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 53

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, C. O. Owen & Co.
Number of Pages: 820

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 53
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 53
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 53

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The paternal grandfather of our subject was of Scotch ancestry and owned a large estate and slaves in Frederick County, Va., where his death occurred. His children were as follows: Willianı, Thornton, George, John, Elisha, Lorenzo, Nancy, Susan, Betsey, Polly and Rebecca. John was a practicing physician at Newtown, Va .; Elisha and William died in the Old Dominion; Nancy mar- ried a Mr. Smith of West Virginia; Betsey became

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the wife of Jacob Newcomer, a hatter by trade and a resident of Newtown. Our subject's father, Lo- renzo McLeod, was born in Virginia and on reach- ing a suitable age married Anna B., daughter of John B. Tilden, a native of Pennsylvania. He re- moved from that State to Virginia, where he en- gaged in practice as a physician and also preached in the Methodist Church. During the War of the Revolution he served with the rank of First Lieu- tenant. After his marriage Mr. McLeod became the owner of his father-in-law's estate and re- mained thereon until a few years prior to his death, when he sold it to his eldest son and re- moved to the adjacent village of Newtown. For over forty years he was a faithful member of the Methodist Church. Of his nine children, William T. died on the old Virginian homestead; Rebecca (Mrs. Henry Victor) is living in Lynchburg, Va .; John B. is he of whom we write; Mary C. became the wife of David Horner and resides in Lyncli- burg; Richard S., died in Virginia; Etha married Frank Montgomery, since deceased; Robert T., still living in the State of his nativity, served through the war in Company A, First Virginia Cavalry, in Stonewall Jackson's Division, and was in the Battle of Spottsylvania and other lead- ing engagements; Martha V. is the wife of Will- iam Chipley of Virginia; Lorenzo died in child- hood; Edwin C. is also a resident of Virginia.

John B. McLeod was born February 27, 183-4, and obtained a good education in the schools of Newtown, Va., for some time having the advan- tages afforded by the academy there. In 1857 he emigrated to Marion County, Mo., and for two years engaged in farming, on shares, the home- stead of the widow of one John Carson. February I, 1859, he married the daughter of the house, Caroline, whose mother's maiden name was Sarah Stevens. The young couple began housekeeping on what was known as the Clement White Farm and remained there for a year, then removing to a farm in the same locality, which he also rented and where they lived for two years. Then for two years prior to its being sold our subject rented Mrs. Carson's farm and in the spring of 1865 pur- chased the place, which contained over two hun- dred acres and is now in possession of John Mal- lory, Here he remained until 1886, raising and

dealing in live-stock extensively and sometimes shipping the same. For nine years he has lived on the farm where he is at present and has met with good success in his undertakings. In May, 1892, his two-story brick house was destroyed by a tornado and nearly all of its contents were brok- en or rendered useless; with the exception of one of his children all of his family were in the house at the time and, wonderful as it appears, no one was injured. The tornado confined itself to a nar- row strip of land and this was the only house de- stroyed.

Mrs. Caroline McLeod died May 8, 1865, leav- ing two children: Lorenzo C., still at home; Etha B., wife of John Battson, a drygoods merchant of Quincy, Ill .; the first-born child, Willie, died in infancy. November 20, 1866, Mr. McLeod mar- ried Martha Carson, a niece of his first wife and daughter of Simon and Ann (Painter) Carson. Their children are as follows: Lulu V., who is at home; Hugh, Robert, Anna T., John J., Grace E., Valley V., Mabel C. and Eleanor. Hugh was married March 28, 1894, to Anna, daughter of Smith and Mary (Johnson) Scott, and resides on a portion of the home farm; Robert married Miss Mary Scott December 27, 1893, his wife's parents being John W. and Sarah (Godman) Scott, and his home is now in Fabius Township.

For over thirty ycars Mr. McLeod has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and for over two decades has been a trus- tee of the congregation at Pleasant Grove. In his political convictions he is a stanch Democrat.

H ON. ISAAC T. Dawson, formerly pre- siding Judge of the Ralls County Court, has been prominently before the public . for many years, and has won distinction in his manful and zealous discharge of the duties which naturally fell upon his shoulders. Prior to being. elected to the Judgeship in 1882, which office he held to the full satisfaction of all for six years, he was for eight years Justice of the Peace. His home is in Saline Township, of which he is one

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of the sturdy pioneers. For a long period he has been engaged in farming and stock-raising on his well improved homestead, which is situated on Section 23.

Born December 27, 1839, our subject is a son of John C. and Eliza (Scott) Dawson. The father was born in Clark County, Ky., November 8, 1799, and died in 1868, while his wife, also from Kentucky, born July 10, 1803, departcd this life in December, 1865. They were married in Clark County, Ky., from whence they emigrated to this county in 1828, settling on Ely's Crcck in this township. In early days Mr. Dawson was a slave owner and after coming here was Justice of the Peace for some eight years. The journey from one State to the other was made by means of wagons and the aged mother of J. C. Dawson accompanied the family. Until the war Mr. Daw- son was a Whig, but his sympathies being with the southern side he then became a Democrat. His family comprised the following sons and daughters, of whom Jacob is now farming in Wisconsin, Martin J. is a retired farmer of Abi- line, Texas; Polly A. is the wife of O. W. Haw- kins, a retired farmer living in Monroe City; Abi- gail married Isaac L. Owen, a well-to-do farmcr of Marion County; Isaac T. is he of whom we write; John R. is deceased.

The educational advantages of our subject in his early days were limited as he attended the old log cabin school of the period. When he was twenty years of age he enlisted under Gen. Price in the Confederate service, and served as First Lieutenant under that noted officer for a year. He then returned home and in 1862 wcnt to Kentucky, where he stayed until after the close of the war. Then in company with a brother he managed his father's old homestead up to 1869, when he purchased a half interest in the farm. Several years passed during which he bought and sold a number of farms and finally in 1882 he came to his present home where he owns four hundred acres. He has always been a stanch ad- herent of the Democratic party and socially is a member of the A. O. U. W.

In 1865 Mr. Dawson and Rebecca V. Ely were united in marriage in this county, of which the

lady is also a native, having been born September 4, 1846. Her father, William S., a native of Boone County, Ky., born in 1805, died in 1876. At one time he owned slaves and an extensive plantation. He was a Democrat and served as Justice of the Peace for several years. Religiously he was a member of the Baptist denomination. His mar- riage was celebrated in this county with Rebecca Utterback, who was born in Kentucky in 1808 and whose death occurred in 1890. Both of these worthy people had settled in this township about 1832 and were thenceforth identified with its de- velopment. The children born to this couple . were as follows: Polly A., who married Andrew

Pollard (both deceased); Emily J., wife of William F. Blackburn, a banker of Hunnewell, Mo .; Eliza E., whose husband, P. Morris, is a farmer of Chariton County, Mo .; William M., and Sara, dcceased, the latter formerly the wife of Henry Brittingstein, now of New Mexico; Isaac, deceased, and Rebecca.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have had four sons and two daughters, of whom the eldest, Cecil, is now on a sheep ranch in Montana. Eliza, Thomas, Jennie and John R., are at home; one died in in- fancy. The family are members of the Baptist Church and enjoy the confidence and high es- teem of their large number of friends and ac- quaintances.

R OBERT S. KEITHLY, residing on Sec- tion 5, Township 55, Range 6, with Post- office at Cincinnati, Mo., was born March 30, 1841, in St. Charles County, Mo., and is a son of Simon Keithly, born in the same county March 12, 1812.

The grandfather of our subject, Samuel Keithly, was born in Green County, Ky., about 1782, and was of German origin. He was rcared in Ken- tucky and enlisted in the War of 1812. Imme- diately after the war he came to St. Charles, Mo., and located ten miles west of the city of St. Cltarles, being one of the first settlers in that lo- cality. Here he lived and died, owning at the

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time of his death a large farm and a number of slaves, and in those early days he used to ship his wheat to St. Louis by flatboat. He was an indus- trious and energetic man, possessed of good busi- ness ability, and became quite wealthy. He was married three times. By his first marriage there were six sons and six daughters: Simon, father of our subject; Obadiah, still living in Carroll County, Mo .; Samuel, who lived and died in St. Charles County ; Mervin, also living in St. Charles County; John was a practicing physician in Ver-

non County, where he died in 1890; Julius C., now living in Oregon; Mahala married Newton Castello, a physician of St. Charles County ; Lu- cinda, who married Robert McClinney, resides in California; Julia A. first married Fielding Jones, and subsequently Thomas Shelton, of Lin- coln County, Mo .; Elizabeth married Ora Cottle, who died in Montgomery County, Mo .; Cordelia, who married Nathaniel Castello; Mary, who mar- ried Jefferson Inskip, of Lafayette County, Mo.

Simon Keithly's boyhood days were spent on his father's farm, and his education was received in the common schools. He was married March 16, 1834, to Eleanor Robinson, born April 12, 1819, a daughter of Robert and Mary Robinson and a native of Pike County, Mo. After his mar- riage he located on a farm joining his father's place, where he remained until his death, in No- vember, 1854. He lived an uneventful and quiet life on his farm, and was a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. His children, ten in number, are as follows: Amanda, born April 10, 1835, married James Van Burkles, of St. Charles County ; Mary, born March 14, 1837, died in child- hood; Eleanor, born January 11, 1839, first mar- ried James King, who died, when she 'subse- quently married William Farrel, of Florida; Rob- ert, our subject; Joseph F., born March 27, 1843; „George W., born September 3, 1845; Mervin W., born September 4, 1847; Charlotte, born Septem- -ber 14, 1849, married John McGinnis, of Texas; Orin O., born May 3, 1852; Simon, born Decem- ber 15, 1854. The mother of these children sur- vived her husband and subsequently married James Cooley and moved to Texas, where she died in January, 1864.

Robert S. Keithly, our subject, was left father- less when a lad of thirteen years, and remained at home with his mother until eighteen years of age, attending the common schools as the op- portunity afforded. In 1859, during the Pike's Peak excitement, he joined a company organized in his county and started for Colorado by team; when almost across Kansas he .. gave up the trip and came home. After his return he remained in his native county and worked as a farm laborer until the outbreak of the war. In December, 1861, Col. Dorsey organized a regiment in St. Charles County, and Mr. Keithly entered the Confederate service under Capt. Montgomery Johnson, who was a physician in that county. His regiment started to join the Confederate forces in the Southern States, but in Boone County were dis- persed and a greater part captured by Gen. Pren- tiss. Our subject and a few others escaped and returned home. In March, 1862, he again at- tempted to join the army under Capt. Sharp, a cousin. This time he got as far as Lincoin County, when they encountered a large force of Federal militia. In the engagement he was cap- tured and his company again disbanded. Having made two attempts to become a soldier, and both being unsuccessful, he now concluded to give up the idea and remain at home, but in December, 1864, he was drafted by the Federals, and to escape the service again attempted to reach the South. This time he succeeded in getting through, reach- ing Price's cavalry on the river line between Ar- kansas and Texas. Here he entered the Confed- erate service in Company B, Ninth Missouri In- fantry, under Capt. Willis, and served until the close of the war, surrendering at Shreveport; he received his parole at Alexander. Taking the steamer Mary Jones at Baton Rouge, he arrived at home June 22, 1865.

On August 22 following, Robert Keithly was united in marriage to Evaline Howell, daugh- ter of Benjamin F. and Nancy (Harney) Howell, and a native of St. Charles County, Mo., born April 1, 1843. Her parents were natives of the same county, her mother being a niece of Gen. Harney. After his marriage Mr. Keithly located on the old homestead, buying out the other heirs.

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He remained on the farm for two years, when he sold out and purchased another farm of a hundred and fifty acres in the same county, where he re- mained until December, 1873, when he sold that farm and came to Ralls County, Mo., and pur- chased the place that he now owns, consisting of two hundred and forty-seven acres. Two chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Keithly: Ida B., born July 27, 1866, died November 26, 1889; she was the wife of James A. Bailey, who still lives in this county with their two children, Vera F. and John K. The son, Chiles Lester, was born Au- gust 23, 1873, and was educated in the College of Palmyra and St. Charles College. At present he is reading medicine and expects to take up that profession.

Since coming to Ralls County Mr. Keithly has

- carried on general farming and stock-raising. A portion of his land is located in the rich bottom of Salt River. His residence is on the upland, where he has a comfortable house and surroundings. Mr. Keithly, his wife and son are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Cincinnati, and he is a Master Mason.

O RRIN S. BEARCE is one of the old resi- dents of Macon, as over thirty years ago he cast in his lot with the people of this enterprising city. Since then he has constantly endeavored to advance her best interests, and has been a witness of the vast changes for the bet- ter which have taken place within her boundaries.

The founders of the Bearce family in the United States were Austin and Hannah Bearce, who settled in Massachusetts, whither they had removed from England. The first-named was a native of fair Albion, but his wife was born in Scotland. To them were born twenty-three chil- dren, and from them are descended all bearing the name in America, it is supposed.

Our subject's parents were Orrin and Susan (Harlow) Bearce, who owned a good farm in Ox- ford (now called Androscoggin) County, Maine.

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Seven of their eleven children are still living: Zebulon, who is on the old homestead; Orrin S., Horace M., a farmer of Winthrop, Maine; Har- riet E., widow of H. W. Small, of East Boston, Maine; Susan, wife of Daniel French, of Auburn, Maine; Maria, widow of Isaac Gross, of Auburn, Maine; Anna C., widow of Virgil True, of Cam- eron, Mo.' Those deceased are: Abbie Higgins, Jane Alden, Jefferson, who died at the age of sev- enteen years; Simeon Lowell, who died in this city.

O. S. Bearce was born November 2, 1824, in Oxford County, Maine. He lived on the old farm with his parents until he was fourteen years of age, when he began learning the dyer's trade in a woolen factory. At the end of a year, however, he abandoned the business, and for some time sold goods as the proverbial "Yankee Peddler." Next he went to Brown County, Ohio, with the intention of taking up medical studies, but was discouraged when he found that his uncle, Simeon Lowell Bearce, with whom he had in- tended to pursue a course of training, was obliged to ride night and day. The young man proceeded to Louisville, Ky., where he engaged in selling oilcloth, and at last owned an interest in an oil- cloth factory there. He was then seventeen years old, and before long he also operated a similar factory at Jeffersonville, Ind. Four years passed and the business proved a failure, whereupon Mr. Bearce became a book agent. Three years subsequently he entered the employ of a Peoria firm, dealers in drugs, and traveled for them for about seven years. The succeeding decade lie was himself engaged in the drug trade, owning a store at Oquawka, Ill.

The year 1864 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Bearce in Macon, and seeing the promising fu- ture in store for the little city he made good in- vestments and also opened a stock of drugs, which business he followed for another ten years. Then he commenced manufacturing plows, but the ven- ture did not prove a successful one. Now he is practically retired, owns valuable property here and looks after his various investments.

December 28, 1848, the marriage of Mr. Bearce and Eliza A., daughter of Seymour Decker, was

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celebrated. Her father was a native of Ontario County, N. Y., and by occupation was a farmer. Formerly he lived in Peoria, but his death took place in Macon in 1885. Three children have come to bless the union of our subject and his estimable wife: Horace Lovell, who died when sixteen months old; Emma Jane (Mrs. J. W. Pat- ton, of this city); Ida May, who died in childhood (1857). Mrs. Bearce is a member of the Baptist Church.

Few citizens of this place are more enthusiastic Republicans than he of whom we write. He has furnished a large share of the funds used in cam- paign work for many years and is recognized as a leader. Frequently has he been sent as a dele- gate to conventions, and he attended the first one held in Illinois. Again he was present at the State Convention convened at Decatur a week before the nomination of Lincoln. He aided in instructing delegates to vote for the great man first, last and all the time, and was thus an humble instrument in the promotion of right, freedom: and progress. Fraternally he is a member of the I. O. O. F.

M AJ. SIDNEY G. BROCK. The measure of a man's worth in any community is what he has accomplished. The man whose name heads this article has ever been in the foremost rank of the best citizens of the county and State, interested in their material ad- vancement and advocating the adoption of any measure calculated to promote the good of the town, county or the people.

Our subject is a native of Ohio and was born in Cleveland April 10, 1837. He is the son of Eleazer A. Brock, a manufacturer of the Forest City and for many years a leading member of the City Council. His father was a native of Ver- mont; his mother, whose maiden name was Mar- guerite Platt, was born in Plattsburg, N. Y.

Sidney G. Brock was reared in Cleveland and was there graduated from the High School with the class of '53. He then took the full course at

Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., from which institution he was graduated with the hightest honors in 1859, carrying off the prize in both Greek and English literature. After completing his collegiate course Mr. Brock began studying law in the office of Hon. Hiram Griswold, Cleve- land, Ohio, at the same time attending the Cleve- land Law School. Being admitted to the bar in 1861, he soon thereafter opened an office in his native city. He was married December I of that year to Miss Louisa O., daughter of Prof. L. D. Williams, of Allegheny College.

In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Union Army as a member of Company H, Sixty-Seventh Ohio Infantry, of which he was commissioned First Lieutenant, and later Adjutant of the Regiment. He was promoted to a captaincy and while in command of his company participated in many of the hard-fought battles in Virginia and Soutlı Carolina. By his conspicuous bravery and ability as an officer he won the rank of Major and was appointed on the staff of Gen. Howell and Gen. Foster, and with this title was honorably dis- charged at the close of the war.

Maj. Brock located in Macon, this State, in 1866, at which time he formed a partnership with Gen. F. A. Jones in the practice of law. During the sixteen years they were associated together they were solicited as counsel for many of the most noted cases conducted in the courts of this county. In 1871 he established the Macon Republican, with Mr. Jones as his partner, and they remained together until the death of the latter in 1882. Maj. Brock then managed affairs alone until 1889, when he sold the plant to its present manage- ment.

Maj. and Mrs. Brock are members in excellent standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. For many years he has been an active member of the Church, and in 1876 was a delegate to the Gen- eral Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Baltimore, Md. He is a member of the Masons, of the L. L., and of the G. A. R. Po- litically he is a tried and true Republican. He has always labored earnestly and zealously for the success of that organization, believing as he does that its policy and principles are most con-

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ducive to the welfare and prosperity of the whole country. He is a pleasant and agreeable gentle- man, cultured and brilliantly educated, and as a citizen is regarded as a man of worth and integ- rity. Those opposed to him in political faith, or who have antagonized him in his efforts in behalf of any measure he may have advocated, accord to him sincerity and thorough honesty of purpose. To Maj. and Mrs. Brock there have been born three children: Alvin W., Sidney L. and Benajah B. In 1888 Maj. Brock made the race against Wm. Hatch for Representative to Congress in the First District of Missouri; though not elected he cut down his majority from four thousand to two thousand three hundred. In 1889 he was appointed by President Harrison Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury Department, Washington, D. C. While filling this position he was commended frequently by the leading jour- nals for his efficiency and ability in the discharge of his duties. He was also a frequent contributor to the metropolitan journals and leading maga- zines. One of the most prominent articles from his pen was a contribution to the Fortnightly Re- view, one of the leading magazines of England, entitled "The Advance in the United States from 1790 to 1890," which attracted much attention because of the facts and figures there given, show- ing the marvelous advance made in civilization, commerce, science and the arts during the first century of the great Republic.

Maj. Brock is an eloquent and forcible speaker, and is frequently called on to address the public on moral, political, educational and commercial questions. He is well known and highly esteemed, not only at his home, but by friends all over the United States.

R OBERT A. TRIBBLE. A lifetime of ear- nest endeavor in pursuing the various oc- cupations in which he has been engaged has served to place Mr. Tribble among the highly- honored and successful residents of Pike County. He has been especially favored in his farming en-

terprises, and is now living retired on his fine estate in Spencer Township.

A native of Kentucky, our subject was born in Harrison County, October 8, 1828. His parents were George J. and Margaret (Collins) Tribble. The father was. born January 15, 1794, in Bed- ford County, Va., and departed this life in 1878. George J. was the son of George Tribble, also a native of the Old Dominion, where he spent his entire life prosecuting the occupation of farm- ing. He owned large estates and attained some prominence. His family of six children are all deceased.

Mrs. Margaret Tribble was born November 3, 1797, also in Bedford County, and survived her husband three years, dying in 1881. Her father, John Collins, was born, reared and died in Vir- ginia. By her union with George Tribble, to whom she was married in her native State, there were born twelve children, four sons and eight daughters, namely: Martha, John, Ellen, Mil- dred, Mary and George, deceased; Thomas A., the wife of Samuel Ross, a farmer of Spencer Town- ship; Robert A., of this sketch; William, deceased ; Huldah, now Mrs. J. Stewart, an agriculturist of this section; Cadella, Mrs. J. Rowley, lives in Louisiana, this State; Toletha, the widow of Chap Jennings, formerly a resident of Buffalo Township, this county.

The father of our subject emigrated to Pike County with his family in the year 1830, and, lo -. " cating in Buffalo Township, there lived the bal- ance of his life, engaged in farming. He owned a large tract of land, valuable and highly culti- vated, and in addition to agricultural pursuits de- voted much time to stock-raising.

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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 53

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, C. O. Owen & Co. Number of Pages: 820

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, C. O. Owen & Co.
Number of Pages: 820