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 72
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 72
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William H. Mckinley was born in Logan County, Ill., April 1, 1842. His father, William R., was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, January 9, 1804, and resided in his native State until 1840, and then went to Logan County, Ill., where he remained until 1855. He then came to Mercer County, Mo., and located upon a farm which now forms the present site of Ravanna. He laid out the original plat of
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Ravanna, and resided in that vicinity until his death, which occurred on December 5, 1876. His wife, and the mother of William H., was born in Pennsylvania in 1802, and accompanied her sister to Ohio, where she was married in 1826. Her death occurred in Ravanna January 19, 1874. William H. made his home with his parents until his marriage. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the Second Missouri, Merrill's Horse, Cavalry Division, Seventh Army Corps, participating in Steele's Little Rock and later Camden campaign, after which he was commissioned first lieutenant of Company F, Fourth Arkansas Cavalry Volunteer, in which he served until the close of the war. Then he returned home, and April 1, 1867, married Emma Drake, daughter of James T. and Catherine (Sneath) Drake. This union has been blessed with the following children: Orin S., William J., Char- ley, Robert D., Ralph (deceased), Emma, Wade K., Grace. Imme- diately after his marriage Mr. Mckinley moved to and began to improve the farm upon which he now resides. He owns 480 acres of good land, all well improved and cultivated, making one of the best farms in the vicinity. His occupation is that of farming and stock rais- ing. His first presidential vote was cast for Lincoln, and he has since been a hearty supporter of the Republican party, which he served as deputy circuit clerk under W. L. Jerome. He is an F. & A. M., and a member of the G. A. R., of which he was once the secretary. He and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
James H. Malone is a son of Anderson B. and Melissa (Davis) Malone, and was born in Grundy County, Mo., January 1, 1841. His father was of Irish descent, and born in Knox County, Tenn., in 1816. He was a farmer by occupation, and in 1837 left his native State and immigrated to Grundy County, Mo. In 1842 he came to Mercer County, Mo., and settled upon the farm now owned by Samuel Clark, and has made his home in Lindley Township for the past twenty-one years. During the Rebellion he served three years, but was neither captured nor wounded. He is the owner at present of 120 acres of good land, and is a successful farmer. His wife was born in East Tennessee in 1818, and died in 1879. James H. is the second of a family of twelve children, and accompanied his parents to Mercer County, where he received a common-school education, and lived with his parents until he was twenty years of age. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, Fifth Kansas Cavalry, and served until dis- charged at Leavenworth, Kas., in September, 1864. Among other engagements he was present in the fights at Dry Wood, Helena, Little Rock and Pine Bluff. He was captured, with ten others, near
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Ellwood, Kas., and kept a prisoner five days, when he and one other made their escape, although the eleven prisoners were guarded by twelve men. He then traveled 100 miles in four days and nights to rejoin his company. February 18, 1865, he married Miss Ellen Maria Smith, daughter of George and Matilda Ann Smith. Mrs. Malone was born in North Carolina, February 20, 1840, and came to Mercer County in 1856. This union has been blessed with the following children: James A. (deceased), Alice Matilda, Charles W., Cora, Ada, Kane and Lucy. After his marriage Mr. Malone bought 130 acres of land, upon which he still resides, and, although he began life poor, he now owns 795 acres of land, well improved, with substantial build- ings, fences, etc. He is a Republican, and cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln in 1864. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and a member of the I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W. Himself and wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is steward and trustee.
Henry C. Miller, clerk of Mercer County Circuit Court, and ex officio recorder of deeds, was born in the county, December 21, 1858, and is a son of Harrison Miller of this county [see sketch]. He was reared to manhood and educated in his native county, and early in life was employed as a clerk in a mercantile establishment. He afterward taught school about two years, and in 1882 came to Princeton, and accepted the position of deputy circuit clerk, under J. A. Thomp- son. In November, 1886, he was elected to the office which he has since filled in a satisfactory and able manner. He is a stanch Repub- lican, and as such holds his present position. December 29, 1886, he was united in marriage with Clara I. May, daughter of the late Dr. A. H. May, of Princeton. Mr. Miller is a member of the A. O. U. W., and himself and wife are regarded as among the highly respected and enterprising citizens of the county.
C. E. Minter was born April 14, 1844, in Madison County, Ohio,
A and is the fourth of eight children, seven of whom are living, born to William and Mary (Ewing) Minter. C. E. was brought to Mercer County, Mo., in 1845, when but eighteen months old, and lived with his parents upon his father's farm in Washington Township until seven- teen years old. He then enlisted in Company B, Fifth Kansas Cav- alry, at Leavenworth, Kas., and remained in service until April 18, 1865, at which time he was honorably discharged at Leavenworth, Kas. He was in many skirmishes and April 25, 1864, while at Marks Mills, Ark., was captured by the Confederates with 1,050 men, and was imprisoned at Camp Ford, Tex. After his release he returned home, and for three months drove a stage from Princeton to
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Chillicothe. He then farmed for a while, and in the winter of 1865-66 attended school at Edinburg, Grundy Co., Mo. At the end of his term he began to teach school in Washington Township, Mercer County, continuing engaged at that vocation four terms besides being interested in a saw mill on Muddy Creek, and devoting some time to farming. May 16, 1869, he married Matella, daughter of James T. and Catherine (Sneath) Drake, and a native of Ohio, born July 26, 1852. This union has been blessed with four children, three of whom are living: James William, Frank V. and Mary C. After his mar- riage Mr. Minter located upon the farm now owned by his brother, J. C., and soon after built the house in which his brother now lives. A year later he traded his property for the farm upon which he now resides, which contains 465 acres in the home place, well improved and cultivated. He is one of the wealthy and prosperous citizens of the county, and owns in all about 800 acres of good land. He is a Republican in politics and as such was elected sheriff of his county, which office he filled in an efficient and satisfactory manner. His first presidential vote was cast for U. S. Grant, in 1868. He belongs to the Mercer County Lodge, No. 35, A. F. & A. M., and himself and wife are active and worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to the support of which they contribute largely.
Silas Mobley was born May 2, 1837, in Belmont County, Ohio. His parents were natives, respectively, of Maryland and Pennsylvania, but were married in Ohio, where they reared a family of three daugh- ters, and one son. When fourteen years of age Silas accompanied his parents to Wood County, Va., where his father shortly after died. The mother then returned to Ohio, where she died the following year. Two of the daughters were then married, one having died March 2, 1848, and Silas, who was the youngest child, was practically left alone on the world. June 14, 1855, he married Rebecca, daughter of Ebenezer Buchanan, by whom two daughters and three sons were born: Sarah, born October 2, 1856; William, born July 6, 1859, and James, born May 31, 1862. In 1865 Mr. Mobley immigrated to Mercer County, Mo., where he has since resided, and now owns 156 acres of good land. Since his residence in this State two more children have been born: Margaret, born June 18, 1866, and John, born August 21, 1869. All his children are at present residents of Missouri. Decem- ber 18, 1878, Mrs. Mobley died leaving an infant, Ida Rebecca, just born. May 1, 1879, Mr. Mobley married Urah M., daughter of M. B. Finch, by whom one daughter, Amy, was born, November 30, 1882, who died June 20, 1885. Mr. Mobley is a stanch Democrat, and
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although prevented from serving in the Union cause, during the war, on account of disability, lent all his influence to the preservation of the Union. He has been a member of the Christian Church for a number of years, and is a liberal supporter of religious and educa- tional enterprises.
Robert H. Moore is a son of Levi and Rachel Moore [see sketch of W. H. Moore] and was born May 10, 1824. He lived with his parents in different parts of Missouri during the pioneer days of that State, until eighteen years of age, and June 13, 1842, was married to Malinda, daughter of William Wasson, by whom the following chil- dren were born: Eliza Jane, born February 16, 1843; Samara Ann, born December 11, 1844; Jackson (deceased), born September 5, 1846; Amanda P., born August 12, 1848; Milton, born March 11, 1850, and Sarah Ellen, born October 25, 1851, all but one being reared to matur- ity. Soon after his marriage Mr. Moore settled upon forty-eight acres of land he had entered in Mercer County, to which he afterward added 160 acres by pre-emption. For ten or twelve years he lived among the Indians. March 9, 1852, Mr. Moore was left a widower with six small children to care for, and his farm duties to attend to. He was obliged to do his own cooking, and ofttimes plowed his land with the baby securely fastened to his back. January 12, 1854, he married Hester A., daughter of David Jewett, and was then more comfortably situated, and able to devote his time to agricultural pur- suits with a light heart knowing that his home and children were receiving a woman's care and attention. To his second marriage the following children were born: William M., born October 21, 1854; Senoma E., born April 27, 1856; James B., born September 6, 1857; Thomas B., born August 4, 1859; Cordelia, born August 22, 1861; Robert S., born May 4, 1863; Otto, born September 10, 1868; Douglass, born April 16, 1870; Randolph, born February 29, 1872, and Charlotte B., born December 25, 1873. Two, William M. and Senoma E., are now deceased. During the Rebellion Mr. Moore fought in the Union cause, in Company H, under Gen. John Brown, as second lieutenant. After hostilities had ceased he returned to his farm, and has since devoted his time to the cultivation of same. He now owns 800 acres of land, and is one of the well-to-do old settlers of the county. It is an item of interest that Mr. Moore is an own nephew of the famous hunter, Kit Carson, and like that renowned warrior he has had to fight his own way through life, but has come out conqueror.
William Howard Moore was born March 5, 1826, in Howard
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County, Mo., and is a son of Levi and Rachel (Haynes) Moore. The mother was a daughter of Robert Haynes, and with her husband emigrated from Tennessee to Howard County, Mo., in 1826, where William was reared until eleven years of age. The family then lived on a farm in Daviess County one year, and then passed a year in Grundy County upon a farm which is now the present site of Trenton, which afterward became the property of Daniel Duvall. During twenty years of life passed right among the Indians, who then thickly inhabited Missouri, Mr. Moore became fluently conversant in four Indian languages. William H. came to Mercer County, Mo., in 1843, and entered forty acres of land three miles west of Lineville. By his marriage with Eliza, daughter of William Wasson, he has had thirteen children: Anna M., Adolphus L., Luticia J., Miles A., Mary E., Charlotte R., Arabella, John D. (deceased), William H., Jr., Robert D. (deceased), Sarah, Ida A. and Virgil H. At the time of the war Mr. Moore had increased his farm to 366 acres, but then abandoned his agricultural pursuits, and enlisted April 3, 1862, in the Union army, as first lieutenant in Company H, under Gen. John Brown. He was present at the battle of Springfield, Mo., and at Granby, September 29, 1862, was seriously wounded by falling from his horse. August 20 he was injured in his left eye, and afterward lost his sight in that eye. After being mustered out of service he bought mules and horses for the brigade under Capt. Carr, and after the war returned to Mercer County, and devoted his attention to farming and stock raising. He at one time owned 1,446 acres of land in Missouri and 346 acres in Iowa, but from time to time has sold portions of his land. He is interested in fine stock, and has some blooded horses of a high grade and some Shorthorns. He is a Republican, a member of the G. A. R., and one of the influential and successful men of the county.
William P. Moss was born in Daviess County, Mo., in 1839, and is a son of ex-Judge Joseph and Fanny (Prichard) Moss. The father is of Irish descent, and born in York District, S. C., in 1812. His father, Joshua Moss, was born in the same district in 1784 and in 1815 moved to Knox County, Tenn. In 1840 he came to Mercer County, Mo., and entered eighty acres in Harrison Township now owned by William Moss, his son. Joshua Moss was a soldier in the War of 1812 under Gen. Cornwell, and died in 1875. His wife, Jennie (Howser) Moss, was of Dutch origin, and born in York District, S. C. She was the mother of nine children, all of whom are living, the eldest aged seventy-six and the youngest fifty-two, and she died
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in 1872. There are thirty-six grandchildren, forty-seven great- grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren now living. Jo- seph Moss is the eldest child, and was but a lad when his parents moved to Tennessee. In 1832 he went to Knox County, Ky., and in February, 1833, married Fanny Prichard, who was born in Knox County, Ky., in 1813. To them the following children were born: Mary Jane (wife of Douglas Brown), Henry, William P., Sarah (wife of Eli Mullinax), Calvin, Joseph, Ann S. (wife of John Higgins) and Joshua. In 1840 Judge Moss came to Mercer County, and entered 520 acres of land where he now resides. He lost his first wife in June, 1886, and in the fall of the same year married Jane Johnson, daughter of Joseph Johnson, and a native of Virginia, born in 1847. To this union six children were born: Jennie Lind, Ettie, Fannie, Hulda, Robert and Daisy. When Judge Moss came to Missouri with his parents the country was very sparsely settled, and they were among the first white men to come to the State. He has been suc- cessful in his business transactions, and at one time owned 900 acres, a great deal of which he has given to his children. He has fourteen children, thirty-two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, all save two living within four miles. In politics he has always been a Democrat, and as such served four years as justice of the peace, and four years as county judge, to which office he was re-elected three times. In 1861 he was appointed sheriff of the county, and served for two years. William P. Moss, our subject, is the third child of his father's first marriage, and when a year old was brought to Mer- cer County. In September, 1862, he married Miss Rebecca Kentucky, daughter of William and Rebecca Hart, and a native of Mercer County, born in 1842. She is the mother of two children: William E. and Rosa L. In 1863 Mr. Moss went to Madison County, Iowa, but in 1866 returned to Mercer County, and located upon his present place, which contains 600 acres of fine land upon which is a hand- some house and large barns. In connection with his farming Mr. Moss keeps on an average 200 head of cattle, and is one of the pros- perous farmers and stock raisers of the township. He is a Democrat and a member of the A. F. & A. M. and A. O. U. W. Himself and wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a trustee.
Jesse Mulvaney is a native of Sevier County, Tenn., was born in 1830, and is a son of William and Martha (George) Mulvaney. The father was of Irish-English descent, and born in Tennessee in 1803. In 1850 he immigrated to Mercer County, and located in Morgan
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Township, where our subject now resides. He was a successful farmer, and at one time owned 200 acres of land. He served as corporal of a company in the Mexican War for twelve months, and died in 1884. Martha (George) Mulvaney was born in Sevier County, Tenn., in 1805, and died in 1878. She was the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living: Sarah Ann (wife of Henry Lewis), Jesse, Polly (wife of Joseph Mason), Alexander, John, Patsey (wife of Isaac Overton) and William. Jesse was twenty years. . old when he came to Mercer County, and he then entered forty acres. of land near the old homestead. In 1856 he located upon his present place, where he has since lived, and which contains 290 acres of well cultivated and improved land, making Mr. Mulvaney one of the sub- stantial farmers of the township. In 1854 he married Miss Elizabeth Ann Constable, daughter of William and Martha Constable. Mrs. Mulvaney was born October 2, 1833 and came to Mercer County when seven years old. To her union with our subject four children have been born: William, Amanda (wife of Huston Holmes), Sarah (wife of Calvin Cordle) and Albert. In politics Mr. Mulvaney is a Demo- crat. Mrs. Mulvaney is a member of the Baptist Church.
James L. Neill was born October 27, 1834, in Marshall County, Tenn., and is the fourth of a family of nine children (two dead) born to Robert and Ann (Ewing) Neill, natives of Tennessee and Pennsyl- vania, respectively. They were married in the former State whither the mother had accompanied her parents when a little girl, and after the marriage settled upon a farm in Marshall County. There the father died when James L. was a small boy, but the mother still made that place her residence until 1852, when with her family she immi- grated to Appanoose County, Iowa. At the expiration of two years the family removed to Mercer County, Mo., where the mother has since lived with her children, but is at the present making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Charity Logan, in Decatur County, Iowa. James L. received a limited education in his native county during his youth, and at the age of twenty-one began life for himself. March 25, 1858, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Archibald and Hannah (Ashcraft) Smith. Mrs. Neill was born in Mercer County, where she married, February 22, 1841, and to her union with Mr. Neill nine children have been born, seven of whom are living: Robert, Martha, Mary Alice, William, Melissa, Eliza Ann, Nettie and Ira. After his marriage Mr. Neill located upon a farm he afterward purchased, and upon which he now resides. Being of an active and energetic nature he has become a successful farmer, and now owns 160 acres of land,
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the most of which is cleared and well improved. He is a Republican, and cast his first presidental vote for Stephen A. Douglas in 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Neill are worthy members of the Christian Church.
John B. Neill is a native of Mercer County, Mo., was born Feb- ruary 18, 1857, and is a son of Henry and Hulda F. (Girdner) Neill. The father was born in County Down, Ireland, March 1, 1816, and when quite small was bound out. Before he arrived at manhood his master died, and he then left his native country and immigrated to the United States. He went first to Pittsburgh, Penn., from there to Iowa, and then, the gold fever being at its height, accompanied a company to California in search of a fortune. After two years of California life he returned to Iowa, but soon after came to Mercer County, Mo. There he was married February 20, 1854, to Miss Hulda F. Girdner, daughter of Joseph and Anna (Lauderdale) Girdner. Mrs. Neill was born June 27, 1820, and is the mother of the following children: Lucy Ann (wife of Robert Owens), Harriet Ellen (deceased), John B., Catherine E. (wife of J. A. Arnott), Medora Alice (wife of R. R. Prichard). The year of his marriage Mr. Neill bought 250 acres where his son, John B., now resides, and where Henry Neill died. When he came to America he had but 50 cents, but being of an industrious nature, economical in his habits, and possessing business ability, he afterward became one of the successful farmers of Mercer County, and owned at one time 1,080 acres of land which he divided liberally among his children. The mother still resides upon the old homestead, making her home with her son, John B., who has lived upon the same place since his birth. December 31, 1879, he married Miss M. Inez Gardner, daughter of Jacob Gardner, who was born in Ashland County, Ohio, on May 8, 1858. This union has been blessed with three children: Nellie (deceased), John A. and Jesse V. Mr. Neill is one of the young and enterprising farmers and Shorthorn cattle breeders of Harrison Township, and owns 330 acres of fine land. His wife is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, near Goshen City, and in politics he is a Democrat. His first presiden- tial vote was cast for Hancock in 1880.
Sumner A. Newlin was born in Mercer County, Mo., September 19, 1856. His father was a native of Tennessee, and his mother of Franklin County, Ind. They immigrated to Missouri at an early date, and the father died while in the service of his country in 1862. Sum- ner A. spent his childhood and youth upon the farm in Missouri, and March 7, 1875, was united in marriage with Martha A. Talbott, by whom three daughters have been born, all of whom are living: Jes-
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sie, born March 1, 1880; Gussie, born October 21, 1883, and Bessie, born December 21, 1885. In 1878 Mr. Newlin went into partner- ship with J. P. Alley in the saw mill business, in which he met with moderate success. In 1883 he sold his interest to his partner, and then followed his trade, that of engineering, until September, 1887, when he opened a grocery store at Marion Station, where he carries a stock of about $5,000 worth of goods, and is meeting with good success.
Hobert G. Orton was born in Richland County, Ohio, March 2, 1838, and is a son of Treat and Rozetta (DuBois) Orton, natives of the State of New York, his father of English and his mother of Hol- land descent. His father was a pioneer settler of Ohio, having gone there in 1822. He is now a resident of Williams County, Ohio. His mother died in 1880, leaving four children: Angeline C. (wife of Dr. William H. Bunker, of Hamilton County, Ohio), E. Chase (of Williams County, Ohio), Hobert G. and Sarah A. (wife of Dr. Albert Wilber, of Williams County, Ohio). Hobert G. was raised on a farm, and attended the common school of his neighborhood. At the age of
seventeen he commenced to teach school. His first school was in the Swail District, in Crawford County, Ohio. As was common then he lived at large, or, as the phrase was, he "boarded round." He received a liberal education at Oberlin College, having secured the means to attend college in part by manual labor while at school, and partly by teaching during the winter terms. While at college, in April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company C, Seventh Regi- ment, Ohio Volunteers, and served until wounded and captured at the battle of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, August 26, 1861. He was held a prisoner about three weeks, when rescued by the Union forces under Gen. Rosecrans, after the battle of Carnifix Ferry- right glad to get once more among the men who wore the blue. As in the accounts of the battle where he was wounded he was reported as " mortally wounded," he quite surprised his friends by turning up alive after the battle of Carnifix Ferry. The wound was a most desperate one, his right thigh bone being broken near the hip joint by a gun shot. He was confined to his bed for nearly a year, over nine months of which he was unable to turn or be turned off his back. During this time he underwent two severe surgical operations. From the effects of this wound he still suffers, and by it he is often confined to his bed for weeks at a time. At this period the question upper- most in his mind was, what, in his disabled condition, could he do to make a living in the world. The solution of this problem was in part
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decided by the accidental opportunity he had of trading his army overcoat for two old volumes of "Blackstone's Commentaries." This trade was made, and the long and weary months of hospital life were in part occupied in the study of these books. Afterward he attended the Law University at Ann Arbor, Mich., and was in 1864 admitted to the bar. In January, 1866, he located in Princeton, Mo., and engaged in the practice of his profession in partnership with Mr. Ira B. Hyde, which partnership, with the exception of a few months, has existed ever since 1865. He is a man of good business ability, and has been successful in the practice of his profession. He and his partner were the principal organizers of the Bank of Mercer County, in 1886, under whose management it is conducted. He was married Decem- ber 6, 1865, to Miss Angeline C. Stewart, a native of Vermont, by whom he has three children living: Helen DuBois, Ira D. and Eldon E. Ever since attaining his majority he has been a zealous Republican; and since his residence in Missouri he has taken an active part in politics in this part of the State. He served eight years as probate judge of Mercer County, and has been three times elected as its prosecuting attorney. He is a member of the G. A. R., and of the A. O. U. W.
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