Biographical Sketch of James A. Haller, Johnson County, Missouri, Rose Hill Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** James A. Haller, manager of the John A. Haller Farm Company, is one of Johnson county's most progressive and successful agriculturists. Mr. Haller is a native of Kentucky. He was born in 1872 in Nicholas coun- ty, son of Dr. John A. and Martha Ellen Haller, both of whom were natives of Nicholas county, Kentucky. Dr. John A. Haller was a son of John Haller, Sr., who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and in boyhood went to Kentucky. The Haller family is of German lineage. Martha Ellen Haller is a daughter of a prosperous plantation owner of Kentucky now deceased. Dr. John A. Haller came to Missouri in 1879 and settled on a farm in Rose Hill township, Johnson county, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising in addition to practicing medicine. Dr. Haller had a large practice and became very prominent both in the medi- cal profession and in the stock business. He was industrious and ambitious and at the time of his death, in 1901, was owner of five hundred seventy acres of land. He raised stock extensively but did general farming as well. Dr. Haller was twice married and of the five children born to his first marriage, four are now living, namely: Missouri E., Latour, Missouri; Mrs. Florence Ingram, Latour, Missouri; James A., subject of this review; and Charles N., Latour, Missouri. After the death of Martha Ellen Haller, Doctor Haller remarried and he was the father of eight children, six of whom are now living: John; Hattie, the wife of Mr. Deatley, Blairstown, Missouri; Mrs. Pearl B. Harper, Holden, Missouri; Bernie, Paonia, Colorado; Doctor Forest, Garden City, Missouri; and Raymond, Craig, Montana. James A. Haller attended school at Rose Hill, where Albert Gloyd was his first teacher. Miss Hattie Sheller later taught the school when Mr. Haller was a schoolboy in attendance. He recalls among his schoolmates several men and women now residing in his neighborhood, among them: C. I. Hunt, the Sheller boys, and Blanche D. Corbin. Reverend J. C. Littrell and Rev- erend "Billy" Whitsett were pioneer preachers still preaching in Mr. Haller's youth. He remembers the days of horseback riding, when old men and women, the middle aged, and even little children traveled on horseback. When he was a lad, there was still much unfenced land in Johnson county and an abundance of wild game. Roads had not yet been built and even in the eighties the settlers of Johnson county went from place to place by direction and along trails. Mr. Haller is a graduate of the Warrensburg State Normal School in the class of 1900. Prior to graduation, he was engaged in teaching school at Scaly Bark, Star, Mt. Xenia, and in Rose Hill township and at Gallatin, Missouri. After he had graduated, he entered the Kansas City Law School, from which insti- tution he graduated with the class of 1901. Mr. Haller then formed a partnership with D. C. Lewis, a leading attorney of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and for one year was engaged in the practice of law. He was appointed administrator of his father's estate and at the time of the latter's demise, James A. Haller returned to Johnson county and later organized the John A. Haller Farm Company and has since been efficient- ly managing the business affairs of this organization, of which Dr. Haller's second wife and the following sisters and brothers are members: Missouri E., Florence, Charles N., John H. and Hattie. James A. Haller is of course a member of the company and under his capable and careful management the organization has proven to be a wise and splendid one. Annually, he handles fifty head of mules, twenty head of horses, nearly two hundred head of cattle, three hundred head of hogs, besides taking care of the nine hundred acres of the company's land, on which he raised in 1917, two hundred tons of hay and had sixty acres in wheat, one hundred fifty acres in corn, and had two hundred acres of wheat sown. Last year he had five hundred head of hogs. There are on the place hundreds of chickens and Mrs. Haller plans to have three hundred winter layers. Both Mr. and Mrs. Haller are energetick, enthusiastic, young people and they are making a splendid success of life. James A. Haller was united in marriage with Blanche D. Corbin, daughter of L. H. Corbin, a former schoolmate and playmate. To this union have been born four children: Jean W., Martha May, Sallie B. and W. Tipton. Mr. Corbin makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Haller. Mrs. Corbin is deceased. Mr. Haller has been an active Republican for many years. Both he and Mrs. Haller are highly regarded and esteemed in Johnson county, where the Haller family is widely known and respected. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny (Eisenbarger) Harrell ====================================================================