USA > Missouri > Lafayette County > Portrait and biographical record of Lafayette and Saline counties, Missouri : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 23
USA > Missouri > Saline County > Portrait and biographical record of Lafayette and Saline counties, Missouri : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 23
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS B
L
SETH MASON.
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came to Slater and launched into the live-stock business, and in 1886 he formed a partnership with Frank L. Ayres, under the firm name of Brown & Ayres. Prior to that time, from 1880, he had been in the employ of Josiah Baker, Ir. The live-stock business in Kansas has grown to such important proportions that one who attends closely to the duties can scarcely make a failure. Our own pop- ulation in the States calls for an immense supply in this direction, while our exports to other countries are not small. There is, therefore, every reason to suppose that the same success which has hitherto attended our subject in his business enterprises will continue to reward his efforts hereafter.
Mr. Brown was married in Saline County, in August, 1871. The lady of his choice was Miss Mary A., daughter of Benton Gwin, of this county. She was born in June, 1857, and is a lady of rare virtues. The domestic life of this couple is of a very happy character.
ETH MASON was formerly a highly es- teemed citizen of La Fayette County, and in his decease many lost a trusted friend and one who was ever ready to lend a help- ing hand in time of need. lle was one of the early settlers of this county, among whose pioneers he held an influential position. Mr. Mason was a native of Frederick County, Va., and was born July 19, 1816. He was a son of Seth and Jane (Mason) Mason, the former a patriot of the War of 1812.
Reared to manhood's estate in his native place, Mr. Mason there received good educational ad- vantages and the added advantage of a home dis- tinguished by intelligence and culture. Ile be- came a student at the old and renowned William and Mary College and was well versed in all the col- lege lore then considered so essential to the schol- arly man; that is, he learned his Latin so thoroughly that he could repeat page after page from memory |
long after he had left college. He took great pride in keeping up with the advancement of the day. but had no idea of becoming a professional man, rather a country gentleman, and engaged in agri- cultural pursuits all his life.
February 26, 1845, our subject married Miss Amelia Earle, a native of Clarke County, Va., born October 17, 1826. Her parents were Col. John B. and Maria Miller Earle, both natives of Virginia. The former was commissioned a colo- nel of Virginia troops in the War of 1812. Mrs. Mason's ancestors on the paternal side were Eng- lish, and are said to have been Scotch-Irish on the mother's side. She was reared to maturity in her native State and was educated at a ladies' semi- nary in Winchester, Va.
Mr. and Mrs. Mason became the parents of ten children: Ida, Edward, Mary, Amelia, Lelia, Ella, Leslie, Irvin, Ettie and Frank. The eldest is Mrs. J. II. Burns; Mary is Mrs. Smith, a widow; Am- elia is Mrs. W. E. Kellar; Etlie is a teacher in the public schools. Our subject removed to Missouri with his family in 1854, and came to La Fayette County and settled on the farm where the widow now resides. That was before the present town of Higginsville was known. Their first home was a log house and their traet bore but slight improve- ments, and it was Mr. Mason who brought the farm to its present highly cultivated condition.
Ilimself a scholar. Mr. Mason esteemed most high- ly the advantages of an education, and realizing that such advantages would be the best feature in inducing a good class of settlers to come here, he was an ardent advocate of the most advanced educa- tional methods; nor was his interest confined to the mental evolution of children alone, but related to advancement in every feature of public life. While in Virginia he was a captain in the State Militia and during the war drilled a company of Confederate troops for service. He was a Dem- ocrat in politics and although not rabid was de- voted to what he considered the patriotic features of his chosen party.
The estate that Mr. Mason left comprised over two hundred acres of land. Their first home, above described, has been replaced with a commo- dious and comfortable mansion, containing all the
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conveniences which make our present mode of life so much easier than anything hitherto known. This is occupied by Mrs. Mason, who is most highly regarded among the matrons of the county. She is identified with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Mason departed this life March 8. 1889. He stood high in the esteem of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. In the family life his demise left a grief that can never be wholly assuaged, and as a neighbor and citizen he will always be remem- bered for the good that he did.
ILLIAM PIPER, one of the early and hon- ored settlers and most successful agricul- turists of Saline County, has been closely identified with the business interests of his sec- tion of the State for over fifty years. A citizen of upright character and ability, genial in manner and liberal in sentiment, he is the soul of hospi- tality and has a host of warm and earnest friends. In Virginia, the early home of the patriotic ances- tors and bravest defenders of our nation's liberty, our subject was born, near Charlottesville. in Al- bemarle County. His paternal grandfather, Will- iam, and his father, Willis Piper, were both natives of the Old Dominion, the latter born November 13. 1809.
Willis Piper was a merchant in Virginia, but in 1812 decided to try his fortunes in the newer State of Missouri. The family made what was then a tedious trip by team and wagon. A six-horse wagon and several carriages were required to transport them and their belongings, and they were about two months on their uneventful journey to Saline County. They first made their home in Arrow Rock, later removed to Miami, then to Blackwater Township, and finally settled in Jef- ferson Township. Here the father followed the pursuit of agriculture, and, being an enterprising man, dealt in land. He also engaged in merchan- dising at Arrow Rock for eighteen months and was the owner of valuable estates in various portions
of the county. Ile was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a highly respected citizen, and died much regretted in January, 1867. passing away in Cambridge Township soon after the war.
The mother of our subjeet. Mary S. Black, was a native of Virginia and was born in Albemarle County November 17, 1816, and was the daughter of John Black, also a native and farmer of the Old Dominion. He was a veteran of the war and served his country faithfully in the War of 1812. for which service his wife afterward received a land grant from the Government. Mrs. Willis Piper died in Arrow Rock Township October 2. 1852. She was the mother of nine children: Will- iam, our subject, was the eldest and was born No- vember 9, 1834; John B. was killed at Booneville in the Civil War; JJames was with Gen. Marmaduke during the war and died soon afterward from the effects of privation and exposure; Martha P .. Mrs. Thorp, resides in Texas; Mary E. died at home; Willis, also a participant in the Civil War, lives in Oklahoma; Leonidas, born in 1842, died in 1872; Joseph is a merchant in Texas; and Francis, who is not permanently settled in any locality.
William Piper was eight years old when his par- ents removed to Missouri. Ile had for a brief time attended the neighboring school near his Virginia home, and after his father had located in the pio- neer settlement of the new country, he went to the primitive school in the vicinity and wrote his first exercises on a plank with a goose quill. In later years he enjoyed the advantage of a course of instruction at the University of Missouri, at Columbia. He remained at home until twenty years of age, when he became possessed of a part of his present valuable farm, and there be- gan life for himself. The farm contained about one hundred and eighty acres, three miles south- west of Marshall. Upon this fine piece of property Mr. Piper settled and industriously engaged in the pursuit of general agriculture. He added to his real estate until he had here three hundred and twenty acres of excellent land, all under cultiva- tion. After two years' occupation, he rented it during the war and lived with M. D. Gaines, his father-in-law, in Clay Township.
After a time, our subject returned again to his
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homestead and devoted his efforts to stock-raising. handling only blooded cattle and feeding a large herd on the range, He succeeded remarkably well, but the range was soon fenced in and he was obliged to buy more land, for which he paid from $10 to $50 an acre, until now he has eleven hundred acres in three farms, all fenced and im- proved. Mr. Piper has three sets of buildings and as many tenants, and raises annually a fine crop, the land yielding from twenty-five to ninety bushels to the acre. In 1875, two hundred acres furnished eighteen thousand bushels of corn, and although the soil and climate are favorable to the culture of wheat, corn is the principal cereal raised upon the finely improved place. In the spring of 1892, the wife of our subject died and he removed temporarily to Marshall.
Mr. Piper had been united in marriage in 1862 to Miss Mildred L., a daughter of M. D. Gaines, an okl settler of the county and a pioneer settler of Clay Township, where he engaged in farming. He was a man of sterling character and of strong physique and lived to the advanced age of ninety years. Mrs. Piper was educated in La Fayette Seminary, Howard County. She died February 9, 1892, and left four children: Morti- mer is a farmer of Marshall Township; James is also an agriculturist of the same township; Lula, educated at Lexington and a fine musician, is at home; and Charles, the youngest of the family, is also at home. The home farm of our subject is one of the most attractive in this portion of the country. The extensive acres are within easy dis- tance of the city and are especially noticeable for the handsome and commodious residence and nu- merous valuable buildings, among the rest an un- usually roomy and convenient barn. The rich soil is watered by the Phoenix Creek; the well-kept orchard supplies a great variety of luscious fruit, and the timber, a heavy walnut grove, diversifies the scene and adds to the charming effect of the whole landscape, which during the harvest months is bright in coloring and animated in the extreme.
Mr. Piper has been one of the most extensive stock-raisers in this section of country, Ile was the pioneer in raising full-blooded Durhams in this vicinity and has sent from his farm to the sur-
rounding States hundreds of head of horses and mules. In 1858 our subject visited his old home, always dear to him, in Virginia. Many and great have been the changes in Missouri since he first came to the State. In the early days hospitality was the rule, not the exception. His father wel- comed the stranger guest, and without reward as- sisted him to locate land. People were social and had confidence in each other, and even the crops were different. Our subject long assisted in rais- ing hemp and tobacco, and in the very early times when game was plentiful has counted in one day besides turkeys fifteen deer in a herd. Mr. Piper has been a prominent factor in the successful ter- mination of various enterprises of Saline County. Ile assisted in getting the railroads to establish themselves here, and raised $150,000 for the Chi- cago & Alton, and also aided in the completion of the line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad connect- ing here.
Our subject is a member of the Agricultural So- ciety of Saline County and is also connected with the Fine Stock Association. Ile is a strong Demo- crat and an able advocate of the principles of the party, and has represented his fellow-townsmen in county and State conventions, attending the large gathering at Grand Eddy, Pettis County. Honest and energetic, fearless and enterprising, Mr. Piper has been an important factor in the business growth and progress of bis adopted State, and through long years of intimate association has won and firmly holds a high place in the affection and esteem of the people among whom so many years of his prosperous and useful life have been passed.
OHIN R. THOMAS is one of the most exten- sive farmers, if not the most extensive, in Saline County. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, as well as the People's party, and is altogether a most worthy citizen. The Thomas family began here with Notley, Col. John
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D., and Benedict Thomas, who came to what is now other men who are also worthy of being listened La Fayette County in 1818, and settled close to ( to with respect, which must necessarily follow from
the line which at this time divides Saline and La Fayette Counties. They took up large tracts of land and became extensive land-owners.
These brothers were natives of Maryland. where Notley Thomas had married a Miss Smith. The children of this union grew to years of maturity. They were: Dr. L. C., who was reared in this county and was a graduate in medicine, with an extensive practice in this and adjoining counties; Nancy, who is still living; Maj. Baltimore; Oscar, who was a merchant and also an extensive farmer, and an active man. and one who stood well in the community, as did all the family; Alonzo, a grad- nate in law, afterward located in Santa Rosa County, Cal .. where he became a Judge; Betsy, who married John Patrick, and died in Colorado, as did her husband; Rebecca, who became the wife of David Palmer, of La Fayette County; Susan, who married Benjamin Cooper, of La Fayette County; and Notley, of Waverly, Mo.
Oscar Thomas married in 1838 Miss Zerilda E. North. by whom he had ten children. among whom were: Lawson, who died just before graduating in medicine, and who was unmarried; W. Scott, of Waverly; Notley. deceased: I. R. Thomas; and Emma E., wife of H. C. Francisco. of Lexington. - John R. Thomas was born in 1852, and resided in this county until he came to years of maturity. lle was educated in the common schools here and the Christian Brothers' schools of St. Louis. Mr. Thomas married in 1873 Miss Bertie E. Gwatkin, a native of Virginia. and a member of one of the best families of the State. , They have one child, a daughter. Our subject was a staneh Democrat up to the time of the formation of the People's party. but was one of the first to advocate the principles of that organization, and to work for its advancement.
As has been said before. Mr. Thomas is an exten- sive farmer and no one in the county does a larger business in that line than he. He is a man of good standing in the community. strong in principles and true to his convictions. He is clear-sighted and sound in judgment, although he may, of course, differ in opinion very frequently from
- the fact that men have individual characters and differing experiences. Mr. Thomas, however. is a gentleman who commands the respect even of his political opponents, and who has the cordial es- teem of many friends. llis address is Mt. Leon- ard. Saline County, Mo.
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G EORGE B. FLETCHER, one of the promi- nent farmers of Middleton Township, La Fayette County, Mo., is the subject of the present sketch. His excellent farm is located on section 16. range 21, township 50, and consists of three hundred and fifteen acres. Our subjeet was born in Henry County. Mo., in 1837, a son of Will- iam and Rachel (Burroughs) Fletcher, the latter a daughter of George Burroughs, all natives of Ken- tucky. William Fletcher, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Mason County. Ky., in 1813, a son of .John and Ellen Fletcher, of Virginia.
In 1829, William Fletcher came to the State of Missouri, where he has since resided, and now at the age of seventy-nine years still enjoys good health. He has always been one of the well-known Democrats of the township. Since 1810 he has belonged to the Christian Church, an active worker in its schemes of benevolence. In 1831, he married Rachel Burroughs, by whom he became the father of seven children, three of whom are yet living, and are: our subject; Sara, the wife of T. B. Warren; and Fannie, the wife of C. W. Me- C'ord. of Higginsville. Mo.
When quite young, our subject removed with his parents to La Fayette County. Mo., where he entered the common schools. receiving there a good education in the ordinary branches of learn- mg. At the age of twenty-one years, he began farming on his own account with his father, which occupation still engages his attention, and in which he has been very successful, both in farming and in raising cattle. His greatest success is in
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raising wheat and corn and the breeding of high grade Shorthorn eattle. Not many farmers have finer pieces of land than has our subject.
In 1868, Mr. Fletcher was united in matrimony with Miss Lucy, a daughter of Stephen Catron, one of the early settlers of Missouri. Five bright and interesting children have been born to Mr. and Mrs Fletehier, as follows: Georgie, Stephen W., Guy, John K. and Walker. Both Mr. Fletcher and his wife are much respected members of the community, and the latter is connected with the Presbyterian Church, where she is known as a good Christian woman. In his political feelings, Mr. Fletcher is a decided Democrat, believing firmly in the perpetuation of Democratie principles.
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AMES O. HOGAN, a prominent pioneer of La Fayette County and the owner of one of the best farms within its limits, resides on section 35, township 49, range 26. The birth of Mr. Hogan took place in Warren County, Ky., May 3, 1827, he being a son of Alexander and Mary (Hatcher) Hogan, natives of Virginia. The family is of Irish descent, its first representative in this country having been his great-grandfather Ilogan, who after emigrating served as a soldier of the Revolutionary War. When but thirteen years of age, our subject, a motherless lad, was brought to La Fayette County, Mo., by his father, who en- deavored in every way possible to fill the place of the absent parent.
After reaching Missouri, Mr. Hogan, Sr., entered Government land in a portion of the county which was entirely uncultivated, and thus became a pio- neer, living here until his death in 1881. These years were seasons of toil, and the lapse of time represented the operations of nature, aided by those of this industrious man, which eliminated the weeds and wire grass and brought the wild soil into conditions favorable to the growth of rich and bounteous crops. The work of the pioneer can be scarcely overestimated, with its toils, privations, and
sometimes its slight remunerations. Our subjeet was one of six children, but only two of them, James O. and a sister, Cassandra, the wife of Henry Slusher, remain of the family, sickness and death having often invaded the home.
Our subject attended a country log schoolhouse in his native State, and well he remembers the old puncheon floor. the huge stiek and mud chimney, and the other primitive surroundings, as he con- trasts them with the massive buildings in which his grandchildren obtain their educations. Three months more were devoted to the acquirement of learning after he had made his home in Missouri, but that was all the assistance he ever received from the inside of a schoolhouse. Later read- ing and communion with the world have taught him many lessons, and he is considered a very well- informed man.
The first marriage of Mr. Hogan took place in Missouri and united him with Miss Sarah Warren, a native of La Fayette County, and the daughter of Anderson Warren, an early settler of the county. The second marriage of Mr. Ilogan united him, September 1, 1858, with Miss Euphamy Slusher daughter of Henry and Rebecca ( Robinson ) Slusher; she was born in La Fayette County, May 24, 1840. Iler father was an old resident of Dover Township, where he settled in pioneer times. Resulting from his first marriage, Mr. Ilogan has two children, Edward and Jeremiah, and from the second mar- riage: Cecil; Johanna, the wife of John Longest; James II. and Nora B.
Mr. Hogan has lived so long in the county that he has witnessed the great growth and development of its resources. Ilis memory goes back to the days when he broke the ground with five yoke of exen, and when every road was merely a path. upon which the great lumbering wagons were slowly drawn through deepest ruts, buried in pits of sand or mud, or jolted recklessly over roughest stones. As he traverses the county behind his fast-stepping horses upon the best of macadamised roads, or rushes across the country in the railroad car, no doubt he mentally contrasts the advancement made in locomotion with the early days in the county. llis reminiscences of those days are very entertain- ing
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Although our subject had his own way to make in the world, he has done well and has gained wealth and influence. He has filled the offices in his distriet to the satisfaction of all. In his poli- ties, he has long been a supporter of the tenets of the Democratic party, latterly becoming interested in and identifying himself with the Davis Grange, in which he holds the office of Master. During the war he did his pait as a brave man, enlisting in the spring of 1861 in Company F., Shelby's Regiment, Confederate troops, and served princi- pally in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, taking part in the battles of Prairie Grove, Lex- ington, Marshall, Springfield and Hartsville (all in Missouri), Ilelena, Ark., and was slightly wounded in the right thigh in a retreat across the Boston Mountains in Arkansas. He remained in the service about four years and surrendered at Memphis, Tenn. Mr. and Mrs. Hogan are now enjoying the fruits of an industrious life, esteemed by their neighbors and friends.
D R. R. W. MCCLELLAND, an able and sue- cessful physician of Saline County, Mo., en- joys an extended and lucrative practice in Arrow Roek and the surrounding country. Thor- oughly versed in professional duties, and a man of high attainments, Dr. McClelland was solicited to become one of the professors in the medical de- partment of the State University, and urged to ac- cept the chair of the Theory and Practice of Med- ieine. Ile declined the offered honor however. as his constantly increasing practice demands his elosest attention, and scarcely allows him time for needed rest or recreation. Our subject was born December 24, 1835, in Callaway County, Mo., and is of Scottish ancestry. He remained in his birthplace until about fifteen years of age, when he removed with his parents to Howard County, in the same State.
The youthful days of Dr. MeClelland were passed upon his father's farm, engaged in the duties of
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agriculture, or devoted to study in the little school in the neighborhood, where he laid the foundation of a higher education. He attended a High School in lloward County, and at the age of twenty-one began the study of medicine with Dr. J. B. Wilcox. of Rocheport, Boone County, Mo. In 1859 he en- tered the University of Virginia, graduating from the department of medicine in 1860, with the de- gree of M. D. After a few months of practice Dr. MeClelland went to St. Louis, where he took two courses of lectures in the St. Louis Medical College, much of his time during this course being spent in the hospitals. Graduating with honor from this renowned institution, our subject, having com- pleted his studies in 1861. established himself im- mediately at Pleasant Green, Cooper County, where he engaged in practice until the war disturbed his relations with the people, when he went to Bell Air.
Dr. McClelland as a Southern man was in full sympathy with the Confederacy. and as most of the citizens of that vicinity favored the Union cause, he removed to his father-in-law's place, near Col- umbia, Mo. Here our subject spent the winter of 1864, and in the spring located in Millersburgh, Callaway County, within a mile of his birthplace, and purchased the old homestead. Ile remained amid the scenes of his infancy for one year, then sold the farm, and in the spring of 1865 settled in Arrow Roek, his constant home for the past twenty- seven years of prosperous practice of his profession. More than thirty years ago, upon December 18, 1861, Dr. R. W. McClelland and Miss Martha Phillips were united in the bonds of wedlock. Mrs. MeClelland is the daughter of Judge Hiram and Elizabeth Phillips, of Boone County, near Colum- bia.
Two children, daughters, blessed this union. Belle died at the age of one year and seven days, and for a time the sunshine of life was dimmed in the pleasant home. Nora Adella is at home and is the central attraction in a large circle of friends. She is now a young lady radiant with the brightness of youth, an accomplished and at- tractive graduate of Stephens' College at Columbia, a Baptist institute. from which she received her diploma in the summer of 1886. Judge Hiram C. Phillips, the father of Mrs. MeClelland, was a
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