USA > Missouri > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Missouri > Part 59
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Sept. 13, 1913, Mr. Hedges was married to Miss Viola Chrane, the daughter of John S. and Catharine (Schneider) Chrane, both natives of Missouri, the former born in 1846, and the mother was born in 1871, and died in 1894. Mrs. Hedges is the third in order of birth of their family of 12 children. Mr. and Mrs. Hedges are members of the Chris- tian church. Mr. Hedges is a Democrat.
Asher W. Elliott, owner and manager of the leading drug store of Jacksonville, is a native son of the town and Randolph County. He was born Oct. 23, 1889, which places him among the younger generation of business men of this section who have made good. He is the son of Alonzo H. and Evelena (Barnhart) Elliott. Alonzo Elliott was born in Randolph County in April, 1848. He was reared and educated here and became a general farmer, specializing in breeding Aberdeen Angus cat- tle. He is the owner of two good farms, one of 387 acres and another of 161 acres, located southwest of Jacksonville about three miles, where he is still engaged in farming. Evelena Barnhart Elliott was also born in this county, and reared and educated here. There were three children in the family: Roy, a farmer south of Jacksonville; Asher W., of this review, and Lester, living on his father's farm, south of town.
Asher W. Elliott was reared in the country and received his ele- mentary education in the district school and then entered Prichett Col- lege, at Glasgow, Mo., where he pursued a course of special studies. After finishing college he returned to the farm and worked with his father until 1916. That year he came to Jacksonville and bought a drug store and since that time has been successfully engaged in business here.
Jan. 11, 1910, Mr. Elliott was married to Miss Marilla Miles, the daughter of William N. and Claire (Snow) Miles, of Jacksonville, Mo. They are members of the younger social circles of Jacksonville and Mr. Elliott is one of the progressive business men of the town who has built up a good trade.
Mr. Elliott and his wife are members of the Christian church of Jacksonville; he is a Mason and Mrs. Elliott is a member of the Eastern Star.
Alonzo H. Elliott, a well known and prosperous farmer of Randolph County, who owns 565 acres of valuable land near Jacksonville, was born in this locality April 26, 1864. He is a son of William W. and Nancy Jane (Terry) Elliott. William W. Elliott was a native of Kentucky, born in Madison County, Aug. 4, 1829. He came to Missouri in 1833
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and took up land which he farmed and at the same time he worked as a carpenter. His land was located north of Huntsville and was a large and valuable tract. Mr. Elliott died in 1906. He had been retired from active business since 1902. Nancy Jane Terry Elliott was born in Ran- dolph County, north of Huntsville, in 1836, and died Feb. 17, 1909. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. William W. Elliott: Alonzo H., of this review, and Mrs. Frederick Priesmeyer, of Moberly.
Alonzo H. Elliott was reared in the country and educated in the dis- trict school. He remained at home with his parents until he was 24 years old. At that time he was married and his father gave him a farm, which he operated four years. He then returned to the home place, where he was engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1915. He then moved to Jacksonville, but still manages his land, which now consists of 547 acres, and is located southwest of the town. He has placed all the . improvements on his present place, and has five barns, a good house, which was built in 1912, and other farm buildings. Mr. Elliott and his father were among the first men of the county to handle Aberdeen Angus cattle.
Nov. 23, 1887, Mr. Elliott was married to Miss Evelna Barnhart, a daughter of G. W. Barnhart. Mr. Barnhart was born in Illinois in 1825, and came to Missouri and engaged in farming and stock raising near Kirksville. Later he moved to a farm west of Jacksonville, Randolph County, where he died in 1899. Mrs. Elliott's mother was born in Wayne County, Ky., in 1827, and was married at Kirksville in 1862. She died in Randolph County in 1882. To Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have been born three children: Roy S., on his father's farm; Asher W., a druggist of Jacksonville, whose history will be found on another page of this volume, and Lester, also on his father's land.
Mr. Elliott is a member of the Masonic Lodge, A. F. & A. M. No. 541, Jacksonville, Mo., and is a member of the Eastern Star, and he and his wife belong to the Baptist church. Mr. Elliott is a Democrat. Mrs. . Elliott also is a member of the Eastern Star.
William S. Jordan, a well-known machinist of the Wabash railroad, who has been employed in the shops at Moberly, Mo., for over 35 years, was born in Brown County, Ohio, May 27, 1850, the son of John W. and Sarah (Church) Jordan, the former born in the same county in 1828, en- listed in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War and was promoted to captain of the commissary department, where he served
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
until peace was established. He was a riverman, and spent his life on the steamboats of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He died at Mobile, Ala., Nov. 3, 1865. Sarah Church Jordan was born in Maysville, Ky., in 1829, and was married in Ohio. She died at the advanced age of 90 years. There were the following children in the Jordan family: William S., of this review; Lou, the widow of Philip Wells, of Oklahoma; Sarah, the wife of Austin Nelson, and both are dead, and John W., also deceased.
William S. Jordan was reared in St. Louis, attended the public schools until he was 14 years old and then began to learn the machinist's trade at the old Lafayette Foundry of that city. He began his apprenticeship in 1864 and finished four years later. Remaining in St. Louis, Mr. Jordan worked at his trade until 1872, then moved to Litchfield, Ill. On Dec. 18, 1885. he came to Moberly to enter the employ of the Wabash Railroad Company in the shops here and has remained with this com- pany to the present time, and is one of the oldest men in years of service, here.
April 22, 1894, Mr. Jordan was married in Moberly to Miss Lucretta Broadwater, the daughter of John S. and Margaret (Tremble) Broad- water, who was the third child in a family of ten children.
Mr. Jordan is a Mason, belonging to Lodge No. 344, Moberly. He is a member of Knights of Pythias and is independent in politics. Mrs. Jordan is a member of the Maccabees and they both belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, south.
Allen C. Westfall, employed in the coach repair department of the Wabash carpenter shops in Moberly, Mo., is a native of this country, and was born on a farm in Union township, Aug. 16, 1865, the son of Jacob C. and Elizabeth (Degarmo) Westfall.
Jacob C. Westfall was a native of West Virginia and came to Mis- souri in January, 1836, with his parents, who were early settlers of this section. His father, Cornelius Westfall, entered 300 acres of land from the government, four 'miles east of the present town site of Moberly. He died on that homestead in 1869, and was buried in the old Grimes family burying ground. Jacob Westfall was engaged in general farm- ing and stock raising during his life on the farm he inherited from his father, and died there in 1878. He was buried in the Vince cemetery. Elizabeth Degarmo Westfall was born in Missouri, Dec. 3, 1841. She was married in Randolph County and is now living in Moberly, aged 78 years. There were the following children in the family: Allen C., of this review;
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Christiana M., Henry P., Annie E., and Joseph L., all deceased except Allen C.
Allen C. Westfall was reared on the old homestead in Union town- ship, attended the district school and then began to farm the home place when his father died. He was only a boy of 13 years at the time, but did his best to help his mother. In 1888, Mr. Westfall bought a farm west of the homestead and placed permanent improvements on this 40 acre tract. He engaged in general farming and stock raising for some years and then sold out, but in 1898 bought 145 acres of land two miles north of his former place, improved it and later sold it when he bought property in Moberly and moved here in February, 1915. He soon took a position with the Wabash Railroad Company as a carpenter in the coach repair department, where he has since been engaged.
Dec. 17, 1889, Mr. Westfall was married to Miss Grace McCartney, of Randolph County, and to this union five children have been born: Winnie B. and Joseph A., deceased; Marie L .; Robert and Ruth, all of whom live in Moberly. Mrs. Westfall's father, Samuel McCartney, was a native of Pennsylvania, who was an early pioneer of Missouri. He was a school teacher and was the originator of the first teacher's institute held in Randolph County. Later he bought land and engaged in farming. Mrs. McCartney was Keren H. Baird before her marriage, a native of Clinton County, Pa. Mrs. Westfall was the second child in a family of four children. Mr. Westfall is a member of the Brotherhood of Railway Carpenters, and is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Westfall belong to the Methodist church, south.
August Hestler, one of the well-known passenger locomotive engi- neers of the Wabash railroad, has been a resident of Moberly for 23 years. He was born in Orange County, N. Y., Aug. 20, 1858, the son of Minert and Mary (Stiner) Hestler. The father was born in Switzerland and emigrated from his native land to the United States, first settled in New York, and later moved to Wisconsin and then to Iowa, where he died and was buried at Hampton. Mary Stiner Hestler was also a native of Switzerland, was married in that country and accompanied her hus- band to the United States. She died in Iowa and was buried at Hamp- ton beside her husband. There were the following children in the family : Catharine, deceased; August, of this review; Helen and Frank, deceased ; Mary, the wife of Swan Hanson, of Olewein, Ia .; Alexander, of Hampton ; Annie, the wife of John Adams, of Valley Junction, Ia.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
August Hestler was reared and educated in Wisconsin and when only nine years of age began to work out. He was employed at various kinds of work and in 1874-75 drove a stage between Mainitowoc and Sheboygan, Wis. He then began firing for the Goodrich Steamship Line, out of Chi- cago. Soon after this, he began firing an engine on the Chicago & North- western railroad and was promoted to engineer in 1883. Subsequently, Mr. Hestler went to Parsons, Kan., to run an engine for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad and came to Moberly in 1897 to enter the em- ploy of the Wabash railroad as engineer. Later he was promoted to a passenger run, which he has since held.
Mr. Hestler was first married to Miss Jennie Silva, who died in Moberly in 1913, leaving the following children: Emma H., the wife of Fred Ross, of Moberly; Marian, the wife of Sidney Haynes, of Mo- berly; Mildred, of Chicago; Frank, at home. In 1917, Mr. Hestler mar- ried Mrs. Marie M. Carr of Kansas City.
Mr. Hestler has been a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers since 1885 and has served as local and general chairman of that organization and has held most all the other offices. He is a mem- ber of the Mystic Workers and he and Mrs. Hestler belong to the Pres- byterian church. In national affairs, he is a Republican. Mrs. Hestler belongs to the Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, is a member of the Royal Neighbors and an active worker in church affairs.
Henry M. Burton, a blacksmith employed in the Wabash railroad shops in Moberly, was born on a farm near Huntsville, Mo., Jan. 19, 1875, and is the son of Henry and Jennie (Walker) Burton, an extensive sketch of whom appears in this volume.
Henry M. Burton was reared in the country, attended the district school and then graduated from the high school in Huntsville. He re- mained at home working on the farm until he was 20 years old, when he went to Huntsville to learn the blacksmith's trade. Sept. 23, 1912, Mr. Burton came to Moberly to take a position as blacksmith in the shops of the Wabash railroad, where he has since been employed.
Jan. 16. 1901, Mr. Burton was married to Miss Ida M. Bales, the daughter of John C. and Mary C. (Jacobs) Bales, whose grandfather was a native of Tennessee and her grandmother of North Carolina. Mr. Bales was a general farmer and stock raiser; he was city collector of Richmond, Mo., and constable of Richmond township, Ray County, Mo.
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He now resides with Mrs. Burton in Moberly. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Burton, Helen Maurine, a student in the Moberly High School.
Mr. Burton is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Rebeccas and with his family is a member of the Methodist church, south. He is a Republican.
William S. Kelly, a well known and capable machinist employed in the Wabash Railroad shops at Moberly, Mo., was born here Dec. 26, 1876, and is a son of William and Ellen (Ryan) Kelly.
William Kelly was a native of Ireland, born in April, 1849. He came to the United States with his parents when a child three years old. The Kelly family reached this country in 1852 and first settled in New York where the father worked at his trade of machinist. In 1866 they came to Missouri and located at St. Charles, where the family lived for 10 years before coming to Moberly. Mr. Kelly was employed in the Wabash shops here as a machinist until shortly before his death, Nov. 22, 1886. He was buried at St. Mary's cemetery. Ellen Ryan Kelly was born at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Feb. 24, 1855 and was married to Mr. Kelly at St. Charles, Mo., Jan. 8, 1872 and now makes her home with her son Wil- liam S. There were the following children in the Kelly family: John J., of Pittsburg, Pa .; Mamie, the wife of W. S. Margerum, of Des Moines, Ia .; William S., of this review, and Charles M., of Moberly.
William S. Kelly was reared in Moberly, attended the old Central school and in early life began work in the railroad shops as a machinist apprentice. He served his apprenticeship and has since been employed as a journeyman machinist by the Wabash Railroad Company.
Mr. Kelly resides in Moberly with his mother; he is a member of the Machinists Union, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic church, and has always been a Democrat.
William S. Kelly's uncle, Michael Kelly, was one of the first settlers of Moberly and was present the day the town plat was opened and lots were sold. He was a stockholder of the company which built the first water works of the town. Mrs. Kelly who resides at 712 Reed street, in one of the first cottages built in the city, is one of the early residents and has seen the village grow to a city and can recall many interesting events of the early days of Moberly and Randolph County.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
J. A. Grotjan, a widely known gunsmith and skilled machinist, who has lived in Moberly many years was born in Chariton County, Mo., Feb. 16, 1866, the son of Charles and Louise (Suppe) Grotjan. Charles Grotjan was a native of Germany, born in 1822 and came to the United States in 1860. Shortly afterwards he came to Missouri, locating in Chariton County on a farm where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1898 when he came to Moberly where he spent the last two years of his life with his son. He died May 8, 1901 and was buried at Oakland cemetery. The mother was born on a farm in Wisconsin, May 15, 1844 and died Aug. 12, 1868. They were the parents of five children as follows: Louise, deceased; William; deceased; J. A., of this review; Minnie, deceased, and one child died in infancy.
J. A. Grotjan was educated in the public schools and in early life learned the carpenter's trade under the direction of his grandfather, F. W. Suppe. Later he entered the employ of the Wabash Railroad Com- pany as a machinist helper and learned the machinist's trade. After working for the Wabash Railroad for a number of years he built a shop of his own in 1896, near his residence at 516 North Ault street, Moberly, where he installed machinery with which he is equipped to do all kinds of repairing and fine machine work.
March 5, 1895, Mr. Grotjan married Miss Terssa Cathrine Pomie and three children have been born to the union: Arthur, deceased; Arbie Harold, deceased; George T., a machinist at the Faessler Machine Shop, Moberly, Mo.
Mr. Grotjan is a Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge and an Independent voter. He is an old and respected resident who has lived here to see the town grow into a city and taken an interested part in its development.
William Foster Henderson, a well known citizen of Moberly, Mo., who is employed as a locomotive engineer on the Wabash Railroad with a run out of Moberly, has been in the employ of this company for more than 15 years. He was born in Iroquois County, Ill., March 23, 1865 and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Lewis) Henderson.
Joseph Henderson was born on a farm in Illinois Aug. 28, 1830 and was reared and educated there. He was engaged in farming and also the mercantile business. He died in Centralia, Ill., June 7, 1895 and was buried there. Sarah Lewis Henderson was also a native of Illinois, born April 23, 1832 and died Dec. 31, 1872. There were seven children born
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
to Joseph and Sarah (Lewis) Henderson: Isaac, of Seneca, Kan .; Owen. also of Seneca, Kan .; Charles, of Salem, Ore .; William, of this review; Wesley deceased; and Mary, who died in infancy.
William F. Henderson was reared on a farm and educated in the district schools. He began work in the roller mills of Centralia as a helper when only 16 years old. In 1886 he went to St. Louis and secured a position in the Laclede Roller Mills where he worked three years. He came to Moberly in 1901 and entered the employ of the Wabash Railroad Company as a locomotive fireman. He was promoted to engineer in 1906 and has since continued in that capacity.
Sept. 18, 1897, Mr. Henderson was married in St. Louis to Miss Annie Mannecke, a daughter of William and Freda (Herdmann) Mannecke, both natives of Missouri, and now deceased. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Henderson: Percy, of Racine, Wis .; John L., of Moberly ; Irene E., at home and Charles M., also at home and both are attending school.
Mr. Henderson is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, is a Democrat and with his wife is a member of the Methodist church. Mrs. Henderson belongs to the Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Royal Neighbors. Mr. Henderson is one often reliable and capable men in the employ of the Wabash Railroad and is a substantial citizen of Moberly.
George W. Morris, a well known mine superintendent of Jacksonville, is a mining man of vast experience. He was born in South Shields, Dur- ham, Eng., April 7, 1867 and is a son of Charles and Sarah (Scott) Morris.
Charles Morris was a native of Wales, born July 23, 1833 and came to America in 1869. He first settled at Duquoin, Ill., where he followed coal mining and from there went to Savannah, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. He remained there from 1882, engaged in coal mining until 1884 when he came to Missouri and followed coal mining at Rich Hill for five years. He then came to Ardmore, Macon County, where he resided for 25 years when he removed to Huntsville and died there Nov. 5, 1911. His wife was born in South Shields, Dunham, Eng., Feb. 22, 1837 and they were married in England, Jan. 18, 1859, and she now resides at Jack- sonville, Mo. They were the parents of five children as follows: George W., the subject of this sketch; Charles, Moberly, Mo .; Benjamin, Kan- sas City, Mo .; Robert, Sheridan, Wyoming, and Mary died in infancy.
George W. Morris was educated in the public schools of Caseyville, Ill., including a high school course. His first work was in a coal mine,
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
where he was employed as a mule driver; later he was employed in oper- ating air machinery for a coal mine and worked at that for five years. He then fired a switch engine at McAllister, Ind., for the Pacific Coal Com- pany. He then came to Missouri and located at Rich Hill, where he was employed in operating hoisting machinery in a coal mine and also did general work about the mine. His next place of employment was at Ardmore, Mo., where he was employed as mine foreman for one year. He then went to Renick, Mo. as mine foreman for the same company and from there back to Ardmore in the same capacity for eight years. He then opened a mine between Huntsville and Moberly, as a member of the firm of Jones-Davis and Morris. One year later he went with the Elliot Coal Company as foreman and while there opened the San Diego'mine, three miles west of Elliot and was superintendent of mines No. 1, 2 and 3 or the Wabash Coal Company. He was with the Randolph-Macon Coal Company for two years when he went to Kansas City and was in the employ of a railroad company for two years and for a time ran a switch engine for the Rock Island railroad. Sept. 26, 1918, he came to Jackson- ville as superintendent for the Jacksonville Coal Company and has served in that capacity until the present time.
Mr. Morris was married April 24, 1892 to Miss Vetura Shaw, a daughter of David S. and Eliza Jane (Frazier) Shaw, both natives of Missouri. The father was born in Monroe County, Sept. 1, 1833 and died at Huntsville, Jan. 12, 1918 and the mother now resides at Huntsville. To Mr. and Mrs. Morris have been born the following children: Hannah, married Lloyd Frazier and they live near Huntsville, Mo .; Roy, Geby, Wyo .; Floyd L., Jacksonville; and Ada Bell married L. C. Maddox, Kan- sas City, Mo.
Mr. Morris is a member of the Masonic Lodge and Unity Holiness church. He is independent in politics and is now serving as mayor of Jacksonville. He is the owner of 130 acres of land one and one-half miles east of Huntsville. He is a progressive and public spirited citizen.
Charles W. Mikel, a successful broker of Moberly and the owner of a valuable farm in Randolph County, was born at Dallas, Tex., May 19, 1878, the son of John W. and Mart C. (Wilson) Mikel, both natives of Grant County, Ky., where the father was born in 1855 and the mother in 1861. They were reared, educated and were married in their native state and came to Missouri in 1879, settling on a farm west of Huntsville. Here Mr. Mikel bought 135 acres of land and carried on general farming
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
and stock raising until his death in 1899. Mrs. Mikel survives and makes her home with her son, Charles W. There were the following children in the family: Charles, of this review; Robert, of Moberly; James, of Marshalltown, Mo .; Bessie, deceased; Annie, the wife of Frank Cobb, of Moberly; Thomas, deceased; one child that died in infancy; Bessie J., deceased; John W., of Moberly; and Jessie, the wife of Harry Miles, of Granite City, Ill.
Charles W. Mikel was reared on the farm and attended the district school and later the high school in Huntsville. Until he was 24 years old, he remained at home helping his father on the farm. He then engaged in the livery business at Renick where he remained until 1907. That year, Mr. Mikel came to Moberly and entered the employ of the Brown Shoe Company ; he started in at a dollar a day and was advanced to fore- man and when he resigned in 1919 he was getting a salary of $200 a month. That year he opened a brokerage office at Room 200, Tedford Building, Moberly, where he has since been engaged.
Sept. 10, 1902, Mr. Mikel was married to Miss Cynthia A. Patton, the daughter of John and Missouri Ann (Carney) Patton, both natives of Randolph County. Mr. Patton was one of the early settlers here, the patent to his land west of Huntsville being signed by President Andrew Jackson. Mr. Patton was a veteran of the Civil War. Mrs. Mikel died April 12, 1919 and was buried at Fort Henry. She was the mother of the following children: Leon, deceased; Harold and Marjory, both at home.
Mr. Mikel is a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Modern Wood- men; he belongs to the Christian church and is a Republican. He is a wide awake business man who is making good in his present business and is a man who supports all movements for the development and im- provement of Moberly and Randolph County.
Lute A. Malone, one of the prosperous and substantial farmers of Jackson township, is a native son of Randolph County. He was born on a farm five miles south of Huntsville, Nov. 2, 1866, and is a son of Thomas and Malinda (Jackson) Malone, both also natives of Randolph County.
Thomas Malone was born in 1845 and his wife in 1844 and they were married in this county Sept. 21, 1865. The father was reared and edu- cated here and was a general farmer and stock raiser. He owned 80 acres of land south of Huntsville, where he lived until 1907, when he re- tired and went to live with his children. He died in 1917. He was a
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