A history of northwest Missouri, Volume III, Part 38

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935 editor
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 912

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Mr. Baldwin was married May 20, 1886, to Miss Hattie Robins, a daughter of John Robins, an old pioneer of Linn County, Iowa, where Mrs. Baldwin was born in 1868. There were four children in the Robins family, namely : Mrs. Baldwin; Will; Libbie, the wife of Bert Pletcher ; and Ella, the wife of L. Roberts. Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin have one child : Marie, who is the wife of Will Ross, the latter the active farmer of the Will C. Baldwin homestead.

Mr. Baldwin is a republican in politics, but has held no public office. . He is a valued and popular member of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past grand. His religious con- nection is with the Martinsville Presbyterian Church, and for several years has served as elder. The Farmers Insurance Company of Harrison County, of which Mr. Baldwin is president, was organized in 1897, at which time he became a member of the board of directors. He was made president of this institution'in 1912, and has represented it in the con- ventions of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association of Missouri on various annual occasions. He has written business for this company for the west half of Harrison County since the time of its organization.

ROBERT RUSSELL. A Holt County citizen whose enterprise is ex- hibited in the ownership of a fine farm in Liberty Township, which repre- sents the accumulations of his active experience, Robert Russell is a native of Holt County, and represents one of the pioneers of this section of Missouri.

He was born at Oregon, Missouri, December 9, 1858, a son of R. H. and Mary (Crowley) Russell. He was one of a family of seven children, and after the death of his mother, his father married Susan Bishop, and there were three children by that union. R. H. Russell came to Missouri from Miami County, Ohio, and founded a home in Holt County when it was just emerging from the wilderness.

Robert Russell married Bettie Cottrell. They were married in Oregon, where Mrs. Russell was born, a daughter of John and Matilda (Kennedy) Cottrell. Mrs. Russell had one sister and one brother, and after her mother's death her father was again married and had a child by the second wife. Mr. and Mrs. Russell are the parents of two children, both of whom were born in Holt County. Their names are Leila and Cleve. The son married Ruth Vance, and has one child, Marcell.

After his marriage Mr. Russell began to provide a living for his family by working for others, and some years later settled on a farm of his own two miles east of Oregon. He cleared it up and did some improvement, then sold at an advantage, and continued buying and selling and im- proving land until he located on his present farm in 1901. Previously

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he and his family had spent two years in California. The present Russell farm in Liberty Township comprises 120 acres, and practically all its improvements represent the management of Mr. Russell. Mr. Russell has served on the school board of Holt County, and in politics is a democrat.

WILLIAM HENRY WINNINGHAM, M. D. Many of the men in the med- ical profession today are devoting themselves in a large measure to the prevention of disease as well as its cure. In this way their efficiency as benefactors has extended much beyond the scope of the old-fashioned practice when the doctor was related to his patients only as an individual. One of the ablest representatives of this type of modern physician, who has enjoyed special prestige as a physician and surgeon, is Dr. Wil- liam H. Winningham of Trenton. Doctor Winningham for the past two years has served as city and county physician, and is a man of broad attainments and has given much practical service to the community through his professional work. He comes of an old Northwest Mis- souri family, and its members have been prominent in the professions and in business and public affairs.

William Henry Winningham was born in Harrison County, Missouri. His father, Isam Winningham, was born in the same county in 1844. Grandfather John Winningham was a native of Kentucky, came to Missouri and after a short residence in Boone County moved to Har- rison County, where he was one of the pioneers. He entered land from the Government about two miles northeast of the present site of Bethany. Possessing means and exceptional enterprise, in 1849 he fitted out a train of ox teams and made the overland journey to California. In that state he disposed of his teams and other merchandise, and re- turned east by sea around Cape Horn. Subsequently he ventured twice more into the wilds of the West. On the third trip he loaded his wagons with bacon and boots, much in demand among the mining population of California. Arriving there he disposed of his goods at a profit, but lost his life while returning home. His wife, whose maiden name was Melinda Boyd, was left a widow with seven young children, and had considerable trouble to keep them all together and give each a substantial education and training for life. She spent her last days in Gentry County. Her children were: Charles, Isam, Frank, Sharpe, Julia, May and Sarah. Charles lost his life while a soldier in the Confederate army; Frank embraced the profession of medicine and for upwards of half a century practiced in Harrison County. Sharpe is still a substantial farmer of Harrison County. Julia married William Buzzard and lives at Cedar Edge, Colorado. Sarah died unmarried, and Mary married Dr. F. M. Burgin, who for about fifty years was a physician in Harrison County.

Isam Winningham grew up in Harrison County, was a young man when the war broke out, and at the age of seventeen enlisted for service in the Confederate army, his and his family's sympathies having been with the South. He fought under General Price in the important cam- paign in Southwestern Missouri and Northwestern Arkansas and was severely wounded at Pea Ridge, the culminating battle of that campaign. After a few weeks he recovered and with that exception fought with his command through all its campaigns and battles until the close of the war. Returning home he resumed farming at the old homestead, and in 1880 moved to Albany, where he was engaged in the hardware trade until 1900. Selling out, he then continued his business enterprise, although at a good old age, and at Edinburg operated a feed mill until his death in 1904. His life was terminated through the explosion of a boiler in his mill, and thus both grandfather and father of Doctor Winningham

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lost their lives while in the active work of their careers. Isam Winning- ham was married in Benton County, Arkansas, to Nannie Neill. She was born at Nashville, Tennessee, and her father, John Neill, moved to Arkansas in 1851. He brought his family with him and with teams and wagons penetrated the wilds of Northwest Arkansas and established a pioneer home in Benton County. Benton County was then and for many years afterwards located on the frontier, there was no railroad within a hundred miles, and Nannie Neill was thus reared in the midst of pioneer surroundings. Benton County was in the direct path of the important campaign of the early Civil war which terminated in the battle of Pea Ridge, and Nannie Neill met her future husband while he was fighting under General Price, and they were married some time during the prog- ress of the war. She is still living, her home at Edinburg, and has reared four children : William Henry, May, wife of C. S. Horr, of Kansas City ; Katie, wife of David Witten; and Amie, wife of Charles Warner.

Doctor Winningham received his early education in the country schools and subsequently attended the Albany High School and the Stan- berry Normal. When he was nineteen years old he taught his first term, and had already determined upon medicine as his profession. He began the study of medicine with Dr. G. F. Peery of Albany, and subsequently entered Marion Sims Medical College, now the medical department of the St. Louis University. He graduated M. D. March 23, 1893. His initial practice was in Albany, and in 1893 he moved to Edinburg and in 1905 established his office at Trenton. Doctor Winningham has never been content to fall into a rut in practice, and has been a constant student and a close observer ever since beginning practice. In 1901 he took post- graduate work in the Chicago Polyclinic, and in 1904 did further work in St. Louis and several times since then has absented himself from his local business long enough to enjoy the opportunities of the larger cities and hospitals.

In August, 1895, Doctor Winningham married Miss Nannie Floyd Witten, who was born in Daviess County, Missouri, a daughter of William and Pamelia Witten. Mrs. Winningham died in 1899, and left two daughters, Elizabeth and Helen. Elizabeth died when fourteen years old, and Helen is now a student in the Trenton High School. Doctor Win- ningham has membership in the Grundy County and Missouri State Medical societies and the American Medical Association. Fraternally he is affiliated with Trenton Lodge No. 111, A. F. & A. M .; Royal Arch Chapter No. 66 at Trenton; and Godfrey de Bouillon Commandery No. 24, Knights Templars. He is also affiliated with Lodge No. 801 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, with the Knights of the Mac- cabees and with Edinburg Lodge No. 394, I. O. O. F. Doctor Winningham has served as city and county physician for the past two years, and has done much to safeguard public health and improve the public knowledge and practice of sanitation in this community.

GODFREY MARTI. A resident of Holt County for thirty years, Godfrey Marti is the owner of a large and finely improved farm near Mound City. His career has encouragement for young men who start without resources except those contained in themselves. Mr. Marti was foreign born, came to this country in young manhood, had no capital, and began his career as a renter, steadily prospered and thriftily turned his surplus into more land, until he now finds himself independent and with ample provision for the future of himself and family.

Godfrey Marti was born in Switzerland May 15, 1864, a son of John and Rose (Schorer) Marti. The parents were born and married in Switzerland, and after seven children were born to them, six daughters

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and one son, they all emigrated to America in 1883. They came directly to Northwest Missouri, settling in Holt County. The father died in Holt County in 1909, and the mother is now seventy-two years of age and living with a daughter in Wisconsin. Both parents were members of the German Methodist Church, and the father now rests in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Godfrey Marti had a limited education, and learned the English language after coming to America. Hard work constituted the lever by which he elevated himself into prosperity. For several months after reaching Northwest Missouri he worked as a laborer for others, and then for two years was a renter. With such means and credit as he could acquire, he bought a small piece of land, and has kept adding in small amounts until his present farm comprises 300 acres. His original pur- chase consisted of 120 acres in section 6 of Liberty Township. It was considered an improved farm, though the improvements were poor as compared with those at present. The old house burned down, and Mr. Marti has replaced it with a comfortable modern dwelling, and has also erected a good barn.

Mr. Marti married Mary Schneider, daughter of George Schneider. They are the parents of five children: John, Frances, Anna, Herman and. Lester, all of whom were born on the Marti farm. Mr. Marti and family are members of the German Methodist Church, and in politics he is a republican, the same party with which his father affiliated.

J. E. WARD. Long known as an enterprising and successful farmer in Holt County, J. E. Ward came to this section of Northwest Missouri about thirty-five years ago, and has since been identified with the com- munity about Mound City and vicinity. Mr. Ward in early life had to struggle hard for what he got, and since coming to Northwest Missouri has found ample reward for his industry, and is one of the men of sub- stantial influence in Holt County.

J. E. Ward was born in Parke County, Indiana, September 24, 1848, a son of John E. and Margaret (Mulhallen) Ward. The parents were married in Western Indiana, where the father was a blacksmith. Seven children comprised the family, and three of them are now deceased. When J. E. Ward was nine years of age the father died, and the family was thus left without a head, and the children had to bear an important share in the supporting activities. They had previously moved to Pervia and from there went to Marshall County, Illinois, where the father died. The family then moved out on the prairie thirteen miles east of Lacon, Illinois, the county seat of Marshall County, and remained there until 1879. J. E. Ward began work there as soon as his strength permitted. His education came from the local schools, and as a boy he was hired out to others and had a thorough experience as a farm workman. The little homestead in Illinois on which the family lived comprised eighty acres. Mr. Ward lived there until about 1879 and after selling the Illinois land came to Northwest Missouri.

Mr. Ward has 240 acres in Holt County, and when he first settled on it, it had no improvements. His mother lived with him until her death. Mr. Ward married Catherine Cottier, daughter of Thomas Cottier, one of the oldest and best known early settlers of Holt County. To their union have been born five children: Walter D., born January 5, 1883; Thomas C., born February 8, 1885 ; Minerva, born July 25, 1890; Clifford G., born October 18, 1893; and Harold C., born January 12, 1896. All the children were born in Holt County, received their education in the local schools, and are now useful members of society. At the time of their marriage Mrs. Ward's father gave them 120 acres of land,

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unimproved, on which they located and improved the same, also adding to it another 120 acres. All the improvements have been made by Mr. Ward. In 1913 his house of seven rooms and contents burned to the ground, causing a loss of about four thousand dollars, with small insur- ance. But the same year he rebuilt his present residence at a cost of about thirty-five hundred dollars, a modern house of nine rooms.

The family worship in the Christian Church. Mr. Ward has taken an active part in local affairs, for a number of years has served on the school board, and while originally a republican in politics, with his father a whig voter before him, has recently become a democrat.

JOHN G. FRIES. The great Empire State has contributed in large degree to the citizenship of Northwest Missouri, and those who claim New York as the place of their birth have, as a rule, been found to be men of industry, ability and energetic nature. All, however, have not met with the success that has attended the efforts of John G. Fries, who is accounted one of the leading farmers of Holt County, and the owner of 250 acres of land in Benton Township. When he first came to Northwest Missouri, Mr. Fries was possessed of little save his native industry and determina- tion, but through intelligent and well-directed effort he has steadily ad- vanced himself to a position of substantiality among the men of his adopted community.

John G. Fries was born November 14, 1850, at Callicoon, Sullivan County, New York, and is a son of George and Minnie Fries, natives of Germany. The parents of Mr. Fries emigrated to the United States and were married in New York. They settled at Callicoon, New York, where the rest of their lives was passed in the pursuits of the soil. One of a family of eleven children, John G. Fries secured a common school educa- tion in his native state and grew up amid agricultural surroundings, so that it was but natural that he should adopt farming as his life work. He was still a young man when, with his brothers, he sought the broader opportunities of the West, coming to Northwest Missouri and settling in Holt County, near the Village of Oregon. The brothers settled on a tract of 250 acres of raw land, on which there had been made no im- provements, and through hard and industrious labor converted it into a valuable and productive property. Later their interests were divided and John G. Fries went to Atchison County, Missouri, where he pur- chased a modest property and as the years passed added to it from time to time until he had a large and valuable farm, on which he made many improvements. He eventually became satisfied that Holt County offered a better field for his labors, and in 1913 he returned to this county, taking up his residence in Benton Township, not far from Mound City. Here he has continued to be engaged in general farming and feeding stock, and through good management, a thorough knowledge of modern agricultural methods and tireless perseverance, has put 250 acres of land under a high state of cultivation and is accounted one of his community's substantial men. He has made many improvements of an up-to-date character and his farm reflects his industry and ability, his buildings are commodious and substantial, and his stock well fed and content. He has 340 acres of land in Dale Township, Atchison County, Missouri, in addition to his 250 in Holt County, and is a general farmer and stock raiser. His busi- ness ability has enabled Mr. Fries to secure the best of prices in the local markets for his product, and those who have had business transactions with him know him as a strictly reliable and honorable man of business. While he is not a politician, he takes a keen interest in those things which affect the welfare of his community, and may be counted upon to support good and beneficial movements.

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Mr. Fries was married to Miss Rosa Brown, who was born in Henry County, Indiana, a daughter of Isaac Brown, their union being solem- nized October 11, 1884. Mr. Brown was one of Henry County's promi- nent citizens, serving as justice of the peace and township trustee for a number of years, and was the father of three daughters and four sons. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fries, all in Atchison County, namely : Sarah Sylvia, Mammie N., John J. and Lawrence. Mrs. Fries is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, like her husband, is widely and favorably known in Benton Township.

DAVID F. ROMINE. A worthy representative of a sturdy pioneer family of Holt County, Missouri, is found in the person of David F. Romine, who is now carrying on successful agricultural operations on the old homestead place in Bigelow (now Minton) Township. Here he has spent his entire career, and while he is still in the prime of man- hood, he has witnessed some remarkable changes and developments in this agricultural region. Mr. Romine was born on the farm on which he now resides, February 20, 1872, and is a son of George and Mar- guerite (Martin) Romine.

George Romine was born of honorable parents who were in modest financial circumstances, and during his boyhood was forced to undergo numerous hardships and to give up many of the pleasures which the average American youth considers his birthright. Reared in a farming community, he labored in the fields and secured such educational ad- vantages as the district schools afforded in the winter months, and thus continued until the outbreak of the Civil war aroused his patriotism and he enlisted for service as a private in an Indiana regiment of volunteers. When the war had closed, spent with his long and arduous service, Mr. Romine looked for a field in which his labors might bear fruit, and eventually deciding upon Missouri as a promising locality, came to this state in 1866 and settled on an unimproved farm in Holt County. Here, with his young wife, he resolutely set to work to conquer the unpromising conditions. The first shelter for the family was a one-room cabin, the one room serving as dining-room, living-room and bedroom, to which a small lean-to kitchen was later added, which, to the mind of the young mother, made this a most wonderful home. The energetic and industrious labors of the couple soon were rewarded, however, and a more pretentious residence was built, this being followed by various other buildings, each erected according to the increase in the owner's prosperity. A man of exceptional native talent, George Romine was not alone able to improve and cultivate his farm and to place himself as a substantial citizen among the farmers of Bigelow Township, but found the time and the inclination to assist in movements for the public welfare, and never refused his support to those enterprises which his judgment told him were for the general good. During his lifetime he accumulated 320 acres of valuable land, all through his own unaided efforts, and this was gained through the most honorable dealing, so that no person of his community had aught but well to say of him. When he died, at the age of fifty-six years, Bigelow Township lost one of its best and most public- spirited men. A republican in politics, he was not a seeker for public preferment, but for twenty years rendered most valuable service as a member of the school board. He had put in his application for entrance into Masonry, but died just prior to taking his degree. Mr. Romine was married in Washington County, Missouri, to Miss Marguerite Martin, who survives him, and they became the parents of four children : Cora, who became the wife of John Scott; Charley, who is deceased; one child who died in infancy ; and David F.

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David F. Romine attended the public schools of Bigelow Township, and has passed his entire career on the property which he now occupies. He has continued the work commenced by his father, and through an intelligent use of modern methods has been able to achieve a gratifying success. His farm presents an attractive appearance, the house being painted white, while the barns and outbuildings are red, and everything about the place denotes the presence of able management. . Mr. Romine is a republican, but is a modest and unassuming man and has not sought the doubtful honors to be found in the political arena.

Mr. Romine married Miss Ida Hutchinson, daughter of A. C. Hutchin- son, of Holt County. They have no children.

R. C. BROWNLEE. The Bank of Fortescue, though recently estab- lished, has already made a record for the successful handling of finances and through the personnel of its officers and directors has furnished a substantial service to the business community in that section of Holt County. The bank opened its doors for business in July, 1914, and occupies a small frame building near the depot. The executive officers and directors of the institution are as follows: A. W. Van Camp, presi- dent; John E. Slater, vice president; R. C. Brownlee, cashier; George W. Hinkle, J. F. Iden, George H. Minton, J. E. Alkire. Mr. Van Camp, the president, has long been one of the substantial business men in the vicinity of Fortescue, is a large owner of farm property, and was actively engaged in farming, and has served as county judge. The bank was organized under a state charter, with a capital of $10,000. It offers a general banking service to the community.

R. C. Brownlee, the cashier, has active charge of the institution, and has lived in Fortescue since the bank started. Mr. Brownlee comes from Horton, Kansas, where he was born and educated, and was a student for a time in the University of Kansas. Mr. Brownlee gained his ex- perience as a banker at the Bank of Horton, and his father, John W. Brownlee, is a farmer and president of the Horton Bank. R. C. Brown- lee married Maud L. Clem, daughter of Daniel Clem of Horton. Mr. Brownlee is affiliated with the Masonic order at Horton, Kansas.

JOHN F. IDEN. A resident of Holt County nearly fifty years since early childhood, John F. Iden has the material accumulations and in- terests of the thoroughly successful man of affairs. In his early years he went through all the arduous toil necessary to clear off the forest and prepare the land for cultivation, and from his success as a farmer has broadened his interests to include extensive land holdings and relations with banking and other business enterprises.

John F. Iden was born in Platte County, Missouri, near the City of Atchison, Kansas, May 24, 1862. His parents were George W. and Nancy L. (Yocum) Iden, who were married in Platte County. One of the seven children is now deceased. In 1866 the family moved to Holt County, and the father died here when the son, John F., was twelve years of age. The first location was on the farm now owned by John F. Iden. Some time after George W. Iden had taken possession, it turned out that the previous occupant's possession was based upon "a squatter's right," and that title had never been properly acquired from the Government. Thus George W. Iden had to buy the farm a second time, and its title now is directly validated by the Government. The land was entirely unimproved when the family located there, and the greater part was covered with heavy timber, some of the trees measuring from six to seven feet in diameter. There were a few rude buildings on the

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A history of northwest Missouri, Volume III, Part 38

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935 editor Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 912

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935 editor
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 912