USA > Missouri > Livingston County > Past and present of Livingston County, Missouri : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 3
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On the 27th of June, 1888, Mr. Lee was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Rockhold, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Rockhold, the former for many years a prominent farmer of Utica. Missouri. Both have passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have two children : Byron B., who is now a student in the Chillicothe Normal School and also took a three years' Normal course at Kirksville, Missouri; and Lu- cile, who attends high school.
Since casting his first vote Mr. Lee has been a stanch supporter of the men and measures of the republican party and has made his public spirit effective through many years of political service. He represented his district in the state legislature and was for some time an associate member of the county court and trustee of Monroe township. He has always been interested in the cause of education and has done most able and effective work in promoting school inter- ests of Livingston county through his service as a director of the school board. He belongs to the blue lodge in Masonry, but beyond this has no fraternal affiliations, preferring to devote all of his time
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
and attention to his other interests. Honored and respected by all, no man occupies a more enviable position in financial or commercial circles or in the political life of the community, and this is due not alone to the success which he has attained but is also owing to the honorable and straightforward business policy which he has ever followed.
JAMES EDWARD WATKINS.
James Edward Watkins exerts as editor and publisher of the Chillicothe Constitution an important and beneficial influence upon the community in wielding public opinion in the interests of the betterment and upbuilding of the city which he calls his home. He was born August 1, 1866, in Adams county, Illinois, and is a son of Arthur Watkins, a native of Indiana, who was born June 14, 1830, in Scott county. The father removed with his family to Adams county, Illinois, at an early date and there he was reared and grew to manhood. In 1870 he made his entrance into the state of Missouri and first located in Harrison county, where he successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until the spring of 1879, when he removed to Jamesport, making his home there until June, 1890. In that year he came to Chillicothe, where he now makes his home at 1122 West Webster street. He has lived an active and industrious life and has attained prosperity along his lines of endeavor. His political views are coincident with the democratic party. On July 30, 1856, Arthur Watkins married in Adams county, Illinois, Miss Martha Elizabeth Craig, who was born in that county and state, April 12, 1838. She passed her girlhood days there until her marriage and then made it her home with her husband until 1870, when they removed to Mis- souri. She passed away March 21, 1890, at Jamesport, this state. The paternal grandfather of James Edward Watkins was William Watkins, who was born in Kentucky in 1793 and during all his life followed farming pursuits. His political association was with the democratic party. He died in Adams county, Illinois, in 1869. In 1828 he was married to Mary Elizabeth Craig, who also was born in the state of Kentucky in 1797, but their marriage took place in Scott county, Indiana. They were the parents of seven children : William, who died in 1868; Andrew, who died in 1889;
JAMES E. WATKINS
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
David, who passed away in 1892; Priscilla, whose demise occurred in 1907; Hester, living at Quincy, Illinois; James H., of Cam- bridge, Illinois; and Arthur, the father of our subject. The ma- ternal grandfather, John Craig, was a native of Indiana but was reared in Adams county, Illinois, where he grew to manhood and subsequently engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a demo- crat in politics and a member of the Christian church. He passed away in Adams county, Illinois, in 1859. Mrs. Arthur Watkins had one sister, Mrs. Margaret Craig Leach, who is making her home at Coquille, Oregon, and is sixty-five years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Watkins were the parents of six children, including Charles D., who was born September 17, 1860, and makes his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Emma J. Watkins Fife, born May 29, 1872, who now lives at Phoenix, Arizona. William L. Watkins, another member of the family, was for many years the owner and editor of the Chillicothe Constitution and died in that city July 6, 1912. As such he exerted an influence upon the community which has always been for good, decrying lawless- ness and dishonesty and promoting every measure and movement which might result to the betterment and welfare of the city.
James Edward Watkins was graduated from the public schools of Jamesport, Missouri, under Superintendent Ben F. Carroll, who is the present governor of Iowa, in the spring of 1888. After the completion of his fundamental education he entered the office of Callison & Divorss at Jamesport and studied law for a period of two years. In June, 1889, he was admitted to the bar at Gallatin, Missouri, and in June, 1890, removed to Chillicothe, where he has since continuously resided, having practiced law successfully since being admitted to the bar. He is well versed in matters of legal procedure, has a clear and receptive mind and well knows how to apply the principles of jurisprudence to the cases with which he is entrusted. He has built up a practice of considerable propor- tions and enjoys a reputation for carrying his cases to a success- ful end. He served as attorney for the State Building and Loan Department from June, 1905, to June, 1909, under William L. Watkins, his brother, who held the position of state supervisor of building and loan associations. On July 6, 1912, upon the death of his brother, William L., owner and publisher of the Chillicothe Constitution, J. E. Watkins fell heir to a large share and interest in the publication and plant and became the editor and publisher of this paper. Its editorials are forceful and reflect the stand the
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paper takes upon all public questions. Its news columns are well written and its circulation is extensive.
On July 7, 1892, Mr. Watkins was married at Chillicothe, Mis- souri, to Miss Martha Pearl Ireland, who was born in Livingston county, this state, March 10, 1870. They are the parents of two sons : Clarence Edwin, born July 1, 1894 ; and William Irvin, born June 3, 1898.
Mr. Watkins affiliates with the democratic party and he is in- fluential in the local councils of its organization. From May, 1898, to May, 1900, he served as police judge and city clerk and made a record in these positions which is highly creditable. He is a member of the Christian church and serves at the present time as a board member thereof. His fraternal relations extend to the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica, the Knights of the Maccabees and the National Americans. Viewed from every angle, the life work of Mr. Watkins has been useful and he has attained a position in the community as one of its foremost citizens. At all times he has been actuated by laud- able ambition which has carried him forward to success. He is un- usually broad minded and tolerant and entertains intelligent views upon all public questions, and what he has achieved redounds to the credit and benefit of the community as much as it has con- tributed to his individual interests.
WALTER JACKSON.
Walter Jackson is president of the Jackson University of Business at Chillicothe and one of the best known educators in this part of Missouri. His fine intellectual powers, his wide experience and his natural business ability make him ideally fitted for the management of the institution of which he is head, and the work he has done and is still accomplishing has won him a high place in commercial educa- tional circles of the state. He was born in Livingston county, in September, 1877, and is a son of William H. and Catherine (Kessler) Jackson, both of whom reside in Jackson township.
In the acquirement of an education Walter Jackson attended the public schools of his native county and supplemented this by a course in two private normal schools. Upon his graduation from the second of these institutions he laid aside his books and at the age of eighteen
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
began teaching in the Hosman district school, retaining his connection with it for four terms. At the end of that time he again identified himself with educational work as principal of the Chillicothe Wash- ington school for seven years and thereafter worked as an adver- tising specialist. Recognizing, however, a broader field of usefulness in the promotion of business education, he founded the Jackson Uni- versity of Business at Chillicothe, an institution of which he is presi- dent today. Under his able management this school has made a wonderful growth, drawing its pupils from all parts of Missouri and graduating them thoroughly trained in all business branches. The Jackson University of Business has now about one hundred students annually and its patronage is rapidly increasing, for the annual calls upon it for commercial teachers, bookkeepers and stenographers greatly exceed the entire enrollment.
In September, 1899, Mr. Jackson was united in marriage, in Chil- licothe, to Miss Mayme Campbell, a daughter of Dr. J. R. and Harriet (Hale) Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have two children: Lee and John. Mr. Jackson is a democrat in his political views and fra- ternally is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. Since the beginning of his active career he has been closely connected with school matters and has given much time and close study to his chosen line of work. In it he has won a success which is of broader signif- icance than mere material prosperity, for he leaves the impress of his ability and personality upon commercial educational circles of the state.
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SCOTT MILLER.
Scott Miller is a leading representative of financial interests of Ludlow, where he has served as president of the First National Bank since its organization in 1905. He has been, moreover, since 1882 one of the substantial and successful agriculturists of Livingston county, owning a fine farm of four hundred acres on sections 4, 9 and 16, Monroe township, which he has developed by practical and progressive methods into one of the most valuable properties in this section of the state. He was born in Mount Morris, Ogle county, Illinois, April 20, 1856, and is a son of John and Anna E. (Schwartz- welder) Miller, both of Pennsylvania-Dutch extraction. The father came to Caldwell county, Missouri, in his early years and settled on
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
a farm three miles beyond Braymer, where he still resides, being active and hearty in spirit and interests at the advanced age of eighty-six. He survives his wife, who died in 1906, at the age of seventy-six, and is buried in Braymer cemetery.
Scott Miller acquired an elementary education in the district schools, laying aside his books at the age of eighteen, but is largely self-educated. He was reared to the occupation of farming, having spent his childhood upon his father's property, giving his aid in the minor duties and learning as he grew to manhood all of the details connected with the work of a practical agriculturist. At the age of twenty-one he began his independent career, purchasing a farm of his own, which he developed for a short time. In 1882, however, he sold this tract and moved to Livingston county, where he purchased two hundred acres of land, to which he has added from time to time until his farm now comprises four hundred acres. Here for thirty-one years he has carried on mixed farming, bringing the fields to a high state of cultivation, raising high-grade stock and meeting with that success which always rewards persistent and well directed labor. He has made substantial improvements upon the property, including a comfortable residence and barns for the shelter of his sixty head of cattle and forty horses. In addition he is extensively interested in the raising of high-grade swine and keeps an average of three hun- dred upon his farm. Mr. Miller has won success in the development of his land, for he has made a close study of farming and follows always the most modern methods of carrying on the work. Of late years he has extended his activities to include many phases of the business life of Ludlow and is well known in that community as the able president of the First National Bank, an institution founded in 1905 and with which he has been connected since that time.
Mr. Miller married, in Monroe township, where the town of Ludlow is now located, on March 18, 1880, Miss Joan Critchfield, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Critchfield, both deceased, who are buried in McKoskrie cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Miller became the parents of two children : Inez, who is teaching school; and Paul, who passed away in 1907, at the age of twenty-five, and who is buried in the Fairmound cemetery, Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Miller gives his allegiance to the progressive party but has no desire nor inclination for office, although he has served as township treasurer. His interest in public affairs is of a most practical order, manifest by active cooperation in measures calculated to promote
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
the public good. He is a man of unusual ability, business discrimina- tion and foresight and these qualities, combined with his forceful personality, make him a leading factor in agricultural and business circles.
ARTHUR E. GIBSON.
Arthur E. Gibson, who at one time had the distinction of being the youngest bank cashier in the state of Missouri, has today reached a position of distinction in financial circles of Dawn. Through suc- cessive stages of development in his business career he has worked his way upward to his present place as cashier of the Farmers & Traders Bank, in which capacity he has served since February, 1907.
Mr. Gibson was born on a farm near Browning, Missouri, July 13, 1885, and is a son of S. L. and Flora M. (Purdin) Gibson, the former the cashier of the Peoples Bank of Browning, where he and his wife reside. The family is one of the oldest in this part of the state and its members have been prominent in business and public affairs for over one hundred years.
Arthur E. Gibson acquired his education in the public schools of Browning and was graduated from the Browning high school in April, 1904, completing his studies at the Gem City Business Col- lege at Quincy. He was graduated from that institution in 1905 and entered upon his business career as clerk in the Traders Bank at Kansas City, Missouri. He resigned that office in December, 1906, in order to accept that of bookkeeper in the Central National Bank of St. Louis, Missouri, and he retained this position until he came to Dawn, purchasing an interest in the Farmers & Traders Bank, a financial institution which is controlled by members of his family. Since that time he has become recognized as one of the authorities on finance in Dawn and in this part of the state, for he has been connected with banking throughout his entire business career and has mastered every department of the business in principle and de- tail. He is a director in the Farmers & Traders Bank and serves with ability and distinction as secretary of the board.
Mr. Gibson married in Browning, on April 14, 1907, Miss Minta M. Neet, a daughter of James and Sarah Neet, the former a retired farmer residing at Browning. The father is well known in social and business circles of that community and occupies a prominent
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
place in connection with financial interests as president of the Peo- ples Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson have one daughter, Mildred R.
Mr. Gibson is a democrat in his political views and deeply inter- ested in any good work which tends toward the betterment of his town or county. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in Dawn than he, for, although a young man, he has consti- tuted himself an important factor in its business life and, moreover, possesses the ability which will undoubtedly be the foundation of still greater future success.
MICHAEL P. GIRDNER.
Michael P. Girdner, who resides at No. 131I Polk street, Chilli- cothe, is the owner of one of the most valuable farms in Livingston county, comprising two hundred acres of highly cultivated land. A native of this county, he has lived here for fifty-three years and in this time has not only attained individual success but has been con- structive in the development of agricultural methods as a man who has always followed most progressive ideas in his business. His farm is located on sections 4 and 9, Jackson township, and there he engages in general farming, paying particular attention to stock-raising.
Michael P. Girdner was born in Livingston county, February 3, 1860, and is a son of David and Martha (Smith) Girdner. The father, who resides in Chillicothe, is one of the pioneers of this sec- tion, where he is very prominent and highly esteemed, as was the mother who has passed away. Michael P. Girdner was reared under the parental roof and received his education in the district schools of Jackson township, which he attended until the age of twenty years. During his leisure time he helped his father with the work on the farm and under his guidance became acquainted with the details of agriculture. After laying aside his schoolbooks he began his inde- pendent career, acquiring forty acres of land, to the cultivation of which he gave his undivided attention. Gradually as his means in- creased he extended the boundaries of his farm and now owns two hundred acres of fertile land, where he engages in mixed farming, specializing along the line of stock-raising, which has become an important department of his enterprise. He keeps about six horses, seventy-five head of cattle, one hundred head of hogs and three hun- dred sheep, while he has also fifty head of Angora goats on the farm.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
He also interests himself in poultry raising and keeps several hundred fowls, receiving a gratifying income from this branch of his under- taking. As he is energetic and industrious and has always followed up-to-date and progressive methods in the cultivation of his farm, his property has become one of the most valuable in Livingston county and bespeaks by its appearance the prosperity of its owner. No small part in his success Mr. Girdner attributes to the faithful collaboration and assistance of his wife, while to his judgment of land values it must be attributed that he selected one of the most fertile stretches to be had in this vicinity.
On July 31, 1881, Mr. Girdner married, in Jackson township, Miss Ada Potter, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kennedy) Potter, the father formerly a prominent stock-raiser of Jackson town- ship. Both of the parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Girdner have two children: Frederick K., an electrician who makes his home in Denver, Colorado; and Cora, the wife of James Griffith, a farmer of Jackson township.
Mr. and Mrs. Girdner are members of the Christian church, to which they give their moral and material support. In politics he is a republican and has efficiently served on the township board for a number of years. He has attained the third degree in the Masonic order, in which he is a member of the blue lodge. Mr. Girdner is accounted one of the substantial men of Chillicothe and what suc- cess he has achieved is well merited, for it has been brought about entirely by his own efforts. He is highly respected for his unfaltering allegiance to principles of honorable manhood, which he manifests in his business and social relations, and for his public-spirited citi- zenship.
WADE H. MANNING.
Among the extensive and prosperous landowners of Medicine township, Livingston county, is Wade H. Manning, who has become widely known as a stock-raiser of reputation. His farm of three hundred and forty-five acres is located on section 19, Medicine town- ship, and there he was born December 8, 1879, a son of A. H. and Jennie (Anderson) Manning, both deceased. The father passed away in 1901 and the mother preceded him in death in 1896, both finding their last resting place in Chillicothe cemetery.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Wade H. Manning was reared under the parental roof and re- ceived his education in the public schools of Chillicothe, where he at- tended high school, leaving the latter institution at the age of twenty years. During his vacation periods he had acquainted himself with the methods and details of modern farming under the able guidance of his father and he began to manage the home farm and operate the same even before he reached his majority. Upon the death of his father the property came into his possession. Two hundred acres of the tract is under cultivation and there he engages in mixed farm- ing, paying particular attention to stock-raising, the importance of which branch of his business is evidenced by the fact that he keeps fifteen horses, one hundred head of cattle and about two hundred hogs. Since coming in possession of the property he has instituted a number of improvements, including up-to-date equipment, and has remodeled and improved upon his buildings, greatly enhancing the value of the farm. His stock-raising interests are of such an exten- sive scope that they greatly add to his income and his industry and energy find substantial reward in a most gratifying degree of pros- perity.
On October 1, 1911, Mr. Manning was married to Miss Lucy Clowdis, a daughter of Andrew J. and Mary E. (Smith) Clowdis, both of whom are deceased, the father passing away in March, 1904, and the mother in July, 1901. In his political views Mr. Manning is a democrat and is prominent in the local councils of his party, al- though he has never aspired to public office. His fraternal relations are with the Masonic body, in which he holds membership in the blue lodge. He is one of the most prosperous of the younger farmers of this section and the record which he has made is so creditable that none can grudge him the success which is his.
HON. LAWRENCE F. BONDERER.
Judge Lawrence F. Bonderer, in his dual capacity as officer on the bench and farmer, is well known in Livingston county, where his ambition and ability have carried him beyond the ranks of mediocrity and placed him in a position of leadership. As judge he displays a masterful grasp of every problem presented to him for solution and as agriculturist has been constructive in the de- velopment of this section. Lawrence F. Bonderer serves in the
JOSEPH F. BONDERER
L. F. BONDERER
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
capacity of judge of the western district of Livingston county, which office he has filled since 1908 and at present holds under his third term. He is a native of Livingston county, where he was born in Green township, June 18, 1869, and is a son of Joseph F. and Catherine Seitter Bonderer. The father was one of the early pioneers of this section, where he settled in the early '50s, and it is a peculiar coincidence that he at one time was a candi- date for the same office which our subject is now holding. He was a public-spirited man, far above the average in intelligence, and was very popular, standing high in the esteem of his fellow- men. He held every office of the township and was actively con- nected with the important affairs of its administration. He was a native of Switzerland and after coming to this country settled at first in Illinois, whence he removed to Green township, Livingston county, Missouri. The mother of our subject was of German origin. After a useful and eventful life the father passed away January 25, 1900, and the mother April 29, 1912, and both found their last resting place in the Chillicothe Catholic cemetery. They reared a family of six children: Mary, the widow of Alois Gier, residing in Kansas City; Caroline, the wife of J. H. Gier, a car- penter and contractor of Chillicothe, Missouri; Lawrence F., of this review ; Bertha, the wife of J. A. Dietrich, a general merchant and the postmaster of Utica, Missouri; Theresa, who married M. A. Potts, a farmer of Utica; and J. C., who follows agricultural pursuits in the same locality.
Lawrence F. Bonderer enjoyed the advantages of a good edu- cation in the Utica high school, leaving this institution at the age of sixteen years. After laying aside his school books he assisted his father on the home farm and also in his work as contractor, in which the father had been prominent, owning his own limestone quarry. In 1892 he rented the home farm from his father. It comprises one hundred and eighty-two acres of valuable and rich agricultural land on sections 12 and 13, Green township, and in 1904 he bought the property. He follows mixed farming and is extensively engaged in stock-raising, both branches bringing him gratifying financial returns. He has made many improvements in the equipment of the farm which have greatly added to the value of the property. In 1908 Mr. Bonderer was elected to the office of county judge of the western district of Livingston county and by subsequent reelections has continued in the office and no official has ever been more faultless in honor and fearless in con- Vol. II-3
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