Biographical Sketch of Orl Stillwell, Johnson County, Missouri,
Warrensburg. 

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
**********************************************************************

Orl Stillwell, the Ford auto agent of Warrensburg, Missouri, is one of
the brave clan of honored pioneers of Johnson county, a Civil War vet-
eran, and at the age of 73 years the youngest, most active, most prog-
ressive man in Missouri.  He was born February 22, 1844 in Know county,
Ohio, the son of E. and Mary (Hamrick) Stillwell, the former a native 
of Maryland and the latter of Virginia.  The mother died in 1857 and 
Mr. Stillwell moved from Ohio to Missouri, locating first at Georgetown
in Pettis county, where he remained several years, coming to Warrens-
burg during the war, in 1864.  Mr. Stillwell opened a dry goods store
in the old town of Warrensburg with a branch store in Rockville, Miss-
ouri, on the Osage river, and to the latter store he shipped goods on
flatboats.  At one time he had a large invoice of goods on the way to
Rockville, when the low stage of the Osage river prevented him from 
going further by water and Mr. Stillwell was obliged to haul the art-
icles the rest of the way.  The delay and a heavy drop in prices caused
him a loss of more than eight thousand dollars.  Mr. Stillwell was a
great admirer of Francis M. Cockrell and the senator was one of the 
most valued customers of the Stillwell store in the old town. The death
of E. Stillwell occurred in 1910 in Warrensburg and his remains are 
interred in the Warrensburg cemetery.  Orl Stillwell received his educ-
ation in the public schools of Knox county, Ohio and Pettis county,
Missouri.  He enlisted in the Civil War in 1861 at Georgetown, Missouri
and served with the Union army throughout the war.  Orl Stillwell was
a member of Company C, serving under Major Montgomery.  He was in the
battle of Pearidge on Wilson creek and fifty-one other engagements. Mr. 
Stillwell was in the service fifty-two months and during that time took
active part in fifty-two battles.  He was at Vicksburg twice; Jackson,
Mississippi, twice; with General Sherman on his march to the sea; and 
with Banks on the Red river expedition.  Mr. Stillwell was mustered out
and honorably discharged at New Orleans, Louisiana at the close of the
war.  After the war had ended he remained three years on the coast of
the Gulf of Mexico working in the employ of a New York lumber company.
He worked on the first iron hull vessel that operated in the gulf.  Mr.
Stillwell returned to Warrensburg in 1867 and assisted his father in 
the store and he has been connected with all sorts of mercantile 
affairs since that time.  For 21 years he was employed at the water
works at Pertle Springs.  Orl Stillwell is the pioneer automobile man 
of Johnson county.  When he entered the automobile business there were
but seven cars in the state.  He sold the first Ford car in the county
to Dr. W. E. Johnson.  This machine was a red one and is still in good
running condition.  It is a model R, roadster.  Mr. Stillwell's place
of business is located at 109 West Culton street in Warrensburg.  Prior
to entering the automobile business, he was engaged in the hardware
business in Warrensburg.  January 2, 1867, Orl Stillwell was united in
marriage with Sarah Patterson, the daughter of Francis and Mary (Ginn)
Patterson; of Washington county, Ohio.  Mrs. Sarah (Patterson) Still-
well was born in Washington county, Ohio near Marietta.  Her father was
a native of Washington county.  He enlisted in the Civil War in 1861 in
the Forty-second Ohio Infantry and served two years when he was taken
prisoner in 1863 and sent to Andersonville, where he died.  Mary (Ginn)
Patterson was born in Maryland.  Her father was a cousin of the Ginns
of Baltimore, widely known book publishers.  Mrs. Patterson was born
in 1824 and died in 1907 in Warrensburg.  Her remains were interred in
Washington cemetery.  Mrs. Stillwell is the only living one of the the
three children born to Francis and Mary (Ginn) Patterson, who were as
follows: Mrs. Orl Stillwell, the wife of the subject of this review;
Mrs. Susie Parmeter, who died in Morgan county, Ohio; and Mrs. Carrie
Flinn, who died in West Virginia.  Sarah (Patterson) Stillwell came to
Warrensburg with her widowed mother in 1867 and after the daughter's
marriage the mother continued to make her home with Mrs. Stillwell.  To
Orl and Sarah (Patterson) Stillwell has been born one child, a daughter
Mattie, who is employed as clerk at Shepard's Dry Goods Store in 
Warrensburg.  For more than a half century, Mr. Stillwell has been a
resident of Johnson county.  He recalls the days prior to the Civil 
War, when people hauled bacon from Warsaw to Lexington, Missouri and 
sold it for one dollar a cut.  He remembers a still in Georgetown,
Missouri where a man might have his bottle filled with most any sort of
liquor for fifteen cents, the size of the bottle being no consideration.
Mr. Stillwell is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons
and he is a Royal Arch Mason and a Knights Templar.  He is also a mem-
ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of Warrensburg.

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