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The Departure from the Wood River Encampment, May 14, 1804
By Gary R. Lucy
History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland Counties Missouri.
Pendleton & Grant County Biographies.
Most generously transcribed and submitted to me by Nancy
Bray.
Thank you so much Nancy, you are vital asset & a
wonderful supporter of the site!
The
following biographies were taken from the book : History of Lewis,
Clark, Knox, and Scotland Counties Missouri. This book was originally
published by the The Goodspeed Publishing Co in 1887. I ordered my copy
from Janaway Publishing, Inc. It had to be reprinted, so it took about
8 weeks to receive. The book contains 1229 pages and deals with the
history of the above mentioned counties, and has a section of
biographies. I have scanned through it and pulled the ones that mention
Pendleton County. There are some that are also Grant Co,. If I knew the
connection to Pendleton County, I also included that. There were
several people mentioned in the book that had Kentucky connections, but
did not give the county. If you think one of your ancestors settled in
any of these counties, I will be happy to check for you. I hope that
you enjoy these selections, and also hope that maybe some will break
down a brick wall or two. There will be about 32 different biographies,
so just bare with me, because it may take a while to type them up.
Nancy Bray
CBray53321@aol.com
Lewis County, Missouri
O. S. Barker,
furniture dealer and undertaker, was born in Grant County, Ky., August
21, 1834. He was reared and educated in that county, and followed the
carpenter's trade until about 1862, when he engaged in his present
business. He had come to La Grange in 1855, with his father, and at the
latter's death, about 1875, he took charge of the business, and in
1883, added a line of furniture. He was married in 1857 to Sarah F.
Smith, a native of this county. Their children consist of four
daughters and three sons, two of the latter and on of the former now
deceased, as is also the mother. Their eldest daughter is a graduate of
La Grange College. The father, Reuben L., was a native of Grant County,
Ky., where he was born in 1813. He was a carpenter, and in 1855 came to
La Grange, where the mother, Bertha (Brown), a native of the same
county, is still living. They have three sons and two daughters. The
paternal grandfather, Stephen, was a soldier of the Revolution, and
died in Kentucky.
David Newton Glaves,
farmer, was born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1821, the son of Michael
and Patsy (Clarkson) Glaves, the former of Irish ancestry, and born in
Virginia, and the latter a native of Bourbon County, Ky., born about
1801. The grandfather, Michael, Sr., was a native of Ireland. The
father came to Pendleton County, Ky., as a young man, and was married
in 1819, and died only four years later. He was in the war of 1812. The
mother came to this county in 1857, where she died in 1872. Our subject
was reared by his mother, chiefly, and with few educational advantages.
When nineteen he began farming independently, and caring for his
mother. He was married in 1847, to Nancy, a daughter of Graham and
Elizabeth Wallace, and a native of Harrison County, Ky. Their children
are James H., Elizabeth, John N., Martha, William M., Robert G., and
David J. (a lawyer, and present clerk of the State Senate). Our subject
came to this county in 1857, and four years later bought 120 acres of
his present farm, which now embraces 360 acres of finely improved land.
He also owns forty acres elsewhere. He is a Democrat, and first voted
for Polk, and is a prominent member of the Masonic order. He and his
family are Baptists.
James R. Glaves,
farmer and stock raiser, was born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1830,
the son of Thomas T. and Elizabeth (Dance) Glaves, the former of
English descent, born in Virginia in 1972, and the latter of the same
State, born in 1800. The father came to Pendleton County, Ky., in his
youth, and died in 1843. The mother lived in Kentucky from infancy, and
in 1864 came to this county, where she died November 6, 1884. Our
subject, the fourth of seven children, educated himself, and lived with
his mother from his twelfth year to his majority. At the age of
eighteen he began learning the blacksmith's trade, and three years
later began independently, excelling especially in horseshoeing. In
1855 he came to this county, and farmed with his brother. Olivia N.,
the daughter of Nimrod Walters, became his wife October 24, 1858. She
was born in this county in 1842. Their children are John T., Mary A.
(wife of P. M. Day), William E., Sarah E., Emmet, Robert C., Charles N.
Nimrod, Alma and Albert (twins), Archie, Daisy M. and Franklin P. He
came--after six years in Highland Township--in 1863 to his estate of
160 acres, and in 1879 traded it for his present home. He has four
farms in this county, and erected many buildings; he owns at present
400 acres, and is an influential citizen. He is a Democrat, and voted
for Pierce. He is a Mason, and he and his wife and three children are
members of the Christian Church, of which he is a deacon.
William M. Glaves,
merchant, was born in Lewis County, September 9, 1858, the son of
William M. and Mary A. (Wallace) Glaves, the former born in 1820, in
Pendleton County, Ky., where he married in 1846. In 1851 he came to
this county, and finally became owner of 560 acres of land, and died in
August, 1881, as a prominent citizen. The mother, born in the above
county in Kentucky, in 1827, has had eleven children. Our subject, the
seventh, was educated at La Grange College, and lived at home until
twenty-three years of age. January 31, 1884, he married Emma, daughter
of Walton True, and born in Knox County, Mo., in May 1865. Their only
child, Elbert V., was born February 14, 1885. Since April, 1884, our
subject has been a merchant at Monticello, the only one in the place,
and has met with marked success. He is a Democrat, and first voted for
Hancock. He has been a steward and superintendent of Sunday schools in
the Methodist Episcopal Church, serving four years in the latter
position. His wife is a member of the same church.
Robert G. Glaves
is a farmer and stock raiser. He was born April 6, 1859, in this
county, the sixth of seven children of D. N. and Nancy A. (Wallace)
Glaves, the former of Scotch-Irish ancestry, born in Pendleton County,
in 1821. The grandfather, Michael, was a Virginian, the son of Michael,
Sr., a native of Ireland. The younger Michael went to Kentucky, where
he married and had two children. He was accidentally killed by a horse,
when D. N., the father, was about eighteen months old. The father was
meagerly educated, and was married December, 1847. In 1857 he came to
this county, and since 1861 has lived on his present farm, which
embraces 360 acres. Both parents are Baptists. Our subject attended La
Grange College for one term, and was married December 24, 1884. His
wife, Sallie T., is the daughter of John N. and Martha A. Turner, and a
native of this county. He has since lived on his present farm which
includes 160 acres on Oyster Prairie. He is a thorough business man,
and has engaged largely in stock raising. He voted for Gen. Hancock,
the candidate of his party. He and his wife are Baptists. The
grandfather, Michael, was a lieutenant in the war of 1812, and his
sword and watch are in possession of the family of the father, D. N.
The watch has served as time-piece for two generations.
John W. Johnson,
farmer and blacksmith, was born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1833, the
third of eight children of Jeremiah and Jane (Humphrey) Johnson, born
in the above county in 1809, on October 5 and October 9, respectively.
The grandfather, Nelson, came to this county in 1835, and located near
Monticello as a farmer. The father was reared in the above county, and
married in 1830. He removed to this county with his father, and in
1844, went to Canton, where he engaged in blacksmithing. He was a
captain in the militia, and started to help to adjust the Missouri-Iowa
boundary line question, but which was settled before his arrival. He
died in January, 1849. He held to the Methodist faith, while his wife
belonged to the Baptist Church. Our subject remained at home until he
was twenty-four years of age, and received a good business education.
In his youth he was the main support of his father's family. He was
married in 1857 to Christenah, a daughter of William and Frances Cave.
She was born in Marion County in 1836. Their children are Frances Mary,
the wife of F. M. Wagner; Rebecca, the wife of J. S. Shackleford;
Walter D.; Edna; William; Jerry; David and Abner. He lived for a time
at Barr's mill, and since then has been on his present farm, with the
exception of three years at Durham, where he has been engaged in
blacksmithing. Farming has been his chief occupation, and he has also
been successfully engaged as a teacher. In 1878 he became a justice,
but resigned about a year later. He was reared a Whig, but since the
was has been a Democrat. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. and he, his
wife, and six children are members of the Baptist Church.
A. C. Levengood
was named in honor of Alexander Campbell. His birth occurred in
Pendleton County, Ky., in 1843, he being son of Rev. Peter and
Catherine (Orr) Levengood, natives of Bourbon County, Ky. The father
was a minister of the Christian Church until his death in 1848, having
spent his entire life in Kentucky. Our subject came to this State when
he was about seventeen years of age, and , after ten years in Scotland
County, he moved to his present home. His estate embraces 200 acres of
fine land, well improved. He married in Scotland County to Nancy, a
daughter of James Hook, a native of Kentucky. Their children were
Lillie M., Lizzie, Stella (deceased), Sarah C., Oral and Eva. Our
subject is a Democrat, and is of Irish-German origin.
David Peterson,
farmer, was born in Luzerne (now Wyoming), county, Penn., in December,
1835, the son of Jarius and Hannah (Post) Peterson. At an early day
three brothers came from England, and located in Orange County, N. Y.
The father, a descendant of theirs, was born in 1803, in that county,
and the mother in 1809 in Luzerne County, Penn. She died in 1854, and
the father married Clarinda Sprague, who now lives in Lake County, Ind.
The father was a farmer, and in 1850 left Pennsylvania, and went to the
latter county. He died in 1869. Our subject, one of twins in a family
of eleven children, lived in Indiana after his fourteenth year, but had
lived with his grandparents from his eight year. He worked at various
things in Indiana, and in 1856 went to Iowa and the following year
removed to this county. March 10, 1859, he married Mary E., daughter of
John and Annie E. Wright, and born in Scott County, Ky., in 1833. Their
children are Eliza A., and James H. He then began farming in this
township, where he bought property. In August, 1865, his wife died, and
seven years later he married Eliza A., a daughter of G. B. Sharp, and
born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1850. Their children are Lucretia,
Janie, Jarius, David, Ollie and George. She died in October, 1886. He
had begun the carpenter's trade in 1865, which he has continued, until
about three years ago. Since 1870 he has been on his present estate,
which embraces 207 acres. He first voted for Bell, has since been a
Republican. He is a member of the Baptist Church, and of the
Anti-Horse-Thief-Association.
John S. Shackleford,
farmer and stock raiser, was born in Palmyra in 1836, the eldest of
nine children of John B. and Sarah (Abell) Shackleford, natives of
Kentucky, and born in 1815, the former in January, and the latter in
October. The grandfather, John, was a pioneer of Palmyra, where he was
a hotel proprietor, and spent his later years. The father was reared in
Kentucky, and married in 1835. He then came to this State, and after a
year at Palmyra came to this county. The following year he bought
several hundred acres of land near the site of Durham, where he became
an influential farmer. He died February 1, 1881, and the mother
followed him October 9, 1886. Both were members of the Baptist Church.
The common schools, gave our subject few school advantages, and in 1858
he married Mary, a daughter of John and Julia Wallace, formerly of
Kentucky. She was born in 1838 in this county. Their only child, Sarah,
is now Mrs. Quinn. Our subject has been on his present estate since
1869. It comprises 520 acres of well improved land at his home, and 160
acres not far distant. He has been a successful stock raiser as well as
farmer. He was on Porter's raid in Northeast Missouri, was captured in
1862, taken to Palmyra and St Louis, and finally imprisoned at Alton.
He has always been a Democrat, and he and his family are members of the
Baptist Church. (Julia McCann Wallace was the daughter of Leanty
and Mary Dawson McCann of Pendleton County, Ky. Leanty, and his first
wife Margaret, were the ggggrandparents of Nancy Bray).
G. B. Sharp,
farmer, was born in Lexington, Ky., in 1820, the son of James and Jane
(Calahan) Sharp, the former of English stock, born in 1797 in Kenton
County, Ky., and the latter in North Carolina in 1793, of Welsh-Dutch
origin. The father lived in Fayette County til 1827, when he moved to
Kenton County, where he died two years later. He was a soldier of 1812.
The mother died in 1852. Their children are Margaret A. (the widow of
J. P. Hughes), G. B., Louisa J. (the wife of L. Van Landingham), and
Anna M. (the wife of W. Van Landingham). Our subject was seven years
old when they went to Kenton County, and made his home with his mother
for twenty years after. In April, 1847, he married Harriet Norton, of
Grant County, Ky., who was born in 1831. Their only child is George B.
In 1852-54 our subject taught penmanship, and then moved to Schuyler
County, Ill., in the same work. In 1856 his wife died, and he returned
to Kentucky, and in February, 1858, married Mary J. Lummis, who was
born in Grant County, Ky., in 1839. Soon after marriage he went to his
120 acre estate in Illinois, but in 1868 sold out and bought eighty
acres of his present home, which now embraces 247 acres. He is a Mason;
as a Democrat, he first voted for Polk. He and his wife and four
children are members of the Baptist Church, of which he is a trustee.
His children are Arnold D., James O., Newton E., Ollie E., Richard E.,
Charles W. and Martha A.
Hon. R. M. Wallace,
editor and proprietor of the La Grange Democrat, was born in this
county in 1846. He was reared on a farm, and graduated from La Grange
College in the class of 1872. The Democrat was founded the same year by
T. O. Towles & Co., with our subject as local and Mr. Towles as
managing editor. Three years later our subject purchased the entire
outfit, and has since published the paper as an advocate of Democratic
principles. Mr Wallace was public administrator from 1876 to 1880, and
was a member of the Legislature from the later date until 1884. He is a
present clerk of the Agricultural Committee of Congress. The year of
his graduation he married Hattie A., a daughter of Henry H. Downing, a
pioneer of Scotland County. They have had two sons and one daughter.
Our subject is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and member of the A. O. U. W. He
and his wife are members of the Baptist Church. The paternal
great-grandfather, a Scotchman, located in Virginia. Graham, the
grandfather, was reared and married in Kentucky, and long after came to
this county, where he died. He was in the war of 1812, under Gen.
Harrison. The father, John, was born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1812,
and there married Julia A. McCann, and in 1832 came to what is now
Dickerson Township. They afterward settled in Highland Township, where
they died in 1864 and 1868, respectively. Our subject is one of twelve
children, eight of whom grew to maturity. (Will add just a little
information here on John and Julia McCann Wallace, which is taken from
the Barton Papers: They were married in Pendleton County, Ky., and
emigrated to Lewis County, Missouri shortly after marriage with her
mother's family. The Wallaces settled on a Lewis Co. farm about 3 miles
directly south of what is now the town of Ewing, Mo. Ewing, Mo. is
either on the land or the edge of the land once belonging to Julia's
half brother William Dodd Ewing. They spent the remainder of their
lives on this farm. They had one daughter who was named Mary, and who
married Sam Schackleford and spent her entire life on the Wallace
homestead--The Schacklefords had but one child, a daughter Elizabeth
who married Wm. Quinn. The Quinns had three children-a daughter, and
Sam and Wm. Quinn. The youngest of the Quinn boys is now our State Rep.
to Jefferson City, Mo. The daughter married a doctor and moved
away--the other boy is a prosperous farmer. John and Julia Wallace had
among others a son, John (II) who married and spent his entire life in
Lewis Co., Mo. John (II) Wallace's children were Bob Wallace, still
living (about 85)in Lewis Co.-no children; John Wallace deceased, left
heirs in Lewis Co., Mo.; Sally Wakefield deceased left one daughter
(Mrs. Roberts, Canton Mo.); Dr. Earnest Wallace deceased left a
daughter married and living LaBelle, Mo. The old Wallace homestead
which joined the Ewing homestead has been sold. Just prior to coming to
Missouri John Wallace was made guardian of the two Ewing children who
were half-sister and half brother to his wife Julia McCann. William
Ewing lived with his half sister Julia McCann Wallace until he married
in 1851. The other Ewing child was named Elizabeth. Julia's father
Leanty died in 1820, and her mother, Mary "Polly Dawson McCann"
remarried to a John Ewing. They had two children, and after John's
death, she came with John and Julia to Missouri. Mary Dawson is buried
in the Ewing-Wallace-McCann burial ground about 3 miles south of Ewing,
Lewis Co., Mo. She died 9-28-1838 age 55--she is named as Mary, the
wife of John Ewing).
William H. Wallace,
farmer, and breeder of Shorthorn cattle and good stock generally, was
born in 1849, in this county, the fifth of seven living children of
John and Julia (McCann) Wallace, natives of Pendleton County, Ky., born
in 1812 and 1815, respectively. The father was of Scotch ancestry, the
son of Graham, a Virginian by birth, and a lieutenant in the war of
1812, from Kentucky, who served in the Northwest and afterward in the
South. He headed a company to New Orleans, and arrived the day after
the battle. He had few advantages, and spent his young manhood in
Kentucky, learning the millwright trade, with a Mr. Makemson, whose
daughter he afterward married. His wife taught him to read, and his
studious habits afterward made him well informed in history. He died
about 1870. He had erected mills in Kentucky, Ohio and Missouri. The
father was reared and married in his native State, and in 1835 came to
this county, where he soon became a prominent farmer and stock grower.
He died in 1864, and his widow five years later. Both were devoted to
the Baptist faith, and the father was a deacon of the church for many
years. Our subject lived with his parents until their deaths, and
received few school advantages. On December 25, 1872, Anna E., a
daughter of John B. and Sarah (Abell) Shackleford, became his wife.
Their children are John R., Mellie, Elbert, James, Sallie, Hester and
Maggie. He soon removed to Salem Township, and in 1875 bought his
present estate, a fine farm of 326 acres. He also has about 100 acres
in another tract. A part of this was inherited. He is a Democrat, and
first voted for Greeley. He is a Master of the A. O. U. W. lodge, at
Lewiston, and he and his wife are members of the Baptist Church.
James B. Wallace,
farmer, was born in 1814, in Pendleton County, Ky., the son of Graham
and Elizabeth (Makemson) Wallace, the former of Scotch descent, born in
Fayette County, Ky., in 1789. He was a millwright, and in later life a
farmer, having married in Harrison County, Ky., and moved to Pendleton
County, and then to this one, where he became owner of 240 acres. He
was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died in 1870. The mother of Irish
descent, born in Harrison County, Ky., in 1792, and deceased in this
county in 1861. Our subject, the second of eleven children, was
educated in his native county, and lived at home until of age. In 1836
he married Parthena, a daughter of John and Cleopatra (Clay) Turner,
and who was born in Pendleton County, Ky., in 1815, and deceased in
June, 1882. Their children are Lucretia, the wife of Thomas Piner;
Lizzie, the wife of W. H. Brisco; Graham S.; Cleopatra F. and Thomas C.
He then began farming, and in 1857 bought 440 acres, where he has since
resided. He has been most successful as a farmer and stock raiser. His
two-story brick residence was erected in 1875, at a cost of $2,400. He
is a Democrat, and first voted for Harrison as a Whig. He was a captain
in the militia, and is a Mason. He has been deacon for the past twenty
years, and for thirty-five years a member of the Missionary Baptist
Church.
This is the conclusion of the Lewis County biographies.
Clark County, Missouri
John M. Crook,
a prominent pioneer of Clark County, was born May 13, 1823, in Grant
County, Ky. His is the only living child of William and Nancy (McCann)
Crook, the former of English origin, born in 1796, in Bourbon County,
Ky., and the latter a native of Virginia, of Irish descent. After a
youth spent in Mason County, Ky., the parents married and came to
Pendleton County, and thence to Grant County, from which place they
immigrated to Quincy, Ill., when our subject was twelve years old. They
lived chiefly at Burton until 1838, when they came to Winchester, and
here died, the mother in 1850, and the father in 1879. The father was a
skillful cabinet-maker, but during his western residence was devoted
chiefly to farming. Our subject lived with his parents until the age of
twenty-four, and in the meantime had leaned the plasterer's trade. He
continued this business until 1854, when he married, and after two
years in Winchester began farming. It was three years later that he
moved to another farm, and about the same length of time afterward he
went to Kansas. He spent but a short time there, and then came to his
present home. In 1868 he spent a few months working on the Union
Pacific Railway, in Colorado. His wife, Armilda, a daughter of Lawrence
and Mary (Norton) Buskirk was born September 25, 1831, in Grant County,
Ky., and was married May 7, 1864. Their children are Mary E., Nancy A.,
Sarah J., Mattie and Willie. Our subject is a reliable and respected
citizen, and has held the political principles of the Whig and
Republican parties in succession. He served as constable for eight
years. He and his wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
(Another bit of added information: Nancy McCann Crook was the daughter
of Leanty McCann and his first wife Margaret. Leanty and Margaret
McCann, along with 4 other family members came to America from Tyrone
County, Ireland in the year of 1789, and settled in Berkley County,
Virginia.)
John Ewing
was born in Pendleton, Ky., December 1, 1821, and is the son of Elijah
and Susanna (Makemson) Ewing, both natives of the same county in
Kentucky, and of German and Irish descent, respectively. They were
married in Kentucky, and the father farmed here for some time, when an
anxiety to go west came over him; consequently he immigrated to
Northeast Missouri, and located in Lewis County in 1835, where he was
numbered among the pioneer settlers. In 1836 he moved to Clark County,
and remained here for thirty-three years, or until his death in 1869,
at the age of seventy-two. He was a Democrat in politics, and was for
many years a worthy and useful member in the Baptist Church. His wife
was a member of the same church. Our subject was but fourteen years old
when brought to Clark County. His father and others of his neighbors
built a rude log house, split logs for seats and desks, and hired a
teacher for the winter term of three months' school. These advantages
our subject had for an education. He had property which he improved up
to the age of twenty-eight, when he left the paternal roof, and
immigrated to California during the first gold fever excitement. After
remaining in the Pacific State for two years he returned to Missouri,
where he has ever since lived. He married Miss Mary Frances Cornelius,
daughter of Reuben and Elizabeth Cornelius, both natives of Kentucky.
By hard work and economy he has reared and educated his three sons, all
of whom are intelligent, enterprising men. The eldest son, James H.,
was married in November, 1884, to Miss Elmira I. Suter, of Clark
County. J.S. and B.F., are single, and make their home with their
parents. Our subject is one of Clark County's most enterprising
farmers. He has over 240 acres of land well stocked and well improved.
During the war he was in the militia for a few months, and in several
skirmishes in Northeast Missouri. Our subject is a Democrat in his
political views, but was formerly a Whig. He is a member of the Grange
society, and he and wife are members of the Baptist Church.
William T. Turner
was born in Scotland County, Mo., July 27, 1857, and is the eldest son
of John M. Turner, a native of Pendleton County, Ky. The mother, whose
maiden name was McMana, was also a native of Pendleton County, Ky.,
born June 2, 1823. John M. Turner was nine years old at the time of his
father's death, and he made his home in Kentucky with a cousin, Joseph
Wallace, by whom he was partly raised. At the age of twenty-one he
became desirous of immigrating to the West, and this he finally did,
locating in Lewis County, Mo., where he followed agricultural pursuits.
At the age of twenty-two he moved to Scotland County, where he resided
for over twenty years, engaged as before in tilling the soil. When he
first came to the latter county he married Miss Ellen McMana, a native
of Kentucky, and the daughter of Joseph McMana. The fruits of this
union were five children: Mary F. (Mrs. John St Clair), William T.,
George H. and Henry W. (twins), and Robert F. (died in 1867) In 1877
the father sold out in Scotland County and farmed on rented land one
year, in Knox County, while prospecting. By the following year he had
located a place in Clark County, which he purchased, and lived upon
until September 3, 1886, when death claimed him as a victim. He was a
Democrat in politics, and a member of the Baptist Church. His widow
resides in Clark County, and her son, George H., lives with her and
manages the farm. She is also a member of the Baptist Church. Our
subject is the eldest of five children. He secured a good education in
the common schools of Scotland County, and at the age of eighteen he
married Miss Isabella Russell, a daughter of Thomas Russell, of
Schuyler County, Mo. For the first year after marriage our subject and
wife resided in Knox County, but the following year they moved to Clark
County, where they rented land until 1882, when they purchased a
farm--the same which Mr. Turner has since nicely improved. It consists
of 160 acres, all well stocked and well improved. He is a Democrat in
politics, and a member of the Baptist Church.
This ends the biographies of Clark County, Missouri.
Knox County, Missouri
Samuel G. Holmes,
long a resident of Knox County, and a business man of Newark, was born
in Kentucky, September 5, 1809, and is a son of Thomas Holmes, who was
born near Pittsburgh, Va. in 1787, but afterward came to Kentucky, and
settled on a farm in Harrison County where he ranked among the leading
citizens. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving as a volunteer
for six months under Capt. Brown (afterward a lawyer of Harrison
County). He also served as justice of the peace in that county for many
years, and after selling his farm in Kentucky in 1839 purchased one in
Marion County, Mo., where he resided until 1861, and then sold all his
possessions and came to Newark to spend the residue of his life with
his son. He died in 1869. The mother of our subject, Jane (Vance)
Holmes, was born in Virginia in 1786, and was married in Pendleton
County, Ky., in 1808. She died one month before her husband, at the
residence of her son in Newark, leaving many friends to bemoan their
loss. Our subject is the eldest son, and came to Marion County, Mo., in
1837, his family following in 1838; here he entered land until he owned
200 acres, upon which he lived until the spring of 1857, when he sold
his farm, and entered into mercantile life at Newark, where he is now
in business, owning a nice stock of groceries and controlling a good
trade. While in Kentucky, in the year 1835, he married to Judith E.
Applegate, and to them the following children were born; William, Mary
S. (wife of William M. Bromson), Elizabeth and Samuel G. Mrs. Holmes
died in 1856, in the month of December, and our subject then married
Martha A. Bromson, and to them John M. and Addie have been born. Mr.
Holmes is a Republican, and assisted in the organization of the I. O.
O. F. lodge at Newark, and several other places. He is public-spirited,
taking interest in the general welfare of his county, and donates to
all laudable enterprises.
Dr. Robert McReynolds
is a native of Missouri, and was born in Knox County in 1847. His
father, Burditt McReynolds, a pioneer of this county, was born in North
Carolina, and is of Irish descent. Our subject's mother was born in
Kentucky, and is of German descent, her maiden name being Catherine
Dale. Our subject's father came to this county in infancy, and his
grandfather, Dale, an only son, became the father of one son and seven
girls. In the family of our subject's grandfather, McReynolds were
eight children--five boys and three girls. Burditt McReynolds became
one of the most prominent men of this county. He was enterprising,
public-spirited, and was honored by all. He was a practitioner of
medicine, and an active member of the Democratic party, and his life
was mainly spent in Knox County. He educated a family of sixteen
children, twelve of whom grew to maturity, and these twelve yet
survive. Burditt McReynolds died at the age of sixty-four years, and
his wife at the age of fifty-three. Both were members of the Missionary
Baptist Church. He was in the late war six months, and spent a
considerable time in prison. Dr. Robert McReynolds, the eldest son of
Burditt, remained with his parents until the age of nineteen, having
previously received a liberal education. He then attended the seminary
at Monticello one year, after which he taught four years in Northeast
Missouri, meeting with fair success. His father had designed him for
the study of medicine at an early age, and hence, at odd intervals, he
read and studied medical works. At the age of fifteen he was reading
under Dr. Alonzo Condict, a talented physician, and later read under
Dr. McReynolds, whose biography appears elsewhere. In 1868-69 he
attended medical lectures at the St. Louis Medical School, where, in
due time, he graduated. He then practiced medicine, and taught school
for nearly four years, and in the winter of 1873-74 took up his old
text-book and again attended medical lectures at St. Louis. He also
received a few lectures at Keokuk, Iowa. He then located in Myrtle
Township, where he practiced until this town was laid out, and here he
has resided ever since, engaged in active and remunerative practice. He
now owns several small farms in Myrtle and Jeddo Townships,--500 or
more acres in all. In 1877 our subject was united in marriage to Miss
Nettie Marksberry, a native of Grant County, Ky. She is a daughter of
John S. Marksberry, a prominent citizen of that State. To this marriage
two children have been born--Uriel and Ralph. Our subject, like his
father, is a strong Democrat, and is a social, genial gentleman. His
wife is a member of the Christian Church.
Dr. James Myers,
a leading physician of Knox County, was born in Kentucky February 11,
1848. His father, Rev. William Myers, was born in Pendleton County,
Ky., in 1806; came to Scotland County, Mo., in 1837, and located upon a
farm, but has since lived at various places in Knox, Clark and Scotland
Counties, and is now living with his son in Greensburg. He is a
minister of the United Baptist Church. The mother, Paulina T. (Hogan)
Myers, was born in Garrard County, Ky., in 1809, and died in Scotland
County, Mo., in 1876. Our subject began to study medicine at Memphis,
Scotland Co., Mo., at the age of twenty-one, and there remained for
five years, after which he attended a course of lectures at Keokuk,
Iowa, and then practiced his chosen profession until 1872, when he
again attended lectures, and that year he graduated. He then practiced
until 1883 in Adair County, but is now in Greensburg Township, Knox
Co., Mo., where he enjoys a large practice, and is considered one of
the first physicians of the county. In 1870 he was married to Georgie
A. Pettet, daughter of George and Elizabeth Pettet, and to this union
six children were born, five of whom are living, viz.: Anna E., Della,
Ednie, Arthur and Rosa. Our subject is a Democrat, but has never
aspired to political office. He is a public-spirited man, and
interested in the general welfare of the county. Himself and wife are
members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
This ends the biographies of Knox County.
Scotland County, Missouri
George Buskirk,
county treasurer, was born in Grant County, Ky., September 26, 1812. He
is the son of Lawrence and Mary A. (Norton) Buskirk. The grandfather
was a Pennsylvanian, who went at an early date to Nicholas County, Ky.,
in one of which States the father was born. The name was originally Van
Buskirk, but the prefix has been dropped. The mother was a Kentuckian.
They came to the Northwest about 1838, and after three years in Adams
County, Ill., the came to near Winchester, this State, and bought a
farm. The father died in April 1872, at the age of eighty-one years,
and the mother followed him the next September at about the age of
eighty-two. Their children were George; Martha A., the wife of T. S.
Myers; Eliza, the deceased wife of Judge Collins; William; Amanda
(deceased wife of J. Morris, also Armilda, the wife of J. Crook. Our
subject was reared on a farm, and had the meager advantages of the old
log schoolhouse. He left home in 1834, and two years later came to
Missouri, and bought a claim when the land was not surveyed; the next
year sold his claim, and settled three and a half miles east of
Memphis, near Fort Donelson and Edinburg, where he has a fine estate of
over 198 acres. Our subject is an "Old Hickory" Democrat, and has never
wavered from those principles. He has served in various local offices,
and in November, 1886, was elected to his present position by his
party, and is serving in an efficient manner. He was married, on
October 28, 1834, to Louisa Clark, of his native county, who died in
August 1876. They had a family of ten children, and those living are
Lucinda, the wife of W. H. Walker; Mary J., the wife of A. B. Baker;
Susanna, the wife of J. Gilbert; Elizabeth, the wife of L. S. Farmer,
and William H.
Judge James M. Clark,
a well respected citizen of Jefferson Township, Scotland County, was
born in Grant County, Ky., July 4, 1843, and is the son of Eli and Mary
E. (Draper) Clark. The father was born in Grant County, Ky., was of
Irish descent, and died in Scotland County, Mo., in 1869, being about
fifty-six years of age at the time of his decease. He came to Missouri
about 1864, and followed agricultural pursuits all his life. The mother
of our subject was a native of Grant County, Ky., was of German
descent, and died in Scotland County, Mo., in 1870. She was a member of
the Baptist Church for many years, and at the time of her death was
also about fifty-six years of age. Of their large family, five now
living, our subject is the fourth. He received the rudiments of an
education in Kentucky, but in the fall of 1862 he left his studies, and
enlisted in Company G, Fourth Kentucky Cavalry, Confederate Army, and
served in a brigade organized by Gen. Buford, but was afterward
assigned to the command of Gen. John H. Morgan, and served with credit
until taken prisoner in Ohio. He was then taken to Camp Morton, Ind.,
where he was kept a prisoner about three months. He was then taken to
Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill., where he remained until December 15, 1863,
where he was one of the seventy-nine who escaped through a tunnel dug
out for that purpose. He then came to Scotland County, Mo., and after
visiting in Illinois returned to Scotland County, and since then has
been engaged in agricultural pursuits at his present place of
residence, since the spring of 1867. In 1866 he married Miss Martha E.
Baker, who was born in Memphis, Mo., in 1849, and is a daughter of H.
C. Baker. To our subject's marriage was born a large family of
children, two of whom are deceased--one son and one daughter. In 1882
our subject was elected judge of the western district of Scotland
County, and 1884 he was re-elected. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.,
and decided Democrat. His wife is a member of the Christian Church.
Judge John C. Collins,
a retired farmer, was born November 24, 1813 in Pendleton (now Grant)
County, Ky. He came to Scotland County, in September 1836, and has
acquired his education by habits of study since his maturity. He was
married, July 14, 1836, to Eliza J., a daughter of Lawrence and Mary
(Norton) Buskirk. They had eight children: William L. (deceased), James
R., George T., Judson S., Joseph H., Margaret J. (deceased) and Charles
S. (deceased). The first mentioned died in the Federal service. Joseph
H. is the president of a college at Springfield, Ill., and George T. is
a member of the Legislature. February 5, 1882, his wife died, and
October 14, 1884, he married Martha A. (Makemson) Moore. He and his
wife are members of the Baptist Church. Our subject is a Democrat in
politics, and was elected judge of the county court in 1850, and
re-elected twice afterward. He was appointed to that position under the
provisional government of 1861.He was again elected in 1872, and served
six years. He served as justice for about six years also. He is the
sixth of seven children of Ralph and Margaret (Wharton) Collins,
natives of Durham, England, and Pendleton County, Ky., respectively.
His father, Ralph, took part in the battle in which Gen. St. Clair was
defeated. (It mentions that there were eight children, but only
seven are listed. (If this is your ancestor, there is also a biography
for Hon. George T. Collins, the son of Judge John C. Collins).
George T. Collins,
a citizen of Schuyler, County, and resident of Independence Township,
was born in Adams County, Ill., April 18, 1834, and is the son of Hosea
and Sarah A. (Wheeler) Collins, both natives of Pendleton County, Ky.
The father was a farmer and died in Schuyler County, Mo., May 6, 1874,
and was a few days beyond his sixty-sixth year. The mother was of
English descent, and died in Schuyler County, Mo., February 14, 1885,
and was over seventy-four years of age at the time of her death. Both
parents were members of the Missionary Baptist Church. Our subject is
the eldest of eleven children, ten now living. His parents moved to
Illinois shortly after their marriage, settled five miles west of
Memphis in March, 1838, when our subject was but four years of age. He
remained with his father until June 8, 1854, when he married Miss
Samantha J. Slavin, a native of Marion County, Mo., born February 8,
1836, and died in Scotland County, Mo., April 18, 1874, or on our
subject's birthday. She was a daughter of George D. Slavin, and a
member of the Missionary Baptist Church. To this marriage were born
five children, all living: Elizabeth A., Oscar F., Albert H., Sarah A.,
and James L. Our subject after marriage purchased part of the old
homestead, and to this he added more land until 1860, when he sold out
and rented land for six years in different portions of Scotland and
Schuyler Counties. In 1864 he went across the plains to Idaho, but
returned the same year. In 1867 he moved back to his old farm, which he
purchased before the war, and after remaining on this farm until 1881,
he sold out and purchased a farm in Schuyler County, and three years
later again sold out and purchased where he now lives. November 4,
1875, he married Sarah J. Pryor, a native of Pike County, Ill., born
November 14, 1841, and the daughter of James B. Pryor. To this union
one daughter, Rosalie, was born. Our subject is a Mason, and one of the
old settlers of the county. He can remember when the Indians were
numerous, and when all kinds of game were plentiful.
Henry H. Fugate,
a prominent farmer and stock dealer in Sand Hill Township, was born
February 2, 1827, In Pendleton County, Ky., and for several years was
not permanently located, residing in Lewis and Clark Counties, Mo., and
also spending some time in California. He located in Scotland County,
in February 1856, where he has since remained. He has acquired his
education by reading and observation since grown. He began life for
himself at the age of twenty-one, a poor man, and what he is now worth
is the product of his energy and practical business ability. He owns a
nicely improved farm of 440 acres, upon which he resides. His father
dying when our subject was but ten years old, he became the main
support of his widowed mother and her children. He was married in 1856,
to Miss Mary Matilda Davis, daughter of Nathaniel and Nira (Jones)
Davis, natives of Ohio. He afterward moved to Iowa, and in 1853 came to
Scotland County, Mo., where Mr. Davis also resides. Mrs. Davis died
August 7, 1851, and Mr. Davis was married to Mrs. Martha Case, formerly
Scott. Mr. and Mrs. Fugate have had seven children, only two of whom
lived to be grown; they are named as follows: William H., aged
twenty-seven when he died; Mary Janette, who died at the age of four;
Almon Franklin, died as the age of two; Nira Jane, died at the age of
fifteen months; Joseph Howard; Nannie Martha, who died at the age of
three, and one who died unnamed. Mr. Fugate is a Democrat, and is the
second of seven children of Henry and Maria (Ewing) Fugate, natives of
Pendleton County, Ky. His grandfather was a native of Virginia, and an
early settler in Pendleton County, Ky. Mrs. Maria Fugate was a daughter
of John Ewing, of Virginia, an early settler of Pendleton County, Ky.
Samuel E. Jayne,
an old and prominent citizen of Scotland County, and a resident of
Mount Pleasant Township, was born in Campbell County, Ky., November 23,
1816, and is the son of Ebenezer and Debora (Egleston) Jayne, both
natives of Steuben County, N.Y. The former was born in 1786, and died
in Pendleton County, Ky., when about seventy-three years of age. He was
a farmer all his life, and after his marriage, which occurred in New
York, moved to Kentucky. The mother was born in 1791, and died in
Pendleton County, Ky. Both parents were members of the Baptist Church
for many years, but later joined the Christian Church. Our subject is
the second of eight children, four of whom are now living. His
advantages for an education were limited, but by general reading,
contact with all kinds of business transactions, and being a close
observer, is indeed a well-informed man. He remained with and worked on
his father's farm until twenty-one years of age, when he began on his
own resources. He purchased land in Pendleton County, Ky., and engaged
in agricultural pursuits, which occupation he has since followed. He
sold his property in 1850, and moved to Scotland County, Mo. He now
owns 470 acres of exceedingly good land, and in a high state of
cultivation. In February, 1846, he married Louisa Ann Payne, a daughter
of Gaze Payne, a Virginian. She was born in Pendleton County, Ky., and
died in Scotland County, Mo., in 1853. To this union were born four
children, all of who are deceased. They were named as follows: Mary M.,
Alexander D., Ebenezer and an infant. The latter part of the year 1853
our subject married Miss Fannie E. Crowley, a daughter of John Crowley.
She was born in Missouri, on the banks of the Missouri River, either in
Howard or Clay Counties, in May, 1836. The fruits of this union were
three children: Miranda O., John N., and Augustus S. Our subject is a
Democrat, but was formerly an old line Whig. He started in life with
but little means, and by industry and good management, has succeeded
beyond his most sanguine expectations. (The son of Samuel E. and
Fannie E. Crowley Jayne is listed as John N. in this biography, but is
listed as John M. in the biography below).
John M. Jayne
was born in Scotland County, and is now a prominent lawyer of Memphis.
He was born November 27, 1858, the son of Samuel E. and Fannie E.
(Crowley) Jayne, natives of Pendleton County, Ky., and Clay County,
Mo., respectively. (Their sketch appears above) Our subject was reared
in this county, and attended La Grange College. He began the study of
law at the age of eighteen, under E. R. McKee. He was admitted to the
bar July 18, 1879. After some practice with Hon. Lewis Meyers, he
became partner with is preceptor in December, 1883, with whom he has
been in successful practice ever since. The firm is the peer of any in
this region. He was married, November 27, 1884, to Minnie P., a
daughter of the late Judge J. T. Redd, of Palmyra. She is a native of
Marion County. Our subject is an uncompromising Democrat in politics.
He is a Royal Arch Mason, and he and his wife are members of the
Christian Church.
Capt. James W. Morris
was born in Worcester County, Md., September 29, 1826, and is the son
of Philip and Mary (Hall) Morris, also natives of Worcester County, Md.
The father was born in 1837, of Irish descent, and died when fifty-five
years of age. He began in early life to follow the sea, and made many
voyages to different countries. The mother was of English descent, and
died in Scotland County, Md., when eighty-one years of age (July 13,
1872). Her father and four brothers were sea captains, and when not on
a voyage the former taught navigation. The mother of our subject was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for over sixty years, and by
her marriage became the mother of seven children, only three now
living. Our subject began his education in Maryland, and finished in
Missouri. He was eleven years of age at the time of his father's death,
and the following year the family moved to Hannibal, Mo., where they
lived for two years. They then spent some time in Shelby County, after
which they moved to the wilds of Scotland County. In 1849 our subject
crossed the plains to California, where he was engaged in mining, and
was also engaged as a packer on the Trinity River. He also made trips
to Oregon, and other States and Territories. The adventures of Capt.
Morris while in California would alone make a volume. This venture
proved successful, and he returned to Scotland County, Mo., in 1854, by
way of Nicaragua and New York. The 14th of September, of the same year,
he married Miss Martha Talbott, a native of Pendleton County, Ky., born
February 1, 1824, and the daughter of Peter and Martha Talbott. This
marriage was blessed by the birth of five children, four now living:
Annie, Ella F., John T., and Jennie. James died December 6, 1881, when
in his twenty-third year. Our subject purchased the farm on which he is
now living, but later engaged in merchandising in Memphis, Mo., which
he continued until the breaking out of the late war, when he moved back
to his farm, and has continued there ever since. During the early part
of the war he was made lieutenant, but was afterward promoted to the
rank of captain of Company I, of the State militia. Before the war our
subject was a Democrat, but since then he has been a supporter of the
Republican party. He is a good man, and a prominent and influential
citizen. His wife and three children are worthy members of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which he is a ruling, elder, in
Pleasant Hill Congregation, Kirksville Presbytery, Missouri.
McCandless & Mount,
dealers in hardware, stoves, tinware, agricultural implements, and
agents for Nichols & Shepard's threshing machines. This firm has
been established since 1880. The senior member, Robert S. McCandless,
is a native of Pendleton County, Ky. He was born September 16, 1850,
and came to this county with his father in 1857. The following year
they came to Memphis, and resided here on a farm until 1866. They then
went to Schuyler County, where the father died the following fall. The
mother survived him until February, 1884. The parents names are
Mitchell M. and Priscilla (Orr) McCandless, and were natives of
Kentucky. Their children living are our subject, Elizabeth (the wife of
J. Thompson). George H., Louisa (the wife of W. D. Guinn), Herschel V.,
Rosella (the wife of W. Davis), James W. and Perry (deceased). Mr.
McCandless engaged as clerk in 1865 for the first time, and continued
in this and in Schuyler Counties, until 1879, when he engaged in the
grocery business in Allerton, Iowa, and the following year embarked in
his present business. He married in 1870 to Helen L. Purmort, a native
of Essex County, N.Y. Their children are Roberta and Helen. He is a
Democrat in politics, and member of the A. O. U. W. The junior member,
Jasper E. Mount, was born in Oldham County, Ky., July 17, 1847, the son
of Jasper and Sarah E. Mount, natives of Indiana and Kentucky. The
father died in 1852, in Oldham County, and the following year the
mother came to Memphis, and lived there until 1870. After seven years
on a farm in Clark County she moved to her present home in Chase
County, Kas., in 1877. Her children living are Lucy A. (the wife of J.
Standiford). Jasper E. and Walter E. Mr. Mount secured a good education
in this county, and was a pedagogue for seven years, together with his
farming. His first venture at merchandising began in 1877, in Memphis.
He was a member of the firm of Crook & Co., proprietors of the New
York Store, for two years, and spent 1879 in Kansas. He returned in
1880, and engaged in their present business. They have the best stock
of goods in their line in Memphis, and control a large county and city
trade. Mr. Mount was married, February 18, 1881, to Linnie B., a
daughter of Judge D. B. Cooper. He is a Democrat in politics, and a
member of the I. O. O. F.
Samuel D. Norton,
a prominent citizen of Mount Pleasant Township, was born in Grant
County, Ky., August 17, 1834, and is the son of Archibald and Nancy
(Nichols) Norton. The father was a native of Grant County, Ky., born in
1797, and died in the same county about 1847. He was a farmer, and as
he started in life with very little means, was obliged to work at the
weaver's trade at night, in order to get a start. The mother of our
subject was also a native of Grant County, Ky., born about 1799, and
died in her native county in 1855. Her father, as well as the father of
Archibald Norton, was an early pioneer of the county. The Norton family
originally came from Virginia. Our subject is the fifth of ten
children, eight of whom are now living. He received a fair education in
the schools of Grant County, and was not yet fourteen years of age when
his father died, but still remained on the old homestead, and worked
for his mother until twenty years of age, when he came to Clark,
Scotland and other counties of Missouri, and after spending the winter
returned to Kentucky, but the next fall moved back to Missouri, where
he has since remained. He worked at the carpenter's trade for about a
year, and then engaged with an older brother, John J., in the mill
business in Scotland County, near where he now lives, and continued at
the same business for about three years, when they traded the mill for
the farm that our subject now owns. This was in 1860, since our subject
has lived on the farm, which consists of 240 acres of excellent land.
In the early part of the war he belonged to Company A, of the enrolled
militia of Scotland County, Mo., but in 1864 he enlisted in Company I,
Thirty-ninth Volunteer Infantry, Federal service, and was mustered out
March, 1865. December 27, 1860, he was married to Mrs. Mary J. McGee,
widow of Elijah McGee, and daughter of J. F. Timmons. She was born in
Tippercanoe County, Ind., September 18, 1836, and by her marriage
became the mother of eight children, all of whom are living: Nancy A.,
Eliza N., S. Grant, Samuel A., Joseph N., John H., George L. and
Minnie. Our subject is a democrat, and an active and enterprising
citizen of the county.
A. J. Phillips,
a fine mechanic, and one of Johnson County's successful farmers, was
born in West Virginia in 1830, moved to Whiteside County, Ill., in
1854, and in 1865 came to his present abode in Missouri. He was brought
up on a farm, and learned the carpentering trade when eighteen years of
age. He has acquired his education to a great extent by reading while
attending to his daily duties. He began life for himself a poor man,
and what he now possesses is the result of his own labor and practical
business knowledge. He has a well-improved farm of more than 500 acres.
He was married in the spring of 1854 to Miss Martha E. Rowan, daughter
of Frank Rowan, an early settler in Randolph County, W. Va., and a
native of Baltimore, Md. To Mr. and Mrs. Phillips eleven children have
been born; Elizabeth, Mary, Francesson M., William H., Randolph,
Benjamin, Edward J., George, Emma (deceased), Thomas and Lewis. Mrs.
Phillips is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr.
Phillips is a professed Christian. He is also a stanch Republican, and
served as constable of Whitside County, Ill., for four years. He has
never sought office, but has frequently been offered and requested to
accept various offices at different times. He was the eighth of nine
children of Benjamin and Phoebe (Walker) Phillips, natives of Randolph
and Pendleton Counties, respectively. Benjamin served for many years as
justice of the peace, and was an old time Whig, predicting twenty years
before that the war was inevitable. He was a man of considerable
erudition, and a son of Thomas Phillips. (Realized after I had this
almost typed up that it was not Pendleton County, Ky., but decided to
leave it anyway--Sorry.
T. F. Risk, M. D.,
is a prominent citizen of Sand Hill Township, and was born in Fayette
County, Ky., in 1845, from where he went to Pendleton County, Ky., when
five years old; from there he went to California, Colorado and Kansas,
in which States he resided until 1877, when he came to Scotland County,
Mo., where he has remained. He has traveled quite extensively through
several of the States, but resided only a short time in those visited.
He received his academic and collegiate education in the State of
Kentucky, and is an honorary graduate of "Eminence College" Kentucky,
graduating with the highest honors of his class in the classical
course, taking both the degrees of A. B. and A. M. He graduated from
the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, in Cincinnati, Ohio, in
1863, where he also took the highest honors of his class. After
graduating he immediately began practicing his chosen profession at
Morgan, Ky., and has practiced medicine in California, Colorado,
Kansas, and since 1877 at his present location in Missouri. He enjoys
the best of success, and has a more extensive practice than he is
physically capacitated to attend to. He has also been a close student
of botany, geology, astronomy and mineralogy. He has made a specialty
of chronic diseases, and has treated all other diseases to which his
attention has been called as a medical practitioner. He has at
different times been offered positions as teacher in medical colleges,
but was compelled to decline on account of ill health. He was married,
in 1865, to Miss Martha A. Myers, a native of Kentucky. Seven children
blessed this union: Minne E., Lou Ella, Ollie M., Anna K., Eva
(deceased), Josephus and Martha. Mrs Risk died in 1880, and Dr. Risk
was married a second time in 1881, to Miss Ella Moore. Mr. and Mrs.
Risk are members of the Christian Church, and Dr. Risk is a Democrat;
he has been urged to accept nominations for different offices, but has
always declined. He is a Master Mason, a member of the I. O. O. F., and
belongs to the Good Templar fraternity. He was the youngest of six
children of John C. and Mary Ann (Hues) Risk, natives of New York State
and Virginia, respectively. John C. was of German and French descent.
He was a literary man, and a close student, and qualified himself for
teaching, but followed agricultural pursuits the greater part of his
life. He was a son of John Risk. The maiden name of his mother was
Esthel. Dr. Risk's great-grandmother's maiden name was Rothchild, and
she was born in Bavaria. His great-grandfather, on his mother's side,
was a native of Frankfort, Germany, and his name was Jacob Esthel.
John D. Smoot,
lawyer, was born October 18, 1848, in this county. He is the son of
Edward and Harriet (Downing) Smoot, natives of Fauquier County, Va. The
father came to Missouri in 1838 and settled near West Jefferson. He
followed farming and stock raising until his death in 1856. The mother
survived him but three years. Their children are Josia (deceased),
Henry E., Martha A. (the wife of T. Broadwater), Samuel C., Mary E.
(the wife of Dr. J. E. Parrish), and our subject. John D. was reared in
his native county, and attended old Memphis Academy under the tutorship
of James Donnelly. At his majority he began the study of law, and
entered the office of H. M. Durkee. After some time he went to St.
Louis, and attended the law department of Washington University, from
which he graduated in 1871. He then returned to Memphis, and practiced
with (Senator) W. G. Downing, and later with E. R. McKee. In 1883 his
present partnership with Mr. Pettingill was formed, and he has
contributed much to the success of this well known firm. He has always
been a Democrat, and was elected prosecuting attorney by that party in
1872, and served two terms. He was candidate for the Legislature in
1878 but was defeated. He was married, October 15, 1873, to Annie D.
Ewing, of Pendleton County, Ky. Their children are John D., Ewing,
Hudson V. and Bessie M. Mr Smoot is a Presbyterian in his religious
faith, while his wife is a member of the Christian Church.
THE END
Nancy Bray
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