HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                      307

in 1877, where he continued in the banking business until the 28th day
of July, 1884, when he was retired by the forced suspension of the
institution.
    Mr. Brighton was twice married, his first wife dying at some time
within the years of the Civil war. His second wife, who was divorced
during the time of the family’s residing at Brazil, Mrs. Caroline Jose-
phine Rizley Brighton, is now living with a granddaughter, at Spencer,
Owen county.
    In 1885, Mr. Brighton went to the West to retrieve in part his
losses sustained in business reverses, locating near Raymondville, Texas
county, Missouri, where he homesteaded land in the Ozark mountains,
which he partially improved and occupied as his home. Here he taught
several terms of rural district school and, also, for a time operated, in
a copartnership, a lumber mill, and in this investment and industry sus-
tained another reverse from his partner’s having indebtedness of which
he knew nothing when they engaged jointly in the business, for the
liquidation of which the property was sacrificed. Later, he was elected
county judge, or presiding member of the board of county commis-
sioners. Died March 20, 1902, aged sixty-seven years, ten months and
twenty-one days; buried by the Masonic fraternity, of which he was
a member of high degree, at the Allen Grove cemetery, Raymondville,
Texas county, Missouri.
    The following letter from Mr. Brighton was received by a friend
at Brazil, three years after his having gone to Missouri:

RAYMONDYILLE, TEXAS Co., Mo.,
August 14, 1888.
    Dear Sir—Your kind letter was received some time ago, and I deferred writing,
thinking that I could make raise of money enough to buy a couple of sheets of paper,
but being entirely without means, I shall have to ask you to excuse me for writing on
these scraps of wrapping-paper, as I have no other. Now, my friend John, I may
relate to you that I have seen hard times this year. I came to this place on foot,
making my way through by peddling a few cheap goods, paying bills in this way. I
left Clay county, June 20, 1887, and arrived here on the 11th day of September fol-
lowing. After arriving at Houston, the county-seat, I was taken sick and could not
get about before the middle of October. After looking about for a short time, I
determined to preempt a piece of land, which I did near this place. I have 160
acres here in the mountains, and have worked very hard on it, considering the
state of my health. Having been unaccustomed to hard work, it proved a
very severe trial. I built a small box house, doing most of the work myself.
You ought to see the chimney I built to it. I carried all the rock on my back, about
twenty-two wagon-loads, some of them as much as half a mile. It took me seven
weeks to complete it. I cleared about four acres of ground, which I have in corn,
beans, etc. This was a hard task for me, as I am a poor chopper, but with the deter-
mination to get out of starvation ‘s reach, I accomplished the clearing, making about
1,500 rails, all of which I carried on my back and made my fence, devoting about six
months to the work. A couple of my neighbors broke up the ground for me, and a
boy helped me plant my ‘‘truck.’’ To a man with but little to eat, this clearing and
fencing was a big job. Sometimes I was down to the last turnip, which I had to
divide for dinner and supper, then depend on killing a quail for breakfast. Such arc
times that try a man—soul and body.
    This, though an old county, is but thinly settled, and nearly all the people are
poor. Most of them have some land, but do not depend much on farming. There is
a great deal of game here in the mountains, and most of them do more or less hunting.
I live here in the mountains, solitary and alone. My home is on the mountain-side,
but I clear land in the valley. You ought to see the timber in this county. I have
about a thousand magnificent pines, some of them measuring sixty feet to the first
limb. Had we a railroad, there would be a fortune in this timber, but at present the
nearest railroad is thirty-five miles distant. This is the largest county in the state
of Missouri, having thirty-six townships; it is about the size of the state of Dela