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 66
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 66
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following children: George W .; Lucy, wife of Ambrose Evans; Celia A., wife of Jeremiah Adkins; Thomas J .; David H .; James M. ; Nancy J., wife of Samuel McBee; Leander M .; Rhoda L., wife of John W. Newton; Susan Alice, William J., Zerilda and Sallie. Since coming to Missouri Mr. Booth has always been a resident of Mercer County, and in 1853 he settled upon his present place which contains 365 acres, 218 acres being in Harrison County. He is a highly respected citizen of Mercer County, where he is naturally well known, and himself and family are active members of the Christian Church, of which he has been an elder for years. He is conservative in politics, and holds principles above party affiliations, but previous to the war was a Whig.
Rush Bowsher, proprietor of a livery, feed and sale stable, com- menced business in 1866 in partnership with his brother, Robert, they being the owners of the first livery stable in Princeton. After being in business a year, from 1867 to 1869 was passed out of business, but they then resumed the same vocation, and the firm was known as Bowsher Bros. until 1879. Rush then bought his brother's inter- est, and, with the exception of six months during 1885, has since been the sole proprietor of the business. The present stable was erected in 1875 at a cost of $2,200, and Mr. Bowsher now keeps from twelve to eighteen horses, six buggies, two carriages, one hack and three spring wagons, his stable being first-class in every respect. He strives to meet the wants of the traveling public, and meets all trains in every part of the town with his conveyances. He was born in Wyandot County, Ohio, in 1844, and is a son of George and Rebecca (Van Trump) Bowsher. The father was of German descent, and born in Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1810, where he resided until his death in 1878. The mother was of Holland-Dutch origin, born in Hardin County, Ohio, in 1812, and died in July, 1882, at Princeton, whither she had come in 1879. She was the mother of ten children, of whom Rush is the fifth. He was educated in his native State, and made his home with his parents, employed upon the farm, until twenty-one years of age. He then lived two years in Mercer County, Mo., after which he returned to Ohio. After a short time he again came to Princeton, and in 1886 re-embarked in the above described business. In October, 1872, he married Miss Rebecca A. Evans, who was born in Williams County, Ohio, in 1846. To this union three children were born: Fannie, deceased; Nellie and Carrie. Mrs. Bowsher died on' October 15, 1878, and October 20, 1885, Mr. Bowsher was united in marriage with Elizabeth Moore, a native of Cass County, Mich.,
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born in 1851. During the war he responded to the last call made for troops, and served six weeks in Company A, One Hundred and Ninety- eighth Ohio Volunteer Regiment. He is a stanch Republican in pol- itics, and his first presidential vote was cast for U. S. Grant in 1868. In 1885 he was elected alderman of Princeton by his party, and served so efficiently that in 1887 he received a re-election.
Henry Clay Bowsher is a son of George and Rebecca (Van Trump) Bowsher, natives of Ohio, and was born in Wyandot County, Ohio, June 11, 1850. His father was an early settler of Ohio, and a suc- cessful farmer citizen, whose death occurred in 1882. The mother died in Princeton, Mo., in 1884, and was the mother of the following children: Robert, Emi, Rush, Emanuel, Henry Clay, Mariah (wife of Samuel Straw), Princess (deceased wife of William White). Two died in early childhood. Henry Clay was reared to manhood upon the farm in his native State, and during his youth received a good common- school education. He came to Missouri with his elder brother Robert, in 1869, and clerked nine years for Henry Cadle in the lumber busi- ness at Princetown. In 1879 he embarked in the grain business with Mr. Cadle, three years later adding agricultural implements to the business, and still later adding a general line of tinware, hardware, etc. Since 1884 Mr. Bowsher has been the sole proprietor of the above described business, and has met with good and well deserved success. He was united in marriage with Anna J. Collins, a native of Logan County, Ohio, by whom he has three children: Hortense, Angie and Eugenia. In politics Mr. Bowsher is a Republican, and in creed himself and wife are Baptists. He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and one of the respected citizens of the neighborhood in which he lives.
William J. Boyle was born in Linn County, Mo., August 11, 1842, and is a son of Stephen A. and Mary Ann (Wilkerson) Boyle. The father was born in Kentucky, in 1814, and accompanied his parents to Missouri, where they located upon a farm in Linn County. Here he was afterward married, and followed farming until about 1844, when he removed to Washington Township, Mercer Co., Mo., and settled upon a farm there. He is now a resident of Medicine Township, Mercer County. His wife was a native of Virginia, and died in Mercer County, Mo., in 1886. William J. lived with his father until he went to fight for his country in August, 1861. He then enlisted in the Second Missouri Cavalry, under Col. Merrill, and served until the fall of 1865, during which time he participated in several important battles, such as Brownsville, Ark .; Little Rock, Ark .; Independence, Mo., and several skirmishes. At the close of
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the war he returned to his home in Mercer County. He was married January 28, 1866, to Nancy E. Hamilton, daughter of Pleasant Hamilton, a native of Illinois, but at present a farmer of Mercer County. This union was blessed with fourteen children, of whom twelve are living: Thomas S., James L., Samuel M., Joseph F., John F., Robert W., Though, William E., Martha F., Tennie, Ste- phen P. and an infant. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Boyle began life as an independent farmer, and is now the owner of 218 acres of land, all fenced and well improved. His farm is ably man- aged by his sons while he himself is engaged in the mercantile busi- ness at Topsy, where he carries a good stock of general merchandise. He is a Republican, and the postmaster of Topsy, but does not aspire to further political honors. He is a member of the G. A. R., and one of the enterprising and respected citizens of his county.
John W. Boyd was born in Mercer County in 1848, and is a son of James and Julian (Adair) Boyd. The father was of Irish descent, and born in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1819. When a boy he accom- panied his parents to Bloomington, Ill., but upon reaching manhood returned to his native State and located in Madison County. In 1841 he married, and in 1845 moved to Iowa. Two years later he came to Mercer County, Mo., and located in Washington Township, but in 1881 moved to Princeton, where he now lives a retired life. His life occupation has been that of farming, and he became the owner of 400 acres of land and is recognized as one of Mercer County's suc- cessful citizens. His wife was born in 1819, in Madison County, Ohio, and is also living. John W. is the third of a family of seven children, and during his youth received a common-school education. He made his home with his parents until twenty-five years of age, and April 6, 1873, he married Miss Sarah Jane, daughter of James and Jennie Girdner. Mrs. Boyd was born in Mercer County, in 1853, and is the mother of two children: Ella May and Fred Eugene. After his marriage Mr. Boyd settled near the old home place in Washington Township, and in 1876 located where he now resides. His farm is the old homestead of James Girdner, and one of the first farms settled upon in Mercer County. Mr. Boyd is a successful farmer, owning 460 acres of good land, and is considered one of the well-to-do citizens of the county. In politics he is a Republican, and his first presidential vote was cast for U. S. Grant in 1872. He is highly respected and esteemed in the community in which he lives, and is a member of the A. O. U. W., Lodge No. 83, at Princeton.
Richard Brantley was born in Morgan County, Ind., December 27
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1837, and is a son of William and Mahala (Page) Brantley. The father was born in North Carolina, July 2, 1805, and is now a resident of Mercer County, Mo. When a young man he left home in search of his fortune with nothing but the clothes he wore and a little money, and walked to Morgan County, Ind. There he remained and married. In June, 1856, he came to Mercer County, where he has since lived. Farming and stock raising have been his life-long occupations. Mahala (Page) Brantley was born in Virginia, in 1815, and has been a life-long member of the Christian Church. Ten children were born to them, all of whom lived to maturity, although but eight survive. Our subject is the second, and received his education at the primitive log schoolhouses in Indiana. He accompanied his parents when they came to Missouri, and remained with them about three years. He then married Rachel Ann Gunter, daughter of Thomas Gunter, and a native of Putnam County, Ind., born November 20, 1840. This union has been blessed with twelve children, only seven of whom are living: Leander, Evangeline, Mary Ellen, Alice, Dorothy, Lorren and Harley B. Those deceased are Leroy, Eegada, Ruth, Thomas and William. After his marriage Mr. Brantley began to farm and deal in stock, and such has been his success that he is now the owner of 475 acres of land, which, under his care, has been finely improved. Mrs. Brantley is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Brantley has always voted the Republican ticket, and during the war was called an Abolitionist. He served some time in the State Militia. In 1880 he was elected judge of District No. 2, and served two terms with general satisfaction. He has held several minor offices, and for twenty years was a school director. He is always interested in educational projects, and enjoys the respect of the community in which he lives.
Jordan Brantley is a native of Putnam County, Ind., and was born November 29, 1846, and is a son of William and Mahala (Page) Brantley [see sketch of Richard Brantley]. He remained at home until nearly eighteen years of age, when he enlisted in the Forty- fourth Missouri Infantry, and served until the close of the war, eleven months and twenty-one days in all. He then returned to Mercer County, Mo., and immediately engaged in farming. He is now the owner of a farm containing 400 acres of well cultivated and improved land, upon which he is engaged in farming and stock raising, making a specialty of fine horses. August 23, 1864, previous to his enlistment, he married Elizabeth J. Gregory, of Mercer County, a daughter of Elijah and Alice Gregory. Mrs. Brantley was born in Livingston County, Mo., in 1842, and is the mother of a fine family
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of six children: Luther P., Emma F. (wife of James Powell), Addie B., Susan Alta, Cora Alice and Lettie May. Mr. Brantley is iden- tified with the Republican party, of which he is a stanch supporter, although he has never sought nor held office. He is a public spirited citizen, and is always interested in enterprises to promote the general welfare of the county. Himself and wife are connected with the Christian Church, and are well respected residents of Ravanna Town- ship.
John Brantley, treasurer of Mercer County, was born in Morgan County, Ind., January 3, 1852, and at the age of four was brought by his parents to Mercer County, Mo. His father, William, was born in North Carolina, July 2, 1805, and at the age of twenty-eight moved to Indiana, where he married Mahala Page, a native of Vir- ginia, by whom six sons and four daughters were born, all of whom were reared to maturity and one of each now deceased. After com- ing to Missouri they located in the eastern part of Mercer County, where John Brantley was reared upon a farm. His paternal grand- father, Henry B., was a native of England, and after coming to America located in North Carolina, where he reared his family, and passed the remainder of his days. John Brantley was married in 1870, to Melissa J. (Evans) Brantley, a native of Decatur County, Ind., by whom three children were born: Charlie A., a youth of much promise died in his seventeenth year; Henry C., and Leo M., a bright boy who died when twelve years old. After his marriage Mr. Brantley was engaged in agricultural pursuits until the fall of 1881, at which time he engaged in the dry goods business. He was elected to his present position in the fall of 1884, and took charge of the office January 1, 1885, and served with so much credit and fidelity that the following year he was elected without opposition. Mr. Brantley and family are united with the Christian Church.
George M. Bristow, M. D., was born in Macon County, Mo., February 13, 1855, and is a son of Wesley O. and Sarah E. (Cherry) Bristow, natives of Kentucky and Illinois, respectively. The father came to Missouri in 1836, and located upon a farm in Macon County where he has since resided, and is now living a retired life upon a modest but comfortable competency. The mother died February 13, 1857, and bore her husband five sons and seven daughters. Two of the daughters are deceased; two married daughters reside in Oregon; two, Mrs. E. C. Shane and Mrs. D. H. Cornelius, reside in Kirks- ville; three brothers, William W. (formerly a prominent citizen of Mercer County), James J. and Henry T., reside in Oregon, and the
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remainder of the family live in Macon County, Mo. George M. lived upon his father's farm until fourteen years of age, and then attended the State Normal School at Kirksville two years. He then taught school in order to accumulate means to complete his educa- tion, and in 1873-74 attended school at Princeton. In 1875 he taught school in Mercer County, and having read medicine some, with a view to adopting it as a profession, he entered the college of physicians and surgeons at Keokuk, in 1875, and graduated from there in 1877. He then practiced his profession in his native county four years, and again attended college. In 1881 he graduated from the Louisville, Ky., Medical College, and came to Princeton, where he has met with good and merited success in the practice of medicine. He is one of the prominent physicians and surgeons of the county, a member of the Grand River Medical Society, the Mercer County Society, is surgeon for the Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and a member of the United States Board of Pension Examiners. Decem- ber, 1886, he married Miss Jessie F. Trapp, a native of Mercer County, Mo. In politics the Doctor is a Republican, and in creed a believer in the doctrines of the Christian Church. He is a member of the Encampment of the I. O. O. F.
James R. Brown, probate judge of Mercer County, was born in Brown County, Ohio, October 20, 1843, and is the son of Anthony and Orpha (Crawford) Brown, natives of Pennsylvania. The father died when James was a small boy, leaving a widow and two sons- Nevel and James-who moved to Hancock County, Ind., in 1852, where the mother afterward married Lemuel Wilkinson. They then resided upon a farm in that county until 1867, when they immigrated to Missouri, and located upon a farm in Putnam County, where the mother still lives. James R. was reared upon a farm, and during his youthful days received a good English education. Upon the breaking out of the war he enlisted, at the age of eighteen, in Company B, Ninety-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private. He was after- ward made a non-commissioned officer, and, near the close of the war, became second lieutenant, which office he was filling when mustered out. At Dallas, Ga., May 28, 1864, he was seriously wounded, and for
some time classed among the mortally wounded. He accompanied his mother to Missouri in 1867, and engaged in farming and school teach- ing for about six years. He now owns a farm of cultivated land in the best farming region of Mercer County, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1886 he was elected by the Republican party to the office of probate judge, and is now discharging the duties of that office
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of public trust in a manner creditable to himself and party. August 30, 1866, he married Martha J. Russell, a native of Hamilton County, Ohio, and of this union there are four living children: Laura J., William P., James A. G. and Myrtle A. Judge Brown is a member of the G. A. R., and recognized as one of the prominent and success- ful citizens of the county.
Wilbur F. Buren, M. D., of Princeton, Mo., was born in Daviess County, Mo., January 22, 1841, and is a son of John J. and Cosby (Peery) Buren, natives of Tennessee and Virginia, respectively. The father came to Missouri as early as 1835, and was for many years a well-known preacher and circuit rider in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1840 he removed from Jefferson, Mo., to Daviess County. In 1849 he was appointed to the St. Louis District, and was presiding elder in St. Louis four years. He later moved to Grundy County, where his wife's relations resided, and where he had charge of the Grand River District until his death, which occurred December 21, 1852, in his forty-fifth year. The mother died in Princeton in 1874. The following children were born to them: James P., deceased, who was a Methodist Episcopal minister; Fielding P., of Brookfield, Mo .; Alvin B., of Trenton, Mo .; Wilbur F .; Melville C .; Culling E .; John O .; Sarah M., wife of James Wyrne, of Daviess County, Mo .; Emily L., wife of Thomas Woodard, of Princeton, and Cynthia A., wife of Col. W. B. Rodgers, of Trenton. Wilbur F. spent his early life upon his father's farm, and was educated at the Grand River College, Edinburgh, Mo. In 1863 he began the study of medicine, reading with Dr. John Cullers, of Grundy County, and later attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, from which institution he graduated in 1867. He began his practice in Grundy County, but soon came to Mercer County (1867), and practiced at Goshen until 1874. He then located in Princeton, practiced his pro- fession two years, and then engaged in the drug business, in which he has met with success. He owns the brick block in which his drug store is located, and built the Buren Block, in 1875, which adjoins his' store on the east, and is a handsome two-story brick block, and one of the best structures in the town. He is an enterprising business man, a member of the firm of Hill & Buren, dry goods dealers, and a stock- holder and director of the Mercer County Bank. November 1, 1867, he married Sarah M., daughter of the late Dr. John Cullers, his for- mer medical preceptor. Dr. and Mrs. Buren have five children: Anna M., Maggie W., Charles R., John Roy and Lela L. The Doctor has always been a stanch Republican, and being a strong Union man
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during the war he enlisted and served in the State Militia during 1861-63. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and has passed all the chairs in the local lodge. He belongs to the I. O. O. F., and is a Select Knight of the A. O. U. W.
C. E. Buren was born in Daviess County, Mo., in 1847, and is a son of John J. and Cosby (Peery) Buren. The father was of German descent, and born December 31, 1807. He was a minister by profes- sion, and, when married, lived in Virginia. In 1835 he moved to Washington County, and in 1843 to Daviess County, Mo. In 1847 he moved to St. Louis County, and December 21, 1852, died in Grundy County, where he had lived but a short time. He had been in the ministry since seventeen years of age, first officiating as a circuit rider, and at the time of his death was the presiding elder of Grand River District. He preached in St. Louis four years, and devoted his life to his ministerial duties. He was an active anti-slavery man, and upon the division of the Methodist Church became a firm adherent of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The mother was of Welsh and English descent, and was born in Tazewell County, Va., in 1809. She was the mother of ten children (nine of whom are living), and died in 1885. C. E. Buren was educated in Grundy County, at Grand River College, and at the youthful age of fifteen enlisted in Company K, First Missouri State Militia, and after his discharge at the expira- tion of a year, enlisted in Company D, Forty-fourth Missouri Volun- teer Infantry, in which he also served one year. He was in the battles of Gulf Campaign, Franklin, thirteen days in the siege of Mobile, and was discharged at Benton Barracks in 1865. In 1867, when but twenty years old, he began to teach school, which he continued five years, his work being in Daviess, Harrison, Grundy and Mercer Counties. For two terms he was principal of the high school at Princeton. In 1873 he became the editor of the Princeton Advance, which he conducted one year, and then engaged in mercantile life in Princeton until 1881. He then sold out his business, and bought 400 acres where he now lives, but has since added to his original purchase, until he now owns 800 acres of land, upon which he is engaged in farming and stock raising. September 28, 1871, he married Miss Sarah E. Cain, daughter of Peter and M. A. (Mullins) Cain. Mrs. Buren was born in Mercer County in 1852, and is the mother of the following children: Elmer, Effie, Frank, Donnie, Blanche and Laura. Mr. Buren is an active Republican, and cast his first presidential vote for Grant.
Joseph H. Burrows, one of the best known and truly representa-
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tive citizens of this portion of Missouri, is a native of Manchester, England, where he was born May 15, 1840, the son of Thomas and Mary Burrows, whose maiden name was Pendlington. In 1842 the parents with their family of four sons, James, William, Joseph H. and Charles, decided to immigrate to America, but before leaving England James died, and in coming to this country the mother's death occurred while en route up the Mississippi; she was buried near Wellington's Landing, in Louisiana, and with her, the youngest child, Charles. In 1851 the father and William died, and Joseph H. was then left alone in the world, though subsequently being cared for by his uncle, James Burrows, who, in company with Thomas, had become early settlers in Keokuk, Iowa, where they built the first brick house in that now flourishing city. Some time after his father's death Joseph H. made his home in Quincy, Ill., with another uncle by the name of William Presley, and there attended school two years, returning, later, to Keokuk, where his time was divided between attending school during the winter, and working in his uncle's brick yards during the summer seasons, until the fall of 1856; in that year he began his mercantile experience as clerk, a position in which he continued for some three years. In 1858 he went to St. Louis, but remained there only a short time, afterward devoting him- self assiduously to the acquirement of a thorough education. Going to Centreville, Iowa, in 1859, he was engaged as salesman in a general mercantile store. January 24, 1860, he was married to Miss Louise A. Wittenmyer, daughter of his employer. She died Febru- ary 14, 1862, at St. John, Mo., whither he had become engaged in business in 1861, with his brother-in-law, W. H. Young. Six months after the death of his wife Mr. Burrows removed to Cains- ville, where he has since made his home-a substantial, respected citi- zen of the place. November 16, 1862, he took for his second wife Miss Mary A. Shaw, originally from New York, though reared in Wis- consin. In 1860 Mr. Burrows became actively interested in political affairs, the cause of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas for President in that year receiving his hearty and unqualified support. Though not then a voter, he took active part in the canvass, making several political speeches, and engaging in occasional debates during that campaign. At the outbreak of the Civil War he warmly espoused the cause of the Union, and cast his first vote for President for Abraham Lincoln, in 1864. In 1878, however, he cast his suffrages for Greenback con- gressmen and State officials, and for the People's candidates for county officers. In 1870 he was nominated and elected a representa-
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tive to the State Legislature, against two powerful opponents-a high compliment to his popularity and ability, as well as to the judgment and wisdom manifested by those who placed him in the position. In January, 1871, he took his seat in the Twenty-sixth General Assembly, was made a member of several important committees, and the next term was elected his own successor, and also in 1878. At the close of this last session it was his sincere desire to retire from political life that he might better attend to the carrying on of his private business and ministerial work, for in 1867 he had been regularly ordained a minister of the Baptist Church. Notwithstanding his refusal to have his name used as a candidate he was, August 17, 1880, nominated for representative to the XLVII Congress on the Greenback-Labor ticket, upon which he began active canvass in the district. The following election he was elected over a popular opponent, Col. C. H. Mansur. Mr. Burrows is a fluent and ready speaker, and ever ready to maintain the principles which he advocates. He is opposed to monopolies of any kind, acts independently of party, and believes in voting for a measure purely on its merits. He has always been a stanch temperance man, and while in the Legislature, introduced more bills for the restriction of the sale of intoxicants, than all the other members combined. Among other measures which he introduced was a civil damage law; he also introduced the first township organization bill, and was a prominent member of the committee in the Thirtieth General Assembly which remodeled the law, and made it as it now stands. While in Congress his was one of the first bills introduced for a reduction of letter postage to two cents, and for the issuing of a two-cent postal card, with three times the writing space of the present card. Some ten or twelve other bills, equally important, were introduced by him, and he served on three standing committees-a committee on pensions, for Mississippi River improvement, and on the Interior Department. His entire career was marked by an earnest, candid effort to serve his constituents. In
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