USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 104
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In 1870, occurred the marriage of David Young and Sarah V. Kittrell, born in this county. This union was dissolved by death when Mrs. Young passed away. Her only child, Frank, is now a landman for the Louisi- ana Navigation Railroad Company. Mr. Young contracted a second marriage in later years, when Miss Mary Jones of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, became his wife. Four daughters have been born to them, one of whom died in infancy; Helen is at home; Margaret is married to Mr. T. L. Wisdom, secretary of a well known lumber company ; and Dora is the wife of Otto Harmon.
Mr. Young is still a farmer, notwithstand- ing his almost continuous service in the office of the county. He owns a farm of twenty- five acres under cultivation which he rents.
WILLIAM HERMAN LATIMER is one of the six children of R. T. and Amanda Hickman Lati- mer, of Obion county, Tennessee. Here W. H. Latimer was born in 1886 and began his education in the rural schools, then came to Missouri and attended the normal at Cape Girardeau. After obtaining his certificate, he
spent five years in teaching. His first two years in this profession were spent in Pemis- cot county and the last three in New Madrid county. In the latter county he taught two terms in Marston and the first high school work in that town was done under him.
At the close of school in 1911 Mr. Latimer went into the mercantile business in Marston, where he is a property owner, besides having some land in the country near by. He is a follower of Jefferson, Cleveland and the host of others who have given glory to the Demo- cratic party in his political convictions, and is a member of the lodges of the Modern Woodmen and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
On October 2, 1910, the marriage of Her- man Latimer and Maud Litzelfelner, daugh- ter of the late Judge Joseph Litzelfelner, of Cape Girardeau county was solemnized at Cape Girardeau, the home of the bride. Dur- ing the four years of his work in Marston Mr. Latimer has made a host of friends who heart- ily wish him the success in his new venture which they feel assured his industry and sa- gacity will achieve for him.
R. T. Latimer has been in Marston only since 1910, although he came to Missouri in 1901. Conran, New Madrid county, was his first place of residence in the state and con- tinued to be his home until he came to Mars- ton. He is now farming forty acres which he rents. He owns some property in town. All his children were born in Obion county, Ten- nessee, where he, too, began this life in 1854, on December 20. His father and mother died when he was very young and he was brought up by Dr. Charles P. Glover, with whom he lived for nineteen years. This same gentleman also gave a home to Clarinda Hickman for five years, an orphan who be- came the wife of R. T. Latimer in 1877. She was born in Mississippi county, Missouri, in 1857. Her father was killed in the Southern army and the widowed mother moved to Obion county when Clarinda was ten years old. Afterwards, Dr. Glover took the daughter into his family and she remained with him until her marriage.
After his marriage, Mr. Latimer farmed on rented land. Money was scarce but by careful management he was able to buy a small farm in Tennessee. For several years he taught school in the winter in addition to operating his farm. Two of his children, Herman and Hertle, have followed that profession, both of them in this county. Charles and Alonzo are
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both living in Marston; the former is married to Minerva Lusk, the latter to Eva Latimer, of Marston. Hertle, Elmer and Esther are still at home. Mr. Latimer is a Democrat and a member of the Missionary Baptist church.
JOHN T. GEE was born April 12, 1866, in Crittenden county, Kentucky. His parents were also natives of Kentucky, which state was John Gee's home until he was eight years of age. At that time the family moved to Pope county, Illinois, from Crittenden county, Kentucky, and there John lived for the next twenty-nine years of his life. His business was farming and stock raising, but it was not very profitable in that section.
In 1890, at the age of twenty-four, Mr. Gee was married to Emmeretta Williams, of Hardin county, Illinois. Twelve years later they moved to Missouri and rented sixty acres from Mr. R. W. Fowlkes, of Parma. Six years of diligent work on this farm enabled Mr. Gee to accumulate enough to buy a tract of one hundred and sixty-eight acres, which he las partly cleared and put under cultiva- tion. The land is worth about seventy-five dol- lars an acre when cleared; the main crops grown on it are corn and peas.
In 1908 Mr. Gee moved to Parma, where he has bought and remodeled a ten-room house, situated on a lot two acres in extent. His holdings in town property includes four lots in the business section and a store build- ing, forty by forty feet, occupied by a grocery and a butcher shop. Besides this he owns six other lots in town and has a half interest in another farm of eighty acres, of which Mr. Fowlkes is joint owner. For a year Mr. Gee ran a butcher shop, but now he rents this and devotes himself to farming and stock raising. He has two thousand dollars worth of live stock, chiefly cattle and hogs.
With all his work Mr. Gee finds opportu- nity to maintain his relations with the frater- nal orders of the Knights of Pythias and with the Court of Honor. He is a member of the Methodist church and a Democrat in his poli- ties. His three children, Solon, Everett and Laura, are all at home attending school. Mr. Gee belongs to the goodly number of the county's citizens who have attained a compe- tence by aiding its development and who pur- sue what that ancient worthy, Xenophon, de- clared was "the most fitting employment for men of honorable birth,"-agriculture.
ALLAN JAMES HARRISON is a native of Clarksville, Tennessee, born January 19, 1866.
He came to Missouri on the 15th day of April, 1875, locating in Morley, Missouri, with his parents, and until he was twenty-one he at- tended the public schools. He studied one year in Belleview Institute at Caledonia, Mis- souri, then attended the Ashland City Insti- tute in the year 1886-7, and in 1889 went to the State Normal at Cape Girardeau, Mis- souri, where he studied bookkeeping in addi- tion to pursuing the academic course.
Upon completing his work in the Normal Mr. Harrison came to Morehouse, Missouri, and spent one year as manager of the Sikes- Winchester Company. From Morehouse he went to Sikeston, Missouri, and engaged with the same firm. He remained in Sikeston until 1899, when he returned to Morehouse and joined with J. H. Vanausdale in the firm of Harrison & Vanausdale, but three years after this the firm of Marshall, Harrison Mercantile Company, was organized, a concern of which Mr. Harrison was made president from its beginning, in 1902. This store was destroyed by fire in 1908 and business was suspended for eight months, but after that interval the enterprise of the owners enabled them to re- sume business with an unimpaired equipment. Mr. Harrison has large interests in real es- tate and lumber, besides being a practical farmer.
He has been twice married. His first wife was Julia Young, of Paducah, Kentucky, where she was born May 14, 1874, the daughter of Thomas and Mollie Young. Two children, Rita and Julia, were born to this union, one of which died at four years of age. The mother died February 29, 1897. On Decem- ber 9, 1900. Miss Ella Beasley, daughter of David and Jennie Beasley, of Omaha, Illinois, was united in marriage to Mr. Harrison. Their children are: Allan J., Jr., born in Sep- tember, 1902; Maxine E., born in April, 1905; Mary F. and Frederic, twins, born in April, 1909, but the son Frederic died in infancy ; and Virginia B. was born in August, 1911. Mrs. Harrison confessed faith in Christianity in early girlhood and holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church at this place. Be- ing interested in educational work, she taught school two years in her home state and three years in the public schools of Morehouse, Mis- souri.
In a fraternal way Mr. Harrison holds mem- bership in the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, in the Masonic fraternity and in the Ben Hur Lodge. He is regarded as one of the public spirited men of the community, as
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well as one of its substantial commercial fac- tors. He is not without record as a public of- fice holder, having served as county assessor from 1894 to 1896. His political support is given to the Democratic party, as his father's was before him. The latter gentleman, Allan James also, was born at Branchville, Virginia. His wife was Martha Gupton, of Henrietta, Tennessee, to whom he was married in 1860 in her native town. Two sons and two daugh- ters were born of this union, Henrietta C., Robert L., Allan James (of this review) and Virginia. Allan James, Sr., was a civil en- gineer of recognized ability. He moved from Virginia to Tennessee about 1855. Among his achievements was the building of the bridge over the Cumberland river for the railroad at Clarksville, Tennessee. It was in this city that his death occurred in 1869. His wife lived until March 4, 1882, when she passed away at Caledonia, Missouri. Like the pres- ent Mrs. Harrison, she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was also interested in educational facilities.
MRS. CLARA EDWARDS GRAHAM. Mississippi county is proud of her schools, and hers is not a pride that rests on the laurels of bygone ac- complishments, but rather one that keeps her always up and doing all in her power to keep in the forefront of the march of progress. It is her good fortune to have in charge of her campaign for educational excellence a woman whose enthusiasm for her profession and her sound scholarship, added to a comprehensive experience in teaching, make her ideally fitted to direct the work of striving for ideal educa- tional conditions.
Clara Edwards Graham was born in Saline county on her father's farm. Here she grew up, attending the Fairview Academy until she had completed the high school course, and then going to Woodland College at Independ- ence, Missouri, for collegiate work. To this foundation of scholarship she added the pro- fessional training of the normal school which she secured at Cape Girardeau. Her expe- rience in the educational field began in 1880. She was married at her home in Saline county, Missouri, on April 30, 1880, to Professor E. R. Graham, then in charge of the Bonne Terre public schools, and here, as a bride of two weeks, Mrs. Graham began her work in the school room, acting as a substitute for one of the teachers who had been stricken with a fever, from which she never recovered. From that date until 1897 she was engaged at in-
tervals in the work, and thereafter was con- tinually occupied in the work until her elec- tion to the superintendency of the county schools in 1909. While she was instructor in English in the Charleston (Mo.) high school, it was put on the accredited list of the State University, with sixteen points credit in its English department.
When Mrs. Graham took charge of the county schools she set to work straightway to bring them to the standard set for approval, and wherever conditions permitted she pushed the work in that line with the result that five schools in the county have been added to the list of schools approved by the state require- ments within the last two years. These are Bird's Point, Wyatt, Dirk, Gravel Ridge and Dogwood. Wyatt school won the banner of- fered by Mrs. Graham for the school which could show the most attractive and sanitary surroundings. The effect of this was to stim- ulate all the county to greater effort in this line. Bird's Point was a close second in the race for the banner, and many others made marked advancement.
Five new districts have been created within the county since Mrs. Graham was elected and several school houses built. These edifices are models of the best modern types of rural school buildings and their attractive equip- ment will add materially to their efficiency and thus to the prosperity of the county by increasing its desirability as a place of resi- dence. The buildings in Russell, Holloway and Armour districts are structures in every way an ornament to the community.
Mrs. Graham has been active in many ways in the furtherance of educational advantages in the county since her election to the office of superintendent, and has very materially in- creased the facilities for learning in the more remote sections of the county.
In 1851 the Wolf Island Educational So- ciety was chartered, that being the first school established in Mississippi county. It directed the educational affairs in a territory compris- ing about thirty square miles, holding school for from four to six months each year in two very poorly equipped and altogether inade- quate school rooms. Mrs. Graham has suc- ceeded in having this territory divided into four school districts, in each of which an eight months school is conducted. Two new school houses have been built in the territory, one of which is on the site of the old "Seminary," built in 1851.
Another work which has seen noticeable pro-
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gress since Mrs. Graham's identification with administrative affairs of the educational inter- ests of the county is that of the grading of the schools. Almost all are now graded and in line for state approval; but it is possible that the greatest accomplishment of Mrs. Graham is her success in the awakening of parents and pupils to an interest in improve- ment of conditions, and in an enthusiasm for matters of educational import, which must inevitably bear rich fruit in increased effi- ciency and general enlightment.
Mrs. Graham is the mother of two children: Mildred Virginia, the wife of Dr. J. K. Thrower, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Robert Edwards, who died in 1902. Mrs. Graham is descended from Colonel William Ball, of Virginia, who was also the ancestor of George Washington. Through Colonel Spen- cer Ball she is eligible to membership in the Colonial Dames, and through her father, J. D. Edwards, to membership in the U. D. C.
J. N. MILLS. The account of Mr. J. N. Mills' life is a story of achievement ; of a for- tune acquired by industry and foresight; of lands reclaimed from worthless swamps to valuable farms; of a thriving mercantile busi- ness built up from a small beginning; and all this has been accomplished with no capital to start on except health and ambition and a reputation which enabled him to borrow money from Mr. Matthews.
Mr. Mills was born in New York state in 1856, on March 27th. He obtained a common school education and early in life started out for himself. He went from New York to Pennsylvania and from there to Pulaski county, Illinois. He was twenty-one when he came west. His stay in Illinois was brief, for while there he fell in with a Mr. H. H. Spen- cer, who was coming to New Madrid county, and Mr. Mills accompanied his new acquaint- ance to the new country. This gentleman put up a saw mill near the present site of More- house, then only a dense swamp, and Mr. Mills worked in this mill until it was sold in 1877. After leaving the mill he worked on a farm at Big Prairie for a year and shortly afterwards was married to Ellen Whitworth. Mrs. Mills was born in New Madrid county in 1862 and has spent her life in it.
After his marriage Mr. Mills started to work for himself. His first move was to rent a farm, but farming methods were poor at that time and he presently bought a mill, con- tinuing all the time to improve his farm,
which he had also purchased. He built a good house upon it, and kept adding to his original acreage until he owned four hundred acres. He has disposed of all but forty acres of this, but he farms four hundred and twenty acres, part of which he rents. On it he raises wheat and corn.
In the town of Matthews Mr. Mills owns several dwelling houses and a small grist mill besides the store building and three-fourths of the stock of the largest mercantile establish- ment in the town. The present worth of the young man whom the Sikeston merchant, Mr. Matthews, started on a rented farm is some- thing like twenty-five thousand dollars.
Mr. Mills has always been a Democrat in political policy and he is not unknown to pub- lie office. He has been justice of the peace for a score of years and was elected to the state legislature in 1910. While representing New Madrid county at the capital, he was active in working for the amendments to the game laws and introduced several other measures, but the legislative work was interrupted by the burning of the capitol building.
Mr. Mills holds membership in both the Modern Woodmen of America and in the Woodmen of the World. He also belongs to the K. O. T. M. In religious matters his faith is that of the Methodist church South.
It is Mr. Mills' good fortune to have the assistance of his sons in conducting his husi- ness. Tom works for him in New Madrid county, and Oscar manages the store, where Ben also works. Four younger sons, Walter, Earnest, Burr and Mitchell, and two daugh- ters Virginia and Cozette, are at home. The eldest daughter, Eliza, is the wife of George Butler of New Madrid county, and they have two daughters, Estelle and Vivian.
JOHN ELLIOTT WARNER. Scott county con- siders itself fortunate in securing Mr. John E. Warner's services as county surveyor, for he is a civil engineer of wide experience and excellent training.
Elias F. Warner. father of the present county surveyor, was a school-teacher and bookkeeper in Ohio, in which state he passed his entire life. He was born February 28, 1828, near Salem, Ohio. The vicinity of Salem was also the birthplace of Rachael Leasure, his wife, born January 15, 1836. They were married in 1863, and their six chil- dren were born in their parents' native state, where most of them are still residing at pres- ent. Of the four daughters, Sylvia died un-
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married; Minnie lives in Dayton, Ohio, the wife of S. T. Carver; Carrie is Mrs. Lewis E. Smith, of West Milton, Ohio; and Miss Edith is still single, living in Dayton, Ohio. John E. Warner's only brother, Arthur, is unmar- ried and lives at Dayton, Ohio. Elias F. Warner died at Dayton February 20, 1900. Rachael, his widow, is still living in that city. She is a devout member of the United Breth- ern church. In his lifetime Elias Warner was affiliated with the Odd Fellows. In pub- lic office he acted as justice of the peace.
John Elliott Warner was born at Salem, Ohio, December 9, 1871. He obtained his education in the public schools, but he learned his profession working in the offices of differ- ent civil engineers of Salem. He was em- ployed in the office of Herman S. Fox, of R. P. C. Bold, of E. C. Baird and of William Caldwell. He remained with these men and with bridge contractors until 1900.
In October, 1900, Mr. Warner came to New Madrid county, Missouri, to work on one of Louis Houck's railroads. He spent a year at this work, acting as assistant engineer. In 1901 Mr. Warner came to Scott county as deputy surveyor of the county and in August, 1902, was appointed county surveyor, an of- fice which he has filled ably and acceptably ever since, as his continuance in itself testi- fies. The numerous organizations of his pro- fession to which Mr. Warner belongs indicate his interest in the advance of engineering, both from a scientific and an economic stand- point. He holds membership in the National Association of Cement Users; in the High- way Engineers' Association of Missouri; is a charter member of the American Society of Engineering Contractors; and is an associate member of the American Society of Civil En- gineers.
Not only in the fraternities of his profession is Mr. Warner active, but he has equal in- terest in social societies. He is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, also of the Odd Fellows and of the Knights of Pythias. In the time-honored Masonic order he has the distinction of being a thirty-second degree, a member of the Blue Lodge of Com- merce, Missouri, Ashlar No. 306; Missouri Consistory, No. 1, M. R. S., of St. Louis, Scottish Rite; and of Moolah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of St. Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Warner has been married twice. His first wife was Alvers Harper, daughter of David and Mabel Harper, of Benton, Mis- souri. She died August 21, 1903, at the age
of twenty-four, leaving an infant daughter, Sylvia, born February 2, 1903. The present Mrs. Warner's maiden name was Mary M. Davis. She became Mrs. Warner August 30, 1905, the wedding heing celebrated in her home in Bellbrook, Ohio. They have three children, Mabel I., born October 23, 1906; Donald E., March 9, 1908; and Russell E., October 27, 1909. Mrs. Warner is a member of the Christian church, while Mr. Warner continues in the faith of his mother, that of the United Brethern, while in politics he fol- lows his father's convictions, embodied in the Democratic policies-not because they were his father's, but because they happen to em- body his views.
THEODORE F. FRAZER. For more than a quarter of a century Dr. Frazer has been a resident of Commerce and in that time it has been his lot to serve the Democratic party, of which he is an enthusiastic supporter, in various capacities; and not his party alone but the community as a whole have had their welfare as carefully considered as the en- lightened and conscientious attention of Dr. Frazer could compass.
A Kentuckian by birth, Dr. Frazer attended the University of Nashville, which has so many distinguished alumni in its medical de- partment. He graduated from this institu- tion in 1868, at the age of twenty-two. Later he took graduate work at Vanderbilt Univer- sity, finishing his course there in 1881. He selected Missouri as his field of work, locat- ing first at Morley, where he spent three years. Dr. Frazer then came to Commeree, where he has since resided and where he still practices. His only son, Thomas R. Frazer, is associated with his father, partaking of the advantages of his parent's long and successful experience.
The demands of his profession have not hindered Dr. Frazer from responding to the claims of civic duties. He was representa- tive of the county in the state legislature in 1886. While at the Capitol, he served on the internal improvements, and on the swamp lands committees. He was an advocate of the stock law bill applying to townships on the river or riparian owners. For several years he was chairman of the Democratic central committee and has been mayor of the town, serving many years as chairman of the township board besides. At present he is county judge, elected in November, 1910.
In Masonry Dr. Frazer has attained con- siderable honor, as he has been master in that
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venerable order several times. He was for- merly connected also with the United Work- men. His church membership, as well as that of his wife, Jennie McPheeters Frazer, is in the Baptist church. His union with Miss McPheeters occurred in 1876.
Farming is also an avocation of Dr. Frazer, but he does it by proxy, renting out his four hundred acres. He is a citizen of wide in- terests and always eager to promote all good works. His is a record of faithful service, heartily rendered and one upon which all may look with pride.
PLEASANT M. MALCOLM, M. D. Sikeston has many professional men who contribute not merely the services of their calling to her progress and prosperity but also interest themselves in the conduct of municipal affairs and bring to the problems of city administra- tion the trained minds of students. An em- inent example of such a citizen is Dr. Pleas- ant M. Malcolm.
The doctor is a son of William Malcolm, a North Carolinian, born on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in 1822, on a farm in Rockingham county. In 1858 he moved to Tennessee, settling in Henry county, and there he had his home until his death, in 1899. During the war he served under General Forrest, joining the army dur- ing the siege of Fort Donelson and serving until the end of the war. He was wounded and captured at Franklin, Tennessee. Before leaving North Carolina he had married Mary Angel. They became the parents of four chil- dren, John F., James, William R. and Re- becca J. Mary Malcolm died in Henry county, Tennessee, in 1864. Two years later Mr. Mal- colm was wedded a second time. Cassandra White Wilson was a native of Richmond, Vir- ginia, where she was born on Jannary 7, 1826. She came to Tennessee in 1854, and twelve years later became the wife of William Mal- colm. Her children were Susan J., now Mrs. J. H. Green, of Paris, Tennessee, a farmer, and Pleasant M., of this sketch. The mother died October 4, 1906, at Paris, Tennessee. She and her husband were communicants of the Christian church. He was allied with the Democratic party.
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