USA > Missouri > Vernon County > History of Vernon County, Missouri : past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county Vol. II > Part 25
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John B. Foster, who for twenty years was an influential and progressive citizen of Nevada, Mo., where he died October 26, 1908, was born at Manchester, Adams county, Ohio, July 6, 1866, and was a son of Jerry Foster, a resident of Nevada, Mo., at the time of his death in 1899. John B. was a practical railroad man, and after coming to Nevada in 1899 was continuously in the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railway Company until his decease.
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He began as a brakeman and rose to the position of conducter. and was known as one of the most faithful, reliable and efficient men in the service of the company. Mr. Foster was prominent and active in fraternal and benevolent organizations and held member- ship in the Masonic order, the Knights Templar, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Mystic Circle, and Modern Woodmen of America, and also belonged to the Order of Railway Conductors. He was a kind-hearted man, of generous impulses, loyal to his friends and true to the highest ideals of manhood, and his passing away was mourned by a wide circle of devoted friends.
On August 22, 1887, he married Miss Mary E. Whaley, a daughter of William H. and Anna (Rowland) Whaley, of Lee Summit, Jackson county, Missouri, and there were born to them three children, named respectively, Marie M., Anna Belle and Alvin Deral Foster.
Mrs. Foster is the eldest of a family of twelve children- eleven daughters and one son-of whom two, viz., Nannie and an' infant unnamed, are deceased. Those living besides Mrs. Foster are Sadie, who is married to Mr. W. S. Dickie and lives in Michi- gan; Narcissis, the wife of Mr. William Erwin, of Kansas City, Mo .; Etta, the wife of Mr. John Owen, of Nevada; Lee, who is married to Mr. John W. Doerle, of Nevada; Anna May Whaley, of Nevada; Kate, who is married to Mr. Charles D. Essig, of Nevada ; Georgia, the wife of Mr. Harry C. May, of Nevada; Myrtle, the widow of Mr. Robert Grubb, deceased, of Nevada, and William R. Whaley, who lives in Nevada.
William Y. Foster, widely known as a successful educator, is a native of Allentown, St. Louis county, Missouri, and was born May 2, 1877, to George R. and Mattie E. (McCown) Foster, both natives of Kentucky. The Foster family is of English origin. James Foster, our subject's grandfather, was born in Logan county, Kentucky, in 1783, and moved thence, in an early day, to Johnson county, Missouri, where he entered a large tract of government land and became an extensive and successful farmer and stock raiser, owning at one time some 2,000 acres of land and many slaves. His homestead, built in the early thirties, is still standing, well preserved. He died here in 1870. Of a family of eleven children which he reared, all except our subject's father, the youngest, passed their lives in Johnson county, where their
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descendants still reside. Our subject's parents were married in 1859. The father was engaged in mercantile business at Warrens- burg, Mo., prior to this time; after the opening of the Civil War in 1860 he and his wife moved to St. Louis county and for twenty years he was employed as a traveling salesman for Mr. Samuel C. Davis. It was here in Allentown, St. Louis county, that his wife, the mother of our subject, died on March 4, 1878. She was buried in the Warrensburg cemetery. In 1884 he removed to Kansas City and until his decease in 1896 traveled in the employ of- the Shuster-Hinston Company, of St. Joseph, Mo. He died at the age of sixty-two years at Valley City, Mo., and rests beside his wife. Our subject's maternal grandfather, James McCown, was descended from one of three brothers, who came to this country from County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1729. During his active career he was one of the most influential and popular men of Johnson county, where he was honored with the several offices of circuit clerk, county clerk and county recorder. He enlisted in the first regiment organized in Johnson county and entered the Confed- erate service as its commander. After the surrender of his regi- ment at Mobile, Ala., he returned to Warrensburg, where he died of fever in 1868. His widow still survives-1911-at the age of ninety years. They had a family of eight children, six of whom still survive.
William Y. Foster finished his public school education at Kansas City, Mo., passing through the various grades and after- wards pursued his studies in the Warrensburg State Normal. He received his first life certificate from the state superintendent in 1902. In 1908 he was graduated from Springfield State Normal with the degree of Bachelor of Pedagogy. Mr. Foster began teaching in the rural schools of Cedar county in 1896. In 1899 he went to Clear Creek township, Vernon county, and taught there continuously three years. In 1902 he became principal of the graded schools at Walker, in Vernon county, then from 1903 to 1905 had charge of the department of English in the Nevada high school, after which he served as principal of the graded schools at Schell City until the fall of 1907, when he was elected county superintendent of schools of Vernon county, an office to which he was re-elected in 1909 for a second term and again re-elected in 1911 for four years under the new law, which constitutes a term of eight years as county superintendent, being the longest school
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administration in the history of the county. Mr. Foster is thor- oughly progressive in his ideas and work, as is shown by the fol- lowing things accomplished under him in the last four years, viz. : Rural graduation introduced ; 550 pupils graduated from the eighth grade and presented diplomas; thirty-one township com- mencements organized and conducted; rural schools and high schools articulated; agriculture introduced into the country schools ; literature introduced into the county schools; corn grow- ing association organized for country boys; uniform system of classification and words introduced ; county spelling contest orig- inated and introduced; thorough visitation of all the schools in the county each term; rural schools rally day originated and introduced ; the office of county superintendent made the actual core of the school work of the county. Mr. Foster is a member of the State Teachers' Association and of the Southwestern Teach- ers' Association, and is serving his first term as president of the county superintendents' organization. Mr. Foster is active in fraternal and benevolent societies, being identified with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Modern Wood- men of America and Woodmen of the World. He is a Democrat in politics and in religious faith is affiliated with the Christian denomination.
William H. Fowler is one of the substantial farmers of Dry- wood township, Vernon county, Missouri, who has made his way from obscurity by the force of a strong character and hard work. He was born in Newton county, Missouri, March 29, 1850, and is the fourth of a family of five children born to Ezra and Mary (Been) Fowler. The father, a native of Indiana, was a farmer and moved from his native state in 1846 to Newton county, where he died in 1855. The mother was born in North Carolina and survived till April 12, 1910.
William H. had but meager educational privileges in early life, and beginning a poor boy, made his own way in the world, laying the foundation of future success and acquiring by his own efforts a good education. He has always been a great reader and a close observer of men and affairs, keeping himself in touch with the trend of current events. Prior to his marriage he worked as a farm laborer and by hard work acquired considerable land in Atchison county, Missouri, where he on December 28, 1872,
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was united in marriage with Miss and where he lived till 1895. Selling his interests there, he came to Vernon county and bought 675 acres of fertile land in sections 13, 14, 31 and 34, Drywood township. He has since bought other lands and now owns 1,040 acres in that township. Mr. Fowler has his home just outside the limits of the village of Sheldon, where he owns a handsome residence, a commodious and substantial barn and convenient outhouses. Besides, he has placed a fine class of improvements on all his land, comprising every needed facility and convenience of the modern model farm.
He is a thoroughly practical, systematic and progressive farmer and gives particular attention to the fertilization of his land, the rotation of crops and other means of deriving the best results from his farm operations. He raises immense quantities of corn and derives a large income from his shipments of cattle and hogs, which he raises and feeds in large numbers.
Mr. Fowler stands high in Masonic circles and belongs to the Blue Lodge and also is a Knight Templar. In political opinions he is a Republican and active in the local affairs of his party. Of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Fowler the four now surviving are Mary Bell, who was born March 28, 1878; Edward G., born March 11, 1880; Nancy, born January 21, 1883, and Ely B., who was born January 27, 1887.
Joseph A. Fryer is one of the wideawake and prosperous busi- ness men of Nevada, Mo., and active in the welfare and develop- ment of the city. He was born in Kentucky, September 11, 1861, and is a son of Beverly M. and Martha (Richards) Fryer, both natives of that state, where his mother died when he was nine years of age. He is the eldest of a family of five children, of. whom two are deceased, the other survivors being Addie, who is married to Mr. Thomas W. Patterson, of Kansas City, and Lloyd R. Fryer, a real estate dealer at Kenefee, Okla. The fa- ther, a farmer by occupation, moved from Kentucky to Nevada, Vernon county, Missouri, in 1875. Joseph A. was educated in the public schools of his native place and in Cedar county, Mis- souri, where he lived before settling in Nevada. He was reared on a farm and followed farming till he started in business on Cherry street, Nevada, in 1887. In 1902 he became proprietor of the Crown Bottling Works, one of the prosperous industries
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of Nevada. He also holds a half interest in the Crystal Ice Plant at Nevada, and besides owns considerable other property. Since living in Nevada he has been somewhat active in municipal and civic affairs and has served as city commissioner. In politics he has always adhered to the principles of the Democratic party. He is known as a public-spirited citizen and is a man of much influence in the east end of the city.
Mr. Fryer is actively identified with fraternal organizations. being a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Eagles, and the Woodmen of the World.
On September 1, 1887, he married Miss Minnie L. Hutchins. of Johnson county, Missouri, and they have one child, named Bernice E., who was born October 13, 1892.
Sylvester Fuller, whose birth occurred in Lawrence county, Ohio, February 10, 1818, was the third child of fourteen children born of the marriage of Sylvester and Sarah E. (Maginnis) Fuller. His father was a native of Providence, R. I., and his grandfather, whose name was also Sylvester, served as a captain in the Revo- lutionary War under Washington. In May, 1853, Mr. Fuller moved to Carroll county, Missouri, and entered a large tract of land, but during the following eight years he carried on a lum- ber business. Upon being burned out by the militia in 1862 he decided to locate in Vernon county, and this was later his home. He has been married four times. December 1, 1847, Miss Eliza- beth Payne became his wife, but she died October 8, 1852, leav- ing three children : Cornelia, wife of Willis Ellis, and Oliver B. March 4, 1853, Mr. Fuller married Sarah H. Fuller, and some time after her death, which occurred June 17, 1854, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Frances R. Jones, daughter of Noah Caton. At her death, November 7, 1873, she left the following family of children: Jasper A., dead; Chester C., Ella P., wife of Robert C. Craig ; George N., Emma R. March 17, 1875, Mr. Fuller married Mrs. Celia Summers, daughter of Jesse Summers, one of the very old settlers in Vernon county. Politically, Mr. Fuller was a Democrat and as such held numerous positions of honor and trust. He was justice of the peace several years in Carroll county and after coming here was elected one of the county judges.
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Jacob Funderburk was born in Tennessee November 9, 1807, and was the son of Henry and Polly (Rape) Funderburk, both native of Pennsylvania. In the original family there were four- teen children, of whom Jacob was the third child. When eight years old he accompanied his parents to Sangamon county, Illi- nois, and it was there that he first really commenced to obtain a thorough knowledge of agricultural life. In 1867 he left that section and settled in this county-a change which proved most satisfactory in subsequent years. August 20, 1828, Mr. Funder- burk was married to Miss Ruth Simpson, a Kentuckian by birth, and they had two sons and five daughters: William H., James K. Polk, Frances, married Charles Strites; Millie, married Silas Lard; Jane, married a Mr. Bartlett; Y. Voss, Amanda, who mar- ried Samuel Downs, and Orleans, who married George Shivers.
Stephen N. Garlock, who has resided in Vernon county, Mis- souri, since 1902, was born in Montgomery county, New York, May 21, 1835, to George S. and Elizabeth (Nellis) Garlock. In 1857 he left New York and came to Scott county, Iowa, and in 1881 went to Adair county, Iowa.
Our subject lived in Iowa till 1902, when he came to Vernon county and settled with his family in Coal township, where he has since made his home. He owns a farm of 320 acres in sections 23 and 14, and is recognized as one of the progressive men of the community. As a farmer he is thoroughly systematic and up-to-date in his methods and his finely improved, well-kept farm ranks among the best in the township.
Mr. Garlock is a Republican in his political opinions and while in Adair county, Iowa, served four years as justice of the peace and three years as county supervisor and was connected with the school board a number of years, nearly always as president.
On February 14, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Emiley Metteer, whose father, Charles Metteer, was a soldier in the War of 1812.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Garlock. The first born, Charles, born May 3, 1862, is now deceased. Those surviving are Nellie, who was born June 16, 1865; Elbert, born June 25, 1878, and Libbie, who was born January 18, 1875.
Mr. and Mrs. Garlock celebrated their golden wedding Feb- ruary 14, 1911.
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James E. Gehrean, a member of the bar of Nevada, Mo., comes of Irish-English lineage. He was born at Pleasant Hill, Mo., March 13, 1882, and is the third child of a family of five children born to James A. and Ellen (Joy) Gehrean. The other children are William P., who was born in 1877; Charles A., born in 1880; Fannie F., born in 1885, and Nellie T., who was born in 1888. The parents are natives of Rensselaer county, New York, and after their marriage removed thence to Pleasant Hill, Mo., where the father was engaged in railroading till 1888, when the family settled in Nevada. Our subject's grandfather, Patrick Gehrean, came from Ireland, his native land, and settled in Albany, N. Y., whence he afterwards moved to Hoosick Falls and engaged in mercantile business. He died when he was forty years old, but was survived by his widow, who still lives-1911-at Hoosick Falls. On his mother's side our subject traces his ancestry back through four generations to England, whence Stewart Joy came in 1760 and settled at Queenstown, N. Y. His son, Martin Joy, who passed his life in New York state, was the father of Abram Joy, our subject's grandfather. Abram Joy was born in Ren- sselaer county, New York, in 1818, and was engaged in mercan- tile trade there a number of years and removed thence to Ne- vada, Mo., in 1888. His wife's maiden name was Mary O'Con- nor. They are both deceased.
James E. acquired his education in the public schools of Nevada and after deciding to prepare himself for the legal pro- fession, became a student and clerk in the law office of Mr. J. B. Johnson in 1901, and on March 25, 1905, passed his examination and was admitted to the Vernon county bar.
Mr. Gehrean at once began the practice of his profession at Nevada and has since continued with gratifying success. He is actively identified with the Knights of Columbus.
Frank Byron George. The principal of the shorthand and court reporting departments of the Nevada Business College, Prof. Frank Byron George has been a resident of Nevada for twenty-three years. His first shorthand work was in 1874 in New York City, where he studied the art and wrote and taught it for several years. He was in New York when the first type- writer was exhibited in that city, stenographers then taking off their work in longhand. Mr. George is an official court reporter.
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He reported the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth judicial circuits for many years and has a record of twenty-seven years of practical shorthand and business college work.
He is ably assisted in the shorthand, typewriting and other departments by his daughter, Miss Louise George, principal of the typewriting department. Miss George is also a penman of ability, especially in the art of sketching. She took first pre- mium at the Missouri state fair at Sedalia.
Mr. George was born November 23, 1848, in Olney, Richland county, Illinois. Oliver George, his father, was a physician and native of Pennsylvania, and his mother a native of Vermont. His father was related to Henry George, the author of "The Single Tax," and his mother was an own cousin of Hiram Powers, the celebrated sculptor, author of "The Greek Slave," the masterpiece in "statuary." Mr. George had two brothers, Charles L. George and William Albert George; the former a lawyer, resident of Iowa, the latter a graduate in shorthand, law and medicine, having graduated at Bellevue Medical College, New York City, with honorable mention. He phonographically reported the American Medical Association at Louisville, Ky., unassisted, in 1877 ; work now done by a corps of reporters. Later. he took up newspaper editorial work and was connected with the "New York Economist" and other New York papers. Will- iam A. George died June 3, 1899, in his forty-seventh year, hav- ing been born January 6, 1853.
Prof. F. B. George came to Nevada September 24, 1888. His first work in Nevada was on the "Southwest Daily" and "Weekly Mail" newspapers, in getting out a large trade edition, Mr. George looking after the write-ups and advertising, he being also a newspaper man of experience and ability. In 1889 he was appointed official court reporter of the twenty-fifth judicial circuit, later reported the twenty-sixth circuit for several years. He reported the first court in the new courthouse at Eldorado Springs. He began a shorthand school in Duck block in 1894; later he became associated with W. E. Stewart in business col- lege work, later conducted the college as sole owner until recently he associated with him Prof. C. A. Dillman. Mr. George was married in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1884, to Miss Virginia Lee Mitchell, daughter of Dr. Robert P. Mitchell, of Scotland county, Mis- souri. He has two daughters, Mabel and Louise, both good
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stenographers and vocal and instrumental musicians. Mrs. George's grandfather was Col. Robert Mitchell, one of the early residents of Clark county and a large landholder.
Charles E. Gilbert, who ranks among the successful lawyers of Nevada, Mo., has attained his standing by persevering and conscientious effort in the line of his chosen profession. He is a native of Virginia and was born September 28, 1861, the son of Armstead Calvin and Judith A. (Davis) Gilbert, both of whom passed their lives in Virginia, their native state. The Gilbert family came originally from England, three of its representa- tives coming hither and settling, one in Virginia-our subject's branch-one in Illinois, and the other in Texas. The Davis family ancestors for many generations back were of Virginia.
Our subject passed his boyhood in his native state and ac- quired his education there. After leaving the common and high schools he attended the state college of Virginia, where he was graduated with the class of 1883. He then pursued a post- graduate course in the same institution and in 1884 received the degree of bachelor of arts. During the five years next follow- ing this Mr. Gilbert devoted himself to teaching in the state of Texas and during that period served for a time as superintend- ent of the city schools of Henderson, Rusk county, that state. Coming thence to Missouri, he turned his attention to the study of law, becoming a student, first in the law office of Mr. G. W. Barnett at Sedalia and afterward continuing his studies with Messrs. Burton & Wight at Nevada. He passed his examina- tion and was admitted to the Vernon county bar in 1889 and at once opened an office at Nevada and began the practice of his profession. Mr. Gilbert is known as a thorough lawyer and from the first has devoted himself to his professional work, never seeking or caring for political honors, though he did accept the office of police judge and served in that capacity one term.
Mr. Gilbert takes an interest in all matters relating to the welfare and development of his city and county and stands well in social and fraternal circles. He is a Mason and is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and also be- longs to the Modern Woodmen of America.
In April, 1898, Mr. Gilbert married Miss Myra, daughter of
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Samuel P. and Corinthia B. (Thorp) Moorman, and they have two children, named respectively, Judith Ann and Corinthia.
Stuart W. Gilmore, prior to his removal to Nevada in Novem- ber, 1910, was for forty years one of the thrifty farmers and a leading man in Vernon county, Missouri, where he settled in 1870 on a quarter section of land, which he purchased, in section twenty-one, Deerfield township. His has been an active life and financially successful, and during his residence on the farm he acquired, all told, nearly 500 acres of land, most of which, how- ever, he has disposed of. He now lives with his wife in a com- fortable home in the city of Nevada, retired from active busi- ness and enjoying the well-earned fruits of his busy life. Mr. Gilmore's grandfather served as a soldier in the War of 1812; his father was a native of Rockingham county, Virginia, and lived to the advanced age of 82 years. Our subject was born in Bath county, Virginia, on the 12th day of October, 1830, and was mar- ried to Alice A. Johns on the 17th of November, 1855, who was also a native of Bath county. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore have two children living, named respectively, Mary Virginia, who is married to Mr. S. G. Welborn, of Calhoun, Mo., and has two children, and Sallie, who is married to Mr. Louis Miller, who has two children by a former wife and lives at Nevada, Mo. Mr. Gilmore has always been a man of progressive ideas, ready to lend a hand and help along any worthy cause and in hearty sympathy with whatever pertained to the betterment of his com- munity and the welfare of his fellowmen. He has always been an earnest advocate of temperance and in his early life was an active member of the Sons of Temperance. He has been affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, more than sixty years, and many years served as superintendent of the Sunday School, and has been a liberal contributor in the building of nearly all the churches in Vernon county. He has always been a man of commanding influence in his community and while living in Deerfield township filled, at various times, all the minor town offices, and assisted financially in building the first school house there. He also served one term as judge of the county court.
He has always been an advocate and lover of peace, and during the years that he held the office of Justice of the Peace, he discouraged litigation and whenever possible induced those
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who came before him to settle their difficulties and differences by arbitration, out of court.
As a farmer he was thoroughly up-to-date in his ideas and methods, and made somewhat of a specialty in breeding and selling fine cattle, hogs and sheep.
In politics, Mr. Gilmore adheres to Democratic principles, and is a great admirer of Williams Jennings Bryan.
French H. Glenn, one of the progressive business men of Nevada, Mo., has attained his present high standing by years of patient and persevering work. He is a native of Monroe county, Missouri, and was born February 2, 1856, to John M. and America (Craig) Glenn, natives of Virginia and Kentucky, re- spectively. His paternal great-grandfather, a Scotch Presbyte- rian, immigrated to this country from the north of Ireland in 1740 and settled in the valley of Virginia, where he secured a tract of land and built a log house. This was replaced in 1800 by a brick farm house, which is still standing in a good state of preservation. Here Hugh Glenn, our subject's grand- father, was reared and became a prominent farmer and a man of influence in the community. Here, also, in the valley of Vir- ginia, near Harper's Ferry, was born our subject's father, John M. Glenn, who, in 1834, made the trip to Monroe county, Mis- ยท souri, with ox team and wagon, and settled on a section of government land. He was a man of high character and became widely known as a prosperous farmer and stock raiser, at the same time being honored with various local offices, among others that of judge of the county court. He spent the remainder of his days in Monroe county and passed away in 1876 at the age of sixty-six years, universally honored and beloved. Our sub- ject's mother belonged to the Craig family that moved from Harrison county, Kentucky to Missouri in 1837, where they lived near neighbors to the Glenns. She survived her husband till 1900 and died at the age of seventy-nine years. French H. spent his boyhood on his father's farm and attended the common schools and later pursued a course of study in the high school at Paris, Mo. On leaving the home farm he went to Hannibal, Mo., and began his business career in the mercantile business. After six years he went to New London, Mo., and in partnership with Mr. W. T. Goss, under the firm name of Goss & Glenn, and
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