USA > Missouri > Linn County > Compendium of history and biography of Linn County, Missouri > Part 77
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Mr. Randolph is a native of Marion county, Missouri, where his life began on December 5, 1838. He is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Anderson) Randolph, the former born in Louisiana and the latter in Maryland. The father was a planter in his native state, and came to Missouri in 1834. He located in Marion county and there conducted a farm for a number of years. From there he removed to Edina in Knox county, where he died in 1903, and where the mother passed away in 1906. They had six sons and one daughter, all of whom are deceased but three of the sons.
Edward M. Randolph was reared and educated in Marion and Knox counties, and began his business career as a clerk in a general store at Newark in the latter, working there three years in that capac- ity. He then engaged in business for himself at Newark and Edina for a period of fifteen years. In addition he operated a mail route and express line between Edina and Quincy, Illinois, for a number of years. Afterward he served as circuit clerk of Knox county for six years, and was then associated with Senator L. F. Cottey in the real estate and loan business for some years, all the time adding new features to his experience and business knowledge, all of which have been of value to him ever since.
In 1887 he came to where Marceline now stands and, in company with other persons, purchased 2,000 acres of land. On this he platted and laid out the town in the winter of 1887-8, devoting 600 acres to the townsite. He at once became a resident of the place and all his subse- quent years have been passed here. He still owns 500 lots of the original plat of the town, and 120 acres which have never been platted, in addition. He has put up fifty dwellings in the city besides several
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business blocks, among the latter the Metropolitan block, the Randolph block and the Commercial block, in the erection of the last of which other persons were associated with him.
Mr. Randolph has been connected in a leading way with every enterprise of value in connection with the expansion and improvement of the city. He assisted in organizing the First National Bank, of which he is one of the original stockholders, and his ready mind has conceived and his skillful hand has helped to fashion many other institutions which are highly creditable and largely useful to the community.
On December 10, 1861, Mr. Randolph was united in marriage with Miss Annie Hamilton, a native of Knox county, Missouri. They have no children. But have reared and educated a number, over a dozen in all. They maintain a very attractive home, however, which is a center of social culture and enjoyment and of refined, genuine and gracious hospitality. It is one of the popular resorts of the city, and is much frequented by the host of admiring friends of its occupants, who regard it as an ideal domestic establishment.
Mr. Randolph has been a loyal and devoted member of the Demo- cratic party from the dawn of his manhood. Not, however, because he has ever been desirous of a political office of any kind, whether it came by election or appointment, but because he has an abiding faith in the principles of the party and their value in promoting good government. His church connection is with the Southern Methodists, and in fra- ternal life he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
This enterprising, progressive and broad-minded man is now the last remaining landmark in the community of the time when what is now the city of Marceline was an unbroken expanse of prairie, the only one left of the forces which spoke the municipality into being. He is well known throughout the county of Linn and those which adjoin it, and he is as highly esteemed as he is widely known. For his life has been useful in a material way in what it has produced, and much more serviceable in its uprightness and the example of elevated citizenship which it has furnished.
CLIFFORD R. HINTON
Clifford R. Hinton, of Parson Creek township, this county, lias a high reputation as an enterprising and progressive farmer and deserves it. He farms his land with intelligence and skill, and in a manner that makes every acre of it yield a proper return for the labor
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bestowed on it, and conducts all his affairs with system and prudence. This is a logical result of his circumstances and his training and meth- ods of procedure. He was born on the farm he tills and has worked on it from his boyhood. He therefore knows it well and is familiar with its needs. He is a son of prudent parents who trained him in good business methods, and he studies his work with diligence and close and discriminating observation.
Mr. Hinton came into being on March 20, 1873, the son of William H. and Mary A. (Ainsworth) Hinton, natives of the state of New York born near the city of Rochester. The father was a miller and worked at his trade in his native state until after the Civil War began. In 186- he enlisted in the Union army in a regiment of New York infantry, and he remained in the service about four years in all, seeing a great deal of the strife and taking part in several battles.
After the close of the war he located in the oil fields of Pennsyl- vania, where he was employed until 1868. He then came to this county and bought a tract of wild prairie land of 180 acres, and this unbroken expanse he converted into a valuable and productive farm, improved it with commodious and comfortable buildings, made a profitable and desirable rural home of it and lived on it until his death, which occurred in 1887. The mother is still living and maintains her home at Meadville.
The father built the Meadville flour mill. He operated it for some time, then disposed of his interest in it, and thereafter gave his whole attention to his farming. He was a Republican in political faith and allegiance, but he never filled a public office or took a very active part in political contests. He and the mother were married in the state of New York and became the parents of nine children, four of whom are living: Dayton L., who resides in the state of Oklahoma; Clifford R., the subject of this writing; Alda M., who is the wife of James Bailey and has her home at Meadville; and Sadie D., who lives with her mother. The grandfather of these children, Simeon Hinton, was born in England and died in New York state, where he was engaged in farming many years.
Clifford R. Hinton grew to manhood on the farm he now owns and cultivates and obtained his education in the district school in the neighborhood. His whole life from boyhood to the present time (1912) has been passed on this farm and in its tillage except one year, during which he was in the grocery and hardware trade at Meadville. Mer- cantile life was not agreeable to him, and he did not tarry long at it.
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The farm had attractions no other line of work could equal for him, and he wisely returned to that.
Mr. Hinton was married on November 12, 1902, to Miss Nannie Dicks, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Knox) Dicks, natives of Mis- souri and residents of Linn county at the time of the marriage. The family located here in 1870, and here the mother died. The father is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Hinton have two children, their daughter Marjorie M. and their son Forest C. The father is a Freemason and the mother belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. They are highly respected throughout the county, in all parts of which they are well and favorably known.
HENRY F. EVERTSON
This enterprising, progressive and successful farmer of Parson Creek township has passed something more than two-thirds of his life to the present time in this county, and during the whole of the period of his 'residence here has been actively connected with the leading industry of the locality, and since attaining his manhood a prominent force in carrying it on. He has made his impress on the region in the example of industry, thrift and good management he has given its people, and also in the results he has achieved in helping to build up its industrial, mercantile and commercial influence and importance.
Mr. Evertson is a native of Adams county, Illinois, where his life began on January 22, 1867. His parents, William and Sarah (Murry) Evertson, were southerners, the father born in Virginia in 1823 and the mother in Tennessee. The father was a farmer in four states, and made an excellent record as such in eachı. From Virginia he moved to Ohio and lived there for a time, then came on westward to Adams county, Illinois, and there remained forty years. In 1881 he moved to this county and located near Fountain Grove. In that neighborhood he was actively and profitably engaged in farming for twenty years, and at the end of that period changed his residence to the farm now occupied by his son Henry, on which he died on January 26, 1904, at the age of eighty-one years.
He and his wife were the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters. Eight of the ten are living yet, but Henry is the only one of the number who resides in Linn county. His grandfather, Jere- miah Evertson, was born and reared in Virginia and passed all the earlier years of his life as a planter in that state. In middle age he moved to Illinois and the remaining years of his earthly activity were
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passed in cultivating the rich prairie soil of that state, on which he died at a good old age and in which his remains were laid to rest.
Henry F. Evertson grew to the age of fourteen in Illinois and began his education there. In 1881 he came with his parents to this county, and here he has passed all his subsequent years. He com- pleted his education in the country schools of the county, and soon after doing so began life for himself as a farmer, which he has been ever since. In addition to his general farming operations, which are managed with skill and good judgment, he is extensively engaged in breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle and Poland-China hogs. And as he is careful and attentive to all requirements in every detail of his busi- ness in both departments, his output is large and holds a high rank in the markets, local and general.
On January 26, 1896, Mr. Evertson was united in marriage with Miss Flora M. Shiffett, a daughter of Harrison and Rebecca (Lively) Shiflett, who became residents of Linn county in 1887. The mother died here in 1900, as did the father some years later. Mr. Evertson is a wide-awake and progressive citizen, and is held in high favor and enjoys a widespread popularity because of his public spirit and enter- prise in regard to public improvements and everything that helps to promote the substantial and enduring welfare of the township and county of his home. He also takes an earnest interest and an active part in the fraternal life of his community as a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, which he also attends and helps to support. He is an excellent farmer, an aggressive citizen for the public good, a genial and obliging man socially and a most estimable force in his locality in every way.
JOHN B. WALBY
Beginning life for himself at the age of eighteen as a Union soldier in the Civil War, and since the close of that memorable and moment- ous sectional conflict actively engaged in farming on a liberal scale and in an enterprising and progressive manner, John B. Walby, of Parson Creek township, this county, has been from his youth a valu- able contributor to the greatness, wealth and progress of the United States and a worthy exemplar of its best and most serviceable citi- zenship.
Mr. Walby was born in Quincy, Illinois, on January 10, 1844, and is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Hannah) Walby, the former a
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native of London, England, and the latter of the state of Indiana. The father was a butcher by occupation, as was his father before him, whose name was also Benjamin Walby. The grandfather moved his family to the United States about the year 1837, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel. On arriving in this county the family came direct to Quincy, Illinois, and there the grandfather engaged in butchering, carrying on a profitable business. He invested his earnings in land in the county around him to good advantage, and passed the remainder of his days in Quincy.
He and his wife were the parents of four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom are now deceased. Their son Benjamin, the father of John B., followed his trade and also engaged in farming in Adams county, Illinois, until 1867, when he brought his family to Missouri and purchased railroad land in Livingston county. He cleared this land, improved the farm, brought it to an advanced stage of pro- ductiveness, and then sold it, and bought other land near Spring Hill in the same county. On this second farm he died in 1901, having sur- vived by twenty-four years the mother, who died in 1877. They had four sons and three daughters, but all of the seven have died except three of the sons. The parents belonged to the Baptist church, and the father was a devoted member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
John B. Walby obtained his education in the district schools of Adams county, Illinois, and remained at home with his parents until he reached the age of eighteen years in 1862. He then enlisted in defense of the Union in the Seventy-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but his connection with that regiment was short, as he was discharged soon after his enlistment on account of illness incurred in the service. Late in 1863 he again enlisted for a term of one year, becoming a mem- ber of the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and in this regiment he served out nearly all of his term of enlistment.
He saw active field service at Louisville, Kentucky, and in the bat- tles of Nashville, Murfreesboro (Stone River), Lookout Mountain and other engagements in Tennessee and Georgia. After his final discharge from the army he returned to his Illinois home and remained there until 1867, when he came to Missouri with his parents and located with them in Livingston county. He lived in that county until 1891, then moved to Linn county and bought a farm. This he improved and then sold a part of it, after which, in partnership with his son, he bought the farm they now own, live on and work. This was also unimproved when they became possessed of it, but their systematic, well-applied
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and skillful labor has transferred it into a model farm and made it very valuable.
Mr. Walby was married in 1867 to Miss Catherine MeCeary, a native of Pennsylvania. They have had seven children, six of whom are living: James A., John S., Rosella E., Wesley A. R., Lydia C. and Lavina M. Rosella is now the wife of R. U. Rice, of this county; Lydia C. married E. H. Walker; Lavina M. is the wife of Floyd Wright. The mother died in 1908 after forty-one years of useful domestic life and faithful attention to the duties of her home.
Mr. Walby is a member of that fast-fading organization, the Grand Army of the Republic, and he and his wife belonged to the Christian church while she lived, and he still adheres to it and his devotion to its welfare. He saw this part of northern Missouri when it was in the infancy of its civilized life, with all its possibilities speaking volumes of promise but as yet yielding almost nothing to the service of man- kind. He has helped to bring it to its present state of development and fruitfulness in material products, raise it to the height it occupies in moral and mental force and culture, and augment its commercial activity and social influence to their present magnitude. At every stage of the advance he has done his part intelligently, cheerfully and with the utmost fidelity, and the residents of this part of the state esteem him highly for the service he has rendered it and the admirable type of citizenship he has shown.
BENJAMIN S. COTTER
Born, reared and educated in Linn county, Missouri, and through- out his life from the dawn of his manhood to the present time (1912), except a period of three years, during which he lived in western Mon- tana, one of the enterprising, progressive and successful farmers of Locust Creek township, Benjamin S. Cotter has a hold on the esteem and good will of the people of all classes and conditions few men, if any, have ever surpassed him in. He is modest and unassuming not- withstanding his popularity, and this fact adds to its extent and hearti- ness, for, while his merit has been demonstrated to the residents of his township and county, he seems himself to be unconscious of it or the effect it has produced.
Mr. Cotter's life began in Linn county in 1869, and he is a son of William E. and Mary E. (Oxley) Cotter, the former a native of Ten- nessee and the latter of Indiana. The father was born in 1835, and was
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reared on a farm. When he reached man's estate he became a farmer himself. When he was a child the family came to Missouri and located on a tract of wild land south of the village of Browning which the father bought. Some years afterward he moved to another south of Linneus, on which he died in 1908. The mother passed away in this county.
They were the parents of seven daughters and five sons, and of the twelve eight are living. During the Civil War the father served three years in the Union army in the Twenty-third Missouri Volunteer Infantry.
In politics he was an unwavering Republican and rose to a posi- tion of leadership in his party in this county. He kept alive the memories of the war, without any of its bitterness of feeling, by active membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, and his religious con- nection was with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a devout and consistent member, belonging to it for many years. His father, Stephen V. Cotter, was born in Tennessee and died in this county, where he made himself locally famous as a great hunter. He was united in marriage with a Miss Fair, who died in this county also.
Benjamin S. Cotter was reared in Linn county and educated in its district schools. From his youth he has been a farmer in the county except for a period of three years, during which he was in western Mon- tana, as has been stated. He has been successful in his farming opera- tions and won from the soil a substantial competency, and this is not surprising, for his work has been directed by intelligence and good judgment and prosecuted with industry and skill.
In 1901 he was united in marriage with Miss Bessie Forman, a daughter of Maj. Luther T. Forman, who was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, on August 21, 1821. Her mother was his third wife, and before her marriage to the major she was Mrs. Emily Graham. The major was prominent on the Union side in the Civil War, and in Repub- lican politics after the memorable conflict closed. During the closing years of his life he was a Greenbacker in politics. He also was a great hunter in his time. In religious affiliation he and his wife were mem- bers of the Christian church.
Mr. and Mrs. Cotter have one child, their son Lee R., who is now a promising student in the public school near his home. In fraternal relations Mr. Cotter is a member of the Order of Odd Fellows and the Yeomen of America. He takes an earnest and appreciative interest in the proceedings of these fraternities, and his membership is highly valued in both of them by their other members. The interests of his
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township and county have his intelligent and helpful attention, too, and every worthy undertaking for their promotion has his energetic and serviceable support. In all the duties of citizenship he is faithful and true, always performing with exactness according to his sense of right, and with a view to getting the best results for his community. As a man he is representative of all that is best Linn county manhood, and the people in all parts of the county who know him so regard him.
HENRY SMITH
For a continuous period of thirty-one years this prominent and progressive farmer and influential citizen of Baker township has occu- pied and cultivated the farm which he now owns and lives on in the neighborhood of St. Catharine, this county, and his life has been an open book before the people around him without a stain on any of its pages. He has been a resident of the county since 1864, coming hither immediately after his discharge from the Union army after three years' service during the Civil War, in which he experienced all the horrors of military strife, including a serious wound received during the engagements around Vicksburg.
Mr. Smith is a native of Massachusetts, born in the city of Lynn on March 29, 1837. His parents, Hiram and Martha (Pendergrass) Smith, were also New Englanders, the former born at Gilford near Lake Winnipiseogee in New Hampshire and the latter in Massachu- setts. The father was a carpenter and a stair builder, and never left the section of the country in which his life began. He was married in Massachusetts and then took up his residence in that state, where he passed the remainder of his days. The mother also died in that state. They were the parents of one son and two daughters, all now deceased but the son. The grandfather, Paul Smith, was born and reared in Scotland, and came to the United States a young man. He took up his residence in New England and passed the rest of his life in that part of the country.
Henry Smith grew to manhood in his native city and obtained his education in its public schools. He learned the carpenter trade and worked at it a short time, then picked up the craft of a wheelwright and blacksmith and followed that at intervals for thirty years. In 1861 he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Missouri Volunteer Infantry, in which he served three years and took part in many important battles, among them the conflicts at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion
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Hill and the siege of Vicksburg, all in Mississippi, and many minor engagements there and elsewhere. He held the rank of second lieu- tenant for a time and was then promoted to that of first lieutenant, with which he was mustered out of the service. During the siege of Vicks- burg, as has been stated above, he received a serious wound, being shot in his right breast. This disabled him for some months, but he was able to return to his regiment without a very long absence.
In 1864, having some knowledge of Missouri and Linn county from a previous residence here, he returned to this county and located here permanently, and in 1879 he took possession of the farm he now owns and cultivates, and on which he has made his home ever since. He has carried on a general farming industry with energy and enterprise, till- ing his land with intelligence and good judgment, and has made his work profitable to him in a worldly way and serviceable in winning the respect, approval and good will of the people around him and in other parts of the county.
On January 8, 1867, Mr. Smith was married to Mrs. Rachel J. Peavler, a widow. Ten children have been born of their union, six of whom are living: Mary, now the wife of Robert Richardson; Martha, now Mrs. J. M. Logan; Margaret, who married F. Rauer and has her home with him in North Salem township; and William H., Charles and Thomas.
The head of the household is a Republican in his political rela- tions, but, although he is a firm believer in the principles of his party and always supports them and its candidates loyally, he has not been an active political worker, and has never sought or desired a political office. Fraternally he is connected with the Grand Army of the Repub- lic and takes a cordial interest in the meetings of the post in which he nolds his membership. He is well known in the county and everywhere highly esteemed.
SAMUEL H. LINHART
This highly esteemed citizen of Linn county and model farmer of Enterprise township, who is also actively, extensively and profitably engaged in breeding horses and cattle of superior strains, and owns 500-acre farm, has been a resident of the township in which he now lives for more than fifty-four years, and during the greater part of the time has been energetically engaged in one of the leading industries of the county, considerably to his own advantage, and also in ways
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highly beneficial to his township and Linn county in general. He was a lad of eleven years when his parents moved to the county, and even then was able to render good service on the parental homestead.
Mr. Linhart was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, on November 3, 1847. His parents, Adam and Elizabeth (Brown) Linhart, were also natives of that state and engaged in farming there. In 1858 they moved to Missouri and Linn county, and located on a tract of unbroken land in Enterprise township. The father broke up his land with ox teams, replaced the wild growth of ages with the products of systematic husbandry, and transformed the virgin expanse into a fine farm and a very comfortable and attractive home.
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