Biographical Sketch of William Shockey, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** William Shockey, president of the Roseland Farm & Manufacturing Company of Warrensburg, was born one mile east of St. Louis, Missouri, on the home place of the Shockeys, which was located on the banks of Horseshoe Lake. He was born in 1869, the son of John E. and Mary E. (Beems) Shockey, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Illinois. They were the parents of the following children: Josie B., the wife of Charles B. Ming, formerly of Warrensburg, now residing in Los Angeles, California; who is the son of the honored pioneer of Warrensburg, in whose honor the street was named Ming; Kate S., the wife of Albert Mor- row, now deceased, and she resides in Jefferson City, Missouri; Nellie S., the wife of John F. Grote, Clinton, Iowa; Lovell, who was a well known citizen of St. Louis, Missouri, who died in 1914 and he was in- terred in the cemetery at Warrensburg; and Mayme, wife of Edgar M. Scott, of St. Louis, Missouri. John E. Shockey moved with his family to Johnson county in 1871 and settled in Warrensburg, where he was for a long time engaged in conducting a livery, feed and sale stable. He later entered the mercantile business in partnership with W. H. Lee, the firm owning a hardware store where the Citizens Bank is now locat- ed. Mr. Shockey abandoned the hardware business and engaged in the grocery business, associated with Alex O. Redford and J. Ray Kelley. He was succeeded in business by his son, William Shockey, in 1892. The father died in 1903 and was buried in the Warrensburg cemetery. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Shockey has resided in St. Louis, Mo. William Shockey attended the public schools of Warrensburg and the Warrensburg State Normal School and completed the C course in 1887. He was for a number of years employed by the mercantile firm, Shockey and Kelley, in Warrensburg. Later, William Shockey and Dean S. Redford were associated in business, under the firm name of Redford & Shockey. Mr. Shockey purchased Mr. Redford's interest in the firm and for sever- al years conducted the grocery business alone, until 1905. Since 1907 he has devoted his entire attention to the interests of the Roseland Farm & Manufacturing Company, of which he is president. William Shoc- key is also general manager of the company and has sole charge of the sales department. William E. Sutton and Arch Greim attended to the buying. The Roseland Farm & Manufacturing Company began business on the farm belonging to Charlie Baile near Pertle Springs, in 1898. The low price of hogs in 1897 was the underlying cause, responsible for the establishment of this factory. At this time, William Shockey, was in the grocery business, his store being located on Pine street in Warren- sburg. Mr. Baile raised and fed hogs extensively and he killed the animals, made sausage, cured the hams, and made other products, which Mr. Shockey handled through his store and assisted in marketing all the products, which he was unable to sell in his store. This firm made a specialty of country cured sausage and hams and they furnished the best hotels and restaurants with their products. The first year, 1898, about three or four hundred hogs were killed. The business has grown marvelously within the past score of years and 6,000 hogs were killed during the past year. In 1907, Mr. Shockey purchased the interest of Mr. Baile and moved the factory to the Eureka Mills building, the loca- tion of the first large mill in Johnson county, and has continued the business at this place ever since that time. The company employs fif- teen men the entire year. They sell both fresh and cured meats. In 1909, the firm began the manufacture of ice in connection with their meat business and they now have a large storage plant for ice in conn- ection with their factory. This plant has a storage capacity of 1,000 tons of ice and the walls of the building are 17" in thickness, with 4" of cork lining the entire structure. The cost of the cork alone was $3,000. The pump capacity is 40 gallons a minute. The well, an 800 foot drilled well, used in connection with the manufacture of ice, furnishes water for cooling purposes alone, as the ice is manufactured from the city water. The plant ordinarily has a capacity of 15 tons of ice each day, with a storage of 30 tons, used in connection with their meat products. The meat is smoked with green hickory wood. The Rose- land Farm & Manufacturing Company own their electric light plant and, in 1917, are installing a fertilizing plant. The meats in storage are kept a minimum temperature of 34 degrees and every sanitary precaution is taken in the handling of the products. The demand for these pro- ducts is much greater than the production. The company owns 15 acres of land within the city limits of Warrensburg and their plant is locat- ed at 333 and 335 East Gay street on the railroad switch. This busi- ness establishment is one of which Johnson county is proud to claim. April 27, 1898, William B. Shockey and Blanche Harwood were united in marriage. Mrs. Shockey is the daughter of Robert B. and Rosa E. (Des- Combes) Harwood. Robert B. Harwood was one of the most respected of the brave pioneers of Johnson county. He served the county as county clerk for two terms. Mr. Harwood was one of Warrensburg's best citi- zens and his death was the source of the deepest regret in this commun- ity. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Harwood has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. William Shockey. To William B. and Blanche (Harwood) Shockey have been born two children: William Harwood and Eleanor Blanche. Mr. and Mrs. Shockey reside at 408 Normal avenue, in Warrensburg. William Shockey is affiliated with the Corinthian Lodge No. 265, of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Demolay Chap- ter No. 26, of the Royal Arch Masons. He is one of Johnson county's progressive citizens. ==================================================================== 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. 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