USA > Missouri > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Missouri > Part 66
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Mr. Brinigar was married January 1, 1886 to Mary Scott, who was born in Marion Township, the daughter of Moses and Mary (Graham) Scott, natives of Kentucky and Indiana, who came to Missouri from Illi- nois in 1858 and settled in Marion Township where they spent the re- mainder of their lives. They are both deceased. To their union ten children were born, seven of whom grew to maturity. Mrs. Brinigar, the seventh child, was educated in the district schools. To the union of W. J. and Mary (Scott) Brinigar two sons were born: Hugh F., born April 22, 1893, a veteran of the World War, enlisted in the navy in 1918, was trained at Seattle, Washington as a bugler, but was discharged after eleven months of service and is now living at home; and William B., born August 13, 1896, married January 1, 1919 to Helen Lindrose of Blythedale,
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and now living on the farm in Marion Township. To this union one child, Virginia Ilene, has been born.
Mr. Brinigar is a Democrat in his political views. He is not identified with any church, although he neither swears nor uses tobacco. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Brinigar was one of the men who organized the Citizens Bank at Blythedale and was elected the president of that institution in 1911 which office he now fills. He is also president of the Blythedale Telephone Company and has served as president of the American Hampshire Hog Association. He is a man who is intensely interested in all that pertains to the welfare of his com- munity, practical and capable in his views and ideals. Mr. Branigar be- lieves in the practical value of owning land and now has holdings cover- ing 430 acres in Marion Township and 160 acres in Oklahoma.
Porter Buntin, a substantial citizen of Blythedale, dealer in grain, seed and coal, is a native of this county where he was born October 23, 1866 at Brooklyn.
Mr. Buntin's parents were W. H. and Julia (Simpson) Buntin to whom five children were born: Dora, deceased; Porter, the subject of this review; Milburn, deceased; Alice, wife of Charles Ashby, living in the state of Washington; and Charlie, now living in Arizona. W. H. Buntin was born in Hancock County, Indiana, twenty miles from Indi- anapolis in 1836. He was a cabinet maker by trade and came to Har- rison County when he was about twenty-one years old and settled at Brooklyn where he operated a saw and grist mill in connection with his vocation of cabinet making. Later in his life he became a farmer and followed that line of work until his death in 1911 at Douglas County, Washington where he went some years before his demise and took up a claim. This land is still held by his children. Porter Buntin's mother, Julia (Simpson) Buntin, was born in Missouri and died at Brooklyn at the age of forty-five years when her son, Porter, was only a boy.
Porter Buntin was reared in Brooklyn where he attended school. He clerked in a general merchandise store at Brooklyn for a while, and from 1890 to 1892 he worked as the foreman of a construction gang grading for the Great Western and Oregon Short Line railways. At the end of that work he returned to Brooklyn and clerked again in the store there. In 1895 he came to Blythedale and ran a livery business for fifteen years.
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He engaged in the grain business in partnership with J. C. Henry until the death of Mr. Henry in 1919. Since that time, Mr. Buntin has con- ducted the business alone.
Mr. Buntin was married in 1901 at Princeton to Allie Winningham, a daughter of Dr. F. M. Winningham, a sketch of whose life appears in this volume in connection with the review of the life of Dr. J. J. Winning- ham. Mr. and Mrs. Buntin have one child, Arlyne, living at home.
Porter Buntin is a Republican and is a member of the Methodist Church. He has served on the township board and as committeeman and has also served on the city council. He was the mayor of Blythedale for a term. As a business man, Mr. Buntin is energetic and progressive ; and in his capacity as an officer for his township and his town, he was fair minded and efficient. He deservedly stands well in the esteem of his fellow citizens.
Pius Higdon, deceased, a well known farmer of Clay Township and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, July 23, 1845, the son of John and Luvina (Carrico) Higdon.
John Higdon was born in the East in May, 1811 and went to Ken- tucky with his parents. He married Luvina Carrico who was born in Marion County, Kentucky and six children were born to their union. John Higdon died in Hardin County, Kentucky and his widow died many years later in Harrison County.
Pius Higdon was reared in Washington County, Kentucky. His mother was a widow without much money so he started, early in his life, to earn his own way. When he was only seventeen he enlisted for service in the Civil War and served in Company G, 10th Kentucky Infantry, under Col. John Harland. He remained in service for three years, three months and twenty days. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Sherman's March to the Sea and Kenesaw Mountain. After he was discharged in December, 1864, he returned to Washington County, Kentucky, but left there shortly afterwards because of the guerrillas and went to Davis County, Indiana, where he operated a farm for six years. In 1870 he came with his family to Harrison County and settled in Clay Township where he spent the remainder of his life.
Pius Higdon was married twice. His first marriage was in Indiana to Catherine Shieliff, who was born in Indiana, June 2, 1848 and died in
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Harrison County, April 15, 1881. To this union seven children were born : Mary L., deceased; Annie C., deceased, was Mrs. Patterson; John J., liv- ing at Conception Junction, Missouri; James J., of Coffeyville, Kansas ; Charles W., living at Indianola, Iowa; Robert E., living at home; and Martin A., a resident of Vernon, Colorado. Mr. Higdon's second mar- riage was to Mary E. Hill, born in Washington County, Kentucky. This marriage occurred December 27, 1882, and to this union six children were born: Clement A., who was drowned in Grand River, June 13, 1897; Cath- erine Agnes, married to Leonard LaFollette and living in Clay Township; Richard L., at home with his mother; Louis O., living in Clay Township; Otho, of Mercer County ; and Laura, married to Vincent Willis and living in Clay Township.
Pius Higdon died January 3, 1895. His widow lives in Clay Town- ship on the old home farm of 250 acres which she owns. Mr. Higdon was a staunch Democrat and was a member of the Catholic Church with which church all of his family are identified. He served as township clerk for seven years and was the township assessor. In all the phases of his life, as a business man, as a citizen, and in his capacity as a township officer, Mr. Higdon was industrious, earnest and sincere. He merited the high regard in which he was held by the community.
N. M. Brown, a well known farmer and stockman, has lived in Har- rison County since his early childhood. He was born in Muscatine County, Iowa, March 11, 1850.
Mr. Brown's parents, Albert and Elizabeth (Hayman) Brown were natives of Pike County, Ohio, who went to Iowa in 1849 and came on to Missouri in 1856. They settled in Harrison County near the Victor school in the south part of Clay Township and homesteaded 160 acres of land there. They later sold this land and moved to Akron in order to send their children to school. Albert Brown had followed the vocation of freighting in Iowa. He was the first school director ever elected in Clay Township and served in that capacity for thirty years. At the out- break of the Civil War, Mr. Brown identified himself with the Union cause and in 1864 he enlisted in Company I, 4th Regiment Volunteer Infantry, the State Militia of Missouri. He was married to Elizabeth Hayman, May 5, 1849 and to this union seven children were born: N. M., the sub- ject of this sketch; L. A., a resident of Davis City, Iowa; H. E., living at
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Atlanta, Nebraska; John, of Hopp, Montana; Zona, deceased, was the wife of William Bunny of San Jose, California; Myrtle, married to Henry Car- son of Albany, Missouri; and Zella, the wife of Ed Flora of Davis City, Iowa. Albert Brown was born November 24, 1824 and died at Akron, March 3, 1907.
N. M. Brown was reared on a farm and has been in that work all of his life. He bought his first piece of land consisting of two acres in 1874 and added to it as he could until his holdings now comprise 318 acres.
Mr. Brown was married December 25, 1875 to Louisa Jeffries, born in Clay Township, November 18, 1857, the daughter of A. J. and Min- erva (Rupert) Jeffries. A. J. Jeffries was born in Fayette County, Ohio, October 30, 1830 and died October 25, 1920. In 1849 he drove a team of oxen from Ohio to California and participated in the historic westward movement of that year. In 1856 he came to Harrison County and home- steaded land in Clay Township. He owned, at the time of his demise, 600 acres which still remains in his name. He was married to Minerva Rupert, born in Fayette County, Ohio, February 22, 1831. She died December 27, 1894. To her union with A. J. Jeffries eight children were born, seven of whom grew to maturity. Mrs. Brown was the third child. To the union of N. M. and Louisa (Jeffries) Brown three children were born: Otis, deceased; Cora Alice, the wife of Norman Morgan of Beth- any; and Pearl, married to E. J. Hollingsworth of Fisher, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have five grandchildren.
Mr. Brown is an adherent of the Democratic party in politics and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He has been successful in his work because of his thorough understanding of farm problems and of the energy and determination he has brought to the handling of the situations he has met.
H. N. Stump, retired farmer and carpenter and the present mayor of Blythedale, has engaged in various pursuits with an unvarying degree of success. He was born in Stark County, Ohio, August 12, 1844. His parents were F. A. and Catherine (Smith) Stump.
F. A. Stump was born in Stark County, Ohio, June 18, 1814. His parents were Nicholas and Margaret (Aunspach) Stump, natives of Hol- land who came to the United States when they were young and settled on a farm in Ohio where they both died. F. A. Stump grew up on a farm
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and spent most of his life farming although he learned the trade of a shoemaker. He came to Page County, Iowa, in 1855 and lived on a farm there until his death at Clarinda, Iowa, June 22, 1905. His wife, Catherine (Smith) Stump was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1816, the daughter of John and Mary Ann (Winters) Smith, both natives of Pennsylvania and early settlers of Ohio. Mrs. Stump died April 1, 1891.
H. N. Stump was a child of eleven years when his parents came to Iowa. He attended the rural schools there and worked on his father's farm as a farm hand until the outbreak of the Civil War. He enlisted for service in the Union army, January 16, 1862 at Davenport, Iowa and was assigned to Company E, 16th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was under Sherman and participated in the battle at Shiloh. On July 22, 1864 he was taken prisoner at Decatur at a place then known as Ezra Church and was sent to Andersonville prison. He was released on February 27, 1865 and was discharged from the army at Davenport, Iowa, July 5, 1865. Mr. Stump operated a farm after the war until 1874, when he began to work at the carpenter's trade which work he continued until 1919. He lost the sight in one eye and after that retired from active work. Mr. Stump has lived in Harrison County for many years. He came to Eagle- ville in June, 1874, and moved to Blythedale in 1895 where he owns an acre of land upon which his home is located.
Mr. Stump was married August 13, 1865 to Mary Ann Lee, born in Muskingum County, Ohio, June 26, 1846, the daughter of Richard W. and Nancy (Ward) Lee, both natives of Virginia and belonging to families of Revolutionary fame. To Mr. Stump's union seven children were born, two of whom died in infancy. The remaining five are: Fannie C., wife of H. L. Miller of Bethany; Frank L., a resident of Muscatine, Iowa ; Minnie, wife of J. E. Williams of Colfax Township; Fred A., of Musca- tine, Iowa; and Charles, also living at Muscatine. Mr. and Mrs. Stump have fourteen living grandchildren.
Mr. Stump is a staunch Republican and is identified with the Baptist Church. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 551 at Blythedale and of the Knights of Pythias at Omaha. He has always been interested in political affairs and has several times been called by his community to serve in an official capacity. He was the marshal of Eagleville and the constable of Marion Township for a time.
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In April, 1921, he was elected mayor of Blythedale. In all of these offices Mr. Stump has served faithfully and efficiently. He has an unusual memory for historical dates and events and his recollections of his own contacts with history in the making are most interesting.
J. W. Dale, a retired farmer of Harrison County now living at Blythe- dale, has been known for years as a successful breeder of Aberdeen Angus cattle on which he has won several prizes at the Bethany Fair. He has conducted two public sales of his cattle, receiving $265.00 for one cow. This was his record price. Mr. Dale grew up in this county and is one of the many men who have achieved success here and so are in every sense an integral part of Harrison County.
Mr. Dale was born in Colfax Township, May 18, 1859, the son of Abraham and Martha (Mastrus) Dale, natives of Kentucky, who married there and, in 1852, came to Missouri and settled on a farm one and one- half miles north of Blythedale. To their union eleven children were born, three of whom died in infancy, and only four of whom are now living. They are: Mrs. John Canady, a widow living at Eagleville; Lewis J., a Civil War veteran, now living at Springfield, Missouri; Nancy, wife of William Kieser, of Oxford, Nebraska; and J. W., the youngest child and the subject of this review.
J. W. Dale was educated in the district schools and attended college at Avalon. He began to work for himself when he was a young man and worked by the month for five years, receiving thirteen dollars a month. He bought his first land in 1884. He purchased the old homestead and added steadily to his holdings until he now owns 600 acres and more in three farms besides the ten acres at Blythedale upon which his home is located. His farm in Clay Township is especially equipped for the breed- ing of cattle. He has bought and sold both cattle and mules for years and it was in this particular phase of farming that he made his success.
Mr. Dale was married on October 15, 1884, to Rosa Booth, born three miles north of Cainsville, the daughter of Evermont and Susan (Reeves) Booth, the former born in Virginia and the latter a native of Kentucky, early settlers of Harrison County. Evermont Booth was one of the vast number of men who joined the westward movement in 1849 in search of gold. To Mr. Dales union with Rosa (Booth) Dale two children were born: Glenn, now a salesman for a St. Joseph glass and paint house and living in Topeka, Kansas; and Earl, living in Colfax Township.
,
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Mr. Dale votes the Democratic ticket and is a member of the Baptist Church. He has always been interested in enterprises other than farming and is a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank and of the Citizens Bank of Blythedale. He is a member of the board of directors of both banks. Mr. Dale is a man of varied interests, marked business acumen, and progressive ideas and methods. These things have contrib- uted to the marked success which he has made in life.
F. J. Allman, the efficient manager of the Miner and Frees Lumber Yard at Blythedale, was born in Marion Township, September 18, 1876, the son of Pierce and Dora (Ingram) Allman.
Pierce Allman was born in Jackson County, Iowa, July 25, 1854. He was a farmer and settled in Harrison County in 1868, where he farmed until his death, August 8, 1881, when his son, F. J., was a child of five years. Pierce Allman was the son of Jackson Allman, born in Stark County, Ohio, and Jane (Geist) Allman, born in Venango County, Pennsyl- vania. Jackson Allman enlisted for service in the Civil War in Iowa and was in the 16th Volunteer Regiment, Infantry. He was captured by the Confederates and was in Andersonville Prison for one hundred days. He and his wife came to Missouri from Iowa. They had two children, Pierce, father of the subject of this sketch, and a son who died in infancy. Jack- son Allman died April 24, 1908, at the age of eighty years and his wife died in 1918 at the age of ninety-three. They were efficient, sturdy people highly respected in their commounity. Dora (Ingram) Allman, mother of the subject of this review, was born in Mills County, Iowa, August 8, 1855, and is now living at Blythedale. The children of Pierce and Dora (Ingram) Allman were: Effie, now Mrs. Lesh living west of Eagleville; F. J., the subject of this sketch; Maud, deceased; and Frank, deceased.
F. J. Allman' was reared by his grandparents, Jackson and Jane (Geist) Allman, on a farm and attended the district schools of the county. In 1907 he began work as a mail carrier on Route 3 out of Blythedale and continued this work until 1910 when he was appointed postmaster at Blythedale. He operated the office until August, 1913, when he resigned and went on a farm which he conducted until 1918 at which time he began working for the Miner and Frees Lumber Company. He was made the manager of the yard at Blythedale in February, 1920, and has been very successful in his work.
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F. J. Allman was married September 19, 1903, to Maud Hurd, born in Marion Township, the daughter of W. W. and Ellen (Brinigar) Hurd, natives of Wisconsin. Mrs. Hurd is now living at Blythedale. To the marriage of F. J. and Maud (Hurd) Allman five children were born, all living at home: Gladys, Doris, Elsie, Jack and Roy.
Mr. Allman is a Republican and is identified with the Christian Church. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is an efficient business man, pro- gressive and thorough in his methods, and a substantial citizen.
W. E. Riley, farmer and owner of 120 acres of land in Clay Township, has been an intimate factor in the life of Clay Township since the Civil War. He was a teacher here for eighteen years, has operated a farm successfully, raised stock profitably, and is a veteran of the Civil War.
Mr. Riley was born in Knox County, Ohio, June 22, 1842, the son of Lewis H. and Mary A. (Holland) Riley, to whom three children were born, Mr. Riley being the second. Lewis H. Riley was married three times ; to the second marriage one child was born. To the third marriage no children were born. Lewis H. Riley was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, July 8, 1813, and died in Clay Township in this county on October 7, 1902. He came here in 1868 and bought a farm of 220 acres which he improved. He was a farmer all of his life, achieving success in that line of work. He was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Church. When he was still a young man, he left Virginia and went to Knox County, Ohio, and it was there that he married his first wife, Mary A. (Holland) Riley, a native of Knox County, Ohio. She died in 1857.
W. E. Riley was reared in Ohio, came to Missouri in 1868 and settled in Clay Township, but returned to Ohio that same year and was married. Shortly afterwards he came back to Harrison County and farmed on a part of the farm owned by his father. His father gave him fifty acres of land, built a house for him and improved the farm but Mr. Riley began to teach school in 1868 and continued in that work for many years in Clay Township and one term at Pleasanton, Iowa. Mr. Riley's teaching was the direct result of his experiences and observations during the Civil War, for it was while he was in service that he found the advantages to be derived from an education, so after his return from the army he con- sulted his father and as a result went to Mount Vernon, Ohio, and com- pleted his education. Mr. Riley enlisted August 8, 1863, in Company I,
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2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery. He was in Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia, and became sergeant during that time. He was discharged from service, August 23, 1865, and returned to Ohio.
W. E. Riley was married, June 12, 1868, to Margaret S. Frazier, born October 26, 1846, in Muskingum County, Ohio. To this union five children have been born: Lena, wife of S. C. Mossburg of Cainsville, a sketch of whose life appears in this volume; Edwin, living at Corning ; Robinson F., farming the home place; Olive, deceased, was married to C. L. Squires; and Georgia, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Riley have thirteen grandchildren, and have taken Mr. Riley's granddaughter, Annie Laurie Squires, daugh- ter of Mrs. Olive (Riley) Squires, deceased, to raise.
Mr. Riley is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post at Bethany. He is a Republican and is identified with the Presbyterian Church. He has served as a member of the township board and has been justice of the peace. Mr. Riley is a man who has always been interested in everything that pertains to the welfare of a community. When he was teaching school, he organized a base ball team which became one of the well known local teams, playing practically all of the nearby teams. In a base ball tournament this team won a "silver ball" as a trophy. This ball is now kept at Bethany. Mr. Riley's recollections of those early games are interesting. He assures us that in those days a pitcher either threw the kind of ball the batter asked for or the ball was not counted. Mr. Riley was the pitcher for his team and he retains all of his old time interest in the great national game of America. Mr. Riley is among the men who wrested success from the hardships of the days when, in order to succeed, a man must be versatile and adaptable.
Harry Phillips, a well known farmer and stockman of Clay Township, is now renting and farming 405 acres of his father's land. He belongs to a family whose name has been connected with successful farming operations for many years.
Harry Phillips was born in Madison Township, August 7, 1879, the son of S. C. and Amanda (Baker) Phillips to whose union six sons were born: Harry, the oldest, and the subject of this sketch; Claude, living in Clay Township; Clifford, also living in Clay Township; Fora, deceased ; Ernest, deceased; and Nort, now living in North Dakota. S. C. Phillips was born in Illinois and came to Harrison County with his parents in his childhood. He has been a practical farmer all of his life and established
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himself as a land owner, holding at present 530 acres of land, all in Clay, Township but divided into two farms. Amanda (Baker) Phillips was born in Mercer County, east of Cainsville. She died July 6, 1821, at the age of fifty-nine years. Her husband, who is now sixty-five years old, is living with his children.
Harry Phillips attended the rural schools of the county and received practical training in farm management and work on his father's farm. He began work for himself in 1900 when he rented land from his father- in-law in Trail Creek Township. In 1920 he came to the farm which he is now operating.
Mr. Phillips was married February 17, 1900, to Ina Ross of Trail Creek Township, a daughter of W. S. and Eva (Sisney) Ross, a sketch of whose lives appear in this volume. To the union of Harry and Ina (Ross) Phillips two sons were born: Ross and Clarence, both living at home.
Mr. Phillips is an independent voter in politics. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge. He is enterprising and energetic, a man whose business integrity and ideals of citizenship have given him the esteem of his fellow citizens.
I. D. Purdun, an enterprising and reliable farmer and stockman of Clay Township and the owner of 190 acres of land, was born June 3, 1876, in Decatur County, Iowa, the son of H. B. and Elizabeth A. (Turpin) Purdun, to whom three children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch is the only one living at present.
H. B. Purdun was born in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1832, and went to Iowa with his people, before the outbreak of the Civil War. He was a farmer all of his life and came to Harrison County, in the fall of 1885, where he settled in Clay Township, near Akron. He married Elizabeth Turpin in Decatur County, Iowa. She was a native of Indiana, born in 1841. She died in May, 1915, and her husband died August 24, 1902. The remains of both are buried in Akron Cemetery.
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