USA > Missouri > Henry County > History of Henry County, Missouri > Part 54
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Among the many tributes which came from men who were friends of Mr. Gaines and who sorrowed with his family in their bereavement the following extract from a letter from Congressman Dickinson, best portrays the man himself as he appeared to his friends. It says: "He had so many friends and his strong qualities and high character made him more than worthy of their friendship and esteem. He was a high type of citizen, and loved right and justice and truth. He was generous and warm hearted and high minded."
Karl Wittig, a successful farmer of Fairview township, is a native of Wittenburg, Germany, born April 20, 1858. He is a son of Frederick Wittig, who was a native of the home land and spent his life in her en- virons. Karl Wittig received his education under the parental room and
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in the schools of his native land. In his early manhood he learned the blacksmith trade and upon his arrival in Seneca County, Ohio, in 1880, he was employed in this trade. He also worked as a farm hand, and thus prepared himself for his work as an owner of his own land. In 1883 he homesteaded 160 acres in Morton County, North Dakota, proving up on the same and made the necessary improvements. In 1889 he sold his homestead and moved to Cowley County, Kansas, where he rented land until he came to Henry County, Missouri. He purchased 120 acres of land in 1894 and has added to his land holdings as he was able, and now owns 239 acres of valuable land.
The marriage of Karl Wittig and Katherine Staib was solemnized in Seneca County, Ohio, September 9, 1883. Mrs. Wittig was born in Seneca County, Ohio, March 24, 1852, the daughter of Jacob and Katherine (Hauck) Staib, who were natives of Germany and came to America in 1836. Mr. Staib was employed in the clearing of the timber and brush in the natural timber of Seneca County. He spent his life in that county and he and his wife both died and are buried there.
Mr. and Mrs. Wittig are the parents of seven children, as follows: Theodore, lives in California; Fred, of Mansfield, Washington; Nettie, at home; Robert, a soldier in the National Army in France; Alma, wife of Lloyd Sanders of Fairfield township; Anna, deceased (Alma and Anna were twins) ; Albert, at home.
Mr. Wittig is a breeder of the Aberdeen Angus cattle and the Poland China hogs. His herd of pure bred hogs is favorably known in his lo- cality and he raises them in great numbers. He is a stockholder of the Farmers Bank of Deepwater, Missouri. Mr. Wittig votes the Democratic ticket and has served on the township board two terms. He has also been school director for fifteen years of district No. 89. He and his family are members of the Reformed Lutheran Church.
George W. Walker .- The descendants of Calvin E. Walker, the first homesteader of Walker township, are scattered all through that town- ship, and George Walker, whose name introduces this review, is a mem- ber of this family and a descendant of this hardy pioneer. George Walker was born October 19, 1883, in Walker township, Henry County, the son of Calvin Edward Walker and Emma (Moore) Walker, both of whom are from representative families of Walker township, their birthplace.
George Walker was united in marriage with Miss Pearl Steel in 1908, a native of Henry County and a member of one of the pioneer families
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of this county. She inherited ninety acres of land from her father's estate which she and her husband are now farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Walker have been born four children as follow: Lillie M., May O., Claude and Ralph.
Mr. Walker carries on a general farming business and raises wheat and corn and also raises stock. In politics he is a Republican and one of Henry County's progressive and public spirited citizens. He takes a keen interest in local affairs. As a citizen of this county and State he stands ever ready to do his duty.
Calvin Edward Walker .- The late Calvin Edward Walker was born March 16, 1858, in Walker township, Henry County, the son of Calvin E. and Martha Walker. Calvin E. Walker was born in North Carolina and in the days when men were coming from the southern and eastern States to homestead Missouri land, Mr. Walker located in what is now Walker township, Henry County. The township was named in his honor, as he was the first homesteader that entered land upon the Government's list. His wife, Mrs. Martha Walker, was a native of North Carolina and she was the mother of eight children, who have made their homes in Henry County and have added to the moral and financial welfare of the- county.
Calvin Edward Walker gained his education upon the old homestead and in the meager schools of his day. While they were not advanced as far as our educational institutions of today, still they learned the three R's and the practical work of the farm to earn a livelihood. Mr. Walker married Emily Moore, August 1, 1880. She was born March 19, 1861, in Walker township, Henry County. Her parents were among the early settlers of the township and are now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker are the parents of six children, all living in Walker township with the exception of Earl, who is serving in the Na- tional Army in Camp Funston, Kansas. They are as follow: Lillie M., deceased; George, whose sketch appears in this volume; Earl, in the service of the United States; Calvin P., twin to Earl, at home; Charles C., Walker township; Addie M., wife of Claude Jenkins, Lucas, Missouri.
C. Edward Walker passed away April 20, 1900, and since his demise Mrs. Walker has continued to operate the home farm with the help of her sons, who are filling the places of their respected father and grand- father in Walker township.
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Willis M. Stevens, who is engaged in the real estate and loan busi- ness at Clinton, has been prominently identified with Clinton and Henry County for a number of years. Mr. Stevens is a native of Indiana, born in 1859 and is a son of James and Hannah B. (Pierce) Stevens, the for- mer a native of North Carolina and the latter of New York. The Stevens family came to Missouri in 1869 and settled in Springfield township, Henry County, where the father bought 240 acres of land and here spent the remainder of his life engaged in farming and stock raising. He and his wife are now deceased and their remains are buried in Mt. Olive Ceme- tery. They were the parents of twelve childrn, only two of whom are now living, Willis M., the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Sarah Pickord, who resides in Laclede County, Missouri.
Willis M. Stevens received his education in the public schools in Springfield township and Clinton High School, and shortly after leaving school he came to Clinton and entered the employ of Bledsoe and Lane as clerk, remaining with them about two years. He then was appointed city weigher and served in that capacity six years. He was then elected county treasurer of Henry County, serving for four years. At the ex- piration of his term of office as county treasurer he was elected county recorded and served four years. In 1899 he engaged in the real estate and loan business, succeeding M. C. Land, and since that time has been successfully engaged in that line, and during the course of his career in the real estate business he has handled many important transactions. He has served as a member of the city council of Clinton and is the present treasurer of Clinton township.
Mr. Stevens was married December 31, 1884, to Miss Bettie N. Wray, daughter of Tillman and Hannah Wray of Clinton, Missouri. Her parents were Virginians and came to Henry County prior to the Civil War. To Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have been born one child, Bertia A., the wife of Lieut. M. J. Sonnebeck, who is now serving in the National Army. To Lieutenant and Mrs. Sonnebeck have been born two children, Eliza- beth K. and Willis R.
Mr. Stevens has rendered invaluable service to the city of Clinton in the capacity of president of the Commercial Club, a position which he has filled for the past five years. This organization is recognized as one of the live commercial clubs of the State, and Mr. Stevens is entitled to no small amount of credit for the many good results obtained by the progressive and aggressive work of the organization. Among the ac-
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complishments of the Clinton Commercial Club within the past five years might be mentioned the obtaining of a $6,000 bridge across the Grand River, south of Clinton, inducing the Overman Overall Factory to locate here, which gives employment to a large number of people, and the in- stalling of the Clinton White Way. Of their work in connection with this accomplishment the "Daily Democrat" of June 17, 1915, had the following to say: "Mr. Stevens may be said very accurately to be the man who put it across, for while the credit is shared by every friend and subscriber to the movement, it was his untiring efforts that would not permit discouragement, that the White Way has been brought about. He had the Commercial Club loyally back of him and especially an execu- tive, soliciting and ways and means committee consisting of Doctor Neill, Doctor Marseilles, J. S. Spore, G. S. Holliday, S. Degan, B. G. Phillips and Carl Jiacomini." The work of the Commercial Club in which Mr. Stevens has taken an active part has been far reaching in the building up and the betterment of Clinton He is a live wire and the results of his efforts are to be seen on every side.
In addition to his other interests Mr. Stevens has been a director of the Citizens Bank of Clinton for the past ten years.
He is a Democrat and has been active in politics since boyhood. He is one of the substantial citizens of. Henry County, who is able to get results when he devotes his time and ability to measures. Mr. Stevens has been very active in furthering patriotic work, serving as chairman of the organization committee having charge of the Liberty Bond cam- paign, and has been active in promoting Liberty Bond sales, as well as Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. work and promotion of the raising of funds for each organization in Henry County.
Aurelius L. Armstrong, a leading druggist of Clinton, Missouri, has been continuously engaged in business here longer than any other mer- chant. He is a native of Missouri, born in Quincy, Hickory County, Au- gust 8, 1854, a son of Andrew L. and Sarah Ann (Hancock) Armstrong. The father was born near Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1820, and about 1838 came to Missouri, first locating in Lincoln County, where he was married to Sarah Ann Hancock. He went from Lincoln County to Hickory County in 1852. Here he remained until 1855, when he came to Henry County and settled on a farm four miles northwest of Clinton. About two years later he came to Clinton, where he was engaged in the mercantile busi- ness until the time of his death in 1858. Although a resident of Henry
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County but a few years he took an active part in local affairs and be- came prominent in local politics. He was a candidate for the State Leg- islature in 1856.
The Armstrong family are of old Pennsylvania stock and William Armstrong, grandfather of A. L., the subject of this sketch, came from Pennsylvania to Illinois at a very early date in the history of the latter State. Sarah Ann (Hancock) Armstrong, mother of A. L. Armstrong, whose name introduces this review, is one of the honored pioneer women of Henry County. She celebrated her ninetieth birthday on May 5, 1918, having spent sixty-three years of her life in Henry County. She is a woman of unusual physical and mental vigor and is as active as most people who are thirty years her juniors. She is a constant reader of the daily papers as well as current literature in general and carries on regular correspondence with a number of friends and acquaintances. She also does considerable fancy needlework, despite her advanced age.
A. L. Armstrong was the third and youngest child born to his par- ents. His older brother, Hannibal H., is an attorney in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Solon, the second born, died in infancy. A. L. Armstrong received his education in the public schools of Clinton and Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky. After returning from college, Mr. Arm- strong entered the employ of C. C. Williams, who conducted a drug store at Clinton, and for two years was thus employed. He then entered the employ of Bolton and Davis, and two years later bought the interest of Mr. Davis in the drug store and the firm became Bolton & Armstrong. This business arrangement continued for a period of five years when Mr. Armstrong sold his interest to his partner and in the fall of 1879 engaged in the drug business for himself, and has been continuously engaged in that business in the town of Clinton to the present time. His first drug store was on the south side of the square, and in 1890 he moved to the north side and has remained in that vicinity since, having occupied his present place of business about ten years.
May 1, 1878, Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage with Susan May Henshaw, a native of Clay County, Missouri, and a daughter of Joseph P. and Melissa (Neely) Henshaw, both now deceased. They died in Johnson County.
To Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have been born one child, Atropa, now the wife of Charles A. Rutherford, Clinton, Missouri.
Mr. Armstrong is a Democrat and has taken an active part in his
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party organizations since boyhood. He has served two terms in the State Legislature, representing Henry County in the Forty-sixth General As- sembly in 1910, and was re-elected, serving as a member of the Forty- seventh General Assembly.
He has been mayor of Clinton. For a number of years Mr. Arm- strong has been a member of the Henry County Democratic Central Com- 'mittee and is at present chairman of the City Democratic Central Com- mittee. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Royal Neighbors of America and a member of the Christian Church, having been an elder in the local church for over twenty-five years. Mr. Armstrong is one of the progressive and public spirited business men of Henry County, and during his long career here has built a reputation for honesty and integrity that is rarely equaled by any man in any community.
John A. Rush, late of Blairstown, Missouri, was a Union veteran of the Civil War and one of the interesting pioneer settlers of Henry County. He was born in Greene County, Ohio, January 12, 1842, the only child of Alvah and Mary A. (Roberts) Rush, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Maryland. The father died in Big Creek township in 1874, the mother having passed away in Ohio in 1863.
John A. Rush was reared and educated in Ohio and spent his early life in the uneventful way of the average boy of his time. In 1863 he enlisted at London, Ohio, in the 154th Ohio National Guard and served about one year, being mustered out of service September 27, 1864, at Camp Denison. In 1866 he came to Missouri and first settled at Inde- pendence, where he remained two years. In 1868 he came to Henry County and settled on the present site of Blairstown in Bogard township. Here he built a log cabin in February, 1869. He lived in a tent for a time until his cabin was completed. Mr. Rush recalled that his log cabin was located about fifty feet southwest of where Shepperd's garage now stands. This log house was his home until 1875, when he built a frame house which was destroyed by fire, and he built his present residence in 1886. Mr. Rush remembered among the pioneer residents who helped him raise his first log cabin the names of Conrad Fisher, Jesse Fisher, Henry Lotspeich, Boone McCarty, Conrad McCarty, K. Elliott, John Cox, Wilson Redford, Elias Gilkner, James Jenkins, Thomas Jenkins, Ira Dunham and his brother and Daniel Quick. They are all dead now except Elias Gilkner.
Mr. Rush had been successfully engaged in farming and stock rais-
JOHN A. RUSH
MARY A. RUSH
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ing and was the owner of one of the valuable farms of Henry County. It consists of four hundred eighty-one acres of well improved and produc- tive land. Mr. Rush was one of the first to sow blue grass in Bogard township. He departed this life June 3, 1918.
Mr. Rush was united in marriage in 1874 to Miss Mary A. Wall, a daughter of Dr. Z. R. Wall, a Johnson County pioneer and a native of South Carolina, who was one of the very early settlers in the southern part of Johnson County, now deceased. Mrs. Rush has one brother now living, Robert Wall, who resides at Denton, Missouri. She has three sis- ters, Mrs. Fannie Hughes, Mrs. Margaret Simpson and Mrs. Cornelia Hub- bard, all residing at Denton, Missouri. To John A. Rush and wife have been born the following children: Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Wright, Kansas City ; Mrs. Maudie Alice Urton, Kansas City, Missouri; John W., Blairs- town, Missouri; Mrs. Lillie Eva Gilliam, Johnson County, Missouri; Mrs. Glennie Anderson, Johnson County, Missouri; Mrs. Maggie Hunt, Blairs- town, Missouri, and Cliffie, who resides at home.
Mr. Rush always took an active part in local public affairs and was deeply interested in any movement for the improvement and upbuilding of the community. He was the original promoter of Drainage District No. 2 and was president of that company. This drainage system is thir- teen miles long, running from the Judge Guyer farm in Johnson County southeast through Bogard township in Henry County to the W. S. Ward farm in Big Creek township. This drainage movement met with strong opposition at first but Mr. Rush with the assistance of some others who had the foresight to see the benefits to be derived from such a project, succeeded in overcoming the reactionary element. It is now universally conceded that the project was the proper thing. Mr. Rush saw practically all of the development of Henry County and played an important part in the progress in this, the banner county of Missouri. He was a man who always lived a clean and upright life and cultivated simple habits. He lived to be seventy-six years of age and physically and mentally was equal to the average man a score of years his junior. He was one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of Henry County. Mr. Rush was a member of the Christian Church for over thirty years and was affiliated with the Grand Army Post of Blairstown.
E. M. Goodwin, senior member of the firm of Goodwin & Harman, prominent real estate dealers of Clinton, is a native Missourian. He was born in Knox County in 1872, and is a son of W. E. and Rosa J. (Sharp)
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Goodwin, the former a native of South Carolina and the latter of Indiana. W. E. Goodwin came to Moniteau County, Missouri, when a small boy with his widowed mother. They settled at Sandyhook and later removed to Knox County, Missouri, where he grew to manhood and was married to Rosa J. Sharp. In 1885 he came to Henry County with his family and located at Deepwater, which was the year that the town of Deepwater was laid out. W. E. Goodwin was an ordained minister and for a number of years was identified with the American Bible Society. He has always been active in religious work and was principally the founder of the Southern Methodist Church at Deepwater. He and his wife contributed liberally to the maintenance of this church and both felt a just pride and satisfaction in the results of their work. Some time after locating at Deepwater W. E. Goodwin became associated with the Keith & Perry Tile Company, and in fact helped build the factory. This company was later succeeded by the W. S. Dickey Clay Manufacturing Company and Mr. Goodwin remained with that company until 1903. He removed to Clinton about 1910, where he still resides. He took an active part in the building up and development of the town of Deepwater and served as its mayor three terms. He was also justice of the peace for a number of years and served as township treasurer two terms. His wife departed this life in 1911 and her remains are buried in Englewood Cemetery. W. E. and Rosa J. (Sharp) Goodwin were the parents of the following children: E. M., the subject of this sketch; Estella May, now the wife of Dr. E. A. Reeves, Kansas City, Kansas; Bessie, now the wife of Dr. E. H. Henry, dentist, Deepwater, Missouri; Oscar Lee, who died at the age of twenty-five years, and his widow, who bore the maiden name of Estella, Millenbarger, is now a teacher in the public schools of Kansas City, Kan- sas. She has one son, Robert Goodwin, aged thirteen years.
E. M. Goodwin received his education in the public schools of Deep- water, Missouri, and for ten years was in the employ of the W. S. Dickey Clay Manufacturing Company at Deepwater. He then engaged in the real estate business at Deepwater as a member of the firm of Hearn & Goodwin. In 1904 he was elected county collector of Henry County, and removed to Clinton and after the expiration of his term of office he en- gaged in the real estate business with R. E. Harman under the firm name of Goodwin & Harman and since has continued in that business. They are one of the leading real estate firms of not only Clinton but this sec- tion of the State. They have done a great deal of emigration and coloni-
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zation business in western Kansas and Colorado. In 1917 this firm bought 14,000 acres of land and sold 8,000 of it. They operate extensively in southern and western lands.
In addition to his activities in the real estate business, Mr. Goodwin has for the past five years operated a large stock farm and for fifteen years has been an active auctioneer and has conducted more sales dur- ing that time than any other auctioneer in Henry County. During the past year he has devoted his entire time to war activities, being sales director of the Third and Fourth Liberty Loan ..
Mr. Goodwin was united in marriage in November, 1894, with Miss Hattie Davis, a native of Henry County and a daughter of M. B. Davis, who came from Illinois here and now resides in this county. Mrs. Good- win's mother died when Mrs. Goodwin was an infant. To Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Goodwin has been born one son, Ray Davis Goodwin, a graduate of the Clinton High School and was a member of the class of 1919, Uni- versity of Missouri, where he was specializing in agriculture. He is now a sergeant in the National Army.
Mr. Goodwin is representative of the substantial business men of Clinton and Henry County, and the Goodwin family stands high in the community.
L. E. Keyes, a progressive business man of Clinton, who is president of the L. E. Keyes Mill & Elevator Company, is a native of New York. He was born in Tioga County November 15, 1849, a son of Orlando and Lucinda Keyes. The father was a minister and served as chaplain in the Union Army for eighteen months during the Civil War, and while in the service lost his health and died at Climax, Michigan, in 1865 at the age of forty-three years. His widow now lives at Scotts, Michigan, aged ninety years.
Orlando and Lucinda Keyes were the parents of the following chil- dren: Irene, now the wife of James Powers, Scotts, Michigan; L. E., the subject of this sketch; Wilbur W., died at Scotts, Michigan, in 1907 at the age of fifty-five years; Sarah M., married H. O. Cline, who served as sheriff of Ingham County, Michigan, and she is now deceased; Etta M., married Doctor Jackson of Scotts, Michigan, and they are both deceased; Charles H., died in 1878 at the age of twenty-one years.
Mr. Keyes removed to Michigan with his parents when he was a boy and was reared in that State, receiving his education in the public schools at Climax, Michigan. When fifteen years of age he began work-
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ing at the cooper's trade which he followed for three years. He then worked at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for two years. He then followed farming for a time and in 1879 came to Missouri, locating at Rolla, where he engaged in the milling business again and was fore- man in a mill at Rolla for twelve years. In 1891 the concern with which he was associated moved their plant to Clinton and Mr. Keys continued with them until 1917, when he engaged in the milling business at Clinton, for himself as president of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company, succes- sors to the J. H. Krocke Milling Company, which was organized in April, 1907, to succeed the J. H. Krocke Grain Company which at that time failed. The Keys Mill & Elevator Company succeeded to this business February 6, 1917. Its officers are: L. E. Keyes, president; Charles Wonder- lick, vice-president; and L. W. Keys, secretary and manager. The busi- ness is capitalized at $10,000. During the year 1917 this company did over $255,000 worth of business.
The Keys Mill & Elevator are well equipped to handle a large volume of business. The capacity of their elevator is eighteen thousand bushels of grain and besides this they are able to handle a large quantity of grain in their warehouses and cribs. They manufacture meal and feed on a large scale, and are jobbers in flour. The elevator is constructed of con- crete and both the mill and elevator are equipped with all modern ma- chinery and appliances.
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