Linn County, Missouri - Biographical sketches, 1912 (part 1 of 15)

Biography Major A. W. Mullins

A gallant and intrepid Union soldier during the Civil War, although a native of Kentucky and of Virginia ancestry, and living at the time of his enlistment in a region in which there was a very strong sympathy with the Southern Confederacy, Major A. W. Mullins, of * Linneus, soon after the dawn of his manhood showed himself to be a gentleman of independent views, deep and abiding patriotism, and devoted to the best interests of his .coimtry, without regard to the former history and traditions of his family, uninfluenced by the seething political strife around him and the personal danger to himself it might embody, and with the courage of his convictions, whatever might betide.

These characteristics have been forcibly manifested in all his subsequent career and have been strong elements in his success. In every line of activity to which duty or inclination has called him he has been the same forceful, self-reliant and manly man, unintimidated by circumstances, but commanding them to his service; undaunted by adversities, but making even them wings and weapons for his advancement in life; smiling in the face of difficulties and obstacles, and always their master; and at all times one of the most courtly, considerate and genial of men.

Major Mullins was born in Marion county, Kentucky, on April 12, 1835. He is a son of Berryman H. and Susannah Jane (Crews) Mullins, with whom he came to Missouri and Linn county in 1844, when he was nine years of age. His father was born near Petersburg, Virginia, on March 3, 1802, and like his son, became an emigrant from his. native heath in his boyhood, accompanying his parents to what is now Marion county, Kentucky, where he grew to manhood and received a good .common school education. He began life as a farmer and continued as such throughout his long and somewhat eventful career.

who was born and reared in Kentucky, survived him for a short time, remaining on the old homestead to the end of her life. They were the parents of five sons and three daughters, and of the eight three only are living.

Major Mullins was reared on the family farm from the time of his arrival in the county. He was educated wholly in this state, laying the foundation of his academic training in the common country schools and completing it at McGee college in Macon county, which he attended during 1854, 1855 and 1856. Immediately after leaving college he began the study of law in the oflice and under the direction of Judge Jacob Smith, one of the eminent lawyers and judges of the state. He was admitted to the bar in October, 1857, his entry being made at Linneus before Judge James A. Clark, another man eminent in the legal profession in Linn county.

The young attorney and future major began the practice of his profession in Linneus at once, and he rose rapidly in it until he became the leader of the bar in Linn county, of which he is now not only the leader but the Nestor, being still actively engaged in conducting his extensive practice, notwithstanding the fact that his years number almost four score. For he is still vigorous and energetic, and has as much abhorrence of idleness as he ever had at any period of his life. His high rank at the bar, which he reached early and has steadily , maintained, is due to his profound and extensive knowledge of the law, his skill and resourcefulness as a practitioner, his wisdom and quickness of apprehension as a comiselor, and his high character and strict integrity as a man, professionally and in all the relations of life.

The major has filled a number of official positions, both civil and military. In 1862 he was elected to represent Linn county in the state legislature, and was again elected to the same trust in 1866, having skipped one term, but holding the office four years in all, and in the period between his two terms in the legislature he was appointed county treasurer to fill out the unexpired term in that office of a Mr. Hoyle, who resigned in 1865. Following this, on the expiration of his second service in the general assembly, he was elected county treasurer for a full term of two years.

During a portion of the time he was in the legislature he found himself somewhat in the entanglement of conflicting duties. In the winter of 1861 and 1862 he enlisted in Colonel McFerrin's regiment of the First Missouri state militia, entering the military service as a private, but being soon afterward .commissioned a major by Governor

Gamble. He had therefore to obtain leave of absence from the regiment in order to perform his duties as a representative. This was easily secured, however, for the times were troublous and he was needed in the legislature, while, although the hand of war had been felt in Missouri, it had not yet become so heavy that he could not be spared from military duty in the winter season. (For further notice of Major Mullin's military service see chapter on Civil War.)

The last official position Major MuUins held was that of United States attorney for the western district of Missouri, to which he was appointed by President Grant in 1877. Although this office was in the line of his profession, he did not find it agreeable and resigTied it before the end of the first year of his tenure, much to the regret of the authorities at Washington, who showed their esteem for him by allowing him to name his own successor. In politics he is a staunch Republican and a great worker for his party. He is one of its leaders in his congressional district and in the state at large. For many years no campaign has been conducted by the party without his active co-operation in both counsel and energetic and effective service in the field.

The major owns considerable property of value in Linn and the adjoining counties, and is recognized as one of the substantial men in this part of the state. On January 10, 1863, he was united in marriage with Miss Nerissa Smith, a daughter of his old preceptor in the law. Six children born of the union, four sons and two daughters, are living and have their homes in this state.

In dress, in courtliness of manner, in high character, in fidelity to duty in all the relations of life, in respect for the rights and consideration for the feelings of others - in every attribute and particular - Major Mullins is a fine type of the southern gentleman of the old school; and in all the characteristics of elevated, useful and high-minded citizenship he is an ornament to his community, his county, his state and his country, and would be to any country and any society. No citizen Linn county has ever had has stood higher than does he in the esteem and cordial regard and admiration of its jseople. Now neariug the age of four score years, but still hale and active, as has been stated, he reminds all who know him of some genial year, approaching its end undoubtedly, but with its seasons of warmth and beauty and fruitfulness not wholly spent, but still exerting their benignant influences on the world and the people in it whose lives they have brightened.

Judge Harry Lander

Venerable in years, eminent in his profession and in public life, with a long record of usefulness in war and peace to his credit, and standing high in the esteem of the people of Missouri, the late Judge Harry Lander, of Brookfield, passed to his eternal rest on December 6, 1903, lamented by the whole city of Brookfield and county of Linn. An unusual coincidence, and perhaps a happy one, was that his wife, who was also venerable and venerated, died on the same day. Their funerals were held together and their remains were buried in the same grave.

Judge Lander was" born in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, on August 15, 1826, and lived there until he was about nine years old. His parents, Henry and Ann (Cleveland) Lander, then moved, with their eleven children, to Knox county, Illinois. There the future judge attended the public schools and assisted in the labors on his father's farm until he was near manhood. He also pursued a full course of academic instruction at Knox College and was graduated from that institution. He felt that his bent was toward professional life, and he chose the law as his field of activity in that line. He studied law in the ofifice of Julius A. Manning, then one of the foremost lawyers of the state, and after his admission to the bar, formed a partnership with his preceptor and located in Peoria, Illinois, the commission authorizing him to practice being sig-ned by Stephen A. Douglas, at that time the judge of the circuit.

At this period Abraham Lincoln was practicing law also and living at Springfield, and Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll at Peoria. Colonel Ingersoll and Judge Lander had adjoining oflBces, and many are the interesting stories the judge used to delight in telling of the early law practice in Illinois and incidents growing out of or connected with his association with these famous American citizens. They were intimate friends and kindred spirits, equal in joviality and good-fellowship, and almost equal in anecdote and repartee, and there was probably never a more genial atmosphere than they created around them, in which all who came in contact with them shared.

From Peoria Judge Lander moved to Chariton county, this state, and there continued the practice of his profession for some years. He came to Linn county in about 1855, and rose to prominence at the bar here, commanding universal respect for his abilities, and winning all hearts by his genial nature and rare powers as a raconteur. He was held in the highest esteem, also, for his strict integrity, strong manhood and elevated citizenship, wliicli made Mm one of the finest tj'pes of admirable American gentility Linn county has ever known, and its people have had many fine examples for comparison.

Soon after the beginning of the Civil War Judge Lander enlisted in the Union army, and was made lieutenant and quartermaster of the Eighteenth Missouri Regiment of Infantry. At the close of the war he returned to Brookfield, and from 1865 to 1869 served with great credit and acceptability as judge of the Court of Common Pleas. When he retired from the bench here he went to St. Louis, where he practiced until 1877. He then returned to Brookfield, and here he continued in active practice until his death.

The judge was one of the most eminent lawyers in Missouri, and one of the state's best known and most revered citizens. On the day of his funeral, out of respect to his memory and that of his wife, every business house in Brookfield closed its doors during the hours of the funeral service. Every resident of the city felt keenly the loss of a friend and gave testimony to this feeling in a way that left no doubt on the subject, and the state mourned the fall of a stately oak in its forest of citizenship.

On April 18, 1861, Judge Lander was united in marriage with Miss Martha McCoy, a native of Lee county, Virginia, and they walked life's troubled way together to the end, as has been indicated. One child was born of their union, their son H. P. Lander, former prosecuting attorney of Linn county, and one of Brookfield 's most prominent lawyers and most esteemed and useful citizens, whose professional career has been very creditable to him and beneficial to the community to the present time (1912).

Robert Finley Maxwell

This successful and prosperous farmer of Linn county, whose home is in Grantsville township, is living on the farm which his father hewed out of the wilderness in the early days of the county's history, and is in itself a striking illustration of the work that has been done and the progress that has been made toward the full development of the county's resources and the expansion of its industrial and commercial power to the greatest possible extent. The farm is well improved, skillfully cultivated and highly productive - a very different condition from that in which its first owner found it - and the change represents what the labor of enterprising men can accomplish when judiciously applied to the bounties of Nature, and in its measure speaks of Linn county in

Mr. Maxwell was born in Shelby county, Ohio, on March 15, 1855, and was brought by his parents, Robert and Catherine (Lambert) Maxwell, to Missouri and Linn county when he was but two years old. The father was a native of Virginia, born in July 5, 1786, and early in his manhood moved to Ohio. In 1857 he brought his family to this coimty and purchased the farm on which his son now lives. It was, as has been suggested, but a little removed from its state of primeval wilderness, and nearly all the work required to make it over into a productive farm was yet to be done. The father passed the rest of his life on it, carrying on this work with gratifying progress, and left the tract well improved and in a high state of productiveness when he died on April 20, 1861. The worn and wasted tenement of his spirit was buried in Whitley cemetery at Laclede. The mother died on January 15, 1902, and her remains were buried in Bear Branch cemetery.

Their son, Robert F. Maxwell, grew to manhood and obtained his education in this county, acquiring habits of useful industry and a thorough knowledge of the calling in life he had chosen for himself by practical and diligent assistance in the labor of cultivating the farm. Soon after leaving school he began farming on his own account, and to this occupation he has steadfastly adhered ever since, so well satisfied with it that he has never found any temptation sufficiently strong to induce him to even contemplate engaging in any other. He has applied intelligence and good judgment to his operations, and has thereby made himself one of the leading farmers of his township, and is taken as an example by others in the same business.

Mr. Maxwell is always warmly interested in the progress and improvement of the county, and does his full share of the work necessary to promote the desired advance. He zealously supports all worthy undertakings tending to this end, and is regarded as a very enterprising and public spirited citizen. The fraternal life of the community enlists his earnest attention also, and he gives his feelings on the subject expression by active and serviceable membership in the Order of Modern Woodmen of America, belonging to Shelby Camp, No. 6,602 in the fraternity. He is also a devoted and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

On September 17, 1885, he was married to Miss Mary E. Sturtevant, a daughter of Lyman and Elsie J. (George) Sturtevant, a sketch of whom will be found in this volume. Five children have been born of the union, and all of them are living. They are Fred L., who aids his father in managing the farm, and Herman F., Robert W., Opha Milo and Elsie, all of them still members of the parental family circle. The mother died on July 3, 1909, and all that was mortal of her was buried in Rose Hill cemetery in Brookfield.

Murray Bushnell

Born and reared on a farm, educated in the district schools, beginning life for himself as a farmer, and since then to the present time pursuing the even tenor of his way in that uneventful and, even at the best, somewhat monotonous occupation, Murray Bushnell, of Brookfield township has differed but little if any in the salient points of his history from thousands of other men in Missouri and millions in other parts of the country. In his personal characteristics he differs from many, and in some respects, no doubt, from all other men. But even in these he exhibits the same virtues of integrity, uprightness and straightforwardness that pervade the masses of our people, and he also shares with them the enterprise and progressiveness that make them the most triumphant and daring race the world has ever known.

Mr. Bushnell's life began on a Linn county farm on August 8, 1870, and all its subsequent years have been passed on a Linn county farm. He is a son of Harvey and Ruth (Mason) Bushnell, natives of Vermont, who came to Missouri and located in Linn county in 1868. The father was a merchant in his native state, but became a farmer as soon as he reached Missouri. He bought 320 acres of unbroken land, which he later increased to 640. This land he broke up, improved to some extent and farmed until death ended his labors in 1880. The mother is still living and now resides in Brookfield. They had five children, three sons and two daughters, and three of their offspring are residents of this county.

Their son Murray was educated in the country schools in the neighborhood of the family homestead, and soon after leaving school began farming on his own account. He was trained to the later avocation of his father and it was agreeable to him. He began the battle of life in it, and he has adhered to it ever since. But he has conducted his operations in a way tliat has made them profitable to him and won a comfortable competence for life from the soil by cultivating it with skill and good judgment, and managing his affairs with prudence.

On September 8, 1899, Mr. Bushnell was married to Miss Laura E. Arbuthnot, a daughter of James and Sarah E. (Beemer) Arbuthnot, the former born in Greenfield, Highland county, Ohio, on September 3, 1841, and the latter in Norfolk county, Canada. In 1862 the father enlisted in the Union army in Company E, Ninety-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private. Later he was raised to the rank of adjutant of the regiment, a position which he resigned in 1866. He first served in the West, and afterward in the Army of the Potomac. After his resignation he returned to his former home in Adams county, Ohio, and remained there a short time.

He then came to Missouri and located on a farm in this county five miles south of Brookfield which he purchased. He farmed for a number of years and while doing so studied law, and in 1878 moved to Brookfield, where he practiced his profession and dealt extensively in real estate and loans until his death, which occurred on December 17, 1908. He was a gentleman of prominence and influence, a thorough business man and warmly interested in the progress and improvement of the city and county in which he lived, and the people appreciated his worth.

Mr. and Mrs. Bushnell have one child, their son Raymond A. They are members of the Presbyterian Church, and zealous in promoting every good work undertaken by the congregation to which they belong.

Jones Brothers

These young men, Carl and J. Paul Jones, are the sons and successors of one of the most enterprising and successful farmers of Jefferson township, and in their operations as farmers and live stock breeders they are exhibiting the same business capacity, progressive enterprise and studious inquiry into the demands of their industries that gave him his great success, and also the same traits of elevated and useful citizenship that fixed him so highly and securely in the regard and good will of the people.

They are the sons of the late May Jones and his wife, whose maiden name was Hortense Carothers. The father was born on May 26, 1854, on the farm which the sons are now cultivating, and which was purchased by their grandfather, Carleton Jones,-about the year 1853. The grandfather was born in "Warren, Herkimer county. New York, on February 26, 1817, and during his boyhood lived in various places, his parents being of a migratory disposition and constantly in search of a locality in which they could employ their faculties to the best advantage.

They lived for a number of years, however, in Huron county, Ohio, and there their son Carleton reached his manhood on a farm and obtained his education in the common schools. There, also, he learned the carpenter trade, and soon afterward moved to Laporte county, Indiana, and in 1842 to Brunswick in Chariton county, this state. In that town he worked at his trade until 1849, when he joined the first great rush to the newly discovered gold fields of California. Three years later he returned to his former Missouri home, and on July 10, 1853, was married to Miss Nancy Gaines, then a resident of Chariton county, but formerly living in Kentucky. Soon after their marriage the young couple moved to Linn county, and the husband purchased the farm of 500 acres in Jefferson township, which has ever since been and is now the home of the family.

May Jones, the father of Carl and J. Paul, was born on this farm in 1854, as has been noted, and died on it on April 22, 1911. In addition to his extensive and profitable farming operations, for a number of years he carried on a voluminous and profitable business in real estate and loan transactions, and in all his activities manifested a high order of business capacity and always a fine and fruitful public spirit. He was educated at a country school and in Laclede, and was married on February 12, 1880, to Miss Hortense Carothers, a daughter of James and Malinda (Lomax) Carothers, of Laclede. By this marriage he became the father of four children, all of whom are living. Eva, the first born, is now the wife of John H. Armbuster, and resides at Aurora, Illinois; the brothers who are the immediate subjects of this review, and Max, who is still li-^-ing at home. The father was a Democrat politically, and filled a number of local offices in the township.

Carl Jones was born on the family homestead in 1884, and has been employed on it ever since he was large enough to work. He began his education in the district school near the farm and completed it in a school of higher grade in Brookfield. For a number of years before his father's death he had the active management of the farm and conducted it with gratifying success, keeping himself in touch with all the advancements in the science of agriculture and applying all the knowledge he could gain from diligent study and close observation of his business to his work greatly to his own benefit and that of the farm.

J. Paul Jones was also born on this farm, where his life began in 1889. He, likewise, began his education in the district school in the neighborhood of his home, but completed it at the State Normal School in Kirksville, Missouri. He was married on June 20, 1911, to Miss Agnes Thompson, a daughter of Parmelous M. and Nannie (Drummond) Thompson, of Linn county.

this coalition is still in operation. A few years ago they saw the need of live stock improvement in this part of the state, and believed there was a fine opportunity to make an effort in this direction profitable to its promoters. Accordingly they began breeding Holstein cattle and Berkshire hogs, and have ever since been enlarging their operations in this industry until they now occupy a leading place in it in this territory, and have a fine reputation in many localities for the excellence of their products, on which they bestow their utmost care and attention all the time.

On their farm the state of Missouri has established a branch soil experiment station, and they have charge of it. This institution, which is registered as "The Oaks," is doing a great work for the farmers in this part of Missouri and the adjacent states, and is held in high appreciation by the people on all sides who are within reach of it, while the reports made of its work by the Jones brothers have an extensive circulation and are eagerly sought for and in great demand. In their farming, in their live stock industry and in their soil experiment work these gentlemen are rendering the public excellent service, and their active and helpful interest in the affairs of the county generally is also very beneficial. And their work is warmly appreciated, which is very creditable to the people, and all the interests that have the benefit of it.

Peoples Bank Of Browning

This is a state bank and was founded in July, 1902, with a capital stock Of $30,000, all paid in. The first officers' were J. W. Schrock, president; James Neet, vice president; S. L. Gibson, cashier, and E. C. Bailey, assistant cashier. Mr. Schrock died soon after the bank was started, and J. G. Watson served as president for one year, at the end of which he was succeeded by James Neet, who is still at the head of the institution. At this time H. C. Bailey was chosen vice president and E. C. Bailey, assistant cashier. The first board of directors was composed of J. W. Schrock, J. G. Watson, J. I. Van Fossen, W. E. Duckworth, James Neet, S. L. Gibson and Benjamin Mairs. The board is now the same as at first except that C. H. Wallace succeeded Mr. Schrock as a member, and was in turn succeeded by A. E. Lambert. The directors are all men of large interests and high standing where they live, and are well known throughout this section of the country. The bank has now a surplus of $6,500. It carries on a general banking business embracing all approved modern forms of banking.

the beginning of its history, is a native of Benton township, Linn county, and came into being on a farm south of Browning on September 6, 1858. He is a son of George W. and Harriet A. (Schrock) Gibson, the former a native of this county and the latter of Virginia. The father was born on a Linn county farm in 1837. He grew to manhood on that farm, which he assisted in clearing, and resided on it until 1866. He then bought 500 acres of unimproved land south of Browning, which he improved, brought to advanced productiveness and resided on for thirty years.

In 1897 he moved to Browning, where he now lives, and where the mother died in 1909. They had four children who are living, their son Samuel L. being the only one of the four resident in this county. The father is a Freemason and an Odd Fellow, being a charter member of the lodge in the latter fraternity to which he belongs. His parents, William F. and Sarah (Brookshire) Gibson, came from their native state of Tennessee to this county in 1835, making the journey with teams and bringing their cattle and other movable property along with them.

A few months after their arrival in this county they entered a tract of timber land, which they cleared and on which the mother died in 1855. The rest of the family lived on that farm until 1866, when they separated, the gi'andfather of Samuel moving to Browning, where he died in 1888. He and his wife were the parents of five sons and three daughters, all of whom are living but two. After the death of his first wife, the grandfather married one of her sisters as his second wife, and by this marriage he became the father of three children, two of whom, both sons, are living. In politics he was first a Whig, and after the death of the Whig party, a Democrat.

Samuel L. Gibson was reared on his father's farm in Benton township, and obtained his education in the district school iu its vicinity. He engaged in farming until 1894, when he moved to Browning to take the cashiership of the Peoples Exchange Bank. In 1897 this institution became the Farmers Exchange Bank, and he served as its cashier until 1902, when he resigned and organized the Peoples Bank of Browning, with which he has ever since been connected. He also assisted in organizing and now represents the Stockgrowers Bank of Purdin, the Citizens Bank of Winigan, the Citizens Bank of Laredo, the Citizens Bank of Linneus, the Farmers State Bank of New Boston, the Citizens Bank of Bucklin, and the Farmers and Traders Bank of Dawn, the last a private institution, which is imder the management of one of Mr. Gibson's sons, Arthur E., the first bom of his offspring.

county, and also a farm of 2,700 acres which he owned in Kansas, and since then he has given all his time and attention to the affairs of the bank. But he still owns his beautiful and finely appointed residence in Browning. This is one of the most attractive and best equipped dwellings in Linn county, and although it is located in a town of less than 1,000 inhabitants, it would adorn a fashionable residence district in some large city. The dwelling house is located on a commanding site four blocks from the Peoples Bank, and adjoining it is an eight-acre tract of land sloping gracefully to the south and west.

From basement to roof the building is a model in design and equipment. It contains ten rooms above the basement, heated by hot water throughout and thoroughly lighted by the Datonia Acetylene gas system with electric igniters, making its illumination as convenient as if done by electric lighting. From an exhaustless living well the entire building is supplied with hot and cold water by means of the Bethalto Water System of St. Louis, run by a gasoline engine, and the United States American Radiator heating apparatus. The cooking is done by gas heat and the laundering and similar work is done in the basement, which is sealed Avith cement and perfectly dry. The apartments on tlie first floor, with the exception of the kitchen and bath room are all thrown together by open grill work. In all parts the living apartments are artistically adorned, and the furniture is in keeping with all the other features of the residence.

At present this beautiful home is occupied by only Mr. Gibson and his wife, their three sons being all in business at other places. Mrs. Gibson's maiden name was Flora M. Purdin, and she is a daughter of Luther and Susan (Lane) Purdin, residents of Linn county who are held in the highest esteem. She was united in marriage with Mr. Gibson on August 17, 1884, and they have three sons: Arthur E. is in charge of one of his father's banks, which is located at Dawn, Livingston county, this state ; Roy E. is a director and the secretary of the Commercial Trust Company of St. Louis; and Lyle C. is receiving teller in the day and Night Bank in that city. They are all young men of high character and fine business and social qualities, and share fully in the cordial regard in which their father and mother are held in this county, and also stand well in the esteem of the people where they are now living.

In political relations Mr. Gibson is a Democrat of firm faith in the principles of his party and loyal to its interests to the core. But he has never been a very active partisan, and at no time in his life has he desired a public office of any kind. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonic Order, the Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. In support of the material advancement of his county and northern Missouri, he is always earnest, energetic and far-seeing; and with reference to moral, mental and social advancement, and efforts to promote it, he is one of the most diligent and resourceful men in this part of the state. All over Missouri his name stands high in public estimation, and all who know him well agree that no rank in citizenship is above what his genuine merit entitles him to hold and enjoy.

James Dudley Shifflett

Of French ancestry on his father's side and British on his mother's, and the grandson of two men who fought on opposite sides during our Revolutionary War, but afterward became good and true American citizens, and with his father making a creditable record as a soldier in the War of 1812, James Dudley Shifflett, for many years one of the leading farmers and public officials of Linn county, had plenty of inspiration to good citizenship and valor in war, if he had occasion to show it, in the history and examples of his forefathers. His record gives abundant proof that he has lived up to the standard of patriotism set by them, although he has never followed the flag of his country to the battlefield.

Mr. Shifflett is a genuine old-timer in Missouri, and has passed the whole of his eighty-six years of life within the confines of the state. He was born in Howard county on April 18, 1825, and is a son of Hasten and Susan (Estell) Shifflett. The father was born in Virginia in 1791, and after reaching manhood farmed extensively in that state. He promptly joined the American army at the beginning of the War of 1812, and took part in several of its most sanguinary battles. He was taken prisoner at the defeat of Col. Dudley's troops and for some time thereafter languished in captivity.

About the year 1802 he left Virginia with his parents in their removal to Kentucky, whither the tide of emigration was then moving in considerable volume, and found a new home with the family on a farm in Madison county in that state. Twenty-one years later, in 1823, he moved to Missouri and took up his residence in Howard county, where he remained until 1846. In that year he changed his residence to Linn county, in the vicinity of Linneus, and there he passed the remainder of his days, dying on his farm on December 2, 1877. His remains were buried in Fore cemetery amid many manifestations of popular respect and esteem.

Mr. Shifflett was married in 1811 to Miss Susan Estell, and tliey became the parents of fifteen children, three of whom are still living; James Dudley, the immediate subject of this brief review, who resides with his daughter on her farm seven or eight miles north of BrooMeld and about five miles due east of Linneus; Hasten Tussey, whose home is at Krum, Texas; and Lorenzo Dow, who is a resident of Arkansas. The mother died in 1872, and her remains were buried in Fore cemetery also.

Mr. Shifflett 's paternal grandfather, Thomas Shifflett, was a French soldier and in one of the bodies of troops that came from France to assist the American colonies in their war for independence. He found this country agreeable to him and became an American citizen, making his home in Virginia. The grandfather on the mother's side, George Estell, was a British soldier whom the fortunes of the same war brought to our shores. He came as a belligerent to aid in our conquest or subjugation to British rule, but he too was pleased with the country, and never returned to his own. After the Revolution he swore allegiance to the United States and passed the rest of his life in this country as one of its most loyal and dutiful citizens, acquiring considerable wealth.

James D. Shifflett became a resident in Linn county in 1846, at the very dawn of his manhood, and began farming on Parson creek. During the Civil War he served about nineteen months in the Home Guards, which comprises all the military service he ever saw. From 1852 to 1863 he was a teacher in the country schools of the county, and afterwards he served as judge of probate for a term of four years. After the end of his term as probate judge he served some years as public administrator, and prior to it was assessor of the North East district of the county when it was divided into four assessment districts; and from time to time, when he was occupying no other office, he has been i^revailed on to accept that of justice of the peace.

On September 5, 1852, Mr. Shifflett was united in marriage with Miss Mary Elizabeth Pace. Eleven children were born of the union and six of them grew to maturity. Five are now living: C. H., whose home is at Milton, Iowa; Ann Eliza, who is the wife of T. H. Barbee, of Laclede, Missouri; Miss Lou, who is at present living on the home farm with her parents; Emma Elizabeth, the wife of J. B. Carothers, who also resides in Laclede ; and George W., who is living on and cultivating the farm.

The venerable patriarch, whose life-story is briefly told in this memoir, is an interesting link which connects the remote past of Linn county, when it was just emerging from the wilderness, putting on the garb of civilization and starting on its luminous career of progress and development, with its present advanced state of improvement, industrial and commercial power and earnest aspirations toward far loftier heights of attainment. He has witnessed every step of the advance, and according to his opportunities and ability, has helped them all along. At no time in his life has he ever hesitated to perform his part of the work of improvement, or withheld his hand from any undertaking designed to further and quicken the movement. The people of the county know his record and revere him for the service he has rendered and the example of elevated and useful citizenship he has given and is still giving. He is one of the most esteemed men in this part of the state, and well deserves to be.

Allen W. Purdin

Having been actively engaged in general farming and raising live stock on a scale as large as his facilities would allow from his youth, first, for a number of years under the direction and supervision of his father, and also for other men, and for a long time now on his own account; having conducted his operations in Indiana, Ohio and Missouri, and encountered different conditions and requirements in all of these states; and having had at least a taste of military service during the Civil War, Allen W. Purdin, an enterprising, progressive and therefore prosperous farmer of Linn county, Grantsville township, has had experience in useful labor and association with men in several widely separated places and in a variety of occupations and surroundings. He has profited by his experience in building up his career, and made all its lessons tell to his advantage.

Mr. Purdin is a native of Madison, Jefferson county, Indiana, where his life began on June 10, 1833. His father was Charles B. Purdin, who was born on February 28, 1796, and was a farmer and mechanic. He moved to Ohio with his pai'ents when he was a boy, and with them found a new home in Brown county. There he was reared, educated and acquired an intimate practical knowledge of the two employments he followed through life. In 1819 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Dutfy, and by this marriage they became the parents of twelve children, only three of whom are now living : Alexander, who resides at Purdin, in this county; Charles, whose home is in Muskogee, Oklahoma ; and Allen W., whose dwelling is six miles north of Brookfield.

The last named, who is the interesting subject of this brief review, came to Missouri with his parents in 1871, and located with them in Howard county, where he remained four years. In 1875 the whole family moved to Linn county, and took up their residence near where the village of Purdin now stands. The father donated the land for the townsite of this village, and in grateful recognition of his generosity, the people named the place in his honor. The father passed away in Linneus. His remains were buried in the cemetery at Purdin.

Since coming to Missouri, Mr. Purdin, the son, has always followed farming and been engaged in raising live stock. To both lines of his undertaking he has given careful study and close attention, welcoming any new suggestion in either that seemed good to him, and endeavoring by all the means at his command to keep abreast with the most advanced thought and most approved methods in both. As a result he has prospered and risen to the front rank as a farmer and stock man in his township, and is widely and favorably known for his enterprise and progressiveness in other parts of the county. For, while he is not demonstrative in reference to his work, his methods and the results achieved by them have attracted attention and fixed his reputation as one of the leading agriculturists in this part of the state.

Mr. Purdin is also highly esteemed as an enterprising and public spirited citizen, who can always be relied on to take his part and do his full share in promoting all lines of public improvement and aiding in the progress and development of the county to its highest standard of power in material productiveness and wealth, and its loftiest plane of intellectual, moral, social and civil attainment. He is a member of the Christian Church, and has served as one of the elders in the congregation to which he belongs during the last fourteen years. He also served ninety days in the Provisional Guard during the Civil War, being enrolled on the Union side of the great sectional conflict that came so near tearing our country asunder.

On January 1, 1858, Mr. Purdin was married to Miss Arma Lane, a daughter of William Lane, long esteemed residents of Chariton county, this state. Of the four children born of the union three are living: William E., who is a prosperous farmer dwelling on a fine tract of land one mile south of his father's place; and Charles and Elizabeth, who are still members of the parental family circle, and assisting their parents in the labors of the farm and its agreeable and hospitable household. All the members of the family stand well in the community and are highly esteemed for the uprightness of their lives, their interest in the welfare of their township and county, and their excellent examples as higli-toned and estimable citizens.

Histoey Of Lixn Couxty 273 Willard Wolfe

Having devoted the whole of his life from his youth to farming, and made a study of the business in all its bearings, Willard Wolfe, of Brookfield township, has become a master of his occupation and one of its best representatives in Linn county. Side issues have never diverted him from his main purpose, and his devotion has therefore been wholly given to that; and, as he has looked upon it as his work for life, he has been energetic and thoughtful in his efforts to secure the best returns for his labors and make his farm yield up its full tribute of productiveness in obedience to his masterly and persuasive hand as a husbandman.

Mr. Wolfe is a native of Knox county, Illinois, where his life began on March 16, 1870. He is a son of Warren and Sarah E. (Buck) Wolfe, and a brother of Frank M. Wolfe, postmaster of Marceline, in a sketch of whom to be found in this volume, the family history is given. He was but four years old when the family moved to this state, and as he grew to manhood, was educated, married and has passed all his matui'e years in Missouri, he is practically a Missourian, and is as devoted to the institutions, the people and the enduring welfare of the state of his adoption as he ever could have been to that of his birth.

No worthy imdertaking involving the good of his township or county, or the benefit of their residents ever goes without his active and effective aid. No public interest of any kind in his locality fails to engage his attention and his energetic service in its behalf, and no mental, moral or social agency at work among its people for their betterment lacks his cordial and serviceable support. He is a public spirited citizen, even though a modest one, and the residents of the county warmly esteem him as such, in as great measure as they admire him as an excellent and representative farmer, whose work is a credit to the whole region in the midst of which it is carried on.

Mr. Wolfe was married on Marcli 29, 1893, to Miss Lila J. Curtis, a daughter of T. J. and M. C. (Witt) Curtis, residents of Linn county for over fifty years. Eight children have been born in the Wolfe household, and all of them are living. They are: Inez, Jasper, Elmer, Earl, Ethel, Otis, Ralph and Grace. To the present time (1912) the family circle is unbroken, as all the children are still living under the shelter of the parental rooftree.

In politics Mr. Wolfe votes with the Republican party and works for its success, but he is not an active partisan with any desire for the rewards of party service in the way of public office. He is a Republican from the firm belief in the principles of the party, and works for it on the conviction that its supremacy would be the best thing for the county, the state and the nation, and in their welfare he is always deeply and intelligently interested. He and the members of his family are well and favorably known in all parts of the county and enjoy the good will and respect of all its people of every class and condition, which they fully deserve from every point of view and in reference to all the relations of life.

Jonathan Knight

From his boyhood this enterprising, progressive and successful farmer of Clay township, in this county, has been connected with the agricultural industry, and his zeal in it has been exhibited in four of the great commonwealths of the American Union. He was trained to it, has found it agreeable, has made it profitable, and has never sought any other occupation. And by studious attention to the needs of his calling and intelligent study of the 1-and on which he exercises it, he has risen to high rank in it in this part of the country, and established himself in the judgment of the people around him as one of its ablest exemplars.

Mr. Knight was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on June 23, 1840, and is a son of William and Hannah (Fisher) Knight, also natives of that state. The father was born there in 1810, and grew to manhood there, obtaining his education in the district schools and at Wainsburg College. He was a Quaker in religious belief and belonged to families long connected with the branch of the Christian Church in which he held his membership. He farmed in Pennsylvania until 1863, then moved to Mahaska county, Iowa, where he bought a farm which he cultivated many years. He died in Oskaloosa in that county in 1897, having outlived by seven years his wife, who passed away in 1890. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters. Four of the seven are living, but Jonathan is the only one of them who resides in this county or the state of Missouri.

His paternal grandfather, whose name was also Jonathan Knight, was for a long time a farmer in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and was chief engineer of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, where he died well advanced in years. He was a son of Able Knight, an Englishman by birth and for some time a resident of the island of Newfoundland, where he was a cod fisherman. From there he moved to Pennsylvania and turned his attention to farming, and in this occupation he the remainder of his life, dying at a good old age in Pennsylvania.

His son Jonathan, grandfather of Jonathan Kjiight of this sketch, was well educated and became a man of prominence and influence in Pennsylvania, representing his Pennsylvania district in the Congress of the United States in 1858 and 1859, or the term embracing those years, which was the stormy period, or breaking out of the Civil War.

In the national House of Representatives he had good standing, but he did not remain long enough to make a record of imposing character, for that takes time. It is set down to his credit, however, that he was always true to his convictions and faithful to his duty in every particular.

Jonathan Knight of our day and Clay township, like his father, grew to manhood and obtained his education in his native state. He began life for himself as a Pennsylvania farmer, but feeling a strong attraction toward the West, moved to Illinois in 1862, when he was twenty-two years old, and the next year changed his residence to Iowa. In 1877 he came to Linn county, Missouri, to live, and bought the farm which is now his home. He has improved this place considerably, putting up good buildings and fences, and by skillful cultivation has brought it forward to a high state of productiveness, besides making it attractive in appearance and condition.

On April 23, 1862, Mr. KJnight was united in marriage with Miss Evelin B. West, a daughter of Edward and Mary (Neblic) West, whose family history is given in a sketch of Henry West to be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Knight have four children, all daughters and all living. They are: Mary H., who resides at Utica, Livingston county, Missouri, and is the wife of J. Cady ; Jennie E., the wife of W. R. Kent, whose home is near Osgood, Sullivan county, this state; Nora, who is a resident of Linn county and the wife of S. C. Kohn; and Alice E., who married Prof. W. L. Cochrane, who has been superintendent of several city schools and lives with him at Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Mr. Knight has followed general farming and confined his attention to that except what little he has given to raising live stock on a small scale. He has alwayr oeen deeply interested in the welfare and progress of his township and been one of its most useful and enterprising citizens in reference to public improvements and all other forms of development. He, and the members of his family, belong to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (he being an elder). They all take an active and helpful interest. He is well and favorably known in all parts of the county, and all over it he is highly respected as a good man, a progressive farmer and an excellent and steadily useful citizen.

By the death of the late Dr. Hamilton DeGraw there passed into the history of Brookfield and Linn county the record of their oldest citizen and the achievements of their most remarkable business man, financier and genuine philosopher. What he accomplished for the benefit of his home city and county in the way of development and improvement are part of their imperishable legacy from the past. The example of elevated and progressive citizenship, broad public spirit and unwavering domestic vii"tue which he gave the people of this region has enshrined his memory in their hearts, to live ever among them in perpetual vigor and fragrance, an incitement to generous endeavor, a watchword to the faithful, a stimulus to the flagging, an encouragement to the struggling and a bounteous benefaction to all.

Seldom, if ever, has the pen of the biographer a more engaging theme than the life story of a good citizen who has grown old in the service of the people around him, and has lived to see the fruit of his labors in their prosperity and happiness, and the established success of valued institutions, to whose creation and development he has essentially contributed. Such a theme is presented in the career of the late Dr. Hamilton DeGraw, of Brookfield, who passed from the scene of all earthly activity on Thursday morning, February 1, 1912, at the age of ninety-five years, one month and six days, with all his faculties clear and every mental and moral force vital and energetic imtil the day before his dissohition came.

Dr. DeGraw was a resident of Brookfield continuously from 1867 to the time of his death. He located in that part of the county, in fact, six years prior to the foimding of the city, which took place in April, 1873, and during his long life in the locality there was scarcely a day in which he was not busy planning or executing some undertaking for the progress of the region and the enduring welfare of its residents. For his mind was very alert and active, the sweep of his vision was wide, his resourcefulness was comprehensive and his ideals were lofty and humanitarian. When he came to Linn county the whole region was largely still a wilderness, but he seemed to anticipate the future affluence of empire that was to distinguish it and hear in fancy the tramp of legions yet to march in and occupy and make the most of it; and all his projects were designed and his energies employed to further all movements tending toward its present high state of development.

Dj*. Hamilton DeGraw was born in Eockland county, New York, on Christmas day, 1816. During his boyhood his parents, who were in very moderate circumstances, moved to New York city, and there the doctor was reared and obtained his academic education in private schools. Soon after completing this he began the study of medicine to prepare himself for the profession he had chosen as his life's work, and which he so long and so conspicuously adorned. For two years he pursued his professional studies in the office of Dr. Robert Nelson, of New York, and then passed one year in the medical department of the state university, and one at the College of Physicians in Albany, the state capital, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1840. Here, then, came one of the pathetic incidents of his life. He had nothing in the way of worldly possessions as equipment for his advancement among men but his medical diploma, and was forced to borrow money with which to get back to his home. But the incident did not discourage him. It only stimulated his zeal and made him more determined than ever to make a successful career, which he felt within him he had the power to work out as well as the will to use that power for the purpose.

After his return home the doctor practiced his profession a few years in New York city, then abandoned it as a regular practitioner, 'although he never lost his love for it and always took a great and helpful interest in its advancement and that of the science which it represents. He had heard, however, the voice of great Nature calling her child to the field of labor for which she had designed him, and pointing him to a then distant portion of the country as one in which his services were greatly needed, and in which he could make them of great advantage to it and himself as well.

In 1856 he came to Missouri and Linn county to live, traveling from New York to Chicago and Quincy, Illinois, by rail, and from Quincy to Linneus by stage. In 1867 he moved to Brookfield, and there he passed the remainder of his days. Soon after his location at Brookfield he started the banking house of H. DeGraw, with himself as president, and his brother, the late Maj. W. H. DeGraw, as cashier. In 1882 he organized the Linn County Bank, to which he transferred the business of the DeGraw bank, and of this new institution Judge W. H. Brownlee was made president and Major DeGraw was continued as cashier. About twenty years later the Brownlee Banking Company was organized and Dr. DeGraw once more took charge of the Linn County Bank as president. He remained at the head of the bank for

Dr. DeGraw was married in Hannibal, Missouri, in 1868, to Miss Mary P. Dick, who is still living. Two children were born of their union, their son Richard X., who, also, is living, and their daughter Myo, who died in childhood some thirty years ago. To all the interests of his family the doctor was sedulously attentive at all times. He had the courtly gallantry of the olden time toward his wife, and it was not a manner assumed, but flowed from his genuine and ever continuing affection, and was born of the sincere gentility of his nature. His treatment of his children, while impelled and guided by a high sense of duty, was yet full of the most tender solicitude for their comfort, happiness and enduring welfare.

The venerable man whose life story is here but- briefly and imperfectly narrated lived fifty-five years in Missouri and nearly half a century among the people of Brookfield, and of all the men, women and children who knew him in his later years, there was not one who did not do him reverence. Living to near the century mark in years and being when he died so universally honored and revered, he could not but know how well the people among Avhom he had passed so long a period of usefulness esteemed him. He survived his own wake, so to speak, and overheard the judgment of posterity. While his course in life did not lie along the points and pinnacles of great affairs where History holds her splendid march, he discharged with fidelity and zeal and cheerfulness every public and private duty, and thereby contributed most directly and essentially to the welfare of his city and his fellowmen of every class and condition. The record he made and the example he gave will for generations to come be an inspiration to the young men of the community, and will teach them, while it incites them to action, that the best basis of true personal and lasting regard is high character, upright living and faithful attention to every claim of exalted, self-reliant and useful citizenship.

Benjamin F. Thomas

(Deceased) The sudden and tragic death of this well known and highly esteemed citizen and progressive and successful farmer of Linn county on June 30, 1909, at the early age of forty-six years, threw the whole toAvnship of uis residence into gloom and gave a shock to many persons in all parts of Linn county. On the date given, he was killed by a stroke of lightning, a disaster that ended a life serviceable at the time and full of promise of far greater usefulness. For he was in full vigor, physically and mentally, and his plans for greater advancement and more considerable undertakings were just reaching their maturity.

Mr. Thomas was born in Linn county on April 18, 1863, and passed the whole of his life in this county. He was a son of John L. and Marjery Jane Thomas, natives of Illinois. They came to this county in 1855, and here the father took up a tract of wild land and made an excellent and valuable farm of it, remaining here until his death, which occurred in 1901. His widow is still living and now resides in Colorado. They were the parents of six sons, four of whom are living. The father succeeded in his operations in this county, and at his death was wellto-do and held in high regard in all parts of the county. He was a prominent and very devout and zealous member of the Baptist church. His son Benjamin was reared and educated in this .county, and when he began the battle of life for himself entered it in the occupation of a farmer, to which he had been well trained on the parental homestead. He never had or sought any other employment, but continued farming until his death, making steady progress from a small beginning and rising all the time in the confidence, approval and esteem of the public. Mr. Thomas was married on February 17, 1885, to Miss Mattie Bowyer, a daughter of L. F. Bowyer and a descendant of one of the first families to locate in Linn county. The progenitors of the branch of the family that has lived in this county from the dawn of its history, William and Jesse Bowyer, with the family of the former, located on Locust creek in January, 1832, having come to this locality from Howard county. Soon afterward the men returned to Howard county and brought up the family of Jesse Bowyer. The first white child born in Linn county was Thomas Benton Bowyer, a son of this William Bowyer and his wife, whose maiden name was Martha Tyre, and the first female child born in Locust Creek township was a daughter of William Bowyer's brother Jesse. Mrs. Thomas is a direct descendant of the William Bowyer here alluded to.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were the parents of four children, all of whom are living: James F., Bertie F., Claude B. and Nellie M. Their mother is living also and still occupies the farm improved by her husband. She has managed it with skill and good judgment since his death, kept up the improvements with energy and carried on all its operations with the same vigor and success that he displayed. She and her children are among the most enterprising, public-spirited and progressive residents of the township, and the people throughout its extent and in many other parts of the county hold them all in the highest esteem for their excellent characters, upright lives, cordial interest in the welfare of their home region, and genuine usefulness and worth in every way and in connection with every interest of the people living around them.

John M. Jones

This successful merchant and former prominent and esteemed school teacher, who is one of the leading citizens of New Boston, Baker township, is a native of Linu county and has passed the greater part of his life to the present time (1912) within its borders. He was born at Bottsville, now Meadville, Linn county, Missouri, or near that town, on April 8, 1855. He has passed nine years of his life in Macon county and seven in Grundy county, but all the rest have been spent in Linn.

He is a son of Hardin and Susan J. (Yates) Jones, natives of Missouri and Kentucky, and they came to this county in 1852. The father was a farmer in both Howard and Linn counties. He was born on July 27, 1824, in Boone county, Missouri, and died on his Macon county farm in 1892. He was a Democrat in political faith and belonged to the Christian Church in religious fellowship. His parents, Christopher and Martha (Yates) Jones, came to Boone county in 1819, from the old Kentucky home of the family in the long, overland and oftentimes dangerous journey to the land which held out great promises of prosperity.

His father, Christopher Jones, commonly called "Kit Jones," came to the state first in 1818 and selected a home for his family in Boone county. He then went back to Kentucky for the other members of his household and soon had them located on the tract of wild land he had secured for his future use, improvement and enjoyment. He lived on the farm he cleared and improved until his death, which occurred in 1867. He also belonged to the Democratic party and served it loyally from the dawn of his manlaood. In religious connection he was a Baptist.

He was born in Kentucky in 1796, and was therefore seventy-one years of age when he died. The mother, that is, the grandmother of J. M. Jones, was born in 1800 and died in 1884, at the age of eighty-four. They were married in 1819. Their son Hardin Jones, when he left home, took up his residence in Howard county, where he remained until 1852, when he moved his family to Linn county, as has been stated. Of the five sons born to his parents, one of Ms brothers is the only one now living. He owns and cultivates the old family homestead in Boone county. There were also four daughters in the family, and all of them also are deceased.

J. M. Jones is one of seven children born in his father's household, five of whom are living; the other four being his brothers Robert W., Milton S., Christopher H. and Mrs. Corena F. Howard. He was reared on his father's farm in this county, and after completing his education taught school for a number of years. He was engaged in teaching school from 1874 to 1882, and then turned his attention to merchandising. In 1885 he sold his business and again taught school until 1887. In that year he once more entered mercantile life, and in this he has been actively engaged ever since.

While teaching in the winters of 1874 and 1875, Mr. Jones pursued special courses of training at the Kirksville State Normal School during his vacations. He is connected with the Christian Church in religious affiliation, with the Masonic order fraternally and with the Democratic party in politics. In each of these organizations he takes an earnest interest and in all their proceedings he is an active participant. He is devoted in his loyalty to them all and at all times ready and willing to render them any service in his power.

On December 28, 1876, Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Davis, a native of Linn county born on March 2, 1858. Her parents moved to Macon county in her girlhood, and for a number of years she had her home in that county, and it was there Mr. Jones became acquainted with her and they were married. They have three children: Susan, who is now the wife of Dr. W. W. Ellis, of Marceline; Harvey V., one of the two sons, who resides in Bucklin; and Elmer 0., the other son, who is a law student in state university in the city of Columbia, Missouri. The wife and mother is still living.

Mr. Jones takes an unusually warm interest in the progress and further development of the township and county in which he lives, and supports with ardor and intelligence all worthy undertakings for their improvement and the substantial and enduring welfare of their residents. He is a gentleman of influence, and is useful to the county not only by what he does himself, but also through the forces awakened and put to work by the force of his example. The people of Baker township look upon him as one of their best and most representative citizens, and this estimate is the one placed upon him generally throughout the county.

Thomas D. Evans

Born of a military family and a direct descendant of a soldier in the Revolution and a soldier in the War of 1812; himself a member of the state militia during the Civil War and taking part in several of its lighter engagements; filling several important civil offices with credit to himself and advantage to the people, and for a period of forty-three years engaged in cultivating his Parson Creek township farm, which is still his home, Thomas D. Evans has a fine family record and has himself been a man of great usefulness to Linn county and is held in the highest esteem for the services he has rendered and the high character, fidelity to duty and elevated citizenship he has always shown.

Mr. Evans was born in Madison county, Kentucky, on September 6, 1844, and is a son of AVilliam and Paulina (Cornelison) Evans, also natives of Kentucky. The father was a farmer and during the Civil War adhered to the side of the Union, although he had a brother in the Confederate army under General Sterling Price. Another of his brothers was killed in the Mexican War. He and his wife both died in Linn county. They were the parents of four children, two of whom are living.

The grandfather, John G. Evans, served under General William Henry Harrison in the War of 1812, and took part in many of the battles of that second conflict with the mother countrj^, especially those against the hostile Indians. The great-grandfather, Edward Evans, was a Virginia planter of prominence in the early history of the state and its later colonial history. When the war of the Revolution began he went promptly to the front in defense of freedom and independence of Great Britain, under the command of Washington, and continued in the struggle until victory crowned the American arms through the genius of the great captain at their head and the loyalty, heroic courage and patriotic ardor of the troops which he commanded. The family is of Welsh descent, five brothers coming from Wales to the United States in colonial times. Two of them settled in Virginia and the other three in Tennesee and Kentucky.

When Thomas D. Evans was twelve years old his parents moved to Pettis county, Missouri, from their "old Kentucky home," and in that county and the adjoining one of Saline they resided until 1864. During the Civil War their son Thomas D. was enrolled in the Sixty-second Regiment, Missouri State Militia, and was in active service four months. His military experience, however, was confined to this state and led him into none of the leading battles of the conflict. But he participated in the fight at Marshall, Saline county, and a number of skirmishes.

111 1864 he located at Meadville, this county, and opened the first store at that place. He continued merchandising five years, and during that period served as postmaster of Meadville and also as depot and express agent for the railroad. In 1869 he moved to the farm on which he now lives in Parson Creek township, which comprises 240 acres of well improved land of high productiveness, and which he manages with great skill and success, making every acre that is under cultivation yield an abundant return for the care and labor bestowed upon it.

From 1882 to 1886, inclusive, Mr. Evans was a member of the county court, and in 1890 was elected to the lower branch of the state legislature. He served two years in that body, but was defeated in an effort to secure a second term. He has always been a Democrat in his political faith, and his allegiance to his party has ever been of the most pronounced character. In all its campaigns he has taken an active part and rendered its candidates energetic and effective service.

On June 30, 1868, Mr. Evans was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Botts, a daughter of Seth and Elizabeth (Littrell) Botts. They have had seven children, five of whom are living: Edwin E., Seth D., "William B., Walter E. and Adella. Mrs. Evans' father was a pioneer of Linn county, and died here at the advanced age of eighty-seven. During the War of 1812 he was a lieutenant in Captain Hamilton's company and took part in the battle of New Orleans.

Mr. Evans is one of the best farmers in Parson Creek township, and one of its most enterprising and public-spirited citizens. He has long been in the van of the forces for improvement, and has been both energetic and judicious in his support of undertakings for the advancement of his township and the whole county. As a public official he made a wide reputation for his uprightness and intelligence, and his strict attention to the duties devolving upon him in office. In all the relations of life his course has been upright and commendable, and his example to the people around him has been helpful and stimulating. Throughout the county he is regarded as one of its best and most representative men.

Oscar L. Polson

Easy and convenient banking facilities are very desirable in every community for the accommodation of the people, and when they are provided in ample measure to meet all requirements, and managed with a spirit of progressiveness and liberality that takes into consideration the power of expansion in the community and the disposition of its people to use that power, they form one of the most potential agencies for progress and improvement that can be furnished. When the banking arrangements of a town keep pace with its needs they are good. But when they lead the march of improvement and quicken and direct the public spirit of the town they are of the greatest possible service and worthy of all commendation.

The Farmers State Bank of New Boston, this county, under the direction of 0. L. Poison, who has been its cashier since 1908 and its organization was in 1905, has been a leader of progress and improvement in Baker township, and in its beneficent operations has been of great service to the people of the township as a whole, and to many individual residents and interests in particular. It has been studious of the needs of the township and quick in responsiveness to meet them, and liberal in its policy in doing so.

Mr. Poison is a native of Linn county, Missouri, born on June 22, 1885. He was reared on his father's farm and obtained a good academic and business education, attending first the district schools, then a business college, and finally the State jSTormal School in Chillicothe. After completing the normal course of instruction he taught school two terms, one in Adams, Washington county, and one at New Boston. In 1908 he was elected cashier of the Farmers State Bank, and he has occupied that office continuously ever since.

On December 25, 1910, Mr. Poison was united in marriage with Miss Vera Edna Lile, who was born in Macon county on December .3, 1888. Her parents, J. Frank and Eliza (Ratliff) Lile, are residents of Macon county and living retired at Ethel, Missouri. Fraternally Mr. Poison is a member of the Masonic lodge in Bucklin. He has taken a very active interest in all matters involving the progress and improvement of his township and the welfare of its residents, never withholding his aid from any worthy and desirable enterprise which would help to promote these objects, and always working for them with intelligence guided by good judgment. His practical and fruitful public spirit has been highly appreciated by the people, and he is very popular among them, being regarded throughout the township as one of its best and most useful citizens.

He is a son of John and Mary (Nelson) Poison, who are both natives of Sweden and who came to the United States about the close of the rebellion. Both parents are living on a farm north of New Boston of 400 acres, well improved. He is a director of the bank and J. Frank Lile is president of the same.

The men of nerve and enterprise who conduct the industries of magnitude in and around Linneus, and the citizens of Linn county of ordinary means, who conduct their operations on a small scale, are alike fortunate in having available for their needs banking facilities ample in scope, responsive in action and adapted to specific wants. Such facilities are furnished by the banking institutions of Linneus, which have come forth from the flame of every financial trial untarnished, and have for years maintained, wherever they are known, a high reputation for financial soundness, prudent and skillful management, a spirit of liberal accommodation and abundant resources for every requirement.

Among these banking institutions the Citizens Bank of Linneus is easily in the front rank. It was founded on January 8, 1905, with a capital stock of $30,000, and on a basis so practical and adaptable to needs that it has never yet been required to enlarge its capitalization, although its business has largely increased, and its operations have been magnified to include features not considered at the time of its organization. It has kept pace with the progress and development of the community, notwithstanding the unexpected demands made upon its resources.

The first oflScial staff of the bank included men of mould, capable of dealing with the situation that confronted them, and guiding the new institution out into the open sea of large operations and general usefulness. They were: E. G. Fetty, president; R. B. Lambert, vice president; Melvin Gibson, cashier, and W. T. Ball, assistant cashier. Judge Fetty continued to serve as president until his death in 1909, after which H. C. Taggart was chosen to fill his place for a short time. At the end of the period for which Mr. Taggart was elected, A. B. Bond was made president, and has occupied that ofifice ever since. He is still president of the bank, and the other officers are: Marcus B. Fetty, vice president; W. P. Thorne, cashier; M. E. Fosher, assistant cashier; and A. B. Bond, H. C. Taggart, Dr. J. Gooch, J. L. Kirby, M. B. Fetty, W. P. Thorne, T. S. Stephenson, E. B. Lambert and J. P. Fell, directors.

The bank does a general banking business, including every feature of present day banking operations, and has abundant resources for all the requirements of its trade, as will be seen in the statement of its resources and liabilities to be found at the end of this article. From the beginning of its life it has endeavored to be of service to the city and county in which it is doing business, and to the people living in them. The measure of its success in carrying out this laudable desire is to be inferred from the universal appreciation in which it is held.

William P. Thorne, the cashier and active manager of the bank, and one of the leading and most representative citizens of Linneus, is a native of this county, and was born on a farm three miles north of Linneus on March 22, 1860. His parents were Samuel and Elender (Sutherland) Thorne, the former a native of Kuntucky, born near Lexington in that state, and the later of Virginia. The father was a farmer who came to Linn county in 1840 and stuck his stake and founded his home on a tract of wild land, which he improved by his industry and enlarged by his enterprise and subsequent purchases until it embraced 750 acres, all of which he owned at the time of his death in 1903, he having survived his third wife, who died in 1900, three years.

He was married three times. His first wife was a Miss Chaplin, who bore him three children, two of whom are now living in this county. She died here in 1851. His second marriage was with Miss Elender Sutherland, the mother of William P. Thorne. They became the parents of three sons and two daughters, all of whom are living, and three of them reside in Linn county. The third union was with Miss Melissa Fore, a native and life-long resident of Linn county. By her marriage with Mr. Thorne she became the mother of one son and two daughters, all of whom survive her. The family was of English origin on the father's side, and its living representatives admirably exemplify the best traits of the race from which they are descended.

William P. Thorne was reared and educated in Linn county, Missouri. He was a farmer until 1904, when he was forty-four years of age, then became interested in a leading way in the Citizens Bank, and from that time to the present has been its manager and controlling force. In connection with its affairs he has exhibited business capacity, breadth of view and progressiveness of a high order, and contributed materially and essentially to its present standing and 'high rank in the estimation of the public.

On December 3, 1882, he was married to Miss Emma Pratt, a native of Linn county, and a daughter of Henry and Ibline (Connelley) Pratt, who are recognized as among the leading citizens of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Thorne became the parents of three girls, one of whom is living - EfRe, who is the wife of 0. W. Croy, discount teller of Tootle- Lemon National Bank of St. Joseph, Missouri. Her father has served as township trustee and collector, and was, in one campaign, a candidate for the office of county treasurer, but was defeated by a small majority. He is a Democrat in political faith and allegiance, an Odd

Fellow, Woodman and a Eoyal Neighbor in fraternal life, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in religious affiliation. In the congregation of the last mentioned organization to which he belongs, he has been one of the stewards and the treasurer of the board for a number of years.

Frederick L. Fitch

Tracing his ancestry in this country back to early colonial times in New England, and far beyond that period in old England; numbering among his forefathers in the United States men prominent in every walk of life and every field of useful endeavor; with his family name honored in many states in industrial, mercantile, civil and military circles, and his family record furnishing many glowing examples of high emprise, Frederick L. Fitch, of Linneus, has had many incentives in the career of his forbears to elevation of citizenship, enterprise in business and industry in whatever he has undertaken. But he has not needed them as a stimulus to his own force of character and native qualities of manhood, for these have been sufficient to lead him to make the most of his opportunities at all times, and to succeed in whatever he has undertaken.

Mr. Fitch is a native of Delaware county, New York, where his life began on January 25, 1866. His parents, Lyman M. and Elizabeth (Green) Fitch, were also natives of the state of New York, the former born in Delaware county and the latter in Broome county. The father was a farmer and live stock and dairy man, following the pursuits indicated for many years in his native state and county. In 1890 he came to Missouri and located in Kansas City, where he lived until his death in 1908. The mother died in that city in 1900. In the opening of his career the father was a merchant, but the greater part of his time from the age of twenty-five or thirty was given to cultivating the soil, raising live stock and conducting the operations of his extensive and profitable dairy business. He and his wife were the parents of five sons and one daughter. All of the children are living, but only two of the sons are residents of Missouri.

The grandfather, Nathaniel Fitch, was born and reared in Connecticut. He was a tavern keeper and merchant in that state, but in his yoimg manhood moved to Delaware county, New York, where he was a pioneer. He followed merchandising in that county, also, and died there. His offspring numbered five, two sons and three daughters. Of the five two are living, one of the sons and one of the daughters. Thomas Fytche, the founder of the family in this country, came over

Frederick L. Fitch was reared and educated in his native county, and for three years after leaving school engaged in farming and butchering. In 1887 he came to Missouri and took up his residence in Kansas City, and there for a period of sis years he was engaged in the grocery and meat trade. In 1893 he moved to Linneus and started a meat market in the city and a farming enterprise in the country. In 1905 he bought the farm he now owns, and on this he has erected the most imposing and attractive country dwelling house and other buildings in the county.

Mr. Fitch has taken a cordial interest in all phases of the general life of Linn county since locating here, and has done all he could to promote its progress and improvement. No undertaking of value, in which the further development of this part of the state or the welfare of its residents is involved, ever goes without his active, intelligent and serviceable support, and the people esteem him as one of their most public-spirited and progressive citizens. He is one of the vice presidents of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Linneus and connected with other fiscal enterprises of great value to the community.

Mr. Fitch was married on May 24, 1893, to Miss Mary Williams, a daughter of John E. and Carrie (Gibbs) Williams, who have been residents of Linn county for fifteen years. No children have been born of the union, but the household is not desolate for want of them, as Mr. and Mrs. Fitch seem to have adopted the community as an object of their special care and solicitude, taking under their wing in a measure every good agency at work among its people for their betterment, and giving them all intelligent and energetic support. They are well known throughout the county, and in all parts of it are looked upon as fruitful forces for its good, ornaments to its citizenship, bright stars in its social firmament, and most estimable persons in every way.

Alexander Brinkley

This esteemed citizen and progressive farmer and stock breeder of Locust Creek township is regarded on all sides as one of the most sterling, reliable and useful men in Linn county. In his citizenship he is attentive to every requirement for the enduring welfare of the people of his township and caunty. In his farming operations he is up to date in theory and methods. In his live stock industry he is one of the leaders toward the highest and best results; and in every relation of life he is .commendable for his strict integrity, stern sense of duty and responsiveness to every demand growing out of his relation to the community.

Mr. Brinkley is not a native of Missouri but has lived in the state ever since he was ten years old, a period of fifty-three years. He obtained his education in the schools of Linn county, acquired his social habits in association with its people, accumulated his estate by industry in its activities, and attained his hold on the confidence and esteem of the people by taking an active part in public affairs in furtherance of their interests. He is therefore in close touch and full sympathy with his environment, and a thorough Missourian in everything but birth.

His life began in Lee county, Iowa, on March 8, 1848, where his parents, William B. and Elizabeth Jane (Hamilton) Brinkley, were then living and operating a farm. In 1858 they moved to Missouri and took up their residence in Linn county on a farm about four miles northwest of Linneus. They readily adapted themselves to their new conditions and surroundings, and soon became known as among the progressive and resourceful farmers and live stock breeders of that portion of the county.

Their son Alexander was educated in the country school near his home, and made such good use of his limited opportunities of attending it that he was able to become a teacher himself, and for two years rendered acceptable service to the public in the management of a country school, such as had unsealed the fountains of knowledge and mental development for him. His pedagogical services were rendered at Botts' schoolhouse near Meadville, and, although it is many years since he performed them, they are still remembered with appreciation and approval by those who were the beneficiaries of them, all of whom agree that they were conscientiously given.

The profession of teaching did not, however, suit Mr. Brinkley 's aspirations, and he returned to the pursuit for which he had been trained under the exacting tuition of his father. He became a farmer and has ever since adhered to that line of effort, coupling with it advanced operations in breeding Pereheron horses of a high grade. lit both lines of his undertaking he has been successful in a financial way and in making an excellent reputation for himself, both as a farmer and a breeder.

In his political faith and activity Mr. Brinkley is affiliated wdth the Republican party, and while he has never been desirous of a political office for himself, either by appointment or election, he has given his party energetic and effective service in all its campaigns. He has also been cordial and earnest in his interest in the Old Settlers' Association,

Mr. Brinkley united in marriage with Miss Nancy Hannah Withrow. Five of the children born to them are living: Dr. F. 0. Brinkley, of Stonewall, Louisiana; William P., who is living on the home farm; Charles A. and Joseph A., of Seattle, Washington; and Milo H., of Poughkeepsie, New York.

Theodore A. Hansmann

Although born in the neighboring state of Iowa, Theodore A. Hansmann, one of the leading citizens of Bucklin, this county, has been a resident of the town of his present activities during nearly the whole of his life to the time of this writing (1912). And although he began life for himself as a farmer, he has been one of the leading merchants and bankers of the same city during the greater part of his manhood. But he was trained to mercantile life, for his father was engaged in it throughout the whole period of the son's minority, and the latter was in constant touch with trade until he reached his maturity. His return to it on his own account at an early time in his manhood was neither to be wondered at nor unwise, as his success in merchandising fully demonstrates.

Mr. Hansmann is a native of Anamosa, Jones county, Iowa, where he was born on November 12, 1863. His parents, Herman and Rosalie (Isaar) Hansmann, were Germans by nativity. The father was a merchant in his native land and after his arrival in this country until his retirement from all active pursuits. He came to the United States in 1854 and located first in Minnesota, where he remained three years. In 1857 he moved the family he then had to Anamosa, Iowa, and there he was engaged in business ten years. In 1867 the family ,came to Bucklin to live, and here the father conducted a mercantile establishment eight years. At the end of that period he moved to Kinderhook, Pike county, Illinois, but in 1878 returned to Bucklin, and has since resided in this state, making his home with his children since the death of their mother in the spring of 1889. They had three sons and one daughter, but their son Theodore is the only one of the four whose home is in Linn county, although all the others are living.

The father, following the custom and law of his native country, served for some years in the German army, and took part in the war of 1848, in which many Germans of subsequent prominence distinguished themselves, some of whom afterward suffered expatriation when their cause was lost by the triumph of the other side. Mr. Hansmann, the elder, was not of this number, as he came to this country of his own accord and not on account of any political prescription against him.

Theodore A. Hansmann was but three years old when his parents first moved to Bucklin. He grew to manhood here and was educated in the public schools. After leaving school he engaged in farming until he was twenty-six years old. He then gave up that pursuit and moved back to Bucklin, where he at once formed a partnership with W. E. Story in the hardware trade. Mr. Story died three years later, and since then Mr. Hansmann has successfully and profitably conducted the business alone. He has also been president of the Bank of Bucklin for some years, and has stood high in business circles from his start in merchandising.

On February 15, 1893, he was united in marriage with Miss Agnes Sanford, a native of Linn county and daughter of Edward Sanford, who came to this county in 1868. Four children have been born of the union, all of whom are living. They are : Louise E., Carl S., Herman M. and Helen M. In politics the father is a Republican, but he has never held a political office. He has been a member of the Order of Odd Fellows continuously for twenty-three years. The mother is a member of the Presbyterian church. Both are well known and highly esteemed throughout the county, as they have been public-spirited and progressive in the service of the people and ornaments to Bucklin and Linn county citizenship.

Judge William H. Brownlee

The death of this venerable and venerated citizen and professional ;man, whose end came on January 10, 1909, in Brookfield, Linn county, of which he had been a mature resident for forty years, prominent in his profession and as a banker during the greater part of the time, and who was always an ornament to the citizenship of his locality, cast the gloom of a heavy bereavement over all classes of the people in this county and other parts of the state of Missouri, as he was well known and highly esteemed throughout its extent. His remains were laid to rest with every demonstration of popular respect and affection, and many glowing tributes were paid to his high character, great ability, benevolence of disposition and other traits which made him one of the most beloved and honored men in the state.

worth and the causes of the universal esteem bestowed upon him. The meeting was called for the purpose of paying homage to the lives and characters of the departed jurist and Col. James A. Arbuthnot, another distinguished citizen and business man of Linn county.

Maj. A. W. Mullins was made chairman of the meeting, and nearly all the lawyers had something to say in the way of tribute to the lives of the. departed patriots of the bar in consequence of their summons to that Higher Court over which the Great Judge presides. At the close of the meeting, in which there were so many expressions of beautiful thought, the following resolutions were adopted :

"Since the last term of court in this county, death has visited our ranks and has taken from us our revered and beloved brother. Judge William H. Brownlee, therefore, be it

"Eesolved, That the Linn County Bar Association and the legal profession in this state have lost one of their most distinguished and able members; the people have lost a generous, noble and honest man, and the family of the deceased a kind and devoted husband and father.

"His transcendent ability and profound knowledge of the law, his wonderful sagacity and intuitive knowledge of human nature, preeminently fitted him for the most exalted station in private or public life, while his uniform kindness of heart to all, and especially to the younger and struggling members of the bar, and to the needy and oppressed everywhere, made him dear to the hearts of all who knew him.