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 70
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 70
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Willard P. Hall Hart, farmer and stock raiser of Harrison Town- ship, Section 13, Township 65, Range 25, was born February 14, 1846,
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one-half mile from his present residence. He is the fifth of a family of eight children born to William Morgan and Rebecca (Hart) Hart, [see sketch of Franklin B. Hart] and was educated at the home school in Warren County, Iowa. He remained with his parents until twenty- three years of age. In 1862 he went to Warren County, Iowa, and farmed three years, after which he returned to his native State and county. December 20, 1880 he married Miss Mary Walter, daughter of John and Eliza (Hart) Walter, and a native of Whitley County, Ky., born in 1860. Mrs. Hart was the mother of two children-Edna E. and William R. M .- and died in January, 1880, since which time Mr. Hart has lived with his mother. Mrs. Hart was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hart is a successful farmer, and the owner of 320 acres of good land. In politics he is a Democrat.
Travis F. Hensley, prominently identified with the business affairs of this portion of the State, is deserving of more than passing mention in any worthy history of the affairs of Mercer County. Still a young man, comparatively, and at present occupied in a calling which necessitates his absence from home the greater part of the time, his career for some years past has been too closely interwoven with the interests of the county to allow omission of a short sketch of his life from this work. Born near Normanda, Tipton Co., Ind., September 21, 1851, he was the son of Charles C. and Eliza A. Hensley, both of American nativity. His boyhood days were passed in attending to the duties of farm life, and during his spare time in attending school, where he acquired a common English education, supplementing the same, however, in later days, by self application and close observa- tion. In 1868 he accompanied his father's family to Missouri, set- tling in Daviess County, near Bancroft, where the parents still make their home. Leaving the parental roof in 1871 he entered into pro- fessional life as a teacher. In September, 1876, he became a student of Grand River College, of Edinburg, Mo., pursuing his studies with such assiduity that he completed a three-years' course of instruction in that institution in two years. He now resumed teaching, for which his scholastic experience had well qualified him, but at the same time turned his attention to the study of law, and entered upon a course of reading under the careful guidance of Hon. D. J. Heaston, of Beth- any. These pursuits occupied his time and consideration until Jan- uary 1, 1880, when he purchased the Advance printing office and established the People's Press, of Princeton, which paper he continued to edit, at the same time carrying on his legal studies with Capt. H. J. Alley, of Princeton. In March, 1884, he was admitted to the bar,
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and licensed to engage actively in the practice of his chosen profession. Mr. Hensley had been known during these years as a stanch Demo- crat, and in October, 1885, his services in behalf of that party and his eminent qualifications for the position were recognized by his appoint- ment as special examiner of the United States Pension Bureau, the duties of which he is still discharging. On Christmas day, 1873, he mar- ried Miss Mary E. Mullen, daughter of James and Permelia Mullen, of Harrison County, Mo. Their married life was begun in a humble, eco- nomic manner, and for the first few years they were compelled to husband their resources; as expressed in Mr. Hensley's own words: "When we began business our capital stock consisted of contentment, two pairs of willing hands and a determination to succeed; we have declared substan- tial dividends, and still have the capital stock unimpaired." Two children have blessed their union: Claudie E., born April 8, 1876, and Frank, born October 3, 1877. Since January 1, 1887, Mr. Hensley's brother, Charles B., has shared with Mrs. Hensley in the responsibilities con- nected with the publication of the paper. The latter has been associated with the People's Press since its organization, first as compositor, then as local writer, and during the first two years of her husband's official life became editor and manager, developing into a writer of no incon- siderable ability. The paper is a warm advocate of the Democratic party, and a faithful exponent of the principles of that body. Mrs. Hensley is a prominent and active member of the Christian Church, and Mr. Hensley is one of its liberal supporters. He is ever ready to uphold and second any and every enterprise tending to the advance- ment of his county, and has never failed to assist in promoting her material prosperity.
John M. Higgins was born May 31, 1843, in Laurel County, Ky., and is the second of nine children (eight now living) born to William and Sarah P. (Owen) Higgins. The parents lived in their native State, Kentucky, until 1854, and in the spring of that year immigrated to Missouri, and settled upon the farm now owned by Lewis Smith and William Griffith, which is situated in the northwest corner of Washing- ton Township, Mercer County. There the father died in 1858, after which the mother resided there until 1865. Her children then being grown she lived with her father, John Owen, three years, and then moved upon a farm in Morgan Township, where she still resides. The father engaged in farming all his life. John M. received a com- mon-school education in his native county, and in Mercer County. August 12, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Fifth Kansas Cavalry, at Modena, and immediately proceeded with his regiment to the field of
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action. He participated in the battles of Helena, Little Rock, Oak- land (Miss.), Pine Bluff, and many skirmishes, and after remaining in service until September 12, 1864, had participated in thirty-six regu- lar engagements. After his discharge he returned home, and about a year later settled upon a farm he had purchased, and where he has since resided. He was married September 24, 1865, to Ann S., daughter of Joseph and Fanny (Prichett) Moss, born March 22, 1845, in Mercer County. This union has been blessed with ten children, the following now living: Ida May and Addie Belle (twins), Joseph, Luther, Douglas, Eddie, Fanny, Mollie and Dick. Although Mr.
Higgins began life for himself at the age of eighteen without any money, by the aid of health and a determination to succeed, although still a young man, he is the owner of 400 acres of well-improved and cultivated land, and is a well-to-do and prosperous farmer and stock raiser of Mercer County. He is a Republican, a member of Mer- cer County Lodge, No. 35, A. F. & A. M., and himself and wife belong to the Christian Church.
James Holt was born in Moniteau County, Mo., April 17, 1842, and is a son of Levi and Minerva (Williams) Holt. The father was born in Kentucky, in 1818, and died in Mercer County, in 1861, dur- ing the month of August. He moved from his native State to Moni- teau County, Mo., when a young man, and was there married. He. moved to Mercer County when our subject was but six years old, and remained there until his death. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser, and died in the prime of life in the midst of his prosperity. The mother was born in Tennessee, in 1816, and now makes her home with her children in Mercer and Sullivan Counties. She is a member of the Baptist Church, and Mr. Holt was identified with the Christian. After his death Mrs. Holt married John Scott (now deceased). To her first marriage seven children were born, of whom five are living. James is the eldest child, and was educated at the common schools of Mercer County during his youth, but since arriving at maturity, by reading and observation, has become a well-informed man. After his father's death he assumed the management of the farm until the second marriage of his mother. In 1861 he was united in marriage to Nancy J. Brantley, daughter of William and Mahala Brantley, and a native of Morgan County, Ind., born June 12, 1844. She was the mother of three children, two now living, W. F. and Permelia (Ellen, deceased), and died in Mercer County, August 22, 1866. The same year Mr. Holt married a sister, Permelia, of his first wife, who is also a native of Morgan County, Ind. This union has been blessed with
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two children: Le Roy and Laura J. In 1840 Mr. Holt moved upon the farm he now owns, and, although he began life poor, he is now the owner of 1,000 acres of well-improved and cultivated land. He has just completed a handsome residence, and part of his land includes the old homestead. Himself and wife are members of the Christian Church (as was also his first wife), and are among the highly respected citizens of the county. Mr. Holt is an active and enterprising citizen, and a good farmer and stock raiser, the latter being his specialty, as he deals extensively in stock of all kinds, with the exception of sheep. He is a Mason and a Democrat.
W. F. Holt, grocer, and dealer in glassware, queensware, hard- ware, etc., formed a partnership with Edward Evans October 1, 1885, and remained in business with him until April 27, 1887, since which time he has been the sole proprietor of the establishment. He was born in Mercer County, January 18, 1864, and has always resided in his native county. He lived upon a farm until the winter of 1884-85, when he engaged in the mercantile business at Newtown, which is situated upon the line of Putnam and Sullivan Counties. He was burned out a few months later, and then the firm of Evans & Holt was formed. In 1885 he was married to Fannie Jones, a native of Sullivan County, by whom one daughter, Esther Cloe, was born. Mr. Holt is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to the Christian Church. His early ancestors were English, and his pater- nal great-grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812, and died in Mercer County, Mo., in 1886, aged one hundred and three years, Mercer and Putnam Counties thereby losing one of their oldest settlers. The paternal grandfather, Levi, was a native of Missouri, and died in Mercer County. James, the father, was born in Moniteau County, Mo., in 1844, and since childhood has been a resident of Mercer County. His wife, and the mother of our subject, Jane (Brantley) Holt, was a native of Indiana, and after her decease Mr. Holt married her sister, Permelia, by whom one son and one daughter have been born. W. F. Holt is one of two sons.
William Houser was born in Wayne County, Ohio, May 14, 1829, and is a son of Philip Houser, who was born in Pennsylvania. He came to Ohio at an early date, and located in Wayne County, from where he moved to Putnam County, Ill., and located in Snatchwine. He remained at the latter place about seven years, and then came to Mercer County, Mo., and settled upon a prairie farm, which is now in possession of his son, and upon which he died in 1867. His wife, and the mother of William, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Losure,
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died at the residence of her son in 1883. William remained with his parents until their deaths, and is now the owner of 322} acres of good land, all fenced but twelve and one-half acres, and under a good state of cultivation. He is one of the well-to-do farmers and stock dealers of the county, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his neighbors and friends. He was married in Ohio to Elizabeth Rum- baugh, who bore him three children, two now living: Alice M. and John F. Mrs. Houser died in 1861, and he afterward married Oriza Robertson, who is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he also belongs. He is a member of the G. A. R. and I. O. O. F., and an enterprising citizen, who is always interested in educa- tional enterprises. He is a Republican, and April 15, 1862, enlisted in the Seventh Missouri Cavalry, in which he served until the close of the war.
Hon. Ira B. Hyde was born in Guilford, Chenango Co., N. Y., January 18, 1838, and is a son of Frederick and Emily (Lewis) Hyde, natives of Connecticut. The father was a farmer, and in 1836 went to the State of New York, where he died in 1854. His ancestors came from England to the United States in 1640. The mother died in Rockport, Ohio, in 1867, and her father was an officer in the Revo- lutionary War. She was the mother of the following children, all of whom lived to maturity: Oscar R .; Elizur C., late of Guilford, N. Y .; Frances E., wife of Albert Jordan, of Carroll County, Iowa; Belinda, wife of Albert Dunham, of Rockport, Ohio; Frederick (deceased), late of Unionville, Mo .; Mary (deceased), and Hon. Ira B. The last named son resided with his parents in New York until fifteen years of age, and then lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, until 1861, during which time he received a good education at Oberlin College, Ohio. Leaving Oberlin College in the fall of 1859 he began the study of law at Cleveland, Ohio, in the spring of 1860. Early in the year 1861 he removed to St. Paul, Minn., and continued the study of. law in the office of Daniels & Grant. He was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of Minnesota in July, 1861, and at once began the practice of his profession. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the Union army, and was mustered in as a private of Company F, First Regi- ment, Minnesota Mounted Rangers. Just at that time occurred the great massacre by the Sioux Indians along the Northwestern frontier, and his regiment was retained for service in the Northwest. He served in the campaign on the Minnesota frontier, and went out under Gens. Sibley and Sully the following years through Dakota and Mon- tana. This Indian reprising of 1862-64 was by far the greatest
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Indian war that has ever occurred in the United States, but it attracted little attention at that time beyond the States immediately concerned, because of the far greater struggle which was taking place in the South. At the close of the war in 1865 he went to Washington, D. C., and engaged in the practice of law with his present partner, H. G. Orton. In April, 1866, he immigrated to Missouri, locating at Princeton, where he has since resided, and continued to practice his profession. He has been a Republican since the existence of the party, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and has taken an active part in National and State campaigns. He has been a member of many of his State and district conventions, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, held at Chicago in 1884. He served as county attorney by appointment. In 1872 he was elected to represent the Tenth District of Missouri in the Con- gress of the United States. He was appointed by Speaker Blaine a member of the committee on elections, and took an active part in the proceedings of the House. His speeches in the House of Rep- resentatives on "National Finances" and "Inter-State Commerce and the Regulation of Railroads," in both of which he advocated measures which have since been enacted into law, made him specially popular among the people of his district. In 1874 he was renomi- nated for re-election to Congress by acclamation, but in the Demo- cratic tidal wave which followed the exposure of the whisky ring and Credit Mobilier he with most other Republicans was defeated. Missouri did not elect a single Republican representative. This result was not caused by change of votes, but by apathy among Republicans which caused them to stay at home. In 1886 in company with H. G. Orton and others, he established the bank of Mercer County, of which he is president. Mr. Hyde has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Sophie Clymer, of Bucks County, Penn., who died in October, 1871, leaving one child-Edward C. By his present wife, formerly Miss Carrie E. Mastick, and who was a native of Rock- port, Ohio, there are two children-Benjamin and Arthur. Mrs. Hyde is a daughter of the late Col. Benjamin Mastick, a former prom- inent citizen of Rockport, Ohio. Mr. Hyde is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the Grand Army of the Republic.
George Whitney Hyler was born in Steuben County, N. Y., Decem- ber 10, 1818, and is a son of Hezekiah and Julia (Williams) Hyler, of Welsh-English and Irish descent. The father was born in Pennsyl- vania. He was a farmer and lumber contractor, and once, while on a journey to Michigan, was shipwrecked near Cunningham Island, in
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Lake Erie. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. He moved from Pennsylvania to New York, then lived in Ohio a short time, after which he resided in New York until his death. The mother was born near Elmira, N. Y., and was of French and German descent. Her mother was in Middle Fort, on the Mohawk River, at the time it was attacked by Burgoyne's army and the Indians. After the death of Mr. Hyler his widow married David Gee. Her death occurred in Pennsylvania about 1840. George W. Hyler was the eldest of a family of five children, and was educated at the common schools of Steuben County, N. Y. At an early age he began to learn the wool-carding and cloth-weaver's trade, and after working four years at the same he went into the lumber business in connection with his trade. In 1844 he went to Wisconsin, and engaged in wool-carding, but was burned out in 1846, after which he embarked in the same business at Janesville, Rock Co., Wis. In 1847 he went to Rockford, Ill., where he conducted the same business one year. He then engaged in the same business at Grand Tower one year, when he sold out and farmed in Belvidere, Ill., one year. While there he married Julia A. Loop, daughter of Henry Loop, who was born in Steuben County, N. Y., in 1823. Four of six children born to this union are living: Henry L., George L., Charles L. and Minerva Julia. Those deceased are John L. and Sarah L. Soon after his marriage Mr. Hyler moved to Dyersville, Iowa, and built the first house in that place in 1851. He bought land there, and engaged in farming until 1873, and then exchanged his farm for saw and grist mill property at Hopkinton, which in 1883 he exchanged for land in Mercer County, Mo., which he now owns. To this land he has since added until he is the possessor of 410 acres, and also has a nice farm of 100 acres at Hopkinton, Iowa. He is a Mason, and was a Whig until the organization of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks. He is a well-to-do farmer, and respected citizen.
Joseph Jenkins was born in Erie County, N. Y., January 4, 1839. His father, Joseph Jenkins, was born in the State of New York, August 11, 1795, and died in Iowa, June 21, 1856. His mother, Mary (Vannetta) Jenkins, was born in New York State in 1797, and died in Illinois in 1846. Joseph lived with his parents until their deaths, and then lived upon the old home place until 1862. He then took his departure for California, where he arrived in October, 1862, and engaged in various occupations until July 21, 1864. He then enlisted in Company C, Second California Volunteer Regiment, and served until discharged at Sacramento, May 30, 1866. He then
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started for his old home in Iowa, where he arrived July 5, 1866, and remained until 1868. He was married there March 7, 1867, to Eliz- abeth M. Garland, daughter of John and Jennie Garland, and in March of the following year came to Mercer County, Mo., and settled upon a farm three and a half miles from Ravanna, to which place he moved three years later. He engaged in carpentering at Ravanna until 1881, and then embarked in the furniture business, which he has since successfully conducted. Mrs. Jenkins died on February 16, 1877, leaving one child, Mary Jane, wife of Lewis N. Smith. Mr. Jenkins was afterward married August 14, 1878, to Frances E. Lowry, daugh- ter of Albert and Mary (Bruce) Lowry. This union was blessed with three children, of whom two are living: Allie Bruce and Joseph Henry. Mr. Jenkins is an active Democrat, and although he has never aspired to political office, has been the postmaster of Ravanna two years, and, under the township organization, was township clerk. He is an hon- orable member of the Masonic order, and also of the I. O. O. F., and himself and wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. They are public-spirited citizens, and enjoy the respect of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
Casper Kauffman, farmer and stock raiser of Morgan Township, is a native of Bavaria, Germany, and was born in 1827. His parents, Michael and Margaret Kauffman, were natives also of Germany. The father was twice married; his first wife died in Germany, and he was there married the second time. He was a wagon-maker by trade, and in 1835 emigrated to the United States, and immediately settled near Springfield, Stark Co., Ohio, where he engaged in farming until his death in 1865. He was the father of eight children, and when he came to America was accompanied by the subject of this sketch, Cas- per Kauffman, who remained with his father until twenty-five years of age. In 1856 he came to Mercer County, Mo., and bought forty acres of land in Morgan Township. The following year he returned to Stark County, Ohio, and married Miss Eliza Kobbe, a native of Clark County, Ohio, and born in 1836. This union has been blessed with nine children: Caroline (wife of Preston B. Cox), Henry, Alice (wife of Benjamin Evile), Ulysses G., Rosa, Thomas, Edward, William and John. Immediately after his marriage Mr. Kauffman returned to Mercer County, and settled upon the tract he had previously pur- chased, and where he has since resided. Although he began life a poor man, he is now the owner of fifty acres in his home place, which is well improved and cultivated. His buildings are good and sub- stantial, and he is one of the successful farmers of the township. He
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is a supporter of educational enterprises, and anxious that his chil- dren should receive the educational advantages of the day. In politics he is a Democrat. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which his son, Henry, is a minister. The latter is also a graduate of Howard College, Missouri.
Capt. J. A. Kennedy is of Scotch descent, born in Hardy County, Va., June 9, 1828, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Arnold) Ken- nedy, natives of Ireland and Hardy County, Va., respectively. The father came from Ireland to Virginia when a young man, where he engaged in farming. When the subject of this sketch was about six years old his parents moved to Franklin County, Ohio, at which time they were very poor, owning but a horse and wagon when they started to seek a home in the west. After stopping in Franklin County two years they continued the journey, and finally located in La Porte County, Ind., in the fall of 1836, which was then in a wild and unsettled con- dition, and inhabited by Indians and wild animals. Some time was spent in clearing a home, and at the expiration of two years the father died (January, 1838), leaving his widow and seven children in destitute circumstances. The mother afterward married Myron Phelps, who died in Indiana in 1857. Mrs. Phelps died in Iowa County, Iowa, about 1859. Joseph A. Kennedy was the third child of a family of seven, four of whom are now living. He received a limited education at the common schools of Indiana, but his information has been chiefly gained by hard study and reading when alone. He early imbibed a taste for knowledge, and borrowed all books available which he read with avidity during his spare moments. In 1840 he worked during the summer for $4 per month, and by hard work and economy accu- mulated enough money to purchase the needed books and furnish him means to attend school. At the age of twenty he began to teach, and from that time until 1852 taught and attended school alternately. October 19, 1852, he married Rebecca Morrell, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Bowman) Morrell, born in Dearborn County, Ind., February 14, 1828. She was a teacher in St. Joseph County, Ind., and bore Mr. Kennedy five children, of whom three are living: Mary E. (wife of Seely Mapel), William E. (railroader) and Elma J. (wife of E. W. Jewell, furniture dealer and farmer of Mount Hope, Kas.). Those deceased are Martha J. and Eliza. Six years after his marriage Mr. Kennedy moved with his wife and family of two children to Mercer County, Mo., and located near Ravanna, where he resumed teaching during school months until 1872, with the exception of the time spent in the Legislature and while in service. The summer months were
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spent in improving his land. In 1870 he engaged in the nursery busi- ness with S. M. Wayman, who afterward moved to Georgia, and with whom he was quite successful in business. Since 1882 Mr. Kennedy has been engaged in the nursery business only upon a light scale, his principal occupation being farming. Mr. Kennedy, until ten years ago, was a Republican, since which time he has been independent in poli- tics, voting principally with the Greenback and Prohibition parties, but always for pure principles, and good and competent men, in prefer- ence to party. At the age of sixteen he espoused the temperance cause, for the advancement of which he has ever contended and labored, opposing the whisky traffic in any and all forms, unable to see any half-way grounds or compromise with evil. He was always opposed to slavery from principle-cannot sanction it in any form, whether of body or mind, church or State. In 1860 he was elected justice of the peace. His ambition was to become school commissioner, but his desire was never gratified, and his life for the most part has been spent in the school-room and upon the farm. At the commence- ment of the war he enlisted, and was elected second lieutenant of Com- pany C, of the Seventh Regiment six months' militia. In 1862 he was commissioned captain of Company I, of the Forty-fourth Regi- ment Enrolled Missouri Militia, until the close of the war, never com- ing into any active engagements. With him military service was only a necessity and not a choice, for like the poet Burns
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