The History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with biographical sketches, Part 65

Author: Demuth, I. MacDonald
Publication date: 1882]
Publisher: [n.p.
Number of Pages: 1154

USA > Missouri > Pettis County > The History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with biographical sketches > Part 65

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MAJ. WILLIAM BECK.

Mr. Beck was born in the year 1827, near Hamburg, Germany. His father, William Beck, was in the government service, and in 1872 died at the advanced age of eighty-five. Maj. Beck's mother, whose maiden name was Zinnius, is still living in Germany, having attained the age of eighty- two. He received a collegiate, education after which he went aboard a ship and made several trips both to North and South America. At the age of eighteen he received a position in the Custom House in Germany and remained there till the breaking out of the Revolution of 1848, when he joined the army against Denmark with Sleswick and Holstein. He was soon promoted to Lieutenancy, serving till 1551, when the army was dis- banded by the forces of Austria and Prussia. Then he held again for a short time a position in the Custom House, which was terminated by the Danish occupancy of Holstein. In 1852, when the Australian gold excite- ment was at its highest, young Beck, who had been reared in affluence and luxury, held government positions, been an officer in the army, and associated only with the higher classes, resolved to make his own fortune in the world, and started as an emigrant to that distant land, arriving in Australia with scarcely a dollar in his pocket. He here saw many ups and down of fortune. His first day's work in Melbourne was wheelbar- rowing furniture, for which he received $5.00: and for the first week, at the same wages per day, he engaged in whatever he could find to do that furnished honest employment, such as moving goods, sweeping chimneys, cleaning stores, &c., &c. He then went up among the Ballart mines where he worked for three months without much success. Joining an Irish party they made a large sum of money in deep mining, but a flood came which caused them to lose nearly all they had made. Soon after,

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Mr. Beck struck another "lead," but engaging too extensively and employing labor at too high wages, it proved a financial disaster. He also speculated in mining shares, but usually he found himself on the " wrong side." No reverses were sufficient to quench his indomitable spirit, and when he left Australia for England in 1855, he had accumulated a hand- some sum of gold. He then spent some time in traveling on the Conti- nent of Europe, but being dissatisfied without regular employment, he came to the United States for the purpose of entering new fields of enterprise. He visited New York, Chicago and other large cities; finally falling in with old comrades who had served with him in the army he engaged in the lumber business and merchandising in Morgan County, this State. This was in 1856. In 1838 Mr. Beck came to Pettis County, and settled in Priceville, about eight miles east of the site now occupied by Sedalia. At that time very little of the prairie land of this county was settled. In 1860 the houses comprising Priceville, about fifteen in num- ber, were removed on wheels two miles to the present site of Smithton. He was married in 1860 to Miss Rebecca Bohon, daughter of Walter Bohon, a native of Kentucky, though for many years a resident of this county, now at the advanced age of ninety-two years, the oldest man in Pettis County. At the breaking out of the war in 1861 Mr. Beck joined the Union forces, taking command of the volunteer home guards raised in Benton and Pettis counties. At the expiration of the three months ser- vice he resigned and again engaged in business at Smithton, but the rav- ages of armed bands of marauders made it necessary to remove to Sedalia, which at that time was headquarters for Central Missouri. Here he engaged in merchandising, which he has followed with great success ever since. Maj. Beck is one of the oldest merchants in the city, having come here when wild deer in large numbers could be seen on the very land where the populous city now stands. He has met reverses and successes, proving with his undaunted energy what a young man may accomplish. In 1864 his store was destroyed by fire, and in 1876 the same element destroyed his residence. In 1866 the clouds of war having passed away, men of enterprise and wealth established business here, greatly enhancing real estate, and Major Beck shared in the profits arising from his judicious purchases. In 1875 Mr. Beck was made a pensioner of his native govern- ment for military service in the Revolution of 1848. In 1876 he received into partnership Chas. E. Messerly, an enterprising young man who had for some time been a salesman in the same house; and since that date they have carried on a general merchandising business with flattering success. Their large and well stocked business house is situated on the corner of Osage and Second streets. Major Beck's family consists of three children living, one son and two daughters, Lewis, aged eighteen, Ella, aged fifteen, and Cora, aged eleven. Three of their children have

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died. Among the worthiest and most influential citizens of Sedalia Major Beck has stood prominently identified. From the very organization of the city government he was a member of the City Council and has served in that capacity four terms since. He has been a member of the Board of Education a greater portion of the time since the present system was adopted in this State, having served uninterruptedly from 1868 to 1872. His energy, coupled with uniform honesty and fair dealing, has won for him the confidence and esteem of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who have known him in his long residence here.

SAMUEL H. BEILER.

Of Hall & Beiler, wholesale grocers. Was born in Alton, Madison Co., Ill., in 1839. His father, Jno. G., was a native of Baden, Germany, who died in Alton, Ills., in 1852. His mother, whose maiden name was Eliza Hutton, was a native of Ohio, and is now living in Alton, where Samuel H., the subject of this sketch, was reared and educated. Here he was taught the drygoods business, and when he had attained manhood he engaged with his brother in the mercantile business. In 1862 young Bei- ler went to Oregon, still retaining his interest in the store, and remained until the fall of 1866. In the meantime his brother, in 1865, moved the store to Sedalia, and in 1866 Samuel H. came to Sedalia, and in company with his brother continued the establishment until 1868, when Jno. G. withdrew, and Mr. Hall, his present partner, took his place. After Mr · Hall became a partner in the firm the retail trade was suspended. Of the business of this house we speak in another part of this work. Mr. Beiler is a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was married in the fall of 1874 to Virginia Teasdale, of St. Louis, daughter of J. H. Teasdale, of the commission house of J. H. Teasdale & Co., St. Louis. They have one child, Mabel.

GEORGE BELLAS.

Of Bellas & Thornton, grocers. Mr. Bellas was born in Howard Co., Mo., in 1826. His father, George Bellas, was a native of Pennsylvania, who settled in Howard Co., Mo., in 1816. His mother, Nancy, nee Fitzger- ald, was a native of Kentucky. The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in St. Louis. In 1849 he went to California, where he spent two years in mining. After his return he opened a store ten miles from St. Louis, where he sold goods about five years, after which he farmed about five years. In the spring of 1862 he came to Pettis Co. and farmed a few years, after which he came to Sedalia and dealt in stoves and tinware for a time, but returned to the farm and remained until 1881, when he came again to Sedalia, and erected a handsome brick store on Ohio and Seventh streets, where he is now conducting his business. He is the owner of

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HISTORY OF SEDALIA.

much valuable property in Sedalia; is one of the original stockholders in the Citizens National Bank. Mr. Bellas was married in 1854, to Vir- ginia Booth. They have six children living, Sarah E., Nelson T., Francis L., Albert G., George J., Oliver E. One deceased.

HARDY L. BERRY.

Is the son of Charles G. Berry, a native of Kentucky, but who moved to Indiana, at an early day, and resides at the present time at Mitchell, Ind. The subject of this sketch was born in Bloomington, Monroe Co., Ind., Feb. 3, 1850, and is the sixth child in a family of eleven children. He received his education in the schools of his native county. After com- pleting his education he engaged in the printing business in Mitchell, Ind., his father being editor of the paper. In the fall of 1873, Mr. Berry moved to Missouri, and settled at Sedalia, and accepted a position in the office of the Missouri Pacific, as assistant ticket agent. He was promoted, March, 1878, to ticket agent. He was married, Oct. 12, 1880, to Miss Olive M. Norton, a native of Ohio. Mr. Berry is a young man of exceptional character. He is one of the rising young men of Sedalia, has an enviable record with his railroad company, and is possessed of unusual ability, but is so quiet and unobtrusive that only his intimate friends can estimate his worth. He is a member of the Congregational Church, and Superin- tendent of the Sabbath School.

ELIAS BIXBY.

Of Bixby & Houx, hardware merchants. Mr. Bixby was born in 1825 "in Knox County, Ohio. His father, Aaron Bixby, was a native of New York, who settled in Ohio during the war of 1812. His mother, Nancy, nee Wilson, was a native of Pennsylvania. Elias, the subject of this sketch, was brought up in the tinning business, and in 1847 came to St. Louis, where he worked until 1851, then he went to Boonville, Mo., and engaged in business. They afterward opened a house in Georgetown, Pettis County, Mo., and in 1862 closed their business at Boonville, and moved their entire stock to Sedalia, and after the war built the first brick house in Sedalia. Mr. Bixby has been associated with his present partner, John W. Houx, for over twenty-six years. They are among the oldest and most prosperous business men of Sedalia. Mr. Bixby was married in 1849 to Sarah C. Parvey. They have three children, Medora J., Lewis H. and Lizzie S., who died when six years of age. His wife died in 1856. He was again married in 1858 to Ellen T. Duncan. She died, Oct. 26, 1876. Mr. Bixby has been a very prominent and active member of the I. O. O. F. for many years, and helped to start the first lodge here.

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HISTORY OF SEDALIA.

ERNEST R. BLAIR.

Of the firm of Blair Bros., clothing merchants. Mr. Blair was born in 1845, in Ohio. His father, Reuben A., was a native of Vermont. His mother, Mary B., nee Miller, was a native of Ohio. Ernest Blair and his brother Reuben, his present partner, went to the army as Sutlers, in 1862. Remaining with the army until the close of the war, when they went into merchandising at Alexandria, La. In 1866 they came to Sedalia, and engaged in tobacco business until 1868, they went into the clothing and gent's furnishing goods trade, which they have ever since continued. Mr. Blair was married in 1869 to Miss Girard, of Louisiana. They have four children, Ernest R., Ethel, Ben and Irene.

MILO BLAIR.

Postmaster, Sedalia, Mo. Born at Blair's Bay, on Lake George, Wash- ington County, N. Y., in 1827, the son of Jonathan Blair. He emigrated with the family to Michigan in 1842, and received an academic education at the Grand Rapids Academy, Grand Rapids, Mich. He entered the office of the Grand Rapids Eagle as an apprentice to the printing busi- ness on the 24th of June, 1845, and graduated from the office in 1849; was engaged at the printing business in that State up to 1865, when he removed to Boonville, Mo., where he started the Boonville Eagle, which he published at that place until July, 1878, when he moved the paper to Sedalia, where he continued its publication under the Sedalia Eagle until February, 1882, when the paper was consolidated with the Sedalia Times, under the name of the Sedalia Eagle-Times. Mr. Blair was Mayor of the city of Boonville five years and three months; was a delegate to the Republican National Convention which met at Cincinnati in 1876, and chairman of the delegation from Missouri: was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant-Governor of Missouri in 1880, and received the highest vote cast for any candidate on the State ticket; was appointed Postmaster at Sedalia, Mo., by President Arthur, and confirmed by the Senate on the 27th day of January, 1882. He has been married twice. First in Michi- gan in 1853, to Emily Foster. Two daughters are the fruits of the first marriage, both of whom are married. The eldest, Millie Frances, is the wife of John F. Hemrichs, of Jefferson City, Mo., and the youngest, Claudia E., the wife of E. D. Crawford, of Denver, Col. Mr. Blair has long been a man of active business ; for many years an editor, and has ever been a staunch advocate of the Republican principles which have given him the well-deserved position he now holds.

DAVID BLOCHER.

Dealer in agricultural implements. Mr. Blocher was born in 1838, in Wayne County, O. His father, Daniel, was a native of Pennsylvania.

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His mother, Elizabeth Millen, was also a native of Pennsylvania. David was reared and educated in Indiana, where he followed farming until 1867, when he came to Sedalia and engaged in the grocery and stock business, until 1870, when he engaged in the implement business, to which he has ever since given his time and attention, dealing in all kinds of machinery and farm implements. Since residing here he has served as Mayor of the city, and for several years past as President of the School Board. He was married in 1870 to Miss Lucy E. Ward. They have two children, Anna P. and Mabel.

CHARLES F. BOATRIGHT.

Merchant, East Third Street. Mr. Boatright was born in 1831, June 26, in West Virginia. His father, C. H., was a native of East Virginia. His mother a native of West Virginia. Charles F., the subject of this sketch, was raised by his grandmother, Stark, and came to Cooper County, Mo., in 1840. In his early life he learned the carpenters' trade, which, together with cabinet-making, he followed for a number of years. In 1862 he engaged in mercantile business in Otterville, Mo., which he continued until 1875, when he came to Sedalia, where he has ever since been in the same line of business. Mr. Boatright and his wife are mem- bers of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an active member, being the foremost one in the building of their church here. His first wife died in 1864, leaving one child. By his second wife he has four children, two sons and two daughters.

WINFIELD S. BOERSTLER.

Winfield S. Boerstler, lumber merchant, of the firm of A. S. Fernald & Co. Mr. Boerstler was born in Nov. 1552, in Ohio. His father, Simon, was a native of Pennsylvania, now residing on the old homestead in Ohio, where his father before him lived. His mother, Eliza, nee Raver, was also a native of Pennsylvania. Still living. W. S., the subject of this sketch, was reared and educated in Ohio, taking a course in commercial college at Grand Rapids, Mich. In 1872 he began the lumber business in Michigan, which he continued there and in Wisconsin until 1876, when he came to Sedalia with Mr. Fernald, with whom he has ever since been. In 1882 he was admitted as a partner in the business, and has now, by his own efforts, taken his place among the leading business men of the city. He was married in Dec., 1879, to Miss Sallie Fost, of Sedalia, a daughter of E. Fost, of Caldwell Co., Mo. They had one child, Walter Scott, who died at the age of fourteen months.

JOSEPH S. BOSSERMAN.

Superintendent Sedalia Woolen Mills. Mr. Bosserman was born in

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Clark Co., O., in 1837. His father, John, was a native of Pennsylvania. His mother , Catharina Stayman, was also a native of Pennsylvania. J. S., the subject of this sketch, learned the wool and cloth making business in his boyhood. From 1858 until 1870 he spent his time in Iowa and Mis- souri. In 1870 he went to Denver, Colorado. He came to Seda- lia, and has ever since been connected with the woolen factory of this city. Mr. Bosserman was married in 1865 to Hattie Pervines, by whom he has two children, John L. and Maud. He is a member of the K. P. and A. O. U. W. At the spring election of the city of Sedalia in 1882, he was chosen a member of the City Council.

JAMES E. BOULDIN.

Postoffice, Sedalia. Was born in Virginia, Sept. 5, 1831. His father was of the same name, and bore the title of "major," and was an exten- sive tobacconist, having put up the first tobacco factory west of St. Louis. He came to Missouri in 1832, when James was quite young, and settled in Lewis County, and subsequently in Howard County. James attended one year of school at the Missouri State University, besides the Kemper school of Boonville and other schools. In 1849 he crossed the plains and spent two years in the west. His mother's maiden name was Miss Malinda L. Saunders, daughter of Col. David Saunders, a commissioned officer in the war of 1812. The subject of this sketch was married to Miss Minnie Thomson, daughter of Mentor Thomson, president of the Sedalia Savings Bank. Mr. Bouldin improved his handsome residence in 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Bouldin have seen this county develop from a wild prairie of howling wolves to its present state of cultivation. Mrs. Bouldin remembers seeing the dogs and wolves fighting around the dwelling of her father. Mr. Bouldin owns upwards of one thousand acres of land, and is an extensive farmer and stock dealer.

DR. WM. F. BOYER.

Was born in 1840, in Forsythe County, N. C. His parental ancesters were also natives of North Carolina. His father, Henry, is now a resi- dent of Sedalia, and his mother, whose maiden name was Margaret Water- son, died in 1846. In 1850, Wm. F. Boyer with his father's family moved to Jacksonville, Ill., where he remained until 1855, when he came to Craw- ford County, Mo. In 1860 he began the study of medicine, and in 1864 he graduated from the Eclectic Medical Institute, of Cincinnati, Ohio. In April, 1864, he came to Sedalia, Mo., as contract surgeon in the United States Army, and settled upon the property where he now resides the evening of President Lincoln's Assassination. Dr. Boyer is the pioneer physician of Sedalia, having been here constantly since 1864, he has had ample time to note the rise and growth of the Queen City of the prairies.

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The lots where he now lives were purchased by him for $275, and their present worth is $4,000. He was married in 1872 to Mary H. Wharton, daughter of Jno. R. Wharton, one of the early merchants of Sedalia. Dr. Boyer, although a public spirited man, is not a politician, but notwith- standing this fact he has served the public commendably as city alderman twice. He has one son named Wm. F., who was born in 1874.

LUCIUS L. BRIDGES.

Attoney-at-law, Sedalia. Was born in the town of Massena, N. Y., April 3, 1839, and received a collegiate education at Schenectady, that State, at Union College, graduating in the class of 1861. He entered the army as a private in the Sixteenth New York Cavalry, and was pro- moted to Commissary, with rank as Captain, in the summer of 1864, in which capacity he served until the close of the war. He was present at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, and was brevetted Major for meri- torious conduct, and was mustered out in August, 1865. Mr. Bridges was admitted to the bar at Canton, N. Y., in 1862, and after the war, in March, 1866, he came to Sedalia and commenced the practice of his pro- fession, and has resided here ever since. He was a candidate on the Repub- lican ticket in 1876 for Presidential Elector for the Seventh Congressional District, and was elected City Attorney of Sedalia, in 1981, on the Green- back ticket, but resigned, December 1st, of that year. He was nominated in the Greenback convention for Congress, in 1880, but declined, and placed in nomination Hon. T. M. Rice, the present incumbent. Mr. Bridges is of English-Scotch descent, his father being Wilson Bridges, a native of Massachusetts, and of English extraction; his mother, Maria Hall Bridges, being of Scotch lineage. He was married in Ogdensburg, N. Y., to Miss Maggie L. Webster, a cousin to Senator Preston King, of New York, whose home from childhood had been with Mrs. Webster. By this union they have two children: Fannie S., aged thirteen, and Harry W., aged ten. Mrs. Bridges died in 1871. Mr. Bridges ranks high as an attorney. He possesses a mind naturally clear and compre- hensive, capable of grasping truths as they are presented, with great exactness. Pleasant in intercourse with his fellow-men, he has the good fortune to make many friends and few enemies.

DR. IRA T. BRONSON. .

Was born in Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1840. His father, who is now a resident of his native State, was born in New Hampshire, and his mother, Lucinda, nee Countryman, was a native of New York, of German descent, who died in 1858. Dr. Bronson was educated at New- bury, Vt. He received his medical course at the University of Vermont, situated at Burlington, and Dartmouth College, at Hanover, N. H.,

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graduating from Dartmouth in 1869. He practiced his profession at Newbury, Vt., until the year 1873, when he came to Sedalia, Mo., where he has practiced ever since. In the spring of 1880, he and Mr. R. F. Pierce bought the drug store known as the Palace Drug Store, and in the spring of 1881 transferred it to the corner of Ohio and Fourth streets, continuing their business in that place up to the present time. He is also a member of the Masonic Fraternity and Knights of Pythias. He was married in 1869 to Miss Orpha Gleason, of Barnet, Vt., daughter of Samuel Gleason, now a resident of Sedalia, Mo. They have three chil- dren living: Harl Howard, Blanche Emma and G. Maud. Dr. Bronson had one child, which died in 1879, named Gailord T., aged twenty-two months. In 1861 he entered the Federal army, in the Fifth New Hampshire Vol- unteer Infantry, Company I, and served until the close of the war. He was through the McClellan and Grant campaigns, taking part in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac. He was slightly wounded three times, but not so severely as to disable him for any great length of time. In 1863 he was promoted to Quartermaster, with rank as First Lieuten- ant. Since residing in Sedalia he has been appointed on the board of pen- sion examiners. Dr. Bronson and estimable wife are members of the Ohio street M. E. Church, and he is Superintendent of the S. S.

REV. EDWIN T. BROWN, (deceased.)

Edwin T. Brown was born in Columbia, Lancaster County, Penn., March 22, 1818. He was the son of Daniel and Emma Brown, nec Vaughn. His maternal grandfather, Rev. Joshua Vaughn, was a pioneer Baptist clergyman of great eminence. The subject of this sketch was converted and baptized by Dr. Elliott, of Pittsburg, at the age of twelve years, and July 4, 1841, he preached his first sermon. It was from Matt. 6: 24, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." His school advantages were not numerous, though he took a two years' course at Fayette College in Pennsylvania, and subsequently two years at Rector College in Vir- ginia, and such was his labor in his school duties that his health became much impaired by his efforts. He felt that the Lord had a particular work for him in the ministry, and before his school days were fully ended his friends persuaded him to begin preaching. In May, 1842, he was ordained in the.full work of the ministry, and became pastor of the Baptist Church at Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He removed to Ohio in 1844, and was pastor of the churches successively at Mt. Vernon, Wooster and Warren, being among the largest churches in Northeastern Ohio. His churches were blessed with large revivals, and many were added to the Redeemer's Kingdom. During a portion of the war he was chaplain of the Second Ohio Cavalry, where he won the love and respect of officers and men. After he resigned his commission in the army, April 21, 1864,

Jours July E. Brown

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he resumed his pastorate at Warren, Ohio, and continued till his stay amounted to nine years and three months. As a missionary of the Bap- tist Home Mission Society, he removed to Missouri in 1865, settling in Sedalia where he spent the residue of his life. Here he bought a consid- erable tract of land where East Sedalia now stands, where he built a commodious house. Immediately after his arrival he applied at once his energies to the building up of the First Baptist Church; the edifice con- structed principally by money which he collected for that purpose from his former charges in Ohio, and from private Christian friends in St. Louis, John Hall, and others in Sedalia, and one thousand dollars loaned by the Home Mission Society. After the First Baptist Church of this city had been put on a firm basis with a good house of worship, Mr. Brown resigned, and soon commenced building up a strong society of Baptists in Clinton, and erected there one of the finest churches in Central Western Missouri. The church cost $20,000, and he introduced his successor to one hundred members, and a salary of $1,500, and upon his resignation the members of the church passed resolutions highly complimentary to the labors he had bestowed upon them. Under his leadership a number of churches were re-organized, which had been scattered during the war, and he assisted in forming them into a new association bearing the name of Central Missouri, of which he was first moderator. That he might secure religious advantages to the families of railroad inen, he erected, almost at his own expense, a commodious church in East Sedalia, and bestowed gratuitously on this field five years' labor, which resulted in the conversion of many railroad men. He died at his own residence, of apoplexy, after a brief illness of only half an hour, at 10 o'clock P. M., June 9, 1879. By his unswerving allegiance to what he regarded right, Elder Brown made some bitter enemies, but his benevolence and warm heart won a host of devoted friends. His ministry was a faithful one. The word of God was his text book. He baptized nearly 1,900 during his thirty-eight years' ministry, was pastor of seven churches, built three church edifices, and accomplished untold good in the cause in other direc- tions. He was married to Miss Eliza J. Bryson, May 10, 1841, at Union- town, Penn. She is a cultivated and highly esteemed lady, possessed of superior social qualities. She was born, July 7, 1823; daughter of William Bryson, who was for a long time deacon in the Baptist Church at Union- town, Penn. She is the eldest of a large family. Her father was a native of Ireland, Scotch-Irish descent, and died about eight years ago. Her mother, whose maiden name was Anna Ayers, died about twelve years since. Rev. Brown has two surviving children. Bryson Brown, the eldest, with his wife, nee Rhoda De La Vergne, and two children, Lillian L. and De La Vergne, now live in the former homestead. Emma

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The History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with biographical sketches, Part 65

Author: Demuth, I. MacDonald Publication date: 1882] Publisher: [n.p. Number of Pages: 1154

Author: Demuth, I. MacDonald
Publication date: 1882]
Publisher: [n.p.
Number of Pages: 1154