Ray County, Missouri - Ray County Conservator: George I. Wasson Source: Ray County Conservator also see obit: Biographical. George I. Wasson was born in Wilson county, Tennessee, Sept. 19, 1819, and lived with his parents on a farm until he became of age, and moved to Ray county, Missouri, in 1840. Some time after reaching this county he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and served in that capacity acceptably to the people. He was elected constable of Richmond township and held the office several terms and was afterwards elected Sheriff and served the people acceptably for four years. In 1849 in connection with Jos. S. Hughes he engaged in the mercantile business, and continued in that business a number of years. He was elected president of the branch of the Union Bank of Missouri located at Richmond, which position he held until 1865, when he embarked in the private banking business. He was at one time a director of the branch of the Union Bank of Missouri, located at Lexington, and afterwards elected a director of the Union National Bank of St. Louis, and when it failed was appointed to wind up its business. He continued in the banking business until 1877, when he sold out and engaged in the mercantile business, but only continued in that business a short while, and traded his stock of goods for hotel property, and became the owner of the Shaw House, the name of which he changed to Wasson House, and continued in that business until about a year previous to his death. During the war and after its close for several years he dealt largely in tobacco and pork packing, and made and lost several fortunes in speculations. On the 22d of October, 1842, he was married to Miss Angeline B. Chiles, of Madison county, New York, who is a most excellent woman and was a great help to him during their long married life, and who new survives him. To them were born two children, who died in their infancy. After more than a year of suffering from heart and stomach troubles Geo. I. Wasson breathed his last at his home in Richmond on Tuesday morning, April 19th, 1893, at the age of 73 years and 7 months. Funeral services will be held at the Christian church to-day at 2:30 o’clock, after which the remains will be buried in the city cemetery. We extend our sincere sympathy to his widow and relatives who have sustained an irreparable loss. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Jenna Zunker ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biography Source: 1881 Ray County History, p. 537-538 George I. Wasson was born September 19, 1819, in Wilson county, Tennessee, where he lived with his father, till he was twenty-one years of age. In 1840, he moved from Tennessee to Missouri, and located in Richmond, Ray county, a stranger, young, without friends, without money , and with no resource, save his indomitable energy, pluck, perseverance, and habits of sobriety and economy. The young Tennessean was not long in making "troops of friends"; his affability, good nature, and generous, obliging disposition, soon gained for him the esteem of all around him, and he was not long in finding employment, at once congenial, responsible and remunerative. Shortly after his arrival, he was appointed deputy sheriff of Ray county, and after holding this position, discharging its duties with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his principal and the people, he entered a dry goods store as clerk, and continued this occupation about two years. He was then elected constable of Richmond township, and held the office continuously till the year 1846, when, appreciating his steady habits, honesty, capacity and fidelity, the people elected him to the responsible office of sheriff of the county; and at the close of his term, two years afterward, chose him as his own successor. In 1849 in connection with Joseph S. Hughes, he opened a dry goods store. He continued in this business, meanwhile conducting a fine farm of six hundred acres, near Richmond, and dealing extensively in leaf tobacco, till in 1866. In ___ he was elected president of the branch of Union Bank of Missouri, located in Richmond, and served with efficiency in this capacity till 1865, in which year he embarked in the private banking business. He continued in this business about twelve years, or until 1877, when he sold out, and engaged in the leaf tobacco trade, packing, pressing, and shipping, in which he was quite successful; but after about one year he resumed the mercantile business. In September 1879, he exchanged his store for the hotel formerly known as the Shaw house, which same he has changed to Wasson house. Mr. Wasson is now owner and proprietor of the Wasson house, which he has greatly improved. He is a man of great versatility, of strong natural common sense, quick to comprehend, and of far-seeing sagacity. Knowingly, he never wounds the feelings of any man; he is ever the friend of public enterprise, of education, and of whatever he believes to be conclucive to the good of his friends, of the town in which he lives, or of his county. In whatever department of industry he is engaged, he is the same genial, courteous, and accommodating gentleman, of generous impulses, warm-hearted, sympathetic, and kind - hundreds of his fellow-citizens, less fortunate than himself, are indebted to him for deeds of charity. In 18_ he was elected a director of the branch of the Union Bank of Missouri, located at Lexington, Missouri, and in 1868 he was elected a director of the Union National Bank, of St. Louis, and remained an officer thereof till 1874, at which time the bank having failed, he was appointed to wind up its business. October 22, 1842, George L. Wasson was married to Miss Angeline B. Child, a native of Madison county, New York. Mrs. Wasson is a refined and intelligent lady, amiable, benevolent, and affectionate, and much o the success attained by her husband is due to her cheerful disposition, good judgement, and womanly virtues. They have had two children, but both of them died in infancy. George I. has been one of the most active, energetic, and enterprising business men Ray county ever had, and no individual has done more for its advancement, or is now more, closely identified with the county, in all that pertains to its prosperity, wealth, and development. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: County Coordinator ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Jenna Zunker USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and 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 presentation by other organization or persons. 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