HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                      221

note the moral development of the community. He was a well read
man, keeping in touch with the world’s progress and was most highly
respected by all who knew him. His political allegiance was given to.
the Whig party in early manhood, while later be became a stalwart advo-
cate of the Republican party. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Davies were
eight children, six of whom reached adult age, while five are now living:
Melissa, now Mrs. McCullough; Margaret, the wife of Samuel Blair, a
resident of Oklahoma; Martha, the wife of Homer Saliday, who resides
in Brazil; Alice, the wife of Charlton Fairless, now making his home in
Illinois; and Newton, who also resides in that state. Mrs. McCullough’s
grandfather, James Nicholas, and his wife, Mary Morris, were natives
of Wales and were prominent people of that country. The English gov-
ernment of that day prohibited any of its subjects leaving Great Britain
for America unless they were servants. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas attempted
to come to the new world as passengers on a sailing vessel, but were
arrested and prevented from doing so. They then sold all of their prop-
erty and engaged as servants for a year in order that they might rightly
claim that they had been in service and were therefore entitled to leave
England if they so desired. This was about 1700, and having crossed
the Atlantic they located east of the Alleghany mountains, where Martha
Nicholas, the grandmother of Mrs. McCullough, was born. She mar-
ried Tubal Jones, also a native of Wales. He was a man of literary
tastes and a writer of some note, who also followed the occupation of
farming.
    Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. McCullough became
residents of Brazil, where Mr. McCullough spent his last days. In poli-
tics he was an earnest, unfaltering Republican and throughout his entire
life manifested the same spirit of loyalty in citizenship that he displayed
when he followed the stars and stripes upon southern battle-fields. He
was a very active and devoted member of Brazil Lodge, No. 215, I. 0.
0.  F., also belonged to Iron City Encampment, No. 118, and to the
sovereign grand lodge of the state. He was likewise connected with
the Improved Order of Red Men, the Chosen Friends, the Good Tem-
plars and the Grand Army of the Republic—associations which indi-
cate much of the character of his principles and the rules of conduct
which guided his life. All who knew him entertained for him warm
regard, for he was ever considerate of the rights, wishes and privileges
of others, was straightforward in his business dealings and progressive
in his citizenship. Mrs. McCullough has been a member of the Christian
church for the past twenty-eight years and a teacher of the Sunday school
for the past thirty years. She has also been Sunday school treasurer for
fifteen years, holding that position today, and her interest in church work
is deep and abiding and has been an effective force in the growth of the
organization here. She is a member of Mayflower lodge of Rebekabs
and has a circle of friends that is constantly increasing as the circle of
her acquaintances widens.

    BERT YOCOM, superintendent of the Brazil office of the Prudential
Insurance Company, is well known in Clay county, being one of its intel-
ligent as well as one of its representative citizens. He was born in
Staunton, this county, in 1874. His father, William F. Yocom, was
born in Dick Johnson township, Clay county, September 14, 1847, and
was a representative of one of the old pioneer families of this part of