USA > Missouri > Cass County > History of Cass County, Missouri > Part 42
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Mr. Stewart was united in marriage August 7, 1896 with Miss Mary L. Williams, a native of Polk township, daughter of Leonodus L. and Sarah Frances (Jones) Williams, both of whom are now deceased. Their remains are buried in the Lonejack cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have been born the following children: Henry McLee, who was drowned June 4, 1916, aged nineteen ; Claude S .; Cammie K .; and J. C. The Stew- art family are well known and prominent in their community.
Gilbert Dean, president of the Bank of Drexel, and an early pioneer of this section of Missouri, is a native of Ohio. He was born in 1840, and is a son of John and Rachel Dean. John Dean was a son of Richard Dean, a native of New York City, and of Scotch Irish descent. Two brothers of Richard Dean, John and Joseph, were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Richard was a sea captain for thirty years. He began his seafar- ing life on the great lakes and later became a salt water sailor. John Dean, father of Gilbert, was born in 1813, and in 1816, removed to Ohio with his parents. He came to Cass County in 1868, and later removed to Jackson County where he died.
Gilbert Dean was reared in Ohio and educated in the public schools and was living the peaceful life of the average boy of his time, when the great Civil War broke out. He enlisted in the First Ohio Cavalry and served in the Union army for four years. His command was attached to the army of the Cumberland, and he participated in many important and hard fought battles as well as numerous skirmishes. At the close of the war, after being mustered out of the service and honorably discharged he returned to Ohio. Here he remained about a year and in 1866 came to
GILBERT DEAN.
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Cass County and bought a farm near the Bates County line, where he has since resided. Here Mr. Dean owns one hundred and eighty acres of valu- able land, and for a number of years has been successfully engaged in farming and stockraising. However, in recent years, he has not been so actively engaged in farming operations, and much of his land is devoted to grass. He has invested in other commercial enterprises and is one of the largest stockholders in the Bank of Drexel, and has been president of that well known financial institution since 1913. This is one of the substantial and progressive banks of Cass County and was organized with a paid up capital of fifteen thousand dollars.
Mr. Dean was married in 1866 to Miss Ann Edmondson, daughter of James Edmondson, of Indiana, and the following children have been born to this union: Mrs. Camellia Scott, Aurora, Missouri; John, Drexel, Mis- souri ; Mrs. Lulu Porter, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Roscoe, Louisburg, Kansas.
Mr. Dean takes an active interest in local affairs and has served as justice of the peace for twelve months. He is active and vigorous and takes a keen interest in all progressive movements for the betterment of. the community. He is public spirited and one of Cass County's foremost citizens. Mr. Dean has seen much of the pioneer life of western Missouri, and contributed his part towards the opening up and developing of the west. In the early days he broke the prairie with ox teams and for a number of years after coming here lived in a log house, until he hauled lumber from Pleasant Hill, with which to build a frame residence.
Although Mr. Dean makes no claims to literary distinction, he wrote the following lines while in a reminiscent mood at the age of seventy- four:
Our pioneer fathers, where are they ? And the faithful horse that brought them over? They have gone to decay, the pioneers way, No more to be known till the judgment day.
It was they who blazed the way,
That their children might stay.
Faults they had, like people today ;
Forgive them now, and don't delay, For soon all will follow their way.
There has never been a proposed public improvement for the building up or betterment of the community, but what has received Mr. Dean's
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unqualified support, and he has always aided with his time and money any worthy enterprise. He has seen this county develop from an unbroken plain to its present progressive state and he is one of the pioneers who has done his full share toward building up this county and its institutions.
S. E. Martin, of Polk township, is a member of a representative fam- ily of western Missouri. He was born in Jackson County, about one mile east of Lonejack, in 1850. He is a son of James C. and Sallie (Thomp- son) Martin, both natives of North Carolina. The father was born in 1812 and died in Polk township in 1866. The mother was born in 1830 and died in 1909. Their remains are buried at Lonejack. They were the parents of the following children: S. E., the subject of this sketch ; Mrs. Jennie Cravens, Polk township; Mrs. Camelia Stockton, Warrens- burg, Missouri; K. W., Lees Summit; Mrs. Blanche Dryden, Lees Sum- mit; Cora, a teacher in the Kansas City, Missouri public schools; and R. J., lives in Kansas City, Missouri. James C. Martin was the father of five children by a former marriage: Mrs. Diana Turpin, Mrs. Mary Blackwell, Carrollton, Missouri; Mrs. James Franklin, deceased; Mrs. Rufus Estes, deceased; and John H.
S. E. Martin was educated in the Polk township public schools, and the Lonejack High School. His father died when S. E. was about thir- teen years old. Mr. Martin thus had to make his own way in the world at an early age. When he was eighteen years old he left home. He bought his first land in 1872, which was an unimproved forty-acre farm in Polk township, for which he paid five hundred dollars. In 1886 he bought another forty for six hundred dollars. In 1893 he sold his land and removed to Warrensburg, where he remained for five years. He purchased his present place in Polk township in 1897 and has since been engaged in farming and stock raising in Polk township.
Mr. Martin was here when the Civil War broke out and has a vivid recollection of much of the devastation of that period in this section of the country. He was at Lonejack the next day after the battle, which was fought there. When Order No. 11 was issued the Martin family went to Carroll County and remained there nearly two years. During that time their home place was stripped of everything of value except the house, and an attempt was made to burn that. Uncle James Aldridge happened to be there and prevailed upon the parties not to burn the house, and induced them to extinguish the fire after it had been started. When the war closed Mr. Martin was living in Polk township.
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In 1876 S. E. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Estes. She died in 1891. In 1901 Mr. Martin was married to Miss Angeline Noland, a daughter of Collins Noland, a very early settler in this section of Missouri, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin have an extensive acquaintance in northeastern Cass County and have many friends.
Howard C. Rowe, a well-known farmer and stockman of Pleasant Hill township, was born in Michigan in 1866. He came to Cass County with his parents when he was one year old. He is the son of Henry W. and Susan J. (Jacobs) Rowe. Henry W. Rowe was born near Utica, New York. He was married to Susan J. Jacobs in Michigan. He was one of a family of six children, all of whom are now deceased, as follows: Henry W., Gilbert, Rodney, David, Mattie, who married Eugene Carey, Chicago, Illinois; and Jennie, who married Dr. Allen, Adrian, Michigan.
Henry W. Rowe came to Cass County in 1867 and settled in Pleasant Hill township, where he bought two hundred fifty acres of land, located about one and one-half miles south of Pleasant Hill. He paid twenty- five dollars per acre for this land. Mr. Rowe was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising here until the time of his death. He died in 1881 and his wife died in 1879. Their remains are buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Howard C. Rowe was educated in the public schools of Pleasant Hill. At an early age he was thrown upon his own resources and forced to make his own way. His father died when Howard C. was fifteen years old. For a time Howard lived with his brother, E. E. Rowe. In 1892 Howard C. Rowe was married to Miss Josie Hauk, daughter of J. H. R. and Charlotte Hauk, of Pleasant Hill township. The Hauk family came from Germany to Illinois, and from there to Pleasant Hill, in 1867.
To Howard C. Rowe and wife have been born four children, as fol- lows: F. H., who married Mable Campbell, and lives on a part of the Rowe farm in Pleasant Hill township; a son died in infancy ; Ernest, who died at the age of seven years; and Allen R., who is at home with his parents.
Mr. Rowe has a fine farm of one hundred sixty acres in Pleasant Hill township, where he carries on general farming and stock raising. He is also extensively interested in the dairy business. His place is well watered and there is much excellent grass land. The Rowe farm is an ideal place for stock raising and dairying. Mr. Rowe, during the past
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season, has become greatly interested in the bee industry. He has demon- strated to his satisfaction in one season that bee-keeping, when prop- erly carried on, is a profitable enterprise. He started the season of 1916 with four stands of bees, which have increased to thirteen stands during the season, besides producing seven hundred pounds of honey. Here- tofore Mr. Rowe has given bees very little attention, but this demonstra- tion of one season will probably induce him to enlarge and continue that department.
Although a young man, Mr. Rowe well remembers many of the old pioneer conditions and institutions of Cass County. He recalls the early stage-coach days. The stage coach passed through the Rowe farm with its four galloping steeds, the driver on the box, Mr. Rowe frequently hung on the trunk straps, on the rear of the stage, and rode to the Lone Star school house, about one and one-fourth miles from his home, where he attended school.
A. D. Harbison, who for a number of years has been one of the suc- cessful farmers and stock raisers of Big Creek township, was born in Kentucky in 1849. He is a son of David and Eliza (Craig) Harbison, natives of Kentucky. The Harbison family came to Ray County, Mis- souri, in 1858, when A. D. was nine years old. They later moved to Jackson County. David Harbison spent the latter part of his life in the vicinity of Pleasant Hill, where he died in 1891. His wife died there in 1899. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom are living, as follows: Dwight, Dallas, Texas; Mrs. Alice E. Moore, Independence, Missouri; A. D., whose name introduces this sketch; Sallie, who married George W. Evarts, a former county judge; and Ed., Elk City, Idaho.
A. D. Harbison was educated in the public schools of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri. He lived there during the Civil War. He conducted the home place during the period that his father went to California. The Harbison family lost considerable property, which was stolen and other- wise destroyed by the semi-military organizations which infested the country at that time. James A. Davis, who was an old neighbor of the Harbisons, now seventy-nine years old, also remained on his place, be- cause of his wife's ill health, during the Civil War. He was one of the few in that vicinity who were not molested during the days of marauders and free-booters.
Mr. Harbison came to Cass County in the spring of 1883 and located
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four miles north of Pleasant Hill. In 1904 he sold out there and bought the Grimes place, one and one-half miles south of Greenwood, which he still owns. This place contains two hundred thirty acres and is one of the fine farms in this section of the state. Most of the improvements have been made by Mr. Harbison since he bought it. Mr. Harbison has carried on farming and stock raising. He raises cattle, hogs, and mules. His son, Frank, now occupies the place and operates it in conjunction with his father. He makes a specialty of registered Shorthorn cattle and Chester White hogs.
Mr. Harbison was first married in 1874 to Miss Susie Goldbar, of Carrollton, Missouri. Four children were born to this union, as follows: Myrtle, married Walter Waddell, died in 1905, leaving one child, Myrtle Elizabeth, who makes her home with her grandparents Harbison, who reared her; Edwin Perry, farmer near Raymore, Missouri; Frank, on the home place; and Nellie, married J. B. Jennings, who resides near Ray- more. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Harbison was married, in 1892, to Miss Susie Goode, of Pleasant Hill, a daughter of Michael and Mary Ann Goode. Michael Goode was a native of Virginia, who came to Cass County when he was nineteen years old. He settled at Pleasant Hill, where he died in 1896. His wife died in 1895, and their remains rest in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. They were the parents of the fol- lowing children: S. O. Goode, Greenwood, Missouri; Walter Goode, Bunceton, Cooper County, Missouri; Mrs. Ida Chastain, Cleo, Oklahoma ; and Susie, the wife of A. D. Harbison.
Mr. and Mrs. Harbison reside in Greenwood, Missouri. Their son, Frank, occupies the home place as above stated. A grandchild, Myrtle Waddell, makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Harbison and attends school.
Dr. T. H. Gregg, a well-known veterinary surgeon of Pleasant Hill, is a native of Cass County. He was born in Pleasant Hill May 8, 1861, and is a son of James W. and Serilda (Thomas) Gregg. James W. Gregg was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, May 10, 1829, and died at Pleasant Hill in 1879. His wife was born October 7, 1839, and died in March, 1910. Their remains are buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. She was a daughter of Captain Thomas, well known in the early history of Cass County. They were the parents of the following children: Mary F., who was born May 31, 1863, and died March 9, 1864; Laura W., who was born September 9, 1866, married J. C. Butler, Sedalia, Missouri; Anna L., who was born October 7, 1868, married E. N. Davis, and now
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resides at Pasadena, California; Lutie, who was born July 31, 1873, and died October 7, 1874; and T. H., the subject of this sketch.
Dr. Gregg received his education in the public schools of Pleasant Hill. When seventeen years of age he began learning the blacksmiths' trade, with his father, which he followed until 1909, at Pleasant Hill. In early life he also took up the study of veterinary surgery and practiced that profession. At the same time he conducted a blacksmith shop until 1909. Since that time Dr. Gregg has devoted himself exclusively to the practice of his profession. He covers a large scope of territory in his professional work, including parts of Cass, Jackson, and Johnson Coun- ties. Dr. Gregg is well known as a leading veterinary of the state, and with the exception of one, has attended every veterinary surgeons' con- vention held at Kansas City for the past ten years.
In 1885 Dr. Gregg was united in marriage with Miss Minnie E. Lane, daughter of Archie and Sallie E. Lane. The father was a Christian minister. He died while attending college at Lexington, Kentucky, when he was twenty-nine years old. His widow married Rev. J. A. Lord, a minister who at one time was located at Pleasant Hill, and later at Holden and Warrensburg. For a time Rev. J. A. Lord was editor of the "Christian Standard" at Cincinnati, Ohio. He is now an instructor in Spokane University, at Spokane, Washington. To Dr. and Mrs. Gregg have been born three children, as follows: Nina C., who was born June 14, 1886, married Felix Keller, a musician of Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Annie Laurie, who was born June 23, 1888, married E. W. Pearson, and they reside at Woodcliff on the Hudson, New York; and Rubie, who was born July 12, 1896, married R. L. Manicke, Pleasant Hill.
The Gregg family were early settlers in Cass County, and lived here during the turbulent days of the Civil War. Many incidences which demonstrated the insecurity of life and property happened in the im- mediate Gregg family. Dr. Gregg relates many circumstances that took place during those days in which his father figured conspicuously. James W. Gregg came here about 1857, and in 1862 returned to Kentucky, where he remained until the close of the war. When this conflict was closed as a national affair it still continued in a desultory way for a few years in Cass County and vicinity. When Mr. Gregg returned to Pleas- ant Hill, Judge Copeland was judge of the court here and registration was necessary in order to vote. Mr. Gregg registered a few days before vot- ing time and Copeland, being a strong Union man and having no love for a southern man, challenged Gregg's vote. This started an argument,
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in which Gregg knocked Copeland down, and when the latter got up he had his pistol in his hand. Gregg jumped behind Copeland's father and pushed him toward his irate son, and when near enough Gregg grabbed Copeland's revolver, reaching over the old, gentleman's shoulder, and struck Copeland on the head with the gun, knocking him down again. Later Copeland determined to get revenge and hired a negro, who was working for Gregg, to waylay or kill Gregg. A few nights afterward the negro came home late and concealed a club in the shop. While Mr. Gregg's attention was called to a noise in the barn the negro struck him on the head with the club, but Gregg recovered and ran into the house to get his revolver. Then it was the negro's move and he took to the woods with Gregg in pursuit. The negro, however, escaped. The third day after this transaction, while Mr. Gregg was still in bed suffering from his injury, Mrs. Gregg noticed some men congregating at Copeland's, who lived but a short distance away. She called her husband's atten- tion to it and he notified his friends, John Walker, Fleming, Jenkins, Stevens, and others, to come over to his place, as he was expecting a surprise party. After dark a number of the Copeland men advanced to the house just north of Gregg's, and Fleming went out to ascertain their purpose. He asked the leader of the gang what they proposed to do, and he answered: "We came over here to kill that G- d- Gregg." Fleming invited them to get busy if that was what they came for.' Then the negro, who was with the Copeland gang, opened fire. Fleming took a shot at him, striking him on the knee. Gregg's friends, who were con- cealed behind the fences, and the Copeland party opened fire on each other. Quite a battle ensued, in which a Copeland negro was wounded, and in which the Copeland gang were worsted. They beat a hasty retreat.
On another occasion a gang of "Red Legs" came into town, killed two men and burned their houses. They came to Gregg's place about midnight. Gregg and his wife were asleep when they rapped at the door. Mrs. Gregg unbarred the door and admitted the "Red Legs" be- fore she realized who they were. They immediately covered Mr. Gregg with their guns and ordered him to dress and come with them. He tried several excuses in order to get an opportunity to get to his gun, but his captors anticipated his wish and were insistent. He said he wanted to get his shoes himself as his wife could not reach them for him, and one of the "Red Legs" answered: "You can go barefooted, as you will not need shoes very long in this world." The captain of the "Red Legs" asked the man who was guarding the door where they would
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take the d- rebel to kill him, and they answered: "Just across the street on the commons, away from his wife." While preparations were being made, Gregg whispered to his wife to open the back door leading out from the kitchen, which she did. Gregg made a dash for liberty, and the door being open he lost no time in getting outside. The "Red Legs" fired fully forty shots at the fleeing man, but none took effect. One bul- let, however, grazed the right side of his face just as he cleared the rock fence, about fifty yards away. He went to Fleming's place and tried to borrow a gun, but Fleming, fearing that it was the "Red Legs" trying to get in, refused him admittance. Gregg returned to his home an hour or so after, and thus armed went to Copeland's in search of "Red Legs". After searching around the town for some time, unable to find any of the party, he returned home. These are but two of the many instances of the dangers of life on the border at a time "that tried men's souls".
Sam Yankee, an enterprising and influential farmer and stockman, is a representative of one of the early families of this section of Missouri. He was born in Polk township, Cass County, Missouri, in 1846, a son of Wesley and Sarah (Underwood) Yankee. Wesley Yankee, a native of Kentucky, came to Missouri in 1836, with his father, Samuel Yankee, Sr. Samuel Yankee, Sr., remained in Pettis County one year, then came to Jackson County in 1837, locating two miles east of Lonejack. Here he died in 1883. His son, Wesley Yankee, moved to Cass County, locating two miles east of Pleasant Hill. He remained upon this place until 1868, when he sold out to Mr. Willis. Wesley Yankee then located in Jackson County, two miles south and one mile east of Lonejack. He died in Janu- ary, 1912, and is buried in the Underwood cemetery. Sarah (Underwood) Yankee, the first wife of Wesley Yankee and mother of the subject of this review, died in 1853, and is buried in Underwood cemetery. Wesley and Sarah (Underwood) Yankee were the parents of five children, all of whom were born in Cass County, namely: J. A., deceased; Sam, subject of this sketch; Joel K., who died in 1872; Permelia, who married S. C. McGlathery, now deceased, and resides in Odessa, Missouri; and Eliza D., who married W. H. Maxwell and resides in Lees Summit, Missouri. J. A., the older brother of Sam Yankee, died in 1910 in Polk township and is buried in Underwood cemetery. He was the father of twelve children, all of whom are still living.
In 1881 Sam Yankee was united in marriage with Adelia Boswell, of Pleasant Hill, a daughter of J. W. Boswell of that place. Mr. and Mrs.
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Yankee have reared three orphan children, two of whom were relatives of Mrs. Yankee, a half-brother and a half-sister, J. A. Boswell and his sister, Maggie. The third was Georgie Cash. She married T. W. Yankee, a son of Frank Yankee and they live on the home place.
Sam Yankee received his education in the country schools of Cass County. The Civil War broke out when he was young and educational facilities were then very meager. Mr. Yankee has increased his knowl- edge wonderfully however in the school of experience. He learned the blacksmiths' trade after the war and for six years worked at his trade at Lonejack. He then followed farming in Cass County for two years. In 1872 he bought from Tom Bradley his present home place of one hun- dred twenty acres. Land was at that time worth thirty dollars per acre. Mr. Yankee bought this farm in partnership with his brother, J. A., and later bought him out.
Mr. Yankee has a fund of exceedingly interesting reminiscences. When Order No. 11 was issued in 1863, the Yankee family moved to Lafayette County. The father had already gone there. Mr. Yankee lived two miles east of Pleasant Hill, when the order to move was received. He and his brother were in the field stacking oats the day the order came and they saw fifteen houses burning. Mr. Yankee recalls an amusing pic- ture of haste under difficulties which was vividly impressed upon his memory at that time. A neighbor, Mr. Bradshaw, had for a team a two- year-old bull and a cow with a blind mare in front, hitched to a two-horse wagon, having only running gears. All his household goods were piled upon the running gears and upon the household goods sat Mr. Bradshaw, glaring at the mare, who apparently was not well pleased with the com- pany forced upon her and was objecting strenuously.
Six men are buried three-fourths of a mile east of Mr. Yankee's present home on the John Phillips place, men who were killed when Order No. 11 was issued. They were: Uncle Bennie Potter, aged seventy-five years, John Cave, John Tate, David Hunter, John Hunter and Andrew Owsley. These men were all buried in one grave by their wives and children.
Sam Yankee has been very successful in his agricultural pursuits and now has two hundred twenty-one acres of fine land under a good state of cultivation and his improvements are among the best in the county. He has a beautiful home, comfortable and commodious and he and his family are surrounded with all the comforts of life. The house of ten rooms contains a large, cheery fire-place and is heated throughout by steam.
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His barns are large and conveniently arranged for his stock and grain. The dimensions of the four barns are respectively: Thirty-six by fifty- one feet, fifty by fifty-two feet, forty by forty feet and forty by forty feet. Mr. Yankee raises some alfalfa and is a successful stockman, rais- ing cattle and mules. He is also engaged in general farming. In short, he is in every way an active and enterprising agriculturist.
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