Greene County Biographies


From:  Past and Present of Greene County, Missouri
Early and Recent History and Genealogical Records
of Many of the Representative Citizens
by Jonathan Fairbanks and Clyde Edwin Tuck




FRANCIS A. GALLAGHER. The career of Francis A. Gallagher, superintendent
of the Springfield Traction Company, has been a varied one, with success
in every line to which he has turned his attention, for at the outset he
realized that to achieve anything worth while in this world one must not
only have big ideas of a practical and sane nature, but there must also be
courage, sound judgment, persistency and close adherence to high ideals.
He has never waited for some one else to do his planning or to execute his
plans, but has been self-reliant and resourceful, and so it is not
surprising that he is now filling a very responsible position while yet a
young man.

Mr. Gallagher was born February 17, 1875, in Bradford county,
Pennsylvania. He is a son of Francis A. and Winifred (Collom) Gallagher.
The father was born at Painesville, Ohio, in 1850, and the mother's birth
occurred in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1851. These
parents grew up in their respective communities and received common school
educations, and when young in years the father went to Titusville,
Pennsylvania, where he established his home, and there he engaged in the
oil business. He became a prominent man in politics. He was a member of
the Catholic church. His death occurred at Titusville, November 17, 1874,
when a young man. His widow still survives, and makes her home in
Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Francis A. Gallagher, only child of his parents, grew to manhood in his
native state and there received a common school and college education.
When but a boy he began his railroad career by taking a position with the
Erie Railroad Company, working at different office positions. He then went
to the Standard Oil Company, working at different places in Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. In 1896 he went into construction work
for the Pierce Construction Company, building street railways, etc, This
firm was located at Bradford, Pennsylvania. Later our subject went to
Michigan in the same business for the Marquette Railway Company, remaining
there until 1907 when he came to Springfield, Missouri, and took a
position as superintendent of the Springfield Traction Company, which he
has filled to the present time with his usual eminent satisfaction that
has marked all his work in the past. Since coming here he has rebuilt the
system, relaying every foot of track, constructing new barns, etc., and
has given the people of Springfield a modern and satisfactory street
railway. He maintains his offices at 1405 Boonville street. He has always
been a close observer and a deep student of his line of work and has
therefore kept well abreast of the times in his special field. Mr.
Gallagher was married on June 26, 1901, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, to Edna
Holmes, a native of that place, where she was reared and educated,
including both the public schools and a college course of several years.
She is a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Venetti) Holmes, both natives of
Pennsylvania, where they grew up, were educated and married and
established the family home at Bradford where they are well known and
influential. Mr. Holmes was engaged in the oil business for many years
there.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher three children have been born, namely: Francis
A., Jr., born on May 17, 1902, in Bradford, Pennsylvania; John H., born on
June 10, 1911, and Mary Elizabeth, born on June 28, 1913.

Mr. Gallagher and family are members of the Catholic church. Fraternally,
he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and to the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks; at the present time he is state trustee of the latter
order, and is one of the active and prominent Elks of Missouri. He and his
wife have made many friends since locating in Springfield.




JESSE E. GALLOWAY. It is interesting to consider the pleasure and profit
of farm life as compared with other vocations. We are told that business
is nothing more than being industriously engaged in the affairs of some
occupation from which we derive our support. Farming is the world's
biggest business. It furnishes the nations with food and is the basis of
all prosperity and happiness, in a material sense, and therefore should
receive our closest and most enthusiastic consideration, and be
safeguarded by our best brains and legislation. One of the large
agriculturists of Greene county is Jesse E. Galloway, of Clay township,
who takes a delight in his vocation, and, being at the same time a keen
observer and a hard worker, has succeeded.

Mr. Galloway was born in Stone county, Missouri, March 9, 1854. He is a
son of Charles and Susan (Carney) Galloway. The father was born near
Knoxville, Tennessee, but he came to Missouri when a young man and settled
in Stone county, and, prospering, became owner of five farms there, owning
about five hundred acres at the time the Civil war began. He was an
extensive dealer in live stock. He was a soldier in two wars, the Mexican
and Civil, joining the Union army in 1861; he became first a captain, then
a major, and served for some time as scout for General Lyon. He made a
fine record as a soldier, saw much hard service and was honorably
discharged at the close of the war. He returned to his farm, but his death
occurred several years afterward in Springfield. He was a member of the
Baptist church. His wife was also a native of Tennessee and was a small
girl when her parents brought her to Missouri. She was killed in the
tornado that destroyed the Galloway home on April 18, 1880. She was a
member of the Baptist church. To these parents nine children were born
namely: Mrs. Catherine King, Thomas, Jesse (subject), Charles, Mrs. Susan
Thompson, Nathaniel, Alec, Abner, and Andrew Jackson.

Jesse E. Galloway was reared on the home farm, where he worked until he
was twenty-three years of age. He had been educated in the meanwhile in
the public schools. In starting out in life for himself he went to Kansas
and purchased one hundred and sixty acres, remaining on it seven years,
when he sold out and came back to Greene county. He has been very
successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, and is now owner of four
hundred acres of well-improved and valuable land in Clay township, where
he is carrying on general farming on an extensive scale. He deals heavily
in live stock.

Mr. Galloway was married in 1888 to Elizabeth Meese, by whom three
children were born, Charles, Jesse and Richard. After the death of his
first wife, Mr. Galloway married Lula Willoby, a native of this state. She
was reared in Christian county and educated in the common schools. To this
second union nine children have been born, namely: Mrs. Catherine Gibson
lives in Colorado; Nathaniel, Finis, Ellis, Joe, Norma, Julia, Luella and
Jake. They are all at home with their parents but the eldest daughter.

Politically, Mr. Galloway is a Democrat, but preferring to devote his time
to his home and his large farming and live stock interests, he has never
been active in public affairs.




J. W. GANN. From an excellent old Kentucky family comes J. W. Gann, the
obliging and popular city passenger and ticket agent for the Frisco Lines
at Springfield, and he seems to have inherited many of the commendable
traits of his worthy progenitors. He has devoted the major portion of his
active career to railroad service and has given eminent satisfaction in
every position he has held in this field of endeavor.

Mr. Gann was born in Wayne county, Kentucky, December 11, 1871. He is a
son of William K. and Mary (Daugherty) Gann. The father was born in
Kentucky in 1838, and there the birth of the mother occurred in 1848, each
scions of old Southern families. They grew to maturity in the Blue Grass
state and were educated there, the father receiving an exceptionally good
education for that period. After passing through the common schools he
attended the Louisville Medical College, where he made a fine record and
from which institution he was graduated with the degree of doctor of
medicine, also completing a course in pharmacy. He engaged successfully in
the practice of his profession until his death in 1885. His wife preceded
him to the grave in 1883. They were the parents of five children, four of
whom are still living, namely: Charles M. is deceased; J. W. of this
sketch; Hattie, Mattie and Edward Everett.

J. W. Gann was reared at the parental homestead in Wayne county, Kentucky,
and there he received a practical common school education, but he started
out in life when young, being but seventeen years of age when he began his
career as railroader, in which he has been engaged ever since. He began as
telegraph operator for the Queen & Crescent railroad in Tateville,
Kentucky. He was sent to various places to work by this road, with which
he remained until 1900, then went to work for the Frisco Lines as ticket
seller in the office at Birmingham, Alabama. In 1905 he was made city
passenger agent in that city. Remaining there until in March, 1907, he was
transferred to Springfield, Missouri, as chief ticket clerk, and in
December, 1910, he was promoted to city passenger and ticket agent, which
position he still holds.

Mr. Gann was married on November 7, 1906, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Mrs.
Sarah Elizabeth Prewitt. She was born near Springville, Alabama, February
5, 1874, and there grew to womanhood and received her education.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Gann has been without issue.

Politically, our subject is a Democrat. He is prominent in Masonic
circles, having attained the thirty-second degree. Religiously, he is a
member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.




JAMES COLEMAN GARDNER. Among those whose military records as valiant
soldiers of the great war between the states reflect lasting honor upon
them and their descendants s James Coleman Gardner, who has had a varied
career and has long been engaged as trustee and receiver in bankruptcy at
Springfield, where he has won an honored name by virtue of his consistency
to truth, honesty and right living. It was fifty-eight years ago that he
first came to the present capital of the Ozark region, then a mere village
on the frontier, and he has been identified with the growth of the place
ever since, taking a delight n its progress.

Mr. Gardner was born near Santa Fe, Murray county, Tennessee, on November
17, 1832. He is a son of Britton D. and Jeanette (Oakley). Gardner. The
father was born, September 1, 1808, and was a son of Nathan and Nancy
Gardner. Nathan Gardner was of German descent, and n an early day he went
west to make his fortune. Britton D. Gardner grew to manhood in Murray
county, Tennessee, and there devoted himself to general farming. When the
Civil war came on he enlisted in the First Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry,
Confederate army, and fought gallantly for the cause until killed while
fighting in General Forest's brigade at Thompson's Station, Tennessee,
March 23, 1863. Politically, he was a Democrat, and religiously belonged
to the Methodist Episcopal church, South. His wife was born in Murray
county, Tennessee, August 22, 1814. She did not long survive after the
death of her husband. Their home, which was in the heart of the country
overrun by the opposing armies, was destroyed by fire; she was ill at the
time, and died from the effects of the exposure, October 17, 1863. Both
subjects' great-grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary war.

James C. Gardner grew up on the farm and received a limited education,
attending the district schools about fifteen months, but later in life he
educated himself by general home reading. He worked on the farm until
1854, when he went into the dry goods business in Santa Fe, Tennessee, for
a year. On May .23, 1856, he arrived in Springfield, Missouri, and clerked
for some time in a dry goods store. In September, 1862, he enlisted in
Company H, Sixty-first Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, Confederate army,
and proved to be a brave soldier, taking part in numerous engagements,
including Chickasaw Bayou, where he was under fire eight days and nights
continuously, and also during the siege of Vicksburg he was under fire at
one time continuously for forty-seven days and nights. He had the
distinction of firing the first gun in the battle of Black River. He
surrendered with the balance of General Pemberton's army of thirty
thousand men at Vicksburg, July 4, 1863. He had been promoted to first
lieutenant for meritorious conduct. He returned, to Springfield in 1866
and clerked in a store until 1872, when he went into business for himself,
where the Aladdin Theatre is now located. Later taking a farm in Greene
county, he moved thereto and continued general farming until 1881, when he
moved back to Springfield and resumed clerking. During the past twenty-two
years he has been working in the bankruptcy business, as trustee and
receiver, and is regarded as an expert in this line and his services have
been in great demand.

Politically, Mr. Gardner is a Democrat. He is a member of Campbell Camp,
No. 488, United Confederate Veterans, which camp was organized by himself
and Dan Campbell, and he has been active in its work ever since.

Mr. Gardner was married, January 31, 1866, to Mrs. Mary (Evans)
Shackleford. She was born in Tennessee, January 31, 1833, and died August
18, 1898. She was a woman of fine Christian sentiment.

To Mr. Gardner and wife three children were born, namely: Minnie is at
home; Henry E. has also remained a member of the family circle; and
Lillian is the wife of J. W. Quade.




JACOB WARREN GARTON. Among the things which the modern farmer has to
become familiar with is the nature of the soil with which he is working,
if he would reap the maximum results for his toil and pains. Since the
soil varies so much in regard both to its organic and inorganic
constituents, marked differences in character must necessarily result from
the almost indefinite number of combinations which may be found. All these
differences, however, may be traced to two sets of factors: First, the
character of the rock or material from which the soil has been derived;
and, second, the processes or agencies by means of which this material has
been changed from mere rock or rock debris into a medium suitable for the
growth of plants. The former has to do with soil-forming material, the
latter with soil-forming agencies. To these two groups of factors are to
be attributed the numerous varieties in soil conditions found over various
parts of the earth. One of the farmers of Greene county who makes a study
of soils and advanced methods of agriculture is Jacob Warren Garton of
Wilson township.

Mr. Garton was born in Greene county, Missouri, February 18, 1862. He is a
son of Jacob W. and Elizabeth (Rainey) Garton, both natives of middle
Tennessee, where they grew up, received common school educations and were
married. Shortly thereafter they immigrated to Greene county, Missouri,
locating in Wilson township, on a farm now owned by R. Steury. They
remained on this place three years, then the elder Garton homesteaded a
place in this township, of one hundred and sixty acres, which he cleared,
improved and farmed until his death, which occurred in 1902. His family,
by our subject's mother, consisted of five children, namely: Alice, who
married George McElhany, is deceased; John is deceased; George lives in
Springfield; J. Warren, of this review, and James, deceased. The mother of
the above named children died in 1865, and in 1874 Jacob W. Garton married
for his second wife Missouri A. Wallace, a daughter of Wash Wallace, who
was one of the first settlers of Greene county, and to this second union
seven children were born, four of whom are still living, and are named,
Artie, who is the wife of Alfred Carden; Cordy, Ruby is the wife of Lee
Blanton, and Ella.

J. Warren Garton, of this sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm and
worked hard when a boy. During the winter months he attended the district
schools of his township, first the old-fashioned subscription schools,
then went as far as the eighth grade in the public schools, and when about
seventeen years old entered high school in Springfield, which he attended
a little over two years, then he took a course in the Marionville
Collegiate Institute, which he attended a little over two years, and later
took a business course in Springfield, embracing bookkeeping and business
forms. Thus he received an exceptionally good general and practical
education which well prepared him for life's serious work. After leaving
school he returned to the old homestead, where he remained until he was
twenty-five years of age, then launched out on his own account, buying ten
acres of the old homestead, later purchasing twenty-six acres adjoining,
and for many years lived in a small home he had built on his land, keeping
bachelor apartments with his brother George. They worked their land during
the crop seasons and thereby earned money with which to defray their
expenses in school. Our subject is now owner of an excellent farm of one
hundred and eighty-five acres on which he carries on general farming and
stock raising successfully, his place being known as "Rainbow Farm," a
name which his oldest daughter gave it. He handles a great deal of live
stock and when he and his brother farmed together they bought and shipped
stock quite extensively to the St. Louis and Kansas City markets. Mr.
Garton built a new dwelling on his farm in 1914. It is modernly appointed
and appropriately furnished. It has as nearly up-to-date conveniences as
can be installed in a house in the country.

Mr. Garton was married, September 4, 1893, to Alwilda Medora Owen, a
daughter of Charles B. and Nancy C. Owen, her father being a native of
Tennessee, from which state he came to Greene county when a young man. He
was a son of Solomon H. Owen, one of the first settlers of Greene county,
and who became one of the most extensive land owners and prominent
citizens here. A complete chronicle of this worthy old family will be
found under the caption of Charles J. Owen, appearing on another page of
this volume. Our subject's wife was one of eight children, namely: Charles
J., Bettie, deceased; George, Frank, Edward, Susie is the wife of Gary
Martin, Alwilda, who married the subject of this sketch, and Joseph, who
is the youngest.

Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Garton, namely: Lee, Urith,
Owen, Howard, Cleo, Rollie, Lester, Sterling and Thelma. They are all at
home with their parents at this writing.

Politically, Mr. Garton is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of
the Christian church.




JOHN H. GARTON. It is a pleasure to any one, whether farmer or not, to
look over a well improved and finely kept landed estate like that of John
H. Garton, of Brookline township, who has lived on the same place for a
period of over a half century. He is a man who believes in keeping abreast
of the times, in adopting, so far as practicable, the most approved
twentieth-century methods in general farming and stock raising. As a
result of his long years of husbandry he has about solved the question of
scientific farming as the people of this section of the Ozark country know
and understand, it today. He has always stood for progress, not only in
material things but in political, educational and moral matters, an
advocate of right living and honesty among public officials, and while
laboring for his own welfare he has never been neglectful of the good of
his neighbors and the general public.

Mr. Garton was born in Maury county, Tennessee, February 8, 1854. He is a
son of Philip and Christiana (Hoffman) Garton, who spent their early lives
in Tennessee, where the father was born and where his father settled in a
very early day, coming to that, state from the Carolinas. The Garton
family is of Scotch descent. Philip Garton grew up on a farm and he began
life for himself as a general farmer in Tennessee, where he resided until
1861, when he emigrated with his family to Greene county, Missouri, and
located on a large tract of land in Brookline township, which place is now
occupied by his son, our subject. Here the father developed a valuable
farm through his industry and good management, and became a good citizen.
He was one of a family of ten boys, three of whom were triplets. Seven of
the ten served during the war between the states in the Confederacy. The
other three, including Philip, went into the Northland, but on account of
physical disabilities none of them served in the army. The mother of the
subject of this sketch was born in the Province of Saxony, Germany, and
when a young girl she was brought to the United States by her parents, the
family locating in Tennessee, and there she grew to womanhood and married
Mr. Garton, and to them three children were born, a son and two daughters,
namely: John H., of this review; Alice, who married G. Lemp, of St. Louis,
and they have three children; Florence married Joseph Adams, a farmer of
Brookline township, and they have four children, all daughters.

The death of Philip Garton occurred in the spring of 1895, and his wife
preceded him to the grave in 1894.

John H. Garton grew to manhood on the home farm, he having been seven
years of age when he removed here with his parents from Tennessee. He
assisted his father in the general work of the place and here he has lived
continuously and now owns the farm which consists of three hundred acres
of well improved and highly cultivated land, one of the choicest farms, in
fact, in the township. He carries on general farming and stock raising on
an extensive scale, handling an excellent grade of live stock. He has a
good home and good outbuildings and up-to-date farming implements, the
Garton Place Stock Farm being equal to any in the community.

Mr. Garton was married April 4, 1900, to Nora Rose, of Greene county,
where she grew to womanhood and was educated in the common schools, as was
Mr. Garton. She is a daughter of Reuben Rose, a successful farmer of the
western part of the county. To Mr. Rose and wife eleven children were
born.

To Mr. and Mrs. Garton three children were born, one of whom died in
infancy, Francis Marion, born in June, 1903; and Christiana, born in
August, 1906.

Politically Mr. Garton is a Democrat, and religiously he belongs to the
Presbyterian church. He has never been ambitious to be an office holder,
but he is deeply interested in public matters.




C. M. GEORGE. There is such a fascination in railroad work that those who
once enter it seldom abandon it for some other vocation, and it is not by
any means an uncommon thing to find that men are still working at this
line of endeavor who have perhaps been offered better positions in other
lines. Many will remain active in the work until old age compels them to
retire or the company voluntarily retires them on a pension. They
evidently do not remain in the work. because it is easier than anything
else or because the element of danger is lacking, but the fascination is
there, nevertheless, and, too, the remuneration is good and certain,
better, perhaps, than in most lines.

One of the most capable and well known engineers on the Frisco, running
out of Springfield is C. M. George, who has been in the train service here
for a period of twenty-five years, although he is scarcely a middle-aged
man. He was born in Montgomery, Illinois, March 20, 1870, and is a son of
I. E. and Mary (Tevbaugh) George. The father was born in Henry county,
Indiana, in the year 1837, and the mother was born in Illinois in 1848.
Her death occurred in Springfield, Missouri, December 31, 1911. I. E.
George began railroading early in life and for a period of thirty years
was an engineer. He came to Springfield in 1888 and began working for the
Kansas City, Ft. Scott & Memphis road, and later worked in the company's
shops here, and subsequently was employed in the Frisco shops on the North
Side. His family consisted of five children, namely: C. M., of this
sketch; E. E. is deceased; John W. is deceased; Della is deceased, and
Bessie, who is deceased.

C. M. George spent his boyhood in Illinois and there received his
education in the public schools, remaining in his native state until the
fall of 1888, when he came to Springfield, Missouri, where he has made his
home ever since. In March, 1889, he began firing on a freight for the
Kansas City, Ft. Scott & Memphis road, with which he remained as fireman
until 1897, when he was promoted to engineer, and has worked in this
capacity ever since, being in the employ of the Frisco for many years,
this road having purchased the old "Gulf road" in 1900. Mr. George is
regarded as one of the ablest and most trustworthy engineers on the system
and he has long had a regular freight run from Springfield to Thayer on
the Ozark division.

Mr. George was married on December 22, 1898, at West Plains, Missouri, to
Mamie Buchanan, a native of Texas, who came to Missouri with her parents
when she was a child. She received a high school education. She is a
daughter of W. A. and Belle Buchanan.

Three children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: Albert V.,
born in August, 1901; Mary Margaret, born January 5, 1905; and Rosebelle,
born in 1908. They are all attending school.

Politically, Mr. George is a Democrat. Fraternally, he belongs to the
Masonic order, and he is a member of Division No. 378, Brotherhood of
Engineers. He resides in a neat cottage on North Grant street.




JAMES J. GIDEON. The name of Judge James J. Gideon has been a prominent
and honored ,one in Greene county for many decades and he is still in the
front ranks of the local bar. His force and effectiveness are strongly
emphasized in his arguments to the jury, as he seems not so much to look
at them, as to look through them, less for the purpose of seeing how they
felt, than to rivet their attention, and, as it were, to grasp their
attention by the compass of his own. The calm and masterly manner in which
he disposes of the preliminary considerations is the reminder of the
experienced general, quietly arranging his forces and preparing to press
down with overwhelming force upon a single point. His manner becomes
aroused; his action animated. It is first the expression of extensive
views and the enunciation of general principles applicable to the case;
then the application of those to particular facts, examining the testimony
of each witness, showing its weakness, the suspicions attaching to. it and
its inconsistency either with itself or with the other parts of the
evidence. As a judge he was an active, hard worker. Always careful,
painstaking and prompt, he was a valuable member of the court--always
sustained himself well on the bench. The decisions made by him were always
short, clear and to the point, disposing of cases rapidly and
satisfactorily. Possessed and imbued as he is to a large degree with the
elementary principles of the law, he was able in his written opinions to
make them models of perspicuity and force and plain to the comprehension
of all. But while he has distinguished himself as a lawyer and jurist, he
has a far greater claim to the respect of the people of Springfield and
vicinity in his sturdy integrity of character and his life-long course as
a friend of justice.

Judge Gideon was born on Ozark Mountain soil, was reared in the latter
part of the pioneer period and he springs from a sterling Irish-Scotch
ancestry of Colonial American stock. His birth occurred in Taney county,
in a section that is now a part of Christian county, Missouri, on December
11, 1846. He is a son of William C. and Malinda (Byrd) Gideon. James
Gideon, the great-grandfather of our subject, was the founder of the
branch of the family in America. He came from Dublin, Ireland, with his
brothers, Reuben and Edward, and bringing his wife, Nancy. His sons were
Edward, William,, Isham, James and John. They all settled on land in
southwestern New York. Edward, brother of James, was killed in battle
during the Revolutionary war. All of the family moved to North Carolina
about 1781 and settled on the Yadkin river. James Gideon moved to what is
now Hawkins county, Tennessee, in 1821, where he settled on wild land and
there established the family home, cleared and developed a farm. He took
with him the apple trees with which to plant his orchard. Several members
of the Gideon family went with him besides his own immediate family. He
was a substantial farmer and lived to be an aged man, passing the
remainder of his days in Tennessee. William Gideon, his son and the
grandfather of our subject, was born in the state of New York in 1789, and
went with the rest of the family to North Carolina, and there he married
Matilda Wood, and to them these children were born: James H., Burton A.,
William C., Francis M., Woodson T., Green B., John A., Minerva and
Elizabeth. Mr. Gideon moved to Tennessee in 1821 and engaged in farming,
although he was a hatter by trade. He was a member of the Baptist church
and was an elder in the church for forty years. However, in his old age he
became a Universalist. In the spring of 1836 he came to Missouri and
settled on land north of Ozark, entering two hundred acres of wild land
two miles from that town and here began life in true pioneer fashion. He
became a successful farmer here and a well-known and highly respected
citizen. His death occurred in 1868 at the age of seventy-nine years. His
son, William C. Gideon, our subject's father, was born in Hawkins county,
Tennessee, on February 15, 1824, and received a limited education in the
schools of his day, and was but twelve years old when he came with his
father to Missouri, and was reared among the frontiersmen of this state in
a rugged and primitive environment. When twenty-one years old he married
Malinda Byrd, a daughter of James Byrd and wife, and to this union eight
children were born, namely: Thomas J., James J., Francis M., William W.,
John M., Martin V., George B. and Matilda.

William C. Gideon settled on a farm in what was then Taney county, now
Christian county, Missouri, and during his life lived on a number of
different farms in this locality. He was a hard worker and managed well,
and even prior to the breaking out of the war between the states he owned
four hundred and eighty acres of land in Christian county. He cleared up
several farms. During the war he was obliged to remove his residence to
Greene county, settling four miles south of Springfield on account of the
depredations of guerrillas. His sympathies were with the Union, and during
the war he served in the Home Guards, three months under Capt. Jesse
Galloway, and on March 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company . F, Missouri State
Militia, and was mustered into United States service. He was promoted to
sergeant and detailed as recruiting officer at Springfield, Missouri, for
Rabbs' Battery, having been transferred to the Eighth Missouri State
Militia. While in this service, he was killed by a band of guerrillas, in
Christian county, at the home of his father on December 16, 1863, at the
early age of thirty-nine years. He had participated in the battle of Ozark
and the battle of Springfield when Marmaduke and Shelby made their raid
and attempted to capture the town on January 8, 1863. He was also in other
engagements and proved to be a brave and gallant soldier. In religion he
was a Methodist. He was a man whose judgment was respected by the people
and he was influential in his community. He served as justice of the peace
four years. In politics he was a Douglas or war Democrat, but after the
war began became a Republican. He was a man of quiet and peaceful
disposition, was honorable in character, and had the confidence of the
community in which he lived.

Judge James J. Gideon grew to manhood on his father's farm in Christian
county and there worked hard when a boy. He received his early education
in the common schools, and when a boy, being fired with the patriotism of
the youth of this country during the Civil war, he ran away from school at
the age of sixteen years, and on June 20, 1863, enlisted at Springfield in
Battery A, First Arkansas Light Artillery. After serving a short time in
this battery he re-enlisted in Company H, Sixteenth United States Cavalry,
in which he served twenty months. While in this regiment he was in the
fight at Boonville against General Price, at the battle near Jefferson
City, at Big Blue, where General Marmaduke was captured, Independence and
in the Newtonia fight and many skirmishes, in all of which he deported
himself as creditably as did any of the veterans of his regiment. He was
promoted to corporal and was honorably discharged on July 1, 1865. During
his service he was neither wounded nor imprisoned. At the close of the war
he was elected captain of Company E, Ninety-ninth Regiment, Missouri
Militia, but saw no active service as such. After his military career he
returned home, attended school and farmed. On December 29, 1868, he
married Mary S. Ball, a daughter of Captain Jackson and Elizabeth
(Keltruer) Ball. To Judge and Mrs. Gideon the following children were
born: Percy P., Frederick E., Nora (died when thirteen years old), Kate
M., who died on November 20, 1900, and Mary, born on January 1, 1894, died
on March 10, 1907.

After his marriage Judge Gideon settled on a farm near Ozark, but
agricultural pursuits were not exactly to the tastes of a man of his
active mind and laudable ambitions, and he began the study of law during
his spare moments, and, making rapid progress, he was admitted to the bar
in January, 1872, and immediately began the practice of his profession at
Ozark, where he soon had a good practice and where he continued until
1886. During this time he won the confidence of the people of his county
and filled the office of public administrator and prosecuting attorney for
eight years. He also represented his county in the state Legislature one
term and was elected to the state Senate from the Nineteenth Senatorial
District in 1884 and served one term, giving his constituents entire
satisfaction in both offices. On July 26, 1886, he removed to Springfield,
where he still resides and where he was successful in the practice of his
profession from the start and his ability recognized, in 1888, by his
election as prosecuting attorney for one term and in the year 1902 by his
election as judge of the criminal court. In November, 1900, he was again
elected judge of the criminal court for one term, which important office
he filled to the satisfaction of the people. It is said that under his
administration the business of the criminal court was dispatched
expeditiously, as indicated in the beginning of this article, and that
wisdom accompanied his judgments, which were tempered with mercy. Judge
Gideon is widely known throughout southwestern Missouri as a stanch leader
in the Republican party and a successful politician. He has never been
defeated before a convention or at the polls for any office for which he
has seen fit to run except in the free silver craze of 1896. He is still
active in the practice of his profession. Fraternally he belongs to
Solomon Lodge of Masons at Springfield and at Ozark held all the offices
of Friend Lodge, No. 352. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He, is an active member of Capt. John Matthews Post, Grand Army
of the Republic, Springfield, of which he has been commander, and he was
at one, time assistant inspector general of the Grand Army of the
Republic.

Judge Gideon's life record might well be emulated by the ambitious youth
whose fortunes are yet in the making, for our subject is an example of the
self-made man who came up from the soil and has battled his way to the
front unaided and along honorable lines.




THOMAS J. GIDEON. Upon the role of representative professional men of
Greene county of a past generation was the late Thomas J. Gideon,
prominent lawyer and esteemed citizen of Springfield, having possessed
those qualities of head and heart which not only bring material success
but always commend themselves to persons of intelligence. He was a man who
took a pride in the advancement of his city and county and heartily
supported such movements as made toward that end. He came of an honest,
rugged pioneer family, the Gideons having been active and well known in
this locality in its early history.

Thomas J. Gideon was born on his father's farm in Christian county,
Missouri, January 28, 1845. He is a son of William C. and Melinda (Bird)
Gideon. He sprang from Irish-Scotch ancestry of Colonial American stock.
James Gideon, the great-grandfather of our subject, was the founder of
this branch of the family in America. He came from Dublin, Ireland, with
his brothers, Reuben and Edward, and bringing his wife, Nancy. His sons
were: Edward, William, Isham, James and John. They all settled on land in
southwestern New York. Edward, brother of James, was killed in battle
during the Revolutionary war. All of the family moved to North Carolina
about 1781 and settled on the Yadkin river. James Gideon moved to what is
now Hawkins county, Tennessee, in 1821, where he settled on a farm, or
rather wild land, which he developed into a farm. He took with him the
apple trees with which to plant his orchard. Several members of the Gideon
family went with him besides his own immediate family. He was a
substantial farmer and lived to be an aged man, passing the remainder of
his days in Tennessee. William Gideon, his son, and the grandfather of our
subject was born in the state of New York in 1789, and went to North
Carolina with his family. He married there Matilda Wood, and to them were
born the following children: James H., Burton A., William C., Francis M.,
Woodson T., Green B, John A., Minerva and Elizabeth. Mr. Gideon moved to
Tennessee in 1821 and there continued farming. He was also a hatter by
trade. He was a member of the Baptist church and an elder in the church
for forty years. In his old age he became a Universalist. In the spring of
1836 he settled north of Ozark, Missouri, two miles, entering two hundred
acres of land in Christian county, which was later known as the Cox farm.
He died in 1868, aged seventy-nine years. He was a well known pioneer
citizen, a man of sterling worth and had no enemies and was highly
respected in his community. William C. Gideon, his son and father of our
subject, was born in Hawkins county, Tennessee, February 15, 1824,
received the common education of his day and was but twelve years of age
when he came with his father to Missouri, and was reared among the
pioneers of the Ozarks. He married at the age of twenty-one years, Melinda
Bird, a native of Missouri, and a daughter of James Bird and wife, and to
them were born eight children, six of whom are still living: Thomas J.
(subject of this memoir); James J., who became a prominent lawyer and
judge in Springfield; Francis M., William W., John N., Martin V., George
B. and Matilda.

William C. Gideon settled on a farm in what was then Taney county, now a
part of Christian county, Missouri, and during his life settled on several
farms in this section, and before the commencement of the Civil War he had
four hundred and eighty acres of land in Christian county. He cleared up
and developed several farms in true pioneer fashion. During the war he was
compelled to remove his residence to Greene county, settling four miles
south of Springfield, on account of the depredations of the guerrillas. He
served during the war in Missouri Union Home Guards, three months under
Capt. Jesse Galloway, and on March 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company F,
Missouri State Militia, and was mustered into United States service. He
was promoted to sergeant and was detailed as recruiting officer at
Springfield, for Robbs’ Battery, having been transferred to the Eighth
Missouri State Militia. While in this service he was killed by a band of
guerrillas in Christian county, at the home of his father, on December 16,
1863, at the age of thirty-nine years. He was in the battle of Ozark and
on January 8, 1863, at the battle of Springfield when Marmaduke made his
raid, and also in other engagements. In religion he was a Methodist. He
was a man of sound judgment. In politics he was a Douglas, or War
Democrat, but after the breaking out of the war became a Republican. He
served his community for some time as justice of the peace. He was a man
of quiet and peaceful disposition, was honorable in character and had the
confidence of the community in which he lived.

Thomas J. Gideon, of this review, grew up on the home farm in Christian
county and received his education in the district schools in the old log
pioneer school-house of those days. After the war he attended a private
academy in Springfield for two years, but he remained a student all his
life and became a scholar. On March 5, 1862, he enlisted in Company F,
Fourteenth Regiment Missouri State Militia, same company and regiment as
his father, being then eighteen years of age. He was appointed corporal
and our young soldier served in the battle of Ozark, Talbot Ferry,
Arkansas, Turner's Station and Springfield. In the last battle he was
wounded by a piece of shell striking his left hand and wrist, which
crippled him for life. He was also struck by a musket ball in the head and
narrowly escaped death, falling insensible on the battlefield, but was
picked up by his father and carried to the rear and later regained
consciousness. The bullet had struck him above the frontal bone, breaking
through the skull, and, losing its force, plowed through the scalp to the
back of the head. He was in the hospital two months, and was finally
discharged on account of his wounds. But not being contented with his
service as a soldier and desiring to render further service to his
country, in July, 1864, he recruited at Springfield, Company A,
Fifty-first Missouri Volunteer Infantry. In the spring of 1865 he
recruited in Christian county a company of enrolled militia to exterminate
the bush whackers and horse thieves which then infested that section which
they controlled, and he was commissioned by Governor Fletcher as first
lieutenant, but he acted as commander of his company, it having no
captain. He was making efficient headway against the outlaws when the war
closed, a short time thereafter.

Mr. Gideon read law at home, and in 1866 he was elected clerk of Christian
county and the circuit court and ex-officio recorder of Christian county
and held the office until 1875, however, this was before he began reading
law. He gave eminent satisfaction as clerk. He began reading law with his
brother, Judge James J. Gideon, in 1875, and was admitted to the Missouri
bar in 1877. He practiced successfully at Ozark until 1880, when he
removed to Springfield, where he spent the rest of his life successfully
engaged in the practice of his profession and was one of the popular
members of the Greene county bar, to which he was admitted the year he
removed here, and he remained in the harness until his death. He
specialized as a probate and abstract lawyer, working on his abstracts at
night. He was always busy and was very successful, accuracy and honesty
being his aim as a lawyer.

Mr. Gideon was married September 3, 1868, to Letitia F. Williams, a
daughter of Robert H. and Emeline (Bailey) Williams, both natives of
Kentucky, in which state Mrs. Gideon was also born, her birth having
occurred in Logan county, December 24, 1848. When she was five years old
her parents brought her to Missouri, and located on a farm in Christian
county. Mr. Williams devoted his life to farming. During the Civil war he
desired to enlist but was crippled in the hand, which barred him. His
family consisted of six children, five of whom are still living. Mrs.
Gideon grew to womanhood in Christian and Greene counties and received her
education in the common schools in Ozark and Springfield. She is now
living on South Campbell street in the latter city, where she owns a cozy
home, which is often visited by her many friends.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gideon five children were born, four of whom are living:
Mary B., known to her friends as "Molly," born July 9, 1869, married
Charles A. Hubbard, and they are living in Springfield; Waldo G., born May
26. 1871, married May Olden; he is one of Springfield's well known
attorneys; Thomas Harry, born January 12, 1874, married Delia Stowe;
Charles R., commonly known as "Ross," was born June 18, 1876, and died
September 13, 1898: Nellie E. born October 21, 1881, married Rufus McVay,
and they live near her mother.

Mr. Gideon was a Republican. He was a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, Captain John Matthews Post No. 69. He was a member of the
Solomon Lodge of Masons, of Springfield, and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, New Harmony Lodge, of Springfield, and held all the offices in
this lodge, and was a member of the order for a period of nearly half a
century. He was a member of the South Street Christian church. As both a
lawyer and citizen he was widely known in this section of the state and
his integrity was unimpeached, and when he was summoned to his eternal
reward, on November 7, 1913, there were many to express a regret at his
loss to the city and county.




DR. ANSON HARVEY GIFFORD. The homeopathic science of the treatment of
multiform ills of the flesh has an able representative in Greene county in
the person of Dr. Anson Harvey Gifford, of Springfield, formerly an
instructor of music in Drury College, a man with talents sufficient to
become well known in more than one avenueof endeavor, in this respect
being unlike most men, for few there be who are able to rise above the
mediocre even in one line of effort. Those -who know Doctor Gifford well
say that he has been the architect of his own character, is a distinct
personality; a man of independent mind and thought, diffident, but
self-reliant, reserved but self-assertive, self-disciplined and highly
intellectual. He has ever been a student, reader and thinker, and for his
opportunities, a scholarly, effective professional man. None is more
faithful than he in the performance of his every-day duties. Method, sys
tem, order--"Heaven's first law"--are rigidly observed by him.

Doctor Gifford was born at Owego, New York, May 11, 1854. He is a son of
Harvey B. and Marietta (Corbin) Gifford. The father was born at Owego, New
York, and the mother at Salem, Massachusetts. The paternal grandfather was
one of the pioneer settlers of New York state, where he devoted his life
to farming. The maternal great-grandfather, Mr. Corbin, was born in
England, from which country he emigrated to America in colonial times, and
became an American officer in the Revolutionary war in which he fought
gallantly until taken prisoner. He was returned to England by the British
and kept in irons for some time, the chains on his ankles wearing the
flesh to the bone. He was finally exchanged, but on his way back to
America he died as a result of the exposure and inhuman treatment to which
his captors had compelled him to submit so long. The father of Doctor
Gifford spent his early life as a farmer in his native state, later
removing to Chicago, Illinois, where he engaged in the music business, and
had a well-patronized store which was wiped out in the great conflagration
which destroyed that city in the autumn of 1871, Mr. Gifford being a heavy
loser. He then removed with his family to Sedalia, Missouri, and resumed
farming in that vicinity where he spent the rest of his life, dying in
1888. The mother of Doctor Gifford was born, February 22, 1824, and her
death occurred in 1911 at an advanced age, being ninety years old. She was
buried at Bois D'Arc, Missouri.

Dr. Anson H. Gifford was educated in the public schools, later attended
Wheaton College in Illinois, also took a course at Drury College,
Springfield, Missouri. Aside from a small start in life he has been
self-supporting since he was about eighteen years of age, and worked his
way through college, doing whatever he could get to do to make an honest
dollar, but followed teaching for the most part. In 1875-76 he taught
music in Drury College. He has a pronounced natural talent as a musician
and has made himself proficient in the same. In 1885 he entered the
Homeopathic Medical College in Chicago, in which he made an excellent
record and from which institution he was graduated in the spring of 1889.
Soon thereafter he came to Springfield, Missouri, where he began the
practice of his profession and has remained here to the present time, all
the while enjoying a large and growing business and ranking among the
leading men of his science in the southern part of the state.

Doctor Gifford is a member of the Missouri Institute of Homeopathy, and
the American Institute of Homeopathy. He is a member of the Woodmen lodge,
in politics he votes independently, and in religious matters he is .a
member of the Presbyterian church.

Doctor Gifford was married in 1883 to Alice H. Tucker, of Sedalia,
Missouri. She was born in Lebanon, Kentucky, in 1862, and is a daughter of
C. H. Rosanna (Riffe) Tucker. The father, who was a liveryman in Sedalia,
died in 1903, and the mother is living in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr.
Tucker was left an orphan when he was quite young and was compelled to
carve out his own fortune unaided, but by his sturdy manhood, perseverance
and indomitable courage became a man of importance and prominence. Mrs.
Gifford's maternal grandfather-was Peter B. Riffe, who was a colonel in
the Confederate army during the Civil war. He lived to an advanced age,
dying about 1893. His father was a general in the Indian wars in the early
history of the state of Kentucky, where he commanded state troops, and he
was well acquainted with Daniel Boone the renowned hunter, pioneer and
trapper.

To Doctor Gifford and wife one child has been born, Riffe Tucker Gifford,
whose birth occurred in Sedalia, Missouri, January 31, 1885; he was
educated in the schools of Springfield, and is unmarried. He is a. young
man of much promise.




ALBERT MARTIN GLASS. This gentleman is another of the old soldiers whom it
is a delight to honor. They are getting fewer and fewer in number and
their steps are not as quick and full of meaning as they were fifty years
ago when they were fighting for the supremacy of the Union. But it thrills
one to see them in their old uniforms, with their tattered flags flying
and their forms bent as they hobble along on their canes at reunions,
Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. And how interesting it is to listen to
them recount the stirring scenes of that momentous period in our country's
history. Mr. Glass, who hails from the old Buckeye state is now living in
retirement on his fine farm near Bois D'Arc, Greene county, having in his
early years accumulated a sufficient competence to insure the possession
of all the comforts of life in his old age.

Albert Martin Glass was born near Mapleton, Stark county, Ohio, June 18,
1843. He is a son of John and Sarah (Baker) Glass. John Glass was born in
Virginia, October 24, 1815, and was a son of William and Priscilla (Wiley)
Glass, both Virginians. William Glass was born, February 2, 1790, and
immigrated to Stark county, Ohio, in a very early day and there followed
farming, later removing to near White Pigeon, Michigan, where he continued
farming until his death, at an advanced age. His wife also lived to a ripe
age. John Glass spent his life on a farm in Stark county, Ohio, and died
there, March 3, 1845. He and Sarah Baker were married on January 2, 1840.
She was born in Stark county, Ohio, September 30, 1823, and her death
occurred in February, 1901. The death of John Glass occurred March 3,
1845. Politically, he was a Whig, and he belonged to the Presbyterian
church, as did his wife.

To John Glass and wife the following children were born: Priscilla; Albert
Martin, our subject, and John B., deceased, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere in this work.

Albert M. Glass grew to manhood on the home farm in Stark county, Ohio,
and he received the usual common school education of that period. On
August 8, 1862, he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, and spent several years in the service in the South.
He was taken prisoner in February, 1864, by bushwhackers near
Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The only great battle he was in was at Stone's
River, or Murfreesboro. Mr. Glass was mustered out and honorably
discharged, July 6, 1865, at Cleveland, Ohio, thereafter returned to the
farm in Stark county, Ohio, and continued general farming there until
1871, when he came to Greene county, Missouri, locating in Center
township, purchasing land and he now owns two hundred acres of productive
and well located land, which he has brought up to a high state of
improvement and cultivation and which ranks among the best and most
desirable farms of the county. He has a large pleasant home and a
substantial group of convenient outbuildings. He still lives on his farm,
but merely oversees it in a general way, having lived practically retired
from active life during the past twenty years.

Mr. Glass was married, December 13, 1870, to Susan Van Voorhis, who was
born in Stark county, Ohio, on November 16, 1844, and there she grew to
womanhood and received such educational advantages as those days afforded.
Mrs. Glass was a daughter of Peter and Margaret (Sickman) Van Voorhis. The
father was born in Duchess county, New York, February 8, 1795, and the
mother was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, February 19, 1805. There
they were married, and were the parents of fourteen children, our
subject's wife being the eleventh in order of birth.

Three children have been born to Albert M. Glass and wife, namely: James
I., who is operating the home farm, was born September 6, 1871, and was
married, January 28, 1897, to Olive Tressler, a native of Stark county,
Ohio; they have one boy living, Henry E., born July 14, 1898; Dwight P.,
born April 22, 1901, died September 18, 1903. Earl C., second son of our
subject, is practicing dentistry in Independence, Kansas; he married
Edwena Chandler, a native of Illinois, on March 23, 1909; he graduated
from the Western Dental College at Kansas City. Iva R., third child of our
subject, was born December 20, 1878, and died February 11, 1914; she
married Marvin J. Ross in November, 1903, and to their union two children
were born, Florence and Edna.

Politically, Mr. Glass is a Republican and has been school director for
many years. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, and he and his
wife are members of the Christian church. During his residence here, of
over forty years, he has been known as an excellent citizen in every
respect.




JOHN BAKER GLASS. For a period of nearly forty years the late John Baker
Glass was regarded by his wide acquaintance as one of the representative
citizens of Greene county. He was a man, whom to know was to admire and
respect, for he was the possessor of that peculiar combination of
attributes which results in the attainment of much that is worth while in
this world. He aimed to be progressive in what he did, was always in
sympathy with enterprises having for their object the common good, and his
influence was invariably exerted on the right side of every moral issue.
Like all men of positive ideas he sought to know the truth at all times
and to apply it in his every day affairs, and thus he was spoken of as one
who "stood four-square to every wind that blew."

Mr. Glass was born in Stark county Ohio, March 6, 1845. He was a son of
John and Sarah (Baker) Glass, the father dying on March 3, 1845, just
three days before our subject was born. (See sketch of Albert M. Glass.)
To these parents one other son was born, Albert Glass, who is now living
near Bois D' Arc, Greene county, Missouri. The father was a native of
Ohio, where he grew to manhood, established his home in Stark county,
where he engaged in farming, and operated a large saw mill also.

John B. Glass spent his boyhood in his native state and attended the
common schools. He served during the latter part of the Civil war,
enlisting in 1865 in Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-second Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. He was in the service about four months and did guard
duty mostly in Covington, Kentucky, and other points. After the war he
returned to Stark county and attended Mt. Union College for two years,
receiving an excellent education. He then began his career as teacher,
which he followed successfully until in May, 1870, when he came to
Springfield, Missouri, and here engaged in the grist and saw mill
business, under the firm name of Glass & Creighton. Later Mr. Creighton
sold his interest to a Mr. Mishler and the firm name was changed to
Mishler & Glass. The business was continued for many years by our subject,
who met with continuous success and accumulated a competency and
considerable valuable property. His health failing, he gave up active work
and spent some time away from Springfield in an effort to regain his
health. Upon his return be lived in retirement, merely looking after his
property.

Mr. Glass was married near Springfield on January 20, 1880, to Martha I.
Witherspoon, a daughter of William E. and Mary Jane (Watts) Witherspoon.
Mr. Witherspoon came to Greene county in 1858 and purchased eighty acres,
later bought another eighty adjoining, and here became a successful
farmer. He was one of eight children. He was a native of Tennessee and was
a small child when his father died. Mrs. Glass was one of ten children,
seven of whom are still living, five sons and two daughters, all making
their homes in Greene county but one. They are Mrs. Elizabeth Cornell, who
lives in Ottawa, Kansas; Martha L., who married Mr. Glass, of this memoir;
Mrs. Nancy A. Votaw, Mrs. Mary J. Morris; William J. is farming; Mrs.
Margaret S. Stiver; Edward M. is farming; John M., the eldest son, died in
1880; two children died in infancy, unnamed. The father of the above named
children died on the old homestead on April 16, 1883. His widow still
survives and is making her home with her son, Edward M. Witherspoon, who
lives on a farm near Springfield.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Glass was without issue.

Politically, Mr. Glass was a Republican. He was a member of the
Congregational church, in which he was for some time a deacon. He was also
superintendent of the Sunday school twice, and was active in church and
Sunday school work. He was twice honored by being chosen president of the
Greene County Sunday School Association, and was also treasurer of the
same. He was one of the most influential and earnest men in this line of
work in the county for many years. He was a member of John Matthews Post,
Grand Army of the Republic, Springfield. Mrs. Glass belongs to the Ladies'
Circle of the Grand Army of the Republic. She is also a member of the
Congregational church. She has a pleasant home on North Jefferson street.

Mr. Glass was summoned to his reward in the silent land on December 20,
1909. He was greatly missed from the circles in which he moved, all
conceding that a good, broad-minded and useful man had gone.




HOWARD STRUNK GLASSMOYER. There is something in the wilderness of nature
that seems to appeal to one in a subconscious way, something in the
forests, the streams and all the natural nakedness of the lakes, winding
waters, trees and grasses that is irresistible. The solitude is
attractive. We go to the forest to glory in the silence of its
intricacies, yet we care not for silence and solitude, although it is
pleasant all around us. We do not feel alone. There are living things here
that speak through their very silence, a medium which makes us feel. There
are families who are not satisfied away from nature, away from the farm
and these not only enjoy existence but also make a comfortable living,
being satisfied without the huge earnings that so many city dwellers
crave. Such is the Glassmoyer family, who have from generation to
generation been, for the most part, tillers of the soil.

Howard Strunk Glassmoyer, a farmer of Center township, Greene county, was
born near Reading, Pennsylvania, December 222, 1867. He is a son of Peter
M. and Caroline (Strunk) Glassmoyer, both of whom were born and reared in
the neighborhood of Reading, our subject being born in the same house in
which his mother first saw the light of day. His grandparents were also
born in the neighborhood of Reading. The family, for generations, were
"Pennsylvania Dutch" and were characterized with the usual thrift and
steady habits of that type of our citizens. There the parents of our
subject grew up, attended the district schools and were married and spent
their active lives engaged in farming, the father dying in his native
locality in 1887, but the mother, now advanced in years, is still living
at Reading. They became the parents of four children, two sons and two
daughters, a son and a daughter being now deceased, a daughter is living
at Reading.

Howard S. Glassmoyer grew to manhood in his native community in the old
Keystone state and there he worked on the farm and attended the common
schools. He has followed farming ever since he was fourteen years of age.
He came to Greene county, Missouri, in 1887, and went to work for his
uncle, Samuel Strunk, now of Kansas City, Kansas, and his old farm is now
owned by the subject of this sketch, he having purchased it in 1907. It
consists of four forties and was at one time owned by the St. Louis & San
Francisco Railroad Company, and it lies partly in Section 12 and partly in
Section 13. He is carrying on general farming and stock raising and has a
comfortable home.

Our subject was married in 1892 to Anna Johnson, a daughter of Samuel C.
and Lucy Johnson, and to this union six children have been born, namely:
Margaret E., born in 1894 lives at home and is at this writing teaching in
Center township; Earl, born on March 5, 1896, died on March 5, 1901, on
his fifth birthday; Otto, born in November, 1897, lives at home and
assists his father with the work on the place; Ira S., born in January,
1900; Oren, born in May, 1902; and John, born in April, 1904, are all
three attending school.

Politically, Mr. Glassmoyer is a Democrat, but has never been active in
political affairs.




OLIVER SMITH GOODWIN. One of the best remembered and most highly respected
citizens of Greene county in a past generation, who, after a successful
and honorable career, has taken up his journey to that mystic clime,
Shakespeare's "undiscovered bourne, from whence no traveler e'er returns,"
leaving behind him a heritage of which his descendants may well be
proud--an untarnished name--was Oliver Smith Goodwin, who for the past
quarter of a century was a resident of Springfield, where he was widely
known as one of the leading abstractors of this section of the country.
But not only as a good citizen was he deserving of mention, but also on
account of his splendid military, record. While his standing in the
business world was that of an honest man, sound in judgment and wise in
counsel, he also possessed in a generous degree the confidence of the
public and all movements having for their object the moral and educational
welfare of the county found in him a liberal patron and generous
benefactor, and his long life of more than three score and ten was one of
decided usefulness.

Mr. Goodwin was born at Little York, Jefferson county, Ohio, October 3,
1842. He was a son of George and Mary Jane (Wilson) Goodwin. The father
was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1820, and was a son of John and
Elizabeth (Crowley) Goodwin. John Goodwin was born in 1800, in Virginia,
and came to Ohio when a young man. He was of Welsh descent. He was a
tailor by trade, which he followed until he retired from active life. He
served as justice of the peace for over twenty-five years. He was a
Presbyterian. His death occurred in 1884. Elizabeth Crowley was also a
native of Virginia. George Goodwin received a better education than the
average boy of his times, and he became an expert bookkeeper. He was
proprietor of a general store in Little York, Ohio, until 1861. When a boy
he learned the tailor's trade from his father. He engaged in the hotel
business at Uhrichsville, Ohio, for a number of years. In 1880 he went to
Canton, that state, and opened a merchant tailoring business, and he spent
the last twenty years of his life in that city, his death occurring there
in 1900. He had been a very successful man in business. He was a warm
friend of the late President McKinley. Politically, he was a Democrat, but
he would never accept public office. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church. He and Mary Jane Wilson were married in 1839. She was born near
Youngstown, Ohio. Her death occurred in 1863. To these parents ten
children were born, namely: Rachel deceased; Oliver S., of this sketch;
Albert, deceased; Martha E., widow of J. P. Grimm, lives in New
Philadelphia, Ohio; Anderson P. lives in Uhrichsville, Ohio; Cassander
lives in Chicago; Adaline is the wife of David Jobe, of Columbus, Ohio;
John W. lives in Wheeling, West Virginia; Paulina is married and lives at
Marysville, Ohio; Georgiana is the wife of Douglas Stewart and they live
at Boone, Iowa.

Oliver S. Goodwin received a good common school education. He was not yet
twenty-one years old when he enlisted July 30, 1861, in Company B,
Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He saw much hard service in all of
which he never faltered, no matter how dangerous or arduous, and he took
part in a number of the greatest battles of the war. Some of the
engagements in which he participated were Cornafax Ferry, West Virginia,
the second battle of, Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam, then was at
Vicksburg during the memorable siege from January to July, 1863, later was
in the Atlanta campaign and in the numerous engagements of the same, and
he was mustered out at Atlanta, August 1, 1864. In February, 1865, he
enlisted in Company D, Eighty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and became
quartermaster sergeant of this regiment. He was honorably discharged at
the close of the war.

Mr. Goodwin went to Uhrichsville, Ohio, after his career in the army and
remained there until 1868, in which year he went to Brown county,
Illinois, remaining there a year, then removed to Clark county, Missouri,
in 1870 and was deputy county recorder there for a period of six years,
and during that time he made a set of abstract books for a firm. After
that he went to Monticello, Missouri, where he remained three years, and
in 1888 removed to Springfield where he resided until his death. He at
once began in the abstract business, and in 1902 began in this line for
himself, made a most excellent set of books and was regarded as one of the
principal men in this business in Greene county and was well patronized.
His work was known for its accuracy, good style, and he had a reputation
for scrupulous honesty, kindness and courtesy, and everybody respected and
honored him.

Mr. Goodwin was married October 5, 1871 to Mary H. Rebo, a native of Clark
county, Missouri, where she was reared and educated. To this union five
children were born, namely: Amy is the wife of C. C. Stiffler of Waco,
Texas; George died when six years old; Mary Alice is the wife of G.W.
Arnett of Springfield; Olive, S. is the wife of Robert Allen of Dallas,
Texas; and Ralph D. lives in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Goodwin was called to his eternal rest on July 17, 1914, at the age of
seventy-two years. Politically he was a Republican and was a member of
Captain John Matthews Post, No. 69, Grand Army of the Republic, in which
he was quartermaster sergeant.




DANIEL C. GORMAN. It is a mistake to farm on the theory that crop rotation
is the only essential to the maintenance of soil fertility. It is true
that an intelligent rotation of crops will generally result in increased
yields, but unless the land is heavily fertilized, the rotation will
readily mean depletion. Rotation will have the effect of increasing the
yields for a period of years and an increased yield naturally draws
heavily upon the plant food element of the soil. All this and much more in
regard to general farming is well understood by Daniel C. Gorman, one of
the most progressive farmers of Greene county, whose fine farm, "Prairie
View," is admirably located in Murray township, throughout which he is
well known and influential for the general welfare, for he believes that
"man should not live for himself alone," or in other words, is unselfish,
desiring to see his neighbors prosper as well as himself and is
public-spirited.

Mr. Gorman was born January 22, 1854, in Cocke county, eastern Tennessee.
He is a son of David H. and Ruth, (Long) Gorman, a sketch of whom appears
on another page of this volume, hence their life records will not be
reproduced here.

Daniel C. Gorman spent his boyhood days in eastern Tennessee and received
his education in the schools of his native community in Cocke county. He
was seventeen years of age when he removed with his parents, in 1871, to
Greene county, Missouri, the family locating in Murray township, the
father of our subject purchasing here a good farm of two hundred and forty
acres; this place, which is still known as the old Gilmore farm, is one of
the oldest in Murray township. Daniel C. Gorman remained on the home farm
assisting his father with the general work until he was twenty-four years
of age, then married and bought out the interests of the other heirs to
the homestead and here he has resided to the present time, actively
engaged in general farming and stock raising, and, having prospered with
advancing years through his close application and able management, he has
added to his original holdings until he is now owner of four hundred and
sixty acres, practically all in one tract, all well improved and
productive, valuable land, constituting one of the most desirable farms in
the county. He farms on an extensive scale and handles large numbers of
live stock, no small portion of his annual income being derived from this
source. He built a large, convenient barn in 1898, and he also has a good
modern home, from which may be had an inspiring panorama of the
surrounding country, his buildings being situated on a hill on the sides
of which grows a beautiful grove, and one can see the country round about
for many miles, and his place is most appropriately named "Prairie View."
Everything about the place denotes thrift and prosperity. At one time Mr.
Gorman fed live stock extensively, especially mules, but of late years he
has confined himself to general farming.

Mr. Gorman was married January 24, 1878, to Joanna Wadlow, a native of
Greene county, where she was reared and educated. She is a daughter of
John W. and Mary Ann Wadlow. Mr. Wadlow was born in Washington county,
Virginia, in what is now West Virginia, December 17, 1797, and there he
spent his earlier years, moving from there into Tennessee, from which
state he immigrated to Greene county, Missouri, about 1835, settling
twelve miles northwest of Springfield. On July 24, 1837, he married Mary
Hastings, and to them seven children, were born, namely: Alzirah Jane,
deceased; Mary Louisa is living; Sarah Ann, Margaret Elizabeth, Martha
Agnes, Matilda Caroline and John are all deceased. Mary Hastings was born
January 27, 1820, and her death occurred December 12, 1854. On November
29, 1858, John W. Wadlow married Mary Ann Lethco, then living in Greene
county, and to this union seven children were born, namely: Joanna, wife
of the subject of this sketch; Susan Arbell, Charles E., George W, and
Dora Emma were twins; Laura May is deceased; and Lillie Daisy, wife of
Albert S. McLinn, a farmer of Murray township, whose sketch appears
herein. The death of the mother of these children occurred March 13, 1909.
Cyrus Cunningham, grandfather of Mrs. Wadlow, was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war. John W. Wadlow was an active worker in the Methodist
church, in which he was long a member, and he gave a tract of land on
which was built the Wesley Chapel in Murray township, and he also donated
ground for a cemetery, and in this he was finally laid to rest, at the
advanced age of ninety-two years after a long, useful and honorable life,
which had been of great service to others. In his early life he taught
school, and he was justice of the peace in Greene county for many years.
He was a rugged pioneer of the true type. When a young man he entered land
from the government in Virginia, and from that state moved to Tennessee
with his parents, John W. and Mary (Arnold) Wadlow. He was a Democrat,
kept well posted on current matters, was a successful farmer and
influential citizen, and by his thrift he accumulated a comfortable
competence. He led a well regulated life and was active almost to the very
last, doing a good deal of work at the age when most men are incapacitated
for work of any kind. His wife, Mary Ann Lethco, was born March 28, 1829,
in Richland county, North Carolina, and when twelve years of age she
emigrated in wagons from the old Tar state to Greene county, Missouri, the
family locating near Ebenezer, in Robberson township. Her death occurred
at the age of seventy-nine, years. With her husband she belonged to the
Southern Methodist church at Wesley Chapel and Willard, having held
membership in this denomination over sixty years.

Four children have been born to Daniel C. Gorman and wife, named as
follows: the first died in infancy unnamed; Virgil Wesley, born February
23, 1881, who married Corda Thomas, lives in Springfield and has two
children, Graydon and Pauline; Gennella, born July 20, 1884, who married
Clyde Slagle, lives in Murray township, this county, but has no children;
Daniel Clarence, born July 19, 1893, is at home with his parents.

Politically Mr. Gorman is a Republican, but has never been a seeker after
public office. He is a member of the Baptist church at, Mt. Pleasant, this
county. He has always stood high in the estimation of his neighbors and
all who know him.




WILLIAM R. GORSUCH. Those who know William R. Gorsuch, who at this writing
is one of the three judges of the Greene County Court, are not surprised
that he has won success at his chosen vocation, that of tilling the soil,
for he is a man who has been a close student of all that pertains to his
chosen life work, believing that even the best methods can often be
improved upon. He has kept the old home place in Cass township in fine
condition, so that it has retained its old-time richness of soil and the
same abundant crops are annually gathered from its fields. He has
considered himself fortunate, and indeed he might well do so, that he has
been permitted to spend his life on the homestead, for, in the first
place, as a talented writer said long ago, "There is no place like home,"
and also because his home happened to be in a community greatly favored by
nature. It is true that it took a great deal of hard work to get Greene
county in proper shape for successful agricultural purposes, but once in
condition, there is no better.

Mr. Gorsuch was born in the above named township and county, on the farm
where he still resides, November 3, 1871. He is a son of Reece and Eliza
Jane (Brower) Gorsuch. The father was born in middle Tennessee, June 29,
1829, and when a small boy he and his father made the long journey in a
wagon from that state to Greene county, Missouri, his father having
previously died in Tennessee. When a young man Reece Gorsuch worked out
for twenty-five cents per day to help support the family, he being the
eldest son. During the gold fever days he made the hazardous overland
journey across the western plains to California, accompanied by a brother,
the trip requiring six months. He remained on the Pacific coast some six
years, then returned to this county and bought the farm where our subject
now lives and here he spent the rest of his life as a successful farmer,
and died in 1906 at the age of seventy-seven years. He was a man of
invincible courage and persistency and was well thought of by his
neighbors. He was a member of the state militia in his earlier life. The
mother of the subject of this sketch was born in North Carolina about
1839, and when a child she immigrated with her parents to Greene county,
locating east of Bois D'Arc, where her father developed a farm, and there
she grew to womanhood. Several of her brothers were in the Confederate
army during the Civil war. Her death occurred about 1903. Five children
were born to Reece Gorsuch and wife, named as follows: The eldest died in
infancy, unnamed; George W. died at the age of twenty-two years; Jeanette
died in 1871 when about five years old; William R., of this review; John
H. lives in California.

William R. Gorsuch was reared in his native township and there he received
a good practical education in the public schools. He began working on the
home farm as soon as he was old enough and he has followed general farming
and stock raising here ever since with pronounced success all along the
line, and he now owns the homestead, which he has kept well tilled and
well improved and the buildings in good repair.

Mr. Gorsuch was married to Margaret N. Smith, October 2, 1890. She was
born, reared and educated in Walnut Grove township, this county, and is a
daughter of Joseph W. Smith, a well-known minister in the Christian
church, who preached in Springfield about two years, and at various other
places in. Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas, and was regarded as a prominent
minister in that denomination. His death occurred about 1909.

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gorsuch, namely: Clarence C.,
a harness maker of Lamar, Missouri, recently married a Miss McLinn,
daughter of A. S. McLinn, of Greene county; Joseph R., Nettie G., and Maud
L. are all at home.

Politically, Mr. Gorsuch is a Republican and has long been more or less
active in the political affairs of his township, and has served in various
local offices, school and township. He has been township committeeman
since he was twenty-one years of age, was also deputy assessor several
times, and in the fall of 1912 was elected county judge, which office he
is now filling. In 1914 he was re-elected to the office of county judge.
As a public servant he has ever given the utmost satisfaction to all
concerned, being faithful in the discharge of his every duty, obliging and
prompt and proving himself to be a man of progressive ideas and well
informed. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order and the Improved
Order of Odd Fellows at Willard, and the Modern Woodmen of America at Cave
Spring, while his wife holds membership with the Royal Neighbors. They are
both members of the Christian church at Cave Spring, in which the judge is
an elder and active worker. He is one of the leading men of Cass township
in every respect and is highly respected by all who know him.




NAPOLEON GOSNEY. It is the dreams ahead that keep hope in us all. To some
it is dreams of financial success, to others political power; still
others, perhaps, it is dreams of health, pleasure, fame or the chance to
be of service to mankind. To those who, in early life, fate has not been
overly kind, it has been the dreams of the possible opportunities held by
the mystical future that has given them hope to continue the battle, often
against seemingly overwhelming odds. Napoleon Gosney, for many years one
of the leading contractors of Springfield, who for some time has been
living retired, had dreams when he was a boy, and these led him to a
useful and successful life in a material way, as well as caused him to so
shape his ends as to become a helpful citizen.

Mr. Gosney was born at Ottawa, Canada, May 24, 1852. He is a son of Andrew
and Delphine Gosney. The father was born near Montreal, Canada, and the
mother was born at Ottawa. They grew in their native localities and
received common school educations, and were married in Ottawa. Andrew
Gosney was a contractor in stone and lime, and was also a stone cutter. He
died at the age of forty-five years, when our subject was a small boy. His
wife survived to the advanced age of ninety years, and her parents lived
to be over one hundred years of age. To Andrew Gosney and wife eleven
children were born, named as follows: Delphine, deceased; Severe died in
1910; Henry, Emma and Leon, all deceased; Napoleon, of this review; Emily,
deceased, Lenore lives in Minnesota; Mrs. Eugenia Dugan is living near
Cleveland, Ohio; Exzelda lives in Ottawa, Canada, and one died in infancy.

Napoleon Gosney grew to manhood in Canada and received a common school
education. He followed in the footsteps of his father in a business way
and learned to be a stone cutter and mason. When seventeen years of age he
left Canada and moved to Akron, Ohio, where he lived about four years,
then traveled over the East and South working at his trade. He came to
Missouri in 1877, locating in Springfield later, and here engaged in
construction work, organizing at different times several construction
companies and became one of the best known men in this line of endeavor in
this section of the state. He has done an immense amount of construction
work for the Frisco. Operating for many years on an extensive scale,
giving his close attention to his affairs and exercising good judgment and
foresight, he accumulated a comfortable competence. He retired from active
life about eight years ago on account of failing health.

Mr. Gosney was married at Carthage, Missouri, September 10, 1878, to
Josephine A. Smith, who was born in Winchester, Indiana, August 16, 1858,
and she spent her girlhood days in the Hoosier state and was educated
there. She removed with her parents in 1872 to Jasper county, Missouri,
where the family home was established. She is a daughter of George A.
Smith and Nancy Ann Paxton, who were born in Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith was a
millwright by trade. He bought a large farm in Jasper county, Missouri,
and was a successful farmer, and there his death occurred about 1884. His
wife, was a native of Pennsylvania, and she was reared and married in
Cleveland, Ohio. She died in 1892 at the family home near Carthage.

Five children have been born to Napoleon Gosney and wife, namely: Eugenia
May, wife of William Henry McCowan, was born March 5, 1879, and is at
present living in Springfield. She has six children: Josephine Anna, born
September, 5, 1904; William Henry McGowan, Jr., born March 6, 1907;
Frances Eugenia, born March 15, 1910; Richard Gosney, born July 16, 1911;
Mary Eileen, born April 19, 1913, and Nell Genevieve, born June 25, 1914.
Vera Pearl, wife of O. B. McGlothlan, was born October 19, 1881, and is
living on a farm in Webster county, Missouri. She has three children:
Loriene Josephine, born May 14, 1904; Lucile Donella, born December 30,
1905, and Vera Cordus, born December 24, 1907. Lester S., born August 5,
1883, is working in Kansas City at this writing. Josephine and Reynold are
both deceased.

Politically, Mr. Gosney is a Republican and has been loyal to the party
through both victory and defeat. During his residence in Springfield of
twenty-two years he has become well known and has always been regarded as
a good and honorable citizen in every respect. The family belong to the
Christian, church, to which- Mr. Gosney gives liberal support.




JOHN A. GRANADE. To preserve the lineaments of our companions on the
highway of life we engrave their portraits; for the same reason we collect
the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we deem it necessary, since
we speak only truth of them, to wait always until they and their friends
have passed beyond recall into the great beyond; to do this would indicate
that we were ashamed to publish to the world the history of those whose
lives are unworthy of public record. By the introduction of an admirable
system of local biography and memorial history, every man, though he may
not have achieved what the world calls greatness, has the means to
perpetuate his name and record through the coming generations. Thus, no
doubt, the descendants of the late John A. Granade, for many years a
prominent contractor of Springfield, Missouri, will feel grateful to those
who were responsible for setting forth in tangible form his personal life
history in these paragraphs.

Mr. Granade was born in Memphis, Tennessee, December 15, 1846. He was a
son of Harvey and Nancy (Vaughn) Granade, both natives of western
Tennessee, where they grew up and were married and established their home
in Memphis, but finally removed into Arkansas, where the elder Granade
purchased a large tract of land which he developed into a valuable
plantation and on which he spent the rest of his life, dying there quite
suddenly.

John A. Granade grew to manhood in Tennessee and Arkansas and assisted his
father with his work about the homestead. He received his education in the
common schools, and when the Civil war broke out he enlisted for service
in the Confederate army, in a Tennessee regiment of infantry, in which he
served most bravely until the close of the war. He saw much hard service
and took part in some of the great battles in the Western army including
Missionary Ridge, where he was severely wounded, being shot through the
face. After spending some time in the hospital he rejoined his regiment,
never regretting his service to his country, no matter how dangerous or
full of hardships, although he was but a boy, being only twenty years of
age when he enlisted.

Mr. Granade was married on February 18, 1866, to Saluda Keylon Lloyd, of
Atlanta, Georgia. She is a daughter of William and Mary (Williams) Lloyd
and was one of a family of eight children, an equal number of sons and
daughters. Mrs. Granade was born in 1847, grew to womanhood in Georgia and
received a good common school education. She proved to be an excellent
helpmeet in every respect, and she is still living, making her home in
Springfield with her daughter, Emma and her son, Otto. The former is
employed at the Heer Dry Goods store, and the latter is with the
Springfield Bakery. They are members of a family of ten children, only
three of whom survive, the other living child being John Hardy, who is a
merchant in Los Angeles, California; he is married and has five children.
The seven deceased children are, Theodore, Minnie E., William Oscar and
Fannie, all died in infancy; Lela, who married Wilmer Dix, died when
twenty-three years of age, leaving one child, Clyde. The other two died in
infancy unnamed.

John A. Granade came to Springfield, Missouri, in 1881, after his father's
death and here spent the rest of his life successfully engaged in
contracting and building, his business growing to large proportions under
his close application and able management and he was widely known as an
up-to-date, prompt and skilled workman, honest and straightforward in his
dealings with his fellowman. Politically, he was a Democrat, and
religiously he belonged to St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church, South,
of which church one of his brothers, who was a prominent minister of this
denomination, was pastor or some time. Fraternally, our subject was a
member of the Free and Accepted Masons. He was called to his eternal rest
September 14, 1890.




WILLIAM W. GRANT. The people who constitute, the bone and sinew of this
country are not those who are unstable and unsettled; who are always
moving from one locality to another; who fly from this occupation to that;
who do not know how to exercise the proper duties of citizenship, and who
take no active and intelligent interest in affairs affecting schools,
churches and public institutions. The backbone of this country is made up
of the families that have made their homes; who are alive to the best
interests of the community in which they reside; who are so honest that it
is no trouble for their neighbors to know it; who attend to their own
business and are too busy to attend to that of others; who work on
steadily from day to day, taking the sunshine with the storm and who rear
a fine family to a comfortable home and an honest life. Such people are
always esteemed in any community and any country. They are wealth
producers, and Greene county is blessed with many of them, among which is
the Grant family of Murray township.

William W. Grant, one of the agriculturists and influential citizens of
Murray township, Greene county, was born in the vicinity where he now
lives February 12, 1863, and here he has been content to spend his life,
all his active years being spent in one vocation. He is a son of Henry and
Eliza (Williams-East) Grant. Henry Grant was born November 8, 1825, in
Tennessee, and was a son of John and Catherine Grant, both natives of
Tennessee, where they grew up, married and spent their lives, never
leaving the state. Henry Grant grew to manhood in Tennessee, received such
educational advantages as the early-day subscription schools afforded and
there he was married in 1848, and subsequently removed with his family to
Greene county, Missouri, settling in Murray township. Early in life he
learned the blacksmith's trade and followed this in connection with
farming here the rest of his days, being known as a very skilled mechanic
and his shop drew customers from all over this part of the county. Here
his first wife died in 1859 and he married, in 1860, Mrs. Eliza East, a
daughter of Abner and Mary (Folden) Williams, and the widow of Sidney
East, who had died previously. Mention of her parents is made in the
sketch of Howard B. East on another page of, this work. Henry Grant was a
successful farmer and at one time owned over eleven hundred acres of good
land. He is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he accomplished,
having begun life here on a small capital, renting land at first, in Cass
township, then bought a farm which he later sold, and in 1870 bought two
hundred acres in Murray township. He carried on general farming and stock
raising on an extensive scale and ranked among the leading farmers of the
county, was an exceptionally good judge of live stock. In the fall of 1871
he went south with twenty head of mules, which he sold to Southern
planters. He was a man of influence and did much for the permanent good of
his locality, throughout which he was highly respected. Here his death
occurred on February 12, 1882. His widow has survived him thirty-two
years, being now eighty-three years of age, and is still hale and hearty
and capable of doing a good day's work. Her mind is keen and she is in
possession of all her faculties, and she talks most interestingly of
pioneer days in Greene county. She is greatly beloved by all who know her,
and is a woman of fine Christian sentiment.

To Herry Grant and wife five children were born, namely: John Abner, of
Murray township; William W., of this sketch; Henry Folden, of Springfield;
one died in infancy; and Mary Eliza, who also died young. By her union
with Sidney East our subject's mother had three children, namely: Alvin
Monroe is deceased; Howard Bentley, president of the Bank of Willard, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; and Tabitha Clementine, who
died in infancy.

William W. Grant spent his boyhood days on his father's farm in Murray
township, where he gained a thorough knowledge of the various phases of
husbandry. He was nineteen years of age when his father died. He received
a good practical education in the common schools of his district, which
has later been supplemented by wide home reading and by contact with the
world.

Mr. Grant was married February 24, 1884, to Dora E. Wadlow, who was born
in Greene county, February 20, 1867, and here she grew to womanhood and
was educated. She represents a prominent old family here, and is a
daughter of John Wesley Wadlow and Mary Ann (Lethco) Wadlow, an extended
mention of whom is made on another page of this volume in the sketch of
Albert Sidney McLinn, to which the reader is respectfully directed.

After his marriage Mr. Grant rented a farm near his mother's home and
there got a good start. He moved to his present farm in the fall of 1890,
where he owns one hundred and sixty acres of finely improved,
well-cultivated and productive land on which he has made a pronounced
success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He has a commodious home in
the midst of attractive surroundings and large and substantial
outbuildings. Everything about the place denotes thrift, prosperity and
good management. An excellent grade of well-kept live stock is always to
be found at his place.

To Mr. and Mrs. Grant eight children have been born, namely: George
Herman, who died in 1899 at the age of fourteen years; William Errick
married Edna Jones, a native of Greene county, and they have three
children. Manota, Irene and Lonzo; Clara married Ike Jennings, of Cave
Spring and they have one child, Dora Margaret; Ralph, Emma Jane, Floyd
died in 1912 at the age of eight years; the seventh child, a twin of
Floyd, died in infancy, unnamed; and Arthur, who is the youngest.

Politically, Mr. Grant is a Republican and while he has taken an abiding
interest in local public affairs, has never cared for public office,
preferring to devote his attention to his farm and home. He is a member of
the Masonic Order at Willard, also the Eastern Star and the Court of Honor
of that town. He was reared in the faith of the Baptist church. Mrs. Grant
belongs to the Methodist church. They are popular in Murray township and
are regarded as good neighbors and worthy of every consideration.




JAMES H. GRAY. Since this is the "electric age," at least no other term
seems more appropriate, and the period in which we are now living is
universally referred to in this phrase, it would be a good thing if more
young men would turn attention to some form of this work, learn some line
in which electricity can be applied to the world's industries, rather than
taking up many of the older vocations of men, such as the law, ministry,
medicine, etc. Of course the world needs good men in all these lines as
much, if not more than ever before, but if a boy has any natural bent
whatever along mechanical lines, he doubtless will develop into a better
earning capacity by studying electricity than if he entered any of the
old-line professions or trades, and, all in all, he will accomplish just
as much for the general welfare of the human race. James H. Gray, foreman
of electricians of the Frisco System, headquarters at Springfield, was
wise in choosing his life work and he has met with gratifying success
while yet a young man.

Mr. Gray was born February 12, 1881, at Carthage, Missouri. He is a son of
Theodore F. Gray, a native of western Ohio. He grew up in the East and
attended school there. In his earlier years he was a traveling salesman
and in later life engaged in the brokerage business, being successful in
both. Having accumulated a competency, he retired from active life ten
years ago, after engaging in the brokerage and commission business in
Springfield for many years and he is now living quietly in his pleasant
home on East Elm street, at the age of seventy years. During the Civil war
he served with credit as a soldier in the Union army. Politically, he is a
Republican, and he was formerly a member of the Knights of Pythias. His
wife, who was Mary E. Grissom before her marriage, is still living. To
these parents five children were born.

James H. Gray received his education in the schools of Carthage, Nevada,
and Springfield, having removed to the latter city when young with his
parents, and here he began life for himself as clerk in a grocery store,
later worked for his father in the commission business, later taking a
position with the Springfield Traction and Lighting Company as general
electrician, most of his work being on motors. He began studying to be an
electrical worker. Leaving this company, he worked for some time as
electrician at the old Baldwin theater, having charge of the switchboard
on the stage. All the while he studied electricity by night and soon had a
good working knowledge of the science. In 1901 he was employed by the
Frisco, working with its electrical equipment on cars, etc. when the
road's electric department was created in 1904 he was placed in charge of
the same as foreman, having proven that he was well qualified for this
responsible position, and from that time to the present, a period of over
ten years, he has been foreman of this department, his long retention
indicating that his work has not only been high class, but that he is
reliable and trustworthy. He has continued a deep student of all that
pertains to his line of work and has kept well abreast of the times. He
has had from seven to nine men working under his direction in this
department all the while in the shop, and also several men working on the
outside. He had charge of the electric department in the new shops for
some time. He has served under the four chiefs in this department, named
as follows: P. M. Pierce, W. C. Coover, Rober E. Massey and L. C. Hensel.

Mr. Gray has remained unmarried. Politically, he is a Republican. He
belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Knihts
of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Christian church.




JOSIAH JEFFERSON GRAY. The permanent prosperity of a nation must rest upon
its agriculture. Where agriculture has been decadent, nations have
declined. The history of the past decade proves that the agriculture of
the United States, if not actually on the decline has not made the strides
forward that it should have, and the result of this affects the producer
and consumer alike in one respect --a rapid increase in the cost of
living. This is a fact recognized by far seeing men to such an extent that
at this present time we find some of the strongest minds of the country
grappling with the problem of putting our agriculture on a permanent and
sound basis. This has become a near national issue.

An enterprising farmer of Brookline township, Greene county, is Josiah
Jefferson Gray, who was born in the vicinity where he now lives on January
16, 1851. He is a son of George Washington and Sarah Jane (Edgar) Gray.
Samuel Gray, our subject's grandfather, was a native of Ireland, from
which country he immigrated with his father to America shortly after the
close of the Revolutionary war. The father of our subject was born in
Tennessee, from which state he emigrated to Greene county, Missouri, in
1833, and settled in Brookline township among the first of the pioneers,
and here he cleared and developed a good farm, and spent the rest of his
life, dying about 1906. The mother of our subject was born near Mammoth
Cave in Green county, Kentucky. Her death occurred on the homestead here
in 1901. They were the parents of four children, two sons and two
daughters, namely: Josiah J. of this sketch; Andrew Jackson, born in 1854,
died in 1865; Elizabeth A., born in 1848, married Jefferson Moneyham of
Chariton county, Missouri, and they have five children; Sarah Jane married
William Robertson, who is deceased and she is living in Oklahoma and has
five children.

Josiah J. Gray was reared on the home farm where he worked when a boy and
in the winter attended the district schools. He has followed farming all
his life, having remained at work on the home place until 1869, when he
started out in life for himself. In 1882 he purchased the place where he
now resides, and since then has acquired eighty acres more, now owning a
good farm of one hundred and twenty acres known as "The Oak Hill Stock
Farm," on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. His farm
is a part of the Wilson Creek battleground. Mr. Gray was but ten years of
age when that great struggle took place, however he has a very vivid
recollection of what transpired that memorable day.

Mr. Gray was married, August 22, 1878, to Arena Jane Russell, a daughter
of J. N. and Nancy Elizabeth (Grimmer) Russell, both of whom came to
Greene county from Tennessee in the early forties, and in this county Mrs.
Gray grew to womanhood and attended the public schools.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gray the following children have been born: Johnnie T.,
born in 1880, was educated in the district schools, and he worked on the
home farm until his marriage in 1901 to Margaret L. McNabb, daughter of J.
P. and Sarah McNabb, of Republic, after which he moved to Stone county,
Missouri where he is now operating a farm which he owns; he has three
children, Earl V. who is ten years old, Archie, aged seven, and Theodore.
Joe Emmett, second son of our subject, was born June 15, 1887, was
educated in the district schools, and remained on the home farm until his
marriage, November 24, 1913, to Hollie Davis, daughter of Barney and
Harriett (O'Dell) Davis, of Christian county, Missouri; he then took up
farming for himself on a farm adjoining that owned by our subject. Willie
J., third son of our subject, born June 12, 1893, was educated in the
district schools, and is assisting his father operate the home farm; Ada,
born August 18, 1883, was educated in the neighborhood schools, is single
and lives at home; Emma E., born June 21, 1885, was educated in the home
school, is unmarried and living at home; Hubert C., born July 12, 1889,
died in infancy; a daughter, Ida Maudie, died in 1882; one daughter born
in 1879, unnamed.

Politically, Mr. Gray is a Democrat. He belongs to No. 471 Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Gray raises hogs and cattle of standard grade in
large numbers.




GEORGE GREEN. Americans have always had great admiration for Englishmen,
not withstanding that these nations have twice been at war. Each has
enjoyed a century of peace and good feeling toward the other, and we have
ever welcomed the British to our newer land of opportunity. Greene county
has not been fortunate enough to secure many of her immigrants, but what
few we have we are glad to note are good citizens in every respect. One of
these is George Green, blacksmith foreman in the shops of the Frisco
system at Springfield.

Mr. Green was born in Kent Waldwick, England, September 15, 1863. He is a
son of Robert and Susanna Green, both born in England, where they grew up
and received fairly good educations and spent the earlier years of their
lives, eventually emigrating to the United States, where they both died,
the father in South Dakota and the mother in Kansas. Robert Green was a
carpenter by trade, which he followed for a livelihood most of his life.
In his earlier life he was in the British army as a wheelwright and was in
the memorable East India mutiny. After coming to America he followed
railroading for a while and later was a ranch man in Texas for about four
years, His family consisted of four children, namely: Robert is a
locomotive engineer on the Frisco, running out of Kansas City, where he
lives; George of this sketch; Mrs. Clara Bowen lives in Kansas City,
Missouri, and Mrs. George Wallace, also of Kansas City.

George Green was young when his parents brought him to America, and here
he received his education. He attended school in different places,
including a year in Dallas, Texas, and some time in Rochester, New York.
In 1880 he drove overland from Texas to Springfield, Missouri, and began
work for the Frisco System in the North Side roundhouse. After remaining
there about three years he went to Kansas City and went to work for the
Kansas City, Ft. Scott & Memphis Railroad Company, which was leased by the
Frisco System in 1900, and when the shops of the former road were opened
in Springfield, now known as the South Side Frisco shops, Mr. Green was
sent here as blacksmith helper. He continued at his trade until in 1896,
when he was elected constable of Campbell township, in which office he
served two years with satisfaction to all concerned and credit to himself.
In 1901 he was appointed foreman of the blacksmith shop and is still one
of the foremen in this shop. He is quite expert in his line and handles
men well.

Mr. Green was married in 1882, to Sarah E. Twigger, who was born in
Connecticut, in December, 1862. She is a daughter of George and Ann
Twigger. She was educated in the common schools. She came west when young
in years, with her parents, locating in North Springfield, Missouri, and
here grew to womanhood, receiving her education in the public schools of
Springfield. She was one of eleven children, ten still living.

To Mr. and Mrs. Green seven children have been born, namely: Frank, born
December 25, 1883; Maude, born in 1885, married George Brougher; Ruby,
born in 1887; Mrs. Georgia Woodfill, born in 1899; William J., born in
1897; Charles, born in 1900, and Clara, born in 1902.

Politically, Mr. Green is a Democrat. Fraternally, he is a member of the
Masonic blue lodge, the Modern Woodmen and the Loyal Order of Moose. The
family are members of the Episcopal church.




JOHN T. GREENWADE. The social, political and business history of this
section is filled with the deeds and the doings of self-made men, and no
man in Greene county, Missouri, was more deserving the appellation than
the late John T. Greenwade, for he marked out his own career at an early
day and steadily followed it up to the end of his career, his prosperity
being attributable to his earnest and persistent endeavor as well as to
the fact that he always consistently tried to do as he would be done by.

He was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, October 14, 1839, and was a son
of Moses T. and Mary Ann (Long) Greenwade, natives of Allegany county,
Maryland, and there they were reared, educated and married, residing for a
few years thereafter in Virginia, where Mr. Greenwade owned some land.
They later returned to Maryland and there the mother died when John T. was
about fourteen years of age, after which his father was married to Rhoda
Allen, who survived him. Moses T. Greenwade was a very successful farmer
and stock raiser, was industrious and enterprising and was a
public-spirited man and an active politician but by no means an office
seeker. He was independent in his religious views, but the soul of honesty
and morality. His death occurred in 1858.

The paternal grandfather of John T. Greenwade emigrated to America from
England with his parents when he was about six years of age, the family
settling in Maryland, about ten miles cast of old Fort Cumberland. It is
supposed that he spent his life in that state, where his death occurred in
1852. His wife, Rachel, was of Pennsylvania Dutch stock. Their children
were, John, who died in Maryland about 1890, leaving a family well
provided for; Mrs. Nancy Cheney, who resided in Scotland county, Missouri,
for over a half century; Mrs. Mary Parker, who died in 1893, in Hampshire
county, Maryland; Mrs. Sallie Miller, who died while visiting in Indiana
in 1883; Mrs. Rebecca Welch, who died in Maryland, in 1892; Daniel has
long been deceased; and Moses T., father of the subject of this sketch.

Mary Ann Long, the mother of our subject, was a daughter of Adam Long, who
was a German by descent, but was probably born in Allegany county,
Maryland, and died in Harrison county, West Virginia, to which place he
removed about the middle of the last century. He was a farmer and left a
fair property to be divided among his sons and daughters, who were named
as follows : George, who died in Harrison county, West Virginia, in 1891,
was a farmer; Jacob, who also died there; John, who died in the same
county, in 1892; William was a soldier in the Civil war, and he died in
the above named county also; Jesse died there in 1892; Mary Ann, who
became the wife of Moses T. Greenwade., Mrs. Sallie MeCray, who died
before the Civil war and soon after her marriage.

To Moses T. Greenwade and wife five children were born, namely: John T.,
of this review; Sarah C. married A. P. Race and they settled in Greene
county, Missouri; Mary Ellen married John F. Dayton, and they established
their home in Mineral county, West Virginia; William became a farmer in
Allegany county, Maryland; and Nancy, who was a twin, to William, died
young.

John T. Greenwade spent his youthful days on a farm, received a common
school education, and after the death of his father he began life for
himself, and when only nineteen years of age rented a piece of land and
began farming. In January, 1860, he was married to Ruhamah, daughter of
Nimrod and Elizabeth Pugh, natives of Virginia, where they spent all their
lives, Mrs. Pugh surviving her husband many years. She was of Irish, and
Mr. Pugh was of Welsh descent, and they reared a large family. Mrs.
Greenwade was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, and died, after becoming
the mother of seven children, namely: Edward Everett; Josephine, who
married John Brady; Jennie, who married Dewitt Murray; Sallie, who married
Dr. J. I. Grieves; Robert, Claude and Porter. In 1879, Mr. Greenwade was
married to his second wife, Maggie Johnson, a native Kentuckian and a
daughter of Samuel and Lucy Johnson, who came from the Blue Grass state to
Greene county, Missouri, about 1870, and located their future home on a
farm near Springfield. This wife died after having borne her husband three
children: Mollie, Weldon and Ralph. On June 26, 1892, Mr. Greenwade's
third marriage was consummated, Nellie, daughter of Robert and Lizzie
Shepherd, becoming his wife. Her parents came from England about
twenty-five years ago and began farming in Greene county.

John T. Greenwade lived in Maryland during the Civil war and was not
subject to military duty, owing to ill health. He was in sympathy with the
South, but all the rest of his people were stanch Unionists. In the fall
of 1886 he came to Greene county, Missouri, and in 1867 located on a farm
of one hundred and sixty-two acres, one mile east of Willard, where he
continued to labor during his active life, all the improvements of the
place being made by himself, and he was known as one of the leading
farmers of that part of the county for many decades. Politically, Mr.
Greenwade was a Democrat until 1867, when he joined the Greenback party,
and back in the seventies became a Populist. He was frequently on the
Populist ticket for office, and in 1878 came near being elected treasurer
of the county. He has been a justice of the peace, was a candidate for
county judge and also for representative. He was a prominent Alliance man,
having held nearly all the offices in that order. He was of a decidedly
public spirit, and being a successful organizer was an active worker for
public good in every way.

Mr. Greenwade's death occurred in February, 1914.

Weldon Greenwade, son of our subject, was born September 22, 1882, in
Willard, Greene county. He received his education in this county. He
remained on the farm until he was twenty-two years old and then moved to
Springfield and went to work as conductor for the Springfield Traction
Company, which position he held until 1914. He was then appointed deputy
city collector, which position he still holds.

Weldon Greenwade was married in Springfield, February 4, 1906, to Olive
Carr, a daughter of Henry and Cynthia H. (Stubblefield) Carr. They were
from Crawford county, Missouri. Mr. Carr has been a farmer in this county
since the Civil war. Weldon Greenwade and wife have one child, Hazel, who
was born April 13, 1909. Mr. Greenwade has always been a Democrat. He made
the race in 1914 for county collector, but was defeated. He is a member of
the Masonic Blue Lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, in which he has been
keeper of records and seal for a number of years. He is also a member of
the Uniform Rank of Knights, of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World, the
Anti-Horse Thief Association, and the Ozark Game and Fish Protective
Association. His family are members of the Christian church.




AZZO B. GRIER. As a rule when we observe men changing from one line of
work to another it indicates that he has not made a very marked success of
his former calling, if indeed he has not failed outright. However, this is
not always the case, as may be observed in the career of Azzo B. Grier,
who has succeeded as farmer, educator and merchant, at present engaged in
the drug and grocery business in Strafford, Greene county, where he is
widely and favorably known and is regarded as a useful and public-spirited
citizen.

Mr. Grier was born near the town in which he now resides, just across the
line in Webster county, on May 11, 1870. He is a son of Samuel R. and
Elizabeth (Morton) Grier, the father born in North Carolina on November
23, 1834, and the mother was born in Greene county, Missouri, on May 29,
1849. The former came to Missouri when a small boy and was reared on a
farm in Webster county and there received a limited education. Fifty years
ago he purchased the farm where he still lives, his farm now containing
two hundred and fifty-four and one-half acres; He is one of the successful
and progressive men of his locality. During the Civil War he served
seventy days in the state militia. His wife was reared on a farm in this
county and attended the common schools. She is still very active for one
of her age. Only two children were born to this couple, Azzo of this
sketch, and Lorenzo, who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mr. Grier, of this review, grew up on the home farm. He received a good
common school education. He worked on the farm until he began teaching in
1888, and he taught eight terms during a period of ten years with
gratifying success. He has a record of teaching forty-nine months without
losing a day on account of sickness. He came to Strafford in 1898 and
engaged in the drug and grocery business with Dr. I. H. Mason, later
selling out and teaching another term of school, then came back to
Strafford and bought back his old mercantile business from his former
partner, Dr. Mason, and he is still engaged in the drug and grocery
business, enjoying a large trade with the surrounding country. He has been
continuously engaged in business in Strafford longer than any other man.

Mr. Grier was married in December, 1898, to Hettie Langston, a native of
Greene county, where she was reared and educated. She was a daughter of
Jackson P. C. and Phronie (Comstock) Langston, a sketch of whom appears on
another page of this volume. Mrs. Grier's death occurred on November 2,
1909, and our subject was subsequently married to Mary Lu Mullinax, who
was born and reared on a farm near Strafford. She is a daughter of Martin
and Mariah (West) Mullinax. She received a good education in the local
schools and taught school six terms with much success. Two children were
born to Mr. Grier and his first wife, Roberta, born on December 16, 1899,
and Orville, born on November 26, 1902, both of whom live at home. One
child was born of the second union, Mildred, born on June 17, 1911, who is
at home.

Politically Mr. Grier is a Democrat, and fraternally he is a member of the
Modern Woodmen.




SAMUEL S. GRIER. In farming communities it is the rule and not the
exception to find ordinary educations, but occasionally you meet a family
who takes more interest in the development of the mind, not necessarily
attending school longer or going away to college, but who lose no
opportunity to keep up with advancing civilization, who remain home
students and close observers, and as a result they in time rise above some
of their countrymen in the scale of mentality and the capacity to grasp
the larger questions of mental improvement. Such families are numerous in
Greene county, and it is a sign that this locality is equal to any in the
state in point of citizenship. One of these is the Grier family, of which
Samuel S. Grier, a well-known businessman of Strafford is a creditable
representative.

Mr. Grier was born just across the line in Webster county, Missouri, on
December 16, 1870. He is a son of N. F. and Sarah (Smith) Grier. The
father was born in North Carolina in 1845, and he was brought to Missouri
by his parents when a small boy, and was reared on a farm. He received a
limited education in the common schools, and when eighteen years old he
joined the Union army in 1861, and fought in one of the Greene county
volunteer regiments at Wilson's Creek on August 10th of that year, and was
wounded in that sanguinary engagement, which wound disabled him to such an
extent that he was later discharged from the service. Returning home, he
followed farming for some time. Prospering, he became owner of a two
hundred and four-acre farm. He is now making his home in Springfield. He
is a member of the Baptist church. His wife was born in Tennessee, and
when a young girl she was brought to Greene county, this state, by her
parents and here grew up on a farm and attended school. Her death occurred
in Webster county on the old Grier homestead. She was a member of the
Baptist church.

Four children were born to N. F. Grier and wife, namely: Tasso L., Samuel
S., of this sketch, Dorsie and Mrs. Ollie Wammack.

Samuel S. Grier was reared on the home farm, where he worked when a boy
and he received his education in the local schools. He remained on the
farm until he was seventeen years of age, then carried the mail for three
years, after which he went to work as clerk in Strafford in the store of
Hanson & Thorson. Later he began in the livery business, and built the
first livery barn in Strafford, remaining in the business for five years,
then engaged in the milling business, and was president and secretary of
the local mill for two years, after which he launched out in the real
estate business, in which he has since been engaged and in which he has
built up a large and satisfactory business. He is one of the best informed
men on the values of real estate in the eastern part of the county, and he
has the confidence of those with whom he has had dealings. In 1912 his
total business amounted to a profit of nearly two thousand dollars.

Mr. Grier was married on October 11, 1897, to Louie Jane Bryant, who was
born in Kansas on August 26, 1881, but she was an infant when her parents
brought her to Greene county, where she was reared on a farm and was
educated. She is a daughter of J. C. and Sarah (Urby) Bryant; the former
is engaged in the grocery business in Strafford, but the mother is
deceased. Mrs. Grier is a member of the Baptist church.

Three children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: Harry U.,
born on August 30, 1897; Hazel W., born on July 26, 1899, and Arnold S.,
born on March 30, 1904.

Politically, Mr. Grier is a Democrat. He is now justice of the peace at
Strafford, being elected in November, 1914. He is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he belongs to the Baptist church.




JOHN P. GRIFFIN. The business of farming comprises among many other points
the consideration of what crops to grow, how to grow them to the best
advantage, whether for sale or for use on the farm. It brings out more
than anything else the business acumen of the farmer, and is more or less
the very key note to success or failure. A man may be the best of farmer
so far as raising crops and harvesting them is concerned, but it would
avail him nothing if he had no market for what he had raised, or, in other
words, if he had raised the wrong crop. John P. Griffin is one of the
farmers of Republic township, Greene county, who seems to be very
successful in raising the right crop, in the right manner, at the right
time.

Mr. Griffin was born on August 7, 1863, in Iowa. He is a son of John and
Ann (Gilmore) Griffin, the former born in 1840, in Ireland, and the latter
born in 1842, in New York. The father of our subject was brought to the
United States by his parents when three years of age, the family locating
in Illinois, where he grew to manhood and was educated and where he
remained until his marriage when he removed to Iowa, but after spending a
few years there came to Greene county, Missouri, where he resided until
his death, having lived on his farm from about 1870 until 1910.

Thirteen children, seven sons, and six daughters, have been born to John
Griffin and wife, named as follows: John P. of this sketch; Joseph M.,
born in 1865, lives in Ashland, Oregon, married Mary Starr of that state;
James P., born in 1879, is single and lives in Baker, Oregon; Frank F.,
born in 1881, lives in Springfield, married Anna Norfleet, there in 1901,
and they had four children--Paul, born in 1902; Elizabeth, born in 1904;
and Mildred born in 1911; one child died in infancy. Thomas T., who lives
in Carterville, Missouri, married Mary Daniels of that place, and they
have two children, Emmet and Audrey; Mark, born in 1877, is single, lives
on the home place which he operates; M. E., born in 1880, is single and
also works on the home farm; Mary A., born in Redwing, Minnesota in 1862,
died in 1893; Sarah Katherine, a twin sister of John P., married J. W.
Robinson, a brother of our subject's wife, in 1891; they live in New
Mexico and have three children--Elizabeth, Paul and Barnard. Margaret
Elizabeth, born October 13, 1867, is single and lives on the homestead;
Cora Alice, born on May 9, 1870, married C. C, Humphreys in 1891, and they
have had four children--Erma, Maude, Mary, who died in 1905, and Cora
Alice whose death occurred in 1898. Rose, born in 1874, died in 1896;
Bertha Ellen, born in 1871, died in 1899. These children were given good
common school educations. Joseph M. was of musical talent. Mary had a
great local reputation as a nurse and her death was the result of service
to others, she having contracted typhoid fever while nursing a neighbor
afflicted with that disease. The entire family has always borne excellent
reputations and are well thought of throughout this part of the county or
wherever they are known.

John P. Griffin grew to manhood on the home farm and was a good student in
the schools of his neighborhood. He has devoted his life to general
agricultural pursuits and paid considerable attention to stock raising.
His well cultivated and well improved farm in Republic township contained
one hundred and twenty acres and he has a comfortable home. He was married
in 1895 to Mary Robinson, who was born in 1863, in Greene county. She
received a good education in the public schools. She is a daughter of
Anthony and Hettie Robinson, of Republic township, Greene county.

Two children have been born to our subject and wife--Leo, born on July 25,
1897; and Bertha Frances, born on June 22, 1899, died when seven years of
age.

Politically, Mr. Griffin is a Democrat. He is a member of the Catholic
church.




CHARLES I. GROBLEBE. Springfield has long been noted for a lumber center,
and ever since the days of the Civil war large yards have been located
here, and this line has been one of the leading assets of the city, which
is a distributing point for the vast Ozark lumber region, and. although
much of both the pine and hardwood forests have been denuded of their best
trees, in southern Missouri, the lumber business here has not abated, but
the supply of lumber is obtained in more remote sections of the country,
for the most part. One of the most successful of the younger lumbermen
here is Charles I. Groblebe, whose place of business is located on South
Campbell street.

Mr. Groblebe was born October 2, 1879, in Carroll county, Arkansas. He is
a son of Charles and Mary (Mitchell) Groblebe. The father was born in
March, 1844, in Germany, from which country he emigrated to the United
States in his youth and settled in St. Louis. He served in a Missouri
regiment in the Confederate army during the Civil war. After the war he
went to Arkansas and engaged in the lumber business at Eureka Springs, and
became a well known lumberman throughout northwestern Arkansas. He is now
71 years of age and is still active. His wife, Mary Mitchell, was born
August 24, 1950, and reared in Arkansas, and her death occurred September
12, 1883 when our subject was four years of age. He has three brothers,
namely: George was born April 4, 1870, lives in Arkansas; Earl was born
July 7, 1879, and lives in Elgin, Washington; Edward, born August 6, 1881,
is employed on the Missouri &.Northern railroad.

Charles I. Groblebe grew to manhood in Arkansas and when a boy he worked
with his father in the sawmill or on a farm, and he received his early
education in the public schools of his native state. He was a poor boy and
fought his way up from the bottom, and he is deserving of a great deal of
credit for what he has accomplished in the face of obstacles that would
have discouraged many. He had to work hard when a boy, often in severe
winter weather, when scantily clad, and he attended school only three
months of the year. He came to Springfield, Missouri, in 1902, and in
order to better equip himself for the battle of life, took a course in the
Queen City Business College, remaining there a year, after which he worked
two years in the local lumber yards, the meanwhile mastering the various
phases of the lumber business, and in 1905 he went into the business for,
himself, and prospered from the first, his success growing with advancing
years until today he is one of the widely known lumbermen of southwest
Missouri. He is one of the few in this line who own their own property
where their yards and buildings are located, and is the only dealer in
Greene county owning an auto truck for the delivery of lumber. He carries
a thirty thousand-dollar stock, which is extensive and complete, and he
aims at prompt and honest service whoever he deals with.

Mr. Groblebe was married in 1906 to Kate Brown, who was born, reared and
educated in Springfield. She is a daughter of Thomas Brown and Mahalia
(Stutzman) Brown. She is one of three children, the other two being
Alberta and Frank.

Two children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: Katherine,
born May 5, 1907; and Annabell, born August 2, 1913.

Politically Mr. Goblebe is a Democrat. He is a member of the Springfield
Club, and is a member of the board of directors of the Young Men's
Christian Association and Young Men's Business Club. Fraternally he
belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, and is a Knight Templar. He is an
active member of the South Street Christian church, and has been a member
of the official board of the same since 1907. He teaches the largest adult
woman's Sunday school class in Springfield. He is a man of genial
personality and is popular in the circles in which he moves.




FRANK GRUBEL. There was a time when a large per cent of the cigars
consumed in the United States were imported, but of recent years this is
not true to such a great extent, partly because American growers have
improved in the stock of tobacco produced until some grades equal any in
the world and partly because our manufacturers have learned more about
turning out high-grade products. One of the best known and most successful
cigar manufacturers in this part of the country is Frank Grubel, of
Springfield, who, as his name indicates, is of German descent, but he has
resided under the stars and stripes many years.

Mr. Grubel was born on December 12, 1853, at Grafenhaynchen, Germany. He
is a son of Edward and Christina (Muadrick) Grubel; both natives of the
above named place also, where they grew up and were educated. The father
was a woodturner by trade. He and his wife spent their lives in their
native community and died there. Their family, consisted of twelve
children, eight of whom are living, namely: Edward, Frank, Ernst, Minnie,
Emma, Paul, Carl and Herman.

Frank Grubel lived in his native land until fourteen years of age and
there received his education. He emigrated to the United States in 1868,
locating in St. Louis, where he learned the cigar manufacturing business,
at which he seemed to have a natural aptitude and became quite proficient,
and he has continued the same to the present time with ever-increasing
success. He came to Springfield, March 7, 1873, remaining a short time,
then moved away, but ten years later, June 27, 1883, returned and has been
in business here continuously ever since, in the cigar manufacturing
business alone since 1897. In that year he formed a partnership with
August Engelking, under the firm name of Engelking & Grubel, which
partnership continues. They manufacture a fine grade of five and ten cent
cigars, a few of their leading and well-known brands being. "Frank's Club
House," "Sticker," "Little Puritan," "Frank's Financere, Hand Made," and
"Promoter." They carry on both a retail and wholesale business, and employ
six cigar makers and two stemmers. Only the best material is used and most
modern methods employed, all cigars being hand-made. The tobacco, which
enters the factory in a raw state, is purchased of the most scientific
growers of the South, and it leaves the factory in the form of a fine
grade of cigars, boxed, sealed, ready for market which is found very
readily and over a vast territory. The factory is located at 1611
Boonville street.

Mr. Grubel was married on October 15, 1879, in East St. Louis, to
Elizabeth Goetz, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, August 27, 1859.
She received a common school education.

To our subject and wife two daughters have been born, namely: Ida B., born
on March 6, 1881, is teaching in a local school; Clara, born on August 10,
1882, married William Ipson, a local contractor.

Politically, Mr. Grubel is a Democrat, and fraternally he belongs to the
Woodmen, Eagles and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, also the
German Brotherhood.




WALTER P. GUSTIN. To the average mortal success in material things in this
world comes as a result of persistent striving and grim determination.
Walter P. Gustin, general yard master for the Frisco at Springfield, has
succeeded in his life work as a result of applying right principles.

Mr. Gustin was born at Piqua, Ohio, October 31, 1871. He is a son of
Joseph E. Gustin, who was born in Warren county, Ohio and there he grew to
manhood and attended the common schools. Early in life he took up the
butcher business, which he continued to follow until his death, which
occurred in 1911 at the age of seventy-eight years. He first engaged in
business in Dayton, Ohio, finally coming to Springfield, Missouri, where
he operated a large butcher shop on Main street for a number of years.
During the Civil war he enlisted in an Ohio infantry regiment and for
gallantry was promoted to lieutenant. He saw much hard service and fought
in a number of important engagements, including Bull Run. He was a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife was known in her
maidenhood as Harriet Holt, a daughter of Phillamon Holt, of Dayton, Ohio.
She makes her home on North Jefferson street, Springfield, being now
seventy-one years of age.

Walter P. Gustin spent his early boyhood in Ohio, where he attended
school, finishing his education in the public schools of Springfield.
However, he left school when sixteen years of age and went to work for his
father in the butcher business. Returning to Ohio, he began working, in
1890, in the shops of the Little Miami Railroad Company, later did yard
work at Dayton until 1892, then returned to Springfield and went to work
for the Kansas City, Ft. Scott and Memphis Railroad Company, in the yards,
where he worked until 1894, then went back to Ohio, and entered the train
service of the Pennsylvania and Columbus Railroad Company, as brakeman,
later being promoted to conductor, which position he held until March,
1902, when he came to Springfield and took a position as foreman in the
engine yards, then became night yard master and finally general yard
master. He was train master of terminals at Newberg, Missouri, for
eighteen months or until July 4, 1910, then was yard master at Monett,
this state, until September, 1912, then came back to Springfield as
general yard master of terminals, Which position he now holds. He has
under him seventy-five hands. He has given eminent satisfaction in all the
various positions he has held since entering railroad service.

Mr. Gustin was married in 1903 to Elsie Fisher, a daughter of David
Fisher, of Xenia, Ohio. To this union four children have been born,
namely: Charles, Francis, Walter P., Jr., and Rachael. Our subject owns
his own home on North Jefferson street.

Politically, Mr. Gustin is a Republican. He has been a member of the Order
of Railway Conductors for the past fifteen years. He belongs to the Benton
Avenue Methodist Episcopal church.






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