USA > Missouri > Bates County > History of Bates County, Missouri > Part 87
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Mr. Pratt was married in 1895 to Lulia E. Chapin, of Hudson township, and to this marriage have been born two sons: Louis C., a student in the Appleton City High School, class of 1918; J. Lawrence, at home. Mrs. Lulia E. (Chapin) Pratt is a daughter of E. S. and Sarah Chapin. E. S. Chapin, her father, was born in Medina county, Ohio, October 16, 1838. His father, Calvin Chapin, was born in 1805 in connection, married Miss Susannah Cole Stiles, a native of Massa- chusetts. Calvin Chapin moved to Ohio when a young man and E. S. Chapin was there reared to young manhood. In the fall of 1861
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he enlisted in Company G, Forty-second Ohio Infantry Regiment, under Col. James A. Garfield, and served three years in the Civil War. He was wounded during the siege of Vicksburg. He also took part in the engagements at Prestonsburg, Cumberland Gap, Chickasaw Bayou, and Arkansas Post, and many other battles. In the fall of 1864, fol- lowing his discharge from the service, he was married, December 29, 1864 to Miss Sarah Field, a native of Medina county, Ohio. In the spring of 1867 he came to Missouri and bought land in Hudson town- ship, Bates county. Mr. and Mrs. Chapin were parents of seven chil- dren; Clyde F., Leroy S., Lulia E., Myrta M., Roland T., Gracie, and Pearl.
William Laney, proprietor of one of the best farms in Bates county, is an enterprising and progressive citizen of Hudson township. He was born in Washington county, Illinois, July 23, 1849, a son of James R. and Mary (Young) Hill Laney, the former of whom was born in Alabama in 1819 and the latter of whom was born in Illinois in 1820. Mr. Laney's mother died in 1858 and his father was again married to Mary Ann Walker. By this second marriage James R. Laney was father of three children: A. T. Laney, an employe of the "Frisco" Rail- road Company, Clinton, Missouri; Mrs. Charles Anthony, Kansas City, Missouri; one child died in infancy. James R. Laney died in Hudson township in 1891 and his remains are interred in Round Prairie cemetery.
The early education of William Laney was obtained in the public schools of his native county and he pursued a higher course of study at the Illinois State Agricultural College, Irvington, in the school year 1868 and 1869. He followed farming in his native state until 1881 when he came to Appleton City, Missouri and resided there until March of 1883. At this time he bought his present home farm of one hundred twenty acres in Hudson township, of John Stucker, who had purchased it from Fritz Gilbreath who in turn inherited the land from his father, Stephen Gilbreath. This fine farm is located two and a half miles from Appleton City and is considered to be one of the best kept and most productive tracts in this section of Missouri. The first home of the Laneys when they purchased their farm, was a log cabin which served as their place of habitation for the first ten years of their residence in Bates county. In 1893 they erected a new home, having previously built two barns, one having been built in 1885 and the other being erected in 1895, two years after the new home was erected. Twelve
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acres of the Laney farm were first broken for cultivation in 1866 and this land has continued to yield crops for the past fifty-one years. Every deciduous and evergreen shade tree on the Laney place was planted by the owner and there is now a fine grove shading the premises.
Mr. Laney had two uncles and four cousins who saw active service in the Union army during the Civil War. They were as follow: John and Samuel Hill, uncles. The cousins were Robert and John Laney, Andrew Crane, and Daniel Laney.
Mr. Laney was married in 1869 to Miss Jane Milne, who was born in Scotland, and is a daughter of Peter and Allison (Polick) Milne, who immigrated to America from their native land in 1863. A son of the family, Harry Milne, enlisted in the Union army at the age of nineteen years not long after his arrival in America. Mrs. Laney has four sisters living: Mrs. Allison Perkins, Oswego, Kansas; Mrs. Eu- phemia Laney, Oswego, Kansas; Mrs. Anna Boggs, Hallowell, Kan- sas; Mrs. Mary Nesbitt, Sparta, Illinois. To William and Jane Laney have been born children as follow: Mary, wife of Walter A. Bundy, a jeweler of Miami, Oklahoma, and who taught school for a number of years; Ada, who is diligently engaged in Red Cross work and is especially employed in the making of the Hudson township community flag; Clarence, supervisor of the Federal income tax for northeast South Dakota, located at Aberdeen, South Dakota; Lyman Lee, born 1879, died in 1917, at Watertown, South Dakota, leaving a widow and a son, Roy C. Laney, aged five years : Gertrude, wife of Clyde Piepmeier, Hudson township. Mr. and Mrs. Laney have five grandchildren: Will- iam Lee Laney, Roy Clarence Laney, Ruby Dell Piepmeier, Pearl Louise Piepmeier, and J. D. Piepmeier.
For a number of years Mr. Laney has served as school director of Hazel Hill district and has always taken a great interest in educa- tional matters. He and Mrs. Laney have co-operated in the matter of giving each one of their children an excellent education, being actu- ated in this laudable undertaking by the well founded belief that they would make better men and women if equipped with an education. For a number of years he was a member of the township board. Mr. Laney has been prominent in the affairs of the Democratic party and has been a member of the county central committee. For four years he served as justice of the peace of his township and has ever been found in the forefront of all worthy movements intended to advance the welfare of the citizenship of his county and township.
MRS. WILLIAM G. BROWN.
WILLIAM G. BROWN.
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William G. Brown, Union veteran and pioneer settler of Hudson township, is a native of the old Buckeye state, who for over a half cen- tury has been engaged in farming and stock raising in Bates county, becoming widely and favorably known throughout his section of this county as a fine citizen and a successful tiller of the soil. Mr. Brown was born in Hocking county, Ohio, September 16, 1842. He is a son of John Brown, a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother was Mary Amelia Fanegan, a daughter of Alexander Fanegan, a native of Ireland. The Brown family of which William G. Brown is a worthy descendant is a good, old, American family whose members were of the fighting stock which have ever been ready to defend the liberties of their country. The grandfather of William G. Brown, was John Brown, a soldier of the War of 1812.
The youth of William G. Brown was spent on the home farm in his native county, he attended the common schools, and upon the out- break of the Civil War he was among the first to respond to President Lincoln's call for troops with which to quell the rebellion of the Southern states. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Thirtieth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry Regiment, and served for three years and one month, being mustered out of the service at Jonesboro, Georgia, September 1, 1864. He took part in many hard-fought engagements and fought at the second battle of Bull Run. He participated with his command in the siege and capture of Vicksburg, battle of Antietam, South Mountain, Jackson, Mississippi, Missionary Ridge, and the many battles incident to the siege and capture of Atlanta, Georgia, and fought at Dallas, Geor- gia and at Kenesaw Mountain. He never received a wound and had good health all through his arduous war service. His first captain was named Warner.
Like many other Union veterans who returned home after their war service and found all the good places and opportunities taken by the "stay-at-homes" and no place to go but to the far West, and being filled with the spirit of adventure and the restlessness peculiar to the returned soldier, he made up his mind to come to the West and make a start for fortune and a life-time home. Accompanied by his brother, John, he left the old home in Ohio on January 3, 1866, and came to Bates county, driving overland, the trip requiring three months' time. They first located on land in Kansas, but finding that there seemed to be a cloud on the title they abandoned the idea of making a home in Kansas and retracing their steps, made a permanent location in Hudson town-
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ship, this county. Mr. Brown bought eighty acres of the Meyers land for five dollars an acre. John Brown bought one hundred twenty acres for five dollars an acre. John prospered, reared a fine family and departed to his reward a few years ago, and is quietly sleeping the sleep of the just in the Baptist cemetery in Hudson township. His sons, L. V. and Albert Brown, own the old home place. William G. Brown has added to his acreage as the years have passed and now owns a total or 460 acres of splendid land, which is now being tilled by his children. Mr. Brown has followed general farming and stock raising and has fed hundreds and even thousands of cattle during his sojourn in this county. At the time he located in Bates county, he recalls that rattlesnakes were plentiful in the neighborhood and it behooved the settlers to be wary of the reptile when abroad. His first home was a little cabin 14 x 16 feet in size, and this cabin served as his home until he was able to erect a larger residence. He erected his present fine home of ten rooms in 1883. The old cabin is still standing and is now used for a tool house. Mr. Brown cut all of the logs used for lumber in its construction in 1868, did the hauling for one-half of the logs he cut, and then gave another half of his share for having them sawed ready for building. He thus gave two days' work for one on his own account. The Brown farm is well equipped with a large barn and other out buildings which are maintained in good condition.
On December 20, 1868, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss Mary Wells, who was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, May 15, 1852, a daughter of Henry M. and Lovicy Wells, who came to Missouri from Indiana and settled in Hudson township, Bates county. Mrs. Brown departed this life on January 26, 1899. She was a member of the Cumber- land Presbyterian church. The children of William G. and Mary Brown are as follow: Ira Merton, born January 26, 1870, farming in Hudson township; Mrs. Ora Elfie Page, born September 10, 1872, living in Hudson township; Garry Liston, died at the age of five years; Troy Foster, successful merchant at Fair Oaks, Hudson township; Harry Blaine, died in 1916, had married Nellie Seelinger; Mrs. Icie Lodema Robinson, widow of Millard Robinson, resides with her father and owns the home place. Mr. Brown's second marriage occurred October 10, 1912, to Mrs. Clementine Reat, widow of G. W. Reat. Mrs. Brown's maiden name was Clementine Thomas, a daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Rice) Thomas, of Hocking county, Ohio. In the days of long ago when they were children growing up amid the hills and valleys of their native
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county, Mr. and Mrs. Brown were schoolmates. Mrs. Brown has three sisters and two brothers living: Mrs. James Patterson, Macon, Illi- nois; Isaiah G. Thomas, Tarlton, Ohio; Otis W. Thomas, Circleville, Ohio; Mrs. J. H. Lutz, Circleville, Ohio; Mrs. Elizabeth Pitman, Amanda, Ohio. Mr. Brown is a member of Stedman Post, Grand Army of the Republic No. 172, Appleton City.
In the eventide of his long, eventful, and energetic life, this aged veteran is living in peaceful and comfortable enjoyment of the fruits of his long years of labor. Well past the allotted three score and ten years which are the Scriptural span of life given to man, he is still active, mentally and physically, and has a zest for living equalled by but few men of his years. Mr. Brown and his family are among the best respected in Bates county and have many warm friends who wish them well and esteem them highly for their excellent qualities. Only recently, Mr. Brown divided his land among his children and gave each son and daughter a nice farm.
Icie L. Robinson, who is now caring for her father at the old home place of which she is the owner, is the widow of the late Millard D. Robinson, who was a prominent merchant of Rockville, Missouri. Mr. Robinson was born January 23, 1878, in Rockville, a son of Wesley and Tweed Robinson, old residents of Bates county. He was reared and educated in his native county and attended the public schools of Rock- ville, graduating from the Rockville High School in 1896. He then pur- sued a course in the Clinton Business College, graduating therefrom in 1899. That same year he engaged in business in Rockville in part- nership with his uncle, J. Meredith, and the store was conducted under the firm name of Meredith and Robinson until 1909, when Mr. Robin- son purchased his partner's interest and conducted the business suc- cessfully until his death on February 3, 1916.
On September 5, 1911, the marriage of Millard D. Robinson and Icie L. Brown was solemnized and the marriage was a happy and prosperous one. Mr. Robinson's death was a distinct loss to the com- munity which lost a valued and worthy member. He was a good man. kind and thoughtful of the welfare of others, honest to the core in all of his business transactions and made and retained friends easily. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and was a progressive citizen in every way.
W. E. Bailey .- Nothing in the way of a history of Hudson town- ship would be in the least complete without prominent mention of the
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Bailey family, pioneers and prominent citizens of this part of the coun- ty. W. E. Bailey, subject of the above caption, is a son of Wright Bailey, now living in Appleton City and widely known as one of the most successful stockmen in southwest Missouri. The Bailey farm consists of five hundred fifty-four acres in high state of improvement and showing on every hand evidence of modern and successful man- agement.
The father, Wright Bailey, was born in Howard county, Missouri, in 1854 and is a son of Moses Bailey, who came to southwest Missouri from that section of the state and settled in Bates county in 1865. Wright Bailey married Miss Fannie Stephenson, a daughter of the late Judge Stephenson, who was for many years one of Appleton City's official and most prominent citizens. To them five children were born: C. H. Bailey, Rockville, Missouri; Pearl, now wife of O. E. Piepmeier, a well-known farmer and stockman of Hudson; Lottie Gladys Bailey, teacher in Appleton City High School; Miss Myra, at home; W. E. Bailey, the subject of this sketch, who was born on the farm where he now lives and is already one of the best known and successful young stockmen of this part of the state, showing that he is a "chip off the old block" and following in the footsteps of his father. He was educated in the public schools at home and in the Appleton City Academy. For the past seven years he and his father have been engaged in the stock business under the firm name of Bailey & Son and feed on an average of one hundred fifty to two hundred head of cattle and as many hogs each year. In addition to other stock they are handling one hundred fifty goats. At the present time they are drilling a deep well in order to furnish better water supply.
W. E. Bailey was married in 1904 to Miss Amelia Fox, a daugh- ter of John and Marguerette Fox, former residents of Hudson town- ship. Mrs. Fox is deceased and Mr. Fox lives at Appleton City. The Fox family came to America from Switzerland in 1869 and first located in Prairie township. The children of the Fox family are as follow : Anna, widow of John Yoss, Prairie City; Elizabeth, wife of John Mock, Hudson township: Christian, living on the home place in Hudson town- ship; Peter, whereabouts unknown; Lena, wife of Jared Griggs, Hud- son township; May, wife of William Smith, St. Louis, Missouri; Mrs. W. E. Bailey.
Alonzo Irving Roberts .- For a period of forty-eight years Alonzo Irving Roberts has been a resident of Rockville township-a long span
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in which many things can happen. Mr. Roberts has seen the unbroken prairie transformed by the hand of man. He has witnessed the coming of the railway into his neighborhood and seen towns and villages spring up and grow apace. He, himself, has taken an active part in the development of this county and has created one of the finest farms in Bates county from what was unbroken prairie land. He purchased his present home place on April 6, 1870, and has lived thereon since that time. The Roberts farm is located one and three-fourths miles northeast of Rockville and consists of three hundred twenty acres. The original homestead consisted of but one hundred and twenty acres. The fine residence which domiciles the Roberts family was erected in 1903 and is a beautiful modern home of ten rooms-considered to rank among the finest homes in Bates county. The cyclone in April of 1916 did considerable damage to the home and buildings. The roof was torn off the house and carried some distance. Windows were blown out and carried away. It was necessary to rebuild his large barn and another structure was blown entirely away, as were a silo, two poultry houses and a smoke house and ice house. The shop and implement sheds were torn down and destroyed. The big trees which had been the pride of their owner were destroyed as were a fine grow- ing plum and peach orchard. Over four thousand dollars' worth of damage was done to the property-all of which has since been replaced even better than before. Mr. Roberts is an extensive feeder of cattle and hogs and at this writing. February, 1918, he is wintering fifty- five head of cattle and one hundred head of porkers. Besides feeding all of the grain raised on his own land each season he buys grain in large quantities for the purpose of feeding his livestock.
Alonzo I. Roberts was born in Rockford, Illinois. in 1849, and is a son of William and Mary Roberts, who lived all of their days in Illinois and died there. Mr. Roberts received his education in his native state and in 1868 he came West and invested in one hundred twenty acres of land which he subsequently improved. He has prac- tically grown up with Bates county and prospered as the county has gained in wealth.
Mr. Roberts was married on February 23, 1881 to Ulrika Larson, a daughter of Lars Poulson and Johanna, his wife, natives of Sweden who immigrated to America in 1879 and located in Rockville. Mr. Poulson died here in 1917 at the age of ninety-six years. For the last twenty years of his long life he was totally blind. Mrs. Poulson died
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in 1885, aged sixty-nine years. To Alonzo Irving and Ulrika Roberts have been born children as follow: Ira W., in charge of the home place, was educated in the Rockville schools and has remained on the home place excepting one year spent at Plano, Illinois, with the Inde- pendent Harvester Company's Works, married Rose Hays, of Tabor- ville, March 29, 1914, and is father of a daughter, Evelyn; Oscar B., who volunteered for service with the National army on July 24, 1917 and is now stationed at Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan; Clara E., at home; Chester L., Rockville, Missouri, manager of the Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company, married Ida M. Rapp, November 29, 1916; Cora M., wife of Thomas D. Neale, St. Clair county ; Bessie, died in 1885.
For the past twelve years, Mr. Roberts has been a member of the local school board and has always endeavored to take a good citi- zen's part in local enterprises. He is progressive and keeps well abreast of the times and is recognized as a leading citizen of his locality. He is a member of and an elder of the Re-organized church of the Latter Day Saints.
William Douglas is a highly respected citizen of Rockville township, where he was born in 1870. He is a son of Harvey and Eliza (Camp- bell) Douglas, who came to Bates county in 1865 from Iowa and rented the Simeon Gilbreath farm in Hudson township. Soon afterward, Har- vey Douglas located in Rockville township and bought a forty-acre farm adjoining the townsite of Rockville. Later, he sold this farm and bought one hundred twenty acres located one mile east of the town and there spent the remainder of his life, dying there in 1870 at the age of fifty-one years. He was highly respected and valued through- out the community and was one of the sterling pioneer citizens of Bates county. One brother, Alonzo Douglas, saw service in the Civil War, Alonzo having fought on the Union side at the battle of Lonejack. The Douglas children are: John, deceased ; Mrs. Emma Ward, deceased ; Ollie Bennifield, Lees Summit, Missouri; William, subject of this sketch; Mrs. Maggie Greene, Hudson township; two sons, General and Luma, died in infancy.
William Douglas was educated in the Rockville public schools and has always followed farming pursuits. After his father's 'death he cared for his mother until her death. He became owner of fifty acres of the home place to which he has added seventy acres, making one hundred twenty acres in all comprising his farm. Mr. Douglas had a
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well improved place until along came a cyclone on April 19, 1916 and practically wiped everything out of existence. The house, cattle barn, and hen house were destroyed and a fine grove of maples in the yard were razed to the ground. The wind mill was torn down, a flock of one hundred eighty chickens were killed, and the farm machinery was smashed. All of this devastation has since been replaced with better buildings and new machinery, etc. Mr. Douglas escaped unhurt because he sought refuge in the cellar.
Mr. Douglas was married on November 14. 1917 to Marie Jacobs, of Hudson township. At the present writing, February, 1918, Mr. Douglas is feeding thirty head of Hereford cattle and thirty-five head of hogs. For the past ten years he has made a practice of feeding livestock for the markets. He is a Republican in politics.
J. B. Durand, the oldest resident of Prairie township, Bates county, Missouri in point of years of residence, was born in Pennsylvania in October, 1843, a son of J. N. and Betsey Durand, the father, a native of New York and the mother, of Pennsylvania. J. N. Durand was born in 1816 and Mrs. Durand was born in the same year. The Durands moved from the state of New York to Pennsylvania when J. N. Durand was very young. He came with his family to Missouri in 1850 and the first year they were located on a farm which is the present townsite of Pleasant Gap, settling in Prairie township on a tract of land com- prising forty acres adjoining the site of Prairie City, which city was planned, platted, and named by J. N. Durand in 1858. Provisions and merchandise were hauled in wagons drawn by oxen from Osceola and Boonville, from one to two weeks being required for the trip. Osceola was the head of navigation at that time and Bates county was prac- tically all open prairie. J. N. Durand was the first and only postmaster of Prairie City prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Prairie City, in the days before the Civil War, boasted two stores which were con- ducted by Mr. Nickerson and Mr. Lee. The little village was burned during the conflict, and it then was composed of probably a dozen or more homes. J. N. Durand was a member of the Missouri state militia and served under Captain Newberry, a cousin of Mr. Durand. J. B. Durand recalls the time when Captain Newberry came to Bates county in 1853, walking across the prairie coming from the north, for he made his home with the Durands for some time. J. N. Durand was killed in April, 1863 by "bushwhackers," when he was on his way from his home to Butler, where he had been stationed. Interment was
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made in the cemetery at Prairie City, Missouri. Betsey Durand had preceded her husband in death many years. She died May 9, 1853. To J. N. and Betsey Durand were born four children: J. B., the subject of this review; Mary J., deceased; Eugene, deceased; and Alphonso, who died in infancy. Mr. Durand was married a second time and to him and Sarah Lutsenhizer were born two children: Emily, of Little- ton, Colorado; and Warren, of Littleton, Colorado.
J. B. Durand was educated in the public schools of Prairie town- ship and the University of Missouri. After leaving the State Univer- sity, he returned to his home in Prairie township, where he has spent the remainder of his life to the time of this writing, in 1918. Mr. Durand is the owner of a valuable farm, comprising seventy acres of land adjoining the townsite of Prairie City, where he is engaged in general farming and dairying. The Durand place is well improved, the improvements including a handsome residence, a house of eight rooms, modern throughout, built in 1880; a barn, 32 x 51 feet in dimen- sions ; a second barn, 32 x 44 feet in dimensions; and several sheds. Mr. Durand planted an apple orchard covering many acres of land in 1874. A few of the trees of the original orchard remain and for sev- eral years his efforts along the line of horticulture appeared to be wise and promised great returns. His last large crop was in the year of 1895. when a terrific storm in September blew them all off the trees. He dried eighty thousand pounds of apples and made four hundred barrels of cider and vinegar that year, but due to the low prices they were hauled at a loss. Mr. Durand is now devoting his attention to clairying.
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