USA > Missouri > Pettis County > History of Pettis County, Missouri > Part 36
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NICHOLAS H. GENTRY.
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On March 10, 1917, at a meeting of the Eastern Berkshire Breeders' Association, held at Boston, a toast was proposed and drunk to N. H. Gentry, as the "greatest constructive Berkshire breeder the world has ever .known."
At the Louisiana Exposition, held in St. Louis in 1904, out of eighty head of prize-winning Berkshires exhibited, seventy-nine came from the Gentry herd. There are no Berkshires in Amreica not descended from "Wood Dale" herd.
At the Saddle and Sirloin Club in Chicago, a famous institution which numbers among its membership the greatest stockmen in the country, they have what is called a "Hall of Fame," a collection of paint- ings or portraits of the men who have achieved renown as stockmen and breeders, in the old world as well as the new. This is an institution peculiar to the livestock fraternity, and only those selected by unanimous consent are given such a place of honor.
A. H. Saunders, editor of the "Breeders' Gazette," and a recognized authority on livestock breeding, in one of his books, wrote in regard to Mr. Gentry: "There is one more American portrait should be in the book and the Hall of Fame," and, without Mr. Gentry's knowledge, an effort was forthwith made to place Mr. Gentry's portrait in the place to which he was entitled. The secretary of the club sent out calls for con- tributions. The response was rapid and over $400 was subscribed by 300 or more contributors, from all over the United States. One hundred and forty letters were written, from thirty-six States, in praise of Mr. Gentry. Frank S. Springer, secretary of the Berkshire Breeders' Asso- ciation, had charge of the movement which had its culmination in Mr. Gentry's going to Chicago and sitting for his portrait, which now hangs in the "Hall of Fame" at the Saddle and Sirloin Club. It is meet that mention be made here of the names of some of the prominent men who contributed to the fund and who wrote heartfelt words of praise of Mr. Gentry at the same time. Among the contributions were: R. B. Ogilvie, of the "American Breeders' Gazette"; Prof. C. S. Plumb, of Ohio Uni- versity; J. H. Skinner of Purdue University, Indiana; Ruohns Pyron, of Carterville, Georgia, a son-in-law of Rev. Sam Jones; Dr. H. J. Waters, former president of the Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kansas, and now editor of the "Weekly Kansas City Star"; H. W. Gos- sard, famous corset manufacturer of Chicago, who is also a well-known livestock breeder; Prof. T. C. Minkle, of Rutgers College, Brunswick, New
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Jersey ; William M. Ladd, the great banker and breeder, Portland, Oregon ; Prof. W. H. Pew, of the Iowa Agricultural College; Ames, Iowa; Dr. C. I. Hood, of "Hood Farm," Lowell, Massachusetts, the second largest prize winner at the St. Louis World's Fair; Prof. John T. Caine, Utah Agricultural College; E. A. Trowbridge, Missouri State University, and many others who are famous in agricultural and livestock circles.
Nicholas Hocker Gentry is the son of Joel W. and Jael W. (Hocker) Gentry, the former of whom was born in Howard County, Missouri, in 1815, and departed this life in October, 1851. Joel W. Gentry was the son of Reuben E. Gentry, who was born June 6, 1785, in Albemarle County, Virginia, and was a son of Richard Gentry, also a native of Virginia. The Gentrys are of Germanic extraction, and sprung from English families who were prominent among the early families of Vir- ginia in colonial times. Richard Gentry, great-grandfather of N. H. Gentry, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. After the close of the war Richard Gentry located in Madison County, Kentucky. Here Reuben E. Gentry married Miss Elizabeth White, and migrated to Missouri in 1809, locating at Boone's Lick, Howard County, Missouri, in 1811. He assisted in the building of Forts Hempstead and Kincaide, during the War of 1812 and took a brave and active part in defending the struggling colony of hardy settlers from the attacks of the Indians, who had been incited to resent the coming of the white men into what had hitherto been their untrammeled domain. Reuben E. Gentry improved a splendid farm in Howard County, and in 1819 he removed to Pettis County, settling on the farm now owned and occupied by the subject of this review. The family of Reuben E. Gentry consisted of four sons and a daughter: Richard, Joel W., Jane H. and Major William. It is a matter of record that Reuben E. Gentry was carried in his mother's arms from Virginia to Kentucky, the mother riding horseback the entire distance. Richard Gentry, a brother of Reuben E. Gentry, was killed in battle during the Seminole Indian War. He visited his brother, Reuben E., in Howard County, and the two brothers laid out the town plat of Columbia.
Joel W. Gentry resided on the Gentry estate and continued the development of the farm until his death, from typhoid fever, in October, 1851. By his marriage with Jael W. Hocker, he was father of two chil- dren: Nicholas H. Gentry, and Mrs. Ella Morrison, of Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Jael W. (Hocker) Gentry was born near Richmond, Kentucky, the daughter of Col. Nicholas Hocker, who was a prominent citizen of
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Kentucky. It is related that when Colonel Hocker was a member of the Kentucky State Legislature he was invited, in company with Squire Reif, another Kentuckian who figures prominently in Pettis County early day history, to take a ride on the first steam railroad ever built in Kentucky. Colonel Hocker, like many others of his day, had no faith in the new innovation and considered the trip a hazardous and dangerous under- taking. He at first refused to accompany his friend Reif, but after coaxing and persuasion on Reif's part, he at last consented to forget his scruples and agreed to risk his life on the train. When the gentlemen got the first sight of a locomotive at close range, and heard the steam exhaust, the noise seemed so dreadful and as presaging sure death that both refused to climb aboard the train. After much discussion and sum- ming up of all their latent bravery they were at last prevailed upon to go aboard and take the ride, agreeing, however, that they would, if it got to going too fast, or at the first sign of danger, jump off the train.
On March 5, 1855, the widow of Joel W. Gentry was married to Richard Gentry, eldest son of Reuben E. Gentry. This union was blessed
with four children : Richard W., deceased; Mary V .; Mattie, deceased, and Mrs. Nannie Estill, Sedalia, Missouri. Richard Gentry died at his home in Pettis County January 17, 1865. Mrs. Jael Gentry is also deceased. Further details concerning the Gentry family history will be found in the sketch of Reuben J. Gentry elsewhere in this volume.
Nicholas H. Gentry was reared in the home of his uncle and step- father, Richard Gentry. He was educated in the public schools of Pettis County and in Forest Grove Seminary, a private school conducted at Georgetown, Missouri, by Professors Neill and Newton and Deardoff. At the age of eighteen years, conditions made it mandatory upon him to leave school and take charge of his father's estate and manage the farm for his mother. Mr. Gentry's career as a farmer and stockman has been one of well-merited and ever-increasing success. His work has been that of a man not content with mediocre performances, but rather the outcome of an intelligent ambition to excel along well-defined lines. His ambition and energy have been the means of placing him not only in the front ranks of livestock breeders in America, but as a recognized and respected leader in his vocation. The Gentry farm, "Wood Dale," is one of the finest estates in Missouri. Few buildings are visible from the rock highway which runs past the place, north from Sedalia, but as one travels down and up the winding driveway over the undulating
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ground, it seems that the fringes of a forest come into view. Great oaks and walnut trees cover many acres of the pasture land, making the view more attractive. Topping the last rise of ground, the farm plant comes into view, a veritable village of buildings, arranged in such a manner as to render the farm independent of any outside assistance in its care and management. The Gentry farm is improved with a com- fortable bungalow of large, rambling proportions, which has been erected with a view to solid comfort. The barns are large and well built and, with many sheds grouped around the common center, afford ample shelter for the livestock. The farm is equipped with its own mill, where sawing, grinding, etc., is done by the farm employes. One hundred head of pure- bred, registered Shorthorn cattle are kept on the farm. Over 200 head of the famous "Wood Dale" Berkshires are kept on the place, and sold to buyers from all parts of the United States and other countries. The fine stock produced by Mr. Gentry is sold at private sale. .
On December 29, 1875, Nicholas Hocker Gentry was united in mar- riage with Miss Minnie D. Carter, who was born in Dover, Lafayette County, Missouri, and departed this life in April, 1916. Mrs. Minnie D. (Carter) Gentry was a daughter of Prof. Jesse W. Carter, a native of Richmond, Virginia, a graduate of Bethany College, Virginia, and a pupil of Alexander Campbell, founder of the Church of Christ, and famous teacher. Her mother was Margaret Campbell, prior to her marriage, and she was a first cousin of Alexander Campbell. To N. H. and Minnie D. Gentry were born children as follow: Maggie, died at the age of two years and two months; Pael, wife of Dr. William Fuller, a practicing physician, Chicago, Illinois ; Ella, wife of Charles Pattison, resides on the Gentry home place, she having been twice married, her first husband being Robert Smith, who died of typhoid fever; Nannie, wife of Maj. P. Kidd, of Macon, Mississippi; Lucy, wife of E. C. Stuart, vice-president of the Third National Bank of St. Louis, and residing at Webster Grove, Missouri; Lee M., a successful farmer living east of Sedalia, a sketch of whom appears in this work; Joel W., died at the age of six and a half years.
Politically, Mr. Gentry has always been allied with the Democratic party. He is a member of the Sedalia Christian Church. His fraternal affiliation is with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge No. 236, Sedalia. Mr. Gentry is a director of the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association, and is a member of the directorate of the American Berk- shire Breeders' Association. He was a member of the Board of Seven
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Missouri Commissioners at the World's Fair, held in Chicago in 1893, and was also a member of the Commissioners of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held at St. Louis in 1904. He has been further honored by having been appointed a member of the Agricultural Advisory Committee of twenty-four members in the United States, as assistants and advisers of National Food Administrator Herbert Hoover. The duties of this position require that he attend a meeting of the committee, held at Washington each month. His advice has been frequently sought on matters affecting the conservation of food during the World War in order that America might feed the suffering people of our Allies. When the ratio of 13 to 1 was adopted, in 1917, providing a fixed price for hogs or pork, in proportion according to the price of corn as affecting the market price of hogs, thus regulating the profits of the hog producers, Mr. Gentry was a member of the committee of seven men appointed by Herbert Hoover, in the fall of 1917, whose duty it was to establish this ratio. Mr. Gentry received his appointment as a member of the Agri- cultural Advisory Committee from Secretary Houston and Mr. Hoover on March 11, 1918.
Mr. Gentry's ability as a judge of livestock has made a demand for his services on numerous occasions at livestock shows in all parts of the United States. At the time the Missouri State Fair Grounds was located at Sedalia, he was a member of the State Board of Agriculture. Assisted by Mr. J. H. Bothwell, he located the first building to be erected on the grounds south of Sedalia. In every capacity in which Mr. Gentry has been called upon to serve the public he has faithfully done his duty with regard to the public good, and without motive except to unselfishly serve the people. Nicholas H. Gentry is a Pettis county citizen whose career and successes have reflected honor and credit upon the community where he was born and reared.
Dr. Ethan Freeman Staats .- The life story of Dr. E. F. Staats, phsician, 104} West Main Street, is one of sheer self effort and pro- nounced ambitious energy to succeed in his chosen profession, educating himself thoroughly, in spite of the handicap of poverty. Dr. Staats was born in Jackson county, West Virginia, in 1857, the scion of an old Amer- ican family of English Jewish extraction. He is the son of Lewis and Catherine (Fisher) Staats, who located at Sumner, Lawrence County, Illinois, in 1864, and there spent the remainder of their lives. The chil- dren born to Lewis and Catherine Staats are: Mrs. Emma Johnson, who died at the age of forty-five years; Mrs. Carrie Schick, Lebanon, Illinois ;
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Ethan Freeman, subject of this sketch; Mrs. Isabella Schick, Sumner, Illinois; Newton, an attorney at Trenton, Illinois; Ida May, died at the age of twenty-one years; Elijah, Lawrence County, Illinois.
Lewis Staats was the son of Elijah Staats, who was also born in Jackson County, Virginia, and was the son of Abraham Staats, born on the same farm where Elijah lived and died. The father of Abraham Staats was Isaac Staats who likewise lived and died on the Staats home- stead. Abraham, Isaac and Elijah Staats, are all buried on the Staats homestead near Evans, West Virginia, on the line of the Southern rail- way. This old farm is still owned by a member of the family, George Staats, an uncle of the subject of this review. Elias Staats, a son of Elijah Staats, also resides on the farm.
Dr. Ethan F. Staats was educated in the public schools, and McKen- dree College, Lebanon, Illinois, graduating from this institution in 1885. He then spent one year at Depauw University, Indiana, and studied for one year in Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. When thirty-six years of age, he began the study of medicine, after being engaged for ten years in the teaching profession. He held the position of principal of the McCray-Dewey Academy for three years and was for three years principal of the public schools of O'Fallon, Illinois. Doctor Staats studied for one year at the Marion Simms College of Medicine at St. Louis in 1897. He varied his teaching experience with study at various colleges and in this manner prepared himself for his profession. While studying medicine, he purchased a newspaper route and delivered 400 copies of the St. Louis "Post Dispatch" daily to his patrons. Mrs. Staats assisted him in making ends meet by keeping boarders. When Doctor Staats came to Pettis County, at the age of forty-two years he had $25 in cash, borrowed money, and used his first few months' earnings to send for his faithful wife. He purchased his first outfit of furniture of Mclaughlin Brothers on monthly payments. Success has come to him, his practice has grown and he has managed to give each of his children a high school and busi- ness college education.
Doctor Staats began the practice of his profession in St. Louis in 1897 and in 1899 came to Pettis County, first locating at Beaman. In 1905 he came to Sedalia. Doctor Staats was married on December 28, 1887 to Miss Effie Bell of Sumner, Illinois, a daughter of Philo and Eme- line Bell, the latter of whom is now residing with her daughter at the age of eighty-eight years. Dr. and Mrs. Staats have five children: Rex, a bookkeeper and accountant, Chicago, Illinois; Carrie, married Edwin
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Burns, Pittsburg, Kansas, died December 9, 1918; Ethan F., now in the National Service, in camp at Atlanta, Georgia; Ray D., now an officer in the United States Medical Corps, formerly stationed at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and is now at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Emeline, wife of Joseph Riley, Sedalia, Missouri. Dr. and Mrs. Staats reside at 1020 East Fifth Street, Sedalia.
Doctor Staats is local medical examiner for the Woodmen of the World, the Knights and Ladies of Security, the Homesteaders, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He served as State president of the Eagles for one year.
Edward M. Shields, clerk of Sedalia Camp No. 16, Woodmen of the World, was elected to the position he now holds two years after its or- ganization on May 6, 1891. The order had but sixteen members when the local lodge was instituted. When Mr. Shields became clerk in 1893, eighty members were upon the roster. During the twenty-five years in which Mr. Shields has served as clerk of this important fraternal organ- ization, the membership has grown to 1,100 members and is the strong- est fraternal society in membership in Sedalia. Thomas J. Robb is the present Consul Commander of the lodge and its great growth during the past twenty-five years has been due, in large measure, to the faithful- ness and energy of the officers of the order. Three hundred members have been added to the roster since January 1, 1918. The Woodmen of the World meets at 508 South Ohio Street every Wednesday night.
Edward M. Shields was born in a log house (the old Orr school- house) in Benton county, Missouri, December 19, 1861. He is a son of Edward and Sallie (Hobby) Shields, both of whom were natives of Ohio. Edward Shields was the son of Edward Shields, who was a native of Ire- land and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to America when seventeen years of age, settling in Ohio. Edward Shields, father of the subject of this sketch. settled in Benton county during the fifties, and died in that county in 1866. His wife died in 1889. They were parents of the following children: Elgie R., Tonopah, Nevada; Edward M., subject of this review; Martin H., Santa Ana, California; Delmond D., Balti- more, Maryland. After the death of Edward Shields, the elder, his widow married John W. Dick, and a daughter was born to this mar- riage-Mrs. Sadie Miller, Kansas City, Missouri.
Edward M. Shields was educated in the schools of Benton County, and studied for two years at the Warrensburg Normal School. For a period of three years he taught school and followed farming. In
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February, 1888, he came to Sedalia and engaged in the mercantile busi- ness. His first venture was a second-hand store, but later he engaged in the grocery business and located in the City Market building, in 1892.
Mr. Shields was married in 1884 to Laura B. Kennedy, of Lincoln, Benton County, Missouri, a daughter of Woodford and Cordelia Kennedy, both of whom are deceased. Edward and Laura B. Shields have chil- dren as follow: Delond A., manager of the Shields grocery, stalls Nos. 11 and 12, City Market House; Bessie, wife of Leslie Wittenmeyer, an employe of the Rock Island Railway Company, Kansas City, Missouri; Delond Shields, married Adeline Morcott, and has one child, Adele May Shields.
For the past six years Mr. Shields has filled the office of city treasurer, and is now also serving as city collector. He is prominent in Sedalia and has a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
Mrs. Edward M. Shields is the efficient clerk of the Woodmen Circle, the auxiliary lodge to the Woodmen of the World, Queen City Grove No. 1, organized in 1894. This was the first circle organized in the State of Missouri, and has a membership of over six hundred at the present time. Mr. Shields is assistant clerk of the Auxiliary lodge, and Mrs. Shields was first elected to the position in 1900.
Reuben Joel Gentry .- The Gentry family is one of the oldest pioneer families of Missouri, and their advent in Missouri dates back 110 years. It is nearly 100 years since the first Gentry settled in Pettis County. This family is one of the oldest and most honorable, if not the oldest, in Pettis County at this day. Its members have always been prominent in Pettis County affairs, and influential in its social and economic life. They are noted for their integrity, honesty, and honorable demeanor. The late Reuben J. Gentry, who was a member of this family, was born in Pettis County January 2, 1839, and died October 5, 1881. He was a son of Richard and Alzira (Miller) Gentry, the former of whom was a son of Reuben E. Gentry, who came from Kentucky to Missouri in 1809, and settled in Pettis County in 1819.
Reuben E. Gentry, founder of the family in Missouri, was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, June 6, 1785, and was a son of Richard Gentry, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and a scion of an old Virginia family of English descent. After the close of the Revo- lutionary War Richard Gentry located in Madison County, Kentucky. Reuben E. Gentry, an infant in arms, was carried by his mother, who
MRS. BETTIE GENTRY.
REUBEN J. GENTRY.
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rode horseback from Virginia to the new home in Kentucky, where Richard Gentry had received a grant of land from the federal govern- ment. Reuben E. Gentry was reared to young manhood in Madison County, Kentucky, and there married Elizabeth White. Not long after his marriage he set out, in 1809, to the new territory of Missouri, and became one of the vanguard of brave and hardy pioneers who opened up this vast rich country for settlement. Not long after his arrival at Boone's Lick, on the shore of the Missouri River, in Howard County, trouble with the Indians broke out, and he assisted in the building of Fort Boone, and later, during the War of 1812, he took an active part in the defense of the little settlement and helped to build Ft. Hempstead and Ft. Kincaide. The Indian troubles being over, he improved a farm in Howard County and remained there until 1819, when he came to Pettis County and settled on the large farm now owned by Nicholas H. Gentry, in Cedar township. Richard Gentry, a brother of Reuben E., was killed in battle during the Seminole Indian Wars. Reuben E. and his two brothers laid out the townsite of the city of Columbia, Missouri. Four sons and a daughter were born to Reuben E. and Elizabeth (White) Gentry, as follow: Richard, father of the subject of this review; Joel W., a sketch of whom appears in this volume in connection with the biography of Nicholas H. Gentry; Jane H., and Maj. William Gentry.
Richard Gentry, father of Reuben Joel Gentry, was born in Madison County, Kentucky, September 9, 1807, and died in Pettis County, Mis- souri, January 7, 1865. In youth, Richard Gentry was an apt student and endowed with an excellent mind and a robust body. He was chosen to teach in the pioneer schools of his day, and at all elections served as clerk. In 1828, when a young man, he went to Fever River, Wisconsin, and worked for nine months in the lead mines. He then returned to Missouri and, with the money saved from his mining experience, he bought his first eighty acres of land, the old Richard W. Gentry home- stead. After improving this place he went to Kentucky and lived for five years with his uncle, Valentine M. White, who was in poor health. He remained in Kentucky until after the death of his uncle. In 1836 he was married to Miss Alzira Miller, daughter of William Miller, of Rich- mond, Kentucky, who for a long time was one of the three magistrates of his county. Soon after his marriage Mr. Gentry returned to Pettis County and commenced the development and stocking of his farm. He rose rapidly in his vocation as farmer and stockman, and in time became
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one of the leading stockmen of the State. He possessed the premium farm of the State, it being the largest, best fenced, best arranged and best tilled of any in Missouri. He was an enterprising man and citizen in every sense the words imply, liberal in his support of all charitable and religious enterprises, and possessed of broad views and generous impulses. By his first marriage he was father of a family of four chil- dren: William M., Reuben J. of this review, Henry C. and Laura, all of whom are deceased. His first wife died in 1854, and he was married on March 5, 1855, to Mrs. Jael W. (Hocker) Gentry, widow of Joel W. Gentry and daughter of Col. Nicholas Hocker, a prominent citizen of Richmond, Kentucky. This union was blessed with four children: Rich- ard W., Mary V., Mattie (deceased), and Mrs. Nanie Estill, Sedalia.
Reuben Joel Gentry, of this review, was reared in Pettis County, and after attending the common schools of this county, he studied at Kemper Military Academy, Boonville, Missouri. He also attended West- minster College at Fulton, Missouri. He was brought up in the vocation of his father and ancestors, and became a farmer and breeder of fine livestock. After his marriage, in 1871, he engaged in farming and stock raising and was soon operating on the same large scale which has charac- terized the work of the different members of the Gentry family in Pettis County for the past century. He became owner of about 1,000 acres of land, north of Sedalia. In the center of this tract, on a high point of ground, is a large brick mansion of many rooms, where his children still reside. This family residence of fourteen rooms was erected in 1869 and 1870 at a cost of $12,000, and has many pleasing features not found in dwellings of a later type. The newel post and railing of the main stairway in the Gentry house was taken from the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, at the time of the dismantling of the church. This church was the first of its kind erected at Old Frenchtown.
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