USA > Missouri > Cooper County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 101
USA > Missouri > Howard County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 101
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CHARLES H. ALLISON.
That time and means spent for education in early life is the best investment that can be made, is illustrated beyond " a hinge or loop to hang a doubt upon " by the lives of those in whose interest it has been made. And the life of Mr. Allison forms no exception to the general rule. Thoroughly educated in early life, his services since have been of a value to society that is beyond estimation, and which he could
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never have even hoped to render without the education he received. For fifteen years he was the principal of the Male Collegiate Institute of Boonville, an institution he founded and built up, and which was finally merged into the present excellent public school of that city. Thus for a few years time and a little means spent in the acquirement of an education, he has given back to his native county a service, the inestimable influence of which will go vibrating through the ages like the undulations of a wave upon a shoreless sea. And in his retire- ment to a farm life, the impress of a cultured mind is visible every- where around him. Not only is he a better and more successful farmer than he otherwise could have been, but his place has been made one of the best in improvements, taste and intelligent adaptability to farm purposes in the county. In short, his farm is a fitting abode for the successful farmer and educated gentleman. He was born in the township where he now lives on the 3d of December, 1824, and in boyhood attended the ordinary schools of the neighborhood. But de- termining to fit himself for the bar, he left home at the age of eighteen and entered a prominent private school of the day, kept by C. W. Todd, at Boonville, then editor, also, of the Boonville Herald. He continued in that school about sixteen months, and then became a student in Kemper's school, where he remained about two years. After this he taught school for nearly a year, when he became a ma- trienlate in the state university at Columbia, from which he graduated with marked honor in 1852. Returning after his university course he began teaching in order to prosecute the study of the law, and soon formed a taste for the calling of an educator, which determined him to adopt that as his life-work. Accordingly he founded the Male Col- Jegiate Institute already mentioned, and built it up to a high point of success. A friend to general education, however, and seeing in the public school system an efficient agency for general education, he gave way to it and sold his school building to the school board of Boon- ville, He then shortly engaged in farming, and has become not less successful as a farmer than he was as an educator. December 23, 1852, he was married to Miss Amanda C., daughter of David and Margaret Adams, who were among the first settlers of Cooper county. Mr. and Mrs. Allison have been blessed with eight children, six of whom are living : John F., William C., David A., Edward L., Mag- gie A. and Cora I. Mr. Allison held the office of county surveyor for twelve years by successive elections. He is a brother of S. C. Alli- son, whose sketch also appears in this volume, in which will be found a notice of the lives of their parents.
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STEPHEN C. ALLISON,
farmer. Like many of the better class of citizens of Cooper county, Mr. Allison is a descendant of pioneer settlers of this county. His father, William Allison, came here in 1812, and in common with others in that early day, early occupied Fort Hannah Cole for a time, Mrs. Cole, for whom the fort was named, being a sister of his. In 1824, William Allison was married to Miss Martha J. Williams, who, with her parents also, came to this county in an early day. She was from Maury county, Tennessee, and he from Wythe county, Virginia. Of this union, sixteen children were born, eleven sons and five daughters, of whom nine are living : Charles H., Stephen C., Eliza J., Wm. R., John R., Mary A., David C., Peyton A. and Benjamin F. William Allison, the father of these, became a leading farmer of the county, and at his death was the owner of 800 acres of fine land in this and adjoining counties. He died in 1864, aged sixty-eight years. He was a soldier, first lieutenant under Captain Porter, in the war of 1812, and located a tract of land in St. Clair county on a warrant received from the government for military service. Mrs. Allison, his widow, died in 1871, aged sixty-five years. Stephen C. Allison, the subject of this sketch, was born December 22, 1825, and now lives on a part of the old homestead, where he was reared, and still cultivates the same land where he first learned to follow the plow. He has an ex- cellent farm and is a leading grain and stock raiser in his neighbor- hood. January 4, 1855, he was married to Miss Nancy B. Mitchell, who was born November 29, 1834, daughter of William N. and Mar- garet Mitchell, early settlers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Allison have a family of five sons and two daughters : William R., born Nov- ember 5, 1855 ; Mary A., born July 16, 1857 ; Walter B., born May 6, 1861 ; Aubryn W., born June 30, 1863 ; Eliza L., born December 7, 1866 ; Emmet E., born July 28, 1869; and Thomas M., born March 14, 1872. William R. married Miss J. Harrow and Mary A. married C. W. Kern, of Howard county, but are now residents of this county. William A., and wife are members of the Baptist church at Pisgah.
GILBERT APPERSON.
Mr. Apperson was principally reared in Cooper county, and has followed farming here since he first started out in life for himself. He was a son of Francis and Nancy ( Spears ) Apperson, both natives of North Carolina, who came here directly from Kentucky, of which state they had become residents in an early day. Their family num- bered seven children, of whom four are still living, Gilbert being the
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
eldest. He was born before his parents left Kentucky, in Monroe county of that state, May 12, 1812. His father died in 1842, leaving a large landed estate in this county, on a part of which Gilbert now lives. His mother died in 1842. After reaching manhood, Gilbert Apperson was married, March 16, 1837, to Miss Martha, daughter of Thomas and Mary Berkley, who settled in this county from Virginia in 1831. Of this marriage seven children were born, four of whom are now living, Mary E. ; William F., in Idaho; Benona J. ; and Robert J. Mr. Apperson and wife are members of the Baptist church at Pisgah.
FREDERICK WILLIAM BOHM,
miller and engineer. Mr. Bohm was a son of Frederick William, Sr., and Caroline ( Hostmeaern ) Bohm, both natives of Westphalia, Ger- many, who immigrated to this country and settled in St. Louis in 1844. Besides Frederick William, there are two of their family of six children now living. Their father died of cholera in St. Louis during the epidemic of 1849. Subsequently their mother married Frederick Schlinger of that city, whom she had known in der lieb alt vaterland, but no children resulted from her second marriage. She died Febru- ary 13, 1883, aged seventy-three years. Frederick William, the subject of this sketch, was born in his father's native country, near Minden on the Weser, February 13, 1834, and was, therefore, fourteen years of age when brought to this country by his parents. Some years afterwards, in 1848, he came from St. Louis and located in Boonville, and here, September 25, 1859, he was married to Miss Missouri A. Son, of this county. Eleven children have been born to them, six daughters and five sons, of whom there are eight living : Mary, born August 1, 1860 ; Amelia, born August 11, 1862 ; Henry, born August 21, 1864; Martha, born December 13, 1867; Emma, born Jannary 13, 1869, deceased ; Julia, born June 29, 1871 ; Freder- ick William, born in 1873, deceased ; William M., born January 25, 1874, deceased ; Everett R., born December 8, 1876; Huchie G., born January 27, 1878; and Margaret, born November 25, 1881. Mr. Bohm removed to Moniteau township in 1877, where he has since resided. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church of Pisgah. Mr. Bohm is an experienced and skilful engineer and miller. He has been a resident of Cooper county since 1851.
JAMES M. BONAR,
farmer. Mr. Bonar has been a resident of this state but eight years, having came out from Pendleton county, Kentucky, where he was born
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
and reared, in 1875, and located in this county, in Clark's Fork town- ship. He was born October 25, 1849, and is the eldest of a family of three children of Washington F. and Patsey ( Ervin ) Bonar, all still residents of Kentucky. His father was born in Pendleton county, in December, 1825, and his mother in the Blue Grass state, in 1828. Their second child, Mary E., was born in August, 1851, and is now the wife of Charles Taylor ; their second daughter, Margaret J., is a young lady residing with her parents. After coming to this county James M. Bonar was married, May 11, 1875, to Miss Cassandra Rus- sell. They have three children : Lydia, B., Wyon E. and an infant daughter. In 1879, Mr. Bonar removed to Moniteau township, where he purchased his present farm and still resides. He is an industrious farmer and will doubtless prove a valuable accession to the farming in- terests of this county. He is a member of the A. F. and A. M.
JUDGE ANDREW B. COLE.
Judge Cole was one of a family of thirteen children, nine sons and fonr daughters, twelve of whom are still living, of Samuel and Sally ( Briscoe ) Cole, both of whom were reared here in the pion- eer days of the county. Samuel Cole, the father, was but seven years of age when his parents settled in this county from Virginia, in 1808, and for five years following they were compelled to live more or less in the fort known as Hannah Cole's fort, on account of Indian ont- breaks. Brought up amidst such surroundings, young Samuel became inured to the hardships and dangers of pioneer life, and at an early age made himself conspicuons by his fearless, adventurous spirit. When but twelve years old he came within a hair's breadth of shoot- ing an Indian, whom he canght slipping stealthily up to the house with evident evil intent, and would have done so had not his mother stopped him in the very act of firing the fatal shot. From this time forward, and until affairs became comparatively settled, his life was a series of stirring adventures, both dangerous and amusing. He is the Samuel Cole of whom the anecdote is told of swimming the Missouri river with his pet bull to attend a dance on the opposite side. How- ever, instead of across the river, he really swam down it about three miles and back again, a-hold of his bull's tail, amidst the shouts of laughter and applause of those witnessing this performance. It is also related of him, with more truth than fiction, that while a soldier in the Mexican war, having made a clothes peddler who annoyed the camp, dance before a crowd of fellow-soldiers, for the amusement of the spectators, the peddler, after dancing to their satisfac-
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IIISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
tion and pretending to take it all as a joke, watched his oppor- tunity and, suddenly seizing a revolver, turned the tables on young Cole and made his former perseentor dance before the same spectators until, a cold December morning as it was, the sweat coursed freely down his face, and the retaliation, so courageous and just on the peddler's part, could not, without meanness and cowardice, be objected to by the other soldidrs, for it was all a joke ( ! ) But further space for side incidents and experience cannot here be given. His first wife, who came from Kentucky with her parents when quiet young, in 1813, died October 14, 1854; and in 1857, Mr. Cole was married a second time, Mrs. Catherine. Patrick, a widow lady, then becoming his wife. With her he is living on his homestead in Pales- tine township at the advanced age of eighty-two years, bale and hardy, and as vigorons in mind and body as men usually are twenty years his junior. Two daughters were reared of his second marriage. JJudge Cole, a son by his father's first marriage, was born October 4, 1827, and for many years has been a leading farmer and prominent citizen of the county. He has an excellent farm well improved in Moniteau town- ship, and is comfortably situated in life. In 1878 he was elected pre- siding judge of the county court, which office he filled for four years and with marked ability and entire satisfaction to the public. He has been twice married. June 27, 1855, he was united in matrimony to Miss Rebecca A., daughter of Judge Jacob and Mary Baughman. She died January 6, 1864, having been the mother of three children, one of whom is dead : William H., born December 6, 1855; Mary E., born September 14, 1857, now married ; and Clara A., born De- eember 16, 1859, died December 13, 1879. Judge Cole's second wife was previously Miss Mary J., daughter of Charles and Maria Hickox, to whom he was married April 10, 1866. Three children were born of this marriage : Charles E., born January 1, 1867 ; James W., born September 19, 1869, died January 23, 1872; and George T., born October 2, 1875. Judge and Mrs. Cole are members of the Baptist church, and the Judge is a member of the A. F. and A. M.
JOHN B. ENGLISH.
Mr. English eame to this connty from Moniteau county, this State, where he was born and reared, in 1879, and bought a traet of 333 acres of land, of which his present farm is a part. He devotes his attention to raising grain mainly, but also raises live stock in a general way. He is a substantial, well-to-do farmer, and is a valuable addition to the farming community of Monitean town-
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
ship. He was born June 22d, 1849, and was the second of a family of nine children born to Boyd M. and Catharine ( Maupin) English, both natives of Monitean, who were married in 1846. But three of their children, however, are living, James M., born February 1, 1847 ; John B., the subject of this sketch, and Margaret, born in 1848. After he grew up, John B., was married to Miss Susan J. Dill, of that county, March 26th, 1873. There are two of their family of three children living: Nero, born June 28th, 1877, and Gracie C., born April 26th, 1881 ; Bertie, the eldest, born January 8th, 1875, died October 4th, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. English are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and he is a member of the A. F. and A. M.
HARVEY M. GEORGE.
Calvin George, the father of Harvey M., and now a merchant of Texas, is a native of Tennessee, but came to Missouri in early life, and was married in this county to Miss Jane Scott. Here they reared their family and lived until 1875, when the parents removed to Texas. Harvey M., was one of a family of seven children, six of whom are now living, three sons and three daughters. He was born November 4th, 1842. Farming has constituted his life occupation, except for a time during the war, when he was " revenne storekeeper" in the cm- ploy of the government. His farm contains 120 acres of good land, and he has it comfortably improved. September 19th, 1868, he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Martha Burrus. They have six children. Leslie E., born October 2d, 1869 ; Mattie F., born January 14th, 1874 ; Minnie, born March 29th, 1876 ; Anna, born March 25th, 1878 ; Stella, born June 14th, 1880, and an infant, born September 16th, 1882. Mr. G. is a member of the Baptist church at Pisgah.
WILLIAM B. HUNT.
William B. Hnut was the tenth of a family of twelve children of Wm. B., Sr., and wife Nancy, formerly a Miss Jones, the father origi- nally of Buncombe county, North Carolina, and the mother, of War- ren county, Kentucky. They were married in 1811, he at the age of twenty-two, she seven years his junior. Of their family of children, seven are now living : Daniel, of Jasper county ; Mary, widow of L. D. Reavis, now a resident of Warrensburg ; Louisa, Zilpha, wife of Wm. Apperson ; Martha, wife of Wm. A. Johnson; Wm. B., and Jane, wife of James York. William B. Hunt, the subject of this sketch was born in Moniteau township, April 4, 1831, and was
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
reared in this county. July 10, 1859, he was married to Miss Sarah J. Boswell. They have four children living, one, Mattie, having died in infancy ; Mollie L., born May 27, 1860, married to R. M. Claw- son ; Daniel W., born December 3, 1861 ; Ludie L., born April 6, 1865, and Nancy, born January 14, 1868. Mrs. Hunt the mother of these died October 9, 1871. He owns a neat farm of eighty acres, and is an intelligent, industrious farmer. He is a member of the Baptist church at Mt. Pisgah, and also of the A. F. and A. M.
GILBERT F. JONES,
farmer, section 5. David Jones, the grandfather of Gilbert F., was one of the earliest settlers of Cooper county, and represented the county in an early day in the state legislature. His son, David A., the father of Gilbert, was born in this county in 1826, and after grow- ing up was married to Miss Melvina Lee, of Howard county. Of this union there were ten children born, of whom seven are still liv- ing, five sons and two daughters, Gilbert F. being the second in birth and the eldest of those living. He was born February 1, 1849, and was reared in this county. At the age of nineteen he was married to Miss Nancy M. Apperson, November 25, 1868. Five children have resulted from this union : David W., born July 12, 1870; Lewis F., born September 4, 1872; Nannie L., born January 25, 1875 ; Rich- ard L., born November 1, 1876, and Minnie P., born August 11, 1879. Mr. Jones is a farmer by oceupation and is located as above stated. He and his wife are both members of the Baptist church at Pisgah.
WILLIAM D. KIMSEY,
farmer. Benjamin Kimsey, the father of William D., was a native of North Carolina, born April 25, 1794. In an early day his parents removed to Tennessee, and in 1817, his father having died, he, with his mother and two sisters, came to Missouri and settled in Howard county. There he met and married Miss Elizabeth Morris, also orig- inally from North Carolina, who was brought by her parents first to Kentucky in 1789 and then, in 1818, to Howard county. Their mar- riage occurred a short time after her arrival there, she then being a young lady a few years her husband's junior. Eight children, five sons and three daughters, followed their union, but two of whom, however, are living : Francis M., born December 27, 1832, married Miss Martha Baxter, now residents of Arkansas, and William D., the subject of this sketch. Their mother died, March 3, 1858, in Platte county, whither the parents had removed and their father in the
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
same county, March 25, 1876. William D. Kimsey was reared in Howard county, where be was born February 19, 1834, and where he was married, February 3, 1858, to Miss Permelia Baxter. She was born January 16, 1842. They have had twelve children, six sons and six daughters, five of whom are living ; Elizabeth A., born January 17, 1862; Daniel W., born November 22, 1864; Martha C., born June 27, 1866, died April 18, 1867 ; Francis M., born February 23, 1868 ; Jackson W., born March 30, 1870; Rosa E., born January 18, 1874, died September 5, 1874 ; Anna G., born November 25, 1880, died October 14, 1881, and an infant, born March 17, 1883. Three died in infancy. In 1879 Mr. Kimsey sold his farm in Howard county and came to Cooper county and purchased his present place of 174 acres. He is an energetic farmer and is one of that class of industrious, thrifty agriculturalists who never fail to succeed where- ever they cast their fortunes. He and his wife are both members of the Baptist church, and he is a member of the A. F. and A. M.
JUDGE ROBERT A. M'CULLOCH,
farmer. Few men have been longer or more worthily identified with the material development and prosperity of Cooper county than Judge McCulloch. Principally reared here, he early became a leading farmer of the county, and for nearly half a century has contributed by his industry, intelligence and enterprise to the upward and onward progress of the county, from a comparative wilderness to one of the wealthiest and most progressive communities of the State. He was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, November 2, 1825, and is the fifth of six children now living reared by Thomas and Mary ( McCune ) McCulloch, both natives of the Old Dominion. In 1828 the parents came to Missouri and settled in Franklin township, Howard county, but in the spring of 1831 came over to Moniteau township in this county where they bought and entered 800 acres of land on which they made their permanent home. The father became one of the wealthy farmers and prominent citizens of the county. He died here in 1853, his wife having preceded him to the grave about six years. Robert A., the subject of this sketch, grew up on his father's farm and in 1857 was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of James A. and Mary H. Mahan, of this county. Three children are the fruit of this union : Mary M., born July 21, 1859; Matilda, born October 13, 1860, and Albert, born October 29, 1871. The mother of these died four years ago, January 1, 1879, of pneumonia. Judge McCulloch's farm contains several hundred acres of fine land, and he gives his
66
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
attention principally to grain and stock raising. During the gold excitement in 1849 he went to California, making the trip across the continent by ox train in four months. He remained on the Pacific coast abont four years and returned by the pack mule system of travel. In an early day, long before railroads linked the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, he accomplished the remarkable journey of travelling from ocean to ocean by horseback. In 1874 he was elected by a majority highly complimentary to him personally to the office of judge of the county court, which position he held for four years. As a citizen he is enterprising and public spirited and is ever ready to lend a helping hand to any movement looking to the advancement of the public interests, and as a farmer he is energetic, progressive and more than ordinarily successful. As a neighbor he is hospitable and kind, and as a man he is upright and honorable and above reproach.
JEFFERSON C. MARTIN.
Mr. Martin was the eighth of a family of ten children of Moses and Nancy E. (Burrus ) Martin, late of this county, but both now deceased. The father was born November 17th, 1801, in Kentucky, and the mother the year following, in the same state. They were reared there and married in 1820, and one year after their marriage removed to this state and settled in Moniteau township of Cooper county. Here their children were born and reared, and here the parents died, the father November 17th, 1871, and the mother nine years afterwards, October 23d, 1880. Their children are as follows : Lonisa, deceased ; Martha A., wife of William Hestard, of Monitean county ; Mary, deceased ; William B., late of Chariton county, de- ceased ; John S., of Texas ; Melissa, widow of John Maiter, deceased ; Malinda, deceased ; Jefferson C., James M., of Henry county ; and George W., deceased-the last two twins. Jefferson C. Martin, the subject of this sketch, was born June 1st, 1835. Reared on a farm, he naturally adopted farming as his occupation for life, and has followed it from youth. May 6th, 1863, he was married to Miss Eliza J. Martin, of Moniteau county . They have had six children, of whom four are living. The following are the dates of the births and deaths of these children : William H., born January 19, 1864 ; George F., born November 13th, 1865, died November 15th, 1867 ; Mary L., born April 21st, 1870; Viola J., born April 17th, 1873; Willis W., born June 7th, 1879 ; Minnie O., born February 20th, 1881, died July 21st, 1882. Mrs. Martin is a member of the Baptist church of Mount Pleasant.
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HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES.
JOHN H. MARTIN,
farmer. Mr. Martin entered upon the activities of life for himself without anything, comparatively, to begin on, and by industry and economy has established himself on a good farm of 240 acres, which he bought from time to time, as he was able to pay for it, and which he now has comfortably and substantially improved. He was born in Cooper county, Missouri, December 5th, 1834. His father, Isham Martin, and mother, formerly Elizabeth Hill, were both natives of Ten- nessee, and were married in 1817. They came to this county, in an early day, and both died here, he in 1873, and she two years after- wards. They had eleven children, six of whom are living, four sons and two daughters. In early manhood John H., the subject of this shetch, was married to Miss Rebecca C. Drinkerater. She died December 20th, 1857,, leaving one child, Permelia J., born June 5th, 1855. Mr. Martin was married a second time, Miss Susan A. Burrus then becoming his wife. Four children have been born of this union, Cynthia A., born December 29th, 1860, died June 5th, 1865 ; Albert D., born February 9th, 1863 ; William P., born April 22d, 1867, and Sarah E., born February 19th, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are both members of the Baptist church of Mount Pleasant.
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