Biographical Sketch of L. N. Yoder, Johnson County, Missouri, Rose Hill Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** L. N. Yoder, a prominent farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township, came to Johnson county in 1870 and settled on the farm where he now resides. Mr. Yoder is a native of Ohio. He was born in 1846, a son of Samuel and Katherine (Nofzinger) Yoder. His grandfather, Jacob Yoder, was a resident of Pennsylvania and of German descent. Katherine (Nofzinger) Yoder was the daughter of Valentine Nofzinger, a native of Germany. Mr. Yoder, whose name introduces this sketch, received his education in the public schools of Ohio. When he came to Missouri, he purchased 40 acres of land in Johnson county, for which he paid twenty- five dollars an acre. During the past forty-eight years, he has con- stantly increased his holdings by purchase and is now the owner of 168 acres of Johnson county's choicest farm land, which is worth at the lowest figure one hundred dollars an acre. In the early days of his coming West, Mr. Yoder engaged in farming and stock raising on a very small scale. He built a small box house in which he lived for several years. Later, he moved it to the present location of his residence and built a few additions to it and this was the Yoder home until 1887, when the large, two story structure was built, which is now the home, a house of handsome and commanding appearance. The maple trees, which Mr. Yoder planted in the early days, are now large and beautiful and furnish an abundance of fine shade on the well kept lawn. The Yoder farm is well watered and equipped for handling stock. for many years, Poland China hogs and Shorthorn cattle have been raised on this place and annually nearly a dozen cows have been milked. L. N. Yoder is at present giving more attention to the breeding of white face cattle for the market and in the last few years has not been keeping so many milch cows. Mr. Yoder's son, Clarence G., is in partnership with his father in the business of farming and stock raising and he has the complete management of the farm. In 1869, L. N. Yoder and Susan Gerber, daugh- ter of Joseph Gerber, were united in marriage in Indiana. To this union were born eight children: Mrs. Adaline Richards, Wooster, Ohio; Samuel, Kent, Ohio; Frank, Garden City, Missouri; Mrs. Ellen Rayburn, Holden, Missouri; Will, Quick City, Missouri; Mrs. Mable Joy, Holden, Missouri; Rolla, Ft. Kearney, California, a prive in the National Army, Company K, One Hundred Fifty-eighth Regiment; and Clarence G., the widely known auctioneer, who resides on the home place with his father. Mrs. Yoder died in March, 1911. There was much open prairie in Miss- ouri, when L. N. Yoder settled in Johnson county over two score years ago. Fences were practically unknown and anyone was privileged to go wherever he desired to cut hay and take all he wanted. Mr. Yoder tells how he was want to kill the wild ducks which haunted a pond near his home. They were called wild, but he thinks they were not so wild as they now are. Frequently, he killed three with one shot, with a rifle. Among the early preachers, he recalls Reverend Hulse, a pioneer Metho- dist minister. L. N. Yoder came West nearly fifty years ago to buy cheap land and thirty-five years later, his son, Samuel, went to his father's native state of Ohio in order to buy cheap land. In the course of time, the pendulum always swings backward. The marvelous increase in land values is only one of the countless changes which have taken place in this section of Missouri since Mr. Yoder came to make his home in Johnson county, all of which he has observed. He has ever been ready and willing to wupport any worthy cause, that had for its object the betterment of conditions and no citizen in Rose Hill town- ship has done his part more cheerfully and nobly than has he in aiding the advancement of both the county and the state. Mr. Yoder is a man worthy of the highest respect and consideration. ==================================================================== 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 Harrell ====================================================================