USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 76
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
common schools and at Grand River College; he was reared a farmer, and as he observes, never failed to raise a crop in his life.
August 10th, 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Witten, who was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, September 16, 1833. Her par- ents, Thomas and Rebecca Witten, were also natives of Tazewell county, but came to Missonri in 1852, and soon after settled in Harrison town- ship, Grundy county. Her mother died in 1874, and father in 1879.
Ten children have been the issue of this marriage; namely, Milton T., born July 29, 1854; George L., born March 3, 1856; Rebecca J., born July 29, 1857; Robert F., born June 14, 1859; Archibald T., born November 6, 1860; Attelia L., born December 18, 1863; Willie Ann, born October 27, 1866; Henry T., born May 9, 1869; Bowen, born February 20, 1871; and William, born May 18, 1862, died January 16, 1863. Mrs. Peery died June 21, 1874.
Mr. Peery owns five hundred and fifty acres of land, three and one-half miles northwest of Trenton, and the finest for a stock farm in this part of the country. He is liberal in his views in regard to education, and never thinks but what his school tax is a good investment. His son George, has been one of the leading teachers in the county. He ranks among the pio- neers and has lived a quiet and peaceable life with all men, and only desires to live such a life during the remainder of his days.
MARCELLUS RATLIFF
Was born in Lewis county, West Virginia, July 19, 1827. He lived in that State till twenty-three years of age; moved to Butler county, Ohio, and lived there two years; then to Hancock county, Illinois, where he resided one and one-half years; thence to Wayne county, Iowa, remained till the spring of 1863, and then located in Harrison township, Grundy county, Missouri, where he has since lived, engaged in farming and stock-raising. His father died in 1875, and his mother is still living in Wayne county, Iowa. He was married in Virginia, December 30, 1849, to Miss Sarah Brown, a na- tive of Lewis county, born May 20, 1831. Her parents were also natives of Virginia. Her father died in 1845, and her mother, in 1880. Both his grandfathers were noted soldiers in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Ten children have been born to them, seven of whoni are still living; namely, Stephen F., born September 30, 1850; John R., born May 12, 1852; J. N., born February 8, 1854; Jennie, born October 11, 1857; Rosa, born January 8, 1860; William E., born November 20, 1862; and Thomas, born May 27, 1871. Three died in infancy.
Mr. Ratliff has filled many of the township offices, and is now township elerk and assessor. He never had any help financially when he started in life, but has succeeded well, and by industry and good management has accumulated considerable property, and three hundred acres of what is said to be one of
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
the best stock farms in the county, well stocked and with fine buildings and a good orchard. Only the two youngest children reside at home, the others are settled in life for themselves and are all living in the same township.
SILAS RATLIFF,
A native of Lewis county, West Virginia, was born September 6, 1831 ; son of Jesse and Sarah Ratliff, both natives of West Virginia. When he was six- teen years of age his parents moved to Butler county, Ohio, and lived there five years, then moved to Wayne county, Iowa, in the fall of 1854. His father died suddenly, while on a trip to Kansas, in 1875. His mother is living, in the seventy-fourth year of her age. His grandfather, William Ratliff, was cook for General Washington, during the Revolutionary War, and his grandfather on his mother's side was a valiant officer in the War of 1812. Four of the brothers of the subject of this sketeh were brave soldiers during the late war; one died of sickness, from exposure, and one while suf- fering imprisonment at Andersonville. In April, 1863, he came to Grundy county, Missouri. He married, August 28, 1853, Miss Matilda Butcher, also a native of Lewis county, West Virginia, born April 18, 1834. Her mother died in 1872, and her father is still living in Lewis county, West Virginia, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Mr. and Mrs. Ratliff have had ten children; viz., Sarah C., born May 28, 1854; Eliza C., born September 15, 1856; John L., born January 23, 1861; Jesse A., born October 27, 1863; David E., born January 10, 1866; Mary F., born January 9, 1870; Martha, born March 11, 1876; Nora M., born February 6, 1877; Louisa E., born January 11, 1880; and William, born October 30, 1858, died February 22, 1879. They had no financial assistance in starting in life, but this worthy couple have striven on hand in hand together, have reared a large family and provided for them a home of one hundred and nineteen acres of fine land.
C. W. SCOTT.
This gentleman has the honor of being one of the first white persons that lived in Grundy county. He was born in Daviess county, August 2, 1833. His parents, John and Charlotte Scott, nee Meek, were natives of Washing- ton county, Virginia; the former was born May 6, 1787, and the latter, April 16, 1805. They came to Missouri in 1831, lived a short time in the counties of Ray and Daviess, and late in the fall of 1833 located in Grundy county, near Edinburg. His father died June 18, 1850, near Julesburg, while crossing the plains to California, and his mother died in 1849. The subject of this sketch lived with his parents in Grundy county till seventeen years of age, then, in company with his father and others, started to California and while crossing the plains they were stricken with cholera and only a few lived to reach the golden shore. He spent about three years there and then returned to Grundy county. He was married, December 3, 1854, to Miss Sallie Thorn-
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
brough, a native of Lawrence county, Alabama, born January 22, 1837. She was a daughter of William and Catherine Thornbrough, who came to Missouri in 1837 and settled near Edinburg. Her father died in 1847, and her mother is still living in Grundy county, now eighty-three years old. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have been the parents of nine children; named, respec- tively, Laura, born October 9, 1855; Flora, born November 19, 1857; Han- nah, born November 25, 1859; Charlotte, born April 12, 1862; Charles, born February 16, 1865; Thomas, born May 31, 1867; Hugh, born May 31, 1870; Barton, born October 26, 1874; and Porter, born April 27, 1877. Mr. Scott never had an opportunity of receiving a scholastic education, but has acquired a good general knowledge of things and is a man of fine business ability. He owns a comfortable home of one hundred and twenty-seven aeres of fine land, well improved. In 1863 he, together with his family, made a second trip across the plains to California; there they remained for three years, and then returned to Grundy county.
JOSEPH SCOTT
Was born in Hancock county, Indiana, August 5, 1836. His father, William Scott, was a native of Delaware, and his mother, Rebecca Scott, of Ohio. They came to Indiana at an early day and were pioneers of that country. His mother died in 1838; and his father in 1880, at the age of eighty-three years. At the age of nineteen years our subject left home to work for him- self. He had but a poor opportunity of obtaining an education, yet he is now a well informed man. At the age of twenty-two years he came to Missouri and located in Gentry county, then crossed the plains in 1859 to Pike's Peak, and in 1860 returned to Grundy county. He married, January 24, 1865, Miss Mary E. A. Selby, who was born in Shelby county, Illinois, January 12, 1847, a daughter of Rev. John C. and Louisa D. Selby, both natives of Kentucky. Her father died in 1860, and her mother is still liv- ing in Grundy county. They have had four children; viz., John W., born December 19, 1865; Belle T., born May 4, 1870; William D., born Septem- ber 22, 1876, died August 17, 1877; and Kemp S., born September 6, 1878. Mr. Scott has forty acres of fine land and considerable stock. He had six brothers in the Union army during the late war, three of them lost their lives, and three returned home safe. Mr. Scott has served his township as school director and road supervisor.
W. B. TABOR
Was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, February 21, 1816, son of James and Henrietta Tabor, nee Blackwell. He lived in Tazewell county till 1855, then immigrated to Missouri and located in Liberty township, Grundy county, lived there till 1865, then settled in Harrison township, where he still lives. His grandfather, Robert Blackwell, served seven years
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
as a soldier during the Revolutionary War. Mr. Tabor married, October 30, 1834, Miss Charity Runyan, of Tazewell county, born September 1, 1816, daughter of Joseph and Nancy Runyan, nee Jacobs. By this union they have had ten children; viz., Theodosia I., born August 21, 1835; Seletha Ann, born September 29, 1837; James C., born March 7, 1840; Elizabeth J., born February 16, 1842; Nancy Elvira, born October 9, 1844; Joseph Harvey, born May 1, 1847; William Hardin, born December 31, 1849; Stephen Bartley, born January 22, 1853; Mary V., born March 8, 1857; George S., born September 9, 1860. William Hardin died July 1, 1851; James C., died February 10, 1865; and George S., died April 5, 1881. Stephen B. was ordained a minister in 1877 and has ever since been a faithful laborer as a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church (South). Joseph Harvey is also a licensed exhorter in the same church. James C. was a soldier in the Confederate army and died at Camp Douglass from sickness contracted while in the service. Mr. and Mrs. Tabor have been church members for fifty years, and all the family belong to the same church.
ISAAC VEACH
Was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, December 27, 1820; son of Sol- omon and Mary Veach, nee Lichliter. His father died at the age of fifty- five years, and his mother at the age of eighty-nine. He lived in Shenan- doah county till thirty-five years of age; was reared upon a farm till eighteen years of age, then learned the trade of wagon-maker and worked at the same till thirty-five years of age. He was married, February 24, 1852, to Miss Julia A. Clem, a native of Shenandoah county, born October 19, 1826; daughter of David and Catharine Clem, nee Walters, both natives of Vir- ginia, and both died there. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Veach; viz., Joshua, born March 18, 1856; Benjamin, May 24, 1858; Ella, December 5, 1860; Buford December 20, 1863; Mason died when about three years old. Mr. Veach left Virginia, March 21, 1855, came to Missouri, and remained one year in Caldwell county, then located in Mercer county; re- mained eight years and then went to Harrison township, Grundy county, where he still lives and owns a fine farm of two hundred and forty-four acres well improved and stocked. In 1876 he was appointed bridge com- missioner by the County Court, and served three years. He is truly a self- made man, mentally and financially. By diligence in study he has become a well informed business man, and by industry and good management, has secured a beautiful and pleasant home. In 1869 he erected a bridge across Sugar Creek which Luther Collier, then bridge commissioner, reported as the best bridge in northwestern Missouri. He was chiefly instrumental in securing the building of the graded road from Trenton to the forks of the river.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
W. E. WATTS,
A native of Andrain county, Missouri, was born June 10, 1842; son of Littlebury and Elizabeth Watts, nee Throckmorton. They were both born in Virginia, but came to Missouri at a very early day. His mother died when he was five years of age and his father died in 1879. At the age of sixteen he began business for himself, and early in 1863 enlisted in company B, Twenty-third Missouri volunteer infantry, and served till the elose of the war and with the regiment, was in many engagements. While in the service in Tennessee he contracted a disease from which he still suffers. After the elose of the war he returned to Grundy county, and February 15, 1866, was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Tabor, who was born in Virginia, October 9, 1844. She is a daughter of W. B. Tabor, of this county. Six children have been born, the issue of this union; viz., Mary E., born December 18, 1866; Ida E., born February 11, 1870; Rufly E., born October 13, 1872; Cora B., born May 30, 1875; Thomas H., born November 20, 1877; and Amanda, born December 3, 1868, died Jannary 18, 1869. He has made his own way in the world and now has a nice home of sixty acres of good land well im- proved and stocked. Mr. and Mrs. Watts are members of the Methodist Church.
T. O. WITTEN
Was born in Grundy county, Missouri, January 2, 1849. His father, J. T. Witten, and his mother, Caroline Thomson Witten, were both born in Tazewell county, Virginia. They came to Missouri in the year 1854, and stopped near Edinburg, and there his father is still living, but his mother died, August 22, 1865. He married, April 9, 1868, Miss Laura J. Woodress, who was born in Kentucky, June 4, 1849. Her parents, William O., and Eleanor Woodress, were natives of Kentucky, but came to Missouri at an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Witten were educated at Grand River College and Canton, Illinois. They have four children; viz., Nellie, born February 26, 1869; Minnie, born July 31, 1872; Mollie, born August 22, 1875; and Eva, born January 22, 1878. He has served his township as constable and school director. He is the owner of seventy-six acres of fine land, well im- proved. He is a live, public spirited man, and the family are noted for their generous and kind disposition and hospitality, and his abode is ever open to the accommodation of strangers.
J. A. WRIGHT
Was born in Frederick county, Maryland, December 10, 1839. His parents, Albert and Elizabeth Wright, were both natives of Virginia, and are now residents of Grundy county. On the 31st of December, 1863, he was mar- ried to Miss Eva Brown, a native of Clinton county, Ohio, born July 31, 1844. Her father, Moses Brown, was a native of Virginia, and her mother,
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
Ruth McPherson Brown, a native of Ohio; her father died November 9, 1868; and her mother is still living, in Grundy county. When Mr. Wright was quite young his parents moved to Virginia, and when he was sixteen they came to Ohio. Shortly after his marriage he enlisted in company E, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth regiment of National Guards, served five months; then became a member of company E, Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry and served till the close of the war; he was taken prisoner near Cynthiana, Kentucky, and kept for some time and then paroled by Gen. John Morgan. After the close of the war he returned to Ohio and farmed till 1869, then came to Missouri, and after spending one year in Caldwell county, located permanently in Grundy county. Mr. and Mrs. Wright be- came the parents of ten children; namely, Arthur J., born October 15, 1865; Annie E.,.born January 5, 1867; Charles and William (twins), born No- vember 2, 1869; and Jessie, born, June 14, 1876; Albert M., born June 26, 1868, died February 2, 1869; Emma and Edward (twins), born January 15, 1873, Edward died July 11, 1873, and Emma October 10, 1874; Anna and Alfred (twins), born February 9, 1875, Alfred died August 14, 1875, and Anna, August 21, 1875.
Mr. Wright was the eldest son of five children, four of whom are living: William H., a brother, who died August 12, 1870, was a man of far more than ordinary ability and stood among our leading educators; his chosen profession was that of teaching, and he was continually striving to reach a higher standard of excellence in his labors; he was a Union soldier in the Forty-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry, and in the Tenth Ohio cavalry, and served his country four years; was twice wounded and twice captured, but by his bravery managed to escape and was soon again with his command, able and ready for duty; yet, in the prime of life, while in the good work of educating, the great destroyer, Death, conquered him and he was called to his reward, deeply mourned by relatives and friends.
Mr. Wright, the subject of our sketch, has been a very useful man in the county, having been postmaster at Buttsville for a number of years, justice of the peace for seven years, and filled other township offices.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright are members of the Protestant Methodist Church, and highly esteemed members of society.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXX.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
How Situated-Area in Acres-When Organized-Its Metes and Bounds-Early Settlers -Fancy Sketch-First Election, 1837-Pioneer Incidents-Schools and School-houses -The Cost of the First School-house-Pioneer Transportation-Climate, Soil and Pros- perity-Township Officers, 1881-Biographies.
The township of Jefferson is situated and constitutes the southwest corner of Grundy county, and contains an area of abont 22,720 acres. It is known for its extensive bodies of timber, excellent water and fertile land. Within its borders live many of the more enterprising farmers and stock-raisers of the county.
Jefferson was a township before Grundy became a county, and was one of the original eleven townships upon the organization of the county in 1841. The following taken from the records of the Livingston county court, for the February term, 1839, shows its
FIRST BOUNDARY.
"Ordered that a township be made in the county of Livingston, commenc- ing where townships 60 and 61 cross Grand River; thence west to the inter- section of said line with Daviess county; thence south with said line to the road leading from Jerry Bannon's to Robert McGain's thence with said road to Black's mills. Said township to be called Jefferson. Running from McGains' so far as to include James Black in Jefferson township; thence to N. R. Hobbs', so as to include Hobbs in Jefferson township; thence running with Bear Creek to the north; thence with the river to the beginning."
The present boundary lines of Jefferson township are Madison township on the north, Grand River separating it from Jackson on the east, Living- ston connty on the south, and Daviess county on the west. It is the fourth township in the county in regard to population, having within its limits, according to the census of 1880, one thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine inhabitants, or a net gain of three hundred and fifteen in ten years. The township is watered by the Grand River on its eastern border, and Hickory Creek which traverses the township diagonally from the northwest corner, to the Grand River.
EARLY ARRIVALS.
Jefferson was among the most thickly settled townships of the county in 1841, when the organization went into effect. In 1836 the families of Jesse Harris, Cornelius Darnaby and William Davies opened the way to the rich lands of Jefferson, and staked their claims to build np homes in the wilder-
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
ness of the Grand River Valley. Jesse Harris came from Garrard county, Kentucky, and located on section No. 28; Cornelius Darnaby was also from the famed "blue-grass region," Hopkins county, and his claim was staked in section No. 32; from the same State came William Davies, from the county of Christian, and his cabin was erected on section No. 33. These were the three first white settlers in the township, but they were soon followed by a host of others who came to stay. There were Greenbery Harris, D. H. Dunkerson, Dr. James Livingston, J. W. Moore, M. Hornback, Richard Chenoweth, W. W. Bond, Joshua Bond, John Harshu, John Gee, Henry Gee, Nathaniel Gee, L. D. Thompson, Edward Smith, J. M. Nichols, Na- thaniel Maxey, George Trout, A. G. Taylor, George Embry, Isaac Embry, Elijah Embry, Basil Tinsley, Dock Brown, W. F. Brown, James Turner, Thomas Turner, James D. Nordyke, James Blackburn, Pulligan Sandridge, William Woolridge, Matthew Greene, Presley Boone, William Ashbrook, Zela Conkling, Benjamin S. Ashby, and B. G. Gibbs, all came to make their homes in the wild and rugged West, and Jefferson was the township selec- ted. Some came with their families growing up around them, others were young men just starting in life and eager to battle with the hardships of the western frontier. "They came, they saw and they conquered" the wilderness, and where once only the wild flower and wild grasses grew lux- uriantly, there sprang up the necessaries of life. Broad acres over which the plow had made its furrow took the place of trackless prairies, and rude, but cosy cabin homes sprang up where once was only a dusky forest dell. The deer and wild turkey that had wandered the silent woods alone, only now and then disturbed by the stealthy tread of the Indian hunter and the crack of his unerring rifle, now were startled by the ringing echo of the pio- neer's ax, and scampered away from his impetuous presence, to be followed by the whirring rifle ball that speedily put an end to their roving career.
EARLY ELECTIONS.
The first election held in what is now Jefferson township, took place two years before the township became known by its present name. An election was held at the house of D. H. Dunkerson in 1837, and the said Dunkerson was elected a county judge of Livingston county. He was afterward re- elected. In August of 1839, after the organization of the township, an election was held at the home of Judge Dunkerson for the election of a jus- tice of the peace for the new township, and at the same place, on the 19th day of October, the same year, the citizens voted for an assessor for the county of Livingston. On the 20th of March, 1841, after the organization of Grundy county, an election was ordered for a justice of the peace for the township of Jefferson. James D. Nordyke was elected, and held the office until his death which occurred a year later, and on the 21st of June, 1842, Michael Hornback was appointed his successor. The next election to
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
be found of record, took place in the summer of 1852, when Greenbery Harris, B. G. Gibbs and Joshua Bond were elected justices of the peace, within and for the township of Jefferson. Other early elections were held, but no record was kept of who were elected.
The first sale of school lands in the township occurred on the 3d day of February, 1840, on which date the Livingston County Court ordered section 16, township 60, of range 25, to be sold for school purposes.
PIONEER INCIDENTS.
The first couple to seek the joys of connubial life, were Benjamin S. Ashby and Miss Elizabeth Harris, and the marriage took place at the home of the bride's father on the 28th of March, 1838. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. James McMahan, a Methodist minister. It was one of the happy events that relieved the monotony of the early days of toil, and the couple received congratulations that were hearty and possessed that quality which makes them appreciated-they were meant, every word of them.
James P. Harris was the first person born within the present limits of Jefferson township. He first saw the light on the 28th day of July, 1839, on the old homestead on section No. 28, the son of Jesse and Mary Harris. The first young lady to greet the morning of life in the same township, was Miss Margaret Smith, the winsome daughter of Edward H. and Sarah Smith, whose birth occurred not long after the first mentioned.
Death, that grim visitant that leaves only sorrow in its path, first sought the realms of Jefferson on the 9th of March, 1838, when little Mary, dangh- ter of Jesse and Mary Harris, was gently wafted to her last home in the world beyond. She was buried in Livingston county.
Dr. James Livingston was the first practicing physician. He came from the State of Ohio, and died in the township. He was one of the early settlers.
The first minister was Rev. Elijah Murrell. He was a native of Mary- land, and preached in Jefferson as early as 1836 or 1837. He was a Baptist, and conducted services at the homes of the pioneers. The Rev. James McMahan, a Methodist divine, was one of the pioneer preachers, and came to the township not long after Rev. Mr. Murrell. He, too, held services at the cabins of the settlers. Rev. Mr. Murrell afterwards went to Nebraska, where he died.
SCHOOL AND SCHOOL-HOUSE.
The first school taught in Jefferson township was in the year 1842, in the kitchen of Jesse Harris. They were not particular as to the location of a school in those days, and if they had only a few months schooling per year, they were satisfied until they could do better, and took advantage of what was vouchsafed them. This first of schools had about fifteen pupils,
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
and for instilling into their minds the rudiments of education the sum of $10 was paid per month, and it was considered a fair compensation, for money was scarce and it wasn't absolutely necessary to have a very large amount to live comfortably, as things went in those days. Mr. Spencer Brown was the first schoolmaster. He afterward moved to Andrew county, Missouri, became a physician, and practiced medicine in his new home.
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