USA > Missouri > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Missouri > Part 68
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Earl J. Powell, now farming the Powell estate of 520 acres in Lincoln Township and dealing in live stock, was born on the farm which he now operates. The Powell name is well known throughout the county where members of the family have been progressive farmers and business men for three generations.
Earl J. Powell was born January 12, 1896, the son of Fred J. and Laura Jane (Ballard) Powell to whom two children were born: Inez, now the wife of Otto Eidimann of Topeka, Kansas; and Earl J., the sub- ject of this review. Fred J. Powell had large land holdings in this county and was a successful farmer. He died in 1899 and his widow now lives at Ridgeway.
Earl J. Powell grew up on the farm. He attended the Eagleville school and later was in school at Mexico, Missouri, St. Joseph, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. He remained in school until 1911 when he began operating the Powell estate. He has made a success of this work and is both enterprising and progressive in his methods of farm management. Mr. Powell is a veteran of the World War. He entered the service in February, 1918 and was sent to Camp Funston where he was assigned to the 89th Division, 354th Regiment, Company M. June 3, 1918 he sailed for France and was at the front in the battles of the Argonne, Meuse and St. Mihiel. He landed at Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 3, 1919 and re- ceived his discharge from service at Camp Funston, June 8, 1919. He at once returned home and again took charge of the farm where he now lives.
Mr. Powell was married July 27, 1917 to Florence C. Nelson, who was born in Lincoln Township, the daughter of O. J. and Ella Nelson. No children have been born to this union.
Mr. Powell is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of the Modern Woodmen of America lodges. He is a young man of ability whose varied experiences and practical training give him a keen business insight and a broad under- standing of the problems with which he comes in contact.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
S. M. Sheets, prominent farmer and stockman and the owner of 305 acres of land in Colfax Township, belongs to a pioneer family of Har- rison County. His parents were of the intrepid and venturesome stock who came to this county in the early days and invested their labor in the uncertain future of the frontier land. Their courage and toil made possible the success that is the guerdon of their children.
S. M. Sheets was born in Colfax Township in the house where he now lives the son of Andrew J. and Artemissa (Shirley) Sheets to whom eight children were born, only four of whom are now living: George, a lumber- man at Cainsville; Nora, wife of John Scott, Ensign, Kansas; John H., living in Colfax Township; and S. M., the subject of this review. Andrew J. Sheets was born in Holmes County, Ohio, September 11, 1832 and died in Harrison County, June 3, 1907. He was the son of Samuel and Phoebe (Winslaw) Sheets, the former born in Pennsylvania and the latter a native of Rhode Island. Samuel Sheets was a farmer and butcher who moved to Iowa in 1852 and later died there. He and his wife had eight children who grew to maturity.
Andrew J. Sheets came to Harrison County in 1854 and located on a farm of 160 acres in Colfax Township. He entered this land from the government and paid for it with a land warrant to his father-in-law. He set about improving his land at once. He lived in a log cabin at first and broke up the wild prairie land with ox teams. He used to go five miles to Hammer's Mill to grind his feed and meal. The family used corn meal instead of flour both because of the scarcity and the expense of the wheat. When Mr. Sheets built the house in which his son, S. M., was born he hauled the pine lumber for the building from St. Joseph. Most of the lumber used in the finishing of the interior is native walnut and all of the doors are of walnut and were made by hand. The lumber for his barn, Mr. Sheets hauled from Princeton. He was a successful farmer and a farsighted man of business, one of the sturdy citizens of the county. In politics he was an independent Democrat. He was identified with the Christian Church and was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Andrew Sheets was married to Artemissa Shirley, December 10, 1854. Mrs. Sheets was born in Illinois, August 10, 1837 and died April 26, 1874. She was the daughter of Moses and Jerusha (Hancock) Shirley, both natives of Kentucky. Her father was a soldier in the Black Hawk
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
War who settled in this county in 1853 and entered land from the govern- ment. He died here many years later on the farm where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives.
S. M. Sheets grew up on the farm where he had practical training in farm work and in business methods under the efficient tutelage of his father. His father gave him the 160 acres on which the house stands. The patent to the land was never recorded in Harrison County until 1911, when the present owner had it done. Mr. Sheets has added to his land holdings from time to time and has been breeding Shorthorn cattle for the past fifteen years. In this work he has achieved success. He is interested in both the Farmers and Merchants and the Citizens Banks at Blythedale, holding stock in both institutions.
S. M. Sheets was married November 8, 1907 to Bess Van Hoozer, born at Albany in Gentry County, the daughter of Hugh and Susannah Jane (Woodward) Van Hoozer, the former born in Tennessee and the latter a native of Virginia. To the union of S. M. and Bess (Van Hoozer) Sheets seven children were born, all living at home. They are Andrew J., Hugh V., Nora, Margaret, Harry R., Norma and Henry L.
Mr. Sheets is a Democrat in politics. He is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Blythedale. He is a man who has car- ried on well the traditions and ideals which were a part of his inheritance from his worthy ancestors. Harrison County is justly proud of such citizens.
Blaine Powell, well known farmer, stockman and business man of Lincoln Township, was born and reared on the farm where he now lives. He has holdings of 160 acres of land and operates more than 730 acres on which he does general farming. He also feeds cattle, shipping at least a car load each year. Mr. Powell holds the responsible position of the president of the Bank of Hatfield and attends to the details of this position in connection with his various other pursuits.
Mr. Powell was born September 16, 1883, the son of Riley W. and Villa (Heaston) Powell to whom two children were born: Myrtle, mar- ried to William Humphrey and living at San Francisco, California; and Blaine, the subject of this review.
Riley W. Powell was born at Elizabeth, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, July 19, 1855, the son of Greenberry and Eliza Powell, a review of whose
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
lives appear in connection with the sketch of the life of George A. Powell in this volume. Riley W. Powell was a successful farmer and stockman all of his life and owned 600 acres of land at the time of his death, Octo- ber 27, 1912. He was the president of the Bank of Hatfield from the time of the organization of that institution until his death and served it most efficiently. He was identified with the Christian Church and helped to organize and build the church at Hatfield. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias lodges. He was a man who did much for his community, maintaining a deep interest in various activities and possessing high ideals of civic welfare. He was married in 1878 to Villa Heaston, who was born in Decatur County, Iowa, in 1860. Since the death of Mr. Powell she lives at Hatfield.
Blaine Powell was educated in the district schools and later attended the Grant City High School and the normal at Stanberry, Missouri, from which he graduated in the commercial course in 1902. In 1908 he entered the State University at Columbia, Missouri and took the course in agri- culture. He came home in March, 1909 and entered his present line of work in which he has achieved a marked success.
On October 6, 1909, Mr. Powell was married to Dale Haas, a native of Worth County, the daughter of William and Sadie (Ross) Haas, both natives of Ohio and early settlers in Missouri. They are both living. To Blaine and Dale (Haas) Powell two children, twins, have been born, Glee Haas and Helen Gail, born August 30, 1917.
Mr. Powell is a Republican and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge at Allendale. Upon the death of his father, Blaine Powell was elected to succeed him as president of the Bank of Hatfield. His wide acquaintance with people and his varied experience which has put him in close touch with numerous problems in farming, stock raising and business make him a valuable asset to the bank. He is a man of keen business foresight and of progressive ideas.
The Bank of Hatfield is an institution that has most successfully met the needs of the community which supports it. It was organized on February 17, 1903 by men who with two exceptions were farmers. The first stockholders were: D. L. Heaston, of Topeka, Kansas; Oscar A. Curry, attorney at Eagleville; and the other organizers, all farmers, Riley
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
W. Powell, of Lincoln Township; Henry C. Heaston, of Lincoln Town- ship; E. L. Donelson, of Hamilton Township; and George A. Powell, of Colfax Township. The bank opened for business with a capital stock of $10,000.00, and with the following officers: Riley W. Powell, president ; E. L. Donelson, vice president; and J. H. Gatley, cashier.
In the year of 1910 the capital stock was increased from $10,000.00 to $20,000.00 while under R. W. Powell's management, he thinking the business justified the increase.
In the years of its existence the bank has justified the faith of the men who organized it and has served a valuable purpose in the county. The present standing of the institution is indicated by the official state- ment of June 30, 1921 which ran as follows:
Resources.
Loans and discounts, undoubtedly good on personal or collateral_$57,631.15
Loans, real estate
9,445.00
Overdrafts
49.50
Real estate (banking house)
1,600.00
Furniture and fixtures
2,295.00
Due from other banks and bankers subject to check
8,986.36
Cash items
153.13
Cash on hand (currency, gold, silver and other coin)
2,105.93
Other resources: Customers bonds
5,800.00
Total
$88,066.07
Liabilities.
Capital stock paid in
I $20,000.00
Surplus fund
5,000.00
Undivided profits, net
4,068.62
Individual deposits subject to check
I 31,992.95
Time certificates of deposit
16,201.34
Demand certificates of deposit and cashier's checks
3.16
Bills payable and rediscounts
5,000.00
Other liabilities: Bond deposit
5,800.00
Total
$88,066.07
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
The present officers of the bank are: Blaine Powell, president; E. L. Donelson, vice president; and G. H. Adair, cashier. The directors are: Blame Powell, E. L. Donelson, J. R. Hunsicker, J. L. Schardein and George A. Powell. These men are all efficient officers and have proved their loyalty and worth to the institution.
W. C. Humphrey, an attorney at Hatfield and a teacher in District No. 33, is one of the oldest teachers in Harrison County. He has served the schools in various ways and in many places. He taught at Martins- ville and other places and was the principal at Allendale, Denver, Hatfield and Brooklyn. He has always been reckoned one of the successful teachers of the county.
Mr. Humphrey was born on a farm near South Boston, Washington County, Indiana, and was educated in the Salem Academy at Salem, Indiana.
W. C. Humphrey taught school at and near New Philadelphia and was principal at Philadelphia, Indiana, for four years. In 1886 he came to Harrison County and settled near Washington Center, Washington Township and again took up his life work of teaching. While he was in Denver, Missouri, he began the study of law with Mr. Miller. In this he became proficient and in 1895 he went to Bethany to appear before a committee for examination in law. Judge Wanamaker, the editor of this volume was a member of the examining committee which admitted Mr. Humphrey to the bar. Mr. Humphrey now combines his teaching with his legal work and is successful in both.
Mr. Humphrey was married in 1888 to Addie B. Smith, daughter of Solomon and Nancy Smith and to this union four children were born: Two children who died in infancy; Chauncey, now living at Kirk, Colo- rado; and Laura, deceased. She was an efficient teacher before her marriage.
Mr. Humphrey attended the State Teacher's Training School at War- rensburg, Missouri, in 1891 and 1892 and was licensed to teach in county institutes. He taught in Worth County institute in 1891 and Mercer County Teacher's Institute in 1892. He is the type of man who means much to a county, for he has practically devoted his life to the work of building up the county educationally. To such men we owe much of our present efficiency in citizenship.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Andrew J. Knott, a prominent citizen of Ridgeway, Missouri, who is now living practically retired after a successful career as a farmer and stockman in Harrison County, is a native of Indiana. He was born at Winchester, Randolph County, December 4, 1852, and is a son of William and Margaret (Clark) Knott.
William Knott came to Harrison County in 1884, and spent the re- mainder of his life here engaged in farming and stock raising. He died November 1, 1899. His wife was born March 19, 1824, and died June 18, 1888. They were the parents of the following children: Smith A., who died in 1904; Mary E., died in 1918; John L., married Mary Rich- mond, and they live in Lincoln, Nebraska; William C., married Anna Smith, of Harrison County and they live at Shreveport, Louisiana ; Charles H., married Emma Hass, and lives in Ringgold County, Iowa ; Frank E., died in infancy ; and Andrew J., the subject of this sketch.
Andrew J. Knott went to Illinois with his parents when he was quite young. They located in Tazewell County and here he grew to manhood and received his education in the public schools and attended high school at Delevan, Illinois, for two years. He followed farming and stock rais- ing for a time in Illinois and in 1876 came to Missouri and settled on a farm in Harrison County. Here he carried on general farming and raised stock extensively, making a specialty of Poland China Hogs and Shorthorn cattle. His farm consists of 320 acres of well improved and productive land which he still owns. He retired from the active operation of his farm in 1900, although he continued personal supervision of the place. In 1919, he bought a comfortable home in Ridgeway and has since resided here.
Mr. Knott was married to Miss Ella LaBee, a native of Delevan, Illi- nois. She is a daughter of William and Eliza (Holmes) LaBee, the former a French-Canadian, and the latter a native of England. To Mr. and Mrs. Knott have been born the following children: Charles W. married Clara M. Gruver and they live at Hatfield on his father's farm; Myrtle, mar- ried George D. Heaston, St. Joseph, Missouri ; Gertrude G., married T. W. Peterson and they live near Ridgeway; Walter R., married Eunice Hop- kins and he died November 11, 1918, and his widow now resides in St. Joseph, Missouri; Mary B., married C. A. Butler, Decatur County, Iowa; and Clyde, died February 20, 1894, at the age of five years.
Mr. Knott is a Democrat and has always taken a good citizens interest in public affairs. He served as township trustee for a number of years (47)
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HISTORY OF IIARRISON COUNTY
and for twenty years was a notary public. Mr. Knott is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Mod- ern Woodmen of America at Hatfield, Missouri. He and Mrs. Knott are members of the Christian Church and are highly esteemed members of the community.
D. P. Moore, whose parents were among the early settlers of Har- rison County, was born in Wapello County, Iowa, March 3, 1861, the son of Jasper and Mary (Stuttsman) Moore.
Jasper Moore was born in Indiana in 1833 but left that state when he was only a lad to go with his parents, Samuel and Mary (Sears) Moore to Illinois where they settled near Bloomington and the father followed the vocation of a tanner. Jasper Moore later went to Iowa and in the fall of 1867 he came to Missouri where he settled in Harrison County and bought 120 acres of land in Washington Township. He was married in Lee County, Iowa, to Mary Stuttsman, born in Iowa, June 30, 1833 and to this union five children were born: Ella, wife of J. H. Murphy, of Daviess County ; S. A., living at Stanberry; D. P., the subject of this sketch; G. W., living east of Ridgeway; and Emma Sarah, the wife of G. C. Rice of Arizona. Mrs. Moore died in 1914 and Jasper Moore died August 7, 1919 at his home in Washington Township. He was a Demo- crat and was a member of the Church of God which he helped to organize in his community.
D. P. Moore came to this county with his parents and remained with them until the spring of 1882 when he was twenty-one years old. He bought his present farm of 3161/2 acres in Washington Township and has made all the improvements on it. Mr. Moore is a practical farmer who had excellent instruction in farm management when he was growing up by meeting the practical questions that arose on his father's farm. He therefore came to the work on his own land well equipped with valuable information.
D. P. Moore was married March 5, 1882 to Ara Hogan, who was born in Union Township, the daughter of J. J. and Nannie (Fancher) Hogan, both natives of Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Moore thirteen children were born: A. C., Washington Township; Charlie, residing in Iowa; Blanch, married C. M. Ayers of Washington Township; Ocy, wife of R. A. Snethen, of Winner, South Dakota; Ed, of Lincoln Township; Scott, living in Kan-
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
sas City, Missouri; Chester, at home; D. P., Jr., at home; Ruth, living at home; Helen Eva, died at the age of six months. Mr. Moore's second marriage was to Sylvia A. Meeker to whom he was married March 15, 1899 at Stanberry, Missouri, and to this union one child, Albert L., has been born.
Mr. Moore is a Democrat and is a member of the Church of God. His recollections of the early days in Harrison County are very interest- ing. He says that it was simply all "out of doors" in his boyhood. Mr. Moore is an industrious and reliable man who well merits the esteem in which he is held.
Dr. B. R. Treasure, a well known and successful physician and sur- geon of Bethany, Missouri, is a native of Gentry County. He was born March 23, 1871, a son of Jacob D. and Catherine (Gibbony) Treasure.
Jacob D. Treasure was born in Woodford County, Kentucky, in 1818 and came to Harrison County from his native state about 1844. He first settled on a farm about four miles west of Ridgeway. Later he ex- changed that farm with Judge Jeffries for a farm in Gentry County and spent the remainder of his life in Gentry County where he was engaged in farming and stock raising. He learned the blacksmith trade and worked at it in early life but later devoted his entire attention to farm- ing. During the Civil War he served in the state militia. He died July 8, 1897. His wife was also a native of Kentucky and died in Gentry County, Missouri, December 30, 1910.
Doctor Treasure has one brother, Charles L. Treasure, who lives in Mercer County, Missouri. Doctor Treasure was educated in the public schools of Gentry County and the Stanberry Normal School at Stanberry, Missouri. He taught school for a time in Gentry and Harrison counties and then entered Central Medical College at St. Joseph, Missouri and was graduated from that institution in 1902 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He then engaged in the practice of his profession in Mercer County and later removed to Gentry County where he successfully prac- ticed medicine until 1920. He then located at Bethany where he has a large general practice. While Doctor Treasure has been a resident of Bethany for a short time he has been well known as a successful physician in Harrison County throughout his professional career, having been located in adjacent counties his practice has extended into this county.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Doctor Treasure was married in 1895 to Miss Deborah Clark, a native of Harrison County, born in Butler Township. She is a daughter of John T. Clark who was an early pioneer settler of that township. To Doctor and Mrs. Treasure has been born one child, Doctor Charles B. Treasure.
Doctor Charles B. Treasure is a successful practicing dentist of Beth- any and he and his father occupy the same suite of offices. He was edu- cated in the public schools and the State Teachers College at Maryville, Missouri. He then took the course in the Kansas City Dental College where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. During the World War he served as first ,lieutenant in the Dental Corps and during most of the time was stationed at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.
During the World War, Dr. B. R. Treasure was commissioned first lieutenant in the Medical Corps and was stationed most of the time at Camp Henry Knox, Kentucky.
He is a capable physician and has always been a close student of the advances made in the great science of the medical profession.
Z. T. Melvin, a well known citizen of Ridgeway, who is now living re- tired, was born in Morgan County, Ohio, in 1848 and is a son of George P. and Mary Ann (Brown) Melvin, both natives of Ohio. The father was a soldier in the Civil War, serving in Company D, 18th Wisconsin Infantry. The parents are both dead. The father died in Tennessee and the mother in Wisconsin. Z. T. Melvin is one of the following children born to his parents: John P., married Armilda Beck, deceased, and he lives near Bloomingdale, Wisconsin; Winfield Scott, married Lucy Roberts and they live in La Farge, Wisconsin ; Mary L., married John Brow, Viro- qua, Wisconsin; George W., married Allie Showen, deceased, and he lives in Mesby, Wisconsin; and Z. T., the subject of this sketch; A. L., died in Montana.
Z. T. Melvin removed to Wisconsin with his parents when he was a child six years old. They settled in Vernon County, that state, and there he grew to manhood and attended the public schools. He came to Har- rison County, Missouri, in 1889 and engaged in farming and stock raising at Lorraine. He was successful in his undertakings and actively engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1920, when he sold his farm. He then bought a home in Ridgeway where he is now living retired after a suc- cessful career.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Mr. Melvin was married in 1872, to Miss Jane Silbaugh, of Vernon County, Wisconsin, a native of Perry County, Ohio. She is a daughter of Edward and Catherine (Aker) Silbaugh, the former a native of Penn- sylvania and the latter of New York. Mrs. Melvin's parents spent their lives near Viroqua, Wisconsin, and are buried at Asbury Cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Melvin have been born the following children: George E., died November 13, 1913; William H., married Lizzie Shroff and they live in Union Township, near Eagleville; and Addie G., married Fred Hillyard and they live near Bethany in Jefferson Township.
Mr. Melvin has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge for over forty years and is one of the dependable citizens of Harrison County. He has always been a Republican.
George F. Perkins, a Civil War veteran, of Ridgeway, Missouri, who for many years was engaged in contracting and building is now living retired. He was born in Belmont County, Ohio, December 25, 1847, and is the son of Louis and Lucinda (Forest) Perkins, the former a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and the latter of Guernsey County, Ohio. The father was a carpenter and died August 5, 1864, and the mother survived him many years. She died in Ridgeway, Missouri, in 1913. They were the parents of the following children: Jennings, died at Parsons, Kansas, in 1911; John A., died in California, in 1918; Mary, died at Ridgeway, Missouri, in 1917; Minerva, resides at Ridgeway, Missouri; and George F., the subject of this sketch.
George F. Perkins was educated in the public schools of Illinois, where his parents had located when he was young. When the Civil War broke out, he was too young for military service. However, he enlisted in the Union army, December 28, 1864, and served until after the close of the war and received his honorable discharge, September 13, 1865. Mr. Per- kins began life as a bridge builder and later worked at the carpenter trade. When he came to Harrison County, he settled on a farm of forty acres where he remained for eight years. He then removed to Ridge- way, where he has a six acre tract of land. He has been interested in contracting and building all his life but for the past six years has been living practically retired.
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