USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 62
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
DR. ARCHIBALD PEERY.
Archibald Peery was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, December 15, 1818, and lived there until he was seventeen years old. His father moved to Grundy county, Missouri, in 1835, then called Carroll county or Terri- tory of Carroll, and their nearest post-office was at Richmond, Ray county, Missouri. His father, George Peery, settled on a farm near where Edin- burg is now situated. He remained with his father until he was about twenty-five years old, when he went to read medicine under Dr. Keith, of Chillicothe, Missouri, and afterward attended one course of lectures at the University of the State of Missouri, at St. Louis, during the winter of 1847 and '48. Since that time he has practiced his profession in this and adjoining townships. In the early days the country was sparsely settled and he had a circuit of about twenty miles, and had a great deal to contend against, as there were but few roads anywhere in this part of the country- Dr. Peery was the third physician who located in this county, Drs. Thomp- son and Cooper were first, and there were two or three others who came here but did not stay very long, so he claims the honor of being the third one. He married Miss Elizabeth A. Kirk, September 18, 1851, and settled down in Edinburg, where he lived three years, practicing his profession, then moved to his farm about three-fourths of a mile east of town, a part of his father's old place, where he still resides. He has since followed his profes- sion and carried on his farm besides. He does not practice much now, but attends calls when he can't refuse, as a good many of his patrons will not em- ploy any one else, so he has to still keep going. Dr. Peery was deputy sheriff of this county under William Thrailkill, who was appointed the first sheriff in 1841. Dr. and Mrs. Peery have eight children: Horace Jewett, Florence H., Nash A., Trusten P., Mary C., Archibald K., Daniel William, and John T.
WILLIAM H. PEERY
Was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, October 16, 1828. His father moved to Montgomery county, same State, when he was an infant, and they lived there until 1836, when his father moved to Montgomery county, Missouri. While there he married Miss Nancy Jane Witten, March 9, 1853. In 1854 he came to Grundy county, and located in Washington township, where he lived about ten years, then moved to Edinburg, and went into the mercantile and general trading business. In 1867 he sold out, went to Chillicothe, embarked in the livery business, and carried it on about two years, when he sold out, and bought a steam saw-mill on Wolf Creek, at a place called " Dog Town," which he ran for five or six years, when he sold out and bought the farm that he is living on now, about three and one-half miles south of Edinburg. He opened a meat market in Tren-
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
ton in 1875, and ran it about two years then sold out; has dealt in lum- ber, ties, and wood for a number of years. He has been a member of the school board for some time. Mr. and Mrs. Peery have had eleven children; named, respectively, Rebecca R., Sarah E., Joseph A., Cosby F., Thomas A., Edward H., Caroline L., Willie J., Carenia G., Ward H. and Robert W .; Cosby F., Edward H. and Ward H. are dead.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON
Was born in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, January 23, 1841, where he lived until 1850, when his father moved to Grundy county, Missouri, where he lived and worked on a farm until the war broke out. He enlisted July 18, 1862, in company F, Thirty-fifth regiment Missouri volunteer in- fantry, and served three years. He was mustered out at St. Louis, then went back to Grundy county, where he remained a short time. He came to Washington township, where he married Miss Minerva Frances McCam- mon, November 10, 1869, and went into partnership with his father-in-law, William McCammon, in general farming and stock-raising, which business they carried on until March, 1880, when the partnership was dissolved by his father-in-law retiring from the firm. He still carries on the farm and lives on his father-in-law's old homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson have five child- ren: Henry Orville, Charles, William, Emerson Elbert, Rosanna Sarah, and Wilber Esta.
ABRAHAM RUDDELL
Was born in Harrison county, Kentucky, February 24, 1823, where he lived until he was ten or eleven years of age. His father moved to Logan county, Ohio, where he lived about twelve years, then moved to Shelby county, same State. There he lived about eight years, when he moved to Daviess county, Missouri, and remained one winter, then moved to Grundy county, remained one year, returned to Daviess county and resided there about two years, when he moved back to this county again, and located on the farm he now lives on. Mr. Ruddell married Miss Christina Brandenburg, February 20, 1850. They had two children, Mary A. and a baby, not named.
W. A. SEALOCK
Was born in Rappahannock county, Virginia, March 27, 1834, where he lived until he was about twenty-three years of age; went to school winters and worked on the farm during the summer. He married Miss Sarah A. Brandom, August 22, 1855, and lived on a farm until he moved to Daviess county, Missouri, in the fall of 1856. Came with his brother-in-law, C. P. Brandom, and settled near Gallatin, where he remained until the spring of 1857, when he moved on a farm near Edinburg, lived there two years, then returned to Daviess county, remaining about four years, when he bought
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
the farm where he now lives, and does general farming, raising grain and stock. Was a member of the school board for a number of years.
Mr. and Mrs. Sealock have had eight children: John W., David A., Lon Emma C., Mary E., Edwin S., Viola O., Mortimer G., and a baby not named. John W., Viola O. and the baby are dead.
L. P. SHIRLEY
Was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, November 19, 1809, where he lived about sixteen years, when his father moved to Decatur county, Indiana, and he lived there eight or ten years. They next moved to Shelby county, same State, where he lived four or five years. He married Miss Elizabeth Cole, November, 1831, in Decatur county, Indiana. They had one child. Mrs. Shirley died December, 1833. December 10, 1836, he married Miss Susannah Burns, in Bartholomew county, Indiana. He took her to his home in Decatur county, where they lived until 1839, when he moved to Grundy county, and settled on the farm where he still lives, on Coon Creek. They have ten children: Daniel G., Mary E., Isaac, Catherine J., William H., L. P., Martin, Joel C., Jonathan and Absalom Harvey. All are living ex- cept Martin.
DR. WILLIAM P. THOMPSON.
William Preston Thompson, the first white man to settle in Grundy county, was born in Washington county, Virginia, in 1788. He attended school there, read medicine, and attended the medical college at Richmond, Virginia, and practiced his profession a short time in that city. He was a general in the War of 1812, was paymaster of the army at Norfolk, Vir- ginia, during a portion of that war. Was elected to the legislature of that State, and was also a member of Congress from there; was considerable of a politician and an old line Whig. He moved to Ray county, Missouri, near Richmond, in 1821, and was appointed general of the Missouri militia soon after; was in command of the troops during the Mormon War in this State. He followed his profession in Ray county when he was not engaged in the militia, and was still a general in the inilitia when he moved to Grundy county, then called Carroll, in the fall of 1833. He located on a farm in what is now Madison township, and his was the first white family and the only one that fall and winter in Grundy county. J. Harvey Meek, a brother-in-law, came with him to help him put up a cabin, and went back that fall and brought his family. and another brother-in-law, John Scott, with him in the spring of 1834. They settled near the doctor, and formed the only settlement in the county. The doctor's nearest neighbor when he came was Samuel Peniston, three miles east of Gallatin. In the fall of 1834 Levi Moore settled near where Trenton now is, about ten miles from the doctor, and they were glad to have neighbors so near. Dr. Thompson's
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
practice extended from Ray county to the Iowa line, and from Linn county to the Missouri River on the west, and he also had considera- ble practice in Decatur county, Iowa. At that time he was the best physi- cian in north Missouri. and several of his old patrons now living say they have never had so good a physician. The doctor named all the streams in north Missouri. Thompson's Fork is named after him. He was judge of this county when he had to go to Carrolton to transaet business, then had to go to Chillicothe when this was Livingston county, and to Trenton, and was a judge at his death. He lived in the same place all the time he repre- sented the three counties. Was twice married, his first wife being Miss Jane Russell, daughter of Major Russell, of Burke's Garden; Virginia. They had six children. She died there and he married Miss Sallie Meek about the year 1820. They moved to Missouri shortly after their marriage. His first children were: Eliza, Maria, John H., Patrick, James and William. Maria married Rev. David R. McAnally, editor of the Christian Advocate, of St. Louis, and she died in 1862; Eliza married a lawyer named Williams, of Ashland, North Carolina, who moved to St. Louis in 1861; both died the same year Mrs. McAnally died. Rev. John H. Thompson, a Methodist preacher, the last of his first children, died in 1880, at Ashland, Kentucky. By his second marriage there were nine children, named Caroline A., Mil- ton V., Catherine S., William Preston, James Winston, Evans Shelby, and Columbus Keyes; Sarah Jane and Mary Jane died in infancy; Caro- line married John S. Darnaby, she had two children, and died in 1850. Catherine S. married William N. Peery, and she is dead. William Preston and James W. died young; Evans Shelby went to California for his health, and came home and died shortly after; Columbus K. enlisted in the Twenty- third regiment Missouri volunteers, was captured the 6th of April, 1862, at the battle of Shiloh, was paroled July, 1862, contracted the chronic diarrhea, got back as far as Nashville, Tennessee, where he was taken to the hospital; Milton went after him and brought him home, and he died soon after. Milton is the only living representative of Dr. Thompson's family. Dr. Thompson died November 22, 1848. His wife survived him until October, 1851. She was born in Washington county, Virginia, in 1802.
ALEXANDER R. TATE
Was born in Daviess county, Indiana, August 22, 1830, where he lived until he was eleven years old, when his father moved to Buchanan county, Mis- souri, in 1841, where he lived about one year, then moved to Andrew county, this State. He married Miss Margaret Carson, of Andrew county, Decem- ber 18, 1851, and rented and lived upon a farm until he came to Grundy county in the spring of 1853. He rented a farm the first years after he came here, then bought the farm that he is living on now. He enlisted in company F, Thirtieth regiment Missouri volunteer infantry on the 27th
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
of July, 1862; was elected captain of the same company October 10, the same fall, and commissioned by Governor Gamble; held the position until 1865, when the regiment was reorganized, and he was reelected to the same office, which he held until they were discharged; his second commission was signed by Gov. Thos. Fletcher; their headquarters were at Chillicothe, and they were called on whenever there was any raiding done north of the river. Mr. Tate ran for sheriff on the independent ticket in the fall of 1878 and was beaten by eighty-six votes. The Democratic party thought they could elect him to an office so he allowed his name to be used; was a candidate for sheriff on that ticket again last fall (1880), was beaten worse than ever and has retired from the field. He has been on the school board for several years, and is one of the stockholders and directors of the North Missouri Central Agricultural and Mechanical Association of Grundy county.
DR. M. V. THOMPSON.
Milton V. Thompson was born in Ray county, Missouri, August 22, 1826, where he lived until he was about seven years of age, when his father, Dr. W. P. Thompson, moved to Grundy county, then called Carroll, in the fall of 1833, where he still lives. He attended school here, and was a pupil of Miss Louisa Peery, and afterwards attended two terms at Rich- mond College, Ray county, Missouri. When he was ten years of age he could talk the Indian language better than he could English, as he had no playmates except the little Indian children, and was almost as much of an Indian as they were, until the county began to be settled up. He read medicine under his father and practiced with him a while before his death, then took his father's place, practiced about twelve years, and then went into the stock business, which grew so large that he either had to give up his practice or farming, and being in poor health he abandoned the practice of medicine, there bing so much exposure attached to it he could not stand it. He began to raise mules and cattle; the war broke out and he dealt largely in mules, buying and selling them to the government; toward the latter part of the war he had to take all of his mules up into Iowa to keep the ragged Missouri militia from stealing them; they took everything in the shape of stock they could get hold of, and judged a man's loyalty by the number of his horses and mules; if he had a fine lot he was dis- loyal and they took them. After the war he went more into the cattle busi- ness and not so much in mules, which business he still follows, and has sev- eral large farms on which he raises feed for his stock. He is the oldest settler now living in the county. He has been justice of the peace for several years, also road overseer; when the country was new they needed good roads, and he helped to lay out a good many of them. Dr. Thompson mar- ried Miss Elizabeth H. Ish, May 30, 1848, daughter of William Ish, of Lafayette county, Missouri. She was born January 18, 1829, in that
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
county. They have had twelve children; namely, William Preston, Paschal W., Horace R., Evans Dickey, James M., Shelby H., Lenora M., Belle C., Columbus D., Catharine N., Porter A. and Lou Octavia R .; William Pres- ton, Evans Dicky, James M., Shelby H., Catharine N. and Lon Octavia R. are dead. His son, Shelby H., was struck by lightning and killed in a barn on his farm, near Grubtown, at the age of eleven years.
THOMAS G. P. WILLIS
Was born in Grundy county, Missouri, September 18, 1848, where he has lived ever since. He was educated in the district schools and Grand River College. He lived at home until his father's death, when he went to farm- ing for himself, buying a farm just over the line in Daviess county, where he lived about two years, then rented his farm, and moved to Edinburg. He commenced to buy stock when he was about twelve years old, and has followed the business ever since; has considerable stock on hand now, about thirty head of fine mules and horses and about ninety head of young cattle, besides other stock too numerous to mention. His farm is all under good cultivation, and is the best watered farm in this section of the State, a fine spring furnishing all the water necessary for his stock. Mr. Willis married Miss Ella L. Mitchell, August 19, 1879. She was born in Daviess county, Missouri, May 1, 1862, where she has lived most of the time since. They have one child, Willie M.
MRS. MELVINA WYNN,
Widow of Evans P. Wynn, was born in Pettis county, Missouri, February 7, 1834, where she lived until she was about six years of age, when her father moved to Daviess county, same State. There she was married, September 14, 1854, and lived until 1856. Her husband was engaged in selling goods for two years after they were married, when they moved to Middlebury, Mercer county, Missouri, where he sold goods for eighteen months, and then moved on the farm where she now lives. Her husband died Septem- ber 27, 1875. She joined the Methodist Episcopal Church (South), when she was about nineteen years old, and is still an active member. Her sons run the farm. She has had eight children; namely, David B., James G., William K., Frank E., Edward W., Robert P., Sallie B. and Mary L. Daniel B. is a school teacher; he was born in Daviess county, Missouri, May 29, 1855; was reared in Grundy county, and attended the Grand River College and graduated in 1880; he follows the profession of teaching in the winter.
JOHN WYNN
Was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, May 25, 1840. His father left there when he was about four months old and came to Grandy county, Missouri, where he grew to manhood, and was educated at Trenton, and Grand River
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
College, working on the farm in summer and going to school in winter He enlisted in company C, First Missouri Confederate cavalry, June 17, 1861, and served until January, 1862, when he went to Virginia and enlisted in Lee's army, April 14, 1862; was discharged April 14, 1865, came back and settled on the farm. He married Miss Anna Holt, March 11, 1866, and went to farming for himself; sold out to C. P. Brandom, and bought the farm where he lives now. He has been on the school board for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Wynn are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church (South) and he is one of the trustees of Antioch Church on Hickory Creek. They have seven children; named, respectively, Anna B., Mary E., Theodore H., Eleanor, John W., Archibald P., and Grace. All are living except John W.
JOIIN WARD
Was born in Morgan county, Illinois, September 20, 1842, where he lived until he was about four years of age. His parents moved to Lee county, Iowa, where he lived until 1856, when they moved to Grundy county, where he settled on a farm, near Grubtown, and lived until the war broke ont. He enlisted in the Union army, company H, Twenty-third regiment, Missouri infantry, August 25, 1861; was taken prisoner at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862, and paroled in July the same year; was sent to Benton, Roanoke and St. Louis; remained until he was exchanged; same fall was sent to join the regiment and remained until his three years expired; he participated in all the battles his regiment was engaged in during that time; was mustered out, came back and worked on the farm. He married Miss Sylvania Miller, September 20, 1865, and then he went to teaching, and taught school on Coon Creek that winter. In the spring his father gave him a farm of forty- five acres, when he began farming for himself, and has been very successful, now owning a farm of one hundred and eighty-two acres. He continued to farm until he moved to Edinburg, in August, 1876, and in September of that year went into the drug business, which he conducted until January 1, 1877, when he took W. T. Gannaway into partnership, and put in a stock of general merchandise in connection with drugs, and carried on the busi- ness until May, 1878, when they removed their general stock to Hickory Creek station (selling their drugs to McDougal & Wynn), where they re- mained until they were burned out October 18, the same year. He then went back on the farm but returned to Edinburg, in August, 1879, and be- gan to build to his hotel property, and now has the largest hotel in the vil- lage. In February, 1881, he again embarked in the drug business, which he runs in connection with his hotel. His wife was born in Grundy county, Missouri, May 20, 1845. They have had five children; viz., Lora V., Angie H., Millie Ann, Leona and Leota, twins; all are living except Millie A.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
JOHN T. WITTEN
Was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, September 27, 1820, where he lived until he was twenty-three years of age, when he and his brother Samuel came to Grundy county, in 1843. He located on the farm where he still re- sides, near Edinburg, and has his farm under good cultivation; does gen- eral farming, feeds cattle for the market, and raises considerable other stock. He has made farming pay, as he looks after everything himself, and goes in for all kinds of machinery that helps him to save labor; is possessed of good business tact, has accumulated considerable property, and has given all of his children, who have married, a good start. Mr. Witten married Miss Caroline V. Thompson, August 4, 1842. They had seven children. She died August 20, 1866, and he married Mrs. Luey A. Peery, February, 1868. Was divorced in April, 1876, and married Miss Evelina Fulkerson, his pres- ent wife, September 26, 1878. He, and a neighbor of his, Mr. William Peery, built what is now known as the Grand River College. It was started on the scholarship plan in 1858, and they ran it on that plan until 1861, when the war broke ont and the State government used it as quarters for troops for several months; it was next used as a district school for some time, and then they sold it to a joint company. He has taken an active part in all public enterprises, and feels a pride in all educational affairs in his town; has been on the school board for about twenty years. He was county assessor in 1845, and was elected justice of the peace for several years. His children are named as follows: James H., Louisa R., Thomas O., Susan E. V., Mary Ann, America, John R. and Emma J.
HENRY B. WITTEN
Was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, March 1, 1833, where he lived un- til he was eighteen years of age. His father moved to Grundy county in 1851, and settled on a farm near " Buek Snort," now Edinburg, where he still resides. He married Miss Emily Graham, October 21, 1852, and went to farming for himself on a farm he owned on Coon Creek, and remained two years. He improved a farm in Daviess county, just over the line from this, where he dealt in mules and horses, buying and selling to the government, and continued the business until 1865, when the disease called glanders broke out among his stock; he lost heavily, abandoned the mule business and devoted his time to raising eattle. In 1874 he bought the Graham grist-mill on Thompson's Fork of Grand River, and has followed milling and farming up to the present time. He was enrolled in the State militia and was in active service about thirty days. Mr. Witten is a member of the A. F. & A. M. Lodge No. 311, at Trenton, also of the I. O. O. F. Lodge No. 394, at Edinburg, and is a member of the district school board, and has been for a number of years. He and his wife are members of the M. E.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
Church (South), joining in 1867; he is sabbath-school superintendent and has held the office for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Witten have had twelve children, whose names are: John T., James W., Charles H., Samuel G., George T., Oliver E., Harry A., Rebecca T., Emma J., John M., Arch. P. and Nancy E. Three, John T., Oliver E. and John M. are dead.
JAMES A. WOODRESS
Was born on a farm in LaRue county, Kentucky, November 22,-1825, where he was reared and lived until 1849. His father being a blacksmith he was brought up to that trade, and on leaving home went to Green county, Kentucky, and established himself in that business and carried it on until 1856. In this latter year he came to Missouri, and after prospecting in Harrison and Andrew counties, came to Grundy county in the summer of 1857 and settled at Edinburg, where he established himself in the black- smithing business and carried it on until 1865. During the late war he was a Union man, and was enrolled in the State militia and held himself ready for duty, but was out only thirty days. In 1866 he embarked in the mercantile business at Edinburg with Lncins M. Abbott, under the firm name of Woodress & Abbott. Mr. Abbott retiring from the firm in 1868, William Albin became his successor, changing the firm to Woodress & Albin. In 1869 he retired from the firm and engaged in farming and blacksmithing until 1871, then bought out Mr. Albin and carried on the mercantile business alone until 1873, when his son-in-law, L. H. Shafer, became associated with him, and the present firm of Woodress & Shafer was formed. Mr. Woodress was united in marriage to Miss Hannalı Wool- ridge, of Green county, Kentucky, January 1, 1851. She died at Edin- burg, September 3, 1857. They had three children: William, who died in Kentucky; Laura, wife of L. H. Shafer; and Thomas A., a merchant of Trenton. November 10, 1869, he married Mrs. Phobe C. Willis, of Edin- burg. They have four children: Katie, Maggie, Pearl and Nellie.
DR. R. W. WITTEN.
R. W. Witten was born in Tazewell county, in the State of Virginia, on the 22d day of April, 1832. Opened an office as practicing physician at Oceana, the county seat of Wyoming county, in the State of Virginia (now West Virginia), on the 8th of April, 1855, and continued the practice of medicine at that place until the year 1857, when he removed to Bickley, county seat of Raleigh county, in the same State, and there practiced med- icine until the breaking out of the war between the States. He accepted a surgeon's commission in the Confederate army, and served in that capacity during the greater part of the war. After the war he removed to Grundy county, Missouri, and has been engaged in the practice of medicine at the town of Edinburg ever since. He married Miss Sarah F. Riggs, of Vir-
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