USA > Missouri > Livingston County > Past and present of Livingston County, Missouri : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 29
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Mr. Bagley has been twice married. His first union occurred at Pandora, January 4, 1870, on which date he wedded Miss Mary Exy Reeves, a daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Clover) Reeves, both of whom have passed away and are buried at Pandora. Mr. Bagley's first wife died February 22, 1881, leaving five children : Carl E., of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work; Herbert M., a hotel proprietor at Potwin, Kansas; Clifford E., a farmer in Arkansas; William W., engaged in general agricultural pursuits in Oklahoma; and Mamie E., who became the wife of Donald Stephens, a railroad man. On March 6, 1884, Mr. Bagley was again married, his second wife being Miss Annie A. Gay, a daughter of Daniel and Rebecca (Bush) Gay, both of whom have passed away and are buried in Utica. To this union were born two children: Bessie, the wife of Walter H. Wimselt, a farmer of Utica; and Floyd M., who is assist- ing his father.
Mr. Bagley gives his allegiance to the republican party and is eminently progressive and public-spirited in matters of citizenship. For over ten years he was road overseer and his interest in the cause of education is indicated by the excellent work which he did during his ten years' service as school director. He well merits the suc- cess which has come to him in the course of years, for he has labored persistently for what he now enjoys and has made a most creditable record as a prosperous and honorable business man.
R. D. HURST.
Among Livingston county's progressive native sons who have become deservedly successful in farming operations is R. D. Hurst, owner of an excellent property of two hundred acres lying on sec- tions 16, 20 and 6, Cream Ridge township. His birth occurred January 20, 1862, four miles southeast of Chula, and he is a son of Joseph and Margaret (Brown) Hurst. The father came from Pennsylvania in 1837 and settled upon a farm in Livingston county, where he became very prominent and well known in agricultural and public life. He passed away in 1879, at the age of forty-nine, and is buried in the Wallace cemetery. His wife survives him and makes her home on a farm in Grundy county.
R. D. Hurst acquired his education in the district schools of Grundy county, attending during the winter months and spending
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his summers assisting his father. At the age of twenty he laid aside his books and remained upon the homestead for six years thereafter, purchasing at the end of that time a farm on section 16, which forms a portion of his present holdings. He has increased this by judicious purchases to its present proportions, owning two hundred acres on sections 16, 20 and 6. Upon this property he has made substantial improvements, erecting a fine residence, barns and outbuildings and installing all the necessary equipment and accessories. In addition to general farming Mr. Hurst is also extensively interested in stock- raising, keeping fine herds of cattle and hogs. He is a director in the Farmers & Merchants Bank and in all of his business interests shows a keen discrimination and sound judgment. Whatever he undertakes he carries forward to successful completion, and unfaltering industry is numbered among his most salient characteristics.
Mr. Hurst married, in Grundy county, on January 28, 1886, Miss Isabelle Wolf, a daughter of Daniel and Mahala (Kleinsmith) Wolf, the former a prominent farmer of that section of the state. Both have passed away and are buried in the Toll cemetery, Grundy county. Mr. and Mrs. Hurst became the parents of two children : Daniel O., who is farming on his father's property in Livingston county ; and Ethel, who is a graduate of the Chula schools and who is living at home. The family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, South.
Mr. Hurst gives his allegiance to the democratic party and has served his fellow citizens as road master and as member of the town- ship board. In all of his business dealings he is thoroughly reliable and in matters of citizenship helpful and progressive, giving his aid and influence to many movements for the public good.
THOMAS DICK JONES.
Thomas Dick Jones, one of the resourceful farmers and dairymen of Livingston county, who lives upon a well improved farm which he acquired by his own exertions, has resided in this section since he was five years of age and has devoted his entire active career to agricultural pursuits. He is a native of Kentucky, born May 25, 1853, a son of Thomas E. and Julia B. (Hutchins) Jones, both of whom were born in that state. The father engaged in general farm-
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
ing during his active life, following that occupation both in Ken- tucky and in Livingston county, to which he removed in 1858. He and his wife passed away in this section. To their union were born fifteen children: Ellen Frances, deceased; Charles Edgar, of Chilli- cothe; Jasper N., who resides in Oklahoma; Catherine, Henry B., Waldo, Adolphus and John W., all of whom have passed away; Thomas Dick, of this review; James W., who resides in Arkansas; Julia and Lizzie, both of whom are deceased; Mary Jane, the wife of C. F. Adams, of Chillicothe; Robert M., who makes his home in San Diego, California; and Alice L., who became the wife of William L. Tunnell, of Chillicothe.
Thomas D. Jones was only five years of age when his parents moved to Livingston county and he has made his home here since that time. He grew up on his father's farm and remained there until he began his independent career, becoming familiar with the best methods of cultivating the soil and studying agriculture in a prac- tical way. Desiring to become independent, he purchased land of his own in Rich Hill township, which he has greatly improved and which is now one of the highly productive places in this part of the state. In addition to general farming Mr. Jones also engages in dairy- ing, keeping a fine herd of cows for this purpose.
On the 2d of February, 1881, Mr. Jones was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Adams, a daughter of Charles A. and Eliza A. (Peabody) Adams, natives of Vermont, who came to Livingston county in 1868. The father was for some time a prominent farmer and a manufacturer of butter and cheese in this section of Missouri and in later years engaged in the wholesale grocery business in Chillicothe. He died on the IIth of March, 1901, having survived his wife for one year. In their family were five children: Carrie, the wife of the subject of this review; Charles F., of Chillicothe; Minnie, deceased; Albert E., who lives in San Diego, California ; and Jennie L., who has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Jones became the parents of seven children: Edna Bascome, the wife of Earl F. Nelson, of Milan, Missouri; Del Rey, who married Allan J. Mc- Dowell, of Chillicothe; Irma E., who lives at home; Charles Mervin, who also resides at home; Thomas Edgar, who is attending Colum- bia University; Esther Eliza, who is still with her parents; and Julia Adams, who also lives at home. The family are devout adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, South.
Mr. Jones supports always the men and measures of the demo-
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cratic party, with which he has been affiliated since casting his first vote. He is eminently progressive and public-spirited in matters of citizenship but never seeks public office, preferring to concentrate his attention upon his business affairs. He is a good-roads enthusiast and has done much toward that object by building roads himself, while he has also made a great many speeches on the subject in different parts of the state. He is a strong advocate of the " Farm advisor" and has done a great deal of work in that line in this and adjoining counties. He devotes his time to farming and dairying and by close application and good judgment in all of his operations has been successful in a high degree and as a result has gained an enviable reputation as one of the representative men of Rich Hill township.
GEORGE D. WAGNER.
Among the representatives of commercial interests in Sampsell, Missouri, a prominent place must be conceded to George D. Wagner, who is the owner of a general mercantile establishment in that city. He came to Livingston county, in 1869, from Ohio, where he was born in 1857. He is a son of Frederick and Mary (Wortz) Wagner, both of whom have passed away, their last resting place being Mount Olive cemetery.
George D. Wagner was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the public schools of Livingston county, leaving school at the age of seventeen years. For the four follow- ing years he assisted his father in his farm work, acquainting him- self with thorough methods of agriculture. In 1898 he became con- nected with the business which he is still conducting. A progressive man of modern tendencies, he has built up an establishment that would be a credit to a city of much larger size than Sampsell and carries complete and reliable lines of merchandise. Practically any- thing needed by his patrons can be found in his establishment, the trade of which has increased from year to year, bringing steadily . growing financial results to its owner. Of accommodating and win- ning manner, Mr. Wagner succeeds in holding old patrons and winning new ones, and this in a large way is the solution of the success which he has attained. He owns his own store building and residence.
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Mr. Wagner was united in marriage to Miss Paralee Walker, a daughter of Joshua Walker, who is mentioned at greater length in another part of this volume. They have five children: Charles, a clerk in the postoffice of Kansas City, Missouri; Maude, the wife of Claude Tramell, an agriculturist of Livingston county ; and Frank, Mary and Stanley, at home.
In his political views Mr. Wagner is a democrat, giving his stanch support to the policies and candidates of that party, and fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belong- ing to the local lodge. In the truest sense of the word Mr. Wagner has made a success, for he has not only encompassed his own pros- perity but has been a forceful element for betterment along moral and material lines in the community, his sterling traits of character having won for him the high regard and confidence of all those with whom he has come in contact in a business or social way.
MRS. MARY A. BAKER.
Mrs. Mary A. Baker is the owner of a valuable farming prop- erty of seven hundred and twenty-five acres on section 5, Cream Ridge township. She is a representative of one of the oldest families in this section of the state, her father, Jackson Peren, having been one of the first pioneers in Livingston county. He was a veteran of the Civil war, serving in the Confederate army, and before that conflict and after the close of hostilities centered his attention upon general farming, dying in 1889, at the age of seventy-three. He was survived by his wife until 1899 and both are buried in the May cemetery.
Mrs. Baker grew up on her father's farm in Livingston county and acquired her education in the district schools. She was only sixteen years of age when, on February 28, 1864, she gave her hand in marriage to Isaac I. Baker, a native of Illinois, who had lived in Livingston county since his childhood. Isaac Baker was at that time only eighteen years of age and the young couple began their married life with practically no resources, renting a farm which Mr. Baker improved and developed in the evenings, after spending the day working in the employ of others. He later purchased forty acres of land on section 5, Cream Ridge township, to which he grad- ually added as his ability, energy and ambition gained him success,
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becoming eventually the owner of one thousand acres of the finest farming land in Livingston county. He carefully tilled the fields, raising such crops as were best adapted to the soil and climate, and as the years passed he brought his land to a high state of cultivation and became one of the prosperous farmers of the community. He later sold some of his holdings in Livingston county, reducing his farm to seven hundred and twenty-five acres, a tract upon which many modern improvements which stand as a monument to his thrift and labor. Mr. Baker also owned one thousand acres in Kansas and this tract is now in the possession of his widow, who rents it out. Mr. and Mrs. Baker adopted two children: Charles Adams, a son of J. R. and Mary Adams, who is assisting Mrs. Baker in the man- agement of the farm; and Sarah J., who married Elmer Wilson, of Peoria, Kansas.
Mr. Baker was a man of straightforward principles and upright life and he enjoyed the respect and good-will of all with whom he came in contact. He was honesty itself in all his business dealings and was never known to take advantage of another in a business transaction. To his family he was a devoted husband and father and his loss was the occasion of deep and widespread regret when, on the 3d of March, 1912, he passed away, being at that time sixty- six years of age. He was on the township board for a number of years but never desired political preferment, wishing to give his undivided attention to his private affairs, in which, with the able assistance of his wife, he met with great success. Mrs. Baker is now in possession of the homestead, comprising seven hundred and twenty-five acres, and manages the farm wisely, using excellent ability in its control. She has many friends in the community in which she has so long made her home and deserves great credit for the able manner in which she conducts her business interests.
F. M. CONNOR.
In taking up the history of men who are connected with prom- inent business interests of Chillicothe and who have been for many years past prominent in the general development of the city mention should be made of F. M. Connor, president of the F. M. Connor Land Company, one of the largest real-estate and investment con- cerns in this section of the state. He was born in Rantoul, Illinois,
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July 14, 1872, and is a son of John and Mary (Murphy) Connor, the farmer one of the prominent farmers in that section of Illinois and one of the greatest individual forces in the industrial develop- ment of Rantoul, where he founded the second brick factory in Champaign county. He died in 1896 and is buried in Rantoul. His wife survives him and makes her home in Champaign. To their union were born four children besides the subject of this review: Charles H., a railroad contractor; Carrie, who became the wife of Morgan O'Brien, of Champaign; Hattie, who married L. L. Daw- son, of Childress, Texas; and Earl, a horse dealer in Calgary, Alberta.
In the acquirement of an education F. M. Connor attended pub- lic school in Rantoul and was graduated from the Rantoul high school in 1889. In the same year he began his independent career, securing a position as fireman and engineer in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad. This he held for five years, after which he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, buying a farm in McLean county, Illinois, and operating it successfully for four years. He sold his property at a profit at the end of that time and went to Calhoun county, where he became interested in the real-estate business, his success in this line proving the foundation of his present prosperity. From Calhoun county he moved to Laclede, Linn county, Missouri, and there followed the real-estate business for four years, after which he came to Chillicothe and organized the F. M. Connor Land Company, of which he is president. The concern is identified with important real-estate operations all over Livingston county and in addition controls much valuable property in the city. Under the able management of Mr. Connor, who is a man of fine business and executive ability, the affairs of the company have prospered exceed- ingly and its business has grown, its patronage constantly increasing in volume and importance until it is now one of the largest enter- prises of this kind in this section of Missouri.
Mr. Connor married, in McLean county, near Le Roy, Illinois, March 22, 1898, Miss Hattie Clark, a daughter of George and Caro- line Clark, the former at one time a prominent farmer in that section. He and his wife now reside in Carrollton, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Connor have one child, Cleo C., who is attending school.
Mr. Connor gives his allegiance to the progressive party and is a firm believer in the principles and policies for which it stands. He has attained a position of distinction in the Masonic order, having
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been through the lodge, chapter and commandery, and he is identi- fied also with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has made a splendid record as a citizen and as a business man, basing his sub- stantial success upon his faculty for seizing favoring opportunity and upon his excellent business judgment and discrimination. His friends in Chillicothe recognize and appreciate his genuine worth and admire him for what he has accomplished in the business world.
JOHN J. GRIFFITH.
John J. Griffith, extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising in Livingston county, is the owner of two hundred and forty acres of valuable land on section 16, Blue Mound township, and the neat and attractive appearance of the place is visible evidence of his life of industry and thrift. He was born in The Llanidloes, Montgomery- shire, Wales, January 9, 1867, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Jones) Griffith, both representatives of old Welsh families. The father was for many years an insurance agent and was engaged in this line of work at the time of his death, which occurred in 1902. He is buried in The Llanidloes cemetery but his wife still survives, making her home at Van Mines, Wales.
In the acquirement of an education John J. Griffith attended the district schools in his native section of Wales and later entered a college, an institution which he left at the age of eighteen. After laying aside his books he spent some time in business with his father and their partnership continued until Mr. Griffith of this review came to America. After landing in the eastern states he pushed westward to Missouri, locating in Livingston county in the fall of 1888. He obtained a position as salesman in the hardware store conducted by Stewart & Hargrave and from there went to Dawn, where he was employed in the same capacity in a general store. He held this position for ten years but was finally compelled by his failing health to seek an outdoor life and accordingly he took up farming. He bought forty acres of land near Dawn and was suc- cessful in its development for some time, selling it finally in order to purchase his present property on section 16, range 17, Blue Mound township. Upon this he has made substantial improvements from time to time, remodeling the residence and erecting a silo, barns and the necessary outbuildings. In addition to general farming he raises
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high-grade stock, keeping seventy-five head of cattle, fifteen horses and one hundred and forty head of swine. He operates extensively along this line and has met with a gratifying and well deserved measure of success.
Mr. Griffith was married in Dawn, September 8, 1890, to Miss Mary Hughes, a daughter of Rev. H. X. and Catherine (Williams) Hughes, the former a minister of the Welsh Methodist church. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith have three sons: Everett, a student at the Kidder Academy; and Howell and Robert, who are attending the district school. Mr. Griffith is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and is a devout adherent of the Congregational church, of which he has been secretary for the past twelve years. In his political views he is progressive and has served ably and well as township collector for six years. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished in his business career, for he started out in life empty-handed and by steady perseverance and unremitting labor has worked his way upward to success. In business life he is well known for his alert and enterprising spirit, and his salient qualities and characteristics are such as win an honorable prosperity.
A. J. ROOF.
Major A. J. Roof, who has been a resident of Chillicothe for more than a third of a century and is well and highly esteemed throughout Livingston county, now acts as public administrator here and is also a notary public and pension attorney. His birth occurred in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on the 5th of August, 1840, his parents being John and Mary (Baird) Roof, who were natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively. His paternal grandfather, Henry Roof, was a native of Maryland and a gentleman of Holland Dutch descent. Robert Baird, the maternal grandfather of our sub- ject, participated in the War of 1812. His wife bore the maiden name of Susan Duff.
John Roof, the father of Major Roof, was reared near Akron, Ohio, and learned the tailor's trade, which he followed until 1865. In that year he went to Iowa and purchased a farm, but soon after- ward came to Livingston county, Missouri, here following general agricultural pursuits for a number of years. Subsequently he re- moved to Abilene, Kansas, where his demise occurred in 1897, when
A. J. ROOF
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he had attained the age of eighty-three years. His wife had passed away at Bryan, Ohio, in 1854, when forty-four years of age. Both were strict Presbyterians in religious faith. Politically Mr. Roof was an old-line whig until the organization of the republican party, the ranks of which he joined. Unto him and his wife were born three sons and two daughters, as follows: Susan E., the deceased wife of Nicholas Downey; George W., who is a resident of Albion, Indiana ; Albert J., of this review; Robert D., of Pekin, Illinois, who was killed in the Civil war; and Harriet L., the wife of George W. Faulk, of Columbiana county, Ohio.
Albert J. Roof, whose name introduces this review, remained in Ohio until about seventeen years of age and worked at farm labor. Subsequently he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and learned the printer's trade in the office of the Pittsburgh Dispatch. Making his way to Canton, Ohio, he secured employment in the office of the Canton Repository and after leaving that place went into the office of Dawson's Daily Times at Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Civil war being in progress, he enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company F, Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, re- maining with that command for sixteen months, at the end of which time he was honorably discharged owing to the fact that he had been disabled by injury while in Virginia. Following the war he worked in Peoria and later became identified with the Chicago Tribune and Times offices as a printer. Afterward he was employed at his trade in St. Louis and various other cities and eventually began the publica- tion of the Batavia (Ill.) News. In 1878 he came from Hutchinson, Kansas, to Chillicothe, Missouri, and has here remained to the present time, serving for a number of years as a reporter on the Chillicothe Tribune. He is now public administrator of Livingston county, and also acts as notary public and pension attorney, his services in each capacity proving most satisfactory.
On the 30th of May, 1867, in Peoria, Illinois, Major Roof was united in marriage to Mrs. Amelia E. Lewin, a native of New York city and the widow of Walter Lewin of St. Louis. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Matthias F. Spencer, were natives of Maryland and New York respectively. Major and Mrs. Roof had three children. Albert B., who acts as station agent at Lakenan, Missouri, has been twice married and by his first wife, Mrs. Charlotte Roof, had three children : Bertha F., Lorene A. and Lewis. After the demise of Mrs. Charlotte Roof he wedded Miss Josie Carter, by whom he has one living child, Lavyrne. Warren A., a resident of Amarillo, Texas,
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married Effie Ewing and has two daughters, Della Ray and Hazel Lee. Harry V., who makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is married and has three children. The three sons of our subject are all railroad men. Mrs. A. J. Roof, the wife of our subject, passed to her eternal rest on the morning of January 6, 1913.
Major Roof gave his political allegiance to the republican party until the nomination of Taft in Chicago but is now affiliated with the new progressive party. Fraternally he was identified with the Knights of. Pythias and he maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in Tyndall Post, No. 29, G. A. R. His wife is a devoted member of the Presbyterian church. Upright and honorable in all life's relations, they are highly respected and esteemed in the community where they reside.
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