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 83
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 83
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Mr. Booth wrote the first letter in regard to the building of a railroad which has since been con- structed through Saline County, through the towns of Springfield, Sedalia, Marshall and Miami. In all local enterprises he has ever taken an active and interested part, using his best abilities for the ad- vancement and progress of the county. In his po- litical affiliations he is a stanch Democrat, and, religionsly, holds membership with the Baptist Church. The family of which he is a member has always been noted for its strict integrity and high sense of honor. They have also been more than usually intellectual, and in almost every pur- suit or calling which they have entered they have been very successful, and have rarely met with failure.
Mr. Booth was one of the eight children whose parents were Stephen and Mary (Congleton) Booth, the former a native of Bedford County, Va., whose birth occurred in 1786. His father, William Booth, probably a native of the same State, was a man of superior education and a large siave- holder. The family is of English origin. the great- grandfather of our subject having emigrated to this country from England. The brothers and
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sisters of our subject are: Armilda wedded Will- iam Hedge>, and died in Adams County, Ill .; Clarinda married Miner Iledges, of Illinois; Will- iam was a successful business man in Adams County; Elizabeth became the wife of Davis Col- vin; JJudith married John S. Johnson, of Adams County; Emily is the wife of lohn T. Turner, of the same county; Mary, wife of John Duncan, re- sides in Adams County; Sarah, who became the wife of Thomas Sibley, is now a resident of Saline County; and Frances is the wife of John L. Moore.
6
OIIN F. EUBANK. Our subject is a farmer in Saline County, having a fine place on township 52. Ile was born in this locality April 12, 1863, and is a son of Reuben and Elizabeth (Whitaker) Eubank. He was one of a family of three that blessed the union of his par- ents. Himself the eldest, his brothers are Ernest and Jerome, both of whom are residents in this State, and are prosperous business men.
Elsewhere in this book will be found a sketch containing a more lengthy account of the geneal- ogy and family history of the Eubank family, there- fore it will be unnecessary for us to dilate upon our subject's parentage. We will rather confine ourselves to the personal history of the man, who, if he has not made himself distinguished by his honor and integrity in a locality where there is not much scope for distinction of this kind, is at least recognized as one of the foremost men of the locality, whose future is capable of almost any advancement.
John Eubank was educated in his native State and county. He attended the High School until twenty years of age, and at the age of twenty-two began farming for himself, renting from his father one hundred and sixty acres, which he devoted himself to clear and improve. The land was worth about $12 an aere, and the change that he has wrought in it may be estimated from the fact that
it is now worth $60 an acre. He purchased eighty acres, which, in addition to the land he manages for his father, gives him a well-improved tract of two hundred and forty acres.
Our subjeet was married to Miss Lucy Smith. like himself a native of this county. They have a charming little home of six rooms, which Mr. Eubank erected at a cost of $1,000. He also has good barns and supplementary buildings necessary in the conduct of the well-equipped farm. He feeds considerable stock, and is well known as a trader. The social relations of our subject and his wife are the most agreeable. In church matters they are Christians. Fraternally our subject is a Mason and a Knight Templar. In politics he is a Democrat. His aspirations have never been in the direction of political emolument, as his legitimate and individual affairs monopolize his time and at- tention.
OHN JOSEPH LILLY is a pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lexington, Mo. Hle is devoted to his charge and is one of the ablest advocates of the Catholic Church in this county. He was born in Nelson County, Ky., and is a son of John H. and Mary C. (Moore) Lilly. The Lilly family were early settlers in Maryland, emigrating from Eng- land about two hundred years ago. The paternal grandfather of our subject, who also bore the name of John Lilly, was a prominent man in political circles and a pioneer of Nelson County, Ky. Our subject's mother was born in Georgetown, Md., and is a daughter of Alexander Moore, who was a leading early settler of that State. On the ma- ternal side, our subject's grandmother before lier marriage was Miss Warren. Though now in his eighty-fourth year, John H., the father of our sub- ject, is still living, making his home in New Lon- don, Ralls County, Mo. The mother has also at- tained the same extreme old age.
The Rev. Mr. Lilly passed his boyhood in the
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county of his birth, attending school in Bards- town and later going to St. Joseph College. He afterward attended the St. Vincent Theological Seminary at Cape Girardeau, where he pursued his ministerial studies for four years. Upon being ordained a priest, he was assigned a parish in this State, which he held for eight years, being pastor of the church of the Immaculate Conception. In 1878 Mr. Lilly came to Lexington, and for two years had entire charge of the parish, which com- prises all of this county and a portion of Saline County, including the town of Sweet Springs. In 1880 the parish was divided and our subject was given charge of the western portion of this county, having sixty congregations, comprising German, Irish, French and' Italian families, under his supervision. In the year 1886 Mr. Lilly was appointed a member of the Board of Ecclesiastical Examiners, Consulters and Promoters. Ile has always taken an active and zealous part in pro- moting the best interests of his church, and always uses his right of franchise in favor of the nominees of the Democratic party.
APT. JAMES M. WITHERS, the subject of this sketch, was one of the representative men of this part of Missouri. At the time of his decease. he was a resident upon section 21, township 49, range 27, La Fayette County. His birth occurred in JJessamine County, Ky., March 3, 1821, a son of Peter and Evalina ( Price) With- ers, both of whom were born in Virginia of brave Revolutionary War ancestry. When but a small boy bis father removed to McLean County, Ill., about the year 1882, and he was there reared to manhood. llis schoot privileges were limited, and he had the usual experiences of pioneer life. Ilis was an ambitious spirit, however, not satisfied with the humdrum existence of life on a farm, so, in 1846, in his twenty-second year, he went to Mex- ico as a Lieutenant in Col. Foreman's Fourth Reg-
iment, Illinois Infantry, and participated in the capture of Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo, in April, 18:17.
The regiment .to which our subject was attached was discharged in June or July prior to the series of engagements that resulted in the capture of the City of Mexico in September. Returning home, he visited his old home in Kentucky, and while there was united in marriage, January 29, 1849, with Miss Mary Drysdale, a native of Jessamine County also, born July 4, 1825, a worthy daugh- ter of Reuben and Mary (Walker) Drysdale, both natives of Virginia. She, like her distinguished husband, came from a grandfather who bore his part bravely in the war of the Colonies with Great Britain. In 1851 Capt. Withers, with his little family came to this State, and first settled upon a farm a short distance from Odessa, and resided there a number of years. but finally, in 1867, lo- cated permanently upon a farm in Washington Township, south of Mayview, where he resided at the time his useful career was cut short.
In the war between the North and South, Capt. Withers commanded a company in Col. Ben Ell- iott's Regiment, Missouri State Guards, C. S. A., participating in the battles of Carthage. Wilson's Creek, Dry Wood and Lexington, and at Spring- field was captured. This was in 1862. and he was taken as a prisoner to Gratiot Street Prison, St. Louis, then transferred to Alton, where he re- mained some time, but was finally paroled. In 1853 our subject made a trip to California over- land, and remained there a period of seven months, then returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Ile continued a business of freighting across the plains for a number of years. In this way he be- came well acquainted with the resources and capa- bilities of vast sections of land, and in 1861 went north of Denver and started a cattle ranch there among the Indians, remaining for some time. Ten years later, in the fall of 1874, Capt. Withers took his family and with them resided for a space of two years in Northern Texas. but returned to the old home in La Fayette County, where he died October 9, 1891, lamented by the whole commu- nity.
The subject of this sketch was a man to whose
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memory the short space in a volume of this kind can not do justice. Ilis position in his county was one of influence, he having long served his fellow-citizens in the various offices of his district, and being always known as a kind neighbor, a good husband and father and a most loyal friend. Capt. Withers became a Democrat even before the disruption of the Whig party, and was never neu- tral in any thing, either polities or friendships. In his young manhood days, while still a Whig, he became well acquainted with Abraham Lincoln, Judge Davis, Senator Douglas, and other Illinois politicians. At that time Mr. Lincoln "rode the circuit" as a practicing lawyer, and Capt. Withers would often tell of the large crowds which would assemble in the hotel at night upon court day, where the great martyr would keep them in good humor by the jokes and amusing stories which he never failed to have at call.
The estate of two hundred and seven acres of land which our subject left to his family had been principally accumulated after the war. Beside his sorrowing wife, Capt. Withers left six children to lament the loss of a father and guide. These are as follows: Mrs. J. G. Worthington, of Lexington, Mo .; Mrs. Powell Van Meter, Misses Sallie and Jessie; Irvin, of Mayview; and William, of Texas. Capt. Withers was a member of Mound Prairie, now Mayview, Missionary Baptist Church, and with his wife was prominent in sustaining its eu- terprises. Mrs. Withers now resides in the village of Mayview, surrounded by care and comfort, but the place of her lamented husband can never be filled. Ilis was a retiring nature, one that was not always understood by strangers. for he was a man who would never thrust himself into publie atten- tion, nor be familiar with strangers or casual ac- quaintances.
Our subject was strong in his likes and dislikes; an attachment once formed was not likely to be disrupted, an aversion not easily eradicated. Always an active partisan in politics, he was never self-seeking, but earnest and alert for his party. At the time of his death, Capt. Withers was aged sixty-seven years, seven months and six days. His life is over, his battles all fought, but his friends now cherish a kind recollection of his unswerving
attachment to them, and of his uncompromising devotion to duty as he understood it. From such characters come the great heroes of the world. Green is now the sod above his grave, and the peace which passeth all understanding is his in the home beyond.
OHN T. BUSH. Our subject is an English- man by birth, but his interests and associ- ations are so identified with the growth of the locality in which he lives, which is Lexington, La Fayette County, that one would hardly know, unless so assured, of his British origin. Mr. Bush was born in Yorkshire, England, March 26, 1849. At the early age of three years he was brought by his parents to the United States. They landed at New York, and thence went to Wisconsin, where they settled on a farm.
As a lad, our subject attended the common schools in Wisconsin until fourteen years of age, and after that was self-supporting, being for a time employed in a stone quarry. In 1869 he went to Kansas City, Mo., and was there employed in a sawmill, and in 1872 removed to Ray County, where he also worked in a sawmill until 1877. At that date he became the proprietor of a mill of his own, and operated it for one year.
In the fall of 1878, Mr. Bush removed to La Fayette County, and there engaged in the sawmill business until 1882, when he sold out and began farming, which he continued for four years. He then engaged in the sawmill business again, but in the spring of 1892 sold out and invested in the Triumph Pressed Briek Company. Aside from these manufacturing interests, he owns a good and well-improved farm, comprising one hundred and seventy-five acres in Lexington Township, La Fay- ette County.
In polities Mr. Bush is a stanch Republican, which demonstrates the fact that he has grown far away from the Mother Country and her inter- ests. In November, 1867, the original of this
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sketch was united in marriage with Miss Josie Dickey. of Ray County, this State, and a dangh- ter of David and Mary (Diekey) Dickey. Mr. and Mrs. Bush are the parents of two sons, John R. and Joseph L. The family residence is located at the corner of Twentieth and Washington Streets.
R S. III GHIES, M. D. The unselfish improve- ment of one's mind, and the advancement of one's material interests without infringe- ment upon the rights of others, are the qualifications of a character far above the aver- age. Yet such a man is the subject of this sketch, who, amid trials that would have subdued a less courageous spirit, pressed onward to the goal of his praiseworthy ambition. The study of such a life cannot fail to be instructive to all classes of people. Dr. Inghes is a son of James II. Inghes, a native of Barren County, Ky .. who was the son of Rowland S. Hughes, a native of Virginia. The ancestors of Dr. Ilughes came from Wales; there three brothers, banished by inexorable law, left the home of their people to find a country where freedom of conscience was allowed. They settled in Virginia, but presently scattered into Mary- land and Kentucky, pursuing the avocation of farmers.
The mother of our subject was Matilda (Viers) Hughes, a native of Maryland, who went to Lo, gan County, Ky .. when a girl, and was there reared to womanhood. There she met and married James H. Ilughes. They remained in Logan County until 1820, when they removed to La Fayette County, Mo., settling on section 22. Clay Town- ship. The husband bought a claim of a man named Jones, the land being then prairie, but. since grown up in heavy timber. Bands of In- dians roved about at their own pleasure, while wild animals abounded. The country was very sparsely settled, there being no near neighbors. and but a single house standing south of his. Subsequently he entered and bought more land,
to the amount of seven hundred and eighty acres, all in a body, except forty acres of timber-land. It was here that he made for himself a permanent home by building a double log cabin, one of the finest then in the county. In 1853 a frame build- ing was put up in the good old-fashioned way- big rooms, wide halls and huge fireplaces, it being by general consent the best residence in La Fay- ette County. The old log house still stands.
After forty years spent upon this farm, the fa- ther and husband died in 1860. The wife fol- lowed him thirteen years later. This couple were the parents of eleven children, but two of whom are now living, the eldest, Catharine, dying De- cember 31, 1890. Of this large number of children, all but two grew to maturity, while three of them served in the Civil War. The father took an active part in the Mormon War. which resulted in the banishment of the followers of Smith. The father and mother were members of the Old-school Bap- tist Church, he being a Deacon in that body, very devout and exceedingly active in Christian work. The lively interest he manifested in schools was scarcely equal to that displayed in political affairs. An old-line Whig, a disciple of Henry Clay. he predieted the war long before the firing on Ft. Sumter. So honest was he, and so gentle his na- ture, that he was termed "the arbitrator," because he was called upon to settle all neighborhood dif- ficulties. His success in farming was due to the concentration of all his energies upon that work. Ile was thoroughly systematic and had the finest kept farm in the county.
Dr. Hughes was the ninth child, and is the elder of the two now living, the remaining brother being Hardy H. Our subject was born in the log house on section 22, November 29, 1810. Ile was educated in the common schools of the district, completing his course at Porter Seminary, at Lone Jack, Mo. When the war broke out, he enlisted in Company I, Graves' Regiment of Missouri State Guards, for six months; was made Corporal and took part in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek and Lexington. From that place he went to Neosho, thence to Osceola, and was discharged there in November, 1861. Returning home, he again enlisted in Company 1, First Missouri Cav-
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alry, Gen. Joe Shelby's Brigade; was Acting Or- derly-Sergeant, and participated in nearly all the engagements of that famous command without being once wounded. Made a prisoner near Hel- ena, Ark .. July 26. 1861, he was confined in the county jail for three weeks, and then taken to Camp Morton, at Indianapolis, where he was held until after the close of the war, being a prisoner ten months in all. Released in April, 1865, he went to Kentucky and remained until the following August.
Home duties demanded the presence of the Doc- tor, and he returned to Missouri, remaining upon the farm until the estate was settled, when he re- sumed the study of medicine, which had been in- terrupted by the war. In the years 1866-67 lie attended the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cincin- nati; returning to Missouri, he practiced medicine in Platte County for five years, and then went back to college and was graduated in the session of 1872-73. Located on the home farm in the following year, he sold a portion of the estate and devoted his time to the improvement of the remainder, but in 1875 lost his entire erop by the ravages of grasshoppers. Hle then went to Texas and located for the practice of medicine; but, suffering greatly from poor health, was finally seized with a fever, which brought him danger- ously low; ultimately recovering. he went back home after an absence of two years. Soon after his return he purchased the home and practice of Dr. Herendon, at Greenton, this county, and formed a partnership with Dr. M. M. Robinson, now deceased, the association continuing two years. Our subject then made his home at Odessa, condneting a drug store and practicing medicine for a period of two years, his time being de- voted after that exclusively to the drug business.
Order is a strong element in the Doctor's char- acter, and the general verdict is that he kept the cleanest and best-arranged, as well as the largest and best drug store in the county, having increased the value of the stock from $800 to $6,000. A few years ago he disposed of a-half interest to Dr. W. C. Goodwin, the firm name being changed to Inghes & Goodwin. Ile was married August 18, 1868, to Miss Mary A. Solleder, a native of Erie, Pa.,
and a daughter of Mathias Solleder, a native of Saxony, Germany. Mrs. Hughes received a very fair education in the schools of Leavenworth, Kan.
Dr. and Mrs. Hughes have been the parents of seven children, four of whom are living, as follows: Winifred Tracy, wife of W. S. Stanfield, having one child; JJosie O., Emmett Me D., and Raymond S. The two daughters are graduates of Odessa Col- lege, Josie being the youngest graduate of that institution since its foundation. Mrs. Hughes and the elder daughter are members of the Mission- ary Baptist Church. Our subject is identified with many organizations and interests of the city, being a member of the Anti-Thief Association; the Order of Woodmen, of which he is examining physician; the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a charter member and at present Treasurer, and in which he has held all the offices, being a member of the Grand Lodge; the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is a charter member and ex- amining physician since its organization; and the Masonic fraternity, being Past Master, member of the Grand Lodge, and a Royal Arch Mason.
Our subject is a Democrat and manifests an ac- tive interest in furthering the objects and aims of that party, having frequently been a delegate to its county, district and State conventions. He has always taken an active interest in school mat- ters. and has served as a member of the School Board. He has been a Director of Odessa College ever since its organization, and is now President of the Board. He is a Director and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Odessa Canning Com- pany; also a Director of the Odessa National Bank, and Secretary of the Board. Dr. Hughes' active duties have not prevented him from showing a respectful consideration for the dead. Quite re- cently he has improved the family cemetery on the old farm and has caused to be erected a fine . monument there for himself and all the family. lle has a sister buried at Oregon. a brother in Texas, and another brother at Greenton. One of his brothers served throughout the war and was killed at Ft. Blakely, the last battle of the war.
During a trip made for his health Dr. Hughes wrote a number of letters for his home paper, the
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Democrat, descriptive of the beautiful scenery and commenting upon the various ineidents of the journey. In company with J. C. Cobb, he left Odessa November 4, 1891, proceeding to Kansas ('ity, and thence to Springfield. lle visited Os- «cola, a fine, picturesque place, nestling among the hills of St. Clair County, and of especial interest to the Doctor, as there he was discharged from the State service after serving six months under Gen. Price, just thirty years before, and he had never seen the place since until his visit.
Dr. Hughes also visited the battleground of Wilson Creek, of which he writes as follows: "Standing here with the rays of the autumnal sun mildly blending with the hazy atmosphere of mystic Indian summer-the smoke from a eamp- fire on the creek rising languidly on the even- ing air, with everything reposing quietly and peacefully, it is hard to bring one's self to realize that here was enacted one of the bloodiest dramas of the Civil War, and that yonder, north on . Bloody Hill,' in early morn, Lyon hurled his men on the surprised Confederates like the brave man he was; and here, well to the front, was Totten's Battery awakening the echoes of the surrounding hills and sleeping Confederates by the roar of its guns, as it threw shot and shell into the fast forming and opposing lines; and there to the right was Woodruff's Arkansas Battery going quickly into action with its brave commander and no less brave men, standing true to their guns-and yonder south one mile, Sigel with his Germans surprising and capturing some Arkansas troops, killing many in their tents before they were aware that the enemy were on them.
"Now, accompanied by Mr. Steele, I again as- cended ' Bloody Hill,' for the first time in thirty years. No dead men with mangled bodies and dis- torted and bloody countenances greet me now. The low scrub oaks scattered on the hillside of that day have been removed and the land is now under cultivation. Back further to the north the brush remains as it was. Our camp was exposed to Lyon's battery across the creck, with only a stunted tree here and there intervening, and re- ceived the first fire from his guns. The whole hill is covered with a heavy growth of forest trees, now
in the 'sere and yellow' leaf of approaching winter, reminding me that I, too, am in the 'sere and yel- low' leaf of approaching age, and that soon I will follow those who crossed over the river on the 10th of August, 1861."
At Forsyth the party built boats and floated down the river. stopping now and then in quest of quail, ducks and turkeys. Many and exciting were their experiences, and the hunting expedition was not only successful, but are unusually pleasant, and will never be forgotten by the participants. At Batesville they landed, and ended their voy- age and hunt. The letters written by the Doctor concerning this trip possess decided literary merit. and we regret that the limited space of this vol- ume forbids lengthy extracts from them.
6 HOMAS AUDSLEY is a prominent farmer residing on section 7, township 52, range 20, Saline County. He was born in this county in 1857, his parents being Joseph and Martha ( Whithead) Audsley, who were both born in England. The father was born in 1812, and emigrated to this country at an early day, settling first on land entered from the Government. Ile afterward purchased two hundred and ten acres. to the improvement of which he devoted himself until Death called him from his labors. For nine years he served his fellow-citizens as Constable, Of his eight children, who are living in Carroll and Saline Counties, one son is County Clerk in the former county, while two of the sons were valiant soldiers in the Union army.
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