USA > Missouri > St Charles County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 99
USA > Missouri > Montgomery County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 99
USA > Missouri > Warren County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 99
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SOL. HUGHLETT
(Attorney-at-law, Wellsville, Mo).
The Hughlett family came from Tennessee in the year 1825 and settled in Pike county, Mo. Sol.'s father was named John Hughlett ; his grandfather's name was Thomas Hughlett. His mother came from Virginia in 1828. Her name was Dianah Willis, daughter of William Willis. Sol. Hughlett married Miss Mary E. Gray in Mid- dletown May 23, 1863, and he has since lived in Montgomery county, Mo. Of this marriage he has a son named Arthur Hughlett, aged 19 years, and a daughter named Enice, six years old. Mr. Hughlett has been elected and served two terms in the Legislature of the State of Missouri, and is at this time a member of that body. He belongs to the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges. His wife is a member of the Christian Church. He claims nothing for himself but honesty and hard labor.
ANDREW J. HUNTER
(Farmer and Stock-raiser, Post-office, Wellsville).
In 1816 Mr. Hunter's grandparents came to Missouri from North Carolina and located at St. Louis. Four years later they made a permanent settlement in the southern part of Montgomery county, where they improved a farm and lived until their deaths. Their son, Ephraim Hunter, after he grew up married Miss Lena Hall, originally of South Carolina, and of this union Andrew J. was born November 18, 1833. Andrew J,'s father died in 1876, and he, the subject of this sketch, is the only son in the family of eight children who grew to mature years. He was reared on the farm, and when a young man learned picture-taking by the daguerreotype process. He fol- lowed this afterwards for about two years, and in 1853 was married to Miss Margaret J. Hunter, of this county, a distant relative of his. She died, however, July 20, 1856, leaving a daughter, Nancy J., who is now the wife of William Heite, of Newton, Kas. Mr. Hunter was married to his present wife April 5, 1859. She was a Miss Melissa J., a daughter of M. H. Stone, of Montgomery county, but formerly of Kentucky. Six children are the fruits of this union : Samuel A., Clementia A., who is the wife of A. O. Bonicourt ; Ethelbert W., Augustus A., Robert J. and Priscilla. After his first marriage Mr. Hunter settled down to farming in the southern part of the county, and he has continued farming, alternated with other occupations,
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
up to the present time ; though since 1875 he has been engaged in farming exclusively. His homestead contains 80 acres, which is sub- stantially and comfortably improved. He also owns a neat place a mile north of his homestead. Mr. H. and wife are members of the M. E. Church, and he is a prominent member of the A. O. U. W. and of the G. A. R. Mr. Hunter served for 14 months in the Union army as a member of Co. C, Ninth Missouri cavalry, and rose from the ranks as a private to the position of first corporal. He was finally honorably discharged on account of physical disability. He was in some 16 engagements of more or less importance, including the fight with Poindexter on Grand river, in Chariton county.
LOUIS L. KIRK
(Editor and Proprietor of the Wide-Awake, Attorney at Law, Real Estate Agent, Notary Public and Conveyancer, Wellsville).
Mr. Kirk, one of the energetic and progressive citizens of Wells- ville, was originally from Pennsylvania, born in Mercer county, De- cember 3, 1848. His parents, however, Caleb and Julia (Jacobs) Kirk, were natives of Ohio, and had removed to Pennsylvania only a short time before Louis' birth. His father followed merchandising in Ohio, but after removing to Pennsylvania engaged in farming and sheep-raising. In 1865 the family removed to Iowa, where his father remarried and moved to Missouri, settling on a farm in Audrain county, where they resided about nine years, young Louis having in the meantime located in Kansas. The father, who was in comfortable circumstances, then retired from farming and from all active labor, and came with his family to Wellsville, where he resided until his death in February, 1882. Prior to leaving his native State young Kirk had spent most of his time at school, and when he came West, in 1862, he at once entered Birmingham College, in Iowa, where he spent two years in study. He continued in Iowa until he entered the State University of Kansas, which he attended for five years. He then engaged in teaching school and taught with success in Kansas for about four years. In 1878 young Kirk went to Texas and became principal of Shiloh Academy, in Lamar county, a position he filled with entire satisfaction to the patrons of the school for two sessions. He now decided to prepare himself for journalism, a profession for which he has always had a preference, and he accordingly went to Paris, Tex., where he learned the practical work of typography as well as the details of newspaper management, and contributed articles editorial and local. He subsequently worked at Dallas, Tex. In 1876 Mr. Kirk returned to Kansas and became principal of the High School at Garnett, where he remained for about a year. In the spring of the following year he came to Wellsville, to where his father had removed in the meantime, and was solicited by the people to de- liver the Fourth of July address on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. His address was pronounced by all who heard it one of more than ordinary ability and
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
grace and eloquence. Prior to this Mr. Kirk had entered upon the study of law with a view of devoting himself to the legal profession. In due time he entered the law department of the State University at Columbia, where he took a regular course and graduated with dis- tinction in 1878. He then returned to Wellsville and engaged ac- tively in the practice of law. In a short time his old taste for jour- nalism reasserted itself and he bought the Bazoo newspaper office at this place. After running this successfully for a short time the office was accidently burned out and afterward, with H. F. Childers, he established the Wide-Awake in 1880. This has proved a successful newspaper venture. Its motto is, " Hew to the line, let the chips fall where they may ;" and it is therefore an independent paper. It has the good will of the better people of both parties and receives cordial and hearty support from the general public. Mr. Kirk is also en- gaged in the real estate business, and, in connection, is a notary public and does a good conveyancing business. He is likewise secre- tary of the Triple Alliance Insurance Company, at Wellsville, and is interested in the telephone lines between this place, Middletown, Mont- gomery City and Danville. He is also secretary of the Wellsville Library Association. Mr. Kirk is a live, energetic man, and his numerous duties keep him fully occupied, indeed, but few men could attend to all these varied matters as he does.
DAVID LEHNEN
(Farmer and Stock-raiser, Post-office, Wellsville).
Mr. Lehnen, one of the large land-owners and well-to-do citizens of this county, is a native of Canada, but is of Swiss parentage, the fam- ily having emigrated from Switzerland to the Dominion of Canada a few years before his birth. His mother, however, who was a Miss Elizabeth Kannar before her marriage, was born in Prussia. Godfrey Lehnen, his father, is of an ancient family in Switzerland, and although now quite advanced in years, is a man of strong, vigorous intelligence and marked energy and activity. David Lehnen was born near Toronto, in Canada, March 15, 1851, and was reared on his father's farm. He is the eldest in a family of nine sons and four daughters, all but one of whom, a son, are now living. Four of the brothers and two of the sisters are residents of this county. The others are still in Canada. David Lehnen, after completing his studies at school and attaining his majority, began life for himself in the milling business, in Canada, which he followed for over two years. He then sold out and came to
Missouri, and in 1877 engaged in the hardware business in Wellsville. A year later he disposed of his hardware business and engaged in farming and the stock business, continuing to reside, however, in Wellsville, until last spring. Meanwhile he had bought large bodies of land in the county, and he now owns and controls, together, over 2,000 acres of fine land, most of which is improved. I His homestead farm contains 700 acres. There are four good dwelling houses on the place and three good barns, with other improvements to correspond,
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
This year he had about 600 acres of grain and about 150 acres of meadow. He also has charge of a farm belonging to his father of 500 acres and has another place leased of 800 acres. He is a man whose energy and enterprise are equal to any undertaking, and whose business judgment and good management have invariably made him successful in all his ventures. He is extensively engaged in the stock industry. April 9, 1872, Mr. Lehnen was married to Miss Louisa Seiler, a daughter of George Seiler, of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. L. have four children : Edwin E., William H., Leander and an infant daughter. He and wife are members of the Swedenborgian Church.
JOHM M. MCCLURE
(Editor and Proprietor of the Wellsville Democrat).
No biographical conspectus of Montgomery county which purports to reflect the various phases of life exhibited in the lives of the rep- resentative citizens of this county would be complete which did not include at least a brief outline of the life of the subject of the pres- ent sketch. At the age of 12 years he started out for himself solely on his own resources, without a dollar and with only a limited primary knowledge of books. He learned the printer's trade and educated himself. In a little while, such were the personal worth, business qualifications and keen, clear intelligence which he exhibited, that he was placed in charge of the paper by the company that ran it, al- though he was still hardly more than a boy. Before he was 17 years of age he leased the paper, and has since conducted it with increasing success and reputation. Young McClure has made the Democrat one of the prosperous, valuable, well-conducted newspapers of the county, and has placed it in a position of marked influence in pub- lic affairs in a remarkably short space of time. Young McClure is now less than 18 years of age and is without question the youngest newspaper editor and proprietor in Missouri. His record and pros- pects are such as to justify the community in feeling a pardonable, pride in his career and outlook. He was born at Middletown, Mo., December 19, 1866, and was a son of Granville L. McClure, Esq., the well known attorney of that place, but now deceased. His mother was a Miss Rachel Manning, a daughter of Asa Manning, formerly of Kentucky. His father was a Kentuckian and sympathized with the South during the war, and on that account was persecuted to some extent by the militia. John M. was 9 years of age at the time of his father's death, and at the age of 12 was compelled to put out into the world for himself. He went to work in a printing office at Middle- town, where he worked for about five months, and then went to work on a farm. Afterwards, however, he returned to the printing office and worked at Middletown for about six months. He then came to Wellsville where he worked in the Democrat office for some eight months. 'At the expiration of this time, the manager of the paper having resigned, he was placed in charge of it by the company and he published the paper three months for the company. In February, 1884,
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
he leased the paper and has ever since continued to run it, having made it a complete success. The only thing that can be said against young McClure, even if he were a candidate for office, is that he is a member of a base ball club. It must be confessed that he is even secretary of the club.
WILLIAM MARTEN
(Farmer and Stock-raiser, Post-office, Wellsville).
Mr. Marten has been a resident of Montgomery county for over 25 years, and was a man originally from England, though he had resided previous to coming to Montgomery county in Warren county and in St. Louis. During his entire residence in this county he has been actively engaged in farming, and has had good success. His home- stead contains 360 acres, which is well improved, and besides which he has a tract of valuable timber land. Mr. Marten was born at Cornwall, England, February 28, 1821, and was a son of John and Elizabeth (French ) Marten, both of old families in that part of En- gland. Mr. Marten was reared at Cornwall, and on the 25th of De- cember, 1852, he was married in his native county, in England, to Miss Caroline Wroth. The following year after his marriage, Mr. Marten, believing that there were better opportunities on this side the Atlantic for young men of energy and industry to establish them- selves comfortably in life, embarked with his young wife for the New World. After landing at New York he came directly to St. Louis, from which, after a short residence, he removed to Warren county. From there two years later he came to Montgomery county where he has ever since resided and been engaged in farming. Mr. and Mrs. Marten have five children: Annie, who is now the wife of W. O. Williams ; Mary, now the wife of David Nation, of St. Clair county ; John T., William and Charles. One, besides, is deceased, Katie, who died in the fall of 1860.
ANDREW MEYERS
(Farmer and Stock-raiser, Post-office, Wellsville).
In 1853 the parents of Mr. Meyers, Andrew, Sr. and Annie (Ko- bolka ) Meyers, with their family, including Andrew, Jr. and wife, who was a Miss Frances Sweiger before her marriage, a daughter of Thomas and Annie (Moresh) Sweiger, immigrated to America from Bohemia, in North-western Austria, and located for a time in Pitts- burg, Pa., where both father and son worked at the carpenter's trade, which they had previously followed in their native country. Andrew, Jr., was born at the city of Estri, Bohemia, June 26, 1833, and up to the age of thirteen his time from early boyhood was spent at school. He then began at the carpenter's trade under his father and worked at it until he reached military age, when he had to enter the army. In order that young Meyers might accompany his folks to this country his father had to pay $500 in cash to commute his son's term of ser-
933
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
- vice in the army. Young Meyers had married only a week or two before embarking for America, and it naturally seemed a Providential deliverance to him to be able to escape to a country where he would be free to labor for himself and family without hinderance. Mr. M. worked at Pittsburg for some twelve years and then at St. Louis for about nine years. Meanwhile he had bought land in Montgomery county, and he now went to work improving a farm here. To-day he is one of the substantial farmers of his township, has a good farm of 225 acres well improved, some valuable timbered lands, and is comfortably situated. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers have ten children : Andrew (married ) ; Bertha, wife of Philip Wolfe; Frances, wife of Joseph Portercheck ; Louis, Annie, August, Eddie, Cecelia, Peter and Amelia. Two others are deceased. All the family are members of the Catholic Church.
JACOB MILLER
(Dealer in Lumber, Shingles, Laths, Doors, Window Sash, Etc., Wellsville).
Mr. Miller, a native of Switzerland where he was reared and edu- cated, has been a resident of Wellsville for nearly twenty years, and for the last 15 years has been successfully engaged in his present line of business. He carries more than an ordinarily large stock in his line, and does a heavy business, resulting no doubt from the numerous improvements constantly going on. His trade amounts to from about $30,000 to $35,000 a year and his lumber yard is the leading one throughout a large region of country surrounding Wellsville. Mr. Miller was born in the Canton of Argan-Becirk-Aarau, February 6, 1829. His parents were each of old Swiss families and his mother, Elizabeth, died when he was about 10 years of age. His father, Jacob Miller, subsequently married again and in 1854 the family came to America, Jacob, Jr., coming with them and all locating at St. Louis. All the others are now deceased except a half-sister, Mrs. John Funk, of St. Louis county. Jacob learned the shoe-maker's trade in Swit- zerland, but after coming to St. Louis clerked in a store until 1858. He and W. H. Kutts then started a grocery store in St. Louis which Mr. M. continued until he came to Wellsville in 1865. Here he ran a general store four years and then bought out two lumber yards which he consolidated and has since been in the lumber business. March 10, 1861, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Caroline, a daugh- ter of Karl Hertz, formerly of Prussia, but now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. M. have reared four children : William H., Hugo, Oscar and Emily. The two older boys are graduates of Jones, Commercial College. Mr. M. is a prominent Mason.
AMOS F. MORSE
(Farmer, Post-office, Martinsburg).
Among the neat, progressive and well-to-do farmers of the north- western part of the county is the subject of the present sketch. Mr.
934
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
Morse came to Montgomery county in 1867, where he has ever since resided. His excellent farm, situated about one and three-fourths miles north-east of Martinsburg, has on it a commodious two-story frame house, pleasantly situated. He has a fine grove of 1,000 forest trees raised from the seed which he planted. Mr. Morse was born in Rutland county, Vt., November 7, 1838. He was reared in his native county and received a good common and high school education. In 1861 his parents, Harris and Electa (Roberts) Morse, both also natives of Vermont, removed to Wisconsin, and located in Rock county, where the father engaged in farming. Six years afterwards, however, they removed to Montgomery county, Mo., and settled on the place where Amos F. now resides. Here the mother died in 1869, and the father in 1873. Amos F. attended Commercial College at Oswego, N. Y., and in the fall of 1860 went to Wisconsin. Subse- quently, however, he went back to Vermont, but in 1862 returned to Wisconsin, and was engaged in farming there in partnership with his father until 1867. They also made a specialty of raising sheep while there. They then came to Missouri and improved the farm where Mr. M. now resides. He and his cousin, J. F. Morse, bought over 900 acres of land, which has since been divided between them. September 3, 1869, Mr. Morse was married in St. Louis to Miss Mary E., a daughter of Truman Mears, of Vermont. They have reared one child, Lucretia E., now aged about 13 years. Mr. and Mrs. M. are members of the Congregational Church, and he is clerk of the school board, and was school director for seven years. He is also a member of the United Workmen order.
WORCESTER H. MORSE
(Farmer and Fine Stock-raiser, Post-office, Martinsburg).
Mr. Morse is an older brother to Amos F. Morse, whose sketch precedes this, and like the former is one of the progressive farmers of the township. He is breeding and raising fine thoroughbred short- horn cattle, and thus far has had excellent success in this line of industry. His farm contains 240 acres, with 40 acres of timbered land in addition tributary to it. He also has another tract of 480 acres of farming land under his control adjoining his place, which belongs to his cousin, J. F. Morse. He was born in Rutland county, Vt., February 2, 1836. The family is of Scotch-English descent and Mr. M. is distantly related to Prof. Morse, of telegraph fame. Before reaching his majority Worcester H. learned the machinist's trade, which he followed until he was 23 years of age. He then, in the spring of 1859, came West to the vicinity of Beloit, Wis., where he engaged in farming and fine sheep-raising, which he followed for about six years. In the summer of 1862 he enlisted in Co. I, Twenty- second Wisconsin infantry, in which he served until the close of the war, rising from the ranks by meritorious conduct as a soldier and gallantry to the position of first lieutenant of his company. He was in the battles of Spring Hill, Tenn., Brentwood Station, Resaca, the
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
siege of Atlanta, Averysboro', Deep Bottom, near Goldsboro', N. C., and many others. On Sherman's march to the sea he commanded a scouting party in front of the Twentieth Army corps during the en- tire campaign, and had more or less skirmishing almost daily. At Brentwood Station he was taken prisoner and confined in Libby prison for about a month, or until he was exchanged. After the war he returned to Wisconsin, and July 18, 1865, was married to Miss Drusilla, a daughter of John Bannister, of Beloit, Wis., but formerly of Vienna, N. Y. After his marriage Mr. M. removed to Iowa and was engaged in farming and sheep raising near Manchester for two years, after which he came to Montgomery county. In 1871 he was appointed by the State to examine and report on the location and value of the Agricultural College lands of Missouri, and during that and the two following years traveled quite extensively in the south and south-eastern parts of the State in the performance of this duty. In 1877 he introduced barbed wire into the general wholesale trade in this State, and traveled, representing a large factory in that interest, for a part of each of three years. He has ever since handled more or less barbed wire. Mr. and Mrs. Morse have five children : Joseph B., Annie, John H., Henry S. and Worcester S. Mr. and Mrs. M. are members of the Congregational Church, and he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
MILTON H. MYERS (Painter, Wellsville).
Mr. Myers is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Alleghany City, November 7, 1841, and a son of Samuel H. and Maria C. (Kauffman) Myers, both of old Pennsylvania families. In 1848 the family re- moved to Ashland county, Ohio, from there to Richland county, and thence to Montgomery county, Mo. The father, a painter by trade, died while on a visit to Ohio, in 1882. Milton H., who received a good common-school education and was brought up to the painter's trade, enlisted in the Eighty-fourth Ohio infantry, in June, 1862, and served three months. He then enlisted in the One Hundred and Tenth Ohio, and served until the close of the war, being promoted in the meantime from the ranks to the position of first lieutenant. He was in a number of the hardest fought battles of the war, and was wounded at Cold Harbor and at the fall of Richmond. After the war he clerked in a drug store at Shelby, Ohio, and then came to Missouri. Here he located at Wellsville and went to work at the painter's trade. He afterwards bought a mill and was engaged in the manufacture of lumber, until 1876. In 1872 he was appointed justice of the peace, and was then elected to that office. In 1878 he resumed his trade, and works during the busy season three men. He is also engaged in paper hanging and carries a large stock of wall paper and paints, oils, etc., for sale. Politically, Mr. Myers is a Prohibitionist, and is zeal- ously on the side of the home against the saloon. He even refuses to paint a saloon, or have anything to do with it, except to vote and
54
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
work for its extermination on every and all proper occasions. March 6, 1873, he was married to Miss Mary E., a daughter of James Cut- ler ( deceased), formerly of Richland county, Ohio. They have three children : Anna, Eugene and Walter. Mr. and Mrs. M. are members of the M. E. Church, and he is a member of the G. A. R.
JAMES T. NELSON
(Of Nelson & Shores, Dealers in Hardware, Farm Implements, Buggies, Wagons, Etc., Etc., Montgomery City).
Mr. Nelson has had what may almost be said to be a life-time experience in mercantile business, and one of substantial success. This he has achieved solely by his own energy, enterprise and per- severance. He has been engaged in business at Wellsville since 1876, and partly alone and the remainder of the time in association with a good, active, energetic partner, one of the leading houses of Wells- ville and throughout the surrounding country has been built up. In the hardware line the house of Nelson & Shores would not suffer by comparison with the leading houses in places of twice or three times the population of Wellsville. They own their own building, a large, com- modious. business house, and have an annual trade aggregating over $50,000. Besides a full assortment of first-class shelf and heavy hardware, they carry full lines of the latest and best makes of agri- cultural implements and farm machinery, and also a good stock of wagons and buggies of established reputations. Mr. Nelson was born in Rappahannock county, Va., May 17, 1831. His parents removed to Lincoln county, Mo., when he was 5 years of age, where he was reared to manhood. His father, now widely and well known as "Uncle Ira T. Nelson," is still living, at the advanced age of 87 years, and a resident of that county. He is still quite vigorous and active, and takes a lively interest in local and general affairs. He has been an active working Democrat all his life, and has been a member of the Baptist Church for over 40 years. His first wife, the mother of James T., was a Miss Virginia Foley before her marriage. He lost both his first and second wives, by. each of whom he reared a family of children ; but he has no children by his last wife. Uncle Ira is a first cousin to Judge Nelson, the dis- tinguished jurist of New York State. James T. Nelson, the subject of this sketch, commenced his career in mercantile life as clerk in a store in New Hope, in Lincoln county, when he was 20 years of age. What education he had, he acquired mainly by study at home of nights. After clerking for three years, he became a partner in business with his employer. Five years afterwards he located at Waverly, in Lafayette county, where he sold goods for two years. He then became traveling salesman for a large wholesale grocery house in St. Louis, in which line he continued without interruption for some 16 years. But at last, tiring of the road, in 1876 he engaged in business at Carthage, remaining, however, only a short time. He then came to Wellsville and established a hardware store
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