USA > Missouri > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Missouri > Part 91
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August 2, 1865 S. Thomas Lewis and Miss Ballard, daughter of B. D. Ballard, of South Carolina, were united in marriage at Green- wood in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Lewis was Smith and she was a native of Alabama. Both parents
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of Mrs. S. Thomas Lewis died in the South many years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have been born eight children, six are now living: Robert, Chicago, Illinois; E. E., a prominent poultryman of Johnson county, proprietor of the "Holden Egg Farm," Holden, Missouri; Mary, who is married and is now residing in Chicago, Illinois; Louise, Los Angeles, California; Gertrude, now Mrs. Swartz, of Detroit, Michigan; and Albert, who lives in Kansas. Linnie and Frank both died after they were grown and married. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis came to Missouri and for a few months were located in Pettis county, then in Bates county, and finally settled in Holden, Missouri. They have always resided in the house in which they now live since they came to this city to make their home. Mr. Lewis is a cabinet maker by trade and he has followed building and contracting all his mature life. The first two houses built where Sedalia is now located were erected by S. T. Lewis.
Mr. Lewis is independent in politics. He is intensely interested in public issues and takes an active part in political affairs, but he has invariably voted for the man and not the party. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and is the oldest member of this fraternal order in the state of Missouri. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1871. Mr. Lewis is one of the most valued members of the camp of Veterans of the Confederacy in Johnson county and he belongs to the Baptist church, of which he is an earnest and beloved worker.
E. E. Lewis, the widely-known owner and manager of the "Holden Egg Farm" located near Holden, Missouri, is one of the enterprising, successful citizens of this county. Mr. Lewis is a Johnson county boy, a member of an old, established pioneer family of Missouri. He was born Setpember 11, 1867, in Holden, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Thomas Lewis, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. The father is now living in Holden and is perhaps the oldest citizen in this city.
In the public schools of Holden, Missouri, E. E. Lewis obtained his primary education. At the age of fifteen years, he had mastered the barber's trade and for six years was engaged in following his trade. He then went to Chicago, Illinois, to work as barber in that city and when he had been there but a short time he became interested in street car work and abandoned his trade and for ten years was employed by
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the city traction company on the street cars in Chicago. For twelve years, Mr. Lewis was employed as yardmaster by the A. T. & S. F. Rail- way Company. He then resigned his position and moved from Chi- cago to Holden, Missouri, where he has since resided. Mr. Lewis entered the poultry business at Holden and at first engaged in it on a very small scale but gradually increased the business until he is now recognized as the leading poultryman of Johnson county.
During his residence in Chicago, E. E. Lewis and Isabel Adams, of Chicago, were united in marriage. Mrs. Lewis takes a deep interest in Mr. Lewis' work and she has been an enthusiastic assistant and con- stant source of inspiration. Mr. Lewis has made a scientific study of the poultry industry and of the Single Comb White Leghorns in par- ticular. Several years ago, he conceived the idea of the "Holden Egg Farm," a poultry farm which in time should "stand for Leghorn su- premacy" and where would be demonstrated that the raising and breed- ing of pure-bred fowl is a profitable occupation. How well E. E. Lewis has succeeded in putting his idea into actual and practical use and how bountifully his efforts have been recompensed is proven by the fact that he has pleased, well-satisfied customers in all parts of the United States and that the business of the "Holden Egg Farm" has been con- stantly increasing for the past twenty years.
Although people are awakening to the advantages of poultry keep- ing and the large profit in raising only pure-bred chickens, yet there are still many who do not realize the amount of money they are actually losing. Poultry raising differs from other farm occupations in that the work is light and can be made a pleasant and pleasurable activity. The young folks and the women in the home can easily manage the poultry on the place and there are thousands of them in this country making a good living in this way. The argument for poultry keeping so over- whelms all against it that it would seem that every property owner in the country would also be a poultry owner. Poultry furnishes the family an abundance of food which is easily prepared. Poultry raising can be done on small lots, can be started with small capital for even the best blooded fowl may be had for a small outlay for eggs of pure-bred birds, and insures a profitable income because poultry furnishes so great variety of products, as eggs for hatching and eating, broilers, adult fowl of various kinds, and feathers, all of which are easily marketed. The absolute certainty of a market is one of the attractive features of the
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business and at Thanksgiving and Christmas times the poultryman can usually secure fancy prices. On a farm where the range is unlimited, a multitude of harmful insects are eaten by chickens and thus their feed costs practically nothing.
There are countless breeds of chickens. There are egg breeds, meat breeds, and general purpose breeds, and each has much to recom- mend it. But, of the egg breeds, the Leghorns are the most popular and generally conceded to be the best. They are small, nervous, lively, good foragers, not inclined to sit, like to run a good deal, and they lay white eggs and many of them. The particular strain, which the "Holden Egg Farm" keeps exclusively, is the Single Comb White Leghorn. Mr. Lewis states that this breed matures to two pounds more quickly than any other, will begin laying when four and five months old, and costs half as much as other breeds to keep. He has now on the farm approximately fifteen hundred chickens and is shipping eggs every day to all parts of the country. He plans to have hundreds of carefully culled birds on the place each year. Only the perfect and best hens are admitted to the breeding flocks and they are not kept after two years of age. The imperfect birds, so pronounced by skilled specialists in poultry husbandry, are shipped to the Chicago market when they are eight or nine weeks old, weighing at that time one and three-fourths pounds. Mr. Lewis figures on obtaining from eighty to ninety per cent. of his number of hens in eggs. "Holden Egg Farm" is splendidly equipped to care for the birds properly and for producing sturdy, vigor- ous individual Leghorns. In the words of the owner, "Careful, Pur- poseful, Selective Breeding for Vigor" is the keynote of Mr. Lewis' remarkable success. He is in love with his work and his entire atten- tion is devoted to it. Mr. Lewis is exceptionally well qualified for his vocation and his years of experience and training have proven to be an invaluable business asset. All products of the "Holden Egg Farm" are sold under a written guarantee and it is a truthful state- ment that, "It is impossible for a reasonable minded person to deal with the 'Holden Egg Farm' and not be satisfied." E. E. Lewis has done more than any other one man to bring Johnson county to the front in the poultry industry.
James M. Moore, Jr., widely known as "The Bee Man" in Johnson county, is a native of Wisconsin. He was born in 1849 in Waukesha county, a son of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Moore, Sr. The father was
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a native of New York. In the early days, he located on a large ranch in Wisconsin, a vast tract of land located on the main highway between Wankesha and Milwaukee, and there his son, James M., Jr., was born several years later. During the Civil War, both father and son enlisted in the Union army. James M. Moore, Sr., served three years and four months with the Sixteenth Wisconsin Infantry. He was in the thickest of the fray at Pittsburg Landing, a battle better known as Shiloh, which took place April 6. 1862. on the Tennessee river, about twenty- four miles from Corinthi. The struggle began Sunday morning, when Johnston attacked Grant, who with thirty-three thousand men was awaiting the coming of Buell with his twenty-seven thousand men before attacking Johnston at Corinth. It was one of the terrible, bloody days of the four years' war. The Confederates were in the end driven from the field, but twenty thousand men were lost, either killed or mor- tally wounded. It was in this battle that General Albert Sidney John- ston, one of the greatest of the Southern commanders, was killed. Mr. Moore, Sr., afterward was a member of the hospital corps. A few years after the close of the war. James M. Moore, Sr., and his son, came to Johnson county, Missouri, with an emigrant train and for many years the former was a highly respected and prominent citizen of Holden. He was a stanch Republican and took an enthusiastic part in politics while a resident of this city. In the latter part of his life, Mr. Moore, Sr., went to the Dakotas to reside. Atfer a few years there, he returned to Missouri and entered the Soldiers' Home, where he died.
The early education of James M. Moore, Jr., was received in the district school near his father's ranch in Wisconsin. He afterward attended the Waterloo High School in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, and from 1868 until 1872 was a student in a private school in that state, in which institution he studied under Professors Lawrence and Galloday. As has been stated above, Mr. Moore, Jr., enlisted in the Civil War. He was only a lad, sixteen years of age, when he joined Company G, Forty-ninth Wisconsin Infantry, in the spring of 1865. He came to St. Louis, Missouri, with the company commanded by Rollo Phelps and did guard duty only. At St. Louis, he was mustered out and hon- orably discharged. Mr. Moore, Jr., returned to his home in Wisconsin and shortly afterward the Moore family moved to Dodge county and thence to Johnson county, Missouri. A party of emigrants from Dodge
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county, Wisconsin, came to this state at that time, a band of five differ- ent families in nine wagons. The Moores located at Pleasant Hill. The elder Moore later purchased a farm located southeast of Holden, which he sold within a few years and moved to the city of Holden in 1871. The ensuing year, James M. Moore, Jr., left Holden and went to Colo- rado to engage in mining and engineering in that state for four years. He has had forty-eight months' actual, practical experience in the gold mines of Colorado. In 1878, he returned to Johnson county, Missouri, and this county has been his home ever since.
In 1876, James M. Moore, Jr., and Alice Bates, daughter of H. J. Bates, of Johnson county, were united in marriage in Denver, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Moore, Jr., remained in Colorado one year after their marriage and then came to Holden, Missouri. Mr. Moore, Jr., was associated with his father-in-law in the business of carpentering and contracting for a number of years and then the former purchased the interest of Mr. Bates and for several years conducted the work alone. Many years ago, James M. Moore, Jr., became interested in gardening and bee keeping and in recent years has given his entire attention to this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Moore, Jr., have been born three children : Mrs. Charles Baldwin; Mrs. D. T. Nawgel, wife of a prominent business man of Holden, Missouri; and Charles B., who resides on a farm near Montrose, Colorado, a tract of land on the Uncompahgre river, near the Gunnison river project.
James M. Moore, Jr., is known throughout this section of the state as "The Bee Man." He is breeding Italian bees. He buys the best queens he can find, at the time of this writing, in 1917, has eighty colonies. Last year, in 1916, he obtained three thousand pounds of honey from his hives. It is exceedingly interesting to converse with Mr. Moore, Jr., about his work with bees. One can learn much from an hour so spent. He has studied the business carefully and is con- ducting it along the most approved and scientific lines. Bees, he states, get all their food free of expense and though they require considerable care, it is generally not expended in feeding them. Each colony con- tains a queen, workers, and drones. The queen lays the eggs; the workers, imperfectly developed females, gather the honey, furnish wax and beebread, make the combs and fill them, and feed the young bees; and the drones, male bees, do nothing. The queen lays one egg in a cell and from it hatches the young bee, or larvae, which looks like a tiny
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insect or worm and it gets only what is fed to it. In a few days, the cell is sealed, the larva spins a cocoon, and then in about three weeks comes out, the well-known insect with wings. The queen lays her eggs in three kinds of cells. From the smallest come the workers, from the next in size the drones, and from a few of the largest the queens. If bees are to be kept out of mischief, like men and children, they must be kept busy. A modern way is to keep the queen's wings clipped so she can not fly away. With careful and intelligent management, such as is given the Moore bees, the yield of honey will average at least fifty pounds a year from each hive and the bees should yield a profit of from five to ten dollars a swarm. but honey, like everything else in this world, does not always come up to our great expectations. James M. Moore, Jr., has won wide recognition as one of the best-informed, most suc- cessful apiarists in Missouri.
Mr. Moore had two brothers and one sister: George, who served in the Civil War one year and is now deceased; Sidney, who is residing in Nebraska and was formerly in the employ of the Union Pacific Railway Company: and Mrs. J. E. Davis, of Los Angeles, California.
John F. Baker, stock buyer and dealer. Holden, Missouri, was born on a farm in Rose Hill township. Johnson county, in 1872, son of William E. and Louisa (Scott ) Baker, early settlers of Johnson county, both of whom are now deceased, the father dying in 1914 and the mother
in 1891. William E. Baker was a son of Henry F. and Elizabeth (Hambright) Baker, the former, a native of New York and the latter, a native of Kentucky. Henry F. Baker was a hat manufacturer. He came West and located in Independence, Missouri, in the early twenties. He bought fur and made hats and was also a contractor and builder. Henry F. Baker erected the first court house in Cass county, built of brick which he himself made and which are in existence to this day with his name as maker stamped upon them. Henry F. Baker served in the Mexican War and after the close of his war service settled in Rose Hill township, Johnson county. He became quite an extensive land owner. Henry F. Baker died in 1856. His wife was a member of the Hambright family which had its origin in Virginia, members of which family served in the Revolution of 1776. The great-grandfather of John F. Baker, James Hambright, settled at Fort Sibley. His father fought in the American Revolution. But two of Henry F. Baker's chil- dren are now living: O. T. Baker, of Holden; and Mrs. H. E. Dicker- son, of Rose Hill.
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John F. Baker was educated in Rose Hill High School and at the State Normal School at Warrensburg. He began his career as a farmer and stockman and remained on the farm until 1907, when he removed to Holden. Since his boyhood days, Mr. Baker has been interested in stock raising and dealing in live-stock and began this business while still living on the farm. Since coming to Holden, he has broadened his activities and has become an extensive dealer in cattle, horses, and mules.
Mr. Baker was married in 1894 to Ada H. Roberts, daughter of the late Thomas Jackson Roberts. To this marriage have been born two children, namely: Catherine and John Allen. Thomas Jackson Rob- erts, father of Mrs. Baker, was born in Tennessee in 1843 and died in 1915. He was a son of George K. and Mary Elizabeth (Rhodes) Rob- erts, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, and who settled in Mis- souri in about 1854 on a farm three miles north of Holden in Johnson county. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in Colonel Cockrell's regiment shortly after the battle of Lonejack was fought and served under General Price. He fought throughout the remainder of the con- flict and was discharged at Baton Rouge, when the war ended. He returned to his farm and followed the peaceful pursuits of agriculture until his death. In 1866, he was married to Catherine Hayes, a native of Johnson county, Missouri, daughter of Montgomery and Mary (Cock- rell) Hayes, the latter, a sister of Senator Cockrell. Montgomery Hayes was a native of Kentucky and was reared in Saline county, Missouri. In 1849, he made the long overland trip to the California gold fields and died there. There were seven children born to Thomas J. Rob- erts, as follow: Anna, wife of George Brock, living near Strasburg, in Johnson county ; Bettie, deceased; Ada, wife of the subject of this review; Minnie, wife of P. A. Harvey. Fargo, North Dakota; Margaret, wife of James C. Mayes, living at Montserrat; Birl, wife of Finis E. Mayes of Montserrat; Allen, living on the Roberts' home place in Madison township.
Mr. Baker is allied with the Democratic party and has served as a member of the County Central Committee of his party for the past fifteen years. He is at present a member of the city council of Holden. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are members of the Christian church. He is fra- ternally affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is active in all matters which have for their object the advancement of his
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home city and his county, doing nobly his part as a good citizen and business man. He is also a member of the Elks of Warrensburg, with which lodge he has been affiliated for the past fifteen years.
John A. Lee, of Madison township, is descended from one of the oldest Virginia families. He is also a son of one of the earliest of Johnson county's pioneers. He was born in Centerview township in 1860, son of John C. Lee, who was born in Howard county, Missouri, a son of Richard Lee, of the Lees of Virginia, one of the earliest pio- neers to make a settlement in Howard county, Missouri. John C. Lee, father of the subject of this review, made a settlement in Columbus township, Johnson county, in the early forties, and some years later he settled on a farm in Centerview township, selling his place in Center- view township just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War and pur- chasing three hundred twenty acres in Madison township. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Confederate army and served under General Cockrell, taking part in many hard-fought engagements. After the war, he returned to his farm in Madison township and culti- vated it for four years, after which he moved to Howard county where he became prominently identified with public affairs. He filled the office of justice of the peace and was elected district judge, following which he served two terms as presiding judge of the county. He was father of three children, as follow: William, Seymour, Texas; James H., Howard county ; and John A., subject of this review.
John A. Lee has lived practically all his life in this county. Ten years were spent in Howard county. He has made agricultural pur- suits his life work and has become a very successful farmer and stock raiser.
Mr. Lee was married in October, 1893, to Arminta Bedichek, a native of Texas, town of Greenville. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have five chil- dren: Wilfred C., a sergeant in the National army, Company G. Three Hundred Fifty-sixth Infantry; Ramona, Letha, John, and Robert E.
In politics, Mr. Lee has always espoused the cause of the Demo- cratic party. He is a member of the Christian church. The Lees are highly esteemed among the county's best families.
Bank of Holden, the oldest bank in Johnson county, was organized May 6, 1872. The first directors were: W. A. Campbell, T. J. Allison, I. Starkey, J. G. Cope and Charles Bluhm. Lewis Cheney was elected
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president and I. M. Smith, cashier and secretary. Mr. Smith resigned the following October and J. G. Cope was elected cashier and M. Cop- pinger, secretary.
In 1873, the great panic occurred, strewing the country with finan- cial wrecks. The Bank of Holden and the one at Warrensburg were the only ones left in the county. The country was comparatively new, the territory large, and an increasing demand for money called for a larger capital and on August 1, 1878, the bank's capitalization was increased to one hundred thousand dollars. In 1893, another disas- trous panic swept the land, and, although not so disastrous as that of 1873, great damage was wrought. Securities of all kinds depreciated greatly in value and a feeling of distrust so pervaded the entire country as to almost call in question the stability of government bonds. The Bank of Holden, like other strong institutions, was well prepared, but even better than gold in its value was the confidence of its patrons and the public, which enabled it to pass through the crisis unscathed and continue on the even tenor of its way.
The year 1895 found the territory very much reduced, money more plentiful, and greater competition. A surplus fund of fifty thousand dollars had accumulated which could not be profitably employed and on June 24, a dividend of fifty per cent, was declared. Five years later, these conditions still existing, it was deemed advisable to reduce the capital to fifty thousand dollars, which was done on June 21, 1900.
Lewis Cheney served as president from 1872 to 1879, inclusive ; John G. Cope served from 1882 to 1886, inclusive: C. C. Tevis suc- ceeded Mr. Cope and served until 1889; he was followed by S. W. Jurden, who served until 1901, when he was succeeded by the present incum- bent. H. R. Mccutchen.
The management of the Bank of Holden is proud of its record and, with the utmost confidence in its future, solicits the patronage of the community. The officers of the Bank of Holden are: President, H. R. Mccutchen ; cashier, W. F. Mccutchen : directors, O. R. Rogers, B. Plessner, H. R. Mccutchen, M. R. Snyder, J. H. Zehr, W. F. McCut- chen, W. B. Wallace, J. M. DeMasters and C. W. Seip. With a capital. surplus, and undivided profits of over one hundred thousand dollars and total resources of over five hundred thousand dollars, the Bank of Holden is in a position to take care of any business, large or small. intrusted to it.
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Oscar Gilliland Boisseau is a native son of Johnson county and he comes from a family of Johnson county pioneers. He was born on the southeast quarter of section six, township forty-six, range twenty- seven, in Columbus township. He is the son of Daniel T. and Laura Belle (Gilliland) Boisseau. The mother died when Oscar G. was eight days old and he was reared by his grandparents, on the farm where he was born.
The Boisseaus were French Huguenots, who migrated to the colo- nies, where they would be free to follow their religious teachings unmo- lested. The subject of this sketch is a relative of Reverend James Boisseau, who came to Virginia from Marennes, France, about 1688. He located in what is now Dinwiddie county, on what was known as Hatchers run, about seven miles from Petersburg on the main road from Petersburg to Dinwiddie.
John Boisseau, the great-grandfather of O. G., was born in Din- widdie county, Virginia. He was a soldier in the Revolution- ary War, enlisting in 1780. The family has been able to verify the record of his service. It is also believed that he was a soldier of the War of 1812, but so far his service, if any, has not been authenticated. Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, he united in marriage with Nancy Carter and moved to Kentucky before it was admitted to the sisterhood of states. He located in what is now Simpson county, east of Franklin, the present county seat. Here he reared his family and spent the remainder of his life, dying about 1834. One son, Benjamin W., the grandfather of this subject, was born in Simpson county, Ken- tucky, in 1801. In 1828, he was married to Sarah Fuqua. He moved to this county in 1834, first locating near Columbus, later entering a large body of land in what is now Jackson township, about one mile west of Blackwater church, where he lived till his death in 1863. His first wife died and he later married Sybil A. Duncan, an early-day school teacher and a native of Rockbridge county, Virginia. She passed away in 1891.
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