USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri Volume I > Part 54
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
(36)
562
PAST AND PRESENT
On November 30, 1909, Mr. Griffith was united in marriage with Edith May Jones, of Braymer, Missouri, an intelligent and cultured woman. Mrs. Griffith is an expert photographer and is now engaged in that line, conduct- ing a studio at Hopkins and commanding a large and constantly increasing patronage. Her work is of a high order, her artistic taste being evidenced in the quality and character of the work she turns out. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith move in the best social circles of Hopkins and are deservedly popular with their associates.
Politically, Mr. Griffith is an ardent Republican and takes a commendable interest in local public affairs. His religious membership is with the Meth- odist Episcopal church, to which his wife also belongs, and to this society they give an earnest and liberal support. Though young in years, Mr. Grif- fith has formed a proper conception of life and its responsibilities and his life thus far gives great promise for the future years.
STEPHEN KELLAR WRAY.
The strong, true men of a people are always public benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate and specific labors they perform can be defined by metes and bounds ; but the good they do through the forces they put in motion and through the inspiration of their presence and example is im- measurable by any finite gauge or standard of value. The late Stephen Kel- lar Wray was such a man. To epitomize his life and character within the lim- its which this work allows is impossible. But less than most men his equal does he need the voice of eulogy. For many years a resident of Nodaway county, Missouri, which was the scene of his mature labors, he left a distinct impress on the civic and commercial life of the county and in his death the community suffered an irreparable loss. Probably no man who ever lived in the county held a warmer place in the hearts and affections of the people, or whose mem- ory is today more revered, than he, and this history of Nodaway county would be incomplete were there failure to make specific mention of him.
Stephen Kellar Wray was born January 27. 1834. on a farm in Gallia county, Ohio, and he was the second in order of birth of the children born to John and Sarah ( Wiseman) Wray. His father was a farmer and also engaged in teaching in the country schools. They were pioneers of Gallia county, as also they were afterwards of Nodaway county, Missouri, having moved to this state in 1854. They located three miles east of Pickering on a
563
NODAWAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.
large tract of land, buying part and entering part. The parents spent the re- mainder of their days on this farm, the father dying there in 1880 and the mother in 1904. They reared nine children, eight of whom are still living. John Wray was a man of considerable native ability and occupied a prom- inent place in the community, having served at one time as county judge. in which position he gave eminent satisfaction. In politics he was a Republican. while his fraternal relations were with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Stephen K. Wray grew to manhood in his native county and secured his education in the schools of Gallia county and in eastern Iowa. He engaged in teaching school at Hillsboro, Iowa, and up to the opening of the Civil war he engaged in teaching school during the winter months, engaging in farm work during the summer. He came with his parents to Nodaway county in the spring of 1854. When the tocsin of war was sounded the patriotic senti- ment of Mr. Wray was promptly aroused and in the fall of 1861 he enlisted in what was known as Kimball's Six-months Volunteers, in which command he held the rank of first lieutenant. He also served eight months in the Home Guards, holding the position of captain of a company. In the fall of 1863 he was appointed recruiting officer of the Twelfth Missouri Cavalry and. in company with Captain Martin, he recruited Comapny F of this command, be- ing made first lieutenant of the company, and afterwards was appointed adju- tant of the regiment. He proved a valiant and courageous soldier and took part in many of the most hotly contested battles of the war. At the battle of Campbellsville he was captured by the enemy, but, thirty-six hours later, while being taken South, he effected his escape and. after a month of exposure and hardship, he rejoined his regiment and served with it until the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge in 1865.
At the close of his military service, Mr. Wray returned to his home in Polk township. Nodaway county, and there gave his attention chiefly to agri- cultural pursuits until in March. 1880, when he came to Hopkins and engaged in the hardware and implement business in partnership with A. Watson.
Subsequently he purchased Mr. Watson's interest and conducted the busi- ness alone until his death, which occurred on January 24. 1901, at the age of sixty-six years, eleven months and twenty-seven days, his death terminat- ing a brief illness with pneumonia. The funeral services, which were held at the Methodist church, were very largely attended. the edifice not holding half the people who came to pay their last respects to the man whom they had admired in life. The Masonic lodge of Hopkins, of which Mr. Wray was an appreciative member, attended the funeral in a body. Among the many eulogistic expressions uttered at that time. the following from the tongue of
-
564
PAST AND PRESENT
Rev. C. J. John, pastor of the Methodist church, are beautifully expressive of the esteem in which the deceased was held: "If there had come a message from heaven declaring there was but one honest man in Hopkins, the people with one voice would have said : That man is S. K. Wray. No man lives for a nobler purpose than to make the world better. This is what the deceased did. No man associated with him without feeling the impress of his influence for good. his influence being the result of the inherent force of a noble life rather than from any effort on his part. In my forty-six years of experience with men in the church I,have never known a more conscientious, faithful man than Stephen K. Wray." Other words of similar import were uttered on all sides, and Xenia Lodge, No. 50, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Hopkins, passed strong resolutions of respect. At the age of eleven years Stephen Wray joined the Methodist Episcopal church and during all the subsequent years he never wavered in his allegiance to it nor in his full performance of what he considered his duty, his unassumed, practical piety, Christian manliness and faithful devotion to his church and his God having been among his most marked characteristics.
Politically, Mr. Wray was a stanch Republican and took an intelligent interest in local public affairs, having served at one time as a member of the county court, where he acquitted himself with dignity and honor.
On April 30, 1859, Mr. Wray was united in marriage to Mary Carmean, the daughter of Curtis and Mary (Coddington) Carmean. Curtis Carmean was a native of Maryland, where he was born on October 3. 1806. He re- moved to Ohio, where he met Miss Coddington, their marriage afterwards occurring in Indiana. His death occurred in Hillsboro, Iowa, in 1882, after which event his widow made her home with her daughter. Mrs. Wray, at Hopkins. Her death occurred in 1892, while she was on a visit to Nebraska. To Mr. and Mrs. Wray were born six children, namely: Rosa M., the wife of D. A. Bugby, of Steele City, Nebraska; M. Alice, the wife of Frank Mahan. of Hopkins : Curtis, of Maryville, this county ; Bertha L., the wife of O. H. Saylor, of Hopkins; Howard, cashier of the bank at Pickering, and Florence, wife of Fred B. Monroe, assistant cashier of the Bank of Hopkins.
DANA AMOS SARGENT. M. D.
Professional success results from merit. Frequently in commercial life one may come into possession of a lucrative business through inheritance or gift. but in what are known as the learned professions advancement is gained
565
NODAWAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.
only through painstaking and long-continued effort. Prestige in the healing art is the outcome of strong mentality, close application, thorough mastery of its great underlying principles and the ability to apply theory to practice in the treatment of diseases. Good intellectual training. thorough professional knowledge and the possession and utilization of the qualities and attributes essential to success, have made the subject of this review eminent in his chosen calling and he stands today among the scholarly and successful physi- cians in a community noted for the high order of its medical talent.
Dana Amos Sargent was born May 18, 1854, in Ontario, Lagrange county, Indiana, and he is a son of Amos David and Eliza T. (Worthing) Sargent. Amos D. Sargent, who during his active years was a successful and well-known physician, was born on February 3, 1814. At the age of thir- teen years he suffered the loss of both of his parents and there was cast upon him the care of several smaller children. The lad was equal to the emergency. however, and not only cared for them, but managed to educate himself in the common branches and then worked his way through the Laporte Medical College. Eventually he married Eliza T. Worthing, and established himself in the practice of his profession at Ontario, Indiana. Later, in 1857, he moved to Butler, Illinois, where he remained until 1861, when he went to Ashtabula county, Ohio, from there to northern Illinois, and then, in 1865. to Boone county, Iowa. In 1867 he came to Hopkins township, Nodaway county, where he remained engaged in the active practice until his death .. which occurred on August 13, 1895. His wife died on July 15, 1903. They were the parents of six children, of which number but two are now living, the subject of this sketch, and Francena, the wife of T. R. DeWolf, of Atchi- son township, this county. Dr. Amos D. Sargent was an ardent Democrat in politics and a member of the Masonic order.
Dana A. Sargent was reared by his parents, whom he accompanied on their various removals, receiving part of his education in the schools of Ash- tabula county. Ohio, and Boone county, Iowa. He completed his common school studies after coming to Nodaway county and during the vacation per- iods he worked on a farm. He had long entertained the intention of taking up the practice of medicine for his life work and. with this end in view, he had studied the science under his father's direction. At the age of twenty-three years he matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, where he was graduated in 1878, with the degree of Doctor of Med- icine. He returned to his home and engaged in the active practice in asso- ciation with his father, with whom he remained until the latter's death in 1895. since which time he has practiced alone, being now considered one of the lead-
1
566
PAST AND PRESENT
ing physicians of Nodaway county and commanding a large and representative clientele. His ability to trace the devious paths of disease through the human system and to remove its effects is widely recognized, and a mind well dis- ciplined by severe professional training and strengthened by the salutary counsels of his father, together with a natural aptitude for close investiga- tion and critical research. have peculiarly fitted him for the calling in which he is engaged. He possesses the tact and happy faculty of inspiring confi- dence on the part of his patients and in the sick room his genial presence and conscious ability to cope successfully with disease are factors that have con- tributed much to the enviable standing which he has attained.
In November, 1881, Doctor Sargent married Carrie E. Wallace, the daughter of T. D. Wallace, and they became the parents of two children, Lawrence, now of Hopkins, and Ethel, the wife of Charles Brown, of Inde- pendence township, this county. Mrs. Sargent died on December 8, 1884, and in November. 1885. the Doctor married Mary Donlin, to which union three children have been born, Edna. John F. and Lois, the last two being in school.
Politically. Doctor Sargent is a stanch Democrat and takes a deep interest in public affairs, though his professional duties have to a large extent precluded his giving any serious attention to public affairs, aside from the casting of his ballot. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Genial in disposition and courteous in manner, the Doctor enjoys a large acquaintance throughout the northern part of Nodaway county and by all who know him he is held in the highest esteem because of his genuine worth.
JOHN W. LINDSAY.
The subject of this sketch, who for a number of years has been closely identified with agricultural and business affairs in Nowaday county, en- joys a splendid reputation among his business associates because of his sound business judgment and his sterling qualities of character. Though not an old resident of this county. he is none the less loyal to its interests and his influence is ever to be found on the side of progress and advance- ment in local affairs.
John W. Lindsay was born on April 21, 1863, and is a son of John H. and Amelia (DeWolf) Lindsay. He was reared to manhood by his parents in LaSalle county, Illinois, where he was born, and secured a good prac-
-
Dalle A Cramer gnr H. Cramer
-
-
567
NODAWAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.
tical education in the public schools. In the spring of 1887 he came with his father to Nodaway county, locating at Allison, where they remained a year. Subsequently the subject bought a farm of three hundred and sixty acres near Gaynor, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted his energies assiduously during the following seven years. He was a practical stockman and his operations were attended with a very gratifying measure of success. In the fall of 1896 Mr. Lindsay left the farm and took up his residence in the town of Hopkins, where he now resides. He is still the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of the old farm, from which he derives considerable income, though for several years his efforts have been mainly expended in the stock business, in which he has met with pronounced success. Though maintaining his residence at Hopkins, his business headquarters are at Sterling, Colorado, where he has large interests. Mr. Lindsay is a man of clear-headed business ideas and guides along successful lines everything to which he gives his attention, be- ing generally considered a man of unusual shrewdness and acumen.
In February, 1888, Mr. Lindsay was united in marriage to Harriett Gardner, of Mendota. Illinois, and this union has been blessed with two offspring, namely: Frances Hazel, who secured a good education, being a graduate of the Hopkins high school, and is now employed in the post- office : and John H., who is employed as a clerk with B. Wooldridge & Son. clothing merchants at Hopkins. The members of this family move in the best social circles of the community where they live and are popular with their associates and acquaintances. Mr. Lindsay is a man of genial dispo- sition and pleasing address and enjoys an extensive acquaintance, being well liked by all who know him. Persistent industry, sound common sense and correct principles have been the keynotes to his success and he is right- fully numbered among the leading citizens of his community.
WILLIAM H. CRAMER.
It is the pride of the inhabitants of this country that, when the great Civil war between the states closed, all the vast army of citizen soldiery quietly laid down their arms and returned to the pursuits of peace. It was predicted by the governments of Europe, not only that the country would be divided. but that after the war an enormous army would be kept up and a military dictatorship be established. Foreign nations did not understand the spirit of
568
PAST AND PRESENT
the people of this country, that is, the spirit of the people in all the free states. They could not understand how we had come to love the name of liberty and be willing to sacrifice blood and treasure to save a country founded upon the rock of freedom. In view of these misguided ideas, the most of the foreign nations stood ready to pounce upon the fragments when the smoke of war had rolled away. But they beheld a splendid sight instead. They saw the great armies melt away, saw a reunited country in which liberty was a fact as well as a name, and saw the soldiers return to their farms and shops, mills and various other vocations. Among those sturdy sons of the North, who, after fighting valiantly for their country during its hour of need, went to work earnestly in the channels of civil pursuits and has won not only pecuniary success but. what is better still. the honor and respect of his contemporaries, is the subject of this review.
William H. Cramer was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, on September 19, 1839. and is the son of Richard and Charlotte (Lenox) Cramer. The father, who also was born in St. Lawrence county, spent his entire life there, dying in 1855. The mother was born in Glasgow. Scotland. and she died in St. Lawrence county in 1903. The subject was reared under the parental roof and secured a good, practical education in the common schools of his home neighborhood. At the outbreak of the great Civil war. his patriotic impulses were aroused. and in July, 1862, he enlisted in Com -. pany F. One Hundred and Sixth Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. He proved a valiant and courageous soldier and was always in the thick of the fight, participating in a number of the most hotly contested battles of that great conflict. At Fair- mont, West Virginia, he was captured by the Confederates and was held a prisoner for some time. being finally paroled.
At the expiration of his period of enlistment, Mr. Cramer returned to St. Lawrence county. New York, but a few months later he went to Decatur county. Michigan, where he spent one summer, going then to Illinois, where he remained a year. In 1867 he came to Holt county, Missouri, where he re- mained until 1869, when he came to Nodaway county, settling in Hughes township, where he has resided since with the exception of two years spent in Atchison county, this state. Farming and stock raising has been his life occupation, and in this he has chosen wisely, for mother earth has been kind to him and in return for his earnest efforts he has been rewarded with a gratifying degree of prosperity. He is the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of fine land in Hughes township, all of which is improved and
569
NODAWAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.
in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Cramer has been a practical and progres- sive farmer, keeping in touch with advanced ideas relating to the science of husbandry, and in the handling of livestock he has met with uniform success, being numbered among the leading farmers of his section of the county.
In Will county, Illinois, on September 24. 1867, Mr. Cramer married Dollie Ann Goodwin, who was born in that county on February 22. 1849. a daughter of William and Rebecca (Althouse) Goodwin, the former a native of New York state and the latter of Ohio, their deaths occurring in Will county, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Cramer have been born eight chil- dren, namely : Charlotte R., Alta May, Lois H., Bertha E., Emma Naomi, William E. and Iva I. : Jesse died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Cramer is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party and takes an intelligent interest in local public affairs, though he is not in any sense an office seeker. Fraternally. he is a member of the time-honored order of Freemasons. Large-hearted, broad-minded and public spirited, he has been an influential factor in local affairs and he is held in the highest esteem throughout the community.
FREDERICK EARL WOOLDRIDGE.
The gentleman whose name heads this paragraph is widely known as one of the enterprising and successful business men of Hopkins, Nodaway county, Missouri. He has lived here practically all his life and for a num- ber of years has been prominently identified with the commercial interests of the community. His well-directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment have brought to him prosperity, and his life demonstrates what may be accom- plished by any man of energy and ambition who is not afraid to work and has the perseverance to continue his labors in the face of any discourage- ments that may arise. In all the relations of life he has commanded the re- spect and confidence of those with whom he has been brought in contact. and as a representative citizen of his community he is entitled to representa- tion in a work of this character.
Frederick Earl Wooldridge was born on July 8, 1874, at Moulton, Iowa. and is a son of Baxter and Melessia E. (Bailey) Wooldridge. Baxter Wool- dridge, who was born on October 26, 1839, at Jamestown, Kentucky, was a son of William and Margaret Wooldridge, who were both natives of the state of Virginia, where they were reared and educated, and where their mar-
570
PAST AND PRESENT
riage occurred. In 1846 this honored couple moved to Bloomfield, Iowa, where they followed agricultural pursuits, and there the wife died in 1856. William Wooldridge remained on the farm until 1888, when he moved to Hopkins, Nodaway county, where his death occurred one year later.
Baxter Wooldridge received a good practical education in his youth, and in 1856 he began teaching school, in which line of effort he met with splendid success, his pedagogical experience covering a period of ten years. In 1865 he located at Unionville, Iowa, where he engaged in the mercantile business during the following four years, and in 1869 he located at Moulton, lowa, where until 1877 he was also engaged in the conduct of a store. In each of these enterprises he met with gratifying success, but, believing that Hopkins, Nodaway county, Missouri, offered better opportunities for busi- ness, he came here in 1877 and embarked in the clothing and shoe business. The soundness of his judgment was vindicated, for he met with success in his business affairs from the start. the business rapidly growing to large proportions. In 1896 he took his sons. Frederick E. and Horace Edgar, into the business as partners, and it was conducted by them jointly until January I, 1906, when Edgar withdrew and went to Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, where he now lives. Baxter Wooldridge is also now living at the latter place, having turned over the entire management of the store to Frederick. Mr. Wooldridge for the long period of forty-two years has been affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
On July 1, 1869. Baxter Wooldridge was united in marriage with Me- lessia E. Bailey, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and their union has been blessed in the birth of two children, Horace Edgar, referred to above, and Frederick E., of Hopkins. The mother of these children died on September 15. 1907, at Cheyenne Wells. Colorado. She was a woman of culture and refinement and her excellent qualities of character endeared her to all who knew her.
Frederick E. Wooldridge received his education in the public schools of Hopkins, upon the completion of which he entered his father's store as clerk, and in 1896, as before stated, he was taken into partnership with his father and brother. He gives his entire attention to the business and is so conducting it as to enjoy a large and satisfactory patronage. He carries a large and well-selected stock of goods and the appointments of the store are excellent, customers receiving the best and most courteous treatment at all times, so that it is one of the most popular trading places in the town.
In 1903 Mr. Wooldridge married Elsie E. Downer, of Hopkins, and they have become the parents of three children, Margaret. Frederick E., Jr .. and Elizabeth. Fraternally, Mr. Wooldridge is a member of the Ancient Free
571
NODAWAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.
and Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. Because of his splendid personal qualities of character and his genuine worth, he is popular in the circles in which he moves, being numbered among the repre- sentative men of the community.
HOWARD WRAY.
In examining the life records of the citizens of Nodaway county of a past generation, who have finished their allotted tasks and passed into the unknown. the biographer finds none worthier of a place in the history of this locality than that of Stephen K. Wray. He was born in Gallia county, Ohio, Janu- ary 27, 1834. and he was called to his reward on January 24, 1901. He came with his parents to Iowa in 1853, and the following spring ( 1854) moved to Nodaway county, Missouri. He received a good education in his native state and after coming here he taught school during the winter months and farmed in the summer. When the Civil war came on he served as first lieutenant in Kimball's volunteer regiment and was at one time captain of a company of Home Guards. In the fall of 1863 he organized Company F. Twelfth Missouri Cavalry, and he became adjutant of the regiment, and he saw some very strenuous service at the front, and, according to his comrades, always performed his duty faithfully. He was captured by the enemy at Campbellsville, Tennessee, but escaped in thirty-six hours, being absent one month from his regiment. He served until the close of the war, after which he returned to Nodaway county where he became possessor of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Polk township. In March, 1880, he bought a half interest with a Mr. Watson in an agricultural implement business at Hopkins and there continued in the active trade until his death, building up a very successful business and becoming known as one of the enterprising men of this section of the county.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.