USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 34
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have given liberally and they will not be forgotten by a generous public. The town has done well, but equal credit is due to the country, considering the circumstances. It will not be out of place to mention the subscription of Mr. W. Wild, of Mercer county, who gave fifty dollars just on account of the good feeling he had for the town and county. He has no property in the county although he was reared here. Another gentleman from Cin- cinnati, Ohio, gave twenty-five dollars. We only mention these two cases to show the interest that was worked up. Mr. Green assured our people that the road would be located immediately. It is the understanding that a proposition will be made to Lindley to make that town a point, and the uni- versal feeling of the people of Trenton is that they hope Lindley will suc- ceed.
"The people of Edinburg also hope to get a proposition, and, if they do, some substantial aid can be obtained in Trenton.
"There is now no question but that it will come to Trenton. The depot grounds and the right of way are yet to be secured, but there will probably be but very few cases where that will cost any money, except to pay somne man to fix up the papers. There ought to be a few thousand dollars for that purpose. The people of Trenton are happy and the railroad men went back feeling well pleased.
"Grandmother Collier, aged mother of the Collier family, gave one hun- dred dollars to secure the railroad. She said it was the best thing she could do with it."
We close up the railroad matter by copying an article which was kept in the Trenton and Chillicothe papers as standing matter to be used semi-occa- sionally. It has been standing ten years and is still found to be of use and when it will be finally distributed is yet unknown to those interested, but seems to be in the far distant future. It reads:
"The railroad connecting Trenton and Chillicothe is now almost a cer- tainty." Then is added, after a few weeks of hope deferred: "And in this year of our Lord, 1881, it is as yet a d-d barren ideality."
The iron piers were placed under the iron truss bridge at Trenton, across the Grand River, in 1879, at a cost of $1,800.
One of the institutions connected with the railroad repair and machine- shops is the reservoir, which is situated on the highest point of land belong- ing to the railroads and is full fifty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep, six of which are below the surface of the ground. It holds 171,000 gallons and is filled from the river just one mile distant by pipes and is pumped in by steam engines.
SCHOOLS.
The schools of Trenton township, outside of Trenton City, are seven in number, good framne buildings, with all the necessary school apparatus and
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all paid for. In fact, as we have said before in our school history, Grundy county school property is free from debt.
Trenton township offers every inducement for settlement. There is still abundance of land in its primitive state that can be purchased from eight to twelve dollars per acre, and improved farms from twenty to thirty-five. Every facility for a near market, cheap transportation and good prices are at command. The city of Trenton is in the western part of the township, and the county seat, where there is no branch of mercantile business but what has its representation. In reading the history of the city this fact will be patent to the reader, and it is therefore above all a most valuable and pleasant section for a home. No farmer can find better land, or a healthier climate than here, and all are invited to come.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
The above closes the history of Trenton township proper, and following, in conclusion, will be found biographical sketches of the most prominent citizens of said township, many of whom have been identified with its vary- ing interests and steady growth since and before the organization of Grundy county.
J. C. BELSHE.
The subject of this sketch was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, June 4, 1833, and his parents were both natives of the same State. In the year 1839 his parents removed to Grundy county, and with the exception of a two years' residence in Colorado, he has lived here ever since. Mr. Belshe passed through many of the trials and hardships of pioneer life incident to the settlement of this county. On the 4th of August, 1856, he married Miss Mary Ann Kilburn. She was born in Pulaski county, Kentucky, January 1, 1841. The ceremony was performed in the house in which Mr. and Mrs. Belshe still live. By this union they have seven children, as fol- lows: . John W., born September 4, 1858; Nancy B., born December 8, 1861, now Mrs. Thomas May; Margaret, born November 7, 1864; Dale, born September 29, 1874; Leora, born. January 31, 1876; Cora, born De- cember 29, 1879; and the youngest, born March 6, 1881. Mr. Belshe may be numbered among the successful farmers and stock-raisers of the county. He owns a fine farm of eleven hundred acres, well supplied with the nec- essary implements for cultivating the soil. His principal attention, how- ever, has been given to cattle raising, in which he has attained enviable success.
WILLIAM COLLIER.
The above named gentleman first saw the light of day on the second of June, 1828, in Howard county, Missouri, and was the seventh child of William and Susan Collier. His father was a native of Kentucky, and mi-
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grated to this State about fifty-five years ago. He was a brickmason by trade, and built the court-house which now stands in Trenton.
The subject of our sketch was about fifteen years of age when he came, with his father, to Grundy county, with whom he continued working, at the occupation of building, until he had reached the years of manhood.
In 1854 he married Miss Sarah A. Templeman, daughter of Thornton H. Templeman, at that time residents of Grundy county. In less than one year after his marriage Mr. Collier lost his wife. After her death he be- came engaged in farming, merchandising and other pursuits.
September 14, 1871, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Samantha Telley, nee Leedy. Four children have been the result of this union. Their names are as follows: Lilly A., Carrie G., Mabel A., and James C. In 1878 Mr. Collier moved to his farm about one mile south of Trenton, where he still lives. He is a member of the Christian Church, and of the I. O. O. F. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Collier lives a quiet life, enjoying the fruits of his early labors.
JOHN CAMPSY,
Son of Joseph and Mary (Campbell) Campsy, was born on the 6th of February, 1823, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and'died in July, 1881, in Grundy county, Missouri. He attended the common schools of his native county until he reached the age of fifteen, when his parents removed to Morgan county, ,Ohio, where he resided until 1856. It was during his residence in Morgan county, that he met and married Miss Priscilla Nelson, on the 24th of Feb- ruary, 1842. She was a native of Morgan county, and born March 9, 1819. From his Ohio home, he sought a location in the Northwest, and settled in Van Buren county, Iowa, in the latter part of 1856, where he followed his occupation of farming, until 1871, when he became a citizen of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Campsy became the parents of ten children, eight of whom are still living, and their names are here given: Mary J., born July 27, 1843; Margaret, born March 28, 1850; John C., June 22, 1851; David, De- cember 6, 1852; Joseph D., October 11, 1855; Martha, September 21, 1858; Hattie E., February 11, 1861; Katie, September 20, 1863. They have all received the benefits of a good education and are highly respected by their neighbors.
ANDREW DOERR.
The subject of this sketch is a native of Germany, and was born July 23, 1819. At the age of twenty-two he departed from the " Faderland," and crossing the deep blue ocean, landed in this country. After his arrival he went to New Orleans, but remained only a short time, and next came to St. Louis, where he worked three years, saving enough from his earnings during that period to buy a small farm in Monroe county, Illinois, in 1845. He remained in Illinois until 1870, when he came to Grundy county and
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purchased the land which now constitutes his present handsomely improved farm of sixty acres. By frugality and industry he has placed himself in comfortable circumstances. December 17, 1848, Mr. Doerr was joined in holy wedlock to Miss Mary Nagle. The issue of this marriage was three children: Frederick W. C., born November 22, 1849, now a resident of Monroe county, Illinois; Mary, born July 7, 1851, now Mrs. Augustus Adler, of the same county; Elizabeth, born July 26, 1855, now Mrs. Chas. Biskim, of the same county. Mrs. Doerr departed this life October 12, 1857. Mr. Doerr was married a second time December 17, 1859, to Miss Louisa Banikeng, of Monroe county, Illinois, who was born November 16, 1839. They have four children: Louisa, born January 3, 1861; Annie, born June 27, 1863; Henry, born October 22, 1866; and Laurena C., born Angust 10, 1875.
GEORGE E. DELANO.
George E., son of Philip and Ann Delano, was born in Stowe, Vermont, February 8, 1825. His parents were also natives of the Green Mountain State, the year of his father's birth being 1779, and that of his mother 1804. He grew up and received an education in his native place. In 1854, he mi- grated to California, where he was engaged in mining and the dairy busi- ness during his four years' stay. Returning to Vermont in 1858, he re- mained there nine years, spent three years traveling in the Southern and Western States, and in 1870, located in Grundy county, where he has since followed the pursuits of the farm.
Mr. Geo. E. Delano and Miss Lonisa Macomber were married September 1st, 1859. She was born in Green Island, Vermont, April 13, 1830. By this marriage they have had four children. Caroline L. was born Septem- ber 27, 1860; Philip P., born December 15, 1862, died May 29, 1869; Ben- jamin M., born August 28, 1864, died March 28, 1869; and Annie E., born April 18, 1869.
FREEMAN DUNLAP
Was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, April 8, 1836. His parents, Adam and Lonisa Dunlap, both natives of Pennsylvania, removed to Bel- mont county, Ohio, when our subject was but a child, and afterwards changed their residence to Morgan county, in the same State, where he lived until 1863, and then removed to Grundy county and settled upon the farm he now owns. Starting out with nothing but his determination to make his way, he has now a splendid farm of three hundred and forty acres, well stocked, as a result of his persevering industry. Mr. Dunlap married Miss R. M. Buchanan, November 17, 1857. She was a native of Ohio, born in Harrison county, February 19, 1840. Eight children have been the fruits of this union; namely, Samnel T., born March 24, 1859; John, born January 21, 1862: Edgar, born September 24, 1864; Charles, born Decem-
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ber 10, 1866; Jessie, born February 20, 1869; Carrie, born September 14, 1871, died June 5, 1874; William, born April 13, 1874; and Mary, born November 21, 1876.
HI. DAUGHERTY.
Hezekiah Daugherty was born in Morgan county, Ohio, June 9, 1839. Was the son of John and Margaret Daugherty, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. He attended the common schools of his native place and worked upon his father's farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when, on the 31st of November, 1861, he enlisted in the ser- vice of the Union as a private in company I of the Sixty-second regiment of Ohio volunteer infantry, and served three years in the army of the Potomac, participating in the many severe engagements of that wing of the service. Receiving his honorable discharge in 1864, he returned to his home in Morgan county and pursued his avocation of farming. December 29, 1868, he married Miss Sarah J. Much, a native of Ohio, born November 8, 1849. Four years after his marriage he removed to Grundy county, where he has since resided an esteemed citizen and farmer of Trenton town- ship. Mr. and Mrs. Daugherty are the parents of three children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: George T., born October 14, 1870; John A., April 15, 1877; and Lenora B., born April 29, 1881.
P. Z. DELANO
Is one of the prosperous farmers of Grundy county, and owns a beautiful farm of three hundred and thirty acres in Trenton township. Mr. Delano was born March 19, 1830, in the State of Vermont, where he lived until he reached the age of seventeen, when he accompanied his parents in their change of residence from their native State, to Massachusetts. After a five years' residence in the Bay State, at the age of twenty-two, he went South, and was engaged in various pursuits in Mississippi and Louisiana, among which was boating, on the Yazoo River. Returning home, he remained in Massachusetts one year, when he caught the "golden fever," and in 1854 we find him in California, where he was engaged in mining and ranching for eight years. In 1862 he traveled eastward, and settled in Portage county, Ohio, where, on the 30th of August of the same year, he married Miss Alma Collins, daughter of Rev. George S. Collins. She was a native of Ohio, and born on the 15th of March, 1843. By this marriage they have three children: Caliste A., born July 10, 1863; Lonis H., January 11, 1866; and Cora E., February 15, 1868. Mr. Delano moved to Grundy county in 1865, and purchased the pleasant farm which he now lives on.
DR. SAMUEL W. ELMORE.
On the 13th of January, 1826, in Spartansburg District, South Carolina, Samuel W. Elmore was born. He was the fourth child of Samuel K. and
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Jane Elmore, both natives of South Carolina. Samuel K. Ehmore was reared in Sonth Carolina, and during the latter years of his sojourn there followed the occupation of school-teacher. From South Carolina he re- moved to Kentucky and thence to Indiana, in which State he died in 1848, his wife having preceded him to the grave about three years.
The subject of this sketch was reared principally in Daviess county, Indi- ana, and received his education in that county, where, up to the time he left, he was engaged in the drug business and the practice of medicine. March 13th, 1851, Dr. Samuel W. Elmore was married to Miss Sarah E. Dillon, daughter of Isaac Dillon, of Daviess county, Indiana. One child, now liv- ing, was the fruit of this union. His name is Thomas T. Elmore.
In 1854 Dr. Elmore lost his wife, and October 9, 1856, was united in wedlock to Miss Lydia Ream, daughter of Henry Ream, then of Grundy county. After his second marriage Dr. Elmore spent one winter in Indiana, and in April of 1865 he returned to Grundy county, settled permanently in the neighborhood where he now lives, and engaged in the practice of medi- cine and in farming.
By his second wife Dr. Ehmnore is the father of eight children living, whose names are: Elizabeth C., Stephen D., Victoria, Henry H., John L., Ada W., Keturah and Ethel A. Dr. Elmore is a member of the Masonic order.
B. M. FORD.
B. M. Ford, son of Laban and Elizabeth Ford, was born in Howard county, Missouri, October 21, 1826. His parents were natives of Ken- tucky. In Howard county he lived until 1854, receiving his education there, and marrying there on the 10th of April, 1849, Miss Eleanor Thorpe, a native of that county, born January 13, 1831. IIe has made farming his business through life, and now owns a finely improved farm of two hun- dred and forty acres, and a comfortable home. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have had seven children, five of whom are living. Their names are as given: James T., born February 20, 1850: Sarah J., born January 19, 1852, now Mrs. J. L. Steele; John H., born October, 20, 1854, died January 16, 1855; Eliza- beth F., born January 9, 1856; Mary A., born November 21, 1858, died June 14, 1874; Benjamin F., born March 1, 1861, and Nancy E., born May 11, 1863.
B. B. GILL
Was born in Mason county, Kentneky, on November 13, 1808, the son of James Gill and Elizabeth Gill, nee Moss, both natives of Kentucky. His father was a very efficient soldier in the War of 1812. The subject of this sketch lived in Mason county until he was forty-seven years of age, and in the year 1855 came to Missouri and located in Livingston county, where he resided till he moved to Grundy county, in 1875, where he has since
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lived and engaged in farming. He was married in Kentucky, to Miss Lydia W. Moss, on June 19, 1828. She was a native of Fleming county, Kentucky, and born March 14, 1810. By this union seven children were born; viz., William W., born March 25, 1829; James A., August 23, 1830; Vincent G., born December 8, 1832, and died July 21, 1862; Elizabeth, born April 6, 1835; Hendren, born May 23, 1837; Judith, August 18, 1839, and Baldwin B., born August 1, 1842. Mrs. Gill died March 19, 1843. Mr. Gill was again married in 1844, to Sarah Moss, a sister of his first wife. She died in 1863, and he again married, on November 10, 1864, Mrs. Susan E. Ball, the widow of Edward Ball. She was a native of Bedford county, Virginia, and born October 16, 1832. They have had three children: Annie, born November 15, 1865, and died August 16, 1866; Elvira V .. born May 25, 1867, and Nannie B., born February 25, 1872.
When the civil war broke out, Mr. Gill was the owner of one of the finest farms in Livingston county, containing three hundred and sixteen acres. He was a member of the National Gnards, and upon his return from service with them, was called upon to take part in a meeting for the purpose of organizing a company of bushwhackers, which measure he so ably and strenuously opposed that he broke up the attempted organization, and this was the means of saving Livingston county from the terrible effects that would inevitably have followed. Shortly after this a company of Federal soldiers took him as a prisoner of war, and kept him at Quincy, Illinois, for three months. At the same time they appropriated several very valua- ble horses and other property. As soon as the authorities at Quincy learned the facts in the case, he was released, and sold his farm (which is now worth $80 per acre) for $14 per acre, and bought a small farm upon which he lived till he moved to Grundy county. He has seen many of the ups and downs of life, yet, in his seventy-third year, is a man of remarkable vigor both of body and mind. Mr. and Mrs. Gill are consistent members of the Christian Church.
GEORGE GRIFFITH.
Mr. Griffith is one of the most worthy and prosperous farmers in Tren- ton township, and has, for a number of years, been extensively and success- fully .engaged in the business of sheep raising, His principal attention has been given to the cultivation of the long-wool breeds, in which he has obtained gratifying results.
George Griffith was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on the 22d of March, 1838, and ten years later accompanied his parents in their removal to Lick- ing county, in the same State, where he grew to manhood on his father's farm. March 14, 1861, he was united in marriage to Miss Jane A. Thomas, of Licking county, by which union they have four children. The first, Amelia, is a young lady of nineteen, the date of her birth being April 5,
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1862; on the 25th of August, 1864, the second child, Ellsworth, was born; Fannie, the third, was born May 15, 1866; Lulu, the youngest, and pet of the family, was born on the 23d of September, 1877.
GEORGE II. HUBBELL.
This gentleman, now one of the most prominent citizens of Grundy county, was born at Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence county, New York, on the 11th day of February, 1818, and was a resident of the Empire State until he reached his sixteenth year, when in the early winter of 1835 he left the city for the vast west, with his destination fixed in the growing State of Missouri. He became a student at Marion College, an institution of learning under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, located in Marion county. Here he remained during a period of three years, paying his board and tuition by his labor. Leaving the college he went to Howard county, where he taught school and occupied his leisure hours in the study of law, and was licensed to practice by Judge Leland, of the same county, in 1841. Remaining in Howard until February, 1842, he removed to Buchanan county and settled at Sparta, then the county seat, where he made his home until May of the same year, when again starting upon his travels he is next found a resident of the county of Grundy, where he has remained an honored citizen. Mr. Hubbell engaged in the active practice of his profession until 1847, in which year he was elected clerk of the Circuit and County Courts for a term of six years. The prompt and efficient manner in which he performed the duties of the office led to his reelection in 1853, and in 1859, after twelve years' service, the people again called upon him; once more he took the oath as clerk, and most satisfactorily were the affairs of the clerk's office administered. The rural pleasures of farm life have always been attractive to Mr. Hubbell, and at the expiration of his last term as clerk he retired to his pleasant country home, two miles from Trenton, and gave his- whole attention to the farm pursuits which he had been, in a measure, forced to neglect while holding office. However, he was not allowed to remain in seclusion long; his services were needed, and in 1870 he was- unanimously nominated by the Democratic party to represent the county of Grundy in the legislature. He accepted the call and his high standing and great popularity were never better illustrated than by the triumphant majority which elected him to the General Assembly, notwithstanding the fact that the political party which tendered him the nomination was largely in the minority. During the sessions of which he was a member Mr. Hub- bell served his constituents faithfully and well, and retired from the House of Representatives with an honorable record. Mr. Hubbell has since lived on his farm, where his whole time is occupied in the supervision of his broad and well-cultivated fields of growing grain, and his herds of fine cat- tle which lazily browse upon the rich pastures. In conclusion it may be
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mentioned that Mr. Hubbell was chosen to write the history of Grundy county for delivery at the centennial celebration, and how well he performed the task may be judged when the author acknowledges that he is indebted to that "Centennial Sketch" for many of the important facts and incidents of Grundy's history.
WARREN HARRIS.
Warren Harris, son of Daniel and Libbie Harris, was born in Champaign county, Ohio, May 12, 1833. His father was of Virginia birth, and his mother a native of Vermont. Reared upon a farm, he attended the com- mon schools of his native county, where he continued to reside until 1862, when he made his home in Grundy county. He married Miss Henrietta L. Cranston, November 1, 1855. She was born in Champaign county, Ohio, September 28, 1837. By this union they have had six children, four of whom are now living. Their names are as follows: Randolph C., born July 12. 1857, died January 19, 1865; C. D., born December 21, 1858; Eugene G., born October 31, 1863, died July 12, 1865; Glenn C., born March 4, 1867; Annie L., born December 21, 1868; W. Guy, born Decem- ber 19, 1871; and Louis H., born March 26, 1875. Mr. Harris lives upon a fertile farm of two hundred and eighty acres, and is engaged largely in stock raising, owning one of the finest herds of thorough-bred Short-Horn cattle in the State, his stock having been purchased from the best breeders in Ohio and Kentucky. The raising of thorough-bred Cotswold sheep and Berkshire hogs has received attention, and his success in this business has been most complete.
T. M. HARD.
The subject of this sketch was born on a farm in Addison county, Ver- mont. May 5, 1829. His parents, Lancing and Rillie Hard, were also na- tives of the Green Mountain State. He attended the common schools in winter and worked on his father's farm in the summer, until he had ac- quired a fair education. After attaining his majority, in 1850, he went to Illinois and located in MeHenry county, where for twenty years he was engaged in farming and in handling fine horses. November 18, 1857, he wedded Miss Carlinda Field, of Addison county, Vermont. By this union they had one child, May, born March 26, 1861. Mrs. Hard died August 15, 1861, and Mr. Hard was a second time married, November 25, 1866, to Miss S. A. St. Clair. From McHenry county, Illinois, he removed to Lewis county, Missouri, in 1870, where he remained four years, and then moved to Grundy county. He lives upon a farm of eighty acres, and gives his attention to its cultivation and dealing in stock.
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