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 61
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 61
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S AMUEL SMITH, a well-known and promi- nent pioneer resident of this locality, resid- ing upon section 15, township 49, range 27, is the gentleman of whom we write. Ilis birth took place April 6, 1834, in La Fayette County, Mo., where his parents, Charles and Naney (Ferguson ) Smith, had long been residents. Charles Smith, a native of Virginia, married a lady from
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Tennessee, and in the early '20s, with his widowed mother and other members of his family, made the long trip from the Old Dominion to Missouri and settled in La Fayette County. Hle had re- ceived his adventurous spirit from both sides of the family, both grandparents having been brave soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
The family of Mr. Smith took up their residence upon what is known as the Capt. Calloway farm. where they remained for a number of years, but finally removed to the farm where our subject now lives. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Smith consisted of but two children, namely: Samuel, who is the subject of this sketch, and one sister, Luvenia, deceased. Charles Smith died July 2, 1842, after having spent nearly twenty years in arduous toil, a brave pioneer preparing the way and making it easier for those who came after. This worthy man lived to see the desert places bloom, and the aforctime forests superseded by fields of golden grain, and to hear the wheels of the iron horse that was destined to hasten the set- tlement and civilization of the great West.
Our subjeet grew up amid the changing scenes of the drama of developing civilization at too early a period in its rendition to reap those ad- vantages of education and culture which now ap- pertain to the children of parents in any condition of life. At the best, all that was offered was the old log cabin school, with its brief winter terms, and teachers who, as a rule, were unacquainted with the curriculum of the college. Even this meagre in- struction was in a great degree denied our subject, because from his eleventh year he was the main- stay in his mother's family, his father having died three years before. Still the dranghts taken, hght as they were, gave him thirst for more knowledge, and throughout his life he has been an earnest reader. Mr. Smith lived to see the deer and other wild animals his father delighted to hunt disap- pear, and has witnessed the development of La Fayette County from a dreary waste meagrely set- tled to its present high state of civilization.
Mr. Smith married Mrs. Martha McLoughlin, widow of Henry McLoughlin, who was a daughter of W. M. Whitsett, and she bore him two children, Charles and Albert, both deceased. The second
marriage of Mr. Smith occurred February 19, 1878, his selection having been Miss Matilda Morrison, who was born in Virginia, a daughter of II. A. Morrison, of La Fayette County. Mo. She has borne him the following children: Fannie C., Mary L., Samuel B., Emma M., Ilettie B., Betsy M., and Naomi, who died in infancy. Mr. Smith has served in various official capacities in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in which he is a highly es- teemed member, his wife happily sharing his views.
Having a fine farm of three hundred and six- teen acres, Mr. Smith is independent in most things, but in politics he chooses to ally himself with the Democratic party, of whose principles and history he is proud. Widely known and having lived a life of integrity and uprightness, Mr. Smith is held in highest esteem by all who know him. A man of great publie spirit, thoroughly identified with the party of improvement and progress in his neighborhood, and possessed of ready apprehension to discern that which is right and best for the community. he wields an influ- ence second to none in this part of La Fayette County.
b ON. J. J. FERRIL. In Saline County, of which he is an honored citizen, our subject was born January 1. 1822. He is the son of Henry and Martha (Jones) Ferril, na- tives of Kentucky. The paternal grandfather was John Ferril, and the family is of Irish descent. The great-grandfather came to this country at an early day and was killed by the Indians while moving from Virginia to Kentucky. The grand- father served in the Indian War and participated in the Ohio expedition under Gen. Clarke. The family came to the State of Missouri in 1808 and settled at Suter Island. In 1809, they removed to Howard County, when the father of our subjeet was but fourteen years of age. During the War of 1812, he was one of the men in the expedition that
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took the Miami Indians from the town of Miami to the Shawnee Indians' reservation.
Our subject is one in a family of seven children, all of whom are yet living except two. Jane, who was born in Missouri, married William C. Hill and both have passed away; John, who was born in Saline County, Mo., married Miss Casebolt, and now resides in California, where he is engaged in farming; Robert, also a native of this county, mar- ried Miss MeDermitt, and is now engaged in farm- ing; David married Miss Wheeler, who died in California; Hiram, who was born in Missouri, mar- ried Eliza N. Cruzen, and they reside at Marshall; and Josephine, who is the widow of E. W. Scott, resides in Tulare, Cal.
In the subscription schools of Saline County, our subject acquired his education, and as his fa- ther was a poor man his advantages in youth were very limited. After leaving school, he devoted ยท himself to his chosen trade, which was that of a cabinet-maker, and many a good wife of Saline County in the olden days spun her flax and yarn upon wheels which he manufactured. During the summer, he made brick and also engaged in the manufacture of furniture at Miami. In 1853, he embarked in business as a furniture dealer, in which he continued until the opening of the war, and as he was energetic and enterprising his suc- cess was assured from the start.
Our subject entered the army and served in the State militia for three months, after which he re- turned home and engaged in the manufacture of spinning-wheels. In 1862, he was elected to the position of County Judge and served until 1866. At present he lias a fine stoek of furniture and also owns considerable property, including a business block in the town of Miami, which has been in his possession since 1846. His residence is an elegant two-story frame dwelling, which cost 82,500. Po- litically, Judge Ferril is a Democrat and previous to his present party affiliation he was an old-line Whig. lle was elected to the position of Town- ship Clerk of Miami, which he held for two terms under the old school law of 1840, and served for a long time as Notary Public.
When the site of the present thriving town of Miami was but a wilderness, Judge Ferril was
then, as now, familiar with the entire country, and during the fifteen years in which he served as Mayor of Miami was instrumental in securing many improvements and effecting many reforms. Probably there is no man in the county of Saline who more fully enjoys the confidence and esteem of his neighbors than does he. His straightforward and fearless adherence to duty during the war won for him the respect of both sides. Warm-hearted and charitable toward all, his watchword on the Bench and in private life has been "Duty."
R 1 OBERT A. BARNETT. Our subject is one of the old settlers in La Fayette County, where he has a fine farm, comprising fifty- one acres on section 6, township 50, range 25. lle has spent over a half-century in this vicin- ity, and the time has been fraught with changes here as in every other portion of the Union. The railroads have extended their shining rails in every direction, fine houses have taken the places of log cabins and dug-outs, splendid roads inter- sect the country, which was before a broken tim- ber-land, and these are the least of the changes that might be mentioned.
Judge Barnett is a native of "Old Kaintuck," and was born in Madison County, August 4, 1814. Ile is a son of Alexander and Elizabeth M. (Din- widdie) Barnett, both natives of Virginia. His pa- ternal grandfather. John Barnett, who was also born in Virginia, was one of the early followers of Boone in Kentucky. The first representative of his fam- ily in America came hither from Ireland. Ilis mother's family came from England. When the original of this sketch was twenty-one years of age, be left Kentucky and removed to La Fayette County, this State, at once settling on a farm.
The hemp industry, which is most extensively cultivated at the present time' in Kentucky, was one with which our subject was very familiar, and on migrating to La Fayette County, he at once be- gan raising it in large quantities. Until the war
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he found plenty of negro help to "break" the hemp, but since then has given up the work and de- voted himself to general farming. For many years he has been a pronounced Democrat, and it would be foreign to his nature to be inactive in anything concerning publie interests. He was elected one of the Judges of La Fayette County shortly after the war, and served eight years, reflecting great credit upon himself during his ineumbeney of that oflice.
March 15, 1812, Judge Barnett married Miss Mary C., daughter of Joseph Barnett, of Madison County, Ky. They were the parents of nine chil- dren, four of whom are now living: Alexander, Joseph, Robert A. and Katie T. Mrs. Mary Barnett died January 9, 1879. The present Mrs. Barnett was formerly Mrs. Mary B. Allison. She is an ac- complished housewife, and an excellent lady. The Barnett farm comprises fifty-one acres of well-im- proved land, all of which is under cultivation. They have a pleasant residence which is entirely adequate to the family needs and comfort. For many years Mr. Barnett has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, and his wife worships with the Christian denomination. More than the allot- ted three-score years and ten have been permitted to our subject for the enjoyment of well-earned comforts, and we supplement the wish of his many friends that he will be spared for years to come.
AVID LYONS, an honored and upright citi- zen, and for the past twenty-live years a constant resident and successful agricultur- ist of Lexington Township, La Fayette County, Mo., is pleasantly located upon section 19, town- ship 50, range 26, and has a fine farm, all under a high state of improvement. Our subject was the namesake of his paternal grandfather, David Lyons, a native of Ireland. An enterprising and ener- getie man, intelligent and ambitions, he early de- termined to emigrate to America, and, crossing the broad Atlantic, settled in the United States
and made for himself and his deseendants a pros- perous home in the land of liberty. His son James was born and reared in the good old Quaker State, and, leaving Pennsylvania to locate in Tenn- essee, there met and married his wife, Anna Max- well. a native of Hawkins County, Tenn.
Our subject was born upon his father's farm in Hawkins County, in February, 1820, and re- mained in his birthplace until he arrived at a ma- ture age. In his boyhood days he assisted in the agricultural duties of the farm, and attended the subscription schools of the immediate neighbor- hood. Ilis father was an extensive stock-raiser, and he gained an accurate knowledge of this branch of farming. which has since materially aided him in successful ventures. Remaining in Tennessee until 1865, Mr. Lyons was variously employed. At sixteen years of age he began elerk- ing in a variety or general store, and performed the duties intrusted to his care so satisfactorily that he continued in the business until he was twenty years of age. Our subjeet then began buying and selling horses, and profitably con- tinued in the same line of business for some years.
In 1848, Mr. Lyons embarked in mercantile pursuits on his own account, and, devoting him- self with his accustomed ability and energy to his business, he built up a fine trade, which, rapidly extending, yielded him a comfortable income for ten years. In 1860 he retired from mercantile life, and in 1865 settled upon his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which under his excellent management is constantly increasing in value. In the month of December, 1813, our sub- jeet was united in marriage with Miss Julia Amos, a most estimable lady and a daughter of James Amos, a native of North Carolina, and a well- known and highly respected citizen. Mrs. Julia (Amos) Lyons did not survive her marriage many years, and dying left to the care of her husband four children, one son and three daughters: Anna is at home; Mary is married and is the wife of John Lyons; JJames lives in La Fayette County; and Julia is deceased.
In 1852, Mr. Lyons was married to his second wife, Miss Matilda Looney, who passed away in 1866, after becoming the mother of six children,
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now living: Chnton resides at home with his father; John L. is living in Lexington Town- ship; David J. is a grocer of Lexington Township; Elizabeth is at home; Rosa is the wife of Frank Lankford, of Bates County, Mo .; and Rachael is married and is Mrs. Walker. Our subject was again married, in 1875, to Mrs. Fulkerson, his present wife, and a native of Massachusetts.
Mr. Lyons is a man of temperate habits and strong character, decided in his views, and, pos- sessing undoubted integrity, has worthily won, and firmly holds, the esteem and confidence of friends and neighbors. A strong Democrat, well able to defend the party principles with sound ar- gument and unanswerable logic, he has never himself desired political promotion, but considers it the duty of every good citizen to do his best to see that all the offices, both local and national, are worthily filled. Our subject is notably inter- ested in educational advancement, and is one of the foremost promoters in local progress and im- provement.
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B ENJAMIN C. RIDGE is a farmer on section 35, Dover Township, La Fayette County. Ile is a native of Adair County, Ky., and was born September 20, 1833. His father, William Ridge, who was a native of Maryland, emigrated from Kentucky to Missouri in 1836, and, as he brought his family with him, our sub- ject knows but little of his native State by actual residence therein. His mother was, prior to her marriage, Miss Sophia Dillingham, a native of Kentucky.
When the Ridge family moved to Missouri they at once settled on the farm where our subject now lives. As a lad, he attended the common schools in the vicinity of home, helping his father, as was the custom in those days, in the intervals of school life with the farm work. In 1861 he enlisted in Company I, of Gen. Shelby's Regiment of Cavalry, and served until the close of the war. During
that time he took part in" the following battles: Wilson Creek, Lexington (Mo.), Springfield (Mo.), lluntsville (Miss.), and other minor engagements. ITe was wounded at Westport, this State, in 186.1.
At the close of the war, Mr. Ridge returned to La Fayette County, and resumed his career as a farmer, which he has carried on up to the present time. He has paid considerable attention for the last few years to raising Shorthorn cattle, and, like the native-born Kentuckian that he is, his delight is in fine trotting horses. ITis horses of the best pedigree are from "Mambrino," "Wilkomont" and "Red Eagle."
In politics, Mr. Ridge belongs to the successful party at the present time, and has been loyal to it through its long years of patient waiting for the present day. In 1866, he was married to Miss Winnie Warren, a daughter of Anderson Warren, who was a native of Kentucky and was one of the early settlers of Missouri, having moved here in 1818. Our subject and his wife have been the par- ents of seven children, and still number six of their grown-up sons and daughters, there being four of the former and two of the latter, who are named as follows: Clarence, Benjamin F., Winnie IT., Sophia L., William A. and George C.
The farm of which our subject is the owner comprises two hundred and fifty acres, which are all under cultivation and well improved. The home is a model of comfort and convenience, and the outbuildings, especially the barn for his fa- vored trotters, is after the most approved style for that kind of a building. The place" is beautified with trees, both shade and fruit. Both our subject and his wife are devoted members of the Christian Church.
J OHN C. COBB. Success in life attained through honorable means is a mark of high distinction in this age of competition, when desire for wealth too often prompts irreg- ular practices. The general testimony of the peo-
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ple of Odessa is that John C. Cobb is the soul of honor, whose wealth has been won without the sacrifice of a single principle of right. In his responsible position as President of the National Bank of Odessa, he is an important factor in fi- nancial circles and exerts a wide influence through- out the community. A brief review of his life will, therefore, be of interest to the reader and will encourage those who are dependent upon their own exertions for advancement. Ilis father. Al- fred F. Cobb, was reared in his native State, . Tennessee, where he followed the trade of an iron- maker. The grandfather of our subject. a native of North Carolina, of Welsh descent. and also an iron-maker by trade, settled in La Fayette County, Mo., in 1838, and in his removal hither was accom- panied by his son Alfred F.
The mother of our subject. Louisa (Hoskins) Cobb, was a native of East Tennessee, where she grew to womanhood. She was married to Alfred F. Cobb in La Fayette County. Mo., and bore him eleven children, ten sons and one daughter, all but one of whom grew to maturity, married and still survive. Our subject, the eldest of the eleven, was born in La Fayette County, Mo., March 18, 1813, and was reared there, attending the only school of his district. At the age of eighteen, he crossed the plains and engaged in hauling freight with an ox-team. In 1879, he embarked in the grain busi- ness, and in the following year organized the Bank of Odessa, which was merged into the National Bank. This institution is the largest bank in the county, and has also the distinction of being the only National Bank in the county.
In 1868, Mr. Cobb married Miss Louisa Hobson, a native of Jackson County, and they are the parents of three children: Dora Lou, Harvey C. and John Elbert. In the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Mr. Cobb is held in highest esteem and is Deacon, as well as a most influential member of that organization. In polities, as may be supposed, he takes a leading part and is a prominent Dem- oerat. Hle is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Valley College, at Marshall, and of the Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Missions and Church Erection, located at St. Louis, Mo. As one of the most prominent and reliable business
men of the city, he takes a leading part in all public enterprises and his advice is frequently sought ou matters of importance by his large cir- ele of friends and acquaintances. Ilis name is a synonym for all that is honorable and upright, and by integrity and sound business principles he has won a most enviable reputation in the com- munity.
HIOMAS R. E. HARVEY, A. B., an active and honored member of the Old Settlers' Society of Saline County, and for many years a leading and representative farmer of the State, has now retired from the pursuit of agricul- tural duties, and makes his home in the city of Marshall. A resident of Saline County since 1836, our subject has been intimately associated with . the growth and history of Missouri for the past fifty-five years. Born in Northumberland County, Va., between Baltimore and Richmond, December 16, 1827. he was a boy of but nine years when his parents left the Old Dominion and with their fam- ily settled in the vicinity of his present home.
Thomas H. Harvey, father of our subject, was of English descent, and was a native of Northumber- land County, Va., where he became well known as a prominent agriculturist. An earnest and intel- ligent citizen, he was appointed by President Ty- ler as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and so efficiently conducted this department of public work, that he was re-appointed to the official posi- tion by President Polk. Some time after estab- lishing his home in Missouri, Thomas Harvey was elected to the State Legislature and was Speaker of the llouse. He also served with honor in the Senate of his adopted State. An honest, useful and highly respected citizen, he was from early youth connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and after a life of unblemished Christian integrity, passed away from earthly scenes in 1852, lamented by all who knew him.
Reared upon his father's farm, Mr. Harvey re-
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ceived a preparatory education in the neighbor- ing schools, and afterward completed a classical course of instruction in the university at St. Louis, graduating with honor in 1850, and receiving the honorary degree of Bachelor of Arts. Ile further enjoyed the advantage of a session in the law school of the Virginia University at Charlottes- ville. Returning to Missouri, he engaged in the study of law in Spaulding & Shepley's office in St. Louis, until the death of his father necessitated his immediate return home, when he at once took charge of, and superintended, the estate of his de- ceased father. Until 1891 our subject actively en- gaged in general farming with success, then, hav- ing earned a rest, removed to Marshall, built a commodious and attractive residence, and now makes his home among a large circle of old friends and neighbors, whose confidence he has won by his honorable life.
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C HATIIAM E. LANKFORD, a prosperous general agriculturist and successful stock- raiser of La Fayette County, Mo., residing upon section 24, township 50, range 27, is well known as a useful, energetic and upright citizen. Born in the immediate neighborhood of his pres- ent home October 26, 1829, our subject has for sixty-three years been intimately associated with the growth and rapid development of the various leading interests of the county. llis father, Dan- iel Lankford, was a native of Virginia, but early left his native State and, journeying to Missouri, became one of her carly pioneer settlers. His wife, IIulda Young, was the daughter of Adam Young, who removed to this portion of Missouri when the State was an almost unbroken wilderness, and thus the entire family history of our subject is in- terwoven with the changes, vicissitudes and later prosperity of this particular locality.
The boyhood days of Chatham Lankford were passed mainly upon the farm, where he, as soon as his years would permit, assisted his father in the
daily duties of agriculture, and was taught the lessons of honest industry and thrifty manage- ment which in after life made him a thoroughly self-reliant man. The schoolhouse to which he took his way through the winter months was a rude structure, but the patient teacher thoroughly grounded the pupils in the common branches of reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, geography, and, hardest of all, gave them lessons in grammar. Only a very brief time for study had the farmer boys of those early days, but in lessons of endur- ance and patriotism they had their full share, and no coming generation will ever produce a more sturdy race of citizens than the aneestry from which our subject is descended.
In 1849, when the Western plains were trailed by miles of slowly moving wagons, all bound for the golden land upon the Pacific coast, our sub- ject, not then twenty years of age, joined in the cavalcade, and drove through to California with a mule-team. Varied and novel were his experi- ences in this his first long journey from home. Determined to win success in the far West, he pros- pected and engaged in mining, and the boy who had ventured so far from home returned again in 1857 a man in years and knowledge of the great world toward the setting sun. Once more in La Fayette County, he entered anew into the duties of farming, and as a tiller of the soil and an ex- tensive stock-raiser has gained a competence. The farm of one hundred and forty acres upon which he then settled is his present homestead, and is to- day one of the most finely cultivated pieces of land in the county. The buying, feeding and shipping of eattle has also profitably occupied the business attention of Mr. Lankford, and still yields him a handsome income.
In 1877, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Cecilia Smith, daughter of Dr. T. S. Smith, of Lexington. A bright, promising family of seven children blesses the pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Lankford. The sons and daughters are: Mary Il., Chatham E., Jr., Elizabeth K., Baxter Y., Susie S., Florence A. and Sidney M. Our sub- ject is a member of the Baptist Church, but his wife is connected with the Christian Church, with which religious denomination she was early asso-
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