BIOGRAPHICAL. CUIVRE TOWNSHIP, Audrain Co., MO ******************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. File submitted by Terrill Ann DeMoss-Rutter These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ****************************************************************** I as now in the process of scanning the "History of Audrain County 1884", this book is not complete so I do not know who published it nor who edited it. There is no index, the biographies are alphabetical by township, I have began with Cuivre Township which is page 416. The text I am attaching is 416 through 433. I have proofed each and left all of the verbiage as I found it. I hope this will help someone. Terrill Ann DeMoss-Rutter BIOGRAPHICAL. CUIVRE TOWNSHIP. SIMEON C. ADAMS, M. D. Dr. Adams, a prominent and successful young physician of Farber comes of two old and highly respected families of North-east Missouri--the Adams and Campbells. His parents on both sides wet, among the pioneer settlers of this section of the State. His father Capt. Walter S. Adams, was in boyhood when the latter's parents came to Pike county from Kentucky, and after Walter S. grew up he was married in Audrain county to Miss Catherine Campbell, daughter of Nelson Campbell, an uncle of Lieut. -Gov. Robert A. Campbell, who, in all probability will be the next Governor of Missouri. Audrain County became Capt. Adams' permanent home, and here he became one of the prominent citizens and influential farmers of the county. Siding with the South during the late war, he entered the Southern service and was captain of a company under Col. Jones. He was captured, however, during the progress of the war and, unable to stand the hardships and privations of the inhuman life he was made to lead in a Northern prison, he died in military prison, yielding up his life, like the brave and true man he was, on the altar of his convictions. At any time he could have had his liberty on condition of foreswearing the cause he had sworn to defend, but he preferred to meet death with honor and in the line of his duty, to purchasing life at the price of everything a brave and honest mall holds dear. How apt the noble sentiment in Longfellow's Christus: -- "I have already The bitter taste of death upon my lips; I feel the pressure of the heavy weight That will crush out my life within this hour; But if a word could save me, and that word Were not the truth; nay, if it did but swerve A heir's breadth from the truth I would not say it." So died as true a man and as brave a patriot as ever yielded up his life for his country. Poland, Hungary, Ireland and the South went down, but the love of liberty and independence, and the admiration of patriotism-- heroism -- have not perished from the earth. So long as these survive the memory of' such men will be cherished as the proudest heritage of posterity. Dr. Adams was born on his fathers' farm, in this county, on the 2d of December, 1852. Reared on the family homestead, he was educated in the common schools and at McKee College, taking a three-years' course in the latter institution. After his college course, in 1872, he began the study of medicine under Dr. Wesley Humphrey, of Mexico, a leading physician of the county. In 1874 he graduated from the medical department of the University of Kentucky, at Louisville. Immediately after his graduation Dr. Adams engaged in the practice of his profession, which he has continued with success up to the present time. The two years prior to his location at Farber he practiced at Ashley, Pike county, where he built up an enviable reputation as a physician. In June, 1881, Dr. Adams wishing to make his home among those in whose midst his boyhood days were spent, came to Farber, near which he was born and reared, and established himself' in the practice at this place. Known in this vicinity from infancy, and respected best by those who have known him longest, thoroughly educated, both generally and in his profession, naturally a man of remarkable aptitudes for the practice of medicine, and having had nearly ten years of active and successful experience in the practice, everything seemed to unite to recommend him favorably to the confidence and patronage of the community, and to make his career here a successful and useful one. Dr. Adams almost from the beginning commanded a good practice, and this has steadily increased until now he is one of' the leading physicians of this part of the county. A man of high character and a perfect gentleman in the highest and best sense of the word, he is esteemed by the community for his personal worth and his skill as a physician, and is more than ordinarily popular on account of his genial, agreeable manners and his respectful, manly bearing to all with whom he is thrown in contact. Dr. Adams is not married and that is the worse that can be said of him; but conscious as the writer is of the many fair ones in the vicinity of Farber, as noble-hearted, worthy and gentle as they are fair, this biographer feels assured that if the present sketch could be written at a later date--and not much later either-he would have the pleasure of recording his worthy subject as a beatified benedict. Nous verrons. The Doctor is a member of the Baptist church and of the Knights of Honor order, George W., of this county, and James A., of Wellsville, are his brothers. GEORGE W. ADAMS, an industrious farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Cuivre township is a son of Capt. Walter S. Adams, mention of whom is made in the sketch of Dr. Simeon Adams, which precedes this. Mr. Adams is elder brother to Dr. Adams and was born in this county on the old family homestead, on the 15th of September 1845. Mr. Adams w; brought up on the farm and reared to habits of industry, to which he has adhered thus far through life, and not without accumulating the substantial evidences of untiring industry, well directed. His father being a man in good circumstances, and having an intelligent appreciation of the advantages of education, gave his children goo school opportunities. The winter months during George W.'s earl youth were spent largely in the common and private schools of the neighborhood. As he grew older', and becoming sufficiently advanced in his studies to enter college, he became a matriculate in McGee College in Macon county, where he continued as a student until he acquired a somewhat superior general education. In the meantime the war had come on and was waged in this section of' the State with great bitterness by both sides. Young Adams, in 1864, being then in his nineteenth year, went to Montana, making the trip overland and in company with his uncles, William and Benjamin Campbell. They made Virginia City their destination, and young Adams remained there engaged in mining and freighting about two years. The summer of 1866 he spent in Colorado, returning the following fall to Andrain County. Here he resumed his farming operations, which he has since continued without interruption and with substantial success. On the 4th of June 1869, he was married in Bowling Green, Pike County, to Miss Alice, a refined and amiable daughter of Capt. J. D. Kincaid, of that county. Mrs. Adams was reared and educated in Bowling Green and at a convent in St. Louis, and is a grand-daughter of the late Judge Martin, and one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Adams have a family of six sons: George H., William D., James W., Homer M., Simeon C. and Ala K. After his marriage Mr. Adams settled in the south-eastern part of' Andrain county, where he was engaged in farming up to 1877, when he removed to his present place. Mr. Adams' farm contains 160 acres, all under fence and otherwise substantially improved, including a good residence, barns, granaries, etc. His place also has an excellent orchard, or rather two orchards, both of which are bearing. Mr. Adams is a thorough-going, energetic farmer and an enterprising, public-spirited citizen. He takes an active interest in the local affairs of the township and is an ardent Democrat. Recognizing his party zeal as well as his business qualifications, he was nominated by the Democrats in 1876 for constable of the township, and was elected by the people by a large majority. Such was the efficiency and satisfaction with which he discharged his duties as constable that he has since been renominated and re-elected to the same position, which he still holds. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are both members of the Farber Baptist church. Mr. A. is a member of the Knights of' Honor, a mutual life association. WILLIAM S. ADAMS, farmer, post-office, Vandalia. Mr. Adams' father, Heber W. Adams, was one of the early settlers of Pike county, having come to this State and settled in that county as early as 1833. He was afterwards married to Miss Elizabeth Reading, and they had a family of' ten children, William S. being the eldest. William S. Adams was born in that county on the 1st day of July, 1850. His father was a farmer by occupation, and to this calling the son was brought up. He was educated in the common schools of his neighborhood and on reaching manhood engaged in farming for himself'. On the 14th of October, 1874, he was married to Miss Rosealtha Johnson. Mrs. Adams was born in Pike county, June 12, 1850, and was a daughter of LeRoy and Sarah C. Johnson, both formerly of Kentucky, but who settled in Pike county in 1836. Mr. Adams continued farming in Pike county until 1880, when, having land in Audrain, he came to this county, and settled on his present farm. He has a good farm of 160 acres, with substantial fences, comfortable buildings and other excellent improvements. Mr. Adams is a man of industry and irreproachable character, and is well respected in the community. Mr. and Mrs. A. have two children: Genevia C., and Heber Roy. Both parents are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. A.'s father still resides in Pike county and is a well-to-do farmer in that county. HENRY AHRENS, farmer and stock raiser. It is a rule to which there are but few exceptions that the German-Americans as farmers are industrious, frugal and successful, and as citizens are law abiding and true to every obligation as men. Mr. Ahrens is no exception to this rule. Born in Prussia in 1843, he came with his parents, Bernard and Susanna, to this country, when he was a lad tell years of age. The family settled in Osage county, Missouri, where Henry was brought up on his father's farm. When twenty-one years of age, in 1864, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Samboler, also originally of Prussia, but reared in Osage county. Mr. Ahrens engaged in farming in that county for himself about the time of his marriage, and continued it there with success for about seventeen years when, in 1881, he removed to Andrain county and settled on the farm where he now resides. Not afraid to work, and expecting to succeed to life only by honest industry, Mr. Ahrens devoted himself to his farm affairs with an energy and perseverance that soon began to bear abundant fruit. When he came to this county he had prospered so well that he was able to buy a fine farm of' nearly 300 acres, which he still owns and which is one of the choice places in the township. He has 265 acres of land in cultivation or pasturage, and his place has a good meadow and excellent improvements. An intelligent, business-like farmer, he has fixed his place up in a neat, convenient and substantial manner. Mr. and Mrs. Ahrens have two children: Liborious and Mary. He and wife are members of the Catholic church. CAPTAIN RICHARD S. ALCOKE, farmer and stock raiser, post-office, Vandalia. Few men in Audrain county whose lives have been confined to the walks of private life, have careers more worthy of record in the present volume than the subject of this sketch. Capt Alcoke's early advantages were by no means the most favorable, yet he has lived a life well worthy the envy of many whose opportunities have been all that they could wish. In industrial and business affairs he has risen from a youth almost penniless, and with no more than the hope of ordinary young men for ultimate success, to the position, even before the meridian of life is reached, of one of the foremost farmers and substantial, successful stock dealers in Audrain county, a county noted for its large number' of wealthy and prominent agriculturists. His career as a soldier in the army of the Union during the greatest of modern wars is one of conspicuous gallantry. Richard S. Alcoke was born in Louisville, Kentucky, July, 28, 1834. His father, a native of' Virginia, was Robert H. Alcoke, who came out to the Blue Grass State from the Old Dominion early in life, and was afterwards married to Miss Amelia Scott, formerly of Indiana. Capt. Alcoke's father was a carpenter by trade, which he followed through most of his 1ife. In 1840 the family removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and six years later they came to Switzerland county, Indiana, where Richard S. grew up and received his education, which was limited to the instruction afforded at the common schools. Before he had reached his majority, however, Capt. Alcoke came to St. Louis; and for six years afterwards was a pilot on the Mississippi, from St. Louis down to New Orleans. He became known in boat circles as one of the best pilots who ever ran the Mississippi. But becoming tired of river life, and desiring more settled employment, in 1858 he went to New York City, where he engaged in book-keeping and followed that occupation with success, and with satisfaction to his employer, up to the outbreak of the war. When the Rebellion broke out he held no half-way views as to the duty of the government, but believed that the Union ought to be restored at all hazards. Earnest in his convictions, and having the manhood and courage to act upon them, he threw himself into the conflict with all the ardor and enthusiasm of his nature. He became a member of Co. K, of the 57th New York Vol. Inft., of which he was made fifth sergeant. This regiment became noted in the progress of the war as one of the most gallant and intrepid in the Union service. Such were Capt. Alcoke's efficiency and bravery as a soldier that by the fall of 1862 he had risen by regular promotion through the intermediate ranks to the captaincy of his company. This company he led during the remainder of' the service, and until he was honorably discharged in 1864 on account of' disability resulting from wounds he had received. Capt. Alcoke took a brave part in many of the hardest fought battles of' the war, including Fair Oaks, Cane's Mill, Peach Orchard, Savage Station, White Oaks, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. At Fredericksburg he lost his left arm, and at Petersburg he was shot through the left breast and lung with a minnie ball. Capt. Alcoke was mustered out of the service on the 17th of October, 1864. Following his retirement from the service, he returned to New York City and resumed book-keeping, which he continued for about six years. In 1870, desiring an out-door, active life, and having always had an inclination for farming pursuits, he came West with the View of engaging in handling stock and farming. Here he bought his present place, which contains a fine body of 320 acres. Capt. Alcoke has one of the finest improved farms in the county. A man of taste and culture, and engaging in farming and the stock business in an intelligent, business-like way, he has improved his place so that it is yell adapted to the purposes for which it is intended; and, withal, everything is neat and substantial. He has an elegant residence, being the second one he has erected, the first having been burned down. Capt. Aleoke has been entirely successful as a farmer and stock dealer and is one of the leading agriculturists of the county. As a citizen he is public-spirited, and believes in doing everything that will redound to the improvement of the county. In the fall of 1870 he was married to Miss K. M. Mannell, a native of New York City, where she was reared and educated. Mrs. Aleoke is a lady of marked intelligence and culture, and has a decided taste for literature. She is one of the best-informed ladies in the county, and is singularly engaging and interesting in conversation. It is understood that she is a most excellent neighbor, and is much esteemed by those around her. One of the finest libraries in the county is to be found at Capt. Alcoke's residence, for he, himself, is a man of great fondness for reading and study. The Captain and Mrs. A. have two interesting children, Florence and Daisy. J.W. BALTHROPE, retail dealer in wines, liquors, cigars, etc., Vandalia. Like most of the citizens of Vandalia, or at least a large number of them, Mr. Balthrope is a native Missourian. He was born in Ralls county, October 31, 1841, and was a son of Lewis and Phyana (Wellman) Balthrope, his father originally of Virginia, but his mother formerly of Alabama. Lewis Balthrope came to Missouri in an early day and was for many years a prosperous farmer of Ralls County. There were six children in the family besides J.W. He was reared principally in Ralls county and followed farming in that county up to 1876; however, during the war he was in the Confederate army from the spring of 1861 to the surrender at Shreveport, La., in May, 1865. He served as a private soldier through the entire conflict, and bravely did his duty as a plighted trooper of the Southern cause. Several years after the war, having returned to Ralls county and resumed farming, he was married, in January, 1868, to Miss Alice E. Sperry, formerly of Kentucky. In 1876 Mr. Balthrope came to Vandalia where he engaged in merchandising; from that he went to milling, and afterwards was in the livery business. Later along he resumed merchandising, which he followed up to the time of opening his present business house. He carries an excellent stock of goods in his line, and keeps one of the most orderly and civilly conducted houses in the county. Mr. B. is a law-abiding, worthy citizen, and is a credit to the business in which he is engaged, which is not always true of dealers in other lines of business. Mr. and Mrs. B. have four children: Harvey W., Edgar S., william W. and Claudine A. WILLIAM BARNES, farmer. Mr. Barnes is another one of those thrifty Illinois farmers who have settled in Andrain county within the last few years. He as originally from Pennsylvania, born in Washington county on the 12th of May, 1829. He was a son of William Barnes, Sr., and wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Lawson, both of old and respected families of the Keystone State. After William Barnes, Jr., grew up, he was married in his native county, March 4, 1852, to Miss Margaret Hill, a daughter of William Hill, of Washington county, Pa. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Barnes, Jr., removed to Illinois and settled in Pike county, where he resided for over twenty-five years. He became well-to-do farmer in Illinois, but desiring to avail himself of the opportunity presented of buying land at cheap rates in Missouri, and believing that the lands here would soon be as high priced as similar lands are in Illinois, he sold out in the Prairie State in 1880, and in the fall of the following year came to Andrain county, where he bought is present place. Here Mr. Barnes has nearly 200 acres of good land all under fence and in a good state of cultivation. His improvements are such as might be expected of an early settler of the State. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have a family of seven children: John H., Thomas, Sarah E., now Mrs. Francis W. Potter, of Illinois; James William, David B., Mary M. and Albert N. Mr. and Mrs. B. are members of the Old School Presbyterian Church. W. O. BARNETT, farmer and stock raiser, post-office, Vandalia. Among the prominent citizens of Cuivre township, who not only contribute largely to its material wealth and prosperity by their industry and intelligence, but who give tone and character to the community in which they live by their high standing and social influence, is the subject of the present ketch, Mr. Barnett. He comes of that old county which has given to the State some of her foremost citizens, time-honored and wealthy old Pike, in which his father was one of the pioneer settlers, coming here from Kentucky when the smoke of the Indian's wigwam still rose above the green wilderness, and when the sad voiced wolf and slow-paced bear were still habitats of its ancient forests. Robert Barlett settled in Pike county away back in 1816, the day of block-houses and before the era of stick chimneys had dawned, even when corn was ground between stones which each family had for their, own use, and when the music of the meal grater was heard in the land during the season of hardening roasting ears. He was a worthy, brave-hearted old pioneer, with brain and muscle to lay the foundation of civilization in a new country. With ax in hand he cleared away the forest on which he settled, and made himself a comfortable home, where he reared a large and worthy family of children. He became one of the substantial men and honored old citizens of Pike county, and died there at the venerable age of 79 years, December 20, 1875, sinking to rest amid the esteem, for his long and useful life, and the sad regret, for his taking off, of all who knew him. His wife, before her marriage, Miss Matilda Pritchett, is still living, a white-haired, motherly old lady, one of the beloved old mothers in Israel of Pike county. She bore her husband a family of nine children, and six are still living, including W. O., the subject of the present sketch. W.O. Barnett was born in Pike County. After he grew up he followed farming in that county, and the war coming on, he was an ardent Union man and offered himself as a volunteer for the service of the country. Although he enlisted three times in the regular Union army, he was not accepted on account of physical disability. Notwithstanding this he served three years in the State militia for the maintenance of the government, which the valor of Washington and the hero fathers of the Revolution established. After his military service, Mr. Barnett returned quietly to the pursuits of peace, and became a worthy farmer and well-respected citizen of Pike County. In 1863 he met the lady who was destined soon to become his devoted wife. She was a Miss Sallie Shattuck, by nativity a fair daughter of Philadelphia, to whom he was married March 19, 1863. Her parents were Artemus L. and Maria (Hickey) Shattuck, who removed to Pike county a few years before the war. After his happy marriage Mr. Barnett went to work with a lighter heart and more willing hands to make a worthy home for his charming wife. The seasons prospered his industry with abundant harvests, and he has steadily accumulated property. Heaven having prospered him in his family, he removed to Andrain county in order to carry on his farming operations on a more extensive scale, and to get land for his children when the time comes for them to start out in life. Here Mr. Barnett has followed farming and stock raising and has been very successful. He is one of the best farmers in Cuivre township, and has a fine place of over 300 acres of land and large numbers of different kinds of stock. Mr. and Mrs. Barnett have three children: Laura L., Daisy E. and Robert G. Mrs.Barnett, whom the writer well knew as Sallie Shattuck in the long ago in the classic suburbs of New Harmony, is a lady e rarest charms of mind and conversation, and in those days was belle of all the country round about. Mr. and Mrs. Barnett's home is one where the deity of hospitality presides supreme. JESSE BARNETT, Proprietor of Barnett's livery, feed and sale stables, Vandalia. At age of ten years Mr. Barnett was left an orphan by the death of his father, and he was therefore compelled to make his own way in world as best he could. His mother survived her husband's death for many years, and was a woman singularly devoted to her family. So far as motherly sympathy and encouragement could go, Jesse Barnett not was without paternal care and advice. But those who have been reared under a father know the blessings of his council and influence upon their lives, to say nothing of the material help he renders in preparing them for future usefulness and starting them out in the world. This advantage Jesse Barnett never knew, but, notwithstanding, he has gradually came up in life, developing a worthy character for useful citizenship, and has been fairly successful in accumulating some of the substantial evidences of prosperity. He came to Vandalia in 1875 and established his present business here, which has since conducted with good judgment and a satisfactory degree success. Mr. Barnett's livery business, both in the quality of his stock and the custom he has, would do credit to a town much larger than Vandalia. Having good buildings and first-class horses and vehicles, his stables have acquired a wide and enviable reputation with traveling public, and are even more popular locally. By nativity and bringing up Mr. Barnett is a son of Andrain county, having been born and reared within its borders. His parents, John W. and Aretta (Willingham) Barnett, were among the earliest settlers of the county. They came here from Virginia in about 1830, and settled near Mexico, where they reared their families, and where the father died in 1848. The mother survived him until 1874. They had a family of ten children, but two of whom are now living: Thomas, of Mexico, and Jesse, of Vandalia. Jesse Barnett became a farmer after he grew up, to which, indeed, he was reared, and which he followed up to the time his removal to this place. On the 23d of February, 1860, he was married to Miss Dorothy, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Spotsworth) Muse, formerly of Pike county. Mr. and Mrs. B. have one child, Charlotte. Mrs. Barnett is a lady of great strength of character and superior intelligence, and contributes not a little by her fine judgment and business qualifications to her husband's success. Attractive in personal appearance, she is even more charming in manners and disposition. Mr. Barnett started to the Confederate army during the war with Porter; he was in the fight at Newark, Kirksville and Walnut Creek, where they were overpowered and Porter disbanded his men. Mr.B. is a member of the I.O.O.F. WILLIAM N. BARNEY, farmer. To ally one who knows anything of the early history of the eastern part of Audrain county, the name of Barney is a familiar one. Timothy Barney, the father of William N., was one of the early settlers and well and favorably known citizens of this part of the county. For over a generation he was one of the old landmarks of the county. He was a Pennsylvanian by nativity, and came out here away back. In 1835, nearly a half a century ago. He was married before his removal to this State. His wife's maiden name was Catherine Sox, also a Pennsylvanian. He was au intelligent, thrifty, hard-working man, such a man as was calculated to lead the way by his stalwart character, great industry and boundless hospitality, for civilization into a new country. He settled on Cuivre, where he made himself a home and opened a farm. To become wealthy was not his ambition. He strove to become comfortably situated in life, so that he could enjoy himself in a substantial, sober way, and entertain his friends on the plain, comfortable fare of an honest farmer. For years his house was a stopping place in the midst of an almost wilderness for travelers and others, and the latchstring of his door always hung on the outside for any neighbor or worthy passer-by. Few men dispensed hospitality more generally and generously than Timothy Barney. He was such a man as posterity should be proud to remember and venerate, for he was a typical, great-hearted, noble old pioneer settler of the country. The memory of such men we cannot afford to leave behind the veil of oblivion. He is now spending the twilight years of his life with a worthy daughter of his, whose home is in Texas. William N. Barney, the subject of this sketch, was born on the old Barney homestead in this county on the 28th of October, 1842. As he grew up he had the usual school advantages of the time in this section of the country, perhaps not the best, but still sufficient for all the practical purposes of a farmer's education. Under his father he was brought up to principles of strictest integrity and to habits of steady industry, neither of which he has forsaken in subsequent years. He remained with his father some years after he had attained his majority. On the 25th of December, 1868, he was married to Miss Mary Frisby, a daughter of James Frisby, formerly of Illinois, but Mrs. Barney was principally reared in this county, her parents having moved here when she was in girlhood. After marriage it's as natural for families to seek separate homes for themselves as it is for bees to go to independent hives. So, in obedience to this great law of nature, two years after his marriage, young Mr. Barney went to a home of his own. At that time he bought the land on which he now resides, where he opened his present farm. Like his father he is a frankhearted, open, generous man, industrious and sufficiently thrifty to accumulate around him the substantial comforts of life. He has made himself a neat farm and is cozily fixed on his place. A sociable, clever man, he is well liked by all his neighbors and acquaintances. During the war Mr. Barney sided with the Union cause, although he thought a great deal of his neighbors and friends on the other side, and like a parent correcting his children he was sorry that he was under the painful necessity of assisting to whip them back into the Union. But he felt that he had it to do, and he went about it in a sensible, thorough way. In 1862 he enlisted in the militia and served up to 1864, when he reenlisted and served until the close of the war. His policy was to scare his Confederate friends all he could and hurt them as little as possible, but still to get them back into the Union. After the war he was one of the first to kill the fatted calf and give them a feast under the aegis of the old Stars and Stripes. Mr. and Mrs. Barney have a family of two children: Nellie and Daisy. Four are deceased: William F., died in October, 1878, in his twentieth year; James T., Nettle and Charles died in tender ages. Mr. and Mrs. B. are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. CHARLES J. BEEBY, farmer and breeder of fine stock. Mr. Beeby, one of the enterprising stock men and solid citizens of Cuivre township, on his father's side is of English parentage, William Beeby, his father, having been born and reared in Lincolnshire, England. On his mother's side, also, Mr. Beeby is of English descent, his mother, whose maiden name was Lucy Patchet, having been a native of Boston, England. In 1836 the family of three children removed to the United States and settled in Illinois, where the father was engaged in farming with success for many years. Charles J., the subject of the present sketch, was born in Madison County of that State, on the 20th of March, 1841. His youth was characterized by similar incidents and surroundings common to the other boys of the neighborhood. His time, after he became old enough to attend school and be of service on the farm, was well occupied either at study in the school-room or at farm work, the latter during the cropping season, and the former mainly during the winter months. Coming up in these circumstances, he developed a good, physical constitution, learned thoroughly the practical details of farm life, and also succeeded in obtaining a fair education. Thus when the time arrived that it was proper for him to start out in life for himself he was well fitted for the activities and responsibilities of useful and successful industry. Following the way of all the world, while still in early manhood he took to himself a worthy and gentle partner of his joys and sorrows, as well of his hopes and disappointments and of his successes and reverses. On the 10th of March, 1863, Miss Mary A. Roach, a young lady of singular charms of mind and person and of amiable and devoted disposition, became his bride. She was a daughter of John F. Roach, formerly of the Blue Grass State, but she, herself, was native to and brought up in Illinois. Mr. Beeby halving given himself over to the occupation of farming, followed that worthy and independent calling with perseverance and intelligence, and not without substantial returns, in Illinois, until 1867. Lands being comparatively exceedingly high in Illinois, in view of prices of similar land in Missouri, he determined to come to this State in order to secure a place at reasonable figures commensurate with the magnitude of the farming and stock operations he desired to carry on. Accordingly, removing to this State he found a body of land in Audrain county, which he believed to be suitable to his purposes, and which he succeeded in purchasing at a fair price. Casting his fortunes, therefore, with the people and the future of this county, he went to work to fulfill the ambition by which he was stirred to become a leading farmer and fine stock man of the community. Mr. Beeby is one of those clear-headed, inelegant men who have the sagacity to see in what direction success in life may be achieved, and subordinating all their energies and activities to the pursuit of this course, thus ultimately attain the object in view. It is too generally the custom with farmers to shape their affairs with respect alone to the interest of each season, not looking forward with sufficient appreciation to the future. Thus it is that we have so many who follow in the old beaten track of raising hogs and corn from year to year for the markets, and if they raise any other class of stock it is mainly stock of an inferior quality. The nickle an inch from the eye hides the dollar a foot away. Mr. Beeby is not one of this class of farmers. He perceives the advantage of fine stock raising as the most lucrative of all the agricultural industries and to this mainly he is directing his attention. His farm is exceptionally well adapted to stock raising, both naturally and in point of the improvements he has put upon it. His ideas of improving a farm and the proper methods of conducting it he brought with him from Illinois. The result is he has made his place a neat, typical, Northern stock farm. Everything about it is in tidy, presentable shape and, withal, his improvements are of a substantial and durable kind. His place contains 500 acres, which includes large tillable fields and ample pastures for stock, and the farm is abundantly watered. Mr. Beeby carries on grain growing to an important extent, but makes a specialty of fine stock, principally short horn cattle and Merino and Cotswold sheep. He has a herd of fine short horn cattle headed by Short-horn, one of the finest blooded animals in the country. His flock of sheep is without a superior, so far as quality is concerned, in this section of the State. Looking at Mr. Beeby's place, large and tastily improved as it is, and considering the value of his fine stock and the importance of his farming operations, it hardly appears reasonable that he has accomplished so much in comparatively so short a time, for he is still hardly a middle-aged man. Mr. and Mrs. Beeby have a family of eight children: Lucy A., Alice l., William F., Charles C., Mary E., Arthur J., Carrie and Edward L., the latter the eldest. Mr. Beeby also makes a specialty of stall-feeding stock for the wholesale markets, which has been an important source of his success. JUDGE WILLIAM B. BESHEARS, retired farmer and business man, Vandalia. Judge Beshears, who in a few months will have completed the allotted age of three-score and ten years, is an old gentleman still well preserved in mind and body, and has brought down with him to his old age the confidence and esteem of those who have known him through the long years of his past career. His life has been one of great activity and industry, and has not been left without the substantial rewards of energetic and well-directed employment. Though not a wealthy man, he has an ample competency to support him and his family through the twilight of his old age, and until the sun shall sink down below the Western sea on his career forever. Judge Beshears was born in Montgomery county, on the 24th day of August, 1814. He was reared in that county up to the age of nineteen, when his parents, Robert and Elizabeth (Whitton) Beshears, his father a native of Virginia, but his mother formerly of Maryland, came to Missouri and settled in Pike county, where the father died in 1872 and the mother two years before. Judge Beshears was reared to the occupation of a farmer, and on the 10th of March, 1836, he was married, in Ralls county, to Miss Zethlinds Llewellyn. He followed farming in that county after his marriage until 1847, when he removed to Clark county, where he engaged in merchandising after having farmed there for about ten years. In 1847 Judge Beshears returned to Pike county, but four years afterwards removed to Montgomery county where he was engaged in both farming and merchandising, or rather one or the other, for about fourteen years. In Montgomery county he was very successful, both as a farmer and in business, and attained to an honorable prominence as an influential citizen of the county. While a resident there he was three times elected a member of the county court, and held the office continuously from the time of his first election up to 1863, when he was ousted by operation of the test oath prescribed by the Drake constitution, which he refused to take. In 1865 Judge Beshears returned to Pike county, but in the fall of the same year he located in Ralls county, going, however, to Frankfort where he engaged in merchandising. In about 1867 Judge Beshears settled on a farm in Pike county, where he remained for several years. Following this, in 1870, he removed to Curryville, where he was engaged in selling goods for about a year. Soon afterwards Judge Bashears went to Ralls county, but shortly settled near Vandalia where he lived until January, 1880, when he came to this place. Since coming to Vandalia Judge Beshears has led a retired life, having withdrawn from all business and farming interests. During the years of his activity he was an extensive land-holder, and dealt somewhat largely in real estate-trading, buying and selling--and owning different farms at different times, this fact necessitated frequent removal of his place of residence, so that instead of making his home in one county all the time, he has lived wherever his landed and other interests required his personal presence. Judge Beshears lost his first wife in 1866. She left him six children, of a family of nine born to them. The living are as follows: James H., Thomas J., William H., Bazil L., Pauline E., now Mrs. Shackelford, and John G. Judge Beshears' present wife, before her marriage to him, was a Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Hutchinson, of Pike county. Her maiden name was Rogers, and she was a widow lady at the time of her marriage to the Judge. But two of the children of a family of five from this union are now living: Verna L. and Pearly L. By her former marriage Mrs. Beshears had two children, one of whom is still living, Charles L. Judge Beshears is a man of fine intelligence, wide and varied information, and a most interesting and entertaining conversationalist. He has had a long experience in business and public affairs, and has been a diligent reader, both of the current events of the times and of historical and general literature, so that he is well prepared to talk on most of the questions interesting to the generality of men. No pleasanter hour can be spent than with him when he is disposed to discuss questions of general concern on which he is posted. He is a man whose acquaintance every one who knows him prizes as of great value. RICHARD R. BIRD, A. M., farmer, post-office, Vandalia. Mr. Bird, one of the best educated men in this section of the State, and a man of extensive and varied general information, has been engaged in farming in Audrain county for nearly ten years. Mr. Bird comes of two prominent New England families, -- the Birds and Ridgleys, and was born in North Yarmouth, Maine, September 25, 1828. His father, a native of Massachusetts, was Lemial Bird, and was married in that State to Miss Rhoda Ridgley, after which they removed to Maine, subsequently returning to Massachusetts, whence, in 1836, the family came West and settled in Warren county, Illinois, removing eight years afterwards to Macoupin county, where the mother is still living at the advanced age of eightythree. When twelve years of age Richard left his home in Warren county and came to Alton, Illinois, where he remained two years with his uncle, Richard Ridgley, of that city. He then went to St. Louis, where he remained with another uncle, the Hon. Stephen Ridgley, until the spring of 1851, when he went East for the purpose of completing his education. He entered Gilmanton Academy, of Belknap county, New Hampshire, where he took a thorough preparatory course for college. Following this he entered Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, in which he continued until his graduation from that in 1857. Having been intended for the ministry, he then matriculated at Andover Theological Seminary, but the hard study and confinement incident to his college course proved too severe for his constitution, and his health broke completely down before completing his theological course. Mr. Bird being, therefore, compelled to quit college, returned home and remained on the farm with his father in order to recover his health. Becoming attached to farming pursuits, he determined to devote himself exclusively to agricultural interests. As soon as he was able to begin work, he commenced farming for himself and continued it in Illinois up to 1875. He soon turned his attention to fruit growing, which became his specialty and which he followed in Illinois along with farming during the whole time of his subsequent residence there. In the meantime, on the 3d of January, 1865, he was married to Miss Mary A. V. Adams, a daughter of E. M. and Elizabeth (Miller) Adams, formerly of Nova Scotia, but later of Illinois. Mrs. Bird's father was for nearly twelve years a soldier in the British army, and was for five years stationed at Gibraltar on the coast of' Spain. From Illinois Mr. Bird came to Andrain county, where he bought land and improved his present farm. Mr. Bird is cultivating about 300 acres of land, over half of which he owns, and the balance he is expecting soon to purchase. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is meeting with excellent success in both. Though comparatively a new-comer in this county, he has made a favorable impression upon the people, and is looked upon as not only an energetic, enterprising farmer, but as one of the best citizens of the township. Mr. and Mrs. B. have four children: Edward E., Stella M., Milton P., and Leander A. Mr. Bird is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the order of Odd Fellows. He and wife are members of the M. E. Church, in which Mr. Bird is an active class-leader. CASH BLACKBURN, of C. Blackburn & Bro., druggists, Vandalia and Marshall, Missouri. There is probably not a more prominent family in Kentucky than the Blackburns. They have been leaders in public life, in society and in business and professional affairs from the earliest days of that State. We cannot take the space here to mention the many distinguished citizens of the Blue Grass State which this family has produced. Nor is it necessary. In this country every one stands or falls by his own merits or deserts. This is particularly true of the Blackburns. They are especially an independent, self-reliant class of people--each one relying on his own energy and character for his advancement in life. Mr. Cash Blackburn, the subject of the present sketch, and a representative of the old Kentucky family whose name he bears, possesses many of the strong characteristics of his lineage. Still a young man, by his own industry and intelligence he has come to be one of the successful business men of this section of Missouri. He is a son of Hon. W. F. Blackburn, of Shelby county, Missouri, and was born in Grant county, Kentucky, June 14, 1854. Young Blackburn's mother, before her marriage, ;vas a Miss Charlotte Maddex, also of a well-respected Kentucky family. When the son, Cash, was quite young, the family came to Missouri, and located in Shelby county. Cash grew up in that county and was educated at Hunnewell, where his parents resided. When he was nineteen years of age he began to learn the drug business at Huunewell, in which he continued, in the capacity of a clerk, for about two years. Having mastered the details of the business during this time, for he was a diligent student of pharmacy, he decided to engage in business for himself, having a little means to start on. But about this time he was offered a clerkship in a drug store at Vandalia, at a tempting salary, which he decided to accept. Accordingly, coming here, he followed clerking in the business up to January, 1879, when he bought a half interest in the store. Two years later his brother bought the other half interest and they have since carried on the business together. They have had more than usual success as druggists. In fact so marked has been their progress in the business that, in 1882, they established another store, the latter being located at Marshall, Missouri. This is one of the finest drug stores in Central Missouri. Their Vandalia store is also tastily kept and well conducted. Notwithstanding Mr. Blackburn has been very attentive to his private interests, he has also found time to take an enterprising and liberal part in all movements designed for the promotion of the common weal, material and otherwise, of' the community in which he lives. In a word, he is one of the most public-spirited of the young business men of Vandalia, and is a usefifi and highly respected citizen. Mr. Blackburn was married April 16, 1879, to Miss Lou Bell, a daughter of Dr. J. T. Bell, whose family is one of' the most prominent, socially, in Louisiana, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. B. have one child, May Bell.