Biographical Sketch of W. S. Early, Johnson County, Missouri, Chilhowee 
Township

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
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W. S. Early, a successful and prosperous farmer and stockman of Chil-
howee township, is a native of Ohio.  He was born in 1866, the son of
Jacob and Sarah A. (Weaver) Early, whose parents were Virginians, who
had settled in Ohio in the early days.  Jacob Early was the son of
Samuel Early.  Sarah A. (Weaver) Early was the daughter of David 
Weaver, of Rockingham county, Virginia.  Jacob Early was a veteran of
the Union army, in which he had served three years during the Civil 
War.  His death occurred in Ohio several years ago.  Mr. Early, whose
name introduces this sketch, attended school at Oakland, where Miss
Williams was employed as teacher.  In the days of his youth, he heard
many of the pioneer preachers expound the Scriptures, among whom he
recalls: Reverends Reavis, Dr. Reese, Houx and Gillam.  W. S. Early 
was fifteen years of agen when he came to Missouri in 1880 and with
his brother, D. S. Early, located on a farm south of Warrensburg, 
where the Earlys purchased 160 acres of land and resided for 5 years.
At the close of that period of time, D. S. and W. S. Early purchased
the interests of the other members of the family in the farm and then
when they had sold the place, W. S. Early moved to Warrensburg, where
he entered the feed and grain business and conducted a wagon yard. In
the meantime he had married and for five years was engaged in farming
and stock raising on the place owned by his wife's father.  In 1895,
Mr. Early moved to the Jacob Eppright farm.  He and Mrs. Early are 
now owners of 320 acres of choice farm land in Chilhowee township, 200
acres of which are in pasture land and grass.  In 1905, Mr. Early 
built a handsome residence, a house of thirteen rooms, where he and
his wife reside.  He raises a large number of Duroc Jersey hogs and
Shorthorn cattle annually and Mrs. Early always raises a fine flock of
Rhode Island Red chickens each year.  She has complete charge of the
poultry on the farm and has been remarkably successful in the manage-
ment of her department of the farm work.  In 1886, W. S. Early and
Berea M. Eppright were united in marriage.  Mrs. Early is the daughter
of Jacob and Elizabeth Jane Eppright.  The Epprights were among the
first settlers of this county, to which they came in a very early day.
A more comprehensive account of the family appears elswhere in this
volume.  Berea M. (Eppright) Early has one sister now living, Mrs.
Myrtle C. Mitchell, of Colorado.  Mrs. Early well remembers how her 
mother was want to take the wool, which the father had cut from the
sheep they raised, down to the creek and there wash it before she began
to card and spin it.  Her family went to church every Sunday in the 
farm wagon.  The Eppright children attended school at Pleasant Green 
and when Mrs. Early was a young girl, she knew personally Revernd Kav-
anaugh and frequently heard her uncle, J. Cal Litteral, preach.  He 
was considered one of the most able of the pioneer evangelists.  To 
Mr. and Mrs. Early have been born five children: Jacob F., Centerview,
Missouri; Forest D., Warrensburg, Missouri; Mrs. Blanche Weigand, Cen-
terview, Missouri; Willard J. H., Warrensburg, Missouri; and Charles E.,
Centerview, Missouri.  The Early family is well known and highly 
respected in Johnson county.  Mr. and Mrs. Early are worthy and valued
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.

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