Shelby County, Missouri - Biographical sketches, 1911 (part 12 of 16)

He took part in the battles of Lexington, Missouri, and Corinth, Mississippi, and was then transferred to the cavalry division of the army under General Marmaduke as first lieutenant of Company P in what was known as the Burbridge Regiment. He was twice slightly wounded, but not seriously enough to incajjacitate him for service, and took part in all of General Marmaduke's engagements.

After the close of the war Mr. Priest returned to Shelbina and clerked in the general store of Sigbert Parsons until fire destroyed the entire business block in which the store was located. The next five years were passed by him on his father's farm, of which he had charge as general manager, and at the end of that period he again went to Colorado on a prospecting tour, which lasted until the autumn of 1876. Returning at that time once more to Missouri, he turned his attention again to farming and raising live stock, and to those industries he adhered until 190-t, when he gave uji all active imrsiiits. Since then he has lieen living quietly with his two married clii!'^ -?n.

Mr. Priest was married in September, 1877, to Miss Anna S. Vandiver, a daughter of John W. Vandiver, of Shelby county, the patentee of the original corn planter. Of the four children born of this union three are living: William, who is a resident of Ogden, Utah ; Susan F., the wife of Dean C. Demmitt, whose home is in this county; and Thomas E., with an accoimt of whose life this memoir begins. In politics the father has been a life long Democrat. He has served the township long and well as school director and road overseer, and in other ways of value and practical utility. He has for many years been a devout and zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and has taken a leading part in all the work of the congregation to which he belongs.

The capacity to conduct affairs of magnitude and great moment and bring them to a successful conclusion is a rare one, and admirable wherever it is shown. The power to do this in the face of great and obstinate obstacles and to do it with seeming ease and freedom from anxiety or worry, is still rarer and more admirable. The commanding might of mind is involved in any case, and when that operates apparently without friction, easily, smoothly and without variation or delay toward the destined or desired end, the evidence is clear that there is serenity and loftiness of s]iirit, a healthy balance of attributes and personality and masterly self-mustering of forces, allied with the intellectual supremacy in the man who makes the exhibit. In other words, that a man who is master of the situation and of himself has the matter to be accomplished in hand and will achieve it.

In many ways in his career Henry S. Funk, of Clarence, Shelby county, Missouri, has shown that he is such a man. He has initiated, undei'taken and accomplished great things, and has done it with such seeming ease that the magnitude of the achievements have not sufficiently impressed the public mind, and he has thereby robbed himself of a considerable measure of the credit that has been due him. But he is not a man who cares for this. It is results he aims at, and he is willing to let the rest of the considerations involved take care of themselves.

Mr. Funk is a native of Veiinilion county, Illinois, and was born on a farm two and one-half miles east of Danville in that county on August 22, 1862. He is a son of Christian W. Funk, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who came from there to Danville, Illinois, in company with his cousin, Dr. I. K. Funk, the celebrated publisher of New York, for the purpose of looking over the country. Christian Funk later located there, l)ut I. K. Funk returned to New York City. Christian Funk was a farmer and general business man, and also a carpenter. He built the first large hotel in Danville, and he owned and conducted it for a number of years. He was a close student of agriculture and horticulture and was a general seed producer for a number of years.

The Funk family in this country originated with four Mennonite bishops who were exiled from Germany and came to the United States, locating on Indian creek, Pennsylvania. They founded the Mennonite college at Bethlehem, in that state, and in many other ways left their impress on their time and the locality in which they lived. For they were men of strong intellectual powers and extensive accpiiremeuts in wide and comprehensive learning, and also had a great force of character. One of them, Bishop Ifonry Funk, translated the celebrated work entitled "The Martyr's Mirror" from Dutch into English, and gave it currency in this country.

Henry S. Funk

father of Henry S., was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and Henry's father was also a native of that state. During the Civil war in this country he sjTnpathized with the South, but he never took a very active part in political atfairs. In all the other relations of life he was, however, a man of unusual energy and ca]iability, and, like many other members of the family, past and present, never undertook anything which he did not achieve. He died at Danville, Illinois, on May 10, 1872. The mother was Mary Shotf, a daughter of Eudolph and Christina (Stauffer) Shoff, who were also Pennsylvanians by nativity, and born and reared in Lancaster county. Of the seven children born of the union three grew to maturity and ai'e still living. They are : Fanny, the wife of A. W. Boardmau, of Toledo, Ohio, the general manager of the Reynolds Bros. Elevator Company, of that city; Albert, a j^rominent real estate dealer of Danville, Illinois, and Henry S., of Shelby county, Missouri.

The last named obtained his education mainly in the public schools of Danville, Illinois, but after leaving them and working for a period of five years, he passed three months at a State Normal school in that city. At the age of thirteen he began working for a small compensation in a garden and from that a few years later passed to renting farm lands and raising live stock. In 188.3 he engaged in merchandising, but his interest was never weaned away from the farm, and after a time he returned to it. He came to Missouri in 1895 and located in Taylor township, this county, where he has ever since resided and been engaged extensively in farming and raising stock. In this county he controls and cultivates over 2,000 acres of land and has a stock industry in proportion, giving close, careful and intelligent attention to every detail of the work in both lines of his endeavor, and making everything connected with either tell to his advantage.

But Mr. Funk has not been only a farmer and stock man, extensively as he has operated in these lines of effort. For a number of years he has been a railroad promoter, and his ability in this department of creative work is well shown by his latest achievement in it. At the earnest solicitation of the farmers along the line he inaugurated the Hannibal & Northern Electric Railway, of which he is now vice-president, an electric line o]ierating between Hannibal and Kirksville, in this state, and it has been chiefly through his instrumentality and endeavors that the line became a possibility and later will be an accomplished and very useful institution.

Mr. Funk is an author, too, and many productions from his facile and virile pen have attracted wide attention and brought forth highly favorable comments, because of their genuine merit. He is now writing a book on "Farm Life," which is sure to be full of interest and information, for it will be based on the extensive experience of a man who knows how to tell his story in a graphic and impressive way. In addition, he is not only a great lover of music, but is highly accomplished in both the science and the art of making "concourse of sweet sounds." He has a rich baritone voice that has delighted thousands who have heard him sing, and has

In politics he adheres faithfully and firmly to the Democratic party, but at the same time is independent, and in local affairs believes in voting for the candidate he considers best for the welfare of the people without regard to partisan considerations. In advocating the convictions he holds he has always been accounted a successful political leader, but he has never sought or desired a political office of any kind, either by election or appointment. Fraternally he is allied with the Masonic order, the Improved Order of Red INIen and the Modern Woodmen of America, and believing in their benefit to the communities in which they are located, he has ever been a liberal contributor to all churches without restriction on account of denominational or other considerations. His public spirit is shown in his ardent supjiort of all undertakings of merit for the improve ment or advancement of his township and county, and by his having laid out and given to the city of Danville, Illinoio, more streets and alleys than any other man. It is shown especially by his self-sacrifice and enterprise in connection with the electric railway line he is building, which, while it may result in considerable profit to him hereafter, subjects liim at ])resent to the risk of losing everything he has. I\Ir. Funk has been twice married and has a family of three daughters by his first marriage, as follows: Lila, who is now ]\Irs. John Fisher, of this county; Ada, still at home, and Zora, now Mrs. Dale Ilolloway, of Henning, 111. His second marriage occurred on December 2.3, 190'2, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Georgia A. Qeenan, a native of Crawfordsville, Ind. Mrs. Funk's maiden name was Georgia A. Nilest. Her parents, George and Lena (Fisher) Nilest, are still esteemed residents of Crawfordsville, Ind. One daughter has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Funk, Romona Cecelia. He is one of the most prominent and influential men in the county and is fully entitled, on demonstrated merit, to the rank beholds.

Dr. Harry B. Hammond

Standing high in his profession, prominent and influential as a citizen, having a potential voice in the public affairs of the community of his home, and radiant as a sunbeam in social life, Dr. Harr)' B. Hammond, one of the leading dentists of Shelby county, is of great service to the people of Shelby\nlle, which is the seat of his operations, in many different ways. He is a native of Missouri, born in Lincoln county on February 6, 1872, and a son of Thomas H. Hammond, who was born at Troy in that county in 1S.39. The paternal grandfather, Rol>ert Hammond, came to this state from Kentucky at an early date and helped to lay the foundations of the present civilization and fix the fonns of government of the locality in which he settled. He was a man of strong personality, groat force of character and a wide knowledge of public affairs, and as the ]ieriod of his arrival was a formative one, his capalnlities were in great demand in the service of the people.

followed farming there iu a vigorous and progressive way, and with great success, until 1907, when he retired from active pursuits and moved to St. Louis, where he is now enjoying the competence he acquired by his long years of arduous labor, the esteem of the people, which he won by his worth as a man and his usefulness as a citizen, and the rest he so richly earned. He also was a man of prominence during the days of his activity and wielded considerable influence in Lincoln county, being elected county assessor in 1880 and re-elected in 1882. After that he served for a number of years as chairman of the county central committee of the Democratic party, of which he has been a life-long member, and won high commendation for his wisdom in the councils and his activity and effectiveness in the detail work of his party through many hard-fought campaigns.

He was married in 1861 to Miss Mollie Shelton, of Lincoln county, in this state. They had four children, all of whom are living: Robert L., Cooper S., and Lucy, who are all residents of St. Louis, and Dr. Harry B., of Shelbyville. Their mother died in 1878, and in 1881 the father married a second time, making Miss Martha Light, a native of Virginia, his wife on this occasion. They have had two children, their son Wallace T. and their daughter Mary I., both of whom are living and reside in St. Louis. The father is a member of the Masonic order and of the Missionary Baptist church.

school iu Troy, Missouri. After leaving school he worked for the street railway company in St. Louis two years. In 1895 he entered the dental department of Washington University, St. Louis, and was graduated from that institution with the degree of D. M. D. in 1898. He began practicing at Shelbyville the same year and has been continuously and successfully engaged in his professional work there from that time to the present (1910). He is considered invaluable to the professional life of the city, as his practice is very large and his patrons are devotedly loyal to him and constant in their esteem of him and his work.

On October 22, 1897, Dr. Hammond was united in marriage with Miss Anna M. Knest, a daughter of John C. and Katherine Knest, popular residents of St. Louis. They have one child, their son Thomas B., who is living at home with his parents. The Doctor is a Democrat in politics, an Odd Fellow in fraternal relations and a Baptist in religious affiliation. He is a leading member of the Missouri Dental Association and the Washington University Alumni Association. He takes an earnest interest and helpful part in all matters of local improvement, and is accounted one of the best citizens of Shelbyville and Shelby county.

Fred Craigmyle

The interesting subject of this brief memoir is in all essential respects a selfmade man. He began the battle of life for himself at the age of twenty, and without variance or a shadow of turning he has remained in his part of the great field of human endeavor from that time to the present (1910), except that he is now living on and cultivating a fann of 175 acres of his own, which he has acquired through his industry, thrift and excellent management.

]\Ir. Craigmyle was born in Shelby county, Missouri, on February 18, 1873. His grandfather Craigmyle was a native of Kentucky, as was also his father, having been born in that state in 1821. He came to Missouri in about 1855, and took up his residence in Marion county, but after a residence of a few years in that county he moved to Shelby county and located on a good farm near Oakdale. There he followed farming and general stock raising until his death in November, 1878. He was successful in his undertakings and prospered here in a gratifying manner.

On May 30, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Sallie Evans, a native of Maryland. They became the parents of three children, all of whom are living and reside in Shelby county. They are: Kate, the wife of Fred Beottcher, John T. and Ferd. The father was a Democrat in political faith and a member of the Southern Methodist church in his religious connection. The mother is still living and has her home on the old homestead.

Their son Ferd. was educated in the district schools of Shelby county, but his opportunities in this respect were limited. For his services were needed on his father's fanii during the working seasons, and even in the winter months he was often obliged to remain away from school to perform some duty at home. In April, 1890, he purchased a farm of 160 acres and set up for himself as a farmer of extensive operations. He worked hard and saved his revenues, making every hour of his time and every stroke of his aim tell to his advantage, and managing his affairs with excellent judgment in order to secure a foothold in the struggle among mankind for advancement. On this land he carries on general farming and handles large numbers of live stock of various kinds. Every year of etTort has added to his success and prosperity, and he is now one of the substantial and well-to-do farmers of the township in which he lives. His farm is near Oakdale in Jackson township.

On Febmary 15, 1899, he was united in marriage with Miss ^laud Coomes, a native of Shelby county. They have one child, their son Lloyd, who is at home and going to school. In politics the father is a firm and faithful Democrat, and while he neither seeks nor desires a l)olitical office of any kind, he takes an active interest and a helpful part in the affairs of his party, giving it loyal support on all occasions and doing what he can to help make it successful in all its campaigns. In religious affiliation he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

As a good citizen should, 'Sir. Craigmyle has manifested a deep and earnest interest in the growth, development and improvement of his township and county, and he has at all times done what he could to push their car of progress along on lines of wholesome advancement. His woi'th as a man and his usefulness as a citizen have won him the confidence and respect of all classes of people wherever he is known.

Henry Von Thun

Although he has passed nearly the whole of his life to this time in Shelby county, and is thoroughly imbued with the spirit and aspirations of its inhabitants, Henry Von Thun, of Black Creek township, where he is one of the substantial and progressive farmers and stock men, is not a native of this state or country. He was born in the provine of Victoria, Australia, on October 31, 1861, and is a son of Nicholas and Caroline (Bui'khart) Von Thun, and a brother of John 0. Von Thun, a sketch of whom will be foimd in this volume. Reference is made to that sketch for the history of the parents.

The family moved to the United States and located in Shelby count}% Missouri, in 1868, when Henry was seven years old, being among the early arrivals in the German Lutheran settlement here. He obtained his education in the district schools of this county, and while attending them assisted the family by working on the home farm and hiring out on other farms and cropping on his own account. In 1866 he engaged in farming and raising live stock for liimself, and he has continued his operations in these lines of interesting and profitable effort from then until now. His present farm comprises 160 acres and the greater jiart of it is under advanced and skillful cultivation. The stock industry carried on in connection with the farming operations is extensive and it also is profitable. Mr. Von Thun is a man of intelligence and good judgment in his lines of work, and he puts all his energies and acquirements in service to make a success of it. In this he has succeeded admirably, winning a competence for himself and establishing himself firmly in the regard and good will of the people around him.

On January 14, 1892, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Neuschafer, a daughter of John and Catherine (Reinhimer) Neuschafer, esteemed residents of this count5^ Five children were born of the union, all of whom are living and still members of the parental family circle. They are Anna, Bertha, Lena, Virgie and Mary Evehna. The parents are devoted and active working members of the German Lutheran church, and in politics the father is a Republican of firm convictions, always loyally supporting the principles and candidates of his party and working for its success, although he is not himself desirous of holding any political office.

His devotion to his party springs from a sense of duty, and is kindred in its source and its results to his deep and serviceable interest in the welfare of his township and county. In their behalf he is always ready to do anything in his power to advance their interests, promote their improvement, or enlarge the conveniences and comforts of their people. He is true to every duty of good citizenship, and the people who live around him and know his worth and fidelity, esteem him highly and accredit him as one of the best and most useful men among them.

Peter Keller

Peter Keller, one of the prosperous, enterprising and progressive farmers of Bhick Creek township, Shelby county, is a member of that industrious and thrifty race which has commanded the admiration of the world by the persistency of its enterprise, its capacity for close and steady api3lication, and its masterly achievements in every line of human thought and action. He was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, on May 23, 1867, a son of Philip and Margaret (Feldman) Ivellei-, also natives of that jiortion of the German emj^ire, and belonging to families resident there for many generations.

1882 came to the United States and direct to this county, bringing his family with him. His first marriage, which was with Miss Margaret Feldman of the same nativity as himself, took place in 1860. They had eight children, four of whom are living: Peter, the subject of this brief review; Philip, who resides in this county ; Catherine, the wife of Henry Eathjen, also a resident of this county, a sketch of whom api^ears in this volume ; and Louis J., whose home is in St. Joseph, Missouri.

1883 and in 1884 the father was married to Mrs. Catherine Quenzer (Beyer), who was also born in Germany. He is a Eepul)lican in politics, with an abiding faith in the principles of his party and great zeal and activity in its service in all campaigns. His religious connection is with the Lutheran church, in which he takes a very earnest interest and is an active worker, especially in the congregation to which he belongs.

His son Peter was educated in the state or public schools of his native land, and after his arrival in this country at tlie age of fifteen worked for a number of years on his father's farm and assisted the family. 'WTien he attained his majority, or soon afterward, he began farming for himself, applying to his work all that close study of the business and reflective observation taught him about it, and from the very beginning of his career as a farmer he has been successful and prosperous. He now owns 190 acres of good land which he has made veiy productive and improved with taste and good judgment, making it one of the valuable and attractive rural homes in Black Creek township, which has many of the same kind.

On February 16, 1890, he man-ied with Miss Maria Catherine Quenzer, a native of Germany, who came to this country in 1884, at the age of twelve years, with her mother, Mrs. Katharina Quenzer, widow of Mich. Quenzer, and who afteiTvard married Peter Keller, the father, as has before been stated. They have had three children, two of whom are living, their sons Philip, born in November, 1891, baptized January 30, 1892, and Carl Albert, born April 24, 1907, baptized ]\ray 20, 1909, both of whom are still at home with their parents. The other child was a daughter of the household named Gretchen, born June 7, 1894, baptized July 15, 1904, who died on August 3, 1909, at the age of fifteen. She was a very iiromising young lady and her untimely death enveloped the whole community in grief and gloom. The father is a Bepublican in politics and a Lutheran in religion. He takes a helpful interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his township and county and is accounted one of the best and most useful citizens they have.

Philip Keller, Jr

Among tlie wide-awake, enterprising and progressive farmers and stock men of Black Creek township, in this county, Philip Keller, Jr., is entitled to a high rank, both on account of his achievements in what he has done and his aims at higher and better results in stock breeding for himself and the people all around him. He has for years been active and energetic in his efforts to raise the standard of cattle in his township, and by his energy, foresight and persistency, he has been successful in a large measure.

Mr. Keller was born in Griesheim Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, on March 22, 1873, and came to the United States and Shelby county, Missouri, with his parents when he was a boy nine years old. He is a brother of Peter Keller, in a sketch of whom in this work the family history will be found. He began his education in the schools of his native land and completed it in those of this county. After leaving school he worked on his father's farm and assisted the family, remaining at home with his parents until 1895. He then bought the farm of 150 acres of land on which he now I'esides and since that time has been industrious and constantly engaged in cultivating, developing and improving it. He has made it a model of its size and character and increased its value considerably.

In connection with his farming he carries on an active and flourishing industry in raising live stock and otherwise handling this necessary commodity for the markets. His specialty in this line is thorouglibred Aberdeen- Angus cattle, and his herd is one of the best known and most admired in this part of the state. From it he has introduced the breed into other herds, greatly to their advantage and that of the men who own them, and much to the improvement of the grade of cattle produced in the locality.

Mr. Keller is very energetic in the management of his business, losing no opportunity to enhance his prosperity and realize the desires he has in connection with the live stock industry in this county, and his enterprise in this behalf is highly appreciated by the people resident here. He is also alive and alert in reference to the general welfare of the region in other ways, giving his earnest aid to every worthy undertaking for the improvement of his township and county and the benefit of their inhabitants. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion he and his wife are Lutherans.

On November 3, 1895, he was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie Neuschafer, a daughter of the late John and Katherine Neuschafer, of this county. Two children have been born of this union, Lydia and Anna Marie, and both are still living at home with their parents. The latter are reckoned among the most worthy and estimable citizens of Black Creek township, as they are known to be faithful in the performance of every duty with reference to both public and private life, and to be impelled by lofty motives and aiming at highly commendable results in all their activities. They ai'e consistent members of their church and zealous workers for its advancement in every way.

William M. Hawker

Mr. Hawker has been a resident of Missouri since his childhood days and has been long and prominently identified with the great basic industry of agriculture^ in this section of the state. In connection with this important line of enterprise he gained large and substantial success, becoming one of the large landowners and influential citizens of Marion county, and continuing to reside on his fine homestead farm until February, 1904, when he removed to the attractive little city of Hunnewell, Shelby county, where he owns and occupies a commodious and modern residence and where he is living virtually retired.

Mr. Hawker has the distinction of being a native of the island of Jamaica, West Indies, where his father was a resident for a few years after his immigration from Germany. Mr. Hawker is a son of Frederick and Louise (Ginter) Hawker, both of whom were born and reared in Germany, where their marriage was solemnized, in the city of Gutenberg. In 1844 they came from the island of Jamaica to the United States, and soon aftei'ward established their home in Marion county, Missouri. The father purchased land in Warren township and thereafter gave his attention principally to farming and stock-growing until his death, which occurred in 1869. His wife passed to the life eternal in 1871, and both were earnest members of the Lutheran church. Of their eight children six are now living, namely: William M., who is the immediate subject of this review; Mary, who is the wife of Finley Mitchell, of Marion county; Elizabeth, who is the wife of William Barnett, of the same county ; John, who is the owner of a valuable ranch in the famous Bitterroot valley of Montana; Fannie, who is the wife of Joseph Freeland, of North Dakota; and Etta, who is the wife of Edward Ettings, of LaBelle, Missouri. The father espoused the cause of the Republican party at the time of its organization and thereafter continued a stalwart supporter of its cause until his death. During the Civil war he was loyal to the Union and did all in his power to aid in its preservation.

William M. Hawker was about two years of age at the time of the family removal to Marion county, Missouri, where he was reared to manhood on the home farm and received a common school education, which he has since effectually amplified through his association with the practical activities of life and through his well directed reading. During his entire active career he never abated his allegiance to agriculture and its allied industry of stock-raising, and he directed his energies with marked discrimination and ability, so that he received the most generous returns from his efforts. He acciunulated a fine landed estate of 320 acres, and the same was as productive and valuable land as can be found in this favored section of the state. His old homestead, now owii^d by one of his sons, comprises 316 acres. His residence is one of the most modern and attractive in the village and is surrounded by grounds comprising about three acres and twenty acres nearby. Mr. Hawker is a stockholder and director of the Farmers' & Merchants' Bank of Hunnewell, in politics he gives a staunch adherence to the Republican party, and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Baptist church, in which he is a deacon. During the Civil war Mr. Hawker was thoroughly in sympathy with the cause of the Union, and in 1862 he enlisted in the home g-uard, being a member of the company stationed at Palmyra, this state, under command of Captain Lear.

On the 11th of February, 1861, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hawker to Miss Sarah F. Couch, who was born and reared in Marion county, this state, where her father, Marshall Couch, was an early settler. Mr. and Mrs. Hawker became the parents of eight children and all are living except one son that died. Mollie is the wife of Harry Huggins, of Shelbina, this county; Charles is engaged in farming in Salt River township; Elvira is the wife of Thomas Burdett, of Sharpsburg, Missouri; Frederick has charge of the old homestead farm, in Salt River township, Marion county; Vernie is engaged in farming in Shelby county; Myrtle is the widow of Charles Enyard and now resides in the city of St. Louis; and Gertrude is the wife of James Freshwater, a farmer of Marion county.

George E. Stewart

All of the forty-two years of life which George E. Stewart, one of the enterprising, progressive and successful farmers living near Clarence, has lived from his birth, on January 13, 1868, to the present time (1910), have been passed in Slielby county, and those of them since he arrived at years of discretion and productiveness have been fruitful in good both for himself and the locality in which he has spent them. For he has been one of the reliable men in promoting every form of public improvement and developing every resource of value whom his township has furnished to aid in pushing forward the car of progress in the agricultural, industrial and commercial life of the county.

Mr. Stewart was born in the county and has never felt any strong inclination to wander beyond its borders. He obtained his education in its public schools, grew to manhood on one of its fertile farms, married one of its esteemed daughters, and has, ever since he began the battle of life for himself, been a contributor directly and essentially to its welfare and the benefit of its people. He is a son of William and Elizabeth (Lasley) Stewart, natives of Ireland. The father was born in 1812, came to this country when he was a young man and located for a time in Pennsylvania. He then came West with the tide of migration that was surging toward the Rocky mountains and settled in Shelby county, Missouri, where he passed the remainder of his days. He was actively and profitably engaged in farming and raising live stock in this county until 1887. Tn that year he retired from active pursuits and from then until his death, on February 9, 1899, lived with his son George. In connection with his farming operations he also did considerable work at his trade as a stone mason in the neighborhood of his home. Among other buildings on which he worked, which are of historic interest, was the old Bethel mill, which was long a landmark in the region and a rallying ])Iace for tlie whole countryside, of which he laid the foundation, ffis skill was emploj-ed also on other structures with histories, for he was an early arrival in the county and helped blaze the way for the civilization and development that was soon to follow in his wake.

He was married in 1845 to Miss Elizabeth Lasley, who also came to this country from Ireland, as has been stated, and they became the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are living: Margaret, the wife of "William Stone, of Tama county, Iowa ; Mary, the wife of George Sickle, of Shelby county, Missouri; Eobert, whose home is in Shelbj^ville ; Eliza, the wife of W. G. Chick, also a resident of Shelbyville; Alice, the wife of J. W. Eay, of this county ; Andrew, a prosperous Shelby county farmer; Celestia, the wife of William West, of Kansas; and George E. In politics the father was a Eepublican, in fraternal life an Odd Fellow and in religion a Presbyterian.

George E. Stewart was educated in the district schools of this county and started his career as a farmer and stock man very early in life. His first venture was the purchase of 131 acres of land on which he went to work for himself, and from the start he has been successful and enjoyed increasing prosperity as the years have passed. He farms well and wisely and his farm responds generously to his skillful husbandry. His stock industry is extensive, and it, also, is active and ]irofitable. Both are managed with intelligence and the most careful attention to every detail of the work connected with them from start to finish.

Martha (McCroskey) Hirrlinger, esteemed residents of this county. Three children have been born in the Stewart liousehold, and all of them are living and still at home with their parents. They are two daughters, Geraldine E. and Elsie L., and a son, Kenneth W. In politics the father is a Prohibitionist and in religion a member of Holiness church, to which his wife belongs also. They are active and zealous workers in the church and take an earnest and serviceable interest in everything pertaining to the advancement and improvement of the township and county in which they live. Everybody that knows them respects them for their worth and the estimable quality of their citizenship.

Harman Eathjex

Beginning his career as a fanner on his own account at the dawn of his manhood, and continuing it without interruption through all the subsequent years of his busy life, Harman Eathjen, one of the wideawake and enterjirising farmers and stock men of Black Creek township in this county, has given a fine example of what steadfastness of purpose and the use of every opportunity for advancement can accomplish even in the unobstrusive and often unnoted life of a husbandman in the rural districts of this state, far from the seaboard and aside from the highways of the world's great activities.

Mr. Eathjen is a native of Shelby county and was born in 1871. He was educated in the district schools of the county, attending for the most part the Red Star school in the township of his present residence. He is a brother of Henry Batlijen, a sketch of whom appears in this woi-k in which the history of the parents will be found. After leaving school, and while attending, he worked on the home farm with his father, remaining at home and assisting the family until 1893. He then bought the farm on which he now resides and to the development, improvement and cultivation of which he has ever since devoted the greater part of his time and energies. This farm comprises 129 acres and is one of the best of its size in the township. It is well improved, vigorously and skilfully cultivated and has been brought by his labors and good management to a high state of productiveness. The live stock industry carried on in connection with the farming operations is extensive and active, and sedulous care to every requirement of the business, with a view to securing the best results, has made it highly profitable. The specialties of this industry are cattle and hogs of superior breeds.

Mr. Eathjen was married on February 17, 1896, to Miss Elizabeth Neusehafer, a daughter of the late John and Catherine (Reinheimer) Neuschafer, of this county. Four children were bom of the union, three of whom are living, and all still at home with their parents. They are Amelia, the daughter of the hoiise, and Edward and Alfred, the sons. In politics the father is a Democrat of the reliable and constant kind, and in religion he and his wife are Lutherans, devotedly loyal to their church and serviceable to the congregation to which they belong.

business, building it to good proportions and conducting it with vigor, enterprise and progressiveness. He has also been attentive to the wants of his township and county, and given his energetic and helpful aid to everj' worthy undertaking for their advancement. While not an office seeker in any sense, he has been of great service to his political party in all the campaigns it has conducted since his youth, and by the spirit and effectiveness of his work in its behalf has won the appreciative regard of both its leaders and its rank and file. He is considered one of the best and most representative citizens of his township, and is correspondingly esteemed by all its inhabitants.

Valentine Krautee

With filial devotion to his parents that is altogether commendable, this esteemed farmer and stock man of Clay township, Shelby county, has passed with them the years of his maturity as he did those of his childhood and youth, assisting in providing for the wants of the family and helping in every way available to him in bettering the condition of its members. Since the death of his father in 1908, at the age of seventy-seven years, he has stood loyally by his nearer jDarent and looked after her comfort with constant and considerate attention.

He was bom on March 13, 1870, in Grosherzogthun Hessen, Germany, and is a son of Peter and Margarotta (Borok) Krauter, also natives of that ijlacc. The father was born there in 1831 and came to the United States in 1881, settling among the German Lutherans in Shelby f^^'iuty, Missouri. Here lie engaged in general farming until his death, which occurred in 1908. His marriage occurred in 1859, and he and his wife were the parents of four children, two of whom are living, Valentine and his older sister Katharine, the wife of James Sass, of this county, a sketch of whom will be found in this volume. The father was a Republican in polities and a Lutheran in religion.

His son Valentine began his education in his native land and completed it in a district school in Shelby county, which he attended for a short time. He came to this country and Shelby coimty with his parents when he was eleven years old and grew to manhood here, where he has lived and labored ever since, giving all his energies to the advancement of his own fortunes and the development and improvement of the township and county in which he lives. Wliile growing to manhood he worked on the farm operated by his father and he has been actively and prosperously engaged in the same occupation during all the subsequent years of his life.

Mr. Krauter began operations for himself with literally nothing in the way of cai^ital or worldly possessions, and has made all he now owns liy his own unaided efforts, to use his own expressive utterance on the subject, digging all he has out of the ground. His success in his careful and continued industiy is a tribute alike to his own enterprise and good management aud to the land which he has cultivated - the ground out of which he has dug the substance of his estate. He now owns IfiO acres of land which he cultivates and twenty acres of valuable timber land. He also carries on a very active and flourishing live stock industry, which he manages with the same care, intelligence and attention to details that he employs in his farming, and he makes it profitable by this method of conducting it.

Since the death of his fathei", as has been stated, he has lived with and cared for his mother, who is now sixty-nine years of age. In his political faith and allegiance he is connected with the Republican party, and although he has no aspiration to official station and desires nothing of public life, he is loyal and serviceable to his party and true to the political convictions he holds. In religion he is a Lutheran, cordially interested in his church and at all times ready to do what he can to advance its interests. He is also true to the locality in which he lives, giving his energetic and effective support to every commendable undertaking for its advancement, and helping in every way at his command to augment and intensify the mental, moral and social agencies at woi-k among its people. The duties of citizenship rest upon him as an imperative obligation, and none of them is neglected or slighted by him. He is well worthy of the imivei'sal esteem in which he is held throughout Clay township and in all other parts of Shelby county.

Jonathan Jarrell

This successful, enterprising and progressive farmer and stock man of Black Creek townshi]), this county, is a native of Kent county, state of Delaware, whose boast has long been that she represents

"greatness, not bigness," where lie was born in 1854. He is a brother of James Wesley Jarrell, who is also a resident and prosperous farmer and stock man of the same township in Shelby county in which his brother Jonathan lives. A sketch of him will be found in this vollune, and in that the family history will appear at some length. The brothers have been residents and important factors in the agricultural life of the county since 1865, when they came to this locality with their parents after a residence of a few years in Rush county, Indiana.

Jonathan Jarrell was a boy of eleven years of age when he came to Shelby county, and in the district schools of this county he completed the education he had begim in those of Rush county, Indiana. During the last forty-five years he has lived in Shelby county, and during the whole of that period, after he reached years of maturity, he has been actively and progressively engaged in farming and raising live stock. His present farm comprises sixty acres of fine land, is well improved with good buildings and has been brought by his industry, enterprise and thrift to a high state of development and productiveness. His stock industry is as large as his acreage justifies, and is conducted with the same care, attention to every detail and extensive and accurate knowledge of its requirements that distinguish him in his farming operations, and in both he has been so successful as to have won a reputation as one of the best and most progressive men in his township engaged in these interesting and profitable pursuits.

Jarrell is a devoted member of the Democratic party and one of the ardent workers in his township for its success and advancement. In religious allegiance he is allied with the Christian church, and in its welfare he also takes an active and serviceable interest. He has been effective and loyal in his work for the develojiment and improvement of his county and township, and his enterprise and public spirit in their behalf are well appreciated by their people.

Mr. Jarrell was married in 1890 to Miss Eliza Fink, a resident of Shelby at the time of her marriage. They have one child, their son Roy, who is still a member of the parental household and following in his father's footsteps by fidelity to every duty and laborious efforts to aid in advancing the interests and ])rosperity of the famil.v to which he belongs. The father is one of the best known and most esteemed citizens of his township, and his long life of usefulness among the people of this section gives him full title to the general regard in which he stands. He has shown himself to be a good citizen as well as a good farmer, and there is no one who knows him that does not respect him.

James Wesley Jarrell

Like his younger brother, Jonathan Jarrell, who is a resident of Black Creek township, this county, and a sketcli of whom appears in this work, James Wesley Jarrell, of the same township, and one of its jirogressive and wide-awake farmers and stock men, is a native of Kent county, Delaware, where he was horn in 1852. He is a son of John P.

Iiistoey Of Shelby Couxty

and Elyda (Minner) Jarrell, of the same nativity as himself. The father was born in 1827 and left his native state of Delaware with his wife and the children they then had in 1857, locating in Eush county, Indiana, where the family lived until 1865, and then moved to Missouri, taking up a new residence in Shelby county. The father was a farmer all his life from youth to his death, in 1892, and was closely connected with and interested in the welfare and prosperity of this county during the last twenty-seven years of his earthly career. He was successful in his operations, according to the standards of his day and was true to all the duties of citizenship in every respect. His marriage with Miss Minner took place in 1848, and they became the parents of five children, all of whom are living. They are : James AVesley, Jonathan, William, Samuel T. and George W., and are all residents of this county but Samuel T., whose home is at Tyrone, Oklahoma. The father was a Democrat in his political faith and a member of the Christian church in his religious affiliation.

James Wesley obtained his education in the district schools of Rush county, Indiana, and those of Shelby county, Missouri. AVhile attending school and after completing his education he worked on his father's farm, remaining at home and assisting the family until 1876, when he engaged in farming and raising stock on his own account on seventy acres of land given him by his father. In the spring of 1910 he disposed of his old homestead and purchased ninety-five acres in the same township, where he now resides. He has been successful in both lines of his industry and is universally regai'ded as one of the substantial and progressive men in his township. For, while advancing his own interests and enlarging his iDrosperity, he has taken an earnest interest and an active part in promoting the enduring welfare of the locality in which he lives and contributing to the substantial good of its people. He was married in February, 1876, to Miss Mary Jane Philliber, a resident of this county. They have had six children, four of whom are living: Nora, the wife of Walter Howerton, of Knox county, Missouri; John, who is a resident of Shelby county; and Lily May and Bertha, who are still living at home with their parents. The father is an earnest and ei¥ective worker for the principles and candidates of the Democratic party in his political relations, although he has never sought a political office of any kind for himself, either by election or appointment. His religious connection is with the Christian church, of which he is an earnest, loyal and devoted member. A residence of forty-five years in Black Creek township has given him a very extensive acquaintance with its people, and those living in other parts of Shelby county, and has also given them an intimate knowledge of his worth as a man and his usefulness as a citizen, in consequence of which he is well esteemed in all parts of the county. His wife also stands well in the regard and good will of the people, and so do the other members of his family, all of whom exemplify in their daily lives the sterling traits of character that distinguish their parents.

Hiram Selsor

HIRAM SELSOR. This enterprising and progressive farmer and live stock breeder of North River township, Shelbj' county, has had a somewhat checkered and spectacular career in the nearly seventy years he has lived since his birth, and while the incidents and events that make uj) the story are all interesting, they are also altogether creditable to the subject of it in that they show him up as a man of force and self-reliance under all circumstances, and impelled by a high sense of duty in every case.

I he grew to the age of sixteen. He was of an adventurous disposition and longed to go abroad from his home and see something of the world. He therefore left Virginia in 1832 and came to Missouri, locating near Walkersville in Shelby county, and finding a home temporarily with the family of Richard Perry. From that home as a basis he went forth from time to time to different parts of the county, working on farms and as a carpenter in every section. Then during a period of about ten years he was engaged in the furniture trade in Shelbyville. He died at Huunewell in 1881.

The elder Mr. Selsor, father of Hiram, while not a great success in his business undertakings, was a good man and highly respected all over the county. In about 1838 he was married to Miss Keturah

Matlack, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Abraham Matlack, of that city, a retired sea captain. Of the ten children born of the union three are living: Hiram, the subject of this article; Henrietta, the wife of Marion Dill, of this county; and Anna, the widow of the late Frederick Mimch, of Slielbina. In politics the father was first a Whig and afterward a Republican. The mother, even though a married woman, was busily occupied in teaching school for many years, about twenty-five in all, although not continuously for that length of time. And it must be said in all truth to her credit that she was regarded as one of the best teachers in the county in her day.

Hiram Selsor attended the district schools in the county and the Shelbyville high school until he Avas about eighteen years of age. He then worked on the home 23lace and assisted the family until August, 1861, when he enlisted in the Federal army in defense of the Union, first in Berry's cavalry, which was stationed at St. Joseph, Missouri, and later in the Third Missouri cavalry under Col. John M. Glover. He was soon afterward commissioned as first lieutenant in Company A, 4th Arkansas Cavalry. This l^osition was gained by a competitive examination, several hundred competing, and his commission as lieutenant was sigTied by President Lincoln personally, and in that capacity he served until the close of the war, when he was mustered out at Little Rock. While in the 3rd Missouri Cavalry he took part in fiftyeight engagements, among them the principal ones being those at Bayumetre, Brownsville, and the capture of Little

After the war Mr. Selsor returned to Shelby county, and on November 2, 1865, was united in marriage with Miss Kate Hesler, of Lone House, a daughter of Fleming and Mary (Jordon) Hesler, natives of Kentucky, but for many years esteemed residents of this county. He then located on a farm and began a career as a farmer and live stock breeder, which has continued to the present time, except during the ten years he passed in Hunnewell in the drug trade. He now owns and cultivates 200 acres of land and carries on a flourishing live stock business as extensive as his acreage and other facilities will permit. He pushes both departments of his business with enterprise and manages them with good judsTuent, and they are both profitable to him as well as important to the township and county because of the aid they give in expanding the production and commerce of this portion of the state.

By his marriage with Miss Hesler Mr. Selsor became the father of six children, five of whom are living: Dr. William L. Selsor, of Shelbina; Catherine, the wife of Ray Moss, of Hunnewell ; Fred, who resides and is in business in Kansas City, Missouri; and Francis Ella and Beatrice, who are living at home with their parents. The father has always taken an earnest interest and an active part in the local public affairs of the township and county, and has been serviceable in promoting the welfare of both. Before his children grew to maturity he served on the school board, and in many other ways made his mark as a progressive and public-spirited citizen in reference to the general well-being and substantial progress of his locality. In politics he is a Republican, in fraternal life a member of the Grand Ai-my of the Republic and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In belief Mr. Selsor is an agnostic, while his wife is a member of the Christian church.

James H. Vanskike

A scion of old Kentucky and Maiyland families, James H. Vanskike, one of the substantial, enterprising and progressive farmers and stock men of Shell )y county, whose fine farm of 190 acres is located in Black Creek township, has well exemplified in his career the salient and sterling traits of character and habits of useful industry for which his ancestors were distinguished, and which have made the i^eople of those two states prosjierous and progressive at home and well esteemed abroad, securing for them honorable names in history and creditable mention in all the undertakings of the United States in peace and war.

Mr. Vanskike was born in Knox county, Missouri, on January 25, 18-48, and is a grandson of Jesse Vanskike, a native of Kentucky, where Jesse's son William, the father of James H., also was born, and where his life began in 1820. He became a resident of Missouri in 1835 and, after a short residence in Monroe county, moved to Shelby county. Here he remained until his marriage with Miss Sarah Todd, who was bom in Maryland, the marriage taking place in

Shelby county. He then preempted eighty acres of land in Knox county not far from the boundary of Shelby county, and on this farm he passed the remainder of his life, actively and prosperously engaged in general farming and raising live stock until his death in 1900.

lie and his wife were the parents of eight children, six of whom are living: John W., Charles and James H., who are residents of Shelby county; and Jesse, Thomas and George W., who live in Knox county. The father was a Republican in politics and a member of the Baptist sect in i-eligion. He was a man of great energy and activity, and rose to considerable prominence and influence because of his continued and general usefulness as a citizen. He took an earnest interest and an active part in the affairs of the counties in which he lived, helping to give their progress and development a substantial foundation and good speed in advancement.

His son, James H. Vanskike, grew to manhood on his father's farm and obtained his education in the Knox and Shelby county district schools. He took his part in the labors of the farm both while attending school and after completing his education, remaining with his parents and assisting the family until 1871. Tn that year he bought tlie farm on which he now lives seven miles west of Shelb>"ville. He has greatly improved it and added to its value by his industry and thrift and his excellent management of its general farming operations and the vigoi'ous and enterprising live stock business which he has long been conducting on it.

earnest and serviceable interest in local public affairs, serving as a member of the school board sixteen years, and in many other ways doing his full part in promoting the welfare of the township and county of his home and ministering to the increased comfort and prosperity and general well being of their people. His political faith and zealous support are given to the principles and candidates of the Republican party, and in fraternal life he is an Odd Fellow and in religion a member of the Missionary Baptist church. He was married on September 14, 1871, to Mrs. Nannie C. (Duncan) Dunn, a daughter of John S. and Matilda (Lyne) Duncan, of Shelbyville. Two children were born of the union, Sallie May, who is living at home with her parents, and Joseph S., an esteemed and prosperous citizen of this county. All the members of the family stand well with the people of their locality, who have found them worthy and estimable in all the relations of life.

James H. Tarbet

James H. Tarbet, who is one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens of Black Creek township in this county, where he owns and operates a tine farm of eighty acres, and where he has been for many years prominent in the public and official life of the township, is not a native of ]\lissouri, but has lived in Shelby county from the time when he was but a few months old, and may therefore be fairly regarded as a Shelby county product. He obtained his education in its district schools, has mingled for many years with apprecia- tion in its social life, made his whole career as a public official in the sei'\'ice of its people, and has passed all the years of his activity to this time in energetic and successful management of two of its leading industries, contributing to their growth and development.

Mr. Tarbet was bom on April 21, 1867. in Rush county, Indiana, and was brought to Shelby county, Missouri, before the end of the year of his birth. His grandfather, Eobert Tarbet, was a native of Kentucky, and in Fleming county of that state ^Ir. Tarbet 's father, John W. Tarbet, also came into being, his life having l)egun on October 16, 1840. He moved to Indiana a young man, and in 1867 brought his family to this state and located in Shelby county. For some years after his arrival liere he farmed on land which he rented. But later in life bought a farm of 160 acres, which he cultivated with vigor and profit until 1900, when he moved to Haskell county, Texas. In connection with his farming he kept a general store at Kirby, this county, for eleven years and also operated a threshing outfit. When he decided to move to Texas he sold all his possessions here. He was prominent also in the official activities of the county, serving veiy acceptably as a justice of the peace for sixteen years and in other ways of value making himself useful to the county and its people, and acquiring extensive influence and popularity among them, as a merchant, a farmer and a public spirited citizen.

He was married in 1864 to Miss Nancy E. Kenning, a resident of Indiana at the time of the marriage. They became the parents of fourteen children, ten of whom are living: James H., the subject of this review; John ^I., Charles F., George and Mary (twins), and Walter, all of whom reside in Haskell county, Texas ; Jesse E., whose home is in Grant county, Kansas; Thomas H. and Grover C. (also twins), the former a resident of Haskell county and the latter of Denton county, Texas; and Josephine, whose home is also in Haskell county, Texas. In politics the father is a staunch and loyal Democrat, always active and effective in the service of his party. Fraternally he is allied with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in religious affiliation he and his wife are members of the Christian church.

Their son, James H. Tarbet, grew to manhood on his father's fa inn, assisting in its labors while attending school, and working also on other farms in the neighborhood. He remained with his parents and gave them all the help he could until 1888, when he married and started a home of his own. During the next five years he rented farms, but in 1893, through industry, frugality and good management, found himself able to buy a farm and purchased the one on which he is still living. This comprises eighty acres of first rate land, and he has improved it with a taste and good judgment and brought it to a high state of productiveness by careful and intelligent cultivation. He also conducts a lively and profitable industry in raising and feeding live stock for the markets.

Mr. Tarbet has prospered in his business and has shown a good citizen's unfailing interest in the welfare and progress of the county. He was a member of the school board thirteen vears and is now serving as its clerk. In 1899 he was also appointed road overseer, and is still giving the people of the township excellent service in that capacity, having held the office continnously from the date of his first appointment. In political relations he adheres firmly to the principles of the Democratic party and is at all times one of its most energetic and effective working members. His fraternal connections are with the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are zealous and deeply interested communicants in the Christian church, in which they are both earnest and appreciated workers.

His marriage was solemnized on January 10, 1889, and was with Miss Harriet J. Robinson, a daughter of James and ^latilda (Schudy) Robinson, prominent and highly esteemed residents of Shelby county. Three children have been born of the union, and they are all living and still at home with their parents. They are Omer J., Velma L., and Esther May.

John G. Von Thun

John G. Von Thun is one of the highly successful and ]iros)ierous farmers and live stock men of Black Creek township, in this county, whither he was brought by his parents from the far distant land of his birth when he was but two years old. He was born on June 2, 1866, in the colony of Victoria, Australia. There the father, Nicholas Von Thun, a native of Germany, born in 1827, passed ten or twelve years of his life engaged in farming and teaching school. In 1868 he moved his family to Missouri and located in Shelby county. Here he bought land and was busily occupied in general farming until his death, in 1872.

He was married to Miss Caroline Burkhardt, who was also a native of Germany. Thfey had six children, four of whom are living: Henry, a sketch of whom will be found in this work; and Harman, John G. and Paul, all four residents of this county. The parents belonged to the Lutheran church and were among the original settlers in the German Lutheran community in this county, to whom is much indebted the industry, thrift, progressiveness and general good citizenship of the colony, for there were excellent men and women, giving faithful attention to every duty in public and ])rivate life, and both through their labors and the force of their example they gave the portion of the county in which they lived substantial prosperity and good speed on the road to high development.

John G. Von Thun, as has been noted, was an infant but two years old when his parents moved to the United States and located in Shelby county. He has passed all his subsequent years here, and while he has prospered himself in a worldly way, he has also been an important factor in promoting the general welfare and steady improvement of his township and county. He has always been energetic and enterprising with reference to all ])ul)li(' interests and has given everybody around him the stimulus of his own zeal and activity and the force of an excellent example for the good of the locality in which ho has so long lived and so effec-

Mr. Von Thun obtained his education in the district schools of this county and at an early age began working on neighborhood farms, and when he grew older rented land for himself and did considerable cropping. He kejjt this up until 1891, when he bought the land on which he now lives, and which has been his home and the seat of his enterprise ever since. He has carried on vigorous farming operations in a general way, with skill and enterprise, and he has also conducted a very active and extensive live stock industry. His farm is a fine one, well improved and highly productive, and he makes every hour of his work on its tell to his advantage.

On January 15, 1891, he was united in marriage with Miss Augusta Doss, a daughter of John and Henrietta (Treafald) Doss, first settlers in the German Lutheran community, coming here in 1865, and have since been worthy and appreciated residents of Shelby county. One child has been born of the union, a son named Albert, who is living at home . with his parents. He is a young man of promise, zealous in the performance of his duties and a credit to the family, standing well in the community and generally esteemed, as his parents also are, and as they all deserve to stand and be esteemed.

Harry H. Prange

Creek township, in this county, and one of the most energetic and public spirited of its citizens with reference to public improvements and the general progress and development of the township, Harry H. Prange is justly esteemed an excellent man to have as a resident of any wide-awake and enterprising community and as worthy of the regard and admiration of all persons who value his character of citizenship, which has been found very useful and based on proper ideals of manhood and duty to the region in which he lives.

Mr. Prange is a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was born on September 11, 1863. He is a son of John and Catherine (HjTiian) Prange, the former born in Germany in 183-t, and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. The father came to the United States early in the 60 's and located in Pennsylvania for a few years, then in 1866 moved his family to Missouri and found a new home in the German Lutheran colony in Shelby county. He was one of the first settlers in that colony and at once showed the sturdy and sterling traits of character and habits of industry and frugality which distinguished its residents and gave such an impetus to the development and improvement of the portion of the county in which the colony was located. He bought land there and followed farming and raising and feeding live stock for the markets with great vigor, skill and good management. He was successful in his business, and at the time of his death, which occurred on February 19, 1909, was a well-to-do man of considerable valuable property and excellent standing in his township. His marriage to

Miss Catherine Hyman took place in 1859, and by it he became the father of six children, all of whom are living, and all residents of Shelby county but one. They are: Harry, the subject of this brief memoir; Margaret, the wife of Jacob Gable ; Isabelle, the wife of Justice Echternacht; Christ, a prosperous Shelby county farmer ; Anna, the wife of Simon Gingrich; and Mary, the wife of Frank Wilt, who lives in Monroe county, Missouri. The father was a Republican in his political adherence and a member of the Dunkard, or German Baptist church, in his religious affiliation. The wife and mother departed from this life January 20, 1911.

Harry H. Prauge obtained a common school education at Hager's Grove, in this county, where the family located on its arrival in this part of the country. After leaving school he remained with his parents, working on the farm and assisting the family until 1900, when he bought a tract of land in tlie neighborhood of Kirby, on which lie has been fanning and raising live stock with success and increasing prosperity ever since, although he had practically nothing to start with. His farm comprises 160 acres of superior land, and he has cultivated it all in a manner in keeping with its high quality and great productiveness.

Mr. Prange was married on March 6, 1890, to ;Miss Minnie Doss, a daughter of John and Henrietta (Trefall) Doss, who have long been residents of Shelby county and enjoyed the respect of all its people. He did not, however, go at once to a farm of his own, but continued to live and work on the homestead of his parents ten years longer. The four children born of the union are all living and still have their home with their parents. They are Etta, Nannie, Ernest and Carl. The father trains with and supports the Republican party in political affairs, and has his religious affiliation with the Lutheran church, to which also the other members of the family belong and in which they all take an active and serviceable interest, as they do in all other commendable agencies for good, at work around them.

William T. Gibson

Born and reared to manhood in Virginia, and descended from families long resident in that state, William T. Gibson, one of the most prosperous and progressive fanners and live stock men in Black Creek township, Shelby county, this state, had from his childhood examples and traditions of high emprise to stimulate him to vigorous exertion and elevated manhood, and he has been true to them, taking his fate into his own hands at the age of twenty-two and seeking the advancement in life he had determined to secure by coming to a region far distant from the home of his birth and outside the pale of family influence or the generosity of friends to help him along.

In his new home he has kept in serviceable action through daily diligence the forces of inspiration within him, and has achieved a very substantial success in life to this time (1911). He has also adhered to the lessons of good citizenship which he learned in his boyhood and youth, and through the steady practice of the principles of manhood involved in them has risen to consequence and influence among the people, being regarded not only as one of the most enterprising and intelligent farmers in their midst, but also as one of the best citizens of his township.

Mr. Gibson was bom on January 30, 1863, in Montgomeiy county, Virginia, and is a son of John and Olive (Howrey) Gibson, the former born in the same county as his son and the latter in Floyd county in the same state, these being adjoining counties. His grandfather, also named John Gibson, was a native of Virginia, too, and passed the whole of his life in that state. The father was a general farmer and also a preacher of the gospel. He came to Missouri and resided in Shelby county until his death. In politics he was a Republican and his religious affiliation was with the Christian church. His marriage with Miss Olive Howrey took place in Virginia, and by it he became the father of nine children, seven of whom are living: Alice, the wife of Joseph Hall, of Virginia ; William T., to whom these paragraphs are specially devoted; John, who is a resident of Shelby county; Anna, the wife of Grant Winter, of Virginia; James, who also lives in that state; L>Tin, who is a resident of Nebraska; Ernest, whose home is in this county; and ^lary, the wife of "William Haffner, also a resident of Shelby county.

William T. Gibson obtained his education in the country schools of his native county. In 1885, when he was twentytwo years old, he came to iSIissouri and took up his residence in Shelby county. During the first three years of his residence in this count.v he worked as a hired man on farms, and in 1888 and 1889, just after his marriage, he lived on a farm he rented. In the year last mentioned he bought 140 acres of land and settled down on it with a view to improving it and making the most he could out of its cultivation and the live stock industry he started in connection with that. He has been very successful in his undertakings, and now owns and cultivates with vigor, enterprise and intelligence 540 acres, his farm being one of the best in Black Creek township. He has worked hard and attributes his success to his energy, continued industry and careful attention to every feature, jjliase and detail of his work.

^Ir. Gibson was married on January 21. 1888, to Miss Lydia M. Boyles, a daughter of Archibald Boyles, a resident of this county. Of the five children born of the union three are living, Ernest, Florence and Floyd, and all are still members of the parental family circle. The father is a Prohibitionist in politics and a member of the Christian church in his religious affiliation.

Jacob H. Merrin

This venerable and honored citizen of the city of Clarence, where he has maintained his home for more than forty years, and where he was president of the Clarence Savings Bank, has been closely identified with the civic and industrial ui)building of this section of the state and is one of the substantial capitalists and representative men of Shelby county, where he has ever commanded unqualified popular confidence and regard.

Mr. Merrin is oue of the. valued citizens contributed to ISiielby county by tiie line old Buckeye state, as lie was born in Monroe county, Uliio, on tlie 1st of August, 1827, being a son of John and tSallie (Beers) Merrin, the former of wlioin was born in the state of Mew Jersey, in 17yy, and the latter of whom was a native of Uhio, in which state their marriage was solemnized. John Merrin was one of the sterling pioneers of Ohio, and his vocation throughout his entire active career was that of farming. He passed the closing years of his life in Knox county, Ohio, where he died in 1849, and his wife survived him by a number of years, both having been zealous members of the Presbyterian church and his political support having been given to the Democratic party. Of the nine children of this union the subject of this review is the eldest of the four now living; John N. is a resident of Taylorville, Illinois ; Lodema is a resident of the state of Washington; and Mary Elizabeth is the wife of John O. Trimmer, of Moimd City, Missouri.

J acob H. Merrin, whose name initiates this article, was reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the primitive common schools of Knox county, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood and where he had his full (juota of experience in the reclaiming of land in the virgin forest and where he continued to be associated with his father in the work and management of the home farm until he had attained to his legal majority, when he initiated his independent career in connection with the same basic industry, which has ever constituted the bulwark of our national prosperity. He became the owner of a large tract of land in Knox county, Ohio, and reclaimed and developed a considerable ijortion of the same. He finally traded about 350 acres of his land for a stock of general merchandise, and for the ensuing two years he conducted a store at Fredericktown, Knox county. In 1865 Mr. Merrin traded his stock of merchandise for 320 acres of land in Monroe county, Missouri, where he devoted his attention to farming and stock-growing until 1876, when he removed to Shelby county and took up his residence in the village of Clarence, where he has maintained his home during the long intervening years. He became extensively engaged in farming and in the raising and buying of cattle, building up a large and prosperous business as a shipper of live stock, and with these lines of industry he continued to be actively identified until 1899, since which time he has lived virtually retired, having an attractive residence in Clarence, where he is also the owner of other valuable property, besides which he retains in his possession 420 acres of excellent farming land, the most of which is located in Clay township, this county. He was president of the Clarence Savings Bank from 1905 to 1911 and gave to the same a personal sui)ervisiou, having 1)een a potent factor in directing its affairs in such a way as to make the institution one of the solid and prosperous banks of the county. JMi-. Merrin has always stood representative of loyal and public-spirited citizenship and has done much to aid in the social and matei'ial development of his comnnmity. In pol- itics, though never a seeker of the honors or emoluments of public office, he has ever been arrayed as a staunch advocate of the principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor, and both he and his wife are active and valued members of the Presbyterian and Baptist churches.

Mr. Merrin has been twice married. In January, 1852, he wedded Miss Hannah Loree, of Knox county, Ohio, who died in 1893, and of their three children two are living, Ellen, who is the wife of William Wilt, of Clarence, and Effie D., who is the wife of James Woods, of Monroe county, this state. In 1897, December 19, Mr. ^lerrin was united in marriage to Mrs. ]\Iattie Stowe, of Macon county, who now presides over their pleasant home. Mrs. Merrin's maiden name was Mattie Randolph, a native of Kentucky. She came with her parents to Missouri when fifteen years of age. She has one son bv her former marriage, Monroe Stowe, of Macon county.

Theodore W. Feely

Enterprising, progressive and successful as a farmer and live stock man, prominent and sen'iceable in the official life and public affairs of the locality in which he lives, and standing high in the regard of the whole people of Shelby and Monroe counties, among whom he has passed all the years of his life to this time (1910), Theodore W. Feely, of Black Creek township, is justly entitled to the rank he holds in public esteem as a farmer and a citizen, and his excellent reputation as a man of great public spii'it and strong devotion to the best

Mr. Feely was bom in Shelby county, Missouri, on November 11, 1862. He is a grandson of Le Grand Feely, a native of Virgiina, and a son of James Le Grand and Mattie E. (Morrison) Feely, the former born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, on March 6, 1835, and the latter a native of Tazewell county, IlUnois. The father came to Missouri in 1856 and located at Shelbyville, where he worked at the carpenter trade for ten years. In 1866 he moved to the adjoining coimty of Monroe, and there was busily occupied in general farming and raising live stock until 1873. In that year he returned to this county and bought 127 acres of wild prairie land, on which he passed the remainder of his days, improving his untamed estate and making it over into an excellent and valuable farm.

His marriage with Miss flattie E. Morrison took place in 1858, and they became the parents of nine children, all of whom but the fifth in order of birth, a daughter named Carrie Belle, are liv^- ing. The eight who are living are : John A. and William M., residents of Hotchkiss, Colorado; Theodore W., whose life story is the special theme of this writing; James McKendree, whose home is in Shelbyville; Virginia Edna, the wife of Rev. W. D. Neale of Rocky Ford. Colorado; Charles R., an esteemed resident of this county; Stella, the wife Okf E. M. O'Bryen, of Shelbyville; and Silas Marvin, wlio is also a resident of Shelby county. The father was i)ublic administrator of Shelby county for a continuous period of twelve years. In political faith and activitv he was a member of the

Democratic party and prominent in the councils of and among the zealous workers for that organization. In fraternal life he was for many years a Freemason and in church relations a Southern Methodist. His death occurred on January 7, 1898, and that of the mother on February 11, 1907.

Their son, Theodore W., obtained his education in the countrj- schools in Mon- . roe and Shelby counties and a graded i public school in Shelbwille. After completing his education, and while acquir- »ing it, he assisted in the work on his father's farm, remaining with his parents and aiding the family all he could until 1886. He was married in that year, on September 15, to Miss Jennie M. Garrison, a daughter of J. W. and Mary (Francis) Garrison, natives of Virginia, but long residents of Shelby county, Missouri. Mr. Feely then bought an eighty-acre farm and on this he has ever since cai'ried on a flourishing business in general farming and raising and feeding live stock, in both of which he has been very successful and prosperous. He now owns 418 acres of tine and fertile land, and in his stock industiy gives his attention almost exclusively to breeding and dealing in Hereford cattle. In i^olitics he is a Democrat and as such has been a member of the school board continuously for twelve years. He is also a charter member of the Shelby County Railroad Company. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Church, South. They have had five children, all of whom are living: William L., who is a rising man in this county; Velma, the wife of R. D. Hatcher, also a

Silas Marvin Feely

Having built up a prosperous farming and live stock industry from practically nothing to start with, and aecom]jlished it all within the last ten years, and having also risen to a position of good standing and general esteem throughout the township and county of his home, Silas Marvin Feely, of Black Creek township, has demonstrated that he is made of the material that commands success, and has elevated ideals of citizenship in private life and with reference to all public affairs.

Mr. Feely is a native of Shelby county, born on August 10, 1879. He is a son of James Le Grand and Mattie E. (Morrison) Feely, an account of whose lives will be found in a sketch of their older son, Theodore W. Feely, elsewhere in this volume. Like his brother Theodore, Silas Marvin Feely obtained his education in the country schools near his father's farm and a graded public school in Shelbyville. He remained at home with his parents until 1901, aiding in doing the work on the homestead and giving the family all the assistance he could. In the year last named he rented a farm to go into business for himself as a farmer and live stock operator, and this farm he bought in 1903. It comprises 124 acres, is well improved and skillfully cultivated and has become one of the most desirable of its size in the township in which it is located. Both the general farming and the stock industry conducted by Mr. Feely are managed with wisdom and pushed with highly commendable enterprise and both are profitable.

Mr. Feely was married on December 25. 1901, to Miss Addie Marie Turner, a daughter of AVilliam R. and Mary (Doyle) Turner, esteemed residents of Shelby county. Three daughters have resulted from the union, Gertrude Marie, Mildred Elaine and Dortliy Lois, all of whom are living. In politics the father is a pronounced Democrat, with an abiding and helpful interest in the affairs of his party and steady activity in its behalf. His fraternal conection is with the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are consistent members of the Southern Methodist church, devoted to its welfare and energetic in helping to promote it, and the good of the community in general.

Mr. Feely is a young man yet, and the success and standing in life which he has already won are greatly to his credit. But his enterprise, correct and extensive knowledge of the work in which he is engaged, his devotion to its vigorous prosecution to the highest and best results, and his intelligent attention to its every requirement, give assurance that his ascent to higher altitudes and greater prosperity in connection with it will be steady and increase in speed. His uprightness and progressiveness as a citizen, which have secured for him the esteem of all who know him, also indicate that he is destined to more extensive popularity and stronger influence in ilic community of whicli he is so valued a member.

Charles R. Feely

This enterprising and progressive farmer and live stock dealer of Black Creek townshij^, in this county, who now lives on the family homestead and in the house in which he \vas born, is a brother of Theodore AV. and Silas M. Feely, of the same township, sketches of whom will be found in this work. In that of the former the family history is told at some length, the leading events in the lives of the parents being set forth somewhat in detail. The story of their lives and those of the lives of their sons, as they appear herein, show that the fiber of the family is firm, that its members have grappled with adverse conditions and become masters of them and that attention to the duties of elevated citizenship has been one of their prominent characteristics, and continues in the sons as it was exemplified by the parents, with advantage to themselves and decided benefits to the community in which all have had their homes.

Charles R. Feely was born on August 7, 1874, in Shelby county, Missouri. He obtained his education in the district schools, and worked on the parental acres while attending and after leaving those valued institutions for mental training and the inculcation of sterling qualities of manhood and womanhood. He remained with his parents until 1900, then bought an eighty-acre farm, which he has increased to 255 acres. He has the whole tract under skillful and advanced cultivation and reaps an abundant harvest of profits from his outlay (if onterjirise and labor. His specialties in tlie live stock line of his business are

Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs, of which he handles large numbers and with them keeps the markets in which he deals active and well supplied. Through his activity in this respect he has also helped considerablj^ to improve the grades of stock he favors throughout Shelby county and the adjoining counties of the state, and has thereby been of great benefit to this whole region.

Mr. Feely was married on February 11, 1903, to Miss Lizzie Christian, of AVarren, Missouri. They had one child, their son, Donovan Eead, who is being indoctrinated in the tenets and principles of business so successfully pursued by bis parents, and who, although very young yet, is showing himself to be an apt and responsive student. In political faith and allegiance the father is a firm and faithful member of the Democratic party, and gives its principles and candidates his earnest support in all campaigns. In fraternal relations he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and his religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. His wife is a member of the Missionary Bai^tist church. Mrs. Feely died December 29, 1903. Mr. Feely again married, November 10, 1909, to Lu Verne Hallenbeck, of this county, a daughter of Silvesta Hallenbeck.

Like his younger brother, Silas AI. Feely, Charles E. is yet a young man, and his success has been won within a few years. It also gives great promise for the future, both with reference to his own esate and the general improvement and advance of the townshi]i and county of his home, in which he takes a very active interest and in promoting their welfare bears a zealous, helpful and important part of the work. He and his wife are among the most useful and esteemed residents of Black Creek township.

Edward M. Coe

The grandson of a Virginia planter who came to the United States from Enghmd and settled in the Old Dominion soon after our Revolutionary war, whose name also was Edward, and the son of David J. and Elizabeth (Skinner) Coe, who were born and reared in London county of that state, Edward M. Coe, one of the prominent farmers and stock breeders of Black Creek township in this county, inherited from his ancestors, and acquired in association with the people of his native place, qualities of sturdy independence and sterling manhood which gave him self-reliance and have been among the leading elements of the business success he has achieved. He also inherited from his progenitors a spirit of valor and military prowess which made the l)attlefield seem to them and him a place of sanctity when duty called them to it. His grandfather and all the sons of his household took part in the war of 1812, and rendered their country valiant service in that short but sanguinary conflict. And when our Civil war began, the second Edwai'd and representative of the third genei-ation of patriots in this country, promptly took his place in the ranks of one of the contending armies as a private soldier, and offered his life bravely in defense of his convictions.

manhood and obtained bis education tbere. He came to ^Missouri in 1843, arriving on February 4 of that year. He bad been well trained in a variety of pursuits, as after returning from tbe war of 1812, his father engaged in fanning, milling and raising live stock, and as he was successful in all these lines of business, and carried on extensively in each, bis offspring had tbe benefit of his acumen and capacity which aided him in acquiring knowledge of them and skill and enterprise in conducting them. Tbe father's marriage with Miss Elizabeth C. Skinner occurred on July 1, 1820, and resulted in tbe production of three children, of whom Edward M. is tbe only one now living. In politics the father was a Whig and in fraternal life a member of the Masonic order.

On his arrival in this state Edward M. Coe first located in Knox county, but soon afterward moved to Marion county, where he remained four years. In 1847 he changed bis residence to Lewis county, and in bis new location built a mill, which he operated three years. A desire to see tbe farther West had seized hold of him by tbe end of that period, and in 1850 he made a trip to Oregon, which was just then pleading earnestly for settlers to take possession of and enjoy the gi-eat bounty and rich opportunities that lay for all comers in tbe expanding lap of that region. Three years on tbe Pacific slope satisfied him and at the end of that period be returned to Missouri and again took up bis residence in Knox county. He I'emained there until 1895, then moved to Shelbj' county, and here be has been fanning and raising considerable (piantities of live stock

Mr. Coe's farm comprises 321 acres of choice land and is located near Sbelbyville. It is one of the best in the county, and is jiarticularly well adapted to bis live stock industry and adequately equipped and fitted up for conducting the business in the most progressive and satisfactory manner. The farm is the attractive and valuable home of his family, which consists of bis wife and six living children - Edward and Marion, who ai*e still living with their parents; Andrew N., who resides in Atlanta, ^lissouri; Frances R., tbe vrife of Samuel Mason, whose home is in Knox county, this state; Ella, the wife of N. S. Taylor, who is also a resident of Knox county; and Lydia, the wife of William Collins, of Shelby county.