USA > Missouri > Pettis County > History of Pettis County, Missouri > Part 48
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
His first home was situated further back from the highway and was a modest affair which was destroyed by fire in 1893. Mr. Harris
559
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
then built a cottage nearer the road and remodeled this house in 1910. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising and feeds from fifty to sixty head of cattle annually, besides raising about one carload of hogs for the markets.
September 7, 1886, William B. Harris and Miss Annie Belle Lewis were united in marriage. Four children have blessed this marriage: Edna, Irvin B., Earl and Mearl, twins.
Edna is the wife of Edward Dorsey, and resides on a farm nearby in Houstonia township. She is mother of two children: Annie Mildred and Alma Ruth.
Irvin B. is an enlisted sailor in the United States Navy. He was born March 19, 1895, and enlisted in the United States Navy in June, 1918. He has been stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Sta- tion since his enlistment.
Earl and Mearl, twins, were born November 18, 1896. Mearl en- listed in the Aviation Department of the National Army, December 12, 1917. He was trained in Georgia and at Camp Greene, North Carolina, and is attached to the Mechanic and Ambulance department of this ser- vice.
The mother of these children was born in Pettis County and is a daughter of J. M. Lewis, deceased, an old settler of Pettis County. J. M. Lewis was born in White County, Tennessee, January 5, 1837, and died in 1903. He was reared to young manhood in his native county and came west in 1857. Mr. Lewis first located at Butler, Bates County, Missouri, and remained there for three years. In 1860 he came to Pettis county, locating near Rowletta. After the breaking out of the Civil War he cast his lot with the Union cause. On March 2, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany B, Seventh Missouri Cavalry (State Militia), and participated in many hard-fought engagements. He was severely wounded during the battle of Pineville and was incapacitated for two months. Rejoining his command, he was promoted to the post of sergeant and was honorably dis- charged from the service in the spring of 1865. He returned to Pettis County and engaged in farming pursuits. In 1868 he was married to Eleanora Weathers, a daughter of Enoch G. Weathers, one of the first pioneers of Pettis County. The children born to this marriage were: Annie Belle, wife of W. B. Harris; Albert G., Oklahoma; John Monroe, deceased; Sally Ida, deceased; Mansfield, died in childhood, and James Arthur Lewis, Oklahoma; Nellie Robertson, Oklahoma; Odie Ellen (Kin- ney), Oklahoma.
560
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
Mr. Harris is a Democrat and he and Mrs. Harris are members of the Christian Church of Houstonia. For twenty-eight years he has been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a charter member of the Houstonia Lodge. Mr. and Mrs. Harris stand high in the com- munity and are worthy and industrious citizens and have many friends.
Moses Gustin Smith .- The development of Pettis County from a barren and unpeopled waste to its present state of prosperity, like all other sections of the West, is due to the courage, industry and high standard of character of the men and women who came here at a time when the surroundings were uninviting; and who courageously began the battle of life with a determination of subduing the barren plains, and making substantial homes for themselves and their posterity. Such was the class of pioneers to which Gustin Smith and his ancestors belonged.
Mr. Smith was a native of North Carolina, born near Raleigh, Sep- tember 26, 1859. He was a son of Eri and Mary J. (Crews) Smith, and was one of the three children born to them, the other two being, J. Willis Smith, manager of the telephone company at Sweet Springs, Missouri, and Hattie, who is now deceased. Eri Smith and his wife were natives of North Carolina, and came to Missouri about 1869 and later settled in Pettis County, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
Gustin Smith was reared on a farm, and received a good common school education, and, when about twenty years of age, engaged in farm- ing in Pettis County. He bought his first land in 1883. In 1892 he bought 300 acres of land in Blackwater township. He made extensive improvements, and in 1913 erected a large modern residence, which he equipped with electric lights and all modern conveniences, at a cost of $7,500.00. This is one of the fine residences in Pettis County. Mr. Smith was one of the most successful farmers and stockmen of the county. He was one of the early breeders of throughbred stock in the county, and over thirty years ago began breeding saddle and trotting horses. He was also a successful breeder of pure blood hogs and cattle. He con- ducted the business of farming and stock raising along scientific lines, and was one of the first men of the county to recognize the value of the practical application of scientific farming, along the plans which are being encouraged and conducted today by the State and national gov- ernment.
Mr. Smith was an active factor in the business world outside of farming and stock raising. Mr. Smith owned the first automobile and
GUSTIN SMITH.
-
RESIDENCE OF MRS. GUSTIN SMITH.
561
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
had the first telephone in his section of Pettis County. He was interested in the Chemical Bank of Sweet Springs, Missouri, and also a stockholder in the International Implement Company. He was a man who made a success of whatever he undertook. He was public-spirited, broad-minded and liberal. He was an advocate of good roads, and kept the roads in his vicinity in good repair. He never refused a worthy charitable request. He died August 3, 1915, and his demise was not only a great loss to his family and immediate friends, but to the community and county. He will long be remembered as one of Pettis County's best citizens.
December 25, 1879, Gustin Smith was united in marriage with Miss Augusta Victoria Cooper, a native of Illinois, born in Sangamon County, Illinois, July 4, 1859. She is a daughter of Ambrose and Dorothy (Keagle) Cooper, both natives of Illinois. They came to Pettis County in 1870, and settled on a farm in Blackwater township, and are both now deceased. The father died September 29, 1918, aged eighty-nine years, and the mother preceded him in death twenty years, having departed this life in 1898, at the age of seventy years. They were the parents of five children, of whom Mrs. Smith is the third in order of birth. She has one brother, William W. Cooper, who is a blacksmith at Houstonia. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith was born one child, who died in infancy.
Since the death of her husband Mrs. Smith manages her home place, and is a very capable woman. During her husband's lifetime she was his confidant in all his business affairs, and since his death her inti- mate knowledge of all the details of his business affairs has proven invaluable. She is a member of the Baptist Church and one of Pettis County's most estimable women.
David Edwin Longan, cashier of the Houstonia Bank, Houstonia, Missouri, was born in Cooper County, Missouri, April 23, 1851, and has resided in Pettis County for the past fifty-five years. He is a son of Frederick Longan, who was born near Jefferson City, Missouri, and is now deceased. Frederick L. Longan was a son of Austin K. Longan, a son of Irish parents who settled in Kentucky. Austin K. Longan was married in Kentucky to Martha B. Letchworth and migrated to Mis- souri in 1810, with the first vanguard of pioneers who settled in central Missouri. He became prominent in the affairs of Cole County, Missouri, and was a member of the first Legislative body ever brought together in the State. His son, Frederick L. Longan, was reared to manhood in Cole and Cooper counties, and was married to Emily E. Reavis, who was born
562
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
November 18, 1827, a daughter of Missouri pioneers, and who died No- vember 20, 1917. At the time of her death she was the oldest woman in Houstonia and probably the oldest in Pettis County.
Frederick L. Longan was a farmer. He came to Pettis County in 1858 and settled on a farm near Houstonia where he devoloped 360 acres, 280 acres of which was rich prairie land and eighty was covered with timber. In his old age, Frederick L. Longan retired to Houstonia where he died. The children born to Frederick and Emily E. Longan were: Walter F., the first cashier of the Houstonia Bank, died in 1904; David E., subject of this sketch; Henry A., assistant cashier in the bank; A. G. Longan, deceased; Mary D., married Dr. G. F. Smith, both deceased ; Joseph C. Longan, merchant of Houstonia.
D. E. Longan was educated in the public schools and followed farm- ing until 1878. He then moved to Houstonia and engaged in the drug business which he followed until about 1888. He then embarked in the grain and live stock shipping business and was successfully engaged in this business for a period of twenty years. In 1902 he became interested in the Houstonia Bank and associated himself with his brother. In 1904 Mr. Longan became cashier of the bank. He is operating a farm of 300 acres upon which he is raising and feeding live stock and still handles grain and live stock to some extent. He maintains on his farm a fine flock of high grade sheep.
Mr. Longan is a Republican and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is one of the leading citizens of Houstonia and Pettis County.
John Townsend Patterson, lumber merchant, and a leading citizen of Houstonia, Missouri, is a native of Ohio. Mr. Patterson was born in Belmont County, Ohio, November 15, 1857. He is a son of George S. and Artemesia Patterson, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Belmont County, Ohio. George S. Patterson was a merchant in Belmont County, Ohio, and died in that county in 1860.
J. T. Patterson was reared to young manhood in his native State and left for the west in 1883. He had no capital of any consequence and came to Pettis County endowed with a good constitution, a desire to get along in the world, and a good moral purpose. Mr. Patterson rented a farm north of Houstonia and was a successful farmer for some years in this section of the county. In 1901 he purchased a quarter section of land southwest of Houstonia, cultivated it for the ensuing two years
3-1901-10 M. O.
C RAILWAY COMPANY, & SOUTHERN RAILWAY CO. D Independent Lines. CAR DEPARTMENT. Division, Month
100
CAUSE
SERVICE
Disposition
Slid Flat
Worn Flange
Otber
Class
Miles
Months
Scrap
Reject
563
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
and then sold the farm. He then embarked in the lumber business, an undertaking which has proved to be one of the best business successes in Pettis County during the last decade. Being a born business man, Mr. Patterson has built up a mediocre lumber business into the leading concern of its kind in this part of the county. The Patterson Lumber Yard was first established in 1893 by D. E. Longan and Frank Sewell. This firm was succeeded by Cook Nichols, and Mr. Patterson purchased the yard from the Anderson Lumber Company in 1903. He has rebuilt the buildings and has a splendidly appointed yard, with substantial build- ings and a well equipped office. The business and stock is located on four city lots, each 45 by 120 feet. A complete stock of lumber, roofing and builders materials is carried, the value of which will exceed $15,000. Mr. Patterson is a director of the Houstonia Bank and is owner of resi- dence properties in addition to his lumber yard.
Mr. Patterson was married in 1882 to Miss Minerva Orrison, who was born in Belmont County, Ohio, a daughter of Amos Orrison. Mrs. Patterson departed this life in 1886, at the age of twenty-six years. Mr. Patterson has always revered the memory of his wife, and while he has no children ofh is own, he has been a father in a certain sense to many of the younger folks of Houstonia. No citizen has a better reputation for progressiveness and upright manhood than he. Liberal to a high degree, always among the first to head a subscription list, always in the forefront of worthy movements, calling for liberality, in giving, he is held in the highest esteem by his fellow citizens. Among the beneficia- ries with which he is credited is the adoption of a French orphan whom he will support for some years to come.
Pettis County has been the gainer for his citizenship, and it is men such as he that go far toward making a progressive community. He is a Republican, but is inclined to independence in voting in local matters, believing that the welfare of the people can best be enhanced by a disre- gard of politics where the county and community welfare is concerned. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Mod- ern Woodmen of America of Houstonia.
Jeffrey H. Downs .- The life story of Jeffrey H. Downs, extensive land owner of Houstonia township, furnishes abundant proof of the fal- lacy that the "fabled pot of honey" is always many miles distant. His sixty years of life have all been spent in Pettis County, and his present home is but a short distance from his birthplace. In Mr. Downs' case,
564
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
opportunity in abundance was at hand in his native county, and he has prospered and become one of the largest individual land owners of Pettis County through his proverbial industry, good financial manage- ment and ambition. The Downs farms comprise a total of 1,200 acres in Houstonia and Blackwater townships and are among the most pro- ductive and best improved in Pettis County. There are four farms, all of which boast good improvements. The home place is an attractive one and well and substantially built. Two hundred head of cattle are raised and fed for the markets annually on the Downs farm; three hun- dred head of hogs are likewise fattened for the markets each year; and twenty-five head of horses and mules are kept on the place. While Mr. Downs harvested but eighty acres of wheat in 1918, he has sown 180 acres for the 1919 harvest.
Jeffrey H. Downs was born March 27, 1859, within one mile of his present home. He is a son of James Andrew Jackson Downs, one of the early pioneers of Pettis County, and a man of sterling worth and integrity.
James Andrew Jackson Downs was born in 1827, and died January 11, 1895. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and came of an excellent American family of pioneer stock. He was reared to young manhood in Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. In 1842, when but a lad, he left home and came by steamboat up the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Saline County, landing at Arrow Rock. Some time later, he came to Pettis County and settled on the prairie in the Houstonia neighborhood. He first settled on what is now the Higgins place and later upon the Gibson place, in Blackwater township. He took open prairie land in each instance, and improved it. In the course of years of honest endeavor, he became one of the wealthy men of Pettis county, and owned a large acreage of land; and was enabled to give each of his children a farm with which to begin their individual careers.
Mr. Downs was married in Saline County, and then spent one year in Texas, prior to settling in Pettis County. During the Civil War, he enrolled with the Missouri State Militia, and aided in keeping order within the State. While he was a Southern sympathizer, he was unalterably opposed to the principle of secession. He had some splendid ideas as to the best manner of settling the difficulties which had arisen between the North and the South, over the question of slavery, and believed that the fearful four years of bloodshed which ensued, could have been avoided by the Government purchase and freeing of the slaves. Many great minds
565
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
of those days believed likewise. Despite his Southern sympathies, he was a loyal Union man throughout the war. Mr. Downs was much inter- ested in the cause of education, and he and Col. Joseph C. Higgins erected a school house in the vicinity. While a resident of Saline County, J. A. J. Downs married Caroline Sandridge, a native of Virginia, who was born in 1827 and departed this life in 1905. To this marriage were born the followng children, only three of whom are living: Three children died in infancy; Annie, Benjamin, Mary, Sallie, and Robert are also deceased; Jeffrey H., subject of this review; James Downs lives in Sedalia; Mrs. Matilda Alexander lives in Sedalia.
Jeffrey H. Downs first attended school in the school house erected by his father. Later he attended Prairie Grove School, and he finished his education at the Warrensburg Normal School. He began to earn his own way in the world when nineteen years old. On the day that he became of age, his father gave him a tract of eighty acres of land. Around this tract and adjoining it he has built up his splendid estate of 1,200 acres. In 1915, Mr. Downs built his handsome farm residence of nine rooms with many modern conveniences, including electric lights.
October 30, 1883, J. H. Downs and Miss Jennie Shelley were united in marriage. This marriage has been blessed with the following children: Jeffrey D., Conway R., Gladys N. and Glee.
Jeffrey D. Downs, the eldest son of the family, resides on one of his father's farms, located three miles south of the home place. He mar- ried Bettie Hanley and has one child, Hildred.
Cowday R. and Gladys N. Downs are at home with their parents.
Glee is the wife of T. C. Lightner of Kansas City, and has a daughter, Glee Anna.
The mother of this family was born in Cooper County, Missouri, De- cember 6, 1862. She is a daughter of John D. and Mary E. (Rue) Shelley, both of whom were born in Cooper County of pioneer parents. John D. Shelley was the son of an Englishman and lived nearly all of his younger days on his farm near Pilot Grove. He was born in 1835 and died in 1901. His wife, Mary E. Shelley, was born in 1837 and died in 1906. They came to Pettis County and settled near LaMonte in 1867. Four children were born to John D. and Mary E. Shelley, as follows: Mrs. Jennie Downs, of this review; John B., living near LaMonte; George R., resides at Green Ridge; and Mrs. Mary Wensell, LaMonte.
Mr. Downs has always been a stanch Democrat, without aspirations
566
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
for office. He was formerly a stockholder and one of the organizers of the Houstonia Bank. Mrs. Downs is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Downs is a home man who loves his own fireside and whose sole thought is for the comfort and welfare of his family.
Fendal Hart Tuck, farmer and large land owner of Houstonia, is a native born citizen of Pettis County. Mr. Tuck was born on a farm, five miles northwest of Houstonia, December 21, 1849, and is a son of Dr. Ryland and Elizabeth (Prigmore) Tuck, late well-known residents of this county.
Dr. Ryland Tuck, who for many years was a prominent physician of this county, was born in Virginia, October 18, 1822, and died on his farm in Pettis County, November 27, 1904. When a small boy, he accompanied his parents from Virginia to Cooper County, Missouri. He was there reared to manhood and educated. He studied medicine in the office of one of the early practitioners and began the practice of his profession in Pettis County in the early forties. Later, during the fifties, he attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, and graduated from this institu- tion. He then returned to his home and resumed the practice of his profession with considerable success. Doctor Tuck's practice extended over a large extent of territory, and during the earlier years of his prac- tice when roads were mere trails across the prairies, he would travel on horseback, carrying his medicines in his saddle baks. He was one of the first and best-known pioneer physicians of Pettis County. He invested in farm land near Houstonia and became quite well to do. His wife, Elizabeth Prigmore, was a daughter of Benjamin Prigmore, one of the earliest of the pioneers in Pettis County. She departed this life in the spring of 1881, at the age of sixty-two years.
F. H. Tuck has resided in Pettis County during his whole life of nearly seventy years, with the exception of from March to August, 1865, when the family sought safety in Illinois from the ravages of the Civil War. When twenty-one years old he began farming on his own account and cared for his father until he attained the age of thirty years. He and his brother, M. P. Tuck, and the father purchased a large tract of land together in 1880. The total of their purchase of land was 740 acres. Of this acreage, F. H. Tuck got 200 acres which is the nucleus around which he has built up a large estate. In about 1882, he built his first home and successive years saw the gradual enlargement of his land hold- ings until he became owner of 823 acres. Of this amount, he has dis-
ยท 567
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
posed of 160 acres, and he now owns a total of 681.5 acres, all of which is situated in the Houstonia neighborhood. One farm comprises 304 acres ; another comprises 240 acres; another 121 acres; and 5 acres of timber; the home place at Houstonia comprises 11.5 acres. Upon this tract, Mr. Tuck erected a splendid modern residence of ten rooms in 1906. This fine resi- dence has a basement underneath the lower floor and is fitted with every modern convenience to make living comfortable.
Mr. Tuck personally oversees the farming operations on his land. He feeds from 100 to 200 head of cattle annually, and about 100 head of hogs each year for the markets. From 220 acres of wheat harvested in 1918, he threshed a total of 5,323 bushels of grain, and has sown 150 acres for the 1919 harvest. There are three sets of farm improve- ments on his land, including two tenant houses. Mr. Tuck has placed practically all of the existing improvements upon his farms.
On December 23, 1888, Mr. Tuck was married to Miss Mary War- ren, of Warrensburg, Missouri. Mrs. Mary (Warren) Tuck is a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Reavis) Warren, both of whom were members of old American families of historic interest. She was born October 4, 1863. She is a grand-daughter of Martin Warren, in whose honor the city of Warrensburg, Missouri, is named. She was reared in Warrens- burg and vicinity. There were thirteen children born to her parents, of whom seven are living: Eliza, widow of Captain Box, lives at Lamar, Mis- souri; Dr. J. T. Warren is deceased; Mrs. Mattie Prigmore lives in Houstonia; Mrs. Nannie Thomson lives at Warrensburg; Mrs. Angeline Thomson is deceased; Carrie, deceased wife of Dr. Ashley; Fannie is de- ceased; Mrs. Emma Cones is deceased; Mrs. Ella Carter is deceased ; Mrs. Laura Roark lives in Oklahoma; Mrs. Ida Thompson lives at Lamar, Missouri. Mrs. Mary Tuck is the youngest of this large family of children.
Three children have been born to Fendal Hart and Mary (Warren) Tuck, as follow: Fay, Hugh Fendal, and Robert Hart. Fay is the wife of Lee H. Stiles of Houstonia, and has one daughter, Mary Lee, aged six years. Hugh Fendal lives on the home place, married Gladys De- honey of Kansas City and has one child, Robert Warren. Robert Hart, a soldier in the National Army, was born May 31, 1897. He enlisted in the Aerial Service on December 12, 1917, and after a short time at Jeffer- son Barracks, he went into training at Camp Custer, Michigan, for five weeks, then was sent to the Aerial Camp at Fort Worth, Texas, where he was a member of the 183rd Aerial Squad. On February 3, 1918, he was
568
HISTORY OF PETTIS COUNTY
transferred to New York and on May 2, 1918, sailed with his command for France. He has been serving in the fighting zone on the western front in France as a skilled airplane mechanic and has been at Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel, and the Toul sector, and the Argonne Forest with the First American Army. He came rightly by his fighting blood inasmuch as his great-grandfather, Martin Warren, was a soldier of the Revolu- tion.
Mr. Tuck is a Democrat who has filled the office of justice of the peace in Houstonia for a number of years, but holds no political or civic office at present. He and Mrs. Tuck are members of the Christian Church and are leading citizens in their home community. Mr. Tuck is one of the most temperate of men. During his long life he has never taken a drink of intoxicating liquor and has never played a game of cards. He is remarkably well preserved for a man who is nearing the three score and ten years mark and is active and strong, both mentally and physi- cally.
Fred Fichter, a progressive farmer and stockman, who is well known as a successful breeder of fine Percheron horses, is the owner of a val- uable farm of 380 acres in Dresden township. Mr. Fichter's farm is well improved and nicely located. In 1914 he erected a ten-room, modern residence, and his barns and other farm buildings are modern and up to date.
Mr. Fichter was born in Alsace-Lorraine January 27, 1852, a son of Charles and Madeline (Trautman) Fichter, and was their only child. In early life the father was a brewer, but owing to the fact that the water on the place contained valuable medicinal properties, he abandoned the brewery business and converted his place into a hotel. The town was one of the famous health resorts of that vicinity. The father died in 1870, at the age of forty-eight years, and in 1874 the mother came to America to join her son, Fred, who had preceded her to this county about two years. She died in Dresden township, December 14, 1889, aged sixty years. Both she and her husband were members of the Lutheran Church.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.