USA > Missouri > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Missouri > Part 40
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January 18, 1888, Mr. Rowhuff was married to Lydia Daniel, a daugh- ter of Frank and Ruanna (Salmon) Daniel. She was born in Butler Township. Her father died at the age of thirty-one, in 1870, and her mother died in 1907 at the age of sixty-four years, and both are buried in Daniel Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowhuff have three children: Bessie, the wife of Howard Gill of Butler Township; Walter, who married Ellen Ives, of Fort Madison, Wisconsin, now residing at Emporia, Kansas, and James, who lives at home, and who was at Camp Funston, Kansas, when the armistice was signed. He went there in July, 1918, and was mustered
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out February 6, 1919. He was a first-class private in Company I of the 20th Infantry Regiment.
Howard Gill served overseas during the World War. He enlisted in September, 1917, and trained at Camp Funston, going overseas with the 89th Division, and was a wagoner with that division. He was with the Army of Occupation in Germany and returned to the United States in June, 1919, after nearly two years of service to his credit.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowhuff have one grandson, Carl Gill.
Mr. Rowhuff is prominent in the affairs of the Township, and for fifteen years served as school director and served three years as township trustee. He is at present secretary and treasurer of the McFall and New Hampton Telephone Company. In politics, Mr. Rowhuff is independent. He is one of the enterprising citizens of the township, and widely known.
C. H. Donelson, owner and proprietor of the Donelson Motor Com- pany, at Ridgeway, Missouri, is one of the progressive and enterprising business men of Harrison County. Mr. Donelson is a native of this county and belongs to one of the very early pioneer families of this sec- tion of Missouri. He was born near Washington Center, February 24, 1867 and reared amidst the pioneer surroundings of that section of Har- rison County. He is a son of Ruben and Margaret (Hall) Donelson, both natives of Alleghany County, Pennsylvania.
Ruben Donelson and Margaret Hall were married in Pennsylvania and in 1859 came to Missouri and settled at Washington Center, Harrison County. They made the trip from their Pennsylvania home down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, landing at St. Joseph, Missouri. From there they drove by oxen to Harrison County and settled at Washington Center. The entire cash capital of the family upon reaching Washington Center was but fifty cents and shortly after arriv- ing here Ruben Donelson obtained employment at such work as a pioneer country afforded at wages that seem incredible at this day. He made rails for fifty cents per hundred for Uncle Abe Butler, who will be re- membered as one of the pioneers of Harrison County by some of the old settlers. When Mr. Donelson settled at Washington Center that section was in a primitive and sparsely settled condition. He bought a home- stead right for a dollar twenty-five cents per acre and began farming and stock raising. Later he acquired more land and became a large land
11
DONELSON MOTOR COMPANY GARAGE, RIDGEWAY, MO.
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owner and a successful farmer. In the early days their post-office was at Amos, Missouri, a distance of four miles from the Donelson home. Amos Jewett kept a store and the post-office there. Allendale, the nearest town, was nine miles distant. Mr. Donelson hauled goods from St. Joseph to Allendale, a distance of about 100 miles during the winter seasons. In those days the trails across the prairie were at times almost impassable and to make one of these trips required several days.
When Mr. Donelson purchased his homestead right there was a pioneer log cabin on the place, and this was the home of the Donelson family for a number of years. Their furniture was of the crude pioneer type, consisting of home made chairs and bedsteads built in connection with the walls of the cabin in true pioneer fashion. The nearest grist- mill was the old Comer stone mill which was twelve miles away and the pioneers took their corn there to be ground into meal and frequently the pioneers converted their corn into coarse meal with a crude home made tin grater and C. H. Donelson remembers of having eaten corn bread which was made from meal that was prepared in that wav. Although comparatively a young man his life has spanned the crude pioneer past and the present day convenience and progressive methods. When the Donelson family settled in this county and for many years afterward native wild animals of the prairie were plentiful. Prairie chickens, deer, wolves and wild turkeys were here in their native haunts.
To Ruben and Margaret (Hall) Donelson were born twelve children, eleven of whom grew to maturity as follows: Lucinda, married George Jordan, Washington Center; Eugene, lives near Hatfield; Thomas C., Salisbury, Missouri; U. G., St. Joseph, Missouri; C. H., the subject of this sketch; Mary Belle, married Will Young, of Salisbury, Missouri; Minnie, married Lewis Bumgardener; John M., lives in Kansas; Jordan, Hatfield, Missouri; Frank, Creston, Iowa; and Lawrence, Salisbury, Mis- souri. Ruben Donelson and his wife are now deceased and their remains are buried in Wesley Chapel Cemetery, near Washington Center. They were true pioneers of Harrison County and as such their memory is well worthy of perpetuation in a work of this character. Ruben Donelson gave his service to the cause of the Union during the Civil War, having been a member of the state militia and at one time was with his com- mand on an expedition as far west as Colorado.
C. H. Donelson was reared near Washington Center and received such education as the locality and the times afforded. Early in life he
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engaged in farming and stock raising and also bought and fed cattle. He specialized in buying calves and feeding them until they were three years old which he found to be a very profitable business. He lived in Washington Township for a number of years and later removed to Lincoln Township which was his home for thirty years. In 1913 he left the farm and moved to Hatfield, where he was engaged in the automobile business. In 1917 he came to Ridgeway where he has since been engaged in the automobile business. He has handled the Ford cars for the past nine years and during that time he has sold more cars than any other dealer between St. Joseph and Des Moines. He also handles the Fordson tractor. He also conducts a complete repair department in connection with his storage garage.
The Donelson garage is one of the best equipped and most complete garages in the state. The south part was built in 1917 and the north part in 1920. The building has a frontage of 120 feet on Main street and is ninety-six feet deep and is constructed of concrete and brick. The floor slopes gently from the center to the sides where gutters are pro- vided which carry away all drippings from the machines, such as water and oil. This plan is original with Mr. Donelson and automobile men from all over the country have been interested in this feature of garage con- struction and many who were contemplating building new garages have visited the Donelson garage to familiarize themselves with this plan. The south half of the Donelson garage is devoted to storage and the re- pair department and the north half is devoted to the stock room and offices. The storage department has a capacity of 100 cars and there are usually about six men employed. This is one of the important business concerns of Harrison County and Mr. Donelson is deserving of much credit in the enterprise and progress shown in its rapid development.
Mr. Donelson was married February 25, 1878 to Miss Minnie Adair, daughter of David Adair, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Har- rison County. To Mr. and Mrs. Donelson have been born three children as follows: Arthur, who conducts a garage at Lamoni, Iowa; Effie, mar- ried Everett Bell, Lamoni, Iowa, who is engaged in the automobile busi- ness there in partnership with Arthur Donelson; and Clella Mae, who is a student in the Ridgeway High School.
Mr. Donelson is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is one of the widely known business men of Harrison County and always stands for progressiveness and citizenship of a high standard.
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Otis G. Butler, a well known farmer and member of a pioneer family of this county, and proprietor of Riverview Stock Farm, was born in the residence where he now lives March 30, 1885, the son of Albert and Ella (Sutton) Butler. Albert Butler was born on the same place March 21, 1845, and died March 23, 1913, and his wife, who was born February 23, 1861 in Ohio, is now living in Bethany, Missouri.
Asaph Butler, the grandfather of Otis G. Butler, was a native of Ver- mont; he came to Missouri in 1840 from Illinois via ox team, accompanied by Mr. Maize, now deceased citizen of this county, and entered the farm now owned by his grandson. He was the first county judge of Harrison County and the first court was held under an elm tree on the Slaughter farm in Bethany Township. Asaph Butler's first home was a cabin, which he replaced after a few years with a frame house and he was the first settler in the county to have window glass in his house. He built a third home, now the residence of Otis G. Butler in 1866. The weather board of this building is hand dressed and of native walnut and the frames are of oak. Albert Butler lived in this house all of his life with the exception of two years prior to his death. Asaph Butler is buried in Butler Ceme- tery, a part of his home farm and Harmon Butler, a son, was the first one buried there in 1853.
Mr. and Mrs. Asaph Butler were the parents of the following children: Harmon, deceased: Clarista, the wife of Austin Brown, both deceased; Orlin, a veteran of the Civil War, now deceased, who married a Miss Mc- Intyre; Horace, a Civil War veteran, who lived in Gentry County, and later moved to Kansas where he died, and who married Ida Young; Clarinda, the wife of Michael Price of Gentry County ; Oscar, who died while serv- ing as prosecuting attorney of Harrison County ; Norton, a veteran of the Civil War, who died in Bethany Township, and who was married three times and reared a large family ; Mary, the widow of Thomas Allen, who had formerly married a Mr. Chapman; and Alice, the wife of Charles Seymour of Estacada, Oregon.
Albert Butler was a prominent stockman and farmer of Cypress Town- ship and is buried in Butler Cemetery. He and his wife were the parents of the following children: Ovid H., of Bethany Township; Otis G., the subject of this sketch ; and Bettie E., who died in infancy.
Otis G. Butler was educated in the Maise School district and has made his home in Cypress Township all of his life. He has a farm of 120 acres, all upland, and one of the best farms in the community and it is named
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the Riverview Stock Farm. The place is well improved with good resi- dence, barn and other buildings suitable for general farming and stock raising.
Mr. Butler was married February 26, 1911 to Florence Meadows, a daughter of W. H. and Mary E. (Bardrick) Meadows. W. H. Meadows was born in Daviess County and his wife is a native of Ohio. They now live in Pattonsburg and are the parents of the following children: Mrs. Butler; an infant, deceased; James Jesse, deceased; Joseph R., who mar- ried Irene Miller and lives in Kansas City, Missouri; and Roxie E., of Kan- sas City, Missouri.
Mrs. Butler was born in Daviess County, Missouri, near Pattonsburg and was educated in the county and Pattonsburg schools. Mr. and Mrs. Butler have three daughters: Mary E., Helen Meadows and Ruth Garnett.
The Butler family are substantial and influential citizens and are well known throughout the county.
William Madison Clark, who is successfully engaged in farming and stock raising in Bethany Township, was born in Clay County, Missouri, near Kearney, June 15, 1869, the son of B. P. and Mary Elizabeth (Arnold) Clark, both deceased. B. P. Clark was married in Clay County, Missouri, and came to Harrison County about 1872, and bought 160 acres of land, which is now owned by Charles Hix and Argil Tilley. He improved this farm and reared his family here. During the Civil War he was a member of the Home Guard of Missouri and saw service at the time of Price's raid. He died in April, 1919, at the age of seventy-five years, and his wife died about 1905; both are buried in Matkins Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Clark were the parents of the following children: William M .; Mrs. Callie Vance, the wife of C. M. Vance of Butler Town- ship; Elizabeth, the wife of W. C. Cole of Bethany, Missouri; Walter of White Oak Township; Lillie, the wife of Walter Francis of Colorado; Cordie, the wife of Jacob Youngman of Butler Township; Aubrey of Lockwood, Missouri; Jesse of Bethany, Missouri; Benjamin of Hamilton, Missouri ; Manley of Hamilton, Missouri; and Glenna, the wife of Fred Cooper of Bethany Township; Idas Ira and Gladys, deceased, and buried in Matkins Cemetery.
William M. Clark was educated in the home district school and has lived here since he was three years of age. He owned two farms in
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Cypress Township prior to buying his present home in 1904, purchasing at that time eighty acres. He now owns 137 acres of second bottom, good soil. The residence on the farm was built by Luther Tilley, and the barn was built by Mr. Clark. The farm is all under cultivation, and is one of the best places in this vicinity. Mr. Clark does general farming, and raises registered Jersey cows and Spotted Poland hogs.
Mr. Clark was married April 20, 1889, to Ermine Scofield, a daugh- ter of David and Cornelia (Thackera) Scofield, both deceased, and who were early settlers of Cypress Township. Mr. Clark grubbed the stumps out of the Scofield farm twenty-five years after Mr. Scofield had cleared the land. Mr. Scofield saw service in the Civil War, and died when thirty- four years of age. He and his wife are buried in Butler Cemetery in Cypress Township.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark are the parents of seven children: Zella, the wife of Herchel Sutton of Cypress Township; Roy, who married Blanche Williamson and who live on the home place; Hazel, the wife of Irlin Maize of Bethany Township; Artie, the wife of Argyl Tilley; Eva, the wife of Raymond Selby of Cypress Township; Jennie and Ray, both at home.
Mr. Clark is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Bridgeport, Missouri, and has served on the school board of his township for several years. He is well known in the township and has many friends.
Claude A. Endsley, a prominent farmer of Butler Township, and pio- neer of Harrison County, was born at Bethany, Missouri, February 27, 1875, the son of John Henry and Adelaide (Sneed) Endsley, both deceased.
John Endsley came from Ray County, Missouri, in 1840, with his father Abraham Endsley, when the former was three years of age, and settled in Cypress Township. Abraham Endsley died two and one-half miles west of Matkins in 1882 and is buried at Matkins. His wife, Eliza- beth Endsley died in 1884.
John Endsley moved to the present farm of Claude Endsley in 1859, and owned 140 acres on which he built a good residence and a barn 44x64 feet, which was torn down forty-one years later and a new one built. He was a stockman and farmer and raised Hamilton horses, mules, cattle and hogs. In the '50's, he carried mail on horse back from Chillicothe to Beth- any, Missouri, and drove a wagon from Bethany to Montana across the
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plains, taking six months to make the trip. He died June 11, 1906 and his wife died in 1894; both are buried in Matkins.
Mr. and Mrs. John Endsley were the parents of the following children : Henry and Charlie, deceased; Edgar of Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Eliza- beth Yeater, deceased, who married Dr. H. P. Yeater; Clarence, deceased ; Claude A., of this sketch; Catherine, deceased ; Milton, of Whitewater, Kan- sas; Tuna, deceased ; Ida, the wife of W. L. George, of Hotchkiss, Colorado, and who have five children, Helen, Howard, Everett, Ethel, Margaret; Horton, of Hotchkiss, Colorado, who married Julia George, and who has three children, Ida, Ruby and Evelyn.
Claude Endsley and his brothers and sisters were educated at the Tull school house in Butler Township. He was married in 1914 to Martha Dunkle, a daughter of John and Nancy Dunkle of Butler Township, both deceased. Mrs. Endsley was born in Dallas Township and died November 6, 1920 at the age of fifty-three years.
Mr. Endsley has lived on his present farm for about forty-six years. He has been very successful in general farming and stock raising and is well known throughout the county. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Martinsville, No. 547.
Oliver W. Curtis, an expert automobile mechanic, but who is at present farming in Butler Township, was born in Van Buren County, Michigan, at Hartford, April 3, 1883. the son of Ezra and Julia E. (McNitt) Curtis. Ezra Curtis was born in New York, April 11, 1834 and is now living at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his wife died in Hartford, Michigan, October 11, 1914.
Mr. and Mrs. Ezra Curtis were the parents of the following children : Barney, of California; Alva and Mrs. Leona Tierney, both deceased; Mrs. Bertha Brague, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; John, of St. Joseph, Missouri ; Harry, of California; Ada, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Oliver W., of this sketch ; and Grover C., of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Oliver. W. Curtis was educated in the public schools of Michigan, and spent three years in Lewis Institute at Chicago, a mechanical and mathe- matical school, and, after finishing his education, he was in the automobile business in Chicago and followed this line of work until recently, when he traded his garage in Blythedale, Missouri, for his present farm in Butler Township, in May, 1921. He has eighty-five acres one and one-half miles
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east of Matkins, formerly the C. M. Vance place ; fifteen acres are in oats, fifteen acres in corn, fifteen acres in hay and the remainder is in pasture.
Mr. Curtis was married in 1914 to Beulah Walton of Blythedale, Mis- souri, a daughter of J. W. and Rosa Walton, both of whom live at Blythes- dale.
Mr. Curtis is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Eaglesville, Missouri, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Blythedale, Missouri.
Although Mr. Curtis is an expert automobile man and a very efficient mechanic, he has always wanted a farm and is now doing the work he likes best. He can make an entire automobile and desires to study electrical work further.
Lewis F. Salmon, a well known farmer and stockman of Butler Town- ship, and proprietor of Ackenside Stock Farm of near McFall, Missouri, was born in Gentry County, Missouri, August 10, 1874, the son of Eli and Clarinda J. (McGinley) Salmon, both of whom live in Butler Township. Eli Salmon was born in Butler Township in 1853, and his wife was born in Gentry County in 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Eli Salmon are the parents of the following children: Lewis F., Elmer E., of Ft. Scott, Kansas; Mrs. Nona Yount, of St. Joseph, Missouri; and Mrs. Ida Morris, deceased.
Lewis F. Salmon bought his present farm in August, 1910. This place was formerly owned by John A. Smith, but who is better known as "Yankee Smith." Mr. Salmon has improved the farm with a number of buildings, silo, two wells, poultry house, etc., and has fine water for the stock and home. He raises Duroc Jersey hogs registered, Shropshire sheep, Short- horn cattle and pure bred white S. C. Leghorn chickens. His son Ross Salmon takes care of the hogs. They have the blood line of "Pathfinder Sensation" and "Orion Cherry Kings", and all of the Durocs are registered. "Perfect Sensation," No. 378325 is the herd head and they have about 150 head of hogs on the farm now.
Mr. Salmon was married September 26, 1887 to Clara A. Rice, a daughter of Garrett and Harriet Rice. Mr. Rice died in Butler Township and is buried in New Hope Cemetery and his widow lives at McFall, Mis- souri.
Mr. and Mrs. Salmon have two children: Velma V., who is now in her first year in Bethany High School; and Ross R., a graduate of Bethany High School of class 1919, and who attended the State University of Mis-
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souri at Columbia for two years, where he specialized in agriculture and stock raising.
Mr. Salmon is a member of the Butler Township board and is also a member of the following lodges: Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Mod- ern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World.
Mr. Salmon is a substantial citizen and stands high in the county, where he has many friends.
Capt. Carlisle R. "Chuck" Wilson, who distinguished himself on the bat- tle fields of France in the World War and gave his life to the cause, will long be remembered as one of the honored and favorite young men of Harrison County. "Chuck" Wilson was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him. He always took a kindly interest in the welfare of friend and neighbor and was possessed of the rare faculty of making loyal friends and many of them. This was because he was a sincere and loyal friend himself.
Carlisle Wilson was a son of James C. and Alice E. (Turner) Wilson. He was born in Bethany, July 28, 1891. He was educated in the public schools of Bethany, Wentworth Military Academy from which he gradu- ated in 1910, University of Missouri, where he was in college from 1909 until 1913, and the Law School of Washington University at St. Louis, Missouri, where he spent the years 1914 to 1916.
Captain Wilson had an unusual athletic record and was one of the star foot ball players in the Missouri valley and the west, having been chosen all-Missouri valley center for years 1912-1913. He was captain of the foot ball team at the University for a year and was the greatest center Missouri has ever had, and also held the position of assistant coach at the university for a year.
Captain Wilson enlisted in Company G, 4th Missouri Infantry in July, 1915, and later went with his company to the Mexican border in 1916. He was mess sergeant for a time and on January 29, 1917 was promoted to the rank of first sergeant. On May 30, 1917 he was com- missioned second lieutenant in Company G and was called into service of the United States government on August 5, 1917. He trained at Camp Doniphan with Company G, 139th Infantry. In February, 1918, he was commissioned first lieutenant and on April 19th of that year he was sent overseas. He participated in the defensive sector of Vosges,
CAPTAIN CARLISLE R. "CHUCK" WILSON
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the battles of St. Mihiel and in the battle of Argonne Forest in which battle he was wounded on September 27 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary valor and heroism in action near Montblainville, France, September 27, 1918. His citation reads: "In order to establish and maintain liaison with the adjacent division, Lieu- tenant Wilson, though wounded, led his men along the Cise River and across a bridge through the heaviest kind of artillery and machine gun fire. He died soon after this exploit from the wounds received." He was commissioned captain on October 24, 1918, but died from his wounds November 7, 1918, at Pogues Levaux, France, and was buried at Never, France.
The Wilson-Axline Post No. 216, of the American Legion, was named in honor of Capt. Carlisle Wilson and Lieut. Arthur A. Axline. Captain Wilson belonged to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Colum- bia, Missouri, and was a member of several fraternities at the university. Among them were A. T. O., T. N. E., Quo Vadis and the Mystic Seven.
Joshua F. Selby, an enterprising young farmer of Bethany Township, was born on the farm where he now lives, January 12, 1886, the son of John F. and Mary F. (Sutton) Selby. The latter, who now lives in Bethany, Missouri, is a daughter of Capt. Simeon Sutton, a veteran of the Civil War.
John F. Selby was born in Harrison County, Missouri, and died in 1903 at the age of fifty-eight years. He was a stockman and farmer and was county judge of his district two or more terms. He was widely known and had many friends throughout the county.
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Selby were the parents of the following chil- dren : Edmund Roscoe, of Kansas City, Missouri; J. F., the subject of this sketch; Grace, who is employed in the census bureau at Washington, D. C .; Gladys, the wife of J. C. Frisbie of Sherman Township; John E., a farmer of Sherman Township; and Florence, who lives at home. By a former marriage of John F. Selby, he had a son, William O. Selby, of Downs, Kansas, who is a traveling salesman.
Joshua F. Selby was educated in the public schools and has been engaged in farming all of his life. He purchased the home place from the heirs and has since bought 200 acres adjoining, making a total of 440 acres in his farm, which is located two and one-half miles south of Beth-
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