USA > Missouri > Shelby County > General history of Shelby County, Missouri > Part 44
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Mr. Terrill was ever found ready to contribute generously of influence and means to the promotion and support of publie enterprises that met the approval of his judgment, and few citizens were more liberal and public-spirited in this
HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
respect. Mrs. Terrill has endeavored to emulate his example in this regard and ber as her acquaintances. is known as a woman of exceptional busi- ness acumen and as one who takes a lively interest in all that touches the welfare of the community. She was a charter member of the Shelby County Railroad Company, and had the distinc- tion of being the only woman to become thus identified with the enterprise, to which she gave her support more through public spirit than from speculative mo- tives. She is now associated with her brother. James Edelen. in the dry-goods and millinery business in Shelbyville, where she is thus an interested principal in the firm of James Edelen & Company, whose establishment is one of the leading mercantile concerns of the county. Mrs. Terrill is a devoted and zealons member of the Presbyterian church, as was also her husband, and in politics he was found arrayed as a staunch and effective exponent of the principles and policies of the Democratic party. though he never was a seeker of publie office.
On November 13, 1866, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Terrill to Miss Nan- nie Edelen, who was born in Marion county, this state, on April 25, 1843, and who is a daughter of George and Ann (MeElroy) Edelen, the both of whom were born in Kentucky. The parents were numbered among the sterling pio- neers of this section of the state and the father was a merchant by vocation. The father died at Hannibal on October 20. 1843, and mother at Shelbyville on June 25. 1899, aged eighty-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Terrill had no children. Mrs. Ter- rill has been a prominent and popular member of the social circles of Shelby-
ville, and here her friends are in num-
JAMES EDELEN.
One of the venerable and essentially representative business men of Shelby- ville is James Edelen, who is here en- gaged in the general merchandise busi- ness, as head of the well known firm of James Edelen & Co. His career has been one of marked productive activity and much success, and he is one of the hon- ored citizens of the county which has represented his home during the major portion of his life, being a native son of Missouri and a member of one of its ster- ling pioneer families. His status in the community renders specially consistent a review of his career within the pages of this historical publication tonching Shelby county.
James Edelen was born in the little village of Warren, Marion county, Mis- souri, on July 25, 1839. His father, George Edelen, was born in the state of Kentucky in 1808, and was a scion of a worthy pioneer family of that common- wealth. George Edelen was reared to manhood in Kentucky and there he ini- tiated his efforts in connection with the general merchandise business, with which he continued to be identified in his native state until about 1833. when he came to Missouri and settled in the vil- lage of Warren, Marion county, where he opened a general store, to the conduct- ing of which he continued to give his at- tention until his death, which occurred in 1843, having been fairly successful in his business affairs after coming to Mis- souri. In 1838 he was united in mar-
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
riage to Miss Ann McElroy, who like- wise was a native of Kentucky and who survived him by a number of years, her death having occurred in Shelbyville in Shelby county, in 1899, whither she re- moved with her two children after the death of the husband and father. Of the children the subject of this sketch is the elder, and Nannie, the widow of John M. Terrill, now maintains her home in Shel- byville, Missouri.
James Edelen gained his early educa- tional discipline in the common schools of his native county, and he was eighteen years of age at the time of the family re- moval to Shelby county, where he con- tinued his studies for a time in the pub- lic schools of Shelbyville. He and his mother purchased a farm of 120 acres near Shelbyville, and after leaving school he there continued to devote his attention to farming and stock growing for the ensuing five years, at the expira- tion of which, in 1864, he and his mother and sister removed from the farm to Shelbyville, where he was engaged in the general merchandise business for three years, as a member of the firm of Vaughn & Edelen, his associate being Wilson Vaughn. He then sold his inter- est in this enterprise, having also dis- posed of the farm previously mentioned, and after his retirement from the mer- cantile trade he purchased 176 acres of excellent land in Black Creek township. He removed with his family to this place, upon which he made many substantial improvements, developing the property into one of the model farms of the coun- ty. There he continued his active oper- ations as a general agriculturist and stock grower until 1881, and in the mean-
while he had also become one of the in- terested principals in the firm of himself, John Sattles, Charles A. Haskins, James Vandever and James Gevin, which en- gaged in the importing of high-grade draft horses from France, the animals being sold from the well-equipped sales stables maintained by the firm in the vil- lage of Shelbina. The enterprise proved very profitable to those concerned, and Mr. Edelen also found that his farm con- tributed much to the succes of the busi- ness, affording fodder and pasturage for the horses imported and raised by the firm of which he was a member. Upon leaving the farm, in 1881, he took up his residence in Shelbina, and after dispos- ing of his interest in the horse-import- ing business at a distinctive profit, he re- turned to the farm, to which he contin- ued to give his attention until 1887, when he sold the property and removed to Kansas, establishing his home in Me- Cracken, Rush county, that state, where he became a prominent and influential citizen, having there become associated in the ownership and operation of a well equipped flour mill and also having be- come one of the principal stockholders of the Bank of MeCracken, in MeCracken, in which institution he still continues to be thus interested, also owning village property and farm land in that section of the Sunflower state. While a resident of MeCracken he also conducted a pros- perous enterprise in the buying and sell- ing of farm lands and in the conducting of a general real estate business.
In the year 1890 Mr. Edelen returned to Shelbyville, where he has since been engaged in the general merchandise bus- iness, as head of the firm of James Ede-
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
len & Co. The large and well equipped establishment handles a stock whose average valuation is fully $20,000, and the trade of the concern extends through- out the territory normally tributary to Shelbyville. The business represents one of the leading mercantile concerns of the county, and the reputation of the firm is of the highest order, as fair and honor- able dealings have begotten the most im- plicit popular confidence and esteem. Mr. Edelen is a man of excellent judgment and much executive and initiative abil- ity, as is evident when we revert to the fact that no enterprise with which he has identified himself during his long and active career has been a failure. In poli- tics he is a staunch adherent of the Dem- ocratic party, though never ambitious for the honors and emoluments of public office, and both he and his wife are ear- nest and zealous members of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, South.
On September 1, 1864, Mr. Edelen was united in marriage to Miss Susan Sheetz, who was born and reared in Shelby county, being a daughter of the late Henry Sheetz, who was a pioneer of the county. They have never had children, but have reared and educated a boy and girl.
WALTER A. DIMMITT.
A scion of one of the honored and prominent pioneer families of Missouri and standing well to the forefront as one of the representative citizens of Shelby county, where he has extensive real es- tate and capitalistic interests, Mr. Dim- mitt holds the well merited prestige ap- pertaining to large and definite accom- plishment through individual ability and
effort, and he is thus specially well en- titled to recognition in this historical publication, which has to do with Shelby county and its people. He was for many years one of the leading merchants of the county and he continued to maintain his home in Shelbyville, where he still has large interests, until May, 1909, when he established his home in the attractive village of Shelbina. His course has been marked by inviolable integrity and honor and in all the relations of life, and he commands the unqualified esteem of all who know him.
Walter A. Dimmitt was born in Monti- cello, Lewis county, Missouri, on Novem- ber 22, 1850, and is a son of Dr. Philip Dimmitt, a sketch of whom appears else- where in this volume.
He gained his early educational dis- cipline in the country schools of Shelby county, having been a lad of ten years at the time of the family removal from Booneville to this county. After com- pleting this limited curriculum he con- tinued his studies in the high school in Shelbyville, and that he duly profited by his scholastic advantages is shown in the fact that for four years he was a suc- cessful teacher in the district schools of this county, devoting his attention to such pedagogie labors during the winter terms and being identified with agricul- tural pursuits during the intervening periods. In 1874 he engaged in the gen- eral merchandise business in Shelby- ville, and for more than a score of years he was actively identified with this line of enterprise, in connection with which he built up a business of wide scope and importance and one through which he gained large financial returns. He re-
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
tired from this business in 1902, and in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
upon his career in connection with the practical activities of life there rests no shadow of wrong or injustice. Thus it may well be understood that he holds as his own the unqualified confidence and esteem of the people of the community in which practically his entire life has been passed. From 1897 until 1905 Mr. Dimmitt was editor and publisher of the Shelby County Guard, a weekly paper. and he made the same an effective expon- ent of local interests and also of the cause of the Democratic party, of which he has ever been a staunch adherent. Mr. Dimmitt is one of the extensive landhold- ers of the county, where he is the owner of 1,060 acres, and in the thriving little city of Shelbyville he is the owner of an entire block of buildings used for busi- ness purposes. For twelve years he was a stockholder and director in the Citi- zens' Bank of Shelbyville, and he served fourteen years as a member of the board of education of this city. He is one of the substantial capitalists and progress- ive and public-spirited citizens of Shelby county, and his aid and influence are ever to be relied upon in the support of measures and enterprises tending to ad- vance the material and civic welfare of the community. He was one of the char- ter members of the Shelby County Rail- road Company, in which he is still the owner of a considerable amount of stock. His various business interests are still centered in Shelbyville, though he now resides in Shelbina, as has already been noted, having purchased an attractive, modern residence in the latter village. Both he and his wife hold membership
June 4, 1872, bore record of the mar- riage of Mr. Dimmitt to Miss Ann Eliz- abeth Vaughn, who was born and reared in Shelby county, and who is a daughter of the late Wilson Vaughn, a prominent business man and influential citizen of Shelbyville. To Mr. and Mrs. Dimmitt have been born five children, all of whom are living and concerning whom the fol- lowing brief data are entered : Philip V. is now a resident of the city of St. Louis, where he is engaged in the post- office ; Walter T. is engaged in the jew- elry business at Shelbyville, this state; Roy is identified with business interests in the city of Birmingham, Alabama; Joseph holds a position in a business house in St. Louis; and Bertha remains at the parental home.
ROBERT T. JACKSON.
The senior member of the real estate firm of Jackson & Neff, of Shelbyville, the subject of this sketch, is a native son of Shelby county, with whose annals the family name has been identified for nearly seventy years, and he is one of the well known citizens and successful business men of the county, where he commands unqualified popular esteem. He is the owner of a valuable farm prop- erty in the county, and was for many years actively identified with agricul- tural pursuits.
Mr. Jackson was born on the old Mar- maduke homestead farm, in Black Creek township, this county, on May 23, 1851, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Fer-
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
guson) Jackson, both of whom were born and reared in North Carolina, where the respective families were founded in an early day. The father was born in the year 1807, and in 1841 he came to Missouri and settled on the old Marmaduke farm, as it is now known, near Shelbyville, where he continued to devote his attention to agricultural pur- suits for fourteen years, at the expira- tion of which he removed with his family to a farm about ten miles northwest of Shelbyville, in Lentner township, where he continued engaged in general farming and stock growing until his death, which occurred on April 27, 1867, at which time he was about sixty years of age. At the time of his death he was the owner of a well improved farm of 170 acres, and was one of the substantial citizens of the county, where he was ever known as a man of the highest integrity and as one whose life was one of signal usefulness and honor. In politics, while never a seeker of office. he was a staunch and in- telligent advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and during the Civil war he favored and supported the cause of the South. Both he and his wife were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They were married in North Carolina in 1830, and Mrs. Jackson was summoned to the life eternal in 1881, at the age of seventy- three years. Of their seven children all are living save one. Perry is a prosper- ous farmer of Shelby county ; Mary Jane also resides in this county and is not married ; Martin is a resident of Linn county, Oregon ; Sarah E. is the wife of Elias Edmonds, of Shelby county ; Thomas is a resident of Josephine coun-
ty, Oregon ; and Robert T., of this sketch, is the youngest of the children. The one deceased is Perthia, who was the wife of William K. Grundy, and who died in Shelby county.
Robert T. Jackson secured his early education in the district schools of Shel- by county, and through his active asso- ciation with men and affairs he has be- come a man of broad general informa- tion and marked business ability. After his school days he was associated in the work and management of the old home- stead farm until 1874, after which he continued in the same line of enterprise on his own responsibility, becoming one of the successful farmers and stock raisers of the county and continuing to be actively concerned in the operation of his well improved farm until 1898, sinee which year he has maintained his home in Shelbyville. He is still the owner of his farm, which comprises 140 acres, and which is located in Lentner township. Upon locating in Shelbyville lie estab- lished himself in the real estate business, in connection with which he has built up a prosperous enterprise and handled a large amount of property. Since 1906 he has been associated in this business with Andrew J. Neff, under the firm name of Jackson & Neff. He has also rendered efficient service as a carrier on one of the rural free mail delivery routes from Shelbyville. He is a loyal and public spirited citizen, his political allegiance is given to the Democratic party. He is affiliated with the Court of TIonor and both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Sonth.
On December 10, 1870, Mr. Jackson
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
was united in marriage to Miss Cather- ine F. Carroll, who was born and reared in Shelby county, where her father, the late Phasant B. Carroll, was a represent- ative farmer. Of the four children of this marriage three are living-Nona Virgina is the wife of Vergil F. Hirrilin- ger, a farmer of this county; Thomas is a resident of the city of Seattle, Wash- ington; and Nellie is the wife of L. E. Carson, of Shelby county.
WILLIAM R. TURNER.
No monarch is so independent as the farmer who holds title to prodnetive acres of ground, and there is a decidedly ethical significance in the sovereignty of the soil. No man was ever contaminated by association with nature, and to our nation the farm has given brain and brawn. Along whatever paths their am- bition may lead them, men who have known the solace of association and gen- erons companionship with nature ever find allurement in the great basie in- dustry under whose influence they were reared. It is emphatically one of the at- tractive features of this historical com- pilation that within its pages are found represented many of its successful and enterprising farmers and stock-growers, and not a few of these claim Shelby county as the place of their nativity. Of this number is William R. Turner, who is the owner of one of the fine farm es- tates of the county and who has made so distinctive a specialty and success of the breeding of high-grade sheep that he has gained the local sobriquet of "Sheep Turner", to which, owing to the wide
reputation he has attained in this field of enterprise, he can find no objection.
William R. Turner was born on his father's homestead farm, in Black Creek township, this county, on February 12, 1856, and is a son of Holman and Cath- erine A. (Settles) Turner, the former of whom was born in Kentucky on Febru- ary 21, 1828, and the latter of whom was born in Virginia on June 21, 1833. The marriage of this worthy couple was solemnized on February 6, 1851, and of their nine children seven are now living. namely: Mary Jane, who is the wife of Rev. William N. Wainwright, a elergy- man of the M. E. Church, South. and now a resident of Monette, Missouri; William R., who figures as the immediate subject of this review; Susan C., who is the wife of Newton Garrison, deceased, of Bethel township; Lillian, who is the wife of John J. Hewitt, of Shelbyville, this county ; James, who is a representa- tive farmer of Shelby county, as is also Charles; and Anna, who is the wife of Thomas Herbst, of this county. The honored father came to Missouri in an early day and located on a farm about ten miles east of Shelbyville, where he became one of the substantial pioneer agriculturists of Shelby county. He was a successful mule dealer, buying mules' colts and keeping them until three years old and had a very fine bunch of mules on hand when death claimed him on De- eember 4, 1866, at which time he was but thirty-nine years of age. His widow now survives and lives on the old home place two miles north of Shelbyville. Both were devont members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, Sonth, and in
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
polities he was aligned as a stalwart and intelligent supporter of the principles and policies of the Democratic party. He was held in high esteem as a man of in- violable integrity and honor and as a citizen of sterling worth.
William R. Turner is indebted to the district schools of his native county for his early educational discipline, which has been effectively supplemented by the valuable lessons gained in the broad school of experience, and he was reared to manhood under the invigorating in- fluences of the farm. After leaving school he engaged in farming on rented land, and he thus continued operations until 1880, after which he passed about two years as clerk in mercantile estab- lishments, and for a time he owned and conducted a furniture store at Shelby- ville and clerked in Captain Collier's store one year. In 1882 he removed to a farm in Black Creek township, abont two and one-half miles north of Shelby- ville, where he has since maintained his home and where, through his well di- rected energies and progressive ideas he has attained a high degree of success, being now the owner of a well improved farm of 286 acres, the major portion of which is available for cultivation. Mr. Turner has made a success of handling pure bred stock along all lines, his motto being, "The Best Is None Too Good."
In 1885 he began the breeding of pure blooded Shropshire sheep, and was so successful in this undertaking that in 1893 he exhibited his sheep at the World's Fair in Chicago, and carried off first honors in this class, competing with the entire world.
tention to the breeding of Duroc-Jersey hogs, and has been more than success- ful in this undertaking-he often pays as high as $300 for his male hogs-and his herd is now considered among the best in the state.
In addition to this he is largely inter- ested in the breeding of "Short Horn" cattle, and for some years held annal sales at Shelbina and other points in the county. but on account of the vast amount of labor connected with this de- partment, he has abandoned that feature of the business and now carries but a limited number of exceptionally fine bred animals on the home farm.
Mr. Turner's success in life has been due to his own efforts, having never had the advantages of capital, other than that he borrowed on his own security, but by fair dealing and strict attention to business he soon gained for himself a reputation for honesty that enabled him to secure from the banks any amount of capital needed to successfully conduet his business. He is known as one of the representative farmers and stock-grow- ers of the county and as a man of much enterprise, ambition and progressive- ness, while his course has been so di- rected in all the relations of life that he has not been denied the fullest meas- ure of popular confidence and esteem in the county that has been his home from the time of his nativity. In politics he is aligned as a staunch supporter of the canse of the Democratic party and both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, South.
On September 11, 1881, Mr. Turner was united in marriage to Miss Mary
In 1886 Mr. Turner turned his at- Ann Doyle, who was born and reared in
GEO. W. HUMPHREY
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HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
Saline county, this state, where her father, the late B. G. Doyle, was a suc- cessful farmer. Of the six children of this union, one, a son, Gordie W. Turner, died at the age of two years, and the other five are still living, namely: Ade- laide May, who is the wife of Marion Feeley, a farmer of this county; and (Vera Florence, Cleveland Doyle, are in Colorado) Wade Grafflin, and Richard Lee, are at the parental home.
SENATOR GEORGE W. HUMPHREY.
Eminent in his profession, distin- guished in official relations and upright in his private life, Hon. George W. Hum- phrey, one of the leading lawyers of Shelby county and state senator from the Ninth Missouri senatorial district, well justifies his right to the high place he holds in the councils of the state and the confidence and esteem of the people. In every relation, public and private, he has exhibited an elevated standard of excel- lence and proven himself to be a high type of the citizenship of the state.
Senator Humphrey was born near Rushville, Illinois, on August 21, 1865. He is a son of William T. and Mary (Rodifer) Humphrey, the former a na- tive of Kentucky and the latter of Mis- sonri. The father was a farmer and lum- ber merchant, whose undertakings were extensive and profitable, and gave scope for the full exercise of his superior and commanding mental faculties. He is now living retired from active pursuits at Shelbina. Always patriotic and de- voted to the welfare of his country, when the Cival war broke ont he followed his
convictions into the Confederate army, and during the momentous conflict which shook this country to its very founda- tions, rendered active and heroic service to the cause he favored. He participated in numerous engagements, and on one oc- casion faced it in captivity, being sen- teneed to be shot at Palmyra with a number of other prisoners. A few hours before the time fixed for the execution of the sentence he was released, and thus escaped the fate lie seemed destined to, which the other prisoners suffered. It is worthy of note in this connection, that the first money ever earned by his son, Senator George W. Humphrey, was ex- pended for a handsome monument, which he caused to be erected in the cemetery at Palmyra to the memory of Hiram Smith, the man who was substituted for his father at the time of the execution of Confederate prisoners at that place.
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