History of Daviess and Gentry counties, Missouri, Part 27

Author: Leopard, John C
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1164

USA > Missouri > Gentry County > History of Daviess and Gentry counties, Missouri > Part 27
USA > Missouri > Daviess County > History of Daviess and Gentry counties, Missouri > Part 27

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Alpheus H. Dudley was born in Marion County, W. Va., Jan. 31, 1827. He entered the mercantile business at Reevesville in West Virginia, but in 1866 he came to Missouri, making the trip by steamboat down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, thence to Chillicothe, and from there by wagon across the country to Daviess County. He bought 120 acres of land near Bancroft in Lincoln Township, and became a successful farmer, but lived only a short time after settling in his new home. He died on April 4, 1868,

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and his remains were buried in the Hill Cemetery. In 1855 Alpheus H. Dudley married Martha McDougal. She was born in Marion County, W. Va., March 22, 1835, the daughter of John F. McDougal. Mr. McDougal lived near Bancroft in Daviess County, for many years, and later lived at Gillman, Harrison County, where he died at the age of 96 years. His son, Henry C. McDougal, was a judge of the probate court of Daviess County, in the seventies. To the union of Alpheus H. and Martha (McDougal Dud- ley the following children were born: Paul, died in infancy ; Boyd, the sub- ject of this sketch ; May, living in Carthage; and Fannie, the widow of T. E. Mccluskey, now living with her daughter, Mrs. E. D. Hart of Califor- nia. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Dudley married Dr. R. L. Green and to this union two children were born: Oscar, now living at Carthage; and Walter a resident of New Mexico. Mrs. Green is living in Chicago.

Colonel Boyd Dudley was born in Marion County, W. Va., near the town of Reevesville, June 8, 1859. His father was a Confederate and his mother's people were aligned on the Federal side during the Civil War strife. Colonel Dudley attended the schools of West Virginia and later in Daviess County until 1874, when he went to Gallatin to live with his uncle Judge H. C. McDougal. He did the household chores, and took care of the Judge's office in return for his board, clothing, and the privilege of going to school. He completed what would now be the eighth grade, and then, being without financial resources, he went to work in the office of the probate judge as a clerk. In 1877 he began the study of law in the office of Shanklin, Lowe and McDougal. In that office the young student per- formed all the tasks that fell to the lot of law students of that day. He swept the floor, washed the windows, chopped wood, made fires, did what writing he could, and saw that the ink wells on the desks of the firm mem- bers were never dry.

In 1880, Colonel Boyd Dudley, in company with George B. Rush was admitted to the bar, and on the day of his admission he was appointed by the court to act as the lawyer for the defense, a custom in those days. The newly made barrister had what looked like a difficult case. He was called upon to defend a negro, who had ripped open the pocket of a drunken laborer, while the laborer lay asleep in the woods north of Gallatin. The negro removed the money from the sleeping man's pocket, and proceeded to spend it at the only saloon in the town. The case of the state being complete, the negro was convicted and sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. But his counsel was not satisfied to let his case rest with an adverse decision. The word "feloniously" had been omitted from the indictment and the charge stood as petit larceny. A motion to quash was overrulled, but Colonel Dudley appealed the case to the Supreme

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Court at his own expense, got a stay of execution, obtained a reversal of the case, and on retrial, the prisoner was discharged for want of evidence. This is typical of Colonel Dudley's determination and tenacity.

Colonel Dudley spent two years in New Mexico and Arizona, but the lure of the Grand River Valley was strong, and he returned to Gallatin in 1884. For several years he was engaged in the abstract and loan busi- ness at Gallatin, and for a time he was the secretary and manager of the local Building and Loan Association. He later became the president of the State League of Local Building and Loan Associations. He was the author of the first law relating to the supervision and control of local build- ing and loan associations by the state of Missouri, and the passing of the law was due largely to Colonel Dudley's untiring efforts. At one time he was a member of the Republican State Central Committee of Missouri, and during the Spanish-American War, he acted as the president of the Mis- souri State League of Republican Clubs, and during the days of the Span- ish-American War, he tendered his services to President Mckinley, offering to raise a regiment for service in the war.

Colonel Dudley has spent a life filled with vital experiences. In his early life he was associated with the late Milt Ewing in business affairs. Later he was a friend of John F. Jordan, for many years the editor of the Jamesport Gazette, and later connected with the loan and abstract business at Gallatin. Colonel Dudley's first law partner was W. D. Hamilton, a man who had studied law with Senator George Vest. This partnership, form- ed about the time of the trial of the famous James brothers, continued until the death of Mr. Hamilton in 1913. Coloned Dudley then became a part- ner in the firm of Dudley and Selby. This partnership was dissolved on Jan. 1, 1921, and Colonel Dudley now has his son-in-law, Charles D. Bran- dom, as partner in the office.

Colonel Dudley was married to Anna Chapdu, a sister of Mrs. H. C. McDougal, and to this union one child was born. The child died in infancy, and shortly after Mrs. Dudley died. On June 9, 1896, Colonel Dudley mar- ried Belle J. Holmes of Hamilton, the daughter of B. F. and Julia (Gee) Holmes. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were natives of New York, and were early settlers of Caldwell County, Mo., where they lived on a farm. They are both now dead. Mrs. Dudley is a granddaughter of Benjamin Tillinghast of New York, and is a lineal descendant of Captain Miles Standish of the Mayflower. By this last marriage Colonel Dudley has two children: Boyd, Jr., a sketch of whose life follows; and Katherine, who was a student at Central College at Lexington for a year, and who later attended Randolph Macon College at Lynchburg, Va., and the State University of Missouri,

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and is now married to Charles D. Brandom of Gallatin. She is a member of the Theta Upsilon Gamma and the Pi Beta Phi sororities, Regent of the Gallatin Chapter of the D. A. R., a member of the Mayflower Society and is State Recording Secretary of the Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century.

Colonel Dudley has never sought office. He has served as the presi- dent of the Board of Education, and as the president of the Board of Con- trol for the State Industrial School for Girls at Chillicothe. He is a mem- ber of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World lodges. His father was an Episcopalian, his mother a Methodist, and Colonel Dudley identified him- self with the Presbyterian church. Several years ago, however, during a church trial of intense community interest, Colonel Dudley led the counsel for the reactionaries on the subject of the use of the organ in church. Since that time, he has insisted in a joking way that he leans toward "the fundamental apostolic faith." He takes an intense and active interest in all public questions, and maintains his membership in the Missouri Histor- ical Society and in the Society of the American Academy of Social Science. He is a man of ready and keen perceptions, an alert mind, wide in his sympathies, and a citizen of the highest civic pride.

Boyd Dudley, Jr., was reared in Gallatin, where he graduated from the high school. He became a student in the Missouri State University School of Mines at Rolla, and completed the four year course there in three years. After his graduation he became the assistant instructor in metallurgy at Rolla, and remained in that position for three years. At the end of that time he went to Boston, where he took the Master's Degree from the Boston Institute of Technology. He then spent a summer at Nashua, N. H., as superintendent of one of the plants of the John-Man- ville Company. The next year he went to the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of metallurgy.

When the United States entered the World War, Mr. Dudley at once went into active service with the rank of captain in the Ordinance Depart- ment. During the early part of the war his work was the organization of the Inspection Division of Factories in New York and Pennsylvania in connection with making munitions. He was later transferred to what was known as "Waterveleit Arsenal" on the Hudson River near Albany. There he was made the superintendent of heavy artillery, in charge of the depart- ment that made the eight inch field Howitzers. Shortly aftrwards, Mr. Dudley was promoted to the rank of major, and was transferred to the Sea Coast Division. He was made Superintendent of the Sea Coast Artil- lery, and was in charge of the manufacturing of the great 16 inch

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calibre guns used in coast defense. Major Dudley held this position as a civilian for a year after he was discharged from the army.

Major Dudley was married at Gallatin while he was teaching in Rolla, to Madge Netherton. Mrs. Dudley is a daughter of James N. Netherton, a former resident of Gallatin, and county clerk of Daviess County for a number of years. Major and Mrs. Dudley have two children, Boyd Dudley, III, and William, and now live in Syracuse, N. Y., where he is in charge of the plant of the American Piano Company. He is a man of marked ability, whose unusual degree of successful achievement is due to his innate capacity, his excellent training, and his determination. He is an able member of his family, which has stood for order and progress for nine gen- erations in the United States.

John N. Brown, a member of the firm of Musselman and Brown Hardware Company, and the city clerk of Gallatin, was born in Salem Township in this county on Feb. 8, 1874. His parents were Napoleon B., and Sarah J. (Harbard) Brown.

Napoleon B. Brown was born in Virginia, June 6, 1833. He came to Daviess County with his parents in 1853. They settled near Pattons- burg, where Napoleon Brown became the holder of 400 acres of land. He operated this land successfully until his retirement from the active work on the farm. He moved to Gallatin in 1886, when he was elected to the office of treasurer of Daviess County. He took the office in 1887, and held it for the next eight years, making a reliable and highly re- spected official. He was a Democrat .. Mr. Brown was an extensive stock dealer, buying and selling stock all over the northwest part of the state. Long before the railroads ran through this part of Missouri, Mr. Brown would drive his stock to the docks of the Missouri River for ship- ment. He was one of the first group of directors of the Farmers Ex- change Bank of Gallatin, and in 1902 was elected judge of the county court, which office he held until his death on May 26, 1903. He was a man of great versatility and of marked intellectual ability. He had only a common school education, but his life was a success. He was a veteran of the Civil War, in which he served as a captain in the Missouri State Militia.

In 1859 Napoleon Brown was married to Sarah J. Harbard, born near Heyworth, Ill., in 1843. To this union the following children were born: Mary C., the widow of W. Carpenter of Salem Township; Anna E., the widow of George Keown of Liberal, Kan .; Alice, the wife of A. L. McNeely of Washington Township; Lucy, married to E. O. DeVoss of Hutchinson, Kan .; Josephine B., the wife of J. K. Kitch, of Guymon, Okla .; John N., the subject of this review; Charles E., a resident of

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Hutchinson, Kan .; Ross M., also living at Hutchinson, Kan .; Dollie I., now the wife of C. Duclon, of Hutchinson, Kan .; and G. C., who was the third child born, and now lives in Calif. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were both members of the Christian Church. Mrs. Brown died on Sept. 9, 1917, and the remains of both Mr. and Mrs. Brown are buried in Brown Ceme- tery at Gallatin.

John N. Brown grew up on the farm and attended the public schools of Coffey and Gallatin. In 1890 he went to Liberal, Kan .; where he en- gaged in the lumber and hardware business for the next 22 years. In 1912 he returned to Gallatin, and in June, 1921, he entered into partner- ship with John Musselman in the hardware business. This is one of the well established commercial enterprises of Gallatin, and the firm con- ducts a good business.

Mr. Brown was married in 1896 and to this one daughter was born : Maretta, M., born in 1900, and married in 1919 to George Carlson of San Francisco, Calif.

Mr. Brown is a Democrat. He was elected to the office of city clerk of Gallatin in 1920, and has made a competent official. He is a public spirited citizen and holds the high regard of all who know him.

J. H. Tate, manager and salesman for the Ford automobiles and Fordson tractors at Gallatin, has conducted the Ford Agency and garage in partnership with D. C. McVay since March 22, 1917. Their present building was completed on Aug. 1, 1920. The structure, built at a cost of $50,000, is located a half block north of the Square on North Main St., and has a frontage of 130 feet with a show room, two driveways, and a storage room 90x120 feet. There is also a large basement. The building is constructed of brick, is well ventilated, is equipped with a rest room for ladies, and has windows reinforced with steel sashes. The show room has a trass floor, and the repair shop, at the west side of the office, has battery and welding service. Mr. Tate and his partner are to be congratulated on their achievement of a modern and efficiently managed garage.

J. H. Tate is a native of Grundy County ; he was born on Nov. 20, 1885, the son of C. L. and Nancy (Parberry) Tate. C. L. Tate was born in Andrew County on Nov. 17, 1859, and has been a successful farmer all of his life. To his union with Nancy (Parberry) Tate three children were born of whom two are now living: J. H., the subject of this review; and Harley F., now a resident of Ft. Collins, Col. Mrs. Tate died in 1889 at the age of 24 years, and Mr. Tate later married Frances Harvey. To this union two children were born : the older child is deceased; and the

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younger, a daughter, Annie, is now married to Bernice Harris of Tren- ton.

J. H. Tate attended the rural schools, and later was a student in the Jamesport High School. He assisted his father on the farm until 1905, when he began operating a farm for himself. He bought and improved 1100 acres of land in Grundy County, which he later sold, and in 1908 he moved to Trenton and became interested in the transfer business. Two years later he bought a grocery stock in Trenton, and conducted a grocery store for the next two years. He then accepted a position with the National Biscuit Company, and traveled out of St. Joseph until 1917. That year he and D. C. McVay became interested in the automobile bus- iness, in connection with which they conducted the Ford Agency at Trenton, with Mr. McVay in charge. The plans of Mr. Tate and Mr. McVay include the erection of a building at Trenton similar to the re- cently completed structure at Gallatin.

J. H. Tate was married on March 5, 1905, to Hallie Mae Brown, a native of Grundy County, the daughter of Elias and Laura (Pernell) Brown. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born in Missouri, and both are now living on their farm, six miles south of Trenton. Mr. and Mrs. Tate were the parents of three children: Jule, at home; Thelma, died in in- fancy ; and Hubert, at home.

Mr. Tate is a Democrat. He is an adherent of the Baptist Church, and belongs to the Masonic Lodge. In 1921 he was elected the secretary of the newly organized Chamber of Commerce at Gallatin and on April 4, 1922, Mr. Tate was elected Mayor of Gallatin. Mr. Tate is an ener- getic and ambitious business man, and a citizen who holds the high re- gard of the entire community.

Charles L. Knauer, is a well known business man of Gallatin, Da- viess County. He is a native of Ohio, born in Springboro, an inland vil- lage of Warren County, April 6, 1862.

Andrew Knauer, the father of Charles L. Knauer, was born in Ba- varia, Germany, but left his native land when he was 19 years old, and came to the United States. He located in New York City and worked at his trade, that of a tailor, for eight years. Later he went to Springboro, Ohio, and operated a store. In 1866, he came to Gallatin and opened a merchant tailor store, which he operated successfully until his death on April 4, 1901. He was born on July 17, 1824, and most of his long life was spent in the country of his adoption, where he readily adapted him- self to the commercial conditions. As the founder of the mercantile en- terprise which is now owned and conducted by his son, the subject of

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this sketch. Andrew Knauer became an integral part of the town. He was a man of sane, clear judgment, and succeeded in establishing an en- terprise that would last over many years.

Andrew Knauer married Charlotte Elbert, born in Hesse, Darm- stadt, Germany, and to this union seven children were born, three of whom died in Ohio, and two died at Gallatin, Mo. C. L. Knauer was the fourth child born to his parents. One sister, Mrs. Julia Drummond, now lives in Gallatin. She is a widow. Mrs. Knauer died in 1896. Her re- mains and those of her husband are buried in Lile Cemetery. They were excellent members of the community. Mr. Knauer took part in the town affairs and served on the city council. He was a Democrat, and was a charter member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge.

Charles L. Knauer was four years old when his parents came to Daviess County. He attended the school at Gallatin, and worked for and with his father in the store, where he learned the trade of a tailor under the tutelage of his father. In 1883 he was made a partner in the store, and in 1901 he became the sole owner of the business; however, he continues to operate under the old firm name of A. Knauer and Son. Mr. Knauer carries a complete line of men's ready made clothing, han- dling the Clothcraft and Block Company garments and gents furnish- ings. He also carries samples for tailor made clothing, and an excellent line of shoes.

Mr. Knauer was married on Oct. 16, 1888, to Carrie A. Haynes, born in Lebanon, Tenn., the daughter of J. L. Haynes. Mr. Haynes lived at Gallatin for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Knauer have two chil- dren : Harry L., an assistant in his father's store ; and Elizabeth, at home.

Mr. Knauer is a Democrat and is a member of the Presbyterian Church in which he has been the Sunday School Superintendent for 33 years. He is the president of the Y. M. C. A., which position he has held for 30 years. Mr. Knauer gave the lot where the new Y. M. C. A. build- ing now stands, and has been a member of the State Committee of the Y. M. C. A. In 1890 he was elected to membership in the city council and served for two terms. In April, 1921, he was again elected to the coun- cil, and was a member of the Board of Education for many years, acting as treasurer for that body. In 1921 Mr. Knauer became the vice presi- dent of the Gallatin Trust Company, in which capacity he is still serv- ing. By inheritance, training, and natural ability, Mr. Knauer is a pro- gressive and wide-awake business man. His high ideals for the develop- ment of the community may be seen from his active participation in the work of the Y. M. C. A. He is one of the far sighted and excellent citi- zens of Gallatin.

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Hon. Alexander M. Dockery .- There has hardly been a man, woman or child in northwest Missouri who has not been familiar by constant repi- tion with the name of Alexander M. Dockery, whose career of public ser- vice has kept him almost constantly active in district, state and national affairs through an entire generation. For 16 years, Mr. Dockery repre- sented the Third District in Congress, and during the Democratic Adminis- tration of President Wilson held the post of third assistant postmaster general.

His active public service has obscured the fact, except in his home town of Gallatin and among his more intimate friends, that Mr. Dockery began his career as a physician, and besides several other degrees is en- titled to the letters, M. D.

Governor Dockery, as he is known to all his friends, was born in Daviess County, Feb. 11, 1845. His parents were Rev. Willis E. and Sarah E. (McHaney) Dockery, his father having been a distinguished minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Mr. Dockery, who is the only survivor of three children was educated in Macon Academy, Macon, Mo., and in 1863 entered the St. Louis Medical College, and was graduated in March, 1865, with the degree of M. D. He later attended lectures at Bellevue College in New York, and the Jefferson Medical College at Phila- delphia and began his first practice at Linneus, Mo., and from 1867 to 1874 practiced at Chillicothe. He was recognized as a skillful physician.

In March, 1874, having abandoned the medical practice, for other lines of endeavor, Mr. Dockery removed to Gallatin and became associated with Thomas B. Yates in the establishment of the Farmers Exchange Bank, an institution which has had a solid career for nearly 50 years. He served as its cashier until 1882. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Dockery served as County Physician of Livingston County from 1870 to 1874, was president of the Board of Education at Chillicothe in 1870-72, was a mem- ber of the board of curators of the University of Missouri from 1872 to 1882, and at Gallatin was a member of the city council 1878-81, and mayor during 1881-83.

From 1878 until his election to Congress Mr. Dockery was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Committee of the Tenth District, 1880 was chairman of the Congressional Convention at Brunswick, and in 1882, at the conveniton at Cameron was nominated for representative in Congress. Altogether there were six men in the field for the nomination, and it was one of the most exciting conventions held in that district for many years. The deciding ballot was the 28th. The opposition had been unable to unite, since Mr. Dockery was the second choice in all the counties. His election from the Third District came in November, 1882, and he continued as

HON. ALEXANDER M DOCKERY

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representative in Congress from March 4, 1883, to March 4, 1899. In the successive conventions Mr. Dockery was renominated without opposition. During his career in Congress Mr. Dockery was a member of the Committee on Claims, Committee on Accounts, Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads four years, and for the last ten years of his service in the house was a member of the Committe on Appropriations and had charge of the Dis- trict of Columbia and the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Appropria- tion bills. From 1893 to 1895 he was chairman of what is known as the "Dockery Commission," which, among other notable achievements, de- vised the present accounting system of the national treasury. This system has been in successful operation since Oct. 1, 1894. During the World Fair at Chicago, he was chairman of a special committee appointed by the House to investigate and simplify methods of business. This committee's elaborate report served as a basis for the work of organization of the Louisana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis. While a member of the Com- mittee on Post Offices and Post Roads, Mr. Dockery was instrumental in securing the installation of the second fast mail train service in the United States, from New York to Kansas City by way of St. Louis. In 1886, Mr. Dockery was chosen permanent chairman of the Democratic State Con- vention at St. Louis.

At the conclusion of the eighth term Mr. Dockery declined a renom- ination in order to enter the race for governor in 1900. He was nominated by acclamation in June of that year, the nomination speech being made by Hon. W. S. Cowherd of Kansas City. In the following November he was elected Governor of Missouri against his opponent, Joseph Flory, of Mo- berly. Taking his oath as governor, Jan 14, 1901, Mr. Dockery was chief executive of his native state four years. After retiring from the gover- nor's chair in 1905 he continued active in Democratic politics, being chair- man of the state convention in 1906, and in 1912 was elected treasurer of the Democratic State Committee and reelected in 1914. At the begin- ning of President Wilson's administration, Mr. Dockery was appointed Third Assistant Postmaster General, his appointment being confirmed by the Senate, March 13, 1913, and he entered upon his duties March 17th. As Third Assistant Postmaster General he had supervision and control of all the extensive fiscal affairs of the postal service, including the postal saving system.

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History of Daviess and Gentry counties, Missouri, Part 27

Author: Leopard, John C Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1164

Author: Leopard, John C
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1164