USA > Missouri > Marion County > Portrait and biographical record of Marion, Ralls and Pike counties, Missouri, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties; together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the Unted States > Part 50
USA > Missouri > Pike County > Portrait and biographical record of Marion, Ralls and Pike counties, Missouri, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties; together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the Unted States > Part 50
USA > Missouri > Ralls County > Portrait and biographical record of Marion, Ralls and Pike counties, Missouri, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties; together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the Unted States > Part 50
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In his early manhood Mr. Lyell was a Whig, but for many years has given his allegiance to the Democratic party. During the war he enlisted in the Confederate service, under Gen. McCol- lough, and took part in two engagements, but was never injured in any way. He and his good wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South at Warren and enjoy the good will and friendship of their neighbors and acquaintances.
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A NDREW W. LYDICK is one of the old and honored residents of Marion County, his home being on Section 30, Township 59, Range 6. He has been the proprietor of this homestead since 1871, but occupied and cultivated the place ten years prior to becoming its pur- chaser. His life has been an interesting one, re- plete with incident and unusual adventures in the New West. Personally he is a typical Southern gentleman, preserving the well-known hospitable and kind-hearted characteristics attributed to the better class of people inhabiting the South.
The paternal grandfather of our subject with his daughter immigrated from Pennsylvania to Bourbon County, Ky., settling near Paris. The grandfather followed his trade of a stonemason and was killed by falling from a scaffold while engaged in building a distillery. His wife was a Kentucky lady by the name of Elizabeth Lighter, and their union was blessed with three children, namely: John, Elizabeth, who married James Triplet and afterward came to Missouri with the Lydick family, and Andrew, who was killed in early manhood by being thrown from a horse. John Lydick, father of our subject, was born in Bourbon County, six miles from Paris, August 4, 1802, and for his day received a good education. Owing to his father's death the care of the estate and slaves fell upon his shoulders. Before leav- ing Kentucky, which he did in 1832, he married Ann W. Biddle, whose father's cousin, Nicholas Biddle, was President of the United States Bank and for many years Sheriff of Bourbon County. Our subject's parents determined to try their for- tune in Missouri in the year previously men- tioned and brought with them a number of slaves and wagons loaded with their worldly goods. While crossing the White River, for they made the trip by way of St. Charles, the little party came very near being drowned, and but for the supreme efforts made by their noble horses this history would never have been written. After many other incidents, more or less unpleasant, they arrived at Palmyra November 4, on the eve of the election of President Jackson. The place was then but a small village and Indians were numerous as well as hunters and other types of the pioneer.
The first purchase of John Lydick was an eighty-acre tract, which he bought of William L. Robinson, who had entered the land from the Government; on this property now stands the Marion County Poor House. Mr. Lydick sub- sequently owned various tracts of land and his home place numbered three hundred and fifty acres. In 1848 he built a substantial brick house, which is still in use; he finally sold the place in 1854 and with his wife went to Shelby County, Mo., making their home with their married daugh- ter, Mrs. David Parsons. This lady was strick- en with smallpox and from her the father took the dread disease, dying in February, 1873; his wife survived him some ten years and both were buried in Shelby County. They were members of the first church organized at Palmyra and were devoted Methodists. The father was on the Building Committee, under whose auspices the first church edifice in the county seat was erected, and held the offices of Steward and Class Leader. After the division in the church he affiliated with the southern branch. For years he was Road Overseer and politically was a Henry Clay Whig, later becoming a Democrat. However, he was strongly in favor of the Union, though he was not a participant in the war. Socially he was a Master Mason for years and held various offices in Palmyra Lodge.
Andrew W. Lydick, of this sketch, was born September 28, 1828, and is one of three surviving members in a family of eleven children, some of whose names are as follows: Mrs. Lorena Collins of Canton, Mo .; William B., who has not been heard from for many years; Ann E., Amanda E., Cassander, Benjamin and Frances died in child- hood.
Our subject was only four years old when he was brought by his parents to Missouri and from that time until reaching his majority he lived at home. He attended the common schools of Pal- myra and also the private schools taught by Mr. Hyde and Rev. F. B. Sheeps, an Episcopal min- ister and. well known as an educator in this part of the State. In 1850 Mr. Lydick started for Cal- ifornia, going across the plains; a part of the journey was made by ox or horse team, but he was obliged to walk about two-thirds of the dis-
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tance. Provisions were often very scarce and sometimes the men of the train were glad to eat mule flesh and paid one dollar a pint for flour. At first our subject located on the middle fork of the Calaveras River and in 1851 went to Onion Valley. After drifting around from Feather River Valley to Hopkins Creek, thence to San Francisco County and Sacramento, he located at Mountain Springs, Palaza County, where he en- gaged in the butcher business for one and a half years. Once while at Onion Valley he had about seventeen hundred dollars, but heavy snows came on, provisions became exorbitant in price and he was obliged to spend everything he had in order to live. In 1855 he went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but was forced to leave by the In- dians. At length he came home in 1856 by way of the Isthmus and New York City. He had made large sums of money, but had been forced to spend it about as fast as it came into his posses- sion, and the result was that he was but little richer when he arrived at home than when he left.
September 10, 1857, Mr. Lydick married Mal- vina, daughter of James A. and Mary (Boulware) Johnson, natives of Kentucky. She was born May 3, 1834, and by her marriage has become the mother of eight children, namely: William A., foreman of the Empire Lime Kiln, Elmo, Mo .; Maggie C., wife of George Hitt of Philadelphia, Marion County; Anna M. (Mrs. Addison Hag- gard), of Oakwood, Mo .; Albert, a resident of Shelby County; John D., who lives with his par- ents; James G., who died in childhood; Jennie and Edward A., who are at home.
After returning from California Mr. Lydick assisted in managing the old home farm for a year and then rented land in Fabius Township until 1861; the next ten years he rented the prop- erty which he has owned for the past quarter of a century. He has been very successful as an agri- culturist and has a farm which is a model one in every respect. He has seen the county change from a wilderness to its present flourishing and thrifty condition and has been a factor in its de- velopment. Since 1856 he has been a member of the I. O. O. F. and has filled most of the offices in Marion Lodge No. 31. Mr. and Mrs. Lydick have been members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South, Pleasant Grove, for about forty years and their children are now connected with the same congregation.
The unfortunate differences of opinion which made trouble in so many homes during the War of the Rebellion existed in the case of the family of our subject's father. Two of his sons were in the Confederate service and one in the Federal Army. Andrew W. Lydick enlisted with the southern forces under Gen. Porter, was captured and October 6, 1862, was placed in prison at Pal- myra. It was at this time that the ten men were executed there and three days later he was trans- ferred to a St. Louis prison, where he remained until December. He was next sent to Alton, Ill., and January 1, 1863, was returned to St. Louis, being released on a bond of two thousand dollars February 7. As he had no money he walked to St. Charles, where a Baptist minister gave him his breakfast and paid his fare to Mexico. A kind friend there furnished him with a horse and from Paris to Shelbina he made the journey on foot. He was one of the men who assisted in liberating the Confederate prisoners from the Pal- myra jail with the expectation that they would rejoin the Southern troops. For many years Mr. Lydick has supported by his ballot the nominees of the Democracy.
J I OHN L. TURNER is one of the successful young agriculturists of Marion County and makes his place of abode on Section II, Township 59, Range 6. In 1892 he was elected to serve as member of the Democratic Central Committee and was reëlected in 1894; he also served as Road Overseer for a number of years.
John M. Turner, grandfather of the above, was a native of Tennessee and was of English ancestry. He followed agricultural pursuits until he reached middle life, when he took up the practice of medi- cine and gave his attention to that profession until old age forced him to retire. He was married in Clay County to Patience McDonald, a native of Tennessee, and to them were born three children: James P., Mary and Fannie, who became the wife
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of Mr. W. P. Wendell of Clay County, Tenn. The second marriage of Mr. Turner was with Mary Sebastian, who is now dead; by his second mar- riage he had three children: John, Sarah and Rebecca.
James P., father of J. L. Turner, was born in Tennessee December 21, 1832, and was reared on his father's farm in Overton County. With his parents he emigrated to La Grange, Lewis Coun- ty, Mo., about 1851, prior to which event, how- ever, he was engaged in buying and shipping to- bacco, cattle, hogs, etc., by flat-boats down the Cumberland and Mississippi Rivers to New Or- leans. In 1851 he returned from such a trip very late in the fall and paid his way to La Grange on a steamboat, but at a point below Louisiana, Mo., the boat was abandoned on account of the ice and Mr. J. P. Turner walked to Palmyra, reaching there with just thirty cents, which he paid to the stage-driver for the ride he had taken on top of the vehicle. He was on his way to his uncle, William H. Turner, who had located at La Grange, but was unfortunately laid low with ty- phoid fever. As soon as he had recovered he proceeded onward and was employed for several years by his relative, who was a partner in the first flouring-mill erected in that city, the firm being known as Turner & Cashman. About 1856 the uncle removed to Oregon and young Turner engaged to work for John Talbert, a merchant. In 1858 he bought a one-third interest in a gen- eral store, which was carried on under the name of Turner, Loutham & Co. until 1862, at which time Mr. Turner disposed of his interest and the title became Talbert & Gray. Then for a few years he was bookkeeper for that firm and occu- pied a similar position with A. Quizenberry. In 1870 on account of poor health he moved into the country and engaged in farming on land owned by his wife; having partially regained his strength he went into the lumber business when two years had elapsed, but was advised by his physician to retire. He did so, and from that time until his deatlı was more or less of an invalid; he was called to his final rest November 22, 1891, after having been a member of the Christian Church for eighteen years. He was a member of the I. O. O. F., La Grange. August 23, 1859, he married
Nannie J., daughter of John H. and Alsia J. Shan- non, the ceremony being performed at the house of Col. W. C. Dingle of Palmyra.
John L. Turner was born in La Grange, Lewis County, August 19, 1861, and was nine years of age when his parents moved to this county. He supplemented his elementary education by taking a complete course at the Christian University, Canton, Mo., under President R. L. Cave. His sister Jennie also attended the Christian Univer- sity and the Private Normal at Stanberry, Mo., and is a successful teacher. The younger sister, Fannie, more commonly called Fay, now occu- pies a position as stenographer and typewriter in the McCormick Machine Company, Quincy, Ill. After his father's death our subject engaged in managing the home farm and is so employed at the present time. In 1890 he held a position in the Union Stock Yards, East St. Louis, remaining there for the winter. He is a member of Palmyra Lodge No. 228, I. O. O. F., and politically is a stanch Democrat. He is a member of the Chris- tian Church, having been identified with the con- gregation at Antioch for ten years. While our subject's father resided at La Grange he was as- sisting the Marshal to arrest a desperado and was wounded by the man, who plunged a dirk into his head, from the effects of which Mr. J. P. Turner never fully recovered.
T HOMAS R. CONLON, one of Hanni- bal's enterprising and progressive citizens, served from 1892 to 1894 as a member of the City Council, having been elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the Second Ward. He did most efficient service as Chairman of the Streets and Alleys Committee, and was a member of the Committees on Electric Lights and Fire Department. In March, 1887, he opened a livery stable on Center Street, which he is still engaged in managing. Besides this he is interested in real estate in various sections, and owns valuable farms and town property.
Our subject was born September 29, 1848, in
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Galena, Ill., his parents being John and Catherine (Conlon) Conlon, both natives of County Meath, Ireland. The former, a son of John and Ann (Riley) Conlon was born in 1816, and in 1844 crossed the briny deep, locating in New York. After living there for two years he went to Galena, Ill., where he obtained a position as foreman in a lumber yard. Seven years later he removed to Alton, Ill., where he occupied a similar position in a lumber yard owned by J. J. Cruikshank, Sr. In 1856 he came to Hannibal, though still in the employ of the same man with whom he con- tinued until 1871. He then opened a yard fot himself and was successfully engaged in business until his death, which occurred December 3, 1889. For several years he served as an Alder- man of this city, and was an ardent Democrat politically. In 1846 he married Catherine Con- lon in Brooklyn, N. Y., and had two children, namely: Thomas and John. The parents were members of the Catholic Church.
The early life of T. R. Conlon was passed in Galena and Alton, where he was educated in the parochial schoois. When he was seventeen years of age he entered the employ of the H. & St. Jo. R. R., and in 1868 he began running on the I. M. R. R., from St. Louis southward. Subsequently he served for eight years as Passenger Conductor. He then went to Virginia and was Road Master on the R. & A. R. R. some two years. Coming back to Missouri he obtained a similar position on the Cotton Belt Line, and for about eighteen months ran between Bird's Point and Jonesboro, Ark. In 1879 he opened a livery stable at Charleston, Mo., and while a resident of the place, served for one term as Mayor. He owns four hundred and fifty acres of land in Mississippi County, Mo., which is cultivated on shares. He is the proprietor of a two hundred acre farm on Section 16, Township 5, Range 5, Ralls County, Mo. This is used principally as a stock farm and for breeding cattle, horses and mules. Mr. Conlon keeps a high grade of short- horn cattle and other noted breeds.
At the corner of Center and Ninth streets, Han- nibal, is situated the pleasant home of our sub- ject and family. He was married on New Year's
Day, 1874, to Alice, daughter of Quincy and Elizabeth Johnson, both natives of Kentucky, and now deceased. The union of our subject and wife has been blessed by six children, namely: Minnie C., Nora, Thomas, Sadie, Effie and Daisy, who died in childhood at Charleston, Mo. Mrs. Conlon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while our subject adheres to the Catholic faith in which he was reared. Socially he belongs to the B. O. of E.
T HEOPHILUS BAXTER is a native of Ralls County, Mo., born September 3, 1854, and of German ancestry, though a long resident of this country. His grandfather, Baxter, was a farmer in Kentucky and in 1829 moved to Missouri, locating in Warwick Town- ship about one mile west of Palmyra, Mo. Here he entered land and made a home, rearing a fanı- ily of four children: John R., father of our sub- ject; William, who was born in Ralls County, and is now living on the old homestead; Mary, who married L. H. Gardner of Ralls County, and is now deceased; Susan, married William Brown and now resides in Marion County. Of the chil- dren three are living.
John R. Baxter, the father of our subject, was born February 29, 1829, in Marion County, Mo., soon after his parents came to the State. His boyhood was spent on the home farm and his education received in the common schools. At the age of twenty-three or twenty-four he mar- ried Margaret Wilson, a native of Missouri. Soon after his marriage he located in Ralls County, and bought the farm known as the Kinney farm, on which he moved and remained a few years. He then removed to another place in this county, within three miles of Perry, where he purchased the farm and remained eight years. During his residence on the Kinney farm he lost his first wife, and in 1857 was married to Minerva Richards, a native of Ralls County, and daughter of Alonzo Richards. Selling the farm near Perry he moved
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to Saverton Township and purchased the farm on the banks of the Mississippi River. Here he remained one year and again sold out and pur- chased a farm one mile north of New London. On this farm he remained three years, and in the fall of 1866 moved to Marion County and pur- chased a farm, eight miles west of Hannibal. In 1874 he again sold and removed to Ralls County and bought the old Ely farm, which he made his residence until 1881. Before this, however, he had purchased four hundred acres of land ad- joining the Ely farm, making it five hun- dred and sixty acres. He subsequently purchased other tracts until he owned over a thousand acres. This was his home until 1881, when he disposed of a portion of his land and moved to the village of Huntington where he now resides. He is a man of good judgment and business tact and made a success in life. After moving to Hunting- ton he erected a store building and engaged in general merchandise about one year when his store and contents, together with his dwelling, were all destroyed by fire. It is supposed that the fire was of incendiary origin. Since then he has practically lived a retired life. He has for a greater part of his life been a member of the Christian Church, and is active and prominent in church work and has served the greater part of the time as Deacon.
By the union of John R. Baxter and Margaret Wilson there was born one child, the subject of our sketch. By his union with Minerva Richards there were five children, as follows: Mary C., who married John Watts, resides in Ralls County ; William A., who now resides in the Indian Ter- ritory; Dora, who died at the age of sixteen years; Annie, who married Wallace Bond and re- sides in Monroe County; Effie, at home with her parents.
The early life of our subject was spent with his parents and his education was received in the common schools of Marion County, principally at Providence schoolhouse. He was married October 21, 1874, to Belle Mason of Marion County, and daughter of Harvey and Julia (Rogers) Mason. After their marriage the young couple located on the home place eight miles west
of Hannibal which he purchased from his father. Here he remained three years engaged in general farming, when he sold out and purchased the farm near Emerson, Marion County, consisting of three hundred and twenty acres. Selling this farm at the expiration of one year, he then moved to the town of Emerson and engaged in general merchandising in company with James Bould- ridge, under the firm name of Bouldridge & Baxter. This partnership continued but a short time when Mr. Baxter sold his interest and moved to Hannibal where he engaged in the grocery business, in which he continued one year. Then with his father continued the business under the firm name of Baxter & Son for one year, when John Penn bought the interest of the elder Bax- ter and the business was continued under the name of Baxter & Penn, when our subject sold out, and moved with his family to Dickey County, Dak. This was in 1882. He made claim to one-half section of land under the pre-emption and tree claim act, and remained about one and a half years and returned to Missouri, intending to get more teams and supplies for conducting his farming operations. While here he traded his land for property in Center and concluded to re- main in old Missouri. The first year of his return he rented the Lisle farm in Ralls County and then engaged in general merchandise in Hunting- ton. This time alone, having satisfied himself that a partnership was not the thing. He re- mained in this business about eight years, dur- ing which time he also had charge of the Post Office, and for five years of the time was also agent for the M., K. & T. R. R. at that place.
In May, 1888, Mrs. Baxter died and he was re-married June 12, 1889, to Julia Razor, a na- tive of Ralls County, born in 1870. By his second union there was one child, Therus, born June 17, 1893.
During his residence in Huntington he pur- chased and shipped stock and sold all kinds of agricultural implements. In 1892 he traded his stock for property in Excelsior Springs, but moved to Center, where he engaged in his present business, that of handling grain and general pro- duce. He buys and ships all kinds of grain and
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does both a wholesale and retail business in flour, furnishing his town merchants with flour and selling and exchanging with the farmers. In ad- dition to what is already stated he buys and ships eggs for New York City. He also built a grist mill now in operation in his town, but finding his time too much occupied, disposed of it. In 1892 he bought the Central Hotel of this place and operated it a while, then sold out, but was com- pelled to take it back and he again took charge of it and finally in 1895 traded it for land in Pike County. Mr. Baxter has been a member of the Christian Church for twenty years, and is a inem- ber of Center Lodge No. 209, K. of P .; he is also · a member of Friendship Lodge No. 79, K. of M., and also of Triple Alliance. In politics he is a Democrat.
J AMES C. JORDAN, one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Pike County, is descended from one of the most prominent and one of the oldest families of this section. He is a native of this State, and was born in the same house in which he now lives. His sons, who are now at home, make the fourth generation of the family who have cultivated the soil of this place.
James C. Jordan was born March 21, 1841, and was the elder, and now the survivor, of two chil- dren granted to his parents, James A. and Julia A. (Smith) Jordan. James A. Jordan, father of our subject, was a native of South Carolina and was born in 1805. He was three years of age at the time his parents came to Missouri, where he grew to mature years, and during his active life cultivated the tract of land on which his father lo- cated after coming here. He was a man of ster- ling character, greatly honored and respected for his upright and worthy life, and died in June; 1859, aged fifty-four years. Grandfather John C. Jordan, Sr., ivas one of the first to make his home in Missouri. Of Irish descent, lie was born about the year 1765 and came with his family to Mis- souri in 1808, stopping for a time where now stands the City of St. Louis. . Here he was of-
fered land for one dollar and a quarter an acre, but, not thinking the location a desirable one, he declined to invest and came on to Pike County, where he purchased later five hundred acres, for which he paid one dollar and a quarter per acre. On this farm he and his sons and grandsons have lived and reared families. Soon after his arrival here he, with twelve other families, erected a fort in order to protect themselves against the depre- dations of Indians; it was built directly in front of the old T. C. Isgrig Place. An elm tree still stands to mark the spot, from under which flows a stream of water which supplied the inhabitants of the fort with this necessary beverage.
On March 30, 1813, a brother of John C. Jor- dan, Sr., together with one of his sons, left the fort to perform work on the farm. In crossing a gully on their way to the field the father's horse shied so violently as to throw him, but on investigation they found nothing but the trunk of a fallen tree. On their return home at night, however, they were both shot by Indians hidden behind this same tree. The shooting was heard at the fort, and a relief party went to their assistance only to find them both dead and the father scalped. The son had remarked before leaving home that morn- ing that he wanted his hair cut, for if the Indians captured him he did not want to be scalped; his mother accordingly did as he wished and cut his hair close to his head.
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