USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 56
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In February, 1879, Mr. J. R. Kelley mar- ried Miss Carrie Dodds, who lived near Mif- flin. Henderson county, Tennessee, and in that year he engaged in the corn and stave business. Leaving that place, he moved to near Mifflin. Tennessee, but after making two crops left there, in January, 1882, for Texas, where his first wife died, leaving him with two boys, William R., who was born in 1880, and Thomas F., in 1881. Remaining in Texas about one year, he brought his boys back to Tennessee, in 1883, and there he en- gaged in the saw mill business in Maury county. He had no capital, but he gradually increased his business. In 1885 he married Rilda A. Raspburry at Forty Eight, Wayne county, Tennessee, and the four children of this marriage are all at home, namely: Max L., born in 1886; Albert A., in 1888; Fred, in 1893, and the daughter. Johnnie J., born in 1891.
The lumber business proved profitable to Mr. Kelley, and he continued saw-milling in Maury, Wayne, Perry and Hardin counties ; he continued to prosper until the panic of 1893, and in that he lost all of what he had accumulated in the preceding years. After this Mr. Kelley worked for a salary until the panic of 1907. At that time he was handling a lumber business in Oklahoma.
For two years he superintended a mill at Tamaha, Oklahoma, cutting two million feet of very profitable lumber, and at the time the panic struck he had from twelve thousand to fifteen thousand acres of fine timber and two saw mills in operation on Red River. He sent in his resignation at once when the panic came. Mr. Kelley bought eighty acres of what now constitutes the town of Steele, Missouri, and the timber on that tract he traded for an eighty acre tract adjoining. This first eighty he bought from Dennis Green, now a resident of Caruthersville, Missouri, for two mules, a wagon and harness and seventy dollars. Mr. Kelley happened to meet Mr. Green when the latter needed a team and the former had one to spare. Mr. Kelley has made his home at Steele since 1903, with the exception of the space of two years he was in Oklahoma. In 1910 he built the best building in Steele, a two-story brick structure fifty-one by eighty-two feet, the first floor containing a general store and a two dollar a day hotel is on the second floor.
HENRY F. BOLLINGER. The name Bol- linger is familiar not only to every resident in the county of that name, but is known all through Missouri on account of the dis- tinguished family of which Mr. Bollinger is an honored member. Dating from the year 1796, at least one Bollinger has participated in Missouri's development, both agricultural and commercial. A man who knows nothing of his ancestors, even his parents, has only his own ideals to live up to, but he who has not only to satisfy himself, but to attain to the standards set forth by his forefathers, has a harder task before him. If Mr. Bol- linger's long line of ancestors could be ranged before him they would find no rea- son to condemn him. His whole life is an open book-a ledger, perhaps, kept in the best bookkeeping hand and always ready for inspection.
Like many of his forefathers, Henry F. Bollinger is a farmer. He was born Septem- ber 3. 1870, on the farm which was entered by his great-grandfather, Philip Bollinger, and received by him as a Spanish grant in 1800. The founder of the Bollinger family in America was Henry, who had a brother, David, a native of Switzerland, who was de- sirous of seeking his fortunes in America. Bidding farewell to his beloved mountain home. he embarked in a sailing vessel at Rot- terdam, crossed the Atlantic and landed at
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. September 5, 1738. After carefully considering which commonwealth he should select as the scene of his activities he finally decided on North Carolina. According to the records, he en- tered land in Lincoln county, that state, and subsequently became one of the largest landed proprietors and slave owners of his day. He had nine children: George, Henry B., Dan- iel, Joseph, Abraham. Elizabeth, Sophia, Susannah and Magdalena, and on the death of the father a will was found (a copy of which is in the possession of the subject of this biography) giving the bulk of his im- mense estate to his oldest son, George, and the remainder was to be divided between the eight eliildren-a disposition of property which was in accordance with the old country ideas.
Henry B. Bollinger, the second son of the family and the direet ancestor of Henry F., served seven years in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary war, and the records show that on May 10, 1789, he entered a tract of land in Lincoln county, North Caro- lina-probably a Revolutionary grant. He had ten children: Mathew, John, Henry, George F., Philip. David, Abraham, Peter, Solomon and Davault.
George F. Bollinger, the fourth son in or- der of birth and whose nativity occurred in 1770, distinguished himself in the army, ris- ing to the rank of major. In 1796 Major George Bollinger came from North Carolina to Missouri, at that time a part of the Louis- iana territory, and on account of favorable land offers received from the military com- mander in charge of North Louisiana he re- turned to North Carolina and brought back twenty families. among the party being his six brothers, Mathew. Daniel, John. Henry. William and Philip. These settlers belonged to the German Reformed church, and their first pastor (1805) was the Rev. Samuel Wei- burg, who changed his name to Wybark. Major Bollinger was in receipt of many hon- ors from the people of the new county formed (Cape Girardeau) and filled impor- tant offices in the interest of the people. He was elected to represent the Cape Girardeau District in the First Territorial Assembly. Served several terms in the State Senate. and in 1836 was presidential elector on Jackson's ticket. He died in 1842. and Bollinger county was organized nine years later. 1851. Bollinger county was named in his honor, and Fredericktown was also named for him.
He was the founder of the Burford's Mill at Burfordville, Cape Girardeau county, Mis- souri.
Philip, born in 1775 and died in 1855, was the second son of Henry B. Bollinger. He received a Spanish grant of six hundred and forty acres on Little Whitewater Creek, lo- cated his family there and erected a cabin thereon, in the year 1800. This cabin is standing today, and is reputed to be the old- est building in Bollinger county. It is still habitable and in a fair state of preservation, located near the present residence of Henry F. Bollinger. Philip reared a family of eiglit children, and to them he made a will, dated the 12th day of May, 1811. The children were: Daniel, David, Polly, Katharine, Eliz- abeth, Henry, Frederick and George F. The son Henry, the sixth born, died in 1867. He had married Barbara Whitner, daughter of Henry Whitner, and to them six children were born : Henry; Philip, who married Elizabeth Seabaugh; Betsie, the wife of George James; Katie, wife of Henry May- field; Sallie, wife of Frederick Bollinger ; and Pollie, wife of Jesse Seabaugh.
The ancestry is thus traced to Henry Bol- linger, father of Henry F. He married his cousin Sallie, one of the six children of Dan- iel Bollinger, and the names of her brothers and sisters are: David, Polly, Betsy, Eliza and Katie. Five children were born to this marriage: David. who was born July 10, 1851, and married Sarah Bollinger, daughter of John Bollinger; Daniel F .; Polly, born July 29, 1856, died December 20, 1870; Katherine, born July 16, 1866, died Septem- ber 30, 1874; and Henry F. Henry Bollin- ger was the owner of four hundred and eighty-two acres of land in the original Span- ish grant tract, while his wife owned two hundred and fifty acres in another tract, the gift of her father, Daniel. Henry Bollinger was born April 8. 1823, and his death oc- curred April 6. 1899, and his wife, born Sep- tember 26, 1826, was summoned to her last rest but a short half-hour after the death of her husband, and was laid to rest in the same grave in Patton cemetery.
Henry F. Bollinger, residing at Patton, Missouri, obtained his education in the public schools. also attending the Cape Girardeau Normal for one year. In March, 1898. he embarked in the mereantile business at Pat- ton with his brother Daniel and B. S. Robin- son, and in 1901 the two brothers bought the interest of Mr. Robinson and continued the
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business until the death of Daniel Bollinger, which occurred. February 1, 1902. After this sad event Henry F. determined to make the pursuit of agriculture his life work, almost as a matter of course, for as a boy and youth he had assisted in conducting his father's farm and had learned the methods of work- ing the land. After his father's death he re- ceived two hundred and forty-six acres as his share of the property, and of this one hundred and twenty-five acres are under cultivation, the remainder being timber land. He does not do much general farming, but raises considerable stock, owning at the pres- ent time thirty-nine cattle, thirty hogs, twen- ty-eight sheep and ten horses and mules.
On the 10th of January, 1900, Mr. Bollin- ger was married to Miss Ellen S. Grindstaff, a daughter of Peter W. Grindstaff and Mary A. (Mayfield) Grindstaff, natives of Bollin- ger county, the mother born August 18, 1867. The father died July 8, 1901, aged fifty-six years, leaving six children : Hannah A., who married J. F. Ellis; George A., who married Shaby Johnson; John H., who married Effa Nugent; Mary A., who married Kirby Smith ; Ellen S., who married H. F. Bollinger, and Hezekiah M., who married Rosa Reagan. Mrs.
Bollinger's paternal grandparents were David and Mary (Masters) Grindstaff and her maternal grandparents were George W. Mayfield and Polly (Cheek) Mayfield. Ellen, wife of Henry F. Bollinger, was born on the 10th day of January, 1875. She is now the mother of two children, Henry P., born July 1, 1902, and Mary S., whose birth occurred on the 31st of May, 1906. The son is the sev- enth to bear the name of Henry, dating from the Swiss founder of the American hranch of the family, and in each generation since that time there has been found at least one Henry Bollinger. David, the eldest brother of Henry F., has three children: Amanda, who married Frank Schenimann; Polly C., the wife of B. S. Robinson ; and David, who mar- ried Edith Seabaugh and has two children, John H. and Grace. The second brother, Daniel F., who was born January 8. 1862, married Lenora Knowles, and has two chil- dren. Elvie O., born July 27, 1892; and Rettie G., who was born July 26, 1897.
Henry F. Bollinger, who is the only one of his family now living, is a member of the Royal Americans, and his religions connec- tion is with the Methodist Episcopal church, South. His wife holds membershin in the National Life Association. Mr. Bollinger,
while never taking much active part in poli- tics, has ever rendered unwavering allegiance to the Democratic party.
JOHN B. DRERUP. The one characteristic which has done more than anything else to make of the United States the leading manu- facturing country that it now is is enterprise, and a man who possesses this characteristic to a remarkable extent is Mr. Drerup, ot the United States Cooperage and Handle Com- pany, and of the Portageville Stave Com- pany. By enterprise is meant the ability to hustle, to make things go, to bring things to pass that a less capable man would deem im- possible.
Mr. Drerup was born in Glandorf, Ohio, September 18, 1866, and is a son of John H. and Therese (Mersman) Drerup. The father was born in the kingdom of Prussia in 1833 and when a babe of one year he came to the United States with his parents, who took up their residence on a farm in Ohio, and there John H. Drerup was reared to maturity and engaged in farming at Glandorf, Ohio. On June 25, 1864, he married Miss Therese Mers- man, a native of Glandorf, Ohio, where her birth occurred on the 25th day of September, 1848. Eight children were born to this union, --- John B., of this review; Henry J., who married Phily Leopold and resides in Castro county, Texas; Frank H., the husband of Mary Lammers, living near Henry J. in Texas; Anna, Mrs. W. J. Rieman, residing at Deerfield, Michigan; Angust, married to Mary Fortman and residing at Ottawa, Ohio; Lucy, who died six months after her marriage to Ignatius Fortman; Edward H., mar- ried June 28, 1911, to Adelaide Stechschulte of Glandorf, Ohio, where the couple reside ; and Fred, who is single and lives at Glandorf, Ohio. The father, John H. Drerup, died on the farm where he had spent so many years of his life, March 21, 1906, and his widow still lives at the old homestead.
John B. Drerup spent the first twenty-two years of his existence on his father's farm at Glandorf, Ohio, attended the district school in his neighborhood and later assisted his father with the farm work. In the year 1889 he purchased a farm at Ottawa, Ohio, where he resided, engaged in agricultural pursuits, until the year 1903. At that period he de- termined to make a change of occupation and he entered the stave business. For a time he was located in Michigan, and in 1907 he came to Malden, Missouri, and bought out a
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large interest in the United States Cooperage and Handle Company, whose headquarters are in Malden, with another branch at Jack- sonport, Arkansas. This corporation is un- doubtedly the most fully equipped of any similar enterprise in Southeastern Missouri; it makes shipments to all parts of the coun- try and even to foreign countries. Mr. Drerup, in his connection with this impor- tant concern, is becoming prominent among the cooperage manufacturers of the state of Missouri. With Mr. Turner, president of the United States Cooperage and Ilandle Co., Mr. Drernp has started a mill at Portage- ville, Missouri, and this city has been his home since the 15th of October, 1911, al- though he still retains his interest in the other mills. The enterprise here is known as the Portageville Stave Company.
On the 13th day of June, 1889, Mr. Drerup married Miss Minnie M. Hermeler, daughter of Bernard and Dinah (Abeler) Hermeler, of Ottawa, Ohio. Immediately after the wedding Mr. and Mrs. Drerup went to Ot- tawa, Ohio, where the husband managed his farm, as mentioned above. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Drerup, as fol- lows: Magdalene, born October 12, 1890, at Glandorf, Ohio, now married to Merrill Stokes, a resident of Malden; Herbert H., Albert (deceased), Alpheus and Arthur. Mr. and Mrs. Drerup are Catholics and their children are all baptized into the same faith.
Mr. Drerup, though interested in all mat- ters of public improvement, does not take any active part in politics, and contents him- self with voting the straight Republican ticket. Although not actively engaged in farming, he still owns farm and; he has one hundred and thirty acres at Malden and also has a one-third interest in a nine hundred acre tract at Townley, both of which proper- ties are being improved.
WILLIAM LAFATE GOSSAGE, M. D. The early life and experience of Dr. William L. Gossage presents to the world the record of a man who has surmounted all obstacles of whatever nature in reaching the goal of his ambition. Handeapped in his youth by try- ing conditions, his education was neglected until in years of early manhood he deter- mined to continne his studies where he had been compelled to leave off in his boyhood, and thus at the age of thirty-three he entered upon his medical studies, at a time when the average young man is well established in his
profession. Nothing daunted, Dr. Gossage has been able, through the application of the compelling forces of his nature which domi- nated his earlier years, to reach that place in his profession which is the fitting reward of his arduous labors.
Born in Golconda, Illinois, on March 28, 1867, William Lafate Gossage is the son of William Dearl Gossage and his wife, Mary Minerva Dixon. The family is one of good old Irish origin, the name of Gossage being an ancient and honored one in Ireland. The founder of the family in America was Hamp- ton J. Gossage. He emigrated from Ireland near the close of the eighteenth century, and settled in a little village in Virginia, where he carried on farming as an occupation and means of livelihood. He was a man of not more than ordinary education, and like all the Gossages was of the Baptist faith. His wife was an English woman, of whom it is impossible to give further details, her family record having been destroyed through some unfortunate occurrence. George Washington Gossage. the son of Hampton Gossage, moved to Bedford county, Tennessee, in the year 1840. but he left that state in the summer of the secession and moved to Pope county, Illi- nois. While a slave-holder himself, Mr. Gossage was strongly averse to the plan of se- cession, and would not remain in the south- ern states. In Pope county he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land and there he conducted a prosperous and thriving farm until his death, which occurred at the age of eighty-four. He was a member of the Baptist church throughout his life time. He was the father of William Dearl Gossage, the father of Dr. Gossage of this sketch.
William Dearl Gossage was born in Bed- ford county, Tennessee, in 1842. After mov- ing to Illinois with his father's family he taught school for several terms and then set- tled on what is still known as the old Gossage farm in Pope county, Illinois. He was of the Baptist faith and in politics an old Jef- fersonian Democrat. He married Mary Mi- nerva Dixon, the daughter of Thomas Dixon, a prominent slave-holder of Helena, Arkan- sas, near where he operated a large planta- tion.
William Lafate Gossage was the eldest son of his parents, and his help was required to carry on the work of the farm. Thus it was that his early education was neglected to a deplorable extent. When he was twenty-five years of age he began attending school again,
A. T. Chathama. M.L.
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though not very regularly, and at the age of thirty-three graduated from the common branches of study and obtaining a county certincate. He was not content to stop there, however, and he accordingly entered the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which institution he was graduated in 1905, and immediately began the practice of his profession at Fairdealing, Ripley county, Missouri. During his residence in Fairdeal- ing Dr. Gossage was busy along other lines than that of his profession. He was mainly instrumental in making possible the erection of a Baptist church building, and also helped to organize a telephone exchange in the town and was president of the company for four years. He made several abortive attempts to effect a consolidation of the three rural school districts surrounding Fairdealing and to es- tablish there a Central High School, but his efforts each time were defeated. This con- tributed one of the main causes for the re- moval of Dr. Gossage from Fairdealing to his present location, Kennett, Missouri, it be- ing his earnest desire to give his growing family the advantages of a high school edu- cation, which had been denied him in his youth. The Doctor is a member of the Mis- sionary Baptist church, holding fast to the family faith in his religious tendencies, and in political, too, as he is a Democrat. He is a man of generous and kindly instincts. and one of the forms which his benevolences takes is the giving of medical aid to the worthy poor who are unable to make any return for the service. Dr. Gossage is a member of the Missouri State Medical Society and of the Masonic order.
On April 28, 1889, took place the marriage of Dr. Gossage and Vesta Isabelle Duncan, of Eddyville, Illinois. She is a daughter of Francis Marion and Sarah Jane (Robbs) Duncan. The father is a prosperous farmer, now retired. He is a veteran of the Civil war, and saw much active service; he was captured several times by the Rebels, but managed to escape each time. Dr. and Mrs. Gossage are the parents of six daughters: Alola Myrtle, born April 25, 1890, near Ed- dyville, Illinois; Iva Belle, born July 26, 1891; Sarah Emma, born November 2. 1892; Mellie Vearl, born June 16, 1895, at Harts- ville, Illinois ; Gertie Fay, born April 4, 1899, near Eddyville; Vera Gladys, born December 24. 1903, at Fairdealing, Missouri. The two eldest daughters are married. Myrtle being the wife of James Edward Wilson, of Ken-
nett, Missouri, and Iva married to Jesse Earl Husband, also a resident of Kennett.
ALFRED THOMAS CHATHAM, M. D. A pro- fessional man, and above all a physician, may always be looked upon as making more or less of a sacrifice of himself to aid humanity and the cause of science. He receives less monetary return for his work than a business man, and yet as a general rule he has ex- pended much more time and money in prepa- ration for his career than has the business man. The physician who looks upon his pro- fession as merely a means of livelihood is an utter failure, but Dr. Chatham has ever held a high idea of the loftiness of his calling.
The birth of Dr. Chatham occurred on the 26th day of March, 1848, in Mercer county, Kentucky. He is the son of Elijah Gates and Elizabeth (Board) Chatham; the father was born in Boyle county, Kentucky, March 18, 1822, and died in Mercer county, Kentucky, August 2. 1852. The mother, who was a na- tive of Mercer county, Kentucky, was born April 2, 1822, on the farm where her husband died; her demise occurred May 14, 1903, in Mercer county, fifty years after her husband was summoned to the life eternal. Their marriage had taken place in 1844, in Mercer county, and they became the parents of five children : James, who died in infancy; Al- fred T., the subject of this sketch ; Mattie E., who married J. Tewmey and died April 2, 1893; David B., born November 12, 1850; Nannie, born January 3, 1853, and died May 17, 1900, the wife of George R. Nichols. Eli- jah J. Chatham was a farmer all of his life- his whole attention being devoted to the man- agement of his land, while his wife, likewise interested in her farm duties, was also de- voted to her church work, her membership being with the Cumberland Presbyterians.
Alfred Thomas Chatham spent the first few years of his life on his father's farm, and his educational training was received in a school at Perryville, Boyle county, Kentucky; the Rev. William B. Godby, a famous Methodist evangelist, was the principal of this school, and under the tutorship of that divine, the doctor received a good, general education. In 1862. young as he was. Dr. Chatham enlisted in the Sixth Kentucky Cavalry Regiment, Company G: Captain William Campbell was in charge of the company and the the regi- ment was under Morgan's command. Dr. Chatham served until the close of the Civil war, and although he saw much active service
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and participated in many hard-fought battles, he was neither captured nor wounded. Re- turning to the life of a civilian, Dr. Chatham decided to study medicine; for a time he read and studied alone, then entered the medical school at Evansville, Indiana, and was grad- nated from that institution in 1884. He forth- with commenced his life as a practitioner in Davies county, Kentucky, and remained there four years; in the spring of 1888 he came to Caruth, Missouri, and in March, 1889, he removed to Clarkton, this state, where he has since remained in practice. He has been in Clarkton longer than any other physician and is regarded as one of the ablest medical men in the county. He is authorized to practice in the states of Kentucky, Missouri and Illi- nois, and also has a certificate from the Mis- souri State Board of Pharmacy. Not content with merely being a first class practitioner, Dr. Chatham has added his quota to the med- ical world of science ; he, in collaboration with Dr. A. M. Nicks, wrote a book entitled the "Practice of Medicine." a book containing the results of his own personal experiences as well as much information gathered from some of his professional brethren; the book is a very valuable one and is well worthy of the recognition it has received in the medical world.
On the 1st day of November, 1866, Dr. Chatham, on his return from the army, was married to Miss Lydia Crabtree, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Lamb) Crabtree. Mrs. Al- fred Thomas Chatham was born October 23, 1841, near Owensboro, Kentucky, and died February 28, 1907, at Clarkton. She became the mother of eight children, all born in Da- vies county, Kentucky. Lula, the eldest of the family, was born February 26, 1868, mar- ried David Ingram and now resides at Rec- tor, Arkansas; David B. was born on the 7th of July, 1869, married Ida B. Crabtree and lives in Clarkton; Sallie's birth occurred on Christmas day, 1871 ; she married John Bray and died June 26, 1898; Ilee, born September 28, 1873, has been twice married; his first wife was Ibie Taylor and his second wife Mary Ellen Young; he resides in Clarkton ; Walter P.'s birth took place October 25, 1874; he married Nellie Smith and they are living at Kennett: Mattie, the wife of W. B. Greg- son, was born December 15, 1877, and now lives near Gibson ; Maude L., born December 2. 1879. lives in Clarkton with her husband, W. T. Dunscomb; Lizzie G. born November
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