USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 96
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At Hampton, Iowa, in the year 1874, Mr. Bontin was united in marriage to Miss Julia Crawford, who was born in Canada, a daugh- ter of William Crawford. Mr. and Mrs. Bontin are the parents of four children, con- cerning whom the following record is here offered,-Mand is the wife of C. R. Porter, a prominent lawyer and politician at Center- ville, Iowa; Lottie is now Mrs. A. S. Duck- worth, her husband being engaged in the lumber business at Cape Girardeau; Ralph G. is a dentist by profession and is engaged in that work at Harper, Kansas; and Charles W. is auditor for the Bell Telephone Com-
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pany in this city. In their religious faith the Boutin family are devout members of the Presbyterian church and they are popular factors in connection with the best social ac- tivities of Cape Girardeau.
In his political affiliations Mr. Boutin is aligned as a stalwart in the ranks of the Re- publican party but aside from membership in the city council he has not been active in polities. In the time-honored Masonie order he is a valued and appreciative member of St. Marks Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons; Royal Arch Masons; and St. John's Com- mandery, No. 21, Knights Templar. He is also connected with Za-Ga-Zig Temple, An- cient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mys- tic Shrine. Mr. Boutin is a man of fine men- tality and broad human sympathy. He thor- oughly enjoys home life and takes great pleasure in the society of his family and friends. He is always courteous, kindly and affable and those who know him personally accord him the highest esteem. His life has been exemplary in all respects and he has ever supported those interests which are calcu- lated to uplift and benefit humanity, while his own high moral worth is deserving of the highest commendation.
CHARLES AUSTIN COLE. It is not to be gainsaid that there is no office carrying with it so much of responsibility as that of the instructor who moulds and fashions the plastic mind of youth; who instills into the formative brain those principles which, when matured, will be the chief heritage of the active man who in dne time will sway the multitudes, lead armies, govern nations or frame the laws by which civilized nations are governed. To say that all learned men are capable of filling this high and important office is by no means the truth. One inclines to the belief that the true instructor is born and not made; lie must have a vast knowl- edge of human nature; he must know not only what is in books, but what is in man, also, that is, he must understand his pupil and deal with his mind according to his in- dividnality.
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Professor Charles Austin Cole is one of the able and efficient educators of Franklin county and is superintendent of the Union public schools. He was born in this county and is descended from one of the earliest of the pioneers among the territorial settlers along the Missouri river. The honor of bringing the family patronymic into the state
belongs to Jacob Cole, the grandfather of the subject, who came hither in 1797 from Lexington, Kentucky. Jacob Cole devoted his activities to pastoral and agricultural pursuits and was one of the highly known and highly honored men of his section.
Jasper Cole, a son of Jacob, was born in Missouri in 1831. Following in the footsteps of his father, he adopted as his own the great basic industry and beyond his assumption of the duties of the office of justice of the peace lie had little connection with public affairs. During the Civil war his sympathies were with the Union and its preservation and he did his part as a member of the Mis- souri State Militia. He was Republican in politics. The death of this prominent man occurred at Shotwell in 1904, when his years numbered seventy-three. He married Mrs. Susan Cooper, widow of John Cooper and a daughter of Joseph Smith, a Kentuc- kian. Four sons and a daughter were born to the union, making a large household, for Mrs. Cole had the following children by her previous marriage with Mr. Cooper: John Thomas; Elizabeth, first Mrs. Seaton and 1 afterward Mrs. Cowan; and James. The subject is the eldest in order of birth of the Cole family.
The country schools served to provide Charles A. Cole with his elementary educa- tion. He left his desk in the rural school to preside over a school of the same kind as its teacher and thus began what proved to be a life work in the domain of public education. While teaching he strengthened himself by home study and as a student in private schools, and advanced in the pedagogical pro- fession to supervisor of graded schools. Normal training in the state institution at Cape Girardeau aided him materially in grasping the essentials of success as a teacher and manager in graded work, which he be- gan as principal of the schools in Union in 1893. After a year he was elected principal of the schools of Washington and remained in such capacity for four years. He returned to Union at the end of that period and has since carried on his work here.
As an educator in the broadest sense Mr. Cole has acquitted himself creditably. For four years he was county school commissioner and during his regime the old practice of holding county institute prevailed and he was in command of the work of training the county teachers, as provided then by law. Since the abolishment of the old plan he has 1
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conducted a summer school in Union for teachers, and such as feel the need of a prac- tical review of the common branches and of advice on method and management for a number of weeks each vacation season are afforded this great advantage. An experience of more than twenty years in the school- room has made Professor Cole a master in training both the pupil and the teacher. His high scholarship has been awarded recogni- tion by a state life certificate issued by State Superintendent William T. Carrington.
In politics Mr. Cole is a Republican and his inclination to participate actively in the bouts of his party in the county have been occasion- ally gratified. He won the Republican nom- ination for county clerk from a competitor who had been incumbent of the office for six- teen years and who had held other offices as long, totaling thirty years continuous office holding, but was defeated in the election by the disloyalty of his beaten opponent to the party ticket. He has served as secretary of the county central committee and has mingled frequently and fraternally among the public men of both his county and state.
engage the attention of the two young men. Mr. Crites is a Republican in politics, and while not active in political circles is none the less counted one of the influential citizens of Dongola, both personally and politically.
J. W. TIMBERMAN, the county sheriff, is a man who stands high in the esteem of the people of Kennett. For a man to make a success of his life under any circumstances is a subject for congratulation, but when he has all the difficulties to encounter that Mr. Timberman has surmounted he may justly be proud of himself. As a matter of fact, how- ever, Mr. Timberman is a very modest man in regard to his own attainments and capabil- ities.
He was born near Clarkton in Dunklin county, January 25, 1872. His father was Mathew Timberman, a native of Virginia, who came to Missouri, where he bought a farm. He died in 1875. He married Mar- garet A. Rayburn, whose family had come from Mississippi. She has always remained with her son, J. W. Three daughters were also born to Mr. and Mrs. Timberman.
Mr. Cole was married in Franklin county, December 24, 1891, his chosen lady being Miss Cora Fitzgerald, a daughter of W. H. and Talitha Fitzgerald, who were among Franklin county's old settlers. The first Mrs. Cole died March 3, 1905, the mother of three chil- dren : Raymond W., Edith M. and Herbert Allan. For his second wife Mr. Cole married Miss Minnie Fanghnder, daughter of George W. and Sarah Faughnder, who came to Mis- souri from the Old Dominion. Their union J. W. Timberman had the misfortune to lose his father when he was only six years old. His mother was left with the task of bringing up the little family of three girls and a boy. J. W. very early felt the responsibility of the family resting on his shoulders, as he tried in every way to spare his mother as much as possible. He was not able to get very much schooling himself, but he has educated his three sisters. He has done all kinds of work to keep things going. was celebrated August 29, 1906, and their . For ten years he operated a saw mill near home is one of the attractive and hospitable abodes of the town. There are no children. Kennett. He worked on the farm which his father had bought near Clarkton, farming iu Fraternally Mr. Cole holds membership in the State Teachers' Association of Missouri and he is past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He is one of the elders of the Union Presbyterian church. the summer and clerking in a store in the winter. He moved to Kennett for the sake of his sisters, so that they could have more advantages in the way of education. In 1908 he was elected to the office of sheriff of the county, his term commencing January, 1909. CHARLES M. CRITES. Born July 6, 1887. Mr. Charles Crites has most of his history yet before him. His parents, J. M. and Adeline Crites, were both born in Bollinger county, this state. J. M. Crites bought a quarter sec- tion of land near Dongola in 1901, being an experienced farmer during his entire active life. and lasting four years. He is a representa- tive Democrat and active in primary work. IIe is a member of several fraternal orders, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, Ben Hur and the Masons. Mr. Timberman has never mar- ried, perhaps he has not yet found time or has not seen the right lady. His mother and he have always been most devoted to each other. He has found time in the midst of his busy life to devote a short period to the sports
His death in 1910, aged fifty-six years, has left the two sons, Charles and Henry to man- age the farm. Stock and general farming Vol. 1-43
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of hunting and fishing, being an adept at both.
THEODORE LEWIS BUNTE, JR. A well known citizen and enterprising business man of Saint Francois county is Theodore Lewis Bunte, Jr., cashier of the St. Louis Smelting & Refining Company, one of the important industrial concerns represented in this sec- tion. He was born September 27, 1874, at St. Louis, Missouri. He is of Teutonic ex- traction, his father, Theodore L. Bunte, Sr., having been born in Hanover, Germany, March 30, 1845, and the subject shares in those fine characteristics which have made the German one of our most valuable sources of immigration. The father came to America at the age of twenty-seven years and located in St. Louis, where he engaged in mercantile business. The year 1889 marks an era in his carcer, for in that year he abandoned the mercantile field and went into the smelting business with the St. Louis Smelting & Refin- ing Company, engaging in general smelting. In 1873, the year after his immigration to this country, the father married Miss Bertha May, also from Germany, and to their union have been born three children, namely : T. L. Bunte, Jr .; Alma B., wife of W. H. Nance, and Lewis H. The father remained asso- ciated with the St. Louis Smelting Company until 1904, in which year he went back to his old occupation, the mercantile business, and he is thus engaged in St. Louis at the pres- ent time. He is in harmony with the policies and principles of government for which the Democratic party stands sponsor, and he is a member of the Lutheran church.
Theodore L. Bunte. Jr., spent his early life amid the scenes of his birth-the city of St. Louis. He received his education in the ex- cellent public schools and was graduated from the high school. Very soon thereafter he entered business life and almost from the first he exhibited that fine executive capacity and acumen that has insured his success. He has been with the same company throughout the entire course of his career, first becoming as- sociated with them in 1892, the year he fin- ished school, and remaining with them in St. Lonis until 1900. In that year Mr. Bunte came to Saint Francois county, representing the same company with which he now holds the office of cashier, headquarters being located at the lead mines. It is not to be gainsaid that much of the prosperity of the
concern in this locality is due to the part he has played in its management.
Mr. Bunte was married in 1898, Miss Louise A. Jacobi, of Kirkwood, Missouri, be- coming his wife and the mistress of his house- hold. Their union has been further cemented . by the birth of two children,-Marie and Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. Bunte are valned mem- bers of the Presbyterian church and are active in the best social life of the community. In politics Mr. Bunte is an adherent of the Democratic party and his fraternal interests extend to the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows and the Order of Columbian Knights, in which three organizations he is a prominent and popular member.
ABNER BARROW. To owe one's success neither to chance nor to the happy circum- stance of the fortunate struggles of one's forebears, but to be able to look back over one's life and see success coming as the re- sult rather of innate talent, grit and manly persistence is a great thing. Few men are afforded this satisfaction, but Abner Barrow, now the honored and successful postmaster of Greenville, can recall the day when he came to Wappapello with the discouraging capital of thirty-five cents, from which small beginning he has wrought an ample compe- tence for himself and his family, as well as gained the sincere respect and hearty liking of the community where he makes his home.
Abner Barrow was born in Jackson county, Illinois, June 29, 1858, a son of Marion and Elizabeth (Thomason) Barrow, both of whom were also natives of Jackson county. Be- sides the subject of this brief personal re- view they were the parents of the following . children : Abner, John, James (deceased). ; George, Ed., Charles, Ellsworth, Frank, and Annie, the third child, is the wife of Ben F. Hill, of Iliram, Missouri. With this large family of brothers and one sister he was reared among the homely but pleasant sur- roundings of the Illinois farmstead, and en- ' joyed the educational advantages of the neighboring schools. After his marriage in 1882, to Miss Lewella Jones, the young cou- ple started life on a small farm, but in the year 1886 he and his wife and his parents felt the call to a newer country, and, migrat- ing to the state of Missouri, first settled in Wappapello, this state. From that time the elder Mr. Barrow worked as a tiller of the
abuen Barnowl
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soil, dying in Greenville in February, 1893, at the advanced age of sixty-seven years. He had taught school in Illinois for many years. His wife survives him, and at present makes her home in Greenville. She is still young in appearance, although the date of her birth was in June, 1839.
Upon his settlement in Wayne county Ab- ner Barrow engaged in the tie business, and was associated in his initial venture in that occupation with the Frisco & Hauck Rail- road. Following that, he came to Greenville and took a tie contract for Mr. Halliday, whose section boss lie subsequently became during Mr. Halliday's active interest in the building of the W. G. & St. L. Railroad. During the winter of 1892 Mr. Barrow man- aged the laying of the ties and steel through Greenville.
In this connection it is a pleasure to re- call that Greenville owes much the same sort of gratitude to Mr. Barrow that Ohio owes to the famous "Johnny Appleseed," whose early efforts are responsible for most of the oldest apple orchards in that state, for it was Mr. Barrow who set out most of the maple trees that are at the present time one of Greenville's most attractive features. Be- fore returning to work for Mr. Halliday in 1896 Mr. Barrow turned his attention to the occupation that had been his father's dur- ing his boyhood days in Illinois, and for a brief time returned to farming.
In the year 1897 he entered upon his first taste of public service, and accepted the posi- tion of postmaster, which position he held un- til 1904, when he resigned to further serve the public in the position of sheriff, to which office he was twice elected, for two terms of two years each. . On April 8, 1909, he was again appointed to the postmastership of Greenville, and he returned to his former post.
By his first marriage Mr. Barrow became the father of six children, four of whom now survive, as follows: Lyman, of Bonne Terre; Malta, of East St. Louis; Waldo and Blanche. Three of the sons, Lyman, Malta and Waldo, with their uncle, Ellsworth Barrow, form the Barrow Quartette, well known in musical circles throughout southeastern Missouri. Lyman Barrow is a trombonist of ability and great renown, having toured the country as a trombone soloist two seasons with Wheeler's Marine Band, appearing in almost every state of the Union. He has been in the ranks of professional musicians for the past fourteen
years. Malta Barrow has had long expe- rience with various bands and orchestras throughout the country and has appeared as saxophone and trombone soloist on various occasions. Waldo Barrow has been a profes- sional musician since twelve years of age, and is one of the youngest musicians appearing in concert to-day. His work is proclaimed by press and public of the highest type. Ells- worth Barrow, the unele, was for a number of years a teacher of wind instruments.
In June, 1897, Mr. Barrow, of this review, contracted his second marriage, and Mrs. Alice (Baird) Barrow became the mother of one son, Ray, now at home. She died in September, 1909, aged thirty-six years. On March 27, 1911, Mr. Barrow was united in marriage with Mrs. Rachel Goodwin. Both Mr. and Mrs. Barrow are valued and devoted members of the Missionary Baptist church.
That Abner Barrow is indeed "one of the most popular and best-liked men in Green- ville," as has often been said of him, is at- tested by the number of his appreciative and enthusiastic fraternal affiliations. He is a member of the time-honored Masonic order, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Court of Honor. In his political affiliations he avows a stanch alle- giance to the "Grand Old Party," whose in- terests he has ever been ready to serve and to represent.
DR. JOHN D. PORTERFIELD, now retired from active practice, although he is not an old man, is one of Cape Girardeau's most re- spected citizens. A professional man, and above all a physician, may be looked upon as making more or less a sacrifice of himself to aid humanity and the cause of science. He receives less monetary returns for his work than a business man and yet as a general thing he has expended much more time and money in preparation for his career than has the business man. The physician who looks upon his profession as merely a means of livelihood is an utter failure. Monetary con- siderations had very little to do with Dr. Porterfield's choice of a calling. From the very beginning of his training he has felt that he wanted to learn all that it was possi- ble for him to learn in regard to diseases and their cures. A most profound reader and thinker, he hailed every new discovery with the deepest interest.
He was born in Venango county, Pennsyl-
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vania, July 15, 1843. His father, Dr. Robert L. Porterfield, was also a physician, a native of Pennsylvania. He practiced in Pennsyl- vania and Illinois, locating in Danville about 1848. His father, William Porterfield, was of Scotch-Irish descent and served during the Revolutionary war. Dr. Robert Porter- field married Ann Donaldson, a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent.
Dr. John D. Porterfield has little recollec- tion of his Pennsylvania home amongst the mountains, as his parents moved away when he was very small. He was educated at Mari- etta, Ohio, and also attended the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia and the Mis- souri Medical College in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1864 he came to Cape Girardeau, but only stayed a very short time, not long enough to become established in his profession. He went to Commerce, Missouri, where he stayed for twenty-three years, practicing all the time. In 1888 he came to Cape Girar- deau, where he has lived ever since. He has been in practice in southeastern Missouri longer than any physician in the state. About 1906 he retired from practice, leaving the carrying on of that work to his sons.
In 1866 he was married to Sarah Hall, who died in 1872. The following year he married Fannie B. Cullum, who came from Mobile, Alabama. To this union were born one daugh- ter and three sons. The sons have all followed their father's profession, thus making three generations that have given themselves to the medical profession. Elmo, the eldest son, is practicing in St. Louis. John D., Jr., has taken his father's practice in Cape Girardeau. Lowry is a physician and surgeon in Chicago. All three sons are graduates of the Chicago University and Rush Medical College. Their sister Bulahı C., is the wife of Harry H. Coff- man, son of Dr. John Coffman, a practicing physician of southeastern Missouri.
In addition to his professional duties, the Doctor has taken an active part in public af- fairs. He was mayor of Cape Girardeau for one term. He is at present president of the Cape Girardeau Water Works and Electric Light Company. He was one of the organ- izers and is a director in the Southeast Mis- souri Trust Company and has other inter- ests in farm lands. He is a prominent Ma- son ; having joined that order in 1866, he has taken the thirty-second degree in Scottish rite masonry, one of the first men in southeastern Missouri to have that degree. He is also a member of the Elks, with a high standing in
that organization. He was at one time Ex- alted Ruler and he took an active part in the erection of the new building, having raised the money to build same. The Doctor has lived in southeastern Missouri for forty-seven years, twenty-three years of that time in Scott county and the other twenty-four in Cape Girardeau county. Although he does not treat patients any more, he is by no means an idle man, but on the other hand is most active in all public affairs. Not only did he devote so many years of his own life to the science of medicine, but he has left three sons to carry on the work. There is no man in the county who has a wider reputation and no man who stands higher in the respect and affections of those with whom he comes in contact.
CARROLL P. BENNETT. Greenville owes a double debt to Carroll P. Bennett, for not only is he conspicuous as the scion of a family long known in Wayne county as sturdy sup- porters of all that was advanced for the best interests of the community, but, by his own enthusiasm and untiring energy he has led others after him, and has always shown, both in industry and public affairs, that quality of leadership which inspires others to go and do likewise.
Born near Coldwater on St. Francois river, Wayne county, December 14, 1871, he was the son of John L. and Mary (Mathes) Bennett. His father was born on Bear creek, Wayne county, March 7, 1845, and died at Piedmont February 11, 1906. His mother was also born on Bear creek, the date of her nativity being September 14, 1845, and she is still living, at Greenville, Missouri.
Not only were his father and mother born on Bear creek, but also his paternal grand- father, Larkin Bennett, 1810 being the year of his birth, and he survived to the ripe old age of eighty-seven years, his demise not oc- curring until 1897. His wife, who prior to her marriage was Miss Mary Hughs, came to Wayne county with her father who migrated to that district at an early date and there entered a farm. The father of Larkin Ben- nett and the great-grandfather of the citizen to whom this record is dedicated was a native of North Carolina, who migrated from that state, moving first to Kentucky, and sub- sequently to Wayne county, where he located on section 30.
The maternal grandfather of Carroll Ben- nett, Milburn Mathes, was a native of castern
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Tennessee, who came early to Wayne county and died before his prime. His marriage with Jane Ivy is tinged with a bit of pioneer romance that helped to make bright those days of not too easy life in the sparsely popu- lated districts of the middle southwest. She had started with her father and brother to found a home in the state of Kentucky, when she met, loved and consented to become the bride of Milburn Mathes.
Carroll P. Bennett was one of two children. His sister, who became Mrs. Jennie Barnett, died in 1906. He spent his carly life in the invigorating and strength-giving environment of the home farm, and so satisfactorily did he complete his work in the common schools of the district that he in turn became teacher in- stead of the taught, and occupied the pedagogue's desk until 1898. In that year he came to Greenville and compiled a set of abstract books. He then entered the real estate and insurance business. Considering the fact that to all who know him "his word is as good as a U. S. bond," and that he has insight and farsightedness combined with an unusual portion of that quality of electric energy that marks the successful American business man, it is no wonder that every en- terprise he undertakes prospers. Besides his substantial business interests already men- tioned, he is the owner of two or three farms in Wayne county, and is vice-president of the Wayne County Bank.
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