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 74
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 74
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
Mr. Houx is a strong believer in the Dem- ocratic party, and takes an active part in county and state conventions. Though not an office- seeker, he was once persuaded to serve as Alder- man. He owns a pleasant home on the corner of Fifth and Moss Streets, and besides this he owns other valuable city property. A member of the Masonic order, he belongs to Lodge No. 236 of Sedalia, and he has held the office of Master
589
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Mason in the same. Religiously he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and is a Trustee in the congregation to which he be- longs.
In Georgetown, this county, in 1856, Mr. Houx was married to Miss Sarah, daughter of Judge George Heard, and sister of Hon. John T. Heard, M. C. Mrs. Houx, who was born and grew to womanhood in Georgetown, was called to her final rest in 1881. Her eldest son, Edward H., died in Sedalia, September 8, 1889, and Vest, who was named for Senator Vest, an early friend and schoolmate of our subject, is now attending Wentworth Military Academy at Lexington.
ILLIAM BAKER, who served for over four years as a soldier during the late war, is a farmer of considerable prominence in Pettis County. His farm, which is pleasantly located on section 11, township 44, range 23, comprises two hundred and forty acres of some of the finest land in this section, all of which has been accumulated by his own well directed efforts and enterprise.
A native of Ohio, our subject was born in Stark County, in May, 1840. His parents, Barn- hard and Margaret (Hoover) Baker, were natives of Germany, the former's birth occurring in Ba- varia, where he was educated and married. He came to America some time after his union with Miss Hoover, and settled in Summit County, Ohio, where he remained about two years, when he moved to Stark County. There he followed his trade, that of a stonemason, until his decease, which occurred March 12, 1855. His good wife survived him twenty years, passing away in 1875. She was the daughter of Jacob Hoover, who crossed the Atlantic the same year in which Barn- hard Baker emigrated to America. Philip, the father of the latter, never left the Fatherland.
Until sixteen years of age our subject attended the district school three or four months in each
year, and for the last six years of that time also worked on the farm. He then left the parental roof, and, desirous of learning the carpenter's trade, apprenticed himself to a good workman. Later he moved to Pettis County, Mo., where he hired out to farmers, and also worked at his trade until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Mr. Baker was among the first to buckle on the armor and answer his country's call. He en1- tered the Home Guards in May of the above year, and two months later was mustered into Thatch- er's company of Missouri Guards, remaining in active service for six months. In the spring of the ensuing year he was detailed in the Fifth Pro- visional Regiment, remaining on duty till the close of the war. During that time he participated in many well known engagements which were fought in Missouri, and on one occasion was captured, but soon afterward made his escape. He was discharged at Sedalia, but being a militiaman was not mustered out until 1875, when the con- mand was disbanded by a general order from the Legislature.
The subject of this sketch left his native state in 1857, and, going to Iowa, there made his home for one year. Thinking that he could do better in Missouri, he accordingly came hither at the end of a twelvemonth, and located in Pettis Coun- ty, where he has since been employed in farming and stock-raising, with the exception of the time spent in the service of his country, and four years when plying his trade in Sedalia.
He is one of the most popular members of his community, and is self-made in the fullest mean- ing of the term. His estate is located near the main line of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Rail- road, and within a half-mile of the prosperous little city of Green Ridge.
William Baker was married, in 1865, to Miss Mary, daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Scherer) Burkhart, natives of Switzerland, who emigrated to America in 1850, and who came to Missouri in 1866. Mrs. Baker was also born in Switzer- land, the date being December 31, 1843. Her union with our subject has been blessed by the birth of seven children, two of whom are de- ceased. Those living are: Charles L., now in
590
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Oklahoma; Minnie O., the wife of H. J. Carr, of Kansas City; Frederick W., also a resident of that city; and John P. and Nicholas, at home with their parents. Mr. Baker and his family are members in excellent standing of the Congre- gational Church.
In his political faith our subject votes the Republican ticket, and socially is a member of the order of United Workmen, and of E. D. Baker Post No. 68, G. A. R. Any measure tending to promote the good of the community is sure to receive his support, and he contributes both of his influence and means to progressive enterprises. He is one of the oldest residents of the county, and when he came here helped to build the first house in Sedalia, which was owned by William Westlake.
EV. BENJAMIN F. THOMAS, an or- dained minister of the Cumberland Presby- terian Church, is a close and earnest student and a general favorite in the community in which he resides. He is also one of the most extensive land-owners in Johnson County, having in his possession three hundred and twenty acres of val- uable land, located on section 23, township 44, range 26.
Our subject is a native of Tennessee, having been born in Rutherford County, August 18, 1821, to Wilie Winston and Hannah T. (Rags- dale) Thomas, both of whom were born in Frank- lin County, N. C. They were married in 1818, after emigrating to Tennessee, and about 1829 removed to Lafayette County, this state. Here W. W. Thomas entered a tract of land from the Government and resided until his decease, Sep- tember 1, 1857. He was well-to-do in this world's goods, and left to his family a tract of three hundred acres. His wife departed this life on the old homestead in Lafayette County, in August, 1870, being at that time eighty-one years of age. In politics the father of our sub-
ject was an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, and kept himself well posted regarding the political issues of the day. While in Tennessee lie held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years, serving with satisfaction to all concerned. He was an official member of the Missionary Baptist Church, prior to its sepa- ration from the Regular Baptist Church.
The subject of this sketchi was reared to farm work and attended, very irregularly, the district school. He remained at home until attaining his majority, but being converted about that time, under the teachings of the Cumberland Presby- terian Church, determined to enter the ministry. A year later he united with the congregation in Lafayette County, and soon began to prepare himself to proclaim the Gospel. He commenced the study of those branches which the Presbytery required him to be familiar with, and received his license to preach in 1845. At the same time he was a student in Chapel Hill College, in the above county, for two years, and at the end of that time was ordained.
Rev. Mr. Thomas began his ministerial work as a circuit-rider, having charges in Johnson, Henry and St. Clair Counties. Soon, however, he was given a regular charge, and has been the pastor of congregations in different portions of Jackson, Cass, Bates, Lafayette, Johnson, Henry, and St. Clair Counties. He is a man of more than ordinary ability, and as an able and forcible speaker conveys his thoughts in well chosen lan- guage, and presents his arguments with logic and directness.
Our subject was married in Henry County, Mo., June 16, 1851, to Mrs. Margaret Ann (Smith) Stone. She was born in Saline County, October 22, 1825, and was there reared to mature years. Her union with John C. Stone occurred October 22, 1846. In the year 1852 Mr. Thomas entered eighty acres of Government land, which is now included in his present farm, and in addi- tion to preaching improved the tract. To this he added as he was able, until to-day he has one of the largest estates in the county.
During the Civil War and the troubles in Mis- souri Rev. Mr. Thomas was obliged to seek ref-
593
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
uge in Arkansas. He would have cheerfully en- tered the service as Chaplain, but he was suffer- ing from an injury he had received in 1862, which caused partial paralysis. During those times his wife and children remained on the home farm.
Of the family of five children granted our sub- ject and his wife, two are now living. Mary E. was born in August, 1852, and died a few months later; Alice was born April 29, 1854, and died December 17, 1855; Hannah, born August I, 1857, married Franklin Pierce Caldwell, and now makes her home in Post Oak Township; James Smith was born February 25, 1860; Laura's birth occurred March 16, 1862, and she died March 8, 1882.
In politics Mr. Thomas has been a Democrat since casting his first Presidential vote for James K. Polk. Some time in the '5os he identi- fied himself with the Odd Fellows' fraternity, and has kept up his membership with that order ever since. He aided in the organization of Eu- reka Lodge, in Warrensburg, but of late years has not met with that lodge, as it is too far from his home. A Mason of high standing, he is identified with Peace Lodge No. 280, near Chil- howee, of which he has been Chaplain. He has always been actively engaged in some business, and as a citizen his life and character are above reproach.
OSEPH P. HERRINGTON. To the travel- ing public this gentleman is well and favora- bly known as a conductor on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad. He has charge of the passenger train running between Sedalia and St. Louis, and it is a matter of pride with him that he runs the finest train into the finest depot in the world. His experience in railroading has been varied and comprehensive, and he has probably run trains over a larger number of roads than any
other conductor in the country. During Mr. Frye's term as Superintendent of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, he was his special conductor, and while serving in that capacity accompanied Mr. Frye in all his travels.
Mr. Herrington is a native of Brantford, Can- ada, and was born in 1857. He is the son of James and Anastasia (Ryan) Herrington, natives of Ireland, who, on emigrating to Canada, settled in London, and there resided until death, the fa- ther being a business man of that city. They were the parents of three sons and four daugh- ters, of whom two sons and three daughters still survive, our subject being the third in order of birth. He was reared in London and is a gradu- ate of the commercial college of that city, where he later took a course in telegraphy. At the age of sixteen he came to the United States and se- cured a position as telegraph operator with the Union Pacific Railroad at Atchison, Kan. From that city he went to Blue Rapids, Kan., and eight months later located in Jewell, where for more than two years he was engaged in the gen- eral mercantile business.
Returning to the railroad business, Mr. Her- rington entered the employ of the Wabash Rail- way Company as brakeman on the road between St. Louis, Moberly and Kansas City, and two years afterward was promoted to the position of freight conductor between the two cities last named. Next he became passenger conductor between Moberly and Kansas City, filling the po- sition for five years. In 1881 he became conduc- tor on a freight train between Sedalia and Hanni- bal, and in 1884 was promoted to be passenger conductor, which position he has since filled. Since 1894 his run has been between Sedalia and St. Louis. As a railroad man he has been remark- ably successful, and his ability has won merited recognition from the superior officials of the road.
In Carrollton, Mo., February 4, 1884, occurred the marriage of Joseph P. Herrington and Miss Lillian Arnold, who was born in that city and re- ceived an excellent education in Lexington Fe- male Seminary. She is a member of the Calvary Episcopal Church, and is a lady whose charm of manner has won for her a high place in society.
27
594
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Fraternally Mr. Herrington is identified with the blue lodge of the Masonic order at Jewell, Kan., and Moberly Lodge No. 5, R. A. M., as well as Moolah Temple, N. M. S., in St. Louis. Active in the order of Railway Conductors, he served for some time as Chief Conductor of Division No. 60, and also has been Secretary and Treasurer of the organization. He is a leading member of the Democratic party in Sedalia, and in 1894 was a delegate to the state convention. Besides the other societies in which he is interested, he be- longs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, being a member of Lodge No. 125.
J. SHIMP, M. D., a practicing physician and noted specialist in the treatment of chronic diseases, is, perhaps, one of the best known and most highly educated physicians of Missouri. He was born in the year 1857, in Centerville, N. J., of which state his father, A. J. Shimp, Sr., was also a native. The latter was of English and German descent, and became a prosperous mier- chant-speculator and broker of Philadelphia, amassing a fortune and becoming prominent in political and church circles. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, being active in the work of that organization up to the time of his death, which occurred in his native state. His father, Jonathan Shimp, who was a faithful mem- ber of the Lutheran Church, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, serving under Washington.
Our subject's mother was formerly Susan Pyle, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Daily) Pyle, of English and Scotch descent, respectively. The former was a native of New Jersey, in which state his daughter's birth also occurred. He be- came connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church at the age of twenty years, being identi- fied with it for forty-seven years. For many years he acted in the capacity of minister in that denomination, accepting no remuneration for his services. A Republican in politics, he be-
came interested in the movement for freeing the slaves, and was later known as a decided Aboli- tionist.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, August 6, 1885, occurred the death of our subject's mother, at the age of fifty-six years. She became the mother of seven children, of whom only two survive. William T. is a capitalist, and resides in New York City. David, who was a graduate of the Eclectic School for Physicians, was engaged for a time in the practice of his profession; his death occurred near Newport, Ky. Charles was a contractor and builder of Cincinnati. Martin and Richard were killed while in the Confederate service, during the late war. Elmina died quite young; and our subject completes the family circle.
Spending the days of his boyhood and youth in Philadelphia, our subject was educated in a private school, and later began the study of law in that city. Finding this course distasteful, however, he decided to become a physician, and began his studies under Prof. James V. Lewis, a prominent physician of Philadelphia. He after- ward entered the Curtiss Eclectic School of Phila- delphia, graduating in 1879 with the degree of M. D. Locating in the above-mentioned city, he continued in practice there until 1884, at that time changing his residence to California. He first located in San Francisco, and later in Port- land, Oregon. Desiring, however, to widen his opportunities and broaden his fund of knowledge, he decided to enter Jefferson Medical College, and for that purpose returned to Philadelphia.
Graduating in 1887, Dr. Shimp began practic- ing in Chicago, Il1., making a specialty of chronic diseases. After a residence of eight months in that city, he removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he established the Ohio Medical Institute, re- maining in charge about eighteen months. From there he went to Cincinnati, and later took a trip for his health, first going South and later to the Pacific Coast. In September, 1894, the Doctor came to Sedalia, where he is establishing a good office practice. He has discovered a cure for rupture which does away with surgical operations. This remedy is being used by physicians in many cities, as is also his original cure for piles. He
595
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
has been very successful in applying electricity to medical treatment, and his experiments will be watched with interest by the medical world.
In 1885 the Doctor made a trip to Australia. He also went to England and attended lectures at the noted institutions in London and Glasgow. Socially he is identified with the Knights of Pyth- ias, and is also a member of the Society of Ex- pert Specialists. During his short residence here he has made many friends who esteem him highly for his social qualities.
LEASANT FERGUSON is engaged in gen- eral farmning and stock-raising on section 31, township 46, range 27, Johnson County, and his broad fields comprise something over five hundred acres, located in one of the most fertile and beautiful farming districts in the state. The place is well improved with good buildings, fences and other accessories, which make it a model farm of the period. The proprietor is a progressive and practical agriculturist, keeping in touch with the latest improvements and methods of conducting a farm. Within his hospitable doors the stranger and friend alike always find a warm welcome, and it is ever with regret that they turn away.
Samuel Ferguson, the father of our subject, was born in Lincoln County, N. C., in 1791, be- ing the eldest of fourteen children, whose parents were Moses and Elizabeth (Cox) Ferguson. All of the brothers and sisters lived to maturity and all married and reared families with the excep- tion of one daughter, who remained single. Short- ly after his marriage with Sarah Moonie, Samuel Ferguson, with his bride, removed to Rhea Coun- ty, Tenn., and for fourteen years made his home in that locality, his occupation in the mean time being that of brick-laying. At the expiration of that period he decided to move to Missouri, and in 1831 settled in Lafayette County, where he re-
mained only a short time, thence coming to John- son County. He located on a farm about one mile west of our subject's present home, and was numbered among the few pioneers then to be found in this region. The nearest market of any size was at Lexington, about forty-two miles dis- tant. When the first court convened, April 13, 1835, there were hardly enough men in the coun- ty to properly conduct affairs. Judge Amos Horn presided, with Uriel Murray and Dr. Robert Ran- kin acting as Associate Judges. The court was held on the old Nicholas Houts Farm, at Colum- bus, under some elm trees, one of which is still standing. Samuel Ferguson continued to dwell in this county until his death, which occurred in 1857. His wife came of one of the first and most wealthy families of North Carolina, they being slave-holders. She was born in 1795, and lived to the good old age of fourscore years. Moses Ferguson, the father of Samuel, was the youngest of four brothers, who, with true loyalty to the Government, fought in her defense during the Revolutionary War.
The birth of our subject occurred in this coun- ty, October 8, 1833. He is one of ten children, and is now one of three who survive, the others being Charles S. and Mary. His early training was a practical and thorough one, his hardships only serving to bring out the latent manliness of his character. He lived with his parents until he was twenty-seven years of age, giving his as- sistance to the management of the farm.
March 4, 1859, our subject and Jane, daughter of William and Lucy (Hill) Harmon, all natives of Virginia, were united in marriage. The Har- mon family had moved to Cooper County, Mo., about 1835, and later came to this county. Mrs. Ferguson is one of six children, three of whom are still living. Her grandmother, Lucy Hill, was an own sister of Thomas Jefferson, and her mother, whose maiden name was Lucy Hill, was a cousin, three or four times removed, of Daniel Webster, and has spent many a happy hour with him.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Ferguson moved to his present farm, and since that time has been engaged in its development. He can recall many
-
596
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
interesting experiences of life on the frontier dur- ing his boyhood, when these prairies abounded with wolves, wild cats, panthers, deer, turkeys, and bear. Though he commenced his indepen- dent career on an humble scale, he prospered, and, as his means increased, added to his original farm various tracts of land, until it has reached its present large proportions. His sons, Charles P. and James F., are still at home, and are of mate- rial assistance to him on the old homestead. They are both promising young men, and each received a good education, which was completed at the State Normal. Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson have lost two children, and the others are Naomi A. and Mary J. Naomi is the wife of J. L. Kirkpat- rick, a prominent farmer of this county, and they have two bright boys. Mary J. attended the Christian University at Nevada, Mo., and after- wards was a student at St. Celia College at Hol- den, Mo.
On political questions Mr. Ferguson is always found to be on the side of the Democracy. His membership with the Methodist Church South dates back to 1845, and he is justly considered one of the pillars in the congregation.
DIC
5 EORGE C. DECKMANN, President of the Sedalia City Council, was honored with this responsible position in the spring of 1894, being elected to the same on the Republican ticket. He is a member of the Second Ward Committee, and in 1892 was elected from that ward to serve as Alderman, being the only Republican ever elected to that office from the Second Ward, and this in view of the fact that his nomination was unexpected and unsolicited by him. In 1894 he was re-elected and served as Chairman of the Streets and Alleys Committee. During his first term as Alderman he was Chairman of the Com- mittee on Public Buildings, and was a member of several other committees.
The grandfather, Charles Deckmann, a native of Germany, emigrated with his family to Phila-
delphia, where for a time he followed the shoe- maker's trade and later worked at the same near Paris, Ohio. Thence he removed to West Lake, Steuben County, Ind., where he died at the age of seventy-five years. Our subject's father, Con- rade, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and learned the moulder's trade in Philadelphia. Removing to Canton, Ohio, he entered the em- ploy of C. Altmann & Co., and afterward was em- ployed at Crestline, Mansfield, and other places, but is now working at his trade at his former home, Canton. June 5, 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany C, Twenty-second Ohio Veteran Reserve Corps, and served until honorably discharged, in June, 1864. His wife, Sarah Ann, was formerly a Miss Bowman, of Philadelphia, and her death occurred in 1858. She was a member of the Methodist Church, while the father was a mem- ber of the Catholic Church.
George C. Deckmann was born on the old Ger- mantown Road in the Quaker City, October 14, 1853, and is the only one of his parents' children now living. His boyhood was mainly passed in Canton, Ohio, where he attended school about a year and a-half. From his fifteenth year until reaching his majority he followed the moulder's trade, which he learned of his father. In 1875 he came to Sedalia, and after graduating from the Western Telegraphic School was an operator for three months at Otterville, Mo. Then, entering the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, he helped in its construction between this point and Otterville for nearly two and a-half years. Re- turning to Sedalia, he had charge of the United States Mail for the Missouri Pacific Road for six months, and his next position was as a clerk in the store of that road. For five years more he clerked in the grocery of Scally & Son, at the corner of Fifth and Engineer Streets, and was
then with V. P. Hart in the same business on Third Street for a year, For one year he was bookkeeper for B. S. Rembaugh, and later we find him a clerk for Mr. Weyman, a coal and wood merchant. For seven years he worked for Mr. McEnroe, in whose employ he is at the present time. He is also interested in the Sedalia Horse Collar Factory, which he helped to organize.
597
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
The pleasant residence of Mr. Deckmann, which is located at the corner of Hill and Boonville Streets, is presided over by his accomplished wife, formerly Miss Caroline Gast. They were married in this city December 3, 1876. Mrs. Deckmann was born in Neaderotterbach, Bargzabern, Bay- ern, Germany, and remained in that country until twenty-four years old, when she moved to Canton, Ohio, and in 1876 came West. Her parents were John and Barbara (Schuler) Gast. The former, who was a son of Cornelius Gast, was a farmer in Germany and died in that country. Mrs. Barbara Gast was a daughter of Mathias Schuler, a Ger- man merchant. Mr. and Mrs. Deckmann are regular attendants at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of this city. They have no children.
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.