Henry County, Missouri - Biographical sketches, 1919 (part 6 of 17)

of land which his father gave him. He improved this tract as best he could at the time, building a slab fence around the farm and carrying the slabs one-fourth of a mile on his shoulders. He also built some rail fence which was later supplanted by a hedge fence which he set out. He has created a beautiful farm from prairie land and has an attractive place of 111 acres on Camp Branch Creek adjacent to the Hopewell Church in Walker township.

Mr. Hibler was married in 1870 to Coi'delia, a daughter of Samuel Wilson, a pioneer of Henry County, concerning whom the reader is referred to the sketch of Judge William M. Wilson in this volume.

Five children have blessed this marriage: Mattie, wife of Charles Pfost, resides near Cheyenne 'Wells, Colorado; Mildred, wife of Ellis Greenhalge, Walker township; Riley Amos lives in Kansas; Henry Wilson, lives in Kansas City ; and John, deceased.

Mr. Hibler has consistently voted the Democratic ticket since attaining his majority. He and Mrs. Hibler are members of the Hopewell Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

David Wesley Clark. - Lovers of the picturesque would take delight in climbing the hill whereon the lifetime home of David Wesley Clark of Deepwater township is located. A picturesque home, a part of which is the original log cabin built by David Clark, his father, long ago, is situated upon one of the highest points in Henry County, and is surrounded by large cedar trees. Twenty miles away the church spires and the court house dome of Clinton can be seen. The city of Butler also twenty miles distant to the west can be seen on a clear day. Other towns in the neighborhood can be seen. David Wesley Clark was bom in Deepwater township, in the Clark log cabin, February 17, 1863, and is the son of David Clark.

David Clark, the elder, was born in Virginia, near Richmond, May 12, 1825, and died April 22, 1911. He was the son of Joseph Clark. David, Sr., came to Missouri in 1853 and entered forty acres of the land now owned by his son, David Wesley, built a cabin and resided thereon until his death. His wife was Sarah Jackson, bom in Lafayette County, Missouri, where David had located with his father in 1840. Prior to coming to Henry County they had lived in Lafayette and Johnson counties. Sarah Clark was born in 1835 and died January 22, 1890. There were nine children in the Clark family, eight of whom are living: J. W., Louisa, Sarah Elizabeth, Lucy Ann, deceased; David Wesley, Mary E., Charles

M., Lillian, Louis Bennett. David Clark was a highly respected citizen of Henry County and was well and favorably known in his home neighborhood. He served in the Missouri State Troops during the Civil War and was in many hai-d-fought battles.

Born and reared on the Clark homestead, David Wesley Clark has spent all of his days on the farm. He is the owner of 140 acres of land which is situated in the exact center of section 16 and adjoins the Dahlman land on the north, both farms being reached by a private roadway. He was first married to Rebecca J. Hardy, October 1, 1890, who bore him two children: Lena, Montrose, Missouri; and David, at home with his father . Mrs. Rebecca J. Clark departed this life September 16, 1908. Mr. Clark's second marriage occurred December 25, 1911, to Mrs. Ellen Chisham, a widow, and mother of two children : Eunola, wife of Frank Schaif er, living in Kansas ; and William Chisham, a farmer in Deepwater township.

Mr. Clark is a Republican, and is of that kindly, intelligent, type of Missourian of the old school who possesses so many excellent qualities which makes and retains friends for all time He loves his county, his State, his neighbors, his home and his fellowmen.

Gerhart Anton Dahlman. - The late Gerhart Anton Dahlman of Deepwater township was born in Westphalia, Germany, February 2, 1832, and departed this life at his home near Germantown, June 1, 1910. He was the son of Herman and Mary Ann Dahlman who lived all of their lives in the land of their birth. Accompanied by his sister, Mrs. Henry Kalwei, Mr. Dahlman emigrated from Germany in 1869 and arrived at Germantown, Henry County, Missouri, in May, 1869. He stayed at Germantown for nine years and was employed by Anton Mucke and Joseph Schmedding. He purchased his farm in 1872 and moved a house from Germantown to his farm. In 1878 he returned to Germany for his sweetheart, to whom he was married in 1878, and at once set sail for his home in America. He married Annie Marie Krimphoflf, who was born in Westphalia, Germany, September 2, 1855, the daughter of Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Renekamp) Krimphoif, both of whom spent all of their lives in Germany. The father died in 1880 and the mother in 1877. Mr. Dahlman was ably assisted in the work of improving his farm by his devoted wife who assisted him in the farm work, set out trees, hedges, and vines and they created a beautiful home. The Dahlman farm consists of eighty acres with thirteen acres of timber land in addition.

as follow: Elizabeth, born July 3, 1879, married 1899 to Robert Teeman, and has three children, Augusta, Richard, and Viola. Mrs. Dahlman has an adopted son, William Dahlman, born July 25, 1891, married September 28, 1915, to Lorena Minnich, the daughter of George and Ora (Bradburn) Minnich, and granddaughter of William Minnich, a pioneer who stood guard at Germantown during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Dahlman have one child, Martha Ann, bom February 22, 1917.

For some years or since the death of Mr. Dahlman, William has been managing the farm in the interest of his foster mother and has become a very successful farmer. The Dahlman land is underlaid with a vein of coal which has been mined for several years. The place is known as "The Fairview Farm," on account of the magnificent view of the suri'ounding country, which can be seen from the home. Mr. Dahlman, the younger, is a member of the Catholic Church, is a Republican, and belongs to Montrose Council No. 525, Knights of Columbus. He is an industrious, intelligent, well read young man who is a great reader and student who keeps himself well informed upon the events which are happening in the world today.

Gerhart Anton Dahlman was one of the best of men and a highly respected citizen of the Germantown neighborhood. He loved his home and family and was a devout Catholic. No Henry County citizen is more worthy of representation in a history of his home county than Mr. Dahlman.

Joseph H. Puthoff, progressive and successful farmer of Deepwater township, proprietor of a well-improved farm of 140 acres, is a native of Henry County and comes of an old pioneer family of the Germantown neighborhood. Mr. Puthoff was born November 27, 1868, about oneeighth of a mile west of his present home.

Henry Puthoff, his father, was born in 1839 and died in 190(1. He was a native of Germany, and was a son of Henry Puthoff, who accompanied his son to America in about 1860. Mr. Puthoff settled southeast of Germantown where he purchased 160 acres of land, improved it and increased his holdings to 240 acres. He was married in Germany to Theresa S. Schaffermeier, who was born in 1842 and died in 1909. Henry and Theresa Puthoff were parents of six children: Henry, living in Kansas; Mrs. Mary Meier, also living in Kansas; Joseph H., subject of this sketch ; Herman resides on the home place ; Mrs. Theresa Jergen died in Canada; Anna lives in St. Louis.

Joseph H. Puthoff was educated in the Gemantown schools and began farming on his own account in 1897. He then located on his present place which he improved and built up to suit his needs and requirements, making it one of the best farms in this neighborhood of rich and productive farmsteads.

In November of 1896, Joseph H. Puthoff and Frances Witzel were united in marriage. Mrs. Frances Puthoff is a daughter of John Witzel, one of the old settlers of Germantown, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To this marriage have been born five children: Norbert, born January 16, 1898 ; Clements, bom May 5, 1900 ; Elizabeth, bom August 31, 1901 ; Agnes, born November 5, 1904 ; Josephine, born October 24, 1907.

Mr. Puthoff is a Republican and he and his family are members of the Germantown Catholic Church. He is an industrious, intelligent, hard working citizen who has the respect and esteem of all who know him.

Henry Puthoff served for three years in the German army before leaving the old country to find a free home in America. He served as a member of Company H, Seventh Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War and was a comrade of John J. Cook of Germantown. He saw about three years of hard service in Missouri and Arkansas during the rebellion and served his country until the war ended in 1865. Bushwhackers constantly harassed the settlers of his neighborhood during the war and would carry off provisions, live stock and anything that took their fancy. Joseph Puthoff, his brother, had suffered severely from their depredations. When Henry was on furlough and hiding out at home, the Rebels had taken the last horse which his brother owned. He determined to get even and stop them from taking away the animal that night. He said "They'll not take the horse away tonight," and hiding down by a rail fence he made up his mind to shoot them down as they came past his hiding place. The odds were much against him, but seasoned and brave soldier that he was, he was brave enough to attack the company of marauders in defense of his brother's property. As he lay in wait with his gun at his shoulder ready to fire, his brother came to him and said: "Henry, don't shoot; let them take the horse; don't kill a man for a horse." Joseph Puthoff lived to the great age of eighty-eight years and often told the stoxy of how his brother Henry tried to fight a company of bushwhackers in defense of his last horse. Henry Puthoff was the bugler of his company and a great friend of Captain Box, who came to see him while attending a reunion at Urich.

Barney Bettels. - For the past twenty-five years, Bernard or Barney Bettels, has resided upon his fine farm of 195 acres in Deepwater township, and during this time he has been constantly improving his place, which includes seventy acres of timber and pasture land. The Bettels home sets far back from the road about half way across the farm land. The Bettles farm is in three tracts, 100 acres of which comprises the home place.

Barney Bettels was born in Germany September 1, 1867, the son of Frank and Gertrude Bettels, who emigrated to America in April, 1871, and settled in St. Charles County, Missouri. In 1873 they went to St. Louis County, Missouri, the mother having died in St. Charles County. Mr. Bettles attended school in St. Louis and resided there until 1881. When he attained the age of thirteen years he came to Henry County and lived with his brother William for three years and finished his schooling at Germantown, after which he drew wages under Bernard Schmidding. He worked for two years for Joseph Cook and one year for Mr. Wincke, receiving $100 per year for three years. In August of 1889 he went to California and was employed on a large grain ranch in Tulare County for three and a half years, then returned to Henry County. His brother, Fred Bettels, dying, he purchased his brother's farm for $1,500. He has prospered and added to his acreage and laid away money during the years that he has been engaged in farming and is regarded as one of the substantial and enterprising land owners of Henry County.

June 21, 1893, Barney Bettels and Minnie Cook were united in marriage. Mrs. Minnie Bettels was bom in Henry County, June 2, 1871, and is the daughter of John J. Cook of Germantown, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To them have been born children as follows : Leo, born May 24, 1894, member of the Knights of Columbus and assisting his father on the farm, now a private in the National Army; Bernardine, born January 21, 1896 ; Clements, bom October 3, 1898 ; Delia Margaret, born December 3, 1901 ; Rosa Emma, bom February 15, 1905 ; Magdalena Mary, born February 21, 1908; Elenora Anna, born February 4, 1911.

Mr. Bettles is a Democrat, but he devotes little time to political matters outside of voting. He and his family are members of the Germantown Catholic Church.

Henry Teeman. - The late Henry Teeman was one of the oldest native-born pioneers of Henry County, and a history of the Teeman family extends over a period of nearly ninety years in Henry county, a longer period than the memory of any living man in this county runneth. The Teemans first settled in this county in the early thirties. Joseph and Elizabeth Teeman, parents of Henry Teeman, were born and reared in Germany, immigrated to America, first settled in Baltimore, Maryland, came from there to St. Louis, and thence to the Germantown neighborhood in Henry County. They settled in this county in 1836. To Joseph and Elizabeth Teeman were born fifteen children: Anna Mary, died in childhood; Joseph, a Union veteran in the National Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth, Kansas; Henry, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Eliza Devinne, deceased ; Mrs. Anna Stevens, living in Kansas ; John, a farmer. Deepwater township; Mrs. Margaret Hecker, died in Colorado; Mrs. Mary Goth, deceased; Frank, a farmer in Deepwater township; Mrs. Bertha Curtis, Leavenworth, Kansas; Rosamond, wife of Henry Sickman, Deepwater township; Anton, Deepwater township; Mrs. Theresa Silliman, deceased ; George died in infancy ; one child died in infancy.

Henry Teeman was engaged to be married when the Civil War broke out, but he responded to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers and enlisted in Company K, 2nd Kansas Infanti-y, for ninety days' service. In 1862 he again enlisted, this time in Company H of the Seventh Missouri Cavalry and served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge at Warrensburg in April, 1865, and got his final papers at St. Louis. The company with which he first enlisted was dispersed after the Battle of Lexington, and nearly all of its survivors joined the cavalry.

October 27, 1863, while on furlough, in Pettis County, Mr. Teeman was married to Mary Augusta Kleine, who was born at Nieuheim, Herpster, Germany, March 12, 1841. She was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Stratdhausen) Kleine who immigrated to America in 1854, landing at New Orleans, and thence to Cincinnati, where after they lived for one year, they came to Henry County, arriving here May 1, 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Klein lived and died on their farm near Johnstown. Their two other daughters were : Mary Elizabeth, born February 25, 1865, and Anna Augusta, born July 12, 1866.

To Henry and Mary Augusta Teeman were born twelve children: Mary Elizabeth, born February 25, 1865, now Sister Francisca, Denver. Colorado ; Almira Augusta, boi-n July 12, died December, 1868 ; Margaret, born February 16, 1867, deceased; Bertha Francisca, born 1870, wife of Henry Silliman, Montrose, Missouri; Matilda, born September 4, 1872, widow of Harold Balliot, Assumption, Illinois ; Henry Robert, born September 26, 1874, married Elizabeth Dahlman and resides at Genda Springs, Kansas; Frances, deceased; Sophia, Sister M. Catharine, a teacher in the high school at St. Joseph, Missouri; Augusta Theresa, born December 4, 1879, wife of John Fick, Deepwater township ; Cecilia Clara, born September 8, 1881, wife of Bias Vogel, Walker township ; Louis Albert, born July 26, 1883, at home ; Henry, bom April 8, 1886, an oil man at Vinita, Oklahoma, married Mary Etta Teeters and has two children.

Mr. and Mrs. Teeman built their first home in 1865, and moved to their farm in August of that year. They first built a small shack, and inasmuch as Mr. Teeman's health had been seriously impaired, much of the work of making a home fell upon his good wife's shoulders. They had a hard time of it for several years but both kept up their spirits and made things go. They began with forty acres which Mrs. Teeman received from her father. This farm is now well improved and Mrs. Teeman has capably managed it for several years. She now has forty acres of good, rich land. Mr. Teeman was a Republican. He was a member of the Catholic Church and was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic. He died on August 26, 1904.

Mrs. Teeman is a most capable and well preserved woman who is noted throughout the country for her intelligence and sprightliness. During the year 1862, when this section of Missouri was overrun with bushwhackers or freebooters, the parents of Mrs. Teeman suffered from their depredations. One time in 1862, when armed men had entered the house with the intention of killing her father, John Kleine, she flew at the man, struck the gun out of his hand and dared him to shoot her father. After the battle of Lexington she cooked meals for twenty-two half famished soldiers over an old fashioned fireplace. Mrs. Teeman is a most interesting lady and loves to talk of old times and especially of the times during the war when there was so much excitement.

Ethelbert Lampkin. - Down in the extreme southwest corner of Henry County, in Deepwater township, is one of the most beautiful estates in western Missouri, which shows the handiwork of lovers of the best which Nature can produce if the land receives the proper care. The Lampkin estate of 400 acres, which was built up during fifty-two years of residence and tenure by Ethelbert Lampkin and his wife, Emma, is a splendid homestead. The pretty cottage residence occupies the crest of a rising slope, down which is spread an attractive and well kept lawn which is shaded by evergreens and deciduous trees. Mr. Lampkin took up his residence on this place in 1866 and Mrs. Lampkin has lived there since 1871. A large orchard flanks the grove and lawn and an abundance of all kinds of fruit are supplementary products of this large farm.

The late Ethelbert Lampkin was born in Northumberland County, Virginia, April 14, 1832, and departed this life in Henry County, February 16, 1895. He was the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Kenny) Lampkin, both of whom were of English parentage. During the fifties Mr. Lampkin went to Pettis County, Missouri, and followed his trade of brick mason at Sedalia until 1861. In that year he journeyed west to Colorado and engaged in mining. In this venture he was successful and became owner of a valuable mine. The Colorado trip and his work as a gold and silver miner netted him a sufficient amount of money to enable him to purchase his land in Henry County in 1866.

November 29, 1871, Ethelbert Lampkin and Emma Hutchinson, of Pettis County, Missouri, were united in marriage. This marriage was blessed with children as follow: Rose, wife of Dr. J. R. Hampden of Shawnee Mound, Henry County; Lena, wife of David Atchison, residing on the adjoining farm ; William T., married Susan Wilson, daughter of Joseph H. Wilson and lives at Payette, Idaho; Claude, married Maud Oliver, daughter of the late Henry Oliver and resides on a farm just across the road; Harry E., lives at Portland, Oregon; Cline Y., a merchant at Decatur, Illinois ; Louise, wife of E. D. Smith, resides on an adjoining farm ; Mrs. Ethel Farber, Payette, Idaho; Ben, resides on a farm two miles north of the home place; Roland, born June 11, 1892, resides upon the home farm, which he has been operating. He is now m training for war service in the National Army.

The mother of this family of children was born in Pettis County, Missouri, August 7, 1852, and is the daughter of William T. and Martha (Porter) Hutchinson, both of whom were natives of Kentucky and Virginia, who emigrated from their native States to Pettis County via the overland wagon route in the early thirties. Her grandfather, Belfield Porter, entered Government land in Pettis County about 1831. He was an extensive farmer and stock man and brought with him many slaves from Virginia. William T. and Martha Hutchinson were parents of the following children: Bellfield Hutchinson, living at Sedalia, Missouri; Mrs. Emma Lampkin ; Mrs. Hattie Cline, Sedalia, Missouri ; Louise, Nannie and Mattie, residing in Sedalia.

The Democratic party always had the support of Ethelbert Lampkin, but he was never an office seeker. He was a member of the Baptist Church and took a lifelong and abiding interest in religious works. He assisted materially in the building of Union Church and Presbyterian and the Mount Hope Church and helped to build the Appleton City Baptist Church. He was a liberal giver to all religious and charitable causes and never let a worthy call upon his purse go unheeded. Mr. Lampkin was one of Henry County's best known and most highly esteemed citizens, whose place in the history of his county is assured for all time.

Herman Henry Willenbring. - Just south of the flourishing city of Montrose, in Deepwater township, is one of the finest farms in western Missouri, consisting of 480 acres in a high state of cultivation, owned and operated by Herman Heni-y Willenbring, one of the most enterprising and progi:essive farmers of Henry County. Since Mr. Willenbring took possession of this farm in 1905 he has been constantly improving it and has erected a new granary and made other substantial improvements. The large farm residence sets back from the highway and presents a striking appearance when seen from the roadway.

Herman Henry Willenbring was born September 30, 1868, in Germany, the son of Anton and Josephine Willenbring, who emigrated from Germany in 1871 and settled in Nemaha County, Kansas, purchasing a farm just northeast of the town of Seneca. They resided on this farm until death called them, the father dying in 1886 and the mother departing this life in 1888. Herman H. is the only living child of his parents.

Mr. Willenbring was married in Seneca, Nemaha County, Kansas, to Miss Anna Rottinghaus, who was born in Germany, the daughter of Bernard Rottinghaus, an early settler of Nemaha County, Kansas. Mr. Willenbring resided in Nemaha County, Kansas, until 1900 and then went to Garfield County, Oklahoma, purchased a farm, which he improved and sold. Mr. Willenbring bought and sold four different farms in Oklahoma, clearing $4,000 on his various transactions. In 1905 he came to Henry County and purchased one of the finest farms in the vicinity of Montrose, in a region noted for its fine farms. Although he has been a citizen of this county for but a few years Mr. Willenbring has taken his place as one of the leading agriculturists of the county and he and his family are well established in the community.

Ohio; Joseph, a soldier in the National Army at Camp Funston; Louis, also a soldier in the National Army stationed at Camp Funston, where he went April 2, 1918; Alphonse, a student at St. Benedict's College, Atchison, Kansas ; Martha, in school at Clyde, Missouri ; Frank, Lawrence and Paul, at home with their parents.

John Swaters. - The little Kingdom of Holland has furnished thousands upon thousands of sturdy immigrants to this country since the first great immigration of the Hollanders occurred in the seventeenth century when the Dutch made the beginning of one of the world's greatest cities on the Island of Manhattan. The Hollanders make excellent American citizens, and are noted for their industry and proverbial thrift and honesty. John Swaters, wealthy farmer of Deepwater township, is a splendid type of American who was born in Holland. Since coming to Henry County in 1893, he has accumulated 909 acres of land. He made his first purchase of land in 1893 in Bear Creek township consisting of 320 acres, but he did not make his permanent home here until 1901, when he built a fine, large residence of nine rooms and erected other necessary buildings on the home place. 829 acres of the Swaters land is located in Bear Creek township.

John Swaters was born in Holland, October 29, 1838, the son of John and Antoinette (DeHeer) Swaters, who came to America in 1848. The father of Mrs. Swaters, John DeHeer, died on the voyage. The Swaters family settled in Clinton County, Illinois, where the father died in 1853, and the mother died in 1873.

John Swaters began life in humble circumstances in Clinton County, Illinois, and shortly after his marriage he removed to Effingham County, where he became owner of a farm of 320 acres which he cultivated until his removal to Missouri. Land was constantly rising in value in Illinois and Mr. Swaters with characteristic shrewdness and by the exercise of good, sound business judgment based upon the idea that a man could not lose money by purchasing good farm lands, bought and sold farms in his vicinity and thus made a great deal of money. Of late years he has deeded outright, three quarter sections to his sons.

April 18, 1871, John Swaters and Elizabeth Wekamp were united in marriage. Mrs. Elizabeth Swaters is the daughter of J. B. Wekamp and was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1855, emigrating from her native land to America when fifteen years old. Her mother died in 1865. The children born to John and Elizabeth Swaters are as follow : Anna, Elizabeth, Henry, Bernard, John H., Margaret, Maria A., Rosa, George A., Francis Louis, and Ann Leonora. Ann married Fred H. Heiman and has children as follow: Regina, Pernelia, Leo, Martha, Rosa, Ferdinand, Loretta, John and Helen. Regina Heiman married John Nold and has one child, Morena. Elizabeth, wife of H. W. Schmidt, lives in Illinois, and has six children: Gertrude, Clarence, Vincent, John, Loretta, and Lawrence. Henry married Elizabeth Richter and resides in Bear Creek township, has children as follow: Irene, Gertrude, Nettie, Bernard, Helena, Raymond, and Leonard. Bernard married Catherine Heiman and resides on his father's farm in the adjoining house, has four children: Mary, Hildegarde, Catherine, and Maurice. Francis Louis, married Caroline Cole and has one son, Robert Louis. John H., Jr. and Margaret Sawters are at home with their parents. Marie A. died in infancy. Mrs. Rosa Lee Nold lives in Bear Creek township. George A. is at home. Anna Leonora, married William Nold and lives in Bear Creek township.

Mr. Swaters is a Democrat and he and all of his family are devout Catholics, being members of the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Montrose. He is one of the kindest of men, and he and Mrs. Swaters are jolly, wholesouled people who have good and just right to be proud of their accomplishments and of the fine family which they have bequeathed to their adopted country.

Frank White. - The accomplishment of Frank White, owner of 550 acres of land in Clinton township, Henry County, is worthy of commendation and emulation. Since the time he attained the age of sixteen years, Mr. White has been doing for himself, and he began his career in this county as farm hand working by the month. Carefully saving his earnings, he made his first investment in farm land in the nineties and has continued to buy land until he has become one of the large land owners of Henry County. Upon his farm of 550 acres are three sets of improvements.

Eli White was born in Ohio in 1827 and died in 1880. He was the son of Henry White, a native of Pennsylvania who came to Henry County via the overland route in the early forties and entered the land where Emery Martin now resides. He was among the first pioneers of the county and was a great hunter in his day. Eli White was a crack rifleman and killed many deer in drives which the hunters made in the early days. He operated a saw mill for the convenience of his neighbors and erected the first school building in the Glenwood district. He entered the land where his son Walter now lives, erected a cabin thereon and made this place his home until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he took his family back to Indiana by wagon and remained there until after the close of the war. He was a Union soldier and served over three months in the Union Army. The wife of Eli White was, prior to her marriage, Mary E. Thompson. She was born in Ohio in 1833 and was a daughter of Robert Thompson, who came to Henry County in 1849. There were four children born to Eli and Mary White ; Mrs. Lillie Finances Gill, St. Clair County, Missouri ; Walter, living in Bear Creek township ; Frank, subject of this sketch; Mrs. Nellie Barnes, living in Montana. Eli White was one of the "forty-niners" who made the long and dangerous trip to the gold fields of California in 1849, and he remained there for some years, engaged in mining. Robert Thompson organized the first Sunday school ever held in Bear Creek township. Mary E. (Thompson) White died in 1906.

Frank White, of this review, was married March 13, 1887, to Miss Zilpha H. Adkins, who was born December 25, 1868, in Clinton township, the daughter of Henry G. and Zilpha Jane Adkins, concerning whom the reader is referred to the sketch of C. M. Adkins in this volume. Eight children were born to this marriage: Alpha Adkins, a graduate of the Clinton High School and the Warrensburg Normal College, and who taught one term of school; Clara May, died in childhood; James Joseph B., married Anna Marolf and has one child, Mary Pauline ; William A., formerly at home with his father, now a private in the National Army; Bernice Ellen, Alia Adair and Eleanor Lucille, at home. The mother departed this life June 6, 1910. She was a woman of high and noble character, a devoted wife and a kind mother. She was a member of the Clinton Methodist Episcopal Church and took a great interest in church work when the family resided in Clinton for six years. She died while the family were living in Clinton and Mr. White and the children then returned to the farm. Mr. White is a Democrat, but he takes little active interest in political matters other than to cast his vote.

proved his farm from prairie and wilderness into a rich and productive country estate. During this long period he has seen a great county and State in the making and has witnessed all of the wonderful changes that have taken place in this western country. "Uncle Jim," as he is affectionately known, has likewise improved with time and has kept pace with this great development. He was born in Illinois December 25, 1841, and is the son of Frederick and Polly (Hall) Moyer, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively.

Frederick Moyer was bom in 1794 and died in 1856. He was the son of John Moyer, who was of North Carolina German stock. Polly Hall was born near Jamestown, Virginia, and was the daughter of a Eevolutionary soldier who served seven years in the Army of Independence. Frederick Moyer was a pioneer in Edgar County, Illinois, and his father settled on Tiger Creek in Pike County, Illinois. Frederick Moyer died in Illinois and after his death the widowed mother and family came to Missouri in 1858. While the war was raging she took her family and returned to the home folks in Illinois. She was accidentally killed by a threshing machine in 1863.

James A. Moyer migrated to Missouri in 1858 and first settled upon a rented farm and lived in a small log cabin which the previous owner had erected. He eventually settled on the Levy place, which had been entered from the Government by his brother, John S. Moyer, who returned to Illinois in August, 1861, and came back to Henry County in 1865. James A. returned to Henry County, Missouri, in 1866 and settled upon his present home place in 1867. During the many years in which Mr. Moyer has resided on his place he has constantly been improving it in different ways. A fine growing orchard planted in 1905 is his special pride. Mr. Moyer's farm embraces 300 acres in all.

July 21, 1867, he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret A. Flecker, who was bom in Augusta County, Virginia, June 22, 1845. The history of the Flecker family and an account of the parents of Mrs. Margaret Moyer appears in the sketch of James F. Flecker in this volume. Six children were born of this marriage, three of whom are living: Hattie, wife of W. Scott Mitchell, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Mrs. Grace Ringo, living in Oklohoma, mother of two children, Caroline and Eugene; Mrs. Viola Romine, Clinton, Missouri, mother of one child, Frank Romine.

supported the Democratic party since attaining his majority. He is a well preserved gentleman for his age, but has turned much of the farm work over to younger heads who are tilling his acreage for him.

Walter Scott Mitchell. - For half a century the Mitchell family have been prominently identified with the history of Henry County. Walter Scott Mitchell, prosperous and progressive farmer and stockman of Clinton township, is one of the best known citizens of the county. He was bom in Perry County, Ohio, not far from the city of Zanesville, in June, 1867, and is the son of John and Eliza (Evans) Mitchell, the latter of whom is a daughter of one of the oldest pioneer women of western Missouri, now being past ninety-two years of age.

John Mitchell was born in Perry County, Ohio, and was the son of George Mitchell. Both father and son came to Henry County in search of homes in 1868, the former settling two miles north of Clinton on what is known as the Keck farm. John Mitchell resided in Henry County on his farm near Clinton until 1879, when he located in St. Clair County, dying there in 1882. He was father of six children: Walter Scott, subject of this sketch ; Charles H., Kansas City, Missouri ; Edward, deceased ; Frank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; George, Brownington, Missouri ; Lee, a butcher of Deepwater, Missouri. The mother of these children is seventy years of age and resides in Deepwater. Her mother is Mrs. Lovina (Evans) Hopkins, who resides in Deepwater, Missouri and is well past the age of ninety-two years.

W. Scott Mitchell was reared and educated in Henry and St. Clair Counties and he returned to Henry County after the death of his father in 1882. He first located near Deepwater and purchased his first land in Clinton township in 1914. Mr. Mitchell is owner of 180 acres of land but is farming a total of 230 acres, a part of the Moyer land being in his charge. He erected a handsome farm home in 1917 which is located on one of the main highways leading directly north to Clinton, but a few miles distant.

In 1890 Mr. Mitchell was married to Miss Hattie Lee Moyer, a daughter of James A. Moyer, pioneer settler of Clinton township, a biography of whom appears in this volume of Henry County history. The following children have been born of this marriage: John Arthur, is now a private in the National Army, stationed at Camp Fremont, California; Violet, vsdfe of Henry Braun, mother of one child, Mildred; Uel Francis,

Mr. Mitchell is a thorough Democrat who has generally taken an active part in Henry County political affairs and is now serving as county judge. He and Mrs. Mitchell and the four oldest children are members of the Baptist Church.

John Braun, of Clinton township, was born in Wittenburg, Germany, April 9, 1859, and was of high German stock, being a son of Jacob Braun, who came to America and located in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1876. John Braun learned the trade of cigar maker and followed his trade in Kansas City for a time. After his marriage in 1882 he located in Wyandotte County, Kansas, on a farm and then settled in Johnson County, Kansas, where he followed the pursuit of agriculture until his removal to Henry County, Missouri, in 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Braun bought eighty acres of land in Clinton township and their first home in this county was a log house which was later supplanted by a handsome residence. On account of the poor health from which Mr. Braun suffered for twenty-two years, he was unable to do much work of any consequence, the task of improving a farm and making a home for the family fell to Mrs. Braun. Mr. Braun was taken sei'iously ill in 1895, and it became necessary to remove him to a State institution.

John Braun was married on March 4, 1882, to Kathrine Rentchler, who was bom in Wittenburg, Germany, May 20, 1858, the daughter of George and Barbara (Lutz) Rentcheler,, who spent all of their lives in the land of their nativity. Mrs. Braun came to America in 1880 and resided in Kansas City for two years prior to her marriage. To John and Kathrine Braun have been bom children as follow: Benjamin, born July 11, 1885, a land owner of Clinton township, married Ella Hoppe, daughter of August Hoppe, and has two children, Mary Ellen and Bessie May; John F., bom October 15, 1887, resides on a farm in Fairview township and owns a farm in Clinton township, married Minnie, daughter of William F. Standke, and has one son, John William; George, born November 27, 1889, married Lottie, daughter of William Dunning, and has three children, Frank, William and Clayton; Mary, born January 18, 1891, lives in Clinton township, married Estes Williams and has four children, Philip, Daisy, Ellen and Dorothy; Henry, born February 16, 1893, on the home farm, married Violet Mitchell, born July 2, 1895, daughter of W. S. Mitchell, and has one child, Mildred, born August 14, 1915.

Many women would have been terrified and disheartened at the prospect of shouldering the burdens of both father and mother, but Mrs. Braun is made of the material which is never afraid to try to accomplish what is necessary. To her belongs the credit of rearing her fine family, of building up and improving a fine farm and her children and many friends take pride in speaking of what she did alone and unaided when her children were small. She is a capable and intelligent woman who is proud of her fine family and takes great pride in her home. She is a member of the Golden Gate Baptist Church and has led all of her children in the paths of true morality and religion, every child being a member of this church.

Fred Schmidt. - For over forty years Fred Schmidt has lived on the farm in the southeastern part of Clinton township which he cleared from the timber along the stream which flows through his land on the boundary line. He first cut the trees and cleared a place for his home and then gradually cut more trees and placed the ground in cultivation, until he had cleared 160 acres of splendid farm land. He purchased his first seventy-four acres of timbered land for $250 - an amount which was a fortune in the old days and which he obtained by the hardest kind of labor in the coal mines of Henry County. He next bought eighty acres at a cost of $32 an acre. The hardest kind of work during his long lifetime has placed Mr. Schmidt in comfortable circumstances, and now, in the eventide of his long and useful life, he can sit in peace and comfort and reap the reward of his years of unremitting labor.

Fred Schmidt was bom in Baden, Germany, September 26, 1848, the son of Frederick and Rosa Schmidt, who lived and died in Germany. When a boy Fred Schmidt herded sheep for a livelihood and dreamed of the land across the seas where people were free and happy, and where it was possible to attain a home and even riches if one were honest and willing to work. His dreams were eventually realized, and in 1866 he crossed the Atlantic, arrived at New York, made his way to Cincinnati, and came to Henry County in 1873, after spending six years at labor in Cincinnati. Upon his arrival in this county he obtained employment in the coal mines, where he worked until he purchased his land and began making a home for himself and his loved ones.

Mr. Schmidt has been twice married. His first marriage took place in 1868 with Elizabeth Leffler, of Wittenburg, Germany, born in 1836 and died in 1913, leaving four children: Amiel W., a farmer living two miles west of his father's place; Charles, a farmer of Clinton township; Mrs. Anna Standke, Clinton township; Frank, a farmer living two miles west of his fathei-'s place. His second marriage occurred in November, 1916, with Miss Margaret Schmidt, who was born in July, 1849, a daughter of Matthias and Sarah Schmidt, natives of Wittenburg, Germany, who immigrated to America in 1868 and settled in Henry County. Miss Schmidt was first married to Charles Gebhart, a stone mason, who died in 1903.

Nothing can portray the remarkable changes that have taken place since Fred Schmidt first came to Henry County more than the great increase in land values. Just a few weeks ago in April of 1918 Mr. Schmidt was offered about $50 an acre for his farm, a sum which would keep him in comfort in the city during his declining years. It is needless to state that he refused the off'er and intends to spend his life on the spot he loves so well. Mr. Schmidt is a Republican and is an adherent of the Lutheran faith.

Elijah W. Saunders. - Living in comfortable retirement and ease at his pleasant home in Deepwater is Elijah W. Saunders, one of the oldest of the Henry County pioneers, who came to this county fifty-one years ago. Mr. Saunders was born in Kentucky September 15, 1836, the son of Easton C. and Demaris (Fradry) Saunders, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. Elijah W. Saunders was reared to young manhood in Kentucky and was there married to Lucinda Cook, who died in 1865, leaving four children, two of whom are living: Robert, a farmer and road overseer of Fairview township, has a son, Harry, in the National Army; John, a farmer in Fairview township, has a son, Rolla, in the National Army. After his marriage Mr. Saunders removed to Sangamon County, Illinois, and settled on a farm near Taylorville, where he resided until November 11, 1867, at which time he came to Henry County and settled in Fairview township. During the first year he lived with Mr. Withrow, east of Deepwater, and then returned to Illinois for his children. He resided on the Withrow place until his second marriage and then settled on the Martin place, which he rented for a period of three years. He then bought a modest farm of forty aci'es, south of the town of Deepwater. He traded this tract for a farm of 160 acres on the county line, between Henry and St. Clair Counties, and improved a splendid farm near Pleasant Valley Church. He continued to accumulate farm land until he became owner of 500 acres of rich land.

Mr. Saunders has given 153 acres outright to his sons and has given each child a good start in Hfe rather than to have them wait until after his death.

January 3, 1869, Mr. Saunders was married to Miss Mary Hurt, Who was bom October 10, 1847, on a farm four miles south of Clinton. This marriage was performed by the Rev. Frank Laller, one of the well known ministers of that day. Mrs. Mary Saunders was born in her father's barn, as they had no house built at the time of her birth. She is the daughter of Andrew and Bertha (Mitchell) I^urt, natives of Ohio and Indiana, respectively. They were married in Indiana and iirst located in Boone County, Missouri, residing in that county until 1838, when the family came to Henry County and built the first cabin on the present site of the city of Clinton. Mr. Hurt entered Government land four miles southeast of Clinton. Mr. and Mrs. Hurt were parents of nine children, four of whom died in infancy: Margaret Allen, Eldorado Springs, Missouri ; Mrs. Mary Saunders, of this review ; Andrew, Deepwater, Missouri ; Mrs. Berthina Langdon, living in Ohio. The children born of the marriage of Elijah W. and Mary Saunders are as follows: Lizzie, who is caring for her aged parents; Mrs. Diena Saunders, St. Clair County, Missouri; Charles, deceased; George, who is farming the home place, and took his father's place as school director of the home district, a position which Mr. Saunders filled for thirteen years and resigned upon removing to Deepwater in October of 1901.

Mr. Saunders is a Democrat and a member of the Baptist Church. He served for years as deacon of the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and was one of the builders and a charter member of this church.

James D. Mann. - A man's standing in his community is naturally measured by his accomplishments in a material and civic sense. If he be but a mere money grabber and cares for nothing aside from the amassing of dollars, his importance is limited by the power of his money. If, on the other hand, he is broad gauged enough to combine the highest duties of citizenship with the accumulation of wealth his position in the community is assured ; his place in history is marked ; and he is deserving of more than ordinary mention. Such a man was the late James D. Mann of Montrose, Missouri. He was a man of intellect, education, and decided business ability, an executive and organizer of a high order who had the highest conception of the duties of a good citizen and who was always found in the forefront of the advocates of civic betterment.

James D. Mann was born September 23, 1858, and departed this life September 20, 1915. He was born at Neosho, Wisconsin, the son of John L. Mann, whose wife bore the maiden name of Parsons. They were natives of New England. The Mann family originated in the Isle of Mann and the history of American branch of this family dates back to Colonial times, they being among the oldest of the American families of English origin. John L. Mann was a pioneer in the State of Wisconsin, where he cleared a farm from the forest in the early forties. James D. Mann was reared and educated in his native county in Wisconsin and was a farmer until his removal to Missouri in 1892. Opportunity beckoned to him and he sold his Wisconsin farm and located in the thriving city of Montrose, where for two years he was in the employ of Sol Kahn, the veteran merchant of Montrose. In 1894, he established the grain business which bears his name. He successfully conducted this business until his death. In addition to his grain business he was interested in agricultural pursuits and owned 240 aci'es of land located one mile north of Montrose.

While a resident of Wisconsin he was married in 1880 to Miss Le Moine Wilson, who was born in the city of Neosho, Wisconsin, a daughter of De Wayne Wilson, a well-known citizen of Neosho. Mrs. Le Moine Mann was born in 1863 and departed this life on October 1, 1913. The children of the family are: Arthur J.; Howard H., born November 15, 1898, in Montrose, Missouri, enlisted at Kansas City, on April 5, 1917, in the Third Missouri Regiment, now the 140th Infantry Regiment of the National Army, and is serving as a private in machine gun company, and prior to his departure to the fighting front in France, he was in training at Camp Doniphan.

Arthur J. Mann, who is now managing the Mann Grain Company and the family business interests, was born October 26, 1881, at Neosho, Wisconsin, and received his education in the public schools of Neoshs and Montrose. After graduation from the local high school he studied for one year at the Missouri Valley College, Marshall, Missouri, and then pursued a business course at the Central Business College of Sedalia, Missouri. After graduation from business college he entered the grain business with his father at Montrose and now is in complete charge of the business as proprietor and manager. He completed a business course in 1902 and in the spring of 1904 went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was employed as bookkeeper and traveling salesman for different grain firms having headquarters in the city for a period of ten years. The

On October 29, 1902, A. J. Mann and Miss Flora De Bold of Montrose M^ere united in marriage. Mrs. Flora Mann is a daughter of Joseph De Bold, a former merchant of Montrose, now located in Clinton, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Mann have one son, Russell Mann, born August 25, 1903.

A. J. Mann is a Democrat in politics, has held the office of city alderman, and is a member of the local board of education. He is a director of the Montrose Savings Bank. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Kansas City Blue Lodge No. 299, the Orient Chapter, Oriental Commandery, and the Ararat Shi'ine of Kansas City.

The late James D. Mann was a Democrat and during his residence in Montrose he held practically every city office, serving several terms as mayor of the city. He was one of the organizers and pi'esident of the Henry County Boosters Club. He assisted in organizing the Missouri Grain Dealers Association and served two terms as president of this organization, being elected unanimously to this position. He was active in church work and was a ruling elder of the Montrose Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was fraternally associated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of Clinton, Missouri. .

Mann Grain Company. - The Mann Grain Company was established at Montrose, Missouri, in 1894, by the late James D. Mann under the firm name of Mann and Marsh. It was conducted as a partnership undertaking until the death of Mr. Marsh in 1903. Mr. Mann then became sole owner. After Mr. Mann's death on September 20, 1915, the business passed under the management of his son, A. J. Mann. The buildings of the Mann Grain Company cover cosiderable ground space. The elevator building is 300 feet by 40 feet in extent and has a capacity of 15,000 bushels of grain. The warehouse and office are 125x30 feet. The concern handles over 150 carloads of grain yearly as well as shipping twentyfive carloads of broom corn aggregating 250 tons each year. The firm also retails mill feed and seeds and two men are employed to attend to the extensive business.

John G. Goth, proprietor of a well improved farm in Deepwater township, is a native son of Henry County and is a descendant of one of the sterling pioneer families of German origin who have settled and de- veloped the southwestern part of Henry County. Mr. Goth is owner of 241 acres of land, forty acres of which is located in Walker township. Mr. Goth erected the eight-room farm residence on his place in 1907. When he took possession of his first tract of 120 acres the improvements were negligible and the soil was partly impoverished, through years of indifferent cultivation. Mr. Goth purchased his home farm in December of 1897 and moved to the place on March 1, 1898. He paid $30 an acre for the land which is now easily worth $75 an acre. He added eighty acres in 1913 at a cost of $60 an acre. The farm is in a high state of cultivation, and the buildings are all substantial.

John G. Goth was born September 24, 1870, on the old Henry Goth homestead, north of Germantown, in Walker township. Henry Goth, his father, was born in Indiana in April 1, 1842, and died in Henry County, September 12, 1889. He was the son of Joseph Goth, a native of Germany who first settled in Indiana after immigrating to this country, and came to the Germantown neighborhood in 1854. He was a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War, and served in Company H of the Seventh Missouri Cavalry. Mr. Goth served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge in April of 1865. The Seventh Missouri Cavalry saw much active service in Missouri, Arkansas and were constantly fighting bushwhackers and giving protection to the loyal citizens of this section of the country. He became owner of the Joseph Goth home place and purchased other land until he owned 190 acres of excellent farm lands.

Henry Goth was married to Mary Teeman, a daughter of Henry Teeman of Deepwater township, deceased pioneer settler concerning whom an account will be found in this volume. Mrs. Goth was born in Henry County January 30, 1846, and died July 28, 1904. The children born to Henry and Mary Goth were as follow: Joseph H., living on part of the Goth home place; John G., subject of this sketch; George and Henry, deceased; Elizabeth Goth lives on the home place; Sylvester, farmer. Walker township; two children died in infancy; Florence, wife of Henry Danzenbrink, lives on the Goth home place in Walker township; Edward, a farmer in Deepwater township. Mr. and Mrs. Goth were devout Catholics and Mr. Goth was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

John G. Goth received his education in Oak Grove School and began doing for himself in 1891. In that year he went to California and was employed on a fruit ranch for two years. Upon his return he managed the home place until he purchased his present farm. On October 1,

1895, Mr. Goth was married to Magdalena Kaumans, born in Shelby county, Missouri, November 16, 1875, the daughter of Joseph and Frances Kaumans, who came to Henry County in 1888. Her father is deceased and her mother resides in Montrose. The children born to this marriage are: Andrew, Lawrence, Felix, deceased; Benjamin, Frances, Linus, Gladys, and Alma.

Mr. Goth is a Democrat but has no time for political affairs, other than casting his vote at election time. Mr. and Mrs. Goth and the children are all members of the Catholic Church.

Frank Ragland, owner of a splendid farm of 300 acres in Bear Creek township, is a native of Henry County. Mr. Ragland purchased his farm in 1912 and it is a fertile and well watered tract, crossed by Panther Creek and situated in the southeastern part of Bear Creek township. Mr. Ragland was bom in Clinton, Missouri, December 19, 1871, the son of Robert H. and Laura E. (Gillespie) Ragland. Robert H. Ragland, his father, was born in 1839 and died in March, 1906. He was born in Monroe County, Missouri, the son of Nathaniel Ragland, a native of Kentucky, who was one of the Missouri pioneers.

Nathaniel Ragland came to Henry County in the early forties and entered Government land, two and a half miles north of Clinton. He improved this tract and becam.e prominent in the affairs of Heni-y County. Robert H. Ragland became owner of a farm north of Clinton which he sold when he located in Clinton. He served as constable of Clinton township and was deputy sheriff of Henry County for eight years. He later bought a farm in Bates County upon which he resided for a few years, and at the time of his death, made his home with his son Fred in Clinton. To Robert H. and Laura E. Ragland were born seven children: Ernest A., Harrison, Arkansas; Fred W., killed by a train in Clinton, in October, 1905; Frank, subject of this sketch; Robert, deceased; Mrs. Annie Wyatt, Shawnee tovniship, Henry County; Roland and Auda, deceased. Mrs. Laura E. (Gillespie) Ragland was born February 11, 1838, and departed this life July 31, 1894. She was twice married, her first husband being Tolliver H. Whittaker, and to this marriage three children were born; George A., deceased ; Mrs. Mary Elbertha Hoover, Grinnell, Kansas ; Tolliver H., deceased.

Frank Raglan^ was educated in the district schools and he accompanied his parents to Bates County in 1881. After two years' residence in Bates County, he returned to Henry County and made his home with his uncle, George Blakemore, and operated the Blakemore farm for twelve years. Later he spent two years in Duluth, Minnesota, and returned to Henry County in 1901. For the ensuing six years he resided on a farm north of Clinton. For the next four years he rented a place in Bear Creek township, and then purchased his present farm. Mr. Ragland is engaged in general farming and stock raising.

January 10, 1893, Frank Ragland and Miss Ella MiddlecofF were united in marriage. This marriage has been blessed with nine children, all of whom are at home with their parents : Walter F., born January 14, 1896, recently enlisted in the United States Navy; Robert N., born October 12, 1897; Jehu Baker, born October 25, 1899; Howard L., born March 5, 1902 ; Clara Belle, bom June 27, 1903 ; John W., born March 14, 1906 ; Ernest Henry, born December 20, 1909; Calvin Land, bom June 1, 1911; Mary Elizabeth, bom March 19, 1914.

Mrs. Ella (Middlecoff) Ragland was bom on a farm five miles east of Clinton in Deer Creek township July 8, 1872, the daughter of J. W. and Elizabeth (Land) Middlecoff. J. W. Middlecoff was born December 10, 1822, and died January 19, 1910. Mrs. Elizabeth (Land) Middlecoff was born April 6, 1834, and departed this life on March 27, 1887. She was bom in Belleville, Illinois, the daughter of Aaron Land, a native of Tennessee. The first wife of J. W. Middlecoff was Amy W. Anderson, who bore him three children : James, John and Helen. James Middlecoff served in the Civil War and is deceased. John lives in Los Angeles, California. Helen died in infancy. The second marriage of J. W. Middlecoff was with Elizabeth Land, who bore him children as follow: Byron Cicero and Lucy Ann, deceased; Aaron Land, Milan, Tennessee; Clara, wife of J. C. Inlow, Clinton, Missouri; Lawrence, was an attorney in Los Angeles, California, and is now deceased ; Maryline, wife of John Foster, Lewis Station, Henry County; Judge Jehu Baker, a successful attorney and probate judge of Duluth, Minnesota; Elmer, Seattle, Washington; Walter Whitfield, an attorney, Los Angeles, Califomia; Mrs. Ella Ragland; Archie, Los Angeles, California.

J. W. Middlecoff was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, and moved to Belleville with his parents when a child. He came to Henry County in 1866 and his first year in this county was spent on a farm north of Clinton. In 1867 he settled permanently on a farm five miles east of Clinton. He improved a large tract of land and built a home for himself and family, hauling the lumber from Warsaw, Missouri. He spent the rest of his days on this farm, reared his splendid family and became one of the most prominent citizens of Henry County. He was president of the Henry County Bank and was one of the wealthy and substantial citizens of this county. The Middlecoff family is an old American family, the history of which begins with Peter Mittelkauff, who sailed from Rotterdam, Holland, and arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1728.

Mr. Ragland is a Democrat and is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World, Lodge No. 250, La Due, Missouri. He and Mrs. Ragland and the children worship at Teays Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church.

Bernard H. Hageboeck. - In the southern part of Deepwater township, southeast of the town of Montrose, is one of the finest and best improved countiy estates in all Missouri, owned and operated by Bernard Hageboeck, and consisting of 480 acres, 400 acres of which is located in Henry County and eighty acres just over the line in St. Clair county. The Hageboeck land embraces a tract of the richest prairie soil, which has produced good crops from year to year as the seasons were propitious. However, Mr. Hageboeck has the faculty of adapting an ingrained knowledge of the science of agriculture to local conditions and he generally has good crops. Recently he has deeded 160 acres to his son, Frank. This year, 1918, Mr. Hageboeck has harvested sixty acres of wheat which yielded twenty bushels to the acre; forty acres of oats which gave a yield of thirty bushels to the acre ; and has mowed sixty acres of meadow which yielded thirty tons of hay. This farm produces annually about 125 head of hogs, and Mr. Hageboeck keeps about twenty-five horses and mules for the farm work.

Bernard Hageboeck was born in Osage County, Missouri, February 6. 1855, and is the son of Frank and Elizabeth (Kemnar) Hageboeck, natives of Germany who emigrated to America when young. Frank Hageboeck was born in 1805 and died in 1885. Elizabeth (Kemnar) Hageboeck came to this country with her parents. Frank Hageboeck emigrated from his native land about 1830 and landed at New Orleans from a sailing vessel. From the southern city he made his way by boat to St. Louis and from there located in Osage County and lived his entire life in that county after coming to America.

Bernard H. Hageboeck was reared to young manhood in Osage County, Missouri, and began for himself when twenty-four years of age. He tilled his father's land for ten years and in 1889 he inherited the home farm in that county. He sold this farm in 1891 and the following year came to Henry County and purchased his present place, beginning with 240 acres, to which he has been adding land until he now has 480 acres. Mr. Hageboeck has made many improvements on his land and is constantly improving and adding to its attractiveness and fertility.

In 1879 the marriage of B. H. Hageboeck and Mary Brooms occurred. Mrs. Mary Hageboeck was bom in Osage County, Missouri, the daughter of Herman Brooms, a native of Germany and early settler of Osage County. The children born of this marriage are: Frank, Joseph, Louis, Rosa, who died at the age of seventeen years, Mary, Elsie and Effie. Frank Hageboeck, the eldest son of the family, was born June 11, 1880, in Osage County. He is an independent Democrat, a member of the Catholic Church of Montrose and is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus of Montrose.

Bernard H. Hageboeck is a Democrat but is inclined to an independence of thought and action in casting his vote. He is an intelligent and progressive citizen who has taken a prominent place among the best citizens of Henry County. He and the members of his family worship according to the Catholic faith and attend the Montrose Catholic Church.

William Bellinghausen. - The 160 acre farm of William Bellinghausen, just north of the town of Montrose in Deepwater township, is well improved with an imposing residence located almost in the center of the tract, excellent farm buildings and fencing kept in good repair, much of which is growing hedges. Since Mr. Bellinghausen took possession of this tract in 1902 he has added considerably to the value of the farm by making substantial improvements and increasing the productivity of the soil. The crops pla:nted for the harvest of this year (1918) aggregate fifty-five acres of corn, thirty-five acres of wheat, which yielded twenty bushels to the acre, and thirty acres of oats, which gave a yield of twentytwo bushels to the acre.

Mr. William Bellinghausen was born at Homerich, Germany, March 7, 1855, the son of Dominic and Helena (Eich) Bellinghausen, the former of whom died in Gemiany. His widow then married John Schmitz, who brought the family to America in 1881. The family located in Carroll County, Iowa, where both stepfather and mother died.

Mr. Bellinghausen became a naturalized citizen in Iowa and has ever since been a thoroughly loyal citizen to the land of his adoption. To America he owes all that he possesses and the opportunity was presented to him here to accumulate and make an independent home for him and his for all time to come. He became owner of an Iowa farm in 1895 which he sold in 1901, and came to Henry County and invested in his present fine farm.

In 1896 he was married to Mrs. Gertrude (Koenig) Bellinghausen, a widow who had three children by her former marriage : Lizzie, a Sister in the convent at Marie Stein, Ohio ; Joseph, died in Henry County ; Peter, bom in April, 1894, a soldier in the National Army now on the battlefield of France fighting in defense of the liberties of the free peoples of the world. The following children have been born to William M. and Gertrude Bellinghausen: Lena, employed in St. Mary's Hospital at Kansas City; William, Annie, employed in St. Mary's Hospital; Margaret, Dominic and Leo, at home.

Mr. Bellinghausen is a Democrat but has little time for political matters, his main interest in life being his fine farm and family to which he is very much devoted. He and his family worship at the Catholic Church of Montrose. He is fraternally affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and so are his sons, Peter and William.

John Doll. - John Doll and his capable wife settled upon their 160- acre farm in Walker township in February, 1896. The place had httle or no improvements worthy of the name. Since that time they have developed one of the most attractive farms in Henry County and the Doll farm is now improved with a very pretty white cottage, a large, well-kept barn, three sheds, and the entire tract is fenced with wire. The Doll farms embrace 480 acres in all, 160 acres of which is located in White Oak township and is cultivated by Mr. Doll and his sons, and he has 160 acres additional in Walker township. The 160-acre farm near White Oak Church is the old Jacob Barth place. Mi-. Doll received 120 acres by inheritance from his father's estate.

John Doll was born in 1859 in Greene County, Ohio and is a son of John Doll, a biography of whom is given in connection with the sketch of William Doll in this volume. Mr. Doll came to Henry County in 1867 from Illinois, where his parents had removed from Ohio in 1862. He was married October 20, 1895, to Miss Helen Barth, who was born on the Barth homestead in White Oak township, February 23, 1870, a daughter of John and Mary (Lebold) Barth, a sketch of whom appears in this volume and who are mentioned in many places in this work. John Barth was one of the most successful of the Henry County pioneer citi- zens and left a large estate. The beginning of the Barth fortunes in Missouri was a gift of 487 acres which was given to Mr. and Mrs. Barth from the Lebold estate. The five children of John and Maria (Lebold) Barth, each received 96 acres from this estate, and Mr. Barth gave each child an additional acreage so as to round out an 160-acre farm.

When Mr. and Mrs. John Doll settled on the tract they paid $100 for the existing improvements, which were of a negligible character. They at once set to work and in the course of time, and by means of hard work and good management, they created a splendid and highly productive farm. They have built up the fertility of the land, which too often, in this section of Missouri, becomes worn out through a succession of the same cropping. They have added other acreage and now own 480 acres of valuable farm land. Three children have been born to John and Helen Doll: Herman William, born September 14, 1896, was married to Cora Woirhaye, October 31, 1917, and is farming in Walker township; Emmet John, born November 16, 1899; Roy Samuel, bom January 21, 1903.

While Mr. Doll has generally been an adherent of the Republican party, he takes pride in the fact that he cast his vote for President Woodrow Wilson at the last Presidential election. He and Mrs. Doll were originally members of the Lucas Methodist Episcopal Church, but they and the children are now members of the White Oak Methodist Church and attend the Sunday school at the latter place.

Judge Thomas W. Ogg. - Popular with all classes of the people of Henry County, well read and progressive in his ideas and actions, having a splendid record as a public official who has truly and faithfully served his county to the best of his ability, Judge Thomas W. Ogg of Clinton and Bethlehem townships is a leading and foremost citizen of Henry County.

Thomas W. Ogg was born in Madison County, Kentucky, November 24, 1859, and is the son of St. Clair and Sallie Ann (Todd) Ogg, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter was a native of Kentucky. Sallie Ann Todd was a cousin of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln and a member of the famous Todd family of Kentucky and Illinois. St. Clair Ogg was killed during the Civil War, being shot from ambush in 1864. Being a southerner by birth and instinct his sympathies were naturally with the Southland in the great conflict. Having lost an arm which had been torn off by a threshing machine he was unable to enter military service, but being somewhat outspoken in his sympathies despite the fact that he was a non-combatant, he met death at the hands of a skulker. He was father of the following children, besides Thomas W., namely: Kansas Belle, died in 1878; Mrs. Martha Gaines, makes her home with Judge Ogg; and three died in infancy.

In the fall of 1865 the family settled in Howard County, Missouri, near the town of Glasgow. Twelve years later, in 1878, they came to Henry County and spent the first two years of their residence here in Brovsmington. In 1880 Mr. Ogg settled on his present farm in Bethlehem township, upon which he has placed all of the improvements. The Ogg farm consists of 157 acres, 120 acres of which is in the home tract and thirty-seven acres are in pasture land. During his residence in Clinton while attending to his official duties Judge Ogg rented his farm with the inevitable result of the land and buildings being neglected and allowed to get into a state of disrepair. In the spring of 1918, believing it to be every citizen's paramount duty to assist the country in producing more and more crops, especially if a land owner, he left his beautiful and comfortable home in the city of Clinton and returned to the farm, where he has been busily engaged in cultivating this year's crops and placing the farm buildings in good repair.

October 11, 1891, Judge Thomas W. Ogg and Miss Josie F. Massey were united in marriage. Mrs. Josie F. Ogg was born in North Carolina July 2, 1869, and is the daughter of Rufus H. and Christina (Dalton) Massey, natives of North Carolina. Mrs. Christina Massey was a niece of General Poindexter, her mother having been a sister of the general. Rufus H. Massey was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, and Christina Massey was born in Stokes, County, Virginia. The Masseys came to Henry County in the spring of 1880 and settled in Bethlehem township, east of Clinton, where Rufus H. died in 1895. Christina Massey departed this life in 1893. They were parents of ten children, four of whom are living, besides Mrs. Massey: Dudley, residing in Arkansas; Robert, a farmer in Bethlehem township; Mrs. Amy Cummings, Adair, Oklahoma; Mrs. Ida Cummings, Adair, Oklahoma. The mother of Judge Thomas W. Ogg resides with her son. She was born July 17, 18:^, and is one of the oldest pioneer women of Henry County.

Judge Ogg has been a life long Democrat and is prominent in the councils of his party in Missouri. His official career is one of which any citizen can well be proud. He was elected district judge of the County

Court in 1902 and served four years in this capacity, following which he filled the office of presiding judge of the court for four years. During his tenure of office the indebtedness, bonded and otherwise, of Henry County was paid and the foundation of the whole financial structure of the government of Heniy County was laid on modem and substantial lines, taking the place of former easy going and indifferent methods pursued by the county. The county business was placed upon a substantial plane and since that time affairs in Henry County have proceeded smoothly and well as regards the county government. The first thing which the court did under Judge Ogg's leadership was to refund the five per cent, bonds with four per cents, a proceeding which saved the county in interest alone over $2,000 per year. Many good bridges and highways v.ere built and the present system of county roads was undertaken, a movement which is still continuing and which makes a vast difference in the overland travel as compared to former years. The time is fast coming when Henry County, if the plan of road grading and dragging is consistently and continually carried on and more extensively, the county will have all the year around roads. The brick paving around the court house square was built and many other notable improvements were accomplished. The Public Buildings Improvement Company was organized and began its efficient work. The county records had been kept in poor shape for many years, but during this notable era they were assembled in proper shape and rebound in substantial bindings and systematically arranged for ready reference. The cost of this binding did not exceed $2,000. Considerable time was spent in readjusting and equalizing the county taxing system, and a thorough business administration was given Henry County, setting an example for all future administrations. Judge Ogg was elected county treasurer in 1912 and served in this important position for four years. He has made four campaigns for office in the county and has never suffered defeat. He is easily one of the most popular and best respected citizens of the county. Educated in the district schools, he has been a constant student and reader, owning one of the finest libraries in the county. He and Mrs. Ogg are members of the Christian Church, Judge Ogg having been an elder of the Clinton Christian Church for some years. He is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modem Woodmen of America.

Homer T. Burris. - The Bums homestead east of Clinton in Bethlehem township is one of the finest and best improved in this section of Missouri. Fifty-one years ago the parents of the late Homer T. Burris came with him to the prairies of Henry County and the family settled upon partly improved land, which during the years that have passed has responded to the touch and care of capable hands and made to blossom as the rose in the desert. A beautiful home surrounded with splendid trees and shrubbery and flowers furnishes an attractive scene which pleases the eye of the traveler.

The late Homer T. Burris was born in Knox County, Ohio, on a farm between the cities of Mt. Vernon and Newark May 31, 1846. He was the son of Dennis and Keziah (Wilcox) Burris. Dennis Burris was born near Boston, Massachusetts, and came to Ohio with his parents when eight years of age. Keziah Burris was born in Pennsylvania and came to Ohio with her parents when a child. She was a cousin of General Rosencranz, of Civil War fame. She was the daughter of Franklin Crandle Wilcox, who married a Miss Joanna Stark, a descendant of Col. John Stark, of Revolutionary fame. Homer T. Burris was reared in Knox County and served as a member of a one hundred day regiment of Union soldiers during the Civil War. He was in service with the "Squirrel Hunters," who were called out to protect the city of Cincinnati when that city was threatened by Gen. John Morgan during his famous raid through Ohio.

September 26, 1867, Homer T. Burris and Miss Annabel Roberts were united in marriage. To this union were bom six children: May, wife of F. B. Henry, Bethlehem township, mother of two children: Merle F. Henry, born June 10, 1897, enlisted in the National Army for overseas service in France in June, 1917, and Mildred, a teacher in the public schools; Mrs. Cora Massey, living on the adjoining farm, mother of two children, Rufus Homer and Ruth; John D., managing the Burris home place, married Florence Campbell and has one child, Irene; Grace Burris, at home with her mother; Walter, died at age of thirty-two years, and Homer Clyde, died in infancy.

Mrs. Annabel Burris was born October 22, 1845, in Knox County, Ohio, and is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Jones) Roberts, both natives of Ohio. John Roberts was the son of Abram Roberts, a pioneer of Knox County, Ohio. Elizabeth Roberts was the daughter of Nelson Jones, a native of Maryland. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.

Homer T. Burris made the long trip to Henry County, Missouri, to build a permanent home on the prairies of western Missouri. They were accompanied by the parents of Mr. Burris and all lived together while building up their farm and creating a beautiful home, which is modeled after an old Buckeye farmstead. The Burris farm comprises 200 acres of fertile and well tilled land. Homer T. Burris departed this life July 11, 1904, sincerely mourned by a host of friends in Henry County. His death was a distinct loss to the community in which he had become such a useful citizen. He was progressive and enterprising in all things and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Clinton, Missouri.

Homer T. Burris was a man of kindly and loving disposition who was devoted to his family and children. He wa"s a home man in all things and never allowed outside matters to distract his attention to what he rightly considered his paramount duty to his home and family interests. As a result he prospered and left his widow in comfortable circumstances. Henry county is the better for citizens of the Burris type of manhood and progressiveness.

Logan S. Lawler. - The late Logan S. Lawler was bom in St. Clair County, Missouri, July 21, 1859, and departed this life at his home in Bethlehem tovmship, Henry County, August 4, 1917. He was the son of Rev. William B. and Amelia (Molder) Lawler. William B. Lawler was born in North Carolina. Rev. William B. Lawler was born in North Carolina November 4, 1821, and went to Tennessee with his parents when six years old. He was the son of Evan and Sarah (Barker) Lawler, the former of whom was born in North Carolina July 27, 1799, and the latter was born October 10, 1799. Amelia (Molder) Lawler was born in Tennessee June 8, 1822, and was married to Rev. W. B. Lawler November 21, 1843.

To Rev. William B. and Amelia Lawler were bom children as follows: Daniel E., John T., William A., Sarah A., Mary J., James W., Alfred F., Logan S., Theodosia and Robert G. Lawler. Rev. William B. Lawler was a minister of the Baptist Church and preached the Gospel for foi'tysix years in St. Clair and Henry Counties. He was a farmer as well as being a minister and was well and highly regarded by the people living in an extensive section of territory over which he traveled and organized Baptist Churches.

Robert G. Lawler now resides. When Logan S. attained his majority he bought eighty acres of land nine miles east of Clinton and erected a good home. He became owner of 410 acres of land in this locality, which is now being managed by his eldest son, Berry Lawler. He was an extensive live stock man who bought grain to feed to his stock as well as feeding all grain raised on the land.

December 27, 1891, Logan S. Lawler and Miss Zora Scott were united in marriage. To this marriage have been born children as follow: Lydia, at home ; Mrs. Eula Gray, Eoseland, Missouri ; Ruth, at home ; Berry, manager of the home farm, born April 16, 1900, an industrious and enterprising young man; Ora, at home; Arthur and Luther (twins), the former residing at home and the latter is deceased. The mother of these children was born in Cooper County, Missouri, July 13, 1868, the daughter of Byron and Lydia Jane (Hombeck) Scott, who came to Henry County, Missouri, in 1882. Byron Scott was bom June 12, 1849, and makes his home in Clinton. Mrs. Scott is deceased.

Logan S. Lawler was prominent and was widely known throughout the county as one of its best and most enterprising citizens. He was very influential as a citizen and man of affairs throughout the county. His death was a distinct loss to Henry County in many ways. He is buried in Englewood Cemetery, one mile east of Clinton.

Edward B. Delozier, a retired farmer and Union veteran of Leesville, Henry County, was bom on a farm nine miles south of Osceola in St. Clair County, Missouri. He is the son of Edward and Elizabeth (Carlton) Delozier, natives of Kentucky, who made a settlement in St. Clair County, Missouri, as early as 1836. The greater part of this county was then a wilderness and the settlers all erected log cabins from timber cut out of the dense forests. The Deloziers lived in St. Clair County until 1862 and then settled in Benton County, just over the line not far from Leesville. Edward Delozier was widely known and prominent in his locality and was familiarly and affectionately called "Uncle Ned." He was father of nine children: James, lives in Oklahoma; Thomas, deceased; Edward B., of this review; Crumblett, Chelsea, Oklahoma; Mrs. Elizabeth Dodson, a widow living in St. Clair County; Mary Jane, deceased; Anne, wife of Isaac Wilson, Henry County; Mrs. Louise Jacobs, Nowata, Oklahoma.

Union Army for three years, receiving his honorable discharge at Springfield, Missouri, April 1, 1865. He fought in many battles and engagements in Missouri and Arkansas and took part in the memorable battle of Lone Jack, receiving severe wounds in the face and shoulder, the scars of which show to this day. He received his wounds on August 1, 1862, and was in a hospital for two months. Other battles in which he participated were: Newtonia, Jefferson City (1864), the Battle of the Big Blue, where Price's forces were routed and sent trekking toward Arkansas; battle of Independence, Missouri; Pleasanton, Kansas (1864), and on through Kansas, Missouri and down into Arkansas the army with which his command was a part, performing their duty of driving Generals Price, Marmaduke and Shelby out of the country. His last fight was at Newtiona and arrayed against them were "Fighting Jo Shelby's" famous command, which they routed.

After residing in Benton County one year, Mr. Delozier settled upon a farm just east of Leesville, Henry County. For four years he carried the mail between Clinton and Leesville, making seven years in Government service. He became owner of sixty acres which he improved and to which he has added until he now owns a total of 182 acres. Of late years this aged veteran has turned over the management of his farm to others and is living a comfortable retired life at Leesville, doing all within his power to assist his beloved country to win in the present great World War.

Mr. Delozier has been twice married. His first marriage took place December 28, 1861, with Martha McDonald, who died in 1868, leaving two children: Thomas, Pueblo, Colorado; Lucy, wife of Horace McLain, near Calhoun. One child died in infancy. The second marriage took place in 1875, with Mary Chastain, who was born February 25, 1856, on a farm one mile north of Leesville, the daughter of Jerry and Tabitha (Yoyng) Chastain, the latter of whom is past eighty-three years of age. The Chastains came to Henry County from Clinton County in an early day.

The following children were born to Edward B. and Mary Delozier: Mrs. Laura Kennedy, living near Eldorado Springs, Vernon County, Missouri; Asa, Rockville, Missouri; Rufus and William, farmers living near Leesville; Israel, Rockville, Missouri; Jerry, Benton County, Missouri; Mrs. Lulu Bradley, Leesville; Ada, wife of Homer Carlton, a farmer living near Leesville; Ethel, at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Delozier have thirty grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The Kepublican party has always had the allegiance of Mr. Delozier^ and he and Mrs. Delozier are members of the Tebo Baptist Church. He is a member of the Dan McCook Post No. 312 Grand Army of the Republic.

John Barth. - Few pioneer citizens have contributed more to the building up of Henry County than the late John Barth. To the credit of this worthy departed citizen of this county are many things which can be recorded in the annals of his adopted country. Besides the amassing of wealth, he was a creator and builder, who looked far into the future. Mr. Barth contributed to the commonwealth, one of the largest and best families in the community. The children of this pioneer, instead of leaving the locality of their births and rearing, chose to remain under the tutelage of a good and wise parent who thoughtfully provided for them a place in the community rather than to see them venture into fields unknown. He lived to see them comfortably situated and earning their way on excellent farms throughout the vicinity of their early home. His liberality to religious and civic works was a proverb ; his kindliness was marked and his name will long be revered and respected among the people of Henry County as one who did well his work and who left behind him a record of which his descendants may well be proud.

John Barth was born in Wertemberg, Germany, January 10, 1838, and died at his home near Lucas, Missouri, June 6, 1917. When a lad of foui'teen years of age he came to America and was reared to young manhood in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. During his boyhood days he worked hard and often for a wage of fourteen cents per day. His early life's experiences taught him the value of a dollar. He was married in Ohio to Maria Lebold, on September 21, 1862. This marriage was blessed with five children, as follow: John W., Mrs. Dora Gretzinger, Mrs. Helen Doll, Mrs. Lizzie Doll, and Jacob S. Barth. Mrs. Maria Lebold Barth died January 12, 1874. On November 4, 1875, Mr. Barth was married to Sophia Rombold, who died May 27, 1911. Ten children were born of this marriage; nine of whom are living: Albert H., Maggie, deceased ; Mrs. Clara Sevier, Josie, George, Tressie, Mrs. Ida Henny, Robert, Walter, and David.

Mr. Barth left his Ohio home and came to Henry County in 1868, settling in this county. The beginning of the Barth family fortunes in Missouri was a gift of a tract of 487 acres of land which came from John Lebold, father of Mrs. Maria Lebold Barth. Mr. Lebold had previously invested in this land which was unimproved and was bought at a time when much of the area of northwestern Henry County was undeveloped prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Barth soon created a home in Henry County and prospered as the years passed, John Barth becoming one of the large land owners of western Missouri and a prominent and influential figure in the life of the county. Mr. Barth first settled in White Oak township and in later years erected a splendid farm home which is now owned by his youngest son, David Barth.

During his long and active career he accumulated an estate of over 2,280 acres of land, all of which he divided among his fourteen children as they became of age and desired to make homes of their own. His estate was valued at over $100,000. Mr. Barth was one of the promoters of the town of Urich and gave land for a part of the Urich townsite. He was president of the Farmers Bank of Urich, and was always found in the forefront of all worthy movements tending to advance the interests of his home community and county.

Mr. Barth was a Lutheran in his religious belief and he was known as an honest, dependable, and upright citizen. His place in the history of Henry County is assured for all time to come as one of the pioneers who had a broad and comprehensive vision of the development of this section of the Middle West and who profited through his confidence in the ultimate prosperity of the neighborhood in which he created his home.

William F. Smith. - The store of William F. Smith, located at Coal, Henry County, Missouri, is, without doubt, the finest country merchandise store in westei-n Missouri. Taking charge of this establishment in 1906, with very little previous training or experience in merchandising, the proprietor built up the business and placed this store upon a plane far ahead and above the average of general country stores. The spick and span appearance of the store interior, the modern fixtures bright with paint and varnish, attract the eye and please the patrons and visitors who stop to admire the extraordinary appearance, as contrasted with the usual cluttered up and untidy appearance of the average country store. When Mr. Smith took charge of the business the stock of goods would not exceed over $475 in value by the actual invoice. Mr. Smith moved the old building, cut an arch and built over the main store room. The main floor is 22x58 feet with two store rooms in addition. The stock of goods carried is valued at $10,000, and only the best of merchandise is carried.

The Smith store at Coal, Missouri, was first established in 1890 and known for a time as the Wheeler store. The location is an excellent one but for some reason or other the venture did not prosper and was losing money for the owners when Mr. Smith took charge in March, 1894. For four years he operated the business as manager and then, in partnership with his father, George F. Smith, purchased the business. Father and son owned the store together until 1906, when the present proprietor took charge as sole owner of the business. No greater success is recorded in mercantile circles in the rural districts of Henry County or western Missouri than that of W. F. Smith, the merchant at Coal. The fame of this store has spread far and near.

William F. Smith was born four and a half miles south of Coal, on his father's farm in Leesville township, January 3, 1870. He is the son of George F. Smith, a pioneer settler of Henry County, concerning whom an extended review is given in this volume. Mr. Smith received his education in the district schools and when twenty-four 'years of age he engaged in the mercantile business with hardly any intention of remaining in the business indefinitely. His practical intention was to close out the business later, but as the years passed he found that he was adapted to the business and has achieved a marked success. At first he and his brother bought the store in partnership and planned to close out the stock. The following February his brother George was accidentally shot, and William F. took hold as related in a preceding paragraph.

November 27, 1894, William F. Smith and Mary E. Parks were united in marriage. Mrs. Mary E. Smith is the daughter of J. T. Parks, a resident of the village of Coal. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three children: Flossie May, wife of Clyde H. Tope, and has one child, Pauline; lira V., a pupil in the eighth grade of the public schools ; and Erie H. Smith.

Mr. Smith has always been a Democrat and served as trustee of Leesville township when the present system of township government was instituted. He served two terms in this office. He and Mrs. Smith are members of the Presbyterian Church.

John J. Herst. - Over a half century has elapsed since John J. Herst came to his homestead of 120 acres in Bethlehem township, Henry County, and he has grown old with Henry County and improved with time. He is one of the real pioneers of this section of Missouri.

John J. Herst was bom in Kentucky August 31, 1838, the son of Campbell and Sallie (Sharp) Herst, both natives of Kentucky. Mr. Herst's ancestors on his father's side were of Swedish origin. His ancestry on his mother's side were Irish. The Herst family came to Missouri in 1857 and settled in Bethlehem township, one mile east and a little south of where John J. Herst resides. Campbell Herst bought an improved farm which boasted a good house and a growing orchard and he lived there until the end of his days. Five children were reared out of six born to Campbell and Sallie Herst, as follow; Mrs. Sallie Ann Geston, Clinton, Missouri; John J.,; Jobe S., died in the Confederate service during the Civil War; Mrs. Jennie Jane Cheatham, Clinton; Sylvester Clay, living on the old family homestead.

In August of 1862, John J. Herst enlisted in the Confederate Army in Captain Bowen's company and joined the main command of the division assigned to him at Fayetteville, Arkansas. Company K was reorganized under Captain Bunolt, and assigned to the 16th (Jackson's) Regiment of Missouri Infantry in which Mr. Herst served until the close of the war. He participated in the battles of Lone Jack, Prairie Grove, Little Eock, Arkansas, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill and Helena, Arkansas. At Helena he was shot through the left thigh near the groin by a grape shot and was laid up for some time. After his recovery from this wound he again entered the service and surrendered with the Confederate forces at Shreveport, Louisiana, and returned home to resume the peaceful pursuits of agriculture.