USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. II > Part 57
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But six years of age when he came with the family to Union town- ship, Taylor Hood grew to man's estate on the farm which he now owns and occupies, receiving his education in the pioneer schools of his day. During the Civil War he was in the employ of the Government at Spring- field, Missouri, having charge of Government teams. Succeeding to the occupation followed by his ancestors, he has been exceedingly fortunate in his operations, acquiring possession not only of Rock Springs Farm, but of a well improved farm of eighty acres in section nine, Union town- ship, where his son-in-law, Frank Hill, now resides. Rock Spring Farm contains seventy-seven acres of rich and productive land, and has im- provements of a superior character. The house, surrounded by beauti- ful forest trees, is a typical Southern dwelling, with its large, old- fashioned rooms, spacious hall, and large fireplace, an ideal place in which to entertain the pleasant parties that have ever been wont to gather here for a joyous time.
Mr. Hood married, at the age of thirty-five years, Catharine Davis, who prior to her marriage was one of Jasper county's successful and popular teachers. Mrs. Hood's father, Morgan L. Davis, was born in New York City. His father, Morgan Davis, was born in Wales and on coming to America settled in New York City and there engaged in the manufacture of pianos, at 63 Murray street, his home being at 63 Bar- clay street. He spent his last years there. He married Sophia Leonora De Lancy. She was born in Philadelphia, of French Huguenot ancestry,
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and she died in New York City. Mrs. Hood's father learned the trade of piano maker in his father's factory. He was in the Government employ as a cabinet maker at the time of the Seminole war. After the war he went to Pike county, Missouri, to settle on land his father had given him, and farmed there until 1867, when he came to Jasper county, being one of the early settlers in Union township. Here he bought land and en- gaged in farming until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Catharine Lyons, and she was born in Ripley county, Indiana, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Purcell) Lyons. To Mr. and Mrs. Davis six children were born, as follows : J. D. Davis, a prominent business man of Reeds; Lizzie, deceased, was the wife of William G. King; Josie, wife of W. K. Eells, of Union township ; Mrs. Hood; Emma, wife of Thomas A. Rover, of Union township; and Lida, wife of Henry Marquiss, of Col- orado. Leonora, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Hood, married Frank Hill, and they are the parents of four children, namely : Lou, Clifford, Lloyd and Blynn.
Prominent in public affairs, Mr. Hood has served in several township offices, and as a Populist was delegate to the Populist State Convention in 1896. Fraternally he is a member, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his wife are sincere Christian people, noted for their benevolent spirit and generous hospitality.
M. F. VIERNOW .- A man of much intelligence, possessing excellent judgment. firm in his convictions regarding right and wrong, M. F. Viernow, of Carthage, Missouri, is rendering his fellow-citizens appree- iated service as justice of the peace, an office for which he is amply qual- ified, his decisions being invariably just and impartial, his aim being to give every man a square deal. He was born on an island in the Baltie Sea, in the province of Pomerania, Prussia, June 20, 1851, and is of honored Prussian ancestry, his Grandfather Viernow having held posi- tions of prominence in the Prussian government.
ITis father, G. M. Viernow, spent his earlier years in the Government service. for some time being located on an island in the Baltic Sea, devel- oping a rugged constitution and a fine physique in the elear, pure atmos- phere of the short summers and long cold winters of his island home. In 1866 he came with his wife, whose maiden name was Christina Marrs, to Missouri, locating at Saint Louis, where he worked at the carpenter's trade until his retirement from active pursuits. There he spent his last days, passing away at the venerable age of eighty-three years, in 1894. His wife preceded him to the better world, dying at the age of sixty-seven years. Both were true Christian people and valued members of the Lutheran church. They were the parents of three children, namely : G. M., of Saint Louis, Missouri, a well-known contractor; Theodore, who died in Saint Louis; and M. F.
M. F. Viernow came with the family to Missouri a quarter of a cent- ury ago, and immediately located in Carthage, where he soon acquired note as a pioneer in the development and promotion of the stone industry. Hle organized a company to assist in the work, and in the course of a few years had built up a large and prfitable business as a stone worker and dealer.
Mr. Viernow has long been prominent in political, fraternal and social circles. In November, 1910, he was elected justice of the peace for a term of four years, and is performing the duties devolving upon him in this capacity with credit to himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He has rendered excellent service in the City Council, and has been a delegate to various county conventions. Fraternally Mr. Viernow is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons, and has served as an officer in the lodge, the chapter and the command-
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ery. He also belongs to the Royal Arcanum and is the present regent, a position he has filled several times, and to Carthage Lodge, No. 171, I. O. O. F., and has passed through all the various offices of the lodge.
Judge Viernow married, in 1875, Mary Roether, who was born at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where her parents settled on coming from Germany to the United States. Three children have blessed their union, namely : Mayme L., a parlor milliner in Joplin, Jasper county ; Katie, wife of C. A. Chenoeth, of Denver, Colorado; and Morris F., engaged in the stone business at Carthage. Since 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Viernow have occupied their pleasant home at No. 409 South Garrison avenue, Car- thage, where they gladly welcome their many friends and acquaintances, its latch-string being ever out.
WILLIAM J. DODSON .- A prominent and well-known citizen of Jasper county, W. J. Dodson is prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits on one of the most desirable homesteads in Union township. It has a fine location in section twenty-seven, and, with its comfortable and conven- ient set of buildings, and their neat and tasteful surroundings, is very attractive and plainly indicates to the passerby the good use which the proprietor has made of his time and means. Mr. Dodson was born on the farm where he now lives, April 14, 1863, being the posthumous child of William H. Dodson.
William H. Dodson was born in Maury county, Tennessee, and there grew to manhood. Subsequently migrating to Missouri, he settled in Union township, and was here engaged in tilling the soil until after the breaking out of the Civil War. He then enlisted in the Confederate Army, and was killed at the battle of Jenkins Ferry, in Arkansas. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Whittaker, was born in Tennessee, a daughter of Robert Whittaker. She survived her husband fourteen years, dying on the home farm in Union township, leaving four children, as follows: Lavina, wife of Thomas Haram, of Sarcoxie, Missouri ; Mrs. Martha Hood, deceased ; Francis, deceased ; and William J., with whom this brief sketch is chiefly concerned.
Left an orphan at the age of fourteen years, W. J. Dodson found a good home with his cousin, T. A. Dodson. He succeeded to the owner- ship of the farm of his maternal grandfather, and after his marriage lived for a while on a farm he now owns, nearby. Otherwise he has oc- cupied the homestead formerly owned by his maternal grandfather, known as Corner Grove Farm. He has erected all the buildings now on the farm, and his present fine dwelling house of eight rooms is well and tastefully furnished, and has a good blue grass lawn and is shaded by forest trees. He has a large barn and other necessary farm buildings. His land is rich and fertile, and two large ponds furnish water for his stock. His farm is one of the best in the township, yielding readily to cultivation, each year producing abundant harvests.
When twenty-two years of age Mr. Dodson was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Emma Lee Blevans, a daughter of Rev. L. A. and Rosa (Norfleet) Blevans, natives of Kentucky and now residents of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Blevans being a well known minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Mrs. Dodson, who was a woman of rare personal worth, passed to the higher life July 8, 1904, at the com- paratively early age of thirty-nine years, leaving six children, namely : Frank L., of Oswego, Kansas; Rosa F .; Arch H .; Winnie S .; William Karl; and Allen C. Mr. Dodson is a member of lodge No. 172, A. H. T. A., and belongs to the Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Dodson was also a faithful member.
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FRANK J. FINN .- An able representative of the horticultural and floricultural interests of Jasper county, Frank J. Finn is a valued resident of Carthage, where he has a large and finely-equipped greenhouse, well filled with a choice selection of plants, roots and bulbs, of both foreign and domestic culture. He was born in Carthage twenty-eight years ago, and has here spent his life, since attaining manhood having, as oppor- tunity occurred, aided in every possible way the advancement and growth of town and county.
His father, Perry Finn, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1841, lo- cated in Carthage, Missouri, in 1888. In 1893 he established the business now conducted by his son Frank, and from that time until his death, at the age of sixty-five years, in 1906, was the leading florist of this part of Jasper county. He was a loyal supporter of the principles of the Re- publican party, and a valued member of the Christian church. He married Ella B. Leonard, a woman of refinement and who was held in high estimation by her large circle of friends and neighbors.
Completing the course of study in the Carthage public schools, Frank J. Finn began assisting his father, and ere many years has passed was well versed in the culture of plants, flowers, roots and bulbs, and at the death of his father succeeded to the business, which he is conducting with characteristic success. He is a man of good business ability and judg- ment, and this, combined with his close application to his favorite in- dustry, has placed him among the foremost nursery men of the com- munity. His large greenhouse, in which there are twenty-five thousand square feet, is up to date in all respects, its equipments being of the most approved modern style as regards utility and convenience. Mr. Finn is well patronized, having through his enterprise, energy and accommo- dating spirit, built up an extensive trade, his holiday and funeral orders being very large.
Mr. Finn married, when but nineteen years old, Alta De Graff, who was born, reared and educated in Joplin, Missouri. Her father, Oscar De Graff, a prominent mining man of Joplin, is a thirty-second degree Mason, and is both a Knight Templar and a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. De Graff married Margaret Thornton, and they are the parents of nine children, three sons and six daughters. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Four children have brightened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Finn, namely : Oscar Perry, Richard William, Nina Lorain and Ruth Helen. In his political affiliations Mr. Finn is a sound Republican, having never swerved from the principles in which he was reared. He is a member of Carthage Camp, No. 3340, M. W. A., and both he and his wife are held in high respect by all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance.
LEMUEL PRENTISS RALSTON .- A splendid representative of the native- born citizens of Union township, Jasper county, and one of its most in- dustrious and progressive agriculturists, Lemuel Prentiss Ralston is actively engaged in his independent occupation in section fourteen, own- ing and occupying "Lone Cedar Farm," which obtained its name from the one, lone cedar tree standing on the lawn in front of his residence. He was born August 26, 1861, a son of W. P. Ralston, on what is now known as the Jordan farm. His grandfather, Nathan Ralston, a native of Virginia, married L. C. Kelley a maiden from North Carolina, and after living for a while in Illinois came to Missouri, locating with their family in Jasper county in 1837.
W. P. Ralston was born, seventy-five years ago, in Springfield, Illinois, and as a child was brought by his parents to this part of Missouri. He was a farmer by occupation, and is now one of the honored and respected
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citizens of Union township. He married in early manhood Meecy Whittaker, who was born in Tennessee. She died at the early age of twenty-six years, leaving two children, namely: Lemuel P., the special subject of this brief biographical record; and Robert N., of Sarcoxie.
After the death of his mother, Lemuel P. Ralston lived for a number of years with his paternal grandmother, who cared for him tenderly, giving him a mother's love and attention and retaining her interest in him and his affairs until her death, at the venerable age of ninety-one years. In 1897 Mr. Ralston bought of his father Lone Cedar Farm, which is one of the best improved and most productive estates in the township, while its improvements are of an excellent character. He has a large house, containing ten rooms, with good porches, a roomy and con- veniently arranged barn, a well-kept orchard, and a fine grove not far from the house. Hs is an exceedingly skillful agriculturist, and is in all respects a valuable citizen of the township, fulfilling his duties as such with fidelity.
Mr. Ralston married, November 7, 1883, Delia Batten, who was born in Cooper county, Missouri, but was reared and educated in Jasper county. Her father, John Batten, was born in Virginia and died in Reeds, Missouri, in 1906, aged eighty-one years, while his wife, whose maiden name was Statia Greenvill, was born in Kentucky, and is now living with Mr. and Mrs. Ralston, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Ralston are the parents of seven children, namely : Ralph N., Mrs. Lnla V. Me Vey, Meecy, Paul P., Philip H., Clyde A., and Frank A. Fraternally Mr. Ralston is a member of Pleasant Grove Lodge, No. 178. A. H. T. A., and religiously he and his wife belong to the United Brethren Church.
JACOB HAMILTON ULMER .- Among the enterprising and self-reliant men who are ably conducting the farming interests of Madison township, one of Jasper county's richest agricultural regions, is Jacob Hamilton Ulmer, a fine representative not only of the practical and progressive farmers of the county, but of the self-made men of the state. A son of the late Jacob Hamilton Ulmer, Sr., he was born September 20, 1857, in Worth county, Missouri, coming on the paternal side of honest and thrifty German ancestry.
Born in Indiana, Jacob H. Ulmer, Sr., was brought up on a farm, and was there engaged in cultivating the soil during his earlier years. Soon after attaining his majority he migrated to northern Missouri, and lived for a number of years in Worth county, not far from Allendale. Coming to Jasper county during the sixties, he first purchased forty acres of land in Madison township, and, being quite successful in its manage- ment, subsequently bought an adjoining traet, becoming the owner of eighty-one and one-fourth acres of good land, on which he continued as a tiller of the soil until his death, at the age of sixty-three years. He was a man of sterling worth, highly respected throughout the community. In politics he affiliated with the Democratic party, and in religion both he and his wife belonged to the Christian Church. Fraternally he stood very high in the Masonic Order, and frequently represented his lodge at the meetings of the Grand Lodge. His wife, whose maiden name was Lneinda Vaughn, was born in Indiana, and died, at the age of forty-five years, in Missouri. The children born of their union were as follows: George Cleveland, Jaeoh H., Jr., (with whom this sketch is chiefly con- cerned). Newton Jasper, Nancy Malinda, Henrietta, William S. and Callie. Two of these children are residents of Carthage, and one lives in MeDonald township.
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Becoming familiar with the various branches of agriculture when a boy, Jacob Hamilton Ulmer began life on his own account as a farm laborer, working by the month. Industrious, persevering and saving, he accumulated some money through his own unaided efforts, and subse- quently purchased the interests of the remaining heirs in the parental homestead, where he is now living. With characteristic enterprise and thrift Mr. Ulmer put modern improvements on the place, rendering it one of the best in the neighborhood. The house, which is fourteen feet by twenty-eight feet, with an L fourteen feet by sixteen feet, is pleas- antly located, and surrounded by a spacious lawn ornamented with shade trees and shrubs, presenting a pleasing picture of rural comfort. The barn, which is of modern construction, is forty feet by ninety feet, with sixteen feet posts, besides which he has ample shed room, three large sheet iron tanks and a commodious cement tank into which water is forced by power from a large windmill.
Mr. Ulmer makes a specialty of raising high grade stock, having his farm fenced off into fields and pastures for that purpose. He keeps Jersey hogs of a good grade, and raises Percheron horses, having a regis- tered Percheron stallion weighing eighteen hundred pounds, a magnif- icent animal, and in the breeding and raising of horses, hogs and cattle, as in general farming, he is exceedingly prosperous. Mr. Ulmer is free from domestic cares and tribulations, having never sailed the seas of matrimony to find for himself whether the necessary waves be smooth or troubled.
R. F. MOORE .- Prominent among the men who have been especially active in advancing the industrial interests of Jasper county is R. F. Moore, of Carthage, whose mechanical ingenuity and ability have placed him among the most skilful and successful blacksmiths of this section of the state. Industrious, energetic and progressive, he is an expert at his trade, using all of the most approved modern methods of carrying on his work, and making a specialty of horse-shoeing, in which he is an expert. A native of Missouri, he was born in October, 1881, in Boonville, and is, as the Quakers would say, a "birthright" mechanie, having inherited to a marked degree the mechanical talents and tastes of his father, the late Henry Moore.
Henry Moore was born, reared and educated in Kentucky, coming from a family long honored and respected for its many virtues. Possess- ing great mechanical ability and genius, he became an expert worker in iron and steel, and for many years followed the blacksmith's trade in Fast Saint Louis, Illinois, where his death occurred while he was yet in the prime of life. He was patriotic and public spirited, during the Civil war serving as a soldier in the Union army. His wife also spent her last days in East Saint Louis, Illinois.
R. F. Moore was educated in the public schools of Boonville, Missouri, and of East Saint Louis, Illinois, acquiring a practical knowledge that has been of inestimable value to him in his work. As a youth he paid much attention to the development of his native tastes, and while serving an apprenticeship with his brother, Harry Moore, learned all the de- tails of general blacksmithing and horse-shoeing. Subsequently locat- ing in Carthage, Missouri, Mr. Moore has since followed his trade most successfully, being now one of the most efficient and popular blacksmiths of this part of the county, and having the most modernly equipped and up-to-date general blacksmith and horse-shoeing shops in the city, both being located on East Central avenue, on opposite sides of the thorough- fare, one being devoted to the shoeing of horses and the other to gen- eral blacksmithing and repair work. Mr. Moore keeps three expert
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workmen constantly busy, all being artists in their particular line of trade, and he has built up an exceedingly remmerative patronage. A man of good character and great business ability, he has won success by his thorough mastery of his calling, fidelity to his trusts, and his hon- est dealings with all with whom he comes in contact; and the respect in which he is held by all gives evidence of his upright and manly life.
Mr. Moore married, at the age of twenty-nine years, Miss Edith Moore, who was born in Barton county, Missouri, a daughter of T. W. and Lillie Moore.
FRANK L. RITCHHART .- A man of good business capacity, enterprise and intelligence, Frank L. Ritchhart is actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in section 14, Madison township, where he owns one hundred acres of choice and valuable land, his estate, Arbordale Farm, being one of the best in the vicinity, and reflecting credit on his good judgment and ability as a farmer. One of a family of nine children born to Wesley and Mary (Waggoner) Ritchhart, his birth occurred in 1873, in Ham- ilton county, Indiana. His father, a native of Indiana, served during the Civil war as a soldier in an Indiana regiment, and is now living, with his wife, in Carthage, Missouri. A brief sketch of him may be found on another page of this work.
Succeeding to the occupation of his immediate ancestors, Frank L. Ritchhart has been a tiller of the soil during his active career. Since assuming possession of Arbordale Farm he has skillfully devoted his en- ergies to its care, making substantial and essential improvements, so that it now compares most favorably with any in the township. He has a good house of seven rooms, and on the spacious lawn surrounding it are beautiful maples and an attractive arbor of trees, from which the estate receives its name, and which enhances not only the value but the beauty of the place.
Mr. Ritchhart married, at the age of twenty-four years, Ada Carr, who was born in Madison township, a daughter of William W. and Martha (Arrington ) Carr and a sister of Mrs. A. E. Ritchhart. Mr. Carr served two years as a soldier in the Civil war, taking part in many engagements with the enemy, and subsequently resided on a farm in Madison township until his death, at the age of seventy-three years. He was a man of honest integrity and a faithful member of the Church of God. Mrs. Carr, now three score and ten years of age, still occupies the Carr homestead. She reared eight children, namely : Mrs. Emma Lair; William H .; Mrs. Anna Baker; Mrs. Clara Ulmer; Mrs. A. E. Ritchhart; Mrs. Cannie Barnhart; Ada, wife of Mr. Ritchhart; and Frank Carr.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ritchhart, namely : Edna Mamie, Fern (who lived but nine short months), Lester C. and Bernice A. In his political affiliations Mr. Ritchhart is a stanch Re- publican. Religiously Mrs. Ritchhart is a member of the Church of God.
ALVIN E. RITCHHART .- Occupying a substantial position among the keen, energetic and progressive farmers of Madison township is A. E. Ritchhart, proprietor of Maple Hill Farm, one of the beautiful rural estates of this part of Jasper county. A native of Indiana, he was born in 1870, in Hamilton county, being one of a family of nine sons born to Wesley and Mary ( Waggoner) Ritchhart, who are now living in Carth- age, Missouri, and of whom a brief account appears elsewhere in this volume.
But a child when the family located in Jasper county, Alvin E.
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Ritchhart acquired his early education in the district schools, and on the home farm obtained a practical knowledge of the various branches of industry. Choosing for his life work the independent occupation to which he was bred, Mr. Ritchhart has been fortunate in his undertak- ings. In 1906 he bought from J. L. Starr his present farm of one hun- dred and twenty acres, which is rich and productive, yielding, under his skillful management, a good annual income. His land is well eul- tivated and well improved, being furnished with an excellent set of farm buildings, and plenty of machinery of the latest approved kinds to successfully carry on his work. Mr. Ritehhart is a Republican in politics, and although he is not an office seeker he has rendered good serv- ice on the local school board. He is a model farmer in every sense of the term, and is held in high esteem by his associates and townspeople.
Mr. Ritchhart was united in marriage, in March, 1891, with Hattie May Carr, who was born, bred and educated in Jasper county, her father, W. W. Carr, having been an early settler of Madison township. Mr. Carr served for two years in a Missouri regiment during the Civil war, after which he settled in Madison township, where he carried on general farming until his death, at the age of seventy-three years. He married Martha Arrington, who was born in Indiana and is now living on the old Carr homestead in Madison township. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Carr, as follows: Mrs. Emma Lair; William H .; Mrs. Anna Baker; Mrs. Clara Ulmer; Hattie May, wife of the subject of our sketch : Mrs. Cannie Barnhart; Mrs. Ada Ritchhart, wife of F. L. Ritchhart ; and Frank Carr.
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