A history of northwest Missouri, Volume III, Part 5

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

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infant, deceased; Willard P., who married Hettie Case; Armilda C., who married Charles Corsaut; George W., who married Mamie Fry; Robert F., who married Lena Rosebury ; Charles, who married Anna Pat- terson ; Emma J., who married W. Rayburn; Marvin E., who married Cora Henning ; and Don C., who married Alma Duncan.

James H. Meyer divided his boyhood between working on his father's farm during the summer months and attending the country district schools in the short winter terms, and thus grew to sturdy manhood and adopted the vocation of agriculturist. At the time of his marriage he entered upon a career of his own, settling on his farm in the vicinity of Mound City, in a small three-room frame house, which was destroyed by fire and replaced by the present modern residence. From time to time, following his father's example, Mr. Meyer added to his property, until at one time he was the owner of 400 acres, but of this has since sold 120 acres to his son Logan, and eighty acres to his son William A. An ener- getic and skilled agriculturist, Mr. Meyer made a success of his under- takings, and at this time is living in semi-retirement on his farm. He has made a specialty of raising stock, horses, hogs and cattle, and has the reputation of being one of the best judges of stock in the country. He has ever been a friend of modern ideas, and has contributed to the de- velopment of the community by the erection of buildings, including the residence on the farm of his son William F. While not a politician, he has supported democratic candidates and policies, 'and has served for a period of twelve years as a member of the school board. With his family, he attends the Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Meyer married Fannie L. Pointer, October 21, 1875, and to this union there have been born six children, as follows: William A., who married Cora Trimmer, and they have three children, Harvin A., Earl and Dorothy, all born in Holt County: Ralph M., who married Mabel Terry and has four children, Galen, born in Nodaway County, and Ralph M., Jr., Lucy and Clinton, born in Holt County ; Logan A., who married Hattie Wakeley and has four children, Ellen, Mary, Hazel and William H., all born in Holt County ; James H., Jr., who married Floy Seepen, has three children, Frances Marguerite and Thomas L., born in Wayne County, and David Winter, born in Florida; Edgar R., who married Miriam Hayhurst, has three children, Errol and Barbara, born in Texas, and Ned H., born in Holt County; and Dr. Frances P., who married Virgil Carter, and has one child, Marguerite J., born in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri.

ALVAH PATEE CLAYTON. St. Joseph as a city of trade and industry has been fortunate in the possession of a fine body of citizenship, includ- ing men of ability and integrity to direct the large enterprises which have given this city distinction among the larger centers of Missouri. During the last quarter of the century, one of these building builders and upholders of local prosperity has been Alvah Patee Clayton, presi- dent of the Sheridan-Clayton Paper Company, a former mayor of St. Joseph, bearing a name which has long had a distinctive place in the city's history, and one of the foremost Masons of Northwest Missouri. Mr. Clayton has had a long and varied career, which has made him both a witness and a participant of many eras of achievements and social and business advancement.

The Sheridan-Clayton Paper Company, located at 302-308 South Third Street, and of which Mr. Clayton has been president since 1902, is the largest wholesale and jobbing house of its kind in St. Joseph, and has a history going back thirty years or more. The company makes a specialty of wrapping paper, stationery, school supplies, holiday goods,

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toys, woodenware, and drug sundries. The territory over which its goods are distributed through a large force of traveling representatives comprises the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Alvah Patee Clayton is a native of the State of Ohio, born at Ashley, December 27, 1860, a son of James Wellington and Almira Elizabeth (Patee) Clayton. After his father's death in Ohio, in 1864, the mother, who was a daughter of Alvah Patee, and a niece of John Patee, both of whom helped make business and civic history in St. Joseph, herself came to this city, bringing her son Alvah in 1865, and she lived here until her death, December 24, 1912. Thus Mr. Clayton has been a resident of St. Joseph practically all his life. The public schools gave him his early education, and later he was a student in the Christian Brothers College at St. Joseph. His practical business career began with the old wholesale stationery firm of Williams Brothers, and though his identification with paper trade has not been continuous, it was that early experience which really 'gave him the start towards his permanent career. In 1881 Mr. Clayton engaged in the general merchandise trade at Eleventh and Penn streets, in St. Joseph, as a member of the firm of Skiles, Hull & Clayton. This partnership continued until 1884, in which year Mr. Clayton went on the road as traveling representative for the Beaumont-Sheridan Paper Company of St. Joseph. He sold paper for this firm over a territory with satisfactory success until 1886. Then he was out of the paper business for one year, and was traveling salesman, representing R. T. Davis Milling Company of St. Joseph. Returning to his old firm, which in the meantime had reorganized and taken the title of Ashton-Sheridan Paper Company, Mr. Clayton in 1888 himself bought a one-third interest in the business, and it was then reorganized and incorporated as the Sheridan-Clayton Paper Company, with John J. Sheridan as president and A. P. Clayton as vice president. Upon Mr. Sheridan's retiring from the business, in 1902, Mr. Clayton became president, but the old title of the firm is still kept.

Few business men have so popular a place in community and general social esteem as Mr. Clayton. Outside of the paper company, his busi- ness interests include the relation of vice president of the Park Bank of St. Joseph, director of the Bartlett Trust Company of St. Joseph, and director of the Mueller-Keller Candy Company of St. Joseph. Having long been prominently identified with business affairs, being considered one of the leading business men, and a man whose efficiency was beyond a question of doubt, Mr. Clayton was prevailed upon to accept the nomina- tion for the office of mayor, and was elected two terms, his period of service running from 1908 to 1912. He also served two terms as presi- dent of the St. Joseph Commercial Club, was president of the Lotus Club for two terms, and president of the Jefferson Club two terms. His interests in many lines are indicated by the various honorary memberships which have bestowed upon him, and these include honorary membership in the following orders: International Typographical Union ; International Bricklayers,, Plasterers, and Masons' Unions; Interna- tional Plumbers' and Steamfitters' Union: Missouri State Retail Merchants' Association; Master Bakers' Association of America; Master Bakers' Association of Kansas.

His Masonic record is also noteworthy. He has taken thirty-two degrees in the Scottish Rite, and in the work of the Mystic Shrine is one of the most accomplished men in the entire country, and known among Mystic Shriners from coast to coast. In 1906, Mr. Clayton was

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elected to the exalted office of Imperial Potentate of North America, of the A. A. O. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, serving during the year 1907. His local membership is with Moila Temple, of the Mystic Shrine, and he was potentate for eight years, from 1899 to 1906. He has an honorary life membership in forty shrines in North America, and is an honorary member of Pacific Lodge of New York City, A. F. & A. M., a lodge composed of actors and theatrical managers. Perhaps his greatest dis- tinction in Masonic work was his activity in organizing, in January, 1907, the first shrine in a Latin country, the Republic of Mexico. In January, 1908, he instituted and delivered the charter to Aneva Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at the City of Mexico, and conferred the order upon President Diaz and other prominent Mexicans. Mr. Clayton has been affiliated with the Masonic Order since he was twenty-one years of age, and is a life member of Charity Lodge No. 331, A. F. & A. M., receiving his life membership card for thirty years of active service. His other relations are with St. Joseph's Chapter, R. A. M .; Hugh DePayen Com- mandery No. 51, K. T., and all the Scottish Rite bodies, including St. Joseph Consistory No. 4, A. A. S. R.

In 1887 Mr. Clayton married Miss Mattie Gunn, a daughter of Dr. Robert Gunn, a well known physician of St. Joseph, and also a very prominent Mason. They are the parents of three sons: Robert Griffin Clayton, Edward Smith Clayton, and Alvah Patee Clayton, Jr. Their home is at 208 North Nineteenth Street.

Mr. Clayton's career has been a busy one, and filled with accom- plishments in various lines. His ability to do many things perhaps comes from his splendid physical and mental efficiency, and his stature of six feet two inches, with weight of more than two hundred and fifty, is suggestive of his general bigness, not only physically, but in every characteristic. He is one of the men of action, and of large and dis- tinctive influence in the city.

OLAF T. ANDERSON. In the career of Olaf T. Anderson there are to be found lessons for the youth of any land. The son of wealthy and refined parents, he came to the United States as a youth of nineteen years to carve out his own career, and here, after a long period of struggle, he has eventually reached the goal of his ambition. For a number of years after his arrival, it seemed that fate had destined Mr. Anderson to ignominious defeat and failure. Time and again he fought his way to a substantial start in life, only to see his earnings swept away by disasters over which he had no control, but his native pride and his fine self-reliance would not allow him to admit himself beaten, and he kept persistently, doggedly and energetically working, until through the sheer force of his exertions he overcame obstacles, thrust aside discour. agements, and emerged triumphant, with a clear title to a position among American self-made men. Now, in the evening of life, with his struggles behind him, he may contentedly look back over the years of his arduous labors, secure in the knowledge that the success which is his has been honestly and legitimately gained, and that his position in the esteem and respect of those among whom he has labored rests upon no ques- tionable action.

Olaf T. Anderson was born at Helsingburg, Sweden, March 9, 1847, a son of Anderson Bengtson and wife, natives of that country, where both died. There were five sons in the family: Peter, who died at the home of his brother, Olaf T .; Bengt, who died at Des Moines, Iowa; Nels, who is a resident of Alta, Iowa; John, who lives at Butte, Mon- tana, and Olaf T., of this review. Mr. Anderson was educated in the

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public schools of his native land and was given more than ordinary ad- vantages in this direction. It would have been possible for him to have remained at home, where his father would have placed him in business, but the young man was of an independent nature, and on reaching his nineteenth year decided to come to the United States in the search for fortune and position. Making his way to England, he there took a vessel which brought him to New York, and from that city he went to Kansas City, Missouri, and secured employment in the con- struction gang which was engaged in building a bridge for the Han- nibal & St. Joseph Railway. Here the misfortunes of the young for- eigner began, for unscrupulous persons stole all of his clothes and he was left destitute, although he was partly reimbursed by a kind-hearted section boss, who gave him five dollars. After a number of hardships he eventually made his way to the vicinity of Holt, in Clay County, where he purchased forty acres of land. There he labored faithfully for four years, but not being familiar with American methods, or soil and climatic conditions, his strenuous work failed to bring the desired results, and he lost all his holdings and was compelled to send to Europe for a loan. When this arrived, he felt that his fortunes might change in another locality, and he subsequently went to Nodaway County, Mis- souri, where in the vicinity of Guilford (to the east) he purchased a quarter section of land, on which he located in 1873. This was abso- lutely raw property, and by the time he had placed improvements thereon, he found himself deeply in debt, and again in 1875 was com- pelled to go to work again as a laborer. Mr. Anderson's next venture was in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he ditched and drained land through the winter for six months, and during this time it rained for fifty-three days, although Mr. Anderson lost, only one day's labor in this time.

Returning to Nodaway County, Missouri, in 1876, with some small capital, Mr. Anderson within three years had cleared himself from debt and had purchased 160 acres of land, well stocked, making in all 320 acres. It was at that time that his fortunes took a turn for the better, and from that time to the present his advance has been steady and con- secutive. In 1880 he sold this tract of land to a Mr. Jacob Pugh, and came to Gentry County, here buying sixty acres of land near Alanthus Grove, which he subsequently sold and went west to his cattle ranch, located seventy-five miles northwest of Garden City, Kansas. There he remained with some success until 1884, when he returned to Alanthus Grove and purchased seven farms, the greater part on time, as his cap- ital was but $3,000. This property comprised 900 acres, but later he disposed of a part of the property, retaining 404 acres in sections 25, 30, 31 and 36, township 64, range 32, the only improvement on this land being fencing. Here he settled down to farming and stock-raising, and during the years that followed put in improvements valued at $15,000, all of which were paid for by the yield of the land. In 1914 he sold this property to his daughter, Mrs. Augusta Pierce, for the sum of $50,000 cash, and March 1, 1915, took up his residence in his beautiful home which he had erected at Albany.

While the greater part of Mr. Anderson's activities have been de- voted to agricultural pursuits, he has also been interested in a number of other ventures, and is at present a stockholder in the Farmers and Mechanics Bank at Stanberry and the First National Bank of Albany. In 1880 he was one of the organizers of the Mutual Insurance Com- pany of Gentry County, and is now a director of this concern, which handles about $2,000,000 worth of insurance. A republican in politics, Vol. III-3

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in 1905 he was nominated for the office of county judge, but owing to the great democratic majority in the county met with defeat. Frater- nally he is connected with Alanthus Grove Blue Lodge, No. 262, A. F. & A. M. He has been active in religious work, and is treasurer of the Baptist Church at Alanthus Grove. In every walk of life Mr. Ander- son has displayed a strict adherence to high principles, and no man of his community is held in higher general confidence and esteem.

Mr. Anderson was married in 1873, in Clay County, Missouri, to Miss Johanna Pearson, of Sweden, whose parents, farming people, died in that country. To this union there have been born the following chil- dren : Augusta, the widow of John Pierce, who died September 15, 1908, purchased her father's farm, which she rents for a yearly sum of $2,400, and is the mother of two children, Ruth and Bonnie ; Alma, the wife of W. R. Cook, has the following children: Beatrice, Lilian, Ches- ter, Stella, Mabel, Ray, Bertha, Emma, Gladys, Delbert and John, of whom Beatrice married Albert Wilson of Gentry County, and has one son and a daughter; Emma, who became the wife of Tom Jennings, of Gentry County, and died June 19, 1906, at the age of thirty-three years, leaving one child, Bertha; Oscar, a farmer of Twin Falls, Idaho, married Kate Hall, and has three children, Olaf, Valeta and Nanny; Mary, who married Harry Carter, a farmer of Gentry County, and has two children, Ross and Eileen; and John, a farmer of Nodaway County, married Ethel Wilson and has two children, Geneva and Victor.

WILLIAM ROLEKE. Among the mayors of the various cities in North- west Missouri, perhaps none has a better record of administration than William Roleke, now chief executive of the City of Bethany. William Roleke has been identified with Bethany since 1886, is a successful busi- ness man, and at the same time one of the keenest observers, practical workers and leaders in local affairs. While never neglecting his busi- ness nor failing to provide for the needs of his own household, Mr. Roleke since taking out his naturalization papers as an American citi- zen has had a fair idea of politics, and has been both a thinker and an actor in his home town.

William Roleke was born in the Province of Hanover, Germany, in the City of Papenburg. He belonged to a family of the official class. His father, Karl Roleke, who was born in the same locality, entered the army at the age of sixteen, and after the required military service was appointed to a position in the civil service, and finally became a revenue officer. He was retired on a pension some twenty years before his death, which occurred in July, 1914, at the age of eighty-five. His wife, whose first name was Augusta, died in 1870. Only three children reached mature years; John, a business man in Hamburg, Germany ; George, in business at Papenburg; and William.

William Roleke attended school during the required time until four- teen years of age, and then began learning the tailor's trade in Papen- burg. He subsequently lived in the free City of Hamburg, and escaped the regular requirement of military service by "drawing himself out," as he explains it. William Roleke was born January 15, 1864, and in 1886, at the age of twenty-two, left his native land, traveled about Northern Germany and in Belgium, "having a good time," as he ex- presses it, and at Antwerp, Belgium, took passage on the Belgenland of the Red Star Line, and landed in New York. He progressed leisurely through the states, stopping a time in New York, Chicago and St. Louis, and having some means was able to select his future home with care and a proper regard for future opportunities. It was after arriving

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in Bethany that Mr. Roleke mastered the English language, which he did readily enough, and eagerly embraced every opportunity to pre- pare himself for the responsibilities of American citizenship. He soon declared his intentions of naturalization, and cast his first vote as an American citizen for Grover Cleveland. He has since been affiliated with the democratic party in national politics. On coming to Bethany, Mr. Roleke entered the employ of his cousin, Herman Roleke, and sub- sequently they were in the tailor business as partners, under the firm name of H. and W. Roleke, for fifteen years. William Roleke since 1903 has been sole proprietor of the business and has built up an estab- lishment that is the leading one of its kind in Harrison County. Mr. Roleke is also one of the directors and was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Bethany.

During his active business career and residence at Bethany, Mr. Roleke came to be known among his fellow citizens as an advocate of progressive improvement. His judgment in such matters was entitled to consideration since he studied the needs of the town and was pre- pared for discussion, and when the occasion arose was also a practical worker in any movement in which he took part. It was these qualifica- tions that first brought him election in 1908 to the office of mayor, and he has been reelected four times, having succeeded Mayor Cruzan in the office. His administration in the past six years has been respon- sible for all the modern improvements in Bethany. These include the laying of pavement around the public square and in some of the side streets and alleys, and also the concreting of Central Street. Another important municipal improvement was the construction of a new elec- tric light plant and the installation of a new filter system at the water- works, besides a general clean up of the town. Mr. Roleke was one of the first to advocate these public improvements, and Bethany citizens have kept him in office because they recognized his able leadership and ability to carry out constructive measures. His first election came by a small majority of thirty votes, but the confidence of the people in his work has been shown by his election the second time by a majority of two to one, while in the next election his vote was three to one, and the last time it was by almost a unanimous choice that he entered the office.

Mr. Roleke has represented his local lodge of Knights of Pythias in the Grand Lodge seven times, is affiliated with both the subordinate lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the Order of Yeomen. At Bethany on September 2, 1888, Mr. Roleke married Miss Anna Schulze. She was born in Berlin, Germany, a daughter of Gustav Schulze, a capitalist. Mrs. Roleke came to the United States to visit her cousin, Herman Roleke, and at Bethany made the acquaintance of William Roleke and they were married here. Their children are: Dr. Helen, who is a graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathy, and for two years practiced at Joplin, Missouri, until her marriage to J. T. Parks, and they now live in Kansas. Carl, who is in the plumbing business at Bethany; and Catherine, a student in the Bethany High School.

SAMUEL BOB STOCKWELL. One of the progressive, enterprising and intelligent stockmen and farmers of Harrison County, whose property is located in the vicinity of Bethany, is Samuel Bob Stockwell, who is one of the first generation removed from the founder of the family in this part of Northwest Missouri. His father, Shelton M. Stockwell, brought his family hither after the close of the Civil war, in 1867 to

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be exact, from Ray County, Missouri, where he had spent a few years and where he had lived during the war, in which he served as a mem- ber of the Missouri State Militia. He had gone to Ray County to take up farming from Rush County, Indiana, having received a limited edu- cation in the district schools of the Hoosier state, and in Rush County was married to Amanda Ellis, daughter of Judge Ellis, a farmer and Christian preacher who came to Missouri and settled in Harrison County about the time of Mr. Stockwell's migration. Judge Ellis died here as did his wife, their home being located about six miles south of the Town of Bethany.

On coming to Harrison County, Shelton M. Stockwell settled three miles west of Bethany, purchasing the Jo Riggs farm, on which he carried on farming and stock-raising in a thorough and successful manner, doing the substantial improvement necessary to make a pro- ductive farm and erecting buildings for the comfort of his family and the shelter of his stock, grain and implements. He was one of the early feeders here and for his own use bred the Poland-China hog, while the Short Horn cattle stocked his pastures and were of his own breeding. He was a man close to the people, his neighbors, without political am- bitions, although strong as a republican. He favored public education and always gave it his moral and financial support, although he had had but few advantages in his own youth, and in this respect his wife was much like him, although her opportunities had, perhaps, been a little greater. She still survives and resides at Bethany, her eighty- eighth birthday having occurred November 17, 1914. She is identified with the Christian Church, and Mr. Stockwell's membership therein dated from early life. He was unfriendly to secret organizations, and in his intercourse with men never essayed to speak in public. Mr. Stockwell passed away, universally respected and esteemed, on his farm in Harrison County, July 13, 1895, when his community lost a strong, stirring and helpful citizen. The children of Shelton M. and Amanda Stockwell were as follows: Alonzo, a resident of Bethany; Belle, who is the wife of J. W. Kerlin, of Albany, Missouri; Viola, who married Charles McCoy, of White Oak Township, Harrison County; Alice, who is the wife of W. M. Claytor, also of White Oak Township; Elizabeth, who is the widow of the late R. A. Cowan, and resides at Bethany; Jennie, who is the wife of J. B. Rhodus, of that place; and Samuel B.

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A history of northwest Missouri, Volume III, Part 5

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