USA > Missouri > Macon County > General history of Macon County, Missouri > Part 45
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The career of this enterprising man, the father of Charles C. Neet, furnishes an inspiring example of industry and thrift employed under the direction of natural shrewdness and business capacity, and shows in a luminous way what those traits and that system of operation can accomplish in this portion of a land of great opportunities in almost every part, and of almost boundless possibilities in some. Mr. Neet began life as a poor boy, with no capital but his ability, good health and indomitable determination to win success in his chosen line of endeavor. IIe has triumphed even beyond his expectations, and the triumph is all his own. His parents came to this state from Illinois and bore the brunt of a hardy pioncer existence, which never brought them a fortune in a worldly way, but which gained them the estcem of the people who knew them, and gave them vigor of body and inde-
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pendence and self-reliance of spirit, qualities which descended to their posterity by heredity and were intensified in their children by the training those children received at the family fireside. They have been nobly exemplified in the career of James N. Neet, and his son Charles, the immediate subject of this writing is also distinguished for them.
Charles C. Neet was educated in the common schools of his native township and a high school conducted in connection with them. He made choice of his occupation early in life, and he has never varied from his first decision. As soon as he left school he took charge of a considerable portion of his father's interests in the agricultural and live stock lines, and he has been wholly given up to those pursuits ever since, carrying on the operations of the homestead in the same pro- gressive and masterly way that his father inaugurated in its manage- ment, and adding to his system whatever modern investigation and discovery have proven worthy of adoption. He, too, has succeeded well and won a considerable estate. In addition, by his devotion to the welfare of his township and county, and his active efforts in hehalf of their advancement and improvement, he has won the regard and good will of the people as one of their most progressive and helpful citizens and a representative of the lofty spirit of enterprise that animates them. In political affairs he is rather independent with leaning's to the Republican party, of which his father has long been a loyal but quiet and nnostentations member. He is also a member of the Order of Odd Fellows and the Order of Modern Woodmen. In religious affiliations he is connected with the Universalist church, as are also the members of his family. On February 15, 1899, he was married to Miss Amy L. Ross, who was born in Knox county, Missouri, in 1877. They have two children, their daughters Bernice L. and Thelka M.
DR. NAT. L. JOHNSON.
Although belonging to a comparatively new school in the science of medicine, and having allied with that an additional potency of exten- sive application covering only the last few years in general practice, Dr. Nat. L. Johnson of Gifford has won his way in popular esteem as a physician of ability and resourcefulness in his profession, and has given his line of practice good standing in the community nothwith- standing the prejudices it was obliged to overcome and the hesitation of the general public to accept a new departure from the established usages of centuries.
The Doctor was born in Schuyler county, Missouri, in 1864, and is a son of Nathaniel L. and Amanda (Capps) Johnson, the former. the
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a native of Indiana and the latter of Kentucky. The father came to Missouri in 1832 and was engaged actively and prosperously in farm- ing until his death, which was due to an accident that ended his life in 1865. He was married twice, his first wife having been a Miss Hub- bell, who left five children at her death. The only offspring of the second marriage, which was with Miss Amanda Capps, who came to this state in infancy, was Dr. Nat. L., the interesting subject of these paragraphs. After the death of the father the mother married again and is now the widow of William Stokesberry. The Doctor's paternal grandfather, whose name was Frederick Johnson, was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and was one of the pioneers of Indiana.
Dr. Nat. L. Johnson obtained his scholastic training in the public schools and at Avalon College. Ile taught school for a few years after finishing his own education, and then for a few more occupied himself with various lines of effort. He began the study of medicine in 1897, matriculating for the purpose at the Osteopathic College in Kirksville, from which he was graduated in 1899. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession, and as time passed he realized the therapeutic value of medicine in human ailments, and with characteristic energy he devoted himself to a systematic study of it. In this effort to enlarge his information and increase his power as a doctor, he did not depend on private reading and investigation for his acquisitions. He pursued a regular course of instruction in a good eclectic institution devoted to this branch of medical training, and was graduated from that institution in 1908. He also went through a complete post-graduate course.
After this thorough preparation Dr. Johnson resumed his practice, locating in one part of Adair county for a year, then moving to Nov- inger in the same county. From Novinger he came to South Gifford to practice and also to engage in the drug trade. He has considerable professional practice and the business done by his drug store is large and profitable. In addition he is a stockholder and director of the Gazette Printing Company. This also gives increase to his influence and popularity in the community, and extends his power to serve the people in every way that ministers to their enduring welfare.
Political affairs and fraternal interests have engaged the Doctor's attention in a leading way and he has risen to consequence and influence in them also. He is a Democrat in political faith, and while neither seeking nor desiring public office for himself, he is always at the front with valnable and appreciated service for his party. His fraternal connections are with the Masonic Order, the Order of Odd Fellows and
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its adjunct, the Order of Daughters of Rebecca, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of the Maccabees. He is devoted in his attention to all his lodges and zealous in his efforts to advance them to the highest development and most extensive usefulness, with a view to the welfare of their members and the community in general, and looking to the publie good, local and general.
In 1884 Dr. Johnson was united in marriage with Miss Lou Walker, a native of Schuyler county, this state. They have two children, their daughter Ethel, the wife of S. J. Hopper, and their daughter Ursula, the wife of J. C. Salisbury. In the town of Gifford, throughout Easley township and in all parts of the surrounding country for a wide extent the members of the family are highly esteemed as most worthy and estimable persons and first rate citizens. And their past records and present daily lives fully justify the good will and cordial regard bestowed upon them.
V
A. C. GOODDING.
Seion of a honse that was prominent in the very early history of Macon county, which his grandfather, Abraham Goodding, helped to divide into sections, and to whose progress and development his father, Andrew J. Goodding, contributed for more than forty years, A. C. Goodding of Atlanta has had the stimulus of luminous examples in his forefathers for his own activity in industrial life and useful citizenship in all respects, and nobly has he followed them. The growth and improvement of the county were matters of pride and pleasure with two generations of his family before him, and the duty of striving to help in furthering its interests in every way possible, which descended to him as a heritage, has been with him a labor of love also. And, while his efforts have been fruitful in good to the region on which they have been bestowed, they have also resulted in substanial and enduring benefit to him.
Mr. Goodding was born in this county on May 26, 1857, and is a son of Andrew L. and Mary Jane (Dameron) Goodding, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee. They were married in 1844 and had three children. Two of them are living, J. B. of La Plata and A. C. of Atlanta. The father came to this county with his parents in 1818. At that time this whole region was an ahnost unbroken expanse of wilderness, in which the wild beasts of the forest and the wild men of the plains held undisputed sway and roamed at will. The dawn of civilization in it was just beginning to break and the slumbering world, which felt the light although it saw it not as yet. was
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disturbed in its long sleep of ages with premonitions of the voice of its coming master who would awaken it to action and start it in its benefi- cent career of progress and fruitfulness. What mattered it to the hardy adventurers of that day that wild beast and still more savage men opposed their coming and endangered their lives! What recked they that even Nature herself seemed in league with their foes for their extermination! What if she did resist all their wooings and per- suasions, and had to be compelled with force to yield to their will! There was an empire at stake and they were determined to win it for their posterity and lay broad and deep its foundations for themselves. After a foothold was gained and firmly planted in the new region it was necessary that the country be divided into sections of land and that a sufficient form of civil government be established. In this work Mr. Goodding's grandfather was one of the leading spirits, and well he did his part. His son, the father of A. C., was a farmer and gave energetic and profitable attention to his work until his death, which occurred in 1859. That of the mother came just thirty years later, in Jannary, 1889.
A. C. Goodding passed his boyhood and youth on his father's farm and attended the district schools near by when he had opportunity. His experience was not unlike that of most other boys in his situation. He worked on the farm when there was work that required his attention, and went to school when he could. His education was necessarily limited, so far as book learning was concerned, but the long schooling of every day experience was not lost npon him, and this broadened his nature and enlarged his information. As soon as he quit school he began life for himself as a farmer and farming has been his chief occupation ever since, with general stock-raising as a side issue, and in both he has been very successful. He now owns 370 acres of land, good in quality, well located for his purposes, and developed to a high degree of improvement and productiveness by the skill and vigor with which he has cultivated it.
Mr. Goodding's farm work and stock industry have been exacting and required a great deal of attention. But he has found time to exer- cise his disposition to help all worthy interests in the township and county for their betterment and the welfare of their people. He was one of the founders of the Atlanta State Bank and has been one of its stockholders and directors and its president from the beginning of its history in 1888. He is also vice-president of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Macon. As one of the ruling spirits in these institutions he has aided in giving them high standing in the business
ASA W. McDAVITT
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world and a firm establishment in the confidence and regard of the people. Other institutions with which he is connected have also felt the impulse of his skillful guidance and energetic nature. For he makes everything go that he puts his hand to, and makes all go right, as far as he can control the movement.
In political relations Mr. Goodding is a Democrat of firm con- victions and great activity. The affairs of his party always command his attention and its interests always have his effective support. For more than a quarter of a century he served diligently and energetically as a member of the local school board, and the schools were greatly benefited by the attention he gave them. He is a Freemason in fra- ternal relations and a member of the Presbyterian church in religious connections. Both church and lodge get their full share of his aid in all their worthy undertakings. In 1881 he was married to Miss Emma Dunnington, who was born and reared in this county, but whose father was a native of Virginia. They have three children, Roy H., Buella, the wife of J. W. Tyler of Enid, Oklahoma, and Walter. The family is one of the leading ones in the township and deserves its prominence. 1
ASA W. MeDAVITT.
Following lofty ideas of citizenship in all the relations of life and faithful to every duty, whether in the productive pursuits of peaceful industry or on the field of carnage in the front of unrolling columns bent on the death and destruction of their opponents, Asa W. MeDavitt of Richland township in this county, has given a good example to all observ- ers and justified the faith his fellow men have in his integrity and the esteem in which they hold him for his enterprise and usefulness. He is a native of Randolph county, Missouri, born on August 13, 1845, but has lived in Macon county many years, the greater part of his life, in fact, except ten years, during which he was farming in the state of Nebraska.
Mr. McDavitt is a son of Leo and Araminta (Kerbie) MeDavitt, the former a native of Woodford county, Kentucky, and the latter born in Virginia. The father remained in his native county until 1825, then moved to Missouri and located in Randolph county, where he followed farming and raising stock for a number of years. Macon county seemed more to his taste than Randolph and he changed his residence to this locality, and here he passed the remainder of his life, which ended on February 16, 1882. He was a pronounced Republican in politics and a zealous member of the Universalist church in religious alliance. His
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marriage to Miss Kerbie occurred in Randolph county, Missouri, and by it he became the father of nine children, six of whom are living: Sarah, the wife of Lonis Dale of Elmer in this county ; Ellen, the wife of Simeon Broyles of Harrison county, Missouri; Mary, the wife of Jasper N. Patrick, whose home is also in Elmer; Dr. B. C. MeDavitt of La Plata ; Asa W., whom these paragraphs chiefly concern, and William H., who is also a resident of Maeon county.
Asa W. MeDavitt obtained his education in the district sehools of Macon county, but owing to the state of the country and the circum- stanees of the family, it was necessarily very limited. The schools were primitive, as they always are in a new country, and he could not attend them regularly or for any lengthy period. His services were needed on the farm as soon as he was able to work, and everything else had to give way before this necessity. He helped to improve the home place and generally assisted the family until 1864. He then enlisted in the Federal army in Company H, Forty-second Missouri infantry, under command of Captain Vail, and was soon assigned to the division of the army commanded by General Thomas. He took part in the bat- tle of Nashville and was mustered out of the service in that eity in the spring of 1865.
At the close of his military service Mr. MeDavitt returned to his Macon county home and bought 100 aeres of his present farm. He at onee began farming and raising stock, and in these interesting and profitable pursuits he has ever since been engaged, enlarging his farm to 290 acres and expanding his business as his prosperity increased. He has been very successful and at one time owned 475 aeres of land, but as each of his sons came of age he gave the new man in the family a farm as a start in life.
On July 19. 1868, Mr. MeDavitt was joined in wedloek with Miss Mary M. Murry, a daughter of Fielding and Catherine (Dale) Murry, long residents in Macon county, where Mrs. MeDavitt was born and reared, and where she and her parents stand well in the regard of the whole people. Of the seven children born to her and her husband only three are living: Fred N., a rising man in this county; Arthur, now a minister of the Universalist church who resides in Marseilles, Illinois, and La Verne, who is connected with the State University at Lineoln, Nebraska. The sons, like their father, are excellent citizens and faith- ful to every duty, and are highly esteemed. The father is a Republican and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and he and his wife are zealons working adherents of the Universalist church.
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EDGAR G. SNOW.
" 'Tis not in mortal to command success, but they can do more- they can deserve it." So sang many years ago a poet with clear insight into all the comedy and tragedy of human life, and all human experience before and since his time sustains the truth of his aphorism. Edgar G. Snow of Lyda township in this county, whose extensive farm- ing and stock-raising industry is located near the town of Atlanta, has both deserved and commanded success, and is esteemed as one of the leading citizens of the township because of the qualities of mind and body with which he has won it and the manly and public spirited way in which he has used it in promoting the best interests of the region around him and the people who inhabit it.
Mr. Snow is a native of Michigan, born in the city of Kalamazoo in 1849. His father, Orson Snow, was born and reared in Oswego, New York, and from there moved to Kalamazoo. He was married in 1847 to Miss Rosella Ward, a native of Ohio, and moved his family to Missouri in 1866, located in Macon county and Lyda township. The six children born to him of his first marriage all grew to maturity and four of them are still living. They are: Edgar G .; Julia, the wife of Richard Butler; Stella, the wife of H. Goodding, and Charles. Their mother died in 1880 and in 1886 the father married Miss Ida Woodford, who was born in Niles, Michigan. He died on February 26, 1909. His widow is now living at Atlanta, Missouri.
Edgar G. Snow grew to the age of seventeen in Kalamazoo and obtained his education in the public schools and the Baptist College in that eity. After he came to Missouri with his parents he did not again go to school, but entered at once on his career as a farmer and stock dealer, and in extending and improving this he has ever since been engaged. It might be said that he was bred to the line of activity in which he is engaged. His father was a farmer, and although the son passed his boyhood and early youth in a busy, bustling manu- facturing city, the whole period was connected with the operation of the farm in the work of which he bore his full part. In his own enter- prise he has been eminently successful and his success is the logical result of the vigor and skill with which he has carried on his business and the capacity and industry he has exercised in the management of it. He now owns over 400 aeres of land, the greater part of which is under cultivation and yielding rich harvests, and also conducts exten- sive operations in raising live stock.
Politically Mr. Snow is a Republican and one of the energetic work-
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ing members of his party. In the general affairs of the township he takes an earnest and serviceable interest and a leading part. He has been one of the school directors and president of the board for more than ten years, and has also served as road commissioner six. In these responsible and trying offices he has rendered good service to the people and has the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts to promote their welfare are highly appreciated. In fraternal life he is connected with the Masonic Order and in religious affiliation with the Universalist church. His lodge and his church have been objects of constant care and interest to him. He has received benefits of magnitude from them and found great enjoyment in their works of benevolence. And they, in turn, have been substantially aided by his membership and activity in their behalf. In 1873 he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Jones, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania. They have three children, their daughters Nellie, Grace and Katherine. All the members of the family enjoy in a marked degree the esteem of all who know them and are worthy of it.
JACOB N. BRUCE. (Deceased.)
This prominent farmer and stock-breeder of Macon county, whose industry was located in Richland township near the village of La Crosse, was born in Macon county on April 4, 1860, and moved with his parents soon afterward to the state of Minnesota. He is a son of Alfred and Diantha (Meechum) Bruce, the former a native of New York state and the latter of Ohio. The father eame to Missouri to live in 1859, but did not tarry long, as has been stated. He was married four times. During the Civil war he enlisted in the First Minnesota battery of artillery and served through three terrible years of that memorable conflict. The mother died in 1866, and the next year the son returned to Macon county, where he lived until his death December 31, 1909, a period of forty-two years. His mother's death occurred in Minnesota, and his father's at La Plata, the latter on October 22, 1891.
Jacob N. Bruce was not favored by Fortune, nor did the goddess of circumstances open her cornucopia for his benefit. His eourse through life was rough and thorny, and hewed out by his own per- sistent industry, ability and self-reliant energy. He obtained a limited education at the public schools, and at an early age began the career in farming and raising stock which he made successful and conducted with a spirit and enterprise that have left room for no other result. He owned 130 acres of good land, all of which, except what
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is required for grazing purposes, is under vigorous and skillful eulti- vation, and yields abundant returns for the labor and intelligence bestowed upon it. The stock industry was an extensive and active one, and resulted in considerable profit for Mr. Bruce in a financial way, and also gave him a high standing and a wide reputation as an enterprising, far-seeing and reliable stock man.
In the political affairs of the country Mr. Bruce always took an active and serviceable part, feeling that it was a good citizen's duty to do so, and being unwilling to neglect any part of what belonged to him as such. He belonged to the Republican party and was faithful and energetic in working for it. He served well and with general approval as road overseer of Richland township for four years, and was a mem- ber of the local school board for over fifteen years. His work in connection with these two elements of general public convenience and progress was of an elevated character, and the results were shown in the high standard of excellence exhibited by both roads and schools while under his management and received the benefit of his intelligent and vigorous supervision. He performed his duties in connection with them faithfully and his fidelity was the high appreciation of all the people.
On December 10, 1884, Mr. Bruce was married to Miss Elizabeth A. Simms, who is, like himself, a native of Macon county. They had no children of their own, but are rearing two adopted children, their daughter Minnie and their son Lester. It is in keeping with the generosity of their natures that they wished to share their prosperity with others, and in the children they have taken under their care they have secured worthy objects of their liberality. For the children reward their care and attention with obedience to their wishes and a studious effort to exemplify in their daily lives the lessons bestowed upon them by admonition and example at the family hearth-stone. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce are highly respected by all who know them, and are fully worthy of the high position they have in general public regard. Mr. Bruce was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the United Brethren church.
ALBERT F. SMITH.
Unlike many of the young men born and reared in this section of the country who devote a considerable portion of their time in their earlier manhood to physical labor, Albert F. Smith of Elmer has been occupied mainly in intellectual work from the time when he left the academie shades amid which he completed his education. And while
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his engagements have involved a certain amount of bodily exertion, as all intellectual pursuits do, that part of his activity has been merely incidental, matters requiring mental effort forming the principal burden of his daily toil. That he has met his responsibilities in a masterly way and performed all the duties required of him with fidelity and ability is proven by his success in his career and the universal esteem with which he is regarded by the people of Macon county and the adjacent country.
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