USA > Missouri > Greene County > Past and present of Greene County Missouri, early and recent history and genealogical records of many of the representative citizens, Volume I > Part 102
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Mr. Spencer was born in Bath county. Kentucky, forty miles east of the city of Lexington. He is a son of Jack and Mary (Leach) Spencer, both natives of Kentucky, and they grew to maturity there, were educated in the common schools and married there and established their home on a farm and spent their lives in general farming, dying many years ago. They were hard working, honest, hospitable people, true products of the Blue Grass
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state. Politically, Jack Spencer was first a Whig, later a Republican when the latter party succeeded the former in 1854. During the Civil war he cast his fortunes with the Union army, in which he enlisted from Bath coun- ty, his native state, and saw four years of active service, which he performed bravely and creditably. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary Leach, by whom two children were born, George W., of this sketch, and Elijah, who has remained in Bath county, Kentucky, where he is engaged in farming, and he has served two consecutive terms as jailer in his county.
The death of Jack Spencer occurred when his son, George W., was a small child, soon after the close of the war, and the lad was reared in the home of an uncle, where he remained until he reached manhood. He spent his boyhood on the farm, where he worked hard, and he received a limited education in the public schools of Bath county. He has been twice married, first, to Elizabeth Montjoy, March 28, 1877; she was a daughter of Jared and Maggie (Shoult) Montjoy, both natives of Kentucky, where they grew up and established their home and where their daughter Elizabeth grew to womanhood and was educated in the common schools. Eight children were born to Mr. Spencer by his first wife, namely: Claude lives in Dallas county, Missouri; Mrs. Alice Barron lives in Republic, Missouri; John is farming near Brookline, Greene county, this state; Mrs. Ava Hutchinson also lives in that community; Ethel, Ruth, Georgia, are all living at home, and Lilly is deceased. The mother of the above named children was called to her eter- nal rest on April 20, 1905. Mr. Spencer was married on November 9, 1906, to Mattie Cross, who was born at Republic, Missouri, where she grew to womanhood and was educated in the public schools. She is a daughter of Henry and Alice (Logan) Cross. The mother was born and reared at Re- public, Missouri, and the father was born in England, coming to this county in an early day. He was a farmer all his life.
One child has been born to Mr. Spencer and his second wife. Cleo Spen- cer, who is now seven years old.
Mr. Spencer began life for himself in Kentucky by engaging in gen- eral farming, which he followed until he removed to Springfield, Missouri, in 1884, arriving here on April 16th. He worked for some time as a common laborer on the streets, then worked on a farm for over a year near Spring- field, then rented a farm and followed general farming and stock raising until he entered the sheriff's office as a deputy in 1902-3, under Sheriff Milli- ken, and later also served as deputy under Sheriff Freeman in 1909, and in November, 1912. he was elected sheriff by a majority of six hundred and fifty-one. He assumed the duties of office January 1. 1913, and is discharg- ing the same in a manner eminently satisfactory to all concerned. He is very prompt and faithful in his every duty, is unbiased and accurate and courageously enforces the law as he sees and understands it.
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Pohtically, Mr. Spencer is a Democrat and has always been loyal in his support of the party. Fraternally, he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America at Brookline, Missouri. He and his family are members of the Christian church.
GEORGE W. CULLER.
llokling distinctive prestige among the enterprising and public-spirited citizens of Springfield and Greene county is George W. Culler, a popular and efficient public servant and a progressive business man, and recent mayor of the city. llis record as here briefly outlined is that of a successful self- made man, distinctively the architect of his own fortunes, who, by the judi- cious exercise of the talents with which nature endowed him, surmounted un- favorable environment and rose to the position he now occupies as one of the substantial and influential men of the locality honored by his citizenship, having been true and loyal in all the relations of life, standing as a type of that sterling manhood which ever commands respect and honor.
Mr. Culler was born in York, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1872. He is a son of John W. and Anna M. ( Holland) Culler. The father was born Jan- uary 22. 1840, in Virginia, and his death occurred on December 1, 1903, in Springfield, Missouri. The mother of our subject was born April 24, 1844, in York, Pennsylvania, and she is still living in Springfield. John W. Culler was living in North Carolina when the war between the states began, and he was drafted into the Confederate army, but later made his way to the North and enlisted in the Union army, in which cause he sympathized from the first. He joined a Pennsylvania regiment and saw considerable hard service and was wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks. He was captured by the enemy and was confined in a Confederate prison for six months. Aft- er the war he went to York, Pennsylvania, where he was married. He de- voted the major portion of his life to farming and remained in the old Key- stone state until 1887, when he removed with his family to Springfield, Mis- souri, where he was connected with the mechanical department of the Frisco shops on the North Side. Politically, he was a Republican all his life, but was never active in public affairs. His family consisted of six children, all living at this writing, namely: Charles T. lives in St. Louis; Anna married Prof. A. L. Stickel and they live in Kansas; George W., of this review; Laura R. married E. E. Ennis, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume : Mary Ann married J. D. Rathbone, of Springfield, and Samuel E. is engaged in the lumber business at Bunker, Missouri.
The mother of these children was twice married and the above named children were by her second union.
George W. Culler was fifteen years of age when he removed with his
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parents to Springfield. Here he studied at the high school and Drury Col- lege. Early in life he entered politics, and, having made himself proficient as a civil engineer, he was elected city engineer in 1902 and served two terms. In 1904 he was elected county surveyor, which position he held until 1912, being re-elected each time his term expired. He also served four years as a member of the city council, from 1907 to 1911, being re-elected successively. In the spring of 1912. he was elected mayor of Springfield, which office he held one term of two years, or until the spring of 1914. In all these impor- tant offices he discharged his duty in a manner that reflected much credit upon his ability and fidelity and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He ever looked carefully to the best interests of the city and county, desirous of seeing the general good prevail, and his honest, conscientious work has been heartily praised by his constituents.
Mr. Culler is secretary and treasurer of the Ennis-Culler Lumber Com- pany, of Springfield, and he is a director of the Bunker-Culler Lumber Com- pany, at Bunker, Dent county. He understands the lumber business thor- oughly, enjoys an extensive and growing business and has been very success- ful in material affairs.
Mr. Culler was married November 29, 1900, in Springfield, to Caroline Schmook, who was born in this city January 24. 1880, and here grew to womanhood and received excellent educational advantages. She is a daugh- ter of John and Anna M. (Kerber) Schmook, one of the prominent pioneer families of this city. John Schmook was born in Berlin, Germany. August 29, 1825, and was a son of Michael and Fredericka (Zinner) Schmook. He received the education of the public schools and learned of his father the cabinet maker's trade, at which he served as an apprentice four years. From April 1, 1846, to April 1, 1849, he served in the Prussian army in the en- gineer corps. In the month of September. 1850, he crossed the Atlantic and landed at New York, in which city he remained for a year and a half. From there he came west and first stopped at Iowa City, where he worked at his trade until 1856. and then visited New Orleans. Later he visited Leaven- worth, Kansas City and St. Joseph, but not liking the business outlook in these places, he returned to Iowa City and made his home there until 1859, when he came to Springfield, Missouri, in the latter part of April and worked at his trade for Ebert Hursh & Company, furniture dealers and manufac- turers. In September of the same year he engaged in the furniture business for himself and followed it in connection with the carpet business until 1865. During this time he was also a contractor and erected many buildings. In 1863, besides his other enterprises, he engaged in the lumber business and built and operated a planing mill, also a small grist mill. Withdrawing from his other enterprises gradually, Mr. Schmook devoted his attention to his grist mill, and greatly increased his business. In 1879 he formed a stock company and built the Queen City Flouring Mill, which for a number of
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year's had next to the greatest capacity of any mill in the city. In 1882 he sold out his interest in the milling business and built the Central Hotel on Boonville and Mill streets. In 1886 he built a steam flouring mill at Ozark, Christian county, and this he sold in 1891. In the spring of the following year Mr. Schinook bought valuable lead and zinc mines at Aurora, Lawrence county, which he developed and worked with success, producing more val- uable mineral ore than any mines in Aurora and yielding handsome returns. From time to time Mr. Schmook invested in Springfield real estate and owned excellent business properties, upon which he erected a number of substantial buildings. Through his own efforts he became one of the wealthy men of Springfield. In his political views, Mr. Schmook was a Republican, but in city affairs he voted for the man, irrespective of party. On September I, 1865, he married Anna M. Kerber, and to them six children were born, namely : Paul, John, Otto, Harry B., Frederick and Caroline E., the latter being the wife of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Schunook was a believer in education and gave all his children college educations. He has always been a public-spirited man and contributed liberally of his means to assist the edu- cational institutions of Springfield, and gave freely to the different churches. He was in favor of progress and never refused to aid any good enterprise that he thought would benefit Springfield. Always modest and unassuming, he pursued a quiet and steady course and by his different enterprises was of val- uable, practical benefit to Springfield, as his efforts gave employment to oth- ers and added to the material wealth of the town. It has been such men as these practical workers who have built the cities and towns of the United States. Ile deserved a great deal of credit for what he accomplished. Com- mencing the battle of life in a strange country, where he spoke a foreign lan- guage, he, by dint of thrift and industry, surmounted every obstacle and be- came a substantial and highly esteemed citizen. He passed through the en- tire period of the Civil war in Springfield. He was a member of the Home Guards during that eventful period and assisted in the defense of Spring- field January 8, 1863, when General Marmaduke attacked the place. His death occurred in 1898, and his wife is still living at Springfield.
To George W. Culler and wife two children have been born, namely : Vesta Maria, born September 22, 1902, and George W., Jr., born June 7, 1904. The attractive home of the family is at 998 North Jefferson street.
Politically, Mr. Culler is a stanch Republican. Fraternally, he is a mem- ber of Masonic Chapter No. 110, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Improved Order of Red Men, Iroquois Tribe No. 41, and the Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the grand lodge of the state of Mis- souri. He belongs to the Springfield Club, the Commercial Club and the Young Men's Business Club. He is a man who stands well with all classes, being plain, sociable and of unquestioned integrity.
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J. W. CROW.
That the products of the farm will continue to find a reasonably safe market is indicated by a constantly increasing consumption within our own country, to say nothing of America's rapidly growing export trade; that the business of farming and handling live stock as a business compares favorably with any other vocation in stability; that the security of farm investment assured invites and encourages the inclination landward. With all these influences working in one direction supported by the incalculable forces of the agricultural schools and colleges, the press, and vast aggre- gation of brains identified with the vocation, it would seem that the most radical predictions of the present day may prove far too conservative before another decade has passed. One of the most progressive and extensive agri- culturists and stockmen of the great Southwest is J. W. Crow, familiarly known as "Wess" Crow, whose valuable interests in both Polk and Greene counties, including the famous Percy Cave, near Springfield, have made him a well-known man in the Ozarks.
Mr. Crow was born on February 13, 1866, in Polk county, Missouri. He is a son of J. W. and Louisa Jane (Frieze) Crow. The father was born in Tennessee, and the mother was born in Polk county, this state. J. W. Crow, Sr., grew to manhood in his native state. and when about twenty years of age immigrated to Missouri, locating in Polk county, where he became a prominent and influential man. He was a lawyer by profes- sion, and a good one for those early days. He was for a period of twenty years a justice of the peace, was a county judge, and was a leader in Repub- lican politics. He was one of the two first men to vote for Abraham Lin- coln in Polk county. He also devoted much of his time to farming and handling live stock. He was married in Polk county, and he became the father of ten children, all still living but one. They were named as follows: Elvira, Sigel Fremont, Louise (deceased). J. W., Jr., of this sketch ; Mandy. James Alfred, Mathew Woodson, Minnie, Eva and Tennessee. The parents of these children were among the oldest settlers of Fair Play. Polk county, and there spent their latter years, the father dying in 1904, the mother's death also occurring in 1904.
J. W. Crow of this sketch grew to manhood on his father's farm in Polk county and he received a common school education. In his earlier years he followed farming, but the major portion of his attention during the past fifteen years he has directed to buying and shipping live stock, doing an average annual business in this line of two hundred thousand dollars, and he enjoys the distinction of being one of the largest shippers
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mto Kansas City and St. Louis, the world's greatest live stock markets. llc has bought and sold more cattle than any other man in Polk county, if not the entire southwestern part of the state. He is owner of four thou- sand acres of land. in various localities between Polk county and the Pan- handle, Texas. His holdings in Greene county consist of four hundred acres constituting a valuable farm in the vicinity of Percy Cave. He spends a great deal of time here, but maintains his home at Fair Play, Polk county, where he is a heavy stockholder in the Farmers Bank of Fair Play.
Mr. Crow married Sarah G. Akins, who was born in Cedar county, Missouri. She is a daughter of Nathan and Mary ( Tindle ) Akins, a well- known old family of that section of Missouri. To our subject and wife eight children have been born, namely: Pearl is at home; Buel is also at home ; Zula married Emmett Thompson, and they live in Kansas; Jerley. Willard. Elsie. Gale and Joe are all at home. These children have been given excellent educational advantages.
Politically, Mr. Crow is a Republican, and fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World at Fair Play.
PERCY CAVE.
The Sac river runs through J. W. Crow's estate in Robberson township, Greene county, affording excellent fishing, and the grounds about the nat- ui al cave are beautiful, covered with stately forest trees and abounding in hills, valleys and ravines. Excellent boating facilities have also been pro- vided, as well as bathing. a tasty rustic bath-house having been erected here, and there is an attractive residence and other buildings, including a targe dancing pavilion. Great natural springs of the finest Ozark water are nearby, including Amphitheater Spring. Driveways have been made through the grounds. AAn excellent pike road leads from Springfield to the grounds, and an automobile line has been established between the city and the cave.
Percy Cave is a veritable paradise, so bounteously is it endowed with the beauties of nature. The location, about six miles northwest of Spring- field, gives the grounds that ideal quiet which is so conducive to rest. and the short ride is but a fitting preparation, relieving the nerves, as it were, that the visitor may be better prepared to appreciate the nature story of God's handiwork, which is so conspicuous on every hand.
Arriving at the cave, the comfortable home surroundings, so naturally beautiful, vanishes all thought of caves for the moment. An introduction to the Hoppes' household, who look after the estate for Mr. Crow, dis- pels all formality. and the hospitable wife will bid you welcome, and make you more forgetful of self and even of time than you have ever been before.
NATURAL GRAPE ARBOR, PERCY CAVE.
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pointing out the beauties of the valley and the surrounding hills. The home, located on a rise, is to the north of a large and beautiful canyon. in a sense, in which trees of many varieties abound, the canyon opening into Sac river some two hundred yards away. Every kind of oak, walmit, spruce, quaking asp, elm, maple, hickory and many others thrive in this valley, and tall though they are, the tops are barely level with the windows of the dwelling. There is a sanitary kitchen with a natural rock floor, and the spacious rooms with windows opening to beautiful panoramas of the valley in all directions, makes a lasting impression. Starting at the south end of the canyon, a steep grade leads to the bottom, but the descent is worth the effort. With hardly a glare of sunlight, especially in the evening, except that which plays upon the cliffs and bluffs, a more restful spot would be hard to find, still in sight of the house, past the opening to the cave, is a rock-rimmed hole, and the wind coming from it is the equal of any electric fan in speed and much cooler. On down the valley, east, the trip is ended all too soon, but to the north lie regions which have yet to be seen. less than a quarter mile from the bath-house, is the inviting stretch of river front where many enjoy fishing, boating and bathing daily. The old Sac, which has played so important a part in making the cave, is removed some distance from the opening and except in high water when the overflow takes the pathway to the underground creek, known to Percy visitors as the River Jordan, never goes back into the cave.
This locality was at different times the hunting grounds of Indians- the Osages. Piankashaws. Kickapoos, Delawares and Sacs, and a number of interesting traditions center about this mammoth cavern, which place, no doubt, was known to the red men as a haven of refuge in times of war or storms, and was used by them for storing treasures and provisions. Pioneer hunters, it is believed, also made use of it and trappers for a century or more, both Indian and white. have found it a great place for the dens of various wild animals, such as panthers, catamounts, wolves, foxes and other kin- dreds of the "heart of the ancient wood." In fact, the cave was discovered to the present generation by a hunter, John Knox, who, in the early fifties, was in search of game in this vicinity when his dog ran a wild animal, presumably a red fox, into the then narrow entrance to the cave. The dog was unable to get out and it is said that Knox gave a man, whose name has been lost, the sum of fifty dollars to go into the cave and rescue his dog. The stranger broke away the rock ledge until he effected an entrance and was surprised to find the great cave, which has never been fully explored. although its mysteries have been revealed as far back as a mile and a half from the entrance, and there are many side chambers as yet unfa- miliar to man's eyes. It is believed to be one of the largest caves in the
GRECIAN FACE, PERCY CAVE.
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I'mon, but if not among the largest, is at least not surpassed in beauty. many allegorical figures being traceable on its rainbow-hued walls. But it is not alone valuable from an artistic viewpoint, having been utilized for decades for the storing of enormous quantities of various kinds of pota- toes, apples and other kinds of vegetables and fruits. Sweet potatoes have been kept here for a period of fourteen years continuously and when brought out were in perfect condition, the dry, pure air at an unvarying temperature of fifty-four degrees rendering the cavern a finer cold storage than any ever yet built by man. It has been proven to be most excellent for growing mushrooms, like the caves near Paris, France, where these tender edibles are grown for that metropolis to the extent of thousands of dollars' worth a season. Plans are now being made to grow mushrooms in Percy Cave for commercial purposes, on a large scale. Unlike many caves, the deadly "cave-damp" is entirely absent at all seasons. A current of cool, fresh, invigorating air circulates freely through the cave at all times. The muffled roar of waterfalls may be heard in some of the extremities of the cavern, and a stream flows through it in rainy seasons. The translucent little lake, whose bottom is covered with snow-white sand, is stocked with strange fish and crawfish similar to those of Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. It was said by the old philosophers of the world that "whatever is, is best," and that Mother Nature has nothing to show within her realm that is not utili- tarian, so the fish in such subterranean cavities as Percy Cave are eyeless, having no need of them. Indeed, the naturalist, geologist. biologist and scientist in general may find much to instruct and interest him here, and the hundreds of students who visit the cave are enthusiastic of its wonders -a veritable treasure house of useful knowledge. It is worthy of note that a party of Springfield women were the first to extensively explore the cave, on February 27, 1867. They were Mesdames T. A. Sooks, E. Schol- ton. J. Morris, B. Jennings, Durst, Coleman, Warren, and Misses Dishong. Gilmore, Wesson and Jennie Waddell.
Upon entering the cave a surprise awaits you, for on every hand you are gazing upon new wonders, the entire distance covering a mile and a half, in the main trip, to say nothing of the thousands of feet of byways and small rooms, more difficult to reach. Stepping into the cave the relief from the warm outer air is a pleasing sensation, and coats are soon in demand. The size of the cave and the height makes its first impression, but the first surprise is a natural grape arbor located but a short distance from the opening and to the left. This profusion of calcareous matter, hanging from the ceiling, is so formed as to immediately impress you as beinf huge bunches of grapes, even before the guide has spoken the word. The light next rests upon the floor, and here among a formation of floor rock and
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standing pillars, is a miniature fireplace, even to the chimney, being almost perfect in contour, and then the twin sisters, as they are known, large opal- escent formations containing a variety of colors, shapes and forms that would make a lengthy study for the contemplative and constructive mind.
To the left is the graveyard, not a burial ground, but a spacious room full of stalagmite formations, so arranged as to resemble tombstones in the shadows, and besides an image of an Egyptian mummy. Going over the mountain, as it is called, you find yourself in a large room, with a dome not only high, but almost perfect. In this room are stalagmite formations resembling an alligator, a bear, and above beautiful formations adorn this section, the most beautiful of which is an opalescent fountain. Passing on with reluctance, you come to the waterfall, a formation resembling a fall. except for the noise ; then changeable rock, the most vari-colored formation in the cave, and in many ways the most beautiful. an onyx formation that attracts the moment the rays of the guide-lamp are thrown upon it. At this point Knox's monument occupies a conspicuous place named after the discoverer of the cave. Thousands of visitors have saluted it. The bridal veil, a short distance ahead, next demands attention. This stalagmite with a skirt, breast and head of white, surrounded almost completely by a darker deposit of stalactite material, is very suggestive of the bride.
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