USA > Missouri > Dade County > History of Dade County and her people : from the date of the earliest settlements to the present time > Part 24
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SILAS BELL.
Silas Bell was born in Tenn, Monroe County, May 12th, 1848, and is the son of Rev. John W. Bell and Eliza Jane Allen, his wife. The wife died in Tenn, leaving four children, of whom Silas was the first son and the second in order of birth. The others, Mary Ellen, married Mark Gilmore, and is deceased, after raising a family of six chil- dren; Anna R. married W. A. Morris, and they reside in Texas, and Thos. J. is deceased. John W. Bell married as his second wife Malinda Wilson, who was a native of Tenn, and there they were married and came to Dade County in 1856, traveling overland by ox and mule teams.
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They bought land in Polk Township and farmed, adding to their original purchase until they had 240 acres, living there until 1872, when he traded his place for 200 acres in Lawrence County, Missouri, where he resided until his wife died, and then he divided his land among his chil- dren and came to live with his son, Silas. During all this time, John W. Bell was a very prominent preacher in the Presbyterian Church. He passed to his heavenly reward April 24th, 1914, at the venerable age of 89 years, and after a long life of doing good to his fellow-man. He was loved by all who knew him, and his memory will never die. To his second wife were born six children, as follows: John, now of Oklahoma; Bettie is deceased; Joe, of Law- rence County; Tennessee married Phil Carter and is living in Lawrence County, Missouri; America, now Mrs. Perve Carter of Lawrence County, Missouri; Charles P. of Okla- homa. Silas Bell started out in life for himself at the age of 21 on a farm in Rock Prairie Township, just east of Everton. This consisted of 84 acres, and this he improved and lived there four years, at which time he traded for 100 acres of the old Bell homestead in Dade County, keep- ing this for six years, when he sold and farmed rented land for some ten years, finally buying 115 acres in Rock Prairie Township, and after greatly improving this and also adding to the acreage until he had 155 acres, sold out in 1914 and went to live with his son, James A. Bell of Polk Township. Silas Bell was married July 30th, 1868, to Elizabeth Grisham, born in Dade County in 1849. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: John T. married Laura Jerome, and both died, leaving one son, Leonard Paul, who was raised by his grandparents, Silas Bell and wife, and is now living in Ash Grove, Green County; Samuel W. married Nellie Jerome, and is de- ceased, and his widow now lives in Idaho and has one son, named Wayne Bell; James A., of whom a sketch may be found elsewhere; Michael M. married Pina Woods, and is living in Hickory County, Missouri, his family consist- ing of two children, Louis and James Silas; Henry S. married Hettie Dawson, and they live near Ash Grove,
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Mo., and have one child, Harold Bell; William A. married Elsie Burne, and lives in Idaho, having two children, Her- bert and Lorine; Silas D. married Inez Thompson, and also lives in Idaho, and has one child, Oral; Lizzie married Boyd Hayes, and they live south of Emmet, Dade County, and their two children are named Elwin and Virginia. Mrs. Bell, the mother of this family, died Feb. 6th, 1908, after a life well spent, and leaving a host of warm friends. Silas Bell is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Baptist Church. He is one of our most honored citizens. His word is as good as his bond. May he live long and his declining years be full of happiness and contentment, is the earnest wish of his many, many friends and neighbors.
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JAMES A. BELL.
James A. Bell, prominent farmer and stockman of Polk Township, Dade County, was born March 28th, 1874, a son of Silas Bell and wife, a sketch of whom will be found on another page of this work. James Bell had the usual farmer boy experiences up to the time of his mar- riage, and then life began in earnest, he first operating a 120-acre farm in Dade County, where he stayed for six years, when he sold this and moved to Hickory County, buying 200 acres, and stayed six years and returned and bought 335 acres in Rock Prairie Township, which he farmed for four years and then traded for the old Comp- ton homestead in Polk Township, where he now lives. This fine place consists of 492 acres of as fine land as can be found in Dade County. This place includes the old Nancy McGee farm, on which zinc ore was first discovered in Dade County, and Mr. Bell is now carrying on mining to some extent. On this fine tract of land are two sets of frame buildings and two silos with 170 tons capacity each; also very large and commodious stock barns and sheds. This place is exceptionally well-watered with river, spring branches and springs. Truly, this is one of the very best stock ranchos in the entire county, and here one may see great herds of cattle and hogs of good breeds. Mr. Bell keeps a throughbred Hereford bull, and is a decided suc-
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cess as a stockman, always keeping his herds headed with good blood. He raises mules to advantage. He carries on general farming in the most approved and up-to-date man- ner, and to say that he is a success as a farmer and stock- man is putting it mildly, indeed. Everything around this large ranch shows that Mr. Bell knows his business, and it is to be mentioned that, in addition to these large farm- ing and stock operations, Mr. Bell and his father, Silas Bell, do a large part of the thrashing for that section of the country, as they own a complete thrashing outfit. Mr. Bell was married Nov. 27th, 1898, to Miss Amanda R. Hurst, who was born in Dade County Feb. 20th, 1879, a daughter of J. T. and Emily Bell (Hayes) Hurst. The father died in 1910, while his wife is now living in Ever- ton, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have a fine family of seven children. They are all at home and named as follows: Olive, born Sept. 15th, 1899; Marvin, born Feb. 13th, 1902; Hugh, born Feb. 16th, 1904; John, born April 8th, 1906; Howard, born July 13th, 1908; Emily, born Aug. 30th, 1910, and Silas, born June 21st, 1915. Truly, Mr. and Mrs. Bell may well be proud of this fine family, all of whom are receiving the best of school advantages, and will surely grow up to become good citizens. In politics, Mr. Bell is a Democrat, and he and his family are members of the Baptist Church. This fine, industrious gentleman we are proud to own as a leading citizen of our county.
GEORGE THOMAS BARKER.
George Thomas Barker was born in Henry County, Missouri, November 28th, 1872. His father, Shell Barker, was born in Kentucky, and came to Henry County, Mis- souri, at an early date, where he carried on farming and stock raising to a large extent. His wife was Mary Spence, who was a native of Missouri. They had six children, as follows: Nealie, William, Robert and Mary, all de- ceased. Nannie is now Mrs. Henry Barker of Kentucky, and George Barker, the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Barker lived on the farm until he was 11 years of age, when he came to Dade County with an uncle, Wil-
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liam C. Barker, who run the Everton hotel for many years, in fact, up to the time of his death. Mr. Barker attended the Everton schools, after which he went into the grain business, working for J. E. Gyles. He followed this for 11 years, and in 1896 bought out Gyles and conducted the business under the firm name of Barker & Poindexter, his partner being William B. Poindexter. They run the business under this name for about two years, when Mr. Barker bought out Mr. Poindexter and continued in the grain business for another two years on his own account, then selling one-half to A. W. Poindexter, and continued again under the firm name of Barker & Poindexter for the following two years, when his partner sold out to C. W. Barker, and they run the business under the firm name of C. W. Barker & Company. This partnership con- tinued until the death of C. W. Barker, in 1912. The ele- vator is run under the name of John F. Myers & Son of Springfield and St. Louis, but Mr. Barker retains one- quarter interest. This firm owns elevators at Everton Ash Grove and Bois d'Arc.
On October 14, 1903, George T. Barker married Miss Mary A. Mason, a native of Missouri, who was born Feb- ruary 12, 1873, and to them have been born two children, Helen, born July 7, 1898, employed in the postoffice at Everton, and Ruth, born July 19, 1902, is at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Barker are members of the Baptist Church, in which they are both prominent. He is a mem- ber of the A. F. & A. M. Lodge No. 405, also of the Macca- bees and Modern Brotherhood of America. In politics, he is a Democrat, serving on the Township Democratic Committee for 13 years and was appointed Deputy State Fish Commissioner, but resigned this latter position to take charge of the postoffice at Everton, when he was ap- pointed February 25, 1915, which office he now holds, to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of Everton. Mr. Barker is a clean-cut business man, and is considered one of the foremost citizens of Everton and Dade County. He is a courteous Christian gentleman and deserves the high esteem in which he is held by all who know him.
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HENRY BARTLING.
One of the prosperous German-Americans who has made good in Dade County. He was born in Washington County, Illinois, January 10th, 1855, son of Fred and Frederica (Sundermyer) Bartling, both now deceased. His parents were each born in Germany, Prussia, and came to America in 1854, locating in Washington County, Illinois, and engaged in farming.
Fred Bartling took regular military training while in Germany and was an officer in the Franco-Prussian war, receiving two medals for conspicuous service and bravery in battle. During the Civil war he was chief officer of the Home Guards at Minden, Ills.
Henry was the third of a family of seven children. He received his education at Minden, Ill., is a member of the Missouri Synod of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and is a Democrat in politics.
On the 16th day of February, 1877, he was married to Minnie Winter, daughter of Henry and Caroline (Hake) Winter. Her father and mother were each born in Han- over, Germany. Henry Winter was a carpenter by trade, but came to Illinois at an early day and settled at Okaw- ville, Washington County. He enlisted in the Civil war, but was discharged on account of ill health.
Mrs. Bartling is the oldest of a family of five chil- dren. She was educated at Okawville, Ills.
Mr. Bartling lived at home until his father's death, which occurred when Henry was about 13 years of age. He then hired out to work on a farm by the year, and re- ceived $65.00 per year for the first year, staying seven years. His employer was so well pleased with his services that he gave him an additional $20.00 each year during the service.
After that he worked at different places for two years, when he was able to buy a farm of 100 acres, got married, and began farming for himself. At the end of three years he sold out at a good figure and came to Dade County, bought 320 acres of raw prairie five miles northwest of Lockwood. This land Mr. Bartling cultivated and im-
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proved until in a few years it was one of the best farms in the neighborhood. In addition to general farming, Mr. Bartling raised a large number of cattle, hogs and sheep, especially the latter.
In 1909 he sold his farm and retired to Lockwood, buying a fine residence property and 28 acres of land ad- joining the city limits on the southwest. The residue of his savings he very wisely invested in a splendid Grant Township farm of 400 acres.
Aside from farming and stock raising, Mr. Bartling has been and is now an auctioneer, conducting many large sales in Dade and adjoining counties. He is a splendid judge of live stock values, and has a wide acquaintance among the leading farmers, which makes his services as an auctioneer especially attractive.
Two public enterprises have received Mr. Bartling's undivided support-The Dade County Fair Association and the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Of the latter, Mr. Bartling was the principal organizer.
He has never aspired to be an officeholder, but has devoted considerable energy in the good-roads movement, and at present is President of the Inter-County Seat Higli- way Commission of Dade County.
Mr. Bartling personally conducts the farming opera- tions on his 28 acres, and raises some live stock and nu- merous chickens. He owns and drives a Ford automobile. He is a stockholder in the Farmers' State Bank of Lock- wood.
Mr. Bartling and wife are the parents of seven chil- dren :
(1) August C. lives at Aurora, Mo., and is engaged in the drug business. Married Alice Dunning, a native of Nebraska. Of their two children, Marlin died in in- fancy. Geraldine is still living.
(2) Freda married to F. A. Bohne, an employee of the Frisco railroad as carpenter. They have one child, Ruth.
(3) Martin L. lives at Carleton, Mo., and is engaged in the clothing business. Married to Frances Louis of
DADE COUNTY FARM VIEWS.
THE POE BOYS WITH THEIR PRIZE PONY.
عجبى
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Kansas City. They have two children, Betty and Martin J.
(4) Millie married to Albert Frye January 3rd, 1916. They are living in Detroit, Mich.
(5) Minnie living at home.
(6) Alfred, a student at Vanderbilt College, Nash- ville, Tenn. Studying dentistry, class of 1918.
(7) Arthur, at home. Graduate of Lockwood High School Took special course at State University at Colum- bia in Agriculture. Is much interested in farming enter- prises and is a fancier of pure-bred fowls. He assists his father in looking after their farming interests and is an active poultry breeder.
THOMAS H. BERRY.
There is probably no better-known and more-loved man in North Dade County than Uncle Tom Berry, the subject of this sketch. He was born in this county on the fine farm he now owns June 17th, 1841, over three- quarters of a century ago, and is proud to be a citizen of good old Dade County. His father, James G. Berry, was a native of Kentucky, where he early married Miss Mary Finley, who was born in South Carolina. Together this couple came to Dade County in 1836, bringing a family of six children. They made the trip overland with horse and wagon. This family were pioneers in every sense of the word. They first bought out a homesteader on an 80-acre tract and went to farming in the most approved manner of the times, which was primitive in those early days. There were no mills to grind what crops were raised, so each farmer had to prepare his meal as best he could de- vise. Mr. Berry constructed different devices for this pur- pose, the most prominent of them being a stone grinding affair called a "Thumping Dick."
James G. Berry was successful in his farming opera- tion and accumulated much good land, owning at one time over 400 acres. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and served with valor under Col. Samuel Caldwell in the Eleventh United States Volunteers, and was discharged in 1813. He was a Whig and later a Republican in poli-
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tics. James G. Berry was born Dec. 7th, 1792, and died in Dade County on the place now owned and occupied by his son, Thomas, in 1875, while his wife, who was born Aug. 19, 1798, lived to be 94 years of age, dying March 21st, 1892.
Thomas H. Berry was given 160 acres of good land by his father and took care of both his parents in their declining years. He was married Oct. 28th, 1883, to Miss Birdit Samantha Smitlı, a native of Cass County, Mis- souri, and born Dec. 4th, 1850, a daughter of James Mon- roe and Cynthia Ann (Morris) Smith, natives of Tennnes- see and Kentucky, respectively. They were early farmers of Dade County, having emigrated here in 1853, and set- tled north of Dadeville. They accumulated 310 acres of good land. Mr. Smith was born April 6th, 1827, and died in Polk County at Morrisville Aug. 20th, 1910, while his wife was born Oct. 10tlı, 1829, and passed away in Dade County Oct. 15th, 1890.
Thomas H. Berry has one of the very best farms in South Morgan Township. He has greatly improved it with good fences and fine buildings, and is now living practically retired, enjoying the fruits of his past well- directed efforts.
To Mr. and Mrs. Berry have been born three chil- dren, namely, Howard H., born Sept. 29th, 1884, and mar- ried Miss Elva Shaw, a native of Dade County, and they have two children, Mary Aline, born Jan. 29th, 1910, and Ruth Margaret, born Sept. 2nd, 1914. Mr. Berry is a busi- ness man of Greenfield. Cynthia M., born June 13th, 1887, married Hugh McConnell, and they have two children, Francis Birdit, born April 23rd, 1913, and Hugh H., born April 2nd 1915; Elbridge M., born Dec. 20th, 1889, lives at home and has charge of the home place and does a general farming business. Uncle Tom is a Republican and a public-spirited man, always being ready to support any enterprise that is for the betterment of the county. He believes in good roads, free public schools and tem- perance. Mr. and Mrs. Berry are members of the Chris- tian Church. Taken all together, there is no family more
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respected or more loved in this county. Uncle Tom is a product of Dade County, and we, all of the younger gen- eration, delight to honor such as he.
THOMAS J. BISHOP.
Perhaps no man in Dade County, and few in the State of Missouri, can trace the branches of his ancestral tree to a longer or more illustrous line of progenitors than Thomas J. Bishop. If heraldry was in vogue, his family escutcheon would fairly bristle with charges of Or and Argent emblazoned upon a field of ermine and purple.
The Bishop family was founded in America by one whose given name is lost to the annals of history. He sailed from the coast of Flanders sometime during the Seventeenth Century in an English vessel and landed at the port of New London, Conn., where he was sold for his passage money to a farmer by the name of Dart. Hav- ing an eye to courtship as well as manual labor, at the end of his service he married a daughter of the House of Dart, and thereby founded a family that was destined to become prominent in American history. He settled at Waterford, Conn., and reared a family of boys and girls whose names are to the pages of history unknown, save and except the oldest son, Eleazor, who, in turn, married and raised a family of boys and girls, among them Thomas, Eleazor and George, but the names of the girls are veiled in oblivion. Eleazor, his second son, married and lived in the vicinity of Waterford, near New London. At the breaking out of the French and Indian war, Eleazor recruited a company of Connecticut volunteers and was commissioned captain and served under General Wolfe at the battle of Quebec. He had several sons, among them Thomas and Eleazor; also daughters, one of whom married a man by the name of Stebbens and another was married to a Mr. Fargo. Thomas Bishop married a Miss Fargo and lived at the old homestead at Waterford.
At the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, Thomas Bishop joined the Army of the Patriots, and was engaged in the sanguinary Battle of Bunker Hill, where
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he was permanently disabled. He died in the year 1800. He was survived by four sons, Joshua, Isaac, Robert and Eleazor. Joshua married a Miss Comstock, Isaac a Miss Whipple, Robert married a Miss Holmes, while Eleazor died unmarried. Joshua and Robert moved to Chenango County, New York, in 1805; Isaac moved to near Binghamton, N. Y., in 1820; Eleazor remained at the old homestead at Waterford, where he died. Joshua moved to Pennsylvania in 1815 and died there in 1850. Robert moved back to Waterford, and after his mother's death lived at New Lon- don, where he died in 1847.
The maternal ancestry of Thomas Bishop also furnishes some remarkable characters. One great-great-great-grand- mother was a pensioner under the Act of 1832, and con- tinued to enjoy this bounty till her death, in 1840. A great-great-great-grandfather on his mother's side was Zebulon Comstock, who also resided in the vicinity of Waterford, but the Comstocks were a nomadic family, and their descendants are almost as numerous as the sands of the sea, and have established dwelling places in almost every state, station, clime and country on the face of the globe.
An interesting relic or heirloom is now in the posses- sion of the Bishop family. It is the sword carried by Eleazor Bishop in the French and Indian war and also by Thomas Bishop at Bunker Hill. The blade of the sword is of the finest Damascus steel, the hilt of silver, and en- graved on the blade is the name, "Eleazor Bishop."
This is certainly an interesting page from the annals of the past, and entitles every member of the Bishop fam- ily to be enrolled as Sons and Daughters of the Revolu- tion.
Thomas J. Bishop, the subject of this sketch, was born in Benton County, Missouri, Dec. 27th, 1851. He was a son of Thomas J. and Frances (Brown) Bishop. His father, Thomas Jefferson Bishop, was born in Che- nango County, New York, Dec. 22nd, 1807, his parents having recently moved there from Waterford, Conn. He left home in 1821 and was apprenticed to a merchant in
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Mt. Joy, but afterward found employment in Philadelphia. In 1832 he visited New Orleans, traveled in the South, and finally landed in St. Louis, where he accepted a situa- tion as trader with the Kickapoo Indians, then located about five miles southwest of Warsaw, Benton County, Missouri. In 1835 he was appointed Clerk of the Circuit Court, and a short time afterward was elected Clerk and Ex-Officio Recorder of Benton County, Missouri, in which office he served until 1854. In 1853 he selected the Bishop homestead in Dade County and moved his family to it. In 1856 he was elected a member of the Board of Public Works of the state and served as its president until 1857, when he was appointed Receiver of the United States Dis- trict Land Office at Springfield, his term expiring in 1861.
When the state convention authorized the enrollment and arming of the militia, he accepted the office of brigade quartermaster, with the rank of Major, on the staff of Gen. C. B. Holland, where he served until the close of the war. He died at his home in Pennsylvania Prairie Oct. 22nd, 1898. His wife died in Dade County, Missouri, July 30th, 1884, and both she and her husband, Thomas J. Bishop, Sr., are buried there, having been married at Warsaw, Mo., Jan. 1st, 1837, and at the time of their death were the owners of a farm of 256 acres in South Township.
Thomas J. Bishop was the youngest of a family of eight children:
(1) Martha Missouri, born Oct. 18th, 1837, married Preston Moore, moved to California in 1860, died there, leaving four children, now living, Fannie, Mattie, Lee and Roy.
(2) Joshua, born May 3rd, 1839, died in Washington, D. C., buried in National Cemetry, having served in the United States Navy 40 years, retired as a captain. He married Clara Rogers, but left no children.
(3) Temperance, born March 10th, 1841, died April 1st, 1895. She was married to Thomas Alexander and left one child, Preston Alexander, now living in Lawrence County, Missouri.
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(4)-(5) Zebulon and George (twins), born August 25th, 1843. Zebulon was a Union soldier and was killed from ambush in March, 1864. George died Jan. 11th, 1905. Neither was ever married.
(6) Derindah, born June 16th, 1848. Married April 5th, 1876, to William McLemore. To this union one child was born, Gertrude, who resides with her parents in South Greenfield.
(8) Thomas J. Bishop.
Thomas remained at home with his father until he was 27 years of age, during which time he was engaged in farming. On October 9th, 1877, he was married to Clemen- tine Scott, a daughter of James and Margaret (Willis) Scott. Clementine was born July 21st, 1859. Her father, James Scott, was born in Illinois in 1836, and was brought to Dade County in 1837 by his father, D. W. Scott, a native of North Carolina. Margaret (Willis) Scott was born in Kentucky and came to Dade County when a child. Both the Scotts and Bishops were early pioneer families.
Thomas J. Bishop and wife left the home farm in 1879, and removed to a 40-acre tract just one mile South- east of Pennsboro, where they now reside. This was the "nestegg" for the 7461- acres of Dade County soil which he now owns. Mr. Bishop cleared out, improved and cultivated the original 40 acres, and in 1881 added an 80-acre tract to it. In 1883 he erected a substantial frame residence, rebuilt it in 1895, and at his father's death he purchased the interest of all the heirs in the old home- stead of 263 acres, and has since added 120 acres to it. This, with 240 acres in Smith Township, constitutes his real estate holdings.
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