History of Harrison County, Missouri, Part 47

Author: Wanamaker, George W., 1846-1921
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 914

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Henry Wilson, deceased, was born in Perry County, Ohio, March 28, 1839. His parents were James and Nancy (Good) Wilson. They had a large family of which Henry Wilson, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth child born.

James and Nancy (Good) Wilson were natives of Ohio. They lived on a farm in that state until after the Civil War when they moved to Iowa where they settled in Marion County. There Mr. Wilson died. His wife died years later in Colorado.

Henry Wilson was reared on a farm and worked as a farmer in Ohio until the turbulent days of the Civil War. He enlisted for service in the army as a "hundred day" man, enrolling May 2, 1864, and serv- ing until August 24, 1864, when he was discharged. He was a member of Company F, 151st, Ohio National Guards. After his term of service was over he returned to his home and farmed there until he moved to Clark County, Illinois, where he began work in a saw mill. Later he went to Missouri, where he settled on a farm near Chillicothe, where he remained until 1970, when he came with his family to the practically unsettled ter- ritory of Harrison County. About 1874, he bought the present Wilson farm of 200 acres in Clay Township and began at once to make the extensive improvements that enhanced the value of the land. This was a policy continued by Mr. Wilson all of his life. He had the farsighted business acumen that sees the necessity of building up the land that is expected to yield a good return.

Mr. Wilson was married January 15, 1859, to Malinda Powell, born in Monongalia County, West Virginia, November 30, 1841, the daughter of John and Rebecca (Wilson) Powell, early settlers of Knox County, Ohio, where Mrs. Wilson was reared. To the union of Henry and Malinda

MR. AND MRS. HENRY WILSON

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(Powell) Wilson ten children were born: Mary, deceased, was married to Nathaniel Seymore ; Charles T., a resident of Oakland, California ; John M., a blacksmith, now living at Akron; James H., deceased, Luther O., living at home and conducting the home farm in Clay Township; Howard M., a blacksmith at Pleasanton, Iowa; Ella R., married to Harry Thomas of Colorado; Minnie B., wife of Green Hawk, Decatur County, Iowa; Ellis E., operating the J. A. Jeffries farm in Clay Township; and Cora L., wife of Everett Arnold. Mrs. Wilson has thirty grandchildren and four- teen great grandchildren.

Henry Wilson died January 5, 1919. His widow now owns the home place of 200 acres in Clay Township and also a farm of 100 acres lying on Grand River. Mrs. Wilson recalls the hardships and trials of the days when she and her husband were new-comers in the county, then a vast stretch of uncultivated and sparsely peopled land. The nearest market town was Leon, Iowa, twenty miles away and as the journey there and back had to be made by wagon, "going to market" was not then the commonplace occurrance that it is today. The life in the new country was hard but Mrs. Wilson says that her pride in her large family has well repaid her for those early struggles.

Mr. Wilson was a democrat in his political views and was identified with the Methodist Church. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Wilson was a man whom it is well to name in a volume such as this. His work was of the kind that forms the very foundation of the development of the county for upon the successful till- ing of the soil depends all the industrial growth of a community, and this Mr. Wilson did in a highly efficient manner.

R. E. Speer, a prominent citizen of Jefferson Township who resides on his farm, one and three-fourths miles north of the city, has been identi- fied with the interests of this county, since boyhood. He was born in Grundy County, Missouri, seven miles north of Trenton, February 13, 1850, a son of Robert and Margaret (Kelso) Speer, natives of Indiana. Robert Speer was a prominent pioneer preacher of northern Missouri, in the early days, and is remembered by many of the older nioneers who are still living. 'He came to Missouri, and settled in Grundy County, in 1842, when he was about twenty-two years old. He preached the gospel to the early settlers in that vicinity and for seven years, he preached north of Chillicothe, at what is now Julia, and vicinities. He came to Harrison County about the time the Civil War broke out and organized the Pres-

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byterian Church here. He organized the Mount Olive congregation in Jefferson Township. He died May 9, 1876, at the age of fifty-six years and twenty-five days. His wife died in 1903, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. They were the parents of three children as follows: Nancy D., married T. M. Alexander, and lives in Bethany, Missouri ; Samuel P., who is now living retired at Trenton, Missouri; and R. E., the subject of this sketch.

R. E. Speer was about ten years old when the family settled in Har- rison County, and here he was reared to manhood. He began farm- ing one mile east of his present place and in 1889 he purchased his present place. He owns 155 acres, which is located conveniently near Bethany, and is a productive and well improved farm.

Mr. Speer was married in 1879, to Sarah Phillabam, a native of Ohio, who came to Harrison County, with her parents when she was a little girl. To Mr. and Mrs. Speer was born one daughter, the wife of Harvey McCollum, who lives in Jefferson Township.

Mr. Speer is a Democrat and one of the highly respected and depend- able citizens of his township and county.

George W. Barlow .- In the many years of his active practice at Bethany, George W. Barlow has distinguished himself for solid ability as a lawyer and at the same time has devoted much of his time and energy to the public welfare. Mr. Barlow began practice in Harrison County in September, 1879, and for many years has been known as one of the leaders of the local bar, and at the same time the community has often looked to his interest and support for many enterprises and move- ments that would advance the city and surrounding county. Among Missourian Republicans, Mr. Barlow has been a strong and influential leader and has a large acquaintance with leading members of the party both in the state and throughout the nation.

George W. Barlow came to Harrison County in 1869 and to the state of Missouri in 1865, at which time his parents settled in Chillicothe, Livingston County. They were from Jackson, Ohio, where George W. Barlow was born October 14, 1855. He was well educated in the public schools, but worked for his higher education, and after taking the normal course at the University of Missouri engaged in teaching school for forty months in Harrison County. It was through his profession as a teacher

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that he first impressed himself upon this section and came to know hun- dreds of people young and old. His work as a teacher was done in the country schools and from the means acquired through that profession he took up the study of law and in 1878 was graduated from the law depart- ment of the State University. Having finished his education and train- ing for his profession, Mr. Barlow returned to Bethany and in September, 1879, formed a partnership with Thomas D. Neal as Neal & Barlow. After the death of Mr. Neal he formed a partnership with Judge George W. Wanamaker in 1882, and they were long regarded as the leading firm in Harrison County. Their associations continued until the elevation of Judge Wanamaker to the district bench in 1905. Since then Mr. Barlow has been in practice with his brother, Gilbert Barlow and the firm was Barlow & Barlow from January 1, 1905, to January 1, 1914, at which time L. R. Kautz was admitted to the firm which is now Barlow, Barlow & Kautz.

Mr. Barlow entered politics as a Republican, casting his first presi- dential ballot for Rutherford B. Hayes and for nearly forty years has never missed a presidential election. He has been to many local conven- tions, was assistant sergeant-at-arms of the national convention at St. Louis in 1896, which nominated Mckinley, was a delegate from his con- gressional district in 1908 and cast a vote for President Taft, and in 1912 was a spectator in the national convention at Chicago and witnessed the turbulent scenes which marked the walkout of the progressive element of the party. Mr. Barlow was chairman of the committee on credentials in the famed Excelsior Springs District Republican Convention of 1912, one of the first held in the state, and one whose acts were reported as im- portant political news all over the country, and resulted in severe criticism. Mr. Barlow wrote a history of that convention from intimate knowledge of his inside workings and published the article in the press dispatches just before the meeting of the Republican leaders held in Indianapolis that year, and his article had an important bearing on the consultations in that meeting.

As to his own public service, Mr. Barlow in the fall of 1888 was elected prosecuting attorney of Harrison County, and was reelected in 1890, hav- ing succeeded Judge W. H. Skinner in that office. His administration was one of aggressive and efficient service, during which time he convicted more men for crimes than had been the record of any of his predecessors. Mr. Barlow traced up through Pinkerton detectives one man charged with

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rape who had crossed the Gulf of Mexico, and after getting him back to the Missouri courts prosecuted him and sent him to the penitentiary for ten years. During this term Mr. Barlow continued his partnership with Judge Wanamaker, who was his assistant in the office and at the close of his second term resumed his large private practice. For many years Mr. Barlow has been local attorney for the Burlington Railway and his firm now handles the litigation for that company. He was one of the organ- izers of the Grand River Coal & Coke Company of Harrison County, the largest corporation in the county, and is a director and attorney for the company. Mr. Barlow was also one of the chief stockholders and builders of the Heilbron Sanatorium at Bethany and is still chief stockholder and treasurer of the company. He and his brother built in Bethany the Bar- low Block in 1913, the best business building in the county. The first floor of this building is occupied by the Bethany Trust Company which Mr. Barlow assisted in organizing, and the south half of the first floor is leased to the trust company for twenty years. The upper floor is used for offices and the north half of first floor is for mercantile business. He is the owner of other property in the city and has one of the best resi- dences located in the midst of spacious grounds on Elm street, and it is easily one of the most attractive homes in the county. The residence contains ten rooms, is modern throughout, and is finished in oak and wal- nut, with floors of heavy oak.

Mr. Barlow was married October 9, 1879, in Bethany to Miss Eliza- beth Hockridge, daughter of Nelson A. Marette (Hart) Hockridge. The Hockridge family formerly lived in the vicinity of Utica, New York. Mrs. Barlow's great-grandfather, Daniel Wherry, whose remains are buried at Plessis, New York, was a Revolutionary soldier from that state. Mrs. Barlow was the oldest child and other members of her immediate family are: William H., a farmer in Harrison County ; and Emma, who died as Mrs. F. H. Nally. Mr. and Mrs. Barlow have a daughter, Mabel, wife of L. R. Kautz, a young lawyer of Bethany, and they have two children, George Barlow Kautz and Elizabeth Ruth Kautz. Mr. Barlow also has as a member of his family Maretta Barlow, the daughter of Mrs. Emma Nally, sister of Mrs. Barlow. She specialized in vocal music and is a prominent singer. She has been reared in the Barlow home since child- hood and is being educated and trained as carefully as if she were an own child. Mr. Barlow is a Knight Templar Mason and also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and some years ago served as judge advocate of the Missouri Division of the Sons of the Revolution.

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George W. Barlow comes from an old Virginia family. His grand- parents were George and Sarah (Ubanks) Barlow, both natives of Vir- ginia and born about 1786 and 1789, respectively. They were married in 1811. George Barlow enlisted as a private during the War of 1812, but was soon detached from the field service and sent out as a recruiting officer. He died in Jackson County, Ohio, in 1854, and his wife passed away in 1866. They were members of the Baptist Church.

James Barlow, father of the Bethany lawyer, was born in Caroline County, Virginia, in 1832, and spent his active career as a farmer. In 1836 his parents moved to Ohio and he was married in Jackson County of that state to Miss Lucinda Nally, daughter of William and Patsy Nally, who were likewise from Virginia. James Barlow, in 1863, enlisted in Company I of the One Hundred and Seventy-second Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, served as sergeant of his company and was in several engage- ments before he was discharged in the fall of 1864. During the Morgan raid through Ohio he was captured, but was soon released. James Bar- low was a Republican and one of the active influential men of Northwest Missouri after his removal to this state in 1865. He became a prominent Methodist Church leader in Harrison County, and built there a church largely by his own funds. His death occurred in April. 1907, and he is survived by his wife. · Their children are: Emma, wife of Frank P. Bur- ris of Harrison County; William C., assistant cashier of the Bethany Savings Bank ; Henry A., a farmer in Harrison County ; Lola, wife of John Ballard, of Bethany; Howard, of Daviess County, Missouri; Doctor Ed- ward, a prominent physician at Pattonburg, Missouri, where he died in 1902; Harvey K., a Harrison County farmer and Gilbert, who practices law in partnership with his brother, George W., under the firm name of Barlow, Barlow & Kautz.

C. A. Stoner, the popular and efficient postmaster of Ridgeway, Mis- souri, is a native son of Harrison County and a descendant of one of the early pioneer families of this section of Missouri. He was born in Trail Creek Township, May 2, 1877, a son of A. W. and Martha (Trainer) Stoner.

A. W. Stoner is now living retired in Ridgeway. He was born in Ohio and came to Missouri with his mother and brothers and sisters when he was about eight years old, his father having died in Ohio. A. W. Stoner was one of a family of ten children, seven boys and three girls all

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of whom grew to maturity. Three of the boys, A. W., Spencer and Tom served in the Union army during the Civil War.

C. A. Stoner was one of a family of nine children born to his parents, six of whom are living, as follows: Mrs. Olive Smith, Herford, Texas ; Oscar H., Hollister, Missouri; Mrs. Minnie McCall, Amoret, Missouri; C. A., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. A. L. Preston, Trail Creek Township, Harrison County ; and Chester, Lamoni, Iowa.

C. A. Stoner was reared in Harrison County and educated in the public schools and the Stanberry Normal School. He then attended the University of Missouri and was successfully engaged in teaching for twelve years. He was superintendent of the Mount Moriah schools at Mount Moriah, Missouri, for two years. He was engaged in the grocery business from 1907 until 1914 and in 1915 he was appointed postmaster of Ridgeway and has capably filled that office until the present time. Mr. Stoner is a painstaking and obliging public official and the high class service of the Ridgeway post office is recognized and highly appreciated by the numerous patrons of the several rural routes out of this office as well as by the people of the town. Mr. Stoner is also an attorney, hav- ing read law, passed the bar examination and was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Missouri.

On December 10, 1897, Mr. Stoner was married to Miss Carrie Pitt- man of Madison Township, Harrison County, Missouri, and a native of Monroe County, Ohio. She is a daughter of Sampson M. and Rebecca (Stine) Pittman, the former a native of West Virginia and the latter of Ohio. The Pittman family came to Missouri and settled in Marion Town- ship, Harrison County, in 1887. The mother died in 1908 and the father now makes his home with Mr. and Mrs. Stoner in Ridgeway. To Mr. and Mrs. Stoner have been born two children, Charm and Amber. Charm Stoner married Miss Myrtle Butler, a daughter of Fox Butler of Harrison County. She died March 25, 1921, leaving two children, Keith and Lavonia. Miss Amber Stoner was graduated from the Ridgeway High School, as was also her brother and she is now a student of the Uni- versity of Missouri and a member of the junior class.

Mr. Stoner is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America and the Brotherhood of American Yeoman. He is a member of the Christian Church and is presi- dent of the board of trustees. For a number of years Mr. Stoner has been active in Sunday School work and for the past ten years he has been

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superintendent. This is one of the best Sunday schools in northern Mis- souri and for the past six years has maintained an average of 100%. The average attendance is about 150. Mr. Stoner has only been absent a few times in the past ten years. He takes an active interest in public affairs and for twelve years served as secretary of the school board and is now secretary of the chamber of commerce. He is one of Harrison County's public spirited and enterprising citizens.

Elbert S. Miner, vice president and general manager of the Miner and Frees Lumber Company with general offices at Ridgeway, Missouri, is one of the progressive young business men of Harrison County. He was born at Ridgeway, Missouri, September 11, 1885 and is a son of W. A. Miner, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

Elbert S. Miner was reared to manhood at Ridgeway and attended the high school there and was graduated in the class of 1902. After work- ing for one year in the Miner and Frees Lumber yard at Ridgeway, he entered the University of Missouri, at Columbia. He did one year's work in the academic department and then entered the law department and was graduated in the class of 1907, with the degree of Bachelor of Law and was admitted to the Missouri State Bar.

After completing his course in the University, Mr. Miner returned to work in the lumber yard. He has kept in touch with the lumber business since boyhood, having worked in the Ridgeway yards during school vaca- tions. After completing his course in the University, Mr. Miner began work in the Ridgeway yard of the company and later was made manager. He remained in that capacity until the death of E. M. Crossan, treasurer of the company, on December 27, 1914. The company was then operat- ing nine lumber yards and at that time the management was consolidated under one office and W. A. Miner, father of Elbert F. Miner, was vice- president and general manager and Elbert S. Miner became treasurer. He served in that capacity until the time of his father's death, March 22, 1920, when he succeeded his father as vice-president and general man- ager of the company.

The Miner Frees Lumber Company have their general offices at Ridge- way and do an extensive business and have a very complete system and thorough organization for handling the details of this enormous business. Their capital and surplus is $350,000. They handle lumber, brick, coal

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and cement and all kinds of building materials and have fourteen branch yards at the following places: Trenton, Missouri; Brimson, Missouri ; Gilman City, Missouri; Spickard, Missouri; Coffey, Missouri; Mound City, Missouri; Oregon, Missouri; Bethany, Missouri; Blythedale, Missouri; King City, Missouri; Leon, Iowa; Ridgeway, Missouri; New Hampton, Missouri; and Ford City, Missouri.

Mr. Miner was married June 12, 1912, to Miss Celia A. Bunch, of Grant City, Missouri, and they have one son, William Allen Miner.

Mr. Miner is a Knight's Templar Mason and a member of the Shrine. He is a deacon in the First Christian Church and a member of the board of trustees. He is a Republican and takes an active part in his party organization and is township committeeman and treasurer of the Fourth Congressional District. He is vice-president of the First National Bank of Ridgeway and vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce. He is pub- lic spirited and enterprising and one of the substantial business men of Harrison County.

M. Y. Hillyard, of Jefferson Township is one of the honored pioneer settlers of Harrison County. He was born in Barber County, Virginia (now West Virginia) July 28, 1849, a son of Isaac and Sarah Jane (Yokem) Hillyard, both natives of Virginia and descendants of old Eng- lish Colonial stock.

Isaac Hillyard was born in eastern Virginia and came west with bis family at an early day, driving through from Virginia to Iowa with teams and wagons. They remained in Iowa one winter and in the spring came to Harrison County, Missouri, and settled in what is now Jefferson Township. He rented land for three years and then bought a farm and built a house on the place during the Civil War. He was a miller, also, and operated a mill in Virginia before coming West. After coming to Jefferson Township he built a saw and grist mill about three-fourths of a mile from the present home of M. Y. Hillyard. He and his son M. Y., operated this mill for a number of years and in 1886 the dam was washed away by high water. As a relic of the old time grist mill, Mr. Hillyard, has placed the old buhr-stones which were used in that mill in the walk at his front gate. M. Y. Hillyard and his father operated in partnership during the life time of the latter. The operation of their grist mill, saw mill and farm were conducted in partnership and after the death of the father, M. Y. Hillyard carried on the business and has also operated a threshing machine. Mr. Hillyard owns 160 acres of valuable and well

M. Y. HILLYARD

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improved land and carries on general farming and stock raising. He is also one of the successful horticulturists of Harrison County. He has a splendid orchard of fourteen acres where he has been very successful in the production of apples, peaches and pears. During the season of 1919 he sold $800 worth of fruit from this orchard.

Isaac Hillyard and wife were the parents of nine children as follows: M. Y., the subject of this sketch; Prudence married John Neal, Blue Ridge, Missouri; Joe, Independence, Kansas; William, died in early man- hood; Dora, married John Dyer, and is now a widow living in Oklahoma; Lewis, Jefferson Township; Soloman, Jefferson Township; Newton, Jeffer- son Township; and Rosa, married Charles Kembro, Blue Ridge, Mis- souri. The father died in 1891, aged sixty-six years, and the mother died in 1907.

M. Y. Hillyard was married January 15, 1870, to Mary Ann Whit- man, a native of Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Three children were born to them, as follows: Charles Monroe, lives near Coffey, Mis- souri; Fred, and Jesse both living in Jefferson Township. The mother died October 26, 1917, and Mr. Hillyard was afterward married to Mary T. Bell, of Jefferson Township; she died on June 2, 1821, aged sixty-six years, six months and twenty-seven days.

Mr. Hillyard is one of the few pioneers now living in Harrison County who has seen this county grow up, so to speak. When he was a boy Harrison County was practically in its primitive state and he remembers of having seen deer, wild turkeys and was familiar with the howl of the wolves in the early days here. He was not a hunter to any great extent although he has frequently killed wild turkeys.

Mr. Hillyard has always supported the policies and principles of the Democratic party and he is one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of Harrison County. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

J. P. Simpson, of Grant Township, is a Civil War veteran and a prom- inent pioneer settler of Harrison County. He was born in Franklin County, Missouri, January 28, 1842, a son of John and Sarah (Enloe) Simpson, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of North Caro- lina.

John Simpson came to Harrison County with his family in 1843. They settled on Big Creek, west of what is now the town of Blythedale. The father was a farmer and followed that vocation in Harrison County for

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some years when he sold his place here and removed to Iowa and died in Polk County, Iowa, in 1850. His wife died in 1848, when J. P. Simpson of this review was six years old.

J. P. Simpson was reared amidst the pioneer surroundings of the early days in Harrison County and was about nineteen years old when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted at Bethany, August 3, 1861, be- coming a member of Company E, 23rd Missouri Infantry. Later he was transferred to Company A, of the same regiment. He served in the Army of the Cumberland and participated in a number of important battles of the Civil War as well as a number of skirmishes and minor engagements. He served under General Thomas and was at the battle of Shiloh and Chattanooga. He was with Sherman on his memorable march to the sea and participated in many engagements of that campaign. He was with his command in North Carolina when General Lee surrendered and the war closed. From North Carolina he marched through to Washington, D. C. and was in the Grand Review. At the expiration of his first term of enlistment he reenlisted as a veteran volunteer at McManville, Tennessee. After the close of the war he received his honorable dis- charge at St. Louis and was mustered out of the United States service at Louisville, Kentucky. During his long and hazardous military service Mr. Simpson was fortunately never wounded nor taken prisoner.

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History of Harrison County, Missouri, Part 47

Author: Wanamaker, George W., 1846-1921 Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 914

Author: Wanamaker, George W., 1846-1921
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 914