USA > Missouri > Jackson County > Kansas City > A memorial and biographical record of Kansas City and Jackson County Mo. > Part 34
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parents are Felix G. and Rebecca (Cart- wright) Hunt. The grandfather, Thomas T. Hunt, was a native of Guilford county, North Carolina, but spent his last days in Henry county, Indiana, where he died at about the age of sixty years. He learned the tinner's trade, but carried on agricultural pursuits throughout the greater part of his business career. The maternal grandfather of the Doctor, John Cartwright, lived near Richmond, Indiana, where he also followed farming. His death occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-five years.
The father of our subject was a native of Guilford Court House, North Carolina, and for some years engaged in the practice of medicine in Emporia, Kansas. In early years, however, he followed the tanning busi- ness. His childhood was passed in the state of his nativity, but, being of the Quaker faith and opposed to slavery, he was driven from that state. He was one of the first hundred of free-state men to settle in Leav- enworth, Kansas, taking up his residence there in 1856. At the breaking out of the civil war he was serving as United States district assessor for the counties of Morris, Chase, Lyon, Greenwood and Woodson, Kansas. He is now living retired at Patrick, Arkansas. While in Indiana he married Rebecca Cartwright, a native of Henry county, that state. Her death occurred in Patrick, Arkansas, in 1894, when about sixty-four years of age. They were the par- ents of seven children, six sons and a daugh- ter, namely: Alphonso L., Oliver W., Theodore Parker, Lawrence W., Maude, Jay Guy and Claude C.
We now turn our attention to one of Kansas City's best known and most capable physicians. He was reared on the old home farm, attended school until fourteen years
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of age, and continued under the parental roof until he had attained his majority. He then started out in life for himself, learning the barber's trade, which he followed for a short time, but the practice of medicine seemed to him a broader field of labor and of usefulness and he began its study in the University Medical College of Kansas City, at which institution he was graduated with the class of March, 1885.
Dr. Hunt entered upon practice in Ar- mourdale, where he continued for two years, when he went to Pueblo, Colorado, also spending two years there. On the ex- piration of that period he returned to Kansas City, where he has since successfully engaged in general practice. He makes a specialty, however, of diseases of the eye and in his treatment has been very success- ful. His skill and ability have been demon- strated by the excellent results which follow his efforts, and thus he has obtained a good business, although his professional career covers a period of only ten years. He is a member of the Jackson County Medical Society.
On the 23d of November, 1885, the Doctor was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Stokes, daughter of W. H. and Elizabeth Stokes. Three children have been born to this union; Kenneth L., who died at the age of three years; Edith and Emory. Their home is located at No. 2901 Main street and is noted for its hospitality. Socially the Doctor is connected with the Royal Arcanum, and is one of the active and prominent members of the Labor Ex- change, a benevolent institution organized under the laws of Missouri. He is a man of broad mind and kindly heart, very char- itable, and his benevolence is entirely free from ostentation.
HARLES E. WILSON, of Kansas City, a physician of the regular pro- fession, was born in Butler county, Iowa, November 25, 1863, and is a son of Robert H. and Mary (Chamberlin) Wilson. His father was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, April 19, 1818, and was a farmer by occupation. In his native state he was married, and in 1865 removed to La Fayette county, Missouri, where his death occurred in 1881, when he had attained the age of sixty-seven years. He left six chil- dren, of whom the following are now living: Thomas C., a coal dealer. of Mayview, La Fayette county, Missouri; Homer C., a banker at Waco, Texas; William B., a law- yer of Lexington, Missouri; and the Doctor.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was William Wilson, who was born in Kent county, Maryland, in 1762, and afterward removed to Ohio county, Virginia. He served as orderly sergeant under General Greene in the Revolutionary war, having enlisted at the age of seventeen. The ma- ternal grandfather was John Chamberlin, a native of the Old Dominion who removed to the Buckeye state, where he carried on farm- ing and freighting.
The Doctor came to La Fayette county, Missouri, when about two years of age, and when a young man of seventeen accom- panied his father to Texas, where he spent about a year, returning then to Lexington, Missouri, where he completed his education by a course in Wentworth Academy. After leaving school he served for four years as a clerk in a drug store, and in 1887 he came to Kansas City, taking up the study of medi- cine under the guidance of Dr. George Hal- ley, with whom he is now associated. He attended lectures at the Kansas City Med- ical College, and was graduated in 1889.
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Shortly after completing his course he was appointed local surgeon for the Union Pa- cific Railroad Company at Kansas City, Kansas. In 1890 he was appointed assist- ant surgeon for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company, the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, and the Kansas City Cable Company, with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1892 he resigned these positions and entered into partnership with Dr. George Halley, an eminent surgeon. The firm of which he is a member makes a specialty of surgery, and its reputation is unsurpassed by any business connection in western Missouri.
In 1893 Dr. Wilson was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in the Univer- sity Medical College of Kansas City, and professor of anatomy in the Western Med- ical College, of Kansas City. He is a mem- ber of the Kansas City Medical Society, the Missouri State Medical Society, the Jackson County Medical Society, and the Association of American Railway Surgeons.
J AMES CRAWFORD HENNESSY, who occupies the responsible posi- tion of superintendent of the ter- minals of the Missouri Pacific Rail- road and makes his home in Kansas City, is numbered among the prominent and influen- tial business men of western Missouri. He is known as a man of sterling integrity, decided character and untiring energy, a man of his word, strict in his adherence to those principles of honor and fair dealing that have secured to him the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has to do.
Mr. Hennessy was born in Painesville,
Lake county, Ohio, September 7, 1853, and is a son of James D. and Catherine (Crawford) Hennessy. His father was a furniture dealer in Painesville, who by his business acquired a comfortable fortune. He died in that city, in 1874, at the age of fifty-five years, and his wife survived him but four years. Of the family there now remain William, a merchant of Painesville; Charles, who is in the service of the Mis- souri Pacific Railroad at Omaha, Nebraska; and James C., of this review.
Our subject was reared and educated in the city of his birth, and early manifested a taste for railroad work. This led him, at the age of sixteen years, to take up the study of telegraphy in the office of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad in Painesville, and from that time forward he has continued his connection with railroad interests, steadily working his way upward step by step. In 1871 he came to Kansas City, where he entered the service of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad Company, and finally was offered and accepted a posi- tion with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company as night operator. His natural capabilities soon manifested themselves, and, added to his fidelity to duty, secured his rapid advancement through the various suc- cessive positions to that of superintendent of terminals of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, in which important capacity we now find him. He has also made a close study of the business, mastering it in every detail, and is thoroughly competent to act as man- ager, knowing fully the duties of every de- partment and the ability required to perform these. That he has the unqualified con- fidence of the railroad officials is shown by his long continued service.
In 1891, in connection with F. W. Sears
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and other business men of Kansas City, Mr. Hennessy organized the National Reserve Association, a fraternal insurance company, of which he was chosen supreme secretary and treasurer. In that position he still serves, and although the duties of his rail- road management necessarily demand much of his attention he still finds time to care- fully look after his interests in the line of insurance. He possesses superior executive ability, sound judgment and diligence, and to these qualities owes his success.
In 1879 Mr. Hennessy was united in marriage with Miss Dixie Mears, daughter of David Mears, of Dixon, Missouri. Their family consists of two bright little daughters: Nellie, aged thirteen; and Mamie, aged ten years. They have a pleasant home at No. 1510 East Tenth street, which is the abode of hospitality and a favorite resort with their inany friends. The family are regular attendants of the Lydia Avenue Methodist church, and Mr. Hennessy is a member of the Masonic order.
a B. HARDIN, M. D., a gentleman of much promise in his profession, being one who has had favorable opportunities for receiving a thor- ough classical and professional education, has availed himself of them to the utmost. The honors that have come to him are in- deed well deserved, and the success he has achieved as a medical practitioner is the evidence of his proficiency.
Dr. Hardin is a native of La Fayette county, Missouri, born August 30, 1857. His parents, Daniel S. and Sallie (Buckner) Hardin, were natives of Kentucky. His father was a farmer by occupation, who now
carries on agricultural pursuits in Jackson county, Missouri. The family numbered five children, of whom four are living, namely: Joel H., Dr. C. B., Louise and Lena.
Our subject was reared on a farm, and began his education in the public schools of the neighborhood. He afterward pursued a course in Woodland College, at Independ- ence, Missouri, and subsequently matricu- lated in the Christian University, at Canton, Missouri, where he pursued the regular course. After leaving college he taught a term of school in Salem county, Missouri, and then took up the study of medicine, at- tended lectures in Kansas City, while in 188I he was graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of this place. He began practice with his first preceptor, Dr. John Bryant, of Independence, but after three months located at Excelsior Springs, Missouri, where he remained until the fall of 1882, when he went to New York city and attended Bellevue Hospital Medical College. He was graduated there in the spring of 1883, and immediately thereafter located at Independence, where he practiced his profession until January, 1888. He has since resided in Kansas City. He was ex- aminer for several insurance companies while practicing in Independence, being thus con- nected with the Bankers' Life Insurance Company, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Fraternal Guardians, the National Union and the Provident Life In- surance. He is a member of Trinity lodge, No. 229, K. of P., and of the Woodmen of the World. In 1889 he was a candidate for the office of city physician, and was defeated by only one vote.
On the 19th of June, 1884, Dr. Hardin was joined in wędlock with Miss Lunette
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Mosby, of Liberty, Missouri. They have have two children, -Celeste and Samuel B. They are members of the Christian church, and in politics the Doctor is a democrat. He has not availed himself of the opportu- nities of taking public position, on account of his large practice. He is prepossessing in manner, retiring in disposition, and a more genial, courteous gentleman is seldom found.
J OHN DANIEL PEERSON is a pro- gressive, enterprising merchant, deal- ing in general hardware and agricul- tural implements in Oak Grove. He is also engaged in general farming and stock- raising.
He was born in Sniabar township, Jack- son county, November 17, 1847, and is a son of James P. and Delilah F. ( Meadows) Peerson. The father was a native of Ten- nessee and was brought to Missouri by his father, Daniel Peerson, who settled on a farm three and a half miles north of Oak Grove, and is numbered among the pioneer settlers of the county. The maternal grand- father, John Meadows, was also one of the early farmers aud made his home five miles southeast of Oak Grove, in La Fayette county. The parents of our subject were therefore married here and located upon a farm which became the birthplace of our subject, making their home there until called to the final rest. The father, how- ever, died in Ray county, whither he went in 1863 on account of the trouble occasioned by the war, and passed away a year later, at the age of forty-three. In the family were eight children. Our subject is the eldest and was at that time only sixteen
years of age, and the youngest child was born after the father's death. The mother returned to the farm in Jackson county in the fall of 1865 to find that the land had been sold for taxes and that all the improve- ments thereon had been destroyed.
Mr. Peerson, of this review, and his younger brothers, worked by the month as farm hands, also engaged in raising stock, and by their industry and frugality were soon able to redeem their old farm. John also worked at the carpenter's trade for about ten years in connection with the labors which he bestowed upon the farm. The mother managed to keep her family together and saw her children grown and settled in life. At her husband's death she was left almost destitute. His long sickness had exhausted the funds of the family and the widow was left dependent upon the labor of the eldest children. They engaged in raising flax and cotton, and the mother spun and wove the clothes used by the family. The son John made some excellent improvements upon the old double hand cotton gin so it could be turned with one hand, and thus facilitated the work. Everything needed for the table was raised upon the farm, and thus the fam- ily managed to get along, though they had many liardships to endure and difficulties to surmount. Mrs. Peerson, however, was a lady of excellent business ability, who ca- pably managed her affairs, and in later years the income from the farm placed her in easy circumstances. The farm has since been sold. Her last days were spent in Oak Grove, and her death occurred in 1890.
The early life of our subject seemed a hard one when viewed from the standpoint of comfortable circumstances, but the very difficulties which he experienced developed in him a strong and self-reliant character
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AND JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI.
and a resolute spirit which have since been important factors in his success.
On the 11th of April, 1869, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Peerson and Miss Annie R. Bates, aged eighteen years, eight months and twenty-eight days, a daughter of Theodore Bates, of La Fayette county, and a native of Warren county. They began their domestic life upon the farm which he had previously purchased, comprising an unimproved tract of forty- seven acres, on which not a furrow had been turned or any kind of improvement made. It was mostly covered with timber, but this he cleared away, and during the ten years he spent there he placed a considerable por- tion of it under a high state of cultivation. He afterward purchased another farm near Oak Grove, whereon he has since resided. This contains eighty acres, which are now cultivated by his children, while he gives his attention to his mercantile interests. He established his present business January 1, 1887, and for two years was in partner- ship with his brother George, but since that time has been alone. He now carries a large and complete stock of hardware and ag- ricultural implements, together with paints, oils and tin roofing. He is a natural me- chanic, does all his own work, and now enjoys an extensive and lucrative trade. His home is one of the valuable farming prop- erties in this section of the county, where he has made extensive improvements and erected substantial and commodious build- ings. There is also a beautiful evergreen forest upon the place which he has raised from small trees that he himself planted. He usually feeds a car-load of cattle each year, and his farming interests are also a profitable source of income to him.
In 1893 Mr. Peerson was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 17th of April. The members of the family are as follows: Annie L., Mattie V., James Theodore, Lulu F., Charles L., Ethel B. and Ernest D. The children are all at home upon the farm with the exception of the eldest son, who married Lorena Kabrick, and is in the hardware business. Mr. Peer- son was again married April 14, 1895, his second union being with Miss Minnie Mc- Gee, of Lawrence, Kansas, daughter of Thomas McGee, who formerly lived in Jack- son county.
Our subject is a stalwart democrat in politics and a great admirer of Grover Cleve- land. He and his wife and nearly all of his children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, of Oak Grove. He is a trustee of the church, and for nine years has been the superintendent of the Sunday-school, proving a most efficient and capable officer. He is also active in the work of the Masonic fraternity, in which order he holds his membership in Christian lodge, No. 392, at Oak Grove, Missouri.
e DWIN KENNEDY WILSON, M. D., is numbered among the able members of the medical fraternity in Kansas City. A native of West Virginia, he was born near Darkesville, on the Ist of February, 1854, and is a son of James M. and Annie E. (Robinson) Wilson. The paternal grandfather, Samuel K. Wil- son, was born on the 19th of May, 1788, in Virginia, and was the eldest son of William Wilson, who belonged to the famous Wilson family of southern Virginia. In Gerards- town, Virginia, Samuel Wilson carried on merchandising, and there, on the 27th of
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A MEMORIAL RECORD OF KANSAS CITY
May, 1825, was born the father of our sub- ject. He carried on farining as a means of livelihood for a number of years, but after- ward engaged in the drug business. He is still living, making his home with his daugh- ter, Mrs. A. F. Pancake, of Romney, West Virginia. His wife was called to her final rest in ISS8, passing away at the age of sixty-four years. Their children were as follows: William A., now in El Paso, Texas, as a representative of the Armour 'Packing Company, of Kansas City; Charles M., en- gaged in the real-estate business in Kansas City; Albert C., a druggist, of Piqua, Ohio; Anna Virginia, wife of Andrew F. Pancake, of Romney, West Virginia; Edwin K., of this review; and one who died in infancy.
The maternal grandfather of the Doctor was Alexander Robinson, also a Virginian, living near Hedgesville, that state. He married a Miss Cunningham, whose mother belonged to the prominent Virginia family of Hedges, who were large landowners in the Old Dominion and were leading and in- fluential people.
Dr. Wilson of this review was reared in Hedgesville, West Virginia, and was edu- cated at the North Mountain Institute, graduating in 1873 with the degree of Master of Arts. He is a gentleman of scholarly attainments, liberal-minded and possessing broad, general information. On completing his literary education he took up the study of medicine in the office and under the direction of Dr. Samuel D. Mar- shall, of Philadelphia, and subsequently at- tended medical lectures at the Jefferson Medical College of that city, graduating at that institution in 1877 with the dergee of M. D.
Dr. Wilson entered upon the practice of his chosen profession in Moorefield, West
Virginia, remaining in that place for six years, and meeting with a good degree of success in his undertakings. He then de- termined to seek a broader field of useful- ness, and in 1884 arrived in Kansas City, where he at once opened an office. In this profession particularly success is won through merit and ability, and the superior skill of Dr. Wilson is indicated by his large and constantly increasing practice. The fraternity as well as the general public re- cognizes his powers and accords him a high place in the ranks of the profession. As a business man he is thoroughly reliable, and has won the confidence and good will of all with whom he comes in contact. Socially the Doctor is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America, and also with the National Union, both strong fraternities in Kansas City.
A. BARBER, M. D., was born in Fulton county, Illinois, November 23, 1841, and is a son of Austin J. and Mary E. ( Stillman) Barber, natives of New York. On the mother's side he traces his ancestry back to Revolu- tionary heroes, and members of the family also served in the Indian wars. At a very early day the Stillinans removed from New York to Illinois and sold the first goods ever purchased by the Indians in Fulton county. For a few years they engaged in trading with the Indians, then took up land from the government, on which they lived until called from this life. Isaiah Stillman was a general in the Indian war. Throughout his life the father of our subject was connected with educational work and was principal of various colleges and academies in Illinois.
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His ability as an inspector won him a wide reputation. He died at a comparatively early age, and his widow afterward married N. S. Barber, a brother of her first husband.
The Doctor is the only survivor in the family of four children. He was reared in his native state and educated at Knox Col- lege in Galesburg, leaving school in his junior year to enlist in the arıny as a de- fender of the union cause. In the summer of 1862 he joined company A, seventy- seventh Illinois infantry, and served until the war happily ended with the restoration of the union. He entered the army as a private but served as corporal a part of that time. He enlisted with a company of col- lege boys when but twenty years of age, and for three years carried a musket on southern battle-fields, participating in all the princi- pal engagements of the western army. He was taken prisoner at Sabine Cross Roads, or Mansfield, Louisiana, and sent to Tyler, Texas, where he was held in captivity for about eight months, and then paroled. After the close of hostilities he returned home and began preparations for the practice of medicine.
Dr. Barber pursued a course in the Eclec- tic Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated with the class of 1868, and then began practice in Fairbury, Illinois. After a few months he went to Tecumseh, Illinois, remaining three years, after which he returned to Galesburg and practiced for about six years. He next re- moved to western Kansas, where he con- tinued for two years, and in 1880 came to Kansas City. He has built up an excellent practice, his skill and ability being evidenced by the success that has attended his efforts. Some years ago he studied homeopathy and has since been a practitioner of that school.
For two years he held the chair of the dis- eases of children in the Homeopathic Med- ical College of Kansas City, and in 1895 was elected to the chair of obstetrics in the same college, which position he now occu- pies. He is a member of the Missouri In- stitute of Homeopathy, the Missouri Valley Medical Society, and the local Homeopathic Club, and is one of the leading homeopathic physicians of the city. His high reputation is justly deserved, for it would be difficult to find a more careful and painstaking phy- sician, while his studies and his researches have given him standing among the more learned representatives of the calling.
Dr. Barber was married in 1868, the lady of his choice being Miss Clementine Russell, of Peoria county, Illinois, by whom he has five children living, namely: Henry A., Frank S., Arthur R., Oliver S. and Edwin L.
E. AXLINE is one of the most extensive and best known stock breeders of Western Missouri, making a specialty of the breeding of Poland-China hogs. He has done much to improve the grade of stock raised in this section of the country and in addition is a large shipper. He was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, September 24, 1852, and when only three years of age was brought to Missouri by his parents, -Joseph E. and Amanda J. (Kalb) Axline. They settled a half mile east of where our subject now re- sides, and within his farm was comprised twenty acres of the old homestead. The father owned one hundred and ninety acres and carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in October, 1871, at the age of forty-eight years. He served
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