History of Johnson County, Missouri, Part 66

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

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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY

deeply interested. He invariably aided in every movement which was for the betterment of the community and did all in his power to advance the interests of his township, county, and state. Judge Atkins was pre-eminently a home man and it was when alone with his family that all the nobleness of his fine nature was shown. Though Judge Atkins has gone on before, his memory will ever be held precious and sacred by those he loved so well. His tenderness, kindliness, charity, and humanity will never be forgotten and the life, cut off before the allotted time of man, he lived will ever be a source of inspiration to all who came in contact with Judge Atkins. Robert Browning says:

"No work begun shall ever pause for Death."

So to many of us it seems he is still here, laboring as he was ever want to do.

James Riddle, one of Johnson county's highly respected pioneer citizens and a successful farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township, is a native of Ohio. Mr. Riddle was born in 1844, a son of Archibald Riddle, son of James Riddle, who was an emigrant from Scotland. He came to America and located first in Pennsylvania and. several years later settled in Ohio. The Riddles trace their ancestry back to the time of the conquest of the Northmen in 1066. Different members of the family were knighted in the old feudal days in Great Britain. Nicholas Ridley, bishop of London, a martyr of the period of the Re- formation, who was descended from a family long seated in Northum- berland and October 16, 1555, in company with Latimer, was burned at the stake at Oxford for heresy, is an ancestor of James Riddle. Dur- ing the centuries and in changing countries the spelling of the name has been changed slightly, but the family has remained the same.

When James Riddle was a boy of seventeen years, he enlisted in the Civil War with Company A, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry and for three years served faithfully and well under Captain F. A. DuBois. Mr. Riddle fought in many skirmishes and took an active and effective part in numerous important battles, twenty-five in all. After the conflict closed, he returned to his farm home in Ohio. In 1866, he purchased one hundred acres of land in Rose Hill township, for which he still holds the old warrant, signed by President Buchanan and given to the original owner of the tract, who entered the land from the government. Mr. Riddle built a small house on this place, when he first came to Johnson county, and this was the riddle home for years. In 1915. it

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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY

was burned to the ground and Mr. Riddle then built the present hand- some, nine-room, modern house, which is his present residence.

In 1867, James Riddle and Martha C. Cresswell, daughter of James Cresswell, owner of the Lincoln Mills in Pennsylvania, were united in marriage. To this union have been born four children, of whom three children are now living: Mrs. Lissa M. Anderson, Los Angeles, Cali- fornia; Mrs. Mattie E. Rearick, Kansas City, Missouri; and Mrs. Ruth A. Yoder, Holden, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Yoder make their home with her parents and Charles W. Yoder is associated in partnership with Mr. Riddle in farming and stock raising. Mrs. Riddle and her daughter are interested in the poultry industry and at the time of this writing, in 1917, have one of the finest flocks of Rhode Island Reds to be found in Johnson county. Mr. and Mrs. Riddle are earnest Chris- tians and devout and valued members of the Presbyterian church for almost all their lives. Mr. Riddle became a member of the church in 1869.

James Riddle and Charles W. Yoder have a splendid herd of high grade Jersey cows on the Riddle place and they find that the produc- tion of cream for the market is a very profitable business. They are raising Duroc Jersey hogs and own a fine Clydesdale stallion and good jack. Mr. Riddle has given his entire time and closest attention to farming and stock raising and, being a man of thrifty propensities, has prospered. He is a gentleman of the old school, of splendid physique, never having been ill a day during his entire life and he is now seventy- three years of age, and of quiet, unobtrusive, kindly manners. Mr. Riddle has never been in a lawsuit in all his life. He has always felt that it was better to settle any difficulties outside of court and to keep out of trouble and wrangles, thus he has a multitude of friends, with whom he is a prime favorite because of his jovial ways. For many years, Mr. Riddle was superintendent of the Sunday School held at Union schoolhouse and then of the Christian Sunday School at Quick City, but on account of his hearing for the last few years, he has not been active in church work. He has never taken a drink of liquor and is an ardent temperance advocate.

In every way, James Riddle is a first class farmer and stockman. He has watched the changes in Johnson county which have occurred during the past half century, the growth from a wild, lawless, sparsely settled region to one of the best and most progressive. well populated

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divisions of the grand, old state of Missouri and he has done his full share in aiding the upbuilding of his chosen county, in making it one of the garden spots of the West. Mr. and Mrs. Riddle are worthy of the highest honor and they are highly regarded among Rose Hill town- ship's best and most public-spirited citizens.

T. E. Rigg, a pioneer of Johnson county of great worth and one of Knob Noster's most valued citizens, was born in Johnson county in 1857, the son of J. E. and Mary Jane ( Vandiber) Rigg. J. E. Rigg is the son of Noah Rigg, who came to Missouri in the early days and located in Pettis and later Cooper counties. He resided for some time in Johnson county and here his son, J. E., was born. J. E. Rigg is a carpenter by trade, but he has engaged in farming practically all his life in Johnson county. He is the present justice of peace at Higgins- ville Missouri, where he and his wife now reside. Mary Jane (Vandi- ber) Rigg is the daughter of Irvin Vandiber. J. E. and Mary Jane Rigg are the parents of three sons: Charles P., Higginsville, Missouri; Frank, Higginsville, Missouri; and T. E., the subject of this review.

T. E. Rigg received his education in the public schools of Knob Noster, Missouri. In early manhood, he learned the painter's trade, which he followed for fifteen years. Even as a boy, he had often engaged in painting and has at different times been so employed practically all through life. Mr. Rigg conducted a restaurant and later a livery stable in Knob Noster for about ten years. In 1913, T. E. Rigg in partner- ship with T. W. Boyd entered the mercantile business in Knob Noster, opening a general store, which they still own and conduct. They carry a stock valued at seven thousand dollars, including a full and complete line of ready-to-wear clothing for both men and women.

In 1881, T. E. Rigg was united in marriage with Lulu Chester, the daughter of Uncle Billy" Chester. who at the time of his daughter's marriage, was postmaster at Knob Noster. To T. E. and Lulu (Chester) Rigg were born two children: an only son, who died in infancy ; and Mrs. T. W. Boyd, whose husband is in partnership with her father in the mercantile business in Knob Noster. Mr. Rigg has built five different residences in Knob Noster and at the present is the owner of three. He is affiliated with the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Mystic Workers. He is a member of the Baptist church.

When Mr. Rigg came to Knob Noster, there was not one church in the town, no sidewalks, and no school house, but there were herds

MRS. T. E. RIGG.

T. E. RIGG.

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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY

of deer, flocks of wild turkeys, and prairie chickens in abundance. His first school teacher was Mrs. Spurgeon. As a boy, he often attended church with his father and heard many of the pioneer preachers expound the doctrines of Christianity, one of whom was Reverend Spurgeon, a Baptist minister, who wore a bright red wool shirt at the time. Rolling up his sleeves, he would invariably begin by saying. "I am a little late." The observing lad in the audience received the impression that such was the only and proper way to begin an exhortation. There being no church, services were often held in the homes and later in the school house. Mr. Rigg frequently attended an old-fashioned Methodist camp meeting. Life in the early days in Johnson county was not always a humdrum existence for there were many bright days full of happy ex- periences, which it is a pleasure to recall. The history of the Rigg family, who have been so closely associated with the early history of Johnson county, would make as interesting story of pioneer life as has ever been written. Mr. Rigg is numbered among the county's most substantial and highly respected citizens. He is a member of the Baptist church.

Mrs. Lulu (Chester) Rigg departed this life July 15, 1917, at the age of fifty-six years. She was a devout and deeply religious woman who was an ardent church worker, a kind mother to her children and a faithful and industrious helpmeet. Her death came suddenly after a brief illness of eleven days. Her passing to her heavenly abode is sin- cerely mourned by the entire community of Knob Noster. The follow- ing is the local newspaper comment on the death of Mrs. Rigg:

"Sunday afternoon between the hours of three and four o'clock, Mrs. Lulu Rigg, one of the best-known and most highly respected and loved ladies of Knob Noster, gave a hard fight for life and passed away. Mrs. Rigg had been ill for about three weeks, and although she suffered much during this time, her condition was not thought to be danger- ous until about midnight Saturday, when the family could see that her strength was failing. Once before, several years ago, MIrs. Rigg had been very sick and her life had been despaired of, but she rallied and this time it was hoped she would be able to be out in a few weeks. Mrs. Lulu Riggs was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Chester. She was born in Old Town, Knob Noster, and lived here all her life with the exception of a few years spent in Chicago after she was mar- ried In December, 1880. she was married to T. E. Rigg, two children

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being born to this union, one, Harry, having died in infancy. Mrs. Riggs was converted when quite young and her great faith in her Savior, taking the Lord into her daily life, was never shaken and she with her husband and daughter, joined the Baptist church February 6, 1896. She is survived by her husband, daughter, Mrs. Lollie Boyd, and two sisters, Mrs. Jennie Mahan, of this place, and Mrs. Josie Swope, of Lamar, Colorado. She was a great worker in the W. C. T. U., and work of other organizations, including the Baptist Home for Orphans and the Home for the Friendless. Mrs. Rigg always tried to do what she could to help others, and even during her last illness she asked that flowers, sent to her, be divided and part sent to others whom she thought would appreciate them. In her death the whole community has lost a faith- ful friend whose loss will be keenly felt. Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at 4 o'clock at the Baptist church by Rev. Edward James, attended by one of the largest crowds ever attending a funeral here. The floral offerings were profuse, showing the great esteem in which the deceased was held. Interment was made at City cemetery. The following were pallbearers: J. C. Winkler, H. C. Wills, O. F. Elliott, E. A. Shepherd, A. M. Craig and S. J. Dudley. Mr. Craig at- tended the funeral of Miss Rebecca Roberts and did not reach the house in time to act as pallbearer from there to the church, the vacancy being filled by A. Boyer. Mr. Craig was able to take his place at the church, however."-Gem.

C. L. Farnsworth, a member of a prominent and honored pioneer family of Johnson county, Missouri, is a prosperous and progressive farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township. He was born in Johnson county in 1872, son of C. L. and Nancy C. (George) Farnsworth. The father, Christopher L. Farnsworth, was a native of Greene county, Tennessee. He came to Missouri in 1854 and settled on a farm in Rose Hill township, Johnson county. There was a train of emigrants, from Tennessee, came at that time. Mr. Farnsworth went to Cass county, after two years in Johnson county, to remain temporarily while homesteading a tract of land there. He was in Cass county until Order Number 11 was issued, when he returned to Johnson county to spend the remainder of his life on his farm, engaged in raising Poland China hogs, Shorthorn cattle, and Cotswold sheep, buying large numbers of each and feeding them for the market. He became very well-to-do and the owner of many hundred acres of land. Nancy C. (George) Farnsworth was born in 1831 in Greene county, Tennessee. Mr. and

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Mrs. Christopher L. Farnsworth were the parents of ten children: R. A., Blairstown, Missouri; Mrs. Louisa J. Fowler, Enid, Oklahoma; Mrs. Helen Hall, Longton, Kansas; Mrs. Laura M. Parkhurst, Kinsley, Kansas; Mrs. Lucy A. Parkhurst, Hollywood, California; Reason W., deceased; Albert A., Marble Hill, Missouri; Mrs. Ida F. Duck, Quick City Missouri; Edna E., Blairstown, Missouri; and Cyrus L., the sub- ject of this review. March 7, 1909, the father died. Mrs. Farnsworth lived to a good, old age, her death occurring in August, 1917. Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth were held in the highest respect in Johnson county, where they had so long and faithfully labored.

Cyrus L. Farnsworth attended school at Lincoln Hall, where Cyrus Anderson was in charge as a teacher. He recalls Reverend Toms, a pioneer preacher of the United Brethren church, whom he often heard preach in the days of his boyhood. There was open prairie then and the roads were at times impassable, so that it was no easy task to attend church or school or for the teacher and preacher to be at his post. When he attained maturity, Mr. Farnsworth farmed rented land and worked on his father's place until 1900, when he pur- chased a small farm of fifty acres of land, on which he resided one year. He bought the P. G. Sanders place in 1901, a farm embracing one hundred sixty acres of fine farm land, and moved there in the same year. Since then, Mr. Farnsworth has added to his acreage and is now the owner of three hundred eighty-seven acres of land in Johnson county, a well-improved, abundantly watered, and conveniently located farm, on which he is raising high grade cattle, Cotswold sheep, and Poland China hogs. He has at present one hundred nine head of splen- did grade sheep. He is an enthusiastic advocate of crop rotation. He has remodeled the residence recently and now has a beautiful country home, surrounded by fine. old maples and a well-kept, bluegrass lawn. The farm is well supplied with all sorts of farm buildings, all of which Mr. Farnsworth keeps in excellent repair.

In 1898, C. L. Farnsworth was united in marriage with Cynthia L. Downing. daughter of Hiram Downing, of Urich, Missouri. To this union have been born three children: Bonnie L .. Jesse J., and Lillian C., all at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth are highly regarded members of the Christian church, of which he has been an elder for several years. Mr. Farnsworth is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America.

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W. R. Farnsworth, one of Rose Hill township's most substantial citizens, is a son of one of the best pioneer families of Johnson county. Mr. Farnsworth is one of the boys of yesterday of Rose Hill town- ship. He was born on his father's farm in Johnson county in 1865, a son of Benjamin J. and Eliza Farnsworth, who are well-remembered by the older residents of Rose Hill township. Benjamin J. Farnsworth was a son of Thomas Farnsworth, who lived his entire lifetime in Tennessee.

In 1854, Benjamin J. Farnsworth, father of W. R., the subject of this review, came to Johnson county, Missouri and settled on a farm in Rose Hill township. He engaged in general farming and stock rais- ing and prospered, at one time owning fifteen hundred acres of land. Mr. Farnsworth attributed the larger measure of his success to his good fortune in raising and feeding cattle and in handling mules. He fed stock extensively and perhaps a portion of his success was due to the care he invariably gave, but most probably Mr. Farnsworth attained affluent circumstances because of his splendid business judgment, perse- verance, thrift, and industry. He had a host of friends in this and adjoining counties, who recall his kindly, jovial handclasp and cheery voice. He was a gentleman, a man of high moral principles and a keen sense of honor and justice, one who made true friends wherever he went. He died in 1890. Mrs. Farnsworth preceded her husband in death many years before. She died in 1871.

W. R. Farnsworth attended school at Lincoln Hall in Johnson county. In his schoolboy days, the following men and women wielded the ferule of authority at different times at Lincoln Hall: Tom Quick, Cyrus Anderson, and Miss Lutie Umstadt. He recalls among the pioneer preachers, whom he often heard in his youth, Reverends J. H. Houx and Mohler. There was much open land in those early days and prairie chickens were plentiful. Mr. Farnsworth, when a lad, often successfully set traps for these wild fowl. He made his first money raising flax and his first investment was in calves, which proved to be a very profitable speculation. He and his father owned jointly one hundred ninety-six acres of land, which became W. R. Farnsworth's after his father's death. He is the owner of the old Farnsworth home- stead. The son now owns one thousand acres of valuable land, three hundred acres of which are in blue grass. Mr. Farnsworth is an ardent advocate of crop rotation, clover growing, and pasturing as soil builders.

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He is a well-informed, intelligent, and progressive agriculturist, whose opinions and judgment are well worth weighty consideration. He deals extensively in stock and is raising Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. The Farnsworth residence is a handsome, eight-room structure and modern throughout. Mr. Farnsworth recently installed a water system on his place at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars, but which is well worth the outlay for it is a model of convenience, requiring two wells and over one mile or more of water pipe with two windmills.

In 1891, W. R. Farnsworth and Edna Farnsworth, daughter of C. L. Farnsworth, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume, were united in marriage and to this union have been born four chil- dren: Lena, Mrs. Flossie Raker, Ruby, and Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth are highly respected among the good citizens of Johnson county. Both are valued members and earnest supporters of the Bap- tist church. Mr. Farnsworth is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

Dr. Robert Z. R. Wall, a late prominent and highly respected phy- sician of Johnson county, Missouri, was a native of North Carolina and an honored pioneer of Missouri. He was born in 1810 and at the age of twenty-nine years came with a company of emigrants to this state. Dr. Wall had just completed the medical course in the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia the year previous, 1838, and with a brave band of seven hundred pioneers from North Carolina came West to make his home. The company came in wagons and "carryalls" and they were three months on the way. In 1840. Dr. Wall settled on a large tract of land in Chilhowee township, Johnson county, a farm comprising nearly ten thousand acres which he purchased for twenty- five cents an acre.

Dr. Wall was the son of Richard and Mrs. Wall, the former a native of Scotland and the latter, of Wales, Great Britain. The doctor was a gifted linguist and an exceptionally skilful physician and sur- geon. He was highly intellectual and having an education far above the average for those early days. Dr. Wall easily became a leader of men in the new Western community. He began the practice of medi- cine in North Carolina and continued in the work of his chosen pro- fession after coming to Missouri. He called his office "the shop" and, as was the custom in that day, kept a complete line of drugs and filled his own prescriptions. Dr. Robert Z. R. Wall was widely known

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throughout the state as a very able and competent physician and not only were his services as doctor in great demand but he was also a tutor and under his instructions many young men learned the study of medicine. There were no. regularly established medical schools then and the usual method of acquiring a knowledge of medicine was to study with some learned man. Dr. Wall was well known as a scholar.

In North Carolina, Dr. Robert Z. R. Wall and Mary Jane Cobing- ton were united in marriage. To this union were born thirteen chil- dren, six of whom are now living: Mrs. Cornelia J. Hubbard, Denton, Missouri; Mrs. Mary S. Simpson, Denton, Missouri; Mrs. Mary A. Rush, Blairstown, Missouri; Mrs. Frances L. Hughes, Denton, Mis- souri; Robert, Jr., Denton, Missouri ; and Mrs. Dora A. Roberts, Denton, Missouri. The Wall home was the social center for the entire com- munity and there are yet living many men and women in Johnson county who, in the days long past, enjoyed the kind, southern hospi- tality of Dr. and Mrs. Wall. In addition to "the shop," Dr. Wall con- ducted a general store and he perhaps came in contact, through his mercantile business and the practice of medicine, with more men and women in this section of Missouri than any other one person and he was universally esteemed by all who knew him.

Like all the pioneers, Dr. Wall was a skilful hunter and fisherman. It was no easy task for him to visit his patients, many calls for his assistance coming from a distance of a score or more miles. Often- times the roads would be almost impassable, but he was always brave and cheerful and often could be heard singing hymns as he went on his lonely way through the thick brush, forests, and muddy swamps. Dr. Wall traveled on horseback and carried his gun and blanket with him. Sometimes at night he would be far from any settlement and then he would wrap himself in his blanket and spend the night on the ground near his camp fire. He needed his gun at times to protect himself from unfriendly Indians and to kill game for food. He invari- ably took with him punk, flint, and tow. that if necessary he could build a fire. Dr. Wall enjoyed fishing and in the last years of his life, he spent much time indulging in this simple pleasure.

For many years. Dr. Wall was superintendent of the Liberty Sun- day School and a tireless worker in the cause of Christianity. Though not a member of any denomination, he was a noble. Christian gentle- man and in his own home observed many devotional ceremonies. Every

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night, the family were gathered together to listen, while the father read a chapter from the Bible and to take part in family prayer. lt was his greatest desire that his family of children should not drift apart from and lose interest in one another and to keep them near him and united he gave each child a large, fully equipped, and well stocked farm. When Dr. Wall realized that he was nearing the Valley of the Shadow, he urged his boys and girls to so live that when the last summons came they might be a happy, reunited family once more "Up There." Dr. Wall died in 1894 and five years later. he was joined in death by his noble, faithful wife.

Adrian M. Wall, a late prosperous and progressive farmer and stockman of Johnson county, was a member of one of the best and most prominent pioneer families of this section of Missouri. He was a native of North Carolina. Mr. Wall was born in 1839 and in the same year came with his parents to Missouri and they settled on a large farm in Chilhowee township. He was a son of Dr. Robert Z. R. and Mary Jane (Cobington) Wall. a biography of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

In 1864, Adrian M. Wall and Matilda C. Hunt were united in marriage. Mrs. Wall is the daughter of John B. Hunt. To Adrian M. and Matilda C. (Hunt) Wall were born ten children, nine of whom are now living: Charles O .. Alberta, Canada: John R .. Blairstown, Missouri: Oliver W., Blairstown, Missouri: Edgar H .. Blairstown, Mis- souri ; Mrs. Maude Atkins, Blairstown. Missouri: Robert A .. Blairs- town, Missouri; Addison M., Blairstown, Missouri; Rufus A. and Ben- jamin F., both of whom are unmarried and at home with their widowed mother on the home place. Mr. Wall died in 1902. He was a leading worker and valued deacon of the Presbyterian church. a good honest, kind-hearted. Christian gentleman. a citizen of Johnson county whose loss has been long deeply felt and mourned.

Mrs. Wall relates that after their marriage. Mr. Wall and she lived in a log cabin, having only one room, for one year and then they moved to another log house, which was not much larger or more com- fortable and this was their home for several years until Mr. Wall built a new home, which seemed a mansion with its four large rooms. In 1885, they purchased the McCarty place and on this farm. Mr. Wall spent the remainder of his life. engaged in farming and stock raising. He acquired five hundred acres of land. but lost much of it going secur-

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History of Johnson County, Missouri, Part 66

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