Bates County Biographies

 

NAYLOR, Prof. James M.
Mt. Pleasant Township - Prof. James M. Naylor, principal of the Butler Academy, was born in Butler County, Ohio, November 3, 1842. His father was the Rev. A.R. Naylor, who was a Presbyterian clergyman, and connected for many years with the domestic missions of the west. His mother was formerly Elizabeth Montgainy, of Ohio. James M., determined to be a scholar, prepared himself for a course of study, and entered the Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, where he graduated in 1866. In 1862, he joined the Eighty-Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was with the Fifteenth and also the Sixteenth corps, and accompanied General Sherman through his memorable campaigns. He acted as a scout for many months, and after serving through the war, discharging many important trusts, he received an honorable discharge and returned home. Not having completed his collegiate course he re-entered and after the last year's study received his diploma. He took the second degree of M.A. in 1869. His life work has been spent as teacher, mostly as principal in an academy, he having had under his tutorship, some of the best schools in Ohio and Indiana. In September, 1879, he came to Butler and took charge of the academy in this place, where he is meeting with great success. His school is largely and deservedly popular. Professor Naylor married Miss Martha A. McCord in 1869. She was the accomplished daughter of Robert McCord, of Vincennes, Indiana. Professor N. is a zealous member of the Presbyterian Church, and the active and efficient superintendent of the Sunday School. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NEPTUNE, Judge Absalom
Osage Township - Judge Absalom Neptune, section 16, owes his nativity to Marion County, West Virginia, where he was born February 21, 1819. His parents, Henry and Rebecca (Merideth) Neptune, were also natives of West Virginia. They reared a family of eleven children, Absalom being the fifth child. He grew to manhood and obtained his education in the county of his birth, following from his boyhood to his present occupation. In the spring of 1869 he emigrated to Bates County, Missouri, and settled where he now resides, his farm here containing 80 acres of land, all of which is well improved. He also has 26 acres in Vernon County. Mr. Neptune was married September 1, 1853, to Miss Ann S. Brand, also originally from West Virginia. They have three children living: Elizabeth J., Addie B. and James B. He is a member of the Masonic order. In 1872 he was elected to the office of justice of the peace of Osage Township, serving till January, 1883. In November, 1882, he was elected oen of the county judges of Bates County, Missouri, and thus far has discharged his duties in an acceptable manner. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NEWBERRY, Hon. John B.
Deepwater Township - Among the prominent men of Bates County, is the subject of this sketch, who was born in Orange County, New York, May 25, 1829. Joshua Newberry, his father, and also his mother (formerly Elizabeth Stevens) were natives of the same county, the former born November 2, 1792, and the latter March 14, 1791. Joshua served in the war of 1812, and was in several important engagements. He held different local offices in his native state, where he died in 1862. John B. Newberry moved with his parents to Broom County, New York, in 1841, and there grew to manhood, spending his youth on the farm and attending the common schools, where he received a good education of the English branches. When in his twentieth year he was a student in the Harford Academy, in Susquehanna County. He had previously worked one year and a half learning the blacksmith trade, and after completing his studies at school he labored at his trade in different parts of the state for about four years. In 1853, he came to Missouri and located in Bates County, continuing his chosen calling at Papinville, where he remained four years. In the spring of 1857, Mr. Newberry moved to his present farm. He has 400 acres of land in his home place, with 300 under fence and about 200 in cultivation and fairly improved. There is a good house, barn and outbuildings, and a bearing orchard of 200 apple, with some peach, cherry and pear trees upon the place. He resides on section 22. In the summer of 1862, he enlisted in Company F, Sixtieth Missouri Enrolled Militia, and when his company was organized he was elected captain, in which capacity he served until the fall of 1864, when his company was discharged. The captain is identified with the Democratic party, and was elected sheriff and collector of Bates County in the fall of 1862, and served for two years. In the fall of 1870, he was re-elected sheriff and collector and served one term. In the spring of 1873, he returned to his farm. In the fall of 1874, his party further recognized his ability by nominating and electing him state senator for the Fourteenth State Senatorial District. He served in this capacity with distinction and credit to himself for four years. Since retiring from office he has taken more than ordinary interest in politics, and has served as a delegate to numerous conventions. Mr. Newberry was married in Bates County, December 10, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Drake, a daughter of George Drake, of Licking County, Ohio, where she was born. She came to Missouri in 1844, and was raised and educated in Bates County. Mr. and Mrs. N. have four children: Alice A. (wife of C.S. Ewin); Susan L., Jessie E. and George W. They have lost one child, an infant. Mr. Newberry is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Odd Fellows and also the Patrons of Husbandry. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NEWSOME, Dempsey G.
Mt. Pleasant Township - Dempsey G. Newsome was born on the 28th of October, 1842, in Forsythe County, North Carolina. He spent his youth at is birth place and attended the schools of that vicinity, and was interested in different branches of business until 1861. Then he enlisted in Company B, 11th North Carolina Volunteers, of the Confederate army, and was in active service until August, 1863, when he was wounded at the second battle of Bull Run. On account of disability he was therefore discharged. In 1864 he removed to Knob Noster, Johnson County, Missouri, where he resided for two years. Coming to Butler he followed the trade of painting until 1869, when he was appointed deputy sheriff and collector of Bates County. This position he continued to fill for two years. Subsequently he was employed as a clerk by R. Weil & Co., at Butler, and in 1872 he established the Bates County Times, which he edited for two years with marked ability as a journalist. Selling his interest in this paper he again entered the house of R. Weil & Co., as manager of their store at Harrisonville. He remained there until they closed business at that point when he returned to Butler, and in December, 1881, he accepted his present position as manager of the boot and shoe department of the extensive establishment of M.S. Cowles & Co., in this city. Mr. Newsome was united in marriage on March 8, 1871, to Miss Emma F. Campbell, a native of Illinois. They have an interesting family of four children: Stonewall J., Ora, Dixie L. and Goldie. Mr. N. is a member of the I.O.O.F. fraternity. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NEWTON, J.H.
Pleasant Gap Township - J.H. Newton was born in Hancock County, Illinois, May 22, 1841. William H. Newton, his father, was a native of Virginia, and was born January 16, 1818, and his mother (formerly Martha Routt) was born in Clark County, Kentucky, May 22, 1822. The former moved to Kentucky with his parents when a boy, and located in Trigg County, where he resided till about the year 1836, then going to Illinois and settling in Hancock County, of which he was a pioneer. J.H. Newton accompanied the family to McLean County in 1843, where he grew to manhood. His youth was spent on the farm and in attending the common schools and the Bloomington High School, where he passed about one year. August 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Thirty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until October, 1864, when he was discharged at Springfield, Illinois. He participated in a number of important engagements, among which were the battles of Fort Gibson, Champiion's Hill, Black River, and the siege of Vicksburg, where he received a slight gunshot wound. After this engagement he went to the Department of the Gulf. Upon receiving his discharge he returned to McLean County, where he was for a time engaged in farming. In October, 1868, he came to Bates County, Missouri, and settled on a farm in Pleasant Gap Township, moving to his present place in November, 1870. He owns 136 acres of land, 120 of which are fenced and mostly in cultivation. He has a good apple and peach orchard of 125 budded peach trees of the best varieties. This place is located in section 22. Mr. Newton was married in McLean County, December 23, 1864, to Miss Julia A. Smith, a native of Floyd County, Indiana, where she was reared and educated, and a daughter of Jacob T. Smith. They have a family of three children: Edward E., John R. and Jessie. They have also lost three children, who died at about the age of one year. Mr. Newton is identified with the Republican party, and was one of the county commissioners of McLean County for two years, and was elected justice of the peace of his township in 1882. His wife is a member of the M.E. Church. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NICHOLS, Asa C.
Hudson Township - Asa C. Nichols, a Missourian by birth; was born in Boone County, July 16, 1832. John Nichols, his father, was a native of Virginia, but moved to Kentucky with his parents, where he grew to manhood and married Nancy Melvin, originally from Delaware, but who was raised in Kentucky. The former moved to Missouri in 1821, and located in Howard County, being one of the early settlers of the state. A.C. Nichols spent his youth on a farm and received an education in the common schools of his native county, and subsequently devoted some fifteen years to teaching vocal music. He was married in Boone County, in September, 1857, to Miss Mary J. Sapp, a daughter of John E. Sapp, and also a native of that county. She died in December, 1865, leaving two children: Martin L. and Grandison B. Mr. Nichols was married to his present wife, (formerly Miss Eleanor J. Petty,) April 1, 1867. She was born in Boone County. Mr. N. resided in the county of his birth until the spring of 1874, when he moved to Bates County, then purchasing his present farm in section 29. He has 64 acres of land, with a comfortable house and fair improvements. A good coal bank is upon his farm, from which he has been taking coal for six years, and is now obtaining on an average about 30,000 bushels per year. This vein runs from four to five feet in thickness and is of good quality. There is also a sandstone rock quarry on the place, near the surface, and the rock is very even and about thirty inches thick. Mr. Nichols devotes most of his time to coal mining. He has two children by his present wife: Hattie and Mettie. He is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NICKERSON, D.K.
Osage Township - D.K. Nickerson, manager of the lumber firm of R.J. Hurly & Co., is a native of Maine and was born in Kennebec County, October 7, 1821. His parents were Daniel and Louisa (Gilbert) Nickerson, the former originally of New Brunswick and the latter of Massachusetts. When D.K. was fourteen years of age, they with their family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he learned the trade of watch making, which he wollowed at that location till 1843. Then he went to Lawrence, Massachusetts, continuing the same occupation till 1848. Locating in Canton, Illinois, he remained till 1850; then went to Parkville, Platte County, Missouri, and three years later he became engaged in the grocery business at Butler, Missouri. In about eighteen months he moved to Bourbon County, Kansas, where he sold goods till September, 1880, when he came to Rich Hill, accepting his present charge in the following December. Mr. Nickerson is a member of the I.O.O.F. fraternity. He was married on the 13th day of May, 1838, to Miss Mary D. Blair, a native of New Hampshire. They have four children: Amos, George, Frank and Mabel. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NOLAND, Thomas B.
Shawnee Township - Thomas B. Noland was born in Columbus, Ohio, July 13, 1841. His parents were William Noland and Margaret, nee Weatherinton,  the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. Her father was a pioneer settler of Ohio, and was in the war of 1812. They were the parents of three sons and five daughters, Thomas being the eighth child. The family located in Hancock County, Illinois, when he was nine years old, and there he grew to manhood, attending the acedemy at Denmark, Iowa, thus receiving a good education. At the age of nineteen years he began to teach, and taught in the schools of Illinois until 1874, when he came to Bates County. Since moving to Missouri he has been occupied in farming and occasionally teaching. His farm lies on section 21, and contains 160 acres, all under fence and in cultivation. Mr. Noland has been a justice of the peace for five years, and being interested in causes of education has been repeatedly elected a school director. He is a Methodist in his church connection, and belongs to the farmers' order, the Grange. He was married, January 5, 1862, to Miss Margaret Florence, a native of Ohio. They have six children: Leroy W., Charles G. Harriet B., Florence M., A.B. and Lizzie. They have lost one daughter, Maggie. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NORMAN, William
Deer Creek Township - William Norman, farmer, section 22, was born in England, July 5, 1853, his parents were Thomas and Susan (Shaver) Norman, being natives of England. William was the oldest of five sons and two daughters. He lived with the family in England until 1867, when he emigrated to America, settling in Illinois, where he followed farming until 1878. Then he came to Bates County, Missouri. Mr. N. received his education in Illinois, and on August 5, 1875, he was married to Miss Anna M. Howe, a native of Illinois. Her death occurred in April, 1876. He was again married October 19, 1880, to Alice McKill, of Pettis County, Missouri. He has two children: John and Susan. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)

NORTH, James C.
Mound Township - James C. North was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, in 1838, and was the son of Thomas and Catherine (Brenansoltz) North, who are of English ancestry. James was the third of six children, five of whom are still living. He is the only one in the west, the others being in Pennsylvania. His father was a tanner by trade, and he was initiated into the secrets of the tanyard at an early age. He continued at this work until about twenty-two years old. At the outbreak of the war he was attached to Milroy's Brigade, and served in the capacity of sutler for the 123rd Ohio, until about the time of the battle of Gettysburg, when he retired from the army and soon after moved to Tazewell County, Indiana, where he remained until about 1868. Coming to Missouri he purchased land where he now lives, near the town of Adrian. Mr. North is one of the first farmers and stock men of Mound Township, and his present comfortable condition is simply the result of untiring and diligent attention. In politics he is a Republican of advanced views and supports everything tending to promote and develop this country. (History of Bates County, Missouri, 1883)
 

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