USA > Missouri > Clinton County > The History of Clinton County, Missouri : containing a history of the County, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens, Clinton County in the late war, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc > Part 68
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
ANTHONY C. MCKEE.
farmer and stock raiser, section 15, post office Perrin, who ranks among the earlier settlers and worthy representatives of this county, was born in Franklin County, Kentucky, February 3, 1818. He was there reared, spending his boyhood days on a farm and received a preparatory educa- tion in the common schools, after which he attended school at South Hanover. He commenced the study of medicine, but, afterward, aban- doned it, and turned his attention to farming. He commenced business on his own account when about eighteen years of age, and moved to Clinton County, Missouri, in the fall of 1854, settling in this neighbor- hood. The residents were then few and far between, and the early comers found many hardships to endure. Mr. McK. located where he now resides in March, 1872. He owns 120 acres of land, well watered, and upon which is a young orchard. He was married November II, 1852, to Miss Francis E. Hurst, a native of the same place as himself. She was born December 20, 1837. They have been blessed with a family of ten children : Hamilton, George H., John D., Martha E., Robert E. L., Sarah M., Anthony C., James, Mary E., and Katherine. Himself, wife and daughter, Martha, are members of the Smith Fork Baptist Church.
JOSEPH McQUATE,
stock raiser, section 26, post office Osborn, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, March 14, 1851, and was there reared, spending his boyhood days on a farm, and receiving a common school education. His first start in life on his own account was in 1867, his father having given him $85, with which to buy some cattle. He was at this time young and inexperienced, and conceived the idea of taking a little excursion. He ran away to Wooster, Ohio, where he remained until his money gave out, when he returned home. His father had bought a piece of timber in Virginia, and was engaged in making railroad ties. Joseph commenced work in earnest, and remained at home for two years. He then removed to Chicago, and found himself in a strange city with but five dollars in his pocket. Having resolved to go to Sterling, Illinois, he bought a ticket, and with fifty cents started for that place. Arriving at Sterling, he formed the acquaintance of a Mr. Shaw, a prominent farmer and stock dealer, living near there, and engaged to work for him. He has been in his employ most of the time since. Mr. Shaw came west in 1872, and Joseph followed in the fall of 1873. He here assisted him in the stock business, and also commenced on his own account. Becoming quite successful, in the fall of 1880, he purchased a farm of 120 acres of improved land, and has it well stocked.
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PLATTE TOWNSHIP.
J. E. MAYSE,
farmer and stock raiser, section 13, post office Perrin, one of the earliest pioneers of Clinton County, is a native of Montgomery County, Vir- ginia, and was born December 16, 1822. He was taken to Kentucky by his parents when about ten years of age, and was principally raised there, and spent his boyhood days on a farm ; also attending the com- mon schools. He came west with his parents in 1847, and settled in l'latte County, Missouri, where he followed the brickmason's trade, and erected many brick buildings in that vicinity and at Camden Point, among which was the Camden Point Female Academy, the first institution of learning in the county. He came to Clinton County in 1848, when it was almost a wilderness, and constructed the first circular saw mill in this vicinity, operating it about three years. He then commenced im- proving a farm, and has since been identified with the interest of the county. He settled on his present place in 1872, and now owns a fine farm of 200 acres, where he resides, besides other land. He has a com- fortable residence, an excellent orchard, etc. During the late war he enlisted in the Enrolled Missouri Militia, and acted as provost marshal. Mr. M. was married February 8, 1855, to Miss Isabella Everett, a daughter of Mathew Everett, one of the oldest settlers in Northwestern Missouri. She was born September 10, 1836, in Clay County, Missouri. They have had fourteen children, nine of whom are now living : James B., Rebecca P., Henry C., Andrew J., Cora B., Joel W., Galen B., Sally J. and Robert C. Mrs. M. and two of her daughters are members of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. M. is a member of the Masonic fraternity. His grandfather, on his mother's side, was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and was killed by the British, and his great grand- father was scalped by the Indians on the Pottawatomie raid ; never- theless he lived to be 100 years of age.
BENJAMIN MILLER,
farmer and stock raiser, section 30, post office Osborn, was born Feb- ruary 23, 1809. in Kentucky, eighteen miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was taken to Ohio County, Indiana, when quite young, there being principally raised. He spent his boyhood days on a farm and attended the common schools. In the spring of 1829, he made his first trip from Cincinnati to New Orleans by water, and, in 1830, engaged in the milling business, which he followed for two years. He then sold it out and engaged in farming in the summer season and boating on the river in the winter season, having made six or seven trips to New Orleans, the last two during 1868 and 1869. Upon coming west, in the spring of 1869, he settled where he now resides, owning 320 acres of land well
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
improved and stocked. Mr. Miller is well and favorably known in the county, and his character is irreproachable. Of late, he has partially retired from an active business life. Mr. M. has been twice married : First, in the spring of 1834, to Miss Sarah Powell, a cousin of Nathan Powell, president of the Madison Bank, of Indiana. She was a native of Maryland, and died November 1, 1854, leaving six children : Maria (now Mrs. J. Rodgers), William, Rosette (now Mrs. C. S. Carter), Fannie (now Mrs. J. C. Pate), Benjamin, and Columbus. His second marrige occurred in October, 1855, to Mrs. Mary Richardson, who had two chil- dren by her former marriage: Mary B. (now Mrs. B. B. Lowrey), and Joseph A. By the latter union there are two children: Harriet (now Mrs. Robert Chappell), and Charlie C. Himself and wife are active members of the Smith Fork Baptist Church.
JAMES MILHOLLAND,
farmer and stock raiser, section 35, post office Osborn, was born Septem- ber 7, 1837, near Zanesville, in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was reared at his birthplace, receiving his education at the Muskingum College, and was graduated from the scientific department in 1859. He was first engaged as assistant civil engineer on the Central Ohio Railroad, and next commenced teaching, which he continued for ten years. He was also occupied in the study of law, and was admitted to the Ohio district courts in 1865, and to the supreme court in 1871. He at once engaged in the practice of his profession at Zanesville, and also edited a paper called the Zanesville Signal, which he established by buying out the . Aurora and the Press, and consolidating them. After remaining there about three years, Mr. M. accepted the position of chief engineer and attorney of what is now the Marietta, Pittsburg & Cleveland Railroad, and aided in procuring the right of way and establishing the road. He came west in the spring of 1871, and settled in Clinton County, Missouri, where he has since remained, and has been engaged in farming, teaching and the practice of law. Of late Mr. M. has retired from active business life. He owns a small farm of forty acres, which has upon it one of the best vineyards in the county ; also a good orchard. He has been twice married. First, in June, 1857, to Miss Lydia Wycuff, a daughter of one of the pioneers of Muskingum County, Ohio. She died in 1866, and left three children : L. H., Wilbur A. and Anna A. He was married again January 2, 1868, to Miss Caroline Daniels, a native of Carroll County, Ohio. She was born March 24, 1843. By this union they have four children : Asa D., Henry S., Vernia V. and John A. Himself and wife were brought up in the faith of the old school Presbyterians, but are at present members of the M. E. Church, South.
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PLATTE TOWNSHIP.
CAPTAIN F. W. MOORE,
farmer and stock raiser, was born October 24, 1831, in Ogdensburg New York, and was reared there until fifteen years of age, receiving the benefits of a common school education. He left home when fifteen years of age, and went to New York City, where he purchased an interest in a canal and commenced working for the American Transportation Company, of New York. After remaining there three years, and receiv- ing his interest from his father's estate, he came west, and spent one year traveling through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Mis- souri. He finally settled at Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wiscon- sin, and purchased an interest in a hotel, livery and stage company, there being occupied in carrying the mails between Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, Minnesota. At this time this was one of the largest mail routes in the state. They continued the business there four years, and Captain M. was also privately engaged in the lumber business. He next moved to Eauclaire, and, in partnership with another gentleman, engaged in the wholesale liquor business, which he afterwards disposed of to his partner, and built the first steamboat on the Chippewa River. Since then, he has given his attention to steamboating for some twenty- five years, on the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers. He became a member of the Idaho Steam Packet Company, and in the spring of 1864, started, with two boats, from Cincinnati, Ohio, for Fort Benton, on the upper Missouri. He finally reached a point near there, with one boat, after sinking and raising her twice. This was the first boat that had reached that place on the river. He wintered there and explored the country. In the winter of 1867, he sold out his interest in the packet business. During his stay in Montana, he was elected a member of the first legislature, and also laid off the town of Ophir, at the head of navigation, on the Missouri River. He came to Osborn in Decem- ber, 1868, and has made this his home since, having given his time, chiefly, to farming and stock raising. He owns a one-half interest in 320 acres in DeKalb County, and a fine farm of 120 acres, in Clinton County, also, some town property in Osborn. Captain M. was married July 30, 1866, to Miss Eliza J. Hixon, a native of La Crosse, Wisconsin. They have had three children, Carrie, Frankie and Nellie. Mr. M. is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to Osborn Lodge, and to the Royal Arch Chapter, of Cameron.
T. T. PHELPS,
farmer and stock raiser, section 33, post office Osborn, was born Novem- ber 26, 1835, in Madison County, Kentucky, and was raised there, his youth being passed on a farm. He received the benefits of a common
J
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
school education, and when twenty-one years of age he commenced farming on his own account. Upon moving west, in 1857, he settled where he now resides. He entered a choice piece of land and com- menced improving a farm, which at present (1881) embraces 190 acres, and is one of the finest in the township and mostly under cultivation. Being among the pioneers, Mr. P. is widely and favorably known, also because he has been a prominent actor in the Democratic party. He has always taken a deep interest in the improvement and building up of the county. He holds the position of school director and road overseer. He was married in the year 1861, to Miss Bitty Turner, a native of the same place as himself. She was born August 7, 1842. They have had a family of six children, five of whom are living-James, George, Robert, Carpenter and Brown. Himself and wife are members of the Christian Church of Round Prairie, in which he holds the position of deacon and clerk. James Price Phelps, his eldest son, was born February 13, 1862, in Clin- ton County, and has been reared and educated here. He is an industri- ous, energetic young man, and promises to succeed in whatever he undertakes.
JOHN T. PICKETT,
farmer and stock raiser, section 26, post office Stewartsville, was born May 29, 1837, in Clay County, Missouri, and was there brought up, spending his boyhood days on a farm. He attended the common schools, and afterwards commenced to learn the wagonmakers' trade when eighteen years of age. This he followed for about eight years. He moved to Clinton County in the spring of 1863, and settled where he now resides. He commenced its improvement in 1860, when it was a prairie, and even then wild game still remained. Mr. P.'s farm now comprises 160 acres of improved land, well watered and stocked. In his manners Mr. P. is kind and courteous. He is very attentive to busi- ness, and has held the office of school director for several terms. He was married in March, 1863, to Miss Isabella Grooms. Her parents were among the pioneers of Clay County, Missouri. She was born Feb- ruary 1, 1845, in that county. They have had two children -- Cora J. and Arthur J. Himself and wife are members of the Cumberland Presby- terian Church, in which he is one of the trustees.
JOSEPH H. PICKETT,
farmer and stock raiser, section 23, post office Stewartsville, was born April 18, 1842, in Clay County, Missouri, and was reared there, spending his boyhood days on a farm, and received the benefits of a good common school education. He first engaged in trading, but has devoted his attention principally to farming. During the late war, he enlisted in the
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PLATTE TOWNSHIP.
Confederate army, in the fall of 1861, and served with General Price, taking part in the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. He held the position of corporal, served six months, and received an honorable discharge, He returned home, and has since given his attention to farming. In the spring of 1865, he moved to the place he now occupies, and owns a fine farm of 220 acres, well improved, stocked, etc. Mr. P. gives his whole attention to his business. He is no political aspirant, although he has filled the township office of school director. Mr. P. was married, March 30, 1865, to Miss Miriam Warren, a native of Clay County, Missouri. born February 18, 1848. They have had six children : Dallas, William, Robert A., Edward, Vena and Dora. Mr. P. has in his possession some relics, which are quite a curiosity. He has a copy of the Ulster County Gazette, of New York, under date of January 4, 1800, containing an account of the death of General Washington, and giving the feelings of the people in regard to it.
JOSEPH QUELL,
farmer and stock raiser, section 35, post office Osborn, one of the hard working and energetic citizens of this county, was born in Germany, January 6, 1831, and was raised there as a millwright, and received the benefits of a common school education ; worked at his trade after reach- ing his majority. He crossed the ocean during the winter of 1850, and landed at Baltimore on the 18th of June, after a stormy voyage of fifty- four days. He soon settled at Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsyl- vania, and engaged in working at the carpenter work among the coal works, and being a good workman, he found sufficient employment. He remained there until 1870. During the late war he enlisted in a Penn- sylvania regiment, hastened to the relief of Gettysburg and served about three months. Upon coming west in the spring of 1870, he set- tled where he now resides on the 25th of May. He commenced to im- prove a farm, which he found to be a difficult task, but he worked indus- triously and was successful. He now owns 280 acres of well im- proved land, having two good houses, orchard, etc. Mr. Q. was mar- ried in 1853 to Miss Gusta Smith, also a native of Germany, born Sep- tember 24. 1828. They have five children living : John, George, Josephine (now Mrs. John Preston), Lewis and Joseph ; lost three. Himself and family are members of the Catholic Church of Cameron.
DANIEL T. SHEWEY,
farmer and stock raiser, section 25, post office Stewartsville, was born November 27, 1825, in Roanoke County, Virginia, and was raised there and spent his boyhood days on a farm. He attended the common
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
schools, and has made agricultural pursuits his occupation through life. Removing west, in the fall of 1849, he settled about four miles south of Plattsburg, which was at that time but a small place. The surrounding country was unsettled, and hunting was the favorite amusement with the settlers. Mr. S., being a crack shot, had his share of the sport. He also commenced to improve a farm, which he sold in 1864, and bought the place he now occupies in 1865. During the late war he enlisted in the Enrolled Missouri Militia, although he was exempt from military duty. The place on which he now resides was in its primitive state when he settled here, and he, alone, has brought it into cultivation. It consists of eighty acres, and is well watered, etc. Mr. S. has filled the position of road overseer several terms. His two sisters are keeping house for him. They are estimable ladies and are both natives of Virginia.
MILTON C. SMITH,
farmer and stock raiser, section 23, post office Stewartsville, was born January 21, 1813, in Mason County, Kentucky, and was there brought up, passing his youthful days on a farm. He received excellent educational advantages ; attended the Augusta College three terms, and by devot- ing his leisure moments to study, after leaving college, he obtained a thorough knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages. His father was a stone mason, and Milton learned that trade. He commeneed in life for himself in 1836; first engaged in teaching, which profession he fol- lowed for four or five years. He then married and engaged in farming. He removed westward, in 1862, and settled in Clinton County, where he now resides, and commenced to make a farm. He now owns a fine tract of 280 acres, and has it partially improved, and upon it is a good orchard of apples, cherries and peaches. He is upright and honest in his dealings, and is much of a gentleman in his manners. Mr. S. was mar- ried, in 1843, to Miss Mary E. Killgore, a native of the same place as himself. She was born June 10, 1822. They have had nine children, four of whom are living: Robert, Joseph P., Ella (now Mrs. D. M. Turney, of Perrin), and Mattie (now Mrs. E. H. Lindsay). Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Mr. S. is probably as well known among the old settlers as any man in the county, and holds the respect of all whom it is his pleasure to know.
JOHN K. STITFIELD,
farmer and stock raiser, section 15, post office Osborn, was born June 16, 1838, in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, and was there reared, and educated in the schools of that place. After reaching his majority, he worked for two years at the house painter's trade. He accompanied
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his parents west in the fall of 1856. They settled in Clinton County, Missouri, and, in this neighborhood, John has made his home since. The county was almost a wilderness at that time, and settlers were few in number. He commenced life a poor boy, and first worked out by the day, and, being honest and industrious, he began to accumulate some property. He settled where he now resides in the spring of 1865. He owns a fine farm of 160 acres, 100 acres of which is under cultivation, the remainder being pasture. He has a fine orchard of about thirty acres. His farm is well stocked with high graded cattle. He has been interested in raising fine horses, and some of his stock are in Chicago, and others in St. Joseph. Mr. S. has filled the positions of school director and road overseer several terms. He has been twice married ; first, in October, 1859, to Miss M. F. Young, a native of Berkley County, Vir- ginia. She died in January, 1876, leaving five children : Eugene, James H., Nettie, Mattie and Charlie. They lost one. He was married again in 1877, to Mrs. Sarah V. Gray, who had four children by her former marriage : Charles, Henry, Tecumseh and Sidney G. By the latter union there is one child, Hattie. Himself and wife are active members of the Baptist Church of South Fork. He has been a member of the Baptist denomination since he was eighteen years of age.
OLIVER TALBOTT,
farmer and stock raiser, section 34, post office Osborn, was born July 5, 1835, in Carroll County, Ohio, and there grew to manhood, spending his boyhood days on a farm and receiving the benefits of a common school education. When twenty-two years of age he commenced railroading on the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad, following the busi- ness for thirteen years, and then served in various capacities, most of the time in the freight department. During the late war he lent a helping hand in assisting Captain John Morgan on his raid through Ohio. He came west in 1869, and settled near Cameron, Clinton County, Missouri, and engaged in farming and stock raising. In 1873 he settled where he now resides, owning 160 acres of fine land. He gives his attention principally to the raising of high graded cattle. He com- menced life on his own account when thirteen years of age, and has worked his own way through life unaided. He has always been among the foremost in educational matters, and has filled the position of school director several terms. Mr. T. was married April 11, 1865, to Miss Laura J. Duncan, a native of Lorain County, Ohio, born in 1839. They had two children, Louisa and Mertie J.
D. S. THOMPSON,
carriage maker and blacksmith, Osborn, was born October 6, 1835, in Erie County, New York, and was reared in the western part of the state.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
His father was a carpenter, and D. S. learned the trade of him, and also received the benefits of a common school education. When twenty- two years of ago he commenced to do universal woodwork at the wagon trade, which, together with carriage making, has been his business through life. He enlisted in Company C., Ninth New York Cavalry, in the fall of 1862, and served for ten months, taking part in the main bat- tle at Chancellorsville and the famous battle at Gettysburg, where his regiment was the first to fire a gun. Since the war he has given his attention entirely to his trade. He emigrated west in the spring of 1872, and settled in Colfax Township, DeKalb County, Mo., and engaged in farming. In the fall of 1879 he moved to Osborn, and engaged at his trade. He has a neat, well arranged shop, and being an excellent workman, is prepared to do good work. His oldest son, Fred E., learned the blacksmith trade, and does the iron work. Besides his town property, he still retains his farm of 100 acres about three miles from this place. Mr. T. was married October 14, 1856, to Miss Harriet N. Davis, a native of New York, born July 8, 1834. They have six chil- dren living : Fred E., Ellen J. (now Mrs. L. E. Sampson), John M., Charles H., Silas D., Mary L .; lost one. Mr. T.'s mother is still living, and resides with her son. She is now in her seventy-first year. Her husband and self were among the pioneers of Erie County, New York, having come when it was a wilderness and the city of Buffalo was but a hamlet.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH TRUEX,
the fifth in a family of twelve children, was born near Springfield, Sanga- mon County, Illinois, on the 20th of May, 1832. His parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, and Joseph was taken by them to Knox County, Illinois, where he received the advantages of a good English and com- mercial education. He learned the carpenter trade, and followed it for ten years, and, also, for six years, was engaged in teaching. At the age of twenty, or in April, 1852, he came to Daviess County, Missouri, and the following year, to DeKalb County, settling near Taylor's Mills. After remaining there one year, he removed to where the town of Fair- port is now located, making that his home until the breaking out of the war. In 1861, Mr. Truex enlisted in the DeKalb Battalion, Enrolled Missouri Militia, commanded by his father-in-law, and, in 1863, was elected captain of his company, which position he held until the close of the war, in 1865. He afterwards commenced the mercantile business, at Maysville, and, in partnership with Mr. Pritchard, continued one year, when they removed to Osborn, and bought out the firm of Hitt & Dun- can. In 1867, Mr. T. bought his partner's interest, and since then he has conducted the business alone. In 1872, he erected the best building in Osborn, to which he is now (1881) making an addition. When com-
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pleted, this will give them the use of three rooms, each eighty-four feet in length. The building is three stories in height, with halls on the upper floors, one of which is to be occupied by the Masonic frater- nity. He is largely engaged in the purchase and shipment of grain and cattle, the firm in this latter line being Duncan & Truex, the first named being president of the Clinton County Stock Association. Mr. T.'s investments in real estate, have been large. He owns about 1,200 acres of land, including some of the finest farms in Clinton and DeKalb Counties. He is a staunch Democrat, having received this political faith from his father. He held the position of post master here for six years, receiving the appointment from President Johnson. He is the present representative from the county in the state legislature, having been elected by a majority of 346 votes. On the 22d of February, 1856, he married Nancy J., youngest daughter of Elias Parrott, a prominent citizens of DeKalb County, Missouri. She was born May 14, 1838. They have had ten children : Edward U., Della A., Mary J., Thompson, Clara A., John W. and Daniel A., living, and three are deceased. Mr. T., his wife, and three of the children are members of the Baptist Church, of which he is a deacon. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to St. Joseph Commandery, No. 4. As a business man, his suc- cesses are the result of his own personal exertions. The position he occupies in the church, in the business community, and in the various benevolent orders, of which he is so prominent a member, all testify to the universal respect in which he is held.
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