USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri Volume II > Part 15
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Mr. Gex was married in Hughes township, on December 15, 1874, to Elizabeth Burris, who was born in this township, January 19, 1859. She was the daughter of William and Fannie (Saunders) Burris. This family is mentioned at length in another part of this volume. Mrs. Gex was reared and educated in Hughes township, and she has proved to be a faithful life companion, of great encouragement to her husband in his multitudinous af- fairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Gex are the parents of ten children, living, named as fol- lows : Lulu is the wife of W. B. Mountjoy, of Gallatin county, Kentucky ; John A., of Hughes township: Fannie is the wife of J. M. Wilson, of Gra- ham, this county ; Mariam: Will B., of Hughes township: Louisa Ellen is the wife of Halbert Catterson; Louis resides in Lipscomb county, Texas ; Florian C. lives in Gallatin county, Kentucky : Robert B., Jr., lives in Hughes township: Marjorie was burned to death when a little more than two years of age : Mary E. died when in her third year; Bettie.
Mr. and Mrs. Gex are members of the Christian church. They enjoy a wide friendship in this and Gallatin county, Kentucky.
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JACOB L. CHARLES.
The subject of this sketch is one of the well-known and successful agri- culturists of Hughes township. Nodaway county, Missouri, and his residence here has shown him to be a man of business ability and honesty of purpose, so that he has won the confidence of those with whom he has been brought in contact. He is a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, where his birth oc- curred on February 9. 1839. He is a son of Martin W. and Isabella (Carr) Charles, natives respectively of North Carolina and St. Clair county, Illinois, the mother having died in the latter county in 1863. In 1864 the father brought his family to Nodaway county, Missouri, settling near Maryville, in Polk township, where his death occurred when about seventy-two years old. Of their nine children. the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order of birth.
Jacob L. Charles was reared on his father's farm in Illinois and secured his education in the public schools, his vacation periods being devoted to work on the farm. In 1864 he accompanied his father to Nodaway county and settled on the farm in Hughes township where he now lives and to which he has devoted his efforts with the most gratifying results. His farm com- prises two hundred and forty acres of as fine land as can be found in the locality, and he has maintained it at a high standard of agricultural excel- lence, not the least of the improvements being the erection of a splendid set of buildings, the house being attractive and comfortable. the barns com- modious and well arranged, the fences substantial and well kept, the general appearance of the place being pleasing to the eye and indicating the owner to be a man of good judgment and excellent taste. Mr. Charles has given his attention to a general line of farming, in connection with which stock raising has been conducted with considerable success.
On September 11, 1866, in St. Clair county, Illinois, Mr. Charles was united in marriage with Emily Francis, who was born in that county on October II, 1843, the daughter of Isaac and Margaret (Holcomb) Francis. Mr. and Mrs. Charles have had seven children, five of whom are living. namely : Ida F., the wife of John T. Wells; Minnie M .. the wife of George J. Coler; Clarence M., Edward L. and Paul B .; two children, a son and daughter, died in infancy.
Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Charles are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the various activities of which they are deeply interested. Fraternally. Mr. Charles is an appreciative member of Sedgwick Post. Grand Army of the Republic, this membership being particularly consistent from the
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fact that Mr. Charles gave valiant military service to his country in her hour of direst need. On August 13, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Forty- eighth Regiment Missouri Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until June 23, 1865. During his term of enlistment the regiment was assigned mainly to garrison duty at various points, giving valuable service, and during which time the subject was promoted to the rank of corporal. The Charles family has been conspicuous in the military service of the country, the sub- ject's great-grandfather, Elijah Charles, having been a patriot soldier during the war of the Revolution. He was captured by the British and he was about to be executed, the rope being about his neck, when he was rescued. The subject's grandfather, Levin Charles, was a soldier in the war of 1812. holding the rank of lieutenant, and Martin W. Charles, the subject's father, served in the Black Hawk war. Thus, four successive generations of the family have given their best service to the country in her wars, the spirit of his ancestors being exhibited in the son, the subject. Mr. Charles is a man of splendid personal qualities and is held in high repute in the com- munity where he has spent so many active years of his life. He has given his support to those things which promised to be of benefit to the community. and has been a potential force in its development and prosperity.
JOSIAH LAWSON SCOTT.
As a man and citizen. Josiah Lawson Scott occupies a high place in the estimation of the people of Polk township,-in fact, all Nodaway county. He is a man of the people and a representative of the best type of American citizenship, being the descendant of ancestors of sterling worth, who figured prominently in various walks of life from an early day. He has refused to be cast down by any adverse circumstances, and, taking an optimistic view of life, has made his presence felt for good wherever his lot has been cast. He has always been interested in every enterprise for the general wel- fare of the community and liberally supports every movement calculated to benefit his fellow-men in any way.
In view of the prominence of his ancestors, several paragraphs will be devoted to them before proceeding with his individual career. His father. Alexander Foster Scott, was the youngest of eleven children born to Rev. Abraham and Rebecca (McDowell) Scott, the latter the daughter of Judge McDowell and wife. He was born March 11, 1819, and on May 26, 1850. he married Eleanor Barnes, who was born September 1, 1826, and was of
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Scotch-Irish parentage, her mother's father, a soldier in the American Revo- lution, having fought at Valley Forge, and he heard George Washington make his memorable farewell address. Eleanor Barnes was a native of West- moreland county, Pennsylvania. To the union of Alexander F. Scott and Eleanor Barnes were born eight children, namely: Maggie R. died at Mary- ville, Missouri, September 15. 1883 ; William B. lives in Polk township, Nod- away county ; Josiah Lawson, of this review; David Mitchell died in his youth, September 17, 1872, at New Athens, Ohio; John McDowell died at Maryville, Missouri, in May. 1897; Mrs. Ella B. McJimsey and Nannie M., wife of Rev. J. K. Sawyers, both live at Maryville; Martha E., wife of Rev. Henry A. Sawyers, lives in St. Joseph.
Alexander Foster Scott died at Cadiz, Ohio, November 25, 1865. His wife, Eleanor Barnes, was killed by being run over by a train at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of September 10, 1894. Alexander Scott came to Nodaway county in an early day and entered twenty-one hundred acres of land near Maryville, which has become quite valuable and which is still owned by his heirs. He was a good business man and was admired for his integrity and generosity.
Rev. Abraham Scott, father of Alexander Foster Scott, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1763. On June 18, 1793, he mar- ried Rebecca McDowell, daughter of the Hon. John and Jane (Bradford) McDowell. The paternal grandfather of the subject was a noted Presby- terian minister and a missionary in eastern Ohio as early as 1804, when the country was a wild stretch of woodlands, abounding in wild beasts and Indians. He was a brave and good man and accomplished much for the early settlers in the way of moral reform and material aid. He was the father of the following children: William M., Violet, Nancy, Josiah, John, James, Rebecca, Abraham, Abraham Park, Samuel and Alexander Foster. The eighth, Abraham, died in infancy and John died at the age of fifteen. The first son, Hon. William M. Scott, was born March 22, 1794, in Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania. After his marriage he settled in Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1815, which county he served several times in the General Assembly, and he served in the State Senate in 1835 and 1836, also in 1839 and 1840. He was also a justice of the peace for thirty-three consecutive years. His death occurred on June 24, 1864. He had a hand in framing the consti- tution of the state of Ohio. as did also his brother, the Hon. Josiah Scott. who was born April 3. 1802. The latter was a lawyer and lived at Cadiz, Ohio, and was chosen to represent his district in the General Assembly and in the convention which framed the constitution. The Hon. William Scott, of
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Guernsey county, his brother, Hon. Josiah Scott, of Cadiz, and their cousin. Hon. Josiah Scott, of Bucyrus, all had seats in the General Assembly of Ohio at the same time. Josiah Scott, of Cadiz, was a law partner of the Hon. Chancey Dewey and later of the Hon. John A. Bingham, the latter being the famous and able member of Congress and afterwards minister to the Ce- lestial empire. He was also appointed and prosecuted the slayers of Abra- ham Lincoln. Hon. Josiah Scott, of Bucyrus, was noted for his great mem- ory. He had, perhaps, no superior in mathematics in his day and generation in America, and it is especially worthy of mention that a mathematical prob- lem that had been declared in Great Britain and on the continent of Europe to be insolvable, was solved by him, for which he received the highest con- mendation of one of the most celebrated mathematical journals of the world, published in London.
Judge McDowell, father of Mrs. Abraham Scott, was born September 23, 1736, in the north of Ireland, near Belfast. His father was a judge and a man of prominence and came from Scotland. In 1781 Judge McDowell was chosen as one of the first commissioners of Washington county, Penn- sylvania, and in 1783 he was chosen one of the council of censors for the state. These censors were chosen every seven years, and it was made their duty to inquire if the constitution had been preserved inviolate, whether the different branches of government had performed their duty faithfully and whether the taxes were justly laid, etc. ; also to call a convention to amend any article of the constitution which might be defective. In 1798 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives in the State Legislature and was successively re-elected in 1799, 1800 and 1801. On April 8, 1802, Governor Thomas Mckean commissioned him as one of the associate judges of the court of common pleas for Washington county, Pennsylvania. He took the oath of office on May 3Ist following, and continued in office until October, 1808, when he resigned on account of failing health.
Josiah Scott, third, father of Abraham Scott, was born in 1735, and was the father of twelve children, eight by his first marriage and four by his last. After learning the blacksmith's trade he married Violet Foster, in 1760, and settled at Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1773; he removed to Washington county, Pennsylvania, near Washington, where he worked at his trade and farmed until old age. His death occurred in 1819, at the age of eighty-four years.
Abraham Scott, second, father of Josiah Scott, third, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1677, and his death occurred in 1760. He left three sons, Hugh. Josiah and Thomas, probably others. Thomas Scott was elected
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as the first member to Congress from Washington county, Pennsylvania, after its organization. His death occurred in 1796. Hugh Scott, the patriarch. came to this country from the north of Ireland, according to a fairly reliable tradition, and settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, probably about two hundred and twenty years ago. His brother, Josiah, came to America at the same time. The Scott ancestors were they who, under the Acts of Settlement, took estates in the north of Ireland, carrying from Scotland the religion of the covenant, and maintaining it amidst the desolation caused by fire, sword and famine. alternately conquer- ing and being conquered for two hundred years. The savage character of these wars was intensified by the animosity of race and religion. It was amid such experiences that the foundation of the Scott family was laid and an intense longing for civil and religious liberty drove old Hugh, the first. and Josiah to the shores of the Delaware, even before the grant to William Penn. When, in 1610, the crown confiscated the estate of turbulent chiefs in the north of Ireland, and offered the wasted lands for settlement to the Scottish Presbyterians, they accepted the invitation, in the hope and under a promise that they would not be prosecuted for non-conformity to the rights of the established church. Emigration offered a prospect of religious liberty. This plantation of Ulster was in a measure the counterpart of the emigration of the Puritans to Holland, the latter finding their way to Ply- mouth Rock, Massachusetts, in 1620, becoming the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. They were transformed in name into Scotch-Irish and fitted to be leaders in the founding of the great American republic whose corner-stone is civil and religious liberty.
When persecution in Ireland became unbearable, only the boldest of those who were in the most imminent danger dared the perils of the deep and still greater supposed perils and known dangers and hardships that lay be- vond.
We read with interest of the treaty of William Penn with the Indians; but prior to that time the banks of the Delaware were covered with illimit- able forests and behind each tree was said to lurk a brave and implacable foe, that spared neither mother nor the babe in her arms. But when Francis Mckenzie, the first Scotch-Irish minister, arrived. he found the people al- ready widely scattered: some on the plains of New Jersey, some on the banks of the Delaware and along the rivers of Virginia and the Carolinas. At this time the population of Pennsylvania was not more than twelve thou- sand souls. Even in 1699, when Annie, granddaughter of Hugh Scott. was born, the entire population was less than twenty thousand; thus it is
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seen that Hugh and Josiah Scott were pioneers of our race in America, and from this time on it seems as if Ireland made an effort to send the major part of her population to the New World. In 1701 the population was still twenty thousand, and in 1849 it was two hundred and fifty thousand. From this small start less than three hundred years ago, this nation has grown to the greatest of the earth; and the Scotts have done their part. not only through this one branch of the family, but through the many different branches.
Josiah Lawson Scott, the immediate subject of this review, was born October 17, 1854. in Jefferson county. Ohio, and he was quite young when his parents moved to Harrison county, Ohio, first living near Cadiz and later at New Athens, Ohio, the town in which Franklin College is situated at which he and his brothers and sisters attended school, and he remained there until he was twenty-six years old. assisting with the general work about the homestead. On March 24. 1880. he married Rachael A. Dunlap, daugh- ter of Joshua and Nancy Dunlap. Her parents were of Scotch-Irish blood. In May. 1880, soon after his marriage, Mr. Scott came to Nodaway county, settling in Polk township, and he has resided here ever since, a period of thirty years, during which time he has seen and taken part in great changes. He is today one of the leading farmers and stock men of Polk township. his farm consisting of four hundred and eighty acres. all improved. He has a beautifully located and commodious home, in Maryville, which is sur- rounded by an excellent variety of fruit and shade trees and good outbuild- ings. Politically, he is a Republican and while he takes more or less in- terest in all local political issues, he has not been an office seeker himself, although always ready to do what he deemed necessary to advance the in- terests of his party and the general good of the community. Mrs. Scott is an active member of the Presbyterian church, and, like her husband, is pop- ular with a large circle of friends. Three children have graced their union, namely : Jessie B .. born January 9. 1881. died January 13, 1883; Emmet Foster, born March 17, 1883, and Clark Ray. born February 28, 1888.
GEORGE S. MILLER.
One of the honored public servants in Nodaway county is George S. Miller, who has forged his way to the front by a strong inherent force and well directed intelligence and judgment and he stands today among the enterprising, public spirited men of his locality. He keeps fully in touch
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with means and measures for the advancements of Maryville and for the welfare of the populace, being mindful of the duties he owes to the commu- nity, discharging the same as becomes a man of character and influence. and as a citizen he is fully abreast of the times, having decided opinions and the courage of his convictions on all the leading questions of the day. He has made a very commendable record as county engineer, which responsible position he is at this writing holding.
Mr. Miller was born on August 3, 1856, in DeKalb county, Indiana. He is the son of Joseph Miller, one of the very earliest settlers of northern Indiana, having first visited that country as a government deputy surveyor several years before any permanent settlement was made, when the cabin of the French fur trader and the wigwam of the red man were still to be found. Joseph Miller married Rebecca Moody, daughter of Daniel Moody. a German who came to DeKalb county with the first pioneers. The par- ents of George S. Miller were married in 1832, and they reared a family of twelve children, of whom George S. was the youngest in order of birth. The father and his sons developed a good farm from the wilderness and became well established.
George S. Miller came with his father to Nodaway county, Missouri. in 1866, a lad ten years old, and he grew to manhood on a farm near Guil- ford, and during the winter months attended the neighboring schools. How- ever, his father being hard pressed to make a living for his large family while they were growing up, and also owing to the fact that educational facilities were limited, the subject did not receive a very extended text-book train- ing, consequently he has been compelled to make up for it in home study. He became quite proficient in mathematics, in the study of which his father encouraged him, and from the fact that the elder Miller was a civil engineer he was quite capable of initiating his son into the mysteries of higher mathe- matics. The fact that the father also held the office of county surveyor also gave the young man practice along with "theory."
In 1887 George S. Miller moved to Wichita county. Kansas, and in the fall of 1888 he was elected to the office of county surveyor and com- missioner of roads and bridges, which he held for eight years in a manner that won the confidence and approval of all concerned. In March. 1902. he was married to Mary Flanagan, of Nodaway county, her father having come to this locality in 1870 and became well known in his community.
Mr. and Mrs. Miller lived in Kansas three years, then returned to Nod- away county. After serving as deputy county surveyer for a period of six years, Mr. Miller was elected county surveyor and bridge commissioner in the fall of 1904. and he was re-elected to the same office in the fall of 1909.
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On February 12, 1910, he was appointed county highway engineer, being the first man who ever held two county offices in Nodaway county. This is certainly evidence of his high standing among his fellow citizens here and of his genuine worth and ability as a public servant. As an official he is said to be obliging, courteous, painstaking, honest and conscientious at all times.
To Mr. and Mrs. Miller six children have been born, namely : Walter, Ira, Karl, Garland, Mary and Isaac, all members of the home circle and students in the Maryville schools
WILLIAM A. BURRIS.
In looking over the list of eligible citizens in Hughes township, whose lives have been such as to entitle them to representation in a history of Nod- away county, the name of William A. Burris is encountered near the top of the list. He was born here, west of Graham, May 7, 1862. His father was William Burris and his mother was Mary Frances (Saunders) Burris; the father was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, and the mother's birth oc- curred in Virginia. They were married in Nodaway county and settled west of Graham where they lived for many years and then settled in Polk town- ship, about two miles south of Maryville, where Mr. Burris died April 19, 1898, his wife dying on November 20. 1904, when sixty-five years old, he being upwards of sixty. Nine children were born to them, three of whom are living at this writing. Elizabeth, who is the wife of R. B. Gex. William A. and Giles S.
William A. Burris grew to maturity on the home place west of Graham and there received his education in the home schools and at Maryville. After finishing his education he turned his attention to farming on his father's place, where he lived until his marriage and where he learned the science of one of the noblest of arts.
On June 22, 1893, Mr. Burris formed a matrimonial alliance, at Mary- ville, with Annie D. Holmes, who was born at Liberty, Missouri. May 12, 1864, the daughter of Samuel H. and Lucinda ( Mitchell) Holmes. The father was a native of Ohio and the mother of Iowa. They spent most of their mar- ried life in Clay county, Missouri, but they both died in Maryville, he on February 1. 1910, at the advanced age of ninety-seven years, and she at the age of sixty-seven. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. Burris was the youngest.
After his marriage Mr. Burris engaged for a period of six years in the
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mercantile business in Maryville, then returned to farming. In the spring of 1899 he settled on the farm where he now lives, owning eighty acres of well-improved land which yields him a very satisfactory income.
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Burris, namely : Helen H .. William R .. Lewis R., Joe E. and Anna V. Mr. Burris takes a great deal of interest in the political affairs of his township, and he and Mrs. Burris are members of the Baptist church. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America.
ANDREW M. COTTRIL.
In scanning the list of Monroe township's deceased citizens, they who, in a past generation, carried forward to completion the splendid work begun by the pioneers, and who left behind them not only good homes and one of the best agricultural sections of the state, but at the same time reputations of which their descendants should be justly proud, the name of Andrew M. Cott- ril is soon encountered, for after laboring here successfully for many years he took up his journey to the silent land. He was born in Hocking county. Ohio, September 16, 1845, the son of George and Mary (Mace) Cottril, and when he was about six years of age his parents took him to West Virginia, where they lived until Andrew M. was thirteen years old, then moved back to Ohio and remained until he was twenty-two; then he and his brother, Sinnet, came to Stark county, Illinois, and worked at farm work by the month for Gus Bailey at twenty-five dollars per month, which was considered good pay in those days, but he was an extraordinary good hand and lost only four days in two years.
On September 7, 1870, Andrew M. Cottril married Lottie A. Davis. daughter of William and Lois ( Moody) Davis, the former being the son of Daniel and Rachael (Ennis) Davis, the latter of Scotch-Irish descent. Lois Moody was the daughter of Ira and Anna Maria ( Reeves) Moody. Ira Moody came to Peoria county, Illinois, from Wisconsin and Anna Maria Reeves from Ohio. The grandparents of Mrs. Cottril on both sides were among the very first settlers in Stark and Peoria counties, Illinois, and in those early days they were accustomed to make trips to Chicago with ox teams. a distance of over one hundred miles, for the purpose of doing their trading.
After his marriage Mr. Cottril moved with his bride to Atchison county, Missouri, and the following spring began farming on rented land, continuing this and working for others for a period of four years. He then came to Nodaway county and bought eighty acres in the west end of Green township. later buying another tract of forty acres adjoining. then another forty, mak-
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