History of Saline County, Missouri, Part 81

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company
Number of Pages: 1008

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JOHN YOUNG, P. O., Slater. Son of Henry and Margaret Young, of Montgomery county, Missouri, where he was born May 13, 1831, and assisted his father on his farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when he went to Monroe county, and remained a short time; then to Glasgow, and then to Independence, Missouri, engaged mostly as a farmer. In 1856 he farmed on the land on which a portion of Kansas City now stands. In the fall of that year he went south, and thirty miles southwest of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, engaged in setting out and raising cypress timber. From there, after three years, he went to the Sabine

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

river, Texas, and from there made a trip to Liverpool as a sailor. On his return, engaged in making a levee on the Wachita river, Arkansas; then up the Mississippi river to Minnesota; returned to Quincy, Illinois, and farmed one year in Illinois. In 1860 he came to Saline county, rented a farm of Rev. P. G. Rea for one year, and then, in the spring of 1861, bought land and improved it. In August, 1861, he enlisted in a Saline county company for the Confederate army, and was in the battles of Lex- ington, Pea Ridge, Corinth, Iuka, Grand Gulf, Baker's Creek, and at the siege of Vicksburg, where he was paroled and sent to Demopolis, Ala- bama; was there exchanged; rejoined the Confederate army under Gen. Johnston, in north Georgia, and was at the battle of Atlanta, and there wounded, the second time, with a piece of shell. Surrendered in April, 1865, with Gen. Johnston's army in North Carolina. In the summer of 1865 he returned to Saline county, and bought the land on which he now resides. January, 1868, he married Miss Sarah Ellen Gwinn, daughter of William A. and Sarah Gwinn, of this county. They have four children: Orlando, Otho, John, and Allen G. Is a member of the Christian Church.

OLIVER TERRILL, P. O., Slater. Son of Henry T. and Fannie Terrill; was born in Garrard county, Kentucky, June 8, 1850, where he was raised in the country and educated, taking the management of his father's farm at the age of twenty-one. In the fall of 1878 he came to Boone county, Missouri, and while on a visit to this county, bought the farm of R. H. Willis, four miles southwest of Slater, and in 1880 moved to this farm. He was married, July 8, 1875, to Miss Margaret Maupin, daughter of T. J. and Jane Maupin, of Madison county, Kentucky. They have two children, Thomas Jefferson and Clelland.

RICHARD B. THORP, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Was born in How- ard county, Missouri, in 1824, and was raised on a farm. In 1848 he came over to Saline county and engaged in teaching for several years. He then turned his attention to farming, which has occupied him ever since. In 1848 he was married to Miss Julia A. Marshall, daughter of Richard Mar- shall, of Saline county. They have had nine children, of whom seven are living: Mary Louisa, James M., Richard J., Joseph T., Jennie, Minnie and John. In 1860, Mr. Thorp was elected school commissioner, and held the office until it was abolished. In 1865 he was appointed public administra- tor and road commissioner, which offices he held until the death of his first wife, 1867. In 1869 he married Mrs. Mary A. Marshall, by whom he has one child, Richard B. He has been a member of the Baptist church ever since his seventeenth year, with his membership at Zoar. Has been a very successful farmer, and has raised a large family successfully and well, notwithstanding the troublous times through which they have passed. During the war Mr. Thorp was steadily and uncompromisingly devoted to the cause of the Union, though a Missourian born and raised,

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but he did not enter the army. He was a pronounced republican at the close of the war. But in 1869 to 1870, he became convinced that the movement of B. Gratz Brown and Carl Schurz and others, for the re-en- franchisement of the rebels and southern sympathizers of Missouri was right, and joined in the " Liberal" movement with great earnestness. Mr. Thorp was a delegate from Saline to the republican state convention, which met in Jefferson City on the 31st of August, 1870. The convention divided on the question of enfranchisement, and about two hundred and fifty delegates, among whom was R. R. Thorp, led by Carl Schurz, sece- ded from the regular body, and organized a "Liberal "convention, and nominated a full state ticket. On the return of Mr. Thorpe, and in accor- dance with the general agreement, he called a Liberal county convention to meet in Marshall, and fixed the day for holding primaries to select dele- gates to the same. When the convention assembled Mr. Thorp was chosen chairman, and it proceeded to nominate a full set of candidates for county offices, and among the rest, Mr. R. B. Thorp was nominated for sheriff of Saline county. It was soon discovered that the registration super- visor for this senatorial district was in sympathy with the "Liberal" movement. In accordance with certain representations made to him, he dis- missed the registrars for this county, (except one) and ordered a new regis- tration, in which southern sympathizers who had not been in the army, were registered upon taking an oath to support the constitution of the United States and of Missouri. This registration let in about 1,200 disfranchised democrats to the polls, and the result was that the whole county (and state) " Liberal " ticket was elected. Mr. Thorp was elected sheriff, and held the office for two years.

JOHN WALL, P. O., Marshall. Son of Samuel and Margaret Wall. Was born January 18, 1819, in Montgomery county, Virginia. Came with his parents to Saline county, Missouri, in 1833, and in 1835, settled on the farm on which the son now lives, about five miles northeast of Marshall, and engaged in farming, until 1846, when he enlisted in the Saline company, which formed part of Doniphan's regiment, and took part in his expedition to Chihuahua, and participated in the battles of the Bracito and Sacramento. In July, 1847, he returned to his farm in Saline. In 1849, he went to California, returning home in December, 1842. After his return home, he engaged in the mercantile business, at Cambridge, under the firm name of M. T. Powell & Co. In 1866, he was elected sheriff for four years. February 14, 1856, he was married to Miss Mary B. Gault, having five children: Edwin E., John E., Samuel G., Henry W. and George Curtis.

OWEN THOMAS WILLIS, P. O., Slater. Was born in Culpep- per county, Virginia, February 20, 1821, where he was raised and edu- cated, and assisted on his father's farm until his sixteenth year, then lived

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with his grandfather, Isaac Willis, and managed his business for twelve years His father, Joshua Willis, and his mother, Ava Willis, formerly Garnett, were both natives of Culpepper county, Virginia. He was married December 10, 1844, to Miss Sarah Ann Garnett, daughter of Larkin and Elizabeth Garnett, of Culpepper county, Virginia. He continued farming in Virginia until 1850, when he came to this county, and bought 120 acres of land, two and one-half miles south of the present site of Slater. After building and moving to his farm, he lost his dwelling house by fire, which, with its contents were valued at $1,000. After this, he sold out to his uncle, Bobert Willis, and bought the farm now owned by Reuben Eubank. Selling this to Mr. Eubank, he purchased the farm he now lives on, adjoining the town of Norton on the east, containing 160 acres of land. From 1853 to 1866, he ran a saw mill, six miles east of Miami. Mr. Willis' children are as follows: Evelyn P., now Mrs. David C. Morrison, of Saline county ; Alice, now Mrs. Theodore Haynes, of Slater; Oswald T., Ida B., now Mrs. E. H. Head, of Quincy, Illinois; Harry C., William P., Melbourne, E., Price, Owen Shelby, and Sarah E., all living. Mr. Willis has been a member of the Baptist Church since his eighteenth year, and has been connected with Bethel Church for over twenty years.

JOHN THOMAS & SON, P. O., Marshall. Mr. John Thomas was born in Wayne county, Missouri, (from which Oregon and Ripley coun- ties were formed), in 1824, where he was educated and raised on a farm. From Oregon county he moved to this county in 1863; having enlisted in Gen. McBride's command, Missouri State Guards, in 1861, and taken part in the battles of Lexington and Wilson's Creek. In 1845 he was married to Miss Clarinda Smith, of Oregon county, Missouri. His children con- sist of Mary, Elizabeth, William M., George L., Leta, Sarah A., Lafayette, Drusilla, Jackson, Ridley, Meredith, and Virginia. Since 1863 Mr. Thomas has been engaged in farming and handling stock. His son, W. M. Thomas, was born in Oregon county, Missouri, in 1850, and came with his father to this county in 1863, and went to farming with him. He received his education in this county. Has worked at the carpenter trade. In 1877 he was married to Miss Virginia Fisher, daughter of G. T. Fisher, of this county. He carries on farming in company with his brother Ridley.

DR. ELIJAH SMITH CLARKSON, deceased. Dr. Clarkson was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, on the 30th of May, 1807, where he was raised on a farm, and educated in the " Old Field " schools. He was the youngest son of Major William Clarkson, a soldier of the revolution, and a native of Albemarle county, Virginia, who came to Bourbon county, Ky., at a very early period, entered and settled upon a large body of land. He had a large family of children, none of whom are now living. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Smith. Dr. Clarkson commenced the study

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

of medicine in Cincinnati, under old Dr. Drake, father of the late Judge C. D. Drake, in 1828, and graduated in the medical department of the old Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, under Profs. Drake, Eberle, Caldwell, McDowell, etc. He first entered on the practice of medi- cine near Cincinnati, Ohio, (now within the city limits), but two years after, in 1834, moved to Boone county, Kentucky, where he purchased a farm, and continued to practice and carry on the farm until 1857. On the 30th of March, 1833, he married Miss Caroline F. Menzies, then of Boone county, Kentucky, but a native of Staunton, Virginia. To this union were born ten children, of whom only four are now living: Dr. C. A., Mary Elizabeth, Marguerite M., and Adam W. In the fall of 1857 he disposed of his farm in Kentucky, and moved to St. Louis county, Mis- souri, where he lived until the spring of 1859, when he moved to this county and located on a farm of 720 acres, one mile south of Marshall, where he engaged largely in the production of hemp, corn and wheat, and lived until the winter of 1863-4, when it became so dangerous for southern men to live in Saline county, that he returned to Boone county, Kentucky, remained there until 1867, and then returned to Marshall. In the mean- time all his crops and personal property on the farm having been taken, or destroyed, he was unable to meet the balance due on the purchase money for his farm, and lost the same completely. When he returned to Saline, he engaged in the practice of his profession in and around Marshall, until he became too feeble to continue it. He was an earnest and sincere Christian, a member of the Old School Presbyterian Church; and died on the 15th of February, 1881.

THOMAS HUMPHREYS, P. O., Marshall. Was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1836, where he was raised and educated, and lived until he came to Missouri, in 1865, and settled in this county, purchasing the place on which he now lives. It was mostly raw prairie then. He first engaged in handling sheep, having from twelve to fifteen hundred. His farm consists of 318 acres, 240 in cultivation, and well improved, good house and barn, and well stocked. Mr. Humphreys has been farming all his life. His parents were Scotch-Irish, and came to this country in 1822, and settled in Ohio when the country was new, even there. At the age of seventeen, Thomas took charge of his father's farm, and carried it on until twenty-four years of age. He is a precise, exact business man, keeping a daily record of every business transaction. Mr. Humphreys was married in April, 1877, to Miss Cindarella Oneal, daughter of W. Oneal, of Saline county, and has two children: William W., and Eliz- abeth J.

SAMUEL T. STEEL, P. O., Marshall. Was born February 22, 1822, near Saline City, in this county, in the bottom, and remembers when a small boy, fleeing from the wrath of the overflowed Missouri, his

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father then moving to a farm three miles southeast of Jonesboro. They lived there about eight years, and then moved near Henry Nave, where he lived to' his twenty-sixth year, and then moved to the farm on Salt Fork, on which he now lives. His father, Adam Steel, came from Chris- tian county, Kentucky, in 1813, to Saline, and was one of the very first settlers of the county, and was the father of nine children, seven living: Benj. P., Thos. J., Sam'l T., Eliza A., Cynthia, Mary J., and Serena M. He was mail contractor for eight years, and was a useful and respected citizen, and died January 2, 1844. Samuel T. Steel was married in 1872 to Miss Mary Shannon, daughter of Samuel Shannon, of Saline county, and is the father of one child: Elias L. Steel. He is a member of the M. E. Church, South, membership at Smith's chapel, and has been for thirty years. Is a member of I. O. G. T., of Saline City. Lost all the property he had accumulated, in the war, and had to begin again. He was cap- tured December 19, 1861, in Robinson's recruits at Blackwater, taken to St. Louis, and to Alton, Illinois. Took the oath under protest, and returned home. In 1864 joined Gen. Price in his last raid, and surren- dered at Shreveport, 1865.

COLONEL A. T. WATSON, P. O., Marshall. Was born in Chris- tian county, Kentucky, in 1834, where he was raised and educated until his eighteenth year, when he moved to Montgomery county, Tennessee, and lived there three years. He then went back to Christian county, his father having died. In a short time he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and remained there until 1859, engaged in the grocery business there, and at Brownsville, Tennessee. In 1861, he entered the army under Magruger, lieutenant in battery, and at the close of the war, was colonel in command of the battery. He was in the battles of Belmont, Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Corinth, and all the Georgia campaign. He served under Bragg, Beauregard, Hood, Johnson, etc. Was slightly wounded in the service, at Shiloh. Was taken prisoner several times, but always escaped, until about the close of the war; was then captured and taken to Camp Chase, and stayed there until June 10, 1865, and went to Tuscaloosa, Ala- bama. In 1866 he came to this county and bought the farm on which he now lives. He started in life with $2,000, which he lost in the war; and now owns 200 acres of fine land, all in cultivation, and well stocked, which he has made by his own energy and industry, aided by his wife. In 1859, he was married to Miss Harriet S. Baugh, daughter of Thomas M. Baugh, of Tennessee, formerly of Virginia. The Baughs are of French extraction, the name being DeBaugh. Colonel Watson's parents were from Virginia, moving to Kentucky in 1832. They had a family of eight children, five of them now living, three in this county, and two in Ken- tucky. During the war, Mrs. Watson had many escapes from the Fed-

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eral lines, having once to take the oath, but finally, at the close of the war, found herself in Alabama, where she was joined by her husband.

H. ROUSE, mill operator, P. O., Marshall. Was born in Ross "county, Ohio, September 13, 1832. Was raised on a farm. In 1866, he married Miss S. J. Baker; they have two children living: Charlie and Mollie H. Came to this county in 1867, locating on a farm near Malta Bend, where he lived until 1877. He then bought a half interest in the water mill, situated on Salt Fork, two miles southeast of Marshall. In 1878, he became the sole owner of said property, which has remained in his hands ever since. The mill was built in 1865 and remodeled in 1873 at a cost of $7,000.00. It has three run of stones, with a capacity of 100 bushels of wheat and 100 bushels of corn per day. It has all the appara- tus necessary for the production of the very best grade of flour. The building is forty by thirty feet and three stories high. It has a saw mill attached. The dam is built on a rock foundation and has fourteen-foot head. He owns forty acres of land contiguous to the mill.

HENRY C. SIMMONS, farmer and blacksmith, P. O. Marshall. Born in Washington City, District of Columbia, August 17, 1813. His father, William Simmons, is a native of Ireland, and his mother of Eng- land. At an early age Henry moved, with his father's family, to Barren county, Kentucky. He was educated in the public schools of that county. At the age of fifteen, he learned the blacksmith and gunsmith trade, which he followed for seven years in Kentucky. He came to Saline county, November 10, 1839, and settled at Marshall. He walked from St. Louis to Marshall, where he worked at his trade for ten years. He built the first blacksmith and gunsmith shop in Marshall. It stood on what is known as "Dog Row." He paid $105 for the lot-60x120. In November, 1849, he married Miss Sarah A. Gilmer, daughter of John Gilmer. They have one daughter, Mary E. Wilcox. In same year he had an attack of the " gold fever," which carried him off, across the plains, with an ox-team, to California. He remained there two and a half years, engaged in freighting, in which business he was quite successful. He returned home via the Isthmus and New York, paying' $200 for his pas- sage. In 1854, he purchased the farm on which he now resides, consist- ing of 600 acres of well-improved farm land. His first wife died June 18, 1859, and is buried at the Gilmer graveyard. In 1862 he was again married, to Miss Frances Vivian, a native of Howard county. Their union was blessed with six children, four of whom are now living: Wil- liam, Robert, Alfred, and Samuel.

BENJAMIN F. WHITLOCK, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Born in White county, Tennessee, February 10, 1842. His parents were natives of Kentucky. They had three children, of whom Benjamin F. is the

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youngest. At the age of nine years he was "bound" to his uncle, James M. Gordon, whom he served until 1861. His education was quite lim- ited, being compelled by his uncle to work the most of his time. In 1861 he left his uncle and went to Clark county, Missouri, where he succeeded in finding work. While here he joined Gen. M. Green's troops, and par- ticipated with them in the battles of Athens and Kirksville. Being taken sick he left his company and went to his uncle, William Gordon, in Clark county. Recovering, he came to Saline county in 1866. In 1869 he pur- chased a farm upon which he settled in 1871, and where he now resides, engaged in farming and stock-raising.

ABRAHAM RUMANS, mill operator and engineer, P. O., Marshall. Born in Boone county, Missouri, October 24, 1842. Educated at Boone- ville and Fayette. In 1859 he came to Saline county, and settled at Arrow Rock, where he remained until 1867. March 28, 1862, he enlisted in the 5th M. S. M .- Capt. Peter Austermeyer, under Col. Sigel. After serving fifteen months in this company, he enlisted in Company "I," 12th Missouri cavalry, Capt. W. A. Mills, Col. Well's regiment. He took a prominent part in the following battles: Nashville, Frankfort, Clifton. In 1866 he was married to Emily Ward, a native of Illinois. Four children were born to them: Maggie C., Robert L., Ollie B., Abraham R. In 1867 he came to Marshall, where he has since resided. Part of the time he gave his attention to engineering. In 1881 he entered into partnership with Mr. F. Tucksmyre, in the fitting up of a saw-mill, situated five miles northeast of Marshall. The outfit is entirely new, consisting of a portable steam engine, circular saw fifty inches in diameter, and all the apparatus necessary for a well appointed mill. It has a capacity of from two to five thousand feet per day. It is called the "Eagle Mill."

N. M. CORBIN, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Was born in Nichols county, Kentucky, in March, 1833. Was educated in the common schools of that county. His father, Joshua, was a native of Maryland, his mother being born in Kentucky. N. M., the third child, worked on his father's farm in Kentucky until 1859, when he came to Saline county. In the same year he purchased the farm where he now resides, consisting of 212 acres of excellent land, lying five miles east of Marshall. Is engaged in farming and sheep-raising. In 1881 he raised sixty-two lambs. March 7, 1859, he was married to Ellen McClintock, a native of Kentucky. They have one son, Thomas M. His wife died in 1864, and was buried in Bourbon county, Kentucky. In 1871 he was again married, to Miss Pauline Ross, a native of Howard county, Missouri. They have one son, Nathaniel. His second wife died in 1876, and is buried at Arrow Rock.

WILLIAM COOPER, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Born in Delaware, February 5, 1835. While he was quite young his parents moved to Adams county, Illinois; obtained his education in the common schools of

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that county. Having learned the miller's trade, he followed it up to the year 1874. In 1873 he was united in marriage to Alice Fanning, a native of Morgan county, Illinois. One boy, Mark, was the fruit of their union. From 1874 to 1879 he was engaged in farming in Adams county. In the latter year he came to Saline county and bought the farm upon which he now resides, consisting of eighty acres of well-improved farm land. He is giving special attention to the raising of swine of the Berkshire breed.

PATRICK COONEY, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Is a native of Ire- land, born in the county of Meath, and was educated there. His early life was spent on a farm. Immigrated to the United States in 1854. He came to Saline county in 1856. In 1858 he bought the farm upon which he now resides, five miles northeast of Marshall. In February, 1861, he was married to Sarah Weiley. They have eleven children, six daughters and five sons: Mary, Tarasa, Catherine, Sallie, Rose, Bettie, Philip, Edward, Patrick, John, and George. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in company C, Col. Crew's regiment, Shelby's division. He participated in the following battles: Lexington, Independence, Blues, Westport, New- tonia. While in Arkansas he joined the infantry, Capt. Otley's company, Col. Mitchell's regiment, Gen. Price in command. Surrendered at Shreve- port and came home.

GARRETT M. DAVIS, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, January 23, 1851. His father, Garrett, was a native of Kentucky. He married Miss Rebecca Trimble, by whom he had three children. His wife dying, he was afterward married to Mrs. Thomas Elliott. They had one child. Mrs. Davis died in 1868, and was buried at Paris cemetery. Mr. Davis died in 1872, and was buried at the same place. Garrett M., the only child by his father's second wife, obtained his education.in the common schools of the county of his birth. At the age of eighteen he entered the Washington and Lee University, Virginia, where he spent three years. He turned his attention principally to the study of the law. After leaving the university he practiced law for five years at Paris, Kentucky. In 1879 he came to Saline county and settled on the farm where he now resides, situated one and a quarter miles south of Marshall, and consisting of 120 acres of good land. In December, 1876, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth R. Smith, a native of Ken- tucky. They have one child, a daughter: Sue H.

CHARLES W. DOWNS, farmer, P. O., Marshall. Is a native of this state and county, born October 20 1843. His early life was spent upon a farm, and in attending the common schools. His father, Benj. F., came to this county in 1830, and settled on what is now known as the Swinner farm, four miles southeast of Marshall. He died in 1566, and was buried in the Stephen Smith graveyard, In 1864, Charles W., the oldest child of a family of seven, and the subject of this brief sketch,

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enlisted in Capt. Diur's company, Col. Wood's battalion, under Price. He was held prisoner by Capt. Bingham when the Glasgow fight came off. He was engaged in the following battles: Lexington, Blues, Inde- pendence, Westport, Carthage, Little Osage. At the battle of Westport he was struck by a minnie ball, in the shoulder, sustaining a slight flesh wound. He surrendered at Shreveport, was regularly paroled and came home. In 1869, he was married to Miss Sue Ramsey, by whom he had four children, two now living: Benj. H. and Eva. In June, 1871, he purchased the farm where he now resides, two miles southeast of Mar- shall, consisting of eighty acres of first-class land, which, under his skill- ful management, is being transformed into a fine farm.

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History of Saline County, Missouri, Part 81

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company Number of Pages: 1008

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company
Number of Pages: 1008