USA > Missouri > Mercer County > History of Harrison and Mercer Counties, Missouri : from the earliest times to the present : together with sundry personal, business, and professional sketches and family records : besides a condensed history of the State of Missouri, etc > Part 48
USA > Missouri > Harrison County > History of Harrison and Mercer Counties, Missouri : from the earliest times to the present : together with sundry personal, business, and professional sketches and family records : besides a condensed history of the State of Missouri, etc > Part 48
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
495
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
a Republican in politics, and in the spring of 1887 was elected trustee of his township. He has also served his township in other capaci- ties, and for about thirteen years was clerk of his school district. During the war he served in the Enrolled State Militia. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and his wife belongs to the Evangelical Association. He is the fourth of a family of eleven children (five of whom are now living, six having died in infancy) of John Christopher and Catherine Dorothy (Stahl) Bram. After living in Delaware County, Ohio, as above stated, the parents came to Harrison County, Mo., where they permanently located. The father was born in Illin- gen, oberamt Maulbron, Germany, and died in Harrison County, Mo., January 3, 1874, aged sixty-two. The mother is now making her home with the subject of this sketch. The paternal grandparents of Conrad Bram were Christian and Magdalene (Carwecker) Bram, natives of the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, where the former was a burgomaster for many years. The maternal grandparents, John Conrad and Catherine (Burger) Stahl, were natives of Weissach, oberamt Vaihingen on the Ens, and the former was a butcher by trade, in connection with which he engaged in farming. J. C. Stahl was a son of Martin and Dorothy (Yetter) Stahl, and his wife a daughter of Jacob and Regina (Waidelich) Burger, who were natives also of Wur- temberg. Mr. Jacob Berger was an uncle of Mrs. Catherine Dorothy Bram, and was a member of the Napoleonic expedition to Moscow, of which he was a survivor for many years.
William Brough was born in Willingham Lane, near Gainsboro, on the River Trent, Lincolnshire, England, December 22, 1827, and is a son of James and Mary (Grundy) Brough, natives of England, and born in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, respectively. The father died in Lincolnshire, October 29, 1873, aged eighty-one years, and the mother in Yorkshire, November 13, 1882, aged eighty-six years. William was reared upon a farm, and during his youth received a limited education. In 1851 he immigrated to America, and immedi- ately went to Lockport, N. Y., where he remained three months. He then located in La Porte County, Ind., and engaged in farming four- teen years. In 1865 he removed to Harrison County, Mo., and set- tled upon his present farm of 247 acres in Jefferson Township, where he has since resided, and has established himself as one of the success- ful farmers of the township. He is a man of good principles, and enjoys the respect of his neighbors and fellow citizens.
Bernard Austin Brown, a farmer of Cypress Township, was born in West Virginia, April 13, 1830, and is a son of John B. and Han-
496
HARRISON COUNTY.
nah (Hill) Brown. The father, of Irish descent, was born near Mount Sterling, Ky., in 1794, and served in the War of 1812, after which he went with a colony to West Virginia, where he was married about 1819, remaining there till 1843, when he went to Daviess County, Mo., thence in 1854 to Harrison County, locating in Cypress Township, afterward returning to Salem, where he died in 1877. His wife was born in West Virginia in 1800, and died in 1863, in Cypress Township. They were both members of the Baptist Church for many years. Benton A. accompanied his parents to Missouri in 1849, went from that place to Mexico, afterward to California, where he engaged in mining till 1853 when he returned to Missouri and located on his present farm. In 1854 he was married to Miss Calista, daughter of Aseph and Elizabeth Butler, formerly of Illinois, where Calista was born. This marriage has been blessed with nine children, eight of whom are living. Clara (widow of Alex. Brightop), Emma (wife of Nelson Parrott), Ida (wife of Robert Waltz, of Nebraska), James F., Norton H., Ernest L. and Eda Alice (twins), and Willford Butler. In politics he was formerly a Whig, and cast his first vote for Gen. Scott in 1852, acted with the Republican party till the Greenback party was organized, when he sympathized with them, but at present is a member of the Union Labor party. He is also a member of the Grange. During the war he served in Capt. Sutton's company. Both Mr. Brown and his wife are members of the Christian Church. An early settler in a new country, he has seen its gradual development into prosperity, and has struggled against the disadvantages of a very limited education, until at present he is a well-to-do and prosperous citizen, and owns a fine farm of 240 acres, 200 of which are in a fine state of cultivation.
James B. Brower, an old settler of Harrison County, Mo., a son of Adam and Jeanette (McMurchy) Brower, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, in 1824. His father is a son of a fisherman who was a native of Holland, and he was born in Egg Harbor, N. J., in 1802. The mother was born in Scotland in 1809, and at the age of ten came to America. She was married in Clermont County, Ohio, and in 1839 moved to Jen- nings County, Ind., where she died in 1880. She was an active mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Brower has been a local minister for forty years. He is still a resident of Jennings County, and has engaged in farming, brickmaking and building. In politics he is a Whig, is now a Republican, and has served as justice of the peace. James B. Brower is the eldest child of his parents, and during his early youth worked ten years at the brickmaker's trade. In 1846 he married Elizabeth B. Bailiff, a native of Clermont County,
497
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
Ohio, born in 1828, to whom ten children were born: Benjamin R., Leonora, Angeline, Sylvania, James L., Charles H., Willard F., Ellis M., Mary and Jasper. In 1853 Mr. Brower and family moved to Marion County, Iowa, and the following year came to Harrison County, Mo., where he has since lived and is the owner of 163 acres of good land and is a prominent citizen. In 1861 he joined Capt. Fitch's company of militia, and shortly after became captain of a company. In 1862 he entered Company A, Thirty-fifth Missouri Volunteer Infantry, United States Army, as first lieutenant, which position he held until the close of the war, the last two years of which he had command of his company. He was in command at the battle of Helena, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and as such has been assessor, county judge, and repre- sented his company in the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth General Assemblies. In 1885 he lost his wife, and the following year married her sister, Mrs. Edith Ghan.
William D. Bryant, M. D., is a son of Thomas O. and Nancy (Edwards) Bryant, natives of Garrard County, Ky., and is a descendant of a well-known and highly respected family, The father was a nephew of ex-Gov. Owsley, of Kentucky. In 1833 he moved to Indiana, and made his home in Bartholomew and Decatur Counties. He died in the latter, having been thrown from a mule, while looking after his extensive business. His wife survived him but five months, and was buried by his side on the old homestead. Both were mem- bers of the Christian Church, in which Mr. Bryant was an elder many years. William D. was born February 11, 1837, and at the age of eight years was left an orphan. He attended an academy during his early life at Hartsville, Bartholomew County, and at the age of twelve was apprenticed by his guardian, Elder Hopkins, to the tanner's trade, which proved uncongenial, and he then worked in a brickyard and upon a farm of his brother until 1856. The brother then came to Mis- souri, and William worked as a farm hand at Hartsville until October 1, 1857, when he married Miss Elizabeth Miller, a native of Bartholo- mew County, Ind., where her father is still engaged in farming at the age of eighty-seven. Mr. Bryant remained in that county engaged in farming and reading medicine until 1862, and August 6 of that year enlisted in Company H, Twelfth Indiana Infantry, under Col. William H. Link. He served twenty-six months, most of the time as clerk and hospital stewart, but was twice a prisoner; also participated in the battle of Richmond. July 9, 1865, he immigrated to Mount Moriah, Harrison County, where he spent three years practicing medi-
498
HARRISON COUNTY.
cine which he had studied before the war in Indiana. July 9, 1868, he came to Cainesville, where he has enjoyed a lucrative practice for almost twenty years, his territory extending over Harrison and Mercer Counties. To the Doctor and Mrs. Bryant four children have been born: Thomas F., Josephine (deceased), Kate G. and Cora M. Dr. Bryant is adjutant of Cainesville Post No. 216, G. A. R., is justice of the peace, notary public and pension attorney, and draws a pension of $8 per month. In politics he is a Republican, and has been clerk of the town board ten years. Besides his residence property in Caines- ville he is the owner of four lots. Himself and wife belong to the Christian Church, of which he is a deacon and clerk. Dr. Bryant is in sentiment a Prohibitionist, and delights in the Sunday-school work of which he is a superintendent. He is a brother of Prof. T. J. Bry- ant, the world-renowned penman and accountant of Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Bryant is a graduate of his brother's school in bookkeeping and penmanship.
Judge Joseph F. Bryant was born in Bartholomew County, Ind., January 21, 1841, and is a son of Stephen and Elizabeth (Hancock) Bryant, both natives of Garrard County, Ky. The family removed to Harrison County, Mo., in 1851, and settled upon a farm which is now in Adams Township. The father died in this county in 1879. The mother died seven or eight years previous, and was the mother of the following children: Joseph F .; Mary, wife of Thomas F. Walton; Eliza, wife of John H. Ensley; William S., of Horton, Kas., and Luther (deceased). Joseph F. is the eldest child, and was reared to manhood upon the farm in this county. At the age of seventeen he came to Bethany, and for nine or ten years was employed in the county clerk's and other officers. In the meantime he studied law, and in 1862 was admitted to the bar. In 1864-65 he served as county attorney, and for the past quarter of a century has practiced his pro- fession in Bethany in connection with the real estate business. He has also been engaged in the mercantile line, and by the exercise of prudence, industry and strict attention to business, has amassed a handsome competency, and is now one of the solid business men of Harrison County. He is a Republican in politics, and as such has held the various offices he has so efficiently filled. For five years he served as county judge of Harrison County, and from 1878 until 1881 filled the office of probate judge. July 2, 1866 he was united in mar- riage with Rhoda Manes, a native of Illinois, who died in 1877 leav- ing three children: John B., Cora B. and Stephen O. August 7, 1878, he married his present wife, who was Miss Anna E. Robinson, daugh-
499
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
ter of Col. William P. Robinson, and by whom he has had four children: Pauline, Elizabeth, Joseph F. and William P. The Judge and Mrs. Bryant are active members of the Christian Church, and highly esteemed by the community.
William T. Buck, farmer and stock raiser of Section 14, Township 63, Range 28, was born half a mile from his present residence in 1854, and is a son of Bethuel and Mary (Nicholas) Buck. The father was of Pennsylvania Dutch and English descent, and was born in White County, Tenn., in 1817. He was married in his native State in 1836, and in 1850 immigrated to Harrison County, Mo., locating in Section 13, Township 63, Range 28, where he spent the remainder of his life engaged in farming. His death occurred April 3, 1885, at which time he was the owner of 240 acres. His father, Jonathan Buck, was born and died in Tennessee. Mary (Nicholas) Buck is of German descent and was born in Jackson County, Tenn., in 1821. She now resides upon the old home place and is the mother of five living children: Madi- son; Glaphrey, wife of Charles Nelson; Martha, wife of George Selby; Susan, wife of Robert Mitchell, and William T. The last named received a common and public school education in Bethany, and lived with his parents until past nineteen. June 5, 1873, he married Miss Amanda, daughter of Marcus and Martha (Potter) Gunn. Mrs. Buck is a native of Washington County, Penn., was born in 1855, and in 1870 came to Harrison County, Mo. To Mr. and Mrs. Buck five children have been born: Cora, Mollie, Orlanda and Alvin (twins), and Lucy. After his marriage Mr. Buck located in the same section as the old homestead, and there resided until 1882 when he bought 120 acres of his present place. He now owns 180 acres of first-class land, and has a well-improved farm. He is an enterprising farmer, and in 1885 erected a large two-story frame dwelling at a cost of $800. In politics he is a Democrat, and himself and wife belong to the Presby- terian Church.
Robert J. Buntin, a native of Boone County, Ind., was born in 1835, and is the third of nine sons of James L. and Mary B. (Elliott) Buntin. His parents were natives of Kentucky, in which State their marriage occurred about 1829. Shortly after they went to Boone County, Ind. (being among the first settlers in that county), thence in 1855 to Harrison County, locating near Brooklyn, where the mother died, and where the husband still resides, at the advanced age of eighty- two. Both Mr. and Mrs. Buntin are members of the Christian Church. Robert J. remained with his parents thirty years, having a very limited education, his entire school-life not exceeding three months. In
500
HARRISON COUNTY.
October, 1861, he enlisted in the Union army, Company G, Twenty- third Missouri Volunteer Infantry, operating in Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. He took part in the engagement at Shiloh, where he was captured, and taken to Montgomery, Ala., and Macon, Ga., and held as a prisoner until October, 1862, when he rejoined his command, accompanying Sherman all through the Georgia and Atlanta campaigns to the coast, where he was discharged after four years' service. The same year he was married to Miss Susan F., daughter of Thomas P. and Susanna Shumard, who were natives of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, though Mrs. Buntin was born in Ohio, and accompanied her parents to Missouri in 1855. This union has resulted in five children: Lulu Bessie (wife of Utus Cord), Eaton, Ed- ward Roy, Robert H. E., Laura Anna and Arthur Estus. Mr. Buntin now resides near Brooklyn, where he has a finely improved farm of 160 acres, and twenty acres of timber. Politically he is a Republican, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Buntin has always taken a great interest in all educational enter- prises, and in the general welfare of the community, and is honored and respected by all who know him.
B. F. Burns is a son of Tarrance and Catherine (Jackson) Burns, and was born in Harrison County, Ky., in 1820, being one of a family of twelve children, seven of whom are living. After his marriage the father moved to Nashville, where he worked at his trade, that of brick- laying. While there he built a house for Gen. Jackson. He after- ward lived in Kentucky, and then moved to Jefferson County, Ind., where he lost his wife, and was married, a second time, to Mrs. Sarah Sharp, a widow. His death occurred in that county. B. F. Burns passed his early youth upon his father's farm in Harrison County, Ky., and Jefferson County, Ind., and at the age of nineteen began life for him- self as a farm laborer. For three years he worked for his brother-in- law, at $4 per month, and at the age of twenty-two married Miss Elizabeth Chambers, daughter of John Chambers, of Decatur County, Ind., after which he engaged in farming in that county three years. In 1844 he immigrated to Mercer County, Mo., and five years later came to Harrison County. He then made an overland trip to Cali- fornia, and spent three years there profitably, after which he returned home by water, where he has since resided. During the war he enlisted in Company E, Third Missouri State Militia Cavalry, serving under Col. King, a son of Gov. King. He fought Gen. Marmaduke's troops at Springfield, and was captured at Neosho. He was afterward paroled, but obliged to take up arms again. After the war he resumed
501
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
his farming, and is now the owner of a small but finely improved farm, upon which he has erected good buildings, etc. Mr. Burns lost his wife in Harrison County, by whom he had eight children, three of whom are living: Sarah E., Amanda J. and Elizabeth. Three years after the death of his first wife Mr. Burns married Rebecca J. (Barnes) Howard, who had one child by her first marriage-John B. Howard. Mr. and Mrs. Burns are members of the Baptist Church, as was also the first wife of Mr. Burns. He is a Republican, and a member of the G. A. R.
George Burris is the third of five boys, and the youngest child but two of a family of five sons and four daughters born to George and Lydia (Ewing) Burris, and is a native of Jackson County, Ohio, born in 1825. The father was born in Patrick County, Va., in 1791, and the mother in Greenbrier County, Va. They were of German and Irish descent, respectively. When children, they both came to Ohio while it was yet a territory, and were married in Gallia County, but located afterward in Jackson County. The father was a soldier in the War of 1812, was twice a representative of his county, and served as associate judge fourteen years, besides filling several minor offices. Both himself and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1857 they came to Harrison County, Mo., where they lived until the ages of eighty-two and eighty-one, respectively, and where they are now buried. During the Rebellion Mr. Burris served as major in a company of militia in the Union army. George Burris, the subject of this sketch, was reared upon a farm, and received but a limited education. In 1847 he married Weltha Durkee, a native of Vermont, who survived her marriage but a few months. In 1851 he wedded Elizabeth Henry, a native of Carroll County, Ohio, by whom he has had ten children: Franklin P., Weltha E., Sarah C., Lydia E., Mary A., Cora B., Susie, Warren (deceased), George Elwell (deceased) and Lydia J. (deceased). Since coming to Harrison County, Mo., Mr. Burris has successfully engaged in farming and stock raising, and the greater part of his property is the result of his own labor, good management and business ability. His farm is one of the finest in the county, and contains about 1,300 acres. Mr. Burris is a well-known Democrat in this section of the country, and for about twelve years served as justice of the peace, and was twice appointed and twice elected as county judge. In 1883-84 he was elected representative of his county, by the Democratic party, against Gen. Prentiss, and in a county strongly Republican. Both himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
502
HARRISON COUNTY.
E. B. Bush, M. D., was born in Barren County, Ky., in the year 1809, and is a son of William T. and Sarah (Mathews) Bush, both natives of Virginia, who accompanied their parents to Kentucky when quite small, and were there reared and married. In 1834 they removed to Sangamon County, Ill., where the father followed his occupation as merchant, and shortly afterward died, the death of his widow occurring some time later. The Doctor received a common-school education; at the age of sixteen commenced the study of medicine, and at twenty- one began to practice his profession. About 1828 he went to the lead mines of Wisconsin, remaining in the Northwest till 1849, when he went to California and Oregon, returning in 1852 to Iowa, and just prior to the war went to Harrison County, locating in Union Township, which he has since made his home. On his arrival in Harrison County, the Doctor erected a steam flouring and saw mill, which he managed for several years, intending to give up the practice of medi- cine, but was compelled by the appeals of his friends to return to the same, and has since made that his chief business, being one of the most successful physicians in the county. He was married in 1869 to Miss Mary Ray, and as a result of this union there are eight chil- dren, five of whom are living: E. B. Bush, Christopher S., Flora Belle, Pleasant B. and Willis M. The Doctor experienced a great loss in the death of his wife, March 12, 1883. Politically, he was formerly a Whig, and cast his first vote for Harrison, but since 1860 has been a Democrat. He is a Mason and a member of the I. O. O. F., and is connected with the Christian Church, as was also his wife. The Doctor has always been a very industrious man, and as a result of his good management has a fine farm of 300 acres. Always an earnest worker in the cause of education, and for the public welfare, he is everywhere recognized as one of the foremost citizens of the county.
A. J. Bush was born in Jasper County, Ill., July 9, 1848, and is a son of W. S. J. and Eleanor (Day) Bush. The former was of French descent and the latter a native of North Carolina. They were married in Jasper County, Ill., whither they had accompanied their parents when young, and there lived until 1853. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The father was a cabinet-maker by trade, but made farming his principal occupation. Being fond of hunting he immigrated to Mercer County, Mo., in June, 1853, and two years later came to Harrison County, where he improved a farm, upon which he lived until 1863. He then sold it and moved upon the land where A. J. now lives, upon which he died February 14, 1869. In politics he was once a Whig but afterward a Repub-
503
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
lican. A. J. is one of eight children, four of whom are now living. After his father's death himself and brother, Frank P., managed the farm for their mother. He began life for himself when of age with no worldly goods save a colt which his mother had given him. Upon the division of his father's property he became the owner of the old homestead upon which he has since lived. He now owns 238 acres of well stocked and improved land, and is a successful farmer. December 14, 1871, he married Letitia Jacobs, by whom he had one child (William W.), and who died February 26, 1875. February 7, 1878, he married Miss Mary L. Leazen, which marriage has been blessed with two children, Josie Lee and Claudie Belle. Mr. and Mrs. Bush are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the former is a Republican in politics.
J. C. Cain was born November 2, 1865, and is a son of Peter and Missouri A. Mullins, natives of Kentucky. The father came to Mis- souri when there were but two or three houses in Princeton, and once owned the land where Princeton is now built. He donated the prop- erty for the depot there, and assisted in organizing Mercer County. He served twice as sheriff and once as judge of the county, and was one of the most influential citizens of the locality. To himself and wife eleven children were born, seven of whom are living: Mary, Rebecca, Sarah, Jonathan, J. C., David and Rose. Mr. Peter Cain was a Democrat in politics, and one of the enterprising and public-spirited men of his county. His death occurred in 1874, and his wealth at this time was estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000. J. C. was reared upon his father's farm, and after attending the district schools in the neighborhood attended Wheaton College, near Chicago, Ill., and upon graduating from the preparatory department of same studied the higher branches another year. He has now been engaged in the grocery business under the firm name of C. B. Woodward & Co., for over a year, and is also the owner of a fine farm in Harrison County, containing over 800 acres of well-stocked and improved land.
W. W. Campbell, of the firm of Opdyke & Campbell, millers at Ridgeway, Mo., was born November 25, 1834, in Washington County, Penn., and moved to Jackson County, Ohio, with his parents when about seven years old. He made that county his home until 1872, and then removed to the locality where he has since resided. He was reared upon a farm, and when sixteen began life for himself, so that his property is the result of his own industry, good management and business ability. His principal occupation has been that of farm- ing, and he is the owner of 160 acres of well-improved land, besides
504
HARRISON COUNTY.
owning a half interest in a mill at Ridgeway. December 25, 1862, he was united in marriage with Miss Clarinda Harrel, daughter of Daniel and Melinda (Dawson) Harrel, natives of Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Campbell the following children have been born: Poston, Lee, Francis, Harry, Lancelot, Florence, Myrtle and Lola Mabel. £ Both Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are church members. Mr. Campbell is a Democrat in politics. He is the youngest of five children of Samuel and Rachel (Cole) Campbell, natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland. For several years the father served as justice of the peace, and he was a son of Lancelot and Margaret Campbell. Mrs. Rachel Campbell was a daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Hunter) Cole, natives possibly of Maryland.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.