USA > Missouri > Macon County > General history of Macon County, Missouri > Part 54
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Thus doubly orphaned in his boyhood, the interesting subject of this brief review was thrown practically on his own resources, and had nothing to depend on but himself in the wide and busy world before him. Hle accepted his destiny with cheerfulness and entered upon the performance of its requirements with the alacrity and fortitude which have ever since distinguished him. He began his education in the public schools and completed it at a collegiate institute at Marion in his native county, earning a large part of his livelihood while attending school, and working his way through the institute by his own industry and frugality. Of the three children in the family he is the only one now living.
When he was obliged to leave school and give his whole attention to the serious work of life, he began operations by working on a farm. which he continued to do until 1872. The work was hard, but he did not object to that. The requirements were exacting, especially during the summers, but he met them with a manly and resolute spirit. The returns for his labor, however, were small and the acemulation of a fund for some other line of work was necessarily very slow. He there- fore decided to take a more rapid ronte to the goal he had fixed for himself, and learned the trade of molder. After completing his appren- ticeship he wrought diligently at the trade for a number of years, adhering to it with patience and fidelity until 1882.
In that year he, too, was attacked by the Western fever, and it brought him over the trail of his father, made thirty-five years earlier, to Missouri and Macon county. Locating in Atlanta, he engaged in general merchandising in that town until 1893. He then turned his attention to the real estate, loan and insurance business, and that has occupied his time and faculties ever since. Good judgment has dis- tinguished him in all his business undertakings, and he has been quick to see and alert to seize every opportunity that has been available for
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his advancement. Circumstances have not ministered to his success except as he has compelled them to, making of them wings and weapons for his progress, and this he has known how to do in an eminent degree. In addition to the business mentioned above as enlisting his energies, he has also been extensively engaged in chicken farming, holding a high rank and enjoying a wide and favorable reputation as a successful breeder of buff Plymouth Rock fowls of a superior strain, which he produces in large numbers.
The interests of the community in which he lives have also been of imperative moment to him and he has done all he could to aid in caring for them with wisdom and promoting them with zeal. He has served capably and with cordial approval from the people, as village clerk since 1903, and is still doing good and appreciated work in that capacity. For many years he has also held a commission as a notary public and made it effective in usefulness to the residents of the village and the township. His fraternal feelings have found expression in membership in the Masonic order, and the activities engendered by them have all been expended in its behalf. In politics he is a pro- nounced Republican, and at all times one of the busiest and most effective workers for the success of his party. In 1872 he was united in marriage with Miss Mattie E. Cochrane, a daughter of William and Jane Cochrane, of Waterpord, New York. One child was born of this union, a son named John B., who is now a resident of Spokane in the state of Washington. His mother died in February, 1893, and in November, 1903, the father married again, being united in the second marriage with Miss Ila V. Elsea, a dangliter of John G. and Mary B. (Patton) Elsea.
As a citizen Mr. Gordon stands in the front rank in Macon county and is favorably known and highly esteemed throughout the state. As a business man he is recognized everywhere as wise, progressive and strictly upright. And as a potency working for the advancement and development of the county and state of his residence, he is regarded as one of the most effective agencies for good in this part of the com- monwealth, wise in counsel, energetic and effective in action, valuable both in what he achieves himself and in the forces lie stimulates to exertion and judiciously directs to good results in others.
WILLIAM MACRAE.
This prominent merchant and highly estecmed citizen of Macon county is now verging close upon three score years of age, and neces- sarily moving toward the evening of life. But his day has been full
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of opportunity and the results of his efforts show that he has been alive to that fact and has had ample ability and energy to make the most of its heat and burden, which he has faithfully and cheerfully borne, to the end that he might acquire substance for himself and those dependent upon him, and at the same time contribute the force of a fruitful influence and productive capacity to the advancement and improvement of the community of his home and the enduring welfare of its people.
Mr. MacRae was born in 1840, near Hannibal in this state. His parents were Joel and Agnes (Payne) MacRae, the former of Ken- tucky and the latter of Virginia nativity and ancestry. The father came to Missouri at an early age and passed the whole of his mature life in this state engaged in farming. He was wise in his day and generation and made all his efforts and opportunities count to his advantage in the battle of life, winning material consequence and high esteem from the people among whom he lived and labored. Three children were born in the household, of whom only two are living, William L. and his sister Sarah, who is the wife of Robert Kerrick, of Hannibal.
The parents have answered the final call, the father and mother having died. Their remains were laid peacefully to rest amid the scenes hallowed by their long and useful lives, and their names are warmly cherished by a large circle of admiring friends and acquaint- ances who knew their worth and the record of their upright and serv- iceable daily walk and conversation among this people. They rest from their labors and their good works live after them, multiplying in benefits to those they left behind.
Their son, William L., passed from childhood to manhood at Col- lege Mound, where he is now living, and obtained his education in the great "university of the people," the public schools, and MeGee Col- lege, of College Mound, Macon county. As a young man, with the enthusiasm and aspirations of youth stirring within him, and looking out over the expansive world, with its wealth of alluring prospects and boundless store of opportunities, all golden in the rosy light of his dreams, life on the farm seemed far too tame to him, and he longed for adventure in the broad field of more stirring endeavor. As a means to the end he sought, and also as a discipline in self-culture, whether he was aware of it or not, he taught school for a period of three years. He then worked for a time in a tobacco factory in Han- nibal, and afterward clerked for about three years in the postoffice in
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that city. Following this experience he passed a profitable year as a clerk and salesman in a general store.
By this time he felt capable of undertaking a mercantile enterprise on his own account, and as he had been frugal with his earnings, he had some capital for the venture. He therefore began his mercantile career at Hannibal in 1867, and remained there three years engaged in merchandising. In 1870 he moved his enterprise to College Mound, and there he has ever since been conducting it with increasing suc- cess and an active trade that has expanded year by year in volume and value. He is now in the first rank of business men in the township, and is universally respected as a good and useful citizen throughout the county.
Mr. MacRae was married in 1870 to Mary C. Dameron, of College Mound. They have had seven children, but only four of them are living. These are: W. A., a resident of Macon; Robert H., who lives at Ardmore; Lula, the wife of W. D. Powell, of Excello; and Edward, who also lives at College Mound. All are living upright and useful lives, and exemplifying, in the faithful performance of their daily duties, the lessons that were given them and the example they found so impressive at the family hearthstone.
Mr. MacRae is a Democrat in political faith and ardently devoted to the basic principles of his party. He is at all times active in its service, giving its cause the best work he is capable of, both as an adviser in council and as a soldier in the field. He served as township treasurer three years and city councilman two years, the offices coming to him without solicitation on his part, for he is not enamored of official station and has plenty to occupy his mind and engage his facul- ties in his business and other private affairs. But he is devoted to the advancement and improvement of his locality and always willing to undergo any exertion and make any sacrifice of his personal prefer- ences, within reasonable limits, for the general welfare and the good of the public. He has long been a member of the Masonic order and found great enjoyment in its social features and profit in its beautiful symbolism and elevated moral teachings. All other good agencies in his community find in him a cordial friend and ready and liberal helper. Neither sectarian nor other considerations of a narrowing tendency stay his hand when he is convinced the undertaking is worthy and will result in advantage to the people, or any appreciable part of them. The township has made extensive progress during his residence in it, and he has borne his full share of the labor and cost incident to bringing this about. None of its citizens is more worthy of high
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esteem than he, and none has it more universally among all classes of the people.
GEORGE W. BUTLER.
Coming into being on the border land between the contending sections just prior to the Civil war in this country, George W. Butler, of Excello, was literally born in the midst of alarms, and his child- hood was darkened by the storm clouds of the momentous struggle, which culminated for him and the other members of his father's honse- hold in one of the terrible tragedies which made the location of his home a veritable land of sorrow toward the close of the conflict. He was orphaned at the age of six years by the violent death of his father, who was shot on October 14, 1864, by the Knox and Putnam county militia. This cruel injustice and the fatal persecution of his father did not sour the boy's disposition, but it intensified his determination to win consequenec and standing for himself, and by his own life he has shown the world around him that the family is loyal to the country, according to its views and the light it has, and is worthy of esteem for high-minded, patriotic and progressive American citizenship.
Mr. Butler was born on May 21, 1858, in Randolph county, Mis- souri, and is a son of John T. and Susan E. (Darby) Butler, the former a native of Macon county, this state, and the latter of Kentucky ances- try. The father's people came to Missouri from Virginia. He was an industrious and prosperous farmer, with an earnest desire to advance his own fortunes and an abiding interest in the welfare and development of the county and state in which his lot had been cast. He was married in 1857, his wife being a daughter of John S. and Lucella (Crutcher) Darby, who were descended from pioneers in Ken- tucky and themselves became pioneers in Missouri. John T. Butler's offspring numbered five, four of whom are living: George W., of Excello; James M., also a resident of Excello; Nannie E. and Lillie J., the last named being the wife of L. G. King, a respected citizen of the state of New Mexico.
The father was an ardent State Rights Democrat and made no secret of his views. He lived in troublous times, and if he had been less honest, less fearless and less determined to stand upon his right to freedom of speech, he might be living yet. But his convictions were strong, his courage was high and his freedom he regarded as an inalien- able and priceless possession. He therefore gave utterance to his thoughts without regard to consequences, and as a result fell a vietim to the intolerance of the war spirit that was rampant and relentless on
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the border at the time. After his death his stricken widow removed her young family to her former home in Randolph county. She is living yet and has her home with her son, George W., on her farm near Excello.
The son grew to manhood in Randolph and Macon counties and obtained his education in the public schools. After leaving school he worked variously at farming and the carpenter trade for a few years, and then settled down for life as a farmer. He has prospered in all his undertakings and grown strong in the esteem and good will of all the people of the township, in whose behalf a great part of his energy has been expended with excellent results. He inherited the political faith of his father, and in this he has since been confirmed by his own study, observation and reflection. He is a wheelhorse in the Demo- cratic cause on all occasions, and his wisdom as an adviser and courage and resourcefulness as a worker have given him high rank in the councils of his party. He has been chairman of the township Demo- cratic committee, served on the school board nine years, and is now a justice of the peace, an office to which he was elected in 1898, and which he has held continuously since that time. He has also been active and prominent in the fraternal life of the community for many years. He holds membership in the Masonic order and its adjunct, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Court of Honor, and he gives a due proportion of his time and energy to the service of each of these orders, in all of which his mem- bership is highly valued. He is also secretary and one of the directors of the Jacksonville Fair Association. In religions affiliation he is con- nected with the Baptist church. He is deeply interested in the success of the church organization and an able and devoted assistant in all branches of church work.
On January 20, 1889, he was united in marriage with Miss Isadora Brock, a daughter of C. K. and Mary C. (McCanne) Brock, residents of Randolph county in this state. They have four children, Iva Zenella, Estelle May, Lucy Irene and Anda Marie. Their father has redeemed the vows of his boyhood and, by steady application to his business and fine capability for conducting it wisely and skillfully, has made a pronounced success of his career, securing a competency for himself and his family and aiding materially in promoting the enduring welfare and substantial progress of his locality. He is universally recognized as one of the leading citizens of the county, and worthy of all respect, both on account of his acquisitions, because they are the products of his industry and ability, and on account of his publie serv-
HUGH P. GILBREATH
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ices and the stimulating example he has given to others in this line of general utility, for he has been helpful to every public interest not only in what he has done himself, but also in the forces he has put and kept in action among the people generally by his influence and deter- mined efforts for the general good and the comfort and convenience of the whole community.
IIUGH P. GILBREATH.
Industrious, enterprising and knowing, with considerable natura! ability to start with and powers of assimilation, which have enabled him to take in and profit by the lessons of experience and practical training in his business, Hugh P. Gilbreath, of La Plata township, in this county, has won his success by his own efforts and achieved by sheer merit and fidelity the high rank he holds as a farmer and stock man in this part of the state, and the universal esteem bestowed upon him as a citizen. The start his father gave him in the struggle for advancement only planted him firmly on his feet and gave him a good point of view. Thereafter, all his progress and achievement were to be his own acquisitions, and he has not, by any means, or in any degree, disappointed the expectations his earlier life had awakened.
Mr. Gilbreath was born on the farm which is now his home on November 19, 1852, and has passed the whole of his life on it to this time (1910.) His paternal grandfather, who was also named Hugh, was born and reared in North Carolina, and became a resident of what it now the state of Missouri, at an early period of its history, while it was still almost a virgin wilderness, and all the forms of life within its borders were those of barbarism, except here and there, where the oncoming host of civilization had established its outposts and begun to plan the reduction of the region to the useful purposes of cultivated and productive existence. Here he located and took his place in the ranks of the civilizing force, and here, in 1823, his son, James C. Gil- breath, was born, the family living at the time in Cooper county. The latter remained in that county until 1844, then, following the example of his father, he struck out into the wilderness, or near wilderness. for himself, and, coming to Macon county, began to take part in the work of its development and improvement.
He located in La Plata township on eighty acres of land, which his father gave him as a start in life, and with that as a base of opera- tions he conducted a flourishing and profitable industry in general farming and raising stock until his death, which occurred on October 28, 1864. At that time he owned and cultivated 470 acres of land, and
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his rank in the live-stock trade was high and widely acknowledged. In politics he was a firm and faithful Democrat, taking great interest and a leading part in the campaigns of his party and doing all in his power to bring success to its cause. Fraternally he belonged to the Masonic fraternity and was one of the most energetic and helpful mem- bers of his lodge in the order. In religions connection he was allied with the Cumberland Presbyterian church and served many years as an elder in the congregation in which he worshiped. On March 5, 1845, he was married to Miss Frances Burrus of Cooper County, Missouri. They had seven children, five of whom are living: Thomas F., William J., Hugh P., Sarah F., the wife of J. A. Ayers, and Laura A., the wife of J. E. Dodson, all residents of Macon county and highly esteemed among its people.
Hugh P. Gilbreath received a common school education in what is known as White School in La Plata, and, after leaving school, remained on the home place, assisting in its labors and helping the family for a number of years. He then determined to make that place his permanent home and in 1881 bought 240 acres of it to farm on his own account. Three years later he purchased the other eighty aeres. He has, therefore, lived on this place all the years of his life, from his birth to the present time. He found it well improved and highly pro- duetive when he became possessed of it, but he has carried both improve- ments and productiveness far beyond what they were when he took charge of the place. He has been very successful in all his undertak- ings, making progress steadily and holding on with tenacity to every foot of ground he has gained in his advance, both in material acqui- sitions and in prominence and influence among the people of his town- ship and county.
To the welfare and progress of the region in which he lives Mr. Gilbreath has given as close and careful attention as he has to his own affairs. He has been constant in his efforts to build up and improve his township and county, but has used good judgment and broad intel- ligence in his efforts, ardently supporting all worthy undertakings for the purpose and as firmly opposing those which have not seemed to him judicious or wholesome. He has served as district road commissioner and in many other ways has been of benefit to this part of the state in the matter of public improvements. He is a stockholder in the Bank of La Plata, and, in helping to advance its interests, has been of service in promoting those of the territory throughout which its patrons are located.
Mr. Gilbreath's political allegiance is given to the Democratic
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party and he is one of its most reliable and serviceable members in this locality. Fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of the Maccabees, and in religion he and his wife are zealous working members of the Presbyterian church, in which he has served as one of the deacons of his congregation. On February 17, 1881, he was united in marriage with Miss Nora L. Dodson, a daughter of George R. and Louise (Dameron) Dodson, prominent citizens of Macon county, this state, until their deaths. In the Gilbreath household two children have been born, but only one is living, Lura F., the wife of William O. Daniel, of Clarence, Missouri. She, like her parents, is looked upon as among the most estimable and worthy residents of the community in which she lives.
JOHN J. CRYSTA.
Of sturdy Scotch ancestry on his father's side, John J. Crysta. of Macon, has shown in his career in this county that lie possesses many of the sterling and resourceful characteristics of that alert and hardy race, and that in the undeveloped state of this part of the coun- try when he began the battle of life he found a suitable field for their employment. Using them to the best advantage for himself and those around him, he has won a substantial estate of his own and helped in the most material way to build up and improve the community in which he has passed the whole of his life up to the present time.
Mr. Crysta was born on May 15, 1853, in the honse in which he now lives at Excello. His parents were Richard Stuart and Martha J. (Powell) Crysta, and he was the fourth of their thirteen children in the order of birth. The father was born in Wayne county, Kentucky, in 1815, and came to Missouri in 1837. He located in Macon county, Narrows township, and then and there began his long and successful career as a farmer and live stock breeder. The mother was a native of Caswell county, North Carolina, and belonged to a family that settled in that state in early colonial times. They had thirteen ehil- dren and all of them grew to maturity, though but five are living now. They are: James W., a resident of Winslow, Arizona; John J., of Macon; Peter R., of Bloomington, Illinois; Emmet P., who lives in New Mexico; and Willie, the wife of B. F. Stamper, of Macon.
In his early manhood the father was a Whig in polities, and on the demise of the Whig party he became a Democrat. To the end of his days he took great interest in political affairs and was a hard worker for the success of his party, although he would never consent to accept any office whatever for himself. As a communicant of the
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Baptist church for many years he became very active in church work in his early manhood and continued his zeal and industry in this respect to the close of his life. He died in 1878 at Macon, and there also his widow departed this life, passing away in March, 1886. Their lives were upright and useful and their names are revered in all parts of the township in which they so long lived and labored. The father was prominent in the public affairs of the county. He was a member of its first grand jury, and in many other ways aided in getting it well started on its way to general progress and high development.
John J. Crysta was reared on the family homestead in Narrows township and obtained his education in the district schools near his home. In his boyhood this part of the country had not passed far from its frontier stage and all the people in the country were kept busy in the effort to smooth this portion of "the New World's rough face" and lay the foundation for the comcliness it now exhibits and the greater beauty and development and power to which it is advane- ing. The work was arduous and required the help of every hand that could hold a plow or wield a hoe. Mr. Crysta's educational advan- tages were therefore very limited in extent and character, and he was obliged to rely on the manifestations of nature all around him and the teachings of experience for his instruction. These spoke to him in voices of potency, and by their aid and his own judicious private reading he became a well-informed, alert, ready and resourceful man. He selected farming as the pursuit of his life, and he has never been tempted successfully to veer from his first choice. He saw great possi- bilities in improving and cultivating the land, and to realize those possibilities became his leading desire, and the effort to reach the end he sought his chief occupation. He began practically with nothing. He now owns and farms more than 200 acres of excellent land, has an attractive, convenient and valuable collection of farm buildings and machinery, and carries on an extensive enterprise in raising superior strains of live stock. His acquisitions are all the result of his own industry, frugality and fine business capacity. He has studied his various departments of the farming industry, and has made every forec applied to them tell to his advantage and substantial progress.
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