Pettis County, Missouri - Biographical sketches, 1919 (part 2 of 14)

John D. Bohling received his education in the district schools of Morgan County, and the Versailles public schools. He studied for three years in the University of Missouri at Columbia and was admitted to the practice of law on April 1, 1882. He began practice in Versailles, and, remained in that city as a successful lawyer until September 22, 1897, when he removed to Sedalia. While practicing his profession in his native county, he was in partnership with Col. A. W. Anthony, and afterwards was with William Forman. Upon coming to Sedalia, he formed a partner¬ ship with A. L. Ross, and this partnership was continued until the latter's election as president of the Bank of Versailles, when the partnership was terminated. Mr. Bohling then practiced alone until January 1, 1905, when he formed a partnership with P. H. Sangree. This arrangement con¬ tinued until the death of Mr. Sangree, on August 4, 1914. On January 1, 1916, he joined forces with Judge Henry Lamm, and the present firm of Lamm, Bohling & Lamm was organized, consisting of Henry Lamm, John D. Bohling and Capt. Don Sangree Lamm, the latter now being in France with the American Expeditionary Forces, having enlisted May 1, 1917, and subsequently trained for the service across the seas at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Mr. Bohling was married on March 4, 1884, to Miss Annie Helmig, a daughter of William S. and Catherine (Meyer) Helmig, both of whom are deceased, having resided at one time in Sedalia and later removing to a farm near Stover, Missouri.

To John D. and Annie Bohling have been bom one son, Walter Henry Bohling, a graduate of the Sedalia High School and the Missouri State University, admitted to the bar in December, 1912, and is now filling the post of reporter of opinions for the State public service commission. Wal¬ ter Henry Bohling married Miss Lillie Earhart, of Jefferson City, and is the father of two children - Walter Henry and Marie Vivian. The Bohling family residence is situated at 1510 South Kentucky avenue.

M. Chasnoff. - The phenominal success and the rapid rise of M. Chasnoff from a humble beginning to a position of affluence in the business world should be sufficient evidence to convince the most skeptical that the opportunities of today in this land of ours are as good, if not better, than they ever were for the young man without capital, who possesses the proper elements of honesty, industry and integrity. Mr. Chasnoff is not only one of the leading merchants of Sedalia, but also has retail stores in Warrensburg and Boonville, Missouri, where he ranks as the leading merchant in both of these cities. He was bom in Smolensk state,

Russia, October 15, 1862. He is the son of Misha B. Chasnoff, who died in Russia in 1911, and Mr. Chasnoff's mother died when he was about thirteen years of age.

Mr. Chasnoff is one of the following children born to his parents: Dora R., is married to H. Davidoff and lives in Russia; David, died in Russia and his widow and children reside in Sedalia ; Mrs. Rachael Safern, died in St. Joseph, Missouri, a few years ago; M. Chasnoff, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Anna S. Rosenthal, residing in Sedalia; Rowena, married H. E. Milton, a prominent business man of Sedalia, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Sarah, married William Hanlon, of Sedalia, and Louis, a well-known real estate dealer, of Sedalia.

Mr. Chasnoff was reared and educated in his native land, and in 1882, when he was twenty years of age, he came to America. He was a poor emigrant boy, and ambitious to succeed, and was ready and willing to do any kind of honest labor that presented itself. His first job was in New York City, where he was employed as a dock laborer, helping to load and unload ships. After working there a few months he went to South Dakota and took up a homestead. Life on the barren plains of the North¬ west in those early days was anything but pleasant or profitable. How¬ ever, Mr. Chasnoff proved up on his claim and, while following farming on a small scale, had the misfortune to break his shoulder in an accident, which unfitted him for hard work on the farm and other lines of manual labor which he had been following while struggling for an existence and "a start." He endured many hardships in those days. He worked on the section for $1.25 a day, and dug wells for neighbors - in fact, did anything to earn a dollar.

After remaining four years in South Dakota, without making much material progress, Mr. Chasnoff disposed of his claim there and went to Lincoln, Nebraska. Here he drove a team and worked at other odd jobs. Finally, he bought a popcorn stand, which was his first business venture, and this proved to be quite profitable. He later engaged in business at Grand Island, Nebraska, where he remained in the mercantile business for five years. He then went to Sioux City, Iowa, where he engaged in the jewelry business. When it began to look as though fortune was smiling upon him, the great panic of 1893 came on and ruined his business prospects in Sioux City. He then returned to Lincoln and became inter¬ ested in a clothing business. From Lincoln he went to Pittsburg, Kansas, where he was engaged in the mercantile business until 1895.

contest was on for the location of the capital of Missouri, and Mr. Chasnoff thought that conditions looked favorable for Sedalia, which was one of the reasons why he selected this city for a location. Here he engaged in the jewelry and clothing business on East Second street. About a year later he removed to Main street and conducted business there for four years. In 1900 he went to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he opened a depart¬ ment store, which he conducted for four years. In 1904 he returned to Sedalia and purchased a general store on the north side of Second street, where his clothing store is now located. Later his business was extended to the department store on Ohio street, between Main and Second, which he now occupies, and where he carries a complete line of ladies' apparel, dry goods and millinery. This is one of the leading mercantile establish¬ ments of Sedalia, and bears the very appropriate name of "Sedalia's Great¬ est Store."

In 1915 he saw fine possibilities for establishing a women's ready-towear and dry goods store at Boonville, Missouri. A store was opened up and was a success from the start. He has built up a business in Boon¬ ville far beyond his most optimistic expectations. Mr. Chasnoff also con¬ ducts a women's apparel and millinery store at Warrensburg, Missouri, where he has built up a very satisfactory trade. This store was estab¬ lished in 1916.

Mr. Chasnoff was united in marriage in his native land in 1882, with Miss Mary T. Agrant, and their voyage to America was their honeymoon trip. To Mr. and Mrs. Chasnoff have been born the following children: Jacob, a graduate of the Sedalia High School, the Missouri State Univeristy - where he took both the Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees - and Harvard University, where he graduated with highest honors. He is now a prominent attorney, a member of the firm of Taylor, Chasnoff & Wilson, St. Louis, Missouri; Fannie, married Morris Phillip, an attorney, who is now engaged in the mercantile business at Mexico, Missouri ; Harry, died at the age of one year; Joseph E., who met a tragic death in the burning of the Athletic Club building, in St. Louis, March 9, 1914, and was one of the most brilliant young newspaper men of the country, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. David H., the youngest son, who is associated with his father in business, was educated in the Sedalia High School and the University of Missouri. He resides in Sedalia.

Mr. Chasnoff is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Wood¬ men of the World, Bnai Brith and the Knights and Ladies of America. He also holds membership in the Humane Society, the Sedalia Chamber of

Commerce, of which he is a director and was one of the organizers. He is a life member of the Humanitarian Society of New York City, and also a member of the International Peace Congress, of which ex-President Taft is president. He is one of the national directors of the Mark Naton Jewish Orphans' Home, Chicago, Illinois, and the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society, of Denver, Colorado. He is one of the founders of the American Jewish Relief Committee (Sedalia branch), the Educational Alliance, a non-sectarian night school, and the Jewish Educational Society (Sunday School).

During the World War Mr. Chasnoff was active in the performance of his patriotic duty in the promotion of all war measure enterprises. He was one of the organizers of the Pettis County Council of Defense before the State officially took up this movement ; he was treasurer of the Council of Defense throughout the war, and rarely missed a meeting. He is a life member of the American Red Cross Society, was one of its most active members throughout the war, and had an auxiliary branch of the Red Cross in his Sedalia store. He has been active in Liberty Loan work and other fund-raising campaigns for war work. Mr. Chasnoff was one of the captains who raised $50,000.00 for the Young Men's Christian Asso¬ ciation in Sedalia. He is one of Sedalia's most progressive, public-spirited and enterprising business men. He stands ever ready to support any patriotic or worthy enterprise, and has never been kown to refuse an appeal for a charitable purpose.

Joseph E. Chasnoff. - The late Joseph Chasnoff, a former Sedalia citizen who lost his life four years ago under tragic circumstances, was a young man who had made a name and place for himself in the news¬ paper and business world - a recognized genius who possessed an individ¬ uality of his own which enabled him to forge rapidly to the front ranks of his profession. Joseph E. Chasnoff was born August 8, 1889, at Grand Island, Nebraska. He was the son of Moses and Mary (Agrant) Chasnoff, of Sedalia, the former of whom is proprietor and founder of "Sedalia's Greatest Store."

Mr. Chasnoff received his elementary education in the public and high schools of his home city, and graduated from the Sedalia High School in 1907. He then entered the Missouri State University at Colum¬ bia, and there pursued the classical and scientific courses, graduating from the University in 1911 with the degrees of A. B. and B. Sc. After his graduation he decided upon journalism as a life profession, and com¬ pleted that course under the instruction of Dean Walter Williams. In this particular and difficult field of study Mr. Chasnoff found himself, and discovered that he was naturally endowed with decided journalistic ability. In fact, he came into his own while studying journalism in its different phases, and especially excelled in the study of advertising. After his graduation from the School of Journalism, Dean Williams said of him, ''he is a genius in the journalistic field."

For a year after his graduation Mr. Chasnoff remained at the Uni¬ versity and assumed the duties of the university editor and publisher, alumni secretary, and was the first instructor in advertising in the School of Journalism. He was the founder of the University Ad Club, and held memberships in the Q. E. B. H., and the Dana Press Club. Later, after he had taken up his work in St. Louis, he served as secretary of the St. Louis Alumni Association.

His first position was his connection with the publicity department of the "Chicago Tribune," where he further distinguished himself, and his work was a pronounced success. During his period of employment on the staff of the "Chicago Tribune," he wrote and successfully published a book, entitled "Selling Newspaper Space," and prepared in manuscript form another book, entitled "Advertising Essentials."

He was called from his work on the "Tribune" to take the position as manager of the publicity department of the "St. Louis Republic" in 1912, when but twenty-three years of age. Success again crowned his efforts for a year and a half, until his lamentable death in the fire which destroyed the Missouri Athletic Club building, St. Louis, early in the morning of March 9, 1914. Mr. Chasnoff was occupying a room on the sixth floor of this building, in company with Ernest R. Evans. His solici¬ tude for the safety of this young man, in all probability, cost him his life. Being the first to awake and become cognizant of the alarm, he aroused Evans, and the two discussed means of escape. After seeing that his room-mate was fully dressed and ready to leave the room, he stepped out into the smoke-filled corridor, walked toward a fire escape, and was seen no more. His remains were, however, recovered and burial was made in the Jewish Cemetery at Sedalia, March 17, 1914. Thus closed his brief but brilliant career.

passed by the different societies and institutions in which Mr. Chasnoff held membership, because they are too numerous. It is also impossible to quote the many press dispatches and editorials which were published upon his untimely death. They all, however, speak of his life as well spent, and mourn his loss. An editorial from the "St. Louis Republic" follows, because it is peculiarly fitting and gives a proper estimate of Mr. Chasnoff as a citizen and as a man:

"Among those who lost their lives in the burning of the Missouri Athletic Club was Joseph E. Chasnoff, of the advertising promotion depart¬ ment of the 'Republic.' The story of his life, with its brief though full record of its activity and brilliant promise is told elsewhere; this is but the tribute of a word from those who knew him as only those men know a man who works with him from day to day. Joseph Chasnoff was an idealist, yet one of the most practical of men. He was a man of high enthusiasm, and naturally sympathetic with progress, commercial and intellectual. He was generous in sympathy, quick in expedients, warm in the appreciation of the work of others, and a gentleman by instinct. He was a writer of grace and charm. He had a genius for friendship. Scholar and business men were alike attracted to him. His success on the 'Republic' was followed with deep satisfaction by his former associates at the State University, and he commended himself to the leaders of the business community. We who worked with him loved him. The world is the poorer to us for his going forth."

Lee Montgomery. - For over sixty years the Montgomery family have been prominently identified with the growth and advancement of Pettis County, and the individual whose name heads this review is a worthy son of a distinguished father and grandfather who have figured in the history of this county for many years. Lee Montgomery, a leading member of the Pettis County bar and junior member of the law firm of Montgomery & Montgomery, was born in Sedalia, August 23, 1869. He is the son of John Montgomery, Jr., the dean of the legal profession in Pettis County.

John Montgomery, Jr., was born in Springfield, Kentucky, August 19, 1844, and is the son of Dr. Thomas J. Montgomery, who settled in Pettis County in 1857, locating at Georgetown, where he practiced medicine for some years, until his removal to Sedalia, there continuing his practice. During the Civil War he served as regimental surgeon in the 7th Regi¬ ment, Missouri State Guards, under Colonel Phillips, and for some time was medical director for the Missouri Central District. The wife of Doctor

Montgomery was Emily Flourney, prior to her marriage. She died during the Civil War. Doctor Montgomery, with Judge John F. Phillips and others, organized the First Presbyterian Church of Sedalia, in 1859, and he served as elder of the church for several years. This church stood on the present site of the Terry Hotel, and its first pastor was the Rev. John Montgomery, a brother of the doctor. John Montgomery read law in the office of Phillips & Vest, the former of whom became a federal judge, and is still residing in Kansas City. The latter was Senator George Vest, who represented Missouri in the United States Senate for several years and whose name became famous throughout the land. He made the classical speech at the famous dog trial, in which he espoused the cause of the plaintiff and paid a tribute to the undying affection of the dog for his master. Studying law under such eminent legal lights as these gentle¬ men afforded the best kind of training for an ambitious student, and Mr. Montgomery was admitted to the bar on September 6, 1866. He imme¬ diately opened an office in a frame building north of the Court House Square and has practiced law continuously in Pettis County and Missouri for the past fifty-two years. Mr. Montgomery has never sought nor has he preferred political office, but has devoted his time and talents to the practice of his profession. In 1898 he was appointed referee in bankruptcy by Judge J. F. Phillips, and held this position for this federal district for a period of ten years.

Mr. Montgomery enjoys the distinction of being the oldest member of the bar in Pettis County and one of the oldest in this section of Missouri. He was married in November, 1868, to Miss Maggie Sneed, a daughter of Judge John M. Sneed, who came to Pettis County in 1858, and was also one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church. Full particulars of the life and career of Judge Sneed are given elsewhere in this volume. To John Montgomery, Jr., and wife were born two children: Lee, subject of this review, and George, a manufacturers' agent and also a manufac¬ turer of freight and passenger elevators, Kansas City, Missouri.

Lee Montgomery received his early education in the public and high schools of Sedalia and graduated from the local high school in 1886. He pursued his college preparatory course at Westminster College, where he joined the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, and then entered Princeton University, graduating therefrom with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1893. His diligence and strict attention to his studies at Princeton won him high honors, and he was awarded a fellowship in philosophy. At both Westminster and at Princeton he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity. Mr. Montgomery was admitted to the bar in May, 1895, and became a member of the him of Montgomery & Montgomery in 1896.

In May, 1897, Lee Montgomery was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth P. Zimmerman, a daughter of B. W. and Nellie (Carr) Zimmer¬ man, former well-known residents of Sedalia, now residing in St. Louis. Mr. Zimmerman is proprietor of the Central Lumber Company, and is still active at the age of seventy-five years. Four children have been born to Lee and Elizabeth P. Montgomery, as follow: Elizabeth, a junior in Randolph Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia ; John Z., a sopho¬ more in Missouri State University, Columbia; Elinor, a junior in Sedalia High School, and Lee, who is yet in the grade school. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery and family reside at 711 West Sixth street.

Lee Montgomery has forged rapidly to the front among the members of the bar of Pettis County and Missouri, and occupies a leading and influential place in the legal profession. He is a hard student and worker, who places his professional ethics upon a high plane. For a period of seven years he served as secretary-treasurer of the Missouri State Bar Association. For the past twenty years he has been a member of the local library board. At the present time he is serving as president of the Young Men's Christian Association of Sedalia, and is president of the Country Club, a popular institution of which he was one of the founders and organizers.

Elijah E. Johnston. - The career of E. E. Johnston, postmaster of Sedalia, as a business man, legislator and public official, has been a distinguished one and his accomplishments since becoming a citizen of Sedalia, thirty-six years ago, place him in the front rank of Sedalia's foremost citizens. The clothing store of which he was the practical founder and which is now conducted by him and his three sons, is the oldest established business in the city and has a standing for honest methods and square dealing surpassed by no firm in Sedalia.

E. E. Johnston was born in Coles County, Illinois, and is a son of William B. and Josephine (Adams) Johnston, the former a native of New York and the latter of Ohio. The Johnstons located in Coles County in 1835, and purchased land in that county for twelve and a half cents per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston developed a splendid farm of 160 acres, and made it their home until death called them. In those early days they experi¬ enced all the privations of creating a home in a new and undeveloped country. People lived amid the most primitive surroundings, and it is recalled by Mr. Johnston that there was but one wagon in their home vicinity when the elder Johnston located in Coles County, and this one was of the old lynch-pin style, hand made. To William B. and Josephine (Adams) Johnston were born five children: John, deceased; Louise, wife of Rev. Amos Weedon, both deceased; Hamaline, died in 1914, served in the 123rd Illinois Regiment during the Civil War; Elijah E., subject of this review. The mother of the foregoing children was a daughter of the Rev. John Adams, a Methodist circuit rider, who preached the gospel among the early settlers of Illinois over a circuit embracing two hundred miles. He traveled from place to place on horseback, and frequently had to swim the swollen streams to reach his destination. The lot of the early-day preachers was a hard one.

E. E. Johnston was educated in the schools of his native county, and engaged in the mercantile business at Charleston, Illinois, with the firm of Hall & Davis. He soon purchased the interest of Mr. Davis and later sold out to J. W. Hall, prior to locating in Sedalia in April of 1882. Upon coming to this city, he purchased the Finis Arnold Clothing Company store and is still the owner of this thriving establishment, which is the oldest established clothing business in Pettis county. This store is now operated by the three sons of Mr. Johnston - John, Hugh and Clarence.

On September 20, 1878, Mr. Johnston was married to Miss Martha Jane Tinsman, the daughter of Mrs. Martha Tinsman, a widow of Coles County, Illinois, now deceased. The father of Mrs. Johnston died when she was but a child. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have been born five children: John, Hugh and Clarence operating the E. E. Johnston Clothing Store, 209 Ohio street, Sedalia, Missouri; Josephine, wife of Frank E. Brown, a dispatcher for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company for many years; Thomas Wellington, deceased. The Johnston home is located at 710 West Fourth street.

The career of E. E. Johnston in public life has been a noteworthy and a useful one. His first venture into politics was during the nineties, when he made the race for mayor of Sedalia on the Democratic ticket. Later he was elected representative from Pettis County, and served with dis¬ tinction as a member of the forty-third and forty-fourth general assem¬ blies. While serving as a member of the Missouri State legislature he was the author of the compulsory school attendance law, which had the backing of the school superintendents of Kansas City, St. Louis, the W. C. T. U. and the president of Columbia University, and as a result this law was passed and is considered to be the best school law enacted in the

State of Missouri within a period of fifty years. Mr. Johnston was also the author of the county superintendent bill, making it compulsory or mandatory upon all counties in the State to elect county superintendents, who should have charge of the public school system in the county. Prior to its enactment only a portion of the more progressive counties had a county educational system. While a member of the legislature he secured the passage of the appropriation of $200,000 to defray the expense of erection of the State Fair buildings at Sedalia.

March 19, 1914, Mr. Johnston was appointed postmaster of Sedalia. His conduct of the affairs of this important office has been accomplished with the same degree of attention and with which he had previously carried on his private business. The Sedalia postoffice, under his manage¬ ment, is no sinecure and Mr. Johnston gives his undivided attention to the duties at hand, with the result that the Sedalia postoffice is noted for its efficiency, and the office now ranks sixth in volume of receipts in the State. The Sedalia postoffice employs thirteen clerks and fourteen city carriers. In addition to his duties as postmaster, Mr. Johnston has had charge of the enlistment of men for the United States marine service in this vicinity, enlistments for the naval service, and the postoffice is now the central government accounting office for Pettis County.

Mr. Johnston is a member of three Blue Lodges - Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Chapter and Commander, and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine.

Samuel Parks Johns. - The oldest lumberman engaged in business in Missouri in point of years spent in the business and in age is probably S. P. Johns, Sr., founder of the lumber firm of S. P. Johns & Sons, one of the most substantial and enterprising business institutions in Sedalia, which was founded in the eighties by Mr. Johns. Mr. Johns was born in Preble County, Ohio, September 1, 1835, and is a descendant of Quaker ancestors who were followers of William Penn, and came to America from their native Wales as early as 1735. He is the son of Stephen M. and Sarah (Parks) Johns, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Preble County, Ohio.

Stephen M. Johns was born in Fayette Conty, Pennsylvania, in 1809, and died at Pana, Illinois, in 1870, his death being the result of injuries received while rolling logs. He was a son of John Johns, a native of Pennsylvania, and who died in Parke County, Indiana, at the age of seventynine years. John Johns was the son of James Johns, who died in 1824, at the age of eighty-two years, and was a son of the first immigrant of the family who came from Wales to America in 1735, and was a Quaker, who followed in the footsteps of William Penn. James Johns died and was buried at Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, whither he had migrated in a very early day. John Johns made a settlement in Parke County, Indiana, and his son, Stephen M. Johns, keeping alive the traditional progress of the family ever westward in the task of the building up of the country, moved onward to Pana, Illinois, and there did his part in assisting in the development of a newer country.

To Stephen M. and Sarah (Parks) Johns were born twelve children: Samuel Parks, subject of this review; Catherine, died in infancy; John and Emanuel, deceased; Lemuel, Greencastle, Indiana; Martha, wife of Theodore Tunison, Pana, Illinois; Thomas M., deceased; Robert, Pana, Illinois; Owen, Tacoma, Washington; Stephen M., deceased; Sarah Alice, wife of C. W. Wallace, Kansas City, Kansas; Joseph, Tacoma, Washington. Large families seem to have been the rule in the Johns family, inasmuch as Stephen M. Johns was not only the father of twelve children, but was the eldest of sixteen children born to his own parents. Mrs. Sarah Parks Johns, mother of the above-named children, was born in Preble County, Ohio, in 1815, and departed this life at Pana, Illinois, in 1893.

The earl education of Samuel Parks Johns was obtained in the com¬ mon schools of his home town and Waveland Academy, Waveland, Indiana, where he pursued a scientific course. When twenty-one years of age he began his lumbering career at Terre Haute, Indiana, with T. B. Johns, a second cousin, who was engaged in the lumber business in that city. Mr. Johns remained at Terre Haute until 1860 and, after teaching school for one year, he located at Litchfield, Illinois, where he established the lumber business of Johns & Co. Five years later he located in Pana, Illinois, and continued his lumber business in that city until 1880, when he came to Missouri. During the first year he was located at Warsaw, Missouri, but in 1881 he established himself in business at Sedalia, where he rapidly developed a thriving business. His business expanded in due time and he established lumber yards at Lexington and Hughesville, Missouri, but of late years he has disposed of all of his outside holdings and now devotes his attention to the Sedalia business exclusively. His two sons, William M. and R. M. Johns, are managers of the business, which is conducted under the name of S. P. Johns & Sons. In addition to the lumber yards owned and operated by the firm, and which are located on West Second street, covering an entire half block in extent, the firm operates a planing mill located on East Second street, housed in a two-story building, 50x80 feet in dimensions.

White, of Waveland, Indiana, and to this marriage were born the following children: Laura A., born 1863, died at Sedalia, Missouri, in 1881; William M., associated in business with his father; S. P. Johns, Jr., engaged in the lumber business at Seattle, Washington; R. M. Johns, associated with his father in the business; Margaret A., wife of E. C. Emmert, Kansas City, Missouri, a lumberman in that city. The Johns family residence is located at 706 West Seventh street.

Mr. Johns cast his first vote for James Buchanan, in 1856, and voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. Since that time he has consistently voted the Republican ticket, but with inclinations to independence in his voting.

Henry C. Hatton. - The late Henry C. Hatton, former superintendent of the County Home, was a capable and successful citizen of Pettis County, who was respected universally for his integrity and purposeful citizen¬ ship. Mr. Hatton was born in Boone County, Missouri, April 15, 1845, and came to Pettis County when a young man. He engaged in farming, and after his marriage, in 1885, he operated a flouring mill at Green Ridge, Missouri, and resided there for a period of fifteen years. In connection with his milling business he also operated a well-improved farm in the vicinity of Green Ridge. In 1900 Mr. Hatton took charge of the County Home as superintendent, and with his accepting this position a new and better era in the management of the Home and County Farm began, which has been carried on still more successfully by his widow.

In September, 1885, Henry C. Hatton and Mary S. Middleton were united in marriage. Mrs. Mary S. Hatton was born on a farm situated on Coon Creek, five miles west of Sedalia, in Pettis County. She is a daughter of William E. and Amanda (Shobe) Middleton, who were natives of Kentucky. The Middleton family came to Pettis County, Missouri, in 1857, and Mr. Middleton located at Georgetown, the old county seat. He served as county assessor for eight years, and during the Civil War he returned to Kentucky. After the war he sold his farm and moved to Sedalia, so that his children could have better educational advantages. In 1885 he removed to Cedar County, but returned to Sedalia, where his death occurred, in 1904. Mr. Middleton was born in 1828. Mrs. Amanda Middleton was born December 21, 1834, and died June 12, 1916. They were parents of six children, five of whom were reared to maturity: Samuel, Denton, Texas; Mrs. Virginia Elizabeth Cushenberry, Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Sallie N. Elliot, living seven miles south of Sedalia; Mrs. Mary S. Hatton, of this review; William Trader, Galena, Kansas.

Mrs. Mary S. Hatton was educated in the public and high schools of Sedalia, and is a well-read and intelligent woman. After her husband's death she took entire charge of the Pettis County Home, and so well has she performed the duties of her position and so capable has she proven herself in the discharge of her responsibility that her supervision and management has the approbation and commendation of the officials and practically the entire citizenship of Pettis County. It is stated that no county home in Missouri is better cared for or its inmates happier or more contented than in Pettis County.

Since March 2, 1900, the Home has never been better managed, with less cost to the county. For the first five or six years of Mrs. Hatton's incumbency there were from eighteen to twenty inmates of the home, then the number increased to twenty-four and twenty-six unfortunates, and the inmates number as high as thirty-eight at the present time. The County Farm consists of eighty acres, which are kept in an excellent state of cultivation.

In politics the late Mr. Hatton was a thorough Democrat, and was prominently identified with his party in Pettis County for many years. He was affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Royal Tribe of Joseph. He and Mrs. Hatton were members of the Meth¬ odist Episcopal Church South. Mr. Hatton departed this life on October 21, 1909. His death marked the passing of a good and useful citizen, who was universally esteemed and respected for his integrity, honesty and upright citizenship.

Wesley S. Scott, member of the real estate firm of Carl & Scott, Sedalia, Missouri, was born at Houstonia, Pettis County, November 3, 1865. He is the son of Josiah and Mary A. (Jones) Scott, natives of Ohio and Virginia, respectively.

Josiah Scott was bom in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1835, and died February 8, 1895. They came from Ohio to Pettis County in 1859 and located upon a farm, four miles east of Houstonia, where Mr. Scott pur¬ chased 400 acres of land at $1.25 an acre. This land was raw prairie, and he improved it into a highly productive farm, which was the home of the subject of this review for a period of thirty-nine years. In 1862 Josiah Scott enlisted in the 7th Missouri Cavalry, under Col. John F. Phillips, now serving as federal judge in Kansas City. Mr. Scott served with his regiment until the close of the war. He fought at the Battle of Wilson Creek, and was engaged in many skirmishes with his regiment, whose duty it was to keep order in Missouri and free the State from marauding and lawless bands which infested this section during the war. After his honorable discharge from the service Mr. Scott returned to his farm and became prosperous as the years passed, dying an honored and respected citizen of the county. Two children were born to Josiah and Mary A. Scott: Wesley S., subject of this review; Thomas L, died March 6, 1906, aged thirty-six years. He married Mamie Robertson, and is survived by the widow and two children - Lewis C. and Margaret - who reside on the Scott homestead, east of Houstonia. Mrs. Mary A. Scott was born in 1837 and died January 28, 1900. Both are buried in Bethlehem Cemetery, in Saline County.

Wesley S. Scott attended the district school of his neighborhood and lived upon the home farm until 1904, when he was elected county tax collector of Pettis County, on the Republican ticket. His duties as collector necessitated his removal to Sedalia and he served as collector for two years. At the expiration of his term of office he engaged in the real estate business and has since been profitably engaged, with offices at Third and Ohio streets, in Sedalia.

May 5, 1887, Mr. Scott was married to Minnie L. Wood, a daughter of C. C. and Lizzie M. (Austin) Wood, of La Monte, Missouri, the former of whom died in November, 1903, and the latter now makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Scott. C. C. Wood, father of Mrs. Scott, was a soldier in the Confederate Army, serving in a Virginia regiment through the war. He fought at the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, and Gettysburg, where he was a member of General Pickett's division which made the famous Pickett's charge. The parents of Mrs. Scott came to Missouri from their native State, Virginia, in 1876. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood were born three cihldren: Rev. O. L. Wood, Springfield, Missouri; Mrs. Volette F. Glass, Knob Noster, Missouri; Ashby A., Des Moines, Iowa. To Wesley and Minnie L. Scott have been born two sons, Edwin W. and Lionel J. Edwin W. Scott is a graduate of William Jewell College, class of 1904, and is now in the employ of Swift & Company,- at Hutchinson, Kansas. He married Ruth Dorsey, of Houstonia, Missouri, and has one child, Eugene W. Scott, aged three years. Lionel J. Scott is now a private in the National Army, serving in France, a member of the 140th Machine Gun Company, 35th Division, under Gen. J. L. Hines. He enlisted August 5, 1917, was trained at Nevada, Missouri, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and sailed for France in May, 1918.

Peter Pehl, a substantial and well-to-do citizen of Sedalia, was born in Bad Ems, Germany, July 22, 1855. He is the son of Michael and Eliz¬ abeth (Wagner) Pehl, both of whom were natives of Germany. Michael Pehl died in 1887, at the age of fifty-seven years. Elizabeth Pehl died in 1905, aged sixty-four years. They were parents of five children, as follow : Peter, eldest of the family; Karl, deceased; Mrs. Anna Recken, living in Germany; Wilhelm, lost at sea, while in command of the ship Nell Pomania, which sank near the Azores Islands while on the homeward-bound trip, drowning the captain and crew; the youngest, Mrs. Clara Bohn, who resides in Germany.

Peter Pehl received his education in the schools of the city of Mayence and Freiburg, Germany. When eighteen years of age he emigrated to America and first settled in Cooper County, Missouri, where he was employed as farm hand at a wage of $8.00 per month for one year. He was frugal and industrious, and managed to save the greater part of his earnings during that first year. In 1874 he located in Sedalia, and found employment more to his liking, and during the ensuing eight years he carefully saved such of his earnings as were not necessary for his suste¬ nance, and in 1882 established himself in the hotel and restaurant business on Osage street operating a retail liquor business in connection. Prior to engaging in business for himself he had served a four-years' appren¬ ticeship in order to thoroughly learn the business in which he subse¬ quently amassed a fortune. Mr. Pehl worked long hours and worked hard from six o'clock in the morning until midnight every day. During the many years in which he has been engaged in business he has prospered, and wisely invested his surplus capital in real estate in Sedalia to such good purpose that his principal employment is now the care and upkeep of his various properties in the city. Mr. Pehl is owner of the Pehl build¬ ing, located at the corner of Ohio and Second streets, consisting of three stories, 75x100 feet, and he also owns six buildings, 109 to 121 Second street, Sedalia. For a period of twenty-seven years, from 1882 to 1909, Mr. Pehl was engaged actively in business in Sedalia and has become one of the best known and most substantial figures in the commercial life of the city.

Peter Pehl, conducting a hotel and cafe business, opposite the Missouri Pacific Depot; Otto B. Pehl, proprietor and manager of the Main Street Hotel and Cafe. The Pehl residence is a handsome and substantial struc¬ ture, situated at 1016 West Broadway. Mrs. Augusta (Bartel) Pehl is the daughter of Henry and Henrietta Bartel, of Florence, Missouri, the former of whom now resides in California, and the latter is deceased.

Since the organization of the Sedalia Trust Company, Mr. Pehl has been a member of the directorate of this thriving and important financial institution. He is also a director of the Sedalia National Bank. He is fraternally allied with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and he is a liberal and enterprising citizen, whose purse and influence have ever been ready to assist in the promotion of worthy enterprises.

Mel T. Henderson. - One of the most conspicuous successes achieved in Pettis County by an adopted citizen is that of Mel T. Henderson, former sheriff of this county, and proprietor of the Henderson Garage, at Second and Moniteau streets. Mr. Henderson began his career in Pettis County in 1885 as a farm hand, soon became a farmer on his own account, then became a land owner, later being elected sheriff of the county. Engaging in the automobile business, he became the local salesman for the Ford cars and has recently completed one of the largest and best equipped garages in western Missouri, located at the corner of Second and Moniteau streets, the structure being 90x120 feet in size, with basement, and built of con¬ crete, brick and steel.

Mel T. Henderson was born in Fayette County, West Virginia, June 1, 1861, the son of Thomas and Mary (Gilliam) Henderson, both of whom were natives of Virginia. Not long after the birth of Mel T. Henderson his parents located in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and there spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of seven children, as follow: Sydney, Estie and Julia, deceased; Martha E., wife of George Shorter, living in Virginia; William, resides at Ford, Oklahoma; Gran¬ ville, San Francisco, California; Mel T., subject of this sketch.

When twenty-four years of age Mel T. Henderson left Rockbridge County, Virginia, and came to Pettis County, where he was first employed on the farm of B. L. Porter, near Houstonia. He worked on the Porter farm for two years and then rented the tract for two years, buying eighty acres of the place at the expiration of his lease, in 1901. He later pur¬ chased the remaining eighty and became owner of a valuable farm, which he tilled successfully until his removal to Sedalia, in 1905, to take up his duties as deputy sheriff of the county under Sheriff I. N. Sprecher. In the fall of 1908 he was elected sheriff of Pettis County and served for the ensuing four years. Mr. Henderson made a capable and reliable county official. At the expiration of his term of sheriff, in 1913, Mr. Henderson engaged in the automobile business and has one of the largest and most successful enterprises of the kind in Sedalia.

September 8, 1889, Mr. Henderson was married to Miss Anna C. Porter, of Houstonia, Missouri, a daughter of B. L. and Addie Porter, the former of whom is deceased and the latter makes her home in Sedalia. The children born to B. L. and Addie Porter are as follow: Mrs. Anna C. Henderson, of this review; Maggie, wife of W. A. Block, of Portland, Oregon; Emma, wife of W. I. Dishman, Prineville, Oregon; Lila Beryl, wife of Henry Summers, Sedalia, Missouri ; Bessie and John died in infancy. To Mel T. and wife have been born four children: Mary, Sydney B. and Melville S., deceased; Paul Y., now in the United States Army, twentyone years of age, attended the officers' training school at Fort Riley, Kansas, the school of aviation at Champaign, Illinois, served as military instructor at Columbia, Tennessee, and holds a commission as captain and is now in active service in the Naval Aviation Corps; Robert Q., member of Company B, Machine Gun Battalian, has been in active service in France since July 1, 1918, enlisted in the National Army when eighteen years of age.

The mother of these children died August 9, 1918, and her remains were interred in the cemetery at Houstonia, Missouri. The Henderson resi¬ dence in Sedalia is located at 701 West Broadway. Mr. Henderson is a member of the South Methodist Episcopal Church, and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

Eugene W. Couey. - Fifty-two years ago Judge Eugene W. Couey of the Probate Court of Pettis County was born, on Pettis street, Sedalia, Missouri, and at the present day is voting in the same ward in which he was born. Judge Couey was bom November 30, 1866, and is the son of Silas H. and Amaranda (Jones) Couey, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Tennessee.

Silas H. Couey came to Sedalia from Illinois in 1865, and was first employed by the Cunningham Transfer Company, then with the Holmes Lumber Company and the Bloess Lumber Company, the pioneer lumber companies of Sedalia. After a period of employment with the Gregg Egg

Company and the Poison Egg Company, packers and shippers of eggs, which in those days were packed in barrels, he engaged in farming, and followed this vocation in Pettis County until his removal to Colorado, in 1902, where both he and his wife died, their mortal remains being brought home for interment in Crown Hill Cemetery. To Silas H. and Amaranda Couey were bom children as follow: Alfred, deceased; Minerva, wife of Russell McRarey, Trinidad, Colorado; Laura, wife of Joseph Shackleford, Saline County, Missouri; Rudolph, Trinidad, Colorado; Eugene W. Couey, subject of this review; Nora, widow of John Clark, now principal of Columbia School, Trinidad, Colorado; William, Deming, New Mexico; Emory, Lexington, Missouri; Sallie, wife of Hugh Satterwhite, Rocky Ford, Oregon; Russell, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Three children died in infancy.

Eugnee W. Couey received his education in the old Franklin School of Sedalia, the Georgetown public school, and attended district school in Elk Fork township for one term. He finished his public school work at Prospect School and graduated from the Sedalia High School. Attending the State University at Columbia, he graduated from the law department and began the practice of law in this city, where he has since resided with the exception of seven years spent in Colorado. He went to Colorado in 1899 and returned to Sedalia in 1906. Mr. Couey served two years as assistant prosecuting attorney and four years as prosecuting attorney of Pettis County. In 1914, he was elected to the office of probate judge of the county, winning the Democratic nomination over Mark A. McGruder, author of this history of Pettis County, now State senator.

Judge Couey was married on January 1, 1891, to Roza I. Goff, a daughter of William and Nancy Goff, of Warrensburg, Missouri, the former of whom is deceased, and the latter resides near LaMonte, Mis¬ souri. Judge Couey and wife have three living children, as follow: Tropha, wife of Norman Bockelman, Sedalia, Missouri ; Bernice, deceased, was a graduate of Sedalia High School, and at the time of her death, in 1916, was a teacher in Liberty School ; Edith, a graduate of Sedalia High School ; Lawrence, a student in the high school. Mr. and Mrs. Couey have a grand daughter, Dorothy Lorine Bockelman. The Couey residence is located at 1010 West Fourth street.

Frank Monroe, the efficient recorder of deeds of Pettis County, is a descendant of a pioneer family, who traces their ancestry to Revolutionary stock. Frank Monroe was born in Sedalia September 22, 1873, and is a son of Col. Thomas and Adelia (Stallard) Monroe, the former a native of Tennessee, born in 1819 and died in January, 1881, and his remains are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery. Adelia (Stallard) Monroe was bom in St. Charles County, Missouri, in 1846, and now resides in Sedalia. She is a daughter of Joseph Stallard, who served in the War of 1812. Joseph Stallard was a son of Lieutenant Randolph Stallard, who served in the Revolutionary War.

Col. Thomas Monroe, Frank Monroe's father, was a member of the Missouri State Senate from the 28th District of Missouri when the Civil War broke out and he entered the Confederate service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and served until the close of the war. In 1871 he came to Sedalia and here spent the remainder of his life.

Frank Monroe was educated in the public schools of Sedalia, and for a time was a salesman and later engaged in the insurance business in Sedalia, in partnership with Mr. A. P. Espenscheid, under the firm name of Espenscheid & Monroe. Later he was engaged in the insurance and real estate business, in partnership with Mr. I. N. Sprecher, under the firm name of Monroe & Sprecher.

Mr. Monroe is a Democrat, and since he has been old enough to vote has taken an active interest and part in politics. In 1900 he was elected city assessor of Sedalia, serving a term of two years. In 1914 he received the Democratic nomination for county recorder. He was elected and, at the expiration of that term, he was re-elected in the fall of 1918, and is now beginning his second term in that office. He is a faithful, pains¬ taking and efficient public officer, to which the many who have business in the county recorder's office can truthfully testify.

Mr. Monroe was united in marriage in 1898 to Miss Mollie Hansberger, a native of Pettis County, and a daughter of W. F. Hansberger. Mr. Hans¬ berger and wife are both deceased and their remains are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery. He was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War, and served under Gen. Robert E. Lee, in the army of Virginia. In 1865, shortly after the close of the war, he came to Pettis County, and spent the remainder of his life here.

To Mr. and Mrs. Monroe has been born one son, Frank Monroe, Jr. He was educated in the Sedalia public schools and, after graduating from the high school, was a student in the University of Missouri one year, when he entered the officers' training camp at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Mr. Monroe is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he and Mrs. Monroe are well and favorably known in Sedalia and Pettis County.

John I. Whitsel, a widely known and successful stockman of Prairie township, has given attention to breeding spotted Poland China hogs and high-grade cattle for a number of years. To the well-directed efforts of such men as Mr. Whitsel Pettis County owes the high rank which she holds among her sister counties of the great commonwealth of Missouri.

Mr. Whitsel is a native of Pettis County, and was born on the farm where he now resides, April 1, 1862. He is a son of David C. and Margaret (Smith) Whitsel, both natives of Ross County, Ohio. They were mar¬ ried in Ohio, and during the Civil War came to Missouri and settled in Prairie township, Pettis County, on the place where John I. Whitsel now resides. Here the father was engaged in farming until his death. He died about 1874, at the age of fifty-seven years. His wife continued to operate the farm after her husband's death, and kept the family together. She continued to improve the place, and built the large, fine residence, which is still standing, and made a success generally of carrying on farm¬ ing and stock raising. She died in 1898, aged seventy-one years.

John I. Whitsel was one of a family of five children born to his par¬ ents. He was the youngest and the only one of the family born in Pettis County. The others were born in Ohio, and are as follow in the order of birth: Jennie, deceased; a girl, died in infancy; Obed N., Knob Noster, Missouri, and Clay S., resides in Sedalia township.

John I. Whitsel, the subject of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of this county, and has made farming and stock raising the occu¬ pation of his life.

In 1908 the estate was divided, and he bought the interests of part of the other heirs. He eventually owned 443 acres, which is one of the valuable and highly improved farms of Pettis County. He improved and beautified the place and continued to operate it until January 23, 1919, when he sold it to C. B. Lane, of Raymore, Missouri, for a consideration of $52,000. This figure approaches the highest price per acre paid in Pettis County for farm land in any large acreage. This farm has been in the Whitsel family for over sixty years.

Mr. Whitsel was united in marriage October 12, 1899, with Miss Mary E. Payton, a native of Pettis County and a daughter of Louis 0. and Mattie A. (McCIung) Payton. To Mr. and Mrs. Whitsel have been born two children, Martha and Clay Payton, both of whom are nowr deceased.

Residence Of John I. Whitsel

natural talent in this direction since childhood, and has studied art under private instructors. She has painted a number of beautiful pictures, many of which decorate the Whitsel home. She does both oil and water color work with equal artistic effect.

Mr. Whitsel is a Republican, and he and Mrs. Whitsel are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Whitsel is a man of keen foresight and good business judgment. He is a stockholder in the Sedalia National Bank, and a man whose thrift and industry have made a substantial place for him in the world of affairs.

Thomas R. Melton, the capable and courteous clerk of the Circuit Court of Pettis County, is a native Missourian. He was born in Morgan County in 1875, and is a son of J. H. and Martha (Baldwin) Melton, both natives of Moniteau County, and early settlers in Pettis County. They both now reside in Sedalia. J. H. and Martha (Baldwin) Melton are the parents of sixteen children, as follow: Ellen R., married J. R. Allen and resides in Moniteau County, Missouri; William, deceased; James E., resides in Sedalia ; George A., resides in Sedalia ; Rosa, deceased ; Thomas R., the subject of this sketch; Henry M., El Paso, Texas; Ira E., Sedalia, Missouri; W. Roy, Sedalia, Missouri; Ernest M., Sedalia, Missouri; Grace married J. A. Cordry, Camp Branch, Missouri; A. C., Sedalia, Missouri; Goldie L., married R. L. Harris, who served in the aviation corps of the United States Army as first lieutenant, and for a time wTas detailed as an instruc¬ tor at the aviation field at Wool, England; Alta Pearl, married Jesse S. Hudson, of Hughesville, Missouri, who served as a soldier in the National Army during the World War; Sidney K., who served as sergeant in the quartermaster's department wTith the American Expeditionary Forces in France. The youngest child of the family was a son, who died in infancy.

Thomas R. Melton was educated in the public schools of Pettis County and the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri. He then engaged in teaching, and for fifteen years was engaged in that profession in Pettis County, and was one of the most successful teachers that Pettis County ever had. Mr. Melton was a natural teacher, and therefore enjoyed his work, which is always productive of real results in the schoolroom. He introduced innovations in his school work which had not been even thought of in rural schools up to that time. While teaching at the High Point School, he instituted and earned out a school district fair for four con¬ secutive years. Exhibits of farm products and home economics methods were leading features. These fairs attracted a great deal of attention, and were written up by the local press and was given a great deal of publicity by the newspapers, not only of the State, but throughout the country. Since that time the teaching of agriculture in the public schools has become almost universal. At that time there was considerable opposition, as many thought this method of teaching agriculture was impractical. Mr. Melton deserves much credit for being one of the earliest pioneers in this most important field of modern education. A prominent living testi¬ monial of Mr. Melton's work in this branch of education is Mr. Ezra Ikenbeiry, who was a student of Mr. Melton's, who started him along agricul¬ tural lines, and Professor Ikenberry is the present County Agent for Jackson County, Missouri, and is regarded as perhaps one of the best men in the state along that line of work.

Mr. Melton was appointed deputy circuit clerk January 1, 1911, under Circuit Clerk George W. Driskell, and served in that capacity for two terms, or until January 1, 1919. In the fall of 1918, he received the Democratic nomination, without opposition, for the office of clerk of the Circuit Court, and was elected. He assumed the duties of that office January 1, 1919, and is now serving in that capacity.

October 5, 1898, Thomas R. Melton was united in marriage with Miss Nora Lee Warren, of Sedalia, Missouri. She is a daughter of Hedgman Warren, and is one of the following children born to her parents: Colby D., a manual training teacher, Sedalia, Missouri ; Elizabeth, married Luther Proctor, Portland, Oregon ; Nora Lee, married Thomas R. Melton, the sub¬ ject of this sketch, and Birdie H., married W. H. Finley, Sedalia, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Melton have been born two children, as follow: Warren M., in the employ of Swift & Company, Ottumwa, Iowa, and Birdie Eliza¬ beth, a student in the Sedalia High School.

Mr. Melton, although a young man, has had many years of experience in public service, and his capable and painstaking methods have won for him universal confidence and respect. He has ever followed the theory which was well stated in the language of former President Cleveland, who said, "Public office is a public trust, and not a private snap."

Dr. Charles Bell Trader, now serving his country as a captain in the medical department of the United States Army, and who was called to the service on August 30, 1918, is a native son of Pettis County. His father, Dr. John W. Trader, was one of the most prominent physicians of the last decade in Missouri.

was a son of Moses and Rebecca R. (Wells) Trader, who moved from Ohio to a farm near Brunswick, Chariton County, Missouri, in 1840, and from there moved to Linn County, Missouri, in 1844. In 1854, Doctor Trader began the study of medicine with Dr. Alex S. Hughes, of Lindley, Grundy County, Missouri. He graduated from the Missouri Medical Col¬ lege in 1859, and at once began the practice of his profession. During the earlier months of the Civil War he commanded a company of State militia, but joined the federal forces at Laclede, Missouri, and was com¬ missioned an assistant surgeon by Governor Gamble and mustered into the First Cavalry, First battalion of Missouri State militia. In 1863 he was commissioned a surgeon and mustered into the same regiment at Jefferson City. In 1864 he was made brigade surgeon of the First brigade of General Pleasanton's Cavalry Corps. Doctor Trader was mustered out of the service and joined the United States Medical Corps as a surgeon and was assigned to duty at Jefferson Barracks. He was then sent to New Orleans as medical director on the river steamer Baltic. This boat pro¬ ceeded to Vicksburg and took on three hundred Andersonville prisoners and returned to Jefferson Barracks. Doctor Trader resigned his com¬ mission in May, 1865. He was a gallant officer in the field and faithful in duty.

Dr. Trader located in Sedalia in 1865 and practiced his profession in this city until his death. In 1876 he visited Europe while holding an hon¬ orary commission from the governor of Missouri and attended the Paris Exposition. While in Paris he spent some time in studying the advances made in the science of medicine. In 1876 he was elected president of the Missouri Medical Association and served for two years. He was a delegate to the American Medical Association which met at Chicago in 1877, and during the same year he was appointed surgeon for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, and held this position for three years. In 1878 Dr. Trader was appointed curator of State University, and served as a member of the examining board of the medical department of the univer¬ sity. He was an active member of the M. E. Church from 1854 until his death, and was for many years president of the Pettis County American Bible Society. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel¬ lows. Dr. Trader devoted much of his time to literary pursuits and was very fond of hunting, his leisure hours being spent abroad in the fields and woods with his dog and gun. He departed this life in 1907 and his remains lie in Crown Hill Cemetery. Pettis County and Missouri were bettered in

Dr. John B. Trader was married twice, his first wife being Miss Lucy A. W. Wyatt, a daughter of Capt. John Wyatt of Chillicothe, Missouri, who died without issue. In 1867 he married Miss Tillie B. Batterton, of Danville, Kentucky, who bore him seven children : Hattie Belle, born 1868, married Dr. C. E. Fletcher of Sedalia, Missouri; Dr. Charles Bell, whose name heads this review; Arthur Montgomery, born 1872, engaged in gen¬ eral auditing business at St. Louis ; John William, bom 1875, manager of a large bakery at Washington, D. C. ; George Henry, born 1877, manager of the Sedalia plant of Swift and Company; Clara Matilda Hope, born 1879, married Otto J. Schien, of Shreveport, Louisiana; Randolph Foster, born 1882, now employed with the Shipbuilding Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Emmet Everett, bom 1889, manager of the Metropolitan Garage, Sedalia, Missouri. Mrs. Trader now resides with her daughter, Mrs. C. E. Fletcher of Sedalia.

Dr. Charles Bell Trader was educated in the Sedalia Public and High Schools and graduated from the Kansas City Medical College in 1901. He immediately began the practice of his profession in his native city and has emulated his father in achieving a more than local success as a physician of prominence and attainments.

Dr. C. B. Trader was married in 1902 to Marian Tuck Batterton of Danville, Kentucky, a daughter of George D. and Hattie (Williams) Batter¬ ton, who now reside in Kansas City, Missouri. To this marriage has been born a daughter, Frances Ware Trader.

On August 30, 1918, Dr. Trader was called to the colors at Camp Funston, to enter the medical service of the National Army and had previously received a captain's commission. He is a fellow of the American Medical Association, and is a member of the Pettis County and Missouri State Medi¬ cal Societies. For two years he filled the office of vice-president of the Pettis County Medical Society and served as secretary of the society for two years. At the time of his enlistment he was serving as a member of the Censor Committee of the local society. Dr. Trader is a member of the Local Draft Board of Pettis County, a member of the Pettis County Com¬ mittee of the Medical Section of the National Council of Defense and was active in the furtherance of all war activities in the county, only ceasing these loyal and patriotic works in order to engage actively and whole heartedly directly in the service of succoring the wounded and sick of the National Army as an enlisted officer in the service of his country.

James P. Quinn. - The firm of Quinn Brothers, shoe merchants, is one of the best known and prosperous concerns of its kind in this section of Missouri. This business was started in 1904, at 206 Ohio Street, by James P., Joseph S., and Michael Quinn. The present members of the firm are: James P., Francis W., Joseph S., and Cornelius A., the latter of whom is now serving as a soldier in the National Army. The Quinn shoe store is one of the neatest and most modem stores in Sedalia and a splendid line of footwear is carried in stock and sold to an ever-increasing patronage throughout this section of Missouri. The building in which the business is housed has a frontage of 25 feet with a depth of 100 feet with a base¬ ment for the reserve stock. The first floor contains the office and sales¬ room and the second floor of the building is devoted to housing the reserve stock and as a repair room. A branch of Quinn Brothers store is located at 222 Ohio Street and is known as the Imperial Shoe Store, being located in a building having a frontage of 22 feet with a depth of 60 feet.

James P. Quinn, manager of this enterprising firm, was born at Belvidere, Illinois, a son of Cornelius and Bridget (McGinley) Quinn, both of whom were born and reared in Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn came to Amer¬ ica in 1876, and after residing at Belvidere, Illinois, for five years they came to Sedalia in 1885. The father of the family died in 1895, the mother departing this life in August of 1917. Cornelius and Bridget Quinn were parents of the following children: James P., subject of this review; John C., born at Belvidere, Illinois, has been a merchant in Sedalia for the past sixteen years ; Michael F., former member of the firm, died in 1909 ; Rev. Father William L., a priest of splendid educational attainments and one of the few notable scholars produced in Sedalia, is now located in New York City, in charge of the Indian Mission Bureau of the Catholic Church ; Joseph S., served in the National Army and received an honorable discharge November 29, 1918; Cornelius A., also served his country as a soldier in the National Army and received his honorable discharge from the army December 2, 1918 ; Francis W., who served for a time under the colors but received an honorable discharge from the service because of physical dis¬ ability ; Mary, and Johanna Quinn.

James P. Quinn was educated in the parochial and public schools of Sedalia, graduating from the high school in 1894. In 1898 he filled the office of city clerk of Sedalia and served as deputy county clerk under Robert H. Gray from 1899 to 1903.

Joseph M. O'Connell. - The Day and Night Studio, located at 320 South Ohio Street, Sedalia, is the outcome of an idea of its proprietor, J. M. O'Connell, in 1910, that Sedalia and the surrounding tributary country would support such a concern. Mr. O'Connell, after making a survey of the surroundings immediately acted upon his idea or "hunch," and established himself in business at 320 South Ohio Street. Not long after he had begun business the building collapsed through faulty construction and his stock of goods and paraphernalia was destroyed. He then moved to another location for a period of six months, and eventually located at his present place. The main feature of the Day and Night Studio is the extensive kodak finishing business, probably the largest in central Missouri, and the amount of work done in this establishment will probably exceed that done in any city in western and central Missouri. An extensive mail order busi¬ ness is also handled. The studio is equipped for doing all kinds of por¬ trait work, as well as enlarging and framing, this latter departure having been learned by Mr. O'Connell in Chicago, beginning the business when eighteen years of age and remaining on the road for thirteen years in the portrait business. While in Sedalia engaged in portrait work he conceived the idea of establishing his present business, and has succeeded even beyond his earlier dreams.

Speaking biographically, Joseph M. O'Connell was born September 2, 1879, in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Michael and Jennie (Gibbons) O'Connell, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter having been born in St. Louis. Michael O'Connell was a steamboat man who plied his trade or vocation upon the Mississippi River for many years. He died at St. Louis in 1902. His widow still resides in that city. The O'Connell children are: Charles, a traveling photographer; Edward, a traveling photographer of St. Louis; Joseph M., subject of this review; Anna, wife of John Brady, St. Louis, Missouri; Catherine, a Sister of Mercy, St. Louis Missouri; Robert, a mechanical draughtsman, Chicago, Ill.

Since he attained the age of eleven year, Joseph M. O'Connell has made his own way in the world, beginning as a cash boy in his native city at a wage of $2.00 per week. His subsequent career is set forth in the preced¬ ing paragraph. Mr. O'Connell was married on January 5, 1912, to Jean¬ nette June Crist, of Nevada, Missouri, a daughter of Edward and Lulu Crist. Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell have a son, Kenneth Leo, and the O'Connell family reside at 1422 South Central Avenue in this city.

Ira Gilbert Barton, D. D. S. - For the past twenty-five years Dr. Ira Gilbert Barton has successfully practiced dentistry in Sedalia, with offices located at 306£ Ohio Street, and has become firmly established in the city as a leading professional man of high standing in this section of Missouri. Dr. Barton was born in Jackson, Jackson County, Ohio, December 7, 1874, the son of Simon P. and Eliza Ann (Wells) Barton, the former of whom was a native of Jackson County Ohio, and the latter of Steubenville, Ohio.

Simon Barton was reared in Ohio, and at the outbreak of the Civil War he, although but fifteen years of age, was a member of the volunteer sharpshooters. He came to Henry County, Missouri in 1875 and located at Clinton where he was engaged in contracting and building construction for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Barton now reside at Commerce, Oklahoma. The following children were born to them: Charles H., living at Commerce, Oklahoma; Ira Gilbert, subject of this review; William Tullison, formerly a practicing dentist of Pilot Grove, Missouri, died at Tola, Kansas, at the age of thirty-two years; Mrs. Minnie (Barton) Ellis, Denver, Colorado; B. H. Barton, now a dental surgeon with the rank of lieutenant, in service with the United States Navy and attached to the United States Transport Pocahontas.

From the time he attained the age of fourteen years, Dr. Ira G. Barton has made his own way and is self educated. After attending the public schools of Clinton, Missouri, and after passing the State Board of Dental Examiners and practicing dentistry for seven years he then entered St. Louis University in 1903 and studied dentistry. He began his first dental work in Sedalia on May 13, 1893, with Dr. W. M. Carter, with whom he was associated for three years. He then passed the examination held by the Mis¬ souri State Board of Dental Examiners and received his diploma on October, 1897. While a dental student, Dr. Barton practiced extreme self denial and was fortunate if he had as much as twenty-five cents per week as spending money, over and above his board and clothing. In fact, if he had at any one time that much money or more he felt like a wealthy man. Besides constantly advancing himself in his profession, he taught dentistry to his first wife, and his brothers. He furnished the means for the education of his sister in bookkeeping and stenography, at the Jones Business College, St. Louis, Missouri, and she is now holding the responsible position as clerk of the city Legislature of that city. Dr. Barton is unmarried but has fathered and educated his brothers and sister and looked after the various members of his father's family as a loving elder brother, and his life has been full of efforts in their behalf.

Dr. Barton is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has filled all of the chairs in this order. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge No. 142 of Otterville, Missouri. Doctor Barton has held several Schools of Instruction in Masonry, having been elected by the Otterville Lodge to the position of instructor.

Henry Schafer, deceased, was an early settler in Pettis County, and a man who by his thrift, industry, honesty and integrity, made a place for himself and his family among the foremost citizens of this section of the State. He departed this life October 6, 1912, and his death was not only a great loss to his family and immediate friends, but a distinct loss to the community and the county.

Henry Schafer was born in Germany June 20, 1849, a son of John and Margaret Schafer, who were the parents of nine children, of whom Henry was the seventh in order of birth. The Schafer family immigrated to America in 1860, when Henry was about nine years of age. They settled near Smithton, Illinois, where both parents died about two years after settling there.

Henry Schafer was reared on a farm, and received a good common school education in the district schools of Illinois. In the fall of 1867 he came to Missouri with a man named Joseph Burns and his family, who settled in Pettis County. Mr. Schafer remained with the Burns family until he was about twenty years of age, when he bought a team and engaged in teaming and hauling at Sedalia. He hauled ties for the con¬ struction of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad, and later engaged in the ice business in Sedalia, which he conducted for several years. He met with success in this undertaking, and conducted the ice business until a few years before his death. He bought a farm in Sedalia township, about 1890, and moved onto the place five years later, and was also engaged in farming until the time of his death. Mr. Schafer was a Democrat, and a member of the Catholic church.

February 9, 1873, Henry Schafer was united in marriage with Mar¬ garet Ann Thompson, a native of England, born near Dorchester, England, October 14, 1847. She is a daughter of Septimus and Elizabeth (Riley) Thompson, both natives of England. The Thompson family came to America in 1849, when Mrs. Schafer was about two years of age, and settled at Prairie de Long, Illinois. Here the father engaged in farming and stock raising, and the parents both spent the remainder of their lives there. Mrs. Schafer was the eldest of a family of eight cchildren, five of whom are now living. She was reared and educated in Illinois and remained in that State until she was twenty years of age, when she came to Missouri with the family of Reed Dunlap, with whom she lived, and she remained in Sedalia until she met and married Mr. Schafer. To Mr. and Mrs. Schafer have been born eight children as follow: John S., born January 10, 1874, was killed in an automobile accident in Sedalia March 19, 1915; Mrs. Mary Stetzbauch, Sedalia, Missouri; Agnes L., deceased; Delia A., married William Dunlap, who is now deceased, and she resides in California; Minnie A., married Henry Imhauser, Sedalia, Missouri; Nellie C., married John Arrington, Washington, Indiana; Henry Charles, who operates the home place, and Charles H., also resides on the home place. Charles and Henry are twins.

The Schafer homestead consists of 400 acres of valuable land near Sedalia, which is one of the well-improved farms of Pettis County, and Mrs. Schafer also owns a bungalow in Sedalia. At the time of his death Mr. Schafer was a stockholder in the American Exchange Bank of Sedalia. He was a successful business man and, at the time of his death, left his family in good circumstances. The Schafer family are well known and stand high in the community.

Since Mr. Schafer's demise Mr. Schafer has made some extensive improvements on the farm. She has erected a large stock barn, and the Schafer home and farm buildings are all equipped with the Delco electric light system, and modern in all other respects.

Emile Landmann. - One of the most important institutions of Pettis County is The Landmann Abstract and Title Company. Practically all the abstract and title business of Pettis County is handled through the office of this company which is in charge of Emile Landmann. Mr. Landmann was born in Sedalia, being a son of Jacob and Christina Landmann, who came to Pettis County from St. Louis, Missouri, in 1865. Jacob Landmann was engaged in the general mercantile business in Sedalia until 1871 when his death occurred. His wife survived him many years, dying in February, 1907.

Emile Landmann was educated in the public schools of Sedalia, and graduated from the Central Business College. After leaving school he entered the County Recorder's office as deputy recorder, serving under his brother, Frank, who was Recorder of Pettis County from 1887 to 1891. Frank Landmann, after leaving the recorder's office, purchased an interest in the Hartshorn and Wilson Abstract and Insurance Agency, and Emile

Landmann accepted a position with the new firm. Later, the two brothers purchased the Hartshorn and Wilson interests and the firm was then known as Landmann Brothers, until the death of the elder brother in 1906. Emile Landmann then became sole owner of the business and in the fall of 1907 he incorporated The Landmann Abstract and Title Company. Mr. John W. Baker, his nephew, is associated with him, being secretary of the company.

Mr. Landmann was married in 1896 to Miss Louise M. Benz of Sedalia. They have one daughter, Christina L., a graduate of the Sedalia High School and who also pursued her college studies at Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, and at Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Land¬ mann have a very pleasant home at 1001 West Sixth Street.

Hugh H. and Ennis H. Courtney. - The Courtney Shoe Company, owned and operated by Hugh H. and Ennis H. Courtney, is distinctly a progressive and thriving concern which has kept pace with the advance¬ ment in modern development of footwear. This concern was established in 1914, as successor to William Courtney, who succeeded W. S. Mackey in 1887, who had established the W. S. Mackey Shoe Company on Main Street, as far back as 1866. It is, therefore, one of the oldest established business concerns in Sedalia and Pettis County, having been in existence for the past fifty-two years, it naturally has a large number of old and steadfast patrons. The Mackeys eventually became engaged in the whole¬ sale business in Sedalia. William Courtney purchased the stock and good will of the Mackeys in 1887, after having been associated with Mr. Mackey since 1879. For a few years he had W. B. Langdon as a partner. Mr. Courtney died on November 10, 1914, and the present proprietors and man¬ agers are Hugh H. and Ennis H. Courtney. The store is located at 228 South Ohio Street and has a frontage of twenty-five feet with a depth of 100 feet, with the basement deck and first floor all occupied with sales¬ rooms. The firm employs fifteen people at all times to care for the immense business transacted, two repair men being included with the force. Hugh H. and Ennis H. Courtney are the sons of Peter Courtney.

Peter Courtney was bom near Glasgow, Kentucky, in 1836 and came to Missouri in 1844, to the home of his sister who had with her husband previously located on Flat Creek. He was reared in Pettis County and became a farmer, eventually engaging in the mercantile business at Dres¬ den, Missouri and later operating a store at Holden, Missouri. Mr. Court- ney now resides at 724 West Sixth Street, Sedalia, and is aged eighty-two years. In the early pioneer days, Peter Courtney crossed the great plains with an ox team and drove freight wagons to New Mexico and Idaho prior to the days of the railroads. His wife was Elizabeth Bracht, a native of Georgetown, Missouri, bom in 1840, a daughter of pioneer parents. She departed this life in 1912. The children born to Peter and Elizabeth Court¬ ney are as follows: William, deceased; Leslie, Sedalia, Missouri; Thomas L., deceased; Harry, Sedalia, Missouri; Cammie, deceased; Hugh H., of this review ; Elizabeth, wife of W. E. Terrill, Holden, Missouri ; Ennis H., of this review ; C. Hallam, Sedalia ; Kathryn, Sedalia.

The Courtney Shoe Company carries in stock the Nettleton Shoes for men, the Strong and Garfield, and Walkover shoes for men. The wellknown women's lines carried are the D. Armstrong and Company's Shoes, Smaltz Goodwin Co., and Walkover makes. For children they carry the H. W. Merriam Shoe Company's makes and other excellent lines. In addi¬ tion to an immense shoe stock the famous Stetson hats are retailed.

Frank T. Learning, city engineer of Sedalia, was born September 26. 1882, a son of Rush G. and Mattie R. (Rogers) Learning, the former of whom was a native of Indiana, and was a veteran of the Union Army. Rush G. Learning served for four years in the Union Army during the Civil War. He came to Pettis County, Missouri, after some years' residence in Cass County where he had settled after the close of the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Learning now reside in Sedalia, the former aged eighty-three years and the latter aged seventy-one years. The children born to Rush G. and Mattie R. Learning are as follows: Mrs. Mary Holloway, Dallas, Texas; Ruth, wife of H. M. Haley, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ; Annie, wife of Frank L. Warren, Holdenville, Oklahoma; Fenn A., Mansfield, Louisiana; and Frank T. subject of this sketch.

Frank T. Learning was edcuated in the Sedalia public schools and after he had finished his schooling he netered the engineering department of the Kansas City Southern railway company and gained much practical experi¬ ence in engineering. While still employed, he pursued a course in engi¬ neering with the International Correspondence Schools and became a pro¬ ficient and skilled engineer. He began his engineering career with C. H. Zoll, city engineer of Sedalia in 1906, and on May 1, 1908, he was appointed to the post of city engineer of Sedalia. Since taking charge of the office

Mr. Learning was married in 1904 to Miss Vinita Finley, a daughter of W. A. and Birdie (Lakin) Finley of Sedalia, who are parents of children as follows: Emma, wife of D. Brennen, of Sedalia; Marion, living in New York City; Walker, Sedalia, Missouri; Allan G., enlisted in April, 1918, in the United States Navy and is now in the service.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Learning have three children: Frank T. Jr., aged twelve years; Kathryn, aged seven years; Lois, born April 9, 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Learning have a very pleasant home at 1404 Carr Avenue, Sedalia, Missouri.

Dr. Robert William Seaton Overstreet, cashier and clerk of the Antlers Hotel, Sedalia, Missouri, was born in Warren County, Illinois, in 1850 and is a son of Dr. Walter and Mary A. (Seaton) Overstreet, both na¬ tives of Kentucky. Dr. Walter C. Overstreet was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, October 16. 1824, and died at Smithton, Missouri, July 27, 1895. His wife, Mary A. (Seaton) Overstreet, was born in Breckenbridge County, Kentucky, in 1829 and departed this life April 4, 1880. They were mar¬ ried on December 11, 1848. Walter C. Overstreet was the son of Robert Overstreet, who was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, January 31, 1789, and died July 30, 1855. His wife was Jane Lowrey, to whom he was mar¬ ried in Jessamine County, Kentucky, April 25, 1815. The children of Walter C. and Mary A. Overstreet were: Robert William Seaton, subject of this sketch; Mary Jane, born July 19, 1852, the widow of William Mann, resides at Smithton, Missouri; Dr. Walter Cunningham, born February 17, 1857, died in 1916; Emma, born April 26, 1859, died November 21, 1876; David Milton born June 28, 1863 died February 25, 1905; Anna Clay, born February 3, 1868, wife of Eck Seaman, Oakland, California.

James Overstreet, great grandfather of Robert W. S. Overstreet, had two sons, Harry and Thomas Overstreet, who served in the Revolutionary War under General Washington. Robert Overstreet, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a veteran of the War of 1812, and fought at the Battle of the Thames, and later under General Jackson at New Orleans.

Dr. Walter C. Overstreet came to Missouri in 1847 and located at Higgins on Flat Creek and practiced his profession there for some time prior to going to Galesburg, Illinois, where his marriage took place. From Galesburg he went to Monmouth, Illinois. He invested in government land in Pettis County and made frequent trips to this county, riding horseback irom Booneville. After 1864 he lived at Smithton, Missouri. At one time he owned 1,000 acres of land. For many years prior to his death, Doctor Overstreet practiced medicine in the vicinity of Smithton, and was highly respected in Pettis County. During his later years, he devoted his time to caring for his extensive interests. Doctor Overstreet's remains are in¬ terred in Smithton Cemetery.

Dr. Robert William Seaton Overstreet was educated in the public schools, and studied for three years in the Monmouth, Illinois schools. After removing to Missouri with his parents, he received private instruc¬ tion from tutors and at the age of nineteen years, he entered William Jewell College and began his collegiate course which extended over a period of seven years. His father being a physician, Robert William naturally became interested in the study of medicine and drugs and became a reg¬ istered pharmacist. Doctor Overstreet's practice is mainly confined to office work.

Doctor Overstreet was married to Sallie A. Cox in 1872. Mrs. Overstreet died in 1898, leaving five children: Walter, deceased; Grace, wife of W. R. Dillard, Kansas City, Missouri; Robert T., a farmer and stockman, of Leslie, Arkansas; Abbie, wife of Mr. Foster, Fillmore, Missouri; William Seaton Overstreet, former clerk in the Chicago offices of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway, enlisted in the United States Navy in April, 1918. The second marriage of Doctor Overstreet occurred in October, 1917, with Mrs. Mary E. Weitz, of Sedalia, and they reside on East Seventh Street.

Doctor Overstreet began business as a druggist in 1872 and in 1883 he went to Colorado and located at Trinidad, where he looked after live stock on the ranges of Colorado and New Mexico and also conducted a drug business. While at Trinidad he was commissioned an organizer for the farmers co-operative union, and with deputies assisting him, he organized unions in Colorado and New Mexico. Returning to Pettis County, he opened a drug store at Smithton, which he conducted for a time, eventually disposing of his interests in 1900. He also served as assistant postmaster at Smithton. His father, Dr. Walter C. Overstreet, was the first practicing physician in Smithton township, a graduate of the Transylvania Medical College, Class of 1917. He was a zealous advocate of good schools in Pettis County.

Dr. William Seaton Overstreet was a drill master of boys of fourteen and upwards for a time, and he is now an honorary member of the Missouri

J. B. Marksbury, chief of police, of Sedalia, Missouri, was born in Williamstown, Grant County, Kentucky, October 7, 1869. He is the son of John S. and Elizabeth R. (Tunis) Marksbury, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky. John S. Marksbury, the father, was born in Virginia, in 1824 and died at Williamstown, Kentucky in 1908, having attained the ripe, old age of eighty-four years. He was prominent in the affairs of Grant County and served as deputy sheriff and as sheriff of the County for a period of twelve years, and held this important office during the troublesome times of the Civil War. The mother of J. B. Marks¬ bury still resides on the old home place and is seventy-one years old. She is a daughter of Nehemiah Tunis, one of the pioneer merchants of Williams¬ town, Kentucky, who erected the Tunis Block in that city, which was the first brick building erected there. He came to Kentucky from Newark, New Jersey. To John S. and Elizabeth R. Marksbury were born ten children as follow: J. B., subject of this review; Frank, Williamstown, Kentucky ; Nehemiah, killed while employed as traveling salesman for the Bradley-Wheeler Implement Company, and while aboard a Chicago and Alton railway train which was wrecked in 1900; Charles, Sherman, Ken¬ tucky; George, Greensburg, Kansas; James, living on the home place in Kentucky; John, garage proprietor and dealer in motor cars at Williams¬ town, Kentucky; Elizabeth, wife of John Swain, Oklahoma; Mary, a teacher and telephone operator, Williamstown, Kentucky; William, foreman, of construction in the employ of the American Telephone Company, Chicago, Illinois.

After receiving his education in the public schools of his native county and attaining his majority, J. B. Marksbury came to Pettis County, March 11, 1890. For two years he was employed on the farm of D. W. Thomson and then rented the Thomson farm for two years. He followed farming in Pettis County until 1901 and was a partner with Mayor A. Baumgartner in the conduct of his farming operations. From 1903 until June, 1909, he was foreman of the John A. Crawford farm. On July 5, 1909, he came to Sedalia and took employment in the coach shops of the Missouri Pacific railway, remaining in the shops as a trusted and capable employe until May 1, 1915. Receiving the appointment as health officer of Sedalia, he capably filled this position until April 8, 1918. He was then elected to the position of chief of police of Sedalia, receiving the largest majority ever given a candidate for office in the city. Chief Marksbury's majority was 783. His conduct of the duties of his office have been such as to commend him to the iarge body of citizens whose safety and well being are entrusted to the vigilance and watchfulness of his department. The police department of Sedalia was never in better condition and its efficiency is marked. In fact Sedalia has a well earned reputation for being law-abiding, a situation which is due in large measure to the capable enforcement of law and order and the diplomacy of the police head and his assistants.

On November 3, 1891, J. B. Marksbury and Anna May Hoffman were united in marriage. Mrs. Anna May Marksbury is a daughter of John and Anna May Hoffman, both of whom were natives of Wisconsin, and were well known residents of Sedalia for several years. Mr. Hoffman died in 1910 and his widow now resides at Argentine, Kansas. The children bora to John and Anna May Hoffman are as follow : Mrs. Anna May Marksbury, wife of the subject of this review; Mrs. Lulu Baker, Kansas City, Kansas ; John, Kansas City, Kansas; Mrs. E. G. Dolph, whose husband is a mer¬ chant and stockman at Arthur, Nebraska, and also operates a motor bus line between Kingston and Arthur, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Marksbury have a very pleasant home at 400 North Stewart Street.

Chief Marksbury is a member of Lodge No. 27, Knights of Pythias, Knights and Ladies of Security No. 564, and also holds a membership in the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen No. 506.

Ernest Theodore Behrens, editor and manager of the Sedalia "Leader and Railway Federationist," was born in Cole Camp, Missouri, September 15, 1866, a son of William and Elizabeth Behrens, natives of Germany, who came to Pettis County, Missouri, in 1836. They located in Sedalia in 1875 and both died here. William Behrens died in 1896 at the age of eighty-four years. Mrs. Behrens attained the age of seventy-six years. William Behrens became a large land owner in Benton County, Missouri, and traded much of his land for Sedalia property. He was a veteran of the Civil War, serving first in the Home Guards and later, enlisting in the Union Army. Mr. Behrens was taken prisoner with others and was sen¬ tenced to be shot, but at the eleventh hour orders were given to exchange the prisoners. The Behrens children are: Mrs. Catherine Adams, Sparta, Illinois; Mrs. Gussie Wetzel, Washington, D. C. ; Bernard. Kansas City, Missouri; Ernest T., subject of this sketch.

Ernest Theodore Behrens was educated in the public schools of Sedalia and learned the trade of cigarmaker at the age of fifteen years. He engaged in the cigarmaking trade in 1885, but since 1889, he has followed the printing and newspaper business. He was first associated with the "Truth" in 1889, a paper which he established. In 1892 he established the "Western World." This was followed by the "Liberator" in 1910, of which the "Railway Federationist" is the logical successor. This latter paper is the official organ of the railway employes department of the American Federa¬ tion of Labor, which has a membership of over 600,000 railway employes. Mr. Behrens also publishes the "Sedalia Leader," a local newspaper.

Mr. Behrens first became identified with the labor movement in 1884, and has assisted in the organization of over seventy-five per cent, of the local labor unions of Sedalia. There are forty-five locals and auxiliaries in Sedalia and these locals have a membership of approximately 3000. He holds a membership in the cigarmakers union and for four terms he served as president of the State Federation of Labor and has held every office in the local labor assemblies.

John Wesley McClure. - The McClure family is one of the most promi¬ nent and substantial families in Pettis County, who have been resident in Pettis County since 1876. During the past forty-three years members of this family have been extensive farmers and stockmen in the northern part of Pettis County. One of the best known of this family, whose life was well spent and who was for many years a leading and influential citizen of the county, was the late John Wesley McClure, of Hughesville township. Mr. McClure was born in Montgomery County, Missouri, in 1845. He was a son of Winston McClure, a Missouri pioneer.