked at his trade one season and was later employed in the lumber woods. He next went to llinois, and in the fall of 1860 to Texas, stopping at Paris, Lamar county, where he followed his trade for a time. Sub- sequently as a teamster he hauled freight to Shreveport and Jefferson, and made one trip to Galveston. In the meantime the Civil war had broken out and it required all his ingenuity to keep out of trouble. He kept
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a strict watch, did little talking and was thus enabled to pass the five years of the war in one of the seceding states among hot- leaded rebels. He was a member of an or- ganization of Union men from different states, both north and south, of whose strength the rebels were fully aware. It was composed of good reliable business men who did much toward assisting Union men in their efforts to leave the state either before or after they had been conscripted, all of which was secretly and carefully managed.
After going to Texas, Mr. Ripley became acquainted with a Mrs. McNeal and her fam- ily, who were from Pennsylvania, and with whom he made his home. Two of the sons, William and Alexander McNeal, left Texas at the outbreak of the war and went to Illi- nois, where the former remained, while the latter entered the Union army. Thomas and Allen McNeal were conscripted but man- aged to leave the state and go north. At the close of the war, believing Mr. Ripley had gone to Mexico and not knowing what had become of their mother and sister, the brothers came to Missouri. In searching for the missing ones Thomas went to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he found that his mother had passed through that place in company with Mr. Ripley on their way to northwestern Missouri. Suspecting that the sons would try and find their mother our subject had left a letter in Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth for Thomas McNeal, telling him that they would stop near Inde- pendence. After a time Mr. McNeal re- ceived one of these letters and the family again became united. Mr. Ripley had start- ed north in July, 1865, and arrived in Noda- way county in September. He brought with him his teams and' a few horses, but on the way three of these were stolen; and later,
while in camp north of Kansas City, he and Thomas MeNeal were held up by robbers and sixteen hundred dollars were taken from them.
On 'his arrival in this county Mr. Ripley had butt a small amount of money left. The country was still in a very unsettled condition on account of the reconstruction, and but little building was being d'one. Having teams and being willing to work, he con- tracted to break prairie, and was thus em- ployed until his services as a carpenter were needed. After his marriage, in 1868, he lo- cated upon forty acres of his present farm, which at that time was wild prairie land, and in connection with its improvement and cultivation he continued' to work at his trade. Success has attended his well-directed ef- forts, and he has become one of the substan- tial citizens of his community, owning a fine farm of three hundred and seven acres of fertile land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings. In addition to the homestead, which he carries on, he has two other farms, now operated by his sons.
In 1868 Mr. Ripley married Miss Mar- garet MeNeal, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of James and Margaret (Gibson) McNeal, who were born in Ireland, but were married in Pennsylvania, where the father followed farming until his death. Later Mrs. MeNeal and her family moved to La- mar county, Texas, where our subject be- came acquainted with them, as previously stated. Of her children, James, Mrs. Mary Grissinger, Robert and Mrs. Jane Thompson, all remained in Pennsylvania, while Mar- garet, William, Thomas, Alexander and El- len went to Texas and finally settled in this county, becoming prominent and representa- tive farmers. Mr. and Mrs. Ripley have three
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children : John .A. and Edwin I., both far- mers : and Francis M., who is farming on the homestead.
The parents are carnest members of the Church of God, and in politics Mr. Ripley is a strong Republican, using his influence and working untiringly for the interests of his party. Ile was the chairman of the township committee for a number of years, and was the township assessor six years. To indus- try, honesty and' perseverance may be at- tributed his success in life, and he well de- serves the high regard in which he is held by his fellow ciitzens.
J. THOMAS WORKMAN.
Among the well known representatives of the agricultural interests of Nodaway conn- ty is J. Thomas Workman, who has been a resident of this locality since 1859. He was born in Monroe county, Indiana, March 10, 1857, and is a son of John Workman, who became one of the pioneer settlers of this section of the state. On the old homestead here the subject of this review was reared to manhood, and in the public schools of the neighborhood he acquired his education, mastering the branches usually taught in such institutions. At the age of seventeen he removed to the farm on which he now resides and for four years he engaged in keeping bachelor's hall. On the expiration of that period he was married, his union be- ing with Miss Mary Walters, who was born in Boone county, Indiana, but was reared and educated in Missouri. She is a daughter of Levi and Eliza ( Heady ) Walters, both of whom are now deceased. Her father died in 1892, at the age of sixty years, and her mother passed away in this county. They had eight children, namely: Sarah C .;
James : Mrs. Workman; Anna Martha, who died at the age of twenty-three: Susan, who died in infancy : Sylvester. Harvey and Em- ma. The parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were people of the highest respectability.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Workman have been born three children : John .A., Joseph T .. and Lulu E. The first named is now a success- ful and popular teacher in this county. He received a medal at Burlington Junction and won a gold' medal at Maryville AAcademy. The home of the family is in Nodaway township, where Mr. Workman owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land, which he has placed under a high state of cultiva- tion. In politics he is a stalwart Democrat and is serving as a notary public. He is one of the most affable and genial of men and is a popular citizen of his township.
REDICK C. WOODHOUSE.
An influential citizen and public official of Dotham, Atchison county, Missouri, who holds the important office of postmaster of the town and is prominent in commercial circles, is Redick C. Woodhouse, the sub- ject of this sketch. He was born in Jasper county, Missouri, in 1842, a son of Iladley and Abigail ( Hunning ) Woodhouse, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. The Woodhouse family came from North Caro- lina to Montgomery county, Indiana, where they remained until 1838, and then moved to Jasper county, Missouri, in 1843 going into Platte county, where they were among the first settlers. Both father and mother died in that county, the latter at the age of forty- two, the former in his fifty-fourth year. Both had been consistent members of the Meth- odist church for many years.
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The children born to the parents of our subject were : Lucinda, deceased : Mrs. Lydia Walkup, of Dale township: Jonathan, of Platte county, Missouri; William, of Bu- chanan county, this state; Mrs. Sarah Chest- nut, of Platte county, also in this state; Dan- iel. deceased ; R. C., our subject ; and Louisa, deceased.
R. C. Woodhouse was a small child when lie accompanied the family to Platte county. At an early age lie was placed at farm work, and in liis home was taught the value of hon- esty and industry. The educational advan- tages of our subject were limited; but he made as good use of them as possible. Dur- ing the Civil war he served for some time in a Missouri regiment that was principally engaged in scouting.
Some time after the war our subject came to Dale township, where he located on a farm of two hundred acres, immediately be- ginning cultivation and improvement, grad- ually adding more land, and now has a tract of three hundred and seventy-one acres. Mr. Woodhouse is one of the most prominent business men of Dotham, owning a commo- dious store building, which is well stocked with a general assortment of dry goods, gro- ceries, boots and shoes,-in fact everything which the residents of Dotham can require, and has a large and' constantly increasing trade. The postoffice is kept in this building, proving to be a great accommodation to the citizens. Mr. Woodhouse was appointed postmaster in the fall of 1898, and is a pop- ular official, highly esteemed by members of both political parties.
Mr. Woodhouse was married in Holt county, Missouri, in 1867, to Miss Martha Taylor, a daughter of Richard and' Matilda Taylor, and these children have been born of this union : Minnie Kelley; Elvis H .; 37
John; Albert, who is a student at St. Jo- seph's College: Lydia; Jessie, who assists as a clerk in the store; and Earl.
Socially our subject is connected with the Masonic order,-Fairfax lodge,-and has been a prominent member of the Baptist church. He is highly respected by those who have had business dealings with him, and is justly regarded as a representative citizen of Dale township.
MOSES T. BANT.1.
A popular lawyer, a well informed real- estate man, an efficient representative in an important department of the business of a great railway company, the able and' re- spected mayor of a growing town, the gen- tleman whose name is above is not without responsibility or business with which to keep himself in touch with the busy world. These several exacting functions require special talents, knowledge and characteris- tics, and Mr. Banta seems to possess them all in an eminent degree. \ brief summary of the principal events in the busy life of this popular citizen of northwest Missouri will be found interesting and instructive.
Moses T. Banta was born near Raven- wood, Nodaway county, Missouri, November 3, 1858, a son of Abraham Banta, one of the pioneers in the county. The family of Banta ( the name was originally spelled Bonta ) is of French and German origin and is one of the oldest in Virginia and' Ken- tucky, and some of Mr. Banta's ancestors served the cause of the colonies as a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary struggle. Others of later generations fought gallantly in the war of 1812 and in the Indian wars. Abra- ham Banta was born in Mercer county, in the blue-grass region of Kentucky, where he
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grew to manhood and was educated and in- structed in farming. Ile married Eliza Roundtree, a native of Crab Orchard'. Lin- coln county, Kentucky, who was reared and educated in her native state, where the Roundtrees are an old and highly respect- able family. In 1843 Abraham Banta emi- grated from Kentucky to Missouri and set- tled on a part of the Platte Purchase, in Clinton county, and from there ten years later he removed to Nodaway county, locat- ing at Ravenwood, east of Maryville. There Mrs. Banta died, at the age of fifty-four, Mr. Banta at the age of seventy. Mrs. Banta was a most estimable woman, a faithful and affectionate wife and mother and a good neighbor, sympathetic with those who were it. trouble and charitable to the poor. Mr. Banta was a prosperous farmer, an honored and influential citizen and a Democrat of the old school.
Abraham and Eliza ( Roundtree) Banta had five children : Charity, who married a Mr. Adams and lives in Missouri : Mary, the widow of J. W. Hopkins, who lives in Colo- rado: Susan C., the wife of John 11. Har- vey, of Nodaway county ; O. II. Banta, of llaves county, Nebraska; and Moses T. Banta.
Moses T. Banta was brought up on the farm and taught to do farm work of all kinds, which was conducive not alone to habits of industry but to good health. He gamed his primary education in the public schools, and by special study fitted himself for the work of a teacher. He taught suc- cessfully in Andrew county and in Nodaway county for eight years. In 1880 he began the study of law with Judge Johnston, one of the prominent lawyers of Nodaway county, for his preceptor, and in 1885, he was ad- mitted to the bar, in Nodaway county. Since
that date he has been engaged actively in the practice of his profession. For a time he had a law, real-estate and collection of- fice at Burlington Junction. In 1898 he was appointed land agent for the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad lands in Nebras- ka, and has since maintained an office at Has- tings, in that state, at the same time retaining his practice and office at Maryville, of which town he fills the responsible office of mayor. Possessing a thorough knowledge of the law and of municipal needs and the best means of supplying them, as well as a com- prehensive knowledge of real-estate values. and being a thorough man of affairs, alert, painstaking, efficient and successful, he is especially well equipped for the performance of the exacting duties which devolve upon him, and in every relation of life, private or official, he acquits himself in such a manner as to win the approbation not only of persons most intimately concerned but of the general public as well.
September 7. 1880. Mr. Banta married Miss Georgia T. Deacon, a daughter of F. H. Deacon, a well known ciitzen of Andrew county, and has two children, named' Myrtle and Walter Abraham. He is an active and influential Democrat, deeply interested in the success of of his party.
JOSEPH SKIDMORE.
This honored and highly respected far- mier residing in Nodaway county, Missouri, near the town of Guilford, was born in Lin- coln county, Kentucky, February 28. 1841. He is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth ( Car- men) Skidmore, who were married in Ken- tucky. Joseph Skidmore, the father of Dan- iel, and our subject's grandfather, was a native of Virginia, who moved to Kentucky
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early in life. At that time the Indians were very hostile and he was obliged to carry his gun with him at all times of day and while at work in the fields. He served in the army during the Revolutionary war, and was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He died at his home in Kentucky. His chil- dren were: James, who died in North Car- olina; Joseph, the father of our subject; and Parmelia, who was twice married, first to Mr. Rennolds and secondly to Mr. Elling- ton. She spent her last days with her father.
Daniel Skidmore was reared among the pioneers of Kentucky, and after his mar- riage became a farmer and slave-owner. In the fall of 1860. he sold his farm and negroes and moved to Missouri, where he bought a large farm near Guilford and where he spent the remainder of his life, dying March 9. 1886, at the age of eighty-eight years. He was a true southern gentleman, hospitable and charitable, always ready to assist any who were in need. He was a conscientious farmer and was very successful. He mar- ried Elizabeth Carmen, a daughter of John Carmen, of North Carolina and an early set- tler of Kentucky. He was a prominent far- mer but never owned slaves. He lived to be one hundred and two years of age. after having gone through the hardships of pio- neer life, and also serving in the Civil war. His children were: Elizabeth; the mother of our subject : Isham, who died on the old homestead in Kentucky; and Benjamin, of Springfield', Illinois. The family were Pres- byterians. Daniel and Elizabeth (Carmen) Skidmore were the parents of the following children : Mary A., deceased; Catherine, the wife of F. M. Walls: Joseph, the subject of this sketch: and Sarah J .. the wife of A. Floyd. By his second wife, who was a Miss Calwell, of Kentucky. Mr. Skidmore had one
son, by name Hugh. Religiously the family were members of the Methodist church.
Joseph Skidmore received his education in the common schools of his native place. He assisted his father on the farm until he was twenty years old, when he entered the state militia. He served until 1863, when he enlisted in the Forty-third Regiment, Mis- souri Volunteer Infantry, which was as- signed to the western department, and did' service in Missouri at the battle of Glasgow. The regiment was captured, with the excep- tion of four companies, the company in which Mr. Skidmore served, escaping. Four of the companies were stationed at St. Jo- spel, where they had charge of a military prison, and later were sent to Lexington and St. Louis. At the close of the war they were mitstered out. and' Mr. Skidmore re- ceived an honorable discharge.
In 1869 Mr. Skidmore settled on the old homestead, where he was occupied with general farming. He bought a farm of Judge Shelton, which he improved in gen- eral. He has two hundred acres, on which he lives, besides another farm of the same ex- tent. During 1879-80 he was the tax col- lector for Nodaway county, this office be- ing given him without his solicitation. He has always taken an active interest in poli- tics, being a member of the Democratic party. Mr. Skidmore married Mary A. Thompson, who was born in Buchanan coun- ty: Missouri, in 1847. a daughter of Joseph and Letitia (Lowry) Thompson. Joseph Thompson was a Tennessee farmer, who in 1860 located in Nodaway county, where he lived the remainder of his life, an honest, well-to-do farmer. He was a Democrat in politics. The children born to this couple were : William: Mary, the wife of our sub- ject : Alexander ; John; Joseph : Jacob: Cor-
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nelius; Margaret, the wife of Dr. W. Gleaves; and Emeline, the wife of J. Hahn.
Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore are the parents of nine children, namely : Charles ; Daniel : John; Joseph: Lawrence: James: Florence; Gro- ver and Jacob. Mrs. Skidmore is a member of the Methodist church. Mr. Skidmore is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge, having filled all offices in that lodge. He has many friends throughout the county.
JOHN E. SPURLOCK.
Men of strong determination may go down temporarily in the world's great bat- tle, apparently meeting defeat ; yet they will never give up the fight and are certain to overcome all obstacles and win the victory sooner or later. Of such a class Mr. Spur- lock is a representative. He is to-day num- bered among the substantial citizens of Rock- port, Atchison county. He owes his position entirely to his own well directed efforts, for he started out in life empty-handed, possess- ing only a laudable ambition and resolute will wherewith to work his way upward.
The Spurlocks are of an old Virginian family that was planted on American soil in Wayne county of that state. Wesley Spur- lock, the father of our subject, was born in that county in 1813. and like his father, he followed the occupation of farming. After arriving at adult age he wedded Miss Mary Booton, whose father was Circle Boston, a Virginia farmer. Their marriage was cele- brated in Wayne county and about 1840 they made their way to the prairies of lowa, be- coming residents of Wapello county, where John E. Spurlock, their sixth child was born, The other surviving members of the family are : Burwell, who is now living in York, Ne- braska ; Nancy, of Nebraska City: Stephen,
who makes his home in Michigan : W. H. H., of Sidney. lowa: Mary, the wife of Joseph Gillman, of Falls City, Nebraska: John E .; Wesley W .. a resident of Salem, Nebraska; and Irene, the wife of C. W. Sherfly, of Ne- braska City. The father received a common- school education and was reared to farm life. At the time of the Civil war he was a resident of Nebraska and became a strong Union sympathizer. His political support was given to the Republican party, and in relig- ious sentiment he was a Methodist. Ilis last years were passed in Nebraska City and he died in 1803. His wife is still living, her home being spent in Nebraska City.
John E. Spurlock spent the days of his boyhood and youth in the west, residing in lowa and Nebraska, as his parents removed from one place to another. About 1854 he became a resident of Cass county, in the lat- ter state, and afterward located in Nebraska City. During his early boyhood he attended the district schools and in his youth he began learning the harness-maker's trade in Ne- braska City, afterward following that pur- suit in Hamburg, lowa. in 1868-9. Believ- ing that he might better his condition by a change of business, in the latter year he ac- cepted a clerkship in the drug house of llar- ris & Mann, at Hamburg. In 1871 he came to Rockport, where he entered into business as the proprietor of a drug store, which he has since conducted, maintaining one of the leading establishments in his line in Atchi- son county. He carries a large and well sc- lected stock and is now enjoying a liberal patronage.
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