Biographical Sketch of John O. Gross - Andrew County, Missouri >From "History of Missouri, Andrew & DeKalb County" Published 1888 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mo/mofiles.htm ************************************************ Transcribed by: Penny Harrell (Incog3678@aol.com) ********************************************************************** John O. Gross, a farmer and stock raiser of Empire Township, Andrew County, MO., was born in Clay County, MO., on May 2, 1843. He is the son of John O. and Mary (Huffaker) Gross. The father was born in East Tennessee, and was a farmer by vocation. The mother was a native of Wayne County, KY. They were married in 1831, and in the same year immigrated to Clay County, MO. Here he entered land on which he lived until his death in 1856. Our subject was a small boy when his parents died, but he remained with his brother on the home farm, which he helped to cultivate, until the breaking out of the Civil War. He received his education in the public schools of Clay County, MO. In 1861, when but eighteen years old, he joined the Confederate army, and some of the battles in which he participated are as follows: Lexington, MO., Pea Ridge, Corinth, Iuka, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson and Champion's Hill. At the latter engagement he received a severe wound in the left leg, which disabled him for ten years after the war. At the expiration of his service in the army, he returned to his home in Clay County, MO., but in 1871 removed to Andrew County, and purchased 130 acres of land. In a short time he returned to Clay County, and in 1871 was united in marriage with Sarah Ellen Dollis, daughter of George W. Dollis. They have two sons and four daughters. Mr. Gross is a member of the Christian Church, and in politics is a Democrat.