USA > Missouri > Cass County > History of Cass County, Missouri > Part 59
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
Judge Britt was a Baptist in faith and a Democrat in politics. He lived his religion in a practical straightforward manner. There was no guile nor false pretense in his makeup. He was a faithful church man. For long years he was the keeper of the record of his church. In the years of his strength and prosperity, he contributed much of his time, energy, influence and money to the Master's cause. Judge Britt was not a Democrat, simply because his ancestors were, nor because some great leader was, but he reasoned out party problems, formed his own conclu- sions and acted upon them.
Are we to be benefitted by the lives lived by Judge Britt and his com- patriots who have occupied before us? We think so. His striking traits of character, his studious methodical manner, his remarkable degree of fairness in activity, his promptitude in meeting engagements, his per- formance of duty, ought to make better all who knew him. He lived during a period of much evil doings and very much that tended to make one worse rather than better, yet amidst this "he knew in whom he put his trust" and did honor to the Master's cause. He always held himself aloof from all such contaminating influences. Notwithstanding the wars at home and the world wars with all the degrading influences which fol- low such, he rejoiced to see the expanse of Christian benefactions from a few thousand dollars annually in the United States to that of many millions.
Judge Britt was married October 31, 1854, to Miss Margaret L.
651
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
Harn, daughter of Richard Harn, of Cass County. She was born, reared and educated in Logan County, Kentucky, and moved to Missouri with her father in 1853. Mr. Harn established his home on a large tract of land three miles northeast of Harrisonville. It was here his daughter, Mar- garet, was married to Jefferson W. Britt. To this union there were born five children, all of whom are living. Of this number four were sons, viz: Judge Eugene W. Britt, a lawyer of Los Angeles, California, a former judge of the California Supreme Court; Rev. William M. Britt, at present of Wyanet, Illinois; Richard H. Britt, of Springfield, Massa- chusetts ; and Haller S. Britt, of Portland, Oregon. The one daughter is Miss Leila R. Britt, of Harrisonville, Missouri. It is truthfully said they are worthy descendants of noble ancestry.
Much might be said of Judge Britt's ancestry, whose courage and valor made possible this free country. This sketch, however, is to show the generations to come, that it is worth while to live the life and emulate the character of Judge Jefferson Waller Britt.
Judge Allen Glenn .- Were it not for the fact that Judge Glenn is the editor of this work and this article must necessarily be subjected to the cruelty of his blue pencil, the writer would endeavor to give a fair and impartial view of his conception of this veteran lawyer and his worth as a citizen ; his capabilities as a lawyer and his many estimable qualities as a Christian gentleman. Therefore, I will confine myself to a brief review of his career and his family, in order that future generations may know who Allen Glenn was when we of this age join the great host of silent witnesses.
Allen Glenn is a son of Hugh G. Glenn, more extensive mention of whom is made elsewhere in this work, and was born in Cass County, about one and one-half miles southwest of Harrisonville, March 30, 1852. Judge Glenn has spent all of his life in Cass County. He was reared amid pioneer surroundings, attended the public schools, and later entered the Missouri University at Columbia, Missouri, where he was graduated in the class of 1871 with the degree of Master of Science. He read law in the office of Hall & Givan, at Harrisonville, Missouri, and was admitted to the bar in 1874. Since that time Judge Glenn has devoted himself to the practice of his profession with the exception of the period during which he served the people of Cass County in the capacity of Judge of the
652
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
Probate Court, from 1886 to 1895, two terms. Judge Glenn has devoted himself to the law exclusively.
On October 9, 1879, Allen Glenn was united in marriage with Miss Mary B. Keller and to this union ten children were born, eight of whom reached maturity, as follows: Hugh G. Glenn, cashier of the Citizens National Bank, Harrisonville, Missouri; Price K. Glenn, who owns and operates the Rexall Drug Store at Harrisonville, Missouri; Allen B. Glenn, a lawyer, associated with his father in the practice of law at Harrison- ville; Robert Charles Glenn conducts a drug store at Powersville, Missouri ; Ewing Suggett Glenn, a rancher located in Colorado. Two girls, Helen Brown Glenn and Margaret Glenn, died in infancy. Mary Elizabeth mar- ried Robert Cannon and is now deceased; Winifred Sloan married Sam C. Irvine and resides in Saline County, Missouri, and Katherine Letitia Glenn is unmarried and resides at home. Judge Glenn has two grandchildren living, Mary Ann Irvine and George Allen Glenn.
Judge Glenn is a member of the Baptist church and belongs to all the Masonic bodies in Cass County and also is a member of Aarat Temple, of Kansas City, Missouri. He is a Democrat and for four years was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee and for twelve years he served as a member of the State Board of Regents of the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri.
Judge Glenn has ever been a student of general literature, as well as of the law. His law office is equipped with a very complete law library and in addition to this his private library at his home is one of the best and most complete in western Missouri .- M. J. F.
Zenas Leonard, of Pleasant Hill, has had an unusual and successful business career, although he is best known to the outside world as the man whose genius and enterprise made Pleasant Hill one of the ideal beauty spots and pleasure resorts of the state. Lake Leonard, a beautiful body of water covering twenty-seven acres adjoining the city of Pleasant Hill, was planned and constructed by Mr. Leonard. He purchased one hundred and twenty-four acres of land adjoining Pleasant Hill and pro- ceeded to construct the artificial lake according to his own design. This place is now and has for years been one of the popular resorts of this section of the state and has developed into a source of considerable income to its owner. By the assistance of Mr. Leonard the Angler's Club, of Kansas City, Missouri, built a splendid club house on the south bank of
653
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
the lake which gives to that organization an ideal outing resort. Before the work of building the lake was commenced, Mr. Leonard made a con- tract with the Missouri, Pacific Railroad for furnishing water to that com- pany which is a very profitable source of income. He also has a number of boats on the lake which he rents to pleasure seekers and altogether, Mr. Leonard's artificial lake not only adds to the beauty of the landscape but is a source of a substantial income.
Zenas Leonard is a native of Missouri. He was born at Sibley in 1846 and is a son of Zenas and Isabel (Harrelson) Leonard. They were the parents of three children, Zenas, the subject of this sketch; and Eliza- beth and Martha, both deceased. Zenas Leonard, the father, had an unusual and interesting career. He was a man of adventurous nature and unlike many of the pioneers of his time, he possessed a good educa- tion and was considerably above the average in ability and mental attain- ment. He was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and when a boy ran away from home and came to Missouri, and for a number of years his people thought he was dead. He did not confine himself to the wilds of Missouri in those early days, but he was one of the first adventurous white men to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Pacifice coast, his party consisting of four other men, one of whom was Green Crisp, father of John T. Crisp. Mr. Leonard and his party were trapping in the Rocky Mountains when they became snow-bound for three months. They found a cave and sought shelter in it at that time and their supplies became so depleted that they were compelled to live on the flesh of their pack mules and during their latter days of storm imprisonment they subsisted on raw hide rope. After the storm was over and they were ready to proceed they could not agree upon the proper direction. However they finally decided upon a course not knowing where they were going and they finally reached the shore of the Pacific ocean where they sighted a French sailing vessel. The crew saw them and after some parleying, four of the sailors came ashore and after an understanding invited the party on board the vessel where they were given a splendid reception. Later the hunting party entertained the French sailors on shore. One of the members of the French crew gave them a small compass after which the party had less difficulty in following the proper direction.
After becoming quite wealthy, Zenas Leonard, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch returned to his old home in Pennsylvania for a brief visit with his relatives and this was the first time that they had heard
654
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
or seen anything of him since his sudden departure years before. When he came to Missouri, this section was in a wild and primitive state and he followed trapping and trading with the Indians for a number of years. He was the first to establish a store on the present site of Sibley, Mis- souri, then known as Ft. Osage. He also operated a boat between St. Louis and Cogswell Landing and from the latter place invaded the wild and unbroken surrounding country with pack mules and traded trinkets and merchandise with the Indians for furs and upon his return trip to St. Louis, his boat was always loaded with a cargo of furs. He was a man of more than ordinary literary ability and during his early years in Missouri, kept a complete diary which is a thrilling story of his experi- ences and observations. His writing covers the period of Missouri history of which obtainable data is very meager and Mr. Leonard, the subject of this sketch, has in his possession the original manuscript which the State Historical Society has made every effort to purchase but as yet Mr. Leonard has refused to fix a price on it.
Zenas Leonard, whose name introduces this sketch was about twelve years old when his father died and after that time he lived with an uncle, Nathan E. Harrelson, who at that time lived on the headwaters of Grand river near the present site of Raymore. He was a large slave owner and met with heavy losses during the devastating period of the Civil War, Federal troops destroying over seventy-five thousand dollars worth of his property. After the war broke out he took his slaves and went to Texas as did many other slave holders of that time and in 1864 he was engaged in freighting in Colorado and New Mexico and Mr. Leonard of this sketch accompanied him in this enterprise. While his loss of property was great during the Civil War, he was still a wealthy man at the time of his death. He owned large tracts of land in Cass, Bates and Johnson Counties, Mis- souri, and Miami County, Kansas, most of which he had purchased prior to the war. His home was on the headwaters of Grand river in Ray- more township, Missouri, at the time of his death.
Zenas Leonard received his education in private schools and began his business career as a cattle dealer and also fed cattle very extensively for a number of years. He conducted a large cattle ranch at Roswell, New Mexico. His son, J. L. Leonard now resides at Roswell and attends to Mr. Leonard's business in that section. He also did an extensive busi- ness in Cass County, Missouri. Mr. Leonard, owing to a failure of his health retired from the stock business and later removed to Pleasant Hill
655
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
where he has since made his home. He occupies one of the finest resi- dences of the city which he built after coming here. It is a two story pressed brick structure, modern throughout and in its various appoint- ments is not excelled by any other in the state. Mr. Leonard is now living practically in retirement and enjoying the friendship of a host of acquaintances.
In 1872 Mr. Leonard was united with Miss Elizabeth Duncan, a daugh- ter of James Duncan of Pleasant Hill. She died in 1902, leaving three children as follows: J. L., a stockman, Roswell, New Mexico; W. D., Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Lou Bell Smith, a widow who resides with her father. Mr. Leonard married Miss Mollie E. Stephens in 1904.
Mr. Leonard is a keen observer and a close student of men and affairs. He has seen many changes and noted many events during the last fifty years and has a store of valuable and interesting information and he possesses the faculty of relating them in an entertaining manner.
He has been interested in the banking business for a number of years, being a stockholder in the Pleasant Hill Banking Company, of which he is a director.
Thomas A. McArthur, who is engaged in job printing and also the manufacturing of all kinds of rubber stamps, in Pleasant Hill, is one of the progressive business men of that thriving town. He was born near Huntingdon, Tennessee, in 1861. He is a son of W. A. McArthur of Pleasant Hill, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.
Thomas A. McArthur came to Cass County with his parents, who settled at Pleasant Hill when he was fifteen years old. He received a public school education and in early life worked at various pursuits until 1890, when he began work at the printer's trade, his first experience being in the office of the Pleasant Hill "Review". For a number of years he has conducted a job printing establishment at Pleasant Hill and has built up an extensive business. Mr. McArthur is unmarried and resides with his parents.
W. A. McArthur, a Union veteran and early settler of Pleasant Hill township, was born in Carroll County, Tennessee, in 1834. He is a son of Alexander and Sarah Benton McArthur, natives of North Carolina. They were the parents of eight children, all of whom are deceased except W. A., the subject of this sketch. The deceased members of the family
656
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
are as follows: Gaskin, Margaret, John, Daniel, Polly Ann, James, who died at LaGrange, Tennessee, in 1863, while serving in the Union army, and Henry.
W. A. McArthur was reared and educated at Huntingdon, Tennessee. August 4, 1862, he enlisted in Company D, Seventh Tennessee Cavalry (Union). He participated in the battles of Lexington, Trenton and Park- er's Cross Roads and was with his regiment on campaigns in Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky. Like most cavalry troops, they were in a great many skirmishes, battles, campaigns and expeditions. Mr. McArthur was taken prisoner and for three months was confined in Libby prison and four months at Danville. He was captured October 7, 1863, at Como, Tennessee. He was mustered out of service October 8, 1866.
After his discharge from the army he was engaged in shoemaking at Clarksburg, Tennessee. In 1878 he came to Cass County with his wife and children and opened a shoe shop at Pleasant Hill. His capital con- sisted of fifty cents in cash when he reached Pleasant Hill and he says those were the "bluest days" of his life, the months that he spent in Con- federate prisons not excepted, but his philosophy has always been, "Where there's a will, there's a way". He brought the "will" to Cass County with him and found the "way".
Mr. McArthur was married May 1, 1856 to Miss Nettie Epsey Butler, of Huntingdon, Tennessee. It will be noted that their marriage took place more than sixty years ago and the sixtieth anniversary of their wedding was celebrated May 1, 1916. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McArthur: Belzora G., Pleasant Hill; Thomas A., a sketch of whom precedes this article; James M., Pleasant Hill; William S., Pleasant Hill; Mrs. Mary Ann Gray, Pleasant Hill; John C., Kansas City ; Sallie Lee Dorey, who resides with her parents; Mrs. Ella Vincent, deceased; and Minnie, who died in infancy.
C. C. Painter, one of the best known farmers and stockmen of West Peculiar township is a Pennsylvanian, and was born in Westmorland County in 1850. He is a son of George and Margaret Painter, natives of that State. His father was a prominent farmer and stockman, and his grandfather, Jacob Painter, was an eminent Pennsylvania lawyer and for a number of years was judge in that State.
C. C. Painter was one of the family of three children, now living. The others are: Lemuel and Mrs. Katherine J. Byholder, both of whom
657
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
reside in Pennsylvania. Mr. Painter was reared to manhood in his native state and received a good common school education, and in 1872 was mar- ried to Miss Catherine Kuhns, a daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Am- brose) Kuhns, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. Mrs. Painter has one brother, J. H. Kuhns whose home is in Pennsylvania. To Mr. and Mrs. Painter have been born seven children as follows: Dr. George D., Kansas City, Missouri; Harry T., Alberta, Canada; Howard M., Alberta, Canada; Mrs. Cora Dalton, Cleveland, Missouri; Mrs. Eliza- beth M. Hartzler, Peculiar, Missouri; Mrs. Beatrice Graves, Alberta, Can- ada; and Mrs. Kittie K. Laffoon, who lives in Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. Painter came to Cass County in 1883 and settled in Raymore township, where they bought eighty acres of land. Mr. Painter gave special attention to the stock business, both as a breeder and dealer, handling horses, mules and Shorthorn cattle, and his enterprising meth- ods as an advanced stockman have been an inspiration to many others in the community. He has added to his original purchase of eighty acres, from time to time, until he now owns four hundred and thirty acres of valuable and well improved land, one hundred acres of which are devoted to blue grass. He is also a successful alfalfa grower and at present has about thirty acres under that crop. He is a strong advocate of alfalfa growing and considers it one of the most profitable crops that can be grown in this section.
Mr. Painter recently bought a half block in the town of Peculiar, where he now resides in a comfortable modern residence and supervises the operation of his farm, making the trip out to the place nearly every day. He is especially interested in his Shorthorn cattle and is regarded as authority on that breed. Mr. Painter is a public spirited citizen whose co-operation is extended to every worthy enterprise, the object of which is for the betterment of the home or the community. He and Mrs. Pain- ter are members of the Presbyterian church.
George M. Neff, a Civil War veteran who served in the Union army, is one of the well known citizens of Pleasant Hill. He was born in Mer- cer County, Kentucky, in 1842, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Lud- wick) Neff, natives of Kentucky. John Neff was a son of Adam Neff, a Pennsylvanian. John Neff and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of eleven children, as follows: Adam, died at Paducah, Kentucky; Louis,
(42)
658
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
died at the age of nineteen; Susan, deceased; William, deceased; Eliza- beth, deceased; Sarah, deceased; George M., the subject of this sketch; Matilda, deceased; John, lives in Mercer County, Kentucky; James, deceased ; and Robert, Harrisburg, Kentucky.
George M. Neff was educated in the public schools of his native state. When he was a little past nineteen he enlisted, November 15, 1861, in the Union army at Harrisburg, Kentucky. He took part in a great many engagements, including Arkansas Post, Fort Gibson, and Vicksburg. He was with his regiment at New Orleans and later on the Red River expedi- tion. He was mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky, January 29, 1865.
At the close of the war, Mr. Neff returned to Mercer County, Ken- tucky, and followed farming there until 1879, when he came to Missouri and settled at Pleasant Hill. Six years after coming here he bought forty acres of land in Pleasant Hill township, which he still owns and which are operated by his son. Mr. Neff left the farm and removed to Pleasant Hill in 1912 and since that time has been living practically retired.
Mr. Neff was married March 1, 1866, to Miss Mary Tumey, of Mercer County, Kentucky. To this union have been born twelve children, as fol- lows: J. W., Kansas City, Missouri; C. T., Fruitland Park, Mississippi ; Mrs. Ida Johnson, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; Mrs. Elizabeth Lembke, Kan- sas City, Missouri; Mrs. Maggie Asher, St. Louis, Missouri ; Leroy, Pleas- ant Hill; James Oliver, on the home farm in Pleasant Hill township; George, Pleasant Hill ; Benjamin F., Des Moines, Iowa ; Mrs. Alice Stewart, DeSoto, Kansas; Mrs. Susie Lumis, Akron, Colorado; and Mrs. Opal May Young, Pleasant Hill. There are eighteen grandchildren in the Neff family.
Mr. Neff was one of the charter members of the G. A. R. Post, Gen- eral Burnside Post No. 566, Pleasant Hill. The decrease in the member- ship of this Post is a striking example of how the boys who wore the blue are answering to the last roll call. At one time there were fifty members of the Post and the number has now dwindled to nine.
Mr. Neff is one of the highly respected citizens of Cass County and has the confidence and esteem of all who know him.
Theodore F. Phillips, a prominent resident of Pleasant Hill, has spent fifty years of his life in Missouri. He was born near Bloomington, Illinois, in 1849, and is a son of Buford and Lucy Phillips, natives of Ken-
659
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
tucky, who removed to Illinois in 1849. In 1867 the Phillips family came to Missouri and shortly afterwards the father bought a farm six miles north of Pleasant Hill, known as the Overton place, for which he paid thirty dollars per acre. At that time he could have bought prairie land near Lees Summit for fifteen dollars per acre, but like all Kentuckians, he had been reared in a timbered country and thought prairie land was worthless, for some unknown reason. This was a common mistake of the average early pioneer of the west. Buford Phillips remained in Mis- souri until 1876 when he returned to Illinois, where he died the follow- ing year. His wife died in 1901. They were the parents of nine chil- dren, as follows: Milton, served in a Confederate regiment from Ken- tucky during the Civil War and died at Greenwood, Missouri, in 1903; Mrs. Sarah Whitlock, died in Washington; George, was a member of the First Iowa Cavalry and was killed while in the service at Galveston, Texas, in 1863; Mrs. Lorena Myers, resides at Springfield, Illinois; Mrs. Mary Hower, Gibson City, Illinois; Mrs. Martha Vannostin, Gibson City, Illi- nois; Harrison, located in Jackson County in 1867 and died at Pleasant Hill in 1909; Joseph, died at Danville, Illinois, in 1908; and Theodore F., the subject of this sketch.
Theodore F. Phillips was reared in Illinois. He was educated in the public schools and attended the High School at Eureka, Illinois. When eighteen years of age he came to Missouri with his parents and for a time after coming here remained at home. Later he bought a farm of one hun- dred acres, a part of the Amos estate, and followed farming until 1910, when he removed to Pleasant Hill and bought a home there, where he has since resided.
Mr. Phillips was married in November, 1871, at Pleasant Hill, Mis- souri, to Miss Gertrude, daughter of Thomas G. and Eusebia (Moore) Williams. The Williams family settled near Lonejack, Jackson County, in 1868, where the father spent the remainder of his life. His wife died before the family came to this state. They were the parents of the fol- lowing children : Mrs. Charles Rheem, Olathe, Kansas; Mrs. May Moore, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; Mrs. Bertha Hunt, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; and Gertrude, the wife of Theodore F. Phillips, the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were born two children, both of whom are now deceased : Bertha, died in infancy ; and Stella, died at the age of twenty- three years.
Since coming to Pleasant Hill, Mr. Phillips has lived practically a
660
HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
retired life. He and his wife are well known and highly respected. He is a careful, conscientious man and has a reputation for thinking more than he talks.
John Logan Trundle, a well-known farmer and dairyman of Big Creek township, is a native of Kentucky. He was born December 18, 1857, a son of Nicholas and Sarah (Logan) Trundle, both natives of Ken- tucky. The father was married three times, his first wife being Cynthia Jackson. His second wife was Sarah Logan, and John Logan Trundle, the subject of this sketch, was the only child born to this marriage. His mother died in 1858 and the father married Sarah McClintock, who died in 1911. Three children were born to this marriage: F. M. Trundle, Lees Summit; Mrs. Ben Yankee, Lonejack, and Ed Trundle, Lonejack. Nich- olas Trundle, the father, settled near Lonejack in 1866 and spent the balance of his life there. He died in 1896.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.