Johnson County, Missouri - - Biographical, 1918 (part 17 of 19)

Mr. Dixon, the subject of this review, is a graduate of the \A'arrensburg High School and for two years, 1895 and 1896, was a student at the Warrensburg State Normal School. After completing his school work, Charles W. Dixon was appointed, under civil service, a city mail carrier. Prior to this time he had been employed in the postoffice. He assumed his duties as mail carrier in 1899. Before Warrensburg had free city delivery, Mr. Dixon had a private route delivering mail to his patrons for thirty cents a month remuneration and at the same time assisted in the postoffice, thus thoroughly fitting himself for the civil ser\-ice examination, which came later. Charles \A^ Dixon has been in continual service in the mail business for twenty years and he is the senior in j-ears of service at tlie present time in the Warrensburg postofifice.

September 25, 1907. Charles W. Dixon was united in marriage with a daughter of Jolm T. and Mary (Pallette) Renick, of Oak Grove, Jackson county, Missouri. John T. Renick bore the unique distinction of being the first white child born in the first hotel in Independence, Missouri. His father owned the hotel, he being one of the early pioneers of that place. John T. and Mary (Pallette) Renick were the par- ents of eight children: Charles, deceased; Ur. Leonard, Butte, Montana; Mrs. W. A. Jackson, Westport, Missouri; A. Ira, Butte, Montana; Mrs. Charles W. Dixon, the wife of the subject of this review; Benton, Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Carl Jefterson, Kansas City, ]\Iissouri; Thomas R., Joplin, Missouri. Mr. Renick died in 1907 and Mrs. Renick is now residing in Kansas City, Missouri. Mary (Pallette) Renick is a member of a distinguished colonial family. One of her ancestors, James Pallette, emigrated from France with his two sons and came to America, where they settled in that portion of the country now known as Tennessee, but which was then a part of the colony of Virginia, in the early part of the seventeenth century. To Charles W. and Mrs. Dixon have been born two sons, Charles Stewart aii'd John Renick. The Dixon home is located in Warrensburg at 105 South Miller street and is one of the pleasant, attracti\e homes of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon are most delightful, entertaining people and they are numbered among Johnson county's best families.

Mrs. Ella (Duffield) Dixon, the highly esteemed and respected \\'idow of the late Joseph Dixon, an efficient carpenter of A\'arrensburg, was born in Virginia, the daughter of Alfred and Sally (Thompson) Duffield, a prominent colonial family of Virginia. DufBeld Station was named in honor of the Dufifield family. Alfred Duffield was born September 25, 1821 in Virginia and he was reared and educated in that state. He was a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. In 1852, he came to Missouri with his wife and family and located on a farm, which he purchased, in Centerview township, the place being four miles west of Warrensburg. Alfred Duffield and Sally Thompson were united in marriage in 1841 in Virginia. To Mr. and Mrs. Duffield were born the following children: Mrs. Anna Houts, deceased; Martha, who died at the age of sixteen years while attending college at St. Joseph, Missouri; Mrs. Mary Graham, deceased; Mrs. Flora Patterson, Odessa, Missouri; Richard, a prosperous contractor of Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Ella Dixon, of this review; Meriweather Thompson, of Texas; Mrs. Emma Grimwood, deceased; Mrs. Bettie Abel Mueller, who has been a missionary in Tokio, Japan for the past thirty years; Benjamin S., postmaster at Raymondville, Texas; Mrs. Lillian B. Duffield, Warrensburg, Missouri, and Charles Oscar, a skilled cabinet maker of Kansas City, Missouri. The Duffield family resided on the farm in Centerview township until after the Civil War. They were not molested during the war for they were always kind and hospitable to all who came to their door. Mr. Dufifield ever kept a light burning in the window to guide the stranger to their home, where all who came were made welcome. About 1866, the Dufifields moved near Pertle Springs. Mr. Dufifield was a progressive, alert, up-to-date real estate man. He issued a paper called "Duffield's Land Bulletin," a copy of which, dated November, 1867, his daughter, Mrs. Ella Dixon, still has in her possession. This paper gives the prices of land in various parts of the country in Missouri and was published for the benefit, as stated in the editor's own words, "of the homeless and emigrants going west." Mr. Duf^eld died May 8, 1869 and burial was made in the cemetery at Warrensburg. Mrs. Dufifield joined her husband in death in 1889.

In 1876, Joseph T. Dixon and Ella Dufifield were united in marriage, in Warrensburg, Missouri. Mr. Dixon was born in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania and in early manhood came to Missouri, where he located in Warrensburg about 1871 or 1872. Mr. and !\lrs. Dixon after their marriage first resided in a home located on the site of the present postofifice building. Mr. Dixon was engaged in working for dififerent merchants in this city and later followed his trade as carpenter. He was an industrious, capable workman, a citizen of Johnson county held in the highest esteem. His death occurred in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Dixon were the parents of four children: Charles, who for the past twenty years has been the efficient clerk in the \\^arrensburg postofifice, a graduate of the ^^'arrensburg High School a student for two years at the Warrensburg State Normal School, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work: Bessie, a graduate of the Warrensburg High School and the State Normal School, now engaged in teaching in the primary department of the city schools of Warrensburg: Minnie, a graduate of the W^arrensburg High School and the State Normal School, now engaged in teaching in the primary department of the Mt. Washington School, Kansas City, Missouri ; and Josephine, a graduate of the Warrensburg High School and the State Normal School, now engaged in supervising the music in the Training School of the State Normal. Mrs. Dixon resides in Warrensburg in a handsome modern residence, located at 107 South Miller street, the home having been rebuilt in 1916.

was born in Hazel Hill township on the Henry Lynch farm in 1852, son of Andrew Jackson and Margaret Elizabeth (Harrison) Redford, the former, a native of North Carolina and the latter, of Alabama. Andrew Jackson Redford was born in 1827 and when three years of age, came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Redford, to Missouri, where they located first in Moniteau county, coming thence to Johnson county. The remaining years of their lives were spent in this county and the remains of both Noah Redford and his wife were interred in the cemetery at Warrensburg. The son, Andrew Jackson, enlisted in the Mexican War in 1846 and served throughout the conflict. Margaret Elizabeth (Harrison) Redford was the daughter of Joseph Harrison, who moved with his family to Missouri in the early thirties. To Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jackson Redford were born eleven children, six of whom are now living. In 1868, Mr. Redford purchased one hundred twenty acres of land in Johnson county, and later several hundred acres more land, including the townsite of the present town of Robbins, and on this place engaged in general farming and stock raising for many years. Near the close of his Hfe, Mr. Redford retired from the active pursuits of agriculture and moved to the city of Warrensburg, where both he and his wife died. Burial for both father and mother was made in the cemetery at Warrensburg. Mr. and Mrs. Redford were brave, loyal pioneers, dominant factors in the upbuilding of this state and county, who are well worthy of praise and commendation in a work of this character.

At McGee College in Macon county, J. E. Redford received his education. After leaving college, he was employed by the mercantile establishment, Roberts, Redford & Blake, for nearly two years, when he purchased an interest in the John W. Wright & Company, Boots & Shoes Store at Holden. Mr. Redford shortly afterward sold his interest in this store and went to Colorado where he was engaged in mining for some time. Upon his return to Johnson county, he engaged in farming and stock raising, in which pursuits he has ever since been interested. The Redford farm comprises two hundred forty-eight acres of upland in Hazel Hill township, a well-located place two miles southwest of Robbins, which was entered from the government by Alex. Cockrell. There are two tenant houses on the farm, in addition to the handsome, modern residence of ten rooms. The farm is nicely improved and splendidly equipped for handling stock. Besides his extensive farming interests, Mr. Redford is the owner and manager of a general store in Robbins which is one of the well-kept, busy, up-to-date business establishments of Johnson county. He keeps the store stocked with a complete line of staple groceries and merchandise and he has built up an excellent reputation for prompt, conservative, sound business methods and honest, honorable dealings.

J. E. Redford was united in marriage with Anna West, daughter of Bark West, of Hazel Hill township. By a former marriage, Mr. Redford is the father of three children: Floyd W., the well-known young merchant, wdio is associated in business with his father in the store at Robbins ; Normal N., who is in the employ of a packing company in Fresno California as cashier; and Airs. Salome Wagner, Clovis, California. The Redford family is highly respected in Johnson county, where J. E. Redford is widely known as a genial, courteous gentleman, a man of excellent business judgment. He has many friends, both among his business associates and his social acquaintances.

W. L. Robbins, one of the most widely-known and efficient farmers and stockmen of Johnson county, is a member of a prominent and public-spirited pioneer family of Hazel Hill township. He was born March 26, 1871, on his father's farm in Hazel Hill township. W. L. Robbins is a son of Henry Clay and Fannie E. (Roch) Robbins, who were united in marriage in 1867. Henry Clay Robbins was born in Russell county, Virginia. In the early fifties, he came to ^Missouri and purchased one hundred thirteen acres of land, which were then owned by Air. Nelson, and later one hundred acres additional, owning at one time two hundred thirteen acres of choice farm land in Johnson county. On this tract, he engaged in farming and stock raising practically the remainder of his life. During the Civil War, Mr. Robbins enlisted at his home and fought under "Fighting Joe Shelby," serving throughout the conflict. He was honorably discharged at Shreveport. Louisiana at the close of the war. The town of Robbins. which was laid out twentyfive years ago, was named in honor of Henry Clay Robbins. Prior to the establishment of rural routes in the Johnson county mail service, Robbins had a postoffice, which was first located in Sam George's General Store and later in the Barnett Store. Sam George was the first merchant of Robbins. At the present time, in 1917, this flourishing, little business center boasts two general stores, one owned by E. E. Williams and the other by J. E. Redford & Son, a blacksmith shop owned by

Samuel Brown, a grist mill operated by Mr. Brown, and scores of enterprising citizens. For a few years, prior to his death, Mr. Robbins was employed as a mail carrier on a route out of Fayetteville. His death occurred January 3, 1916 and interment was made in Oak Grove cemetery. Fannie E. (Roch) Robbins was born in this state, daughter of James A. Roch, a native of North Carolina, and Elizabeth (Brown) Roch, a member of a prominent pioneer family of Missouri. Mrs. Robbins had preceded her husband in death many years, her death occurring in 1889 and she, too, was laid to rest in Oak Grove cemetery.

W. L. Robbins obtained his early education in the Salem district school and later was a student at the Warrensburg State Normal School. At the age of twenty-three years, he began to make his own way in life and at first was engaged in farming rented land for one year, when he purchased his present home place, which was formerly owned by a Confederate captain, Captain Steen, and comprised at that time seventy-two acres of land, to which Mr. Robbins has constantly added until the farm now embraces two hundred seventy-six acres, located near Robbins. On this place, Mr. Robbins is engaged in general farming and stock raising. His sons, Ralph and Clay, are very much interested in the large type of Poland China hogs, which they are raising. All the splendid improvements on this farm were placed there by W. L. Robbins. The residence, a house of eight rooms, is soon to be remodeled and made modern. The farm is supplied with all the latest devices for the proper handling of stock and the neatly kept surroundings of the Robbins home bespeak the thrift and care of a progressive and highly intelligent agriculturist.

September 20, 1894, W. L. Robbins and Addie M. Smith, of Fayetteville, were united in marriage. Mrs. Robbins was born in Indiana and when one year old came with her parents to Missouri, where they settled in Hazel Hill township and on the Smith farm in this township, the daughter, Addie M., was reared. She is the daughter of Planning J. and Sarah C. (Powers) Smith, The father resided on his farm in Hazel Hill township until he became too feeble to work. His death came in September, 1914 and the widowed mother is now residing with her daughter, Mrs, W, L. Robbins. To W. L. and Addie Robbins have been born four children: Ralph S., who completed the short course in agriculture at the State University at Columbia, Missouri ; Manning C, who was a student at the Warrensburg State Normal School one year and is now a student in the home High School; Callie F.. who is a senior in the home High School; and William Elbert, at home. ^Nlr. Robbins is a straightforward honest, conscientious gentleman, a man of pleasing and forceful personality, who has always given his most earnest support to every worthy enterprise having for its object the betterment of the community. His latest successful "boosting" was for the new consolidated High School building, at the time of this writing in the process of erection. Mr. Robbins has long taken a deep personal interest in all educational enterprises.

Arthur Parsons, one of Johnson county's highly valued citizens, was born in Lake county. Ohio in 1847, son of John Parsons, a native of England, who emigrated from Great Britain at the time of his marriage and with his wife settled on a farm in Ohio. Three brothers of Arthur Parsons enlisted in the Civil War, namely: William, Thomas, and Stephen. \\'illiam Parsons served with the Union forces in South Carolina, enlisting in Johnson county, ^Missouri. Thomas and Stephen Parsons enlisted in Ohio. They never came \\'est.

Mr. Parsons, whose name introduces this sketch, obtained his education in the Ohio schools. In 1866. he came to Missouri but remained only a short time, when he returned to the Middle West and located in Illinois, where he resided a brief time and then moved to Kansas. Mr. Parsons spent two years attempting to raise a crop in Kingman county. Kansas and when sufficiently discouraged left that state and moved to Johnson county. [Missouri and for several years farmed rented land in Hazel Hill township. In 1890. he purchased his present country place, to which he moved the ensuing year. This farm was formerly owned by Gid Martin, of Indiana, who sold it to Arthur Parsons for twenty dollars an acre. The place embraces one hundred forty acres of good farm land, well located ten miles northwest of Warrensburg. The two barns on the farm were recently built by "Sir. Parsons and the residence has been remodeled since he moved to it. For several years, Mr. Parsons has rented the land to his sons and has retired from the acti\-e work of farming.

In 1868, Arthur Parsons and i\Iary Skeen were united in marriage. ^Irs. Parsons is the daughter of Buckley and Susan (Partee) Skeen, of McLean county, iNIissouri, both of whom are now deceased. To Arthur and IMary Parsons have been born three children: John Ellsworth, who married Ella Taylor, daughter of John Taylor, and now resides in Columbus township, where he is extensively engaged in the stock business, buying cattle, hogs, and sheep; Wilbur, who married Bertie Heizer, daughter of William Heizer, and they reside on a farm in Columbus township; and William B., who married Jettie Taylor, daughter of John Taylor, and they own one of the finest dairies in Johnson county, located in Hazel Hill township, at the present time having thirty-five head of excellent milch cows. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Parsons also reared an orphan child, Alary Williams, who is now married, the wife of Ivan Adams, of Hazel Hill township. Arthur and Mrs. Parsons are planning to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary on October 27, 1918. They are an estimable and highly respected couple, well known and esteemed in Johnson county. They are quietly enjoying the old homestead in Hazel Hill township, where they have made their home for the past twenty-six years.

John Rittman, a prosperous and influential farmer and stockman of Hazel Hill township, is a member of a prominent pioneer family of Johnson county. He is a native of Simpson township, where he was born in 1879, a son of Frank and Matilda E. (Markham) Rittman. The father was a native of Illinois and the mother of Kentucky. Frank Rittman was a Union veteran. He enlisted in Company F, Eightysecond Illinois Infantry and was in active service almost four years. In 1867, he came to Johnson county, Missouri and for many years was located in Simpson township. In 1880, he moved with his familv to a farm in Hazel Hill township, a place located near the present country home of the son, John, the subject of this review. Mr. Rittman lived but ten years to enjoy the new home, his death occurring in 1890. Jnterment was made at Mount Moriah cemetery. Frank Rittman was an industrious and enterprising citizen, but his old war wound, a shot wound received in battle, in many ways handicapped him throughout the later years of his life, but in spite of which he became very useful and well-to-do. Mrs. Rittman died in 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rittman were the parents of five children, four of whom are now living: Edward, Columbus township; Mrs. Anna Schaf¥er, of Oklahoma; Jesse, Columbus township; John, the subject of tliis review; and Katie, deceased.

In the Mount Moriah district school, John Rittman obtained his education. Until he was twenty-one years of age, he remained at home with liis parents and then began farming in Hazel Hill township. Mr

Rittman purchased a small tract of land, comprising twenty acres, adjoining the home place and when he later sold this land he bought his present farm in 1904. a place originally embracing one hundred acres to which he has twice added tracts of sixty acres each and now two hundred twenty acres comprise the Rittman place. This farm was a part of the Simpson Brown farm. The land slopes to Honey creek, which drains this section of the county, and one hundred ninety acres are under cultivation and are very productive. The soil is the rich red soil, in great demand in ^Missouri for the purposes of general farming. Mr. Rittman is engaged in farming and stock raising and he is at present handling high grade cattle, hogs, and sheep. He sold one hundred ewes the first of June this year. Since coming to this place. Mr. Rittman has built the residence, which is a pleasant, comfortable country home.

In 1900, John Rittman and Ada Morris, daugher of Isom and Sallie Morris, who now reside in Simpson township, were united in marriage and to this union have been born five children, three of whom are now living: Florence: Lucile, deceased: Frank; Thelma, deceased; and Martha. Mr. and Mrs. Rittman are excellent citizens of Johnson county and they are highl}' valued and respected in their communit)-, where they have a host of friends.

C. G. Greenwell, proprietor of "Walnut Grove Stock Farm," is one of Columbus township's liest citizens and most capable and progressive farmers and stockmen. He was born in the home which is now his own on the farm in Columbus township in 1858, a son of Ralph and Nancy (Williams) Greenwell. both of whom were natives of Kentucky, in which state they were united in marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Greenwell came to Missouri from Kentucky in 1854, making the first part of the journey by boat, landing at Lexington, Missouri and driving through from that city to the farm in Columbus township, Johnson county. This place was purchased by Ralph Greenwell within a short time afterward from Mr. Gott. The Greenwell homestead is located one-half mile north of Columbus. To Ralph and Nancy Greenwell were born the following children : Mrs. Sallie Rennick, of Lafayette county, Missouri; R. W., a well-known farmer of Columbus township; and C. G., the subject of this review. The father died in 1905 at the age of eightyfour years. Interment was made in the cemetery at Columbus. The widowed mother is still living on the farm in Columbus township. Mr.

and Mrs. Greenwell spent the best years of their lives laboring for the upbuilding of Johnson county. Brave, noble, and true, they cheerfully did their part to bring about the splendid improvement in conditions that has placed this section of the state in the front rank with the most desirable and productive counties.

In a log schoolhouse, in a private residence, and in two different churches, school was held wdien C. G. Greenwell was a schoolboy and he recalls how the puncheon benches were arranged about the walls of the old log school house, and how the "master" would call "Books!" when the recess time had ended. At the age of twenty-one years, Mr. Greenwell began farming for himself on the home place in Columbus township. He now owns the homestead, a farm comprising two hundred five acres of land knowai widely as the "Walnut Grove Stock Farm." It was so named because of the beautiful walnut trees which shade the well-kept lawn surrounding the residence. This home was built before Ralph Greenwell purchased the place, but it has been rebuilt and remodeled recently. "Walnut Grove Stock Farm" is a pretty country home and the neatly kept surroundings bespeak the thoughtful care of an intelligent, et^cient agriculturist. The soil is very productive, but Mr. Greenwell has most of the place now in grass and is now devoting practically all his attention to raising cattle, hogs, and sheep, keeping high grade stock. The farm is abundantly watered, one spring flowing all the year round.

In 1885, C. G. Greenwell and Eva Berry, of Lafayette county, were united in marriage. Mrs. Greenwell died the year after their marriage. In 1886, Mr. Greenwell again married, his second wife being Mollie Greenwell, daughter of Jack Greenwell, of Columbus township. Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Greenwell adopted a boy, John Simmons, when he was five years of age and reared him to maturity. He still makes his home with his foster parents. The Greenwells are well known and highly respected in Johnson county.

Air. Greenwell contributes a bit of hearsay evidence to aid in deciding the much muted question as to which land was the first broken in Johnson county. He states that he was told by "Aunt Betsy" Fulkerson that the first land broken in this county was the farm land now known as the Fred Specker place, formerly the Houx farm, where the first court in Johnson county was held. Others claim this honor for the old Baker homestead, now owned bv Rov ^^'ilson. The conflict- ing claims in themselves are interesting and conclusive proof that there were several brave, enterprising, and industrious farmers in Johnson county in the very earliest days.

Mrs. Nancy (Williams) Greenwell, the highly regarded and respected widow of the late Ralph Greenwell. is one of Johnson county's best known and noblest pioneer women. She is still with us and now at the advanced age of eighty-two years resides on the farm in Columbus township, in which township she has lived for more than sixty years. Mrs. Greenwell is a native of Kentucky. In that state, she was born, reared, and married.

In 1854, Ralph Greenwell, an enterprising, young Kentuckian, and Nancy Williams were united in marriage, in Shelby county, Kentucky and immediately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Greenwell left Kentucky to make the new home in what was then the western wilderness of Missouri. They came by steamboat to St. Louis and from that city to Lexington. Missouri on the "Lucas," when it made its first trip. The Greenwells settled on the farm in Columbus township, now owned by their son, C. G., the place being known as "Walnut Grove Stock Farm." To Ralph and Nancy Greenwell were born three children, who are now living: Mrs. Sallie Rennick, Lafayette county, Missouri; R. W. and C. G., both of whom are engaged in farming and stock raising in Columbus township. Mr. Greenwell died in 1905 at the age of eighty-four years. He was laid to rest in the cemetery at Columbus. His death came while he and Mrs. Greenwell resided on the fann just across the road from the present home of the widow. Ralph Greenwell was an honest, industrious, upright citizen, a man of high ideals and fine, moral principles. His death has been deeply deplored and the loss to the good citizenship of Columbus township keenly felt.

When the Greenwells settled in Johnson county, those who were then living here were, as follow: ''Old man Gott;" Frank Ramsey, now of Warrensburg: Pleasant Rice, the first settler of the county; Groves and Conwell, pioneer merchants of Columbus: Mr. Norris ; Berry Smith and "Josh" Rogers, merchants: Reverend Robert Morrow, a minister of the Cumberland church ; the Perdees, a well-known pioneer family; Drs. Dobbins, Shriner, Fulkerson, and Coleman, the last named physician being drowned in the same year, 1854, that the Greenwells came to Johnson county; and Reverend Allen Wright, a minister of the Christian church. Mrs. Greenwell well recalls when

Senator Francis M. Cockrell came to Columbus about 1855, employed as attorney in a lawsuit which resulted from a scalding given a Conwell slave by "Hi" Henderson's negro. Senator Cockrell won the case and Mrs. Greenwell remembers that she thought at the time the victor was a very boyish-looking lawyer. The one hotel in Columbus was conducted by Mrs. Fine for many years after the Greenwells came here. Columbus then boasted one hotel, a blacksmith's shop, a tailor's shop, one harness and wagon maker, and several general stores. The mercantile establishments were exceptionally good for those early days and all carried a very fair line of goods, including silk, which, however, was not in great demand. All handled whiskey, just as they a'll now carry vinegar, as a stock in trade, and in spite of the fact that liquor was very easily obtained there were very few "drunks."

Sixty-three years ago, Mrs. Greenwell, then a young bride of nineteen years of age, came with her husband to the new home in the thinly settled West. During the past half century there have been countless changes in Johnson county, and all have been witnessed by Mrs. Greenwell. Death has removed many families from our midst; institutions have arisen and have grown; roads, drainage, churches, schools, and homes have appeared almost as if by magic where once were log cabins and productive farms have supplanted wide, unfenced prairie fields. And for all our choicest blessings, too great praise can not be given men and women like Nancy Greenwell, whose labor and constancy in the days of long ago made all things possible. It is with much pleasure that we pause to honor one, upon whom the pure, white snow of years has fallen, a brave, true, pioneer woman. We are indeed fortunate to have Mrs. Greenwell still with us to aid in snatching from oblivion the names of those who have lived and labored here more than sixty years ago.

Robert W. Greenwell, proprietor of "Greenwell's Westlawn Stock Farm," formerly the "Hazelwood Stock Farm," in Columbus township, is one of the county's successful and enterprising farmers and stockmen and a member of a well-known and prominent pioneer family. He was born in Columbus, Missouri in 1861, a son of Ralph and Nancy (Williams) Greenwell, both of whom were natives of Kentucky. The father is now deceased and the widowed mother is still living on the farm in Columbus township. Mrs. Greenwell is now eighty-two years of age. She is still very active for one of her years and her memory of names and dates is remarkable. A more comprehensive sketch of the Greenwells appears elsewhere in this volume in connection with the biography of Mrs. Nancy (Williams) Greenwell.

After receiving a good common school education in the public schools of Columbus, Robert W. Greenwell engaged in farming and stock raising on the home place. He remained at home with his parents until he was twenty-five years of age, when he began life for himself. Mr. Greenwell purchased the William Herndon farm near Columbus, which place he sold four years later and purchased his present country home in 1889, to which he moved three years later. This place was formerly known as the "Hazelwood Stock Farm," but the name has since been changed to "Greenwell's Westlawn Stock Farm." It comprises two hundred acres of land, the original "Hazelwood Farm," and sixty acres, recently purchased, located two and a half miles north of Columbus and fifteen and a half miles northwest of Warrensburg. The place is well watered, equipped, and kept, an ideal stock farm. For the past eight years, Mr. Greenwell has devoted much attention to raising registered jacks and jennets, of the Mammoth Kentucky breed. At the present time, in 1917, he has four jacks and four jennets, an imported Percheron horse, "Impoli," weighing one thousand nine hundred forty pounds at the time imported, a large number of spotted Poland China hogs, and Oxford sheep. One hundred acres of the place are in grass and the remainder in small grain. Mr. Greenwell is a highly intelligent agriculturist and has been exceptionally successful both as a farmer and stockman.

November 28, 1889, Robert W. Greenwell was united in marriage with Mattie M. Dyer, daughter of James D. and Mary Dyer, of Hazel Hill township. James D. Dyer was born in Johnson county, a son of Noah Dyer, an honored pioneer of Lafayette county. Mr. Dyer died in 1909 and his remains lie interred in Oak Grove cemetery. The widowed mother resides in Warrensburg, now at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. To Robert W. and Mattie M. Greenwell have been born four children: Mary Myrtle, the wife of Otto R. Jacoby, of Warrensburg, IMissouri; James Ralph, who died in 1909 at the age of fifteen years: Sallie Alice, the wife of Dr. AVilliam A. Maddox, of Gainesville, Texas; and Rice Alexander, at home with his parents. The Greenwells have long been considered one of the best and most substantial families in this section of the state.

Ralph Greenwell, father of Robert W. Greenwell, and "Uncle Billy" Fickas purchased the land which they dedicated for the use of Columbus as a cemetery and this burial ground is known as Columbus Christian cemetery. The deed to the land was made out to Mr. Greenwell and Mr. Fickas, but it was never recorded. In the pillars of the pulpit of the Columbus Christian church are papers containing the history of the church and cemetery. One of the newspapers, nailed up in a strong box placed in the churcli pillars, was the ^^'arrensburg "Journal-Democrat."

Thomas E. Cheatham, vice-president of the Citizens Bank of Warrensburg, is a progressive, public-spirited citizen, a native of Johnson county. He was born in Warrensburg in 1870, a son of John T. and Gussie M. (Chadwick) Cheatham, the former, a native of Virginia and the latter, of Missouri. John T. Cheatham came to Johnson county, Missouri from Ray county in 1870 and located in Warrensburg on Gay street. Mr. Cheatham was engaged in the stock business and in supervising the management of his farms in Ray and Johnson counties. At the time of his death, he was the owner of more than three thousand acres of land in these two counties. In 1888, he and Marcus Youngs and Oscar Wadell organized the Citizens Bank of Warrensburg, of which financial institution John T. Cheatham was president the remainder of his life. To John T. and Gussie M. (Chadwick) Cheatham were born four children, who are now living: Thomas E., the subject of this review; William H., Warrensburg, Missouri; Frank C, Three Lakes, Wisconsin; and Mrs. Erma Crossley, Warrensburg, Missouri. The father died in 1901. Interment was made in the cemetery at Warrensburg. The widowed mother still makes her home in Warrensburg. John T. Cheatham was one of this city's best and most substantial citizens and his loss to the good citizenship of Johnson county has been deeply deplored. Mr. Cheatham was keenly interested in all movements which had for their object the betterment and uplift of the community and he was always an earnest supporter and liberal contributor to every worthy enterprise. The Cheatham name is indelibly connected with the financial interests of Warrensburg and the commercial growth of Johnson county.

In 1897, Thomas E. Cheatham was united in marriage with Anna Jackson, daughter of R. L. Jackson, a prominent pioneer of Holden, Missouri. To this union have been born two children : Vivian, who is now a student in the \\'arrensburg State Normal School; and John T., Jr., who is in the Training school of the Warrensburg State Normal School. The Cheatham residence is in A\'arrensburg at 414 South Holden street.

i\Ir. Cheatham is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of Warrensburg. Besides his banking interests, he supervises his various farms in the county. The Cheathams have all been prosperous and extensive landowners and Thomas E. Cheatham is admirably maintaining the good name and reputation, established by his father many years ago in this section of Missouri.

Tompkins Rice, grandson of Pleasant Rice, the first settler of Johnson county, was born September 3, 1868 on a farm his grandfather had entered from the government, a place located in Columbus township. He is a son of Charles Cobb and Drucilla (Bradley) Rice. Charles Cobb Rice was born September 15, 1839 in Columbus and he is now living on a farm two miles south of Columbus, probably the oldest person living who was born in this county. Drucilla (Bradley) Rice was born in Pittsville, Jackson township. To Charles Cobb and Drucilla Rice have been born five children, and three are now living: Joseph B., deceased; Mrs. Mary J. Seigfreid, Lees Summit, Missouri: Bettie, deceased: Tompkins and Pleasant. Jr.. twins, the former, the subject of this review and the latter, the owner of the Rice homestead and a resident of Warrensburg.

The first school attended by Tompkins Rice was held in an old log barn, owned by James Dobbins. This was a "subscription school" and taught by Miss Anna Dobbins. The puncheon benches were arranged around the room close to the walls. Desks, blackboards, chalk, erasers, and even a bell were unknown. When school was dismissed in the evenings, the children's books were piled in one corner of the room. Mr. Rice, later, was a pupil at Waldon school house. Until he was twenty-seven years of age. he remained at home with his parents. In 1901, he purchased his present home, a farm comprising one hundred six acres of land, forty of which are in Columbus township and sixtv-six in Hazel Hill township. All the soil is tillable, forty acres being rich bottom land. The land lies nicely and the Tompkins Rice farm is considered one of the best in the township. Mr. Rice has added all the improvements since his coming to the place. The pleasant and comfortable residence was built in 1906. It is a large

Structure of eight spacious and conveniently arranged rooms. One barn, 24 x 42 feet, is well equipped for handling stock. Mr. Rice has handled sheep for the past ten years and he has found sheep raising very profitable. At the present time, in 1917, there are twenty head of cattle and one hundred head of hogs on the farm.

February 27, 1896, Tompkins Rice was united in marriage with Olah B. Anderson, daughter of Presley and Sallie Anderson, of Columbus township. Mrs. Rice is a native of Hazel Hill township. To Tompkins and Olah B. (Anderson) Rice have been born three children: Leonard, a graduate of the Odessa High School; Myrtle Oneita and Gladys Irene, both of whom are now students at the Warrensburg State Normal School. All three children reside at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are well known and prominent in their community and highly valued citizens of Johnson county.

Pleasant Rice, Jr., twin brother of Tompkins Rice, obtained his education in the public schools of Johnson county and in the Warrensburg State Normal School. After leaving school, Mr. Rice engaged in farming in Johnson county until 1913, when he went to Florida and for three years was employed in managing an orange plantation which he owned in that state. He disposed of his grove in 1914 and the following year returned to Johnson county in June and since that time has resided in Warrensburg. Pleasant Rice Jr. is now engaged in the grocery business in Warrensburg and in addition to his work in the store supervises the management of his three hundred acres of land in Columbus township. This tract of land was formerly owned by the senior Pleasant Rice, the old homestead, in Johnson county.

May 12, 1897, Pleasant Rice and Lillie 'SI. Brownlee, daughter of M. C. and Etha L. Brownlee, were united in marriage. Mrs. Rice was born May 27, 1873 in Franklin county, Kansas. At the time of her marriage, the Brownlees were residing in Columbus township. Mrs. Brownlee died in June, 1914 and interment was made in the cemetery at Warrensburg. Mr. Brownlee is still living. To Pleasant and Lillie Rice have been born two children: Melvin, a graduate of the Warrensburg High School in the class of 1917; and Mary A., who is in the junior class of the Warrensburg High School. Both children reside at home with Mr. and ^Irs. Rice at 214 Grover street in Warrensburg. The Rice family has been numbered among the best families of the county since the beginning of its hi.story. Mr. and ]\Irs. Pleasant Rice

Pleasant Rice, the most honored pioneer of Johnson county and the first settler in this section of Missouri, was a native of Tennessee. He was born IMarch 7, 1803 near Nashville, a son of a veteran of the Revolutionary \\'ar. one of the twenty courageous men who defended Buchanan's Station so nobly and well that the event assumed much historical significance and became widely known throughout the country.

In 1818, Pleasant Rice first visited this part of the United States and adjoining territories and the following autumn he with five others, Dangerfield Rice. Hugh Brown, Sr., Hugh Brown, Jr.. Cicero Brown, and John A\'allace, made a second visit to Johnson county, Missouri. These men explored the wilderness of the county and took back home with them two hundred sixty gallons of wild honey. Mr. Rice often stated that he found twelve bee trees in one day and from them obtained from four to sixteen gallons of honey each. In the spring of 1828, Pleasant Rice came to Johnson county with his family to make the new hoine on Honey creek, on land now section 10, township 47.

August 26, 1826, Pleasant Rice and Virlinda G. Ray, daughter of Senator Ray, of English descent, were united in marriage, in Tennessee. Virlinda G. (Ray) Rice was born May 13, 1809, a member of one of the best and most prominent families of Tennessee. Pleasant Rice was of Dutch and English lineage. As soon as the family came here. Pleasant Rice built a log cabin, 14 x 14 feet in dimensions, covered with clapboards and the space between the logs filled with mud and blocks of wood. The one door swung on wooden hinges and was fastened by a wooden latch. The logs were of white oak. The United States patents for land, which were issued to Pleasant Rice on j\Iarch 6. 1829 show that in the spring of 1828 he entered eighty acres of land in Johnson county for which he paid the government one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. In the small, rude, log cabin home on this farm entered by Pleasant Rice, was born April 7, 1829 the first white child in the county, Margaret Ann Rice, who died October 6, 1870.

At the age of ninety years, at Columbus, Missouri, Johnson county's first pioneer departed this life, in 1893. The oldest house still standing in this section of the state is on the Kelly farm and was built by Mr. Rice, although the original log cabin has been since weatherboarded and changed much from the structure he erected. But were there no material reminders of this brave, early settler, the name Pleasant Rice and its historical significance will never be forgotten in Johnson county.

George A. Middleton, a successful and enterprising farmer and stockman of Columbus township, is a native of Illinois. He was born in February 1858 in McLean county, a son of James and Jane A. (Parsons) Middleton, the former, a native of England and the lattei", of Ohio. In early manhood, James INIiddleton emigrated from England and came to America. He located first in Ohio, where he met JNIiss Jane Parsons and they were united in marriage. Mr. and Mrs. James Middleton moved to Illinois from Ohio and in that state resided for nearly five years and then moved to Johnson county, Missouri in the autumn of 1859, locating temporarily in a log cabin on the Waldon farm in Columbus township, where they resided for probably a little more than a year, when they moved to a larger farm in Warrensburg township. The Middletons were residents of Warrensburg township for two seasons or more and then returned to Columbus township to reside on the McMahan farm until Mr. Middleton purchased eighty acres of land from Richard Sanders, a place he afterward sold in order to buy the farm now owned by Isaiah Jacoby. To James and Jane Middleton were born six children: William A., Warrensburg, Missouri; George A., the subject of this review; Mrs. Ada E. Jacoby, Hazel Hill township; Charles J., who died recently in the state of Washington; Alfred G., Centerview, Missouri; and Walter Eugene, who died in infancy. The father died in 1877 and his remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Jacoby chapel. Mrs. Middleton departed this life several years after the death of her husband.

George A. Middleton was reared on the farm and his early life was spent much as the average country lad spends his days, assisting with the work of the home place and attending the district school. Mr. Middleton obtained his education in schools held at Granger, east of Warrensburg, Waldon, and Greendoor school house. Until he was twenty-five years of age, he remained at home caring for his widowed mother. Later, he purchased sixty acres of the Isaiah Jacoby farm, a tract of land entered from the government by William Adams, the land patent being signed by President Franklin Pierce, and to this Mr. Middleton later added two tracts of forty acres each and twenty acres of the second tract he afterward sold. The Middleton place now comprises one hundred twenty acres of land, located in Columbus township, ten miles northwest of Warrensburg. The entire farm is under a high state of cultivation and this place is one of the excellent farms of Johnson county, nicely improved, neatly kept, and well equipped for stock raising. Mr. Middleton is engaged in general farming and in raising hogs, sheep, and cattle. A large stock and hay barn was added to the place in 1913, a building 40 x 52 feet in dimensions. The residence has been rebuilt since Mr. Middleton acquired the ownership of this farm.

In 1885, George A. Middleton was united in marriage with Clara E. Chambers, of Warrensburg, daughter of William and Susan Chambers, who now reside in Kansas City, Missouri. To this union have been born two sons: Kenneth, who married Beulah Simmerman and they reside on a farm in Columbus township; and Otha, who married Mary Wilson and they reside on a farm in Columbus township. Both the Middleton boys are progressive, successful farmers and stockmen. The Middletons have long been highly regarded and valued citizens of Johnson county.

William Edward Rittman, proprietor of "Honey Creek Stock Farm" in Columbus township, is one of the well-known and competent farmers and stockmen of Johnson county. He is a native of this county and a, member of one of the prominent early families. Mr. Rittman was born in 1871 in Hazel Hill township, a son of Frank and Matilda E. (Markham ) Rittman. Frank Rittman was a native of Bavaria on the river Rhine. He emigrated from the old country and came to America when he was a young man, making the ocean voyage on a sailing boat, taking forty-eight days to make the journey. Mr. Rittman landed first at New Orleans and from that city went on up the Mississippi river to Illinois, in which state he remained for some time and then returned to New Orleans. He was drafted into the Confederate army, which he deserted nine months later, and, returning to Illinois, enlisted with Company F, Eighty-second Illinois Infantry. Mr. Rittman escaped from the Confederates April 18, 1862. He and five other men were detailed to go up the banks of the Mississippi river to watch for Yankee gunboats.

The men walked about two miles following the river banks, when the sergeant gave orders to return. Two Irishmen, who were with the little company, made a dash for liberty and the sergeant and Mr. Rittman pursued them. The deserters had been retaken by the sergeant, when Frank Rittman appeared on the scene, disarmed the ofificer, and started him back to his followers, while he and the Irishmen made good their escape. For the remainder of the war. Mr. Rittman served with the Union army. He took an active part in the battles of Missionary Ridge, Gettysburg, and those of Sherman's Georgia campaign, besides numerous engagements of lesser significance. In the first named battle, Mr. Rittman was seriously wounded. After the war had ended, he came to Missouri, locating first in Kansas City and thence coming to Warrensburg about 1865. For several years, he was employed as teamster, working between Warrensburg and Clinton. He later located on a farm in Hazel Hill township, which he rented for six years, and then purchased the place now owned by his son, J. F. Rittman. To Frank and Matilda E. Rittman were born five children: William Edward, the subject of this review: Mrs. Anna Schafifer, Bliss, Oklahoma; J. F., Columbus township : John, Hazel Hill township, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume; and Mrs. Ivatie B. Claunch, deceased. The father died about 1889 and burial was made at Mount Moriah cemetery. Mrs. Matilda Rittman died in 1911 and her remains were laid to rest beside her husband in the cemetery at Mount Moriah.

In the public schools of Simpson and Hazel Hill townships, William Edward Rittman obtained his education. Since he was sixteen years of age, Mr. Rittman has made his own way in life. His first farm comprised one hundred acres of land, this tract being a part of the Simpson Brown place. Mr. Rittman sold this farm and purchased one hundred sixty acres of land, from Henry Russell, which he later sold and bought his present country home in Columbus township, an excellent stock farm embracing three hundred sixty acres of land known as "Honey Creek Stock Farm." This is an ideal stock farm, abundantly watered and nicely improved. Since his coming to this farm. Mr. Rittman has built two large barns and drilled a three-hundred-thirteen-foot well. The residence and barns are situated on the highest part of the farm, thus affording a splendid view of the surrounding country. The Rittman country place is one of the beautiful and attractive homes of Johnson county.

daughter of I. W. and Sallie (Parman) Manis, of Simpson township, were united in marriage. Mr. Manis is a native of Kentucky and his wife of Simpson township. I. W. Manis came to Missouri from Kentucky in the early sixties and he and Mrs. Manis still reside at the old homestead located five and a half miles north and east of Warrensburg. To Mr. and Mrs. Rittman have been born two children: Alfred, who was born November 27, 1899; and Helen. Alfred is now a student at the Warrensburg State Normal School and Helen is at home with her parents, on the beautiful country place in Columbus township. The Rittman family is enrolled among the best families of this county and all the Rittmans have for many years been considered good, substantial citizens of Missouri.

S. F. McNair, the well-known practical farmer of the Warrensburg State Normal School, is a native of Moniteau county. He was born in that countv, but was reared on a Pettis county farm. Mr. McNair is a son of Daniel and Maggie (Houx) McNair, the father, a native of Pennsylvania and the mother, of Moniteau county, a member of a prominent pioneer family. Daniel McNair came to Missouri in early manhood and located in Moniteau county. Mr. McNair was a distant relative of Alexander McNair, the first governor of Missouri. Since the father's death, in 1905, the widowed mother has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. T. P. Woods, in Arkansas.

For twelve years, S. F. McNair was employed as telegraph operator and then he returned to the farm. He came to Johnson county. I\Iissouri. in 1896 and is now the owner of a farm of one hundred sixty acres in Warrensburg township, a place located four miles south of Warrensburg. Mr. McNair has been superintendent of the State Normal farm for the past four years. He is a close observer and keen, practical thinker and by reading widely on the various subjects pertaining to agriculture became very proficient in his agricultural knowledge and pursuits, so that when the time came that the Normal School desired a good, practical farmer to assist in farm work and experimentation, Mr. McNair was well qualified for the position.

In 1888, S. F. McNair and Dollie Inman, of Kansas City, Missouri, daughter of Thomas and Anne (Davis) Inman, natives of Indiana, were united in marriage. To this union have been born four children: Margaret, deceased: Mary, Martha, and Samuel, Jr.

S. F. McNair was the first man in the southern part of Warrensburg township to erect a silo. He built one of one hundred tons capacity in 1906 and after two years' trial found it an excellent paying proposition, for in that time it had paid for itself, and he erected a second one. The first silo was constructed of yellow pine. Mr. McNair is now a strong advocate of the silo as a "money-maker." He is also a firm believer in the utility of the dairy cow on Johnson county farms and for soil builders enthusiastically recommends soy beans and sweet clover.

The Farm Laboratory of the Warrensburg State Normal School was purchased in 1910 for the use of the Department of Agriculture and it is managed by S. F. McNair under the supervision of Professor H. A. Phillips, the head of the Department of Agriculture. The farm is equipped with such conveniences as are found on the average country place. There is one large barn for the horses and dairy cattle, all fed under one roof. This barn is supplied with stanchions and litter carriers. The milk from the dairy is A grade and is sold in Kansas City. A silo of seventy tons capacity is on this farm. One of the attractive features of the Farm Laboratory is the modern poultry house, in which are kept several different varieties of pure-bred poultry, among them, namely: Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, White Leghorns, Silver Wyandottes, and Golden Wyandottes^

A herd of ten Jerseys, five registered, are kept on the place. At present, the O. L C. hogs are being raised. In 1917, garden produce for the use of the domestic science students of the Normal School came from the Farm Laboratory, including tomatoes, green beans, and sweet corn, which the department used to demonstrate proper methods of canning. Last year, of 1916, experimental work was conducted with fifteen dififerent varieties of wheat, eight varieties of oats, three varieties of barley, eight varieties of soy beans, four varieties of cowpeas, and six varieties of corn and at the same time experiments were made in the different times and methods of seeding. Practical work in growing alfalfa and clovers and in rotating crops was also done. A four-year rotation is used : oats, wheat, corn, and clover or soy beans. Mr. McNair is a worker and deeply interested in the Farm Laboratory. The Normal School is indeed fortunate to have as competent, industrious, and progressive man as he as superintendent.

of Columbus township, is a native of Virginia. He is a member of one of the best and most respected pioneer families that ever came to Missouri. Mr. Jennings was born July 19. 1866 near Hampshire, Virginia, a son of Reverend James H. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Jennings. Reverend Jennings, a well-known minister of the Presbyterian church, came to Missouri in 1868 and for many years was engaged in ministerial work in Lafayette county.

January 4, 1849, James H. Jennings and Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of James Robinson, were married. The father of Elizabeth (Robinson) Jennings died February 9, 1859, at the age of seventy-one years. Her mother, Mary Robinson, preceded her husband in death twenty years, her death occurring January 13, 1839. ' To James H. and Elizabeth Jennings were born thirteen children, all of whom were reared to maturity and, with the exception of James R., who died unmarried, each reared a family: Mrs. Bettie Ann Siler, born November 26, 1849; James R., born September 7, 1851, and died March 30. 1912; Mrs. Mary J. Secrest, born April 5, 1853, and died January 23, 1882; Thomas, born January 18, 1855; Mrs. Martha Smith, born November 2, 1856, and died December 31, 1879; Sophrona, born January 24, 1859, now of Higginsville, Missouri; William H., born February 24, 1861, now of ]\Iavview. Missouri; Ella, born February 28, 1863, and now resides in Kansas City, Missouri; Emma, born September 23, 1864, and is now deceased; Edwin B., the subject of this review; Sallie, now in Kansas, born April 27, 1869: Laura, born January 25. 1871, now of Odessa, Missouri; and Minnie, born December 30. 1872. now residing in Mayview, Missouri. Reverend Jennings died October 6, 1885. at the age of seventy-two years, seven months, and six days. September 14, 1905, Mrs. Jennings joined her husband in death. She was seventy-five years and twenty-nine davs of age at the time of her death.

EdW'in Jennings was educated in the schools of Lafayette county, Missouri. He remained at home with his parents until he was twentythree years of age and then he traded for a farm, wdiich he owned in addition to his share in the home place until 1901, when he sold his land interests in Lafayette county and moved to Johnson county, purchasing the Gillespie place, better known as the Payne farm upon which Payne school house is located. When Mr. Jennings bought the land, an old log cabin was standing on it, a relic of pioneer days. Since he acquired the ownership of the farm, Mr. Jennings has added prac- tically all the improvements. He has a well, thirty feet in depth, which has never failed to supply both the residence and stock with an abundance of good water. A barn, 50 x 54 feet, was built in 1912 for stock, grain, and hay. The Jennings home was also built in 1912 a house of seven rooms, modern throughout and supplied with all the conveniences of the most up-to-date city residence. An acetylene plant has been installed for lighting purposes. The farm comprises one hundred sixty-nine acres of land located on the Odessa-Columbus road and it is an ideal stock farm. Mr. Jennings is devoting much time to raising cattle, hogs, and sheep and he has been very successful with his stock.

February 13, 1889, Edwin Jennings and Hattie Hedden, daughter of William and Nancy (Gordon) Hedden, of Madison county, Illinois, were united in marriage. Mrs. Jennings was born in Madison county. Both her parents are now deceased. To Edwin and Hattie Jennings have been born six children: Mrs. Leah Campbell, no\v at home with her parents: Mrs. Jessie Ramsey, Lafayette county, Missouri; Mrs. Alma Kohler. Deweese, Nebraska: Edwin, Jr., Ralph, and Forgood, all at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings are excellent, pul)lic-spirited citizens, one of the substantial families of Columbus township. During their residence in this county, which has covered but the brief span of sixteen years, they have made scores of friends and established a reputation which their children may well take pride in maintaining, a name their sons may strive to be worthy to bear.

Rev. Thomas Ryan, pastor of St. Patrick's church. Catholic, Holden, Missouri, was born at Bird Hill, County Tipperary, Ireland, Newport Parish, July 8, 1882. He received his primary education in tlie local National School of his native parish and obtained his classical education at a private school located in Killaloe, Ireland. After spending two and one-half years in this preparatory school, he entered the Irish Foreign Missionary College where he was educated for the priesthood and was ordained for his high religious calling by Bishop Grimes of Dublin in 1908. He left his native heath enroute for America soon thereafter and arrived in this country on September 25, 1908. For a period of one and a half years. Father Ryan was located at Conway, Missouri, and in June of 1910 went to Westport, Missouri, as assistant to Father Walsh. In November of this same year, he came to Holden and for the past seven years has been in charge of St. Patrick's church. In addition to the Holden charge, Father Ryan has charge of the Church

A complete histor\' of St. Patrick's church appears in the historical section of this work. In connection with this brief biography it is well to mention a predecessor of Father Kyan, who was widely known in this section as an excellent judge of race horses. It is a matter of history that W. R. S. Rankin donated the P.lackwater property for the purpose of establishing a mission church to serve as a place of worship for the Catholic residents in the neighborhood. Mr. Rankin made the donation in 1889 and in October of the following year the church was -erected and services were conducted by Father Scarey, an Italian by birth. Father Scarey was a lover of horseflesh and kept a stable of racing animals, one of which carried him to his Blackwater charge almost as fast as the present-day automobile. He was frequently called upon to act as judge at racing meets and was very popular throughout the countryside in the days when horseracing was an annual and important event. Father Scarey died in 1910. Father James Ryan, a relative of the present pastor of St. Patrick's, was a relative of Father Scarey and died in Springfield in 1910.

Father Ryan is faithfully and conscientiously serving his people in the Holden and Blackwater parishes and is popular with all classes of people. He is leaving a marked impression upon both parishes as a builder and religious leader.

Col. S. M. Christian, real estate dealer, well and favorabh' known auctioneer, Holden, Missouri, is one of the native-born pioneer settlers of Johnson county. Colonel Christian was born on a farm in Madison township, August 30. 1860. He has, consequently, been a witness to and an active participant in the great and wonderful development which this region has undergone iluring the fifty-seven years of his residence in this vicinity. Since his boyhood days, he has been an auctioneer of considerable repute and has "cried" hundreds of public sales in this section of Missouri during a long period of over forty years of auctioneering. He has long lieen a familiar figure in Johnson county and this part of the country, having "cried sales" in this and neighboring counties in a manner which has rarely been excelled by his competitors. Colonel Christian is a son of J. H. and Nancy Christian, the former, a native of Virginia and the latter, a native of Kentucky.

souri, in the early thirties and entered government land at a cost of thirty cents an acre. He was one of the very first pioneer settlers in the western part of Johnson county at a time when settlers were few and far between and it was a hazardous proposition to brave the terrors of an unbroken wilderness and found a home in this part of the country. His ancestors had been pioneers in Kentucky and the spirit of adventure and the desire to push westward the frontiers of civilization were inherent instincts, and, endowed with a dauntless spirit, he succeeded and became one of the real founders of this county. For many years jhe was a successful farmer and stockman, progressive in his views, enterprising to a high degree, he did his part well and nobly in building up the country. He was a life-long Democrat, a good, honest citizen. He was a Baptist in his religious persuasion and was a leading factor in the establishment of the Holden Baptist church. The death of this pioneer occurred in the early eighties. His widow survived him for many years, dying in 1909. They were parents of seven children who grew to maturity, namely: Judith, deceased wife of William Phillips of Columbus township: Annie, who married Milton Davidson and is now deceased; Mrs. Lizzie Kendall; Nannie, wife of Samuel Grover, of Kansas; Mrs. Louise Hall, residing in Oklahoma; Alice, deceased wife of Herbert Meadows; and William resides in Arkansas.

S. M. Christian spent his boyhood days on his father's farm in Madison township, where he remained until he had attained the age of sixteen years. At this early age, he began carving a career for himself by becoming an auctioneer. While his education was limited to such as was afforded by the district schools of his day, he was apt, endowed with considerable native ability and a gift of speech, which admirably fitted him for the business of "crying sales" as a life work. He has successfully followed this exacting and difficult profession during many years. Li addition to his profession he has also been engaged in the real estate business and has handled many deals in Holden and the contiguous territory.

Colonel Christian was married to Mary B. Lawrence of Warrensburg and to this union have been born six children as follow: Anna, wife of F. A. Hancock, farmer, Chilhowee township; Bessie, wife of C. E. Atchison, of Chilhowee; Martha, wife of P. E. Rogers, of Chilhowee; Lawrence, at home with his parents; Robert, Linwood, Ivansas; and Jessie, at home.

in Democratic principles. He takes a keen interest in his party's welfare although he has never been a seeker after public preferment. He is religiously afifiliated with the Bpatist church. His geniality, conversational powers, together with a vigorous and warm personality, have made him many warm friends during his long and active career.

L. H. Carter, a progressive and successful farmer and stockman of Madison township, is one of Johnson county's most substantial citizens. Mr. Carter is a native of this state. He was born in Lincoln ^ county, ]\Iissouri, a son of \\'illiam and Agnes (Farney) Carter, of Scotch and Irish descent. When L. H. Carter was a child two years of age, his parents moved from Lincoln county to Warren county, [Missouri, and settled on a farm near Wright City, where the son, L. H., was reared to manhood. Mr. and Mrs. William Carter were both natives of V^irginia and among the first families to leave that state in the early pioneer days and make their permanent home in the thinly populated West. They spent their lives bravely toiling for the upbuilding and betterment of their chosen county and state, Warren county and Missouri. On the farm in Warren county, both the father and mother died many years ago.

On a Missouri farm, L. H. Carter was born and reared. His bo}'- hood days and early youth were spent in assisting his father with the farm work and in attending the country school near his home. ]\Ir. Carter has been interested in farming since childhood and after attaining maturity he began life for himself engaged in the pursuits of agriculture. Until he was thirty-five years of age, he devoted his attention almost exclusively to tobacco growing in \\'arren county. About 1880, Mr. Carter moved from ^^'arren to Jackson county and engaged in general farming for a few vears, when he located on a farm in Polk township, Cass county, and there remained ten years, coming thence to Johnson county to reside on the Dick Jackson country place for two years. From the Jackson farm, he moved two years after locating there to the Corney place and two years later, in September, 1916. purchased his present country home in the northern part of Madiosn township, a farm comprising five hundred fifty-eight acres of valuable land. Mr. Carter raises both stock and grain and at the present time, in 1917, has forty acres of his farm in oats and is feeding a large number of fine cattle and hogs. The Carter place is conveniently located four miles north of Holden.

In 1880. L. H. Carter and Virginia Dyer, a niece of Judge Dyer, the United States district judge for Missouri, were united in marriage. Mrs. Carter's parents were native Virginians. To this union have been born six children: Mrs. Agnes Wright, Muskogee, Oklahoma; Harry, of Oklahoma; Parks, who is associated with his father in farming the place; Minnie, the wife of Roy Davis, the assistant cashier of the Bank of Strasburg, Missouri; George, who is engaged in farming and stock raising on the home place, associated in business with his father and elder brother; and Bessie, the wife of Homer Carter, of Johnson county, Missouri.

Politically, Mr. Carter has always been an active Democrat. He is a member of a family that have ever been intensely alive to matters of public interest and enthusiastic participants in important struggles for the right as each saw the right. Three cousins of L. H. Carter served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Mr. Carter is one of the leading citizens of this county and he is widely known as a prosperous and enterprising agriculturist. The seventy-two years of experience in the world have given him a broad perspective and it is a pleasure and privilege to converse with L. H. Carter. He and Mrs. Carter are highly respected in their community.

W. H. Zion, an efificient carpenter residing at Holden, Missouri, is one of the best known and most capable workmen in Johnson county. Mr. Zion is a native Virginian but practically all of his long life of seventythree years has been spent in this part of the country so that he seems more to be one of Missouri's own sons. He is a member of one of the leading pioneer families of Cass county, Missouri. Mr. Zion was born September 11, 1844, in Lee county, Virginia, and in 1851 came with his parents and brothers and sisters to Missouri. The Zions settled in the western part of Cass county, where most of the earliest pioneers located. The children born to the parents of W. H. Zion were as follow: W. H., the eldest, the subject of this review; George; Mrs. Martha Stark, who is residing on a farm located in Cass county, two miles south of Freeman, Missouri; Harvey, who is interested in the oil business in Oklahoma; and Mrs. Mollie Parker, who died in July, 1917. The family and an uncle came through from Virginia to Missouri in emigrant wagons and after seven weeks on the way came to the land upon which they built their permanent home. The elder Zion. father of W.

H., owned a tract of land in Cass county, comprising two hundred eighty acres, a part of which he purchased and a part entered from tiie government. For the prairie soil, he paid seven dollars and for the timbered land five dollars an acre and now this same tract is worth at the lowest figure ninety dollars an acre. The father died in 1859, just a short time before the outbreak of the Civil War, which was destined to play an important and disastrous part in the lives of his loved ones. When "Order Number 11" was issued, the mother moved with her children to Boone county, Missouri, and there they remained nearly three years. After the war had ended, they returned to the old homestead in Cass county to find their home burned to the ground, everything on the place destroyed, and all the stock stolen. One who has passed through such an experience knows the meaning full well of truly "hard times."

In the autumn of 1873, W. H. Zion and Carolina Virginia Reeves, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reeves, of North Carolina, were united in marriage and to this union have been born five children: John A., a prominent merchant of Holden, Missouri; Lulu, who is now married and resides in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma; Mrs. Mary Gray, Kansas City, Missouri; George, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and lone, who died in infancy.

Immediately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Zion came to Johnson county and located on a farm, which is located a short distance due north of Kingsville, a place that Mr. Zion owned tor five years. When he sold this tract of land, he purchased a place southeast of Kingsville and resided on it for three years and then disposed of the farm and moved to Kingsville. where he worked at his trade as carpenter and for several years was employed in construction work at that place. After about ten years of residence in Kingsville, Mr. Zion came to Holden, where he now lives, and continued to follow his vocation of carpentering. He succeeded well in farming and stock raising, but enjoys more the work of his trade.

Mr. and Mrs. Zion are members of the Baptist church. Mr. Zion is afifiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Eastern Star. He has alwavs been keenly interested in politics and he has never missed once casting his vote. In spite of his age of seventy-three years, W. H. Zion is still an excellent workman, as active and skilled at car- pentering as he ever was and no one enjoys his work more than he. He has ever taken much pride in his trade, a vocation that was dignified above all others more than nineteen hundred years ago.

Ezekiel Blevins, one of Johnson county's progressive citizens, is a native of Johnson county and a son of one of its earliest settlers. Mr. Blevins was born April 7, 1847. in Simpson township, a son of Stephen and Mahala (Young) Blevins, the former, a native of Virginia and the latter, of Indiana. Stephen Blevins, Jr., was a son of Stephen Blevins, Sr., who came to Missouri from Kentucky in a very early day. probably as early as 1820. The Blevins family drove through from the South with yokes of oxen. The land to which they came was still the hunting grounds of the Indians and it has been the family tradition that many were the visits of the friendly red men of the forest to the little cabin home built by Stephen Blevins, Jr., who entered from the government the land now owned by Mrs. Bessie S. Foster. The site of the Blevins' homestead is at this time occupied by Edward Houts. The spring of living water discovered on this tract of land was the attractive feature of the place which induced the family to settle there. The story is told that when the immigrants came upon the spring, Stephen Blevins, Jr., exclaimed, "Here is where we stop!" Lexington was the nearest trading point, for Warrensburg had then only one or two small stores. Frequently, the cattle and hogs raised on the Blevins' farm were driven on foot to the St. Louis market. At one time, Stephen Blevins, Jr., was the owner of twelve hundred acres of land, practically in one tract. To Stephen and Mahala (Young) Blevins were born twelve children, two of whom died in infancy: Lucinda, the wife of Frank Carlton; Christina, the wife of O. Carlton; William Riley, who married Caroline Ayler; PoUie, the wife of Taylor Sivils; Ezekiel, the subject of this review; Robert L., who married Georgia Shaw; Andrew J., of Eldorado Springs, Missouri, who married Nancy Houton; Rebecca, who married G. M. Duncan and died July 4, 1888; Macdonald, of Belt, Montana, who married Mollie Blevins; and Lydia, the second wife of G. M. Duncan, who was formerly the husband of her sister, Rebecca. Stephen Blevins, Jr., v.'as a true pioneer, a man of no little enterprise and fortitude as well as countless sterling qualities of mind and heart. He hesitated at no obstacle, he was appalled by no misfortunes, and discouragement was a thing unknown to him. He lived and prospered many years in Johnson county and became one of the leading men of his commuity.

In 1867, the marriage of Ezekiel Blevins and Missouri Josephine Blevins was solemnized and to this union were born five children, ciiree of whom died in youtii and two are now living: Franklin S., born October 30, 1869, married ]\Irs. Dora Cooper, who died March 6, IVUi, and he was united in marriage with Lettie Brown in August, 1912, and they are now residing in Simpson township: and William R., born August 5, 1871, and married ]\linnie V. Cruse in December, 1894. Mrs. Blevins, the mother of the above named children, has been deceased many years. In 1887. Mr. Blevins and ]\Irs. Susie (Corder) Miller were united in marriage and they are now residing on the farm wdiich has been the home of the former for more than fifty years. ]Mr. Ble\'ins has lived in the same neighborhood all his life.

The Blevins farm comprises one hundred twenty acres of valuable land in Jackson township. In addition to this place, Mr. Blevins owns a tract of eighty acres of land located one mile southeast of his home, land he purchased about 1890 for ten dollars an acre.

The religious views of ^Ir. Blevins are in accord with the JDelief of the Alount Zion Baptist cliurch. Politically, he has been a life-long Democrat. In many respects, Ezekiel Blevins lias been much more than the ordinary citizen. He liegan life with little material wealth, but by industry, good judgment, and close attention to the details of his chosen vocation, he has succeeded in digging from the soil a small fortune. His methods in business have always been honorable, his dealings just, and his integrity has never once been questioned. He has seen the open prairie and the forests supplanted by a domain of civilization and to tlie best of his ability he has assisted in bringing about present-day conditions. ]\[r. Blevins is one of the link characters of Johnson county connecting the past with the present, a man who has figured prominently in both periods.

Mrs. Bettie (Logan) Shaneyfelt, wife of Nathan Shaneyfelt, a prominent citizen of Jolmson county residing one-half mile north of Warrensburg is one of the most beloved and respected women of this county, a descendant of an old colonial family, and a worthy representative of one of the first families of Missouri. Mrs. Shaneyfelt was born February 29. 1848, at the Logan homestead in Warren county, [Missouri, on her father's farm located fifty miles west of St. Louis in the "Daniel Boone neighborhood." The Logans are an ancient and honorable family. Alore than once have entries been made in the historical annals of our country relative to the different distinguished members of the American branch of the Logan family. The name itself suggests Scottish origin and there is all probability and small doubt that the ancestors of Mrs. Shaneyfelt were the same as those of John Logan, a noted Scottish poet, son of George Logan, who was a prosperous farmer in East Lothian in the seventeenth century. To the American Logans belonged James A. Logan, who with Bepjamin Franklin headed the group of scientists for whom Philadelphia was distinguished in the earliest colonial days, and John A. Logan, of Illinois, the Republican candidate for Vicepresident, with James G. Blaine for President, in the election of 18S4. The Logans were distantly related to Daniel Boone, the famous hunter of North Carolina, whose efiforts opened Kentucky to the world. The father of Mrs. Shaneyfelt was a wealthy and influential landowner in Warren county, Missouri.

Nathan Shaneyfelt was born February 14, 1842, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. He was a young man at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War and, in 1862, he enlisted with the Federal army and served throughout the remainder of the war, receiving no wounds or serious disablements. Mr. Shaneyfelt was in the thick of the Battles of the Wilderness, engagements which took place in a desolate region south and east of the Rapidan, in the Wilderness itself, at Spottsylvania Court House, and at Cold Harbor, in the spring and summer of 1864. In the battle at Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864, it was said that ten thousand of the "boys in blue" fell in twenty minutes. Mr. Shaneyfelt was in the army of Union soldiers at Petersburg, when General Burnside ordered the soldiers into the "crater," which became a gigantic grave for hundreds of brave fellows, and he was in at the close, when brave General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. That meant the end of strife and, after receiving his honorable discharge, Mr. Shaneyfelt came to Missouri in 1867 and located in the "Daniel Boone neighborhood."

September 18, 1868, Nathan Shaneyfelt and Bettie Logan were united in marriage in Warren county, Missouri. The marriage ceremony was pronounced by Reverend James E. Welch, who was afterward a leading citizen and prominent Baptist minister of Warrensburg. To this union have been born seven children: Emma, born June 22, 1869; Abram, born July 8, 1870, and died at the age of six months; Lena

H., born February 3. 1873, is now married and resides in Kansas City, Missouri; Mary Alice, born November 27, 1874, and died June 30, 1907; Robert E., of Warrensburg, Missouri, born July 18, 1876; Alberta, born December 30, 1879, wife of Edward Ridge, and they are residents of Warrensburg, Missouri ; and Harriet Luella, born August 1~ , 1886, wife of Frank Anderson, a leading groceryman of Warrensburg, Missouri.

The Shaneyfelts remained in Warren county eight years after their marriage and then they moved to Cooper county, in 1876. Thence they came to Johnson county, Missouri, in 1881 and settled on a farm ct forty acres located near Warrensburg, where they have resided continuously since. Thirty-six years ago, they paid nine hundred seventy dollars for their farm, but the land has trebled in value since that time. When they were married, Mr. and Mrs. Shaneyfelt purchased one hundred acres of land in Warren county and to do so went in debt for almost the entire amount and they paid ten per cent, interest on the borrowed money. They endured a multitude of privations and hardships, but Mr. Shaneyfelt was a soldier and Mrs. Shaneyfelt, a pioneer's daughter, and, by constant industry and the practice of rigid economy, the countless vicissitudes of those early years have been overcome and they are now in comfortable circumstances.

The world claims a knowledge of its men and women as its just due. The laws of nature and of nature's God have forbidden isolation. "No man liveth unto himself." Every individual on this broad earth influences and is influenced by some other individual. Then it is peculiarly fitting and proper that the lives of noble men and women, such as Mr. and Mrs. Shaneyfelt, should be commemorated in a work of this character, that their example, so worthy of emulation, may teach the way to honorable success.

S. P. Sammons, a well-known and successful farmer of Warrensburg township and prominent horseman of Johnson county, is a son of an honored and respected pioneer. Mr. Sammons was born June 8, 1861 in Johnson county, a son of John Wilson and Calthe (Markham) Sammons, who came from Kentucky to Missouri as early as 1840. John Wilson Sammons was born and reared in the South and in Kentucky was united in marriage with Octavia Marsh, probably in the latter part of the vear 1839, and immediately after their marriage Mr. and

Mrs. Sammons came West to make their home. To John Wilson and Octavia (Marsh) Sammons were born seven children, and of the entire family only one son is now living: John, who resides in Texas. The mother died in 1855. About 1856, the marriage of John Wilson Sammons and Calthe Markham was solemnized in Johnson county, Missouri and to this union were born four children, all of whom are now living: Ella J., the widow of George T. Wilson, who is making her home with her brother, S. P., the subject of this review, and of whom further mention will be made in this sketch; S. P., the subject of this biographical sketch ; Beauregard, who married Mary Ray, and they reside eight miles southwest of Warrensburg, Missouri; and C. M., who married Ola Williams, and they reside ten miles northeast of Warrensburg. Missouri. For many years, John Wilson Sammons rented farm land and was engaged in general farming and stock raising in Johnson county. He first located near Columbus and then about 1870 rented the John Ramsey place, a farm of one hundred acres of land, located five miles northeast of Columlms, where the Sammons family lived for nearly twelve years and in 1882 moved to a farm located seven miles north of Holden. Three years later, the family were residing on a farm seven miles north of Windsor and on that place remained two years, whence they moved to the country place just north of Warrensburg, residing there six years and then moving to the farm located two miles west of Mount Moriah church, where they were located for six years, and then moved back to their former place'. The last two farms had in the meantime been purchased by the sons of John Wilson Sammons. During the Civil War, Mr. Sammons was living on a farm north of Columbus. Several times he was captured by the Union soldiers, but he managed to obtain release each time. He died December 12, 1910. Mrs. Sammons, the mother of S. P., had preceded her husband in death a few years. She died November 28, 1902. Both John \\'ilson and Airs. Sammons held membership in the Christian church and they were both earnest and tireless church workers. Mr. Sammons cleared and improved many different farms in Johnson county. He was a good farmer and met with a fair degree of success as a breeder and raiser of fine stock. Personally, he and Mrs. Sammons were kind, hospitable, companionable people and throughout life they maintained a high social standing in this county. John Wilson Sammons was a representative chore farmer of Johnson county and with his death there passed away

In 1902, S. P. Sammons and Mrs. Ella J. (Sammons) Wilson purchased in partnership the Staley place, a farm of forty acres of land which lies one and a half miles north of Warrensburg, and there they are now residing. Mr. Sammons is unmarried and the husband of Mrs. Wilson has long been deceased. She manages the household for her brother and Mr. Sammons is engaged in general farming and breeding and raising thoroughbred Denmark saddle horses. In addition to his own farm, Mr. Sammons rents other land and for the past twelve or fifteen years he has made a specialty of Denmark registered saddle horses. Recently, he sold three horses which were bred at the R. A. Long farm. He has, at the time of this writing in 1917, two other horses which were sired by "Forest King" of Sweetsprings, Missouri. S. P. Sammons is distinctively one of the leading horsemen of Johnson county and a citizen of much more than local repute.

Every member of the Sammons family is a worthy and valued member of the Christian church. For seventy-seven years, the Sammons name has stood for all that constitutes rectitude and honor and the Sammons family have lieen potent factors in the upbuilidng of the material prosperity of Johnson county. Their many sterling traits of character and their genuine worth have won for S. P. Sammons and his sister, Mrs. ^^^lson, the highest regard and esteem of their wide circle of acquaintances.

Levi Noland, an aged resident of Post Oak township, was born in Madison county, Kentucky. August 9, 1838, a son of Jackson Noland, also a native of Madison county, Kentucky, whose father, ^^'illiam Noland, was born in \'irginia and was a pioneer settler of Kentucky at a time when the Indians were still contesting with the incoming wdiite settlers for supremacy, and wild game and buf¥alo abounded in the state. His mother, Lucy (Jones) Noland, was also born in Madison county. Kentucky. Seven children were born to Jackson and Lucy Noland of whom Levi is the oldest. Three of the children are still living in Kentucky. During the days of Levi Noland's boyhood, his father's home was among the canebrakes bordering the Mississippi river in Madison county, Kentucky. The year's produce of the farm would be loaded on flatboats and floated down the Mississippi to New Orleans from which point his father and others would w^alk back to their Kentuckv home.

Levi Noland was reared a farmer, but learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for many years. After his marriage in 1857, he engaged in farming until 1879, when he came to Henry county, Missouri and located in the town of Ladue where he followed his trade as carpenter for eleven years. From there he removed to St. Joseph and worked for one year at his trade. He then moved to the town of Kinsmore ten miles southwest of St. Joseph, where he followed his trade and became postmaster. He conducted a general store and filled the office of postmaster for five years and then lived on a farm for several years on account of his wife's failing health. One of his children had settled in Johnson county and he and his wife came here to be near them. They first lived on a farm near Knob Noster and in 1911 moved to their present location in Post Oak township. During the spring of 1917, Mr. Noland spent some time in Colorado, visiting his son.

Mr. Noland was married to Miss Julia Williams of Kentucky on December 25, 1857. To this marriage were born the following children: Lucy, the deceased wife of John Cox; Sarah Frances, who was reared to maturity, married, and died in 1912, leaving eight children; Josephine, who is married and now resides in St. Joseph, mother of eight children; Elizabeth, died in infancy; Jackson, died at the age of two years ; Mrs. Nancy Jane Smith, who lives on a farm five miles northwest of Knob Noster; John William, on the home place in Johnson county; Lee, lives at Akron, Colorado; Nellie and Julia Ann, twins, who died in infancy; and Frances and Margaret, who died in infancy. The mother of these children was born April 6, 1840, in Kentucky and was a daughter of one of the old Kentucky pioneers who lived to the age of ninety-six years. She died in April, 1910. Mr. Noland has fiftytwo grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. He and Mrs. Noland lived together happily fifty-two years and during all this time there was never a cross or angry word passed between them. In the eventide of his long, busy, now lonely life, this is a matter of great satisfaction and consolation to him. Mr. Noland is a member of the Baptist church and all during his life he has striven earnestly to live according to the precepts of the Great Teacher.

William Henry Drinkwater, a successful and prominent farmer and stockman of Montserrat township, was born July 29, 1863 in Cooper county, Missouri, a member of one of the best-known and most respected pioneer families of Missouri. He is a son of John and Marian

(Bales) Drinkwater, the former, a native of Kentucky and the latter, the daughter of Oliver Bales, of Cooper county. To Mr., and Mrs. Drinkwater have been born the following children: Sarah C, wife of Mr. Harter, of Pullman, Washington; Harvey B., Oiltown, Oklahoma; Margaret P., wife of Mr. Butler, Johnson county, Missouri; William Henry, of this review; Oliver, Johnson county; Fannie Frances, wife of Mr. Jackson, Kansas City, Missouri; and Rosie Lee, who is married and resides in Kansas City, Missouri. By a former marriage with Nancy Hall, of Cooper county, John Drinkwater was the father of two sons: James Robert, Salt Lake City, Utah; and Freddie, who was killed in childhood by a horse. Nancy (Hall) Drinkwater died in the sixth year of her marriage. John Drinkwater came with his parents to Missouri, when he was but a small boy. They settled on a tract of land in Cooper county, which farm the father entered from the government. Until the time of his marriage with Nanc}' Hall, John Drinkwater remained at home with his parents and assisted in the work on the home place but at the age of twenty-five years, he began life for himself. He was by trade a blacksmith, and he followed his trade in the years prior to and during the Civil War. At the time of the war, Mr. Drinkwater lived in Pleasant Green, Cooper county and for several years was mayor of the city. For fifteen years, the Drinkwater family resided in Pleasant Green. After his second marriage, ]\Ir. Drinkwater went to Iowa, where the family lived for two years, ^^'hen thev returned to Missouri, Mr. Drinkwater purchased the farm on which his son, Oliver, now resides. This place comprises seventy-five acres, on which he was engaged in raising horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, keeping stock in proportion with the size of the farm. He also conducted a small lilacksmith-shop in connection with his farm. Mr. Drinkwater died in Decemlier, 1895. He was an honest, hardworking, capable citizen, a man of countless estimable qualities and he had many friends. The widowed mother is still living, making her home now with her youngest child, who resides in Kansas City.

March 27, 1(S87, William Henry Drinkwater was united in marriage with Anna Lee Cruise, daughter of T. A. Cruise, of Cooper county, a native of Kentucky. To Mr. and Mrs. Drinkwater have been born six children : AVilliam Leonard. Leo. Harry Jennings, Lena May, Grover, and Gladvs M. The father of Mrs. Drinkwater served throughout the Civil War with the Confederate army, serving under Major- general Francis M. Cockrell. Her uncle, the brother of her father, served in the Union army. Both Mr. and Mrs. Drinkwater are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and they are widely known, influential citizens of Johnson county, enrolled among the county's best families.

The Drinkwater farm comprises one hundred sixty acres of land located due north of the town of Montserrat. Thirteen years ago last March, of 1918, the Drinkwaters moved to this place. They have been residents of Montserrat township since that time. With the exception of nine months, when they lived at Rich Hill, Missouri, and eighteen months, when they lived at Chilhowee, Mr. and Mrs. Drinkwater have resided in Montserrat township ever since their marriage thirty years ago. He is engaged in raising cattle and sheep and hogs. Mr. Drinkwater prefers the Shropshire breed of sheep, as they are heavier and yield more wool than the Southdowns, the two breeds which lead in the Mississippi valley.

Mr. Drinkwater is a valued member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is an honest, honorable, strictly moral citizen, a son well worthy the name Drinkwater, a name which is the synonym for countless sterling qualities.

George Adams, one of the best, most industrious, and enterprising of Montserrat township's agriculturists, was born July 26, 1866 on the farm which is now his home. He is a son of Thomas and Sarah Ann Adams, honored pioneers of Johnson county, who were the parents of the following children: Mrs. George Roberts, Knob Noster, Missouri; Martha, deceased: Mrs. Tom Clare. Jefferson township: Mrs. Timothy George, of Montana : Mrs. J. W. Dawson : John, a biographical sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume; James, Warrensburg; Mrs. James Ivy, Columbus. Kansas; George, of this review: Sallie, wife of John Dillingham: Julia, wife of Walter Hay, Washington. Missouri; and Thomas B.. Miami, Oklahoma. Thomas Adams was a Union veteran, having served throughout the Civil War. He became a well-to-do and successful farmer and stockman after the war, owning four hundred acres of land at the time of his death, January 4. 1888. In August, 1910. Mrs. Adams was united in death with her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Adams were highly respected and esteemed in Johnson county, where they were numbered among the county's best families.