USA > Missouri > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Missouri > Part 43
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Rev. Mr. Dalton was married Nov. 30, 1865 to Miss Lucy Jane Crump of Jackson County, born Nov. 10, 1842, a daughter of Samuel and Paulina (Cox) Crump, the former a native of Boyle County, Ky. and the latter of
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Estill County. They came to Jackson County from Kentucky. See sketch of John T. Crump. Mrs. Dalton was a school pupil of Mr. Dalton's. The children of Rev. James G. and Lucy J. Dalton, are: Samuel G., born June 12, 1867, on the home place on which Mr. Dalton located in 1871; Mary Elizabeth, formerly a teacher at home; and Paulina Agnes, wife of Luther W. Tyer, and mother of one child, Dalton Tyer, who lives on the adjoin- ing farm. Miss Mary Dalton was educated in Odessa College and taught in the public schools for 24 years. Samuel Crump, father of Mrs. Dalton, was a justice of the peace, and operated a mill on Sni creek, for some years prior to his death.
Reverend Dalton accomplished a vast amount of good during his many years of preaching. He was thoroughly imbued with the desire to faithfully perform the work of the Lord and had few thoughts outside of his work as a minister. During his leisure time he cultivated his farm of 40 acres and was universally respected and loved throughout the countryside by all people regardless of denomination. When the merger of the Cumberland Presbyterian churches took place with the United Presbyterian church, Mr. Dalton remained with his church for which he had toiled for over 62 years. His wife joined the church after her mar- riage with Mr. Dalton and she, too, has ever remained true to the Cum- berland Presbyterians. While a man of the Lord and devoted to the Savior's work, he had strong sense of humor which enabled him to over- come many difficulties during his long and arduous career.
Reverend Dalton married more couples, in all probability, than any other pioneer preacher in Jackson County. In many instances through- out the county there are families which boast that he performed the mar- riage ceremony of two or three generations of the same family.
Morgan V. Dillingham .- The Dillinghams are among the oldest and most prominent of the pioneer families of Jackson County. For over 80 years this family has been well known in this section of Missouri, and the descendants of the first Dillingham to settle in this county have occupied leading places in the community. Morgan V. Dillingham, successful breeder and large land owner of Blue Springs, is one of the best known men in this section of the Middle West. For over 40 years he has been a breeder of jacks, and his fine farm, near Blue Springs, is widely known as the Dillingham Jack Farm. He has bred and sold a pure strain of jacks and has sold the product of his farm to buyers in all parts of the United States. Of late years it has been practically unnecessary for him to advertise the fact that he is a breeder, on account of the wide range of
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his prestige. Buyers come to the farm from all parts of the United States or write to him for a shipment. The Dillingham herd of jacks and jennets numbers from 25 to 30 head, generally. The herd leader was purchased of J. Finley, of Higginsville, for $2,000, and was bred in eastern Ken- tucky by Dr. Shields.
Morgan Veachel Dillingham was born Sept. 18, 1843, on a farm near Blue Springs, Mo. He is a son of Joshua and Susan J. (Walker) Dill- ingham, the former a native of Kentucky.
Joshua Dillingham, the father, was born on March 29, 1816, and died Dec. 16, 1875. He was reared to young manhood in Kentucky, and in about 1835 he came to Missouri, and was here married, Aug. 25, 1842, to Susan J. Walker, who was born Sept. 18, 1826, and departed this life June 26, 1911. She was a daughter of Morgan Walker, one of the first pioneers of Jackson County, who assisted in the building of the first court house of Jackson County, which was built of logs in 1827. He became a large land owner, obtaining possession of 2,200 acres, and was one of the leading citizens of the pioneer country in his day. Joshua Dillingham first located in Lafayette County, prior to coming to Jackson County. He accumulated a considerable tract of land adjoining Blue Springs, and here reared his family.
Morgan V. Dillingham was reared in Jackson County, and received such education as was afforded by the primitive schools of his youth. He became engaged in mercantile pursuits, and for 22 years he was in part- nership with Thomas W. Records at Blue Springs. This store is still conducted by Mr. Dillingham's son. He has accumulated a splendid farm of 180 acres, adjoining Blue Springs on the south and east, and is vice- president of the Bank of Blue Springs. As far back as 1879, he became interested in breeding jacks, and has achieved considerable success in this important branch of animal husbandry. While engaged in merchandis- ing, he carried on his farming operations. Mr. Dillingham has one of the handsomest stone residences in Jackson County, in Blue Springs.
Mr. Dillingham was married in 1869 to Miss Malvina Eliza Mock, who has borne him children as follows: Georgia M., David M., Nellie May, Jessie Gertrude, Virginia Leala, Edgar and Edna, twins, and Frank Marie. Georgia M. Dillingham was born Nov. 1, 1869, married Charles Cable, and died Jan. 14, 1901. David M. was born June 7, 1872, married Mary Es- tella Spicer, June 23, 1898, and is a member of the Blue Springs Mercan- tile Company. Nellie May was born June 5, 1874, and was married in July, 1893, to William P. Records, resides at Lawton, Okla. Edgar and
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Edna were born Sept. 18, 1886. Edgar died Sept. 28, 1886, and Edna died Nov. 5, 1886. Frank Marie Dillingham was born May 31, 1891, and died April 28, 1900.
The mother of the foregoing children was born Feb. 13, 1850, in Jackson County, Missouri, and was a daughter of Dr. David and Sarah E. (Ellington) Mock, the former a native of North Carolina, and the latter of Ohio. Dr. David Mock was a physician, who came from Ohio to Mis- souri in the late forties. He first lived in Lafayette and Platte counties. With his wife he essayed to cross the plains en route to the gold fields of California, during the years of the great migration to the Pacific coast. He reached Denver, but the hardships of the journey proved too much for his wife's frail health, and they returned to Missouri. After the close of the Civil War, he was among the first men to locate in Jackson County, where he practiced his profession for many years.
Mr. Dillingham is a stanch Democrat of the old school. He is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and is highly esteemed and one of the respected citizens of Jackson County.
John T. Ware, well known citizen of Blue Springs, Mo., is a native son of Jackson County. Mr. Ware was born on a farm near Independ- ence, April 8, 1869, and the half century of his life has been spent within the confines of his native county. He is the son of John and Belle (Daniel) Ware, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Rich- mond, Va. John Ware, his father, was born May 22, 1822, and died Aug. 11, 1901. Mrs. Belle Ware was born Dec. 22, 1826, and departed this life April 14, 1893. John Ware came to Jackson County before the Civil War, and followed farming continuously in this county until compelled by Order No. 11 to leave the country. He thereupon went to Kentucky and re- mained until the war closed. After which he returned to Jackson County and settled on a farm near Independence, where he resided until he moved to a place south of Blue Springs.
Ten children were born to John and Belle Ware, as follow: Fannie, deceased; John, deceased; Robert, Independence, Mo .; Christopher, de- ceased; William M., Webster County, Missouri; Mrs. Annie Cook, Rock Island. Texas; Mrs. Sue Cummins, Grain Valley, Mo .; Mrs. Annie Daniel, Blue Springs, Mo .; John T., of this review; Frank, employed in the Sugar Creek Oil Refinery, Kansas City, Mo.
John T. Ware has always followed farming, and is now ma managing the Prewitt farm of 309 acres, southeast of Blue Springs. He was mar- ried Sept. 16, 1896, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Prewitt, who has borne him
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two children: Georgia Frances, born July 18, 1900, a student in Missouri Valley College; Forrest Anselm, born Oct. 10, 1902. The mother of the foregoing children was born in Jackson County, March 12, 1876, and is the only child of the late George W. and Fannie (Lobb) Prewitt.
George W. Prewitt was born near the town of Blue Springs, Mo., Dec. 16, 1836, and departed this life July 26, 1917. He was a son of Benjamin Wesley Prewitt, a native of Kentucky, and son of Joseph Pre- witt. Benjamin W. Prewitt came to Missouri in 1833, and was engaged in mercantile pursuits at Liberty, Clay County, for three years prior to his removal to Jackson County. He was married in 1835 to Mary Ann Fisher, youngest daughter of Adam Fisher, who settled on a farm four miles east of Independence, where he resided until his death, in 1860. After his marriage Benjamin Prewitt settled on a farm four miles east of Independence, where he entered land and became the owner of 600 acres. He lived there until the stirring days of 1849, when he started to the gold fields of California. Like thousands of others who tried to make the long trail across the deserts and mountains of the West, he succumbed to illness, and died on the way. He left two sons, George and Fisher Pre- witt. His widow later married R. S. Duke, of Jackson County. During the Civil War, they removed to Clay County, where she died in 1876. Mr. Duke spent his last days in California.
George W. Prewitt was reared in the home of his uncle, George Fisher, until 1855. He then returned to the old homestead and engaged in farming until 1861. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, he entered the State service and fought at the Battle of Lexington, under Colonel Raines. His company disbanded at Osceola in the following winter. He remained on his farm until April, 1863, when he went to Colorado, and re- mained there until November, 1865. During the two years in the West he spent the time in Colorado and New Mexico, engaged in the cattle business, his associate being Solomon Young, of Jackson County, who had a contract to supply the United States Government with cattle for the various forts in the West. Mr. Prewitt lived in Clay County, Mis- souri, from November, 1865, to the spring of 1866, when he returned to Jackson County. He at once began the work of reclaiming his farm. The farm which George Prewitt improved, just southeast of Blue Springs, is one of the model farms of the State of Missouri, well improved with a splendid residence, outbuildings, and is highly productive.
April 20, 1871, Mr. Prewitt was married to Miss Fannie E. Lobb, daughter of Manson Lobb, a son of pioneers from Kentucky. She died in
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1878, leaving a daughter, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Ware, of this review. Mrs. Ware studied at Woodlawn College, Independence, and kept house for her father until his death.
George Prewitt was a man universally respected by all who knew him, and he was one of the sturdy and upright citizens of Jackson County. During the later years of his life he embraced the Christian faith, accord- ing to the tenets of the Presbyterian church. He was a Democrat and took considerable interest in the affairs of his party. He was a member of Blue Springs Lodge, No. 163, Knights of Pythias.
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Ware are highly regarded in their home com- munity, and have a host of friends in Jackson County. They are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Ware is a Democrat, and is affil- iated with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. Their handsome home in Blue Springs is noted for its hospitality.
John W. Moore .- Nearly 70 years ago, John W. Moore, pioneer farmer of Blue township, first saw the light of day in Jackson County. His recol- lections of early life in Jackson County are keen and vivid. His schooling was obtained in one of the old time subscription schools where the tuition was five cents per day per pupil and the teacher earned about one dollar a day for his services. Mr. Moore recalls that the teaching of the common branches was thoroughly done in those days by the teachers and that when a boy received a trouncing for not getting his lessons or misbehaving his father gave him another one at home. He had to walk four miles to school and he recalls that there were no public schools in Jackson County until 1868. Geography, mathematics, reading, writing and grammar were the only branches taught and these were thoroughly taught. The teacher would give the pupils their lessons for the next day at the close of the day's session and woe betide the unfortunate who failed to come to class letter perfect on the following day. If the lesson was not learned at night a "whaling" was the outcome on the following day. During his boyhood days, hunting was fine; Jackson County was a hunter's paradise. During the Civil War when firearms were prohibited and it was dangerous for a citizen to be caught with a gun unless he were a soldier, game multiplied. After peace came, the woods, rivers and ponds abounded in wild geese, ducks, brants, prairie chickens, grouse, foxes, wolves and coons.
Mr. Moore saw the first street car on the streets of Kansas City. It was hauled by mules and was run on the old Westport line. Kansas City was but a village during his boyhood days and he has seen the wonderful transformation which has taken place in this section of Missouri. He
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JOHN W. MOORE.
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saw the great overland freighting outfits which passed over the old Santa Fe trail to the then unknown southwest and has witnessed many marvel- ous things during the course of his long life. However, Mr. Moore is not wont to lament at the passing of the so-called "good old times." He is of the opinion that the advantages of today are far greater than formerly and life is more worth living. He recalls the time when the present loca- tion of the great stock yards was a dense wilderness and he watched with interest the development of the packing industry upon the coming of the railroads in 1868 and by 1870 there were 20 roads in the bottoms.
Mr. Moore is owner of a splendid farm of 144.5 acres situated on the rock road four miles southeast of Independence upon which he has resided since February, 1872 and upon which he has placed all of the improve- ments. He was born July 8, 1850, on a farm four miles northeast of Independence and is a son of John and Isabella (Gardner) Moore, natives of Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. John Moore was born in July, 1810 and died Oct. 9, 1865. Mrs. Isabella Moore was born near Louisville, Ky., in August, 1809 and died in August, 1887. They were parents of the following children: Elisha, who served in the Confederate army under General Price, is deceased; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Calvin Lowe; Richard, killed in a runaway at the age of 35 years; George W. Moore resid- ing with the Gibsons in Jackson County ; Sarah died at the age of 16 years ; John W. Moore, of this review.
John Moore, the elder, was a son of Elisha Moore a Kentucky pioneer. He came to Jackson County in 1830 and purchased land of the Collins northeast of Independence. He erected a double log cabin in which he made his home for many years and became owner of 223 acres of land, 120 acres of which was located near Grain Valley. Mr. Moore was owner of 14 slaves who were set free on Emancipation Day, Aug. 4, 1865.
When Mr. Moore purchased his present farm in 1872 he traded an 80 acre tract and gave $40 in addition. This land is now easily worth $300 an acre. During his entire life he has worked hard and been economical and striven to manage his business in the best manner. Mr. Moore was married on Oct. 5, 1872 to Miss Sarah Cook who was born in 1850 and died Jan. 15, 1890. She was a daughter of Enoch and Nancy Cook, pioneer residents of Jackson County. To this marriage were born children as fol- lows: Walter, Independence, Mo .; John B. father of three children, lives in Kansas City, Kan .; Howard, at home with his father; Homer lives in Independence; Mrs. Ida B. Aid, mother of three children, at home; Shelby lives in Independence ; Everett resides in Kansas City, Kan .; Wallace lives in Oak Grove and has four children.
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Mr. Moore is a Democrat and he has served four years as school director of his district. The Moore family have always worshipped ac- cording to the teachings of the Christian faith. Mr. Moore himself has generally followed the "Golden Rule" as his creed during his long life. He is well informed, keen and mentally alert and physicially active, notwith- standing his age and he takes a decided interest in present day events. Always a reader, he is above the ordinary in understanding and intelligence.
John L. George, proprietor of 76 acres of rich bottom and hill land fronting on the rock road east of Independence, is one of Jackson Coun- ty's industrious and enterprising citizens. The George place presents an attractive and pleasing appearance from the highway. The large lawn, fronted by a stone fence, adds much to the stable appearance of the well built residence, and the general showing made by the farmstead. Mr. George was born in Clay County, Missouri, July 3, 1874. He is a son of William and Sallie (Clark) George, both natives of Kentucky.
William George, his father, was a son of Wash George, a native of Wales. As early as 1858 the George family settled on the Spring Branch road in Jackson County, later removing to Clay County, where the family resided until 1882. In that year they removed to Bates County, Missouri, where the parents still reside. The elder George is past 70 years of age, and the mother is past 69. They are now living retired in Rich Mill, Mo. It is a matter of local history that an uncle of John L. George, named James Clark, operated the Blue Mills ferry in ante bellum days.
John L. George came to Jackson County in 1904, and was employed in a retail business in Independence for four years prior to locating on the farm. He was married Sept. 2, 1906, to Miss Mary Allen, a daughter of James and Mattie ( Saunders) Allen. Mrs. George was born in Jack- son County, Missouri, Dec. 8, 1885, and was reared in this county. Her father, James Allen, was born in Saline County, Missouri, Oct. 23, 1857. and was the son of James Allen, a native of Kentucky, and a pioneer set- tler of Saline County. The wife of James Allen, the elder, was a Miss Staples, a member of an old and prominent family of Saline County. Mat- tie (Saunders) Allen, mother of Mrs. George, died in 1887. She was a daughter of Samuel Saunders, a pioneer of Jackson County, who entered a large tract of land in this county. His land extended from the Latimer place to the Glendale road, and he was quite prominently identified with the early development of Jackson County. Samuel Saunders gave to his daughter, Mrs. Mattie Allen, the farm now owned by Mr. and Mrs. George. The Allens came to Jackson County in 1881, and Mr. Allen made his home
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on this farm until 1908, when he removed to Kansas City. In 1892 James Allen and Miss Josie Kennedy were united in marriage. Four children have been born to this marriage: Anna, Joseph, James and John. Mrs. John L. George had one sister, Mrs. Katherine Cook, who died three years after her marriage, Jan. 31, 1910.
Mr. George is not only a successful farmer, but he is a skilled artisan. He finds time to do many useful things and to exercise his skill in fash- ioning articles of furniture with which to adorn the George home. When winter storms prevent work on the farm, he will be found in his work shop making some articles of furniture which, in its completeness and finish as fashioned from the native lumber, will equal in stability and ap- pearance the best which the shops afford.
Mr. George is a Democrat. Mrs. George is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church South. Both are intelligent, well read, progressive and enterprising, and are numbered among the best of Jackson County's citizens.
Admiral N. Boswick, farmer and stockman, owner of a fine farm of 84 acres in Sniabar township, has been cultivating his farm since 1882, with the exception of four years spent in the service of Jackson County as deputy sheriff. He was born in Washington County, Ohio, March 16, 1854, and is a son of Admiral N. Bostwick.
The Bostwicks are among the old American families, the paternal great-grandfather of the subject of this review having fought under General Washington in the American Revolution. The progenitor of Ad- miral N. Bostwick came from England and settled in New England in the colonial times. His father was born in 1800, and died in 1876. His mother, Mary Jane Moon Bostwick, was born near Parkersburg, W. Va., in 1817, and departed this life in 1905. The Bostwicks came to Missouri in 1858, and first settled near Kahoka, Sweet Home township, Clark County. The children born to this couple were as follow: Henry S., de- ceased, was a soldier in the Union Army, enlisted when 16 years of age, fought at Vicksburg, and was with Sherman in his March to the Sea, as a member of the 21st Missouri Infantry; John L., a veteran of the Union Army, resides in Oklahoma, ran away from home to join the army, and enlisted when 14 years old; Robert J., lives in Boone County, Iowa; Ad- miral N., of this review; Mrs. Ann Kronen, deceased; Mrs. Susan Lucas, lives in Clark County, Missouri ; Lydia, deceased.
A. N. Bostwick came to Jackson County in August, 1877, and has since been engaged in farming in this county. He has achieved more
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than a local prominence, and is well and favorably known throughout the county. He was married Oct. 5, 1879, to Miss Lucy A. Johnson, who was born in Jackson County in 1861, and is a daughter of the late David Johnson, one of the early pioneers of this county, who became owner of 900 acres of land in Missouri, owning besides 640 acres in Texas. David Johnson died in 1863. His wife was Frances (Cook) Johnson, who died in 1884. David Johnson was the father of 16 children: William, de- ceased; Larkin, deceased, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Car- roll, west of Oakland Church, Johnson County, Missouri; Harvey, Grain Valley, Mo .; Lee, Oak Grove, Mo .; Thomas and Mary, twins, deceased; Luther O., a wealthy farmer and orchardist of Sniabar township; Ban- ner, Kansas City, Mo .; Sarah, deceased; Mrs. Augusta Hinkston, Inde- pendence.
The children born to A. N. and Lucy A. Bostwick are: Herbert L., policeman, Kansas City, Mo .; Claude L., engaged in business on East Maple street, Independence; Robert Ward, died at the age of four years and two died in infancy.
Mr. Bostwick is a Republican and is one of the leaders of his party in Jackson County. He served as deputy sheriff under sheriff Baldwin, from 1905 to 1909 and during that time made his home in Independence. He is also a member of the County Election Board.
Mr. Bostwick is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is affiliated with the Odd Fellows Lodge of Buckner. He is well informed, progressive and is one of the substantial and well respected citizens of his home county.
Judge J. H. Cummings, police judge, of Tempe, Ariz., was born and reared to manhood in Jackson County, a member of one of the old pio- neer families of this county, and has never, although his home is in a faraway State, lost his love for Jackson County and his old friends and neighbors. Each year he looks forward to his annual visit to his old home county, and spends several weeks hobnobbing and visiting with his old time friends in the county. J. H. Cummings was born Sept. 8, 1845, on a farm within four miles of Blue Springs. He is a son of John N. and Eleanor (Barnett) Cummings, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Boone County, Missouri. John N. Cummings was born in Simp- son County, Kentucky, in 1806, and died in 1871. He came to Jackson County in 1828, and was one of the first pioneer settlers of this county. He settled first on the Blue River, and lived there for four years, filing on his homestead in 1832, improved his land and there reared his family
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of nine children. The children are as follow: J. H. Cummings, of this review; John Gilpin, drowned in the Missouri River; Whitford Townsend, died in 1917; William Thornton, lives at Raton, N. M .; Keziah Ann, died at the age of 18 years ; Joseph. Cox, deceased. Eleanor Barnett Cummings, mother of the foregoing children, died in 1883. By a first marriage with William Pallette, she was the mother of two children: James and Mary Jane Pallette, both of whom are deceased. John N. Cummings was also twice married, his first wife having been Eliza Wood, who bore him two children: George W. and Serilda Cummings.
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