USA > Missouri > Cass County > History of Cass County, Missouri > Part 74
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P. F. Maloney has lived in Cass County all his life and well remem- bers the condition of the country more than a half century ago. He was reared amid the primitive conditions of pioneer life and had few educa- tional advantages in the new western home. His parents, being in limited circumstances, were struggling to make a home in the new coun- try and their children necessarily and willingly shared in their labors, hardships and privations. When not occupied with manual labor upon his father's farm P. F. Maloney attended the district school which was taught by Jim Lyon. With his parents, he often attended the little country church to hear Rev. Shaler expound the doctrines of Christianity.
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The churches in those old days were plain within and without and fre- quently not well heated, even in the coldest weather. The country was a wide, unfenced, thinly settled prairie and the few settlers lived chiefly along streams where there were timber. Because of the undeveloped condition of the country agriculture yielded but a meager return for a great amount of hard labor. Game of all kinds abounded and hunting and fishing were important occupations. When supplies were needed they were obtained from Pleasant Hill, twenty-eight miles away, whither they went for them on horseback. The best room and kitchen were the principal rooms in the house and the most noticeable thing in the kitchen was the large, open fireplace. By the fireside the family would sometimes sit during the long winter evenings, the mother with her knitting, spin- ning, or quilting and the father with his pipe. Occasionally when the fire blazed, nut-cracking and story-telling helped to plasantly pass the long evening hours.
Life was not always monotonous and a dull grind of toil. The young people were not without simple amusements, such as house-raisings, dancing, corn husking parties, and social gatherings for spinning, quilt- in, and apple paring, and upon these occasions there was much genuine fun. People from miles around came to the gatherings.
P. F. Maloney has been a citizen of the county since his birth and has emphatically grown up with the country. Though he has always been modest and unassuming, he has done much in molding the general character of his community and in putting forward enterprises, which have tended to develop what was at the time of his birth open prairie and change it to one of the garden spots of the State of Missouri.
G. A. Rose, the widely known stockman of Union township, was born in 1872 in Buchanan County, Iowa, son of James M. and Matilda (Mod- ford) Rose. James M. Rose was born in 1842 in Ohio, son of Ezekial Rose, a pioneer. Matilda (Modford) Rose was born in Richmond, Vir- ginia. James M. Rose served for four years during the Civil War and his services as surgeon were in great demand for a long time after the war. While he was on duty as a messenger, two horses were shot from under him and he was severely wounded. After the Civil War had ended James M. Rose brought his family to Missouri. He purchased one hun- dred sixty acres of land near Lees Summit, one hundred sixty acres near Louisburg, Kansas, and one hundred sixty acres near Paola, Kansas. He
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was an early day freighter from Lees Summit to Paola. He did not pass a dozen houses upon his trip. Mr. Rose was want to remain over night with William Downing. It was dark one evening when he came to the Downing home and he accidentally drove over a small, young apple tree. This tree Mrs. Downing had carefully nursed and it was the pride of her heart. The team of twelve oxen and the weight of the wagon, which held one hundred twenty bushels of wheat, almost finished the tiny sapling. The next morning light revealed the extent of his unconscious crime to Mrs. Downing. She was wildly indignant and James M. Rose was sent breakfastless upon his way. Many times when Mr. Rose had meat in his wagon he would be followed by a pack of wolves, fifty or more of the hungry beasts howling in his tracks.
In 1870 James M. Rose and Matilda Modford were married in Ohio, to which state he returned after his freighting experiences in Missouri. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Rose moved to Iowa. It was during their residence in Iowa that their first child, G. A., subject of this review, was born. The Rose home was in the midst of a pine grove and in the winter the snow would drift until it covered their home, a house of two stories. G. A. Rose came into the world at the time a fearful snow storm was in progress, and he first saw the light of day under twenty feet of snow. For three days the family was snow-bound and the father was unable to even dig his way to the barn to care for the stock. In 1878 James M. Rose sold his home in Iowa and returned to Missouri, where he purchased one hundred ninety acres of land four miles west of Belton where he engaged in farming and stock raising. The hardships and privations of pioneer life were more than the delicate mother could endure and in the same year, 1878, she departed this life, leaving the three little children who have grown to maturity and are now living, namely: G. A., subject of this review; Mr. Cora Hendrickson, Bucyrus, Kansas; and Mrs. Minnie Noyes, Cleveland, Missouri. In 1879 James M. Rose and Angie Baker, daughter of Washington Baker, were united in marriage. In 1884 he purchased one hundred seventy acres of land near Cleveland, Missouri, and it was upon that farm his last days were spent. In 1899 his soul went out to the Soul who gave it.
G. A. Rose came to Missouri with his parents when he was six years of age. He remembers that they came across the prairie from Lees Summit to their home. There were no roads then. Belton was their nearest trading point and consisted of two stores. "Uncle Jerry" Robert-
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son was Belton's leading merchant in those days. G. A. Rose attended school at Mt. Pleasant where his first teacher was Ellen Stafford. He always attended church with his father and he recalls among the pioneer preachers Rev. Dean, the first minister he ever heard in Cass County.
In 1892 when G. A. Rose was twenty years of age he married Sarah Butts, daughter of Levi Butts of Cleveland, Missouri. This union has been blessed with five children, namely: Mrs. Lizzie Wheeler, Hill City, Kansas; James G., Cleveland, Missouri; Earnest J., Cleveland, Missouri; Earl J., Cleveland, Missouri; and Kenneth, Cleveland, Missouri. After his marriage in 1892 Mr. Rose began farming on the home place and for the past twenty-five years has been dealing extensively in live stock. He is a well known breeder of registered Duroc Jersey hogs, specializing in the Red Princess strain. During the last year he sold hogs of this breed amounting to one thousand dollars. Besides his hogs Mr. Rose keeps ten head of dairy cows, of the Jersey breed. He also owns a Belgian stallion.
The Rose farm comprises one hundred twenty acres of land, eight of which have been in the Butts family for seventy-three years. It is one of the best watered places in the township, having two good wells and a natural spring. Forty acres of the farm are in blue grass and ten acres will be in sweet clover this year. Mr. Rose has recently remodeled his residence and now has one of the beautiful homes of Cass County. He is a devout and consistent member of the Baptist Church and has taught in the Sunday school for twelve years. For many years he has been the leader of the song service, and his work has always been greatly appreciated. Mr. and Mrs. Rose have long been considered among the county's most useful citizens.
O. H. Stevens was born in Marshall County, Illinois, in 1843, son of William P. and Acenith (Tyler) Stevens. William P. Stevens was a boatman, operating a flatboat in Indiana and Illinois in the early days. He was born in Virginia. In early manhood he immigrated to Indiana, and in 1843 to Illinois. In 1866 William P. Stevens brought his family to Cass County, Missouri, and here he and his wife spent their last years. Mr. Stevens himself built the house, which was to be their west- ern home, a small box structure, and hauled the lumber for it from Pleasant Hill, a distance of twenty-five miles. Pleasant Hill was their nearest trading point. When the Stevens family came to Missouri the
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country was practically open prairie, although there were a few rail fences. Both parents are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens gave their lives to the upbuilding of Cass County and will long be honored and remembered among the county's most useful citizens, as well as for their many noble traits of character.
In 1873 O. H. Stevens purchased from his brother forty acres of land, upon which he erected a frame residence. Mr. Stevens hauled the lumber for his home from Pleasant Hill. The following year he brought his bride to the new home.
O. H. Stevens and Lizzie B. Hocker, daughter of Benjamin D. and Julia A. Hocker, were united in marriage in 1874. The Hocker family came to Missouri in 1868. To Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have been born eight children, seven of whom are now living, namely: Cloyd B., Ivor Parker, Walter C., Mrs. May Smith, Leroy, Mrs. Grace Hodges, and Mrs. Bessie Barnard.
Mr. Stevens has been a resident of the county for fifty-one years and has done his full share in aiding in its almost miraculous develop- ment. He is a man of kindly disposition and genial manners, honest, in- dustrious and public spirited. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are interested in everything which tends to the betterment of conditions and to the gen- eral good, and willingly give their support to all worthy causes. They are numbered among the county's most valuable citizens.
J. L. L. Stephens was born in Boone County, Kentucky, in 1836. He is the son of Hiram and Harriet Stephens. Benjamin Stevens, Sr., grandfather of Hiram Stephens, was born in North Carolina. Benjamin Stephens, Jr., son of Benjamin Stephens, Sr., was born in Orange County, Virginia, in 1778. Benjamin Stephens, Jr., and Agnes Nelson were united in marriage in 1799 and to this union was born Hiram, father of the sub- ject of this review. Benjamin Stephens, Jr., died in Cass County, Mis- souri, in 1855. Hiram and Harriet Stephens were the parents of six children: J. L. L., subject of this review; Mrs. Mary A. Griffith, Jose- phine, Mrs. Stephus ; Mrs. Louisiana Fudge; Benjamin F .; and Hetha Ann. In 1843 Hiram and Harriet Stephens brought their family to Cass County, Missouri. Hiram Stephens entered and bought land until he was owner of several hundred acres. For many years he was county assessor and for his services received thirty dollars. As justice of the peace Hiram Stephens performed many marriage ceremonies and received as fees
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anything from a "coon" skin to a pet fawn. He was widely known and universally esteemed and he and Mrs. Stephens were mourned by a host of friends. He departed this life in 1875, and one year later Mrs. Ste- phens, a noble-hearted, pure-minded woman, who had ever been a de- voted wife and mother, joined her husband.
J. L. L. Stephens was a lad seven years of age when he came to Cass County with his parents, in 1843, and vividly recalls the condition of the country at that time. In his boyhood days this county was very sparsely settled. Wild game abounded and he often hunted deer, wild turkeys and prairie chickens. He borrowed a gun from Judge Glenn's father with which to kill his first prairie chickens and killed three the first shot. He has killed deer and wolves but a few yards from his home and wild turkeys in his own yard. Mr. Stephens has seen as many as thirty-two deer in a single herd in Cass County. There were many wild hogs in the forests. The first home which J. L. L. Stephens' father owned was a log house, which he himself built. It had but one door and no windows, except a hole cut in the wall by the side of the stick chim- ney. They obtained flour in Independence and relied upon wild game to furnish meat. Mr. Stephens has fought many prairie fires and it was after many disastrous, personal experiences that he learned how to burn fire guards.
In 1870 J. L. L. Stephens and Mary E. Scott, daughter of William R. and Lucy Scott, of Boone County, Kentucky, were united in marriage. To this union have been born two children: Mrs. Ione Mosby and James H.
In due course of time, Mr. Stephens began to prosper and was owner of one of the best farms in the county. In 1903 he sold his farm and purchased a home in Everett, where he and his noble wife are quietly spending their declining years surrounded by a host of friends. J. L. L. Stephens, in addition to being an honored and beloved pioneer of Cass County, is a writer. An interesting reminiscence of his early experiences appears elsewhere in this volume.
Frank F. Taylor, a prominent farmer and stockman of Grand River township, belongs to a prominent pioneer family of Cass County. He is a son of S. V. and Sarah (Murphy) Taylor. S. D. Taylor was born in Maryland and reared to manhood in Virginia. When the Civil War broke out he cast his lot with the lost cause and at the outset of the war organized a company, but owing to some misunderstanding or dis-
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agreement, his company never entered the service as a separate organi- zation. However, Mr. Taylor enlisted in the Confederate service and served in Stonewall Jackson's Brigade about two years, when he entered Rossiter's Cavalry. During the course of his military career, S. D. Tay- lor participated in many important engagements, including the battle of Bull Run, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, the seven days' fight in the Wild- erness, and a number other battles of lesser importance, and numerous skirmishes. He was severely wounded at the battle of Gettysburg by a musket ball striking him on the left shoulder, passing through his throat and out through his right cheek, breaking his jaw bone. On one occa- sion his horse was shot from under him. At one time he was taken pris- oner by the Federals, but shortly afterwards exchanged.
At the close of the war S. D. Taylor returned to his Virginia home and in 1868 came to Missouri and located in Cass County. Here he en- gaged in farming and stock raising and became very well-to-do. He was a progressive and public spirited citizen and wielded an influence for the betterment and upbuilding of the community. He was highly educated and a man of unusual ability, and at all times stood ready to devote his time and talent to any cause in which he believed. He was twice married, his first wife being Sallie Pankake, and to that union were born the fol- lowing children; John, was a physician and is now deceased; Isaac D. Harrisonville, Missouri; Charles, present address unknown; Russell, Har- risonville, Missouri; Susie, married Leroy Creegher, and now resides at Lenexa, Kansas. The mother of these children died in 1861, and Mr. Taylor married Miss Sarah Murphy, and to this union were born the following children: Frank F., the subject of this sketch; Harry, Free- man, Missouri; and one child, who is deceased. S. D. Taylor, the father, died September 1, 1911.
Frank F. Taylor was reared to manhood in Cass County and re- ceived his education in the public schools. He has always made farm- ing and stock raising his principal occupation and is one of Cass County's successful agriculturists. He now operates about three hundred acres of land and is extensively interested in stock raising.
In 1894 Frank F. Taylor was united in marriage with Miss Mary L. Endicott, a daughter of S. A. Endicott, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have been born two daughters: Sarah Beulah, married Charles Anderson, and Ida May, married Earl Roberts. The Taylor family are well known in Cass County, and highly respected.
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Walter R. Brown, a native son of Cass County, is a descendant of a prominent pioneer family of this section. He was born near Harrison- ville, Missouri, in 1853, and is a son of Robert A. and Mary J. (Gillen- waters) Brown, both natives of Tennessee. Robert A. Brown was a son of General John Brown, who served as a Colonel in the Creek Indian War, and was later made brigadier-general of the Tennessee militia.
Robert A. Brown and his wife came to Cass County, Missouri, in 1842. He bought government lands and at the time of his death owned several hundred acres. He was a large slave owner and when the Civil War broke out he had about fifty slaves. In addition to his farming operations he built a grist mill, which he owned and operated for a number of years, as he also did a sawmill. During the latter part of his life Robert A. Brown was extensively engaged in handling stock, and he was also interested in the real estate business at Harrisonville.
To Robert A. Brown and wife were born seven children, the follow- ing of whom are now living: Robert A., Jr., Harrisonville, Missouri ; Elizabeth, married H. Clay Daniel, Columbia, Tennessee; S. E., Harrison- ville, Missouri, and Walter R., the subject of this sketch. The father died in 1888, at the age of eighty-two years, and the mother passed away the following year.
Walter R. Brown was educated in the public schools of Cass County and the Missouri University at Columbia, and immediately upon leaving college turned his attention to farming and stock raising and has met with uniform success in his undertakings. He is known as one of the leading stock breeders of Cass County. For a number of years he was interested in Shorthorn cattle and later became an extensive breeder of horses. He bred and raised German coach and Kentucky saddle horses, and at one time owned "Nut Greger", the famous trotting stal- lion. Mr. Brown's farm consists of one hundred eighty acres of some of Cass County's best land. His place is located a short distance north of Harrisonville, on the Kansas City pike, and is one of the attractive places of Cass County.
Mr. Brown was united in marriage in 1882 with Miss Maggie Lisle, the only child of Judge J. D. Lisle, who was judge of the probate court of Cass County for eight years. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born three children, as follows: Mrs. Glessie V. Cockell, Platt City, Mis- souri ; Joseph L., Gainesville, Texas; and Margaret R., Harrisonville, Mis- souri.
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Mrs. Walter R. Brown has won a reputation as being one of the leading and successful chicken raisers of Cass County. She raises thoroughbred Single Comb Rhode Island Red chickens on a large scale. Her fame in the poultry industry has become state-wide and at the an- nual Kansas City Poultry Show, held in Convention Hall, January 15-20, 1917, Mrs. Brown had a number of her fine chickens on exhibition and captured several premiums. Mrs. Brown not only invariably carries off the blue ribbons at the various poultry shows, but is making a financial success of the thoroughbred poultry industry. She sells eggs for hatch- ing purposes in several states of the Union, from which she realizes handsome profits.
The Brown family are well known throughout western Missouri and rank among the leading citizens of Cass County.
E. M. Houston, of Archie, Missouri, is a native of Cass County, and belongs to a pioneer family of this section. He was born in 1871, and is a son of William T. and Susan C. Houston. William T. Houston was a native of Kentucky and a son of Isaac Houston, who migrated from Ken- tucky to Illinois in 1830. In 1867 William T. Houston came to Cass County, Missouri, and located near Eight Mile. He bought two hundred acres of land and hauled the lumber from Pleasant Hill, a distance of twenty miles, with which to build his house. He used oxen for a num- ber of years after coming here and hauled the above mentioned lumber and also broke prairie with oxen. He was of the progressive type and was a successful farmer and stock, raiser and dealt extensively in stock. While he succeeded in later life, when he first settled in Cass County, he found no royal road to wealth before him. He met with the various ups and downs of pioneer life, but succeeded in overcoming dif- ficulties. He passed through the lean, dry years of the early days, and like the other settlers, met with considerable loss from grasshoppers and other causes of crop failures. After a successful career, he died in 1907, his wife having passed away in 1866. They were the parents of five boys, four of whom are living, as follows: Ed G., Twin Falls, Idaho; C. C., Elgin, Kansas; E. M., the subject of this sketch; and Frank S., Phoenix, Arizona.
E. M. Houston was reared on his father's farm and in early life engaged in farming for himself. He raised cattle and soon became quite an extensive feeder, and was successfully engaged in that line of enter-
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prise until 1905. He then engaged in the livery business at Archie, which occupied his attention for two years, when he engaged in shipping hay, until 1909. He then entered the real estate business, and in 1912 acquired an interest in an undertaking business and is now devoting him- self principally to that business, although he still carries on his real estate business and has successfully managed many important real estate transactions.
Mr. Houston was married in 1893 to Miss Effie McDonnell, and to this union four children have been born, as follows: Merl Keefer, Okla- homa; Maxine, Ardis, and Constance, who reside at home.
Mr. Houston is one of the progressive and public spirited citizens of Cass County. He owns a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres of land in western Kansas. He is secretary of the Cass County High- way Commissioners, and is a strong advocate of better roads, and has always been an ardent supporter of good schools.
E. W. Longwell, the present well-known postmaster of Archie, has spent forty-seven years of his life in Cass County. He was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1853, a son of James and Sarah Jane (Potter) Longwell. James Longwell was a son of Ezekiel Longwell, who was a Kentuckian, who, at an early day removed to Ohio, where he followed farming. The Longwells are of French descent. Sarah Jane Potter, mother of E. W. Longwell, was a daughter of Gilbert Potter, a native of Pennsylvania. James Longwell came to Missouri in 1870, locating near Everett, Cass County, where he purchased five hundred acres of land. He was a successful farmer throughout his career. He was a man of retiring disposition and of the type who make many friends. He died in 1912. His wife preceded him in death a number of years. She died in 1868. They were the parents of three children, two of whom are now living, as follows: E. W., the subject of this sketch; and Elmer E., Osawatomie, Kansas.
E. W. Longwell was educated in the public schools of Cass County, and also took a commercial course in the Kansas City Business College. In 1873 he began teaching school, his first school being near Everett, and the one which he, when a boy, had attended. He was engaged in teaching during the winter months for ten years, and followed farming in the summer seasons, working on the home place with his father. In 1876 he purchased one hundred acres of land and later inherited part
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of his father's estate. and was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising for a number of years. In 1901 he moved to Harrisonville to give his children the advantages of better schooling. In 1903 he went to Archie and engaged in the general mercantile business, which he con- ducted until 1908, when he disposed of his stock of goods and practically retired from the commercial field of enterprise. In 1915 he was ap- pointed postmaster at Archie and since that time has faithfully and efficiently discharged the duties of that office. He is an obliging public official, and has handled this important branch of the public service in a way that has met with the general approval of the many patrons of the Archie office.
Mr. Longwell was married in 1874 to Miss Mary E. Hamilton, a daughter of Robert and Jemima Hamilton, of Virginia, who removed to Ohio in 1868. To Mr. and Mrs. Longwell have been born four chil- dren, as follows: Charles A., Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Carrie E. George, Topeka, Kansas; Edith M., at home; and E. Cliffton, Amorett, Missouri.
When the Longwell family settled in Cass County this section of the country was sparsely settled and very few improvements of a sub- stantial nature had been made. Wild game, including deer and prairie chickens were plentiful. When a boy Mr. Longwell has shot prairie chickens on the roof of his father's house. Pleasant Hill was the near- est railroad station and most of the supplies were hauled from that point. When Mr. Longwell came to Cass County he came by rail as far as Pleasant Hill, and from there to Harrisonville by stage. When the Longwells settled here the nearest improved farm south of their place was six miles' distant. His first school teacher was Miss Nettie Schu- maker. Mr. Longwell remembers among the early preachers, Rev. P. H. Evans and Rev. J. K. Lacy. Mr. Longwell recalls many of the trials and troubles of the pioneers, as well as their pastimes and amusements. He has seen a number of prairie fires, which were one of the greatest menaces known to the early pioneers. In the spring of 1875 his brother, who was plowing, found the dry prairie grass too thick to turn under easily, so he set fire to a small patch which he was plowing and thus started a great prairie fire which swept the country for miles around.
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