Polk County, Missouri Biographies - La Fayette WILCOX

History Of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade And Barton Counties, 
Missouri; 1889, published by Goodspeed, Pgs. 711, 712, 
Polk County Biography Section

La Fayette Wilcox, one of the old and prominent citizens of Polk
County, Mo., was born in Cabell County, W. Va., October 23, 1837,
his parents being Erasmus D. and Jane (Stamps) Wilcox, natives,
respectively, of Massachusetts and Virginia, the former's birth
occurring in 1803 and the latter's in 1811.  The father left his
native State when a young man and went to Virginia, where he met
and married Miss Stamps, and resided until 1844, when he came to
Polk County, Mo., and located in what is now Benton Township,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, his capital at that
time being very limited.  He was also engaged in selling Seth
Thomas clocks, and, too, followed steam-boating on the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers as captain.  In 1856 he turned his stock farm
over to his sons and embarked in mercantile pursuits on Lindley
Creek, which he continued until his death.  October 16, 1861,
when he was killed by Federal troops, he having been a captain
of a company in the Confederate army.  He was a finely educated
man and was very successful in every enterprise in which he 
engaged, being one of the wealthy citizens of the county at the
breaking out of the Rebellion.  For many years he had been a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was always
very liberal in his contributions to churches and schools.  He
was a life-long Democrat.  To him and his first wife, who died
in Polk County, Mo., March 3, 1846, were born seven children,
five of whom are living: R. H., a farmer of Audrain County, Mo.;
William A., a resident of Bolivar; Cornelia, a resident of Texas;
La Fayette; and Albert, a farmer of Boone County, Mo.  His second
wife, whose maiden name was Nancy Smart, bore him two children:
H. B., a farmer of Boone County, Mo., and Mary J., a resident of
Taylor County, Iowa.  His last marriage (to Miss Martha Batton)
resulted in the birth of a daughter, Irena, who resides in Carroll
County, Ark.  His widow is also residing there.  La Fayette Wilcox
received his rudimentary education in the common schools of Polk
County, and finished his education in Danville College in Virginia.
After completing his college course he returned to Polk County,
Mo., and turned his attention to farming and stock raising, which
he has very successfully continued up to the present time, the
property which he now has being the result of good business
ability and energy, as his father lost all his property during
the war.  February 12, 1860, he was married to Miss Mary E.,
daughter of William B. Hunter, of Bolivar.  She was born in
Washington County, Tenn., October 28, 1842, and her union with
Mr. Wilcox has resulted in the birth of quite a large family,
these children living: William E., Charles S., Fanny, Minnie,
Mary T., Bertie and A. J.  All the sons are engaged in farming.
James, another son, died when three years of age.  Mr. Wilcox is
a Democrat; a member of the A.O.U.W., and is one of the highly
esteemed citizens of the county.
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