Biographies
H. Edward Thompson.--A man of scholarly attainments,
possessing a comprehensive knowledge of the law and of precedents, H. Edward
Thompson, of Webb City, has attained well merited success in the practice
of his profession, being now numbered among the leading attorneys of
this part of Jasper county. A son of Dennis Thompson, he
was born July 17, 1875, in Chautauqua county, Kansas, where his parents
were residents for a short time.
A native of Indiana, Dennis Thompson migrated to Missouri when young,
and during the Civil war served for a time in the Seventeenth Iowa Cavalry,
afterwards being in an Iowa regiment and later a member of the Home
Guards of Clark county, Missouri, his entire service covering a period
of four years. He subsequently settled permanently in Grundy county,
Missouri, where he is still engaged in agricultural pursuits, being a
prominent member of the farming community. He married Margaret
Hume, who was born in Clark county, Missouri, the log cabin in
which her birth occurred being still in existence. She died in 1887,
leaving seven children, as follows: H. Edward, the subject of this
brief bigraphical review; Ira Alvin, engaged in teaching
in Montana; Mrs. Laura Ratliff, of Trenton, Misouri;
Dennie Thompson, of Trenton, Missouri; Charley, also living
near Trenton; Nora, living at home; and Mrs. Mary
Ratliff, of Trenton, Missouri.
Having acquired his collegiate education in Trenton, Missouri, H.
Edward Thompson went to Valparaiso, Indiana, and after two years of
close study at the Valparaiso University completed his law studies, and
on May 1, 1904, was graduated with honors, being chosen as valedictorian
of his class. Locating in Jasper county in 1905, he was city attorney
at Carterville for a year. In 1906 Mr. Thompson bought property in
Webb City, and has since been here actively engaged in the practice
of law, being in partnership with his cousin, Charles O. Thompson.
In 1909 and 1910 he was assistant prosecuting attorney, serving under
Byron Coon, but has since devoted himself to his legal
affairs, looking after the interests of his many clients, for whom he
has won some very valuable decisions in the courts of Southwest
Missouri.
Mr. Thompson married, August 18, 1904, in Tompkinsville, Kentucky,
Ruby Comer, a daughter of Robert and
May Comer, propserous farmers of Kentucky, where Mr. Comer has
long been prominent in political affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are
parents of two children, namely: Merbell, born August 3,
1906, in Carterville; and Sumner, born January 14, 1909,
in Webb City. Politically Mr. Thompson is a strong Republican, and
fraternally he belongs to the Knights and Ladies of Security. He is
broad minded and liberal in his views, and a member of the Christian
church.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 822 – 823
 Dr. Melville S. Slaughter.-A well-known and prominent
osteopath of Webb City, Dr. Melville S. Slaughter has acquired
proficiency in his profession and is enjoying a large and remunerative
practice in this part of Jasper county. He was born September 21, 1884,
in Colfax, Iowa, the place in which his father, Z. T. Slaughter,
first saw the light of this beautiful world. His grandfather, J.
F. Slaughter, a pioneer settler of Iowa, was born in 1820, in
Ohio and died October 25, 1901, while his wife, Malinda Slaughter,
was born in 1819 and died March 4, 1902.
Z. T. Slaughter for twenty-five years was prominently engaged in the
cattle business in Jasper county, Iowa, and he afterward lived there
retired until his death, February 4, 1904, in Colfax, his native town.
He married Margaret L. Wagner, who was born in Pennsylvania,
and as a child came west with her parents, to Iowa, where she met Mr.
Slaughter, to whom she was united in marriage in August, 1861. She is
now living in Los Angeles, California. Her father, the late John
Wagner, was born in Pennsylvania in 1821, and died in Jasper
county, Iowa, in 1901, at the venerable age of four score years. His
wife, Sarah Wagner, was born in 1823, and died in 1901.
Brought up in Colfax, Iowa, Melville S. Slaughter obtained the
rudiments of his education in the common and high schools of that city,
and subsequently completed the preparatory course in the Iowa State
College, at Grinnell. In the meantime having become interested in the
science of osteopathy, Mr. Slaughter then went to Kirksville, Missouri,
and entered the School of Osteopathy, from which he was graduated in
June, 1907. On July 19, 1907, he opened an office in the McCorkle
Building in Webb City, and has since been actively and successfully
engaged in the practice of his profession in this place, being one of
the foremost osteopaths of Jasper county. On the completion of the
Wagner Building, Dr. Slaughter secured one of its finest suites of
rooms, and has here maintained his offices ever since, his large and
constantly increasing patronage requiring commodious quarters for
carrying on his work.
Dr. Slaughter married, September 17, 1907, in Trenton, Missouri,
Myrtle V. Shreve, a daughter of David G. Shreve,
a prominent railroad contractor of Trenton, and they have one child,
Melville Scott Slaughter, who was born January 2, 1910.
The Doctor is a member and the president of the Southwestern Missouri
and Southeastern Kansas Osteopathic Association, and has done much
towards advancing the interests of the organization. He is also a
member of the Webb City Commercial Club, and is a member of two
fraternal organizations, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the Yeomen of America. He is a stanch supporter of the principles
of the Democratic party, but is not especially active in the political
arena, although he is now councilman from the sixth ward.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 836
Napoleon B. Chatelle.-Enterprise and determination are strong
elements in prosperity, and they are found among the salient
characteristics of Napoleon B. Chatelle, who is engaged in real estate
operations at Joplin, Missouri, and who is one of the city's most
progressive and capable business men. His advancement in the
commercial world has been through his own efforts, and today he is
enjoying a richly merited success, while the future is bright with
promise.
Mr. Chatelle was born in the province of Quebec, Canada, on the 15th of
September, 1858, and he is son of Antwine Chatelle, who was likewise
born in Canada, the date of his nativity being the 5th of May, 1827.
Both the paternal and maternal grandparents of Mr. Chatelle, of this
review, were born in Canada and they traced their ancestry back to
staunch French extraction. Antwine Chatelle, who is still living, at
the venerable age of eighty-four years, came from Canada to Ogdensburg,
New York, where was solemnized the marriage to Miss Matilda Robideau,
on the 31st of January, 1853. Thence he proceeded to Janesville,
Wisconsin, in 1865, and he came to Joplin, Missouri, in the year 1871.
He is a carpenter and builder by trade and has been identified with
that line of enterprise during the major portion of his active business
career. He is still engaged in the work of his trade, and although
now far advanced in years he is well and active and still retains in
much of their pristine vigor the mental and physical qualities of his
youth. He is the oldest carpenter and contractor in Joplin and it was
he who built the first building in the city. Mrs. A. Chatelle was born
in Canada on the 16th day of June, 1836, and she too, is still living.
To Mr. and Mrs. Chatelle were born fifteen children, and of the number
seven are living (1911), three sons and four daughters: Mrs. Etta
Burres, Miss Della Chatelle and the immediate subject of this review
are residents of Joplin. The parents maintain their home at East
Joplin, where they are popular and well beloved citizens.
To the public schools of Janesville, Wisconsin, Mr. Chatelle is
indebted for his preliminary educational training and the same was
effectively supplemented by further study in the schools of Joplin,
which he attended until he had attained to the age of seventeen years.
He was a child of thirteen years at the time of his parents removal to
Missouri and he was fourth in order of birth in the previously
mentioned family of fifteen children. After leaving school he secured
a position in the drug store of Orner & Shepherd at Joplin, and there
thoroughly familiarized himself with the drug business. Three years
later he was proffered and accepted a position as bookkeeper with the
West Joplin Lead & Zinc Company and subsequently he was employed in a
similar capacity by Solen L. Cherry, of Galena, Kansas. He continued
in the employ of different mining concerns until 1909, in which year
he established his home in Joplin, where he is engaged in the real
estate business, handling mining properties, leases, etc. He also does
an extensive business in city real estate. While at Galena, Kansas,
Mr. Chatelle was a member of the city council, was city treasurer, was
treasurer of the school board and treasurer of the Nowata Mining
Company. In politics he is a stalwart supporter of the cause of the
Republican party, in the local councils of which he has long been a
most active worker. In 1875, when a mere youth, he was assistant
postmaster at Joplin, in discharging the duties of which he gave most
efficient service.
At Joplin, Missouri, on the 27th of December, 1881, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Chatelle to Miss Minnie Gaede, who was born and reared
at Bismarck, Germany, whence she immigrated to America about the year
1872. To Mr. and Mrs. Chatelle have been born four children, three
daughters and one son: Ursula, whose birth occurred on the 15th of
November, 1882, is the wife of Fred W. Hood and they reside at Liberal,
Kansas; Mayme B., born on the 9th of May, 1884, is married and
maintains her home at Joplin, Missouri; Lena, born October 20, 1866, is
the wife of John J. Jones, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma; and E. Frank, born on
the 12th of June, 1891, is an operator with the Frisco Railroad Company.
In their religious faith the Chatelle family are devout communicants of
the Catholic church, in the various departments of which they are
active and zealous workers.
In a fraternal way Mr. Chatelle is a valued and appreciative member of
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he has been grand foreman
and grand overseer of the state of Kansas. He is also affiliated with
the Knights and Ladies Society, a local organization, and in connection
with his business affairs he is a member of the Commercial Club of
Joplin. It is most gratifying to note at this point that Mr. Chatelle
has himself built the ladder by which he has risen to affluence, his
present status in the business world being the outcome of his own well
directed endeavors. He started out in life with nothing to back him
except pluck and determination to succeed, and he has made good in the
most significant sense of the term. Strong in his individuality, he
never lacks the courage of his convictions, but there are as dominating
elements in this individuality a lively human sympathy and an abiding
charity which, as taken in connection with the sterling integrity and
honor of his character, have naturally gained to him the respect and
confidence of men.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 821 – 822
Ankrim Martin. - On July 7, 1891, Ankrim MARTIN,
pioneer and good citizen,
"Gave his honors to the world again,
His blessed part in Heaven, and slept in peace."
A score of years have passed since then, but his memory still lives
with many of those who knew and admired this active and much respected
man, whose loyalty to the state of Missouri was proverbial. Mr. Martin
was born in Ireland in 1817 and came to America with his brother when
a youth of sixteen years, - in 1833. They first took up their residence
in Canada and after remaining there for a short time he came to the
decision to become a citizen of the United States and located in
Springfield, Missouri.
In his youth Mr. Martin had been apprenticed to learn the tailoring
trade and in after years his knowledge of this stood him in good stead,
for during the Civil war he was employed in cutting and fitting clothes
at Springfield for the soldiers. He continued in the tailoring
business in Springfield, and he came to Joplin from that city in the
early '70s, being, in fact, one of the early pioneers in this district.
During a previous short residence at Granby, Newton county, he had his
first experience as a hotel keeper and met with much success in the
role of "mine host." When he came to this city he resumed that
occupation and conducted one of the first hotels in the city. He became
very well-known and highly respected; was a member of the Congregational
church and one of its elders, and his right hand was given to all good
causes.
Mr. Martin was twice married. His first wife was Miss Charlo Burns,
who bore him four children and died after a number of years of married
life. After the death of his first wife Mr. Martin remained a widower
for some time, but when his children married and found homes of their
own and age began to assert itself, he sought the consolation of an
agreeable helpmeet and met and married Mrs. Charlotte Arterburn,
a widow, who still survives him. She nursed him throughout his last
illness with all the tender care that a loving wife could give and
still holds dear the memory of the deceased. The present Mrs. Martin
has a son by a former marriage, – Albert Arterburn,
born January 21, 1877, in Cherokee county, Kansas. He married Ruth
McMillin, and the two children born to the union are Roy,
born December 6, 1900, and in attendance at the Washington school of
Joplin; and Hazel, born May 2, 1905, a small pupil at the
Eugene Field school.
Mrs. Martin, widow of the immediate subject, is a remarkable lady
in many respects. She enjoys much note for her writings and has
composed a number of poems, the longest and most admired of which is
her description of an interesting trip made by her in the summer of
1905 and entitled "From Joplin, Missouri, to the Pacific Coast and
Return." This, graphically describing the scenes and pleasures of the
trip, she has had printed in pamphlet form for distribution among her
friends, whom she possesses in great number. The descriptions of this
pilgrimage touches upon the departure; Portland; the cosmopolitan
population of the city; the Pacific Ocean; Checo Springs; Yellowstone
Park; its animals; and the return Home. The last division of the poem
gives an insight into Mrs. Martin's love of her Missouri home and
friends, and is given below in part:
"Home again, home again, from off the western shore,
And, Oh, it fills my soul with joy to greet my friends once more.
There I dropped a parting tear to see the ocean foam,
But now I'm once again with those who kindly greet me home.
"Happy hearts, happy hearts, with me have laughed in glee,
But, Oh, the friends I loved of yore seem happier to me;
And if by chance should be my fate that I should longer roam,
But death alone can break the tie that binds my heart to home.
"Music sweet, music soft, lingers round the place,
And, Oh, I feel the olden charms that time cannot efface,
Then give me but my homestead roof; I'll ask no palace dome,
For I can live a happy life with those I love at home."
Mrs. Martin is a daughter of Dr. T.N. Selby, a
well-known Missouri physician, who was born November 30, 1810, on the
Cumberland River in Kentucky, and died after a useful and active life
in Newton county, Missouri, the date of his demise being March 21,
1890. The mother, Mary E. (Moody) Selby, was a native of
North Carolina and her union with Dr. Selby was celebrated in Indiana
in 1834. This worthy woman died August 28, 1889, in Newton county, the
mother of nine children and of one hundred descendants.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 796 – 798
Orville T. White.-Among the prominent and decidedly
progressive business men of the younger generation at Joplin, Missouri,
Orville T. White holds prestige as one who has succeeded in winning
marked success for himself in mining circles and in the general
merchandise business. At the present time he has a fine staple grocery
and produce establishment at Joplin, in addition to which he also
conducts branch stores at Galena and Baxter Springs, Kansas.
In Henry county, Indiana, on the 18th of February, 1874, occurred
the birth of Orville T. White, who is the son of Charles A.
and Ella (Hornaday) White, the former of whom died at
Galena, Kansas, in 1899 and the latter of whom was summoned to the
life eternal at Danville, Illinois, in 1878. Mr. Charles A. White was
born in Washington county, Indiana, on the 28th of August, 1831, and as
a young man he removed to Iowa, where he engaged in farming operations.
After residing in the latter state for a few years he went to Danville,
Illinois, where he devoted his attention to the meat business,
continuing to be identified with that line of enterprise from 1875
until 1884. Subsequently he removed to Galena, Kansas, where for ten
years he was superintendent of the Central & Crystal Leases and where
he became extremely prominent in mining circles. He passed to eternal
rest on the 30th of October, 1899. Mr. And Mrs. Charles A. White were
the parents of three children,--Orville T. is the immediate subject of
this sketch; Clara is the wife of C. Arnold
and resides in the city of Chicago, Illinois, as does also Millicent,
who is now Mrs. Henry J. Ledge.
After completing the curriculum of the public schools of his native
place, Orville T. White entered Spiceland Academy, at Spiceland,
Indiana, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1893.
After leaving school he came west, locating at Galena, Kansas, where
he accepted a position as superintendent of the McCann Mining Company's
interests, having charge of all the properties of that gigantic concern,
among them being the lands of McCann, Hedges Brother, Miller & Ping,
Oronogo, and others, all big producers. In 1900, however, he withdrew
from the mining world in order to engage in the staple grocery business
at Galena. In this connection he bought out C. F. Thomas
and conducted the business built up by him in partnership with John
M. Allen. In 1906 he purchased the produce establishment of
'Neil & Kuhn, at Joplin, which city he has made his main
headquarters. He has continued to branch out here and he still
conducts his concern at Galena, in addition to which he also has a
branch house at Baxter Springs. He makes a specialty of all kinds of
domestic and foreign produce and he controls an extremely large and
lucrative business.
At Galena, Kansas, on the 29th of June, 1904, Mr. White was united
in marriage to Miss Amanda Stone, who was born in Kansas
City, Missouri, and reared in the state of Kansas and who is the
daughter of William B. Stone, a prominent mine owner and
influential business man at Galena. Mr. And Mrs. White became the
parents of one child, Charles W., who was born at Galena,
in 1907 and who died the same year. Mrs. White is a member of the Clio
Club at Galena, Kansas, and she is also affiliated with the Daughters
of the American Revolution and a member of the P.E.O. club, Joplin,
Missouri.
In addition to his mercantile interests Mr. White is a director in
the Miners State Bank at Galena, Kansas, and he is also a director in
the W.B. Stone Mining & Milling Company of that city. In politics he
votes the Republican ticket and in their religious faith he and his
wife are devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Joplin, of
which Mr. White is a Sunday School superintendent. They are both
prominent and popular in connection with the best social affairs of
Joplin, where their spacious and atractive [sic] home is recognized as
a center of most gracious and generous hospitality. Mr. White is very
fond of hunting and fishing in the way of our-door sports and in all
the relations of life he is affable and kindly, his good humor and
generosity winning him the friendship and esteem of all with whom he
has come in contact.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 768 – 769
Willard P. Taylor. - Prominent among the rising young
business men of Joplin, Missouri, is Willard P. Taylor, an expert
chemist and assayer, who is identified with one of the leading
industries of this section of the state, his accurate knowledge of the
chemical elements of minerals and their proportions rendering him
especially skillful and successful in his vocation. A son of
Harry L. Taylor, he was born February 5, 1883, in Cleveland,
Ohio, coming on both sides of the house of excellent lineage.
During the earlier part of his active career Harry L. Taylor was
engaged in the manufacture of furniture in Cleveland, Ohio. Selling his
plant, he was afterwards for a time secretary of the Cleveland Electric
and Gas Fixture Company. Migrating several years ago to Missouri, he
became interested in mining and developed valuable properties, which
he turned to good account, making considerable money. He is now
actively identified with the real estate business, as manager of the
Castle Rock Realty Company being widely and favorably know. He married,
in Cleveland, Ohio, Nellie Smith, who was born in Prescott,
Ontario, and died in 1896. Two children were born of their union, as
follows: Miss Bessie Willard, who was born in August, 1879,
and died 1896; and Willard P., the special subject of this brief
biographical sketch.
Laying a substantial foundation for his future education in the
public schools of Cleveland, Willard P. Taylor continued his studies at
the Culver Military Academy, and later completed the course in mining
engineering and chemistry at the Missouri School of Mines. The ensuing
four years he was employed at the Hamilton Steel & Iron Words, at
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Coming then to Missouri, Mr. Taylor worked
for a short time for the Spring River Power Company, and in 1905
entered the employ of the American Mining Engineering Company, of
which he was a manager and chemist for eighteen months. He then opened
an assay office of his own in Joplin. He is now recognized as one of
the foremost chemists and assayers of Jasper county, and is very
frequently consulted by the leading mine owners of this vicinity.
Mr. Taylor married, June 19, 1907, Georgia De Long, of
Kingsville, Ontario, where her parents, W.E. and
Alfaretta De Long, are highly esteemed residents, her father
being one of the prominent merchants of the place. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
have one child, Nora Elizabeth, born in Joplin, Missouri,
December 20, 1909. In his political views Mr. Taylor is an independent
Democrat. Fraternally he belongs to the Blue Lodge, No. 335, A.F. &
A.M., and to the Chapter. Religiously both he and his wife are members
of the Episcopal church. He is highly esteemed among his large circle
of friends and associates, and finds great enjoyment in out-door
pursuits of all kinds, his preference, however, being for boating and
fishing.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 787
John H. Taylor. - With the demise of John Henry Taylor
on the 30th of August, 1902, there was lost to the city of Joplin one
of her finest and truest citizens. It means much to a city to number
among its inhabitants men of the type of Mr. Taylor, in whom the pure
fire of philanthropy and public-spirit burns so serenely; who, if need
be, are found. Mr. Taylor was an important factor in several fields;
in banking affairs; in the development of the natural resources of
Jasper county in the capacity of organizer and officer of important
mining and smelting companies, in which his executive ability, tireless
energy and genius in the broad combination and concentration of
applicable forces came into play; in legislation, in which he showed
superior qualities of statesmanship; as a gifted attorney and as a
just and progressive public official. It may truly be said that there
was nothing of public import in Joplin during his long residence here
in which he was not helpfully interested and he was an exponent of the
progressive spirit and strong initiative ability which caused the city
to forge forward so rapidly.
The usual student of biography confesses to an eager desire to trace
the ancestral forces that are united in every son and daughter of
unusual force and ability. No fine soul appears suddenly; the foothills
slope upward and mental and moral capital are treasures invested for us
by our forefathers. John Henry TAYLOR was born at Leesburg, Virginia,
January 26, 1837, the son of William and Mary (Ross)
Taylor. The father was a native of London, England, and was
educated in one of the institutions carried on by the Church of England.
When a young man of twenty-one he hazarded new fortunes and crossed the
sea to a country of whose independence and superior resources he had
heard so much. He located in the Old Dominion and there married, his
bride being a daughter of that romantic state. In 1833 he removed to
Ohio and a few years later came to Missouri. He was a prominent
educator and in 1858 was elected school commissioner of Jackson county.
His death occurred in 1862 and his wife passed away in 1877, while
residing at Independence, Missouri. They were members of the Baptist
church and their many good gifts of mind and heart won for them the
unqualified confidence and affection of all with whom they came in
contact. William Taylor was one of the first members of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
John Henry Taylor received his early education in a school conducted
by his father and afterward continued his studies in an academy. With
his parents he removed to Hannibal, Missouri, in 1844, and subsequently
to Paris, where he attended school and also clerked in a store. He had
also an experience as a printer in the office of the Paris Mercury,
which those who know declare is in itself equal to a liberal education.
In 1851 the family removed to Independence, Missouri, where he further
pursued his studies and gained credit for himself and benefit for his
constituents in several offices, among them those of deputy circuit
clerk and ex-officio recorder of Jackson county, Missouri, under
General Lucas. He was drawn to the legal profession and
took up the study of law under the direction of the firm of Christman
& Comingo, and in September, 1857, was admitted to practice. In
1858 he was elected city attorney of Independence and his success in
the capacity of chief municipal officer was manifestly recognized by
several reelections. In 1860 he received an appointment to the office
of county school commissioner.
In the early '60s Mr. Taylor was in Shreveport, Louisiana, and about
the time of the close of the Civil war he returned to Independence,
Missouri, where he successfully resumed the practice of the law. In
December, 1871, he effected the organization of the first company
formed at Joplin to develop the mineral resources of southeastern
Missouri, the same being known as the Joplin Mining & Smelting
Company, of which he held the three-fold office of treasurer, secretary
and manager. Subsequently he became the president, acting in that
capacity until the charter of the company expired. In 1872 he organized
the East Joplin City Mining Company, of which he was president, and in
1874 he was instrumental in organizing the North Joplin Mining &
Smelting Company. About this time the Joplin Savings Bank, the first
bank of the city, was founded and he also became its chief executive
officer. In 1894 he organized the Taylor Land & Mining Company, of
which he was president, while his son, Wilkins Taylor, was the
secretary. The enterprises with which Mr. Taylor was associated met
with success, for he was one of the men who have big ideas and are
capable of making them realities.
In 1875 Mr. Taylor was elected delegate to the constitutional
convention which framed the present constitution of Missouri. He
represented the sixteenth senatorial district, then comprising the
counties of Jasper, Barton, Vernon, Dade and Cedar, and labored earnestly
for the measures which he believed would prove of the greatest good to
the majority of the citizens. He ever took a deep interest in political
affairs and while living in Carthage, Missouri, was a member of the
city council, but resigned upon coming to Joplin. In 1898 he was
appointed by the governor one of the commissioners to the Omaha
Exposition.
In religious faith the subject was Presbyterian, his affiliation
with the church dating from 1855. He was active in its campaign for
righteousness and was long one of its elders. His widow also belongs
to this church. He was also actively interested in and for six years
was president of the Young Men's Christian Association of Joplin and
was highly esteemed by the members of the organization, who recognized
in him an ideal citizen. Upon the attainment of his majority he joined
his father's fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at
Independence, Missouri, and he held many of its offices up to district
deputy grand master. He was also a member of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. At one time he served as grand secretary of
the Temperance Union of Missouri and his sympathies were all with the
unfortunate and downtrodden. His charities and philanthropies were many,
among the larger of these being his donation of the ground for the
Children's Home.
Mr. Taylor formed an ideally happy life companionship when, on April
7, 1874, he was united in marriage to Miss Lulie Smith,
daughter of Horly T. and Mary Wood (Mitchell) Smith
. She was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but it was in
Independence, Missouri, that her marriage was celebrated. Mrs. Taylor
is the scion of two of the distinguished families of the South, the
Mitchells and Dents of Virginia. Her great-
grandparents became acquainted at the residence of General George
Washington, while visiting at Mount Vernon, Colonel James
Mitchell being an officer under Washington, while Miss
Dent was a cousin of Mrs. Washington. Six children
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, but only three survive. Belle
was married December 3, 1906, to Mr. Austin Allen,
one of Joplin's leading architects. Morgan is a promising
young attorney of the city, having been graduated from the law
department of the State University of Missouri in 1911, and he is the
president of the Taylor Land and Mining Company. Wilkins
is secretary of the Taylor Land and Mining Company. Mrs. Taylor shares
in the philanthropical ambitions of her late husband and the wealth at
her command could not be in better, more generous and charitable hands.
This admirable lady enjoys the general respect and esteem of the city
and is prominent socially, her many graces and abilities fitting her
for social leadership, while her charming, cultured home is the center
of a most gracious hospitality. She is a member of the Daughter of the
American Revolution.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 794 – 796
Samuel T. Moss.-One of the oldest and most highly respected settlers of Union township, Jasper county, S.T. Moss has lived here since 1852, and for nearly half a century has been actively identified with the promotion of its agricultural prosperity, being owner of Moss Spring Farm, one of the most valuable pieces of farming property in the county. A son of Dr. David F. Moss, he was born, April 12, 1846, in Putnam county, Indiana, and, with his parents, came to this state in April, 1852.
His grandparents, William and Martha (Wright) Moss, natives of North Carolina, migrated to Indiana in the early part of the nineteenth century, locating in Washington county. In the fall of 1853 they visited Missouri, from here going to Kansas, where they spent some time before returning to their home in Indiana. They were the parents of ten children, four sons and six daughters.
David F. Moss was born in Washington county, Indiana, October 6, 1815, and there received his elementary education. He was subsequently graduated from the Eclectic Medical School of Cincinnati, Ohio, and began the practice of his profession in Indiana, for a time being located in Putnam county, near Greencastle. In April, 1852, he came with his family to Missouri, settling in Union township, Jasper county, where he resided until his death, September 6, 1909, at a venerable age. A pioneer physician of Jasper county, Dr. Moss built up a very large practice in this vicinity, his rides sometimes extending into the country for a distance of forty miles, his services being in demand in every direction. He was also a preacher of distinction, being a minister of the Church of Christ, and doing much to advance the cause of the Master. For fifty-four consecutive years Dr. Moss practiced medicine in this part of the state, being known far and wide as one of the most able and successful physicians of southwestern Missouri.
Dr. Moss was married, in Putnam county, Indiana, by Rev. Mr. Fanning, on the 30th of January, 1827, to Margaret Daugherty, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, of Irish ancestry. Her father was a man of patriotic ardor, and served in the French and Indian wars under General William H. Harrison. She preceded her husband to the life beyond, passing away at the age of seventy-five years. Two children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Moss, namely: Samuel T. the special subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Margaret A. Slavens, who died at the comparatively early age of thirty years.
A lad of six years when he came with his parents to Jasper county, Samuel T. Moss received his education in the pioneer schools of his day. In 1862 his parents moved to Fort Scott, Kansas, and he enlisted in the Kansas State Militia and was placed on active duty, with his command, following General Price's troops to Pineville, Arkansas. Returning from there to Fort Scott, he was honorably discharged from the service. Again taking up his residence in Union township at the close of the war, Mr. Moss soon assumed possession of Moss Spring Farm, on which he has lived for upwards of forty-five years. His farm of two hundred and eighty-seven acres is one of the best in its improvements and appointments of any in the county, containing good bottom and uplands, with one hundred and eighty acres in cultivation, and yielding profitable harvest each year. It is well watered by creeks and springs, and at Moss Spring the old settlers hold their yearly picnics, it being the favorite meeting place of neighbors and friends for miles around. Mr. Moss raises good horses, cattle and hogs, and pays considerable attention to the culture of fruit, having five acres of strawberries on his farm.
Mr. Moss married, November 12, 1876, Georgia Elliott, who has been a devoted companion, a wise counselor, and a true helpmate. Her father, Samuel Elliott, a native of Tennessee, was a son of Robert Elliott, the son of James Elliott, a native of Ireland, who came to America at the age of twelve years. He lived in Tennessee many years, but spent his last years in Missouri. Samuel Elliott served as a Union soldier during the Civil war, belonging to Company A, Thirty-third Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and subsequently died, at the age of forty-one years, in Pettis county, Missouri. The maiden name of the wife of Mr. Elliott was Diana Payne. She was born in Overton county, Tennessee, a daughter of Matthew Payne, and in 1840 came with her father to Missouri, where she spent the remainder of her life, dying in December, 1892, aged seventy years. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott six children were born, four of whom grew to years of maturity, on of whom, Samuel Elliott, served in the Philippines two years during the Spanish-American war, and died while en route for home on the transport "Sherman," at the age of forty-three years. Mrs. Moss is a member of the Church of Christ.
Mr. and Mrs. Moss are the parents of three children, namely: Myrtle, the wife of John Spence, of Union township; Gertie, the wife of H.W. Bradley; and Aura, the wife of B.S. Flippin, living on the home farm. A steadfast Republican in politics, Mr. Moss is ever in favor of the establishment of enterprises conducive to the highest welfare of the community, and is numbered among the substantial and progressive citizens of the township.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 927 – 928
Edward E. Hubbard.-At this juncture in a volume devoted to the careers of representative citizens of Jasper county, Missouri, it is a pleasure to insert a brief history of Judge E. E. Hubbard, who has ever been on the alert to forward all measures and enterprises projected for the good of the general welfare and who has served his fellow citizens in various official positions of trust and responsibility. He was county judge of Jasper county for two term and for four years was a probate judge, acquitting himself with all honor and distinction in discharging the duties of those offices. He is now devoting the major portion of his time and attention to diversified agriculture and stock-raising, his finely improved estate of two hundred and twenty acres being located in Sheridan township, six miles distant from Jasper.
Judge Hubbard was born in Clay county, Missouri, on the 2nd of March, 1858, and he is a son of John and Sarah (Brooks) Hubbard, both natives of Kentucky. John Hubbard came to Missouri in the year 1840 and after residing for a number of years in Clay county, settled in Jasper county on the 1st of February, 1867. He was a farmer by occupation, and his death occurred here April 1, 1877. At the age of nine years Judge Hubbard accompanied his parents to Jasper county, to whose public schools he is indebted for his early educational training. He remained at home with his parents until 1879 and in 1882 he secured employment in a flour mill in Jasper county, continuing to work in that concern until 1897. In that year he purchased a farm of sixty acres in Duval township, this county, but disposed the same in 1901, subsequently buying two hundred and twenty acres in Sheridan township. The latter estate constitutes his present farm and on the same he is engaged in general agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock.
In the year 1887 Judge Hubbard was united in marriage to Miss Alice Duncan, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Duncan, natives of Ohio and coming from there to Jasper county about 1868. Judge an dMrs. Hubbard became the parents of the following children: Bernice, who birth occurred in 1888, is the wife of Arthur J. Probart, of Lincoln township, this county, and has two children, names Lucile and Max; Walker W., born in 1890, married Ethel Johnson and is interested in farming operations on his father's estate; Edward E., Jr., who died, age six years; Clara Alice, born in 1894, remains at the parental home, as do also Geneva, born in 1896; Kenyon, born in 1899; John, born in 1901; and Paul Ernest, born in 1903.
In his political adherency Judge Hubbard is a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party. In 1902 he was honored by his fellow citizens with election to the office of county judge of Jasper county and he was reelected to that office in 1904. In 1906 he was chosen as judge of the probate court and he served in that capacity with the utmost efficiency for a period of four years, retiring from office in 1910. He exercised the greatest good judgment in the handling of difficult cases and it is gratifying to note that but very few of his decisions were ever appealed. In a fraternal way Judge Hubbard is a valued and appreciative member of the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is unusually popular as a citizen and business man and on his entire career there rests no blemish.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By
Joel T. Livingston; Pg 987
Page updated Thursday, March 04, 2004
© 2004 Renessa Lewis
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