USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. II > Part 22
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Mr. Foster finds fraternal enjoyment as a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; pays fealty to the policies and principles of the Democratie party; and is a zealous member of the Methodist church. He has proved a prominent factor in the development of the city and is hopeful of seeing the time when Joplin will be the metropolis of the south.
JAMES P. MEAD, of Joplin, whose name occupies a conspicuous place on the roll of Missouri's eminent lawyers during fully two-score years' connection with the bar of the state, has won and maintained a reputa- tion for ability that has given him just preeminence among his profes- sional brethren. In the law, as in every other walk of life, success is largely the outcome of resolute purpose and unfaltering industry,- qualities which are possessed in a large degree by Mr. Mead.
In Lenawee county, Michigan, on the 19th of February, 1857; oe- enrred the birth of James P. Mead, who is a son of Garret T. Mead, whose native place was the vicinity of Ehnira, New York. Garret T. Mead was a mere child at the time of his parents' removal from the old Em- pire state of the Union to Michigan, where he was reared to maturity and where he received his preliminary educational training. His father, John Mead, passed the early years of his life in the state of Massachu- setts and he was a pioneer settler in Michigan, where he turned his at- tention to agricultural pursuits. The father of him to whom this sketeh
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is dedicated was a photographer by occupation but as a young man his health became impaired and in order to recuperate he established the family home on a farm. In the year 1873 he removed with his family to Sedgwick county, Kansas, where he continued to be identified with farming operations until his death, in 1899, the same being the result of injuries received in an accident. Garret T. Mead married Miss Lydia J. Pitts, who was a native of the city of Syracuse, New York, and who was summoned to the life eternal in 1862, at which time the young James P. was a child of but five years of age. He was the only child of his parents.
To the country schools of Lenawee county, Michigan, James P. Mead is indebted for his preliminary educational discipline, and after arriving in Kansas he began to teach school, being then a youth of sixteen years of age. When he had attained to his legal majority he was married and then took up his abode in Kingman county, Kansas, in 1878. At that time there was a vacancy in the office of clerk of the district court and Mr. Mead was appointed to fill the same by Judge Samuel R. Parker, under whose direction he took up the study of law. He continued in- cumbent of the office of clerk of court for a period of seven years, in the meantime prosecuting his legal studies. On the 20th of April, 1884, he was admitted to practice at the Kansas bar and for a number of years thereafter he was engaged in the work of his profession, in conjunction with which he also conducted a land brokerage and western securities office until 1889, in which year he went to Oregon, where he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of that state on the 20th of De- cember, 1889. He remained in Oregon for one year and then returned east, locating at Joplin, Missouri, where he has since resided and where he is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in Jasper county. He has built up and controls a large and lucrative clientage, the major portion of his attention being devoted to commercial law.
In the year 1878, at Wichita, Kansas, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Mead to Miss Ella L. Price, who was born and reared in Kansas and who is a daughter of Charles D. Price. To this happy union have been born six children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated,-Lucy J. is now the wife of Dr. C. S. Tisdale, of Chicago; Mary J. is Deputy U. S. Marshal of this district; Mary L. wedded H. A. Bryson and resides at Webb City, Missouri; Nora E. re- mains at the parental home; Regina D. is Mrs. Elbert Hawley, and she lives at Anderson, Missouri ; and Carrie E. resides at home. Mrs. Mead is a woman of most gracious personality and she is very popular in community affairs at Joplin, where she is a member of Woodman Circle of the Ladies Auxiliary of the. Woodmen of the World.
In a fraternal way Mr. Mead is a valued and appreciative member of the Knights of Pythias, of the Dramatic Order of Knights of Khoras- san, and of the Woodmen of the World, of which latter he is past head consul. He is connected with the board of management and legal advisors of the Orphans Home of Jasper county and has been an active and zealous factor in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association, being pres- ident of the Joplin branch and of the Southwestern Missouri district of that organization. In connection with his profession he is affiliated with the Missouri State Bar Association and he and his wife are devont members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to whose charities and ben- evolences he is a most liberal contributor. While Mr. Mead has never been an office seeker and never asked the people for their votes, his law practice being far too important to admit of such under ordinary cir- cumstances, vet he has taken much interest in matters political and much of his greatest work politically has been performed with heavy
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sacrifice to himself for the benefit of his friends, to whom is best known the weight of his power and influence. He exercises his franchise in favor of candidates on the Republican ticket and has ever been on the alert to do all in his power to advance the general welfare of Joplin and Jasper county.
WILLIAM J. J. LEFFEN .- One of the talented, public-spirited and generally valuable citizens of Joplin in whom the community takes par- ticular pride is William J. J. Leffen, a prominent factor in both bus- iness and banking circles as a member of the firm of Wheeler & Leffen, druggists, and president of the Citizens State Bank. The business es- tablishment of these gentlemen is one of the finest in the state, enjoying remarkable popularity, while among the monetary institutions which emphasize and exert marked influence in conserving the financial stabil- ity and commercial prestige of Joplin must be numbered the above- mentioned bank. Mr. Leffen was born October 9, 1870, in Paola, Miami county, Kansas, the son of William and Anna S. Leffen. In 1872, when the subject was a baby, his parents moved to Missouri, taking up their residence in Joplin. In the excellent schools of Joplin he secured his education and his first position was as an employe in the drug store of Wheeler & Workizer, which he assumed in the year 1888. He continued thus engaged for four years and by the exercise of thrift and good man- agement found himself at the end of four years' time in a position to buy an interest in the firm. The gentleman selling was Mr. Workizer, who desired to retire, and the firm name was thereupon changed to Wheeler & Leffen. Some time later the Bobst Drug Company on Main street offered its complete stock for sale and this Messrs. Wheeler & Lef- fen bought. They also took a lease on the building occupied by the Bobst store and moved into the same. Wheeler & Leffen are distinctly progressive and up-to-date and their store is conducted in such a man- ner that it has few equals in the state.
William Leffen, father of the immediate subject of this review, was born in England, and when a young man went farther afield to Aus- tralia, during the gold excitement in that country. He tried a period of gold hunting and then returned to his native England, where he met and married his wife, whose maiden name was Anna Stanford and whose birthplace and home was in London, England. Their union oc- curred in the year 1869, and they immediately set sail for America, com- ing directly to Paola, Kansas, and becoming engaged in the great basic industry of agriculture. They remained for nearly three years and then removed to Joplin, where William Leffen engaged in the mercantile business and continued in this field up to the time of his retirement in 1903. He resides in Joplin, the possessor of a most comfortable com- petence and secure in the enjoyment of a host of friends, as is his ad- mirable wife.
Mr. Leffen was united in marriage in January, 1896, his chosen lady being Miss Ida Koehler, of Joplin, Missouri, daughter of W. C. Koehler and Sarah Kochler. They have two children,-Stanford, born in Jan- uary, 1897, and in attendance at the Joplin high school; and Elizabeth, born January 9, 1901, now a pupil in the Jackson school.
Mr. Leffen stands high in Masonry, having taken all the degrees of the order up to the thirty-second. He is also affiliated with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Wood- men of the World, in all of these enjoying great popularity. He is likewise a member valuable of the Commercial Club. In the matter of politics Mr. Leffen gives his support to the policies advanced by the Democratic party and he can ever be depended upon to do all in his
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power to assist to fruition those good measures likely to prove of gen- eral benefit. In addition to his presidency of the Citizens State Bank he is director of the Miners' Bank.
Socially Mr. Leffen stands high and his generosity is indeed notable, his sympathy for his less fortunate brethren being of the sort which ex- presses itself in deeds rather than words. He has little time for diver- sions outside of his business and lodge life, but when occasion permits he indulges in out-of-door sports and is a frequent spectator at local base ball games, taking a truly American interest in the great game.
DR. ROBERT B. TYLER .- In all Joplin, indeed in the whole of Jasper county, there is no man in any walk of life who is more respected and loved by old and young, by rich and poor alike than is Dr. Robert B. Tyler. His whole life has been spent in seeking to benefit others; his one ambition has been to serve his fellowmen. His maxim is to look up, not down, to look out, not in, and lend a hand. His knowledge of human nature has taught him to look upon the errors of others in sorrow, not in anger. From the time when he was a mere lad he has had great determination of purpose, balanced by good common sense. He has made his own way in the world and knows how to appreciate the difficulties of a man struggling to gain a livelihood or of a student striving to acquire an education. Although he is very positive in his opinions, he is most charitable toward the views of others and does not insist that it is necessary to think his thoughts in order to be right. In short, he is a man whom to know is to love and admire.
Robert B. Tyler was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, March 12, 1854. His father, Walter Hannibal Tyler, grandson of John Tyler, was also a native of Virginia, the family being of English descent. Walter Hannibal's entry into this world was made in 1801. The scene was a large cotton plantation of over two thousand acres, worked by several hundred slaves. Wealth surrounded him and enveloped him. He inherited his father's acres but was also a physician and surgeon. Possibly it was because of this profession and the misery with which he was brought in contact that he was led to believe the slavery system was all wrong. At any rate when the Civil war broke out he sided with the Northerners, lost everything he possessed and moved with his family to Washington, District of Columbia. He had married Julia Grimshaw, a beautiful lady of Virginia birth, whose family had lived in Kentucky for many generations and were related to John C. Breck- enridge. She died when Robert was an infant and was thus spared the privations which her family endured. Walter Hannibal died in March, 1863, at the age of sixty-two.
Robert was a proud spirited little lad, very large for his years. During the first year of the war he had heard much about it and he was filled with the boyish longing for adventure; perhaps, too, even at a very early age he was fired with the desire to help the slaves in their fight for freedom. At any rate, when he was but eight years old, April 10, 1862, he ran away from home, after his father had refused his permission to allow one of such a tender age to leave the parental roof. He succeeded in securing a berth as cabin boy in the United States navy ; because of his mature appearance and actions the officers thought he was much older than he really was. He was a participant at the battle of Fort Sumter and other fights that took place in the middle and southern Atlantic. Having once started out, his brave spirit was undaunted by the scenes of horror which he wit- nessed or the hardships he was forced to endure. He continued in the navy for three years and six months, until the close of the war in Oc-
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tober, 1865. About a year after he left home his father died, so that the boy, a man in experience but a babe in book knowledge and years, found himself at the age of eleven alone and almost destitute. He went to Binghamton, New York, and, realizing that if he was to grow up to be a man of whom his Virginia ancestors might be proud-if they were living-the first thing necessary was for him to acquire an educa- tion. He entered the public schools in Binghamton and by dint of hard work added to his naturally quick mind, and he got through school when he was no older than the rest of his fellow students. For the next seven years he taught in various parts of New York state; his teaching, however, successful though it was, was not the height of his ambition. He earned a livelihood in the pedagogical field and at the same time read and studied medicine. At the end of seven years he abandoned teaching and entered the office of Dr. H. H. Nye, of Wells- ville, New York, and studied under him for two years. He proved a most capable assistant and pupil, but unless he received his diploma he would never be able to be anything more than an assistant, so, with the approval of Dr. Nye, he entered the Buffalo, New York, Medical College and was graduated in 1879. He returned to Wellsville and entered into partnership with his old friend and teacher, Dr. Nye. The arrangement was highly satisfactory to both doctors and their patients and continued until October, 1881, when he decided to strike out for himself. He came west and arrived in Joplin October 8, 1881. At that time Joplin was only a mining camp and there were very few physicians here. He foresaw, however, that in time it would be the prosperous, thriving center it now is and so started his work. He has been here in the practice continuously ever since (1911) except- ing some few months spent each year in hospital work in New York, Chicago and St. Louis. He specializes in gynecology and obstetrics and is one of the leading physicians in the southwest. He is progressive in his methods of treatment and there is no new theory or discovery in connection with his profession that .does not receive his immediate examination and scrutiny. He is a member of the city, county, state and American Medical associations. For a number of years he was president of the Jasper County Medical Society and for thirteen years he was local surgeon for the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad (now the Frisco System) and also local surgeon for the Mis- souri Pacific Railroad. It might be thought that a man who has attained such eminence in his profession would not have the leisure to do any- thing else, but it is not so with Dr. Tyler. He is an active factor in polities; he is an ardent Republican and was mayor of Joplin in 1890 and 1891, the first mayor under the present charter converting the town from a mining camp to a city. He is at present (1911) a can- didate for mayor and it is whispered will probably be a candidate for congress. If there were more such men as Dr. Tyler in politics the system would not be so vituperated as it is today. Dr. Tyler, however, is hopeful; in politics as well as in religion, he looks forward and not backward for the milennium. Outside of his practice the Doctor con- duets a well-established and fully equipped drug store, sitnated at 922 Main street. He owns valuable farm lands in the county and has at various times been active in mining. He is recognized as the first man in this section to raise thoroughbred horses. He has raised, trained and raced some of the best thoroughbreds on the turf, both trotters and pacers.
April 18, 1882, soon after his arrival in Joplin, Dr. Tyler married Miss Maggie Heathwood, daughter of Thomas Heathwood of Massa- chusetts, a woman as beautiful in spirit as she is strong. She is
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calm, deliberate, dignified, leisurely. She is gay, graceful, sprightly, sympathetic. She is severe upon occasion and upon occasion playful. She has fancies, dreams, romances, ideas. She organizes neatness, order and comfort, but they are merely the foundation whereon rises the temple of her home, beautiful for situation, the joy of her family. This union has been blessed with four children. Walter H., was born in Joplin, January 19, 1884. He is married to Ora Elizabeth Sowder and is associated with his father in the drug store. Robert M., born in .Joplin, May 23, 1887, married Miss Pearl King, whose family are residents of Joplin; he is engaged in the oil business. Dorothy F .. born in Joplin, September 24. 1893, is now attending high school here (1911). Harry B .. born in Joplin, May 30, 1898, is now in the grammar school here.
Dr. Tyler is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Benevolent and Pro- teetive Order of Elks. In each one of these orders there is no man who is better known and more popular than Dr. Tyler. He is a mem- ber of the First Presbyterian church and his membership is not honorary but active. Indeed it would be impossible for Dr. Tyler to be associated with any movement, whether professional, politieal or religious and not perform the duties pertaining thereto. He is one of the youngest members of the Grand Army of the Republic. Indeed if one did not know his history it would seem incredible that one of his years could have taken part in the Civil war. Dr. Tyler is a very pleas- ant, hospitable gentleman. He has always been very charitable and it is said has done more for the poor of Joplin than any other in- dividual in the city. He is known as the Poor Man's Friend. He is a great lover of children and he is known and loved by every child in town. He stands for right, honesty and justice tempered with mercy. In regard to his many other noble characteristics the tenor of his life speaks. It is safe to say that the good that he has done will not be interred with his bones, but will live and thrive and grow even after he has crossed the threshold.
WILLIAM K. HURLBUT .- As secretary and treasurer of the Hurlbut Undertaking & Embalming Company, which progressive and enterpris- ing concern is located at Joplin, Missouri, William K. Hurlbut has at- tained to a position of prominence and influence in the business world of this city. where he has maintained his home since February, 1903. He is deeply interested in community affairs and his efforts have long been a potent element in connection with civie and material progress in this section of the state.
A native of the fine old Badger state of the Union, William K. Hurl- but was born at Eldorado, Wisconsin, the date of his nativity being the 7th of June, 1860. He is a son of Nicholas G. Hurlbut, who was horn and reared at Essex, Chittenden county, Vermont. In 1849 the father was seized with the gold fever and in that year made the ad- venturons trip, via the Panama Canal, to California, where he remained for a few years and where he was successful in accumulating a fair mount of money. In 1854 he returned east and purchased a farm in Fond du Lac county. Wisconsin. where he continued to devote his time and energies to agricultural pursuits until 1869, in which year he came to Missouri, where he bought a tract of four hundred acres of most arable land in the vicinity of Greenfield, paying for the same the sum of five dollars and twenty-five cents per acre. He passed the residue of his life in Missouri and was summoned to eternal rest in the year 1877. at which time he had attained to the age of fifty-two years. The
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mother of him to whom this sketch is dedicated was Frances Kittredge prior to her marriage and she survived her honored husband for a number of years, passing into the great beyond on the 31st of Decem- ber, 1896. Three sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas G. Hurlbut, namely : Daniel, William K. and Sheldon, two of whom are deceased, William K. being the only survivor of the family, in 1911.
William K. Hurlbut was reared to the invigorating influences of the home farm and he received his early educational training in the dis- trict schools. He continued to reside at home until his twenty-second year when he with his brother Daniel went to Warsaw, Missouri, where they engaged in the hardware business. After nine years' identifica- tion with that line of enterprise Mr. Hurlbut disposed of his interest in the business to his brother. In 1891 he severed his connections in Warsaw and went to Barton county, Missouri, engaging in the furni- ture and undertaking business at Golden City. He was decidedly suc- eessful in his new field of work but desiring a larger territory he re- moved to Joplin, the date of his advent here being February, 1903. Establishing an undertaking business in this city, he made rapid strides toward a large and gratifying success and in 1905 his concern was incorporated under the laws of the state, with a paid-up capital stock of ten thousand dollars, the official corps of the same being as follows: Mrs. William K. Hurlbut, president ; Perry K. Hurlbut. vice president ; and William K. Hurlbut, secretary and treasurer. The busi- ness is known under the name of the Hurlbut Undertaking & Embalm- ing Company and it is widely renowned as one of the finest and most up-to-date establishments of its kind in this section of the state.
At Greenfield, Missouri, in the year 1885, Mr. Hurlbut was united in marriage to Miss Grace Newell, who is a daughter of Colonel Jason Newell, long a well known and highly respected citizen of Dade county, Missouri. Colonel Newell, in addition to his extensive business interests, was prominent in public affairs during his lifetime, having represented his county in the state legislature two terms. To Mr. and Mrs. Hurl- but have been born three children, namely: Perry K., who is vice president of the Hurlbut Undertaking & Embalming Company, as previously noted; Newell G., who is likewise interested in the family business ; and Vashti, who is attending school. Mrs. Hurlbut, like her busband, is possessed of remarkable executive ability and she is a woman of rare charm and brilliancy of mind. The family are devout members of the Christian church and they are popular and prominent factors in connection with the best social activities of Joplin.
In his political proclivities Mr. Hurlbut is a supporter of the cause of the Republican party and while not an office-seeker he gives freely of his aid and influence in support of all movements tending to ad- vance the general welfare of the community and county at large. He is a straightforward business man, a sterling, upright citizen and al- together a man who commands the unalloyed respect and confidence of his fellowmen.
SAMUEL W. ORNDUFF .- An important factor in the commercial and mercantile life of the thriving city of Joplin is Samuel W. Ornduff, who is engaged in the hardware business, his establishment being one of the most modern and complete in the state. He has been identified with the city since 1898, and has done his share toward bringing into being the high commercial prestige enjoyed by Joplin among the cities of the southwest.
Mr. Ornduff was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, November 30. 1867, his parents being James and Margaret (MeBurney) Ornduff.
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His youth was passed amid the rural surroundings of his father's farm and he obtained his early education in the little log school house in the home county. He was useful in shouldering much of the work of the farm, but at the age of sixteen years he went forth like the proverbial hero of romanee to seek his fortune and found work with the Kansas & Texas Coal Company, at Pittsburg, Kansas. There he remained ten years, resigning his position in 1882 to go to Oklahoma to make the race for land when that territory was opened for settlement. He was the third white man to secure a town lot in the new territory, the same being located in the town of Newkirk, and after holding his prop- erty for a fortnight he sold it, and was a snug little sum the richer for his experience. He then turned his face eastward and went to New York city, where he remained until the summer of 1894. In that year he came to Galena, Kansas, and secured a position of a clerical nature with the Golden Rule Clothing Company of that city and remained in that capacity for three years, coming to Joplin on April 26, 1898.
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