USA > Missouri > Livingston County > Past and present of Livingston County, Missouri : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 14
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On October 15, 1908, Mr. Kesler was united in marriage at Hick- ory, Missouri, to Miss Alice Laird, a daughter of S. H. and Mary A. (Robertson) Laird, the former a pioneer settler of Grundy and a veteran of the Civil war. Mrs. Laird passed away and found burial in the Bratton cemetery, while her husband now lives retired at Hickory, Missouri, where he is greatly respected and highly esteemed for his many good qualities of heart and mind.
Mr. Kesler in his political affiliations is a democrat and although his extensive interests have prevented him from aspiring to public office he takes an intelligent interest in all issues of the day and espe- cially in public matters affecting this section. Aside from his large farming interests he is an important factor in the financial life of Jamesport, Missouri, serving as a director of the Commercial Bank of that place. His fraternal relations are with the Masons and the Odd Fellows, being a member of the blue lodge of the former body. Industrious, energetic, aggressive, Mr. Kesler has not only attained individual success but has been constructive in developing agricultural standards of worth and merit which have generally benefited Living- ston county. A forceful element in the community, he is entitled to a great deal of credit for the development and advancement that have here taken place.
GEORGE A. BAKER.
The substantial position which George A. Baker occupies among the agriculturists of Livingston county must be largely attributed to his industry and his good judgment in estimating land values He owns a farm of one hundred and ninety-three acres, of which one hundred and three acres are located in Grundy county and ninety in Livingston county on section 5, Jackson township. He came to this county in December, 1905. He was born in Fremont county, Iowa, November 18, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Matildia (Sandford) Baker, the father a pioneer agriculturist of Iowa where he passed
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away in September, 1904, at the age of seventy-four years, his wife following him in death about four years later in July, 1908, at about the same age. Both are buried in the family lot near Hamburg, Iowa.
George A. Baker attended the district school in Fremont county, Iowa, laying aside his school-books, however, at the age of sixteen years. For a time he remained at home, making himself useful on the farm and assisting his father until reaching his majority. He then rented land for eight years and by energy, industry and thrift accumu- lated his earnings and started in by buying three acres of land and renting fifty, purchasing, three years later, another twenty acres which he held for five years. He then sold his combined holdings to such advantage that he was enabled to purchase eighty acres and lived on that land for two years, after which he sold out and bought ninety acres which is part of the property on which he now makes his home. Six years later his means had increased to such an extent that he was able to buy the balance of the land which is now his property and where he engages in general farming, specializing along lines of stock-raising. Mr. Baker since locating on his farm here has entirely remodeled his residence and outbuildings and made a number of other improvements that have greatly enhanced the value of the farm.
In Sidney, Iowa, on September 20, 1891, Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Mortimore, a daughter of George and Beulah Etta (Conkle) Mortimore, the father a native of Iowa and a success- ful agriculturist. The mother of Mrs. Baker passed away in 1889 and is buried in the Zion church cemetery near Riverton, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Baker became the parents of eleven children of whom Elmer died at the age of eighteen months and another in infancy. The others are: Eva M., residing at home; James A., who assists his father in the work of the farm; and Albert B., Matildia J., Beulah E., Rosell, Roy A., Chester and Theodore, all of whom are at home and attending school.
Public-spirited, Mr. Baker has always been interested in such matters as concern the general public and for a number of years has served with efficiency as a school director of his district. His politi- cal views are those of the republican party and religiously he is a member of the Baptist church to which he gives his material and moral support. A man of rare ability in judging agricultural land values, he made investments which have returned to him a handsome profit and have helped him along on the road to success. However the main factors in bringing about his achievements have been his industry, his energy and his incessant vigilance in looking after the
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details of his farm work. Another great concession must be made to Mrs. Baker who always has ably stood at the side of her husband and in no inconsiderable way helped to make possible his financial independence.
SQUIRE M. GEE.
A native of Livingston county and a resident of this section for over seventy-four years, Squire M. Gee is a son of one of the first set- tlers of this county, his father having come here at a time when the country was still in its primitive state of wilderness. Our subject, himself having lived here from pioneer times to the present days of modern civilization, has not only been a witness to the wonderful changes that have transformed the virgin land into fertile fields but has been a helpful and important factor in the process. By industry and energy as well as progressiveness he has attained to financial suc- cess and is recognized as one of the most prosperous men of Jack- son township, where he owns a valuable farm comprising three hun- dred acres on sections 1, 25, 4 and 24.
Born December 29, 1838, he is a son of Henry and Anne (Doc- kery) Gee, the father coming here during the frontier days. He took up a land claim and set to work to develop his property by clearing it of brush and timber and gradually bringing it under the plow through incessant and patient labor. When he settled here in the virgin for- est Indians still roamed freely about and plentiful were the wild ani- mals which often furnished the meat for the table. The father passed away in 1895, respected and venerated as one of the first settlers, hav- ing reached the age of seventy-seven years, his wife following him in death in 1900 at the age of eighty years. Both received the high- est respect from all who knew them and stood high in the estimation of their friends and neighbors. They found their last resting place in Shelburn cemetery, in Jefferson township, Grundy county. The family originally was Scotch and at an early day in the history of this country some of its members left the land of hills and heather and settled in Tennessee, from which state the grandfather of our sub- ject, William Gee, enlisted for service in the War of 1812 and vali- antly fought under General Jackson, holding the commission of lieu- tenant in the American ranks.
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Squire M. Gee attended the district schools near his father's farm in the acquirement of his education and obtained such learning as was at his disposal in those early and primitive pioneer days. He continued in school to the age of twenty-one years, although his les- sons were often interrupted, most of his time being given to assist- ing his father in the work of the home place, materially helping in wresting from forest land a fertile and valuable farm. After reach- ing his majority he was presented by his forbear with eighty acres of land which he cultivated with such success that his financial returns permitted him to extend the boundaries of his property from time to time until he possessed four hundred acres, part of which, how- ever, he has given to his children. Pursuing general farming, he has attained excellent success in feeding and raising cattle, deriving a gratifying income from that branch of his interests. A handsome residence erected upon his property is evidence of his prosperity and the other buildings which he has erected bespeak the practicability of his methods and his progressive spirit. All such improvements and equipment as are considered indispensable to modern agricultural pur- suits can be found upon his farm and there is no labor-saving ma- chinery which is conducive to better results that cannot be found on his place.
On November 6, 1862, Mr. Gee was united in marriage in Jeffer- son township, Grundy county, Missouri, to Miss Eleanor Robinson, a daughter of William and Eleanor Robinson, and on November 6, 1912 Mr. and Mrs. Gee celebrated the rare occasion of their golden wedding, receiving felicitations from far and near upon this occa- sion. Mr. Robinson, the father of Mrs. Gee, passed away in 1866, his wife having preceded him in death. While the former is buried in the Woldridge cemetery in Grundy county the latter found her last resting place in Spottsylvania county, Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Gee became the parents of the following children : Nellie, the wife of Frank Burgess, an agriculturist of Jackson township; two who died in infancy; Fannie, who was the wife of Lewis Boyle and the mother of two children, her husband also having passed away; and Annie, who died at the age of fifteen years.
The interests of Mr. Gee also extend to other fields, for he is a stockholder of the Farmers Exchange Bank of Trenton, Missouri.
A democrat in his political affiliations, he gives his stanch support to the measures and candidates of that party and as incontrovertible evidence of his public spirit may be cited, that he has served for twenty years as a local school director, always taking a deep interest
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in the cause of education and its advancement. A faithful member of the Baptist church, he gives his material and moral support to that organization, having for a number of years been a trustee thereof. Highly esteemed and greatly respected, Mr. and Mrs. Gee are well known all over the countryside and have made many friends during their long lives, in which they have demonstrated many commendable qualities of heart and mind. Expression of the appreciation in which they are held was given on the occasion of their golden wedding when old and young, near and far friends and neighbors congregated to offer congratulations and good wishes. A man of earnest purpose, Mr. Gee has made a record fraught with success and with the assist- ance of his faithful and helpful wife has attained to a position which places him among the successful agriculturists of Livingston county and, more than that, not only among the men who have attained indi- vidual prosperity but among the worthy pioneers who have been important factors in bringing about the prosperous conditions that now prevail.
LUTHER WILLIAMS.
A farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 16, township 56, range 24, pays tribute to the care, labor and agricultural skill of Luther Williams, who there engages in the cultivation of grain and also raises stock. He is one of the best known and most highly success- ful men in Livingston county and owes his success not to any outside aid or influence but to those forces which always win prosperity- keen discrimination, sound judgment and unfaltering determination. Mr. Williams was born in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, in 1867, and is a son of D. Walter and Margaret (James) Williams, the for- mer of whom passed away in 1908 and is buried in the Welsh ceme- tery near Dawn. His widow survives and makes her home with the subject of this review.
Luther Williams was educated in the public schools of this coun- try, terminating his studies with a course in the Kansas State Normal School at Emporia and laying aside his books at the age of twenty, in order to engage in the abstract business. He continued this con- nection for about three years and then came to Livingston county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres on section 16, upon which he still resides. He has made needed improvements from time to time,
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erecting a silo, barns and outbuildings, and the property is now valu- able and highly productive. He does mixed farming and is exten- sively interested in stock-raising, keeping eight horses, forty head of cattle and from seventy-five to one hundred swine.
Mr. Williams married, near Dawn, Miss Alice Williams, a daugh- ter of D. P. and Johannah Williams, residents of that community. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Williams have two children, Handel and Lucile, both of whom live at home. The family are devout members of the Welsh church. Mr. Williams gives his allegiance to the democratic party and takes an intelligent interest in the affairs of the community, although he cares not for office. For many years he has resided continuously in Livingston county and has made an excellent record both for reliability and for the excellent methods which he follows and which lead to success.
WILLIAM P. ROBINSON.
Among the most venerable men of Livingston county is William P. Robinson, who at the age of eighty-seven years is yet active in the management of his valuable farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres located on section 6, Jackson township. He came to this county in 1854 from Spottsylvania county, Virginia, where he was born November 15, 1825, a son of William P. Robinson. The father, one of the first settlers in his part of Missouri, located on a farm in Grundy county, to the cultivation of which he gave his assiduous attention. He had the distinction of being a veteran of the War of 1812 and 1814, serving in the capacity of pay master. His death occurred in Livingston county where he passed away while paying a visit to his daughter, Mrs. Squire M. Gee, in 1867, at the age of eighty-eight years. His remains were interred in Woolrich cemetery, Jefferson township, Grundy county. The mother passed away in 1846 and is buried in Spottsylvania county, Virginia. The Robin- son family is an old American one, its first American forbears hav- ing crossed the Atlantic in pre-Revolutionary times.
William P. Robinson, growing up amid pioneer conditions in the Old Dominion, had no opportunity, whatever, to attend school or acquire an education, but being of studious mind he later augmented this omission and largely educated himself, also receiving valuable lessons in the school of experience. At the tender age of seven years
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he was put to work on his father's farm who owned at that time over four hundred acres, and early became acquainted with agriculture in its various phases. He assumed more and more the management of his father's place and remained on the same until he had reached the age of thirty years. He then received for his long and faithful ser- vice from, his father a tract of one hundred and ten acres of land in Jackson township, the removal of the family to this state having taken place at that time, and today he resides on this property. Applying himself with energy and industry to the cultivation of his land, he soon acquired means with which to extend the boundaries of the farm to its present extent. He engaged mostly in raising corn, wheat and oats, and also specialized in breeding live stock, gratifying results attending his labors along those lines of endeavor. When he took charge of his land the same was covered with brush and timber but with firm will and stout hand he set himself to work and gradually cleared the property, putting it under the plow and bringing it to a high state of cultivation. The buildings were erected by him and gradually such improvements, implements and machinery instituted as were considered necessary for the cultivation of a modern farm.
On July 15, 1858, Mr. Robinson was united in marriage in Jack- son township, this county, to Miss Mary Walls, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Nickerson) Walls, the former of whom was one of the early settlers of this county, coming here when frontier condi- tions prevailed. Indians were still roaming wild and game was plen- tiful. He was a man of high qualities of character, enjoying the con- fidence and regard of all those who came in contact with him. He passed away in 1897 at the age of eighty-seven years, his wife having preceded him in death on September 7, 1884. A brother of Mrs. Robinson, J. William Walls, is a well known agriculturist of Jack- son township who is mentioned at length on another page of this history. The Walls family is of old Irish origin, its first representa- tives coming to this country in the year 1619. Mr. and Mrs. Robin- son are the parents of five living children: James W., who is em- ployed by a railroad as carpenter in Stockton, California; Joseph L., an agriculturist of Jackson township; Ida M., the wife of James B. Leeper, of whom more extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume; Lillie M., the wife of L. E. Rice, a farmer of Jefferson town- ship, Grundy county; and Fayette W., who has achieved success in the dual capacity of editor and farmer. There were also five chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Robinson who have passed away, two dying in infancy, and the others being: John E., who died in 1875,
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at the age of eleven years and is buried in Shelburn cemetery, Grundy county; Ann E., the widow of Dr. Edward Sailor, who passed away in 1901 and is buried at Shelburn cemetery ; and Eleanor, who passed away at the age of sixteen and found her last resting place in the same cemetery.
All during his long and active life Mr. Robinson has voted the democratic ticket, giving to that party his stanch support. He is a member of the Sons of Temperance and of the Baptist church, being for many years a trustee of the latter organization. A man of high qualities of mind and character, he enjoys the esteem of all who have his acquaintance. Although eighty-seven years of age nature has been kind to him for he has never abused her laws. One usually thinks of old age as a period of mental and physical relaxation but there is an old age which grows stronger and brighter mentally and morally as the years pass and gives out of its rich store of wis- dom and experience for the benefit of others. Such has been the life of William P. Robinson, who is not only one of the most venerable but also one of the most honored men in Jackson township, respected wherever known and most of all where best known.
F. S. HUDSON.
This age of intense and complex activity, such as modern con- ditions in their many aspects present for solution, has led to spe- cialization, as it is beyond the power of the individual to give to a general line of work sufficient time and attention to become expert in all of its branches and details and of such value as to render ser- vice of the highest order. Senator Fred S. Hudson since taking up the profession of the law has become widely known as an ex- pert in that branch of the legal profession which is designated as corporation law. He fills at present the important position of solicitor for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company for the state of Missouri with headquarters at Chillicothe, and also acts as lawyer for a number of other roads and corporations.
Fred S. Hudson was born January 27, 1868, near Hale, Carroll county, Missouri, and is a son of Milton Jefferson and Mary (Hanna) Hudson. The paternal grandfather, William Hudson, came in 1852 from Ohio to this state and settled near Hale. An estrangement from his family led to his removal to the west as
FRED S. HUDSON
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there existed a difference of opinion between them in regard to the slave question. At that time he held views favorable to slav- ery and for that reason came to Missouri which was then a slave state, but when the country became involved in civil war, strange as it may seem, Mr. Hudson joined the Union forces while his Ohio relatives espoused the Confederate cause. Prior to his re- moval to Ohio he had married Nancy Hurd and of this union were born four children : William, who died while serving in the army, his death occurring shortly after the battle of Pea Ridge; Milton Jefferson, the father of our subject; Bentley, who resides in Car- roll county ; and Susanna, who became the wife of J. W. Jamison and makes her home at Hale, Carroll county. William Hudson, the grandfather, died in the early 'zos. Milton J. Hudson, the father, was born in southeastern Ohio on the 3d of March, 1845, and was brought to Missouri by his parents when seven years of age. He attended the district schools near his home in Carroll county and assisted in the minor duties on his father's farm until the Civil war broke out and he enlisted for service in April, 1861, with the Eighteenth Missouri Infantry of Livingston county, ser- ving until the close of the war, in August, 1865. He joined the ranks as a private and at the close of the war was discharged as first sergeant. He could have attained the rank of captain but by accepting the commission he would have had to sacrifice about a year's pay besides buying a captain's uniform, and as it was under- stood that the war was practically at a close he considered it best not to do this. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Shiloh under B. M. Prentiss and for fourteen months was incarcerated in various prisons-Libby, Andersonville and at Macon, Georgia,- undergoing terrible hardships and suffering during this time, until when he was finally exchanged, he only weighed ninety-eight pounds. For many years he refused to accept a pension from the government, saying that his services were willingly offered and given, prompted by patriotism and not for monetary reasons, and it was only when his family insisted that he finally made an applica- tion to the government and during his later years received a monthly pension of twelve dollars. Death came to him suddenly when one morning, shortly after breakfast, he walked out upon the front porch and he was suddenly seized with heart failure and expired. He had married Mary Hanna, a native of New York. She was left an orphan in early life and was reared at Oberlin, Ohio, and now resides in Hale, Carroll county. Our sub- Vol. II-10
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ject has two brothers and one sister, namely : Charles B., an at- torney of Wichita, Kansas; Clyde M., an attorney and at pres- ent postmaster at Hale; and Mrs. Edna Fisk, of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Fred S. Hudson was educated in the common schools of Car- roll county and graduated from the Northwestern Normal School at Stanberry, Missouri, in 1885. His first position was that of bookkeeper in a bank at Hale. The legal profession made a strong appeal to him at that age, however, and seemed to hold out to him wider opportunities for more rapid advancement than he saw in the banking field, and he therefore decided to study law, using his leisure moments, evenings and Sundays, for study and taking sub- sequently a law course in the office of S. J. Jones, of Carrollton, Missouri. In 1897 he was admitted to the bar and began the prac- tice of his profession at Hale. The year 1902 marks his advent in Chillicothe, where he engaged in the general law practice, but soon he began to specialize along the line of corporation law. He was first employed by the Milwaukee Railroad Company in this city and gave such satisfaction to that company as to merit his promotion to the important position of general solicitor for the state of Missouri in 1911. He also is attorney for the Western Union Telegraph Company for northern Missouri and for a num- ber of banks in Livingston and adjoining counties. He is the local attorney for the Wabash and Burlington lines and also for the Bell Telephone Company. That these great corporations have secured him to look after their vast interests speaks well for the ability of Mr. Hudson. Since assuming the position of solicitor for the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company as the successor of E. M. Harber, of Trenton, the legal department of the road for Missouri has been reorganized and Senator Hudson has become its head. He has ten men under his jurisdiction in various parts of the state and Chillicothe, being the most centrally located city on the road, has been chosen as headquarters. Mr. Hudson main- tains his offices on the second floor of the Citizens National Bank building where he has one of the best equipped and most complete law libraries in the state.
In 1892 Fred S. Hudson was married to Miss Ida Fink, of Hale, Carroll county, Missouri. Her father, Captain C. Fink, was among the early settlers of Livingston county, Missouri, in Utica and moved about twenty-five years ago to Hale. Mr. and Mrs. Hud-
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son were the parents of two children, both of whom have passed away.
Mr. Hudson is a strong advocate of the principles of the re- publican party and has been active in its ranks. In 1904 he was a candidate for congress on his party's ticket but was defeated. In 1906, however, he was elected state senator and represented the people of the fourth district at Jefferson City for four years. While serving in the upper house he was active in the promotion of measures which have greatly benefited the state and especially the district which he represented. At this writing he is serving on the state executive republican committee and exerts an influ- ence which has greatly contributed to the prestige of the party. His religious faith is that of the Christian church of which he is a member. In the Masonic order, of which he is a member of long years standing, he has attained high degree and is a past master of the blue lodge, a past high priest of the chapter, a past eminent commander and also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is a man well qualified for his special work and for the position which he holds in connection with railway interests, and his great knowl- edge along his special line of work places him in a position of im- portance.
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