USA > Missouri > Johnson County > Portrait and biographical record of Johnson and Pettis counties, Missouri ; containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 51
USA > Missouri > Pettis County > Portrait and biographical record of Johnson and Pettis counties, Missouri ; containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 51
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 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85
became President of the United States, and re- ceived his Christian name in honor of the Harri- son family. In 1807 he moved to Logan County, Ky., where he followed his trade of a millwright, and assisted in putting up all the best mills erect- ed in Logan County at that time, many of them lying along the Red River. About 1811 he made a visit to his old Virginia home, and soon after his return to the Blue Grass State was married. Later he became the owner of a large plantation and many slaves, but in 1837 sold out his inter- ests there and started with his household effects in a wagon for Cass County, Mo. He there bought about six hundred and forty acres of land, living thereon until his death, which occurred in May, 1849. The mother died in Kentucky in 1826, and the father afterward re-married. Four of his children came to Missouri with him, and one of them, a daughter who had been married, was accompanied by her husband, Daniel Cusenbary, who settled in Jackson County, Mo. After the father's death, although all of his children were of age, his estate was not divided until nearly twenty years had passed, when they had a re- union of the family and made a settlement of af- fairs. The old homestead is yet in the hands of the heirs.
John Davis was born in Logan County, Ky., April 23, 1818, and was a youth of nineteen years when he came to this state. Soon after- ward he began to trade in stock, in this way get- ting a start in business life. Though he had had poor opportunities for obtaining an education, he was naturally an apt student, and on reaching his majority taught a country school, following this occupation during the winter for several years. When he was in his twenty-fourth year he entered a tract of Government land, and his father deeded to him a quarter-section of timber. For his fu- ture companion and helpmate along life's jour- ney he chose Sally J. Colburn, of Warrensburg, their marriage being celebrated November 17, 1847. The young couple began housekeeping on the farm owned by Mr. Davis in Cass County, but at the end of a year and a-half moved to Warrensburg, where Mrs. Davis was born.
In 1858 our subject obtained a clerkship in the
421
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
general store conducted by his wife's father in this city, and while in his employ obtained a practical knowledge of the business. April 7, 1851, he started out for himself in that part of the city called "Old Town," where he had built a good storeroom. Two years afterward, however, he sold out and returned to agricultural pursuits. Soon his old taste for trading asserted itself, and, buying a lot of miles, he took them to Pleasant Hill, Cass County, where he exchanged them for a stock of goods. During the next two years his time was given to his business at Pleasant Hill, but while living there he lost his three children, and this so preyed upon his mind that he found it necessary to lead a more active life. After en- tering some land on Sugar Creek and stocking the place, he built a good home and moved there- to, living in that vicinity until the beginning of the war. During that troublesome period he lived quietly at Warrensburg, having no difficul- ties with any one, but attending strictly to his own affairs. In early days he was a Whig, and his first Presidential ballot was cast for his great- uncle, William Henry Harrison, in 1840. Since 1856 he has given his allegiance to the Democ- racy, but has never been in any sense of the word a politician.
October 7, 1890, the first wife of Mr. Davis was laid to rest and he was thus left alone in the world. November 28, 1894, he married Mrs. Isadore M. Mitchell, daughter of Dr. J. T. and Catherine (Arnold) Hunt. She was born in Polk County, Mo., November 9, 1852, and when she was five years old moved with her parents to Texas. A few years later she returned to this county, and March 7, 1877, became the wife of Thomas M. Mitchell, a farmer of Jasper County, whose death occurred September 8, 1879.
At the age of sixteen years John Davis became a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, but on coming to Warrensburg he identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal denomination, and on the separation of the church went with the southern division. In his early manhood his ideas of Christianity were somewhat hazy, for in 1852, when he kept a general store, he kept drugs, including whiskey. At last, becoming con-
vinced of the inconsistency of this, he one day knocked in the heads of ten whiskey barrels, let- ting the contents run out on the ground, and from that time he has never handled the article in any way. A man of generous disposition, he has been very liberal in helping to sustain religious and benevolent work, and has paid out for these pur- poses probably over $40,000.
ILLIAM C. JONES is the proprietor of a very desirable homestead on section 3, township 45, Johnson County. His resi- dence, barns and farm buildings are of modern style, and an air of neatness prevails about the place which is singularly attractive.
Mr. Jones is the eldest child born to Milton F. and Ann C. (Carpenter) Jones. They were both natives of the Blue Grass State, where they spent their early years. There their marriage was cel- ebrated, and William C. was born in 1851. In the fall of the same year the family removed to this county, being accompanied in their journey by the parents of Mrs. Jones Milton Jones en- tered land and started to improve a farm, but after some three years' residence here moved to Pettis County, where his death occurred not long after- wards, in March, 1854. His widow is still living and is making her home with her mother, Mrs. Carpenter, of this county.
The responsibilities of life devolved upon our subject when he was quite young, on account of his father's early death. He was reared to farm life and received a district-school education. When in his eighteenth year he started forth to make his own livelihood as an agriculturist, to which calling his energies have always been devoted. He was married in Cass County in February, 1871, to Amelia H. Nelson, a native of that county. Her parents, Jesse and Leona (Clemens) Nelson, were both natives of Indiana, and moved to this state in 1868. Nine children graced the union of Mr. and Mrs. Jones. The two eldest are de-
422
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ceased, and those living are Arthur, Oma O., William C., Linna, Ruby, Bessie and Ernest L. The parents are members of the Christian Church and do their share towards the support of religious and benevolent work. Mr. Jones uses his ballot in favor of the Democracy.
EORGE C. GREENUP. Among the citi- zens of Sedalia, and particularly in railroad circles, the name of this gentleman is well and favorably known. He is a young man, yet he has accomplished wonders in the battle of life. Starting from an humble position, he has alone and by merit attained a degree of success and distinction of which an older and more favored man might well feel proud. In whatever posi- tion he has been placed, in whatever duty he has been called upon to perform, in all his relations, social and business connections, his course has been one of honor and integrity; and the success he has attained, and the bright prospects which seem to await his future efforts, are the legitimate results of his exemplary course.
The birth of George C. Greenup occurred near Aurora Springs, Miller County, Mo., January 26, 1866. The family is of English descent, and the grandfather of our subject, Christopher B., was a native of Kentucky, where he engaged in ag- ricultural pursuits. The father, Tandy A., who was born in Wayne County. Ky., in 1842, ac- companied the other members of the family to Missouri, and from the age of seven years was a resident of Miller County. He was the fourth of six sons, three of whom served in the Union army, and the other three in the Confederate army during the Civil War. At Wilson Creek, where he was one of the Union soldiers, two of his brothers fought for the South, and all were wounded.
For several years after the war closed, Tandy A. Greenup was in the employ of the Missouri Pa- cific as foreman of the bridge and building de- partment. Later he accepted the position of
Postmaster, which he held under President Har- rison for four years. At present he is engaged in the stock business, and still makes his home in Cole County, where he is an esteemed and prominent citizen, and a leading Republican. Like all old soldiers, he takes an interest in Grand Army affairs, being a leading member of J. A. Garfield Post No. 6, at Jefferson City. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian. His wife, Martha A., was born in Miller County, Mo., be- ing a daughter of William Schaufler, who was of German descent. She was a devoted member of the Lutheran Church, and a lady whose happi- ness centered in the welfare and prosperity of her children.
The next to the eldest of five children, our subject spent his childhood years under the pa- rental roof, and was educated in the public schools. Studying telegraphy at odd moments, he acquired a knowledge of that occupation, and then entered the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, remaining an operator in the home of- fice until July 22, 1883. Later he was similarly engaged in some of the larger cities between St. Louis and Kansas City, on the Missouri Pacific, and was also operator in some of the more im- portant dispatchers' offices on the road. The po- sition which he now holds-that of copy opera- tor in the dispatcher's office at Sedalia-is one of great responsibility, and the fact that he has dis- charged its duties in a manner highly satisfactory to his superiors proves that he possesses talents of a superior order. He has the good-will of all around him in the various 'departments and the regard of the people of Sedalia.
Mr. Greenup has the greatest confidence in the future of this city, and has invested large sums in real estate here. He was married, at Warrens- burg, Mo., in 1887, to Miss Dollie J. Fisher, a native of Colfax, Cal. She was the youngest of the four children of James and Sarah (Shields) Fisher, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Virginia, the latter being a daughter of Richard Shields, an early settler near Tipton, Mo. Mr. Fisher was reared in Missouri, and for some years engaged in the stock business in Cooper County. In 1864 he removed to California, where he fol-
FRANCIS A. SAMPSON.
425
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
lowed the same occupation in Colfax and Sacra- mento, but in 1867 returned to Missouri, and died in Tipton the following year. Orphaned at the age of two years, Mrs. Greenup was reared in the home of an uncle at Warrensburg, and received excellent educational advantages, being a gradu- ate of the State Normal School, in the Class of '85. For two years prior to her marriage she taught in Warrensburg. By her union with Mr. Greenup one child, Harry T., has been born.
In his social connections, Mr. Greenup is a member of Granite Lodge No. 272, A. F. & A. M., and Sedalia Chapter No. 18, R. A. M. He is the Chief of Division No. 221, O. R. T., and was chosen its delegate to the Denver Convention in 1894. Politically a Republican, he represents the Third Ward as a member of the Board of City Committeemen, and at different times has been the delegate of his party to city and county con- ventions. In the ward meetings he has frequent- ly been chosen Chairman and Secretary, and in other ways has been active in local affairs. He is a Presbyterian in religious connections, and his wife holds membership in the Methodist Epis- copal Church. She is a lady of superior intelli- gence and culture, and has been especially prom- inent in temperance work, having been President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of East Sedalia, and being the present President of the Pettis County Union, also Secretary of the Railroad Temperance Association.
RANCIS A. SAMPSON, Vice-President of the Missouri Trust Company, stands among the foremost members of the Missouri Bar, and is an eminent historian and naturalist. His home has been in Sedalia for many years, and he is numbered among her esteemed and honored citizens. From the fall of 1868 until 1874 he was in partnership with his brother, A. J., in a gen- eral law practice, and about 1887 took charge
of the Trust Company's business in Arkansas, though residing here. In 1889 he was stationed in New York City as manager of their eastern business, remaining there one year. The Mis- souri Trust Company has a paid-up capital stock of $200,000, with a surplus of $50,000, and is in the best condition of any mortgaged trust company in the United States. For ten years Mr. Samp- son has been a member of this company, first as a Director and Trustee, and in 1884 was made Vice-President. In 1887 the building of the com- pany was put up at the corner of Ohio and Fourth Streets, and it is justly considered one of the finest business structures in the city.
Mr. Sampson was born in Harrison County, Ohio, February 6, 1842, being a son of Francis and Margaret (Evans) Sampson, the former a native of Ireland, and the latter of Wales. The great-grandfather of our subject, Charles, died in Ireland, but was of Scotch birth, and his son, John, the next in line of descent, was a native of the Emerald Isle. He was a farmer by occupa- tion, and emigrated to the United States with his family about 1826, becoming one of the early pio- neers of Harrison County, Ohio, where his death occurred. Francis Sampson, Sr., conducted the old homestead, twelve miles from Cadiz, Ohio, and lived to attain nearly threescore and ten years. He was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and was highly respected by all who knew him. His wife, Margaret, was a daughter of Griffeth Evans, a Welsh farmer. Mrs. Sampson made the journey to the United States alone, and by her marriage became the mother of five children, who lived to manhood. They are John G., of Wichita, Kan., formerly in the militia service; William E., on the old home farm in Ohio; Charles W., also a resident of Harrison County, Ohio; Archibald J., an at- torney; and our subject. Archibald was once City Attorney of Sedalia, and also held the office of County School Commissioner. In 1874 he moved to Colorado, and two years later was made Attor- ney-General of that state. Subsequently for over four years he was Consul to Ciudad Jaurez, Mex- ico, and is now a resident of Phoenix, Ariz., and a leader in Republican political circles.
18
426
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
In 1865 F. A. Sampson graduated with the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts from the college of the city of New York, which subsequently conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts. Taking up the study of law under John A. Bingham, of Ohio, he was later admitted to the Bar, and in 1868 was Valedictorian of his class in the law school of the University of New York, from which he graduated as Bachelor of Law. Soon afterward, in the fall of that year, he commenced practice in Sedalia, which city he has since made his home. In April, 1894 he helped to organize the Arkansas Finance Company, with a capital stock of $100,000, and has since been President of that institution. For some years, or until it was merged into the Sedalia Commercial Club, he was Secretary of the Board of Trade. When the new Board of Trade was organized in the spring of 1895, he became associated with the same as a member. In his political affiliations he is a straightforward Republican. Fraternally he is Past Master of the Masonic lodge, is Past High Priest of the chapter, and belongs to the Commandery of the Knights Templar.
As a matter of recreation, Mr. Sampson has devoted a great deal of time and study to the sciences, and is considered an authority on many subjects. He is well informed on local histori- cal matters, is an able naturalist, and is the author of various meritorions works showing great research and capability. Many shells and fos- sils have been named in his honor, and he has contributed reports on the shells of Arkansas for the State Geological Survey, and has published articles relating to the shells of Pettis County. Probably no man in this portion of the Missis- sippi Valley is more thoroughly acquainted with its mineral and geological formations, and among his important publications is one entitled the "Bibliography of the Geology of Missouri." The
papers which he has written on the old-time his- tory of Missouri have been well received and highly commended by all. He is President of the Miner Institute of Sedalia, President of the Public Library, and as Secretary of the Natural History Society assisted in building up a large share of the most valuable departments of the li-
brary, and also was one of the organizers of the Sedalia Natural History Society, which convenes monthly. He is a member of the local board of the George R. Smith College, being one of the original members, and is a permanent Director of the State Chautauqua of Missouri, being con- nected with the Hurlbut Chautauqua Circle.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Sampson was mar- ried, in July, 1869, to Mrs. Haddie Lacey, a na- tive of England, and of their union there were born three children, of whom only two survive, namely: Maybelle, who is the wife of Z. T. Miller, of St. Joseph, Mo., and Lacey. The eld- est, Vernie, is deceased. The parents are men- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Sampson being Secretary of the Board of Trus- tees.
A. FULTS, United States Mail Contractor, is one of the successful and representative citizens of Sedalia. He is a native of the Buckeye State, born at Washington Court House, Fayette County, March 6, 1851, and is a son of Simon Fults, a native of the same place. His paternal grandfather, Peter Fults, was born in Virginia, of German descent, and removed to Ohio, settling in Washington Court House, Fay- ette County, where he erected the first house. He there worked at his trade of cabinet-making, and also engaged in farming. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812. With the Methodist Protestant Church he held membership, and took an active interest in its work, serving for several years.as Class-leader.
Simon Fults, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood in Ohio, where he engaged in farming until he had reached the age of thirty- five, when he also began the practice of law. In 1869 he emigrated to Missouri, the family locat- ing in Windsor, Henry County, where he engaged in the practice of law, and also carried on agri- cultural pursuits for many years, but is now liv- ing retired at the age of seventy-one. His wife
427
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
was formerly Miss Sarah Bush, a native of Fay- ette County, Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob Bush, who was born in North Carolina, and was of Ger- man descent. Her father became one of the early settlers of Fayette County. To Mr. and Mrs. Fults were born eleven children, two of whom are now deceased. Of those living, all reside in Missouri, with the exception of one, who lives in Indian Territory. Religiously the father is a Congregationalist, while politically he votes with the Republican party.
J. A. Fults, the subject of this sketch, was the eldest in the family, and in the district schools of Ohio received his education. In 1869 he came to Missouri, and remained with his parents until his marriage. He engaged in farming until 1875, when he came to Sedalia, and took up the study of telegraphy. After completing a course in that line, he became operator for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad, and also served as agent at Walker, Pilot Grove, Madison and Windsor. At the latter place he was employed for five years. In the spring of 1887 he resigned his position of operator, and became Cashier of the Windsor Sav- ings Bank, where he remained until its consolida- tion with the Citizens' Bank, when he resigned and was elected Cashier of the Farmers' Bank of Green Ridge. After one year he resigned, and now gives his entire attention to taking mail con- tracts, at which he has been engaged since 1887. In September, 1891, he removed to Sedalia. He has contracts in every state in the Union, having about thirteen hundred and forty routes, though he has had as high as sixteen hundred. There is only one company that has more routes, and it is composed of five or six members, so that indi- vidually he handles more routes than any one man. From September, 1891, until 1894 he had charge of sixteen hundred. His office is now lo- cated in the Minter Block, and he is conducting a successful business.
In Green Ridge, Mo., Mr. Fults led to the marriage altar Miss Florence Slieble, a native of Noble County, Ohio, and a daughter of Mathias Sheble, who came to Green Ridge in 1869. Her father served as a soldier in the Civil War, being a member of an Ohio regiment, and he is now liv-
ing retired. Mrs. Fults received an excellent ed- ucation in the high school of Sedalia, and by her marriage has become the mother of one child, Ethel W. The family now resides at No. 507 West Seventh Street.
Mr. Fults is interested to some extent in real estate, and now owns a farm of two hundred and eighty acres six miles northwest of Sedalia, which is under a high state of cultivation. While re- siding in Windsor he served as School Trustee for four years, being Secretary of the Board, and for two years was Alderman, during which time he was also Secretary of that body. With the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he holds mem- bership, and in the Uniformned Rank of Knights of Pythias he held both the offices of Lieutenant and Captain, serving in each for one year. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World. He belongs to the Congregational Church, and is now Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Po- litically he affiliates with the Republican party. He is a man of recognized ability, and receives the confidence and esteem of all who know him.
ENRY GREGORY, one of the most pro- gressive and enterprising of the farmers of Pettis County, has been a resident of his present beautiful estate since 1868. His home- stead is located on section 24, township 44, range 23, and consists of one hundred and forty acres of finely improved land, all of which has been ac- quired by industry and frugality. Since locating here he has from time to time made valuable im- provements on the place, the appearance of which reflects credit upon his energy and thrift.
Mr. Gregory was born in England, in the year 1841. He was the eldest in the family of Henry and Jane (Laney) Gregory, also natives of the British Isle. The father died in Somersetshire in 1852, and in 1853 his widow and children crossed the Atlantic and located at Waterloo, N. Y.
428
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
There young Henry grew up, and although the limited circumstances of the family made it ini- possible for him to attend school regularly, yet his desire for learning led him to read substantial books, and thus by his own effort he gained a good knowledge of men and things. He was thrown upon his own resources when young in years, as it was necessary for him to work in or- der to aid in the support of his widowed mother and younger brothers and sisters. He vividly recalls his first employment in this county, when he was obliged to walk two miles each morning to an old-fashioned mill, where he was hired to grind tanbark, receiving for his wages twenty- five cents per day.
When sixteen years of age our subject entered the employ of his uncle, who was a practical car- penter, and after serving an apprenticeship under him for some time hired out to a builder, under whose instruction he erected dwellings and stores until 1867. That year we find him engaged in the oil business in St. Louis, but this venture not meeting with the success which he had hoped, he abandoned it the following year, and, coming to Pettis County, located upon the beautiful tract of land which is still in his possession. He has been very prominent in the development of this portion of the county, and has been an active factor in achieving for it its present condition of prosperity.
Mr. Gregory was married in 1870 to Miss Mary M. Lambert, daughter of John and Margaret (Sutliff) Lambert, natives of Waterloo, N. Y. The wife was there born and reared, and by her union with our subject has become the mother of six children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are Clara L., Isaac L., Henry E. and Her- bert S. They have all been well educated and are still at home with their father. Mrs. Gregory was called to her final home in 1883, and in Oc- tober, 1893, our subject chose for his second com- panion Ellen Alice, the youngest sister of his former wife. He was reared in the faith of the Episcopal Church, but his children incline toward the doctrines of the Congregational society. In politics he is a Republican, having an abiding faith in that party's teachings and principles. He
is a practical, industrious man, who is always re- lied upon to advance any measures for the im- provement and upbuilding of his community.
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.