Biographical Sketch of John Colster, Johnson County, Missouri,
Centerview Township.

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
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John Colster, a well known and successful farmer and stockman of 
Centerview township, one of Johnson county's most substantial citizens,
is a "self-made" man.  Mr. Colster is now owner of a fine stock farm,
comprising two hundred forty acres of very productive land, and the day
has not long past when he was well pleased to obtain employment, at
eight and ten dollars a month pay.  He was born in 1853 in St. Charles
county, Missouri, a son of Barney Colster, who was of German descent.
Both his father and mother have long since been deceased.  Early in
life, when he was scarcely more than a child, John Colster was placed
upon his own resources and obliged to work at any sort of labor he was
able to do and to secure.  He often was employed in hard work, for 
which he received from eight to ten dollars a month in remuneration.
At the age of sixteen years, he obtained work hauling hay to the market
in St. Louis, Missouri, for which he was paid twenty-five dollars a 
month and the "month" meant both day and night time.  Even in childhood
Mr. Colster betrayed propensities for thrift and from the beginning of
his active career in life he has practiced constant industry and 
economy.  In due time, he began to prosper and to accumulate a compet-
ence.  In 1880, Mr. Colster came to Johnson county and located in
Centerview township, where he purchased a farm of one hundred sixty
acres of land in 1901, to which he has added during the past sixteen
years, and now owns a tract comprising two hundred forty acres, as
above mentioned.  This place is nicely improved with numerous large
farm buildings and a comfortable residence and the land is supplied
with an abundance of water.  Mr. Colster is pursuing all the best and
most progressive methods of soil improvement known to well informed
agriculturists.  He harvested fifty tons of hay, one thousand five
hundred seventy bushels of wheat, five hundred thirty bushels of oats,
and had one hundred twenty-five acres of the farm in corn land, in
1917, and planted ninety acres of his place in wheat.  At the present
time, Mr. Colster has one hundred head of hogs and fifty head of 
cattle.  He buys and feeds cattle extensively each year.  There are 
several horses and mules on the farm and from four to six mule colts 
are raised annually.  In 1873, John Colster and Mary Cavanaugh were
united in marriage.  Mrs. Colster died within a few months after their
marriage.  In 1877, Mr. Colster was again married, his second wife
being Margaretta Bellman.  To this union have been born sixteen child-
ren, twelve of whom are now living: Mrs. Elizabeth Brisco, Holden,
Missouri; John, Jr., Holden, Missouri; Al, Columbus, Missouri; Mrs. 
Dora Lohe, Centerview, Missouri; Robert, Centerview, Missouri; Mrs.
Emma Crew, Holden, Missouri; Mrs. Maggie Penson, Holden, Missouri; 
Fred, Henry, Ida, Nicholas and Charles, all of Centerview, Missouri.
Of this remarkable family, six of the children composed three differ-
ent pairs of twins.  Mr. and Mrs. Colster deserve much praise and honor
for the splendid manner in which they have reared their large family,
each member fitted to assume a responsible and respectable station in
life.  The Colsters are consistent members of the Catholic church.  Mr.
Colster is keenly interested in civic and political matters and an 
active Democrat.

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