USA > Missouri > Macon County > General history of Macon County, Missouri > Part 82
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In 1904 Mr. Leist came to Missouri and located in Callao town- ship, this county, where he now lives. He immediately began farm- ing and specializing in raising cattle and horses. He has rapidly expanded his business in this latter industry until he has become the most extensive breeder of horses in Missouri and has the largest stable of Percheron and other imported stallions in the state. His products in the cattle industry are also of superior quality, and within the short period of his residence in Macon county he has probably done more
HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
than any other man to raise the standard of stock, generally, through- out the state. His farm comprises 640 acres of choice land, and is particularly well adapted to the purposes for which he rented it. It affords fine grazing grounds for his stock and also yields abundantly for the maintenance of his herds in the elements of other food for them besides producing in plentiful supply the output of general farming.
Mr. Leist has applied to the development and improvement of the county in general the same energy, capacity and progressiveness that he has employed so successfully in bringing about the higher standard of stock in this region and in building up his own interests. He has been one of the main promoters and is now one of the principal stockholders and the vice-president of the Callao Fair Association, which is known far and wide for the excellence of its management, the enlightened and progressive spirit that distinguishes it and the high character of its displays, exhibits and entertainments. He has also been very active and potential in securing a vast improvement in the roads in the county, and in awakening a spirit of enterprise in the way of a general movement for good roads in all parts of the state.
In political faith he is a pronounced Republican, with an ardent interest in the welfare of his party and great energy in serving it. But he has been steadfast in his determination to keep out of public office and has resisted all the importunities of his friends and the leaders of his party to become a candidate, accept a nomination or take a political position by appointment. Fraternally he is connected with the order of Odd Fellows. In 1868 he was married to Miss Mary Eliza- beth Peter, a native of Ohio. They have eight children, their sons, Edward and Charles M., and their daughters, Mary Alice, Sarah E., Margaret B., Carrie, Florence and Lela. Although but six years a resi- dent of Missouri, Mr. Leist has risen to the first rank among its citizens and is an acknowledged leader in some of its lines of public improve- ment. In all respects lie is regarded as one of the most progressive, estimable and useful men in the state. No one stands higher in public esteem or is more worthy of regard and good will from all classes.
THOMAS L. JENKINS.
It seemed something like the irony of fate that the interesting subject of this brief review, after being reared in the pursuits of peace- ful industry in a foreign land, and erossing the swelling ocean to find a better home, brighter prospeets and ampler opportunities in this land of promise, should land on the battlefield soon after his arrival and dis- cover that he was in the very center of a maelstrom of civil war, but
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such was his experience. He was born in South Wales on February 16, 1830, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Lewis) Jenkins, natives and life-long residents of that country, and now the only one living of their three children. They also have been dead many years, and Thomas is altogether alone in the world, except for the ties he has made and the hosts of friends he has gained in this country.
Mr. Jenkins grew to manhood and obtained a limited common school education in his native land, being able to attend for only a few terms, and very irregularly, at a school of low grade in whose course of instruction nothing was included but the rudimentary branches. He remained in the land of his birth until he reached the age of twenty- eight, then came to this country, arriving in 1858 and stopping for a short time in Pennsylvania. But the West was his chosen destination, and he soon made his way toward it, moving to Ohio, and in that state working for farmers and doing some farming for himself until the beginning of the Civil war.
By the time that terrible storm burst upon the country Mr. Jenkins had become attached to the principles of our government and our insti- tutions, and was firmly in favor of the perpetuation of the Union. He volunteered at once as a member of the Home Guards, and took his place in the discipline and other work of the organization. But he soon grew tired of inactivity in military service, and enlisted in Company E, Sixty-sixth Ohio infantry, which was soon placed under the command of General Slocum and some time afterward under that of General Hooker. Mr. Jenkins remained in the service until the close of the war and was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, in June, 1865. He found that the contest in which he had volunteered to take an active part was not play but real and terrible war, involving constant vigilance and exer- tion, great hardships and privations in camp and on the march, and deadly strife to the last extremity on the battlefield. But he never faltered in his duty, or shirked a peril or any part of the burden of his service. Among the battles in which he took part were those of Buz- zard's Roost and Resaca, Georgia, Peach Tree creek in the same state, Kenesaw Mountain, and others in the same part of the country. And as his command belonged to a fighting division of the army, the skirmishes and other small encounters with the enemy became so numer- ons that they were, in a little while, of almost daily occurrence and considered as scarcely worthy of note.
After his return from the army Mr. Jenkins remained in Ohio three years, following the same pursuits as before the war. In 1868 he came to Missouri and took up his residence in this county, making his home
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in Lingo township, where he has ever since dwelt. From that time to the present (1909) he has been energetically and continuously engaged in farming and raising stock on an ascending scale of magnitude and profit, but since 1904 has been acting only as superintendent of his large interests and not doing any onerous work. He now owns 221 acres of good land and has the greater part of it under cultivation, while the buildings and other improvements on the farm are modern, commodious and valuable, his farm being a model country home.
The welfare of the community around him has engaged the atten- tion of Mr. Jenkins and enlisted his interest and assistance at all times. He has been enterprising and progressive in regard to the development and improvement of the township and county, and has never hesitated to do his full share in the work of promoting it. His political principles are those of the Republican party and he is one of its most zealous and effective supporters, doing all he can to win success in its ean- paigns and, by his counsel and example, aiding materially in keeping it true to itself and its professions. His fraternal relations are with the Grand Army of the Republic. Of this organization, which is now fast fading from the sight of men, he is an enthusiastic member, and at its periodical campfires lives over again with his companions the scenes and incidents of the war without the danger of deadly bullet, destructive sabre or lacerating bayonet, and, be it said too, without the bitterness of feeling or warmth of passion evolved in actual warfare. He was married in 1860 to Miss Jane Edwards, of Ohio, and by the union became the father of ten children, three of whom have died. Those living are: Hannah, the wife of Thomas Vantine; Joseph and Benja- min, all residents of this county; Lizzie, the wife of Charles Thiehoff, of Marceline, in Linn county; Thomas, who is living at home with his parents; Catherine, the wife of George Owers, who also lives at Marce- line; and Missouri, the wife of E. S. Jones, whose home is in New Cambria. The father is an earnest working member of the Congre- gational church.
LOGAN S. BLEW.
Born, reared, educated and married in Lingo township, Macon county, and having expended all his energies up to the present time in helping to push forward its progress and development, Logan S. Blew, one of its enterprising, progressive and successful farmers, is wholly a product of the township and a representative man among its people. His life began in their midst on August 7, 1864, and he is a son of Willis and Margaret (Lingo) Blew, natives of Kentucky but long resi-
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dents of this county. The father came here as a young man and found the country young in settlement and development also. He took up a tract of wild land in Lingo township and passed the remainder of his days in developing and improving it. Success crowned his efforts. He made his untamed domain over into a good, well improved and highly productive farm, and won for himself standing and respect among all classes of the population.
His marriage with Miss Margaret Lingo, of Kentucky, occurred in 1847 and resulted in the birth of eleven children to them, eight of whom are living: Sarah, the wife of P. R. Ellis, of Des Moines, Iowa ; John S., a resident of this county; James F., who also lives in this county; Margaret, the wife of Wilson Swearingin, of Chariton county; Ira M., whose home is at Nashville, Oklahoma; Logan S., and Mary H., the wife of John Bidel, who lives in Colorado. Four states have the benefit of their progressive and useful citizenship and the fidelity with which they meet every obligation in life.
Logan S. Blew had no other facilities for education than those fur- nished by the district schools of his native township, and he was unable to attend even them with regularity or for any great length of time. His services were needed on his father's farm, and he gave them to the requirements of the family, both while he was attending school and after he stopped going, until 1885, when he began the struggle for advancement among men on his own account, buying a tract of land, small but promising to start with, and working out of it profits that enabled him to buy more from time to time, until he now owns 119 acres, nearly all of which he cultivates and which he has improved with good, comfortable farm buildings and other structures, making it one of the substantial, productive and valuable country homes of the county.
Mr. Blew has been active and progressive in respect to the affairs of the township as well as in his private business. During the last eight years he has rendered excellent service to the people as clerk of the district school board, using his prominence and influence, which are considerable, greatly to the advantage of the schools, the improvement of those who attend them and the satisfaction of people most directly interested, the parents of the pupils. In other respects also he has been potential for good in the locality, aiding by his wise counsel and his material assistance every worthy undertaking for the benefit of the sec- tion, leading in all enterprises and rendering yeoman service in bring- ing them to a successful conclusion. He takes a prominent part in the councils of the Democratic party, of which he is a zealous member, and does effective work in all its campaigns. On May 10, 1899, he was mar-
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ried to Mrs. Carrie B. Lingo. a daughter of George and Ann Tarr, who came from England to this county many years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Blew have had two children, Claude M. and Opal D., both of whom are living and abide with their parents. The latter stand well in the regard and good will of the people all over the county.
WILLIAM W. ANSTINE.
Three of the great states of the American Union have contributed to the progress and had the benefit of the services of William W. Anstine, who is now a prominent farmer and leading, publie-spirited and representative citizen of Lingo township in this county, where he has lived and flourished during the last forty years. He was born in York county, Pennsylvania, on August 24, 1837, and lived and labored there on his father's farm until 1863. He then moved to Hancock county, Ohio, where he passed six years diligently employed on farms which he rented. In 1869 he came to Macon county, Missouri, and since then he has been an element of value among the productive agencies of this region.
Mr. Anstine is a son of Jacob and Eve (Sherry) Anstine, natives of Pennsylvania, where the father was born in 1812, married in 1836 and died in 1887, and his wife died there in 1903. Five of the ten children born of their union are living : William W., the oldest, being the only one who resides in Missouri. The others are: Emanuel, who lives in Pennsylvania; Catherine, the wife of Frank Hess, whose home is in Pennsylvania; Jacob L., who is in business in Baltimore, Maryland ; and John, who also has his home in Pennsylvania. The father was a stonemason and wrought diligently at his trade throughout all his mature life. He also farmed extensively and was successful and prosperous.
William W. Anstine was prepared for the battle of life in the dis- trict schools of his native county and by the lessons and examples given him at the parental fireside and in his labors on the family homestead. He remained at home until he reached the age of twenty-six, then turned his face westward, determined to follow the course of empire in that direction. He moved to Hancock county, Ohio, and there, during the next six years, farmed land he rented, as has been stated, not caring to purchase any, as he still felt that the voice of destiny was calling him to a region farther west. In 1869 he obeyed this impulse and came to Missouri, locating in Lingo township, this county, where he still lives, and which has seemed to satisfy all his longings. Ever since his arrival
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
in this locality he has been energetically and profitably engaged in farming and raising stock for the markets, carrying on both industries on an ascending scale of magnitude and success. His farm now com- prises 120 acres of land, is well improved and has become one of the model country homes of the township in which it is located. He has farmed it vigorously, but with intelligence and good judgment, and it has never failed in responsiveness to the labor he has bestowed upon it and the skill with which he has cultivated it.
Feeling that he had at length reached his permanent abiding place, Mr. Anstine began to take an active part in the political, civil and social life of the township soon after his arrival among its people. He has served them well and wisely as township assessor for two years and as school elerk and director for a long time. To all projects for the advancement of the region in mental, moral or material power, or in the enlargement of the comforts and conveniences of its people, he has given direct, effective and practical aid, his services stamping him as a far-seeing and broad-minded man full of energy and capacity for promoting the public good.
On August 18, 1861, Mr. Anstine united in marriage with Miss Eliza Hershey, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania, where the marriage occurred, and is a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Akins) Hershey, who belonged to families long resident in that state. Five children were born in the Anstine household, all of whom are living. Their homes are widely scattered, but in their several localities they are exemplifying in their daily lives the admonitions and examples given them under the parental roof and contributing their portion to the substantial merit and sterling worth of elevated American citizenship. These children are: William Henry, who lives in Howell county, Mis- souri ; Mary Jane, the wife of William Teter, whose home is in Trinidad, Colorado; Sylvester, who is a citizen of La Junta, Colorado; Alice, the wife of Mert Millerou, a resident of Macon county; and Sarah, the wife of Clape Cupp, who is in Howell county, Missouri. Mr. Anstine is an earnest worker in political contests and his services are highly appreci- ated by the leaders of his party. He adheres to the principles and policies of the Republican organization, and as he believes in them firmly, he does all he can to give them supremacy in the couneils of the county, the state and the nation. In local affairs the good of the com- munity has his first consideration, party interests coming afterward. The people of Macon county, among whom so large a portion of his life has been passed, know him well and esteem him highly.
HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
WILLIAM T. JONES.
It is a far step from the mountains and mines of Wales to the wild prairies, boundless fruitfulness and rapid progress of the great West in this country, and involves a wonderful change of scene, associations, surroundings and possibilities. But it is a step that William T. Jones, one of the enterprising and successful farmers of Valley township, in this county, has taken greatly to his own advantage and the benefit of the locality in which his work of construction and development has been done. His experiences in this respect form a large part of his education and have contributed essentially and extensively toward bringing him to the wide knowledge of men and affairs which he possesses and the development of the faculties of self-reliance and resourcefulness for which he is distinguished.
Mr. Jones was born in Breeknouckshire, in the southern part of Wales, on July 31, 1837, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Williams) Jones, of the same nativity as himself. The parents brought their fam- ily to this country in 1854, when the father was forty-four years old and his son William between sixteen and seventeen. The father, who was born in 1810, was a shoemaker and worked at his trade both in the land of his nativity and that of his adoption. On the arrival of the family in this country it found a new home in Kane county, Illinois, where the father bought eighty-eight acres of land. He farmed his land and worked at his trade in that county until his death in 1858. By his marriage in 1835 to Miss Mary Williams, the daughter of a neighbor in Wales, he became the father of five children, all of whom have died except William T.
William T. Jones obtained a limited common school education in his native land, and after his arrival in this country gave himself up wholly to the exacting service required of him on his father's .farm, in the management and operation of which he was the main depend- ence. The land was fertile and responsive and he was industrious and skillful. The family prospered and enjoyed comforts and consequences in this country it would never have attained in that of its origin. The son worked for other farmers in addition to what he did at home, and all his earnings were devoted to the support and advancement of the household. On the death of his father he became the owner of the farm, and he continued to carry on its work and improvement until 1864.
In that year he determined to gratify a longing he had felt for some time for a home in a newer part of the country, and, selling his
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interests in Illinois, he moved to Missouri and located in Macon county. In connection with his mother he bought 240 acres of land in Valley township, which he has since increased by the purchase of twenty additional acres, and on this land he has lived and flourished until the present time. He has been very energetic and progressive in his under- taking's and has made them all minister to his prosperity and advance- ment. In addition to extensive general farming, he has, from the begin- ning of his operations in this county, conducted a considerable and active industry in raising live stock, running on an average about sixty to seventy-five cattle a year. Ile has all his land under cultivation but about thirty-five acres, which are devoted to grazing and furnish a fine range for his cattle.
Very soon after becoming a resident of this county Mr. Jones began to take an active interest and helpful part in local public affairs and everything involving the enduring welfare and continued progress of the township. He served four terms as school director with great credit to himself, benefit to the schools and acceptability to the people, and has been influential in other lines of public duty. All matters of publie improvement projected for the good of the locality have his earnest and intelligent support, and the general affairs of the county, state and nation enlist his warm and serviceable interest. His political affiliation is with the Republican party, to which he adheres through approval of its principles, and its service he is energetic and effective. He east his first vote for Lincoln in 1860. He and his wife are devoted and zealous working members of the Congregational church, and are esteemed in the congregation to which they belong as among its most effective forces for good.
Mr. Jones was married on December 7, 1869, to Miss Margaret Havard, a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Edmunds) Havard, natives of Wales and prominent residents of Macon county for a long time. Her life began on September 15, 1845. Nine children were born of the union and eight of them are living: Henry J., of Cimarron county, Oklahoma ; Walter S., of Montpelier, Idaho; Catherine and Fred J., who are still living with their parents; Edward, who also lives in Cimarron county, Oklahoma ; and Arthur B., at home, and Irene, mar- ried December 29, 1909, to Oakley Antree, of Caldwell, Kansas. All in their several localities and lines of endeavor are contributing to the progress, wealth and power of our country and adorning its elevated citizenship. The voice of History is unbroken in attestation that the most progressive, influential and powerful nations are those that are liberal in naturalization. The greatness and the rapid advance of the
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United States are due in large measure to their immigrant population, which has been warmly welcomed hither from all parts of the civilized world from the beginning of our history.
JOHN DAVIS.
Enterprising, successful and progressive as a farmer, broad- minded, patriotic and upright as a citizen, clean, capable and far-seeing as a public official, and an ornament to the social and religious life of the community in which he lives, John Davis, of Valley township, Macon county, is one of the representative men in this part of Missouri and embodies in himself and his career much of what is best in its citizenship and history.
Mr. Davis is a native of that great commonwealth which is giving Virginia a close run for the retention of her oldtime title of "Mother of Presidents," and has a very potential influence in the public life of our country. He was born in Ohio in 1863, and is a son of Thomas and Jane (Griffith) Davis, natives of Wales, who came to this country soon after reaching their maturity. The father was born in 1825 and became a resident of the United States in 1850. On his arrival in this country he located in Ohio, where he worked in a grist mill and the coal and iron mines for fifteen years. In that state, also, he met with and was married to Miss Jane Griffith, who was born and reared in the same country as himself, and who was moved by the same impulse that brought him to this country-the hope of finding better opportunities for advancement than her own land afforded her. In 1865 they brought their family to Missouri and took up their residence in Russell town- ship, this county. Here the father homesteaded eighty aeres of govern- ment land and bought eighty in addition. The Civil war had stopped the progress and development of the state and paralyzed all its indus- tries. It had also laid waste and devastated the fair domain. and left the sears of its searing passage on many a fruitful field and in many a village, town and city. The Davis family arrived at a time when there was great need of recuperating forces, and great progress and develop- ment, with their attendant benefits of material wealth and personal comfort, awaited enterprise, industry and thrift. The father of the family settled down on his farm of unbroken land and began the work of developing and improving it. He farmed it vigorously in the sum- mers and worked in the mines during the winters, leaving the care of the land to his sons while he was absent, but superintending their work and taking care that it was well and wisely done.
This energetic and enterprising man continued his dual occupation
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for a number of years, and his farming and stock raising operations until 1901, when he retired from all active pursuits, and since then he has made his home with his children. Success followed all his efforts, and when he sold his property in the year last named he owned 213 acres of fine land, a considerable amount in live stock and farm equip- ment and possessions of value in other kinds of acquisitions. He and his wife became the parents of eight children, all of whom are living: Elizabeth, the wife of Rev. H. R. Williams, now living in Oklahoma City; David W., a resident also of the young but enterprising state of Oklahoma, with his home at Edmond; Margaret, the wife of J. B. Mendanhall, of Brookfield, Missouri; James T .; John, of this county ; Thomas, of New Cambria; Mary, the wife of Edward Chambers, of Whitewater, Colorado; and Stephen L., whose home is in Kansas City, Missouri. In politics the father is a Republican and in religion a Presbyterian. He is active in the service of both his party and his church, and is highly esteemed as a valuable adjunet in the work of each, as he is as a man by the citizens generally in all the relations of life.
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