USA > Missouri > Macon County > General history of Macon County, Missouri > Part 93
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
on, in connection with his general farming, an extensive business in raising stock for the markets. He was also proprietor of the Hotel Elmer in the town of that name, and in other ways was connected with the business and social life of the community.
During the last five years of his life Mr. Waddill was one of the leading members of the school board. In this position he rendered the town unquestioned service of a high order and enduring value. The schools have felt the influence of his vigorous and progressive spirit and have nobly responded to it in increased efficiency and prac- tical usefulness. He was a Republican in politics and one of the earnest and fruitful workers of his party. In fraternal life he was connected with the Woodmen of the World, and that order, too, has had the bene- fit of his enterprise in action and his wisdom in counsel. In 1875 he was united in marriage with Miss Elva E. Craig, a native of Iowa. They had two children, but now have only one living, their daughter, Mary E., who is the wife of Thomas Banning, of Elmer. Mr. Waddill died February 15, 1910.
JOSEPH NICKELL.
This enterprising merchant and influential citizen of Nickellton is a scion of a distinguished family in this part of the world, and in his career to the time of this writing (1909) he has nobly exemplified the characteristics and elevation of manhood that gave his ancestry distinction, and which in him have won him a high place in the esteem of the whole region in which he is known. Although comparatively young in years he has risen to high rank in the business world of North- western Missouri, and is looked upon as a man destined to win state- wide prominence and influence.
Mr. Nickell was born in this county in 1873. He grew to manhood in the neighborhood of his present home and obtained his education at its public schools. After leaving school he devoted himself to farm- ing and raising stock for a period of four years. In 1895 he turned his attention to merchandising, and ever since then he has been engaged in this line of endeavor, with gratifying success for himself and decided benefit to the community of Nickellton, in which his store is located, and all the territory tributary to it in the way of trade. His store is a popular resort and rallying place for the whole region and is regarded with the utmost friendliness and good will by all who frequent it or know it and its proprietor. Mr. Nickell has a genial and accommodating manner, which leads him to make himself serviceable to his associates and patrons, and he has also a considerable fund of general information,
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which he knows how to dispense judicionsly for the entertainment and profit of all who come in contact with him. No citizen of the township is more popular, and none better deserves the universal esteem of the people. It is not to be inferred, however, that his efforts to please are due to thrift or a desire to increase his business. They are the natu- ral expression of his manhood, the outpourings of his spirit of genuine good-fellowship, and as spontaneous as the sunlight, and they are appreciated in accordance with their own value and this fact.
In the affairs of the community Mr. Nickell takes a good citizen's full and helpful interest, supporting with ardor every commendable undertaking for its advancement and considering all matters involving the enduring welfare of the people with excellent judgment and compre- hensive breadth of view. He is a Republican in politics, an Odd Fellow in fraternal life and a member of the Methodist church in religion. But he is non-partisan where the good of his township and county are con- cerned, holds all the world in fraternity in all benevolent considerations, and is without seet or creed in contributions to help the moral agencies around him to greater power and usefulness. He was married in 1900 to Miss Gertrude M. Linson, a native of Macon county. They have one child, their daughter, Alba.
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DAVIDSON NICKELL.
The pioneers of Macon county, like those of every other part of the great West in this country, and those of the East, also, in their day, were of heroie mold and seem to have been fashioned by nature for the great work they were called upon to do. They were beings forged on the anvil of war, and by the process were specially fitted for conflict and conquest. The foes they had to fight and conquer were not, as a rule, well disciplined and accoutred armies, of whose movements they might make caleulations with some degree of certainty, but the savage forces of nature, wild beasts and wilder men, the rugged massiveness of the mountains, the stubborn glebe of the plains, deprivation of all the luxuries and many of the common comforts of life, and even the rage of the elements before the climatic conditions were known and could be prepared for. Some of these Foes were always with them and others attacked them unawares, at the most unexpected times and places, and often when the hardy adventurers were least prepared to encounter dan- ger or opposition.
But they met their responsibilities firmly, endured their hard- ships resolutely, faced their foes courageously, and triumphed over all opposing forces gloriously. The stake for which they fought was an
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empire, and they deemed it worth any sacrifice, a recompense for any hardship, a sufficient reward for every trial. In the heroic band which founded the prosperity, established the civil polity, laid out the boun- daries and began the history of Macon county, few, if any, among them all are entitled to a higher rank or have left a more enduring monument to his manhood and his efforts to aid in planting civilization in a new region than the late Davidson Nickell, of Jackson township, whose name survives him in that of Nickellton, a village baptized into being in his honor.
Mr. Nickell was born in 1829 in that part of Virginia that was torn from her bleeding side by the stern arbitrament of the Civil war and has since been known as West Virginia. He came to Missouri with his parents when he was but nine years old. The family located near where the village of Niekellton now stands, and there the parents under- went the privations, dangers and arduous labors necessary to redeem a tract of land from the wilderness and make it over into a productive farm and a comfortable home. They farmed and raised live-stock, and, in a homely way, the only one available to them under the circumstances, reared their children, giving them to the world strong in traits of character, ereditable alike to themselves and their ancestry.
Their son, Davidson, grew to manhood, on the frontier and bravely took his place and did his part in the great work of improving and civilizing it. His education in the learning of the schools was neces- sarily limited, but field and forest were his instructors and the manifold voices of Nature taught him self-knowledge and the habits of his life gave him skill in the requirements of the locality. As soon as he was able he began farming and raising stock on his own account, and he so managed his affairs that he succeeded in acquiring 'a competency and establishing himself firmly in the esteem of all the people living around him, far and near. He was married to Miss Fannie Snell, a native of Virginia. They had nine children and five of them are living : Jennie, the wife of J. B. Crawford; David; Viola, the wife of W. E. Naylor, of Clarence, Shelby county; Davidson, and Gertrude, the wife of W. H. Howard. The mother is still living and has her home with one of her daughters. The father died on May 27, 1891, and his remains were laid to rest with every manifestation of popular esteem.
WILBUR F. VAN PELT.
Orphaned by the death of his mother when he was but three years old and that of his father when the son was but six, Wilbur F. Van Pelt, now one of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Lyda town-
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ship, Macon county, was obliged early in life to face a cold and unsyn- pathetic world, with little to depend on but his own native force, capa- bility and determined spirit as his capital for the struggle before him. He had resolution and self-reliance, however. and met his task bravely, with the goal he aimed to reach glimmering afar, but still plainly in view. How fully his hopes were justified and how energetic- ally and carefully he used his powers can easily be inferred from his present state of worldly comfort and the universal esteem which is bestowed upon him.
Mr. Van Pelt was born in Jersey county, Illinois, on February 17. 1851, and is a son of R. H. and Penelope (Stout) Van Pelt, natives of New Jersey, and farmers in Illinois. They had seven children and font of them are living: Adam Clark; Charles E., who lives in Oregon; Winfield S., a resident of Illinois, and Wilbur F. The mother died in 1854 and the father in 1857. They made a comfortable living for their family while life lasted, but left little for the support of their offspring when death ended their labors. For, while they prospered as farmers, they were unable to continue their operations long enough to accumulate much under the circumstances surrounding them and the conditions of the new state of Illinois when they moved into it and made it the base of their operations.
Their son, Wilbur F., received a common school education and, on leaving school, at once went to work in the farming industry, toiling for others at meager compensation. But he was frugal and industrious, and little by little accumulated a small sum of money, and as soon as he was able began farming on his own account. By this move his respon- sibilities increased and his burden grew heavier. But he rose to the requirements and found within him new powers for every new exac- tion. His gains increased more rapidly and his feeling of independence also grew greater. He came to Missouri in 1875 and located in Maeon county. Here he has ever since resided and been engaged in farming, raising stock and dairying. He has a fine and .well-improved farm of 160 aeres, which is well supplied with everything needed for its vigorous cultivation, and he farms it with skill and excellent judgment, giving careful attention to every detail and applying the most approved modern methods to all his work. He conducts his other business with equal intelligence and care, and the results of all his undertakings are commensurate with the labor bestowed upon them and the wisdom with which they are managed.
He manifests an earnest interest in whatever seems likely to be of benefit to the township and county in which he lives, aiding ener-
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getically in promoting all worthy undertakings for their advancement and the welfare of their people. He is a stockholder in the Macon creamery and connected in a serviceable way with other enterprises of value to the locality of his home. In polities he is a pronounced Republican, with a cordial interest in the success of his party and entire willingness at all times to do all he can to bring it about. He served on the school board for nine years or longer and was road overseer for two. His religious connection is with the Methodist church. In everything with which he is connected he is useful, and in all his serv- ices are highly appreciated. Mr. Van Pelt has been very successful in the management of his own affairs, and the qualities which have won him triumphs in them have also been potential for good to the region around him in all matters of public import.
On November 2, 1875, Mr. Van Pelt was married to Miss Isabella Martz, a native of Pennsylvania. Five of the eight children they have had are living, Carrie E., George F., Elmer, Ella and Penelope. The career of the father strikingly illustrates what can be accomplished by industry, thrift and a faithful discharge of duty, and shows that, although circumstances may have their weight in determining the course of usefulness, they do not control it, and can be commanded to service in a man's advancement if he be resolute and self-reliant. Of such a man they are the servants, although of others they may be the masters. Mr. Van Pelt's career and present high-standing in the esti- mation of the people show also that character is an asset of great value in any condition of life, and that fidelity and straightforwardness in every relation are always elements of great power.
EDGAR WHITE.
The publishers of this work, while always willing to respect a worthy man's modesty, and treat it with due consideration, feels that they cannot, with propriety withhold a just tribute to merit which has been made manifest to them through great patience, perserevance and conspicuous ability in the preparation of what they have undertaken to do in the presentation to the people of Macon county and the state of Missouri of a suitable and interesting history of what those people have accomplished in the development and improvement of this part of the country.
The publishers have had the very valuable assistance of Mr. Edgar White in the compilation of this volume, and they feel that it is their duty to themselves and their patrons to make this public acknowledg- ment of the debt of gratitude and appreciation they owe Mr. White for
EDGAR WHITE
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the great help he has given them. Mr. White prepared and edited the general history of the county which this book contains, and in doing so laid everybody connected with the enterprise, patrons, publishers and the people generally, under a lasting obligation for the excellence of his work, the fine literary taste he has displayed in it, the sparkle and vivacity of his narrative, his skillful grouping of facts and his masterly treatment of them. His accuracy of statement, his comprehensive breadth of view, and his laborious and long-continued efforts to get everything in the history just right, are worthy of all commendation. But all these things are amply shown in the narrative itself, and the publishers rely with all confidence on that to justify whatever of enco- mium this sketch of Mr. White may contain. They have no idea that either Mr. White himself or any of the brillant products of his facile and trench-pen are in need of praise from them in the presence of the people of Macon county, or any other portion of Missouri, where his literary work is so well known and so highly appreciated. Their primary purpose in calling attention to the facts as stated is that he may have full credit for what he has done to make the history so accept- able, and to unite with those who know him better than they do in doing justice to the merit of his work in this connection, and also to put on record, in a compact and pleasing form, the interesting story of his use- ful life and varied achievements as a literary gentleman and newspaper writer of high attainments and great talents.
Mr. White grew to manhood in St. Louis, Missouri, and obtained his scholastic training at the Elliott school on Sixteenth street in that city. After leaving school he turned his attention to printing as a voca- tion and worked at the trade two years in St. Louis. Early in the eighties the whole family moved to Moberly, Missouri, and there Mr. White secured employment with the Moberly "Daily Monitor," first at delivering papers and later setting type and doing job work. He remained with the "Daily Monitor" about three years, then went to Linnens, the county seat of Linn county, where he continued to set type, and, when he had opportunity, studied shorthand, paying a boy ten cents an evening to read to him for pracice. In a short time he became very proficient as a shorthand writer and was called on to report political speeches and political conventions throughout the state.
In 1889 he was appointed court reporter by Judge Andrew Ellison for the Twenty-seventh judicial district, which is now known as the Second. His appointment to this responsible position was largely the result of chance, as his first visit to Macon was made at the request of the attorney of the Burlington Railroad company, who wished him to
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
report a case for the company that was about to be tried in this court. His work on this case was so satisfactory that Judge Ellison at once appointed him official court reporter for the district, and he filled the office with great acceptability for a period of ten years.
At the end of that time he resigned in order to give his whole time to the literary work and high class newspaper work which have made him famous all over the state and in many others as a writer of choice fiction, discriminating criticism and other productions of superior merit. His work as court stenographer proved to be a valuable schooling for him in his later efforts in the literary field. It broadened his views, gave him a keen and comprehensive knowledge of human nature, brought him into contact with many phases of human life, and tanght him self- knowledge in addition. During his service in that capacity he reported many of the noted cases tried in the state and was generally considered the most accurate and accomplished stenographer in Missouri.
As a writer of varied talents and attainments Mr. White's repu- tation is almost worldwide. The people of this county were therefore prepared for a history of rare interest and value from his pen, and he has not disappointed them. On the contrary, he seems to have achieved in his history of Macon county the most signal triumph of his life in the way of a literary production. And this is all the more remarkable because he has given his pen during most of the years of his use of it to lighter fabrics and more delicate fiber that the rise and progress of a struggling people from insignificance to consequence, from feebleness to greatness and all-conquering power. Or it would be remarkable if the keenness of his vison and his skill in analysis, combination and comment were not so well trained and so highly developed.
The story detailed by Mr. White was in' the facts, but they require the talent of a brilliant chronicler to fully interpret them, show their trend and give full expression to their essential meaning. Mr. White has adhered to them with religious fidelity, but he has arranged them with proper subordination and proportion, given them color according to their character and importance, and blended them into a harmonious and consistent construction, which has strength, fine wear- ing quality and plentiful but not excessive ornamentation. The amus- ing phases of the life of the people and the section of country he portrays sparkle with wit, radiate mirth and glow with the light of genuine humor. And the tragical events and ineidents are set forth with great pathos and power, in periods as strong as the struggles they sprang from, tints as somber as their gloom, and lines as harsh as their hard- ships, whether they were the difficulties, privations and dangers of the
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early settlers, or the cruelties and often merciless brutalities of the dark days and starless nights of the Civil war period. While all the poetry, romance and sentiment of every period run like veritable threads of gold through the warp and woof of his brilliant recital. The material progress and triumphs of this people are also delineated with due attention to their magnitude and real majesty.
Mr. White's parents, Benjamin and Louisa (Humphreys) White, were natives of Missouri and died in the city of Macon. He has two brothers living, Herbert and Malcom. They are residents of Macon, Missouri, and Miamiaburg, Ohio, and gentlemen of prominence and influence in business and social life, highly esteemed wherever they are known and well deserving of the regard bestowed upon them by all classes of the people.
THOMAS EDWARD LINCOLN BEAL.
This wide-awake and enterprising farmer and stockman of Lingo township, who is in the front rank in the two industries which engage his attention among the men who follow them in this locality, is a native of West Virginia, where he was born on March 5, 1861. He is a son of William and Elizabeth (Thompson) Beal, a brief account of whose lives will be found in a sketch of his brother, Robert R. Beal, which appears in this volume.
Mr. Beal was reared much as other farmers' sons in this part of the country. He obtained a limited education at the district schools of Macon county and acquired a knowledge of farming and raising stock on his father's farm and under the direction of that gentleman, with whom he remained and for whom he worked until he started ont in life for himself. He chose the pursuits in which he had passed all the years of his minority as his occupation when he left school, and was soon afterward engaged in them with all his force and all the means at his command. The ascent to prosperity and independence looked long and steep to him, but he began it with all the more ardor because of the difficulties it presented to his vision. He had no favors to expect from the smiles of Fortune, and circumstances did not minister to his advancement except as he compelled them to. His sole reliance was on himself, and he devoted all his energies to the work before him. His progress was slow and painful at first, but every step of it was on solid ground and a permanent advance. When his start was secured and his margins began to widen, he found the way more easy and his move- ment toward the goal of his hopes more rapid. Beginning his struggle with next to nothing, he now owns 120 acres of choice land, on which
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lic carries on a general farming, stock and fruit industry, which is conducted with vigor, managed with skill and developed to the highest degree of productiveness and profit.
Realizing in full measure the difficulties in the way of struggling young men whose start in life is like his own, Mr. Beal is always ready to extend a helping hand to them and give them encouragement. Espe- cially is he zealous in promoting the progress and development of the county and thereby increasing the opportunities for all classes of the people and improving the general conditions of life. His political alle- giance is now given to the Republican party, but during the active life of the Greenback party he was an ardent member of that organization. Still, he is not desirous of holding a political office of any kind, and has never accepted one except membership on the school board, on which he has served for a number of years. His farm, his stock and his orchards afford him enough to occupy his time and engage his faculties, and he devotes himself exclusively to them, reserving only what is necessary of time and energy to perform all the duties of citizenship with reference to the general welfare of the region in which he has his home and conducts his business.
In 1882 Mr. Beal was married to Miss Isabella Turner, a native of Ohio. Of their nine children seven are living, George, James, Sylva, Mildred, Oscar, Stella and Raymond. Those of them who have reached maturity are good citizens, too, and practice in their daily lives the lessons learned at the family fireside and enforced by the excellent examples furnished by their parents. The latter stand high in the esteem of all classes of the people and are regarded as among the best citizens of the county. They have hosts of friends wherever they are known and deserve to have them.
WILLIS A. MCNEAL.
Energetic, progressive and successful in two of the leading indus- tries of Macon county, and bearing a hand of some weight and influence in the mercantile world, Willis A. McNeal, of Easeley township, with his farm not far from the village of Elmer and his mercantile inter- ests located in it, represents well the people of Macon county in his activities and is well worthy of the position they assign him as a rep- resentative man among them in character and citizenship. He embodies and exemplifies their enterprise and progressiveness and, at the same time, moves toward the same high ideals in government and civil and social life they aim to attain to.
Mr. MeNeal is of good old Scotch ancestry, although he is himself a
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native of Missouri, born in Sullivan county in 1875. His father, William MeNeal, was born and reared in Scotland, whose people have been sung into immortality by Burns and Scott, and in every field of human endeavor and in almost every clime have shown themselves worthy of the tributes paid to their qualities of head and heart by those gifted poets. Ile was brought to Missouri when he was but one year old, and here he was reared and educated. Here, also, he has passed his life since leaving the district schools, in whose humble temples of learning he acquired his scholastic training, as an industrious and well-to-do farmer. In 1873 he was married to Miss Melinda Pahner, and they became the parents of eleven children, ten of whom are living: Willis A., Alpha, Pearl, Grace, Lessie, Charles, Mattie, Emmett, Cecil and Opal. Both the father and the mother are still living and actively carry- ing on their useful industry.
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