USA > Missouri > Atchison County > Biographical history: Atchison County, Missouri > Part 27
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An honored and useful citizen and a nice family.
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RESIDENCE OF HON. J. T. WELLS
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W. J. YATES.
TILLIAM JEPTHA YATES, farmer, of Polk township, was born in Indiana, July 17, 1857, the son of Washington and Seigna Yates, and the youngest in a family of five children. While he was a babe he came from Indiana to Platte county, Missouri, with his parents, where his mother died soon afterwards. His father also died in that county when the subject of this sketch was about six years old. He then went to live with his uncle, where he remained until in his sixteenth year, when he began work for himself as a farm land. In 1880 he came to Atchison county, where he rented land. In 1895 he bought a farm in Platte county and moved to same. In 1896 he bought the farm where he now lives, comprising 80 acres, in section 36, township 66, range 41, eight miles north- east of Rock Port. The house on this farm is of 112 stories, in size 14x26 feet and 12x26 feet. The barn, in size, is 24x36 feet, with 8-foot posts; also a corn crib, smoke house, orchard, etc., on the premises.
On Oct. 15, 1890, Mr. Yates was united in marriage with Miss Mary Elendes Tinder, daughter of James W. and Zerelda Tinder, natives of Kentucky. She was born in Platte county, Missouri, on Jan. 30th, 1859. Her father, 79 years old, makes his home with Mr. and Mrs. Yates. Her mother died in 1886.
Mr. Yates is a member of the High Creek Baptist church; Mrs. Yates is a member of the Christian church at Linden. Fraternally, Mr. Yates is a member of the Masonic lodge at Hamburg. Politically, he is a Democrat.
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HOME OF W. J. YATES.
E. A. ZUCK.
E LBERT A. ZUCK, farmer, of Polk township, was born in Carroll county, Missouri, on Dec. 20th, 1849, the son of Washington L. and Abigail J. Zuck. In his seventh year his parents emigrated to Atchison county, Missouri, and here the whole of the life of the subject of this sketch has been passed. He now owns and lives upon what is known as High Creek Valley Stock Farm, comprising 320 acres, in section 10, township 66, range 41, eleven miles north of Rock Port. He also owns eighty acres of land in section 12, township 66, range 42. The residence on his home farm is a two-story structure, in size 28x32 feet. The barn, in size, is 34x40 feet, with 14-foot posts. There are also all neces- sary outbuildings and an orchard. Mr. Zuck markets annually, on an average, about fifty head of fat cattle and as many hogs. His specialty, however, is the breeding of Here- ford cattle, and he certainly has one of the finest herds in Northwest Missouri, as the accompanying view will show. At the time of taking this sketch we believe he had the only thoroughbred herd of these cattle in the county.
On Feb. 29, 1872, Mr. Zuck was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Smith, daugh- ter of Ransom and Hannah Smith. She was born in Jasper county, Missouri, on Jan. 22nd, 1855.
To Mr. and Mrs. Zuck eight children have been born, five of whom are living, namely: Washington L., born April 24, 1873; Susan A., born June 28, 1878; Clarence C., born Aug. 14, 1881; Ella, born April 13, 1890; Maude E., born Dec. 9, 1891. Of the three children dead two were twins.
Mr. and Mrs. Zuck have been members of the Centennial M. E. church more than twenty years. Mr. Zuck is a member of the Masonic lodge at Watson. Politically he favors the Republican party.
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MR. AND MRS. E. A. ZUCK HIGH CREEK VALLEY STOCK FARM.
J. B. ZUCK.
JAMES B. ZUCK, son of Washington and Abigail Zuck, was born at the old homestead, in what is now Buchanan township, on Nov. 22nd, 1856, and his boyhood was passed on his father's farm His parents were pioneers of the county, having emigrated here in a covered wagon, in which they lived one year. Mir. Zuck became one of the leading farmers of the county, and at one time owned more than 1,000 acres of fine land in the county.
The subject of this sketch is administrator of his father's estate; also of the estate of his father-in-law, D. Beatty. He owns and lives upon a fine farm of 360 acres, in section 12, township 66, range 42, five miles southeast of Hamburg, Ia. He also owns 40 acres in section 13, township 66, range 42. Mr. Zuck formerly fed cattle. He now rents a part of his land and confines his feeding mostly to hogs, of which he markets about 100 annually.
As will be seen by the accompanying view, Mr. Zuck lives in an elegant residence, in size 32x38 feet, with two stories. He has a large barn and there are also all necessary outbuildings, sheds, cribs, etc.
In the town of Rock Port, on April 2, 1890, Mr. Zuck was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Beatty, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Beatty. She was born in 1871, and is a native of Atchison county. To Mr. and Mrs. Zuck were born three children, two of whom are living, namely: Gracie May and Emery. Alfred died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Zuck are members of the Lone Chapel Christian church, of which organ- ization Mr. Zuck is clerk. Politically, he is a Republican. He was Constable of Buchanan township about ten years and also served as school director several terms.
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J, B. ZUCK'S FARM HOME,
D. A. QUICK.
D ANIEL A. QUICK, of Rock Port, Mo., was born in West Virginia, on January 16, 1853, the son of George and Melvina Quick, and the third in a family of ten children. He remained at the home of his parents until in his twenty-first year, when he began his studies in college. After completing his course in college he began teaching school, and he continued in that occupation after coming to Atchison county, Missouri, in 1880. Here he originated and organized the Rock Port College and Normal School, of which he was President. Here he continued to teach (with the exception of two years in the mercantile business at Garden City, Kans.) until he was elected Surveyor and Bridge Commissioner of Atchison county, in 1892. He was elected to that office on the People's Party ticket, and at the expiration of the first term of four years was re-elected for a like term. After retiring from that office he taught in the Rock Port schools, of which he was principal. Retiring, temporarily at least, from the profession of school teaching, he devoted the greater part of his time to his suburban farm, comprising eleven acres, upon which he lives. He is also employed at civil engineering. Mr. Quick was also a minister in the Christian church about twenty-five years. He is a graduate from Bethany College, in West Virginia, and, withal, is a man of culture. At present Mr. Quick is Vice-President of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Companies of Rock Port. He is also a director of those companies. He was formerly President of the townsite company at Eminence, Kans. Fraternally, he has membership with the A. O. U. W., I. O. O. F. and K. of P. lodges of Rock Port. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party. He was twice Chairman of the County Central Committee of the People's Party.
On April 5th, 1881, Mr. Quick was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Templeton, daughter of James and Elizabeth Templeton. She was born in Atchison county, Missouri, March 14th, 1859, and is the sixth child in a family of twelve. Her whole life has been passed in the vicinity of Rock Port and she was educated at the Rock Port Seminary.
Mr. Quick's suburban property is fairly well improved. The residence comprises five rooms. The barn, in size, is 30x40 feet. There are also necessary outbuildings and an orchard. He also owns a house and two lots in Rock Port.
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H. F. STAPEL.
HENRY F. STAPEL.
NO adequate memorial of Henry F. Stapel can be written until many of the useful enterprises with which he is connected have completed their full measure of good in the world, and until his personal influence and example shall have ceased their fruitage in the lives of those who have been about him, as he has been an actor in the busy places of the world. Yet there is much concerning him that can, with profit, be set down here as an illustration of what can be done if a man with a clear brain and willing hands but sets himself seriously to the real labors and responsibilities of life. He is to-day widely and prominently known as Secretary of the Missouri Mutual Insurance Companies, attorney at law and as editor of The Atchison County Mail. His labors have made the city of Rock Port, in which he makes his home, well known not only throughout the commonwealth but in other portions of the nation. It was his genius that planned and created the mutual insurance which is followed in Missouri and which has become so popular wherever known, and it has been his industry and energy that have brought about its phenomenal growth. As an inspiration to ambitious young men of the future and as a tribute of honor and respect, a brief history of Mr. Stapel's life and his work is herewith given.
Henry F. Stapel was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, on Sept. 30th, 1857, and is a son of Ernest H. and Louisa (Wulber) Stapel. His father was a native of the province of Hanover, Germany, born in the year 1825, and when sixteen years of age he bade adieu to his friends in the land of his birth and crossed the Atlantic to the new world. He located in Dearborn county, where he was married and became a prominent and success- ful farmer and inerchant. He died in 1898, and his widow now resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were the parents of the following named: Jolin, who is a farmer in Iowa; Henry F., of this review; Louise, the wife of William Graf, of Cincinnati, O .; Anna, who is living in Indianapolis; Rosa, now the wife of John Kemich, of Cincinnati; William, whose home is in Indianapolis; Ernest H., the general agent and assistant adjuster of the insurance com- panies.
Henry F. Stapel may truly be called a self-made man. He is the architect of his own fortune and has builded wisley and well. When only fourteen years of age he started out (Continued on page 644)
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MR. AND MRS. H. F. STAPEL, SON JOHN C. AND DAUGHTER FRIEDA. MR. STAPEL'S RESIDENCE.
HENRY F. STAPEL. (Contined )
Democratic paper in the county. When it was purchased by Mr. Stapel it had a circula- tion of about three hundred copies and was then a five-column quarto, one boy doing the work of the office. Under the wise policy inaugurated by Mr. Stapel the paper has acquir- ed a circulation of three thousand weekly, and has been enlarged to a six-column quarto and furnishes employment to a force of about fifteen people. When he assumed the man- agement the business was located in Buckham's Hall, a building which would be in strik- ing contrast with the journal's present handsome quarters in the Insurance building. The Mail is the official paper of Atchison county and is also the official organ of the Missouri Mutual Insurance Companies. Through the columns of his journal Mr. Stapel has largely promoted the welfare of his adopted county. He has ever been on the side of progress, reform and improvement, and his editorials have carried weight in influencing public opinion.
His labors, however, have not been limited to one line, a work of still greater benefit and importance being that which he has performed as the founder of the Missouri Mutual Insurance Companies. The idea was conceived by Mr. Stapel in 1880. He held the opin- ion that old line insurance companies were robbing the public by charging excessive rates, and he resolved that, with the assistance of the Legislature of the state, he would himself engage in the insurance business on the mutual plan. High salaries would, therefore, not have to be paid to officials and the assured would share the profits. But it required seven years to secure the passage of a law under which he could work, and it was not until in 1889 that he wrote the first policy for the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Atchison County, the parent company of them all. He had blanks prepared and made other necessary arrangements to engage in the work as soon as the bill was passed in the Legislature. His first business in this line was transacted on a table which cost fifty cents and stood in the office of The Mail. The first regular soliciting was done by the Secretary of the company, and so immediately popular was the idea of mutual insurance that his first day's horseback ride into the country secured for him one hundred thousand dollars worth of business. The company has had a most wonderful and healthy growth until a
(Continued on page 648)
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MRS. H. F. STAPEL.
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HENRY F. STAPEL.
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mammoth business is now being conducted in the one hundred and fourteen counties of the state of Missouri. At the present time, after eighteen years of work, with very few exceptions every land-owner in Atchison county carries a policy in these insurance com- panies. The officers have just reason to mention this fact with pride, for it represents thousands of dollars annually saved to the insuring public. Each year the companies are gaining the confidence of a greater number of people, as the fact is demonstrated that mutual insurance is no longer an untried venture, but has proved to be a most glowing success, even though it has met with severe and uncalled for opposition from old line com- panies and their agents. The promoters of mutual insurance may also be proud of the fact that from a very insignificant beginning in putting into practical application the principles of mutual insurance in Missouri in 1889 this move has inspired other states to introduce this method of insurance, which is now found in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas and many other states of the union, which are benefited by the organization and success of the plan. Although capital and effort opposed the mutual plan and its begin- ning was small, the officers of the company continued their work until their business has now assumed magnificent proportions. They have several million dollars of assessable capital and the confidence of a very large per cent. of the people not influenced by old line insurance agents. In 1889, the year in which the first company was organized, two other companies were also established to engage in the mutual insurance business, namely: The The Globe Lodge of the Farmers' and Laborers' Mutual Protection Life and Accident Insurance Company and the Missouri Farmers' Mutual Tornado, Cyclone and Windstorm Insurance Company. The cost of the latter to the people has been less than the interest on the old line rate, there having been but nine assessments during the last sixteen years, ending in 1906.
After the passage of a bill permitting farmers to organize for the purpose of insuring against hail, the Farmers' Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Missouri was organized. This made but four assessments in seven years, at a cost of two per cent. The same year, (Continued on page 650)
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MRS. H. F. STAPEL. At ages of 10, 17, 22 and 28 years.
HENRY F. STAPEL.
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1897, the Legislature enacted a law authorizing the chartering of plate-glass insurance by mutual companies, and under this law the Missouri Town Mutual Plate Glass Insurance Company was authorized to transact business. The business accumulated so rapidly that in 1897 it was found that the quarters of the company were becoming inadequate for the demand for space, and Mr. Stapel devised a plan for the erection of a new building-one which should be equal to the demands upon it made by the business for which it was designed. He interested about two hundred people in the scheme, and the result was the erection of a fine two-story pressed-brick and stone building, the dimensions of which are twenty-six by one hundred and twenty feet. The building, fixtures, cases, application and policy files, boxes and furniture cost over fifteen thousand dollars, and it is said to be the most attractive building west of Chicago. It is supplied with water-works, electric lights and telephone. This was the first mutual insurance building in Missouri or the United States. From it are directed the operations of hundreds of agents, who, in all parts of the state, take applications and collect premiums for the various departments of the Rock Port companies. These companies have paid, in the last sixteen years, for losses, deaths, accidents, etc., aggregating more than one hundred thousand dollars. The fine building is named in honor of the promoter-the Stapel Mutual Insurance building. It has a steel vault, with steel boxes, containing applications for millions of dollars of insurance. As fast as the above mentioned companies were organized Mr. Stapel became their Secretary, and has ever since continued to serve each company in that capacity. The success of his insurance enterprises is always uppermost in his mind, and, while it is yet in its infancy, it is one of the strongest and safest financial institutions of the state, doing business in nearly every county. In addition to Mr. Stapel the companies and building are under the management of John Knierim, President; A. E. Lane, John Cooper, Joseph Durfee, H. E. Wyatt, D. A. Quick, Win. T. Buckham, W. H. Hindman and E. H. Stapel.
Besides the postmastership of Rock Port, to which position he was appointed by President Cleveland, the only public position Mr. Stapel has held was that of Represen- tative of Atchison county in the 44th General Assembly, to which office he was elected on
(Continued on page 652)
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HENRY F. STAPEL, JR.
HENRY F. STAPEL.
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Nov. 6th, 1906, on the Democratic ticket. In this capacity he was a member of the Com- mittee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and the Jamestown Exposition Committee. Of the last named committee he was Chairman. He was also prominently put forward for Speaker of the House, only the fact that he was a new mem- ber causing him to withdraw from the contest. In the State Legislature he served with distinction, introducing many bills for good laws and being recognized as one of the most useful members in the House of Representatives. In 1903 he only lacked one vote of being the choice of the Democracy for Senator of the First District of Missouri. He has been a member of the Democratic Central Committee of Atchison county and was once Chairman of that committee. In The Mail Mr. Stapel agitated a mutual telephone service in Atchi- son county and he was one of the promoters and organizers of the Rock Port Mutual Telephone Company; was elected Secretary of the company and served in that capacity four years. Mr. Stapel maintains a membership in many of the popular insurance com- panies and is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias, a Modern Woodman, a Wood- man of the World, a member of the A. O. U. W., of the Fraternal Home, the O. E. S., Rath- bone Temple, the Rebekah and Globe Lodges, the Missouri Press Association, the Iowa Traveling Men's Association, the Odd Fellow's Annuity Association, and the Safety Fund Insurance Society.
Mr. Stapel was first married in 1887, to Lilly Sly, a daughter of Judge John F. Sly, of Fairfax, Mo. Mrs. Stapel died, leaving a son, John, born Nov. 3rd, 1893. In 1895, while touring in Europe, Mr. Stapel met, at Munich, Germany, Miss Anna Neidlein, and the same year they were married. After their marriage they continued their travels in Holland, Germany, France, Belgium and England. Mr. and Mrs. Stapel have a daughter, Frieda, born July 6, 1897, and a son, Henry F., born May 4, 1906. In July, 1900, Mr. Stapel, together with his family, sailed for the Paris Exposition and afterward completed a tour of Europe, returning to the United States in the autumn. Mr. and Mrs. Stapel are fond of traveling and they have been in nearly every state in the Union. They
(Continued on page 654)
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FRANZ DREXLER AND FAMILY, MRS. ANNA NEIDLEIN AND H. F. STAPEL AND FAMILY.
Mrs. Neidlein, mother of Mrs. H. F. Stapel; Mrs. Drexler, sister of Mrs. H. F. Stapel. Picture taken in Munich, Germany, in 1900
HENRY F. STAPEL.
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are members of the German Lutheran churchi. Mr. Stapel was formerly Superintendent of the Lutheran Sunday school in Rock Port.
In 1886 Mrs. Stapel entered the Conservatory of Music, at Munich, Germany, where she studied piano and voice culture and where she was graduated in 1893, and in this country she is well known for musical attainments, she having sang in the leading churches of Chicago, Jefferson City, St. Louis, St. Joseph, Omaha and other cities.
The foregoing is principally taken from a biographical sketch of Mr. Stapel written by an acquaintance. The following is from the St. Joseph (Mo.) Observer:
Mr. Stapel has had a varied career, and has amply illustrated that pluck, energy and perseverance will win over all obstacles. He is in all respects a self-made man and the generous competency which he has amassed is but a tribute to his energy and good business qualities. He attended German and English schools about ten years and in hisfourteenth year went to Fayette county, Iowa, where he herded cattle a year and worked on a farm one year, attending school in the winter. He then went to Nemaha county, Nebraska, where, for two years, he labored as a farm hand and attended school in the winter; went to Atchison county, Missouri, in 1876, and after working as a farm hand some time he at- tended the Nebraska State Normal, at Peru, where, not having money sufficient to pay for board and lodging, he kept bachelor's hall. After graduating from that institution he taught school in Atchison county four years, being President of the Atchison County Teachers' Institute two years. He then attended the State University of Michigan, at (Concluded on page 656)
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SCENE ON H. F. STAPEL'S FARM.
PHOTOGRAPH OF W. C. WULBER, MANAGER OF THE FARM.
HENRY F. STAPEL.
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Ann Arbor, graduating from the law department, besides taking a course in international and parliamentary law for two years in the university proper. At that institution he also worked his way through, being steward of a boarding club. When he returned to Rock Port at the completion of his collegiate education he purchased The Atchison County Mail, Jan. 1, 1885, and laid the foundation of a successful newspaper career. The Mail is recognized as one of the best papers of its class published in the state. In addition to his newspaper work Mr. Stapel engaged in the mercantile business several years: He is public- spirited and is an earnest supporter of all progressive movements and public enterprises that stand for the upbuilding of his town, county and state.
Mr. Stapel has a beautiful modern residence in Rock Port, in size 30x60 feet, two stories, with large porches and covered driveways; there is also a barn, 24x32 feet in size, and all modern improvements and conveniences. His farm of 300 acres is located three and one-half miles east of Rock Port. He bought this land cheap, several years ago, and has since been offered $30,000 for it. The improvements are good, and all up-to-date. The house is of two stories, in size 14x32 feet and 20x40 feet; barn, 70x100 feet in size. There are many other improvements on the farm, including sheds, cribs, ice house, smoke house, scales, wind-mills, feed-grinding machine, tenant house, etc., and the house, barn and whole premises are supplied with water-works. Mr. Stapel feeds annually, on an average, about 100 head of cattle, 200 hogs and 1,000 sheep. His farm is kept neat and clean and both sides of the highway alongside the farmn are sown in alfalfa.
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On Monday of this week U. F. Stapel, of Rock Port, Mo., was on the Chicago market with a consignment of Angus steers (fifteen head of them being shown in the above picture) averaging 1,432 lbs., selling at $6.85, a highly creditable price considering the very heavy run that day and consequent weaker market. In fact, only two lots sold higher out of the entire supply of 32,644 head. The above cattle were bought as feeders at Kansas City last February, weighing at that time 900 lbs. They were on full feed from then until marketed Monday, through Clay, Robinson & Co., at the above price. Mr. Stapel is not only a well-known feeder but is also prominent in other lines, being editor of The Atchison County Mail as well as representing his county in the Legislature. Wm. C. Wulber, his feeder, accompanied the shipment, and both gentlemen were highly pleased with the price obtainedtas well as the way in which the stock was handled .- Chicago Weekly Live Stock Report, Nov. 15, 1906.
RICHARD THOMSON.
R ICHARD THOMSON, farmer, of Clay township, was born in. Ontario, Canada, on April 14th, 1853, the son of William A. and Martha Thomson, and the oldest in a family of nine children. With his parents he emigrated from Canada in the spring of 1870 and located in Atchison county, Missouri, on land adjacent to the farm which Mr. Thom- son now owns and lives upon. Here he has since made his home. He has 220 acres of land in section 13, township 65, range +1; 60 acres in section 19, township 65, range 40, and 20 acres in section 24, township 65, range 41. The improvements are of the best. The residence is surrounded by a beautiful lawn and grove, and the building, in size, is 32×32 feet, two stories, with porches, and a vestibule in front. The barn is 34x36 feet in size, with 16-foot posts; shop, 12x12 feet; wash room, 14x18 feet; buggy shed, arch cellar, orchard, vineyard and other improvements.
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