USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. II > Part 55
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ADOLPH ROTSCH .- Widely known as a prosperous and progressive agriculturist, of Marion township, Adolph Rotsch is numbered among the citizens of high repute in Jasper county, where he has resided for upwards of a quarter of a century. A son of Frantz Joseph Rotsch, he was born March 21, 1833, in Germany, near Berlin, where the days of his childhood were spent.
Frantz Joseph Rotsch was born in Bohemia, the son of a prominent Catholic family. He settled near Berlin soon after his marriage, and was there a resident until 1845. In that year he joined a colony of Germans bound for the United States, and helped found one of the first German settlements in southern Texas, locating not far from the French colony founded by General Castro. Indians were then numerous and troublesome. often making raids on the new settlements. The people roundabout lived in the most primitive manner, having but rude implements and machinery, and using two-wheeled ox-carts in place of wagons, and Mexican harnesses made of rawhide. He and his wife kept a hotel and store in Texas for about three years, when, in 1848, he took his family by boat to New Orleans, and thence by steamer to Saint Louis county, Missouri, where he remained three years. Going thence to Illinois, he lived near Alton until his death. at the age of fifty-seven years. Although brought up a Catholic, he departed widely from the religion of his forefathers, becoming an infidel. The maiden name of the wife of Frantz Joseph Rotsch was Charlotte Paul. She was born near Berlin, Germany, the daughter of a hotel man and merchant. and a prominent member of the Lutheran church. She lived to the age of eighty years, and during her entire life was true to the faith of the Lutheran church. Of the six children born into their household three died in Texas, while young, and three are living, namely : Frank, who served as lieutenant in the Illinois State Militia, under Captain Gillum; Adolph, who served in Brushy Grove Com- pany, Illinois Home Guards, during the time of the Civil war; and Rheinhold.
Brought up largely in Texas, his family moving there when he was a lad of twelve years. Adolph Rotsch was reared with people of all nationalities, and easily learned to speak the four languages which he so often heard. the German, French, Spanish and English. He had
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many exciting experiences with the Indians while living there, at one time being out hunting with his best friend who was captured by the redskins and never afterwards heard from. He lived with his parents in Saint Louis, and with them went to Illinois, which was his home for awhile. Early turning his attention to agriculture, he located in Scott county, Iowa, in 1866, not far from Davenport, and there im- proved a good farm and carried on a good business as an auctioneer. In 1884 Mr. Rotsch sold his stock and farm for the neat little sum of twelve thousand dollars, and came to Jasper county, Missouri, where he has since resided. He now owns two valuable farms in Marion township, the one which he occupies and another well-improved estate in Sheridan township, besides which he has given each of his children a good start in life.
Mr. Rotsch married, February 18, 1855, in Alton, Illinois, Augusta Hoehn, who was born in Saxony, Germany, and died on the home farm in Marion township in 1898, aged sixty-one years. She was reared a Lutheran, but became a Free Thinker. Mr. and Mrs. Rotsch reared seven children, namely: Mrs. Frances Amhoff, of Iowa; Mrs. Bertha Kamerdiener, deceased ; Herman, of Preston township, and who owns a farm valued at thirteen thousand dollars; Otto, in business at Alba, Missouri; Mrs. Emma Craun, of Orange, Virginia ; Theodore, living near Carthage; and Mrs. Matilda Kyte, of Preston township. Frances married Ferdinand Amhoff and has six children, Rudolph, Luella, Walter, Harry, Charles and Tillie. Herman married Ada Jones and has two sons, Cecil and Melvin. Emma married James E. Claun and has nine children, Pearl, Veronica, Adolphus, Robert, Ed- ward, Augustus, Forest, Modern and Alfonso. Otto married Georgia Campbell and they have three children, Christine, Annie and Eliza- beth. Theodore married Dora Bryan and has one daughter, Neva. Matilda married Allen Kyte and has four children. Augusta. Vena, Sheldon and Lawrence. Mr. Rotsch also has two great-grandchildren. He is a man of striking physique, with a head similar in its proportions to the famous German statesman, Bismarck.
BENJAMIN F. KESSLER .- A veteran agriculturist of Jasper county and one of its early pioneers, Benjamin F. Kessler has been a resident of Jackson township for forty-four years, during which time he has been prosperously engaged in general farming, his large estate being one of the best improved and most attractive of any in the community. A son of John Kessler, Jr., he was born February 12, 1832, in Shenan- doah county, Virginia, where his grandfather, John Kessler, Sr .. located on coming to this country from Germany.
John Kessler, Jr., who spent his sixty-seven years of earthly life in Virginia, was for many years employed in the charcoal and iron works, being a forgeman and hammer man. His wife, whose maiden name was Lydia Coffman, died at the age of thirty-seven years, leav- ing three children, as follows: Caroline; Benjamin F .; and John, whose death occurred in Kansas.
Reared and educated in Virginia, Benjamin F. Kessler remained with his father until twenty-two years of age. Following the tide of migration westward, he then settled in La Salle county, Illinois, near Ottawa, where he secured work at the carpenter's trade. Land at that time in La Salle county was of little value compared with its present price, whole sections in the vicinity of Streator selling at three dollars an acre, with but few buyers. In 1867 Mr. Kessler ventured still further west, coming to Missouri in search of a favorable place in which to locate. Settling in Jasper county, he bought the farm which
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he now owns and occupies, and has never regretted his choice. He has two hundred and eighty acres of rich and fertile land, one hundred and seventy aeres of which are in a high state of culture. He has made excellent improvements on the place, having a large, well-furnished residence, a substantial barn, a finely-bearing orchard and a good timber lot. He carries on general farming and stoek-raising with much success, his annual profits being most satisfactory from a pecuniary point of view.
Mr. Kessler married, in 1861. in La Salle county, Illinois, Amanda G. Wing, who has proved herself a most genial companion and a true helpmate, their wedded journey of half a century having been peace- ful and pleasant, its joys far outnumbering the sorrows that inevitably fall upon every family. She was born in Saratoga, New York, the 1st of April, 1844. a daughter of Lettis and Emeline (Denton) Wing, natives of the Empire state and early settlers of La Salle county, Illinois. Mr. Wing died when but thirty-five years of age, leaving his widow with three children, Charles, Mrs. Kessler and Lydia M. The mother subsequently married for her second husband James Reed, by whom she had one child, Clarence Reed. She passed away at the age of seventy-six years, until her death being a faithful member of the Presbyterian church. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Kessler fourteen children have been born, three of whom have passed to the life be- yond, namely : Clara, who died at the age of fourteen years: Alfar- etta, who died when six months old; and John F., who died in infancy. The children living are as follows: Julia. Josephine, William, Grace, Alberta V., Jeannetta, Effie, Ivy, Frederick, Edgar, and Frank.
JOHN PARKER .- Superintendent of the Jasper County Infirmary Farm, John Parker is ably and satisfactorily performing the duties of the responsible position he occupies, his strong personality, great foree of character and eminent trustworthiness amply qualifying him for the office. In 1907 the state established an experimental station in Jasper county, this being the first institution of the kind established by the state, the object being to experiment in raising various crops and in soil culture. Mr. Parker was appointed superintendent of the station, and has continued to the present time.
Brought up on the home farm, John Parker was reared to habits of industry and honesty, and as a boy became familiar with the various branches of agriculture. In 1905 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Jasper county, and for two years served efficiently in that capacity. In the spring of 1907 he was appointed superintendent of the County Infirmary and farm, which position he has filled to the present time, now serving his third appointment. The farm, which is located two miles south of Carthage, contains eighty acres of productive land, forty- five acres of which are under a good state of cultivation. The land is well fenced, and is amply supplied with substantial farm buildings, the large frame house containing twenty rooms, while the barns and shed are well arranged and equipped. Mr. Parker keeps some stock, having twelve milch cows, twenty-five hogs and three horses. He is a most com- petent farmer, and is popular with the inmates of the house and with the county officials.
Mr. Parker married, in Carthage, Missouri, Lena Cross, who was born in Cedar county, Missouri, a daughter of Richard and Martha A. (Kessner) Cross, both natives of Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have two children, Nadine and Lorine, twins. Mr. Parker belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and Mrs. Parker is a member of the Christian church.
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JOHN WILLIAM WEBB .- Energetic, cool-headed and capable, J. W. Webb, of Jackson township, Jasper county, is a man of mark and of recognized worth as a citizen, his honesty being unquestioned and his character irreproachable. Taking genuine interest in local affairs, he has served acceptably in various public offices, at the present time being road supervisor of his township. A native of Indiana, he was born in 1859, in Jennings county, being one of a family of four children, two sons and two daughters. His father died in Indiana, and his mother came to Missouri with her family in 1861, locating on a farm in Lafayette county. She died in Carthage, Missouri, when but fifty-five years of age.
Brought up on the home farm, J. W. Webb obtained his early edu- cation in the common schools, later materially adding to the knowledge thus acquired by practical experience and a wise observation of men and events. He is a valued member of the Republican party, but is popular in all political circles. Mr. Webb served as deputy sheriff under Barney Parker, and in 1910 was elected constable of Jackson township. Calm and clear-headed, with a steady brain and nerve, his courage has never been doubted, and in his official capacity he served acceptably to all law-abiding people. On May 5, 1910, Mr. Webb was elected road supervisor of Jackson township, and in the care of the public highways showed such marked ability and sound judgment that the people re- elected him to the same office in February, 1911. He is a man of fine physique, in the prime of a vigorous manhood, weighing two hundred pounds, and is frank and cordial and as pleasing in his manner and address as in his personal appearance. For several years he was inter- ested in mining pursuits, for two and one-half years having been fore- man at the Beehive Mine.
Mr. Webb married, at the age of twenty-one years, in Neosho, New- ton county, Missouri, Jennie Pruitt, a native of Kansas, and to them three children have been born, namely : James Alvay, William Bailey and Mauda May Belle. Fraternally Mr. Webb is a member of the A. H. T. A.
ANDREW CLARK ALE .- Conspicuous among the foremost agricultur- ists of Preston township in Andrew C. Ale, whose fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres is advantageously located in section five, and, with its improvements and appointments, constitutes one of the most beautiful rural homes in Jasper, county. A son of the late Samuel Ale, he was born November 27, 1855, in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, near Bloomsburg, coming from substantial German ancestry.
Samuel Ale was born, of German parents, in Pennsylvania. where he spent his early life, being employed in tilling the soil. In 1878 he fol- lowed the pathway of civilization westward to Missouri, and settled with his family in Jasper county. Buying land in Marion township, he cleared and improved a homestead, on which he lived until his death, at the advanced age of four score and four years. He was a man of sterling character, and a faithful worker in the Methodist Episcopal church, towards the support of which he was a liberal contributor. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Dildine, was born in Pennsylvania, and died, at the venerable age of eighty-nine years, in Missouri. They were the parents of six children, two of whom died in Pennsylvania, while four are living, as follows: Mrs. Ruth Chilcote, of Columbia county, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, living in Marion township; Andrew Clark, of this review; and J. William, of Marion township, Jasper county.
Brought up in his native county, Andrew C. Ale received a practical education in the public schools, and in Dickinson Seminary, at Williams- port, Pennsylvania. He was early taught to work, as a boy assisting in the
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farm labors. On attaining his majority he, with his brother, formed a partnership with their father and managed the farm together, con- tinuing in company several years after locating in Jasper county. Mr. Ale has now title to three hundred and twenty acres of land in section five, Preston township, his home farm containing one hundred and sixty aeres, and as a general farmer he is meeting with most satisfactory suceess, his well-tilled fields, broad pastures and fertile meadows yield- ing him handsome returns for the labors he bestows on each. His im- provements are of the best in the community, having a well-furnished house of eight rooms, a barn thirty-six feet by sixty feet, and all the out- buildings, tools, machinery and farm implements requisite for carrying on farming after the most approved modern methods.
Mr. Ale married, at the age of twenty-eight years, Martha Post, a daughter of the late Adam Clark and Isabelle Martin Post, natives of Ohio and for many years prominent citizens of Jasper county. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, his wife, of the Baptist church. Three children have blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ale, namely : Grace, Minnie Naomi and Ruth Marguerite. Politically Mr. Ale is identified with the Democratic party. Mrs. Ale and daughters are affiliated by membership with the Methodist Episcopal church.
ALONZO ELTING .- An enterprising and progressive farmer of Madison township, Alonzo Elting is successfully engaged in his free and inde- pendent calling on section eighteen, his finely improved estate, Maple Ridge Farm, being one of the most desirable in the neighborhood, and, with its well-cultivated fields and substantial buildings, reflecting credit upon his energy and ability as a wise manager. A native of the Empire State, he was born, in 1844, in Ulster county, on the Hudson river, a son of John I. and Susan (Van Kleet) Elting, of whom a brief account may be found on another page of this volume, in connection with the sketch of Isaiah Elting, Mr. Elting's brother.
In 1855, a lad of eleven years, Alonzo Elting aecompanied his par- ents to Iowa, locating in that state before there had been a railroad built west of the Mississippi. The parents located in Howard county, which was in its pristine wildness, and the nearest market was eighty miles away. Indians were numerous, and often hostile, the massacre at Spirit Lake, in 1857, causing great fear and uneasiness among the new settlers of that region. Ere reaching manhood, Alonzo Elting had become an expert hunter and trapper, finding wild game of all kinds in the woods, on the prairies, or along the streams and lakes, and many fur-bearing animals as well. Leaving home in 1866, he came to Missouri, and in 1869 he located, with his father and family, in Madison township, Jasper county, which has since been his home. His father brought some stock with him, bringing his family and goods by teams and driving the cattle the entire distance of seven hundred miles.
Snecceding to the occupation in which he was reared, Mr. Elting be- came owner of a tract of choice land, and began its improvement by creeting a medium sized honse, hauling a part of the lumber used in its construction from Arkansas, and going forty or fifty miles away for the remainder. This house has since been replaced by a more spacious dwelling, which, with its beautiful surroundings, is a model of comfort and convenience. He now owns two farms, one of which is operated by N. A. Schooler, and is devoted to general farming and stock-raising, be- ing one of the best in the state. Mr. Elting now lives retired from active pursuits enjoying the fruits of his earlier days of toil.
Mr. Elting married, January 1, 1871, in Madison township, Susan Taylor, who was born near Springfield, Sangamon county, Illinois, a
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daughter of Edward and Lucinda (Hamlet) Taylor, natives of Kentucky and who spent their last years. at Milton, Oregon. Four sons and four daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Elting, namely : William, a United States mail clerk on the White River Railroad; John, of Car- thage, Missouri, a carpenter and contractor; Ernest, on a ranch in New Mexico; Sanford, engaged in farming in Madison township ; Mrs. Martha Mills, of Fairview, Missouri; Mrs. Daisy Le Master, of Madison town- ship; Mrs. Ethel Berry, of Deer Creek, Missouri; and Mrs. Grace Mealy, of Carthage, Missouri. Politically Mr. Elting is a stanch Democrat, and has rendered his fellow-citizens good service as a school director.
ISAIAH ELTING .- A prominent citizen of Madison township, Isaiah Elting has here been profitably engaged in agricultural pursuits for forty years, and now owns and occupies Maple Glen Farm, which is one of the most attractive of the many beautiful homesteads to be found in Jasper county. Coming to this township in 1869, he has since been active and influential in the cause of temperance, morality and needed reforms of all kinds. He was born July 15, 1833, on the banks of the Hudson, in Ulster county, New York, which was likewise the birthplace of his father, the late John I. Elting, who was of Holland ancestry.
John I. Elting, a life-long farmer, was engaged in his independent occupation in his native state until 1855, when he and his wife joined their son Isaiah in Howard county, Iowa. In 1869 he came with his son to Jasper county, Missouri, and subsequently spent his remaining years on his farm in Madison township, dying at the age of seventy-two years. He was very successful as an agriculturist, accumulating considerable property, and both he and his wife were faithful members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, and reared their children in the same faith. He married Susan Van Kleek, who was also born in Ulster county, New York, of Holland ancestors. She survived him, passing away at the venerable age of ninety-two years. Three children blessed their union, as follows : Catherine, now deceased, was the wife of H. D. Smith; Isaiah, the special subject of this brief sketch ; and Alonzo, of Madison town- ship.
Brought up on the parental homestead, Isaiah Elting was educated in the district schools, in the meantime being trained at home to habits of industry, honesty and thrift. Leaving home the year after attaining his majority, he spent a short time in northern Illinois, and then proceeded Bremer county, Iowa. A short time later, blessed with the courage and pluck that animated the pioneers of old, he walked from there to Howard county, Iowa, a distance of one hundred and thirty miles, to enter a tract of land from the Government, the land office being in Dubuque. The land which he took up was partly timber and partly prairie, and there Mr. Elting and his parents lived until 1869, when they all came to Mad- ison township, Jasper county, Missouri, to settle permanently. Laboring with characteristic enterprise and energy, Mr. Elting has since converted the raw prairie land into one of the best and most highly improved home- steads of the vicinity. He now owns two hundred acres of highly im- proved land, which he has divided into two farms, both of which have fine residences, good barns and substantial outbuildings, and are well adapted for general farming and grazing purposes. When he erected his first farm house Mr. Elting obtained a part of the material in south- western Missouri, but was forced to go to Arkansas for a part of the lum- ber used in its construction. He has seen this part of the county grow in population and wealth, and in its development and advancement has been an important factor, contributing generously to the establishment of beneficial enterprises.
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At Wabash City, Indiana, March 1, 1867, Mr. Elting was united in marriage with Charlotte M. Robison, who was born in Saratoga county New York, a daughter of James and Jane Ann (Beard) Robison, both of whom were of Scotch lineage. The father died in middle life, and his wife passed away at the advanced age of ninety-three years. One of their sons, Joel Robison, served as a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. Eight children have brightened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elting, namely : Mrs. Minnie A. Dixon; Ida May, living at home; Mrs. Cora Belle Montgomery; Frank E., of Caddo, Oklahoma; I. Dudley, of Jasper county; Charles I., living on one of the home farms; Walter Truman, who died at the age of six months; and Florence Pearl, wife of Claude Hamilton, of Jasper county. Mrs. Montgomery was a very suc- cessful school teacher before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Elting are active and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and gen- erous contributors toward its support.
WILLIAM F. LAUDERBAUGH .- A representative agriculturist of Jasper county, William F. Lauderbaugh is a well-known resident of Preston township, where his fine and well-appointed estate, the "Walnut Valley Stock Farm," gives substantial evidence of the excellent care and skill with which it is managed, presenting to the passersby a pleasing picture of quiet country life, the abode of taste and refinement, as well as of thrift and plenty. He was born March 16, 1870, in Duval township, Jasper county, Missouri, about eight miles southwest of the city of Jas- per, being a son of Isaac Lauderbaugh, of whom a brief personal record is given elsewhere in this biographical volume.
During the days of his boyhood and youth William F. Lauderbaugh acquired a good knowledge of the common branches of learning in the district schools, and was well drilled in the work of general husbandry while helping on the home farm. The toils of the field were then arduous, and seemingly endless, much of the labor-saving machinery of to-day being unknown, while telephones and rural mail service, boons to the farmer of the present time, were scarce dreamed of. Early making up his mind that farming would be the most congenial occupation that he could find, Mr. Lauderbaugh decided to invest all of the money he could accumulate in land, and in 1896 purchased his present farm of two hun- dred and ninety-two acres of rich bottom and valley land, and in its management has met with well-deserved success, his work bringing him in handsome pecuniary returns. In 1899 he began operations on the noted horse ranch belonging to Marens Daly in Montana, but after managing it successfully for two years returned to his own farm, and from its pres- ent thrifty appearance it is plainly evident that he takes pride as well as pleasure in his agricultural labors, his land being finely improved, under good cultivation, and well supplied with all of the latest approved modern machinery for facilitating the otherwise slow and tedious work of the farmer. Mr. Lauderbaugh raises some stock, keeping a consider- able number of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and finds this branch of industry a paying one.
Mr. Lauderbaugh married, in 1892, Cather Cutter, who was born in Preston township, where her parents, William and Delia (Stephenson) Cutter, were pioneer settlers, and where the mother, now seventy-five Years of age, is still living, she having survived her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Cutter were the parents of seven children, namely: John W .; Oliver; Eliza, deceased; Samuel; Cather, now Mrs. Lauderbaugh ; Mrs. Lula Ball ; and Walter. Mr. Cutter was a stanch Republican in politics, and a non-sectarian in religion, although Mrs. Cutter is a member of the Christian church. Three children have blessed the union of Mr. and
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