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 II > Part 43
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Mr. Kirkey was married, in October, 1892, to Clara F. Phillips. She is a daughter of George and Mary Phillips, of Springfield, where she grew up and was educated. To our subject and wife two children were born, namely : Mabel, who married Frank Thomas, a farmer at Cabool, Missouri ; and Clarence, a carpenter in the South Side Frisco shops.
Politically, Mr. Kirkey is an independent voter. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica and the Free and Accepted Masons. He is a member of the Christian church.
JAMES BLAINE BERRY.
Of the younger business men of Springfield, few seem to have better prospects of large success in future years than James Blaine Berry, who has a diversity of natural gifts, and, although it is a far cry from an iron moulder to the music business, he did both with gratifying results, and was for many years a well known traveling man over the Southwest, and now we find him a member of the Ozark Land Company, which his enterprise and keen discrimi- nation is making one of the most successful and important real estate firms in southern Missouri.
Mr. Berry was born on a farm in Franklin township, Greene county, Missouri, April 30, 1882. He is a son of James A. and Elizabeth (McCurdy) Berry, a highly esteemed old family of this county, and as the reader will find a complete sketch of these parents on another page of this columne, the record of their lives will not be repeated here.
James B. Berry grew to manhood on the home farm, and there assisted with the general work during the summer months when he became of proper age, and during the winter attended the district schools ; also took an academic course in the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri, after which he came to Springfield and learned the iron-moulder's trade. Although he be- came a good moulder, he did not altogether fancy the work, and abandoned the same, and in 1903 went on the road as a salesman for the A. Beste Music Company, of Pittsburg, Kansas, and was assigned to southwestern Missouri and eastern Kansas, in which territory he did much, during his two years of
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service with this company, to increase the prestige of the same. He then re- turned to Springfield and took a position as city salesman for the Martin Music Company, which position he held for a year, then went on the road as advertising and demonstrating representative for the Baldwin Piano Com- pany, of Cincinnati, Ohio, covering Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, a part of Arkansas and Illinois, with headquarters at St. Louis. In all these responsi- ble positions he gave his employers eminent satisfaction in every respect and was regarded as one of their most faithful, efficient and trustworthy em- ployees. In 1909 he resigned his position with the Baldwin people and re- turned to Springfield, Missouri, purchasing an interest in the Ozark Land Company here, and has since been connected with the same and has been a potent factor in making it a large and successful business.
Mr. Berry was married, March 10, 1904, to Marry B. Tedrick, who was born February 25, 1884, in Springfield, Missouri, where she grew to wom- anhood and received an excellent education. She is a daughter of George and Emma Tedrick, a highly esteemed family here.
To Mr. and Mrs. Berry one child has been born, Doris Dolores Berry, whose birth occurred February 3, 1905. She is attending school and is now in the fifth grade.
Mr. Berry is a Republican in his political affiliation. Religiously, he is a Presbyterian. He is a member of the Illinois Men's Commercial Asso- ciation.
HARRY F. BROWN.
We are so accustomed to think of man as a material composition com- plete in the food that matches his hunger, in the water that slakes his thirst, in the air that trades with his lungs, in the raiment and roof that protects him from the cold, in the money that relates him to the world's commerce, that we fail to recognize that the person who has no mental abode in which to shelter his higher self, and the moral, spiritual and intellectual furnishments necessary for its equipment, health and inspiration, lives on a level not much above that of the animal. Harry F. Brown, who, has charge of the store-room of the reclamation department in the South Side Frisco shops, Springfield, is not of the class referred to, but while laboring for the material comforts of life, as if natural and right, he has not neglected to pro- vide what might be called an intellectual abode, being a thinking man of good ideals and practices.
Mr. Brown was born in that great country which all Americans admire- England, he having first seen the light of day at Earlingdean on July 24. 1876. He is a son of Walter E. Brown, also a native of England, in which
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country he grew up, attended school and was married, residing there until the year 1881, when he immigrated with his family to the United States, land- ing in New York. Coming on west he selected Springfield, Missouri, as the best place in which to locate, and although he had followed gardening in his home country, he here sought and found employment with the Frisco rail- road, in the North Side shops, where he became foreman of a labor gang. He is now employed in the Florence Bottling Works in this city, being owner of same. He remained with the Frisco ten years, from 1882 to 1892, then spent ten years in the grocery business, in which he was very successful, giv- ing that line of endeavor up in 1902 to engage in the bottling business at the corner of Lyon and Division streets, where he has a modernly equipped and excellent plant, employing a number of hands and from which he sends out large consignments of his products all over this section of the state. He has been very successful as a business man, being now a man of considerable means, although he landed in this city with very little capital. Politically, he is a Republican. He was a member of the city council for eighteen months. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias. the Modern Woodmen of America and the Masonic lodge.
The mother of our subject was known in her maidenhood as Fannie Madden, who was born in England, where she grew to womanhood and at- tended school. She became the mother of five children, namely: William, who lives at Lebanon, Missouri, is a machinist and electrician, and has charge of the city's lighting plant there; Harry F., of this sketch; Bert is engaged in the bottling business with his father; Florence marred Thomas Hixon, who was formerly engaged in the meat business in Springfield; Fannie married John W. Crow, who lives at Strafford, this county, and is in the employ of the Frisco.
Harry F. Brown was five years old when his parents brought him from England to America, and he grew to manhood in Springfield, and here at- tended the public schools and a business college. When twenty years of age he went to work, in 1896, for the Frisco system as baggage-man at the Spring- field station, working there three years, then, in 1899, was transferred to the store department at the North Side shops. In 1902 he went to work for the Kansas City Southern railroad, with which he remained six months. then worked six months with the New Phoenix Foundry and Machinery Com- pany, after which he engaged in the grocery business for himself until 1906, then went to work again for the Frisco in the store department at the North Side shops, and was assistant there until 1909, in which year he was sent to the new shops as foreman of the store department, which position he held a year, then was sent back to the old North Side shops as general stock clerk, remaining there a year, then was shipping and receiving foreman in the store- room there for a year, after which he was transferred to the reclamation
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plant in the South Side shops, November 1, 1914, and is now foreman of the store-room, and is giving his usual high-grade service.
Mr. Brown was married, in 1898, to Ollie Oliver, a daughter of Benton Oliver. of Springfield, a well-known dry goods merchant here, on Commercial street. Mrs. Brown was reared and educated in this city. The union of our subject and wife has been without issue.
Politically, Mr. Brown is a Republican. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South.
JAMES H. GRAY.
Since this is the "electric age," at least no other term seems more ap- propriate, and the period in which we are now living is universally referred to in this phrase, it would be a good thing if more young men would turn their attention to some form of this work, learn some line in which elec- tricity can be applied to the world's industries, rather than taking up many of the older vocations of men, such as the law, ministry, medicine, etc. Of course the world needs good men in all these lines as much, if not more than ever before, but if a boy has any natural bent whatever along mechanical lines, he doubtless will develop into a better earning capacity by studying electricity than if he entered any of the old-line professions or trades, and, all in all, he will accomplish just as much for the general welfare of the human race. James H. Gray, foreman of electricians of the Frisco System, headquarters at Springfield, was wise in choosing his life work and he has met with gratifying success while yet a young man.
Mr. Gray was born February 12, 1881, at Carthage, Missouri. He is a son of Theodore F. Gray, a native of western Ohio. He grew up in the East and attended school there. In his earlier years he was a traveling salesman and in later life engaged in the brokerage business, being success- ful in both. Having accumulated a competency, he retired from active life ten years ago, after engaging in the brokerage and commission business in Springfield for many years and he is now living quietly in his pleasant home on East Elm street, at the age of seventy years. During the Civil war he served with credit as a soldier in the Union army. Politically, he is a Re- publican, and he was formerly a member of the Knights of Pythias. His wife, who was Mary E. Grissom before her marriage, is still living. To these parents five children were born.
James H. Gray received his education in the schools of Carthage, Ne- vada, and Springfield, having removed to the. latter city when young with
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his parents, and here he began life for himself as clerk in a grocery store, later worked for his father in the commission business, later taking a po- sition with the Springfield Traction and Lighting Company as general elec- trician, most of his work being on motors. He began studying to be an electrical worker. Leaving this company, he worked for some time as elec- trician at the old Baldwin theater, having charge of the switchboard on the stage. All the while he studied electricity by night and soon had a good working knowledge of the science. In 1901 he was employed by the Frisco, working with its electrical equipment on cars, etc. When the road's electric department was created in 1904 he was placed in charge of the same as fore- man, having proven that he was well qualified for this responsible position, and from that time to the present, a period of over ten years, he has been foreman of this department, his long retention indicating that his work has not only been high class, but that he is reliable and trustworthy. He has continued a deep student of all that pertains to his line of work and has kept well abreast of the times. He has had from seven to nine men work- ing under his direction in this department all the while in the shop, and also several men working on the outside. He had charge of the electric depart- ment in the new shops for some time. He has served under the four chiefs in this department, named as follows: P. M. Pierce, W. C. Coover, Rober E. Massey and L. C. Hensel.
Mr. Gray has remained unmarried. Politically, he is a Republican. He belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Christian church.
JOHN COWELL.
The name of John Cowell is well known to the people of Springfield, whither he came forty-five years ago, during which period he has been an interested and most active spectator to the city's development along general lines, always having the interests of the Queen City at heart and abiding faith in her future. Through close attention to business and unswerving industry, he has met with a larger degree of material success than falls to the lot of some of our foreign-born citizens. He comes of a sturdy English ancestry, his family on both sides going far back into the annals of that "merrie isle." So he has in him many of the elements that always win in the battle of life, no matter where fought out, and while Mr. Cowell was fortunate in coming to a country of unlimited opportunities, where the soil is new and competition not so fierce, and where, as the poet Mackay, his noted countryman, wrote nearly a century ago, "The humblest may gather
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the fruits of the soil, and a man is a man if he is willing to toil." Yet Mr. Cowell, no doubt, would have succeeded in establishing a good home in any country where he might have settled.
John Cowell, who is at this writing, one of the three judges of the Greene county court, was born in Peel, England, June 23, 1844. He is a son of John and Isabelle (Skinner) Cowell, natives of that locality, where they spent their lives engaged in farming, being honest, hard-working gentle- folk, highly respected by their neighbors. Their family consisted of six children, of whom John of this review was second in order of birth; one child is deceased; two sons and one daughter reside in England, and two of the sons make their home in America.
John Cowell was reared on the home farm in his native land and there he assisted with the general work and received his education in the home schools. He immigrated to the United States shortly after the close of the Civil war, and came on west to Springfield, Missouri, where he located his permanent home in 1869. Here he followed the business of stone contractor for more than forty years, and was eminently successful in this line, being known as a man who did his work thoroughly, promptly and in an up-to- date manner. He has handled many big jobs in this city and vicinity. Hav- ing accumulated a competency sufficient for his old age, he abandoned ac- tive work a few years ago.
Mr. Cowell was married in 1872 to Sarah Daniels, a native of Spring- field, Missouri, where she grew to womanhood and was educated. She was a representative of an old family here. Her death occurred in 1898 at the age of fifty-one years. She was known to her friends as a woman of many fine personal characteristics.
Six children, five sons and one daughter, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cowell, named as follows: Edwin, a graduate of the local high school, is a bookkeeper by profession, is married and has two children; Minnie mar- ried H. W. Thompson, and they are living in Detroit, Michigan, and have one son, eight years old; John W., who is in the tailoring and notion goods business in Joplin, Missouri, is married; Harry B. is a traveling salesman, lives in Springfield and is married; Frank, who is clerking in a clothing store in Oklahoma, is married and has one child; Charles L., who is en- gaged in the tailoring and clothes pressing business in Springfield, is mar- ried and has one child.
Politically, Mr. Cowell has always been a stanch Democrat and active in local political affairs. He has long been a member of the city council from the Sixth ward and has made his influence felt not only for the good of that section of the city but for the general community, and his work as a public-spirited citizen has been greatly appreciated by all classes. In the fall of 1912 he was elected judge of the Greene county court, and is now
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incumbent of that office, the duties of which he is discharging in a manner that reflects much credit upon his ability and integrity, and to the satisfac- tion of his constituents. He, at the present time, is serving his second term. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Christian church. He has always enjoyed the utmost confidence of his fellow men owing to his straightforward and honorable course.
JUDGE WILLIAM H. PERKINS.
Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record in the annals of history wherever they are found. By a few general observations the biographer hopes to convey in the following paragraphs, succinctly and yet without fulsome encomium, some idea of the high standing of William H. Perkins, ex-judge of the Greene county court, as a leading agriculturist and stockman, one of the representative citizens of the county and a public benefactor. Those who know him best will readily acquiesce in the statement that many elements of a solid and practical nature are united in his composition and which, during a series of years, have brought him into prominent notice at least throughout the west- ern portion of the county, his life and achievements earning for him a con- spicuous place among his compeers.
Judge Perkins was born on a farm in Brookline township, Greene county, Missouri, February 18, 1850, and is a scion of one of our pioneer families, being a son of William G. and Martha A. (Beal) Perkins. The father was a native of Logan county, Kentucky, where he was reared. When a young man he came to Greene county, Missouri, and entered two tracts of land from the government, the first in 1848 and the last in 1851. These he developed by hard work and became a successful farmer and business man. Both these tracts of land, now very valuable and comprising as fine farming land as the vicinity affords, have remained in the family, being now owned by the sub- ject of this sketch. The father was known as "Grief" Perkins, his middle name being used instead of his first name. He was an influential man in his community, especially in the affairs of the Presbyterian church, in which he was an elder for many years, being the founder of the church of this de- nomination in this community. He had two brothers and two sisters, all now deceased but Mrs. Hayden, who lives in Texas. The death of William G. Perkins occurred in 1908 at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. He was known to all as a man of fine personal character, a "gentleman of the old school" who never was known to neglect his duties as a neighbor or citi-
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zen. His faithful life companion, a woman of beautiful old-time Christian faith, survived him only six weeks, passing away at the age of eighty-one years. She was a native of Tennessee, and when young in years accom- panied a party of emigrants from that state to the Ozark mountain country. They reached a certain stream, since known as "Turnback" creek, from the fact that here this party of homeseekers turned back on their route. They finally located on Wilson's creek, which stream was destined to become famous in history.' Here Mrs. Perkins's father, Daniel Beal, entered land from the government, which he developed into a good farm, which remained in possession of the family until recently, when our subject turned the patents over to purchasers. This place lies some four miles west of Springfield. There' Mr. Beal spent the rest of his life. He was an energetic man, and was active as a member of the Baptist church.
Judge Perkins is the second of nine children, all born in Greene county, where the parents were married; they were named as follows: Mrs. Mary O. Norman, a widow, is living eight miles southwest of Springfield; William H., of this review; Mrs. Nannie Crenshaw, a widow, lives nine miles south of Springfield ; John T. is farming in Oklahoma; Laura is the wife of Rev. W. H. Wilson, now residing in Oklahoma; Mrs. Minerva Dillard lives nine miles east of Springfield; Mrs. Lucy Hutchinson, Mrs. Jennie Stephens and Daniel are all three deceased.
Judge Perkins was reared on the old homestead, where he did his full share of the work when growing to manhood, and in that neighborhood he received a common school education, which has been greatly supplemented in after years by contact with the world and wide home reading. Early in life he turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits which he followed successfully and continuously up to a few years ago. He paid especial at- tention to the live stock business, and no small portion of his comfortable competency was derived from this source. Growing up among stock and having a liking for them he became an exceptionally good judge of all kinds. He still owns a part of the old home place, but now lives in Spring- field, where he removed in 1909.
A stanch Democrat, Judge Perkins always took an abiding interest in political affairs, and in the fall of 1910 he was elected county judge and presided at the sessions of the Greene county court in a manner that stamped him as a man of ability, far-seeing, impartial and having the best interests of the county at heart, unbiased in his efforts to benefit the general public, and his course has been entirely satisfactory to his constituents. Religiously, he is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Judge Perkins was married in Greene county, in the year 1873, to Martha J. Ellison, a daughter of John Ellison, an early settler in this county.
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and here he became a successful farmer. Mrs. Perkins was born here in 1853 and reared and educated in her native community. She proved to be an excellent helpmate, sympathetic, kind and industrious. Her death oc- curred in February, 1909 at the age of fifty-six years. Her only brother also died a few years ago.
Three children were born to our subject and wife, named as follows : Clarence, now forty years old, is farming in the state of Louisiana; Bessie is the wife of George Langston, at present postmaster at Texhoma, in western Oklahoma, where he has a ranch, and they have one son, Maurice, now six years old; Eunice, youngest of the trio, is living with her father in Springfield.
The Judge was always a man who made friends easily, and after his career on the bench began they rapidly multiplied, and all who know him will agree that he is deserving of the respect in which he is so widely held.
WILLIAM R. GORSUCH.
Those who know William R. Gorsuch, who at this writing is one of the three judges of the Greene County Court, are not surprised that he has won success at his chosen vocation, that of tilling the soil, for he is a man who has been a close student of all that pertains to his chosen life work. believing that even the best methods can often be improved upon. He has kept the old home place in Cass township in fine condition, so that it has retained its old-time richness of soil and the same abundant crops are an- nually gathered from its fields. He has considered himself fortunate, and indeed he might well do so, that he has been permitted to spend his life on the homestead, for, in the first place, as a talented writer said long ago. "There is no place like home," and also because his home happened to be in a community greatly favored by nature. It is true that it took a great deal of hard work to get Greene county in proper shape for successful agri- cultural purposes, but once in condition, there is no better.
Mr. Gorsuch was born in the above named township and county, on the farm where he still resides, November 3, 1871. He is a son of Reece and Eliza Jane (Brower) Gorsuch. The father was born in middle Tennessee, June 29, 1829, and when a small boy he and his father made the long jour- ney in a wagon from that state to Greene county, Missouri, his father having previously died in Tennessee. When a young man Reece Gorsuch worked out for twenty-five cents per day to help support the family, he being the eldest son. During the gold fever days he made the hazardous overland journey across the western plains to California, accompanied by a brother,
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the trip requiring six months. He remained on the Pacific coast some six years, then returned to this county and bought the farm where our subject now lives and here he spent the rest of his life as a successful farmer, and died in 1906 at the age of seventy-seven years. He was a man of invincible courage and persistency and was well thought of by his neighbors. He was a member of the state militia in his earlier life. The mother of the subject of this sketch was born in North Carolina about 1839, and when a child she immigrated with her parents to Greene county, locating east of Bois D'Arc, where her father developed a farm, and there she grew to womanhood. Several of her brothers were in the Confederate army during the Civil war. Her death occurred about 1903. Five children were born to Reece Gorsuch and wife, named as follows: The eldest died in infancy, unnamed; George W. died at the age of twenty-two years; Jeanette died in 1871 when about five years old; William R., of this review; John H. lives in California.
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