Bates County Biographies
GIBBS, W.B.
Osage Township - W.B. Gibbs, a member of the well known contracting and building
firm of Gibbs, Hodges & Co., was born in Coles County, Illinois, August 9, 1844,
but was reared and educated in Moultrie, the adjoining county. His father was a
carpenter by trade and W.B. also learned that occupation, which he followed till
the beginning of the war. In 1862 he enlisted in Company C, 126th Illinois
Infantry, and was trasnferred to the commissary department under Comstock,
retaining that position for three years and three months. Then he returned to
Illinois, and thence went to Iowa, where he worked at his trade for a period of
time, and in 1870 he located in Coffeyville, Kansas. There he was engaged in
contracting and building. In December, 1880, he came to Rich Hill. Mr. Gibbs was
married, March 25, 1879, to Miss Cora Godfrey, a native of Michigan. They have
two children: Laura and William B. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GILBERT, David
Spruce Township - David Gilbert, an influential farmer and stock dealer, on
section 1, is a native of England, and was born August 7, 1829. His parents,
David and Harriet Gilbert, nee Tilden, were also born in England. The former
came to the United States in 1840, or 1841, and located first in Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in working in the iron mines. In 1848 he
moved to St. Louis and labored in the coal mines for four years, and in the
spring of 1852, in company with his brother and others, made a trip overland to
California, spending one year in the mines. In April, 1853, he returned and
located in Missouri, first in Cooper County, where he was married October 13,
1853, to Miss Eliza Ellen Weedin, a daughter of Benjamin Weedin, who was one of
the pioneers of that county. There they had settled in an early day and lived in
the fort during the early Indian troubles. In the fall of 1854 Mr. G. moved to
Pettis County and bought land near Smithton, being one of the early settlers of
that county. In the spring of 1857 he came to Bates County, entered land and
improved his present farm. He now has 1,238 acres, with 560 acres in his home
place, all well improved, upon which is a good house, large barn and convenient
out buildings. He also has a mill room, in which there has recently been placed
a fifteen horse power engine, with a large corn sheller and crusher, for
grinding feed for his cattle; he has one set of patent burrs for grinding meal,
and all of this machinery he put in position himself. He is quite extensively
engaged in feeding and handling cattle. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have six children:
Sallie J., (wife of Timothy Austin), Benjamin, Alonzo C., Dora, William T., and
Riley. They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. (History of
Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GILBERT, Josiah F.
Mingo Township - Josiah F. Gilbert, farmer, is a native of Pennsylvania, where
he was born October 24, 1828, his parents being Henry and Mary (Grosh) Gilbert,
both born in the Keystone State. Josiah is the eldest of a family of nine
children. When he was but three years old the family removed to Hamilton County,
Ohio, remaining there until he was in his thirteenth year, when he went to
Dayton. There he entered a drug store, and in four years he moved to Cincinnati,
and clerked in a drug store at that place ten years. In 1854 he concluded to try
farm life, and for two years lived on a farm with an uncle in Indiana. Then he
located on land on the Illinois Central Railroad, on which he continued to
reside for eight years. In the meantime he was married, August 14, 1862, to Miss
Jane Hemblin, a native of Indiana. In 1864, he returned to Ohio and took charge
of a drug store at Tippecanoe, but in two years he came to Bates County, after
having spent a season in Randolph County, Indiana. He then settled on section
17, of this township, and has since been engaged in farming. His farm consists
of 120 acres of good land, well improved, and he is giving special attention to
growth and manufacture of sorghum. Mr. G. is connected with the Lutheran Church,
his wife being a member of the Christian Church. They have ten children: William
H., John E., Polly G., George H., Mary F., Emma D., Charles F., Mertie May, Ruth
and an infant. They have also lost one child, Nora. (History of Bates County,
Missouri, 1883)
GILBREATH, Simeon
Hudson Township - Simeon Gilbreath. Among the substantial farmers and stock
feeders of Bates County, is the subject of this sketch. He is a native of
Illionis, and was born in Washington County, November 5, 1820. John Gilbreath,
his father, originally from North Carolina, was born in Buncombe County, while
his mother (formerly Patsy Saddler) was born in Missouri. The former moved to
Illinois when a young man in 1804, and was among the pioneers of the state.
Simeon spent his youth in his native county on a farm. He came to Missouri in
1841, and located first in Dade County with his parents, but in one year moved
to Bates County, and was one of the first settlers of this locality. He entered
the land and improved his present farm, and ten years after coming to the state
he was married, in March, 1851, to Miss Margaret Huffman, a daughter of Yost
Huffman. She was born in Warren County, Illinois. Since his marriage Mr.
Gilbreath has resided on his farm. He has 1,325 acres of land, with about 700
acres fenced and 100 in tame meadow. This place is in a good state of
cultivation, and upon it are three fair houses. His residence is a large frame
building, and his bearing orchard of apple, peaches, cherries, pears and plums,
contains 400 trees, and is located in section 10. He is extensively engaged in
raising and feeding stock for the market. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreath have six
children: John A., attorney at Appleton City; Charles W., Edward C., Rex E.,
Clay W. and Octavia May. Mr. G. served in the militia in Captain Newberry's
cavalry company one year during the war. He is one of the largest farmers and
taxpayers of Hudson Township. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GILMORE, E.E.
Deer Creek Township - E.E. Gilmore, physician and surgeon, was born in Warren
County, Kentucky, August 19, 1839. His father, Samuel Gilmore, was a farmer by
occupation, and a native of Kentucky. E.E. was the third child in a family of
five sons and three daughters. He was reared on the home farm, receiving his
education at the Transylvania University at Lexington. In 1855, while on the
farm, he began the study of medicine and attended one course of lectures at the
Lexington University. In 1859 he removed to Missouri, and in 1860 was elected to
the office of county school commissioner, which position he held until 1861. In
April of that year he enlisted in Company F, Ninth Division Missouri State
Guards and was first lieutenant. He resigned before the battle of Wilson's
Creek, but in November, 1863, enlisted in the United States Army, where he
performed the duties of assistant surgeon until March, 1865, when he was
discharged. After this he practiced medicine in Pettis, Johnson and Barton
Counties, Missouri. In 1867 he visited Washington County, Kansas, remained there
a short time, returning the same year to Missouri, when he settled at Coleville,
Bates County, Missouri. In 1881 he came to Adrian. In 1877-8 Dr. Gilmore
attended medical lectures at Kansas City, practicing there in March, 1878. He is
a member of Crescent Hill Lodge No. 368, A.F. and A.M., and of Miama Royal Arch
Chapter, Bayard Commandery and Austin Lodge of the I.O.O.F. February 7, 1861,
the doctor was married to Miss Mary Duckett, a native of Kentucky. They have two
children living: William R. and James P. They have lost two: Samuel R. and
Elvira R. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GILMORE, Elisha Eugene
Elisha Eugene Gilmore, physician and surgeon, was born in Warren County,
Kentucky, August 19, 1836, son of Samuel Wilson and Rozina (Adair) Gilmore. His
father is a son of Patrick Gilmore, a native of Virginia and an early pioneer of
Kentucky. The latter's father was a native of Ireland and came to America in
Colonial times. Samuel W. Gilmore, who devoted the active years of his life to
agricultural pursuits, resided in Kentucky until 1857, when he brought his
family, including the subject of this sketch, to Missouri, locating in Polk
County, where he purchased a farm. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, he
enlisted in the Union Army, and was assigned to duty with the Thirteenth United
States Volunteer Cavalry, which saw service principally in Missouri. In 1863 he
removed his family to Pettis County, Missouri, and in 1865 to Barton County, of
the same State, and a year later to Kansas. In 1867 he returned to Missouri,
locating in Bates County, where he has since resided. In 1881 he retired from
active business, and since that time has resided with his son, Dr. E.E. Gilmore.
Dr. Gilmore's mother was a daughter of Elisha Adair, and a native of South
Carolina, where her father was for many years a prominent educator. He was a son
of a Revolutionary soldier. In middle life he removed to Kentucky, where his
professional career was continued for many years. Dr. Gilmore's education was
begun in the common schools of Warren County, Kentucky, and concluded in the
Transylvania University, which conferred upon him the degree of master of arts
and doctor of medicine in 1857. In the latter year he accompanied his father to
Missouri and engaged in teaching school in Polk County. Removing to Barton
County he continued teaching, and in 1860 was elected school commissioner of
that county. In September, 1863, he enlisted as a private in the Forty-fifth
Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and served in the Union Army until March, 1865.
During Price's raid through Missouri he assisted in the defense of Jefferson
City, and subsequently assisted in the operations about Nashville, Spring Hill
and Johnsonville, Tennessee. At the close of the war he traveled through
Missouri and Kansas, finally locating, in 1867, near the present site of Adrian,
in Bates County, where he has since enjoyed a lucrative practice in his chosen
profession. In 1878 he took a course in the Kansas City Medical College, which
granted him a diploma. In connection with his practice, he also, for a time,
held an interest in a drug store in Adrian. Dr. Gilmore cast his first vote for
Stephen A. Douglas, but since the war has always adhered strictly to the
principles of the Republican party. He is an active member of the American
Medical Association, the Missouri State Medical Association, the Hodgen Medical
Society and the Bates County Medical Society and has served as president of the
Hodgen Medical Society. Fraternally he has attained the Knight Templar degree in
Masonry, has been master of Adrian Lodge, and affiliates with the Odd Fellows
and Knights of Pythias. He was married February 7, 1861, to Mary Worley Duckett,
a native of Warren County, Kentucky, and a daughter of Thomas and Elvira
(Rector) Duckett. Her father was a native of North Carolina, and descended from
Revolutionary stock. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore have had four children, William R., a
graduate of the Kansas City Medical College in the class of 1887, and now
engaged in practice with his father; Elvira Rozina, who died in childhood;
Samuel Richardson, who died in infancy, and James P. Gilmore, a graudate of
William Jewell College, in Clay County, and a practicing attorney in Kansas City
since 1897. (Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901)
GIRD, Edward K.
Hudson Township - Edward K. Gird owes his nativity to Louisiana, where he was
born January 18, 1835. His parents were Henry H. and Sarah A. (Kunsley) Gird,
the former born in New Jersey in 1804, and his mother a native of West Point,
New York. Henry H. Gird early moved to New York with his parents, where he grew
to manhood. After learning the printer's trade he attended the West Point
Military School and graduated there, and upon finishing his studies he was
employed as a tutor, residing for twelve years at this place. Subsequently he
had charge of some troops and was stationed in Louisiana and superintended the
construction of a fort. While in that state he was elected president of a
college at Jackson. He was also a professor of mathematics in the same college
for a number of years. He afterwards gave up his position on account of ill
health and moved to Illinois, where he died in May, 1846. Edward K. Gird spent
his youth until he was nine years old at school at school in Massachusetts, and
from nine to seventeen years in Illinois on a farm. In 1853, when seventeen
years of age, he accompanied an older brother to California, and was engaged in
stock trading and ranching in Sacramento County for about five years. In
January, 1858, he returned to Illinois by way of the Isthmus, Havana and New
Orleans, and soon began farming and the stock business in Clinton County,
Illinois, near St. Louis, which he followed there until 1868. In June of this
year Mr. Gird came to Bates County, Missouri, and purchased the farm where he
now resides. He has 350 acres of land, all fenced and in cultivation and forty
acres in meadow. His good orchard contains about 500 apple trees, also peach,
cherry, etc. He is quite extensively interested in bee culture and has an apiary
of about seventy-five stands. He has been in this business for about twenty
years and is making a success of the enterprise. He is also handling some
cotswold and merino sheep. Mr. G. was married in Clinton County, Illinois, in
November, 1858, to Miss Lucy D. Lewis, a daughter of William and Mary Lewis. She
was raised and educated in Jacksonville, Illinois. They have three children:
Mary E., Edward C. and Ella May. They have lost three sons, who died in
childhood. Mr. G., his wife and two oldest children are members of the
Presbyterian Church. Edward C. is a teacher in the public schools of Bates
County. E.K. Gird is identified with the Republican party and has filled
numerous local offices. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GOODRICK, W.W.
Grand River Township - W.W. Goodrick, farmer and stock raiser, was born in
Nicholas County, Kentucky, January 21, 1837. His father, Daniel Goodrick, was a
Virginian by birth, and early moved to Kentucky; he married Miss Cassandra
Kennedy, who was also born in that state. They were the parents of four boys and
one girl. The subject of this sketch was the second child, and when he was some
seven years of age the family removed to Indiana, where he grew to manhood and
acquired a fair common school education. When eighteen years old he came to Cass
County, Missouri, residing there nearly two years, when he went still farther
toward the setting sun, and lived in Kansas until 1866. In that year, when Bates
County was just recovering from the effects of four years of civil war, he, with
his young wife, found a home within its boundaries. His wife was formerly Miss
Sarah A. Montgomery, a native of Missouri. They were married in March, 1865, and
had but just begun to live comfortably when death entered their little home, and
on January 16, 1867, Mrs. Goodrick died, leaving a little girl, Minnie E. Mr.
Goodrick married the second time in October, 1868, Miss Ruth A. Kerr, of Ohio.
They now live on section 23, and have a farm of 640 acres, under fence and well
improved. Their house was built in 1873, at a cost of $1,400; the barn is much
better than those in general use, and cost $600. Mr. Goodrick handles about
seventy-five head of cattle, sixty head of hogs, and about fifteen horses and
mules. During General Price's raid in 1864, he joined the Kansas Militia, and
served a few weeks. He is interested in matters of education, and is usually
elected to the position of school director. He is a member of Altona Lodge, A.F.
and A.M. Mr. and Mrs. G. have an interesting family of four children living:
Charles, Nora, Ella Ann, and William W. Miss Minnie E. Goodrick, the daughter by
the first marriage, is a charming young lady of seventeen years. (History of
Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GORRELL, Captain J.T.
Osage Township - Captain J.T. Gorrell is connected with the firm of Gorrell &
Scott, proprietors of the mammoth livery barn at Rich Hill, who are also engaged
in the transfer business. Mr. G. was born in Todd County, Kentucky, September
25, 1840. When he was eight years old he moved with his parents, John B. and
Mary H. Gorrell, to Pettis County, Missouri, where he was reared and educated.
There he was occupied in farming and dealing in stock, till June, 1880, when he
came to Rich Hill, Missouri. In 1863 he enlisted in Company B, 40th E.M.M., of
the Federal service, and at the expiration of two years he was captain of the
company. December 19, 1867, Captain G. was married to Miss Mary L. Philips, a
native of Saline County, Missouri. She died September, 1878, leaving three
children: Lettie, Carrie and Lizzie. He was married for the second time October
6, 1881, to Miss Cella Powell, also originally from Pettis County, Missouri.
Messrs. Gorrell & Scott have the largest barn in this place, and are enjoying a
patronage which justifies them in keeping such a complete stock. (History of
Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GOSLIN, James A.
Grand River Township - James A. Goslin, physician and surgeon at Altona, was
born in Boone County, Missouri, May 1, 1840, and is the fourth in a family of
thirteen children. His father, Sylvester Goslin, was a native of Virginia, and
his mother, formerly Abigail Turner, came originally from Kentucky. The early
days of James A. were spent on a farm, and he received his education at the
State University, at Columbia. In 1861 he entered the office of John W. Roberts,
M.D., of Boone County, with whom he read medicine for one year, when he entered
the St. Louis Medical College, graduating from that institution in March, 1866.
He soon began the practice of his profession in Cooper County, where he remained
five years, and in 1870 he attended the Bellevue College Hospital, after which
he practiced in Kansas City until 1874. Then he located at Altona, and now has a
constantly increasing and satisfactory practice. He is a member of the firm of
Goslin & Wright, dealers in drugs, groceries, hardware, notions, etc., who are
doing a business of $8,000 per year. Dr. Goslin is the post master of this
place, and has been such for two years. He was married October 21, 1873, to Miss
Amanda Waskey, daughter of Alexander Waskey. She is a native of Iowa, born in
November, 1849. They have two children: Walter, born February 17, 1875, and
Stella, born February 6, 1879. The Doctor and his wife are members of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GOSNEY, John W.
East Boone Township - John W. Gosney, farmer and blacksmith, was born in
Louisville, Kentucky, April 28, 1831, his parents being Alfred and Lucy (Haws)
Gosney, both natives of Kentucky. John W. is the sixth of ten children, all of
whom are now living. One sister, Catherine Wilson, is in Kansas City, Mary
Foster, in Carondelet; Martha Shelton, near Fort Scott; one sister and three
brothers in Indiana, and two sisters in Kentucky, with whom his mother still
lives. In 1840 Mr. Gosney came to Jefferson County, Missouri, where he remained
about three years or until 1843, then returning to Kentucky. In 1852 he went to
Indiana and worked at his trade of blacksmith. He was married at Indianapolis,
October 12, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Cornelius, a native of Marion County,
Indiana, born December 3, 1836. She was the daughter of Benson and Deborah
Cornelius, nee Vicars. Mr. Gosney enlisted August 1, 1862, in the Seventy-ninth
Indiana Infantry, under General Crittenden. At Atlanta he was commissioned a
first lieutenant and was discharged June 7, 1865. In 1872 he came to Missouri,
and resided one year at Everett, after which in 1873, he settled in Bates
County, where he now lives. He has five children: Richard Bion, Rosa Etwell
(wife of Lewis Reynolds, of Belton, Cass County Missouri), Lillie May, Harry
Atwood and Lucy Sarah. Mr. Gosney and wife are members of the Christian Church.
In politics he is democratic. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GOTSHALL, John
Grand River Township - John Gotshall, merchant, Altona, was born in Union
County, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1824, and is the second of a family of seven
boys and two girls. His parents, Peter and Anne (Wooling) Gotshall, were both
natives of the Keystone state. When John was a boy of eleven years the family
moved to Indiana where he grew to manhood, receiving as good an education as the
common schools could afford. When he was twenty-two years old he engaged in
farming but at the expiration of two years entered the livery business and dealt
quite extensively in horses. This business he continued in Logansport, Indiana,
until 1858, when he came to Missouri and followed the same calling in Kansas
City until 1864, then going to Cass County, near Austin. He gave his attention
to farming at which he worked for nine years and still runs the farm consisting
of 120 acres well improved. In 1873 he went to Saline County and embarked in the
mercantile business at Miami for two years, then returning to Cass he sold goods
in Austin until 1878 when he came to Altona where he now owns a good store
building, carries a general stock and does an increasing business. Mr. Gotshall
was married June 21, 1863, to Mrs. Sarah Spurgeon, a daughter of L.B. Huff and a
native of Indiana. They have two children: Oscar M. and Ada B. Mrs. Gotshall is
a member of the Baptist Church. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GRAHAM, Jacob
Deer Creek Township - Jacob Graham, farmer, section 23, was born in Cass County,
Missouri, August 23, 1847. His father, Aquilla Graham, a native of Tennessee,
came to Cass County when a boy, and there married Miss May Wheeler, a Virginian
by birth. Jacob was reared a farmer and was educated in the common schools. He
made his home on the farm until twenty-two years of age, when he taught
penmanship in Cass and Bates Counties for five years. In 1872 he removed to
Bates County and engaged in farming. His estate now contains sixty acres, all in
cultivation and well improved. He also owns a pasture of fifty acres on Grand
River. November 15, 1871, Mr. Graham married Miss Alice Talbot. She was born in
Cass County, Missouri, January 3, 1853. They have two children living, Ella F.
and Bird. Three are deceased: Laura, William M. and an infant. (History of Bates
County, Missouri, 1883)
GRAHAM, R.S.
West Point Township - R.S. Graham, though a recent settler in Bates County, is
one of the most enterprising farmers of West Point Township, and is worthy of
more than a passing mention in this work. He was born in Washington County,
Pennsylvania, September 24, 1834. His parents, Robert and Sarah (Mitchell)
Graham, were both natives of Pennsylvania, and in 1839 moved to the new prairies
of Illinois, settling in Sangamon county, where they both died; the father in
1840 and his widow in 1881. The younger days of R.S. were spent on a farm in the
wilds of central Illinois, and when twenty-two years of age he was married to
Miss Adeline Megredy, a native of Cecil County, Maryland. He continued to reside
in Illinois until quite recently, coming to Bates County in the fall of 1881. He
secured a tract of rich land and has upon it good improvements, having erected a
comfortable residence, etc. He will soon engage in stock raising and feeding.
Mr. Graham has a family of five children: Alice, William P., John Charles, Sarah
E., and James Oliver. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GREGG, John H.
Howard Township - John H. Gregg, farmer and cattle feeder, section 10, is
recognized as a substantial citizen of this township. He owes his nativity to
Loudoun County, Virginia, having been born there August 16, 1843. His parents,
Joseph G. and Martha A. (Sheppard) Gregg, who were also born in the same county,
are now residents of Pettis County, Missouri. John H., the second of a family of
six children, was educated at Central College, of Howard County, Missouri, and
graduated at the Commercial College at St. Louis. During 1869-70, he was engaged
in mercantile trade at Sedalia, Missouri, and afterwards was in the lumber
business at La Mont. Finally, he turned his attention to the stock business.
After settling in Bates County, Mr. Gregg was married, December 19, 1872, to
Miss Lucinda Okey, who was born February 20, 1852, in Morrow County, Ohio, and
daughter of John and Maria Okey nee Williams, natives of Ohio, who moved to
Pettis County, Missouri, in 1867. In 1876, Mr. G. located on his present farm,
containing 160 acres of cultivated land. He and his wife have three children:
Ada, Okey and an infant. They are both members of the M.E. Church South.
(History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GREGG, Joseph J.
Howard Township - Joseph J. Gregg, farmer and stock feeder, is owner of a fine
farm in section 9, embracing 160 acres, the improvements on which have been made
since 1880. He was born in Pettis County, Missouri, January 1, 1853, and is the
son of Joseph G. and Martha A. Gregg, nee Sheppard, both originally from Loudoun
County, Virginia, but now residents of Pettis County, Missouri. Joseph J. was
brought up in the couny of his birth, and received his education at Warrensburg.
When eighteen years of age he commenced life as a farmer, and his efforts in
this direction have not been without good results, as is shown by his present
possessions. February 7, 1877, he married Miss Sattie Cox, a native of
Livingston County, Illinois, born February 19, 1858. Her parents were D. and
Grace Cox, who early settled in Pettis County, where their daughter was raised
and educated. Mr. and Mrs. G. now have one child, Mable. They are both connected
with the M.E. Church, South. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
GROVES, M.L.
Mt. Pleasant Township - M.L. Groves, carpenter and contractor, is the pioneer
mechanic of Butler, having resided in this city since March 28, 1868. His
parents were Lyman M. and Minerva (Bradley) Groves, the former a native of New
York, and the latter of Vermont. He himself was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio,
March 28, 1834. In 1847, the family moved to Summit County, Ohio, and in 1850,
to Lorain County, where he grew to manhood. He was educated in the common
schools of Ohio, and learned the carpenter's trade at Oberlin, of that state. In
the spring of 1857, he went to Iowa, locating in Dubuque County, having also
worked in Chicago and at other points. He resided in Dubuque County until coming
to Butler. Mr. Groves was married January 27, 1866, to Miss Josephine McCants, a
native of Dubuque County, Iowa, and a daughter of Elias and Mary (Whitesides)
McCants. Mr. G. has living two children: Lucy J. and Mary. (History of Bates
County, Missouri, 1883)
GROVES, William
West Boone Township - William Groves was born in Jefferson County, Virginia,
October 6, 1820, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Staley) Groves, and of
German descent. When twelve years of age, William came to Springfield, Illinois,
and in the following year went to the mountains in the employ of the Hudson Bay
Fur Company. He has passed the greater part of his time in the West, having gone
to California in 1849, and to Colorado in 1864, and spending from one to four
years at each period. In 1868 he came to Missouri and purchased land where he
now lives. He was married, in 1845, to Miss Sarah C. Smith, a native of
Virginia. They had seven children: Frances, Matilda, Margaret, Rebecca,
Catherine, and Samuel. His eldest daughter, Frances, was married, February 2,
1862, to Gilbert L. Sayles, a native of Hillsdale County, Michigan, born
February 1, 1838. He has since lived in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
He is a carpenter by trade, and has worked at his trade in nearly all of these
states. They have six children: Minerva E. (wife of David McBride, and living in
Miami County, Kansas); Margaret Ethel, Sarah Lavina, Minnie Lee, William Jesse,
George Eli (died when two years old), Cora Ettie. Mr. Sayles has a snug little
farm of 140 acres, lying adjacent to that of his father-in-law. (History of
Bates County, Missouri, 1883)