History of Johnson County, Missouri, Part 100

Author: Cockrell, Ewing
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Topeka, Kan. : Historical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1234

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place spent the remaining years of his life. His death occurred in 1902. He was by trade a baker, but he was very successful as a farmer and stockman.

Mr. Hussey, of this review, received his education in the public schools of Jackson county. When he attained maturity, he became interested in the construction of bridges and was for several years the foreman of the Kansas City Bridge Company. He was employed for fifteen years in bridge building. In later years, he has been engaged in farming and previous to 1904 owned a farm in Jackson county. At that time, he sold the Jackson county farm and purchased one in John- son county in Rose Hill township, which he sold within a short time to purchase another there. He sold the latter place, when he purchased one hundred sixty acres of land in Chilhowee township, which he now owns. The Hussey farm comprises a tract of land that has been worn out, but Mr. Hussey is doing all in his power to bring the soil up to a high state of cultivation. He has practically all the place in grass land and this year, of 1917, he had twenty-seven acres in oats, producing a good crop. He is raising Poland China hogs and Shorthorn cattle. At the present time, he is milking twenty-five cows and sells the cream from his dairy in Warrensburg. The farm is well watered by four excellent springs. One of the springs is a mineral spring and has never failed to supply plenty of water. People from all the country round haul water from this spring in dry weather.

In 1894, R. D. Hussey was united in marriage with Etta Hinote, the daughter of Alexander Hinote, one of Johnson county's honored pioneers. To Mr. and Mrs. Hussey has been born one child, a son, Lewis S., May 14, 1916, Lewis S. Hussey was married to Edith V. Sutton, daughter of H. J. and Allie (Godfrey) Sutton. Mrs. Sutton was born in Illinois. Lewis S. Hussey is a splendid, alert, young man. He is associated with his father in farming and stock raising and in the high endeavor to make their farm one of the best and a profitable invest- ment.

E. N. Pendleton, a progressive, industrious farmer and successful horticulturist of Rose Hill township, is a native of Virginia. He was born in Bedford county in 1856, son of Henry and Nancy Pendleton, who were well known and respected in that state and in Missouri. Henry Pendleton was a son of Phillip Pendleton, who was one of the colony of Jamestown, Virginia, whence he moved to Bedford county

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and settled on a large plantation and became one of the wealthiest farmers in that part of the state. The Pendletons have figured promi- nently in the history of this country and they are related to two of the most distinguished of the colonial families of Virginia, the Wash- ingtons and the Lees. Henry Pendleton moved with his family to Missouri in the early days and settled in Clinton county on a farm com- prising one hundred acres of land, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died about thirty years ago.

Mr. Pendleton, whose name introduces this sketch, grew to man- hood in Clinton county, Missouri, on his father's farm and he has been interested in farming and stock raising ever since he attained maturity. He was owner of one hundred forty acres of land in Clinton county prior to his coming to Johnson county and on that farm was successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1909, when he sold his farm and moved to Warrensburg in order that his children might have better educational advantages. Later, Mr. Pendleton purchased two hundred acres of land in Grover township and again engaged in farming and stock raising. In 1914, he sold this farm, realizing a good profit, and purchased his present country home in Rose Hill township, a place embracing eighty acres of land, abundantly supplied with water and splendidly equipped for stock raising, having a well-constructed. roomy barn and numerous sheds. The barn was built by Mr. Pendle- ton in 1914. Practically all the farm is in grass and clover and Mr. Pendleton is devoting his attention almost exclusively to stock raising and to horticulture. He has remarkable success as a fruit producer, having fruit when all his neighbors have none. He is a well-read and intelligent horticulturist and his success is attributed largely to the fact that he cultivates the soil which is around the trees and constantly sprays them during the bearing season. As a farmer, Mr. Pendleton is strictly up-to-date. He is now hard at work in trying to conserve the fertility of the soil on his place. He plants clover and wheat and permits both to mature and then turns the crops under. after which he plants the field in corn and then pastures the land for a year or two, after which he repeats the process, thus gradually building up his land to a high state of cultivation. No gully is ever permitted to wash through his place. Mr. Pendleton wants to keep all the soil he purchased. He fills all ditches on his farm and keeps the hedges well trimmed. He is an enthusiastic advocate of good roads and neatly kept farms and his own

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place bespeaks the thrift and thoughtful care of an expert. In 1917, Mr. Pendleton harvested forty tons of hay.

In 1890, E. N. Pendleton was united in marriage with Martha Metzger, daughter of Lawrence Metzger, of Clinton county. To this union have been born three children: Mrs. Josephine Kohler, Kings- ville, Missouri; Lena E. and C. Henry, at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton are worthy and valued members of the Chris- tian church. Politically, Mr. Pendleton is a Republican and he has always been active in the ranks of his party. The Pendleton family is one of the most highly regarded and respected families in Johnson county.

James A. Haller, manager of the John A. Haller Farm Company, is one of Johnson county's most progressive and successful agricul- turists. Mr. Haller is a native of Kentucky. He was born in 1872 in Nicholas county, son of Dr. John A. and Martha Ellen Haller, both of whom were natives of Nicholas county, Kentucky. Dr. John A. Haller was a son of John Haller, Sr., who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and in boyhood went to Kentucky. The Haller family is of German line- age. Martha Ellen Haller is a daughter of a prosperous plantation owner of Kentucky now deceased. Dr. John A. Haller came to Missouri in 1879 and settled on a farm in Rose Hill township, Johnson county, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising in addition to practicing medi- cine. Doctor Haller had a large practice and became very prominent both in the medical profession and in the stock business. He was industrious and ambitious and at the time of his death, in 1901, was owner of five hundred seventy acres of land. He raised stock extensively but did general farming as well. Dr. Haller was twice married and of the five children born of his first marriage four are now living, namely: Missouri E., Latour, Missouri; Mrs. Florence Ingram, Latour, Missouri; James A., subject of this review; and Charles N., Latour, Missouri. After the death of Martha Ellen Haller, Doctor Haller remarried and he was the father of eight chlidren, six of whom are now living: John; Hattie, the wife of Mr. Deatley, Blairstown, Missouri; Mrs. Pearl B. Harper, Holden, Missouri; Bernie, Paonia, Colorado; Doctor Forest, Garden City, Missouri; and Raymond, Craig, Montana.

James A. Haller attended school at Rose Hill, where Albert Gloyd was his first teacher. Miss Hattie Sheller later taught the school when Mr. Haller was a schoolboy in attendance. He recalls among his school-

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mates several men and women now residing in his neighborhood, among them: C. I. Hunt, the Sheller boys, and Blanche D. Corbin. Reverend J. C. Littrell and Reverend "Billy" Whitsett were pioneer preachers still preaching in Mr. Haller's youth. He remembers the days of horse- back riding, when old men and women, the middle aged, and even little children traveled on horseback. When he was a lad, there was still much unfenced land in Johnson county and an abundance of wild game. Roads had not yet been built and even in the eighties the settlers of Johnson county went from place to place by direction and along trails.

Mr. Haller is a graduate of the Warrensburg State Normal School in the class of 1900. Prior to graduation, he was engaged in teaching school at Scaly Bark, Star, Mt. Xenia, and in Rose Hill township and at Gallatin, Missouri. After he had graduated, he entered the Kansas City Law School, from which institution he graduated with the class of 1901. Mr. Haller then formed a partnership with D. C. Lewis, a leading attorney of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and for one year was engaged in the practice of law. He was appointed administrator of his father's estate and at the time of the latter's demise, James A. Haller returned to Johnson county and later organized the John A. Haller Farm Company and has since been efficiently managing the busi- ness affairs of this organization, of which Dr. Haller's second wife and the following sisters and brothers are members: Missouri E., Florence, Charles N., John H., and Hattie. James A. Haller is of course a member of the company and under his capable and careful management the organization has proven to be a wise and splendid one. Annually, he handles fifty head of mules, twenty head of horses, nearly two hundred head of cattle, three hundred head of hogs, besides taking care of the nine hundred acres of the company's land, on which he raised in 1917, two hundred tons of hay and had sixty acres in wheat, one hundred fifty acres in corn, and had two hundred acres of wheat sown. Last year he had five hundred head of hogs. There are on the place hundreds of chickens and Mrs. Haller plans to have three hundred winter layers. Both Mr. and Mrs. Haller are energetic, enthusi- astic, young people and they are making a splendid success of life.

James A. Haller was united in marriage with Blanche D. Corbin, daughter of L. H. Corbin, a former schoolmate and playmate. To this union have been born four children: Jean W., Martha May, Sallie B., and W. Tipton. Mr. Corbin makes his home with his daughter,

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Mrs. Haller. Mrs. Corbin is deceased. Mr. Haller has been an active Republican for many years. Both he and Mrs. Haller are highly re- garded and esteemed in Johnson county, where the Haller family is widely known and respected.

John Sheller an industrious and enterprising farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, in 1862, a son of Jacob and Louisa (White) Sheller. The Sheller family was originally from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Sheller came from Ohio to Missouri in 1866 and settled on a farm in Rose Hill town- ship, Johnson county, where the father engaged in farming and stock raising on his place comprising one hundred sixty acres and in addi- tion worked at his trade as carpenter. He was a splendid, "all-round" workman and prospered in the new Western home. At one time, he was the owner of three hundred twenty acres of land in Johnson county. Louisa (White) Sheller was a daughter of Nathaniel White, of Ten- nessee. To Jacob and Louisa Sheller were born four children, three of whom are now living: Mrs. Hattie Stahl, Tonkawa, Oklahoma; and John and Charles, both well-to-do farmers, Latour, Missouri. The father died in 1881 and the mother in 1903.

At Rose Hill, where Lessie Hunt was employed as teacher, John Sheller began his school career. He received a good common-school educated in the district schools of Johnson county and then began farming, which vocation he has ever since followed. When he was a boy, there was much unfenced land and many undeveloped farms in Johnson county. He recalls having seen countless herds of deer and many prairie chickens. Mr. Sheller was reared on the farm and he has always been interested in the pursuits of agriculture. He is now owner of a splendid stock farm embracing three hundred ten acres of good land, one hundred fifty acres of which are in pasture land and meadow. He had, in 1917, forty acres of the farm in wheat, fifteen acres in oats, and seventy acres in corn. Last autumn he sowed forty-five acres of the farm in wheat. The Sheller farm is abundantly watered, conveniently located, and nicely kept.

In 1896, John Sheller was united in marriage with Lucy Belle Roach, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roach, who came to Missouri from Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Sheller are highly respected in their com- munity and they have countless friends in Johnson county. Politically,

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Mr. Sheller is a Republican. He is a valued and highly esteemed mem- ber of the Odd Fellows.

J. E. Coleman, a well-to-do and influential farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township, is a member of a well-known and prosperous pioneer family. He is a native of Johnson county, a son of Thomas E. and Phoebe (Thistle) Coleman, early settlers of this county coming to this state from Ohio. Thomas E. Coleman was a son of Edwin Coleman, and an emigrant from Ireland, where he was born. In early manhood, he came with his father to America and they located first in Kentucky and then in Ohio. In 1857. Thomas E. Coleman moved from Ohio to Johnson county and settled on a farm located south of Latour. He became a wealthy stockman, owning at one time more than nine hundred acres of land. Mr. Coleman was a bright, quick- witted, energetic man, a born leader. so in a very short time after com- ing West his influence began to be felt in the community and for more than thirty years, he was township committeeman, and justice of the peace for many years. He was an active worker in the Demo- cratic party and possessed much power politically. Mr. Coleman was a worthy and consistent member of the Catholic church. Phoebe (Thistle) Coleman was a daughter of Samuel Thistle. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Coleman were born ten children, six of whom are now living: S. C., Latour, Missouri: J. E., the subject of this review ; Mrs. Nellie Boone, of Montana: Mrs. Mary Hampton, Latour, Missouri ; Mrs. Belle Schooque, of Idaho; and Mrs. Nora Haynes. Independence, Missouri. The father died in 1906 and three years later the mother joined him in death. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman were upright, honorable citizens and they reared to maturity a fine family. all members of which are highly respected and valued in their respective communities.

At Sidney school house, where Charles Barnes was employed as teacher, J. E. Coleman first attended school. He obtained a good common-school education and then began to farm and to raise stock. He recalls Reverend Deane, who used to preach when he was a lad and he remembers how all the settlers would go to church, many of them traveling a long distance in wagons drawn by oxen. Oxen were also used to aid in breaking sod. There was much unbroken prairie in those days of the late sixties and early seventies and Mr. Coleman often went across the wide, unfenced fields to Holden, following a trail

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and passing only a few log cabins along the way. Wild game was plentiful and hunting and fishing were not considered sports but occu- pations. The young folks had good times for there were always parties, dances, and "bees" to attend. For many years, the Coleman family resided in a log cabin of two rooms and then later, the father built a larger and more comfortable home.

In 1892, J. E. Coleman was united in marriage with Katie Flynn, daughter of Daniel Flynn, a well-known and honored pioneer of John- son county. To this union has been born one child, a daughter, Anna M., who is at home with her parents. The Colemans are valued mem- bers of the Catholic church. Mr. Coleman is a member of the Catholic Mutual Benevolent Association.

In 1885, Mr. Coleman purchased one hundred acres of land and engaged in farming and stock raising. He has done well in his chosen vocations and has merited his hard-earned success, now owning two hundred thirty-five acres of well-improved land. There are three large barns and a splendid silo on the place besides numerous other farm buildings. The residence is a comfortable house of six rooms.

Politically, J. E. Coleman is a Democrat. He and Mrs. Coleman are numbered among Johnson county's most substantial and valued citizens and they have countless friends in their own community.

R. C. Hull, the capable and well-known cashier of the Bank of Centerview, is the only son of a prominent and prosperous pioneer family of Johnson county. He was born in 1876 in Centerview, Mis- souri, son of R. C., Sr., and Margaret (Clifton) Hull. Jacob Hull, grandfather of R. C. Hull, Jr., came to Missouri in the earliest days from New Hampshire. He settled on a tract of land in Johnson county and successfully engaged in farming, becoming widely known and influen- tial in the community. In 1866, R. C. Hull, Sr., came to Centerview and entered the mercantile business as the first merchant in the little village. The remainder of his life was spent in Centerview. Margaret (Clifton) Hull is a native of Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Hull were born two children: R. C., Jr., the subject of this review; and Mrs. A. W. Gibbs. The father died in 1898 and since his death the mother has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Gibbs. The senior Mr. Hull was a gentleman of splendid reputation, fine morals, and distinc- tive character. He was one of the county's most enterprising and indus- trious citizens, a man of true worth and great value.

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R. C. Hull, of this review, attended school at Centerview. Two of his first instructors were Professor Shipp and Judge Summers. He recalls among the pioneer preachers of his boyhood days Reverends Frank Russell, Poague, Hutchinson, and J. H. Houx. Later, Mr. Hull was a student at Lexington, Missouri and at the Warrensburg State Normal School. He is a graduate of Gem City Business College, Quincy, Illinois. Soon after Mr. Hull had graduated from business college, his father died and he assumed charge of his affairs and con- ducted the store in Centerview until 1906, when he was elected cashier of the Bank of Centerview, which position he is now filling. Mr. Hull is also one of the stockholders of the bank.

In 1902, R. C. Hull, Jr., was united in marriage with Margaret Hering, daughter of J. H. and Sarah Hering, and to this union have been born three children: Mildred, Rodney C., and Sara. Mr. and Mrs. Hull own a beautiful home in Centerview, a modern residence of eight rooms. Mr. Hull has noted many changes which have occurred in Johnson county during his lifetime and he is still a young man. The old rail fence has been supplanted by one of wire, the highways have been greatly improved, and automobiles have usurped the place of carriages and buggies. Mr. Hull is one of Centerview's "hustlers" and he and Mrs. Hull are enrolled among the county's best and most respected young citizens.

The Bank of Centerview, of which financial institution R. C. Hull, Jr., is the efficient cashier, has at present a capital stock of fifteen thousand dollars, surplus fund of fifteen thousand dollars, deposits amounting to one hundred fifteen thousand dollars at the time the last official state- ment was issued, and loans of one hundred thousand dollars. The present officials of this excellent banking institution are: C. H. Houx, president : Dr. J. R. Bozarth, vice-president; R. C. Hull, cashier ; and John Graham, George Eppright, John DeLaney, and S. O. Ball, directors. Much of the success of the Bank of Centerview is undoubtedly due to the careful exactness and cautious business judgment of the well-qualified cashier, who is a master of the intricate problem of finance.

Mrs. Margaret (Clifton) Hull, the highly regarded and respected widow of the late R. C. Hull, Sr., a leading citizen and pioneer merchant of Centerview, Missouri, is one of Johnson county's brave pioneer women, whom we are proud and happy to have still with us. She is a native of Ohio and after her marriage with Mr. Hull came with him to Center-

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view to make their home in the little village out on the open prairie. There were but four houses in Centerview at the time of their coming, in 1868. Mr. Hull was employed as agent for the railroad company and he also entered the mercantile business, becoming very successful in the new home. R. C. Hull, Sr., was Centerview's first merchant.

To R. C. Hull and Margaret (Clifton) Hull were born two children: R. C., Jr., and Mrs. Alberta (Hull) Gibbs. Their only son is now the well-known cashier of the Bank of Centerview and their daughter is a widow, residing in Centerview, with whom the mother makes her home. Mr. Hull was a man of fearless character, a typical pioneer, brave, noble, and true. He was a gentleman of the old school, whose pleasant manners and kindly ways won for him friends by the score. For many years, he was postmaster of Centerview. In many ways, R. C. Hull, Sr., was one of the most influential and capable men of his time. He died in 1898. His widow still resides in the old home, with her widowed daughter.

Mrs. Hull is a very intelligent, alert, and energetic lady and a most interesting conversationalist. She can relate in a very entertaining way many pioneer experiences which she has had. She pictures vividly the time when she and Mr. Hull came to the town of Centerview and how the early settlers traveled in large farm wagons or on horse back to church and to all the social gatherings. She thinks that the people in those days were more willing to lend and take assistance in their work, that one was more dependent upon and thus more friendly to his neighbors. Picnics were occasions anticipated with pleasure for months and enjoyed with all the zest of youth. Among the early preachers, whom Mrs. Hull knew personally, were: Finis King William Gordon, Josiah Thompson, and Reverends McGrady and Tuttle.

L. N. White, a progressive, intelligent young farmer and stockman of Centerview township, is a native of Indiana. He was born in 1879, a son of Dr. W. L. and Mary (Hall) White, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

Mr. White, whose name introduces this review, attended school at Glendale and in Warrensburg. He was later a student at the War- rensburg State Normal School and at Baker University. Mr. White took work in college in both the business and academic departments. After leaving college, he began farming and stock raising. He pur- chased half the homestead, for which he paid in three years. In 1908, he moved from the farm to Baldwin City in order to attend school,

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after which time he returned to the farm for a few months and then, in 1909, rented his place and moved to his father's farm. After a short time on the home place, Mr. White bought the old Whitmore place from his father, which he sold after one year and bought the old Roop farm, which he also sold within a short time. He cleared about one thousand dollars on the latter farin and then traded his part in the home- stead, which is located near Houts' Chapel, for a part of Doctor Bozarth's place. At the present time, Mr. White owns one hundred fifty-three and a half acres of land, for which he paid one hundred twenty-five dollars an acre. This past season he harvested six hundred bushels of wheat, three hundred fifty bushels of oats, and eighteen tons of hay. He had seventy acres of his farm in corn. Mr. White is also interested in stock raising and has at the present time, in 1917, twelve head of Herefords and seventy-five head of fine hogs. The place is well equipped for handling stock, having an abundance of sheds; farm buildings of all kinds in good repair; and a concrete watering tank, recently installed, which is filled by gravity pressure from an everflowing spring. L. N. White is one of the county's most enterprising agriculturists. He advocates the liberal use of fertilizer and of pasturing stock to increase the fertility of the soil, and he practices that which he advo- cates.

In 1902, L. N. White was united in marriage with Susa E. Neet, daughter of Jacob and Hester Neet, and to this union have been born three children : Sylvia E., Lindley W., and Susanna G. Mr. and Mrs. White are well known and esteemed in Johnson county.

Dr. W. L. White, a retired physician and farmer of Johnson county, is a native of Indiana. He was born in 1832, a son of Nathan and Rebecca (Lindley) White, a prominent pioneer family of Indiana, the father, a native of North Carolina and the mother, a daughter of Samuel Lindley, a brother-in-law of Nathaniel Green, Washington's most trusted general in the Revolutionary War. Doctor White was reared and edu- cated in Indiana and spent the greater part of his youth in that state.

In 1862, Dr. W. L. White enlisted in the Civil War and served throughout the conflict under General Stewart. He took an active part in the battles of Franklin and Nashville and in many other important engagements. After three years of faithful service, Doctor White was mustered out and honorably discharged in September, 1865. After the war closed, he returned to his home in Indiana and practiced medicine

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History of Johnson County, Missouri, Part 100

Author: Cockrell, Ewing Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Topeka, Kan. : Historical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1234

Author: Cockrell, Ewing
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Topeka, Kan. : Historical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1234