History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records, Part 115

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.)
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1308

USA > Missouri > Scotland County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 115
USA > Missouri > Lewis County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 115
USA > Missouri > Clark County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 115
USA > Missouri > Knox County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 115

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

months' service the latter was attacked with Brazos fever, was honorably discharged, and sent home. In 1847 he married Jane, the eldest daughter of Joshua Delaplane, of Hamilton, Ohio, and soon afterward immigrated to Missouri, stopping at Tully, Lewis County, early in 1849. Early in the decade of the fifties he removed to Edina, Knox County, where he resided until his death. In 1853 he was appointed by the county court to organize the schools of Knox County, and for a number of years served as county attorney. In 1856, after a warm canvass, he was elected representative to the General Assembly. When the great Rebellion broke out he espoused the cause of the Union, and raised and commanded a company of Home Guards, and upon the organization of the Second Regiment of Northeast Missouri Reserve Corps he was made major. During the years 1863-64 he was employed in the service of the Government in the capacity of assistant provost-marshal, and in 1864 was elected to the State Senate, where he served with marked ability during the stormy sessions of 1864-65. In April, 1865, he was appointed by Gov. Fletcher to fill the vacancy in the judgeship of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, occasioned by the promotion of David Wagner, his predecessor to the supreme bench, and in 1868 he was elected to the same position for the full term of six years, retiring from the bench in 1875. During this entire service of nearly ten years he never failed to hold a term of court provided for by law, and often held special terms, and this too, when there were no

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KNOX COUNTY.

railroads in the district. In 1869 he took an active part in the organization of the Q. M. & P. Railroad, of which company he was for some time a director. After his retirement from the bench in 1875 he resumed the practice of law, and remained actively engaged until 1878, when a partial loss of his eyesight occasioned his gradual withdrawal from business. For several years prior to, and at the time of, his death, he was president of the bank of Edina. On Monday, October 5, 1885, while remov- ing a heavy board from a plank fence, he received a severe bruise and a very slight abrasion of the skin on the back of the right hand, but paid little attention to the wound. On Tuesday the hand pained him excessively, and Dr. Nelson was called in, though no serious result was apprehended. For several years the Judge's health had been failing and his constitution seemed breaking up, and now this wound, though slight, seemed to deprive him of all energy. Every attention was given him, yet, notwithstanding this, erysipelas set in, and the symp- toms becoming more alarming, Dr. L. S. Brown was sent for, and the two physicians did all in their power to alleviate the sufferings of the Judge. Dr. Bassett, of Quincy, and Dr. Gregory, of St. Louis, were summoned, and after consultation it was decided to lay open the hand, which was accordingly done, but without noticeable benefit. He declined steadily until death relieved him of his sufferings. He was buried with Masonic honors and ceremonies, a large assemblage of friends and rela- tives being present. He left a widow, six sons and three daughters to mourn his death.

Robert White was born in Southampton, Mass., in 1845. His father, William White, was a native of Roxbury (now a part of Boston), and was of English descent. His mother was Anna Dady, a native of Southampton, Mass., who was of Scotch descent. William White was by trade a tanner and currier, but spent most of his life on a farm. In 1847 he emigrated from Southampton, Mass., to Knox County, Mo., when Robert was ten years old. ' Here the subject of this sketch spent his early years with his father on the farm. He taught school one year, and attended school at La Grange one winter, and at Jacksonville, Ill., two years, graduating in the scientific course of Illinois College in the class of 1869. He next engaged in the study and profession of a civil engineer, but after about five years spent in map and railroad work he abandoned this profession, and en- gaged in the grain and lumber business at Knox City, Mo., where he has since resided. In 1880 he was married to Julia Mus- grove, a native of Scotland County, and daughter of Ludwill Musgrove, an enterprising farmer of that county. They have one

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child-Sumner. In politics Mr. White has been a Republican, of the Charles Sumner stripe, but of late years he has been an Independent or "Mugwump," voting for St. John in 1884.

William W. Wonderley, a substantial farmer of Knox County, is a native of Augusta County, Va., and was born April 3, 1828. He is the youngest of seven children of David and Nancy (Lay- man) Wonderly, who were natives of Augusta County, Va., where they were reared and married. When our subject was two years old they moved to Allegany County, Md., where they resided until he was sixteen years old, and then returned to Vir- ginia, residing at Rowlesburg, Preston County, until their deaths. The father was a farmer, in which occupation he was engaged all his life. Our subject attended the common schools of his native State, and began life for himself at the age of twenty-two. He then worked on the B. & O. Railroad, which was then in the course of construction, and helped measure from Cumberland to Wheeling. At the expiration of four years, at the time of the completion of the road, he embarked in the mercan- tile business at Rowlesburg, in company with his brother, and in the fall of 1857 settled in Knox County, Mo., when he soon married Nancy, daughter of James and Rachel (Lemons) Rol- lings, a native of Harrison County, Ky., where she was born April 5, 1830, her marriage with our subject occurring August 9, 1859. He then settled upon the farm now owned by Charles Morey, situated in the northern part of Shelton Township, where he lived nine years, and in the spring of 1867 moved upon the farm where he now resides. To Mr. and Mrs. Wonderley eight children were born, the following seven still living: George and Emma (twins), Mary, John, Henry, Julia and Ada. Mrs. Won- derley was the widow of Benjamin F. Ashby, when she married our subject, and her first union was blessed with two chil- dren, one of whom is living, Martha, the wife of John Wesley Howk. Our subject now owns a fine farm of 240 acres, besides twenty acres of woodland. When he settled upon this land it was a vast wilderness, but by persistent efforts and hard labor he has converted it into a good farm, well improved, and under a fine state of cultivation. He is one of Shelton Township's most respected citizens, and a member of the Labor party, whose prin- ciples he has sustained ever since the organization of the Green- back party. He cast his first presidential vote for James Buchanan in 1856, and previous to the war was a Democrat. He is a member of the church of the United Brethren, while his daughters Emma, Mary and Julia are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church.

Francis M. Woodward, of Edina, was born in Oneida County,

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KNOX COUNTY.

N. Y., December 7, 1838, and is a son of John and Fannie (Clark) Woodward, natives of Connecticut. The parents of our subject both died in Oneida County when he was but a lad of ten. Five sons and four daughters were raised to maturity, viz. : Susan, wife of Elijah Caswell, of Oneida County, N. Y .; Abbie, deceased; Asa C., M. D., of Spaulding, Greeley Co., Neb .; Sam- uel R., who died in this county; Daniel N., of Knox County; Weltha Ann, wife of Elijah K. Harris, of this county; John H. Woodward, of Shelby County, and Fannie, widow of Alonzo Hel- ler, late of Baltimore, Md. Francis M. was reared to manhood in his native State, where he learned the carriage and sleigh- maker's trade in his youthful days, but, after serving four years' apprenticeship, never followed the business. He also studied medicine in his youth, and came west to Iowa in the winter of 1857, studying and practicing medicine in that State about two years. In the spring of 1859 he came to Knox County, and lo- cated at Novelty, reading with Thomas Rockwell, M. D., and. remained at that place until the war broke out, when, in January, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, Third Missouri Cavalry (John N. Glover) Regiment, but on account of poor health, served as clerk in the quartermaster's department until the expiration of his term of three years' service. After the war he spent four years working in Quincy, Ill., and in the spring of 1870 engaged in the agricultural implement business at Novelty, Knox County, but removed to Edina in 1874, where he has conducted this busi- ness, and handled grass seed in a highly successful manner up to the present, being one of the largest dealers in this line of trade in Edina. December 22, 1874, he married Eliza Clark, a native of Quincy, Ill., and to this union two children are now living: Charles A. and George F. Two sons were lost by death. Mr. Woodward has been a Republican since the existence of that party, but of late years has been strictly independent in his poli- tics. He is a member of the G. A. R., and in religion is liberal, Besides being a prominent business man, Mr. Woodward owns and manages a good farm in Bourbon Township.

Dr. M. F. Wright, a leading and prominent physician of Col- ony Township, was born in Jefferson Township, Clark Co., Mo., October 16, 1840, and is a son of Moses and Mary W. (Taylor) Wright. The father was a native of South Carolina, and born September 20, 1800. When quite young he accom- panied his parents from his native State to Adair County, Ky., where he was married about 1829, and with his family moved to Illinois, where he remained but a few months, and then removed to Van Buren County, Iowa, and a few years later again changed his residence, going to Clark County, Mo., of which he was one-

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BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.

of the first settlers. His occupation through life was that of farming, but served as magistrate for many years, the duties of which office he was discharging at the time of his death, October 3, 1860. Our subject's mother was a cousin of Zachariah Tay- lor, and a daughter of George Taylor. She was born in Adair County, Ky., November 25, 1801, and died at the residence of her son, our subject, March 1, 1885. Both she and her husband were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church before its division, and then joined the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Our subject is the eighth of a family of nine children, of whom seven are living, and received his education at the common schools of Clark County. In 1859 he began to study medicine at Fairmont, under Dr. J. E. Henry, but in August, 1861, left his studies to join Company B, of Green's Regiment, Missouri State Guards, but served only a short time. In 1862 he again resumed his studies, this time in Colony, Knox County, under Dr. W. H. Martin. In 1864-65 he attended lectures at the Keokuk Medical College, and has since been engaged in the practice of his chosen profession at Colony, first in partnership . with his preceptor, and now by himself. February 14, 1866, he married Ruth J. McReynolds, of Knox County, Mo., daughter of Josiah and Mary (Pugh) McReynolds, to which union four sons and three daughters have been born, all of whom are living. In politics our subject is a Democrat, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity. His wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Joseph Zink, a native of Auglaize County, Ohio, was born in 1840, and is a son of Joseph Zink, a native of Germany, who immigrated to the United States with his family, and settled in Ohio in 1833, where the parents died. The father was killed by an accident which occurred by the falling of a log while he was engaged in raising a building, and his widow survived him but a few years. Our subject was reared in his native county, and is a second son of a family of nine children, only four of whom are living. At the age of seventeen he began to serve an apprenticeship of three years at the carpenter's trade under James Nolan, of Piqua, Ohio. During the rebellion he enlisted in Company A, Eighth Indiana Infantry, under Capt. T. J. Brady, and fought in the battles of Pea Ridge, Port Gibson, Champion's Hill, Black River, Siege of Vicksburg, Siege of Jack- son and others. In 1864 he received an honorable discharge, and worked with James Nolan one year, after that working at his trade two years in Indianapolis. He then returned to his native State, and followed his trade for a number of years. He was there united to Miss Josephine Safford, a native of the same

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SCOTLAND COUNTY.

county, and to this marriage two children were born, both of whom are now dead. In two years his wife died, and three. years later. he married Miss Lydia A. McFarland, a native of Auglaize County, and daughter of William H. McFarland, a native of Pennsylvania, and of Irish descent. In 1876 Mr. Zink removed to Knox Connty, Mo., where he has since resided. To Mr. and Mrs. Zink one child, Joseph, has been born. While not an old resident of Knox County, Mr. Zink has become identified with the better class of citizens here, and is well spoken of as an honorable business man and an agreeable neigh- bor. He takes an active interest in public affairs, and in politics is a Republican. He is at present the owner of a good farm of 326 acres of well improved land, and is a substantial farmer of the county. Himself and wife are members of the Catholic Church.

SCOTLAND COUNTY.

John Q. Adams, one of the largest land owners of Scotland County, was born in Adams County, Ohio, on November 7, 1829. He is the third of seven children born to the marriage of Robert Adams and Nancy Oxyer. The father was a native of Pennsyl- vania, and his parents, John and Susan Adams, came to Adams. County, Ohio, in 1804, and reared their family there. Robert Adams followed the business of farming, and also carried on a tannery. He was twice married, the first time to a Miss Eliza- beth Baird, November 11, 1813. To them were born six children, viz .: Julia Anna, James H., Mary Jane B., Emily S., Moses N. and Rebecca Elizabeth. The second marriage was to Miss Nancy Oxyer, the mother of our subject, January 24, 1824. To this union were born seven children named as follows: Will- iam H. H., Michael A. T., John Quincy, Robert C., Alexander, Sarah A. and Chambers. The mother of our subject is still living, and is about eighty-five years of age. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Michael Oxyer, was one of the early settlers of Kentucky, and was, at the age of seventeen years, tomahawked, scalped and left by the Indians. He recovered, however, and lived to the age of ninty-five years. John Q. remained at home until reaching his majority, and in the spring of 1851 removed to Illinois, locating in Hancock County. In 1854 he came to Scotland County, and located near his present residence, where he entered a tract of 240 acres of land. His

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BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.

first house, a log-cabin, is still standing. In 1872 he erected a handsome residence, and the next year built one of the best barns in the county at a cost of $3,000. When he reached Quincy, Ill., he had less than $300, but by industry and superior business ability he has succeeded in accumulating a handsome competency. He owns 1,100 acres of land well stocked and improved. In May, 1886, he established a store at Lawn Ridge which he has since continued. He was married, December 5, 1850, to Margaret A. McEldowney, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of William and Jane (Thomas) McEldowney. To their union have been born seven children: Nancy J. (Mrs. Oscar Hamilton), Charles T., William A., Robert L., Oscar E. John Q., Jr., and George B. Mrs. Adams' entire family are mem- bers of the Christian Church.

Solomon Allen, sheriff, was born in Wetzel County, W. Va., February 15, 1843, the son of John and Rebecca (Goddard) Allen, natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania, respectively. Solo- mon was about nine years old when his father died, and the mother afterward married a William Coen. She died in Brown County, Ind., February 20, 1884. Her children by her first marriage are Dorcas, William, Sarah J. ( wife of B. F. Posleth- wait), our subject, George W., James A. and Daniel W .; five also are deceased. Solomon was reared to manhood, in his native county, with a limited education. He served in Company C, Fifteenth Virginia Infantry (Federal) as corporal during part of the years of 1862 and 1863. In 1865 he came to Scotland County, where he has since been a prominent farmer, stock raiser and stock shipper, in which he has been successful. His estate embraces 247 acres of good land, well improved. He was elected to his present position in November, 1886, on "the tax payers ticket." November 5, 1863, he married Jemima Wise, a native of Monongalia County, W. Va. Their children were Luther M., Julia V. (deceased), Mary L. and Friend Arthur. Our subject is a follower of the Democracy. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and he and his wife hold to the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Barker Brothers are dealers in groceries, queensware, glass- ware, provisions, etc., and include James T. and William Robert Lee Barker. They are the sons of John H. Barker, who was born October 6, 1822, the son of Leonard and Elizabeth (Holeman) Barker, natives of Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. The father was reared in his native State, and in 1858 came to this county, and located on a farm near Memphis. Just after the war he came to this place, and engaged in the mercantile, drug, and livery business at different times, until within about eight

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SCOTLAND COUNTY.

years, when he retired from active life. The mother, Mary J. Conyers, was united to him in 1860. She is a native of Adams County, Ill. The parents have long been members of the Chris- tian Church. The father is a Democrat, and also a Master Mason. The brothers are their only children, and began their present business in May, 1885. Their main store at Memphis is under the management of William R. L., while James T. has control of their branch store at Bible Grove.

John W. Barnes, cashier of the Scotland County National Bank, was born in Steuben County, N. Y., May 9, 1837, the son of Washington and Deidamia (Knox) Barnes, natives of New York. Our subject came west in 1856, and followed bookkeeping in Warsaw, Ill., and also engaged in steamboating and manufact- uring. In 1861 he enlisted in Company G, second Illinois Cavalry, and served until January, 1866, when he was mustered out as assistant adjutant-general of volunteers with the rank of major. He served mostly on Gen. G. M. Dodge's staff. He came to Memphis in 1872, and was instrumental in organizing the Scot- land County Bank, which was made a national bank in 1879. He is one of its largest stockholders, and its cashier at present. In 1866 he married Jannette L. Miller of Warsaw, Ill. Their children are Robert M., Louise and Josephine. Our subject is a Republican in his political views.

E. Russell Bartlett, attorney at law, was born in Nauvoo, Ill., February 27, 1849, the son of Bryant and Louisa M. (Russell) Bartlett, natives of New York and Vermont, respectively. The father came to Greene County, Ill., at an early day, and followed mercantile pursuits. He afterward became United States mar- shal, and moved to Nauvoo, Ill., in 1847. In 1851 he laid out the town of Hamilton, Ill. He lived there until 1870, when he removed to and laid out Clark City, Mo. He died there April 1, 1884. From 1850 until his death he was extensively engaged in the real estate business, and left considerable wealth. The mother died the year before her husband. Their children were Caroline L. (the wife of G. F. Rex), Flora C. (deceased wife of A. K. Loomis) and our subject. The latter spent five years in W. W. Jamison's Classical School, at Keokuk, and then entered Cornell University, of New York, from which he received the de- gree of B. S. in 1871. He has taken a six months' law course during this time, and afterward read thoroughly while in the real estate business with his father. He was admitted to the bar in 1872, and practiced in Clark County until 1875, when he came to Memphis. Since then he has been successfully engaged in his practice, and also extensively occupied in real estate and loan agency. He was married, December 28, 1873, to Laura E. Mill-

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BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.

burn, a native of Ohio. Their children are Nellie I. and an in- fant son. Our subject is a Republican in politics, and is a strong advocate of the temperance cause, in which he formerly spent considerable time organizing lodges.

Bennett & Rudy, dealers in staple and fancy groceries, queens- ware, produce, etc., have been established for one year, and firm in- cludes P. H. Bennett and C. D. Rudy. The former, Parley H. Ben- nett, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, December 19, 1844, the son of John G. and Melvina (Groome) Bennett, natives of Penn- sylvania and New Jersey, respectively. Our subject was reared · in his native county, where his mother now survives her husband. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Second Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and served until the close of the war. He then began mercantile life as a clerk, and in January, 1867, came to Memphis, where, after clerking for three years, he went to Kahoka and en- gaged in the grocery and grain business. In 1876 he again re- turned to Memphis, and after three years in the grocery and grain business he engaged with Mr. Donnell in the hardware business. Since 1886 he has been associated with Mr. Rudy, and has succeeded in his various operations. December 26, 1869, he married Emma E. Rudy. He holds the political ideas of the Republican party, and is a member of the G. A. R. He is also identified with two fraternities, the I. O. O. F. and the A. O. U. W. The other member of the firm, Charles D. Rudy, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, July 17, 1856. [A sketch of his parents, Jeremiah and Mary (Miller) Rudy, may be seen elsewhere. | Our subject came with his parents to this county in 1869, and received a fair education. £ At the age of sixteen he became a clerk with H. G. and A. H. Pitkin, and continued with them for thirteen years. It was in 1886 that he became a member of their present firm. They have a brick block of their own, and carry one of the largest and best selected stocks in the city, and con- trol a large trade. Mr. Rudy is a Republican, and a member of the I. O. O. F.

Col. Joseph G. Best (deceased), occupying the position of county court clerk at the time of his death, was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, May 8, 1838, the son of William and Mary (McCabe) Best, both of Scotch-Irish stock. Our subject came to the United States in 1839. He was reared and educated at Quincy, Ill., where he learned the brick mason's trade. After the death of his parents he came to Memphis, in 1859, and followed his trade until November, 1861. He then joined Company I, Twenty-first Missouri Volunteer Infantry, under Col. (now Gen. ) David Moore and served until April, 1866. He became sergeant- major, first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant-colonel and colo-

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SCOTLAND COUNTY.

nel, but was mustered out as lieutenant-colonel, on account of the numbers in his regiment. He had a colonel's commission, however. He returned to Memphis and followed his trade until 1873, when he entered the employ of the Scotland County National Bank as bookkeeper, and continued until his election in November, 1882, to the position he was holding at the time of his death, which office he filled in a highly creditable manner. He was reared with the political principles of a Whig, but after the war was a Democrat. June 24, 1866, he married Frances D., a daughter of Gen. David Moore. Their children are William D., Frances D., Seward, James McC.and Helen. Col. Best passed all the chairs in the I. O. O. F., and has been a representative of the Grand Lodge. He was Post Commander and Adjutant of the G. A. R. He died August 6, 1887, from injuries received by being thrown from his buggy.

Judge Joseph E. Billups was born in Virginia on June 15, 1820. He is the third of seven children born to the marriage of William and Jane (Garwood) Billups, natives of Virginia, from which State, on October 14, 1840, they came to Missouri, and located about one-fourth of a mile northeast from where our sub- ject now lives. There they continued to live until the death of Mr. Billups, August 5, 1846. Joseph E. then became head of the family, and continued to support his mother until she died on April 10, 1855. The early educational advantages of Judge Bil- lups was somewhat limited, but by much desultory reading and a large business experience he has acquired a thorough practical education. He began business for himself by purchasing a claim of 320 acres of land, to this he added from time to time until he now owns over 1,384 acres of as good land as there is in the coun- ty. He has long given his attention to stock raising, and at pres- ent he has over 246 head of cattle. All this property he has made by close application and hard labor, united with superior business ability. In 1886 the people desired a reform in local affairs, and formed what was called the " the tax payers ticket," and recognizing the ability and integrity of Mr. Billups nominated him for county judge. He was elected, and is now filling the position with satisfaction to all. December 25, 1851, he was united in matrimony to Mary A. Smith, a native of Kentucky, having been born near Elizabethtown, from which place she came with her parents about March 12, 1849, to Missouri. To their union have been born two children: Ida (born' April 11, 1853), and William E., (born June 19, 1866). The former was married December 6, 1875, to C. E. Bull, now of Milton, Iowa. The lat- ter is a graduate of Quincy Business College, and has attended schools at Kirksville, Burlington (Iowa,) and Columbia. He

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History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records, Part 115

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.) Publication date: 1887 Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co. Number of Pages: 1308

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.)
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1308