HOWARD COUNTY MISSOURI BIOGRAPHIES (Richmond Township, part 1)
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				RICHMOND TOWNSHIP
			_________________________________

pg. 358				DR. JOHN T. BAILEY,

one of the oldest members of the medical profession in Howard county, 
was born in Campbell county, Va., January 25, 1824. His parents were also 
natives of the Old Dominion, and were both descended from early colonial 
families. His father, Robert V. BAILEY, was born in that state, December 2, 
1799, and was married in early manhood to Miss Lucy L. BUSTER, of which 
union, Dr. John F., the subject of this sketch, was the first of the 
family of twelve children. In 1837, the family came to Missouri, and 
settled in Boone county, and there Dr. BAILEY, then a youth thirteen years 
of age, attended the local schools and received a substantial English 
education. He then, in 1844, entered vigorously upon the study of 
medicine, under the instruction of his uncle, Dr. BUSTER, of Rocheport, 
Mo., in which he continued four years. In the meantime he attended the 
medical school in the University of Louisville, Ky., and, in 1848, located 
at Miami, Mo., in the practice of his profession. There he remained until 
the fall of 1849, when he returned to Boone county; but, in 1850, he went 
to California, where he practised until in 1854. Returning then to Missouri, 
in June of that year, he came to Howard county, locating at Bunker Hill; 
and four years afterwards, in 1858, he came to Fayette, his present home. 
He was married February 1, 1858, to Mrs. Mary E. NICHOLS, a widow lady of 
the most excellent worth, and two children were born to them - Robert V., 
now deceased, and Fannie L. Dr. BAILEY is a member of the I.O.O.F., and 
of the Masonic order, in which he is also a Knight Templar. His life has 
been an active and eminently useful one. Visiting the sick and administering 
to the suffering for a period of nearly forty years, he has attained and 
long held a position in his profession as an able and successful physician.

pg. 358 & 359			ROBERT W. BASKETT.

	Nearly all the old settlers of Howard county are either Virginians by 
birth or by descent, for those who came from Kentucky and the other states 
were generally of Virginia parentage. But many came directly from the Old 
Dominion, that mother of pioneers as well as of presidents, and among these 
were Robert W. BASKETT and his parents. Robert BASKETT, the father of 
Robert W., was born in Virginia, in 1790, and when a young man was married 
in that state to Miss Lucy CREWDSON, who was born in 1788. They had five 
children, of whom Robert W. was one. In 1839, they came to Howard county, 
settling near Fayette, where the father subsequently died. Mrs. BASKETT 
died in 1844. Robert W. was born in Fluvanna county, Va., April 18, 1820, 
and was therefore nineteen years of age when he came to this county. Having 
been reared on a farm, he naturally chose farming as his occupation in life, 
which he has since followed. On the 18th of February, 1845, he was married 
to Miss Emeline P., daughter of Uriah SEBREE, who came to Howard county in 
1818. They have two children - John S. and William C. In 1850, Mr. BASKETT 
settled on the farm where he now lives. It contains 470 acres of superior 
land, and is one of the best improved farms in the county. As a farmer, 
Mr. B. has been more than ordinarily successful. Industry, enterprise and 
intelligent management have made him one of the solid men of Howard county. 
Aside from his success in a pecuniary point of view, he is a man that 
commands the respect and wins the good opinions of all who know him. 
Conversative and fair in his views, and careful not to form unjust 
conclusions, when he does determine upon a course as a proper one, he is 
the most resolute and inflexible of men. And because of this firmness of 
character, resulting from strong and intelligent convictions, he is a man 
whose opinions are not only respected but are felt to be a potent force 
whenever and wherever given.

pg. 359 & 360			REV. WILLIAM F. BELL.

	Thirty-two years devoted to the service of God and humanity, sums up 
in a line the career, thus far, of Rev. William F. BELL. Having now passed 
the meridian of life, and as the shadows of old age approach, it cannot but 
be the consolation of consolations to look back over the path he has 
trodden, rough and thorny though it may have been, and reflect that the 
world has been made better and purer and brighter, by his having travelled 
it. Rev. William F. BELL was born in Old Franklin, Howard county, Missouri, 
February 16, 1831. John W. BELL, his father, was a native of Virginia, and 
was born in Augusta county, July 4, 1805. Having emigrated to Missouri in 
1830, settling first at Old Franklin and subsequently at other points, he 
died in Mexico, this state, in 1880. Mrs. BELL, whose maiden name was 
Elizabeth COMBS, the mother of Rev. William F., was also a native of 
Virginia, having been born in that state in 1803. She preceded her husband 
in death six years. The first nine years of the Rev. William F. BELL's life 
were spent in Old Franklin, where his father's family then lived. In 1840, 
the family moved to Macon county, Missouri, and there he was reared and 
educated. In 1851, having qualified himself for the ministry in the meantime, 
he returned to Howard county, the home of his childhood, and during the same 
year was admitted to the Missouri conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, south. Thereupon, he entered actively upon the duties of the 
ministry, which he has since followed. Among the prominent fields in which 
he has labored may be mentioned the following: Fulton circuit, Callaway 
county; Maryville circuit, Nodaway county; Oregon circuit, Hold county; 
also Savannah circuit, and Chillicothe circuit. In 1859, he was appointed 
to the New Franklin circuit for two years; and for the next succeeding
two years he was on the Columbia circuit. Continuing in the ministry, in
1867-68-69, he was on the Fayette circuit. The last two years immediately
preceding his present charge, he occupied the Roanoke circuit; and now
he is again on the New Franklin circuit, where he was nearly twenty-five
years ago. In 1854, August 2d, he was married to Miss Martha L. KENYON,
of Nodaway county, Missouri, and of this union two children were born,
both of whom are now dead. Having lost his wife, who shortly followed her
children to the grave, on the 1st of April 1861, he was again married,
Miss Sarah D. RIDGEWAY, of Howard county, becoming his wife. Of this union
eight children were born, five of whom are still living, namely: John B.,
Anna L., William C., Marvin P., and Ada P. Mr. BELL never used liquor or
tobacco in any form, or played a game at cards. As a man and citizen, Rev.
William BELL occupies the place in the esteem of the people a minister
of the gospel should hold, and as a clergyman he is one Whose hands are
pure, whose doctrine and whose life, Coincedent, exhibit lucid proof That
he is honest in the sacred cause.

pg. 360				JOHN B. BELL, 

groceries and hardware. John B. BELL, son of Rev. William F. BELL, a sketch 
of whose life has just been given, is perhaps the youngest man engaged in 
business on his own account, in Fayette, being now but twenty-one years 
of age. He began business in July, 1880, and his career thus far has been 
characterized by marked success, and he carries a large and well-selected 
stock of goods. He was born in Howard county, Missouri, February 3, 1862,
and was reared and educated in this county. Besides excellent school 
advantages in early youth, young BELL had the benefit of constant instruction 
from his father, not only in the knowledge derived from books, but in the 
deeper and better lessons of life which go to form and strengthen character. 
And it is due to this, doubtless, more than to any other cause, that at so
early an age he is qualified to conduct, with success a large and important
business.

pg. 360 & 361			CHARLES BERKLEY,

the eldest of a family of five children, was born in Clark county, 
Kentucky, March 5th, 1841. His father, John W. BERKLEY, was a native 
of the same state, born August 13th, 1813. His mother, whose maiden name 
was Sallie A. LISLE, was also a native of Kentucky, the date of her birth 
being February 3, 1824. Their marriage occurred January 6, 1840. The former 
died May 23, 1862, and the latter March 19, 1862. Charles was reared on a 
farm at his birth place and remained there until 1861, when he came to 
Howard county, Mo. In 1867 he settled where he now lives in section thirty. 
His farm consists of 276 acres of land. He was married February 8th, 1865,
to Miss Anna E. PATTERSON, daughter of J. W. A. PATTERSON, of this county.
They have a family of four children living: - Stella, Mary, William, and
Thomas L., three being deceased.

pg. 361 & 362			REV. HAMPTON L. BOON,

a relative of the distinguished HAMPTON family, of South Carolina, and 
whose father was a nephew of Daniel BOONE, the pioneer of civilization in 
Kentucky and Missouri, lived a life and died a death worthy of his name 
and lineage. Hampton L. BOON was a man of strong character, yet a man of 
the most tender sympathies and of the most devoted domestic affection. 
His family he loved above all else on earth, yet in his heart there was a 
divine love that led him to adorn One above the earth, and to devote much 
of a well spent live to His service. In the time and the new country in 
which he lived, ministers of the gospel were compelled to provide mainly 
for their own support and for that of their families. Hence we find him 
alternative between the pulpit and secular employments, and often doing 
service in both for years at a time. Thus he lived out his lease of life, 
reared his family in the fear of God and finally died a death such as only 
the true Christian can die. He was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, June 
29th, 1802. He was educated for the profession of the law, but nature 
intended him for the pulpit; so that instead of entering the former, he gave 
himself to the duties of the sanctuary. In the year 1818, he came with his 
father's family to Louvre island, in what is now known as Montgomery county, 
this state, where he sold goods for his father, William BOON, about two years. 
In 1820 he came on to Old Franklin in this county, where he also engaged in 
the mercantile business, and on the 18th of December, 1822, he married Miss 
Maria Louisa ROBERTS. Subsequently, he followed merchandising in Fayette, and 
at another time was employed as clerk under Captain WHITMORE, the agent of 
the government appointed to make certain payments to the Indians then due, 
and while thus employed made several trips up and down the river. He was then 
appointed register of the land office at Old Franklin and afterwards at 
Fayette, which position he held about twelve years and until the inauguration 
of General HARRISON as president, in 1841. In the meantime he had been giving 
much thought to religious matters, and, having joined the church in 1828, he 
entered the Methodist Episcopal ministry, in which he continued as a local 
preacher until 1840. Having studied closely the church tenets of the 
different denominations, his convictions of duty lead him to sever his 
relations with the Methodist church, which he did, and he then joined the 
Christian church, becoming a minister in that denomination, in which he 
continued the remainder of his life. About 1832 he came to Fayette and one 
year afterwards engaged in the mercantile business in this place, which he 
followed until 1840. In 1842 he was appointed clerk of the supreme court at 
Jefferson City, where he went the same year, and two years afterwards his 
family followed him. He was clerk of the supreme court about six years and 
until the court was divided about 1848. For several years during his official 
term in Jefferson City he was the editor of the Metropolitan, a democratic 
newspaper published there, and that paper, under his editorship, was the first 
paper in the state to take a stand against Thomas H. BENTON. The winter of 
1849-50 he spent in St. Louis, but, his health failing, he returned to Fayette 
in March of 1850, and here resumed work in the Christian ministry until his 
death, which occurred in March, 1851. Notwithstanding he led an active 
business life, for he was a man of great energy, he never lost sight of his 
duties as a minister; and during much of the time that he was engaged in 
business pursuits, he also filled his place in the pulpit; and the purity of 
the doctrines he taught was revealed in the purity of the life he led. 
Benjamin W. BOON, his son, was born in Fayette, Howard county, Missouri, 
December 2, 1843. In 1858 the family moved to Savannah, Andrew county, this 
state, where young BOON attended school, and received a practical English 
education. In 1863, he returned to Fayette and shortly afterwards entered a 
dry goods store as clerk, which business he continued until 1880, when he was 
appointed deputy county collector under Colonel Stephen COOPER. At the 
expiration of Colonel COOPER's term, in 1882, he was again appointed by Mr. N. 
B. COOPER, who succeeded Colonel COOPER in office, and this position he now 
holds. Ben BOON possesses all the qualifications to make him a useful and 
popular man in any community. Generous, honest and genial, he naturally wins 
the good opinion and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact.

pg. 362 & 363			GEORGE H. BOUGHNER, 

of BOUGHNER, TOLSON & SMITH, dealers in grain, groceries, hardware and 
implements, a Canadian by birth and one of the self-made business men of 
Howard county, came to this county in 1865. He was born December 18, 1848. 
At the age of eighteen he resolved to seek his fortune on this side of the 
St. Lawrence. In 1862, therefore, he came to the United States, pushing on 
before settling, to Memphis, Tennessee, where he engaged in the lumber 
business, continuing there two years. Influenced by the recollections of 
his early home, which he cherished fondly, he then determined, with Hamlet, 
that - "At night we'll feast together Most welcome home!" and accordingly 
he returned for a short visit to the scenes of his childhood. His stay was 
brief, however, for in 1865 he was again found journeying to the southward, 
or rather in the southwestward, and this time came to Howard county, arriving 
here in December of that year. Here he engaged in farming and the stock 
business with R. E. EARICKSON, in which he continued with marked success 
until 1876, when he became a contractor for convict labor from the Missouri 
penitentiary, employing it mainly in the manufacture of wagons at Jefferson 
City. This he discontinued after the expiration of a year and returned to 
Howard county, engaging in Estill in merchandising, which he followed two 
years from 1878. In 1880 he came to Fayette and became a partner in the firm 
of BOUGHNER & HUGHES, which was the predecessor of the present firm of 
BOUGHNER, TOLSON & SMITH. Enterprise and industry has stamped him as one of 
the self-reliant, successful business men of the county. December the 18th, 
1878, Miss Mollie BURKHART became his wife. Mr. BOUGHNER is a member of the 
Masonic order and is a Knight Templar in that order.

pg. 363				MORTIMER A. BOYD,

of BOYD & SHAFROTH, grocers, etc. A sketch of Mr. BOYD's life, so far as 
Howard county is concerned, covers a period of but twelve years, yet so 
thoroughly has he become identified with the business interests of Fayette 
that his biography justly claims a place in this work. He was born in 
Virginia December 8, 1844. His father, John BOYD, and his mother, Mrs. 
S. A. BOYD, whose maiden name was KING, were both also natives of Virginia, 
where they were married; and in Warren county, of that state, Mortimer A., 
the subject of this sketch, was reared and educated. In 1861, Mr. BOYD 
enlisted in the Confederate army in company E, 12th Virginia cavalry, and 
continued in the service until the close of the war. Returning to his 
native county in 1865, he remained but a short time, coming to Missouri in 
the spring of 1866. In this state he first settled in Rocheport and engaged 
there in the mercantile business, which he followed at that place until 1872, 
when he came to Fayette, Missouri. Here he at once engaged in the grocery 
trade, Mr. CARSON being his partner in business; but a year afterwards he 
formed his present partnership, which has since continued without 
interruption. Mr. BOYD was married December 8, 1870, to Miss Mary E. KIRBY, 
a native of Boone county, Missouri. They have one child, Ora W. He is a Knight 
Templar in the Masonic order. As a business man he is regarded as a capable 
and successful merchant, and as a citizen, honorable and public-spirited.

pg. 363 & 364			REV. M. J. BREAKER,

pastor of the Baptist church of Fayette, one of the really able and thoroughly 
educated clergymen of this state, and a minister as eminent for his Christian 
piety and his zeal in the pulpit as for his ability and attainments, was 
reared in South Carolina, but was partly educated in this state, an here, 
principally, he has been engaged in his life-work since he entered the 
ministry. His father, Rev. J. M. C. BREAKER, was a native of South Carolina, 
and he is at this time a prominent Baptist clergyman of Texas. His mother, 
however, whose maiden name was Emma JUHAN, was originally of Milledgeville, 
Georgia. They were married in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1849. Rev. M. J. 
BREAKER was born in Newberne, North Carolina, March 9, 1850. He was educated 
in Wofford college, South Carolina; in Washington university, St. Louis, 
Missouri, and in William Jewell, Liberty, Missouri. He studied theology in the 
Southern Baptist college, now Theological seminary, of Louisville, Kentucky, 
from which he was graduated in 1873. In 1869 he was licensed to preach, and in 
1872 was ordained a minister. He has since received the degree of master of 
arts from the LaGrange college of this state. His first charge as a minister 
was in South Carolina. Then, in 1873, he accepted a call from Glasgow, 
Missouri. In 1876, he was elected president of Mt. Pleasant college, at 
Huntsville, Missouri, which position he filled in 1879, when he came to 
Fayette as pastor of the Baptist church of this city. Mr. BREAKER is a 
minister of superior ability, both natural and acquired, and, above all, he is 
a sincere, faithful and zealous Christian. On the 13th of May, 1873, he was 
married to Miss Mary TIMMS, of Clay county, Missouri, a young lady originally 
from West Virginia. They have three children, Mary, Paul T. and Emma.

pg. 364				JAMES B. BROOKS,

of BROOKS & MORRISON, livery business. Mr. BROOK's life divides itself into 
three periods - his youth, his experience in the war and his career since as a 
citizen and business man. But a sketch of no man's life is justly considered 
complete without a reference to his ancestry. His father, Ira S. BROOKS, was 
born in Madison county, Kentucky, May 1, 1808. He was married three times; 
first to Sarah BROOKING, September 2, 1830, also a native of Kentucky; after 
her death to Louisa OWENS, in this state, October 20, 1840, and again, she 
also having died, to Elizabeth BOXY, who still survives him. He died June 20, 
1871. He came to Missouri about 1834, and came to this county in 1844. James 
B. BROOKS, the subject of this sketch, and son by his father's first marriage, 
was born in Boone county, Missouri, October 21, 1839, but was brought with his 
father's family five years afterwards to this county, where he was reared and 
educated. In 1861, at the age of twenty-four years, he enlisted in the 
"Richmond Grays," the company of which General John G. CLARK, Jr., was the 
captain, at the commencement of the war. After the expiration of this term of 
service he joined the celebrated "Bledsoe Battery," with which he served until 
the surrender, in 1865. Returning home after the surrender, in 1866 he engaged 
in the livery business, which he has since followed. As a business man he has 
been successful, and as a citizen he is well respected. He is a Knight Templar 
in the Masonic order.

pg. 365				GEORGE C. AND BENNETT W. BROWN.

	Bennett C. BROWN, the father of George C. and Bennett W., was a son of 
James BROWN, who, with his family, settled in Howard county from Kentucky in 
1818. Bennett C. was then but three years old, having been born in Madison 
county, Kentucky, January 7, 1815. His father, James BROWN, was one of the 
early settlers of Kentucky, and coming here as early as 1818, he, of course, 
also became one of the pioneers of Howard county. He died in this county in 
1842. One year after his father's death, Bennett C., then in his twenty-ninth 
year, was married, November 28, 1843, to Miss Mary CASON, a native of 
Virginia, and by this union two children were reared - George C. and Bennett 
W. Both were born in this county - George C. on January 5, 1845. Bennett C., 
the father, was a farmer by occupation, as his father before him had been, and 
in 1847 he opened the farm where his sons now reside. There he lived until his 
death, which occurred October 2, 1882. Prior to this, however, on the 29th of 
March, 1873, a heavy shadow fell across his declining years. His wife, the 
object of his early and life-long love - she who had shared all his hopes and 
disappointments and had borne a brave and noble part of his side in the 
struggle of life - passed away forever. Bennett W., the younger brother, was 
reared to habits of industry, and in a family where everything but honor and 
purity of thought was a stranger; and, favored with a substantial education, 
he may confidently hope to make his way in the world as successfully and 
honorably as his father lived, and with infinitely less difficulty and 
hardship. George C. has always followed the occupation in which his father 
brought him up - farming. Nevertheless, he was given a good opportunity to 
acquire an education, which he did not fail to improve. He had the advantage 
of the common schools and also a course in Central college. In 1870 he went to 
Louisiana to engage in cotton-growing. He remained away one year, and while 
his success was not discouraging, he saw that a man who owns a farm of Howard 
county land and is willing to work it, has but little reason to wish for a 
change. Since then he has lived in this county, and since his father's death 
he and his brother have had charge of the home farm, which contains nine 
hundred acres. Besides this, he has a two-hundred acre farm of his own, which 
he also superintends. He was married March 7, 1865, to Miss Mary E., a 
daughter of James RICHARDSON, of this county. They have one daughter - Mabel.

pgs. 365 & 366			L. P. BURRUS

dentist, is now engaged in the practice of his profession with Dr. FENTON in 
Fayette. He was a son of Thomas P. BURRUS, an old and life-long citizen of 
Howard county, now deceased. L. P. BURRUS' father was a native of this county 
and was born December 24, 1811. Having been reared on the farm he adopted 
farming as his occupation, which he followed through life. On the 18th of 
April, 1839, he was married to Miss Susan E. BLYTHE, daughter of an old 
resident family of this county. She was born March 28, 1820. Eight children 
were reared of the union, of whom L. P. was the youngest, as follows: Thomas 
B., Montgomery S., Davenport, Mary J., Aphollonia, Orleans, Corrella and 
Lavosker P. The father died August 3, 1870, and Mrs. BURRUS, eight years 
afterwards, July 8, 1878. Thomas P. BURRUS was an upright and honorable man, 
an excellent farmer, and was highly respected as a citizen and neighbor. L. P. 
was educated in the common schools and in Central college. He was born July 
14, 1861. He studied dentistry under C. K. FENTON, of Fayette, with whom he is 
now practicising.

pg. 366				C. R. CASHELL,

farmer, section 22, the owner of a well improved farm of 111 acres, came 
originally from Jefferson county, Ohio, where he was born, April 16, 1838. His 
father was born in Maryland, and his mother was a native of New Jersey. C. R. 
learned the trade of blacksmithing in Ohio, following it as his occupation for 
thirty years. May 30, 1850, Miss Electra A. CHAPMAN, of Erie county, 
Pennsylvania, became his wife. To them were born five children, three of whom 
survive: William S., George W. and Henry S. Mrs. C. died November 25, 1865, 
and on November 25, 1870, he married Miss Nancy BOYD, of Jefferson county, 
Ohio. March 14, 1874, Mr. CASHELL came to Howard county, Missouri, and has 
since resided here. He belongs to the Masonic lodge, at Fayette. His wife is a 
member of the M. E. church. He served for three and one-half years during the 
late war.

pgs. 366 & 367			JAMES D. CHORN.

	James M. CHORN, the father of James D., one of the most highly respected 
citizens and farmers of Howard county, was killed during the late war, leaving 
his wife a widow and his children orphans. James D. was then (1865) but eleven 
years of age, so that with the love and encouragement of a tender and devoted 
mother as his only help, he has had to make his own way in the world from 
early youth. And how he has succeeded, is strikingly shown by the high esteem 
in which he is held, and the fact that now, at the age of twenty-nine, he owns 
a handsome farm containing three hundred and thirty acres. His father was an 
early settler in this county, from Clark county, Kentucky, and his mother, who 
before her marriage, was a Miss Nancy J. ROLLINS, was a native of this county. 
They reared five children besides James D., four of whom, including Jas. D., 
are still living. Mrs. CHORN died in 1873. James D. has combined stock dealing 
with farming and has been successful in both occupations. He remained on the 
homestead farm until 1869, and then for two years afterwards he farmed and 
traded in connection with Robert ESTILL. March, 1881, he settled on his 
present farm. He was married October 3, 1878, to Miss Mattie MAUPIN, of 
Kentucky. They have one child, Lewis M. Mr. CHORN is a member of the A. O. U. W.

pg. 367				ROBERT C. CLARK

was born in Howard county, Missouri, January 1, 1846. His father, General John 
B. CLARK, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere, was a native of Madison 
county, Kentucky, but came to Missouri when quite young, and afterwards became 
one of the most prominent men in the history of the state. His mother, whose 
maiden name was Eleanor TURNER, was also born in Kentucky. Mrs. CLARK died in 
1873, General CLARK still surviving her. Reared by such parents, young Robert 
C., as would be expected, enjoyed exceptional advantages for the improvement 
of the many strong and excellent traits of his character. After a thorough 
preparatory course in the primary and intermediate schools, he attended the 
graded school of Glasgow, Missouri, under Professor W. S. DAVIS, an educator 
of great zeal and ability. In 1865 he attended Stewart's commercial college, 
in St. Louis, and there familiarized himself with the principles and details 
of commercial business. After his course at commercial college he accepted a 
position as clerk of a steamboat, which he held for two years. He was now 
twenty years of age, and the realization forced itself upon him that he was 
not intended for the commercial life. Accordingly, in the fall of 1866, he 
returned to Fayette and at once entered vigorously upon the study of law. For 
two years he applied himself with great energy and resolution, and, enjoying 
the advantage of the constant instruction of his father, at the expiration of 
that time was admitted to the bar. Commencing at once the active practice of 
his profession, his success soon qualified his own hopes and fulfilled the 
expectation of his friends. He was twice chosen municipal attorney of the city 
of Fayette, and in 1880 was elected prosecuting attorney of the county, being 
re-elected to that office in 1883, his present term to expire in 1884. In 1879 
he was married to Miss Bettie HOWARD, a daughter of Benjamin HOWARD, one of 
the pioneer settlers and substantial citizens of Howard county. Two children, 
Robert C. and Benjamin H., have been born of this marriage. Mr. CLARK is a 
Knight Templar in the Masonic order and a leading member of the A. O. U. W.

pgs. 367 & 368			JAMES CONDRON

	Mr. CONDRON is of Pennsylvania parentage, his father and mother having 
both been natives of that state. His father, Peter CONDRON, was a man of great 
energy and of an enterprising spirit. At an early day in the history of 
Missouri, he emigrated to this state and here opened a farm which became his 
permanent home. His wife was a Miss Elizabeth BRYANT before their marriage, 
and they had ten children, of whom James was the second. Mrs. CONDRON died in 
1859. Her husband survived her nearly twenty years, following her in death in 
1878. James, the subject of this sketch, was born in Carroll county, Missouri, 
September 14, 1841. He had the advantages, of good schools in his youth and 
received a substantial, practical education. He followed farming where he was 
brought up until 1865, when he removed to Howard county, settling on the place 
where he now lives. He has a farm of 280 acres of excellent land, and it is 
one of the best improved and best kept farms in the county. As a farmer, Mr. 
CONDRON is a representative of the best class, and most progressive and 
enterprising agriculturalists we have. He was married November 10, 1864, to 
Miss Lizzie TODD, daughter of P. TODD, an old pioneer of Howard county. They 
have five children, Mary F., William J., Florence J., Alice B., and Olivia.

pgs. 368 & 369			SAMUEL TRIBBLE CREWS, M. D.

	Among the few old landmarks of the early settlement of Howard county 
that remain among us to remind us, by their white hairs and bent forms of the 
debt of gratitude we owe to that noble race of bravehearted pioneers who found 
this county a wilderness, and gave it to us one of the fairest and most 
prosperous parts of a great commonwealth, is the venerable old patriarch whose 
name heads this sketch. Dr. CREWS is now far advanced into his eighty-fourth 
year, and for nearly sixty years from early manhood, his life has been 
prominently and usefully identified with the history of Howard county. Himself 
a man whose citizenship has been an honor and a blessing to the county, he 
comes of an ancestry in every way worthy to have had such a descendant. His 
grandfather on his father's side, David CREWS, was a sturdy, strong-minded 
Englishman, well-educated, and courageous in thought and deed, who immigrated 
to Virginia with his family some time prior to the revolution. When the war 
for independence broke out, he was one of the first to rally to the defence of 
the colonies. He followed the flag of the young republic through all the 
hardship and suffering of that memorable struggle, and until it floated in 
final triumph over Yorktown. The country he had shown the valor to defend, he 
had the courage, fortitude and industry to open up to civilization. He became 
a pioneer settler in Kentucky shortly after the close of the war. Leaving his 
family in Virginia he brought out his family to his new home in the fall of 
1780, and lived there until his death. He became a highly successful farmer 
and owned large bodies of land in what are now Bourbon, Clark and Madison 
counties. His wife, to whom he was married before leaving England, was 
formerly a Miss Annie MAGEE. They reared nine children, four daughters and 
five sons. David, the doctor's father was the youngest of the sons. David 
CREWS inherited all the strong and better qualities of his father's character, 
and became one of the most substantial and highly esteemed citizens of Madison 
county. He was a farmer by occupation and was abundantly successful in his 
chosen calling. In about 1799 he was married to Miss Sallie TRIBBLE, daughter 
of Andrew and Sallie TRIBBLE, who were also early settlers in Kentucky, from 
Virginia. Mrs. CREWS' father was a pioneer Baptist minister in Kentucky, and 
became widely known in those early days as one of the ablest preachers of his 
time. Her brother, Peter TRIBBLE and brother-in-law David CHINAULT, also 
became distinguished Baptist clergymen. Of the family of children of David, 
fils, and Sallie CREWS, the doctor was the eldest and was born in Madison 
county, Kentucky, May 1, 1800. His father being a man in easy circumstances 
and of liberal ideas with regard to education, young Samuel T. was given good 
school advantages, and acquired an excellent English education. After 
completing his general course, he entered upon the study of medicine and in 
due time became a matriculate in the medical department of the Transylvania 
university, of Kentucky, from which he was graduated with high honor in 1824. 
Naturally of a self-reliant, independent disposition, and spurred on by the 
laudable ambition to rise in the world by his own merits and exertions, the 
year after his graduation he resolved to quit the home of his birth where he 
was favored by family influence and friends, and to cast his fortunes with the 
new Boone's Lick country in Missouri, then the centre of attraction to 
westward emigration. Accordingly, he came to Howard county. Here, as the 
sequel shows, he realized all the hopes with which he started out in the 
world. As years passed by, he steadily rose in his profession, and the 
accumulation of property resulting from an extensive and successful practice 
kept pace with the progress of his reputation as a physician. Before the 
meridian of life was reached he had become one of the well-to-do citizens and 
most prominent practitioners in the county. In 1828 he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth, a daughter of William WARD, Esq., now deceased, for many years one 
of the most respectable citizens of the county. After practising a number of 
years in Fayette he removed to a handsome farm in the country, where he lived 
and pursued the practice of his profession until the close of the civil war. 
Returning then to Fayette, he has continued here since. While Dr. CREWS has 
been thoroughly devoted to his profession, which he has ornamented with his 
learning, will and ability, his usefulness has not been wholly confined to his 
chosen calling in life, for as a citizen he has always taken an active and 
important part in all movements designed for the advancement of the material 
and social interests of the community. He has long been an earnest and 
exemplary member of the Christian church, and one of the most active and 
generous of that denomination in promotiong the cause of religion in this 
portion of the county. As a physician, citizen and neighbor, and in every 
relation of life, he has ever borne a name without reproach, and now, in the 
twilight of old age, he enjoys the highest reward this world can offer for a 
worthy and successful life - the respect and confidence of his neighbors and 
acquaintances, and the affection and veneration of family and friends. Dr. and 
Mrs. CREWS have reared a family of worthy and accomplished children, and 
several of them are now themselves heads of families.

pg. 370				HAMILTON CREWS

	In sketching the lives of the men who have made Howard county what it is 
- one of the foremost counties in the state - the name of Hamilton CREWS could 
not be passed without injustice both to him and to the county itself. He has 
lived in this county fifty years, and every year of this half century has been 
a year of honest industry, contributing to the development and prosperity of 
the county. He was born in Madison county, Ky., April 8, 1818; sixteen years 
afterwards he came to Howard county, and the balance of his life, the best 
energies of a strong and vigorous manhood, have been spent in this county. He 
was married, August 15, 1842, to Miss Elizabeth WITHERS, daughter of James 
WITHERS, an old settler of the county, and of this union, six children have 
been reared - Nannie J., John F., Paul T. S., Mollie E., James E. and Lou. Mr. 
WITHERS is a farmer and is classed among the best citizens of the county.
	Paul S. CREWS, son of Hamilton CREWS, was born in this county, April 4, 
1852, and was reared on the farm. Having been brought up on a farm, he adopted 
that as his regular calling in life, and he has since followed it. In 1876, he 
located on the farm which, in connection with his brother, he now cultivates. 
He is a member of the Christian church.
	James E. CREWS, a younger son of Hamilton CREWS, is also a native of 
Howard county, and was born August 8, 1857. He took the usual course in the 
common schools, and after qualifying himself for a higher course of study, 
entered the commercial college at Boonville, Mo., where he acquired an 
excellent education. After his college course, in 1879, he went to Texas, 
where he was engaged with Capt. HAYES, of Ft. Smith, in surveying land in that 
state. In 1881, he returned to Missouri, and, in 1883, settled on the place 
where he now lives. He has one hundred and fifteen acres of improved land, 
belonging to a tract of two hundred and thirty acres.

pgs. 370 & 371			WINCHESTER DAVIS.

	Mr. DAVIS is one of a class of which there are now a great many in 
Howard county - thoroughly educated farmers. Besides a complete course in the 
common schools, he also attended Central college in Fayette, and Mt. Pleasant 
college in Huntsville, and so far from harboring the thought that the more 
advanced education he thus acquired raised him above the occupation of a 
farmer, he recognizes the fact in all its force that he was thereby only that 
much better qualified for his chosen pursuit. His father, Joseph DAVIS, a 
well-known lawyer of Fayette, Mo., was of Christian county, Ky., and came to 
Howard county in or about 1818. Mrs. DAVIS, the mother of the subject of this 
sketch, was a Miss Sarah E. GREEN before her marriage, and was a native of 
Tennessee. They had four children, of whom Winchester was the second. 
Winchester was born in Fayette, Mo., June 21, 1844, but was principally reared 
on his father's farm, where he formed that predilection for agricultural 
pursuits that afterwards determined his calling in life. In the heated and 
excited state of the war feeling in this county it was practically impossible 
for young men to remain at home in safety, and whatever their inclinations 
might be, they were compelled to take the side of one party or the other. 
Young DAVIS' connections and sense of duty inclined him to the cause of the 
Union, hence, in 1863, when nineteen years of age, he joined the Union army, 
entering the pay department with the rank of lieutenant, where he remained 
nine months and then resigned. In the fall of 1864, he went to Minnesota and 
was engaged in the fur trade, buying all over the far northwest, including the 
western Canadian provinces. In 1865, he returned to Howard county, and, in the 
spring of 1866, began farming on the home place, where he continued until 
1878. He then settled on his present place, where he owns two hundred and 
fifty acres of land, He was married November 29, 1865, to Miss Estelle 
PREWITT, of Fayette, Mo., an accomplished lady, daughter of R. F. PREWITT, a 
present member of the Fayette bar. They have four children living - Prewitt, 
Martha, Wendell and an infant. Mr. DAVIS is a member of A. O. U. W., and of 
the M. E. church.

pg. 371				JAMES B. DAVIS.

	James DAVIS, the great grandfather of James B., was born in Wales and 
emigrated to the United States in 1727, and settled in Pennsylvania. He had a 
family of ten sons and one daughter. Jonathan DAVIS, his grandfather, was born 
in Pennsylvania and removed to Virginia. John DAVIS, the father of James B. 
and the son of Jonathan DAVIS, was born in Pennsylvania, April 4, 1781. In 
1804 he came to St. Charles county, Missouri, and lived there until his death 
which occurred in 1846. His mother's maiden name was Susan BRYAN; she was a 
native of North Carolina, and her family came to Kentucky with Daniel BOONE. 
She lived in Kentucky until 1807 and then came to St. Charles county, 
Missouri, where she was married. She died October 18th, 1854. James B. was 
born in what is now Warren county, August 31, 1811. He was reared on a farm in 
his native county and remained there until 1866, and then removed to Franklin 
county and was engaged in farming and milling until 1881, when he came to 
Howard county and purchased 310 acres in section 2, known as the Governor 
REYNOLDS farm. He was married March 1st, 1840, to Miss Lydia A. WHEELER, a 
native of Missouri. To them were born three children, of whom only one, John 
C., is now living. Mrs. DAVIS died August 5th, 1845. His second marriage 
occurred June 30th, 1850, to Miss Permelia BRYAN, a native of this state. 
There are by this marriage six children living, H. Bascom, Joshua C., Charles 
E., William A., Mary G. now Mrs. DAVIDSON, Martha E. now Mrs. GOODE. Their 
eldest son, Henry C., was a physician and had charge of the quarantine in St. 
Louis in 1878 during the yellow fever scourge, and died October 15th, of that 
year. Mr. and Mrs. DAVIS are members of the M. E. church. Mr. DAVIS while 
living in Warren county held the office of assessor twelve years.

pg. 372				JAMES DEATHERAGE.

	The farmers of Howard county, and particularly the young farmers, are 
justly classed among the most intelligent, progressive and successful in the 
state. This is undoubtedly due namely to two things - a good land and liberal 
education, and the last is by no means the least. Mr. DEATHERAGE was educated 
at Central college and he is one of the educated, progressive young farmers of 
the county. He was born in this county October 24th, 1856, and is a son of 
Bird DEATHERAGE, whose sketch will be found on these pages. He farmed at home 
with his father until the spring of 1882, when he came to the place where he 
now lives. He has three hundred and thirty-nine acres of land and his 
improvements are of a good qualtiy. He was married December 20th, 1882, to 
Miss Octavia ROOKER, a daughter of John A. J. ROOKER, an old resident of the 
county.

pg. 372 & 373			COL. BIRD DEATHERAGE,

twice a member of the legislature from Howard county, and former sheriff of 
the county for four years, was the second of a family of eight, the children 
of Amos DEATHERAGE and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin HOWARD, both 
parents having been natives of Kentucky, and afterwards among the first 
settlers of Howard county, this State. Amos DEATHERAGE, the father, was born 
in March, 1782, and his wife, Elizabeth, in March, 1790. In 1817, they 
immigrated to Howard county, Colonel Bird DEATHERAGE, the subject of this 
sketch, then being but six years old. In 1820 the family settled in section 5, 
of this township, where they lived until 1824, when they settled in section 7, 
on the farm now known as "Elkin place." Subsequently, in 1836, they settled 
permanently on the farm where the parents continued to live until their 
deaths, which occurred, the father's September 24, 1840, and the mother's 
November 24, 1858. Amos DEATHERAGE, the father, was prominently identified 
with the early improvement of the county, and was looked upon as among the 
first of the brave-hearted, enterprising pioneers who cleared away the 
wilderness and made the country a fitting home for an intelligent and 
prosperous prople. Mrs. DEATHERAGE was a Howard - need more be said? In her 
were the gentleness and nobility of nature that have distinguished that family 
from the time of Thomas the hero of Flodden to the present day. As a wife and 
mother, she was tender and devoted; and as a lady she was the soul of 
gentleness and refinement. Colonel Bird DEATHERAGE was born in Madison county, 
Kentucky, December 26, 1811, but was reared and educated in Howard county, 
Missouri. The first official position he ever held was in 1846, when he was 
elected to and afterwards filled the office of constable, serving until the 
summer of 1852. He was then elected sheriff of Howard county, and served in 
that office until 1856. In the fall of 1856 he was chosen representative from 
this county to the legislature, and in 1858 rechosen for the same position, 
his two terms of service filling a period of four hundred days of actual duty 
in that body. He was married December 21, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth, a daughter 
of James SHEPHERD and Barbara, his wife, who were both early settlers in this 
county. Mr. and Mrs. DEATHERAGE have had five children, James, John R., 
Magdaline, Edward L., and Augustus B. His farm consists of three hundred and 
twenty acres of land, well improved, and as a farmer he is considered one of 
the most energetic and enterprising in the county.

pg. 373				JOHN C. DENNY,

one of the leading farmers of Howard county, although now past fifty-five 
years of age, is a native of this county, having been born here June 13, 1828. 
Mr. DENNY's father, Charles DENNY, came to Howard county with his family in 
1816. He was born in Garrett county, Kentucky, and was there married to Miss 
Jane WALKER, of which union John C., the subject of this sketch, was born. In 
1850 John C. went to California, where he was engaged in mining and trading 
until 1856, when he returned to Missouri, settling in Grundy county. There he 
followed farming until 1868, when he came back to this county and settled 
permanently on his present farm. He has a place of 360 acres, all well 
improved. In 1862 he was married, December 18, to Miss Martha, daughter of 
John TOLSON and his wife, Rebecca, of this county, and of this union he has 
seven children - James R., Sarah J., Cora L., Mary F., John C., Jr., Bessie 
and Martha M.

pg. 373 & 374			FRANK DODD.

	On his father's side, the ancestors of Mr. DODD came from England to 
this country, and his mother was of Scotch origin. His mother, before her 
marriage, was a Miss Rachel YOUNG, and both the YOUNGs and the DODDs, on 
coming to America, settled first in Virginia. His father, John W. DODD, was 
born in that state February 1, 1814, and there, a few weeks before he was 
twenty-one years of age, - December 9, 1834, - he was married to Miss YOUNG, a 
native of the same state. They reared seven children, of whom Frank, the 
subject of this sketch, was the eldest. He was born in Loudoun county, 
Virginia, April 27, 1837, and was educated at the Dover (Virginia) high 
school, in which he was also an assistant teacher during his scholastic 
course. A short time after completing his course at the high school, in the 
spring of 1858, he came west and stopped in Marion county, Missouri, where he 
taught school near Hannibal until the outbreak of the war. He then, in the 
spring of 1861, enlisted in the state guards service for six months, and 
during that time was on detailed duty in company D, 6th Missouri regiment. In 
the fall of 1861, he was appointed captain in the commissary department, where 
he served until taken prisoner in 1864, in St. Louis, while getting arms for 
the army. He was then confined in the military prisons of St. Louis and Alton 
until May, 1865. After his release he went to Leavenworth, Kansas, and there, 
shortly afterwards, entered the quartermaster's service of the government and 
took a train of wagons to Fort Riley. He was in the quartermaster's service 
eighteen months, being sent to and stationed at different points. Finally, in 
January, 1867, he came from Fort Kearney to Howard county, Missouri, driving 
the whole distance in a buggy. He then went to Saline county and farmed there 
eight years. From Saline county he returned to this county, and located 
permanently on the farm where he now resides. His farm comprises 303 acres of 
the best quality of land, and his place is excellently improved. It is classed 
among the best farms in the county. In 1867 - February 7 - he was married to 
Miss Mary E., daughter of Thomas TINDALL. She is a most worthy and excellent 
lady, and is highly estemmed by all who know her. They have two children - 
Emily V. and Rachel C.

pg. 374				WILLIAM A. DUDGEON,

of Dudgeon & Sweetland, druggists, at Fayette, one of the leading business men 
of Fayette, and present county treasurer, was born in Howard county, Missouri, 
March 30, 1840. His parents were from Kentucky and settled in this county in 
1836. Captain DUDGEON, his father, was born in Madison county of that state, 
August 27, 1803, and was married December 13, 1825, to Miss Matilda FRANKLIN. 
Seven children were born, five of whom reside in this county: Bernard F., Mrs. 
J. L. SETTLES, Alexander, William A., and John A.  Captain DUDGEON died on his 
farm near Fayette in 1882, his wife having preceded him about six years. He 
was one of the tried and true men of Howard county. After a life of nearly 
half a century in one neighborhood he was borne to his grave, leaving none but 
sad hearts behind. To have lived and died as he did, respected by all while 
living and mourned by all when dead, is a nobler tribute to his memory than 
sculptured marble or monumental brass could pay. William A. DUDGEON, the 
subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm, and there he formed 
the habits of industry and of close application to the work in hand that have 
contributed largely to his success in life. In early youth he had the 
advantage of the common schools of the neighborhood which he attended, and 
there he qualified himself to enter upon a higher course of study. 
Subsequently he entered Central college, which he attended two years, thus 
acquiring an excellent education. After his course in college he returned to 
the farm, where he remained until 1864, when he engaged in the drug business 
at Fayette, but shortly afterwards went to New York state. Returning from New 
York after a year's absence, he again engaged in the drug business, which he 
still follows. The house in which he is a partner, carries a large stock and 
is one of the principal drug stores in the county. In 1882 he was elected 
treasurer of Howard county, which position he now holds. He is also a 
prominent member of the Masonic order. In 1872 he was married to Miss Mary P. 
PATRICK, daughter of Robert PATRICK, one of the early settlers of the county.

pg. 375				JOHN B. DUNCAN,

of Duncan & Howard, grocers, etc. Samuel J. DUNCAN, the father of John B., was 
a native of Amherst county, Virginia. He came to Missouri at an early date and 
settled in Howard county. He was here married to Miss Elizabeth PRICE, of this 
county, and here he lived until his death, which occurred in 1868. He was for 
many years a merchant in Fayette, and in this business John B., the son, was 
brought up, and afterwards became his father's partner. Samuel J. DUNCAN was a 
man of many excellencies of character, a progressive, enterprising business 
man and citizen, and his loss was deplored by all. His wife, the mother of 
John B., the subject of this sketch, died in 1852, a noble, gentle-hearted 
woman. John B. DUNCAN was born August 4th, 1850, and was reared and educated 
in this county. After a long business experience in different stores, 
including those of Boone, Duncan & Smith, Duncan & Aterbery, Duncan & Son - of 
which he was the junior partner - W. H. SMITH, and others, in 1868 he engaged 
in the grocery business on his own account, and two years afterwards the firm 
became Duncan & Co. Continuing in this for eighteen months, at the expiration 
of that time he accepted a clerkship with J. B. BELL, with whom he remained 
until 1882, when he again began business on his own account, becoming a member 
of the present firm. Mr. DUNCAN's education and experience have been such as 
to make him a capable and successful business man, and with these he combines 
integrity and enterprise.

pg. 375				W. P. DYSART.

	Nicholas DYSART, the father of William, was born in Tennessee, November 
18, 1800, and emigrated to Howard county, Missouri, in 1818. After a residence 
in this county of two years he removed to Randolph county, where he now lives 
at the advanced age of 83. The mother's maiden name was Euphemia GIVENS. She 
was born in Kentucky. William was the fifth of nine children, and he was born 
in Randolph county, Missouri, December 28, 1835. He was reared in his native 
county and educated at McGee college, of College Mound, Missouri. After a 
thorough preparation, at the age of twenty-four he commenced teaching school, 
and continued this occupation eight years, and then engaged in farming. In 
1873, he settled on section 32, and owns a fine farm of 280 acres. He was 
married April 23, 1870, to Mrs. Dora PATTERSON whose maiden name was BROWN; 
she was a daughter of Samuel BROWN, one of Howard county's early pioneers. 
They have one daughter, Mary E.  Mrs. and Mrs. DYSART are members of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church.

pg. 375 & 376			GEORGE C. EATON,

section 23, is one of the prominent farmers and stock raisers of Howard 
county, and a man well known in this vicinity, having been born here February 
27, 1821. His father, George EATON, a native of Clark county, Kentucky, came 
to this county in 1820. The subject of this sketch married Miss Mary J. 
PATRICK, of Howard county, and their union has been blessed with eight 
children: Zipporah, Alice, John M., Mary, Ella, Benjamin F., Charles S., and 
Claiborne B.  Mrs. EATON is a member of the Christian church. Mr. EATON's fine 
farm of 218 acres is well improved and is located about two miles from 
Fayette.

pg. 376				C. J. ELKIN.

	The father of the subject of this sketch, John G. ELKIN, was born in 
Kentucky, in 1799, and came to Howard county, Missouri, in 1825. He lived here 
until his death, which occurred in 1874. His mother, whose maiden name was 
Vina B. EMBREE, was also a native of Kentucky, and was born in 1804. C. J. 
ELKIN, their son, was the fifth of a family of eight children; he was reared 
and educated in this county. In 1854, he crossed the plains to the mining 
districts of California, and lived there until the summer of 1868, and then 
returned to his former home. In the spring of 1869, he settled on his present 
farm in section 7. He owns 228 acres of good land, well improved. He was 
married May 19, 1864, to Miss Lizzie E. STINSEYER, of Germany. They have six 
children - Joseph J., Laura B., Willis E., Romy L., and Nettie C. and Anna O., 
twins.

pg. 376				CHARLES L. EUBANK,

was the eighth of a family of nine children, born to and reared by Stephen and 
Nancy EUBANK, of Clark county, Kentucky. Stephen EUBANK was born January 9, 
1790, and died May 9, 1869, aged seventy-nine years and four months. Mrs. 
Eubank, whose maiden name was Berkley, was born July 31, 1819, and died March 
26, 1872. Charles L. EUBANK, the subject of this sketch, came to Howard county 
from Kentucky, in 1859, when twenty-two years of age, having been born March 
8, 1837. Since his emigration to Missouri in 1859, he has lived continuously 
in this county, and has followed farming. He now lives in Fayette. He was 
married November 20, 1862, to Miss Nancy, daughter of the late David H. WITT, 
and they have six children - Anna S., Leslie B., Mary E., Katie B., Witt D. 
H., and Charles L.  Mr. EUBANK is a member of the A. O. U. W. and of the 
Baptist church.

pg. 376 & 377			J. C. FERGUSON,

farmer and stock raiser. In scanning these sketches biographique of Howard 
county, one fact must strike the reader with peculiar force - the high order 
of culture attained by its farming community. There is probably not a county 
in the state not containing a large city, nor in the whole west that has so 
many farmers who would grace a college professorship, as has Howard county. 
And the sketch of Mr. FERGUSON offers an additional and marked illustration of 
this fact. One of the leading farmers of central Missouri, and a farmer 
according to modern ideas and methods, he is at the same time one of the best 
educated men in the state, a fact which a diploma from each of two 
distinguished state universities atests. The influence of the high order of 
mental culture upon agricultural life is plainly visible all over the county - 
in the neatness and good taste displayed in the appearance of the farms, and 
in the intelligent, business-like manner in which they are conducted; and 
nowhere is this more marked than on the handsome estate of which the subject 
of this sketch is the owner and proprietor. It is no disparagement to any farm 
throughout the surrounding country to say that Mr. FERGUSON has one of the 
handsomest and best places in the county. And while personally he has been 
more than ordinarily successful in his chosen calling, now ranking among the 
largest tax-payers of the county, he has done a great deal to promote its 
agricultural interests - not only in encouraging by example the most approved 
and profitable methods of farming, but in introducing the best grades of stock 
and inducing others to improve the breeds of stock raised by them. Mr. 
FERGUSON is a native of the county of which he is now a prominent and useful 
citizen, and was born on the 14th of December 1836. His father, James 
FERGUSON, born in Fairfax county, Virginia, October 11th 1798, was reared in 
Jefferson county of that state, and as early as 1818 came out to Kentucky, 
making his home for a time in Woodford county. There he met Miss Kittie 
SINGERFELTER, to whom he was united in marriage in 1823. She was four years 
his junior, having been born in 1802. Two years after their marriage they came 
to Missouri and settled in Howard county. Here Mr. FERGUSON, pere, became a 
leading farmer and an influential citizen, and is remembered by all who knew 
him as a man of superior intelligence, upright character and generous 
impulses. He died September 29th, 1880. His wife still survives him. They 
reared but two children the subject of the present sketch being the younger. 
J. C.'s early youth was spent mainly on the farm and in the neighborhood 
school, but when he had reached the age to enter upon a higher course of 
studies, he became a student in the Howard high school, now Central college, 
where he continued until he was prepared for the university course. He then 
became a matriculate in the university of Missouri, from which he was 
afterwards graduated with marked honor. From Missouri he went to Virginia and 
entered the famous university of that state, receiving, after due course of 
study, a diploma from that time-honored and distinguished institution. His 
education thus completed and thorough, he returned to his old home in Howard 
county, and at once became actively and prominently identified with the 
agricultural interests of the county. His subsequent career as an 
agriculturalist has already been outlined. On the 24th of August, 1858, Mr. 
FERGUSON was married to Miss Margaret W., an accomplished daughter of Dr. S. 
T. CREWS, an early settler and prominent physician of the county. Mr. and Mrs. 
FERGUSON have a family of three interesting children, William W., James C. and 
Mary. The mother of Mr. FERGUSON finds a pleasant and welcome home with her 
son. He is a Knight Templar of the Masonic order.

pg. 378				CHARLES K. FENTEM

was born in Pennsylvania, of English parentage, January 12, 1845. His father, 
Rev. George FENTEM, was a native of England and a clergyman of the primitive 
Methodist church. His mother, whose maiden name was Ann RAINES, was also born 
in England. In 1846 the family came to Pike county, Missouri, and lived in the 
state until 1858. After living two years each in Hannibal and St. Charles 
they, in 1862, came to Fulton, Callaway county, where Charles was patially 
reared and educated. In 1868 he began the study of dentistry with Dr. S. O. 
FENTEM, of Jefferson City. After two years' diligent study he became a partner 
of his preceptor for one year and then practised his profession at New 
Bloomfield, Missouri, until 1879, when he came to this city, where he has 
secured a large patronage and a well earned reputation in his profession. He 
was married September 15, 1871, to Miss Cynthia J. LONGLEY, of Missouri. They 
have had a family of three children, Alfred L., Mary R., Earl R.  Mr. F. is a 
member of the A. O. U. W., and he and his wife are members of the M. E. 
church, south.

pg. 378 & 379			JACOB FISHER

	Mr. FISHER is of German descent. His grandfather, Daniel FISHER, was a 
native of Pennsylvania and was a soldier in the colonial army during the war 
for independence. After the close of the war he went to Augusta county, 
Virginia, where he settled and reared a family, and in that county, Jacob, his 
grandson, was afterwards born. Daniel FISHER, the grandfather, married a Miss 
JONES, a young lady of Welch extraction, and they reared a numerous family, of 
which Daniel FISHER Jr., was a member. Daniel, Jr., was a soldier of the war 
of 1812, and served in the American army throughout that struggle. He was 
married in Virginia to Miss Elizabeth CORNELL, also a native of Augusta 
county, and of this union ten children were reared to majority, viz.: John and 
Robert came to this county in 1853, where they still reside; Jane died here in 
1842; Mehala is the wife of Wm STIPE of this county; Dorcas married Wm. 
PHILLIPS, and Mary married John WISEMAN, and each with her family and husband 
live in this county; George is a resident of Greene county, Indiana; Addison 
died in Illinois; Payton died in this county; Daniel now lives in Oregon, and 
Jacob, the subject of this sketch, is a citizen of Fayette. Jacob FISHER was 
born in Augusta county, Virginia, October 14, 1819. Having learned the 
tanner's trade in 1838, he came to Howard county and here entered into the 
tanning business with Randolph Haupe & Sons, in which he continued about seven 
years. In 1845, he conducted a tannery in Cooper county, and in 1846 
established a tannery between Boonsboro and Boone's Lick in this county, which 
he managed until 1854. From that date until 1830, he was engaged in farming 
and the saw-mill business, and he still owns several excellent farms. In the 
meantime in 1869, he had moved to Fayette for the purpose of educating his 
children, and here he bought a hardware establishment to which he added a 
stock of family groceries, and at once secured a large trade. Before coming to 
Fayette, however, in 1852, he was elected justice of the peace of Boone's Lick 
township, which office he filled nearly consecutively for fourteen years. 
After he came to Fayette, he was elected to the responsible office of 
treasurer of the county, and the duties of this position he discharged with 
honesty and ability. He is now, and for two years has been, a member of the 
city council of Fayette, which he was inducted to enter by the earnest 
solicitation of the citizens of the place. He now gives his whole attention to 
the management of his real estate interests, consisting of farms and town 
property, and to the care of his family and the education of his children. On 
the 18th of March, 1849, he was married to Miss Jane ALLEN and they now have 
five children living, James D., Elizabeth J., Emma S., Ellen E. and Rosalie V.  
The career of Jacob FISHER, from the apprentice boy at the tanner's trade to 
the position in life he now occupies - that of an honest and honorable 
citizen, is an enviable one.

pg. 379				CHARLES W. FUCHS,

jeweler, silverware, etc. Mr. FUCHS is a native of Cooper county, Missouri, 
and was born February 23, 1854. He was educated in the local schools of 
Boonville, and when quite a young man engaged in clerking with J. P. NEEF, of 
that city, which he continued until 1868. He then went to St. Louis, where he 
learned the jeweler's trade, and returned to Boonville in 1875. Remaining 
there until 1878, he that year came to Fayette, and here he has lived ever 
since. The same year he established his present business in this city, and his 
career thus far has been a very successful one. He carries an unusually large 
stock of goods in his line for a city the size of Fayette. He makes a 
specialty of the celebrated Rockford watches, and in addition to jewelry and 
silverware, he also makes a specialty of sportmen's goods and of musical 
instruments. He has just completed a fine business house on the southeast 
corner of the public square, in which is constructed one of the best vaults in 
the interior of the state. Mr. FUCHS was married November 1, 1882, to Miss 
Mary H., daughter of Wm. F. TIEMAN, of Fayette. Mr. TIEMAN is a native of 
Hanover, Germany, and was born April 15, 1829. He remained in his native 
country until he was nineteen years of age, and then immigrated to the United 
States and settled in St. Louis. He resided there only a short time, and in 
March, 1849, came to Howard county and began working in the trade of wagon 
making, which he has since followed. He was married July 17, 1858, to Miss 
Helena RUFFEL, a native of Germany. They have three children, Mary H., wife of 
C. W. FUCHS, Eddy and Charley.

pg. 380				DR. HENRY K. GIVENS,

of the firm of Wright & Givens, physicians, is a young man who has grown up in 
this county since the war, having been a small boy, hardly five years old, at 
the commencement of hostilities. He is now twenty-seven years of age, and is 
well established in his profession. He was born in Howard county, July 17, 
1856, and after attending the common schools, entered Central college, where 
he completed his education. In 1874, then only eighteen years old, he began 
the study of medicine in Fayette, under Drs. WATTS and PILE, and continued 
with them until 1875, when he went to St. Louis, and there studied under the 
celebrated Dr. J. T. HOGDEN four years, attending three terms of the St. Louis 
medical college, and graduating in 1879. In the spring of 1879, he returned to 
Fayette and commenced the practice of medicine, and, in 1880, formed his 
present partnership with Dr. WRIGHT. He is a young physician of thorough 
training, and of great natural adaptability to his calling, and has already 
taken high rank in the medical profession of the county. He was married, April 
26, 1881, to Miss Nannie DUNCAN, a lady of culture and many attractions, and 
they have two children - Mary L. and Charles E. Dr. GIVENS was elected coroner 
of Howard county, in 1878, which position he now fills.

pg. 380 & 381			FRANCIS M. GRIMES.

	In 1819, there was perhaps a larger immigration to Howard county, than 
in any other year of its early history. In the almost endless train of wagons 
that poured into this county from Kentucky, in the year 1819, were those of 
William GRIMES, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was born in Scott 
county, Ky., March 29, 1797, and, when a young man, married Miss Rebecca, 
daughter of William SNELL, also a Kentuckian, but an early settler in this 
county. She was born in 1795. Francis M. GRIMES was born of this marriage, 
March 30, 1829. Mr. GRIMES, the father, first settled in this county near the 
place known as the "Salt Springs," but, in 1825, settled where Francis, his 
son, now lives. His wife died May 3, 1867, and four months afterwards, 
September 7, 1867, he also passed away. He was an honest, intelligent and 
successful farmer, and as a neighbor and citizen, he was without aproach. 
Francis M. was reared on his father's farm, and received a good practical 
education from the neighborhood schools of the time. In 1856, then twenty-
seven years of age, he was married, February 12, to Miss Addie, a daughter of 
Judge P. H. McBRIDE, of the Missouri supreme court. They have ten children - 
Mary E., Emma, Addie M., Fannie B., Priestly H., William H., Ann E., Laura P., 
Lizzie T. and Francis M. Mr. GRIMES owns an excellent farm of 322 1/2 acres, 
where he now lives, besides 107 acres in Boone county, and another tract in 
this county of fifty-two and a-half acres. In 1852, he was elected county 
surveyor, which position he continued to fill sixteen years. Mr. G. is a 
member of the Christian church. As a farmer he is one of the most successful 
and enterprising in the county, and as a neighbor and citizen no one is more 
highly respected and esteemed.

pg. 381				GEORGE S. GUSS,

livery and sale stables, Mr. GUSS was brought up on a farm, which occupation 
he followed until he came to Fayette in 1882 and engaged in his present 
business. He was born in Pike county, Ill., August 23, 1851, where he was 
reared and lived until he came to Missouri. A year ago he engaged in his 
present business, buying out at that time the stables, etc., of Mr. S. SMITH. 
He has a large amount of capital invested and is doing an excellent business. 
His barn is 64 by 118 feet in dimension, and he has nine "rigs" and fourteen 
horses. Mr. GUSS was married February 7, 1877, to Miss Rebecca LEATON, of 
Illinois, and they have one child - Lelah M.

pg. 381				CLAIBORNE B. HARRIS

	Thomas HARRIS, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a pioneer 
in Kentucky with Daniel BOONE. William HARRIS, the father of Claiborne B., was 
born in Kentucky, May 15, 1793, and came to Howard county, Mo., in 1821. He 
married Miss Margaret DOWNING, who was born December 15, 1792. They reared a 
family of eleven children, of whom C. B. was the tenth child. He was born 
March 17, 1836. He was reared and educated in this county and remained with 
his father on the farm until 1861, when he enlisted in company A, Captain B. 
CUNNINGHAM's company of Missouri state guards, and served until October, 1862, 
and then re-enlisted in General CLARK's regiment and served until the 
surrender at Shreveport, La., in June, 1865. He returned home and resumed 
farming with his father until 1875, when he located on his present farm, which 
includes 138 1/2 acres of well improved land. He married Miss Susan E. SHORES, 
September 19, 1872. She is a daughter of Rev. Wm. SHORES, who come to Missouri 
in 1827. He died June 8, 1872. The mother of Mrs. HARRIS was Susan R. JOHNSON; 
she died June 24, 1872. Mr. HARRIS' mother died May 30, 1867, and his father 
died May 15, 1876. Mr. HARRIS' brother, Hardin, who was a soldier, died at 
Little Rock, Ark., February 1, 1863, and his brother William served in 
JOHNSON's army and participated in many of the most important battles of the 
campaign. He returned to the old homestead in 1877 to remain permanently, and 
died April 21, 1879.

pg. 381 & 382			ANDREW J. HERNDON.

	Prominent among the men whose names have long been identified with the 
history of Howard county is Andrew J. HERNDON. He came to this county with his 
father's family in 1835, when but eighteen years of age, and has therefore 
been a resident of the county nearly fifty years. In public affairs and in the 
social life of the people, his name occupies a conspicuous position. For many 
years he has been in public life, either as a county officer or as a pominent 
attorney; and, socially, he is connected with some of the leading families of 
the county - indeed, he is a founder of some of them - being connected with 
the CLARKs, the BROWNs and others, and having now eleven children living and 
nineteen grandchildren, a number of whom are prominent citizens. Andrew J. 
HERNDON was born in Orange county, Virginia, July 23, 1817. His father, George 
HERNDON, was also a Virginian by birth, but died in this state, where he had 
removed in 1847, in his seventy-fourth year. His mother, Sarah HERNDON, whose 
maiden name was TEEL, a native of Pennsylvania, but of German parentage, died 
in this county in 1855, at the age of sixty-eight years. Shortly after 
arriving in Fayette, in 1835, Andrew J., the subject of this sketch, having in 
the meantime acquired the elements of an education from the common schools of 
his native county in Virginia, entered here the Fayette academy, a school of 
advanced studies, in which he remained as a student about two years. He then 
taught school one year in the country, and afterwards three and a half years 
in Fayette, and during the same time studied law, utilizing his otherwise 
unoccupied time in that way; and in 1841 he was admitted to the bar of the 
county, entering thereupon the active practice of his profession. In 1842 he 
formed a partnership in the law practice with General John B. CLARK, in which 
he continued until 1857. He then entered into partnership with General John B. 
CLARK, Jr., and this firm was not dissolved until the outbreak of the war, in 
1861. Twelve years later, in 1873, he became associated with Robert T. PREWITT 
in the legal business, and two years afterwards, his son, John C. HERNDON, 
became his partner. In 1846 Mr. HERNDON was elected clerk of the county court 
of Howard county, and was re-elected in 1853 and again in 1859. In 1865 he was 
appointed clerk of the court by Governor FLETCHER, and in 1866 elected to the 
office, and was the fourth time elected to the same position in 1870, serving 
until 1874. Prior to 1847, however, he had been once elected and once 
appointed to the office of justice of the peace, his terms extending from 1841 
to 1846. In 1838, on the 21st of June, Mr. H. was married to Miss Emily F. 
BROWN, daughter of Major BROWN and his wife, Ann B., both natives of Kentucky, 
who came to Missouri while it was a territory - about 1816. HERNDON now has 
living eleven children - Portia A., wife of Thomas OWINGS; Mary V., wife of 
Dr. F. B. PHILPOTT, of Salisbury; Martha H., wife of Dr. L. P. TOOLEY, of 
Colusa, California; Camelia B., wife of Joseph H. WITHERS; Emily M., wife of 
Dr. F. C. COLLIER, of Saline county, Missouri; Dasie H., wife of A. C. DAVIS, 
of Salisbury, Missouri; and John C., Justine, Lizette, Addie L. and Andrew J. 
HERNDON.

pg. 383, 384 & 385		ADAM HENDRIX (Deceased),

educator, financier and philantropist. Among those whose names like stars 
brighten and beautify the past of Howard county, there is none whose name 
shines with a purer and more enduring light than that of the subject of these 
memoirs. A nobleman of nature in both mind and heart, his whole life was an 
unbroken chapter of duty faithfully and well performed. Starting out into the 
world at an early age, with but little education and no means, by the exercise 
of the virtues of his own character he became a more than ordinarily 
successful man, and rounded off a career, adorned with Christian graces from 
the beginning, by works of generous philanthrophy that will perpetuate his 
memory as long as the better qualities of human nature are esteemed among men. 
He came of eminently respectable families on both sides, and was brought up in 
a manner to strengthen a character naturally vigorous and upright. His 
grandfather, Colonel Adam HENDRIX, was a prominent citizen of Pennsylvania, 
and represented the people of number times in the state legislature. His 
father, Joseph M. HENDRIX, was a man of sterling integrity, superior 
intelligence, and of great energy and resolution. His mother, formerly Miss 
Nancy McDONALD, was of a worthy family of the old Keystone state. Mr. 
HENDRIX's parents reared a family of nine children, only two of whom are now 
living - John M., of Ohio, and Joseph W., of Pennsylvania. Adam HENDRIX, the 
subject of this sketch, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, August 21, 
1813, and was reared in his native county up to the age of twenty. In boyhood 
and youth he had attended the ordinary schools, but had acquired only a 
limited education. Of an energetic disposition and an aspiring mind, and 
believing that he could better his fortunes in Maryland, he accordingly went 
to that state and located in Frederick county, in about 1833. There he was in 
close proximity to Long Green academy, a prominent institution of learning, 
and he determined to enter that school for the completion of his education. In 
pursuance of this resolution he spent three years within its walls, and rose 
from a junior to the position of a teacher. Quitting his alma mater at the 
expiration of this time, equipped with a thorough education and qualified to 
teach by practical experience, he then took charge of Middletown academy, in 
the same county, which he conducted with singlular success and ability for 
five years. By this time the trans-Mississippi west had begun to attract 
flood-tides of immigration, and informing himself thoroughly as to the natural 
advantages of the new country, he became convinced that it was destined to 
become the abode of vast and prosperous communities, and that no other country 
then known offered opportunities for industry, intelligence and enterprise, in 
almost every walk of life, equal to this. Accordingly, leaving his school in 
Maryland, he set out for the new country and landed at Quincy, Illinois, in 
the fall of 1838, coming thence by way of Palmyra, Hannibal, Paris, 
Huntsville, Keytesville and Brunswick, to Fayette, Howard County. This was 
more a prospecting journey than otherwise, but on reaching Fayette he was so 
pleased with the place and the beauty and fertility of the surrounding 
country, that he determined to make this locality his permanent home. He spent 
some six years in teaching in Fayette and vicinity. While thus occupied, there 
was one he had left behind who was taking a deep interest in his welfare and 
success, and she was kept faithfully informed of his progress and of all his 
hopes and objects. His wife she had promised to be, and in 1844 he was in a 
situation to return to Maryland and claim the fulfilment of that promise. It 
was happily redeemed upon his return, and with his young wife, formerly Miss 
Isabella J. MURRAY, he returned to his home in the west, where he spent the 
remainder of a long, useful and happy life. Here his progress was steadily 
upward and onward until at last his spirit passed beyond the skies. Among his 
fellow-men he rose higher and higher in their esteem, and in the pursuit of 
fortune he was not less favored. He became by pure methods and worthy 
enterprises a comparatively wealthy man. For two years after his marriage he 
taught school. So favorably had his character and qualifications recommended 
him to those around him that at the expiration of this time, he was appointed 
to the responsible office of county treasurer, a position he filled by 
subsequent re-elections for twelve consecutive years. This fact alone is an 
eloquent testimonial to his purity, intelligence, and personal worth. While 
treasurer of the county, he also held the office of government pension agent, 
and discharged the duties of this position with the same fidelity and ability 
that characterized his performance of every trust. At the close of his county 
official term, he became cashier of the branch bank of the state of Missouri, 
at Fayette, and so continued until the time of his death. While Mr. HENDRIX 
was engaged in securing for himself and family a handsome fortune, he was also 
fully alive to all the benevolent and religious interests around him. He gave 
five hundred dollars towards the erection of Central college building, and 
five thousand dollars additional toward the endownment of the college. His 
interest in this noble instition of learning did not stop there. He became the 
treasurer of its board of regents, and discharged the duties of this office, 
free of charge, until the day of his death. He also gave liberally to the 
female college of Fayette, and ever proved himself a steadfast and active 
friend to education. For a great many years he was an earnest, exemplary 
member of the church, and was always generous of his means and active in his 
zeal for the cause of religion; and it is but just to add in this connection, 
that in all good works, both benevolent and religious, his efforts were 
readily and hotly seconded by his excellent Christian wife, who still survives 
him, and who ever performed faithfully and with modest delicacy the duties of 
her relation in life. Nor can we forbear directing the attention of the young 
ladies of the present day to those good old mothers who stand among us as 
bright examples of an age gone by, and whose excellencies have been only 
brightened by the trials and vicissitudes of life. Five children were given 
Mr. and Mrs. HENDRIX as Heaven's best benefiction upon the marriage tie: 
Fremont M., the eldest, is now connected with the bank; he was educated at the 
United States naval school at Annapolis, after which he spent four years in 
Europe engaged in naval service on the western coasts of the continent, and in 
parts of the Mediterranean sea. He was also often on the coasts of Africa. 
While in Europe he travelled extensively and visited most of the places of 
historic and landscape interest. He was promoted at various times and now 
holds the position of master on the retired list. Under act of congress 
approved August 3, 1861; Dr. Eugene R., the second son, now president of 
Central college; Joseph C., now the Brooklyn manager of the New York Sun, with 
which paper he has been connected since 1873; William F., and Mary B., the 
only daughter, now the wife of A. F. DAVIS, Esq. After a residence in Howard 
county of a long period, Mr. HENDRIX died at his home in Fayette, May 31, 
1876. In his death Howard county lost one of its most valued citizens, and the 
community in which he lived, one of its most worthy members. His life had been 
useful and just, and his death was deeply mourned by those among whom he had 
lived for so many years. In every relation of life he had performed faithfully 
and well the full measure of his duty, and when the time came for him to quit 
this tenement of clay, and enter into that abode eternal in the heavens not 
made of hands, he was prepared for the change, and fell to sleep in death as 
one who wraps his mantle about him and lies down to pleasant dreams. In token 
of respect, every business house was closed during the funeral service, and 
students and citizens in a body followed his remains to the cemetery.

pg. 385 & 386			EUGENE R. HENDRIX, D. D.

president of Central college at Fayette. Dr. HENDRIX was born in Fayette, 
Missouri, May 17, 1847. His father, Adam HENDRIX, was a banker, and during 
twenty-five years treasurer of the board of curators of Central college. 
Religiously trained, Dr. HENDRIX, when a lad of less than twelve years of age, 
made a profession of religion and became a member of the Methodist church 
south. Feeling called of God to preach, he determined, when sixteen years of 
age, to equip himself thoroughly for the work. During the suspension of 
Central college on account of the war. Dr. HENDRIX entered the Wesleyan 
university, Middletown, Connecticut, where he graduated with high honor in 
1867. Later he pursued his theological studies at the Union theological 
seminary, New York city, receiving its diploma in 1869. Having enjoyed the 
best facilities for education the country could give, Dr. HENDRIX at once 
began his ministry at the bottom, preferring to have a mission church, that he 
might become fully familiar with the poorer classes. His first appointment, 
accordingly, in 1869, was at Leavenworth mission, Kansas. After the general 
conference of 1870 divided the Missouri conference, so as to make the western 
conference include Kansas and Nebraska, he joined his fortunes with the 
Missouri conference proper, where he has since labored. In 1870-72 he was 
pastor of the Macon City station. In 1872-76 he was pastor of the Francis 
street church, St. Joseph, Missouri. While there he awakened a deep interest 
in missions throughout the church by becoming personally responsible for two 
years for the support of the Rev. A. P. PARKER, missionary to China, the first 
missionary who had been sent to China for seventeen years. The Francis street 
church, during his four years' pastorate, gave $2,000 for missions. In 1876-77 
he accompanied Bishop Marvin on his missionary tour. His letters during that 
time attracted such attention that he was requested to publish them in a 
permanent form. This volume, "Around the World," has run through a number of 
editions, and has received the highest compliment for its literary qualities, 
as well as for its statement of facts. In 1877, while pastor at Glasgow, 
Missouri, Dr. HENDRIX was unanimously elected president of Central college, to 
succeed Dr. WILLIS, who had recently died. The degree of D. D. was conferred 
on him by Emory college, Georgia, at the early age of thirty-one, being, 
perhaps, the youngest divine on whom that degree has ever been conferred by 
any leading college in the United States. He is also one of the few American 
scholars who have been elected to membership in the Victoria institute, the 
philosophical society of Great Britain. Dr. HENDRIX has been eminently 
successful as president of Central college, the endownment having been more 
than doubled during his administration and the number of students increased 
over a third. June 20, 1872, he was married to Miss Annie E. SCARRITT, 
daughter of Rev. Nathan SCARRITT, D. D., of Kansas City. Four children have 
blessed this union: Evangeline, Mary, Nathan and Helen.

pg. 386 & 387			JUDGE JOSEPH W. HICKERSON.

	It has been truthfully and aptly said that "Some men honor their 
occupations; others are honored by them." Mr. HICKERSON is a striking example 
of the former class. He is a farmer, and is an ornament to his calling. He 
came to this county in 1849, with but little means, and by industry and 
intelligent management has placed himself in the front rank of the progressive 
and enterprising farmers of the country. He has a farm of four hundred and 
ninety-seven acres, and the appearance it presents shows at a glance the 
character of man he is. He was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, December 2d, 
1820. His father, Hiram HICKERSON, and mother, whose name before her marriage 
was Mary O. SMITH, were also natives of the Old Dominion. He was the second of 
eleven children, and in company with his father's family came to Missouri in 
1849. His father died in Carroll county, this state, January 13, 1877, his 
mother having preceded her husband in death about seventeen years. Mr. 
HICKERSON settled at once in Howard county on reaching this state, and has 
lived here ever since. He first located on a farm near Glasgow, but three 
years afterwards settled where he now resides. He was married December 29, 
1850, to Mrs. Emily GEORGE, a widow lady of the most excellent worth (her 
maiden name having been HICKERSON), and they have four children: Alfred P., 
Eveland D., William R. and Bettie M. During the war in 1862, Mr. HICKERSON 
enlisted in Captain CUNNINGHAM's company of General CLARK's command, but 
served only eight months on account of physical disability, having been 
honorably discharged at the expiration of that time. In 1872, he was elected 
one of the members of the county court, which position he filled with marked 
ability and fidelity to the interests of the county. He is a man universally 
respected, and as a neighbor and a friend none are more highly esteemed by 
those who enjoy his confidence.

pg. 387 & 388			ISAAC N. HOUCK.

	Mr. HOUCK is the proprietor and editor of the Missouri Independent, one 
of the most substantial and best edited county papers in central Missouri. 
Like most successful newspaper men, he is what may not improperly be called a 
self-made man. He commenced in the newspaper business at the bottom of the 
ladder, first learning to set type when a mere boy. From there he has come 
steadily up, notwithstanding the set-backs experienced during the war and 
other misfortunes, until now he occupies a practically independent position in 
his business. Isaac Newton HOUCK was born in Palmyra, Missouri, October 2, 
1834. His father, Devault HOUCK, was a native of Ohio, and his mother, whose 
maiden name was Mary HAWKINS, was born in West Virginia. His parents came to 
Missouri in an early day and settled in Palmyra, where Isaac N., as stated 
above, was born. From Palmyra they went to Van Buren, Arkansas, and there the 
subject of the sketch was principally reared and educated. When quite a youth 
he commenced to learn the printer's trade, which became his regular 
occupation, and with this and his books in school and at home, his boyhood 
days were closely and profitably occupied. In 1856, then in his twenty-second 
year, he came to Missouri and worked in his brother's office until his death, 
in June of 1857. He then foremanized the Statesman for Colonel Switzler, in 
Boone county, for nearly one year. He afterwards returned to Van Buren. 
However, he remained in Arkansas but one year after his return and then again 
came to Missouri, this time to Fayette. He followed his occupation here until 
1860, when he purchased the Howard county Banner and became the publisher and 
editor of that paper. In this he continued through the three most exciting and 
perilous years of the war, and until 1864, when his office was destroyed by 
Federal soldiery. After the close of the war, in 1865, he reorganized the 
Banner office and General John B. CLARK became his partner, but one year later 
he sold out to General CLARK and went to Rocheport, Missouri, where he became 
identified with the Times of that place. Subsequently he went to Cooper county 
and started the Booneville Democrat, and afterwards, in 1879, returned to 
Howard county and established the Missouri Independent, which he has since 
published. In 1857, Mr. HOUCK was united in marriage to Miss Susan McClanahan, 
daughter of Wm. ROBINSON and niece of the late Gerard ROBINSON, of Howard 
county Missouri. They have three children, Minnie A., Jennie S., wife of 
Joseph FORBIS, and William R. Mr. HOUCK is a strong independent thinker and 
writer, and as an editor he strives faithfully to keep the people informed in 
all matters of public concern, regardless of fear or favor from any quarter.

pg. 388 & 389			THOMAS HOWARD.

	The HOWARD family, of Howard county, as its name indicates, is of 
English descent. Its ancestry leads back to Thomas HOWARD, earl of Surry, and 
third duke of Norfolk, an eminent statesman and soldier of the time of Henry 
VIII, who distinguished himself in the battle of Flodden. Benjamin HOWARD, a 
descendant of his, who settled in Virginia, in about 1660, was the founder of 
the family in this country. He left two sons - Thomas and Henry. Henry went to 
Baltimore, Md., and from him descended John Eager HOWARD, a distinguished 
soldier in the revolutionary war, and afterwards governor of Maryland, and 
United States senator from that state. Thomas Howard remained in Virginia, and 
of his family came Gen. Benjamin HOWARD, of Kentucky, a member of congress, 
governor of the territory of Louisiana, and a brigadier-general in the United 
States army. Branches of the Virginia HOWARDs also settled in South Carolina 
and Ohio. Tilghman A. HOWARD, a member of congress from the former state, and 
William HOWARD, a member from the latter, were representatives of these 
branches. Thomas HOWARD, the subject of this sketch, a leading citizen of 
Howard county, comes of the Kentucky branch. His father, Matthew HOWARD, who 
served in the war of 1812, son of Benjamin HOWARD, and brother to the mother 
of Judge TOLSON, of this county, was born in Madison county, Ky., February 16, 
1794. In 1816, he was married to Miss Elizabeth TOLSON, then a young lady of 
Kentucky, but born in Virginia, in 1796. They had five children, of whom 
Thomas HOWARD, of this county, was the eldest. In 1819, the parents with their 
children immigrated to Howard county, and here, thirty-two years afterwards, 
in October, 1851, the father died, the mother following her husband in death 
in 1862. Matthew HOWARD was a man of strong character and superior 
intelligence, and although averse to public life, he was a recognized leader 
of the men among whom he lived; and when he died he left an honorable name 
behind him. Thomas HOWARD was born November 16, 1817, also in Madison county, 
Ky. he was therefore, but one year old when his father came to this county. 
His father being a farmer, he was brought up to that occupation, which he has 
ever since followed. In 1844, he settled on the place where he now lives, 
which embraces a tract of sixteen hundred acres of the best quality of land. 
His farm is one of the well improved farms of the county. Mr. HOWARD was 
married January 11, 1844, to Miss Elizabeth SHIELDS, who was born and brought 
up in this county, a daughter of Frank SHIELDS, who came to Howard county in 
1819. Nine children are now living of this union - Mary E., Benjamin, Matthew, 
Sallie, James, Joseph, Thomas, Nellie and Paul. He has been a member of the 
Baptist church for many years, and not only as a church member, but as a 
neighbor and citizen he stands as well as any man in the county. Mr. HOWARD, 
although well qualified for any public position where sober good sense and 
sound judgment are required, has no political ambition, being content to live 
a quite, honorable and Christian life, surrounded by a family where his whole 
heart abides, enjoying the friendship of neighbors and the confidence of all 
who know him.

pg. 389				ROBUCK HUDSON.

	Mr. HUDSON's grandfather was a Virginian and was one of the pioneer 
settlers of Woodford county, Ky. He came to that county when Thomas HUDSON, 
the father of Robuck, was a small boy, and there he reared his family. Thomas, 
on attaining to manhood, was married in his native county to Miss Jemima 
CAVENDER, and of this union eight children grew up, of whom Robuck was the 
second. He was born in Woodford county, Ky., October 2, 1817. In 1826, the 
subject of this sketch then being but nine years old, the family came to 
Missouri and settled in Boone county and there the father died in 1844. Mrs. 
HUDSON died twelve years afterwards in 1856. Robuck lived in Boone county 
until 1850, when he came to Howard county. Since his immigration to this 
county he has lived on three different farms including the one where he now 
resides. His present place consists of one hundred and four acres of good 
land. On the 17th of March, 1842, he was married to Miss Mary W. PRESTON, a 
young lady of Kentucky, fourth daughter of John PRESTON, of Clark county, of 
that state. They have had seven children, four of whom are now living - Mary 
C., Cassander, Joeller and Ida L.

pg. 389				JOHN L. HUGHES

was born in Howard county, Mo., March 11, 1822. His parents were both natives 
of Kentucky. His father, William HUGHES, came to this county in 1820; and his 
mother, whose maiden name was Anna M. MORRISON, was a sister to Judge Alfred 
MORRISON of this county. John L. was reared here on his father's farm, but his 
father being a tanner by trade he also learned that business, and followed it 
in connection with his father until the latter's death, after which he 
continued it with J. ROPER until 1850. He then went to California and engaged 
in saw-milling in Shasta City of that state, until 1852. Returning to this 
county, he settled on a farm near New Franklin, where he lived ten years. In 
1862, he located on a part of the old home farm and followed farming there 
until in 1875, when he settled on the place where he now lives. He has an 
excellent farm of 220 acres. On the 22d of May, 1857, he was married to Miss 
Marcella LELAND, a native of Virginia, and a most worthy and excellent lady. 
They have four children now living - Lawrence, John L., Virginia J. and Nena 
L. Mr. HUGHES is a member of the Episcopal church.

pg. 390				ERASMUS F. M. HURT.

	It is now nearly sixty-five years since the father of Mr. HURT, Payton 
L., came to Howard county from Kentucky. Like most of the early settlers of 
the county from the Blue Grass state, he, too, was originally from Virginia. 
He first emigrated from the Old Dominion to Madison county, Ky., and having 
lived there some years and hearing of the better country along the fertile 
banks of the Missouri, he pushed on to this county in 1819. In the mean time 
he had married, Miss Jemima WINN, of Kentucky, having become his wife. On 
first coming to this county he settled near Glasgow, but in 1851 opened the 
farm now known as the "home farm," at present owned by G. WILCOXSON. Payton L. 
HURT reared a family of ten children and Erasmus F. M., the subject of this 
sketch, was the ninth. He was brought up to the occupation of a farmer, which 
he has ever since followed. In 1860 he settled on the farm where he now lives, 
which contains eighty acres of good, rich land and is substantially improved. 
He was married February 17, 1859, to Miss Margaret E. MARKLAND, of this 
county. They have four children living - Ollie C., Wm. H., John B. and Ellina 
E. Mr. HURT is an exemplary member of the M. E. church south.

pg. 390 & 391			TALTON JOHNSON

ranks among the oldest residents as well as most respected citizens of Howard 
county. He is now seventy years of age, and sixty-five years of his life have 
been spent in this county. His father, William, a native of South Carolina, 
was one of the early settlers here, having come to Howard county in 1818, and 
in this county he made the first salt ever made from Bass & Shackelford's 
lick. He - the father - was born December 29, 1775, and emigrated from South 
Carolina to Kentucky at an early day. There he lived until he came to 
Missouri, and there he married, September 16, 1802, Miss Catherine BARNES, who 
was born May 30, 1782. They had ten children, of whom Talton, the subject of 
this sketch, was the sixth. William JOHNSON, the father, served in the war of 
1812 as a volunteer from Kentucky, and subsequently came with his family to 
this state, where he lived until his death. His wife died January 15, 1852, 
and he followed her about five years afterwards - May 10, 1857. Talton JOHNSON 
was reared on his father's farm, in this county, having been born in Madison 
county, Kentucky, March 26, 1813. He was married March 27, 1842, to Miss 
Amanda CASPAR, born in October, 1824, daughter of John CASPAR, who settled in 
this county at an early day. They have reared seven children - Mary, William, 
Mattie, James, Kate, Walter and Emma, and they have six dead. Mr. JOHNSON has 
an excellent farm of 560 acres, and much of it is in a good state of 
cultivation and improvement. For several years he held the office of bridge 
commissioner of the county and subsequently was elected county judge, which 
office he held two years. He is a member of the Christian church, and was 
ordained an elder and preacher in 1860, but has never received anything for 
his services in the ministry. He is one of the best and truest of a noble 
generation of men, now rapidly passing away, whose name and memory it is well 
to transmit to posterity.

pg. 391				STROTHER R. JORDAN,

son of James D. and Melissa (BARNES) JORDAN, was born in Howard county March 
28, 1847. He was reared on a farm, and followed it as an occupation until 
1864, when he enlisted in the Confederate army, in Colonel SLAYBACK's 
regiment, where he remained a short time and then joined Colonel SEARCEY's 
battalion and remained until the surrender at Shreveport, Louisiana, in June, 
1865. He soon returned to his home and resumed farming with his father until 
1869, and then settled on his present farm, in section 36, which includes 210 
acres, well improved. He was married August 20, 1867, to Miss Mary PATTERSON, 
daughter of J. W. A. PATTERSON. Their family consists of four children - James 
D., Laura R., Sophia and Allie J. Mr. J. is a member of the I. O. O. F.

pg. 391				JOHN KNAUS,

who was one of the early settlers and substantial citizens of Howard county, 
Missouri, was born in Pennsylvania October 9, 1808. His father, Henry KNAUS, 
and mother, Catherine WALTERS, were also natives of Pennsylvania, and were 
born, the father, October 22, 1771, and the mother November 7, 1773. They were 
married April 5, 1791, and in 1817 emigrated to Missouri, settling in Old 
Franklin, in this county, where they made their permanent home. Henry KNAUS 
was a blacksmith by trade, and the maker of the celebrated "Knaus axe," by 
which his name became a household word all over this section of the state. He 
was a man of sturdy worth and strict integrity, and enjoyed the confidence and 
esteem of all who knew him. Mrs. KNAUS came of an excellent family, and to the 
elevating influence of her character upon her children is due not a little of 
the success in life they afterwards achieved. John KNAUS, the subject of this 
memoir, was brought up to the blacksmith trade, and succeeded his father in 
the business, continuing the manufacture of the "Knaus axe," which had now 
come into almost universal use. Inheriting his father's qualities of 
integrity, industry and perserverance, and enjoying the advantages of a 
practical education, in securing which his mother had greatly interested 
herself, he succeeded from the first in the business his father had left him, 
and, giving his attention also to farming and other interests, soon 
accumulated a handsome competence. He was married, April 5, 1841, to Miss Mary 
A. CREWS, a lady of intelligence and refinement, born October 16, 1822. Of 
this union six children were born - Nannie A., wife of Reuben LONG; Walter C., 
Joseph H., Albert G., Ella and Alsia - all of whom are now living. Mr. KNAUS 
died March 6, 1878, and his wife, who survived him about three years, August 
2, 1881.

pg. 392				WALTER C. KNAUS,

now serving his second term as clerk of the circuit court of Howard county, 
was born in this county September 23, 1843. He was second of a family of six, 
the children of John KNAUS, a sketch of whose life has just been given. He was 
reared on his father's farm, near New Franklin, and in youth had the advantage 
of good schools, where he acquired the more practical parts of an English 
education. When about twenty-one years of age he engaged as clerk in a general 
store at Boonesboro, this county, and there continued until he entered upon 
the duties of circuit clerk in 1879. Having discharged the duties of that 
office to the satisfaction of the people, in 1882 he was elected for a further 
term of four years, to expire in 1886. Mr. KNAUS is not an accident in public 
life. He is a man of excellent business qualities, and he is respected by all 
with whom he comes in contact.

pg. 392				REV. J. H. LEADBETTER,

pastor M. E. church south, is a native of South Carolina, having been born 
March 13, 1846. When twelve years of age, his parents went to Alabama, and in 
the military institute of that state he was educated. In 1867 he was licensed 
to preach, and two years afterwards was duly ordained. His first charge was in 
Montgomery, Alabama, after which he was stationed at Monticello, in the same 
state. In 1870 he came to Missouri, and in 1871 had charge of the church in 
this city. In 1872 he was stationed at Wright City, Missouri, and the 
following year went to Jonesburg, where he remained two years. In 1875 he took 
charge of the church in Clarksville, Missouri, and in 1878 was sent to 
Louisiana. There he remained four years, and in 1882 came to Fayette, where he 
is now stationed. Rev. Mr. LEADBETTER is a faithful, earnest minister of the 
gospel, and is a man of more than ordinary natural ability. He has been a 
close student, and as a thinker and speaker is cultured and vigorous. His 
father, Henry W. LEADBETTER, was a native of North Carolina, and his mother, 
whose maiden name was Belinda HERNDON, was also originally of the same state. 
On the 25th of November, 1869, Rev. Mr. LEADBETTER was married to Miss Sue M. 
MEREDITH, a native of Alabama. They have three children - Jodie, Willie and 
Alice.

pg. 392 & 393			JAMES LEVERIDGE,

who for nearly sixty years has been a resident of Howard county, is a son of 
Joseph and Mary (SHIELDS) LEVERIDGE, both of whom were born in Kentucky, the 
former in 1797, and the latter in 1799. James, the eldest of four living 
children by the marriage, was born in Madison county, Kentucky, February 10, 
1818, and came with his parents to this county in 1824. He was early deprived 
of the care of a father in consequence of his being killed by the kick of a 
horse in 1828. He was reared a farmer and has since followed this vocation. 
During the late war he served in the Missouri state guards for six months. Mr. 
L. has been twice married, first, February 10, 1842, to Miss Jane McCULLY, a 
daughter of William McCULLY. Mrs. LEVERIDGE died, September 3, 1874. His 
second marriage occurred February 19, 1878, to Mrs. Martha A. HARRIS, widow of 
Ezekiel HARRIS. Her maiden name was SHORES. The mother of Mr. LEVERIDGE was 
maried a second time to Jacob DITZLER. To them were born eight children, two 
of whom are now living. Mrs. DITZLER died in 1876.

pg. 393				JOSEPH MEGRAW,

of Megraw and Son, contractors, builders and dealers in lumber. In 1847, Mr. 
MEGRAW, then a youth seventeen years of age, came from Ireland to this country 
and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he learned the carpenter's 
trade and remained until 1852, when he came on to Fayette, where he has since 
lived. His parents were both natives of Ireland, and there both lived and 
died. His mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth ADAIR, died in 1849, two 
years before he sailed for America, and his father, Joseph MEGRAW, in 1866. 
Joseph, the subject of this sketch, was born, February 28, 1830. On the 17th 
of August, 1858, he was married here to Miss Martha TINDALL, daughter of T. 
TINDALL, an old and highly-respected citizen of this county. They now have 
five children living: Joseph R., Emma, William J., Thomas T. and Bob J. When 
Mr. MEGRAW landed in this country he was a stranger in a strange land and 
without means. But the material was in him out of which successful men are 
made. He could work, and he was not ashamed or afraid to do it. For many years 
he has been one of the leading contractors and builders of Howard county, and 
there is hardly an important edifice in Fayette or the surrounding country 
that he has not constructed or been consulted in regard to its construcion. 
The court-house, the school-house and other buildings almost innumerable, 
attest the fact that he has not led an idle life. He has been one of the 
school directors since 1868 - for fifteen years - and he has been twice called 
to serve as a member of the city council.

pg. 393 & 394			J. MAISBURGER,

of Maisburger & Smith, blacksmith. Mr. MAISBURGER was hardly a year old when 
he was brought with his father's family to this country from Germany, in 1848, 
having been born in that country October 19th, 1847. The family first settled 
in St. Louis and in a few years afterwards came to Boonville, Missouri, where 
they remained several years and then returned to St. Louis. Returning to 
Boonville they made that their permanent home, and there Joseph, the subject 
of this sketch, was principally reared. In 1860 he began the blacksmith trade 
which he learned and has ever since followed. In April, 1882, he came to 
Fayette and established his present business, forming a partnership with Mr. 
SMITH. He has a family consisting of his wife and four children. His wife, 
before her marriage, which was solemnized June 29th, 1872, was a Miss Laura 
HUBER, and his children are John, Albert T., Mary and Willie. He is a member 
of the Catholic church.

pg. 394 & 395			CAPTAIN WILLIAM F. MITCHELL,

proprietor of the Hotel Howard and present mayor of Fayette, was born in 
Glasgow, Missouri, October 2, 1844. His father, Alexander MITCHELL, an old and 
prominent citizen of Howard county, is a native of Virginia, and was born in 
Gloucester county, April 23d, 1807. He was reared in his native state, where 
in early youth he acquired a good practical education, and afterwards learned 
the carriage maker's business, which he followed there and subsequently a 
number of years in this state. In 1835 he was married to Miss Julia C., 
daughter of Daniel BROWN, of Essex county. Four years afterwards he came with 
his family to this state, first locating in Boone county where he remained 
eighteen months. In 1841 he moved to Glasgow, in Howard county, and engaged in 
carriage making, which he followed in that place until 1846, when he came to 
Fayette, where he has since lived. Here he pursued his regular occupation for 
twenty years. In 1866 he was elected to the office of mayor - the position his 
son now holds - to which he was annually re-elected for fifteen years, his 
last term expiring in 1881. He is now a vererable old gentleman, six years 
beyond the allotted age of three score and ten and is still well preserved in 
mind and body. His life has been an active and useful one, and above all, it 
has been honorable and upright, and he has an enviable position in the social 
and public life of the community in which he lives. His good wife has been 
spared, a motherly and noble-hearted woman, to accompany him and comfort him 
in his old age. Ten children have blessed this union, eight of whom are still 
living; Richard and Edward O. are engaged in the drug business in Linn county; 
Alexander, Jr., and David L. live in Cole county; Julia C. is the wife of 
Charles LEE, of this county; Misses Maria and Laura are with their parents, 
and Captain William F. is the mayor of Fayette, and the subject of this 
sketch. William F.'s youth was not wasted in idleness, but was closely 
occupied and to good advantage, either by attendance in school or by work; for 
the disposition of his father to industry was transmitted to the son, and, 
besides this, his father was not the man to bring his sons up in idleness. He 
had the advantages afforded by the common schools of Fayette and later on 
entered Central college, but his college course was cut off before graduation 
by the breaking out of the war. However, he had succeeded in acquiring a good 
practical education before the war began, notwithstanding he was then but 
seventeen years of age. Like most of the young men of southern parentage and 
sympathies in central Missouri, he identified himself with the south in the 
struggle between the sections, and in August, 1861, enlisted in Captain 
MAJOR's company of General GLARK's division, Missouri state guards, where he 
served three months. He was then transferred to Wade's battery in the regular 
Confederate service, in which he followed the three-barred flag of the south 
through victory and defeat until he was captured in 1862. He was then confined 
in the military prisons of St. Louis and Alton until the summer of 1863. In 
Alton he was prostrated with the small-pox and, his health breaking completely 
down, he was discharged from prison on parole. Returning to Howard county, he 
found the country so disturbed that it was impossible to remain and, 
determined to adhere faithfully to his parole of honor, he went to Illinois, 
where he became interested in the hotel business and remained there until the 
conclusion of the war. After the war closed he came back to Fayette, but only 
remained two months, going hence to St. Louis and engaging there as a clerk on 
a steamboat under Captain Ben JOHNSON. Seven months later, while on the river, 
he was attacked with the malarial fever and shortly afterwards, in 1868, 
returned to Fayette in order to recover his health. Here he accepted a 
position in the Crighler house in which he continued a year, but at the 
expiration of that time became a clerk in W. G. RITCHIE's hotel, where he 
remained six months. He then made a trip to Texas, returning in 1870, and on 
the 18th day of September, of that year, was united in marriage to Miss Nellie 
P. RITCHIE, a refined and accomplished lady, a daughter of W. G. RITCHIE. 
Since then Captain MITCHELL has been engaged in the hotel business in Fayette, 
except one year during which he was a member of the firm of W. G. RITCHIE & 
Co., grocers, in Moberly, Missouri. As noticed above, he is now the proprietor 
of the Hotel Howard, in Fayette. To Captain and Mrs. MITCHELL three children 
have been born, two of whom are now living: Ida May and George Ritchie. 
Captain MITCHELL has twice been deputy sheriff of Howard county - under Mr. 
LELAND from 1876 to 1878; and under Mr. COOPER from 1880 to 1882. Although 
strongly urged to become a candidate in 1882 for the office of sheriff, he 
declined to be antagonized to his friend the present incumbent. At the last 
municipal election of Fayette he was elected mayor of the city, the position 
he now holds. For a number of years he has been prominently identified with 
the public affairs and politics of this section of the state. He is a man of 
great energy, superior intelligence and popular manners, although he is very 
quiet and unassuming in his disposition. In business affairs he is honorable, 
prompt and accommodating, and as a hotel keeper he is a landlord that guests 
like better the longer they know him.

pg. 395 & 396			DAVID O. MORRIS,

of Morteson & Morris, lumber, building material, etc. It is a fact, 
illustrated by the history of almost every town and city, that the successful 
business men come from the farm - have had a farm bringing up. This is often 
remarked, and it is generally attributed to the fact that a farm rearing is 
the more favorable to the formation and development of those qualities of 
character, without which, success in any business is next to impossible. Mr. 
MORRIS, the subject of this brief sketch, reared on the farm and a successful 
business man of Fayette, is another witness to this fact. He was in his 
thirtieth year when he left the farm ten years ago to engage in mercantile 
business, and now he holds a place in the business affairs of Fayette, not 
insignificant, to say the least and to speak with the extreme of modesty. He 
was born in Howard county, Missouri, September 29, 1844, and his father, 
William H. was also a native of this county. In 1873 David O. went to Burton 
and started the first store in that place, and also held the position of 
postmaster there. In 1880 he came to Fayette, and was engaged in various lines 
of business until January, 1883, when he formed his present partnership in 
which he has since continued. The firm carry a heavy stock of lumber and 
building material and is justly popular with the trade. Mr. MORRIS was married 
November 25, 1869, to Miss Mary McCAFFERTY, daughter of Judge McCAFFERTY, of 
this county. One child, Mary, has been born to them. He is a member of the 
Masonic order and of the Baptist church.

pg. 396				WILLIAM H. NIPPER.

	Twenty-five years ago, and for fifteen years prior to that, Mr. NIPPER 
was well known all over Howard county as one of the few good carpenters they 
had to build their houses and homes. He worked in all parts of the county and 
thus became as well known in those days as perhaps any one in it, and he was 
as universally respected, not only as a capable and conscientious mechanic, 
but as an upright man and citizen as he was well known. He is now living on 
his farm in this county, an excellent homestead of 270 acres, where he has 
lived since 1858, and in his old age the respect he enjoyed in earlier life 
has not been diminished. He was born in Caswell county, North Carolina. 
November 5, 1818. His father's Christian name was Samuel, and his mother's 
name before her marriage was Tabitha GORDON. In 1822 his parents moved to 
Blount county, Tennessee, and there William, the subject of this sketch, was 
brought up. In his eighteenth year he began work at the carpenters trade, 
which he learned and followed over twenty years. Marrying in Tennessee in 
1840, Miss Louisa, daughter of S. P. MITCHELL, now of Howard county, becoming 
his wife, three years later he came to Missouri with his family and settled in 
this county, where he has since lived. He has eight children, William H. H., 
James W., Sisco, John L., Maggie, Lou L., Mollie L. and Kate P. Mr. NIPPER is 
a member of the M. E., church south.

pg. 396 & 397			JUDGE HENRY A. NORRIS,

of Norris & Knaus, furniture, house-furnishing goods, undertaking, etc. That 
Howard county, although one of the pioneer counties in the state, so to speak, 
and therefore one of the older ones, is a favorable county for new comers to 
settle in, is proven by the success of almost every one deserving it who has 
come here, and by no one in a more striking manner than by Judge Henry A. 
NORRIS. Judge NORRIS has been a resident of this county but six years, yet he 
is one of the leading citizens and business men of the county, and the 
presiding judge of the county court. A biographical sketch, therefore, of one 
who has shown himself possessed of the elements of success he has envinced, 
cannot be uninteresting. Judge NORRIS is of Virginia parentage, his father and 
mother having been born in that state; his father, Samuel G. NORRIS, June 24, 
1824, and his mother, whose maiden name was Parthenia MURRAY, in June, 1826. 
The father, however, was brought to Missouri by his parents when quite young, 
in 1832. He died in 1872, his wife surviving him, and she now resides in 
Centralia, Boone county, Missouri. Judge NORRIS was born in Boone county, 
December 25, 1846. Having acquired the elements of an education at the common 
schools, at the age of fourteen he entered a store as clerk in his native 
county, in which occupation he continued, with different firms, however, from 
time to time, until 1874. He then gave his attention to farming, which he 
followed until 1877, and in October of that year he came to Fayette, where he 
has since resided. In 1880 he engaged in his present business. He was married 
October 22, 1871, to Miss Fannie FRAZIER, a native of Kentucky. Boyd G. and 
Mattie F. have been born to them. Judge NORRIS, as a business man and as a 
citizen and public officer, is deservedly popular and respected.

pg. 397				CHARLES M. OGDEN,

wagon-maker. Mr. OGDEN may be called a new-comer to Howard county, having 
settled in Fayette to pursue his trade only three years ago; but identifying 
himself at once with the interests of the people, he has long since come to be 
regarded as one of the good and useful citizens of the community. He came 
originally from Ohio and was born in that state, in August, 1832. In 1856, 
having learned the wagonmaker's trade, he went from Ohio to Wayne county, 
Indiana, where he remained until 1868. He then came to Missouri, and in 1872 
settled in St. Clair county, continuing there until he came to Fayette in 
1880. He was married, January 28, 1856, to Miss Margaret JOHNS, of Indiana, 
and he has a family of seven children - Virginia, Mattie, Lizzie, Grant, 
Nellie, Alice and Frank.

pg. 397 & 398			JAMES W. A. PATTERSON,

like many of the early settlers of Howard county, is a native of Kentucky, and 
was born in Shelby county, May 22, 1808. His father, William PATTERSON, and 
his grandfather, James PATTERSON, were both natives of Virginia and of Scotch 
extraction. The father of James came to Kentucky in 1792; he died in 1821. His 
mother's maiden name was Mary ALLEN. She was born near Harper's Ferry, in 
Virginia; her death occurred in 1854. The subject of this sketch in 1824, was 
apprenticed to learn the tanner's trade, and served four years. In 1828 he 
came to Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri, and worked at his trade a few 
months and then removed to Fayette and become a partner of William GIVENS in 
the tannery business. After the death of his partner he continued the business 
until 1837, and then engaged in farming until 1842, when he resumed his former 
occupation, doing an extensive business until 1854. He then returned to his 
farm where he has since lived and accumulated a competency. During the war he 
remained at home, but in common with others he suffered very greatly, 
pecuniarily estimating his loss at $40,000. His landed estate before dividing 
with his children was about 1,000 acres; his homestead comprises 452 acres. In 
1868, he was elected to represent the county in the state legislature and 
filled the position with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his 
constituents. He was married, January 6, 1836, to Miss Jane TURNER, who was 
born in Howard county, March 3, 1816. Mrs. PATTERSON's father, James TURNER, 
was a native of Madison county, Kentucky. He came to Old Franklin in 1809. The 
family of Mr. and Mrs. PATTERSON consists of five children living: Elizabeth, 
now Mrs. BERKLEY; Mary J., now Mrs. JORDAN; Laura R., Robert A., James W. One 
son, William, is deceased.

pg. 398				R. J. PAYNE,

one of the oldest citizens of this vincinity, and a man who has been 
identified with the interests of the county for a long period, was born here 
on his present farm, May 1, 1825, his father being Robert PAYNE, of Scott 
county, Ky. May 25, 1848, R. J. was united in marriage to Miss Leonora BENSON, 
of Howard county, and the daughter of Zachariah and Martha BENSON, of 
Kentucky. She died May 6, 1866, leaving four children - Laura F., William, 
Thomas J. and Robert W. Mr. PAYNE is actively engaged in farming and the 
raising of stock upon section 36, and is the owner of a farm of 480 acres, 
under good cultivation.

pg. 398				JOHN W. AND JAMES M. PEACHER,

farmers and millers. These gentlemen are well-known farmers and business men 
of Howard county. They have a farm of one hundred and fifty-six acres, and 
their mill is a saw and grist mill. Both were reared in this county - John W. 
having been born January 11, 1850, and James M., June 25, 1852. Their father, 
William PEACHER, was also born and brought up in this county, and the mother, 
whose name before her marriage was Emily F. BURNAN, was of Macon county, Mo. 
Their father is now dead. It was about 1860 that they settled in their present 
place, and since the death of their father they have been very successful in 
farming and milling, which they make their entire business.

pg. 399				WILLIAM S. PEARSON

is one of the substantial and successful farmers of Howard county. He was born 
and reared in this county, and is now forty-eight years of age. His father, 
Thomas HERNDON, and mother, whose maiden name was Lucy CARTNER, were both 
natives of England, and came to Howard county at an early day. They had seven 
children, William S., the subject of this sketch, being the fourth. His father 
died in 1847, and his mother in 1875. Both were well represented by all who 
knew them, and were deeply regretted when they passed away. William S. PEARSON 
was married, September 10, 1869, to Miss Fannie, daughter of John SNELL, who 
was one of the early settlers of the county. Mr. SNELL died in September, 
1870, and Mrs. PEARSON, his daughter, February 17, 1871. She was a most 
amiable and estimable lady, and in her home she seemed to live only for the 
happiness of those around her. Mr. PEARSON served with the "Richmond Grays" 
eight months during the war, but was then taken prisoner and paroled. He is a 
member of the Christian church, and also of the I.O.O.F. As a farmer and a 
citizen he holds an enviable place in the estimation of his neighbors and all 
who know him.

pg. 399				ISAAC PEARSON,

an early but now retired merchant of Fayette, Missouri, was born in Kendal, 
Westmoreland county, England, January 20, 1810. John PEARSON, his father, and 
his mother, Mary PEARSON, whose maiden name was BLAND, were also natives of 
England. On the 27th of December, 1825, Isaac PEARSON, with his brother, 
Thomas H., sailed for America, arriving in Philadelphia February 17, 1826. In 
the spring of the following year, Isaac, the subject of this sketch, having 
gone to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the meantime, came by river from that 
city to Franklin, in this county, on the steamboat Muskingum, reaching there 
April 9, 1827. There he engaged as clerk in the store of Joseph SIMPSON, an 
acquaintenance of his father's . Afterwards he went to Sante Fe, New Mexico, 
and about 1830 to Chihuahua, where he engaged in merchandising. From that 
point he went to Old Mexico, and finally to the city of Mexico; but after an 
absence of nearly five years he returned to Missouri, and in 1835 he and his 
brother, Thomas H., engaged in merchandising at Fayette, in which he continued 
about four years, when he went on a farm. Later on he returned to the 
mercantile business, and was a partner of Boone, Pearson & Smith, of Fayette, 
and Boone, Bostwick & Co., of Glasgow, continuing until 1864, when the store 
at Glasgow was burned during an attack by the soldiery on that place, by which 
a loss of over $50,000 was inflicted. In 1837 he was married to Miss Julia A. 
HUNTINGTON, daughter of Jonathan HUNTINGTON, and of this union Isaac H., the 
son now in business in Fayette, was born. Mr. PEARSON has led an active and 
somewhat eventful life, and through all the vicissitudes of fortune has ever 
maintained a strict integrity and a spotless name among those who know him 
best.


SOURCE: History of Howard and Cooper Counties, St. Louis: National Historical
Company, 1883, (Richmond township, pp. 358-399.)