USA > Missouri > Linn County > Compendium of history and biography of Linn County, Missouri > Part 59
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HOWARD M. THOMPSON
One of the rising young farmers of Parsons Creek township, and active and serviceable in all matters pertaining to the progress and improvement of his township and county, Howard M. Thompson has demonstrated his merit to the people around him in many ways and they esteem him in accordance with it. He has a special interest in Linn county and its residents, for he was born in it, drew his stature and his strength from its soil and has mingled actively and helpfully in its industrial and civic life from his boyhood, and in a forceful and influential way from the dawn of his manhood through all the subse- quent years of his life.
Mr. Thompson's life began in Meadville on June 27, 1876. He is a son of Permenis M. and Nanny J. (Drummond) Thompson, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of Missouri. The father was always a farmer in times of peace, but when armed resistance threatened the
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continuance of the Union he became a soldier, enlisting in the Second Ohio regiment and serving throughout the Civil War. He bore the marks of his valor and fidelity to his grave, having been wounded in one of the terrible battles of the momentous conflict, and also having been taken prisoner and suffered all the horrors of confinement in Andersonville prison.
After the end of his military service he sought a new field of enter- prise in the yet undeveloped West, coming to Linn county, Missouri, in 1866, and buying a tract of wild land in Parsons Creek township. He located on this land and devoted the remaining years of his life to its cultivation and improvement, living on it until within a year or two of his death, which occurred at Laclede on February 26, 1906. He and the mother were married in Missouri and became the parents of five sons and two daughters, all of whom are living but one of the sons. The mother is also still living and has her home in Laclede.
Their son Howard was reared and educated in this county, and has been connected with farm work from his boyhood. He worked on his father's farm while attending school and for some years after complet- ing his education, and since leaving that has been continuously occu- pied in cultivating a farm on his own account. He has been a diligent student of the science of agriculture in both theory and practice, and a judicious and discriminating observer of experimental operations and their results. By this means he has become one of the best farmers in the county, and is regarded as one of the most enterprising and progressive.
Mr. Thompson has taken an earnest interest in the affairs of his county and township also, and made his interest manifest in practical work for their advancement and improvement. No commendable pro- ject involving their betterment or the general well being of their res- idents goes without his ardent and serviceable support. The fraternal life of his community has appealed to him with force, and he has been active in that, too, as a member of the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pythias.
He was married on April 3, 1900, to Miss Ida Bargar, a daughter of H. C. and Mary A. (Laffer) Bargar, pioneers and long highly respected residents of Linn county. Five of the offspring born of the union are living: Clifford C., Theodore C., Howard K., Genevieve I. and Catherine E., all of whom still abide under the family rooftree and brighten and adorn the family circle of their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are among the most highly esteemed residents of Linn county.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
GEORGE W. ANDERSON
The fertile land of Linn county has proven a great benefaction to hundreds of persons who have lived on it, and the usually genial climate of this section of the state makes its attractiveness all the greater. Those who are native to the soil and have known scarcely any other, are pleased with it, of course. But it attracted attention and had a rep- utation before many people occupied it, and drew settlers at an early day in the history of the county from many distant points.
Among the early but not earliest arrivals were George and Agnes (Hunt) Anderson, the parents of George W. Anderson, now one of the prominent farmers and leading live stock men of Jefferson township, who located in that township in 1869, when he was but six years old. They were natives of Genesee county, New York, where the father was born on October 29, 1831, and moved to Illinois early in their married life, locating in Peoria county. They farmed there until the land beyond the Mississippi, as it was to them, beckoned them with too persuasive a hand to be resisted, and then they came to this county to pass the remainder of their lives.
The father bought a farm in Jefferson township three miles south- east of Laclede, where they dwelt until 1891, then moved to Brookfield. In that city the mother died in 1893 and the father in August, 1911. Of the eleven children born of their union nine are living, four of them sons, and three of these are residents of Linn county. The father served as a justice of the peace two years, and was among the most esteemed men in the county. The farm on which he located was at the time but slightly improved, but when he left it his skillful husbandry had brought it to a high state of productiveness, his excellent judgment and good taste had improved it with attractive modern buildings, and it had all the features and state of advancement of a first rate farm. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The paternal grandfather, Esquire Anderson, was also a farmer and migrated to Illinois in middle life. In that state he took up his residence in Henry county, and died at Galva, in that county, in 1884. His offspring numbered five, four sons and one daughter. They are all living but one son, the father of the subject of this brief memoir.
George W. Anderson was born in Peoria county, Illinois, in 1863, and was but six years old when the family moved to Missouri, as has been noted. He attended the country schools near his home and worked on the home farm until he attained his majority, then moved to the farm of 360 acres in Jefferson township, which he now occupies, and which
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is one of the best in the county. The land is very fruitful and he farms it with vigor, carrying on general farming operations on an extensive scale and with gratifying profits. In addition he handles a large vol- ume of live stock from year to year, and so conducts this branch of his business that it, also, brings him in handsome returns for his labor and enterprise. The farm is improved with good up-to-date buildings for all its operations, including the live stock department, and the dwelling is one of the most commodious, comfortable, attractive and completely equipped in the township.
Mr. Anderson was married on March 7, 1888, to Miss Lizzie Carter, a daughter of Carlos and Betsey (Gustin) Carter, who located in Linn county in 1859, where they both died some years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have four children, their son Carlos C. and their daughters Betty A., Orliva L. and Zina G. The father of these children is always warmly interested in the welfare of his township and county and the substantial and enduring good of their residents, and he is at all times willing and ready to do all in his power to promote the general well being in every way open to his efforts.
While taking an earnest interest in public affairs and believing firmly in the principles of the Republican party, Mr. Anderson is not an active partisan, although he gives his party good service in a quiet way. He has served as township trustee for twelve years, and in many other ways has shown his zeal in behalf of the locality of his home. He is one of Linn county's sturdiest, most sterling and most representative citi- zens, and the people esteem him in accordance with this estimate. Mrs. Anderson is a devout and serviceable member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, which her husband also attends and aids in supporting.
JOHN H. SENSENICH
Having been a resident of Linn county continuously for thirty-four years, and an occupant of the farm in Parsons creek township which he now owns and cultivates with such vigor and success, John H. Sensenich knows all the requirements of the locality in which he lives and is zeal- ous in his efforts to aid in providing for them. He has given the people dwelling in his neighborhood a good example in his enterprising and progressive farming, and has also been of service in stimulating others to active efforts in behalf of public improvements in addition to what he has done himself in this direction, and that has been a great deal and
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always cheerfully performed and directed by intelligence and breadth of view.
Mr. Sensenich is a native of the great county of Lancaster, in the great state of Pennsylvania, where he was born on March 1, 1835. His parents, Christian and Katie (Hestand) Sensenich, were also natives of that state and passed the whole of their lives there. They belonged to the race known as Pennsylvania Dutch, and had all the excellent traits of that thrifty and frugal people. The mother died in her native state in 1891, aged ninety years, and the father at the same place in 1845. They were the parents of four children, three of them sons, the only ones now living being John H. and his sister, Mrs. Weaver, who resides on the old family homestead. The father was a school teacher and also a tinsmith and marble cutter, being of a mechanical turn and able to do good work in several crafts.
The grandfather, whose name was also John Sensenich, was also a native of Pennsylvania, and passed his life in that state. He was a farmer, and according to the range and conditions of his time a success- ful and prosperous one. The first representatives of the family in this country came over from Switzerland before the Revolutionary War, and some of its early American members took part in that great and arduous struggle for liberty and independence. They were imbued with the spirit of William Tell, and ready at the first call to fight for freedom from a galling foreign yoke.
John H. Sensenich was reared in his native county and educated in its district schools. After completing his education he served two years apprenticeship to a carpenter and cabinet maker. But this trade was not to his taste and he abandoned it. In 1860 he turned his atten- tion to making binding boards to be used in bookbinding. He followed that business fifteen years, and then gave it up. In 1878 he came to this county with the determination to become a farmer, and with that end in view rented land which he farmed for two years. He found the occupation agreeable and has adhered to it ever since with profit to himself and benefit to the country around him.
In 1880 he bought a tract of forty acres of land for which he paid the sum of $14.40 per acre. To this he has added by subsequent pur- chases until he now owns 181 acres. He has been industrious all the time, thrifty in his management of his work and business in general, studious and progressive in his methods of farming, and up to date in his ideas of improvement, and he has transformed his once uncultivated expanse into a model farm and a very comfortable and attractive coun- try home.
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Mr. Sensenich was married in Pennsylvania in 1859 to Miss Har- riet Diller, who was also a Pennsylvania by birth. They have had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy and two, Adam and Ulysses G., further advanced in life. The seven who are living are: Clara, who is the wife of Charles E. Robbins; David, who is residing in Wheeling, Missouri; Catherine, whose home is now in Pennsylvania; John J .; Elizabeth, who is the wife of M. B. Harter, of Linn county; Susan, who is the wife of Henry Gauger, of Oklahoma, and Charles S. Their mother died on January 22, 1912, respected and loved by all that came within the circle of her acquaintance.
At all periods of his life from youth Mr. Sensenich has been deeply interested in the welfare of his country. During the Civil War he was particularly anxious over the fate of the Union and ardently desirous of its preservation. Family ties and other conditions prevented him from enlisting in the army himself, but he sent a substitute, and thus did what he could for the issue he had so much at heart. He also sup- ported the Union in every other way available to him during the great conflict.
Mr. Sensenich's farming has always been of a general nature, and has been wisely and skillfully conducted. In political faith and alle- giance he is a Republican and firm in his loyalty to his party. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Order of Odd Fellows, and in religious affiliation with the Methodist Episcopal church. In church work he is very active, serving as steward, class leader and Sunday school super- intendent in the congregation to which he belongs, and having been also district steward in his territory. He is widely and favorably known throughout the county, and in all parts of it is one of the most highly respected of its citizens.
EDWARD R. COATES
With his childhood and youth darkened by the terrible shadow of the Civil War, and all opportunities for education in the schools put beyond his reach by that maelstrom of disaster; with the prospects in life to which he was born also swept away by the sectional strife that almost rent our severely tried country asunder, whereby he was com- pelled to begin life for himself at the very bottom of the ladder instead of well up on its rungs in a worldly way, as he would otherwise have been able to do; and with the care of his father's household thrust upon him in his young manhood by the father's death, Edward R. Coates has
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had a large element of tragedy in his career. But he is of a resolute and resourceful nature, and has met all the requirements of his situa- tion, whatever it has been, with manly courage, stern endurance and a reliance on himself that has brought him steady advancement.
Mr. Coates was born in Caroline county, Virginia, on December 18, 1855, and is a son of John B. and Elizabeth J. (Rouzie) Coates, also natives of Virginia, the former born in Carolina and the latter in Han- over county. The father's life began in 1829. He was a son of William Coates, also a Virginian by birth and lifelong residence, and died in that state. William's offspring numbered three, two sons and one daughter. The daughter is still living in Virginia, Caroline county, and is the widow of Joseph H. Flippo. Her father was a soldier under Washington from the beginning to the end of the Revolutionary War and took part in most of its important battles in which that great patriot was in command.
John B. Coates grew to manhood in his native state and was an extensive planter and slave owner there. He was educated in private schools and thoroughly indoctrinated in the political theories of his state. Soon after the Civil War began he enlisted in Company E, Thir- tieth Virginia Volunteer Infantry, and in that regiment he fought from the beginning to the end of the conflict, taking part in the first battle of Manassas and surrendering with Leet at Appomattox.
When the war ended he found all his estate gone and himself obliged to begin life's struggle for advancement all over again. He lingered in his native state until 1877, then brought his family to Mis- souri and rented a farm in Linn county on Locust creek, and on this farm he died in 1880. He was married in Virginia in October, 1852, to Miss Elizabeth J. Rouzie, a daughter of Dr. Edward A. and Maria L. (Pleasants) Rouzie, also natives of the Old Dominion. The father was a physician and in constant practice until his death, which occurred in Virginia in about 1883.
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Coates were the parents of seven children, all of whom are living: William F., who resides in Virginia; Edward R., the immediate sketch of this review; Mark G. and Arthur K., sketches of whom will be found in this volume; Helen Virginia, who is the wife of E. R. Stevens and has her home in Oklahoma; Judson T. L., who is a resident of North Dakota; and Thomas B., who is in business in St. Louis. Edward R., Mark G. and Arthur K. are residents of Linn county.
Edward R. Coates grew to manhood in Virginia. He was but six years old when the Civil War began, or something less than that, and
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
it deprived him of all opportunity to attend school in his earlier years. He saw a great deal of the momentous conflict and the scenes he wit- nessed are burned into his memory, for he was one of its heavy suf- ferers. In 1877 he came with his parents to this county and remained with them here for a number of years. During the remaining years of his father's life he assisted him on the farm, and after his death the son took charge of the family, being the oldest son at home, and con- ducted the operations of the farm for the benefit of the household until 1884.
In that year he bought the farm he now owns and cultivates, and since then he has devoted his time and energies mainly to that. It com- prises 140 acres of good land and is well improved with commodious and substantial buildings. He has brought it to a high state of pro- ductiveness and made it one of the most desirable rural homes in Par- sons ,creek township. Throughout Linn county he is well known as a progressive and enterprising citizen, warmly interested in the improve- ment of this part of the state and at all times willing to do his full part toward promoting its advancement. He belongs to the Democratic party in political relations and is one of its leaders in the county. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias.
On May 16, 1894, Mr. Coates was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Carmichael, a daughter of Delos Carmichael, who came to Mis- souri in 1868. He was born in the state of New York and reared in Hillsdale county, Michigan. In 1857 he made a trip across the plains to California, and a little later was a school teacher in New Mexico. His life in the mining camps and on the plains was full of adventure and often in critical danger. He had troublesome experiences with the Indians, and did not escape peril even when living and working among men of his own race. He is now living retired at Laclede. Mr. and Mrs. Coates have three children: Edward J., Charles R. and Laura V., all of whom are still living under the parental rooftree and assisting in the labors of the farm and the household.
CEPHAS NEWSOM
(Deceased)
The late Cephas Newsom, of Parsons Creek township, whose tragic death in 1870, when he was but thirty-five years old, greatly shocked the widely scattered inhabitants of his neighborhood, which was sparsely settled at that time, was a pioneer in this county and molded
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in the proper form for a heroic and very useful man. He was born in North Carolina in 1835, and was taken by his parents to Kentucky in his childhood. A few years later they brought him to Missouri, where the family found a new home in Carroll county, and where the parents passed the remainder of their days.
Mr. Newsom grew to manhood in Carroll county, this state, remain- ing there until 1865, when he came to Linn county and bought the farm on which he was killed in 1870. The cause of his death was the fall of a log, which he was hauling over Locust creek, on him, and which crushed out his life at once. He was at the time a young man of thirty- five, in full vigor of body and mind, earnest in his ambition for success in life and resolute in his determination to work for it. He had already made his mark in the community as a man of intelligence and resource- fulness, and the people regarded him as a very useful and highly prom- ising addition to the citizenship of the township and county.
When he came into this locality he bought his land in a wild and wholly unimproved condition, and in the five years or less of his occu- pancy of it he had broken it up, erected good buildings on it and brought a large part of it under cultivation. All his movements showed him to be a man of enterprise and progressiveness, and his example was influential in making others more contented under the hardships they were all obliged to undergo, and more determined to proceed withi their work of improving their land and building up here a new field of fruitfulness for the material advantage of the state and country and enriching it with all the concomitants of civilized life and achievement.
Mr. Newsom was married about the year 1861 to Miss Mary J. Davis, a daughter of James and Nancy (Johnson) Davis, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Kentucky. The father was a tailor and lived in Linneus for many years, ending his days in that city. The mother died in Chariton county. Mr. and Mrs. Newsom had six chil- dren, three of whom are living: Catherine, who is now the widow of G. F. Nesmith and lives in Garden City, Missouri; Mary E., who is the wife of Wilson A. Strickler and has her home in this county; and John A., who is a Linn county farmer.
The mother of these children was married twice and Mr. Newsom was her second husband. Her former marriage was with H. Leabell, and by her union with him she had one child, Laura A., who is now the wife of S. A. Myers and resides in the state of Idaho. Mrs. Newsom is still living and has long maintained her residence in Parsons Creek township, where she is held in high respect as a most estimable and
HON. BENJAMIN L. WHITE
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
worthy woman whose life among this people has been of great service to them.
Mr. Newsom served in the Missouri state militia during the Civil War. He was a devout and consistent member of the Christian church and zealously attentive to all the duties of citizenship. When he came to this county his neighbors were few and it was far between them, but wild game was yet abundant and furnished a ready supply of food, which, without it, would often have been very scarce. His widow is now seventy-five years of age, but very vigorous and active for her years and still full of energy.
HON. BENJAMIN L. WHITE
Descended from sturdy old English stock on his father's side, and from people of the same sterling character in Germany and Ireland on his mother's; with his paternal ancestors domesticated in Virginia from early colonial times, and his branch of the family emigrating from the Old Dominion to Kentucky while the latter was still "the dark and bloody ground;" with them all making excellent records as strong, patriotic, elevated and progressive citizens wherever they lived, and taking their part in all the affairs of their several localities; and with several generations of them pioneers, conquerors of the wilderness and potential forces in laying the foundations of mighty commonwealths, Hon. Benjamin L. White, a prominent lawyer of this county living at Marceline and now senator from the Sixth senatorial district of the state, has many incentives to public spirit and enterprise in public affairs and upright and estimable manhood in private life in the long and serviceable record of his family. And so truly has he lived up to the examples and inspiration to be found therein, that his forebears may not inaptly be said to be "Sceptered sovereigns who still rule his spirit from their urns."
Senator White is himself a native of Kentucky, his life having begun in Adair county of that state on December 16, 1868. He is a son of Benjamin and Hannalı J. (Winfrey) White, who were also born and reared in Kentucky. The father was a farmer who came to Missouri prior to the Civil war, but returned to his native state in 1862. In 1870 he started back to this state with an ox team, intending to make his home in Carroll county. But he got no farther on the trip than Mont- gomery county, Illinois, and there he passed the remainder of his days
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
on a farm, on which his life closed in 1881. The mother died at Marce- line, this county, in 1911.
They were the parents of eight children, seven sons and one daugh- ter. Three of the sons are still living: Henry C., who resides at Deca- tur, Illinois; and William B. and Benjamin L., who are residents of Marceline. It should be stated in connection with the father, that he passed two years in the Union army during the Civil war, having enlisted in a Missouri regiment when the conflict was about half over. In his military career, as in everything else, he hearkened to the call of duty with a willing heart, and met its every claim to the limit of his power and opportunity.
Senator White grew to manhood on a farm in Montgomery county, Illinois, and was educated in the public schools and an academy in Hills- boro, in that county. He began life for himself as a clerk in a grocery store, and when he was about nineteen years of age turned his attention to the study of law under the direction of J. J. Phillipps in Hillsboro. He was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Illinois when he was twenty-one, and, following the example of his father and other ancestors, he at once started for the newer country of the farther West, coming to Carrollton, Missouri, and forming a partnership with Virgil Conkling, a lawyer of that city, for the practice of his profession.
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