Cass County, Missouri - Biographical sketches, 1917 (part 4 of 15)

The Ragsdale family removed from their native state to Hancock County, Illinois, and in 1878, came to Missouri and settled in Pleasant Hill township, Cass County, where the father followed farming during the remainder of his life. He died November 12, 1891. At the time of his death the family owned two hundred forty acres of land.

Lawrence County, Indiana. He has been a farmer and stock raiser all his life. He now owns one hundred fifty acres of land, about a hundred acres of which are devoted to blue grass. He has quite extensively engaged in raising cattle and also horses and mules besides carries on general farm¬ ing. His farm is one of the fertile and productive farms of Cass County and in the early days was known as the Southwick place, which later was owned by Bob Payne. The place is unusually well supplied with water, having one of the best wells in the country. The well is eighty-seven feet deep and ten feet in diameter and has never been known to be dry. During extreme dry seasons neighbors for a considerable distance around depend upon this well for their water supply. Mr. Ragsdale has installed a water system which includes a storage pressure tank with a capacity of one hundred fifty barrels which supplies water to his residence, feed barns and around the place generally.

In 1887 Mr. Ragsdale was united in marriage with Miss Mary D. Swope, a daughter of Dr. Benjamin Swope of Garrard County, Kentucky. They have no children. Mr. and Mrs. Ragsdale are well known and popular in the community. Mr. Ragsdale is one of the substantial men of Cass County.

George Storms, a progressive and well-to-do farmer of Pleasant Hill township, is a native of Cass County and has been identified with this section all his life. He was born in Polk township, five miles northeast of Pleasant Hill in 1871, and is a son of John Alexander and Cynthia Ann (Sloan) Storms. Cynthia Ann Sloan was a native of Indiana, born in 1831. She died in Cass County in 1904. She was first married to Thomas York and to this union was born one son, Jonathan Albert. To John Alexander and Cynthia Ann (Sloan) Storms were born the following chil¬ dren: X. S., who resides in Jackson County; Asa, Polk township; Henry, Pleasant Hill; Mrs. Carrie B. Langster, Pleasant Hill; George, the sub¬ ject of this sketch; and Lucy Ellen, died when thirteen years of age.

John Alexander Storms, the father, was born in Kentucky in 1831, and came to Cass County with his parents in 1849. He died in 1910. He was a son of Asa Storms, who settled on one hundred sixty acres of land in Polk township upon coming to this county. The Storms family drove from Kentucky to Cass County. The family consisted of fourteen mem¬ bers and their first home on the farm in Polk township was a cabin four¬ teen by fourteen feet, which would seem to be pretty crowded quarters in a new country where there would naturally be an abundance of room.

George Storms was educated in the district schools of Polk township. He has made farming his life's occupation. He began for himself at the age of twenty-one although he made his home with his parents until he was thirty years old. He bought the old Sloan homestead of eighty acres, which he sold in 1906, and bought his present place of ninety-one acres for sixty-two dollars and fifty cents an acre. Mr. Storms began operations on it the following year. The place was but little improved when he purchased it, but by his industry and progressiveness, he has made of it one of the best improved places in Pleasant Hill township. He built a modern residence in 1911 and he has a large barn and other farm buildings and equipments thoroughly in keeping with the methods of the twentieth century farmer. He has been very successful both as a grain and stock raiser and makes a specialty of high grade Shorthorn cattle, which has proven very profitable to him. He has also met with very satisfactory results in raising alfalfa, for which his land seems to be well adapted. A part of his place w^as originally owned by Thomas Thomas, one of the pioneers of Pleasant Hill township.

Mr. Storms was married in 1900 to Miss Grace Yoder, who died November 5, 1904. March 6, 1907 Mr. Storms was united in marriage with Miss Amy Talbot, daughter of Joshua and Macinda (Smith) Talbot of Polk towmship. Joshua Talbot was born July 27, 1823 and died April 4, 1896. Macinda (Smith) Talbot was born August 28, 1831 and died March 18, 1914. They were married April 21, 1850. To Mr. and Mrs. Storms have been born twTo children: Lucy Alma and George Burleigh.

E. J. Stultz, a successful farmer and stock raiser of Big Creek town¬ ship, wras born in Iowra in 1853. His parents were J. C. and Elvira (Ames) Stultz. The father wras a native of Tennessee, born in 1820, and died near Ore, Missouri, in 1882, and the mother was a native of New York, bom in 1827, and died near Ore, Missouri, in 1896. They were the par¬ ents of the following children: Andrew, died in Big Creek township, age fifty-nine years; Henry, died in Grand River township in 1916; E. J., the subject of this sketch; Lafe W., was in Salt Lake City, Utah, when last heard from; Arthur, resides at Archie, Missouri; and Winfield, Preston, Iowra.

acres of raw prairie land at ten dollars per acre. Later he bought one hundred sixty acres, at twelve dollars and fifty cents per acre, which he afterwards sold. He spent the balance of his life on his farm in Peculiar township. J. C. Stultz met with success and was one of the well-to-do farmers of Cass County at the time of his death.

E. J. Stultz attended the public schools in Iowa and also in Cass County after coming here. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in farm¬ ing in Peculiar township and in 1903 bought his present place of one hun¬ dred acres, for which he paid eighty-one dollars per acre. He later added thirty-seven acres and recently bought a thirty-two acre farm three and a half miles southwest of Harrisonville. For many years Mr. Stultz has fed cattle and also dealt in mules. His plan has been to buy colts and raise them to maturity, which he has found to be a very profitable busi¬ ness. His place is well equipped for the stock business, with large barns, comfortable sheds and convenient feed cribs. Bethany church, which was built in 1914 at a cost of four thousand dollars, is located on the southeast corner of Mr. Stultz's farm.

In 1880 Mr. Stultz was united in marriage to Miss Ida Bricker, daugh¬ ter of Jeremiah Bricker of Peculiar township. Mr. Bricker was a Penn¬ sylvanian who came from that state to Cass County, Missouri, in 1869. He settled on a farm just south of where the town of Ore is now located, and there he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1904. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Susanna Auchinbaugh, died in 1912.

To Mr. and Mrs. Stultz have been born the following children : Arthur, resides on the home place; Jesse, Kansas City, Missouri; Charles, Martin City, Missouri; Lloyd, resides at home; Mrs. Ella Myers, Red Rock, Okla¬ homa ; Mrs. May Myers, Bliss, Oklahoma ; and Myrtle, at home.

The Stultz family are well known and have an extensive acquaintance and many friends. Mr. Stultz has seen much of the development of Cass County and recollects many events in the history of this section of the state. He was a schoolmate of Bob Younger and knew Cole Younger well when he lived in Cass County. Mr. and Mrs. Stultz and three of their children are members of Betheny church.

Samuel B. Longacre, a progressive and thrifty farmer of Peculiar township, who has contributed his part in making Cass County one of the leading agricultural counties of the state, was born in Peculiar township, December 28, 1866. He is a son of Richard I. Longacre and Mary E. (Shrout) Hawkins. The mother was a widow when she married Mr.

Ix>ngacre and the mother of three children: John, deceased; Mrs. Flor¬ ence Boyd, Centralia, Missouri; and Lee, Altamont, Kansas. To Richard I. Longacre and wife were born two children, as follows: Samuel B., the subject of this sketch; and Charles, who resides at Lindsborg, Kansas.

Richard I. Longacre was born in Tennessee in 1832 and died in Colo¬ rado Springs, Colorado, in 1879. His remains are buried there. He crossed the plains in 1851, driving a six mule team to Santa Fe and from there went on to California, going by way of the southern route. On that trip the freighter who owned the train made a bet with a man who started from Missouri a week before Mr. Longacre with the train did that Mr. Longacre would beat him to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and he did. He returned to Cass County in 1865 and remained with his father until he was married. He was a son of Richard Longacre who came from Tennes¬ see in 1839 with his family and settled in Big Creek township, where he spent the balance of his life. His remains are buried in Union cemetery, near Pleasant Hill.

A little history of the name Longacre seems appropriate here. The original name of this family was Ammerman. At an early day the found¬ ers of this family in America came from Germany and settled at a town called Longacre in New York state, and shortly afterwards moved to an¬ other town. They were unable to speak English and their newly found acquaintances, not knowing what their real names were, called them

Samuel B. Longacre, the subject of this sketch, received his education in the public schools of Cass County. His mother died when he was four¬ teen years of age and since that time he has practically made his own way in the world. He inherited forty acres of the home place in Peculiar township and has added, by purchase, ninety acres and now has one of the fine farms of Cass County. His place is well improved and he has a fine orchard of four acres, consisting of thrifty bearing peach, pear, apple and cherry trees. He is one of the successful horticulturists of the county.

Mr. Longacre was married October 13, 1891 to Miss Zora Florence Young, daughter of W. R. and Mary Ellen Young of Peculiar township. Mrs. Longacre was born in Adams County, Ohio, and came to Johnson County, Missouri, with her parents in the fall of 1870. Two years later the family came to Cass County. The other children of the family, besides Mrs. Longacre, are: Oscar 0. Young, a physician at Garden

Grove, California; and Mary E., now the wife of Charles Longacre of Salt Lake City, Utah. The father died in March, 1908, and is buried at Pitts Chapel cemetery. The mother resides at Garden Grove, California.

To Mr. and Mrs. Longacre have been born three children, as follows: Myron Young, a chemist in the employ of the United States government in the soil survey; Annie Laurie and William Richard, residing at home with their parents.

J. N. Morrison, the veteran mail carrier of rural route No. 4, Pleasant Hill, Missouri, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Adams County, Decem¬ ber 7, 1861, and is a son of Joseph J. and Elizabeth (Cobbler) Morrison, both natives of Adams County, Ohio. They were the parents of four children, one of whom died in infancy. The others are as follows: J. N., the subject of this sketch; Viola E. Morrison, Seattle, Washington; and E. F., Marion, Indiana.

Joseph J. Morrison came to Cass County, Missouri, in March, 1875, and settled in Peculiar township. Two years later he removed to Labette County, Kansas, where he died October 22, 1877. His wife died in Ohio in 1871.

J. N. Morrison, when a boy, lived with his uncle, W. R. Young and worked for Isaac Smart and George Roberts, near Harrisonville, Missouri. He received his education in the old Walnut Grove school near that place. At the age of nineteen he began farming for himself, near Trading Post, Linn County, Kansas. In 1885 he returned to Missouri and was engaged in farming in Peculiar township for a time, when he went to western Kansas. After remaining there about a year, he returned to Cass County and entered the employ of a dairyman near Harrisonville. In 1892 he removed to Pleasant Hill and bought a place consisting of ten acres, located one and one-half miles west of town. In November, 1902, he was appointed mail carrier and has devoted himself to that occupation ever since, cover¬ ing a distance of twenty-six and five-eighths miles daily in the townships of Big Creek, Peculiar, Camp Branch and Pleasant Hill. Mr. Morrison has made a reputation for always being on the job. During his first seven years as mail carrier he never missed a trip, regardless of the weather or other seemingly impossible conditions. He has been in the business longer than any other rural carrier in Cass County. Mr. Morrison has recently purchased an automobile which he will use on his mail route hereafter, another evidence of his progressiveness.

Mr. Morrison was united in marriage October 12, 1899 with Miss Ida Parker, a daughter of H. C. and Mary E. (Rowland) Parker of Pleasant Hill. H. C. Parker was born in Pleasant Hill, old town, a son of Greenberry Parker, a native of Kentucky, who located at Pleasant Hill prior to the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have no children. Mrs. Morrison is industrious and ambitious as well as her husband and finds recreation and remuneration in the poultry business. She makes a specialty of White Plymouth Rock chickens and finds a ready market for the product of her chicken farm. She has frequently had her chickens on exhibition at fairs and poultry shows and has never failed to carry off honors in the way of premiums.

Although comparatively a young man, Mr. Morrison has seen many changes and noted the occurrence of many unusual events in this section of Missouri. He has a distinct recollection of the devastation wrought by the grasshoppers in 1874 and 1875. He is one of the reliable and sub¬ stantial men of Cass County. Mr. Morrison has been known to the editor of this work practically all his life.

W. A. Hronaugh, proprietor of the "Maple Grove Stock Farm", is one of the leading farmers and stockmen of Pleasant Hill township. Mr. Bronaugh was born in Pleasant Hill township March 28, 1859. He is a son of William F. and Sarah E. (Swope) Bronaugh, natives of Kentucky. They were the parents of the following children: Robert, died at Pleas¬ ant Hill, September 26, 1916; Samuel, died February 17, 1916, at Gunn City, Missouri; Annie, was drowned in the cellar at the old home place in Pleasant Hill township, at the age of three years; Maggie married James Dunn and is now deceased; William A., the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Akers, who resides at Pleasant Hill.

William F. Bronaugh, the father, came to Cass County about 1850 and located on a farm about three and one-half miles south of Pleasant Hill. This was later the Robert Bronaugh place. William F. Bronaugh purchased it when he first located in Cass County and made his home thereon until the time of his death. His death was a tragic and untimely one and occurred at a time when the country was infested with robbers and murderers, and he was a victim of that type of men. When Order No. 11 was issued in September, 1868, he left his place, as required to do under the order, and after the close of the war he returned to find his farm stripped of everything of value that could be moved or destroyed. He decided to go to Kansas City and engage in freighting over the Santa

Fe trail, and in that way retrieve some of his losses and improve his farm with the money thus earned. Accordingly on May 4, 1865, he started for Kansas City, that being the nearest point on the Santa Fe trail. He was accompanied by a hired man and his son, Robert Bronaugh. Robert and the other man proceeded on the way with four ox teams, while Mr. Bronaugh followed on horseback. In those days it was not an uncommon thing for the average man of alfairs to carry considerable money on his person, as it was not the custom to carry bank accounts, and in under¬ taking such a trip as Mr. Bronaugh contemplated, it was necessary to carry quite a large amount of money to pay expenses on the road and cover purchases of freight. Accordingly on the evening before Mr. Bronaugh's departure, Mrs. Bronaugh sewed the needed money in the back of Robert's coat. Robert was a boy of twelve. The money was secreted in his coat after he had gone to bed and he knew nothing of the hidden treasure which he carried with him on the trip. The next day as Mr. Bronaugh was on his way to Kansas City he was riding quite a distance behind the other part of his train when about a mile from Gregg's store he was held up on the road by bushwhackers, who demanded his money. After searching him they found only one dollar in his possession, and they were so disappointed and exasperated that they murdered him, firing seven bullets into his body. They then tied his body to the horse and turned the animal loose. The horse, however, instead of running away went but a short distance on the prairie. It was found by some citizens and soldiers near Gregg's store the following morning, when the body was recognized by John Olson as that of Mr. Bronaugh. The affair was reported to his people at Pleasant Hill and his body was buried in the cemetery at that place. After murdering Mr. Bronaugh the highwaymen cut his saddle into shreds in their search for money. Robert and the hired man knew nothing of the murder until they reached Little Blue, when they were informed by citizens of that place of the tragedy. This was one of the many tragedies which was the outcome of the times and conditions of the Civil War.

William A. Bronaugh was reared in Pleasant Hill township and received his education at Plum Grove school. At the age of seventeen he began life for himself, working by the month on a farm. Later he was employed on the construction of the Santa Fe railroad in New Mexico, California, near Peach Springs and Hackberry, on the desert of Arizona. His last work in this connection was with his brother, Robert, and cousin, Ben Frazier, who had a contract for grading nine miles of the Santa Fe road west of Hackberry, Arizona. Mr. Bronaugh returned to Pleasant Hill and began raising wheat on the home farm in which he had an inter¬ est of ninety-four acres, and since that time has devoted himself to farm¬ ing and stock raising, in which he has been more than ordinarily success¬ ful. He is known throughout this section of the state as an extensive registered stock breeder. At this writing he has ten registered jacks and jennets and a number of Percheron horses. He also has thirty-five head of registered Shorthorn cattle. He is an extensive hog breeder, making a specialty of raising hogs. Mr. Bronaugh has increased his acreage and now owns a splendid farm of four hundred seven and one-half acres.

Mr. Bronaugh was married November 25, 1896 to Miss Martha Alice Knorpp of Pleasant Hill, a daughter of James C. and Laura Alice (Tholman) Knorpp. Mrs. Bronaugh's mother died in 1905 and her remains are buried at Pleasant Hill and the father now resides in Jackson County. Mr. and Mrs. Bronaugh have two children, Laura Elizabeth and Mary Margaret, both attending school.

The "Maple Grove Stock Farm" is located three miles south of Pleas¬ ant Hill on the Jefferson highway and is one of the ideal farms of Cass County. The residence is a modern eleven room structure which was built in 1907, and the place is well equipped with barns, feed sheds and other conveniences usually found on a first-class stock farm. Bara No. 1 is sixty by eighty feet; barn No. 2, forty by sixty feet; barn No. 3, thirty-two by forty feet. Another barn is twelve by thirty-two feet, a wagon and tool shed thirty-two by forty feet, and implement shed twelve by fifty feet, and there are three tenant houses on the place.

Mrs. Margaret L. Bronaugh, widow of the late Robert B. Bronaugh, is a native of Bath County, Kentucky, born April 18, 1851. Mrs. Bro¬ naugh bore the maiden name of Sharp and is a descendant of Revolu¬ tionary ancestors. Her parents were Richard G. and Nannie (Jones) Sharp, both natives of Kentucky. They were the parents of the follow¬ ing children: Catherine, who died in infancy; Henry, who died in infancy; Margaret, the subject of this sketch ; and Virginia, who married Dr. Fletcher Grimes, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mrs. Bronaugh was reared and educated at Sharpsburg, Kentucky, a town which was named in honor of her great-grandfather, Moses Sharp, a Revolutionary soldier and a native of Virginia. He was born May 2, 1757 and in 1795 settled in Kentucky. He died June 25, 1820. His wife.

The following is a copy of the transcript of the Revolutionary record of Moses Sharp: "Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D. C., October 7, 1913. Moses Sharp enlisted 1776, two years, private under Capt. John Holcomb Martin, December 5, 1780 under Charles Allen, November 4, 1780 to February, 1781 under Col. Lawson, September 5, 1781 to Novem¬ ber 19, 1781, Deputy Commissioner of Chesterfield County, Virginia, to secure supplies for the army. Resident of Soldier Enlistment, Cumber¬ land County, Virginia." Moses Sharp was born May 2, 1757 and married, in Cumberland County, Virginia, July 17, 1783, Elizabeth Walker. He died near Sharpsburg, Bath County, Kentucky, June 25, 1820. They were the parents of the following children : Mary, who was born May 30, 1784 ; John, who was born May 15, 1786; Elizabeth, who was born January 26, 1790, married James McGinness, January 26, 1809; Richard, who was born April, 1792, married Emily Witcher, February 12, 1818; Martha, who was born April 11, 1794, married Duncan O. Richart; William W. who was born September 12, 1796, married Maria S. Caldwell, February 15, 1825; Dr. Joseph Sharp, who was born May 5, 1799, married Catherine Ratliff, September 20, 1826; and Thomas, who was born August 11, 1801, mar¬ ried Lawrenda Robeson August 14, 1823.

Robert B. Bronaugh and Miss Margaret L. Sharp were united in mar¬ riage at Sharpsburg, Kentucky, February 24, 1886 and came to Cass County, settling in Pleasant Hill township. Robert Bronaugh was born April 18, 1851, in Garrard County, Kentucky. He was a son of William and Sarah (Swope) Bronaugh, natives of Kentucky, who came to Cass County when Robert B. was eight months old. They were the parents of the following children: Robert Benedict; Samuel Hardin, who died in February, 1916; Annie, who died at the age of there; William A., a stockman, Pleasant Hill township ; Margaret Dorcas, married James Dunn, and died about 1895 ; Mary Elizabeth, married Clayborne Akers and resides at Pleasant Hill.

To Robert B. and Margaret L. (Sharp) Bronaugh was born one child, Sarah Amelia. She was reared in Cass County and educated in the public schools and later attended Howard Payne College, Fayette, Missouri, and the Synodical College at Fulton, Missouri. She then took a course in the Art Academy at Cincinnati, Ohio. She is an accomplished young woman and resides with her mother at Pleasant Hill.

Robert B. Bronaugh died September 26, 1916, and thus closed the useful career of one of Cass County's representative citizens of real worth. Mrs. Bronaugh, who is an estimable woman, now owns the old Sheppard residence at Pleasant Hill where she has a comfortable and well appointed home.

H. C. Henderson, a well known and successful farmer and stockman of Mt. Pleasant township, is a native of Illinois. He was born in Morgan County in 1853, and is a son of Silas and Sarah (Gorham) Henderson. Sarah Gorham, the mother, was a descendant of New England ancestors, and Silas Henderson was a son of David and Elizabeth Henderson.

Silas and Sarah Henderson were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Adaline Alderson, Chapin, Illinois; Mrs. Lucretia Rentschler, Con¬ cord. Illinois; Mrs. Mary E. Savill, Redding, Iowa; H. C., the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Miriam Craig, Kansas City, Missouri. Allen H. Henderson of Alamo, New Mexico, is a half brother, having been born to a second marriage of the father.

H. C. Henderson was reared on a farm in Illinois and received his edu¬ cation in the public schools and the Jacksonville Business College, Jack¬ sonville, Illinois. When he first came to Missouri, he settled in Nodaway County, where he bought a fine farm which he sold in 1907 and came to Cass County, settling in Mt. Pleasant township. Here he bought two hun¬ dred and eighty acres of land near Belton, where he has since been engaged in general farming and stock raising. He has a splendid farm and ranks among the successful agriculturists of Cass County. He gives particular attention to raising Duroc Jersey hogs and has been especially successful in this field of endeavor. His theory of successful farming is effectual conservation of the soil and in order to accomplish this result he figures on keeping enough of stock on the place to practically consume the grain and hay production, depending upon the stock for his profits.

Mr. Henderson was married in 1893 to Miss Gertrude L. Blair, a daughter of James H. and Rebecca Blair. She is a sister of James F. Blair and C. R. Blair, of Mt. Pleasant township. To Mr. and Mrs. Hender¬ son have been born two children, Charles Franklin and Carl Blair, both residing with their parents.

Mr. And Mrs. H. C. Henderson And Family

William M. Faulkner, Union veteran, now residing at Pleasant Hill, Missouri, has been a resident of Cass County for over half a century. He was born in Washington County, Illinois, December 29, 1846, and is a son of Marcus G. and Eliza (Railey) Faulkner, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Illinois. Marcus G. Faulkner was bom August 11, 1809 and when he was twenty-three years of age removed from Ken¬ tucky to Washington County, Illinois, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1885.

William M. Faulkner is the only surviving member of a family of five children born to his parents. The others were as follows: Levi Wesley was a member of Company F, Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry and was killed at the battle of Stone River, Tennessee, when he was twenty-six years old; Isaac Newton was also a member of Company F, Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and was severely wounded at the battle of Stone River and never fully recovered from his wounds, dying a few years later; Simeon W., died at the age of twenty ; and Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor died in Texas at the age of forty. After the death of the mother of these children, the father was married again and one child, Cynthia Eliza, now residing at Pasadena, California, was born to this union.

William M. Faulkner was educated in the public schools of Irvington, Illinois. When only seventeen years of age he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry at Irvington, Illinois, under Captain James Elliott. He served with his regiment mostly in Kentucky and Tennessee and saw much real soldiering. He participated in a great many engagements and skirmishes and after having served one year and five months was mustered out at Springfield, Illinois, in October, 1865.

In April, 1867, Mr. Faulkner came to Cass County. He was on his way to Kansas but stopped here to visit an uncle, Pouncey Smith, who had resided in this county for a number of years. Mr. Faulkner became so favorably impressed with this section of the country that he abandoned his original plan of going to Kansas and settled permanently in Big Creek township. He farmed rented land in Big Creek for thirteen years and in 1880 bought two hundred twenty-five acres in that township. His land cost him on an average of about twenty dollars per acre and it is now worth easily five times that amount. His land is all in one body and con¬ veniently located to market, being only three miles northwest of Pleasant Hill. The place is well improved and has an abundant water supply. Mr. Faulkner moved to Pleasant Hill in November, 1907, where he purchased the Doctor Neal property, and has made his home there since.

In 1869 Mr. Faulkner was married to Miss Phoebe White, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth J. White of Greenwood, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner have been born six children as follows: Alva B. a plumber, Kansas City, Missouri ; Orion M., died at Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the age of forty; Clarence Graham, died in infancy; Marcus Elmer lives at Pleasant Hill, Missouri; Homer and Elsie, both died in infancy. Mrs. Faulkner, the mother of these children, died December 24, 1914, aged sixty-nine years. Her remains are buried in Union cemetery, Big Creek township.

Mr. Faulkner began life in Cass County without capital and today is one of the well-to-do men of this section. He has earned every dollar that he possesses by honest toil and is a typical representative of that class of men who have made the west the power that it is in the financial and commercial world.

James H. Hale, a well known farmer and stockman of Mt. Pleasant township, is a native of Virginia. He was born in 1854, a son of Leff and Elvira Hale, both also natives of Virginia and of German descent. The father died in 1863 and later the mother removed to Iowa, where she spent the remainder of her life.

James H. Hale came to Jackson County, Missouri, in 1870 and began working as a farm laborer for seventeen dollars per month. Later he engaged in farming on his own account and in 1892 bought eighty-four acres of land in Cass County, where he has since made his home and been uniformly successful in fanning and stock raising.

Mr. Hale was married in 1876 to Miss Rebecca Hazelette, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Jane Hazelette, natives of Virginia, who were born and reared in that state and migrated to Missouri in 1869. They located in Jackson County. The father was without capital and at first was employed by the day. Later he bought a farm, buying more land from time to time, until he owned several farms. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in the Confederate army.

Mrs. Hale was one of a family of five children born to her parents, the others being as follows: Mrs. Belle Edgerton, Raymore, Missouri; L. Hazelette, who lives in the west; Mrs. Berta Duncan, who lives in Iowa; and Asa Hazelette, Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Hale has one brother and a sister living, Mrs. Sena Holaman, Jackson County, Missouri, and Elbert Hale, Cleveland, Missouri.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hale have been born the following children: Mrs. Jessie Hays, Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Sophia Burton, Yates Center, Kansas; Zoll Hale, Belton, Missouri; and Mrs. Sadie Miller, Belton, Mis¬ souri.

When Mr. Hale came to Missouri this section of the state was sparsely settled and much of the country was in a raw and unbroken state. The town of Belton had not been thought of. Game of all kinds were plentiful ; great flocks of wild turkeys could be found along the timber that skirted the streams and prairie chickens were to be found everywhere, and in certain seasons of the year countless numbers of wild geese made their periodical visits to this section and feasted on the corn of the early set¬ tlers. Mr. Hale also remembers the visitation of the grasshoppers when those pests swept down on the country like a gigantic cloud, turning day¬ light into darkness and destroyed everything before them. Mr. Hale is a progressive farmer and one of the substantial men of Cass County.

George S. Johnson, proprietor of the ''Evergreen Percheron Farm", is one of the successful farmers and stockmen of Polk township. He was born in Dearborn County, Indiana, in 1854 and is a son of J. C. and Eliza¬ beth (Hargitt) Johnson, natives of Virginia. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Melinda Ann Nickerson, Heyworth, Illinois; T. N., deceased; Mrs. Mary Passwater, Greenwood, Missouri; George S., the subject of this sketch; R. M., Greenwood, Missouri; R. W., Heyworth, Illinois; Chris W., Jackson County, Missouri; Mrs. Jennie Myers, Rock Island, Illinois; A. W. and A. E., twins, the former residing in Big Creek township and the latter in Bloomington, Illinois; and J. A., Heyworth, Illinois.

George S. Johnson received his education in the common schools of his native state. His early educational advantages were not of the best. He says when he was seventeen years old he only had one school book and that was an oldtime elementary speller with a blue back. He started in life for himself and followed farming for four years. He then went on the road for a huckster company and held that position for five years. In 1877 he sold his interest in Illinois and came to Cass County, settling in Pleasant Hill township. Five years later he bought forty acres of land in Polk township at ten dollars per acre. Later he sold his property and went to Stanton County, Kansas, where he proved up on one hundred sixty acres of land. When he went to that section of Kansas it was a wild, unbroken country, and his nearest neighbor was thirteen miles dis- tant. While there he was instrumental in establishing the postoffice at Fisher, Kansas, and was appointed j>ostmaster. His personal acquaint¬ ance with vice-president Adlai Stevenson aided him in securing the appointment. While in the west he was engaged in freighting and used four teams in that work. He hauled the first lumber where the town of Boston, Colorado, was built. He freighted over that entire section of the country, going as far as Fort Sill and Fort Reno. He returned to Illinois after the death of his first wife in 1888. After following farming there for two years he went on the road for a drug company. In 1905 he returned to Cass County, Missouri, and purchased two hundred acres of land in Polk township, for which he paid thirty-nine dollars per acre. This is his present home, located two and one-half miles east of Pleasant Hill and known as the "Evergreen Percheron Farm".

Mr. Johnson is one of the extensive and successful Percheron breed¬ ers of Cass County. He began with two registered Percheron mares of eighteen hundred pounds each, which he bought in Illinois. This was the beginning of his Percheron business and during the year of 1916 he sold four thousand four hundred dollars worth of Percherons. He has had on hand as high as twenty head of this breed of horses at one time. He always has on his place several stallions and jacks. Mr. Johnson has also been very successful with Shropshire sheep. He has recently shipped thirty-one head and now has one hundred ewes on his place. His farm is well improved and he keeps it in an excellent condition.

Mr. Johnson was first married in Kansas City, Missouri, March 18, 1881 to Miss Esther Peasley, and two children were bora to this union: May, married Fred Bell, Streeter, North Dakota; and John W. married Nellie McKittrick, daughter of J. A. McKittrick, Lees Summit, Missouri. The mother of these children died October 3, 1888. February 26, 1893, Mr. Johnson was married to Lottie Strode, in Lewison, Fulton County, Illinois. She died December 17, 1893, leaving one son, Paul, who now resides at Webster City, Iowa. October 14, 1903, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage, in Bloomington, Illinois, to Miss Minnie Giese, a daughter of Henry P. Giese. Six children have been bora to this union, as follows: Edna, Lillie, Lucy, George Henry, Thomas Richard and James Franklin, who died January 8, 1917, at the age of seven months. The children reside at home with their parents.

Mr. Johnson has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1895, having been initiated at Heyworth, Illinois. He is now a member of Lodge No. 70, Pleasant Hill, Missouri.

Henry R. Parker, a prosperous fanner and stockman, was born on the place where he now resides July 20, 1860. He belongs to one of the pioneer families of Cass County. He is the son of Irvin and Isabelle (Rowland) Parker, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Cass County.

Irvin Parker came from Kentucky to Missouri when he was seven years old with his father, William Parker, in 1841. They located in Polk township where William Parker and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.

Isabelle Rowland, wife of Irvin Parker, was bom in Polk township, Cass County, in 1841, a daughter of Jesse and Rebecca (Blackburn) Row¬ land, natives of Kentucky, who came to Cass County in 1839, and were among the first settlers of Polk township. They settled on the place now owned by Asa Storms. The father died in 1863 and the mother in 1856. Their remains are buried in the Pleasant Hill cemetery. Jesse and Rebecca Rowland were the parents of ten children as follows: Bluford, who died at Lone jack, Missouri; Mrs. Malinda Underwood, deceased; Medford, deceased ; Henry, deceased ; Lucinda, deceased ; Robert, deceased ; Isabelle, who married Irvin Parker; Gabrella, Strasburg, Missouri; and Luther, deceased.

Irvin Parker and Isabelle Rowland were married in Jackson County in 1856, and the following children were born to them: Earl, Pleasant Hill; Henry R., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Maude Shortridge, Pleas¬ ant Hill; Mrs. Eva Nixon, Pleasant Hill; Everett, Pleasant Hill; Berry, Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Beulah Tannehill, Pleasant Hill; Mrs. May Bell Thomas, Memphis, Tennessee ; Jesse, Pleasant Hill ; and Gordon, Kan¬ sas City, Missouri.

William Parker, father of Irvin Parker, was of that venturesome type of the pioneers of the plains, whose courage and endurance con¬ tributed to the opening of the great west. He crossed the plains and mountains to California in 1849 and remained on the coast for two years. He met with a reasonable degree of success and when he returned to Cass County had some means. He bought two hundred twenty acres of land in Polk township and at the time of his death was well-to-do. He died September 13, 1879. His widow, Fannie Parker, died April 30, 1880. Both are buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery. Irvin Parker died January 11, 1912 and he is buried at Pleasant Hill, Missouri. His widow resides in Pleasant Hill, but spends the winter months with her daughter in Memphis, Tennessee.

Henry R. Parker, whose name introduces this sketch, was educated at the Storm school in Polk township. He has made farming the occupa¬ tion of his life. He now owns a part of the old Parker homestead and is one of the best farmers in Polk township. His place is well improved with good buildings and everything about the farm bespeaks the enter¬ prise and progress of its owner.

Mr. Parker was married in 1885 to Miss Willie Sconce, daughter of William and Elizabeth Sconce, who came to Cass County from Kentucky in 1883. Both parents of Mrs. Parker are now deceased. Mrs. Parker was one of a family of five children, the others being as follows: Miss Susie Sconce, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Robert Sconce, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Mrs. Wade Turpin, Kansas City, Missouri; and Mrs. Mary Viley, Paris, Ken¬ tucky.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker are the parents of three children: Garland, Wichita, Kansas; Robert, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; and Allen, Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Mr. Parker and his wife are well known in Cass County and held in high esteem in the community.

John E. Kennedy, better known as "Ed", Kennedy, a successful farmer and stockman, is a native of Cass County. He was born on the farm which he now owns, June 5, 1861, and is a son of William Wallace and Nancy A. (Branhan) Kennedy, natives of Kentucky. William Wallace Kennedy came from his native state to Cass County, Missouri, in 1856. He came up the river by steamboat as far as Lexington and from there made the trip to Cass County with an ox team. He first bought eighty acres of land from Wiley Scott. Later he purchased another eighty from Mr. Miller. He bought more land later and at the time of his death owned two hundred eighteen acres in Polk township. His first home in this county was a log cabin, which in due time was replaced by a more mod¬ em and commodious residence. When the Kennedy family first settled here the nearest grist-mill was at Lonejack and was operated by Noah Hunt, the pioneer miller of Jackson County. "Ed" Kennedy remembers the old mill and how he often had to wait all day there to have a grist ground that he might bring the flour or meal home with him on his return trip. William Wallace Kennedy died at Pleasant Hill in 1905 and his wife departed this life in 1909. Their remains now rest in Pleasant Hill ceme¬ tery by the side of their two sons, Jesse W. and Marcellus B. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Mrs. Luella Van Hoy, Sedalia, Missouri; William Webb, Jackson County; Mrs. Maggie C. Belveal, Butte,

Montana; Frank C., Pleasant Hill; Jesse W., deceased; Mrs. Vivia Will¬ iams, lives near Louisburg, Kansas; Marcellus, deceased; and John E., the subject of this sketch.

John E. Kennedy received his education in the public schools of Cass County. When twenty-one years of age he engaged in farming for him¬ self and has made farming and stock raising his life's occupation. Mr. Kennedy is counted among the successful men of Cass County. In 1912 he bought the old homestead of two hundred acres in partnership with his brother, William Webb. He follows general farming and stock raising and is also interested in dairying to some extent, keeping Jersey and Shorthorn cattle for the latter purpose.

Mr. Kennedy was married April 9, 1884 to Miss Hattie Belle Scott, daughter of Newton and Elizabeth Scott, natives of Kentucky, who came to Cass County in 1881. The father died in 1906, and the mother in 1887. Their remains are buried in the Pleasant Hill cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have been born the following children: Mamie, born March 19, 1885, married George Beggs, Big Creek township; Newton Scott, born April 12, 1887, Blackfoot, Idaho; Charles Wallace, born June 30, 1888, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; Annie Ewing, born October 12, 1889, married B. G. Feiser and died at Sheffield, Missouri, in 1910; J. Mallory, born May 4, 1892, resides with his parents; Allen, born June 13, 1898, at home; and Hattie, born April 6, 1904.

W. A. Roberts, the present postmaster of Belton, is a native son of Cass County and a descendant of a Cass County pioneer family. He is a son of James F. and Mattie J. (Oldham) Roberts. James F. Roberts was a native of Madison County, Kentucky, born March 12, 1839, and a son of S. and M. (Park) Roberts. His father was a native of North Carolina, born in 1798, and died in 1863. His mother, Miss Park, was also a native of Madison County, Kentucky, born in 1809 and died in 1851. James F. Roberts was reared in Madison County, Kentucky, and when about seven¬ teen years of age began life for himself, working at odd jobs by the month. In 1855 he went to Brown County, Illinois, where he remained until 1859, when he came to Cass County, Missouri. He followed farming for two years and when the Civil War broke out he went to New Mexico, spending some time there and also in Colorado. After the war he returned to Cass County and in 1869 purchased the farm and was engaged in general farm- in# and stock raising during his active career. In 1902 he sold his farm and removed to Belton where he spent the remainder of his life in retire¬ ment. He died in 1904, and his widow now resides at Freedom, Okla¬ homa. They were the parents of ten children: W. A., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Emma Walton, Elva, Oklahoma; George P., Latour, Mis¬ souri; Mrs. Nellie T. Mizener, Great Falls, Montana; Benjamin B., Free¬ dom. Oklahoma ; Samuel J., Belton, Missouri ; and Mrs. Edith E. Carson, Kansas City, Missouri (twins); James L., Freedom, Oklahoma; and Opal and one child died in infancy.

W. A. Roberts was reared on a farm and received his education in the public schools and when a youth began working in a hardware store as a clerk. He followed that line of work for a number of years when he engaged in the insurance and loan business at Belton. Six years later he became assistant cashier of the Citizens Bank of Belton and in Febru¬ ary, 1915, was appointed postmaster of Belton, by President Wilson, and is now serving in that capacity. During his entire career he has taken an active part in local affairs and has served as township collector and has also held the office of township assessor. He has served as a member of the board of aldermen of Belton and taken an active part in promoting the welfare of his home town.

Mr. Roberts was married in 1904 to Miss Mary Bales, a daughter of John Bales, a pioneer of Jackson County, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have been born the following children : Mary, Martha and Madge.

Mr. Roberts is known throughout Cass County as one of its progressive and public spirited citizens and the Roberts family is prominent in the community, where they reside.

S. R. Holloway, a prominent farmer and stockman of Belton, is a native of Cass County and belongs to one of the pioneer families of Cass and Jackson counties. He is a son of Isaac J. and Mary A. Holloway. A personal sketch of Isaac Holloway appears in this volume. J. G. Holloway, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, settled in Jackson County in 1839. This was long before Kansas City was thought of, when the little town of Westport, where the boats landed, was the metropolis of the river in that section.

S. R. Holloway spent his boyhood days amidst the pioneer surround¬ ings of Cass County and attended school at High Blue. He began his business career by investing in a small way in live stock and farming, which laid the foundation for his habits of thrift, which have led to sue- cess. He lived on the old homestead for many years after his father removed to Belton and in 1892 bought one hundred and sixty acres of land from George W. Powell, which he sold in 1903 and invested in two hun¬ dred acres east of Raymore. Later he sold this land and bought one hun¬ dred and sixty acres west of Belton, which he now owns. This is among the best farms of Cass County. It is well watered with never-failing springs and possesses many superior features over the average farm. For years Mr. Holloway specialized in raising corn but recently has found that the use of his land for grazing purposes is more profitable. He raises a great many horses but perhaps his leading product is Duroc Jersey hogs and Oxford sheep.

In 1894 Mr. Holloway was married to Miss Lou Crutchfield, a daugh¬ ter of H. W. and Marguerite Crutchfield, natives of Clark County, Ken¬ tucky. Mrs. Holloway is one of a family of six children bom to her par¬ ents, the others being as follows: William, Kansas City, Kansas; Thomas C., deceased; Scott C., deceased; Mrs. Martha Baker, Liberty, Kansas; Mrs. Mamie Haug, Kansas City, Kansas. Mrs. Holloway came to Missouri with her mother in 1875, and they located in Clay County. The mother died in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1902.

Mr. Holloway while yet a young man has had the opportunity to see this section of the country develop from the raw unbroken state to one of the progressive communities of the country. When he came here there were lots of game. Wild turkeys and prairie chickens were as common as domestic fowls are today. Where Belton now stands was a broad unbroken prairie, with a luxuriant growth of wild hay and Kansas City, Missouri, did not extend south of Eighteenth street.

Mr. Holloway belongs to that thrifty and progressive type of suc¬ cessful men and he has been a material factor in the development of Cass County.

F. C. Bright, a prominent farmer and stockman of Mt. Pleasant township, has been a resident of Cass County for thirty-seven years. Mr. Bright was born in Grundy County, Illinois, in 1862, and is a son of Samuel and Annie Bright, of German descent.

The father was a farmer, and in 1867 went from Illinois to Kansas, where he was engaged in farming for three years and in 1880 came to Missouri and located in Cass County. Here he purchased the old Dalton farm, which consisted of two hundred acres, and engaged in farming and stock raising. He was a successful stockman, having been extensively engaged in the cattle business before coming to Cass County. The old Dalton residence is still standing on the place and F. C. Bright, the sub¬ ject of this sketch, knew the Dalton boys well.

F. C. Bright remained with his father and cooperated with him on the home farm as did also his only brother, H. L. Bright, who is now a leading attorney at Carthage, Missouri. Later F. C. Bright bought eighty acres of land which he operated and at the same time remained with his father and continued to assist the latter with the operation of the home place until the father's death. The mother died in 1880 and the father married again, after coming to Missouri, Ellen Rose and theirs was the first marriage license issued in Cass County after the law requiring mar¬ riage licenses went into effect July 3, 1881.

F. C. Bright is one of the best stockmen in Cass County and thoroughly understands that line of work. He specializes in Poland China hogs and mulley cattle. He feeds cattle quite extensively and frequently buys at the Kansas City stock yards for that purpose, and generally sells his cattle there. He has a fine farm of four hundred acres and pursues modern and progressive agricultural methods. He is a strong advocate of crop rotation and soil conservation.

Mr. Bright was united in marriage June 30, 1909, with Miss Olive Bowers of Cass County, a daughter of N. G. and Phoebe E. Bowers, natives of Virginia. They are the parents of three children, as follows: Mrs. Minnie G. Gray, Madison, Missouri; Mrs. Mary E. Hale, Belton, Mis¬ souri ; and Ollie, the wife of F. C. Bright, subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Bowel's now reside in Cass County.

Mr. Bright's home and farm presents a progressive appearance and bears evidence of the thrift and prosperity of its owner. He is one of Cass County's representative farmers and a progressive citizen.

C. R. Blair, a prominent farmer and stockman of Mt. Pleasant town¬ ship, is a native son of Cass County. He was born in Mt. Pleasant town¬ ship in 1875, and is a son of James H. and Rebecca (Reed) Blair, natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a son of John P. and Susan (Ogden) Blair, and the mother was the daughter of Marshall and Sarah (McKelvey) Reed. They were the parents of the following children: J. Frank Blair, Belton, Missouri ; Mrs. Gertrude Henderson, Belton, Missouri ; and C. R. Blair, the subject of this sketch.

of Cass County and was a successful farmer and stock raiser. He made a specialty of raising Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and became well-to-do. He died in 1907 and his wife departed this life in 1902. C. R. Blair, the subject of this sketch now owns the old homestead which consists of two hundred and forty-one acres of fertile and tillable land. He was success¬ fully engaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of Hereford stock until 1915, when he turned his attention to the dairy business and for this purpose stocked farm with a valuable herd of Jersey cows, which he recently disposed of and is now giving his attention to stock raising again.

Mr. Blair was married in 1889 to Miss Susie March, a daughter of James L. March of Belton. Mrs. Blair is one of a family of four children born to her parents, the others being as follows: James March, William March and Francis March. To Mr. and Mrs. Blair have been born the following children: James Wallace, Charles Lawrence and Julia, all of whom are at home with their parents.

Since engaging in the dairy business, Mr. Blair has made many improvements on his place in the way of scientific and sanitary arrange¬ ments for modern dairying. He has planned and constructed an under¬ ground milk house of concrete which of itself is an evidence of his pro¬ gressive ingenuity. He is of the genial type of man and kindly disposed towards the world in general but is thoroughly able to take care of him¬ self in the business transactions of everyday life.

Ned R. Brawner, an extensive dairyman of Mt. Pleasant township, is of the younger class of men in Cass County who are doing the big things of this day and age. Mr. Brawner was born in Tazewell County, Illinois, in 1892, and is a son of E. P. and Harriet A. Brawner. The mother was a daughter of John Allen, an Illinois pioneer. E. P. Brawner was a son of Henry Brawner of Ohio, and of German descent. Henry Brawner was an early settler in Ohio, and at an early day removed to Illinois with his family, driving through to that state in a wagon. He followed farming and stock raising and prospered. His cattle had a repu¬ tation for being among the best that were shipped to the Chicago market and he frequently received top prices. January 23, 1902, he sold a car load of Shorthorn cattle on the Chicago market for seven dollars and twenty-five cents per hundred, which was thirty cents higher than was paid for any other stock on that day. Henry Brawner died in 1906.

his family and settled in Cass County, where he bought four hundred acres of land. His wife died in 1913 and N. R. Brawner, the subject of this sketch, now owns the home place. In 1913, he engaged in the dairy business, beginning with seven cows. He has increased the number to fiftyeight and is one of the leading dairymen in this section of the country. He produces milk of a superior grade and has a contract with Fred Harvey to whom he furnishes all the A grade of milk which he produces. He is now planning on increasing the quantity of milk output to one hundred gallons per day. His place is well equipped for the dairy business, stables being all sanitary and modern in their arrangement, having recently built a well equipped sterilizing plant, and he has a one hundred and fifty ton silo. From his experience, he has come to the conclusion that the silo is indispensable to the most profitable results in the stock or dairy busi¬ ness. He employs two men on his place the year around and he arranges and systematizes his work so that most of the lost motion is eliminated. His men begin milking at three o'clock in the afternoon and this milk is in Kansas City early the following morning. He uses an automobile truck for delivering. His farm is one of the most productive in the county and he produces practically all the feed for his cows. In 1916, when most of the corn in Cass County was a failure, he produced a good crop, which would indicate that his method of farming was considerably above the average. He keeps his land well fertilized, rotates crops and uses modern machinery.

Mr. Brawner was married in 1910 to Miss Lucille Fitch, a daughter of C. D. and Emma Fitch of Cass County. There were four children in the Fitch family, besides Mrs. Brawner, as follows: Sam, Plattsburg, Missouri ; Mrs. Helen Wales, Belton, Missouri ; and Cowan, Belton, Mis¬ souri. C. D. Fitch was born in Kentucky and his wife was a native of Virginia.

John Vanmeter was bom in 1850 in the state of Illinois. His parents, W. B. and Margaret (Creager) Vanmeter, were natives of Ken¬ tucky. W. B. Vanmeter was the son of John Vanmeter, a native of Ken¬ tucky, and Margaret (Creager) Vanmeter was the daughter of Christian Creager, of that state. In 1870, W. B. Vanmeter immigrated to Missouri with his family, and settled in Cass County, where he purchased three hundred twenty acres of land. He succeeded well and at the time of his death was owner of five hundred twenty acres of land in Cass County.

Mr. and Mrs. Vanmeter were noble Christian people, and sincere mem¬ bers of the Christian church. Both parents are now deceased. The three surviving children of W. B. and Margaret (Creager) Vanmeter are: Henry, Freeman, Missouri; Mrs. Amanda Maloney, West Line, Mis¬ souri; and John, subject of this review.

In 1869 John Vanmeter and Melvina Buckles, daughter of Jacob and Mary Ann Buckles, of Kentucky, were united in marriage. To this union were born seven children, all of whom have been reared to maturity, and are now living, as follows: Arthur, Harrisonville, Missouri; Mary Ann, West Line, Missouri ; Mrs. Elizabeth Jentry, Merwin, Missouri ; Mrs. Mel vila Thomas, Harrisonville, Missouri; Mrs. Marcilla Richardson, West Line, Missouri; W. A., Freeman, Missouri; and Thomas H., Freeman, Missouri.

Mr. Vanmeter came to Missouri when he was twenty years of age and recalls the condition of Cass County when it was in its natural state. The settlers in the early seventies were few and widely scattered. The prairie was then a wide open range. Among the pioneer school teachers, he remembers Jim Lyon and Bass Wheeler. The first preachers whom he knew were Rev. Creshaw and Rev. Shaler. John Vanmeter rented land soon after he came to Missouri and began farming. During his residence of forty-seven years in Cass County, he has endured the hard¬ ships of pioneer life, passed safely through prairie fires and cyclones, and has witnessed the many changes which have taken place almost by magic in the development of the county.

In 1910 he purchased one hundred twenty acres of land in Dolan and West Dolan townships, where he is now engaged in stock raising. Mr. Vanmeter deals extensively in horses and mules. He has been remark¬ ably successful in his chosen vocation. He is also a successful breeder of Poland China hogs.

W. B. and John Vanmeter are the type of men whose untiring ener¬ gies have made Cass County great and prosperous. Both were entirely self-made men, who achieved distinction with no other aids than their own individual exertions.

G. B. Lane, one of Cass County's most successful stockmen, is a native of Kentucky. He was born in Bath County and is a son of George and Crit Lane. George Lane was also a native of Kentucky and a member of a prominent pioneer family of that state. In an early day members of the Ume family came from Virginia and settled on the headwaters of a stream which has since been known as Lane's Branch, taking its name from that pioneer family. The Lanes are an old Virginia family of Scotch- Irish descent. George Lane, father of G. B., was a prominent farmer and stock raiser in Kentucky and died in 1880 in that state and his widow now resides there. Two children of George Lane and wife who are now living are: G. B., the subject of this sketch, and R. 0., Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.

G. B. Lane was united in marriage in 1895 with Miss Georgia Hamil¬ ton, daughter of George and Ellen (Ashby) Hamilton of Bath County, Kentucky. George Hamilton was a native of Kentucky and a descendant from a prominent Virginia family. His father and grandfather were both born in Virginia and were of Scotch-lrish ancestry. George Hamilton was a farmer and dealer in Shorthorn cattle. He and his brother, J. C. Hamilton, were the first to introduce the Shorthorn sales in Kansas City, Missouri. Mrs. Lane's mother, Ellen Ashby, was a daughter of Mozay Q. and Margaret Ashby. The Ashby family is an old Virginia family, and Capt. Jackson Ashby was a member of this same family. George and Ellen Hamilton were the parents of the following children: W. W. Hamilton, Raymore, Missouri ; Mrs. Nellie H. Simmons, Raymore, Missouri; Mrs. Eliza H. Elliott, Pleasant Hill, Missouri; and Mrs. G. B. Lane, the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Lane have been born three children, as follows: George B., Crit, and Owings H. One son, Winston H. Woodson, Kansas City, Missouri, was born to Mrs. Lane by a former marriage, and is a lawyer with Lathrop, Morrow, Fox and Moore, Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1899 Mr. and Mrs. Lane settled on the Hamilton farm of six hundred acres, in Raymore towmship, which Mrs. Lane inherited from her father, George Hamilton. Here Mr. Lane has been extensively engaged in farming and stock raising to the present time. He makes a specialty of standard bred and registered saddle horses, and is per¬ haps one of the most extensive breeders of that class of horses in the state. This class of horses commands a good price on the market, and Mr. Lane frequently sells his horses as high as four hundred dollars each. Mr. Lane deals extensively in cattle and is also a large feeder, and some seasons feeds for the market as many as six car loads of cat¬ tle. The Lane farm is known as the "Blue Grass Stock Farm", and complies pretty thoroughly with the title, as about three hundred and fifty acres are under blue grass. The place is well watered, improved and equipped and has every commendable feature necessary for handling stock on a big scale. The Lane residence is a ten-room house and is situated back from the road about three hundred yards, which gives the place an imposing appearance.

G. G. Alderson, a prominent farmer and stockman of Mt. Pleasant township, belongs to a pioneer family of Cass County. He was born in Simpson County, Kentucky, in 1849, and is a son of John B. and Ruth (Thompson) Alderson. The Aldersons are an old Virginia family and at an early date removed from that state to Kentucky. They have been tillers of the soil for generations, and men and women of noble character.

G. G. Alderson came to Missouri with his parents in 1856, when he was about seven years of age. The family located in Cass County on a farm and two years later they removed to Louisburg, Kansas. Kansas was yet a territory at that time, and in 1864, the Alderson family sold their claim in Kansas and after the war returned to Cass County. G. G. Alderson remembers many incidents in connection with the Civil War. He saw Quantrill and his men when they were on their way to Lawrence, Kansas, and also saw them returning after the Lawrence raid. After the war, the Alderson family, like many others whose places had been devastated, were practically destitute and had great difficulty in getting a start. Everything movable on their place had been destroyed or car¬ ried away, even the fences. The first horse which Mr. Alderson ever owned, he took in exchange for four months' work. Later he traded this horse for a team. In 1873, shortly after his marriage, Mr. Alderson followed farming for a few years, when he removed to Belton and fol¬ lowed building, making a specialty of building stone foundations for residences and other buildings, and many of the houses standing in Bel¬ ton today rest on foundations which he built. In 1892 he returned to the old homestead and bought the interests of the other heirs and has since made his home there and been very successful in farming and stock raising. He has specialized in raising mules, which he has found very profitable.

Mr. Alderson was married in 1873 to Miss Rachel A. Young, a daughter of Chessney and Elizabeth Young, Cass County pioneers. Mr. Young entered three hundred acres of land near Belton at a very early day. At one time he owned one hundred and sixty acres of land in the vicinity of Fifteenth Street, Kansas City, which he sold in 1849. lie was an extensive cattle man. He died in 1851. In 1854 his widow married William Mullen, and four children were born to them. Mrs. Alderson was one of a family of six children, born to her mother's first marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Alderson have been born four children, two of whom are now living: Robert Chesney Alderson, and Noami, who married \\ illiam A. Jackson, a son of C. S. and Matilda Jackson. He died in 1915. To Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were born six children, as follows: Mildred, Ruth, Kenneth, Morris, Lois, and Nadine.

Mr. Alderson is one of the real pioneers of Cass County. When he came here this country was practically all open prairie, covered with a rank growth of blue stem. Independence, Missouri, was the nearest postoflice, and conveniences, which are the usual ear-marks of civiliza¬ tion, were sadly lacking, yet the people of those days enjoyed themselves. They had their parties and took just as much interest, and perhaps more, in life than people do nowadays.

H. F. Davenport, a prominent pioneer of Cass County, is one of the few surviving members of the honored clan of noble men and women, whose courageous labor and tireless efforts made present day conveniences possible. He was born in 1848 in Van Buren (now Cass) County. He is the son of James and Frances J. (Rader) Davenport, who emigrated from Virginia to Missouri in 1838. They were united in marriage June 9, 1842, in Johnson County, Missouri. James Davenport entered five hundred acres of land from the government, paying one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. The first home of the Davenports on the western prairie was a one room cabin built of hewed logs, with a clapboard roof, puncheon floor, mud plastered fireplace, and a door made of shingles. In this rude log cabin home their only son, H. F., was born. Frances J. (Rader) Davenport w'as the daughter of William Rader, who came to Missouri as early as 1838.

James Davenport became a prominent stockman, dealing extensively in horses and cattle. He wras a man of regular, industrious habits, of sterling character and strict integrity. He was strong in his convictions of right and w'rong and w'as of positive mind. James Davenport was never known to have expressed an opinion until he had heard all available evi¬ dence. Having once expressed his views he firmly upheld them. His death occurred in 1860. H. F. Davenport has one half brother and one

Mr. And Mrs. H. F. Davenport

In 1871 H. F. Davenport and Mary Davidson, daughter of A. L. and Pricilla Davidson, were united in marriage and to this union the following children were born: J. W., who is a minister in East Lynne, Missouri; Mrs. Mary Williams, Lisle, Missouri ; William H., Freeman, Missouri ; Mrs. Etta Weller, Freeman, Missouri, and 0. B., Westline, Missouri.

Mr. Davenport has been a resident of Cass County since his birth nearly seventy years ago and with unclouded memory recalls much of the early history of the county and the primitive conditions of the country. At the time of his birth there was not a settlement between the Davenport home and the Kansas line. Lexington was the nearest milling point and Westport the nearest trading point. Large numbers of Indians frequently passed to and fro through the country. Deer, wild turkeys and prairie chickens were in greatest abundance and hunting was an occupation, not a past-time. Many times Mr. Davenport has seen herds of wild horses near the Kansas border. Their home was a log house containing but one room. The most attractive feature of that one room was the fireplace. As there was no stove, all cooking was done there. All wearing apparel was made by the mother in the home. Mr. Davenport also remembers the first schools and churches in the county. Subscription schools were the only schools in Cass County before the Civil war. William Bruce was H. F. Davenport's first teacher. There was a church at West Union where the pioneer preachers, B. Adams, a Baptist minister and Robert Sloan, father of Judge Sloan, a Presbyterian minister, held services. In cold weather the minister often preached in overcoat and mittens. His father and mother would each take two children and ride on horseback to church.

It is intensely interesting to hear Mr. Davenport relate in his inimit¬ able way the experiences of his youth. He broke ground with the aid of a wooden plow and a yoke of oxen. He describes the kind of lamp in use in those days and says that it was a splendid change when candles were introduced. The first grain was cut with a hand scythe and the grain tramped out by horses and cattle. Mr. Davenport has lived a life of use¬ fulness and he did much to open the way for the successful settlement of the country. Honest, capable and diligent he is now living quietly upon his farm of one hundred sixty acres in West Dolan township, which is one of the pleasant rural homes in Cass County. H. F. Davenport will long be remembered as worthy of highest praise in the county with whose growth he has been so closely identified for more than a half century.

C. J. Wortham, one of Cass County's own sons, was born December 5, 1871. His parents, Isaac T. and Martha J. (Mason) Wortham, immi¬ grated to Missouri from Hardin County, Kentucky in 1867. They stopped in Johnson County for one year and came thence to Cass County, and settled in West Dolan township, where Mr. Wortham purchased eighty acres of land. To Isaac T. and Martha J. (Mason) Wortham were born five children, four of whom are now living, namely: Charles J., Free¬ man, Missouri; Mrs. Mary M. McKown, Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Susan Brawner, Belton, Missouri; and Thomas E., Louisburg, Kansas. Isaac T. Wortham hauled the lumber for the new home from Pleasant Hill. There were two rooms in the house and an attic. It was not an elegant structure, and the romping children frequently found it some¬ what crowded, but they were all sturdy, robust, and contented, and no one complained of the hardships and privations, though they were often hard to bear in those trying days of reconstruction.

Isaac T. Wortham was a worker and by constant industry and econ¬ omy was enabled to purchase tracts of land at different times, until at the time of his death, in 1909, he was owner of five hundred forty-five acres of very valuable land. He was an active member of the Baptist church, and a member of the Blue River Association. Mr. Wortham was connected in some way with nearly every work of Christian benevo¬ lence in his community, and contributed liberally of his means to aid every good cause. His widow survives Mr. Wortham and now resides in Belton, Missouri. Mrs. Wortham is one of the loveliest, Christian char¬ acters Cass County has ever known. She was an ideal wife and mother, patient, loving and kind. She has never been known to speak ill of any¬ one, but ever searched for the best in all people, believing that good is latent, even in the heart of the most hardened criminal. Of her nobility of soul, all with whom she comes in contact are firmly convinced. She, too, is a beloved member of the Baptist church.

Mr. Wortham's early education was such as could be acquired in the common schools of his neighborhood. Upon reaching maturity, he at¬ tended the Robinson Business College in Sedalia, Missouri, and the Will¬ iam Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri. In 1899 he purchased eighty acres of land, southeast of West Line, which he later improved.

In 1906 C. J. Wortham and Alice P. McKean, daughter of Thompson and Alice L. McKean, were united in marriage, and to this union has been born one son, Harold Mason, who lives at home with his parents, and is now attending school. The McKean family is of Scotch-Irish line- age and has been a distinguished one since Revolutionary times. A member of the McKean family was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Mr. Wortham has added to his original tract of land at different times and is now owner of two hundred acres of good farm land. The place is well watered and entirely free from boulders. Thirty-five acres are in blue grass. The residence is a beautiful home of six rooms and all farm buildings are well constructed and well kept. Mr. and Mrs. Wortham have a wide circle of friends and they stand very high in their community, both morally and socially.

C. C. Smith, a prominent citizen of West Dolan township, is one of the oldest and most respected residents of Cass County. He was born in St. Louis County, Missouri, in 1838. His father was a sailor of Ger¬ man descent. He immigrated to Missouri in the early thirties and set¬ tled in St. Louis County.

C. C. Smith in early manhood was in the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. In the days of his courtship he was wont to travel by stage coach from Warrensburg to Independence, and thence to the home of Rev. N. T. Shaler, the site of which is now in the heart of Kansas City. He was there at the time of Price's raid. After Price's raid, Mr. Smith returned to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was re-employed by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. In the mean time his father had died and his mother had remarried. When his stepfather died, C. C. Smith joined his mother in St. Louis, and was for some time employed there as overseer of a number of men who were constructing sewers. In 1866 he brought his mother and family to Cass County to make their permanent home.

In 1865 C. C. Smith and Mary C. Shaler, daughter of Rev. N. T. Shaler, a pioneer preacher, were united in marriage. This union has been blessed with the following children: Mrs. Sarah Ann Jordon, Peter C., John W., James S., F. F., F. C., Charles A., and L. W. On the day of their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Smith heard the boom of Price's cannon.

Mr. Smith had thirteen hundred dollars when he came to Cass County. He purchased forty acres in West Dolan township and built his home. He operated a thresher for many years and with his threshing outfit tra¬ versed much of the state of Missouri. He also operated a sawmill in the early days. When C. C. Smith came to this county it was very thinly settled. Morristown, their nearest trading point, was then a small village. The schools fifty years ago were of a low type, and were kept oi>en only a few months in the year. The Nelson school house was built of logs with a puncheon floor. Wildey Major was the first teacher who presided there.

It is Mr. Smith's opinion that the soil is not kept up to its highest state of cultivation, and that it is not now so productive as in the days long gone by. He used to raise flax and thresh from his flax fields from twelve to fifteen bushels of seed per acre.

C. C. Smith has successfully met and withstood all the stern vicissi¬ tudes of pioneer life. He is a man of observing and correct mind, who understands perhaps more clearly the wants of the country than the average man, and no one is more willing to aid in any measure for the better development of the country or the general good. As a citizen he stands high. In social life he is pre-eminent; his friends are countless and he has no foes. Mr. Smith retires to mature age with the love and esteem of all who know him.

William H. Steen, proprietor of "Woodside Farm", was born in 1846 in Garrard County, Kentucky, son of Elijah M. and Matlida (Burton) Steen. Elijah M. Steen was the son of William Steen, who was born in Kentucky in 1797. William Steen, Jr., was the son of William Steen, Sr., a native of Ireland. Matilda (Burton) Steen was the daughter of Robert A. Burton, of Garrard County, Kentucky. Mr. Burton was the owner of a large plantation in Kentucky and a slave holder. Many of his slaves refused to leave him or to accept the proffered liberty, but faithfully remained with him and labored as before the war. Elijah M. and Matilda (Burton) Steen were married in Kentucky. In 1849 they immigrated to Morgan County, Indiana, where they purchased a farm. The Steen fam¬ ily remained in Indiana ten years. In 1859 Elijah M. Steen brought his family to Cass County, Missouri. He purchased forty acres of land near the present site of Everett and engaged in general farming.

When the Civil War broke out, Elijah M. Steen enlisted in the Con¬ federate army and was killed in 1863 while fighting nobly for the prin¬ ciples which he believed firmly were right. Matilda (Burton) Steen, his widow, remarried, and in 1865 became the wife of James Dorsett, a native of North Carolina, who was living in Indiana at the time of their marriage. In 1870 Mr. and Mrs. Dorsett came to Missouri from Indiana and located in Cass County. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dorsett are now deceased. James Dorsett departed this life in 1889, and his wife followed him in death in 1897. One sister and three half-sisters of William H. Steen are now living, namely: Mrs. Mary Stephens, Harrisonville, Missouri; Mrs. Laura Buckner, who resides in Kansas; Mrs. Belle McCoy, Portland, Ore¬ gon; and Mrs. Viola McClelland, Seattle, Washington.

When William H. Steen was sixteen years of age he enlisted in the union army and served from 1863 until the close of the war. After the war had ended he returned to his home in Missouri and attended school, taught by Frank Scott, a pioneer teacher. In 1873 he purchased sixty acres of land in Everett township and engaged in general farming and stock raising.

William H. Steen and Mary Miles were united in marriage in 1873, and to this union were born two children. The children and their mother were early called home, the mother departing this life in 1878. William H. Steen and Ora Perkins, daughter of James Perkins of Illinois, were united in marriage in 1880. James Perkins immigrated with his family to Missouri from Illinois just after the Civil War. To William H. and Ora (Perkins) Steen have been born six children, five of whom are now living, namely: Mrs. Amanda McCulloh; lone, Robert I., Emmett, and John B.

William H. Steen has been a resident of Cass County for nearly sixty years, and he has witnessed the marvelous progress which the country has made in that time. He well remembers when a man was at liberty to go any place at any time to cut hay. They traveled then by instinct, for there were no roads and their only safeguard and hope of safely return¬ ing lay in their sense of direction. For twelve or fifteen miles west of Everett there was not one house when Mr. Steen was a boy. Oxen hitched to wooden plows were used to aid in breaking the ground. Mr. Steen was also a freighter in his young manhood, and he tells many interesting and delightful stories of his early experiences when he freighted with six yoke of oxen. He has experienced all the hardships and privations of pioneer life, as well as the many simple pleasures. Life was not always dull in those early days, for social gatherings of all kinds frequently broke the monotony of hard, daily toil. There were frequently husking and quilting bees, followed by dances which lasted all night, and the young people had much genuine fun.

After a few years Mr. Steen began to prosper. He has sold hogs for two dollars and twenty-five cents per hundred which would now be worth fourteen dollars and five cents, and has bought calves for five dollars each, which would now bring thirty or thirty-five dollars. Milch cows were sold for ten dollars which would now be held for one hundred dollars. Mr. Steen has by industry and cautious business management been enabled to purchase tract after tract of land, until his holdings now comprise seven hundred acres of very valuable land, well improved with tine barns and excellent silos. In 1909 he erected a handsome residence of native limestone, which is valued at ten thousand dollars. This home is modern throughout, and one of the most beautiful in Missouri. For many years Mr. Steen has engaged extensively in the stock business, for which vocation he is particularly adapted. One hundred forty acres of Woodside Farm are in blue grass. The place is well watered by the south fork of Grand River. Mr. and Mrs. Steen are eminent among the many honored pioneer citizens of Cass County.

F. W. Richardson, well-known citizen of Cass County, was born in Athens County, Ohio, in 1857, son of Joseph and Elmira (Doan) Richard¬ son. natives of Ohio. Joseph Richardson was an honored and beloved Baptist minister. ^ In 1857 he moved with his family to Adams County, Illinois, and there spent the remaining years of his life. He died in 1866. Joseph and Elmira (Doan) Richardson were the parents of nine children, four of whom are now living, namely: Reuben, Freeman, Missouri; Judson, Ottawa, Kansas; F. W., subject of this review; and Thomas.

The early years of F. W. Richardson's life were passed in familiar acquaintance with the trials, privations and labors of pioneer life, and his education was such as was to be obtained in the country school house of that day. The country schools then held in session about three months in the year and were not of the highest type. His boyhood was spent in the routine of farm labor anad he endured his full share of hardships. His parents were in very limited circumstances and were struggling hard to make a home. Mr. Richardson says that they had little else but pride, but had that in large quantities. The Richardson family would endure the severest privation* and take upon themselves the hardest manual labor in order to be free of debt. Cornbread and pumpkin sauce was the usual bill-of-fare, and anything else was considered a luxury. When F. W. Richardson was eleven years old he hired out for fifty cents a day and his dinner. At a very early age he became interested in trading and the fascination of speculating has followed him through life.

and the hours were long and the recompense twenty-five dollars per month. The other hands were receiving but fifteen dollars. Every other month he sent his wages home to his mother. His expenses during the first eight months were just one dollar each month. When he returned to Illinois he used the money which he had saved from his wages in Kan¬ sas to purchase his first team. He then began farming in Illinois. Later Mr. Richardson sold his team and returned to Kansas, where he was re-employed by H. H. Staley at thirty dollars per month.

In 1880 F. W. Richardson and Ella Frost, daughter of William Frost, of Illinois, were united in marriage and to this union was born one son. Earnest. Ella (Frost) Richardson departed this life in 1890. In 1892 Mr. Richardson married Rose Demoret, of Hutchinson, Kansas, and this union has also been blessed with one son, Worthy.

After Mr. Richardson's marriage in 1880 he returned to Kansas, where he was employed in breaking sod. He received two dollars per acre for his labor and usually broke two and a half acres per day. With his accumulated savings he purchased twenty-five acres of land in Illinois and for some time again made his home in that state. When Mr. Rich¬ ardson sold his farm he became a speculator in horses. He and his brother lost three thousand dollars during the panic of 1893, which was one of the worst financial panics the United States has ever passed through. F. W. Richardson then turned his attention to furnishing ties for the railroad.

In 1891 F. W. Richardson came to Cass County, Missouri, and rented the Henry Conger farm, and for four years was engaged in general farming upon that place. At the close of that period he purchased one hundred sixty acres of land, upon which he lived one year. He sold out at a profit of ten dollars per acre and moved to Quincy, Illinois, where he purchased a livery stable. He had in his stable twenty-five work horses and twenty-five boarders. When he was furnishing ties for the railroad he usually loaded one car each day for a year and a half.

In 1900 F. W. Richardson returned to Cass County, Missouri, where he purchased two hundred eighty-two acres south of Freeman. He paid eight thousand dollars for this place, and in 1908, Charles Bird offered seventeen thousand dollars for it. For four years Mr. Richardson rented his place and moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas. He cleared a farm in Ark¬ ansas, comprising two hundred forty acres, and operated a rice planta¬ tion there. He planted from sixty to one hundred thirty acres in rice each year and gathered never less than fifty bushels per acre, which he

In 1913 F. W. Richardson came to Cass County for the third time. Since his return he has erected one of the most beautiful homes in the state upon his fine farm here. He still owns two hundred forty acres of rice land besides six hundred acres of heavily forested land in Arkansas.

The story of Mr. Richardson's life, with all its various occupations and general unfolding and steady development from a farmer's boy with no advantages, to a man of great means and worth, might furnish ma¬ terial for a work of fiction. His career has been marked by constant industry, integrity, and energy from earliest youth, and positive genius for the successful promotion of a particular utility. Mr. Richardson's present prosperous condition has come as the result of earnest effort and determination.

Major J ames Armstrong. - The late Major James Armstrong was bom in Walker County, Georgia, May 17, 1837. When he was ten years of age the family moved to Macon County, Alabama. He was educated at Mercer University, a famed Georgia college. He graduated at the Lebanon, Tennessee, Law School with the class of 1860.

Major Armstrong entered the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the Civil War as a private, and was discharged, at the expiration of the war, as a major, before he received his commission as a lieutenant-col¬ onel. In 1865 he settled at Prestonsburg, Floyd County, Kentucky, where he practiced his profession until he moved to Harrisonville, Missouri, in 1869. He served as prosecuting attorney of Cass County, 1875-76. He continued the practice of law for some twenty years and retired to his farm, near Main City.

Major Armstrong was united in marriage at Prestonsburg, April 3, 1868, with Mary Margaret Martin, daughter of the Hon. John P. Martin, a member of Congress. The children of this union, now living, are: Nellie Armstrong, Notasulga, Alabama; Harvey Armstrong, Long Beach, California ; Frank Armstrong, Harrisonville ; and Breckenridge Armstrong, Chicago. His first wife's death occurred June 9, 1880, and he married Mary Hume Hume, of Rome, Georgia, who now resides at Rome. There were no children by this union. Major Armstrong died at his home November 16, 1897. The remains were interred in the family's burial lot,

Oakland Cemetery, Harrisonville. Major Armstrong was one of the most thoroughly educated citizens of Cass County. He was a polished orator, and a writer of much merit, who enriched the belles-letters of the county. He had many traits of character that distinguished him among men. He loved the companionship of young people and of books. He despised demagoguery. He made no pretentions of being perfect and had precious little use for those who did. He ever kept the flowers of mercy blooming within his heart. He hated naught but hypocrisy. With his wealth of learning he was easily capable of wrenching gold from the open hand of toil, of wielding the cudgel of power over man, but he scorned such things. He often said he hadn't the time to make money. His was an unselfish spirit that left an impress on his intimates, inspiring them to attempt to make the ways of man more beautiful.

Major Armstrong worshipped in the sanctuary of the world, under the spangled, and the splendor-shot skies. No other dome was high enough, no other church was broad enough for him. He was wont to wander in the cathedral of contemplation, withdraw into a recess, and with bowed head seek a solution of the great riddle, while knowing it could not be read; he would stop at the shrine of Intellect; he loitered at the fane of friendship; he laved his hands in the baptistry of brother¬ hood; he knelt at the chancel of constancy, and when he passed from the temple, for the last time, he smiled as he unravelled the riddle.

John Nelson Willett, a Cass County pioneer and successful man of affairs, died March 28, 1916. He was born September 16, 1822, in Roane County, Tennessee. His father, Enoch Willett, died when he was only nine years old, and as he was the eldest child, he did all he could to assist his widowed mother in the care of the family. Of that immediate family he was the last member. His mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Ford Willett, died when he was eighteen years old. That was in 1840, and he then went to Bledsoe County, Tennessee, to live with his grandfather, Ford, learning the tanners' trade. In the spring of 1841 he went to Rhea County, Tennessee, to follow his trade, and in 1842 he came to Van Buren County (now Cass), Missouri, in company with the late Robert A. Brown, at whose place he made his home until 1849. He followed the tanners' trade the greater part of the time while there, some of the vats that he used still being at the old Brown homestead.

the California gold fields. The route of the wagon train, with which he journeyed through, took him north of the great Salt Lake. After suf¬ fering many hardships, and being on the way for six months, he ar¬ rived in Sacramento, California, in the fall of 1849. In the gold mines of that vicinity he remained until 1851, when he started back to Harrisonville. At San Francisco he took a ship for Panama, from which place he walked across the Isthmus to Aspinwall, or Colon, to take a ship for Havana, Cuba. There he again shipped for New Orleans, changing boats for the trip up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, thence up the Missouri River to Arrow Rock, from which place he took the stage to Indepen¬ dence and completed the trip to Harrisonville, arriving here in the fall of 1851.

Later he opened a mercantile business in this town, conducting this general store for eighteen months. In 1853 he quit this business and followed the real estate, loan and collection business until 1861. In the spring of 1863 he left for Santa Fe, New Mexico, remaining there about seven months, and returning to Harrisonville in the fall of that year. Later he went to Denver, Colorado, and remained about two months, following the freighting business. From there he drove a team to Omaha, Nebraska, and there remained until the close of the Civil War.

He returned to Harrisonville and was married to Mrs. Mary E. Price on October 21, 1865, who survives him and resides at Harrisonville. To this union there was one child born, Vernon John Willett, of Harrisonville.

Dr. H. A. Brierly, a successful physician and surgeon of Peculiar, is a native of Cass County. He was born in Polk township, November 11, 1868, son of Henry Ambrose Brierly, a more complete history of whom appears in the sketch of James Brierly, in this volume.

Dr. Brierly was reared in Polk township and attended the public schools there. He was graduated from the Harrisonville High School, in the class of 1889. He then taught in the rural schools of Cass County for two years. In 1892 he entered the Medical University of Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1895. and located at Peculiar, Missouri, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his chosen profession. Dr. Brierly has a large general practice, and he has been very successful.

September 30, 1896, Dr. H. A. Brierly and Miss Hattie Warner were married. Miss Hattie Warner was born February 12, 1872, in Bath County, Kentucky, daughter of John J. Warner, a sketch of whom ap-

Dr. Brierly is a member of the Masonic lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He also holds membership in the County, State, and American Medical Associations. He and Mrs. Brierly are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Dr. Brierly has been superintendent of the local Sunday school for twenty years. He and Mrs. Brierly are active in the work of their congregation. Mrs. Brierly is also active in the club work of her home town. Dr. and Mrs. Brierly are well known and popular throughout a large section of western Missouri.